I refuse to pay money for something I can make for cheaper!

I remember being at a craft fair with my mom & sister once, a long time ago (like late 1980s, early 1990s) and seeing a sign at someone's booth... "yes, you can make it yourself, but WILL you?"

I think of myself as somewhat crafty and handy.  Where I shine, though, is recreating stuff. It's not that I am unable to come up with new ideas, I do sometimes, but I think my talents lie in making things better than they were, or at least making my own version of something. That's probably why I like organizing - I can take a jumble of stuff and make it better.

Pretty much any time I see a cool decoration, craft, etc. that I think I'd like to buy, I wonder if I could make it myself cheaper.  Then I think about that sign, and wonder if it would a) be worth the time to actually make it vs. buy it, b) end up looking as good as the thing I'm considering making and c) be doable.

Pretty often the answers to the above questions are maybe, no, and possibly if I had all the right tools but I don't.  So I buy it.

But sometimes I pull it off.

Today I am sharing 3 things that I saw and then made myself.  The first is a wreath I saw on Pinterest.  I looked around to see how much a wreath like this would cost, and was amazed at how expensive they can be!  This wreath took me about 4 hours, cost about $10, and was very easy to do.  I apologize for all photos - I tend to only take photos at night (because, you know, that's when I'm home) and so they're either too dark or washed out, but use your imagination to fill in the rich, elegant colors).

I started with a white styrofoam wreath form (use your 40% Hobby Lobby coupon!). I guess you could paint it first, but I didn't and I am fine with the results.  I took natural colored coffee filters, about 200 of them, and sqwunched them one at a time in to the wreath form using a finishing nail setter.  You could probably use a pencil or something too, but that worked for me.  I then finished it up by gluing on some floral stick/bead thing I got at Hobby Lobby.  One of the beads fell off, but I used it to my advantage by turning one of the coffee filters into an accent flower!  Finally I hung it with some ribbon. I didn't glue the coffee filters in - they just kind of stay in there on their own, and I do hang it on the outside of my door and so far they haven't blown away or anything.

All in all, I'm very happy with this festive autumn accent and kind of had fun making it!  You could probably use white coffee filters and dye them if you wanted, and use this idea for just about any season.

The next project I saw in a movie theater.  One of the ads they were showing before the main feature had a photo of a restaurant, and on the wall of the restaurant there was this decoration.  It had sticks on it, and you know I love decorating with sticks, so I scoured the internet to see if anything like that existed for me to purchase.  I could not find anything - so I went to... Hobby Lobby!

My dining room walls are really fairly burgundy - "October Red" specifically - and the photos make them look a little pink.  I do not have a pink dining room.  Not that I'd judge if you did... cough cough.

Anyway, the materials for this random wall hanging include a wooden shelf, some river stones, and some sticks.  I think I got the sticks at Garden Ridge, but you could find similar sticks at Hobby Lobby, Ikea, the ditch behind your house...

First I painted the shelves black.  Then I drilled holes in them about the same diameter of the sticks - one per stick about an inch apart.  I then put some hot glue in the hole and stuck the stick (heh) in there.  I thought I'd be done - but I could still see some of the hot glue and it wasn't all that.  Thus -the river rocks.  At first the rocks were just loose, but the cats were knocking them off, and it sucked taking each rock off when I did my annual dusting.  So, I glued the rocks into one long strip so they a) stay in place and b) can be easily lifted off when I want to clean the black shelf (which is usually just when a bratty kid makes a line in the dust... sigh).

Close up of the rocks

I made two because that's what filled my wall.  Also I'm pretty sure my living room is haunted, because of all the orbs.  That, or I watch Ghost Adventures too often. Ignore the builder's special overhead light and 1985 table please.  One project at a time.

The final project is another Pinterest inspiration. I'd give credit, but the original pin links back to a blog that kind of looks like a virus site now, so if it was your original idea and you ever find my blog, please let me know.

While I admit I like the Pinterest version a little more, I don't dislike mine.  I think what I need is more colorful hats & scarves - something with red in them. Also I stuffed the hats on mine with paper to make them stand up more, and now looking at it I think it's a bit weird, so I may revamp that too.

Anyway, cost of this project was again around $10 - $15.  I bought a landscape timber ($3) at Home Depot and had them cut it into 3 different lengths for me, a short, medium and then whatever was left for the longest one.  I painted them white and then painted on a face. I like the glued on wooden carrot noses in the original, but I didn't have any on hand, so I just painted mine. The original also didn't have mouths, and ever since the Matrix that creeps me out, so I added some to my snow family.

You could paint on buttons, but I found some cute giant black ones at (where else) Hobby Lobby in the kids craft section.  I cut up some fleece I had on hand to make scarves, and got 3 child-sized hats from the dollar bin at Target.   That's it!

The back is still plain white, and I am contemplating painting a bunny face on them so I can turn them around and use them in the spring.  I'd add bunny ears and set a basket of eggs next to them.  Awwww.

Ok so there are three of my really cheap, very easy crafts that I've made. Thanks for reading this far!!

Scrapbooking 101

Today's post is one I wrote awhile ago for a friend who's daughters wanted to start scrapbooking.  I know this is VERY basic but it's a good starting point for someone who doesn't know where to begin.  

SCRAPBOOKING 101

Welcome to scrapbooking!  This will give you a few ideas of how to begin – but eventually as you do more and more scrapbooking you’ll discover which albums & products you like best.

Remember – there is no wrong way to scrapbook!  As long as your photos are protected and you like the way your scrapbook looks, it is right!  These books are for you and your family.

ALBUMS:  Albums consist of the album itself, pages, and page protectors.  There are many types and sizes to choose from. 

Drop in albums are easiest and offer the most flexibility.  These are albums with “sleeves” that you drop your finished pages in to.  The sleeves act as page protectors and also allow you to switch pages around if needed.  This is the type I use. 

With traditional albums, you place your photos and embellishments directly on the page, and then slide on a separate “page protector” sleeve if desired.

If you choose traditional, you will probably have “strap hinge” albums.  If you choose drop in, you can pick from strap hinge, post bound, or 3-ring binder style.

Strap hinge albums hold the pages together with a plastic strap and a staple like hinge.  Post bound use screw in posts to hold the pages together.  3-ring binder style is just like school notebooks.  They are all good and refill pages are widely available for each style – you just have to choose the one you like best.

As far as album sizes, there are several.  Most scrapbookers go with 12x12 albums, because it allows a lot of photos, journaling, and embellishments on each page.  Also many decorative papers come in 12x12 sizes, so there is no need to cut them to size.  I use 12x12 albums.

8 x 11 albums are also popular for their smaller size, and 8x11 paper is cheaper, but you can’t fit as much on a page, obviously.

Then there are 8x8 and smaller scrapbooks, and other less common sizes, but those are more for special event albums (new baby, a special vacation, etc.) rather than a general scrapbook.

PAPER:  If you use traditional albums, you don’t really NEED paper.  You can put your photos directly on the album page and add journaling and embellishments as desired.  You may want to get some paper to mat your photos or create journal boxes – in this case, any size paper will do.

If you use drop in albums, you will need paper the size of the album (12x12 or 8x11, etc.).  This paper will serve as the “scrapbook page” that you put all your photos on to.  You can still mat the photos in different colors, and add journaling and embellishments.

Paper (cardstock) comes in all sorts of colors and patterns and can be purchased by the pack or individually.  Make sure the paper is acid free – all scrapbooking paper should be.  The paper that comes with drop-in album refills is fine to use as your background page – however, it’s usually not as good quality as the cardstock you buy separately and is usually just plain white.

ADHESIVES:  Besides photos and paper, adhesives are the most important thing.  They are what keeps everything stuck together!  There are many kinds – glue stick types, dots, tabs, glue pens, etc.  You can buy permanent or repositionable.  I recommend repositionable adhesives since you can fix mistakes and move things, but things stay in place until you remove them.  Whatever type of adhesive you choose, use one specifically for photos/scrapbooks.  Do NOT use regular glue, tape, or glue sticks, as these can warp and yellow.

PENS:  You may want some pens for journaling.  Journaling is just a fancy way of saying “write down what happened!”  Make sure you note people’s names, the date, the place, and how you felt or what you did.  It may be fresh in your mind now, but later when you’re looking at your album you’ll be glad those details are all there.  You can use any type of “acid free” pen – so just don’t use a normal ballpoint and you should be good.  Pens are sold in all sorts of colors and price ranges at hobby and scrapbook stores.  Start out with a black one and add colors as you progress.

TOOLS:  You don’t really need much besides scissors, for trimming and cropping photos and paper.  However, a mini trimmer (to crop photos) and a paper trimmer (to cut large pieces of paper) are nice to have for clean, straight lines.

There are several other tools you can get if you want – including fancy scissors (with wave, deckle, and other neat cuts), corner rounders, circle cutters, eyelet setters, punches, tweezers, Xyron machines (which turns anything into a sticker – good for when you’ve cut out a small letter or shape), etc.  Save these for as you progress and want to make fancier albums.  Borrow them from a fellow scrapbooker to see if you’d really use them enough to purchase them.

EMBELLISHMENTS:  Many scrapbookers simply have photos and journaling on their pages.  Others add stickers.  Still others go all out and add buttons, ribbon, jewels, die-cuts, brads, eyelets, etc.  Add these fancy embellishments as you like, but go easy – too many embellishments and the album will be too big and heavy!  Remember the focus is on your PHOTOS not on that great embellishment you bought!

Brads are easy to use – just poke them through the paper (punch a small hole in the paper with a pin first, if easier) and spread the tines on the other side.  Eyelets require an eyelet setter, which punches the appropriate size hole and then flattens the eyelet on the back to keep it in place.  Brads, like stickers, don’t require tools, so they’re the best for beginning embellishments.

ELEMENTS OF A PAGE:  Each page (or layout, if multi-pages) usually has a title, the date (unless in a dated album), photos, journaling, and perhaps embellishments.  Of course, if you prefer to do it another way, that’s fine too!

When you “lay out” your page, remember that all photos do NOT have to be the same size, and they do NOT have to be even.  You can put them in angled.  You don’t have to mat them.  You can cut them in fun shapes (circles, ovals, etc.).  As long as YOU like the way it looks, it’s right!  Feel free to trim them – cut off people you don’t know or unwanted scenery.  But don’t trim all of them all the time – sometimes having the background in a photo is great for triggering memories.

Your journaling can be hand written or printed from a computer.  Computers are great for fun fonts and even some clipart (when you can’t find that perfect sticker!).  Remember to print on to acid-free scrapbook paper though (cardstock, etc.).

Scrapbook pages can be as simple or as intricate as you want.  As long as you have photos and some journaling, and you like it, it’s good!  You can overlap photos, add strips of paper for backgrounds, etc.  Play with it and you will come up with layouts that you like and are proud of.

ORGANIZING YOUR SCRAPBOOKS:  Many scrapbookers have several albums, one for holidays, one for birthdays, one for vacations, one for everyday life, one for each child, a wedding one, etc.  Others go chronologically and have family albums that have everything, from vacations to daily life, in date order.  Still others combine methods.  I have chronological 12x12 family albums which include daily events, holidays, and birthdays.  I then have separate 12x12 vacation albums, and separate 8x11 school and baby albums for each child.  I have also done a special cruise vacation album in 8x8.

Ultimately you can organize them however you like, and if you use the drop in style you can always rearrange them.  One point of advice – only scrapbook on ONE side of the paper when using drop in albums… this makes it easier to rearrange!

HAPPY SCRAPPING!