Making a Composition Book Art Journal….

Can you believe that this….. …..was once this: It took a lot of work but now the journal below is FULL of memories, notes, lists, drawings, etc. It is a simple process and you will get so much enjoyment out of it. It would be a fulfilling activity for older children as well. Here is how you can make your own: The cover is the easy part. Then I poke holes in either side of the journal and thread ribbon through. Sometimes I’ll use gesso (gesso is pictured further along in the post) to paint over some letters to decorate the cover as well….. …I love the messy, haphazard image that is left behind. The next step is to thicken the pages. Place wax paper underneath 2 pages of the journal to protect the other pages. Paint matte medium on the bottom page to glue the top page to it. Take a brayer and roll out any air bubbles. Next, I take old phone book pages and use the matte medium to glue them onto the top page. Keep adding scrap phone book pages until the page is covered. Sew items into your journal:

Customized Living Owl Stuffies Tutorial Ever since I made my son’s Halloween costume I’ve been having a lot of fun sketching and playing with the idea of making an owl stuffie. So when my mom commissioned me to make a stuffed animal as a present for a friend’s new baby I knew exactly what I wanted to make. This Pattern is to make a small owl stuffie (like the aqua one above) This pattern is not for commercial use or monetary gain Supplies 3 coordinating fabrics (one of them should be a solid color).a small amount of orange felt for the beakPolyfillScissorsFabric paint or felt for the eyesSewing machineNeedle and threadPattern below Open this image in a new tab and print at full size. The fabric that I choose for my main color came from an old pair of pants and was a heavier weight than the cotton quilting fabrics that I picked for my belly and tail colors. The next step is to join the belly wings and face pieces to make the front of the owl. Afterwards you can trim the excess wing to even up the seam.

Homemade Vanilla Extract Crafty cousin Trish sent me an intriguing picture on my cell phone recently. It looked like a row of bottles sitting on her window sill. I texted her back, “What in the world is THAT?” To which she replied that she was making vanilla extract. BRILLIANT! Because of my classic impatience, I purchased my vanilla beans for $3.99 each at my local farmer’s market. After just 2 short hours and a quick shake, we are already getting somewhere! I’ll report back in a month or so, but wanted to make sure to post the recipe I used now, so if you’re equally excited about homemade vanilla extract, you could be ready for holiday baking and gift giving as well! Author: Carli Preparation Time: Total Time: 1 cup vodka3 vanilla beans This entry was posted in Simply Celebrated, Simply Delicious and tagged Christmas, gift ideas.

Teacup Candles - Cupcakes and Cashmere Share this image Share It Pin It I'm a bit of a hoarder when it comes to candles and anytime I'm home for more than a couple of hours, I have one burning. They're so indulgent and I love having my entire house filled with beautiful scents (I even rotate the fragrances I choose depending on the time of year). I'd been wanting to try my hand at making my own for a while and decided to make an afternoon of it, using mismatched vintage teacups I picked up at a thrift store. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 9. 10.