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Here's just a few shots of what I've been up to lately!

I LOVE my studio!

Sketching before using my new Prismacolor markers!!!!

Mural in my friend, Courtney's, piano studio.  The evolution of the piano!

Still loving my planner!!! The organization, and the transformation! :)

Pillow Time

A few years ago when my Father-in-law moved into his new home, he gave me a ton of vintage fabric that had been left behind!!!  I have been hanging on to them for the perfect project, and have really started using them a lot recently!!!

I really wanted to make a cute little pillow to add to the toy room, so I dug into my stash, and found this two little beauties...and some puffy ball trim...of course! :)

I put my fabrics right sides together, and then added the trim.  I'm not gonna lie, it took me a minute to remember that those little balls needed to face the inside so that they would be on the outside when I turned the fabric!!!  Lol, Mom brain!

Once they were pinned in, just a few zips of the sewing machine...

and a little stuffing!!!  I had this stuffing laying around from a previous project.  I didn't fill my pillow supper full, but firm enough that it would be comfy for tiny heads to lay on.

And, ta-da!!!!

The floral side is really my favorite.  I love all the pinks on it!!!  This project took me about 20-30 minutes.  It was quick and easy, and I love the odd shaped pillow in the room!!!  So, go make yourself a little  happy to lay your head on!

DIY Memory Game

My nephew just turned 3, and I really wanted to make him something fun, entertaining, and personal. 

Although my own childhood was slightly tainted by The Memory Game, because my older sister, who must have learned how to quickly figure out all of the cards...I'm still not exactly sure how she did it...beat me Every. Single. Time. I thought I might as well give the next generation a shot :)  So, here's what you'll need:

1. Instagram photos, or wallet size photos-2 of each picture. Click HERE to learn how to print your Instagrams!
2. Scrapbook paper
3. Matte board (I got mine at Hobby Lobby)
4. Ruler
5. Exacto Knife
6. Glue stick
7. Double sided adhesive tape- Big A suggested carpet tape for me!

*Just a little tip: Choose a simple, but fun pattern for your paper that won't make their eyes all crazy when the pieces are laying face down.  I was going to do a cute white paper with little black mustaches on it for Pax's game, until I realized I was getting a headache from looking at it! lol

Now, let's get started!

Cut out your photos, and then your Scrapbook paper to fit the size of the photos.  My Instagram prints ended up being 2.5 in.x 2.5 in. 

Next, cut your matte board.  On a cutting surface, like my cutting matte that I use for sewing, I measured and marked the matte board, and then whipped out my Exacto knife that hasn't seen much use since my college days.  Keep your ruler on your pencil line as a guide for your knife, otherwise your knife WILL run off the line! Those things have a mind of their own, and let's face it, you don't need to add blood to this project :)

Once all of your pieces are cut out, use your glue stick to glue your scrapbooking paper to one side of your matte board.

Next is where the heavy duty part comes in. I considered many ways to adhere the photos to the board so they wouldn't come off.  I was dealing with a "Board Book Destroyer," So I knew these bad boys had to be stuck on here for good!!!  Big A suggested Carpet tape.  (I really think he just wanted to go to Lowes and save himself from a trip to Hobby Lobby... :)  I will say, he made a good choice!  That stuff is sticky!!!

It took 2 strips to fill the area of the card, and a lot of cleaning goup off of my scissors :)

And, wha-la!  The pictures are holding on nicely to the matte board, and the game looks awesome!!!

So, while getting ready for his party, I realized that I didn't have a box for his game, so I improvised, and whipped up a little bag for him from some extra fabric and yarn, and made a little instruction sheet!!!

This is a fun game to make for your toddler, especially to include photos of family members who live far away, or just fun, silly ones of your own family!!!  Enjoy!

New Year, New Goals

Happy New Year!!!  I'm usually not big on New Years Resolutions, mostly because my track record for following through with them is, well, not so great :)

I do, however, have a few projects that I'm pretty excited about!!!  The first one is this:

That's right, a planner!!! ...and appropriately labeled if you've been to our house :)  I decided that between doing school with T-Man, my Colors n Cups parties, murals, and just daily family life (not to mention the fact that my brain is completely not able to hold a thought longer than 3 seconds after having kids), I really needed to be organized!

And, of course, I had to make it fun!...and cute...and totally creative...with washi tape :)

I LOVE looking at my calendar, granted we're only 5 days into the year, but whatev!!!!  I've had a great time marking things off my lists, and being able to plan everything out!!!

I'll be posting my planner on Instagram under #diyplanner if you want to keep up!

My other little project, is to try to paint a little more.  I recently found the Daily Paintworks site, which gives you a weekly prompt.  I decided that I would really like to get back into just painting...not so much my mixed media stuff, but more just regular painting.  I haven't done a lot of strictly painting since college, so I thought this would be a fun challenge for me!

I started today with the Summer challenge.  Instead of painting the suggested picture, I decided on using my own photo instead- one of Tucker on the beach at Destin this summer.

It's not my absolute favorite by any means, but it was a good start to the project.  And, you'll see a theme with me that I most likely will not be painting faces :)

What are some of your goals?!

It all started with a bow...

Dresses.
Christmas dresses.
For 3 precious girls.

Like I said, it all started with a bow.  Oh, but such a glorious bow!!! Do you see it below?! Of course you do!!! That's sort of the point, I guess!!!  When I found this at a friend's garage sale, I knew it had to be Liv's. I also knew it would need a dress.

So, there the bow sat in my studio for weeks.  I would occasionally pick through my vintage fabric and lay a few swatches next to it until my creativity and motivation was sparked! :D

The red and white candy cane striped fabric was sort of a given for me, and pairing it with that bright Christmas green...oh, be still my heart!!!

Slowly it began coming together in my mind.  A Bubble dress.  Yes,  bubble dress for my Livie Lu. Oh, how precious this was going to be! So, off to my sewing machine I went!!!!

Zip, slide with my rotary cutter!  Swoooosh with my sewing machine!!! Pin, pin that adorable little ruffle!!! It was just about done...

"Ring, Ring!"  What?!  Miss Story needed a Christmas dress, too?!  Truth be told, I will never be able to tell her No.  (Don't tell her that, though ;)  So, plans of a second dress flooded my mind!

"Ring, Ring!"  Does Ainsley need a Christmas dress, too?!  Oh, 3 tiny cousins in matching dresses?!?!  How can so much cuteness be so close?!!!!

See?! I do not lie!!!  Seriously!!!  These girls are doll babies.  DOLL BABIES, I tell you!!!  Ainsley, in her tiny little mouse voice, thanked me so preciously for her new dress.  Story looked like she had come straight out of The Sound of Music, and Livie, well, no one noticed her dress over her bow ;) atehehehe

I had so much fun making these adorable little frocks for my little ladies, all of whom I want to steal from their Mommies and keep at my house :D, and I love the memory of going to see Santa with them all dolled up together!!!!

Story was so thrilled for a little sucker treat, and you can see part of her apron on the front of her dress in this picture.

Below is a pic of Ains in Bible Study.  As I came down from dropping off T-Man, I saw her quietly sitting in a rocking chair reading a book and looking as sweet as can be!!!

Thank you to my sisters who let me dress up their "baby dolls!" I know that the dresses were not perfect, did I mention that I made these about 2 days before we needed them?! lol!!!!  However, I would never let your confidence in sewing deter you from attempting something new!!!

I did not use a pattern on any of these dresses.  I laid one of Liv's shirts out to measure size, and then just did my own thing from there!!!  It doesn't have to be perfect, just have fun! :D

Postcards

A few weeks back, I saw that iHanna had her Postcard Swap going on!!! The idea sounded fun to me, but, still, I didn't sign up.  Finally, when inspiration hit, I went to work!  I checked out a few details, and saw that I would need to create 10 postcards!

With little to no idea in mind, I went to work!  I began with 3 sheets of 9x12 watercolor paper.  I picked my color pallet, and just started painting.  Working on the 3 different papers gave me freedom to move around a bit.

I layered some of my "special papers" on top of the paint, including some gorgeous silver/gold handmade paper wrappings from Anthropologie...a total fav of mine!!!

 Once I was done, I cut each page into 4 pieces, creating my 12 postcards (leaving 2 extras!!!!- one for me, and one to most likely send to my mom!)

 I then moved on to my next step.  I knew from the beginning that I was going sew on these cards. I love the feel of the texture, and the interest that it adds to the layers!!!

 I continued sewing these today.  I needed a relaxing place to just think, let my mind wander, and my sewing machine just happened to be the spot!!!!

 I loved guiding the paper aimlessly through the machine and seeing the beautiful outcome of the stitched thread.  It really was exactly what I needed for my thoughts to wander free.  No rules. No stress. Just creating.

*And, in true Kel fashion, I didn't read all of the requirements for the Postcard Swap until the beginning stages of the sewing.  Turns out that I missed the deadline for the project by a DAY!!!  lol!!!  But, no worries!!! These beauts will be saved for her next swap in 6 months...or used in one of my journals if I can't wait that long! ;)

Thankful Tree 2013

Happy November!  Oh, how I love this time of year!!!  Since we've moved into our new house, my joy for the gorgeous fall leaves has multiplied, as our home is nestled right in among them!!!  It is a GORGEOUS site as we look out every window of our house!

Along with November comes our Thankful Tree!!! I have been anxiously awaiting November 1st to start this project with T-Man, especially since he's now 3 and will be able to understand this concept a bit more than last year!  Thankfulness, however, is still a difficult concept to explain!

Alright, onto our Thankful Tree!  If you'd like to create your own tree, here's what you'll need!
*Brown butcher paper-I got mine at the Dollar Tree!
*Leaves- I also bought mine from the Dollar Tree, but if your kids are older, they might enjoy cutting their own out of construction paper!
*Brown paint-I used washable paint since he was painting on our new floors :)
*Masking or Painters tape

First, I taped the paper down onto the floor.  Next, I drew a tree with a marker so he could see the lines.  *Remember! You don't have to be an artist to do this!  NO two trees are alike, and they are all beautiful, so have fun with your branches!!!! :D

Next, I let T-Man paint the tree!  He kept painting outside the lines, which normally I'm a huge fan of, but this time, we were going to cut out the tree, so he needed to paint inside the lines! lol!

He got the hang of it!  Encourage your kids to move around the paper as they paint so that they can reach all parts of the tree.

Not a bad looking tree!!!  After he went to bed last night, I cut the tree out, and used masking tape to adhere it to the playroom wall. 

This morning, he was SO excited to see his tree, that already had 2 leaves hung that he had made at school!  We, then, read this book, which talked about Thanksgiving day!

I tried to explain in further detail about what being thankful meant.  We talked about how we are thankful for the people and things that we really really loved.  I had him tell me what some of those things were, and we wrote them on his leaves!  We did 3, since we missed the first two days of the month, and we will do one a day for the rest of November!

I just love the things that he said he was thankful for! lol!!!!  And, he was so excited to put his leaves up on the tree! I can't wait to watch it grow and become so bright and colorful with all of the blessings that the Lord has given us! :D

If you make a Thankful Tree, please share a link in the comments below! I would love to see it! :D