Thursday, December 31, 2015

Happy New Year 2016 {and Nursery reveal}

Happy 2016!  Can you believe it's the new year already?  To catch those of you up who are familiar with the blog (or to introduce myself a little for those of you who are new) I have been away from Cut, Craft, Create for quite some time.  I've had a few "here and there" posts but haven't regularly posted since just before my son was born.  Well, he recently celebrated his first birthday and his second Christmas.


This photo makes my heart melt all over the place!

Although I still have trouble getting "computer time" while little man is awake, I've decided to take better advantage of the time I have after I put him to bed.  I miss blogging and sharing my crafty experiences with you.

In the last year I have become a full time stay at home mama (my husband refers to it as being a "Professional Domestic Operations Engineer" ha!) and have been busy trying to make our house a home and raise our son to be as happy and healthy as he can be.  Okay... and mostly just trying to put those STINKING DISHES away.  Seriously, anyone else have this problem? How do 3 people go through so many dishes?  Ugh... anyways, back to the post.

My mama and I have also started our own small business Chubby Bunny, Happy Home.  We're just getting things figured out but specialize in baby/toddler items and home decor.  We have always wanted to do this and are excited to start on our small business journey together.

{That's my beautiful mama and me}
 

My son's nursery was the first room in our home I was able to decorate from scratch.  My husband was older when we got married and already had a fully furnished house.  I've swapped things here and there in other rooms but the nursery was my blank slate.  Being the DIY-gal that I am, I created almost everything in there (minus the crib, dresser and glider) to create exactly the look I wanted (and for less!)

Over the next several weeks, I am going to share with you the details of the nursery.  Whether you are decorating a baby's room, for an older kiddo or just around the house, these ideas and tips will sure to help you along the way.

Please be sure to check back each week.  The photos on this post are snapshots of only a few elements.  Each week will include instructions, detailed photos and tips on how to achieve the look.  Here is a panoramic of the room to get a peek...


Some of the design elements I will be sharing include (but not limited to:)
- Details for a personalized frame display (includes 6 separate decorating ideas!)
- Personalized pillow that you can make yourself in MINUTES!
- Shelving decor that is simple but stunning to fit any room/theme.
- Easy DIY wall decor like collage photos and floating frame items.
- Fast & Easy way to add words/designs to a blank space on the wall.
- Making a themed light switch cover in minutes!
- Building a CUSTOM Changing Table from an old desk (removable top so you can use it for years!)


I'm so excited to share these details with you.  Seriously folks... I love this room so much.  So let's start off 2016 with a BANG!  Join me each week as I share the details of this room and in the weeks following with every day crafts for your home and life.  I love, love, LOVE to hear from you so please comment with your thoughts, questions or stories!
 
 
Your Turn!
Do you make new years resolutions, make some "plans" for the year or just wing it?  This year I sat down and made some goals (with specific details and "due" dates) because (1) I am working to continue our small business and need to have set goals and (2) am very behind on my scrapbook and really need to catch up.  Only a detailed plan is going to fix that problem!  I'm only a few years behind, that's not so bad... yet.

Don't forget to LIKE us on facebook to keep updated on new posts and follow along on our journey!

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Fun Facts Friday- Seam Ripper



Welcome to our first Fun Facts Friday, where we take a look at something crafty and learn about it's uses, tricks, tips and more!  Today's post, whether you love it or hate it, is a staple in every sewing household... the seam ripper.



What is there to tell you ask? Well my friends, I first want to explain why every seam ripper has that little red ball on it.  It's not just for looks and when used correctly will make the job go 10x faster!  I also wanted to share a list of unexpected uses for this little tool.  Mind boggling, I promise!

First things first... why the little red ball?



If you are anything like me, you will pick each (or at least every other) stitch with the seam ripper to undo a sewing "oops".  But did you know that you can put the ball side down and simply run the seam ripper all the way down the opening of your seam?  It's just like using a rotary cutter except for that little red ball protects your fabric from ripping or catching while the sharp long end quickly cuts through the stitches.

Check out this video from Keeping u n Stitches Quilting for a brief demonstration of this technique.  I can't believe how fast and easy this is.  I also can't believe that I have learned this before and yet keep forgetting!  That's valuable sewing time!

WANT EVEN MORE USES FOR THE SEAM RIPPER?

Obviously it rips out seams (duh) but this handy little tool can also help you in other areas of sewing and in life.

Check out this list of "10 Reasons To Love Your Seam Ripper" put together by ikatbag.  It's a funny (and informative!) article and she's a funny blogger.

[photo credit to ikatbag.com]

My favorites are to cut open button holes, poke holes for prongs/fasteners and... make pleats!  Genius.  I love it.

The seam ripper can also be used in non-sewing areas of life...

[photo credit to www.realsimple.com]

Oh.My.Gosh.  Yes... it can be used to get all those strings, hairs and who knows what else that gets all twisted in the vacuum cleaner.  I repeat... genius!  Check out other "life hacks" from Real Simple.

I hope this Fun Facts Friday was informative and fun!  I've always been grateful for this tiny little tool, but now that I know what all it can do, it might just bump up to one of my favorite sewing tools of all time!

Have you ever used the seam ripper in an unexpected way?  What was it?

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann


Tuesday, May 26, 2015

I'm back to craft!

Hello and thank you for joining me back on this blog.  I'm sorry it's been so long.  During my time away I have prepared for a new baby, welcomed said baby into the world, got used to life as a new mom, went back to work and then a few months later, left work to stay home full time with the little guy.

Meet Thumper (long story short, he thumps his legs so hard you can hear it on another floor of the house!), our perfect little guy.  He will be joining us for many crafty adventures in the future, I am sure.  He has learned to sleep through the sewing machine and the silhouette machine, so he totally understands.  He is one awesome little dude. 

{Our new little family, just a few minutes old}


Now that I am home full time, I also plan to slowly get back to sharing my crafty adventures with you all!  I can't believe how many people are still visiting the page and for those of you who follow us on facebook I can't express enough the gratitude I have for you.  I have appreciated your comments and questions for me during my "time away" and it's got me itching to get back into the swing of things.

{You can see why it's so hard to blog when I get to stare at this sweet face all day, am I right?}


Be patient with me as I get into a new routine.  I would also love to hear what kinds of crafts you would like to see.  I can always post things I am working on, but if you are itching to get involved in a new project but want a little more info, I am happy to help if I can.  I am open to doing video tutorials too- just let me know what YOU want to see!

My plan is to share a new craft on Tuesdays and every Friday to post a short "Fun Facts Friday" where I share a random "tidbit" about something crafty.  It could be a tip or trick, an informational about how to use a material, instrument, etc.  I'm pretty excited about those because I personally LOVE learning new things- especially on something I have been using for ever and never knew about!

{love those colors but I think I'll play around with a new "button" for this awesome day}


Thanks again for joining me back on our crafty adventures.  Please share with me projects you would like to see and as always I love to hear your questions and comments.


Have a great week!

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann

[all photos posted on this blog are property of Kelsie Sausaman of cut, craft,create.  Please do not share or claim photos as your own, specifically those of people.  Please do not crop, edit or otherwise distort any photos, especially photos of people.  Thank you for your cooperation.]