Craft, Interrupted

Fun Jar Friday #49: PVC Puppet Theatre

noreply@blogger.com (tiffany lagrange) — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:40:00 +0000

Today on Fun Jar Friday~

Okay, so if you've been around awhile, you know about my love for PVC. If you haven't, well, you'll know soon enough.

Why do I like PVC so much?

One, it's super cheap. 8 feet for under $2, and a pack of 10 elbows and other hinges for $3. I'll take it.

And Two, think giant tinker toys, people! You can make just about anything with this stuff. It's durable and versatile.

So, my kids used to have puppet shows. My Mother in Law made the boys some adorable felt puppets several years back. They are terrific even though they didn't quite hold up to the rough and tough play of boys. After all, there is something engrained in the male child's brain that turns any mode of play into a fighting game. And every object turns in to a weapon.

Felt puppets don't withstand this type of treatment.

My youngest son had a large barn playset. It stood up high and one side was the outside of the barn and the other side was the inside with lots of flippies and turnies and sounds a baby would love. In the middle was the barn door which created an opening perfect for their puppet shows.

In the process of cleaning and organizing my living room, I decided to rid myself of baby toys since there is no longer a baby living in my house. This barn was one of the things to go since it was huge, took up a lot of space and it had been awhile since it had been used for a puppet theatre.

I thought I was fine putting it away. After all, kids forget about things completely until they see them again, right?

Wrong.

The other day my youngest son found the puppets.

"I want to play puppets!" he says to me all excited about his find.

"Sure, son" I say. Forgetting all that was involved. Apparently I need to see things to remember as well.

He looks around the room.

"But where's the barn?"

Crud.

After some discussion about how he was too old for the barn and we had to put it away to make room for new toys, he still wasn't buying it. You couldn't put on a puppet show without the barn.

So, I decided to make a new puppet theatre.

And I put it together using things I had around the house and from previous fun jar activities. And it was a hit.

Yippee!

What you need
8- 2 foot lengths of 3/4 in PVC
6-2.5 foot lengths of 3/4 in PVC
4- 2 in lengths of 3/4 in PVC
8- 3/4 in PVC elbows
8- 3/4 in PVC T joints
king or queen sized sheet
twin sized sheet or fabric
dark fabric or or sheet
two baby blankets, fabric, or pillowcases
lots of safety pins.
strips of material to tie sashes

The PVC I used all came from my PVC sprinkler house I did last summer which came from a sprinkler I built the year before for the kids. See how there are many uses for PVC? And I cut 2 in pieces from leftover scraps (don't throw out your leftovers) If you don't have PVC around, this project will run you about $10 (assuming you have a bunch of sheets or blankets around)

I've said before and I'll say it again. You can cut PVC with a mitre saw or any small saw. But if you plan to use PVC a lot, I highly suggest investing in a PVC cutter. They are about $12 and worth every penny.

Build your set like the picture below. It helps to build the front and back first on the ground, and then attach them together.

Anyone want to come edge my lawn for me?

Next, starting on one side, pin the large sheet around the sides and back of the theatre. Excuse the sun flares. I was apparently shooting pictures at the magical time of night. I simply wrapped the top edge around the PVC and pinned it to itself. I used several pins and went all the way around. You may recognize the sheet I used as the blanket bubble.

Next, attach the dark blanket to the inside of the theatre. I put it about 2/3 of the way towards the front. This allows the kids to stand behind a backdrop while they put on their show. I simply pinned the top corners to the large sheet.

(sun flare attack!)

Now the curtains. I used two baby blankets for those. Wrapped the top edges around again and pinned. I also pinned them together at the top so they wouldn't separate when the curtains were opened. The strips of fabric (which I pulled off my son's bedroom curtains) were used to keep the curtains opened during the show. I just tied the curtains to the PVC pipe.

(attack attack!)

Finally, I used a twin sized sheet for the front. I just draped it over.

And we're done!

The kids can crawl under and put on their show.

It was an excellent solution to the puppet theatre problem.

(actually liked the flares here)

Only problem now?

He won't let me take it down.

Want to see some more PVC fun jar activities?

PVC Bow and Arrow
Marshmallow Shooters
Rocket Launcher
PVC Sprinkler Playhouse

Sharing @

whipperberry

Currently {v.44}

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimee @ Craft, Interrupted) — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:53:00 +0000

THE DEAL:

Use the weekly themes or use your own - just share what you're "currently" up to!

Visit the other bloggers that are linking up @ Harvesting Kale and Ot & Et and say hello!

This week's themes:

EATING, LOVING, MISSING, MOVING, TAKING

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jaimee is...

CURRENTLY eating... oatmeal. Every morning. No breakfast to healthy breakfast, and I've been sticking with it long enough to make it a habit. If I could just do that with the 30Day Shred.

CURRENTLY loving... the honesty of this blog post by Hands Free Mama.

CURRENTLY missing... my sweet kitty, Crosby, lovingly referred to as Thing 1 on instagram. He has mysteriously disappeared. Indoor cat, and not the one who stalks the front door waiting for a chance to bolt either (that's Thing 2). The few times he has cautiously crept out an open door, he barely makes it out of the garage. It's really strange that we never found an open door or window and yet he is obviously not in the house. Anywhere. Not in the closets, the cupboards, the drawers, under the furniture, the basement....the roof...the appliances...no sign of him : ( We are assuming, then, that he somehow got outside. How and when? No clue, but it's been two nights now. Come home Crosby!!

CURRENTLY moving... dirt and mulch in the front yard. We've been doing a little overhaul on the landscaping the past few weeks. Old, overgrown bushes - out. New plants, rock paths, and an elephant tonage of mulch - in. Hubs even surprised me with a lovely birdbath.

CURRENTLY taking... my posse to the pool. The pooooool! Last day of our school year was yesterday. Crazy, I know - getting out before Memorial Day, but they start back the first week of August to make up for it. My boys have been begging every day to go to the pool. And now we will be. Just about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tiffany is...

CURRENTLY eating... Chocolate eggs. My son brings home a homework sheet every Monday with homework choices to do each day. Sometimes our options are a little strange. Yesterday we were instructed to make chocolate eggs. At the end of May. Whatevs. That's what we made and we are reliving Easter all over again.

CURRENTLY loving... watching my garden grow. It's my favorite part of gardening. Waiting for those first sprouts to pop up. I go out and check it several times a day to see if something new has popped up. So far everything has popped except my melons. I have a really hard time with melons but am determined to grow some because I love them!

CURRENTLY missing... figure drawing classes. I've been out of school for 8 years now. I had babies right when I got out. So in the rush of motherhood, I had forgotten what the atmosphere of art classes was like. The other day, the Mr. suggested I draw him. So I searched my art closet, way in the back and got out my newsprint and favorite pencil. It took me 4 years of figure drawing to find the perfect combination of materials, but in the end I found the combo that made figure drawing feel comfortable and magical even. The drawings just flowing from the end of my pencil. I had forgotten all about that. And in drawing my husband, it all came back to me. The feel of being in a studio. Being surrounded my other talent to bounce ideas off of and learn from. I even missed the naked old dudes with piercings where piercings shouldn't be. (my transition from sheltered, mentally virginal, small town girl to city girl sitting in a small room staring intently at a naked person is a story all on it's own). But I miss it terribly and am thinking about looking into some classes at a community college just to have it back.

CURRENTLY moving...my priorities around. I've had a huge list of deadlines come and go lately. And my list of things that are very overdue has gotten terrible. So I decided to cross them off before I do anything fun for myself. It. Sucks. But, on a positive note, I am getting them done and behind me. I've made 8 appointments scheduled in a month's time and have done 3 of them. And I had 5 major things to make that are way past due. I've done 2. I hope to get done before I have to settle down to some major party prep, but I've got a party to throw the end of this month and one mid June. Never. Ending. Where's my fun time to work on the house and make my own clothes and draw my own pictures??

CURRENTLY taking... time to run. I used to run 2 years ago. I never liked it. But I ran my first 5K then and was so dang proud of myself. Then I stopped running over the winter and never picked it up again. So, I am trying again. This time with a 10K goal. I've heard that the longer the race you run, the more you enjoy it. So I am waiting for that point. I've been doing a couch to 10K routine and am on week 4 of 14. And to tell you the truth, it hasn't been miserable. Maybe even, dare I say, enjoyable. Yay! Although I'd still do a full day of zumba over an hour of running any day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEXT WEEK'S THEMES:

BORROWING, DANCING, BUILDING, THROWING, BUYING

Sharing @

What We Like Wednesday ~ with Jaimee

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimee @ Craft, Interrupted) — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:59:00 +0000

Sharing five faves with you today!

1) Loving this project tutorial
for a Vintage Yardstick Arrow
from Finding Home
I need to start looking for vintage yardsticks.

2) Adoring This company

I adore every. single. thing. in their shop -the totes, the illustration prints, the character softies, and the books! Good heavens. If only I was in the market for board books for littles. My youngest is 5 though.

I may have to buy Jane Eyre and Dracula for myself ; )

3) Intrigued by this recipe

2-ingredient easy fruit roll-ups

@ Free Time Frolics
Have you tried this? It looks doable, and with only two ingredients it looks like a win.

4) Digging This Creative Wall Art

Vintage Red Metal Tricycle Faux Taxidermy

@ CousinM on etsy
How cool is this?!

5) My sweet friend Hannah's blog
Lovely Little Life
She recently unveiled a new blog design and it's is fabulous! I enjoy her Things I'm Loving Thursday, her 30 by 30 Project, her home decor projects, her adorable self and the love she has for her hubby,
and of course her craft supply etsy shop! Go give this girl some love, will ya? Follow her blog & facebook!

See you tomorrow for Currently!

Makeover Monday ~ Easy Ways to Brighten a Room

noreply@blogger.com (tiffany lagrange) — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:44:00 +0000

We will be taking a slight break in our Jaimee makeovers to bring you a bit more Operation Home Tranformation from Tiffany. I can't promise you Jaimee greatness, but I do have some easy, affordable tips to give your room a little face lift from clutter and overall blahness.

So today I am going to tell you some quick easy, cheap ways to brighten and open up a dark room. I will be using my living room death tomb as an example. Here it is in its normal, daily, ho hum state.

There were some obvious issues I needed to tackle first before I started brightening things.

Our wainscoting was a job we started almost 2 years ago. Then all our money started going to healthcare for my oldest and the wainscoting got put to the side. It's been bothering me all this time so it was time to finish it. This is where most my time and budget went to.

I also ditched the rug because it was pretty beat up, and wasn't doing much to add to the room. Someday I think I might want a yellow rug to go there, but they are expensive and I just couldn't fit it into the budget. It was best just to do without it. And the fire screen went away for now because it's spring and we aren't using the fire place.

When my youngest was a baby, I had created a space under my entertainment center along with a couple ottomans for his toys because I didn't want him down in the basement playroom alone. And since then, his toys have expanded and gotten bigger and exploded out of their little places. Most of which he was too old for. My husband's electronics have also exploded out of their place. My youngest is almost 4 now and can go into the playroom unsupervised. And it remains to be seen if my husband can be unsupervised with his video games, but it was time for all this to go to better places.

I put the toys he was too young for in storage and the rest in the basement. With the exception of some electronic toys that he needs help with and puzzles that he can do quietly upstairs, limiting the toys to a small box that fit under the end table. Remotes got put in a basket and unused gaming devices and cases got put away in storage.

Once that was conquered, I finally got to focus on the darkness of the room. The biggest culprit for this dark, dreary living room was my couches. They're big, they're dark, and they just take up the room like a giant mass of big, dark, couchness. Since buying new furniture wasn't in my budget, I decided what it needed was some bright, happy colors to cheer the place up.

Since the layout of my main floor is all connected, (the kitchen is connected to the dining room which is connected to the living room on up the stairs), I needed a universal color to tie it all together. And since there is blue in my dining room and my mega couches are blue along with my walls, it was pretty obvious that the blue was staying. I just had to come up with a bright, happy color to go with the navy blue.

What color is brighter and happier than yellow, really?

So I went to add some bright yellow pillows to brighten up my couches. As far as pillows go, I highly recommend IKEA pillows. They have this magical filler inside that can be squished in a tiny little ball for years and then opened up and it pops into a full fluffy pillow. What this means is they don't lose their shape or squish with time. This is excellent for me since this is what my previous pillows looked like. Keeping it real for ya folks.

The pillow inserts themselves were about $7 each and the covers were on sale for $2.50 each. Making it about $40 for four pillows. And if you ever want to change the colors of your pillows, you can just replace the covers for $12. I wanted a pattern on my pillows so I bought white covers and painted them with yellow fabric paint.

I used fashion forward red ninja duck tape to block off the stripes I wanted white and measured the distance between the white stripes. I wanted the yellow stripes to be bigger than the white, so I made the yellow stripes 3 inches. It fit perfectly on the pillow case. Then I painted the untaped area and peeled off the tape.

Voila! Stripes!

This simple addition did so much to brighten and freshen up my couches.

Now, the final thing I need to focus on was lighting. I have no idea what they were thinking when they put the lighting in my living room, but the only source of light is a small overhead light position on the side of the room over my fire place.

I also had a small lamp. I once had two of that lamp but my oldest tried to use one as an umbrella.

It didn't make it.

So, first I purchased a floor lamp on clearance at Target for $15. It had a good stretch to its lighting and could really fill the room. In fact, the Mr. says it's too bright. But he's a vampire so his vote doesn't count. And then I set out to get some more light coming through my windows.

I knew I wanted yellow curtains. Thing is, the only yellow I could find came with gray. That wasn't going to work for me. So I found an adorable ombre yellow shower curtain. It was $20 and I bought two of them. It was really simple making them in to curtains. I simply cut it in half and hemmed up the raw edge. Then I folded the top edge over and sewed 1-2 inches from the top.

Instant curtain!

Now, you may already be aware of this, but I was not. I've always thought curtains go over the windows. To shut out the light, right? Although it never crossed my mind that I had blinds for that. So, I came across a trick that not only brings tons of light into your room, but also makes your windows appear twice as big!

The trick?

Placing your curtains on the outside of your windows instead of inside.

Like I said, you probably already knew this trick. But it was totally new to me. So, I extended the curtain rod and placed the curtains on the outside.

Look at the difference!

These two windows are exactly the same size. Just different placing of the curtain. (Excuse the mess)

And there you have it! A brightened, opened up room for less than $100 (I didn't count the wainscoting). Here's the before and after.

And there you go! The kitchen will be coming up next!

Sharing @

Made by You Mondays @ Skip to My Lou

Monday Funday w/ C.R.A.F.T, Lines Across, Uncommon Designs,

That's What Che Said & Creatively Living

Fun Jar Friday #48 ~ Sugar or Salt Art

noreply@blogger.com (tiffany lagrange) — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:42:00 +0000

Today on Fun Jar Friday~

Do you remember the sand art you used to do at the State Fair? Maybe that was just me. Well, this is how you can make those bottles of layered sand at home using things you already have on hand.

But first, a story about sugar and salt.

When I was 8 years old, I decided to make peanut butter cookies. I can't remember if this was my first time making cookies on my own or not. It's just the first time I specifically remember making cookies.

I know that I knew what I was doing. I knew how to turn on the oven and follow the directions so there is a good chance this was not my first time making cookies. But for the sake of my own dignity, I will say that it was my first.

Wanting desperately to do this all on my own and do it well, I opened up my Betty Crocker cook book (the same one in every household of the 80s) and carefully pulled out all the ingredients one by one. Then I began carefully measuring and adding the ingredients.

I put in the flour, the baking soda and baking powder and the 1 cup of sugar it asked for.

Then I got distracted by something so unimportant that I can't remember what it was.

When I came back to the recipe I was feeling pretty sure of myself. After all, I had managed to follow all the directions perfectly at this point. So I quickly glanced at the recipe where I left off and put in the 1 cup of salt, and the peanut butter, shortening, butter and egg and mixed it all together.

You see where I'm going with this story, right?

Somehow in my over confident reading, I had read the sugar amount in place of the salt amount. And being a baking newbie, it didn't ever occur to me that there was a problem. But Houston, was there ever a problem.

Well, after I had everything all mixed together, my mom walked in at that point. And like a good baker, she grabbed a spoon and dug out a large spoonful of that cookie dough. With a proud smile on my face I watched as she put that spoonful of cookie dough in to her mouth.

And with a big smile she did so.

And then the smile changed. Her eyes got big and her mouth got small and a look of utter horror crossed her face.

But being a good mom, she quickly recovered herself and swallowed. But it was too late. I knew I had done something terribly wrong with my cookies.

And together we threw them away.

The good news is today's fun jar activity is one you can safely do with either salt or sugar. You can even do it with white sand but chances are you have more salt and sugar around the house then white sand.

I saw this activity on Flax and Twine. She used salt and her kids must have much more patience then mine because they got super nice bright colors. Pop over to her site for some more really great kids crafts. Lots of inspiration!

So, pick one. Either salt, sugar or sand, and gather some sidewalk chalk of different colors. Preferably clean ones. We all know how dirty and mucky chalk can get when it's been left outside in the elements for awhile. Don't use those.

There are two different ways to color your sugar (from here on out, I will just say sugar because that is what we used. But just know that you can substitute salt or sand when I say sugar)

1. Pour the sugar on a plate and roll the chalk in it with the palm of your hand until it is colored.

2. Put the sugar and chalk in a ziplock and squish, rub and scrub it around until the chalk turns color.

We went for option #2. It's the cleaner option. And I was using the leftover pieces of chalk from my Roseart Surprise Inside Chalk pack which didn't roll so well.

So, we put the chalk and sugar in a bag. How much you put in doesn't matter. But for the record, I put in about a 1/2 cup of sugar. Any size of chalk works too. It doesn't take much chalk to get color.

Then we rubbed and scrubbed the chalk in the bag until it started to change color. The longer you scrub, the brighter the color. This applies to both coloring options.

Once we the got the color we desired, we put the sugar in bowls and then layered the colors in a glass jar. I probably don't have to tell you this but DON'T SHAKE THE JAR!

That's it! Just pour the sugar in in layers until you reach the top.

Now go enjoy your art with a plate of peanut butter cookies! Preferably with the correct amount of salt.

Sharing @

whipperberry

5 for Friday ~ Outdoor Game Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimee @ Craft, Interrupted) — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:40:00 +0000

Summa summatime is comin'! Our weather here has been perfect for spending lots of family time outdoors. In another month it will be roasting hot in the south! I've had my eye on several of these ideas for quite awhile and now is the perfect time to share them with all of you...

Outdoor Game Ideas - that you can do yourself!

1) Giant Deck Gameboard

from The 36th Avenue

I remember seeing this last year and it knocked my socks off. What a FUN idea!!

You must go check it out : )

2) Lawn Twister

from Eucharisteo

Great for a picnic or party, or just anytime! I like the way she used a box as a template.

3) DIY Outdoor Dominoes

from One Dog Woof

These are so cool! They look classy stained, but could be fun and casual painted, too.

4) DIY Yard Dice

via Pinterest

Tutorials from Full of Great Ideas & The 36th Avenue

I loved this pic from pinterest - it screams summer picnic! But I found tutorials at the two blogs linked above - the first one is painted 4x4 blocks, and the second one has recessed dots using a drill bit.

The tutorial is fab.

5) Picnic Game Blanket

from My Magic Mom

This picnic game blanket is genius! It has boards for checkers, bingo and tic tac toe,

plus velcro pockets on the corners to hold game pieces and extra card games.

The tutorial shows step-by-step how to make it - fabric backed with a vinyl tablecloth. So smart!

{Bonus} 6. Tiff's Giant Patio Gameboard

from Craft, Interrupted's Summer Fun Jar Archives

One more giant gameboard - Tiffany's spin on the one above, from our Summer Fun Jar archives.

Stick with us for LOTS more summer fun ideas as Tiff kicks off her Summer Fun Jar 2013!

I'm so thrilled to have her here to share all her fab activity ideas with us : )

Currently {v.43}

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimee @ Craft, Interrupted) — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:10:00 +0000

THE DEAL:

Use the weekly themes or use your own - just share what you're "currently" up to!

Visit the other bloggers that are linking up @ Harvesting Kale and Ot & Et and say hello!

This week's themes:

HOPING, READING, WEARING, MAKING, PLANNING

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jaimee is...

CURRENTLY hoping... my Little Men's stress levels go down soon. The end of the school year is crazy with lots of group activities, events, parties, theme days...honestly it's a tad overkill. My kids are very sensitive to change in routine, and social events in particular trigger lots of anxiety. They are a mess. We got Little Man through his last day today, and have four more days for the big boys. I hope we can make a smooth transition to summer break after that! Transitions are also tricky for our house.

CURRENTLY reading... The Night Circus, by Emily Morgenstern. I'm enjoying it, but since I'm reading it on an e-reader, I can't flip back to previous chapters as easily, and it's confusing me that the dates of the chapters are jumping around from past to present. Wait, did this happen before that other thing? I think that was 1902 and this is 1901. But the mysterious magical element and the chemistry between the characters is really fantastic.

CURRENTLY wearing... summer clothes! Been in the low 80's here. Time to break out the capris and skirts!

CURRENTLY making... party favors for Junior Man's upcoming birthday party. He wanted a Minecraft party, so we are doing green shirts with black creeper faces on them. First time ever doing freezer paper stencils and it's so easy and fun!

CURRENTLY planning... some projects for the upstairs hallway, involving pallet boards, reusing the kitchen wall stencil, upholstering the top of a bench, and some electrical work to move switches to a different wall. It's exciting to keep the ball rolling on our home makeovers!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tiffany is...

CURRENTLY hoping...to get some time in my new pool. My family got me a new pool for Mother's Day. My husband is awesome on Mother's Day. His gifts are always memorable. This year it was a pool. However, the neighbor kids have discovered our pool and suddenly our house is the place to hang out. I don't even know some of these kids. I may never get that quiet soak in the pool!

CURRENTLY reading... The final book in the Series of Unfortunate Events. I've been reading it to my son practically all year with some breaks to read other books in between. We've finally reached the final book of the 13 book series. The series is just as strange as I remember it.

CURRENTLY wearing... flip flops and flowy skirts. They are my favorite thing to wear in the summer. However, I always seem to bring them out on a super windy day. Wind and skirts don't make the best combinations.

CURRENTLY making... plans for my new dress form. My mom gave me an early birthday present. It's a dress form that I have been asking for for years. I never make clothes for myself because I have a terrible time fitting them on me and adjusting myself. This is going to help a bunch and I have lots of new patterns I want to try out!

CURRENTLY planning... Fun Jar Summer 2.0! Getting together a bunch of new activities to fill up our summer and share with you. I will be doing 5 activities every Friday again so stay tuned!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEXT WEEK'S THEMES:

EATING, LOVING, MISSING, MOVING, TAKING

Sharing @

Play Blocks - The "I Don't Know What to Doooooo's" Cure

noreply@blogger.com (tiffany lagrange) — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:26:00 +0000

Last week I shared with you my printable I plan on using this summer in order for my kids to get some quality play time before they glue themselves to that screen. If you haven't seen it, follow the link and check it out. This week I am taking that idea even further.

You see, as grand an idea as it is, there is still one big problem. It's a severe disorder that comes over each and every child at some time or another. You may be aware of it. It baffles the mind of doctors and parents everywhere.

It's called the I don't know what to doooooo's.

Symptoms vary from child to child. But here are some red flags the you may be aware of:

High-pitched whiny voice with long drawn out last word of the sentence (ex. I'm booooooored.)
Laying in dramatic, spread out positions on furniture or floor.
Magnetically charged to your person, following every move you make.
Memory loss - sudden failure to remember all 150,000 toys in their possession.
Sudden interest in causing trouble in order to get your attention.
Loud sighs repeated loudly until you acknowledge them.

If you are nodding your head, laughing, or rolling your eyes at these symptoms, your child might suffer from the I don't know what to doooooo's.

I'm so sorry.

But the good news is, I have a plan for a cure. One that I am sharing with you. Will it work? I don't know. It's still in the testing process. But I am willing to give it a try for the good of all humanity.

The creation of the blocks were pretty simple. I wanted to make blocks for a few of the selections on my "Things to do Before you View" list. So I color coded them to match the list.

I bought a set of 8 blocks from the craft store for $4. This made one block for the cleaning option, one for the creating option, two for Pretend and four for play by yourself. These were the options I knew my kids would get stuck on.

And then I made a list on the computer, leaving plenty of space between the choices. I just came up with 6 different choices per block that went along with the selection. Age appropriate chores, different types of make believe play, that sort of thing. For the play by yourself blocks, I went through my kids' playroom and wrote down the toys they had down there. These can also work with "Play with a sibling or friend" but I find that two minds tend to fight harder against the "I don't know what to doooooo's."

Then, I printed off my lists and cut them out with a circle punch. Some quick modpodging and they were done! I used a sheet bag that came with the sheets I bought for my blanket bubble. I knew I kept that for a reason.

Now, when the kids get a case of the I Don't Know What to Doooooo's, I'll bring out the bag. They can roll the matching block for what option they are on on the printable and solve their own problem. With 4 different blocks for the playtime option, they can roll several blocks and either combine the options or pick the best of.

Sounds like a foolproof plan, right?

We'll see.

Hope you all have a good summer! And don't forget to come back for this summer's mega fun jar fun! With 5 fun jar activities a week that will make this summer the best ever!

Sharing @

whipperberry

What We Like Wednesday~ with Tiffany

noreply@blogger.com (tiffany lagrange) — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:53:00 +0000

~With Tiffany~

Here are 5 more of my favorites for you!

1) Washi tape keyboard

from minifanfan

I love this adorable washi addition to a boring old keyboard.

2) Wen hair care

image from Sephora

I've been using this for about a year now and I still love it. I keeps my hair super soft and low frizz despite not using shampoo and I gets tons of compliments from hair stylists on it's texture. I order it from Sephora and get tons a freebies from their site.

3) Ombre hair coloring

image from fashin411style

I'm really digging this hair coloring. I mean, hair dying where you are allowed to show your roots is right up my alley! Guess what I'm getting done in a couple weeks?

4) Sarah Jane Studios Spring 2013 Line

I'm in love with Sarah Jane's art and her new Spring 2013 line "Let's Pretend" makes me happy in every way. It reflects childhood at it's best.

5) Adorable Nursery

from I Am Momma-Hear Me Roar

I am Momma is putting together an absolutely adorable nursery for her daughter. I am in love. Makes me want another baby.

Yep! That's it for now! Hope you are having a good week!

Makeover Monday ~ Kitchen Before & After

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimee @ Craft, Interrupted) — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:01:00 +0000

Welcome back to Makeover Monday!

The last several weeks, I have been sharing the progress of my kitchen makeover.

If you missed any, I'll link the posts again at the end : )

Today I'm showing you final before & after pics.

Well, I should note - these are "final" after pics, at a stopping point. There is more I want to do!

I found a way-back pic of when we first moved into this house and made an immediate change to the kitchen before the moving truck was even loaded. 15-ish year old house (which is new to us, because we're used to 100-ish year old houses), and the drawer/cabinet pulls looked like they were original.

You know - early 90's brass pulls with the ceramic center? I wasn't a fan. And they had to go. Pronto.

As you can see in this side-by-side pic, the cabinetry hardware switcheroo made for a quick new look.

We ditched the brass and put in dark, brushed bronze instead. Because there are a bazillion cabinets in this kitchen (both sides of the island, too), it was a small chunk of change to do this,

but a great baby step in updating the room. Start with something small and build on it!

Now fast forward a few years till I won that hizuge room makeover giveaway...

Armed with paint, a rad wall stencil, a few yards of fabrics, an old dresser & some thrift store finds,

I took this room from blah to booyah!

Here is the before...

White walls, no curtains, cluttered storage & play area that only collected mess.

And here is the after...

SO invigorating to put some life and COLOR into this room!

I'm telling you - it has been a springboard for all kinds of change in the rest of our house, too.

I cannot thank the generous bloggers and sponsors of the giveaway enough!!

Some side-by-side before & after shots...

Final afters...

Here are the project posts again...

Kitchen Walls with Royal Design Studio

Upcycled Dresser Kitchen Buffet & Spice Rack

Kitchen Art Wall on a Budget

DIY Roman Shade Valances Using Mini Blinds

I'd still like to do some lighting projects in this kitchen, as well as tile, and there will be a beautiful someday when I wave a giddy goodbye to that white countertop with the oak edging.

But we are happy campers in this room in the meantime : )

I hope you have enjoyed seeing the progress!

Stick with me on Makeover Mondays and you'll see lots more that I'm working on!

Sharing @

Made by You Mondays @ Skip to My Lou
Monday Funday w/ C.R.A.F.T, Lines Across, Uncommon Designs,
That's What Che Said & Creatively Living

Fun Jar Friday #47: Melted Pony Beads

noreply@blogger.com (tiffany lagrange) — Fri, 10 May 2013 22:38:00 +0000

Today on Fun Jar Friday~

Today has been one of those days.

My goal for this morning was to take my kids to the dentist, take my oldest straight to school and then go home. That's it.

If only it had gone that way.

When I got to the dentist, I realized that not only had I not grabbed my son's backpack, I didn't make him a lunch either. No problem, I'll just run home after the appointment and make one.

And it was still no problem when my son's balloon popped and both kids were in tears as I raced home to threw together a quick, processed, last minuter lunch and dashed into the car to drive my kid the 30 miles to school. I can handle this. Everything is good.

Until I got to school and realized that I once again forgot his lunch. Seriously. And the tears began again on replay when my son realized he missed his favorite sections of the class day.

After a couple head smacks on the steering wheel, I decided to do some shopping while I waited for lunch time and bring my son a lunch from somewhere. So I dilly dalied around, thinking I had plenty of time when I looked at my watch and realized I only had 15 minutes until lunch. And I had no idea what there was to eat at this side of town.

Thinking there must be something somewhere, I set off on the drive to school. In hopes of passing something healthy, yet fun, for my son. But of course, there was nothing. And I was desperately running out of time.

And that 's when I saw it. Those beautiful golden arches. I'm pretty sure there was a halo around them. Normally, I stay far away from those dreadful things, but I was desperate. And they were calling my name.

So, I grabbed some lunch and ran to school. Only to realize I didn't even get myself lunch.

The rest of the morning included me running around the school frantically, looking for my son, another child puking in the hallway and his sister turning to me for help (I just stared at her, not knowing what to do, wondering if I hid if she would forget I was there), and a frantic search through the house for a balloon to replace the popped one. Among other things.

So, what do you do when you've had a morning like this?

Melt plastic of course!

Which brings me to my fun jar activity. Melting pony beads. You can do all sorts of things with melted pony beads. Suncatchers, ornaments, jewelry or just art.

We made some art with ours. All you need are some pony beads which you can find at the dollar store or any craft store. And a heating device like an oven, toaster oven, or grill.

Set up your design on a pan. This can be a cookie sheet, pie pan, muffin tin, whatever you have on hand. If you are concerned about melting plastic on it, use a thrifted pan or cover it in foil.

After you have made your design, pop it into the oven at 400 degrees. Now, there is some concern here about toxins as there always is when melting plastic. If you are doing this in your oven, turn on your fan and open up some windows to ventilate the area. For an even safer option, place a toaster oven outside or place your pan on the grill.

How long you do it varies on how smooth you want it and what heating device you are using. My oven took about 40 minutes. The toaster oven only took about 10-20 minutes.

That subatomic white blob in the corner is a skull and crossbones. They can't all work out.

Once it's melted, take it out to cool. In a couple minutes, you will hear some popping sounds. This is okay, it's just the plastic cooling and separating from the pan.

And you are done! It only takes a couple minutes to completely cool and you have a great art piece!

Okay, I think I need to eat lunch now. And pretend like this morning didn't happen.

Sharing @

whipperberry

5 for Friday ~ End of the Year Teacher Gifts

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimee @ Craft, Interrupted) — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:15:00 +0000

Some of you still have a month of the school year left, but where we live we are down to a week and a half. Yaie! Time to throw together some end-of-the-year teacher appreciation gifts!

I pulled together five that I think are winners. Check them out...

1) Berry Basket of Lotions & Soaps

from eighteen25

What a CUTE way to package up some fancy lotions, soap & body spray!

Put it in a berry basket with this adorable printable tag!

Ooh! Melamine berry baskets at WorldMarket! That would make this gift last even longer : )

Here they are wrapped in cello at Clean & Scentsible.

2) Gardening Gift Basket

from Echoes of Laughter

Cute gardening gloves, plant markers, peat pots & plant food...all in a pretty pot with a printable tag. You know what I love about this one, too? The addition of homemade hand scrub for cleaning up after soothing your soul in the dirt! Recipe included at Echoes of Laughter.

3) Thanks for Helping Me Grow!

chalkboard potted flower

from Giggles Galore

I think these decorated pots are really sweet. A simple project and inexpensive project,

and a fab way to present a gift card!

4) Summer Relaxation Kit

from The Lovely Cupboard

Very clever - a beach tote full of summer goodness: towel, sunscreen, magazines,

shades, flip-flops and a plastic tumbler. If you want to spend less, just bundle up a few of the items in a rolled towel with pretty ribbon and skip the tote bag, like these at Sisters, Sisters.

I've seen them stuffed into plastic sun tea jars, too!

5) Cookie Jar

from Home is Where They Love You

This is the sweetest jar of sweets - check out the photo and note inside the lid!

Simple jar with a printable label. I like how she nestled the cookies inside coffee filters, too.

Last year I did Strawberry Lemonade Mixes

& Monogram Ribbon Bookmarks

in an easy Dollar Store Gift Bag Makeover.

I haven't decided what I'm doing this year...but I better get crackin' on it pronto!

How about you? Do you do the same every year, or switch it up new?

Currently {v.42}

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimee @ Craft, Interrupted) — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:23:00 +0000

THE DEAL:

Use the weekly themes or use your own - just share what you're "currently" up to!

Visit the other bloggers that are linking up @ Harvesting Kale and Ot & Et and say hello!

This week's themes:

LEARNING, GATHERING, GIVING, WORKING, PLAYING

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jaimee is...

CURRENTLY learning... uhhh...ok I got nothin' on this one.

CURRENTLY gathering... items for two art wall areas in our living room. I shared a peek at some hoop art on instagram that I'm putting together with vintage hankies from my Gramma. I'm waiting on delivery of an etsy item to go with them. I'm also collecting thrift shop frames to put some art in for the other side of the room. Can't wait to get some stuff on the walls in there!

CURRENTLY giving... a going-away present to our beloved babysitter who is moving out of state very soon. She is the best ever - my boys are convinced she is a true ninja (no lie), she took me to get my first tattoo ('cause she's awesome like that), and we all found each other at the same Mumford and Sons concert a few years back. Since I'm smitten with hoops lately, I decided to make her a hoop art set with a Mumford lyric stitched on one. I'm excited to give it to her on Friday!

CURRENTLY working... my buns off on solo parent duty this week while Hubs is in NYC. It would have been awesome to go with him on this trip. New York!! ...but...yeah. In another universe maybe that would work out.

CURRENTLY playing... with my Little Man. Guess Who, Legos, Star Wars Fighter Pods, and Angry Birds. Those are his faves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tiffany is...

CURRENTLY learning... about roller derby. A high school friend of the Mr. is on a roller derby league in town. We have never gone to see her. Last weekend, we finally took the kids to go watch her play. I knew nothing about roller derby past bright knee high socks and roller skates. I had to do some reading up on wikipedia on the way there. It was a blast to watch though! Too bad she's moving away or we'd go watch her some more.

CURRENTLY gathering... pirate party ideas for my little guy's 4th birthday party in June. Lots of ideas out there to inspire me. It should be fun! Arrrr!

CURRENTLY giving... gifts all over the place. May is a busy busy month for me! I've got my Mom's birthday, my sister-in-law's birthday, 2 mother's days, and my niece's birthday within the first couple of weeks. Add that to all the stuff I have to get together and give for teacher appreciation week. It's hard to keep them organized and out on time. In fact, I'm already past due on my mom's b-day gift and about to be late on the mother's day. This is a very hard month for me.

CURRENTLY working... at school a lot. With school wrapping up and me being a room mom, I have been very busy. Teacher appreciation, field trips, run-a-thons, end of the year party are just a few of the things the rest of the school year holds for me.

CURRENTLY playing... the gardening game. I got my garden ready and my seeds planted. Now I just have to wait. for them to grow grow grow! And hope I get a good crop this year. Put some new stuff in that I haven't grown before and trying out things that haven't worked for me in the past. It's always an interesting gamble when you grow your own food. But I'm addicted!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEXT WEEK'S THEMES:

HOPING, READING, WEARING, MAKING, PLANNING

Sharing @

What We Like Wednesday ~ With Jaimee

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimee @ Craft, Interrupted) — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:21:00 +0000

Woot woot! I love What We Like Wednesday!

Here are my picks this week...

1) Pen & Paint's {I Heart Art} Series

at Pen & Paint Blog
If you aren't already following Lindsay at Pen & Paint, well, you should, because she's uber talented.
Also, she has this fantastic series where she shares art that she loves, spotlighting
different artists and their work. I was an art history major. Did you know that?
Creative work, and the story behind it, is right up my alley, and I think this series is so inspiring.
She has a great giveaway in this week's I Heart Art post, too!

2) Striped Infinity Scarves

from Barnabas Clothing Co.

Oh these stripes! Cotton jersey with a stretch and a friendly price tag.

Check out their rad graphic tees, too. And if the style is not enough for ya,

read the inspiring story behind the company here.

3) This Lip Balm
from Long Winter Soap Co. on Etsy
Which I happened upon while browsing for my Mother's Day Etsy roundup.
It made me laugh. And I think it's awesome. 'nuff said.

4) Couple, an App for Two
available through GooglePlay & AppStore
Tiff told me about this awhile back and I am just now using it with my ever-business-travelling Mister.
It's not much different than texting, except that it pairs you up with only your love, so you have your own little space together on your phones. The interface is easy to use and offers text message, video and audio messaging, photo sharing, sketch to send doodles, sketch invite so you can doodle together long distance, a quick "Thinking of You" cloud, and my fave - the Thumbkiss, where you press a thumb on the phone screen, then your partner does the same and it buzzes when they match up.
You can also use the app to store gift lists, schedule dates on a calendar,
and browse a "Moments" gallery of your interactions together.

5) People Who Can Do Thrift Refashions
like this adorable gal from 49 Dresses
Seriously? It's magic! I know squat about clothing tailoring, so I don't think I could do this. But it's amazing that a thrifted garment, that I would likely pass over, could turn into something so stylish!
I really enjoyed browsing through this blog and seeing all the cute outfit ideas she has, too.
I could use some help in the cute outfit department.

Hope you enjoyed what I'm enjoying : )

See you tomorrow for Currently!

What To Do Before You View - a printable

noreply@blogger.com (tiffany lagrange) — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:56:00 +0000

Summer time is almost here! Which means endless hours of play and fighting. Imagination and the dreaded... screen time.

I'm going to rock the boat a little here.

I don't mean to shake you guys up. But I am all for keeping it real. And believe me, this is as real as it gets. More real than the dirty dishes piling in my sink. More real than my kids fighting in the background while I am on the phone. More real than somersaults down the checkout aisle at the grocery store. If things like "TV" or "screen time" make you uncomfortable, fast forward several paragraphs until you see the boy with the airplane.

I like TV.

I like the way it shuts my brain off from the real world. I like the way they cause me to no longer think constantly about my worries and stresses.

I like Video Games.

I like the way they challenge my brain in ways that my daily life doesn't. I like the way they cause me to think hard about stresses that don't really exist.

And most importantly, I like my kids to watch TV and play video games.

Now before you before you all fall over in a swoon, allow me to take a moment and defend myself. I know what I am revealing to you is considered taboo these days. Some might even say "bad parenting." But we all need to take a moment to ignore all those posts that say we bad bad parents because of this and that and whatever. And know that whatever it is, we are the parents we need to be at the time. And we are only human. There is no such thing as a "super mommy."

After hours and hours of noise, fighting, screaming in fun or anger, whining, "mommy can I...," "mommy he did...," "mommy help me..." and of course "I don't know what to dooooooooo!" I need some quiet. And after all those hours of thinking and playing and working hard at being kids, my kids need some quiet too.

So they watch TV. Or put their face in the ipad. Scandalous, I know.

But in those moments, I can relax in ways I can't while they are playing. I know exactly where they are and that there will be no mischief because the screen has them taken care of. (that came out sounding worse then I intended) As a mom I need that. Especially during the summer months.

(Here's where the screen-concerned can start reading.)

That said, I do not think kids should be watching all day. And I want my kids to get the most out of their summer months. I want them to discover things and learn things and play just like they do in school. I want them to explore the world around them and expand their imagination in ways that screen time can't do for them.

So, in order for them to achieve this to its full amount, I've made a list of things for them to do before they turn on that TV or ipad, or whatever system they are into at the moment.

Now here's the rules. Decide on a set amount of time for each activity. You can do the same amount on each activity, or change it up depending on the child. The longer the time, the less screen time they will have at the end of the day. And of course, they are allowed to go longer if they choose on a single activity. They just have to do it for at least that amount of time. Have a timer handy so that they know when they have reached their limit. We are going to start with 20 minutes. Making it at least 3 hours and 20 minutes of quality play. We also do our fun jar activity which takes a bit and I like to allow for any errands we need to run. But the time is entirely up to you.

Now, clever kids will try to combine two tasks to make the whole thing shorter, allowing for more screen time. Playing legos by yourself counts for "play by yourself" and "create something" right? Yes. But if you choose to combine, you have to do that task for double the time. In my case, 40 minutes. For three tasks, triple, and so on. Understand?

Now I made the categories open ended to fit your child's needs. No need to make a kid draw who hates to draw. So here's a write up of the categories.

Play By Yourself: this is completely open ended as long as it is accomplished alone. Every child needs some time to be by themselves and think for themselves.

Play with a Sibling or Friend: This is a good time to work on social skills. Play with someone else. Preferably not an adult because adults are much less obstinate then other kids and this will really work their skills on getting along with others. No siblings? Play with a neighbor kid.

Clean Something: get those chores done. Clean your room or your bathroom, or give them a job you think they can handle.

Practice a Sport or Hobby: Karate, Dance, Musical Instrument, Baseball, whatever your child's extracurricular activities, this is the time to work on them. No activities? work on a hobby they like to do or a sport they would like to play.

Read: Pretty self explanatory. But don't get on your kid's back if they just want to read comic books. Reading is reading. Comic books are still reading, but with more pictures and conversation building and less descriptive fluff.

Create Something: can be anywhere from art to wood work, legos to baking. Anything your kids likes as long as their is a completed project (or mostly completed) at the end.

Learn Something New: This is the one exception to the new screen time. Because you might need to use your computer to watch a youtube video or look up how to do what it is you want to learn. But this again is completely open ended. A new language, a craft, information on a specific subject, something they didn't know before and want to learn about.

Pretend: can be anything they want as long as there is some make believe included. Preferably dressing up and becoming that character.

Exercise: Ride your bike, play tag, work on that sport again, dance, whatever they want to do to get them up and moving.

Spend time outside: Another open ended one. I don't care what you do as long as you are soaking up some sun and fresh air while you are doing it.

Done? Now you can relax in front of the screen! You earned it!

So I hope this helps you out this summer. Put it in a frame with a dry erase pen and and timer and they can check them off as the complete them. Or just print off a bunch and check them off with a pencil.

But most of all have fun this summer! (And do some fun jar activities so you can have fun with your kids too)

Next week I will have a post on what to do when your kids get a severe case of the I-don't-know-what-to-dos. You're gonna love it!

Here's the printable for you! Just click on the image and print.

Sharing @

whipperberry

Makeover Monday ~ DIY Roman Shade Valances Using Mini Blinds

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimee @ Craft, Interrupted) — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:12:00 +0000

Welcome back to Makeover Monday!

If you missed up to this point, check these posts for our progress...

Kitchen Walls with Royal Design Studio

Kitchen Storage with Upcycled Dresser Buffet & Spice Rack

Kitchen Art Wall on a Budget with Thrifted Finds & Printables

Today I'm showing how I finished out the Kitchen Makeover with some window treatments.

This room had nothing on the windows. zip. zilch. nada.

Which is great for the beautiful view, but not great for style ; )

I was thinking ahead when we installed the new shades in the master bedroom,

and I saved the old mini blinds (and their brackets) to try out an idea I saw on pinterest.

DIY Roman Shades using Mini Blinds

The master has the exact same bay windows as the kitchen, so the blinds were the same size.

I thought Roman Shades would be a great fit for this room, because we really needed something that could be lowered slightly during dinnertime so we wouldn't be blinded by the southern sun. Privacy wasn't an issue, because it looks out into woods in the backyard. SO I wanted something that kept as much of the view as possible, while still giving us the ability to raise/lower a shade as needed during meals. For this reason, I chose to not make the shades the full length of the window,

but fit more like a valance that could be lengthened temporarily and then easily raised again.

I chose a heavyweight fabric, grey and white suzani print

from Fabric Secret on etsy

First I prepped my fabric panels

Many tutorials for these shades are no-sew, using adhesive hem tape or fabric glue.

For me, sewing it is easier and faster, so that's what I did. I cut the fabric into panels the width of the blind, plus two inches for side hems. The length that I ended up with went to about halfway down the window - remember, I made a valance-type curtain that could be temporarily lowered instead of a full-window shade. Traditional roman shades cover the window all the way to the bottom when closed, so if you are doing that, just measure accordingly to fit your full window frame. I came across some tutorials that mentioned the edges of the fabric shades getting ripples and not hanging nice and flat.

I didn't want this. So I tried something new to hopefully prevent the ripple effect, and I think it worked -

I inserted narrow strips of posterboard into the side hems for a firm, straight edge,

that still had enough flexibility to curve into drapes when the shade is raised.

Here's how I did it...

First, a tip for quick and easy hem pressing - Instead of painstakingly measuring inch by inch down your fabric as you iron, use a long strip of heavyweight paper as a guide. I used posterboard,

but a cut piece of a file folder works well, too. Fold the edge of your fabric over just enough to cover to the edge of your paper guide, and iron it flat right on top of the paper.

Slide the paper down, fold the fabric over, and iron, using the paper as a width measurement.

A 1" paper guide is quick and easy to work with. If your hem is 1", simply fold it over on itself again at your ironed crease and iron again. Then you are ready to sew. For 1/2" hems, make the first pressing at 1", then fold the raw edge up to meet your ironed crease and press again to make a 1/2" crease. Flip it over on itself one more time (at your original 1" mark) to make a double turned hem, press, and sew away!

These pics show how I slid in a strip of posterboard to make the edges of my shade nice and flat.

Sewing paper won't hurt your machine at all, in fact, I often do so for party decor.

For the top edge of your shade panel, do a double turned 1" hem. Leave the bottom unfinished (I didn't and ended up pulling all that stitching out x4 window panels). It's easier to roll and glue the fabric around the bottom bar of the mini blind when it isn't folded over on itself in a sewn hem. The raw edge won't be seen at the bottom, but your top needs to be nice and finished.

Once that is done, you are ready to prep the blind!

Now to get the mini blind skeleton ready

for attaching your fabric panel. You can reuse any mini blinds that fit the window. Beat up, bent, dirty, doesn't matter - you only use the top and bottom bars, the chord mechanism, and a few of the horizontal slats. After you take the shade apart, set aside a few of the best-condition slats and you're good.

You could also purchase a new, vinyl blind for under $5 and do the same project.

Here's how you do it...

Now you can attach the fabric panel to the mini blind

Once your blind is dismantled, lay it on top of your fabric panel and decide how many horizontal slats you want - this is where your Roman shade will drape on itself in the raised position. I made mine every 9 inches, and for the length of my half-shade that meant two slats were needed. If your shade covers the full window, you'll probably need four. I measured down from the top, hemmed edge and marked the sides equally, covered the mini blind slat with glue (a fingertip works faster for spreading the glue out than a brush does) and smoothed it onto the fabric between the marks on each side of the panel. Don't glue the hole!! You'll be rethreading that center blind cord down through the slats right after they are glued to the fabric. My collage has a pic out of place - I did this step last. The cord needs to be able to move freely, so I felt rethreading it afterward would prevent it from accidentally getting glued to the fabric.

Worth mentioning - I chose to attach my blind mechanism flipped around backwards,

so that the pull cords came out on the left side instead of the right. This way, I didn't have to cut any

holes in the front of the fabric panel for the cords to go through, and could glue the fabric panel to the

top bar without any worries of the cords getting glued and not raising/lowering the blind properly.

I've seen tutorials both ways, and this is what I ended up going with. Takes a sec to get your bearings

on raising/lowering once it's done, but avoids possible snafus in the assembly process,

and the front of the finished shade is clean looking.

Now your horizontal slats and cording are done. You need to reattach the weighted, bottom bar of the blind. The part I had the most fits with in this whole project was getting that bottom bar knotted back on so that it hung evenly. My advice? Lay the upper bar in place where it will go,

5 Faves - Mother's Day Etsy Love

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimee @ Craft, Interrupted) — Sun, 05 May 2013 15:03:00 +0000

If you would rather shop than make, but still want to gift handmade goodness, here are five
lovely gift items from fab etsy shops
that would be perfect for Mother's Day (ranging from $25 to $45).

1) Silverware End Initial Necklace

from Spoonerz
I have never seen anything like this! It's so unique and pretty. They make bracelets, too!

2) Custom Long Distance Love Map

from Paper Plane Prints
Does Mom have her chicks spread out? These prints are sweet reminders of where her heart is.

3) Personalized e-Reader Cover

from Service Partner
These monogram e-reader covers are cute!

4) Silhouette Charm Necklace
from ImBlessed
Send this shop a profile photo and she'll make them into sweet silhouette charms.
They also sell custom handprint and child's handwriting charms,
and metal stamped jewlery at a great price.

5) Personalized Burlap
Family Tree Pillow
from Simple French Market
This is a nice alternative to family tree wall art, yes? This shop offers the same personalized burlap
family tree in an 8x10 size that is ready for you to frame. It looks so nice!

If you missed my other 5 Faves Mother's Day Roundups,
here they are...

5 Faves ~ Handmade Mother's Day Gifts from Kids

5 for Friday ~ Handmade Mother's Day Love from You

Sharing @

5 Faves ~ Handmade Mother's Day Gifts from Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimee @ Craft, Interrupted) — Sat, 04 May 2013 15:23:00 +0000

As I mentioned in my 5 for Friday ~ Mother's Day Love post, I'm sharing additional roundups of Mother's Day ideas this weekend. So first, I gave you 5 ideas for things YOU could make for the special women in your life, and now here are 5 ideas for handmade gifts your kids can make.

1) Flower Art Canvas

from Multiples and More
I think this canvas art is so pretty. This one was created together as special Mommy-Daughter time, but you could also make it together and gift it to someone special, too! The simple art techniques are friendly for even young Littles - line painting, sponge painting, cutting paper circles that look best wobbly ; )
and in the end it combines into a lovely art piece. Smaller canvases could be displayed on table easels.

2) Canning Lid Garden Markers

from Skip to My Lou
These canning lid garden markers look like a great project, too. So simple - painted lids glued to dowels (I think the mini pot on the end could be optional, as you could just poke the dowel into the dirt, right?). If your special person is not a garden-grower, you could make your markers into pretty decor pieces
instead of plant identifiers. Paint them with butterflies or inspirational words!

3) Painted Handprint Jar Vases

from Black Flip Flops
How sweet are these?! This isn't a tutorial, but I think it would be pretty simple.
Save some sauce jars, let the kids paint them, assist in adding a handprint, and tie on a pretty tag!
These could probably be sealed with a coat or two of mod podge for durability.

4) Melted Bead Suncatchers

from I'm Feelin' Crafty
THIS is such a cool idea! It's made by melting pony beads in a muffin tin. My boys would love doing this!
She drilled holes in them afterward with a dremel and they strung them up as suncatcher chimes.
I think any Gramma would love getting a set of suncatchers for Mother's Day : )

5) I Love You Jar

from Better Homes & Gardens
This is basic, but when I saw it, it warmed my heart...when my birthday rolled around last month, I had a little pity party feeling old. And I gathered my boys and asked them to give me a pep talk, to remind me that even though I'm "the mean mom" when I tell them to pick up their rooms, they still love me as their mom. It worked, folks! Same idea here, just long-lasting, because they are written down and presented in a cute jar!

I hope these ideas get you inspired for leading some creative time.
Handmade gifts from Littles are the best!

Fun Jar Friday #46: Smackable Mini Pinatas

noreply@blogger.com (tiffany lagrange) — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:35:00 +0000

Today on Fun Jar Friday~

I have a confession.

Before I met my husband, I had no idea that Cinco de Mayo was even a holiday. In any country. I thought the man who could easily down 19 tacos in a single sitting made it up so that he could eat more Mexican food.

I still kind of think that.

I mean, after all, it's not even on my calendar. And I do not celebrate Boxing day or the Queen's Birthday or any of those other holidays that actually are on my calendar but have a different country in parentheses under it.

But since my husband seems to think it's a holiday. I manage to make a Mexican dish for him.

Or at least take him to Taco Bell.

But I am a blogger and feel it's my duty to provide a seasonal activity for you who actually do celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Whether it actually be your culture, or you want to teach your kids about other cultures, or you just like an excuse to eat more Mexican food.

But I was stuck.

What could we do for a fun jar activity? Everything I found felt pretty ho hum or was done a million other times before. My goal with fun jar activities is to do something that is not only fun for your kids, but provides some use past paper crafts that you hang on the fridge or throw away.

The Mr. suggested we make tacos.

I considered we all take a siesta.

I kept coming back to these mini pinatas I kept seeing on pinterest. But they were all pull apart or tear apart. Where was the traditional pinata beating with the explosion of candy and color?

Don't get me wrong. The idea of bat wielding, blindfolded children swinging at an unknown object terrifies me enough to keep me up at night. I'm all for a pull string at parties.

But mini pinatas should be beaten open.

In a safe way.

Which is how I came up with the smackable mini pinatas. I found these images at My Dreamed Day and based my design off of these. It's in Spainish and the only words I understood were blog and fiesta so I just went off the pictures.

Best part is, you probably already have all the materials!

You will need

toilet paper roll

string

different colors of tissue paper

liquid glue

tape

scissors

candy, small toys, fillers

Cut a rectangle out of tissue paper. It needs to be wide enough to cover the bottom of the TP roll end and twice as long as it is wide.

Fold it in half and tape it around the end of the roll, covering the bottom. You may want to put several layers depending on how difficult you want it to be to break the pinata. I just put the one rectangle on and my kids broke it in one or two smacks. Always good to keep the suspense going so add a few more layers.

Tape a string to the inside of the TP roll. Continue to tape it along the outside of the roll. Leave a long tale and then cut the string off. Tie a loop at the end for an easier hold on the string when smacking and it won't go flying out of their hands and hit grandma.

Fill the pinata with candy, toys and fillers. I cut several little squares of tissue paper for confetti. I also used leftover easter candy. Cut more rectangles and cover the other end of the roll, closing it off.

Now to decorate your pinatas.

Cut skinny strips of tissue paper, about an inch thick and long enough to wrap around the TP roll. Using your scissors, cut halfway into the strips, creating a fringe.

Starting at one end, apply a ring of glue around the end of the tube. Place a strip around the tube, with the cut fringe closest to the edge. Make another ring of glue along the un-fringed side of the strip and add another strip. Continue in this fashion until the roll is completely covered.

Trim off any tissue paper that extends past the tube.Add any other decorations you want. Glitter, stickers, washi tape, ribbon.

And now you are ready to smack them open!
(entering the blurry, badly cropped photo zone)

Wrap the loop around your finger and smack the pinata against a floor or wall of counter. Just don't do it against a sibling. Or maybe. If that's how it rolls in your house.

So how did I do? Did I pass the Cinco de Mayo test?

Good. I'm going to take that siesta now.

Also, if you are on instagram, post a picture of your kids doing my fun jar fridays. Add a #funjarfriday and I will check it out!

Sharing @

whipperberry

5 for Friday ~ Mother's Day Love

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimee @ Craft, Interrupted) — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:17:00 +0000

Mother's Day is approaching!

This week I'm sharing five handmade gift ideas that I love.

These are projects that YOU could do, for your own mom, mom-in-law, gramma, or momma friends...

If you want to make something for a special mom, these are great ideas.

1) Spring Infinity Scarf

from The Cottage Home
Infinity scarves are fab, and you can make your own with a simple sewing project.
Choose lightweight fabric for a spring or summer scarf. Isn't this spring floral pretty?
This could work for any mom gift - classy, vintage, trendy - just depends on the fabric you choose!

2) Tiered Melamine Dessert Stand

from Bubbly Nature Creations
There are many tutorials out there for DIY tiered trays. I loved the crystal knob detail on this one!
And melamine is always a win in my book : ) I've had this on my project list since last year.
It would make a great Mother's Day gift!

3) Spa in a Jar

from The Gunny Sack
For the mom who needs a little pampering - how cute is this spa in a jar?!
This post has links to all the recipes for soaks and scrubs, as well as those pretty label printables.

4) Boden Blvd. Necklace Knockoff

from Flamingo Toes
Jewelry is foreign territory for me, but I fell in love with this beautiful necklace project.
The tutorial is fantastic, and just think how many looks you could get by choosing different
ribbons or colored beads. I think the cream and white is so pretty though!

5) Queen Bee Brunch

from Lisa Storms
This Queen Bee Brunch has captured my heart. It's SO LOVELY.
If you want to throw a pretty little party for some special mommas, this will surely inspire you.

I have a few more Handmade for Mother's Day roundups in the works
Mother's Day Gifts from Etsy &
Mother's Day Gifts from Kids
I'll be sharing those with you in the next several days, so come back and see more ideas!

Currently {v.41}

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimee @ Craft, Interrupted) — Thu, 02 May 2013 14:54:00 +0000

THE DEAL:

Use the weekly themes or use your own - just share what you're "currently" up to!

Visit the other bloggers that are linking up @ Harvesting Kale and Ot & Et and say hello!

This week's themes:

admiring, caring, loving, cleaning, creating

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jaimee is...

CURRENTLY admiring... my Middle Man. That sweet and sensitive 7yr old really gets stuck in the middle - older brother's special needs trump him left and right, and little brother's not-quite-independent needs fill the gap. But he's a trooper, a beautiful boy with a tender heart, and his curious intelligence often amazes me. He's our bookworm, and as a bookworm myself, I love that about him.

CURRENTLY caring... about where my food comes from. Our family has been making a gradual shift toward purchasing organic and free trade items, when possible. We are now teetering on the edge of vegetarian. Right now, for us, that means reducing the number of meals a week that contain meat. We had already stopped buying beef and pork and ate mainly poultry and fish for the past few years. Our current plan is to purchase only humanely raised meats. It's more expensive, which means we'll purchase less, make the most of what we do purchase, and fill in with other...stuff. Adventures in meat-substitutes. We are stretching ourselves and being more conscious of our choices.

CURRENTLY loving... this charming hand-embroidered hoop from Vintage and Whimsy on etsy. I came across it while browsing for inspirations for wall decor in our living room, "currently" under makeover. Isn't it a delight? Stiched on vintage bedsheet = a dream!

CURRENTLY cleaning... the house, little by little. Company coming for dinner tomorrow, so the chaos and junior-frat-house-ness must be managed!

CURRENTLY creating... a new etsy shop. Unfortunately, for several reasons, By Craft, Interrupted, and its pockets of fun children's items, is phasing out. Hubs and I had a recent project that we think could be a great etsy fit. Hopefully. So I'm moving away from children's and into decor items, inspired by our recent room makeovers, and my developing vintage/market style and love of mantel vignettes. New ventures, new look, new name, new everything!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tiffany is...

CURRENTLY admiring...my blog partner, Jaimee. She's been working really hard on her home makeovers and blowing it out of the park! Are you guys following this? I mean, my stuff is exactly what my house needs, and it's totally me, but she's rocking some current, fun stuff for you. I am loving seeing what she comes up with each week.

CURRENTLY caring... about my teeth. If you are following on instagram, you know that I went through my second round of dental surgery this week. It totally sucked. I had an implant placed 6 months ago, and they had to reopen the area, saw through the bone they placed in order to get to the implant and place the tooth. They did this with only topical anesthesia. You probably aren't surprised that this wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world. And then placing the tooth was a whole other ballgame. Awesome. So I care about my teeth and their pain. I also care that the six months of having no tooth in the back has caused my teeth to shift and the three years I had braces is almost completely out the window. So much so that I don't even smile as much as I used to and my fear of pictures of myself has escalated. But enough about that. I just needed to get it out.

CURRENTLY loving... that my three year old loves doing puzzles with me. And not just his puzzles. But the 500-1000 piece puzzles that I bring out for myself. NO one else in my family shares my love for puzzles. I have loved puzzles since my grandma would present me with a new one every time I would visit as a kid. I would do the same puzzles repeatedly until I had every piece memorized. Fast forward to now. The Mr. begrudgingly does them with me at times. But he doesn't feel the love. ANd my oldest went through a period where he enjoyed them but never got past 100 pieces and he doesn't have the patience. But my little guy shares the love. He'll do puzzles all day long. He can do 200 pieces on his own without any problems. And he sits eagerly with me while I do my big puzzles and works on his own little section of it with no complaints or even asking for help.

CURRENTLY cleaning... the oven. Let me tell you about my oven experiences. My house came with my oven. I hate it. It cooks unevenly. It still has removable burners that lean so oils don't spread evenly on the pan. And it came with a layers of burnt on gunk on the stove top that I couldn't scrub off no matter what I did. Several weeks ago I decided to tackle that gunk (5 years later). I was going to make that stove look nice no matter what I did. I used a mixture of vinegar and baking soda along with the scrubby side of the sponge and whatever else I could find to scrub it off. 5 hours later, my hands, fingers and arms had passed the point of pain and entered the numb zone, but my stove top was finally white again. Last weekend, I decided to conquer the inside. I know that oven cleaner is a much faster way to clean a stove. But I wanted to try something different. I personally hate oven cleaner. I hate the smell of my oven afterwards. I generally don't care too terribly much about chemicals in cleaners although I try to go as natural as I can. It doesn't bother me if I have to pull out a bottle of windex at times. But oven cleaner grosses me out. I mean, chemicals that you are later baking into your food. It bothers me. So much so that I don't clean my oven that often. Last weekend I decided to conquer the oven natural style. I brought out that baking soda and vinegar again and even enlisted my husband to help. 6 hours of scrubbing and scrubbing and soaking and scrubbing some more, we finally had it clean. Mostly. Seriously. I'm hoping that if I keep on it more often, it will get easier. BUt there has to be an easier way!!

CURRENTLY creating... The fourth book in my Grandma Lipstick series. This book has been forever in coming. I was told about it the end of last year. Then the author didn't get it kick started until February. And then it took another two months to figure out the number of illustrations. But I am finally working on it. I'm documenting some of my process on instagram.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEXT WEEK'S THEMES:

LEARNING, GATHERING, GIVING, WORKING, PLAYING

Sharing @

What We Like Wednesday ~ with Tiffany

noreply@blogger.com (tiffany lagrange) — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:22:00 +0000

~With Tiffany~
Here are 5 more of my favorites for you!

1. Thistlewood Farms

I have fallen in love with this blog. If I could pick any house, and had the money and ability to renovate it, I think it would be looking a little like this. I get a crazy sort of mad, jealousy longing when I see pictures of it. And I adore her posts as well! Go check it out!

2. Just Give Me A Reason

by Pink

Maybe it's my age, but I rarely get really excited about a song I hear on the radio anymore. This is the first song in awhile that I want to listen to over and over again. Video in the link.

3. Oil Cleansing Method

image from Wellness Mama

I have the type of skin that was bad as a teenager and has just gotten worse with babies. I don't go outside even to get the mail without makeup because of my insecurities. I also believed salicylic acid was the way to cure this issue so I would use more and more with few results. I've also tried natural remedies like honey and only managed to break my skin out more. So I was skeptical about the oil cleansing method. But I tried it out of desperation. It's been 4 weeks now and my acne is not only about 80% better, what little comes is small and dries up within a day or two. My skin is also so soft and has a glow that you only get during pregnancy (that isn't oil) and looks several years younger. And I only need to wash once a day (I was washing twice a day). I use the castor oil/extra virgin olive oil combination. I also follow it up with an astringent of Apple cider vinegar and water.

4. Jamberry Nails

I hadn't heard of Jamberry Nails until my cousin threw a Jamberry party recently. Maybe you all know about them already and I just live under a rock. It's a nice rock though. But I was inlove with all the cute nail designs they have! It was hard to pick which ones I wanted. They run at $15 a pack but you can get 3-4 sets of nails out of them. More if you have silly tiny toe nails like mine and can figure out how to trim several nails out of one decal. But you just heat them and stick them on! Mine stayed on for 5 weeks without any problems!

5. Side-Cinched Chelsea Cardigan

from New York and Company

My sister bought this cardigan the other day and I've been having fantasies about running out and buying one for myself. I love how it's a cardigan but still gives you a waist. Why does she have to be too far away to borrow?

And that's it for me this week!

Craft Fantastic Necklaces

noreply@blogger.com (tiffany lagrange) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:55:00 +0000

I have lived in Utah for 5 years now and have always intended on going to the Utah Scrapbook Expo. However, something has always gotten in the way of my going and I could never have the privilege of scrap shopping my little heart out.

Until this year.

Being the ~~love it but get to it only when I can~~ die hard scrapbooker that I am, nothing was going to stop me this year. I even went by myself. But while I was there, I was introduced to Craft Fantastic.

Craft Fantastic is a company that provides you with all the pieces to make your own custom jewelry. It is beyond easy and fast. I did a make and take while I was there and it took 5 minutes. You kids could make them! And you get an adorable piece at the end! It's also very affordable. Mother's Day anyone?

We are in no way affiliated with Craft Fantastic, I just really liked their product and wanted to share with you.

So the first thing you need to do is purchase your pieces from their site. It looks like a lot but is really affordable. And you can make a lot of jewelry with what you get.

For a necklace, you will need to purchase a chain, a tray, and glass to match your tray. They have a bunch of different shapes, styles and colors in these so you can totally customize your necklace. For my set, the heart shaped trays were $8.95, the heart shaped glass was $3.95 and the chain was $7.95. You get 10 pieces in a pack so for about $22 I can make 10 necklaces. This price varies depending on the style you choose. You can make a necklace for as little as $1.60 a necklace.

You will also need some non-toxic dots (96 for $5.95) and some of their Fantastic Glaze and Glue ($5.95 and they say it lasts forever)

So, now that you got your pieces, let's get started. It takes about 5 minutes from start to finish.

Pic your image. You can do printed photos or images from the computer but you have to print on copy paper (not photo paper or cardstock). And be aware if your printer has waterproof ink or not. If it doesn't you might need to spray your image with fixative or you will get a burry, smeary mess. I like using scrapbook paper. It works perfect!

note: if you do happen to end up with a smeared image, place the glass in hot water and let it sit until the image comes off. Then try again!

Once you have your paper or image. Decide where you want your glass piece. Squirt glue in all corners of the black of the glass. You want to do this liberally. Look at the glue in the pic (not my dry Utah hands).

Place the glass on the image and press down. The glue will squirt all around the glass. This is okay. Once it's pressed down, move it to where you want it. Use a Q-tip to wipe up the glue around the glass.

Let it dry for a couple minutes. It really only takes about 3 minutes. Cut the paper off around the glass, close enough that your scissors are touching the edge.

Now all you have to do is peel off the glue dot and place it on the tray. Peal the top cover off the dot and press the glass in place. String on your chain and you are done!

If you want to use a stamp to embellish your paper, just spray it with fixative before you place the glass.

There's so much you can do with these and you can make all kinds of different jewelry. Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings...

I know what everyone in my family is getting this year!

Makeover Monday ~ Kitchen Art Wall on a Budget

noreply@blogger.com (Jaimee @ Craft, Interrupted) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:39:00 +0000

It's Makover Monday!

I'm loving this new series, are you?

Here is what I've shared of my kitchen makeover so far...

Painted Walls & Stenciled Focal Wall w/ Royal Design Studio

and Kitchen Storage Solutions

w/ an Upcycled Dresser Buffet & Spice Rack

Today I'm going to show you

the art wall I put together to fill up this empty space...

This Kitchen Art Wall idea has been long in the works.

It was one of my very first Pinterest boards, collecting ideas.

So you can imagine - I was thrilled to finally be putting those ideas to use!

First, I went shopping, pocketbook-friendly style.

I scored this metal signage gem at Hobby Lobby for 50% off.

It was such an exciting discovery that this was on sale - I had to instagram it immediately ; )

I stopped at Dollar Tree and picked up five frames.

Then I stopped at a thrift store and picked up three more frames,

some silverware, and a cute little wooden rolling pin.

I had a trio of mis-matched thrifted plates at home from a previous trip.

SO, about $35 to $40 bucks later, I was stocked up.

Then I shopped pinterest for printables.

And Google Images for a few more pics I could print. After a lengthy hunt, I managed to gather these...

Throw in a few fabric scraps from my stash and a teeny bit of paint for frames, and this is what I created...

It fills the space beautifully, and is a wonderful combo of textures and color.

Here are some close-up looks...

For this one, I dry brushed a thrifted frame, wrapped the cardboard insert in fabric (a yellow and

white polka dot), and used E6000 adhesive to glue thrifted silverware on front. I was going to spraypaint

the silverware, but then since there is a lot of grey in the room, as well as an abundance of color elsewhere, I kept them as-is.

I also used fabric as a mat for this one (yellow and white gingham). I printed the image full page

with no borders, and with the covered insert as a mat I was able to use an 11x14 frame

without spending extra to get a print made larger than my printer at home could do.

Kitchen Rules - from Love From the Oven

Eat Your Veggies - via Pinterest

I won this kitchenaid mixer print in an instagram contest from Newspaper Balloon,

and it. was. perfect. for my new kitchen collection! I added some washi border.

The gravy boat was a wedding present, and has been popping up in my mantel decor lately.

It has a lovely new home on top of the spice rack now. The red pot is from Dollar Tree.

Keep Calm and Have a Slice - via Pinterest

Be Grateful. Today, tomorrow and always - from Sugar and Dots

If All Else Fails, Coffee - from Spool and Spoon

The Kit-Cat clock is from our first apartment. It no longer works,

but it's a treasure to me, so I still hung it up.

I intended to add some vinyl to a few of the plates, but haven't attempted vinyl yet.

I also, afterward, scored two small cast iron skillets at the thrift store that I would like to add to the wall.

...somewhere. I'd still love a wooden "eat" sign and more plates, which may find themselves in the narrow space above the windows....but I'm not sure yet. So far, it's delightful : )

One more before & after

Come back next Monday and I'll show you how I used the old mini blinds from our bedroom

to make DIY Fabric Roman Shades for the kitchen eating area.

Sharing @

Made by You Mondays @ Skip to My Lou

Fun Jar Friday #45: Personalized Magnetic Action Figures

noreply@blogger.com (tiffany lagrange) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:36:00 +0000

Today on Fun Jar Friday~

Personalized Magnetic Action Figures

How many of you have kids who would love to create story lines using
actions figures of themselves?

No one? Okay, I'll stop here then.

Oh wait, you do have kids like that? Well alrighty then! Here we go!

When I saw this post on The Dating Divas, I was instantly inspired. I love how she made magnets of each person in the family showing their personality. It got my brain turning on how my kids would love little action figures of themselves!

All you need is magnetic adhesive paper and photo paper.

So, I will walk you through how to make these on Photoshop. If you do not have Photoshop or a similar photo editing software, don't worry! You can still make them! This shows you how to make a clean white border around the images. But it works just as well to print the photo out on photo paper.

Place your child up against a wall (preferably white, especially if you aren't using Photoshop). Have them pose in several different animated poses.

Some tips to getting the best images.

Try to keep your child in the same place for each picture.

Keep yourself in the same place for each picture.

Take all your pictures at the same time of day.

Use a lot of natural lighting.

If you are not using Photoshop, size your image so that your figure is the size you want and then print onto photo paper.

If you are using Photoshop, enlarge your image and use the lasso tool to select small areas around the child. Hit delete.

Continue lassoing and deleting until there is white surrounding the entire figure.

Crop image and lasso the remaining background in pieces, deleting as you go.

Now you have a nice clean image on a white background. Do this with all the images. Create a very large new file. I made mine like 100x200 in. Copy and paste each image onto this new file. Size any images that might have gotten out of proportion.

Using image size, shrink the image to the size you want. I knew my eight images would fit on 2 papers. so I shrunk my height to 22in. At this point you might also want to change the resolution to 200. I didn't because I was in a hurry and they came out a bit

more pixelated then I like.

Finally, make another new file the size of your magnetic sheet (but no bigger that 8.5x11). Copy and paste the images that fit on that file. Print off the image onto photo paper.

note: I tried printing directly onto printable magnetic paper but it kept jamming in my printer. If you know you printer can handle this paper, then go for it. If not, I would avoid it.

Depending on what magnetic sheet you used, either cut the magnet sheet or the paper to size. Peel a few inches of the paper backing away. Place your image onto it. Pull the rest of the backing away and press the print down.

Now all that's left to do is cut around your image! Now you can play and make up whatever stories you want with your action figures!

Sharing @

whipperberry