Trays, Wreaths and Trees

The kids and I have been busy this week going through my sewing/craft supplies to see what we could make and what we would need for certain projects. Needless to say, all my organization from the previous week is out the window so it will have to be done again. I still have the organization tools (as far as the drawers and space) but now need to go back in and sort to clean up. It's crazy what one week will do to your wonderfully clean and oh-so-organized space.
But, we did manage to get some projects finished....
Chalkboard Silver Tray
I saw this silver tray with chalkboard paint on Pinterest and thought it looked pretty darn easy...it was. When the little ones and I were at Dollar Tree to pick up some wrapping paper for a birthday present, I grabbed a round silver tray too. I'm guessing the one I saw (for $35) used a much nicer tray than one from the dollar store and it is magnetic...maybe that is the reason for the price tag. For my purposes, my $1 tray will work just fine though. Here is my finished project:

Ribbon Christmas Tree Shirt
I will admit...mine is not as pretty as the one on Pinterest that inspired me...my ribbons are too far apart I think. However, I still think it is cute and will put it on Norah this December. Basically, you loop the ribbon and sew it on in a tree-like pattern. My tree is more like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree though. I like to think of it as character for the tree. I will try to do it again since I think I know where my flaw is. (Yes, I know I could just rip the seams and re-sew...but I don't like to rip seams...laziness. I'll just recreate it!)

Crayon Wreath
This did not work for me. It was HUGE! I used 336 crayons (14 boxes of 24). Luckily they are only $0.50 a box with the back to school prices. Thankfully, I have more crayon art projects in line so can use them on those projects. Okay, so I used hot glue to attach all the crayons together. I glued and glued and glued and then glued some more. I think I glued them too close together because the arch was so big and I had to keep adding crayons to form a circle. But I kept going. I tout perseverance to Norah and Owens so what kind of mother would I be without following my own advice??? I tied the ribbon (knowing there was no way this thing would hang in one piece) and made the chalkboard (which I actually like and will use on something else). Even for me to make this massive one, it did not take much time. The cost is rather minimal since crayons are not that expensive. I might try this again and work on my method...or I may just say "oh well". I will need to look closer at the photo to see how the spacing should be. We'll see what other projects I get sidetracked with before I attempt this one again. Norah and Owens thought it was fun to watch it crack and fall apart as I lifted it off the table. To see a crayon wreath that will stay together and look nice, please click here. (I really like the apple detail on her wreath too...perfect for a teacher.) After looking at hers, if you know where I went wrong, feel free to let me know.

Sew Many Projects...Sew Little Time

Happy Friday! It has been raining here off and on this past week so has been a nice week for crafting...once everyone was feeling better. At the beginning of the week, both little ones had a virus so extra cuddle time was needed.

However, I did FINALLY organize my sewing/crafting space (a section of the dining room/parlor). It was slipping into crazy chaos!

Halloween Door Hangers
We used cardstock and Halloween die-cuts to make some door hangers. They turned out really cute and the kids had fun deciding which die-cuts to use to make the Halloween scenes. They are super easy...measure your door knob and use a whole punch slightly larger to cut a hole in the top center of the rectangle you cut from the cardstock. Then just decorate as you want. We made quite a few but will just show a couple photos. You could also use fun scissors on the edges to add even more flare.

Fit for a Princess and Her Unicorn
Once Norah was feeling better, she wanted to work on her foam princess castle. (We purchased this from Michael's when it was 70% off so only $2.69.) Norah loves all things princess so, of course, her eagle eyes spotted this immediately when I was looking for ribbon for another project. We set to work with Norah picking out the parts she wanted to do (the princess, unicorn and decorating with flowers) and me building the main structure. Here is what it turned out to be:

I think it lasted for about three hours before Owens spotted it and began taking it apart. Since Wednesday, I think it has been constructed (and deconstructed) about five times.

"BOO" Sign
I pinned this project on Pinterest. Amy's tutorial is super easy to follow. I made smaller signs since I want to hang one in a smaller space. There are so many different letter sizes out there you really could make this as large or small as you wish to fit any space. I don't have a Sizzix machine so just bought some cute ghost stickers to attach to the letters for embellishment. Here are my signs (one for me and one for each of my sisters). I think they turned out pretty cute.

Covered Clipboard
I will admit...I have never really used clipboards before. However, I saw this tutorial and pinned it because I thought it was cute. I must say, since completing this project I have been using it! Clipboards are quite handy...who knew?!? Angie does a great job of taking you step-by-step through the process. My clipboard is not as jazzed up as hers...she has some great ones on there to inspire you. Mine is functional and cute for me though. I could see how these would make nice Christmas presents so might add some in this year.

Star Wars Coordinating Outfits
Okay, so I did not make these outfits this week. I actually made them in April. However, Norah and Owens surprised me on Wednesday by getting themselves dressed. They coordinated their outfits too! The fabric is some Star Wars comic-book fabric I spotted in Joann earlier this year and bought some not knowing what I would make from it. Santa brought Owens some mini Star Wars characters last year so both little ones now love Star Wars, which is why I bought the fabric when I saw it. After holding onto it for a couple months, I made a pillowcase dress for Norah and a pair of shorts for Owens...complete with double Darths on his bum. (The Darth Vader shirt on O is from Target.)

Too Cute to Spook Ghosts
K'Brina designed these adorable ghosts and they are SOOOO CUTE! I first tried making these out of felt as she does. I made their top of head designs to narrow and could not turn them rightside out...design flaw. I then used white broadcloth (because I had this already and did not want to go buy more felt). I now had ghosts and set to work on the bases. The dowel rods were easy enough. When I picked up the saw to cut the dowel rod at Home Depot, Norah asked me if I was allowed to use that. After sawing the rod into my three sections, Norah and Owens both wanted to try the saw...that was a big NO. I then purchased my bases and went home to drill. The decorative bases I bought were cute (and the least expensive ones) but not the easiest to drill into so I had to flip them over and drill the bottom square. Once everything was done...they turned out adorable!!! I cannot wait to put them out in October for Halloween!!! Thanks for such a cute decoration K'Brina!

Crayon and Coloring Book Artfolio
I have seen these in various places and thought they were cute for on-the-go coloring. (If you scroll down in the link, you will see Gingercake's pattern and design). The link from Amy takes you to Gingercake's pattern to purchase, which I did not want to do. I wanted a tutorial so started searching the Internet and found one here. As with most of the other blogs I've followed so far, Lindsay's is easy to follow. Using fabric I already had, I made one in pink. It did not take long at all and I now have another gift option for the little ones out there. I am going to modify it a bit to fit Color Wonder mini markers, books and blank pages as I like to use these on-the-go. (There is no color to make a mess and nothing to melt if left in the hot car.)

Bohemian Tutu
My last project completed so far this week is the Bohemian Tutu found here. We have a friend's 1st birthday party this weekend so I thought this would be super cute on her. Again, straight-forward and easy directions on the tutorial. I did cut the bottom of my scraps at a 45 degree angle to give that extra umph. I used three different fabrics and repeated the pattern. I do like how, in the first tutorial photo, she uses a bunch of coordinating fabrics. Since this was SO SO SO easy, I might make another one and try to use all sorts of colors and patterns. But, below is my version for Leela's birthday present. Yes, that is Owens modeling the tutu...it was more his size than Norah's. :0) I hope Leela likes her tutu!!

Some of the projects I listed to make this week we didn't do. I will add them to the list for the upcoming week and maybe they will get done. I still want to make the hanging fabric tent so will keep that on my list. There is so much inspiration on Pinterest that my "want to make now" list keeps changing! I have been sewing like crazy for my etsy shop too so now need to upload all those listings so I can get back to my Pinterest projects (what a guilty pleasure!).

Child Handprint Jack-o-Lantern {tutorial}

I liked the footprint ghosts so much that I decided to use my children's handprints to make jack-o-lanterns on smaller canvases to hang on their bedroom doors.

Materials:

4" x 4" white canvas for each child
   * These were BOGO 1/2 off this week at Michaels and sell for $2.99 each.
orange, green, brown and black paint
   * I used Craftsmart from Michaels. It is $0.59 per small bottle but was on sale this week for $0.29/bottle.
Ribbon for hanging
   * I used a small spool of orange with white polka dots that was $1 from Joann.
Paintbrushes and sponges
Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
Wet wipes
   * I have to wipe hands BEFORE going to the sink to wash so paint does not end up along the trail from kitchen table to bathroom sink.
Paper plate and paper towels

To put the pumpkin on the canvas, you may either have the child put his/her hand directly into a blob of paint on a paper plate or use a sponge to paint it on. I opted for the sponge to try to contain the paint a bit.

Depending on how 'helpful' your child is, you may either have them roll their hand (wrist end to finger end) on the canvas to make sure the center of the palm gets on the canvas so your pumpkin has "insides" or you may bring the canvas to the child's hand. (I opted for the second method because it was just easier than trying to explain what I wanted my kids to do.)

Next up, making the leaf and stem. To make the leaf, I put a dab of green paint on the paper plate and had each of my kids put their thumb in it and them press it on the canvas with the smaller portion of their thumb (the tip and not the knuckle) facing toward the pumpkin.

Use your brown paint and a paintbrush to paint the pumpkin's stem next to the leaf. Let everything dry (should not take too long). Use your black paint and a paintbrush to add a face to your jack-o-lantern. If you prefer, you may also leave it as a pumpkin. Without the faces, my pumpkins looked sort of like orange apples so I opted to add the face. I used orange paint to write each of their names (as they requested this). Let everything dry.

Almost done...just need to add the ribbon for hanging. I cut off a length of ribbon 7 inches long and used my hot glue gun to glue the ends of the ribbon. Space the ribbon on the back based on how you want it to hang and what works best with the ribbon you choose.

Okay, you're done! You now have a jack-o-lantern (or pumkin) made from your little one's palm and thumb/finger.

Pinterest Success!

Okay, so one of the things I wanted to do with this blog was show my successes and failures from my pinterest pins. Here goes with some of my recent ones...you decide if they were a success or fail. (So far I've been happy with the turnout so I'm counting them in the success column.)

First up, felt pom poms. I only have photos of the second ones I did...the first ones did not hold their shape so got tossed (after they were ratty from playtime with kids). For the "success" pom poms, I used a bowl that was slightly less than 5 inches in diameter. Anything larger and the pom poms seem to be floppy and just look sad. The tutorial from Stephanie is great and super easy to follow!

Next up...the family name banner from Michaels. I could not find the ArtMinds square plaques they used. (Admittedly I did not look for more than two seconds either.) I did find $1 wooden frames that I used and painted. They are thicker so I guess it is just up to your preference. I do not think they take away from the lettering but others might. I also used only one sheet of srapbook paper (for convenience really...I already had the sheet and did not want to buy more sheets for only one small square). I bought a pack of wooden letters from Joann craft store ($3.99 for 36 letters and used a 40% off coupon). It took about ten minutes to make (minus paint drying time). It was super easy so I made another one with different colors for my sister, Leslie (don't have a photo of that one).

Footprint Ghosts on Canvas
I saw the idea on Miner Moments. It's as easy as it looks! You can buy black canvas so one step (painting a white canvas black) can be omitted. It turned out super cute and Norah and Owens had a blast making it too!

Handprint/Footprint flag on canvas
Somewhere on Pinterest someone made a huge American flag on canvas with their childrens' handprints and footprints. I did not pin it and cannot find it now (of course!). I do not have space to store a large canvas when not in use so I used felt! I can fold (or roll) it up and store it rather small in my holiday bin with other Fourth of July decorations.

I cut out a large rectangle out of white felt. It can be any size you want. Mine was 37 inches by 26 inches. (You can purchase felt by the yard at Joann for $4.99/yard.) Next cut a blue rectangle...again, any size you want that correlates to your white rectangle but mine was 18.5 inches by 13.5 inches). I used a hot glue gun to attach the blue rectangle to the white rectangle in the upper left corner. I then poured a bunch of white paint and red paint onto a paper plate. I used my son's hands as he is younger (and they are smaller) for the white stars on the blue rectangle. I used my daughter's feet (yep, she is older and they are bigger) in the red paint for the red stripes on the white part. Obviously my flag does not have 50 stars or 13 rows of stripes. But it looks really cute and is a nice way to celebrate the Fourth. To hang, I used my hot glue gun to attach white grossgrain ribbon to the top back with enough on the sides for hanging. It was fun to make but SUPER messy! We had paint everywhere...on the floor, clothes, other body parts, etc. as we tried to position hands and feet on the "flag".

Emmaline maxi dress from Violette Field Threads
This dress is FABULOUS!!! There was a slight learning curve on the first one I made but then made four more since I was having so much fun. I love that you can mix and match the number of ruffles and the fabrics...makes for a fun dress. Below is Norah in her version. (I'm selling my other versions on etsy and should have them listed in the next few days once I get photos of them.)

Alright, next up on my checklist are the following:

Too Cute to Spook Ghosts
Bohemian Tutu
Kids Play Tent
melted crayon art (We did one already in February but are doing another one to see how they turn out differently. I'll post photos of each version.)

I'll post another update once I make these to let you know how they turned out (with photos) and if they were easy or complicated.

Some projects to date

So the kiddos and I have been busy all summer with the normal day-to-day and playdates but also creating. Norah and Owens have spent quite a bit of time drawing, coloring and painting in books, rolls of paper, wooden objects and plaster figurines. We also found $1 suncatchers at Michaels craft store...and they were a HUGE hit in our house! Norah would take her time adding colors and making sure the colors were in just the right spot whereas Owens would dump all the beads onto the baking sheet and pick up piles to "throw" into his suncatchers. It made for a neat mottled effect...and quite the mess. Norah did use Owens' technique on one of her sunflowers...she loved it.

For their Uncle Clayton's birthday, we decided to make him art he could wear. I bought Crayola fabric markers and a gray tee (from Walmart). Then I let Norah and Owens take turns decorating the front with their artwork. (I followed the directions that were on the fabric marker box if you want to try this at home.) It was super easy and they were both so excited about Uncle Clayton wearing their pictures!

The kids and I went to North Carolina for a week to see my parents. It was a nice relaxing break. We missed Daddy but Skyped him so that was pretty neat. Plus, he did puppet shows with toys so Norah and Owens thought that was quite funny! While in NC, my Mom and I saw a really cool wreath tutorial in Better Homes & Gardens (June 2012 issue I believe). My Mom was super nice and made a Fourth of July wreath for me...it looks fantastic!!!

I loved it so much I already created one for Halloween.... (I also made one for each of my sisters. Kelli, Mom and Dad are bringing yours to you when they come in October.)

I have all the supplies for my Christmas wreath so will make it a tutorial in case you can't get your hands on the summer issue of BH&G where I got this from. (It is most likely on their website somewhere too.) Check back later for that tutorial!