Shirt: $0
Iron On Letters: $1 from Michaels

Here's an old pic of Lepa & I walking for cancer in memory of Lepa's mom. I grabbed one of my pink shirts and ironed on a her name. Cute right?

Memorial Pins & head bands

Leenna: My father in law passed away & Lepa & I made pins for the immediate family as a gift. We also made headbands & barrettes for the grand daughters.

PINS

Pictures: $0.07 cents for each 4x6 from Inkleys & we took advantage of Walgreens promotion that day where you got 20 free 4x6's.
Card stock: $0
Safety pins: $1 for 50
Glue & Glue guns: $0
Ribbon: $0 had left over

HEAD BAND

Stick On Gems: $0.50 from Big Lots (they were actually for bedazzling your cell)
Ribbon: $2 from Walmart
Black stretchy plain head bands: $1 for 3 from Dollar Tree


For the pins we had pictures of my father in law printed out & worked around them. We cut some in circles & left some in the wallet shape form. We hot glued ribbon on back of them in looped patterns than glued card stock over it. We than crazy glued ribbon over the safety pin to hold in place & that was your pin.

For the head bands we made cut out my father in laws picture in a small circle and placed gems individually around it. We made a bow & glued the "bedazzled" picture in the center. We than glued a separate piece of ribbon under the bow & placed it around the head band to hold it in place. This was designed for the younger girls. We also made barrettes for the older girls. Same concept but glued on a barrette! There you have it. Hope it will inspire you to make your own memorial items for your loved ones. It not only personalizes it but it gives it more meaning knowing you made it yourself. Rest in love Dad! We miss you!

Baby Sock Purse!!!!!

Isn't this the cutest thing ever? I found this @ Dollar Tree & had to share it w/ you guys. I use it for my laundry coins. lol It's funny how I find the cutest things @ Dollar Tree & buy things that I don't even need. My husband is like "It's only a dollar" phrase is so overrated w/ me! hahahahaha

Mothers Day/Birthday Gift

This project was way simple. My daughters softball team mate just had a birthday so I thought I'd have my daughter give her something. Of course my budget is always cheap because I come from a family of 6. So today my budget was $1.00. Yup, you heard me right! I went to Michaels cause they always have cute things on clearance. I found a cute desingn a mug kit. It came w/ ready made pictures for her to color but I just traced out the size on a blank paper so she can draw her own art on it. I threw some confetti in the cup to give it pop. I also ended up making lil' daisy bow clips. I was trying to figure out how I can put it in the cup. I found some of my kids project foams (the round shaped ones) and threw one in it. Wrapped some colorful pipecleaner around a pencil and stuck them in the foam. I also put some tulle in the cup to cover the foam. So now I had to figure out how to present the gift. My sis. Lepa came up w/ a cute idea. Instead of buying a bag she suggested grabbing a regular ol' white lunch bag, folding it down & punching holes in it around the rim & threading ribbon through it. It was such a cute idea. My hubby was playing around w/ one of the pipecleaners spelling out her name "Mora" and I thought it was way cute! That's why I glued it on the back of the bag! lol My daughter also drew on the front of the bag! There you have it! You can also customize this gift for a child to give their grandparent, aunt or mother. Great idea for a mothers day gift too! :)

Dallas Cowboys Tutu Dress for a newborn

Headband Bow:

Thick blue ribbon: $0.69 MICHAELS
Silver & White ribbon: $0.20 each MICHAELS
Buttons: $4.00 MICHAELS (optional I used a star button for the Dallas Cowbows symbol)
Bunch of small flowers: $1.00 DOLLAR TREE
Elastic Band: $1.20 WALMART

I took a guestimation on the headband and just hot glued a piece of elastic to the ribbon & just folded each side over on both sides & there you have it...a head band. The bow was just a creation of some sort w/ a flower glued in the middle of it & stuck in star button on the flower. Simple isn't? Just so you know the buttons are the priciest but I bought that for other purposes not for this project. So really all I spent was literally $0.40 because I had everything else already! :)

Accents for tutu dress:

Bunch of flowers: $1.00 DOLLAR TREE
Buttons: $4.00 MICHAELS

I had such a big bag of buttons so I wanted to take advantage of them. I ended up threading the tulle from the tutu dress into a white flower & a blue button & just let it hang. It gave it a lil' color & made it more than just a plain white tutu dress.




Tutu Dress:

2 yards of white tulle: $3.00 WALMART
Elastic Band: $1.20 WALMART
Blue thick ribbon: $0.69 MICHAELS
White, silver & white ribbon: $0.20 each for 6 yards MICHAELS
Iron on letters (white): $0.50 MICHAELS
Bunch of flowers (blue & white): $1.00 each DOLLAR TREE
Diamond Jewels: $0.50 MICHAELS

I don't know if your a blogger from Utah but I think almost everyone knows how to make a tutu. hahahaha If not you can watch this tutuorial @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5QO_OI1t70. The only difference w/ mine is I tied the tulle onto the elastic band rather than the ribbon. Sorry call me lazy w/ my blogs lately but I figure shorter the description the better! Although I'm contradicting my statement by going on and on about nothing! hahaha Kay anyways.....To make it a dress all I did was tie blue ribbon in the middle of the tutu & WALA that's her halter top! lol I hot glued a bow in the middle w/ the words "Dallas Cowboys" ironed on them. I also hot glued two blue & white flowers on the side of it w/ the pretty jewel glued in the middle of the flower. There you have it! Easy as peasy! hahaha Don't ask why that term is even brilliant to use but it rhymes. LOL

HERE'S THE END RESULT!

Excuse the somewhat used bear. It's my daughters bear that I thought I'd use it as my model since I didn't have a baby around! :( Oh & excuse the backgground too. Aren't wires quite the decor though? lol Well, hope you like it & is inspired to make one for your lil' beauty to show off your favorite team! I'm pretty sure my sister in law will. Oh yeah the "Dallas Cowboys" theme was thought of because my sister in law's husband (not sure if she loves the team too lol) loves the Cowboys. They named their eldest Dallas! Cute huh? I wanted to make this dress personable for not only baby but for the whole family to adore! :)

Valentine Gift For A Guy

I know it's past Valentines Day but I figured I'd post this anyway. I'm sure someone will stumble upon it & be inspired to to do this for their special guy. Above is a poster Lepa & I made. I googled what type of gift to get a guy because as all you woman know it's hard to express to your man how much you really do love them. I could of made it myself but Lepa has such pretty penmanship & mine is just horrible. So I came across this blog some woman wrote about what she did for her bf. I thought it was cute. Only she had actual roses hanging on her shower head. I didn't have any funds to buy roses or even a rose. (lol) So I just drew my own on some construction paper I had lying around the house. Well, My husband and I went on a couples (family) date the day before Valentines. We worked on this project the night before so it would be ready when my husband & I arrived. (It was so funny because I tried to work on it while my husband was @ work & he had to show up early that night surprising me. He seen the poster & got the hint & just went to sleep lmbo)

Lepa babysat my kids @ my house & set everything up for me. She's such a great friend! :) She hung the poster on my shower curtain rod, taped the flowers I made on the shower, decorated the entire bathroom & placed hershey's kisses on the floor. As you can see the sign says "Now that I've kissed the ground you walk on & showered you w/ roses...Will you be my Valentine?" I know it's way cheesy & he actually laughed @ it & said some smart remark but he got the idea. He deserved to be pampered. Here's what I bought for this idea....


Poster board: $1 WALMART
Glitter paint: $1 DOLLAR TREE
Wall Decor (love & the hearts): $2 WALMART
Decorations: $1 DOLLAR TREE
Ribbon: $0 (left over from other projects)
Kisses: $1 DOLLAR TREE
Construction paper: $1

SAMOAN QUEENS

If you all don't already know Lepa & I are Polynesian. To specify were Samoan (lol). My family had put together a Family Fundraiser (Tausala Night) which is basically where we had to choose a member of our family to perform. In our culture we dance & others throw money to the Taupou (I guess in english it would be Samoan Queen..sorry I'm bad when it comes to history etc.). Well because I cannot sew for the life of me I had no choice but to come up w/ some kind of way to make my girls outfits. (I told my husband I wanted a sewing machine for my birthday so I can learn...lol) I bought those lil' hand sewing machines from Walmart & did the best I could. I sewed a zipper on the side of the girls material (that I already measured to their size). I wanted to make some kind of arm piece because I didn't want it to look plain like a tube top dress. I ended up coming up w/ the idea of braiding strips of the material & pinning it to the front & back like a sash. (Yes I did use a safety pin, I'm a rookie so give me a break w/ this sewing business...lol) I found some really cute white leaves (I guess that's what I'll call it) & hot glued it to the front. The hair piece is a boa I bought @ Michaels. I tried looking for it @ Walmart & they had absolutely none. Can you believe that? The woman there tried helping me & ended up taking me to the toys section where they had lil' girls dress up clothes. I'm like ummmm I need an actual boa thank you very much. Not one attached to a dress, gee! lol But all in all the look was decent enough for me. They weren't ever gonna wear em' again so the weird making of the outfit explains it all! lol :)

Fabric: $1 a yard (I only used 2)
Leaves: $2 JOANNS FABRIC
Boa: $2
Hand Sewing Machine: $15

HEAD PIECE A.K.A PALE

My family was asked to help play a part in my Relief Society Play. We were asked to sing a song in our native tongue and lei the president and his wife as if we were back on the island greeting visitors. Good thing my step mother had made all my children a matching pair the month before because it worked out perfect for the play. I ended up making my girls a pale (flower head piece) to make the look even more Islandy (if that's even a word). Here are the details.....

Head band: $1 DOLLAR TREE
Bunch of flowers: $1
Fabric: $0 (used what was lying around the house)

We bought a head band that had open loops & was the kind that went completely around the head so it can lie on top of the forehead like a pale. We threaded fabric through the loops & hot glued flowers on them. EASY huh? That's basically it!

OUTFITS & ACCESSORIES

Here are the hula outfits Lepa & I made a while back. My inlaws church threw a big party for my father in laws ordination (he became a deacon). We all thought it would be cute to have the grandkids entertain. I had my girls do a tahitian number. Here are the details.

Raffia:$2 WALMART
Purple Fabric: $2 a yard WALMART
Yellow & Purple tissue paper: $1 DOLLAR TREE
Store bought necklace: $1 DOLLAR TREE
Coconut Bras: $2 each WALMART

HEAD PIECES

We braided a good amount of Raffia to make it a thick braid and hot glued them together. We looped a few braided Raffia & braided Purple & Yellow Tissue paper (to give it color) and hot glued them to the side of the braided Raffia head band. Stuck a couple of Raffia pieces on the side to stick up in a feather like look.

NECKLACES

Lepa had a Laker Necklace she had bought from the dollar tree and took them apart to make both of my girls a necklace. The circle pieces were the only pieces she used & the rest were Raffia braided and looped into the circle pieces.

The coconut bras were bought from Walmart.

HULA SKIRT PIECE

We tied the purple fabric on the girls and just added the hip piece. We rolled the tissue paper up and braided sections in to a hip band. We made a knot @ one end & looped the other end to make it into a button type fastner. We tied Raffia randomly around it and just tucked the skirt outward to hold the band in tightly. We're LAKER fans so we chose the purple and yellow colors. There you have it. A home made hula outfit for cheap! :)

BABY SHOWER

Baby Shower Favors:

BOOTIES

Small plastic white cups: $0.77 WALMART
Thin Ribbon: $1 WALMART
Tulle: $0 (LEFT OVER FROM OTHER PROJECT) BUT IS ABOUT $1.97 A YARDD
Tissue paper: $1 DOLLAR TREE
Glue sticks, Glue gun, hole puncher & Scissors

Cut V shapes in cups to form the tongue for the shoe & hole punch each side 2xs. Thread ribbon through & tie a bow as shown in picture. Cut tulle in pieces & put candy (or whatever you would like) & set inside. Trim the cup w/ tissue paper for detail. I printed out a "Thank You" poem & hot glued it on the back. You can do this as well or even hole punch the back & thread a ribbon w/ a lil' tag that just says "THANK YOU". Just another idea.

Thank You Poem:

"Thank you all for coming to meet and welcome me,
I'm glad I finally got to see my new friends & family,
I love all the things you brought you all are very sweet
and I can hardly wait until the next time that we meet,
My mom is very lucky to know each one of you
and now that I am in the world, I am very lucky too!"

BUTTERFLY DIAPERS

2 diapers for each display
Ribbon: $1 WALMART
Tulle: $0 (Left over from previous project) but goes for about $1.97 per yard
Pipe cleaners: $1 (pkg. 50) WALMART
Baby wash cloth: $1 (pkg. 4) WALMART

Depending on size of diaper lay each one on top of eachother (overlap if small) tie ribbon down the middle to hold diapers together. Roll baby wash cloth & set on top of ribbon than thread pipe cleaner through the ribbon over the wash cloth to hold in place. Repeat threading w/ pipe cleaners to make a butterfly look. Cut tulle into rectangle pieces & twist it to make a fan shape on each side. Place tulle under the wash cloth.


DIAPER/SLIPPERS

Maxi pads: $3.67 (pkg. 46) WALMART
Baby shower favor bags: $1 DOLLAR TREE
Ribbon: $1 (the kind you use for balloons) DOLLAR TREE
Glue sticks & Glue gun

Decor was made w/ things around the house such as silk flowers, confetti, glitter glue and fabric embellishments. We searched the internet for shoe labels like Gucci, Baby Phat & Addidas to name a few. Printed out the labels & hot glued to the pad for a more detailed look. 2 pads needed for one slipper. Hot glue top edges of the pad & place 2nd pad to make an open toe slipper. Decorate to your liking. Fold Bottom of slipper into the top to make a diaper. Thread ribbon into tags that say "Diaper/slippers" (so they get the idea) and place slippers individually into favor bags & tie a bow.

BABY SHOWER GIFTS:


DIAPER BASKET WITH DIAPER/WIPE CASE:

Diapers: $10 (pkg. 27) WALMART
Travel Wipes: $1.50 WALMART
2 ROSES: $1 (on clearance) WALMART
Tulle: $0 (left over from previous project) but is $1.97 a yard WALMART
Ribbon: $1.50 WALMART
2 ready made bows: $2 each (optional you can make your own but we liked the look)
Fabric: $1.35 a yard (only one yard is needed)
Black poster board: $1 WALMART
Velcro: $2 WALMART
Cardboard: $0 (used pizza box)
Hot glue, glue sticks & scissors

Diaper basket:

We measured a circle onto the cardboard by a big salad bowl & cut to make it as the base for the diaper basket. Cover the base w/ construction paper & decorate w/ ribbon. Roll 14 diapers & secure w/ rubber bands than place them on the base in a circle. Make sure there is space in the middle where you'll place your diaper/wipe case. Tie tulle around the diapers into a bow and tie ribbon in the middle as well. Cut fabric in 3 strips and braid & do the same w/ ribbon. Hot glue them on stems in a spiral for a detailed look and end tieing a bow around the roses. Poke 2 holes on each side and stick a rose in each. Hot glue both bottom and top of the base where the rose stands.

Wipe Case:

Outline wipes on your fabric & cut out. Hot glue fabric and tighten as you place on wipe case. Hot glue ribbon around edges and glue ribbon in center on top of wipe case. Then glue ready made bow on top of ribbon in the center.

Diaper Case:

We used a size 5 diaper to measure the length of the diaper case onto poster board. Cut the poster board longer in width to fold into a rectangled box. Cut top of poster board for the flap. Hot glue fabric around entire case and glue ribbon on front center. Then glue ready made bow on top of ribbon in the center. Glue ribbon on the top of the opening around the edges and glue velcro on front where flap closes & also on flap.

BABY SHOWER BASKET:

Small white basket: $0 (reused a basket in the house)
9 baby food jars: 3 for a $1 DOLLAR TREE
4x6 photo album: $1 WALMART
Photo paper: $4 DOLLAR TREE
ABC photo frame: $1 DOLLAR TREE
Key chain: $0 (daughters bead kit from christmas)
Ribbon: $0 (from left overs)
Foam stickers and tulle were used for embellishments. (optional)

Tie strips of tulle around each jar of baby food then place in basket. Alphabet album was customized with babies family pictures. For example A for Aunties, B for Benjamin (mommy's last name), C for Cousins etc. Fill the 4x6 photo album w/ the pictures then place in basket. See photos below to get an idea of how it looked.

Put Frame on top of photo album and thread ribbon through basket and end w/ bow. You can also add your own embellishments to make it your own. Have fun w/ it!




When my sister in law gave birth I knew when I would go to visit that I couldn't go empty handed. I went to my favorite store DOLLAR TREE and thought I'd throw together some things in a cute plastic tub. I thought she could use the lil' tub for baby's small things. I made it presentable by doing lil' things like tieing a cute ribbon around the onesies individually and setting the basket up to where you can pretty much see everything. Here is what the basket included.

"It's a boy" toy flower: $1 THRIFT TOWN
Baby Book: $1 DOLLAR TREE
Pacifier: $1 DOLLAR TREE
A&D Ointment: $1 DOLLAR TREE
Receiving Blanket: $1 DOLLAR TREE
3 pc. Outfit (beenie, onsie, pajama): $5 FAMILY DOLLAR
Onesies: $2 BIG LOTS
Bib: $1 DOLLAR TREE
Bottle: $1 DOLLAR TREE
Teddy Bear: &1 DOLLAR TREE
Rattle Teddy Bear Socks: $1 DOLLAR TREE
"Heaven's Gift" Sign: $1 DOLLAR TREE

CHEF FOR A DAY BIRTHDAY THEME

MY DAUGHTER WANTS TO BE A CHEF SO WE MADE HER 5TH BIRTHDAY PARTY CENTERED AROUND COOKING.

MENU:

PIZZA BAGELS

STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES

COOKED UP BY OUR VERY OWN CHEFS/KIDS

CRAFTS:

PILLOW CASES: $0.19 THRIFT STORE

WE CUT THE PILLOW CASE IN 1/2 TO MAKE TWO APRONS & CUT EACH SIDE OF APRON AS TIES TO GO AROUND THE BACK.

RIBBON: $2.50 WALMART

THE RIBBON WE BOUGHT WAS THICK AND CUT THAT IN 1/2 AS WELL. CUT PIECES TO FIT EACH APRON & THREADED THEM THROUGH THE SEAM OF THE PILLOW CASE.

THE REST OF THE ITEMS WERE USED FOR DECORATING

GLITTER GLUE: $1 DOLLAR TREE

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUTTON: $1 DOLLAR TREE

BIRTHDAY FOAM STICKERS: $1 DOLLAR TREE

PARTY FAVORS

HEAD BANDS (PKG. OF 6): $1 DOLLAR TREE

BUNCH OF FLOWERS: $1 DOLLAR TREE

WE CUT THE FLOWERS OFF THE STEMS AND SIMPLY HOT GLUED THEM TO THE HEAD BANDS. EASY $2 FAVOR FOR 6 GIRLS

WE ALSO BOUGHT GLOW IN THE DARK STICKS FOR THE KIDS TO CELEBRATE ONCE SHE BLEW OUT HER CANDLES. IT WAS A HIT!

LNL'S DIAPER CAKE FOR A GIRL

FOR THIS PROJECT WE SPENT $15. EVERYTHING WAS BOUGHT FROM WALMART EACH COSTING A COUPLE OF BUCKS.

DIAPERS: $7 FOR A PKG. OF 34

RIBBON: $1.50

TULLE: $1.97 A YARD (ONLY ONE YARD WAS NEEDED)

ELASTIC BAND (USED FOR THE TUTU): $0.97

RUBBER DUCKY (TOPPER): $1

VELCRO DOTS: $1

RUBBER BANDS: $0 (USED LEFT OVERS FROM LAST PROJECT)

LNL'S FIRST DIAPER CAKE FOR A BOY