Happy Camper - Iron On Transfer T-Shirt Design

Of course, another camping inspired post.  I doodled this little tshirt design on a piece of paper and fell in love with it... so I put it on a shirt.  Because that's what you do with things you love, right?  You wear it on your sleeve.  Or your torso, whatevs.  This was my first endeavor into Iron-On Transfers... and let me tell you, I'm obsessed!  Seriously, I want to iron-on EVERYTHING.  I even made a hoodie for Atari.. he's wearing it in this pic, but that will be another post for another time... 

My new Cricut Explore One made this little project so ridiculously easy!  All the supplies came from Michaels, of course.

This trip, we stayed at Breakneck Campground in Portersville, PA.  Check out the adorable hut we stayed in that hung over the side of a gorge.  I would live here.  Like seriously.  If you've never visited Pennsylvania.. I highly encourage you to do so and check out all the natural beauty it has to offer.  I cannot wait to explore more hidden corners of this beautiful state I live in.

DIY Denim Journals

Denim is becoming one of the newest and hottest crafting trends of 2015. Typically when I think about denim, it's for use in clothing only, or maybe as a fun accent like in my simple serged hand warmers project that I posted last week. When Michael's told us that this month's project challenge was going to be denim, my mind immediately went to clothing. I packed up the kids and headed out to gather supplies for what I was sure would be a clothing-related post - right up my alley! When I got there, I quickly realized that 1. denim is wayyy more versatile than I thought and 2. my project was definitely not going to be one involving clothing with all the cool options out there!

Michaels has a whole new product line called Make Market  for DIY project and home décor ideas – all made with simple, on-trend surfaces and textures like chalk, denim, galvanized, burlap and cork. I had a great time browsing the aisles and looking at all the fun things I wanted to buy.

You can see that I had a little fun with the industrial letters :)

And when I got to the denim, you can see why I wouldn't be making any clothing! They had more things than I thought could be done with denim: denim canvases, denim covered plates, denim dyes and paints...but no denim yardage.

I was a bit out of my comfort zone since I originally assumed I'd be making clothing, then I stumbled upon the cute denim letters in the picture above.  My mind immediately flashed back to the burlap-covered journals I had just seen in the Make Market aisle, and I knew exactly what to make - denim journals! And wouldn't you know, those cute little denim letters are the perfect size for the journal covers.

It was denim destiny I tell you.

Since I always seem to come up with craft ideas at the weirdest times, these little personalized inspiration journals are a handy way for me to jot down crafting ideas when they hit. While I made mine to be used as crafting journals, they could be used for anything really! Sketching, journaling, diaries, sticker collecting...whatever your thing is! Ready for the easiest project ever?

SUPPLIES: (most items were found in the Make Market aisle of Michaels) burlap journal, hot glue and glue gun, denim letters, denim patterned washi tape, denim shapes, burlap and denim gift tags (optional)

First, use your glue gun to glue your letters onto the front of your burlap journal and let dry.

If you'd rather use something else other than the letters, Michael's also has cute denim shapes that you could use. I made this journal above for my daughter to draw in, so I went with the denim heart shapes found in the Make Market aisle.

After adding your lettering or shapes, take the super awesome denim tape and attach it along the binding of your journal, then trim excess.

And that's it! Simplest, fastest project ever. And sometimes those are the best kind. I love that I have a personalized journal to add inspiration ideas and photos to wherever I go. I can just slip it in my purse or keep it in my car to write in whenever inspiration hits.

I also grabbed some of these adorable burlap patterned gift tags to use as a bookmark.

Now onto some super secret-y stuff! Michaels Makers readers are getting the inside scoop on an upcoming craft contest that will send one lucky participant on the trip of a lifetime to Paris. Paris, people!! Be sure to check back here March 2 to get all the details on how to enter to win the trip of a lifetime!

An InLinkz Link-up

Cranberry & Feta Cole Slaw Lettuce Wraps (Vegetarian, Organic & Gluten Free!)

Today I'm going to share with you a delicious (and very pretty, if I may say so) cole slaw recipe.  This is perfect for holiday gatherings or even just for no reason at all!  I chose to use all organic products. And not only is this organic and vegetarian, but it is also gluten-free.

Measurements:

1/2 cup Cranberries

6 cups chopped Cabbage

1 Carrot

1/3 cup Mayo

1 tablespoon Honey

Fresh Ground Black Pepper (to taste)

1 teaspoon Celery Seed

1/2 Squeezed Lemon Juice

Feta

1 teaspoon Raw Sugar

1 - Slice and dice your cabbage and carrot

2 - In a food processor, chop up your cranberries and Raw sugar.

3 - In a bowl, mix your cranberry/sugar into the mayo, lemon juice, and honey.

4 - Pour cranberry/mayo mix onto cabbage and carrots.  Add celery seed and black pepper - MIX.

5 - Once your cole slaw is done, clean and lay out one leaf of butter lettuce.  Fill it with your cranberry cole slaw, drench with feta and wrap it.

6 - Enjoy!

   

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Faux Fur Boot Cover Up

I have a pair of boots that I call my "fake Uggs" that I've owned for years. I used to wear them a ton, but in recent years I've found new favorite boots, and now they've been sitting in my closet, lonely and forgotten. When I pulled out my fall gear recently, I found my sad little fake Uggs and decided they needed a makeover, stat.

I was inspired by all of the awesome fur lined and fur covered boots I've seen around. I really wanted a pair but didn't want to pay the hefty price tag so like the crafty girl I am, I found an easy and super cheap way to give my old boots a new look.

Here are the boots before they got the faux fur treatment:

Booooooring, right? Dig into your closets for some old boots, and let's get funky with some fake fur!

SUPPLIES: 1/4 yard faux fur, suede cording, a pair of boots, sewing machine and basic sewing supplies.

First, measure your boots at the widest part of the boot (at the top) and the skinniest part near the bottom. Also measure the length of your boot from the top of the foot to the top of the boot and add an inch.



Next, cut out two pieces of faux fur in the measurements you wrote above. Beware, fake fur will get allllll over the place. I learned this the hard way, and I was blowing fake fur out of my nose and picking fur out of my clothes for a few hours after. Unless you like that sort of thing, it would be a good idea to have a small vacuum handy while you're cutting. You'll thank me later.



With right sides together (RST) fold one of the long edges down 1/2 inch. Pin and sew. Next, fold your cover up in half with RST and pin along the short edge. Sew to make a tube.



Try your cover up on your boot to see if it fits properly, then make any changes needed before you move on. I ended up tapering my cover up a bit since the top of the boot was quite a bit wider than the bottom, making the cover up look a really baggy. You want it to be pretty fitted for it to look its best.



Finally, you'll want to complete the look by wrapping suede cording around your boot. Start by wrapping your cording around the back of your boot and crossing it in front. Continue wrapping and crossing your cording until you reach the top, then tie the remaining cording in a bow. You can leave it plain or maybe even add some beads.

Easiest shoe makeover. Ever.

Check out our Link Party Page to see where we link up each week!

Polymer Village Planters

I'm sharing a fun little project I did to give homes to some lonely little succulents.  And when I say little... I mean itty bitty.  

All you need is:

Polymer Clay

Rolling Pin

Ruler

Knife

Parchment Paper

Baking Sheet

Glue gun

+

Dirt and a plant!

First, cut 1/5 of your block of polymer off and roll it out to be about 1/8" thick. Cut 2 squares that are 2"x2".  Cut 2 squares that are 2"x1 3/4".  Next, Cut the front of the house with a peak on the front.  That should be 5 total pieces. 

Now, bake them according to the instructions on your clay.  Make sure they are laying completely flat on your baking sheet!

After they are baked and cooled, paint the windows, doors and any other accents you'd like to add.

Piece your house together and use a hot glue gun to seal the edges and make it water tight. 

Use the 2 pieces that are 2" x 1 3/4" as the sides so they will fit snuggly between the front and back pieces.

Next, plant your succulent and water!

I made a tiny village of these for my windowsill in the kitchen.  I absolutely love them!

   

Check out our link party page to see where we link up each week!