Stuffed felt owls

OMG! These were so fun to make. Now that my little monkey is 10 years old. I feel comfortable give her a grown up needle. Yay! I looked through a few craft magazines to get a few ideas. I have felt fabric coming out of my ears, so I decided to get crafty. I freehand cut all the pieces for the face. Then hand stitched the face pieces first on one of the felt panels. Then I stitched around the perimeter leaving the base open to stuff with Poly -fil. Once stuffed sew the closing. I watched TV as I did this. I think I will use them as props for fun children's photos.  Too cute!

Felt flower wreath

I originally thought I would use a felt owl as the centerpiece, but I decided against it. The wildflowers in my area are in full bloom, so I decided to add felt flowers instead. I purchased plumbing tubing at the hardware store for about $4 bucks. I then hot glued strips of burlap, and then added felt flowers, and leaves.
 The flowers are easy to make here's how:  Cut a circle out of the felt fabric. Then start cutting from the perimeter of the circle ,in a circular direction, towards the center. Once this is completed, start from the center of the felt shape and start forming a flower by wrapping in a circular fashion. It's much easier than it sounds. Cut out leave shapes and hot glue leaves, and flowers to the burlap wreath.  This project took about a half an hour, and was fun.

Jute twine hair accessory

I love burlap, brown paper bags, and Jute twine. Something about these soft brown, rustic textures are right up my alley for home decor, and crafting. I have a container of fabric flowers I made a few months ago in my craft storage. I decided to make my monkey a hair accessory using Jute twine as the head band. The twine grips well to the hair and does not shift, but I would not use it as an everyday hair accessory. It is a little too course for that. I used it primarily for nice pictures of my daughter.
All I did was hot glue 3 separate pieces to the back of the fabric flowers, and secured to her head with a bow knot.  

Here's how to make the flowers: Free hand cut squares out of fabric. Fold square piece in half, and stitch the open side. Now add the next folded square piece to the same thread line. Repeat steps 4-6 times depending on how many petals you want for your flower. Once all your desired petals are on gently push against the thread to form each petal. The tension will create a circular pattern. Play with shapes of each petal. Once petals are shaped to your desire, tie the open end of the thread to secure shape.  Now cut out smaller fabric squares to make the center of the flower. I topped off with a button. You can hand stitch all pieces together, or hot glue for a faster finish.  Use as a hair accessories, embellishment for shirts, jackets, bags, hats, etc...

Felt owl wreath

This time of year I always get the crafting bug. The holidays are right around the cross, so I made time to reorganize my crafting supplies. There is nothing worst then trying to create a project, and getting frustrated trying to find what you are looking for! I decided to get organized first, so my time crafting would be enjoyable instead of craziness. I first took some time to check our all my local crafting magazine. I can't afford to purchase each one, so I take a few pictures on my phone for inspirations, and I also check out Pinterest.com  to help me with project ideas.
Felt fabric is in abundance in my house, so I decided to make a wreath with a felt owl, and flowers. I purchased 3 foam plumbing tubes from Home Depot, cut to side, and taped.  It's cheaper to make your own wreath then purchasing one at the craft store. Cost about $4 bucks for 3 tubes. I wrapped each one in burlap strips.  Then I cut out the felt shapes and hand stitched the face pieces with thread. I then sewed the perimeter leaving the base for last. I stuffed with poly-fil, and stitched the remaining open end. I use a hot glue gun to assemble all the pieces on to the wreath. I did not glue the owl on because I wanted to be able to remove it if I wanted to. Felt is fun, and easy to be creative with. If you get the crafting itch give it a try.

Creative children photos

If your like me and love taking pictures of your monkeys then here is a twist to the traditional standard poses. In my line of work, I offer see professional photos of many photographers. The ones that I've been draw to lately have been the creative one I see with fun props, and beautiful backgrounds, and of course happy children. All these beautiful, imaginative images inspired me to combine my love of crafting with photography.
I decided to play amateur photographer with my monkeys. First creating props like the Legos camera that my son made, and I hot glued together. A plain frame I picked up at Michaels and painted with acrylic paint. I picked up a few lollipops, and silly string which I purchased at the local dollar store. Our family pet Bloom was a must in these pictures.
Once all the props were made, and all the outfits were picked out. I set up theme sessions with my kids, and scouted for a location. Thankfully the wildflowers in my area are in bloom, so that made for a terrrific background for my photos. I also saved a few inspirations photos of professional work, on my phone, to help with creating a nice pose.
The preparation time is the consuming part. The photo session were very short, and the kids had a blast seeing the results. I hope you pick up a camera and think of imaginative way to photograph your little monkeys.

Antique finds...

Antique shopping is one of my favorite past times. I love adding elements of this country, rustic style to warm up my home. If you have never been to an antique store I hope you take the opportunity to stop, low down ,and enjoy browsing through our country's hidden treasures.

Craft project with Leis

I recently got inspired by children photographers who create beautiful fun photo shoots for kids. I decided to get crafty by making these dollar store leis'. I removed from string then stack about 6-8 layers of petals together. Warmed up the hot glue, and adhered all the layers together with a cute button as a centerpiece. I also had some twine laying around so I hot glued the string to the back of the flower to tie onto my daughter's wrists.  She said it was a little itchy, but they turned out cute for our creative photo shoot. Give it a try!

Princess hair and face painting

 

 

I absolutely love children's parties. My monkeys are outgrowing kiddy parties, but I miss planning them. Now I share my ideas, and creativity with other little monkeys. Here are a few princess hair ideas I've created for princess theme parties. I love using hair tinsel, ribbons, and glitter to create fun, and fairy princess hair designs. This in combination with face painting pulls the whole princess theme together. Little girls love seeing themselves, and each other all made up. Check out my website for more information about princess parties! http://christinedeangelis.com/#/flagstaff-childrens-parties/

Snowman fruit tray and reindeer cupcakes

Christmas in March??? I guess I dropped the Christmas ball! Here's a little Christmas food craft I forgot to post in December. I thought I would share with you now before I forget again.  We all need a little help during the holidays. My friends created this snowman fruit tray this past December which I thought was fun and festive. The reindeer cupcakes were created for a children's photo shoot I did in December and I thought they were adorable. They are made with peanut butter cookies, pretzels, and candy.   So cute!

Italian Wedding soup

I'm going through a bit of a phrase where I only want to eat soup. Maybe it's due to the cold weather, but I've been on a soup kick.  Here's my version of the Italian wedding soup. It's so easy to make, and I love how soups in general make the house smell great, and fills the air with warmth.  I love to serve this dish with French bread, and fresh grated parmesan cheese. It's an economial meal for a growing family of five. 
Here's how: Ground beef, 1 egg, olive oil, salt, pepper, Italian bread crumbs, dried basil flakes, garlic powder, grated parmesan cheese, six cans of 14.5 ounces of chicken broth, diced onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, sliced mushrooms, fresh spinach, diced carrots, or any favorite vegetable, and 1 cup of orzo pasta.
First start off my making the meatballs.. Dump a package of ground beef into a bowl, add 1 egg, 1/2 c. of grated parmesan cheese, teaspoon of salt, pepper, garlic powder, 1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs, and mix together. Form small balls and set aside.
In a large dutch oven on low heat, add olive oil, 1 diced onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, salt, pepper, dried basil, and stir until translucent. Add all six cans of chicken stock, add meatballs, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and shimmer for a few hours (2-3). Add carrots, mushrooms, and orzo pasta. I usually don't measure veggies just put in as much as you like, and whatever veggie you like. At this point you can add water to bring broth level up. Before serving add spinach, and stir.
A hardy meal your whole family will love. Enjoy!

Homemade Chicken soup

Homemade Chicken soup is one of our family staple meals. It's easy to make, and what I love about it is you can transform this simple soup into other yummy dishes for your family. Some simple changes can be is to add Matzo Ball. I use Streits Mix. You can also add rice, homemade noodles, or thicken the broth to make a gravy. Once the broth is thicken you can use it as a filling to make individual pot pies with homemade or pre-made pie shells.
This is how I make this soup:  Two 24oz. chicken broth (Sam's Club), 1 whole chicken, 1 diced onion, 4 diced garlic cloves, 1/4 c. olive oil, 1 diced stalk of celery, 4 peeled & diced carrots, 1 bag fresh French green beans, salt, pepper, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
In large stock pot add oil on medium heat. Then onion, and garlic. Cook until translucent. Add broth and whole chicken. Spices next. I recommend you decide how much you would like to add to your soup. We are all different. I prefer less salt, and more basil. Cover stock pot and simmer for a few hours. Yes hours. You want to have the best chicken soup you ever had don't you? In a few hours the chicken will be soft and falling off the bone. I take chicken out of pot, and put in a large bowl to cool. Remove meat, shred and put back in soup pot. Add veggies, and cook until tender. I usually taste the broth at this point to see if any seasoning are needed. Use your leftover soup, and be create. Happy souping!
                                              

Decor Mesh Christmas wreath

 

I have fallen in love the decor mesh. It's my favorite new crafting tool. Unfortunately it's not available in my area, but I was able to find it a Hobby Lobby in abundance.  I can't wait for the after Christmas sales because I will be one of those crazy shoppers waitingfor the store to open. I found many videos on YouTube.com showing different methods of using decor mesh.

Thanksgiving burlap flowers

I've hung the same wreath for Thanksgiving for the past 4 years, so I finally decided to make a new one using burlap flowers. I love the rustic look it gives to a holiday wreath.

Love Puff Pastries

My son wakes me up early morning, and says "Mom I need to bring a snack for the teachers today." What do you do? Pull out the puff pastries. I love puff pastries because you just roll them out with flour, and fill with anything you like. Today I filled with mustard, spinach, & cheese. I also love to fill them with cut up Grannie Apples, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Roll out the top pastry and layer on top. Seal with egg white, and fork. Pop in the oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Perfect, and delicious everytime.

Decorating Cake

With Halloween just around the corner, and the weather turning cold I'm feeling the itch of Martha inside me. I don't know what it is about this time of year, but something inside me yearns to create, create, create. Since this year's budget is tight I've been just using what I can find around the house. These cakes I made are not the prettiest, but seem to have a ghoulies quality about them. Just perfect for the holiday.

Decorative Halloween garland

Still feeling in the crafting mood... I decided to add garland to an everyday flower container for my front porch. I will probably fill with fall leaves to complete this look. I used pipe cleaner to line the rim of the container then added ribbon, and cat decor. I secured by twisting pipe cleaner to hold everything. Only took a few minutes. Happy decorating!

Burlap Halloween wreath

I have this old Thanksgiving wreath in the garage. Since I'm on a bargain these days I decided to go through my craft items to spruce up this premade wreath for Halloween.  I used pipe cleaners to arch the burlap, ribbon, craft rings, and craft ball to the wreath. That's it. Easy...

Halloween Hair Clip

Now that my house is  completely reorganized my crafting juices are in full swing. Perfect timing for the holiday season. I found my tub of fabric, so I started with a simple burlap hair clip. This is one of the easiest accessories to make.  You take any scrap fabric that's at least 1" x 12". On  the long side of the fabric sew a running stitch. Gather together to form a circle, and sew knot to secure. That's it. I added a spider ring to the  center with a needle and thread. I secured back with felt fabric to cover work area, and added a hair clip. My little monkey loves the extra accents for her holiday outfits.

Halloween Face Painting Ideas

Now that I've discovered the wonders of face paint. I love using it with makeup. The combination of the two has given me another level of play. I can't wait to create some more fun looks.

Hot Chocolate Love

I love that the weather is getting chilly. Although I'm not of fan of cold weather...  I love this time of year that I can make my monkey's some fun hot chocolate before they go to school. It really make you feel like the holiday season is upon us.  Enjoy the season!

Face Painting Fun

I recently added face painting to my service menu, and it's been an unexpected treat for me. I love hanging out with my monkeys, and their little friends. This brought together two things I enjoy. Creating, and kids. It's been such a delight for me, and I really enjoy seeing them so happy with their whimsical face work.

Witch broom Halloween Treats

The crafting season has begun! This is my favorite part of the year. I love to make handmade crafts during the holiday season. This is the only time of year I seriously become a night owl. I can get so zoned out making crafts, and putting the details touches on my projects I lose all sense of time. Here's my first craft project this season, and I saw this idea in the October issue of Martha Stewart. She is my craft muse. I purchased small brown bags from Michaels. They had several different color options which would also be fun to use. I filled one bag with candy. I used Hershey Kisses, and candy corn. Then I use a second bag pre cut with vertical cuts and place on top of first bag. Inserted clean sticks for broom handle, and tied with ribbon. I added Halloween rings for effect. I can't wait to pass these out to all my little house visitors. I hope this inspires you to get into the crafting mood.

Shellac nails anyone???

One of the best investments I have ever made! I am a big Shellac lover, or I should say correctly "Gel Polish Lover."  People get confused by Gel Polish, Manicure overlay, Gel Manicure, and Shellac. Well all these names fall under the umbrella of Gel Polish. They brand name may be called "Shellac", but they are all soft gel products. I do a lot of nails for brides, and the one thing I notice is I hear more complaints about a French manicure gone wrong, and sometimes right before the I do's. I also suggest to all my brides to get a thorough manicure, and then a gel polish French manicure. This will ensure they will have no problems before, during, or after the wedding. They are easy to apply, remove, stay shiny, and last up to 14 days. I love them!  Next time you're thinking about getting a French manicure.... think about getting a gel polish French. I should also warn you that not all manicurist are well trained in the practice of gel polish, so follow your gut instinct.  Happy fingers!

Fabric Flowers

I needed to find an economical way to display 8 x10 photographs of my work with clients, so I decided on just using plain black poster board accented with fabric flowers, and organza. I added black ribbon to the center of the flower to give it some "pop", but I love how they came out. They softened the hard edges of the poster board, and I liked the 3 dimensional look it give my photos.

Organza Hair Accessories for everyone...

At this same bridal fair, I needed to pass out a free item to all booth guests. I decided to make a ton of these organza flowers since I love the way they look in updos. They are really easy to make, and very affordable for me. I had a ton of these lefted over, so I'm planning on using them to accent something for my little monkey.

Burlap Art, Flowers, & accessories

 

I received had my own booth at a Bridal Happy Hour to advertise my business. I really wanted my booth to represent me, so I thought it would be a great idea to make burlap, canvas coverages over a plain artist canvas. They looks so great, I decided to create word stencils out of freezer wrap paper, and cut out with an x-acto knife. I laid the stencil over the burlap canvas, and used a foam paint brush to add black craft paint. I made a rosettes out of burlap, and pink ribbon for the centers. I love how they came out, and I really thought it really shows that I am a creative person at heart. I like the rosettes so much I decided to make a few hair accessories out of them also. I can envision these rosettes on a lapel of a men's sports jacket for a beautiful country wedding. I hope you like!