My 'day off' and diy

A few days ago I was talking to Travis about now being unemployed. He corrected me and told me that technically I am self-employed. Not only does that sounds much better but it is true. We have been blessed enough to have Photography be something that we not only love to do but that supplements our income.
All this past week when Travis has left for work, I have been working on editing, blogging, etc. So, on this icky & rainy Saturday I have decided to take a day off and decided to do the things on my to-do list that are fun!
I enjoyed a yummy breakfast.

I enjoyed looking at pictures from our trip to San Diego. I was in heaven snuggling our friend's newborn baby girl.

I even did a little diy.

I got this idea from CLuckCluckSew. She calls it a broch but it can really be much more than that--decor for a giftbag, a headband accessory, etc.

What you need: lots of fabric scraps, felt, scissors, needle and thread, and a button.

What you do: Cut your base circle from felt for sturdiness. Then you continue to cut circles from fabric and layer them until you have met your desired look. Your circles do not have to be perfectly round.

Then you want to grab your button and thread it through all of the layers to keep the circles in place. (Or you could use some hot glue to sturdy them.)
And voila! You're done:)

Here is my little circle goodness on my hubby's birthday gift. He probably won't notice it and then I will just reuse it on something else:)

He is going to be 24 tomorrow--Happy Birthday babe!
There ya go! A little look at my day and a little diy.
Thanks for following!

DIY Bunting Card

This is a really little DIY birthday card but it is cute and I like it!:) I like making cards rather than spending $3 on them. Spend that $3 on a Mocha or something people!

I had been wanting to try to make some cards with bunting on them for a while and when I saw a friend's Baby shower invitation with bunting I knew I had to try it. It is such a simple and cute way to decorate a card or invitation!

What you'll need:
Scraps of fabric, scissors, card stock, and a sewing machine.

Step One. Cut your fabric into little triangles. The size is totally up to you but keep in mind how you want it to look on the card and how big the card is going to be.

Step Two. Sew the triangles to each other in a line. I laid out the triangles in the order of how I wanted them and then I would sew one, and slide the next one under the zipper foot. So on and so on. You can leave room in between each triangle by pulling the thread out a little or sew them corner to corner. Does that make sense?

Step Three. Cut your card stock to whatever size you want.
Step Four. Sew the string of triangles(bunting) straight onto your card stock. I forgot to take a picture of this but it is really easy. Just lay the card stock under your zipper foot with the bunting laying on the paper where you want it to be. Sew away!
Step Five. Stamp Happy Birthday on your card (or whatever you want!) and write some birthday words to your friend!

 Travis and I bought this stamp set from Staples or Office Depot. We use it all the time for Photography stuff and I use it for crafting.

I think what I like most about this little project is that it doesn't have to look perfect. The triangle don't have to match, the lines don't have to be straight, the thread can be crooked. It helps with my perfectionist tendencies.

I'm thinking about making some big bunting to decorate our apartment. We shall see...

Thanks for following!

The Everyday + a little DIY

Just about everyday I clean our little bathroom to look like this:

Within a few hours, honestly, it looks like this:

I can't even blame my hubby for it-- this is his side:

This is my side:

My side is worse! And I'm probably the one who left the floss and lotion out on his side! But you know what--I kinda like how fast it gets messy. I like it because it only takes a few minutes to put the stuff away and wipe down the counters--then I feel like I have cleaned so I don't have the guilt to clean the rest of our place!:)

Everyone has places in their home that just never seem to stay clean. The bathroom is that place for us. I always tell Travis that I really want a double sink in our next place. That'll probably just give us more counter space to clutter. Another place that is like this for us is our dresser in our bedroom. Take a look:

It is supposed to look like this:

And because I thought a blog post that is only about how dirty our apartment is would be super lame, I added a little DIY to spruce things up--the framed 'a' in the picture above.

What you'll need:
-An empty frame (any size, color, depth, etc.)
-A clothespin
-Some string, tweed, or something like that
-The letter of either your last name, first name, or something you want to display. I got an 'a' at Michaels for around $1 and then painted it.
-A nail and hammer
(I was going to use a hot glue gun but decided to just tie the string around the frame instead)

First, cut the string to the size that you'll want--probably about two feet but it depends on how big your frame is.
Next, lay the string behind the frame and tie each side to the frame. (In the picture below I have the frame turned on the wrong side.)

Next, grab your clothespin and hang your cute letter inside! Then display your quick DIY!

Its crazy how adding something small to a space can make you like it that much more. Now, if only we could keep our messy dresser from taking away from all of the cuteness!!

Enjoy this weather (if you are somewhere with weather like Chico)! It is feeling like summa my friends!

Thanks for following!

DIY Embroidery Hoops

I am in love with using Embroidery hoops as home decor. I first saw it a few months back here and have also seen it here.  They are everywhere if you just google them or look them up on Etsy.com. All you need is an embroidery hoop (found at most craft or fabric stores)for around $1, fabric, and anything else you want to jazz up your hoop!

I used some excess fabric from when I recovered my dining room chairs. This is was a simple hoop where I just used some fabric and that was it.

I have realized that I tend to have a very simple style. I like clean edges and matching things. I try to venture out but that doesn't happen to often. My mom and sisters laughed at me a while back when I pointed out a sweater that I said was 'out there'. It was not 'out there'. It was floral. I had to laugh at myself, too. I am kinda plain jane. I'm okay with that.

Anyways--here are some photos of my embroidery hoops. not nearly as fancy as some I've seen. Fairly simple and quick.

This next one is something I made for a some friends of mine who are getting married in June. I'm not a huge fan of how it turned out so I am going to be working on something different. The bride-to-be might see it on here but no worries, you'll be getting something different Krissy!:)

I hope this inspires you to hang some cute embroidery hoops in your place for some fun decor!

Thanks for following!

DIY Candle Gift

This is a really simple and cheap gift idea for Valentine's Day. It includes a vintage plate, a paper doily, a small candle, some ribbon, and a cute note! It's that easy!

A while back I decided that I wanted to start to collect vintage/thrifty plates. You can find some really, really cute plates at just about any thrift store. How beautiful would it be to have 25 different vintage plates for girly gatherings like bridal showers, birthdays, baby showers, etc.? I digress....

I have been a little bit obsessed with doilies--as you will see when I share about my Valentine's Day present for my husband. I used just one paper doily (You can get a pack of 20 of them for around $1 or cheaper!) and laid it on the plate. Then I put one of the small candles that I got in the pack shown below from Walmart for $10 on the plate with some ribbon wrapped around it.

Attach a personalized note or tag and you are all set!

This cute little candle set will be a good small gift for just about any girl you know. Your coworkers, neighbors, friends, boss, sisters, mom, even yourself! If you give it to your boss, make a different tag than the one I showed--that would be awkward.

On a different note--make your own cards! It is so easy and saves you a lot of money. Okay, maybe cards are just too expensive for my bank account.

All you need is a piece of cardstock, a pen, and some nice words. Santa gave me a small card-making set (I think I saw the BigLots price tag on it). Making your own card really does mean more to the person than spending $4 on it.

Here's my card for my hubby. Thanks Mom Santa for the set!

This blog has helped me to actually be on top of Valentine's Day gifts! :)

What are you making for your loved ones?

Thanks for following.

I think I like headbands...

My mom came to Chico and spent the past two days with us. It was so great spending some time with her and we even got to craft! She kept laughing at me for taking pictures of the crafts. I just told her "I gotta keep the blog alive!"Anyways...

Here is another post on headbands/hair accessories. Super easy and cute!
Supplies:
-Hot Glue gun
-Scissors
-Fabric
-Hair clips
-Buttons, beads, pearls, etc. (to decorate the accessory)

Step 1. Cut 6 circles 2 inches in diameter. Two will be used for the bases.
Step 2. Cut 4 circles about 1 and 1/4 inch in diameter. I used the bottom of a coffee cup.

Step 3. Fold 4 of the larger  circles into fours. To do this, first fold it in half. Put a small dot of hot glue towards the center of the straight edge, then fold it in half again. 

 I leave mine like this, not making it completely overlap. It add some dimension.

 Step 4. Hot glue all 4 of the circles to the base (one of the 2 inch circles). This circle can be the same fabric or different, it doesn't matter. I hot glue it by just putting a small dab (smaller than a pea) toward the middle of the base circle. You don't want to hot glue it all the way down or it might look too flat.

 Step 5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the smaller circles.

 Step 6. Attach either a button, pearl, etc to the middle. I just hot glued this button on.

 Step 7. If you want to make it into a headband, use the last circle you have left and hot glue the headband in between the circle and the "fabric flower".

My mom made the two small ones for my little sister. She hot glued the hair clips to the flowers. Make sure you hot glue the curved side to the flower so the flat side is on your head.

 These are are really easy and you can use any fabric! They would be great gifts, stocking stuffers, or just for yourself!:)

Thanks for following and let me know if you make some! I want to see your masterpiece:)