StrawBearie.com

Ahoy mateys, This here Friday be Pirate Day at Marble Falls Middle School, yar.  Saturday be National Talk Like A Pirate Day. I hear way to many lads and lassies say they don't dress up seeing as they have no costume.  Pirate Captain Jett and Pirate Jett, well, we done teamed up to tell ye how to plunder ye own costume out of ye own home.  Don't be caught being a scallywag, wear yer gear with pride, mateys!  Arrrr!!!

I made this cool DIY glass cross for my new bathroom using supplies from the dollar store.

A few years ago, I saw an idea to re-do old folding chairs.  I thought about it for a long time, like a year or two.  Then, I finally bought fabric to re-cover the seats...that was at least a year and a half ago.  Anyway no time like right now.  This summer, I will finish this UFO (un-finished object)! First, find your old folding chairs.  Mine were given to me by my parents who got them from a church 30 years ago.  (I only found 3 pieces of gum stuck under them.) Scout the dog is helping me!  Remove the seat cushions.  Mine just popped out! Scout is a big help! Take sandpaper and lightly sand the chairs all over.  Then wash them off real good. Start spray painting.  Use multiple light coats. Place your seat cushions on top of your new fabric.   Cut the fabric so it's slightly bigger than the seat. Pull up the edges and staple all around. For the corners, I found it looked best ju...

One of my projects this summer was re-stocking my mix supply.  I've never been a "health nut" but I do like knowing what ingredients are in my food.  I also like saving money vs. pre-packaged food.  However, when I'm busy I still want something quick and convenient.  So, I make my own mixes for many different things.  It only takes about an hour and then I have healthy cheap mixes ready to go for months.  Here I have mixes for Muffins, Quick Mix (for biscuits, etc.), brownies, and pancake mix.  Once I get all the ingredients out for one, I might as well make up several. I put my mixes on zipper bags, label them, and then stick them in the freezer to keep the whole wheat fresh. I use a big blue plastic bowl that was given to me for popcorn.  It's the largest bowl I have.  Since all the ingredients are dry, I just use a whisk to mix them all together. (Except for the shortening in the Quick Mix - I use my clean hands.)  I keep m...

I made this peach heart t-shirt a couple of years ago.  I remember wearing it at school (I'm a teacher) for Valentine's Day and no one commented on it.  I asked a couple of my friends finally if they liked the shirt I made and they were floored.  They just assumed that I had bought the shirt that way.  They had no idea that I had made it myself. The funny thing is that I made it from an old shirt.  I was bored one day and wanting a project without having to leave the house to buy supplies.  I looked in my closet and found the plain peach t-shirt that I hardly ever wore and decided the do something to it.  I was so pleased with the results. I just made a navy blue shirt in time for Independence Day and I video taped the instructions so you can all watch. Go look in you closet.  Do you have a plain shirt?  I'm sure you have some contact paper and bleach somewhere in your house.  Don't procrastinate!   Make something today! ...

I made this card for my father-in-law for Father's Day this year after seeing something similar in a card making group on Facebook.  I posted this picture and I had several people ask me for directions.    I made a video explaining everything I did below.  Hopefully, my father-in-law doesn't see this until after he gets the card.  LOL!

My craft studio/office is lovingly referred to by my children and husband as the "Black Hole."  It is the place to put stuff when no one knows where else to put it.  Things pile up and pile up.  I admit, I add to it, too.  I will go in to do a quick project and not put everything away, then I go in for another quick project, and before you know it my work table is piled a mile high. After mostly cleaning it up, I made this video where I challenged myself to make a card just out of the scraps I found on my desk. The final card!

Hubby came home the other day and said that his office was hosting a luncheon on Wednesday. Knowing that hubby is such a "man," I volunteered immediately to help.  If I left it up to him, there would be food, probably plates, iffy on forks, but no napkins or decorations. The luncheon was for his area's JPCA (Justices of the Peace and Constables Association). I knew I had some patriotic decorations, so there started my theme. By the way, none of the decorations cost me even a dime. I decided to re-use the cans and burlap I made for my son's Eagle Court of Honor.   (Here's the link to that page.) I originally stuck the fleur-de-lis down with hot glue and knowing that my next son is getting close to his Eagle Scout, I didn't want to damage them. I heated up the hot glue with my heat gun so I could remove them without damaging them. Then, I cut out Texas shapes using Sure Cuts A Lot with my Cricut and attached them to the cans. I went through my fake...

My son graduated from high school last week and needs a bunch of thank you cards.  I just couldn't go and buy cards.  So, I'm in the process of making him some and he's in the process of writing them.  Hopefully, we will both finish with all of them before he starts college in the fall. The card in the video is actually pretty quick and simple to make but looks great.  The idea is to emboss your cardstock and then rub it with gold gelatos.  This effect would work for any cards that you need to do multiples for in a short amount of time.

Here are some quick and easy tags/cards for teacher appreciation using mixed media techniques.