Disney-Inspired Doll Tutu's

Happy 2015 everyone!!  What a year 2014 was - so many schedule changes and not enough time for crafting.  I am hopeful this year will not be so chaotic and I can get my craft on!
New for this year, I am a Brownie troop leader - I look forward to sharing our fun projects with you.  :)

Doll tutu outfits are always a huge hit at craft shows; so last year I decided to make some that were Disney-inspired.  I absolutely love how they turned out!!   There are tons of different variations and interpretations of the characters; the possibilities are endless.  For the princesses; I decided to keep the tutu's a bit longer so they emulated dresses or ball gowns.

Here's a sample of some of my favorites!

Sofia the First Inspired Tutu -

Rapunzel Inspired Tutu -

Belle Inspired Tutu -

Minnie Mouse Inspired Tutu -

Snow White Inspired Tutu -

Anna Inspired Tutu - 

I also had to throw in a superhero tutu for those little girls who aren't so much into the princesses!!

Happy Crafting!!

Yarn Wrapped Eggs

Easter is one of my favorite times of the year; it signals new growth, flowers and warmer weather! I tend to get more inspiration in the spring than any other time of the year.  I made these eggs a few years ago for Easter; I got them out for decorations this year and got inspired for a newer version of them.  Stay tuned for that!
This was such an easy project to make, it would be another perfect one for older kids.  I made these eggs while sitting on the couch watching a movie!

Materials Needed:

• Styrofoam eggs (various sizes)
• Yarn (various colors and styles)
• Elmer's Glue
• Straight Pin
• Scissors

I began by pinning yarn to the top of an egg; then spread glue around the egg.  Carefully, I spun the yarn around the egg to cover the entire Styrofoam with yarn.  The trickiest part was completing the wrap on the bottom of the egg.  Since the bottom of the eggs was wider, the yarn was having a difficult time staying put.  I found that by using tons of glue and wrapping slowly at the bottom I would get the best results.

My favorite yarn to use on this project was the multi-color cotton yarn I had left over from another project.  The 'fuzzier' yarn, like the Homespun, did not look as good as I anticipated.  This was a very fun project and would work really well for fall and winter projects as well!

Happy Crafting!

St. Patrick's Tulle Wreath

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duit!  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I was excited to make a wreath for this Irish holiday because there are so many different ways this could turn out.  You can use greens, make it rainbow colors, use the colors of the Ireland flag; whatever your heart fancies!  I choose to use greens and gold to go with a more shamrock theme.

Materials Used:
- Spool of green tulle
- Spool of olive/yellow green tulle
- Spool of gold glitter tulle
- Shamrock decorations
- Shamrock wired ribbon
- Round Styrofoam wreath
- Glue Sticks

I purchased all the materials (except the Styrofoam wreath) from Pat Catan's.  The use of a bright green and the olive green really gave a "springy" feel and was a good contrast to the gold glitter tulle.  Overall this wreath cost around $15.00; the shamrock ribbon was a little more than I usually like to spend on ribbon - but definitely worth it! 
Maybe next year I'll try out a rainbow wreath, I can picture it now.  White on the bottom of the wreath for clouds with the rainbow colors on top!  Could be cute!

Happy Crafting!

Art Ministry - Claude Monet

One of my goals this year is to start a local art ministry - not only to share my passion; but to also share my talents from God with others.  I love writing, sharing and learning about art just as much as I love to paint.  I'm still brainstorming how to execute a local art ministry; I would love to get a group of people together that share the same passion, create some beautiful art and share it with residents at a local retirement community.  I'm hopeful everything will fall in place in due time!

Impressionism is by far my favorite style, and of all the Impressionist artist - Claude Monet takes the cake.  The painting style of Impressionism originated in 19th century Paris with a community of artists.  This style is most recognizable small, thin noticeable brushstrokes on the canvas. Impressionism is all about understanding the effects of color and shadows among the subjects being painted. Most paintings done during this time were of landscapes and ordinary life subject matter - which is probably why I am so drawn to these types of paintings.  Looking at another person's impression and perception of life can bring so many emotions to the surface.  Joy.  Sadness.  Contentment.  The list can go on!

Monet's painting, Impression: soleil levant (Impression Sunrise), was completed around the year 1872 and was on exhibit in 1874.  During an art showing, a critic viewed this piece and then coined the term "Impressionism" to describe the work he saw.  The exhibition was an opportunity for the artists to showcase this new art form without the interference; and included works by Renoir, Degas, and Cezzane - just to name a few.

Some of Monet's more well-known paintings were created in the late 1890's into the early part of the twentieth century.  Monet rented a large house and 2 acres at Giverny (which he later purchased), in northern France. The house also had a barn, orchards and a small garden.  Monet's family built up the gardens; and by this time his art dealer had great success in selling his work. The garden became a vast landscaping project and thus became the subject of many of his best-known pieces - such as Water Lilies and the Japanese Bridge and Water Lilies.

Claude Monet died on December 5, 1926 in Giverny.  Today, his home and gardens are major tourist attractions in Giverny and draws the attention of many travelers and art enthusiasts!
One day, if I ever make it to France, this is a definite must see!

Happy Crafting!

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How I Got My 3 Year Old To Give Up Her Binky!

Like many of you out there, I have a very strong-willed, stubborn three-year old with a loud voice of her own!  Since she is likely my last, I admittedly was a little more lax with her when it came to giving up "baby" things - the binky (pacifier) being no exception.  Recently we attempted to have her give it up on her third birthday.  I thought this would be the perfect time since she understood she was getting to be a big girl.  This concept worked for about two weeks; then the binky slowly made it's way back into our lives! 

As this past Christmas approached, our elf Christopher made his appearance.  Both my girls are very excited about Christopher and whole-heartedly believe in him.  Christopher returned to the North Pole with Santa on Christmas Eve - so my husband and I told our little one that Christopher also wants to take her binky's with him so they can be given to new babies.  My little goofball thought that was brilliant and made a point to place her binky on the fireplace Christmas Eve so Santa wouldn't miss it!

Christmas morning while my oldest ran as fast as she could to the Christmas tree in the living room - Caitlyn went the opposite direction to fireplace in the family room to see if Santa took her binky!  She has not asked for it since (knock on wood!) 

 





Did you have a creative way to get your toddler to willingly give up their pacifier?  I would love to hear them!!

Winter Tulle Wreaths

I can't believe it's near the end of January! The end of the year into the next year is always so busy and just goes by so fast. Before I start on Valentine's crafts, I wanted to share some of the tulle wreaths I made for the winter.  So many possibilities with tulle wreaths!

Time to start the Valentine crafts!!  Stay tuned!

 

Happy Crafting! 

Owl Ballerina Birthday Invitations

Well, Caitlyn's third birthday has come and gone - but was a successful ballerina theme!!  My lovely friend who had the brilliant idea for the Tinkerbell invitations created these beyond adorable Owl Ballerina invitations for Caitlyn's party. There's nothing I love doing more for birthday parties than having a personal handmade way to celebrate the day!

 

The back of the invitation said "Come Dance and Twirl with the Birthday Girl" and then of course had space to enter the party details. 

It was a bit of a challenge to get the invitations in an envelope for mailing though!  I ended up folding her little arms in so she fit in the envelope.   Thanks to Jessica for making these for my little ballerina! 

Happy Crafting!