Monzanita's

Best of Summer {Money Saving Traveling Tips}

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Really these traveling tips are great for any time of year, but because I am thinking of my summer this week here they are! Check out my other Best of Summer Posts and where to go in Arizona in the Summer.

Eating Out of a Hotel Room {Money Saving Ideas} In this post I talked about what we ate while we stayed in a hotel room for over a week. It was when we really shouldn't have been spending any extra money, and this helped save us from having to eat out for every meal when we were away from home.

Snacks to Bring to the Zoo These snacks help keep you full and not buying expensive snacks while you're at the zoo, on a roadtrip or out other places.

Airport Traveling Tips One of the tips on this list is to bring an empty water bottle through security so that you can fill it up with free water once you get past security. You can even bring drink mixes with you so that it's flavored.

What I Forgot on Our Cruise I packed for two trips when I packed for our cruise and forgot alot. It would have saved me money to think about some of these things before we left home.

Road Trip Packing List (And One for Toddlers) I use these packing lists every time I go on a road trip now. It keeps me from forgetting anything, and so far they have worked pretty well!

Easier Traveling with a (Cute!) Fanny Pack Save some stress on your next trip to a theme park by having everything you need on you at all times.

Save Money Before Your Vacation I try to hide my credit cards from myself to remind me to save money for my potential vacation.

More Travel Tips I review some of my past tips and how they went.

More Best of Summer Posts:
Place to Go in Arizona
Souvenirs to Make or Display

Best of Summer {Souvenirs to Make or Display}

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 18:24:00 +0000

During our summer vacations I love to shop around for souvenirs, but I want my souvenirs to be useful in one way or another. Sometimes I just buy useful things but for everything else I try to make sure that we have a place to display it.

These 3 Frugal Disney Souvenirs are different things you can get at Disneyland for little to nothing and have memories of your trip when you get home.

Those squished pennies that you can get almost anywhere are usually the cheapest souvenir out there. That makes them my favorite, but what do you do with them afterwards? I made this Smashed Penny Display to use my smashed pennies to decorate.

When I was a kid my dad collected the souvenir sized baseball bats for us, and I had to find something to do with them. They are on display at my house once I made my Souvenir Baseball Bat Display.

More Best of Summer Posts:
Places to Go in Arizona
Souvenirs to Make or Display

Best of Summer {Places to Go in Arizona}

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Sun, 15 Sep 2013 18:15:00 +0000

This summer was all about vacations and staying out of the Arizona heat. These are some places that you can actually visit in the summer here in Arizona.

The heat in Sedona is still pretty high, but it is a bit lower than the valley's heat. Here are a few places to stop while visiting Sedona, Arizona.

Camping on the Mogollon Rim was a great place to cool off and enjoy some beautiful views of the outdoors. It was pretty easy to access and there were lots of areas to explore.

This is a great place to visit during the heat of the day when the kids want to run around. You can let them run wild in Makutu's Island in Tempe, AZ.

This is another great indoor venue of things for you and your kids to do. Flipside in Chandler, AZ has bowling, arcades, bumper cars, lazer tag and a cool foam ball area with a climbing area and slides.

The Queen Creek Olive Mill is a great shop, restaurant and tour. During the summer the tours are still running and they show you all of the equipment and how they make olive oil. There indoor shop is perfect for hiding from the heat!

At Arizona Speedway you are sitting out in the heat, but during the summer most of the races are after dark, when it's cooling down.

Other Best of Summer Posts:
Souvenirs to Make or Display
Money Saving Tips for Traveling

DIY Tissue Box for TP

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 23:10:00 +0000

I don't buy tissue unless someone in the family has a bad runny nose, and then I get them the nice ones with lotion! The rest of the time we go without tissues in the house, until I saw this tutorial on how to use toilet paper as a tissue refill.

It's been awhile since I bought tissues so I didn't have a tissue box. I did however have a box that used to hold cornmeal and it fit a small roll of toilet paper. It's been sitting on our counter looking like we are using some special cornmeal tissue for a few weeks now. I finally got around to making it cute!

The top of the lid was easy, I just took a box cutter and slit a large "X" into it. It works perfectly.

I mod-podged some cute fall paper onto it, because our kitchen and living room are always fall colors and I can't wait to start decorating for fall soon!

Once it dried I was able to put the toilet paper back in it and put the lid back on. I love that it's easy to change when needed as well.

Check out these other "Almost Free" fall crafts!
Turkey Pumpkin
Stuffed Pumpkin Baskets
3 Boo-ing Ideas

Powder Your Own Sugar {DIY Powdered Sugar}

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 22:38:00 +0000

This post might be common sense to everyone else, but once I realized that you could turn sugar into powdered sugar at home I felt disappointed that I had gone to the store on more than one occasion to go buy powdered sugar.

To do this you need a wheat grinder or a blender. I have a fancy blendtec that I use for it and I'm not sure if a regular blender would work. If it works for you, please let me know!

Blendtec Directions:
Put about 1 1/2C of Sugar into the blender. Blend on Speed 5 for about 20 seconds. When it stops, use a spatula to make sure the sides and corners are being ground as well. They usually are, but with powdered sugar I don't take a chance. Blend for another 20 seconds and then test the sugar to see how grainy it is. I usually grab a small amount and rub it between my fingers. If it feels coarse at all, then blend for another 20 seconds. Keep testing it and reblending it until it is fine and soft.

For a wheat grinder, follow the directions you use for grinding wheat but test the powdered sugar every so often to see how soft it is. I usually need powdered sugar for frosting and I don't want gritty frosting, so I take every effort to make sure its perfect. I have never seen my powdered sugar be over-powdered so I guess it's ok!

More Cooking Tips
Making the Most of Fresh Lemons
Not Fried Refried Beans
3 Delicious Blackberry Recipes

Journal Writing and Journal Entry Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 14:30:00 +0000

I have been trying to be happier. It takes work, but everyone needs to be happier. The happier I am, the happier everyone around me is. Or maybe that's just because I'm the Mom. Writing in a journal helps me stay positive sometimes and helps me look back at how I was positive before and it reminds me that I can stay positive again.

I have a few rules for myself when journaling. The first rule for myself is to keep everything positive. There is enough negativity as it is, and I don't need to hold onto it for the future. Sometimes I need to rant about negativity and doing it on paper helps. I just make sure to do it in a cheap notebook and throw it out immediately after it is written.

Another rule I try to follow is to date my entries. It makes it so much better for if you ever want to look back at them.

I also keep most journal entries very short. I usually don't have time for much and I won't write at all if it takes too long so a short list or small quip about something is usually perfect. The one main exception to that is when I wrote down my son's birth story. I realized I was already forgetting some of the small details a few weeks after he was born so as I nursed I wrote every detail I could remember. It was pages and pages and it took me days but it is worth it to me and it might be to him later on.

One last thing I try not to do while writing in my journal is to back track. Unless it is a big event (like my son's birth) I won't let myself feel guilty that I haven't written in a few days, months, years, etc. And I won't try to remember what happened for yesterday or for the last three years that I didn't write a thing. I just put down today's date and move on.

Here are a few ideas to get you started writing in your journal:

Things Accomplished Today List

Top 5 Good Things About the Day

My Favorite Things (in my house, kitchen, from my vacation, foods, clothes, anything)

Reasons I am Happy with My Life (or My Children, or My House, or my Neighborhood or anything else you can think of)

Reasons I Love My Spouse (or Child, Friend, Co-worker, whoever!) {See My Post Here}

Reasons I Love Myself (what personality traits or quirks do you love about yourself?)

Reasons I'm Happy to Be Home (or on vacation, or any change you are experiencing. Think of why you are happy to be there. Another I have done is Reasons I'm Happy to Be Not Pregnant)

My Bucket List (Keep a few blank pages after it and you can add to it at any time) {See Mine Here}

A Quick Story From My Day (Or week, month, vacation, etc!)

I'm Feeling: (positive emotions! and why)

What I Did For Exercise This Week

Child Updates (Check out this post at I Can Grow People for a great layout of it!)

Other Ways to Work on Happiness:
How to Stop Shopping
Happy Wive's Club: 21 Days to a Happier You
This vs That
My New Workout Plan

Pregnancy Announcements for Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 14:04:00 +0000

With our first pregnancy I couldn't wait to tell everyone, so as soon as we got the news we wanted to post it to facebook, so that we could avoid calling everyone individually to tell them (and having hurt feelings because we called one person before another and so on). We called the new grandparents and then took this picture and posted it with the clues to facebook.

It was a cute way to announce it until I got a few people telling me I really did look pregnant. I was 5 weeks along and shouldn't have looked any more pregnant than before! So we decided to find another way to tell everyone for the second pregnancy.

I searched all of my pins and decided to do something a little bit more unique. With a second child our Jeep will be full, so we went out to our closest wash (aka dry creek) and took this picture. Click on the picture to see it bigger!

The idea was a little more confusing but still super cute! Once I explained it in the comments everyone got it. At least no one's calling me fat this time!

Other Jeep Related Articles:
4 Jeep Sewing Projects
Camping on the Mogollon Rim
5 Reasons I Love My Husband

5 Reasons I Love My Husband

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 13:35:00 +0000

This isn't a post to make anyone jealous, I'm just trying to show off my husband a little bit and show that I am thankful for everything that he does for me and for who he is. I recently started reading The Happy Wives Club blog and it's been helping me remember to think positively about my marriage and try to show it. I usually have a hard time showing it, so hopefully this will help!

1. He works hard for our family. He works a job where he has to get up super early and he is not a morning person, so it really means alot to me that he works for us. He also went through a 9 month deployment for us recently. I know it was hard for him, I'm so glad that he did it for us though.

2. He takes the time to listen to me. He also lets me get my way, alot. He always tells me that if I'm happy, he's happy.

He even let my son help him with fixing the Jeep

3. He tries to be cheap like I am, and DIY stuff. Like fixing the Jeep. He saved us thousands of dollars by staying up super late to finish fixing the truck so that I could use it the next day. (See number one where he is not a morning person and had to get up early.

Look how young he was in 2008!

4. He loves kids. My little brother and sister were young when we started dating and he was great with them. It made me love him more right away! The picture of him and my brother has always been one of my favorite pictures.

5. He does things that he doesn't want to do, for me. Like wearing this bright blue tie so that it matched my awesome dress when we went on our cruise this summer. He didn't want to dress up either.

He also tries to eat new things. That's a hard one for him, he likes staying in his comfort zone of food and hates trying new things. It may take some nagging but he does try new food for me. It really amazes me what he drags his feet on eating though. Who doesn't want to try delicious frosting? Or candy? Or pie? I'm glad he does try new things though, because we have found some great new recipes and some of his favorite places to eat.

What We Are Eating This Week {Lunch and Dinner Ideas}

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Mon, 26 Aug 2013 20:35:00 +0000

We are having a delicious Thanksgiving in August today because my husband missed Thanksgiving last year. Now I have to plan the rest of the week. I need to make sure to plan it out because I am going back to work and I want to make sure my husband and son can survive! Just kidding honey... I know you would have done fine but I want to make it easier for you anyway!

Monday

Lunch: Homemade Hot Pockets (Like the berry ones, but filled with deli meat and cheese instead)
Dinner: Turkey and Noodles

Tuesday
Breakfast: Pancakes

Wednesday
Dinner:Homemade Pizza

Thursday

Lunch: Pizza Leftovers
Dinner: Burritos

Friday
Lunch: Italian Pasta
Dinner: Green Chile Enchiladas

Saturday
Lunch: Pinwheels
Dinner: Ham and Potato Casserole
Dessert: Potato Chip Cookies

Sunday
Breakfast: German Pancakes
Dinner: Vegetable Chowder
Monday

Dinner: Fried Rice and General Tso's Chicken

Jeep Sewing Projects

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Sun, 25 Aug 2013 17:45:00 +0000

We recently bought a jeep and have been four wheeling every weekend this month. I want to buy accessories for it, but I'm being thrifty as usual and making my own.

Handle Bar Bag

This turned out to look a little frumpier than I wanted it to. Next time I'll have to use some heavy backing. I do love that I have all of my stuff close and convenient. There's always extra space for snacks and for my camera too.

Tool Roll

This is an adult version of a crayon roll! The tools are a little bit odd shaped, so they don't roll as well as a crayon roll but it is a great way to save space and keep your tools safe and organized.

Fire Extinguisher Holder

Did you know it cost over $20 for one of these? I made it for much less!

Blanket

This wasn't the most important thing I wanted to make but it is always great to have a spare blanket and to use a ton of extra fabric. Oh and I love the patriotic color theme.

Almost Gourmet: Tomato Soup and Fancy Grilled Cheese

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 16:34:00 +0000

I bought this cup for my husband while he was in Afganistan and shipped it out to him, it reminds me of how he greets me everyday :) I'm happy he was able to bring it home in one piece!

Last year I made this Tomato Basil Soup. It was really good, I was a little disappointed that I shared it. Today I made that same soup (twice the size though!) and I had cooking in the slow cooker all day. All day the smell has been teasing me because it smells so good! I also added a little bit of Italian Herb Olive Oil that I recently bought in Sedona, because it too smelled so good that I couldn't resist adding it.

I'm now making "Fancy Grilled Cheese". It's my usual grilled cheese with buttered edges but this time in the butter I added some garlic powder, Italian herbs and parmesean cheese. I am also broiling them in the oven instead of cooking them on the skillet. They just need to be flipped so that they are toasted on both sides.

Served with the soup these are amazing! Or maybe it was just smelling them all day that has me a little too excited about them. :) My son loved the grilled cheese the best, but he did eat a little of the soup with his grilled cheese dipped in it. My husband liked it dipped as well, he said it reminded him of mozzarella sticks.

Other Great Recipes:
Deep Fried Delicious-ness: Mozzarella Sticks and More
Camping Food Menu and Ideas
3 Delicious Recipes for Blackberries
Caramel Apples

Toy Story Party

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Sun, 28 Jul 2013 13:30:00 +0000

My son's 2nd birthday party was Toy Story themed. It was a small party with mostly adults but I think the birthday boy had alot of fun!

Invitations: Printed 4x6 Toy Story Invitations

Food:
~~Rosati's~~Pizza Planet Pizza

Cake (Decorated with Toy Story Figures)

Cheetos

Activities: Knock Over Mr. Potato Head

Toy Story on in the Background

Trampoline

Present Time

Decorations: Toy Story Backgrounds Banner

Pizza Planet Sign

Wanted Posters

Party Favors: Crayon Rolls with Toy Story Coloring Pages

Camping Food Menu and Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 17:35:00 +0000

One of the great parts of camping is the food. We recently went up to the Mogollon Rim near Payson, Arizona and had a great time. The great food was just a bonus!

Day One
Breakfast: Whatever we had at Home
Lunch: from Wendy's on the ride to the campsite
Dinner: Shepherd's Pie Tin Foil Dinners

Day Two
Breakfast: Pop Tarts and Cereal
Lunch: Grilled Ham and Cheese or Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
Dinner: Steak and Potato Packets

Day Three
Breakfast: Eggs and Bacon
Lunch: Sausage and Tots or Hot Dogs and Tots
Dinner: Classic Tin Foil Dinners

Day Four
Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: Snacks on the way home
Dinner: Whatever we had at home

Different Cooking Methods

For the Sausage, Hot Dogs and Steak we cooked them over the fire (our neighbors that went with us sometimes pulled out the grill instead). You can make your own sticks by whittling the ends of a stick and sanitizing it by burning the edges really quick or use ones that you bought. For the steaks especially, they can be propped up to the fire by rocks and turned as needed. The campfire really does add good flavor to them, I'm already craving another campfire steak!

The tin foil dinners are cooked over coals. I don't mean that you brought charcoal, I mean that you started a fire and let it burn for a little bit until you had some great coals. You will have to move around the logs that are still on fire to get to them though. Also, make sure to bring some gloves to pick up the foil packets because they will be really hot! I use just plain leather work gloves but something a little bit more fire-safe would be better. The potatoes were cooked in tin foil packets as well as the tin foil dinners.

For the breakfasts and the grilled cheese we used my camping frying pan inside of our friend's 5th wheel on their gas stove. If it were just me camping I would have cooked all of those things over the campfire/coals or even on a camping stove. Do whatever is easiest for you!

Prepare Ahead

Most everything we had prepared ahead of time. I made the tin foil dinners and prepared the tater tot packets before we left and froze them. Freezing them helped them stay at a safe temperature in the cooler, and helped keep everything else cold. The first night we realized that we should have taken out the tin foil dinners way sooner to thaw, because they took a long time to cook. The rest of them defrosted right on schedule.

The only thing we really prepared there was the pancake batter and the potato packets. It was fine to do them while we were there but had we done them earlier it would have saved us some stress of bringing all the ingredients and supplies.

Check out recipes that we made after this camping trip from the wild blackberries we picked. See them here at Arizona Mama.

Throwback Thursday: Moving Out

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Thu, 18 Jul 2013 15:12:00 +0000

The Life of Bon is having a summer of Throwback Thursdays and I wanted to tell my moving out story too. Thanks to The Life of Bon for the ideas and the link party!

I graduated 5 months before I turned 18 and I was ready to move out as soon as I graduated. I didn't like having anyone tell me what to do and I couldn't stand being home.

At the same time I couldn't afford to live on my own- at all! I planned to move in with my boyfriend. On my 18th birthday my best friend and my boyfriend took me out to the movies and to the mall to celebrate, because how else would you celebrate being 18? It was also the first time I had a midnight curfew.

That's where we went to go visit my boyfriend's mom at work, a jewelry store in the mall.

My boyfriend asked her, "Hey is it alright if Monica moves in with us tomorrow?" And she answered "Absolutely not."

I was livid. I had been bugging him to make sure it was ok with her for months and he had just planned on it being ok with her but not asking her until the night before. This is the man I married.

I was all packed up and ready to go, ready to live in my car if necessary because I didn't want to be at home any longer. Luckily for me, my best friend swooped in and saved the day.

Her mom lived alone when she was at her dad's, which was most of the time, so her mom let me move into their cat's bedroom. It was their spare bedroom but the cat was the one that spent the most time in it.

With just a couple trips in my car I was able to get all of my stuff over to their house, with the help of my boyfriend who was still in the dog house.

I came to find out that my new roommate, Amy, wasn't there very often, and being alone freaked me out at first. The first night I stayed there alone I heard some weird noises outside and realized that this was the first time I had been anywhere that I couldn't go run and grab a gun if an intruder came in. To make myself feel better I grabbed a handful of firecrackers and a lighter and put those by my bed instead. If I needed to I would try to scare someone off with a small firecracker and pure willpower.

Now that I am a first apartment, a marriage and a first house further down the road I see how easy everything was and how everything I went through then wasn't a big deal but I sure am grateful to those people that made it easier for me. Thanks Amy and Kourtney! I guess I should finally let my now husband, Ben, out of the doghouse because he was young and stupid just like I was.

More Stories:
The Greatest Trip I Hardly Remember
He Doesn't Know It
The Rock Climbing One Year Old

Today at Arizona Mama: A Few More Traveling Posts

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 15:17:00 +0000

A few years ago my husband and I went on a great trip to New England together. It was a great trip but my memories of it are fading. Read my story over at Arizona Mama.

Also, during all the fun and excitement I have had from traveling recently I missed telling you about my Eating Out of Your Hotel Room post. Better late than never! When we stayed at a Fort Bliss hotel for a couple of weeks we tried to eat out of our hotel room to save money instead of eating out every night. I have plenty of ideas and things to shop for over at Arizona Mama.

Today at Arizona Mama: Fun at Flipside

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 08:35:00 +0000

Looking for some Indoor Fun to hide from the heat? Check out Flipside in Chandler, Arizona. I love this place and can't wait to go back! Click here to see what there is to do there, over at Arizona Mama.

What I Forgot on Our Cruise

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 03:33:00 +0000

I usually am very prepared when I go on vacation. I have multiple lists to remind me of what I need to bring, and I use them almost every time. This time we went on a vacation during our vacation and apparently traveling without my toddler makes me forget a lot of stuff.

More Money- We spent tons more than I planned for. It was worth it though!

Stuff for Sea Sickness- We ended up buying Sea Bands and a small vial of tea tree oil, both of those totaled $30

Camera Cards- We had one, but forgot to transfer everything to the computer before we left

Laundry Soap, Quarters- I knew I needed to do laundry but forgot this stuff

Beach Bag/Purse- I haven't been carrying a real purse, just a small clutch but I needed one while traveling. I ended up buying one at Bubba Gump's.

Sun Screen & Aloe- Closer to the equator you burn easier.. we were in alot of pain for the last few days of the cruise!

Case of Water- We found out later that you could bring your own water to keep from buying their bottled water. I would have used the free water but it really didn't taste that great.

Books/Magazines- I usually just read stuff online but without internet I was a little bored at times.

Walkie Talkies- We didn't need these all that much but they would have been useful to use because I wasn't paying to use my cell phone

Ballet Flats- I brought sneakers, flip flops and heels but I would have liked something to wear on formal night when my feet were done with heels.

Jacket- I would have really appreciated having a nice looking jacket with me, I was cold most of the time but didn't want to dress down with my one long sleeve shirt

Watch- I needed mine because I wasn't carrying around my phone. We always needed to know the time so we could get to dinner and shows and stuff on time.

Hair Ties/Clips- I took these with me but I needed the reminder to keep one on my wrist at all times, incase we wandered to an open deck

Swim Cover Up- I should have used this dress as one, but I just forgot it.

Goggles- It was so cool to see things in the ocean once we bought some goggles. I just wish I brought some from home instead of paying a ton at the beach

No Soda Card- We paid for the soda card for the week but found out it wasn't worth it. It might be worth it daily but the days we spent at the different ports we didn't order any soda or anything. The days we did order soda it was still kinda iffy about if we would have saved money on it or not.

Other Travel Tips:
Eating Out Of a Hotel Room: Vacation Money Saving Ideas
Airport Traveling Tips
DIY Personalized Suitcase
Motivational Credit Card Sleeves {Saving for Vacation Idea}

Decorated T-Shirt Crafts

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:30:00 +0000

Remember this skirt? I failed to mention that I burnt the iron-ons when I put them on it last time, so they fell off after the first wash (and the pictures!). Recently I added a piece of another t-shirt I had but didn't like to wear as a top. I'm all set for any future patriotic holidays now. Or maybe a homecoming in the near future?

For the shorts I made here I decided to paint a little mustache on them. I had to cut out a few stencils until I got one that I liked. I taped it on and dabbed on the fabric paint and let them dry.

I think my sister will love these, she came up with the idea, but she doesn't get them until her birthday!

The dress that I made a different sister was dressed up with this flower pin. The tutorial and better pictures are here.

Cherry Dr. Pepper Can Bracelets

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 15:56:00 +0000

Last year I made these Coca-Cola Can bracelets. Every month it is still my most popular post. I hadn't made any in quite awhile but a friend was disappointed that she never got one, so I had to pull my stuff out again to make some. This time I was a little bit more creative and we decided to bling them out a little bit more.

Go check out the first tutorial before you try to follow this tutorial, it will make everything easier!

Differences

Make the shape of the bracelet a little different, in the past I made them mostly square but the edges would catch on stuff and they would poke you or could rip.

You can choose to turn the edges back or forth. You will get a silver lining if they are turned out, but if they are turned under they will be less noticeable. It's all about what you think looks best. I sometimes like the silver lining and sometimes want a cleaner edge. If you turn the edges under they shouldn't scrape you as long as they are pressed very flat.

Instead of big holes for the ribbon, make very small holes with a pin and add jump rings. We also added metal clasps instead of ribbon for some of them. Or you can skip the holes all together if you roll the edges, and thread a small ribbon or elastic through.

Add more decoration to them by adding flowers or bows with hot glue.

Add fabric lining to give the bracelet a little more structure as well as comfort. I used t-shirt scraps because they don't fray and just hot glued them in.

More Coca-Cola:
Coke Can Necklace
Decorating with Coca-Cola
Wallet with Charms from Coke Can
The Day I Wore a Coca-Cola T-shirt

Maxi Skirt Refashion

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:45:00 +0000

I recently bought this Maxi skirt, not realizing it was a maxi skirt. In the pictures online it looked much shorter. I can't really walk in it. I was trying to decide what to do with the bottom when I came across these two pictures, so I decided to add some drawstring.

I used extra t-shirt scraps from this dress to make the 4 tubes for the drawstring (there are tubes on the inside of the skirt as well). I sewed them on before I threaded the ribbon through them and sewed up the top of the tubes. (I know, not a very good tutorial. I will expand on that if/when I make another.)

More Refashions:
4 T-Shirt Refashions
Adding Straps to a Strapless Dress
Ruffled and Laced Trench Coat Modifications (This will look awesome with this skirt in the winter!)

DIY Toy Hammock

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 01:32:00 +0000

My son is collecting way too many toys, but I have a hard time getting rid of any. I have to start finding ways to organize them better so that they fit in our house! I have a feeling that we will have to turn one of our rooms into a playroom soon.

My inspiration came from The Junk Nest, check out her toy hammock here.

Materials:
Fabric
Rope (aka "Clothesline" from the Dollar Tree)

Directions:
1. Hem the two long edges.

2. Hem the two shorter edges with enough space to fit the rope inside the hem.

3. Slide the rope through each side.

4. Tie rope to crib, bed or wall.

Super complicated, right? If you need help, refer to the drawing below on my super cool legal pad from NAU. (My souvenir from visiting my sister!) Also please pretend that I wasn't drawing it while someone was tugging on my arm and throwing books at me. It is a pretty good drawing for suffering through all that though!

See Also:
The Nursery (that has never been completely finished)
Bathroom Organization
Closet Door Writing

More T-shirt Remodels

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 20:53:00 +0000

I found these cute V-Neck T-Shirts for $5, new! They were such pretty colors I had to get them and make something out of them. They were actually in the Men's department, although I don't know any men that would wear these colors. I still want to paint them or add iron-ons but right now I am lacking inspiration of what to decorate them with. Check out the links to look at tutorials!

I made another Skirt. This one has pockets!

I made my sister a pair of Bermuda shorts. I made them just like I would make pajama pants, but with some of the work cut out because the bottom seams were already finished. She only wants to wear "comfortable pants" (aka: leggings) so I hope she likes getting these for her birthday!

I made another dress, this one with t-shirt sleeves. I love the t-shirt look with the V-Neck. This is another gift that hasn't been given yet so I don't have a model but trust me it will look so much cuter when it is worn!

With the scraps from these pretty shirts I made some flowers. I turned them into a pin for this dress. I have tons more, but I'm not sure what I will use them for yet!

Removable Flower Pin to Dress Up Shirts

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Recently I have been making tons of stuff from t-shirts, including these dresses. I made one for my sister's birthday but it was from a plain V-Neck so I wanted to dress it up a little. With a pin, it can be used on other shirts and taken off when they are washed.
Materials:
3 Flowers Made with This Tutorial
Pearl Beads
Felt
Safety Pin (Or two even!)

Directions:
Use this tutorial to make your flowers. Towards the end of the tutorial, use three pearls and stitch them to the center of the flower instead of the button.

Each flower will be stitched onto the felt.

The felt will be cut out around the three flowers.

Next, a safety pin will be added to the back and stitched on.

Now you have a fun pin that will work with almost any shirt and you can take it off to wash the shirt or dress.

House Numbers on a Rock

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 18:27:00 +0000

When we were out four wheeling in the middle of nowhere last, I found this rock:

And I brought it home so that I could put it in my yard. And then paint numbers on it.

They were painted by hand, without a stencil. I love it!

Dog Bed Take Two!

noreply@blogger.com (Monica) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 02:46:00 +0000

I made this great dog bed last year. (See the tutorial for it here)We have a new dog, so we needed a new bed.

I put this tutorial for perfect binding to good use. It made me a little disappointed that I hadn't thought of doing it like they did before now!

I used two large squares of fabric, the bias tape and tons of scrap fabric for the stuffing. It took me the past couple of months (or more) of saving fabric scraps to fill the dog bed, but it was nice to use something that would have been thrown away otherwise. It made this a relatively cheap project and I couldn't be happier with it! Neither could my son, who was this dog bed for again?

Other Dog Crafts:
The First DIY Dog Bed
Dog Stuff Holder
DIY Beware of Dog Sign
Dog Stuff on Pinterest