Birthday Banners for Kid's Parties

Please forgive the HORRIBLE lighting in my basement studio.  My cousin (in-law, but who's counting) Jen has two adorable kids who are both having a birthday this fall!  James will be turning 4 in November and Olivia turns 2 today!  Happy Birthday Olivia!  Happy Birthday James! 

Jen and my cousin Ryan (her hubby) are two of my favorite people and given that they have lovely red-headed children, their family makes 4 of my favorite people!  Ryan and I lived together for a while before either of us were married, so I love the guy like a brother.  Then, he went and married Jen, who is just the sweetest!  Really, none of us could've picked a more perfect wife for him.  But, then they had kids with red hair!  I loved it on James, but only really appreciated it when my own little guy's hair started to get more red!  I don't get to see James or Olivia very much, as they live in a different state, but Jen always shares pictures with me, so I feel like I know them better.  When Jen asked me for ideas about non-commercial Toy Story type decorations, I was so excited.  (She'll totally back me up as I sent her about a million pages off Etsy!!)  I really wanted to make them something, so I was super excited when she asked me to make them each a banner!

They're having a Buzz Lightyear - Jesse themed party!  The James banner is made from paper, ribbon and tissue paper.  I got this awesome scrapbook paper that looks like sheet metal (my girlfriend Brigett's Cricut didn't love that paper, but it did a pretty great job of cutting everything out!) for the letters.  Then, on the rocket flames, I used several layers of tissue paper so it'll kind of flutter and look a bit more flame-y.  The Olivia banner is made from denim pockets, fabric, paper and bias tape.  I cut the cow print fabric in long strips, made them into bows and sewed them on the tape.  The pockets are just stitched together (and to the bias tape).  I glued the letters on.  The bandanas are stiched into the pockets.  I had some little cowgirl cutouts, but I couldn't figure out where to put them, so I left them off. 

I love taking commercial kid's party themes and making them a bit more homemade!  The colors and the textures are a good place to pull ideas from and it's just so much more fun to me than a bunch of pre-printed merchandise from China.  No offense China.  ;)

Hope you like them.  Jen liked the pictures (though she's so sweet, she'd never say she didn't like them) and I hope she loves them when she gets them in the mail!  Do you have a party you've thrown that mixed commercial and handmade?  I'd love to see them.  Throw me a link in the comments and I'll come visit you ;)  I know I'll love all your creativity!!

PS - To Ryan and Jen's baby on the way, I will still love you just as much with another hair color, I promise!

Quilt Class & Giveaway!!

2009 Quilt Pattern - 2 different fabric choices both made by Nancy O'Keefe

Nancy O'Keefe has taught arts and crafts classes for a long time.  My mom and grandma started taking classes from her when she worked at a craft supply store in Jackson, Michigan in 1986 or 1987.  They took painting classes, and if I am remembering correctly, even some stained glass classes.  My brother and I even took a few painting classes from her.  We were nearly equally excited to see her dogs, as Nancy has always had Great Danes....and, she has always been a night owl...

Once I started quilting, my mom and I decided to go to one of Nancy's All Night Quilting Classes.  Every year, Nancy picks a pattern that works well for beginners, but also will use a new technique or little extra that will challenge experienced quilters too.  Everyone picks their own fabric and makes their own quilt - but they're all that one pattern.  Every year, a little after 7 p.m., we get together at the Jackson Sportsman's Club and show off the quilts we finished from the year before.  Unless, you're my mom and I.  Then, you admire others quilts, and maybe show off one from 2 or 3 years ago that you've finally finished.  Anyway, Nancy takes the instructions (usually 1 or 2 pages) of this pattern and turns it into 5 pages of written instruction and 4 pages of drawings that will help you along the sewing process.  The cool thing is that you can literally pick up these instructions years later and finish that quilt.  I know because I've done it.  Most of the time, with much more precision and ability than my 2 a.m. stitching from 2 or 3 years ago. 

2010 Quilt Pattern (Center) Plus Bonus Pattern (Left & Right) from Scraps - all made by Nancy O'Keefe

Mom and I have taken other people most years.  Friends, family, my mother-in-law, even Holden went with us once (He was only 5 months old and he was SO good, even when he was awake!).  But, year in and year out, I realize that I am not a night owl.  Most years I go thinking, "I can make it to 7 a.m. this year.  I can do it!" only to tell my 65 year old mother-in-law that I can't keep my eyes open anymore and we have to pack it up and go home.  I think in my entire life, I've only stayed up all night twice...once, that I can completely recall.  I just don't have it in me.  This year, I planned the Mid-Michigan Breastfeeding Walk on the same day.  To say I was exhausted when it was over was an understatement.  Since I'm a die-hard procrastinator, much of the last minute details were finished in the wee hours of the morning before the walk.  Then I was up early again to finish everything else I needed to do.  So, mom and I agreed to go, get the pattern and head back home.  We were bummed, but since Nancy provides such awesome instruction, we knew we'd still be able to do the quilt as well, if not better, than if we attempted it that night.  I might have actually saved my own life or my mother's as I'm sure we would've had a rotary cutter accident or stitched through a finger. 

Feeling better about our decision to not try and get a lot done, we started musing about an afternoon/evening quilt class.  This year Nancy had so many people sign up she thought she might need to have two classes.  She ended up only having one, but it really made me think...maybe she'd have a 2nd class in the evening?!?  After mentioning it to her and harassingly persistently e-mailing her how it could work out, she agreed it was worth thinking about.  So, I figured I'd e-mail my entire contact list (which I still intend to do) and solicit people to sign up for this class (in hopes that she'll be forced to have it).  But, then, I thought what's better than e-mail?  A blog post!  Surely, my crafty peeps will spread the word to anyone they know in Michigan who has a slightly crafty bone in their body!?! 

Here's the details:

This theoretical class will be held in Jackson, Michigan on September 17, 2011.  It will start at roughly 5 p.m. with time for setup at 4:30 or so.  There will likely be a pizza party around 7 p.m. or so, for those who want to participate.  Women will bring candy and treats.  Women will have lovely fabrics for you to admire.  Women, okay and maybe men too, if one or more decides to sign up, will make quilts!  It will be so fun!  The class is $33 and includes the pattern with amazing instructions as well as personal assistance and troubleshooting (if you should have trouble) from Nancy O'Keefe.  (If you're like me, you'll love knowing that you can pay a $16.50 deposit before the class and $16.50 at the class.  Sorry, this makes me feel like it's only $16.50 as I've already forgotten I paid the deposit.  Dave Ramsey will hit me with lightning in 3-2-1.)

So you can know a bit more about the awesomeness of this class, check out this article about the 2010 class in the Jackson Citizen Patriot.  One woman even came from North Carolina to attend the class!

To induce you to spread the word to anyone you know who might want to come to either class (the less-theoretical class on 9/24 from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., or the one I'm pushing for on 9/17 from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m.) or who will volunteer their interest in the "afternoon/evening" class, I will personally sponsor 1 class entry (in addition to my own ;) to the class of the winner's choice (assuming there ends up being an additional class).  A winner will be chosen at random among people who comment to this post saying they've forwarded the information to someone who might be interested (Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, whatever, I'll trust you.) or that you are interested for yourself.  Please send me an e-mail at heather@luckystarlane.com if you have any questions!!

I can't wait to meet you at next year's All Evening Quilting Class ;)

xoxo,

Using Scrapbook Brads to Make Hair Accessories

CONFESSION: Sometimes I see things on sale and buy them even though I have no particular use for them.  

I purchased a package of K & Co. Amy Butler scrapbooking brads when they were  50% off at JoAnn's.  My investment was $2.  (that's not so bad..right?)

I 've recently been visiting Brown Paper Packages a lot after getting hooked on the tutorials.  There is a great one for making easy satin poppy hair clips using brads and it was perfect for my great find.

I used one of my sale brads in the middle flower.   The other flower centers I made using vintage buttons, jewels, and tiny beads. 

These clips are made using scrap grosgrain ribbon and a leftover scrap of silk that I made into a spiral flower and glued to a bobby pin.

I'm so glad I put my sale find to good use!  Phew....that $2 find came in handy for my creative outlet.

Lucky Linky September 28

 WHAT?! It's September 28?  How did this month fly by so fast?  My project list is growing by the minute after seeing all the great projects from last week.  It looks like October will be a busy crafting month.What do you have to share this week?  We're very flexible on what you share...as long as it's something you made.  If you can grab our button and feature it somewhere on the post or blog, that would be great, too.   The linky stays open through Sunday of next week.    

Raspberry Jam - A Tasty "Craft"

This last week I was on vacation.  Funny how when you're a mom (or you know, when you volunteer for EVERYTHING) even a vacation doesn't really feel much like a vacation.  Honestly, I had about two days that felt carefree and my own.  I'm not complaining too much though.  I had a good week.  I'm just ready for another vacation already, which is pretty bad since I haven't gone back to work yet.  Oh well.  I did get a few things done that I am really excited about.  

A few weeks ago I pressure canned some chili that my husband made.  It's not very pretty, but it's delicious.  I have to admit that the canning bug has totally bit me.  We went raspberry picking again and got enough that I made jam.  It's so pretty!  I love canning enough that even when it's not pretty, I'm excited and giddy.  But, this was SO pretty!  

I got a few other things finished while I was off work, so I'll be back later this week to show you some more...Can't wait to see what you've been up to tomorrow for Lucky Linky ;)

Lucky Linky Sept 21

 Good Tuesday Morning!  Are you ready to party? We hope you had fun at The Creative Chick Parade last week...I know we did.  My mom was a huge fan of the recipe day and keeps going back to the post and finding new things to make.  THANK YOU to everyone who added a link or visited links.   What have you been working on this week?  Please link a creative post from your blog.  It can be a recipe, a craft, a furniture re-do....we're very flexible.   Hope to see you! 

My Metallic Paint Obsession

If you don't already know this I love to "thrift". (is that technically a verb?)  I could look at old stuff all day.  I could also look at new stuff all day because I just like stuff.  If I could be a hoarder I probably would but I don't really have the room for it in my house here in Midwest suburbia.    

I've been thinking about this silver leafed table ever since I saw it in an antique store in Grand Rapids, MI.   I asked the lady working in the shop about it and she said when she got it the top was separate from the base and it had been silver leafed but was chipping.  She applied automotive clear coating over it for a super protective finish.  You can't really see in this picture how gorgeous it is but imagine more variation and depth in the silvering. 

The base of this table was also amazing.  The artist who painted it said she used a metallic silver paint and then did a pickled effect in white over it.  She thought this would make an awesome desk with the chair that had been painted white and had a metallic print fabric on the seat.

The price tag on this set was only $298.  I wish I would have bought it when I saw it but I was broke that day.  I will definitely go back and see if it's still there when I visit ArtPrize in Grand Rapids next week.

Remember this old window?  I was playing around here in this photo with adding chair die cuts in each space.  I would have to staple fabric to the back and then glue on the die cuts and that would have looked kinda cool. 

I change my mind a lot so when I had my metallic spray paint out I sprayed it with silver.  I also stapled chicken wire to the back to use for flower pins and clippie hair accessories. 

Instead I framed one chair and painted my black decorative shelf silver metallic.  The metallic adds a little bit of a modern edge..a little more funk. 

Centsational Girl had a great post with pictures of metallic furniture back in February.  Check it out for more inspiration!

Kids Sports Spirit Gear Fundraiser Ideas

Have you ever thought of using your creative talents to benefit a cause?  It can be very rewarding.   Here are a few ideas I came up with for a swim team to sell.

 

Do you have any good ideas that are pretty easy to make?

Before and After at The Creative Chick Parade

Before:  old bad art canvas from when I tried to paint and I had no idea what I was doing














      After:  cork message board






  Today is the last day of The Creative Chick Parade.  We would like to sincerely thank Diana from The Girl Creative for coming up with this super fun blog hop style party and for inviting us to participate. We had a blast!


Today's theme is Before and After.  There are a lot of things that could fall into this category so link away!  We hope you have a great weekend.  

Recipe Round Up at the Creative Chick Parade

photo from Bev at Food.com

Good morning bloggy ladies and gents.  Today is the day we share our recipes at The Creative Chick Parade.  Do you have any dishes that have been a hit lately? 
I have to say cooking is not my forte.  When my boys start to eat a bigger variety of foods I will probably be more interested. My husband loves to cook but he and I will typically eat the meals he makes and the boys will want simple veggies, noodles and sauce or a plain chicken breast.  They aren't real big on foods mixed together yet! 

I had no doubts when looking for a recipe in going to my mother-in-law, Cheryl.  She always has a good recipe up her sleeve and enjoys cooking. She's still working full time as an RN at age 65 and can probably run circles around everyone at the surgical center.

The recipe she recommended is a grape salad.

8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Mix these together in a medium sized bowl or 9 x 13pan, then mix with 1 large bunch of seedless red grapes taken off the stems and washed.
TOPPING:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or your choice)

I found a similar recipe with the picture shown at Food.com.

Please link up a recipe you have up your sleeve! Your link will also show up at these lovely blogs who are part of the parade.

The Girl Creative


Beat Until Fluffy

Blog Guidebook

Brown Paper Packages

Dear Madelyn

Dilly Dally and Flitter

Fingerprints on the Fridge

Girl.Inspired

Moody Girl Projects

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Sew Much Ado

The Trendy Treehouse

Furniture Fix Up: Creative Chick Parade

I got this cabinet for FREE on Craigslist!  I went to look at it expecting to pay $20 or something like it, thinking I was getting a great deal!  When I got there the seller was SO happy that someone was actually following through that she gave it to me for free!  I was excited.  I didn't love the way it looked, as is, but I was only using it for fabric and toy storage in my studio, so I didn't mind too much.  Here's what was "wrong" with the cabinet:

It's pretty heavy, so there's real wood in there somewhere, but the top (and maybe even the sides) were covered in some sort of laminate.  I got the paint in the Home Depot Oops! section for $5 (a whole gallon) and have a TON left over!  Without further adieu, here she is:

I haven't drilled the new holes for the knobs of the outside top drawers.  But, you get the idea.  So, what do you think?  I really love her ;)

Check out the other furniture projects the other Creative Chicks are debuting ;)

The Girl Creative

Beat Until Fluffy 

Blog Guidebook  

Brown Paper Packages 

Dear Madelyn

Dilly Dally and Flitter 

Fingerprints on the Fridge 

Girl.Inspired  

Moody Girl Projects 

Sumo's Sweet Stuff 

Sew Much Ado  

The Trendy Treehouse

Sew What Sharefest: Creative Chick Parade

   

I refashioned this shirt for my little boy, Holden, who is pretty much obsessed with tools.  He has a billion play tools and he'll tell you "Tools dangerous.  Gotta be careful."  It's pretty adorable if I do say so myself ;)

My mom bought him this shirt as part of a set and lucky for me, she specifically told me I should cover the wording, as I'm not big on little kid's shirts saying things, especially not things implying that my sweet, little angel ( ; would do anything wrong!  I was thinking of different animals I could use to cover the wording when I looked down and saw Holden's play hammer.  It was perfect!  The colors matched so well; it was kismit!

I traced the hammer onto scrap paper.  It wasn't quite large enough, so I made a "seam allowance" outside of the tracing to make it bigger.  I pinned the tracing to a piece of black jersey knit.

I pinned the template and the jersey to the front.  I wanted to keep the template on the shirt so I knew where to sew.  I sewed on the actual tracing line of the template (inside my "seam allowance").

After I stitched over my paper template, I ripped the paper (very carefully).  Afterwards, I thought it might have been better to wait until you've stitched a few more times (though I didn't test this theory, so it might be better to take it off first).  

I stitched around the hammer a few more times.  I added a couple of zigs and zags in a few spots to make it look a little rougher.  I trimmed some of the jersey so it was more even around the stitching.  All in all, I'm pretty happy with it.  I think Holden will love it too, but since I'm the queen of finishing at the last minute, he's already asleep :(  I'll get back to you with a picture of this shirt in action.  I think it'll be one of his favorites!  (Sorry for the bad picture quality, my studio is in the basement - bad lighting is an understatement!)

 

Link up your sewing posts ladies...We can't wait to see what you've been up to!

Don't forget to visit some of the other hosts of the Creative Chick Parade and see what they've been up to!

The Girl Creative  

Beat Until Fluffy 

Blog Guidebook  

Brown Paper Packages 

Dear Madelyn  

Dilly Dally and Flitter 

Fingerprints on the Fridge 

Girl.Inspired  

Moody Girl Projects 

Sumo's Sweet Stuff 

Sew Much Ado  

The Trendy Treehouse

Day One of Creative Chick Parade: Mod Podge Mayhem

Welcome to Day One of The Creative Chick Parade!  Our first project theme is Mod Podge Mayhem.  I have to admit I haven't used Mod Podge very much and the few times I have my projects turned out a little rough...

BUT  ...

This project turned out great in my humble opinion:)

Here is the secret:   THE PAPER HAS TO BE COMPLETELY COATED ON THE BACK WITH MOD PODGE...WE'RE TALKING SOAKED. 

If you do this it will be less likely to pull away from the surface you're attaching it to. 

I took pictures while I was making it so hopefully my pictures will be worth 1000 words because I want to go finish the rest of my projects! :) 

I painted the bushel basket style basket inside and out with two coats of acrylic craft paint.  I used the entire bottle of paint. 

While it was drying I measured the width of the raised wood strips on the basket and cut strips to fit in 4 papers I liked.  I used about half (not exactly) of each sheet of 12" x 12" piece of scrapbook paper.   There were 16 slats so I choose 4 papers and did them in a consistent pattern.  You could do them all different if you want. 

Don't go lightly on the Mod Podge..I can't stress that enough.  I used about 5 coats and then sprayed the whole thing with a clear matte sealer.  Make sure the Mod Podge is completely dry before you spray the sealer.  I kind of wish I had the handle because I think it would look great if the wood piece were Mod Podged.  For now I will use it to hold my fall mums. 

We want to see your Mod Podge projects! Remember this is a blog hop style party so if you link here your link will show up on all the blogs participating.  Let's get this party started:)