Halloween…in May?

Well, bare with me on this one.  Hubs and I joined a kickball league, and we recently had a theme night where each team had to dress up.  Our theme was “Paranormal Activity”. We all dressed up as ghosts, but we dressed up as silly ghosts– we had an Elvis ghost, pig ghost, clown ghost…you get the point.  It was an easy and cheap costume for a bunch of working adults –we all just threw white sheets over us ($5.00 twin flat sheet at Wal-Mart) and worked with what we had at home (it’s very hard to find cheap costumes in May).  In fact, we actually won the prize for best group costume!  We also had a team member all dressed in black running around pretending to “capture” us on videos and audio recorders.  Anyways, enough of the background, I went as a Censored Ghost.  Here is a mini tutorial that might be useful when Halloween actually comes around….five months from now.

The How-to

First is to use a word processor to write the words to cut out.  I reversed them because I did not want to see the black line when I did cut the letters out.  I do have a Cricut, but I was at work doing this last-minute (theme night was that night), and it’s not really that many letters.  Print two for both areas for a girl and only one for a guy.

Next, I cut the letters out and glued them on to black foam core.  I held a measuring stick up to make sure the square would be large enough against my own body.

Finally, using my flat sheet, I glued Velcro on the sheet and the sign with fabric glue.  I put the bottom sign at a slight angle.  This whole costume cost less that $10.  It only cost that much because I had to buy the Velcro– but if you just directly glued it on, it would be cheaper.

Tags: Censored, DIY Costume, DIY Halloween Costume, Ghost Costume, Halloween, Halloween Costume, Kickball Theme Night

Layered Wedding Program

As everyone knows, planning a wedding becomes a labor of love, then a labor of anger, then back to love.  There are stresses of items to be booked, flowers to decide on, and not to mention every bridesmaid trying to vicariously plan their wedding through yours.  One of the items that needs to be planned is the program.  This is always good to help explain any ceremony traditions the guests might not be familiar with or to extend a warm thanks to those who cannot be there. [Photo credits to Cameron H Photography, 2008]

The How-To

A layered program is a nice item for guests to flip through.  You will need:

• Card stock (for the back)
• A printer
• High quality printer paper (linen was used above)
• Hole puncher
• Coordinating Ribbon

The hardest part to starting this is deciding what to include.  Too much information will seem showy.  Too little leaves people bored and stuck with something to hold all during the ceremony.  Some ideas of information to include:

• Wedding Party (and a write-up of how they are related/know the bride and groom)
• Ceremony details (timeline or some explanations of rituals)
• A story of how the couple met (helps those plus ones connect more to the bride and groom)
• Acknowledgments (which would include thanking out-of-town guests for making it, extended family, etc.)
• Prayers for those who are no longer with us but are in spirit (grandparents, parents, etc.)
• Sentimental or religious quotes important to the couple or family

To start is the cover.  The image above included the couple’s wedding monogram which was repeated on their invitations, place cards, and thank you notes.  The cover needs to state the typical who, what, where, and when. The cover can be traditional or modern.  This paper is based on US letter paper (8.5″ x 11″).  To get the most out of each sheet, the paper was landscaped and allowed for two program pages per prints (trust me– any time-saving tricks help when you are making 150 of them!).

Next is to decide how many pages you will have.  With the program being layered, every added pages makes the top pages shorter.  This program chose to have four pages.  Depending on your font size and printer margins, create guides to go up equal spacing from the bottom.  The example below had printer margins of 0.25 and used a half-inch for each page’s writing.  The printer margin also allows for colored card stock to show up at the bottom. Don’t forget to leave a half-inch or more for the fold down of the card stock!!  Then as you go through each page, the text can become longer.  Here is a the last page where you can see the same guides as the first page, but how it has moved down.

Finally, the cutting out is condensed because you can layer three or four pages and use a paper-cutter.  I decided to cut off some of the sides as well to make the card stock present on the sides.  Once all the pages are cut out, assemble them in the correct order.  Cut the card stock in half and fold down the half-inch we left at the top.  I used the edge of a ruler to get that perfect edge, but a scorer would work too.

Once the card stock and the pages are lined up, places two holes for the ribbon to slip through (I neglected to get any pictures of this, but it is easy).  Then simply tie them together!  You now have a beautifully personalized program!

Tags: DIY, DIY Program, DIY Wedding Program, Wedding, Wedding Program

Double Corked!

So here is another salute to all those hard-earned corks you have lying around in drawers, underneath tables, floating in the pool, on the roof…errr…maybe we shouldn’t mention that night, but, well, you get the drift.  We all have these around, and usually end up tossing them.  However, before you toss this time, take a look at these creative upcycling ideas for cork stoppers.   Going green doesn’t have to be hard– especially when it is accompanied by a nice full-bodied red.  Please follow the links below to the photo owners and tutorials!   Check out the original post Corked! for more ideas!

• Cork Herb Markers
• Cork Trivet
• Cork Bulletin Board Strip
• Corksters (Cork Coasters)
• Cork Stamper
• Toppers
• Cocktail Party Invite

Tags: cork coasters, cork trivets, corks, Upcycling

Go Green!

Lucky for everyone, St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Saturday this year.  This means you and your kids are totally free from people pinching you because your version of green looks slightly teal or because you can celebrate without worrying about work the next day!  Here are some ideas to kick start the night.

• St. Patrick’s Day Hat
• Thin Mint Green Truffles
• Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes (not for the kiddos!)
• Mint Chocolate Fudge
• Shamrock Chips

Tags: DIY Placecards, Green, Irish Car Bomb, Leprechaun, St. Patrick's Day

Hearts!

Valentine’s day is next week! Eek!  Instead of rushing to the store to buy generic chocolates, I want to give my nurse husband (aka my Murse) something a bit more meaningful and specialized.  I racked my brain….and racked it some more….then eventually turned to my trusty pal Pinterest.  I happened to come across Erica’s idea over at Sweet Tooth: ECG Cookies!  I still w0uld call them EKG cookies, but I am a laymen when it comes to anything medical.  These cookies are super cute and will definitely make any nurse (or murse) get a good chuckle.  A tag with “My heart belongs to a nurse” would be a cute touch too!  These would also be great for nurse appreciation or a graduation party. [Photo credit to Sweet Tooth]

Tags: nurse, nurse appreciation, nurse gift, nurse graduation, Valentine's day

DIY Brush Holder

Ever notice how your makeup bag seems to be a bottomless pit of lip-glosses-long-forgotten? That’s where my mascara went! There’s that button that came off! How’d that tennis racquet get in there?? Okay, maybe that last one is a stretch, but there are simple steps to disarm the bag-that-time-forgot. One way to start is to compile all those makeup brushes. Who hasn’t mercilessly dug through a bag and inevitably always ends up pulling out the wrong one? Taking a toothbrush holder is an easy (an attractive) way to keep your brushes out of the way and always have them on hand. Another good aspect is the whole thing can be easily put in a cabinet without falling all over. So, with the makeup brushes conquered, maybe I can finally finish a whole lip gloss without losing it!

Tags: DIY Organization, Home Organization, Ikea, Make-Up Brush organization, Reuse

Corked!

And you thought the fun only started when you popped that cork!  Now you can upcycle all your months of hard partying (…er…work) by reusing all your old corks as wine glass charms for your guests!  A Charmed Life has a wonderful tutorial (with pictures!!) on their website that will guide you through how to create these little jewels.  Their final product is pictured above.  So, remember, when you open your next bottle for a party, you are technically saving the environment.  You rock.

Tags: DIY, DIY charms, Party Favors, Upcycling, Wine Glass Charms

Teacher Appreciation

Imagine having 30 kids that constantly are looking to you for six hours a day for 180 days every year.  No, you are not part of the Duggar family, you are a teacher.  One of those hard working, under appreciated breed of men and women that day in and day out give it their all to better our future, one child at a time.  Every year in May, Teacher Appreciation Day comes around.  Here are some ideas that let your child’s teacher know they are doing a great job.

• ‘Thanks for Helping me Grow’ Flower Pot (with tutorial!)
• Crayon Monogram (with tutorial!)
• Pencil Vase (with tutorial!)

Also, if you can read this, don’t forget to thank a teacher!!

Tags: how to make a pencil vase, Pencil Vase, school themed centerpiece, Teacher Appreciation, teacher gift

Snowman Cookies!

Definitely wish I  stumbled upon these quirky melted snowman cookies a month ago!   Crazy Domestic has a great tutorial that will give step-by-step instructions on how to create these little guys.  Although the season is over, these will be awesome for next year (I couldn’t wait a whole year to share these)!  [Photo courtesy of Crazy Domestic]

Tags: Christmas Cookies, Creative cookie idea, Homemade edible gft, Snowman, Snowman Cookies, Snowmen

Writing on the Wall…err..Wine Glass

Ever put your glass down at a party never to find it again?  Problem no more!  The blog Just Short of Crazy and MollyO came up with a stellar way to literally mark your own glass. Chalkboard paint on the bottom on the glasses allows guests to create their own moniker for their glass.  Although wine glasses were only highlighted, this can be most likely be painted on a beer mug, champagne glass, etc.  Much more sophisticated than the red plastic cup and a permanent marker.  Your guests will love it.

Tags: chalkboard paint, chalkboard wine glass, drinks, party idea, Wine glass