* DIY: Etched Glass Spice Jars *

Check out this DIY tutorial here.

* More DIY Christmas Gifts *

Here are some gifts I made for my friend's preteen daughters (one is obsessed with hedgehogs). They are the coolest girls.

I made these little stuffed plush animals for each one as well as handmade books. One is a writing journal, and the other is a fashion illustration workbook, with croquis templates for her to draw over. I put them together in these bags to make it fun. Hopefully they like them!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

* DIY Christmas Gift *

My brother had taken a trip several years ago to Thailand for 6 months. He brought back a bunch of souvenirs, including a cool t-shirt for me that was too small for him. After a few years of wear, this ill-fitting tee became more ill-fitting, and soon never left the back of my drawer.

Because I'm making a good portion of my gifts this year (hi, I have very little money, how are you?), I decided to salvage the design and the memory for my brother. I scanned the T-shirt and played with it in photoshop until I got the look I was going for. And, now he will have a great, custom-framed reminder of his adventures, and I still have money for groceries! Everyone wins.

Before:

After:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

* DIY Scarf Restyle *

I have become a fan of the infinity scarf, which allows you to easily wear a scarf without it flying away in the wind, or slapping you in the face accidentally. Instead of going out and buying a bunch of new scarves, I decided to revamp an old scarf to function like the infinity scarf.

For this Do-It-Yourself you'll need: scarf, buttons, scissors, needle & thread.

1. Sew the buttons on one end of the scarf spaced out evenly.

2. On the opposite end of the scarf, cut button holes with scissors. Make sure you line them up correctly so the buttons fit in easily.

3. Wrap the scarf around your neck, and button the end.

Now your scarf won't fly away, and you'll have a unique looking scarf!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

* Painting with a Grid *

One of my favorite ways to make a small picture into a large one is by using a grid. I've done several paintings this way. Last year I painted Stevie Wonder for my boyfriend's birthday.

This year I did another one of Bill Withers for him.

I started with a picture found on google.

I photoshopped out the mic stand to simplify it.

I traced the image and drew a 1/2 inch grid over it.

I multiplied the grid by 5 and penciled it on the larger paper. I drew over the grid, following the smaller grid as a guide. This way you can look at the shapes in each square instead of being stuck on what it's supposed to look like. When it was done, I inked in the lines, added some color, and erased the grid.

You can use this system on just about anything. It just takes a little patience and some math.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

* Mini Cards *

My mom recently went on a vacation to Vermont and brought me back these three adorable mini cards. What a cute idea for the holiday!

I think this would make a great DIY for your own little cards. I might have to try one myself!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

* Collage Crazy *

Collages are the most versatile and inexpensive way to make something (in my opinion). I can always rely on having magazines, glue and paper around. I have one sketchbook that I keep solely for doing simple collages. I have a whole stack of cut out objects from magazines that I like, and I try to challenge myself to put them together in unusual ways.

Most of these are works in progress, since I'll usually find another cool object to cut out and add to a design later. It is a really fun way to pass the time. Here are some from my sketchbook:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

* Week Wrap Up: Dad's 60th *

All last week my mom and I were busy putting together a huge surprise birthday party for my dad. And by huge, I mean 85 of our closest friends and family. Coming from half an italian family, this meant lots of food. Coming from half an irish family, this meant lots of alcohol. Needless to say, there was a lot of preparation needed.

During the planning, I was in charge of designing the invitations and decorations. I thought I'd share the designs I did with you here.

I also wanted to come up with a way of displaying photos of my dad that was interactive and fun. I decided to hang twine from some pieces of wood to make a photo hanging. People could use these *adorable* clips to attach their favorite photos or a nice note to the hanging.

I was so busy running around that I didn't take many pictures. I only have these 2 shots of the final hanging, but it gives you an idea of what it looked like.

The party was a blast! It didn't go exactly as we expected of course; it was too cold to be outside for long, the food was getting cold, and my brothers kept my dad out too long getting shots at the bar, so they were almost 2 hours late. But, we made the most of it. I haven't seen my dad that shocked in a while. Totally worth all the effort. :]

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

* DIY hat rack makeover *

I went to this fabulous antique barn last weekend and picked up this old hat rack for $6. It was a little shaky, and covered in dirt. So, I decided to take it home and fix it up and paint it a nice fresh color.

I bought a little paint tester (I am so happy they have these now) in a pretty light green called "sultana". I barely used 1/8 of the bottle to apply 2 coats. I'm really happy with how it came out. The color is much brighter in real life.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

* Handmade Bags and Lessons Learned *

I have been spending a lot of my time teaching myself patience through sewing. The patience thing is difficult, but the sewing is fun, and the final product always makes me happy.

I have been developing prototypes of different bags. This most recent bag came out pretty well for a prototype. It is certainly not perfect, but at least I know how to make the next one even better.

In our society, instant gratification is the norm. Spending the many hours to learn how to make a bag, rather than just running over to Target to pick up a brand new one, is hard for me.

Although I understand the benefit of handmade, I am struggling with the time involved and am constantly making mistakes. If nothing else, this has been a great lesson to learn in patience and problem-solving.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

* DIY necklaces on the cheap *

If you've never been to Promise Tangeman's blog, check it out. She has some really cool ideas for all sorts of artsy things. This DIY blog post in particular caught my attention. It's a simple way to create sculptural and unique necklaces out of shower curtain rings.

I used this tutorial to make some of my own. You can mix and match the materials to make all sorts of different styles. I made one using earth tones for a more subtle look. The other is a bold black and white graphic print with a bright pink accent for a louder statement.

I love projects that are quick and inexpensive, but that you can do multiple times in different ways. This one was a lot of fun to make. I hope you can try it yourself!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .