How to Embellish a Plain T-Shirt (no sewing required)

I've had so much fun doing all the craft tutorials I've found on Pinterest lately that I was inspired to create one myself. This is my first ever tutorial and it's perfect for back-to-school time!

Are you tired of all the plain t-shirts in your wardrobe? If so, I'm going to show you a quick and easy way to take that tee from drab to fab! This simple trick uses fabric scrapbook embellishments. And the best part is there's no sewing required!

Here's the look:

The supplies: T-shirt, fabric scrapbook dimensional stickers (I found these on clearance at Michael's for only $2), permanent fabric glue (I used Aleene's Super Fabric adhesive) and cardboard.

Step 1- Place cardboard inside the t-shirt where you want to glue the flowers. The cardboard prevents the glue from seeping to the back of the shirt.

Step 2- Peel the foam sticker off the back of the flower embellishment. You won't be using those.

Step 3- Add the fabric glue to the felt part of the embellishment. It is important to use a permanent fabric glue. This ensures that the glue will not come off during washing.

Step 4- Press down firmly to set the flower where you want to adhere it to the t-shirt.

Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the remaining flower embellishments.

Let the glue completely dry for 24 hours before wearing.

Wasn't that so simple? Yet so stylish!

Day 3 & 4

I should have known that the hardest part of this challenge would be taking the photos and posting it!
I recently killed my iphone in a horrible washing machine accident. It had a killer camera that I haven't even used my old digital camera in ages! I remembered why I quite using it. It's horrible! I apologize for these latest pictures. Since I'm behind in the posting, day 3 and 4 are combined.

Day 3- Embellished Friendship Bracelet.
This has been popular on Pinterest with some people pinning it over a year ago! I haven't thought about friendship bracelets for ages until my niece got a kit for her birthday. I remember sitting in my room as a kid making these bracelets all the time. But since that was over 20 years ago, I had to find a way to rock this trend, but make it more adult like. I like this idea of adding rhinestones to the yarn bracelet. Follow the DIY Embellished Friendship Bracelet instructions and have fun enjoying your childhood again!

I added a rhinestone button for more bling!

Day 4- Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

I recently ordered a slice of pink lemonade cake at a bakery here in town and was sadly disappointed. Since then, I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. I was on a mission to find a recipe that didn't involve adding instant lemonade drink mix! I found this one on Pinterest and was pleasantly surprised by the ingredient listing of fresh lemons & raspberries!
It is simple to make, but don't make the error I did and frost them too soon. Let completely cool before frosting. You can tell mine melted a little. Gooey but still really tasty! If you like pink lemonade then you're going to love these cupcakes.

The Pin:

Source: rtroncampus.com via Friskywink on Pinterest

These are mine!

Day 2- Gift Bows

Day two was another simple craft. We've all had this scenario- you've wrapped a present only to find you either didn't have the right sized gift bow or the wrong color. I never thought that I could make my own gift bow. Sure, I have been creative with the wrapping paper itself. I've used everything from newspaper, fabric & brown packaging paper to wrap my presents. My sister uses plain white paper and has her children finger paint designs on it. Talk about another really creative idea.

But this post is all about the bow.

Here's the Pinterest link with the tutorial. (Click the picture for the how-to instructions)

Source: wholeliving.com via Friskywink on Pinterest

I'm always trying to figure out creative ways to recycle my old magazines (since I have so many subscriptions!) This one just made me excited to give it a shot.

Here's my gift bow:

No more paying money for pretty gift bows! Now I can just get creative with what type of paper I use to make the bows. I'm thinking of all the scrapbook paper scraps I have left over. The possibilities are endless!

"Pin it and Do it" Day one

Craft made on August 1, 2012.

It's the first day of my Pinterest challenge. I started with something simple, but yet one of those, "I-can't-believe-I-didn't-think-of-that-myself" crafts.

The first project was making a custom post-it holder out of a cheap plastic 4x6 frame. This would make the perfect back-to-school teacher's gift! I will have to share this idea with my sister for all her kids' teachers. It was so simple to make. The best part about it? I didn't have to spend a dime to make it! I had the frame, a pack of post-its and a ton of scrapbook paper already. What I like even more about this project is that you can change the colors whenever you want! Just slide out the scrapbook paper and replace to change with your room decor!

The pin:

Source: jkkarges.blogspot.com via Friskywink on Pinterest

And now for my version:

I wrote the words, "Notes" on with a dry erase marker. The perk of it being on a plastic frame. It can be a dry erase board as well!

"Pin it and Do it" Creativity Challenge

I'll admit, I'm probably the last person to jump on the whole Pinterest phase. I recently started pinning and was overwhelmed with all the DIY tutorials out there. I'm addicted just looking at all the creative crafts, holiday gift ideas, recipes & decor ideas!

I've been repinning and pinning on some of my craft ideas that I really want to do someday. I've been in an artistic hault lately. Between caring for my animals, keeping my house clean, etc. I haven't been spending the time doing what I enjoy the most...crafting! So then it hit me... I was looking at the Pinterest boards and thought, "Stop viewing and start doing!"

I challenge myself to one month of creativity.

The Challenge:

Make/Do something each day that I found posted on Pinterest or pinned on my boards myself for the entire month of August.

This can be a new craft, DIY idea, decor, recipe, etc. but it has to be done each day and posted on my blog the next.

This is a challenge to kick me back into my creative spirit! Challenge yourself to a month of "Pin it and do it!"

Letting Go

I came across this quote, and seeing it made me freeze in my tracks:

"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." ~ Joseph Campbell"

Wow. Isn't that something? Just yesterday, I was sitting at a restaurant with my husband talking about my days in college. Yes, I fell into the "I'm-21-let's-party" phase. I used to look back at the opportunity that I wasted with regret. It wasn't until my senior year that I finally snapped back into reality, started going to class, and worked my behind off to pull up my GPA. I was proud of my graduation, but then I was disappointed in everything I wasted. However, I learned so much from those mistakes. I learned what was important to me, developed responsibility, and a determination to succeed.

Flashing forward 7 years later, and I fell off the career path again. I didn't even work in the field of my degree, and wasted my college education on an office management job, not the big Public Relations Director I so desperately wanted to be. That was another way I looked back with regret. However, it was while working in my corporate job that I realized this "office setting" wasn't me. I wanted to work in art, be creative, and express myself beyond letter writing. I wasn't going to find this creative expression in PR either.

It's interesting how you sit at graduation time and predict what the future will hold for you. I always looked back at myself in that moment as, "I really messed up my career/life plan." But I didn't. I'm learning to let go at what I expected my life to be, and looking forward to what my life will be.
I have so much opportunity in front of me...

I'm letting go.

Cason's Duck Cupcakes

It was my nephew Cason's first birthday! Splish splash fun pool party for all the older kids and rubber duckies for Cason!

My sister goes all out in parties. I mean seriously the girl should be a professional party planner. I remember when children birthday parties was a homemade sheet cake and a few crepe paper streamers. Well, not for my sis! I've never seen so many rubber ducks in one room! The attention to detail for this ducky theme was insane. We had handmade (purchased on ETSY) birthday banners, cut out duck confetti, a duck pinata, and a kid swag bag full of duck theme toys (duck whistles, handmade duck shape chocolate candy, she even found duck shaped crayons!) 

Birthday sign- custom made on ETSY

So I decided to jump on board with the duck theme mania. I volunteered to make the cupcakes. But I know that not just any ordinary plainly decorated cupcakes would do for this party. I had to bring out the big guns (or ducks in this case!)

My fondant ducks all in a row

So I made 30 chocolate chip and 30 vanilla cupcakes. I used a cookie cutter and cut ducks out of rolled fondant. Blue nonpareils for the eyes, and I tinted my icing blue. I made the icing choppy to look like little waves, and topped it off with white nonpareils for the "bubble" look.

I was pretty proud how they turned out. And they were just the icing on the cake (pun intended) for my nephew's rubber duck themed extravaganza!