Tuesday, July 19, 2011

keeping in touch through email



Thank you to Yahoo! Mail for sponsoring this post about staying connected. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Well, it's true.  Mandy left me.  She's somewhere across the country right now.  All I know exactly is she is far away. We've known each other for over 3 years and it seems really weird not to be in the same state anymore.  She stopped by my house on her way out of town to give me a few things I needed for the blog and a little gift.  I was able to keep my tears at bay, but I was still a little shell-shocked that she was really leaving.

We have said more than once that we are grateful for the blog which will help us stay in touch and really grateful for email.  What would we do without email? Of course there is always the phone, but email makes it so easy to stay connected and send a message off when it's convenient.  The other person can then read the email whenever it is convenient for them, so it works wonderfully on both ends! Especially with 3 boys running around my house and 2 running around Mandy's, you just never know when you will get the opportunity to pick up the phone.  And if you do....you never know if you will be able to hear anything with all the other background noise!

Email has afforded me the opportunity to stay connected with so many friends across the country.  Without it, I am sure we might have lost touch along the way with they busyness of our lives. But because I can hop on the computer and send an email in a matter of minutes, I have been able to keep in touch and I cherish those close friendships I have been able to maintain.

I love this video from the new Yahoo! campaign. I wanted to share it with you because it reminds me how simple it can be nowadays to email and share our lives with each other! 

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Monday, July 18, 2011

textured canvas mirror art tutorial {birthday bash guest post}

We're super excited to have Selina from Creative Juices Decor back with another very creative tutorial! Remember her canvas map wall art a few months back? I wish I had the creative vision she has! Thanks for helping us celebrate our 3rd birthday, Selina!


Hello Little Birdie Secret Readers!  I come to you from CreativeJuicesDecor as one of those crazy bloggers who buy odd things from the thrift store (while I continually have my husband  shake his head at me) and turn them into something fun and exciting.  Below is my latest adventure, hope you enjoy and your creative juices are stirred!



I found this old 60's picture for $20.00 at the thrift store - it was HUGE and I knew I could do something with him if I stared at it long enough ;-)
thrit store lamps 025

On  a separate thrift store adventure I found this LONG seashell hanging piece.  It was all ratted and tangled so i cut off half the shells and just kept the top (what you see below.)  I had a TON of shells leftover so what better to try the extras on my huge canvas!!!
seashell

At first I just started laying them out on the canvas…..
015 copy

I was worried that I wouldn’t have enough seashells to cover the entire canvas (but alas, I had PLENTY) so I put a frame in the center that I picked up for $1.00.


I liked the look but could NOT figure out what I wanted to do in the middle. I thought about a monogram, maybe a moss covered letter? I also thought I could paint something just in that spot….
A


I couldn’t think what to do until I took the picture above and I thought huh, what about a mirror! I LOVED all the texture that was going on so I thought, what if I did a MOSAIC mirror (that and the fact that I was never going to find a mirror in the size of 13”x16!!!!).002


seashell mirror 001


Now that I had seashells and a glass mosaic I wanted the frame to go from a traditional brown wood to something more pearlescent or soft. I found the spray paint color by Krylon called Carmel Latte (the name sold me Winking smile) and loved it’s soft, slightly shiny latte color. I also added some distressing by sanding the edge and adding some brown paint in spots. Really I just fooled around with the trim until I got the look I wanted.

And the BIG REVEAL is…….

BEFORE: (sorry Mr. Kinkade, you just weren’t doing it for me anymore)

seashell mirror 006


AFTER! Ah, looooove.seashell mirror 007



Another angle:

blog mirror

What do you think?? Doing this piece was an adventure, I had no idea if it would turn out BIZARRE or great?


Cost Breakdown:

$20.00 canvas/frame piece

$1.00 smaller frame

$18.00 1” mirror tiles (I needed 208!!!!)

$3.50 paint

Free – leftover seashells

TOTAL – $42..50


Not too bad for a VERY large piece of art. It was a fun (but tedious) project! 


I'd LOVE it if you readers would stop by and say hi! Smile I have a few fun pottery barn knockoffs and before and after home pictures I know will get your creative juices flowing!


Thank you LittleBirtieSecret for hosting me!


Photobucket





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share your favorite handmade creation!

Here at Little Birdie Secrets we love to go Handmade. Obviously we have blogged about tons of our handmade projects but one of my favorites is our nook or kindle case. My husband bought me a nook color for my birthday this year and I love it! 


Since we love to be handmade, we are thrilled to share the new Home Made Simple Marketplace with you on Facebook. This is a place where you can shop for handmade items, sell your own handmade items, and get tons of ideas for new creative projects! Because Home Made Simple Marketplace lives exclusively within Facebook, items posted for sale, such as handmade creations and fabulous finds, can flourish in a space where they’re appreciated and shared—meaning you connect with friends, family and others with similar interests as you shop and sell.

Now that is awesome! And here's something else that is awesome...

Little Birdie Secrets admires your creativity! Share your favorite handmade creation with us and get entered to win a 300-page hardcover copy of the book,“Home Made Simple: Fresh Ideas to Make Your Own”.

Three Ways for Readers to Enter & Win
Each entry requires a separate comment:
1. Tell us about your favorite handmade creation. Attach a photo if you have one!
2. Join Home Made Simple Marketplace on Facebook, explore the fabulous finds and handmade items, then come back to share your favorites.
3. Have handmade items or fabulous finds to sell? Post them for sale with Home Made Simple Marketplace via Oodle and tell us about it.
The time is now to sell, shop & idea swap in the Home Made Simple Marketplace via Oodle!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Home Made Simple. The opinions and text are all mine.
.

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Friday, July 15, 2011

no-hemstitch crochet edge receiving blanket {birthday bash tutorial}

READ THE REST OF THIS POST -->>>» |

I feel so lucky to actually know today's hilarious guest-blogger in person. Cami of You Seriously Made That!? cracks me up, both in real life and in her posts. We're both expecting (just 6 weeks apart) and she's starting to post fun baby projects that I'm planning on stealing--like this no-hemstitch receiving blanket tutorial. It's hard to pay for those little holes to get poked in your fabric, especially when you just paid an arm and a leg for it! Check this out. . .

Crocheted Blanket: No Hemstitching Needed!!

I absolutely love making large receiving blankets for friends who are having babies.
They take forever to make, but so worth it. And oh so practical (which I love)
I'm too lazy (and cheap) to go get my blankets hemstitched, but with this tutorial, you will never need to hemstitch your receiving blankets again because I came up with a cute and easy solution... 
okay okay, my MOM came up with a cute an easy solution. She's smarter than me anyways. 

Crocheted Receiving Blanket Tutorial

Materials:
1 1/2 yards of flannel (fun print)
1 1/2 yards of flannel (corresponding print)
Sewing Machine, pins, scissors etc.
# 10 cotton string
Small Crochet Hook (size 1)


Step 1: Cut and Sew
Grab both pieces of flannel, and cut two identical large squares. Mine ended up 42x42, but yours can be bigger or smaller, depending on the width of your fabric. It's easiest when you use a rotary blade, but you can get away with scissors. 


Line up both pieces of fabric, right sides together, and pin it in place, and sew with a 1/4 inch seam.

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Thursday, July 14, 2011

birthday cards by bethany {and a card link-up contest!}

We're tickled to have Bethany from Ribbon, Glitter and Glue sharing some darling cards today! Bethany is uber talented and has to-die-for style sense. She currently designs for Citrus Tree Studio, Paper Issues, and Hip 2b Square Scrapbooking. I love that she uses a good mix of the latest papercrafting products and older stuff from her stash. I'm pretty much enamored with everything she creates. I know you'll be inspired by the designs she's sharing here, so read on to find out how you can link up your Bethany-inspired card and enter to win all five of hers!

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Little Birdie Secrets, happy birthday to you! I'm delighted for the chance to help my friends at Little Birdie Secrets celebrate three years of crafty goodness!

Today I'm here to share some birthday cards that I created using Pink Paislee's Soiree Dimensional Stickers. The Soiree collection is one of my favorite releases from Winter CHA! It is bright, cheery and has just the right amount of sparkle! It didn't take much more than some scraps of paper, a bit of ribbon, tulle and crepe paper, a few vintage buttons and some mist to make up these fun & festive birthday cards. I do hope you're inspired!

xoBethany
(Other products used: Basic Grey, Crate Paper, October Afternoon)









Ready to run out and get your hands on some Pink Paislee Soiree? Me too. If you were inspired by one (or all) of Bethany's cards, link up a photo of the card you made and you'll be entered to win this stack of cards! We'll pick our winner on July 31, so be sure to link up before then. We can't wait to see what you create!

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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

giveaway winners

Thanks for entering two of our fabulous birthday bash giveaways. There will be more to come! Here are two of our lucky winners...


The winner of our conversation piece giveaway is

Staci J who said, "I like the "i believe" quote!"



Lisita who said, "For my sister who is supporting her family right now and could something to brighten her day." 

Congrats winners! Please contact us so we can get your prizes to you!!

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watercolor salt paintings for kids {birthday bash guest post}

We're excited to have a fun summer kids project from Make and Takes today! Usually you find us guest posting over there, but Marie agreed to help us celebrate our 3rd birthday with a fun kids craft from her site. How lucky!

I'm happy to be over at Little Birdie Secrets guest posting today! We're trying a fun new technique for our watercolor pictures using salt. It's a great way to bring a little texture to your art.



Each child was armed with a paint brush, watercolors, and a piece of white cardstock paper. I also give them each their own cup filled with a little water to wash out paint. Then I let them go to town with color.



Sometimes I draw an image on pencil for my kids to watercolor the inside. This way, they can focus on the design of the image and not worry about where or what to paint.



Once each picture was complete, we took a clear wet paint brush and got the whole picture wet again, as some parts had dried. Then I gave them our salt shaker to sprinkle a little, or a lot, of salt to their paper.



We let the pictures sit for a few hours, making sure the paint and salt were dry. When they're dry, shake off the excess salt that may come off as it dries.



The pictures turned out so fun! It was great for the kids to see what the salt on the colored water could do, soaking up and expanding some of the color.



Be sure to check out Make and Takes for more kid crafty fun.

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Tuesday, July 12, 2011

what are your kids reading this summer?

Having three little boys is a busy job. Especially in the summer. Sometimes it can be a tough job to find entertaining and educational things for my boys to do. Each day I want them to spend some time reading. I absolutely love reading and I want my boys to love it as well. I think it is a very important skill to have and really helps them to succeed in school. I try to make summer reading an especially fun activity. We love to go to the library to pick out books and we joined the local summer reading program.

Lately my recently graduated 1st grader has been enjoying some chapter books in the Magic Tree House Series. He loves the adventure in them and it is especially fun for him to read it aloud to his younger brother, which I love!

I am always looking for recommendations of great kids books, so share some!

Tell me what your kids are reading this summer for a chance to win a Summer Reading Prize Pack from the Children’s Book-of-the-Month Club!
- Grand Prize:Pottery Barn Kids’ reading chair and a Marc Jacobs Nylon Tote (for mom!)
- 5 First Prizes: Personalized Pottery Barn Kids’ Beach Tote
EXTRA ENTRY:
- Children’s Book-of-the-Month is now featuring the My Summer Reading Series! Kids receive 2 great books at their door each month all summer. $6.99 a book PLUS a free $25 Restaurant.com gift card! Check out the different book series, find a book you love and tell us the book title in the conversation for an extra entry in the contest!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Children's Book-of-the-Month Club. The opinions and text are all mine. Contest runs June 28 - July 22, 2011. A random winner will be announced July 27, 2011. Official Rules
.

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Monday, July 11, 2011

kids door sign tutorial {birthday bash guest post}

Hello! We are very excited that Mandy asked us to share with you today!
 
We are the ladies at HowDoesShe.com. We are a site dedicated to finding out "How Does She?" by collaborating ideas on how to become the mothers, wives and world class women that we want to be! We have collected recipes, fashion tips, crafts, home decor, ideas for the kids, ideas for the parents, and some home organization ideas! Come check us out! 

Kid's Bedroom: Cute Door Sign!
Come in...It's PLAY time!

My girls needed something fancy on their door so we came up with this idea. They share a room so we had to design a sign with 2 names on it.
Hey, if they get to claim their bedroom as their own maybe they'll take care of it. OR maybe that reasoning will shoot me in the foot when they say it is theirs and they can do whatever they want to it.
If you have one kido, just make the back board just a tad shorter.
I got my girls enlisted to help out. We...(they don't use saws...yet) I cut:
1-1x8 18 inches long
and
2 2x7 quarter inch mdf boards

come-in-10
For the vinyl we (they did help me with the vinyl) cut 4 strips. They measured 1.6 x 5 inches
1. Please Knock!
2. Come in...It's play time!
3. No Boys Allowed...except Dad (you could easily modify this to No Girls Allowed...except Mom if you have boys)
4. This Room is Clean!
Their names and the word 'room'.
I just used Black Vinyl. I chose a plain font. Nothing fancy because they need it to be easy to read so the boys can see it from far away.
If you need vinyl strips click here. If you need a cutter to cut your vinyl strips click here.

They chose their paper and were on their way! Mod podging at its finest!

We drilled 2 holes in the top of the board and strung wire through it. The wire we found at Lowe's. Nothing fancy. Then due to a husband's request, we added soft sticky felt things to the back so it doesn't scratch the door. I'm glad I have him. I didn't even think about that part until he put his request in:) Funny that small thing made me love him more...

Bring the wire through and twist with your needle nose pliers... so it won't fall out. My font on this one is "Larger Mime" BTW. Do you know what the number one question I get asked? "What is the font you used?" I wish it were "Can I give you money?"...but it's not.
I will try and tell you the font each time, but if I don't...I'm sure someone will ask:)

Here's another shot of wire twisted. Really? another shot...ya. I thought it looked cool! And you know my tutorials are the longest in the world!

Finish the little strips of wood. Do the front and back so that you'll have 4 signs on 2 boards.

Now if you are going to mess up on one make sure to put the 'room is clean' vinyl on it. I know this from experience because it hardly gets used so no one will ever have to see it. The one they use the most is the 'Come in...it's play time' makes sense. I'd rather play than clean too!!!

We used the first of the hooks on our $4 frames? So, here's your chance to use up that last few that are hanging around.
Pre-drill a small hole into the top center of your small boards where you want the eyelet hook to go.
Screw the eyelets in...Stop before you split the wood...ummm I didn't.

Do the same with the hook. Pre-drill and twist the hook into the large board. About 3 inches from the bottom.

Hang the 2 small boards from the big board.

Here it is again. I tried to take a picture of it on their bedroom door, but my hall is dark and the picture didn't turn out very well. So just imagine it as you enter into a princess land of play time!

Or for a boy...enter into a land of dragons and dinosaurs! When my little boys get older you betcha I'm going to make one for them too:)

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