michael ann made.

Mother's Day Catch Up

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:59:00 +0000

It may be a week late,
but I wanted to post these pictures that my darling Mr took
of me and my snuggle butt for Mother's Day.
Just look at that little ham, already posing like a pro, haha!

Being a mom has been the wildest ride I've ever been on
but I wouldn't trade my darling little stinker for the world.

A Springtime Playlist

noreply@blogger.com (glenn mae) — Fri, 03 May 2013 19:49:00 +0000

(photo by glenn mae)

I am so very excited to introduce my sister, Glenn Mae,
as the newest contributor to Michael Ann Made!
She has been my artsy/craftsy/thrifting partner in crime since day one
and I am so excited we are teaming up once again to follow our handmade dreams!
Glenn Mae will be popping in regularly to share her thoughts on DIY Style, Inspiration, and Music
and you can follow the rest of her adventures on her Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Take it away Glenn!

Happy Spring! I am so excited to be contributing to my sister’s oh so wonderful crafty blog. I hope you guys enjoy the delightful tidbits I have to share and that it inspires your crafty lives!

What better way to start things off than to share with you one of my ultimate favorite things in the whole world?! Fewer things excite me more than discovering, listening to, and jamming out to groovy tunes. I’ve been making mixed tapes (or I guess I should say, mixed cds) for as long as I can remember. Most of my free time in high school was spent making playlists and mixed cds that became the soundtrack to every school commute, road trip, and summer adventure. If you can’t find me, it’s probably a safe bet that I’m at the nearest record store hunting for new music or thrifting for some classic vinyl finds.

So without further ado, I’d like to share with you guys some of my recent musical finds that have me in a Spring state of mind. A mix of newly discovered bands along with some of my old favorites that will have your feet tappin’!

A Springtime Playlist

1. Sweater Weather - The Neighbourhood
2. From Nowhere - Dan Croll

3. Needle - Born Ruffians
4. You're Too Weird - Fruit Bats

5. Step - Vampire Weekend

6. New Beat- Toro Y Moi

7. Get Lucky - Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams

8. The Pusher's Party - Portugal. The Man

9. My Number - Foals

10. Half Mast - Empire of the Sun

11. Take Me Over - Cut Copy

12. Falling - HAIM

Download here
Listen here

this is for sampling purposes.

please support the music industry and local artists by buying albums and going to live shows!

Mother's Day DIY: Gold Baby Feet

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Fri, 03 May 2013 03:34:00 +0000

there are far things more precious than teenie tiny baby feet.
so what better way to hold onto that feeling forever
than to immortalize their little foot prints in gold paint!

secretly making a print of your favorite little person's feet for their mother
would be such a precious mother's day gift,
or make a couple prints to give to grandparents and dear friends.

supplies:

- gold paint! i used martha stewart's craft paint
- a small pallet for the paint
- a foam brush
- a few sheets of heavy weight paper
- lots of baby wipes or rags

although this is a seemingly simple project,
depending on the cooperation of your little one it can turn into quite an operation!
here are a couple tips that i learned in the process:

- get all of your supplies ready before you grab your model.

- using your foam brush more as a stamp pad than a paint brush will provide better results.
try to dab on a light coat of paint to the feet.
if there is too much paint, you are more likely to get a smeared print or puddle of paint.

- i found that bringing the paper to the foot instead of the foot to the paper worked well
for keeping things steady while printing.

- make quite a few prints with the one foot before switching to the other.
the chances of getting a smear pretty dang high
so make sure you give yourself plenty of opportunities to get two good prints.

- most important, be quick!
your model will probably have a pretty short attention span for this,
so get your prints and get outta there!

when you're done, lay your prints out to dry,
and give your model extra snuggles for being so good!
crop your print to fit inside a frame,
and admire your darling handiwork.

i know i will be admiring my little prints this mother's day!

Inspired By: Gold

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:50:00 +0000

there is usually quite a lot of thought and inspiration
that goes into the tutorials and projects i share with you.
so i thought it might be fun to start a new feature on the blog
called "inspired by:"
where i show those things that have inspired my making!
like a peek inside my crafty brain.
what do you think?

today is a little grouping of tutorials i've found
that all involve shimmery shiny gold.
i'm not usually a gold lover,
but all of these folks have styled it so fresh and springy
i can't help but want to get crafting with some gold myself!

- make some plain notebooks fabulous with this tutorial by eat sleep cuddle.

- this personalized gold bracelet tutorial by born in eighty two
would make a darling mother's day gift.

- add some sparkle to your style with the diy sequined heart hairbow on whimseybox.

- dress up your desk with this diy polka dot mouse pad by lovely indeed.

what are your thoughts on gold?
do you find it too over the top or do you love a hint of glamor?

Mother's Day DIY: Make A Pom Pom Bouquet!

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:11:00 +0000

now what are we going to do with all the pom pom's we made
from wednesday's how to make a pom pom tutorial?
how about something special for mom?!

these little pom pom flower bouquets have to be
the most cheery things i've seen all week!
with their bright colors and wooly design
they will keep mom's windowsill bright and festive for a long time.

- these giant dandelion pom poms by dana made it would make a fabulous oversized bouquet

- if you don't have time to make one, you can purchase this pom pom flower bouquet
from stephlovesben (via a subtle revelry)

- lastly i love the colorful stems from this pom-pom flower tutorial by tabula rosi

i'm off to enjoy the sunshine that has finally arrived in portland
and hopefully work on some project's i've had in the planning stages for far too long.

what will you be crafting this weekend?

how to make a pom pom (without a pom pom maker)

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:32:00 +0000

i've always known the "make a pom pom with your fingers" trick,
but my pom poms always came out way too scraggly...
maybe i just do them wrong.

well when i was working on my big pom baby beanie,
i looked to see if there was a different method,
but all i could find were tutorials using pom pom maker.
that's when i figured out how to make a pom pom maker from some cardboard!
quick? cheap? easy? sounds like my kind of project :]

what you need -

- two pieces of cardboard
- a circular object to trace about as big as you want your pom pom to be
- scissors, pen
- yarn!

how to make your pom pom

- trace a circle onto each piece of cardboard, including a smaller circle inside.

- cut them out, adding a slice on one side of the circle, and hold the two circles together.

- wrap your yarn all over your cardboard!
the more layers you cover the cardboard with, the more dense your pom pom will be.
try experimenting to see how your different pom poms turn out.
an additional tip, don't wrap too tightly or it will make the next step a little difficult.

- starting at one of the slit ends of the circle,
slide your scissors in between the two cardboard circle layers
and cut through all the yarn wrapped around the top.
you will want to hold the middle area of the circle tightly
while you do this so you don't lose any yarn.

- once the yarn is all cut, slide a piece of yarn a couple inches long
in between the cardboard layers and tie as tightly as you can!
if it's not tight enough you might lose bits of your pom pom over time.

- give your pom pom a little haircut if there are any uneven spots.
just make sure not to get too carried away, or you might end up with
a much smaller pom pom than you were planning on!

- either cut the ends of the string you tied,
or use those ends to attach your pom pom to your project, like the top of a hat.

now go make yourself a million little pom pom friends!

i don't know why, but when i was doing this tutorial,
these little pom poms were making me so happy, haha!
i ended up making quite a few more than i was planning on...
now to find something to do with them all...!

good bye google reader - hello email newsletter!

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:06:00 +0000

have you heard the news?
this summer, google reader is shutting down. boo!

but that's okay because i now have something even BETTER for you to follow my blog with -
my shiny new weekly email newsletter!

sign up and you will get all of my diy project and tutorial posts
sent straight to your inbox for free every week
along with other crafty goodness, news, and special deals from sponsors.

so what are you waiting for?!
sign up here or on the sidebar
to get the next diy project before everyone else!

you can also follow my handmade adventures through
bloglovin, hellocotton, facebook, or pinterest.

hope you have a fantastically crafty weekend :]

april showers mobile diy

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 04:40:00 +0000

april showers bring may flowers,
especially in portland... haha!

i made this little mobile for the wall above my little man's crib
with some colors a little cheerier than the grey skies outside most days.
the best part is, it only took a nap and a half to make!

if you want to make one for yourself this weekend - here's how!

for supplies you'll need -

- white cardstock
- some colored cardstock or maybe paint chips
- tape, scissors, thread, ruler, pencil

here's a quick trick for cutting out a bunch of triangles the same size -

- first make a strip two inches wide
- on one side of the strip make a mark every inch
- on the second side of the strip, move the ruler up half an inch, then make a mark every inch

- cut diagonally across the strip, from one mark to the other, and presto!
you have a bunch of tiny triangles!

- sketch out a cloud to fill your whole sheet of cardstock.
don't feel bad if it takes a couple tries to get it just right... haha

- line up all your triangles on a table just how you want them to hang,
front sides down if there is a front side
then lay a piece of thread on top of them and tape it down.
- tape those strings to the cloud, and you're all done!

hang it wherever you might need a little bit of spring time cheer
and a reminder that the rain isn't all that bad ;]
happy weekend!

on stash busting

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:00:00 +0000

happy friday friends!
looking for a fresh spring project to work on this weekend?

my dear old college/blogger friend heather is hosting a series all about stash busting
and finding ways to whittle down those massive piles of fabric i'm sure we're all hoarding...

heather asked me to contribute a little something
and so i shared this stash busting swatch bunting tutorial on her site.

instead of cramming all your gorgeous fabric into a drawer or closet
where you can so easily forget about it,
why not string swatches around your craft space
so you can be inspired while you work?

be sure to pop over to heather's site for the full tutorial and story.

now it's time to fill that notebook with projects and plans for the weeks ahead!
what will you be crafting this weekend?

the two week birthday party

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:09:00 +0000

the past two weeks have been one long party!

for my 25th birthday, my boys surprised me with a secret weekend road trip
where we stayed in a fancy hotel with the best breakfast a girl could want,
antiqued in kitschy old cowboy towns,
hiked through thousand year old lava fields,
watched some pretty hard core rock climbers,
and drove on twisty roads to see gorgeous, snow capped mountains from every angle.

then a week after that my sister came to visit!
we walked all over town for supplies to do craft projects,
spent lots of quality time giggling with the little man,
and had long discussions about this here blog
and making our ultimate dream life a reality.

i got spoiled with all kinds of crafty trinkets and project supplies
from those two weeks full of adventures.
i also treated myself to a new fancy lens for my camera!
with a clean desk full of supplies
and a desktop full of photos and memories
i am feeling so grateful for my family and so inspired for the road ahead with them.

i think 25 will be a great year :]

big pom baby beanie - free knitting pattern!

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:00:00 +0000

today i'm excited to finally share my first free knitting pattern - the big pom baby beanie!

time to craft was quite hard to come by those first weeks (months...) home from the hospital,
but i knew that i had to make something special for my little man's first christmas!

this tiny hat knit up nice and quick
but oh my it took me so many tries to get the size just right!
for that reason i thought i would share the pattern with you!
the ribbing adds a bit of stretch for little guy to grow into it,
and the giant pom on top is just so stinkin adorable
it's by far my favorite hat of his.

big pom baby beanie
a free knitting pattern
by michael ann made

for babies 3 - 12 months
finished size - 14" circumference unstretched, 6 1/2 " tall

supplies

- US size 5 double pointed needles or circular needle (16" long)
- US size 4 double pointed needles or circular needle (16" long)
- 2 contrasting colors sport weight yarn

pattern

- cast on 80 stitches with the size 5 needles
join to knit in the round marking the first stitch

- knit a rib stitch (k1 p1) for 7 rows

- transfer your ribbing to the size 4 needles

- continue with a knit stitch in the contrasting yarn
knitting every row for 5 1/2 inches

- cut a tail 8 inches or so and thread it through the remaining stitches.
cinch it tight to close off the top of the hat and tie it off inside.

- make a pom pom about 3" in diameter in the yarn used for the ribbing
and attach to the top of the hat
(i used a bit of sewing thread and stitched it on
to make sure it was good and secure for curious little hands)

- pop your finished hat on your little baby's head
and take way too many pictures of their adorable little face!

my big little man

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:00:00 +0000

i can't believe how much my little man has grown in the past six months!

that skinny little newborn below is all fat and happy now
with chubby cheeks that get red when we go outside
and a laugh that is so infectious it cheers up even the most tired of mamas, haha!

these days he loves to eat his toes while getting his diaper changed,
wrestle with daddy before bed,
chit chat with mommy when he wakes up from his naps,
and bang on the computer desk while i try to type...

he still doesn't sleep much at night,
but he's becoming a champion adventurer with mommy
walking and riding the streetcar all around portland.

i love him to pieces and can only imagine what the next six months will bring!

without further ado...

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:06:00 +0000

i would like to introduce you to my darling little man!

six months ago today, at 9:43 am,
7 lbs 11 oz and 22 inches worth of sweet smelling baby joined our little family
with two big blue eyes, a few tiny wisps of hair,
and two long legs he couldn't straighten out for a couple days
because he was born with them right up next to his ears.

six months later those big blue eyes have hints of brown,
his hair is just as wispy,
and those long legs kick and bounce all day.

these have, by far, been the hardest six months of my life.
i've never been more exhausted or more inspired
and some days think my heart just might burst from loving this little face so much.
i have learned more about myself, my little family,
and what it really means to love and serve
than i ever thought possible.

every day this little man is becoming more independent
(or maybe i'm becoming better at just letting him be...)
and i'm starting to create ways to incorporate my old self into this new life.
that means dusting off my sewing machine, clearing off my desk,
and passing down the love of handmade to the next generation!

i have missed this space and community so much
and am so happy to be back!

so what do you say friends?
let's continue this crafty life!

counting by hours

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 17:25:00 +0000

the last couple weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster!
at 34 weeks the doctor thought our baby was already positioned head down. score.
at 36 weeks she checked with an ultra sound and discovered we were wrong.
that lump of baby at the top of my tummy was his head, not his little bum. oops!

by 38 weeks either he needed to turn, or we had to decide if we wanted to intervene.
as to be expected, he didn't turn.
so after two crazy weeks of research and thinking, the mr and i decided to let him be.
he seems pretty comfortable the way he is,
and for all we know, he has very good reasons for staying put.

so this morning we have arrived at 39 weeks,
anxiously awaiting the c-section we have scheduled for tomorrow morning!

in just a few hours we are finally going to meet this little man
that has been a silent, but very active, member of our family for so long now,
and we could not be more excited!

thank you so much dear friends for your support and patience
as i continue to focus on this new role in my life.
it took a little bit of time
but now i am quite at peace with the fact that there is a time and season for everything.
while i still hope to carve out a career for myself in this crafting blogging world,
it's pretty incredible that right now i get to focus on other areas of my life.

so it may take a second before i'm back with regular projects to share with you,
but don't worry,
there will be plenty of pictures of our little jelly man to tie you over ;]

see you on the other side!

nesting

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 15:58:00 +0000

we're back from our fabulously sunny trip to california
and our house now looks like a tiny baby bomb went off!

bags and boxes and bits of baby things are all over this place
and i am so happy to report that those mysterious nesting instincts have kicked into high gear.
of course the day we got back i was knocked out with a crazy cold
and my body has seriously been aching to clean and organize.
those nesting urges are strong!

one thing i could do while "resting" was go through all the tiny clothes we've been given
and get them ready to wash.
i am just so humbled by and grateful for the generosity of dear friends
who want to help my boys and i succeed in life :]

thankfully this morning my cold is down to a scratchy throat and a stuffy nose
so get ready house to be torn to pieces!

the plan is to take some fun before and after pictures of the little baby spaces
i'm hoping to work on in the next couple weeks.
since we live in a one bedroom apartment,
my nesting projects are more focused on rearranging and organizing than decorating and making,
but i have this hunch you'd still like to see the finished product anyways... ;]

wish me and the ever growing baby bump luck!

time for a holiday

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 05:00:00 +0000

shirt // scarf // skirt // shoes

it's finally time for a summer road trip with the mr
and we are off to california!
got to show off the baby bump to the california grandparents and aunt to be
and celebrate with lots of in n out ;]

while "packing" i watched one of my favorite summer movies to get me excited for our adventures -
roman holiday with audrey hepburn!
if i had a waistline still, this is what i would be wearing during my roadtrip.
instead, my skirts will be a little longer and worn a little higher,
although that shirt looks just about right for these days...

hope you all have a fantastic summer weekend,
and i'll see you in a little bit,
hopefully a little more tan and full of milkshakes!

bow tee refashion diy

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 19:08:00 +0000

considering my current wardrobe is getting smaller and smaller as my waistline gets bigger and bigger
i've been going through my ol' refashion pile seeing what i can spruce up quick.

i had this plain tee that was always a bit too baggy, and lo and behold it fits perfect now, haha!
but instead of wearing a boring crew neck tee i got out the sewing machine to add a fun little bow!

here's how i did it so you can make your very own bow tee refashion -

supplies you'll need -

- a plain old tee
- a strip of jersey fabric, about two-three inches wide,
and twice as long as the new neckline giving plenty of length to tie
- your sewing machine, matching thread, scissors, pins

1. trace your new neckline
i used another tee that i liked the neckline of and used pins then chalk to copy the neckline

2. cut out your new neckline!

3. sew new neck binding.
with right sides together, sew on the neck binding with about a 1/4" to 1/2" seam allowance,
    being sure to center the middle along the middle of the back.

4. fold over and pin the binding.
    since jersey doesn't fray, you can just fold over the edge of the binding to cover the tee's raw edge
    without having to worry about folding under the other edge of the binding.
    if you are using a fabric that will fray, be sure to fold over the binding's raw edge.
    also make sure the edge is about 1/4" below the stitching line on the front
    so you will catch it when you sew it closed.

5. stitch in the ditch to sew the binding closed.
    this can be a tricky technique to learn, but will make you feel so pro once you get it!
    sewing from the top side, try to get your needle and stitches as close to the "ditch" or little fold
    from where you sewed the binding to the tee the first time around
    being sure to catch the binding on the back side so you're actually sewing it down.
    doing this will make it look like there is no seam at all when you're done!
    super pro!

6. now all you have to do is tie a cute bow and show off your work!

that wasn't so hard was it?
think about all those plain boring tee shirts you can make so cute now!
i'm thinking i might have to try this with another tee
and use a fun vintage silk scarf for an even fancier look.
good luck sewing!

time to start counting backwards

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 15:11:00 +0000

the little jelly bean man and i have hit the 30 week mark
and now it's time to start counting down the weeks till his arrival.
only ten (ish) weeks more! can you believe it!?

as the temperature, and my circumference, have gotten bigger
the pace of life has slowed down around here.

i'm so glad i have the time to focus on getting our little house and life ready for our little guy
but am learning to accept the fact that needing to rest for a bit every two minutes
(and don't expect to see me anywhere but on the couch after 6pm)
is in fact a good thing.
even if it means it takes a week to finish any sort of project, haha!

although i haven't been able to work on my crafty projects with the same dedication
as i was just a couple weeks ago,
i know that this time for hanging out with my little man on the couch
while he practices his judo moves and i read about how i'm supposed to take care of him
is such a precious thing.
in just a few short weeks it will all be over
and the mr man and i will be off on an entirely new adventure with a new little best friend.

and i tell you what, we could not be more excited!

fourth of july pirates

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 17:10:00 +0000

i'm pretty sure yesterday was the best independence day in my husband's entire life
because he got to play on his brother's sail boat all day long!

not sure how they did it, but those two pirate brothers were able to convince
this very unbalanced pregnant lady to go out with them
for a "quick sail down the very placid river"
what they didn't tell me about was the larger and less placid river they planned to get to... haha!
but it was so fun to watch those two little pirates and their dad live out their boyhood dreams
showing the wind and the waves who's boss!
true sailors in the making!

hope your fourth was just as adventures, even if not so piratey.
now how the heck are we supposed to get back to work for two days?
let's just call it a five day weekend and spend it all on a boat ;]

peek inside my diy photo studio

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 16:15:00 +0000

being able to work on my photography skills is one of my favorite parts of blogging
and today i want to share with you the little diy photo studio i've been working with lately
as well the awesome book i found that inspired it - the crafter's guide to taking great photos by heidi adnum

i had been trying to think of a way i could rig up a better photo area
especially since i had moved my sewing desk and the brightest window in our house was now free.
enter sweet photography book!

i snagged this book after seeing it somewhere online
and am so glad i did!
there are lots of diy tips for setting up a better photo studio on a budget
and lots of ideas on how to use your camera better, no matter how fancy it is.

since mostly these days i'm photographing small diy projects
i wanted a set up that wasn't too large and involved
and that would allow me to take clear closeup photos of each step of the crafting process.

i had a piece of big white paper and a little white mat board already,
now with a couple more tips from the book i knew exactly how i wanted to set everything up.

now i'm so happy with my cheesy little photo studio!

it's all set up on a north facing window ledge in our apartment.
i have a large piece of white paper clipped to the wall and weighted down as the background.
i'll also tape a piece of white matboard to the back of a chair and scoot it up to the side
to act as a light reflector.
this has been especially helpful on cloudy days, which we get plenty of here in portland.

since i'm a little bit short, most days i'll drag over another chair to stand on to get good overhead shots.
you should see the looks i get when people walking on the street happen to look up at our window, haha!

lastly, probably my favorite part of the the crafter's guide to taking great photos book
were the interviews with well known and inspiring bloggers and crafters.
it was really neat to see that most of them don't have fancy cameras or formal training
they just work really hard at practicing photographing what they love to do.

now i definitely want to play with my camera more this summer to keep working on my skills!

give me this mountain - more printables!

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 17:05:00 +0000

i feel like this month has been really heavy on the computer crafts,
but i promise that i only have a couple more things to show you
before we get back to our regularly scheduled sewing projects!

until then, today i'm excited to share a little quote printable i actually made a little while back.
i've been in a motivational quote collecting phase lately,
and instead of just keeping them in a notebook where i can't see them,
i've been writing, or in this case typing, them out and pasting them all around the house.

my college and blogger friend sister elle mccall is serving right now as a full time missionary
and has been keeping up her blog as part of her missionary service.
she is holding a fantastic blog series this month called "spiritual summer camp"
and it just so happened this weekend's homework assignment was to craft with an inspirational quote.
perfect moment to share my project!

this quote "give me this mountain" was from a general conference talk mountains to climb,
given by one of my favorite apostles, elder henry b eyring, this past april.

i feel like this little phrase is all about looking optimistically at situations that might be considered struggles
and being excited for the blessings you will gain and things you will learn from them.
things are always better at the other end of a trial,
so why not look forward to the finish line moment instead of dwelling on the hard parts?

if you would like to print out this little quote for yourself,
i made it available as a free pdf download just for you :]

and if you feel like your summer could use a little more introspection and meditation
be sure to head over to sister mccall's summer camp and see what she's been sharing.

this week has been for...

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 21:21:00 +0000

- going to my official six month doctors appointment and getting to hear that little heartbeat again
- not passing out when i had three vials of blood drawn
(the part where i almost passed out in the waiting room from being nervous doesn't count...)

- waking up early(ish) and walking every morning with my mr, rain or shine
(and yes we've had both this week in portland...)
- becoming a photoshop expert while i help the mr with some design projects

- experiencing new pregnancy adventures like midnight leg cramps
and growing elbows and knees judo kicking me at all hours
- lots and lots of resting on the couch

- crocheting a new blanket for the little man while watching my favorite cheesy summer reality shows
- making all kinds of lists of things to do in these last 12 weeks before the little guy arrives

- and taking an inadvertent, but well deserved i think, break from the blog.

i hope that you all have a fabulous weekend
and i'll see you here next week, well rested and excited
for the last couple weeks ahead of life without our little jelly bean!

father's day diy - hand stamped handkerchief on papernstitch!

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:23:00 +0000

need a last minute father's day gift?
then pop on over to papernstitch today to see my contributing post for the month -
a hand stamped handkerchief for dad diy tutorial!

my favorite part of the project was finally getting to use a sneaky technique
for making a stamp pad for fabric ink.
my crafting life just got so much easier!

i also show how you can make your very own stamp from sticky backed foam,
and if your little kids want to help too,
you can easily use pre-cut foam shapes. win win!

be sure to pop on over to papernstitch today to get your manly crafting on
and good luck with all your father's day preparations!

free content calendar and post idea sheet for you!

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 19:56:00 +0000

yesterday was my mr man's last day of school for the term,
which means we are in full summer mode, yay!

i love starting off new seasons with a good plan
and thought i would share my planning sheets with you to use too!
so today, download and print out your very own free content calendar and blog post idea sheet!

using a content calendar has been the best thing i've done for this blog.
being able to see the whole month at once and make a plan for posts eases the stress of wondering, what should i post today!?
of course i'm always a little flexible when post ideas arise that i hadn't originally planned,
but it helps so much to see how it will fit into the scheme of things.

i've also started using a monthly post idea brainstorm sheet.
printing out a couple of these and doing a couple months at once
can help when trying to plan holiday and season related posts and tutorials.
these sheets also have a space for writing down your weekly features,
helping you to plan what you want to write about for those.

click here to download the free printable sheets, and get your planning on!

content calendar print out by michaelannmade.com
monthly blog post idea sheet print out by michaelannmade.com

hope you enjoy these sheets!
do you regularly plan out your blog posts, or do you just write when the inspiration strikes?

sailor knot keychain diy

noreply@blogger.com (michael ann) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

most of the dads i know have a thing for pirates.
that's why i think this sailor knot keychain diy would be a perfect last minute father's day gift!
all you need is a little bit of rope and maybe a little glue
and your dad will be the coolest pirate dad on the block ;]

materials you'll need:

- about 2 ft of some rope! you can either buy some at the store or
knit a length of i-cord while sitting watching a movie (like my lazy butt did)
this tutorial is great to learn to knit an i-cord
- some glue if you want to secure your knot afterwards
- a keyring

now, how to make the knot

one - fold the rope in half and slip on the keyring.
lay the rope on the table folded at about 1/3 it's length.

two - bring the ends over, leaving a couple inch wide opening.

three - bring the ends under the keyring section, tightly hugging the rope.

four - bring the ends over the overlapping part.

five - tuck the ends through the hole and under the first loop.
pull and adjust the loops to make your knot nice and tight and pretty, and you're done!
if you feel your knot is a little flimsy, use a little bit of glue in between the loops to secure the knot.

now you have a fancy looking little keychain for your pirate loving, sailor man dad!
and it only took a couple minutes,
so you can spend all that extra time writing him a mushy heartfelt card ;]
three cheers for crafts for dads!