Graduation Time is Here

Got some Pomp & Circumstance happening in your home?  

Whether you'll be crying for joy at your child's

college commencement or kindergarten graduation,

here are a few great DIY ideas for handmade gifts. 

Graduation Canvas

Create a one-of-a-kind graduation wall canvas, celebrating the great achievement.  Using scrapbooking techniques, I kicked them up a notch, creating a 3-D canvas that is proudly displayed.  Pull together your favorite photo from the big day, the graduation announcement, and coordinated embellishments.  For all the details, click here.

Hats Off to You [Treat Jar]

What better way to say "I'm so proud of you" than with a jar full of chocolate?  Here's a fun idea that would make great party favors or for your child to give to their friends.  Grab a bag of chocolate peanut butter cups, a small hinged or mason jar, a few graduation embellishments, and you'll have those kids eating out of your hands (literally).  For the complete tutorial, click here.

Pomp & Circumstance Photo Frame

A simple wooden frame can easily be embellished into a special graduation keepsake.  One quick trip to your local craft room (or arts & crafts store, if you prefer) to pick up a few graduation-theme accents, and you'll be ready to create this wonderful treasure.  Click here for the tutorial.

Next Step: Real Life

For a little something extra, why not alter a mini chunky notebook for the new grad?  It may be too small to keep track of all their job interviews, but it will work well for them to jot down their summer to-do list.   And it's the perfect size to hold a gift card! The link is here.

Hope these projects inspire you to create your own handmade treasured memories for your special graduate.  Now pass the tissues...

And don't forget Father's Day is this Sunday.  

Here's another wall canvas project you 
and the kids can create for Dad.  

s

Fabulous Father's Day Gift

Partying here and
Artsy Fartsy Mama
Diana Rambles Pin Me Linky Party

Embracing Change
Posed Perfection
From My Front Porch to Yours
I Gotta Create

Handmade Mother's Day Project

With everyone's busy lives, I'm glad the calendar tells us to take one day to celebrate Mom.  However, my Mom says "everyday is Mother's Day," and I tend to agree with her.  Hopefully, your kids tell you how much they love you more than just one day a year!

However, next Sunday, go ahead and lavish your Mother with more than a hug and kiss--give her several! And if you still feel like you want to give her a gift, make a handmade one that she will treasure always.

Here is an art canvas I made for my Mom several years ago.  It's still one of my most favorite projects ever. Even though I've posted this before, I'd like to share it again in case you missed it the first time.

 8" x 8" and 8" x 4" canvasses tied together with ribbon;

each canvas painted and then decoupaged with designer papers;

Photos added.

Yes, that's really me, just minutes after I was born.

Note the year:  1956

(Ohhhhh!  Am I THAT old?)

Scrabble tiles spell out "DAUGHTERS"

Chipboard used to spell "LOVE" 

Additional embellishments:  chipboard scroll, button and

silver heart charm tied to "E"

Then added ribbon, brads and flower

Finally, current year of bottom photo:  2010

I had so much fun creating this wall hanging canvas for my Mom.  It still hangs in her kitchen so she sees ii everyday.  

Every few years, I update the bottom photo of my daughters and me and change the date.  So this year, when my daughters are home, we'll snap a few new photos, and decoupage it to the canvas when we visit my Mom.  

Sharing at these parties. and

Moonlight & Mason Jars

Lockers: The Right Combination

When the going gets tough, the tough get the paint out!  That's my mantra right now as I work towards giving my craft room a complete overhaul.



I'm happy with the way I transformed the Industrial Chic Cabinet, so I got started on this old school locker.

First things first, it got a much-needed cleaning.  Just simple dishwasher liquid and hot water did the trick.

I wanted to keep the handles in their original gray finish, so I taped them before painting the rest of the locker.

First, I sprayed a quick heirloom white metal primer onto the entire locker [inside and out].  To achieve some level of cohesiveness in my craft room, I decided to paint the locker the same color as the Industrial Chic Cabinet, a seafoam-aqua hue.  I again mixed the paint with some Plaster of Paris to create chalk paint. I used a small foam roller to easily apply the chalk paint to the five compartment doors.   I used a small painting brush to get inside all the nooks and crannies of the air vents.

Here is the newly-painted locker:

 Of course, I can't just leave well enough alone, so I lined the shelves with coordinating scrapbook paper.

I decided the front of the locker needed something extra as well, so I printed out numerals 1-5, and using my Xyron, turned them into stickers, and adhered them to the cabinet faces.

Help me say good riddance goodbye to the plastic bins:

And hello to my transformed locker:

I've been collecting vintage, rusty and old graters (and anything that resembles a grater), so now I have a place to display them.

Two graters hang on the side of the locker; one holds a memo pad.

Also displayed on top of the locker is a smaller version of my 

Chicken Wire & Burlap Painted Frame.  

Here is a photo of two 2-drawer file cabinets.

 One is painted; and the other one is on the waiting list.

[Blame it on the locker.]

As you can see, my craft room is slowly being transformed 

from a bunch of plastic storage containers into 

Vintage Industrial Chic 

 How do you store your craft supplies?

You may be interested in these projects:

From Plastic Bins to Industrial Chic

Framed in Chicken Wire & Burlap


I've been featured!
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Spring Centerpieces

The next two weeks bring many people together. Not only are many families celebrating the joys of spring break (well, at least the kids are celebrating!), many are busy preparing for the week-long festival of Passover.  This is where we retell the story of the Exodus by reading the Haggadah, singing songs and eating specially-prepared foods.

When we were growing up, my parents invited friends and relatives to join us for our Seder. Because we had 25-30 people joining us, we moved our living room furniture into the dining room, and turned our living room into a large dining hall. With so many people, we created place cards to assign everyone a particular seat.  Making the place cards was always my responsibility...which I took very seriously.  

Last year, I re-instated my job and made place "cards" using small Terra cotta pots.  These are so much fun to create, and kids can get in on the creative action.  I decided to share this idea on my blog again this year, with a few minor revisions.

Materials:

Small clay pots in various sizes, no larger than 4"

Clay saucers

Blue & white acrylic paint

Mod Podge

Brushes

Clear sticker paper or Xyron sticker maker

Passover Graphics & Text

Twine

Wooden plant markers

Herbs (such as parsley)

This is the How-To:

I painted the pots in different combinations of blue and white paint.  While they dried, I printed graphics and text onto clear sticker paper.

Next Year in Jerusalem

Then I adhered the stickers to the pots.  After coating each pot with Modge Podge, I wrapped blue and white baker's twine around two of the pots.

I printed names on white cardstock, cut them out and mod podged the cards onto wooden plant markers, which I had painted blue.   

A green herb (such as parsley or cilantro) is used on the Passover table to symbolize spring. So I decided to plant herbs in each pot.

I'm going to use the largest pot as a centerpiece, so I made a label that reads "Kosher for Passover." 

The smallest pot was just too tiny to hold a plant, so I used the medium sized pots for the place "cards."

These festive pots and plant markers will add a nice touch to any Seder table.  The larger pot will also make a great hostess gift!  And, of course, depending on the colors and signage you use, these pots can easily be made for any holiday or occasion!

Whether you celebrate Passover, Easter or even just Spring Break, I hope you have a wonderful time with your family and friends.

Happy Spring!

You may also like:


Craft Organization: Goodbye Plastic. Hello Industrial Chic.


Springtime Tiered Planter

Sunshine in a Box

You can find me partying here and
Creative Jewish Mom
The Hankful House Spring Projects

Thanks for visiting!