Little Miss Creative

We come into this world with a desire to create. It is our job as mothers not to stiffle that creativity in our children but to encourage them to create. Isn't it hard though, at times, when they are making BIG BIG messes, when they are ruining their once nice shirts with glue and paint, when they are begging you to help them. When I began to feel this way my hubby always lovingly reminds me "She's just like you Jen, she just "has to" be creating!" I'm going to do better and not get so uptight when my daughter asks to use "THE BERNINA", or when my son wants to paint rocks. Just some thoughts off the top of my head.

My oldest made me these adorable magnets to display their school work under. Each one is attached to a clothespin. How adorable are these! Seriously so creative. No tracing or looking at anything just pure talent. I Love them! Thanks for making these for me my girl!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on letting your children create.

Link'n up with darling Jen again - go over and check out the party!

Spring Easter Tree

I started a tradition about 5 years ago of bringing branches in from my lilac tree and turning them into an Easter/Spring Tree. The warmer temps inside my house had a forced blooming effect on the lilacs and they would always bud out and when Easter was especially late in the season the lilacs themselves would bloom. So pretty, but of course there was always a downfall. Just like all cut flowers, lilacs die and they always die before I'm ready to take down my Easter decor. This year I decided that I was going to bring in the branches but give them some paper love.

So, go out to your yard and don't forget your clippers. Cut down some branches from any of your trees - I am picky and I like to select the branches that have a bit of an out and upward curve to them - I think they make a prettier tree then those of the more straight nature. YOU do what you like of course - I'm just sayin!
Next, just go to work with some of your favorite scrapbook paper and cut , cut ,cut out tons and tons of leaves. I folded my paper wrong sides together and cut the leaves so that I had a front and back. The particular line of paper I used is called "Home" by the company My Mind's Eye. It just caught my eye because of it's Springy colors. If you have a die-cut machine this is where you would use it to cut out leaves - OHHH the time that would have saved. No really it didn't take that long. Pay no attention to the butterflies those were just scrap pieces I was using.

I used several different papers - probably about 9 different ones.

Now just start glueing them to the branches. I just sandwiched the branch inbetween the two identical leaf shapes. You can use any quick drying glue that you prefer. I didn't use hot glue but you could certainly try it. The particular glue I used was Martha Stewart "Create" gel adhesive. I bought it at Walmart.

I glued a leaf to every single branch. At first I didn't have as many but my hubby walked by and said , "Babe, I think your tree looks a bit fallish and it needs more leaves." I had to agree and went to work cutting and glueing. I think it gives the tree some nice interest if you angle each leaf a bit different than the next.

Here's the finished product complete with Easter decorations. Sorry , my wallpaper is sort of distracting from the tree. Click on the picture and you can see it better.

Now, if you want to make some Easter eggs to hang on your tree they are super duper easy. I just cut strips in varying sizes out of one of my favorite lines of fabric and then mod podged them to a plastic easter egg. You know, the kind you fill with goodies for your kiddos. Then after I had the egg all covered in fabric I let it dry for a bit. Then, I did a final coat of mod podge and wrapped a ribbon around the egg and secured it to the top with a dot of hot glue. Leave enough ribbon up top to dangle from your tree. Easy right. I bet you have tons of those plastic eggs lying around. Now if someone could just come up with something creative to do with all that blasted Easter grass that gets spread all over your house at Easter.

Feel free to ask any questions . Always happy to help.

Big Big Love, JEN

Oh and Happy Spring!

You know what I just thought of - wouldn't it be cute to also add some paper flowers to the branches or crepe paper flowers. If I get to that I will post a picture.

I am linking this post up with the wonderful Jen over at Tatertots and Jello for the weekend wrap up party. Come by and see all the goodies!

I am so excited to share with you my latest creation. (no it's not my crazy red hair -that will wash out in 28 washes & not a wash more-fingers crossed) Those of you that I know and love know that I have been talking about sharing tutorials for my creations right here on my little ole blog. Todays the day! Whoot Whoot! Alright, to business. This ones pretty basic but I just love how it turned out. I dug threw my closet and found this gray shirt that is pretty cute but also pretty plain for me. After talking to my beautiful sister Molly & looking over some of her favorite JCrew shirts - I decided that my shirt needed flowers & lots of them. Although just a few would also be darling!

While I was digging for my shirt I spotted my favorite skirt and thought walla.

So, I dug through my fabric pile. Ok, lets face it, it's more of a mountain that needs refolded. I found some fabrics that went well together , including some satiny fabrics just because I loved the sheen they gave to the skirt. Then I just started cutting circles of various sizes. Knock yourself out and just get crazy with the placement. Don't forget to cut plenty of leaf shapes as well.

Then I cut out enough netting circles to go over every circle (flower). I used netting that was very stiff & with the bigger holes. Mine is black but you could do any color really.

After I placed everything exactly where I wanted it - I slide my small cutting board in between the front and back of the shirt and pinned it all down. You know so as not to pin the back of the shirt to the front. Can't very well get your body into a shirt that is sew'n shut. Now, if I had thought about it ahead of time and hadn't been so anxious to just start cutting. Typical Jen! I would have first ironed the different fabric to fusible web and then cut the shapes. Then I could have just ironed them to my shirt, but I didn't and this worked too. So no need to go buy fusible web.

Now it's time to stitch them on. Don't forget to put your jersey needle in. Makes sewing on knit sew much easier & neater. I used my freemotion foot for the circles (drop those feed dogs )so that I wouldn't have to turn and turn and turn the shirt. A regular foot would have worked wonderfully and that is what I used on the leaves. Loved the look of the skirt and so I went with that and sewed X's in the middle of each one and then one or two circles around that.

Here's a look at the leaves stitched up.

After I got everything sewed down, I played around with the vine that all my little flowers were growning on. First I thought I would use this black ribbon with white stitches through it. Wasn't exactly what I wanted .

So I decided to hand stitch the vine with floss. I liked white the best for my design. It just gave it that pop that I wanted. Does your floss look like mine does. I wish I was a neat freak but sadly I am not. Somebody tell me your floss looks like this. Anybody! Now use a water soluble pen to draw out the lines or a chalk pencil for darker shirts.

Walla, you have a fun "new-ish" shirt to wear on your hot date with your hubby. (that's what i did anyway) Or just wear it to clean your house and hold your babies -knit shirts are my go-to shirt for everyday wear. Dream up something cute or feel free to copy mine. OH and I did put a bit of fray block on the satiny fabric but I do like a bit a fraying. I would love to see what you come up with. By the way, I already started next weeks project to share and it's another shirt makeover so, come back and see me. Feel free to Follow me! wink

Big Big Love , JEN
feel free to ask any questions -not sure if that was as clear as mud.
Thanks for the link party (tatertots & Jello )Jen. Click on Jen's link on my sidebar and see all the linky love and check out her blog because she is such the creative little gal.