My Photo Wreath

I've been feeling extra "crafty" lately and found this idea on Pinterest.

It seemed easy enough.  And a nice, inexpensive Mother's Day gift. 

I went to a local craft store and gathered up my supplies:

1 styrofoam wreath
1 spool of wide ribbon
cardstock (plain and printed.  I used scrapbook paper)
straight pins

I started off by wrapping the ribbon around the styrofoam wreath.  I pinned the end of the ribbon and then wrapped it all the way around.





I used another pin to hold the end in place. 

The next step I did out of order but recommend you do it next: Fix the hanging ribbon.

Using another pin, I tied a long piece of ribbon at the top of the wreath, left some room for a loop and tied a bow at the top.







Next I traced circles on my photos and cardstock using whatever I could find around the house.  I used a clear Solo cup for my small circle, the ribbon spool for the bigger circle, and a cylinder container for the largest.

I traced using a pencil which created a groove on my picture and let me follow pretty easily with my scissors.







Using a photo safe glue stick I glued my photos onto the green cardstock and the green cardstock onto the printed scrapbook paper.

I then began to position my circles around my wreath.

I always start at the "12" and "6" o'clock positions, choosing photos I want to be the focal point.  I chose a picture of me, my husband, and Phillip at the top and one of me and Phillip on the bottom.

Next comes the "3" and "9" o'clock positions.  I chose 2 pictures where Phillip has the biggest smile!

I always build my wreaths (diaper wreaths, Christmas wreaths) this way so that it's balanced.  I then decorate by "quarters".







As I positioned each photo I used two straight pins to hold them in place.  The tutorial on the blog where I found this idea said to use a "brad".

First off, I had no idea what a "brad" was until I walked into the craft store.  It is used to fasten pieces of paper together, just like a fastener on an envelope.

I found that the pins worked better in terms of functionality, but didn't add much in terms of decoration. 

The entire project took me 2 hours to complete, from wrapping the wreath, tracing and cutting photos and cardstock, gluing all the pieces together, and pinning all the photos.



I think my wreath is bigger than the one I found on Pinterest.  I didn't want my photos to overlap because I love the color of the ribbon. It also leaves room for me to other photos (smaller circles or different shapes).

I might add a bit more decoration but I don't want to take away from the photos themselves or make it too feminine.  We're moving in the summer and I would like to hang this in Phillip's room.

Jell-O Fish Bowls

For Phillip's first birthday we're thinking of having a Fish/Ocean/Under the Sea theme (less the mermaids).

I've been perusing the web looking for great party ideas and have "pinned" a few great finds to my boards on Pinterest.

One of these finds was the Jell-O Fish Bowl. 

Here is one of the photos:



I decided to try it out for myself!

So we bought the necessary ingredients: Jell-O mix, gummy fish, rock candy (couldn't find rock jelly beans), and a melon.  Yes, a melon.  One of the recipes I found used fish cutouts of melon so I figured I'd try that, too.

I filled 2 cups with rock candy; one with blue, one with white.  The one with white got a few "sea life creatures" (made by the same brand as Swedish Fish) and the blue one got one Swedish Fish.  The third cup got the melon fish (I used a cookie cutter).

Then I prepared the Jell-O according to package directions and filled each cup. 



The one on the far right is the one with the blue rock candy and the Swedish Fish.  I have no idea why it turned that color... you can't even see the fish!

The melon ended up floating to the top, which turned out kinda cool.








TASTE RESULTS:

1. Blue Rock Candy w/ 2 Red Swedish Fish (the one that turned opaque)- It was tasty but because I poured the Jell-O directly in the cup on the rock candy and Swedish Fish, it started to dissolve the candy.  The bottom of the cup wasn't completely set, it was kinda runny. And the rock candy hurt my teeth.  Maybe too much?

2. No Rock Candy, Melon Fish only- eh, it was OK.  Nothing spectacular.

3. White Rock Candy with "Aqua Life" Swedish Fish- I liked the gummy dolphins and starfish but I didn't like the rock candy.  It was too hard! I don't want to break any teeth at our party.  But this one was by far the best.

THINGS I'D DO DIFFERENTLY:
1. Nix the melon, especially for a HUGE first birthday bash. Or use a different melon. I used a cantaloupe. I had to make a few slices to get a big enough surface area to use my cookie cutter. For his birthday I'd have to make at least 50 of these suckers and it's definitely not worth my time. Maybe for a smaller party, but not a first birthday bash.

2. Wait till the Jell-O cools a bit before pouring into cups so that the candy doesn't start to dissolve. 

3. Wait a bit longer before adding the gummy fish. Other tips I've seen say to wait till it firms up a bit and then add the fish with toothpicks. I'll try that next time.

4.  Add less rock candy.  I wasn't a fan but I like how it was like the rocks that are at the bottom of fish bowls and aquariums.  I think I'll add a thinner layer of clear rock candy. 

And there you have it! My version of Jell-O fish bowls.

Have you ever tried something you found on the internet?  Or on Pinterest?

What a Pinteresting Weekend =)

For the past week I have had the urge to create/craft something.

Must be all the numbers I work with day in and day out.

I've been browsing through the internets and "pinning" a bunch of crafty ideas.  I've also been on the lookout for decorating/food ideas for Phillip's first birthday. 

Yes, he is only 4 months old.  It is a HUGE deal here in Hawaii and trust me, I'm not planning too far ahead.  His party will be held at our hometown's recreation center and we will be expecting about 200+ guests. 

But that's not the point of this post. 

I've been building my Pinterest board for Phillip's first birthday and found a few cool ideas for snacks: Jell-O fish bowls!



I also found a few really neat ideas for Mother's Day:



Stay tuned to see how I did!

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