Hair Flowers

I spent my morning shopping for a Birthday party my child was attending. As usual, I procrastinated to the last minute because I forgot. I'm good like that. I already had something in mind for the gift but when I got to the store I found out how much they cost and I was thoroughly miffed. Really? Six dollars for a headband? I don't think so. I'll make my own thank you. And so I went home to scrounge for some materials.

Nothing special as usual and all things that I had on hand. I have found that fabric scraps are really useful for small projects. For this project I used a scrap of t-shirt that I had on hand but you can use whatever you would like.

First, cut a strip of fabric about 1.5-2 inches wide and then cut them out into squares.

Depending on how large you want your flower will determine how many squares to cut. For mine I wanted a layered look that would not end up flat so I cut out 5 large squares and 4 smaller squares.

To assemble the petals, fold your square in half diagonally.

Put a dot of glue at the base of the triangle in the center and glue one side down. Repeat on the other side.

  

On the folded straight edge, place glue on one half of the base and then glue it to the other half of the base.

 Repeat this for all of your petals.

 Glue your petals together.

If you want your flower layered but not too thick then don't glue them too close together in the center. I wanted mine a little thicker so I glued mine close together on the bottom layer and the top layer. Glue the top layer petals to the bottom layer and then add embellishments to the center.

Glue the flower to your headband, elastic or clip.

 

That's it. If this inspires you to make your own, please link back to us and share the blog lovin.

Linking up at DebbieDoos

A Creative Princess

Holy sheet it's a skirt! (Petticoat skirt tutorial)

The older I get the more I realize that I have been a tomboy so long that I don't really know quite how to do feminine. I know how to be lady-like and all the etiquette stuff...well, mostly, but looking feminine is another story. I didn't start really wearing makeup until about 3 years ago and I did so only because I started feeling old. Since then I have tried to find a sense of style that suits me and for the most part I am okay. Dresses, however, have eluded me since Jr. High. Because of this, I have resigned myself to wearing skirts. In all my blog-surfing, I have noticed that Shabby Apple and Anthropologie are very popular and I like what I have seen on other people and on the websites. Although, I have a hard time imagining myself in such attire. So with this in mind, I am taking a huge risk-- well, for me it's a risk--in trying this. So you'll have to tell me what you think.

I saw this skirt on someone's site, sorry, I can't remember which, but it gave me inspiration to try to make something out of the ordinary for me. I am very cautious by nature and being such, I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something I couldn't be sure I was going to wear. I know myself, and even if I made it, I might not wear it so I thought, "what can I do?" So, I looked in my closet and found a sheet. It was a lonesome sheet that I had no idea how I ended up with since there was no fitted sheet or pillow cases I figured it didn't matter what I did with it.

This sheet had a decorative trim so I cut that off to use for my top layer.

I measured this top portion and it was about 5 inches wide and folded in half so that is what I am going to repeat for continuity. Set this aside for later.

Take the rest of your flat sheet and measure out your foundation for your skirt. You can either use a favorite skirt as a pattern or just measure to your desired width. If you decide to trace your skirt, make sure you leave extra for seam allowance or you will find out that it doesn't fit. I measured mine and then sewed it together. I didn't make this an A-line skirt, I just cut out a rectangle since it will have an elastic waistband, I had to leave room for my "junk" if you know what I mean.

With the remainder of your sheet measure out 10 inch strips of the sheet the entire width of the sheet. I wanted 4 layers for my skirt so I cut out three strips in addition to my decorative sheet top. Fold in half so you have a 5 inch strip. Press these for a nice crease. Now if your are like me, you need to be careful while doing this. See what I did?

Doesn't this just SCREAM Domestic Diva? Makes you want to hire me doesn't it?

Set your machine to a basting stitch or the longest straight stitch you have and sew the raw edges together. I didn't roll my edges on the ruffles so they are raw and exposed. Pull the top thread to make the the ruffle. I pulled mine and pinned them onto the skirt as I went so that I didn't over ruffle them.

I sewed this on before moving on to the next layer. Leave the open edges until you have sewn most of the ruffle on to the skirt.

Flip this and sew right side to right side. Then finish sewing the ruffle onto the skirt. Repeat these steps with the next two ruffle layers overlapping the previous layer about 1/2 an inch or where you sewed the previous ruffle on. Stage the last ruffle approximately where you want it to be on the skirt and measure the distance from the top of the ruffle to the top edge of the skirt.

Cut out a piece that matches the top of the skirt and add about 1/2" to the height. Sew the top skirt together then sew on the top, decorative ruffle to the edge.

Put this top ruffle layer inside of the skirt right side out and sew it to the wrong side of the skirt.

 Flip out the top ruffle and press the edge of the waistband.

Measure about 1 inch away from the edge and sew a seam parallel to the edge leaving about 2 inches open. Cut a piece of 3/4" elastic to size and thread it through the hole. Sew the elastic together and then enclose it in the waistband by sewing up the 2" hole. And you're done! You can wear this by itself or under another skirt to make it more modest or more fluffy to your taste.

What do you think? Yay? Nay?

If I get really ambitious I might post a picture of me in this but for now, my floor gets to wear it. This project cost me nothing but time. That's the way I like it.

Tell me what you think? I'd love to hear the good and the bad. It only makes you better, right? Umm, please be gentle. If you decide to make this skirt, I'd love to hear about it. Send us a link from your blog and give us some love.

*Edited to add: This skirt was inspired by Alisa Burke


I linked over to Debbiedoos Newbie Party

        

                                               Eve

Lose 16 inches in just 30 minutes...No gimmicks!

Really, no gimmicks involved. You can go from this

to this

in just 30 minutes or less.

I had some time on my hands and you know what they say about "idle hands." Since we began our blog I have noticed that I look at things very different now. No more do I look for "new" things. Lately I've been looking for "new to me" things and it has really changed my perspective on retail. I went shoe shopping the other day, an endeavor I generally greatly enjoy, but to my dismay I found nothing. Oddly enough, I even went to my fave shoe store and found a pair that I mostly liked but then thought to myself, "I can make these." I really cannot make shoes, well, not high heels, but I can re-purpose or rather, revamp a pair that I already own. But that is a post for another day.

So there I was, time on my hands, kids were being good, what more can you ask? So I did what anyone would do. I raided my closet for something to refashion. I had an old sweatshirt which shrunk on me. But of course it shrunk up instead of in. Now, I am not a tall person. In fact my brother says I have height envy and that is why my heels keep getting taller and taller. But really? It go shorter! So, I never wear this sweatshirt out of the house because it is so wide but also so short. Perfect project for a refashion.

I laid it out flat and traced a shirt that fit me better making sure to leave a seam allowance.

We are very sophisticated here using top of the line tools to get the job done right. Ha! No, not really, I used what I had, which happened to be...duh, da, dah....wait for it...sidewalk chalk.

Ground to a point by my gracious children. The great thing about using chalk to trace is you can use any color you need to in order to be able to see it, if you mess up just wipe it off, and it is easily laundered. It also will not hurt clothing if your little helpers happen to try to help while you are away.

I cut my shirt out one layer at a time so I wouldn't mess it up.

After it is cut out,

decide which side you want to be out or if you want it to be reversible. My shirt had some stains on it, probably from cooking so I opted for the inside out look. If you have a serger, serger the edged leaving the sleeves with a raw edge. I do not have a serger so I just straight stitched my shirt fairly close to the edge.

 That's it!

You can add embellishments or even cut off the neckline if you want to. I may revisit this project and add those later. We'll see. The best part of this was it only cost me time. That's just in my price range.

I have plans for what's left of the sleeves from this sweatshirt.

Can you guess what they are?

If you like this project or decide to make it, link back to us and send us some blog love.

         

                                            Eve

Baby gift box tutorial

I am fairly new to the scrapbooking world and I find myself trying to just make do. This box is actually very easy to make and doesn't require any special tools. It does, however, require a fair amount of paper. I doubled the base of my box to make it sturdy enough to handle whatever I decided to put in it and also to cover my seams. I purchased a book of cardstock for $5 so even though it took me about 8 sheets of cardstock to make this, it still cost me less than $2 to make this which is better than a gift bag. Make sure you have enough of the paper you want in advance. I will give you the option for a large box and the medium box in the the instructions. Just follow along with the instructions for the size you need. The dimensions for the large box are 7 1/2" x 10" for the base with a height of 5" not including the hood of the pram. The dimensions for the medium box are 6 1/2" x 5" for the base with a height of 4". Notice that the base of the box is graduated so these measurements will not be the same for the top of the box base. You'll see what I mean.

You will need

cardstock 
a ruler
a compass or a circle cutter
a scoring tool (I used an embossing stylus and a straight edge)
glue (I used a glue stick and a hot glue gun)
scissors
ink or other decorations (optional)
a pipe cleaner
 
Step 1--cutting and scoring


First cut out four rectangles (side a)  that are 12" x 5 1/2" or 8 1/2" 4 1/2" and set aside. Also cut out four rectangles (side b) that are 9 1/2" x 5 1/2" or 7" x 4 1/2". Next cut out two 10" x 7 1/2" or 6 1/2" x 5" pieces (base). You will also need one 12" or 8" diameter circle, two 2" or 1" diameter diameter circles, and one 11 1/2" x 9 1/2" or 8" x 7" piece for the (hood) of the pram. Lastly, you'll need four 1" x 2" tabs for either size.

These are sides a and b respectively. The red lines are scoring and the blue lines are cutting. Please excuse the crude picture.  This part of instruction is for either size of the box. Measure in 1" from the short side and score parallel to the long side. Measure in 1/2" from the opposite end of the short side and score parallel to the long side. On (side a) piece following the line of the 1/2" score not the edge, measure 1" from the short side. Cut off excess.

(Side a) should look something like this. I know they don't look the same size but it is the same side with one folded on the scored edge and one flat. The 1" scored edge is the top and the 1/2" scored edge is the bottom. 

(Side b) is cut and scored similar to (side a) but the cutting is different. Refer to the red/blue or red/black picture if you don't understand what I'm saying. Score the diagonal edge instead of cutting it and about 1/2" or so away from that score, cut off the excess. It should look something like this.

Notice the little corner cut out of the bottom. Now you should have this.

Sorry, this shows (side b) then (side a) respectively cut, scored, and folded.

Next, take your large circle and cut it into 8 pie shaped pieces. If you are going to ink the edges now is the time to do it to all your pieces. The base pieces only need to be inked on one side (two on the front side, two on the back) whereas the hood pieces need to be inked on both.

Step 2--assembly

 Take two (side a) pieces for the outside of the box and two (side b) pieces for the outside and one base piece. Glue them together according to the picture with the tabs glued to the inside.

Glue up the side tabs.

Take the four 1x2 tabs and glue them in the corners of the top of the box.

Take one (side b) piece for the inside and glue it in. You may need to trim it just a bit to fit it inside so try it out first to make sure it fits.

Next take 3 of your pie shaped pieces and overlap them about 1/2". 

I accidently put mine on the wrong side so when you do it, the overlapped pie piece should be at the bottom not the top.  Do this for both sides. You can also glue on the 2" or 1" circles. Next take your inside pieces of (side a) and glue them inside. You may also have to trim these pieces. Add your pipe cleaner handle and then glue on the last (side b) piece. Then glue on the interior base piece. All that is left is to finish the hood.

Take your (hood) piece and glue it on using the hot glue gun. That's it! Fill your box with your gift and leave it open or wrap it in cellophane.

If you decide to make this please send some love our way. Mention our blog, grab a button, tell your friends. Thanks.

                                                                         

          

                                                Eve

Giant Crayons

If you have kids that love to color, then you have tiny bits of crayons that most people just throw away.  I know my kids get new boxes at the beginning of the school year, for birthdays, Easter, Christmas, and at other random times throughout the year. Instead of tossing the crayons that "spontaneously broke by themselves while my child was holding it," I collect these little bits because my kids have a tendency not to want to use them because they are broken. I know my kids are not the only ones that have broken crayons so I contacted my local elementary school. What better place to find broken crayons, right? Turns out that the school was just going to throw these old, broken crayons away so I asked for them and they bagged them up and gave them to me. Now I have a stash of broken crayons that I can use to make more crayons.

The hardest part of this whole project is unwrapping the crayons. For that, I turned to my little helpers. I took a knife and scored the sides of the paper and let the kids sit and peel for a while. We also broke them into pieces that fit into the cups of my tin.  I had this nightmare thought that if the crayon pieces were larger, they might somehow escape to the floor of my oven. That sounds like a mess I would never be able to clean entirely.

We organized them by the colors we wanted them to melt with and put them in an old muffin tin.  I only use this tin for crayons.  If you actually bake with yours then you will want to line them with foil cups.  Ive never done it that way but It seems like paper wouldn't work since the crayons would stick.

When all the unwrapping fun is done and the cups are filled then it's time to pop them in the oven and turn it on.  200 degrees on the center rack. 

Melt them until they are flat on the top and completely blended. Resist the urge to touch the melted, gooey mess. I know, it just calls out to you but if you want pretty crayons, you'll thank me. I tried to poke one of the pieces down when it was almost done to make mine pretty and a few bumps were left on the top.  For my efforts I was rewarded with a dent in my crayon and some brightly colored wax on my finger. All in all it took me about 30 minutes but my kids peeked a few times.  Just start checking after 15 minutes so you don't burn them. 

Now it's time to let them cool and solidify. It's a cold day here so I stuck ours outside to cool.  When they are cool enough just pop them out like an ice cube tray and voila! You have some custom crayons that will be harder for your most ardent destroyer to break.

Just for kicks I put all the brown crayons into my chocolate bar silicone pan.  It almost looks edible.  I might try to feed it to my Hubby later. 

XOXO Mist

Fabric Baby Blocks

I have been slacking as of late and am behind on birthday cards and baby gifts. Cards are easy as Hallmark is my friend but baby gifts are another story. I find it difficult to estimate whether someone will like a handmade gift or if they would prefer store bought. There is nothing I hate more than exhausting my time and efforts on something handmade and gifting it to someone who then gives me "the look." The look that says, "oh, how nice." And not in an excited way, in a "you REALLY SHOULDN'T have" way. That un-approving, judgmental, "I have no idea what I am going to do with this thing" kind of way. For those kinds of instances I would much rather gift someone a little baby outfit or diapers or something to that effect. Every now and again I decide to go out on a limb and "hope." Hope that the recipient will actually be happy that I took the time to make something personal as opposed to buying something "somewhat" personal. It is here that I find myself. I am hoping that the recipient of this gift will like this. This little gem is great in that if the mom isn't appreciative of it, she can at least let the baby play with it. He won't care if there is no label indicating that it came from a brand name. But I think I might have hit the jackpot with this little gem.

Fabric baby blocks are a great gift for someone for whom it is hard to shop. It is so easy to customize this gift to what you like or what you think its intended would like. The fabric choices, prints, applique's, sizes, etc. all can be changed to your liking. I made mine for under $15 but it left me with excess fabric that I could make two more so the $15 was upfront cost and I suppose it actually cost around $5 to make depending upon the cost of your fabric and fill. I love inexpensive gifts and personalizing it only makes it better. This gift can be an heirloom gift for the child, a decoration for the baby's room, or a toy. Here's what you need to get started.

Supplies

Freezer Paper
Iron
Pressing Cloth
Inkjet Printer
Complimentary Fabric (I used five different prints and one plain white)
Plastic Fabric (optional--to be discussed later)
Embellishments (applique's, bells, lace, etc.)
Sewing Machine
Picture(s)

 Decide on the size of your blocks and edit your pictures to that size. I made a 5", 4", and 3" block all with a black and white photo. If you don't intend for the child to play with the block you don't have to use the plastic fabric but make sure you indicate that to the parents. As babies put tend to put things in their mouths I wanted to ensure that one, the ink didn't run and two, that it didn't run into the baby's mouth so I opted for plastic fabric instead of a chemical ink setter. You can encase the entire block in plastic or just the side that is printed. I only did the side that is printed leaving my options open for a textured/tactile block for the baby.  With the exception of the fabric on which you are going to print, cut out your fabric pieces with a 1/4" seam allowance. So for the 5" block cut your fabric out to be a 5.5" square. For the 4" block cut a 4.5" square, and for the 3" block cut a 3.5" square. Through my trial and error I used a 1/2" seam allowance and it left too much excess on the sides and encouraged me to improvise my sizing which is why my block isn't as evenly sized as I would prefer. If you are going to add embellishments this is the time to do it. Add lace or applique's to your liking.

Take the uncut fabric that you are printing on and cut it out to 8.5"x11". If it is for a picture it is best to use plain white fabric but you can also print quotes, songs, the baby's birthday or any kind of script on colored fabric. Just make sure that the fabric isn't too dark. Cut out an 8.5"x11" piece of freezer paper. Freezer paper is not the same as wax paper. Freezer paper has one side that is plain paper and one side that is plastic. Place the wrong side of the fabric to the plastic (shiny) side of the freezer paper. Using a pressing cloth to avoid scorch marks or transference from your iron, press the fabric onto the freezer paper making sure that the edges are well pressed together. This will stiffen the fabric allowing you to print directly onto your fabric using an inkjet printer. You could also use printer ready fabric instead of the freezer paper but I was trying to do this on the cheap. This project has the potential to ruin your printer so either be prepared or do this with a cheap printer. I don't recommend doing this with a really expensive printer. I got my HP Deskjet 1055 on clearance at Target for $14 so I don't feel to bad using it to do this project.

I didn't get any special ink or use any special settings on my printer. I used the regular settings but you may need to adjust for the thickness of your fabric. After trial and error I found it best to tape the forward edge of my fabric, meaning the edge that is going into the printer first, to reduce the chance that the printer would split the paper and fabric bond. My printer prints top side up so when the print job comes out I am looking directly at my finished product. Whichever it is for you, place the fabric side in that direction so for me I placed mine fabric side up. I copied and saved my pictures to a word document and then just printed from there.

 Because of the size of my pictures I couldn't put them all on the same piece of fabric with the appropriate amount of seam allowance so I reused the same freezer paper and ironed it to the next piece of fabric. Once I had all my pieces ready, it was time to sew. If you are using the plastic fabric, start with that side of the block. I found it helpful to trace the outside line of my picture on the back of the fabric. Place the plastic fabric (PF) on the right side of the picture sandwiched between the picture and one fabric panel right sides in. If you want all the blocks to be the same, work each panel at the same time for each of the three blocks to reduce the need to un-stitch. For example, work all the right side panels first for all three blocks before moving on to the next panel. If you are using the PF I don't recommend pinning because it will leave a hole so be careful. That is one of the reasons I only used the PF for the printed sides. I pinned the sides that were not covered in PF.

Assemble your cubes leaving a hole in one side (preferably not a corner) so that you can turn it right side out and stuff it.

If you want to add a bell or rattle inside the block do it while you are stuffing. Close up the block using a ladder stitch and Voila! An easy, personalized baby gift!

I linked up with Debbie at 

This was inspired by Colleen at the Magic bean. Happy Gifting!

                                            

                                                Eve