50 Sucks

Today is my mom's 50th birthday!  Happy birthday mom!  Along with fixing the Children's Book eReader Cover I made (revised post coming soon) and getting her a real gift, I HAD to do something Over-The-Hill as an extra little gift.  Since her coworkers at the time threw her an Over the Hill black birthday party for her 30th (ouch!), I didn't want to be too mean about it, so I stuck with something a little more cheesy and fun.  I made a gift basket of 50 suckers that says "50 sucks" (50 sucks = 50 suckers... get it?? I've had to explain it way too many times... maybe it's way too cheesy for most "normal" people to get it).

One thing you should know about me is that I'm kind of a procrastinator, especially when it comes to birthday gifts and cards.  It's not that I don't care, or don't remember birthdays, it's that I always seem to lose track of time and not realize that the week has gone by so fast.

This project was planned MONTHS ago... so you would think that I would have had it done at least a week ago, right?  Nope, I finished it today during lunch.. after buying the suckers at Fred Meyer on my way to work this morning.  I had been thinking of this project for a long time, but I kept forgetting to buy the suckers so I never bothered putting the rest of it together since it's easier to do it all at once.

I also have to apologize for my super horrible pictures that are even worse than normal.  In my rush to get this done and trying to not be late for work or miss my entire lunch break, I didn't grab a real camera to take any photos.  I just used my really awful old phone that I need to upgrade.  So, I apologize for the horrible photos, but this project is pretty simple.

Materials needed:
Basket, box, or bucket
Cardstock
Bamboo Skewer (one)
Styrofoam to fit your basket/box/bucket
Tissue paper trimmed to size
50 suckers (I suggest using different types to give more variety and pick something tasty!)

I found a sparkly green gift box during the after Christmas sales (see!  I really did plan this out!) so it was really inexpensive and I liked all the glitter.  I purchased some styrofoam similar to this at the craft store:

I used a block 15/16" thick x 5-7/8" x 11-7/8".  I would suggest using something a little thicker if you can find it, but the material was great and really easy to push the sucker sticks in to!  The width was pretty close to matching the box, but I had to trim it down.  I used my trusty Xacto knife and made a HUGE mess cutting this down to size.  Make sure you measure twice, cut once, and have your entire work space lined with newspaper that you can throw away.  This stuff gets everywhere!  Since the box was tapered, I didn't need to stuff the bottom of the box full of foam but depending on your box you might need to stuff the bottom.

I designed up a "50 sucks" sign using Photoshop and gave it a nice thick black border.  I printed the sign on hot pink cardstock and cut it out with my Xacto knife.  

I thought this project needed even more glitter, so I used some glitter craft paint to the "50 sucks" sign!

The styrofoam block doesn't look pretty, so I trimmed down some hot pink tissue paper and lined the top of the styrofoam, leaving a little bit poking out the sides to give the suckers a border and more of a separation between the box and the suckers.

After lining the styrofoam with tissue paper, I began poking in the suckers (after counting twice to make sure I had exactly 50!).  One thing I had noticed when poking in the suckers is that if I didn't use a steady hand, I would puncture the styrofoam and the sucker would go too far down.  I would suggest trying to find styrofoam a little thicker or just stuffing under the styrofoam so the sucker can't go down any further.  I had to be careful to make sure they didn't all puncture the styrofoam and it actually created a nice effect with the different heights.

After putting the suckers in, I attached the "50 sucks" to a bamboo skewer by using regular gift wrap tape and taping the skewer to the back side.  I forgot to take a picture of the back.  It doesn't look too pretty, so you could be creative and sandwich the skewer in between two pieces of paper if people will be seeing this from the back.

So what do you think (aside from the awful picture quality)?  My mom loved it, so that's all that really matters, but I would love to see if you have made your own!  I think this would be great for any birthday, but is especially fun for milestone birthdays and an easy gift to give for someone you don't know too well. 

This post contains affiliate and/or referral links. However, ALL opinions and recommendations are my own and are not affected by the use of these links.

Shout Out Sunday 4

Wow I can't believe it's already the 4th edition of my weekly Shout Out!  Time really does fly when you're having fun.  I've been really busy this last week working on adding more items to my Etsy shop so I haven't  been blogging much, but enough about me, let's get to my favorite projects this week!

Inspired by other crafty blogs that host link parties and share other blogger’s work, I’m going to be sharing some of my favorite crafts and recipes featured by other bloggers (and give them a Shout Out!).  Every Sunday, I will round up a handful of my favorite blog posts that I’ve come across and share them with you, my awesome readers.  Want to be featured?  Send me a message with your blog link and as long as there's something inspiring, I’ll pick out a favorite post to feature!

Distressed Crackled Vintage Map by Crafts By Amanda

This is one of my favorite wall art projects I've seen in a long time!  I love the distressed detail, especially the crackle with the stain.  I love old vintage maps and I have a perfect spot on my wall for one... when I finally get the time to put one together.  I'll have to give this tutorial a shot when I finally come across the perfect map!  I love the way this looks.

Easy Valentine's Day Glitter Sign by Lolly Jane

This is a great Valentine's Day project!  I love the simplicity and how it's so easy to do but makes a bold statement!  The pink and white are really cute together and I think every Holiday needs a little more glitter!

Cupcake Stand by Wesens Art

This project uses cardboard and a self-adhesive film, but this would also be easy to make out of scrap cardboard and scrapbook paper!  I've seen similar displays for sale in the store, but I love to create my own things instead of buying, so this would be perfect!  Great idea and they are so cute!

A Little Corner Facelift by The Velvet Door

Love love love this!  I'm a huge fan of deer decor and I want to have my own faux deer mount in my home someday.  I agree that the deer looks a little (okay maybe a lot) scary before the paint job, but I think the silver with the white frame on the gray wall backdrop looks amazing.  This is another one of my absolute favorites that I want to copy some day, as soon as I can find my own scary faux deer mount to paint!

Trashy Trunk to Classy Chic by Ava Blake Creations

I have a new-found trunk fetish thanks to Pinterest and projects like these.  I love everything about this trunk and think she really did an amazing job!  The distressing looks great and the graphics are perfect!  I love that it was a piece of junk before and now it would look amazing in any home.

As always, I urge you to visit their blogs and tell them you like their projects!  Bloggers love comments, especially if it's telling them how awesome they are!

Children's Book eReader Cover

I’m going through a crafting phase of upcycling old books, especially children’s books.  I love the nostalgia of looking through all of the books I read as a kid.  I’ve been making envelopes and then making confetti with the leftover parts of the pages, but haven’t found a use for the covers yet.  I had an idea to make an eReader cover, and after finding a tutorial on Instructables (click to go to tutorial) I decided to give it a shot.

Shout Out Sunday 3

Week three of my new blog feature!  Inspired by other crafty blogs that host link parties and share other blogger’s work, I’m going to be sharing some of my favorite crafts and recipes featured by other bloggers (and give them a Shout Out!).  Every Sunday, I will round up a handful of my favorite blog posts that I’ve come across and share them with you, my awesome readers.  Want to be featured?  Send me a message with your blog link and as long as there's something inspiring, I’ll pick out a favorite post to feature!

Anthropologie DIY Ruffled Lamp by Mom Advice

I love that this is more rustic looking than the Anthropologie lamp.  I like the larger ruffles and how it looks like it has more fraying.  The Anthro lamp looks to fussy to me, and this one looks awesome and would look great with some rustic decor.

Custom Confetti Cards by Aunt Peaches

Use a CD envelope with a viewing window to make a card where the confetti moved around over the picture.  I love this idea, and since my mom's birthday is coming up, I might need to give this a try!  I don't have any CD envelopes, but I'm sure I can find something around here.. if I can find the time.  I love this idea, and the cards with photos are way too cute!

Edible Sugar Lip Scrub  on How Does She

Homemade, all natural with simple ingredients, and with natural fruit dyes, what's not to love?!  My lips are in really rough shape due to the cold weather, so I need to give this a try.  She makes it look so easy and has excellent results!

Dollhouse Sneak Peak by Todd Lindsey

I am so in love with how this looks and I would love to have one of my own!  The attention to detail is amazing and I am seriously in love with this.  If I had a kid, they would totally have something like this.  Since I don't have any kids, I think the kid in me needs something like this or that I need to make one for when my niece visits.

Simple Wire Wrapped Pendant Tutorial by Inspiration Cafe

I have just started getting into jewelry making.  Okay, so the extent of my jewelry making has pretty much just been making Scrabble Tile necklaces, but I'm trying to expand my jewelry making skills and try new projects.  This tutorial is easy to follow and I love how the final necklace has a nice clean and modern look.  I like jewelry that makes a bold statement but doesn't have a whole lot going on (Less is More!), and this turquoise pendant is perfect!

Another Sunday with a hodpodge of unrelated projects, but they're all wonderful and I hope you visit each one of their blogs and give them some love.  Thanks for stopping by!

Upcycled Envelopes

Things have been pretty quiet around the blog since I've been working on trying to get more items listed in my Etsy shop.  I'm trying to expand on my existing categories so I have more items that are similar and have been focusing mostly on adding more Scrabble items and more Upcycled Envelopes from used books.  I have a fun new Scrabble project I've been working on that I'll share after I finish it (I need to find one more specific item to finish it up).  The past few days I have been focusing on making some new envelopes by using my Martha Stewart Scoring board:

I seriously love this thing.  It's easier and quicker for me to use than tracing a template because I can cut the paper to size, score it, cut the corners, fold it, glue it, and I'm done.  I also love that I can use it to make a nice clean fold line instead of having to score the paper with an Xacto knife and worrying about cutting too deep and cutting the paper in half.  I have gotten so much use out of this, especially after using it to hand make all of my wedding invitation envelopes and using it to fold my homemade wedding invitations in half.  The best part of hand making my wedding invitation envelopes was that I could print the address directly on the 8.5" x 11" paper (blue paper to match my wedding colors) instead of having to hand write each address or use labels.

But back to my more recent envelope activity:

Shout Out Sunday 2

Week two of my new blog feature!  Inspired by other crafty blogs that host link parties and share other blogger’s work, I’m going to be sharing some of my favorite crafts and recipes featured by other bloggers (and give them a Shout Out!).  Every Sunday, I will round up a handful of my favorite blog posts that I’ve come across and share them with you, my awesome readers.  Want to be featured?  Send me a message with your blog link and as long as there's something inspiring, I’ll pick out a favorite post to feature!

Here is a list of my favorites this week:

ANTIQUE French Pharmacy Sign made from Scraps and Iron on Paper by Art is Beauty

I love antique signs and even more than antique signs, I love the idea of being able to make my own at a fraction of the price!

Stained US Map by The Happier Homemaker

I love this and want to make one myself!  I stumbled across these a few months ago and have been wanting to make one ever since.  I might make a world map instead, but I love this.

Jumbo 28" Doughnut Pillow by Somewhat Quirky

I WILL be making this as soon as I get used to my sewing machine.  I am so in love with it!  It will probably end up being a cat pillow in our house, but I will love it even covered in cat fur!

DIY Anthropologie-Style Confetti Vases by Hi Sugarplum

I have seen similar projects around, but I thought "meh" until I saw these - I love the shape of the vase and it makes me really want to make some of these now.  The little ball at the end is just so much more fun than the standard glasses that I've seen.  I must keep my eyes peeled for unique shaped vases at the Thrift Store so I can try this!

Cinnamon Spice Dough Valentine's "cookies" {non-edible and calorie free!} by Shaken Together 

I need to find time to make these because they are way too cute!  Apparently they don't take long to make, so I need to just set aside time to actually do it.  I want to make them into little ornaments, so I can either hang them or use them as gift tags for little Valentine's gifts for my coworkers and family members.  Way too cute!

Which are your favorites?  Be sure to show their blog some love and leave them some comments!

If you want to see some of my other favorite projects I come across during the week, be sure to follow me on Pinterest where I Pin all of the awesome projects I come across.

Sheet Music Envelopes & Confetti

On Sunday, I spent my evening working on making envelopes out of a Sheet Music magazine for Standard Piano/Guitar from October 1987.  I was hoping to find some real vintage sheet music, but this was the closest I could find.  

The magazine features these songs: Elmer's Tune, Frenesi, I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You, Perfidia, Racing With The Moon, Stompin' At The Savoy, Maria Elena, You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You.

I don't have a photo tutorial because these were pretty straightforward to construct, although a little time consuming.  I cut the pages down to size and used my Martha Stewart Scoring Board for directions to make the envelopes.  

What I really like about these envelopes is that portions of the lyrics are included with the music notes, so it really makes them unique and can be a fun conversation starter.

Do you like my envelopes but don't have time to make your own?  I have them for sale in my Etsy shop.  

The sheet music envelopes are a little larger than standard 4-bar envelopes (not sure how it ended up 1/2" wider than 4-bar envelopes, I think the scoring board has an error

Shout Out Sunday - A New Feature

I'm starting a new blog feature!  Inspired by other crafty blogs that host link parties and share other blogger’s work, I’m going to be sharing some of my favorite crafts and recipes featured by other bloggers (and give them a Shout Out!).  Every Sunday, I will round up a handful of my favorite blog posts that I’ve come across and share them with you, my awesome readers.  Want to be featured?  Send me a message with your blog link and as long as there's something inspiring, I’ll pick out a favorite post to feature!

Eventually I would like to add a theme to each Sunday’s post, but for now I’m going to get the ball rolling with a handful of my favorite random posts!  Click the image or caption to go to the original blog post. 

Owl Figurines Makeover from Sarah SaturDIY

What I love most about this is that it inspires me to go to the thrift store, find the some cute figures with the funkiest paint colors, and spray paint them a uniform color to give them an amazing transformation.  I like the idea of making everything a uniform color to give it a nice clean look (I may try this with White spray paint!).

Valentine Glitter Mason Jar Tutorial by Tatertots & Jello

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, this is a project on my radar.  I love Mason Jar projects and any excuse to add sparkle to projects with glitter.  I may try this with a spray glitter (Krylon makes some I've used once before on a Wreath) and apply to the outside of a Mason Jar.

Reversible Block Letters by Eyes on the Source 

I love this and that it's dual-purpose!  I don't like having to store all my Christmas décor, so this would be a perfect alternative!  I'll be keeping this project in mind so hopefully I can find time to make some of my own Reversible Block Letters.

Embarassingly Easy Christmas Garlands by Clever Nest

I love these stars and they would be great for on a fireplace mantle or other decorating - not just for Christmas!  I'm really getting into rustic decor so I think I could make some of these and get away with displaying them all year! 

Wall Mounted Advent Calendar by The DIY Dreamer

I just love everything about this and I want one for all year round!  This is my favorite advent calendar I've seen and I seriously LOVE this! ... did I mention I love this project?  I'm hoping I'll find time to make one for next year.

Do these projects inspire you as much as they inspire me?  I've added them all to my growing to-do list!