I want to puke! You're so talented!

Strange title for my blog today, this I will readily admit! :)

(One lucky reader will win a hair clip and interchangeable headband!! You must "like" the Facebook business page listed below then come back here and comment on my page.  For a second entry you must "follow" my blog then leave a second comment here on this blog.)

As I've mentioned before, being a Facebook business page holder allows you to roam a little more freely around others business pages.  Today on one of my off-shoot adventures I happened to come across this Facebook business page: Little Ladies by Janelle - putting fashion on your wall.  
It's moments like this I wish I could crawl into someone's mind and steal a fraction of their creativity because what I'm seeing is so brilliant that I almost can't handle it! SHE is one of those people for me.
I mean honestly...look at how cool her work is!  Let her know CCG sent you! :)

*Never post other's work without first getting their consent. I have asked for, and received, permission to post these photos*

Look at all the detail in this close-up.  All the different mediums she uses....It's awesome...

I'm a bit partial to this one as I feel it resembles me in a way, I'm not that tall nor that thin but...I love. :)

Want something more specific? Maybe of your children or yourself? She will customize a piece just for you!  Send her a photo and she will do her best to match it all up, you can see an example of this on her Facebook page. :)

Reader's Section:

Do you know someone who does extraordinary work?? PLEASE let us know about it!  

Some things should just NEVER be kept silent!

My Favorite Sellers

I don't know about you but I am always a tad nervous when buying from a seller on Facebook.
"Will they ship it?  Is it going to be good quality?" These are a couple of the fleeting thoughts I have before I finally "bite the bullet" and place my order.

Because of my business Facebook page I've had the honor of meeting and dealing with MANY different sellers and this is a list of some I will buy from time and time again.  Their products are priced right, made right and I was treated well with all of them. :)  PLEASE check them out and let them know they were CCG endorsed. :)

"The List"

The Beaded Butterfly

What's NOT to love?  Her jewelry is amazing and so hot right now. 

I purchased this small copper heart from her and couldn't believe how quickly it came & only $3.00!

Mine says J&L :)

FANCY GALLIMAUFRY

Where do I even begin?!  I L-O-V-E Fancy Gallimaufry!! My jewelry collection continues to grow 

with all of her amazing pieces.  Whenever I wear my jewelry from her I get comments! EVERY TIME.

Feather earrings, bead work, amazing necklaces..yummy..YUMMY.

Photo from her site

Photo of me wearing it!  I LOVE IT!!

MILEY BUG'S PERSONALIZED CREATIONS AND MORE

Who doesn't love personalized gifts for their kids or themselves? I just received personalized cups and a sports water bottle for my girls today and they are THRILLED!!! I've loved my whole experience.

PEEK-A-BOO CROCHET

If you are looking for adorable photo props or cutie crochet hats look NO further.

Jenna at Peek-A-Boo does amazing work!  Just look at my little Viv in one of Jenna's hats:

SO CUTE!!

THE YARN BASKET

I really wanted a pair of booties to match the super cutie hat that Peek-a-Boo made for me and that's when I stumbled across Amanda Charnley at The Yarn Basket.  

Not only does she do GREAT work but she is the QUEEN of game nights! :)

Viv in her hat from Peek-a-Boo and booties from The Yarn Basket:

She LOVES them!

3 TINY BLESSINGS:

There are always a ton of "Giveaways" going on in the Facebook business world and I am honored to say that I finally WON something! :) haha... I hit the jackpot for sure!  Check out this AMAZING dress that they made for my sweet Vivienne!  I had sent her a photo of what I wanted and she far exceeded my expectations for sure!  I HIGHLY recommend you heading there RIGHT NOW! 

SILLY GOOSE CREATIONS

As I said before there are a lot of contests and giveaways on Facebook and that is how I came across SGC.  I now have a cutie Bow from her and am awaiting the arrival of an owl beanie I won!! YAY!

Here's a photo of my middle daughter wearing her free bow from SGC and a sample photo of her hats.

She also makes Rompers that I'm drooling over!! :)

So far this style of owl beanie is my favorite! :)

Ideas & Inspirations for Crafty Parents

Ok - so you can't purchase anything from this facebook page but it is A-MAZING!! This is my second day in a row including it in my blog because I love it THAT much! :)  SO many amazing ideas, blogs to visit and great ideas for crafts with your kids, home decor...SO awesome.  

Like this for instance, painted and bent toilet paper/paper towel rolls to make this: 

SO COOL!!

Well, I think that's enough out of me today!  I hope you LOVE all of my trusted sellers and their amazing products. :)

Flash Sale Tonight and quick bow holder Tutorial!

Welcome to Monday!!

Todays Blog serves a double, make that triple, purpose! So much good news and fun things to share it's hard for me to choose just one!

FIRST: Quick reminder that tonight at 9:00 PM EST I'll be having some flash sales on my Facebook business page! Cupcake Couture Girls - click to be re-directed to my page. :)

SECOND: I've stumbled across a GOLD MINE of DIY ideas for you and your kids!!  Follow this link to find amazing ideas and TONS of How-To's! My laundry list of projects has now grown dramatically!

Ideas & Inspiration for Crafty Parents

THIRD: Here's the "Easy" bow holder How-To.  My more complex one is in an earlier post. :)

Quick Bow Holder

What you need:

Wooden plaque (or letter but this tutorial is for a plaque)

Wooden letters/chipboard letters (or you can paint)

Paint - I suggest Acrylic paint

Paper plate (something to hold or mix your paint on)

Wide and Thin bristle paint brushes

Ribbon

Hot glue gun

Here we GO:

Step One:  Decide what color you want to paint your plaque and letters then PAINT! :)

I used a vintage teal then painted vintage blue O's in various sizes around the edges. LET DRY.

Step Two: Arrange your letters and glue them down (I used a wood glue but you can use hot glue or fabri-tac) 

***THE "R" is a chipboard letter that I bought on a whole sheet of letters from the local dollar store craft section, the rest are wooden letters I bought at JoAnn fabrics. The flower on the R was attached and the second flower was a separate chipboard piece on the sheet of "R"s I bought.***

Step Three:  Cut a 3 inch strip of ribbon for the top loop and glue the ends to the back of the plaque in the center. 

(To keep the ribbon ends from fraying quickly run them through a candle flame)

Step Four:  Cut two 17 inch long ribbons (I suggest running ends through a candle flame) and glue them to the back of the plaque.

VOILA!!! You are done!! No sewing or crazy craft work!!  I think mine took me about a half hour. :)  The weather has been perfect here so to dry my plaque I set it in the sun for a few minutes and it was D-R-Y in no time! :)  PLEASE post photos of your finished piece! :)

EASY DIY EARRING HOLDER

My middle daughter decided she wanted to have her ears pierced for her 5th birthday.  It is becoming very obvious to me that my brute of a husband really enjoys taking her to buy earrings! lol So cute right??

After misplacing yet ANOTHER pair of earrings I decided to sit down and come up with something to hold them without having to spend a dime, this is what I came up with. :)

Not only does it get the job done but it's a PERFECT art piece accent to the girls' room! Love it....

Here's a photo of it on their wall, colors are a bit washed out by the flash but you get it. 

It's all the way to the left . :)

So here is what you need:

An embroidery ring/hoop (I always find them for SUPER cheap at Salvation Army, Second Chance and Goodwill). They come in all different sizes, some are metal, some wood and some are oval shaped.

Fabric piece of your choice:  If you are wondering the fabric pictured is Amy Butler fabric I purchased online.

Mod Podge: (I suggest buying Matte finish) I purchased a jar of it from Hobby Lobby for $6.99 and I've been using it for almost 2 years!! You can find it in almost any store with a craft section.

Paint Brush:  You will need this to paint on the Mod Podge (It goes on white, dries clear and hard).

Fabric scissors/sheers


Sewing Needle: This is to poke the initial hole that you'll use for your earrings. :)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Step ONE:

Separate the inner ring from the embroidery hoop, take your fabric and tightly press the ring back together (if it has a tightener, tighten it).

Step TWO:

You'll trim the fabric using your fabric sheers.

Step 3, 4 AND 5:

Paint on a layer of Mod Podge on the front facing side of the fabric.  I laid mine on a table out in the sun, dried very quickly.

Paint on another layer, let dry and then paint the backside and let dry completely.

Step SIX:

All that is left to do now is press the earrings through the fabric.  When I made mine I left the fabric in the hoop and tried to carefully press them through but this caused the fabric to stretch a little.  I would suggest either taking the fabric out and use a thin sewing needle to make the initial holes or leave it in the  hoop and do that as opposed to forcing the earrings through first. :)  You can always take the fabric out and re-stretch it to smooth it out.  After I did that I used my hot glue gun to seal the "rim" on the backside and secure the fabric.  This really is an unnecessary step in my opinion but I felt it would help hold everything together better. :)

Once you get the earring holes all set they will stay so you can use the same holes over and over.

POST PHOTOS OF YOUR EARRING HOLDERS ON MY FACEBOOK BUSINESS PAGE! :) 

Cupcake Couture Girls

Enjoy!!!

Playing around

As you can see my blog has been changing! :)  I'm a visual person and am working to get every aspect of the way my blog is "viewed" to my liking...How it looks today may very well NOT be how it looks tomorrow!  Stick with me. :)

I have a list of projects I'm going to be working on and posting HOW-TO's about.  SO very excited for this!  My last tutorial blog was how to make a "complex" bow holder but my next will show you how to make a simple and easy holder. :)  We like simple and easy don't we?!

Tonight (hopefully) I will start working on the older girls' headboards.  They won't be anything super fancy but I'm always looking for some sort of project and I love doing ones that are a bit more practical.

REMINDER:
The plan is to have a "Flash Sale" on my Facebook business page, Cupcake Couture Girls, on Monday at 9:00PM EST.  This is a SALE so there aren't any freebies just great deals on "must have" items! So come ready for fun!  I'm hoping to work on a few new items to add in as well. :)

You are super fantastic and I LOVE ya for reading this!! If you haven't already, don't forget to "Follow" us! You can do so by clicking on the Follow Me section to the bottom left of the blog screen. :) HUGS!

Flash Sale Info!

SO - I've decided to host a "flash sale" on this coming MONDAY.  It will be at 9:00 PM EST as that's after all my kiddos have gone down for the night. :)

Please note...this is a SALE there will be no free items being given away just my amazing products for a discounted price.

I will begin taking special orders again once school resumes in September (unless you contact me and we make an arrangement otherwise).
This is due in part to having family visiting and then a week of family vacation in August as well as making pieces for MY SISTERS WEDDING!!! I want to give her my full creative attention. :)

BE ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE, Cupcake Couture Girls, THIS Monday at 9:00 EST for awesome Sale items! :)

Easy Bow Holder "How-To" Tutorial.

There is a list of items I'm working on for my girls and I'm proud to say I can now cross this one off! :)
I made a bow holder for my oldest daughter.  I still need to make one for my youngest daughter and "doll up" the one I got for free for my middle daughter but I wanted to share my steps with you all.  There's the "EASY" way and then the more detailed way.  Both will be explained here. :)

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

1. ONE Piece of paper you like: I got mine for .50 cents at a local dollar store.
2. Matte Mod Podge: I bought mine a year and a half ago from Hobby Lobby for $6.99 (It's only halfway gone and I've used it for A LOT of projects.
3. A pen or pencil
4. Wooden letter: I got mine from JoAnn Fabrics for $2.99
5. Paper Scissors
6.Corresponding Paint color: I used a pink acrylic paint from Walmart for 70 cents
7. 1 inch ribbon (a second slightly thinner ribbon for the more detailed bow holder).
8. A candle and matches (To seal ends of ribbon).
9. Hot Glue Gun
10. Ruler
11. Paint Brush
**12. Sewing machine (for more detailed ribbon holder)
**13. BLING (for more detailed ribbon holder)

STEP ONE:

Paint your letter or plaque: Top and all sides.

Step Two:

Trace your letter onto the paper you are using.  You can put the paper facing right side up and simply lay the letter or plaque the correct way on top OR put the paper right side down and flip your letter or plaque horizontally so it will trace correctly. :)  THEN CUT OUT THE SHAPE. 

Step Three:

Once the Letter has dried completely, paint the whole surface with a layer of Mod Podge then affix the paper to the letter.  Make sure to firmly wipe the whole surface to assure a tight hold.

Awe...Look how pretty! :)

NEXT (Step 4): Cutting Ribbon and Sealing.

I cut one piece of ribbon that was 4 1/4 inches long to use as the "Holder Hang". 

Light your candle, you will lightly singe the ends of the ribbon to keep it from fraying:

Step 5: Gluing on the strip.

To make the ribbon loop, you'll hold the ribbon piece at each end and simply bring the two ends together and then blue them together and then glue it to the center of the Letter/Plaque:

Step 6: Hanging Ribbon for Holder

I cut (2) Strips for my holder, they were each 16 inches long, singe the ends.  If you are making the "Simple Holder" this is your last step, GLUE THEM ON. :) WAHOO!!

If you want the holder to also be able to hold headbands then keep going.

STEP 7:  Preparing your ribbons to sew

I used a 1 inch navy blue ribbon and a pink ric rac ribbon to add a little more flare. :)

You'll cut them the same lengths and Singe the ends to seal them like we did earlier.

THEN - Put a small dab of glue on the top ribbon and press the ends together so they are laying flush. 

STEP 8: Sewing the Ribbons together

Take your pencil and mark every 2 inches on the top ribbon.  You are going to stitch across each mark. For mine I stitched 2 inches 6 times down and then did stitches 1 inch apart 5 times. (I like the one inch sections for hanging thin headbands. :)

STEP 9: FINISH IT UP!

To finish, I put a small dab of glue between the ends of the ribbon to attach them at the very end and then I made a flower out of ribbon and stuck a HUGE rhinestone gem in the center to kind of weigh the ends down a little and DONE!! :) You can use fake flowers on the ends as well to make it more feminine. :)  It's all up to you SO GET WORKING!!