SPOOK-tacular Frame...more dollar store decor w/YMH!

Hey y'all! I'm back again to share some more dollar store decor that is sure to dress up your home just right for Halloween! See, as most of ya know, Halloween is our favorite holiday here in the Beshear household. And, like a lot of crafters out there right now, I'm a crafter on a budget. This project I'm showing ya today cost me $1 buck...yep, just a dollar cause all I had to buy was the frame. So, I'm here to show you how to make the most of your goodies while getting the most bang for your buck...by using your scraps, shopping your local dollar tree & scoring some amazing deals at Your Memories Here! I've designed for YMH for over a year now & am so happy to do so. I love sharing how just a few products can really jazz up a project, as well as how to get the most out of things. Kristina, YMH owner, is absolutely fabulous & really does have some amazing bargains....so check them out HERE in the YMH Store!

Okay, so my little spooky project started out with a frame from my local dollar tree, just like last week's home decor project did. You can check that shabby Halloween frame out HERE. Then I started using some fun products like Tattered Angels stamps, mists & papers, as well as some Prima papers & a Donna Downey stamp...most of these items can be found RIGHT HERE in the YMH Store too. I'm tellin' y'all, one stop shopping rules...lol! This project is fab-u-lous for scraps. That's actually what I made it all out of too, which makes it even better. And you can make one too cause it is soooo easy....just grab you a frame, measure your papers, and embellish to your little heart's content. You can't go wrong with this project so don't be afraid to make it yours!

Supplies

Orange Patterned Paper/Tree & Spider Stamps/Glimmer Mists - Tattered Angels

(mists used: key lime, mimosa, sand, fall breeze, charcoal)

Black & Green Patterned Paper/Donna Downey Stamp/Recycled Packaging - Prima Marketing

Distress Ink - Tim Holtz (walnut stain)

Twine - The Twinery

Numbers - American Craft Thickers (rain boot font)

Flocked Letters - Dollar General

Sentiment Stamps - Studio G

Ink - Staz On

Patterned Paper - Authentique, Reminisce

Cardstock Stickers - Target

Dimensional Stickers - Wal Mart

Adhesive - Pop Dots, Aileen's Fast Grab Tacky Glue

Frame - Dollar Tree

So there you have it...easy & inexpensive, but totally cute, Halloween decor for the crafter on a budget. Now, what are you gonna make? I would love to see it! I'd also love it if you hopped on over to the YMH DT Blog for inspiration HERE & the YMH Store for terrific products HERE. And, do not forget that all month long we are having a Halloween link party at Paper Issues! It is so completely awesome & I hope you'll join us for your chance to be featured, or win a great mini kit from the Paper Issues store! Go HERE to link up your Halloween creations. Whew! This was kind of a long post, huh? Sorry about that, but thanks for hangin' in there with me! Make sure to check back for more Halloween/Fall projects comin' your way, plus a very special Guest Design Spot I can't wait to announce...until next time, Happy Craftin'!!

I'm also entering my altered frame into the following fun challenges/parties!

Paper Issues - Halloween Link Party (all month long!!)

PaperCrafting Journey - Die Cuts &/or Punches (i'm a GDT for this challenge...yay!)

Blue Cricket Design - Show & Tell Link Party

Inspire Me Fridays - Inspiration Link Party

Skip to My Lou - Made for You Monday Link Party

Lollipop Crafts - Critters (they're everywhere on my project!)

The Paper Variety - Include a Forest Friend (my cutie owl!)

All Things Thrifty - All Things Spooky Link Party

Delicious Doodles - Tales of the Unexpected

Fresh Brewed Designs - Pumpkins (got one or two on my frame!)

Fab n Funky - Die Cuts or Punches (lots of die cuts!)

Crafty Creations - Create a Crafty Decoration

Delightful Sketches - Make it Dimensional

PaperPlay - Autumn Colors

Dollar Decor w/Tattered Angels from YMH!

So good to see y'all again! I've been hiding away in my crafty cave trying to get an insane amount of projects done. Not only do I have my regular DT projects due, but also some GDT stuff & lots of Fall/Halloween home decor craftiness taking place. Seriously, you should see my craft room. It looks like a tornado & earthquake happened in there...at the same time. I will clean it though. Soon. Maybe. Anyway! I'm here today to share with you a super cheap, super cute & shabby Halloween home decor frame made with some awesome supplies from the Your Memories Here Store. First off, this project cost me $1. Yes, $1. I had everything on hand but the frame, which called my name when I was at my local Dollar Tree the other day. I instantly knew what I wanted to do with it.

I have a bunch of old, vintage books that I use for projects like this. I grabbed one, ripped out some pages with the binding still in tact, & cut out a pumpkin shape. I used my Tattered Angels Glimmer Glam (grab it HERE) and Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist (get that HERE) to give it some pretty orange sparkle & shimmer. I also put a few drops of charcoal glimmer mist in a ziploc baggie & added my ribbon. I smooshed it around & then pulled it out to dry. This is easiest way to "mist" your ribbons without getting mist everywhere. I cut my paper to fit the frame, found me a cutie stick & set to getting everything glued down. I also added that cute little Halloween tag...which I found in a pack at Target for $1. So maybe the project cost me $2...but technically I didn't buy the tag just for this frame so I'm not gonna count it. That's just how I roll...LOL!

Now, hop on over to the YMH Store HERE to grab some fabulous Tattered Angels goodies at amazing prices. And visit the YMH DT blog HERE for awesome inspiration. Plus, don't forget to check out the brand new linking party at Paper Issues...it's all about Halloween! You'll also have the chance to win some fun mini kits from the Paper Issues store & the party will last all month long RIGHT HERE...woo-hoo! Make sure to check back soon for a very special GDT post...until then, Happy Craftin'!

Supplies

Glimmer Mists/Glams - Tattered Angels (charcoal, mimosa, & copper kettle)

Patterned Paper - Tattered Angels

Frame - Dollar Tree

Halloween Tag - Target (check out their $1 spot...awesome stuff!)

Adhesives - Pop Dots, Aileen's Fast Grab Tacky Glue

Vintage Book/Button/Ribbon - Stash

Stick - Outside (seriously, go outside & grab some stuff...see what ya can create!)

I'm also entering my home decor project into the following challenges!

Paper Issues - Halloween

Lollipop Crafts - Halloween

 Stamp, Scrap & Doodle - Anything But a Card

Inspire Me Fridays - Inspiration Link Party

Blue Cricket Design - Show & Tell Link Party

Really Reasonable Ribbon - Halloween

Creative Inspirations - Buttons

Wedding Shadowbox w/Your Memories Here

Whew! I am plum tuckered out after a long weekend...after both a graduation party & wedding, plus a movie date with my mommy in law before she headed to New York for work, I am posting this late so please forgive me! A busy weekend, but full of fun! So, I am back again this week with another frame for Your Memories Here...except this one is a shadow box & was quite the undertaking for me. However, I love how it turned out & I hope the bride & groom from Saturday night's wedding love it as well, because that's to whom it was given!!

Supplies

Patterned Background Paper/Mini Roses - Prima

Cardstock & Script Paper - The Paper Studio

Shadow Box Frame - Michael's (actually a t-shirt frame & LO's fit perfectly!)

Black & Gray Flowers - Recollections

White Silk Flowers - Michael's

Leaves - Wilton

Stickles - Ranger

Distress Ink - Tim Holtz (walnut stain)

Adhesive Rhinestone Swirls - Joleene's

Adhesive Die Cut Scallop Border - Echo Park (for the record kit)

Adhesive - Glue Glider Pro, Aileen's Fast Grab Tacky Glue, Scotch Double Sided Tape
Vintage Metal Button - Stash

I absolutely adore Prima products & they were just perfect for this frame! I loved the gorgeous paper & the mini roses are so fabulous. You can get plenty of beautiful Prima products RIGHT HERE at the YMH Store so make sure to visit! The inspiration for this frame came from one I seen at Michael's. And if I can say so myself, I don't think theirs was as nice, plus they wanted $20 for it! I decided to create my own version & am so glad I did! And those cute little spiral green stems you see as accents? Those are simply the wire stems from the Prima roses! Yep, just cut them off, curl them around a pencil, stretch out a little bit, & adhere with some strong, fast drying glue. I really like the realistic look they give to the flowers, don't you? By the way, those cute rhinestone swirls, they are a new product from Joleene's I believe, well at least new to my Michael's, & are very dimensional & made out of resin, or something similar. Love that they were adhesive too. Very cool.

I had so much fun creating this frame for the YMH DT & for our friends...I can't wait to see what photo they add to the shadow box from their amazing & gorgeous wedding! Thanks so much for stopping by to visit me again today & I hope you check out the YMH Store. There are always fab products at amazing prices up for grabs, with wonderful shipping too! And don't forget about the YMH DT Inspiration Blog...we'd love to have you come take a peek at what we've been up to. I am blessed to be on such a talented DT because those other gals' projects are so amazing! I'll be back soon with another fun project & until then, lots of hugs, blessings, and Happy Craftin'!

I'm also entering my shadow box into the following fab challenges!
Catered Crop - FTR#12 (red, brown, ink, die cut scallop border)
If the Shoe Fits - Black, White & a Splash of Red
My Graffico - Anything Goes

Paper Issues - Summertime (summer wedding, flowers!)
Top Tip Tuesday - Flower Frenzy
Penny's - Anything Goes
Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
Cupcake Craft - In the Garden

Goodwill Power of Work Blog Hop + an Altered Frame for YMH & Blog Candy!

Welcome to Goodwill “Power of Work” Blog Hop! You should've arrived here from Madison's blog, Funky Cards. If not, go to the first blog in the hop - Dalis at Stamper Girl! The first week of May is “the power of work” week for Goodwill, we want to end this week with a BANG. I want you ladies (and gents) to get inspired by items you find in a Goodwill store (or a store like it). Think of vintage clothing, laces, buttons, children’s table games, puzzles, old magazines or books. Goodwill has helped thousands of families and gave them the chance of a new beginning. To learn more about Goodwill and their efforts to help your community please visit them  HERE.

Our challenge to you is to use a Goodwill find in your project. Think of all the possibilities - it could be an altered item or some buttons or fabric from a vintage shirt. Through out the blog hop you will find fabulous inspiration from all those joining in the fun. What are the prizes you might ask? How about a $20 Gift Certificate from Cropstop.com AND 2 Cutting files or Digital Stamps by Paper Crafting World AND Emma Aguilar from My Creative Time with Emma has donated the “Just a Little Note” stamp set!  In addition to that, some of the ladies along the hop have some giveaways too!  And that’s not all - use code CTAA-01 for a 10% off your purchases from Cropstop.com.

You have 2 ways to get your name into the winning pot:
1. Leave a comment at every stop of the blog hop (12 stops = 12 comments), then GO BACK to Stamper Girl's Blog HERE and leave your NAME in MR. LINKY.
2. Leave a comment at every stop of the blog hop (12 stops = 12 comments) AND play with us with our Goodwill challenge. GO BACK to Stamper Girl's Blog HERE and leave your NAME (and the word "PROJECT") in MR. Linky. If you don’t have a Goodwill store near you, then try another store like Goodwill. This gives YOU 2 CHANCES TO WIN & You have until MONDAY to join in by commenting, creating, or BOTH!

Now, onto my project, a fabulous Goodwill find that is also doubling as my Your Memories Here DT project this week! I discovered a plain, brand new, ready to alter frame at the store for 99 cents...yep, 99 cents compared to the the $4 bucks it is at the craft store. I also found a brand new, unopened package of Wilton wedding style silk leaves for 27 cents! Woo-hoo! All other items I had on hand so not only was this project super duper cheap, it was super duper easy & turned out really cute...I just love it!! However, if you want to get this yummy paper for yourself, check out the YMH Store HERE! But not only does the YMH Store carry all things Prima, but also Tattered Angels products (such as the mist I used), Imaginisce goodies and much, much more!! Ya know, like the Cosmo Cricket yummies I love so dearly...hehehe!!

After painting the edges of the frame with some black craft paint, I Mod Podged a gorgeous piece of Prima paper to the surface. While that dried I spritzed some white silk flowers with some Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Vintage Rose. I absolutely love how the flowers turned out. Now, my flowers were on hand but the Goodwill does carry silk flowers too so make sure to check there first!

After the flowers & frame were dry, I hot glued the roses & some leaves to the frame. I cut some of the green wire off the flower/leaves stems, curled them around the pencil & added them with hot glue for more dimension. I finished off by drawing some swirls on the frame & using my Imaginisce irock tool to adhere the pink glimmer studs. If you don't have one of these, you must get one! I absolutely love mine! I just recently got it & this was my first time using it but it was so easy & the result was fabulous. I cannot rave enough about this product!

I haven't yet added a photo to the frame since I am still deciding on one. However, the mat I threw in there for now is simply the backside of the same Prima paper. So you can use 1 full size sheet of a pretty 12x12 paper & that's all you'll need!! Now, I must admit that while I was at the Goodwill, I not only picked up my craft supplies but also some books & a cool retro desk fan for our kiddo. It is a great place to shop around for great finds...just think of it as upcycle heaven! Also, I would love to share with you that Goodwill shares a special place in my heart. Where I live, they have a training center & employ those with various physical & mental disabilities. My little sister, who passed away nearly 11 years ago, was both physically & mentally challenged, and the most wonderful, compassionate & beautiful human being you could ever hope to meet. They trained her, she worked there for years, and she loved it. It was a wonderful place that does wonderful things for people from all walks of life. So please, support your local Goodwill...not only are you supporting those in need, you are supporting jobs & your community!

Now, back to the hop!! The next gal on the list you need to visit is the wonderful Melin at PaperCrafting World! Hop over there to continue the journey & don't forget to leave a comment on everyone's blog. If you need a little help, or get lost along the way, here is the full Power of Work Blog Hop list to help you along!

Blog Hop Linky List

1. Dalis - Stamper Girl 

2. Gaby - Gaby Creates 

 3. Maria Elena - Maria Elena World 

 4. Madison - Funky Cards 

 5. Crystal (THAT'S ME!) 

6.  Melin - PaperCrafting World 

 7. Helen - Helen's Craft Haven 

 8. Christel - One Scrappin' Sista 

 9. Roberta - Texas Scrapper Mom 

10. Vicki - Validation of Vicki 

11. Heidi - Heidi's Happy Stamping 

12. Michelle - Inspiration Blooms

And now for MY blog candy...yay! I am offering up a couple of mini scrap books/albums to be altered that are NIP Studio K &  Basic Grey! They are either ready for some fun photos or add your own personal charm to them with papers & fun embellishments. Either way, these two books are cuties! All you need to do in order to be eligible for my blog candy is become a follower (if you already are...yay me!) & leave me a comment. That's it...no jumpin' through hoops on this gal's blog...LOL! I hope you decide to play along with the challenge (and visit the YMH Store or DT Inspiration Blog) so I can see what you create but first, let's get to hoppin' y'all!!

DIY Be Merry Sign!

Happy Sunday y'all! Did you make through Thanksgiving without gaining 10lbs? I don't think I did...lol! But now that Thanksgiving has passed & we have all lived through another Black Friday to tell about it, that means Christmas is upon us! Woo-Hoo! I am soooo psyched for Christmas this year, probably since I have more time than ever before to really focus on the holiday. And since I have some more time on my hands, I figured I would whip up a little Christmas cheer with an easy to craft (you can find most of the products in the Your Memories Here Store!) sign & share it with y'all!

This little sign, believe it or not, was a mere dusty leftover cabinet door sitting in the garage until a few days ago! I simply dug it out, unscrewed the handle & hinges, and then spray painted it black everywhere but where I knew my paper would be. After it was completely dry, I Mod Podged this beautiful diecut piece of Prima paper (which I had used black ink on to distress the edges) to the board. Next, I used some Prima crystals to outline the bird & a swirl to define a branch. Then, I used some black Tattered Angels cardstock (from the Spooky Findings kit) & my Cricut to cut the phrase. I used some silver ribbon to tie on some vintage jingle bells & then hot glued some black ribbon to hang it up with. I added a vintage black button to the center of the bow & for the finishing touch, spritzed it with some Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Pearl for a lovely, subtle shimmer. I just loved how it turned out!!

So, do you have some old boards or cabinets lying around your house? If so, dust them & create a simple but fun Christmas sign. It's so easy & will add the perfect touch to your holiday themed decor! And, if you want some fabulous holiday inspiration, make sure to check out the Your Memories Here DT blog!!

Make sure to visit the Your Memories Here Store for all your crafty needs...right now there is a fabulous clearance sale going on plus some awesome holiday/winter themed products you'll love! You can even add some of them onto your Christmas list! Until next time, Happy Craftin'!!

I'm also linking my crafty holiday decor up to some linking parties that rock...so check them out!

TELL ME TUESDAY @ VINTAGE POLLYANNA

Love Deeply - Vintage Framed Quote

Happy Sunday everyone! Hope everyone is having a fab weekend...me, I am planning on watching some football with the hubby today & enjoy the fall weather that has finally found its way to our area! I also want to share with you my crafty little project for this week featuring some Prima, Tattered Angels, & SEI products that can all be found in the Your Memories Here Store!

I have this lovely vintage frame a friend gave me & I try to do something different with it for each season. (you can click here to see the design i did for spring.) For fall, I decided to focus on some blues, greens & browns & this beautiful quote in my stamp stash that I adore. I love this quote because it reflects the love that my family shares & our belief that in our home, love can heal all things. All of the paper I used is by SEI, except the green scallop edged paper which is left over Prima packaging...I love re-using my packaging - especially Prima's since it is always so gorgeous! I used my Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist on the entire project & it all has such a lovely shimmer to it, especially the butterfly which I sprayed with some Pearl Glimmer Mist.

The butterfly is probably my fav detail on this project & it is a gorgeous Prima stamp that I double stamped, cut out, & pop dotted for a great 3-D effect. The ribbon, crystals, pearls, leaves & roses are also all by Prima. For the curly vines on the roses, I simply snipped off the wire from each flower & wound it around a pencil. Then, I tugged on it gently to give it some length & adhered with some Aileen's Fast Grab Tacky Glue...which is amazing! The ribbon was a cream color, but I just used my Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist to make it fit my project...which is why I am crazy in love with my glimmer mist. I can use it on products I already have to suit what my needs are vs. always buying new products. How cool is that?! I also used some rub on butteflies in my stash to finish up the project..they seemed to add the right finishing touch!

Thanks so much for taking the time out to check out my project - and hanging with me through a lengthy post since I can get pretty wordy at times! LOL! Also, please make sure to check out the YMH Store for all your crafty shopping needs! There really are some fabulous items there at very amazing prices...plus some new items are in stock & they are super fun! Happy Scrappin'!

BOO-tiful Inspiration...

Hello everyone! Hope all you crafty peeps are having a fab holiday weekend! And for those of you who are crafting this weekend, maybe I can inspire you to get a jump start on your Halloween projects...yes, I said Halloween! Lately, I have been seeing the cutest little cards, layouts & projects popping up everywhere & I was completely inspired to start getting ready myself using some products from the Your Memories Here Store...especially since Halloween is my very fav holiday!

The whole concept of this candy wrapper centered around this adorable haunted house Snag 'Em stamp that you can pick up HERE at the YMH Store. Love this stamp so much! I then made sure to use profuse amounts of Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in pearl on the crepe paper ruffles I made & some cute purple, black, & orange Prima flowers that you can also snag in the YMH Store!

Other products used were patterned paper by The Paper Studio, DCWV, & Miss Elizabeth; cardstock is Bazzill; ink is Staz On & StampCraft; sentiment is Stampin' Up!; brads by Making Memories; Stickles by Ranger; and ribbon & pop dots from my stash. I am also proud to say that every single bit of paper for this project was from scraps! Woo-Hoo! Nothing like using up your stash!

Thanks so much for checking out my little project this weekend & I can't wait to see all of your boo-tiful creations! Now, if I can just resist eating the chocolate that is in the candy wrapper it'll be a miracle! Happy Craftin'!

Summer Fun with Happy Crabby & 2 Cute Rubber Stamps!

Hey y'all! Long time no see! LOL! Sorry I haven't been around much the past week or so; we've had a lot of stuff going on. Let's see, I lost my job of five years, our fur baby has cancer, our cousin is visiting us from out of state for a few weeks, and I just got rid of a wicked eye infection. Ya know, it is kinda hard to scrap without two good eyes! LOL!! But seriously, thanks for your patience and if you want to send a prayer my family's way, we would certainly appreciate it! Anyway, let's get on to the good stuff!

This is probably my very fav stamp from 2 Cute Rubber Stamps! Happy Crabby is so darn cute and he just screams summer to me! I have many more plans for him this summer besides the card I already featured (and will be published next month!!) and this cutie pie altered notebook! So, I had this notebook from Dollar Tree I had picked up awhile back and decide to convert it into something cute to hold some summer memories! Perfect for catching the day to day stuff and the big happenings...especially when it comes to remembering the details for scrapbooking later on!

I started by grabbing some black spray paint from Ace Hardware (this stuff is fantastic!) and coating the front & back cover of my notebook, as well as the binding. I colored my Happy Crabby 2 Cute Rubber Stamp using my Prisma pencils & a couple Copic Atyou Spica Glitter Pens. The patterned paper is by Creative Memories & Basic Grey, and the cardstock is by The Paper Temptress (absolutely fabulous paper! love it!) & Creative Memories. The ribbon is by SU, the adhesive badge is AC, and the sentiments are stamps from Target's $1 bin! I used Staz On ink for stamping & Stamp Craft ink for distressing. The red & blue ribbons are from my stash, as are the little yellow dew drops!

I hope you like my little card and I hope you take the time to hop on over to the 2 Cute Rubber Stamps Design Team site! The DT is super talented and there are so many cute projects to give you some great inspiration! Don't forget to check out the 2 Cute Rubber Stamps store too so you can grab your own Happy Crabby! Happy Craftin'!

I am also entering my little notebook into a couple of challenges!

Paper Sundaes - Summer Fun
Pile It On - Quirky (altered a notebook w/spray paint!)
Etsy Inspired Challenge - howbeadyful, #91 (inspired by red & turqoise bobby pins!)
Stampin' Royalty - Photo Inspiration (i used the bright colors & summery feel to inspire me!)
Stamp Something - Digi Stamp
Stampin' for the Weekend - Summer/Travel Themed
Crazy Challenge - Distress It

DIY Rockin' Mod Podge Coasters (They're Up-Cycled Too!)

Hey y'all! I am back again with another DIY project for you to try that is super easy, uber cool, and so cheap, it's practically free! Can't be that, huh?! For those of you that may not know, I am a huge addict of the Mod Podge Rocks site. Amy is absolutely fabulous and the inspiration over there is phenomenal! You must check it out...from furniture redo's to scrapbook LO's there is something for everyone!

I had seen several different crafty peeps make some DIY tile coasters & I have loved how they all turned out...so, I decided to try it myself! We have a sunroom that I am currently in the process of revamping. It should be noted that it doubles as a music room...my hubby plays bass & our son plays drums, bass, guitar, & trumpet. Not only are the hills alive with the sound of music, but so is my house...and the neighbor's! So, these coasters needed to be cool and functional....which is where this wicked cool rock 'n' roll scrapbook paper by DCWV (that I had secretly been hoarding for about 2 years) came in to play.

All you need is some tiles...any kind will do. Ours were leftover in our garage from a kitchen remodel so I snagged a few. I sanded them up a little bit so everything would adhere a little better and then painted the sides black. I tried two methods for this...spray paint & acryllic paint, both I had on hand. I have to say while the spray paint was definitely quicker, the acryllic paint was less messy and offered a little better coverage. Both of them took about the same time to dry. Next, I cut my paper to size, slapped on some Mod Podge (always make sure to smooth out any bubbles!) and gave it a couple extra coats (with drying time in between) to make sure it would be good and waterproof. After they were dry, I added some little felt feet to the bottom so they wouldn't scratch the surface of whatever table they were on! Easy peasy, my peeps! Especially since I had all of this stuff already on hand, and more than likely, you do too!

Now, run right on over to Mod Podge Rocks and be inspired by some very crafty creations from both Amy & some other creative bloggers! I am tellin' ya, you won't regret it! If I don't check this site out at least once a day, I feel like I am not complete! LOL! And, I am also linking this lil' project up to some totally cool DIY sites...check them out too if you would like! Be back soon with my furniture revamps for the same room in a day or two! Happy Craftin'!

Super Cute & Super Easy Green Apple Hand Scrub!

Hey y'all! I have been meaning to post these for the past week...but, well, you know how things go sometimes! These are the little creations that I whipped up for Mother's Day gifts last weekend and I just love how they turned out! I wanted to make sure I shared them with you because not only are they super easy, but are adorable when decorated, budget friendly, you get the chance to recycle something (yay!) & who doesn't love to get a hand crafted gift?!

First, I must say that while I totally wish the idea was completely mine, it wasn't. I found the most amazing tutorial for the hand scrub at The Gaines Gang. It was such a simple recipe that I knew I wanted to try it out myself & I knew I could put my own personal spin on the whole thing, too. I just want to say thanks to Kate for posting such an awesome tutorial and having a wonderful blog as well!

So, you are going to need two ingredients for these bad boys...sugar and dish soap. Yep, that's it! Well, at least when it comes to the hand scrub part. You are also gonna need some glass jars, scrapbook paper, something to cut your shapes with, spray paint or craft paint, some strong adhesive, ribbon, jute, & a pen. Most of this you will already have around the house, which is were the super budget friendly part of this cutie pie gift comes in! I keep all my glass jars...yes, all of them. From pasta sauce to jelly jars, which is what I used above, they are in my cabinets. Thank God I have an understanding hubby when it comes to me never wanting to throw away anything! These little jars were Smucker's jelly jars in a former life and are the perfect size. I simply spraypainted the lid to give it a finished look (i love the ace hardware premium enamel spray paint - it has great coverage and dries super quick!) and made sure no gunk or label remained on the outside. You want these puppies clean!!

Next, I used some shabby crochet-type ribbon from my stash (it was originally from the dollar tree) and used Aileen's Fast Grab Tacky Glue to adhere it directly to the jar. I cut a scallop circle and plain circle using my Cricut & Mini Monograms cartridge. I used the Home Accents cart for the apple, which I then embossed using the Cuttlebug Divine Swirls & Swiss Dots folders. The black cardstock is The Paper Temptress (love, love, love embossing this paper...so fabulous!), the pink paper is American Crafts, & the patterned paper is from the Recollections Summer Flower collection. I love this paper and it's beautifully shabby chic look! And, the last I checked, they have it at Michael's for 2 for a $1...definitely a bargain! I used some pop dots to give the apple some dimension, and I also inked the edges of all the papers with Stamp Craft black ink to add a little more shabbiness. After adding the title to the tag, I tied some jute (dollar tree as well and this stuff lasts forever!) around the top to complete the look.

Now, on to the hand scrub. Simply pour approximately 2/3 of jar full of ordinary sugar and then add your dish soap. I used some nice green apple scented soap that would be gentle on the skin and have a wonderful aroma while exfoliating. I also loved the pink grapefruit scent and will be making some of that in the near future! While I definitely wouldn't use anything harsh, such as a dish soap with bleach, my son asked me to make these for his teacher's when Christmas comes around again. For them, I believe I will find a nice antibacterial soap to kill a few more germs in the classroom! And, this is definitely a kid friendly project! My son had a blast mixing and adding more soap and sugar as needed, which is what you will probably need to do in order to come to the right consistency...which will be like paste, not too thick and not too thin. I did find however, that you will have to stir these little scrubs every so often to keep it mixed up well. I wanted to add some vintage baby spoons tied to the jar for that purpose, and to scoop out the scrub, but didn't have a chance to get to the thrift store before Mother's Day arrived. Will make sure to do that next time though!

Whew! This was definitely a longer post than I thought it would be! If you hung around with me for this long, you are a dear! Thanks so much for taking the time to read my post and I would love to know if you decide to make your own hand scrub! And, let me know if you do! I would love to see what design you come up with and how you make it unique! I will be back in a few more days with a yummy post...a little something I whipped up for teacher's presents. Lord knows they all deserve a medal after putting up with my teenage terror throughout the year! LOL! Happy Scrappin'!

And, I am also linking my lil' project up to some very cool DIY sites below! Make sure to check them all out and be totally inspired!