Pinterest Pick of the Week: Spoonflower, baby!

I know you're expecting a craft.  Or maybe even a recipe.  But today, I'm not going to give you either of those. Instead of that, I'm going to share with you my newest obsession.

So for a few weeks now, I've been seeing these prints pop up all of Pinterest.  I thought they were just pictures or print outs until curiosity got the better of me and I actually clicked a thumbnail.

These prints aren't pictures or print outs at all.  They're fabric swatches.  Fabric swatches from the amazing company, SpoonFlower.com.

(Somewhere, my husband is rolling his eyes.  He's tired of hearing about fabric, I think.)

And this is why I'm so in love!

ART DECO RIO DE JANEIRO

Robots On Brown

A Walk in the Dark Woods

Sunny Day Rain

Mock Pacman

Dark Grey Jelly

Fox Tails

Brilliant!  And this is just a sampling of the amazing fabrics that are available.  Not only that, if you for some odd reason can't find a fabric you absolutely love, you can design your own.

Let me repeat that.

You. Can. Design. Your. Own.

Amazing.  And at $16.20 a yard, it isn't going to set you back too much.

So get on there, buy some fabric, make some curtains or a tote.  Or just look at it.  Which is pretty much my plan.

Happy Monday!

Keeping It Clean: DIY All Purpose Spray

It's been a while since I've given a good cleaning recipe and with the buzz all over the boards about DIY cleaners, I think it's high time I share another.

There are a million different cleaners available on the market for a million different things.  Yet the one that most of us is most interested in is an All Purpose cleaner.  After all, there's something seemingly easier about using a cleaner that cleans darn near everything.  Not only are they convenient, most aren't terribly pricey either.

The problem with store bought cleaners isn't really the price though.  It's the ingredients.  I mean, do you have ANY idea what's in those store bought cleaners?  Nothing you really want your kids or pets around, for sure.  It was that thought that led me to start making my own.

Now there are several recipes available all over the internet.  However, it took some playing around with a few recipes and tweaking things to my liking to come up with the perfect all purpose cleaner. Not only is it safe and effective, it actually is cheaper to make it than buy.   And it only takes a few minutes to make.  Perfect for people who are big on green cleaning but short on time.

Sugar Crumbs Quick and Easy All Purpose Cleaner

First, you'll need a few basic ingredients.

• 1/2 cup of vinegar
• 2 tbsp of baking soda
• a squirt or so of Castile Soap
• a few drops of Tea Tree Oil

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda.  Allow it to sit until the fizzing stops.  (Feel free to giggle over the reaction.  It always brings me back to elementary school, volcano days!)

Once it stops fizzing, transfer the mixture to an empty spray bottle.  Fill the bottle nearly to the top with HOT water.  Make sure it isn't completely full, though, as you need room for the last ingredients. Then add the castile soap and the tea tree oil.  Close the bottle and shake. 

And there you have it!  Super easy but totally effective home made cleaner.  If you don't like the smell, you can always add a few drops of essential oil to the mix.  Essential oils are readily available at craft stores.

Can't find an essential oil that you like?  Or can't find one at all?  The bloggers at We Heart This have a recipe that utilizes liquid potpourri that is available at nearly any department store!

Happy Friday, folks!  Keep it Clean!

Pinterest Pick of the Week: DIY Chandelier

I don't think I'm the only one out there who is CONSTANTLY finding things on Pinterest that I want to add to my home.  The real problem is that most of the things I really really like look seemingly impossible to recreate ooooor I'm just to busy to be bothered with things that take 8 million years.

Turns out I found something that caught my eye enough that I was thinking about it for nearly 3 weeks.

Okay, so I came across this DIY faux capiz chandelier from thesweetestdigs.com.  And I loved it. Sorta.  It seemed simple enough, just iron a few sheets of wax paper together, cut out a million circles, glue them together with fishing line and attach to a hanging plant basket.

Yep.

It was missing something though.  I'd all but given up on finding a way to make this work for me when I found this beauty.

This mobile from beingbrooke.com is made in a similar way.  Only instead of wax paper circle, she made dimensional hearts out of book pages!  Oh, and she sewed them together.  Which sounds way more daunting than it actually is.

After a few minutes of staring at the book page mobile, it dawned on me.  I could COMBINE the two ideas for the perfect faux chandelier in my bedroom!  There's no overhead light in there so my ceiling needed some love.  And so, my book page mobile was born.

Awesome.  I just love that mobile... Even though it's hanging crooked in this picture because I took pictures before straightening it.

All I did was punch a million circles out of an old yard sale book with a 2" hole punch from Michaels. And then I sewed a bajillion strands that measured 8 circles long and a bajillion more strands that measured 6 circles long.  So I had the body of a capiz, the flat and one dimensional look of the capiz and the lovely look of book pages like the book mobile.

After all the pieces were sewn together, I hot glued them to a wire wreath form, thread a ribbon around it and hung it on the ceiling.

That's. It.

So all in all, I spent maaaaybe $6 on this whole project.  It was easy to do but a little time consuming.  If you want to make your own, I highly recommend punching out more circles than you think you need.

Want to make your own?  Check out BeingBrooke.com and TheSweetestDigs.com for full tutorials.  Each is picture heavy and offers helpful tips for each step along the way.

Oh.  And don't be scared of the sewing.  It goes WAY faster than gluing. And leaves less burn marks on your fingers. Trust me.

** Have a pin that you want me to review?  Leave me a comment or email me at yaysugarcrumbs@gmail.com!**

** Follow me on Pinterest to see what I'm loving. Click the button on the right!**

Sick Days

Everyone has been sick around here.

Why is it that every time the weather shifts around someone ends up deathly ill?  Sigh.

Either way, Sugar Crumbs is taking a sick break.  Regular blogs will resume Monday, February 20th.

Until then, enjoy this picture of an adorable kitten.

(Because Mondays are always better with adorable kittens!)

Valentines Day? Yay!

Valentines Day is right around the corner.  If you're anything like me, you have little ones who need favors for a party but you don't want to send those tear apart cards you can get in stores.  I've spent the past few weeks scouring the net, looking for ideas for the perfect Valentines favor for the party this weekend.  I ended up coming up with my own idea but found tons of awesome ones along the way.  here are a few of my favorites!

1. Smitten Blog Designs has this easy printable available for free! Perfect for last minute favors. Click here to check it out!

2.  Want something more crafty? Try Skip to my Lou's croc treat case! But beware, it requires lots of cutting and gluing!

3. The Crafting Chicks offer this awesome idea and printable for free! Great for those of us who don't want to send candy.

4. Here's a cute one from KidsParties123.  You could easily put something like "You blow me away, Valentine!"

5. Modern Parents, Messy Kids have this amazing idea! I cannot express to you how much I love this one. 

There are 5 for today!  Want more?  Check back tomorrow for 5 more!  And be sure to follow me on Pinterest.  I'll be pinning new ideas all week.

Pinterest Pick! DIY Felt Matching Game

I'm late!  So, yesterday I ended up having to spend some time at the dr.  Turns out I over reacted (as usual) and in turn, missed my Pinterest Pick.

Yeah.

So this week, I'm going to share an activity I found that's not only fun to make but educational as well!  My two kids helped put this together and have played with it since.  (Even though it's probably meant for younger ones...)

So Dandee at Dandee-designs.com made an amazing felt and wood matching game.  Sure, you can buy a matching game with at any store but this is SO MUCH BETTER.  

The awesome thing about this craft is that while a tutorial is provided at Dandee Design, you do not need one.  Turns out I made mine a little differently than the blogger that originally made these.

These are the supplies I used.  Oh. And Fabric Glue.  But I'm sure that you could use hot glue or tacky glue  The wood disks are easily obtainable at any craft store.  I found my bag of 22 at Michaels.

All you have to do is cut shapes out of felt and glue them to the disks. Easy easy.  

I chose to do basic shapes but the possibilities are endless. Animals, bugs, letters... I'm even thinking that it would be fun to mod podge pictures of familiar faces on these things.  (Who'd have thought that wooden disks would be so fun?)

Oh!  And I chose to match the colors of the shapes.  That way it's not just matching shapes but colors as well.

Seriously, how cute is this? And it's so cheap to make!  The disks were 2.99 for a package of 22. The felt is .29 a sheet. You only need a little bit so I'm guessing you'll already have it in your stash.  If you don't, don't be afraid to play with other ideas.  Paper, other fabrics, paint... Seriously, the possibilities are endless.

So there it is! And here's a Valentines Day tip! Make small sets to send with the preschooler you know that's having a Valentine's Day Party. You could include a note that says "We make a great match, Valentine!"

(I'm all about anti candy crafty Valentines favors)

In fact, be ready for a Valentines post this week.  With Vday just around the corner, we all need some last minute ideas.

Happy Tuesday!

Keeping It Clean: (Almost) The Only Cleaner You Really Need

Things have been pretty busy at Casa de Sugar Crumbs.  We've kicked household projects into high gear (did I say that right?) since Belly Baby is halfway done with it's cook time... (Already???)  But I didn't want to leave you hanging... Especially since DIY cleaners have been missing for 2ish weeks.

Bad Erin.

So because this is a late post, I'm going to share with you the secret of home made cleaners. The truth.  The only real cleaner you really need.

Vinegar.

I know. You already know that.  Vinegar is a critical ingredient in DIY cleaners.  But did you know that all you really need is vinegar and water to take care of, ooooh, about a million different things?

It's true.  I like to keep it in two bottles. One for straight vinegar, one half vinegar and half water.

So let's see how many things I can list off here.  We'll start with the kitchen.

Kitchen

• Spray areas where ants make their appearance. It will repel them!
• Pour some straight vinegar in your garbage disposal to neutralize odors.
• Spray the vinegar/water mixture on counters to clean them.
• Same for the stove top. (Adding baking soda first helps tough spots!)
• Spray straight vinegar on and around faucets to remove hard water marks.
• Run a cup through the dishwasher to keep your dishwasher clean.
• Run a water/vinegar mix through your coffee maker to clean it. Just make sure to run straight water through after! 
• Clean stainless steel by spraying it with vinegar and wiping it with a soft rag.
• Combine 1 cup of water with 1/2 cup of vinegar and microwave it. It'll loosen all baked on food IN the microwave. (Some say it falls off!)
• 1 cup of vinegar to a gallon of water makes an amazing floor cleaner.

Bathroom

• Again, the 50/50 mixture is an excellent surface cleaner.  Use it to clean counters, the tub, floors and sink.  
• Spray it in the shower to remove and prevent mildew. 
• Straight vinegar is PERFECT for removing stains in the toilet bowl.  (Even the hard water ring around the top!)
• Soak your shower head overnight in vinegar to remove any build up. (Just put the vinegar in a sandwich bag and rubber band it to the shower head instead of removing the shower head.)
• Spray the mirror with vinegar and use a cloth (or even better, a crinkled newspaper) for a spot free and streak free surface.
• And again... hard water stains are a thing of the past with vinegar. Spray it on, wipe it off.

Laundry

• Add 1/2 a cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle to decrease lint on clothing.
• 1 cup added to the rinse cycle will brighten dingy clothes.
• Vinegar is an EXCELLENT stain remover.  Rub the spot with straight vinegar, then wash as usual.
• Adding about a cup to the rinse cycle works to soften clothes as well as a store bought softener.  Don't worry, the vinegar smell doesn't stick around on your clothes.
• Clean your washing machine by running an empty machine with a cup of vinegar added.
• Vinegar and salt will remove scorch stains on an iron. 
• Vinegar on perspiration stains will remove them. Seriously.  
• Oh! And it'll remove the smell of cigarette smoke on your clothes. Nothing worse than that smell clinging to your laundry!

Have I overwhelmed you?  Here are a few more...

• Use straight vinegar to remove sticky residue from labels and stickers. On pretty much any surface.
• A bowl of vinegar will neutralize smells in a room.
• Vinegar is an excellent glass cleaner.
• Soaking paint brushes in hot vinegar will leave your bristles clean and soft.
• And if you're ever bored... Soaking a chicken leg in vinegar for a day or so will turn it into rubber.  And who doesn't want to do that?

Whew! That's a lot, And I guarantee you there are more...  So tell me... What did I miss?

6 more weeks.

Of winter, that is.  Yep, Phil saw his shadow and says 6 more weeks of winter.

Okay, so the groundhog isn't a weather man... he can't really make an accurate prediction.  However, I see no reason not to have fun on this strange little holiday.  

(I think I'm always looking for a reason to have holiday related fun...)

I've spent some time trying to figure out what we can do on this grey Groundhog Day.  The net is filled to the brim with groundhog related crafts. Everything from making brown play dough to sculpt groundhogs to decorating the inside of a large box to look like a groundhog's home.  As fun as those ideas are, I was kind of hoping to incorporate something a little more... educational?

That's when I came across Childfun.com.  They have a huge list of activities for Groundhog Day.  Including something that will definitely be happening in the Sugar Crumbs household this evening.

Shadow making.

Do you remember making shadows when you were a kid?  Nothing was more fun than making animals with your hands or seeing how tall your shadow could look with the sun shining down.

And have we forgotten shadow puppets?  Brilliant!

So this grey day is going to be spent making shadow puppets of groundhogs and tonight we'll be putting on a puppet show.  What a perfect way to get some craft time in and teach them a little more about how shadows work.

Want to make your own easy shadow puppets? All you need is a picture of a groundhog (or anything else!)  and some popsicle sticks. And glue. Of course.  Have your little ones color a picture, cut it out and glue it to the popsicle stick.  The. End.  An easy craft for a laid back day.

And the best part?  You can even print the pics off the net.  So simple yet the kids will love it.

Afterwards, put on a show! You're puppet theater could be as simple as hanging a sheet and setting a lamp behind it. Or go all out and decorate a box (with a freezer paper covered cutout!) to make our own personalized theater.

Either way you go, the kids are going to have a blast.

Hey, 6 more weeks of winter doesn't mean we can't have fun!