1/31/11

Valentine's Envelope

Looking for a place to "mail" love notes to your little ones?

How about an easy, no-sew Valentine's Envelope?

Here's what you need:
-hot glue
-scissors, (pinking shears optional)
-felt (pink, white, red- 4 for a $1 at Hobby Lobby)
-hard felt- very stiff, sold in a larger sheet
-velcro square

Take your hard felt and fold into thirds, like an 'envelope' shape.



Cut the top flap into an triangular point.

 Hot glue the sides closed.

Hot glue a velcro square to the flap and the envelope. 

I used pinking shears to cut the white trim. Then I used some red/white striped ribbon for the handle. Rick-rack, buttons, or hand-stitched accents would be super cute too.

Think I am going to hang it on the banister- and hide a few love notes in it for my girls!

P.S. Don't forget to enter my giveaway from "I Love That" - a bottle of fabulous Moroccan Oil. Contest ends Wednesday--Click here to throw your name in the hat.

1/28/11

A Valentine Treat for You -- A Giveaway!!

You've been so busy crafting and creating for your home-- I think you deserve a little something special. Something just for you!


So I'm having a giveaway! My friend Jordin, who writes over at "I Love That",  has generously offered to give away her favorite hair product to one lucky 'crafty girl'.


 Jordin's blog "I Love That" is my go-to when it comes to beauty products, make-up tips, and current fashion trends. And her favorite hair product at the moment is.... Morrocan Oil!
The giveaway is for a .85oz bottle of Morrocan Oil- the perfect size for travel. Jordin says Morrocan Oil strengthens and conditions hair while cutting down drying time. And if that isn't enough - it is celebrity coveted and featured in magazines like InStyle and Glamour!

Here is what you need to know to win...
PRIZE: A .85 oz bottle of Morrocan Oil, valued at $17.

TO ENTER: 1. Be a follower of this blog-Crafty Texas Girls. 2. Head over to "I Love That" and become a follower. 3. Then come back here and leave me a comment on this post.

**For an extra entry in this contest, mention Crafty Texas Girls on your blog or facebook page. Then leave me the link in an additional comment on this post. 

GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Wednesday, February 2nd at 8pm CST

NUMBER OF WINNERS: one

PRIZE DETAILS: The bottle of Morrocan Oil will be shipped to the winner. Winner must live in US due to product shipping restrictions.

OTHER INFO: The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Thursday morning in a new post on this blog. So come back on Thursday and see if you get to pamper your hair!

(Note: I was not paid or given any perks from "I Love That"- she contacted me and I thought my lovely followers deserve a chance to win!) 

-Listed on onlinesweeptakes.com- 



1/27/11

Bake something Yummy

I made this cake recently. Some friends asked us to come over for dinner and I offered to bring the dessert. My husband is not a 'sweets guy', but he suggested I make - and I quote "A yellow cake with cream cheese icing and sprinkles."


Not the best picture, but it wasn't until we started eating it that I realized how yummy this cake tasted.

Just think: at one seating three couples and a few kiddos ate almost an entire cake. This means--you need to bake this cake!


Here are the details: 

Recipe found in "Hello Cupcake" by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson

The cake: 
"Perfect Cake-Mix" Cake/Cupcakes
-Use a box of yellow cake mix (not the kind with pudding in the mix- just the regular kind.) 
-Substitute 1 cup of buttermilk** for the water called for on the box. 
-Vegetable oil- as called for on the box
-4 large eggs (in place of the number called for on the box). 
-Bake according to the directions on the box. Frost once the cake has cooled.

** If you don't have buttermilk, add one tablespoon of lemon juice to the cup of milk. Let it sit for ten minutes to sour. 

The icing: 
"Cream Cheese Frosting"-makes 3 1/4 cups of very soft frosting
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
-1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
-1 box (16 ounces) confectioner's sugar
-2-3 tablespoons milk
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-Combine cream cheese and butter in medium bowl and beat with electric mixer until light and fluffy. It will happen! Takes about 3 minutes.
-Gradually add the confectioner's sugar and 2 tablespoons of the milk, beat until smooth. Add the vanilla extract and the remaining 1 tablespoon milk if the mixture is too thick. 


Generously top with sprinkles and serve with ice cream! This would make a lovely birthday cake :)

** Come back tomorrow- I am hosting a giveaway!!!
Something wonderful from my friend over at "I Love That". *****

1/25/11

For "Thrify Decor Chick"

For those of you who don't know- there is a huge 'blogging convention' going on this week. All my favorite bloggers will be there. Can you imagine the crafty ideas being shared??!

Blissdom Conference ~ Nashville ~ January 26-28, 2010

Sadly, I won't be going. But hopefully those gals will share their adventures with us through when they return.



In the meantime, one of my favorite blogs "Thrifty Decor Chick" has offered to feature a few 'blogs on the rise'. She has opened up her blog for submissions. So this post is my entry- my hope that she will see all that "Crafty Texas Girls" has to offer.  (For those of you that already know this, bear with me as I "toot my own horn")



Here is what "Crafty Texas Girls" is all about: 

1. Home Decor- organization and style on a budget!
Turning the Guest Room into My Crafty Room

2. Thrifting- Finding treasures and making them 'new' again.
How to Re-Cover a Chair

3. "How-to-Crafts"- Inspiration and creativity that you can make too!
Clothespin Wreath





My blog is the outlet for all my crafty ideas. I love the satisfaction that comes from making something with my own hands. I hope you will join in my adventures as I 'hot glue' way to creating a warm, loving  home for my family.

:) Crafty Texas Girls


How a Texas girl makes Felt Flower Pins

I have seen these all over the 'blog world' and I finally decided to make some. I thought they would make sweet Valentine's gifts for teachers or just for us to wear ourselves. A pop of color to brighten up these dreary winter days.

Found here.
So easy, here are the supplies needed:
-hot glue gun
- red felt
-bling (optional)

I made mine the no-sew way. So find a circle (I used the top of a spool of tulle) and trace it on the felt six times.
 Cut out the circles.

Now just pinch and glue! One circle is used a base, the other five circle make the 'petals'.






Then I added a brooch clip (you can find them in the 'jewelery making' aisle at craft stores).


 And of course, I decided to make a bigger one. So I made six more felt circles, this time using a larger pattern.

We also made one in hot pink (Afton's idea!). And then I decided they needed a little bling too.

And there you have it, a felt flower pin done "Crafty Texas Girls" style.

 I might give it another try when I get the chance- I think I could go bigger!

1/21/11

Look Ma! I made a wreath!

Now that my sweet girl is no longer taking afternoon naps (because she is a big girl!)- she is my helper when it comes to crafts. She was so excited when I got this "dress form". My girl likes to put her dress-up gowns on the form and then adorn it with scraps of ribbon and fabric. (Maybe she'll end up on Project Runway some day!)



So when I asked her to help me make our Valentine's wreath, she was more than willing to help. Here is what we set out to make:
Found here.
Supplies needed:
- a bunch of clothespins ($2.50 for one package at Hobby Lobby- in the wood crafts section)
- a wire hanger (free)
- a little chalkboard ($2.79 at Hobby Lobby- also in the wood crafts section)
- a bit of jute twine (found at Hobby Lobby- this is starting to sound like a Hobby Lobby ad!)

Now I am a Texas girl, so when I make a craft, I always want it to be big. Instead of using one wire hanger- I decided to use two. Bigger is better right?



So I twisted two hangers together and Afton clipped the clothes pins all around it. Trouble was, when I picked it up and added the little chalkboard, it collapsed on itself. Too many clips, too much weight, too much- too much! So we pulled all the clips off and started again.

This time we used on only hanger. It was easier, faster and more sturdy.

Then Afton wrote "LOVE" on the tiny chalkboard. I just love how she writes- nothing sweeter than a child's handwriting.

Finally we used a little jute twine to attach the chalkboard to the hanger. I used them same twine at the top of the wreath. And Ta-daa!

 "Look Ma! I made a wreath!"

 We make a pretty good team: )



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