Baby Name Frame

Although I know I’m late to the party, I’ve finally discovered the absolute awesomeness of Pinterest. To give myself a little credit, I have known about it for a while and was introduced to it months ago; it’s just taken me way too long to “find the time” to sign up and get to work with my pins.

Now that I’m in the cool club, I’ve started getting all sorts of new inspiration for projects, recipes and just general “why didn’t I think of that?” ideas. I have had an idea of adding the boys’ names to their nursery somehow and had a vague concept of what I wanted to do, but after browsing the pin boards high and low, I came up with this:

I found the frame at a second hand store for 50 cents. I wrapped it with some leftover yarn I had from the project I did with my step son last Christmas (hats for the homeless) using hot glue to attach it to the frame. The background is some scraps of scrapbooking paper I had with calligraphy writing and I used my Cricut to cut out the letters, also using old scrap paper.

I brushed the background paper with some olive green ink from an inkpad and brushed over it with a mix of glue and water after gluing it to the backing for the frame (that little cardboard piece that holds the glass in place). Then I scrubbed the edges of the green shadow letters with the same olive green inkpad and glued the letters on top.

I decided not to use the glass from the frame because I didn’t want it to look like a “picture frame” and also because after wrapping the frame in yarn, it wouldn’t fit anyway. So I used more hot glue to attach the cardboard backing to the frame, then added a small raffia bow under the letters to give it a 3 dimensional look.

As far as how I plan to display this in the nursery, I bought an inexpensive curtain rod at Big Lots for $2. It has tiny little acorns on the ends which matches the Frog and Toad swamp/forest theme of the room. The plan is to hang the curtain rod on the wall and wrap it with raffia, then hang the name frame from it using brown ribbon. To see pictures of the nursery, you can visit my baby blog for even more inspiration!

Yo Yo Necklace

It has been way too long since I’ve posted something new! I now realize what it actually means to be “busy”. And I’m only in the pregnancy stage. I can’t imagine how much worse it’s going to get once these babies actually get here!

Anyway, I have been working like mad on quite a few different projects. One of my latest endeavors is this yo yo necklace I made for my best friend who generously hosted a baby shower for me a couple of weeks ago.

It’s so simple to make! Just follow the tutorial for yo yo’s and sew them together in the desired pattern. I used a chain but you could also use ribbon. The fabric is a black chiffon as I wanted it to be a dressier style. For the center decals, I used glass rhinestones and small glass beads. The glass beads were strung on floral wire (although I wish I would have used the white fabric covered floral wire I used in my fabric flowers instead since they are white and would have matched the beads) and wrapped around a marker for shape, then hot glued around the rhinestones.

The whole project took me a couple of days, but that’s mostly because I was making it up as I went. If I were to do another one, it probably wouldn’t take more than a couple of hours. This necklace is the perfect accent to a low scoop neck or even as an accent piece to a turtleneck. You can use a variety of fabrics to make it more chic or dress it down with a simple cotton fabric for a fun, casual look.

Alphabet Photography

My last post was a family-based photography idea. After looking around on a few of the many websites that offer publishing, I found a really cool idea.

There is a website that actually sells these already, but what a fun project to do yourself! I’m talking about alphabet photography. The idea is to take every day objects and find letters, numbers, symbols etc to build your own masterpiece.

For example:

You get the idea. You can use the letters to spell your family’s last name, children’s names, make gifts for your neighbors and friends, or just use it to make some freakin’ cool art. Get your spouse and/or kids involved, too! Make it a game while travelling: Who can find objects that look like letters? What can you spell with the letters you found? You see? Limitless possibilities.

 I find these pictures to be quite inspiring. It encourages you to look at our ordinary world in an unordinary way and recognize the art and beauty that surrounds us. So get out there, enjoy this beautiful weather and find your own natural alphabet!

Wire Flowers - An Experiment

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my discovery of the coolness of fabric yo-yo’s. After looking around for some new ideas, I found out the company who makes the plastic template I use also makes a myriad of other products for cool looking fabric things such as butterflies, flowers and hearts. They even have a four-leafed clover (apropos, considering that is the name of the company who manufactures the products: Clover).

Anyway, this got me thinking. I had so much fun making my Kusudama Flowers…how can I incorporate the paper flowers with the fabric flowers? I decided to try and make some fabric flower petals and insert some floral wire into the ends giving them a molded look.

I wanted to start by cutting two tear drop shaped pieces of fabric for the petal. Then, I would sew them right sides together with a 1/8” seam allowance leaving the bottom unsewn for turning. After that, I’d take some floral wire and fit it around the inside edges of the petal so it would keep its shape and structure. Once I had 5 of these petals, I would attach them by winding the excess wire in the center, like a “stem”. To complete the look, I’d wrap the wire in floral tape and glue a button or pearl in the center of the flower.

I haven’t actually tried this yet, but I think it will work.

By the way, we’ve had more snow in the last week than we received in the entire month of February. How ridiculous is that? We started spring cleaning last weekend during the middle of one of the snowstorms. It just didn’t feel right.

Sugar & Spice

Don't forget everything nice! That's what little girls are made of. With springtime inevitably around the corner, I was inspired to make some little girl twirly dresses. I found a pattern I liked online and got to work. There were a few things I didn't like about the pattern so I took it upon myself to, um, change them. I must say, I'm thrilled with the result! I love these little girl dresses.

 

 These are available in our store if you love them, too. Or, if you want to make your own, we're now offering pre-cut fabric and instructions if you like the look and want to make them yourself. Because the shoulder straps on these dresses are adjustable, the dress will fit most sizes through size 10.

Have a great weekend!

Yo Yo's

Don't buy me. I will suck the life out of you.

While waiting for my animals to receive their annual shots, I decided to visit the craft store. My daughter has taken an interest in crafting - sewing in particular - as of late, so I decided to help that seed grow. I found a simple sewing machine which I thought would be great for a beginner. Not too many bells and whistles, just the basics.

This thing made me want to whip out the old needle and thread, hand sew what we were working on, then climb to the top of a 30 story building, throw this "sewing machine" over the edge and watch it plummet to its death. We spent more time re-threading this thing than we actually did sewing. You can't even use normal thread with it. You have to buy special small spools with poor-quality thread. It is the worst possible investment ever! Maybe I just got a lemon, but if you are considering purchasing the purple Pixie machine (made by Singer), save yourself the $40 and pay someone to make your project instead.

Adorable yo yo's!

Anyway, now that I've done my consumer report, I wanted to tell you about a fabulous new discovery I made over the weekend. I learned about Yo Yo's!

I know, they've been around forever and I can't believe I'm just now hearing about them, but these things are capital-A dorable. My daughter and I made some simple children-sized aprons and attached some of these little delights. They make a world of difference to the overall appearance and detail. They're also easy to make while sitting around. I bought a couple of plastic yo yo makers at the craft store. I think this is probably the easiest way to make them, but I also found some instructions on how to make them without the plastic forms (see below).

Contributed by ehow.com

INSTRUCTIONS

Things You'll Need:

Circle Template

Pencil

Scissors

Small scraps of fabric

Needle

Strong sewing or quilting thread

Gather your supplies. If you are working on a specific project you might want to coordinate your fabrics. I like to sew a bunch of these up while watching NCIS or Burn Notice so I just grab whatever fabric scraps I have, whip up the yo-yos and pop them in a storage container for a "rainy day".

Trace around your circle template on the "wrong" side of your fabric. Remember that this circle will be come quite a bit smaller when you make it into a yo-yo. If you want a specific size keep these measurements in mind:

1 1/2" circle makes a 3/4" finished yo-yo

2" circle makes a 1" finished yo-yo

3" circle makes a 1 1/2" finished yo-yo

Following the line you've drawn with your template, cute out the fabric circles.

Thread your needle and tie a knot at the end of the thread. With the "wrong" side of the fabric facing up, turn over 1/4" of fabric toward the center. Push your needle up the the wrong side of this little bit of turned fabric so the knot is in the fold.

Work a running stitch around the circle turning the fabric over 1/4" as you go. Try to make your stitches about 1/4" apart. Any smaller and the hole of the yo-yo will be too big.

Sew all the way around the circle until you come back to where you started. The yo-yo will starts to curl up a bit.

Hold the fabric circle at the knotted end of your thread and pull the needle firmly to gather up the stitches. Your flat circle will bunch up and become a 3D yo-yo. Take a couple little stitches where the thread comes out to secure your yo-yo in place.

Once you make a fabric yo-yo and see how simple it is to whip up a bunch you'll look at your scrap fabrics in a whole new way. Glue them to a hair clip or barrette, cover a pillow, layer different colors and sizes and make into a pin; the possibilities are endless!

Some Organization is in Order!

Brag Board

This idea comes from Lindy in Utah. I love this!

"This is my project from today and yesterday.

I just cut boards to size of a hallway or space...I made it easier and bought ones that were already painted white. Then I screwed them to the studs in the wall...then mod podged (is that a word?) polka dot scrapbook paper onto the face of them.

I pulled apart wooden clothespins, painted them,  reassembled them then glued them on.

Now all my daughter's paintings and things she brings home from nursery don't have to live on my fridge - and she feels special to have her very own art exhibit."

Hair Clip Organizer

Here is another clever idea from Lindy. If you have little girls, you undoubtedly have a drawer full of clips, bows and other hair accessories. Lindy came up with a clever idea to organize all of her items. The hanger on the left has different colored ribbons with corresponding colored hair accessories clipped on. If you know how to macrame, you can cover your hanger with whatever color you want. Then just loop the ribbon pieces and attach your accessories.

The second item in the picture was inspired by the recent Disney movie, Tangled. The movie is about Rapunzel who is known for her long blond hair. This braided yellow yarn is tied off at each end with a ribbon and holds her hair clips with ease.

I love this idea because it encourages young children to want to be neat and organized. Rather than nagging your child to put something away, you can make it fun with simple ideas like this.

Current Events

According to Google, today is (or would have been) Thomas Edison's 164th birthday. I love electricity! It's one of those things you don't know you rely on so immensely until it's not there.



For example, one night I tucked myself snugly into bed anxiously awaiting the next morning. I checked my alarm clock and drifted to sleep. I woke up the next day puzzled by the fact that the sun had risen 2 hours earlier than it normally did. Still groggy from my slumber, I rolled over to check the time. A black screen stared back at me. I suddenly realized my alarm must not have gone off and jumped out of bed. I unplugged my cell phone from its charger only to discover it was not responding to my forceful thumb pressing on its buttons. Not only did I have no idea what time it was, I had no power! I frantically ran around my house looking at all the usual places to find out the time. The microwave: Obviously not. The stove: No power there. The guide on my TV: Mmmm, nope. Now I was stuck wondering what time it was and with no way to contact my work. Who has a land line anymore, anyway?

I started biting my lower lip wondering what I should do. I wasn't even sure if my shower would turn on without electricity. "I'll call the power company and find out what's going on," I thought. Oh, right. My phone is dead. That made me think the power must have been out for quite a few hours. Being without electricity had completely thrown me for a loop. How do I function? Will the toilets flush? Will I have to replace all the food in my fridge? How will I do my hair?

I decided I would try the shower. Ah, apparently plumping and electricity are not completely reliant on each other. I hurried and washed my hair, hoping the water would stay warm long enough for me to finish rinsing. I jumped out of the shower and felt around in the dark for my towel.

After getting dressed, I looked down at my feet and noticed my socks. One black, one brown. I pulled my sock drawer out of the dresser so I could look at them in the sunlight beaming into my bedroom.

Speak no, hear no, see no electricity.

I quickly threw my hair up on a haphazard bun and grabbed my make up bag. I got in my car and applied my make up using the two-inch mirror from the sun visor on the passenger side. At this point, I realized I had forgotten my phone. But, halfway up the steps, I remembered it didn't matter because it was useless anyway.

I got back in the car and drove the 18.7 miles to my work. I thought it odd no one else was in the parking lot. Then I remembered: It was SATURDAY!!! I could not believe it. But, I was at least able to check the time on my car clock.

See? Electricity it awesome. My life is a mess even with it; I couldn't imagine what other chaos would come my way without it.

If you would like to show your kids how electricity works and talk about some cool brainy stuff, visit this link for a cool how-to. Have a great weekend everybody and stop by Monday morning when we announce the winner of our Valentine Contest!

Kusudama Flowers

Kusudama Flowers
 I've always loved the art of origami. My step daughter and I decided to make some paper flowers for her mom last Mother's Day so she could keep them forever instead of having them die. It would also be something pretty to show off instead of a card that would eventually end up in a drawer.
After googling high and low, we found this site. Emilee and I worked on the Kusudama Flowers. We made a bouquet for her mom and a Kusudama Ball for her grandma.

These are so fun to make! Our fingers were pretty sore after making 36 flowers, but the end result was definitely worth it. We used a pop can as the vase and prettied it up with some transparent paper.

Heart String Craft

Heart String

Transform cardboard tubes into love tokens, then display them as a mantel garland or door decoration.

Materials

Cardboard tube
Paintbrush and red paint
Pushpin
Needle
Embroidery thred
Beads (with holes large enough for the needle to pass through

Instructions

1. Cut the tube in half and brush the halves inside and out with red paint. Let them dry.

2. Flatten the halves, then cut them into one-inch segments. Shape each segment into a heart by pushing one creased side toward the center. Pierce holes in the top and bottom of each heart with a pushpin.

3. Thread the needle and knot the end. Slide on a bead until it stops at the knotted end, then loop back and push the needle through the bead again, going from bottom to top.

4. Thread on a heart, then add a bead just above it, using the same looping technique to secure it in place. Repeat to create a string of hearts and beads.