B.Cheniful

Heyyyyyy!

Let's do some math. 5 minutes + $3 = Stupid Awesome Dreamcatcher earrings. It's true. And I barely passed my college courses. But let's keep that on the DL--J Chen still thinks I'm super smart ;-)

I'm in a weird mood, so I'm gonna cut to the tutorial chase. No ramblings tonight. Sorry, question mark?

Ingredient list at large:
Dreamcatchers--$3 at Hobbit Lobbit
2 jump rings--free (for me anyways)
earring thingys--free (for me anyways)
Pliers.

Step One:
and really the only step.....using your pliers, separate your jump rings. Once open, hook in earrings and dreamcatchers. Squeeze shut with pliers.

open up and hook in.

squeeze shut!

Step Two:

Oh girl, you're already done! It's time to ROCK IT GIRL!

I can't decide if I love this photo or hate it.....Eh.

Cute, huh? YES! :)

Thanks for hangin!

Big (catch THIS dream, bitch) Smile,

A Donut Wreath for Valentine's Day!

2012-01-23T22:55:00.002-05:00

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Hi Girls!

I'm super excited to show you my new Valentine's Wreath! Last year I made this one, but I up-cycled it into this one for St. Pattys, so I had no choice but to make a new one. :)

When I started out, I was looking to do a tradish wreath--you know, red and purple flowery-thingys. THEN, as I sat down to make it I got the BRILLIANT (if I do say so myself, and I do) idea to make a donut wreath. Ah yeah, that's what's doin for Val 2012!

Wanna see how I did it? Cause I really wanna show you! :)

Ingredient List:
Socks--I used 7 pairs of little boys, 8-2
Sheets of Felt
Beads
Hot Glue
Wreath--I used a 10inch form wrapped in purple yarn

OPTIONAL:
Scrapbook Paper to add a Pennant-Like Message

1. I made up 7 mini donuts (the same ones as I use in my hair) using little boys socks, size 8-2. Why I had these? Zero idea. I ended up doubling up the socks--rolling one into a donut, then taking another and rolling it up into a double donut. Ohhhh, double donut? Gimme 5, right now!
2. Felt Frosting time! I used hot pink, violet and red felt, then traced the bangle to use as my circle.
3. Once you have a circle cut out, fold as shown, and snip off the middle to make the opening of your frosting.
4. This is more of a "TAH DAH!" photo only :) Oh, and get your "sprinkles" ready.
5. Freehand a scallop edge around your frosting. Hot glue the top of your donut and set frosting atop. Add your sprinkles to your liking--I like LOTS of sprinkles. SHOCKER.
6. Another "TAH DAH!" Photo :)

Here's your Optional Step:
I used my Sily and cut out this "Love" Shape and just glued it to a piece of scrap ribbon. Then it just glued to the back of the wreath. Easy, girl.

Your final step! Glue your donuts around your wreath. Things that are easy for $1000. :) You know what's next, right? YOU ROCK IT, GIRL!!!! Rock it like you MADE it. Like you MADE a KICKASS DONUT wreath. CAUSE YOU DID! And now all your neighbors are jealy. You're welcome.

Thanks for hanging!

Big (Rock that Donut Wreath, Girl!) Smile,

Admire? Acquire!: Up-Cycled Feather Necklace

2012-01-20T22:15:00.001-05:00

Girls, I TOLD YOU I was working on some other projects this week! This one is another up-cycle; but even easier than than the last one. Believe it or not. But you really should believe it. :)

So, it's looking like feathers will continue to be a big trend in 2012, which I'm happy about, seems how I didn't really jump on the fashion bandwagon with them in 2011.

ADMIRE
You see feather necklaces all around the inet and Pinterest:

Natural Feather Necklace Bronze Turquoise Blue Accent from Etsy

Ivory Leather Feather Necklace

Feather Necklace-De-Plume

ACQUIRE

Cool, huh? The answer is yes. Sooooo, I decided to make one of my own for zero dollars.

Ingredient list:

Feather Brooch--or any other brooch if feathers aren't your thang, girl

Necklace Chain

Super Glue

Step One--The ONLY step :-) Super clue your chain to the back of your brooch. DONE. Let it set overnight to secure firmly.

Here's the finished product! All pretty and ready to ROCK!

And this would be me ROCKIN IT, GIRL!

That's it! Super easy, stupid cheap, and totally on trend. Yeah Yeah Girl!

Big (Keep it simple!) Smile,

Admire? Acquire!: Drop Earrings

2012-01-17T22:14:00.007-05:00

So....they're not an exact match.
They're just B.Chenified a little more :)

Hey girllllls!

So. What do you do when life gives you a broken necklace? You make cool shit! Earrings to be exact. Knockoff Kate Spade Earrings. You break that sucker up and up-cycle, yo! That's what I did anyway. :-)

So....I hoard everything. Just in case. And tonight, it paid off. I was looking for a third project of the night--the 2 others aren't ready to show quite yet--and came across it in one of the many crevasses of the Creation Station. My Mother would call it a "hell hole." My dad would appreciate the mess. :-)

I had this necklace from Target Boutique I bought a couple years ago--it was a J.Crew knockoff--and I think it broke before I even wore it. I'll bet the J.Crew necklace wouldn't have broken. If only I could afford J.Crew whenever I want......#brokeisthenewrich.

Chenyways, here we go!
Ingredient list:
Broken Necklace (or one you're sick of)
Pliers
Earring Hooks

Step One: Using the pliers, I broke up my necklace to begin my earring design.

Step Two: I added parts of the chain to to support the sides.

Step Three: Next I used a jump ring from the necklace to attach the earring hook.

Step Four: Well, girls, that's it. And it appears that these babies are READY TO ROCK!

What do think???? Cute, right? Rock-tastic, right? RIGHT! :)

Your turn! :)

Big (damn it feels good to be a gangsta) Smile,

Sick, so I'm pimpin my goods!

2012-01-15T20:42:00.002-05:00

Oh Gals....Girlfriend has been super under the weather the past week. So that has clearly interfered with creation station time, resulting in zero posts. Sorry. :-(

I do have some cute new onesies to show that are up for sale on my etsy page--howsabout I just pimp them here? Ok then!

For all the Harry Potter Fans out there, I introduce "Muggle Born"

For flat-chested girls (and BABIES!) like me, please meet "Yes, they're real."

And for all those babies that just need some space, DAMMIT, here is "if you can read this, you're within roundhouse kick range."

Who doesn't love The Office!?!?! Ode to Michael, "That's what she said."

That's pretty much all I have the strength for tonight friends. Thanks for stopping by!

Big (this better be worth it!) Smile,

Coffee and a (hair bun) Donut

2012-01-06T11:18:00.003-05:00

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My chocolate hair bun donut

DAMMIT.

Guess who called me out AGAIN for being absent on posts? One J ~~I think I know everything~~ Chen. This boy drives me up the wall--especially when ~~he's right.~~ I really don't have anything to blame it on--just myself.

So once upon last week I was surfing Pinterst in search of all things donuts--another obsession of mine, like cupcakes, except unlike cupcakes, I love to eat these the most of any sweet in the world--and came across these hair bun donuts. I am the queen of messy buns so I had to check this out. The tutorial is here at Refinery29, a site that I love love love.

It's easy, free, and best of all, looks awesome!

The donut is just a sock, toe cut off, and rolled up into itself into a "donut". Throw your hair up in a pony and put the donut through. You may need to rat your hair a little--depending on your hair type. Then just use the end of your rat comb to tuck in the hair under donut. Pin as necessary, spray that bad boy and ROCK IT GIRL!

I made a bunch of these--one to throw in my hot yoga bag, one to keep in my purse, and another just waiting in the bathroom to get ROCKED. I made mine in both white AND black, since my hair these days is a super dark "cherry cola" of sorts.

Wanna see how it looks? Sure you do!

A messy bun is the perfect companion to any sort of hairband or clippy. It's allllll good :-)

This is for sure a "Do it GAL"! So, do it already! Rock it gurrrrlllll. :)

Update: Guess what I found while hanging on the inet? Um, a real life "professional" hair donut, from ASOS. It's only $6....but why not just make it for free? :)

Big (Yummy Yummy Hair Donut) Smile,

How to: Mod Podge an Initial Letter

2011-12-28T13:34:00.001-05:00

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Hi Friends! :)

I hope you are all having very merry holidays this week and last. :) I am! We had a great time on vacation in Cozumel from the 16th to the 23rd and then spent time with the fam(s) on the 24th and 25th. I was lucky enough to have Monday off as well and spent the day laying around with Bacon and Cheesy. We missed those babies SO HARD! No really. Like talked about them ALL THE TIME--on the beach, at dinner, at breakfast, during nap time--and even would pull up photos because ~~we have no life~~ missed them so much. Chenyways, we had a blast but we're happy to be home. The End.

Ok, back to B.Cheniful. So last night J Chen ~~was stalking me~~ asked me where a new post on the blog was. I mean, damn boy, we just got home! Was he not aware of the entire paragraph of life I just wrote above? Yo, I've been BUSY! But....~~he was right,~~ it was time to get my butt in gear and do something!

Ingredient List.

I feel like this may be coming a little late in the season--when I did this project it was for the holidays--but it can be applied to pretty much anything. I mean, this initial I'll be showing you turned into an ornament, but could just as easily be used as decor, or even on a wreath.

Alright, enough rambling, let's just get started!

This tutorial has A LOT of photos. I think that's ok, yes? We'll just call it a "picture tutorial". There, done.

Ingredient list
Initial Letter of your choice--mine was a cardboard type, but it could be wood or foam, etc.
Mod Podge
Foam Brush
Paper to cover--I used wrapping paper, scrapbook paper is great too!
Scissors/Exacto Knife
Ribbon or Twine--Optional

Step One: Start with your paper about twice the size as your initial.

Step Two: Turn your initial over so it's backwards. Apply Mod Podge to side and top as shown, and bottom (not shown):

Step Three: Place initial on paper giving you enough space to wrap the paper on the side and over the top, as shown:

Step Four: Firmly press paper to Mod Podge sides and smooth out any bubbles, as shown:

Step Five: This is where is starts to get tricky......and messy.......and well, crafty. ;-) Cut into the corner of the paper, as shown:

Step Six: Now, cut out a little piece of paper and fold in half to make a corner, as shown:

Step Seven: Mod Podge corner and apply paper, as shown:

Step Eight: Mod Podge the inside of the bottom initial and fold up the side of the paper. Flip Over the initial and Mod Podge the top, as shown:

Step Nine: Press paper firmly to the top, smoothing out any bubbles. Flip initial back over and begin folding up the paper to cover sides, as shown:

Step Ten: At this point there's nothing left to do but wing it! I had to add little pieces of the paper to fill gaps--but that's why you do it on the back side! No one will ever know ;-) A tip: If you're having trouble with the ends, just wrap them like a present :)

Step Eleven: Once your initial is totally covered in paper, go ahead and place a layer of Mod Podge all over it, as shown:

Step Twelve: Now let that baby set until it's dry to the touch--then go ahead and add another layer if you want. Up to you girl!

Step Thirteen: Place your ribbon or twine (if you're using as an ornament or wreath-whatnot) around the initial to hang and.....ROCK IT GIRL! MMMMM HMMMMM.

Keep going......Keep rockin!

That's it! Ok, so it's not the easiest project in the world--not by a LONG SHOT--but it's a project that allows you to eff up and keep moving on. And those my friends, are my favorite :)

Big (Dang Picture Tutorial!) Smile,

PS--in case you were wondering why I did an "F" as opposed to a "C" (you totally were, weren't you?!?!) it's because I did this for work. The "F" is a tribute to the founder of our company who passed on Black Friday, at 91. Kinda fitting since we're a retailer. He will be missed.

Feliz Navidad!

2011-12-15T19:55:00.002-05:00

Oh hey pretties! I really wanted to get another blog post in before we left for Cozumel to celebrate our 4 year wedding anniversary, HOWEVER, seems how we leave tomorrow, that's not happening. But then again, you never know....I might be able to whip something up at the airport!

If I can't get to it though I just wanted to say have a very merry Christmas :-)

And thanks for reading! And commenting! And being awesome!

So, that being said.....Be Merry! Be Bright!

Big ( A very merry CHENmas) Smile,
B.Chen

How to: Make a Fabric Scrap Holiday Tree

2011-12-01T16:00:00.004-05:00

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Hi Dolls!

I hope you're all having a fan-tabulous Thursday! :) So I thought I'd show you a little something I made last week, which btdub, I was sure J Chen would hate but made anyway. Cause I'm sweet like that! ;-)

Now, I would agree that this isn't my "usual style". It's a little more shabby chic/country than my typical contemporary creations. BUT, I do what I want. So there you go.

Oh, did I mention this is the easiest creation ever? :-)

So I bought these floral tower thingies back in October for my craft shows (to hang my hairbands on). Well, as the season progressed, I found better ways to display them and no longer had a need for these dudes but I couldn't just have them sitting around....J Chen gets a little fussy about that.... ;-)

Chenyways, less talk. More tutorial Action.

So, ingredient list then?
Weird Iron Floral Towers--I got mine at Hobbit Lobbit over by all the millions of artificial flowers.
Christmas Lights
Scrap Fabric, cut or ripped to approx. 7"x2" inch strips

Step One: Wrap your lights around the tower.
Step Two: Tie your scraps on the tower.

Step Three: Plug that sucker in and ROCK IT GIRL!

We keep one the kitchen counter....

and one on the cool desk that we use
purely for decor :)

Oh, and guess what? J Chen actually liked them! Well, when they're lit anyway. :)

Big (wasn't that soooo easy?!?) Smile,

Onesie Sale on Etsy!

2011-11-29T14:35:00.001-05:00

Oh hey pretty! Just in case you happen by my blog, I wanted to tell you about this kickass (no really!) promo I'm having on my Onesies. 50% off ALL onesies. Yep, that's right. Fiddy. You're welcome ;-)

Here's the catch....it's only until 10pm Eastern time TONIGHT. Like, 8 hours left only. So, what should you do?

Go HERE
Add Onesies to Cart
Use Coupon Code: OHBABY50
Get 50% Off.
Thank Me.
Jump of joy when they arrive. :-)

Now go, go!

Here's a sneaky-peak!

Big (50% OFF!) Smile,

A Very Merry Holiday Sunburst Mirror

2011-11-22T11:43:00.007-05:00

Hey girl Hey!!!

Well look at me! Posting 2 days in a row?!? Nuh Ugh!

It's true. I mean, I guess when your last craft show was less than stellar it leaves you with lots of time and inventory on hand.

On my way home last night I stopped by the Dollar Tree to pick up more Sundae Cups for Pincushions. As Dollar Tree visits always go, I ended up walking out of there with only 2 sundae cups (all they had left...WTF?) and 25 other items.... ;-)

We're hosting Thanksgiving again this year and I really wanted the house to be quasi-decorated for Christmas already. I spotted some super cool ornament picks that I knew instantly would make an awesome Holiday Sunburst Mirror. I mean, shocker, right, that I would make a holiday themed sunburst mirror? Halloween, anyone? Not to mention just my love of them. Ginormous mirror, anyone?

Sunbusrt mirrors make a HUGE impact for minimal dolla-dolla-bills-ya'll.

Make one with me! Here's your ingredient list:

Glitter Picks from the Dollar Tree

5 inch mirror--found at Hobbit Lobbit

2 Packs of Large Ornament Picks--Dollar Tree

3 Pack of Medium Ornament Picks--Dollar Tree

1 Pack of Small Ornament Picks--Dollar Tree

Hot Glue (LOTS OF IT) and Glue Gun

Wire for Hanging.

I really don't believe that there is a right or wrong way to do this. What I do is start spacing out the largest picks evenly around the mirror.

Then I just fill in as I go with different sized picks.

I indented the smallest picks.

Do that until you're satisfied. It's your Holiday Sunburst Mirror Girl, Rock it how you want it!

A clear sign you're doing an awesome job?
When it looks this good from the back! :)

I added a little piece of wire to hang with to the back. Then....Well, I rocked it girl!!!

Hung above my mantle.

AND, on my way home, I'm stoping for more to make 2 more little ones to go with it! I'll update that later!

Whoop! There she is! :)
My stepmom said something about the mantle looking
like it has a smiley face....now I can't stop seeing it!

Rock your holidays!

Big (Sunbursting) Smile,

Ice Cream Sundae Pincushions!

2011-11-21T09:55:00.001-05:00

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Oh Hey Pretty Gals!

So, you know how I was all worried that I was a total one-trick pony not very long ago, regarding wreaths? Well, look at me now, getting my pincushions on! Last week I showed you how to make some awesome Cupcake Pincushions that will totally rock your friends/relatives world, and this week I'm going to show you a new twist on more yummy pincushions.

So what happened was I ran out of ramekins and I couldn't find any at the dollar store. Cause listen, you gotsta keep your costs down, yo! But what they did have were glass sundae dishes and regular white ice cream dishes. Well, since I'm super in love with things that look like food, I was all over this idea!

For the ice cream dishes, I made these the same exact way I did the Cupcakes. The only difference was that I added whipped cream and a cherry. For the whipped cream, I used fuzzy baby yarn and wrapped it around my 3 fingers about ten times, making a mound. Then I just glued that on the top of the ice cream and added a little red pom for a cherry.

aren't they super adorable!!!

For the ones that I like to call "Soda Shoppe Sundae", I made these a little differently. Because the glass is clear, you have to be careful about what you're using to fill it. I used a pink fuzzy baby yarn to fill the bottom; I used the same yarn to wrap a styro ball for the ice cream. Then I used the same whipped cream method as described above and added a cherry. I put the pins in the whipped cream for sprinkles. Totally adorable. Totally nostalgic. :)

mmmm, scrumptious!

So, what do you think? Clearly I think they're fab ;-)

Big (Saturday, Monday, we all scream for SUNDAE!) Smile,

Photo Card

2011-11-14T09:30:00.003-05:00

Even with all the craziness of craftshow season I still managed to order my holiday cards! :)

PS, this was not sponsored. I'm not that cool. ;-)

Polka Dot Wishes Holiday

Click here to browse Shutterfly's holiday card collection.

View the entire collection of cards.

Big (Happy Holidays!) Smile,

How To: Make a Cupcake Pincushion!

2011-11-09T18:41:00.001-05:00

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Ok, whoa. Am I ever feeling guilty! Like, seriously. I feel like such a jerk for neglecting my blog. :-( Eh.

BUT, I'm totally gonna make it up to you with this kickass/easyass tutorial of greatness! No, but for real, people are going to think you're so effing clever. Mmmm Hmmmm. Wanna play?

OK THEN! Did I mention this was NO-SEW!?!??! Cause it is.

Ingredient list for a cupcake pincushion:

ramekin bowl (cause who the hell knows what else to use them for anyway???)
solid fabric
sheet of felt
quilt stuffing
rubberband
hot glue
pretty pins

Ok, cause I'm super stretched for time, I'm gonna reference this tutorial for the basics--like, the stuffing the fabric part. They do a great job! :)

So, now that you have the stuffing thing out of the way, all you have to do is hot glue the sucker into the ramekin. Do a good job with this--no glue sticking out the top! Cupcakes are pretty, ok? OK.

NEXT, cut a felt circle and then freehand a "frosting" cloud thingy. Basically a circle with scalloped edges.

Hot Glue that on the top of the fabric--not too much glue, this is a pin cushion after all and people will want to be able to push the pins in!

Lastly, add your pretty pins to the top to look like sprinkles. VOILA! And you're welcome. Now, tell me who wouldn't want this cutie for a gift? You need to get some new friends if they don't just LOVE this!

I love creating awesome things that I know people will adore ;-)

And that's that! I'd stay for more but I have to make more cupcake pincushions for this weekend.

This is how I display them at shows, on a dessert tier:

see the teacups, too? They don't sell nearly as well as the cupcakes.
I can't blame the people.

Big (CUPCAKES!) Smile,

Bacon, Bacon, Bacon! Handmade Bacon Costume!

2011-10-27T14:13:00.002-04:00

They love their Daddy!

If you've been reading this blog even a little, you likely know about our puppies, Bacon and Cheesecake. You know, these guys on the right.

So, this year I had planned on J and I being American Gladiators for Halloween as a group costume with our friends, George and Blaise. See, cause last year we went with a group costume of Dazed and Confused and it was AWESOME. J Chen looked just like Slater!

George as Wooderson, Blaise and I as "Senior Girls"
and J as Slater. Check ya later!

However, this year, J decided that he didn't want a group costume, and that since we were throwing a Halloween Party, that we could be the literal versions of Bacon and Cheesecake! Oh Geez.....Here we go! Cause we all know what that really means....This girl right here would have to make them....

Here's how I made the Bacon costume:

Isn't he just the world's cutest Asian!

First, start with your ingredient list that J Chen is so sweetly and totally willingly posing for.

3 Yards of Maroon Felt--about 1 1/2 yards too many, but I messed up right away so I was glad I couldn't do the math.
2 spools of ric-a-rac ribbon
Hot glue gun
Sewing Machine
Dinner Plate
Scissors
Pins
~~6 corona lights.~~

Place the felt over the body. Just kidding, I totally did this to mess with him! This step was NOT needed. Love you Chener!

Casper?

Really what you need to do first is to fold your felt length wise--cut the width to your specifications....So, this is like a 1 yard and a 1/2.

Sweet baby Bacon helping out!

Next, cut out a neck hole. This wreath frame was WAY TO BIG, and well, is how I effed it up in the first place. I would recommend using a dinner plate to measure the hole.

I guess I thought he was as big as shrek or something...

Your next step is to get to fittin! I slipped the felt over J and then pinned away, making sleeves and such.

J says "this shit is going to be all over the internet, isn't it?!?" Um, Duh.

Next I freehanded a bacon "sizzle" and then cut it out. Then fold down the center and make an identical cut.

Fry like Bacon you Freshman Piggies!
Seriously, if you don't know Dazed and Confused, your life is missing something ah-mazing.

Now pin along the sizzle and sew it up! When I turned mine right-side out I noticed the shape wasn't great....So I just ironed it and it held perfect!

Finally, add your rid-a-rac ribbon any which way you please! I put mine on the arms and just down the front, leaving the back plan. Deal. :)

It's BACON!

Now I just need to get J back in it for a follow up photo. Stay tuned my darlings... :)

The Chen Family! J as Bacon, Me as a slice of Cheesecake,
Bacon as an Egg and Cheesecake as a hotdog :)

Bacon and Cheesecake in front of the Halloween Mantel :)

Big (BACON!) Smile,

Halloween Decor--on the cheap GURL!

2011-10-20T11:02:00.007-04:00

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Happy ~~thirsty~~ Thursday Girls!!!! Wow, can I just say THANK YOU for all the support on my last ~~World's Biggest Whiner~~ post? For those of you who didn't read all about my timing whoas on Halloween Decor, I was basically complaining that I don't have enough time in the day to hand-make all the things I'd like to, and OMG, am I really about to BUY Halloween bunting?!? Well, here's the update: I DID buy it. But I also made my own. I totally caved. In fact, I caved so much that I pretty much did hand-make and upcycle everything. What is my deal? I don't know, it really didn't take me as much time as I thought it would, seems how almost everything I used I already owned, or had on hand. Except for being one felt sheet short for my bunting.

So....wanna see my crazy go halloween stuff??? OK!
The Mantel.....Isn't she a beauty? This is my first ever holiday driven mantel, you know, cause J Chen gets a little territorial on such things.....

The Bunting: Made using the Sily as a pennant stencil and cutting out of orange felt. The letters were also cut from the Sily and hot glued to the pennants. I used Jute and then some other weird jute-like rope I had (when the jute ran out).

From left to right....
The Boo Mirror Tray: I picked up the tray from my favorite thrift store on half-off day over the summer for about $2.50. I added the orange "BOO" using vinyl and my Sily.

Left side of the Mantel

The Black Skull: Picked up from $ Tree and spray painted a glossy black.
The Wreath: I used a large wire frame and wrapped it in burlap. Next I cut out the bats using my Sily and black poster board from the $ Tree. Then I just hot glued them on.
The Gold Owl: LOVE HER! I picked them (there's another!) up a couple weeks ago from a vintage shop for $2 a piece. Engraved in the clay on the back is "1975" and a name. VINTAGE YO! I spray painted them gold.
Gold Candle Sticks and Mini Pumpkins: I picked up the candle sticks at the $ Tree over the summer. I spray painted them gold and then hot glued one on top of the other. The mini pumpkins are REAL! I painted on white glue to the tops and added gold glitter. You can't really see them that well though....

The right side of the Mantel

From Right to Left:
Gold Pumpkins and Risers: The pumpkins are also from the $ Tree, spray painted the same gold as all the other items. The risers were used at our wedding in December 2007 for our candy buffet. We start trends, ok? Ok. :)
The Mirror with the Crow: The mirror was a Christmas present from my Mom in 2006 or 2007. I added the crow using orange vinyl and my Sily, silly! J Chen said it looked like Edger Allan Poe. It's not a RAVEN, ok?

I'm planning on making a tablescape for the actual party, but I won't be able to get final pictures of that until that day. Cause we're using our kitchen table, and again, J Chen gets all territorial over common areas.....BUT, I am able to show you this custom sunburst mirror I made just for the spot!

Try it yourself with my sunburst mirror tutorial!

I used a plastic skull platter from the $ Tree and spray painted it black--as well as all the wooden dowels I had laying around (broke in half). I had the mirror from a previous trip to the Hobbit Lobbit. The little gold things on the dowels are spider and bat rings from the $ Tree, spray painted the same gold as every. thing. else.

I can't wait to show you the rest of the tablescape then it comes together! Sure, it will likely be past Halloween Party Time, but you know, there's always next year :)

PS, I'll be using the store-bought bunting on the tablescape ;-)

Big (why sleep when you can create?) Smile,

What is your time worth to you?

2011-10-18T14:39:00.000-04:00

So, I know that I'm not the only one who struggles with there not being enough time in the day to get everything you need to get done. And I don't even have kids! What I do have is a full time job, a part-time b.cheniful job, this blog, an FB page, a husband, Bacon and Cheesecake, and well, a life. And right now I also have a bunch of craft shows--I know, you're SICK to death of hearing about it, I get it. But, I do. I'm (we're) also throwing a Halloween/Birthday party on the 29th of this month. You know, like less than 2 weeks out. I started "decorating" last night. A pretty piss-poor attempt, at that.

This is where the question comes in....and what I'm currently agonizing over. Ok, so maybe not agonizing, but conflicted. Very conflicted. I'm crafty as shit, right? Right. And I see all these awesome ideas on Pinterest and I want to do/make them all. BUT, dude, that takes time. More time than I have. Cause I have to sleep. Cause sleeping keeps you skinny, you know? Chenyways, back to the point.....It's like, ok, do I buy halloween bunting for $4 rather than spending the time making it? Sure, it's not perfect, but it's not so horrible either. And it's DONE. All I have to do is hang the damn thing. But then I feel like I'm wasting my talents. I could totally make something better, but that would take me at least an hour from start to finish, and that's if I have all the supplies on hand...I don't know...I guess I'm worth the $4, but am I just selling my soul to calm my stresses?

Big (damn I'm a whiner) Smile,

Onesie MANIA

2011-10-13T17:53:00.002-04:00

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No, for real. It's MADNESS in the lower level of the Chen house. Onesies everywhere. J Chen LOVES craft show season! :)

So yeah, took a break from all that wreath creating and moved on to baby onesies. I started doing them this summer for Leah's little guy. That was before my Sily had arrived so I did them all the freezer paper way. But now I'm rockin the iron on transfer vinyl, and well, the world is mine. And I'm free to make as many whitty/off-color/darling ensembles as I choose. :) Mommies beware.

So, it's clear for the most part that girly onesies really corner the market. I mean, it's all about the cupcake, (which I freaking LOVE, don't get me wrong girl!) the tutus, the cupcake tutus, you get the point. So I wanted to make sure that I had some boy choices, too. Seems how I specialize in wreaths and hairbands, I'm not exactly dude-friendly. Little or otherwise. So I took to my Facebook page and asked Moms of little boys what they want to see. I got some suggestions of "rocker baby" gear as well as a request for more "Michigangster" goodness. Being the pleaser I am, I took to it right away! So, without further ~~incoherent ramblings~~ ado, here they are!

Let's hear it for the boys!

This reminds me soooo much of my Dad, Rexer! There's this picture of him from the
late 70s where he has this long silky brown hair and this Mr. Pringles mustache. Needless
to say, this little guy means a lot to me :)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. amiright?

Baby, you are THE rock star!

Hello Mister Mans....

Look familiar? Michigangster in Red.

This is the classy version ;-)

Alright, now let's give it up for the little LADIES!

All the flowers are detachable--you know, in case Mom wants to wear it! Or, and because babies make gross messes and you're gonna have to wash this, like, 8 times a day!

Single strand with a delicate flower pin

I really feel like this one is a timeless beauty. Color Combo? Stupid awesome.
ROCK IT GIRL!

This one I actually did with freezer paper. The metallic gold is really awesome
in real life....however this photo, it's kinda eh.

Just cause she's a girl doesn't mean she can't be a little
Gangsta too! Hot pink for the little ladies :)

About the off-color comment? I'm sure they'll be hitting a blog post near you soon. :)

Stay awesome my Friends!!!!

Big (Rock that Onesie Babe!) Smile,

One Trick Pony?

2011-10-05T11:28:00.002-04:00

Am I? A one trick pony? That doesn't sound like me....does it?

I mean, I'm NOT, but right now I feel like one. Because I'm focusing on Craft Show inventory right now, especially wreaths--cause they take for-freaking-ever--I feel like I'm totally neglecting my blog. AND, only showing wreaths on my Facebook Page. (Are you a fan yet? You totally should be! :) ) Oh, and because I clearly have some form of ADD, I can't concentrate on any one thing for too long. So my inventory? Sketchy. Even though I've been staying up to all hours of the night....seriously, last Friday night? Up to 4:45AM! AM people!

Eventually I'll show the other cool shit I have going on, like:
iPad cases
infinity scarves
pin cushions
little gal aprons
frames
onesies
holiday cards
coffee cup cozies
bird nest necklaces
etc.......

see? Totally ADD. Oh, and they're all in prototype phase. Ha.

The truth of the matter is, the only thing I have to show you right now are (some) of my wreaths. So you wanna see? Totally not exciting, I know....sorry! BUT, I'm still love them (and it's my blog ;-) ), so, there.

Ah, Christmas. Right around the damn corner. Check out the little weave action on this bad boy!
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I used a baby yarn on this--you could literally curl up with this wreath for a winter nappy-nap.

Here are two custom orders from my girl Kacy. I LOVE when I get TOTAL creative license :-) THANKS GIRL!

Not your Gramma's Christmas Wreath! This, my friends, is a damn Winter Wonderland Wreath. Sure to get you to Valentine's ;-) (hint, hint Kacy.)
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A less crackhead version of THIS GIRL HERE.

Dontcha just LOVE glitter?

Once Kacy saw this wreath in real-life--sold to the fabulous MSU-Loving-I-Bleed-GREEN Kristin--she needed a fall wreath, too! Keep up the competition girls! Pin It

Girl, you know I love me some burlap!

that's a little embroidery hoop and a ruffled burlap flower.

And now, back to work!

Big (oh my GOD, I hope I sell something!) Smile,

All that Glitters, Indeed.

2011-09-28T06:21:00.003-04:00

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Oh Hey! Wanna see what happens when I wake up at 3:30am and can't get back to sleep? This, amongst other things:

Oh yeah, that's a string of sequins wrapped around the wreath. And yes, that's glitter on those felt flowers. Put there myself around 5am using spray adhesive, dollar tree glitter and a good lean over the toilet. Won't J Chen be surprised! My hands are covered (read glued) in glitter as well. Should bode well for my professional career at Corporate America, USA.

I didn't intend on this wreath going all Ke$ha, (OMG, LOVE HER!) it just happened. I can't explain it. But you know what? I kinda LOVE it. I might have to keep this for myself.... You see, I'm currently gearing up for a bunch of craft shows, and I'm not sure that this would sell? Like, it's CLEARLY fabulous, but likely only to crazies like myself. We R who we R. :-) (another Ke$ha ref, just in case you weren't up on her crazy!)

a little glitter shot for you--you're welcome.

Ah yes, a face only a mother could love.

Oh yeah, and if you don't hate this bad B, leave me a comment, ok? :-)

Have the best day ever!

Big (throw some GLITTER make it rain) Smile,

Custom Cushions--my first real sewing project.

2011-09-23T11:31:00.001-04:00

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Warning--this is NOT a tutorial. Please, I barely got through this myself! It's very doubtful I could teach it....

So here's the thing about me--I'm not great at saying no. Especially to friends. Especially to friends that help me out all the time. So when Amanda asked me if I could make some cushions for the salon's two pedicure chairs, I immediately said yes, sure, of course. Of course I can make custom cushions that require a real sewing machine, the basic knowhow to operate said real sewing machine, multiple trips to the fabric store, self confidence, and well, hours of my time doing something I know nothing about. WAAHHHH!!!!

But whatevs, Imma survivor, I'm not gon give up!

So, I went to the fabric store and searched for the prefect fabric to match her super awesome pedicure bowls:

Amanda picked my favorite fabric of the 4 (we're so in sync!), the bottom left one.

Now, here is where I MUST give the sweet lady at Field's Fabric a little shout out: Sweet Lady, thank you for saving my ASS! I took in the foam cushions and told her about my project. She straight up took out a piece of paper and made cuts to show me how to work the corners. Seriously, without her, I would have wrapped these Bs like a present! I used that 3 inch diagram like my life was dependent on it the entire time.

Bacon loved the fabric too! He's such a helper :)

GO MICHIGAN STATE!

The cushions needed to be 28x18 and 4 inches high. The closest I could come was 22x22 at 4 inches high. So meant cutting and pasting these guys:

picked up at hobbit lobbit

Next I just cut, placed and measured the best I could. Again--NOT a tutorial!

Man, I love this fabric!

Well, my easy bake oven sewing machine broke in the middle of ~~my nervous breakdown~~ the project so I borrowed my friend Lila's. All I can say is WOW, it's all about the machine! Once I had a "good" machine, I literally flew through the last cushion (then went back and fixed the first one). It just goes to show you that an extra $20 on a machine goes a LONG WAY. I bought my own big girl Brother machine the other day and it's been such a great experience!

Without further ~~ramblings~~ ado, here are the new cushions!

the other one looks exactly the same--that's why you're only getting this one photo.

I guess that the other moral of the story would be that I'm glad that I took on the project--it always good to push yourself! I'm no longer afraid to try sewing now--cause technically, I already did! :)

Big (OMG, I did it!) Smile,

How to add the "Pin It" button to your blog!

2011-09-16T14:05:00.004-04:00

It's clear that pretty much the entire world is now obsessed with Pinterest. And why shouldn't they be? I mean, I'm all about digital collages, and no longer having to rip pages out of a magazine/hole punch/throw in binder/lose binder, rinse and repeat. Ya know?

Wanna know what I love ~~even more~~ just as much as pinning? Having my items pinned. It's the best ~~ego boost~~ feeling seeing your own stuff, ya know, just hanging out on Pinterest. Ooooohhhh, and another awesome thing? Having them REPINNED! So yeah, you could say I'm a Pinterest fan.

So, you wanna know how to get the "Pin It" button the top of your post? Hell yeah you do! Let's go girl!

1. Go here and see this:

Goodies indeed!

2. Scroll down till you see this:

Pin It button for Websites--LIKE YOURS!!!!

3. Follow the directions girl! Add your post URL, Your Photo URL (click on your photo to open for the URL), Add a description (you know, to make it easier for your fans!). Next, copy the code that you just created using all your info.

See, easy, right?

4. Now, get it on your post! Go to "edit posts":

See, edit posts :)

5. Select "edit" on the post you want. Then go to "edit html" and paste the code at the top of your post:

Right there, the highlighted guy!

6. Now hit "publish" and oh baby oh, there it be!

Whoop, there it is!!!!

Girl you're done! Way to rock that Pin it button! Mmmmmmhhhhmmmmm.

Now be a doll and pin this post ;-)

Big (Pin This) Smile,

Birth Announcement Subway Art, using Picnik.

2011-09-16T12:54:00.001-04:00

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Oh hey, howsabout I show you something on here today? Ya know, cause it's been a WEEK since I've hung out with you! I'm keeping with the excuse of prepping inventory for all these upcoming craft shows (that I can't stop signing up for) in October/November/December, AKA approaching-cold-as-hell months.

That's me with sweet little Gabe.
~~The vagina wrecker.~~

Chenyways, remember all those posts (and posts, and posts) I did about the baby shower for Leah? Sure you do! Well, I'm thrilled to announce that Baby Boy Gabe arrived on August 27th! Clealry I ran right out to the store (at 10pm when Leah called) to buy little boy onsies and whatnot to B.Chenify, clearly AFTER asking how her vagina was feeling. Listen, I've never had a baby, I worry about these things! The answer wasn't great and I'm seriously thinking about waiting another 10 years to feel the same pain.

So I used my Sily to cut out fabric and heat transfers to make little Gabe onenies with 1. A tie 2. A bow tie 3. A Michigan State Block S 4. A car. Now, this is where I would normally show you a photo of the goods. Well I would, except I forgot to take the damn photo. WHATEVER! Ugh.

What I did remember to take a photo of was the Subway Art that I made using Picnik.com, featuring all the birth info. So, I'll show you how to do that instead!

Now, you could make Subway Art in Photoshop or Publisher (if you have access), hell you could really even do it in Word, but I wouldn't.....You could certainly make it in the Sily but there you couldn't have it in a jpeg to have printed as a photo.

OMG, I'm annoying myself with that last paragraph. On to the "tutorial", if you can call it that...

1. Go to Picnik.com

2. Make an account.

3. Upload a blank jpeg. I made mine in Microsoft Publisher ~~cause I can't figure out photoshop to save my damn life~~, and then just selected sizes I wanted: 5x7, 8x10, 11x14, and saved them all individually as jpegs. You might be able to just pull from mine here:

Ok--I know you can't see it, but this is my blank 11x14 jpeg file. Just right click to save and you'll be all set!

4. Open the photo size jpeg you want--I used the 11x14 for my Subway Art. I usually add a little drop shadow frame so I know what I'm working with. You know, cause it's white and you can't see where it starts or stops?

See the little drop shadow I added? Super helpful.

5. Just start playing around. You need to give yourself time to figure how to work this program. One you get the swing of things, you'll love it!

Rotate text, change up fonts and colors.

6. Just keep messing until you find what you like. Here's my Final JPEG:

Not bad for my first try. This child is my straight up Guinea pig :)

I sent this through Shutter Fly and had an 11x14 printed for $7.99, then framed it:

I took this in our living room, but Gabe's room is close
to the same color so I think it's gonna look awesome yo!

I'm thinking of framing one of these for myself and taking them to my craft shows for custom orders. Fun, right?

Thanks for being awesome and stopping by!

Big (Baby Gabe is here!) Smile,

6 New Fall Wreaths!

2011-09-09T13:09:00.001-04:00

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Girls, it's FRIDAY!!!! OMG, yay. YAY! And it's perfect fall weather too boot :)

So yeah, let's talk about it. Let's talk about some pretty fall wreaths I whipped up to take to Amanda McGrail Salon :) I told you the other day about how she's giving me a space there ( FOR FREE!!!) and we decided to incorporate wreaths and some sunburst mirrors :)

So I made some wreaths--6 to be exact--and guess what? Didn't use ANY yarn. Nope, not even a little. No yarn wreaths here. Ok, I'm sure they'll be back......You know how much I love my yarn wreaths :)

What's you opinion on burlap? Cause I flipping love it! Like, hard. Real hard. (that's what she said!) Chenyways, I had some scraps from a thrift store find and used all the red in the bag to make this one:

Welcome, Fall!

Then I ran out to the hobbit hobbit and picked up a couple yards of tan burlap and worked on these guys:

look at this cutie! It's like a little 6inch donut that I want to gobble up!
What up FAT KID!?!

Added a little romantic flower to tone down the harsh burlap.

This baby got a lot of felt flower love!

Did I mention that I love fall colors?!?

Now this one. LOVE it. It's simple. Yet kinda rustic with a splash chic.

yeah....she's a pretty girl!

I did make a couple others as well. This one I went with the traditional grapevine--not my usual style--but I like it!!! Probably the closet to country you'll ever see this girl create ;-)

I don't know, it's a cute country wreath. Please don't count
all the rosettes--I don't even want to know!

Now this last one I ended up keeping for myself. Mostly cause I didn't know if anyone else would see the charm in it, or if they would think it was ~~ugly~~ unusual. Let's be clear, I DO NOT create ugly. I'm just saying...and maybe I'm over thinking it? I think it looks great!

See, it's not ugly! I used a damask fabric in orange and brown to wrap the wreath.

Then I added these 2 cuties--what's not to love?!?!

Alright, that's it for now my friends. Hope I inspired you a little--if not, well, hey thanks for sticking around to read this last paragraph! :)

Big (It's FALL!) Smile,

Busy makin things happen.

2011-09-06T20:49:00.003-04:00

Duh-ANG Girl, talk about blog neglect! I'll tell you what, I've been crazy kid busy the past 2 weeks. Not cause I'm getting my kid ready to go back to school--we're a good 5 years out from that--just crafty busy. My friend Amanda who owns her own salon has been sweet enough to let me have a B.Cheniful space and sell my goods--soooo sweet of her! Well good news for me, my first line I brought in sold really well and I've been working feverishly on a new fall line to replenish her. Did I mention how awesome she is for letting me do this? I mean, it's like an everyday craft show for me! Too cool for school. Fo Sho.

Here are some of the items from the fall line. See the tutorial here to make your own!

This might be my favorite headband of the fall line!

Grey and yellow never get old!

I think the buttons really give these all just the right touch.

Doesn't this remind you of a fun fall carnival?

So, yeah there's that. I've also signed up for 4 craft shows this fall, so between Amanda's salon and trying to keep up stock for my upcoming shows, I've been one busy gal!

Please don't give up on me, I'm still here! I'm hoping to show you some more things before the week's up!

Big (Fall Line) Smile,

Owl Themed Baby Shower. Putting it all together!

2011-08-23T23:11:00.006-04:00

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Well hey, girl, hey! Heeyyyyyy!

So. I'm hoping you've seen the bunches of post I've done leading up to this one, showing you parts and pieces of this shower. No worries if you haven't, we'll go over them again. Luckies!

So let's talk Owl Themed Baby Showers. They're hip. The big thing these days. We picked this for Leah because it's a gender neutral theme and she and I had picked out some fabric for the nursery with owls. So, there you have it, a theme was born.

The first thing I was all over was the tabelscape to be used for desserts. No really, like I was emailing the Moms the very first day telling them all about my ideas. I'm assuming it got pretty annoying, but I'm a passionate gal, ok? Ok.

I started by gathering plates to make dessert tiers.

I found these on a business trip to Wegman's in upstate NY.

Just stack and super glue. DONE.

Then I made some yarn balls and apple sticks for vases. The yarn balls are only little sytro balls wrapped in yarn and then stuck on a skewer stick. Easy but seriously cute! This is how I made the apples--pretty much the same thing!

Dollar Tree Apples. Skewer Sticks. Stick and place!

Pretty!

And then of course I had to mock it up:

I used skinny bamboo sticks for the background--from the $ Tree as well!

Ah yes, and now for real life. Here it is!

Check out how well the bakery did at matching the cake to the invite! AMAZING.

Seriously, dead on.

Leah's MIL Jean made the invites (she's a cricut nut) and owl picks.

Note to self--straight on shots in this dress? BAD IDEA!

Here another look at the Mini Diaper Cakes Centerpieces too!

how cute is that little stamp! That's all Jean, Leah's MIL!

Finally, a few repeats from my other posts:

Couture travel wipes clutch. Tutorial here.

Custom onesies using the Sily and Freezer Paper. Tutorial here.

Baby Shower Door Prizes. Lots of tutorials here.

Sweet little infant hats using a knitting loom. Tutorial here.

The handmade baby banner! Tutorial here.

And the sweet Mama herself, Leah!

Can't wait till baby Wiggles arrives! I hope you enjoyed your shower :-)

Big (Owl Themed) Smile,

So damn happy! So thank you. :)

2011-08-23T21:37:00.000-04:00

Hi Darlings!

I tell you what, it's been a good day for B.Cheniful! I reached over 250 Facebook followers as well as 2 Tip Junkie features in a row (here and here)! I'm just so damn happy! You know that quote:
"I just want to make pretty things, even if nobody cares." But you know what? It's so awesome when they do!

Thank you all for caring! :-)

Big (they really like me!) Smile,

How to add a signature to your blog.

2011-08-22T11:16:00.000-04:00

Oh Heyyyyy!

So, if you're anything like me you likely have some form of "blog envy". You know, all those fancy blogs with fancy buttons and fancy dropdown menus and FANCY signatures? Like, wait, I want one too! I mean, maybe you want all of it, (um, me too) but I only have the signature to show today.

Oh, and btdub, I'm not really going to show you how, but this site will!

I followed the step-by-stop directions, and see? I have a signature now, too!

Big (fancy signature) Smile,

Handmade Baby Shower Banner

2011-08-19T19:19:00.008-04:00

Oh hey. Wanna see something so cute that I could about die?!? You do? Perfect!

It's a B.Cheniful Original and everything! (ok, when I say original, I only mean original to me, CLEARLY someone out there has done this. But mine's cuter, okay!?!)

So this goes along with the Owl Theme Baby Shower (click here, here, and here for more awesomeness).

I made (handmade, btdub) this "Welcome Baby Rau" banner for the shower. Rau is their last name, not the baby's first name. We don't know the name, cause it's a surprise! Yo, I'm such a brat! Sorry Leah!!!! It's only because I want to be making gender specific things right. this. minute.

Chenyways, howsabouts I just show you this bad dad, huh? Ok then.

So I used my Sily (silhouette machine) to make stencils that I traced onto the fabric. I traced it on the back of the fabric so I wouldn't have to worry about any pen marks. Unfortunately, someone forgot to reverse the fonts and had to start all over. On the face of the fabric. Ah yes, my impatience bites me in the ass once again!

Then I cut all the letters out--FINALLY.

Next I hand-stitched the letter on to felt, stuffing them with that stuffing stuff. you know what I'm talking about right? batting? Man, I have got to brush up on my craft terms--how will anyone take me seriously?!?! :-)

So yeah, batting. Stuffed it. And I did that with every. letter.

I added buttons to the a's/b's/o's etc. Finally I laid out the words as I wanted and then glued a ribbon behind. Nothing fancy. A little hot glue, a few corona lights, it was all good.

Here's the final!

See, look at that! Okay, so maybe I'm a little too excited about muppet letters and whatnot, but man, I put some LOVE into that banner. You'd think I was birthing this child!

I'm not.

Big (Tah Freaking Dah!) Smile,

B.Chen

Baby Shower Prizes

2011-08-13T22:19:00.006-04:00

Leah's MIL and I decided that baby shower games are silly. No offense to those to love them, they just aren't for us. So we decided that they weren't for Leah, either. ;-) BUT, to make up for the games, we still gave away prizes--just for being awesome. :-) Or because Leah pulled your thank you card envelop from a basket. Whatev--you won, didn't you!?!

Here are some things I whipped up for our lucky guests!

felt flower clippy thing. It reminds me of fall....

another felt flower of sorts.

1 earthified wreath (matches the theme, you see?)

Do you know how to make this felt flower? It's WAY easy! Check out the how-to over at Mrs. Priss!

6 sets of flower push pins

Straight up, I glued these hobby lobby flower things (seen here once upon a time) to push pins. Done.

4 sets of coasters and 2 sets of magnets

The magnets? Another easy guy--here's a tutorial from Creations by Kara. Now, I only used Mod Podge as my adhesive--cause I take the easy way, friends--she uses super glue and whatnot. Up to you!

Here's a pretty ugly tutorial for the coasters. I don't know what I was thinking when I took these photos--they're worse than usual!

see what I mean? Ew.

About the coasters. I bought some super ugly coasters a Michael's for like negative $1. Figuring they could be a perfect shower gift, I decided to B.Chenify them.

Scrapbook paper. Whatever you like. You could even use a note to your bestie you wrote in 8th grade--Use whatever you like! Then trace the coaster on the back side of said whatever paper. Cut out your shape.
I'm missing the step before this picture....Spread Mod Podge on the face of the coaster, then apply the paper over the mod podge--print side up. Finally, following the photo above, spread mod podge on the top of your coaster.
Walk away and let it dry.
My coasters were pretty tacky-feeling even after a few WEEKS of drying, so I took to Facebook and listened to the advice of the Mod Podge Goddess, Amy, of Mod Podge Rocks! Answer? Clear acrylic sealer! Done and Done.

B.Cheniful
anyone had problems with mod podge being sticky even after days of drying? I have this issue when I use it with paper.....

That trick totally helped! I after they dried--again--for a few days, I was able to stack them without all coaster sticking to each other!

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So there you have it--the gifts that keep on giving. Or something like that....

Big (Games are dumb but gifts are cool) Smile,

B.Chen

custom onesies--the freezer paper way.

2011-08-13T22:09:00.006-04:00

Oh hey guuuuurrrrrrrls. I'm sooo ghets! :)

Ready for MORE baby shower goodness? Perfect, cause that's what I've got for you. LOTS of it.

This time we're talking about custom onesies using the Sily and Freezer Paper. Have you ever done freezer paper stenciling? I'd been reading about it forevs, but because it requires tracing and cutting if you don't have your own Sily (Which I didn't...until last week!) I just couldn't get behind it. Chenyways, once the Sily arrived, I decided to give it a shot! I learned myself here. How much are you LOVING my vocab today? Not at all? Bums! :)

For the baby shower I wanted to make some cute and FUNNY onesies. I think I worked it out.

Here's how I made the first one--MichiGANGSTA!

Well first I made this snazzy design on the Sily.
Then I put down freezer paper on the sticky mat shiny side down and hit the cut button. Next you place it shiny side down on your onesie and iron. I used the cotton setting and it worked fine.
Now it's time to paint. Make sure you're using fabric paint, not acrylic or like finger paint or something.
Using a foam brush, blot your way to brilliance! If you're switching up colors--like I did above--make sure you have a skinny brush or even q-tip so you don't mix the colors.
Let it dry--I craft at night, so I just waited until morning to peel off the freezer paper.
Finally, you'll want to place a fabric over the stencil and iron again to set the design completely. And now the baby is ready to ROCK!

In case you're wondering the meaning behind any of these--I mean clearly you're dying to know--here it is.

Michigangsta--um, because it's effing hilarious. And we live in Michigan. And it's HILARIOUS!
Big Head Giraffe--it's whimsy and stupid cute. AND, again, cause we don't know the sex of the baby, this works well.
Hi. I'm Wiggles--that's what they call the baby. I think it's a good intro, right?
All my clothes are green and yellow because my parents "like surprises". Pretty obvious here I'm making fun of my best friend. I'm so sweet it hurts.

I think she liked them!

Success!

So I LOVE making these now so much--can't wait to make my own! Oh, and some for J Chen. He's my little t-shirt guy.

Big (funny onesie) Smile,

B.Chen

Mini Diaper Cakes and a Wipes Clutch.

2011-08-13T21:53:00.009-04:00

So Leah's baby shower has come and gone, so now it's finally time to share all fun stuff I made for her big day.

And PS, this was a gender neutral shower. With an Owl theme.

First up, Mini Diaper Cakes.

I really like diaper cakes. I've always found them to be pretty fascinating and the people who make them, well, brilliant. I, on the other hand, took the easy way out :) I kept trying to figure out what I wanted the centerpieces to be. I'm all about form meets function. I mean, flowers are super pretty, but they die. And then you throw them out. Or, if you're me, you leave them in the vase for 3 weeks and let mold form around the stems. Remember, this is a judge-free zone. :) Chenyways, I decided I should do diaper cakes. Mini Diaper Cakes--for 6 tables--this way Leah could actually use her centerpieces. For the baby's butt.

Right or wrong, this is how I did it.

Ingredient List:

A pack of diapers--I did newborn, about 50 or so...
Rubberbands. Skinny ones for the diapers. Fat ones to hold them together.
A center structure. I used these bamboo pencil cups from the $ Tree--but you could easily use a tin can. *also--you could just use like 3 or 4 more diapers instead of a structure. I had just already purchased these pencil cups for another idea I had that fell flat and I didn't want to waste them.
Jute. This is optional--you could use ribbon, or whatever you think of to hide the outer rubber band.
Paper fillers. Again, optional. This is used to cover the top of the cake--you could do some fabric rosettes!

1. The ingredient list at large. Well ok, it's missing the paper fillers. We could have real problems.

2. So take your diapers and roll them up tight--secure with skinny rubber bands. I needed like 7 or 8 for my mini cakes, but it will all depend on your center structure and how fat or skinny it is. You'll know the right amount when you can lift it up by the center and everything comes up with you.

3. Wrap your Jute--or whatever rubber band hider you've come up with--around the center of the cake as many times as necessary to achieve the look you want.

4. You know, like that picture.

And finally....this is where you add your embellishments if you will (and I think you will). I used the paper fillers to cover up the top of the center structure and then added this little felt owl to the front. Ya know, cause it was an owl theme shower! I used the jute on the wings to tie it all together.

And, what goes better with diapers than wipes?!?! I would think vodka, but that just shows how much I know.....

I made this pretty thang using a tutorial from Homemade by Jill. My wipes case was a little bigger than the template, so I just cut out the fabric a little bigger.

I ended up adding a snap to this--which it doesn't call for--cause I'm pretty sure that I melted the case's snap with my glue gun. Listen, it's not my fault that J Chen couldn't man up and finish his strawberry daiquiri--what was I supposed to do, not drink it?!?! PLEASE. So yeah, that was likely a ~~intoxicated~~ human error. :) But isn't pretty?!?!??!

I made it especially in that fabric to match the KATE SPADE bag I got her! Listen, there is no way my girl is gonna be running around MP with a freaking Winne the Pooh diaper bag, ok? Ok. And no, it's not a knock off, and yes, Leah I will be expecting one in return. ;-)

l think the two will be very happy with one another! The baby and Leah of course! Not the Kate/Clutch combo ;-)

Oh, and because I didn't know where else to put this, I wanted to show you these little hats I made her.

Clearly the rosette is detachable! No wishful thinking over here. NEVER.

I made these using a knitting loom. You know, for kids. J/K, lots of adult ~~wannabe~~ knitters use them. Wanna give it a whirl? Check out how sweet, fast and EASY these little hats are with this tutorial!

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Big (who needs a REAL diaper bag) Smile,
B.Chen

Hi.

2011-08-09T15:26:00.001-04:00

I just really wanted to stop by and say hi. HI!!!!!!! It's been a crazy seven days with J Chen's week long birthday celey, not to mention crazy FAT days. Oh, and working on a TON of inventory to sell at my Stylist's salon. Whew.

Ok. I'm hoping to get back on here tonight to show you something. What? No idea. We do what we want around here!

Here's something pretty though:

Hi, I'm a poppy necklace. More about me later.

Big (OMG I Miss You!) Smile,

B.Chen

New Project. New Look.

2011-08-02T23:29:00.002-04:00

Ok, what do you think about the new look? I'm just really loving the red/aqua color combo--if you couldn't tell from this post. So I B.Chenified my page. Done and Done.

So once upon a time, my husband gave me his birthday gift. Ok, not his gift. Not even a gift of his choice, actually. When I asked him what he wanted this year, he asked for dinner (downtown), the t-shirt I already bought him (I get him a funny t-shirt for every holiday) and for me to get a Silhouette. Well hot diggity Damn J Chen! You don't have to tell me twice :-) That baby was ordered straight away and finally showed up yesterday. Yeah Yeah!

I was pretty confused at first--and oh yeah, still am--but I managed to make a couple of fun new designs. Now, of course I can't show you those designs yet because they're super secret! All in good time....

Chenyways, after playing around for a long time I gave it a rest and started working on a few scrap fabric circle hairpins. So here I am, trying to make the circles even as well as different sizes. I decide to make a template for myself, so I do what I always do....trace the circles I've already made onto card stock, then exacto knife around them leaving a stencil template of sorts. After the first jagged circle was cut out, it hit me. DUDE. This is EXACTLY what a silhouette is for!!!! OmgOmg. I'm soooo smart. So that became my first project--stencil templates. They likely have a "real" name for this, but I do what I want. Thanks.

First I designed this, using the flower images in the silhouette's library:

Yay J Chen for figuring out the screen shot shortcut!

And then these guys, also from the library:

Once the sheets were cut, I took the stencils and traced them onto felt:

And looky looky what they made!!!!

So I cut them out of felt, stacked them up, hand-stiched through the middle, threw on a button and Voila! Super cute felt flowers! I especially like the grey one--that would look awesome on a yarn wreath, dontca think? Sure you do!

I know that maybe this isn't the best use of a Silhouette, but I'll tell you what, if it makes your life a little easier, then by all means!

Thank you for stopping by :-) Leave a comment if you have time--they make my day!

Big (Ooooh, I figured out the machine-thing) Smile,

B.Chen

4-Ingredient White Chocolate Butter Pecan Cookies, A B.Cheniful Original!

2011-08-01T11:39:00.004-04:00