Episode 128: Barbie Silhouette Medallion

Happy Hump Day Crafters!  I am wrapping up my Barbie series with the last how-to video.  This time I am explaining how to make the Barbie Silhouette Medallions as seen here:

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

14 inch cake round

pink ruffle trim (Hobby Lobby fabric dept....use coupon)

hot glue and glue gun

110 pound weight paper (Wal-Mart)

computer and printer for googling Barbie Silhouette

black fun foam

ballpoint pen

good scissors

spray adhesive

In Bloom 16mm pearls with a flat back (Hobby Lobby jewelry dept)

white satin ribbon

picture hanger

floral wire

***Note:  I do NOT sell these.  These decorations are for my personal use only!***

Please watch the video for the detailed instructions:

Thanks for stopping by!

Take time to "Prettify Your Life"!!!

Episode 126: Garland Decorations--Angela's Cheater Method

Today, I want to talk about the Barbie word picks I made for my Barbie Doors.  

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Dow Protection Board III Underlayment or some kind of foam board.  Can be purchased at your local hardware store chain.  Here is a pic:

The regular nail file can be used to file small rough edges down if need be.

Printer

Printer Paper

Scissors

Mod Podge

Foam Brush

X-Acto Knife

Self-Healing Cutting Mat

Puff Paint--black, slick finish

Black Glitter

Floral Stakes

Hot Glue

Glue Gun

Please check out this video for detailed instructions:

Thanks for stopping by!

Take time to "Prettify Your Life"!!!

~Angela~

Episode 125: Barbie Doorscape for my Mom!

As Mother's Day is almost here, I wanted to share the doorscape I've been working on all week.  This Barbie doorscape was inspired by my Mom, Barbara.  She loves Barbie, had the original Barbies and passed on her love of Barbies to me.  So, I dedicate this door to you Mom.  Happy Mother's Day!  I love you so incredibly much!!!!

So, the design started out with a new method for me, the curly wreath method.  I consulted Trendy Tree's Tutorial for the how-to.  It took me 6 rolls of deco mesh--2 pink, 2 gray, and 2 white.  I cut my curls in 14 inch strips and wired one of each color together to make bundles made up of three curls using pipe cleaners.  I got about 25-28 curls per roll.  Invest in a self-healing mat and rotary cutter. You will be glad you did!!!

That's a big pile of deco mesh!

It took approximately 80 bundles to cover the 18 foot garland around my door.  I just twisted the pipe cleaners around the garland.  Here's what it looked like:

I had a couple of companions while I was putting up the deco mesh.

I made all the decorations you see below and embellished the ribbon as well.  I will be giving you those tutorials all throughout the week.  So hang tight and check back!

I also made the Barbie cut out.  I will have a tutorial for this as well later this week.

Check out my video:

I hope you all have a very Happy Mother's Day!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Take time to "Prettify Your Life"!!!

Pinterest Project: Mason Jars with Chalkboard Labels--EASY

If you're on Pinterest, then I'm sure you've seen one of the latest crazes in children's birthday parties--mason jar glasses with chalkboard vinyl labels.  I recently made these for my daughter's birthday, so I thought I would share with you how EASY this project is.

Supplies Needed:

~Mason Jars~

 (Thx to my awesome FB group of crafters and their knowledge, I was able to find a package of 12 mason jars for $7.25 at Big Lots.  Each jar is 5 inches tall, perfect for little hands.  You can also find them in grocery stores and sometimes Wal-Mart, although one WM I went to had none and said they were seasonal items.  Yet, another WM 10 miles away had a TON???? WhatEVA!)

~Chalkboard Vinyl~

(I used Hexis brand chalkboard vinyl purchased on a trial basis from Pick Your Plum.  My FB group asked me months ago what I was going to do with it.  I didn't know until this project, and now I can see myself getting hooked on the stuff. To purchase Hexis Vinyl from Sign Warehouse (my vinyl supplier of choice), click here.  The super nice gentleman I spoke to at Sign Warehouse also stated that they have another vinyl in a slate gray that is non-toxic made by R-Tape.  Check it out here.  I panicked and asked if what I used was toxic.  He said that anything made with PVC (like stickers) when consummed or chewed on a bunch can be toxic.  So apparently the vinyl brand, R-Tape is less toxic?  I'm not really worried about this since I used the vinyl as labels and the kids used straws to drink from.  And hello, they handle stickers all the time.  But, it's good to know, right? )

~Crop-A-Dile II Big Bite~

~Cricut Expression, mat, and a Cricut Scaper.~

If you don't have a Cricut Scraper, get one!

~Cricut Cartridge Lacy Labels~

(Why did I not get this cartridge before?  Purchased at Wal-Mart.)

~And fancy straws~

How-To:

1.  Place the vinyl on the Cricut mat and load it into the machine with the Lacy Labels cartridge already loaded.

2.  I chose the label I wanted and set the size at 2 3/4inches.  I had the blade depth at 5 and the speed and pressure at max.  I also pressed the "Auto Fill" button so that the Cricut would automatically cut out as many labels as would fit on the page.  When I tell you the vinyl cut like butter, I'm serious!  Super easy.

3. Then simply peel away the excess vinyl and use your Cricut scraper to remove the labels.  

4.  Remove the backing and center the label on the flat surface of the jar on the opposite side from the mason jar logo.  Get it right the first time because this chalkboard vinyl is STRONG.

5.  Then use liquid chalk to write the guests' names on the labels.

6.  In order to punch holes in the lid, use your Crop-A-Dile II Big-Bite-Punch on the largest setting.  Thanks Janie for the tip!  Or, as Cheryl said, you can also use an awl.

7.  I then added some fancy dancy straws that I purchased from Polka Dot Market.

Ta Da!  Easy

Now, if you don't have a personal cutting machine like a Cricut or a Cameo, it's ok because Martha Stewart has come out with some chalkboard labels at Staples!  Check them out here.  I went to my local Staples today, and yep, they have a bunch of FABULOUS Martha Stewart Office supplies, including the chalkboard labels. Templates are available online.

Or, you could even buy the vinyl and use my trusty method of making a template out of a file folder, tracing around the template on the back of the vinyl and cutting them out my hand.  That would certainly work too! 

I hope this tutorial has helped.  Give it a try.  It also makes me feel better to have glasses with lids on them, even though they are GLASS and still have a little HOLE in the top.  I guess the word "lid" makes a Mommy feel better.  :-)

****Special Note:  To clean the mason jars, I ran the labels under the faucet and the liquid chalk came right off.  Then I put them in the dishwasher.  Yep, the dishwasher.  If it doesn't go in the dishwasher, it's likely not to even make in my house...unless it's antique jadite. (LOVE)  Not a single label came off.  Far from it.  A couple of jars had a bubble or two underneath, but nothing that couldn't be squeegeed out with your finger.****

Please remember to vote for Prettify Your Life in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Creative Moms of 2012 Blog contest.  Click the Circle of Moms button in the top right-hand column of this blog, then find Prettify Your Life in the list of blogs and click on the orange thumb on the right to cast your vote.  I really appreciate your support!  

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my blog and the creations that I personally create!  

I hope you do something to "Prettify Your Life" today!!!

American Girl Birthday--Part2

Today I thought I would show you a fairly quick and easy project I did for my daughter's birthday party.  I wanted the color scheme to be varied and vibrant and to carry up from the table to the chandelier.  So what better way to do that than to change out the chandelier lamp shades.  Easy!

Supplies Needed:

Self Adhesive Chandelier Lampshades (Hobby Lobby)

Ball Fringe (Jo-Ann's)

Felt flower cutouts (Jo-Ann's)

Buttons (Jo-Ann's)

Ric Rac ribbon (Hobby Lobby)

Flower ribbon (Wal-Mart)

Hot glue gun and glue

Scissors

Here is the before shot of my chandelier:

And here is the after, ready for the party:

I simply unwrapped the lampshades and took the protective sheet off.  Now the lampshade's sticky surface is exposed.  I hot glued the ball fringe to the base of the lamp.  Then I adhered the ric rac and flower ribbons, just hot gluing them at the ends and allowing the adhesive of the shades to keep the rest in place.  Then I hot glued the felt flowers and buttons.  And Ta-Da...done!  Here are a couple of close up shots:

Please remember to vote for Prettify Your Life in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Creative Moms of 2012 Blog contest.  Click the Circle of Moms button in the top right-hand column of this blog, then find Prettify Your Life in the list of blogs and click on the orange thumb on the right to cast your vote.  I really appreciate your support! 

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my blog and the creations that I personally create!  

I hope you do something to "Prettify Your Life" today!!!

Blast from the Past

I've been working on my Pinterest boards, doing a lot of "research" on birthday parties, and it made me start to think about the birthday parties I've done for my girls in the past.  So, I pulled out the external hard drive this morning (because I couldn't sleep thinking about my looming Bunco party hosting duties AND my youngest daughter's birthday party and all the stuff I have to do for it).  And, I decided to take a look back at what I thought I remembered as some fabulous birthday parties I put together.  But, as I'm looking at the pictures, this thought comes to mind: "Is that it?  Is that ALL I did for the Raggedy Ann birthday and the Blues Clues birthday and the vintage Barbie birthday?  Oh, Angela you could have done so much more!"  Disappointment set in, but then I realized how my style and expectations have changed so much over the years (and also why I get so stressed out).  And, I remembered one of my pins I posted on my "LOL" board (which I guess I should rename to "Sayings" or "Funnies/Words to Live By", but I digress...).  The pin said "Do more of what makes you happy."  And art and decorating make me VERY happy.  And, let's face it, when the kids all finally get out of the house and  into school you have more time to take things to the next level.

Here's a few snapshots of my daughter, Abigail's, sixth birthday--Fifties Bowling party.  There isn't a whole lot of decor, but there is one project in the last pic that I'm proud of and will be revisiting that process this weekend.  Check it out:

Here is my daughter's cake.  I think this was around the time I was watching "Ace of Cakes" and had some grandiose desire for a 3D pink 1950s car cake.  Well, cha-ching!  So, I settled for this sheet cake with a fondant car.  Cute, right?  Unfortunately, it was probably the worst tasting cake I've ever bought!  And it wasn't cheap either.  Have you ever had that happen?  Let's just say I was more than a little annoyed.  No, I don't remember the bakery, and I wouldn't dis them on my blog even if I did remember...just some bakery in Houston.

Here is something I was MUCH happier with.  The super cool 1950s car favor boxes!  I honestly don't remember where I got them, but check out these awesome sights that I found:

http://www.retroplanet.com/PROD/25050

http://www.retrocandyonline.com/clcarcagi.html

For the boys:  the super cool racing car with the flames.  Doesn't this remind you of the Scorpions car from "Grease"?  Can someone say "Thunder Road"!  LOVE "Grease"!  Do you sing the songs while watching it?  I do.  My husband leaves the room.  :-P

For the girls:  totally cute pink cars!  "The Pink Ladies pledge is to act cool, to look cool, and to beeeeeee cool.  Till death do us part, think pink!!!"  Ok, so that was from "Grease 2", but I sing with that movie too.

Here was my crafty contribution to the party.  A fifties car standee.  I've only recently learned the term "standee".  I cut it out of that thick foam board you can get at Lowe's or Home Depot.  It had a shiny silver paper coating on it (which worked great for all the chrome on the car), but it took acrylic paint very well.  I found the image on the computer, printed it off, and put a transparency over the picture and outlined it.  Then I took my overhead and projected onto the foam board in order to trace the image out.  Yep, I'm old school.  I have an overhead projector I think I got off of ebay.  It comes in super handy.  Then I cut out the image using a box cutter, painted it with acrylic paint, and printed out the personalized sign for the license plate.  We took it to the bowling alley and had everyone take their picture "riding" with the birthday girl. Then I used those pictures for personalized Thank You notes.  It worked out great, and the kids had a lot of fun with it!

Hope you enjoyed my little blast from the past.  And don't be afraid to push the boundaries when it comes to decorating, crafts, and design.  I am happy when I am creating and making those special memories for my kids.

Please remember to vote for Prettify Your Life in the Circle of Moms Top 25 Creative Moms of 2012 Blog contest.  Click the Circle of Moms button in the top right-hand column of this blog, then find Prettify Your Life in the list of blogs and click on the orange thumb on the right to cast your vote.  I really appreciate your support!