Paper Doughnut Valentine’s (with free printables)

February 12, 2015 | Posted by Chelsey

Yesterday I shared my Chocolate Kisses rings, for Valentines, and today I have some Paper Doughnut Valentine’s! Since the kiddo is in preschool, there are lots of kids that come throughout the week, so I made a couple different Valentines for the class.

These doughnuts are so cute! Just print them out, cut them out, and add a treat before you glue together. It took me about 5 minutes to assemble each of these Valentines, not that bad. Another great thing: they aren’t that bad for you. Low calorie!

Supplies:

card stock paper
scissors
hot glue sticks and hot glue gun
ribbon
hole punch
a Valentine treat
free printable doughnut (top and bottom)
free printable tag

Directions:

STEP 1:
Print out the top and bottom printables for the doughnuts. Use your scissors to cut them out.

STEP 2:
Fold the flaps on the doughnuts.

STEP 3:
Use the hot glue to glue the bottom of the doughnut. The flaps should glue inside of the doughnut side/circle.

STEP 4:

Use the hole punch to put a hole in one side of the doughnut. Cut a section of ribbon, tie a knot in it, and push the tied ribbon into the hole.

STEP 5:
Add the treat to the doughnut, then glue on the glazed doughnut top.

STEP 6:

Optional: Print out the “You’re a treat!” tags, and glue onto the doughnut ribbon.

Aren’t they cute? They are so gluten free… hee. These would be cute for more than just a Valentine’s treat. These would be super cute birthday favors!

– Chelsey

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Chocolate Kisses Valentine’s Rings (and a free printable)!

February 11, 2015 | Posted by Chelsey

It’s another year, and another Valentine’s Day for the kiddo. She gets to bring treats to school to share with her friends (super exciting for a 5-year-old). She loves dress up jewelry (and chocolate), so that’s why we came up with these Chocolate Kisses Valentine’s Rings. They are so so easy to make. I made 16 in an hour, plus they are inexpensive… and oh so fashionable.

Supplies:

two pipe cleaners for each ring
chocolate Hershey kisses (one for each ring)
printer paper
free “You’re a gem!” Printable
wire cutters
ribbon
scissors

Directions:

STEP 1:
Grab two pipe cleaners and twist them in the center.

STEP 2:
Place the twisted pipe cleaner on the center of the bottom of the chocolate kiss. Bring the pipe cleaner over to the top tip of the kiss, and twist to secure.

STEP 3:
Size the ring on your finger ( I used my pinkie since this is for kids) and wrap a loop under and over your fingers, and wrap the extra pipe cleaner über the chocolate kiss.

STEP 4:
Print out the “You’re a gem” Valentine’s tags. Cut them out, punch a hole in the corner, and tie the tag onto the ring with the ribbon.

Since there are 5 billion kids in my kiddo’s preschool… and they are celebrating the day Thursday AND Friday, I’m sharing another very cute free printable Valentine. Come back tomorrow. I love it.

– Chelsey

2 Comments

Tags: kid craft, valentines

Categories: diy, Holiday - Valentine's Day

Hand Stamped Citrus Wall DIY

January 15, 2015 | Posted by Chelsey

Over the summer my husband and I gave one wall in our kitchen a makeover. Our home is lacking in the storage department, so we created a mini pantry in the tiniest nook in our kitchen (with the help of Home Depot). It turned out perfect and added some much needed storage for pantry items we use daily. We also managed to fit 3 small cupboards above the pantry shelves to store any items we use less often.

In addition to the extra storage the new addition has made the space lovely and added a bunch of color to the room. I smile each time I see it. My favorite part is the new Citrus Stamped Wall painted wall behind the shelving. I was originally inspired by this citrus stamped wall on the A Beautiful Mess blog and I wanted to create my own version in my home. I made the stamps out of insulation foam using an X-acto knife, a dremel, and using a citrus illustration as a template.

Note: if you want to see our mini pantry DIY head on over to the Home Depot Blog to check out the full DIY.

Supplies:

insulation foam (there are smaller sizes at Home Depot)
x-acto knife
mask
pen
Citrus Stamp Printables
optional: Dremel
two orange paint colors (one light colored orange, and one darker orange)
one green paint color (one green of your choice)

Directions:

STEP 1:
Print out the free printables I provided.
Note: if you’d like the citrus to be smaller adjust the scale before you print.

STEP 2:

Place one citrus shape over the foam, and trace it with a pen. This will hopefully leave an indent in the foam. Remove the paper and trace the indents with your pen (so they are easier to see).

STEP 3:
Let’s start making that stamp! I used a combination of an X-acto knfe and Dremel to make mine. You don’t have to have a Dremel, but it really helped me. You’ll be cutting out any white space from the printable.

Repeat the above step for the remaining stamps.
When you’re done making the stamps, use the X-acto knife to cut a few lines into the stamp shape. This helps prevent the stamp from suctioning onto the wall when it’s wet with paint.

Side note: You don’t have to use all of the stamps, I didn’t. It all depends on your taste.

STEP 4:
Start with the solid full orange and sliced orange stamps (using the lighter orange color). Let them dry completely.

STEP 5:
Use the darker orange to stamp the orange outline.

STEP 6:
Use the green paint to stamp the leaves.

You’re done! Enjoy your hand stamped citrus wall.

– Chelsey

I was not paid for this post, but I was provided with store credit to create our mini pantry. Head on over to the Home Depot Blog to check out the full Mini Pantry DIY.

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Tags: home depot, printable

Categories: diy, For The Kitchen, paper mama house

Day 42: Stenciled Kitchen Towels DIY

December 9, 2014 | Posted by Melissa Bahen

Day 42: Stenciled Kitchen Towels

I love the holiday season for lots of reasons. One of them is that it gives me the chance to make all kinds of things: decorations, treats, and, of course, really awesome handmade gifts. Gifts that are easy to make and look really great are a bonus. I made these cute, graphic stenciled kitchen towels for an annual gift swap my friend throws every year. The party’s coming up next weekend, and I’m so excited to finally give these cute towels to some lucky friend! Want to make your own set? Here’s how…

Supplies:

clean, blank kitchen towels
freezer paper
scissors or an exacto knife (or a super cool, fancy paper-cutting machine)
an iron
matte black fabric paint
a sponge brush

Directions:

There are a couple of ways to get your freezer paper stencil ready. I used my magical paper cutting machine to cut out a big “EAT” and a big knife, fork, and spoon on pieces of freezer paper. If you don’t have a paper cutting machine, you can print out a big “EAT” and a big knife, fork, and spoon on pieces of regular printer paper, trace them onto your freezer paper, and cut them out with scissors or an exacto knife. The thing you need to keep in mind is that you are making a stencil. The insides of the letters that you’re cutting out are going in the garbage. You want the outside of the letters, so cut carefully! (You can download the EAT print HERE, and the knife, fork, and spoon print HERE.)
With the iron set to high and the steam shut off, iron the freezer paper stencil onto the kitchen towel with the shiny side of the paper face down. It’ll stick!
Carefully fill in the letters with black paint. Don’t glop the paint on, but make sure you fill each letter in completely.
Allow the paint to dry, then peel the freezer paper stencil off the towel and discard it.
Allow the paint to dry for at least 24 hours, then cover the painted area with a clean cloth or pillow case, and iron it again. This will set the paint so that the towels can be washed and dried.

If you’d like to see the other 50 DIY Days of Holiday Crafts, check out this link.

– Melissa, Lulu The Baker

P.S. This is the 4th year for my 50 DIY Days. If you would like to check out the past projects, you can click on these links (sorry for any broken links, it’s hard to keep up to date with all the posts… always a work in progress): 2011 // 2012 // 2013!

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Tags: gift, paint

Categories: 50 DIY Days, diy, For The Kitchen

Day 39: Mini Paper Flower Bouquet

December 3, 2014 | Posted by Chelsey

Day 39: Mini Paper Flower Bouquet

Well, this project will be put on my list of favorite projects I’ve made (for the HP Create blog). These little vellum paper flowers are extremely easy to make. There’s no pattern to worry about, you just freehand cut and go to town. I put the flowers on little pipe cleaners and made little bouquets. How cute would these be as place markers for your holiday dinner?

Supplies you will need to make the paper flowers:

5 x 11 inch vellum paper (you can purchase plain paper and print on it, or buy colorful vellum)
Thankful Gift Tag Printable (provided below)
Sparkly pipe cleaners
Hot glue and glue gun
Wire cutters
Needle nose pliers
Scissors
Optional: Colorful Prints (provided below)

Head on over to the original blog post to get the full tutorial, and I even created some printable color prints for you to make colorful vellum flowers.

If you’d like to see the other 50 DIY Days of Holiday Crafts, check out this link.

– Chelsey

P.S. I’m a paid contributor on the HP Create blog. All printables are for personal use only. This is the 4th year for my 50 DIY Days. If you would like to check out the past projects, you can click on these links (sorry for any broken links, it’s hard to keep up to date with all the posts… always a work in progress): 2011 // 2012 // 2013!

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Make Your Day DIY Black Friday Sale!

November 26, 2014 | Posted by Chelsey

Just wanted to give all you lovely people a heads up: My eBook, Make Your Day, (that I made with Lovely Indeed) will be 30% off on Black Friday! Come back Friday for the sale! Woo!

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale:

Starting on Nov. 28 (Black Friday) through Dec. 2. Order the ebook and get 30% off plus bonus holiday material. Use Code MAKEMERRY30 at checkout.

– Chelsey

Day 34: Foxy Rice Neck Warmer

November 20, 2014 | Posted by Chelsey

Day 34: Foxy Rice Neck Warmer

Have you noticed how chilly it is outside? I have too. We’ve turned on the heat in out home, but sometimes I’d like a bit more warmth. This neck warmer is the perfect item to keep you warm on those extra chilly nights, and when I use a neck warmer I don’t need to turn the heat on too high (a.k.a. save some money). This neck warmer is so comfortable and I love it. When I heat it up the warmth lasts for about 20 minutes. That’s pretty amazing. Add one of my gift tags to the neck warmer and give to one of your favorite people this holiday season.

Supplies:

40 inches by 9 inches of fleece
White, red, and light blue felt
2 black miniature poms
Fabric glue
Scissors
Sewing machine
About 5 cups of rice

Directions:

STEP 1:

Cut out a 40 inch by 9 inch section of fleece. Fold in half, the long way, and you should now have a 40 inch by 4.5 inch section of fleece.

STEP 2:

At one skinny end, cut out the two arms. They should be around 4 inches long by 1.75 inches wide. On the opposite end, cut out an 8 inch long by 3 inch wide section for the tail.

STEP 3:

Time to sew up the fleece! Leave about a quarter inch seam around the whole piece. When you sew up the front feet, I suggest rounding the feet. When you sew the tail, sew it into a pointy tail shape.

Tip: be sure to leave an opening so you can flip the fleece inside out.

STEP 4:

Trim the excess fleece along the sewn edge.

STEP 5:

Flip the piece inside out. I suggest using a chopstick to push out the tail and feet.

STEP 6:

Use a funnel (or a rolled up piece of paper), to fill the fox with rice. I used about 5 cups for my neck warmer. Sew up the opening with a thread and needle.

Tip: don’t fill the fleece too full, or it won’t sit around your neck as well.

STEP 7:

Let’s add a face to this little neck warmer! Freehand cut out a face, ears, and nose from the colored fleece. Use the fabric glue to attach the face above the legs. Then, cut out a section to glue onto the tail. Let the glue dry completely (I waited overnight).

Tip: I suggest doubling up the felt for the ears, face, and tail (just so the fleece doesn’t show through the felt).

STEP 8:

To warm up your lovely rice neck warmer, heat it in the microwave for about 1.5 – 2 minutes. If it’s not warm enough, heat it up for another 20 seconds and check again.

If you want some more energy saving tips, check out this money savers tool (comes with a rebate), look at this rebate catalog for appliances, and look at some cool energy saving vehicles. To see the other 50 DIY Days of Holiday Crafts, check out this link.