made with love

I am a sucker for all things homemade and upcycled... anything made with love...

tis the season for all things homemade!!

In the spirit of gift giving I think the extra thought, time and effort to create something special for loved ones is the icing on the cake.

Pinterest, the evil temptress that she is, has my crafting corner on overload this holiday season.

I saw something similar and figured this would be the perfect gift for one VIP this Christmas.



Oh and because I know this VIP is just like me and will put this dry erase board up and never use it because the marker will continually disappear I decided to attach a felt pocket on the back of the frame, perfect spot to keep the marker.

Christmas Gift Idea

Every year my nephew is the one person on my list I just can't figure out. He is a teenager now and every year I am just at a loss as to what to get him.

I really hate giving money and gift cards to people for Christmas.

It seems so... impersonal... maybe? I dunno? I like receiving money and gift cards though, so it's not that it's a bad gift, just sometimes I guess it can seem like an afterthought.

But when a catchy poem and the right packaging...


The poem reads:
Ginger Bread Men with Yummy Icing,
are oh so good and extremely enticing.
I set out to make you a dozen or two,
but time ran out, so now what to do?
So instead of the cookies, I tied with a bow
your own personal serving of holiday dough.



So, what 15 year old boy wouldn't love a box of dough for Christmas??

I'm sure my nephew up in Tennessee will be thrilled to open this one.

And I have no guilt about sending him something that is tossed together last minute, as quickly as he will pull every dollar out of those bows, it probably took me five times longer to tie them. In fact, I bet that guy will have them spent quicker than it took me to tie them.

tied up with a lot of projects...

I have been so busy lately...

Funny how life has a way of 'dumping' on you from time to time.

I have always wanted to try my luck and upholester a wingback type of loveseat. I have had my eye out for some time. I don't know how good I'd be at this venture so I've never wanted to spend money on the love seat. But I always said if one 'falls into my lap' I'll jump on the oppurtunity. Well, today my friend called me and let me know she saw a horrid looking love seat, just what I was looking for, free at a local thrift shop. Luckily, my Grand Daddy was able to take his truck and pick it up for me.



So I'm adding that on my to do list.

Then, the day before I found an old TV, the kind in the wooden consoles. I've been eye-balling some ideas from different blogs and said if I ever see one in someone's trash I'm going to give it a shot. Wouldn't you know... another one of my friends was at the park with her kids and saw one in someone's trash.

I love how my friends think of me when they see trash on the side of the road.. but, it works.

So I drove over, dug it out of someone's trash, and added that to my to do list.



Two, things I had never seen before, both of them, free within a few days of one another.

Love how that happens... so now I have plenty to keep me busy over the next few weeks.

I also have been painting some 'murals' on the walls of a local bakery. More to come but here is a photo of some of the work I did last night.



Also, today during naptime I realized I was totally slacking on the Easter Shirts for the kids and I decided I wouldn't neglect my children's need for Easter shirts because of some junk in the garage calling my name... so...
Here is Troy's shirt..



Here is Sophia's shirt...



And the back of Sophia's shirt..



The shirts could have come out better.. but with so much to do and so little time... I need to remember 'haste makes waste' and slllllooooooowwwww dooooowwwwwwnnnnnn.

Like Troy says, "Momma, go slowly-."

So, lots going on.. but I wouldn't have it any other way. We are having a good week. Keeping close to home and taking it easy. I have a final due on Monday so I've been preparing for that. We are going to my mom's house for an Easter celebration on Saturday, then Sunday church and celebrating with Tony's family... they are coming here so lots of housework to be done ;)

Hope everyone is having a good week.

Roadkill Remake

I went to Jungle Zone with a friend last week. We were chatting about crafting, she said "I saw an old coffee table in someone's trash on the way here and I thought of you."

Where!? I have to have it!

She laughed, like she thought I was kidding?? I was so for real!

She told me where she saw it and when we left I hoped that the trash truck hadn't made it to my possible treasure.

And a treasure it was!!!

Look what we found...



I know it doesn't look like much. The top was wet from all the rain we've been getting. I took the top off and painted it "Vanilla Brady" just like the kitchen hutch.



I was really excited about this piece I have been wanting an over-sized ottoman for the living room. We have a small living room space and I wanted to use the ottoman for extra seating and this was going to be perfect! I covered it with an orange/ivory fabric and I love how it turned out...



I added a few pillows to our boring couch and it really brightened up the living room and go things ready for summer...







I am going to keep looking for some creative things to do with the wall behind the couch but for now I am very satisfied with my cozy and cool living room.

a little something for Troy...

Well, this was intended to be a crate for Sophia to put her beanie babies... however she insisted on me putting "S-O-P-H-I-A", even the smallest letters available we could only fit "S-O-P-H-I", which I explained to her spells "Sophi" which is what we do call her for short, but she was not interested in that being on her crate. So she suggested I make one for Troy instead, so... a crate for Troy is what I made.



He has been putting his trucks in it... surprise surprise. He loves it and for that I am very glad. It turned out quite nice, if I do say so myself :)

etsy

So, yes, I love etsy...
I love buying things, looking at things, and now.... selling things. :)Putting that crafting corner to work.
I have a very small store on etsy. I'm working in my free time to add inventory but I'm having a great time with it none the less...
www.craftycountrychick.etsy.com
I just got made some cute St. Patrick's Day hair bows... love these. :)

Valentines Day Shirts

I totally forgot to post pictures of the kids Valentines Day shirts.
I wanted to make Troy and RV shirt in honor of his RV selling daddy :)
This shirt was a lot of work but Troy really loves it.

And Sassy-Frass Sophia got an 'I <3 U' shirt. She is getting so grown up. She insisted on the blue headband and wearing her hair down! ok- missy! STOP GROWING!

These pictures were taken in the morning before going to a Valentines Day party with some homeschooling buddies of ours. :) We had a fun day with friends and I was very glad that my two homeschoolers didn't miss out on handing out Valentines with their friends.

I finally have a crafting space

There was a time when I had an entire room in our other home that was dedicated to my crafts. I had two long tables, scrapbooks, computer, printer, paints, everything my little heart desired and then more. The room was so big that I didn't know what to do with it, I never got time to play in it either because it was upstairs and away from where the kids would play, not very functional. We moved from that house to a much smaller home and I don't have a crafting room anymore. I am so thankful for the little space in our little home that is now My Crafting Corner!
I love it.
Perfect spot for my sewing machine and projects. It is right in the great room next to the sliding glass door that leads to our backyard, where Sophia and Troy spend most of there time so it is just perfect!
So if you don't have an entire room to dedicate to your creativity... designate a small piece of your home for yourself and make it you!
And here are some pictures of my crafting space.
The dinosaur in the bottom right corner is Troy's touch to my space. The basket underneath stores the fabrics that I am working on. I have a book shelf in my closet that I use for storage but this little desk offers a place that is not the dining room table for me to work. The desk is a cheapy that I picked up from Target for $30 and I am VERY happy with it. The shelves were two for $20 at Target as well and I filled mason jars with buttons and metal hair clips for decoration and storage. Oh and I didn't take a close up but the green frame on the wall has a piece of fabric in it... simple, but super cute.

I bought a 'media basket' for ribbons, scissors, and extras that I need at arms reach. I suggest buying the 'media baskets' because they were more inexpensive than the 'storage baskets' ($4 difference) but are just the same!

This is an old vase that I filled with potpourri for decorations... simple and pretty!

Upcycled Picture Frame

One of my never ending projects got finished today... my upcycled picture frame.

I have 3 old picture frames that I planned to upcycle into crafty pieces of awesomeness.... they have been sitting, taken apart and half done for about 3 months now. I have been sick for a few days and today I started feeling better- not well enough to fold laundry or wash dishes but well enough to spray paint and finish one of my three upcycled picture frames.

So- here is the upcycled picture frame... turned kitchen chalkboard...


I have no before pictures... this was a large wooden picture frame that I picked up from Walgreens ages ago- it was the kind with the white inserts and you can put like 8 pictures inside it for a collage frame. I took it apart and spray painted the frame blue.
I spray painted the glass with chalkboard paint by Valspar.
Put it all back together and tada....



Don't ask me why this simple project has taken me so long- seems like the simplest projects are the ones that get drawn out the longest.

Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.

Weekend Project

I scooped up a great find on a local Facebook group for moms and their kids. It is a group created by a friend of mine, for local moms to buy and sell new or used stuff. I have had awesome success selling within the group, last week I made $75 selling things that were just laying around my house collecting dust. This week also made my first two purchases from the website, one of those things was a metal swing set for $25.
I saw it listed and thought for that price it would be the perfect toy to put out on the farm for all the kids to play with. It had some rust but like my dad called it, "surface rust".
This is what it looked like when we picked it up. I just bought the metal swing set, not the wooden one.

We got it to the farm and my dad gave me some tips and he had to get to work. I started sanding right away and used three cans of Rustoleum spray paint. We got all new hardware for it and now...

Here is a great picture to show the difference of the painted side and the sanded side... whoa baby!

Well- I'm exhausted! Good Night!!

Upcycled Batman shirt.

Yes, that is his forced smile, "cheese" face... terrible isn't it?

But the Batman shirt I made him is pretty nifty! and he liked it enough that he posed for a picture. :) I made this from an old, stained Thomas the Train shirt we had laying around. Bought a plain navy shirt from Target on Clearance for $2.70, a few stitches and ta-da! An AWESOME UPCYCLED BATMAN SHIRT FOR MY LITTLE SUPER HERO!

Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.

Troy's Florida Room

Now- I still have much to do but his Orange Tree is on the wall, the oranges are finished, and a nifty sign to go with it. I just have to add the ladder, so he can climb up and pick the felt oranges off of his tree. I may make a trip to Lowes tomorrow, great way to kick off the New Year :)

I painted the tree trunk with "chocolate brown", I sponged the top of the tree with "green green" and "lime green". The oranges are were made with felt and stuffed with batting then attached to the wall with a sticky velcro tab. :)



So far he loves it, but it is kind of high for him so I am going to have to get his ladder done, ASAP.

Here is the orange sign I made to hang on the wall. My dad brought me an old piece of lumbar from the farm and I painted it, perfect for my little guys Florida themed room.



And so far...

Projects, Projects, and more Projects....

I worked on a multitude of projects this holiday season, some to be given as gifts and others just because the idea popped in my head and they could be completed quickly.
I plan on sharing some of these on my blog in the coming days.
First I'd like to share... the acorn wreath
I don't know what I was thinking but I only took 2 pictures, I made four of them as Christmas gifts.

But here it is.

This one I gave to my neighbors, since the majority of the acorns came from their yard. The blue is a bit lighter than the picture shows. I think it turned out pretty. I made another one the exact same colors for my sister in law's mom (although due to shipping issues- this is going to be her first glimps of her gift! Merry Christmas Grandma Gigi!)



I made a natural colored one for my mom



I tied my mom's wreath with rope and didn't paint it so it would match her rustic decor.

I made another on for my sister in law and I have one more in process for myself :)
These were fun and pretty simple, although VERY time consuming.

The kids and I picked all the acorns from our yard, and the neighbors yard. Then we baked them 375 for 15 minutes to kill any buggies that might be inside... ewww... just don't think about that part. Then I used my hot glue gun to stick each acorn along a straw wreath (which run about $3), then once all the acorns were on, I spray painted the wreath, and tied on the ribbon for hanging.

This is a really budget friendly gift, but VERY time consuming, so if you plan on making these as gifts next year I recommend starting as soon as you see the acorns fall :)

I have read that some people use lima beans instead of acorns but I prefer the acorns and the kids can help collect them, so they feel like they contributed in the process.

Happy Christmas Eve Eve

Christmas Eve is tomorrow!!!
Lots going on in the Martinez House today. The kids and I are heading to the grocery store to pick up the items needed for our Christmas Pajama Breakfast on Christmas morning. We are going to have my parents, Tony's parents, and my grandparents over Christmas morning for breakfast. So we are off to the grocery store to get everything we'll need. Then my sister is going to come watch the kiddos so I can go over to the mall and try and get a deal on Christmas pajamas for me, Tony, and the kids. I don't want to drag them through the mall... and I may try and get an eyebrow wax too, I really don't want to look like a fuzzy caterpillar is crawling across my head in Christmas pictures :)
I need to go to the grocery store and since there was nothing quick for breakfast we made pancakes and bacon... yummy!

Troy was very grumpy this morning, but the pancakes helped.. now he is being sweet as syrup :)

And Sophia has a sweetness about her in the mornings, cuddly and happy, she most always wakes up in a good mood and when I cook something she likes, she is even more joyful!

Oh- and I've been meaning to share a simple Christmas decoration idea and since I was in the kitchen taking pictures I figured I'd snap a shot of it. A simple glass vase and ornaments- I love it and I wrote the names of our family, people and pets, on the bulbs- Tony, Holly, Sophia, Troy, Jazzy-Bell, Aquarius (our fish), and Floatie (our other fish).

I think it turned out cute and thanks to my friend Kati for letting me borrow her vase. Click here to see how Kati used this vase for Easter... I guess I'm going to have to get my own vase for Easter :)
And speaking of Kati... here is the Holiday Twirl Skirt that Kati made for Sophia using one of my old holiday shirts. :) So cute.

Click here to see Kati's etsy shop... we love Kati's creations in our house :) My kids have the football shirts, initial shirts, I've bought bean bags for my nephews for Christmas and Tony has a camo coffee cozy, I love her shop!
Now if I haven't done enough promoting for Kati, I must say even though it is too late for Christmas orders... these are great for birthdays, teacher appreciation, coworkers, whatever... and she is soooo affordable compared to other etsy shop prices. :)
That said, hope everyone has a very very Merry Christmas!!!! Loves! :)

Hair Bow Keeper...

Sophia Ann has wayyyy to many hair bows... probably because I make so many of them for her. :)



She even puts her bows on her puppy dog!

So what to do with all these bows???
Why not a cute braided bow keeper to match her pretty blonde hair.




This was super simple and Sophia had a fun time helping me cut all those pieces of yarn.
We cut, what seemed like a million pieces of yarn, bundled them together. I tied them together at the top, initially I used a rubber band, but when I hot glued the pink ribbon to the top the glue melted the rubber band.. so I recommend just using a plain hair tie. Then I braided the yarn and tied off the bottom. Cut the excess pieces and hot glued ribbons to the top and the bottom. I used to pins to nail it onto the wall and then Sophia clipped all her hair bows to it. :) Easy!!

Made with Love

Turkey day is coming soon and there are quite a few things I should be getting done besides this...





But they were so fun to make! And I have to give my friend Ashley, the credit for my inspiration, although she will tell you she picked up the ideas from etsy. :)

I was a little discouraged because I didn't think I was going to have time or the extra $ to do much crafting for Thanksgiving. I have to get into a new way of thinking and instead of going out and purchasing all new stuff for each craft project I recycled some of the kids old and stained t-shirts, covering the stains with a piece of brown fabric for the turkey's body.

With Troy's shirt I used old t-shirts that don't fit him anymore and they have stains so I can't hand them down to anyone else so Troy's shirt is totally made of his old clothes that would have been used as cleaning rags. :)

Sophia's shirt is an old shirt and two pieces of scrap fabric that I had just enough to make this cute polkadotted turkey. I love the way it turned out.


I still def need some work with my sewing skills but it will come with practice. :)