Em-agination

Smurf-day Party

2011-07-22T00:38:00.000-07:00

Surprise, I am back!! I haven't blogged for a while, I apologize but sometimes life gets in the way and you have more important stuff to do like go camping with your family and play with your kids, it is summer after all and having fun is what it is all about. My daughter is turning 8 soon so we have begun planning and preparing for her party. She asked to have a Smurf theme birthday and since the new movie is coming out around the same time, I thought it was a great idea and we ran with it. By the way please excuse the awful photos...my husband is in China at the moment and he took my camera with him which left me with the camera on my phone which is just awful.

Here is a little sneak peak at her invitations. Aren't they cute. I made them with the Silhouette craft cutter using their nifty little trace feature. I simply found an image of Smurfette on the Internet and saved it to my computer, then opened it up in the Silhouette program told the program to trace the image and then got to work separating all the pieces into which color to cut them out of. (I supposed I could have used the print and cut feature also but I haven't quite figured that one out yet.)

Here are all the pieces for Smurfette and a few photos of her assembly along the way.

Stay tuned for more decorations from the upcoming party...you could also wish me luck since we will be having our first sleep over party with 8, 8 year-old girls, oh the thought makes me cringe. I hate sleep overs, I always have even as a child but for some reason my children love them.

T-shirt Refashion

2011-06-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

I was shopping at Old Navy the other day when I noticed that they had men's t-shirts on sale for $3 a piece. I thought, you can't beat that price so I picked up several in the largest size they had, to do a few refashions for myself and my daughter. Using a t-shirt and some cute trim I picked up at Jo-Ann's on clearance I came up with this cute tunic length tank-top. It was super easy to make, here is how I did it.

Start with your t-shirt, I used an XXL t-shirt, though to big, it provided the length I wanted for a tunic length shirt and with a few well placed gathers, it was flowy enough for a loose fitting summer shirt.

Cut the sleeves off the t-shirt, just outside the seam of the sleeve.

Cut the neck off the shirt, just below the neck hole opening.

Turn under the arm holes and sew so that you have a a finished edge.

Using a basting stitch, sew two rows of stitches on both the front and back of the shirt about 4 inches from each side and 1/4 inch apart. Then pull the bottom threads of each row so that gathers are created. As you can see, I gathered the back of my shirt more than the front of my shirt.

Take your trim and measure out two lengths slightly longer than the top edges of the front and back of your shirt. Fold over the edges of the trim to create a finished edge and sew trim into place.

Measure the length of trim needed to create the straps of your shirt, pin into place and sew.

Yahoo!!! You are done, wasn't that easy? Now to plan what to do with the remaining shirts I bought.

Red White (sort of) and Blue Push-up Popsicles

2011-06-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

The kids and I have been trying to keep busy this summer which has left little to no time for crafting by me but we are going to try and make something in the kitchen each week this summer and the first thing we made were these red, white (more of a yellow but who cares) and blue push-up Popsicles. We used these pretty cool push-up molds that have been popular for making push-cakes but we use them for Popsicles more than push-cakes. If you are interested, you can buy some molds from me by checking out my ETSY shop.

Here is what you need to make these Red, White and Blue Push-up Popsicles.

Red Layer:
1 1/2 cups of cut up strawberries
1/3 cup water
3 tbsp. sugar

White Layer:
1 package of vanilla pudding mix
2 cups of milk

Blue Layer:
3/4 cups of blueberries
1/3 cup water
3 tbsp. sugar

To make the red layer, wash and cut up your strawberries. Combine strawberries, water and sugar in a sauce pan and cook until strawberries release their juices and become mushy and break up easily. Let cool slightly and pour this mixture into your Popsicle molds about 1/3 of the way up. Freeze

Once the red layer is frozen, make the white layer by mixing the pudding mix and milk and pour into you Popsicle molds that have the frozen strawberry layer. Put back into the freezer and freeze until white layer is frozen.

While the white layer is freezing, make the blue layer by combining blueberries, water and sugar in a saucepan. Heat until the berries soften and become mushy. Using the back of a fork or a blender if you prefer a smoother texture, smash the berries until they form a sort of puree. Let the blue layer cool while the white layer freezes and then pour the blue layer on top of the white and red layer. Put the molds back into the freezer until the blue layer freezes and then they are ready to serve.

These little babies would be very fun and festive to serve for the upcoming holiday.

Cleaning out Crafting Supplies

2011-06-16T22:09:00.000-07:00

My crafting supplies are out of control so while I was crafting today I decided to try and use up some of the supplies in my desk that have been sitting there for quite a while (some a couple of years). I came up with this necklace which is funny because I don't wear jewelry though I keep telling myself I need to try and wear it, it just feels odd when I do and I just end up fidgeting with it which is never a good thing. Is wearing jewelry something that you eventually just get used to or does my uncomfortableness with it just mean I am not a jewelry person, who knows, it was still fun to create and I am sure I can find someone to give it to if I don't use it.

The supplies I used included faux pearls (bought to add to a wreath that I ended up not using) pendant (bought to add as a decoration on a handbag I was going to make but never did) ribbon (left over from who knows what project) and a sewing needle (a staple in the crafting supplies.)

First I measured the ribbon to the length I wanted and strung the pendant to the half way point. I then strung one pearl onto both sides of the ribbon.

Next, I measured 2 inches above the pendant on each side of the ribbon and tied a knot. Then I strung a pearl on both sides and tied another knot above the pearl to hold the pearl in place. Continue with this pattern on each side of the ribbon until you have filled it up. At this point you could add a clasp if you had one, I did not so I just tied a bow.

Finally, if you are me, go and try to enjoy your new necklace, or let it sit in your jewelery box which is probably what will happen with this baby.

Wreath Addiction

2011-06-13T00:02:00.000-07:00

It's that time again! I was getting bored walking into the house looking at this wreath so I made a new one. This time using my favorite colors, purple and green. And I luurve it! These pictures don't do it justice.

I used my go to standards for making wreaths on the cheap, the base, a dollar store Styrofoam wreath covered with Spanish moss again from the dollar store and floral pins to hold the moss in place.

Once the wreath form is totally covered with the moss, now start adding things to pretty it up. On my last trip to Micheal's I found a bag of fun decorative moss in shades of green and burgundy/purple (not sure what to call that color) I also found a garland of wispy purple berries. All which equaled inspiration for my new wreath. The garland is affixed to the back of the wreath form using floral pins. This made the wreath a little larger and added a different texture to the wreath. Can't wait to hang it on the front door in the morning.

Teaching Kids to Sew

2011-06-07T23:33:00.000-07:00

I think teaching kids to sew is such a valuable skill to learn. My daughter loves to sew and I often get asked, how did you teach Kylee to sew? I began to teach her to sew when she was about five years old with basic hand sewing using scraps of fabric. By the time she was 5 1/2 or 6 I started to teach her how to use my sewing machine. The sewing machine can be scary so we took it slow. The nice thing about my machine is that it has a speed dial so that I can slow it way down to make it not so scary and uncontrollable. If you are going to teach a child to sew, this is a very nice feature to have but not necessary. In our house the rule is, if Kylee is sewing, the speed must be set to turtle (slow)

First Kylee started out simply sitting on my lap and pressing the sewing pedal while I controlled the fabric. She played around and quickly figured out that the harder you push, the faster the machine goes and vise versa. We then graduated to her lifting and lowering the presser and then pushing the buttons to make the needle go up and down and go in reverse, I explained all the parts of the machine to her and always asked her to tell me what to do before she did it. We talked about safety and that the needle is sharp and that she must keep her fingers away from the needle. Another nice feature of my machine is that it has a button that tells the machine to always keep the needle down when you are not pushing the pedal, this helps prevent any accidental needle poking, Another rule when Kylee is sewing is that the needle must be set to the down position.

When Kylee was able to tell me the steps needed to safely sew something I started to let her guide the fabric while she sat on my lap. Eventually she graduated to me just sitting next to her while she sewed on her own. For what seemed like hours, she practiced sewing straight lines, that I had drawn onto fabric. When she could sew a straight line very well, I started to draw out curved and wavy lines onto scraps of fabric which she practiced over and over again. We then made small things like pillows and blankets for her dolls and stuffed animals and Kylee became very comfortable using my sewing machine. Today Kylee who is almost 8 uses the machine all by herself, I am in the room of course usually making dinner or doing dishes but she sets it up and sews all on her own with very little assistance.

Today, Kylee drew out a little bunny rabbit onto some scraps of felt and created this little softy. Isn't it cute.

I still sometimes draw a dashed line to help guide her as to where to sew because she has a hard time understanding how to keep a consistent seam allowance and this little guys had a lot of curves so the drawing of a dashed line was helpful for her so she could see and anticipate what she needed to do next.

You can see she did fairly good following the line. Often what happens if she doesn't have a line and is sewing around a curve is that she ends up very close to the edge and when she turns the fabric, there is a hole. With the dotted line, this rarely happens and sew sews much neater and straighter.

The bunny was then turned right side out and you no longer can see her drawing lines or the dashed sewing guides.

Kylee stuffed the little bunny and used her hand sewing skills to close up the bunny. She had me sew on the button eye and the whiskers while she made a little pom-pom that was sewed on for the tail.

I love the fact that Kylee has the ability to create something in her head and then produce it into a tangible item. We haven't started talking about patterns yet and how to use/read them but she has made this one of her summer goals so we will probably start learning about patterns by making a few simple skirts. Even my youngest son is interested in sewing and will begin learning how to sew using a sewing machine this summer. His first project, if you ask him is to make a sword. We will see how it goes.

Patriotic Potatoes

2011-06-05T22:47:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend we had here in Oregon, we broke 80 degrees for the first time this year and my family spent the majority of the time outside. The kids had softball and t-ball games, my oldest spent the majority of his time at the skate park. I got my vegi garden planted yahoo, Mr. Smith fixed the sprinkler system which he mangled with the rototiller last year and we went to the local farmers market. I love the farmer's market and our area has some really great farmer's markets. I picked up some baby (and I mean baby, probably no bigger than a jumbo marshmallow) potatoes in various colors, red, white and blue. Well, you can't buy red white and blue potatoes and not do something patriotic with them so I present to you, Patriotic Potatoes.

These make a really fun, easy side dish, do you see the American flag? Yes I know I didn't quite get it right, the corner should be blue with red and white stripes, but I bought more blue potatoes and only a few red so I didn't have enough to make a proper American flag but you get the idea. My kids thought making an American flag out of potatoes was fun and they liked helping squish the potatoes also. To make these, all you need are red, white and blue potatoes, (any color will do but check out your farmer's market they just may have some blue potatoes) Then after you have washed them, cook them in the microwave until they are soft. Then put them on a baking sheet and take a glass cup and push on the potato with the bottom of the glass until the potato smashes. Then dot the potatoes with a little bit of butter and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Bake at 375 degrees until they start to brown. My kids like to eat them with ketchup, I prefer mine with a dab of sour cream.

As they bake, the skin sort of hardens and holds everything together so they would be great as finger food at your next party. You could sprinkle them with a little bacon and cheese and topped with a dab of sour cream and chives, sort of like potato skins but way less work. Give them a try, I bet your family will love them.

Cottage Apron

2011-06-03T03:00:00.000-07:00

The book, "One Yard Wonders" has been around for awhile, heck I have had it for about a year and I am just now getting around to making something out of it. It is a great book with some really neat projects. I love the premise of the book, everything in the book can be made with one yard of fabric or less and for the most part everything is fairly easy to make. It is just a great book that really makes sewing seem like something that is doable for everyone. Check it out if you haven't had a chance.

For the first project I made out of the book, I chose to make the "Cottage Apron." I was asked to make an apron for a friend as a birthday gift. My friend wears aprons a lot, mostly the boring square type aprons that are solid in color, very boring. So I thought I would spice up her apron wardrobe I wanted to make an apron that was more exciting than the typical apron but not so flashy that she won't want to wear it, the cottage apron fit the bill. I hope she likes it.

Doggy Leash

2011-06-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

Our doggy leash broke the other day, Mr. Smith took our dog for a walk and let out the leash only to find that it no longer retracted like it was supposed to. We can't complain we have had our dog for almost 10 years and owned the leash just as long so I suppose we got our monies worth. I however saw the clasp and thought, that is still perfectly usable so I got to work making another doggy leash rather than going out to buy another.

I used some left over fabric I had laying around in my stash. I wanted to make a cute colorful leash since our dog is a girl but was stuck with manly neutrals since Mr. Smith does the dog walking in our house. Oh I go along for the walk sometimes but I am not the walker because the walker is responsible for picking up after their dog and I don't pick up what dogs leave behind. It's not because I am prissy or anything, I just have a gag reflex that doesn't stop which means I too would leave something behind if you get what I mean.

To make the leash, I cut out strips of fabric that were 2 1/2 inches wide and various lengths. I then sewed all the pieces together until I had one long piece of fabric that was 2 1/2 inches by about 7 feet. I then pressed all the seams open and ironed on some thin interfacing, mostly to give the leash some added strength. I then folded the long strip of fabric in half and pressed.

Back to the sewing machine where I sewed along the short side of the fabric and up the very long side, leaving one short side open for turning. Let me tell you the turning was a pain in the rump. Every time I came to one of the seams, the tube would get all bunched up, I think because it was just too much fabric for such a small area. After working it for quite a while though, I was able to get the fabric turned right side out. then iron your tube again so it lays flat.

For the handle, I just folded a loop about 7 inches long and secured it using several rows of stitching. I did the same to attach the latch to the other end of the leash. Only time will tell if this leash will last as long as our previous leash but even if it doesn't, I can just whip up another leash in a jiffy, only this time I plan to use only one long strip of fabric instead of a bunch of pieces, I am telling you turning that tube right side out was an incredible pain and I am going to make it girly, I don't care if Mr. Smith doesn't want a hot pink. ruffly leash, he is getting one.

Party with Flamingos

2011-05-27T03:00:00.000-07:00

Oh what a week...we've had lots of activity going on in our house what with kid's sports. end of the season t-ball parties, end of the school year activities, doctor's appointments, I've been acting as a single mom since Mr. Smith has been away for work and oh yeah, I got braces (again) this week (what was I thinking, I forgot how painful braces were.) So yeah, busy is an understatement. Unfortunately, being busy leaves very little time for crafting. I did however manage to whip up a bunch of flamingo sugar cookies for my son's end of the school year party, it was a pink flamingo theme. Who knows why but it gave me an excuse to make cookies so I'm not complaining. They turned out really cute and the kids loved them. Here's to hoping there is more time for crafting this weekend. I hope you all have a fun weekend, I know I am looking forward to it.

Subway Art My Way

2011-05-22T23:35:00.000-07:00

My nephew is getting married in June and his lovely bride to be had her bridal shower this weekend. They had registered for some frames which I decided to get for them however I wanted to personalize one of them with something so I jumped on the subway art craze that has been all over blog land. Except I did it my way, this what happens when subway art meets a crossword puzzle.

Isn't that back ground paper cool, I just feel in love with it.

Looking at the subway art that is all over blog land got me thinking how did this art form that started out as graffiti make it's way into home decor? So I turned to google to answer my questions, I mean isn't that how everyone gets their questions answered in this day and age? I found this little essay that gave me some of the history behind Subway art. Long story short, subway art started as a way for graffiti artists to communicate, it then grew into a type of competition among artists to see who could tag the most subway cars. Soon graffiti covered so many cars that the artists began to search for ways to make their tags standout so they started using different styles of script and adding different doodles to make their tags unique. Ah ha, that makes sense, I can see how "subway art" has made its way from the subway to our homes. Enough with the history lesson, go get your "em-agination" going and make some of your own subway art, it's really fun.

Applique Monkey Quilt

2011-05-19T22:50:00.000-07:00

This is my first attempt at making a quilt, granted it is only an appliqued quilt which in my mind is much easier than what I think of as a more traditional quilt made by sewing little pieces of fabric together but I did quilt it which was huge for me. Stippling/quilting (not sure what the proper terminology is) is one of the things that I think makes a quilt a quilt and while my stippling was not perfect and definitely needs work, it was fun to do and it made me want to do more and improve.

For the monkey I free handed a drawing of a monkey hanging from a tree branch and then cut the drawing up into pieces for a pattern. I like the over all design of the quilt but looking at it now that it is finished, I wish I would have made the tree branch span across the entire quilt because as it is now, it just looks like the tree branch is floating in mid air which is a little weird.

The backing of the quilt is very cute, it is a bunch of little monkeys in different positions, with the words little monkey repeating. For the quilt top, I used a soft yellow with little white polka dots which are hard to see in the picture. It is all bound with a yellow and white striped fabric.

I am quite please with the quilt and it gave me the confidence I need to try my hand at a "real" quilt. I am thinking it will be a stacked coin quilt for my daughter. Wish me luck, especially since it will be a twin size quilt (this monkey quilt is a crib size) and I am going to try to quilt it myself.

Sailor Skirt for Me

2011-05-18T03:00:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else have a fear of sewing clothing for themselves? I sure do! I'm not sure why, I guess it is just because I am afraid it won't turn out and I will have wasted time and fabric with nothing to show for it. Well today I decided to give it a try using some of the left over sheet I used to make these sailor pants for my daughter. I again turned to this tutorial from Me Sew Crazy for inspiration. I followed her tutorial for the sailor pants but instead made a sailor skirt.

To make the skirt, I simply used a skirt I love as a pattern and cut around it leaving extra for the seam allowance. I then cut these pieces up the middle so that I had 4, 2 front and 2 back pieces just like in the tutorial. From here I followed the tutorial just as it is written to create the flaps for the sailor front.

For the back, I wanted a slit (I'm sure it has a technical name, I just don't know what it is) so I sewed the 2 back piece together stopping about 7 inches from the bottom. I then ironed the raw edges of the slit back 1/4 of an inch and sewed up one side of the slit and back down the other.

I then sewed all the pieces together and created the waist just like in the tutorial. The skirt turned out cute however my fear came true, I put the effort into making something for myself and it didn't fit. BOO! Which is why you are not seeing the skirt on me. I however know where I messed up and will give it another try, I just may have enough left for a take 2. Would you like to know where I messed up? Well, when I traced my skirt as a pattern, I added extra for the seam allowance for the side seam, I however didn't take into account the need to add in seam allowances for the seams that run up the middle of the front and back of the skirt.

I admit, not everything I make works or fits as the case may be. I however learned from this little mistake and will try again, this skirt is so cute, not to. What I need is a mannequin that is made to fit my body, I have seen tutorials on how to make them, I may just have to do that. I am determined to figure out how to sew clothes for myself. Have you had any failures when trying to sew something for yourself? Do you have any tips for me when trying to sew for yourself? I'd love to hear about them.

Jalapeno Salsa

2011-05-15T23:41:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend Mr. Smith and I worked on a little project together. We made his favorite salsa, Jalapeno Salsa found in the Ball Complete Book of Canning, also found on Food.com. It is a really spicy salsa made with a ton of jalapenos but has a really great flavor. We always double the recipe so that we can have lots on hand, it is that good.

Ingredients:

Yield: 3 pints

3 cups chopped peeled cored tomatoes
3 cups chopped jalapeno peppers
1 cup chopped onion
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
2 teaspoons oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 cup cider vinegar

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in large sauce pot.
Bring mixture to a boil.
Reduce heat.
Simmer for 10 minutes.
Ladle hot salsa into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space.
Adjust 2-piece caps.
Process for 15 minutes in boiling-water canner

I had fun prettying up the jars a little. I started out by using the canning templates found at Merriment Design, they are so pretty. I however wanted to put them on the front of my jars rather than the top of the lid so I copied and pasted them into Paint and then stretched them into an oval shape. Very pretty and ready for some gift giving, if I can pry them from Mr. Smith's hands. Maybe we should have tripled the recipe instead of doubling it.


Yes I know I spelled Jalapeno wrong, I vote we change the spelling because I would have sworn this was right.

Balloon Pillars - Great Party Decoration

2011-05-11T03:00:00.000-07:00

I saw some balloon pillars at a party a long time ago and decided I needed some of my own to use for various parties we have through out the year. They are so versatile and you can use them to fit any party decor, you are only limited by your "em-agination." Here is how to make them.

First off, you will need a pillar and a circle for the base. For my pillars I used some hallow plexiglass tubing and for the base I used a plexiglass circle. I wanted something that was sturdy and could be used again and again, plus I liked that I could integrate different things into the tubing to carry the color or theme all the way through. Each stand cost me less than $5.00 to make but you could make them cheaper using a dowel and wood circle nailed or glued together and painted. Or even cheaper, I am sure that a wrapping paper tube or mailing tube glued to a card board circle and painted would work also.

As you can see, I put some glass marble things in the bottom of the tube, this was mostly to weight down the structure because the last time I used them they were outside and I didn't want them to blow away, they are pretty light. I also ran a blue star ribbon up the center of the tube just to add some intrest. Depending on the theme, you could put lots of things in the center of the tube, I have put silk flowers in the middle, candy, even twinkle lights (this of course will only work if your tube is hollow and clear like mine.

Once you have your pillar, you need to blow up 9 balloons to but on the top, you can do all one color or use a variety. Take 2 of your blown up balloons and tie them together until you have 4 pairs.

Take 2 of your pairs and push them together and then give them a twist so they don't come apart, as you can see from the pictures, the dark blue balloons and the light blue balloons were right next to each other when I pushed them together but once I twisted them they were opposite each other, hopefully this helps you envision the twisting action. Set these 4 balloons aside and make another grouping with the 2 remaining pairs of balloons.

Next take one of the groupings you just made and slide it over the pole, again I twisted the balloons to secure them onto the pole. Then take your last group of balloons and slide them onto the top of the pole so that they rest on top of the balloons you just put onto the pole, you can also twist these balloons to secure them if you want.

At this point you should have one balloon left, take this balloon and place it on top in the center of of all the balloons, securing in place by twisting the part you tie around the base of another balloon.

Next you can fancy it up a bit, I used curling ribbon which I wove in between the balloons and let hang down but you could do anything, I have used the same wired star garland that runs in the center and made curly ques that stuck out between the balloons, I have put silk flowers and tulle between the balloons (bridal shower) and even different pennants (baseball theme) sticking out, like I said you are only limited by your "em-agination."

Also, I don't do this with mine but if you wanted to cover your base, you could use small balloons, like a water balloon size and do the same thing you do on the top, at the bottom, obviously putting the balloons on the bottom first. I hope you'll try to make one of these for your next party, you are sure to get lots of compliments, I always do (mostly people asking how to make them,) now you all know.

$1.80 Polka Dot Dress Refashion

2011-05-08T23:53:00.000-07:00

I found this woman's shirt on clearance at Kohl's last summer for $1.80, yes, you read that right, $1.80. Even though there was no way I could ever wear this shirt, I am just to old and not skinny enough, I knew I could refashion it into a dress for my daughter and who can pass up a dress for $1.80, not me that is for sure.

This was a fairly straight forward refashion and could really be done with any t-shirt you have, First off, this shirt had a shelf bra sewn in which my daughter didn't need so I cut that out. Then I marked along the side seams where I wanted to take in the dress a little. After cutting along the line, I pinned the sides together and sewed up the seams.

Then I cut along off the scooped neck and straps creating a straight edge at the top. Fold over a 1/4 inch and sewn creating a finished edge.

After sewing the finished edge, I noticed that the fabric had stretched slightly and just didn't look right so I decided to shir the top edge of the dress a little bit to match the existing shirring below. You could put in as much shirring as you want, I only did 2 rows.

For the sleeves, I had wanted to reuse the spaghetti straps that were originally on the dress however I am not a huge fan of little girls in spaghetti straps, it just looks to grown up to me and when pinned in place it just didn't grab me so I decided to make a little ruffle sleeve using the fabric from shelf bra I had cut out of the top. The ruffle sleeve was cut out in a half circle, making sure to cut it larger than I needed because the shirring along the sleeve will bunch up making it a smaller. I shirred 2 rows along the flat edge of the sleeve and then pinned these sleeves to the top of the dress with the curved edges facing out.

At this point the construction of the dress was done, you could leave it this way and the dress would be cute. I however couldn't leave well enough alone and decided I needed to spruce it up. Out came my favorite crafting tool, the Silhouette craft cutter and some heat set vinyl. You could really do anything to spruce it up, I thought flowers along the bottom would be cute, but in the end polka dots won out, I just love them.

I wasn't able to get my daughter to model it for me, she was asleep but I bet a million dollars she asks if she can wear it to school tomorrow. Fine by me sweetheart, fine by me.

Please feel free to link to my posts but please do not repost pictures of my children, thank you.

At Last...The Pillow Animal Tutorial

2011-05-06T00:42:00.000-07:00

Awhile ago I showed you all the pillow animals I made for my kids and I promised a tutorial on how to make them. I finally got around to writing a tutorial on how to make them. I hope that my directions make sense, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I originally made a ladybug, a turtle and a penguin, for this tutorial I made a dog. The steps on constructing each animal are the same, the only thing that will differ is what color fabric you use and the different decorations that make up each animal.

First off you are going to make the cover for the pillow, to do this lay your pillow out on your main color of fabric, in this case tan, (this will vary depending on the animal) and cut out a rectangle that is slightly bigger than the pillow to allow for seam allowances. I used a standard size pillow for a twin bed so my rectangle measured 27 x 20 1/2, this will be the top of your animal. Next cut another rectangle that is slightly longer mine measured 30 x 20 1/2, this will be the underside of the animal and is slightly larger because we are going to cut this in half so that we have an opening in which to insert our pillow or remove or pillow to allow for washing.

As I said, you are going to cut the larger rectangle in half so that you now have two rectangles that measure 15 x 20 1/2. Then you will hem one 20 1/2 inch side on each of the small rectangles about 1/2 an inch. Then put these aside for later.

Next we will work on adding details to the top of the animal, the dog is fairly simple, I added a contrasting brown to the four corners to act as the feet and added a spot to the back which will eventually have a tail. To make the feet, I cut out 2 squares of brown that were an appropriate size for the corners of my rectangle and then folded these diagonally and cut across thus making 4 triangles for the feet. For the spot near the back, I just free formed a spot that I thought fit the size of the pillow, just make a spot you like.

You then are going to pin the feet to the four corners of you animal top and your spot near the back of the animal, approximately where a tail would be. Then you are going to sew these onto the animal top, I did more of an applique stitch to attach my pieces using a zig zag stitch with both the stitch length and width being very small (I think on my machine the width is set to 2 and the length at 1), if you are using fleece like I did, you could just use a straight stitch also since fleece doesn't fray. When attaching the feet I also only stitched along the diagonal part of the triangle, there is no need to stitch the other sides of the triangle because when we finish the pillow cover, they will be captured with the seam thus locking them in place. For other animals the details may be more but may be less depending on the animal and your preference on how you want the animal to look, the penguin for instance is a solid black, no other detail really. The ladybug I added some black dots and the turtle which was the most labor intensive had a hexagon and triangle pattern on the back.

Once you have your details sewn to the top of the animal, we need to make the straps that will keep the animal folded when not being used as a pillow. For the straps, you need to cut out two rectangles that measure 3 1/2 x 4 1/2 of the main color of your animal, for this dog it is tan, but may differ depending on the animal you are creating. Fold and pin each of your rectangles in half so that you now have 2 rectangles that measure 1 3/4 x 4 1/2 and sew around two of your sides leaving one of the 1 3/4 sides of the rectangle open for turning.

With your straps done, we are going to assemble the pillow cover for you animal. Take your animal top (the one with details) and lay it on your work surface right side up. Next take your straps you just made and place them in the middle each of the 20 1/2 inch sides so that the raw edge of the straps meets the raw edge of the pillow top. Then lay your two smaller rectangles right side facing down on top of the pillow top and straps, overlapping the finished so that the unfinished edges are equal. Then using a straight stitch, sew around all four sides of the pillow cover. Then clip the corners making sure not to cut the seam, this will make for nice square corners. Turn your cover so that the right sides are now facing out and admire your work.

zig zag stitch with a small length and width setting and free formed the mouth, you could also make the mouth with some chalk or something if you want more of a guide on where to stitch.

Once all of your facial details are in sewn in place take your other circle and cut it in half, then pin these halves to your face, right sides together and sew around the entire circle. You could skip the cutting of the circle in half and just sew the two circles together if you wanted but I prefer to cut them in half because it makes it easier to stuff and allows me more flexibility to shape the face rather than having a perfect circle. Then turn your head right side out and stuff it really tightly with some fiberfill. When it is really firm, close up the back of the head with a whip stitch using a needle and thread.

For the dog, we now need to make the ears and tail. Again I just free formed what I thought looked like ears, using an elongated egg shape and cut out two, these egg shapes probably measured 3 x 4 (4 inches being the widest part of the oval). I then cut off the smaller edge of the egg shape and folded it in half, right sides together and sewed around the oval, leaving the top straight edge open so that I could turn right sides out. Then you need to fold the raw edges at the top, down so that they sit inside of the ear. At this point you can pin them to the head where ever you think they look good, then whip stitch them into place using a need and thread.

For the tail I cut out tow rectangular shapes with a curve at the end, or maybe it could be described as a half of a "C". Just as you did with the ears, you are going to pin right sides together and sew around the edges leaving and edge open for turning. When right sides are turned stuff the tail with a little fiberfill and then sew the opening closed using a needle and thread.

We are almost done, yeah!! Now we need to attach the head and tail to the pillow cover or body. I have found that the best way to do this is to hand stitch them into place. Essentially what I do place the head about and inch or two above the seam created when sewing the top and bottom of the pillow cover together and then whip stitch it into place using a very small stitch so that you don't see it. Making sure to stitch from one side of the head to the other. this will also help to cover that seam along the back of the head. If you find that your head is to heavy and it is hanging down rather than looking out, you can tack the head back a little higher onto the pillow cover. For the tail, you will do the same thing, hand stitch it into place using a small whip stitch.

Lastly we need to attach Velcro to our straps, this will hold the animal in place when not being used as a pillow. This is pretty straight forward, you are going to cut a piece of Velcro slightly shorter than your straps and sew then onto your straps. The only tricky part is you want to place one side of your Velcro on the underside of one of your straps and take the other side of your Velcro and place it on the topside of your other strap, so that when you fold your pillow in half, the two sides of Velcro will meet. Get it? Got it? Good!!

Yeah you are done, insert your pillow form into your pillow cover and you have created your very own pillow animal. Again if you have any questions, please ask, I would be happy to help. If you see anything missing from this tute, let me know, I wrote it very late at night so you now how that goes. If you make one, send me a pick or a link, I would love to see it.

Cookie Bouquets for Teacher Appreciation

2011-05-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

My children have been very blessed to have some great teachers over the years and it is so important to me that we make sure they know how much we appreciate all they do not only for my children but for all the kids who come through their classroom. Teacher appreciation day is a perfect opportunity to let them know this and this year we chose to make cookie bouquets for my children's teachers. This idea started when I found these cute little flower pots at Micheal's for $2.50 a piece. I thought that the white rim at the top would be a perfect place to add a little saying using my favorite crafting tool the Silhouette Craft Cutter. I cut a cute saying using self adhesive vinyl, it says, "Helping kids to grow" and filled it up with these cute little flower cookie pops.

I have made lots of cookie bouquets over the years simply because I love to give them as gifts but hate that they cost so much to buy so the frugal side of me came out and I thought to myself, you have to figure out how to make them so, I did. When I make these cookie pops, I always use this recipe, except instead of 2 tsp. of vanilla, I use 1 tsp. of vanilla and 1 tsp. of almond extract.

There are a couple of different ways in which to get the cookies onto the stick, they include, putting a little bit of royal icing onto the back of a cooked cookie and then adding a stick to the royal icing and letting it dry. I however prefer to bake the stick right into the cookie. To do this I cut the cookie rather thick, 1/4 inch or so and then insert the stick in through the middle of the cookie . If the stick pokes out anywhere or if the dough looks thin, I just take a little of extra dough and push it in over the holes or thin areas of the cookie. I then bake the cookie as normal and when cool decorate, a skill that I am still trying to master. To decorate these cookies, I outlined the cookies forming a dam with a thick royal icing and then thinned the icing and filled in the dammed area with the thinned icing, this technique is most often referred to as flooding.

Once you are done decorating the cookies, let them dry several hours so that the icing has time to harden. When it is hard, you can wrap the cookies in a plastic bag and either tie the ends with a little bit of ribbon or do as I did above and twist the end of the bag around the stick and secure with a little bit of tape. Frugal tip: instead of buying special plastic bags, I often use cheap Ziploc bags from the dollar store and cut off the zip part of the bag, this is especially helpful when you are up late and have an especially big cookie that won't fit into the special bags you bought, not that that happened to me or anything.

To make the bouquet, I take Styrofoam and cut it to fit into the container I am using. I then cover the Styrofoam with a little bit of Spanish moss or some other form of filler and then insert the sticks. The Styrofoam is rigid enough to hold the cookie pops upright. These cookies also make great party favors for birthday parties and have become some what of a birthday tradition at our house. Here's to hoping my children's teachers like them and that they know how much we appreciate all they do.

Sailor Pants with a Cherry on Top

2011-05-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

Spring has finally arrived here in Oregon, we hit 70 degrees today and I am so happy to feel the warmth from the sun again. One thing that the warm weather made perfectly clear is that my daughter has grown a lot since last summer and is in dire need of spring/summer clothes. Being the frugal mama that I am, I decided to make her a few things using up some of my fabric stash.

Note to self: remember to iron before taking pictures to share with the world

First up was a pair of sailor pants that I absolutely love! I used a wonderful tutorial that I found over at Me Sew Crazy to make these sailor pants. The tutorial is really great and very easy to follow, I'm thinking I may use this method to make a pair for myself. Don't tell anyone but I used a sheet that I picked up dirt cheap at Target a few months ago to make these pants. Actually do tell someone, sheets are a great frugal tip when it comes to sewing, I use them all the time. I just make sure to buy 400 thread count or higher so that the clothes I make with them aren't scratchy. Target quite often has them on sale for 4 or 5 dollars for a flat twin sheet and you get a lot of fabric for that price. With this sheet alone, I have made myself a bathing suit cover-up, these sailor pants and I have enough left to make a dress for my daughter, I will post that when I get it done.

For the shirt, I used an existing plain white t-shirt in my daughter's closet that had a stain on the front. I cut out a rectangle of cute cherry fabric that I had left over from a skirt I made her a few years ago and appliqued on a couple of large cherries, that I free hand cut out of scraps. I then took the entire rectangle and appliqued it right over the stains on the t-shirt, good as new and pretty darn cute. The only complaint I have is, I wish I had remembered to back the shirt with a little bit of stabilizer because as I was sewing the applique onto the t-shirt, the fabric of the t-shirt pulled quite a bit and caused it to pucker quite a bit. Oh well lesson learned, at least I didn't learn this lesson on a new shirt.

Late to the Party???

2011-04-29T03:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am late to the party. I am aware that Earth day was last Friday not today. I had the best of intentions to post this last Friday but life got in the way. However I thought this was such a good thing that I am going to go ahead and share it with you now, even if it is late. What is it? Well by now I assume a lot of us are bringing our own reusable shopping bags with us to the grocery store, but what about all those plastic bags we use when buying our fruits and vegetables? I know most people are still using the plastic bags provided at the grocery store and if you are anything like we are, they just get thrown away, they aren't good for anything else that I know of. I felt bad that it was such a waste so I got to thinking of a way to make a reusable produce bag and here is what I came up with. This idea is so simply and an idea that I am sure others have thought of so I am a little embarrassed to show it to you but if I thought it was cool and something very useful to help us cut down on waste, I am sure someone else will to so here you go, Reusable Produce Bags.

What you will need:
Tulle
ribbon or cording
thread

To make the bags cut out a rectangle of tulle that is 12 1/2 inches by 28 inches. Fold the bag in half so that you have a rectangle that measures 12 1/2 x 14 and sew up the side seams using a zig-zag stitch. I shortened my stitch length and width just to make sure I had a good solid seam.

Trim your threads and fold over the top about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch and sew around the top again using a zig-zag stitch.

Trim your threads again and cut 2 small slits right next to each other, through one layer of tulle on the top hem you just created. This is so you can thread a ribbon or cording through and cinch it up so that none of your fruits and vegi's fall out.

Next heat the ends of your ribbon or cording using a lighter or match just until they begin to melt a little, this will keep the ends from fraying.

Then stick a safety pin through one end of the ribbon/cording and feed it through the small hole you just cut, going all the way around the top hem and coming out the hole right next to the one you went in through.

Tada!!! You are done and you bag is finished, go fill it up and feel good that you aren't wasting another plastic bag. An added bonus, you can wash your produce right in the bag since it is mesh the water will drain right out, making putting away my produce much faster. These bags were so easy and dirt cheap to make. out of 1 1/2 yards of tulle, I was able to make 8 bags. Using my 50% off Joann's coupon I was able to get the tulle for $1.12 which makes that bags roughly .14 cents a piece since I had the ribbon and cording already laying around from another project. Pretty cool and frugal if you ask me, even if it is a simple idea.

I was just thinking, how great would these be to give as a hostess gift or a house warming gift, alongside a couple of reusable shopping bags. A perfect easy, usable gift, the best kind and something I am going to do.

Push-up Mold Giveaway-Second Time is a Charm

2011-04-28T14:09:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I have tried several times to reach the original winner of the push-up molds and have heard nothing in return which means that I got to pick a new winner today, bummer for the original winner but yeah for the new winner....Lucky number 6

Seema said...

I'd love to win some of these! If I don't though, I may have to buy some! Too cute for words.

Well Seema, it is your lucky day because now you don't have to buy any, yeah!!! I will be sending you an email shortly to get your information.

Thanks again to everyone who played along.

Anthropologie Bag Knock-Off

2011-04-26T01:14:00.000-07:00

I was window shopping on the Anthropologie site a few days ago when I came across a handbag that caught my eye.

Image courtesy of http://www.anthropologie.com/

Anyone who knows me will laugh because I don't carry handbags, I have a little tiny coin purse that hangs from my car keys and that is all I carry. I travel light, what can I say. So for me to like a handbag is pretty rare but I was drawn to this one. I liked how soft/romantic this one looked. I liked how the handles of the bag were unique and I liked the lightness of the color/fabric. So I thought, why not try to make one and this is what I came up with, using all fabric from my stash. Yeah for stash busting!! This post will be long, so sorry, I tend to be long winded when I explain something, plus I forgot to take some pictures, oops.

Here is how I made this bag... I made this bag in two different sewing sessions and totally forgot to take pictures the second time I sat down to sew. Hopefully I will be able to walk you through without pictures. First off I cut out my fabric, not having I pattern, I looked at the bag and thought it looked a lot like a rectangle so that is where I started and here is what you will need to make a bag:

2 16 x 12 rectangles of outer fabric & stabilizer
2 16 x 12 rectangles of the liner fabric & stabilizer
(use a bowl to create rounded corners on two of the corners of the bag along one of the 16 inch sides of both the outer fabric and liner fabric)
1 3 x 48 rectangle of outer fabric & stabilizer (outer side piece)
1 3 x 48 rectangle of liner fabric & stabilizer ( inner side piece)
2 4 x 8 rectangles of outer fabric (these will act as the hoops that hold the handles)
1 3 x 48 rectangle of contrasting fabric for handles & stabilizer
1 rectangle any size for pocket (optional)
10 3 x 12 rectangles of gauzy fabric

Once all of the pieces are cut out, iron on the stabilizer to all the pieces indicated and lets get sewing. NOTE: all seams were done at 1/4 inch, unless indicated.

1. Pin the outer side piece around the curved edge of one of the large outer rectangles, leaving about 1 1/2 inches at the top of each side of the large rectangle, (your side rectangle may be too long and may need to be cut a little so that you have that gap at the top of each side of the bag, I had to cut mine, it is not a big deal) and sew. Once sewn, iron open your seam and turn right side out. This will become the front of your bag.

2. Now we need to make and attach the gauzy pieces to the front of the bag. To do this take two of your gauzy rectangles and make a cross with them.

3. Now pick up the piece that is underneath at both ends and pull up.

4. Grab the bottom piece with your other hand and pull, you will see that two loops or a knot are sort of formed.

5. Take this piece and pin it to the front piece of your bag starting at the bottom. Repeat this step 4 more times or until the front of your bag is covered. When full, sew along the edges of the front of the bag to secure the gauzy piece in place, making sure to leave the sides without the gauzy fabric.

6. When sewn and secure, cut the excess gauze from the bag, staying close to the line you just sewed. I then used a sewing needle and tacked the knotted middle piece to the bag just so they weren't floppy.

Here is where the pictures get sparse, so sorry.

7. Take the front piece you were just working on and flip the side pieces up, take you last large outer rectangle and pin, right sides together to the edge of the side piece which isn't already attached to the other large outer rectangle. Make sure that you are leaving that 1 1/2 inch gap at the top just like we did with the first large outer rectangle.

8. Iron open the seams and set the outer part of your bag aside.

9. Create the lining of you bag just like we did the outer bag except skip the steps used to add the gauze detail to the front. Instead, you can add a pocket or pockets to your liner at this step if you want. To do this, I cut out a rectangle that was 4 x 8 1/2, folded it in half with right sides together and sewed along 3 sides. I clipped my corners and turned right sides out, ironing everything so it lays flat. Then fold over the open side 1/4 inch, iron and pin in place to the lining of the bag. Top-stitch around three sides of the pocket so that you leave one side open to put stuff in.

10. Once liner is complete, set aside and let's make the loops for the handles to go through. First off create a finished edge on the 4 inch sides of the rectangle by folding over 1/4 inch on each side of the rectangle, iron and sew.

12. Repeat the last two steps so that you have two loops.

13. Now we need to join our bags together. Take you bag lining and turn it inside out if it isn't already. Then take your outer bag and turn it inside out and shove it into the bag lining. Make sure that all the seams line up and that everything is laying fairly flat.

14. Take one of your loops for the handles and sandwich it in between the bag liner and the outer bag along the side and up the 1 1/2 inch gaps you left at the top of the large rectangles, making sure that the raw edge of the loop matches up with the raw edges of the outer bag and bag liner, Pin into place.

15. Repeat step 14 on the other side of the bag.

16. Sew along both sides just along where you sandwiched your loops.

17. Now for my favorite step, turning that bag right side out. You bag should be open along the top on both sides of the bag. Take your outer part of the bag and flip in right side out. Now flip your liner right side out and shove it inside of the outer bag. This should resemble the bag without handles. your sides should be sewn together and your tops left open.

18. Fold over the top of your outer bag an the top of your bag lining on both the front and the back and iron. Then top stitch around the whole top of the bag.

19. For the handles, you are going to fold and iron your handle piece in half right sides together so that you have a rectangle that measures 1 1/2 x 48.

20. Sew along one 1 1/2 side and down the 48 inch side leaving one 1 1/2 side open for turning.

21. Turn your handle so that the right side is facing out and iron flat.

22. Insert your long handle rectangle through one of the loops on your bag and then through the other loop.

23. Decide how long you would like the handle to be and cut your handle to the according length.

24. With the two raw ends of your handles, fold the edges of one side into the loop so you create a finished edge...then insert your raw edge at the other end of the handle into this finished edge you just created and sew. You can then adjust your handle so the seam you just created is hidden inside of one of the loops.

So there you have it...if you have some knowledge of how to create a bag, this is a fairly easy bag to make. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. I know I may not have explained it well. I will get better at taking pictures, I promise. I just get so engrossed in what I am doing that I forget, oops.

All in all I like this bag and think it is a pretty good knock-off, I just wish I carried handbags so I could used it, oh well, I guess I will have to find someone to give it to.

Push-Up Mold Winner

2011-04-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to be doing my first give away here on "Em-agination" but before I reveal the lucky winner, I wanted to say thank you to all of you for the very nice comments regarding these push-up Popsicles and my blog in general. They really do mean a lot. Thanks also to those who featured these Popsicles this week and invited me to participate in your blog parties, it all made for a very exciting week for me. It is the little things that excite me, (don't laugh.)

Now for the drum roll please...the lucky winner of the push-up molds is......

Just a note, there were 28 comments, I gave everyone one entry even though
they may have more than one comment on the post, thus making a pool of 24 entrants,
hopefully that makes sense

nellana said...

I am a new follower and I love this idea. I really hope I win them. my hubby would love to eat these.

Nellana, I will be sending you an email shortly.

If you didn't win and would like to purchase some, just shoot me an email christianandem(at)gmail(dot)com, they are $1.00 per mold plus the cost of shipping which I can quote when I know how many molds you would like to buy. Thanks again, Emily

Spring Moss Wreath

2011-04-22T03:00:00.000-07:00

My name is Emily and I love wreaths, I admit it. Some people have shoe addictions, I think I have a wreath addiction. I love changing the wreaths on my front doors. Have you priced wreaths, they can be spendy but not this baby, this baby was made with things found at the dollar tree which means I made this wreath for about $5.00, not to bad huh.

For this wreath, I used a foam wreath form (say that three times fast) and covered it using some Spanish moss securing it to the wreath form using some floral pins.

I then added a little bit of reindeer moss to add some color. The wreath at this stage is very pretty and could easily be left as is but I couldn't leave well enough alone.

I decided I wanted to spruce it up some so I added a tiny nest with robin's eggs and some tiny blue bobbles. A perfect little spring wreath on a perfectly red door!

Apothecary Jar

2011-04-20T03:00:00.000-07:00

Last year, my daughter and I discovered this great store called Scrap. Why is Scrap so great, well for one it encourages everyone to reuse things that might normally be thrown away. Secondly, the prices are a steal and third, I can go in there with my daughter who love to just sit down and create, give her a couple of bucks and she can get a whole bag of things to create with and be set for hours, even days of creativity. If you are in or around Portland, give scrap a try, I think you will be surprised at just how great it is.

The last time we went in to the store they had lots of great stuff, we got loads of bottle caps to make bottle cap magnets with, fabric scraps to teach little miss K a thing or two about sewing and they had a shelf full of these plain glass jars that were 4 for $1.00 so I picked up four and thought I'll figure out something to do with them.

Borrowing some inspiration from the girls at Shanty 2 Chic, I made an apothecary jar. Now all I need to do is find some shorter candle sticks so that I can make a set of these beauties. As you can see I used my "em-agination" and fancied up the jar just a little bit, using my favorite crafty tool, the silhouette craft cutter to cut out the leaf pattern using self adhesive vinyl. I then used the negative image of the design as my stencil for the glass etching, giving the jar the frosted appearance. Other than that, I pretty much followed what the girls over at Shanty 2 Chic did when creating their jars. So pleased with the results, thanks for the inspiration Shanty girls!!