Make This Easy Last Minute Advent Calendar

Here is an easy last minute Advent Calendar that anyone can make. This project uses vintage book pages, but you can use pretty scrap book paper, as well.

It is so easy to create these pretty little advent envelopes.

FREE Sugar Skull Embellishment Printable!

Wow! Can this really be the last of the sugar skull printable series?

Throughout October, we've been publishing sugar skull coloring sheet printables. We've introduced Rose and Daisy and Hibiscus and Zinnia and Frida. These printables are perfect for your Day of the Dead decor!

Each coloring sheet came with a skull and several embellishments. Today, we're offering a FREE extra embellishment printable sheet.

All of the skulls and embellishments are coordinated, so you can mix and match embellishments to customize your sugar skulls.

Get your FREE printable coloring sheet of sugar skull embellishments by clicking HERE.

For another (not so) spooky project, try this lace applique owl!

If you enjoyed this tutorial, please subscribe to House Revivals in the sidebar, so you won't miss the fun projects we have scheduled. Find us on Facebook, too, so you can catch all the "in between" stuff, and see what I'm working on daily on Instagram. Feel free to link today's post to your favorite social media sites.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Amanda

FREE Zinnia Sugar Skull Coloring Sheet!

Hello Friends! Today we're sharing the last of five FREE sugar skull printables, with a sugar skull embellishment printable still to come.

These printables were designed just for you, and are available to print for FREE throughout the month of October. Keep checking back, because I will be posting a full page of floral sugar skull embellishments in a couple of days -- also FREE!

So far, we've met Daisy and Rose and Frida and Mr Hibiscus. Today, we're meeting Zinnia. Zinnia is the olive green smiling friend shown below. Well, mine is olive green.

Yours can be colored any way you prefer, of course. I just thought the olive green made him look moldy and creepy.

Each sugar skull printable coloring template comes with lots of extra embellishments, so you can customize your decorations.

All the embellishments on the different coloring sheets can be mixed and matched, as the floral motifs are coordinated in this series.

I hope you enjoy coloring and assembling your sugar skull friends as much as I did!  Thanks you for following along, and be sure to check back for the extra embellishment printable.

Get your Zinnia Sugar Skull printable here.

You may also enjoy this post about how to make Christmas ornaments from dollar store supplies.

If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to House Revivals in the sidebar, so you won't miss the fun projects we have planned. Find us on Facebook, too, so you can catch all the "in between" stuff, and see what I'm working on throughout week on Instagram. Feel free to link today's project to your favorite social media sites.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

~Amanda

FREE Frida Sugar Skull Printable!

Can you believe it? Today is the fourth installment of our sugar skull printable series -- only two more printable to go! This is such a fun project.

We've met Rose and Daisy and Mr Hibiscus. Today, we're meeting Frida. 

Frida is in her element with all these floral embellishments. Below, is her selfie with her good friend, Rose.

The Frida printable coloring sheet comes with lots of extra roses and leaves to create her iconic floral headdress.

She's happy hanging out with her floral friends. Here's another selfie she took with Mr. Hibiscus.

To create your own Frida sugar skull, click on the link below and print the template. Color the page as desired, using whatever coloring medium you like. I like to use alcohol markers. Cut out the skull and the embellishments and assemble as desired.

Get your Free Frida Sugar Skull printable coloring sheet here.

You may also enjoy this tutorial for making beautiful masks with items from the recycling.

For another (not so) spooky project, try this lace applique owl!

If you enjoyed this tutorial, please subscribe to House Revivals in the sidebar, so you won't miss the fun projects we have scheduled. Find us on Facebook, too, so you can catch all the "in between" stuff, and see what I'm working on daily on Instagram. Feel free to link today's post to your favorite social media sites.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Make a Nautical Inspired Baby Card

I had the privilege of attending a baby shower this week, for a sweet mama who is expecting her second baby boy.

The night before the shower, I realized I didn't have a card, so I pulled out my box of "card kits" to find a suitable envelope.

How to Draw Fanciful Mushrooms -- Easy!

Sometimes it's fun to sketch something fanciful. A couple of years ago, my granddaughter and I decided to draw each other pictures and mail them to each other.

These little mushrooms were originally drawn to send to her, but then my contractor came by with his little girl, and she loved the mushrooms, so I sent them home with her. Don't worry, my granddaughter got plenty of other pictures. 

Annie Sloan Toy Chest Makeover

Today, I am sharing a toy chest makeover using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. This project was done by my dear friend, Jami, for her granddaughters to use when they come for visits.

Jami started with a nice, but dated, oak cedar chest.

Make a Sweet Fairy Cutaway Card

My sweet granddaughter will be getting a new baby brother pretty soon, and I wanted to make her a card to remind her how special she is to us. She is still at the age where she adores anything with pink or with flowers or with ribbon.

She also loves the Rainbow Magic Fairy books. They are sweet little books at just the right reading level.

How to Make an American Boy Doll

Recently, I was shopping for a little boy doll for my granddaughter, and had a difficult time finding one. There just aren't too many to choose from. My granddaughter loves her one and only boy doll, and thought he should have a brother. I agreed.

I felt a little sad that there were so few dolls available for our little boys to identify with. After all, our boys enjoy imaginative play just as much as our girls, and they can benefit from having a "little buddy" to hang out with.

On a recent trip to a thrift store, I found an Our Generation doll for only three dollars, so I decided to purchase it to turn into a boy doll. Our Generation dolls are inexpensive eighteen inch dolls to begin with, and this one had badly damaged hair, so I didn't feel too badly about altering it. I'm not sure I would use an expensive American Girl doll to make into a boy, unless I found one second hand and in poor condition.

To start the makeover, I chopped off most of the hair to get it out of the way.

Next, I cleaned the doll well. First, I used rubbing alcohol on the face and arms and legs; then I used acetone nail polish remover to scrub away some of the doll's lip and cheek color. I did not remove all the color -- I just toned it down a bit. You may find you need to scrub quite a bit to remove the color. Your doll will still look pretty, but I haven't seen a little boy who wasn't pretty, so I didn't worry too much.

Using a fine paint brush, I used acrylic paint to color in heavier, more "masculine" looking eyebrows. Don't worry if you mess up. You can always wipe it off and try again. Next time, I may try drawing in the eyebrows using a brown micron pen. You may want to add a few freckles while you've got the pen or paintbrush out.

I then washed the hair. I would recommend washing your doll's hair before painting the eyebrows, so you won't have to worry about messing them up. I used a blow dryer on low, and tried to shape the hair in the direction I wanted it to fall. You will need to work with the original doll's part, or risk exposing widely spaced hair plugs, if your doll's hair is rooted.

The hair was then trimmed a little more with scissors, then cut using hair clippers and a one inch attachment. I wanted to give the doll bangs, but since the original doll did not have bangs, the hair did not want to fall forward, no matter how much I tried to coax it with the blow dryer.

For a cute "little boy" tee shirt, I found this sweet little preemie size onesie from a thrift store, and cut the bottom off. The baseball is a plastic candy egg from the Dollar Tree.

So easy!

If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to House Revivals in the sidebar, so you won't miss the fun projects we have planned. Find us on Facebook, too, so you can catch all the "in between" stuff, and see what I'm working on throughout week on Instagram. Feel free to link today's project to your favorite social media sites.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Make Washi Tape Beads!

If you are looking for a bead project for the kids this summer, you're in the right place. This is a simple project that is so easy, even grown-ups can do it! All of your supplies can be found at the dollar store, as well. Bonus!

Gather up your odd bits of washi tape, lace tape, and ribbon tape and spend the afternoon making pretty jewelry with the kiddos.

Easy Valentine Dollar Store Decor

Here is an easy Valentine project for kids of all ages!  These little heart ornaments would make cute little gift tags, or they would be fun to tuck into a Valentine's card.

I used them to decorate glittery branches in a condominium foyer that I stage.  They are cheery and lighthearted, greeting the residents when they return home at the end of the day.

To make your own, you will need a package of glittered foam hearts from the Dollar Tree.

You will also need some string or cord or ribbon. I used embroidery floss from Daiso Japan, an import store where everything is $1.50.

Using tacky glue (you can use school glue, but you will need to wait longer to hang them), glue a loop of floss between a small heart and a large heart.

Make lots!

Hang them from a pretty branch and enjoy!

If you enjoyed this tutorial, be sure to subscribe to House Revivals, so you won't miss any of the projects we have planned. Feel free to link this post to your favorite social media sites. Check out the sidebar for links to lots more fun tutorials.

Be sure to check out this fun Valentine garland made with materials from the recycling bin!