The Craft Patch

The Nursery is Done!

2013-06-19T13:21:00.001-07:00

Hip, hip, hurray! The nursery is finally finished and ready for it's new little occupant! Want to take the tour?

Remember the super cheap and easy curtains and curtain rod? Read all about them HERE.

The room is really small, so I had to swap out the larger dresser for a smaller one that I was using in my room, put the crib in the corner against the wall, and leave plenty of room for the world's most comfortable nursing chair. It's old and kinda ugly, but it seriously can't be beat for 2 AM feedings. It is so comfortable, it rocks, and f I'm too tired to go back to bed, it reclines! That's why I left so much space around it. Priorities, people. I have also found with my other kids that I don't use a changing table. I prefer to change diapers on the floor, so I just keep a changing pad tucked in the diaper basket. Works for me.

The crib has simple bedding that will not be bulky in the washer---since I know how many times it will need to be washed. It's just two layers of fabric sewn together, no batting or tying or anything. I did add a blue band on one end just to fancy it up a bit, so it would look nice when folded over.

I painted the old crib and LOVE the color. It's Benjamin Moore Waterfall. Just to give you an idea of how much of a makeover this was, here's what the crib looked like before:

Eek! Scary! That bear had to go! And you can't even see the huge spots along the rails where my little rabbit children chewed on the wood. Why do kids do that?! It took quite a bit of sanding to get rid of the teeth marks, but I am so thrilled with the new and improved crib. So bright and cheerful!

And don't forget all the paper flowers on the wall, which I showed you how to make in THIS post.

The bed skirt is the same kind of flat sheet I used on the curtains. I painted white polka dots on it, added a little peek-a-boo slit and a bow, then used my super secret lazy trick and laid it in between the mattress and the crib bottom so that it will be adjustable, like I explained HERE.

The vintage-inspired poster is sitting on the dresser, along with a lamp and an old-fashioned bicycle I got at the thrift store the same day I got the canvas. I told you it was a good day! And the little shoes...well, they are just so precious that I wanted them sitting out where I could see them every day.

The lamp and shade cost me $1.50. I sprayed the base the same Ivy Leaf color I used on my wicker basket, and covered the lampshade in crepe paper flowers.

Aren't they pretty? I'll post a tutorial some time.

I adore this little bicycle. When I saw it at the thrift store, I practically ran over to grab it. It was a buck! Originally it was black, so I just perked it up with some cheery yellow spray paint.

Tucked into a corner is the basket I gave a makeover (HERE), all filled with diapers and wipes and ready to be put to use.

And the last little detail is the bolster pillow that sits on my nursing chair. I followed the tutorial HERE and it came together so quickly. I love how I can take the pillow form out of this easily when I want to wash it, since I imagine it will get milk or spit up on it.

I am pretty happy with what I was able to do on a tight budget in a rental home where I can't paint walls.

Cost Breakdown

Curtain and bed skirt fabric: $6 (two flat sheets, $3 each on clearance)
Curtain Rod: $6
Bedding and bolster pillow fabric: $9 (1 yard floral @$6/yd, 1 yd aqua @$3/yd)
Paper Flowers: $2 worth of scrapbook paper (on sale), the rest came from my stash
Paint/Supplies for Crib: $10- spray primer, aqua paint was free with a flyer I received in the mail!
Art: $1
Lamp: $1.50
Bicycle Decoration: $1
Basket: $1
Spray Paint: $11.25- two cans green, one can yellow

TOTAL: $48.75

Now that the last nursery project is done, I hope the baby knows she is free to come. Any time. Please. The sooner, the better!

Super Easy Knit Nursing Cover

2013-06-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

With older kids at home, I'm going to have to be a little bit more discreet nursing the new baby. Plus we've got a summer full of outings and activities where I may not be at home for feedings. I already have the traditional nursing cover, the kind that's basically a square of fabric with a neck strap. But I love the idea of having something that covers me from all angles, so I decided to make a nursing cover that is more like a poncho or circle shirt (kind of like the one I made HERE).

I started with one yard of super soft, lightweight knit fabric I found for $1/yd at WalMart. (You just never know when they are going to get good stuff in their bargain section!) Choose something that will be breathable and preferably non-wrinkley.

My camera is dying a sad death, so I drew up some instructions for you to follow instead of taking pictures:

Step 1. Fold your fabric in half and square up all the sides. Then cut a 2 inch strip from one end of the fabric and save this piece for later.

Step 2. Fold the fabric in half again, so that it's in fourths.

Step 3: Cut a neck hole from the corner of the fabric that would be in the center if you opened the fabric up all the way. My hole measured about 3 1/2 inches from the corner to where I cut on each edge. You want a big enough hole that you can peak in on baby, but small enough that it stays on your shoulders and doesn't gap or hang open.

Step 4: With right sides together (meaning the cover is inside out), sew up the side seams, leaving holes at the top for your arms to go through. I sewed it up about 3/4 of the way, then tried it on and adjusted from there. I left the bottom and side edges raw, but you could easily finish them by folding the edges under or doing a narrow hem on your serger. I just figured that was an extra step that I didn't need to do since knit fabric doesn't fray.

Step 5: Finish off the neckline using the 2 inch strip of fabric you cut in the beginning. Basically, you are going to use the strip of fabric like it's binding tape. Starting in the back center of the neck hole, line up the edge of the neck with one edge of the strip, right sides together. Sew around the entire circle. Then fold the fabric around to the back and sew it down again. Here's a close up of mine:

Then you are all done! I love how the cover looks like a shirt but has plenty of room for baby:

...or Heart the Pink Bear if your baby hasn't come yet and you need something to model with:

I am excited to try this new type of cover. I'll let you know how I like it. Three weeks and counting!

Vintage Poster Art and Easy Image Transferring

2013-06-07T14:49:00.003-07:00

I scored big at a little thrift shop by my house this week. I had a few minutes before I had to pick up kids, so I ran in to see what they had. I ended up with a whole armful of stuff! It's been a while since I've gotten that lucky at a thrift store, so I was pretty excited. You'll see some of the other finds later, but for today, here's one of the things I came home with:

What? Not impressed?

It's not my style either, that's for sure.

I would guess it's been hanging on the wall at that thrift store for quite a while. But it was BIG (22"x28") and CHEAP (99 cents), and I needed some kind of art to finish off the nursery. So I gave it a little makeover.

First I painted a solid greyish-tan base coat over the whole thing.

Then I came up with what I wanted to put on it. I decided to make a vintage poster-inspired flower shop ad. I made the graphics in Photoshop, then printed them out true-to-size and taped all the sheets of paper together. It looked like this:

Then I used a brilliant little trick for transferring images. I rubbed the back side of the paper with brown pastel chalk, like this:

Then I placed the paper back on the canvas with the pastel part touching the surface and the printed side up. I traced over every line with a pencil and when I removed the paper, it looked like this:

Perfectly detailed outlines! This technique worked out so well. Just make sure you choose a chalk color that you won't mind if some parts of it show... cuz they will. :)

The last step was to use craft paint and fill in all the shapes. I added a little oomph by outlining everything in white pastel chalk, which really made things pop. Check out the finished product:

So much better than the original, don't ya think?!?

Yay! I love how it turned out. I've always had a thing for old posters and it has a little bit of that vibe going on, but still pulls all the nursery colors together. That's the best part of DIY projects...you can make exactly what you want.

By the way, the big nursery reveal should be any day now. Just a few more projects to go and I've got to find the bag of screws to put the crib back together.

Eek! That may be the hardest project of all!

Pinterest Tested: All-Natural Ant Killer

2013-06-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Pinterest Tested! Ever wonder if that miracle cleaner is really miraculous? Or what about that homemade facial cleanser or delicious-looking recipe? This is the place to find out! I am testing Pins that catch my eye to see if they really live up to the claims made on Pinterest. It's like the Mythbusters of Domesticity!

I noticed a little ant colony under some paving stones in our yard. It didn't look like much...just a few little ant hills and a few lonely, wandering ants. So I thought it would be the perfect time to try out THIS pin about homemade ant killer.

You mix 1 cup of warm water with 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of Borax, dip some cotton balls into it and lay them out next to where the ants are.

See my little poisoned cotton balls next to those little ant holes?

It didn't work. At all. A few days after putting out the cotton balls, I enlisted my husband to lift up the pavers to see if all the ants were dead. The scene below those innocent little pavers was something like this:

Ant Armageddon! Ack! There were thousands of them! And even creepier were the ant eggs. Ew! Ew! Ew! Pin Bomb! Pin Bomb!

Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2013-06-04T10:56:00.001-07:00

I made these cookies the other day and I had forgotten how truly delicious they are. I had to share the recipe! The thing that sets these cookies apart is that you roll them into balls, then roll them in sugar. (My kids loved helping with that part.) They are so soft and chewy with the perfect peanut butter flavor. Yum!

Cream together:
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
1 c. butter or margarine
1 c. peanut butter
2 eggs

In separate bowl combine:
2 3/4 c. flour
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt

1 package (2 cups) milk chocolate chips
white sugar

Mix dry and wet ingredients together. Add chocolate chips. Roll into 1 inch balls (don't go too big...they are better small) and roll in granulated sugar. Bake at 350° for 9 to 12 minutes... 9 if you like soft cookies, 12 if you like crispy.

Pour yourself a glass of ice cold milk and enjoy!

Yard Sales and Children's Clothing: The Method To My Madness

2013-05-31T16:02:00.000-07:00

Yard sale season is in full swing now that the weather is finally warm around here. If you've followed my blog at all, you know I'm in to saving money. Yeah, I'm a cheapskate. What can I say? I get a thrill out of finding a bargain!

Because I'm a stay-at-home mom, I don't directly contribute a paycheck to our family. Instead, my husband earns the money and I try to make it stretch. One of the big ways I do that is that I buy almost all of my kid's clothes at yard sales. In the last year or two, I've only bought one pair of dress shoes, a clearance-priced jacket and a pair of jeans at real stores. Seriously. That's it.

I get a lot of questions from friends about how I do it. So today I'm sharing all my secrets!

Let's start by put the savings into perspective. I'd say that the average price for a child's shirt is $5-10 and pants are $10-20 at a normal retail store. I normally pay between 50 cents and $1 per item, and sometimes more for something really nice (like $2-$3 for jackets, dresses, shoes, etc.). That's a HUGE price difference when you think of how many clothes kids go through in a year. There is a lot of potential to save money here!

So here's the system I've honed over the last five years of shopping almost exclusively at yard sales...

1. Start with a clothing inventory. You have to know what you have and what you need. My inventory lists look like this:

I have a separate list for each child. When I get home from yard sales, I immediately get out my inventories and add every single piece of clothing I bought that day to the list.

Before I go to yard sales, I look at my inventories and write a quick sticky note with the specific items I'm looking for. That way I know what size shoes I need. And I don't end up with 14 pairs of pants in one size with no shirts to go with them. I can't stress how critical this is to being able to do a year's worth of shopping in just the summer yard sale months. You've got to have a plan!

2. Go to a lot of yard sales. I go out every Saturday morning all summer. People often say to me, "How come you always seem to find the good stuff and when I go to yard sales, there's nothing?" Believe me, I've been to hundreds of crappy yard sales. I've even had entire Saturdays where I didn't buy a single thing. But the more yard sales you consistently attend, the better odds you have of scoring cool things...and not just clothes. I spend about two hours every Saturday morning six to eight weeks in a row driving around to yard sales. That's how I find the good deals. Crazy? Maybe...but I look at it as a hobby. It's something I enjoy and it saves my family a ton of money. So there you go. You want an armoire for $5 (True story...picture HERE)? You have to go to a lot of yard sales before something like that comes along!

3. Buy ahead. If my kids need shorts NOW, I am willing to pay more for them than for clothes they will wear next year. But if something is nice and a good price, I'll buy it far in advance. I already have some size 7 and 8 stuff for my four year old! It's tucked away in the storage room and it's on an inventory list so I don't forget about it by the time he gets around to fitting into it.

One concern people have is whether their kids will be dressed cute. You would be shocked at what you can find at yard sales. I've bought fancy dresses, three piece suits, name brand jeans, mint-condition shoes... cute, cute stuff! There is a lot of quality, trendy, good clothing just waiting to come home with you. In fact, I found that my kids are dressed better now that I shop at yard sales because I can get nicer brands than I would be able to afford if I were left to scavenge the clearance racks of WalMart.

So what do you think? Questions? What are your best yard sale scores? Any good tips to share?

Kitchen Utensil Bouquet

2013-05-30T11:41:00.003-07:00

I have two weddings this weekend, one on each side of the family. One wedding is close by and the other is about ten hours away. Guess which wedding this very pregnant mama will attend? Yeah...I might die if I had to sit in the car for that long. Not to mention the possibility of birthing a baby on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.

Anyway, I came up with a fun, cute, practical gift for both sets of newlyweds... a bouquet of kitchen utensils!

Everybody needs this stuff, and it's so much more fun to receive (and to give) when it's packaged up creatively.

I started with a large 4 cup measuring cup. I rolled up two microfiber kitchen towels really tight and put them inside the measuring cup, then stuck each utensil into the folds of the towels to hold them upright. The microfiber did a great job of holding things tightly, since it has a grippy surface. And I love that the "stuffing" is something the newlyweds can use instead of just a hunk of florist foam or whatever.

Here's a close-up:

Then all I added was ribbon and a little gift tag tucked into the front edge of the cup. I tied little ribbons to each individual utensil and one big ribbon around the measuring cup. Easy!

The total cost for this gift will be between $10-$20, depending on the quality of the utensils you choose, how much your towels cost, and what ribbon you buy. I got everything I needed at Wal-Mart, but I noticed Dollar Tree had some really cute brightly colored kitchenware and Target always carries great stuff too.

This gift would also be adorable for a high school graduate headed off to college or as a centerpiece for a bridal shower.

The Cheapest Curtain Rod and Easy Almost-No-Sew Curtains

2013-05-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

I wanted some decorative curtains for the nursery (they didn't need to be functional---there's mini-blinds). So I set out to find the cheapest way to accomplish this. I saw THIS post about using electrical conduit as a curtain rod and knew it would be the cheapest way to go. $2 for 10 feet of sturdy metal? Yeah baby! Genius!

Next challenge was finding mounting hardware. Just like curtain rods, the mounts are way overpriced. $5 or more for two? I don't think so! Instead, I wandered around Home Depot (or was it Lowes?) until I collected enough metal pieces to make a go of it. Here's what I ended up with:

Screw them together and what do you have?

A curtain rod mount! I was able to make four mounts for $4.46, which is about half the price of anything else I could find.

The only thing left to find was some kind of finial or knob to finish off each end. I saw some golf balls in a toy box and thought, "Meh...why not!" I stuffed each end with scrap fabric, smeared hot glue all over, then held the golf ball securely in place until the hot glue dried. I'm sure there are other roundish objects that could be used... I'm thinking ping pong balls.

A quick coat of spray paint (Krylon's Bright Idea) and I have a cheerful, functional, custom curtain rod for around $8. And once they are painted, no one would ever guess the finials are really golf balls.

$1.00 for half the electrical conduit...I'll use the other half in my bedroom
$3.23 for two mounting pieces...again, I'll use the other two in my bedroom
$3.75 for spray paint
FREE golf balls

Woot! Woot!

Now how about the curtains, you ask? Well, they used to be a twin-sized flat sheet I got on clearance. I cut the sheet down the center to make two panels and hemmed them on my sewing machine.

Then you know how sheets have one thick end that's kind of like a pocket? I just cut slits through that part (making sure not to cut through to the front fabric) to make faux pleats. Like this:

Totally easy and totally cheating if you are a perfectionist sewer. But I'm definitely not, so it works for me! But my high school home ec. teacher would be cringing right now. :)

To spice up the solid fabric, I added some lace, ribbon and ric rac that I had in my stash. And I may have hot glued some of it because it seemed easier than trying to sew it straight. Add some lace tie backs and that's it! The curtains cost me a whopping $4.

So that's right folks...curtains, rod and mounting hardware for around $12. That's pretty cheap if you ask me.

I'm almost ready to show you the whole nursery. Just need to finish a few more projects!

A Basket Makeover

2013-05-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

As you know, I've been slowly working on the nursery. I saw this basket at a thrift store for $1...

...and knew it would be perfect for holding diapers and wipes. What you can't tell from the pictures is that it's actually a pretty large basket. It's about 20 inches across! I could totally see the potential hiding behind the tacky gold paint, so I brought it home with me. And...

...tah dah! New, cute basket to keep diapers within easy reach. Yay!

First step was to spray paint it. I used Krylon's Ivy Leaf and love the color. It took a whole can to get good coverage, but like I said, it's a pretty big basket.

Then I made a basket liner out of a nice, thick piece of white woven fabric I've had in my stash for years.

Here are two tutorials that might help you, depending on the shape of your basket:
- Basic square liner
- Pieced liner for slope-sided baskets

But the one that got me thinking was THIS ONE, which suggests draping the fabric onto the outside of the basket and pinning it all to give you the shape you need. Since my basket has sloping sides, I thought this sounded easier than trying to get the right angles and sew several pieces together.

So I turned my basket upside down and pinned the fabric tight around the corners. I forgot to take a picture when I was making the actual basket, but here's a little demonstration of how it's done:

Then I sewed where the pins were, which left little triangular flaps. I cut those off. I tested the fit inside my basket and realized that I needed to sew the corner seams just a smidge tighter. Next I trimmed around the opening part to get an even edge. Make sure you leave lots of room for it to fold around the basket and still have room for a casing for the elastic. I used elastic because it needed to hug the curves of my basket and I wanted it to stay snug. If you are making a liner for a square container, you don't really need elastic.

Because my basket had handles, I had to make holes for them. I just cut the shape I wanted and used double fold bias tape to finish it off. You want to do this before you finish the top edge so that the bias tape can be tucked inside the final top edge's seam.

Then I made the casing to hold the elastic. When I got to the holes for the handles, I just secured the elastic with a few stitches and strung the lace across the hole to tie it and keep it tight.

I am happy with this little project. I already had the spray paint, fabric and lace, so the total cost was just $1. Yay! Even if I had to buy the paint and fabric, it still would have only been around $5. Not bad!

"To The Mothers in Zion" Free Printable

2013-05-21T19:32:00.001-07:00

Motherhood has been on my mind a lot lately. I suppose it's because I have another child on the way. I feel like I have just a few short weeks left to pull myself together before adding a whole lot of crazy to my very comfortable life. I wanted to print out some simple reminders of what I need to be doing to be the best mother I can be. And since I was already making it for myself, why not share? The quote comes from a talk given by Ezra Taft Benson, a past president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I love the advice... it is exactly the type of mother I hope to be. Maybe reading it often will help me remember what's most important. I made these to fit into an 8x10 frame. Please feel free to share and enjoy!

DIY Wire Hangers for Doll Clothes

2013-05-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

I shared this a while back as part of the Dressing Up Dolly Series at Naptime Crafters, but I'm putting it up here on my blog too, for those of you who missed it.

A while back, my husband made this doll clothes closet for my little girl (read about it HERE):

It's basically just a box made of beadboard with hinged doors that open and a dowel for a clothes rod. The inside is lined with scrapbook paper.

Originally I had cut out cardboard hangers, but as time wore on, I knew I wanted to make something a little more sturdy and better looking. The Dressing Up Dolly series was just the motivation I needed to get to work. So I figured out a method to make doll-sized wire hangers and I'm going to share it with you today!

Here's what you need to get started:

1. A picture of a wire hanger (or you can draw it yourself if you are good at stuff like that)

2. A small scrap of wood

3. A few nails

4. A hammer

5. Needle nosed pliers

6. Wire. I bought mine at Joann's in the jewelry section. It was about $1.25 with a coupon and I was able to get eight 6 inch hangers from the 3 yd package. I chose 14 gauge, because that was the thickest size they made. And a bonus... it comes in lots of colors!

Start by drawing the bottom triangle part of the hanger onto your board. Put a nail or two into each of the three points of the triangle.

Next, unroll your wire and start wrapping it around the nails, pulling tight to get the straightest lines you can. Leave a little overlap at the beginning.

Twist the triangle together at the top part, using the overlap you left. Use the needle nosed pliers to make sure the end isn't sticking out. We don't want any snagged doll clothes or poked fingers!

Use a marker or glue stick that is the size you want to shape the curved top part of the hanger. Cut off any extra wire using the cutters inside your needle nosed pliers.

That's it! Look what a cute little hanger you just made!

Now your little one can hang up all her doll clothes on real wire hangers!

These work great for skirts too if you add two miniature sized clothespins. And seriously, are these not the cutest thing ever?

Easy Painted Pillow

2013-05-15T12:38:00.002-07:00

I'm gearing up to finish decorating my front room. It's been a work-in-progress since we moved in almost a year ago. The big hold-up has been waiting for warm enough weather to paint some furniture. Fingers crossed that it will finally happen this weekend.

But I do have a little sneak-peak project to share with you today. I painted a pillow!

It was so quick and easy. I just printed out the symbol I wanted, cut it out, and traced it onto a white pillow cover using a pencil. Then I used navy blue acrylic craft paint (the kind that comes in the little bottles from craft stores) and filled in the lines. Like this:

The last step was to heat set the paint so that it won't come off when I wash it. (Because in a house with kids, I guarantee this white pillow will need a washing very soon). To heat set, I just put a clean cloth over the dry paint and ironed it without steam for around 30 seconds, moving the iron the whole time. That's it! The whole project took me less than an hour, didn't cost me a cent, and I love how it adds a graphic punch to room.

Custom Car Seat Cover DIY

2013-05-14T13:02:00.001-07:00

This week I tackled a sewing project that truly scared me. A kind friend who is done having kids gave me her new-ish infant car seat. I am so glad I didn't have to buy one, but the old one was a little boyish:

And a little boring. And I just couldn't get the idea of recovering it out of my crazy pregnant brain. I remembered how you carry these car seats everywhere for the first six months or so. I tried to talk myself out of it. I was worried that I would get it all apart and not be able to put it back together, at least without many hormonal tears of frustration. I waffled back and forth for about a week.

But obviously I did it, because I'm posting about it. Ha ha. Here's how it turned out:

*SQUEAL*!! I did it! It worked! And it's so cute and cheerful and girly! Much better than tan plaid. Totally worth doing, and no tears were shed! I won't lie and say it was an easy project. It took many hours (we're talking 15+). My sewing skills were challenged and I learned a ton. I am even thinking about recovering the baby swing now.

If you are thinking about recovering a car seat, I would say go for it... as long as you are a fearless seamstress. This is not a project for beginners, just because there are so many complicated pieces and sewing techniques involved.

Reading Ashley's tutorial at Make It and Love It helped me get the main idea of what I needed to do. But there is no way to make a one-size-fits-all tutorial, because you have to use your old car seat cover as the pattern.

So you start by taking pictures and labeling everything. Can I just say how important this is? You think you will remember how things go back together, but you won't. You will need to look back at your pictures and labels. I wrote with a Sharpie right on the old car seat:

Be sure to get photos of all the tricky little areas where things come together or there are special sewing difficulties. Take pictures of how the buckles go back on too. Take more pictures than you think you could possibly need, from every angle!

Then you pick the entire thing apart. This part took forever and left me and my whole room covered in threads. I watched TV to help ease the monotony.

Then you use each of the pieces as a pattern to cut out new fabric. I ended up using about three yards total...a little less than two yards for the front and a little more than a yard for the back. Make sure to mark where things line up, where elastic bands are sewn on, which seams are serged, etc.

After you have all your pieces cut out, it's time to sew! I reused the batting from the original car seat. My car seat had tan fabric around the outside and plaid in the center. Originally I thought I would make it easier on myself and just make the whole thing out of the same fabric, skipping the maroon binding and second fabric. Then I learned a lesson that is worth sharing...you can't change things. They sewed it together a certain way because it had to be that way. In my case, that maroon binding around the center section holds a second layer of batting in place. Trust the professionals who put the thing together in the first place and copy everything they do.

That stinkin' center panel was the hardest thing to sew. This is how I had to sew the fabric together:

It seemed so backwards, but I just kept looking at the original and tried to get mine to look the same. And in the end, my pink binding didn't line up perfectly, but at that point I wasn't about to undo seams to fix it.

With two layers of batting plus two or more layers of fabric in some areas, I used my walking foot to help me sew things together. It helped me stuff all that bulk through my machine.

Did it turn out perfectly? No. There are little things that are puckery or crooked or whatever, but nothing too noticeable. And I may have used a teensy bit of hot glue in a couple places where sewing wasn't working out.

I still think it's pretty dang cute.

And it sure is an improvement! And I have just enough fabric left over to make one of those car seat canopy tent things. But I may not want to use it. It would cover up all my hard work!

Fabric and Felt Book Round Up

2013-05-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

I love making fabric and felt books, especially as gifts to my favorite people. They are just so stinkin' fun! Be warned, they are time consuming, but that's part of what makes them such a special gift to give. Here's a round-up of the books I've made in the past. Just click on the captions to see all the pages in each book.

Boyish Felt Name Book

Girly Felt Name Book

Another Felt Name Book

Felt Book of Favorites

Fabric Name Book

Fabric Quiet Book

Dexter's Quiet Book

Crafty Baby Gifts To Make

2013-05-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

Today I thought I'd share a round up of some of my favorite things to give as baby shower gifts. I love babies and baby showers and I love making something special and personalized for my friends when they have new babies.

Burp Cloth Bouquet

A burp cloth bouquet is a useful gift as well as a decoration. And a new mom can never have too many burp cloths.

Baby Beanie with Interchangeable Flowers

Want to try your hand at crochet? This pattern whips up pretty quickly and can be done by beginners. And you can make a bunch of different flowers to go with it so they can match different outfits.

Fabric Baby Shoes

Although these fabric shoes are pretty girly, you could easily make sporty boyish ones using the same pattern. Baby shoes are a weakness...there's something irresistible about them!

Baby Headband with Interchangeable Bows

I guess I really do love interchangeable things...all the hair bows were so fun to make.

Blankets are a staple gift at baby showers for me. Below are three different types, arranged in order from quickest to more time-consuming. They are all easy enough for a beginner to make.

Easy Flannel Blanket

Self-Bound Flannel Blanket

Rag Quilt

Last but not least, my all-time favorite thing to make for baby showers is personalized fabric or felt books:

Felt Name Book

Yeah, I am kind of obsessed. In fact, I love making them so much that I think they need their own post. Check out the fabric/felt book round up HERE.

What are your favorite gifts to make for baby showers?

Making A Rag Quilt (A Great Baby Gift)

2013-05-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or is this baby season? Maybe because I'm pregnant, I just notice it more, but it seems like so many people are having babies right now! I've had this song from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers running through my mind all morning:

All the hen-folk are hatchin'

While their men-folk are scratchin'
To ensure the survival of each brand new arrival.
Each nest is twitterin',
They're all baby-sitterin',
Spring, Spring, Spring!

Love that show. Anyway, back on topic...

When I was pregnant with my first, my sister-in-law made me a rag quilt. It was one of my favorite blankets to use. It was just the right size and weight to throw in the car seat or diaper bag or stroller. I loved that blanket! So I made one for a friend who is due just a few weeks after me.

Rag quilts are really easy to make. They are a great beginner project because they are very forgiving and there's no batting or binding to worry about. There are several good tutorials out there (like this one), so I don't feel the need to post a detailed one, but here are a couple of things I've learned:

1. Nothing ruins a rag quilt faster than accidentally snipping past where the seam is. You will end up with a hole in your blanket! Boo! So be very, very careful with those scissors.

2. Wash the blanket after snipping all the edges so that it frays up nicely. But be prepared to clean out your washer and dryer...they will be full of little threads! If you wash it with anything else, your laundry will also be covered in those threads, so make sure to wash it all by itself!

3. Don't underestimate the amount of time it will take to make all those little snips in the edges of the blanket. It takes forever and makes your hand sore! But it's worth making the snips close together. It makes the finished fraying look much cuter. I would suggest breaking this job up over a few episodes of your favorite TV show.

4. After you've washed and dried the blanket, you will have quite a bit of work left to do trimming loose threads and removing all the fuzz balls. I trimmed all the threads with scissors and then had my kids help me pick off the fuzz.

5. You can use any fabric you like, but I prefer flannel. It makes the softest blanket with the fluffiest rag edges. Joann's frequently puts their flannel on sale, so you should be able to get it for a good price.

6. This is true with any quilt, but cutting is where the battle is lost or won. Use a rotary cutter and cutting mat to cut your squares if you want them to be precise and line up nicely.

The back.

Luscious Lemon Bars

2013-04-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

To me, there's no flavor that screams spring like lemon. I just love this recipe for lemon bars. The crust is flaky and buttery. The lemon filling is the perfect balance of sweet and tart. They are ooey-gooey and downright delicious!

Luscious Lemon Bars
Crust:
1 cup melted butter
dash salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour

Filling:
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
4 beaten eggs
8 tablespoons lemon juice
2 1/4 tablespoons cornstarch

Gently mix the crust ingredients together and press into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Combine filling ingredients, adding cornstarch after all else is mixed. Pour on crust and bake an additional 30 minutes, or until filling is set. Place on a cooling rack and run a sharp knife or metal spatula along edges (they are prone to being very sticky where the filling cooks. If your knife is sticking, spray it with non-stick cooking spray). Let cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Cut into squares and serve.

Pinterest Tested: Brown Sugar Hair Straightener

2013-04-27T17:06:00.003-07:00

Have you seen this Pin?

The caption claims that if you mix 2 tablespoons of brown sugar with a cup of water and spray it into damp hair, it will air dry straight. This is one of those Pins that sounded so wacky, I had to give it a try. Straight hair without heat damage? As a curly haired girl, that would be a dream come true!

So I gave it a whirl. Today was a work-around-the-house Saturday, so I knew it would be the perfect day to try it out. I imagined that I would have a frizzy, sticky, sugary mess to deal with, so I wanted to be at home to rewash my hair when things went south.

I washed and towel dried my hair, then sprayed in the brown sugar water. I brushed it, then left it alone to air dry.

I have to say, I am completely surprised by the results:

My hair is NOT straight. At all. But it's not frizzy or sticky either. It's super stiff and crunchy, like I went overboard on gel and hairspray. Weird! Not what I expected. I guess you just never know how something will work until you try it.

At least I didn't have to re-wash my hair. Of course, with all that sugar, I may be a magnet for bees. Or ants. Eek!

But one word of warning...my bathroom vanity and floor were covered in sugar-water overspray and got SO sticky! It sounded like I had suction cups on my sneakers when I walked in. I had to wash every surface down to remove all the stickiness.

Here's just a little comparison, in case you have forgotten how UNLIKE the original Pin my hair turned out...

Obviously this test is a bomb. But if it's ever the Zombie Apocolypse and I run out of hair gel, I guess I found an alternative.

Update the next day: Ew! My hair feels disgusting! Get this brown sugar off me!

Homemade Laundry Soap: Round Two

2013-04-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

I have a couple of all-time favorite finds from all of the Pinterest Tests I've done in the past. Homemade laundry soap is one of those. You can read the original post HERE. It is so much cheaper, lasts forever, is easy to make and works great.

After a year and a couple months, I finally ran out of the original batch. Yeah... I told you it lasted FOREVER! So I went to WalMart, grabbed all the ingredients (that were conveniently next to each other in the laundry aisle), and made up another batch. This time I opted to leave out the Oxyclean and used Zote soap instead of Fels Naptha. Why? Just because I wanted to try it. And besides, the Zote smelled good and it was pink. I thought about adding scent crystals, but in the end I didn't love any of the scents enough to make them worth the extra price.

This time I followed two tips I received from readers that made the process even easier.

1. I microwaved the Zote soap for about 30 seconds. Not long enough to melt it, just long enough for it to soften a bit. This made grating go a zillion times faster. It was like butter.

2. I dumped everything in my old laundry container, closed the lid tight, and shook it to stir. No horrible clouds of soap to choak me this time.

One of the reasons this laundry soap lasts so long is that for a normal load of laundry, this is the scoop I use:

It doesn't take much because there are no fillers or additives that I suspect they add to commercial detergent. If I have a particularly large or dirty load, sometimes I add more. But usually one scoop does the trick.

I love it when a Pinterest Test works out and changes my life (or at least my cleaning habits) for the better.

Saving Money on Dryer Sheets

2013-04-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've got a super simple tip to share today. It will cut the cost of your dryer sheets in half and takes maybe two minutes. Ready for it?

Yep! Two minutes with a pair of scissors and you have twice as many dryer sheets for the same price. And I haven't noticed a difference in my laundry at all.

And why stop with dryer sheets? Do you use those little cotton discs pre-loaded with face wash? Cut them in half and you instantly have twice as many for the same price! You could halve cotton balls, q-tips, paper towels... whatever floats your boat.

What do you cut in half? Anybody out there as crazy as me?

Paper Flower Mania!

2013-04-24T16:07:00.001-07:00

Hi friends! I am typing this out on my brand new computer! Woot! It has a 24 inch screen that is absolutely massive after years of having a laptop. Photoshop runs lightning fast. I can listen to Pandora and upload pictures at the same time. Ah, life is good!

The only thing that stinks is that we lost everything from the old computer. (No fear---we have an external hard drive for photos. Whew!) But all my fonts and Photoshop actions, my blog logos and banners, all the little things are gone. I've got a lot of work to do to get everything set back up the way I like.

But today I'm sharing what I did to kill time while I waited for the new computer to come. Remember I shared a few paper flowers I made for the nursery? Uh, I kind of went crazy. I warned you that they were fun to make...

I used two basic flower types---the paper flower tutorial and the accordion fold flower tutorial. It's pretty amazing all the variations I was able to come up with using just two basic ideas. Here are some close ups and hints on how I made each flower...

Basic paper flower. I cut many different sizes of rectangles to use as petals, then used decorative scissors to round the end of each petal.

Basic paper flower. Cut rectangles then rounded the edges. Isn't the alphabet paper perfect for a nursery?

The two flowers on the right are accordion flowers and the one on the left is one of the first basic paper flowers I made. I think the shape of the petals is so soft and feminine.

I hot glued a scrap of vintage lace around the outside edge of this accordion flower. Awww...I'm in love. It adds so much!

This ol' boy is huge. Each section is a 12x12 sheet of paper, to give you an idea of scale. I have to tip it sideways to get it through doorways. Seriously, it's that big. Originally it was just a big circle, but I decided to give it the petal shape along the outside edge and it took it from okay to amazing, at least in my book.

The pink paper was not quite the right shade of pink, but the closest I could find. I thought it would be okay, but it ended up really bugging me. In a last ditch effort to save the giant flower, I got out my pastel chalks, colored the paper with a little more yellow, and rubbed it in with a cotton ball until it was more of the warm pink/coral I was looking for. It actually worked like a charm! Yee haw!

And just a side note...we think we've settled on the name Kate for the baby, but if I change my mind before she comes, I could easily rip those glitter letters right off of there. Just leaving an out for the crazy pregnant brain...you know how it goes.

Another accordion fold flower with scalloped edges. Cut the edges before you fold it. It's much easier that way. I love how the scallop softens up the whole look. And by the way, most of the paper was purchased at Michael's on sale 8 for $1. The rest came from my embarrassingly large stash that does not get used often enough to justify it's size.

Okay, now. I'm pretty excited about this particular flower. I thunk it up and it actually worked! It's two sheets of paper cut with slits up to the last 1 1/2 inches on each end. I accordion folded the solid edges and this really 3D flower is the result. Cool beans!

I crinkled the paper on this flower and it totally changed the feel...it's very soft and antique-looking. It almost looks like fabric.

Although this flower has the same outside edge on the petals as the last flower, it has a totally different vibe---more nautical and clean looking. It's one of my favorites.

I love how vellum adds a soft touch to this flower.

This basic flower was probably the easiest to make. The petals are all rectangles I cut on my paper cutter! Super fast! I used a pencil to curve the edges and give it life. It's more modern and the ombre effect is pretty fun too.

I plan to hang these all across the wall above the crib in the nursery. I think it's going to be such a cheerful room! I need to kick the big kids out so I can start getting everything ready in there. Hurray for little girls!

Ye Old Laptop

2013-04-13T11:38:00.003-07:00

Well, I knew it was coming eventually...

Tuesday morning, (shortly after posting about the paper flowers I'm working on), our poor, overworked seven-year-old laptop finally kicked the bucket. I mean, it is so far gone there is no hope for resurrection. Dead as a doornail. Won't even turn on. Gone. Forever.

So pardon the silence for a few days while my amazing not-so-little-anymore brother builds me a new, deluxe, dreamy computer with a huge screen and mega amounts of speed and storage.

Eek! Can't wait!

Paper Flower Tutorial

2013-04-09T08:55:00.001-07:00

I am finally starting on the baby's nursery! The first project I'm tackling is wall art. I want to make a flower garden of sorts with all different types of paper flowers mounted on the walls. I experimented and came up with a really cute and versatile way to make a paper flower and I took pictures to show you how too.

Here's the finished product:

Fun, huh?! I'm seriously in love!

Ready for the tutorial? All you need to make your very own flower is scrapbook paper, scissors and a hot glue gun.

Step 1. Start by cutting out petals. You will want six each of three varying sizes. You can experiment with petal shapes and sizes to make all different variations of flowers. And just to give you an idea of size, my petals were about 3", 4" and 5" and the finished flower turned out to be about 11" across.

Two sizes of petals. (I had already used one stack when I remembered to take the picture.)

Yeah, um...can you tell my glue gun has been used A LOT? Ha ha.

Step 2. Place a small dot of hot glue at the bottom center of a petal.

Step 3. Press the petal together and pinch until the glue cools. Gently curl the outside edges so they are slightly rounded. Repeat with all six same-sized petals.

Step 4. Place a small dot of glue on the bottom right corner of the petal.

Step 5. Press the glue onto the left corner of another petal, lining up the corners with right sides together. Repeat until all six petals are glued together into a circle. Then do the exact same thing with the other sizes of petals. Each size will make it's own ring.

Step 6. Put hot glue on the back of the smallest petals and glue them to the medium layer. Glue the medium layer to the largest layer.

See how I spaced the petals so they overlap and aren't lined up perfectly? Remember that when you are gluing the layers together. You don't want the tips of the petals all lined up or it won't look right.

Step 7. Make something decorative to cover the center hole. I layered paper circles and added a stamped butterfly on this one, but the possibilities are endless....buttons, rhinestones, words, photos...there are tons of cute possibilities.

The last thing I did was to add a paper loop on the back to make them easy to hang up.

Just to show you how versatile this method is, here is another flower I made using the same technique:

It has a completely different feel to it! All I did differently was cut out rounded petals that were a little longer and skinnier. I also added pointed leaves in another color around the outside and a big yellow button in the center.

Some other ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

- Use glitter paper. Because everything is better with glitter!
- Try crinkling the paper before assembling everything. It will give it a softer, antique look.
- Ink/distress around the edges of each petal before assembling.
- Make two identical flowers and glue them back-to-back to make a flower that looks good from both sides.
- Try using vellum or embossed paper.
- Sew around the edges of each petal before assembling. The stitching would be such a cute detail!
- Make a jumbo flower with layer after layer of petals.

I think I need to make a hundred of these. They are so fun and the possibilities are endless!

Well, I was true to my word. haha. Check out THIS post to see all the different flowers I made!

Easy Homemade Granola

2013-04-08T15:14:00.001-07:00

I mentioned in my Cheap Eats posts how our family doesn't eat cold cereal. It's too expensive and it doesn't fill us up. Usually we have oatmeal, but sometimes I make homemade granola. It's a nice change when we're all tired of oatmeal and it's much cheaper to make than it is to buy.

My kids like their granola pretty plain...they only want corn flakes added. That's fine with me because it's cheaper! I love adding pecans, coconut and dried cranberries to mine. It's good eaten like cereal with milk poured over it. It's also really tasty on top of yogurt.

Easy Granola

5 cups quick oats

3/4 cup coconut (optional)

1/2 Tablespoon cinnamon

1/4 cup oil

3/4 cup honey or 3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup (I use cheap pancake syrup)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Extras: corn flakes, chopped nuts, dried fruit, wheat germ/bran, flax seeds

Mix oats, coconut and cinnamon together in a large bowl. In a saucepan over medium heat, stir the oil, honey and syrup constantly until combined. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour liquid mixture over oats and stir until evenly coated. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 275 degrees for about 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. The granola will be lightly browned when it's done. Cool and add in any extras. Store in an air-tight container and serve with milk.

Often I make granola at night after the kids are in bed. I cook it to almost-done, then turn the oven off and leave it sitting overnight. Then in the morning, I just add the extras and serve it for breakfast before putting the leftovers away. I usually double this recipe.

An Easter Dress and A Matching Tie

2013-03-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

Whew! I just finished my kids' Easter clothes, and with a day to spare!

The Girl really wanted a maxi dress and I wanted something with sleeves, so this is what we came up with:

The fabric is a bright grass green with a floral burnout pattern (so the flowers and swirls are sheer). I found it at WalMart for $2/yard and couldn't pass it up. Although it's not a traditional Easter pastel, I think it screams spring and summer.

I used Simplicity Pattern #3510 for the raglan bodice and added a long gathered skirt. Because the fabric is partly sheer, I lined it with plain white cotton.

The bodice has a pin tuck detail and I added flowers to one shoulder, just to perk things up a bit. The picture tutorial for making this type of flower is found HERE.

And last but not least, The Boy's tie. This is the first year I have made him something for Easter and he was so excited about it. And he loves that it matches his sister. He can't wait to show it off at church! I followed THIS tutorial, but made the tie a lot longer. And I found that if you follow the instructions for tying the tie, but do it backwards, it works better...then the skinny part of the tie ends up in the back where it's supposed to be instead of in the front where you have to twist it funny to get it to the back.

I had a great dress planned for myself, but I just ran out of time to get it done. So it will have to be a non-Easter dress. But I'm super excited to share it when it's done.

Happy Easter!