Personalized Clocks – My Writer’s Clock

There is so much creative possibility while building your own clock from a kit, I can’t believe it took me so long to finish this thing. It now decorates my wall quite nicely!

Personalized Clock

clock kit = clock base + movements + hands
paint
napkins or transfer paper
glue
marker

First paint your clock base with a base color of your choice.

Use the decoupage technique to add desired motifs. (I went with a seasonal theme using a variety of different motifs specific for each season.) Then make markings, write numbers, etc. for the clock dial.

(I personally went with a toned down “Writer’s Clock” theme, adding Write, Revise, Submit, Re-Write, Publish, etc. while giving the seasonal look center stage.)

Finish it off by assembling the clock and hang where ever desired.

Happy crafting! Tic-Toc Tic-Toc

Slice of Diaper Cake, anyone?

We went to a christening in February. I’m not too keen on being in a room filled with too many people, or a family get-together of any sort, but what got me excited about this obligatory-attendance-thingy was that: I got to (finally!) make a diaper cake!

I saw diaper cakes all over the internet before and made a mental note about assembling one myself… except there was never a reason to, no one that close to me had a baby so that I could surprise them with it.

Jumping at the opportunity, here’s what I ended up with (and a tutorial for how to make your own).

Diaper Cake 

a pack of 30 or more diapers (best to buy bigger sized ones, unless you know for sure how much the baby weighs)
pretty, decorative ribbons
gifts you’d like to include (clothes, toys, baby’s room decorations, fridge magnets, baby bottle, shoes, etc.)
something to place the cake on (I used a round plate mat)
rubber bands
marshmallow skewers

One by one roll up the diapers tightly and secure them with 1-2 rubber bands. After you’re finished with the whole diaper pack, you can start the cake assembling.

Place some of the gifts you’re giving into the middle of the cake “platter” and then start placing the rolled-up diapers around the gifts in a circle. Secure with a rubber band so they won’t move anymore. Fill up the base tier with the rest of the gifts.

Build the second tier by placing the rolled-up diapers next to each other in a circle and secure them with a rubber band.

Build the top tier and measure it against the second tier so it’s a perfect fit and will look nice and proportionate once the cake is assembled.

If you have any left-over diapers, add them inside the bottom tier next to the gifts.

Place the second tier on top of the bottom tier. Stick 2-3 marshmallow skewers in between the diapers so they don’t show, but so they secure the tiers together. Repeat with the top tier.

Tie the decorative ribbons around each tier to cover the rubber bands, further secure them and make your diaper cake look all pretty.

Optionally place extra gifts on the tiers before packaging.

Happy cake making

Homemade Gifts {in a Jar} part 2

Last week, I told you all about my gift in a jar Chocolate Chip Cookies for the Chef.

Now, for the seamstress in my life, I decided to make a sewing-kit jar. Here’s how I did it.

Sewing-kit jar

Fill the jar of your choice, with different things a seamstress would appreciate (I chose beads, embroidery thread, yarn, buttons, chalk, pins and needles, etc.)

I really liked the idea of the pincushion lid, but knew my grandmother wouldn’t really want to keep the jar, so I decided to make one of these really cute Tuna Can Pincushions I’ve had my mind on ever since my friend Patsey posted her tutorial.

After I finished both the jar and pincushion, I stuck the tuna can pincushion onto the lid with a simple double adhesive tape so it would stay on there until/during Christmas gift giving and then come off easily.

Happy crafting everyone

Homemade Gifts {in a Jar} part 1

Sometime last week, I stumbled upon Myra’s blog post, 12 Homemade Gifts In A Jar and I was floored. I instantly fell in love with all of these ideas, and since I’d personally love to receive something like this, I decided to make some gifts in jars myself.

The first one I made is a gift to the Chef in my life who doesn’t really like the precision of measuring ingredients for baking. I figured this would be the perfect St.Nick’s Day gift – and I was right, he loved it

Chocolate Chip Cookies – Homemade gift in a jar

(I used my own adapted version of this Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe.)

Layer the ingredients in a large enough mason jar, starting with the necessary dry ingredients like sugar, flour (+ baking soda and salt mixed into it), cocoa and only then add your additional dry ingredients like chocolate chips, hazelnuts, Rahat Locoum (Turkish Delight), granola, cereals, raisins, etc.

Screw the lid on the jar, and cover with a circle of fabric or a paper doily, held down with a rubber band. Cover the rubber band with yarn or ribbon and tie a bow. For additional beauty, tie a cinnamon or vanilla bar into the bow. (I did that just before gifting the jar.)

Print out a gift tag-type paper with the recipe, or simply glue further directions onto the jar like I did, mentioning what else needs to be added, at what temperature the cookies need baking and for how long.

* I personally added a bunch of extra ingredients the original recipe didn’t include, so I upped the quantity of eggs and butter needed. Make sure you do the same if you need to.

Come to think about it, I’ve actually given gifts in a jar before, in the form of homemade beauty products. I think my Beauty the natural way recipes (Face Mask, Bath Salts, Exfoliating Body Scrub, Body Balm, Facial Scrub, etc.) are perfect for the ladies in your family so flip through the pages and feel free to prepare any of those. I’m sure they will be greatly appreciated.

Hope you all like these ideas, and check back next Wednesday for part 2

 

PS: there are a ton of gifts in a jar ideas out there on the web, you’re bound to come across the perfect one for your loved ones.

Cute corner bookmarks

I’ve been mostly neglecting the Green Lifestyle posts, particularly the ‘Arts, crafts & recycling’ section as I like to post pictures of what I made. Luckily for me (and you) I still have my friend’s camera for the day and I found a super quick & easy tutorial to share.

I’ve stated it before and I’ll say it again: I’m always short of bookmarks. Last year I posted a tutorial on how to create some Classy handmade bookmarks with the paper napkin transfer method – which I still make semi-regularly as gifts, as well as for myself (only semi-regularly cause my fear of hot or sharp objects around my fingers doesn’t seem to pass)  

Here are the latest creations, all done in less than five minutes!

Cute corner bookmarks

Scrap cardstock: white, colored, patterned, etc. – It’s a good idea to work with two different colored cardstock 
Craft glue
Scissors and paper pinking shears
Craft accessories, decorations
Pens and markers

Cut two 2×2 inch squares from the colored cardstock. Cut the corner off of the white (different colored) cardstock, then cut one of the squares in half diagonally to create a triangle.

Spread a thin layer of glue on one side of the triangle and fit the white cardstock inside, trimming it with pinking shears to create a decorative pattern along the edge.

Add a thin layer of glue along the two shorter edges of the triangle and press onto the square – this creates a pocket for the corner of your book.

Allow the glue to dry and your bookmark is ready to slip onto the corner of your page!

Happy crafting and reading!

Handmade Chair Leg Booties

I haven’t personally made the socks from the photos (they were a gift), but after using them in the room on hard wood floors I’m very pleased of how well they protect it. Plus, they’re so cute and easy enough to hand make; thought I’d share the idea with you guys too

 

Handmade Chair Leg Booties

Cut two round pieces of fabric the size of the chair foot plus 3-4 inches. Hem the circle by folding fabric under a quarter inch then once again. Stitch around the hem. Insert a thin elastic or ribbon through the hem.

Cut a half sized piece of leather than your original pieces (or carpeting) and sew it unto the bottom of the bootie for further protection and durability.

Place the chair foot in the center of the fabric circle and draw up the elastic or ribbon. Secure and your chairs are cuter by the second

Optionally, if you have uneven floors or chair legs, use a small scrap of carpeting or quilt padding and place it under the chair leg before the chair leg bootie is attached. It’s unnoticeable and your chair won’t waddle any more.

Happy crafting

Handmade Halloween Spiders

Last week as I was shopping for supplies in the craft store, I saw a spider in one of the corners. And no, it wasn’t the kind that likes to scare me at least once a month, and nothing like the ones that scared the heck out of me three nights in a row a few weeks ago.

It was a handmade spider, perfect for this year’s Halloween project. So my last minute shopping consisted of chenille wires of which now spiders decorate my half-remade chandelier in a pretty glow in the dark spider web.

Plus it’s super easy!

 

Chenille Wire Spiders

 

different colored chenille wire

 

Take one chenille wire, fold it in 4, twist it a few times in the middle, then cut the ends so you get 8 individual ends. These will be the legs.

Take another chenille wire (same size as the first) and wrap it around a round object about 4-5 times (like a glue stick, marker, etc.). Use the ends to twist around in one place so the round parts don’t unfold. This will be the abdomen.

Place the abdomen on top of the legs and twist so that you’ll get the ends of the abdomen piece as the palps.

Place anywhere and you’re ready to scare your family and friends

 

PS: you can make the spider webs too out of chenille wire (I only bought enough for the spiders)

 

Happy crafting