3 Guest Post: Amber of Snidbits

Yesterday you saw Amber's craft interview and today she's back to share a tutorial for making your car a little more fun (with something I never would have thought of)! Without further ado, here's Amber...


I'm a Southern girl who likes to bake, read, blog, and make fun stuff! I blog about recipes (those that turned out great and those that...didn't), book reviews and craft projects I've both attempted (like these DIY felt flower clips I made recently) and those I want to try :)

I recently bought a new car and the trash bag (headrest cover) I have was not only faded from being in the sun, the pattern didn’t really match my new interior. This would just not due. So I had the idea to simply recover the bag so I could still use it. It was super simple and only cost $3 – way cheaper than buying a new one!

what you need:

• fabric (I bought this for a $1 in the quilting section at Walmart – they had tons of choices!)
• buttons, flowers – whatever you want to make it “pop” (I bought the flowers for $2)
• hot glue (great for just about any project)

what to do:

1. Measure the width of the bag and cut the fabric accordingly (I let the fabric hang a little loose – if you want to pull it taut, you’ll need less fabric).
2. I started at one side and carefully hot glued the fabric to the bag, repeating the process until all sides were secure. I then glued the flowers on.

Ta da!



Super-creative, right? I wouldn't have thought of it in a million years (and I think I might actually have that square-pattern fabric somewhere)! A big thanks to Amber for guest posting here and remember to check out her projects and posts at Snidbits!

1 Crafty Interview: Amber of Snidbits

I'm excited to introduce you to a blogger you may not know about because crafting is just one of her talents! Amber of Snidbits often does book review and a monthly book giveaway as well as sharing recipes, crafts, and great blogs. Amber is the next awesome guest blogger and she's graciously agreed to answer the crafty questions!

When and how did you start being crafty?

I’ve always loved crafty things! It’s only been since last year that I started letting it show on my blog :)

When did you start blogging about your craftiness and why?

I don’t remember what sparked my interest in looking at craft blogs but last May I found a tutorial for a scarf made out of a t-shirt – no sewing required! I became very excited and ended up making two that weekend. I then started subscribing to a handful of craft blogs. I get their posts sent to my email so I can daily be inspired to make cool things! I love how you can take a bunch of random items, throw in a hot glue gun and end up with something totally amazing! I love the process just as much as the finished product. 

What's your favorite project (of everything you've made)?

I haven’t been all that crafty lately but a journal I made earlier this year might be my favorite thing…so far. I have a list of projects I’m super excited to try once I have the time :)

What's your favorite crafty material or medium?

Right now I really like felt. I’m seeing it a lot right now and I love how versatile it is.

What's the biggest challenge you face(d) in blogging?

Finding the time to do it all! I have so many projects I want to do but when you throw in…life…it requires lots of juggling to make it all happen. Sometimes you have to say no to some things in order to say yes to others. I post Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday each week. I’ve thought about switching to every day but know that would be too much. I wouldn’t be able to put as much effort I put into four posts as I could seven. You have to know your limits.

When you don't feel particularly crafty, what do you do to find inspiration?

I click through my email folder of posts from amazingly crafty people – sort of my own version of Pinterest. Some of my favorite people would be Desiree (The 36^th Avenue), Kim (Today’s Creative Blog) and Kristyn (Lil Luna) – just to name a few. There’s probably at least ten that I follow so I’m not lacking in ideas :)

How do you organize your craft supplies?

Right now I have two containers I keep everything in. I’m not to the level of needing neatly labeled bins or a room solely devoted to my craft projects. Not yet.

How do you organize (remember, find) tutorials and posts online that you like?

If I find something not from a blog I’m subscribed to I either will email myself the link to the post or go ahead and subscribe to the blog. I keep all the email updates in a DIY folder I created so I have them in one place. Any that are just “oh my gosh, I have to make this!” I’ll star to get my attention when I look at them later.

What's your best tip for new bloggers?

Enjoy what you blog about! If you need to remind yourself every so often, do that but don’t forget why you started blogging in the first place. My blog has slowly evolved from when I first started it – since my interests change, my blog is a reflection of that. Let your blog be an expression of you! If you have several interests, it’s ok to share them all on one blog! Don’t feel like you have to pick just one to fuel your inspiration. My blog is a collection of DIY ideas, recipes, book reviews and my thoughts about different things. My blog is as random as I am :)

What are some things you're loving right now (crafty or not)?

I’ve recently gotten excited about Mod Podge! I haven’t tried anything with it yet but I’m seeing some pretty awesome stuff you can make with it! Mod Podge Rocks! is a great place to get ideas.

Are you married? A mom? To human or fur-babies or both? (Anything else?) 
I’m single. I want to get married but haven’t found the right guy yet. Just waiting for him to come riding in on that white horse :)

What area of the country (or world) do you live in?

I’m a proud Southern girl! I live in Tennessee and love it! I love the mountains that are a part of my drive to work each day.

What question do you wish I asked (and please answer it)?!

Um, I can’t think of anything! I think you covered it all :)

A big thanks to Amber! Remember to check out her blog Snidbits and come back here tomorrow for her tutorial!

16 Mossy Monogram

I'm back from the beach (it was WONDERFUL! Instagram and camera phone pictures had major problems so I apologize for the lack of photo updates, but I'm working on it!) and I know I haven't posted too much of my own crafty work recently and so I thought I'd share this one that I made, took awhile to write up, and then took some sweet time in publishing... so at last, enjoy the mossy monogram tutorial!

You all know I love monograms (like any good Southern girl) and last year I loved the moss-covered letters and decor so I made my own... and then I lost most of the pictures for the actual tutorial (well, I can't find them and I am actually usually pretty organized with my pictures so I think they might have gone to the big memory card in the sky) so I hadn't shared it. But I figured it was pretty simple to make and you didn't really need the pictures I lost... so here's how I made this moss covered monogram!

Supplies

• Wood letter
• Hot glue
• Loose moss or moss covered sheets from the craft store
• Frame
• Textured paper
• Ribbon (+ scissors + lighter to seal the ends of it)

Instructions

First, I grabbed some scrapbook paper that was textured or supposed to display texture and put it into my 8 x 10" frame from the Dollar Store.

Then, I got my wood letter and hot glued moss all over it. It got pretty messy so I recommend covering your workspace with more than a plastic bag. And the moss sheets are probably much easier to work with than the loose moss I had here. But eventually I got the whole thing covered... 

Then, I just threaded some ribbon through the loop on the back of the frame, tied a bow, and burned the edges of the bow to prevent fraying.

Flip the frame back over and use hot glue to attach the moss covered letter to the frame.

And just hang up the bow! Voila!

A moss-covered monogram that cost me maybe $7 ($1 for the frame, and maybe $3 for the letter, $4 for the bag of moss and I had everything else).

I'll be linking up to some of my favorite conferences!

0 sneakpeeq Winner!

While on vacation, I realized that I didn't exactly pick and post the winner of the $25 sneakpeeq giveaway that ended last week and I'm so sorry! But I did it!

When I got the list of people who entered the giveaway, it turned out only 5 people entered! If I'd known, I would have tried to promote the giveaway a bit better, but congrats to those that did enter and I'm so sorry I didn't announce this sooner. I counted how many people entered the giveaway and numbered them like that... 

And random.org chose the person who entered third... 

And so congrats to Ashley who entered third! I've emailed her and sneakpeeq will take care of the rest! Wohoo and thanks to those of you who entered!

3 Gone to the Beach!

By the time you're reading this, the boyfriend and I will hopefully be sitting on a beach and relaxing (or at least close to that point)! We decided we needed a break and after graduation and other fiery hoops we successfully jumped through, it seemed like a reasonable idea. I'll be back late Thursday and probably won't check emails or comments or anything internet-required until Friday. Hope you all are having fun and getting ready for summer now too!

4 Blog Olympics: The Olympic Torch!

Guess what? The 2012 Summer Olympics are coming soon and we are so excited! To help get in the spirit of the Olympics and to add a bloggy spin of our own we will be hosting a 6 week Bloggy Olympics!

There will be 18 different blogs (crazy, right? I think you mean crazy awesome!) participating over 6 weeks and 6 events from June 9th - July 21st. Each week 3 blogs will share a simple tutorial that you can copy or will get you thinking about that event’s theme. At the end of the week they will host a 3 blog linky party for you to link up your finished event projects. And of course there will be features, giveaways, and fun Olympic stuff!

The Opening Ceremony begins Thursday, June 7th and runs until Friday, June 8th at midnight (CST). Come link up your blog if you are planning on joining in an event for the “Bloggy Olympics.” Our Olympic event schedule is: decorating (Event 1), kitchen (Event 2), paint (Event 3), crafts (Event 4), fabric (Event 5 - this is where yours truly will be flexing the crafty muscles!), and outdoors (Event 6). Join 1or all!

My big event will be #5... FABRIC! It'll be Saturday July 7th (that means you have awhile to figure out your awesome fabric creation!) and I'll be hosting and posting my own tutorial along with DIY Home Sweet Home and Kissed by a Frog! So get to work on your fabric projects (and all the other ones you want to link up for the Olympics)!

And now, because this is the passing of the torch, I'm introducing myself/telling you more about me... that's me (... at a football game looking tough and keeping it classy)!

And here are some of my critical stats... sort of like my playing/trading card if crafty events were sports and there were trading cards for them. You know, instead of football... because clearly those would be big sellers! : ) (And so those of you who haven't visited my blog before can get to know a little bit about me...)

Also, there are some Etsy shops in on the fun! First, Kijsa has some awesome Olympic-themed pillows that you can win... 

This is one of the pillows in the giveaway (1 of the 4 choices the winner can choose!) and you can enter the giveaway by visiting Hating Martha! The giveaway will be open all day today!






AND there are TWO coupon codes for you to super-cute Etsy shops!

• Use the code "OLYMPICS20" to get 20% off at Alina and T (for pretty jewelry... including yummy designs with flower cabochons)!
• Use the code "OLYMPICS10" to get 10% off at MaroDesigns (for ridiculously cute photo props)! 

Happy shopping, giveaway-entering, blog-hopping, and crafting... I'll see you at the Olympics!

       Caroline of c.w. frosting                                                                               Katie of Craptastic

13 Guest Post: Angie of Desperate Houselife

You saw her answers to the crafty questions yesterday and today Angie is back to share a crafty tutorial with us all! Most people know that I'm a sucker for jewelry (one of my favorite student reviews was from a student who said she loved to sit in the front of the class and see the different necklaces I wore!) and so I'm super-excited that Angie is sharing how to make a super-cute bracelet with us today!


Hi, I am Angie from Desperate Houselife, a blog that focuses primarily on crafts and all things domestic. I am 29 and live with my boyfriend and our furbaby (Chihuahua), Ralphie, whom I love dearly. I started blogging back in 2006, when I developed a love of crocheting. I love meeting and socializing with like-minded people. Since then, I have dabbled in a bunch of different crafts, but my main love is still crochet and jewelry making. I also like to sell my creations at my etsy shop.

Materials: Ribbon Decorative Trim (preferrably with elastic), silver chain, clasp, 2 jump rings, 2 ribbon clamps Not pictured: flat nosed pliers, scissors, glue (optional)

Step 1: Cut ribbon to desired length, minus an inch or two. The average wrist size is 7 inches.

Step 2: Clamp a ribbon end to one end of the ribbon. I added a little bit of glue to help the ribbon stay put. Clamp it closed with flat nosed-pliers. Repeat on other end.

Step 3: Attach a jump ring and desired clasp to one end of the ribbon.

Step 4: Attach a jump ring to other ribbon clamp and add an extender chain.

You can always add embellishments if you like. I was going to add a pink flower, but decided against it for my first one, as I kind of like how it matches so  much of my wardrobe as is. I would love for you to come network with me and check out my tutorials as well!

You can find me here: Facebook Pinterest (It's addicting, isn't it?!) Twitter

A big thank you to Angie for sharing this with us! Be sure to visit her at her blog, Desperate Houselife!

0 Crafty Interview: Angie of Desperate Houselife

One of the best parts of all these guest posts has been discovering some wonderful new bloggers (or bloggers who are new to me) and Angie is a prime example! Her blog Desperate Houselife is super-cute (her doodle blog background is awesome!) and she has some great jewelry tutorials. She's also a lot more fashion-y and has great fashion tutorials and highlights as well as great deals and sales she's found because she posts a little bit more often than yours truly! Today you'll get to learn a bit more about her and tomorrow she'll be back with a tutorial!

When and how did you start being crafty?

I’ve always been creative... imaginary friends as a child, divulging in fantasy stories. I started seriously crafting (crocheting) in 2001 and haven’t stopped crafting since!

When did you start blogging about your craftiness and why?

I started in 2002 to keep track of my progress and post patterns that I came up with.

What's your favorite project (of everything you've made)?

I’d have to say crochet jewelry. It combines my two favorite crafts and is really what got me started in jewelry making, which is my main hobby of late.

What's your favorite crafty material or medium?

I’m a big fan of Mod Podge and polymer clay.

What's the biggest challenge you face(d) in blogging?

Hitting a creative block or struggling for content when working on a big project.

When you don't feel particularly crafty, what do you do to find inspiration?

Lately, I browse pinterest!

How do you organize your craft supplies?

I have totes and drawers and boxes full. Not the best at organizing my creative mess!

How do you organize (remember, find) tutorials and posts online that you like?

I organize everything on my pinterest board.

What's your best tip for new bloggers?

Show people lots of pictures and read as many tutorials/books as you can to build your knowledge up quickly.

What are some things you're loving right now (crafty or not)?

I am loving spring pastels, soft hemp, freshwater pearls and bows.

Are you married? A mom? To human or fur-babies or both?

I am living with my boyfriend. We are planning on children very shortly, but are parents to a furbaby, Ralphie. He is a 1-year-old Chihuahua, whom I love to death!

What area of the country (or world) do you live in?

I live in Pennsylvania, US. I did spend a few years recently living in Canada as well!

What question do you wish I asked (and please answer it)?!

Hmm... maybe who gives us inspiration in life and in our creativity.

Don't forget to visit Angie at Desperate Houselife and come back for her tutorial here tomorrow!

15 Graduation Day!

Today I'll officially be Dr. Mel because it's graduation day!

A lot of emotions and mostly I still can't believe it's real... it's been a very, very long journey and there were many times I wasn't sure I'd ever get to this point. But it's here! And the boyfriend got me the best graduation present. EVER.

The front has "PhD" on the left pocket. And this is the back...

I think we have to go out so that I can wear this and be awesome. And epic. Because this is so true... my dissertation was a seriously epic monster (and I need to get my committee members/chair some serious presents to thank them for reading this thing). But I'm off to graduate and become Dr. Mel officially! Happy Friday ladies (and gents)!

5 Guest Post: Mallory of Purplest Pecalin

Mallory of Purplest Pecalin is back! Today she's sharing a recipe for something I am seriously hoping I can make... or convince the boyfriend to make immediately. I'm pretty sure never having had one qualifies as an emergency...  but I digress! Here's Mallory's super-yummy tutorial!


Hi there crafty scientists! I'm Mallory from Purplest Pecalin, where I blog about my adventures in baking and crafting. I have been a fan of Mel's blog for quite some time, so when she asked for guest bloggers I was super excited and thought I would share a recipe I recently made.

Sunday was one of those days where I needed to bake something. After being in Hawaii for a week (which was fabulous) and pinning to my heart's content at the beach, I was itching to bake something I had drooled over. While scrapbooking and watching Friends in sweats for a large part of my Sunday, I was not up to drive into town for any ingredients I did not have on hand - hence, deciding on this recipe for Peanut Buttery Chocolatey Goodness Bars.

I originally found these on pinterest, however the link lead me to who else, but my favorite food blogger, Christy aka The Girl Who Ate Everything. I shamelessly and repeatedly share the recipes she posts because she seriously only posts the best of the best.
 
Here we go.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
by Greta White via The Girl Who Ate Everything

1 (18.25oz) package plain yellow cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 eggs

1 (12 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup coconut (optional - I sprinkled some onto half of the pan)

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Add the cake mix, melted butter, peanut butter and eggs into a bowl and mix together. It will be more cookie dough like than cake batter. 

Reserve about 1 1/2 cups of the mixture for crumbling on the top. Press the remaining mixture into a 9x13 pan.

Melt the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk and butter together. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and coconut (if you choose). Pour this mixture across the top of the peanut butter mixture in your pan, spreading it around evenly. 

Crumble the 1 1/2 cups of reserved peanut butter mixture across the top of the chocolate.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely (30+ minutes, longer is better) before cutting into bars.

These are super duper rich and super duper not considered a health food. You have been warned.

Thanks a million for letting me guest post Mel! I wish you the best of luck with your dissertation. I don't know how you do it all!


Definitely my pleasure to have Mallory share with us and a big thank you to her for guest posting! She's SO sweet and you all should definitely check out her blog, Purplest Pecalin, immediately!

1 Crafty Interview: Mallory of Purplest Pecalin

I'm so excited to introduce you to one of my favorite bloggers who has somehow not appeared here before - Mallory of Purplest Pecalin! The story behind the blog name is pretty awesome (at least in my opinion) plus Mallory makes fabulous (yummy!) projects and uses amazing (underutilized) words like "wanderluster." So, today Mallory answers the crafty questions and she'll be back with a tutorial tomorrow!

When and how did you start being crafty?

I’ve always been the kid who chose the arts and crafts table at summer camp so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when the madness took over. I’ve been scrapbooking since middle school and really started to get into sewing and creating a monster of a fabric and paper stash my last year of college. This was also about the same time I started baking…a lot.

When did you start blogging about your craftiness and why?

I started blogging just over a year ago, February 2011 to be exact, because I was inspired by all of the other crafty blogs and wanted to catalog my projects and recipes.

What's your favorite project (of everything you've made)?

Hmmm. I’m probably most proud of my handmade wallet. I love the fabric combination and it was by far the longest pattern I have ever used. I also absolutely love the cinnamon roll pancakes I made! So yummy!

What's your favorite crafty material or medium?

Butter. Just kidding. Well, it does make most everything taste better, but my favorite crafty material would be a tossup between a hot glue gun and a needle and thread. The possibilities are endless!

What's the biggest challenge you face(d) in blogging?

I have had to remind myself that I am blogging for fun. As I stated before, I’m doing this to make a record of all my projects and recipes to reference later and not to become a big name, TV show hosting, big sponsor grabbing blog. I adore and follow a handful of big time bloggers, but know that’s just not me right now, mostly due to time and budget constraints. Ultimately, it has been about becoming comfortable with not feeling guilty or anything about posting something “late” or with less than perfect pictures.

When you don't feel particularly crafty, what do you do to find inspiration?

Just perusing the fabric isles at any fabric store usually does the trick. If I’m not out and about, Pinterest and checking out some of my favorite blogs and linky parties nearly always helps.

How do you organize your craft supplies?

I have 4 of those block/cube shelving things in my room and a craft table. If it doesn’t fit in there, it’s hanging or in a box/tub in the closet. My fabric is in two places, big tubs and some lucky cuts are on display as mini bolts on a bookshelf. Someday I will have my own craft room.

How do you organize (remember, find) tutorials and posts online that you like?

My Pinterest boards are exploding. Admittedly, I have been embarrassed for a millisecond when I see my total number of pins because it may appear as if I am on the site 24/7 which is so not the case. I just don’t know how they all stacked up. I do like to search Pinterest for inspiration but I also love a good linky party. I am always blown away by how many creative people are sharing in blogland.

What's your best tip for new bloggers?

Do not try to keep up with the Joneses. Seriously. Be real and honest because readers will be able to tell if you are faking it just to post. Be you and write about what you love.

What are some things you're loving right now (crafty or not)?

My guilty pleasure is watching The Voice with my sister each week. I love Adam Levine. Also, on an unrelated note, I’m loving tuna fish sandwiches for lunch, which may be odd in its own right, but even stranger because I have never liked tuna until a few months ago.

Are you married? A mom? To human or fur-babies or both? (Anything else?)

I’m not married or a mom. I’m an obsessed Auntie with the most adorable and funniest niece ever. That’s just my opinion though.

What area of the country (or world) do you live in? (Again, feel free to give me a state, region of the US, whatever, if you don't mind!)

I’m an Oregonian who is madly in love with the Pacific Northwest, but a wanderluster at heart.

What question do you wish I asked (and please answer it)?!

What is something you want to try (crafty or not)?

 I would really like to try gardening. I do not know a whole lot about it but would love to have fresh produce, or even herbs. Once my living accommodations allow for gardening, I’m totally trying it out, even if it’s just a little raised bed.

Thank you so much to Mallory for answering the crafty questions! Check her out at her blog, Purplest Pecalin, and remember to come back here tomorrow for her tutorial!

0 sneakpeeq Giveaway!

I think most of you guys know that I am a big fan of internet shopping and daily deals-type sites... if I'd had time, I might have had a nervous breakdown when Heartsy went away because I loved it so much. But, I'm pretty excited to tell you all about a new site called sneakpeeq and to celebrate/encourage to you to sign up, they're going to do a giveaway for a $25 gift card to sneakpeeq here!

sneakpeeq
It's like shopping with friends through social media. I asked the awesome contact person I've been working with about how to explain sneakpeeq and a description of how it works and I loved her explanation so I'm sharing it here: 

There's isn't really all that much great description other than what you've probably seen, since a lot of what makes our site special is that it's very intuitive- and integrated within Facebook. It's like trying to explain just how intuitive an ipod is when it first came out- in written form it seems clunkier than it is. ;P  

...We're shopping, mixed with social networking, and a little bit of gaming- so like many games on Facebook, or sites where you "check in", you can earn points, which are redeemable for actual items you can buy (because who is ever really the mayor of taco bell?). You can share items to your facebook wall, and pin items directly to pinterest to earn points, and above all else, you can snag well designed items at great prices. Somehow it sounds a lot longer and more complicated than it really is!

sneakpeeq has food, clothes, accessories, home decor, etc. You can read about how sneakpeeq works here. sneakpeeq's motto/tagline is that they have stuff you already love, but haven't seen yet. Intriguing, right?

Basically, I'm telling you that it's kind of a big deal. The Next Web (TNW) included sneakpeeq in its top 10 best social apps of 2011(you can see the article here)!

How to Enter
Here's the deal with the giveaway... it's only for Crafty Scientist readers so you must make sure that you're a follower of The Crafty Scientist using Google Friend Connect (GFC) first. Then, you click here and you sign up for sneakpeeq and you're entered into the giveaway. You must use this link or you won't be entered.

The giveaway will run for about two weeks... so you have until 11:59pm EST on Friday May 18th. 

(After that, sneakpeeq will tell me who entered and then I'll choose a winner from there - no need to comment or do anything else!)

The Goods
Just for entering (and signing up by using this link), you will get $10 off your first purchase! So everyone who enters will get one of these...

And the grand prize winner will get one of these...

The Fine Print
sneakpeeq is only for people in the US and so unfortunately, the giveaway is only for US residents. Because sneakpeeq is trying to grow and expand their network, this giveaway is ONLY open to NEW sneakpeeq users. So if you've already got an account with them, sadly, you can't enter this giveaway.

Good luck!

3 Guest Post: Kristi of The Night Life of a Scientist

I'm excited to introduce you to the crafty side of another scientist - Kristi of The Night Life of a Scientist. She's back today to share an awesome artsy tutorial with us all! I'll let Kristi take it away from here...

Hi, I'm Kristi, visiting from my blog The Night Life of a Scientist. 

     I've had a personal blog for a few years now, but after noticing that a lot of recipes and crafts were creaping into it I decided to start a blog just for that kind of stuff. I'm a young mom and full time biology graduate student so I don't have a lot of time to devote to to my blog but it's a fun hobby on the occasional nights and weekends when I have some free time. I dream of graduating someday and having lots of time to craft!

I like to post inexpensive crafts for presents and the home, recipes that I've perfected, and ideas on how to live more frugally. Some of my favorite posts so far include fabric covered organizing trays,  menu board, and my deviled egg recipe

     The craft I'm sharing today is a wedding shadow box. The idea for this project started when I found my husband's wedding tie in the Goodwill box. He said it was falling apart and I said, "well you can't throw it away". I rescued it from the donation box and when telling my friends at work about it I had the idea to preserve it in a shadow box with a piece of my veil. 

     Well, after pulling my veil out I just couldn't cut it so I just bought some tulle from Dollar Tree and did a gather stitch to make it look like one. I set my machine to a regular straight stitch but increased the length to 5 (2.5 is the default). It gathered by itself as I sewed it. 

 

     The glass beads have small pictures of our courtship and engagement glued underneath them and were used to decorate the tables at our reception. The boutineer is the one that my husband wore (we did fake flowers and I'm so glad that we did because it's still "alive". 

     I also inserted a copy of our invitation and the pearl bracelet I wore on our wedding day. 

I used a scrapook frame from Hobby Lobby, not quite as deep as a real shadow box, but about half the price (and it was 50% off), plus the backdrop material was a lot nicer than the stuff in the actual shadow boxes. 

I used a glue gun to piece it all together and in the end I love how it turned out. I displayed it on our dresser on a stand I got at Dollar Tree (stands at the craft store are way more expensive). In total this craft cost me about 12 dollars (most of the cost was the frame) and it's a great way to preserve some tokens and memories from our special day.

Thanks for reading and follow my blog for more fun and inexpensive ideas! 

A big thanks to Kristi for sharing this with us - a great way to preserve some wonderful little mementos AND display them! Remember to check out Kristi at her blog, The Night Life of a Scientist, for more crafty experiments!