Favorites of 2010

Since everyone seems to be doing a Top 10 of 2010 post, I thought I better join in!  My little ol' blog didn't really get up and running until September so most of my top viewed posts are Christmas items.  I am pretty sure most of you are done with Christmas by this point!  So...I thought I would post a few of my favorite projects instead.
My Wine Cork To Do Board:

I actually ended up using this even more than I thought I would.  It is hung right by my computer and I make a list each week of what I need hope to get done.  {there are always at least a few items that get carried over to the next week!}
The Cutting Board Menu Board.

I must admit, planning our weekly menu is one of my weak points.  I definitely notice that we eat much healthier though if I do this!
My monthly magnetic calendars.

These have been really fun to do and are a really great way to use up all of those left over scrapbooking materials.  That reminds me...I better get working on my January one! {You can always click on calendars under my labels to see the other months}
The cupcake liner topiary.

I LOVE how this turned out but it is definitely one of my more time consuming projects!  My one piece of advice is to not put the cupcake liners too close together - you can always add more later!
The mail organizer. {This was actually one of my first projects posted}

Since i am not a sewer {one day I will learn!}, it is rare that I get to do projects with fabric.  I had a great time browsing the local quilt shop for some fabulous material.  I like the way it turned out and it is so functional!
DIY mini-album holder

My plan is to make a new mini-album each month {and switch out the ribbon!}
Yarn Wreath

Okay, this is technically a Christmas project, but this would be so easy to re-create with different colours for different seasons.
Spice Rack Picture Frame

It's always fun to compare what your kids looked like when they were the same age. {Mine don't look a whole lot alike!}
And last but not least, these canvas projects.

I hope you all have enjoyed my little recap.  Hopefully, you have found something that you've missed!  Thank-you to all of my fabulous followers and to those that take the time to leave comments.  I really do enjoy reading them and look forward to getting to know you better in the new year!
I have linked up with Passionately Artistic, Tip Junkie, Skip To My Lou, Embellishing Life, Polly Want a Crafter, Me Making Do, Craft-o-Maniac, Support Blog for Moms of Boys, I Heart Naptime, Funky Junk, A Little Lovely, Be Different Act Normal, Fun to Craft, Chic On A Shoestring, A Crafty Soiree, Somewhat Simple, House of Hepworths, CRAFT, Paisley Passions and Craftaholics Anonymous.

Canvas Photo Projects

Well, I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas!!  We had a couple of great days with the family.  The kids were so excited and were totally into Christmas this year.  We all got spoiled as always and I got a brand new lap top! {squeal!} Matthew thought Santa must have gotten our names mixed up but I'm pretty sure it is mine!

We are now back home unpacking and trying to organize all of our stuff.  I'm not sure about you, but I go into extreme organization mode after Christmas.  I will be doing a month long get-my-house-and-life-organized project in January{in honor of national organization month!}.  I am hoping that by blogging about it, it will keep me on track this year.  Stay tuned!!

For my handmade Christmas projects this year, I decided to do canvas photo gifts.  They were quite easy to do, relatively quick {I am such a slow crafter!}, and super cute.  So here's a look:

This is a 12x12 canvas for a friend of ours.

I painted the edges of the canvas black and extended it slightly onto the front of the canvas where the picture was going to be so there was no white showing through between the picture edges and the canvas.  I ordered a 9x12 print from Scrapbook Pictures and trimmed it down a bit.  {I have been getting my pictures done there for years.  You can edit your pictures, get them printed in every size you could want, and have the option of choosing your borders.}.  I had my pictures done in a glossy finish but I would definitely get a matte print next time I do one of these.   Glue the pictures down {I used Quick Grip}. I downloaded the quote from the Silhouette site and cut the vinyl out on my Silhouette.  I then cut a couple of felt hearts and added a ribbon with double sided tape.

This one was for my parents on a 12x24 canvas with 4 5x5 canvases.

It is very similar to the Christmas one that I did for our house.  You can find the tutorial here.  The hearts are chipboard that I covered with scrapbook paper.

And this one was for our house.

These are 16x16 canvases that I hung directly on the wall.  {Sorry about the picture - it makes it look a little odd!}  The only thing I did to the canvas was painted the edges black.  I then used some vinyl with our family name and put it on the wall above the pictures. Photos from these pictures and the first canvas were taken by Rosalee Roy Photography (you can find her here).

So there you have it!  Lots of fun ways to play around with canvas! I have one last canvas project that is half completed so I will post that as well when I am done.

Have a great week!

I have linked up with Tatertots and Jello, Funky Junk Interiors, Come Together Kids, Tip Junkie, The CSI Project, The DIY Showoff, Eighteen 25, Passionately Artistic, Embellishing Life, Polly Want a Crafter, Me Making Do, Craft-O-Maniac, I Heart Naptime, Fun To Craft, Chic On A Shoestring, A Crafty Soiree, Night Owl Crafting, Paisley Passions, House of Hepworths, Somewhat Simple, Sugar Bee Craft Edition, Tip Junkie, Skip to My Lou and CRAFT.

Merry Christmas!!!

Well, it is officially Christmas!  After an extremely busy day finishing up last minute projects, wrapping presents, and doing even more errands, I can finally relax!  What is not done, will just have to wait until next year.  I just wanted to take a few minutes to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.  I hope you all enjoy time with your family and discover all of the magic of the season.  From my family to yours, 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

P.S. Look who I caught loading up our tree! {Photo from ICaughtSanta.com}

Canvas Photo Art

Hello all!  Hope the Christmas preparations are going well!  I still have not even wrapped one present but do have a couple of days off work before Christmas to {hopefully!} get everything done.  I have been having a great time creating some fun canvas projects over the past couple of weeks.  Most are for Christmas presents so I will have to wait until after Christmas to post those.  But, I do have a Christmas canvas that I can show you.

I was in a hurry getting things done so I didn't take a whole lot of pictures but here is a brief tutorial for those that are interested.

MATERIALS

• 1 12x24 canvas {bought from Michaels with a coupon}
• 4 5x5 canvases {I picked a bunch of these up at our local discount store along with some 12x12 ones}
• paint
• ribbon
• Quick Grip glue 
• flocked vinyl
• painter's tape
• 4 5x5 pictures.  I get most of my pictures done at Scrapbook Pictures.  You can easily crop your photos and choose a variety of borders.  I like the black borders for these canvas projects to give the edges a nice clean look.
• paper trimmer
• double sided tape

HOW TO

• Paint the front of your 12x24 canvas.  Red is always a pain to paint with so this took me 3-4 coats.  If you are using a lighter colour it will only take 1-2 coats.
• Using painter's tape, mark off a border around your canvas.  I usually like my border a little thinner than this one {usually around 1/2 an inch} but due to a little paint incident, I had to make this one a little thicker!
• Paint the border and the outer edges of the canvas black.  
• Paint the outer edges {and a small portion of the front} of the 5x5 canvases.

• Glue on your photos with the Quick Grip {you don't need a lot}.  Your photos may have to be trimmed a bit as the canvases usually aren't a perfect 5x5.
• Glue the 5x5 blocks to the larger canvas.
• Add ribbon with double sided tape.  {I also added a chipboard ornament to mine with pop dots}
• Add the vinyl.  I printed mine off on my Silhouette and the "Jolly" was downloaded from the Silhouette site.  You can also use stickers or stencil onto the canvas.  

And there you have it.  I love the dimensional aspect of the canvas blocks on the larger canvas.  I'm sure everyone is done with their Christmas crafting by now, but these canvases are great for family pictures, grandparents gifts, wedding presents, baby photos, etc.  

Hope everyone has a good rest of the week!

I have linked up with Today's Creative Blog, Paisley Passions, I Heart Naptime, Night Owl Crafting, The DIY Showoff, Childmade, Blue Cricket Design, House of Hepworths, Chic on a Shoestring, It's Fun to Craft, Yesterday is Tuesday, Funky Junk Interiors, Sugar Bee Craft Edition and Tip Junkie.

Reindeer Food

The Christmas countdown is on with only 5 more days to go!  Anyone ready???  I definitely have a ways to go and still have not wrapped one present!  I did, however,  manage to get the reindeer food made with the kids tonight.  My son's day care provider actually started us on the Reindeer Food 4 years ago.  I thought it was such a cute idea.  The food not only provides Santa's reindeer with a little treat but also helps to guide them to your home {this is very important!!}

Since then, I have seen a variety of versions and some really cute packaging.  I love these ones from Chic 'n Scratch.  {She also has a free printable for the poem}.

These ones from A Little Space of My Own are also pretty cute.

Since we were just making the food for ourselves and didn't need it all packaged up, I decided to make these little reindeer heads.

 Here's the how to:

• I downloaded the pyramid box from the Silhouette website and cut it out on my Silhouette.  {Most scrapbook stores will also carry die cuts for these or you can always just print out a template from the Internet and trace onto paper.}
• Before assembling the head, punch out two holes for the ribbon to go through.
• Assemble the head.  {Yes, I love this silhouette.  Everything was even scored!}
• Cut out a square opening in the top of the head for the food to go into.  
• Add google eyes and a red pom pom for the nose.  Add the ribbon.
• Cut out some reindeer antlers {I just free handed these} and attach to the top of the head.

Now your reindeer is all ready for the food!  The kids decided to give them oats, green sprinkles, and raisins {Matthew thought that craisins would have been better but we were all out}.  

We have added glitter to the food in past years but I have just finished cleaning up the glitter from my last round of projects and did not want to pull it out again.  Sprinkles will have to do!

And there are our cute little reindeer all ready and waiting for Christmas Eve.  

Hope you all have a great week.  I am sure it will be a busy one!!

I linked up with Childmade, Paisley Passions, Tip Junkie, Embellishing Life, Today's Creative Blog, Sugar Bee Craft Edition, Craft-O-Maniac, Blue Cricket Design, The DIY Showoff, House of Hepworths, I Heart Naptime, Night Owl Crafting, Yesterday is Tuesday, Me Making Do and Tatertots and Jello.  

Joy to the World

One more week to go!!  I can hardly believe Christmas is almost here!  Anyone else feeling a little short on time?  I was up until 1:00am last night finishing off the last of the reindeer candy canes for Matthew's class.  They only take about 10 minutes but I somehow forgot about multiplying that by 20!  I am sure there will be at least a project or two that will not get completed in time for Christmas.

Well, I am trying to get the last of my Christmas projects posted.  Here is the last of my glitter obsession.

I bought the wooden stand about 4 months ago at Michaels because it was on clearance for $1.99.  I didn't really know what I was going to do with it but I knew it would come in handy one day!

I started off by painting it black.

I then cut out some scrapbook paper (this was from My Mind's Eye) a little smaller than the stand itself.  I glued it on with Quick Grip.

I made the glitter letters last week when I was doing the other glitter projects.  The letters are wooden and I just used spray adhesive to adhere the glitter (it definitely created a lovely mess!)

I adhered a ribbon with double sided tape and added the joy letters (using the Quick Grip again) and some American Craft stickers for the "to the world".

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and can find some quiet time to spend with your family amidst all of this holiday chaos!!

I linked up with It's Fun to Craft, House of Hepworths, Chic on a Shoestring, Young and Crafty, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Tatertots and Jello, Ain't She Crazy Funky Junk, I Heart Naptime, Under the Table and Dreaming, Be Different Act Normal, A Little Lovely, Tip Junkie, Embellishing Life, Craft-O-Maniac, and Paisley Passions.

More Glitter!

Glitter trees have been everywhere lately.  Since I had the glitter out for my JOY frame, I thought I would do a few more glitter projects to finish off my stash.  Here is my version of the glitter tree.

For the basic glitter tree, use spray adhesive over a styrofoam {or cardstock} tree.  I tried modge podge at first but found that the spray adhesive worked much better.  Sprinkle on glitter using a pan beneath to catch all of the excess glitter.  Once my tree was dry, I gave it a final coat of the spray adhesive to {hopefully!} make the glitter stay put better.

I cut out some felt snowflakes using a pattern that I cut from my Silhouette {Has anyone tried cutting felt on their machine?  I wasn't brace enough to try it!} I then added a sprinkling of silver glitter to the snowflakes as well.  Gluing the snowflakes on to the tree took a little trial and error but I found that my Quick Grip glue gave them the best hold.

For my topper, I had a few silver styrofoam ornaments left over from a few Christmases ago {I knew there was a reason that I was hanging on to those things!}  I just poked it in the top of the tree and I was done!

Stay tuned for one more glitter project.  You should see the floor of my craft room! {by craft room, I mean old, yucky storage room!}  Clean up day tomorrow!!

I linked up with Support Blog for Moms of Boys, Skip to My Lou, CRAFT, I Heart Naptime, These Creative Juices, Tip Junkie, Paisley Passions, House of Hepworths, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Ain't She Crazy, It's Fun to Craft, Chic on a Shoestring, Tatertots and Jello, Funky Junk, Be Different Act Normal, and Sassy Sites.

Christmas JOY

The birthday party is over {*big sigh of relief*} and was an absolute success in the eyes of my {now} seven year old.  Stay tuned for all of the camping party details!  Today, we had a great day celebrating Matthew's birthday.  I really do not know where the time goes and still can't believe I have a seven year old.  Happy birthday, my beautiful boy!

Now that the party is over, I can return to focusing on Christmas again.  I have been itching to get going on some Christmas projects but they have all been on hold for the past week.  I must say though, that I have been LOVING all the Christmas goodies out there!  Some totally amazing stuff!  Blogland is wonderful...

Now that Christmas is less than two weeks away, I am sticking to simpler projects.  I brought out the glitter and got down to work.  My first project was this glitter JOY art.

I have had this picture frame for a few years now and it has gone through numerous changes!

MATERIALS

• picture frame 
• coordinating scrapbook paper (mine is from Stampin' Up)
• glitter
• spray adhesive
• letters to fit frame.  I cut mine from the Silhouette with quite thick cardstock so it would hold up well with the spray adhesive.  They are approximately 3.5 x 5 inches.

TO DO

• Cut your letters out.  {I used my silhouette but you could easily just print your letters on the computer and cut them out}.  Working in small sections, spray on the adhesive and sprinkle glitter over top.  Make sure you have a pan underneath to collect all the excess glitter!  I let my letters dry and then did one more final spray of the adhesive to keep the glitter in place.
• Cut out 6 rectangles slightly larger than the picture frames using two coordinating papers.  My photo frames each were 4x6.    
• Glue on your letters {make sure you glue them all on the same patterned paper!}  Add the paper to the frame alternating patterns.  Ho Ho Ho would also work well in this type of frame but I liked the look of  having some frames plain.  

I am still planning on adding some kind of embellishment to the frame but, given the lack of time around here, I was happy to have something somewhat completed!

I have linked up with A Little Lovely, It's So Very Cheri, I Heart Naptime, Sassy Sites, Support Blog for Moms of Boys, Under the Table and Dreaming, CRAFT, Me Making Do, Paper Issues, These Creative Juices, Tip Junkie, Skip to My Lou, Paisley Passions, Ain't She Crazy, House of Hepworths, It's Fun to Craft, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Chic on a Shoestring, Tatertots and Jello, Be Different Act Normal, Young and Crafty, Funky Junk, Embellishing Life, and Craft-O-Maniac.

Have a fabulous week!!

The Advent Countdown Is On

Yikes!  We are already into the second week of December and boy is it busy!  I haven't had a chance for any Christmas crafting this week and the remainder of the week will be filled with preparing for Matthew's camping birthday party this weekend.  No matter how hard I try to organize, the first two weeks of December are always chaos!!  Hopefully I will get a chance to post my two completed Christmas projects at some point!Well, I am finally getting around to posting all of the fun little treats I have planned for the kids advent calendar.  If you missed my advent calendar, here it is:

The pockets are now filled and ready to go!December 1-Read Elf on the Shelf.
This is our 4th year with our little elf, Paint {I have no idea why Matthew picked this name!} Each day Paint finds a comfortable spot to watch the kids and then flies back to Santa each night to report if they should be on the Naughty or Nice list.  

December 2 - Cuddle up in your new Christmas P.J.s. I always like to get the kids some matching Christmas pajamas.  I know most people do the p.j.'s on Christmas Eve but I like seeing the kids in them for the month (and they look cute in Christmas pictures!)  

December 3 - Write a letter to Santa.  We have a little Christmas mail box set up in our house.  I always photocopy their letters before we mail them off to the North Pole and place them in our mail box.  Each year, we can look back at the old letters.  Matthew thinks it's pretty funny!


December 4 - Go to elf school and meet Santa at North Pole, B.C.
For those who are local, this was a really fun activity for the kids.  The kids learn how the North Pole mail system works, make a teddy bear in the elf workshop, read stories and sing songs with Mrs. Clause, and then get a private visit with Santa in his cottage.  It was definitely on the pricey side but I'm sure the kids would tell you that it was worth it!

December 5 - Go and cut down a Christmas tree. We found a cute little Christmas tree farm in town.  The kids got to drive the tree back in a tractor and thought that it was the best thing ever!  

December 6 - Find out how Mater Saves Christmas.
My boys are HUGE Disney Car fans so when I saw the book Mater Saves Christmas, I had to get it!

December 7 - Watch a Christmas special. {We ended up watching a Charlie Brown Christmas}


December 8 - Buy a toy for the toy drive.


December 9 - Dress up in your new Christmas clothes.
I must admit, this is the one that they are usually least impressed about!  I get them a new Christmas outfit each year.  It is Matthew's Christmas concert tonight so we won't really have time for a Christmas another Christmas activity anyways.

December 10 - Go to the mall and get your picture taken with Santa.
We go to the same mall every year as the kids are sure that he is the real Santa (not one of his Santa helpers!).  The kids get a lot more 1:1 time with Santa and this Santa "magically" knows what school they go to and what activities they play.

December 11 - Sing a Christmas Song.
Matthew's birthday party is going to be this day so there won't be a whole lot of time for Christmas fun!

December 12 - Visit Bright Nights in Stanley Park
This is a fabulous light display and Christmas train set up by the firefighters to benefit the Burn Fund.  We have braved snow storms and rain storms in the past so I have my fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate this year!

December 13 - Watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Max.
Kohl's had the little dog Max from the Grinch on last month for $5.  We already have the book but I picked up a couple of the stuffies.  Not the kids really need another stuffy but he was so cute I couldn't resist!

December 14 - Make a gingerbread house.
After a couple of collapsed gingerbread houses in the past, I always buy the pre-assembled houses now!  I take the kids down to the grocery store and they pick out all of the goodies they want to eat add.

December 15 - Make a delivery to the food bank.

December 16 - Read The Polar Express.
I really do love this book!

December 17 - Make some Christmas crafts.

We will be making a family reindeer sign {tutorial to follow}.  I would have preferred to do this earlier in the month, but better late than never!

December 18 - Drive around to look at all the Christmas lights and pick up a hot chocolate.
Okay, I added the hot chocolate bit more for me.  I LOVE Tim Horton's candy cane hot chocolate!!

December 19 - Make some reindeer dust.
Each year, we make up some reindeer dust to help guide the reindeer to our house.  At the end of the trail are a few carrots for them to munch on.

December 20 - Watch the movie Elf.

Definitely one of my favorite Christmas movies!  I'm sure the kids will think it's funny!

December 21 - Have some Christmas fun at Grandma and Grandpa's.
Kids have fun and Mommy gets a little break to get going on the Christmas wrapping!

December 22 - Go to Grouse Mountain.
We are going to be heading up to Grouse mountain with my Dad for a little skiing, a visit with Santa, some skating, and a viewing of the Grinch Who Stole Christmas.

December 23 - Make some cookies for Santa.
Santa loves some good cookies!! {and maybe some of that candy cane hot chocolate!}

December 24 - Make a big Christmas Eve breakfast.
Every Christmas Eve we do a big breakfast up - yummy!  We'll be making some Christmas tree pancakes.  Nothing like some good food to get Christmas rolling!

I hope you are all enjoying your holiday festivities!  I sure have been loving all of the Christmas posts around blogland.  {I only wish I had some more time to make some of those wonderful projects!}   I will post some pictures of our Christmas decorating once the birthday party is done and, hopefully, I will get an odd project or two posted soon!

Have a great day!!!