Gift 19: Frame

This frame is so cute, and can be done two ways. The first requires sewing and the instructions can be found here.

The other way is almost too easy: get a frame, cut a piece of notebook paper to fit the frame, and you're done. To add the words, simply write on it with a dry erase marker! This gift can also be used to jot down lists, quotes, jokes, messages, etc. Christmas time? Write "Merry Christmas" on it! Want to tell your husband you love him? Write "I love you [insert husband's name here]". The possibilities are endless.

Gift 18: Crayon Art

Crayon art is so cute. This website will tell you how to do it, but they only do the easy and dull one. There are soooo many things that can be done with this simple melting crayon technique...

1) The Simple Rainbow

While this is cool, it is too simple!

2) Make a Circle

So much better! Arranging your crayons in a circle gives the art more symmetry that our eyes find appealing. Plus it's really cool.

3) 3D Objects

Now, turn your art upside down, and what do you get? Stems! Just glue on some silk flowers and your art is SO much more creative! Adding 3D objects makes your art pop.

4) Adding Embellishments and Creative Use of Color

Adding embellishments, such as the girl added in these, makes the art take life. Instead of just crayons, you have rain, stage lights, and tree branches. It adds a whole other dimension of meaning to simple melted crayons.

My favorite is obviously the last one, but they are all really neat.

P.S. Some sites tell you to take the paper off the crayons. I say no way. Keeping the paper on helps keep the crayons from looking crushed and gross.

See? This is gross looking. DON'T TAKE THE PAPER OFF.

Gift 17: Bottle Cap Wind Chime

I guess I just like wind chimes. Sorry guys. But you gotta admit this is adorable. Sadly I couldn't find instructions that did this the way I like, so once again, here are my own:

1) You will need: bottle caps, jump rings, chains, head pins, hammer, nails, and a piece of metal with lots of holes in it, like an old shower head.

2) Using your hammer and nails, punch two holes in the bottle cap. Punch the hole on the edge that you screw it onto bottles, not the flat part.

3) Take your head pins and put the end without the head in the hole to where when you make the loop, it will stick out from the cap. Then string them together using jump rings.

4) Attach them to the metal with jump rings.

5) Attach the chains to the metal, and hang!

Gift 16: Chalkboard Necklace

Cute, isn't it? I love this little necklace. The website gives GREAT instructions, so you'll have no trouble doing it.

I plan to make this for my cousin this year. And now that I think about it, this would be a precious gift to give a teacher! Score!

Gift 15: Wind Chime

I LOVE THIS. This vintage wind chime is absolutely beautiful. Once again, it's only pictures, no instructions, but I tried it and here are the instructions I came up with:

1) You will need: pretty vintage plate with holes around the edges, fishing line, beads and ribbon to match your plate, vintage silverware, and a drill.

2) Drill holes in the handles of your silverware (look at the picture). Then tie fishing line to them.

3) On the rest of the line, string beads at varying increments, tying knots above and below each section of beads.

4) After you have enough beads strung, tie the line to the bottom of the plate.

5) Take more fishing line and string beads on it. Tie it to the top of your plate, and tie off the ends. Tie a ribbon to the beads, and hang!

I hope these instructions are helpful. I strongly suggest looking at the pictures! It really helps.

Gift 14: Yardstick Crafts

Vintage yardsticks and rulers are very popular right now and can be found at flea markets for very cheap. So it is no surprise that there are all sorts of craft instructions on the web. I've consolidated a few just for you lovelies. Here are my favorites:

1) Yardstick box

2) Yardstick Table Top

3) Yardstick Shelf

4) Yardstick Frames

I sadly couldn't find anything but pictures for this one, but I'm sure it isn't too hard to figure out.

5) Yardstick Coat Hanger

And there you have it, 5 simple and cheap gifts to make!

Gift 13: Hoop Art

A great way to make a personal gift. This embroidery hoop art is easy to make and so colorful!!! There aren't instructions on the website, just pictures, so here are the instructions:

1) First get the necessary supplies: hoop of your preferred size, fabric, ribbon, rick-rack, buttons, thread, etc. To make it quickly, I suggest using a sewing machine to do the ribbon.

2) Cut a piece of fabric big enough to fit in the hoop you have chosen.

3) Sew the ribbon on in any order. Use lots of different kinds for best results.

4) Sew on buttons. Or embroider words onto it like done here.

5) If you want, tie a ribbon to the top so it can be hung. And there you have it! Cute and easy!

Gift 12: Wall Hooks

WARNING: This next project is freaking adorable.

I introduce to you... The mismatched wall hook! First of all, finding the parts to this project would be super fun. Who doesn't enjoy wandering around antique malls and hardware stores? Cuz I love it.

So what you need for this project: wood, hooks, and screws. That's about it. She gives a pretty good explanation of how to do it, so I'll leave that part to her and just give her some publicity :)

Ugh just think how CUTE this would look with a slew of vintage and flowered scarves on it!!! I can hardly bear it.

Gift 11: Silhouette Jewelry

I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS. I have always loved silhouettes, whether it be in photography or in a frame, so this is an especially good gift to give me. Just so ya know.

There are so many personal aspects that can be emphasized in this project. It can be given to grandmas, mothers, daughters, sisters, spouses, children, best friends, anyone! There is something special about having a necklace with the silhouettes of all the people you love.

For your girl friends, I suggest the necklace. Make a silhouette of all her friends and it will be an instant success!

For the grandma with twenty billion grand-kids, I would suggest the bracelet :P

Gift 10: Glass Tile Pendant

This is a bit trickier than some of the other crafts I've posted about, but not by much. The hardest part is probably obtaining the materials. But once you do, problem solved! These necklaces are so adorable.

Some things I would like to add to this woman's craft:

1) You can use photographs to give the pendant a personalized touch.
2) Also, try artwork of your own.
3) Add other things to the necklace, like charms and beads on eye pins or head pins.
4) Try finding different sizes.
5) Make a charm bracelet out of them!!! SO CUTE!
6) Scrabble tiles, anyone? :)

Gift 9: Embellished Journal

So, I am going to alter this a bit and add my own twist to this sticky and tricky glue project.

First of all, when you click on the link, you have to scroll a bit til you find the article.

Second of all, this lady does this to a canvas and then hangs it on her wall. We, however, will be doing this to a plain journal cover. So, go find a plain journal. I'll wait.

Alright, good job. Now do what she does, except to you journal. You can use puffy paint of any color, or even craft glue if you still want white. Once the paint dries, brush over it with Mod Podge (if you used paint) to keep in from wearing as badly. If you used glue, find some sort of sealant that can be used (I have little knowledge in this area, unfortunately). And there ya have it! Simple gift!

Gift 8: Recycled Key Pendants

Sorry, my internet has been down for the past few days. I've been dying without it. So here are all the posts I woulda posted.

This cute key project isn't exactly a step-by-step how-to, but it is so self-explanatory you don't really need instructions (But if you do, tell me and I will help your poor little soul). Just look at the pictures and use them as inspiration! I mean, really all you need are keys, old jewelry, and a chain of some sort to hang it on. So get workin'! This is simple stuff!

See? Tell me these aren't adorable? HA! YOU CAN'T! I win.

Gift 7: Scrabble Tile Coasters

This craft has a lot of potential for being fun. I mean, who doesn't like to screw around and spell funny stuff with Scrabble tiles? So instead of spelling actual words, or even words that relate to drinks, make up new words, or use fun four letter words like "plop", "dork", "loop", and "garfunkle". Okay, so maybe that last one isn't four letters, but you could split it up! Like "garf", "unkl" and "eeee". Yeah, nevermind, don't do that. But do have fun with it!

These coasters are good ideas for the womenfolk in your life, like your grandma or aunt. Maybe even your mom. Or... Your professor who is currently failing you. It's always good to suck up to teachers! :P They would also be fun little things to make for yourself and bring to college. (College has been on my mind lately, unfortunately.)

Enjoy!

Gift 6: Bird Wall Art

This adorable and very very cheap craft will only take a few minutes. Simply paint a cheap frame from Goodwill, tear out a page from an old dictionary, and draw birds on it. Voilá. See? You don't even need to look at the website. But just in case, here it is.

I personally like the heart-shaped frame better. Or maybe it's because the frame is blue. Who knows?

Gift 5: Dry Erase and Paint Chip Calender

This is seriously one of the easiest gifts to make. All you need is a picture frame of a slightly large size and paint chips.

And let's face it, we all have stashes of paint chips lying around, hidden in shoe boxes and closets. Who can resist them? I mean, you walk in to Home Depot and wander around, seeing nothing but dull tools and wood, when suddenly you find yourself in the paint aisle. The drastic change from dull to colorful is too much for you to bear, and you immediately run over to the pain chips and take sixty or so. AND THEY'RE FREE!!! Could it be any better?! (Okay, maybe it's just me, I admit it. But whatever.)

So, for the busy worker in your life, be it your mother, uncle, or sister in college, this cheap and chic little calendar is sure to be their favorite gift the receive all year. That sounded amazingly like an infomercial.

One of the best parts is that since it's glass, you can write on it with a dry erase marker, so there will never be a need to buy a calendar again! Yay!

Gift 4: Light Bulb Vases

This is ingenious. Light bulbs as vases? Who came up with this? They are so creative! I love water and light together, so I can hang these in a window to catch sunlight. Lovely. Like little drops of water! I hope you're good with a saw :P

I really like the second one. So, now I guess I'll have to wait for some light bulbs to go out... I don't think I'm that patient... Oh well.

Gift 3: Spoon Rings

Oh, the wonderful spoon ring! These little lovelies were quite popular in the 70s and are starting to become a hot item once more (I REALLY WANT ONE). Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to find instructions that included pictures (cuz I mean let's face it, we don't really READ the directions, we just look at the pictures!), so I scoured Google for a few nice ones.

So first you obviously cut off the actual spoon part. I assume this can be done with forks as well. There are two main styles:

The wrap spoon ring...

And then the normal spoon ring. It connects to form one smooth, continuous ring. I can't decide which I like best, to be honest. (ISN'T THIS A WONDERFUL RING???)

Gift 2: T-shirt Ring

Ah, yet another chic and easy gift to make. I really like this simple idea. Check out this site for instructions and more pictures! I'm thinking I would use a color other than green. Leaves are green, not flowers. Get it right people.

I'm thinking I would replace the felt band with an actual metal one that adjusts. It would work just as well and be a little nicer looking. Just a thought :)

Gift 1: Messenger Bag

December 1st! It's time to begin our 25 Days of Christmas handmade gifts countdown! I hope you all had great Thanksgivings, by the way.

Our first gift is a messenger bag. And it is SO. CUTE. I want this. Please make it for me. And then mail it to me. Pwease? :) Haha I'm sure I'll get around to making it eventually. Oh well.

See? precious, isn't it?? And I love me some ruffles!

Just so you know, I actually plan to make this. So when I do, I'll post the end product. Fingers crossed, haha.

Why Pintrest Is the Most Lovely and Wonderful Thing That You Will Ever Encounter in Your Whole, Entire Life

So a few weeks ago I discovered an AMAZING site called Pintrest. Many of you probably have heard of it or might even be members (if so, hit me up! I would love to follow you!). But for those of you who are still in the dark, Pintrest is like a virtual pin board.

You can observe or you can participate: Maybe you just like looking at pretty pictures. Perhaps you are in need of some inspiration? Pinterest can even help you with your dinner plans! It is everything to everyone!!

For example, I am a sucker for interior design. When I first got my account, I started a “Interior Design” board and started to “pin” pictures I liked from other websites that relate to this topic. I am OBSESSED with marking my favorite looks, furniture, and houses. It’s a great way for me to store everything I need and reference it later. Paint styles. Ways to display keepsakes. An amazing antique door that caught my interest. Pinterest allows me to keep it all in one place. Magic I tell you. Magic.

What might be some examples of Pintrest Boards? (Here comes another list :P) Allow me to share mine with you :

1) Paper Crafts
2) Photography
3) Clothes
4) Dream Home
5) Hair Styles
6) Craft Ideas and Paper Craft Ideas
7) Places I Want to Go
8) My Future Husband (Definitey my favorite page :P)

(Sorry the screenshot is so small. It wouldn't get any bigger)

And those are just a few! I started out with 5 boards, and now I have 14! Some people have as many as 40. It gets addicting, that's for sure.

The last thing that must be said is that you sadly cannot become a member quickly without being invited to be one by a friend. So! If you want to join, just leave a comment with your email and a request to be a member! I'll invite you as soon as you do! It's totally worth it, trust me!

I"m Alive!

Hey guys. Yeah... It's been a while. I apologize most deeply, but you gotta remember I'm young and spry, and am therefore busy all the time. But no worries, because fall is my busiest time of the year, and now 'tis almost winter! Ahhh, Christmas time is only a few short days away. Well, it should be anyways. I'm seriously getting ticked off with all this Christmas music before Thanksgiving... ("Really radio stations? Really? Since when is it okay to play Christmas music before Thanksgiving? Yeah, that's right, NEVER. So stop. Thank you.") Alright, done with that little rant.

I'm not sure if I have already mentioned this or not, but I am a craftsy person, and all the Christmas gifts I give are usually handmade, so from now til Christmas, I will try to be finding websites with great ideas, as well as including my own tutorials for crafts I like to make and then blogging about them.

So have a happy Thanksgiving! I will be doing college visits over my break unfortunately, so pray for me, haha.

Why I Love BBC

So, for those of you that have Netflix, you may or may not have discovered the wonderful thing that is BBC television. I don't think I've ever mentioned the fact that I don't watch much TV (yes, I miss out on Glee and Bones and House. Big deal). I prefer to do other things, like read and hang out with friends. But when I do watch TV, I watch BBC shows on Netflix. And here is why.

1) Merlin. Merlin is such a great show! It is definitely my kind of style (I mean, it's MERLIN!). I love the action, the magic, and the actors! Bradley James is sooooooooo hot! And Colin Morgan is pretty cute too. For those of you that are bummed out that HP is over, i suggest watching Merlin to ease your sadness. It helps.

2) Robin Hood. I can't really see the need to explain why I loved this TV show. I mean, the answer is in the name. But despite the fact that I loved it, I didn't love it for the actual character of Robin Hood. I actually disliked the guy who played him (A LOT. GRRRRRRRR). BUT... I did love it for other characters. Allan-a-Dale, Will, and Sir Guy were all amazingly attractive and, by far, the best actors in the show. I also loved the Sheriff. He's totally mean and evil and does terrible things, but he was very lovable at the same time... I think he just had a bad childhood and is misunderstood. Well anyways, this show is definitely worth watching.

3) Dr. Who. Dr. Who is amazing. It is by far my favorite TV show. It combines my love of sci-fi with my love of adventure and good guys always helping people. So it's kinda like a mix between Star Wars and Robin Hood! (Okay, not really, but it's still awesome) Plus the Doctor is a TIME TRAVELER!!! What could be more epic? So far, my favorite Doctor has been played by David Tennant. He is so, soooo, sooooooo hot. I could look at pictures of him all day... Sigh... I am yet to see any episodes that have the newest Doctor in them, but I doubt he could be better than David Tennant.

I also suggest checking out Foyle's War and Bleak House. They are also really good. I just don't rave about them as much as I do the other three :P And I am totes looking forward to exploring more BBC TV in the near future.

From "Haha!" to "WHO IS ABBY?!?!" (The Way My Mind Works, Ladies and Gentlemen)

Does anyone out there occasionally read the "Dear Abby" column in the newspaper? Because I have a confession to make... I do. And let me tell you why: some of the things people write to her about are absolutely hilarious! I mean, seriously guys, some of these people must live under rocks!

The first one I ever read (that lead to the continuation of my reading them) is probably the best of them all. A man writes to Abby and says:

"Dear Abby, I am in love with my niece. She and I are not related by blood, and I am only 10 years older than her. We have gone on one or two dates, but she has told me that she is uncomfortable being romantically involved with me because of our age difference and the fact that I was married to her aunt. I really like her. What do I do?"

Please excuse me while I go THROW UP. Isn't this guy absolutely crazy??? But my favorite part was Abby's response:

"Dear creeper, If you really like your niece, you will respect her reasonable excuse for not wanting to date you and leave her alone."

Okay, so she didn't really call him a creeper straight out, but that's what she meant. It was so funny.

So now that I have shared my personal favorite "Dear Abby" story, do you see why I read them from time to time? It's just too good to pass up :P

Hmm... Okay so this idea totally just popped into my head... Has anyone ever wondered why the advice columns in newspapers are always called "Dear Abby"? CUZ I JUST DID. I googled it and came up with a reasonable explanation . But that wasn't enough. Ya know, how are we supposed to know who's behind the oh-so-innocent pen name "Abby"... I mean, think about it guys! Abby might not even be a girl! She could be some fat, bearded man who is just as creepy as the guy aforementioned! Abby could be ANYONE! Heck, Abby could be my grandmother and I'd never know!

I think I'm over thinking this... Sorry guys. Expect another post for my complete investigation, haha.

It's Over

It's over. I can't believe it's actually over. Harry Potter has ended. I'm not sure about the rest of you guys, but I grew up on Harry Potter. I wasn't a fan from the beginning (mostly because I was home schooled til 3rd grade and I had parents who thought Harry Potter was about devil worship, haha...). But once my parents realized Harry Potter was about love and friendship and overcoming evil, I was hooked.

And now it's over.

I sadly couldn't go to the midnight show last Thursday because I had band practice til pretty late, but I did get to see it today. And I loved it, of course.

I still hate whoever decided to make it a two-parter, but I do love them for making it great. Talk about a love-hate relationship, haha. But anyways, Harry Potter couldn't have ended better (Well, by "ended better", I mean the movie as a whole. The actual ending was hilarious. I couldn't get over how ridiculous Rupert Grint looked... I wish they had just left out the whole "19 years later" thing).

But all that aside, I just want to say thank you. Thank you Harry, Ron, Hermoine, Neville, Luna, Jenny, Professor McGonagall, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Snape, Fred, George, Lupin, and everyone else for being a part of my growing up and for proving that no matter how little hope there is, you can always overcome evil.

(And if anyone cares, Snape is my favorite character :P)

Best Disney Movies EVER (Part 2)

Alrighty folks. Here's Part 2.

#11: The Emperor's New Groove. Llamas. That's all I gotta say.

#12: The Sorcerer's Apprentice. I love Dave. I think he is one of the best guy movie characters ever created. His voice, his hair... Everything. And Nicholas Cage is actually decent in this movie. Almost attractive, even. He looks good with crazy hair. Weird, huh. I'm not usually too big on fantasy movies like this (unless it's LOTR, of course), but me loves this one. I even sorta like Dave's love interest. She's not the typical hot n' sexy girl most movies tend to have. I like her because she seems normal: not abnormally hot and not ridiculously ditzy.

#13: Treasure Planet. Okay, so really the only reason I love this movie is because it's another re-telling of "Treasure Island". But Jim is really cool, too. Oh, and I love Morph! This is also one of the movies I watched with my best friend, and as a result it has become a favorite. There's just so much to make fun of! :P

#14: The Incredibles. I love super heroes. So what could be better than a movie about them? I mean, it's "a whole family of supers" as Syndrome would say (anyone? anyone?). I also wish I was Violet. I hope they make a sequel to this movie soon, 'cuz I mean really, who ends a movie like that??? NO ONE! Okay, well obviously Disney does. BUT THEY SHOULDN'T.

#15: National Treasure 1 and 2. This movie is so cool. It intertwines spy stuff and U.S. History, and is very suspenseful. The effects are pretty neat, and everyone loves a good "treasure hunt" that involves danger and intrigue. Plus I love Riley. He's such an adorable little nerd. Nicholas Cage... Eh, he's not so great. But he's okay in these movies. I'm super psyched for the 3rd one to come out next year.

#16: Enchanted. Disney basically makes fun of themselves in this movie. I absolutely love Giselle, with her innocent ways and impulsive dress making. I also adore Edward's ridiculously chivalrous ways. AND it's a musical. "Enchanted" is kinda a combination of every Disney Princess movie ever made, and has Patrick Dempsey in it... 'Nuf said.

#17: The Chronicles of Narnia Movies. I'm sure you are all sick of hearing about Narnia. Well, suck it up and get used to it. HA. So, I won't write much for fear of repeating myself, but I have just two words for you: Ben Barnes. Oh and Skander Keynes. Okay, I'm done now, honest.

#18: Up. This movie is so sad ;( I cry, like, every time I watch it. The first 10 minutes are absolutely heartbreaking. My English teacher even showed it to us when we were discussing emotional responses to literature. Okay, sad moment over. Besides being incredibly touching, this film is also incredibly hilarious. I love Doug, with a hot burning passion. I wish my dog could talk! And I am naming the next random thing I name Kevin. My favorite quote from this movie is definitely, "Kevin's a girl???" because my friend's name is Kevin and I always think of him when I hear it... Hehehe :P

#19: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. This movie is so good. The plot is kinda complicated, and I really only understood it at the very end... So I watched it twice (I'm not retarded, I swear), but it's SO GOOD. At the end you're all like WHOA THAT IS SO FRAGGLIN' AWESOME!!! And Dastan is super hot. I love all the action!

#20: Tangled. This. Is. The. Best. Movie. EVER. It is BY FAR the BEST Disney movie EVER MADE. HENCE MY USING ALL CAPS. I mean, really! It has FLYNN RIDER!!! (Who I am gonna marry, remember? He's MINE) And FRYING PANS! And a chameleon!!! And an awesome horse! I could go on and on (and on) about why this movie is great, but I will save your eyes and keep it short. I love this movie because it's romantic, hilarious, exciting, classic, and Disney. You can't not like a movie with all that in it.

Ah, so now we have come to the end of "Lizz's List of the Best Disney Movies EVER". Tis sad. Now go watch all these movies!!!