Creations from a Wired Mommy

Oh Christmas Tree

2011-11-30T09:40:00.000-07:00

Wow, okay I have been absent a little too long. Maybe I can catch up on some of my past craft projects later, but right now we are getting ready for Christmas. This year that means a new Christmas tree.

Here is a picture of us decorating our old tree. It was small and skinny (perfect for our tiny little house). Kent and I made most of the ornaments when we were first married. We spent months cutting and painting the wooden stars, mittens, hearts, trees and snowmen. The tree had a real primitive (code for a little rough) look to it. I loved it, but the tree fell apart. The new tree we found (on crazy cheap clearance) had colored lights and when I realized the old ointments wouldn't match, I was pretty sad.

I decided I still wanted a mostly handmade Christmas tree, but I didn't have the time (or lack of children) to make it happen. So, here is our 50/50 tree. It is a fun mix of our keepsake ornaments from years past, store bought (shatter proof) ornaments and homemade ornaments. I wasn't sure it would be cute, but now that it is up, I really like it too.

Here is a pic of the crochet stars I made. With only 3 rounds, they are very simple and quick to make. Here is a link: http://jellywares.blogspot.com/2010/11/jelly-xmas-star-tutorial.html

These little felt birds were the fastest and cheapest ornaments I made. They are made out of stiff felt (about $0.70 a sheet) and you get 12-13 birds per sheet. I added a sequence and bead for eyes on some of the birds, but they look cute without eyes too.

The pattern for this comes from family fun. http://familyfun.go.com/christmas/christmas-ornaments/buildable-bird-674956/

I think the crochet snowflakes were the most fun to make. I made two different styles. http://sarahlondon.wordpress.com/2010/12/19/simple-snowflake/ I made this style out of a sparkly yarn (Christmas always needs a little bit of sparkle).

This snowflake was a little more involved (but not difficult) that the one above, and I think I like it a little more. I followed the instructions at the bottom of the blog post on starching the snowflakes (both patterns). Trust me, it makes a HUGE difference. I put a towel on my ironing board, pinned the points out and sprayed them with starch. http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/crochet-snowflake.html

Lastly, I made the fun twisty garland for the tree. http://www.purlbee.com/twisted-felt-garland-necklace/
I didn't make it out of the real wool felt though, $60 for the project was just too steep.

Overall, I like it. I don't like the hangers I used, and I might add ribbon hangers if I get the energy. I also think I'll continue to add to the tree every year swapping out the store bought baubles for home-made, but this will do for now.

Merry Christmas!

D's favorite Bread Pudding

2011-08-16T22:07:00.001-06:00

Are you craving a big cinnamon, vanilla, gooey, warm, mouthwatering bowl of comfort? Then you will love this. Ooooooh, it is sooo good. D is a bread pudding freak. The kid would eat it exclusively if I let him. So, after many different recipes and attempts, this is my favorite recipe for Bread Pudding.

I know some of you are thinking, "Ewwwww, soggy bread?" I thought so too until I tried it. YUMMM! Honestly, I don't know why I haven't shared it with all of you yet. It is NOT low-cal, but better than many others that call for 2 sticks of butter and heavy cream. It is super easy, and I usually have all the ingredients on hand.

(Don't get too jealous of my 1970's formica countertop. I know you want it too.)

D's Favorite Bread Pudding

1 loaf stale bread (about 8 cups. I usually use french bread, but in the picture above I used leftover homemade bread...can you believe it, LEFTOVER!)

4 cups milk

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1/4 cup (or 4 Tbs./1/2 a stick) butter melted

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

I usually tear the bread up into bite size pieces if I am using a chewer french bread, but for a homemade style bread I cut it into bite sized cubes. I then dump the big pile of bread into my large bowl and let them dry out just a bit. NOT until it is hard, just a little dry to the touch. Drying it out is not a necessary step, but I think it helps the bread soak up more of the milk/egg mixture.

Next, mix all the remaining ingredients. I just use my 8 cup mixing bowl. No need to use extra dishes :)

Pour the mils/egg mixture over the bread and gently mix making sure each piece of bread is coated. Let it sit about 3 min.

While the bread is soaking, butter a 9x13" baking dish. Are you wondering when you turn on the oven? Almost..... Pour the soggy bread into the baking dish and put it in a COLD OVEN. That's right, DON'T preheat the oven. After you get the pudding in the oven, turn it to 350 and bake it for 1 hour.

There are very few things that smell better than bread pudding baking. Warm vanilla, cinnamon, bread....Mmmmmm. (Good thing I have a bowl right now or I might get a craving)

Now, you can stop there and eat it as is.... but why not guild the lily.

Caramel Sauce:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 brown sugar

2 Tbs. flour

1 cup heavy cream

Bring to a boil and add

1/4 cup butter (the other half of the stick you used for the bread pudding)

2 tsp. vanilla

Serve warm over bread pudding.

Oh, it takes good to over the top.

How about 1 more picture?

Now wipe the drool off the keyboard and go make some!

For my 3 Super Heroes

2011-06-29T14:58:00.000-06:00

I decided my 3 guys needed Captain America shirts for the upcoming 4th of July. I used freezer paper as a stencil. There are lots of great tutorials out there on using freezer paper as a stencil, but here is one I like from I am Momma-Hear me roar.

Simple concept. You cut out the design you want. You pull-out the part of the image you want painted (usually the positive of the image, leaving the negative). You then iron the freezer paper on your shirt shinny side down (again using the negative part of the stencil). The little bit of wax on the freezer paper seals the stencil to the shirt and prevents the paint from leaking through (usually) keeping your lines nice and clean.

It is really pretty fun to do. I use my Silhouette Machine to cut my freezer paper out (so I can get a very detailed stencil) but you can also use any image and an exacto knife. It is a really fun way to personalize clothing.

After the stencil is ironed on securely, you just paint (inside the stencil) with fabric paint until your image looks good. Because this shirt was a darker color, it took 3 coats of red paint to get mine looking right.

I think my little heroes (and my big hero) will look extra festive this 4th.

And just incase you were wondering, I will not be matching K for Independence Day. I don't think I could rock the Betsy Ross Skirt like she can.

Happy Crafting!

Simple skirts

2011-06-28T21:50:00.000-06:00

I taught a small class tonight on simple skirts. These little cuties are quick, easy and very satisfying to make.

The first one I showed was a simple tiered skirt.

I found the pattern at http://www.chicaandjo.com/2009/05/28/sew-a-tiered-ruffled-skirt/. On their tutorial they have a handy little skirt measurement calculation tool. You type in your waist measurement, length and how many tiers you want and presto, you have all the measurements you need for this cute little skirt.

She does fantastic job with the rest of the tutorial, so I would just follow her. However, there is another easy way to make this skirt, especially if you want more fullness.

Take your waist measurement (for K that was 20") and multiply it by 1.5 (that = 30). You then multiply each consecutive tier by 1.5. ( So, tier 2= 45; tier 3=67.5...etc) That is how you determine the width of each tier. For the length you take your length (for K 18") and divide that by the Number of tiers (3 here). So, each tier would be 6" wide. Now add an extra 1.5-2" to the top tier to allow for the elastic casing. Sew it all up like they did in the tutorial above.

Now for K's Betsy Ross skirt. It was found at: http://www.rileyblakedesigns.com/cutting-corners/2011/06/28/its-cinch-skirt/. This little skirt is VERY easy and quick (like 30 min or so to make, no gathering!). I just followed her instructions; however at our class tonight someone had an excellent insight. Instead of making vertical casing for the gather you could hem the skirt BEFORE you sew it into a tube, then finish off the two sides (serge or zigzag). You would then make the tube for the skirt, but make an extra large seam (a little wider than your ribbon). Next press the seam open and stitch down each side of the seam flap. Thread the ribbon through the holes and finish as usual. (Hope that makes sense)

K is pretty excited to wear this little baby for the 4th of July.

Happy Crafting all!

Fancy pens

2011-06-26T17:12:00.001-06:00

I did this little project with the kids. We have done it in the past (Christmas gifts), and we thought it would be fun to do for Grandpa's birthday too. It is a fun, easy to do with the kids. An added bonus is the clay is not as messy as you might think.

Check out these beauties.

Here are the supplies

-bake clay (like Sculpty, Filmo or generic brand)

-Pens in ROUND plastic tube (I read the "crystal" bic pens do not work, the simpler the better. No plastic finger grippers or anything.)

-An oven to bake the clay

Pull the ink part of the pen out. I know the pictures are lousy, but can you see that I pulled the black tip out of the pen? Set the ink part aside and toss the lid.

You need to work the clay when you get it out of the plastic. I usually cut off a small section of clay and then pinch, smoosh, kneed and roll it until it is very soft and pliable. Next, I roll my clay into a long skinny snake (kids love making long skinny snakes)

Again, sorry for the poor photo quality, but take the clay snake and wrap it around your pen. The way you wrap it will affect the look of the finished pen. This pen had a tiger look, so I went with a very random pattern. I twisted the clay around one direction, attached it to the clay in the round above then switched directions. Go all the way down the pen.

Now add more colors. Just follow the windy lines you already made.

Done wrapping. Can you see that it is not completely covered, and it is still very lumpy. Now grab the pen and squeeze it in our hand up and down the entire pen. It will still be very lumpy, but the clay should be stuck to the pen better (don't skip this step, your clay could roll right off in the next step).

Now roll your pen until it is smooth and all the gaps are filled in. Apply a little pressure if the gaps are not filling in (if the gaps are too big, you can add a bit of clay). I like to taper the very end of the pen (just like the body of the pen does). I just hold the pen at an angle with one hand and roll it a bit with the other.

Make sure the tube is clear of any clay. I like to cut the end of the pen clean so the ink tube will fit in nicely. If there is clay in it, use a toothpick to clean it out. Make sure the back end of the pen is covered too.

Ta-dah. (Don't worry I noticed the little hole and fixed it).

Next I take a pan, put on a small strip of aluminum foil and bake the pen for 15 min at 275.

Want to jazz it up a bit? The kids REALLY love this. When the pen is done being formed (BEFORE you bake it) shake a small amount of fine glitter out on your surface. Then roll the pen in it. I usually roll the pen until all the glitter is cleaned up and stuck to the pen.

Be sure you don't use too much glitter. It can overwhelm your design very easily. A very small amount does a lot.

Not interested in glitter, how about a marbleized look? This is probably the easiest to do.

Take two lumps of clay and squish them together a bit. You want it to be striped but not mixed in. Roll that into a long snake and wrap it around the pen. Squeeze the clay on and roll just like the other pens.

Hours later, the kids had fun and we had 10 new fancy pens. Some for grandpa's birthday (the University my dad works for has a tiger mascot hence the tiger pens) and a few for them (because they need one too).

These fancy pens are so fun for the kids to make and give to people as small gifts. We paired the pens with fun notebooks for a quick teacher gift. We have also customized notebooks and pens to give as gifts to other kids (who love to have things of their very own). The clay also makes the pen a bit thicker making it easier for little hands to hold.

Hope you have fun making fancy pens of your own.

Happy Crafting.

T-shirt yoga pants

2011-06-21T17:53:00.000-06:00

There are not many things more comfy than a worn t-shirt. So, how about a pair of comfy yoga pants made out of a comfy t-shirt? Sounds pretty awesome right? Let me tell you it is pretty awesome, really comfy and super easy to do.

This is not my creation and the credit goes to my friend Carol Ann (I'n not sure where she got it from). That said, I am sure I do many things different than she showed me/I remember. This is just the basic idea, you can do with it what-ever you want with it.

There are 2 different ways to do this, so I'll give a few options for you. I'll try to make this as painless as possible, so there are lots of pictures. :)

Here are your supplies:
- a t-shirt (preferably one 2 sizes larger than the wearer wears in a shirt. My daughter wears a size 5, so I need to use a size 7. I think this shirt was a little smaller than that, but there is wiggle room)
- scissors or a rotary cutter (just something to cut with)
- sewing machine or serger (I used a serger, but a sewing machine would work great too)

1. Cut the sleeves off of the shirt. Cut about 1/2" from the seam leaving the seam itself on the sleeve.

See no sleeves. DON'T throw them away. You will need them later.

2. Cut the neck hole out. I lined my ruler up with the edge of the neck ribbing and cut strait across. You could easily do this with scissors too. Toss the neck hole.

3. Measure the bottom of the t-shirt and find the halfway point. Then cut the shirt in half, strait up the middle.

How are these going to be pants you ask?

Put the two arm holes together... does that help? Can you see it coming together now?

4. Take the sleeve and cut a strait line up from the bottom of the armpit up.

5. Do you see how the sleeve has a slight slant to it? I am going to cut that part off too. I just lined my ruler up with the farthest edge and squared it up. (Carol Ann just cut the seam out and left the slant, I found it easier to square everything up. Your call)

There it is. 1/2 the waist band. I took this part and made sure it would stretch around my little K. It fit fantastic. (hello little baby toes)

6. Sew the long cut/side seams (the outside leg seams).

7. Turn one of the legs RIGHT-SIDE out and put it inside the other leg matching up the side seams. (So the legs are RIGHT-SIDES together with one inside the other...clear as mud? Hello little man, I'll be with you in a minute.)

8. Pin and stitch the U shape. That will be the crotch seam.

It looks strange, but works fantastic.

Pull the leg out and presto, pants.

9. Take the sleeves (or waist band) and sew them end to end right-sides together.

See the tube.

10. Okay, this part seems a bit strange, but pin the waist band WRONG-SIDE out to the pants WRONG-SIDE out. (Usually you sew things right sides together). The waist band might be smaller than the pants. Pin the waistband in quarters equally around the pants. Stretch the waistband slightly to the same length of the pants as you stitch.

(As a side note, I think I might try to sew it with the pants RIGHT-SIDE out next time so the seam is on the inside. It pokes out every once and awhile. That said, it all works)

Turn the pants right side out and gasp... looks like you did it wrong but you didn't :)

Fold the top down. Ahhhh, much better.

11. Try on cute pants. My little girl wanted to keeps hers on all day they were so comfy.

WHEW! You made it.... Ready for the variation?

This time take a shirt with a fun logo or something on it that you don't want to cut in half.

Same as before, cut off sleeves and neck. Square up the sleeves and cut into waist bands (same as the one above) The difference?

Instead of cutting up the middle of the shirt, cut the shirt up both sides. Leaving a front and back to the shirt.

Fold the shirt front/back in 1/2. See looks like the other one.

This time I matched the two shirts RIGHT-SIDES together, matching up the arm holes (crotch seams). Sew the large U shape. DO THIS 2 TIMES, for front and back. (Another way to look at this is you are turning the shirt inside out and sewing the arm holes, and only the arm holes, shut.)

It will look pretty strange if you have never sewn pants before. Just line up the inside of the crotch seams. There's the pants!

Now pin and sew up the inseam of the pants.

TADA! Pants. Now just add the waist band in (see steps 9 & 10 above). You could also fold the waist band in half before you sew it, and make a casing to put elastic in. I like the elastic free option. It doesn't bunch or twist, and I seem to run out of elastic all the time....

This is a fun look for things like sports t-shirts, super-hero t's or any other pattern you want to wear on the side of your legg :)

There you have it. Hope it was clear. This really is an easy pattern. If you are nervous, just grab an old t-shirt and go for it. What have you got to loose? Let me know if you have any questions

Happy Crafting!

Pillowcase Dress Tutorial

2011-04-27T18:48:00.000-06:00

There are a myriad of ways to make a pillowcase dress. This is the way that works best for me....here we go.

1. Gather your supplies: A pillowcase (or fabric approximately the same size), scissors, measuring tape, strait pins, marking pen (preferably disappearing), sewing machine (although could be done by hand) and thread, iron, arm hole template, and ribbon.

2. Measure for desired length. You can either measure the intended wearer, or use a dress that fits well and measure the length of that dress. It is best to measure from the bottom of the arm hole down to the bottom hem. On my dress it was around 14".

3. I measured 14" up on the pillowcase (from the bottom/open end up) and put a pin in. I then printed and cut the arm hole template (I like the template for size 2t-3t, but for larger sizes I would add 1 1/2" to the top and side (the little tab on the side) of the pattern or, just use an existing dress, trace the arm hole and add 1 1/2" to the top for the casing). I lined the bottom edge of the arm hole template up with the pin marking the bottom of my arm hole.

4. Cut off the top. I lined my ruler up with the top of the template and used my rotary cutter to cut the top off. You could do this with scissors too, just use diapering ink pen to mark the cut line and cut with scissors.

5. Use the pen and template the mark the arm holes, and cut them out.

6. Make the hem for the arm holes. Do this by turning the raw edge in 1/4" or so twice. I start in the middle. Fold it in, then in again, pin in place. Keep moving up all the sides.

7. Stitch down the hem. I like to sew as close the the inside edge as possible, making sure the raw edge is enclosed.

8. Fold down and iron the top about 1/4". I then used a zig-zag stitch to finish the edge.

9. Next fold the top over 1-1/2" depending on the size of ribbon.

10. Finish off the ends of the ribbon (fray check or heat seal), attach a safety pin and thread through the opening made in the top.

11. Gather up both ends evenly and tie into a bow/bows. You're done! Pretty easy right?

I used the left over top part of the pillowcase to make some bloomers. I used this pattern. I sized it down a little, and cut the legs shorter for shorts. I used my serger to add a rolled hem edge to the bottom of the legs and then used a shirring technique (elastic thread in the bobbin) to make the gather at the bottom of the legs. I made this outfit for my 20 month old niece. Just don't tell my hubby that I used my little boy as a model. :)

The sky is the limit with this easy pattern. Different fabrics, ribbons, trims, ruffles and appliqué all lend themselves well to this project.

Just saw this SUPER CUTE pattern: http://www.themotherhuddle.com/tutorial-fat-quarter-pillow-case-dress/
Happy Crafting everyone!

Easter Duds

2011-04-26T11:33:00.000-06:00

I found this pretty fabric on the clearance rack, and I was so excited to turn it into sweet Easter clothing for my little ones.

I made K this sweet little dress using this pattern. It looks overwhelming, but it is actually a pretty easy pattern. I had to read through it a few times, and even had to have a friend read through it with me. The shoulder seam was confusing to me, but I decided to just try it. It was MUCH easier than I had made it. My only objection was there were no sleeves in the pattern, and we like K to have sleeves in her dresses.

My solution was to put the sleeves from this pattern into the arm hole BEFORE, I stitched up the seams (after I sewed up the shoulder seams). These little sleeves are a cinch to make, and will come in really handy to add sleeves to other projects.

I also made her a little bolero jacket using this pattern. I made the pattern larger by measuring the difference between the pattern and one of K's slimmer cut t-shirts (since she is super skinny). I then added that difference to the pattern. I also added the ruffle all the way around the jacket. I think it looks better that way, plus it was easier. I also lined the entire jacket to hide the seams. To do that I just cut out double of all the pieces (except the ruffle). I made 2 copies of the jacket (minus the sleeves), and then sewed the ruffle to one of the jackets. I then sandwiched the ruffle between BOTH of the jackets right sides together (the top of the ruffle points to the center of the jacket). I sewed around leaving a few inches to flip the jacket right side out. I ironed it well and then added the sleeved into the arm holes. I ironed it again, and then top stitched around the entire jacket (making sure to seal the opening left to turn the jacket right-side out).

There it is....It seems harder than it actually is, and I think she really loved it.

D thought a bow tie would look pretty awesome and I was happy to oblige. I used the instructions from this pattern. I also used this pattern by Martha Stewart. She gives you a tie-shaped pattern to use as a template. It took me a few tries to get the size right for D. He has a pretty big head, and he needed the adult sized pattern. I LOVE the look of actually tied bow-ties, but they are a pain to get off and on. I put a swimsuit hook on the back and attached a pice of elastic to the other end (for a loop so the hook could slip into it). It made the bow tie easy to get on and comfortable to wear.

And there you have it. Happy Easter from our family to yours.

Happy crafting everyone.

Gooey Goodness

2011-04-10T21:33:00.000-06:00

Many of you know my parents, and you know that they are AMAZING in the kitchen. (Check out my Dad's blog) My mom is known for her bread and especially her yummy cinnamon rolls. So, when I came across this recipe http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2011/03/cinnamon-sugar-pull-apart-bread/ my curiosity was peeked.

While making rolls for dinner tonight, I thought I'd give the basic idea a try. I didn't use the bread recipe (I think my mom's is the best), but I imitated the method of putting the roll/loaf together.

Doesn't it look so yummy and gooey? It was.

So here is the basic recipe/instructions. (Note: I have watched and helped my mom make this roll dough for decades. I will try to explain what to do, and I apologize if I leave stuff out. I make my rolls in a Kitchenaid, my mom uses a Bosch. I don't know how these work up by hand. This is also a 1/2 recipe the full recipe makes too many rolls for my family...or at least my waist line)

Mom's rolls:
2 cups hot water
1/2 cube butter
3 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. yeast
1/2 Tbs salt
flour

Put hot water, butter, sugar and yeast in the mixing bowl. Let it sit for a bit (until the yeast starts to foam) then add the salt and about 3 cups of flour. Mix that really well with the dough hook (a couple of min). Then add more flour 1/2 c. or less at a time, making sure the flour mixes in completely until you add more. Continue to add flour until the dough starts to unstick from the bowl. (that was my mom's test, and this is where I don't know how to explain things). When sides of the bowl look clean and the dough can be touched without sticking all over you, it is done. I put my dough into a greased bowl and put a damp cloth over the top. You then let it rise until it is doubled in size. (I sometimes turn my oven to warm, then turn it off when I put bowl of dough in. It speeds up the process).

I made 1/2 my dough into crescent rolls (rolls into a large circle dough being 1/4" thick, use a pizza cutter and cut the dough into quarters and then each quarter into thirds. Roll the little triangles thick side to tip.). The other 1/2 I made these cinnamon pull-a-parts. Roll the dough out and slather in butter. Sprinkle on cinnamon, brown sugar and nutmeg. Cut into 2" squares (approximate). Stack the squares on each other, put in a greased bread pan.

Let the bread rise again, 15 min or so, and bake at 350 for 15 min (check, when it is golden brown and stiff when you push on one of the little squares it is done.) I think I actually pulled mine out a few min too soon.

Let it sit for just a min, then invert the pan onto a plate. It has LOTS of HOT STICKY SUGAR so be careful. Let it cool a bit and ENJOY!

Going, Going, Gone!

2011-03-02T22:32:00.000-07:00

We had a service auction for a Relief Society party tonight. Everyone was supposed to bring a service or item to be auctioned off (purchases made with points awarded for random stuff). I couldn't decide what to make/take/do. At first I made these scripture covers. I thought they were pretty good, but when I showed them to my hubby he asked where the pen holder was (he didn't mean to sound critical, but....). So, I did take one to the auction, but I will save the post on that until I have it all figured out (pen holder and all), plus I forgot to take a picture.

So, today during nap time I thought I'd give this apron a try. It was a pretty easy apron to make. I decided to use a rolled hem on my serger to speed things up, but it is a totally doable project with out one. It took about 1 1/2-2 hrs. to make, and I got to use up some of my scraps.

Now, about those scraps, I am trying really hard to put things together that don't "match" but still "go". What do you think? Does it work? I noticed while digging in my stash that I seem to like the muted, earth tones more than bright, vibrant ones. Maybe I'll have to work on that.

When I got home tonight, Kent asked what I had got at the auction. Well, I didn't actually bring anything home. I am in the Presidency and was busy with other stuff. (No, don't be sad) I actually got the best prize of all, my apron went for the top sell. (Not that it was a contest) Sometimes it's nice to know that other people like your stuff... even if there aren't any pen holders on it :)

Happy Crafting

~Mariam

Monster bag

2011-02-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

I've seen these cute little crayon/coloring bags floating around in the blog-world and thought I'd give it a try. I used the instructions found at

http://hideousdreadfulstinky.blogspot.com. I used a different method to make the bag, but still pretty similar. As you can see, the little monster is perfectly imperfect (love those projects) and it worked up really fast.

This little guy is going to live with my sweet nephew who is turning 4 soon. I think he will love it.

On a side note, I found this pattern while looking at these two blogs. One is "Made By Rae" and the other "Made" they are both hosting a month of "Celebrate the Boy". They are sharing lots of craft ideas and tutorials. Many of you crafters realize there is LOTS of cute girly crafts and LOTS of cute baby crafts, but not much for boys. Well, these two ladies are trying to fix that. Check them out. (By the way, I hope to be 1/2 as talented and creative as these two, they are incredible).

Happy Crafting

~Mariam

Shirts Galore

2011-02-09T22:45:00.000-07:00

I've been having more fun with my Silhouette machine, but this time I was not alone. My amazingly talented friend Kinsey, joined me in a shirt party. Sadly we spent so much time taking care of crying babies and getting the machine regulated she didn't have time to paint hers (she said she can do it at home easy, but I still feel like a schmuck). I cut out the designs on freezer paper, we ironed them on the shirts and then we used Kinsey's fun fabric paints. The process was pretty quick and super fun.

Here are the super fun shirts I made. I am planning on giving them to the kids for Valentine's Day (you'll see more on Kent's shirt), and I think they will like them.

This little one is my FAVORITE. How cute is the little Yoda? (And, that is the correct quote, Kent watched the movie just to get it correct).

This is such a sweet little shirt for my little K. I got the template from

http://papercutting.blogspot.com/ (LOVE her art by the way) She calls it "Love Lasso", and I think it is adorable. It is perfect for Valentine's day, but is cute for all the time too.

This adventurous little guy reminds me of my nephew, so this will be his for his upcoming birthday. The origin design is from the site above, but he didn't have a cowboy hat. I thought if my little nephew was ridding a dinosaur, he would definitely wear a cowboy hat, so I added one.
This is for Kent. I was so proud of myself for the good idea. We kept it a secret the whole night (not easy to do), then he got on the computer. He said, "I really like the design with the Nintendo controller, can you make me one?" I had intended to give the shirt as a Valentine's Day present, instead I threw it at him (jokingly of course) and said something questioning his intelligence (or something like that).
Here is D's Green Lantern shirt. My funny little guy wanted Green Lantern underwear for Christmas when he was 3 or so (Ya, they don't make those. Thanks to good friends who made us some). Now, I think of him whenever I see the Green Lantern.
Oh, here is the link to the artwork http://outsiderzero.deviantart.com/gallery/

Happy Crafting All.

Birthday stuff

2011-02-01T10:51:00.001-07:00

Wow, I hadn't realized how long it had been since my last post. Well, I have a few new and fun birthday ideas. I got a Silhouette machine for Christmas, and I have had lots of fun with it. Here is some of the fun things I have made.

My nephew L is turning 4 soon. He is having a Knight and Princess party, and we needed fun invitations. I thought about these knightly flags when I saw the flag images (that come with the machine). I made the dragons (downloaded it into the Silhouette program, traced and cleaned it up a bit). We printed off the party info, written in a knightly language of course, distressed them a bit and glued it to the back.
We then just used double sided tape to stick the small dowel rods on. I think they turned out pretty cute. To top it all off, they only cost a few $ to make and about 1 hour of time (it took us a bit longer due to little "helpers").
Here is a picture from my baby's first birthday (wipe a tear). He had a really fun cookies and milk party. I used my machine to cut out all the signs for the cookies, the ballon tags (circle with #1 inside) and the 3-D stars. The stars were really fun and easy to make. I made a star on my Silhouette program and then added perforated lines so it would fold in and out easily, making the star pop out.
I also made a couple of birthday banners that hung on the mantle and doorway. It was very inexpensive and I think it gave the party a fun touch.

Well, there you have it. Even moms get to have fun playing with their new toys. If you have a Silhouette and would like any of the images I made, just let me know. It is always better to share the love.

Happy Crafting.

Cheap and Easy Advent

2010-11-30T15:38:00.000-07:00

I seem to always remember that I need to make an advent calendar for my family around the middle of November. I knew I would not get around to it again this year, so I decided to go another direction.

I saw these little gift boxes at the Dollar Store (in the wedding section) and started thinking. I bought 2 pkgs. of little boxes (12 in each), 2 tubes of baubles (12 in each and in 2 colors, one for each kid - to avoid fighting. Well until Bubby thinks he needs to help too.) and the tinsel rope. So, I spent $5 on supplies. I had glue, ornament hooks, and Christmas scrapbook paper (one had a Christmas countdown on it, and I always wondered what I was going to do with it), in my supplies.

I spent a few hours one evening, cutting gluing, and folding the boxes together. I think it was very easy, fairly cheap and the kids are super excited.
So, what kind of things do you put in your advent calendars?

Let the countdown begin!!!

Christmas time is here

2010-11-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

I have actually been very busy crafting the past few weeks, but I can't share my creations yet. I have been busily making Christmas presents and I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone. That said, I have had lots of fun, and I still have lots more to do.

I made this sweet little crochet hat a few weeks ago and I fell in love with the pattern (didn't my sister take a gorgeous pic of K?). So simple and so very sweet. My fabulous sister-in-law said she would love the pattern, so....
Here is a link to the pattern. I found it doing a search on Ravelry. If you are interested in yarn arts (knitting, crochet, etc). this is definitely a website you will love. It is free to join, and you can search and save the patterns you are interested in trying (free and purchased patterns). You can also share pictures of your creations and explain any difficulties you had (I have found it VERY useful to find out where other people have had problems and how they fixed it)

I have made a few more hats (like I said, for gifts) that are on my Ravelry page. If you are interested in looking me up, my name is Mury.

Hopefully I can add a tutorial on my fun and very inexpensive advent calendar very soon (if my kids don't destroy it first).

Enjoy, and good luck in your Holiday crafting!

More little dresses

2010-11-03T09:15:00.000-06:00

Do you remember this easy little dress? Well, I finally made some cute little under clothes to put underneath. I just used my favorite pattern (Simplicity 5695) to make the little shirt. For the pants, I traces a pair of pj's on freezer paper and added 1/2" for seam allowance and 1 1/2" or so on the top for the waist band. They actually came together really easily. After they were sew, I added three layers of ruffles to the bottom. (I think they were 3" long and double the width of the pants. I serged the raw edges and then gathered and stitched them on the pants.)

I also made her a little simple dress using the Simplicity pattern. I made a sheath type dress (just a long front and back, no attached skirt) and just added ruffles to the bottom (same as the pants). One note on my fabric choice. Can you guess what it is.....that's right a sheet. I needed something with a little polyester in it so it wouldn't wrinkly like crazy and (like 100% cotton would). I bought one twin flat sheet for $3 and it made the pants, shirt and under skirt. I have washed it, and it washed up fantastic and it is still soft.

I have a white sheet too and I think it will be fantastic too. I plan on making more little dresses (in Fall and Christmas patterns, so excited) K also wants a blue Belle dress (the peasant dress Belle wears on Beauty the the Beast), and I think this patter will work wonderfully.

Here is my little princesses Halloween costume. Can you guess which pattern I used? Simplicity 5695. Now when I say that is the pattern I used, keep in mind that I lengthened the bodice, skirt and sleeves, added the ruffle to the bottom of the sleeve and used shirring around the neck, sleeves and in the back. Here is the link for the flower. It was really easy, and fast (my new favorite). I tried to make a bigger flower by making cutting it wider and longer, it was too much.
A few of you have noticed that the pattern does not go past a 3T (I think?). I have been modifying my pattern so much, I didn't notice :) But here are the bigger girl patterns that are the same concept. Simplicity 2377, McCalls M6062, and I fond this one at a thrift store Simplicity 5222 (not sure if it is out of print). So, keep your eyes out for pattern sales. Good luck.

Yes, I am insane

2010-10-12T12:48:00.001-06:00

I know this costume is time consuming, but it is so dang cute! I thought I would share where I got the patterns.

The body suit (I obviously did this in one color and I also did buttons instead of snap tape. The pattern has a few flaws in it, so be sure you read the whole thing first and look at the diagrams)

Hat (I added different colors to the top, cream and red, and added a pom, pom on top.)

Mittens

Booties (I don't think I actually had a pattern, but you can google crochet baby bootie patterns or go to RAVELRY to find tons of patterns)

Ears- I made 4 ears, 2 tan and 2 cream. Then I put a tan and a cream together and sc around the outside of the ear. I left a long tail at the end and stitched it to the side of the hat.)

sock monkey doll (How cute is this little guy? I added a bell to the inside to make him more interesting. I also crochet eyes on him for safety reasons.)

It really wasn't that bad. The crochet went quickly, but the assembly was slow. On a side note, if you are interested in knit or crochet you should check out RAVELRY. It is a fantastic place to find patterns and to see other peoples' creations.

One pattern, so many dresses

2010-09-15T22:42:00.000-06:00

I thought I would share one of my favorite dress patterns with all of you. This is my FAVORITE go-to patterns with so many variations. With Halloween quickly coming, here are a few of the dress variations I have made.

I use this Simplicity pattern (5695 view E) , and poly satin from Hobby Lobby ($2.99/yd. and it is AWESOME to work with and washes really well. NEVER buy the Wall-Mart stuff. I usually need 1 yd for a simple dress and 1 1/2 yds for a fuller dress). Before you jump in and cut out your fabric make sure you measure your little princess and check it against the pattern. I have made my own pattern (using the original as a guide) and I made the bodice longer and thinner, the sleeves longer (they are pretty short in the original) and lengthened the skirt depending on the look I want (my little one is very tall and very thin). I also really like to use elastic thread to do shirring on the neck, sleeves and waist (but you could use regular elastic like the pattern says).

Whew! Okay now the fun.

This is the wedding dress up dress I made for K's birthday. It is a very simple dress with shirring in the neck and sleeves. I added satin poppies around the collar (she added the belt). The veil is just a bit of tulle that I folded in half, gathered, glued on a head band and added satin poppies on top.

Snow White. This is just a basic dress, with different colors. I cut a yellow skirt, dark blue top and light blue sleeves. After the sleeves were cut, I used fusible web tape and used it to iron on red ribbon in stripes down the sleeves. Before I attached the bodice to the skirt I added some gold braid trim down the front of the dress. (K informed me that I left of the big white collar and cape, but oh well. And don't you love how happy she looks).
This is K's nutcracker dress. It is just the basic dress with a long skirt. At the bottom I gathered a 5" strip of black satin (cut it 5" long, and it should be twice as long as the bottom of the dress) ruffled it and added it to the bottom of the dress. I then added a sash out of a long pice of black satin and added satin/organza flowers to it.
My little Beauty (although she was a bit of a Beast that night). Okay, this one took more work but was still pretty easy. The quick version, just a basic dress using view F, I shirred the neck, sleeves and waist. I also took the top layer of the dress and gathered it up a few times(just took a needled and put a few stitches in to gather it up a bit). The neck/shoulder piece was actually the most difficult. I made a tube a little bit bigger than the ungathered neckline. I gathered it in three spots and attached it to the front and back of the dress and added a flower to the front (if you need details on this one, let me know)
Cinderella (now too small, so sad) was made out of cotton for a fun Disneyland dress. Again it is the basic dress pattern with shirring at sleeves neck, and waist, just add white sleeves and the white bustlelie thing at the skirt (it is just a skirt shorter than the bottom layer and I cut it in the middle and rounded the corners).
I loved Tinkerbelle. It was made the same as Cinderella. I just changed the skirt a bit. I made a template for this one using freezer paper I traced out the skirt pattern, cut it shorter and made the scalloped pattern (so it was evenly spaced, it took a little math).
Okay, I hope this helps those of you who have asked. I know it is all a bit jumblee and confusing, so if you have more questions please contact me and I will be happy to help. The real trick is to just use your imagination. If you see a dress you like, just think of how you can de-construct the pieces into different colors and shapes.

Good luck and happy sewing.

And yes my daughter is sooooo very spoiled.

K's new "In the Garden" dress

2010-06-22T15:02:00.000-06:00

I came across this blog (From and Igloo) the other day, and I knew I had to make that dress for K. Luckily I had also found some fabric that I loved. Here is my end result.

Here is a picture of the back. You can see that the dress ties through a button hole in the back of the dress, so easy and so cute. The back is also made using a technique called shirring. There are lots of tutorials on shirring but this one is the one I initially used. It is just basically using elastic thread in the bobbin of your machine and sewing. It is sooo cool. The fabric just gathers as you sew. (As a side note check out this blog if you have a Brother machine and have struggled shirring, this saved me from throwing my machine out the window.)

Here is the front of the dress. Christine at From and Igloo did a great job with the instructions, it is basically a formula you plug your own measurements into. K is insanely skinny, and tall, so I could make this dress long and slender just for her. The straps are also adjustable in length so she should be able to wear it for awhile. (It would have been better to have my little model wear the dress, but you get what you can get)
The dress was really easy to make, I did it all in one evening. You do need some basic sewing skills, but her instructions are pretty good. My only change is I used a serger for the inside hems, but that is it.

Have fun!

Pumped Up

2010-05-13T12:59:00.000-06:00

Those of you who have been in my home know it is definitely NOT fancy. Old, would be putting it mildly. Because of that, there are times I feel like a shinny new something looks out of place.

I wanted to get new soap dispensers (when I say "new" I mean not the plastic bottle it comes in), but they all looked to fancy for my little old house. This was my solution.

I decided to use an old canning jar and just attach a pump to the top. This was a super easy project, and as usual FREE.

Supplies:

canning jar and lid (whatever size you want)

old plastic soap pump container

drill and 1" spade bit

spray paint

liquid soap

a handy husband helps too :)

Here we go. First you need to cut a hole in the top of the lid. (This is where my handy husband was awesome) Kent used a 1" spade bit to cut a hole in the lid. This was the most difficult part of the project because the lid wanted to spin while being drilled. Kent clamped the lid on a scrap piece of wood. After it is drilled make sure the lid will fit over the INSIDE ring on the soap dispenser. Spray paint it any color you want.

Now you need to cut up your soap dispenser. I had an old face soap container that was easy to cut up. Carefully cut the container apart. You want to make sure you cut the inside ring out with a little around it. (See the photo below) This is how you attach the pump to the jar.

Now just assemble it together again. Put the inside ring through the hole in the lid, screw on the pump, fill the jar with soap, put the lid on the jar and screw the ring on. Ta Da! You could embellish the jar with ribbon or something cute like that, but at my house I think any extras might get pretty grimy.

Have fun.

Shrinking Silhouettes

2010-05-05T14:08:00.000-06:00

I've noticed that those cute silhouettes we made in grade school seem to be everywhere in home decor. Cute little cut out heads on walls, pillows and all kids of stuff. I love the idea and was trying to come up with a fun way to wear my favorite little silhouettes. Here is what I came up with. Cute right? Want one? They are super easy and extra cheap. Mine was made from things I had laying around the house.

Supplies:

plastic container with recycle #6 on it

sharpie or other permanent marker

nail file (or fine sand paper)

picture to trace

9 or so jump rings

beads and head-pins (I used broken or mismatched earrings, already done so no extra work)

necklace or cord (Oooo ribbon would be pretty too)

That's right folks, it's a pre-made pie crust. You get to eat the pie you make, just save that plastic lid. You can use any plastic contaner you find as long as it has the recycle #6 stamp on it (you know the little triangle arrows with a 6 in the middle). So, this part of the project is FREE! Just use something that was going in the garbage.
Next I took pictures of my kids profiles and printed it out a contact sheet so they were nice and small. I then cut my pie lid up into square that would fit the pictures. My squares were about 1 1/2". File the surface a bit to give it "tooth", it will help the ink stick better. Next trace the sweet little silhouettes with a permanent marker, then completely fill in the head space. Then punch a hole in the top with a standard hole punch (So make sure you leave enough room at the top). I rounded the corners on mine too, just to get rid of anything sharp that might be by Bubby's face.
Pretty easy right? I actually redid D's picture, the lips turned out funky the first time. The awesome thing is there was more plastic to use so no big deal. Now the super cool part. Put the cut plastic on a foil lined baking sheet (shinny side up) and bake it at 350 for 3-4 min. Don't panic when you peek in and the plastic is all curled up and distorted, it will flatten out. In fact, that is how you know it is done, take it out when all the pieces are nice and flat. Let it cool for a second, and you have cute little charms.

Now you can assemble the necklace. I put a jump ring through each charm. Then I used old broken earrings (Never throw out your broken or incomplete jewlery sets. I find so many uses for one old earring), and other random beads to make some pretty danglies. To construct the necklace I used 8 jump rings. One on each, charm, one on each danglie. I then connected all the charms and danglies together using the remaining jump rings. I tried to form a small chain with mine so the charms would hand down.
Now put it on a chain (you know you have some unused necklaces hanging out in your jewelry box just needing to be used). Put on a cute t-shirt and admire your handy work.

(I think it it funny that Bubby has an Alfred Hitchcock profile, and K's little pony tail is so sweet.)

Spooky Spiders

2008-09-25T13:47:00.000-06:00

Okay, I am going to try this blogged tutorial thing. Here is how I make my spooky spider hair clips

First you have to make the curly ribbon. (I already used up all my black, so I had to use blue). To make the ribbon you cut a small dowel rod to the width of your oven. Clip the end of the ribbon (must be 100% polyester, I just used the cheap spools) with a small clothes pin. Just wrap the ribbon around the dowel. The closer the wrap, the tighter the coil. Cut to length and clip the other end with a clothes pin.

Bake the wrapped rods in the oven at 275 for 20-25 min. (I lined my oven rack with foil just because it was a little dirty). Take them out, make sure the coil took (unwrap a little, if the coil doesn't hold put it back in the oven for a few min) and let them cool a few min.

When you are ready to use them, take them off the dowel and you will have this.
I made 2 spiders out of each 20" korker (as they are called). I cut it in half, then each half in half until I had 8 pieces.
Line 4 up and tie the middle together. This just helps hold them together while you are gluing.
The body of the spider is just a knot. I used the flat, squarish side of the ribbon, it was easier to work with.
Just glue the korkers to the back of the knot. Put a bit more hot glue and fold one of the ends over. I like to "Fray Check" the ends (with "Fray Check", clear fingernail polish, or heat seal the ends). Then cut the other side to length and fold over to glue.
I then glued the whole thing onto a little snap clip. You could use another type of clip, these just stay in K's piggies better.

Don't forget the googly eyes, and you are done.
This is a picture of the blue set I made for K. They were made with 8, 3" korkers and a pink button with ribbon tied through.

I found most of my info from this website. The instructions are at the bottom of the page.