Kid Painted Canvas

My Mom has a special song that she has always sung to my kids. I thought that putting the lyrics on a canvas painted by her grandkids would be a special Christmas gift. And since Christmas has come and gone....it has now become Grandma's special birthday gift instead!

What You Need:

• Canvas (I used an 11x14)
• Sticky Letters. I used my Cricut to cut mine out of contact paper, but you can use adhesive vinyl or pre-cut alphabet stickers.
• Paint (Acrylic or Crayola Kids Paint)
• Mod Podge
• Paint Brush(es)

How To Make It:

• Stick letters to canvas. (FYI, I had read on several blogs that going over letters with a layer of Mod Podge keeps the paint from seeping under the letters, so I did this, but I still had some paint go under my letters. The contact paper did not adhere to the canvas as well as the adhesive vinyl letters I've used in the past. I just touched up areas with white paint as needed).
• Choose the paint colors and hand over the brushes to the kids (preferably outside)!

    

• Allow canvas to dry and remove stickers.
• Paint over entire canvas with a layer of Mod Podge to seal the paint (I used Crayola Washable Paints so wanted to seal it).

Sharing at:

http://www.todayscreativeblog.net/

AND THE WINNER IS........

CONGRATULATIONS to Katie from Katie's Nesting Spot! She's won the personalized, handstamped sterling silver necklace.

Thank you so much to all who entered my first ever giveaway! I am looking forward to doing the next one!

11 Random Questions

My bloggy friend, Amy, from One Artsy Mama tagged me in this survey and I've decided to do it so my followers can get to know me a little better. Plus it will alleviate some of the guilt I feel from always deleting this type of thing from my email.

But before I get to it: REMEMBER TO ENTER MY PERSONALIZED, HANDSTAMPED NECKLACE GIVEAWAY!  Winner will be chosen tomorrow!

Back to the questions...here's how it works:

RULES
**You must post the rules {?!}
**Answer the 11 questions that the tagger posted for you & then create 11 questions to ask the people you’ve tagged
**Tag 11 people and link them in your post
**Let them know you have tagged them

1. If you could have coffee with any one person, living or not, who would it be?

This is a tough one.....Hmmm...I've been watching a lot of Ryan Gosling movies lately and wouldn't mind so much gazing at him from across a little table at Starbucks. But having said that....my official answer would be my husband :)

 

2. What is one quality you'd like to develop in yourself?

I would like to develop better time management skills (i.e. stop procrastinating). And better organizational skills.....then maybe I wouldn't have to worry about an avalanche every time I open my closet doors.

 

3. What talent do you wish you had?

I wish I was a better athlete, particularly at team sports. Jogging, cycling, swimming, etc I do okay with, but team sports...not so much. Beach volleyball.....basically just eat sand and get a good skin exfoliation. Football.....can't catch a ball when you close your eyes and just brace yourself to get hit with it. Basketball and softball....ha ha ha ha ha haaaaaa.

4. If you won the lottery {mega-millions}, what would you do with the money?

I would buy a mountain home in Colorado, because it is my happy place. I would share with friends and family. And I would hire a cleaning person so I'd never have to dust and mop ever again. Ever.

5. Which superpower would you choose: the ability to fly, the ability to read minds, or x-ray vision, and why?

I would probably choose the ability to fly so it would be easier to get to my mountain home in Colorado after winning the lottery. Plus I am a little nervous on airplanes. And I wouldn't waste so much time sitting in traffic.

6. Share a nickname you have and how you got it.

The only nickname I can think of is from elementary school where classmates called me Smurfette. I wasn't blue or anything, just blonde and petite.

7. If you could close your eyes right now and be anywhere in the world, where would you choose?

I'd be in the Rockies with my family on a beautiful, cool, sunny Summer day. Right next to a rushing river. So peaceful. No city noises. Just the wind through the trees (and the sound of my 4 year old who never stops talking!).

8. What is your favorite season and why?

Summer has always been my favorite season for several reasons....my birthday is in July (was more exciting before I hit 30, 31, 32, etc.), Fourth of July is my favorite non-Christmas holiday, beautiful pool & beach weather, and summer vacation!!  A second runner-up is Winter because I like cold weather, but living in Florida, Winter is pretty much non-existent.

9. If you could only eat one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I'd say ice cream because it comes in so many flavors that it wouldn't be hard just being able to eat one thing (assuming I don't have to pick a single flavor).

10. Which sense would be the hardest for you to lose: sight, hearing, taste, or smell?  Why?

I think it would be a tie between sight and hearing because I couldn't imagine not seeing my children growing up or hearing their laughter.

11. If you could relive one moment or day in your life, what would it be and why?

Probably the day I met my husband at Kinkos. He was a cute guy struggling with a nearby copy machine, so I went over to help him. It was the first time we talked and really hit it off, but timing wasn't right and I never called him after he gave me his number. It wasn't until years later that we ran into each other again and started dating and the rest was history. I would relive that day and actually call him so I wouldn't have wasted the years in between.

Now my questions:

1. What is your most embarrasing moment?

2. If you could drive any car, what would it be?

3. What have you accomplished that has made you the most proud of yourself (other than children)?

4. If you had one day where you were the only person on Earth, and everyone would be back the next day, how would you spend it?

5. What is your favorite book and why?

6. What is the last movie you watched and what did you think of it?

7. What do you consider your greatest talent?

8. How would you describe your favorite outfit?

9. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

10. Have you ever done anything really daring and crazy? What was it?

11. What is your greatest personal goal?

Okay....now who to tag? who to tag?

Carrie from My Favorite Finds

Kelley from The Grant Life

Vanessa from See Vanessa Craft

Rachel from Lines Across My Face

Aimee from It's Overflowing

Katrina from Restoration Housewife

Christina from I Gotta Create

Laura from Creativity Unmasked

Courtney at Between U & Me

Megan from Balancing Home

Rachel from Adventures of a DIY Mom

Nursery Wall Letters

For both my kids and my cousin's daughter, I handpainted letters for their nurseries. With baby cousin #2 due to arrive in a few weeks (you'll never guess what her name is going to be!), I decoupaged them and WOW! did they turn out great and they took about a tenth of the time of handpainting them!

What You Need:

• White Wooden Letters (available at craft store)
• Patterned Cardstock
• Mod Podge
• Scissors, Pencil
• Foam Brush
• Fine Grit Sandpaper

How To Make Them:

• Place letter backwards on back side of paper and trace outline.
• Cut letter shape out of paper.
• Apply thin coat of Mod Podge to wooden letter and align paper letter on top, smoothing down. Let dry.
• If there is excess paper around edges of letter, either trim with scissors or smooth edges down with a fine grit sandpaper.
• Apply at least two thin coats of Mod Podge, allowing each one to dry completely before applying the next.
• Note: if you don't want white edges, paint them with acrylic paint before applying Mod Podge. I ended up painting a coat of white paint to brighten up the edges.

Places I'm Partying:

http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/

http://craftskeepmesane.blogspot.com/

http://www.flourmewithlove.blogspot.com/

http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/

 

My entry to  the appliances online  crafty creations competition. You can enter too at Lil’luna!

CUSTOM, HANDSTAMPED NECKLACE GIVEAWAY

I am really excited to announce my first giveaway!!!! The prize is a personalized, handstamped sterling silver rectangle necklace with Swarovski crystal! You can have your child's name, a word, or initials stamped, up to 6 letters. The sterling silver tag measures 1" by 1/4" and hangs from a 16" or 18" chain. Includes shipping within the continental United States.

The winner will be selected at random on February 22nd. Good Luck!

Valentine Champagne Flutes

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, and chocolates and champagne bottles stocked all over the front of the grocery store, I knew it was time to bust out my Martha Stewart Adhesive Stencils and make some valentine champagne flutes. These would make a great gift or add a nice touch to a romantic night with your sweetie.

What You Need:

• Martha Stewart Adhesive Stencils (got mine at Michaels)
• Martha Stewart Craft Paint
• Champagne Flutes
• Stencil Brush or Pouncer

How To Make It:

• Clean and dry champagne flutes.
• Apply adhesive stencils.
• Apply paint with stencil brush or pouncer (make sure you don't get too much paint on brush or it will seep beneath stencil).
• Remove stencil while paint is still wet. 
• Allow paint to dry and wash stencils with warm water and soap (they are re-usable!).

Places I'm Partying:

Chalkboard Napkin Rings

Some projects come along that are so simple, yet so brilliant. Like this one....Chalkboard napkin rings. I bought some plain wooden napkin rings months ago and planned to make these before Thanksgiving, but other holiday projects got in the way. It was so quick & easy, I don't know why I waited!

What You Need:

• Plain Wooden Napkin Rings (I got these from http://www.pickyourplum.com/)
• Chalkboard Paint

How to Make It:

• Simply Paint wooden napkin rings with chalkboard paint, at least 2 coats, and let dry. DONE!!!

Places I'm Partying:

www.lilluna.com
www.bluecricketdesign.net

 

Valentine Sign

Being that I am a lover of all things holiday, my house seemed to be lacking in Valentine decor. 'Bout to change that!
First project....embellished valentine subway art.

What You Need:

• 8"x10" canvas
• Red paint (I used Martha Stewart Satin in Habanero)
• White Adhesive Vinyl
• Die-Cutting Machine (I used my Cricut)
• Adhesive Rhinestones
• Ribbon
• Glue/Staples

How To Make It:

• Paint canvas red and let dry.
• Cut valentine phrases from white vinyl (I used the Cricut Word Collage cartridge and selected a few lines from the valentine design).
• Apply vinyl to canvas, leaving space between lines for embellishments.
• Adhere rhinestones, ribbon, or whatever you fancy.

Places I'm Partying:

 

Baby Girl Wreath

We will be welcoming a new baby cousin into the family in just a few weeks (squeal!!!). I wanted to make something special for her nursery and I've been on a bit of a wreath-making kick lately, so.......

What You Need:

• Wreath Form
• Ribbon
• Straight Pins
• Felt
• Wooden Letter
• Needle & Thread
• Mod Podge, Hot Glue

How You Make It:

• Cut ribbon into lengths long enough to go around wreath form with a bit of overlap.
• Wrap alternating pieces of ribbon around wreath and secure in place with straight pins until entire wreath is covered.
• Apply a coat of Mod Podge to the back where the ends of the ribbon are to prevent fraying.
• Make felt flowers: Cut a strip of felt approximately 2"x12". Fold in half lengthwise and sew ends together. Once sewn, cut slits down entire length about 3/4 of the way to the bottom. Next, starting with one end, roll up into flower and sew through bottom to secure

• Paint wooden letter to match ribbon and let dry.
• Glue on felt flowers and wooden letter with hot glue.

Places I'm Partying:

http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/

http://www.lilluna.com/