Best Of

Today I put a little spin on my original framed pillow talk and I came up with these fun little things.

Framed Vinyl InitialIf you like an easy "no-brainer", this is for you!(K, I am just now proof-reading that tutorial and I am so embarrassed about those spelling errors! Not embarrassed enough to fix it, but embarrassed enough to admit I do know how to spell "perimeter", and "ack" was supposed to be "back". Sorry ladies!)To purchase your own initials, visit my etsy shop!

This Celebration Board has been a lot of fun in our home.

Its our family's place to write any reason at all to celebrate for the day.

It just makes me smile looking at some of the reasons my kids come up with!

This was MY reason to celebrate- our whole family seen by the dentist and not a single cavity in anybody's teeth!

Here's how to make your own:

I used the front of a drawer from the As-Is section at Ikea that I bought for $1.99

This is one of the most popular projects I've ever shared on Somewhat Simple!

MATERIALS: All you need is a glass frame, a sharpie marker, a ruler and vinyl stickers if you have them. (If you dont have them, just write the labels yourself with the marker, or email me- I will get you some!)Here is the frame I chose: DIRECTIONS: First, I painted the frame red and then distressed it by sanding the edges.Then I flipped the frame over to the backside, got my free ruler from the grocery store and my trusty Sharpie marker and went to work drawing lines!I was worried about this part, wondering if one slip of my hand would make a line not straight and ruin the entire glass, but I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the marker comes off with a little Windex and paper towel. I changed my mind on the spacing of each area and had to erase that "permanent marker" several times!!! PLEASE NOTE: It is important to draw the lines on the back of the glass so you don't have to worry about the lines coming off the more you use this calendar.After the lines were drawn, I applied my vinyl stickers, also to the backside of the glass. (If you are cutting your vinyl, you will need to cut it backwards so it looks right from the front.)Lastly, I added some hardware to the back so it will hang on the wall, like so:One cute variation I saw was done on a 12x12 frame so you can change the background of you calendar with scrapbook paper to match the seasons of the year! This idea is a lot of fun, so make one and get creative with it!Here are some more pictures of one I made using a $5 Ikea frame.

The frame was the perfect size, but watch out, the permanent marker is not as easy to rub off of the plexiglass!

 

*You can use any size circles you want, just make sure you have 2 of the same size for the larger circles and 4 of the same size that are smaller than the large ones. You can use all the same fabric, but for this I am using denim for the large circles and a cute print for the smaller ones.Ok, here is a video I made to show you how to assemble your flower- its easy easy easy!Once you stitch your petals and your button in the center, you get to decide what to do with this pretty little flower. I decided to make some headbands. Here is one more video of me showing you the easiest way I found to attach your flower to a plastic headband.You can find headbands super cheap at WalMart (4 for $1) and also the dollar store. No need to spend a ton!

One of the most popular projects featured on Somewhat Simple, this White Elephant Gift is not for the faint of heart! Please only keep reading if you have a sense of humor and promise me you won't leave any negative comments. If you don't like it, walk away! :)

At our Valentine's Party, we asked each couple to bring a white elephant gift. This glass block "decor" was the present Rob and I brought. It was meant to be a total joke, but ended up being the hot item of the night! So hot, in fact, I have made some more since the party for friends who were there and wanted one for their own home!

And I have to give my Brother in-law, Jason, total credit for this quote! He is the clever one in the family!

WHAT YOU NEED:

Vinyl letters

A glass block ($5 or so at Home Depot in the window section)

Ribbon.

HOW TO MAKE IT:

1. Clean the glass block with some rubbing alcohol or window cleaner and let it dry.

2. Apply your vinyl letters

3. Tie up with a bow!

VARIATION:

Since many of you have emailed me asking for a set of your own vinyl stickers, and since I no longer offer this vinyl, I created a printable PDF that is available for purchase in my etsy shop. Just purchase, print & frame this and in less than 5 minutes you're done!

It's time to start thinking about what to get dear old Dad!

Father's Day is June 19th and that's reason enough for me to make some cookies!

There's no going wrong with a tie for your Dad.

Actually there is...  your picky Dad/husband might take it back for a different design.

I'll correct myself, there's no going wrong with an edible tie!

 

Just make up a few colors of royal icing and arm yourself with squeezie bottles and toothpicks.

 

With a tie cookie cutter, and a few simple cookie basics, you are on your way to making some stylish ties.

My kids helped me with these, and they're going to the freezer now.  I have frozen dough and cookies before, but it wasn't until recently that I tried freezing frosted sugar cookies.  And guess what?  It works! So these things are going to resurface on June 19th!

 

But I felt like I wanted to try something a little more "out of the box."  So I racked my brain for some other man-cookie ideas.  It's not easy.  But I decided on making a remote, then put it in a box.

Ideally this would accompany the gift of your husband's dream TV.  But if you're me, you wouldn't dream of picking out a TV on your own.  But I think this would be great wrapped up with a DVD, or simply a promise that you give your man some alone time with sports center.

 

How do you make a remote cookie, you ask?  You don't have that cookie cutter?

I just put my actual remote in my copier/printer.

Then I cut it out, put it on my cookie dough and cut it out with a small knife.

You can use this method to make just about any shape of cookie you can imagine.

 

1. Outline  2. Fill  3. Let dry  4. Make your buttons by looking over at your remote.

Mine ended up a little off center, but that's okay!

To decorate the buttons, I used these edible markers with a fine tip.  These things are just beyond fun.

They write on (dried) royal icing, really well!  You may just want to color all over your cookies!

I added some candy on the bottom because the box I found was a little deeper than I wanted.

My Dad came over and saw this and said it was "unreal."  He was impressed with my craziness!

I thought it was so real, I might just make one for April Fool's Day and replace it with the real one.

Or, if you've lost the remote and you're hubs is real mad, just hand him this and I'm sure he'll simmer down just fine.  Hehehaha!

Oh the possibilities!  Silly possibilities.

I hope you are inspired to make some custom cookies of your own.  Don't be afraid to use copy machines, knives and markers.  We do what it takes here in the cookie world!

 

Hi there Somewhat Simple readers!  I am so excited to be here with you today.  I am Anna of Ask Anna, I’m a new contributor to Somewhat Simple, and I’m excited to start sharing cleaning and organizing tips with you ever month.  Today, I’m going to sh