Tissue paper vase / Valentine's Day Project

The other day my good friend told me about an awesome site, craftgawker.com. It's like Pinterest, but is focused just on cool diy crafts and awesome tutorials.

I found this tutorial there for a cute vase for Valentine's Day, wouldn't it make a fun gift with some coffee filter flowers?

Unfortunately, it seems like when I get a fun idea for crafting with the kids, they get creative and it ends up looking nothing like the example. But hey, little Miss M. loved it, so that's all that's important, right?

I used an old green olive oil bottle, which we covered with pieces of pink tissue paper and modge podge. We put some pink hearts on there too, but you can't really see them....because of all the glitter! I just wanted to do a little sprinkling of glitter, but it came out a little fast for Miss M., so we just went with it. :)

And, I was able to make some more of my favorite household accessory: glitter clothespins! They make fun bag clips and add a little sparkle to the kitchen. The key to making the best glitter clothespins, in my opinion, is to invest in some ultra fine glitter, and not use the larger flaked stuff you can usually find for cheap. (I used a coupon for my fine glitter at Michael's.) These also make fun gift tag clips too!

Here are some pics! Happy Crafting!

~ patricia

Short Skirt re-do

My little Miss G. isn't so little anymore. In fact, my kindergartner is getting tall! Which of course means that the skirts that she loves to wear everyday are getting short!

I thought I'd try and fix this by lengthening her skirt, and what do you know, it worked!! As you can see in the photo of the all black skirt, I had to cut a few of the top layers off, then I added a strip of pinkish knit to it.

I made some basting stiches to help create the ruffle, and finished it off with using some glittery thread in my serger. It made a fun lettuce edge and best of all, it twirls beautifully!! At first Miss G. wasn't sure if she liked it, but the twirling is what made her love it (she wanted to wear it to bed!).

Success!!

~ patricia

Felt flower heart

After making a cool wreath for Christmas, I found this awesome tutorial for one for Valentine's Day.

It took a few nights to make; there was a lot of felt to cut! Thankfully, I had some left over from a poodle skirt I made for Halloween a few years back, so the overall cost was minimal.  In addition to the big heart wreath, I made a smaller one using straight strips to make the flowers instead of cutting circles.

They both turned out great and are fun additions to our decor!

Update to the Polka dot circle skirt

Awhile back I showed you all the black and white polka dot circle skirt that I was working on...and I love, love, love how it turned out! I just wanted to update that I figured out the best way to finish it off, and I wanted to share it with you today!

Drum roll please........Serging! More specifically, purple serging. That's right, a little shiny purple thread in the serger brings this skirt up a notch (as if the awesome, twirly, polka-dottiness doesn't brighten your day already?).

Want to make one (or two) of your own? They are so easy! Follow Dana's instructions from Dana-made-it, here. She did an awesome job of laying everything out, step by step.  I used 3 in black elastic for the top. The fabric is a satiny polyester (or something) that I found at Joann's.  I also got the fabric in a pink polka dots for my girls.

Make a few and get spinning!

I used 3 in. black elastic for the waistband. 

A shiny purple thread in the serger finished it off nicely!

Taste test!

This morning we tried a taste test: non-organic (Astin Farms, on left) vs. organic strawberries (Driscoll's, on right). I picked both up at Super Target last night. Today is a school holiday, so a little lesson on the differences between the two was in order.

The non-organic ones were a deeper red and tasted good. The non-organic ones were much lighter in color and firmer. I left some cut-up ones on the counter for a bit and was surprised that the organic ones were firmer, although this could have just been due to the batch that I bought. The organic strawberries had a more complex flavor, a little more earthy.

The final verdict? My 5 year old liked both of them! She didn't pick one over the other. Based on flavor, I'd probably have to pick the organic. It was interesting how they tasted different but both were good.

DIY Custom Tablecloth Tutorial

Think making a custom tablecloth is hard? It's not!  Let me show you how!

DIY Custom Tablecloth Tutorial

Materials needed:

• Table you wish to cover
• Tablecloth OR Fabric to cover (see TIPS)
• Marker
• 1/4in braided elastic
• Sewing Machine
• Thread
• Scissor

TIPS: 

• Make sure that the tablecloth/material is large enough to cover the table and extends at least 5 inches outward
• A table with legs that are not flush with the edges works best
• I used a cheap flannel-backed tablecloth that I bought on clearance, but any fabric would work, maybe something from the outdoor section at the fabric store
• I used 1/4 in braided elastic, but anything similar would work fine, thin elastic is the key

Let's get started! 

Step 1: Lay the tablecloth upside-down on the table you wish to cover.

Step 2: Trace the edge of the table on your tablecloth

Step 3: Using a sewing machine, sew the elastic approx. 5-6 inches from the line you traced.
This may change, depending on the depth of your table, but the idea is that you're creating a pocket for the table.
Be sure to stretch out the elastic as you sew.
Note: It'll be under the table, so it doesn't have to be perfect! 

Step 4. Cut of the excess tablecloth, about 1-2 inches from your sewn elastic.
Again, this will be under the table, so it doesn't have to be perfect. 

Step 5: Put on your table and enjoy! 

And there you have it!  An easy, fun way to dress-up your table for the holidays, birthdays, whatever your celebration might be!  And once you're done with it (or your kids have poked holes in it and spilled nail polish all over it), you can just toss it and start again. 

Happy sewing!

~Patricia~

Countdown to Christmas!

Christmas is coming,

 the goose is getting fat

Please to put a penny in the old man's hat

If you haven't got a penny, a haypenny will do

If you haven't got a haypenny, then God bless you!

Anyone else remember this song? I remember singing it in elementary school, for our school "winter" program. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year, not only for the music, but for the fun of giving (and sometimes getting too!) gifts. This year I wanted to make an Advent Calendar for my girls to help them count down the days. My oldest is also helping me make the "pockets," and she is loving it! 

I bought some glittery green felt, folded it in half
and cut out a Christmas tree.
It's about 35"wide by 60" tall.

We decorated "pockets" for the days out of felt and hot-glued them on. Halfway done!

Add a little treat or message inside the pocket!

I wish I could say that this amazing tree Advent Calendar was my idea, or that I even found it on Pinterest, but alas, it was from Pottery Barn. :)  For some reason, they started sending me their catalogs, and I'm hooked!! It apparently was a very popular item because I can't find it online anymore, so I'm glad I ripped it out of the catalog when I did.  Sorta how we used to get ideas for things before the internet, huh? 

It's still a work in progress, stay tuned for the finished tree, Happy Holidays!