Upcycled Paper Bag Cape

My 'lil guy just turned 4! He chose the theme for his party: Heroes v Villains. It was so much fun!

One of his requests was that all party goers be able to make a cape and a mask. My response? "Perfect!"

The capes were so simple and fun to make I couldn't help but share. So here you go.

Start with a paper grocery bag. Open it up completely and start cutting at the side seam.

Continue to cut across the bottom and all the way around to the other side seam.

Cut a semi-circle in the middle of the bottom flap (this is where the cape will fit around the child's neck)

Next, open the edges of the circle where they are glued together and trim the ends so they are even.

Then, gently peal off the handle and your cape is almost done.

Finally, punch holes at the sides of the neck and tie ribbon through the holes. 

Now the kids are free to decorate and get creative!

One of my favorite little crafters, hard at work!

These were so much fun and totally FREE to make. And you know us Aqua gals adore a bargain. 

Fit for a Superhero and a great Halloween craft as well!
I know what you're thinking, "I can do that." Know what? You can. And you should. Because we also discovered that if you turn it around to your front it makes an awesome adult-sized bib for eatin' lots of BBQ!

DIY: Easy Mini-Chalkboards

I love a little spot to jot down a note, or thought. I made these mini-chalkbaords for under $2 each!



I purchased the wooden pieces at Michael's for $1 and used scrap ribbon. For the little clothes pin on the second one, I cover it in a scrap of ribbon tape.

To make your own:

*Lightly sand your wooden shape.
*Drill two holes in the middle of the top section.
*Spray with chalkboard spray paint.
*Once dry, thread your ribbon thru holes and tie together at ends.

Signs of Inspiration

My latest obsession - well one of them-  is vintage wooden signs.
I have always been drawn to typography and so these old signs just make my heart happy.

I have been searching around the blog universe to find some good tutorials for making a custom sign with that vintage feel. Something to display in my home. Here are the ones I will be drawing inspiration and instructions from. Once I get around to making one (or 10) I'll post some pictures!

lil blue boo

Mrs. Adventure

They make it look so easy! Now...what will my sign(s) say? 

Two Gifts and Preview

I love a good parade. On Saturday, the rodeo parade came right in front of our house! (Would have been nice if I took a picture.) It was the perfect way to kick-off my weekend. The weather was dreary all weekend, which was the perfect excuse to catch-up on some gifts and an order.


I had an image of this wall hanging in my mind for a while. As you know, my Aqua Seventy6 partner in crime, Yvette, has a daughter who is preparing to decorate her new bedroom. I wanted to make her something special because "J" is one remarkable young lady! I chose the latin "Alis Volat Propiis" which means, "She flies with her own wings." Perfect for this amazing gal!



This week is the last day of school for my boys. I needed some gifts for their teacher - and one that would not break the bank. I decided to shrink down the pattern for my camera case and make a little lipstick pouch. Of course, I bought a few cute glosses to toss inside  - cause girlfriend likes a good shellacked kisser! I hope they enjoy!

I love making things for other people. I truly do think of them the whole time I am working and try my hardest to send the love! My dear friend, Heather, contacted me with an order and somehow when it was all said and done I had talked her into buying 4 items!

This is what she originally wanted: a summer bag that could travel to the pool, the beach, folk dance festivals and dock watch. That brown fabric on the sides are some serious deep pockets! And as you can see, this bag is so big it can even fit a T-Rex quite comfortably!

Heather couldn't resist the Fun Floral Apron and added that to her order as well. I just couldn't let her get that apron without letting me whip up two adorable coordinating mini-aprons for her two little minis! Her daughters are going to look so cute in these!



Truth be told, both of the girls' aprons are different but I had to leave something to the imagination. SO Heather, you will just have to hold your horses and wait to see what the other apron looks like upon arrival!

PS- Big shout out to my little Easton for modeling! My boy can rock a floral print.

Garage Sale Find Makeover

This is a quick garage-sale-find makeover I did while the kids napped yesterday - and still had time for a cup of coffee before they woke up! After a  week of unpacking boxes I was itching for a project. I figured this was simple enough to bang out in an hour.

I picked this painting/window frame up at a garage sale months ago, not knowing quite what it would become, but knowing it had more to offer than it was in its current state.





The first step was to set this lady free. The painting was like a huge pimple on a pretty face; you know there's a lovely face there but all you can do is stare at that giant zit! So, I just started pulling on the picture...and off it popped! Why does it feel so good to pry something apart with your bare hands?



Next, I started lightly sanding with a #2 sanding block.



Using a dry brush technique (which is a fancy way of saying dab a little bit of paint on your brush and then dab most of it off on a paper towel) I added a little black and then a little pink.



But she was not quite done. The whole purpose of this project was to create something to display my sons' art projects. They have been bring home some of the cutest things from school and I was at a loss of how to properly show them off. A important factor was making it simple to swap things out as only some of the projects will make their home in a frame.

Enter twine and miniature clothes pins! Which seems to be a current them with our projects lately!





Now that it's all done, I am still not 100% sure if I loooove this piece as much as I want to. But that is the beauty of DIY projects - you can often just simply redo something such as the paint color. In this case, that is what I have narrowed it down to- the paint color/technique I choose. So stay tuned, maybe this makeover will get a makeover! (And I think these pictures are proof I may also need a new camera.!)

Bird and Owl Hair Bow Holders

In an attempt to organize my daughter's bathroom, I realized that she really needed somewhere to keep her extensive collection of hair bows.  She is totally into birds and owls, and I found this great tutorial which I tweaked to suit her needs and my on-hand materials.

Turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself! ~~Y

Creative Card Display

After years of all my Christmas cards getting jumbled on a small holder, I decided it was time to spread the love!

This is an easy and inexpensive DIY card display - all you need is some garland and clothes pins. 

I wrapped my garland around the banister of my staircase, added lights and my family stockings. Then, simply clip the gorgeous cards from your friends and family straight to the garland! Viola!

I even added some ribbon tape to a few clothes pins to mix things up.