DIY Ceramic Tile Coasters

Yesterday, I made a super simple craft at my Mothers of Preschoolers group -- DIY Coasters. Although I didn't design this particular craft, it is pretty similar in theory to the Hand-Painted Trivets that I shared at Life as MOM over the holidays. Like the trivets, these coasters are a kid-friendly craft too.

These DIY Coasters really are fast to make and can really be customized for the recipient. They'd be great as a housewarming, hostess, teacher, or even wedding gift.

At MOPS, we used scrapbook paper as the decoration, but you could get creative with another type of paper. You could try using:

• artwork from your kids
• family photographs
• maps of places you've lived or places you've visited
• printout of your favorite sports team's mascot or logo

A couple thoughts about paper and ink:

• A thicker paper will work better than a thin one. When you use Modge Podge, thin papers can tend to get a bit wrinkly when they're glued down and coated. A more cardstock type paper will hold up much better.
• If you print something from the computer, a laser print is a better choice than ink jet. Since ink jet uses a liquid ink, it may smear a bit when you coat it with Modge Podge. If you don't have a laser printer, print it or color-copy it at the photocopy store.
• If you're using original artwork made with markers, you might want to make a laser or color-copy for the above reason.

How to Make Custom Ceramic Tile Coasters

Supplies:

• 4.25" square ceramic tiles from the home improvement store 
• small circular felt pads 
• scrapbook paper
• pen or pencil
• scissors
• Modge Podge 
• foam brush

Directions:
Flip the tile over and place a felt pad near each corner on the bottom side of the tile. These pads will help protect your table surface from the scratchy underside of the tile.

Use scissors to cut the decoration out of your scrapbook paper. You can use a smaller square (as I did -- mine measured 3.75" square) to leave a bit of a tile border around the edge. At MOPS, the craft team made square templates for us to trace onto our paper. That made it very easy to trace a particular portion of the scrapbook paper for my coaster. But, you don't have to use a square -- trace shapes out of your scrapbook paper if you want to. Get creative!

Use the foam brush to brush some Modge Podge on the back of your scrapbook paper square or decoration. Affix it to the top of the tile. Press firmly to ensure that you don't have any air bubbles underneath. Double-check that the edges of the paper are firmly adhered to the tile.

Coat the entire top of the tile with Modge Podge. Allow to dry completely. (If needed, you can speed up the process with a hair dryer.)

Give the tile another coat of Modge Podge. If you wish, you can brush in the opposite direction to give a sort of "canvas" like brushstroke pattern. Allow to dry. 

Have an Indoor Snowball Fight!

Earlier this month, I mentioned that we were going to make a Family Fun To-Do list each month. One of the things on our list this month is to have an indoor snowball fight!

A couple of years ago, my sister Jamie showed me how to make these "snowballs." At the time, we were living on California central coast where it almost never snows. So, a fight with these little fiberfilled balls was just about the only kind we got to have. L and E just love it when we break these out!

If you want to make your own set, stop over at Life as MOM today! I'm sharing an easy tutorial on how to make these indoor snowballs. It's a perfect way to have a little indoor fun with your kiddies.

Homemade Christmas Craft and Gift Ideas

Hey folks! Things have been a little nuts around here, and alas, I didn't get around to writing a Make-It Monday post this week. I've actually been so busy creating crafts for Christmas Your Way and homemade gifts for DIY on a Dime over at Life as MOM that I've let things slide a bit here. Sorry!

But, I'm not completely empty handed! I thought I'd share a few things today that I've created for other blogs!

ABC Memory Game at Life as MOM

This month, Jessica at Life as MOM is posting a series of easy, handmade gifts that are perfect for Christmas. Last week, I contributed a Playdough Kit last week, and today I'm sharing my homemade ABC Memory Game. I'm actually planning on giving the game to Lu as a gift for Christmas. True, she's already seen it, but maybe if I hide it away for a couple of weeks she'll forget about it! Who knows? Maybe the girls will even get the playdough kits too. They loved those as well.

Playdough Kit at Life as MOM

All of the DIY on A Dime ideas are great. To make it easy to find them, Jessica has made a fantastic list of all the DIY on a Dime projects.



Christmas Tree Tags at Christmas Your Way

I have to confess, I've been so busy crafting that we haven't completely decorated out tree yet! Brett is busy studying for finals and I've been busy holding down the fort. I did manage to put the lights on the tree AND put up some of these little tree tag ornaments that I designed as part of the 101 Days of Christmas series at Christmas Your Way.

Well, I'm not done crafting yet. I've got a few more crafts up my sleeve. I'll post about them soon!

Frugal Homemade Gifts from Felt

It's kinda been a felt week here at my house. On Monday, I shared a quick little tutorial on how to make a superhero mask for an inexpensive gift for kids. Then on Wednesday, I shared how to create some fun decorations for your holiday beverages.

Really, I should use felt a lot more frequently. I have a HUGE box of felt in my craft closet that really I need to start making a dent in it. See?

Yeah, my husband probably thinks that it's a little crazy to have so much felt to require its own box. That mauve felt there? That's seriously OLD. Like, my mom used that to make me a 50s skirt when I was in elementary school. Yeah, OLD.

But, felt is so easy to use in crafts and homemade gifts. Best of all, it can be CHEAP! The most readily-available kind of felt that you'll find at the craft store is pretty inexpensive and often made from recycled materials. You can get a 9 x 13" sheet for usually about $0.30 or so. Fabric stores will also sell it off the bolt if you need larger amounts. The really nice felt (made from wool) is usually pricer and harder to find. Personally, I stick to the cheap stuff because I've actually never found any of the wool stuff in any store I've been in.

Felt is a great material to work with. It doesn't fray so it's great for handmade projects. You just need a good pair of scissors to make clean, easy cuts. Trust me, it makes crafting with fabric sooooo much easier if you have a good pair of scissors! Felt is also easy to sew by hand and gives a cute, rustic look.

Here are a few ideas of things that you can make as gifts this holiday season. Just click on the links to find the tutorials:

• Felt Crowns: This is another fun gift for kids -- especially those who like to play "castle" or "Princess"!
• Felt Flower Hairclip: This works for little or big girls.
• Fast Felt Purses: This tutorial includes three versions -- plain felt purse, a felt purse lined with costume satin, and a felt purse lined with costume satin with a divider.
• Felt Covered Journals: This journal would be great as part of a Morning Out Kit. Throw in a thought-provoking book and a coffeeshop gift card.
• Felt Coffee Cozy: This is fun gift for the coffeeshop lover in your life. A link to a template is included in this post to make it easier.

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For other frugal or money-saving ideas, check out Frugal Friday at Life as MOM on Fridays.

Felt Decorations for Your Holiday Beverages!

It's time for holiday parties and family get-togethers! Wednesday night, I got together with my friend Caroline to do a little crafting with felt. She's having a many, many houseguests this month as well as a Christmas celebration at her home. So, she wanted to make some simple decorations for beverages during the holidays. We had a great time, and my girls even joined in. Here's what we made:

So, what exactly are these?

Beverage Identifiers Made from Felt!!!!
These little babies can help folks identify their beverage (or empty glass) from everyone else's. This is great during a party OR even if you just have a home full of houseguests and don't want to wash every single glass each time it is used.

Originally, I designed these fun felt cup identifiers to go on regular beverage glasses. But, when I was playing around with them, I realized that they would work well on mugs...

 AND wine glasses as well!

Rather than stretching the elastic band around the cup itself, just loop the identifier around the handle of the mug or the stem of a wineglass. However, if you want your identifiers to fit on any style of glass, make sure that your decoration can be turned in any direction and still look right. Otherwise, you might have a sideways reindeer!

If you plan on using the identifiers primarily for wine AND you have a decoration that needs to be in a particular direction, then position your elastic band so that it is vertical rather than horizontal. For instructions on how to create these, stop by DIY Your Way and check out my felt cup identifier tutorial!

But that's not all that I made...check this out:

After Caroline left, I couldn't stop crafting. I decided to make a little decor for wine or other bottled drinks. With a strip of felt, you can make a fast, frugal, and fun little "scarf" for the bottled beverage of your choice.

How to Make a Wine Bottle Scarf:

Supplies:

• felt
• scissors
• hot glue
• other embellishments (optional)

Directions:
Cut a strip of felt to your desired length. Since I wanted to tie my scarf "european style," I needed a longer length. So, I used a 20-inch by 1-inch strip of felt. (Felt can be purchased off the bolt at a fabric store if you want a longer length. Otherwise, you can purchase a 9" x 12" sheets at the craft store for about $0.30 per sheet.)

Embellish the scarf however you wish. I glued smaller strips to the ends to create "fringe" for my scarf. You could also glue on sequins or rhinestones for a bit of bling.

When the scarf is done, tie it around the neck of your bottle. If you want to tie it European-style, fold the scarf in half with the ends together. Wrap the folded scarf around the neck of the bottle and pull the ends through the loop. Ta da!

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For other holiday craft ideas, be sure to stop by the Holiday Home Linky Party featuring Crafts at Centsational Girl on Thursday!

DIY Braided Vine Napkin Rings

Thanksgiving will be upon us before we know it! My sister-in-law Aimee and I are going to start planning our feast soon. I must say, we prepared a pretty delectable meal last year...and I can't wait for what we create this year.

I know some folks keep things easy with paper plates, but I love having a pretty table for Thanksgiving. Today at DIY Your Way, I've got a fun little tutorial on how to make your own napkin rings with braided "vine" wire. I just love how they turned out -- stop by and learn how to make your own!

Decorate for Fall with a DIY Twig Mirror

Have you decorated for Fall? Well, of course, I meant to do so, but I got stymied on my mantle. I know I need something large to go over it, but I'm at a loss for what. I used to have a mirror there, but it really didn't do much for the room since it was frameless. Then my husband built a frame for it, but it didn't seem to go with the rest of the decor in the room. So, we've relocated the mirror, and I've got a blank mantle to work with. Thankfully, Lisa has some great step-by-step tips on how to decorate a mantle. I've got it on my to-do list...I'm just waiting for some inexpensive inspiration.

But just because I didn't get around to decorating my mantle doesn't mean that I haven't done any fall decorating. Just last week I made a fun mirror that is a great way to decorate for fall.  The finished size is about 12-inches in diameter -- just perfect for a Fall accent mirror. Best of all, this DIY Twig Mirror is so incredibly inexpensive to make - the main materials cost a mere $2! Wanna see how I did it? Head on over to DIY Your Way today for my step-by-step tutorial on how to make this sweet little twig mirror!

What inexpensive ideas do you have for Fall decorating?

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For other money-saving ideas, be sure to check out Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.

Dress Up Your Candles with Beads!

When the weather gets cooler and the sun sets earlier, I'm tempted to break out the candles. Recently, I picked up some Fall-scented candles at the Dollar Tree. It got me inspired to dress up some $1 candle holders as well as some jars to make something unique for my Fall Mantel. Come stop by DIY Your Way today for my beaded candle holder tutorial!

Make A Felt Purse for Fall!

A couple of weeks ago, I got curious about what THE popular fashion colors are going to be for Fall 2012. Well,a quick google search brought me to this Woman's Fashion Color Report where I found the answer. Don't be surprised if you see bold colors in the stores, like vibrant pink, tangerine orange, honey gold, chartreuse, ultramarine green, and olympian blue. A few days later while I was browsing the craft store, I came across the section of pre-cut felt. Guess what colors dominated? You guessed it!

So, I couldn't resist grabbing a few pieces for a mere $0.34 each, and took them home to make them into felt purses. Today at DIY Your Way, I give you a tutorial on how to make three versions of these little felt purses -- unlined, lined with costume satin, AND lined with a divider pocket. Come check it out and learn how to make your own! They'd make great inexpensive gifts either on their own or filled with gift cards, stationary, or other little trinkets.

Make Your Own Canvas Wall Art

I am not an artist, but that didn't stop me from giving this project a go. I've seen canvas artwork online for more than I want to pay, so I thought it would be fun to try making my own. It was fun and soooo much more affordable. For under $10, I made this inspirational sign to hang in my home. Wanna learn how to make your own? Stop by DIY Your Way today and get inspired with DIY canvas word art! (Oh, and if you like that vase, you can learn how to make a raffia covered vase there too!)

For other money-saving ideas, check out Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.

Budget-Friendly DIY Crafts

Ever since I became a craft contributor at DIY Your Way in June, I have been crafting, crafting and crafting some more. It is just the motivation that I needed to carve out time to do what I enjoy and get a little bit more organized!

However, along with crafting comes the necessity of purchasing crafting supplies. Although I'm not a huge shopper, I love looking around the craft store. Translation? I need to be careful with my purchases! After all, this girl has a law school budget to keep. I keep my crafting costs down by shopping the sales and keeping an eye out for the discount coupons. Because I shop at Joann Fabric & Craft, I signed up for their mailing list and get coupons via email frequently. I can almost always find a 40% off coupon either in their mailer or email. Joann's is great because they will let you use more than one coupon as long as they aren't copies of the exact same coupon -- check their codes to be sure. So, oftentimes I can use a print mailer coupon along with one (or more) that I've received online.

In the past couple of months, I shared several do-it-yourself crafts (both here and at DIY Your Way) that are also budget-friendly. Just in case you missed them, here's the recap.

Raffia Vase - Transform a humble glass bottle into a vase that is perfect for a centerpiece, mantel decor or even a sweet little gift or token of appreciation

Satin Flowers - These flowers are simple, yet so pretty! Plus, you can use them in so many different ways!

Cup Identifiers - Got too many used cups in your house? Try making cup identifiers to help your loved ones keep track of their cups.

Photo Book - This is a great way to share your summer memories with others.

Kids' Chore Chart - I made these last week for my girls to keep track of their chores. They are ridiculously easy (and inexpensive) to make!

Woven Paper Storage Boxes - These stylish boxes are a fun way to reuse shoeboxes and organize your stuff. They'd also make great gift boxes too! If you don't have a shoebox for this craft, make your own custom storage box out of cereal boxes.

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For other money-saving ideas, be sure to check out Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.

DIY: Fun & Festive Cup Identifiers

When I was growing up, my relative Debra always drank out of a plastic cup with a rubber band around it. I totally thought it was weird, but as a young kid, I never asked WHY she did it. Several years ago on a visit to see her in Minnesota, I noticed that she still did it. I finally asked her why.

The answer was simple -- she wanted to be able to identify her drinking glass so she didn't keep using new ones. Genius!

Today over at DIY...Your Way, I'm sharing a simple way to create your own Fun & Festive Cup Identifiers. It's a super-inexpensive way to enforce your party theme or decor in a functional way. Even if you're not having a party, cup identifiers can help you cut down on the number of glasses that your family uses in a given day. Stop by and check it out!

DIY Simple, Yet Spectacular, Satin Flowers

I made a bunch of these sweet little satin flowers this past week as gifts for Ella's teachers, and I was oh so pleased with them! They look so pretty, but are surprisingly affordable. The flowers were only about $0.25 to make but can be used in so many ways. Head over to DIY...Your Way to check out my tutorial for these Simple, Yet Spectactular, Satin Flowers and see how you can use them.

DIY Raffia Vase Tutorial

Aren't these pretty? I think I'm in love with these sweet little vases. Best of all? They are an inexpensive, green and simple craft that you can make at home. Today, I'm sharing just how to do that in my DIY Raffia Vase Tutorial over at DIY...Your Way, a division of Life...Your Way. Come check it out!

Gifts of flowers don't need to be expensive. Skip the pricey bouquet, and fill one of these homemade vases with a few stems of flowers from your garden. It makes a sweet and simple gift for a friend, a teacher or a hostess.

You can make several of these and keep a few on hand for when you need a last minute gift. It's so much easier and cheaper than running out to the store!

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For other money-saving ideas, be sure to stop by Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.

Make It Monday: Satin Floral Hairclips

I love it when I learn how to make something new from a friend. My dearest friend Jillian taught me how to make these little beauties. Every time I see one of my girlies wear one, I think of Jill and that is a very good thing.

Today, I'm going to share with you how to make these Satin Floral Hairclips for Make It Monday!

These Satin Floral Hairclips are really easy -- and inexpensive -- to make. They are also versatile. You can use them as a hairclip, of course, but also as a gift package topper or if you add a pin it can be worn as a broach.

First, a disclaimer here. This craft is of a somewhat dangerous nature because it involves using fire. Please use caution. I am not responsible for any mishaps that may occur while replicating this craft. Boom. There it is.

Materials Needed:

• Costume Satin - the feel of this can vary. What is shown here is of a stiffer nature. While it was easier to cut, I do prefer the feel of a softer costume satin. Feel free to experiment.
• Scissors
• Tea light & match
• Needle & thread
• Rhinestone or other embellishment
• Hot Glue Gun
• Metal hair clip

Instructions:

1. Cut out three satin circles of diminishing size - Large, Medium and Small. Make sure that your largest one is bigger than the hair clip you want to use. You don't want to be able to see the clip on the finished product.
2. Light a tea light. Very carefully melt the edges of each circle by holding the fabric close to, but not in, the flame. This will keep the fabric from fraying. Then, hold the circle above the flame to pucker the fabric. Repeat this over several parts of the circle. Be careful not to scorch the fabric (or light it on fire, obviously).
3. Once your circles are edged and puckered, stack them on top of each other by size with the smallest on top. With your needle and thread, stitch the three circles securely together. Tie off on the backside.
4. Use the glue gun to adhere a rhinestone or other embellishment in the center of the flower.
5. Cut out a small fabric oval shape that is as long as the prong on the hairclip. Seal the edges with the tealight just as you did the circles. Then, sandwich this between the two prongs of the hairclip.
6. Apply some more hot glue to the back of the flower where you want the hairclip to go. Place the hairclip and the fabric oval securely over the glue. The fabric oval will prevent glue from sticking to the other prong of the hairclip...you know, so it will actually open as a hairclip.

Hints:

• To make a circle easily, fold a square of satin into fourths, hold onto the folded corner and cut an arch from one side to the other. Open up, and you've got a circle.
• Speed up the preparation by making several circles at one time. Just stack layers of satin and cut multiple circles at once. They don't have to be perfect since you'll be making them uneven with the fire anyway.
• While little girls love these hairclips, I don't recommend that you let them get anywhere near the fire. However, you can involve them by letting them pick out colors of the fabric and embellishments.

For other inexpensive homemade gift ideas, check out my archive of other Make-It Monday posts. For other money-saving ideas, check out Frugal Friday at LifeasMOM.

Make It Monday: Paper Bead Necklaces

Welcome back to Make It Monday! Over the next few Mondays, I'll be sharing some ideas for homemade gifts as I have done the past two holiday seasons. (For ideas from the past years, check out my Make It Monday page.)

Today I'll be sharing a little tutorial on how to make a super-inexpensive (but cute) gift -- Paper Bead Necklaces!

Made with stretch elastic, these necklaces are a versatile gift. Depending on the length of necklace you choose to make, you can wear it as a long necklace, a double necklace (equal lengths or unequal lengths) or wrap around your wrist several times to make a bracelet.

You can make these out of magazine pages or any scrapbook paper you have laying around. The size of the bead will vary by your choice of paper and the size of your triangle. The necklaces shown here were crafted out of triangles that were 6-inches in height and made out of thick scrapbook paper. You can also add traditional beads to your creation. I chose to use some very inexpensive glass seed beads alongside my handcrafted paper beads.

Best of all, you really don't need any special tools...just a little time and patience.

Materials Needed:

• Scrapbook paper or magazine pages in the colors of your choosing
• Scissors (or paper cutter)
• Toothpick
• Glue Stick
• Modge Podge
• Paint Brush
• Stretch Bead Elastic (I found this for $2 at Walmart)
• Conventional Beads (optional)

Instructions:

1. Cut your chosen paper into long thin triangles. The length of the bead will be equal to the bottom of your triangle. I used triangles that were 6 inches high and 1-inch, 3/4-inch and 1/2-inch at the bottom.
2. Apply glue stick to the side of the triangle strip that you do not want showing. Don't put glue at the fat end because that is where you will place the toothpick - you don't want the toothpick to stick to your bead. There you will place the toothpick and roll the paper tightly around the toothpick into a bead.
3. Press the bead firmly to secure the glue. Use more glue if necessary. (Note: Thicker paper will be more difficult to hold its shape.)
4. For bead durability, apply at least three coats of Modge Podge to each bead. Allow to dry 15-20 minutes between each coat. Allow to dry completely.
5. Unroll a length of beading elastic that is as long as you wish your necklace to be. Do not cut the elastic just yet. This will make it easier to keep the beads on as you strig them. String the finished beads in your desired pattern on the beading elastic. When all of your beads are on the elastic, take the cut end and tie it to the other end of the elastic that is still attached to the spool. Double or triple knot to secure the necklace. Snip the elastic off of the spool.

This is a great craft to do with your kids. Although crafting the beads may be too difficult for very young children, even preschoolers can help create patterns and string beads onto the elastic. Working together to make a gift makes the gift even more special.

Looking for more homemade gift ideas? Check out these Satin Floral Hairclips or my Make It Monday Archive.

Do you have any homemade gift ideas? Share in the comments.

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This post is linked to Frugal Friday. For other money-saving ideas, visit LifeasMOM on Fridays.