Vintage Suitcases Memento Craft Idea via A Drawer Full of Pretty Wishes

Megan of A Drawer Full of Pretty Wishes blog has got some serious fashion and craft talent, more on that in later posts. But I just simply adore her vintage suitcase ideas. They would make a wonderful keepsake gift, using mementos and special touches all in a nice, traveling package. Almost like a scrapbook or shadow box , but on a bigger scale. I pass by vintage suitcases all the time in thrift shops. If you made several, they would look adorable stacked in a corner together. Imagine, one for birthdays, seasonal holidays, then they easily fold up to be stored away until next year. I look forward to making some of these soon!

I love the dainty details of ribbon and lace. Personalized buntings and banners are easy to make with either fabric or paper and add an extra special touch. This dance themed case is complete with a tutu and vintage art of a ballerina. I know many little girls who would love this!

Love this frame idea. Paint and distress an old frame, than glue vintage rhinestone buttons or clip-on earrings or brooches to decorate it. Add a pretty saying or photo. Simple and sweet.

I love how she added sport items and comics for an 8 year old boy! Imagine making a Star Wars, Minecraft, Leggo, science, dinosaur, animal, military, cowboy or car themed case. They would make a cute table display at a birthday party.

Easy DIY Spring Easter Egg Wreath Tutorial

I have had this wintery wreath on my door since well, winter. I figured, I had better update it, but didn't have the time.  First, I tucked the berries and pinecones behind the wreath. I grabbed this egg garland I already had and tied it onto the wreath with twine and craft pearls to tame the pine needles back, and then I tucked some fake flowers in there. I think it turned out really cute! It took less than 10 minutes, required absolutely zero sewing or gluing, and I can take it apart in minutes if I want to reuse the materials again.

Recycling holiday crafts and supplies is the best!

You can also take a figurine, like my adorable little bunny here, and glue or wire it down. So, Easter is tomorrow... you have *plenty* of time to do something like this!

Also, tonight we will be planting a magical Easter jellybean garden, along with many other pinterest inspired families. In the morning, lollipops or peeps should arise in their place... hopefully these beans work!

via makeit love it

 

 
via my frugal adventures

DIY: Easy Jersey Flower Headband from Cut Off Yoga Pants

Being the short person that I am, I have many pants which are too long. So, I took these super comfy grey jersey pants and cut a few inches off the bottom. When I looked at my leftovers, I was like, hmmm... surely something can be made from that?! So, I instantly thought, "headbands".

I put one piece around baby girl's head and pinched a section to fit, then I safety pinned it so I had the right amount of fabric to work with. Then, I got out a needle and thread and simply worked that pinched section into sort of like a blossom, ruched type flower piece. I really just manipulated the fabric with the needle into the shape I wanted. It took me longer to find my scissors than it took for me to make this headband. The raw edge just rolls over so no need to even sew that part. I kind of like the detail from the hem on the other side, but you can always cut the hem off for more of a uniform look.

I took the cut off from the other leg and pulled it over my ears. Instant earwarmers for momma! :)  This is the kind of craft I like, fast, easy, very little mess or supplies, can easily be reworked if it doesn't turn out and it's free!

Memory and Gratitude Jar Craft Tutorial

 This memory and thankful/gratitude jars are extremely easy and simple to make. You can spend next to nothing, or go all out on supplies. Most of the time, you can just find things around the house to use to embellish your jars.

These would make great gifts! Imagine, a teacher gift, where the students write down things they appreciate about the teacher. Or a grandparent, and each grandchild/child write down things they love about grandma and a happy memory. Ooh, or a baby or bridal shower, where each person in attendance writes down a fond memory of the guest of honor and a word of advice on motherhood or marriage! It would make a touching memorial for someone who has passed on, filled with memories and trinkets of that person. The jars can hold, candles or flowers, and would look lovely on a wedding table. You can really do anything with them. And best of all, they are really fun to make with family and friends! It would be fun for a little girl's birthday party activity! Everyone just brings some ribbon, lace, twine, odds and ends and have fun together.

In my memory jars, I use items to decorate based on that memory, then fill the jars up with photos and memorabilia. Here, I have a baby and wedding jar. The butterfly pin I wore on my wedding dress and the one in the jar was on my cake. The ribbons are fragments used in my bouquet. NUME is a silly little inside joke with my husband. For the baby jar, I put her baby bow on there, and tied it with trim and ribbons. Inside, is the fabric trim we used on her blessing headband, that also matched her blessing dress that her aunt made her. I still need to fill these jars up, but you see where I am going with this. Imagine having a shelf or  with lots of little memory jars, for births, vacations, special occasions, or just because.

For the gratitude jar,. you fill it with paper scraps. You can have some method, like every Sunday night, each family member writes something they are thankful for, and include special memories or funny conversations with your kids on the paper scraps. You read them all together at Thanksgiving. Then, you can staple them together in a paper chain for your Christmas tree. Start the tradition each year and add to your paper chain for a fun, annual activity. Reading old memories and moments of gratitude from past years will really bring back some tender and silly moments each year that otherwise may have been long forgotten.

HOW TO MAKE:
Hot soapy water and vinegar are both great for cleaning sticky labels off of the glass. Lightly sand your jar lid if you want, prime with spray paint, then spray paint your desired color. A few very light coats makes for a cleaner look and better coverage than a thick coat of paint. I used hot glue to secure the cut burlap strips, then the ribbon can be glue on or tied on. Any kind of embellishments work. Making your own embellishments, such as rolled fabric flower s (tutorial) are easy and cheap. There are tons of tutorials on how to make paper and fabric flowers, or you can just buy some as well.

I even made a plain jar, with holiday themed 'corsages' that I can change throughout the seasons. There is no right or wrong way. We made these at a recent craft night and everyone's jars turned out wonderful. I would love to see if you make one and how you use it :)

Inspired Interior: Bedazzled

I love browsing craigslist. I find real gems sometimes... In this case, I found a lot! I see potential, creativity and personality here, some really neat pieces of furniture too, great job, Sammy! I also see that someone got a little carried away with a bedazzler. I wonder if we know when we have gone too far? Sometimes, it's good to question that, I suppose. I would have loved to see the creativity here of the gems used in a large scale piece, like a large art piece or the entire screen wall or coffee table or a chandy dripping with jewels... as opposed to a little bit speckled everywhere. What do you think? Interestingly, I'm totally inspired now to take one huge item and just craft jewel the living heck out of it. I do have colorful ones for sale here, maybe I need to add clear ones to the mix? All this furniture, and accessories, with diamond trim (including a bedroom I didn't show), is available for $4,000.