zakka life

Another Game of Tag

2008-07-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well I guess that old saying is true, "when it rains, it pours".

Julia from "Create With Me" was kind enough to pass an award my way. Thanks Julia!

M. Kate from La Vie Est Belle recently passed this award on to me. Thanks M. Kate!

Anja from Drobtinice nominated me for this award. Thanks Anja!

Here's some facts about me you may or may not know.

1. I spent a month in Mexico with my best friend during my sixth grade year. We went to Mexico so her parents could gather research for their dissertations.
2. I found an arrowhead in Mexico but had to leave it at the site. Sometimes I wish I kept it.
3. I have a phobia of bees.
4. When I was two I decided to walk to the pet store by myself. The babysitter had no idea where I was. The police found me at the drug store.
5. I played the violin for five years but can only remember "twinkle, twinkle little star".

The following sites I'm passing the awards onto.

Mushroomeadows - Adorable illustrations
Honey and Clover - She cooks a lot and takes wonderful photos
La Fuji Mama - Japanese food, crafts, and life
Finding My Knitch - Recipes, life stories and knitting
Hurrayic - Sewing and inspiration
My Byrd House - Sewing, cute aprons!
Macati - Crafts, Sewing, and other fun stuff
Planetjune - cute crochet patterns

There's so many blogs I visit. I wish I had time to list them all.

How to Make a Birthday T-Shirt

2008-07-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

Back of T-shirt

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm in the process of planning a Transformer birthday party for my son. So, I decided to make him a special shirt to wear for the day. What I like about this project is you can personalize it anyway you want. My friend Jenny made one for her son to resemble a rugby shirt(which is where I got the idea by the way). It had the child's name on it with his age. Simple directions below to make your own birthday t-shirts using iron-on printer paper.

Supplies:
iron-on t-shirt transfer printer paper (I used the Office Max brand, it cost about $14.00 for a pack of 10 sheets)
*they have special paper for darker shirts

t-shirt (purchased mine at Walmart for $3.00)
scissors
iron

Decide what images you want on your t-shirt. I created the text using Photoshop. Reverse the image then print on the transfer paper (refer to picture above). I recommend fitting as many images as you can on one piece of paper to get the most use out of it.

Next cut out the images and decide where you want them. Iron it on the t-shirt according to the transfer paper's directions.

I put an image on the front and the back of the t-shirt. If you're going to do this, make sure you put a thick padding in the middle of the shirt when you go to iron. Otherwise the heat will distort the image on the front of the shirt.

Back from Vacation

2008-06-30T21:06:00.001-07:00

I just arrived back from Mammoth Lakes, CA. I forgot to mention I was on vacation so if I haven't responded back to an email you know why. I had no Internet access for a week except the ten minutes I was able to sneak in at the health club. Which I should say was useless since my children were running around the place like a bunch of banshees.

Used Food Packaging to Gift Box

2008-06-25T03:00:00.000-07:00

If possible I like to reuse items before recycling them. The gift box above was made from a used fruit bar box. Simple directions below.

Here's the box I started with. Any box will do and it can be any size.

Very carefully take the box apart. The less ripping the better.

Refold the box up inside out. Glue together. You now have a blank gift box to decorate anyway you want. If done correctly the box should look brand new.

*In the top picutre I glued some bottle cap liners to the box. It might be a fun project for a child to decorate the box with markers and stickers. It's a blank slate so the possibilities are endless.

Knit Transformer Washcloth

2008-06-23T03:00:00.000-07:00

Transformers are all the buzz at our house right now. We're planning a Transformer Birthday Party for my soon to be 5 year old. In the midst of searching for ideas I found this pattern for a Transformer washcloth here. Tested it out and it looks just like the autobot logo. I can envision the squares used to make a blanket. Just a thought.

*row 25 has a misprint in the pattern, should be:MB4, K3, P5, K5, P1, K2, P3, K2, P1, K5, P5, K3, MB4.

New Site: Starving Crafter

2008-06-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to share that I have a new blog called Starving Crafter. The site provides a place to find the latest contests for artists, crafters, designers, and makers. It also provides some other useful resources. Please check it out and tell me what you think.

Almost Spill Proof Bubble Container

2008-06-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

My children are notorious for spilling their bubbles within the first minute of playing with them. I can't count the number of bottles that have gone to waste. So I was determined to fix the problem and of course make something. Above is the final result and I'm happy to say it was a success. Directions below.

Supplies:
*one plastic container with a reusable lid, exp. cottage cheese container, yogurt container, tupparware, etc.
*exacto knife
*string or ribbon

1.Cut a large enough rectangle in the top of the lid so the bubble wand can be easily removed(refer to picture).

2. Cut two holes on the side of the container. Tie handle into place (just like a gift bag).

*The handle is optional, I made it for my two year old so she could tote it around easily. Otherwise the container was too big for her tiny hands.

*For a fun child craft project let them decorate the containers with puffy paint.

Knit Fireman Hat and Booties

2008-06-16T03:00:00.000-07:00

I knit this hat/booties set for a baby shower. The Father of the baby is a Fireman, hence the theme. I used the booties pattern from the book "Knitting Pretty" by Kris Percival and omitted the eyelets. For the hat I used the pattern here. I also left out the eyelets and used cotton yarn instead for the hat pattern. It would be fun to make other themed sets like a nurse, or police officer. The possibilities are endless.

Funny Food Contest at The Crafty Crow

2008-06-14T23:23:00.001-07:00

photo via Crafty Crow

The Crafty Crow is having a Funny Food Contest with five different categories: fruit, all vegetables, breakfast, lunch/dinner, and sweets. It looks like a lot of fun. To find out more about the contest, click here.

Creative Uses for Tchotchkes

2008-06-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend after attending two bazaars, a kid's birthday party and a community fair we acquired enough toys to host our own carnival. The picture above reflects only some of the loot, the rest of it is dispersed around the house (waiting to be stepped on in the middle of the night). Usually I just donate or throw away the toys when my children lose interest. But this seemed so wasteful and I just new I could use them for a craft project. So here's just one project I came up with for all those cast away toys.

I turned these two dollar flip-flops into something a little more fun. All I did was glue the toy sharks to the sandals with E6000 glue(this glue is water resistant and flexible). When choosing a toy to glue to the sandal look for something that is soft like rubber, has give, and is water proof.

Here's some other uses for those cast away toys:

Ice Treasures - I did this with my son's preschool, they loved it!

The Attirbute Game - Good to take along to a restaurant

I Spy Bottles - another hit at my son's preschool

Toy Bowling - tested this out too, easy for little hands to setup by themselves

Turning Photos into Shrinky Dinks

2008-06-11T13:58:00.001-07:00

For another Father's Day project I thought it would be fun to convert a photo into a Shrinky Dink. It's a nice alternative to a framed photo and it doesn't take up much space. After creating this, my mind's been racing with other ideas. For instance, I'm planning on making a whole set of our family for monopoly pieces. ShrinkyDink busts perhaps? The possibilities are endless.

Directions Below.

Supplies:
ShrinkyDinks Paper - There are two kinds you can buy, regular and printer friendly. For this project I used the regular kind only because that's what was on hand. I'm sure the printer friendly ShrinkyDinks paper would work better since it's made for the printer. You can purchase this at most craft stores

E 6000 glue (found at most craft stores)

scissors

Here's the picture I started with (8 1/2" by 11"). I recommend one that has a clear outline of the figure. Also, select an image with good contrast.

I changed my image to a black and white picture simply because this is how I envisioned the project( you could keep it in color. Print the image on the ShrinkyDink paper. Let dry. Cut out the shape of the image (refer to picture above). Place in oven and follow the ShrinkyDink's directions. As soon as you take it out flatten it with a book.

Cut out a right triangle of the ShrinkyDink paper and shrink it. Glue to the back of the image with E6000 glue. Done.

Sea Glass Earrings

2008-06-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

I am always trying to instill in our children the virtues of giving. For Birthdays and Christmas I try to have the children make things for relatives and friends. I have found that the children take a lot of pride and joy in this as well. So for the past year we've been collecting sea glass at the beach with the intention of using it for a gift.

This is what we made with the sea glass, earrings. I got the idea from a Martha Stewart magazine. But instead of drilling holes in the sea glass like the magazine instructed, I simply glued them to some earring posts with E 6000 glue. I attached the earrings to a cute candy box I saved ( picture above). Inside the the box I will insert a tiny scroll saying where the sea glass came from and how it was hand picked by my son, he chose the color too. Then I'll have him sign the letter.

We were able to make four pairs of earrings from all the sea glass(top picture). The challenge is finding pieces similar in color and shape.

Here's what the earring posts look like. I purchased a set of 60 for $3.00 at a craft store.

*E 6000 Glue should only be used by Adults

What do you have your children make/give for gifts?

How To Make Personalized Poker Chips

2008-06-05T14:10:00.000-07:00

I created this craft with the intention of using it for a Father's Day Gift. This project is easy and relatively inexpensive. Directions below.

Supplies
Plastic Poker Chips (you can even find these at the dollar store)

Rubber Stamp - You can either make one or buy one. I made my stamp for the poker chip above. Here's a good tutorial if you want to make you own stamp. If you opt to buy one, initials might be nice.

This stamp pad is the crucial piece to the project. The ink is permanent and will adhere to most surfaces, particularly plastic. You can get this at most craft stores.

This ink will not wipe off or smudge even if the poker chip gets wet, I tested it.

Directions: Get a good amount of ink on your stamp, and stamp the poker chip. That's it.

Success Tips
*Let the chips dry for at least 2 hours.
*Once you stamp the poker chip you will not be able to wipe the ink off. So practice with your stamp first.

Here's another "How To" idea for Father's Day, click here.

I've been tagged

2008-06-04T19:07:00.000-07:00

Top Left: Me, Mother in Law, Aunt who made the cake in the post below, my children

I've been tagged for a meme by Chicken Legs. So I decided to add a picture to go along with it. I don't know about you but I always wonder what other bloggers look like. I'm going to change the rules a little for this meme. Instead of tagging people, I'm requesting you tag yourself. Here's the catch, if you do the meme you have to post a picture of yourself. So if you're interested, send me an email and I'll add your site/link to this post.

Here's the meme questions.

1. What was I doing ten years ago? Going to college.

2. Five things on my to do list today.
*Grocery Shopping
*Bring son to speech
*Pick up a form at the School District Office
*Order pictures
*Create a craft for the next "How To" post.

3.Snacks I enjoy. I've been trying to eat better so snacks usually include pecans or fruit.

4.What would I do if I was billionaire? Pretty much the same things only I'd have a bigger house. I'd be more generous.

5.Places I have lived. Connecticut and California

Baseball Birthday Cake

2008-06-02T13:28:00.001-07:00

Last year we had a baseball themed birthday party for my son. And now with baseball season in full bloom I thought I would share this cake idea with you. This would be a great cake to make for a T-ball party as well. My Aunt made this cake from scratch but you could easily by a sheet cake and decorate it yourself. She used cinnamon and sugar for the sand. The bases are made from marzipan (you could also use stick gum). The baseball people can be purchased at most party supply stores, or Michaels.

For a special touch I wrote the last names of all the children on the back of the plastic figures with a fine point, black sharpie. At the end of the party they were given out as part of the favors.

Part III: How To Make a Ribbon Rosette Brooch

2008-05-29T03:00:00.000-07:00

Here's the last project for the series, the Rosette Brooch.

Directions - make the rosette from the tutorial here. Instead of making two rosettes with each color ribbon, make one rosette using both colors (refer to picture below).

After you have the rosette made, place the button in the center of the rosette. Glue the back of the button and rosette to a pin like the picture below. Done.

*I used E6000 Glue for the pin. You can purchase this at most craft stores.
The pin back you can find at most craft and bead stores as well.

Part II: Ribbon Rosettes

2008-05-28T03:00:00.000-07:00

Make these hair clips with velvet rosettes and crystal beads. After you make the rosette from the tutorial here, don't cut the thread. Instead pull the thread up through the top of the ribbon, then string on a bead. Next, bring the needle down through the ribbon. With the same thread sew the rosette onto the bobby pin tightly. I made about 4 loops around the bobby pin before knotting it. Last dab a little glue onto the pin and thread so the rosette does not slide down the hair clip. Done.

* Come back tomorrow for another rosette project.

Ribbon Rosette Craft Series

2008-05-27T04:00:00.000-07:00

This week I will be showing different items you can make with ribbon rosettes. The first project for the series is embellishing earrings with rosettes.

To make this simply place the earring through the center hole of the rosette. You can change the rosettes out with different earrings to get different effects. Or, add a little glue to the back of the pearl to make it permanent.

Come back throughout the week to see other projects.

Directions on how to make a ribbon rosette below.

Supplies:
Ribbon 4" to 5" in length ( the length will depend on the width of your ribbon and how gathered you want it)
Matching thread
Sewing needle

Fold ribbon in half, right sides together. Sew the edges to together (refer to picture). Knot and trim thread.

Turn right side out. Sew all around the edge (refer to picture).

Pull thread tight to gather. Your rosette should look something like this. You might have to shape it a little. As you can tell, this rosette is not perfect yet. Knot and trim thread in the back of the rosette. Done!

Updated the HTML Tutorial

2008-05-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

I just updated the HTML Tutorial with a good tip from Marie. Thanks Marie for your helpful information!

Japanese Craft Books - A dose of inspiration

2008-05-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

ISBN978-4-529-04543-8

I was out in the city today and got a chance to visit one of my favorite bookstores, Kinokuniya Book Stores. This is where I get my Japanese Craft book fix. Usually I just admire the books and absorb as much information as I can. But today I actually purchased a book. Something about the "Zakka" style just inspires me. The craft's are so clean and fresh. The books themselves have exquisite layouts and photographs. All the components to make a perfect craft book. Here are a few pictures. Enjoy!

HTML Button Tutorial

2008-05-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

I created this HTML button without knowing how to write HTML code. When I first started researching how to make these buttons I could never find a good tutorial. All the tutorials out there just showed me how to make text chicklets. I wanted to use my own image. So I figured out a super easy way to make image html buttons. Here's the process.

*Disclaimer - I do not write HTML code. I am not an expert. I simply figured this out and wanted to share it with everyone.

The first thing you will need is a photobucket account, click here. It's free and easy to set up.

Why Photobucket? Photobucket provides a code for you that can easily be altered. Plus you will need a place to store your image.

Choose an image you want for a button. I recommend saving it in the jpeg format. Also, you will want your image to be the actual pixel size of how you want to view it. For example the button above is 100px by 100px. This button size works well because it fits on most blog sidebars.

After you upload your picture in photobucket, click on the image. In the bottom, right hand corner of your screen you should see this box.
Right Click on the code titled "HTML Code - Websites & Blogs" and click copy. Save the code somewhere you can alter it. I saved it in Word.

You will now have a code that looks like this.

"click on above image to see better"

Now replace the highlighted area with the web address you want your button to link to. Which I'm guessing would be your site's address.

NEW Next replace alt="Photobucket" with atl="Your site's name". Whatever words you replace with Photobucket will show in case the picture is not available for some reason. That's it, you have now created the html code for your button.

*One last thing, to display the code for people to see you'll need to drop it into a code box. This is very easy to do as well. Here's the link that gives you the code for the box. You might need to scroll down a little to see it.

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment or email me. I'll do my best to answer any questions.

Goody Goody Gumdrop Necklaces

2008-05-18T22:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a necklace good enough to sink your teeth into, the gumdrop necklace! While eating gumdrops today, the idea popped into my head. So, I tested it out and it worked! Love when that happens. Just think of the possibilities with all the great shapes gummy candy comes in, coke bottles, frogs, hearts, etc. This could be a fun child craft project/treat. Perhaps favors for a birthday party? Directions below.

Supplies:
Gummy candy
Waxed dental floss
Sterilized sewing needle

Just thread the needle and start stringing the candy however you want. The candy will stay in place because it's so sticky. To secure the necklace I just tied it in a basic knot. Here's the directions to make the flower.

Too Cute Tutu

2008-05-16T12:08:00.001-07:00

The other day I found a great tutorial for how to make a tutu. This is a no sew project and relatively easy to do. I'm happy with the results but next time I'll make it fuller. For directions to make the tutu, click here. The only thing I did different from the directions is weave a ribbon in and out of the tulle knots. I think the ribbon makes it look more finished.

I'm thinking of making this for a 5 year old girl for a birthday. Do you gals/guys think it would make a good gift? Does it look nice enough or does it look like a cheap gift? I need an outside opinion on this one. Thanks.

Sk*rt is now Kirtsy

2008-05-16T07:08:00.000-07:00

The site Sk*rt is now Kirtsy! It's still the same great site only they have a new name. Kirtsy is a social meadia platform that has been described as the equivalent to digg for women.

Here's why I visit it at least once a week:

to find great craft articles

to promote my favorite craft articles

to see what people are reading and blogging about

Girly Gift Wrap

2008-05-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

This little girl is actually the wrapping for a small gift box. This project was a little labor intensive, but well worth it. Brief directions below.

Side View of Box
Supplies: Paper, Scissors and Plain White Glue

1. Wrap the box in plain white paper.
2. Cut out legs and attach them to the bottom of the box. Bend legs at the knee.
3. Using crepe paper cut out a shirt and skirt and glue them on the box.
4. Cut out hair and glue to box.
5. Draw in face.
6. Add arms, shoes and bow.

Email me or leave a comment if you have any questions.