My Mommy's New Purse

So....I have a difficult time figuring out every year what to get for my Mom for all the different occasions. I reluctantly decided for her birthday this year to do a DIY project. I knew that she wanted a geisha purse, and she had been looking for one online.
So how difficult could it be for me to throw a geisha on a purse? I'll eat those words! Especially since I've never done anything like that before in my life!
The first thing I had to do was hunt for the perfect purse. My mom is very finicky about her purses. Not too big, not too small, has to have at least one outside pocket, not to mention the fact that if I was going to pull this off I would need a solid colored purse. OK...so the quest begins. Day after day, store after store....until finally I find one that comes closest to what I need.
So what's next? Well, I go and buy some paints for fabric to put a little background for the face and kimono of the geisha because I was going to be using hotfix rhinestones (iron on), and the purse I selected was black. And I couldn't leave it so that the face stayed black, right? I mean, it's a geisha for goodness sake!
Well long story short, during the construction of this project were MANY trials and errors (put stuff on backwards, white paint ended up blue, etc.) . I really should have learned how to do this whole thing first before I actually made something as a GIFT! So one stiff neck and many nerves unrattled later....walah! This is how it ended up. I'M not content with it, but my family has been very encouraging and kind. My mom SEEMED to love it, but she's a great actress! lol...just kidding Mom! (well, not really)
So that is my story of my first time DIY project for my Mommy!

Cake Plates-DIY

I thought this was such a great and creative idea. It wasn't my idea, but I ran across it on a blog that I am following (http://2000dollarwedding.com/2009/06/diy-vintage-wedding-cake-stands.html).
I love the fact that you use vintage items you can find at a thrift store, or even in your own kitchen cabinet, to make these. Very low cost and since you're reusing these items you're doing something great for the environment.
For your base you can use anything from cups, to candle holders, to vases.....and much more.
For the cake plates that I have created for this picture, I used a blue and white decorative plate from an old plate set that I inherited from an aunt of mine. The other decorative, larger glass plate is actually a flat cake plate that I found at a thrift store for a couple of dollars. For the bases I found a glass candle holder in the back of my candle cabinet, and an ice cream cup that I also found at the thrift store.
So all you do is make sure that the narrower end of the base is touching the plate, glue it to the center of the plate with epoxy glue, and let it dry overnight(plate laying flat on table).
And this is what you get. You can get so creative with this idea. You can even use these as a centerpiece with fruits, flowers or whatever you can think of.

I found another blog that had some great examples! Better pictures than mine.............
http://athomewiththefarmerswife.blogspot.com/2008/06/make-take-cake-plates.html