InspireMe Crafts

Hope, Faith, Love Magnets

"Everyone needs a little hope, faith, and love"

I'm always looking for some inspiration and little simple reminders I can put here and there to give me a little pick me up when I need it.  These Hope, Faith, Love magnets are the size of a business card so they are large enough to make a statement, yet small enough to squeeze in just about anywhere. 

They have been popular for wedding showers, baby showers, party favors etc as I mentioned in a previous post about the business card magnets.  Previously I was just taking large orders, but now I have started to place orders of 3 in MY ETSY SHOP.  Go check them out!  Custom requests are always available...just ask!

 

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Brassy Apple's Summer Craft Series Challenge #2 : Something for the Car

Welcome!  If you came here to see my ideas for  Brassy Apple's Summer Craft Series check out the links below and have fun! 

Here are my ideas:

"I'm Bored" Craft Kit in a Pail

Travel Magnetic Checkerboard.... out of a Baking Pan.

If you are a regular reader of InspireMe Crafts and am wondering what I am talking about go to Brassy Appleand check out all the other results of her challenge.  The 2nd challenge was to create something to make those road trips a car full of fun or just a little easier on everyone.  I'm sure we could all use some fresh ideas :)

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Gotta Make It: "I'm Bored" Craft Kit in a Pail

 "Be yourself, and you will rarely be bored." - Zack Aaronson

Summer is here and for many of us that means the kids won't be getting on the bus to go to school for 8 hours.  Instead, they will be home.  Of course, we all love more time with our kids, but we will inevitably hear "Mom, I'm bored" more than a handful of times even if they are signed up for every camp in town (and the surrounding areas).  So take an afternoon this week to get your pre-emptive strike ready so when you hear that pathetic "Mom, I'm bored", you go to the closet and hand them their "I'm Bored" Craft Kit in a Pail and let the creativity begin. 

All you need is a pail that you can find at your local craft store and some household items to fill it up. Of course you could use a box, jar, beach paill, etc.  I started by raiding the closets and pantry in the house.  I found and included plastic cups, popsicle sticks, buttons, scrap paper, yarn, excess fabric, feathers, ribbon, wiggly eyes, straws, and styrofoam balls.  At the DollarTree I found some pipe cleaners and colored cotton balls and at Michaels I found some $1 craft projects.  Include whatever you think would work well for that age.  Mine was made for a pre-schooler.  Then I made a list with possible ideas to see if they could make the item with the materials in the pail such as a duck, a house, a flower, a cat, etc. 

Take a peek of what is in the Lil Man's pail....

 And a peek from the top...

Another twist on this "I'm Bored" Craft Kit in a Pail is to put different ideas on pieces of paper, fold them up, and throw them in.  When they come to you saying they're bored let the 'boredster' pull a slip of paper from that pail for an idea of what to do.  You could make this a fun mix of things and even include a few chores that they could do around the house :).  Then we will all be happy (or at least us)! 

Add their names to the outside to personalize the pails and you'll be set.  You could even take them on road trips.  Hope you enjoy and I'd love to hear or see pics of your "I'm bored" Craft Kit in a Pail variations.

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

New Wall Letter Design - Pink & Brown Stripes with Glitter :)

 

This dark pink and chocolate brown striped wall letter is sure to be a favorite for any girl with a little "Diva" in her!  The "Brianna" design has glitter accents along with a chocolate brown and pink polka dots ribbon.  This Custom Wall Letter design is available in any letter and name. 

Check out these links for more pics:

Wall Letters   -  A sampling of some of the favorite letters availalbe
Custom Wall Letters -    A photo album of all the custom letters I have done for customers

To Buy:

Etsy Shop - a website featuring handmade creations, including my hanging wall letters

or if you are not familiar with Etsy (once you try it you'll be addicted!), you fill out the following:

Order Form  - Fill out the form, I'll email you an invoice to pay with Credit/Debit Card and we'll get started

Thanks for stopping buy and have a fabulous day!

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Gotta Make It: Magnet Bookmark

"Why pay a dollar for a bookmark?  Why not use the dollar as a bookmark?"  - Steven Spielberg

 If I can make an everyday object pretty, well gosh darnet I will!  My random bookmarks of receipts, scratch pieces of paper or the book-cover flap were just not flying anymore.  The solution?  Magnet bookmarks out of some of my favorite paper. The magnets hold your bookmark in place and you can even place it to remember what sentence you are on if you couldn't finish the page. But the possibilities  don't stop with pretty paper.  Use a favorite greeting card that was given to you, a ticket from a concert, game or play, a photo, etc.  This project takes 5 minutes, so squeeze a little time in and whip-up some eye candy for your summer reads.

What You Will Need:

Paper (photo, card, ticket, postcard, etc)
Adhesive Magnets (I had business card magnets that I cut in 1/3)
Scissors

To Get Started:

1.  Fold your paper in 1/2.  You can use any size you want. 
2.  Cut your magnets to size if needed. Remove the adhesive protector from your magnets. Place one magnet on each end of your paper so that when you fold it they attract.
3.  Start using the magnet bookmark in your book

Magnet bookmarks are great little gifts for stocking stuffers, Book Club gifts, hostess gifts, or you could make one for Father's Day using a photo or some artwork from the kids.  I'd love to see some pictures if you decide to make some magnet bookmarks of your own.  :)

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun! 

Gotta Make It: T-shirt Pillow

"I'm more of a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal"

 

I'm definitely a t-shirt and jeans kind of gal, but there are only so many t-shirts you can hold on to.  I recently decided to go through my t-shirts to dwindle the mile-high pile of t-shirts accumulating in my closet.  You'd think it would be pretty easy if you just ask yourself these questions about each shirt:

1. When did I wear it last?
2.  Are there holes or stains?
3.  Does it fit?

I didn't find it that easy because even if I haven't worn that t-shirt for 2 years it still provided a memory of a camp, team, or event I took part in. So when Brassy Apple informed me of her summer craft series and saw the first challenge I knew I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do something with at least one t-shirt! I've always loved the idea of the t-shirt quilts, but the amount of time I had and my novice sewing skills just didn't seem like the right match.  So instead, I took a University of Virginia Athletics T-shirt to make my son a pillow. The key was that his favorite basketball player signed the shirt on the back top, so I couldn't leave that part out :).  So instead of making  a normal square or rectangle pillow, I went with a 'real' t-shirt pillow...arms and everything!

Here's what you need to gather up:

1.  T-Shirt
2.  Sewing machine, thread, scissors, pins
3.  Pillow Stuffing

To get started:

1.  Turn your t-shirt inside out.  Place the pins as needed to get you started on the bottom of the shirt.  I folded the bottom of my t-shirt up so that it wouldn't be too long.

 

2.  Start sewing.  :)  Straight stitch along the bottom. 

 

3.  Turn the shirt right-side out.  You'll now have the bottom of the shirt sewn together with no stitches showing. 

 

4.  Sew each arm sleeve shut with a straight stitch along the seams of the shirt.

  

5.  Stuff that shirt full of pillow stuffing.  Then place pins along the neck line.  Sew a straight stitch along with current seams of the neckline.

6.  Voila!  All done. 

 

7.  Give to your Lil Man and let him enjoy! 

 

I'm always excited when Lil Man is truly ecstatic about one of my projects for him.  He loves this pillow and immediately put it to use.  And I must say, that this pillow might get used by me when the hubby is out of town.  I gave it a nice hug and it was almost like I was getting a hug back.  Not quite as good as the real thing, but definitely better than an empty bed. 

You can go to Brassy Apple on Wednesday, June 3rd  to check out all the other ideas from the T-Shirt Challenge.  I can't wait to see what people come up with! 

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

New Wall Letter Design - Beige with Blue and Cream Polka Dots...The "JACK" Design

 

There is a new Custom Wall Letter design now available in MY ETSY SHOP!  The "Jack" Collection has a beige background with blue and cream polka dots and some chocolate brown accents...one of my new favorites :).  The letter design matches several nursery beddings including:

Sport 4 Piece Crib Bedding By Anna Claire for Baby

Kids Line Pop Star 4 Piece Crib Bedding Set

Trend Lab Prep School Blue 4 piece crib bedding

Trend Lab Max 4 Piece Crib bedding

CoCaLo Baby Sports Fan Six Piece Crib Bedding Set
Lots of Pottery Barn Baby/Kids and Land of Nod Baby Bedding

 

And as usual, I love custom Made-To-Match orders...just email me your photos at inspiremecrafts@yahoo.com and we can get started!

 

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Father's Day Craft Ideas

"Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope." - Bill Cosby

            

Lil Man has given his daddy plenty of hand made gifts and every single time he takes the item and proudly displays it in his office.  Last time Lil Man and I made a pit stop at dad's office I felt like I walked through the front door to our home because there were so many "Made by Lil Man" creations hanging from walls and sitting proudly on desks and shelves.  But I guess that's the point if you have to be at the office so much!  I'm still brainstorming  what we might do for this year, but I can guarantee that his daddy will make some more room in the office for it.   Below are some craft projects to get those creative juices flowing for Father's Day craft ideas.

Hands Down Paper Weight by inspiremecrafts

Dad Rocks Paper Weight by inspiremecrafts

Photo Block Puzzle by inspiremecrafts

"I Love You This Much" Handprint Sign by inspiremecrafts

Car Nut Frame from Kaboose.com

Father's Day Notepad from Martha Stewart (love this!)

Hopefully you got a few ideas, if you even need them....you know you are fabulous! 

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Sewing Machine Saga - Part 1

Sewing mends the soul.  ~Author Unknown

The sewing machine saga starts with a young girl's desire to finally learn to sew (that's me...only not so young any more :)) and make cute things for her expecting baby. FYI....that was over 3 years ago and still no cute things for my now 3 year old son... at least "Made by Mom".  My sewing machine saga can be summed up in 7 simple steps:

Step 1:  Buy a sewing machine that you just have to have right away.  Check. 
Step 2:  Take the sewing machine to 3 different states before opening the box.  Check. 
Step 3:  Take the sewing machine out of the box when your mom is visiting so she can teach you.  Check.
Step 4:  Put the sewing machine back in the box when your mom leaves because we all know in reality nothing will get done.  Check.
Step 5:  Get the nerve to experiment with the sewing machine without mom's help...I mean I am a grown woman, right? Check. 
Step 6:  Call mom across the country to get sewing advice and realize how hard it is to explain over the phone...I need visuals!  Realize how much I miss having my mom at least on the same side of the country.  Check. 
Step 7:  Don't give up...keep practicing now because Lil Man thinks anything his mom makes is the greatest.  I guess I should take advantage of his innocence while it lasts. :)

So here I am trying to make excuses to sew anything and everything I can to master this machine that once seemed so intimidating.  I'm getting there...one project at a time and stay tuned to see some of the disasters, not-so-bad mishaps and maybe if I'm lucky one that I can wear in public. 

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Gotta Bake It: Scrumptious Snickerdoodles

"Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay day on our blankets for a nap." - Robert Fulghum

 

If you put a rainy day and the Better Homes & Gardens Homemade Cookies Cookbook together, you will never be disappointed.  Lil Man and I made some scrumptious snickerdoodles and I'm sure its the cookbook to credit and not the amateur bakers :).  If you are snickerdoodle lover try this recipes....

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cream of tartar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1.  In a medium mixing bowl beat butter with an electric  mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add the 1 cup sugar, baking soda, and cream of tartar; beat until combined, scraping sides occasionally.  Beat in egg and vanilla until combined.  Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

2.  In a small bowl combine the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon.  Shape dough into 1-inch balls.  Roll balls in the sugar-cinnamon mixture to coat.  Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. 

3.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 to 11 minutes or until edges are golden brown.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool.  Enjoy. 

In case you are like me and haven't used cream of tartar in any baking...you can find it in the spices section!   :)

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!