Mini Chalkboard Disply Sign Tutorial

Today I am showing you how to make these adorable mini chalkboard display signs.  These little signs are so cute & can be used for buffet table, wedding table numbers, craft show displays, or just around your house.

I was given the great opportunity to do a little shopping at a new online craft supply store called Consumer Crafts.  I found that they have a wide variety or really great products & the cheapskate in me just loved their awesome prices!  Shipping was also very quick.  I received my order in about a week.  I purchased the following supplies for this project from their website:

Galvanized metal pails - 2 3/4 inch
Wood dowels
Wood rectangle cutouts - 3 inch
Dry floral foam
Acrylic paint
Preserved sheet moss
Glue gun

In addition to the items above, I used the following supplies that I already had on hand:

Chalkboard paint
Foam paintbrushes
Painter's tape

Okay, here is how it's done...

Cut off a chunk of the dry floral foam & press it into the bottom of your pail.  You want it to fit snug.  I held the foam up to my bucket & then eyeballed it.  Just cut the foam off with a sharp kitchen knife.

Next tear off a little bit of moss & attach it to the top of the foam with hot glue. This moss is so fun!  I love, love, love it!!

Now it's time to paint both your dowel & your rectangle piece.  I chose a nice turquoise color.  I also cut a few inches off my dowel with scissors before painting, just cause it didn't need to be as long as it was or it would look weird in the end.

At this point, I hot glued my dowel to the back of my sign.  You could do this now, or wait until after you paint the chalkboard.

Apply painters tape around the edges of the sign to create the little turquoise border.  Then paint with chalkboard paint.  Paint one coat with brush strokes going in one direction.  Allow that to dry & then paint another coat with the brushstrokes going in the opposite direction.

Once dry, remove the painters tape.  Insert your dowel into the moss & floral foam in the center of the bucket.  And you're done!  You can remove the sign to write on it & then place it right back into the pail.

Check out Consumer Crafts today!  They really do offer a great selection of craft supplies at really great prices!  They also have an awesome blog, Crafts Unleashed.  And you can keep up with them through twitter, Facebook & Pinterest as well.

Also don't miss the Refer-A-Friend Contest they are currently running.  They are giving away $250 shopping sprees to 6 winners! 

I wrote this post as part of a paid campaign with Consumer Crafts and Blueprint Social.  The opinions in this post are my own.

DIY Painted Chevron Tote Bag

Hello Friends!  Today I am guest posting over at GingiberSnap & I'm showing you how to make this super, super cute painted chevron tote bag.  So be sure to pop over & check that out!

Sadie totally stole my bag to use as her school bag today.  Looks like I'm going to need to make some more of these!  She looked so cute.  As I watched her walk into school, I said to myself, "Dang!  That's a great bag!"  :)

And can someone please tell my kids to quit growing up so fast?  When did Claire get so tall?

Guest Post - Kiki Creates

Hi everyone! I am so happy to be here at Sparklepower today to share a fun little project with you while Candace is busy loving on her new little boy.

My name is Kiki from Kiki Creates, my little piece of blogland where I share projects, DIY, free printables and the inspiration where it all comes from. 

I, myself, have 3 little munchkins and am due with baby #4 in December, so you can probably imagine that I have baby on the brain!  One of my favorite things to take to a friend who has just had a baby is a jar full of treats..and not just treats for anytime but a jar of treats for those 4 a.m. wakeups that happen so often from the start with a newborn.  It takes just a few minutes to put together, but can give mommy OR daddy a little sweet treat for being up so early!

All it takes is a jar...you can buy one at the store or recycle an old jelly or pickle jar.  Pick out some special treats...and you can make it ANYTHING...if they don't like sweets try something else! Fill the jar:

And use the free downloadable tags I am giving you today to embellish it.  You can make it as simple as can be:

This one was simply printed on sticker paper:

Or as embellished as you would like:

On this one, I ruffled some streamers, ruffled some felt and sewed around the tag that I printed on paper. I made a strap for the jar from paper that has been punched on the sides.

Either way, you have a really fun and easy project to throw together to take to a friend who has just had a baby!

To download these free tags, go HERE.

Thanks, Candace, for having me!  Congrats on your new baby!

Guest Post - Skirt As Top

I couldn't believe it when Candace asked me to guest blog for her while she's on maternity leave. I've been blogging over at skirtastop for less than 6 months, but have been a follower of Sparkle Power! for about three times that long. I am so excited to share my pattern for a simple infant bib and some fun boyish appliqué templates with you today!

I'm a mostly self-taught, part-time working mama of two little ones, a 3 year old girl and a 9 month old boy, and I absolutely love to sew.  After learning on toddler skirts and dresses for my daughter, I wasn't sure what I would sew when I found out I was having a boy last summer.  I also come from a family of four girls, so the whole boy thing was very new to me!  I quickly discovered that it's just as fulfilling to sew for boys, since commercial clothes for little guys sometimes tend to be a bit...plain.  Knowing how to sew makes it very easy to do something about that!

My bib template works for young infants (spitup happens), but it's also big enough to work for older babies messily trying out solid food.  It's a quick bib to make, and a great use of scraps or fat quarters.  I've drawn an old timey handlebar moustache, paper plane, whale, and fox templates for you to trace and use.  Appliqué is great for livening up plain onesies, baby blankets, and burp cloths.  Baby boys deserve fun threads too!

DOWNLOAD THE FREE BIB PATTERN & BOY APPLIQUÉ TEMPLATES:

bib pattern

appliqué templates

MATERIALS:

Main fabric for front (quilting cotton or flannel works great)
Thicker absorbent fabric for back (I like using terry cloth/an old towel, or minky)
Coordinating fabric scrap for appliqué
Velcro or snaps
Double stick fusible web
Point turner, chopstick, or knitting needle
Bib pattern and appliqué templates (see links above)

STEP 1: Cut out bib template, trace shape onto main fabric on the fold (I traced mine onto cardboard since I use it so often).  Cut out the bib front.

STEP 2: Place bib front right sides together with backing fabric, pin, cut out the backing in the general shape of the front bib.  This allows for a little margin of error while sewing, since terry cloth tends to shift a little bit.  It's also quicker because you don't need to be as accurate while cutting out the backing.  Pin around the edges, marking a 2" opening to turn.

STEP 3: Sew together with a 3/8" seam allowance using the bib front as your guide, backstitching at the opening.

STEP 4: Trim seam allowance to 1/4", except at opening.  Clip into curves around neck line and bottom edges.

STEP 5: Turn rightside out, using your point turner to poke out the neck tabs completely.  Finger press, then press with an iron on the front side of the bib (terry-cloth and minky don't iron well).

STEP 6: Topstitch around the outer edge of the bib 1/8" from edge.

STEP 7: Sew on velcro.  Sew 1.5" of the fuzzy side on to the backing side of the left neck tab, and 1" of the scratchy side onto the front side of the right neck tab (or add snaps, if your little one is prone to compulsively ripping off their bib).

STEP 8: Trace your appliqué onto the fusible web paper.  Cut out the general shape.  Remove the backing paper, stick to the wrong side of your scrap, and cut out your shape (I have a pair of sewing scissors dedicated to this purpose).  Don't cut the inner lines of the paper plane.  They're provided to guide your stitching later.

STEP 9: Remove the other side of the paper backing, and place appliqué where you'd like it.  Iron it to fuse to the bib, then machine stitch close to the edge to secure, using whatever stitch you'd like (straight, zigzag, blanket, etc.).  The web prevents it from fraying, but if you use a straight stitch it will get a little fuzzy around the edge after a few trips through the wash.  I like that look.

STEP 10: Add details to the appliqué.  For the whale's eye, I use fabric marker, but it could also be embroidered.  Appliqué small scraps of the terry for the fox's face and tip of the tail.  Mark the paper plane's "folds" with disappearing fabric pen and use contrasting thread in your machine to stitch the detail.

STEP 11: Put a bib (or three) on your little fella, and enjoy the cuteness!

Thanks for having me, Candace!  I'm so happy for you to have a little guy of your very own - they are such fun.  Enjoy those wonderful newborn snuggles!

Guest Posting at Kiki Creates Today

I'm guest posting over at Kiki Creates today for 'Oh Baby' week!  Go check out my post on older sibling bags & free download for 'Big Sister' & 'Big Brother' buttons that you can make yourself!  :)

T-Shirt Nightgowns

The growing stack of adult size t-shirts in the donate pile has been staring at me.

So I turned some into summer night gowns for the girls.  My girls really love these nightgowns.  I think because they are super comfortable.

I love them because I think they are adorable, plus they save me money on pajamas.  I can't even tell you the last time I shopped for kids pajamas.  I just refuse to pay for them when I can make nightgowns, pajama pants & shorts for nothing.

Who needs Disney princess nightgowns when you've got these?!

Want to convert some of your old t-shirts into kids nightgowns?  Check out my tutorial here.

Clip On Dress Up Earrings Tutorial

I cannot take credit for this idea, but when I saw that a friend had made these dress up clip on earrings, I knew that my girls would totally love them.  These are going in little bags inside their stockings & I'm pretty sure they're going to flip out when they see them.  These are a really great last minute handmade gift idea.

So I'm going to show you how to make your very own for the little girls in your life that love all things dress up.

You are going to need some rhinestones, clip on earring bases (my package says 3/8" steel ear clip nickel), a glue gun & you may need a pair of wire cutters.

The only clip on earrings that I could find at my nearest Joanns craft store had a little loop on the front of them, which is used for attaching anything dangly like beads.  I didn't want any dangles so I cut them off with my wire cutters.

So now you just have to attach the rhinestone to the clip.  Open your clip on earring.  With your hot glue gun, just run a line of hot glue down the back of the rhinestone & place the front of the earring clip in the glue.  Hold it for a minute until the hot glue starts to dry.

And it's just that easy!  You've got a pair of fancy, sparkly earrings that any little girl would love.  How cute would these be made with vintage buttons?  You could really get creative.  And I even modeled a pair for you.  :)  Fun stuff!