Crafty Texas Girls

11/8/14

Girls with Glasses

I am taking a break from my usual craft posts to bring you a little PSA about 'girls with glasses'.

So here is it is : Glasses are cute!

Glasses have gone from a necessity to a coveted accessory. You can get them in both prescription or non-prescription lenses. Glasses for all!!

My favorite pair is from Firmoo. I am loving the color, shape and quality. What about you? Are you a girl who wears glasses? Whether you need to or just want to-- check out Firmoo for your favorite lenses. (See the ones I have by clicking here.)

Wondering how to choose the perfect pair of glasses online ?

1.You can use the Virtual Look Viewer to check if the shape of the frames suits your face or not.

2. Comparing the fame size data with the old eyeglasses is also helpful to find your perfect new Firmoo glasses. The specification like weight, sizes of the frames can be found at the product page.

PS. Want to see a 'behind the scenes' photo from my Firmoo glasses post?? This my friends is what happens when your mom is a blogger... and you learn how to work use the camera timer! Lol!

Have a great Saturday!

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11/6/14

Goodbye Halloween, Hello Christmas!

Halloween came and went-- so much fun and then it was done! Made me feel kind of sad when that it all passed so quickly.

My oldest dressed as a 'gypsy' - purely because she liked all the accessories that came with the costume. And my youngest was Strawberry Shortcake because the costume was 'not itchy'. :) I wore Afton's blue 'Katy Perry' wig from last year and my hubby turned his Sriracha Sauce shirt from Target into a costume by letting me make him a green 'cap/hat'. It was a fun night.

With Halloween 2014 in the books, the world has moved onto Christmas! To help get us all reayd, Michaels' is hosting another in-store Pinterest party.

You may remember how much fun I had at the last one. (See all the photos from the Michael's party here!) And this season's is looking even better! I love the materials they sent me for project inspiration. What's your holiday style? I think I gravitate towards Rustic.

I was also given a gift card by Michael's to go shopping! I am planning on making a few of these gorgeous decorations, so stay tuned.

You can get in on the fun by going to your local Michael's store on November 15th from 1-4pm. There will be lots of crafty project ideas and supplies to get you ready for Christmas!

10/24/14

Pumpkin Door Decoration

Great artists work with oil paints, water colors, or pastels. My favorite medium... 'butcher paper'.

I spent a few hours at my daughter's school this week working in 'butcher paper'. I lucked out and found a few other women who support my passion for crafting in colored paper. They have helped me carry out all my crazy paper-based ideas :)

First up, the 3rd Grade Harvest Program called for some easy/free stage decor. Butcher paper to the rescue.

I made the pumpkins by creating 'pillows' from butcher paper. I folder the paper in half, cut the pumpkin shape, then painted on some polka dots. After the paint dried, I stapled the edges shut with the exception of the top. Then I stuffed the pumpkins with newspaper and all the paper from our recycling bin :) I closed the tops with a few more staples. A stem and a leafy vine finished the look. And those trees? Just crumpled brown butcher paper and staples. The sign was the same... paper, paint and hang!

Next, we brought a festive feel to the 3rd Grade Hall with these pumpkin doors. Pretty easy to do... just cover the door with orange paper and add a funny face. I made each face different. The best part was seeing the kids reactions the giant pumpkin doors:)

What is your art 'medium' of choice? Hot glue? Fabric? Paint? If you get a chance, give butcher paper a try!

10/20/14

Pipe Cleaner Princesses

Play dates at our house always include two things-- jumping on the trampoline and crafting. Afton's most recent play date was planned for a Friday after school. Before she left for the day, Afton told me "Mom, don't forget to get a craft. I have a play date after school!"

But instead of buying a craft this time, I just decided to pull out a bunch of supplies and see what the girls came up with. With blogging, I have been lucky enough to receive a package of goodies from CraftProjectIdeas.com every quarter. Pipe cleaners, beads, sequins. These are staples in a 'crafter's pantry' :)

I did a quick search through my Pinterest Craft Board to see if I had any inspirational ideas that might be fun to try with the girls. And I saw these cute Pipe Cleaner Dancing Princesses by Zing Zing Tree.com. Head over Zing Zing Tree to see her detailed tutorial for making these dolls.

PIPE CLEANER PRINCESSES
-3 pipe cleaners per princess
- Napkins (I used ones left over from Maisy's Frozen Party)
- Optional: sequins, beads, straws

We made the head and arms with one pipe cleaner. So start by bending it in half and twisting to make the head. Bend up the ends to make the arms. Then the legs with the other are made from the second pipe cleaner. Fold the pipe cleaner in half and twist to attach to the body. (After dressing the doll, we added the third pipe cleaner to her waist as a belt. That third pipe cleaner helps to support her waist too!)

Image via Zing Zing Tree-- she has more 'step by step' photos for this tutorial.

Once I showed the girls how to make the bodies, they did the rest. Beads became bracelets, straws cut in half were turned into knee socks. They added hair and even shoes.

I tied a thin string of elastic to each doll's head and the girls played with them like they were marionette puppets. They were so pleased that they had made their 'own dolls'.

I love when we can use things we already have to be crafty. To me, this was a "Pinterest win!".

See more fun craft ideas I like on my Pinterest Craft Board or follow us on Instagram @craftytexasgirl.

Follow crafty texas girl's board Craft Ideas on Pinterest.

10/18/14

Pumpkin Painting with Toilet Paper Rolls

We had a little extra time this week, the girls were off school Monday for Columbus Day. Which gave us the perfect opportunity to try out a few of those 'fun Halloween crafts for kids' that I have been collecting on Pinterest.

This craft required only a few supplies and we had them all on hand. I pinned this craft via "MakeIt-LoveIt.com", click over to her site to see a more detailed tutorial. She has a great blog!

PUMPKIN PAINTING with TOILET PAPER ROLLS
-2 toilet paper rolls
-hot glue
-paper
-paint

I made the 'Pumpkin Stamp' by nesting one toilet paper roll inside the other. To get the inner roll to fit, I cut it length-wise and rolled it into a 'football shape'. I used a few drops of hot glue to secure it inside the outer toilet paper roll. Then we began stamping. A little green paint was added to make a little stem.

My littlest tried the stamp, but decided she would rather make her own pumpkins. She loves getting to paint with a brush. This is her version of '5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Fence'. We didn't have any canvases, so I just cut up a pizza box (from last night's dinner!) and let them paint on the white side. Bonus points for recycling!!

My third grader was happy to use the stamp. She made a pumpkin patch at night. Reminds me of "Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin".

I love the Halloween season. We'll be trying out a few more 'Pumpkin Crafts' before the month is over. Looking for ideas??--> come on over to my Pinterest board or follow @craftytexasgirl on Instagram.

Follow crafty texas girl's board Halloween on Pinterest.

10/12/14

The Texas Home T

"There is no place like home."

Kind of like this new t-shirt I just got. It's insanely soft, looks cute, and makes me think of home.


I was sent this insanely soft t-shirt to review for free. All opinions are my own!

Have you heard of The Home. T ? It's an online shop where you can get 'your home' on an insanely soft t-shirt. Plus they are made in the USA! And a portion of all proceeds from The Home. T go towards Multiple Sclerosis research. (If you are a local friend, be prepared to see me in this t-shirt a lot. It's so soft! I am wearing a size medium in these photos. I have washed and dried it multiple times and it has not shrunk.)

Wouldn't this shirt make a fun gift?!

To see more of The Home. T story and check out their insanely soft t-shirts, visit their website. Or look them up on Facebook or Instgram.

To go to The Home. T click here

What state do you consider "home"? (Mine is Texas of course!)

Which t-shirt is your favorite from "The Home T." ? Are most of you Texas fans like me?

10/9/14

5 "Frozen" Party Tips (For Moms who are Ready to "Let It Go")

I have finally learned to "Let It Go". The song that little girls sing with glee has become my new motto for being a mom. If you have been following this blog for long, you know I like throwing parties for my girls. And while that hasn't changed, my new "Let It Go" attitude has changed the way I host parties. Below are 5 Tips I learned while throwing a "Frozen Birthday Party" for my daughter. Because birthday parties are supposed to be FUN!

1. The party doesn't have to be at your house. WOW! Why didn't I do this before? When you host a party at your house, you have to clean twice. Once before the party and then once after the party. But when you host a party somewhere else (we did ours at "Paradise Pond") cleaning up is not even on your 'to do' list! Which gives you more time to enjoy the party and the guests.

2. Decor is simple. I love, love, love decorating. But Pinterest has kind of ruined it for us 'regular' folks. I bought vinyl table cloths for the tables. Then I used coordinating scrapbook paper to make 'place mats'. Polka dot napkins, solid pink cups, striped paper straws, and Frozen plates were used too. I took advantage of Hobby Lobby's Christmas sale to buy 'Frozen' trees, snowflake stickers, and a snowman too!

3. The cake is for eating. Yep. A cute cake is important, but it should taste good and not cost as much as a wedding cake :) Also, stressing over baking a cake is not fun. There are so many great bakeries that create yummy, affordable cakes. Find one near you!

4. Parties are for kids. So let them do what they really want to do... run around and have fun! (Oh and it's ok for the adults to have fun too! I went down that giant slide at least 3 times!)

5. Opening presents at the party is worth the craziness. Watching a child give a present to a friend is pretty much the cutest thing ever. The 'giver' is so proud and the 'getter' is so grateful. It's a great way to practice manners and feel the joy of giving.