Archives for April 2010

Garden Rocks for Grandma

April 30, 2010 24 Comments

Still looking for an idea for Mother's Day for your kiddos to give their Grandma's???

My Little Man and nephew just spent the morning making these:

Ladybug garden rocks for the leading ladies in our lives!! My sister and I wanted a way to honor OUR mom's through our kiddo's. Our Mom loves to garden and has the greenest thumb of anyone I know.... so we painted these pretty rocks so she can think of her grandchildren when she sees them!

We started out with 3 oval rocks and painted them red.

To help guide the kids when painting the spots, I painted a line down the middle of each rock. I also painted the eyes and mouth.

The boys painted the spots using black paint and a cue-tip. We only helped a little! 🙂

When the black paint was dry, we sprayed each rock with a coat of sealant to protect the rocks from weathering in the outdoors.

All done!

We made cards with a cute poem on the inside. The poem is so perfect! When I was a teacher, my students made these each year for their Mom's on Mother's Day, but I think this will work just perfect for Grandma!!

Of course you can download the ladybug poem here if you want to make your own!! Enjoy your weekend!

Filed Under: card, craft, download, kids, Mother's Day

It’s Giveaway Time!

April 30, 2010 105 Comments

I promised a give-away for reaching the 200-follower mark... and today I've got a surprise for you!

I was super excited when CSN stores contacted me about hosting a giveaway. They have over 200 websites, and I am seriously impressed. Their sites are easy to navigate, and you can get free shipping on many, many items. Score! I love the variety or products they offer... from corner TV stands to exercise equipment, from cookware to even school supplies! (I should have shopped here when I was a teacher.) Go to CSN stores and see for yourself!

They are offering a $60 gift certificate to one lucky winner. What a nice excuse to go shopping!! So I decided to take a few minutes and "shop" for what I would buy!! Take a look:

Want to know how you can win? Here are the rules:

** Please leave a separate comment for each requirement you fulfill! **

1. Become a follower of Oopsey Daisy or let me know you already are.

2. Head on over to CSN stores and let me know what you would buy with your gift certificate if you won.

Easy-breezy!! I will leave the giveaway open for 2 weeks and announce the winner on Friday, May 14.

Terms

1. You must be located in the U.S. or Canada to enter the giveaway.

2. Although many, many items have free shipping, there may be some shipping charges or international charges (for Canadian readers) depending on the item you choose to buy with your gift certificate.

GOOD LUCK! I can't wait to see who wins... this is such a fabulous opportunity!

Filed Under: giveaway

Wednesday’s Wowzers: 3 Dozen Flower Tutorials

April 29, 2010 34 Comments

Wednesday's Wowzers is a little late today, but I have a surprise for you: As I was blog surfing this week, I noticed a common theme: Flowers! I was seriously amazed at all of the many flower variations out there. Is there anything we can't turn into a flower?! I found 36 flower tutorials that I think you might like. Some are new, some are old, and I found a whole new bunch of creative blogs out there. So sit back and relax, and enjoy the happy feeling of spring flowers!

**Be sure to get all the way through until the end to see some of the most unique flowers!**

1. Burlap flowers by The Tidy Nest.
2. Burlap flowers and embellishments by Tatertots and Jello.

3. Felt flower video tutorial by The Scrap Shoppe.

4. Felt and yarn flowers by Yoonie-at-home.

5. Felt flowers by Craftaholics Anonymous.

6. Folded felt flowers by Blue Cricket Design.

7. Braided ribbon roses by Seven-thirty-three.

8. Ribbon Roses by Save On Crafts.

9. Wood flowers by A Better Life.

10. Frayed flowers by Maize in Montana.

11. Tattered flowers by Sew4Home.

12. Satin flowers by BlondieBlueEyes.

13. Rolled roses by Portabello Pixie.

14. Polarcat's fabric flower by Crafty Beats.

15. No Sew Fabric flower by Bird Crafts.

16. Fabric flowers by My Blonde Ambitions.

17. Button YoYo flowers by Head Huggers.

18. Fabric flower by Molly Chicken.

19. Rounded petal fabric flower by Pink Paper Peppermints. She has tons of crafty flower ideas. She did 31 days of crafty flowers--check it out!

20. Fabric roses by I Love 2 Create.

21. Applique flower by Anna Maria Horner.

22. Fluffy fabric flower by Artsy Crafty Babe.

23. Fabric flower pin by Grace Violet.

24. Couch flower by Heather Bailey.

25. Paper flowers by Executive Homemaker.

26. Paper flower topiary by Crafts, Life, Me, & More.

27. Paper dogwood blossoms by Sweet Something Designs.

28. Crepe paper flowers by House of Smiths.

29. Magazine flowers by Pink Paper Peppermints.

30. Rolled paper flowers by Talk Crafty To Me.

31. Metal flowers by Positively Splendid.

32. Zipper daisy by Craftaholics Anonymous. Is there anything Linda can't make with a zipper?!

33. Pop can flowers by Life Is Not Just Paper and Glue.

34. Plastic bottle flowers by Tatertots and Jello.

35. Edible flowers by The Mother Huddle.
36. Edible blooms by A Spoonful of Sugar.

So which one(s) are your favorites?? And if you have a favorite flower tutorial that I missed, please leave me a link in the comments or e-mail me! Now I think I should take 36 days to try making all of these! Happy spring!

**Edited to add** I am becoming obsessed with finding flower tutorials! I just stumbled across a motherload here at Mel Stampz. Check it out if you want more!

Filed Under: wowzers

Mother’s Day Download… better late than never!

April 28, 2010 3 Comments

Are flowers in your mother's future?

You know... for Mother's Day! (By the way, it's coming up--Sunday, May 9th?!)

How about some tags for the occasion? Chrysanthemums are simple and elegant, and a perfect way to show your Mum some love! Throw on a cute tag and some jute, and you've got yourself a Mother's Day gift! Of course it doesn't have to be just for your mum... mum-in-law, visiting teacher, aunt, sister, friend, stranger! You get the point.

There are 3 tags to choose from:

You can download these here or from my sidebar. They might just make a cute cupcake topper too... why not?! I think I will try it out. 🙂 Just another way we can show the women in our life how much we love them!

Filed Under: Mother's Day, Photoshop

ABC Marble Magnets

April 27, 2010 13 Comments

I think I have a magnet obsession. It goes back to my teaching days when I applied magnetic tape to just about everything so it would display nicely on my magnetic white board. Magical stuff. I also have a passion for all things "ABC"... so this little project was a perfect blend of both. I am having too much fun leaving love notes on my refrigerator!

I think we've all seen the magnets you make with clear marbles such as these:

I have several sets that I made using cute scrapbook paper, and love them But it's just so stinkin' fun to create messages! So I found these cute stickers:

So I just used colored paper, punched a bunch of circles, and applied stickers like crazy. The most important thing is finding glue that dries clear. Don't use too much or it will show when it dries... just a dab will do! I used a paint brush to help ensure a smooth finish. Then I attached my handy-dandy magnet tape to the back of each marble.

What fun, bright, happy letters. Wouldn't these be fun to help teaching your kiddos the ABC's?? I am imagining my son's little fingers sliding these around on a magnetic cookie sheet.

Here's a message for you--dear readers!

Another fun set of magnets. For now. I love switching things up!

Filed Under: ABC, magnets

My Favorite Things Wreath

April 26, 2010 16 Comments

This lovely spring wreath is hanging on my door right now. Can I just tell you how much I love lavender?! It's one of my very favorite colors, and I realize the color isn't even totally "in" right now, but I just don't care. I'm diggin' it, and that's all that matters right?

I just used a circle styrofoam wreath and wrapped it in fuzzy lavender yarn. I finally broke down and bought spray adhesive... and I am so glad I did! It was a bit pricey, but worth it. It was so easy to spray it on and everything stuck in place without the danger of hot glue (I always burn myself!) or any extra mess.

Next, I used brown yarn to give it a striped look. The stripes aren't perfectly even, but that's part of the beauty of it!

Then I started whipping up some fabric flowers and nestled them on a little blanket of burlap... just because! I started out with 3 flowers on the wreath, and then my Mom (the flower arranging expert!) recommended just 2 more. After 5 flowers, she again said, "Just two more." So I ended up with 7 lovely flowers!

Of course I love the center flower the best. I simply ADORE that cream fabric with the lavender flowers.

Here is a close-up of the lovely fabric flowers. I just couldn't get enough of these and sewed way too many!

I call this "My Favorite Things" Wreath because it includes so many of my favorite things...
lavender, burlap, fabric flowers, and did I mention I sewed a ruffle to hang it with? Take a look:

Okay, just one more view:

If you're wondering what happened to my orange door, I did the photo shoot at my parent's house. Their front doors are much prettier, don't you think?

If you're interested in making a yarn wreath, check out 2 more of my favorite yarn wreaths: This fabulous monogram wreath at The Scrap Shoppe and Tattered and Inked's burlap yarn wreath.

Have a good week, my friends!

Filed Under: ruffles, spring, wreath

Earth Day Recap

April 23, 2010 13 Comments

This is what we made to celebrate Earth Day:

Any guesses what it is? Maybe this will help:

My hubby, son, and I created the earth last night, with its 7 continents out of 7 different kinds of fruits!! We made an Australian meringue dessert called a pavlova that was simply to die for. It just melts in your mouth! We topped it with whipped cream and some of our favorite fruits!

The only problem was that my little guy couldn't wait for the pavlova to bake... he is such a fruit lover! He had to sample all of the fruits, but he totally cleaned house on the strawberries and kiwi. Plenty of vitamin C intake today! Don't you love that excited look on his face...

I think we just started a new tradition.... because I know I'll be wanting to make this again next Earth Day!!

PS I DO have a free download coming... it will probably make a late appearance though. 🙂

Filed Under: Earth Day, food crafts, kids

My Earth Day Project

April 22, 2010 6 Comments

In honor of Earth Day, I thought I would share a recycling project!! I am beginning to think that I shouldn't throw anything away. I tend to hold on to all types of containers until I am absolutely sure I cannot use them!! This was definitely trash turned into a treasure.

Because I live in a tiny apartment and all of my craft supplies are inside my son's closet, I run into a problem. I craft during naptime. Even though I try to plan ahead, I can't tell you how many times I try to sneak into his dark, quiet bedroom and try to avoid waking him up. Sometimes I end up army crawling along the floor because I have woken him up too many times to count!! Anyway, I needed a little container for the "crafting 911 essentials"--glue gun, glue stick, measuring tape, sharpie, foam brush, you get the idea. So I keep this little beauty on my kitchen counter where I do my crafting.

I made my "Crafting 911" container out of my son's last formula container!

I just wrapped the container in burlap, added a fabric strip and wrapped twine over the top. My favorite part is this lovely burlap flower.

So for now, this little container hides away my most important crafting tools in the "greenest" way possible.

Happy Earth Day!

Linking up to Wednesday's Creative Inspiration: Earth Day Style @ Roots & Wings Co.

Filed Under: Earth Day, organization, repurposing

Wednesday’s Wowzers: Crafting ADD

April 21, 2010 7 Comments

Alright I admit it... I am suffering from crafting ADD. I think it's the warm weather. I start a project, start another project, get distracted, and don't finish anything!! So let's just check out some of the inspiring creativity I discovered out in Blogland this week:

I found this beautiful wreath at Under the Table and Dreaming. Isn't is gorgeous?! Just guess what it is made out of.... plastic bags! Head over to her blog and check it out. While you're at it, check out her incredible Earth Day treats.

I am jealous. Just look at this rag quilt carseat cover. I just made a rag quilt and thought mine was cute... now seeing all of these cute variations, I am in awe. Head over to I Am Only 1 Woman to see more adorable rag quilts!

Crafting Chicks has so many fabulous ideas. I love this baby milestones album they created. I never found a baby book I loved... but this would be such a fun way to show off my son's first 12 months.

I can't stop thinking about this reclaimed t-shirt idea from Lemon Tree Creations. Wouldn't it be fun to have a t-shirt canvas to depict every child in your family with their ages. Of course I love the ruffle shirt the best. 🙂

I have seen a lot of message boards out there, but this one is my favorite. So many things to love--the burlap, the monogram, the flowers. Perfect! Thank you, Monkey See Monkey Do.

This is pure genius. Lovely roses in a rain boot! Rain showers bring May flowers right?! Go check out A Little Loveliness. What a fun blog!

Now get out and enjoy the sunshine. That's what I'll be doing! 🙂

Filed Under: wowzers

My Springy No-Fuss Banner

April 20, 2010 7 Comments

You know I couldn't let my little fireplace go bare and banner-free!! I fell in love with this fabric at JoAnn's, and bought a yard before I even knew what I would make. I love the lavender flowers! So I decided to make this easy, no-fuss banner.