DIY // Craft Stick Geometric Pendant Light

March is National Craft Month and to celebrate I'm taking part in Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores' National Craft Month Campaign.  I've been a little unmotivated lately so coming up with a cool craft was not the easiest of tasks.  Luckily, Jo-Ann.com has an amazing spring crafting inspiration website to help get those creative fires burning.



Inspired by the whole geometric trend and my math teacher husband, I decided to finally tackle something I've been coveting for awhile...the good ol' geometric pendant light.

DIY Monogrammed Tote Bag

I love screenprinted tote bags, but I'm just too lazy to try out the whole DIY screenprinting thing, myself.  It seems so labor intensive and intimidating.  So, instead I created this easy handpainted version for my son Luke that's pretty much just as awesome.

You'll need:

1 // Tote bag
2 // Fabric Paint
3 // Small Paint Brush
4 // Circle template
5 // Pencil

Kid n' Play // DIY Lego Puzzle Book {Downloadable}

Let's be honest - working on DIY projects with kids around is nearly impossible.  They either want to "help" or they have other plans for how they want you to spend your afternoon.  For those times when I need to get something done busy projects are a life saver and they sure beat sticking an iPhone in my little one's hands.

Legos have been around for decades and are a favorite among both kids and parents.  A Lego Puzzle Book, which I first spied over at KidsActivitiesBlog, is a perfect project to engage kids in an activity that they highly enjoy which means plenty of uninterrupted project time for Mama, too.  It may require a little help at first but once they get the hang of it it's a perfect independent play project that develops important math and problem solving skills.

A few months back I laid out a few of Luke's Lego creations on white copy paper and snapped a few photos.  I finally got around to creating the puzzle book which was as simple as printing off the photos onto cardstock and stapling the book together.

DIY CRAFTS: 14 Crafts & Activities for Valentine's Day

Last year I was a bit more motivated than I am this year and created one project a day for 14 days and I called it...wait for it....

Original, right?  Well here's a recap of all the projects from last year.

Say Merry Christmas With A DIY Personalized Mug

First off, Merry Christmas!  I hope you all are enjoying some quality time with your families.  After all that has happened it's these little things, time spent with family and friends, that seem so important.  So cuddle up, stay up a little later and cherish every moment.

This quick and simple DIY gift is perfect for the coffee lover in your family or any last minute gift giving.

I know I'm not the first one to venture into sharpie drawing craziness (my neighbor made some adorable stick figure mugs for her Mom), but I thought I'd share this easy DIY gift idea, anyhoo.

Pumpkin A'Plenty - 6 Ways to Put That Pumpkin Decor To Use

Now that we're fully into Christmas decorating season, what are you going to do with the leftover pumpkins that survived the fall?  Luckily, I have six ways to keep them from rotting on your front porch.

1.  Roast The Seeds

Who doesn't love baked pumpkin seeds?  Cut the pumpkin in half and separate the seeds from the membrane.  Rinse the seeds and allow them to dry on a paper towel.  Spray a baking sheet with oil, spread out seeds evenly, sprinkle with salt and bake for 10-20 minutes at 350 degrees.  Store seeds in an airtight container.  Regular ol' pumpkin seeds a little too boring?  Try these tasty takes on the classic - cinnamon & sugar, ginger-orange zest, spicy and cheesy.

{VIA}

DIY Halloween Costumes

What?  It's been over a week since Halloween?  Rather than get caught up in the details let's just take a look at our rad DIY Halloween costumes this year. 

The hubs and I stepped out on the town the Saturday before Halloween for some much needed grown up fun.  We threw these little numbers together last minute using things we had at home, plus some makeup and hair assistance from the neighbors. 

Say hello to Frankenstein and Frankenstein's Bride.

Not too shabby for pulling it out a couple hours before the party.  And guess what?  That's my wedding dress!  Frankenstein's bolts - those are painted marshmallows.  They did a pretty damn good job of sticking too.  My hair - that's the end result of some crazy teasing and a disgusting mixture of egg whites and elmer's glue.  I woke up the next morning still rocking the hair style.  It.Didn't.Move.  Luckily it came out pretty easily in the shower with the ol' smear on a bunch of conditioner, brush through, rinse and wash method.

DIY // Date Night Jar & A Little Kismet

Four years ago today I was blissfully being pampered - getting ready to walk down the aisle.  I was nervous and excited and ready to party down as Mrs. Padgett!  It's amazing how fast the years go by, how much changes in such a short amount of time and how we haven't suffered a single itch.  I'm still feeling pretty lucky.

We used to celebrate our anniversary by returning to the place where we spent our honeymoon, Whistler B.C. - where we'd gorge ourselves on the best fried calamari we've ever eaten at Ric's Grill, get all wrinkly in the outdoor hot tub and sleep in late in the amazingly comfy beds at the Adara Hotel and drink far too much wine.  Keeping within our budget, we won't be taking refuge with the Canucks this year and will instead be taking a few days off much closer to home.  But just because our spending has been dialed back doesn't mean the sentiment had to be.  And nothing says I love you more than homemade gifts, right?

I've been meaning to make us one of those date night jars for SO LONG.  It's a popular idea on pinterest and one that would take little skill to make.

11 Fascinating Faceted DIY Projects

Hey there!

I'm on a faceted kick.  Maybe it's because school is back in session and my husband is up to his elbows in geometry lesson plans or maybe it's just the simple fact that I like the surprising use of texture and shape. Either way, I've got it bad.

What's faceted you ask?  Simply put, it means having many non-parallel surfaces.

I first stumbled upon this faceted pendant lamp and have been in the process of making my own but that process has been stretched out weeks upon weeks.  My choice between making a million little cootie catchers or just lazily sprawling out on the sofa to watch some garbage tv (my favorite kind) has been a bit one sided as of late.

1.  DIY Faceted Pendant Lamp by the 3 R's blog

Not only have I been gaga over this lamp, but I've been coveting some origami art in my husband's classroom.  It's been hard not to just slip a few of the best pieces into my bag when we're sharing lunch.  I suppose I could just make my own, but first I'm thinking about busting out all of these beautifully crafted projects.

Pinterest Challenge Summer Edition: Good (re)vs. Evil Kid's Cape

Guess what time it is????  YEP!  It's...

Jumping up and down?  Me too!

The lovely ladies, Katie from Bower Power and Sherry from YoungHouseLove along with the equally lovely Kate - better known as Centsational Girl and Michelle from the blog Ten June are the hosts for this summer edition.

Handmade Gift Exchange: Hand-Painted Tea Towels

I was so excited to take part in the Summer edition of the Handmade Gift Exchange. Twice a year, Linda from Craftaholics Anonymous, hosts a Handmade Gift Exchange where you give and get a handmade gift! So, what's my fascination?  I've always had a fondness for pen pals.  In high school I had a pen pal from England who I wrote for years and when I first met my husband, and still to this day, we write each other while he's fishing in Alaska.  There's something so exciting about getting something (other than bills) in the mail and something even more exciting about gifts in the mail.

My giftee was Rhonda from the amazing Mrs. Greene who hails from Michigan.  I totally failed at being super creative (especially as I see all the other gifts that were made), but I hope that I was at least a little creative in creating two Michigan inspired hand-painted tea towels.

DIY Kid's Felt Board

I'm always trying to think of activities to keep my little man entertained.  He's at that age where he's starting to get into pretend play.  Something I remember from growing up was a felt board.  I thought this was the perfect way he could express his creativity and it could also be used for learning activities.

Not only is it pretty simple to make a felt board, but it is also pretty inexpensive too.

Supplies:

Father's Day BBQ Gift Basket {Tutorial}

While all of us Moms are still being treated like the queens we are {yeah right}, let's not forget those awesome Dads in our lives that help keep us sane.  With Father's Day only one week away, I made a gift basket that'll show that master behind the grill how much you care and put that tired tie of yesteryear to shame.  You might have first seen this when I was helping Allison out during her maternity leave by guest posting over at A Glimpse Inside.  Keep in mind, this one includes all the instructions to make this, so it's a bit of an epic!

So what's the lucky guy getting?

Kids Crafts: DIY Foam Animal Masks

We're headed to the Oregon Zoo in a couple weeks.  I love experiencing the zoo with kids.  They're just so excited and so in love with every single animal.  I don't love the expensive gift stores, though.  So, to ward off the wallet-busting trip I made these adorable and inexpensive animal masks which could take the place of any of the expensive crap sold at the gift store.  While my boy was a little too young to help out, this would be a perfect craft to share with your kids.

Pinterest Challenge: Winter Edition

Do you guys remember my Mason Jar Soap Dispenser for the Pinterest Challenge Fall Edition?  Well, those hilarious ladies over at Bower Power Blog & Young House Love are at it again and this time they've invited two more ladies along from The Great Indoors and Hi Sugarplum.  It's Pinterest Challenge time again - Winter style.  (Although it is looking a bit more like Spring 'round my parts.)

For those of you that aren't following me on Pinterest (and how dare you!), I've been pinning like crazy and most of the pins are focused around our home renovation, but there's always been some amazing crafts in there, too. Here's a little peek at some of my home DIY inspirations.

{1) Floating Wall Shelves  2)  Stenciled Floor  3) Glass Pendant Lights}

I can't wait to complete each of these, but with the current state of our home reno (replacing a foundation beam has taken precedence over our kitchen remodel), I've had to put each of these off.  So, to my craft section I go and just in time for National Craft Month!

14 Days of Valentines: Day 13 Handmade Valentine Cards

It's day 13 of 14 Days of Valentines, my attempt at one Valentine's inspired craft each day.

Here's two handmade valentine cards that only required paper, glue and scissors (oh, and that googly eye.)  Pretty inexpensive and pretty darn cute!

I Only Have "Eye" For You Monster card.

14 Days of Valentines: Day 12 Paper Heart Bookmark

It's day 12 of 13 Days of Valentines, my attempt at one Valentine's inspired craft each day.

The hubs and I both share the reading bug and we NEVER have a dedicated bookmark to save our spots.  (We're not really corner folders...we love our books too much.)  I've found myself using the closest thing I can find to save my page...like an Amazon gift card, someone's business card, a stray piece of paper, or a tissue (clean, of course!)

Well, not anymore!  We've got our very own set of colorful heart shaped corner bookmarks.

14 Days of Valentines: Day 7 Valentine Wreath

It's day 7 of 14 Days of Valentines, a countdown to Valentine's Day one craft at a time. We're halfway there!

What's a holiday without a wreath?  I created a Valentine's Day wreath with yarn and, since I just loved it so much, my Robert Indiana inspired LOVE template wrapped in linen-type fabric.  Pretty swoon worthy, if you ask me.

14 Days of Valentines: Day 5 Bucket List Bucket

It's day 5 of 14 Days of Valentines, a countdown to Valentine's Day one craft at a time.

This one's not exactly a valentine, but I will be using this with MY valentines so it works, right?.  I took a Brown & Haley (the best!) almond roca tin that was destined for the recycle bin and upcycled it into a bucket list keeper.  I can't wait to start putting all of our must-dos in here and, more importantly, I can't wait to start those adventures with my two loves.

14 Days of Valentines: Day 4 "14 Reasons Why I Love You" Banner

It's day 4 of 14 Days of Valentines, a countdown to Valentine's Day one craft at a time.

What was intended to be Day 1's project made its grand debut at Day 4.  I just didn't get the "14 Reasons Why I Love You Banner" finished in time, so my valentine will be getting 4 days of "why I love yous" in one day.  Nothing to complain about, I dare say.