more lace...

Had a customer ask for some more stretch lace headbands in the shop...

...request granted!

It was really fun to make some super girly items again.

Been busy with boy stuff, ya know? :)

DIY photo keychain...

Sometimes it's hard to come up with gifts for people who have everything they could want or need, so this Mother's Day I gave the grandmas a little version of their grandson...a cute photo keychain.  (Don't worry - I made one for myself, too!)  This would be a fun, simple gift that you can easily customize for anyone.

You'll need:

a small wooden shape

a drill

craft paint

scrapbook paper

xacto knife

a photo (small enough to fit on your shape)

mod podge & mod podge dimensional magic

jump ring, chain, and split ring

Start by drilling a small hole at the top of your shape and painting the edges the color of your choice.  (My shape is 1 1/4" x 1" rectangle, but you could use any shape--circle, star, heart--whatever.)

Next, cut a little piece of scrapbook paper slightly larger than your shape.  This will serve as the back of your keychain.  (You could also put names, dates, etc. on the back if you want.)  Spread a thin layer of mod podge on the wood surface and on the back of the paper.  Smooth paper in place and let dry.

Turn wood shape over and trim off excess paper...

then spread another thin coat of mod podge on top and allow to dry.  Use a pin or toothpick to poke out the hole you drilled.

Now finish off the back with a coat of dimensional magic and let it set up according to package directions.  (If you've never worked with it before see this past tutorial of mine for some tips!)  This will create a shiny finished look.

Once the back is dry, you can just repeat the process for the photo on the front.  I just printed mine on photo paper on my home printer so I could get it exactly the size I wanted.

Mod podge it on and trim it up...

Add another coat of podge, poke your hole... 

...and do a layer of dimensional magic.

When it's dry, add your jump ring, chain, and a split ring (all found in the craft store jewelry making section) and that's a wrap!

You could use any kind of image--a favorite vacation pic, your kiddos or grandkids or significant other, pets, a little collage.  Endless possibilites.

new ledge shelves & spring decor...

For my birthday (back in February), the only thing I asked for was some ledge shelves to hang in my dining area.  I don't have a mantle or anything like that, so I needed a place to do my seasonal decorating.  We finally go them up on the wall, so I decked them out for spring using little knick-knacks and photos and things I had on hand.

{Tutorial for the butterfly hanging here.}

I wanted them to look full without looking too cluttery...

It was trickier than I thought, but after some fiddling and a trip to Ikea for some inexpensive frames, I figured out an arrangement I liked.

Since my little do-dads now have a home on the wall, I took all the decor off of the top of my kitchen cabinets.  Can I just say how much I hate that space on top of the cabinets?!  Why don't they just make all cabinets go to the ceiling?  Such a waste of space...  

Anyway, now it's all empty up there.  I need to figure out how I can decorate up there without it looking like a bunch of junk.  I have a few ideas (that do not involve plastic ivy--no offense to those of you who have gone that route.  Did I mention I hate that space up there?).  We'll have to see how they pan out...