DIY | CURLING IRON COVERS

Years ago I saw this article on LuckyMag.com and decided that curling iron covers were the best idea ever. But they were sold out. Everywhere. Fast forward two years and I'm at a craft fair where they are selling something similar, but not as cute. Traci and I decide that we're going to make our own. But we often add many things to our "we could make that" list...and guess what? we never do. 

Luckily, we found ourselves at Joann's looking for some faux leather for another project when the lights go out (unlucky) in the middle of the store which is where we were standing. Traci doesn't really do well in the dark, even the semi-dark. So we made our way to the outer walls of the store where their emergency lights were on - and we found ironing board covering! 

We bought it and whipped up four curling iron covers in one night. Fastest DIY sewing project ever. Of course we also made one for Joyce! We must be secretly obsessed with polka dots because we found all these cute prints in our fabric scrap box.  

Supplies

• Ironing Board Covering (18.5 inch cut will make four covers)
• Fabric of your choice for the outside of the cover
• Canvas for the flap (but you could use other fabric as well)
• Hot glue gun or E6000 glue
• Velcro
• Scissors
• Quilting mat and shears (optional)
• Sewing machine

First cut your piece of ironing board covering into 4 pieces. They each should measure about 18.5'' x . Then cut out a piece of patterned fabric (about 1/2 inch taller and wider than the ironing board covering piece. 

Sew a line down the top side of the fabric to make it easier to sew the two pieces together later on.

Then fold the fabric in half with the shiny silver on the inside and sew the bottom and side with a 1/2 inch seam. 

Flip it inside out and then sew your patterned piece the same way. 

To make the flap we used canvas because we wanted it a little more sturdy. Cut out 2 00x00'' pieces. Sketch rounded corners and sew them together with a 1/2 inch seam. Cut out little triangles around the curved edges.

Flip the cover inside out and sew a 1/4 inch seam across the open edge.

Place the ironing board covering inside your patterned fabric, making sure the right side of the fabric and the shiny silver side of the ironing board covering are facing each other/touching.

Stick the flap between the outside & inside pieces.

Sew around the top starting on the side with the flap. make sure to leave a gap to flip it inside out. about 3 inches

Sew around the top to close the hole. I sewed all the way because I liked the way it looked.

Handstitch or use a sewing machine to stitch on the velcro pieces. (We tried a hot glue gun and E6000 glue which held for a while but eventually fell off.)

Aren't they so cute! We only paid $1.20 for the entire piece of ironing board and found the rest of fabric scraps at home! 

xoxo, allison & traci

p.s. we made a penguin one for Traci's mom since she's obsessed with them.

DIY | 14 DAYS OF FEBRUARY

I know Christmas is now weeks ago, but the twelve days of Christmas song randomly popped up in my head. You know, the song- on the first day of christmas my true love gave to me... Which got me thinking.... Hmmm valentines day is coming up... How about a valentines day song?! Thus the February valentine day song/project was born and it goes like this: On the first day of February, my valentine gave to me...

The idea is that for every day from February 1-14, there is a bag with a special treat inside that correlates to the day. Joyce came over yesterday and we both decided to do this for our special someone. Which meant off to target we went! 

It took some time to figure out the most meaningful treats to put inside without buying too much junk. We wandered around the store aimlessly for awhile but gradually found the perfect things! We drove straight to Allison's house afterwards to assemble our bags and we put a valentines day card in each bag with the lines to the song.

Here is how my song went... (I included some side notes for your reading pleasure)

On the first day of February, my valentine gave to me... 1 POUND OF SHRIMP (we're going to boiling crab that day!)

On the second day of February, my valentine gave to me... 2 CLEAN HANDS (a bottle of soap since I always tease him about needing to wash his hands more)

On the third day of February, my valentine gave to me... 3 INGREDIENT SALSA (fav college food)

On the fourth day of February, my valentine gave to me... 4 ROBOTS (well, robot socks. Hehe)

On the fifth day of February, my valentine gave to me... 5 HI-CHEWS (who doesn't like these?!)

On the sixth day of February, my valentine gave to me... 6 PACKS OF OATMEAL (trying to start this year off healthy)

On the seventh day of February, my valentine gave to me... 7 CHOCOLATE HEARTS (because the box it came in was just too adorable)

On the eighth day of February, my valentine gave to me... 8 CANS OF SPARKLING WATER (way better than soda)

On the ninth day of February, my valentine gave to me... 9 GRAIN CHIPS (because you need chips for the salsa!)

On the tenth day of February, my valentine gave to me... 10 WEEKS OF SHOWERS (his favorite bottle of shampoo haha)

On the eleventh day of February, my valentine gave to me... 11 boxes of raisins (again, trying to be healthy)

On the twelfth day of February, my valentine gave to me... 12 OUNCES OF PEANUT BUTTER (the perfect snack to dip your fruits and veggies in!)

On the thirteenth day of February, my valentine gave to me... 13 GUMMY HEARTS (because he loves gummy candy)

On the fourteenth day of February, my valentine gave to me... 14 REASONS WHY SHE LIKES ME (aww!)

The great thing about this fun project is that you can personalize it as much as you want. I can't wait to give this to Matt! He's going to have 14 presents to open! Doesn't get any better than that :)

xoxo, traci 

DIY | CHEETOS CARROTS

Need a quick Easter goodie? Try making these carrot bags filled with Cheetos! Since we didn't have any pastry bags (which would have been the most ideal), we had to get a little creative. We ended up getting clear rectangle bags and using our handy food saver to seal the bags into a triangle shape. We then cut out the triangle and flipped it inside out. Then all we had to do was stuff the bag with some Cheetos, tie green ribbon, and voila! 

xoxo, traci

DIY | YOU'RE A GEM! CARDS

One of my most favorite things is to receive letters in the mail. But even more than that, I love to send mail. 

Birthday card making is one of my favorite things because it's a good excuse to send someone I love something more than a facebook post or text message. Last year I even made birthday books for some of my best friends that I didn't get to celebrate with at home. I haven't made cards in a while, but Joyce inspired me to get back into it!

"You're a gem!" is a new popular saying that I love. Who wouldn't want to be called a gem? I made these thank you cards for my friends and family who gave me gifts for my baptism. I was so overwhelmed by the sweet words they wrote to me- words of love, and encouragement, and joy! I hope these cards help express some of my love to them.

Supplies:

• blank note cards
• alphabet stamps
• newspaper
• pen
• white Elmer's glue
• gold glitter
• gold stamp pad
• gold sharpie

Sketch your gem on a piece of paper. Place a piece of newspaper (with a huge picture facing down) between your gem and the front of the card. Using a pen, trace over the gem.

The newspaper should act like a carbon copy paper and transfer the gem outline onto the front of your card. It's important to push down fairly hard when tracing to get a better line. Also, when you trace the next cards, make sure to move the newspaper a little so the ink from the new placement will transfer. It doesn't matter too much if the lines aren't complete - this is just a guide for your glue.

Using regular Elmer's glue, trace the gem starting with the outline and then the inner lines. Use the orange tip on the glue bottle to smooth the glue into thicker, flatter lines.

Sprinkle glitter over the glue gem and shake the excess off onto a shoebox lid or newspaper to help with clean up. 

I used alphabet stamps to stamp the phrase "you're a gem!" I debated whether or not to stamp the word "gem" because I wasn't sure if people would get it...but I think it looks cuter this way.

I stamped Matt 5:16 on the back:

In the same way, let your light shine before others, 

that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

(NIV)

I'm so thankful for these gems in my life, that shine bright!

*I drew the apostrophe and colon in with a gold sharpie because my stamp kit didn't come with those symbols and it was a simple fix. 

xoxo, allison

DIY | BOOKSHELF DOLLHOUSE

Growing up I always wanted a dollhouse but never got one because my mom said it was too expensive and impractical. I would be so upset because I would go over to my friends' houses and play with theirs and always ask my mom for one. Each year for Christmas I would put it on my list in hopes that Santa would bring it for me. But to my dismay, it never happened.

The Dollhouse Bookshelf

Now that my eldest niece is getting older (she just turned three), she's getting more into playing with dollies and small figurines. As incentive for her to stop using a bottle and using a "binkie" (pacifier), my sister told her that she would get a dollhouse. At first I thought she was going to get her a real dollhouse and the little girl in me became slightly jealous. But when my sister finally sent me a picture of the dollhouse, I was surprised to find that it wasn't exactly how I pictured it.

A look into the kitchen.

Since they live in New York and have limited space in their apartment, she opted for buying a square bookshelf with 6 compartments and turned each shelf into a room of the dollhouse. As decor for the dollhouse, she lined the back part of the bookshelf with scrapbooking paper and cut a large triangle for the "roof." From a practical standpoint, this is genius because once she and my younger niece grow out of playing with dollies and no longer want a dollhouse, it becomes a regular run of the mill bookcase or storage case!

"Nabigail and Rosita's Birthday Party" aka fire hazard in the house

Mad props to my sister for thinking of this idea!

xoxo, joyce

DIY l Homemade Cards

Call me old fashioned, but I love getting snail mail or encouraging notes. Maybe this has to do with the fact that one of my love languages is "words of affirmation" but to me, there's nothing I treasure more than getting a heartfelt handwritten note.

Ever since the whole DIY phenomenon came into the scene, I've always admired the creative cards that people come up with. For hours I would be on Pinterest and Etsy looking up ideas for creative cards. As convenient as going to the Hallmark or Target is to buy a card, I never really thought they were as personal as getting one that someone made themselves...which sparked my interest in creating cards. During college I never really had the time (and I still don't really now..) to sit down and make cards, but it's definitely become a stress reliever for me.

Card making can be time consuming but I've come to find that people appreciate them so much more than just a store-bought card. I think what I love most about it is that I'm able to start with a blank canvas and just create anything minus the cheesy-ness. The materials, aside from paper, can be pricey but they're an investment that's worth forking money for since they last practically forever. 

Have any great card making ideas or tools that you want to share? Leave them in the comment box and I'll be your best friend! :)

xoxo,

joyce

DIY | VALENTINE CARDS

Can you believe Valentine's day is just a few days away?! Here's a few quick ideas for making your own cards.

Xoxo, traci

DIY | POSTCARD PILLOW

10 years ago my best friend from middle school moved across the country, but thankfully we've kept in touch over the years. I wanted to send her something cute and personalized to start off the year, so I made her a postcard pillow! Super simple project and would even be a cute valentine's day gift for a loved one far away.

MATERIALS:
20"x14" Canvas Fabric
14" Ribbon
Stuffing or Pillow Insert
Patterned Fabric to cut out mini squares (as stamps)
Sharpie/Fabric Marker
Fabric Glue

1. Cut out pillow fabric, ribbon, and stamps and iron the fabric

2. Sew the ribbon down the middle onto one sheet of fabric

3. Lay the fabric together inside out and leave a small hole to insert the filling

4. Pull the fabric through the hole so that the pillow is the correct way

5. Stuff the pillow and sew the hole closed

6. Write your message on the pillow

7. Glue on the fabric stamps and use a marker to draw the lines over the stamps

xoxo, traci