DIY Cigar Box Cufflink/Ring Holder

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Today is my Fiancé's birthday and how lucky is he that I made a craft for him! And also lucky for him, I got him a 10 game pass for the Texas Rangers. Sticking to that theme, I found the coolest cufflinks that were made from a previously used baseball by the Texas Rangers! Going through Pinterest I found the neatest idea a while ago to create a cigar box ring holder and going through my crafting pin board I found it again and realized how awesome it would be to use it for cufflinks instead! I followed the tutorial from cut out + keep. I already had a stash of cigar boxes that I bought a while back so I just picked my favorite one and I had a great teal shirt that I could use for the folds, I also had everything else listed below already.

Supplies I needed:

- Cigar Box

- Hot Glue Gun

- Old Shirt

- Fusible Fleece

- Scrap Fabric

- Fabric Scissors

I began by measuring the width of my cigar box so that I could cut my shirt to fit within that width. I also cut the shirt into three pieces in order to get three of the same sized pieces to fill the whole cigar box.

I realized after I cut that I would not have enough thickness to get the desired look I wanted for each roll that the cufflinks would slide in to. Due to this, I grabbed some thick scrap fabric I had from a previous craft and cut that to the same size as my shirt. I then grabbed my fusible fleece and made sure to cut it smaller than the shirt and the scrap fabric because it expands as you iron.

I then covered the whole thing with my scrap fabric. Be sure to follow the directions on your fusible fleece package to be sure you are doing it right. Another great tip is to wait for it to cool down, when it is still warm the fabrics will still move around because they have not fused or attached yet.

After fusing the two fabrics together and letting them cool. I began folding the fabrics accordion style about 1" thick, so that it would be a nice height within the cigar box.

Here is where I got a little ahead of myself. Rather than doing on piece at a time I tried to do them all, which slowed me down tremendously. This is when I went back to doing one fused piece. After folding the fabric I placed it inside of the cigar box and made sure to hot glue the edges and each fold. Then I found some heavy objects I had lying around and placed them inside the cigar box in order to let that fabric cool.

While I waited for that to cool I went to the next fused fabric piece and did the same thing. It was easier for my to attached each folded section I made going from outside in, so I did the same thing as above for the bottom part of the cigar box and used the heavy objects to help them stay in place while they cooled.

When it came to insert the last folded piece everything had cooled perfectly and I could just slide it in and hot glue the sides. I was honestly worried how well this craft would come out, but I am pretty excited it looks as good as it does! I even left in the paper flap that came with the box for added detail!

How neat does this look with the cufflinks inside of it! I cannot wait for my Fiancé to open his birthday gift tonight!!

If you like what you see please follow us!

<3 Elisabeth

DIY Spring Tulip Wreath

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 I made this tulip wreath a couple of years ago after seeing the idea on etsy. I went to Michaels where the floral department was on sale for 50% and I had a coupon to make this Spring Tulip Wreath for only $14!

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DIY Stackable Wooden Cross 2

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Good morning,

Today I have a baby shower for a friend of mine that I met in college a couple years ago. We've stayed in touch even after graduation. She will be having a baby girl named Milly before too long. Her nursery is done in red, white and black with a cute country theme. When I went to Brandi's baby shower she really liked the first stackable wooden cross I made with turquoise and zebra print (click here to see it) so I made a personalized one just for her and Milly.

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DIY Picture Frame with Clip

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Welcome! :)

Tonight I replicated a craft I saw at local boutique where vendors rent out space to sell their handmade crafts and neat finds. As soon as I saw a photo box with clip I knew I had to make one!

Below is a snapshot of everything I used. A wooden box that I found near the canvas and paint section of Michaels. I also picked out a piece of scrapbook paper, some scrapbook stickers, matching paint and a metal clip (also at Michaels). I also used scissors, a paintbrush, pen, ruler and Mod Podge.

First, I measured out how big I wanted my middle section to be. My wooden box was 8x8 so I drew a 6X6 box in the middle to give me an idea of where my scrapbook paper would go.


Next, I used acrylic brown paint and brushed over the front and sides of the wooden box. I left the middle white to help me line up my scrapbook paper when it came time. :)
While the paint was drying I cut out the scrapbook paper the same size as I drew on the wooden box, 6x6. I choose a 6x6 since most pictures are 4x6's and this way the pictures could be horizontal or vertical when displayed and the cute paper would still be seen.

When the brown paint was dry I used Mod Podge as a glue and sealant and placed it on top. I used my fingers to help get out any air bubbles. You can still see the Mod Podge drying in this next picture.

Then I started placing my scrapbook stickers. When buying the stickers I made sure the scrapbook paper would match. There were LOTS to choose from.

Then I stuck the heart sticker on the clip. I didn't use any glue on the stickers since they game with a sticky back to them.

I used a quick dab of hot glue to place the metal clip at the top of the photo box.

Here is a picture of the finished product without any pictures. I LOVE IT! :)

Here is a picture of the photo box with a picture. I LOVE IT MORE! :) That's my adorable nephew when he was little.

I love this wooden frame because it stands out and looks so personal! The metal clip at the top allows you to change out the pictures at any time. You could do SO many different things with these photo boxes. You can make a family one like I did, or a sports one for a child, a wedding one for a gift, a baby photo box for a shower, the ideas are endless. You could use other embellishments, other than the stickers, that are in the scrapbook section. The one I saw originally had a ribbon bow at the top. I have seen smaller and larger wooden boxes at the craft store. You could make several to go with a theme.

Did you notice my yarn wrapped bottle in the background? :) The instructions are here.

Thank you for stopping by. Feel free to follow us! :) Check back for more creativity soon!
Cassie

Green Monster Smoothie

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Welcome back!

This morning I am sharing one of my favorite recipes of ALL TIME! About two weeks ago I tried my first green monster smoothie and now I HAVE to have one almost every day (because my body has started to crave it!). This is a good thing because this smoothie is loaded with anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, live enzymes and amino acids (protein). I have on for breakfast and am full until lunch. I actually feel a little more energized since I started drinking them.

I found my recipe at www.skinnytaste.com . The owner's name is Gina and she is a MIRACLE! She takes favorite recipes and makes them lighter and healthier. She even lists all nutrition information below the recipes (calories, fat, etc, even weight watchers points). We refer to her by name at my house because we cook from her recipes 90% of the time. I would literally cry if she were to stop blogging. :) I've tried MANY of her recipes and have never been disappointed, plus they all use REAL ingredients (no processed foods!) and the instructions are very easy to follow. She even takes step-by-step photos to help you with the cooking process.

Here is her green monster smoothie recipe:

Ingredients: 3/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk, 1/2 cup of nonfat greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter (Better'n Peanut Butter), 2 cups of fresh spinach, and 1 frozen banana. I put them in the blender in this order.

Here is a close-up of the deliciousness. The ingredients make 1 smoothie serving (6 points plus). :)

Yum! Gina also has a tropical green smoothie recipe that uses pineapple, coconut and coconut milk which is also very good. That one tastes sweeter to me and actually feels like you are having a special treat when drinking it.

Many people are hesitant to try these smoothies because they are green. But HONESTLY you cannot even taste the spinach. This just tastes like a banana smoothie with a hint of peanut butter. Give it a try and let me know what you think! According to Gina you can switch out the greens (for other leafs like Kale) and the fruit (strawberry, mango, etc). I am too in love with this one to try something new right now.

Thanks for stopping by and please visit www.skinnytaste.com - she is AMAZING!

Check back for more creativity soon!
Cassie

Weight Loss Visual Motivation

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Good morning,

Today is a simple way to help motivate weight loss. Two weeks ago I started weight watchers to help lose weight and get healthier. I am doing great but am a visual person. I love tracking my weight online but after I turn off the computer that's it. I made these jars (after finding the idea on pinterest) to help have a daily, visual reminder of my progress.

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DIY Thumb Print Tree Wedding Guest Book

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Crafting with Cassie is always fun, but what was especially fantastic during this project were her words of encouragement which helped me paint the thumb print tree for my At Home Reception. From the first day my husband and I started planning our wedding I knew that I did not want a traditional guest book and so I started looking around on Etsy where I found the idea of the thumb print tree. Check out our new blog to see how I made my own thumb print tree!

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New mom gift

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Rise and shine!

Yesterday my husband and I went to visit his sister (Brandi) who just had a baby girl, Sophia Grace. Sophia is so adorable and little! Before we went to see Brandi, we spent the day cooking to bring her a homemade meal that Brandi, and her husband and son (Taylor) could enjoy.

I searched on pintereste for new mom ideas and I found this blog: Dwell on Joy. This blog has all kinds of sewing and craft projects, yummy recipes, photography and so much more! :) I found the new mom gift idea on the blog here. The owner made these recipes on her own and they were very easy to follow.

Below is a picture of the finished product.


First I made the roasted corn and potato chowder soup that has fresh thyme in it (very simple!). This will help fill and warm everyone in Brandi's family.

Of course, if you have soup you need some bread to go with it. :) As the blog suggested I purchased frozen rolls and placed them in tupperware with the cooking directions cut off.

Brandi will feel unbalanced and need some fruit to go with it. I used fresh green grapes, blueberries and strawberries. You could you anything you want here. I think this was my sister-in-laws favorite part.

Then, the fruit will make her think of dessert so we gave her (according to the blog THE BEST muffins ever! :D) Caramel-Banana-Pecan muffins.

I stored the food in new tupperware for her to keep and topped them with two gifts, a little onsie for Sophia and a dirt bike toy for Taylor (for being a new big brother).

Top if with a congratulations card to help finish the gift. :)

I also finally gave her the pink tutu that I made last month. The tutorial is here. It is homemade, inexpensive and easy to make.
I hope you enjoyed this new mom gift. You could also alter it for mommy-to-be's. Don't forget to visit the blog that inspired me, she made it really easy to follow. :) My husband and I really enjoyed putting this together for Brandi. She was really appreciative of us bringing it over. Taylor, her son, was very happy about the fruit the fruit and Brandi's husband said the muffins, 'really are amazing!' :)

Have a great spring break!
Check back soon,
Cassie :)