My Latest Handmade Purchase

While looking for birthday gifts, I came across a little something for myself over at etsy shop Happy Family. This shirt initially appealed to me because of its apparent "live off the grid" message, but there's more to this design than I knew. According to the description, "In October 1939 the Government launched 'The Dig for Victory' campaign. People were urged to use gardens and every spare piece of land, such as parks, golf clubs and tennis courts, to grow vegetables. Even the moat at the Tower of London was used to grow vegetables. "We want not only the big man with the plough but the little man with the spade to get busy this autumn. Let 'Dig for Victory' be the motto of everyone with a garden," - Rob Hudson, Minister for Agriculture, in October 1939."  The ever so popular "Keep Calm and Carry On", also issued by the British Government, is another one of many great posters from WWII.

Thank you Happy Family for the super soft, history rich t-shirt! I absolutely love it. Want one? Happy Family is currently having a 10% off sale and giving away a free tote bag with the design of your choice with every 2 items purchased!

I Can No Longer Resist

Photo From Nice Package

I've been doing my best, but today I officially admit that I can no longer resist Baker's Twine. Can I have some now please?

Photo via Folly & Glee

photo via weddingbee

Photo from lockette

Shark Week: Shark Hat

Here's a kid's shark hat found on Craftster via CraftersCraft. No tutorial, but you are crafty, you can figure it out ;)

DIY: Sand Letters

DIY Maven of Curbly shares her idea for making an imitation version of these letters from Seaside Inspired. Wouldn't they just look perfect in your modern beach cottage?

DIY: Simple Paper Cutting Project

A simple Paper Cutting Project involving cardstock and leaf silhouettes from Indie Pretty Projects. Includes step by step instructions and saves you $ on paper punches. Oh, and they are pale pink :)

DIY: Natural Candle Holders

I'm back from my vacation, a road trip up Old Highway 395. And since I was out in nature most of the time in California's beautiful the Sierra Nevada's, I thought I'd post some woodland related items this week like these Natural Element Candles from Stepping Through Crazy. Enjoy!

DIY: Summery Shell Crafts

Let's face it, some sea shell crafts can be pretty cheesy (sea shells and varnish anyone?:). But these 4 ideas are simply lovely! So keep your eye out for shells next time you're at the beach. From top left clockwise: Oyster centerpiece from Watersidestyles, Seashell Candles from CountryLiving, place cards from iVillage, and seashell light garland from Martha.

Dress Up Your Summer BBQ Party Food

It's summer time! Here are some fun ways to dress up your summer party food and get crafty at the same time. Learn how to make drink umbrellas at eHow and whip up these paper food baskets with help from Zakka Life via The Moody Fashionista.

DIY: Decoupage with Peacock Feathers

Wandering around the craft store feeling unispired, my crafty cousin suggested I try decoupaging with peacock feathers. "Can you do that?", I thought... Well apparently you can! If you want to give it a try for yourself, you'll need the following:

Canvas or wood block
Acrylic paint for the background
White glue or Modgepodge (I used white glue)
Foam paint brush
Peacock Feathers
Spray Polyurethane

Process:
1. Paint the canvas with a color that compliments the feathers. I chose a dark brown. Let dry.

2. Spread a thin coat of glue or modgepodge in the area you are going to attach the feathers.

3. Gently press the feathers into place, wrapping them around the edges of the canvas for an interesting effect.

4. Gently dab glue on top of the feathers. Repeat and let dry.

5. Spray with a coat of polyurethane to seal. Enjoy!

DIY: Pencil Eraser Stamps

This fun little idea comes from one of my favorite blogs, Creature Comforts. Create your own tiny stamps with a pencil eraser! What shapes can you make?

Make Champagne Cork Place Card Holders

I made these place card holders for Mother's Day Brunch. To do it yourself, just pierce a champagne cork with a toothpick. Then you can lean a hand written name card against the toothpick or attach with a small bead of glue. Easy!

Must Buy Japanese Washi Tape

Why don't I own any of this stuff??? I can think of a million projects to make with it!!! Check out iDIY for some inspiration including "Japanese Masking Tape Craftiness: Part 1 through 4".

Mother's Day Pop-Up Card

Why give a boring old card when you can show your mom just how crafty you are with this pop-up card! I haven't actually tried making it, but looks simple enough. Free download with instructions from Canon.

Mini LP Gift Tags

Ok, so I have to admit these miniature LP Gift tags put yesterday's gift tags to shame. From Crafty Dude, Paul Overton of DudeCraft. Complete with Video tutorial and free downloads. Go crafty dudes!

Make Gift Tags from Old Business Cards

I had a bunch of Holiday themed business cards left over from my last craft fair that I just couldn't let go to waste. So I got out my 1 inch round and a small hole punches to create these gift tags for my new Plant Markers.  Don't have any business cards that will work? Try using images from magazine covers and illustrations from old books!

What To Do With Old Jars

Another good flower related project idea. Make unique vases from old jars simply by adding some paint. Super easy! Idea from Real Living and Canadian House and Home found via Poppytalk.

Paper Hydrangeas

Looking for flower related crafts for my upcoming Cocktails and Crafts Party, I found these Hydrangeas made from paper lunch bags over at Mary Janes and Galoshes. Taylor runs a nice blog with lots of tutorials. Stop by and say hi.

May I Brooch the Subject?

I'm sorry, I know it's a bad pun. Guilty as charged. My sister recently challenged me with another Craft-Off and this time brooches was the subject. So I started with the intention of making one, but a few hrs later I had a bouquet of 5 of them! (I attached a fabric covered wire to each to create a stem.) I think this is how I will present them at the upcoming craft fair.

 Em, one of these is for you. Can you guess? The rest will be in my etsy shop over the next few days.

Guy Stuff: Make a Guitar Slide

I had to post this because it is one of the first crafts I can remember my dad making years ago!!! A great post on Craftzine with links to a few tutorials over at Slideplayer.com. I'm not sure exactly how he made it, but I'm sure it wasn't using the "burning twine" method which sounds like a recipe for disaster, especially if  "find some old hemp twine, soak it in kerosene, wrap it around the bottleneck and light it on fire" is immediately follwed by "drink the contents".

He's a Genius!

OMG his is one of the coolest mosaics I've ever seen! - Liz Lemon made out of Nerds Candy. Perfect (FYI, I love 30 Rock). Find it on Andrew Salomone's blog along with his Bill Cosby made out of Jello shots!