Fathers Day Card & Treat

This year for Fathers day I'm keeping it simple. We bought a house a month ago so we don't really have any extra money to get my husband a grill or a big tv or anything like that.  He will have to settle for a cute fathers day card and some treats :)

I can't take credit for the idea of the Soda and the candy. I did know that I wanted to do something like this but I ended up browsing pinterest instead of having to think about it myself. There are three links to three different pins.

I was going to print out my sentiments but I thought it would make it a little more personal to have it in my hand writing. I really really really really really really really don't like my handwriting but my husband has told me before that he does. It is his day so I thought he'd like like this.

"Pop"....get it?

This jar used to have spaghetti sauce in it.  I always have a few jars on hand. They are great for gifts, toy and craft storage.

Why are there three? I made one for my husband, Dad and Father-in-law. 

I used metal brads to give the look of the buttons on a white dress shirt. 

 The Fathers Day Tie Cards are 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 inch. 

 I had my three year old son stamp on a piece of white cardstock and then I cut it out in the tie shape.

There are a lot of Fathers Day tie cards floating around out there but I did come up with this one on my own. I made myself a tie template and then wrapped a 3/4 inch strip of cardstock around the top of the tie. If you don't have any brads you can use buttons.  I made about twenty of these to sell. It was a lot of fun.  If only the ties I made really were from my husband's closet :)

Happy Fathers Day

Toddler Dropper Painting

Austin is three and a half now so I don't know if he can really be considered a toddler but I think toddlers would like this activity as well.  I put water and food coloring into pinch bowls and gave Austin a medicine dropper.  I only had to show him once and then he went to town.  You will need to use thick cardstock for the paper.  Construction paper and printer paper don't really work.  It is fun to just do drops or you can drop the paint on and then get close and blow to make fun patterns.

 

 

 

 

I didn't use very much water in each bowl.  It goes a long way.  I used four drops of food coloring in each bowl.  

 

 

After he finished painting I let the extra paint drip off the side of the paper onto the cookie sheet.  Then I let it dry.  It was a little wrinkly after it dried so you will want to iron it on low to smooth it out if you want to frame it. 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Cake

My baby turned One on Saturday. I usually make a birthday cake in the shape of the number of years they are old but I thought I'd do something different for Bennett.  I got the idea here I wasn't trying to make it look like her caterpillar.  I would have liked it to be a little longer but the cake was already quite large for our little family to consume :)

I think the Birthday boy liked it!

Graduation Money Card

I got the idea for this card here.  I couldn't find the original website or any instructions I I just made my own variation. Start with a 6 1/2 x 6 1/2 piece of cardstock.  Mine is white but you can do it in whatever color the graduate's school colors are.  Then you will score the cardstock at 1/2 inch, 1 7/8 inch, 4 5/8 inch and 6 inches.  You will have four score lines when you finish scoring.  Next I used four photo corner stickers on the inside.  I just used a $20.00 bill to gauge where to place them.

I cut a piece of cardstock 2 x 2 inches.  I put an eyelet in the center and I threaded the tassel through.  I used thread and wrapped it around three of my fingers to make my tassel.  I'm no tassel making expert so I don't have good instructions but you can look here to see instructions.  I put a dab of quick drying glue on the top corner of the card.  If you put it on both sides you won't be able to open the card.  Then I used a small 3/4 inch piece of cardstock to wrap around the card to hold it in place.  The great thing about these cards is they are easy to make and they are super cute. Oh and what better gift to give a recent graduate than money? :)

Sewing Sewing Sewing

That is what I've been doing....that an pressure washing my driveway.  If you haven't used a pressure washer, you've gotta try it.  It is a lot of fun!  Ok back to the sewing.  I have been sewing some seat cushions and pillows for my friend in exchange for an entertainment center! Great deal huh? Here is the end result.  Keep in mind that the chair is mine so the cushion doesn't quite fit.

I love the fabric she chose.  I believe she got it at Joanns in the home decor section.  It came on a big role.  I used a zig zag stitch for the seam finishes.  The fabric did fray quite a bit but it was pretty easy to work with.  I just ripped her existing seat cushions apart and used them as a pattern for the new ones. I'm very happy with how they turned out.

How to Clean Grout

Still busy with house stuff here.  I thought I'd let you in on some of the things I've been learning as a new homeowner.  The previous owners left a lot of trash and grunge.  One of the worst things was the tile grout.  I tried a few different products but the most effective I found was vinegar. 

1. Microwave vinegar for 3 min in glass measuring cup
2. Pour directly on grout in a 5ftx5ft area
3. Let sit for five minutes
4. Use grout brush to loosen dirt
5. Wipe away with a damp cloth
6. Mop area with regular floor cleaner. 

 BEFORE

AFTER

The before picture makes me cringe.  It is gross and it takes a little time to do BUT it works and it is cheap.  I like the fact that the vinegar can't hurt your cloths or pets or kids. I still have a lot of grout to clean but I'm just doing it in little patches.  

MIA

Want to know why I haven't posted since February? I've been busy :) We bought a house on April 27th and then moved in May 2nd. It was a short sale so I've been doing a lot of projects and a lot of cleaning.

click here to see my before and after pictures

I was telling my husband that I felt bad for not posting anything for so long and he looked at me like I was insane.  Hehe I guess I didn't think of the house stuff as "crafty" or that people would want to see a post about it but I was shocked how many people started asking me for my before and after pictures. I hope you enjoy.  There will be a lot more house project pictures to come.