Thursday, July 29, 2010

Cookie Sheet Calendar

My mom and I were at a place here in KC called Good Juju.  Its a fun store in the Westbottoms on the first Friday of every month.  We saw these calendars and thought they were cute, until we looked at the price tag.  We knew we could do it for cheaper.  Only costs for this one was the cookie sheets (we got cheap ones from Walmart--they're really thin (too flimsy to bake with in my opinion) but they worked perfect for this project).  I think they came in sets of three--we used the two smaller ones for calendars and the bigger ones survived for like a month in my kitchen. 

Ignore the dry erase board underneath--I left a note for my roommate.  I started by making all the numbers and letters because that was the biggest job.  You need numbers 1-31 and enough letters to spell out each month.  I took a sheet of paper and listed all the letters in the alphabet down the side.  Then I went through each month and tallied up how many of each letter I would need.  You can use anything that you can stick a magnet to.  I used a lot of scrapbooking stuff, but also used a quarter (for 25), two dice (for 15--one dice has the one dot facing up and the other five), and a ruler (for 12).  Make sure you stick a magnet on the back.  I preferred the magnets that were self-adhesive because they weren't as messy.  I believe the magnets came from Walmart and Joann's.
 
Here you can see closeups of some of my numbers.  I did the same thing with the letters.

The next step will be to figure out how you are going to hang it.  I had my dad drill two holes in the top lip of the cookie sheet and tied it with ribbon.  Next I cut a piece of scrapbook paper to fit and divided it into six rows.  I used a sharpie to draw my lines.  The top row is for the days of the week--I didn't use magnets on these because they don't change.  I glued the paper and the days on the cookie sheet using a spray adhesive.  I would suggest sealing it with some sort of clear coat because mine was a little sticky at first because of the spray adhesive.  That's pretty much it.  Mine hangs in my kitchen.  I like the tray-type cookie sheets (I don't know what the technical name is) because I put all the pieces I don't need for that month on the back to store them.

You can also make magnets for special events.  I have cupcakes for birthdays and a heart for Valentine's day, and the word "vacation."  I also did a cow, chicken and pig to represent a barbecue contest I volunteer for.  Pretty much the sky is the limit. 

I did another variation for a friend that was a little more matchy.  For the numbers, I used a punch and cut tags out of paint samples then used scrapbook stickers to put the numbers on them.  I also make the months match as well.  It was super cute, but not quite as eclectic as this one.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Wish List Wednesday

So I'm in law school, which means I'm broke.  Like really broke.  Living off student loans broke.  This means that there are a lot of things that I want and can't afford.  I also live in a tiny (but cheap) apartment, so even if I could afford these things, I don't really have a place to put them.  But a girl can dream, right?


I love this bar from Pottery Barn.  I am the type of person who thinks that every drink should be served in the appropriate glass.  I also am a sucker for cute and unique glassware.  Unfortunately right now, while it is organized, my glassware is not really accessible, so we use the same couple of wine and pint glasses for everything.  But I would love a piece of furniture like this.  I also love that it has doors, so you can close it up when not entertaining and keep a clean look.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Fridge Magnet

I was going to make my first post about freezer-paper stencils, but it didn't go so well, so I am reworking that project.  Instead, I present you with a cute fridge magnet.  Last night I really wanted to make something while BF was doing homework (and watching videos on ESPN.com).  I couldn't decide what I wanted to do, but then I was hit with a flash of inspiration.  A couple of my friends have done magnets for their Save the Dates.  I always feel bad throwing them away but after the wedding, there is really no reason to save the date.  So they just stay on my fridge.

This is my friend Janelle--isn't she beautiful?  She got married last summer.  Her STD was still on my fridge, so I decided to make it into this:

Its kind of hard to read but it says "Be kind to everyone you meet-they are fighting a battle you know nothing about."  It is one of my favorite sayings and something that I need to remind myself of all too often.  I using Mod-podge and scrapbooking scraps.  I cut the words out on my Cricut.  I love my Cricut so much that I think I am going to have to give it a name.  It didn't really think it though, just started going, making it up as I went along.  Also at the end, I had to rush to finish it because BF wanted to watch a show before bed and was getting impatient.  I have another magnet so I will probably make another one soon with bigger letters so it is easier to read.  Thanks for looking!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Welcome to my Blog!

Hmmm....let's see.  About me...I am a twenty-something (I sometimes forget how old I am) law student born and raised in Kansas City.  I love it here and will probably never leave.  I have an amazing boy friend and my parents are the coolest people I know.  I like spending time with my friends, reading for fun (i.e. nothing that has to do with law school) and generally just relaxing.

Oh and did I mention that I love to do projects?  I scrapbook and love to try new crafty things.  My mom and I are the type of people that will see something for sale and refuse to pay for it because we know we can make it ourselves for a fraction of the price.  Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. :)  I blame my mother for my addiction to crafts and my father for enabling her.  I got a Cricut a few weeks ago and set out to look for projects ideas online.  I discovered the massive world of craft blogging and just had to join in.  I already have a list about a mile long of things I want to try.  I do a lot of paper crafts but will try just about anything if I think it is cute enough.  I live in a tiny apartment at the moment, so I by necessity stick to smaller projects.  I also don't do a lot of sewing as I do not have a sewing machine and my mother's hates me, but I'm sure I will pick up on that too before too long.  I love looking at other people's blogs for inspiration, so I hope that I can inspire you too!

xxx