The Birthday Badge

My baby turned 1 yesterday. I can't believe it.  It was a great day.  We took extra care to make him feel as special as he most surely is.

One thing I've done every year is to create what I call a "birthday badge" for my kids on their birthday.  I like the idea of the birthday shirt but I don't like that it's an entire shirt that you can't wear but one day a year.  No, the birthday badge is a much better solution.

The badge is made from fabric scraps and ric rack.  It has a pin on the back that I can easily attach to his shirt.  My kids love their badges because its makes them feel extra special on their extra special day.

Happy Birthday Little Buddy!

$2 DIY Cake Stand

I've been loving all the cake stands I've been seeing on the internet lately.  And I've been drooling over painted glass.  So darling. 

The only thing better than cake is cake on a fun stand. 

I call this the $2 cake stand because the main supplies cost exactly $2.  The plate and the martini glass came from the Dollar Store.  All the other supplies I had on hand.  If you carft ever you will probably have these supplies.

Step 1:  Clean glass using glass cleaner and remove any stickers.

Step 2:  Lay plate face down on table.  Place fabric on top and trace around the edge to determine size of fabric.  I did it this way because the plate had a lip and I wanted to make sure I had the exact size of fabric.

Step 3:  Coat entire bottom of plate in Mod Podge.  The more the merrier.  If there is a spot you missed with the Mod Podge it will show up so coat that sucker good!

Step 4:  Lay fabric (right side down) on plate and smooth out any bubbles.

Step 5:  Coat the entire bottom of plate again with Mod Podge to seal the fabric.  Let dry.  It may looks splochy for a little while but once the glue dries completly it will all look great.

Step 6:  Trim any excess fabric with scissors.

Step 7:  Pour paint into martini glass and coat the inside generously.  Let dry.  {You can leave it like this or you can cover the paint with Mod Podge too to give it an extral seal}

Step 8:  Turn martini glass over and put your strong glue on the bottom.  Place plate on top and let dry.  *** This step is optional.  You don't need to glue it for it to stay in place.  I chose not to glue mine together to make it easier to store.

The top of the platter is completly food safe since you only added stuff to the bottom.  Wipe top to clean.  Do not soak.

Simple as that.  Can you imagine all the posibilites?

Now, who's ready for a doughnut????

Little Abner Winner

I've randomly selected a winner (via random.org) for the Little Abner Giveaway!

Thanks to all who visited and entered.

A big huge thank you as well to Little Abner for supplying the prize!

Be sure to visit Little Abner whenever you need gorgeous cards. 

{Christmas is coming up.  I'm just sayin'.}

drum roll please....

The winner is

Kim-the-Girl

{who said} "My Favorite is the brilliant green clover cluster..."

Congratulations Kim you've won a $20 shop credit from Little Abner!  I'll be contacting you shortly with instructions for claiming your prize.

Grilling Apron

As I mentioned before we went to Reno for a week.  While I was there I was able to deliver Christmas presents.  If you're thinking I'm amazing for getting my Christmas presents all sent out early this year you are wrong.  These are Christmas presents from LAST YEAR.  I have no idea what is wrong with me.  Nine months late.  I am ashamed.  I vow to do better this year.

Here is my dad's present.  A new grilling apron with his nickname on it "Meat Man".  I've never called him this {I guess his friends do} but I can attest to the fact that my dad is in love with the grill.  He always has to be the grill master even when it's not his party.  I know that whenever I'm talking to him on the phone and I'm at the grill he is just dying to reach right through the phone and take over.

Using my Sure Cuts A Lot program along with my Cricut I was able to fashion a freezer paper stencil with the words "Meat Man" as well as a superman symbol with a t-bone steak in the middle.  I also made the apron.

I hope he likes it because we sure do like him.  He's pretty much the best.

I mean for goodness sakes he even got the grouchy, 3 year old anti-picture taker to look into the camera and smile.  Now, it takes a special person to make that happen!

Homemade Rock Candy

When I was a little girl one of my favorite things was to visit fun little family attractions and their gift shops.  Every good gift shop is filled with kitsch.  There are always a endless supply of junk with your name on it (if you're lucky enough to have a popular name) and there is always ALWAYS and generous amount of rock candy.  Beautiful, colorful, delicious rock candy.

You can imagine my excitement when I discovered that you can make your own!  Pinterest has opened my eyes to so much! I found THIS pin and used it as my guide.

Want to make your own?  Here's how -

Supplies:

• 2 C water
• 6 C sugar (give or take)
• Food coloring (or Kool Aid packets)
• Wooden sticks (I used BBQ skewers and sanded down the pointy end but you can purchase actual candy sticks HERE)
• Tall glasses
• Plastic wrap
• Clothes pins

Directions:

1. In pot bring water to a boil adding sugar 1/2 c at a time until it no longer disolves in the water.
2. Pour syrup into glass and add food coloring.  If I were to do this again I will use a Kool Aid packet as dye because it will also add a fun flavor.
3. Cover with plastic wrap (this part is probably optional but since I live in the south I didn't need anymore bugs comming around than usual so I covered it up).
4. Push wooden sick through the plastic wrap and clip each stick with a clothes pin to help hold stick upright.
5. Wait a few days and watch the crystals form.  Should take about a week.  Don't be alarmed if you don't see crystals right away we didn't have any until after day 2.

Maggie and I enjoyed making these, looked forward to observing its progress everyday and LOVED eating them.  A great activity to do with your kids!

Little Abner GIVEAWAY! $20 value!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Today is your lucky day because today Little Abner is giving away a $20 gift card to one lucky Creative Vault reader!

Little Abner is a darling little stationary shop featuring gorgeous prints by artist, Elizabeth Moon.  Her shop is filled with stunning high quality shots of seemingly ordinary items that are made extraordinary by the vision and talent of Elizabeth. 

Just look at some of these beautiful cards!

Each card is paired with a colorful envelope and the whole thing is packaged in a clear envelope sealed with washi tape.  This girl thinks of everything!  This stationary would make an excellent gift.

Gorgeous.  Simply gorgeous.

I want to frame them all.

One lucky Creative Vault reader will win a $20 shop credit to Little Abner.

Here's How to Enter:

Visit Little Abner's Shop and take a look around.

Then come back here and leave a comment telling me which card(s) you love the most.

Be sure to leave your email address so I can let you know you've won.

The giveaway closes Friday at 10pm central.  Winner will be randomly drawn and announced Saturday.



Once you're done visiting Little Abner, be sure to also check out Elizabeth's blog, The Moonlit Nest.  Elizabeth not only takes beautiful pictures but everything she touches somehow just exudes simple beauty.  I drool over her classic ethereal style not to mention the fantastic places you get to visit with her and her family as they discover all there is to do in Virginia and the DC area.  She's also a fashionista with excellent taste and will keep up up to date with all the latest trends.   Here are just a few of my favorite posts of hers.

Strawberry Themed Birthday Party

Zig Zag Table Redo

Grown Up Girl Pajama Party

Good Luck! I hope you win!

{If you are interested in sponsoring a giveaway on The Creative Vault please contact me at thecreativevaut(at)hotmail(dot)com for more information}

Our Week In Reno

Last week we had the privilege of visiting Nonie and Grampy in Reno, Nevada.  It was Grampy's 60th birthday and we had to make an appearance.  Luckily Grampy was born at a really fun time and we were able to hit up lots of festivals and events while we were there.

I live in Alabama now (which I love) but I grew up in Reno.  I enjoyed growing up there mostly because there was always some sort of street festival going on.  You may have heard of the recent tragedy at the Air Races where a plane crashed into the crowd.  It's very scary to think of because these festivals in Reno are always packed.  Luckily these types of tragedies are rare (keep those people in your prayers!) and most of the events are fun, fun, fun.

 

We went to the Rib Cook Off.  These Southerners approve.  The BBQ was gooood and there was so much of it!

We swam at Lake Tahoe.  Always beautiful.

We went to the Camel Races in Virginia City.  They raced ostriches and zebras too.  This ostrich bucked off its rider then proceeded to spin in circles.  It was wild.

We even panned for gold and struck it rich!

We also saw lots and lots of balloons at the hot Air Balloon Festival.

We even got up at 4 am to see the dawn patrol light up the sky.

It was a great week.  Y'all should really check out Reno sometime.  There is always something going on!  I enjoyed my time spent with family (they're the greatest)  but it's always good to be home.  Now maybe I can get back to my true love - crafting and blogging about it.  :)

Antique Week: Clocks and Books

From the looks of a lot of the pins I see on Pinterest there is a big fan base for all things books.  Here are some more to add to the drool pile. 

There were so many on my parents shelves to choose from but these were my favorites of the day:

The Practical Guide To Health by Frederick M. Rossiter, B.S., M.D.,  1913

{From top to bottom}

Jean Valjean from Victor Hugo's Les Miserables edited by Sara E. Wiltse, 1898

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 1944

The Rains Came A Novel of Modern India by Louis Bromfield, 1937

The Last of the Mohicans by J. Fenimore Cooper, 1897

The Prince and The Pauper by Mark Twain, 1882

The American Dictionary of the English Language by Noah Webster, 1849

Just look at this beautifully stamped leather cover!

 

An enjoyable excerpt from The Practical Guide to Heath, "Children who are indulged and who are allowed to satisfy the senses simply because it gratifies them, are early taught to live for the mere pleasure of life.  They are not taught to say, No, to the appetite.  Later in life the habit is foxed, and they become a prey to every passion and storm of the soul."

How's that for a medical book!  I'm certain Dr. Rossiter is shaking his head at my parenting skills.  A good reminder for us all, I think.

Love books but how about another picture of the insides of a beautiful clock? 

Sigh...