Laura Irrgang

Iceberg Treasures DIY Tutorial

I made "Iceberg Treasures"!

 I froze trinkets into a big block of ice, then let the girls try to excavate the goodies. 

I liked the arctic layers...isn't that a neat looking section?

 Such a hot day.

We let them free the frozen things using spray bottles, paint brushes, forks, and salt.

Dinosaurs live in icebergs, right? RIGHT?  It kept them busy a long time-yay!

In the end, we dunked two of them in the kiddie pool to help get the goodies out.

Since it was 104 that day, it was a nice way to cool off. 

TREASURE ICEBERGS DIY:

1.   Find a few plastic containers-salad bowl, shoe box sized plastic box, etc.  Gather up your "treasures"...I bought a few cheapo mermaids and sea creatures from Dollar Tree, used shells we already had, a few random beads and bits of jewelry, and leaves from fake flowers to make lily pads and sea weed.

2. Fill you container. 1/3 full, and add a few drops of food coloring if you want an ocean-y color. Place a few things randomly on the bottom.

3. Place in freezer until frozen solid. Tip-make sure it's totally frozen, if not, when you pour the next water layer, it will crack and the next layer of treasures will sink to the bottom.  

4. Add more water until the container is 2/3 full, add food coloring and more trinkets. Freeze.

5. Repeat with the final layer.

Play Makeup Tutorial

My daughters always want to "play makeup", but there is no way I'm letting them loose with eye shadow and lipstick. Old wigs? Sure...knock yourselves out.

They keep asking and asking and asking. They're wearing me down! So I decided to make them some "pretend makeup". 

 

Faux makeup...I'll talk you through it. It's easy peasy. Oh! And hang on to those cruddy brushes they give you with blush. Who uses those tiny things, anyway? You'd have a 3/4 stripe on your cheek. Hideous. But...they're great play brushes.

So...Play Makeup:

1.Grab some of your old makeup containers that are almost empty. Clean them out. If they're powder, just smush the extra powder and dump it out. If it's a cream, you may have to get in the corners with a q-tip.

2. Wash them with soap and water, then let them dry.

3.Fill each metal compartment with nail enamel. Let dry.

That's it! You're done. Happy kids. End of story.

My girls love it. They put makeup on our dog several times a day.

If you make some for your kids, send me your photos...I'd like to see them!

Traveling With Kids, Part 2

More travel tips!  

(Find Traveling With Kids Part 1 here.)

Pack flat books.

Pack several flat, small books.  You don't have to buy brand new ones...I hit the local Goodwill and found several for a quarter each.  Babies and toddlers really like to open flap books. Older kids like complicated images they can look at for long periods of time like the I Spy and Where's Waldo books.

Use them as rewards.  Let the kids cash in their Good Behavior Bucks for a new book.

Individual drink mixes for post-airport security.

You know how they don't let you have any liquids in your carry-on stuff?  Well, that can make for thirsty kids and/or an expensive airport stop for drinks.  I don't like paying $5.00 for a bottle of juice, do you? Bring an empty water bottle and refill it from the water fountains past security.  If your family doesn't like plain water, bring along some individual drink mixes.  They're very small and packable, and come in a wide variety of flavors.  I like lemonade, but they have all the Crystal Light flavors, Wyler's mixes, and Kool-Aid choices, too.

Snacks-pack 'em.

I pack an individual ziplock bag of snacks for every family member.  Don't forget Daddy.  Ours prefers beef jerky, Jolly Ranchers, and more beef jerky.  

My girls love those crazy-flavored jelly beans.  I cut the identification guide off the package and taped it to the ziplock so they could play "which flavor did I get".

Keep the unhealthy bits to a minimum.

Although I do let them have the occasional bit of candy, I prefer to pack healthier choices like fruit, whole wheat goldfish crackers, whole grain pretzels, string cheese, and the like.  However, who doesn't love a bite of candy?
To keep the teeth-rotting to a minimum, I pack only a small candy stash.  I cobbled these together from leftover Halloween/Christmas candy languishing in the pantry. Try an oversized vitamin box to store one type of candy in each compartment.  

Since my kids don't get candy very often, they think it's a big deal when the Candy Box comes out.  You'd be amazed at how much adults perk up at the sight, too.

Prize pouches

You know how kids always want what the other one has?  I found identical zippered pouches to distribute their "prizes" in.  Although I do give them different items, something about the visual of "exactly the same bags" being handed over the back seat seems to make them happy.  Perhaps they're assured that it will be fair that way?  Kids are weird.

Are you wondering where I'm getting all this crap?  A lot of my treasures came from those Jars I found several years ago.  

Short version:  I found about 50 huge pickle jars filled with crazy stuff at an estate sale.  Long  version:  read here. 

Prize stash

I kept one quart sized ziplock bag of toys for each girl.  

Toddler:  tiny board books, soft animals (that are *cough* totally disposable upon arrival, in my opinion), toys that rattle or move

5 year old: small jewelry, party favor-type games, cards

Just so you know, I probably spent less than $10 on kid entertainments for the whole trip.  I always keep little Happy Meal toys and favors from parties.  They come in handy, I swear, and your kids think it's a brand now toy.  Mine do, anyway.  

Don't forget stuff you have lying around the house, too.  Your baby will be just as happy with a few rubber bands and bright key chains as they will a purchased toy.

GAMES-print out lots of car games!

I place these games in the Travel Binder inside clear protector sheets.  Use dry erase markers and you can use them for years.  

By the way...

Make the Travel Binder and use it OVER AND OVER.  

Leave all that stuff in there and next time you're ready to grab-and-go.

Here's a Car Scavenger Hunt from Living Intentionally blog.

Tip-print these out on two different pages.  I forgot and they had to play side by side.  We also enjoyed the Airplane Scavenger Hunt. 

 

Car Brand Check Off game and Find Something in this Color game.

Violet's favorite part of flying is when the flight attendants come around with the drink cart.  She ordered very politely.  Apple juice.  She loved putting her tiny glass of ice in the indented circle on the fold-down tray.  I swear...airplane seats are kid-sized, not adult-sized.

Dry Erase EVERYTHING

I'm a firm supporter of dry erase markers when traveling.  You can use anything to clean them up and they don't stain.  In a pinch, use the inside of a skirt or sleeve.

Print outs- Find your kids' favorite characters online.  There are many sites that offer free coloring page downloads.  Violet particularly likes complicated patterns like the owl above.

 

Magic Paint and Bead Kit

Magic paint kits are a hit with my 5 year old.  You can "paint" without making a mess.  Simply use a q-tip dip it in a tiny amount of water, then smear the color on the black and white picture.  It's a good way to use your left-over ice and apple juice on the plane.  When you're done, roll it up and dispose of it in the can.

Make a simple bead kit before you leave home. I threw a handful of beads in a ziplock bag, along with a few feet of dental floss wrapped around a scrap of cardboard.  Kids love making necklace.  Let tiny kids do it with cheerios or fruit loops to make an edible necklace.

I wouldn't recommend this on the plane or in the car.  This is better for the hotel or other time when kids are confined and want something to do.

Coloring coloring.

Highlights Magazine Online has fun Hidden Picture puzzles available to print out from their website.   Use a dry-erase marker, wipe clean, then hand off to another kid.

Older kids might enjoy making a "passport" and documenting flight statistics.  My kid wasn't interested in this, but yours might be.

Hangman with age appropriate word list.  

(From Living Intentionally Blog. That blog rocks on travel suggestions.)

Alphabet search game

State Facts pages make the trip educational as well as fun.  Quiz kids on state flowers/animals/trees and learn to identify flags. 

 Scrapbook for kids.  Use a blank page for every destination or point of interest.  Let older kids write a description and younger kids paste in brochure photos.  Kids love collecting those travel tri-folds you see along the way.

Okay...that should give you some ideas.  

Let me know what works for you and your family!

Owl dresses and sparkle

Look!  It's Piper in Violet's old owl dress.  

They're so different, aren't they? That's Violet above at about the same age.

Piper's a mellow little Buddha baby and Violet is a ball of energy.  Half of Violet's photos are blurred because it's hard to capture her being still.

I made that dress from a super soft mohair sweater of mine I accidentally shrunk.  I did a tutorial on it a while back.  

If you want the link, here it is:

Toddler dress from adult sweater in 30 minutes.

Here's a video of Piper playing her favorite new game...pretending to eat.  In case you care.

And this...well, I have so many things to say about this that I get tongue-tied.

Speaking of sparkle, I found this on Pinterest.  (By the way:  Thanks, Pinterest.  You suck up all my free time because I have no discipline.  Love, Laura)

So...yeah yeah, sparkle, glitter, that shiny star trick of light. But in reality, wouldn't people just be saying, "Ew, gross.  What's that crap stuck on your nails?  Go wash your hands."

If you want to see what's going on over at my book blog, I did a feature on Anne Romby today.

 

Now on to more important things.  Should I make a pair like this?  I'm thinking those sharp little shells might cut your ankles to shreds.  If they accidentally brushed your leg (or God forbid, your children or pets) they'd leave slices.  So...I'm thinking no shell shoes.  But they're so CUTE!!!!

I Spy Bottles Tutorial

We made these for Violet's class using stuff we had around the house.  I only bought the water bottles and some extra rice.  The kids seemed to have fun with them, and you can change the theme to fit any occasion or holiday.

 

See?  They're fun.

Supplies:

• empty water bottles/any clear bottle will work
• rice
• a funnel is handy but not necessary
• bits and bobs from around the house...here are some ideas:
• candy
• beans
• corn kernels
• jewelry
• shells
• tiny toys
• buttons
• you know.....JUNK you have lying around

1.  Empty out all those bottles and turn them upside down to dry.  Fifteen bottles was only about $2.00. 2. Cut off the label.

3. Lay out your goodies.  I put them in piles like an assembly line since we were making them for 15 kids.  I then put all the trinkets in a ziplock bag.

4. Optional step-photograph the trinkets on a sheet of white paper.

5. On the computer (or by hand) print out a small sheet at life size of the objects to find in the bottle.

6. Using the funnel or a rolled up piece of paper, fill the jar 1/3 full of rice.

7. I'd recommend letting the kids hold the bottle still while an adult or older kid pours in the rice.  You might work over a shallow box or put the bottle in a bowl to contain spills.  However, we did this with 15 four-year-olds and it was surprisingly neat.

8. Put in half of the trinkets.  Even really small kids can do this part.

9.  Add more rice until the bottle is about two-thirds full.

10.  Add the rest of the trinkets.

11.  Fill the rest of the way with rice.  Leave about an inch or two of space at the top so that you can roll the rice around to reveal the goodies.  If you want to be sure this doesn't get opened accidentally, you can glue the lid shut.

For older kids:

Make it harder by hiding small objects that are the same color as the rice and hard to find.  I included TINY star pasta and alphabet letters.

Violet looks mad, but I promise she's just concentrating.

If you like this project, please share it/like it on Facebook or Pin the first photo to Pinterest.  Thanks!

Tutorials all on one page now!

I decided to put a link to all my tutorials on one page.  Here are a few of the ones you guys have said you liked the most:

Calm Glitter Jar

30 minute toddler dress from upcycled adult sweater

Anthropologie circus necklace knockoff

Rose Petal Fairy Backpack for about $2.00

I've been blogging for years now, so if you're looking for things, you have to go pretty far back in the archives and that can get confusing.

Valentine's Day Hand Warmers Tutorial

Want to keep your hands warm on a chilly winter day?  Make a set of hand warmers!  They'd be a great gift for Valentine's Day, or any time you want to share a little extra love with someone.

(If you like this project, please share it on Pinterest!)

Supplies:

• fabric (I used an old velvet shirt, but fleece would work nicely, too.  Choose something with a tight weave.  For example, don't use an old sweater, because the rice could work its way through the knit.)
• scissors
• needle and thread OR a sewing machine
• funnel
• rice
• washable marker or chalk
• heart shape (I cut mine from a cereal box)

 

I used a permanent marker.  That was stupid.  I should have used chalk or a washable marker.

Be sure to back stitch at the beginning and end if you use a machine.  Tie a knot if you're hand sewing.

You don't have to do this, but sewing several at a time made the project go faster for me.

Leave at least 1/4 inch outside of the seam line.

It really helps to have two people for this part. Use more rice for a fuller heart, less rice for a squishier heart.

Before you sew, make sure you're squishing all the rice back into the rounded parts of the heart.

You're done!

I packaged these using treat bags you can find at any craft or party supply store. The label is half a sheet of card stock folded over the top and stapled.  Have a freebie label for download below!

Download HandWarmers <---The version I'm giving you does NOT have 'from Violet' on it...that part is blank so you can type in or write in your own name.

Or, you can just grab the text here:

Hand Warmers

Directions:

1. Pop into microwave 30 seconds

2. Slip into coat pockets to keep hands toasty warm for up to half an hour

Happy Valentine's Day!

I made 17 pairs of these.  I hope the boys and girls in her class like them.

Note:  Don't wash these in the washing machine.  Just spot clean with a sponge.

Thanksgiving Acorn Bracelet Tutorial

Here's a tutorial on making an acrylic acorn charm bracelet.  I saw some of these at Big Lots the other day and had to snag them.  I liked the acorns the best, but they also had pumpkins and leaves. 

Supplies:

• acrylic acorn charms (sometimes found with 'floral scatter' in craft stores)
• premade bracelet or chain to cut
• jump rings, medium and large
• jewelry plyers
  
• jewelry snippers
• hand drill
• lobster clasp
  
• earring hardware, if making earrings
  

Here is a huge pack from Amazon.  Check your local Big Lots or Dollar Store, first, though.  Who needs 200 of these?  Maybe you do, but I don't.

1.  Cut your chain to the desired length.

2.  Attach the lobster clasp to one end of the bracelet.

3. This step depends on how packed you like your bracelet.  I decided on six acorns, but you could easily double that number if you like a really chunky look.

4.  Drill a hole through the tippiest top of the acorn.  I'm talking about the little nub of a stem up there. (This is the trickiest step!) This step works best with a partner.  Have them hold the acorn steady against the edge of a table while you drill the hole. 

You can also use a vise or a clamp to hold the acorn, but put fabric around the sides so as not to scratch the acrylic.

5. Put one jump ring through the bracelet chain then close it.  Now put one jump ring through the top of the acorn, then put that jump ring through the first one.  Now close that one.  Continue until you have attached all your acorns.

 6.  This is the last step...are you excited?  Attach a large jump ring to the end of the bracelet chain.

You're done!

I also made a pair of earrings.  Follow the same steps to drill the acorns and attach them to a length of chain.  Attach the chain to the earring hardware using jump rings.

If you liked this tutorial, please Pin It to your Pinterest.  Thanks!

How to de-seed a pomegranate for Thanksgiving

I made a short video of how to de-seed a pomegranate.  The seeds look so beautiful in Thanksgiving dishes. I recently bought a case (over 40 in a huge box..is that a case?) of them through Bountiful Baskets.  I split it with friends, but I've still been preparing a lot of pomegranates.

 

There are many methods for preparing the fruit, but this is the one that works best for me.  I like these year-round, but they're only available seasonally in my area.  I'm glad I have the opportunity to freeze some.

Halloween Costume Hat Tutorial

So....I'm throwing together a hat for a Halloween costume, and it occurred to me that this hat could be made to fit a ton of themes. This cost less than $2.00.  I'll show you how I made it.

• pirate
• Shakespearean/Elizabethan costumes
• could fit many fairy tale themes
• period soldier
• Cyrano de Bergerac
• Three Musketeers
• Velasquez (the painter)
• Spanish officer
• colonial costumes

None of the hats I found at the store fit or looked quite right.  There were a few on the internet I liked, but they were all over $40, which seemed ridiculous for a Halloween costume.  Just so you know, I was going for something vaguely like this, but with a bigger brim:

Halloween Costume Hat Tutorial

Supplies:  witch hat with wire brim (I got mine from a dollar store), black fabric (I used an old tshirt), glue gun, scissors

1.  Cut off the tip of the witch hat.  If you want a taller brim on your hat, cut less off.  If you want it to fit closer to your head, cut more off. 

2.  This is how much I cut off.  My hat had an overlay of spiderweb fabric, so I cut that off the tip, too.

3.  Now I turned the hat inside out and glued the cut edge together.  Then I turned it right side out and tried it on.  I stood in front of a mirror and just squished it around until it looked right.  Pin it, put clothespins on it, whatever--just hold it into place, then sew or glue it how you want it.  I hot glued the fabric into a shape that was sort of rectangular. 

4.  (This sounds complicated but it's not....trace the outside oval/circle of the hat, giving yourself 2 extra inches, then do the same with the inside oval.) Place the hat on top of your t-shirt and trace about 2 inches outside the brim.  Trace the inside where the hat touches your head, too. Leave yourselves 2 inches on the inside of that part.  In the photo above, I didn't leave myself enough room on the inside circle, so I had to do it again with another shirt.

5.  Glue the t-shirt fabric to the underside of the hat. The whitish lines are my hot glue. Then cut off the excess along the edge of the brim.  (Tip...I found it helped to run a line of glue just inside the ribbon of the brim.)

6.  Following the same instructions in Step 5, glue the fabric to the top of the hat. Trim off the excess around the outside edge, and around the base of the head.

7.  Now embellish the sucker to your little heart's content. Add trim, ribbon, feathers, flowers, spangles...whatever.  The wire brim also allows you to bend the hat into any shape you want.

I'm working on our costumes again today.  (What we're going as is a secret, so there.  However, you're welcome to guess.)   Are you all in a Halloween frenzy?  If not...why aren't you?  It's Halloween thirty, people!

Recycled Skull T-shirt Tutorial

Get out those old t-shirts and get ready for some instant gratification.  You could easily use this same tutorial to make a jack o'lantern face, too.

I bet you could do this even quicker if you tried.

Supplies:

• t-shirt
• washable marker or colored chalk
• scissors

1.  Draw on a skull face.  Note:  Ladies, if you don't want your boobs sticking out of the eye holes, try the shirt on first and mark the eye area underneath your chest.

2. Start cutting out the areas you have outlined.  I started with the eyes, then the nose, and finished with the teeth.

3.  You're done!

4.  Layer your new shirt over a black shirt.  Other Halloweenish colors would look good, too-purple, orange, green.

I made one with a black t-shirt, also.  I also cut slits about 1/2 inch apart on the sleeves.  If you'll notice, I had some trouble with the center teeth.  My 4 month old grabbed the bars between the teeth and yanked.  Cut those lines out carefully, because if they're too thin, it's easier to tear the remaining strip.

Popsicle stick dolls

All right....this one was an initial failure.  Adam even sat down and tried to follow the 'mystery braid' instructions.  He did it, but it drove me nuts.  I thought it was too complicated and it was hard to get the braid to look a consistent thickness.

So...instead, I just cut 3 strips of t-shirt fabric, braided them, then sewed the ends together.  Close enough.

The Lolly Dolls (popsicle stick dolls, whatever you want to call them) are FUN!  In fact, after the nuclear family, I decided to branch out. 

There.  Our family.  Violet's going crazy with them!

Calm Glitter Jars & Retro Shamefulness

We made calm jars!  I've heard them called lots of things....glitter jars, sparkle vessels, fairy jars, time out shakers.  Basically, they're shimmery and fun to look at.

However....if you have young children, they can serve another purpose.  Around this age, kids can feel very out of control of their emotions.  It can sometimes help to shift their frustrated focus to something else. 

So.....with our "Autumn Calm Jar", if Violet is feeling upset or out of sorts, we shake the jar.  I explained to her that our emotions are like that sometimes....swirling and swishing and bubbling around.  And sometimes, you just have to wait for that feeling to calm down.  So we watch the jar, in absolute silence, until the glitter settles to the bottom and the water clears.  By that time, she usually feels better again.  It's like an external, visual way to process those yucky feelings.  It seems to help her to know that those feelings will calm down if we acknowledge them, then give them some time to settle down. 

If that fails, there's always running in circles, punching pillows, or time out. 

You'll need:

• a mason jar
• glitter packets (the finer the glitter, the better it will swirl)
• glitter glue
• hot water
• glow sticks (If desired, to make them glow in the dark.  I tried an experiement with that first, though---it was awful.  Maybe you could use a fat glow stick, but the necklace kind didn't work.  We could only get a few drops out of the tube, and it made a huge, staining mess.)

Pick your colors!  That's the fun part, according to Violet.

We poured half of a glitter glue tube in the jar.  Then, fill with a few inches of hot hot hot water -to break down the glue- and stir.  (Obviously, let a grown up do that part.  Sheesh--I hate giving obvious disclaimers, but we live in this weird Disclaimer World.)

Pour in two or three of the little packs of glitter.  Glitter to taste, I say.  We chose fall colors. (We really should have done this outside.  Violet was suprisingly neat.  I'm not ever going to take that chance again, though. Adam has a near-phobic hatred of glitter.  One time, we went on a date, and I had on a dress with glitter in the fabric.  He spent all night being weird and scooting away from me and finally I said, "WHAT?  Do I stink?" And he explained how very much he loathes glitter, and how he was getting freaked out that I was leaving a trail of glitter behind me on everything I touched.  And there I was, thinking I was all sparkly and fairy like.  Guess I was wrong.)

Fill the rest of the way with hot water, then tightly seal the jar lid.  You can glue it shut if you want, but we just put it on really, really tight.  If you glue it---put some glue around the threads of the jar, then screw the lid on.

Voila!  Autumn Calm Jar.

It's really peaceful to look at.  These would be great for holidays or seasonal jars, too.  I only let Violet use it at the table, when I'm the one shaking it.  If you let them have it, plastic would be the way to go, with a glued shut lid.

I also made some really, really ugly smoothies.  Now, if I said, "Hey, do you want a chocolate shake?"...they'd look fine.  But they're smoothies.  Don't they look positively stomach-turning?  They tasted okay, but man....so unattractive.  It was cucumber, carrot, peaches, apple, and purple cabbage.  Maybe not a repeater.

Get a load of this ginormous horse fly.  Biting, mean little suckers.  That's a straw on the left...for reference.  So you can understand their ridiculous hugeness.  They HURT.
 

This has nothing to do with anything, but I got a kick out of it.  They put radioactive material in the 'face dirt' to track how clean the cold creams get your face using a Giger counter.  I wonder if they REALLY did that???

 

Are you a stupid broad?  A really, really stupid broad?  If so, Folgers can help you out!

 

Fresh perked, ladies!

Rose Petal Backpack

I wanted to make Violet a new bag for school.  She's getting old enough for a backpack.

You can make it in under an hour for about $2.00. 

Cheap, near-instant gratification---yay!!!!

   I saw a similar idea online about a year ago, but I can't find it.  It was made with homemade, hand-cut out pieces of fabric in ovals, I think.  If you know where that tutorial is, I'll be happy to link to it.

 I thought it would be easier with ready-made petals.

 

You'll need:

• Drawstring cinch-style backpack (I bought it at a dollar store for....$1.00.  I think it would be easiest with a bag that lies flat, but you could probably do it on anything from a regular bag pack to a tote to a purse.)
• bag of rose petals (I also found these at the dollar store for....you guessed it!  $1.00.  They were with the wedding supplies.)
• A hot glue gun (I assume most people already have one of those.)

Start gluing the petals along the bottom edge.  I let mine hang over the edge a bit.  Now keep gluing them on in rows----that's it!

It doesn't matter much, but if you want to be extra fancy....the petals sort of have a back and a front (petals bows in or out), and a top and a bottom (round end and pointy end).  If you want them to lie down a little more smoothly, glue them all on in the same direction.

See?  You're done.  Easy!  And not that 'It's easy if you have a masters in craft/design/Marthaness but not for normal people easy'.  Really, really easy.

I think it turned out cute!  I think I'll use a similar technique for some costumes this Halloween.  I'm thinking matching sister flower fairy-ish sorts of dresses.

The adjustable straps are nice, and unlike the school-sized packs, it's nice and light.  I don't think her little body is ready for a mega-backpack yet. 

This is just right for her lunch, a few toys, and maybe a book.  Carry it yourself, my sweet little pack mule....Mama is schlepping a baby around.

I'm glad she likes it. 

If Violet doesn't care, I might make this one the 'Little Sister Bag'.  I'd like to make Violet one out of dark purple petals.....Violet petals, obviously!  Although I'll probably just have to find purple rose petals and pretend they're violets.

Circus necklace

Aren't these cute circus necklaces from Anthropologie? They're only $38, but I would want all of them.  My inner 4 year old can't have just one. So that would be.....$152.00. Plus tax.  And shipping.I decided to make them instead.  And I wanted them all on one necklace, like a circus parade.

 Why is it so hard to take a photo of yourself in the mirror?
 

I bought a cheapo pack of plastic animals and gussied them up with bits and bobs, then attached them to a thrift store necklace.  The giraffe was too large compared to the other animals, so I substituted a lion instead.  I cut bits of fabric for their saddles, then glued on rickrack and other spare jewelry parts to try to make them look like the originals.

Rawr! Look at me....I cost $3.50!  This necklace keeps my daughter distracted at the grocery store, too.  She likes the zebra best and begs to touch it.  No.  It's Mama's zebra.

Placemats Tutorial completed, thanks to SOA!!!!

Summer of Awesomeness project completed - Get Motivated!

DECOUPAGED PLACEMAT TUTORIAL BELOW

(Note---spellcheck kept trying to get me to change 'placemat' to 'placenta'.  Now that would be a whole different project altogether, now wouldn't it?)

Thanks to a much-needed kick in the pants from Bettina, I got motivated to finish my placemats I'd started months ago.  Do you have lots of projects languishing on all surfaces of your house?  If your house is perfect and organized, just don't tell me.

I bought a set of 4 placemats for $3.00 at Goodwill.  They weren't hideous, just kind of blah.  They came in a nice, sturdy storage box, too.

  
The cork backs are good for our glass table since they glide instead of scratch.

 
I've been saving this copy of "Meet the Woodland Folk" for a family project.  We all really like the books.  Did you ever read them?  I didn't find the Woodland Folk series until I was an adult, but I am crazy about the detailed illustrations and happy forest creatures.  Thanks, Tony Wolf---you've made the world a nicer place.  I wish I could go give him a hug and make him some cookies.  Richard Scarry, too.

 TUTORIAL: 

(I am going to make this one super duper EASY-you can even do it with mild heat stroke!)

SUPPLIES:

• 4 placemats (or more if you're one of those crafty Mormon/Catholic/hippy families)
• A book that you don't mind cutting up that is the same height (or very close) as your placemats
• Plain old school glue
• scissors
• Our Beloved Mod Podge
  
  1.  Cut the pages of the book to fit the edge of the placemat.  The placemat was curved, so I stuck it top of the page, and traced the edge of the placemat.  That's the hardest part!

   2.  Now just have fun picking out images to go on each placemat. (This is optional--->) I overlapped 2 pages for each placemat.  To make it look slightly more 'decoupaged', I cut a few shapes out to make them overlap the next page a little more gracefully.

3.  Apply school glue smoothly to the back of the book pages.  Carefully place the page on the placemat, aligning edges.  Working fairly quickly, smooth out any air bubbles or excess glue, working from the center out to the edge of the paper.  Some people use a little brayer? (I think that's the word) or a small rolling pin.  You can also use your fingers.  However, try to be careful not to get glue on the front of the book pages.  Some printing inks will run if you get glue on them then push your finger over the surface.  You can always test a scrap page of the book first.

4.  Let the school glue dry, then coat the top with 2-5 layers of Mod Podge, depending on how glossy and well-protected you want it.  If you have energetic children that like to stab things with forks, put lots of coats on.  If you have mild, calm children, or adults in your home, then 2 coats should be fine.

That's it!  Clean them with a damp dishtowel or sponge (soft side), and don't scrub really hard.

 
I let everyone in my house pick out their favorite images.  Adam chose the spring party and the Oak Tree Terrace. (Click on any photo for a larger image in another screen.)

 
I liked the fireflies and the fawn poking its head into the fiber-crafty mousehouse.  (In the story, he and his sister are cold, so the mice knit them scarves.  I know, I could puke from the cuteness.)

 
Violet likes all things water-related, so she chose these. In the upper left, check out the team of bees pulling a beetle on a pea-ski!

 
This one will be for a guest.  Or a future little Irrgang if we have one. I like how the animals are making a meal out of just a kernel of corn.  They look so excited!

Did I mention the handy storage box?  I like placemats, and have several sets, so I like to store them neatly.   Send me photos of any of your SOA projects and I'll be happy to post them.

SOA Project #1---Learn to paint a rug

All right----I chose an easy first project for the Summer of Awesomeness.  I decided to paint a rug since I wanted a new welcome mat.

 

I really liked this one from Jennifer Perkins. Her tutorial covers everything you'd need to know. Her blog rocks---Naughty Secretary Club. 

I made my own tutorial, also.  The rug cost me about $3.00 to make.  That's much cheaper than any rugs I've seen for sale, and it's personalized.

 
I started with:

• $1.88 boring rug from Walmart
• fabric paint and a brush...I could only find puffy paint, but I recommend a regular, non-puffy kind, or even plain old acrylic craft paint
• a print out of numbers or letters on card stock

a circular plastic lid as a pattern for my circles
1.  My address is 7263, so I wanted 4 circles.  I made chalk line (you can't see it in this photo) to divide the rug half on the top and bottom.  It made a big cross shape.  I used that as a guide to center my circles.  I just eyeballed the distance between them. I used chalk and washable marker to draw the outline of the lid.

2.  I cut out the letters and centered them in the circles.  Draw around them with a marker.

 
3.  Now you just paint around the marker lines where the numbers are.  Voila!  New rug.

4.  Let it dry 24 hours, then pop in on your porch, or just inside your door. 

 
I made an extra one for my studio.  I just free-handed it.  If you're not an artsy person, just print out a pattern on card stock, cut it out, then trace around it.

Sesame Street nap mat

Violet is going to a 2 day a week Parent's Day Out program at a different location for the summer.  We loved her old school, but they don't meet during the summer. At Violet's new school , she will be sleeping on a nap mat.  At her old school, each child had a crib, but I guess she's too 'grown up' for that now.  Sniff.

 
She's "practicing".

I decided to make her one out of stuff I already had at home.  I loosely followed this tutorial on Craftster.  I made our nap mat quite a bit longer and a little wider than the tutorial's measurements.Violet's pretty tall for her age, and I wanted her to be able to use the nap map when she's older, too.  It will come in handy for sleepovers, camping trips, traveling, etc. 

 
I made the 'mattress' by taking an old velour blanket and folding it over several times.  It wouldn't fit through my machine, so I hand basted it.  Most tutorials I've seen use heavy quilt batting or foam, but they didn't seem like they would be thick enough to be comfy.  I tried this out on the hard floor to make sure it was nap-worthy.  It was quite cushy.

Then, I made a long pillow out of an old set of sheets and stuffed it with fiber fill. 

 
I've had this great vintage Sesame Street sheet for a while.  I've been saving it for something special.  I thought Oscar the Grouch holding a 'Quiet' sign was particularly appropriate for her nap mat.

 
I cut out a big rectangle to accommodate the pillow and mattress. I sewed it together like a pillow case with two openings.  You could sew the pillow and mattress in to the rectangle--that would be easier.  I wanted to be able to wash the sheet, though.  So--I sewed a zipper at each end.  I also added 4 ties to one end, and a reinforced carrying strap.  If you want detailed instructions, go to the tutorial link.

 
Here is the end with the pillow.  You just unzip it, pop the pillow out of one end and the mattress out of the other and throw it in the washer. 

 
Here it is unrolled on a queen sized bed to give you an idea of the size.  I've seen nap mats that have a blanket sewed into them, but we live in Texas.  Maybe I'll attach one this fall or winter.  I also don't like the idea of a blanket rolling around a germy kid room picking up microbes.  It's like a giant tissue.  Gross.

 
Nicely rolled up and ready to go.

 
She approves.  She even came out of her tent to try it out.

Adam and I tried it out, too. We thought it was comfy.

 
Now getting her to actually take a nap is a whole different ballgame!  She is nap-resistant.

Easter Faux Flower Tutorial

These would make pretty Easter corsages, or look nice as kiddie bows, or attached to an Easter basket.

OK--I tried the flowers from a few posts back.  Again, it's not MY original idea, but I'm showing you how I did it.

  
I had some scrap fabric from Violet's Easter dress.  Isn't that a nice color?  It was $1.99 a yard at Walmart.  It's slick and very light polyester. You have to use a synthetic fabric for this project.

I cut 7 roughly circle-shaped pieces.  The largest was about 5 inches in diameter, and the smallest about an inch.

I practiced the burning part on some scraps first.  I found that the 'sweet spot' is about an inch and a half above the flame.  Hint--to get the flowers to curl in the same direction, hold the flower in one direction and turn it like a clock.  Don't flip it over and burn different sides, unless you want it to curl in opposite directions.

 
Lay out your flowers from largest to smallest.

 
Start stacking them, holding them tightly in the middle.

 
Using a similar colored thread, sew through all the layers in the center.  Sew until it feels secure, then tie a knot in the back. 

 
Here's mine. I stuck it on my hand so you'd get an idea of the scale.  I think I'll sew a brooch pin on the back so I can stick it on a purse, a dress, or thread a bobby pin through the pin and put it in my hair.

Rosette & ruffles shirt tutorial

(Added NOTE:  I only glossed over the steps here.  I am assuming you have at least beginning to intermediate sewing skills.  You need to know how to make gathers and sew a seam.)

I've been wanting to try a fashion recycling project with old t-shirt material.  The upside is that it doesn't unravel and doesn't require hemming.  It's also light and great for spring or layering.

  
I took a comfy tank top and an old long sleeved t-shirt, and ended up with this. It has an airy Anthropologie feel to it, don't you think? I used this tutorial from Sachiko at Tea Rose Home almost step by step.  She has more in-depth photos, but I wanted to share my project photos with you, too.

 
1.  Hack off the sleeves.  Then cut into sections across the body----I did 2 - 2" sections, then 3 - 4" sections.  I just eyeballed it and cut.

 
2.  Sew the skinny strips together to make one long strip.

 
3.  Using your biggest stitch size, sew a seam down the center of the long piece, then pull one thread to make gather the ruffle.

 
4.  Find the center of the long ruffle, and pin to the center back.  Pin and sew around the neckline, leaving a gap in the front center for the larger ruffles.

5.  Lay out the larger strips to get an idea of how far down you want the ruffles.  I decided to go most of the way down the bottom of the shirt.

 
 
6.  Sew 1/2" from one edge of the rectangle using your biggest stitch size.  Pull one thread to make it ruffle.  Center it on the front center of the shirt.  Sew each additional ruffle under the first.  I made the top ruffle overlap the next one by about 1 1/2" to hide the stitching.

 
7.  Make rosettes, and sew on near the neckline.  You can find tons of good rosette tutorials online, just Google them.  And you're done!

30 minute toddler dress tutorial-upcycled sweater

I wanted to make something for Miss TwoTwo, but I wanted it to go quickly.  So....I limited myself to 30 minutes.  Whatever I could do by then, that's what she'd get.  I've been trying to recycle/upcycle things instead of donating them lately. 

 
I took an old sweater of mine I accidentally shrunk.  It's fuzzy mohair and a soft periwinkle color.  I placed a sleeveless dress that fits my daughter over the front and cut around it.  The turtleneck stays the same, it just becomes a big turtleneck. I cut the sleeves off to match sleeves from one of her sweaters.  I just guessed.  I tried to make the curve of the sleeve match the curve of the armpits.

 

Turn inside out, and sew the side seams.  Turn sleeve inside out, and sew the bottom seam.

 
Sew the sleeves onto the body and you're done!  It took 28 minutes from start to finish.  I am a big fan of instant gratification some days.

Now....if you want to get fancier, play around with some felt.

 

I used iron on adhesive paper, and cut out shapes with felt.  I ironed that onto the sweater, then sewed around by hand with embroidery thread.  I sewed buttons onto circles of felt for eyes.  She's really into owls, so it was a hit.

Halloween Zipper Necklace Tutorial

I made a Halloween-ish necklace out of old zippers!  Break out your zipper stash and let's recycle.

Here is a link to the  video tutorial (by Secret Life of a Bio Nerd) on Threadbanger.

Just in case that wasn't clear, it's not my tutorial.  I can't find the woman's name, though-only her user name.  It's a quick, easy, and fun project---it took me about half an hour.

I made up the earrings on my own.  I coiled half a zipper into itself, gluing with hot glue as I rolled it up.  I like vintage zippers with the silver teeth the best....I like the little bit of shine.

Family Nativity card tutorial

Our Christmas was great!  We even had snow on Christmas Eve.  That's quite an amazing thing in Texas. It was a peaceful, quiet holiday here with the three of us. 

My sweet husband made a yummy Christmas breakfast. He made Christmas Eve breakfast, too, but I don't have a photo.

There was a blur of gifts...

...some quirky presents...

...and more fabulousness (Amy, you're a genius!)...

...and lots of calm snuggly time.

When we got married, we decided to always have Christmas together at our home. Both sets of our parents have remarried, so we have four immediate families, not to mention numerous grandparents, cousins, aunts & uncles, etc.  It was too hectic for us to rush from one place to another.  We ended up spending most of our holiday on the road in a blur of travel.  Adam and I enjoy visiting more on non-holidays.  I hope it doesn't hurt anyone's feelings too much, but hey-you can't make everyone happy. More of our family is coming this week to celebrate Miss Baby's 1st birthday.

Several people asked how I made our Christmas card this year, so I thought I'd do a

QUICK CHRISTMAS CARD TUTORIAL:

1.  First, I picked a spot in our house where I'd have consistent light, and tried out different 'Mary poses'. I looked through a bunch of paintings from the 14th and 15th century to find a classic composition.

2.  Then I rounded up costume things and the family.  I used a bunch of sheets, some rope, and pajamas.  They weren't very elegant, but I put them together in about 5 minutes, so I was pleased with the outcome.  Have I mentioned lately what a good sport my husband is about these things?

Me: "Hey, honey---can you come in here a minute?" 

Adam: "Sure.  What do you need?" 

Me:  "I want you to put on your pajamas and a robe and these sheets.  Let me tie a rope around you and stick this belt around your head." 

Adam: "Ok, love." 

Me:  "And hold this stick." 

Adam:  "Sure, sweetheart."

The hardest part was running around in sheets without tripping while trying to press the self-timer button on the camera.  Adam volunteered to help, and things went a lot quicker.

Trying to force "Baby Jesus" into the cradle took some work.

We figured out she didn't like lying down, so we let her sit up instead.  Happy baby. Problem solved.

3.  Then I looked for Three Wise Men costumes on the internet.  I printed out all these photos on cardstock, then cut them out.  I cut and pasted our pets' heads on the wiseguy bodies.

4.  I left an inch on the bottom of the people by the feet so that I could fold them over.  The tab at the bottom lets them stand up like paper dolls.

5. Then I glued together some bark to make a manger.  I used a bunch of toy plastic animals for the menagerie.  I set it up outside in a pile of hay.  I didn't like how it looked, though.  It was too bright and I didn't see enough of the manger.

6. I decided to photograph the scene indoors at night.  I brought a bunch of hay inside and set it up on a piece of wood.  I took the photo in a dark room and lit the manger with a flashlight.  I liked the effect much better.

And voila!  Our Christmas card. (See below in next post)

Christmas Tree Gate Tutorial, Part 2

DISCLAIMER:  I already said this, but making a baby proofing gate out of pointy stakes was a stupid idea.  Make it at your own risk. 

(continued from Part 1)

5.  Bribe husband with eggnog to do the drilling part.  Let the baby help.

6.  Screw the hinges to the ends of the 1" x 2" sections.

7.  Place fence sections end to end, screw on other half of hinge.  (If you want them to store easily, I'd make 2 sections that fold closed like a greeting card.  Just screw and unscrew the last hinges each year.  That way, you can store them stacked in the off-season.  If you screw all 4 together, they won't fold up as nicely.)

8.  Set up the gate, and attach latch, if desired.  (I know I already showed you this photo, but I'm showing you again.  In case you forgot what it looks like.)

Another perk---it can also be modified to make a baby proof fireplace screen.  When I'm done with it around the Christmas tree, I'm going to take it to my studio and put it around my wood stove.

Christmas Tree Gate Tutorial, Part 1

All right----my internet service is working better today.  It can be pretty infuriating, though.  I live in the BOONIES, and we only get one choice for internet service.  In fact, we only had dial up available until a year ago.  Did I mention I have to drive 30 miles for groceries?

I'm babbling....onto baby-proofing your Christmas tree!
Materials:  (for a 5' x 5 gate)

• 96 wooden stakes (8 packs of 12)
• wood glue
• 8 each 5' long sections of 1" x 2" board
• 8 hinges, (optional latch)
• screws, drill
• wood glue
• paint

1.  Lay out the 1" x 2"s, then place 2 stakes on either end.  (Use a framing square to be sure it's at right angles.)  Secure with wood glue and screws.

2.  Lay out 24 stakes, evenly spaced.

3.  Start gluing the stakes to the support board.  You can screw them on if you want, but I didn't because I'm lazy. (You can make the bottoms more even by using a straight edge to line them up against, like a long board.)

4.  Paint them.  I'd recommend house paint and a brush.  Keep your dachshund away from the gates.  Bacon works best.  (I tried spray paint--on the gate, not the dachshund--and wasted 10 cans.  You'd think I'd have stopped after the first can didn't work, wouldn't you?  Stupid me. You can't say I give up easily! )