Makeup Roll Giveaway

A few weeks ago I posted this tutorial for sewing a makeup roll.  I took it with my on vacation and loved it! 

I also promised that I was working on another one that I'd be giving away.  I'm finally following through with that and here's what it looks like!  

Would you love to use this for storing some of your own makeup supplies?

Use the Rafflecopter form below to get your entries.  For your comment, tell me your favorite makeup item, or just say hi!  Then you can earn bonus entries if you want by "following" me in a couple of different places.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This promotion is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram. I hereby release them of any liability. Prize will ship within 7 days of the end of the giveaway. Giveaway starts Thursday May 23, 2013 at 12 am PST and ends Thursday May 30, 2013 at 12 am PST. Once the giveaway ends, winner will be chosen using Random.org and contacted within 24 hours by email. This post will be updated with winners name once I’ve heard back from them. Winner will need to respond within 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen. Open to U.S. residents only, 18 years and older.

The Gro Project...Anyone Can Have a Green Thumb

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Miracle-Gro for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

After being gone for a week and a half I've been struggling with the balance of getting all caught up on things I was putting off, or just couldn't do while on vacation and also spending more time with my kids.  I decided a little gardening project might be a fun way for me to play with my son in the dirt.  The Gro Project, put together by Miracle-Gro has some fun and easy ideas to try, including creating a toyarium where your kids could mix living plants with a couple of their own toys for a cute little scene.

I have not had very successful gardening efforts in the past.  One tiny little garden we tried when we first moved into this house was basically washed away in the incredibly wet spring we had.  I tried growing garlic in a bucket a couple of years ago in the fall--the green parts grew wildly, and the garlic pieces under the surface were still tiny when I unearthed them in the summer.  We planted a strawberry plant in the backyard that my 1st grader had brought home from a field trip.  Ants ate all 5 of the strawberries as soon as they started to turn red.

But flowers in small planters I can generally handle :)  We picked up some Moisture Control Potting Mix  and a few plants to add some bright spring color to our front door.  To decorate the pot first, I dripped 2 colors of paint around the bottom edge while it was upside down, letting the paint run down the sides.  

When that was dry (it took about a day in our damp weather) we put some coffee filters in the bottom so dirt won't fall out the holes, then added the soil and the flowers. 

Here it is all set up by our front door.

So if you think you have a black thumb that might be ready to turn green, here's a quick video to inspire you (and I want some of those cute patterned rain boots from the cartoon too!)

 

For more fun garden projects visit the Miracle-Gro Pinterest page.  And whether you're a professional or a beginner, Miracle-Gro has tons of articles and videos full of advice and tips to get the most out of your gardening experience.  Have fun getting your hands dirty!

 

Kids' Jewelry Organizer

**Still having a fabulous time in Portugal, but here's one more scheduled post for you before I get back. And here's a not-great picture of a great view :)

In my two years of blogging I've discovered that I don't live in a part of the country that's densely populated with craft bloggers.  With that being the case, I love when I get to meet or make connections with someone local who loves the same stuff I do!  Several months ago I met Gemia who lives nearby and she recently started up a blog with 3 other crafty souls.  When she asked me to do a guest post for The Phat Quarters I of course said yes.  This is the tutorial I shared over there.  

My two girls don't have a very extensive jewelry collection, and mostly what they have is little plastic beaded stuff.  But what they do have is often in a tangled up mess in a box and they never wear it.

So I turned a plain Ikea MALMA mirror into a cute place for their necklaces and bracelets to hang.

Here's what you'll need to make one yourself
Ikea mirror

Source

paint (I used regular craft paint in a light blue)
brush
sandpaper
nails
hammer
saw tooth hanger

Start by painting the frame of the mirror.  You can tuck paper around the actual mirror to keep paint off of it, but if a little gets on, it scrapes off easily as well.  You may need to do a few coats.

When it's completely dry, sand corners and edges as desired to distress.

Find the center on the top back of the mirror and install the saw tooth hanger.

Then on the front of the mirror, set small nails all around the edges, alternating placement so pieces can hang down.

Hang on the wall, preferably at a low enough level where your kids can reach it, and add necklaces and bracelets.  Hopefully they'll think it looks so cute they'll put the items back at the end of the day too :)

I'd love to hear how you tame your kids' jewelry.  Then go check out the Phat Quarters Blog and tell them I sent you :)

Mother's and Father's Day Gifts

I shared a Mother's Day gift idea at Craftaholics Anonymous earlier this week, and my debut post for Brassy Apple today would be great for Father's Day.

Also, don't forget to enter the giveaway for not 1 but 2 JoTotes! Click here.

Kitchen Towel with DecoArt Ink Effects

Many of you have probably used fabric paint before--I've used it on t shirts, drawstring backpacks and pillowcases.  Here's another fun way to add color to fabric:  Ink Effects.  It doesn't ever crack or feel stiff either because the color actually transfers into the fabric.  I received some from DecoArt a few months ago and was able to try it out on this towel that I ended up using as a gift for a friend!

Before you start an Ink Effects project, check the fiber content of your fabric.  If it is more than 60% cotton (less than 40% synthetic) you must first prep the area with the base spray and let dry.  

My towel is a microfiber with 80% polyester and 20% nylon so I skipped that step.

Free hand paint or print out shapes and paint over them.  A toothpick tip works great for getting into really small spaces or lines (like the whisk)  Be sure to reverse any letters because everything will be backwards.

When dry, place paint-side-down onto your fabric.  Cover with a clean paper (don't use a scrap paper with any printing on it, the ink will transfer too!)

Move the iron around so you don't get any iron hole marks.  Make sure you go over the edges a lot too so they don't come out lighter.  It will take several minutes.  You can peel up a corner of one of the images to see if you like how dark it is.  If it still seems a little light, do a few more minutes.

Remove all the paper and let the fabric cool and it's ready to go.

Have you used Ink Effects before?  I think I might let my kids in on the action for my next project.  What would you like to see done with it?

To download and print these same shapes, go to the project library at DecoArt you'll find my instructions again there as well.

Oh Yeah--Giving Away *2* Jo Totes!

About a week ago I polled both my Facebook and Instagram buddies, and if you voted that we should give away a Jo Totes bag, you're going to love this--it gets even better because we're giving away 2!  And these bags can carry more than cameras :)

Mother's Day is only DAYS away! YIKES!! Are you ready? Do you have a gift for that special Mom in your life? Well, don't worry, we have you covered! Hang onto your seats and get ready for a FABULOUS giveaway!

With Mom Day coming quickly, the Craftaholics Anonymous® Creative Team put our crafty little heads together and decided to hold a very special giveaway just for you! We are giving away 2, yes, not 1 but TWO Jo Totes! {are you jumping up and down yet?! Because we are!} We are so excited to offer you this special giveaway! Jo Totes make us weak in the knees, so we knew they would be the perfect giveaway. 

If you're in love with these bags, wait till you see JoTotes' newest bag that we have the honor to introduce to you today! Behold the "Abby" bag! 

It comes in mint or lilac and is available for preorder today on May 6th.

 The lucky winner will get a Jo Totes for herself and one to give to a special gal in her life!

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a Rafflecopter giveaway 

GIVEAWAY RULES:

No purchase necessary. To enter, participants must like the facebook pages by using the Rafflecopter form above. This giveaway is in no way affiliated, administered or endorsed by Facebook. The giveaway closes on May 10th, 11 PM CST. The winners will be chosen via Random.org and will be notified by email on 5/11/13 and will need to respond within 48 hours to claim their prizes or other winners will be chosen. Winner must be 18 years of age or older and a US resident in order to win. Winners are responsible for paying any necessary taxes on winnings.

Disclosure: A HUGE thank you to Jo Totes for donating the prizes! We love Jo Totes and appreciate them sponsoring this giveaway.

Window Features

Short and simple post for you today to just share a couple of cool ideas from the window links we had last week.

This first one will show you how to build curtain rods for your bay window by Here Comes the Sun.  Such a great idea for this space!

Then how about turning a tablecloth into curtains by Clean, Smart, Simple Style.  I love the pattern of these!

Do you have any fun window treatments you've made?  Share them here!