DIY Edition: Indiana Artwork

Our family is huge. Not huge like the McCallisters on Home Alone but big enough that my husband’s siblings and their significant others draw names for a Secret Santa gift giving. This year I didn’t think I would have too much time to get crafty with my lucky pick so I decided to keep it simple by shopping on Etsy. Why not buy someone else the things that I'm too cheap to buy for myself; right? I knocked $24 off of our $30 limit with this little beauty from HappyHeat. Five years ago or so I got my very own and still use it faithfully. It’s a hot/cold pad for the neck and when microwaved smells heavily of lavender. When I’m feeling off it’s my go-to remedy.

Photo courtesy of Happy Heat

After perusing Etsy a bit more I found just the inspiration I needed to finish my gift. My pick happens to be my sister-in-law. A crafty, shabby-chicster at heart (see her blog here), her draw to monograms, chevrons and personalized pieces gave me enough to work with to make her the framable piece below. I knew that frames in her house were mostly white, so I hit up Kohls and around Christmas and got the frame for $6. Here's the print:

From the template I also made her a secondary print just for fun.

Download your copy of ‘Home Sweet Home’
Download a copy of Indiana in pink 
OR download a copy of Indiana in blue :)

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock and do come back!

Cara

DIY Edition: Fort Kit

This fall I not only got a husband but three nephews! Over the last five years I’ve helped pick out some pretty cool Christmas presents for these little boys but this year I decided that as an official ‘aunt and uncle’ we had to get something for the boys on our own; not with the other uncles. 

Leave it to me to wait until a week before Christmas to finally get my rear in gear and think of something really really cool. After scouring Pinterest for what seemed like hours, I decided to modify an idea that would be sure to keep any house full of young boys occupied - A FORT!  I then found myself in Wal–Mart on December 15th (you’ve got it, payday for the entire population – big mistake!) with arms full of supplies in a line nothing short of 35 minutes long.

Here’s what I purchased:

• Three 50x60 fleece blankets (pinterest recommended flat sheets but I couldn’t find any sold separately)
• A matching tub for fort storage
• Extra reinforcement clips (clothespins)
• A  small lantern to use inside the fort 
• 4 AAA batteries for the lantern
• Pajamas for all of the boys to wear in their fort
• Ribbon (I had this already, but be sure to buy this to sew to your fleece blankets)

To begin, I unrolled the blankets and cut ribbon into roughly 6 inch strips. I angled the ends and counted them into groups of six. Each blanket received six of the strips (all four corners and one on the middle of the 60” side). 

I then secured the ribbon with four passes on my sewing machine to make it more durable.

I threw in the other goodies and laid the tag on top so that it didn't get ripped off during the rigorous gift opening that always seems to occur and stuck everything into a matching chevron storage tub for easy storing.

I polished the fort making kit off with these nifty tags from KIN. Watch their DIY fort crafting video here.

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock! Do come back!
Cara

DIY Edition: Keepsake Ornament

For us, Christmas is our favorite holiday. I knew when we were tying the knot that we would want a little something to drag out every Christmas to remember how thankful we are for one another - even when Christmas has fewer gifts, more traveling or not such blissful circumstances.

I made this ornament with scraps from my wedding dress (after it was altered) and left over materials from our wedding invitations. On our wedding day, we put grass seed from our fist go at helping our lawn to flourish and birdseed from the bag that was thrown on our wedding day. The grass seed will help us remember that all large things begin as something small and take a lot of work. The birdseed will remind us how we felt after our walk down the aisle as husband and wife.

I even made a stand to hold it during pouring out of felt covered styrofoam that I hollowed out to act as a nest. It worked great and looks nice as display if I decide not to hang it on the tree.

If you're looking for an awesome wedding keepsake, this is easy, cheap and unique! If you're looking to give something like this as a gift, here's a little peek at an awesome gift from my aunt. She cut up our wedding invitation, line by line and put it into an ornament just as awesome!

Furthermore, if you find yourself with a whole sheet of extra stickers that you bough just for the numbers, here's a little something that I chose to do with my wrapping to help finish off the rest!

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock and looking around; do come back!

Cara

DIY Edition: Jars

Do you like to burn candles? How about those scented waxes that you heat up in warmers? I have used both for some time and was frustrated when it came time to pitch all of that excess wax. So, I stopped by my local craft store, picked up a small box of candle wicks and now I'm reusing wax to make new candles.

It's easy - let me walk you through it.

Steps for candles:

• Once candle is burnt up, remove the excess wax with a butter knife. Sometimes you can cut it into small sections to remove it from the jar. You can also freeze it for a short time and the wax should pop right out. Once the wax is out, pry off the old wick base if you plan to reuse the jar.
• Prep the new candle jar by pouring a drop of oil into the bottom for the wick to set on. This makes them easier to remove when your new candle burns up.
• Place the wick in the bottom of the jar and steady the top of the wick to keep it centered during the wax pouring process. I use popsicle sticks, forks, or any other worthy utensil laying around.
• Heat the old wax on a candle warmer [in an appropriate jar or bowl] or a wax warmer. Once melted, pour into the new candle jar.

Steps for warmers:

• When the wax is no longer scented [or you tire of it] simply begin by heating it up and preparing it for your new candle.
• Prep the new candle jar by pouring a drop of oil into the bottom for the wick to set on. This makes them easier to remove when your new candle burns up.
• Place the wick in the bottom of the jar and steady the top of the wick to keep it centered during the wax pouring process. I use popsicle sticks, forks, or any other worthy utensil laying around.
• Once the wax is ready, pour into the new candle jar.

The not-so-obvious perks to these gems are:

• Multiple scents throughout the candle's burn
• Color coordination with your decor
• Great little gifts to give alongside gift cards 

On the topic of jars, I found this transition quite natural. Below is a jar that once contained a single serving of jam. Albeit cute, the lid was a bit tacky for re-gifting or exposed use throughout my house. A little roughing up with sandpaper did the trick and now they're ready for re-use!

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock and looking around; do come back!

Cara

P.S. - Comment below with blog posts that you'd like to see!