MOPS Valentines Day wreath craft

This week at MOPS we made a Valentines Wreath!  It was so much fun and so easy!
We used a grapevine wreath from Hobby Lobby and felt squares cut into circles and made them into little rosettes then hot glued them to our wreath and wala' a super cute Valentines wreath for our door.  Thank you Debra Lauer for doing the tutorial at MOPS.

For my front door!

Wedding things!

I made a few things to use at my cousin Bethany's wedding.  I'm so excited about it!


I bought the old window for $5 from a guy that was replacing his.  I decided to make it into a chalkboard.  I used the Chalkboard spray paint from Walmart.  The lip on the window makes a good place to hold chalk.

Here I'm trying to break my new chalkboard in, so I keep writing and erasing.

 

I picked up these letters at my local antique store for $1 and painted and primed them with white spray paint. They were a bright orange color, but now that I'm looking at my decor I might paint my T a black or faded red.  I haven't decided yet.

Lastly, we needed a photo booth sign.  So I found some really cool free font and art work and put it in one of my own frames, so technically this just cost me ink from my printer but no out of pocket.

Diaper Cakes

Last year one of my resolutions was to exercise my crafty side and here is another one of those projects.  

Below is my very first diaper cake I made! Excuse the bad photos, it was with my android and the lighting was horrible.

This one is very basic.  It was my first time ever making one and trying to figure it out on my own.

I used one pack of size 1 diapers.  I didn't have any rubber-bands, so I improvised and used hair bands.  I rolled the first 4 diapers, then wrapped a black rubber-band around them.  This would be my center part that would hold the other diapers together around it.

I then laid the diapers out in a circle and slowly started wrapping them together around the base(my rolled diapers).  I then secured with a larger hairband, which eventually popped, so I had to find another one and then quickly tie with the ribbon and stuff the other diapers around it.

This is how it turns out.  I stacked the two diaper circles to complete the cake.

Finished Product!  I tied shoes, rubber duckies, a onesie, teething rings and stuffed animal
around it.

My 2nd one was a little more complicated, but unfortunately, I had to make it quickly, it was a last minute gift and I didn't get any before and during pictures, but this is the finished product.  This one was way more fun to make, but a little harder to get even! :)

I used a pack of the Huggies blue Jean diapers so the bike would be blue.  The front light is a bottle, with onesie's on the front and around the bottle.  I used a very stiff diaper pad to make the handle bars and then put blue skull socks to make it feel more like a Harley, haha.  Then a burp cloth and bib underneath to make the seat for the bike.  It makes giving diapers so much more fun when they can be a center piece.

MOPS Cake Decorating

In November 2011 we had a Cake Decorating class at my local MOPS group.  We had a local cake shop owner and connoisseur show us how to decorate a cake.  I cannot go a day without sweets....although I'm working on it.  Here is the start of my art.

Sabrina is decorating her cake.

Melanie posing with her cake.

Cat showing us her lovely cake.

My MOPS girls showing off their cakes.

My finished product!!! 

MOPS Umbrella Craft

Joining a MOPS groups was the best thing I could have done for myself.  It gets me out of the house, the childcare is free and I am able to connect with other moms in the same stage of life as me.  Its wonderful!  Last week our craft was decorating an umbrella.  Mine was made for my almost 3yr. old daughter.  MOPS brings out the creative side of me that is buried deep inside.  I don't consider myself crafty or original.  I love that they offer opportunities to explore this area of my life.  It gives me an accomplished feeling, "I did this!  It may not be the best, but I did this!"

Madi's umbrella! :)

All the umbrella's displayed.

Sabrina and I after our craft.

Sabrina's umbrella for her daughter.

My FIRST Painting! :)

Today at our bi-weekly MOPS Meeting we had an Artist come in who shared her talent and taught us how to paint a Pear.  I have never painted anything in my life.  During my childhood years, I'm sure my parents displayed some of my un-skilled artwork on the fridge.  But after that, I knew painting was probably not going to be my forte'.  
The Artist walked us through the steps during her class, but everything above is my own hand.  It was very therapeutic and opened up my desire to pull out the brushes and let my creativity come to life.

I encourage all my mommy friends to check out MOPS, here's a link to the website.  Find the closest MOPS group by entering your zip code on the left hand side.

http://www.mops.org/

For more information on the Artist that taught the class, her info is below:

                                                                http://paintwithclass.com/