Saturday Crafternoon : My First Mini Album!

I'm so excited to share my first attempt at a mini book with you! I've admired these cute small scrapbooks for years now, but this is my first attempt at my own.

Saturday Crafternoon: My First Mini Album!

This mini book's theme is all about Birdie, my boyfriend's adorable little 5 month old Boxer baby

I started with my manilla folders. They make great bases for all kinds of craft projects...i try to use them in the place of cardstock...so i cut out my mini book pages from the folders:



Next, I printed out pics of Little Miss Birdie =)



Then i started building my pages. Since i'm kinda new to scrapbooking, i kept this first book simple, using just pictures and stickers to embellish. Here's how i did my cover:



I used these smaller chipboard letters to trace out "Birdie Love" on dog patterned scrapbook paper:







...and here is how my other pages turned out!!

Saturday Crafternoon : Love Always Kiss Flip Book

I got this sooo cute idea from Craft magazine's awesome blog and decided to try my own version of this fun craft to share with all of you!

Saturday Crafternoon: Love Always Kiss Flip Book

This is a cute idea to share a kiss with your sweetie at all times!! =)

To make this easy flip book, first I took a photo of myself blowing a kiss using my cell phone and sent it to flickr.

Next, i had to use a little photoshop magic to edit out the terrible lighting and make the background of my photo white:



I printed out the photo multiple times, 1 for each page of my little flip book...



Next, i used old manilla folders as a thicker page to mount the pictures on...



...and i mounted the pics on the cut out folder "pages"...



Then, i started adding my hearts...in order, one heart on the first pic, two on the second, three on the third and so on, unitl the last pic is filled with hearts...



And finally i punched holes and secured the book with ribbon! So fast, easy and cute!! Make one for your sweetie today!! =)

Vegan Chocolate Covered Strawberries

So what is Valentine's Day without chocolate? LOL i had a blast this year making vegan chocolate covered strawberries =). I wanted to make a treat for my friends, but didn't want to pay an arm and a leg for it, and also wanted to make sure it was pure chocolate and not the sugar laden stuff you buy at specialty stores!

Here's what i did...and it was so easy and quick even I was shocked...



I took 3 pints of strawberries that I got at the market next to my apartment and washed them really well.

Next, I took Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate Squares (they come in an orange box..), which are 100% cacao, which is pure chocolate.

I melted the squares down 2 at time in a bowl. I melted them slowly, taking them off the heat every 30 seconds so the chocolate wouldn't burn. After it was completely melted, I added organic agave nectar to sweeten the chocolate.

I took a paper towel to blot each berry dry before dipping them in the chocolate, this helps the berry hold the chocolate better, and put them on wax paper to set

I placed the wax paper on a long oven pan and put the pan in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. The berries set beautifully in the freezer and peeled off the wax paper perfectly.

Saturday Crafternoon : Love Always Valentine Banner

I hope everyone had a wonderful valentine's day!! mine was filled with craft love and beauty!!! and of course red and pink hearts and homemade vegan chocolate covered strawberries!!

but first, here is a fun new DIY i have to share with you guys and gals!!

Saturday Crafternoon: Love Always Valentine Banner

I wanted to make my baby's Valentine's Day super special and crafty this year and so I made a fun banner to celebrate our love. Here's what I did:

I totally got this idea from another blog I follow via Google Reader, and it was so cute, i had to make my own version of it!

I took Chipboard Letters ( got them at Hobby Lobby for $2.99 for a pack of 26 letters, all CAPS...)and traced them on printed scrapbook paper so i can reuse the letters over and over. If you want added depth, you can always use foam adhesive pieces to put behind each letter to make it really stand out, or cut the letters out of a thick cardboard instead of just paper.



Next, I took solid color cardstock ( i used brown to compliment my other scrapbook papers...) and cut out squares that fit each letter



Then, I cut out different patterned papers to put against the letters to make the letters stand out



Finally, I added little hearts that i cut out from patterned paper as a small embellishment to each letter



...and the final product, all strung up and hung on the big day:



...happy banner making!! =)
xoxo, janackeh

Saturday Crafternoon : Love Always DIY Love Coupon Holder

This past weekend, in honor of Valentine's Day coming up this weekend, I worked on a really cute and fast project great for anyone looking for something fun and creative to give their sweetie this year!!!

Saturday Crafternoon : Love Always DIY Love Coupon Holder

This cute little love coupon holder is a great way to give your sweetheart two handmade gifts in one that can be personalized by you!!

here's how i made mine:



First, i cut out 2 shapes in red & pink felt, for contrast



Next, I sewed the pieces together using a Chenille needle (size 20) and black embroidery thread



Then, i sewed on a button and cut a slit in the top flap to close it



Finally, i added an embellishment on the front, a "love" graphic from a piece of scrapbook paper =)

And there you have it!! Tomorrow i will try to post examples on coupons you can make to go inside!

Saturday Crafternoon : From Blah to Beautiful DIY Frame Makeover

So i've decided to start posting DIY projects to share with whoever reads this based on the craft projects I complete. Here's the first, just in time for Valentine's Day!!!

If you're anything like me, you collect frames, but it takes you some time to figure out what you want to do with them. You can purchase basic frames pretty cheap from craft stores, Target, even Goodwill and Dollar stores. Well, some friends of mine happened to be giving away stuff they didn't sell in their garage sales after purchasing their new home, and I got this great frame. So this weekend I decided to finally do something with it!

From Blah to Beautiful DIY Frame Makeover



i started out with this frame, though it is lovely, it is pretty blah. so instead of just putting a couple pictures in their, i wanted to personalize it, make it mine.



first, i chose the pictures i wanted to use in the frame



next, i used some pretty pink, red, white and brown scrapbook papers and made a border out of a stripey paper



then, i cut out heart shapes and used letter stickers to write out captions



next, to give it a little pizzaz, i used my glue stick and glitter to decorate a few of the hearts



finally, i added all of the embellishments onto the mat




and here is the final product, back in the frame!!