Lynette's Laughable Life

Well hello there friends!  Because I adore writing, and my life tends to be sort of funny some days, I decided to share my laughs often.  It may be once a week, once a month, or even sometimes once a day if my life gets carried away! So introducing...(dun dun dun)

The first laugh happened a couple weeks ago, and I'm still laughing about it!  I was in a hurry to get to class and knew that I'd be at school til dinner time.  I loaded my crockpot with chicken and some cream soup and started dumping in the spices.  I added the salt, pepper, onion powder, etc.  I grabbed the garlic powder, twisted off the lid, and began to shake.  And then I realized...

That twisting off the lid on THAT container removed the "shaking holes," and the entire BRAND NEW (full) container of garlic powder went tumbling in.

And my crockpot ended up looking like this...

And I laughed hysterically for about 5 minutes straight.

Needless to say, we ate garlic for dinner that night.  And my house smelled like garlic for about a week and a half.  I still haven't dared add garlic to any meal since.

Butterfly Ruffle Shirt

As I was making the ruffly shirt from Disney at Ruffles and Stuff, I decided that it almost looked like a butterfly...and then I realized Ruffle Butterflies would be DARLING.  So here's a tute so you can make the little lady in your life a ruffle butterfly shirt!

You'll need:

1 t-shirt/onesie (I used a 24 months size t-shirt from Walmart)

3 rectangles of 6-7inch X 8 inch knit (multiple colors or 1 color---your choice!)

coordinating thread (I used three different colors because I had three different fabrics)

sewing machine

scissors

About an hour (it took me WAY less than that, and about 3 X's as much time to get the silly tute to post correctly....arrrrggg BLOGGER!) 

:)

Moving right along...

*Depending on the size of your shirt, you can fit more (or less) butterflies.  This tutorial makes it so you can trim your butterflies even after you've sewn them on if their wings are too big!

First, cutout your fabric.  Go to your sewing machine and set it to the longest straight stitch there is.  Make sure the ends of the thread are pretty long before sewing.  Sew close to the edge on one of the 8 inch edges of one rectangle.

To make your ruffle, you'll grab one of the threads and start pulling to allow the material to gather.

That's how it looks while you're in progress.

(sorry the material changed colors...I forgot halfway through I was doing a tute!) 

One you've got it pulled tight, it'll look like this.

Theny you'll trim the material so it looks like a butterfly wing.  You'll make antoehr wing using the same steps.  Then place it on your shirt where you want it and sew the wings onto your shirt.

Remember to change the stitch to a shorter stitch, and don't forget to backstitch!  

Also make sure that you sew pretty close (if not on top of) your "ruffle stitching," so the ruffles don't come undone!

 

Now you've got the butterfly sewn on, and you can add its antennas!  With a zig zag (or any other stitch of your choosing), sew a line forward and back a few times.

Now you've got one complete butterfly!

Repeat the steps for the other butterflies and you've got a ruffle butterfly shirt.

 

 

 

Enjoy!

Too excited to sleep!

 It's finally my spring break, and I am so excited to get crafting and baking/cooking again!  So excited that I couldn't get to sleep last night, and I woke up at 3 all ready to get started.

I have quite the wish-list of things to do this week.  I decided that if I posted my list, I'd really have to be serious about getting it done!

• Read the above book (I've started it and it's getting good!)
• Complete the "One Week to a Cleaner Home," Challenge at Queen of the Castle
• Transform a Pink Long Sleeve Tee into a Ruffly Shirt like Disney at Ruffles and Stuff
• Make these Pizza Rolls from The Girl Who Ate Everything (I did this yesterday, and they are FABULOUS!!!)
• Make these Cookie Dough Truffles from The Girl Who Ate Everything
• Start/Finish a HUGE "Curriculum Binder," for one of my SPED classes 
• Listen to a lot of music from pandora.com (They're fabulous!  You can set up your own playlists depending on the artist/music style you like.)
• Write a few easy reports for school
• Play my Clarinet
• Make a Car Seat Canopy from Buzz About Baby for a friend who's having a girl soon
• Get a Hair Cut! (well, a trim and get my bangs cute again!)
• Make a Birthday Present for my Sister
• Oh, and sometime (probably not this week), I want to make this Baked Ziti from The Girl Who Ate Everything
• Make a red ruffle shirt (we'll see what variation I come up with)
• Fix a shirt I ruined by sewing it together, and refashioning another with it's fabric leftovers.  (Don't worry, I'll show you where I ruined it, it's a great Laugh---with a capital L!)

I know, I know, this is a pretty long list!  If I don't get it all done this week, it's okay.  I have Wednesdays and Fridays that are no-school days, so I can do a bit here and there until school ends.  

Stay tuned, lots to blog about in progress!

TUTORIAL: "Knot" Your Average Necklace

Hello there!  Since I made the Washer Necklace, I've had more inspiration of necklaces with ribbon.  Here's a ribbon necklace with wooden beads, with knots to add color.  I had wanted a pink and brown necklace for a couple years, and finally found the perfect combination.

To make your own, you'll need:

Beads (They can be whatever you want, I used left over wooden ones from this project)

Scissors

Wire (I used 24 gauge from Lowe's)

60 inches Ribbon (give or take a few inches is fabulous!)

lighter

OPTIONAL:  Bead Design Board

 First, take the ends of your ribbon and cut it to taper from skinny to fat, as shown.  Use a lighter to seal the edges so they don't fray on you.

Now we need to make a needle big enough for your ribbon to fit through.  Cut a piece of wire (I didn't even measure it, but I'm guessing about 5-6 inches long).  Take one end to make a loop large enough to fit your ribbon through.  Twist the ends so the loop is attached to the long piece. (See picture to minimize confusion).

Thread your ribbon through your "needle."

 Arrange your beads however you'd like.  

(I used a bead design board to show how on the tutorial, but RARELY use it.  The nice thing about them is that they help you know how long your necklace is before you start stringing.)  

 Now you'll start stringing, starting with the bead(s) in the very MIDDLE.  Make sure you get the middle of the necklace at the middle of your ribbon. (I didn't do this, and had to make a few minor adjustments at the end).

When you'd like, tie a knot to keep the beads from sliding.  I mainly did this for a splash of pink, but it serves many purposes.  You can do it wherever you'd like!  I did one in some places, and three in other places.

Keep stringing and tying knots until you reach the end of one side.  Then thread your ribbon on the other side and follow your pattern on the finished side.

Once your finished, try it on and see how you like it.  I ended up taking several beads off because I wanted more ribbon showing.  Just play with it and get it to be the way you'd like!

There ya have it, your own knotted ribbon necklace!

Let me know if you have any questions, and for sure send me a link if you try it yourself!

I'm linking up with

somedaycrafts.blogspot.com

http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/

Hardware Stores...and Necklaces?!?

On Saturday, I was really bored.  I was blog hopping, and found this idea.  I thought...hmm..."Super cute, and cheap!"  I was off to the hardware store instantly!

My finished project looks like this:

 

Now I have some more ideas up my sleeve involving ribbon!  

I can't wait to have time to make something new!

Here's a tutorial for the necklaces from Blue Cricket Design.  The directions were a bit confusing.  I had to think really hard and ask my husband for help before I figured out the technique.  Once you get it though, you fly through it!  It took me a very short time to finish once I got going.  I may find the time to make up my own tutorial.  Let me know if anybody's interested.

1 ripped shirt + 1 stained shirt =_______

A couple months ago, I unloaded another batch of laundry from the washer and found this...

 

A Sleeve.

From one of my favorite shirts.

  

This was the end result.

After being very mad at my washer, and hiding the shirt in the back of my closet for several weeks, I realized something fabulous!

I had this shirt

That was stained in the back of my closet too, and they were the very same colors!

So, I ripped the already ripped shirt some more,

and made this!

Here's a close up,

Sachiko at Tea Rose Home made a tutorial for a very similar shirt here.  Go check it out and make your own! 

Spread the Word to End the Word!

I'm wearing a shirt that looks similar to this button today.  This day is a very special one!  It's a day where people all around America are spreading the word to end the use of the r-word (retard or retarded).  This word can hurt people's feelings, especially those with an intellectual disability.  Respect others by refraining from using the r-word!

Click the button to find out more!

TUTORIAL: Crayon Purse

For Christmas, I made this for my niece

The "coin purse," is where you'll stash your crayons!

Because I was making it as I went, I really didn't remember how to make it.  I wanted to give it another shot so I can make more in the future.  I decided to go ahead and make a tutorial, so here it is!

 

 

This is the one I'll be making today.  Grab some material scraps and follow along!

You'll need:

2 coordinating fabrics (or just 1 type of fabric---you are the creator and it's up to you!)

2 rectangles of material cut to: 12 inches X 9 inches

1 strip of material cut to: 14 and 1/4 inches X 6 and 1/2 inches

1  ribbon 20 and 1/2 inches long (I used 7/8 inch on one, and a little thinner on the other one)

1 thin ribbon 6-8 inches long (I think, just eyeball it) for the ribbon to attach coin purse to big purse.

Coordinating Thread,

Scissors, sewing machine, and all that jazz

Crayons!

OPTIONAL: 1 piece of chipboard (you can use cereal box), or card stock about 8 and 1/4 inches by 4 and 1/4 inches 

velcro

 

First, take your 12 X 9 pieces, right sides together, and sew them together.  I did as small a seam allowance as I could handle.  If you know you like big seam allowances like I did when I first started sewing, then cut the pieces a tad bigger.  Make sure you leave a hole big enough for you to turn the material!

If you want to add some cardboard to the back of the purse so it doesn't fold when being held by the handle, add some of the chip board or card stock into the middle of your two pieces.  Just do a little less than a third of the size of one of the pieces.  Once you get to the step, you can slide the cardboard up or down to make it work when you finish the purse. 

(This makes little sense, I know.  If you need pictures, comment and I can take some for you.)
 

You'll have the edges sewn together, and you'll turn the material.

Then, I did a stitch all the way around the edges, being careful to tuck in the part you'd left open for turning.

 

  

(another picture to help explain what I'm not great at explaining)

The purse part is now ready.

Now you'll grab your 14 and 1/4 inch X 6 and 1/2 inch piece.

 

Fold it hamburger style to make it look like this, and sew only the edges opposite of the folded end shut. (Soo hard to explain!  Maybe that's why I included a picture!)

 

Once you've got that one side sewn, turn it so the seam is hiding on the inside.

 

Then you'll fold the material again with both folded edges together.  

When you do this, stick the thin ribbon in and sew it into one end of the pocket (leave the other end of the ribbon to attach to your purse)

(I did this the hard way, so there's no picture, but I'd suggest to do it this way!)

(This will make your pocket for the coin purse)

You'll sew all the frayed edges together, as shown.

 

Then,  you'll grab a crayon and stick it in the end of the pocket.  I measured how big the pockets needed to be, and then marked accordingly on the fabric with the same color of crayon.  It was noticeable enough to know where to sew, but not enough to worry about later!

Then sew the rest of your pockets, and you've got your coin purse ready to go.

(sorry no picture of just the coin purse, don't know what I was thinking!)

 

Next, you'll take your purse piece and fold it into thirds.  If you want to add velcro, figure out where you want it, and sew it on.  And if it's crooked like mine, don't stress!  A kid will be using it and won't notice the difference!

 

Then stick the ribbons into the folded edges so you can sew them in when you sew your purse together.  I set the ribbon for the handles at an angle so it doesn't interfere with the top of the purse.

 

Sew those ribbons in and sew the edges to make your purse,

 

And you are almost all done!

 

Cover the velcro seams with a fabric flower (tutorial here), 

 

or a bow 

and you're good to go!

(If anything is confusing, feel free to holler!)