neck tie bibs

While these bibs are not perfect, they are fun nonetheless, don't you think? It almost makes me wish my (big) little guy could wear one.

sew a hot-wheels holder

(based on this pin)

Supplies:

fabric strip, 1 yard x 6 inches

elastic, 1 yard

sewing machine, scissors, thread, etc.

1. Measure the length you'd like the sling to be around your little guy.

2. Sew a strip along the length, wrong sides together. Flip right side out.

3. Pin elastic along length of sling. Sew parallel lines about an inch apart. (You can measure them meticulously or just eyeball it like I did. It works at varying widths because some cars are thinner than others.)

4. Place cars in slots. Watch happy child play! 

*Warning: Can get a little heavy when fully loaded!

forsythia

We moved this past summer to a new house, on the other side of the state. We had no idea what to expect as far as spring flowers. Man, were we pleasantly surprised! Not only are there daffodils, tulips, pretty-pale-pink-flowering trees, and wonderful lilac bushes, but also forsythia! And they were beautiful. Let's face it, the thing that is so sad about spring flowers is that they don't last more than a couple weeks (if you're lucky!). So I decided to make my own ever-blooming forsythia branch.

What you need for this project is:

a dry, empty branch or two

yellow (or pink or white) tissue paper

glue gun

First I cut several circles, about two inches in diameter. They don't have to be exactly circles or exactly two inches or exactly the same. I took two circles at a time, folded or crinkled them, and glued them to the branch. Set the branch in a vase and you can enjoy spring flowers that never die.

natural egg dyes

lavender buds

grass

red onion skins / strong coffee

We used: 

grass - yellow

lavender buds - green/blue

strong coffee - brown

red onion skins - orange

beet juice - pink

At least, that is how the colors were supposed to turn out! This was my first attempt at natural dyes ever, and I'm not sure I did a great job... Once I poured the grass and lavender dyes into the jars, I added a teaspoon of vinegar, at which point they turned clear! (Oops) So I added good old artificial green and blue food coloring to those. The beet juice made the eggs a very cream color, instead of the lovely pink I had imagined. Although once dried, little pink spots appeared. All in all, I could use some more practice, or perhaps advice from professionals. Have you used natural dyes? What is your favorite recipe?

easter garden

Happy Holy Week! We dug up some moss in the back yard to make a quick potted Easter garden just in time for Palm Sunday. It's a great visual reminder of what Easter is all about.

shirt dress tutorial

Repurpose a men's shirt into a little girl's dress!

Alex put an old shirt he wasn't find of anymore on the help center pile, and I thought it might make a good dress for Audrey. So I looked around the Internet for ideas, and ended up doing my own thing:

First, find a dress the size you'll want the dress to be. Eyeball a quarter inch seam allowance, and mark around the dress shape. (No sleeves--those are later!) Now you know what you are working with for the main body of the dress, and also what you can work with for the extras.

My goal was to make this a relatively quick and simple project, so I tried to use mostly finished edges where I could find them.

Right sides together, sew the shoulder seams together, and up both sides of the body. Finish with a zigzag stitch.

Next, zigzag and hem the neck. (I had to go back after finishing the whole dress, to make the neck bigger. So at this point you might want to decide what kind of neck you'd like. I folded it down to make a v, and re-hemmed it.)

To make the bottom ruffle, cut off about an inch-wide strip the length of the entire bottom of the shirt. Stitch a gathering seam at the raw edge, and attach it to the bottom of the dress. Finish with a zigzag stitch.

For the sleeves, cut off the cuffs of the shirt, plus a triangle shape extra for each sleeve. Remember to keep the buttons in the back, and to cut them the same size! Carefully sew them into the armholes, right sides together. This can be tricky because it's so gathered to begin with, and then you have to kind of gather it back in order to fit it. Finish with a zigzag and turn it right -side out.

This is a great project for up cycling! It's an easy way to be creative. And if it doesn't turn out the way you imagined it, you're not out a lot of money or a lot of time. I tried to make it a simple project. Using the already-finished edges really sped up the process. What also kept it easy was keeping the buttons in the front as the actual way to fasten and unfasten the dress. 

I cut another strip to make a bow for the front, and sewed it on by hand. You could easily make it sleeveless if you'd like, or add a cute pocket or two. I've also seen elastic around the waist, or no ruffle on the bottom. If you try one, please take a picture and let me know! I'd love to see what you come up with.

magic milk paint

We tried milk painting! And it was fun! You can SO do this, too. The supplies are probably in your kitchen already. I first found this on Pinterest from Modern Parents Messy Kids.

You'll need:

• plates or plastic lids (with a lip)
• milk (whole or half & half work best)
• food coloring
• dish soap
• tooth picks

Pour enough milk in the lid to cover the bottom. Squeeze 2-3 drops of each color desired.

Dip toothpick in soap, and then start swirling.

It's like the colors are alive. Beautiful!

Then you can get some fresh milk to drink.

diy terrarium

You can build a terrarium in almost any glass container, small or large. It's your own perfect little world in a jar.

First, fill the bottom with some rocks, followed by broken up charcoal, and potting soil.

Next, find some moss or low-growing plant. (We found ours in the back yard.) And add a little friend, if you have one on hand.

Enjoy!

Upkeep: We spritz ours with a water bottle every so often (once a week or two). I also take the top off every once in awhile to breathe a little. I've read that little water droplets on the glass is okay, but murky fog is not. Also, if it starts to smell bad, definitely give it some air.

lovely valentine projects

Valentine's Day is almost here! I made a list of some of my favorite Valentine-related projects that I found this year:

• Crayon Hearts by Martha
• Cupcake toppers by Oh the Lovely Things
• Free printable Valentine cards by One Charming Party
• Giant sucker photo valentines by Design Mom
• Origami Love Boats by Bloomize
• Quick and easy valentine cookie favors by Cute Food for Kids
• Crocheted heart bobby pins by Grateful Prayer Thankful Heart
• Doily Heart Shirt via Craftzine blog

salt dough hearts

We're getting ready for Valentine's Day! This was my first time making salt dough ornaments. It was so much fun! (even though I had to keep convincing the kids that they were not cookies.) I got my recipe here. I thought I would give my letter stamps a try in the dough. I liked how they looked in the dough, but I'm not sure I would do it again, just because the end product (after baking and after painting) was unpredictable. 

fabric-scrap garland

I heart garland, you know. So I made a couple different ones for Christmas. After seeing this on Pinterest, I got out my red and white baker's string, cut up red and green fabric scraps into strips, and started tying them to the string. Easy-peazy:

diy glass ball photo ornaments

I didn't blog much in December. Not that I wasn't crafting like crazy--but because most everything was top secret, as they were Christmas presents. I will try to catch up now that it is January. Hooray for planning for next year!

I thought would be fun to personalize some glass ball ornaments for family members. I found this tutorial, and followed it loosely. I loved the results, and plan to make more for next year. Maybe a whole tree of memories from Christmases past? I think that would be nice.

DIY Glass Ball Photo Ornaments

Materials:

• package of glass ball ornaments
• vellum sheets
• computer & printer
• scissors
• tweezers

Directions:

1. Pick out photos you want to use. Resize them so that about 6 will easily fit on one page.
2. Print the photos on vellum.
3. Cut out the area of the photo you'd like to use. I found that about a 1-1/2" by 2-1/2" square, with rounded corners works best. (It may take a little trial and error to find what size works best for you.
4. Take the hanger off of an ornament. Carefully roll the photo so it's long and skinny, and put it into the ornament.
5. Use tweezers to gently unroll the photo and put it into place inside the glass ball.
6. Replace hanger.

Pinecone wreath

The kids and I gathered some pine cones this fall...

And used our "warm" winter day to decorate a thrift store wreath!