Thanks. Thanks a lot.

I'm a Pinterest junkie... I have over 1,200 pins and I strive to tackle at least one pin a week. I don't always get around to blogging about them, but when I do, it's because I think it's easy enough and cute enough that anyone can do it.

So for this week, I made a burlap pennant flag with the word 'Thanks' on it.   You may ask "Why the sarcasm in the title of this post?"  Well... have you seen the brick background?  I'm so thankful for many things - my husband, Peaches, my job, etc. but I HATE the brick in our kitchen.  It's so dark and dreary.  Alas, I have a roof over my head so who am I to complain?

Here's what I did...

First, I cut burlap pennants and I used the same template that I use for my pennant flags that you can purchase on my Etsy site (yes, that's a shameless plug).  I found that the rotary cutter was much easier than using scissors since burlap can be difficult to cut.  Here's the template I used

I then used my Silhouette Portrait and some dollar store vinyl to create the stencil.  You don't need the Silhouette machine, you can always use scissors to do the same thing and create a stencil out of anything - including paper.  If you like the look of my letters, here's a template for you!

I placed the letter on the flag (no rhyme or reason where, I just eyed it), put some cardboard under it (the paint will bleed through) and I used black craft paint and a pouncer and made sure to fill in each letter.

The supplies

Once the paint was dry-ish, I folded the top of each flag about 1/2 inch and ironed it so that I could hang it on the twine. I also cut off the edges that overlapped when I folded them over so that they looked nice and neat.  Not sure what I mean by that?  Check it out in the picture below - see that piece of burlap sticking out in the upper left-hand corner?  No bueno.

Lastly, I used a glue gun and ran a small amount of glue under the 1/2 inch folded flap so that it would hang on the twine.  Don't have any twine?  No problem - use string, use ribbon, even dental floss! You can also use any kind of  glue, I just like to burn the crap out of my fingers at least once during a craft session; it's great evidence that crafting is a dangerous sport.

Hack it to me!

Mmmmmmm Bop!

After reading that title, I hope that god awful song isn't stuck in your head like it is in mine. If you don't know what song I'm referring to, consider yourself lucky! 

So why did I pick that as the title of my post?  I'm running out of creative ways to describe my 'M' obsession!

This time I tackled a project using Washi tape.  What is Washi, you ask?  It's a wonderful piece of colorful paper that has an adhesive backing, almost like fabric tape but thinner and easy to tear.  I've used it in so many different ways and most creatively, as a cheap alternative to a Band-Aid on all of Peaches McGee's dolls' "boo-boos."  

My only supplies were: 

1. Cardboard 'M' that I picked up at JoAnn's or Michael's or Hobby Lobby (can't remember, and all of them carry them) 
2. Washi tape (I used four different patterns)
3. Sharp scissors or an Exacto knife
4. Acrylic paint and paintbrush (optional)
5. Two eye hooks for hanging (optional).

Washi tape that I used

Cardboard letter

I then alternated strips of Washi tape across the letter trying really hard to keep everything straight. 

Washi tape in place

Once I had the letter covered, I first took some sharp scissors and cut off the excess tape and then painted the sides white with acrylic craft paint.

Here you can see the white edges

Finally, to hang it, I screwed in two eye hooks to the top of the letter and then threaded some ribbon and hung it up on Peaches McGee's wall! 

Now some new pics of Peaches McGee's bedroom.  And there's actually one more 'M' hiding behind the pink hanging lamp!

Business is Booming!

Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I've had several orders in the past month on Etsy and I couldn't be happier.  Does that mean I'm quitting my job? Unfortunately, no.  It just means I'm actually making some money doing something that I love.  Scratch that.  Making money is one thing, breaking even is another.  Let's just say I'm probably breaking even after all the materials I've purchased.

While the customized, monogrammed pennant is my favorite product on my site, it appears that it's not everyone else's favorite   Bummer.  Perhaps it's the price?  Dunno, but I'll keep making them for my friends and family :)

Check out some of my new products and support a small business!

Square Pennant Flag - $5/letter

Miniature Pennant Flag - $3/letter

Personalized Bow-Tie Onesie - $20

My Etsy Store is Up and Running!

I'm still working on listing everything, so if you've seen something I've made and would like to order it, message me and I will create a custom listing! 

To find me, search for Reiderses; that's my shop name (Peaches McGee was taken)!

Happy shopping!!!

"M" I Missing Something?

I have an obsession and it's with the letter 'M' because that's the first letter of Peaches McGee's real name (Milla).  I have a few that I've purchased, but haven't hung yet, so I decided to get at least one of them up.  My first attempt was punching out paper flowers and gluing them on.  It was ugly so I decided to try something else!

I had a canvas board that had been sitting in my craft room for a while.  I decided to wrap it with fabric and then staple gun it nice and tightly around the canvas.  I then painted green dots on the 'M' (after removing the glued flowers) and when it dried, I used regular craft glue and mounted it to the fabric-covered canvas.  I liked it enough to hang in her room and she liked it enough to say, "Oooooh, Mommy! Thank you for my pretty decoration!"

UGLY

Canvas

Clearance craft paint (I love a deal!)

Back of the canvas with the fabric stapled to it

Front of the canvas

Dots on my 'M' - I just used a pencil eraser dipped in paint to get the "perfect" dots

Project (almost) complete!

I wasn't 100% satisfied because I realized that all of the other 'M's were hanging, so I took two pieces of ribbon, stapled it to the back of the canvas and tied a bow.  Much better!