blue china inspired mugs

When my friends over at iLoveToCreate asked if I would try out their new PaintedbyMe markers and mugs, I was over the moon! As many of you know, I am pretty darn picky about the products I promote here on the blog but I am so excited about these markers and mugs.  FINALLY a permanent, FDA-approved, food safe marker is available (this is kinda a big deal)! This means everyone is easily able to decorate and bake unique personalized mugs that are food, dishwasher and microwave safe at home.

There are 13 colors of markers available, a variety of mugs to choose from and they even offer stencils to use on the mugs. 

I decided to wanted to make a pair of blue china inspired mugs- one for me and one as a gift for my mom to use when we have our monthly business meetings.

The process is as simple as shaking up the marker and holding down the pen to get it flowing. Then you can get creative drawing, writing or doodling!

I started by drawing flowers. 

Note: If you make a mistake or want to start over, you can clean the mug off with rubbing alcohol.

Once the entire surface was filled with blue flowers I added little touches of gold here and there.

The last step was to bake the mug in the oven at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. 

The blue mug is for me and I created a turquoise mug for my mom that I will be filling with her favorite herbal tea and goodies.

With a little creativity and a few simple supplies, it is SUPER easy to make personalized ceramics at home!

chunky shimmer bangles

I love accessories and I am always looking for new ways to create my own bling.

Recently I decided to use Tulips Fashion Glitter Shimmer Paint to create some chunky shimmer bangles.

The shimmer paint is a really cool product because its all glitter but no mess!! Great for transforming fabric into something a little fancy.

I used gold shimmer paint

and painted a nice thick layer onto the surface of scrap fabric.

I wanted a little bit of texture so I used a stamp and some copper acrylic paint and stamped into the wet surface of the fabric.

The result is a very subtle imprint of the stamps that adds a little texture to the surface.

Now, for the next step your could use wooden bangles, plastic bangles or really anything that will fit around your wrist but I like to use craft foam because it is a little stretchy and very light to create a big chunky bangle.

I used craft foam pencil holders- they can be found at just about any craft store in the kids aisle near the craft foam.

I cut sections of the foam to create the bangle.

After my shimmer fabric was dry I cut out strips

and using hot glue I wrapped and glued them to the craft foam bangle.

Once the entire bangle was wrapped I could't resist adding some little details and embellishments with Tulip Beads in a Bottle.

The result is chunky and funky bangles!

no sew- upcycled baby hats

Long before little Lucy arrived I had prepared my monthly post for ilovetocreate. It was back when I was in the process of nesting and I spent a few weeks creating some baby clothes and thought that some super simple hats made from upcycled t-shirts would be an easy and fun project. And now that Lucy is here I actually had a teeny tiny little model!

I always like to first raid my closet or clothing that would otherwise get donated before I purchase fabric. And since I have WAY too many t-shirts that I don't wear I decided to use a few of them.

I started by drawing out the shape of the hat.

and then cut out the front and back.

Because I was short on time (again) I decided not to sew the hat but instead use Aleene's Fabric Fusion Fabric Adhesive Pen. It is non toxic and completely washable and one of my favorite "no sew" products to use.

I applied the glue to the inside edges of the hat- the tiny applicator tip is perfect for small projects.

Of course I couldn't resist creating some rolled fabric flowers (see my tutorial here) to add to a couple of the hats.

I glued the fabric flowers to the hat and let everything dry for around 36 hours.

Last I tied a knot at the end of the top of the cap- this can be adjusted depending on the size and desired length.

I created a handful of caps in different colors and patterns.

And just like that I have a little collection of baby caps all ready for Lucy to wear!

sparkle market tote

You can never have too many tote bags on hand and recently I made a few little stylish market totes that I can take to the grocery store or farmers market.

To start I used a new product from ilovetocreate called Tulip Fashion Glitter Shimmer Transfer Sheets.

It is a like a sheet of glitter (but without the mess) that can cut into shapes and letters and then iron onto fabric. WAY easier than using glitter :)

I knew that I wanted to created doily inspired shapes from my shimmer sheets so I start by folding my sheet- corner over.

I trimmed the excess and was left with a triangle.

Then I folded it over again

and again.

Next I cut the outside edge with a curve

and then I went to town cutting out little shapes...think cutting paper snowflakes.

The result is a lovely piece of shimmer paper.

Next I peeled off the protective piece of plastic

and placed it onto the surface of a blank tote.

Using a press cloth I ironed town the shimmer sheet.

and removed the press cloth.

I decided to use some of the little hearts leftover and ironed them around the outside of the design.

Of course I couldn't just keep it simple and I decided to add some little embellishments with Beads in a Bottle- another super cool product (a little like 3-d paint but hardens up like beads once dry).

I added little embellishments to the surface of my design.

Of course I couldn't just make one so I made one in turquoise

and one in hot pink.

And now I have a great little collection of sparkly market bags!