Krista, Author at While He Was Napping

December 18, 2013 by Krista

DIY Fabric Paint Necklaces Onesie

This post contains links to Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft’s website. I was provided these supplies in exchange for participating in their Celebrate the Season blogger program. These are not affiliate links. The project and content contained in this post is 100% original and honest.

This Necklaces Onesie is seriously one of the easiest gifts I’ve ever made. No lie. Pinky promise and cross my heart, so easy! It took me about 15 minutes, minus prep and dry time, which that included putting it in the washer, moving it to the dryer and just keeping my kids out of it while it dried. And I had all the materials on-hand, so it cost me a whopping big fat nothing. Total score! If you have to purchase all your materials, you could get everything for less than $20 and you could make many Necklace Onesies.

DIY FABRIC PAINT NECKLACES ONESIE

Materials:
– Onesie
– Beads in a Bottle
– Puffy Fabric Paint
– Tin foil or other protective material to put between the layers of the shirt

Directions:
– Wash and dry your onesie to prevent any shrinkage later.
– Slide the tin foil of other protective material between the layers of the shirt. If your shirt has lap shoulders, you will probably want to fold those back so they don’t get paint on them.
– Start up by the neckline and draw a line of beads onto the onesie with one of the paints.

– Repeat with different paints for each layer of “beads”. Vary the sizes and styles of your ‘necklaces’ with large beads, small beads, looping chains or simple strand chains.

– Let the paints dry thoroughly.

My paints ended up cracking a little on the Necklaces Onesie when they dried. I think thicker lines of paint would have solved the problem in the first place. I went back and added another bead of paint to those necklaces and they are doing fine now. I haven’t washed it yet though, so I’m not sure how that will work out.* I’ll let you know. Definitely an inside out in the washer deal. Happy Last Minute Gifting.

*Edit: I washed the onesie after letting it dry for three days. Everything came out fine. My niece loved the shirt, although she did keep picking at the necklaces, trying to get them off. After a while, she forgot about it. If she had been older, she may have been able to put some of the thinner paint off. So, maybe just stick to little girls for this fun Necklaces Onesie DIY.

December 17, 2013 by Krista

{Sweet Haute} Outdoor Holiday Wreaths

Christina is back again and has a fun way to add some holiday cheer to the exterior of your home. I bet these would look great inside too. Here’s Christina with the details:

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Season’s Greetings! Hello blog ‘neighbors’ I’m Christina from the SWEET HAUTE Blog…here again with a fun and wonderful tutorial just in time for Christmas decorating. I am so happy to be here to share some fun and also beautiful DIY decorations that I made with very inexpensive supplies and all you will need is some ‘time’ to put them together and a little bit of elbow room depending on how many you will be making. This craft is also perfect to spend some quality time with the kids.

DIY Outdoor Christmas Wreaths

Here’s a picture with only some of the wreaths up, it got dark early so I needed to finish the next day. I added a few more up on the second level and then on the four cute small windows on the lower level. Yes, I forgot to shut the garage so I tried to make it look shut by adding some white paint. Decide on how many windows you want to do, we have 50+ windows so we only did 10 large and 4 smalls wreaths.

Supplies:

Wreaths

– Large (20 inch shown)

– Small (10 inch shown)

Red Bows

-Large (30 inch shown)

Red Ribbon

Hot Glue Gun

Staple Gun

Step 1:

Acquire your supplies. I measured my windows and decided that I wanted 20 inch wreath in the center of each window. I found mine at Michael’s and they were about $3.00 each. Find yourself a coupon and it’s even a sweeter deal. My bows I got on ebay for cheap (off season) and they were about 30 inches from top the bottom. That’s what you see hanging from my counter top. Then I added another center ‘piece of ribbon’ to make it fuller looking, with a hot glue gun. That’s why they’re all stacked and ready to assemble. The red ribbon used for the top ‘sash’ portion, I got at Garden Ridge but it was on sale. My small wreaths not shown here, were 10 inches and I found them at Dollar Tree, and also the smaller bows I used on them…and my porch banister etc. (seen in the last picture on this post).

Make room, they can be a little bulky.

This is the size of faux velvet red ribbon you’ll need, 2 1/2 inches by 20 yards. I got mine online when it was on sale. But it says regular price is about $3.99 plus tax.

Step 2:

Cut your top ribbon ‘sashes’, made from the ribbon above. I cut mine 30 inches each, but it will differ for your size of windows so measure and test it out before hand.

Step 3:

Hot glue your sashes onto the wreath by making a small ‘loop’ shape (soft velvet side out) and gluing a small section to adhere it to the ribbon. Try not to use too much ribbon, about 1-2 inches of ribbon to ribbon glued….if you need more be sure to add it to the slack in the measurement of each ribbon cut to compensate.

WARNING!: the glue is extremely hot through the ribbon so children should not help with this step. I even got burned a little because some got on my nail bed, and I had that delayed pain reaction…OUCH!!!! LOL;)

Step 4:

Add your large red bows! Remember…..to fluff each bow, fluff each wreath before hanging. And try not to smash down the fluff when handling and hanging them up. Hahaha:)

My bad, I know it’s blurry but you get the picture….fluffy and beautiful…..and repeat (a million times) my fingers were definitely sore, couldn’t even take focused pictures!!!

Step 5:

Finally, hang them outdoors and make your exterior window Merry and Bright with Christmas Cheery decor! First, staple the top of the ‘sash’ ribbon to the top of each window. Next, this is where the extra center piece of ribbon came in handy as well…..I took the extra ‘center piece o’ribbon’ that I had hot glued to the center of each large bow and tucked it into the bottom of my windows and then shut it into the window and locked each window. This actually helps on the windy, rainy days and keeps the wreaths in place.

This is an action shot, but that middle longer ribbon would then be tucked into the open windows and locked into place when closed.

Here’s the view from the front, though not a high quality image, or good lighting…, yet you get the idea of how darling they came out. Our son wanted to be in the picture too. In this image you can see the smaller 10 inch wreaths on the for smaller windows…so cute! I chose not to do all the window on the top level, instead I centered the 2 above between the ones on the lower porch. I’ve gotten so MANY compliments, too and including my children and husband who say something almost everyday on how cheery the house looks when coming home. Home sweet home!

I chose to do this decor because it was energy and cost efficient. Everything used was under $5 each, but if you buy ready made (artificial) wreaths they will be much more $20+ depending on the size. Real natural wreaths are about $7+ depending on where you purchase them, which can get pricey and to only have them dry out and ‘die’ after the season is through. I’m happy about the result and will continue this decor by freshening the hot glue or switching out the faded red ribbon or bows.

Do you decorate your home’s exterior with DIY crafts? If so, what kind?

~Be Sweet

Christina

Sweetest Haute

Please be sure to follow on Pinterest, follow on Instagram, and like on Facebook!

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I love the way those turned out! And not a terribly expensive project, especially if you store them for next year too! Great job, Christina, thanks for sharing! Check out more great content from Christina on Sweet Haute.

Find Christina Here:

This post was written by Krista and originally appeared on While He Was Napping.

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December 16, 2013 by Krista

#fabulouslyfestive Ornament Wreath Trio

This post is part of Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft’s Celebrate the Season series. I was compensated with supplies and a gift card for any additional supplies necessary. All content contained in this post is 100% original, my honest opinion and my own project.

I have been very intrigued by wreaths this Christmas season. The variety available is amazing. Evergreen, ribbon, garland wrapped, real versus faux… and the color schemes are endless! If you’ve been around here for very long, you know I love a personalized project. Something you can take and make your own is absolutely right up my alley.

But I went a step further than just a wreath. I went for three wreaths. A fun trio. Like The Three Musketeers, The Three Stooges, The Three Little Pigs, a delicious BLT trio, or me, myself and I (my favorite trio!)… you get the idea. It’s more fun with three, right?! There’s always someone there to back you up, except with the me, myself and I thing… Anyway, this project is three times the fun and makes quite a statement with it’s awesome trio.

ORNAMENT WREATH TRIO

Materials:

– One 12″ wreath form
– Two 10″ wreath forms
– Ribbon (I scored two 50 ft rolls for less than $4/each. Jo-Ann had their Christmas ribbon for 70% off.)
– Baker’s Twine or other twine
– Ornaments (I got mine at Dollar Tree in a five-pack. They aren’t great quality, but I wanted something that wouldn’t break if it was dropped or used to play catch… in my house full of boys, that’s possible. I saw some really pretty ones while I was at Jo-Ann though.)
– Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

Directions:
– Wrap the wreaths in the ribbon using hot glue to secure the ends. I left extra at the end to use as a hanger, but ended up cutting it off and using loops of twine to hang them. More on that in a minute…

– Tie the ornaments to the twine with a single knot. Leave the ends long enough to attach to the wreath form. You can see the knots up close in the second photo. Just something that will hold the ornaments in place.

– Using the glue gun, attach the ends of the twine to the wreath. Hold the wreath up as if it’s hanging to get an idea of where to attach the strings. You can see where I had to cut the twine off and re-attach it because I didn’t test it before gluing down the ends.

– If you left extra ribbon at the top of the wreath, trim it off and secure the end with hot glue. Tie a small loop and center it at the top of the wreath to create the hanger. Glue it down with a small dot of glue. I made my loop small enough that the wreath form mostly covers it, unless you’re looking down on the wreaths.

– Repeat with the other two wreath forms.
– Hang and enjoy!

I started with my large wreath and hung the ornaments in a simple swoop. With the small wreaths, I opted for unevenly hung ornaments. This makes a larger swoopy visual through out the entire trio, adding continuity to the whole set of wreaths. Sorry the first photo is a little blurry… I had a “helper” on my back and didn’t realize it was that bad.

You can check out more great ideas in the Craft Catalog. And use the coupon below to save yourself some money when you shop at Jo-Ann this month! Who isn’t looking for a deal right now?

This post was written by Krista and originally appeared on While He Was Napping.

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December 13, 2013 by Krista

{Printable} 12 Lays of Christmas Coupons for Couples

Okay, I try really hard to keep this blog uplifting and family-friendly. I have been debating this post for a while and finally decided that I would go ahead and post it. So, this is your warning. If things behind the bedroom door are not of interest to you, then feel free to skip this post. I promise, I will keep it tasteful.

Alright… so, December is one of my favorite months. And one that I dread. It always seems so hectic and busy. Sometimes, I wish I didn’t feel like I needed to make a million Christmas gifts and host holiday parties and hang decor until there’s holiday cheer dripping from every surface of our house. But, I love Christmas carols and lights and the trees. I love December.

This December, I am pregnant. Five months pregnant. Not insanely uncomfortable yet, but tired and weary nonetheless. On top of pregnancy drain, I chase after two rambunctious hooligans all day long and I’m trying to get all those gifts I mentioned crossed off my to-make list. So, my poor husband crawls into bed every night with a zombie who is thinking about stocking stuffers and gifts for the neighbors. Not very romantic, am I right?

So, in an effort to make sure he knows that he is still one of my highest priorities, I wanted to give him something. Something that is super precious right now. My time. And maybe a little more of me than the Christmas-crazed zombie he’s been going to bed with lately. I sat myself down with Photoshop and a mug of cocoa and made up these Christmas coupons for couples and presented them to him in the form of a surprise on his pillow one night. I know it’s not the 12 days of Christmas yet, but intimacy every night for two weeks kind of scares my baby-infested uterus right now. TMI? Sorry, it’s the hormones, I swear.

If the watermark doesn’t bother you, right click and open in a new window. You can save the image to your computer and then print. If you want a watermark-free version, it’s available in my Etsy Shop.

This post was written by Krista and originally appeared on While He Was Napping.

December 12, 2013 by Krista

{Our Grace Filled Life} Mexican Lasagna

Amanda is back again to share a delicious recipe with us. This would be great for a quick meal on a cold night. So, here’s Amanda with all the details:

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When it comes to making your average weeknight supper, there are two things I really like: I like meals that are easy & I like meals that are Mexican! My husband & I are both big fans of Mexican meals & he says to me frequently, “it’s a good thing we both like Mexican food”, I guess that’s his nice way of saying I make it a lot. As much as we love enchiladas, loaded nachos & tacos {which, by the way, are my go-to staple for when I’ve forgotten to plan or simply don’t have much time to make supper}, it’s nice to mix things up a bit. So I figured, why not combine two favorites: Mexican food & lasagna! Layered up, using tortillas as your “noodles”, this makes for a easy meal to throw together. And, you can totally play with the ingredients to suit your family’s tastes. For instance, our preference is to use flour tortillas, but we’ve used corn tortillas in the past & those are good, too. Sometimes we add black beans or black olives if we’re in the mood. You could also do a chicken version or make it spicier using hot peppers, there are a lot of possibilities, so have fun with it. I’m sharing our favorite version today.

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef 1 medium onion, diced 1 small green pepper, diced 2 c. salsa 1 c. frozen corn 1 t. chili powder 1 t. cumin 1/2 t. garlic salt 4 large tortillas 24 oz container cottage cheese 2 heaping cups shredded cheddar Preheat oven to 375°. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef along with the onions & green peppers until there’s no more pink & the onions are translucent. Drain off any excess fat & return to the skillet. Put the skillet back on the stove over medium heat & add the salsa, corn & seasonings. Combine & heat through. In a 9×13 baking dish, layer 1/3 of the beef mixture, followed by a layer of 1/2 of the tortillas {just make sure the layer mostly covers the dish}. Then spread on 1/2 of the cottage cheese & sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese. Follow with another set of layers just like that. Top with the remaining beef mixture & finish off with the remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve & enjoy! Some step by step photos…

We shred our own little mountain of cheese for this dish!

These are the tortillas we use & LOVE!

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Thanks, Amanda! That looks so yummy. I bet Mr Napping would love it. I will have to add it to our menu in the near future and test that theory out! Check out more of Amanda’s great ideas at Our Grace Filled Life!

Find Amanda Here:

This post was written by Krista and originally appeared on While He Was Napping.

DIY FABRIC PAINT NECKLACES ONESIE

Mexican Lasagna

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