Attempting Aloha

Upholstered American Girls Doll Bed Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 19:37:00 +0000

Aloha!

What do you do when it's Friday night, and your 4-year-old has a birthday party to attend the next day, and you REALLY don't want to make a trip to Wal-mart with all your kids--and your husband is busy (longest sentence ever)? :)

You sort through your scraps and build something, of course!

I had both a 1x6 scrap and a 1x8 scrap, so I thought they would make the perfect headboard and footboard for an upholstered American Girls doll bed.

CUT LIST:

1x6 - 1@ 8" long for footboard

1x8 - 1@ 8" long for headboard

1x2 - 2@ 9" long for headboard posts

- 2@ 7.25" long for footboard posts

- 5@ 9.5" long for slats

1x3 - 2@ 19" long for side rails

Step 1) Attach headboard posts to headboard by either using pocket screws and a jig or using 2.5" screws and glue (like I did)

Step 2) Do the same for the footboard pieces

Step 3) Build your base using 1.5" nails and wood glue. I chose to do 1x3's on the siderails, so the mattress sits down inside the rails a bit.

Step 4) Upholster the headboard and footboard, but as you can see from this pic below, I was careful not to staple along the bottom quite yet since you will need to lift it up to attach them to the base. And upholster your side rails.

Step 5) Use 1.5" screws and attach the headboard and footboard to your base. I think I did 5 screws on each end.

Since it was for my daughter's friend, I let her dig through all my fabric and choose the upholstery, pillow fabrics, and bedding fabrics. I wasn't loving all the black and white, but she insisted that's what she wanted. And she chose just a basic soft felt fabric for the comforter and wouldn't let me even put any trim on it! I had to practically beg her to let me give it the pink accent pillow. Ha!

You can see that as I was in a hurry to build, I didn't measure my headboard and footboard pieces correctly, so my side rails are slightly inset. I like the look of the flush side rails, so that is how the plans are.

I'm happy to report that the bed was the hit of the party, and it's become a favorite toy already. Can't beat that! And it helped use up some of my scrap stash, and that always makes my husband happy! Double win!

I wish I had a picture with the dolls, so you can see the size, but this it large. It's built to fit an American Girl 18" doll! So fun to give handmade gifts!

Here are the final dimensions:

Here are links to my doll bedding tutorials and other doll beds:

DIY Canopy Doll Bed
Doll Bedding - Jelly Roll Pillow
Doll Bedding - Small Button Pillow
Cheater Version - Farmhouse Doll Bed
How to Sew Boxed Cushions and Doll Mattresses

Aloha,

Charlie

I'm a Craft Hoarder, and I Know It... GIVEAWAY!

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 02:36:00 +0000

Okay, friends. Here's the skinny. I'm trying to clean out and organize my craft stuff, and it's just ridiculously embarrassing. My husband is sick of all my crap, and I have duplicates of many things, SOOOOO...some other bloggers and I have joined forces to bring you an amazing giveaway!

Amy at A Nest For All Seasons, Charlie at Attempting Aloha, Sarah at Craft Quickies, Carissa at Creative Green Living,

Heidi, Kari, Lesley, Kelley & Jessica at Eight By Five, McKenzie at Girl Loves Glam, Malia at Yesterday on Tuesday,

Carrie at Making Lemonade, Sara at Mom Endeavors, Heidi at Mom's Crafty Space, Kari at Newlyweds on a Budget,

Vanessa at Our Thrifty Ideas, Kristen at Pearl Gateway, Mandy at Sugar Bee Crafts, Summer at Summer Scraps,

Angie at The Country Chic Cottage, Michele at The Scrap Shoppe, Karah at The Space Between, and Meredith at Wait 'Til Your Father Gets Home.

We're also joined by our friends from the newly launched site, Looksi, a carefully curated collection of crafts and DIY ideas.

All of these amazing people have offered up a box full of goodies from their unused stash of craft supplies, and SEVEN lucky readers are each going to walk away with three of these incredible goodie boxes! Be sure to click on the links above to visit all of the blogs to catch a sneak peek at what's inside some of our boxes!

Because we're shipping in USPS flat rate boxes, this giveaway is open to residents of the US only.

RAFFLECOPTER: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sweet, right? So there will be 7 lucky people to each receive three boxes of stuff! Be sure to follow me on Facebook to see my box of stuff that I'll post tomorrow. :)

Aloha,

Charlie

You Gotta Know When to Hold 'Em...

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 04:12:00 +0000

Aloha!

While I realize this is a DIY blog, and I pride myself on my DIY skills, sometimes it doesn't always pay to do something yourself. This is an important lesson to learn, and sometimes it takes swallowing a little bit of pride when you know you could make something perfectly fine yourself!

Today I thought I'd give you an example, along with some fun pics of my beautiful little guy (one of my top 4 DIY projects of all time). ;)

In my HANDMADE GIFTS FOR BOYS post, I showed a pic of a baby Onesie(R)that was designed to look like a little football. I LOVED it. So cute. And while I was still pregnant, I started scouring the Internet and retail stores to find a little brown Onesie to use.

I also wanted to do a Clark Kent/Superman one, so a blue one was also on my list. The problem was, I couldn't find any! It was really hard to find them solid-colored. The ones I did find were around $12 each PLUS shipping. Boo.

But then I accidentally stumbled across an Etsy shop called Custom Twosies that sells a huge variety of baby bodysuits/Onesies for $20 for a pair! They had BOTH the football one AND the superman one! I was so excited that I emailed them immediately. They were so nice and friendly and asked me what customization I wanted. I chose to have the football laces printed on the back rather than the front like I've seen since I knew I wanted him to be curled up in a little ball.

Isn't he a doll?! Cutest little BYU Football fan E.V.E.R!

They turned out exactly like I had envisioned!

They also offered to make a custom letter in the Superman logo, but I like the traditional S.

This one just cracks me up! "To the RESCUE!!"

For anyone wondering where I bought the glasses...they were actually lime green baby sunglasses that I found at Target. I popped out the lenses and took a black Sharpie to them. ;)

Being a super hero is exhausting.

So if you've been wanting to DIY these Onesies for your little guy (or as a gift), might I recommend saving yourself some time and money by visiting Custom Twosies? You can thank me later. :)

Have you ever had a DIY project that ended up costing more than if you had just purchased it to begin with?

Aloha,

Charlie

A BIG THANK YOU to my friend, Cari, for taking most of these beautiful pictures!!

I did decide to make my own Onesies for the monthly pictures I'm taking of him, though, and you can find the free printable for boy AND girl versions HERE.

The Little Rocking Chair that Could

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 03:57:00 +0000

Aloha!

Here's a little story about a persistent 3-year-old who likes to ride with me in the car when I check out "curb alerts" I see on Craigslist.

One evening I saw a post on Craigslist for free lumber, and it was near my house. As I jumped in the car, my daughter begged to go with me, so I happily strapped her in her carseat, and we were off on our adventure. When we got there, the promised lumber was waiting, and there was also this little ~~hideous~~ well-loved rocking chair. We'll call the chair "Pat".

As soon as my sweet 3-year-old laid eyes on Pat, she had to have it. I told her it was garbage and that mommy couldn't fix those slats on the seat. It was just too old and beat up. ((seriously...LOOK at that damage))

But she cried and begged, and flattered me by saying, "You fix everything, mommy." And the challenge was on. So I threw it in my car, and we were on our way.

At first, I had visions of gluing the slats and sanding them down really well. FAIL.
Then I thought I might cut new slats. FAIL. (the curves in them made it way too awkward)

But I had removed all the other slats and sanded it down as much as my poor arms could handle.

And then inspiration struck, and I decided to just make one single seat and then upholster it!

I measured out the seat and cut out my piece with a jig saw.

Then I cut out some left-over foam padding from the doll bed mattresses I had made.

Then used an old blanket as the batting that I used in THIS project.

And the final step was to let my daughter shop in my fabric closet. Also, somewhere along the lines I painted it white. ;)

Quick recap: Free chair + left-over wood, padding, batting, paint, and fabric + 1 hour of mom's life = the most delighted 3-year-old ever and one proud mama.

Not bad at all.

Aloha,

Charlie

DIY Baby Monthly Onesies and Free Printables

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 16:37:00 +0000

Aloha,

I'll keep today's post short and sweet! I made these monthly Onesies (R) as a baby shower gift for a friend of mine and then did some more for my own little guy and thought I'd share the printable here with you.

The printables are for months 1-12, and I just used iron-on transfer paper. The printables are facing the normal direction, but remember that they need to be printed in reverse. Look through your printer options to do that. My printer has "iron-on paper" as one of the paper settings, and it automatically flips it. Test it out on a regular sheet of paper to make sure it's printing right, so you don't waste your transfer paper. :)

The hardest part about this project is finding enough Onesies in the right sizes without breaking the bank. They usually come in packs of 4-6, and I had a hard time finding the sizes I needed. Ugh! I think I ended up paying about $22, and I had a couple left over. Different brands have different sizes, too, so I think I had a pack of 3-6 month that I used for months 4-6 and then a 3-9 month that I used for 7-9.

Aren't they cute?!

I like giving practical packaging instead of the standard gift bags. I bought this little bin at Dollar Tree and lined it with tissue paper. Then I folded each of the sides in on each Onesie and rolled them up, so the month was showing. I actually put the bigger months on the bottom and months 1-6 on the top.

Such a fun gift! Now let's just hope the baby isn't a chunker. ;) I have my little guy's all printed out but am waiting to iron them on one month at a time since he's big! That 2 month pic (right on his 2 month bday) he's actually in a 3-6 month size! Ha!!

HERE is the link for the girl version.

HERE is the link for the boy version.

I'd love to hear or see pics if you decide to make these. Please comment or share a pic on my Facebook page if you do.

Aloha,

Charlie

Angel Costume - Halo Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 00:25:00 +0000

In the past week, my kids have needed angel costumes on two different occasions. The first one was for our church's nativity scene. I hadn't given much thought to it and ended up Googling angel halo diy that day (yes, I'm a slacker) and eventually just making one out of a paper plate and aluminum foil that rested on their heads. Very homemade. Kinda embarrassing for a die-hard crafter. lol

My friend, Cari, and I were trying to come up with another angel costume but this time for a dance recital...

As I was browsing Dollar Tree, I came across this gold tinsel garland, and the lights clicked on!

For only $3 and with 15 minutes, you can easily make 4+ halos.

SUPPLIES:

Gold tinsel garland (about 5 feet per halo, and it comes in a 50 foot roll)
Craft pipe cleaners (need 2 per halo)
Headbands (4 pack for $1)

STEP 1: Wrap one pipe cleaner around the headband, starting in the center. I think I wrapped mine around two or three times on each side.

STEP 2: Make a circle out of the other pipe cleaner and twist the ends together.

STEP 3: Place the two prongs of the pipe cleaner through the center of the circle until they are about 1 - 1.5" high, and then wrap excess around the circle to attach.

STEP 4: Wrap the garland around the circle until it is completely filled in and no white is showing. I found it was easiest to use about 1.5' pieces at a time, and I think I used about 3. It has a very small wire in it, so it stays attached on its own. You don't even need glue for this one! Easy peasy. ;)

Happy holidays!

Aloha,

Charlie

10-minute Snowflake Ornament "Wreath"

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 21:37:00 +0000

I have a confession...my front door was naked last Christmas. Yep. No wreath. I made new stockings for us and new ornaments and tons of homemade gifts for my kids, and I sort of skipped that part.

Honestly, I didn't even miss is much!

But this year I used most of the same decorations, so I didn't have that much Christmas crafting to do and have been feeling like I need to do something. So I invented a "wreath".

I had no idea exactly what I was setting out to accomplish when I went to the Dollar Tree. I just kind of threw stuff in my cart that looked snowflakey and fun.

I bought these three different kinds of ornaments. One set was foam with some solid white and some with glitter. One set was a hard plastic with glitter, and the last set was white plastic with some tinsel-like, fuzzy stuff on it.

And here's how I made my 10-minute "wreath".

STEP 1:

Cut a circle out of a piece of foam board. I used a dinner plate to trace mine. ;)

STEP 2: Layer your snowflake ornaments and hot glue on. I did the solid white foamies first.

Then glitter foamies.

Then the plastic glitter ones, and then the feathery ones on top.

STEP 3: Find white ribbon laying around (if you're a craft hoarder like me) and tie a bow on it and call it a day. ;)

Super easy!

I didn't mean to make it look like an ornament, but once I got it on the door, I realized that's what it looks like. It's cute! And you can't beat a 10-minute project that only uses Dollar Tree items. Ha!

Isn't the red door all festive? I didn't paint it, but I love it!

Aloha,

Charlie

Christmas Gifts for Crafty Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 06:43:00 +0000

Aloha and happy Thanksgiving!!

This is probably one of the riskiest posts I will ever write. "Why is that, Charlie?" I can hear you asking. Well, I have a house full of little believers (if you will). And if they somehow see the post I am about to unveil, it just might ruin the 25th of December. No pressure, right? I'm just up writing this post at midnight to make sure they don't see it. And I'll be extra sure they don't come around while I'm blogging for...oh, I don't know...maybe the next 8 years? lol

But really, I think you'll all thank me for divulging.

Here's the thing. I have a confession. I have NEVER been Black Friday shopping. GASP! As much as I love a bargain, I don't enjoy competition or big crowds. I'd rather scour eBay, Amazon, Craigslist, and thrift stores and hoard for months (and possibly even lose a few gifts because I've forgotten where I hid them all) than fight the madness that I've heard of as Black Friday. Also, I'm not a morning person. I think sleeping in is one of the only things that will kill my drive for bargain hunting. Ha!

I've always been a big Web fan. I'm a blogger. That's probably a no-brainer. But I seriously love sitting in my sweats late at night and finding fun ideas for my little ones; clicking a few buttons; and then sitting back and relaxing while I wait for the packages to come rolling in. Or running around and decorating and baking and delivering gifts...

Today I'm going to share a great site for your Cyber Monday kid shopping if you're like me and LOVE when your kids are happily (quietly) working away at a craft project. Nothing makes my heart swell with pride quite like seeing all my kids at the table working on some project or another. It's so fulfilling for me them. ;) Truly, they do love it, too!

ConsumerCrafts.com is an amazing craft site that I would compare to Michael's but with better-than-Amazon pricing. Yeah. Tha gtood. Starting Black Friday, they will have doorbusters that last through the weekend (while supplies last). Then on Cyber Monday (November 26th), it is the last day of the doorbuster pricing, AND the entire site is 30% off AND free shipping! Aside from just giving you the stuff for free, it doesn't get much better than that!!

So here's what I'm getting for my crafts girls who range in age from 3-8.

My 6-year-old specifically asked for these Fun Fusion perler beads when we were at Toys R Us the other day. But the kit there was much smaller and cost $9. Compared to this one with over 400 project ideas and 4000 beads for $7 (or $4.90 since I'll be waiting until Monday to take advantage of the 30% off). I've also added the perler bead pegboards that were 2 for $4.97 (or about $3.50 on Monday).

My 8-year-old will love this origami kit. You have to click on it and see what's in the kit to really appreciate just how awesome of a gift it is for $15 ($10.50 Monday). This goes way beyond what we typically think of as origami. I may end up stealing it from her...

And my 3-year-old will be thrilled to squish this Play Foam around for hours (hopefully). ;) Honestly, though, who doesn't love to squish stuff in their hands?! Easy, fun, and imaginative $10 gift. Perfect!

The three of them will each be getting their own chef's aprons and hats, so they can help create with me in the kitchen. I had intended to make both the hats and aprons, but as I was browsing Consumer Crafts, I came across these chef's hats for $1.27 each. No joke! Not worth making when I can buy for that cheap and then embellish with coordinating apron colors!! Score!

They'll also each get their own paint-by-number for less than $3 each. I used to LOVE these as a kid! This horse one will be for my oldest, and they have some simpler versions that my 3- and 6-year-olds will get.

And just to prove that I also allow them complete freedom of creativity, they'll each get a mini easel ($1.50) and mini 3" x 3" canvas (also $1.50).

And last-but-not-least, my kids' favorite, Play Doh. It's not Christmas if they don't get a bunch of Play Doh in their stockings to last them the whole year! And this 24 pack of colors is only $16 (11.20 on Monday). I compared the exact product on Amazon, and it was $18.

Their site really has so much great stuff. I'm barely scratching the surface! These are just things that I will be buying for my own kids on Monday (I'll score all of this stuff for less than $50 AND I don't have to pay for shipping).

U.S. customers can order online. International customers will need to call to place your orders.

You can also visit them on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, or their blog CRAFTS UNLEASHED.

DISCLOSURE: This post is part of a paid campaign with ConsumerCrafts.com and The Blueprint Social. All opinions are 100% my own.

Aloha, and I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving full of laughter, friends and family, and good food!

Charlie

DIY Girls' Room Desks

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 04:54:00 +0000

Aloha!

I'm not sure what "nesting" looks like in other households, but in mine, it seems to look like a whole bunch of old projects finally getting finished! Ha! I've admitted before that I have crafting/building/sewing ADD, and I have quite the list of projects that are only about 90% completed.

Take these desks, for instance. I've been working on my daughters' bedroom for the last 4 months or so, and I promised them they would each have their own "office space". I had all the wood on hand, but my sander died, and I knew it would be way too much work to sand it all by hand, and I didn't want to buy another cheapy sander that was only going to last a year and then die again, but I also couldn't justify spending $50+ on a power tool for myself right away either.

Then, I won a $100 Lowe's gift card from sweet Jamielyn at I Heart Naptime! I was so excited when she emailed me, and I waited patiently for it to arrive in the mail. It came right before my birthday in early October, and I practically sprinted to Lowe's (waddled was probably closer to what actually happened), and I bought myself a Dewalt sander for my birthday present!

I give the best gifts. ;)

I happened to have the girls with me, and I walked through the paint section with the intention of picking a stain for the top, and I knew I was going to keep the legs white. When my girls saw all the paint chip cards, they each wanted to choose one, so I strolled by and let them each choose whatever color they really wanted.

Then I made my usual stop at the Oops! paints, and lo-and-behold, there were three small Valspar sample paint cans for $1 each, in almost the EXACT colors my girls had chosen! It was so serendipitous! They had about 7 colors in all, but I couldn't believe they had those three colors. My girls begged me to get them, and I'm a sucker, so I bought them. And as much as I loved the idea of the stain, I knew my top wood had some serious holes that needed to be patched, and I was worried the stain wasn't going to cover it very well. Plus I mentioned I'm a sucker for my girls, right?

So I brought my loot home, spent one evening cutting and sanding, then assembled them the next day, and painted and poly'ed them the next. My sweet girls were so patient while everything dried and while mom's poor feet took breaks (serious cankles at this point, people!)

I would write up a tutorial for you, but Ana White has very similar plans with her Clara Table. I already had some 1x17" wood that I had used for the toddler canopy beds, so I just used one single piece for the top rather than the 1x8's. My oldest daughter had specifically asked for something with "no bumps", to make it easier to write on as well, so I was willing to give up a couple inches in depth to keep it in one solid piece. And they're slightly taller than the Clara Table since my oldest is 8 already, and I didn't want it to be too small for her...

I also don't own a Kreg Jig (sad face), and I didn't want to have to use 3" screws for the legs, so I fudged those as well and inset them. I used a nail gun and Gorilla Glue to attach the table top to the skirt piece as well (again because a Kreg wasn't available). It got the job done, but I'm hoping Santa will bring a Kreg Jig this year!

I'm excited to show you the chairs! They look amazing...in my head! ;) I have the pieces all cut out, but I'm still working up the motivation to put them together. I'm hoping tomorrow is the day. Wish me luck!

Aloha,

Charlie

Blue and White Baptism Dress

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 04:03:00 +0000

Aloha!

Nothing makes me feel older than to now have to say, "I am the mother of an 8-year-old." EEK! But here we are.

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe the age at which children can start to make the decision to be baptized is 8. So this birthday is an extra special one in our family and one that we have been anticipating for quite some time. We threw a big birthday party (details on that to come), and I allowed our daughter to choose a dress she wanted me to make for her to wear after the baptism.

We browsed Pinterest together, and here were some of our favorites:

Adorable ruffled dress from Kimbo at A Girl and a Glue Gun.

Puffy dress with hints of hot pink from Brown Paper Packages

Fun pink flower dress by A Creative Momma.

Stunning all-white flowers baptism dress from Corner House Blog.

iCandy Handmade's pretty petal dress.

All of them are lovely, but my daughter was immediately drawn to the Brown Paper Packages dress but wanted "aquamarine instead of hot pink". She's not a pink girl...

I read through that post and all 60+ comments and went through the "tutorials" pages but could not find a tutorial on the dress for the life of me. ((sigh))

So I was off to make it without a pattern. No biggie, right? Ack!! I procrastinated it way too long because I was skeered. ;) Finally the Thursday prior to the weekend of her baptism, I kicked myself in the butt and decided to just give the top of it a shot. I wanted it to be professional-looking and not one of my usual "winging it" projects, so I did the top fully lined.

I used THIS tutorial to give me an idea of how to do the sleeves, so they would also be lined. They were actually much easier than I anticipated, and I just sandwiched them in between the two layers of the bodice, so there are no unfinished edges on the inside! I was SO proud of myself when I got to that point. I was actually doing it!

So I was off to Joann's to find some "aquamarine" fabric for the sash and tulle along with some kind of hair flare materials and a 20" zipper. While I LOVE the details in the buttons that were on the original, I knew that much work would probably put me over the edge. Not the mention the comfort and convenience factors for a kid who wants to wear this dress more than once. I also bought a tiny hook for the top where the zipper ends.

I've made countless skirts for my girls, so the bottom part was a cinch. I happened to have my friend's serger on hand as well, so that made the work on my edges nice and clean!

I'm not going to take the time to give a full tutorial and pattern because...

Once I was all finished, I went back to try to find the original dress, and I had lost the link. I looked on Pinterest again, and what did I find??? A link to the follow-up post where she actually has a tutorial AND pattern for a size 8. Ha! Murphy's Law, right? Oh well. I seem to work better without a pattern anyway. But if you're looking for one, HERE'S the link. So go give her some love and thank her profusely for putting the time into making a pattern for ya'll. ;)

I'm going to have to invest in a slip for her since I wasn't paying attention and sewed the tulle to the INSIDE of the bottom layer on the skirt instead of the outside, and it's a little itchy on her legs. Oops!

And yes, I realize the blue dots covering her face are annoying. Trust me, she's a beautiful girl. ;) But my husband is uber paranoid, so in order to keep the peace in our house but still be able to share these kid projects with you, this is how it has to be.

What do you think? Can I call myself a sewist now? I think it's my most ambitious sewing project so far!

Aloha,

Charlie

How to Make Boxed Cushions - Doll Bed Mattresses

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 23:51:00 +0000

Aloha!

So this post is only about a year late, right? I made my daughters' doll beds back last December for Christmas, and I am just now getting to the mattress tutorial. Lazy much? ;)

Without further ado, here's the tutorial. And it can be adapted to make any kind of boxed cushions for benches, etc. I'll describe how to measure for other sizes in the tutorial. Enjoy!

SUPPLIES:

- Corrugated mattress topper - I bought this full-size topper at Wal-mart for about $10, and you can see how much I needed to make two full cushions...it'll last awhile! Ha! It's still so much cheaper than buying the foam padding from the craft stores. That stuff is outrageous!

- Fabric - 1/2 yard (at least 45" wide) fabric of your choice

- Batting (optional - I did not use it on the doll bed, but if you're doing cushions for a couch or chair, it would be recommended)

STEP 1: Decide on the size of your cushions/mattress and cut it out. I cut mine to fit my doll beds nice and snug, so they are 18" long and 12" wide. Hot glue together.

The hot glue isn't a perfect hold, and you'll have to do one section at a time since it will dry really fast. but it will keep them together until you get them in the casing, and then it doesn't really matter much at that point!

STEP 2: Measure around your padding both width-wise and length-wise. Divide each number in half and then add one inch to each (for a 1/2" seam allowance on either side). That will tell you how wide and long to cut your pieces.

My mattress was 23" around width-wise and 40" around length-wise, so I needed to cut my two pieces each 12.5" x 21". Make sense?

STEP 3: Once you have your two pieces, place right sides together, and sew around the edges with 1/2" seam allowance. On one of the long sides, leave a large portion open, so you can fit your mattress in there.

STEPS 4 and 5: Pinch each of the corners and separate them. Then iron down along the seams, so they're nice and open.

STEP 6: Measure how tall your mattress or padding is. Mine was 2" tall. Then place a pin or mark on your fabric where it is 2" across in width (or however tall your padding ends up being, go to that measurement). Then sew along that line and trim off that extra little triangle.

STEP 7: Turn it right-side-out, and it should look like this. As you can see from mine, I measured wrong the first time! Good thing I didn't trim it off before checking to make sure it fit! ;)

STEP 8: Roll up your mattress slightly and squeeze into the casing.

It should look like this once it's in.

STEP 9: This step will mostly depend on how polished you want your cushion to be. If you wanted a really professional finish and plan to remove the casing to wash (like for chair cushions), I'd recommend removing the padding and sewing in a zipper. If you don't care much about washing it, you can stitch it closed by hand with a blind stitch, and that will give it a nice, even finish.

Or you can be lazy like me and just move the padding over a tiny bit, pinning the edge, and then sewing it closed with your sewing machine! Ha!

It's not the prettiest finish (especially here with my seam that had to be unpicked), but for a doll bed, I wasn't going to mess with either of the other two options.

Not bad for a doll bed mattress, right?!

Be sure to visit my PROJECTS page to see links to the doll beds and other bedding and pillow tutorials I have!

Aloha,

Charlie

Linking to:

Halloween Teacher Mug Gift

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:41:00 +0000

Aloha!

I missed out on giving "back-to-school" teacher gifts this year, so I thought I might try to redeem myself by doing something just a little extra for them for Halloween. I know it's not a typical holiday where you give them gifts, but this is a really small, inexpensive gift that I thought might let them feel appreciated. :) I was sent an awesome stash of Mod Podge goodies from Plaid and was asked to create something for Halloween, so I thought this was the perfect chance to do my teacher gift, and I had an idea already brewing.

Fun, right?!

And with the right supplies, it's oh-so-easy.

SUPPLIES:

- Mug (Dollar Tree)
-Mod Podge Dimensional Magic
-Mod Podge Sparkle
-Foam Brush
-Accessories and treats

STEP 1: Create your message and have it printed. From previous experience, I know Mod Podge (and any other liquids you might try to put on top) will make the colors bleed if you try to use your own inkjet printer for printing. I wanted a custom message, so I made it a JPEG and had a 4x6 photo printed at Wal-mart for $.19 for a one-hour print.

We have two teachers and two assistants, and I was able to fit all four onto one 4x6 photo.

STEP 2: Place your print on your mug and use your Mod Podge of choice to adhere and seal it to the mug. I chose Mod Podge Sparkle. Be sure you stay at least 1" from where the mouth will touch. As with most craft products, these have not been tested for food safety, so for the sake of being cautious, keep it away from where a mouth will go. :) I also used a wet paper towel to clean up the edges, so I had a nice clean line around my art. I wish I would have made my tags just a tiny bit smaller...on these mugs, the 4 sides are each flat, but my tags were just slightly larger than the flat part, so it took some effort to get the edges glued down. My fingers were a mess by the time it was finally dry! Ha!

STEP 3: Let it dry. I allowed mine to dry for about 2 hours.

STEP 4: Now's the extra fun part. Bust out your Dimensional Magic and pipe along the edges and then fill in the center as if you were frosting a cookie. It may look a little cloudy, but it will dry clear. Mine was pretty runny, so it can be tricky with a round mug. Keep a paper towel on hand and wipe up the drips until it hardens to the point of being tacky (about 3 or 4 minutes).

STEP 5: The hard part. Sit and wait. I let mine sit for about 4 or 5 hours and then did another coat to make it really stand out. And after that, it needs at least 24 hours to cure. Then fill with some treats, and you've got a simple, unique, inexpensive teacher gift that will probably be a fun and unexpected treat for your child's teacher! I used candy corn and some cute candy corn cellophane bags I found at Dollar Tree along with some yellow curling ribbon.

Aloha,

Charlie

Disclosure: This post is part of a paid campaign with Plaid. All ideas, opinions, crafts, and writing are 100% my own.

You can find more fun Halloween Mod Podge ideas by following Plaid on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. ;

Dr. Scott's Feijoada - Brazilian Beans and Rice Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 18:07:00 +0000

Aloha!

Or today I should probably say, "Bom dia!"

As I've mentioned in previous posts, my husband spent 2 years serving a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil. When we met, I had been studying Spanish for a long time, so I took some classes in Portuguese, and since they're so similar, I picked it up quickly. Nos dois falamos Portugues.

I feel like I have to preface this by saying that I'm no foodie... I didn't make any fancy side dishes to go along with it. I don't have a fancy camera (all the pics on my site are from my iPhone). And I don't have fancy plates or staging areas. I didn't make it in the middle of the day, so I would have good lighting either. I just snapped a pic before I stuck it on the dinner table. lol

Back to Brazil:

My husband really loved the Brazilian dish called "feijoada". The linguist in me insists that I tell you that it is pronounced {fay - joAH - dah} with the J making the same sound as the S does in the word "measure"...not a hard J like in "jump". Got it? You now speak Portuguese. ;)

I was trying to be a good wife by finding the recipe for it, so I could surprise him for dinner one night. I was amazed that I couldn't really find the recipe anywhere, though. I even asked a couple of my Brazilian friends, and they all had different answers to give to me, and they weren't really recipes. Just things they throw in a pot. I soon realized that asking for the recipe to feijoada is like coming to the US and asking for the recipe for chili. There are hundreds of different versions, and everyone likes it a little different. The two main basic ingredients are black beans and meat, and then they're served over rice. That's it! Some people throw pork pieces in, some do chicken or beef. One girl invited us over for feijoada one night after I had asked for the recipe, and she had just thrown in Little Smokies!

If you saw my Skippyjon Jones Cake post, you know that Dr. Scott is also quite an excellent chef and artist. I'm not sure what I did right to deserve this guy, but he's pretty much amazing. Dr. Scott and I are two different kinds of cooks. I'm a scientific cook. I look at a recipe and follow it to the letter. If something says "heaping cup", I panic a little. Do they mean 1 1/8 cups? Or 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon? Why can't they just measure that last bit and tell me how much extra there is?? Needless to say, I don't experiment in the kitchen very often. I'm getting better at it now that I've been cooking for a bit longer and have a more broad range of things I've tried and am more familiar with spices and how things taste and work together. But when we were first married, there was zero experimenting with foods.

Scott, on the other hand, just throws random stuff together, and I'm always the skeptic in the background thinking, "this is going to be so nasty". Then I taste it. And I ALWAYS beg him to make me some of whatever he's just invented. He learned quickly to just go ahead and make double because I will always want some.

This is how Dr. Scott's Feijoada was born. We were both young students with no kids, so we made dinners together every night or took turns. It was his night, and we were low on groceries. He found some Costco meatballs in our freezer, threw in some black beans and who knows what spices and seasonings, and dumped it all on top of a plate of rice. I'm not a big meatball fan, so I was getting ready to turn up my nose. I had learned that I at least need to taste his concoctions before scoffing, though, so I took my first bite. NOT BAD! In fact, it was pretty good! And it only took 20 minutes and zero meat prep. Suh. Weet. It has become a usual in our monthly menu, and all three of our kids love it (even the picky picky middle child).

I promise this will be one of the easiest and least-expensive meals you will ever make!

We typically use one can of black beans and one can of pinto beans, but we were out of pinto, so I just used two cans of black beans. No biggie. And these meatballs are from Sam's Club. We also prefer the Costco ones, but we now live much farther from Costco, so we make do. :( If you're buying from Sam's, be sure to buy these smaller ones in the red bag. The ones in the green bag are bigger and don't taste as good in my opinion. They'll also have a different cooking time since they're larger.

STEP 1: Place about 25 meatballs in a pot.

STEP 2: Dump in the two cans of undrained beans.

STEP 3: Add seasonings if you want. The meatballs are really flavorful, so we've learned that you don't have to add spices or seasonings. Dr. Scott is really paranoid about our sodium intake, so we only add salt after serving it over our rice. I love when my food smells good, so I usually add about 1/2 t. garlic powder, and 1/2 t. onion powder. Occasionally I'll even add some cumin. I think cumin smells heavenly. ;)

STEP 4: Add 1/2 C. water. It will seem really dry, and you'll be tempted to add more, but don't. Once the meatballs start thawing, lots of liquid will be released, and you don't want your topping to be too runny.

STEP 5: Set your burner to med-high, cover, and cook for 20 min, stirring about every 3-5 minutes. At this point, your meatballs should be cooked all the way through, and you can serve and eat. My rice cooker typically takes 35 minutes, so I turn my feijoada down to simmer for another 10 to let those seasonings really seep into the beans. Mmmmm.

Serve over rice, and you're done!

That particular night, we ate ours with some fresh green beans and fresh mango. Mango is also very abundant where my husband served his mission and also in Mozambique where he and I did humanitarian service together, so it would be a fun compliment to your Brazilian meal if you're teaching your kids about other countries. :)

Dr. Scott's Feijoada

25 small frozen meatballs
1 can black beans (undrained)
1 can pinto beans (undrained)
1/2 C. water
Seasonings to taste (suggestions: garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper--if you like some kick)

Place all ingredients in pot. Cover and cook on med-high heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice.

What do you think? One of the easiest meals ever?

And to make it even more awesome...this usually turns into two meals for us. One meal is eaten plain like this. Then the next night, I warm up some tortillas and the left-over feijoada and rice, cut up the meatballs, and then make burritos! Layer of rice, beans, cut up meatballs, sour cream, and shredded cheese! Two different meals with under 30 minutes of effort. Perfection!

Tchau,

Charlie

Why I Do Monthly Menu Planning

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 20:27:00 +0000

Aloha!

Okay, so today's post isn't really a craft tutorial. But it IS something I think is important and have shared with lots of my real life friends, and they have said they really appreciate and have started implementing in their own homes and families. Soooo...I thought I'd share with you as well.

I'll just dive right in and give you the top reasons to do monthly menu planning, and I'll explain how these things are accomplished as well.

WHY I DO MONTHLY MENU PLANNING:

1) TO SAVE TIME
2) TO SAVE MONEY
3) TO AVOID "WITCHING HOUR" and GRUMPY MOM
4) TO EAT BETTER

As moms, we're all busy. And for our house, the time between 4:00 and when we actually sit down to eat dinner is considered "witching hour". The kids seem extra crazy and restless. I'm more irritable, and I'm constantly distracted with "What should I cook?" and "What's in the fridge/freezer/cupboards?" I abhor that feeling. Avoiding that feeling is enough reason alone for me to start a menu. So about 5 years ago, I started planning out my menus one week at a time.

I would see what's in the freezer and cupboards, and then plan out some meals. I quickly realized that by planning ahead, I was saving money as well as time. BONUS! I could now spend more time doing fun things instead of staring into the abyss of my freezer!

But getting out my recipes and going through ideas once a week seemed tedious. And I always had a big list of things I wanted to try, but I'd only make it through one or two things in a week, and then I'd forget what ideas I had wanted to do before. So I started just listing out meals I wanted to try and keeping that list on hand for when I was ready to make my menu. That saved EVEN MORE time!

Then I bought my giant dry-erase, Board Dudes calendar from Wal-mart, and for me, it seemed like a no-brainer to just go ahead and plug those recipes and meals into the entire month. WOW! My life was changed!

Here is how my menu planning works today:

1) Set aside an hour to plan (more if you like to browse cookbooks).
2) Gather my supplies (laptop with recipes, recipe box, calendar and markers, pen and paper).
3) Go through recipes and make a list of about 26-28 meals or recipes I'd like to try (set those recipes aside).
4) Write out the month and family activities we have going on, so I can see what days are extra busy.
5) Plug in meals and adjust as needed.
6) Make a grocery list of non-perishables and meats from the list.

I don't love cookbooks. I'm a very digital cook. I've been using All Recipes.com since 2004. If someone gives me a cookbook, I quickly browse through it and find recipes I think we might like to try, write them down and put them in my recipe box, and I pass the book along to someone else I think might enjoy it. I also don't keep recipes we don't like. I've tried 5 or 6 meatloaf recipes, and I've kept two of them. There's just no point wasting space in my small recipe box if I'm never going to make something again, right? So my little recipe box is full of tried-and-true favorites!

Since Pinterest came into my life, that's been another main source of my recipe inspiration. I usually pull up my Pinterest "RECIPES" page and browse through that first when making my list.

I usually try to do 26-28 recipes since I know there will be at least one "left-overs" day each week. And we have some meals that are just basically a part of our family now, so I either shorten the list by a few days or add them to the list quickly since I know they'll be on there at least once or twice. Fish is one of those things. Along with Feijoada and burritos. We've made our own recipes for those, and we don't vary from them much, so there's not much to think about there. I'll post recipes for them shortly. :) I included them on my list here, though, so you could see the full 26 days. Yes, it would be nice to have more lines on my list... ;)

For new recipes that I'm trying for the first time, I write them out on a 5x7 card (I keep a pack of blank ones at the back of my recipe box). I include the blog name in case I want to go back and look at it when I'm actually making the meal. Also, as I do this, I keep a shopping list and write down anything that is out of the ordinary and I know won't be in my cupboards.

My list has lots of chicken recipes on it because it's cheaper than beef here. I'd pretend it's because I'm healthy, but let's not kid anyone. I'm cheap. ;)

I place all the recipes for the month in the front of my recipe box, so I don't have to go searching for them later. Cutting back on time drains, right? Easy peasy.

Now...I know not everyone loves the dry-erase calendar concept. For some, it's frustrating not to be able to see more than a month in advance. Again, being digitally minded, I have my important dates like doctors' appointments, etc. on my phone.

I like to also have this big monthly calendar because I need something in my face as well. I'm more likely to forget if it's just on my phone. Even if I set a reminder! lol My kids also like to stay informed, and my older daughter especially likes to know what we're having for dinner and what's happening in the days to come.

Having a dry-erase board makes it really easy to change recipes and other appointments around if I need to. I also love having a variety of colors, so I color-coordinate things on our agenda. It makes the really important things stand out more for me.

If you're like Kim from the 733 Blog and want to have a "real" calendar, she's made a great printable calendar for the 2012-2013 school year. Doesn't hurt that they're adorable! Just make sure you're doing your meals in pencil, so you can switch things around if you want.

Source: 733blog.com via Attempting on Pinterest

Once you have the big things on there like appointments, birthdays, extra-curricular activities, and vacations; you'll have a better idea of what kind of dinner you'll want to make on that particular night. Busy days for us means I plug in Crock Pot meals or other meals I can whip up in 20 minutes or less. No experimenting or fancy meals on those nights!

I also try to think about what kinds of meats we're eating each week. As I mentioned before, our menu has lots of chicken, so I try to make sure we have at least one seafood meal per week, one beef or pork per week, and one or two meat-free nights per month.

Now, I'll have one large grocery-shopping trip at the beginning of the month, and that's when I also stock up on toiletries and cleaning supplies (so I only have to go to Sam's Club/Costco once per month!). Then once per week I go to a smaller grocery store to buy our produce and other weekly perishables like milk, and eggs, etc.

So, not only do I save time having to think of dinners every night, I also save time making grocery lists AND grocery shopping.

Knowing my menu in advance helps cut down on our budget since I can buy our meats in bulk, and we don't eat as many freezer meals and eating out. If I'm running errands, I'm less likely to say, "Let's just hurry and grab something to eat," if I know that night's dinner is already planned out and easy to make. Or better yet...already in the Crock Pot!

Cutting out those frozen meals and dining out meals is also better for our health. And having the extra wiggle room in our grocery budget, I'm able to spend more money on fresh fruits and veggies. Also better for us!

As for "witching hour", when I know what's for dinner, I can easily cut up some fresh veggies or fruit to throw at the kids to tide them over as I'm making the meal. Just knowing what I'm going to make helps keep me much less stressed and annoyed (mostly at myself, but it vents toward my poor kids). Know what I mean?

So...are you willing to give it a shot? Do you already have a menu-planning system? What works for your family?

Aloha,

Charlie

Recipe links:

Feijoada

You Can Shake the Sand from Your Shoes but not from Your Soul

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 00:31:00 +0000

Aloha!

I originally shared these printables on Angie's blog at Country Chic Cottage, and I just saw some pins of them with no original source but just "uploaded by user". :( Boo.

I realized I had never posted it on my blog and thought it was about time!

I know so many people feel the same way, so I thought I'd share a couple printables with you. These are my own work and may be used for personal and home use. Not to be used for business purposes. Share the aloha, right? ;)

I thought the plain one was nice and was considering using it for my laundry room (to keep me from grumbling as I shake sand out of towels...). But I wanted to try it with one of my beach pics to see how it looked. This one may also be used for personal and home use.

But being EXTRA sentimental, I had to use some personal pics to make it just that much more meaningful. My home version will probably have one of the following two pics.

Forty pink toes - Me and my three girls

Aloha,

Charlie

DIY Upholstered Toddler Bed / Couch Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 18:15:00 +0000

Aloha!

Well, I'm finally building again! I'm still medicated, but the nausea is MUCH much better than it was, and I'm able to be up and about for most of the day. It's wonderful!

Before I started getting sick, I had talked to my friend, Melanie, about building a toddler bed for her youngest son. Since he's her last baby, she wanted something that could be used for something else after he outgrows the toddler stage. We decided this toddler bed plan from Ana White was the perfect solution since she can make some cushions or pillows to go along the back after he outgrows the bed, and it can be used as a couch! Excellent!

I used the plans for the headboard exactly, but we shortened the legs just a tiny. I ended up not doing the base plans but instead doing it more like the toddler canopy bed I did a few months ago. So you may have to ignore my base picture and just stick with Ana's. :) Hers is excellent as well (of course)!

Meet Melanie. A newcomer in the world of power tools. We built in her lovely garage, and I covet her finished floors. But I brought along my handy little miter saw. I'm in love with this little thing. Seriously. Less than $100, and it can do ALMOST everything I need it to. It cut through a 2x6 like buttah. ;)

Melanie received a crash course in miter saw and nail gun safety and use. She was nervous but excited at first, and now I think I've created a building monster. I wouldn't be surprised if she buys her own saw before the weekend. Even before we were half way through the project, she was already picking my brain about other projects she could do an wants to get started on.

Two moms, 8 kids under the age of 9, and we were able to hammer out the building portion of our project in one afternoon. Yes, folks. Just one.

Here's the base all put together:

And here's the headboard:

Upholstering took another day since we were really tight on fabric. We used a black pleather, and it was only 54" wide. Those extra 6" would have been EXTRA nice. Same with the batting. It was shorter than 60", so it took some negotiation. The pleather had to be cut very precise, and it took extra effort to stretch it just right and staple right on the edge. I highly recommend making sure you have at least 60" width or you buy more than the specified 2 yards.

You can see how we were just barely able to curve it around the top of the base section. It would have been nice to have it down another 1/2" or so. Oh, well. it still looks fab!

We added nailhead trim for a couple reasons. 1) It's cute and adds some nice contrast. 2) It covers our staples along the side without having to buy separate upholstery tack strip and dealing with that annoying task.

And here it is with the crib mattress:

Building with a friend is much more fun than building by myself. Not to mention much easier to have someone to keep things steady while putting everything together.

And another big thanks to Ana for her brilliant inspiration and plans. She's my hero. I may or may not have a girl crush on her. ;)

Now if I can ~~swindle~~ talk someone into being my accomplice while I do my next project...

Aloha,

Charlie

I'll be sharing my project at Gina's party this week.

DIY {Gallery-wrapped} Stretched Canvas to Stretch Your Dollars!

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 20:57:00 +0000

Aloha!

I've wanted a nice gallery-wrapped canvas print of our family or my girls for a really long time. I've scoured the internet in hopes of finding something super cheap and amazing (for years!), but it seems like for a nice 16x20 or 20x24, they were always over $100. And for a growing family whose pictures are going to change quickly, that seemed like quite an investment...

I've noticed that the rolled canvases are significantly less expensive, but I've been afraid of ruining a nice print on one of my "I think I can do that" whims. Then Uprinting Canvas Prints offered me a sweet chance to test out my theory by participating in their campaign! I LOVE it when things like this fall into place!

Since this one was the tester, I decided to do a project I've been meaning to do for a friend of mine for a few months now. I don't want to bog down this tutorial with too much back-story, so I'll post the story of this print later on this week. Deal? :)

Okay, so here we go. I ordered the print from Uprinting.com and tried REALLY hard not to get too distracted by their other great products and prices! A 16 x 20 rolled canvas is $25.56 and has a 1 business day turnaround!

It comes in this awesome box that will keep it nice and protected:

I was really impressed with the quality of the canvas. It was really thick and sturdy but still nice and soft.

Now meet my new miter saw. Don't underestimate the power of this tiny guy. He can definitely get the job done! And yes, my clamp did need to be switched to the other side (for any of you observant folks noticing the awkwardness of that angle/cut).

If you're not too into building or don't have tools, you can also buy stretcher bars that you can easily hook together. But the cheapest I could find was online at Scribbleshop.com, and even then, it's about $2 per piece, so another $8 plus shipping added to the total. Still a significant savings over buying a stretched canvas, though!

I used a simple 1 x 2 furring strip that I bought at Lowes for $.95. Then I cut two 20" pieces and two 16" pieces at 45 degree angles. (Actually, I cut two 20" and two 15" because I was in a really big rush to meet this deadline and didn't do a good job of measuring! DOH!!)

I then used Gorilla Glue and my nail gun to connect the four pieces together.

I found a good YouTube video AFTER I was done with mine, and I think I would try her way next time. I'll post that video at the bottom. She gives good tips for lining it up, so it's centered and being sure to stretch it really taut. Mine ended up being a little more loose than I'd like it to be...

For my corners, I first pulled the side in flat.

Then I folded the stapled side up, BUT... NEXT TIME I'LL FOLD THEM DOWN AROUND THE WOOD AND STAPLE THEM FIRST! Sorry to yell that out, but I know someone is going to just look at my pictures and not read what I have to say about it ((sigh)).

Then fold the last side over and staple into place. See the small lump left there by that first fold? That would have been avoided had I folded it the other way instead. Oh, well. I'm here to make these kinds of mistakes, so you don't have to, right?! ;)

Then attached whatever means you're going to use to hang it, and you're done! Easy as that!

Uprinting.com also has some great prices for business cards, postcards, and other print options. You can find them on:

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

DISCLAIMER: I was compensated for my time in creating this project and writing this post. All opinions in this post are 100% my own.

Such a fun project! I definitely feel brave enough to do a nice big family shot to hang above our mantle or one for my girls' room! I think I might splurge and pay $33 for a 20 x 24 (do you know how ridiculously cheap that is for a stretched canvas?!) Even a collage of some 8 x 10's would be fun. They're only $13! Possibilities are endless with a little DIY effort, right?

Aloha,

Charlie

I'm Back? And I'm curious...

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Tue, 29 May 2012 03:46:00 +0000

Aloha!

Well, I've been AWOL. Where have I been, you ask? Oh, you know...curled up in a ball on my bathroom floor, begging for mercy and praying my esophagus endures the 9 months of torture... Yeah. That.

For some reason, opening my computer made me want to vomit. Random aversion to blogging. Maybe my body's way of telling me to take a break from all my projects and just chill? Who knows. But at any rate, I'm approaching the mid-way point, and I'm still on Zofran but at least able to keep food down and am getting ready to start projects again.

SIDETRACK: I was sick with my first baby, and I was on meds all 9 months. But the second two were classic, textbook "morning sickness" pregnancies. I'd force myself to wake up early, eat a couple crackers, immediately jump on the treadmill, and push through nausea.I'd maybe vomit once in the morning, but then I'd be fine the rest of the day. Completely gone by 16 weeks.

All girls, so gender played no part in any of it. The only thing I can attribute it to is running... I was a lazy, lazy beast during my first pregnancy. I felt like it was my time to just kick back and take it easy. So I did. And I gained 40 lbs. And had a 6 lb. baby. That calculates into one disappointed mama after giving birth and expecting to fit right back into pre-pregnancy clothes and lifestyle. Boo.

So I bought a treadmill and started running. Like, a lot. Like 1/2 marathons. Then I got pregnant with baby two at 10 months post-partum, and all that misery was still fresh on my mind, so I was determined not to let history repeat itself. I kept right on running (with my doctor's approval). I eventually started slowing down my routines, watched my heart rate, ran fewer miles, etc. But I ran a 5K at 29 weeks and did it in 35 minutes (and only because I had to wait around for my sisters-in-law to catch up to me...lol...are you there Erin and Jami??). I ran three miles the day before I delivered.

I still gained 35 lbs. That just seems to be what my body needs to gain, but I was walking on my treadmill again within days and up to slow jogging within two weeks and full running by 6 weeks. I lost the weight so fast, my only problem was keeping up my milk supply...but I even worked through that.

Baby 3, repeat story with baby 2. Except I ran the morning I delivered this time. :) 40 weeks on the dot.

Then we moved to Hawaii, and my treadmill did not survive the trek. Something went haywire, and the belt keeps slipping when I get up to full running speed. Ummm...not safe. Being DIYers, we made many attempts at fixing it, but to no avail. I know lots of you out there are saying, "RUN OUTSIDE"! And that sounds fine and dandy unless you have a husband who leaves the house at 4:50 every morning, so there's no way of running "before the kids get up", and are too stinking scrawny to push a double or triple jogging stroller at a comfortable pace. Blah.

Yes, I bought one. And yes, I intended to run with it. But 65 lbs of stroller + 85 lbs of kids - 110 lbs of mama just wasn't happening. I walked a 5k with it. Once. Then I sold it because it was just plain ridiculous. I had to be let in the "vehicle entrance" if I wanted to use it at the zoo. lol

Add to all that the chaos of renovating the entire house in such a short amount of time, and exercise just got pushed to the bottom of the priority list. Then we moved. AGAIN.

Once school started, this might have been a good time for me to buy a single jogging stroller and started to run again. But frankly, I was out of the routine, and I hadn't gained any weight, so I was feeling lazy and unmotivated. If I had unlimited fundage (that's totally a word), I'd go out and buy another $700-1000 treadmill and start walking. Or if anyone on our local Craigslist would post one for free or even $100, I'd be all over it.

Baby 4. Lazy mama. Again. Sick mama. Again. Coincidence? Call it what you want, but I'm 100% convinced there's a correlation.

So I'm curious, did any of you exercise (specifically running) during pregnancy? And were you sick? I'd love to take my own little poll here. My husband is so convinced after seeing me all 4 times that he's using me as an example to try to encourage his OB patients to get a little exercise.

So hopefully we'll be seeing more of each other, and I'll be seeing less of the inside of the toilet bowl. You're much prettier. ;)

Aloha,

Charlie

Happy Martha's Day! Errrrr.... Mother's Day? ;)

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:28:00 +0000

Aloha!

If you happen to be my mother, you might want to skip this post, or prepare to ruin your surprise! One of the drawbacks of being a blogger is having to spill the beans about gifts before the holidays actually arrive. Good thing my mom barely even knows I have a blog, right? Chances of her popping in within the next few weeks are slim-to-none, so I think we're safe going ahead with this one.

If you've been following my blog for awhile, you've no doubt seen some of the clock make-overs I've done over the last 1.5 years. Such a simple way to personalize something that's used every day and is so inexpensive!

If you haven't seen them, here's a link to a girls' Parisian clock I did as well as a teacher subway art clock I did. Both have instructions on how to print and do the actual clock make-overs, so I won't redo that part of the tutorial here. I design the clock faces in Adobe InDesign.

I made this particular design before Christmas but wasn't completely in love with it, so I didn't end up sending it. It just felt like it needed something else.

Then I was sent some awesome supplies from Plaid's Martha Stewart line and asked to do a project for Mother's Day. Hmmmm...the wheels started turning on how to beef up the little clock...

I did another haul video for you, so you can see all the great stuff they sent.

All items can be purchased at Michael's and Joann's.

If you're looking through the supplies and looking back at my project, you're probably thinking, "she could have done SO many things with all that stuff!" Yep, I agree. And I have a million stenciling ideas bouncing around in my head, but somehow they all ended up being for things I want to keep! lol So I had to stick with the "Mother's Day" thing and make something for my actual mama.

You might also recall my coral wall art that I did for our half bath in Hawaii.

I decided to combine the clock and the three-board idea to make the clock have a bit more substance. I love the ombre trend but haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet, so I thought this might be a great time to test it out. The paint colors had mostly pastels in them, and my mom isn't much into pastels, but she likes pink, so I thought we'd test the waters with pinks and whites.

I was also very excited to try out those amazing paint brushes! I used the largest one, and it was fabulous! I am excited to try the smaller ones on some lettering later this week. Perfect!

I assembled it with paint sticks just like with the coral wall art.

Then I put one small nail in the front in order to hang the clock.

And here she is all finished!

I'm still not 100% sold on the pinks, but the fabulous thing about paint is it's super easy to change!

I should have moved the clock hands before taking the pictures. In case it's hard to read, it says, "The only thing better than having you for a mother is knowing my children have you for a Nana." :)

What are you giving your mama for Mother's Day? Does your mom still appreciate your hand-crafted gifts?

Aloha,

Charlie

If you'd like to see more amazing Mother's Day projects from Plaid's Martha Stewart line, you can check them out on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest!

This post was sponsored by Plaid and Blueprint Social. All opinions and crafts are my own.

A Spring Bouquet (( And a DIY Popsicle Stick Crate))

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 04:58:00 +0000

Aloha!

Today, we're doing a fun little craft. I was sent a box o' goodies from ScribbleShop.com and was challenged to create something using whatever random supplies they sent me. The blogger who can create the "best" idea, using the most supplies, wins a pony I think...at least that's what we're all hoping. If not, I guess we'll settle for bragging rights, and it was fun to have to think outside the box and without my usual go-to supplies and mediums.

Let me take a second to tell you that Scribble Shop has over 75,000 (yes, that many zeros) craft/art/teacher/educational supplies in their one online shop. When I was first given the challenge, I thought, "A new craft website? Scribble Shop? Their site is going to have like 10 things...this should be fun." Ummm...way off. Imagine Hobby Lobby and Michaels combined but all online. Awesome. If I had my say, I'd like them to have a better fabric selection because I'm real lazy like that and want it ALL. But I guess I'll have to settle for 75,000 items for now. ;)

And guess what, Hawaii friends...they ship to HAWAII!! I couldn't find it anywhere on their site, so I emailed and specifically asked them. They said a few of the really large items are only offered by UPS Ground, so those ones can't, but almost everything else can be shipped there! Woohoo! I know how frustrating it is to be limited to whatever Ben Franklin has in stock...

And I'll share a coupon code with you at the end of the post. Yeah. I love you like that.

So now on with the craft!

Here's what they sent me:

And just in case you like "haul" videos and are curious what my voice sounds like, I made this ~~awkward~~ awesome video for you. ;)

Yes, I sound like I'm 15. And yes, I may not LOOK much older on a daily basis (no make-up and all), and I may also get asked, "Is your mom home?" when I answer the door. Get over it. I AM the mom. Unless you're a salesman, in which case, "Nope, my mom's not here." Totally honest, and I don't have to go through the pain of turning them down. ;)

So my first real crafting question was, "How can I incorporate some power tools into my project?" Hmmmm...those ~~tongue depressors~~ popsicle sticks are made out of wood. I like to cut wood. And drill it. And build.

And thus, the idea for the crate was born. Once I had the dimensions figured out and knew I would need over 30 sticks cut, I was worried about what a pain it was going to be to cut them all. So I cheated. And stacked a ton of them together and tied them with elastics.

And chopped off the ends with my jig saw. :)

To keep it sturdy, I knew it would need some dowels on the inside corners, so I used a 3/8" square dowel and cut it to the size I needed. Scribble Shop has a decent selection of wooden products HERE.http://www.scribbleshop.com/category/art-supplies/surfaces

I used 4 posts for the inside corners and then two along the bottom to secure the bottom "slats".

At first, I was trying to be all builder/professional about it and was using Gorilla Glue and staples...that was a disaster. I finally gave up on that idea and assured myself "it's just a craft...hot glue is fine". So I used my high-heat hot glue gun, and whaddyaknow? Worked like a charm.

Don't look for the old staple holes too hard... ;)

I painted it with some random paints I had on hand. An Oops! paint in gray for the base, and an acrylic craft paint for the fleur de lis stencil. I then used the ModPodge as the sealant over top of my paint. It actually gave it a really nice, smooth feel! Scribble Shop has a HUGE selection of paint. My only complaint there is that they don't give you the option to see them all on one page. A few of us have requested they change that, so I'm hoping they'll hear our cries! Because no one wants to click through 24 pages of craft paints, am I right? But I guess if it keeps me from having to take my kids into a craft store, it's worth it. ;)

I used a brown mixed with water for the glazed/antiqued look. I don't normally love this look, and I still think I got too much on there, but I wanted to test it out, and since this was a small project, I thought it was a good one to practice on.

I have made crates before and used jute to make my own handles, so the raffia was a natural choice for the handles on this one. I just marked where I wanted the handles, drilled a couple holes, and got three pieces of raffia to stick through a hole and tie off.

Then braid your three pieces and stick the other end into your second hole, and tie it off and trim excess.

Let's not make fun of my wonky braid. I was never much of a "Barbie" fan when I was little, so braiding is not my forte.

Next, to give the pencils something to stand up in, I used the packing peanuts and glued them together and stuck them into the bottom of the box.

I tried just throwing them in the bottom and then putting the marbles on top, but the marbles just ended up sinking to the bottom, and I didn't like the look of the two mixed and jumbled together. So they had to be glued down. Then the marbles could be placed on top nicely. OCD? Maybe a tiny bit, but not really!

Wait...did you want to see more marbles? Okay. But just because you asked. Not because I took way to many pictures.

Those paisley stickers were a little more tricky than the rest of the objects. I had initially planned on just making a pencil holder and then trying to use everything else as decorations on the box. But I liked the simple fleur de lis so much that I didn't want to ~~defile~~ clutter it with lime green and hot pink. So they became pencil accessories.

First, I layered them, so they looked almost like a flower. The pack came with 5 of each color, and I think 6 would have been better for these, but they turned out fine. I traced along the edges of where the top one overlapped the one below it and then cut them all off on their own lines (make sense?).

These are stickers, so I just peeled off the backing and put them back down on my interfacing (it happened to be within arm's reach...felt or something else would also probably work fine). And in case you're keeping track, interfacing is ALSO found on the Scribble Shop site. Seriously...they have almost everything!

Trim down the interfacing, add a glittery dot button (with hot glue), and then glue them to some pencils and call it a day!

I tried to use the stamp pad to add some dimension to the flowers by giving them a contrasting color, but they seemed to be malfunctioning. At first I assumed it was a user error since I'm a novice when it comes to stamping, but apparently other people had issues, so I don't feel super inadequate. ;)

There you have it. A cute little colored-pencil bouquet.

These might be a fun spring teacher gift, don't you think?

As promised here is the coupon information. It's good for 15% off your entire purchase now through April 30, 2012. Just enter ATTALOHA at check-out.

DISCLOSURE: I was compensated for my time writing this post and creating this project by Scribbleshop.com. The craft project and all opinions are 100% my own.

Aloha,

Charlie

Side-by-side Power Saw Comparison - Saw 101

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 21:55:00 +0000

Aloha!

I LOVE a good side-by-side comparison, don't you? Have you ever wondered, "What's the difference between a circular saw and a miter saw?" Yeah, it wasn't that long ago that I didn't know the difference, either. So I thought my first side-by-side would be about power saws!

This is just to give you a really basic visual of the tools and their names and how much they cost. The photos are all from Harbor Freight. They have the lowest prices on ALL these tools except the table saw. I recommend reading through all the reviews, though since many of their power tools need a tiny bit tweaking or adjusting. Some people don't want to deal with the hassle. For me, though, it's worth the huge savings on certain tools. ((I am not being paid by Harbor Freight. This post is purely informational and based on my own experiences and shopping.))

So let's take a look at each of these tools and what they're used for.

I've ranked them by how useful I think they are and the order in which I think they should be purchased for simple woodworking projects.

OSCILLATING TOOL - My #4

The most popular brand of oscillating tools is the Dremel, so most people actually call their tools Dremels even if it's not the Dremel brand. Most of them come with many different attachments you can put on them like a sander or different kinds of blades to cut through different surfaces. They vibrate back and forth and kind of sound like a power sander, if you've ever used one of those. Relatively harmless on the "accidents" scale. You could still cut through a finger, but it would be pretty hard to accidentally lose a limb with one.

These little tools are great for small jobs, but they're not very deep, and they really only cut INTO things. You're not going to be able to cut up through a piece of plywood with it, for instance. I've used oscillating tools a few times, but I haven't purchased one yet because the need hasn't really been there. Ranking these 7 items in order from "purchase first" to "purchase last", this one gets the number 4 spot.

JIG SAW - My #1

The jig saw is one of the two power saws that I use most frequently. If you're a beginning builder, I think this should be your first purchase. They're inexpensive, and they can be very multi-purpose if you're willing to take the time to change out the blade and build a rip fence (maybe we'll talk about rip fences another day?).

The blades for jig saws are very thin, and you can't really tell from that picture, but it faces out. So you push the saw forward with one hand. Different blades have different rigidity, so some are meant to cut more straight, and some are meant to do very intricate swirls and circles.

The jig saw can be a bit squirrely, though. You're not going to get a SUPER straight line like you will with a circular saw or a nice clean line like a miter saw. But it can get the job done in a pinch.

They're more noisy than an oscillating tool, so plan for that, but they're much safer than many of the other tools. You could slice into your finger and end up with stitches, but it would take some effort to go through bone. Too graphic? Sorry...

I purchased my jig saw for $5 from a pawn shop. Best $5 I've ever spent. ;) I build my doll beds using JUST a jig saw.

RECIPROCATING SAW - My #7

The reciprocating saw is similar to the jig saw in that the blade moves in and out (up and down) vs. in circles or back and forth. But the blades and power of a reciprocating saw are MUCH MUCH stronger. These bad boys take two hands to hold, and they're quite dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.

Sawzall is the most popular brand of reciprocating saws, so many people just call them that. We've used a cordless one to cut some small branches off trees and things like that, but mostly they won't be needed for the kind of building and woodworking I do. I have this saw ranked last and am pretty sure we won't be using one for a long time.

CIRCULAR SAW - My #3

The circular saw is a champ when it comes to making straight cuts up through a piece of wood if you know how to use a rip fence. They're easily portable, and some are even cordless. If you plan to do any woodworking with plywood and don't want to mess around with having the Home Depot or Lowes guys cut them down to size, this is a great alternative. The table saw also works, but I'll explain why I don't prefer them later. Jig saws can also do the same function, but the lines will be a little wavy with a jig...and it will take MUCH longer. Circular saws are fast and powerful.

This is a dangerous tool! If you've never used one, I recommend having someone who knows what they're doing teach you first. You can learn a lot from the Internet, but don't mess around when safety is concerned. Not all saws are the same, so you need to know the safety functions and quirks of your own tool before just starting it up.

MITER SAW - My #2

Miter saws are also called chop saws. You lay your piece of wood on top of that surface and then bring the blade down into the wood. Chopping it...get it? Some of them slide back and forth couple inches to give you some range of motion and make cleaner edges. If you want one that can cut at an angle (like for trim and molding), you'll be looking for a compound miter saw. I recommend a 10" compound sliding miter saw if you're going out hunting. These can be VERY expensive. But Harbor Freight has theirs on sale online for $120 for the 10" compound slider, so they CAN be reasonable if you're considering building furniture for your family. WELL worth the investment. :)

I LOVE the miter saw! It's fabulous. For any woodworking projects that you'd like a really crisp, professional finish to, the miter saw is indispensable. In the example of the doll beds I built with the jig saw, because the blade is meant to curve, the cuts on the 4 legs/posts weren't perfectly straight. This makes the bed sit uneven. Not a big deal for a doll bed. But for the toddler bed, I HAD to have straight lines. A miter saw was pretty much a must for that project particularly since it wasn't for my own kids. Ha! The quality of my work can be compromised for my own family. lol

Again, this one is dangerous! Have someone show you how to use it before going to work. If your arm is in the way...it won't be forgiving.

BAND SAW - My #5

The band saw is a tool I've never used or even seen used in person. I know a lot of people really like them, and they have their purpose in woodworking, but I think the other tools mentioned can get the job done and are much less expensive and cumbersome. The main unique feature of a band saw vs. a jig saw or a reciprocating saw is that the blade only goes in one direction. It loops up and around (in a band...get it?) and comes back around, so it's continuously cutting. No back and forth. But the width of the blade is much smaller than a circular saw or a table saw, so it can cut curves.

I'd still probably use this more than a table saw or a reciprocating saw for woodworking, but I'm not ready to fork out the kind of money needed for one when I can get everything done that I need to with my other tools. :)

TABLE SAW - My #6

The table saw is similar in function to the circular saw. They're designed to cut up through long pieces of wood/plywood. They're stationary, and you push the wood up into the saw. This is the most dangerous saw by far. Most power tool ER visits are table-saw-related.

Table saws are very expensive, and they're bulky. They're dangerous, and a circular saw can mostly do anything a table saw can do. That's why it's so low on my list. Unless you're building a bunch of cabinets, you probably won't need to worry about purchasing this tool.

And you've just completed Power Saws 101. ;)

For more classes, you can visit my friend, Brittany at Pretty Handy Girl. She has more explanations of each of these saws as well as videos of them in use.

How to use a miter saw

How to use a circular saw

How to use a table saw

How to use a band saw

How to use a jig saw

Was that helpful? Or were you already a tool expert?

Aloha,

Charlie

Saving Some $$ - Using Door Knobs as Finials

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:55:00 +0000

Aloha!

My toddler canopy bed post yesterday was getting a bit too long, so I decided to share the finials in a separate post.

I used mine as finials on top of a canopy bed, but this would also work at the ends of a wooden dowel as a curtain rod!

I bought my crystal knobs at Lowes for $8 (since it's a door knob set, it will give you two "finials").

I've also seen drawer pulls from Hobby Lobby used, but it's hard to find them this large. Any that ARE that large are close to $15 each. Sure, you can use a 40% off coupon, but I needed 4...I didn't really want to go back 4 different times and wait for a new coupon each time... Not super convenient. And gas alone would probably deplete the savings of the coupon. :(

There's a small metal piece that would slip through the door, and then you'd tighten each knob into the metal piece. You will not need the center metal piece, so feel free to recycle or re-purpose those. Here's how the knob looks from the bottom.

It has a tiny screw on the side that is meant to tighten into the metal piece, so I needed something to tighten that little tiny screw into in order to keep the knob tight. I decided to try a few different screws to see if they'd work. I just used what I had in our "scrap screws" stash, so I don't have the actual head size of the screws I ended up using. If I had to guess, I'd say it's a 3/4 or 1", #8 or #9 wood screw. It needs to be skinny enough to slide inside but not too skinny, or the tiny screw won't reach it to hold it in place. Make sense?

Then place the knob right on top of the screw.

And tighten that tiny screw, and you're done!

Super easy and looks great!

Have you used anything unusual for finials?

Aloha,
Charlie

How to Make a Toddler Canopy Bed -- Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 22:51:00 +0000

Aloha!

So today's plans are for a toddler canopy bed! How adorable is this:

Yep, it's a toddler canopy bed that matches the little American Girls doll canopy beds that I made for Christmas! I posted them on CL since I had some scrap wood and was hoping to earn some $$ to buy a few more tools, and I had TWO different people call me and ask me if I could make a similar toddler bed. Hmmm. Why not, right?!

So I got to work. Luckily my youngest is in a toddler bed now, so I used the dimensions from that bed to create this one.

I will be posting the Google Sketch Up plans to post on Ana White's site later this week, but I wanted to give you some pics and a run-down here as well.

UPDATE: As I was on Ana's site today, I noticed she already has plans for a toddler canopy bed! The result is very similar to mine, so you have a couple of options in building! But I will not be posting the Sketch Up plans there since hers are excellent (no need to reinvent the wheel, right?)

Here's a link to hers.

Shopping List:

2x2 - 2 @ 84" each

1x2 - 3 @ 84" each

1x3 - 3 @ 84" each

1x4 - 2 @ 84" each

1x17 (or larger if you can find them) - 1 @ 60"

#9 - 3" wood screws (at least 32--can use only 12 if you plan to put headboard and footboard together with finish nails)

#8 or #9 -1.25" wood screws (at least 22 to put together base and slats)

Gorilla Glue

Finials and headboard detail (if desired)

Cut list:

2x2 - 4 @ 47.5"

1x2 - 2 @ 52" (for top side rails)

2 @ 27" (for top head and foot rails)

2 @ 47.5" (for cleats for the base slats to lay across)

1x3 - 9 @ 27.5" (for slats that mattress will lay on)

1x4 - 2 @ 52" (for sides of base)

1x17 - 2 @ 27" (headboard and footboard)

Now, let's start with the base.

Glue and clamp each of your 47.5" 1x2's to your 1x4 sides. Center them from left to right, but make sure they're flush along the bottom. Let it dry completely. You want these to be nice and firm because all of the slats and weight will rest right on these cleats.

Now screw in two of your 27.5" 1x3's (using the 1.25" screws).

We made the cleats slightly shorter than our sides to allow for these two end pieces.

Now space out the rest of your 27.5" 1x3's along the base. When you have them spaced how you want them, use your 1.25" screws to screw them to your cleats. I just put one screw in each side.

Let's stick the crib mattress on there to make sure it fits...PHEW! Fits like a glove.

For the headboard and footboard, I just used a pencil directly on the board. I start in the middle and mark it, then go down the sides to see how far down I want it to be, and I kind of connect the two points on just one side. Then I cut out the one side with my jig saw, and then flipped that over to the other side and traced it to get the exact same pattern. :) It really is easy. I have no art skills. Erasers are wonderful things.

If you're using the decorative headboard piece, now is when you'll want to put that on, too. Just glue and clamp. :) I found mine at Lowes for just over $4.

Now glue and screw your 2x2's into your headboard and footboard. I wanted to give the illusion that my headboard was taller than the footboard (without having to purchase a larger piece of wood), so I placed the headboard up 6" from the bottom, and the footboard is only 3" up.

Since we're attaching a 1" thick piece of headboard to a 2" thick side post, it's hard to get it centered just right. I ended up setting up quite the work station to do this. I used some scrap 1/2" plywood I had in order to center the headboard on the 2x2.

You'll need to do the same with the 27" 1x2 pieces that will be flush with the top of your posts. Glue and screw. Sink all of these since you'll just be mudding and painting right over the top of them.

So here are two headboards that I finished:

After I had these three separate pieces built, I mudded all my holes with wood putty, let that dry, and then primed and painted them all before attaching them. I did NOT do the poly at this point, though. I left the slats and inside of the bed unpainted. After painting so many rooms in our Hawaii home, I'm pretty good at cutting a straight line, so I just used my angled 2" Purdy brush and made a straight line right along the top of those sides.

And I didn't catch a pic of the debacle that was the stack of boards I had to use to get the base at the right height, so I could screw in the headboard and footboard! That was quite a feat! I ended up placing it up 4".

Here, you can see how high it is on my toddler. Just right. :)

This is the best pic I could find of the headboard detail. I think it adds a nice touch.

HERE is a link for the tutorial on how to make finials from door knobs:

All done!

I had planned to sink the screws and use the wooden screw covers over them, but they were a HUGE pain o paint. Tiny little pieces of garbage!! Blah. But after getting it all put together, I decided the gold screws that I had chosen actually looked fine, so I kept them as is. :)

What do you think?!

Aloha,
Charlie

Simple Gift for Women - Sewing kit

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:45:00 +0000

Aloha!

Today is probably the easiest, cheapest, and cutest little gift I've ever given!

I gave these to the women I teach at my church this month. I thought it was a nice alternative to all the sweets you get for Valentine's Day, right? And seriously, who doesn't need a little sewing kit? Plus they're just SO cute in those tiny bags!

Confession: I didn't put the bags together, and I didn't have to do any sewing! I found the kit just like that at the Dollar Tree. I'd never seen them before (and I'm a frequent flier), so I may or may not have bought ALL of the ones available at my closest store ((sorry, local ladies...)). You just never know if some things are going to stick around with the Dollar Tree. They keep me on my toes like that. ;) Ours had this pink one, green, black, and purple, and they were right at the end of the craft aisle.

I bought sewing kits for my older girls for stocking stuffers for Christmas, and I bought two different ones from Wal-mart because I couldn't decide which one was better. One had a nice little container for the needles, so they wouldn't spill everywhere, but it was in one of those clear plastic boxes where the lid isn't secured, so even though the needles were safe, everything else spills out. Blah! The other one had a nice case, but the needles were just in a piece of paper. Also Blah. And they were each $3. So to find this kit for $1...?? I was thrilled!

Before I show you, though, I have to say that I was NOT paid by the Dollar Tree or given anything for free. I just found something I liked and wanted to share it with you. :)

Here's what's in it:

* Cute little bag--check
* Box with extra buttons, safety pins, and straight pins--check
* Thimble that I'll never use--check
* 5 different colors of thread, but I really wish there was a pink--check
* Needle threader that I'll also never use--check
* Tiny scissors that will barely cut anything, but do actually cut thread okay--check
* Paper tape measure that my kids will tear apart within 3 minutes--start the clock
* Pins in a spill-proof container--CHECK

Okay, so mostly I just wanted the thread, needles, box o' extras, and the bag. But for a dollar? Yeah, definitely worth it.

Here's a close-up, so you can see how the needle holder works. You rotate the clear part that has one small hole on the side:

And when you get to one row of needles, you shake one out:

Sweet!

So I made a cheesy little printable to go along with it in case there are any like me out there who like to change things up and go with a gift that isn't baked (can I get a WOOT! from the other crappy cooks out there?). ;)

Click here to be taken to the Google Doc pdf printable.

Thanks for letting me be SEW cheesy. ;)

Aloha,
Charlie

American Girls Farmhouse Doll Bed (Cheater Cheater Version)

noreply@blogger.com (Charlie Attemptingaloha) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:38:00 +0000

Aloha!

Well, with all the doll beds I've done, I finally decided to try a farmhouse bed like this one of Ana White's that got me started on doll beds to begin with.

I love Ana's version. But I've done lots of slats and railings lately, and I know what a pain they can be, so I decided to make my life a little easier by just doing a solid piece for the headboard and footboard. I also made mine the same width and depth as my canopy doll bed to cut down on bulk. I also made the headboard legs slightly shorter.

CUT LIST:

2x2 - 2 @ 4.5" each (legs of footboard)
2 @ 9" each (legs of headboard)
1x6 - 1 @ 9.5" (headboard center panel)
1x3 - 2 @ 18" each (side rails)
1 @ 9.5" (footboard center panel)
2 @ 15.5" each (top pieces of headboard and footboard)
1x2 - 2 @ 9.5" each (piece that goes under center panel on footboard and headboard)
4 @ 10" each (slats at bottom of the bed)
2 @ 12.5" each (top pieces that connect headboard and footboard panels to legs)

Now follow Ana's plans for connecting all the pieces. I'm lazy and didn't want to bother with screws, so I just used my nail gun and Gorilla Glue. The glue is really what holds it together. The 2" brad nails just barely connect the 2x2's to the other pieces (the actual measurement is about 1.5"x1.5") and hold it together until the glue dries. You'll also notice when building the base that I used 4 slats instead of 2. I did that to avoid having to find a small piece of plywood or something to go over them. With the 4 slats, I can just put the mattress directly on top of them.

I was in a big rush to get this ready for my daughter's friend's birthday, and I knew it would be dark by the time I finished it, so these pics are just of the primer finished. Don't look too close. ;) It really looked much better with the creamy white finish and the top coat of polycrylic!

I made a mattress, comforter, two pillows, and two removable pillow shams. I wish I had time to make a couple more decorative pillows, but we were on a time crunch.

I probably should have put the decorative piece a little higher. Or left it off since the pillows do a good job of covering it anyway. Oh, well.

My daughter chose the fabrics from our stash. I was pretty impressed with her choices (she's 5)! The birthday girl might have appreciated more pink, but I think they turned out lovely.

Considering we used scrap wood, scrap fabric, and scrap paint, I'd say it turned out to be an excellent birthday gift! Other than my hours of time creating it, it was free. ;)

Aloha,

Charlie