Rit Dye Mother's Day Card and Secret Gift

Looking for an awesome Mother's Day card and gift all-in-one? Check out this project posted in my Rit Studio to get the tutorial featuring Rit Dye and Elmer's Gel Glue!

*This post is sponsored by Rit Dye.


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Easy Embellished Gift Tags

So what happens when you take too much non-drowsy cold medicine? You end up wide-awake at 10:00 at night and decide you may as well start on a project! I know we all focus on finding the perfect gift but the wrapping and presentation can make that gift even more special.

When I was shopping at Michael's this weekend I came across this embellishment set in the clearance bin. I thought it would go well with the scrapbook pad I picked up from there a couple weeks ago, also on clearance. The pad and embellishment set combined were less than $6 making each tag just a few cents each! That's my kind of budget.

Under the weather

 

Hey everyone. I caught a cold over the weekend and have a crazy week at work so I won't be blogging this week.

 

Regularly scheduled programming will resume on Monday!!

Burlap-Wrapped Planter

Work has been so busy! I've been getting home late every night and struggling to stay on top of everything I'm supposed to be doing. So where does shopping for gifts fall? Unfortunately, at the very bottom of the list.

Thankfully, I was able to plan ahead a bit so I am somewhat prepared for the craziness with a cute, SIMPLE gift idea.

Hand-painted Tote Bag

Now that Easter has come and gone I've been focusing on Mother's Day gifts. As always, I'm looking for ways to save money and stay budget-conscious, even in my gift-giving. While poking around Pinterest I saw some adorable totes that would be perfect as gifts EXCEPT for the $150 price tag!!! I knew I could create something very similar at a much better price.

I found this tote at Through the Country Door online. They have some really cute home decor and home living items!! I got this tote on sale for $10! The paint and brushes, which I already had, came from Michael's and I used my Silhouette Cameo to create a template for the design.

Last-minute Easter Decorations

What??!! Easter is THIS Sunday? Don't worry. I have some easy, last-minute decorations you can make using items you may already have around the house.

Bunny Silhouette:

Remember this Applique Bunny project? I still had the stencil I used to cut the felt. With a bright green chevron piece of cardstock layered underneath and a burlap canvas from the Spring Chicks project it's a quick and easy piece of artwork. I added a matching green polka-dot bow and it was perfect.

Kid's Craft: Spring Chick

My nieces came to visit over the weekend and I wanted to have something fun for them to do. They are crafty like me so I decided to create a project they could make and take home with them.

Supplies: pink, yellow, white, green, and orange felt; burlap-covered canvas; craft glue, chick and letter templates to trace; and googley eyes. All of my supplies came from Michael's.

I found this Spring Chick template on the Silhouette Online Store site (on sale through April 20!!!). I was going to make it myself at some point but it was perfect for the girls' project.

First, I created templates for the chick and egg by using the Silhouette to cut them out of cardstock.

Rit Dye Watercolor Note Cards

Did you know you could use Rit Dye as watercolor paint? The idea came to mind as I was looking through Pinterest and saw some beautiful watercolor paintings.

I went to Michael's to pick up some watercolor paper and, on the way to the register, I saw a variety of Thank You note cards. The paper looked similar to the watercolor paper so I grabbed them to experiment with.

Conversation Bubble Beach Tote

Remember the 3-pack of canvas totes I bought from Michael's? Here's take 2.

I wanted to make a fun, bright tote this time so I chose the black bag and used my favorite aqua paint.

I used one of one of free templates I got from the Silhouette online store during their March promotion. I just love this fun conversation bubble!! If you don't have a Silhouette the bubble would be easy to draw free-hand and you could use letter stencils for the text; or you could use designs from PicMonkey.

I used the Silhouette to cut the stencil out of freezer paper on the vellum setting. Next, I ironed the stencil onto the bag (shiny side down).

Spring Door Hangers

I was looking through a weekly ad and saw Spring door hangers. I thought it would be fun to make one (or two) myself.

I hit the wood cut-out section at Michael's. I chose a large wooden plaque in two designs, coordinating laser-cut pieces, and wooden initials. Then I grabbed a roll of jute ribbon.

First, I painted the pieces. I used my favorite aqua color, a pale pink, and Springy yellow. I used black for the initials.

Applique Bunny Plaque

 

Where does your inspiration come from? Mine comes from anywhere and everywhere. I was pretty tired one night after work so I decided to just chill out on the couch and go through all the catalogs that had come in the mail recently. I found the inspiration for this project in a home decor catalog.

I always consider a project a success if I can make it for less than it would cost to buy it. Since I needed everything except for the embroidery thread for this one, I was a little skeptical about the cost. But, as always, I found great deals Michael's. My total was $34 and I bought way more than just the supplies listed below.

Materials: orange and white felt, embroidery needles, embroidery thread, fabric, and a frame. (I got this gorgeous frame for $10 on clearance!!)

Repurposed Succulent Planters

I recently ordered a set of succulent cuttings from Succulent Salon on Etsy. They have been living together in a large pot, growing strong and planting their roots until I decided it was time for some of them to have a new home. (And yes, it hurt my feelings a little to uproot and separate them!!)

On a trip home, I visited a cool antiques mall where I bought an old teapot (I think!!) I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but I liked that there was some history behind it and at $5 it was a steal!!

I also had a mug with my initial on it. After I bought it I realized there was a crack in the handle. It sat on my desk at work for a month until I came up with the idea to use it as a planter.

Easter Chick Garland

 

I saw this garland and instantly fell in love with it. It's so bright and cheerful that I had to give it a try.

I used large bright-colored plastic eggs, foam sheets, felt, pipe cleaners, pom poms, and baker's twine from Michael's.

First, I cut several orange and yellow pipe cleaners in half and threaded them through the holes in the bottom of the eggs to make legs. Then I curled each end around a pencil and folded it up to make the feet.