Little Birdie Secrets

chinese scallion pancakes

2012-01-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

Did you do anything to celebrate the Chinese New Year this week? Monday was Chinese New Year and kicked off the Year of the Dragon. Ever since meeting my dear friend, Stacy who is half Chinese, I have loved cooking Chinese dishes and celebrating Chinese New Year. Yesterday we celebrated with a delicious lunch and everyone brought a Chinese dish to share. I made Stacy's fabulous lettuce wraps. Remember them? We also ate dumplings, beef and broccoli, a couple kinds of noodles, and cookies! One of my friends brought scallion pancakes and they were a huge hit! She followed a recipe from Appetite for China, which is a great blog with many Chinese, as well as other culturally inspired, dishes.

(photo credit: Diana Kuan, Appetite for China)

These Chinese Scallion Pancakes were absolutely delicious. My friend served them warm with some Yoshida's sauce on the side, but they were equally delicious without any sauce. The recipe is as follows, but you will want to visit the original posting over at Appetite for China because she offers step by step photos, which is a huge help in following the recipe. Enjoy them!

Chinese Scallion Pancake
From: Appetite for China

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (cake flour also works, but lacks elasticity)
1 teaspoon yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water + 1 teaspoon sugar to activate yeast
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped scallions

Sift flour into 2 equal portions into separate bowls. In the first bowl, slowly add the yeast-water, mixing with a spatula, until a dough forms.

In the second bowl, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the salt into the flour. Slowly pour in 1/2 cup of the boiling hot water while vigorously stirring (this “cooks” the dough.) Add more water and keep stirring until a rough dough forms. (If you accidentally add too much water and the dough is too soft, add a little more flour.) Mix in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Roll the doughs out on a lightly floured surface and knead them together. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 30 to 40 minutes.

On the same floured surface, roll out the risen dough. Form into a 1-inch thick log, and slice into Ping Pong-ball sized segments. With a rolling pin, roll each segment out to 4″ or 5″ circles.

Lightly brush the top of each circle with vegetable oil. Sprinkle over with chopped scallions and the remaining salt.

Roll up the circle, semi-tightly, making sure the scallions stay in place.

Now, roll it again lengthwise until it forms a coiled ball.

Turn the spiral side face-up, then flatten again into a circle with the rolling pin. Place on a plate and repeat with the remaining dough until you have a stack of scallion-studded spiral patties. (Whatever you don’t cook immediately can be frozen for future use.)

Heat a flat-bottom skillet on medium high heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon cooking oil. Working in batches, pan-fry the pancakes until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Serve warm.

creative kids: crafty essentials deal

2012-01-27T09:34:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of the great site called, HauteLook? It's a website with top fashion and lifestyle brands at amazing savings. Each day at 8 AM Pacific, shop new sale events in women's and men's fashion and accessories, beauty, kids' apparel and toys, home décor, and travel getaways at up to 75% off. Membership is free and everyone is welcome!

Right now they have a great deal going on, creative kids: crafty essentials. I thought I would let you know because as crafty as we can all be, sometimes we just don't have time and we want to buy some of those adorable crafts we are always seeing. Visit HauteLook and sign up to be a member (remember, it's free!) You can then click on the top of the page for "all events" and see all the sales. Then scroll down to find the creative kids: crafty essentials sale.

This crafty essentials sale has some great stuff at great prices. Look at just a few of the items you can snag! (But hurry since items may sell out quickly...I know from experience!)

Love these Doodlebugz crayon folders.

And these chalkboard place mats are great if you can't find the time to make one like we did here!

A crayon tool belt? Awesome!

WallPops! I know my boys would go crazy for the glow in the dark dinos!

There are so many more things! Go visit HauteLook to check it out! Beware that it's kind of addictive!

valentine subway art {and a frugal candy bowl tip}

2012-01-24T10:56:00.000-08:00

I'm just in love with my little family, which makes this an extra sweet time of year! I want to have reminders all over my house so my boys know how much they are loved, and Valentine's decorations do just that. Especially when they're in candy form. ;) And today's money-saving candy bowl tutorial has a bonus--free Valentine subway art!

First, a little money-saving tip when using candy in a table display. I wanted to fill this simple vase with Valentine M&Ms, but at $3.50 a bag, I didn't want to buy more than 2. So I used this little trick to "fill" my vase on a budget.

Supplies:
*Glass vase, bowl, or apothecary jar
*Favorite holiday candy
*Glass cup that will fit inside your glass container with room on all sides
*Optional: ribbons and trinket to dress up your jar

1. Before filling your glass container, place your cup upside down in the center.

2. Pour your candy in to fill in the space around and on top of the cup.

3. To dress it up, add decorative ribbon, ric rac, baker's twine, etc. around the center of the container. I also tied on a little mercury glass heart ornament from my Christmas decorations.When it gets closer to Valentine's, I'll remove the cup and let my kids eat the candy. But for a few weeks they know it is strictly decorative (my husband is the only one who doesn't seem to follow that rule--grrr!).

Now for the free Valentine's subway art! This free (for a limited time) Valentines Day subway art comes again from our friend Lori of SisterSecrets. You may remember the Christmas subway art she offered to our readers last month--isn't she sweet? It's now in her Etsy shop. You can get the Valentine's subway art printable here while it's free! And for more fun stuff (like her Abundant Life printable subway art), check out the Sister Secrets Etsy shop!

You may notice I kept my Christmas table runner out (doilies are totally Valentines, right?) and even reused the frame from the Christmas subway art. I'm all about making it easy! But I did make a new paper pennant bunting to hang across the front that matches the colors in the printable. Love it! Thanks, Lori!

santa's little helper {welcome baby}

2012-01-23T10:22:00.000-08:00

Look what Santa brought me for Christmas!

Introducing Jonas Christian, the newest little birdie baby.

Arrived on Santa's sleigh December 24th at 7 lbs. 11 oz.

Best Christmas present ever!

I took a little maternity leave, but I'm itching to get crafting again. Many thanks to dear Jessica and friends like Shelley and Erin for giving me the chance to stay in bed until 10am, ignore my e-mail, and stare at that little face during the last month. It has been heavenly. But it's time to start showering regularly and getting out of my pajamas before the kids get home from school (at least that's what my husband tells me). So new tutorials and projects are coming soon. . . Until then, I have a few things to keep you busy.

First, here are a few of our past baby tutorials that have come in handy for me so far:

Welcome Baby Pattern Sale

To celebrate baby (and get me back in gear), all baby crochet patterns in my Ravelry shop are 25% off now through January 31st. I love that at Ravelry you can instantly download the patterns you purchase, instead of waiting for me to e-mail them to you.

And if you're gearing up for Valentine's day, we've added a love day round up link at the top of the page featuring some of our past projects.

I'm still up all night, typing blog posts with one hand, and sneaking in projects between naps, so be patient with me, but it's great to be back!

ribbons and bows oh my! giveaway winner

2012-01-23T08:25:00.001-08:00

Thanks for entering our ribbons and bows oh my! kit giveaway. You all had such great comments about your favorite ribbons. The winner of the bow making kit is...

sawstrunk

Congrats! You will be able to make some gorgeous bows now. We have passed your email onto the sponsor, so they will be contacting you. Enjoy!

no-sew pointed bow tie {tutorial}

2012-01-20T09:59:00.000-08:00

Today we are featuring another fabulous tutorial from my dear friend Erin's blog, Lovesome. Go visit her and see all the other amazing things she is dreaming up!

It seems bow ties have taken over the wardrobes of men, babies, and boys these days, doesn't it? I must admit this trend has been a favorite of mine for quite some time now, and I love the pointed bow ties I'm seeing in all the old movies and shows I have been watching lately (downton abbey, anyone?).

With all the bow ties I see all over blogs I thought it would be fun to switch it up a bit and try something different.
Enter: the pointed bow tie.

It often gets forgotten, and I think it's a great nod to men's (and boys') fashion from decades and even centuries ago. Making it out of felt not only makes these babies a breeze to whip up, but it also modernizes and adds a touch of whimsy, not to mention makes these the perfect fall accessory for the guy in your life (or girl, I would wear it too, and it would make an adorable hair bow).

supplies:
all you need is some felt (i bought sheets of felt at Michaels for $.20 each)
scissors
hot glue gun (this could also be easily hand-stitched)
the length and width of your felt depends on how big you want your bow tie to be. mine was 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide, with a smaller strip that is about 1/2 inch wide and 2 1/2- 3 inches long. my little guy is one and this size is perfect for him, and i think he'll be able to wear this size for a few years. (i like smaller, more proportional bowties, but if you like them bigger just make your strips larger.)

how to:

1. cut one end of the longer felt strip into a point. lay the felt strip on a flat surface and bring the pointed side across the strip about 2/3 of the way.
2. turn the pointed side over and bring it back across the other side until it touches the edge.
3. adjust the point if you need to, it can touch the edge or hang over a bit, whatever you like.

4. scrunch the middle of the felt together, making it look like a bow.
5. wrap the smaller felt piece around the middle of the bow where you scrunched it, with the ends meeting in the back.
6. turn the bow around and dab some hot glue in the center of the bow, then fold the top end down over the glue. glue down the remaining flap, making sure the bow is tight and secure.
and then have fun with them!

To turn it into a bow tie I usually thread elastic through the center of the back of the bow tie, but if you don't have room you could glue elastic to it or sew/glue it to a pin or clip.

million dollar muffins

2012-01-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

My friend, Jamie recently shared a muffin recipe that is delicious! I am always looking for healthy, easy breakfast ideas to grab on the many mornings that we are racing out the door. These muffins are the perfect solution and can even freeze well if you want to make them in batches to pull out later. Enjoy!

Million Dollar Muffins

1 C all-purpose flour
1 C whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 C sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 T flaxseed meal, mixed with 3 T. water
1/4 C oil
1/4 C applesauce
1/2 C undrained, crushed pineapple
1/2 C raisins
2 C shredded carrots

Combine dry ingredients in one bowl. Combine egg, flaxseed mixture, oil and applesauce in another bowl, and remaining ingredients in another bowl. Add the wet to the dry, and then the rest. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. These muffins stick so it is much better if you use muffin cups.

flirty aprons {winter sale}

2012-01-18T10:15:00.000-08:00

Some fun Valentine's posts are coming soon, but until then, enjoy this 30% off coupon for the Scarlet Blossom Apron TODAY ONLY (1/18/12) at Flirty Aprons! The coupon code is SCARLET30.
You could be baking up some sweet treats in this for Valentine's day!

This is one of Flirty Aprons' cutest and most popular aprons, perfect to brighten up your winter kitchen. Enjoy!

ribbons and bows oh my! kit giveaway

2012-01-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

We are excited to offer you a great giveaway today! Ribbons and Bows Oh My! has been one of our loyal sponsors for quite some time and we love featuring their amazing products. They always have such an array of fabulous products for any crafting endeavor. From ribbons, to paper, to hardware, to many trims, you really can find anything you need!

Ribbons and Bows Oh My! has a great new kit available.

The beginner bow making kit helps you make beautiful bows without any stress. The kit includes:

Bow Making DVD tutorial

4 No Bow No Go Templates
10 yards of 3/8 in. solid grosgrain
5 yards of 5/8 in. solid grosgrain
10 yards of 7/8 in. solid grosgrain
10 yards of 1.5 in. solid grosgrain
one spool of solid tulle
5 single prong clips
5 double prong clips
5 60mm French clips

You can click here to see a sneak peak of the DVD that is included in the kit.

How great is that? And you have a chance to win one of these fabulous kits! All you need to do is visit Ribbons and Bows Oh My! and find your favorite ribbon. Then come back and leave us a comment telling us what it is. Easy, peasy! This giveaway will end on Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 11:59 pm PT.

my 2012 beauty resolutions

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Walgreens for underwriting this post. I was paid as a member of the Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all mine. Visit http://www.discoverbeautywithin.com/

It's 2012 and it's a New Year! I have come up with a few different resolutions this year. A couple resolutions I made are beauty related. The first one is washing my face every night (and hopefully morning too). Sometimes I feel so lazy at night and just climb hurriedly into bed leaving all the dirt and grime on my face to fester while I sleep. I know it is important for your pores to be clean before you go to sleep.

My dermatologist recommended the Clean and Clear 3 in 1 exfoliating face wash to me and I have really liked it. I like how fresh and exfoliated my face feels after I use it, and it also helps fight acne breakouts.

Another beauty resolution I have is to use a moisturizer on my face and neck every day. I want to keep my skin hydrated and looking healthy. I have heard that people often forget to include the neck area but it also need to be moisturized. I try to pick a moisturizer that isn't too heavy so it won't contribute to acne breakouts. There are many great brands and choices out there. Neutrogena is one of my favorites.

I also have some resolutions to play more with my makeup. I usually put on the same make-up every day, in the same order. I usually only change eye shadow colors. This year I hope to try some trends and play around with my regimen. It's so fun to experiment and see what I like!
What are your resolutions this year? Do you have any beauty related resolutions? I would love to hear them!

heart-warmer tutorial {and a printable!}

2012-01-13T10:25:00.000-08:00

One of my dearest friends, Erin recently moved away. I have been so sad and I miss her! Luckily, her move is only temporary, but I still miss our regular dinners out together and takeout lunches at one of our houses. She is such a great friend and I want to be just like her when I grow up. She has way too much creativity and amazing-ness for one person. She made these adorable heart-warmers on her blog, Lovesome (you must go check it out!) and is sharing them with us today! These are the perfect gift for a friend or someone you love. I will be using this to keep me warm and fuzzy while Erin is away.

i've been seeing the sweetest little hand-warmers surfacing around the web lately. what a sweet idea and a great way to keep your hands and the hands of those you love warm on chilly mornings. all you have to do is heat it up in the microwave and drop it in your pocket or mittens. they are so easy and so much cuter (and cheaper!) than those little warming packets you can buy at the grocery store. plus, they are reusable. cute, easy, practical, and environmentally friendly, what more can you ask for?

making one is so simple, and while a sewing machine makes them faster, it is not necessary to use one. in fact, it was so easy that i didn't even take any pictures during the process.

here's how you do it:
1. cut two of the same shape out felt (two hearts, two stars. etc.). make sure they are the same size.
2. sew the pieces together leaving about half-an-inch open.
3. using a funnel, fill the shape with rice through the unsewn opening.
4. hand-stitch the opening closed.
voila! done! so easy and so sweet, right?
i found that about 25 seconds in the microwave is perfect, but you might want to try out a few different cooking times, depending on the size of your warmer. (make sure no metal accidentally gets shoved in the warmer, you don't want any explosions in the microwave!)

i made a cute little tag to add to mine, turning it into the perfect little gift or party favor.
do you want some, too? download your own here.
enjoy!

silverware drapery hooks

2012-01-11T13:55:00.000-08:00

I am always amazed at how many clever things people come up with. Check out this awesome idea from our friend, Shelley.

Did you know you can use silverware to make drapery hooks? Yep. Here's my bathroom. It seriously needed some color and I found a bag of silverware at Goodwill for $4. I didn't even come close to using it all. Score!

First you'll need to choose the pieces you want. Then using a metal drill bit, drill holes that will fit your screws in the blade of the knife, or the handle of the spoon or fork. Bend them to make the hooks. Sorry there isn't any pictures of the drilling part. Kinda hard to take pictures and drill at the same time.

Mark the corners to make sure they are placed evenly. Drill in place.

I had some super long sheer drapes and used them to drape on my hooks.

Simple and easy! I love it! Thanks for sharing your creative mind with us, Shelley.

lilac lane giveaway winner

2012-01-08T13:50:00.000-08:00

Thanks for entering our Lilac Lane giveaway! The lucky winner of their choice of three patterns from the shop is...

sewVery who said,

"I'd love to own the Cherished Girl's Dress Pattern, the Joy bag pattern, and the Cherished for Dolls dress pattern. Sew Cute!"

Congrats! We have passed your email onto the sponsor so she will be contacting you.

my love affair {with tofu}

2012-01-06T09:52:00.000-08:00

Tofu? Yep. You read that right. My mouth (er, I mean typing fingers) really said I have a love affair with tofu. My sister was surprised when I told her on the phone the other night too. I heard something like, "Jess who ARE you?"

It all started a few months ago on a weekend trip to Portland. I had an amazing rice bowl from a food stand there and it had garlic-fried tofu in it. I.Loved.It. I was shocked. I have always thought of tofu as this weird, eery, rubbery substance that nobody really enjoyed. Until I ate it. And enjoyed it.

Then came my trip to Trader Joes to buy some tofu to cook with at home. I made a delicious dinner that we all enjoyed. My boys even ate the tofu. They didn't say they loved it, but they ate it!

I bought firm (you can also do extra firm) because I read that it holds it shape if you want to pan fry it. And that's what I did. I cut the tofu into squares and I put a little olive oil in a pan with some minced garlic and fried the tofu until the sides got brown and crisped.

Then I cooked some noodles. I used capellini because I wanted a thin noodle, but you could use spaghetti or a rice noodle, or anything you want. Then I made a peanut sauce using Yoshida's sauce mixed with peanut butter, but you could also use one of my favorite peanut sauce recipes, found HERE.

Then I mixed it all together and topped it with broccoli slaw, green onions, and cilantro. You could add anything you want and make it your own!

It was delish, and I will be making it again! Next on my list of tofu recipes to try is this...

A dairy free chocolate pie made with silken tofu! I can really get on board for that! This is an Alton Brown recipe and it packs some serious nutritional punch with all the protein!

Alton Brown's Dairy-Free Chocolate Pie
(From www.doctoroz.com)

Ingredients
Makes 8 servings
13 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup coffee liqueur (you can use other flavors if you prefer)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb silken tofu
1 tbsp honey
1 (9-in) prepared chocolate wafer crust (store-bought is fine)

Directions
Place enough water in the bottom of a 4-quart saucepan to come 1 inch up the sides. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Place the chocolate chips and liqueur in a medium metal mixing bowl, set over the simmering water, and stir with a rubber or silicone spatula until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Combine the tofu, chocolate mixture, and honey in a blender or food processor and spin until smooth (about 1 minute).
Pour the filling into the crust and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until the filling sets firm.

Yum! So, tell me...what are your thoughts? Have you ever tried tofu? Do you like it or hate it? Maybe you want to try it again now that you have some recipes?

This post was sponsored by Yorkshire Linen – purveyors of quality cheap curtains.

lilac lane giveaway

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

We are thrilled to introduce our newest sponsor to you! You are sure to love Lilac Lane from Melissa Stramel.

Melissa is a creative mother of three. While staying home with her children, she started a business called Lilac Lane. She has a love of all things floral and enjoys flower gardening, flower arranging and sewing with floral fabrics. While sewing for her children, she was inspired to start her business, Lilac Lane, which grew into a store in her home of Colby, Kansas, called Creations Gallery.

Her inspiring ideas soon led her to create a blog site and start to work on designing her own patterns. A pharmacist by training, she feels most at home working with fabrics and sewing new projects, from aprons to quilts.

In 2009 and 2010, Melissa designed patterns for the Moda Bake Shop and Riley Blake's Cutting Corners. She now designs patterns which are available online through QuiltWoman.com, Fairtalefrocksandlollipops.com and patternspot.com as well as PatternsGoneDigital.com for retailers. Melissa also carries all of her patterns in her online store.

Melissa also has something cool going on with her blog right now! She has put together a series called The Very Basics of Quilting. Click HERE to see all the posts so you can start your own quilting journey! There is so much great information.

Melissa is offering Little Birdie Secrets readers 30% off with the coupon code LITTLEBIRDIESECRETS. You can also use this discount in her etsy store. The discount will run through January 17, 2012.

That's not all! Today, Melissa is generously giving one of our readers the chance to win THREE of her patterns. The winner can choose paper patterns or e-patterns. All you need to do to enter is visit the Lilac Lane store and look through the patterns. Then come back and leave us a comment telling us what patterns you would choose if you were the winner. This giveaway will end on Saturday, January 7, 2012 at 11:59pm PT.

star wars snowflakes {DIY}

2012-01-03T11:10:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know by now I sound like a broken record, but holy cow I love Pinterest. Probably too much. I came across these DIY Star Wars Snowflakes the other day and knew it would be perfect for my boys! They are obsessed with anything Star Wars, and since it was Christmas vacation we were looking for some fun activities. It did get tricky at some points since the designs are so intricate, but my husband did those little cuts with an exacto knife and it all worked out great.

The great thing is that you can just download the PDF for whichever character you want so it is all ready to go for you! Once it is printed you cut the circle out.

After you have your circle cut out, you will need to fold on the lines in order to get it lined up for cutting through all the layers. For a detailed diagram on how to fold it, see HERE.

Then you start cutting the gray areas of the pattern out. Like I said, you might need an adult to do the exacto knife on the intricate parts.

When finished, carefully unfold the paper and...hello, storm trooper!

Or Darth Vader

Or Boba Fett

There are plenty of others you can download too! Pretty cool! My boys were in awe each time a snowflake was unfolded to reveal a character. I think it would be so neat to string a bunch of these together for a star wars snowflake garland! What a great party decoration!

cinnamon streusel dessert pizza

2011-12-30T12:26:00.000-08:00

I found THIS scrumptious recipe on Pinterest a few weeks ago and knew I had to try it! A pizza? And it's dessert? Perfect. We shared it with some friends and it was gone in no time! Hurry and make it before you have to start on your New Year's resolution!

Cinnamon Streusel Dessert Pizza
(from: Rumbly In My Tumbly)

Pizza dough (You can make your own, I just bought some refrigerated dough at the grocery store)
1 TBSP butter, melted

Cinnamon

Streusel:

1/2 cup plus 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 TBSP vegetable shortening

2 TBSP oil

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 TBSP milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Mix together streusel ingredients with a fork, or your clean hands, then side aside.

To make pizza, pat dough into a 12 inch pizza pan that has been sprayed with oil. Perforate pizza dough with a fork (this keeps bubbles from forming), then brush with 1 TBSP melted butter. Sprinkle cinnamon all around buttered crust. Top pizza crust with streusel mix.

Bake at 460 F for 8 to 9 minutes depending on the thickness of the pizza. Mix icing ingredients until it is of a drizzle consistency. If it is too thick, then thin with a small amount of milk until you have reached your desired thinness.

When finished baking, top with icing in a circular pinwheel pattern. Cut up and enjoy!

petticoat skirt tutorial

2011-12-28T08:51:00.000-08:00

We have a great tutorial that our sweet friend, Shelley was kind enough to share with us today. I love this skirt! So adorable that I wish one for myself! Take it away, Shelley...

So it's time for family pictures again and I wanted something super cute for my daughter to wear. I've been looking for a while and still didn't find anything. I decided I needed to make the skirt I wanted for her and it only took less than an hour and a half. Here's how.

I used a twin size bedsheet in tan. Trim the seamed edges off. I used 3 strips lengthwise. Cut a little at the end and tear the rest of the way. So quick and easy. Each strip was about 4 inches wide.

I tore another strip about 3 inches wide for the flower. Fold the 3 inch strip in half and gather. I love my gathering foot for my sewing machine!

It's not one continuous strip but you could sew it that way if you wanted.

Make a simple A-line skirt to fit your little girl. Sew the sides of the front and back together.

Next I pinned the ruffles in place. One goes all the way around the back and makes kind of a V in front. I added a small piece of ruffle under the V. Stitch the ruffles down.

After you have added all the ruffle, I used a cereal bowl to loosely mark a large circle to use as a guide for the flower.

Here's the flower loosely placed to make sure I had enough ruffle for the space.

After the flower is sewn down, cut a casing for the waistband.

Cut a piece of elastic to fit and pin the four corners.

Pin the elastic in place and serge or zig-zag.

Fold over the casing and stitch down. And Done!

What a fabulous, inexpensive, skirt!

magnetic perpetual calendar {tutorial & printables}

2011-12-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

Another great tutorial from Kalli of Sister Secrets while I madly sew last minute burp cloths and blankets! This perpetual calendar would be a great project to work on with sisters or friends during the holiday break. She's even provided free printables for the calendar pieces! Thanks, Kalli!

I recently purchased the We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper. I love the Crop-a-dile, and have been eyeing the Chomper for some time. After buying the Chomper, I had to come up with a great way to use it, so my husband wouldn’t roll his eyes (as much) at my purchase of “another unnecessary crafty tool.” I came up with this adorable perpetual calendar, a project that would put my Chomper to good use! Let me show you how to make one yourself.

Perpetual Calendar Tutorial & Printables

Supplies needed:

*A piece of sheet metal trimmed to 16 x 12.5 inches

*Fabric of your choice (approx. 20 x 16.5 inches)

*Printable fabric sheets (mine came from JoAnn)

*Free calendar printables (or make your own)

*Spray adhesive (optional)

*Glue gun

*Crop-a-dile

*Corner Chomper (optional—shhh, don’t tell my husband!)

*Scissors

*Ribbon

*Magnet Sheet

*2 pieces of white 12 x 12 cardstock

1. After trimming your sheet metal down to 16" x 12.5", grab that Chomper and round the corners. I used the ½ inch corner rounder. If you don’t have a Chomper, you can round the corners with a pair of heavy duty scissors. Be careful—the edges of the sheet metal can be sharp!

2. Now lay your sheet metal on top of your fabric and cut around the edges so you have approximately 1-2 inches fabric all around the sheet metal.

3. Now print your perpetual calendar and calendar topper on printable fabric. You can get the printable files here for free. I love using printable fabric! It’s so easy to run through your printer, and gives any project that extra special touch. Printable fabric comes in many colors and can be found on Etsy or most fabric stores. I bought mine at JoAnn; I like the Colorfast brand because the directions are clear and you can heat set your image making it washable! This project would work great too using paper, if that is more your style.

4. Center and pin the calendar and topper on your fabric and sew around all the edges. If you are using paper, using the longest stitch length works best.

5. Time to put your fabric on the sheet metal. In a well-ventilated area, spray your sheet metal with spray adhesive. This part is totally optional, but I found it keeps your fabric from moving around when gluing it down on the other side. Center your calendar over the sheet metal and smooth down. Don’t worry if you don’t get it centered on the glued metal the first time, you still have a minute or two to peel off and reposition.

6. Flip the calendar over and hot glue the edges down, pulling the fabric tight as you glue.

7. Round two corners of your 12 x12 cardstock; spray adhesive (Mod Podge works great too) one side of the cardstock and use both pieces to cover the entire back side of the calendar, hiding the glued edges. Again, this step is optional, but really makes the calendar look finished.

8. For the Month, Day and Number markers, cut two 2 x 1.25 inch rectangles and one 1.5 x 1.25 rectangle out of the magnet sheet. I covered the non-magnetic side with some extra pieces of scrapbook paper I had on hand, just because I’m crazy like that! Now cut a window with the craft knife out of each rectangle leaving 0.25 inch boarder.

9. Punch holes at the top and thread a piece of ribbon or wire through to hang. Embellish it any way you like! I used a ruffled ribbon like Mandy shows in this tutorial and some buttons and vintage earrings.

There you have it! A cute fabric perpetual calendar! These are great gifts that can be used all year long. Oh, and little Merry Christmas present to you, you can get your FREE perpetual calendar and topper here at the Little Birdie Secrets downloads page. Enjoy and Merriest of Christmases to you!

yarn wrapped holiday wreath {tutorial}

2011-12-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

Baby #3 is coming this Saturday (whether he likes it or not!), so I've enlisted the help of my crafty friend Kalli to give you a few more fun holiday tutorials this week so I can get ready! Enjoy!

Hello! I’m Kalli from Sister Secrets. I’m so excited to share an easy last minute wreath with you here on Little Birdie Secrets. Ever since Mandy got me “hooked” on Pinterst, I can’t stop pinning wreaths. They are everywhere! I’ve been dying to try a yarn wreath, but was always afraid they would take too long to wrap with all that gorgeous yarn. After 2 ½ episodes of Modern Family, I’m happy to say, the wreath was wrapped and embellishing is easy! Let me show you how easy.

Yarn Wrapped Wreath Tutorial

Supplies needed:

*Wreath Form (any size you like, mine was 9 inches)

*Worsted weight yarn

*Scissors

*Felt in assorted colors

*Hot glue gun

*Buttons, pearls, gems for flower centers

*Ribbon for hanging

Now, turn on that T.V., grab your wreath form and yarn, and start wrapping. Try to go around the form uniformly, but don’t worry too much about it; the goal is to cover the form in yarn not letting any part of the form peek through—in the end, the yarn looks near perfect! I did mine in about 3 layers using about half a skein of yarn. Secure the ends of your yarn with a tiny bit of hot glue.

Now embellish with felt flowers, ribbon and berry picks. I made my felt flowers in two sizes following this tutorial from My Heart Is Yours. You can get your free printable copy of my felt rosette pattern here! Add buttons to the center of your flowers, then add them to the wreath with a little hot glue.

Now hang with a ribbon and top with a bow. Perfect way to get through all those TiVo’d shows, if I do say so myself!

Happy Holiday Decorating!

christmas card display board {tutorial}

2011-12-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

Without any of my Christmas stuff with me here in Iowa City, I had to find a new way to display all the cute Christmas cards we've been getting! Last year I made this easy Christmas card hanger that I shared on Make and Takes, but I thought I'd try something new this year. Especially because I had this cute frame from the thrift shop just hanging out in my craft closet, begging to be re-purposed.

Christmas Card Display Board Tutorial

Supplies:

*Large frame, glass removed

*Spray paint (if you are re-doing your frame--or leave it as is!)

*Sheet music pages, book pages, or patterned paper

*Paper glue or spray adhesive

*Either use the original cardboard in the back of the frame, or find a piece large enough to fit in your frame. You could also add a piece of cork board instead.

*Optional: berry wreath and ribbon

*Pins

1. If your frame needs a little work, remove the glass and backing and spray paint. For a less-toxic option indoors during the winter, try Martha Stewart Crafts Spray Paint Kit and turn ordinary acrylic paint into spray paint! Distress with sandpaper if desired.

2. Cover the cardboard backing with paper using paper adhesive. I chose vintage sheet music.

3. Hang a berry wreath from the frame with a wide piece of ribbon. Replace the paper-covered cardboard in the back of the frame.

This makes a beautiful piece for a mantel, even without Christmas cards! You could even change the wreath and ribbon to something less-Christmasy and keep it up all year!

When you do start receiving cards, use a decorative pin to pin the cards to your cardboard. I had these leftover from a couple of years ago. I'm not sure if you can still find them, but they are from Making Memories. Even regular old pearl head sewing pins would be cute though!

Start pinning those cards for all to see!

handmade ornaments in about 5 minutes each {tutorial}

2011-12-19T19:33:00.000-08:00

Pin It

This is the first time we've had a real tree in 11 years. The first year we were married we had one, and it was such a disaster that we bought a fake one the next year to save our marriage. But this year we got a real one (out of necessity) and it has been so fun! I mentioned a while ago that I was making all the ornaments for my tree this year since my real ornaments are in storage. Well, except for a few glittery snowflakes from Hobby Lobby, I did it! Here are a bunch of quick and easy ornaments you can make to decorate a tree or use as gift tags, gift toppers, etc. this year, or pin them for next year! Read on!

The Vintage "Tag" or "Greeting Card" Ornament

All of these are made from scrapbooking supplies, and could easily double as gift tags! The idea came from this beautiful vintage postcard ornament (below) I received from my friend Bethany of Ribbon, Glitter and Glue a couple of years ago. You could easily re-purpose greeting cards, old postcards, or vintage bingo cards to come up wth 5-minute-or-less ornaments and gift tags!

Just punch a couple of holes in the top corners of the card, add some ribbon, tinsel, baker's twine, jingle bells, buttons--whatever Christmasy bling you have around. I also added some Stickles Glitter Glue around the edges of a couple to finish them off like Bethany did.

The 5x7 bingo cards are by Jenni Bowlin and the mini vintage Christmas cards are by October Afternoon.

Real gift tags work great as ornaments, too! I used a couple from a gift tag exchange I did with friends last year (I couldn't bear to part with some of them, like this one by my friend London of Such Sweet Tierney who sells these cute mustache chipboard buttons as well as vintage-inspired resin buttons that I love!).

And this one by my talented friend Marilyn.

I used the same paper star tutorial I showed you last year for my paper star wreath to make some filler ornaments using cute patterned paper. I also used these as gift tags this year.

Jute and Light Bulb Pear Ornaments

My friend Kerri turned burned out "old fashioned" (not the new energy efficient type) lightbulbs into darling pear ornaments with a little jute and hot glue! I loved that she had her kids help--then they gave them to their teachers as Christmas gifts with a tag that said, "You're a "Pear-fect" Teacher! So sweet!

To make these, start hot gluing jute to the bottom of a lightbulb in a spiral motion.

Continue until it is covered.

Add a piece of a twig from your yard on top and glue a piece of jute or ribbon for hanging on the tree. Cute! She said they dropped these to see if they shattered, and luckily the jute provided plenty of protection--they didn't break!

Wooden Tag Ornament

Our friend Melynie of Life Is So Delicious turned wood tags from Pick Your Plum into gift tags that double as ornaments for neighbor gifts.

First she painted them with acrylic paint and wiped off the excess paint to make it look aged. After letting it dry, she stamped the word STAR onto the bottom of the tag. (line up alphabet letter stamps and tape them together to keep them straight). She cut out a star from the metallic paper and glued it on. Last she cut 8"-9" of baker's twine and thread through the hole and tied a 5" strip of ribbon to the twine on the front of the tag. Knot the ends of the twine to form a hanging loop and you've got another cute (and quick) tag ornament!

Glittered Chipboard Snowflake Ornaments

After putting together a craft night for 40 of my friends from church to make these chipboard snowflake ornaments (also fun but they take more than 5 mintues!),

I had a few pieces of chipboard leftover. So I sprayed them with spray adhesive and covered them in glitter. I added a piece of ribbon, a jingle bell, and a "Peace On Earth" tag and voila! Less than 5 minutes for a pretty ornament or gift tag.

Paper Filled Glass Ball Ornaments

Remember the curled paper and glass ornaments I showed you how to make over at Under The Table and Dreaming?

Well I found some flat glass ornaments on sale at Michael's and made up a few more similar ornaments using die cut stars. These were even faster than the curled paper! Punch or die cut shapes of your choice out of book pages, sheet music, or patterned scrapbook paper and carefully insert them in the top of the ornament. Replace the top, add a bow, and you're done! I also added some red sequins inside for extra shine.

Covered Glass Ball Ornaments

I also made a few of these sheet music covered glass ornaments for a guest post over at I {Heart} Nap Time for Jamielyn's Crazy Crafters Christmas extravaganza. I think these might be my favorite ornaments on the tree!

Pine Cone Ornaments
Of course pine cones are always gorgeous on a Christmas tree (since they kinda belong there anyway). I added a little twine, ribbon, and a glass jewel to pine cones from my yard for a quick ornament. If I would've had more time, I probably would've glittered them, but I think they are a nice contrast to the rest of the glitter on my tree (and my hubby agrees).

Paper Star Garlands

Lastly, I made star garland with book pages and my sewing machine. First I die cut hundreds of stars with my Sizzix machine and the Stars 2 die. Then I layered 3 stars and stitched down the middle with my machine. To make a garland, hold the first star piece and pull gently away from the needle while running the machine to create chain stitches. Then stop and feed another group of three stars under the needle and repeat until desired length. Separate the stars with your fingers. Instead of wrapping these around the tree, I hung them vertically from top to bottom. So easy, cheap, and cute!

Whether you're still trying to finish your tree or looking for gift ideas, all these quick and easy ornament ideas could definitely fill the bill! If not, pin them for next year! Pin It

yarn pom pom garland tutorial {and lion brand giveaway!}

2011-12-16T10:41:00.000-08:00

Recently our friend Kelly from According To Kelly and Lion Brand Yarn gave me the chance to get a little creative with yarn. As in make something with yarn without your crochet hooks! Yikes! It took a little thinking, but I came up with this fun yarn pom pom garland for my Christmas mantel using some of Lion Brand's most festive yarns (like the Silky Twist and Martha Stewart Crafts Lofty Wool Blend yarns) and and their Pom Pom Maker. I even got the boys to help! It came together quickly and I'm already planning a birthday pom pom garland. . .or how cute would it be to hang brightly-colored pom poms from the ceiling in a nursery? Of course I'll be using them on upcoming crochet patterns as well. Pom poms are great stash busters!

Check out the full tutorial here at According To Kelly, along with some other super fun non-knit, non-crochet yarn projects, then come back and enter our giveaway!

You could win all the supplies needed to make your own pom pom garland! Just leave us a comment by Wednesday, December 21st at 11:59pm PT. Now go check out the tutorial!

Good luck!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post and giveaway by Lion Brand Yarn. The ideas, opinions, and how-to instructions are all my own, however I am a loyal Lion Brand yarn customer!

All Through the Night CD winner

2011-12-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

The lucky winner of our All Through the Night CD giveaway who will win a copy of the CD is...

MamaMunky

Congrats! I sent you an email so please respond so we can get you the CD.

how to {have a superhero party}

2011-12-15T21:20:00.000-08:00

My son is turning 5! I am still not really sure how that is possible since I had him last week. Well, it feels like that anyway. But, I guess it's really been 5 years! I love this kid.

He wanted a superhero party for his birthday, so I set out to create one! Problem is, I am not very good at coming up with ideas. I am great at copying ideas, but not always creating them. Lucky for me, I have a new best friend. Her name is Pinterest. I get so many wonderful ideas on there! When I searched for superhero ideas, I came across a great link to One Charming Party. Have you heard of it? They sell amazing party plans and give you everything you need to make a successful party. It was exactly what I needed. Their superhero party plan is perfect!

Here is what I received in my inbox after buying the plan:

cool 3D invitations that you can read with or without 3D glasses
invitations, thank you cards and superhero certificates–print as many as you need
printable cake toppers to quickly transform your cake
a simple and yummy activity to keeps guests busy as you wait for everyone to arrive
a step-by-step tutorial for a comic book banner that will give your party some POW
easy instructions for making a super shirt your superhero will love (ages 1-6 and two generic graphics)
hero training with 6 activities to keep guest entertained for the whole party
super food labels that will encourage kids to eat healthier
our expert party tips to keep your party running smoothly
gorgeous photos to guide you through this party from start to finish
a resource guide to help you find all of the party supplies
60+ pages in a downloadable pdf–sent instantly to your inbox

It helped me so much! Look how adorable the invitations are. All I had to do was print them on cardstock. It saved me so much effort.

Instead of making a cake, I did cupcakes and I loved how they turned out! The "pow" was a printable from the superhero party plan and I just taped it to a lollipop stick in the cupcake.

Each child who attended the party got to go home with a superhero cape and mask along with their goodie bag.

We played some great games... Freeze dance and keep the balloon from touching the ground, anyone? My husband also came up with the brilliant idea of playing a superhero version of Duck, Duck Goose. We did Superman, Batman, Joker! The kids loved it!

And what would a superhero party be without some snacks to boost your superhero powers? I have never seen kids eat their fruits and veggies so quickly and quietly before! They really wanted some powers.

The party was such a success and my little guy definitely felt like a superhero! And I felt like supermom for throwing such a great party with such little stress! One Charming Party has so many other great themed parties. I think I will be selecting one for my other son's 8th birthday!