Do you have a piece of clothing that needs a little revamping? Instead of throwing it out, add a bit of lace! There are so many different ways to refresh your wardrobe with just a little bit of altering. Here are some great free tutorials to upcycle and refashion those worn jeans or misfitting top.
I know succulent projects are everywhere, but I just can’t get enough! I probably have 10 pots of succulents in the backyard and I started a succulent garden in the front yard, but I still bought several different varieties when I went to the home improvement store this weekend. My husband doesn’t agree that you can never have too many succulents.
Forget flowers and chocolate, I would much rather have succulents! In fact, that’s what my husband brought me for Mother’s Day; the large hen he bought is now finally producing chicks! I’ve surpassed my exclamation mark limit, but I really love succulents, especially sempervivums (the “hens and chicks” that produce babies). They are easy to grow, and the babies they reproduce are easy to replant. This makes succulents great to cultivate at home then make gifts and creative planters. Need a hostess gift? New neighbor? A friend’s birthday? Grab some succulents and throw them together in a cute way and you have a unique gift that will literally, keep on giving. The hard part is figuring out exactly what to do with your plants.
So here are just a few ideas!
%20-%20links%20to%20tutorials)
For my son’s first birthday, we did a comic book super-hero theme in primary colors. I spent hours looking online for printables and party ideas, but I didn’t find much that was free and I didn’t feel like paying. The solution? I made my own printables; cupcake toppers, food table labels, conversation bubble labels for the picture board, and a few fun graphics for decoration. It was easy enough, so I thought I would share. There is also star cupcake toppers, so they are really quite flexible to use for different parties – super hero, comic book, action movies, 4th of July, stars, primary colors, boys, girls, etc. When you can alter the colors, it can fit all sorts of needs.
How to use these customizable printables:
If you do not want to customize, here is the PDF file, ready to print: Free comic book super hero printable
If you have any troubles, feel free to leave a comment or send an email, and I will try to help!
The other day I posted 9 different treat stands and I finally finished some of my own! These were REALLY easy to make. Honest!
Supplies:
Directions:
While citrus may not be viewed as something “Christmas-y” (though, some people do put oranges in stockings), it’s in season and there is so much you can do with this pretty fruit. From cleaning supplies to seasonings, there are lot of DIY gift potential.
Tutorial links after the jump!
Who loves free printables?! I have searched for and scanned through, hundreds of free holiday gift tags and label printables. Although this list is HUGE, I didn’t even include all of them!
No matter what you use as gift wrapping, there is a gift tag here that will go great. I love the little woodland creatures and vintage-inspired tags. Which ones are your favorite? Oh, and did I mention they are all FREE? Plus, they are super easy to download and print!
Have you found any great Christmas gift tags this year?
Now the hardest part is deciding which gift tags to use!
I love seeing all the DIY treat stands on Pinterest and I have been meaning to make some. All you need is glue, a base, a tray, and if you want, some ribbon or paint. An assortment of trays full of goodies would be great for holiday parties. Here is a list of some different tutorials:
Tutorial links after the jump
Thanksgiving is just a few days away and I haven’t figured out what I will be making. I also figured I should probably do a Thanksgiving post before I continue on about Christmas (which I am very excited about). Here are some recipes I found online that put a little bit of a twist on the classics.
Sweet Potatoes/yams:
Cranberry Sauce:
Vegetable Side Dishes (with seasonal produce)
What are you making?
It can be easy to make quality photo pendants and charms using resin. Some resin can be tricky to work with, but I’ve found that Castin’Craft’s Easy Cast Epoxy is actually very easy to use. You just need a few supplies and before you know it, you will have fun charms or keepsake photo pendants for you or for gifts!
Supplies:
Epoxy, digital negatives, and frame charms
For this project, I used Costco’s 5×7 digital negatives and frame charms. In the photo on the top of this post, there are cufflinks made out of scrabble tiles, using pictures from a vintage bug dictionary. You can also do photos or scrapbook paper on scrabble tiles and glue a bail onto the back, or use a cabochon setting.
To make tiny pictures: In a photo editing software or PowerPoint create a 4×6 inch shape, insert the pictures you want to use and minimize them to your setting’s shape. Do a couple different sizes to play around with, fill up your 4×6 shape and have printed at a 1 hour photo place.
Directions:
Ideas:
Quick and easy photo charm keepsake
I know it’s not even November yet, but before you know it, it will be time to send out Christmas cards. If I don’t start on things now, they will probably go out late! Besides, you don’t have to make just Christmas cards with this tutorial, you can make any card or invite or layered graphic.
My computer has Photoshop on it, but it’s on the fritz, so I have been using my husband’s computer – he doesn’t have Photoshop on his computer and I have been procrastinating on installing it. I’ve been doing all my icons and graphic layering using POWERPOINT! Microsoft does make a flyer making software, but I don’t have that on my computer, either.
Some things are actually easier to use PowerPoint than Publisher or Photoshop or any other fancy photo editing software. I’ve including the following step-by-step tutorial on how to do your own Christmas cards (or birthday, or Easter, or scrap booking or electronic invitations) using PowerPoint. I made my wedding monograms some years back with this technique.
Printing pictures as Holiday cards can be more economical and can offer you more creativity and variety. You don’t have to follow a template! You can even make your own postcards this way by gluing cardstock to the back of one of your pictures.
The Life of Lulubelle 