Nothing says happy birthday like broccoli

I just finished a set of gift tags...

I've got a couple uses in mind for these little guys. I'll be sharing those projects with you over the next few weeks.

Baby Blanket

Another baby blanket! This one was for my friend Kristie, who's expecting a little boy this summer. I used the same print I used for this blanket, except in blue. It's such a cute print! I chose a green animal print for the other side and a star stitch to finish the edge.

Happy Monday!

Pink and Polka Dot's Featured Slipcovers

Pink and Polka Dot featured my footstool slipcover on her blog!

Footstool slipcover

When my grandmother moved a few years ago, my mom ended up with one of her footstools. The base was still beautiful but the upholstery had seen better days, so we recovered it.

My mom recently gave me the footstool. The fabric was still in really good condition, but I wanted something a little more neutral to blend with our decor, so I made a slipcover. I used two of my favorite value fabrics, burlap and muslin, keeping the total cost under $5.

Before

After

Nest Place Card Holders

Another spring project...

My inspiration...

Image from potterybarn.com

To make each holder, I used a 4" bird nest and two 18" pieces of wire. I used 22 gauge brown cloth stem wire. You can get both items at your local craft store, usually in the floral department. I was able to make 8 place card holders for around $15. I added a few fake bird eggs for an extra touch, but you could fill them with anything.

Now come on over for dinner, we saved you a place at the table :)

Garden Planters

I've been busy with spring projects...

No, not that kind of busy.

My mom, master of finding valuable items in the trash, found six of these white plastic planters, and gave me three of them for our patio.

I cleaned them up and gave them a coat of metallic spray paint, the kind that binds to plastic. Then they sat empty on the patio for a few months, until the weather warmed up and I felt motivated to plant something. I filled one of the planters with herbs: sage, oregano, mint, and basil.

With only four herbs, you'd think we could remember which one was which. True. But I look for any excuse to start a craft project, so I made garden markers.

It was a pretty simple project. I bought a roll of copper sheeting, copper wire, and a paint pen at the craft store.

First, I drew my shape and cut it out of a piece of cardstock. Then I taped it to the copper to keep it in place while cutting. The copper is thin enough that you can use regular scissors to cut your shape out. After I cut out all four shapes, I sanded any sharp edges. Using a mechanical pencil (without the lead sticking out), I wrote the plant names into the copper. I then went in with the paint pen and filled in the letters so that they would stand out.

Zach helped solder the wire to the back of each label and they were ready to go!