Simple Table Runners

I love seasonal decor... I think it's because I get bored of the same decorations all the time. Plus, my mom always had different seasonal decor. So, I thought it would be fun to have a different table runner for each month.
I really love fabric, but I don't like some of the really "cheesy" stuff. I had a hard time with some of the months. I love this July fabric. Red, white and blue with stars... but also paisley.
For August, I opted for BBQ fabric... just seemed summery to me.

So, I have to tell you my little trick. I buy exactly a half a yard of the fabric. So, that makes my table runner 18"x45". I think it's a nice size. But, my trick is that it's two-sided... one side is July and the other side is August.

That way, I'm not "wasting" a piece of fabric on the back that will never be seen. I just try to pick two fabrics that can use the same color of ricrac. And I LOVE the big, giant ricrac.
I have kind of forgotten to take pics every month. But I thought I would show you March and April.
(And I kind of slacked and never made one for May and June... that's why I don't have a pic. I have super cute stuff for Sept. and Oct... so more happy sewing).

Scholes Circus

Welcome to the.....
It all began when I saw this article in my June 2011 article of Scrapbooks Etc.



I just couldn't get over how cute everything was... what a fun idea for a family reunion. So, I talked to my mother in law about doing something with a theme. We decided on a Circus theme because... Circus stuff is really "cool" right now and because, well... the Scholes family really is a circus... it seemed so appropriate.

I was in charge of our photo booth. I simple sat up our cool shower tent.
I used a plastic table cloth from Walmart as the backdrop and my cool red wooden chair.
Then I put together a bunch of props for people to use. (apparently with a goatee I look like my little brother).
We had a lot of fun activities... like face painting...
Carnival games...
Cotton candy... (I found a cotton candy machine at a yard sale... I'm awesome!)
And I had a lot of fun making banners for decoration. This one I totally copied from the magazine article. I made a banner piece for every member of the family... that's 40!
I thought it would be fun to have a few banners to locate different areas of the circus.

I completely ran out of time, but I think we are going to save this stuff and continue the tradition. Next year, I'll add the bingo cards and maybe come up with some sort of fun table centerpieces... who knows.

School Scrapbook

Here's my daily routine.... I get up at around 6 and exercise. When I get home, I sneak into my craftroom to scrapbook until my kids wake up... or I have to do something else. So, my goal this summer has been to get caught up on my boys' school scrapbooks. When you think about it, that's the only thing you can kind of get caught up on.... because it's the only thing that has a break... real life doesn't really have a break.
Here are some of my favorites. I really like bright colors and have been able to use a lot of them in this album.

I also really love misting and used that a lot in his scrapbook too.
Circles and sewing are also another favorite.
And I really like the "pop" that black gives to pages.

To view the rest of the album, click on my Flickr link on the right.

I am finished with Brenner's kindergarten and 1st grade. He will be starting 2nd grade on Aug. 15th. I am busily working on a mini album for Joren's preschool and will post that when I am finished.

-Anisa

Still Alive and Crafting

I promise I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I am still alive and crafting. I'm just busy having a nice summer too. And I haven't had much time to post on my craft blog. I've actually been as busy as ever crafting. I wake up early in the morning and exercise... then I scrapbook or craft until the kids wake up. I have been busily working on my two oldest boy's school scrapbooks. I also made some fun crafts for our family reunion. I will post those soon, I promise. But, for now, I thought I'd post a few simple crafts.

This one is way late, I know. It's a simple 4th of July craft made out of just 2x4's. I don't feel like it needs a tutorial because it's really quite simple. This was a craft that we made for Relief Society. I took mine home and did an little extra sanding, staining and distressing:)My two year old (almost 3) has given up his love of Elmo for Batman... he is growing up so fast. He has one pair of batman jammies that he'd wear every night... except they are often in the dirty clothes. He wears them almost all day too (if I let him). He was in desperate need of a batman t-shirt. I know I could have bought him one... and I'm sure I will for his 3rd birthday next month. But I found this old gray muscle shirt in a storage box and thought it would be a great batman shirt. It's just a simple applique. I printed the graphic off the internet. Traced it on wonder under. Then I ironed on the yellow first, then the black separately. I then stitched around each layer on the sewing machine with black thread.
Super easy, super cute and he LOVES it!!!
Can I just freeze him in time? Honestly, aside from his occasional naughtiness, he is soooo cute right now:)

-Anisa