DIY Letter Beaded Bracelets

One of the trends are these adorable gold beaded letter bracelets. I really wanted one with each of the boys name on them. ShopBop has them for $36 and up. Etsy has them too, but they are still pricey. 

I was going to buy the gold beads at Michael's, but if you don't buy the real gold beads the color starts to rub off quickly. I decided to take a different route and make mine with colored beads. I saw the Dollar Tree had some seed beads and letter beads. 

Each package of the seed beads was $1 and the letter beads were $1. I spent $3 on beads total. I also have enough beads to make probably 10 more bracelets. I barely put a dent in the one package of blue beads.  I bought the elastic string on Amazon for $3.  

I decided to make the bracelets while Cashy was napping one day. G had a great time making his own bracelet and playing with the beads. He asked me to get his sensory bin down while I finished. We both sat at the table chatting away with our projects. 

I tied the elastic in a knot and then put clear nail polish over the knot. I tried to pull the bracelet to put it on before I put the clear nail polish and the bracelet exploded all over the dining room. I know there are beads hiding still after G and I both searched the floor on our hands and knees. Take it from me. Seal it with nail polish before you put them on. lol

I spent a total of $6 on supplies. I have plenty of supplies left that I could make numerous other bracelets. 

The boys love these bracelets. They each point to their names and smile. G will tell me each letter from the bracelets. They are so proud that I wear their names on my wrist. 

Sensory Bins

Last summer I created a sensory bin for G with some items I found at the Dollar Tree. Summer in Texas is soooo hot, so we spend a lot of our days indoors. Nap time can get tricky. I don't like G to watch tv while Cash is napping. I am fine with him watching a short show, but I do not want him to spend 2-3 hours in front of the tv. I also like to be able to rest some during this time, so I needed something that would keep him busy. A sensory bin was a perfect thing for G. He can use his imagination and it's also a quiet toy. 

You could also find a lot of these items at Walmart or Target pick up to avoid going to the store during this pandemic we are going through right now. 

I spent around $10 to create this sensory bin. There are sensory bins on Amazon, Etsy and other various sites going for $30+. By creating your own you can do it budget friendly and create it based on what your child loves. 

We used a bag of beans and glass beads as our base in a clear plastic bin. Get a bin with a lid! You will want a lid to store this box up high if you have little ones. 

G loved helping create this box. I also bought a bag of letter beads to mix in. This way you can also make it educational, by asking them to spell their name, find certain letters etc. 

A bug catching set has been a lot of fun! He uses the scoop and the net to scoop up beans or to put some of the animals inside as he catches them. 

We made this sensory bin over 9 months ago. G still loves to play with it! Cash has now started to play with it with supervision. This is not my favorite toy for toddlers because they like to dump beans all over the house. It becomes a huge mess and it's not a relaxing toy for a mom. lol It is a great sensory toy for toddlers, but you just need some patience when you pull this out!

Items for a sensory bin

1 plastic bin - we used a 28 qt bin with a lid 

1 bag of beans

Glass Rocks

Alphabet Beads

Insect Collector Kit

Plastic Animals

Squishy Toys 

Option 1 

Option 2

Play Doh

Trees

Construction Vehicles

You can be so creative with sensory bin themes you would like to create for your kids! 

If you make a sensory bin let me know what kind of ideas of you come up with! 

Halloween Wreath

A friend posted a Halloween wreath online that was soooo cute! She mentioned she paid $60 for someone to make it for her. I sent the picture to some of my friends and asked them if they thought we could make the wreaths! Everyone was game. I think all the supplies to make the wreaths were about $20 each. We had a fun afternoon chatting, eating some yummy food and crafting! 

All our supplies came from Hobby Lobby and Michael's. We made big bows, tied on little chalkboards, wrapped some lights around the wreath and added different little touches. I stuck some tiny little colorful spiders and some whispy black feather type things. G is REALLY into ghosts, so I added a ghost bulb. 

I really love how it turned out! 

Sensory Paper Bag Book

There are a times I need to entertain George while I try to get things done around the house. He gets bored with the same toys day after day. We put some toys away and bring them out which is like WOW where did that come from?

I decided to make 3 boxes of different type of toys, crafty items he can play with 3 days a week. I have a lot of scrapbook items that are just sitting around my spare room. I decided to make him a book out of a paper bag.

I looked on Pinterest for some ideas of things to put in the boxes. I will blog about the boxes at a different time. I used them the other day and it was fabulous! He was soooo excited to go through the box and play with everything.

I used 3 paper bags. Folded them in half, punched holes in the end and tied it with string.

I had the stickers above in my collection. He likes to rub the mustache.

I am not sure how long these letters will stay on the page. He is trying to pick them off already. I hot glued them to the page. If he picks them off I can glue them back down.

In the pages that are open on the ends I cut cardstock to stick inside. I hot glued some twine to the page to make a G. Used stickers on the other pages.

I took a straw that was left over from his party, cut it and glued it to the page. He really liked the straw. The owl he lost interest in quickly.

The car sheet was his favorite. He played with that the most. Then he took it, folded it in half and shoved it back in the open section of the book. That is when I realized it will be lucky if the book lasts a month. lol

These books are so easy to make! You can just use items you have around the house or grab some items at the dollar store. Michaels' has cardstock on sale a lot of times for about $2-3 a pack of 50. Use a coupon and save 40-50%.

Crafting

The craft room is now gone and has been transformed into a nursery. I will post pictures once it is completed. I got rid of a lot of craft stuff and moved the rest into the guest bedroom. Well I finally got the bug to start making some stuff for the little man. Art asked if I was depressed because I was crafting. lol I told him no I am nesting. 

One night I cut everything out and the next day I sewed it all together. I have a pile of other stuff I still want to make. I left the pile of fabric in a box near my spot on the couch, so I will work on it each week. 

Puppy & Mustache burp clothes

A lady at church just had a little girl, so I made some burp clothes and bibs for her. 

I also made my little man some bandanna bibs. 

My list of items I want to make are:

mustache flannel blanket

farm animal waffle knit blanket

camo bib

more burp clothes

decorative onesies

wet bags

Coffee Cozies

I love it when the housekeepers come to clean my house. This is my time to craft. I usually go into the craft room for the entire time and whip out some projects. Last time I made numerious items for my mom for Christmas. This time I made Christmas gifts I can't discuss and some coffee cozies.  I decided to make some with mustaches and lips. Didn't they turn out cute? 

Craft Room Organized!

My craft room has been a NIGHTMARE!!!  It looks like a 7.5 earthquake shook the room apart!  I keep the door shut every.single.day! I only go in there to find something I desperately need or to iron.  It causes me stress just thinking about it.  On Sunday I had some free time & energy so I decided to tackle the room head first!

First thing I did was take pictures of the chaos like any good blogger!

Then I emptied the entire room out. I wiped everything down, swept & mopped the floors.  Then I stood back & tried to figure out where I wanted to put everything.

I took off this light switch plate and tried to wash it.  No such luck!  Well there is NOTHING a can of spray paint can't fix! I took the bugger outside & got busy!

WA-LA!!!!  Doesn't that look a TON better!

Here is the room put back together!  I really want to paint this room, but I am not sure what color.  I am thinking of putting of board & batten and painting the top a green color.  That is a project for this Fall/Winter.

I hung up some decorations!  I hung the thread holder in the center of the wall, next to it is a sewing machine iron cut out and on the other side I hung a shelf.  I hung the shelf with nails & it started to fall off the wall.  I had Art hang it up screws & it stayed!  I put a little metal basket & a picture frame.  I need to put something in the wire basket.



Here is the other side of the room.

I made this thread holder last year.

Christmas 2009 we took old fashion pictures. I love this picture of us! 

There you have it!!!! My organized craft room! I just love the fact it is so organized & I can find everything! I have been going in there every single day AND I keep the door open now.

P.S. I Made This

I have you ever heard of the website called P.S. I Made this?  OMG it's the best website!  I heard about it watching the Nate Show.  She shows you how to make knock off stuff.  Here are a few tutorials.

Craft Idea's

Here are a few beauties I plan to recreate soon. I love these 3 items.



How beautiful is this ruffled wreath? I love love love wreaths!!!! Check out Jones Design Company for instructions on the above wreath.

How cute are the glitter trees above? They come from eighteen25 blog.

Ballard knock off spool side table. I have been eyeing this beauty since the first time I saw it in Ballard. I have an idea in my head already on how to re-create it. Check out here for instructions.