Creating Memories

Chicken soup is good for you...

2012-02-12T18:43:00.000-08:00

Especially if you're feeling a bit under the weather. Don't know what it is exactly that makes this soup taste so good when you're feeling crummy, but it just does. The other day, my little sous chef and I whipped up a batch of chicken noodle soup for our neighbor because she has been feeling sick with a cold. He enjoyed being able to finally cut a piece of celery on his own, and to see the smile on his face when he delivered his culinary masterpiece to her was priceless. ♥

We went off to the store, gathered up our supplies and made a batch of homemade goodness that was "just what the doctor ordered" per her comment to us later that night. :)

Here's what you need to whip up your own batch of goodness in less than 1 hour:

8 cups of chicken stock (your own, store-bought, whatever you've got)
3 chicken breasts, cooked and cooled (I grilled mine outside, and love the char developed on them from the grill outside. I did not season with salt or pepper during cooking.)
2 large or 3 medium sized carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 medium sized onion, sliced and then chopped into bite size pieces
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lemon, juiced and zested
Olive Oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh Italian Parsley coarsely chopped
2 cups whole wheat pasta, cooked and drained (whatever kind you like- I used rotini.- These are also optional, I don't put noodles in my own soup, but the kids ate theirs with noodles, and we gave them as an option to our neighbor.)

Step 1: Drizzle olive oil in bottom of stock pot over medium heat.

Step 2: Add carrots, onion and celery to pot. Stir and cook until onion becomes translucent.

Step 3: Add garlic, cook until fragrant. Approximately 1 minute.

Step 4: Add chicken stock, chicken breasts and lemon juice. Bring entire pot to a boil. Approximately 10 minutes.

Step 5: Remove chicken breasts from pot and shred with a fork. Add to pot of broth and veggies.

Step 6: Taste and season with pepper to your own liking.

Step 7: Right before serving, add lemon zest and fresh parsley.

Step 8: If using the noodles, add them to a bowl before ladling soup over the top of them.

That's it.

Now, if you're feeling a bit more adventurous, this soup can be modified into a chicken tortilla type of soup. I call it my Fiesta Chicken Soup. Very yummy too, and has a bit of a kick to it. :)

During the cooking process add the following items in Step 4.

14.5 oz can of Organic Fire roasted tomatoes
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
Lime juice instead of Lemon Juice (same amount)
Jalapeno diced, ribs and seeds removed *optional*

Step 8:
Garnish with the following:
Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
Tortilla chips

That's it!

Note: I didn't add any salt to either recipe. I don't think that it needs it, but if you think it does as you're creating your meal, then by all means add some to it. :)

Recycled inspiration

2012-02-09T09:11:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts the past couple of days. I've been really busy with life over here. This past weekend our dishwasher decided to bless us with an indoor pool- I've always wanted one of those, just not in that way... A event that I'm on the committee for is happening this weekend, but some of the requirements were changed on Monday (less than a week before the event) and it caused a lot of the planning to be rethought- when you're putting together a shin-dig for 500+ people, it causes a bit of finagling and creativity. Luckily, that has been taken care of, and things are set up now... Reading/editing a book for a friend that I promised to do- if you (soon to be awesome and world renowned author- you know who you are) read this post, know that I like to 'cold read' something before I begin to edit/critique and then re-read it... in the editing process now :) ...that's just the stuff that is out of the ordinary here... ha ha

Ahhhhh... deep breath... in... out... in... out...

Ok. Cool. I have my cup of now cold coffee next to me- it was hot when I poured it a while back... and I'm ready to go now. ;)

Today I feel inspired. Not that I don't have inspiration around me, but this inspiration is permeating my thoughts. Such a simple activity (like recycling, turning off a light when not in use, etc.) can make such a huge difference when we work as a group. I mean, really, think about it for a second... let's take a journey back in time ... okay, maybe not, but think about how things were like when you were a kid. I can't say that I remember ever consciously recycling items until I was in high school, partially due to living in the 'boonies' as I affectionately refer to my parent's house 5 miles from 'town', partially because I didn't think it mattered what I did or didn't do. Just being honest here.

Now... I have my own kids, and recycling is one of those things, I don't even think about any more. I'm sure we can do more, but for now we use the compact fluorescent bulbs in our lights, refurbish materials into new crafty goodness, have 2 'trash' bins- one for recycling, one for 'trash'... which will be changing yet again, when I get my composting pile going for the garden. That is still just a thought in my head, need to research that one some more before I embark on it... So, my recycling inspiration is from a project with Girl Scouts and their Forever Green Project. This is the 100 year anniversary of Girl Scouts, and as a result, 'Green' projects are popping up all over the place 'to do this, do that,' etc. If you are interested in this at all, you can go here and read more about it.

Unfortunately, I am feeling that these projects are indeed incredible to undertake and set in place for your community, however, to keep the impact going and escalating, we need to maintain them. Such a simple concept really, but how many will actually do this?

Just the word "maintain" brings up some negative connotations. An inward groan of ugh, maintenance, continued work, delayed results, etc. especially from living in a "immediate gratification" society. Where our cell phones can jump on the internet to research the best whatever with the swipe of a finger, if it doesn't happen right now, then it is too slow, etc- the fact that cell phones have become our "home phone" so we are available (with appropriate cell service) at a moment's notice.

To me, we need to look at maintenance in a different way, it needs to be seen as a positive thing. Like, if we keep up on it or grab a friend to join us, it will never become something so overwhelming, that undertaking it as a project will just squelch any inspiration left, and any that may sprout up later because of the memories of overwhelming ourselves with a project. I remember growing up, my brother had a teacher that used the phrase "a happy heart" and that has really stuck with me and I believe it applies here. We need to have a "happy heart" when doing something because that positive attitude will not only keep you inspired, but motivate others too.

Summing it all up here:
To me, if you are inspired to do something- that is fantastic! Inspiration is always a good thing.

Acting on that inspiration is an even better thing.

Maintaining that inspiration "with a happy heart" is the best thing- and is what will inspire others to do something too.

So the cycle continues... inspiration - action - maintain -

That's the kind of recycling, I'm not only happy to do, but hope to inspire others to do as well.

Valentine Lottery Tickets

2012-02-06T11:10:00.001-08:00

I found an idea a while back on how to make your own lottery type scratch it tickets here. I made a few for the kids and hubs for Christmas with different things to "win" just like a real lottery ticket- just without the gambling! ;)

I decided to revamp them for Valentine's Day, but use them as mail for my kids' mailboxes that I made for them. This has become such a fun night time before going to bed activity with the kids. They love how they get "mail" each day. :) I'm giving my "lottery" cards to the kids and hubs tonight complete with a "lucky" penny- ones dated with their birth year for the kids and our wedding year for the hubs. :) This project is super easy, and can be whipped up during naptime. :)

Here's what you need:

Packaging tape- I think that the original tutorial used contact paper. I improvised.
Scissors
Cardstock
Acrylic paints- I used red and gold
Paintbrush
Dish soap- I used Dawn
Pen for writing
Imagination :)

Step 1: Think of what you want to have on your "lottery" tickets and write them out. If you have horrible writing, I guess you could print them out.

Step 2: Cover your "prize" with the tape. Set aside.

Step 3: Mix your paint and soap. You need to use a 2 parts paint to 1 part soap. Stir until it is blended.

Step 4: Take your card with the "prize" from Step 2, and cover your "prize" with paint mixture. You might need 2 coats, depends on how you do it, and if you can see your "prize" still after 1 coat.

Step 5: Let dry completely. It doesn't take too long. Mine were dry in 15 minutes.

That's it! :)

Hand out some pretty cool Valentine treats to your kids, family, etc. These could even be made as a class gift if you really wanted to. It's up to you- use your imagination! :)

Refried Beans

2012-02-05T18:53:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to feed my family less processed foods in an effort to instill a healthy lifestyle with my kids. Yesterday, my neighbor introduced me to a co-op of local farmers, so now, I have a way to obtain fresh fruits, veggies, herbs, eggs, and meat. So excited! It's funny how that little invitation from her has me giddy with the possibilities of creating some really delicious and healthier meals for my family. :)

So, one of the first things that I decided to conquer that I usually buy processed, (because honestly, I was completely afraid of the making process) is re-fried beans. We have tacos weekly in this house, and I just recently tackled one of my other faves that I used to leave to the pros, Taco Pizza, so I figured this one had 2 options: 1. really tasty or 2. really ugh... not for me. Luckily for me it turned out super tasty!! :) Yay!! My kids also said they liked them more than the "other" kind. Double yay!!

These beans were so incredibly easy to make, total cost for a huge crock pot's worth of 're-fried' beans less than $3. Seriously. Not only were they inexpensive, they are delicious!

Here's the easy peasy recipe:

1 yellow onion (mine was about the size of a softball), peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups of dried pinto beans
9 cups of water
1/8 tsp ground cumin (I used 1/4 tsp. and it was not overpowering at all)
5 tsp. salt
1 3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (I coarsely ground mine)

Step 1. Rinse beans thoroughly in water, and place in crock pot.

Step 2. Put water into crock pot, and turn crock pot on high.

Step 3. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper to crock pot.

Step 4. Cover crock pot and let it cook for 8 hours. Periodically check on it, stir to make sure it doesn't burn to bottom. (Long time to cook, but really worth it. I guess you could do it over night, but I started mine at 10am and they were ready for dinner at 6pm.)

Step 5. I used a slotted spoon to pull my beans out of the crock pot, then placed them into my food processor. If you don't have a food processor, you could mash them however you would like to your desired consistency using a whisk, potato masher, blender, etc . Reserve some of the water to thin out beans if you want them thinner. Entirely up to you.

Enjoy. :)

No Bake Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate "cookies"

2012-02-05T17:46:00.000-08:00

So, today is Superbowl Sunday... Yay. No really, this year I'm *really* not into watching the game. I could care less who wins the Giants or the Patriots. I am really only into watching it for the commercials, and as of half time, they have been pretty sucky, with the exception of Betty White for the Voice. Betty White is awesome. 90-something years young and can still hang with the crowd and throw in a jab or two. I want to be like her if I live to be 90 something. :)

Earlier today, I was craving something yummy- a salty and sweet combo. I usually don't do anything for Superbowl Sunday, and since this household is waiting for next season to start (Go Steelers!) I wanted a no-fuss, little mess to clean up treat. A no bake cookie would be fantastic. Not really in the mood for the Chocolate Oatmeal ones, so, the peanut butter crispy ones came to mind. Check in the pantry to see if I had the supplies- yep. Sweet! I love it when that happens. :)

Now, I don't honestly remember where I stumbled across this recipe. I've known it for years, and it would satisfy my salty and sweet craving. I wouldn't call these "cookies" per se, but more of a naked truffle. Here it is.

See what I mean about it being more like a naked truffle?

Peanut Butter Naked Truffle
1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
1 1/4 cup peanut butter (I used creamy, but chunky would be yummy too)
2 cups Rice Krispies
Approx. 1 cup melted Chocolate of your choice (I used dark chocolate-I've used milk chocolate before, but didn't have any in my pantry.)

Cream together: butter, powdered sugar and peanut butter.

Add Rice Krispies. Incorporate well- without crushing them. The dough will be very sticky.

Form into balls. (Mine are about the size of a gumball you would get from a machine for 25 cents.)

Put in freezer to firm up for about 15 minutes.

Melt chocolate in microwave in 30 second intervals, be careful to not burn the chocolate. :)

Dip truffles into chocolate so it covers about 1/2 of the truffle.

Set aside and cool, allowing the chocolate to harden.

Store in fridge so they don't get too mushy before serving.

That's it. Enjoy. :)

Ruler Artwork & Family Keepsake

2012-02-03T21:10:00.000-08:00

I love today's project. I found the idea/inspiration on Pinterest (shock, I know) and knew that I could make it for less than the hefty price tag on it.

My kids are growing like weeds. I swear the boy has grown 4 or more inches since the summer, the girl has grown a bit too and I'm trying to capture as much of their growing as possible. We move around a lot, so the whole tradition of scratching into a doorway's trim their height and dates isn't a feasible option to keep track of their growth. Also, they are very competitive with "who's taller?" even though they are 3 years apart in age, so this project is perfect. :)

Here is the inspiration here and she found them here. So, an idea popped into my head, I can make this myself for a whole lot less- and get a piece of art for the wall with the bonus of capturing the kids' growth. :) Yay!

Here it is. My version of the previous two links. I love the way it turned out.

Ignore the dog's food bin in the picture- we have a 200# mastiff, and this is the only thing that he can't get into and eat his food! ;)

The cost for this project was about $10- but you could do it for less if you have some of the supplies on hand; which I did, so it only cost me $6.

What you will need:
1) 1" x 8" x 6' board- I bought mine at Home Depot for $6
sandpaper
stain- left over from Oregon Art project
paint
brushes for stain and paint
sealer
stencils (optional)
picture hanger- bought these at Hobby Lobby- left over from Oregon Art project

Step 1: Sand your board- if desired. Mine had some rough edges and a stamp on it from the manufacturer on the side I wanted to use for my ruler.

Step 2: Stain board to desired depth of color. I ended up doing 2 coats for mine. Let cure. Mine took a couple of days because the weather was cold/rainy/damp for a few days after I began the process.

Step 3: Since my board is 6' long (Actually measured it at this point and it was 73" instead of 72"- so measure your board in case yours is off too. You could cut off an inch or so to make it 6' or you could leave it. Either way, it works.) I decided to make my tick marks at 2" intervals.

Step 4: I began my measurement with the bottom of the board is 6". The reasoning behind this, is because I will hang the ruler 6" from the ground, so starting from 0" would be unnecessary. So, the first tick mark is 8", second 10", third 1', etc.

Step 5: Decide on length of tick marks for varying heights. I ended up making my full foot measurements 3 3/4" long, 1/2 foot was 2 3/4" long and the remaining were 1 3/4" long. If this isn't clear, check the picture. :)

Step 6: Stencil in your numbers for the full foot measurements. Or you can skip this step if you are going to just paint them free-hand.

Step 7: Paint your tick marks and numbers. Let dry.

Step 8: Seal with acrylic sealer. Do this in a well ventilated area. I ended up with a headache from this and I did it in my garage. If you can do this outside- I would recommend that. :)

Step 9: Position your wall hanger on the back of your ruler, 1" from the top of your board.

Step 10: Hang on your wall- if you are using a 6" one that is actually 73" like mine is, I put the nail in at 6'6" so it lines up correctly.

That's it! :)

Enjoy your new art piece that will capture your kids' growth throughout the years- maybe even your grandkids too. :)

Family, food, GMO?! Huh?!?

2012-02-02T07:17:00.000-08:00

I don't what it is about food. Whenever I'm especially missing my family (like today), I end up finding myself browsing food blogs, recipe databases, combing through my cookbooks, etc trying to find that "perfect" dish to create- only to be frustrated that I don't have *all* of the ingredients to whip it up. Grrrr... so frustrating!

Anyhoo... as I was browsing through some recipes today, I came across some information. I tend to have an ADHD type browsing style- I find a recipe, then see something shiny and open up a new tab/window and explore, repeat, repeat, repeat, then end up with entirely too many windows on my browser and wonder why it is taking so l-o-n-g to load info. ;) My dad used to tell us kids growing up that we are "jitterbugging" and need to focus, not sure what a dance from the 30's, a WHAM song lyric or that crazy little cell phone with only a few buttons has to do with things, but hey, whatever. See what I mean, I'm all over the place today! ;)

So... back to my point... in my search for the perfect recipe, I stumbled across some information that I had kinda tucked away in the back of my mind. Back when I was in college (the first time around- late 90s) I took a class on Bioethics. The class was incredible- and I remember being outraged back then at how our food could become modified in a way that was "roundup ready" and that Monsanto was a huge culprit. One of the books I read was extremely enlightening,- so much so, that I started reading labels like a crazy person back then. Now... I would absolutely love to tell you I kept up on that outrage, kept up on reading the labels like a crazy woman and all of that. *shaking head* Unfortunately, I didn't/haven't, I still read labels- don't get me wrong, just didn't realize what I needed to be looking for exactly. All I know, is that I'm going to look closer at the ingredients, and not just for the nutritional information, but at the actual ingredients.

GMO (genetically modified organism) is a lot more common than it was 10 years ago. I found a blog that had a really simple way to understand what is going on in addition to links for more information if you wanted to know more. There are several links to find brochures that you can print out and bring with you to the store to help you out. There are even codes on your fresh fruit and veggies that will indicate to you whether or not it is a GMO, natural, natural & organic to help you with understanding your fresh veggies and fruit. If you're not convinced something is up, then do a simple Google search on GMO, see what pops up- crazy stuff. I'm talking stuff from a sci-fi movie, seems unreal, but unfortunately, it isn't.

Too much information is not really a bad thing when it comes to knowing what is going in to your body or your family and your kids' bodies. You only get one, you have to take care of it. Garbage in - garbage out.

Just some food for thought.

Feeling Lucky?

2012-02-01T10:12:00.000-08:00

I love giveaways! I have only won twice in my entire life- but I have entered a lot of contests along the way! ;) It is so much fun to enter- hoping to win and thinking of the possibilities to be made if you do win...

This one is pretty easy to do, and you can get multiple entries too. If you like to sew cute stuff for your little one you can check out Whimsy Couture for the patterns you like so you can tell Positively Splendid which ones you would choose to create. Over at Positively Splendid's place, you can enter to win some patterns from Whimsy Couture! :) Cool huh?

Good luck!! :)

Cookies, cookies, cookies...

2012-01-31T19:42:00.001-08:00

Ah, yes... it is Girl Scout cookie time. I'm the proud troop leader of a bunch of Brownie Girl Scouts. For those of you who don't know me on a day-to-day, you probably don't know about this new little activity.

Kind of a funny story actually how this all came about... so if you care to know the story, keep reading... if not, well, skim it to the last paragraph and come back tomorrow... :)

Anyhoo... Back in September a note came home from school asking if your daughter would be interested in Girl Scouts. I was never actually a Girl Scout growing up, one of my younger sisters was in Girl Scouts and my mom was an assistant leader, so that's basically all of the experience I had with it. So, I asked the girl if she was interested, she said yes... and there you have it. We went to the place to "register" her for a troop, yada, yada, yada, and on the form was a place for volunteering as an adult to help out the troop- yes, I filled in my info and checked the box too.

My husband and I both believe strongly in being involved with both of our kids. We have done the whole soccer thing, swimming and soon to add softball and football to the mix, so to me this Girl Scout thing wouldn't be any different. As it turns out, I ended up not just being a volunteer, but the actual Troop Leader of a group of 2nd grade girls. Bear in mind, I have basically no experience with Girl Scouts.

At this point, I was kinda freaking out. How was I going to lead a bunch of girls that are looking to me for inspiration in crafts- well, I could definitely do that one, cooking- eh, maybe, camping- um, does camping in a cabin count?? and inspiring them to "make the world a better place?" I hope so... ok. Maybe not so hard after all... right?

So... being the crazy person that I am, I decided that I was going to go full-bore into this Girl Scout stuff- earning badges with the troop as often as possible, participating in events, etc. I had set a goal to make my troop the most amazing troop ever- these girls are going to make an impact. And guess what? They have!! We have so far to date participated in making sock monkeys for Texas wildfire victims through Craft Hope, we have collected cookies to donate to our service members overseas, we are in the process of gathering food and clothing for our local shelters *and* the girls are trying to think of their next service project. These girls are 7 and 8 years old... they are already making a difference *and* know they are too.

Now, what was all of this for? To just let you know, that when you see those cute little Girl Scouts selling cookies in front of the store or at your front door- you are helping them to make a difference too by purchasing a box of cookies. Yeah, I know, a long sales pitch, but really, these girls are trying to "make the world a better place" and cookies are delicious. I think that is a win-win deal to me. :)

Keepin' it real

2012-01-30T11:23:00.000-08:00

One of my resolutions this year was to get my blog up and rolling again. Like every new year resolution that I have made in the past (because I am really bad about some things) this one was about to fall to the wayside and get forgotten after the first couple of weeks.

However... I made a decision to not only get my blog up and movin' but to revamp it. Hence, the whole new look, of not just focusing on crafts with kids, but to make it more getting involved with your kids, spending time doing crafts on your own (because it is important to take care of you too), recipes, etc. So, the new and improved blog has begun to emerge- and I have to say, it has become something that I look forward to writing each day. Like catching up with a friend over a cup of coffee, writing for has become less daunting, because I have decided to write how things are- not how they should/could be, but how they are today. No more of the highlight reels to showcase life, this is off of the editing floor, and it is quite liberating.

I'm not going to post a "you need to go do this - now!" sort of entry every day. I'm also not going to feel guilty about not posting some awesome project either- believe me I have had my share of project "fails." Honestly, there are also days, like today, that it is literally zapping all of my energy to just type this post up. That is an entirely different subject- not sure how to approach that one, but I might just in case it helps someone else.

Most of the people that read my blog are my family and friends, some of you I have known for years, some of you I have only "met" through cyberspace, others I have yet to meet you; but I do enjoy reading all of your comments. I also like to look at my stats to see where exactly my traffic is coming from, and I am truly amazed at some of the places. I found out that I had one of my posts referenced in a blog that was entirely in Spanish. Pretty cool, considering I only know enough Spanish to get into trouble- but learning how to speak Spanish is on my resolution list for this year too.

With all of that being said, I will sign off for now. I will post again later- not tonight, maybe not even tomorrow, but when I do, I hope that you'll stop by and say hi. :)

Up-cycled Left Overs...

2012-01-29T14:20:00.000-08:00

I still remember the first time that I ever tried Taco Pizza. It was with my friend Stacie at Pizza Hut back when we were in high school. I was skeptical at first, but after my first bite, I was hooked. I've had some really delicious ones and I've had some that I beg to differ on their ability to be even classified as a "taco" or even a "pizza" in my experiences with this concoction of two different ethnic cuisines. Incredibly enough, I never thought to make one of these at home- had to leave the cool gourmet pizzas to the pros. ;)

Well... two nights ago, I had a bit of an epiphany. You see I (for the most part) detest eating left-over meals. If I happen to freeze it though before serving the meal to the family- that's okay- it isn't technically a "left over" it is a preemptive psychological strike to my palate because it wasn't served yet. I know I'm weird, um, I mean quirky. ha ha Anyway... The family had burritos for dinner, and we made a little too much. Ugh. The dreaded "left overs" were going to be overly abundant. The hubs and kids love "left over" burritos, and don't mind them in the least, but I was trying to figure out what I was going to eat now that they were set for tomorrow's lunch.

So... now for the epiphany... Taco Pizza. Maybe because of the different recipes I've been browsing on my favorite time waster the idea had been planted waiting for the perfect opportunity to present itself to my consciousness. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of this possibility before. Technically, it isn't "left overs" if it is an entirely different meal, right? A left over up-cycle so to speak... right? Now, for the first time ever- I was looking forward to *gasp* left overs!

For those of you that haven't tried Taco Pizza, the way I made it was not like any other way I have had before. I know I'm biased, but honestly, I really like the way it turned out *and* my kids have now asked that I do this instead of having left over burritos for lunch. Bonus! :) Here is my recipe and some pictures to entice you... so get in the kitchen and have fun!

Taco Pizza

1 ready-made 14" pizza crust (I bought mine in the aisle where you would buy your pizza sauce.)

2 cups refried beans
1 1/2 cups salsa (This salsa is the only kind I use now. You can substitute your own brand/favorite.)
1 cup taco seasoned ground beef (could use ground turkey also- next time) :)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (approximately- use your own judgement)

Garnishes:
Sour Cream
Shredded Lettuce
Sliced Black Olives
Salsa
Tortilla Chips- crushed or not- your choice

Pre-Heat oven to temperature recommended on packaging.

Mix together the 2 cups of refried beans and 1 1/2 cups of salsa together in a bowl.

Spread your bean/salsa mixture on your pizza crust. (This is your pizza's 'sauce.')

Sprinkle your ground meat on top of your pizza. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of the meat.

Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted and your crust is crispy- or however you like your pizza crust to be. I love mine crispy. :)

Remove from oven, and garnish with your toppings. :)

Enjoy!

Weather

2012-01-25T12:09:00.000-08:00

Okay, they (don't remember who 'they' are- but there are several) say that when people don't know each other very well, and don't know what exactly to say to keep awkward silences at bay, discuss the weather. Really? The weather? Makes sense if you think about it. I'm not going to digress any further though on this thought process. :)

What I am going to do, is come up with some ideas for rainy day activities. My youngest one is sleeping on the couch, the 4-legged one is equally passed out on the floor next to him, and I am click-clack typing this blog post watching the rain pour down like someone is literally washing my windows with a garden hose. The sky is a very cool gray color though- almost a silver color. (Insert your favorite saying about every cloud has a silver lining.)- here - ha ha

Rainy day activity list:
1. Stamp fingerprint art with the kids.
2. Take pictures of activity.
3. Post on blog later. :)
4. Enjoy some hot chocolate with the kids too.

Sounds like a fun day- even when the weather isn't so nice out. :)

Hope you all have a great day!

Craft Hope- Project 16

2012-01-24T08:32:00.000-08:00

I love showing my own 2 kids and Girl Scout troop, how even 1 child can make a BIG difference in the world, not just locally, but globally. I recently (when I say this, I mean within the past few months) found Craft Hope. Jade Sims runs Craft Hope with a few other people and have implemented several projects that can bring in communities from around the world - literally - to make an impact in a big way, one completed project at a time.

My Brownie Girl Scout troop decided as a group to participate in Craft Hope's Project 15- Sock Monkeys to help out kids that were either burn victims or lost everything in Texas due to the wildfires. The girls were so excited to share with a child they had never even met. It was a very heartwarming, rewarding and wonderful experience for all of us. My kids constantly asked me about how many monkeys had been collected for other kids, and when the project was finished, she had over 300 monkeys. Amazing. I can honestly say, that this project makes my heart smile (not just because I love sock monkeys either) and even as I'm writing this post, I'm thinking of how some of those monkeys put a smile on someone's face. ♥

My Girl Scout Troop showing off their sock monkeys.

So... Jade has put together another heart warming project for us to participate in. It is making beanies and bags for kids that are fighting cancer. I can't even begin to describe how much this project is screaming to me to get involved. I honestly couldn't wait to hear what she was going to tell us, she had been teasing us on Facebook for a couple of days. Now she has told us, it is for the littlest warriors, read her project page information, and then tell me you don't want to rush out to Joann's, Hancock Fabric, any other local fabric store and purchase a bunch of fleece to whip up some of these in an afternoon?

Look at this little guy... how can you resist?? I know I can't! :) Source: Craft Hope

I've got a pattern in mind, just not sure how to modify it for all the kids involved. I would love to make sure they fit, and have more than just one size. My heart and head are about to explode with all of the ideas I have for her newest project. I will be posting pictures of my beanies as I finish them up. I might even be able to figure out a way to post my pattern if I can draw it up and have it work. :)

I will sign this one off for now. :)

Lemon Bars!

2012-01-23T20:26:00.001-08:00

So... I love to bake, cook, craft, etc. basically anything that Ms. Stewart can do, I can too, for the longest time she was my inspiration. I would buy all of her magazines, scour through her books to find something that I could replicate, literally for years- beginning in high school. Now, ah-hem, a few years later ;) ... I have taken on projects that are easy, some are difficult, and others are just plain frustrating that I can't get them to finish up. Just keepin' it real here. Those projects are the ones that I don't showcase, and because I don't, I feel like I'm cheating out or something. :/ I think that one of these days, I'm going to have to do a post simply on project fails. That might be kinda fun actually.

Now, I've rambled on for a bit there... so, since I was feeling a bit down that my latest project isn't finished up yet- weather is *so* not cooperating. :( Rain = no bueno for curing paint/stain. Just in case you didn't know. ;) So... what is the opposite of rain? Sun. Warm glorious sun. Exactly what I was wanting. Now, I knew what to do.

I went to my cookbook cabinet and began to skim my recipes to see what lemon flavored treat was going to be made. Lemon pound cake... lemon blueberry bundt cake... lemon drop cookies... white chocolate lemon truffles... I mean, c'mon, nothing says sunshine like a lemon, right? They are even bright yellow, and just the thought of a lemon makes me smile. I love lemons. I literally peel them like oranges and eat them. No joke. Okay, back to my deliciousness that I made this morning...

I ended up picking lemon bars. They are so simple, yet so perfect and whip up in about an hour from start to finish. Bonus!

Here's my recipe that I have altered from another woman that I love to try out her recipes, Paula Deen. The little guy even helped me out, he *loves* to bake with me, and these also happen to be his absolute favorite dessert. Sorry I don't have any pictures of these beauties, they are already gone. Gasp! I know. Crazy huh? I guess a mom who loves lemons & lemon bars + 2 kids that love lemon bars = no lemon bars for blog post later. :/ I guess I will have to make some more tomorrow... ha ha

Lemon Bars (adapted from Paula Deen)
Crust:
2 sticks salted butter at room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar
Zest from 1 lemon

Filling:
4 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons of all purpose flour
8 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemons (I juiced 3 lemons, they were on the smaller size) I left the pulp in the juice too, just make sure to take out the seeds! :)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the crust ingredients until crumbly. Set aside.

Take your 9" x 13" pan and grease it with some butter or a cooking spray so your lemon bars don't stick to the pan.

Press your crust mixture into the pan evenly. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Do not turn off the oven, you will need to bake the filling too!

While the crust is baking whip up the filling. Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well blended. This curd will be a little runny before you bake it, but trust me, it is delicious.

When the crust is done baking, pour your filling over the top of it and place it back into the oven and back for an additional 25 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar. You can let them cool if you want, or you can break into them as soon as they are out. They are hot like lava though, if you do go that route. ;) Enjoy!

Mailboxes for Mantle

2012-01-19T10:47:00.000-08:00

This was the *easiest* project I've done in a long time. Here is the link through Pinterest that I used for my inspiration. :)

I went to Target and in the dollar bins they had these adorable little mailboxes for just a dollar!! I think they are absolutely adorable! They only had the 4 colors, and so each one of us in this house have our own color. :)

After going to Target, I went to my one of my favorite places to grab craft gear, Dollar Tree. :) The candlesticks were only $1 as well, so this project costs $2 per mailbox/stand. :)

I didn't take pictures of how to do this, because it is simply gluing the centered mailbox with hot glue to the candlestick. Easy peasy.

I placed them on my mantle, just waiting for them to get filled with little Valentine notes to the kiddos and hubs. :) In our house, we don't like the over commercialization of Valentine's Day, we feel that if you love someone you need to show them *all* of the time, not just on holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. so, we are writing little notes whenever we want to, and then placing them in the mailbox for the recipient to "get mail." :)

Oregon Art

2012-01-19T07:39:00.001-08:00

I grew up in Oregon, graduated from college in Oregon (GO Beavs!!), found and married my husband up in Oregon, and most of my family and friends still live in Oregon. It is no surprise that in my heart, Oregon holds a very special place.

Awwww...

So, a few days/weeks ago, not actually sure when I saw the inspiration for this, but with Pinterest it is hard to remember "when" because I can lose hours on there without even really trying to. It is crazy. A whole new time warp that is so much fun, but can be very dangerous if you're trying to get stuff done, because your time will evaporate. Okay, maybe not for any of you, but it does for me. ;)

This project is very, very, VERY easy to do. I gathered up my supplies for less than $10- and I have several of the supplies leftover for other projects that I will be posting also. It does however take a bit of patience and time. I ended up re-stringing this project three times before I was happy with the result and it looked the way I had envisioned it. :)

Supplies:
1 spool of string- any color you want I used Navy blue (The kind you use for a sewing machine.) *not pictured

1 package of nails (Mine were from Wal-Mart for 97 cents- hardware section.)

1 package of picture hangers (You need only 1, mine were at Hobby Lobby for $1.99 and there were 6 in the pack. At Home Depot, they sell you only 2 and they are almost $3.)

1 small can of stain (I used Minwax Wood Finish in Weathered Oak- it gave the board an antiqued/weathered look and I love it.) *not pictured

1 piece of wood in desired size (I bought mine at Hobby Lobby for $2, they are normally $3 but they are on sale right now- so if you have a Hobby Lobby head on over and pick one out. They have lots of different shapes and it could be really fun! Of course you can also buy one at Home Depot, I didn't price them out though.)

1 paper printout of your desired state. (Pulled mine off a Google search- just google your state and use the words "--- state outline" and find one you like.) *not pictured

Crayon or Carbon Paper *not pictured

Scissors *not pictured

Pen *not pictured

Sandpaper 120 grit *not pictured

Hammer *not pictured

Needle-nose Pliers *not pictured

Step 1: Sand your piece of wood, to get any roughness off before you place your state outline. Set sandpaper aside for later.

Step 2: Cut your state shape out leaving an extra bit of white around it. Keep the scrap for later.

Step 3: Color the back of your paper with the crayon. If you are using Carbon paper, you don't have to do the coloring the paper, just use the carbon paper. :)

Step 4: Position your state on the board the way you would like it. If using the carbon paper, have the carbon paper between the state paper and the board.

Step 5: Trace over your state with a pen. Press firmly, so the shape transfers fully. If need be repeat in areas that didn't take so well or have details you need.

Step 6: Take scrap paper from Step 2, and cut out a heart shape. Tip: fold the paper in half and cut your heart half that way, so your heart is symmetrical. :)

Step 7: Trace your heart in desired area, you can always use a map for this, and I have my heart centered around Corvallis.

Step 8: If you like what you see, fantastic! Keep going. If not, sand all of the marks off and repeat Steps 4-7.

Step 9: Take your hammer and one nail, and lightly indent your state and heart outline's borders. You are setting a guide for where you will hammer the nails in a bit. This will help you out a lot. :)

Step 10: Sand the entire board so you can not see the markings of your outline, just the holes that you just completed in Step 9. Use a nail to empty the holes from sawdust, because you need it to be clear of dust before proceeding.

Step 11: Stain your board. Follow the directions on your can of stain for this part. Each is different, but the basic gist is the same. Apply stain, wait, rub off, repeat until desired shade is achieved. Do in a well ventilated area, not the dining room where your kids can complain about the smell- not that I would know anything about that.

Step 12: Now for the fun part. Placing your nails into all of the holes. I started with the heart and then worked my way around the state. Really depends on where the heart is if you do that or not, if your heart is near a border, I would recommend it, but whatever works for you. Try to keep the nails at the same depth too, for uniformity. :) Sorry I forgot to take a picture of this step. :/

Step 13: If your nails are a little wonky, use your pliers to straighten them out. I also did this to see if I needed to add any nails for a bare spot, I ended up adding a couple of them, and still had to do one on the heart right before I finished up.

Step 14: Take an end of your spool of thread and make a sliding knot. Place that knot around a nail in your heart. Tie a square knot to secure it in place, trim the end so you are tethered to your piece with the spool of thread.

Step 15: Wrap your thread around a border nail and return to the *same* heart nail you started with.

Step 16: Proceed to the next border nail then return to the same heart nail. Complete this process until each border nail has been tethered to a heart nail. This part is entirely up to you on how you proceed with it. It is a piece of art- each piece will be completely different- that is why art is so cool!

Step 17: Fill in any areas that you think are needed to complete the look. I seriously did Steps 14-17 while watching an hour long show that was DVR'd and had time left over, so this really didn't take too long to do. You can see progress quickly, and you get into a rhythm after a bit.

Step 18: Attach to the back of your piece the wall hanger. I did this, but then I ended up putting it in a plate holder on my mantle. :)

That's it!

Now I'm off to finish 2 other projects, but I will be posting the other one I finished yesterday- tomorrow, and the other 2 the day after tomorrow. :)

Something that makes life on-the-go easier

2012-01-05T17:20:00.000-08:00

I am not one to plug products, but I have to share this one with you. For Christmas my husband got me a Tervis cup. I have got to say, I never thought I would thoroughly enjoy a gift as much as I have this one. It keeps my water cold- I'm talking ice cold, not just for an hour, not even for 2 hours, but for a suprising 3 1/2 hours! I was shocked. I have another insulated cup that I thought was really great for hot and cold drinks, but honestly, this one blows it out of the water.

The Tervis cup is dishwasher safe and you can get so many options on their site, that I'm sure you can find your 'perfect' cup. They are a little more expensive that your traditional insulated cup; but they have so many more advantages. The dishwasher safe, made in America and they have a lifetime guarantee!

So, that's all I have to say about Tervis and how awesome I think they are- not to mention I absolutely love my zebra print with fuchsia travel lid. They haven't paid me for my opinion, and that is exactly what this post is, my opinion. :)

HaPpY NeW YeAr!!

2011-12-31T16:42:00.000-08:00

2012 is literally less than 6 hours away here... I'm happy to share with you an idea to possibly throw together for your family to start a new tradition. A New Years Time Capsule!! :) How cool is that?? Click here to see what I'm talking about. :)

When I was buying the supplies (cookie tin, scrapbook paper & party favor pads of paper) for my time capsule at Hobby Lobby the cashier told me about an idea on Pinterest that she saw and it was a memory jar. I don't have a link for that one, but for our memory jar, I just used stuff leftover from my time capsule and a jar from the recycle bin.

Hope you all have a wonderful new year!

Ideas are swirling in my head...

2011-12-27T21:07:00.000-08:00

I have not one, not two, but three different projects swirling about in my head right now. It is 11 o'clock at night, yet I am busy trying to find a way to get my ideas able to become a reality. I am searching for items that are apparently difficult to obtain. :/ Ugh. Trying to come up with a solution that is feasible so my projects can be easily replicated if so desired. ;)

So... until I find my supplies and have them in my hot little hands, I will bid you adieu.

P.S. I should have one of the supplies in the next day or so, the other should take about a week. Then I will have to come up with the pics for the tutorials. ;)

Homemade Gifts for Moms, Sisters, Girlfriends, Neighbors, etc. :)

2011-12-19T12:10:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been pretty obsessed with sugar scrubs. Seriously. I think that I have a new addiction to the sweet goodness that leaves my skin feeling as soft- if not softer than my 5 year old. How cool is that? :)

Anyhoo... if you don't know what a sugar scrub is, then let me fill ya in real quick. A sugar scrub is a natural exfoliator that you can use on your hands, feet, body - wouldn't recommend your face though, might be too rough/coarse for sensitive areas- to get that extra dry skin off so you can moisturize it into being smooth and silky. The bonus is that these scrubs are very inexpensive and can be whipped up with stuff you have in your kitchen cabinets right now. The basics are sugar and oil. That's it. Easy peasy. Now of course, smelling like oil isn't probably high on your "oh my goodness, I have to make that sugar scrub now!" list but hey- I said it was the basics. ;) That's why you have to add the other ingredients to make it smell super yummy!

If you head over to Brown Eyed Baker's site you can find a delicious recipe for a Brown Sugar and Spice scrub. If you would like something a little more citrus in flavor head on over to Under the Table and Dreaming for her lovely Lemon Scrub- a personal fave of mine.

In case those don't hit the spot for ya, you can go to C & H's website and get three different recipes for sugar scrubs a vanilla, spiced, and another brown sugar one too.

Now... if you haven't found a particular recipe mentioned above to inspire you to go raid your cabinets for some delightful gifts you can seriously whip up in less than 5 minutes, you can always order Erin's e-book A Year of Sugar Scrubs 24 Original Recipes for only $3.99!! I just won a copy of this from Tatertots & Jello, and let me tell ya- it is awesome!! I love how she has different flavors for different times of the year. The Caramel Frappe one, the Pina Colada one... I'm just trying to decide who to give them to! :)

So... if you are running out of time for Christmas gifts or stocking stuffers for the ladies in your life, whip up one of these little jars of pampering goodness. I promise- you won't be sorry. :)

Super Cool Earrings!

2011-12-01T11:20:00.001-08:00

These are seriously super incredibly easy to make!

Here's the link from a lady I found through a Pinterest browsing adventure. :) Have I mentioned how much I love that site?? ;)

Here's my spin on them. I decided to make a pair of festive trees. :) Evie's blog has a great tutorial for a more mod looking earring. So hop on over there and make yourself a pair too! :) I whipped these up in about an hour. I used 2 paperclips, some embroidery yarn, beads and a pair of earring wires- all stuff I had on hand. :)

Have a wonderful Christmas! :)

Blog is under construction...

2011-11-28T20:16:00.000-08:00

Sorry for all of the mix ups and lack of user friendliness. :^( I am trying to make this more updated and fun. I promise to get it up and running smoothly soon.

Angela

Oh my goodness...

2011-11-26T08:43:00.001-08:00

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to bake, cook, create, etc. My guilty pleasure though, is spicy foods. Every now and then, I get a craving for a sweet treat, but mostly, I'm a savory/spicy kind of gal. My family has moved around a lot in the past few years- so much so, that it seems as soon as we find a restaurant we like to go to, we end up moving away and the process starts all over again. Frustrating. Anyhoo... imagine my squeal of delight to have found a recipe that is pretty darn close to replicating one of my favorite foods in the entire world. Salsa. Huh? Really? Salsa? Yes, salsa.

This salsa reminds me of home, because it is so similar to the kind I used to order in Oregon at my all time favorite Mexican restaurant. I have yet to find a Mexican restaurant that I like even close to the same level in 4 different states- but I digress. My only problem is I can't have enough tortilla chips on hand for that spicy, red deliciousness. I usually and up snacking away on the tortillas and salsa before my meal arrives causing me to have no room for my dinner. You know what I'm talking about! ;) ha ha

So... where is the recipe? Here. That's where. This is the best tasting homemade salsa that my taste buds have ever had the pleasure of tasting. Seriously. It is so inexpensive and you'll see how ridiculously simple this is to make, you will never, ever, ever buy a store brand jarred salsa again. This is the type of salsa that you can eat literally from the bowl without chips. Maybe that's just me being a weirdo, but I swear that stuff is addictive! ;) Enjoy!

Go check out Brown Eyed Baker's website for other goodies. She has a ton of recipes, and even better, all of her pictures make you want to go, bake up a storm and eat until your heart's content. Her food is delish, but I'm not so sure how this is going to be on my waistline though. ;)

Dollar Tree Fashion

2011-11-22T09:18:00.001-08:00

So, I recently found Pinterest through one of my friends on Facebook. If you haven't heard of Pinterest, or you haven't had the fun of going through all of the ideas on there, you need to. It is so full of fun ideas that honestly, I'm embarrassed to say I stayed up way too late last night going through 'pins' for inspiration. ;)

Anyhoo... today's project is inspired by a 'pin' that I found fairly early on. It is for a sun catcher ornament thing-a-majig that I had to put my own spin on. These are so simple to make, and you can make a bunch of them for hardly anything. Less than $5 and some time will get you 20 of these little gems to give out as gifts.

If you are making these with children, please use caution. I am going to be making this project with my Girl Scout troop to give to their mothers as Christmas gifts this year and will have them assembled into kits as pictured below.

What you need:

Bag of flat marbles from Dollar Tree

Crimp Cord ends (bag of 20 from Hobby Lobby- on sale for 75 cents; normally $1.47)

2 little coils of Hemp cord (Hobby Lobby- on sale for 75 cents; normally $1.47)

1 pack of Wooden beads 10mm (40 in pack at Hobby Lobby- on sale for 75 cents; normally $1.47)

E-6000 glue or other epoxy (hot glue will not work)

Oven- Preheated to 335 degrees F

Cookie Sheet

Oven mitt/pot holder

Sink or bowl of ice & water (I used my kitchen sink, but a bowl would work too.)

Pliers

Step 1: Place all of your marbles on cookie sheet. Put cookie sheet into oven and bake your marbles for 45 minutes. ** If you are doing this project with a child, please use caution with the hot oven to avoid burns. **

Step 2: When marbles are done "baking," remove from oven and immediately put into ice bath. I literally dumped mine in to my sink from the cookie sheet. Let cool for 10 minutes in water. ** If you are doing this project with a child, please use caution with the hot oven to avoid burns. **

Step 3: Remove marbles from water and dry thoroughly. They should look similar to the photo below. Each marble will crack differently; which adds to the charm. :)

Step 4: Cut your hemp cord into desired lengths. I cut mine into 45" and got about 10 from each coil.

Step 5: Flatten all of your crimp cords. This becomes your bale for your pendant. If you want to purchase bales and skip this step you can. Using the crimp cords is just a more affordable way to make a bunch of bales; since bales are fairly expensive.

Step 6: Place a small amount of epoxy to the flat side of your marble. Place bale on top of epoxy and let cure. Note: If you can't wait for it to dry the 24 hours, wait for at least 1 hour before proceeding, or your bale will not stay in place. :) Your marble pendant should look similar to photo below when complete.

Step 7: Fold hemp cord length in half- first photo below. Thread through bale on marble pendant- second photo below.

Step 8: Thread one of your wooden beads on to the hemp cord- first photo below. Slide bead to the top of your marble pendant- second photo below.

Step 9: Separate hemp cord, thread one more wooden bead on loose end as shown in photo below. You can adjust the length of your necklace at this point; however, make sure to add 1 inch to the length to make sure you have enough cord for the next two steps. :)

Step 10: Tie a knot on loose end. Place a drop of epoxy on knot and slide wooden bead over knot to secure in place.

Step 11: Tie knot on looped end of cord. Make sure it is large enough to slip over wooden bead.

That's it! You're finished!

Repeat process for as many necklaces as you want to make. :)

Hello again! It has been waaaaaayyyy too long! ;)

2011-11-21T20:11:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I have been up to lots of stuff since my last post. We have as a family gone through a crazy, hectic, insane, fill-in-the-blank year. Life is just now starting to settle down nicely, and I feel that I can start up my blog again. Yay! I know that you are all just *so* dang excited! ;)

With that being said, this past year has taught me to be even more frugal with my gifts/crafts. I have a ton of crafting supplies that I have gathered up and pulled out of storage, so I am going to be sharing projects that I have designed and those that are in catalogs that I refuse to pay their hefty price tag on.

So... here's my first project in for-ev-er! I promise to bring up more and post them as regularly as I can.

I didn't photo these before I finished the project, nor did I photo in between steps. It is very easy to do, and if you have ever made a paper hand turkey, this should be a breeze!

Supplies:
1 canvas- mine is 8" x 10" (I bought 2 at Hobby Lobby for $2)
Acrylic paints: Brown, cranberry, orange, yellow, gold, ivory, white and black
Acrylic spray sealer
Sponge paintbrush (the ones that are 25 cents at Michaels or Home Depot)
Detailing paintbrush (narrow bristles)

Step 1: Paint entire canvas ivory. Let dry fully.

Step 2: Paint your husband's entire hand brown. Place you husband's hand on the canvas. Remove hand carefully, to avoid smearing. Let dry fully.

Note: If you don't want to wait for it to dry naturally, a hair dryer on low will work. The entire hand print needs to be dry before proceeding to the next step, or it will pull off of the canvas. :)

Step 3: Paint your fingers cranberry and your palm brown. Place your hand on top of your husband's print and place your fingers according to your own design. Remove hand carefully, to avoid smearing. Let dry fully.

Step 4: Paint your oldest child's fingers orange and their palm brown. Place their hand on top of your print and place their fingers according to your own design. Remove hand carefully, to avoid smearing. Let dry fully.

Step 5: Paint your next child's fingers yellow and their palm brown. Place their hand on top of your oldest child's print and place their fingers according to your own design. Remove hand carefully, to avoid smearing. Let dry fully.

Step 6-??: If you have more than 2 children; continue the pattern of brown palm, colored fingers until all children are printed. Removing hands carefully, to avoid smearing. Letting dry fully.

Step 7: Paint "We are Thankful" across the top of your painting in gold. (I free handed this part.)

Step 8: Paint the outline of your turkey in black to define the head and neck. Let dry.

Step 9: Paint two white dots for eyes. Let dry.

Step 10: Paint beak orange.

Step 11: Paint wattle cranberry.

Step 12: Paint pupils black. Outline beak and wattle with black also.

Step 13: Paint year in corner with gold.

Admire your new Thanksgiving keepsake. :)

That's it!

Trip to Home Depot...

2010-09-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

Any of my friends know how much I *LOVE* going to Home Depot. Yes, I'm a dork, but I love that place! So many things that can be used in so many non-traditional methods- gotta love it! ;)

Anyhoo... on my way there in a few, and hope to have a super cool project to share with y'all later. :)

Coffee Filter Wreath

2010-09-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

As promised, I am posting pics of my wreath. Sorry didn't take any pictures of the process of making it. :/

Overall, this project was very easy (time consuming) and very inexpensive. I only used about 50 coffee white coffee filters, about a yard of 1 1/2" black satin ribbon, some food coloring, a dash of salt and a piece of cardboard from the recycle bin. Total cost of this project $1.50- and I have enough coffee filters left for another wreath. :)

I found that dying the coffee filters worked best by boiling 3 quarts of water with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt in the water, after the water is boiling add the food coloring. Keep in mind the water has to be much darker than what you would expect. My water actually looked black and the filters as I took them out looked almost indigo, but then when they came out of the oven were the lavender color. I just love the way it turned out! So pretty! :)

Alright, now how to make your own wreath...

Supplies:

White coffee filters (natural/brown ones didn't hold the dye right)

Cardboard cut into the wreath shape you want (e.g. round, square, rectangle, etc.)

1 yard of 1 1/2" satin ribbon (or any type you have on hand)

Hot glue gun

Salt

Stew pot

Food coloring

Stove/Oven

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 225 degrees F.

Step 2: Boil 3 quarts of water with 1-2 teaspoons of salt.

Step 3: Add food coloring to desired color. (You might want to test out a filter- you can dye it darker, if you don't like your result. For the lavender color I ended up with, I used a concoction of 25 drops of pink, 30 drops of blue, 35 drops of purple and 20 drops of red.- No wonder the water was black!) ;)

Step 4: Submerge 6-8 coffee filters at at time in your stew pot. Let them soak for about a minute. Keep the pot on low heat to keep the water hot.

Step 5: Carefully remove the coffee filters from the water, and lay them flat on your oven rack.

Step 6: Bake your filters for 2 minutes. Remove from oven. (Your filters should be dry- if not, keep them in for another 30 seconds until they are completely dry.)

Step 7: Repeat Steps 4-5 until you have all of your filters dyed and dried.

Step 8: Take a filter and scrunch it to make your "flower." There is no "right" or "wrong" way to do this, it is a piece of art, and really you can't mess it up. :)

Step 9: Repeat Step 8 until you use all of your filters. (This is the time consuming part.)

Step 10: Take your ribbon and find the center of the top of your wreath, and glue in place. (This will become your hanger and bow later.)

Step 11: Take your cardboard wreath shape and start hot gluing your filter flowers to cover it entirely. (The amount of filters used will vary depending on size.)

Step 12: Tie the ribbon from Step 10 in a knot, then a bow on top of it for decoration. (or just have a ribbon hanger without the bow- whatever you like.)

That's it! :)

6 cups of coffee so far... to kick start a great weekend!

2010-09-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

Waking up at 5am this morning, the need for having a hot cup of coffee in 90+ degree weather seemed like a good idea. ;) So, as I pulled the coffee filter out of the packaging, it hit me. I also had the need to make a coffee filter wreath.

(Ahhh... the season of crafting is about to get fun and exciting over here. Not that it isn't usually, but with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas in quick succession, the need for seasonal craftiness is prime.) ;)

Now, what shape of wreath should I make? Square? Round? I'm thinking of either orange or deep purple with a raven, skulls, etc. Depends on what happens to jump into my cart at Dollar Tree later. ;) I'll post pics once it is done. ;)

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Envelope Saving System

2010-08-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

Living on a budget is a fact of life for many of us lately, but who says you have to look like it?? ;)

I found a great tutorial a few months ago when we decided to use Dave Ramsey's envelope system. Kelleigh has made it even easier for your envelopes to look super cute and stylish. You can download her FREE envelope template and labels to make your own customized envelope system here! :) She also has some amazing templates to make just about anything out of paper! You've gotta check her templates out! :)

Photo from Kelleigh Ratzlaff.com

She shows how you can make it fit right into your wallet, but I personally made mine look more like a book. I tied ribbon through it and it has worked well, although it is pretty worn out now and I am going to make it differently this weekend; I will post those pics later. ;) I've also seen where you can put the 1" metal hoops (you can find them at an office supply store like Office Max, Staples, etc.) where your envelope system is like a binder.

This project is very simple with Kelleigh's envelope template and several scrapbook paper pages from your local craft store- sometimes, you can score 4 or 5 pieces of paper for $1! What a deal!! Grab yourself some ribbon scraps, ric rac (wouldn't that be cute!), organza, buttons, trims - whatever you have around and get crafty! :)

Another state, another move...

2010-07-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

Since it seems that we have a knack for moving every year or so (don't know why- guess we're lucky like that) we are moving again to another state. Although, this time, we've actually lived there before and like it a lot. We're moving to Arizona, so for my loyal readers I will begin posting when the boxes of crafts are unloaded and bring some wonderful-ness to you all. I am thinking of even doing a giveaway that will be really cool- promise. :)

On that note, I will sign off for now, and see you all in about 10 days.

Craziness of Life

2010-06-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

I've been officially "offline" for almost 2 months with a nasty computer virus that I have finally been able to contain, but also officially off of my foot for most of that time too. Why? (in case you want to know) I broke my right tibia and fibula on April 28th and had to have surgery to repair it. One titanium plate, eight screws later, complete cabin fever, and lots of hours of physical therapy; I'm hoping to be able to craft and blog here again very soon.

Since I haven't been able to drive either (hopefully I'll get cleared in 9 days) I haven't been able to get supplies; a lot of stuff that needs just a bit more to complete. Drives me crazy- or maybe that's the cabin fever talking. Regardless, I will do what I can to get some projects up for the summer for some fun and excitement- I know my kiddos can't wait.

I hope that all of you are having a great summer and enjoying the nice warm weather, and I will post again later.

On-line Coupons through retailmenot.com

2010-04-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

This isn't a crafting project today, but I have to share this with you all. I am always looking for a good deal, and it has become a sort of game for me to see how much I can save- trying to beat my last purchase- yes I know I'm a dork. ;) I put the "saved" money in a fund and we as a family use it for vacations, unexpected costs, and other items, etc.

In the last 2 weeks this site has saved our family over $200! We bought our stuff online, and got free shipping, heavily discounted prices (even from the ones they have one the merchandiser's site- which are lower than any store in town) and have been extremely happy with the products when they got here. :) All you have to do is search for what you're either buying online or locally (just enter your zip code for local deals) and it will populate a list from their database of over 50,000 retailers!

So... I was poking around the site and found they also do grocery coupons, online coupon codes, printable coupons for just about anything you can think of (I haven't navigated through this part entirely) and it is a great resource to save some extra cash! :)

So before you confirm your purchase online, enter a code (sometimes you can enter more- we have entered 2 before- free shipping *and* 25% off for 1 purchase- saved us over $145) or print up some coupons before you head to your local retailer. Easy peasy- less than 10 seconds could save you a bunch of money- now I'm starting to sound like a reptile on TV... ha ha :)

Have a great weekend!

Something new is about to begin! :)

2010-04-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been busy making baby shower presents for some of my girlfriends, so I haven't been able to craft with the kiddos as much. I know, that isn't much of a reason, but I have to get my "To-Do" list down to a few instead of a couple of pages long. ;) I promise to share at least one super cute project for Mother's Day. :)

Anyhoo... as for the something new about to begin? I'm setting up an Etsy shop to sell some of the quilts I've made. Right now, I only will have custom baby quilts - larger sizes will be available later or by request.

I will keep you all posted, but I'm really excited and can't wait to share with you all! :)

Spring Purse! :)

2010-04-16T16:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was inspired by the warm spring (finally!) weather we've been having to make myself a purse. So... I surfed the web and came across several tutorials on how to make one for yourself. Finally I settled on a cute little bag that I found the pattern for FREE here on the blog Made by Rae.

She has some great stuff on her blog, and her pattern is super easy to follow. I do recommend you look through the pattern before you begin, and have her pictures handy to make sense of some of her wording. :)

This project was relatively inexpensive too! *Bonus* :) You will need 2 fat quarters one for the exterior and one for the lining (or you can buy 2/3 yard of fabric). Jo-Ann's has their fat quarters on sale for 99 cents until tomorrow (didn't realize the sale ends tomorrow- but even so, fat quarters are max $1.99 there) and all of their Dritz hardware is 50% off too- so you can get two magnetic snaps for about $2.50 which makes 2 purses with a final cost about $7! :)

Yay!! Not bad for a unique bag for the spring. :)

The finished dimensions of my bag are 11" x 7" and has a 10" drop. :)

Groupon!!!

2010-04-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

This place is awesome! If you haven't checked out Groupon yet; you *have* to do it! You can get some screamin' deals on stuff you would normally buy anyway- but for about half the price or better in some cases!! *Bonus* :)

If you're not sure if they are in your area, you can click on the tab that says "Visit More Cities" to see if they are near you or near a city you might be vacationing in this summer - if they aren't you can always send them an e-mail requesting they come to your area! :)

Hope you all have a great week! :)

Egg-cellent project for this weekend

2010-03-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

Sorry couldn't help myself with that comment. ;)

I am procrastinating, no wait, I'm diligently preparing my house for my out of state guests... ;)

Well, I am going to share with you another blog idea, from Char she has some really creative stuff and tutorials on her site. When you have a few minutes, or if you're just procrastinating (unlike me- lol) look around her site. Click on the picture or here to go directly to her egg project.

Her latest creation is super easy and should be fun for you to do with your kiddos this weekend in time for Easter egg hiding on Sunday. :) I love the way her eggs turned out; the contrast between the colors and white is super cool. You could probably even dye them one color, apply the rubber cement and dip them again for a two-tone/multicolored egg. So much fun! :)

Have a great day!

What to do, what to do...

2010-03-29T20:28:00.001-07:00

I am going to *try* and put up some projects this week; however, I have family coming to visit from out of state tomorrow and several other appointments that will make it difficult to do any crafting of greatness. :/

With that disclaimer, I will really try to get some crafting done, because:

a. I will need to do something to keep me busy

b. I will need something to keep the kids busy for their spring recess

c. both a and b

Yeah, the correct answer is "c"... I will try to post, but not promising it will be done at a decent hour. ;)

Have a great week everyone!

Winner! :)

2010-03-28T09:04:00.001-07:00

The contest has ended and we have a winner!! :)

**drum roll please **

(sorry for the grainy pic, screen capture sized down to fit)

The lucky winner is commenter #2- Stacie

Congratulations!!

Thank you to all of you who participated. This was so much fun! I am going to have another giveaway soon!

So keep checking back to find out when! :)

A family tree of a different kind...

2010-03-27T22:10:00.000-07:00

I saw this project on a blog that I follow and just *have* to share it with you. You can either click on the picture above or here to see how to do this fun project!

You all know I love any project that incorporates kids, and this project couldn't be done without them! :)

I have some canvas pieces, burlap and some fabric that has just found its new inspiration. I'll post pictures of our family trees later this week. :)

Have a great day! :)

Last day for contest!! :)

2010-03-27T12:25:00.000-07:00

If you haven't signed up already, today's the last chance to do so before the contest ends tonight at 11:59 MST.

Even if you have posted a comment, if you post again, I will give you another entry. This contest is super easy to enter, and your chances are good if you have multiple entries! :) Just click here and leave a comment! :)

Good Luck! I'll post the winner tomorrow!

Dollar Tree + Hobby Lobby +$3 = 2 unique pieces of art!

2010-03-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

Not that I need any excuse to go to Dollar Tree, but... I have found several picture frames there that just needed some where to go, and it might as well be my wall. ;)

I was inspired by so many of the blogs out there that have silhouettes, and thought that I could do something a little more colorful than the traditional black and white silhouette; with that thought that's exactly what I did with the following project. This project seriously only cost me $3 between Hobby Lobby's 50% off sale on scrapbook paper and Dollar Tree's frames- even if Hobby Lobby didn't have the sale, it would only have been $4. :)

Well... here they are- compliments of Dollar Tree and Hobby Lobby -which I can't believe I *haven't* been there before today. That place is awesome! So many possibilities! ;) I even bought some fabric there for a wallet that I'm going to post here in a few days- as soon as I finish my 4 sewing projects in-progress that are in front of it... ;)

Supplies:
1 sheet of black scrapbook paper
1 sheet of red print scrapbook paper
2 birdhouse picture frames
2 pics of kiddos (silhouettes)

Roll of Masking tape (not pictured)
Scissors (not pictured)

Step 1: Cut out most of picture surrounding your kiddo (or whatever else you are silhouetting). Note: Leave some border, for the next step, you can see what I mean in the photo shown in Step 2.

Step 2: Tape picture to black scrapbook paper by making a loop with the tape then sandwiching the picture and black scrapbook paper together.

Step 3: Carefully cut out your kiddo's silhouette. (I don't have the expensive cutting machine, so I did mine the old fashioned way. ) ;)

Step 4: Cut the background paper to fit the frame. (I used the glass to measure it for an accurate fit.) Forgot to take a picture of this step. :/

Step 5: Center your black paper silhouette on your background paper.

Step 6: Put in frame. Enjoy your unique one of a kind piece of art! :)

That's it!

Two more days left!

2010-03-26T08:20:00.001-07:00

I'm really excited about the amount of people checking out the blog. Here is a picture of what you're signing up to win!

You will get 3 of these adorable hair ties for you or any special little girl in your life. All you have to do is comment on the link below by tomorrow (Saturday) by 11:59pm MST and you're entered! It's that easy!

Let me know what color(s) you would like for your prize! If you have your friends come over and comment have them let me know that too, because that becomes a *bonus* entry for you!! Also, if you post it on your Facebook, Twitter, your own blog you get *bonus* entries for each of those too. Just remember to post a comment on the link below also to let me know so you get credit for them. :)

Here's the link to the contest.

Good luck!! :)

Check out another giveaway! :)

2010-03-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

Kristen's Custom Creations is giving away a necklace and book combo. It is one of my favorite books to read to my kids. I love this book, it is so precious. The link is here to her site, check it out and make sure to tell your friends too! :)

Bonus entry for first giveaway!

2010-03-24T18:39:00.000-07:00

Several more ways to get entered into the contest...

Option 1:
If you get a friend to post a comment on here *and* have them mention who they heard about my blog from (gotta give credit where credit is due!) you will get an additional entry (per friend)for the hair tie giveaway!! :) This one is fun, because both you *and* your friend get an entry! :)

Option 2:
If you link my blog to your Facebook, Twitter, your own blog, you will also get an additional entry per media method!! Make sure to leave a comment letting me know what you've done (Facebook, Twitter, etc) so I can have it counted properly. :)

The potential to have several entries is very easy and simple... which means more chances to win! :)

Here's the link to the giveaway for easy posting. :)

Have a great evening everyone!!

If I can get 50 followers by this weekend March 28th...

2010-03-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

Contest has ended. Come back soon for another giveaway!

**** Freebie Alert!! ****

I will give away 3 hair ties for your little girl or for yourself!

Follow me on here and leave a comment with the color combinations you would like.

I just had someone let me know of another option for this freebie... they can be made into a headband if hair is too short for a hair tie or barrette. We can figure this out if need be with the winner later! :)

I will post the winner on this Sunday, March 29th. :)

Good luck!!

Super easy dress

2010-03-22T17:42:00.001-07:00

I am really excited to share this project with you! This is a dress that I have been making for my daughter for years. I have modified it as she has grown and will do my best to let you know what you will need for each size up to a girl's size 8- if the size you want isn't listed, let me know and I'll let you know what amount of fabric/cuts you will need. These are so easy to make, they take about 1 hour-uninterrupted ;) so you can make a few of 'em to match for Easter, pictures or just playing around during nap time. :)

The hair tie is a newer idea that I found a similar idea on another blog, but hers was for a pin and you had to sew the layers; like I said similar, but different. The tutorial for the hair tie is posted here.

Make sure to read through the directions first before beginning, if you have any questions let me know and I'll clarify. Some of the steps do not have pictures, because I was unable to capture it properly. I'm also assuming you know how to sew a little bit to do this project.

Alright enough writing... ready to make a dress like this?

Here are the supplies you will need:

1 t-shirt/onesie in child's size (long or short sleeved- I used long sleeved today, but have made it with short sleeves and tank tops for summer)

Coordinating fabric (amount will vary on size of dress- see chart below)

Size Chart/Yardage needed: **Note: this will make your skirt 1 solid color/print **
0-6 months: 1/2 yard
6-12 months: 2/3 yard
12-24 months:1 yard
2T-3T: 1 yard
4T-5T: 1 1/4 yards
6-6x: 1 1/3 yards
7-8: 1 1/3 yards

Not pictured:
Sewing machine

Scissors or rotary cutter

Cutting mat (optional but used if you have rotary cutter)

Measuring tape/ruler/Shape cut- plastic guided cut ruler (not sure the technical name, but this is what I used- see photos below)

Iron

Here we go!! :)

Step 1: Cut your fabric for correct size listed below. Save your remnants for hair tie, if desired. **Note: I usually cut the widths 7", 8", 8", 10, 10" , etc. first the entire width of the fabric along the length of the fabric and then trim them to size. **

Size Chart/Layer width & length and amount needed of each:
0-6 months: (1) 2"x 25", (2) 3" x 22", (2) 5" x 24"
6-12 months: (1) 3"x 25", (2) 4" x 22", (2) 6" x 24"
12-24 months:(1) 4"x 25", (2) 5" x 22", (2) 7" x 24"
2T-3T: (1) 5"x 25", (2) 6" x 22", (2) 8" x 24"
4T-5T: (1) 6"x 25", (2) 7" x 22", (2) 9" x 24"
6-6x: (1) 7"x 25", (2) 8" x 22", (2) 10" x 24"
7-8: (1) 8"x 25", (2) 9" x 22", (2) 11" x 24"

You will end up with 5 rectangles when completed: (1) small/top layer, (2) medium/middle layer and (2) large/bottom layer.

Step 2: Sew with 1/2" seam the (2) medium pieces (short sides) together to make (1) long continuous piece.

I am making a size 6-6x dress, the length of this piece is now 8" x 51". **Actual length will vary due to size of dress.**

Step 3: Sew with 1/2" seam the (2) large pieces (short sides) together to make (1) long continuous piece.

I am making a size 6-6x dress, the length of this piece is now 10" x 77". **Actual length will vary due to size of dress.**

Step 4: Prepare to cut your shirt. Read chart below photo before proceeding to Step 5.

Size Chart/ length needed:
0-6 months: 4"

6-12 months: 5"

12-24 months: 6"

2T-3T: 7"

4T-5T: 8"

6-6x: 9"

7-8: 10"

Step 5: From top of shoulder, measure down (from chart above) length and cut shirt. Set shirt aside for Step 12. *Save remnant for hair tie, if desired. **

Step 6: Take your largest width rectangle (10" in my case) and your medium width rectangle (8" in my case). Line up your width edges as shown below. Pin in place. Repeat for opposite end.

Step 7: Pleat your longer/bottom layer to the medium/middle layer. (This will make the lower part of your skirt.) Pin in place. Sew with 1/2" seams.

Step 8: Take your smallest width rectangle (7" in my case) and your medium width rectangle (8" in my case). Line up your width edges as shown below. Pin in place. Repeat for opposite end.

Step 9: Pleat your medium/middle layer to the small/top layer. (This will make the upper part of your skirt.) Pin in place. Sew with 1/2" seams.

Step 10: Fold skirt in half, pin in place. See photo below for clarification.

Step 11: Sew edge of skirt. You should now see what your skirt to the dress will look like. :)

Step 12: Take your t-shirt from Step 5, and place neck first into your skirt. **Note: The bottom of your shirt is going to be sewn to the top of your skirt. ** See photos below for clarification.

Step 13: Pleat your small/top layer to the t-shirt or onesie. (This will make the upper part of your skirt.) Pin in place. Sew with 1/2" seams.

Step 14: Turn dress right side out. Hem and pin bottom layer to desired length. Iron to hold crease.

Step 15: Sew bottom hem.

That's it! :)

*******

You can make this with 2 different colors of fabric with a coordinating fabric in the middle; the yardage chart for that is below. You make the dress exactly the same way, except your fabrics are different colors.

Two-color Option:
Size Chart/Yardage needed (top/bottom, middle): **Note: this will make your skirt different colors: top and bottom layer match with different/coordinating print for middle layer **

0-6 months: 1/3 yard, 1/6 yard
6-12 months: 1/2 yard, 1/3 yard
12-24 months: 1/2 yard, 1/3 yard
2T-3T: 2/3 yard, 1/3 yard
4T-5T: 2/3 yard, 1/2 yard
6-6x: 1 yard, 1/2 yard
7-8: 1 yard, 1/2 yard

Matching hair tie

2010-03-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

Now that you have a dress, here's a cute hair tie to make and match your creation! :)

This is how to make the hair tie to match your Super Easy Dress. :)

Supplies:

Fabric scraps from the dress (t-shirt & cotton print)

1 rubber elastic band

Scrap of craft felt (about the size of a half dollar)

3 cookie cutters (I bought mine at Jo-Anns; they came in a package of 6 for $1.99; if you don't have the cookie cutters, you only need 3 of the same shapes that are small, medium and large)

Not pictured:

Hot glue gun (I used a low-temp one for this project)

Pins

Scissors

Step 1: Fold one of your fabric scraps (this will be used for your largest size shape) into fourths.

See photos below for any clarification.

Step 2: Repeat Step 1 for other fabric scraps. You should have 3 squares that are large enough for your large, medium and small shape.

Step 3: Trace your shape onto your fabric with a pen.

Step 4: Cut out each of your shapes. Note: it is easier to cut all 4 shapes when the layers are pinned together. You won't have to cut each shape out 4 times. :)

Step 5: Fold each of your shapes into fourths. See photo below for clarification.

Step 6: Place a drop of glue near the center of each of the fourths to hold its shape.

Step 7: Arrange your shapes, to where it looks like the original "whole" shape. Note: I left mine spaced apart so you could see what I mean.

Step 7: Cut your scrap of craft felt into a circle. Approximately the size of a half dollar.

Step 8: Place a drop of glue into the center of the circle, and arrange your large shapes with no spaces between them. See photos below for clarification.

Step 9: Place a drop of glue into the center of the circle, and arrange your medium shapes with no spaces between them, rotate the shapes 90 degrees; so you won't have a space between each seam and layer, and have it look like it is four separate pieces. See photo below for clarification.

Step 10: Place a drop of glue into the center of the circle, and arrange your smallest shapes with no spaces between them; rotate the shapes 90 degrees so their seams line up with the larger shapes below. See photos below for clarification. (Sorry the photo is so dark, but you can see what I'm trying to say best in this photo as far as the rotation goes.)

Step 11: Use another scrap of your middle layer fabric and make a knot. Trim the ends off.

Step 12: Place a large dot of hot glue into the center of your shape, place knot from Step 11 on it and press in place.

Step 13: Turn over shape, place a large drop of glue in center and place rubber elastic band in glue. Rotate to have glue cover rubber elastic band completely. Note: let glue completely cool and dry before putting in hair. I don't think that anyone would put this in their hair while still setting, the low-temp glue gun takes about 10 minutes to completely cool.

That's it! :)

Library Totes! :)

2010-03-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

My kids absolutely love going to the library. We end up with at least a dozen books by the time we leave between the three of us. Trying to manage the kids and balance the books getting to the car without dropping anything is what inspired this project. :)

This is the book I saw a similar project in, (from the library) and it was to show kids pointillism and the project was a flag. I thought what a great idea!! Plus, it could easily make other items too! :) Thus, the library tote hatched in my head and now you can make one too!

Supplies:
1 large canvas tote bag per project (I bought 3 at Jo-Anns for $3; used my 40% off coupon; they are usually $5)

80 grit sandpaper sheets (Home Depot for the project, but found some at Dollar Tree last night)

Carbon paper (this was tricky to find- I found it at Staples; only needed if you are tracing letters from a printed page)

Cookie cutters

Crayons

Scissors

Pen

Iron (not pictured)

Step 1: Trace letters for personalization on to back of sandpaper (rough side down) using carbon paper to make them exact. Note: the rough side of the sandpaper must be down for this project to work. Also, the letters will look backwards when you look at the rough side.

Step 2: Trace cookie cutter shapes on to back of sandpaper.

When you are finished tracing shapes/letters it should look like this.

Step 3: Cut sandpaper shapes out carefully.

Step 4: Arrange shapes/letters on bag to see if you need more.

Step 5: Color the rough side of the sandpaper in any way you like. Note: Make sure to color hard and thoroughly or the color will not transfer fully. :)

Step 6: Arrange colored shapes rough side down on your canvas bag.

Step 7: Iron shapes in place. Similar to when you would iron on a patch. **Note: This step should be completed by an adult to prevent child from burning themselves. **

Step 8: Carefully remove your shapes/letter to see if the color has fully transferred. Repeat this step if necessary.

That's it!!

Enjoy the tote, it could also be used for grocery bags. :)

Technological Difficulties! >^/ grrrrr

2010-03-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

Alright, it seems that my computer has decided to wage war against me or at least my bank account. Why this computer has decided to not like me anymore and make my life miserable is beyond me. I treat it well, take it in for tune-ups, no downloads filled with viruses and Trojans, my protection software is updated each week... why oh why must it hate me so? ;)

Anyhoo... my desktop has decided to not like my photo cards (I've tried several) and will not allow me to upload my photos. My laptop has the Internet/Ethernet port broken so I can't use it either- that's a whole 'nother story. :/ So... I can't post a blog with instructions/photos until I figure this out.

I am working on it. Until then hopefully the weather near you is beginning to look a lot like Spring! It is here finally! Enjoy the sunshine!!

Tonight's project! :)

2010-03-15T14:54:00.001-07:00

This is not my idea, but I am sharing it with you all because I absolutely *LOVE* it and it is perfect for the Easter season and can even carry over for a year round decoration. :)

One of the local blogs that I follow is Tatertots and Jello; Jen has amazing ideas for decorating and you can usually make her projects with items laying around the house or in your craft room. Jen was vacationing in Hawaii so she had several guest bloggers do posts for her, this project is from one of her guest posters Erin and I am finishing up mine tonight. :) Her directions are really simple and easy to follow, she has pictures to show her steps as well.

I'll post pics of mine later... anyhoo... here is the link to the Egg Book Wreath on Tatertots and Jello's blog.

Sorry for all of you book lovers, because 1 book was sacrificed for this art project. :(

Supplies Needed for her project:
1 wreath- either foam, grapevine, etc- not the fir tree kind; although that could be cool too... (Found at Dollar Tree)

50 mini plastic fillable Easter eggs (I found mine at Winco for 88 cents; she found hers at Hobby Lobby)

1 book (Deseret Industries 50 cents)

Mod Podge (Michaels is where you can buy it- I've had mine forever, so can't remember how much it was)

Sponge paintbrush to apply Mod Podge
Scissors

Ribbon to match the wreath size- or your own personal preference. :)

That's it!

Now have fun crafting your wreath and make sure to send her pics of your finished project! :)

Personalized Pillowcases!!

2010-03-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

Alright, personalizing pillowcases is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when having something personalized for a kid. However, I made these for both of my kids about a month ago, and this is the *only* pillowcase they use since then. The flannel gets softer and softer with each wash and they just *love* them. :)

Ok, enough of how cool they are... ;) Here's how to make 'em!

Finished size is that of a standard size pillow: approximately 29” x 20”

Supplies:

1 yard fabric of your choice (preferably a print- the farm equipment)

1/3 yard coordinating fabric of your choice (preferably a solid- light blue)

1/3 yard fusible paper backed interfacing (the kind that makes your fabric into a sticker- if you're not sure what this is, ask a person who works there)

1 skein of embroidery floss (I use white usually, but you can pick any color to match fabric)

Step 1: Pre-wash all of your fabrics and dry as you would normally do your wash. Note: Do not wash/dry your fusible interfacing! :)

Step 2: Iron your fabric to get any wrinkles that may have occurred during the laundering process. Cut away any of the frayed strings on the ends of your fabric.

Step 3: Fold each fabric in half lengthwise. They should each be approximately the same length that you began with.

Step 4: Cut your main fabric color in to a 25 1/2” x 20 1/2” rectangle on the fold. Note: your actual rectangle will be: 25 1/2” x 41” if you opened it up. Keep scraps for Step 6.

Step 5: Cut your coordinating fabric in to a 9” x 20 1/2” rectangle on the fold. Note: your actual rectangle will be: 9” x 41”.

Step 6: Trace your letters of desired name on your fusible interfacing- shiny side up. Note: Do not cut them out yet. Leave them whole. It makes it easier to iron on later.

Step 7: Preheat your iron to correct setting. Note: You will have to look at the directions on your fusible interfacing; it can vary from cotton to wool setting. If you make it too hot, the interfacing will not work properly and ruin your fabric.

Step 8: Iron your fusible interfacing to the fabric; your fabric from Step 4 is used here. Put the fabric face down (you will be looking at the back of it) and iron your fusible interfacing also face down (the shiny side will be touching the back of your fabric scrap) until completely adhered to one another. This should take no more than 90 seconds per letter. Let cool completely- about a minute. If your iron is not on the cotton setting, put it on there now so it is pre-heated for Step 12.

Step 9: Cut your letters out carefully.

Step 10: Take your fabric rectangle from Step 4 and fold in half width-wise. Note: your actual rectangle will now be: 25 1/2” x 20 1/2”. This is the main body of the pillow. Place aside for use in Step 14.

Step 11: Take your fabric rectangle from Step 5 and fold in half length-wise. Note: your actual rectangle will now be: 4 1/2” x 20 1/2”. This is now the coordinating edge of your pillowcase.

Step 12: Carefully peel away the paper backing on your letters and center your letters on your pillowcase’s coordinating edge to desired positions. Iron in place. Note: I placed mine so the name faces toward the edge of the pillow.

Step 13: Use the embroidery floss to sew the letters permanently in place. You could use your machine if you wanted to; but I like the look of this better; whatever your personal preference is it will look just fine. :) Note: Be careful, you don’t want to go through both sides of this; it is easier to do this if you open the coordinating rectangle, at this point.

Step 14: Now that the name placement is completed, fold the rectangle again like in Step 11 and place on top of the fabric rectangle from Step 10 with the correct sides (pretty sides) facing each other and pin together.

Step 15: Sew together along pinned edge. Note: You should have a rectangle that is approximately 29 1/4” x 20 1/2”folded width-wise.

Step 16: Pin bottom and side of rectangle and sew. Note: Your pretty sides should still be facing each other.

Turn right-side out when complete. That’s it!! :)

Alphabet for tomorrow's project...

2010-03-06T22:14:00.000-08:00

These are the letters that I used for the project. If you have Microsoft Word on your computer, it is the "Poornut" font sized to 200. I then went to font options and chose the "outline" for them to make them look like this.

If you don't have this font, and would like to have these in a PDF format, send me an email or leave a comment and I will send it to you as an e-mail attachment.

Fun for tomorrow!

2010-03-06T19:50:00.001-08:00

I can't wait to share this next project with you! Lately, I've been on a bit of a monogram and personalization kick, and try to do as much of it as possible on my more recent projects. ;) I remember hearing somewhere along the way that the "sweetest sound to most ears is the sound of their own name being pronounced correctly" so having an item with your name on it must be cool too. Right?

My daughter has several friends that have uncommon names, and finding a personalized gift for them has been a bit of a challenge. So, I like to face any challenge and conquer it, thus the project for tomorrow. :)

Homework for tomorrow's project is as follows: (This will make only 1 project)
1. Purchase the following items:
1 yard fabric of your choice (preferably a print)
1/3 yard coordinating fabric of your choice (preferably a solid)
1/3 yard fusible paper backed interfacing (the kind that makes your fabric into a sticker- if you're not sure what this is, ask a person who works there)
1 skein of embroidery floss (I use white usually, but you can pick any color to match fabric)

I hope your evening is relaxing and look forward to some fun crafting tomorrow!

Sorry, for the lack of posts

2010-03-05T15:27:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, I have had several health issues that have hit me beginning around Christmas of last year and have been on-going. I hope things work out soon; and once they do, I promise to post plenty of projects for you to do with your little ones. :)

Until then, I found a project that I absolutely love and want to share it with you. The project even if you had to go out and purchase all of the supplies would be less than $5 and you could make a dozen of these rose barrettes. :)

These are so simple to put together- this barrette only took me 5 minutes to complete from beginning to end. I had my daughter cut out the patterns (available for download on the purlbee site) after I drew them on the felt, and then stitched them up for her. Quick and easy project that can be done with your child, for your child or niece, birthday present for a little girl, etc. You could easily modify this for a headband or brooch too. Enjoy!! :)

Sorry for the lack of projects this past week or so.

2009-12-30T09:38:00.000-08:00

I have had some health issues of my own this past week that have not allowed for me to do much crafting. I will try to get some up in the next day or so for New Years projects.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and that 2010 has good health and prosperity for you and your family.

Corker Bows

2009-12-18T20:18:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun gathering up supplies for projects to do this weekend! :) I was at a specialty store, and they had the cutest gift tags and I thought they could be re-purposed in an even cuter way- and a corker bow began to take shape in my head. ;)

My daughter loves to wear these fun curly ribbon creations, and this one is festive; but can be modified to be worn all year long. :)

Supplies:
1 large bell (the gift tags came 3 in a pack- only use 1 per corker)
Ribbon:
1/4" red satin ribbon (2 yards)
1/4" green satin ribbon (2 yards)
1/2" "jingle bells" white satin ribbon (1 yard)
1/2" silver ribbon (1 yard)
1 2-1/4" hair barrette (these are at Michael's- 20 for $2.99- by the jewelry findings)

Tools:
aluminum foil
hot glue gun
assorted diameter dowels (you can get these at any craft store- even Wal-Mart has them in their craft section)
Pre-heated oven to 250 degrees F

Step 1: Take any one of your ribbons and wrap around dowel until all ribbon is wrapped. See photo below. (I have found it easier to bind the ribbon with tinfoil and it won't damage your ribbon when you bake it.)

Step 2: Repeat Step 1 for remaining ribbons.

Step 3: Bake all ribbons in your pre-heated oven for 20 minutes.

Step 4: Remove ribbons from oven, cool (about 5 minutes) and remove dowels. Should look like photo below.

Step 5: Trim your ribbons to desired lengths and pattern them how you like.

Step 6: Cut a piece of one of your ribbons to tie in the middle of your curly ribbon lengths. See photo below for clarification.

Step 7: Tie a knot with the ribbon from Step 6.

Step 8: Remove all of the gift tag paper from your bell.

Step 9: Thread your bell through the ribbon you tied in the middle. See photo below.

Step 10: Tie a knot to secure your bell in place.

Step 11: Place a drop of glue in the middle of your barrette. Quickly place the knot you made securing your bell and middle of the ribbons on the glue.

That's it!

This is what it looks like in her hair.

Below is another corker that I made for her using all different widths of ribbon.

This really can be made with any ribbons and any color combination. Be creative- if you find something that you love, you can make the corker match it; or you can match an outfit. I've made these for her soccer teams to use during games, they go together very quickly, and become addictive. :)

Sorry, no craft project tonight (Thursday, Dec. 17th)

2009-12-17T16:34:00.000-08:00

I was busy at the local craft stores here and time has slipped away from me today. I will post 2 projects tomorrow and have a few for the weekend. Have a good night! :)

Candy Cane Reindeer

2009-12-16T15:25:00.001-08:00

This project brings back so many childhood memories. :) My mom used to make these with my younger sister and I to give away as gifts to friends in school. Now my own little girl is going to continue the tradition and pass them on to her entire class Friday. :)

This is a very inexpensive project for a classroom- it could even be done as a classroom take-home project. I bought the candy canes at Wal-Mart for 88 cents; the rest of the items I bought at Michael's. The pom poms have 100 in the package for $2.49, the 7mm wiggley eyes were on sale for $1.49 and have 282 in the package, the chenille stems have 25 in the package for 99 cents.

If you wanted to make more than 1 dozen reindeer, you would have to buy 1 package of chenille stems for each 1 package of candy canes; you have enough pom poms to make 100 reindeer and enough eyes for 141 reindeer. :)

Supplies (will make 12 reindeer)
1 box of the larger candy canes- we used peppermint, but any flavor would work for this
1 package of beige chenille stems (pipe cleaners) you could also use dark brown (or any color- red, green, white, black, etc.)
1 package of 7mm wiggley eyes
1 package of 10mm red pom poms (you can use any color- I've used different colors with different candy canes to make them coordinate.)

Tools:
Glue
Scissors

For 1 reindeer you will need:
1 candy cane
2 chenille stems
2 wiggley eyes
1 pom pom

Step 1: Fold one of your chenille stems in half.

Step 2: Hook your candy cane through your folded in half chenille stem. Refer to photo below.

Step 3: Twist your chenille stem (like a bread bag twist tie) until secure, should be about 3 times.

Note: Make sure you twist close to the candy cane, but be careful not to snap the candy cane.)

Step 4: Bend each half in half again. (It should look like rabbit ears.)

Step 5: Twist each of your chenille stem halves (like a bread bag twist tie) until it is entirely twisted. Refer to picture.

Step 6: Take the remaining chenille stem, cut in half. Cut each half in half. You should have 4 pieces that are the same size.

Step 7: Fold each of the 4 pieces from Step 6 in half.

Step 8: Place one of the folded pieces from Step 7 around one of your chenille stems. Refer to photo below for clarification. Twist this smaller piece (like a bread bag twist tie) in place.

Step 9: Repeat Step 8 only this time place smaller stem higher on the same side. This is your reindeer's antler on one side.

Step 10: Repeat Step 8 and Step 9 for the other side. Refer to picture for clarification.

Step 11: Glue your eyes and nose in place.

That's it! :) 1 down... 23 more to go! ;)

How to crochet... part 2 of 2

2009-12-15T20:55:00.000-08:00

Today's tutorial is broken in to 3 different sections. I used different yarn in the pictures to show you the difference. :) If you have any questions or need clarification, e-mail me or post a comment and I'll do my best to answer it for you. :)

Single Crochet
Step 1: Finish your chain stitch row to desired stitch length. Add 2 more chain stitches to this number. (Similar to the 3 chain stitches at the end of a row for double crochet.)

Step 2: Insert your hook in to the chain stitch 3rd from the end.

Step 3: Wrap your hook with the yarn, and pull through the chain. It should look like the photo below.

Step 4: Wrap your hook with the yarn. It should look like the photo below.

Step 5: Pull through both of the loops. It should look like the photo below.

Now you have completed a single crochet stitch! :)

Repeat Steps 2-5 for each single crochet stitch row. When you reach the end of your row, make 2 chain stitches and start your next row.

That's it! :)

Now for changing your yarn color...

Changing Colors
This can be done 2 different ways. I am showing you the more challenging version; the other is simple and I will explain it before I proceed with the photos. :)

The simple way is to tie a double knot with your 2 yarn color ends. That way it becomes 1 strand and you proceed as such. This is very easy, the only issue becomes if the ends fray and mix into your stitches with a lump, but you should be able to mesh the two colors together fairly simply with this method.

Now the more difficult way...

You have just finished your double crocheted row of color A (I am doing a peppermint stripe scarf, so color A is red and color B is white) and want to add color B...

Step 1: Make your loop before you begin your 3 chain stitches a little bit larger than normal.

Step 2: Get color B, and wrap your hook with color B and pull through your loop of color A. (You will not have color A on your hook at this point.) It will look like the photos below.

Step 3: Pull color A's yarn tightly, it will close the loop and you will have only color B looped, as if that is the color you just finished your row with. Make your 3 chain stitches and double crochet your row.

Note: If you are going to make the peppermint scarf, you will make 2 rows of each color; if you are going to do another striped version, make sure to have your pattern rows an even number e.g. 4, 6, 8, etc. for this color change method to work.)

Step 4: You just finished 2 rows of color B. Pull color A's yarn back up and through the loop of color B. Refer to pictures below for clarification.

Step 5: Make 3 chain stitches in color A and begin your 5th row of double crochet.

Maintain this pattern (2 rows double crochet of color A; 2 rows of double crochet color B, etc) until you reach the desired length of your project.

The side of your project will look like this:

See the red yarn runs along the white row, and the white yarn runs along the red row, it will continue this pattern for the entire project.

Alright, enough of double crochet and single crochet... time to wrap up that project and finish it off! :)

Finishing

Step 1: Cut your yarn about 6 inches from your finished end. Leave your final loop from your stitch open. See photo below.

Step 2: Pull the end of your yarn though the loop until your loop closes completely.

Step 3: Weave your end of yarn through your other stitches to keep end from fraying and coming loose which can unravel your project. See photos below.

Step 4: Tie a double knot a few stitches back. Trim yarn end off.

That's it!

Have fun!! :)

How to crochet... part 1 of 2

2009-12-14T18:13:00.000-08:00

My daughter has been watching me crochet scarves at night, and asked if she could learn how to crochet too. I learned when I was 5 years old from my grandma, and from then on I was hooked! Making doilies for my grandma on her birthday and of course my dolls had to have blankets and hats. ;) Now, it is my turn to teach my daughter and hopefully I can explain this well enough for any of you who may want to try this out with your daughter too. :)

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to either post a comment for clarification or e-mail me. I will do my best to explain it to you. :)

A very excited little girl with her supplies! :)

Supplies:

1 skein of yarn (She chose the Peaches & Creme yarn- she is going to make a dishrag)

1 crochet hook (Size "F")

Note: Your choice in yarn will determine your crochet hook's size. Look on the paper sleeve to find out what the recommended size is.

Note: These directions are for a right-handed person. I've never tried to crochet left-handed but I would assume you do the same thing.

Step 1: Unwrap your yarn (take the paper sleeve off) and locate the end.

Step 2: Wrap your left thumb with the yarn as shown in the photos below. You will make an "X" on the top of your thumb.

Step 3: Insert your hook through the yarn as shown below.

Step 4: Take the yarn and hang it over your hook.

Step 5: Pull the yarn through the loop. You should end up with a loop (slip knot) with your hook through the loop. See photos for clarification.

Step 6: Wrap your yarn over your hook again, and pull through your loop.

You have just completed a chain stitch! :)

Step 7: Repeat your chain stitch until you reach your desired length, it will resemble a braid.

She did 35 stitches for her dishrag- if you are doing a scarf, it will depend on how wide you want it.

Note: Remember how many stitches you do. You will have to make sure to have that many stitches for each row you complete later on, or your project will become uneven.

Now we are moving on to your double-crochet stitch...

Step 8: Make 3 more chain stitches.

Step 9: Wrap your yarn around your hook.

Step 10: Insert your hook through your chain stitch 'rope' 3 stitches back. See photo for clarification.

Step 11: Wrap your yarn around your hook.

Step 12: Pull hook through your chain.

It should look like the photo below.

Step 13: Wrap your yarn around your hook.

Step 14: Pull your yarn through the first 2 loops. See photo below.

Note: You will have 2 loops remaining.

Step 15: Wrap your yarn around your hook.

Step 16: Pull your yarn through the second 2 loops. See photo below.

Note: You will have 1 loop remaining.

Step 17: Repeat Steps 11-16 sequentially for the rest of your chain. (e.g. 35 times for a dishrag) See photo below.

Step 18: Make 3 chain stitches when you reach the end of your row. See photos for clarification.

It should look like this.

Step 19: Flip your completed row like shown below. Wrap your yarn around your hook.

Step 20: Insert your hook into the top of the last stitch you completed before the 3 chain stitches in Step 18.

Step 21: Complete your double crochet stitches (Steps 11-16) for the rest of your row.

Step 22: Complete Step 19 to finish your 1st row of double crocheted stitches.

Step 23: Begin your 2nd row of double crocheted stitches.

That is all- whew! ;)

Continue your double crocheted rows until you reach the desired length of your project. It will depend on what you are making (e.g. dishrag, scarf, pot holder, doll blanket, etc) where you stop.

The post tomorrow will have finishing off your project, changing yarn colors and a single crochet stitch.

Dough Ornaments

2009-12-13T14:34:00.001-08:00

Today's project was inspired by the cookie baking going on in our house. :) This project does have quite a bit of "down time" between steps; so it can easily be done over two days or early in the morning and then finished later that afternoon.

The dough can be eaten but it tastes really yucky, and I don't think your child will swallow any little bit that may happen to get in to their mouth.

Supplies:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup iodized salt

1 cup water

1 tablespoon canola oil (vegetable oil can be substituted)

Wax paper

Ribbons

Paints

Acrylic Sealer spray

Tools:

Rolling pin

Cookie cutters

Drinking straw

Paint brush

Pre-Heated oven at 200 degrees F

Step 1: Mix flour and salt together, until well combined. I used my stand mixer with the paddle attachment. If you don't have one, you can use a large bowl with a regular electric mixer or you can do this by hand.

Step 2: Slowly add oil to mixture of flour and salt.

Step 3: Slowly add the water to the flour, salt and oil mixture. It will start to look like little peas, and then it will bind together and make a big mass.

Step 4: Let the dough rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Step 5: Place dough between wax paper and roll to 1/4" thick.

Step 6: Use your cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes.

Step 7: Use your straw to make a hole at the top of your shape to hold ribbon later. (You can also use the end of your paintbrush.)

Step 8: Bake ornaments in oven for 2 hours (or until completely dry- will depend on your thickness and size of ornament.)

Step 9: Let ornaments cool completely.

Step 10: Paint your ornaments how you like! :)

Step 11: After ornament's paint is completely dry; spray with acrylic sealer to preserve ornament.

Note: An adult should do this step because of the fumes. Please do this step outside or in a well ventilated area to prevent injury.

Step 12: Thread ribbon through hole at top and tie knot for hanging.

That's it!! :)

Christmas Tree Bell

2009-12-12T18:16:00.001-08:00

I love bells and wind chimes, any time that I can either make one or get a new one, I will do it. ;) Today, my daughter and I made this in less than 15 minutes. Using a hot glue gun makes this project go together really quickly- just be careful with little ones, so they don't burn their fingers with the buttons and hot glue. You can use a thicker craft glue also for younger crafters. :)

Supplies:
1 2-1/2" terra cotta pot (the taller one)
1 3/4" wooden bead
12" silver twine
15 buttons of varying size and color
Green acrylic paint

Tools: (not pictured)
1 paint brush
paint plate
hot glue gun

Step 1: Paint terra cotta pot green. Let dry completely.

Step 2: While paint is drying, fold silver twine in half. Knot end near loose ends, so you will have a loop.

Step 3: Thread wooden bead on to silver twine.

Step 4: Make another larger knot on silver twine. Set aside.
Note: The length can vary; she made hers about 1-1/2" above the wooden bead.

Step 5: Glue buttons on to your "tree" in any fashion you like. (She did the buttons: large first, then medium and finally small.)

Note: If using a hot glue gun for this step, be careful because the glue will come through the buttonholes.

Step 6: Thread silver twine/wooden bead piece from Step 4 through the bottom of tree to the top where the drainage hole is at. Pull through completely. (It will stop from the second knot you made.) Refer to pictures for clarification.

That's it!

Snowman Picture frame

2009-12-12T16:51:00.000-08:00

This project is one that I had for my brother-in-law's 1st grade class last year. This year, I changed it just a little bit, so now instead of only using it for one year, you can use it year after year by changing the picture. :) Hope you enjoy making your indoor snowman with your little ones.

Supplies:
4 wide craft sticks
12" silver twine
1 piece 4" x 4" black fun foam
1 piece 4" x 4" white fun foam
1 pieces 6" x 6" white fun foam
1 piece 1" x 2" orange fun foam
1 photo of your child
White acrylic paint
Black acrylic paint
Scrap of paper (used to make hat template)

Tools needed:
Paint plate
Cotton swab
Paint brush
Scissors
Hot glue gun

Step 1: Make a circle on 1 of the pieces of white fun foam and a square 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" on the other; as shown below.

Step 2: Cut shapes out of white fun foam.

Step 3: Create desired hat shape on scrap of paper.

Step 4: Trace hat pattern on to black fun foam.

Step 5: Cut shape out of black fun foam.

Step 6: Cut triangle shape out of orange fun foam. (This is your snowman's carrot nose.)

Step 7: Pour some black paint on to plate. Use cotton swab to make snowman's eyes and mouth. Let dry completely.

Step 8: Put some white paint on plate. Paint the 4 craft sticks. Let dry completely.

Step 9: Make an "L" shape with 2 of the craft sticks. Glue where the two craft sticks meet.

Step 10: Repeat Step 9 for remaining 2 craft sticks.

Step 11: Make a square frame by connecting the two "L" shapes. Set aside.

Step 12: Glue carrot nose to your snowman's face.

Step 13: Glue your snowman's hat to his head.

Step 14: Fold your silver twine in half. Make a knot about 1/2" from looped end. (This will become part of the hanger for your picture frame. Set aside.

Step 15: Glue your snowman's head to the frame set aside in Step 11.

Step 16: Turn over snowman frame, with head facing away from you. Place 2 drops of glue on the back of the frame as shown below, place 1 end of silver twine (from Step 14) on each drop. See photo for clarification.

Step 17: Glue 3 sides of the 4-1/2"x 4-1/2" white fun foam to back of frame. (This will allow for you to change the photo year after year.)

Step 18: Cut child's photo to fit in frame.

That's it!

Showing off their snowman frames. :)

Jewelry for your Glass...

2009-12-11T21:02:00.001-08:00

I know I promised to have 2 posts tonight, but my camera's battery died. I had to wait for it to charge in between pictures tonight and even then they came out blurry. I will have batteries tomorrow. :/

So... tonight's project is a really easy to make, and you can give them to your girlfriends, hostess, boss, or keep them for yourself for your own holiday gathering! :)

Supplies: This will make a set of 4 goblet rings
4 metal rings with eyelet (I bought these at Michael's- you get several different sizes in one container. Use the largest size for this project. Save the others for something else. You should have enough to make 4 sets in each package.)

16 Glass beads (make sure the hole is large enough for the metal rings)
16 Metal spacer beads (make sure the hole is large enough for the metal rings)
4 charms (again pick any kind you like- customize them to the recipient's taste)

Tools: a pair of pliers (any kind will work- you don't need to have the jewelers/crafting kind; borrow from your hubby's toolbox they work too!)

Note: Pictured below is what you will need for 1 goblet ring.

Step 1: Thread 1 metal spacer bead on to ring.

Step 2: Thread 1 glass bead on to ring.

Step 3: Repeat Step 1 and Step 2.

Step 4: Thread 1 metal enamel charm on to ring.

Step 5: Thread 1 glass bead on to ring.

Step 6: Thread 1 metal spacer bead on to ring.

Step 7: Repeat Step 5 and Step 6.

Step 8: Take pliers and bend end of ring 90 degrees, see picture below.

Note: This will stop the beads from falling off, and allow for the two ends to lock together around stem of glass.

That's it!

Now repeat the entire process for each goblet ring. Below is a picture of the rest of the set in silver and another set in gold.

Sorry, no craft project tonight (Thursday, Dec. 10th)

2009-12-10T17:52:00.000-08:00

Something unexpectedly came up tonight. I will post 2 projects tomorrow instead of 1.

Gumball Machine

2009-12-09T20:20:00.001-08:00

This project can be made to hold candy or anything else you might want to keep in a cute jar. My daughter picked out the "diva pink" paint, and has decided to keep her rubber bands for her hair in it.

Supplies:
1 6" terra cotta pot
1 6" terra cotta saucer
1 1-1/2" wooden knob
1 glass bowl votive holder
Diva Pink paint
Hot Glue gun or epoxy
Ribbon (optional- I didn't picture it below, but did show it used in the last step)

Step 1: Paint inside of saucer. Let dry completely. Apply 2 coats.

Step 2: Paint wooden knob. Let dry completely. Apply 2 coats.

Step 3: Paint outside of pot. Let dry completely. Apply 2 coats.

Step 4: Paint outside of saucer. Let dry completely. Apply 2 coats.

Step 5: Apply hot glue/epoxy to bottom of pot, as shown below. Quickly place glass bowl on top of glue like shown in picture.
Note: This becomes the bottom of your gumball machine.

Step 6: Apply hot glue/epoxy to bottom of saucer, as shown below. Quickly place wooden knob on top of glue like shown in picture.

Note: This will become the lid.

Step 7: (optional) Tie a decorative bow where the glass bowl and the terra cotta pot meet, as shown in picture below.

That's it! :)

Easiest Ever Earrings

2009-12-08T19:03:00.001-08:00

This project is so easy to finish! If you're running to a holiday party and don't have a pair of festive earrings you can whip these up in about 5 minutes! No tools needed! :)

I bought the little ball ornaments at Jo-Ann, they have 27 in a box for about $3. The green lights I bought at Tai Pan Trading for $5 and got 24 in the box. Both places have several color choices if you want to make more than one pair for yourself or give out for gifts to your girlfriends.

Supplies:
1 pair of mini ornaments
1 pair of french hook earrings (match to the metal on your ornament)

Step 1: Take ornament apart. You should have 3 pieces: the ornament itself, the cap and the wire. (I'm going to show you both side by side through the steps.)

Step 2: Thread earring hook's loop through the ornament's wire. (Like you would an ornament hook.)

Step 3: Put your ornament back together.

Step 4: Repeat Step 3 for the other ornament.

That's it! Super easy, super cute and festive! :)

Hairclip Holder

2009-12-07T21:43:00.001-08:00

All of the hair clips I've made in the past few weeks, seem to have been finding themselves everywhere but where they are supposed to be as my daughter gets ready for school each day. So, I have decided to make a place for them to go, that is cute and functional! :)

This project took a lot more time to complete than I had originally expected. Please read through all of the directions before doing this project. If you have any questions about this, please e-mail me or comment on this blog and I will answer you as fast as possible. :)

From beginning to end it took just under 2 hours to complete, but I finished it and even my husband thinks it is "cute." (that was his exact word too!)

Supplies:
1 skein of yarn (choose any color I chose a beige color because my daughter is blond)
1 3" x 5" oval plaque
Paint- I used Americana brand:
Peony Pink
Lamp (Ebony) Black
Snow (Titanium) White
Flesh Tone
True Blue
Honey Brown
Scrap of ribbon (I forgot to take the picture of it)

Hot Glue gun

Step 1: Paint the oval plaque Flesh Tone.

Step 2: Measure out 28" of yarn, and make a loop. Repeat this until you have 75 loops.

Step 3: Tie a strand of yarn on one of the ends of your loop. This will become the "middle part" for the hair later.

Step 4: Sketch the face of your girl. Make sure you take in account any "bangs" you may give this little face. :)

Step 5: Paint the face to your own liking. (I made mine have blue eyes like my daughter.)

Step 6: Put a large drop of glue on your plaque. Quickly adhere the yarn loop where you made your "part," refer to photos below for clarification.

Step 7: Cut the other side of the loop. You will have 2 sides of "hair" now.

Step 8: Remove 10 strands of yarn from each side. These will become the "bangs."

Step 9: Place a line of glue across the forehead, and press all of the yarn in place. Trim to desired length.

Step 10: Braid one side of the hair. Secure end of braid with a strand of yarn by double knotting it in place. Trim excess.

Step 11: Repeat Step 10 for the other side.

Step 12: Paint a shirt onto the plaque as shown below.

Step 13: Tie ribbon to the end of each braid and trim excess. Secure the bow with glue. (This will make sure it doesn't get untied and keeps in place.)

That's it! ;)

Screamin' deal on American 2oz Acrylic Paints

2009-12-07T12:55:00.000-08:00

Alright crafty people... I just went to Michael's to buy their Americana acrylic paint that is on sale this week for 69 cents each. The best part is, that if you buy 10 of them you can send in your receipt for $5 cash back from Americana! So basically you are only paying 19 cents for each 2 oz. bottle of paint when they are normally $1.29 or more!!

Today's project is going to be so much fun! I can't wait to get it finished and share with you all. Waiting for the paint to dry right now! :)

Reindeer Brooch

2009-12-06T20:42:00.000-08:00

This is an idea that my mother-in-law told me about as a great craft project for this blog. This idea is not mine- although it is really cute and I had to make it once I heard about it. ;)

This project really depends on how fast your paint and glue dry. If you get impatient you can dry your paint with a hairdryer and have this entire project completed in about 15 minutes or less! Your child can paint the puzzle pieces while you get the antler's formed and make some bows for some crafty teamwork!! :)

Note: If your child is doing the painting and you choose to use craft glue instead of hot glue, this project will take a bit longer due to the craft glue's drying time.

Supplies:
Brown Acrylic Paint (can be beige if you choose brown for the antlers)
2 puzzle pieces (one needs to be an edge- not a corner, the other a middle piece)
Scrap of 1/8" green or red ribbon (less than 6")
Red pom pom (1/4")
2 wiggley eyes 7mm size
1" straight pin with closing mechanism (I didn't picture it in the supplies below, but it is shown in the last step)
1 Chenille stem (can be beige or brown- I used beige because I painted the reindeer brown)
Hot Glue gun (can use a thicker craft glue)

Step 1: Trim your edge piece of puzzle to have only the two tabs left. These will be your reindeer's ears.

Step 2: Paint back of puzzle pieces brown and let dry.

Step 3: Tie ribbon into a bow. Trim excess.

Step 4: Cut chenille stem in half.

Step 5: Fold the stems in half.

Note: Do this to both of them at the simultaneously so your antlers will look the same.

Step 6: Fold the chenille stems to make your antler's forks.

Note: Do this to both of them at the simultaneously so your antlers will look the same.

Step 7: Pinch your antler's forks together.

Note: Do this separately now, you don't want to bind them to each other. :)

Step 8: Twist (like you do a twist tie for a bread bag) the end of the chenille stem together to finish your antlers.

Step 9: Glue your 2 puzzle pieces together as shown below.

Step 10: Glue your wiggley eyes to the face of your reindeer as shown below.

Step 11: Glue your red pom pom to your reindeer's face as shown below.

Step 12: Flip your reindeer over, and place a drop of hot glue to place your antlers on, as shown below.

Step 13: Flip your reindeer over to look at the face, and glue bow from Step 3 as shown below.

Step 14: Flip reindeer over and glue pin in place.

That's it! :)

Christmas Tree Barrette

2009-12-05T15:11:00.001-08:00

I made another barrette out of buttons, this one is really easy. Katie has had several of her little girlfriends request one for themselves. This tutorial is actually the tree her friend Julia requested. :) This barrette takes about 5 minutes from start to finish to make. So, have fun and make several to give away to special little girls that you know! :)

Supplies:
Glue (both Elmer's and hot glue)
Glitter
1 yellow button (smaller than the smallest green button)
3 green buttons (large, medium and small)
Barrette

Step 1: Arrange buttons to make your tree.

Step 2: Hot glue large and medium sized buttons together as shown below.

Step 3: Hot glue small to medium & large sized buttons together as shown below.

Step 4: Hot glue yellow button to small green button as shown below.

Note: Your buttons will not sit completely flat. You will have a stair-step collage of buttons.

Step 5: Align your button tree to your barrette. Hot glue your tree centered on the barrette.

Step 6: Place several Elmer's glue dots for your "ornaments" on the tree.

Step 7: Sprinkle glitter on to glue dots to complete "ornaments."

That's it! Very easy and very quickly done! :)

Button Snowman Barrette (or pin)

2009-12-04T20:53:00.000-08:00

Today's project is one that I have put together because I have a lot of buttons and am trying to come up with creative ways to use them up. My daughter loves to wear barrettes in her hair, so I decided that she could have a few more; and with the weather rather cold, a Snowman seemed an appropriate one to make. :)

Supplies:
2 white buttons (one larger than the other- my larger one is about the size of a quarter, the smaller the size of a nickel.)
12" 1/8" wide black, orange, green satin ribbon
12" 1/2" wide black satin ribbon
1 barrette (pin if you decide to make it a brooch)
Glue (either hot glue or Elmer's glue)

Step 1: Snip from the 1/8" black satin ribbon; 7 squares.

Step 2: Glue the squares to make the eyes, mouth and buttons for your Snowman as pictured below.

Step 3: Make a triangle "carrot" from 1/8" orange satin ribbon. Make it to fit the size of your Snowman. Glue to your Snowman's face.

Step 4: Cut from your 1/2" black satin ribbon (2) pieces 3" long.

Step 5: Fold one of the ribbons in half lengthwise and glue. Fold the other ribbon in half width wise and glue.

Step 6: Glue them together to make your snowman's hat.

Step 7: Cut a 3" piece of 1/8" green satin ribbon. Place ribbon on hat where the two pieces meet. Use a drop of glue to hold in place.

Step 8: Turn hat over and glue ends in place.

Step 9: Position your hat above your snowman's head. Glue in place.

Step 10: Position snowman next to barrette (or pin) so it is centered. Glue in place.

Step 11: Loop remaining 1/8" green satin ribbon. Wrap around barrette, thread 2 ends of ribbon through loop. Pull until it is tight.

Step 12: Trim ends of ribbon and glue in place.

That's it! You can easily make this into a brooch too. :)

2 Tri-Bead Ornaments

2009-12-03T19:13:00.000-08:00

I remember making different ornaments out of beads when I was little. I used to love making them to give away as gifts to my grandparents. I still love making a beaded project to give to someone as a gift for any occasion. The candy cane ornament is one of the very first ornaments I can remember making. It is really an inexpensive craft to make; for less than $5 you can make about 30 candy canes either for your Christmas tree or for your little one to give away as gifts to their little friends or to family. The Christmas wreath is also very inexpensive to make, and because it only uses 3 red beads, you can easily buy the supplies for both projects and spend about $7. An extra bonus to this project; both of my kids completed these in less than 15 minutes! :)

I am going to show you the wreath project first and then the candy cane. I will put the supply list for each individually.

Supplies:
30 Green Tri-Beads
3 Red Tri-Beads
1 Green Chenille Stem
24" Red Ribbon 1/8"-1/4" maximum width anything larger than that would dwarf the wreath
Note: I used 1/8" satin ribbon for this one today; but I have used 1/4" before and included a picture of that one.)

Step 1: Thread 10 green tri-beads on to the chenille stem.

Step 2: Thread 1 red tri-bead on to the chenille stem.

Step 3: Thread 5 green tri-beads on to the chenille stem.

Step 4: Repeat Step 2.

Step 5: Repeat Step 3.

Step 6: Repeat Step 2.

Step 7: Repeat Step 1.

Step 8: Turn the string of beads into a loop. Twist the ends together to bind it in a circle.

Step 9: Trim off excess chenille stem. Form wreath into a circle if not completed already.

Note: An adult should do the trim with scissors because the ends can be sharp and difficult to cut.

Step 10: Make a loop with the red ribbon. Make a knot. This will be the "hanger" for your wreath.

Step 11: Place knot on the seam of the chenille stem, and have each end of the ribbon on either side of the wreath.

Step 12: Tie a double knot with ribbon around wreath.

Note: Make sure the knot is on one of the faces of the wreath, or your finishing bow will not sit correctly.

Step 13: Tie a simple bow. Trim ends to desired length.

That's it! :)

Below is a picture of the wreath I made with 1/4" ribbon.

Supplies:
19 Clear Tri-Beads
18 Red Tri-Beads
1 White Chenille Stem

Step 1: Thread 1 clear tri-bead on to chenille stem.

Step 2: Thread 1 red tri-bead on to chenille stem.

Step 3: Repeat Step 1 and Step 2 (clear-red-clear-red, etc) until all tri-beads are on chenille stem.

Step 4: Trim chenille stem to approximately 1/4" from last clear bead.

Step 5: Bend each of the ends to secure beads in place.

Step 6: Make a hook shape with your beaded stem.

That's it! :)

Proudly showing off their latest creation!

Hand-made Christmas Tree

2009-12-02T18:34:00.001-08:00

I can't believe how fast my kids have grown up... it seems like just yesterday (or maybe about a year ago) I was bringing home my daughter... She's now 6 years old, and my son is 3 years old. If only I could keep them small for a bit longer... ah, well, since that isn't going to happen any time soon, I try to find creative ways to capture their size during certain events to track their growth each year. This year, I have chosen to do a Christmas tree made out of their hand prints. :)

This project can become messy very quickly- especially with little mischievous boys- like mine! ;)

Supplies:
Acrylic paint- I used Americana brand in Mistletoe
Elmer's school glue
Glitter any color(s) you want
16" x 22" stretched canvas- I bought these at Michael's Craft Store- they come 2 in a pack for about $10 (they go on sale quite often- or you can use their coupon in the Sunday paper to get them for 40-50% off)
Plastic plate for spreading paint and glue

Step 1: Place approximately 2 tablespoons of paint on plate.

Step 2: Have your child carefully cover their hand in paint.
Note: You could cover your child's hand to limit the messy factor, using a inexpensive foam brush would work well for younger children.

Step 3:Place child's hand near bottom of canvas with fingers pointing to the top of the canvas. Press down firmly to make hand print.
Note: This needs to be done quickly to avoid the paint drying before you place their hand on the canvas.

I didn't get a chance to get the very first hand photographed alone, my son was about to touch the wall; and my daughter knew what came next. Sorry. :)

Step 4: Have your child make 2 hand prints in the same manner as Step 3.

Step 5: Have your child make 3 hand prints in the same manner as Step 3.

Step 6: Have your child make 4 hand prints in the same manner as Step 3. It should look like this the photo below.
Note: I alternated between my kids for who completed each row. My son did the first and third rows; my daughter did the second and fourth rows.

Step 7: Rotate picture and let paint dry completely before proceeding to the next step.

Step 8: Place a tablespoon of Elmer's glue on the plate.

Step 9: Have your children dip a finger into the glue.

Step 10: Have them place glue fingerprints in places around the "tree" for the first round of glitter.

Step 11: Sprinkle glitter over glue "ornaments" and cover completely.

Step 12: Carefully tip the canvas and then tap the canvas to have the loose glitter fall off.

Note: An adult should do this step to limit glitter from getting everywhere. Also, it is easier to tap the glitter off on to a piece of newspaper so you can reuse the glitter for another project.

Step 13: Repeat Step 10, Step 11 and Step 12 for each color of glitter you choose to use.

Step 14: Have each child dip one thumb into the glue.

Step 15: Have the children position their thumbs at the top of the tree to make a heart.

Note: Their thumbs need to be at an angle for the heart shape to work. You could also make a 5 point star with their thumbs too. Either one is cute! :)

Step 16: Make a squiggle of glue at the bottom of the tree for making a trunk.

Step 17: Sprinkle the top and bottom glue designs with glitter. (I used gold.)

Step 18: Carefully tip the canvas and then tap the canvas to have the loose glitter fall off.
Note: Again an adult should do this step to limit glitter from getting everywhere.

The little artists with their final project! :)

December 2nd post

2009-12-01T21:39:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow will have another project for you. It is a great gift for grandparents and great-grandparents. I can't wait to share it with all of you. :)

Hopefully, I will be able to get my posts to work on Facebook; for some reason today they wouldn't let me post the link to the Christmas chain project.

Have a great night!

A New Twist on an Old Tradition

2009-12-01T15:51:00.001-08:00

December is here finally- or maybe a bit too quickly... either way Christmas is only 25 more days away! I remember making paper chains when I was younger to count down the days until Christmas, having them hang from the front door for my very first homemade advent calendar.

Today's blog was going to be that very thing; a paper chain- only I was going to make it out of scrapbook paper instead of the traditional red and green construction paper. Then on my way to Michael's to pick up the scrapbook paper, I changed my mind; that would be such a waste of beautiful scrapbook paper; there has to be a better way. So, I came up with this idea instead. :)

I went to Jo-Ann's instead, and went straight to their remnant bins. That is where I found my first piece of fabric, and quickly I matched up 3 other fabrics and made my purchase. The lady cutting my fabric wanted to know what I was doing, and I told her my idea (hoping at this point it would work- or you would be making paper chains tonight) and she loved it. So... without waiting any longer here is tonight's new craft idea! :)

Project Note: I did the prepwork, just like you would prep the paper strips for your little one, this just has a few more steps. The project after that point is very simple and easy to do.

Supplies:
1 package of self-adhesive velcro- the package I used had 4 clear strips that were 3.5 inches long
1/3 yard of 4 different cotton fabrics
1/2 yard of fusible backing- I asked the counter lady which would be best for the ability to fold but not lose its strength.
Iron- Pre-heated to Cotton Setting

Step 1: Cut each of your 4 fabrics into 7" x 12".

Step 2: Place your 4 pieces of cotton fabric on to the fusible fabric with the shiny side up.

Note: The shiny side is where the glue is, and will ruin your iron if you iron the wrong side.

Step 3: Iron the fabric pieces to the fusible fabric. The time to adhere the fabrics together will vary depending on your heat setting of the iron.

Note: It is very important to make sure the fabric "seals" completely. You should not be able to pull the cotton and fusible fabric apart when completed.

Step 4: Cut apart the 4 pieces to look like this.

Step 5: Cut each of the 4 colors in to 1" strips. You will have 7 of each color.

Step 6: Remove all of the edges that have the fusible fabric showing.

Step 7: Open your package of velcro and pair up the hook and loop so you will have a set. I had 4 sets in my package.

Note: How many sets you end up with will depend on which package you purchase.

Step 8: Cut your strips of velcro into 1/2" pieces.

Note: It is easier to leave the adhesive backing on the matching sets for this.

Step 9: Take 1 strip of fabric; place face up on table.

Step 10: Take 1 of the pieces of velcro. Remove the adhesive backing. Place about 1" from the end of the fabric strip. Apply pressure to bond the fabric and velcro.

Step 11: Fold other end of fabric strip to make a loop.

Step 12: Remove remaining adhesive backing. Apply the inside end of the loop on to the adhesive. Apply pressure to bond the fabric and velcro.

Step 13: Your completed chain link should look like this.

Step 14: Repeat Step 10, Step 11 and Step 12 until all fabric strips and are used.

Step 15: Connect your chain links in any pattern you like. We used 7 of the black patterned fabric and 6 of each the blue, red and green pattern fabric.

You can store the chain links in a zippered storage bag, or you can even make a little sack out of fabric that you used. Thread some ribbon through it and you can have a pretty little bag to hold your new Christmas chain. :)

Make and Take Project at Michael's- Saturday, December 5th from 10 am -1 pm

2009-11-30T16:29:00.001-08:00

Make and Take Project at Michael's- Saturday, December 5th from 10 am -1 pm

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December Blog and Challenge

2009-11-30T12:14:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday filled with family, friends, good food, and memory making!

My goal for the month of December is to post at least one new craft idea each day up until Christmas Day. So you will have lots of choices for your holiday and many options to create a present that can be both a keepsake and memory for your family. :)

I welcome any and all questions from you; if something isn't quite clear, or if you would like to ask "what can I/you make with these items I have around the house?" then pass them on to me. I will try to answer all of your inquiries and questions as soon as possible, if I get too many, then I will answer them in the order I receive them. :)

Have a great day, and I look forward to sharing ideas with all of you this holiday season! :)

Boo boo Bag

2009-11-24T19:18:00.000-08:00

I saw something kinda like this at a craft fair a few years ago. I have since modified it, and it has become one of the best things to have around my house. It fixes everything from a bruise that needs some ice to a fever or even the occasional owwie that needs a little TLC.

This boo boo bag is my take on a bean bag, in that it is a small remnant of fabric that is filled with long grain rice. You can put it in the freezer (that's where we keep ours) until you need it, but it can also double as a heating pad for your little one. To make this a heating pad, simply remove the cover and microwave the inner bag at 50% in 30 second intervals, until you get it to the desired temperature.

Have your little one pick out the fabrics to make it fun and exciting. My daughter has her own princess themed one; while my son has a NASCAR themed one. We have made several for other people too, and they love to pick out fabrics for them too.

Supplies:
1 1/4 cup long grain white rice can not be instant
1 remnant of flannel fabric
1 remnant of cotton fabric

Step 1- Cut (2) 6 1/2" squares from the flannel fabric.
Note: You could cut (1) 13" x 6 1/2" piece and fold in half.

Step 2- Sew the two edges together completely, and for the top, leave about 2" open.
Note: The opening will allow for you to turn the bag right-side out.

Step 3- Turn bag right-side out.

Step 4- Fill bag with 1 1/4 cups of rice.
Note: This can be a little tricky- I put all of the rice into a sandwich bag, and then snipped a corner off and placed that snipped corner into the opening at the top and let all of the rice fall in.

Step 5- Fold rough edges of bag in (so you can't see them) and pin. Sew.
Note: The bag is easier to sew together if you pin it in the middle to keep the rice from shifting while you sew the edge shut.

Step 6- Cut (2) 8 1/2" squares from the cotton fabric remnant.
Note: Again, you could cut a single piece 17" x 8 1/2" and fold.

Step 7- Fold 1" on one end of each piece. This is the hem for the case of the boo boo bag. Pin and sew each piece.

Step 8- Pin and sew the remaining edges together. The cover will look like a mini-pillowcase when completed.

Step 9- Turn cover right-side out. A little helper can do this for you.

Step 10- Place rice-filled bag inside of cover.

That's it! Ready for you to place in the freezer for when your little one might need it.

Another option to this, is adjusting the size of the bag itself. You can make a longer rectangular one and it becomes a bag for an adult to use for an achy back. You can make a smaller rectangular one and put a few drops of essential oil in it for fragrance and it becomes soothing to your eyes at the end of a long day- or for giving out for Christmas. :^)

Dishtowel Apron

2009-11-24T18:57:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone! With Thanksgiving just 2 days away, I'm going to give you 2 crafts today! :)

This one is surprisingly simple to make, and can be completed in about 20 minutes! :)

Supplies:
1 dishtowel (I purchased mine at IKEA for 49 cents!- if you don't have IKEA near you, any dishtowel will work just fine. :)
1 piece of 1 1/2" grossgrain ribbon 72" long
1 piece of 1 1/2" grossgrain ribbon 36" long

Sewing machine with thread
Pins to hold material while sewing

Note: This could be sewn by hand, but would take longer than 20 minutes to complete.

Step 1- Fold bottom of towel up 1/4 of the total length of towel to make a pocket. Pin in place.

Step 2- Sew edges closed with a straight stitch. Sew in middle of towel to split this pocket in half. (I used dark thread so you could see what I did.)

Step 3- At the top of the towel, fold edge over 2" to create a sleeve. Pin in place. Sew.

Step 4- Take the 72" piece of ribbon and center it along the top of the pocket. Pin the ribbon along the top of the pocket; you will have 2 tails on either side of the apron (they will become a tie for the back of the apron).

Step 5- Carefully stitch ribbon in place.

Note: You can sew your pocket shut if you don't do this correctly. You can also use a no sew product for the ribbon if you like. Make sure to sew the ends securely to the apron to enforce it.

Step 6- Thread the 36" piece of ribbon through the sleeve at the top of the apron.

That's it! A brand new apron for your little one to help out in the kitchen or while they craft. :)