Wooden Letters-DIY!

I've had a few people ask me about how I made my kid's names with wooden letters.  Unfortunately, I didn't photograph when I was making them..but they were really simple!  I bought the letters at either Hobby Lobby or Michaels. 

Here's the finished project(s):

Supplies:

Wooden Letters
Acrylic Paint (I used 4 colors for Kimber's:  white, yellow, lime green and pink.  I used 4 colors for Kaylan's:  white, light green, sage green, light mocha brown)
Sponge
3-4 sheets of scrapbooking stickers (whatever matches your kids room!)
Ribbon (if you decide to hang your letters by tying a bow)
Staple Gun (if you want to hang the letters by tying a bow)

How to:

First make sure your letters are painted white (if they came white, you probably need another coat or two..they just don't make it thick enough!).  When that completely dries, sponge one color at a time allowing them to dry throroughly between coats.  The last color should be the one you want to show up the most. 

If you're going to add ribbon, I'd do that now!  Cut and staple your ribbons..then tie them. 

Next, cut around the edges of all your scrapbooking stickers (don't peel them off just yet).  Lay all your letters out in order, and figure out the placement of your stickers.  Once you're happy with your designs, peel and stick! 

All done!  :)

Here's some close ups since I don't have any pics of the process...

Happy crafting!

Hair Bow Holder-DIY!!

I have 2 little girls..which means we have about 100 hair bows.  I recently realized I didn't like digging through a drawer to pick a bow..and I didn't like not being able to easily see all our options.  Not to mention we don't like squished bows!!!  CODE RED ALERT!! 

I am one of those DIY people..so here's my take on some I've seen.  I am sure someone else has already thought of this..but it's still mega cute!  Not to mention simple!  Here's a pic of the finished project:

What you need:
1 painting canvas (I used a 16x20)
5-6 yards of ribbon (I used aprox. 200 inches..which is just over 5.5 yards, but it depends on how many strips you want)
Acrylic paint (I used three colors:  white, lime green and pink)
1 sponge
Staple gun

First, paint your canvas white (if it didn't come that way).  Once it's dry sponge on whatever colors you want!  Let paint dry between colors.  Whatever color you want to show up the most goes last...I ended up adding more pink once I thought I was finished...the lime green was just a little much!

Don't forget to put something down to protect your table..and don't forget to paint the edges!  When I sponge, I always "blot" the sponge on the newspaper to even out the paint.  If I don't do that, I'll end up with horrible blobs..not cool!

Amazing how different it looks after adding pink...

Still wasn't enough pink, so I went over it one more time...didn't take a pic though!

While the paint dries, start cutting your ribbons.  (After you clean up your mess!)  I did 10 ribbons, 20 inches each.  (So, you've got to choose which direction you want your "piece of art" to hang first!)   I chose 5 ribbons that matched and cut 2 pieces of each. 

Once the paint is completely dry, lay out your ribbons and decide the order you'd like them to be in.  *THIS IS THE HARD PART*.  Hehe..

          

I turned them all upside down (in order) and layed the canvas upside down on top of them to start the next step.  I used my measuring tape and made a mark for every inch on the back of the canvas..then I made sure I had all the ribbons spaced evenly (mine ended up being 2 inches apart).  I had a ribbon at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 inches.  Next..start using the staple gun (yikes!)

Man, this part goes fast..keeping my fingers out of the way!

Two more...

And I'm done!  LOVE IT!!!  Oh my, I'm going to have to redo the whole room just to match this thing!  :)

My daughter loved it so much that she wanted her picture taken with it (she thought it was her birthday present..she just turned 3). 

What age to kids stop making weird faces and just SMILE?  My Sweet Pea also made sure the bow she was wearing was displayed on the NEW bow holder!  (Which explains her messed up hair!  HA!)

Here's another pic of the finished product..just because it's so adorable!

The perfect addition to any "girly girl's" room!  Quick and easy!  :)

Thanks for looking!

Hello Kitty Bday cake!

My daughter's 3rd Birthday is TODAY!  She was very specific on what she wanted for a cake.  PINK.  Hello Kitty. SPRINKLES.  I think I did it!  I used her Hello Kitty coloring book for a reference..and kept it simple.  The sprinkles in the bow was the perfect finishing touch.  My sweet pea has already claimed the bow as HER piece of cake!  :)

(I used the Pillsbury strawberry cake mix and frosting..I don't have time to make a real cake!  It's ok, because it's D-lish!!  I got the decorative icing at HyVee *local grocery store* in the cake section.  I just got pink and black, and a set of the decorating tips..for all of $5 total.  So this whole cake only cost about $10!)

That's my little sweet pea eating a cupcake..I'm totally the coolest mom ever.  I made a few cupcakes so we could have some when the cake was done..I knew she wouldn't tolerate waiting one whole day!  It was a very good idea!!  No tantrums!  :)

The party is tonight...so this cake will be demolished soon!  Happy Birthday to my sweet heart!