Straddling the Gap

DIY Day Camps During Pandemic

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Fri, 29 May 2020 01:46:00 +0000

Anyone with a child at home under the age of 18 is experiencing some level of stress as summer stretches out before us in a world dealing with the COVID-19 epidemic. This is NOT a post to debate the issues of whether or not to venture out for organized activities or camps. If you want that local (Arizona) debate, there is a great post from Raising Arizona Kids.

However, if you have decided to create your own "at-home" experience, here are some resources that might help you. The key point is plan, plan, plan! If your kids are at camp, whether sleep camp or day camp, their schedules are tightly controlled. To create your DIY camp, I would suggest doing the same. My second suggestion is to make these activities feel "different." You've been home with the kids for some time now and to get everyone in the "camp" mood, this needs to feel special or different. Of course, you can always pick and choose fun activities from this list. So, let's create your own DIY summer camp with step-by-step instructions!

1. Create a name for your camp. Many years ago, I entertained my (now adult) niece and nephew at Camp Campbell. One of our first "arts and crafts" activities was making a camp shirt. Here's a link for an easy way to make tie-dye shirts with acrylic paint. It would be very easy to create some stencils with your "camp" name and paint them on after your tie-dye shirts are done. You just created 2 days of arts and crafts activities and a memento of their camping experience!

2. Plan your "camp" meals. If you want to keep it easy in a "day camp" setting, you just need to plan fun lunches that you can eat picnic style. I've packed a ton of ideas onto a special Pinterest board, Day Camp so you should have no problem planning ahead. If you really want to be adventurous and include a "sleep-over" camp with a fire, don't forget to include the s'mores and at least one "campfire" meal. I've also included some links on the Day Camp Pinterest board for that.

3. Keep a strict schedule. Be sure to plan educational activities, physical activities, arts & crafts and quiet time into your camp, keeping in mind the ages of your campers. See the list of links below as well as my Pinterest Day Camp page for specific ideas on each type of activity. Consider creating a schedule board for each day, or a handout for the "campers" so they know exactly what is coming.

4. Consider at least one overnight camp out in the yard. This could include a tent and campfire, or as simple as some blankets and sleeping bags in the living room.

5. Get some "camp counselors." If you have older kids, get them involved! Younger kids will be thrilled, you give those older kids something to do, and take some of the pressure as "camp director" off of you!

6. Have a specific "start" and "stop" to camp, especially if you are doing a "day camp" format. It's not sustainable to keep "camp" going indefinitely and kids will likely lose interest if you try. Keeping a "start" and "stop" is almost as important as keeping a strict schedule because it gives kids the feeling of something "different". You also get time off when camp is not in session!

Can't bear to do this alone at home? Here are some resources to local virtual day camps this summer.

Ideas for Educational Activities

Phoenix Water Services has a brand new digital resources pages. The left side is for kids and the right is for adults. Don't miss the fun videos of "Wayne Drop" and "Loo Poo". There are activity books with coloring pages you can print for the little ones or order free hard copies in advance. Be sure to check out the tons of lesson plans you can use.

Virtual Water Festival is another page from Arizona Project WET and geared to teaching elementary students (especially 4th grade) about water. Filled with videos, lessons and games, this is a treasure trove.
STEM Lessons Activities from Nerding teaches how to build or do a bunch of fun things, especially for elementary and middle schoolers.
Mystery Science has a ton of activities for kids, Kindergarten through Middle School
Make a Time Capsule What better time than now??
Make homemade cards and send a letter to relatives (just like at camp!)
Grow Borax Crystals
Make Elephant Toothpaste with a few household items. Cool science experiment - outside.
Make up stories, create your own book and illustrate (this can be done over several days)

Ideas for Physical Activities

Play at Home - This is a great, interactive and local website that includes mindfulness, songs and a little yoga. It's especially great for preschoolers.
Children's Museum of Phoenix has a bunch of videos with movement and yoga, as well as other videos with projects and learning.
Swimming - Don't have a pool? Create a slip & slide with the hose, bubbles and/or shaving cream. Hose them down when you're done. See a bunch of DIY slip & slides on Pinterest
Biking
Scavenger Hunt, Obstacle Course or Relay Game - see my Day Camp board on Pinterest for tons of outside games you can put together for a relay
Paint with Squirt Guns - Arts & crafts and physical activity in one!
Make bubbles - see Pinterest for a recipe for giant bubbles

Ideas for Arts & Crafts

As You Wish Pottery has complete kits you can pick up or they can ship to you!
STG Top 5 Kids Crafts - our very own!
Cake decorating. This is fun whether you have a lot of supplies for decorating or just a few. Each kid gets to make their own cake and then decorate it.

Create Birdseed Hearts - for a truly outdoor craft
Make Painted Kindness Rocks and then take a walk and leave them around your neighborhood!
Salt Painting
Q-Tip Painted Art
Tie-Dye T-shirts
Make homemade pizzas

Ideas for Quiet Time

Listen to some stories! There are lots of resources on the internet now to watch videos of someone reading to kids. Here are a few of my favorites:

Virtual Field Trips! offered through Arizona State University are seriously cool for K-8 to explore
Australian Reptile Park has a number of short, engaging videos on its YouTube channel featuring animals American kids don't get to see much, including koalas!
San Diego Zoo has a bunch of animal cams for your viewing pleasure
Kitten Rescue Cam because everyone needs a kitty fix.
National Geographic Kid Videos - This includes some great projects and games.

Whatever you decide to do this summer, take some time to relax. It's been a hard couple of months for everyone and you deserve it!

cindy

Shop Without Breaking Quarantine

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Sun, 10 May 2020 22:17:00 +0000

We've all been inside (or at least at home) for a while now and I keep thinking about all the shopping I would like to do, but can't. One item that would be very helpful right now is a simple card. In fact, if you are like me, you buy greeting cards all year around, usually at the last minute. Have you noticed that the "quick card" you buy at the grocery or big box store costs a lot more these days? Why not save some money AND open the economy for a small business?

Etsy!! Here are some great card sellers I found on Etsy. The prices are generally less than you pay in the store, even if you pay shipping (and many sellers now offer free shipping). The trick to this card hack is that you need to buy a collection in advance so you have them on hand when you need them. Or, here is a thought, what about sending one in the mail NOW? You may have a little time on your hands to spare a personal thought . . .

These cards come with a social distancing theme from HALOdesignsSHOP. They have a bunch of designs in sets for as low as $10.50 for 5 flat cards. Shipping is free if you purchase $34 or more.

If you like more artistic cards for any occasion with nothing inside, here are some stunning ones from LDawningScott starting at $13.00.

MichelleMospens has lovely floral watercolor cards and they are very reasonably priced as well.

Artists like CarlaBosch offer this boxed set of 20 all occasion cards for $24.95 with free shipping!

Do you prefer photographic cards? Here's a set from CatulpaBay with gorgeous landscapes - 20 landscapes in 5x7 for only $25.00 and free shipping.

If cats are your thing, here are some super value handmade embossed cards with three dimensional cats from Wallridge Farm.

Or The Best Card Company has gone to the dogs - with quotes!

I think you get the picture. There are nearly one million listings on Etsy when you search "greeting card." Pick your occasion, a set, what you want to see on the card in your search and I guarantee you will find something that suits your fancy.

Get out there and support small businesses without the risk to health!

cindy

SOM Costumes - Sailor Suits!

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Sat, 29 Jun 2019 18:37:00 +0000

"Do a deer, a female deer . . ."

What is more iconic than the Von Trapp children in their sailor uniforms? This particular costume was pretty easy (and inexpensive). First, the boys needed navy blue docker pants - very easy to find at Goodwill. Likewise the girls needed navy blue school uniform skirts. The high school girls at our school wear the uniform I wanted to use, so I only had to find some Goodwill versions for the younger girls - not too hard. Pair that with white knee high socks and black shoes and the only thing left was the shirt. The sailor shirt makes the outfit. To make these shirts you need a white long sleeve crew neck t-shirt, about 1/2 yard of navy blue poplin or cotton fabric, about 1.5 yards of white satin ribbon 1/2" width and a package of white Velcro.

First, cut off the neck and sleeve cuffs. Turn the raw edges on the neckline under and sew so you have a finished edge on the neckline. (The second picture is before I turned the raw edges under.)

To make the sailor collar, start by measuring the shoulder width on the back of the t-shirt. Then in the front, measure the center point of the neck opening diagonal to the shoulder seam. Cut your navy fabric with the dimensions of shoulder width x diagonal measurement + 8". For example, one of my shoulder widths was 16" and the measurement from the center of the front neckline to the shoulder was 8". The result is a rectangle 16" x 16" (because I added 8" for the back). Next you are going to cut out a neckline, using your t-shirt as the pattern on the navy fabric. You also need to cut the curve of the neckline in the front. When you're done, it looks like this:

To make your collar, cut two pieces of navy fabric in this shape and then sew them together, right sides facing, leaving a small opening on the collar so you can turn it inside out.

After you turn it inside out and close the opening by hand stitch, you can sew your ribbon about 1/2" from the edge and then another 1/2" inside of that. Notice how the ribbons will overlap as you get to the front of the collar. Use a lot of pins to keep it straight while you are sewing, and for a finished look, use navy blue thread in your bobbin so the white thread outline of the ribbons doesn't show on the wrong side of the finished collar. Pin the collar on the neckline and sew.

To make the cuffs, cut the navy blue fabric into 2 rectangles, 2.5" x 10" (for each cuff). Sew the two rectangles together, right sides facing, leaving a small opening to turn it inside out. Using two pieces of fabric this way gives more body to the cuffs and makes the seams invisible.

Apply two satin ribbons, turning them under the wrong sides on the ends so you don't see any fraying.

Now cut a small square from the Velcro (you will have one "loop" piece and one "hook" piece). Sew the loop piece (it's the soft part of Velcro) to one end of the cuff on the right side, and the hook piece (it's the rough part of Velcro) on the other end of the cuff on the wrong side. Looking at the right side of your cuff should now look like this:

The reason you are using Velcro instead of just sewing the closed cuff onto the t-shirt is because the t-shirt is made from a stretchy polyester and your cuff will not stretch. Lay the cuff onto the sleeve and sew along the top edge so the entire cuff is over the sleeve. Don't be surprised if the length of the cuff doesn't go all the way around the sleeve. It will look fine.

If you need more help making the sailor collars, don't forget to check out my Pinterest SOM Costume Board where I found inspiration for all of my costumes (and detailed instructions as well).

cindy

SOM Costumes - Nightgowns and Pajamas

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Tue, 14 May 2019 03:23:00 +0000

"One little girl in a pale pink coat . . ."

I know I posted in January that I would be making costumes for Sound of Music and I thought I would be able to post as I made the costumes through the Spring. Uh, not possible. So now I can go back after the production is over and go through the various costumes I made.

In the musical, the Von Trapp children gather in Maria's bedroom during a thunderstorm to sing "The Lonely Goatherd."

These were the first costumes I made because they were the easiest. Bright colored cotton nightgowns in the same pattern from Simplicity:

This was a great opportunity to clear some of my cotton stash and the rest I found at my favorite discount fabric store in Phoenix - SAS Fabrics. Because I already had the pattern and some of the fabric, I was able to make all 7 Von Trapp kids nightclothes for about $4.00 per costume!

The boys' pajamas were even more interesting because I was able to find plaid cotton pajamas in men's sizes at Goodwill on half-price Saturday (about $3.00 each). It's almost easier to choose pajamas that are several sizes too big because cutting them down is not a precise endeavor. I took measurements at the chest, waist and hips, as well as the rise (waist to crotch). Then the cutting began. You want to keep the stuff that is hard to reproduce - collar, lapels and buttons, sleeves and sometimes the waistband (although I didn't use the waistband on either set I altered).

First I cut off the sleeves right above the seam.

Then I cut a few inches on each side of the torso from the side seams. Don't bother to open the seams when you are cutting this much, just cut the whole seam off (with an inch or two on the front and back) and then resew a new seam on each side.

For the pants, I had to convert them from an adult large to a boy's large. That required cutting off the waistband (because of the size of the waist and the rise between the waist and crotch being too large); cutting some of the width of the legs and cutting length from the bottom.

I turned the pants inside out and then folded them so the crotch was on one side and the side seams were opposite. Then I was able to cut just an inch or two from both legs (make sure you need to cut that much!). I needed to cut off the waistband, but had to leave enough length above the crotch to create a new casing for a new elastic waistband.

Once I finished with the other parts of the pants, I cut off the length to fit. And that's it!

This project was perfect for me because the combination of creating something new and upcycling is very satisfying. This was a great start to the other costumes too because I started with the easiest Von Trapp costume. Only 4 more sets to go!

cindy

The Hills Are Alive - With Some Costume Making!

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Mon, 21 Jan 2019 21:08:00 +0000

Welcome to 2019! I'm excited to tell you about my first adventure in sewing this year - making costumes for The Sound of Music for Ville de Marie's first musical! Yeah! My husband agreed to direct and I jumped on the opportunity to be the costume mistress. I'm familiar with the show, but after reading the script, I was a little intimidated with the number of costumes and how costume-driven the plot is in this show! So, with a minimal (no) budget, I'm challenged to make/buy costumes for a full musical!

The show isn't until May, so you will see a number of posts about the various costumes I have to make. I work full time outside of the home, so I will be mostly a weekend warrior! (I'm sure I will have some help on some things, so don't worry - I'll survive.) The difficulty with The Sound of Music is that the 7 Von Trapp children need several matching sets of costumes. Combined with 5 nuns in full habit and that makes for a lot of fabric. I started with my own Pinterest board "Sound of Music" where I have collected and categorized the various costume ideas I could find (and there were many!). Feel free to peruse for ideas and follow me on Pinterest!

In addition to some full costume construction from fabric, I'm hoping to upcycle and adapt some inexpensive new clothing items. I'm excited about this challenge - stay tuned to see the updates.

cindy

Chocolate Kiss Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Sun, 04 Nov 2018 00:36:00 +0000

Looking for a dessert to take to your next dinner party or just a quick "hello" for neighbors? Here is a recipe that is very quick and easy. The only real requirement is that you need to give it enough time to set in the refrigerator. This yummy dessert only requires a few ingredients

1 1/2 cup Whole milk

1 small box 3.6 oz EACH of Devil's Food and White Chocolate Pudding

(I found Godiva brand!!)

1 8oz tub Cool Whip

1 6oz graham cracker crust

1 bag of Hershey Kisses

Pour 3/4 cup of milk into bowl and add chocolate pudding mix. Whisk for 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 of Cool Whip and spoon into crust. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Repeat the process with the white chocolate pudding mix and stir in the remainder of the Cool Whip. Layer on top of set chocolate layer. Refrigerate for addition hour (preferably more). After fully set and shortly before serving, place unwrapped kisses over the top of the pie. Serve cold.

Enjoy!

cindy

Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 18:00:00 +0000

I work full time outside of the home and last week I came home to the most amazing aroma! My husband found this awesome recipe online. It was so good, we had to repeat it again tonight - and it was even better the second time!! It tastes just like those fabulous yummy appetizers you get at that famous Asian restaurant (clue - the name is on the picture).

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 pound ground chicken

2 cloves minced garlic

1 diced onion

1/4 cut hoisin sauce

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1 Tablespoon Sriracha (optional)

1 (8 ounce) can diced water chestnuts

2 chopped green onions

salt and pepper to taste

butter or iceberg lettuce

We started by boiling boneless chicken breasts and then running them through a food processor after they cooled a bit. Be careful not to overdo it, or your chicken consistency will be too fine. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add ground chicken and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks; drain the excess fat.

Stir in garlic, onion, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger and Sriracha until onions are translucent, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the diced chestnuts and green onions until tender, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

Spoon into individual lettuce leaves. This is also great with tortillas, crackers, or on little slices of bread as a cute appetizer. Add a kick to your scrambled eggs the following morning! It reheats almost as good as when you first made it!

cindy

Saving Money with Greeting Cards

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Sat, 16 Jun 2018 18:41:00 +0000

If you're like me, you rush into a grocery store on your way to a party to grab a card. It could be a birthday card, thank you card, new baby, graduation, whatever. A card goes with the gift, or in the case of gift cards, a card IS the gift. The right card is important, but it's always been the "extra" thing. Recently though, the card has become an expensive part of gift giving. Some of this can be attributed to the complexity of cards with sound and delicately cut designs, but let's face it - greeting cards are getting really expensive!

Recently, I decided that if a standard greeting card is going to cost $5.00 or more in a grocery store, at least I'm going to find something handmade and unique. Look no further than Etsy.

Just search "handmade greeting cards" to find over 70,000 listings. You can find intricate hand cut cards, hand drawn illustrations, funny cards and photo cards. You can buy them individually or in sets and spend much less than you would at the drug or grocery store. Here's a few I found (click on the link below the picture to visit that Etsy store):

KCheckCreations

FancyPantsCardShop

BrynnFowlerDesigns

Now if you're like me, about now you are saying - who buys greeting cards in advance?? I did, but as a set of general cards. You can really save money this way too. I bought this set of 8 cards of my choice for $20. Even with the shipping costs added in that is less than $4 a card.

FoxandBearPaperCo

I don't even have to make a stop on the way to my next party! As an extra bonus, I don't have to worry about whether the graduate or birthday card recipient will be getting a duplicate card from another guest!

Have a few minutes? Shop Etsy for a huge selection of unique greeting cards. Buy from the comfort of your living room 24 hours a day for delivery to your door! Support small businesses!

cindy

Pinterest Try-It - Lemon Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Sat, 24 Mar 2018 22:01:00 +0000

Here's a great recipe from "Gonna Want Seconds" that I found on Pinterest. (If you are the one person left that is NOT on Pinterest, run, don't walk and get an account. It's a life changer.)

It's that time of year when I'm trying to get rid of the last lemons on my tree and this recipe is SOO easy and yummy, you have no excuse not to try it. These are not the same as Lemon Squares, which have a more gooey consistency. The consistency of these is really more like soft chewy brownies. In fact, if you prefer your brownies slightly more cake-like, add a 1/4 tsp of baking powder to this recipe. I like mine chewy!

Ingredients

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 stick (1/2 c.) butter, softened

2 eggs

2 Tbl. lemon zest

2 Tbl. lemon juice

Glaze

1 c. powdered sugar

3 Tbl. lemon juice

2-3 Tbl. lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8" baking dish with aluminum foil. Use 2 pieces, so there is overlap on all sides. Spray a non-stick spray on the aluminum foil. This is an important step that I was so thankful for when I read the original recipe.

Combine flour, sugar, salt and butter and beat until combined. I softened my butter in the microwave first so the combination would be smooth.

In a separate bowl, combine eggs, lemon juice and lemon zest. Use a fine grater for the zest and don't grate beyond the white rind on the lemons. That way your zest is just yellow and not bitter.

Pour the egg mixture into the flour/sugar mixture and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into the lined pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. (You can do a toothpick test to check if they are done.) Cool the brownies COMPLETELY before you glaze them.

Once the brownies are cool, combine the powdered sugar with half of the lemon juice (1.5 Tbl), stirring as you do. Add the remaining lemon juice. You want a thick, but pourable consistency with the glaze. Apply the glaze to the brownies. Sprinkle the remaining lemon zest over the top.

I agree with the original recipe that your best bet is to refrigerate the glazed brownies overnight BEFORE cutting them or even removing them from the pan. These are awesome cold.

That's it! Super yummy, but be prepared to make several batches of these because they will go fast!

cindy

Being the Perfect Air B&B Guest

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 18:29:00 +0000

When my family travels, we like to stay in houses instead of hotels, especially when we are going to be in a location for more than a day or two. We've had great experiences with Air B&B and VRBO in locations from Hollywood, California to Bismarck, North Dakota. Some places are better than others, but I always try to keep in mind that this is someone's home, whether they are currently living in it or not. I also keep in mind that I am being rated as a guest and those ratings will be seen by property owners considering my request to rent their property.

So how can you be the perfect Air B&B guest? I have two basic principles - leave no trace, or if you do leave a trace, leave a good feeling. Think like a teenager after an illicit house party - make it look like you were never there. And, if you're so inclined, leave a little something behind to thank the owner. Here's how:

1. Take pictures of every room as soon as you get there. We always check out the entire place when we get there. It's easy enough to snap pictures while you take that initial tour. It will be a lot easier to get those little things like pillows, throw blankets and dishes in the right cabinets if you have pictures of the way you found it.

2. Carefully read and follow the owner's instructions about what to do before you leave. Each owner is different, but everyone likes to know you can follow directions. If you are staying for more than 24 hours, be sure to call the owner if you find any problems or have any questions. Owners hate to hear complaints after you've gone, especially if they could have fixed them.

3. If you use up a supply of something, replace it. Most properties have some food staples, toilet paper, paper towels or cleaning supplies. You don't have to replace everything you use, but it's just a nice thing to do if you replenish one or more of the staples. Pay it forward for the owner and the next guest.

4. Don't leave stains or smells. If you stain something and it is washable, take care of it. Likewise, if you stain something that can't be washed, don't try to hide it. If it's something small like a pillow, leave a little money or if it's big, like furniture or carpet, call the owner BEFORE you leave. Smells are tough too. I bring Scentsy with me when I can, but I can't carry multiple warmers in luggage. Airing out the house and some aerosol sprays can help, but be careful not to leave too much scent either.

5. Clean up. Some might disagree with me, but a home is not a hotel. You don't have to thoroughly clean the house, but at least gather up all the garbage. Clean the dishes and put them away. Make sure everything gets back where it was when you arrived. Strip the beds that were used and include the used towels. Wipe out the sinks and showers so you aren't leaving hair. Turn everything off and adjust the heat/cool settings where they were when you arrived. Again, be sure to follow the owner's directions.

6. Leave something behind. This can be as simple as a thank you note, a little candy, or a gift. Something for the house like dishtowels or cooking implements is a nice touch. If the owner has a guestbook, be sure to leave a nice note with some hints for the next guests about things to do.

I'm happy to have the option to stay in someone's house when I travel, so for me doing these little things is my way of expressing my appreciation and renewing confidence in good manners and kindness.

Cindy

Sew Practical: Quilted Water Bottle Carrier

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Sun, 05 Nov 2017 23:42:00 +0000

Knowing how to sew means you can create those little items you can use everyday out of fabric you like and in sizes that work best for you. Here is another one of those little items that I learned to make and now I can whip one up in a half hour or so (which is great if you lose water bottles like I do). This same idea can work with a lot of sizes of bottles and have shorter straps for kids. This bottle carrier will hold many standard size manufactured bottles, but if you want one to fit a specific bottle, you can alter the pattern by using the circumference of the bottom of the bottle and its height as a guide. Here is the pattern I used to make mine. I borrowed heavily from this pattern from ilovefabric.com.

You need:

2 pieces of fabric 12" x 10.5" (I use home decorating fabric.)

1 piece of batting 10.5" x 9.5"

2 fabric circles 4" in diameter

1 batting circle 3" in diameter

1 strip of fabric 3.5" x 50" for adult size strap (Use 42" long for child)

The 2 main pieces of fabric can be the same design or if you want to have a coordinating fabric as a liner, you can use 2 different fabric designs (which is what I did on this bottle carrier).

As a cheat, you can use a roll of duct tape or other circle to get that circle pattern.

You can use twill tape or heavy ribbon for the strap. I chose to use the coordinating fabric because I think the straps hold up better. If your strap fabric isn't 50" long, don't worry - here's how to piece strips. Take two pieces of fabric and lay them perpendicular with right sides together. Sew a line diagonal across the area where the pieces intersect and then cut the selvage.

Taking your new 50" strip, sew the ends under and then fold the long side in half, right sides of fabric facing each other. Sew a seam with a 1/4" seam allowance from end to end, leaving the ends open on either end of the strap.

Using a safety pin attached to one end of the strap as a guide, turn the inside of the strap out so the right side of the fabric is showing. Iron the seam. At this point you can topstitch the lengths of the strap if you wish. That gives the strap a flat look.

Next, lay the 2 main fabric pieces, right sides together and sew a 5/8" seam along the top (one of the 12" sides). Iron the seam open. (This would have been an ideal place to sew the strap onto the main fabric by placing either end of the strap between the outer and lining fabrics with about 1-2" of strap sticking out when you put the outer and lining fabrics right sides together. The ends of the straps should be about 2" from either side of the fabrics. You would then sew the ends of the straps to the wrong side of the liner fabric. I didn't so it that way, so I'll continue with instructions for the straps sewn on top of the liner fabric.)

Pin the batting to the wrong side of the outer fabric. This will hold it temporarily as you get started on quilting. If you didn't already sew the straps onto the fabric, sew them onto the right side of the lining fabric, about 1-2" from the edges. Be sure you are only sewing onto the lining fabric so the seams don't show through on the outer fabric.

Fold the lining fabric over the batting so the right side of the liner fabric is showing. Topstitch along the top, right next to the seam you sewed to join the outer and inner fabrics.

Starting at the topstitch line, sew straight lines (about 1.5" apart) to the open bottom so the batting is evenly quilted. Don't worry if you are sewing over the portions of the strap that are already sewn on. I wish I knew the name of the tool, but see the metal doohickey in the picture to the right of the presser foot? It has a bar that attaches to the machine and acts as a guide for sewing straight lines equidistant from each other. You can also draw lines using a fabric marking pen (ink disappears). Once you finish, if your batting is sticking out at the bottom, trim it back and sew the bottom closed. (Don't worry that the wrong sides are together and the seam shows.)

Take the circle pieces, right sides together, and sew around the circumference, leaving a 2" opening. Turn inside out:

Gently insert the circle batting into the opening. Hand sew the opening closed and then sew the circle with seams like a pie - 4 seams in all.

Take the main bottle piece and fold it in half WRONG sides together. You will use a French seam to make the circular shape, and that is a two-step process. First sew a narrow (1/4") seam along the raw edges to join the sides.

Now turn the tube inside out and sew another seam on the same edge, this time using a 5/8" seam allowance. That will have the effect of "capturing" the first seam in a way that looks really clean.

Now you're ready for the hardest part - sewing the circular bottom on the open end of the tube. Carefully pin the circle onto the bottom of the inside-out tube (striped side in the pictures). Slowly sew it onto the bottom of the tube. You can also hand sew it on if that is easier for you.

This is what it looks like when it's done. It's not pretty, but it's the inside of the bottle carrier.

Turn your bottle carrier inside out and you're done!

cindy

Upcycling Goodwill Challenge - Pillows!

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Sat, 21 Oct 2017 18:24:00 +0000

I have been in a serious pillow-making mood lately. I have a pillow obsession going on my Pinterest page - check it out. While I don't sell pillows or pillow covers in my Etsy store, Pretty Pretty Cindy, I might someday. I am starting to sell on Sundays on my Instagram Pretty Pretty Cindy account, so follow me there. In the meantime, I need some pillows at my house!

I have been working on our master bedroom for a while and wanted to work in some pillows on our blue/green-gray bedding. The bedding set came with two European shams, but I wanted throw pillows for color too. But have you seen the prices of home decorating fabric, and worse yet, pillow forms? My pillow fetish could easily break the bank. Goodwill to the rescue!

Last month I visited our local Goodwill store on a half-price Saturday. For only $22, I brought home the following stash:

2 26x26" European pillows

2 18x18" pillows

2 14" round pillows

2 large pieces of fabric

Large scarf (it's that pink silk in the corner)

Minky baby blanket (not shown)

Obviously I bought the pillows for the forms, but not everyone is comfortable buying used pillows. I pick pretty carefully. Once you get them home and remove the fabric covers, you can always spray them with a diluted bleach solution and put them in the sun. I was lucky these pillows (while ugly) were very clean. I think the two pieces of fabric were originally a table cloth and maybe some curtains. By looking in slightly different places for fabric and pillow forms, I was able to engage my pillow obsession without breaking the bank! Here's the result:

For the two big pillows in the back I used the forms from the Goodwill pillows and the shams that came with the bedding. Buying ONE pillow form alone in a 26x26" size could cost more than $22. I made the pillow covers on the other four pillows. Two of the pillows came from forms I bought at Goodwill and the fabric mostly came from Goodwill. I didn't buy any new fabric or trim for these pillows. Isn't that awesome? These are also all "envelope" style pillow covers, so I can remove them to dry clean or just change for a different design.

I'll post how I made these pillows, but I will admit that I shamelessly copied designs I found on Pinterest.

The best part - this isn't even using the whole Goodwill haul! I still have other pillows and was able to recycle some of fabric from the Goodwill pillow covers. Upcycle!

More pillows to come.

cindy

Sew Practical: Drawstring Backpack

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 07:01:00 +0000

This pattern can now be found in my Etsy store, Pretty Home Threads. Just click Drawstring Bag Sewing Pattern to go directly to the post.

Be sure to check out all kinds of items for home and baby at Pretty Home Threads on Etsy! Thanks for your support of small handmade businesses!

Sew Practical - Essential Oil Sachets

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 18:57:00 +0000

Did you know I sell Scentsy products? I have my own website at www.straddlingthegap.scentsy.us so you can order for delivery to your house anywhere - no need to have a local party. If you are a Scentsy user without a local consultant, it's a great option. Anyway, I'm always looking for ways to extend good smells wherever I am, including places where melted wax and electrical outlets might not be practical. Today I'm combining my favorite smells through Scentsy with a little practical sewing to make sachets scented with Scentsy essential oils. Oh, you didn't know Scentsy sells oils and diffusers? Get over to my Scentsy website and check it out!

These sachets are so easy to make. You just need some scrap fabric, a bit of ribbon, uncooked rice, scented oil and a plastic bag or bowl to mix. I used Scentsy Lavender Orange Blossom. Mix about 1 cup of rice to 6-8 drops of oil.

To make the heart sachets, you just need two pieces of cotton fabric about 3" x 5". My hearts are the same fabric on both sides, but you can use different fabrics. Because you will be cutting these without a pattern, it also doesn't matter the exact size. Fold each piece of fabric in half with the right side showing.

Slide one of the pieces inside the other, and using pinking shears, start from the bottom left (folded) side and cut to the right on a diagonal until you get near the top right and then curve back around to make the middle of the heart. When you finish and pull the fabric pieces apart, it will look like this. Unfold to reveal two identical hearts.

Every heart looks a little different (which is why you cut two pieces simultaneously) and you can practice with paper to get it just the way you want. Using the pinking shears gets you that jagged edge look, but if you don't have any, just use regular scissors and you will have ragged edges. Place the hearts on top of each other, wrong sides together, and cut a piece of ribbon about 14". There is nothing special about this length, other than if you want to hang one of these from your car mirror, you will need that length or more. You also don't need a ribbon if you don't want to hang the sachet. Pin the ends of the ribbon inside the heart.

Now you're ready to sew. You will be sewing on the right side and need to leave a hole to fill the heart. I've found it easiest to begin sewing from the left top corner, so when you come around and leave the top of the left "hump," it's easy to open and fill.

As you come down to the center where your ribbon is pinned, go about 3 stitches past the center and stop.

Backstitch 3 stitches to the center again, lift the presser foot and pivot the heart so your presser foot will be facing the upper right portion of the heart. Now backstitch 3 stitches and then stitch forward around the right side of the heart all the way to the other side, leaving about a 2 inch opening.

If you're wondering why you did all that backstitching stuff where the ribbon goes into the heart, this secures the ribbon with several stitches and allows you to pivot with a little decorative X. Now you are ready to put the scented rice in the heart. Don't fill it too much or you won't be able to use the sewing machine to close the heart. Sew the gap closed and you're done!

These little sachets are great in clothes drawers, hanging in the car, on door knobs or closets. They also make nice gifts. As a Scentsy consultant, they are a great way to "sample" the oils for customers.

cindy

Etsy Dorm Shopping Under $25!

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Tue, 08 Aug 2017 03:44:00 +0000

It's that time of year again and I was thinking you might need a couple of cute things for the new dorm room. Look no further than Etsy, your marketplace for the truly unique. While I don't make things for cute dorm rooms, I have to plug my own Etsy store, Pretty Pretty Cindy for the cutest baby stuff! Click on the titles below to see the Etsy listings. Ready for the best part? All of these items are less than $25!! You can also find them (and so much more) on my Pinterest board Dorm DIY or College

Personalized State Laundry Bag

Bathroom Organization

LED Lights

Bed Caddy

Custom Dorm Door Sign

Shower Caddy

Dorm Sweet Dorm Pillow

Clothespin Push Pins

Cellphone Stand

Dry Erase Frame

Have a great school year!

cindy

DIY - Upcycling Denim Cowgirl Skirt Costume

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 04:15:00 +0000

I originally wrote this post five years ago, but wanted to repost with updated pictures. My first attempt at costume making through upcycling! I highly recommend it!

I've seen a lot of projects where people alter or upcycle used items, but I've never tried it. Last week my husband had his church music camp where the kids performed "Jonah's Druthers". It was a cute show set in the Wild Wild West. I offered to get costumes for some of the girls and headed out to Goodwill. I found this cute long denim skirt in a junior size 13/14. It just had a little white spot near the ruffle.

I wasn't completely sure how to do this, but quickly decided I was NOT going to cut the side seams. Instead, I took the girl's waist and length measurements and started by cutting the length to equal the length provided plus two inches for an elastic casing. I measured from the bottom (to keep the ruffle intact) and cut off the top. This was a little scary and I'm not sure I would recommend this way if it weren't for the ruffle. The reason is that I was left with an even bigger waist to fit a size 8 girl.

Shockingly, it wasn't nearly as hard as I expected. I made the casing by folding the top of the skirt to the inside and sewing a casing 1 inch wide. I didn't completely close the casing, leaving open about 2 inches in the back so I could insert the elastic. I used 5/8" elastic and a safety pin to thread it through the casing. This is normally my least favorite part, but this time it was a breeze. I just had to make sure the elastic didn't twist. One I was done I pulled the elastic 4" shorter than the waist measurement and sewed the ends of the elastic together in an overlap. I tucked it into the casing and sewed it up. I then topstitched the top of the skirt, stitching a little into the top of the elastic so it wouldn't twist in the casing. Voila - done!

It made for a really twirly long denim skirt and this little cowgirl loved it!

Used skirt = $4.99. Time = less than 1 hour. Satisfaction for two people = priceless. I like upcycling.

cindy

A (Reluctant) New Look

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 17:30:00 +0000

I've been writing Straddling the Gap for over six years. I have lots of posts with recipes and patterns and craft projects. I have lots of posts of places I have visited and family events. I use lots of photos. I've been on vacation all this week and returned to write about a dessert recipe my daughter and I created, only to find lots of these:

When I started writing this blog, I was hosting my photos with, you guessed it, Photobucket. That included a photo pattern that was the background for my entire blog design. UGH. If you haven't heard about this scam, for years Photobucket has been hosting pictures, most of which were subsequently used on blogs, Ebay, Etsy and other sites requiring photos. They have always provided URL links (in several formats) for each photo, so 3rd party hosting was ALWAYS part of the appeal. This week, without warning (at least to this 10+ year customer), Photobucket decided to change a free service to a $500/year service. What?!? So, if you are visiting older blog posts (mine or others) or just older websites, you might be seeing a lot of this image. (I still hope they will change their corporate minds and I will find a pretty picture of a magnolia here someday.)

I decided maybe it is time for a new look, so I did a quick reconfigure of my blog template. I wish that was the only thing needing a fix. Unfortunately, some of my content included pictures hosted on Photobucket that I now must manually retrieve, download to my computer and upload to Blogger. I was actually pretty surprised, because I haven't visited this Photobucket account in a long time and haven't been using it for more recent posts. So, I will be updating a lot of classic posts and reposting them. While I really don't want to go through this process, maybe it just proves that not everything lasts forever on the internet.

cindy

Sew Practical - Decorator Dishtowels

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Wed, 21 Jun 2017 17:30:00 +0000

About a week ago I told you about the terrycloth I bought that just didn't make the grade for my baby burp cloths in my Etsy store. I already made some simple dish cloths, but I really wanted to try some dish towels. You can find plenty of DIYs on dishtowels, but I had only a few simple requirements - a generous size of about 15" x 26"; and because of the quality of the terrycloth, finished edges to prevent fraying.

For each towel you will need:

Terrycloth 15" x 26"
Cotton Fabric 6" x 18"
Contrasting fabric for bias tape. I used a home decorator fabric, which is slightly heavier weight.

Position the cotton fabric on top of the terrycloth about 4" from the bottom. The cotton piece should extend beyond the edges of the terrycloth 1 1/2" on each side. Fold the long edges of the cotton piece under 1/2". Press and pin down. Topstitch in a contrasting color thread, or use a piece of ric-rac or other trim over the edge or peeking out from under the cotton fabric.

On the short sides of the cotton piece, fold 1/2" under, and then fold a 1" hem to the other side of the terrycloth and sew on the opposite side.

Next, create the 2 1/2" wide bias tape. There are many tutorials on creating bias tape, but the main thing you need to know is that cutting fabric on the bias is just cutting on the diagonal.

To combine the bias strips, sew at right angles and then trim:

Apply the bias tape around the perimeter of the dish towel, including over the areas of the cotton fabric.

And there you have it - pretty decorator dish towels!

cindy

DIY Nursing Pillow

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 17:30:00 +0000

Looking for the perfect pillow to feed baby? How about a little portable travel pillow or neck support on those long car rides? If you ever wanted to make your own baby pillow, look no further than my new Etsy store, Pretty Home Threads, where I sell this full pattern as an immediate digital download. This post will also redirect you to my Etsy store if you would like to purchase the pattern if you would rather make your own.

Materials Needed

Cotton Fabric

Soft Contrast Fabric

Polyfill

Sewable Velcro

Thread

The pattern is a PDF digital download with a full tutorial, including multiple photographs. You need to know how to sew, and have a sewing machine. The skill level for the pattern is probably Intermediate, especially working with minky fabric.

If you would like to use your own fabrics and sew a pillow, the pattern is available for immediate download. You can purchase it for yourself HERE

Whether it's for your baby or a gift for someone else, baby pillows are pretty AND practical.

cindy

Sew Practical - (Very) Simple Dishcloths

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Sun, 11 Jun 2017 22:25:00 +0000

One of my favorite fabric places is SAS Fabrics in Phoenix. I call it the "warehouse o'fabric." It is not much to look at as a store, but the fabrics (and every notion you can imagine) is there. Recently, I dropped by hoping to find some white terrycloth for the baby burp cloths and wash cloths I make and sell in my Etsy store, Pretty Pretty Cindy. I did find some terrycloth, but when I brought it home, it just wasn't a high enough quality for my burp cloths. With several yards of this terrycloth, I decided to make some dish cloths and dish towels. These aren't fancy, but certainly prettier than rags, right?

I started by cutting the terrycloth in 9" squares. Because of the quality of the terrycloth, any finished item will require some type of binding along the edges. I picked a blanket stitch and lengthened and widened the stitch. If this sounds unfamiliar, this is typically an adjustment you make on your sewing machine. Play around with the stitch size on scrap fabric until you get what you want. Using the blanket stitch and some colorful thread, I stitched around the perimeter of the square 5/8" from the edge.

Once you have stitched all the way around, trim the excess right up to the stitch.

And that's it! If you want more color on each cloth, you can use a different color in the bobbin. I used this opportunity to finish some thread I had leftover on bobbins from different projects.

They aren't fancy, but I really like the cute pop of color on these little dish cloths. I still have more terrycloth, so next I'm turning my attention to some dish towels.

cindy

Vacations with Teens

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Fri, 09 Jun 2017 22:30:00 +0000

Last week we took advantage of some cheap flights and headed to San Francisco with our kids, ages 16 and 14.

Family vacations have always been a high priority for us. With our varied work schedules, vacation time IS family time. Kent and I realize that as the kids get older, there won't be as many family vacations in our future with just the four of us. (Of course we joke that as long as we are paying and the destinations are cool, they will find the time!)

While Kent and I have been to San Francisco several times, the kids haven't experienced a "city" vacation - no car, no hotel and no "kid" destinations (i.e. amusement park). It was amazing. We introduced them to Uber and a studio apartment.

We biked the Golden Gate Bridge. We toured Alcatraz. We shopped and ate in Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf. We rode the BART and the cable cars. Yes, it was touristy, but it also was amazing.

When the kids were younger, we thought vacationing with teens would be a drag because they wouldn't want to hang with us. We were wrong. We have no physical limitations (they're not too little now and we're not too old yet). We share the same interests in exploring and seeing interesting places, and the two of them stop bickering just shy of killing each other.

Best of all, by visiting "real" places, we get opportunities to talk about what it's like to be with people and in places that are very different than those they know. While they don't have to be "of the world," they have to live "in" it. I love the fact that my kids still seek my opinion on things. I don't know how long that will last, but like our vacations, I will enjoy it while it lasts.

Let's hope that's a good, long time.

cindy

Sew Practical - Quilted Glasses Case

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Sun, 04 Jun 2017 23:22:00 +0000

One of the best things about sewing is being able to make little items for yourself and your friends. Here's the sunglasses case I made last weekend:

Materials:

2 pieces 10" x 10" fabric (outside and lining)

1 piece 9" x 9" polyester batting or fusible fleece

1-2" sew on Velcro

This is a simple project and the perfect opportunity to try some simple quilting. For my fabric I used a light blue linen for the inside lining and a Waverly home decorating fabric which holds up well for the outside. Home decorating fabric isn't cheap, but you can find plenty of remnants at JoAnns or Hobby Lobby for a dollar or two for projects of this size. I also used a 9 x 9" piece of batting, although it would have been fine at 8" square. You can also use fusible fleece if you don't want the bulk.

Pin the fabrics right sides together and center the batting on top of them. Using a zig-zag stitch, sew around the perimeter, leaving a 2-inch opening to turn the piece inside out.

Cut the seam allowances close, clip the corners and turn inside out. Close the opening with hand stitching. This is the outside fabric. The lining fabric is on the other side.

I decided to quilt diagonal lines, so measuring from corner to corner, I marked dots every 1.5" with a fabric pen (disappearing ink).

Using a walking foot and a quilting guide (that little bar thing that sticks into the walking foot), I used a "quilting" stitch on my machine and sewed ~~mostly~~ straight lines diagonally every 1.5" inches. If you can get the first line across the center diagonal straight, you can use it and the metal guide to sew the subsequent lines the same distance and angle.

Once the lines in one direction are completed, turn the piece and sew the other lines diagonally across the lines you just sewed. Use the bar as a guide. See how I ran the metal guide over the previous stitch to get the right placement for the next stitch?

Once you finish the quilting, turn the piece over so the lining is facing up. Fold the fabric as shown below and note the location of the fold. Separate the Velcro (one side is hook, the other is eye). each Velcro side 1" to the right and left of the fold respectively, and hand sew the Velcro in place about 1/4 - 1/2" from the top of the fabric.

Fold the piece back so the outside fabric faces inside. Sew around two sides, clip the corners, and turn inside out. It will be bulky and your stitches may get strained, so be sure to use a thread that has a nice contrast like the blue I used.

And there you have it! I'm looking forward to trying this again and being a little more ~~precise~~ perfect. The best part of doing this type of project is that it takes very little fabric or time and gets better every time the basic pattern is repeated. If you are one of those perfectionist types, make several of these and give them away - they make great little personal gifts.

cindy

Isn't She Lovely?

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Sat, 27 May 2017 17:00:00 +0000

That was the Stevie Wonder song we picked as background to her First Birthday video. It's what I hear in my head when I look at her today:

Today was her promotion ceremony and she starts high school in the fall. Two kids in high school! Where did the time go?

It seems like last week I dropped her off at Brownies or softball or kindergarten. A couple of days ago she was talking about studying nursing in college and moving away.

She's smart, sassy and kind. She's beautiful - but she has no idea. (Maybe that's OK too.) We are so proud of her.

It's the time of year for graduations, and so many of our friends have graduations - college, high school, eighth grade, kindergarten. Regardless of the age, the truth is all the same - time passes, children don't stay children forever any more than they stayed babies forever. There's never enough time to think about it and get the most out of every age before the next age or stage or phase comes along.

So right now I'm liking this age, even with the disagreements and the rolling eyes and exasperated "Mom!" I remember being this age and its nice to be there with her as she picks her way through a rapidly changing time in her life.

I just want these last four years before college to slow down - just a little bit - so we can enjoy them together.

Just don't blink.

cindy

Pretty Pretty Cindy

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Wed, 17 May 2017 17:30:00 +0000

I have an Etsy store - Pretty Pretty Cindy. I love to make things for babies. I make burp cloths and washcloths sets, bib sets, blankets, nursing pillows, Amish puzzleballs and Jingle Tag Balls. I think handmade items are the best gifts for a baby. Instead of telling you more about what I sell, I'll just show you:

There is much more to see in the Etsy store! Check it out!

So, this is Pretty Pretty Cindy. Pretty things for little people.

cindy

Art for the Soul

noreply@blogger.com (Pretty Home Threads) — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 19:16:00 +0000

*This is not a paid endorsement of Valinda Martin's Art for the Soul, but a post about my own experiences while visiting this store. I was not compensated in any way and the opinions are purely my own.*

Last weekend while visiting Southern California, I strolled the streets of Balboa Island near Laguna Beach. If you have never been to Balboa Island, you must take a couple of hours to visit this adorable little place of summer beach homes and eclectic shops. There are little clothing stores, local food and best of all, gift shops. I consider myself a creative person, but walking through these shops puts my creative thoughts into overdrive. I don't normally write posts about stores, but I can't describe all the cool stuff I saw in this one little shop without mentioning it - Valinda Martin's Art for the Soul Gallery & Gifts. According to the employees, Valinda finds independent artists from around the country and gathers their unique gifts in her little shop.

I wanted to make everything in the store. The creativity was oozing out of the walls in this store, and instead of trying to describe some of the amazing art, I took the liberty of taking some pictures.

This was the display just inside the door. Valinda found an artist from Arizona who recycled license plates and makes plaques from the individually cut letters and numbers.

There were several of these little "woodies" and some 60's style VW buses around the store. They open to reveal a small chest that can be used as a beer/soda cooler.

There is an entire wall devoted to shiny ceramic pendulum clocks. Look at the quirky designs! I wanted to take everything home!

Here is a wall of sheet metal sayings. I loved the way everything was displayed on bright yellow walls. The bright cheery vibe kept my interest (until my 15-year old son dragged me out).

Finally, I found a wall of wooden plaques made by a North Carolina artist. While I'm not sure how these were made, it looks like a paper background was made from little pieces of different kinds of paper "modge-podged" into a single sheet that was then copied. The artist then drew directly onto the paper and the entire thing was again copied (probably for more mass production). It was really cool.

I'm just scratching the surface of all the treasures in this quirky little store. (I didn't think it was too polite to stand around taking pictures of everything.) I will definitely go back again and maybe try out a few ideas I saw in this shop and several others. If you do get to Balboa Island or their other store in Laguna Beach, stop by and enjoy the creativity on display.

cindy