Paper Egg

I always discover a lot of things when I am embarking on a craft; usually all the things I am doing wrong.  I opened my April/ Easter issue of Martha Stewart Living a few weeks ago and came across a tutorial on how to make paper eggs here.  I thought to myself "how easy and simple".  Martha said to experiment with different paper, so I chose to use 2 shades of blue tissue paper.  The result was that after an hour of paper mache-ing I had a very wrinkly looking egg.  I don't care.  I like it!  It's an easy and surprisingly durable candy holder.  (Although the candy is quickly dwindling!)

Handmade Etsy: Easter Treats

(click on the each of these links to go to the Etsy shops: Crazy Bunny, Egg Bank, Felt Rabbits,  Bunny Beanie)

I found some quirky and cute Easter appropriate items on Etsy today.  I thought I would share them.  (What makes rabbits so cute and fuzzy?)

As always you can go to my shop, studiowitte, here: www.etsy.com/shop/studiowitte

Chalk Eggs

A tutorial on how to make Egg-shaped Sidewalk Chalk has been circulating for a while from Skip To My Lou.  (Click on the the link to go to the tutorial)  I thought I would give it a try.  I liked the results a lot and I think my son will have a blast with them.

I did have a difficult time getting the two halves to bond together and I think I will drill a hole into the top of the plastic egg and pour the plaster mixture in the next time I make them.

How I Got Sponsored

In February I saw an ad about a competition to be sponsored by Prilosec OTC.  I have used this medication to deal with the heart burn that I started getting while pregnant with my son and decided never to leave after my son was born.  I hopped on over to the Prilosec OTC website and looked into their application process and what this competition entailed.  They were doing an intitial process and picking a number of people to sponsor starting on March 19th.  I filled out my application and started to spread the word.  I needed votes for a part of the judging and managed to get about 50!  (Thanks to you, my readers!)

Each applicant had the option to post videos or photos with their submission and I decided to apply to be the Official Prilosec OTC Craft Blogger so I whipped up a quick and fun craft to show what I can do.

I printed the Prilosec logo name onto some kraft paper, cut out the name, punched some holes into the kraft paper, and took some photos.  Quick and easy, which is how I think all crafts should be!

After I submitted my application I had to be patient and wait.  I received a call informing me that I was chosen to be the Prilosec OTC Official Craft Blogger!  They are sponsoring me by sending me a fancy SLR Camera and some photographing equipment so that I can photograph my crafts in a way that isn't embarrassingly bad.

I'm very excited about this sponsorship and I will keep you posted as new developments occur!  You can get sponsored to through Prilosec's next round of picks here.

Origami over Crib

via Serena & Lily

I'm not too crazy about the color scheme because I tend to gravitate towards a bit more color, but I LOVE the origami above the crib.  I think it's totally doable and would be great over any bed.  I must keep this idea in mind.  Don't you think the use of that branch is genius?

Nature on Vacation

I went to the Tallahassee Museum today with my family, which is actually a natural habitat zoo for many local wild animals.  I have posted a few examples above of the amazing views at this zoo.  I have been here countless times growing up and I never grow tired of it.  One of the highlights of this zoo is that they have nighttime tours for little children when you can really see the nocturnal animals in action.  I loved this as a kid.

It's Official!

Prilosec OTC has chosen to sponsor me!  I am the official Prilosec OTC Crafts Blogger.

via Prilosec OTC

You can see my information here.  Check back in a week and I will talk in detail about this fantastic opportunity.

Residential Porch via SketchUp

My posting might be a little sporadic as I am traveling to see family during the next week, so please bear with me!

I wanted to post this porch design that my husband and I collaborated on a few years ago for my husband's Aunt and Uncle.  I really like the rendered result and wanted to share it.  It was created using a software that is free to download here called SketchUp.  Easy to use and so much fun.

Shredded Paper Bird's Nest

via Alpha Mom

Alpha Mom has come up with this easy and cute craft to make a shredded paper bird's nest.  Go here to see how to make it.

I need to add that blog to my Google Reader.  A lot of great ideas there!

Handmade Etsy: Green with Envy

(click on each to go to Etsy shop: chalkboard book, jumbo bookmark, headband, felt garland)

In keeping with today's theme I thought I would post a few items that I love over at Etsy.  They are all really well priced, too.  Hmmm...I do have a birthday coming up.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I thought I would post a few of my favorite pictures form the trip.  My husband and I went a little over a month ago, but it seems like it has been longer.  The cathedral shown in the photos is St. Patrick's Cathedral in Ireland.  For a full tour of our trip you can go here and scroll through a few of the posts.

I hope you feel lucky today!

Etched Jars

via Martha Stewart Living Magazine

You can click on the photo to see Martha's directions to etch the glass jars.  An alternative to etching is to use a spray paint to paint a frosted finish on the glass.  I think is a great organizational tool and can be used for gifts, too!

Wedding Shower Invitations

My Mother-in-law and I are hosting a wedding shower in a few weeks and I wanted to share the invitation that I created (I did "borrow" the idea from another source).  It's a small and intimate shower with just 6 or 8 women attending, so we are making a night of it and going to a Jazz Club/ Restaurant for dinner and we're leaving the kiddies and husbands at home!

Lego Cake

via Parenting.com

Parenting. com has been posting some terrific birthday cake designs lately that are completely doable.  I want to throw out the suggestion that these do not have to be just for kids.  I like Legos, so who says I can't have a Lego cake too!

Fabric Cuff

I have been seeing fabric cuffs everywhere and decided that I would try to make my own last night.  It was an experiment with my sewing machine as I had never sewn a buttonhole before.  I did a test run on a scrap piece of fabric first and couldn't believe how easy it was to create.  I might just put buttonholes in everything now.
You can follow the directions above to create your own cuff; you can see that I embellished mine a bit with a pointed end and a very large button.

(Click on the image to enlarge if you have a hard time reading it.)

Geneology Circle

I made my son a family tree, with his name and birthday as the focal point.  I'm planning on printing it on nice paper and framing it to hang in his room.

I hacked the idea from My Tree and Me.  After drawing it up in AutoCAD (architectural design software) I decided to come up with my own, boyish, color scheme.  I really like how it turned out.  I might do the same for other members of my family.  You can see that there are missing ancestors, but I hope to fill some of them in soon.

A Theme of White

 

 Wave Pendant via Modern Dose

 

Mod Rocker via Modern Dose

I have had my eye on these 2 items for months now.  I found a website, called Modern Dose, that had great prices and the Mod Chair (Eames original design) was already heavily discounted from $299 to $189.  But still...I couldn't take the plunge until I got an email from Modern Dose telling me that they have a discount code (SPRING10) good for 10% off and, as always, free shipping.  I hopped on over and purchased these right away.
 

The pendant will make a much welcome addition to my dining room.  The rocker will replace a padded monstrosity in my son's room.  I will try to post the results here.

You can visit Modern Dose here.

Travel Coloring Book

 

via Cookie Magazine August 2008 Issue

I adore this travel journal idea for little kids and for the whole family.  The idea of taking a blank book, writing the days events, and asking your children to illustrate it is genius.  I can't wait for my little man to get big enough to participate in this!

PS:  As Cookie Magazine is gone, I'm not sure how long you can still access their website.

Handmade Etsy: Hilary Cosgrove

 

via Hilary Cosgrove on Etsy

These little birds are fantastic!  You can buy them here for $24.

via Hilary Cosgrove on Etsy

I think this would be great for a kids bed.  If you have the money, they are $65 and can be purchased here.

A Few Things

 

via Real Simple Feb. 2008

I love the serene khaki on the walls with the pops of color through out the room.  The neutral pallet will let you redecorate on a whim.

Oh, how I would love a fireplace in my Dining Room.

 

 via Domino Magazine

Although the magazine is gone, it lives on in my clippings file.  I love the playful shrubs and gravel walk.

 

The Dear Diary Stories doing a free online Blog workshop this week that you can visit here.  It has a lot of great advice and I really recommend stopping over there to browse for a bit.

Guest Post on Baby Cheapskate

 

 Check out my guest post here on Baby Cheapskate.  An excellent blog for great deals on baby stuff.

I share tips on how to outfit a nursery for less and with a little bit of creativity.

I'm Ready to Grill!

I'm doing a bit of magazine organizing right now, so you might start seeing scans from my magazine clippings.  I've discovered a new trick to clip pages from my favorite periodicals.  I use my gift wrap cutter (made by Scotch) to cut the pages out instead of the dangerous X-Acto knife that I used to use.  It's quicker, cleaner, and safer and I can't believe I didn't think of it before.

 

via Martha Stewart

Corn on the Cob Coins

•     8 ears of corn
•     5 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
•     1 teaspoon coarse salt
•     1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat grill to high. Shuck 8 ears of corn, and cut each crosswise into 3/4-inch slices. Mound the corn coins on a large piece of parchment-lined foil.
2. Scatter 5 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter over corn, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper.
3. Fold foil to form a packet, crimping edges to seal. Grill, covered, for 15 minutes.

This recipe is from the August 2009 Martha Stewart Living issue.  I cut it out of my magazine and realized that it is on her website.  Martha, pretty much, does the magazine clipping for you.

Wood Candles- Do Not Burn!

 

I have been seeing wood candles around for a while now.  Target even has a wood veneer candle right now.  

I decided to make my own.  My husband and I were driving home one day and I said, "Stop!"  We pulled over next to a pile of tree limbs and loaded up the car.  We cut them up and made little votive holders.  Honestly, they are more for looks than anything.  I don't think burning a votive in a wood holder is safe, but I like the look of it anyway.  

One thing I realized, after the fact, is that seasoned wood would work better as we did see a little bit of splitting as the wood dried out.

Concrete Planters

 

  

via Martha Stewart

These DIY planter's were showcased in Martha Stewart Living March 2010 issue; you can, also, find it on her website here.

Although, Spring does not appear to be around the corner here, I am still interested in creating some dog safe decor for the deck we built last Summer.  Our little terrier tend to get a little exuberant when he sees small animals in our yard and it would be great to have some solid planters that can withstand his enthusiasm.

*If you click on the photos you should be able to print a full size sheet of the how-to chart.