DIY Life

Attention, husbands: If you're just planning Mother's Day now, I won't scold you, but I will save you from the wrath you're about to experience if you don't get things together quickly.

Before you move on to showing her your personal appreciation, you'll want to make sure you've arranged something special from your children. If you're in a hurry, here are some quick and easy Mother's Day projects. You can also help them make this precious card, telling Mom just how much they love her.

Some suggest giving Mom a day without the kids, but personally that isn't what I would want. Mother's Day should be celebrated as a family, but once they've served her breakfast in bed, and spent the day honoring her in clever ways, the two of you can tuck in those sweet little ones and get on with some romantic appreciation.

If you're looking for a way to spoil her, follow me through the break, and we'll discuss how you can shower her with appreciation for little or no cost, and with little preparation (yes, you can pull all of these off before Sunday!).

The other day, I found an interesting and easy decorative glass vase tutorial over at CasaSugar. I thought to myself, "That's pretty cool for around the house, but I bet it would also be perfect as a wedding centerpiece." In fact, it turns out that the project originated at DIY Bride.

This is really as simple as picking up some rub-on transfers you like, along with a clear glass vase that has a smooth surface. After making sure the vase is completely clean and dry, just cut around the transfers you like, then use the burnishing stick that comes in the package to carefully rub designs onto the vase (exactly as you would if you were rubbing them onto paper).

The transfers are sold in almost any store that carries scrapbooking or other craft supplies. Thousands of designs are available, but if you can't find any rub-ons that you like in your area, the DIY Bride post has a list of online resources.

This project is as versatile and stylish as your imagination (for example, the right transfers would make it great for Mother's Day), but this is not exactly a new tip: a few months ago, this concept also ran in the Winter, 2008 issue of Somerset Life magazine, where it was used to decorate glass bottles and jars. Please join me after the break to read more about the appealing ideas that were presented there.

There is nothing sweeter than a child, arms spread wide, exclaiming "I love you this much!" Sure, it's a little cliche, but it melts my heart every time. This week's Kiddie Craft captures that precious exclamation, their adorable hand-prints, and their complete admiration for Mom or Grandma.

So, skip the Mother's Day display in your local stationery store, and help your children make her a personal card. Here's what you need:

• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Tape or glue
• Pencil
• A large sheet of paper
• Pens, paints, stickers and other things to decorate the card

This simple Mother's Day card was easy to make, and my boys had a blast spreading their arms wide on the paper, and giggling as I traced their tiny hands. Follow me through the break for full instructions, and take a look through the gallery for your visual step-by-step.

Sometimes finding a particular rubber stamp in my small town is pretty difficult. I like to make unique scrapbook pages for each of my children. Rubber stamps are definitely unique, but since I get bored pretty easily, I like finding alternative ways to create crafts.

I like the idea of using an inkjet printer to create the look of lovely rubber stamp images for papercraft and scrapbook pages. Basically, you use your inkjet printer to transfer a digital image onto transparency paper or any high gloss printer stock. When the ink is still wet, flip the sheet and rub/transfer the image on to your scrapbook page.

You'll need to work quickly so that the ink doesn't dry before you get it fully transfered, and it may also help to start with smaller images first. The crafts you can create with your inkjet printer are endless, limited only by your imagination.

Many parents keep a baby book for their child, lovingly placing their footprint, their first lost tooth, their first cut lock of hair, and photos inside. But for foster and adopted children, their histories aren't so simple. A life book is more than just a scrapbook or a photo album -- it's a record of a child's history.

My son is adopted. He has little to no memorabilia from his early years. But, thankfully, from the time he entered foster care at age 5 1/2, his social workers maintained a life book for him. It's a tangible thing that gives him his roots, so he can blossom healthfully in his forever home with me.

A life book is an honest, age-appropriate record of a child's life so far. It doesn't sugarcoat aspects of a child's life that are difficult. Instead, it tackles them head-on and becomes a helpful tool for foster parents, social workers, therapists, and adoptive parents to use when talking to the child about their history. I'll share several tips for creating a life book after the break.

Photo transparencies are fun to use in scrapbooking and collage art, but transparency film can be a bit costly. Creating photo transparencies out of packing tape is not only easy, it's also a lot more cost efficient than buying the film to print on.

First, you'll need to choose the photo you'd like to use to create a transparency. Take the photo to your local print shop, and have either a black and white or color toner copy made from it. It is very important that you have a toner based copy, or this technique won't work.

Next, choose your packing tape. Make sure it is clear, so the image will peek through. Also, be aware of the size of your image; your finished photo transparency can only be as wide as the packing tape you choose.

If you've ever wished you could make scrapbooks of your kids' lives the way all the cool moms you know do, then you ought to take a look at Smilebox. It's an online scrapbook maker that lets users create their own cool scrapbooks to post on a blog, email, or print out to show off to others.

Smilebox requires Flash 9 to run and only works on Windows for now. Since I'm all thumbs when it comes to crafts -- especially scrapbooking and other uber-creative projects -- I wasn't sure I believed the Web site's claim that I could create my own scrapbook in "less than five minutes."

That turned out to be true.

Once you register, the site walks you through each step, from choosing which of your digital photos to use all the way to emailing the finished scrapbook of your kids to an unsuspecting grandmother. Each design is customizable, some even down to the color of the flowers, and the end results are pretty slick indeed.

The basic service is free, but you can pay to upgrade to other plans for additional features and ad-free projects. While Smilebox is clearly aimed at moms, I could easily envision my elementary school-age children using it to create scrapbooks of their own. Be sure to bookmark the site, it's a great rainy day project for the kids.

Every sewing room I have ever laid eyes on has been a big mess. To the person who owns the room, it looks exactly as it should, because they know where every pair of scissors, every piece of felt, and every bit of yarn and string is located.

Secretly, I think they are too freaked to even start cleaning up their mess. Most sewing rooms I have seen are small, with barely enough room to work, let alone a place to store all their crafting necessities. Everyone wishes they had a way to end the mess and become more organized.

Craftster user StephaniePrice had an issue with accessibility in her sewing room too, so she decided to go to her local Lowe's and buy a pegboard. Her husband drew the tomato pincushion on the pegboard, and she got happy with a jigsaw. Several coats of primer, and red, black, and green paint for the tomato, completed her new board.

I think the pegboard is a fantastic way to end the clutter in any room. If you decide to do this project, be sure to read through all the reader comments; Stephanie tells how she hung the pegboard and the vinyl "pins" on the wall, as well as how she removed any excess paint from the holes.

My dad always told me that he could never read my writing, but his rooster scratchings were ten times worse than mine. All of my brothers take after my dad; seems he taught them how to write cursive rooster scratching, but never taught them that block printing would be easier to read.

If you happen to have great writing and would be proud to show it off, check out how to create your own handwriting fonts on your computer. For just $9, you can have Frontier turn your awesome handwriting into fonts that you can use on scrapbook pages, use in letters to the ones you love, or save your child's first writing attempts, something I am sure Gramma and Grampa would love to have copies of too.

Don't want to pay for fonts of your handwriting? Fonts for Peas has handwriting fonts for free. You submit your handwriting sample to them via email, and they will turn it into a font for you. Awesome proposition if you don't know how to download a font. Imagine all the cool craft and scrapbook projects you can complete, all in your own hen scratching!

When I went to the craft store the other day, I was terribly unimpressed with their selection of scrapbook paper. Can we say my favorite word of the week: boring? Since I need an abundance of pretty paper for my ever increasing pile of photos, I tend to let my scrapbooks gather dust when I can't find the paper I need for my desired scrapbook pages.

Amy uses Photoshop to create scrapbook and journal paper. She used a computer with Photoshop, a scanner, doodles and clip art, inkjet and label paper, photos and magazine clippings, and a paper trimmer. Even if you have never used Photoshop before, Amy walks you through exactly how to design your own scrapbook and journal paper.

I am excited to design my own scrapbook paper now, even though I use Paint Shop Pro. The possibilites of what can be designed are endless, and I don't have to stare in open mouth boredom at the paper in the craft store anymore.

I have a drawer full of cool stencils of every shape and size. Stencils are just so versatile, and you can use them for any craft project you can imagine. I love to use them on my scrapbook pages, and stenciling gives everything a new and unique look.

Using stencils is a bit tricky, but once you get the hang of using them, why not try stenciling items with spray paint? You can turn everyday items into cool works of art, and the best part is, you won't spend too much money to do it. All you need is some spray paint and an item to transform, such as an Altoids tin.

Make sure to use the spray paint in a well-ventilated room. Make a cardboard backdrop so you don't get paint on anything else, and be sure to use a face mask so you don't breathe in the nasty paint fumes. If you need a quick Valentine's Day gift, try using pink and red spray paint, and you'll have a one-of-a-kind gift she'll treasure forever.

Score points this Valentine's day with something truly romantic, original and best of all, homemade. Handmade gifts aren't always received with the excitement that we imagine. Sometimes they are a total flop. So, what differentiates the gift that she calls all her friends to brag about from the one that gets tucked away in the junk drawer?

I think that all romantic DIY gifts should pass a three-point check:

1. Is the gift personal?
   Even if beautiful, something that could have easily made it into a Secret Santa exchange probably isn't going to blow her away. It should be obvious that this gift was made just for your special someone. Personalizing it with a name or picture is the obvious choice. More subtle: try incorporating an inside joke, or choosing a theme using project elements that have significance for the two of you.
   
   
2. Did the gift take time to make?
   She said she'd like something homemade. You raided the kids craft cupboard and made a card. She's not impressed. Are you surprised? The more time and planning that goes into the gift the more you'll get out of it. People love knowing that they were thought of, and taking the time and energy to plan ahead for a handmade gift shows that you truly wanted it to be something special.
   
   
3. Is it really any good?
   We only make a big deal out of poorly painted, ceramic ashtrays when they come from our children. While some failed projects can still be appreciated for the romantic intention, there really isn't room for the ugly, the tasteless, and the poorly crafted ones. Don't knit him a toque out of leftover yarn in colors you know he'd find hideous and then expect him to wear it proudly because it was made with love. Think seriously about what your significant other would like. If you want it to go on display, consider how it would work with their current decorating scheme.

With these three guidelines, I've put together a list of romantic DIY Valentine's day gifts. Some are old favorites-- tried, tested, and true for generations of lovers. Others are new and inventive, but they are all incredibly romantic and sure to make him or her putty in your hands. Follow me through the break and I'll share them with you.

I love to make beautiful scrapbooks. I have all the necessary scrapbook pages and embellishments for any scrapbook project I need. I have two scrapbooks for my oldest daughter and have started one for my youngest. I want their books to be different and not have the same items in them, but still want the books to be girly.

I love the look of burnt edging, and I am tickled pink to have found instructions on how to get a faux burned edge for scrapbook layouts and embellishments. To make the faux burned edge, you will need a piece of paper to add the burned edge to, a brown ink pad, a black ink pad, and walnut ink. You can find everything you need at your local craft store.

Get creative with the paper, pictures and embellishments. Half the fun of creating a scrapbook page is knowing that when you look back someday at your unique pages, you're looking at more than just your special memories. You'll be remembering how much fun it was to make each unique page.

If you like to make stuff -- and if you don't, I guess you wouldn't be here -- then you'll love this idea. Inspired by a year-long class project at NYU, Thing-A-Day is a unique idea designed to encourage people to create one new item, object, tool, or work of art every for the entire month of February. Now in its second year, there are already more than 40 people signed up to participate.

The process is simple (well, simple to write about, the execution may be another matter). Beginning February 1st, you'll make one thing of your choice each day, then hustle over to the participant blog and post details of what you've done (including pictures, if you choose) before midnight. Then repeat the next day. And the next. And the next.

Organizers say you should spend at least 20 minutes a day on your creation, but not more than an hour on each project. Short on ideas? Be sure to comb the archives of DIY Life for more ideas than you could use in a month's time.

I don't know about you, but as thankful as I am for the gifts I receive, I have a hard time sitting down to write thank you cards. Believe me, it isn't that I am not thankful, I just don't have the time. I still have thank you cards to write out for Christmas presents my daughter received.

I am impressed by the tutorial I found on Design*Sponge. Grace shows us how to make thank you cards, an accordion scrapbook, and a small accordion booklet. To make the thank you cards you will need cardstock, rubber stamps, pens, and markers to decorate the card, buttons and small tags, and ribbon for the hole. I think it is the perfect scrapbook craft. I especially like that you can get creative and design the thank you cards however your imagination wants to.

I am in love with Grace's accordion scrapbook, a perfect idea for keeping special pictures and thank you cards in. Grace's instructions are so clear and easy to follow, you can spend all day making her gorgeous crafts. Why not start on them now, so that you will have them ready to give as gifts throughout the new year.