Custom Cake Pedestals

I host a lot of get-togethers with themes and color schemes. And I make a lot of desserts. Like, A LOT. So I like to have fancy pantsy dessert pedestals to display them on. It's my favorite thing, but they can get pricey and it isn't always possible to find exactly the color and size I'm looking for. So what do I do?? I make my own! Easy peasy directions after the jump!!

Summer Kids' Project: Mugs

Well, we're six weeks into summer vacation, and I don't know about your kids, but mine are ready to eat each other. Swimming, playing at the park, and mindless video games have lost their luster and I've been forced to get creative. And cheap. 

A friend suggested taking them to Color Me Mine to decorate ceramics. But dude, have you been there?? It's totally expensive! So I got creative. And cheap. Ergo, these hand-decorated, one-of-a-kind mugs:

Details after the jump!!

Cozy Sweater Candles

People who know me know that I can't knit. Actually, they probably wouldn't know whether I can or not, since knitting isn't something I talk about with people who know me. Or with anyone, actually. Since I can't knit. Ahem.

But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate lovely cable-knit sweater. And who doesn't, really? I love 'sweater weather' and I defy you to find anyone who doesn't. Sweaters are so rad we use them as weather adjectives.

After all, we don't say 'Bermuda shorts weather' because Bermuda shorts are horrible.

I think I may have gone a bit off the rails there. Anyway, sweaters are awesome, and I've fashioned some little sweaters for my candle holders because candles are awesome too. 

The no-knit tutorial is after the jump!

Chalkboard Menus

First of all, this is officially my first new post of Autumn and I'm sure you're all sick of hearing about it as excited as me! I'm celebrating by gorging myself on homemade cinnamon rolls, although that's pretty much how I like to ring in every Monday morning, regardless of the season.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled shenanigans!

This week's project is a DIY menu chalkboard: 

As ever, the tutorial is after the jump!

Dollar Store Autumn Garland

Alright, so it's almost FALL Y'ALL!! Autumn officially begins this week, although that hasn't stopped me from sweating in my cutest Fall cardigans since September 1st. So I thought it'd be fitting to do a fun, cute, easy and CHEAP project in honor of my favorite season:

More after the jump!

No-Sew Burlap Table Runner

This week's project was really easy, really quick, and most importantly really CHEAP.

Burlap table runners (and DIY tutorials to show you how to make one) are pretty easy to come by, but they all require sewing. Which is fine, whatever, I guess. It's not that hard to sew a straight line. But DUDE. Sewing burlap is a pain.

It's very coarse and difficult to handle and it likes to bunch up and be crooked. So I've come up with a no-sew alternative. Dig it:

There it is, peeking out from
behind the creepy Halloween cloth.

Tutorial after the jump!

DIY Hurricane Lamps

Okay, so I know I just did a candle post, but I CAN'T STOP. Seriously, how cute and versatile is this??

And of course, as ALWAYS, the materials are available at the dollar store. Specifically, Dollar Tree. So each hurricane lamp costs $2. I love this kind of adorable, dirt cheap, easily updated decor.

Tutorial after the jump!

Pickle Jar Candles

I've mentioned that I love jars. They're the coolest. They're like, free with your Smuckers purchase and you can reuse them! It's awesome! This project cost me nothing. I used only what I had on hand in my crafting stash, and I KNOW how much my fellow craft sisters hoard, so there's a reeeeeally good chance you've got stuff to make these in your cupboards right now.

Continued after the jump!!

Bonjour! Mug

I know I keep harping on Fall and how it's almost here and I'm so GLAD the heat is nearly over and how excited I am that we're looking at the backside of Summer, but this is my blog and I can repeat myself if I wanna!

One of the best things about cooler weather is that I get to drink hot chocolate like it's going out of style. I drink it almost every evening, from October to March and before you ask, the answer is no, I do not get sick of it.

Part of the fun of hot chocolate is drinking it from a fun mug. Like this, the Bonjour! Mug.

Burt Reynolds a souhaité sa moustache
était si masculin comme cela.

This is a fun, easy and CHEAP project that you can do in no time flat.

Follow me after the jump!

DIY Patio Lights

I've done a few posts already featuring different DIY lighting projects, but this one is a little different. It's EASY. Like, no tools required WHATSOEVER. I give you:

DIY Patio Lights!
 If you already have twinkle lights on hand (and who among us doesn't have a giant ball of tangled twinkle lights in the garage right now?) this project will cost you one dollar, plus tax.

Follow me after the jump!!

Cutie Pie Nursery Pendant Lamp

This super-cute pendant lamp was made using something I bought from the dollar store and a bunch of crap I had on hand. Secrets will be revealed, after the jump!!

DIY Glass Doily Cheeseboard

This hardly counts as a project, but I'm not gonna let that stop me from tutorializing it. I mean, look at it. It doesn't get much simpler than this. HOWEVER. I think it turned out nicely:

It's a cutting board/cheeseboard/trivet. SO FUNCTIONAL. Everyone should have a few of these. Here's the deal: it cost a dollar to make. I know, right? How-to after the jump!

Project Twofer!

I have a teeny weeny itsy bit of an issue with kids' crafts. You see, there's only so much room on the fridge for all the macaroni mosaics and fingerpaintings. I love these things, but I also love projects for kids that are actually functional in some way.

Well. Today we have two projects you can do with the kids that--GASP--won't end up in the garbage next week!! One is just for funsies and the other would make a great end-of-the-year teacher gift.

First, some cutie-pie felt hairclips:

And then a fun silk flower pen bouquet:

Both projects after the jump!

what to do with empty pickle jars?

I don't like to throw away jars. I can't do it. They're so useful and reusable and dishwasher safe! Jars. Love them.

So what do I do with my jars? Mostly I just use them for leftovers, and I've seen some really cute jars used for giving homemade hot chocolate, but I do have a few jar projects around the house. Some, like the one below, are hardly projects at all. "Spray paint lid and fill with assorted tchotchke" is hardly a tutorial:

 These wooden crates were a steal at Joann's Fabrics, by the way. I should have gotten more of them. If you need some, I'd get them now. And don't they stain beautifully??

These hanging jars were another Pottery Barn-inspired project. I don't remember how much PB's' were, but these were free to me, using what I had on hand. Floral wire, river rocks and some long burning emergency candles:

I don't know. Perhaps my jar love is excessive...

quickie: upcycled candle holders

Do you love IBC Cream Soda? Because if you don't I'll drink that for you. Serisously, gimme!!

Sooo delish. Anyway I recently polished off a sixer of these bad boys, almost singlehandedly, and I had all these gorgeous bottles left over. So I trotted off to the Dollar Tree and purchased a bunch of tapers.

See what I made with them after the jump!

dollar store ornaments

Have you seen these birds at the Dollar Tree?? They're awesome:

I grabbed like a ton of them and came right home. I knew where these were gonna go. Since we moved, all  (and I literally mean ALL) of our Christmas decor is gone. GONE. I couldn't tell you where it went, just that it went somewhere that's not here.

See what I made with them after the jump!

christmas candy shoppe

So I have about a million of these mini apothecary jars. I use a few in the bathroom: The vintage pharmacy labels are from The Graphics Fairy. Just printed them out and podged them on. Easy peasy. And there's a tutorial for the apothecary jars from Dollar Store Crafts. If you've got a tube of E-6000 glue, you've got everything you need. Yeah, two bucks apiece. Awesome. They're too easy and too cute.

And I'm sure to keep a few on hand to fill with treats and give away for those last-minute hostess gifts or birthday presents that always seem to slip my mind. Tie them with a bow and you've got a sweet little gifty.

But my favorite use for these guys is my tiny little candy shop. I put several on a shelf and fill them with seasonal candy:

I know a shelf full of candy is risky with kids around, but believe it or not, they almost don't even see it anymore. Guests love it, it's adorable, and it changes easily through the seasons. I filled them with candy corn and mini Hershey's during October, and those little candy pumpkins during Thanksgiving. Summer will find them bursting with Skittles and Red Vines.

What's that? Oh, yes, I suppose I do need to dust. Rude of you to mention it, though.

play food

My kids love playing grocery store. They hate going to the actual grocery store, but love to reenact it at home. So I was on the Amazon a few days ago looking for play food sets for them, and I found this:
Adorable, right? They're from Melissa & Doug and they're solid wood. I usually like Melissa & Doug products (their floor puzzles are awesome) but this product seemed a) a little pricey at about $20 for the set, and b) made in China, where their lead-based paint regulations are a little lax. Add to this the fact that the reviews criticized the set as easily chipped and dented, and I was not sold.

So I thought, why not just make some play food for the kids? I scavenged the cupboards for nearly empty containers and saved a few days' worth of boxes and cans and soon I had a set of my own. I hot-glued the flaps on the boxes down.

And glued around the inside of the lids on the plastic containers, after washing and drying them well. The cool thing is that as the boxes are crushed and the containers are chewed up by the dog, these can go right into the recycling and I can make replacements.

For free!

3 projects, 7 dollars

Bookpage wreath:
Floral foam wreath, $1
Glue, on hand
Book pages, on hand
Total: $1
Sheet Music Mirror:
Mirror, on hand
Mod Podge, homemade
Sheet music, printed from home computer and antiqued with tea
Total: $0

Menu Board:

Board, on hand (leftover Halloween decor)

Chalkboard paint, $3

Acrylic paint marker, $3

Chalk, $0.67

Total; $6.67

Altogether, the menu board was the most expensive project, but since I only used a very small amount of the chalkboard paint and the acrylic paint, those costs will be offset by their use on many other projects. And since Oriental Trading Company lost my original shipment and sent me a new one at no cost, and since the lost shipment eventually found its way to me, I kind of got twice the paint for half the price.

Score!

I've been really addicted to all the cool Fall projects on the boggerwebs lately. I'm sure these few projects are only the beginning of a long term illness for me.