How to make your own custom rubber stamps

I have always wanted a chevron stamp. Who doesn't these days right?? But the only one I could find was by Tori Spelling and was like $50. (Ill admit though, I make no apologies, I do love me some Tori)

So after seeing a few blogs on it like this one here from my ALL-TIME-FAVORITE- BLOG-I-READ-EVERY-SINGLE-DAY. I ordered a speedy carve block on amazon and my sister happened to have the carving tool set i needed. You can take any image (off the web, a magazine, a logo) and turn it into a stamp! For my chevron one I:

1. Traced some chevron fabric I had onto plain old printer paper (with a pencil, that's the important part)

You could use a printed image or anything else.

For this one I found this image online and then just altered it a little:

2. Place the paper on your carve block, image side down.

3.Rub over the image with a flat surface like a debit card.

4. Remove the image and you will have the penciled image now on the rubber.

5. Trace your image with a permanent marker or pen so it doesn't rub off while you carve.

6. Carve out the parts you want to be the 'negative space' on the paper.

7. Carve some more

8. Carve a little more

9. It will take a few practice stamps to see where you need to carve a little more. 

10. Stamp beautiful things!!

I have gone a little crazy with my few favorite images and am in need of making a few new ones.

Ive done some on paper with a stamp pad, but mostly on fabric mixing acrylic paint and textile medium.(Theres not much of a fabric paint selection in our little town. neons and puffy paint mostly, so I just get the textile medium to mix with ANY of the beautiful colors that come in acrylics! You just follow the t.m instructions, and heat set it after. 

Here are my favorite projects Ive done lately:

These directors chairs were my first project with the anchor.

Redid the curtains in my laundry room

This coffee table turned chevron bench.
Take that expensive chevron fabric!!!

Some chevron flour sack dish towels.

my price tags


Now go stamp on! I want to see some projects people:)

Rock a bye baby

The girls have wanted a baby cradle for their dolls for as long as i can remember. We got them a doll bunk bed a few christmas ago, but the cheapo plasic thing was finally breaking down. 

I got this cradle a few days ago and didnt tell the girls about it until i redid it. They were soooo excited:)  Here it is before:

I added a little embelishment to pretty it up and then Emma and I applied a good coat of gray chalk paint. And that was it!

Then of course I had to make some blankies and a piilow for the babies:)

I have some vintage fabric Ive been collecting. I love it so much that I keep 'saving' it. So I think this was the perfect project to use a little. Im made Macie the stripe/flower one and Emma picked out her butterfly/damask one:) The pillow I just traced a crown off this french graphics site and then sewed the pillow. Macie wanted a crown sign I had made, so she was pleasently surprised with the pillow. 

shhhhh, the babies are sleeping.................

DIY Heat packs for the babes

Who doesn’t love to be comforted when not feeling well? My girls have always been big on ice packs when they are not feeling well. Any owie needs an icepack in this house. 

Bump your tooth? You're going to need an icepack.

 Bonked your head? Your going to need an icepack.

 Didn't get that toy you wanted? You're going to need an icepack.:) 

 So I thought it would be fun to have a warm pack too.  For belly aches, head aches or any other aches. I made these rice packs for the girls last week and now they want some HUGE ones to warm their whole bodies. 

Just stick them in the microwave for 60 seconds and you feel better.

Taking this picture made me realize I need to clean my microwave:)

Now, go, get your ice or heat pack and feel batter!

Macie Grace is turning 6!!

I cant believe our little girl is 6 this week!!!! Where did the time go?!! I remember bringing her home from the hospital, her first bath, her little badger baby cooing sounds, cuddling her up in her blankies….oh the memories.

I know, even though I say I don’t, I like to have my birthday be MY day. Brandon and the girls make my meals, get me things, do whatever they can to make it MY special day. So I want the same for the girls. I want them to remember their birthdays as special days. I want there to be traditions they look forward to and cherish. This year are in Vegas away from most of our friends and family, so I don’t want Macies mind to be on that. We are having a little party with just us and her grandparents ( thank goodness for them), but we are going all out. Well, $20 all out. No, really! I am challenging myself to only spend $20, but make it big. I have so many supplies already and so many ideas floating around in my head (and on my pinterest board) So, I'm going with the motto: “why buy, when I can make” Now on the third hour of making the giant ‘6’ pinata I was seriously questioning this motto, but I forged on. I have made a bunting banner, a pinata, tissue paper flowers, cake stands, cupcake flags, painted trays and frames and still have lots to do. Brandon is also making a slideshow to music to show at her dinner. She chose hamburgers, hot dogs and fries as her bday dinner. I cannot wait for Wednesday and to show you all the pictures of the result. I want to show how much you can make without the party store. I think homemade is way nicer looking too. I'm also hand making some gifts for her. A quilt, a mermaid costume for her doll, a chair and a birthday tshirt. Here is the shirt for her to wear on her birthday to school.

Who wouldn’t want to wear a giant number shirt???? Well, I guess at a certain age you wouldn’t, huh? Please no one make me a giant 3-0 shirt in 18 months. I may cry. But, 6 is cool.

We also made cookies for her class tomorrow and cupcakes for the party.

Heres a couple sneak peaks at her bday preparations. Ill be back in a few days to show the party.....cant wait!!!

You getting the color theme here?

Happy Birthday tomorrow baby girl!!!

The beginning of Macies fashion line....watch out Project Runway

My girls, like most I'm sure are obsessed with their baby dolls. They take them to the store, the park, the daycare(me) anywhere we will let them. Macie has been wanting me to make hers some 'fashioning"(her word, not mine.) So yesterday, I got out some old baby clothes I keep saying I'm going to make another quilt out of, and thought I could redo some of them. That way, they actually look somewhat like clothes:)

So I got the stuff out, got in the mood for sewing...and my machine kept jamming. Me and sewing machines....we don't get along:)

So, we got out the hot glue gun and made this for the time being. Macie was oh so thrilled with it.

More to come from Macies baby 'fashioning' line:) The sewing machine and I are going to have a talk today......