She Believed She Could So She Did

She Believed She Could So She Did - Typography Print 8x10

She Believed She Could So She Did – Typography Print 8×10

“She Believed She Could So She Did” – is by far one of my favorite quotes. With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I was inspired to create this typography print. I designed it in honor of a special women in my life who is currently battling breast cancer and I decided to share this on the blog in hopes that other women might benefit from this empowering message as well.

Feel free to pin or share, but please be sure to credit dabblearts.com and if you wish to have a print, just send me an email ( dabbledigital @ gmail.com )

Back in Action

It’s been quite awhile since I’ve posted and without going into too much detail I will just sum it up into  – we moved across the country and I had another baby. I now have TWO boys. If you have children then you know how little time there is for yourself to take a shower, let alone time to craft. BUT, I have recently picked up my paintbrush again and am enjoying the 30 minutes or so that I can carve out of my day to do something creative – for myself. It might be tough, but it is so important to take that time!

Actually I have to share that as I am trying to type this my 4yr old is banging his legos on my desk and asking me to build a rocket ship and my 5 month old just woke from a nap, so I must now go build a space ship and change a diaper… but I am excited to be blogging  again have several new craft ideas to share with you soon!

Colored Sand Craft

My 2yr old and I had fun creating these colorful fish this weekend. Here’s how you can do it to!


What You Need & Where to Get it:

Instructions:

  • Pour small amounts of colored sand into several toddler friendly containers. I used small plastic snack bowls. We had one red, one blue, one yellow and one purple.
  • Allow your child to insert the funnel into the plastic fish and dump the sand into the funnel. A little goes a long way, so as long as there is only a little bit of sand in each container, you’ll be able to create more colorfully layered fish.
  • Tip: We made several fish pretty quickly, but my son still wanted to play, so I just let him dump a fish out and play with the leftover sand. Of course the colors got all mixed up, but he didn’t care and he was entertained for a while, so it was a win for both of us!

Don’t Just Pin – Do

Ok, I’ll admit it, I love me some Pinterest, BUT I see so many great ideas that I am constantly just pinning and have yet to get around to actually DOING most of the things I have tagged that I love. So what about actually doing? Have we gotten so wrapped up in our electronic lives that we all of our time searching for the perfect craft.. the perfect decor item… the perfect organization idea, but less time actually DOING? I hope not… I just created this to remind me. 🙂 I am all for inspiration and I think Pinterest is great, but let’s not forget to DO!

Happy Crafting!

Quick Candle Holder Craft

I had these Ivory Chimneys from Gold Canyon and I wanted to add a little splash of color to them to fit my decor in my living room. I decided to do a quick and easy candle wrap. Here’s how you can do it too!

Supplies You’ll Need:

Supplies

  • 3″ Ribbon (to match your decor)
  • Scissors
  • Double Sided Tape

Cut the ribbon to fit the diameter of the candle holder.

Attach it to the holder by placing a small amount of double sided tape on each ribbon end and secure them together. It’s important that you don’t use the double sided tape on the Chimneys themselves because it could peel the paint up.

 That’s it! You have a splash of color in your candle arrangement. Since the ribbon is not attached to actual chimney, they are also easy to remove so you can still burn tealights inside.

Finished Candle Display

Cute Corkboard Craft

I saw this 4pk of corkboard at Michael’s Arts & Crafts and without being entirely sure of what I would do with it, I bought it (they always get me with that ast minute stuff!). I actually came up with something that I think is super cute and functional, so I had to share it! Check it out.

For this project you’ll need:

  • (1) 4pk of corkboard 12″x12″
  • (4) decorative sheets of scrapbook paper 12″ x 12″  I used this “lace” pattern because of the holes, I didn’t want to poke holes through regular paper because it would leave marks. With this paper I can poke around the design.
  • Craft glue
  • Polycrylic Clear Gloss Protective Finish (Spray)

First I layed all the boards out on a flat surface. Then I brushed the back of sheets of scrapbook paper with craft glue. I watered the glue down a little bit so that it wouldn’t clump. Then I layed the sheets directly onto the corkboard. I took another glue wash and brushed it over the surface.

Once the glue dried, I sprayed it with a little bit of the Polycrylic Spray. The spray gave the cork boards a nice sheen and got rid of the stickiness from the glue.

Then using the adhesive stickers that came with the corkboard, I just hung them up!

And there you have a cute & functional corkboard!

Here’s the before & after of my craft room desk area.

This project took me about 20 min and  only costs $20.00!!!

Happy Crafting!!

What’s New for 2010- Handbags and Greeting Cards!

Happy New Year Crafters!

I am excited to start this new year for many reasons, the first and most exciting reason is that I am expecting my first child- sometime in February!! I am also excited because I finally have time to get my handmade items up for sale on etsy! I think it is going to be a great year and I can’t wait to share my adventures with you!

Here are a few items that have just been posted on sale in the DabbleArts etsy store. If you don’t have an etsy account, don’t worry, these items will be up on the website soon and I an a verified paypal vendor so you can safely purchase online.

Happy New Year!

Jeni

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BONNIE MAE QUILTED LILY TOTE $65

Bonnie Mae Quilted "Lily" Tote Bag

This retro & trendy tote bag is a perfect carry-all handbag, diaper bag, travel bag, or shopping bag! It has 4 pockets, 2 large pockets on the outside of the bag and 2 slightly smaller pockets inside the bag which are perfect for cellphones, pacifiers, or any other small items that you don’t want to lose! The black & white retro floral fabric is accented with a vibrant fuschia cotton fabric that lines the top of the bag and the entire inside. The straps are made from a solid black cotton fabric and measure approximately 12″ high and are reinforced with extra stitching for stability. Find it here:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=39574676

VINTAGE BLACK & WHITE NOTECARD SET $16

Vintage Black & White Notecard Set

This set of handmade cards comes with four different black & white vintage patterns. The cards measure 4×6″ and are made from black pearlized card stock which are then covered with the black & white vintage cardstock.  The cards are blank inside for you to personalize. Find them here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=39579943

Handmade Holiday Gift Ideas

With the tough economical situation this year, money for the holiday gifts is tight, but a popular solution to this dilemma is to make handmade presents. If you aren’t feeling crafty, or have no idea where to begin, you can find some fabulous handmade items for sale on sites like http://www.etsy.com. Etsy offers a variety of handmade gifts that will suite any budget. However, if you do want to try something crafty, here are a few ideas that are easy to make and won’t break the bank.

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HANDMADE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT:

Ornament Stuffed With Gold Ribbon

Plain glass ornaments can be found at your local craft store. I got a box of 4 for $2. With a little time and a few simple embellishments, you can turn them into beautifully decorated ornaments that will make a perfect gift for a friend. The ornament in the picture above I made by stuffing it with gold ribbon and then I wrote Merry Christmas on it with a metallic god pen.

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HANDMADE GREETING CARD SET:

Variety Set of Handmade Cards

You can get a set of blank cards at almost any craft shop and personalize them with stamps, speciality paper or scrapbook items. I decided to make a set of cards to fit a few different occasions. I made a few happy birthday, get well, thank you, and congratulation cards that I plan to give as a gift set to a few of my family members.

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KIDS CRAFT BOX:

DABBLE Craft Box for Kids

This gift is perfect for a child, or even a novice crafter. Get a shoe box, or a pastry box and put a few uncompleted craft projects in the box. Just make sure you’ve included all the parts for the craft kit. For instance if you’re giving wooden projects to paint, include the brush and the paints. I created a few craft boxes (like the one pictured above) that I sold through Dabble Arts & Crafts. For $15 I have included a wooden frame, ornament, paints, brush, and fun dough.

OTHER CRAFTY IDEAS:

A DATE IN A BOX:

I gave this gift a few times and each time I do it a little bit differently and I try to cater it to the couple I am giving the gift to. It’s pretty simple, get a large shoe box, or a cake/pastry box (you can find a variety of boxes at Micheal’s for $1 or less). Decorate the outside of the box with decorative paper and the couple’s name. Inside the box, you can put all the items they will need for a romantic “date night”. Some ideas are: a bottle of wine, a blockbuster gift card, a bag of popcorn, dessert mix or chocolates, a massager, oils, basically anything that will fit in the box and can be used on a date!

COOKIE INGREDIENTS & RECIPE IN A JAR:

This crafty gift has been around forever, but I just love it because who doesn’t love cookies? You can usually find a set of empty mason jars at your grocery store, fill them with all the dry ingredients you’ll need to make your cookie recipe. Type up the recipe instructions and print it on decorative paper then glue it to the jar. Wrap a ribbon around the jar with a gift tag adn your done!

HAND-PAINTED WINE OR MARTINI GLASS:

I have seen a ton of these at small boutiques from Maryland to California and I decided to try some of my own. It’s an easy way to personalize a gift not just for Christmas, but also for bridal showers, birthday parties and more. I found the cheapest set of glasses at Linens N Things, or Bed Bath & Beyond because you’ll get more for you money. They cost about $12 for 12 glasses. However, you can buy a single glass at places like Home Goods, or Ross.

Once you’ve picked the glass you like, you then need to get special gel pens that will write on glass (at your local craft store of course). Have fun and decorate the glass with the recipient’s name, the event, flowers, etc.. To set the paint, you will usually have to bake the glass for about 10 minutes or so after you decorate it (the instructions on the pens will tell you if you need to do this or not). If you’ve decorated a martini glass, it’s neat to also attach a favorite martini recipe to the glass with a special tag.

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There you have it, a few simple crafty ideas to use for gift giving this holiday season. Hope you enjoy making your handmade gifts and have a happy holiday season!

-Jeni

Dabble Arts & Crafts

http://www.dabblearts.com