DADDY CAT'S NEW SHIRT

Momma Cat's computer died at the end of March, and this post was written before it died.  So it's a little old, but I still wanted to share it with you.  

Some time before Christmas I bought some super nice double-faced flannel to make Daddy Cat a shirt.  Well, I finally finished it last Sunday!

It's not that I'm slow or anything, it's just that I'm easily distracted by other projects, friends, family, TV shows, and bright, shiny objects.  To be fair, I've been busy making a lot of other things, working, and trying to keep the house in shape.  Those are my excuses.  You don't have to like them or agree with them, but that's the reason it took me several months to finish one shirt!

Anyway, I gave the shirt to Daddy Cat to try on, then we washed it to get all the markings out of it, and he wore it for the first time today! 

See how handsome he looks in it?

Daddy Cat in his new shirt

Too bad it's getting almost too warm for him to wear it.  But, at least he'll have it for when the weather gets cold again, right?

By the way, Daddy Cat says he loves his new shirt.  I'm very happy.........


-  Momma Cat

BRIDAL NECKLACE TO MATCH WEDDING COLORS- SIMPLE DIY PROJECT WITH PICTURES

Last week, Momma Cat and Baby Cat took a trip to Joann Fabrics (our version of the happiest place on earth) to look at ribbon to wrap Baby Cat's bridal bouquet in. We found some great stuff for that, which we will show you once it is more in the shape of a bouquet wrap. We also found stuff to make Baby Cat a princess necklace to go with her wedding dress!

Baby Cat saw this pendant and thought it looked very princess-y!

Baby Cat wanted something with a little pop of color so she doesn't go crazy wearing too much white.

Baby Cat and Momma Cat went through several different bead/ribbon/pendant combinations until 

Baby Cat finally decided on this royal blue and silver pendant with a pretty, sheer silver ribbon. 

Necklace making supplies!

To turn these things into a necklace, all Baby Cat needed were some lobster claw closures, some jump rings, two crimpable ends, and some needle nosed pliers. Yes, Baby Cat made up the word crimpable because she doesn't remember what those things are actually called.

First Baby Cat strung the pendant onto the ribbon

It's starting to look like a necklace already!

Next came the little silver end, which Baby Cat crimped flat with the pliers so that it would stay on the end of the ribbon. 

Then, she trimmed the end of the ribbon so it wouldn't get in the way of the closure.

Next, she added a jump ring and lobster claw. After that, she tried on the necklace to measure test the length, and added a crimped end and jump ring on the other side so that it could be close. After trimming the remaining end of the ribbon:

Ta-DA!

Now, hopefully it looks good with her dress!

-  Baby Cat

WEDDING RING TREASURE BOX DIY- TUTORIAL WITH PICTURES

This magical fairy-tale style treasure box is just what Baby Cat and Fiancé Cat need to hold their rings at their wedding! Best of all, Baby Cat made it herself and it was super easy and inexpensive!

If you would like to make a box like this, either for wedding rings or for another special thing that you would like to keep safe, Baby Cat documented the steps she took so you can follow along!

What you need:

-A wooden box or treasure chest- I got mine at JoAnn's (no surprise there)

-Sandpaper to smooth the box and prepare it for painting

-Primer for a base coat

-Spray paint in the color you want the box to be- I used chrome because our wedding colors are silver and blue, but you could use any color.

-Stuffing

-A rectangle of fabric that is a few inches larger than the mouth of the box- I used a leftover piece of my wedding dress fabric

*Optional*-another shear layer of fabric the same size as the first- I used leftover lace from my dress

-About a foot of satin ribbon at 1/4'' wide- I used a cream color to match the fabric

-Tacky glue

-Fray Check

-A needle with an eye large enough for your ribbon

-Two colors of construction paper for making paper flowers- I used cream and naby blue

-One or two flower-shaped paper punches- you could cut the flowers out freehand if you prefer, but I liked the punches.

*Optional*-one or two ink pads in contrasting colors to the flower paper- I used royal blue on the cream colored flowers

*Optional*-any other decorative items you would like for your box- like my beaded dragonfly

For the decorations:

-A piece of lace or ribbon- Again, I used leftover lace from my dress

-Flower-shaped paper punches in two different sizes and/or shapes

-Two different colors of construction paper- I used navy blue and cream

-Ink pads in a complementary or contrasting color to the paper- I used royal blue

-Small beads for flower centers- I used silver beads leftover from the cake topper I made awhile back

-*Anything else you would like to add to your box, like the cute beaded dragon fly I bought at Hiron's months ago with no idea what I was going to use it for!

How to make it:

1. Find a cute treasure box to transform!

2. Sand the outside and inside of the box until completely smooth and ready to recieve paint. Make sure to get your engagement ring in the picture to remind everyone what this box is for, haha.

3. Now it is time to paint. Grab your primer and spread out a layer of newspaper outside or in your basement so that you can spraypaint without getting it on something you don't want to paint.

4. Lay your box open on the newspaper to expose the maximum amount of surface area and spray it with an even coat of primer. Wait for it to dry for at least and hour.

5. When your box is dry, flip it and spray the inside. Wait for this to dry for another hour.

6. When the primer is all dry, grab your main color of spray paint and repeat the same process you just did with the primer.

7. You may use multiple coats if necessary to acieve full coverage, but don't spray on too much in one coat because it might cause drips and those are hard to fix!

8. Once all of your paint it dry, it is time to create the cushion on which the rings will rest. To start, fill the boxt with stuffing.

9. Next, place your first layer of fabric in the box overtop the stuffing and tuck it in at the sides to get an idea of how much you will need. You want enough fabric that you can tuck it around the stuffing on all sides and give the impression of a pillow sitting in the box, but not a lot of excess.

9. Trim off excess fabric so you only have what you need.

10. Tuck in the edges of the fabric around the sides and use tacky glue to secure it to the sides of the box.

11. Repeat step 9 with your sheer fabric.

12. Repeat step 10 with your sheer fabric and let it dry.

13. Using your needle, thread the ribbon through two holes at the center of the fabric so that it will stay in place and both ends are available for holding the rings. If you have trouble getting the ribbon to go through, it may be necessary to cut two tiny holes in the fabric using button-hole scissors. If you do this, use Fray Check around the holes to keep them from tearing.

Tie in the rings to check the length and placement of the ribbon. Trim the ribbon as desired and use Fray Check to keep the ends from unraveling.

Don't they look cute together?

14. Now it's time to decorate the outside! Drape a piece of lace or ribbon over the box in a way that looks good to you.

I used this tutorial by Sweet Bio Designs for the paper flowers. I adapted them slightly because the paper punches I had were a little different from the ones in the video and because I like tacky glue better than hot glue. I may post a tutorial for my flowers later, but I think Sweet Bio Design's tutorial is very good and all of her work is beautiful!

15. After you have your flowers, glue small beads in the center if you would like. Then arrange your flowers and any other design elements you want on your box and glue them on.

Now you are done and have a gorgeous one-of-a-kind box to keep your treasures!

-  Baby Cat

EASY DIY TUXEDO GIFT BAGS

Baby Cat thinks sees no reason why gifts for the guys in a wedding party can't be as cute and creative as the ones for the girls. That's why she was so excited to learn how to make these adorable tuxedo gift bags! This photo tutorial is an adaptation of a tutorial I found by Nashville Wraps. You can click here to see there original tutorial.

For my version, see below!

You will need:

-Paper in white or the color of your groomsmen's shirts, if different (I made one in white and one in    navy blue, the tutorial I adapted recommended white pearl stripe paper, which looks great but I couldn't find any for my own project)
-1/2'' ribbon in black or color to contrast shirt, about 12" per bag (depending on the size of the bag)
-1/4'' diameter brads, buttons, or beads in black or color to match shirt (I used black brads)
-Paper gift bags- one for each tuxedo you want to make
 *note: If you can find black gift bags you will save yourself a few steps. If not, you will also need:
-Black acrylic craft paint (I used Martha Stewart's Multi-Surface Satin)
-A paint brush
-Newspaper to protect your work surface from paint

Let's get started!

Step 1: Paint the Bags (those of you lucky enough to find black bags, skip this step)
        Cover your work surface with newspaper, pop your bags open so that they stand up on their own.

Next spread a light layer of paint all over the outside of the bag and the top of edge of the inside.

        Wait for the paint to dry (about 1 hr) and add extra coats as needed. You don't have to paint the bottom of the bag, but if you would like to, wait until the other paint is dry so it won't smudge when you lay the bag on its side to paint the bottom.

Step 2: Put on a shirt!
      Cut an isoceles triangle out of your shirt paper. When placed on the bag with the point facing down, and short edge lined up with the top of the bag, you should have about 1'' of bag left on either side of the triangle and two inches at the bottom.

Glue the triangle in place.

Step 3: Bow Tie!
     Cut at 6'' length of ribbon and make it into a circle, overlapping ends by 1/4'' and glue. Put a spot of glue in the inside center of the loop and press together to make two loops.
     Cut a 2 1/4'' length of ribbon and wrap it around the center of the double-loop bow. Overlap the ends in the back and glue.

     Cut a length of ribbon as long as the entire width of the front of the bag and glue it across the bag, about 1'' from the top. Glue the bow tie to the center of this ribbon.

Step 4: Buttons
     Glue 4 of your buttons to the center front of the "shirt" equidistant from one another. If you are using brads, break the bendable part or cut it with a wire cutter to keep it from showing or getting in the way when you glue the round part to to the shirt.

Step 5: Fill it up!
     Fill the bag with gifts for your groomsman, best man, dad, groom, or any other guy who plays a special role on your wedding day! Then later it with black and white (or shirt color) tissue paper to finish!

Disclaimer: The actual contents and recipients of these giftbags, as well as Baby Cat's DIY bridesmaid gifts, will not be posted until Baby Cat and Fiancé Cat's Wedding day, lest someone in the wedding party accidentally glimpse something that they shouldn't and spoil the surprise. Sorry, the same goes for Baby Cat's handmade wedding dress.