Birthday Party Gift Idea

Hi Sweet Friends!  I hope you all had a fantastic weekend!  We had a weekend full of craftiness and family!  Kason was invited to an art themed birthday party this weekend and he had a ton of fun!

We were asked to bring art supplies for gifts rather than the "usual" gifts like toys and clothes.  Of course, me being the crafty gal I am, LOVED this idea and I ran with it!  This is what I came up with:

I filled a tackle box with all the artsy craftsy stuff a little girl could ask for:  watercolors and brushes, various sizes and colors of pom poms, pipe cleaners, construction paper, foam stamps, glittered foam stickers, crayons, sidewalk chalk, various stickers, and alphabet post it notes. :)

I found the tackle box at Wal-Mart for just over $5.00 and managed to fill it with lots of crafty goodies.  The whole kit cost less than $20.00.

You could also rummage through your craft stash to add items like scrap paper, stickers, etc. and save a few dollars! :)
 

I personalized the gift by cutting some vinyl with my Cricut.  I love that the apostrophe is an artist's pallet.

I finished it off with a polka dot bow and a handmade artist's pallet gift tag and paint brush.

Because the kiddos were going to be "gettin' artsy," it was requested they come in clothes they could get dirty.  I took this as an opportunity to make something new.  :)  Makes total sense, right?  Kason and I made an artist's pallet t-shirt just for getting dirty.  His hand print is the pallet and his thumb prints became the paints.  The hubs came up with the "handmade" slogan. :)

The monkey's favorite station was the painting station.  He stood in front of this easel for at least 30 minutes! Professional artist in the making if you ask me.  :)

Here is his t-shirt after the party. While the paints used at the party are washable, I love the "new" look of his handmade shirt.

I might have to borrow this idea for the monkey's second birthday! :)  He is definitely a creative little fellow!

I'll be linking this up to some of my favorite parties.  See you all tomorrow for a double dose of Sutch an Inspiration!




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Valentine's Day Mailboxes

Hi Friends!  I hope you all have been well!  I've missed you!  These past two weeks have been extremely busy at work, so I haven't had much time to create.  Now that things have died down a bit, I've had a chance to finish up this project that has been sitting half done on the shelf in my office. :)

This project has been on my TO DO list since last year!  I was inspired by Stephanie Lynn over at Under the Table and Dreaming.  She is always a source of inspiration for me, and this was too cute to pass up!  She made this Pottery Barn inspired version for her little boy. 

For this project, you will need:  a mailbox (small - Target $1.00 bin, large - Michael's), wooden candlesticks, round plaque for base, super glue, craft paint, paint brush, and embellishments (depending on the embellishment you use, you might also need Mod Podge and a foam brush).

I gathered some "prizes" for Kason's (a.k.a. The Monkey) mailbox.  I didn't spend a lot of money.  In fact one of the prizes is a Happy Meal toy from my lunch one day. :)  Other prizes include: crayons, socks, Little People figures, a silverware set, a stuffed monkey, and fruit snacks.

To get started, construct the bases by stacking and gluing the candlesticks on top of one another and then gluing to the round base.

Each base got a coat of white paint.

While the glue and the paint are drying, decorate the mailbox.  I used my Cricut and vinyl to create Kason's Love Rocks themed mailbox and Keith's binary code mailbox.

 Creating Valentine's Day things for a guy is a little challenging.  Even though Keith said I could cover his mailbox in hearts (so love him), I knew that I wouldn't be happy with it.  He is pretty technologically savvy, so I decided to go with I love you in binary code.  I cut it out on vinyl using my Cricut and changed out some of the zeros and ones for I "heart" U. :)

I Mod Podged some floral embellishments onto mine and all of the bases got dressed up with a little craft paint.

 

I love how each one reflects a little bit of our personalities and I can't wait to start filling these (and opening mine) on the 1st of February!

I love the little "rock hand sign" on Kason's!  Too cool!

Is love in the air around your home too?

I'll be showing these off at my favorite parties!

Giveaway {Say It on the Wall}

EDIT:  This giveaway is now closed. 

Hi, Sweet Friends!  I hope 2011 is treating you well so far! :)  How about we start off the year with something fun...like a giveaway?  Please give a huge Crafts & Sutch welcome to Say it on the Wall!

Say it on the Wall is a vinyl lettering company that specializes in making your house a home!  Many of you have made resolutions for the new year and what better way to help you stick with those resolutions than adding a little vinyl to your life.

If organizing was on your resolution list then you should give these a try:  a dry erase calendar to keep your schedule organized, labels to organize your pantry, kitchen, or craft area, or a weekly menu planner.

If focusing on your family was on your resolution list then you take a look at these:  a family established sign, the definition of family, a home is made of love tile, or a family saying to cap a picture wall.

If getting in shape was one of your resolutions then how about one of these on the wall in front of your treadmill to keep you motivated:

Say it on the Wall is offering 30% off all New Year's Resolutions vinyl for the entire month of Janurary!!!  Just click HERE to go shopping and use promo code NEWYEAR30 at checkout.

Say it on the Wall also has a fantastic affiliate program and Laura is offering FREE vinyl to all affiliates right now. :)  Becoming an affiliate is FREE and easy, and did I mention you get FREE vinyl? :)  Click HERE to find out more and sign up.

Now to the really good stuff...Laura is offering one lucky Crafts & Sutch reader a $20 credit to Say it on the Wall!  Here is how to enter:

Mandatory Entry:
Follow Say it on the Wall blog or let me know you already do.

Bonus Entries:
1. Like Say it on the Wall on Facebook.
2.  Head over to Say it on the Wall and come back to let us know your favorite item.
3. Blog, tweet, or Facebook about this giveaway and leave a link to your post (three possible entries = three seperate comments)
4. Follow Crafts & Sutch or let me know you already do.
5. Like Crafts & Sutch on Facebook (just click the Like button on the sidebar) or let me know you already do.

Please leave one comment for each entry (up to seven) and include your email address so that I can contact you if you win.  The giveaway will close at midnight on January 11th and the winner will be chosen via Random.org on January 12th.  The winner will have 24 hours to respond before another winner is selected.

Good luck, Everyone! :)