All Gussied Up

Projects ahead...

2011-07-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

Ahoy! We are moving and I am very very excited to actually be committed to the same house for more than a year. The house we are currently in was a short term house from the get-go so I never painted or

or thought to deeply about how I wanted the place to work. Although we are not laying down permanent roots just yet, I am excited about this slightly long term plan. I finally hopped on the Pinterest train and love how well it can organize my decor ideas. I am not naturally talented in this department (I offer pretty much all of my past posts as evidence of this fact), but I know what I like. So here is a taste of some posts to come. Perhaps you more talented ladies can point me in the right direction paint and materials wise.

So the first room I'd like to work on is the living room. It's got a great fireplace and is fairly small so it won't need a lot.

The current--apparently avantgarde-- tenant put his dining table in the living room but we'll go the traditional route.

Here's some room ideas I've liked.

Grey and White with pops of yellow...

I also like the colors in these guys!

Any favorites? I love input!

Recycled angels

2010-12-14T05:44:00.000-08:00

This year we're making ornaments for most extended family members and here is our latest:

It's made entirely of things we had around the house (paper bag, newspaper, thread, and twine), which makes me very happy! I think we'll be personalizing the scroll with family members' names for future angels.

It's pretty straight forward, but I posted the whole process on my blog.

Simple Advent Calendar

2010-12-13T15:51:00.000-08:00

I hand embroidered and hand-stitched our new Advent Calendar. It's simple and a little 'undone' looking - but that's just the way I wanted it! I have never hand embroidered something so I looked up a tutorial online. This isn't the exact tutorial, but it looks really helpful.
I lightly penciled in some numbers on the linen and then went over them with a split stitch.

For more of our simple ( lazy) 2010 Christmas decor click HERE.

halloween wreath

2010-10-15T22:46:00.000-07:00

Well, I am not going to repost my recently painting ventures since that will take me way too long, but I will just share some links:

Jimmy's Green Room

Blue Bedroom

Yellow Bathroom

Those seem to count as things I have "Gussied Up" and I feel I have neglected this blog a bit... however, I am not the only one. Here is a little craft I did recently with some friends so I thought I would share.

I have to say I would still be tempted to eat it if I didn't know it was covered in glue. Good thing I have been keeping a bowl of them nearby when I feel the urge. The inspiration came from HERE, but I mixed it up a bit mostly because I wasn't looking at the picture when I started mine. I is just a dollar store wreath with black fabric wrapped around it. Use hot glue to put on the candy corn and then seal it with decoupage. However, I don't think this is going to keep beyond this year.

I really must be bored tonight. Despite the fact that I have so many more important things I could be doing right now, I chose to blog tonight. Can this baby come already?!

2 of my favs

2010-08-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

I have been consistently dissatisfied with our living room pillows...until now. These are the result of a merging of 2 of my favorite things...Ikea (rugs 3.99) and Martha Stewart Living (July Issue). The fabric is super durable and I love the vintage-feel prints... much cheaper than buying the striped french linen & old feed sacks I was saving up for.
I'll be making more - but wanted to get the idea posted!

I thought this was really cool

2010-07-15T07:16:00.001-07:00

Print your own fabric at home. This might come in handy for all of you trying to personalize your new homes.

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2010/07/how-to_print_on_fabric_with_an.html

paint and carpet

2010-05-25T00:24:00.000-07:00

Fresh Paint and new carpet are two things that can work wonders on an ugly room.

Goodbye Pink Shag and Skin-Toned Walls.

(We did this awhile ago, but I hadn't contributed in awhile.)

Found Things: Part One

2010-05-13T16:05:00.001-07:00

A string of very minor medical incidents has left us our family on a tight budget. It's been especially frustrating because I haven't been able to buy any supplies for the billions of sewing expeditions I have already begun in my head.

But the lack of funds have provided me with new visions of how to re-purpose items we already have in our house. It's sort of become a stimulating mental challenge for me.

Part One: The tin can----ister.
In an attempt to become ever-more financially savvy, I've started to set up a home office area in our ever-so-tiny bedroom. We used to have bills 'here', the computer 'there' and the file box 'somewhere else.'

But all we needed still was something to hold our little office odds and ends. So while whipping up a fresh marinara, I realized I could re-purpose the crushed tomato cans into something a bit more beautiful - using the scraps of this U.S. map paper I got from my all-time favorite paper store in Ann Arbor, MI.

I originally used the map in its entirety in my daughter's basement play area, then recently chopped it up to hang it here...over our couch.

Feels good to make something new without spending a dime.

A month of sewing

2010-05-07T08:25:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine had twins in January and I am finally getting around to sending gifts for her older and younger children. I apologize in advance for the mess in the pictures but we are moving tomorrow and my apartment is in shambles.

Here is a blurry side shot of the bonnet for the five year old girl.

Here is the front.

This bonnet is for the girl twin. It took FOREVER to draft a pattern for it but I couldn't find a pattern I liked on the internet. I have used this one and would recommend it, it just wasn't quite what I was looking for for this bonnet. I also looked at this one.

I never thought of myself as a mom who would put a bonnet on her kids but I just found some great fabric and will be making some for my girls too.
This cap is for the 3 year old boy. It was super easy and I found the pattern here. Anyone could put this together in 2 hours or so.
This play mat is for the boy twin. Circles are a pain in the ass.
This fabric is the backing. I had been looking for a reason to buy it for a year or so and scrapped my previous gift idea just to use it.
And here is my longest labor of love. My nephew's T-shirt quilt.

EGG-cellent Easter Eggs

2010-03-31T12:14:00.001-07:00

Aren't these beautiful?!! If you love dying Easter eggs like I do, try these out. They're easy and oh so fun to look at.

The credit for this idea goes to my mother-in-law. We made these a few days ago with a few of her friends. Martha Stewart also has these eggs on her website. See here.

Things you'll need:
-old silk ties
-muslin or white sheets (or pillowcases or old tablecloths)
-rubber bands or twist ties
-white eggs (uncooked)
-water
-vinegar
-a big ol' pot

1. Gather up some old silk ties and cut a few squares of muslin (big enough to wrap over an egg) (note: even cheapo ties are usually silk - unless, of course, they are obviously wool or cotton. My sister had a great idea to look at a thrift store since she doesn't have any ties lying around her apartment.)

2. Cut your tie into a piece big enough to wrap around your egg. Placing the egg on the shiny/good side of the tie scrap, wrap it up nice and tight. You want the tie pattern to be as snug against your egg as possible. (Careful, though, remember - the eggs are raw, so you don't want to break them.) Tie it off with a twist tie or rubber band.

3. Next wrap the egg again, this time with the muslin/cloth. Close up the muslin nice and tight with another twisty or rubber band.

4. repeat steps 1-3 with the rest of your eggs.

5. Pop the eggs into a pot. Fill with water to cover eggs completely. Then, add about three tablespoons of white vinegar.

6. Bring water to a boil, turn heat down, and simmer for 20 minutes or longer.

7. Remove the eggs with tongs or a spoon. Let them cool and then unwrap them to reveal your gorgeous eggs.

Have fun! Happy Easter everyone!!

Uh, Katie?

2010-03-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

Where did that blog post go?

handmade invitations

2010-03-22T16:44:00.000-07:00

We're having a party and I really wanted to send handmade invitations. I loved these. I decided on a little Asian flare for ours - inspired by my grandmothers influence of teaching me origami at a young age I decided to use an origami lily. I actually went to YouTube and watched a tutorial on making the lily. The girls voice and squawking birds got on my nerves, I muted it, and watched away. It took energy and time to make the invitations, but in the end I am glad people "got mail" in the literal way and not the cyber. =)

Happy St. Paddy's!

2010-03-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

Late, of course. I made 30 of these for story time. They were a big hit despite the fact that I rushed them to make enough for all the kids. I will definitely make them next year and take my time making just a handful for my own children. Sewing vinyl was surprisingly easy. I may sew some egg-shaped ones for Easter.

One more thing...please tell me I won't be an awful mother if I make one of these for Ana. I'm still a little bitter.

Thank you Leah!!!!

2010-03-13T09:42:00.000-08:00

Thank you for inspiring me to do this!!!!!! You are amazing!

Sisal Pendant Light

2010-03-09T21:42:00.000-08:00

The lamp in my living room was my nemesis. There are worse ones out there, sure, but this one has a shade that collects dust like it's its job, has a bulky shape, and in my opinion is generally just a total downer . So....
I moved it to another room and went lightless for a few months....
Until I remembered this awesome project that I found. I've been wanting to make this forever, and I finally got a chance this weekend. Instead of hemp, I decided to use sisal b/c I like the messy texture and the color looked better for this spot.

Sisal twine (I got mine at Hardware city, our local hardware store, but I'm sure most any hardware store would carry it. Look in the rope section. The whole 200+ foot roll was about $6:
Then I got this big playground ball from Target ($2.88)

And I reached my hand into this:

and coated the sisal twine a few inches at a time by running it through my modge-podge covered hands (very messy so you want to be sure to put down a dropcloth of some sort). As I covered the twine in modge podge I began winding it around the ball in a haphazard criss cross pattern. I left a few inches uncovered at one end so that I could get the ball out later...Then I let it dry for two days, before deflating the ball and pulling it out through the hole. It stuck to the sides a little bit so I gently reached in and peeled it away from the places it was sticking.
Then I used a light kit from ikea ($3) and ran it through one of the criss cross openings in the top, and mounted it with a ceiling hook:

samesies?

2010-03-08T11:10:00.000-08:00

I think Molly and I may have the same pattern for bean bags. I would put the link, but I have no idea how you do that. I feel like a computer dumb bucket - how do you not put the link, but a simple word to go to a site? Anyways, Michael loves rolling it, climbing on it and as you can see perching on it! This was my first sewing project!

My next big sewing endeavor is cloth diapers - some amazing women have me convinced it is the way to go! I hope I will be able to post soon the diapers and my thoughts on the whole thing.

I am on fire with the skirts.

2010-03-04T06:02:00.001-08:00

I used this tutorial to make flowers. They were easy but took about 30 minutes each while I watched a movie.And I used this tutorial to make the skirt itself. Beware the annoying Madonna that plays over and over on the website. You should definitely shut off your speakers. I made the flowers with felt and thread but I attached them to the skirt with embroidery floss. They are designated as dress-up so I wanted them to be sturdy.

Mission accomplished: It spins beautifully.

Easy girls skirt.

2010-03-01T15:35:00.000-08:00

I found this tutorial a few weeks ago and when I found a free pair or cords I decided to make it. I modified it a bit since I had to dismantle a pair of pants but the concept is the same, my skirt just has a few more vertical seams than hers and my flowers are much more basic. I recommend this if you are learning how to sew for your kids. The shape is very forgiving and corduroy is ideal for a play skirt so it doesn't matter if it gets beat up.

If you sew and have boys you should check out this website. She dedicated a month to boy projects. Some are difficult but most are manageable for someone who is learning.

Bean Bag Chair

2010-03-01T13:38:00.001-08:00

I made this as a birthday gift for our nephew. It's actually an easy pattern...but I managed to make it take FOREVER by trying to cut corners. I swore off ever making one again, but Chloe loves it... so there ya go.

It has an inner shell (that holds all the static-y little balls we still find all over our house) and an outer shell that can be taken off (with Velcro) to be washed.

I chose a space theme for the fabric.

It's time to play kitchen.

2010-02-23T11:33:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite toys growing up was my play kitchen. I have fond memories of baking up a storm, pulling out the fold-down table and sharing a delicious snack with my care bear, rainbow bright & Gem.
Imagine me dicing up a little treat at this state-of-the-art kitchen center.

Being that I'm so obsessed with the fuzzy memories of my tiny little culinary feasts, I've been researching play kitchens for Chloe pretty much since she was born. I have big plans to give her a fully stocked kitchen for her 2nd birthday including dreams of a beautiful wooden kitchen for our little chef, but to be honest, the plastic kitchens are striking my fancy more these days - they are usually larger, cheaper and come with more accessories. But nothing seems to fit the bill when it comes to the 'perfect' play kitchen: wooden, well spaced, plenty of doors/drawers/shelves, table included for serving up a mean tea party, a phone, doesn't include sounds, and has a sleek vintage/modern look...oh yeah, and less that 500.00 would be nice....and by less than 500.00 I mean it has to be less than 200.00.
I'd rather make a modified version of this...or this this or this or this or this or this or this. I just have to convince myself to commit to this seemingly monumental task.

more valentines

2010-02-18T14:01:00.000-08:00

Since Molly shared her valentine creations I thought I would share a few of mine as well. I found tons of vintage valentine images online (I posted a list on my blog HERE). Mostly I just printed them all on cardstock and them cut them out and Jimmy gave them to everyone in the family. I took pictures of a few of the ones I did a little something extra to.

I just stuck all of these ones on my bulletin board with some other non-valentine things, but it was the easiest way to take a picture of them all at once. The one in the bottom left I found at an estate sale and it is the only real vintage valentine in the bunch. It says, "To Betty From Hermie" which I thought was great. I couldn't really part with it so I guess it was my valentine to myself.

Valentine.

2010-02-16T06:56:00.000-08:00

Here is my idea of a great Valentine Decoration...
Frames from Target's dollar spot with vintage valentine's from a garage sale.

I plan on doing the same with Easter & Christmas cards I got garage sale-ing too.

Not the most exciting post....

2010-02-16T06:30:00.001-08:00

but a post nonetheless.
Here are the new alphabet knobs (1/2 price at Hobby Lobby) I put on our butt-ugly dressers in an attempt to make them bearable. I hope to give them a paint job this summer --- any color suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

Before...ugly

After...minutely less ugly

Also - here is some of the rest of the room --- I have such a hard time decorating knowing that we are only here temporarily and come 2o11 we'll be headed for our 7th move in only 4 years of marriage. Ugh. So, while completely unfinished, unframed, unorganized...it's better than looking at blank walls!

I'm also starting a dusty little collection of black lacquer boxes.

FOOTLOOSE

2010-02-15T08:05:00.001-08:00

So, technically, I "made" this. And while I didn't use scissors or string, it was test project using digital media. I think it turned out okay but I definitely need a new camera. I'm taking donations now...ha. Enjoy!

Chicago Footloose rough cut from Katherine Young on Vimeo.

Measure twice, cut once

2010-01-19T18:48:00.000-08:00

OK, I am way too impatient for quilting. A group of women here get together every week to make quilts for the homeless shelter and I was feeling ambitious so I offered to take some fabric home and do a quilt top. I totally ruined it. It was supposed to looks something like this.

I cut the fabric wrong and to cover it up I had to do this.

I hope the kid who gets this quilt isn't prone to seizures because it has so much going on it hurts my head. What should have taken two to three hours took twelve. So always check your math.

This however took three hours total from cutting the fabric to quilting it. Relatively quick and easy baby gift and I got to use leftover fabric from a quilt I made for a Christmas gift.

I hope I haven't scared you off quilting. When is one of you going to take the plunge and make a nice cozy quilt?

The $1.50 skirt...

2010-01-16T13:59:00.000-08:00

I was walking by a store that had squares of fabric for 50 cents each. I used three to make a skirt.

I found a wrap skirt pattern here that seemed simple.

But I had completely forgotten from my childhood in the 90s how awkward wrap skirts can be. It just felt like at any moment the skirt was going to fall down to her ankles.

AWKWARD!!

So I lined up the wrap skirts two sides up so that right side of the skirt's fabric is facing in and sewed the skirt only to where the two sides of the skirt's ribbon tie come out of the looped waist. This way you can still tighten the waist as need be with the ribbon tie. The result is a "pouffy" skirt with a cute tie. No awkwardness. (Therefore if you use the website's pattern, you don't have to make the button hole. )

design cheater

2010-01-05T22:00:00.000-08:00

Well in light of Molly's ridiculously awesome Chloester dress, I'm really wishing my first post was about some fabulous sewn creation, but sadly I'm not at that point yet...so, I won't pretend.

This post is about glue.

A few months ago I posted some recent cheats on apartment therapy concerning my love for fabri-tac (the best fabric glue in america...and probably anywhere else), but I'm going to post a more in depth version here.

First up, the pillow cheat:

Our beloved sofa came with very blah pillows:
And at the time I didn't have access to a sewing machine and wasn't patient(sadly, that part still hasn't changed ;) but I did have two 12"x12" squares of bare tree sheer fabric that I rescued from the trash can at the textile fiorm where I was working.
First, I removed the pillow inners from the existing pillow case.

Then, I very carefully and precisely (kidding, kidding) folded a 1 inch crease on each edge and squeezed fabritac on it. I repeated until all folded in edges were covered with a thin line of glueThen, I carefully turned the fabric over and placed it glue side down on top of the existing pillow cover. I pressed one edge at a time, making sure I lined the gluey edge perfectly with the crease where the piping meets the rest of the pillow, so that it looks like it's sewn on (and NOT glued)
I waited for the pillow cover to dry (about an hour), then put the pillow insert back into the case--new pillow!

I'm happy to report that after 4 months they're still looking just fine.

Can't wait to try this

2010-01-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

I love this BEANIE - and I'll get to rid Britton of some old T's to boot!

Dress

2010-01-03T17:20:00.000-08:00

With the acquisition of some rockin' new sewing gear - a Christmas gift - I've been diving into some great new projects. Here is my first piece of legitimate clothing ever. Surprising to me.... I had the hardest time with my first ever hem. I assumed it would be easiest. Needless to say it needs to be redone.

Included is my first ever zipper! I'm pretty happy with it, considering I made up my own rules about how it should be attached.

And here's the girl herself in her new duds.

I swear I'm not trying to monopolize the blog

2009-12-18T12:16:00.001-08:00

but I have one more last-minute idea. I made these for my eleven-year-old niece but they would be a good hostess gift too.I bought a pack of moleskin notebooks at Barnes & Noble and used the zig zag stitch on my machine. And by my machine I mean the decades-old machine I borrowed from the office of our apartment complex. I didn't use a special needle I just stitched slowly. I can't remember which book I got the idea from but it is genius. Super easy and adaptable to almost anyone.

Another Christmas Gift

2009-12-17T10:53:00.000-08:00

I made this for Tyson's sister

using this tutorial. The only difference was that I added a pocket inside.

It cost about 10 dollars for the materials. I used a home decor fabric for the exterior and a coordinating quilter's cotton for the lining.

Quick, cheap and relatively simple.

Kathleen's Krazy Krafts: Military Kids Edition

2009-12-17T06:33:00.000-08:00

Hands down the best "craft" I have ever made to gussy up my house for Christmas!
Materials:
1. Posterboard
2. Permanent Marker that you do not let kids touch ever because they could get it on the kitchen floor of your rental..
3. Crayons (the kid friendly kind)
4. 2 kids
5. One soldier who you love a whole heck of a lot and can't wait to see!!!

Now we just have to wait!!!

Stocking stuffer idea

2009-12-16T19:05:00.001-08:00

I know I'm a few years late to this trend but how did I live without baby leggings? Oh wait, I lived in Texas. How did I make it last winter? These cost 4 dollars a pair and I bought an average priced set of adult knee socks. Target leggings start around 10 dollars. (Some might call these "leg warmers" but I'm not old enough to know that phrase...)

Ana picked these out last week when I was browsing the tights at TJMaxx. They are adult sized knee socks from Betsey Johnson. Very good quality, nice and thick.

I cut them up like this
This is the part that covers the arch of your foot.
Make a cuff
Slide the cuff over the top and sew
This is the top view

Here is the finished product

This is my lovely model with her finished leggings pulled all the way up

This is my lovely model posing with the slouchy look. Totally her idea. "Mommy take a picture of me! I'm posing!" I can't wait until dance class starts again and she can wear them.

They took less than 15 minutes from start to finish. I'm going to make another pair for Ellie tomorrow, I will definitely make them shorter.

ETA: I take that back. These look pretty darn perfect to me.

I'm obsessed

2009-12-04T11:46:00.000-08:00

with this skirt.

If I wanted to scrap all previous ideas for Christmas dresses for my girls and make this, what color would you suggest I use?

Kathleen's Krazy Krafts: Advent Edition

2009-11-30T14:03:00.000-08:00

We always had a manger growing up that we filled with straw all through advent. Every time the child thinks they have done a kind, loving or helpful act they can put a straw in the manger to soften Jesus' bed for Christmas. Making the manger and straw was a very kid friendly craft, but I have to admit that during the process of making this crib one of my kids (who will remain nameless) might have given the other a massive facial bruise with the Rubber cement can. That, for example, would not constitute a straw worthy action. Baby steps.. Sigh.

You just need an old box, some glue, scissors, construction paper, and a chubby baby Jesus which you can hide until Christmas eve or keep in the manger as an attempt to motivate your children to not wrestle like brawling cowboys on your kitchen floor. You never know what might work.

The Materials:

Good times before the rubber cement smack down.

Baby Jesus waiting and waiting and waiting for some straw. (Isn't he cute?)

Hope you all have a great Advent. Looking forward to see some of your ideas for gussy-ing up your home for Christmas!

Little Miss Mary Poppins

2009-11-04T15:00:00.000-08:00

I made this one with that string Alissa was talking about....

We are on a serious budget so I was looking for the absolute cheapest (and quickest) way to make this little ditty - I used scraps, felt and solid colored t-shirts because they were cheaper than buying fabric and I could keep some of the already made seams and hems - which made my life a lot easier! All in all I'm happy with how it turned out even though it's definitely not the best made costume - but that was my plan - quick and cheap and UNIQUE!

And here is the little cheekiness herself showing off her duds!
She went for more of a modern Poppins with the cell phone accessory.

I was also inspired my Alissa's homemade decorations from last year and created these silhouettes... representations of our family using altered frame & silhouette designs from the web. The frames are made from stiff black felt and the rest from paper.

Belle and Crazy Old Maurice

2009-11-04T11:37:00.000-08:00

When I first started doing Halloween with Evelyn, I envisioned many years of clever, funny costumes held together by shoestring and tenacity. This year, however, Evelyn staged a coup and overthrew me as ultimate decision maker. Apparently, over the last year she has developed opinions and very strong ones at that. So she informed me in no uncertain terms that this Halloween she was to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Belle with the yellow dress. Mind you, Evelyn has never seen this movie, so where she got this brain wave is beyond me.

Dan had to convince me that we should probably let Evelyn make her own decision on this non-moral issue so I gave in. In spite of the fact that I was to be the shoestring and tenacity provider.

Anyway.

I started with an old pair of pants, courtesy of Goodwill, and a modish yellow dress, courtesy of my maternal grandmother. (I only sacrificed this dress because it was not salvageable for adult consumption. Otherwise, I would have worn it about the house for no good reason. Except that it was awesome. The picture does not do it justice.)

So I took in the pants about 5 sizes and converted them into shorts. With the remaining material, I made a vest and Josephine's costume was about done.

Then I just added some tucks in several places and VOILA! A Belle dress. Not hard, but time consuming as can be. I stayed up Friday night finishing it only to find that I had done too good a job and it was now about 3 inches too short. So I took out about 10 tucks and did them over. But luckily, it turned out great and Evelyn was so happy. It might as well have been straight out of the movie for as much as she loved it.

I didn't reckon on Josephine having any opinions but apparently she is chock full of them too. She did not appreciate her vest at all (she kept ripping it off) and she was a little floored by the mustache. But all in all, it was a pretty awesome Halloween. I hope everyone else's was too!

Gussied up: Desk Edition..

2009-10-31T18:58:00.000-07:00

One of our friends writes for Apartment Therapy, a home design website. They always feature such lovely workspaces and nice organizing tips. If I had used half the time I spent admiring other people's clean spaces on the organization of my own work area, I don't think my desk would have gotten so utterly out of control.

Pretty sad, right? Well that space is supposed to be where I organize the family finances, plan menus and shopping lists, keep kid crafts, homeschooling and sewing supplies, not to mention all those camera and cell phone type gadgets that can drive you crazy! I was going to do the cool vintage hunt for fun bins but I needed to get this under control fast. So with a 20% coupon, I made my first ever trip to the Container Store. Lawdy, that place is beautiful! Things to rein in chaos of every kind! I'm not sure, but I think I teared up when I saw their sample display desk. They can be a bit pricey, but with coupon I found their prices comparable to Target or TJ max. All I needed were a few boxes to help motivate me to get organized and boy what a help!

Try to destroy this one, Lyla

2009-10-28T16:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, who am I kidding.

When Lyla succeeded in bypassing her crib bumper and getting her arm stuck in the slats of her crib, I went on a quest to find a sturdier bumper. Never found one I liked, so I decided to make one. Of course, I bought foam, cut it up, THEN read the package where it said it is "toxic when burned, DO NOT USE FOR BABY CRIBS."

So I ended up using NuFoam. Not quite as studly as I was originally going for, but it should take Lyla a few days at least to break through to the slats again!

Has anyone here

2009-10-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

made an advent calendar? I want to make a very simple one and I could use some pointers.

Kathleen's Krazy Krafts: Safety Tip #1

2009-10-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

When using an improper tool such as a steak knife to dislodge a staple from an old wooden frame, don't put your finger in the path of the thrusting knife. You may get injured. I'm just saying.

Christmas prep

2009-10-03T07:52:00.000-07:00

I am making this quilt for my mother-in-law. We are on a very tight budget so I am soliciting sugestions for a nice fabric and where to buy it. I think it looks nicer than your average quilting cotton but I don't have a very good eye. Where do you ladies buy fabric?

Small Victories

2009-09-18T22:30:00.000-07:00

I saw this and was inspired:

And it came out like this:

I guess I just don't know my own talent.

Oh wait...this blog is about real creativity. My bad.

A nw wallet for under 10 dollars.

2009-09-18T09:52:00.000-07:00

So after looking at all Molly has accomplished I went into hiding for a few days. When I came out I resolved to do something for myself so I made this:

I used this tutorial and it was surpringly easy. I did it in 3 hours yeterday including cutting the fabric which always takes me much longer than it should.

1/2 Assed

2009-09-13T13:44:00.001-07:00

So, we are finally settled in our Detroit home. We've been here 2 weeks and have had 2 sets of family visitors so I've pushed myself to complete *most* of the unpacking. But now that there's been a tiny baby lull, the crafting bug has hit again (inspired by Mary's bacon and eggs and Adele's love of garage-sale-ing). The only problem is... I have a billion little half finished projects I've been meaning to get out of the way... so here they are in all their mediocre glory. I have to say I feel quite unsettled about presenting my unfinished products, but I want to get them on here and out of the way. Please forgive all the wrinkles, blurry photos and generally disheveled goods.

1.) My very first sewing maching venture... dress for Chloe that turned out only to be able to fit a doll...damn free patterns online. If any of you out there have a naked baby doll that needs a dress I'll send it your way.

2.) A sweet little vintage number for the kitchen...if only I could tie it around my waist.

After Chloe was born I was determined to make a little something just for myself...
3.) A Yo Yo quilt --- easiest craft on the block, but time consuming. I hope to finish it by Chloe's 2nd birthday.

4.) Here's a bib...all it lacks is a clasp.

5.) I've been promising Britton a seaside themed guest room since before Chloe was in the womb. I got this vintage bird book at a garage sale and stripped it of all it's seaside birds. So far, I've just mashed them all onto a wall....both the bookcase and wall need a lot more work, but you get the idea.

6.) Chloe's room has been a dream in the making for a long time. It's a teeny tiny room, not big enough for a bed but has a great wall of built-ins. The theme is going to be vintage childrens books. I keep finding amazing things at garage sales... it's just a start....

and here is the light above her not-so-formal pack n'play.

The end....or, rather.... the middle.

Bacon and Eggs

2009-09-12T13:45:00.001-07:00

I have been feeling guilty that I haven't posted a real project on here yet (Although not quite as guilty as Katie Pryor seems to feel). I made these a while ago and had been meaning to post them on here, but just couldn't make it a priority. Today, I needed a break from my real job, so I decided to finally post them while Jimmy is taking a nap. These probably one of Jimmy's current favorite toys. I was actually quite proud of myself for coming up with it, but at the same time, it just seems so obvious. Jimmy loved playing with his Easter Eggs after Easter. He would put tiny little toys in them and try to close them (which I usually had to help with). I got kind of sick of having his basket in our living room around June, so I put them in an old egg carton and decided to make felt eggs to put inside each one. And well, if you are going to make eggs, you need bacon too. Everyone needs bacon.

The eggs are just white and yellow felt with a little stuffing. I used some fiber fill coming out of a hole in a pillow before I sewed the pillow closed, but you can use cotton balls. I have often thought that I should use the lint from the dryer for some craft project such as this. Is that kosher? (Please post your opinions). I hand stitched them, so it was super easy. The bacon I did on the sewing machine so it was a little bit trickier, but not too hard. I used the only three colors of brown felt that they sell at Michaels. I used the middle toned one as the base and then just made some uneven stips of the other two colors and carefully stitched along those. Then after I was done sewing them on and just pulled on them a lot to make them more wonky like bacon really is. Then I like to fold them up so they get those nice curves like bacon. I have considered making my next batch double sided. Jimmy watched me make one, so now he asks for bacon whenever he looks at my sewing machine. I don't know if he is asking for the real thing or another fake one... He loves both. For more pictures of him enjoying them, check out my blog Here.

UP NEXT: Donuts

Um....

2009-09-10T15:15:00.001-07:00

Could this be any cuter?

Kathleen's Krazy Krafts: The First Installment

2009-08-31T17:17:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to post this, because aesthetically this is lame. However, our family is all about good times and who doesn't love fishing? I had a bunch of scraps of fabric that I wanted to get rid of and got this idea from these cute identical twins from India who could do almost anything including recite every single song on Taylor Swift's Fearless Album from memory.

Anyway.

What you need:

Scrapes of fabric that you cut into the shape of fish. Get creative people. Toile Fish are so in!

Beans. As I am writing this I am thinking that you shouldn't use beans. I think they make the fish too heavy and you need the fish to be light enough for the magnet to be "caught" by your pole.

Sew the fabric together inside out, leave the tail open, fold the fabric to the right side out. Then you fill with a few beans (or no beans), two of these magnets:

Sew up the tail. Then find a stick, some yarn, a little more fabric, and two or three magnets for the fishing pole:

It might keep the kiddies quiet for a little while before they start using the fishing pole as a sword or something.

If you are intimidated by quilting...

2009-08-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

This is a perfect place to start. I used a pre-picked pattern for my first quilt but I did everything for this one and the hardest part was coordinating fabrics.

Simple preschool

2009-08-23T14:44:00.000-07:00

I don't have any creative crafts, yet, but I think this blog will really inspire me! My little project this summer has been creating preschool activities for Jacob. I was actually having a hard time coming up with something I really liked until I came across this little book: Teaching Montessori in the Home: The Preschool Years. I had wanted something that would really be on his level, but not just workbooks full of ABCs and 123s. I wanted something that would capture the attention of a very active 3 year old. This book is a simple read with tons of activities laid out in detail to make it easy for a parent. It is for ages 1 1/2- 5. At the end of the book the author gives details on how to make the materials for many of the activities. It's great for tight budget. Most things can be made from things you already have around the house or can buy for a few dollars. So I have spent a few weeks preparing some of the activities and Jacob started using them. He loves it and is just soaking up everything! I'm amazed at how quickly he's learning letters, numbers, shapes, sorting etc. When I tried to do these things my own way it just wasn't working, but he really just gets these activities.

Here are a few of the things I have made:

Sandpaper letters. Made with black sandpaper on poster board. They feel the sandpaper as they learn the initial sound of the letters and it prepares them for writing.

Number Rods. They are used for learning to count and eventually the concept of adding and subtracting.
Busy Board. This is used to help with their fine motor skills. They learn how to button and unbotton, zip, tie bows, lace a shoe, snap, hook and eye.

Now you can keep your kiddos busy so you have more time for crafts.

A lot out of a little

2009-08-03T07:20:00.000-07:00

I was reading through this blog last night and feeling bad about myself. I kept telling myself that I too could and would make something amazing from nothing to share with all of you. It wasn’t until this morning that I realized that I already had. Although not as creative as a quilt or amazing hanger-names, thanks to my friend Maureen at homemademothering.com, I created an abundance of hand soap out of everyday household items.

Refreshingly (pun intended), her recipe calls for things I already had at home:

1 bar of soap (I used Ivory)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
water

My favorite thing about the recipe was that it consisted of two distinct steps so I was able to accomplish the first step, as well as some other things around the house, while Isaac napped. Then, I finished the project the following morning during another of his naps!

Here goes:

First, finely chop or grate the soap and put into a large saucepan with 3 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and, stirring often, melt the soap. Stay near the stove because my mixture kept attempting to overflow. Once the soap dissolves, remove it from the heat and whisk in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Let the mixture sit overnight.

In the morning, the mixture will be solid. Break it up and put it into a blender or food processor with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the honey, and 1 cup of water (I added more to get it to my desired consistency).

Pour into empty soap dispensers (or a jar if you run out)! Can you believe how much soap this makes? What a money and environment saver!

I have a new obsession.

2009-08-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

I am a total sucker. I go into the fabric store looking for a zipper for a purse I'm making and buy a quilt set since it's on sale. I have never had any interest in quilting, I just really like toile. I am now hooked. I made this last week and I plan to make a bigger one this week. Do you think this would be more suitable for a boy or girl baby?

Wired.

2009-07-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

I saw these wire name hangers on Etsy and decided to make them for the girls. And what can I say, I HEART wire.

Anyway, I whipped Ev's together in about half an hour. Awesome. But then I got to Joph's and realized that I was going to have to squeeze in several more letters. Unfortunately, it was a little too squeezed and the first "Josephine" hanger attempt was scrapped.

This is a photo of the "Light at the End of the Tunnel" stage on the second Joph hanger. (You know, when your project is almost finished and there is very little for you to possibly screw up.)

And here is the finished product. I am really proud of the dot over the "i". It lends a little attitude, don't you think?

Mooch

2009-07-18T09:48:00.001-07:00

We're living with my parents for the summer to save a buck until Britton starts work in the fall. Since we are already taking advantage of their generosity, why not take advantage of their old furniture too? In a desperate search to become more adult-like Britton and I bought a new couch and chair from Macys.

The brown couch and white chair on left.Not my dream set...but neutral is the name of the game when we're moving around a lot.
Being currently jobless, we definitely can't afford a coffee table or any other new things for that matter so I was able to refinish some old furniture from the rent's basement. I'm not usually one to go for black, but I thought it looked more adult-like. Added some new hardware and voila.
Before

Before

After

I forgot to take a before of this one...but it was ugly. It's hard to see but the hardware is green.I have big plans for my Grandma's 1950's metal card table and folding chairs, but that will have to wait until we move to Detroit.

A Little Inspiration

2009-07-17T20:34:00.001-07:00

Molly, this is a great idea! I have some many projects looming in my head and half finished projects that I have been wanting to put on my blog, but Jimmy keeps taking priority.... little stinker. My sister and I love doing this kind of stuff, but she is actually pretty good about posting things on her blog. She also know all the best websites and blogs to look at. I will invite her to contribute. She just sent me an awesome list that some girl compiled of all sorts of great projects from all over the web. So my first contribution is going to be this link: http://thelongthread.com/?p=2021

It will take you to a list with a ton of other links that have the projects on them. Maybe we can all pick one and show how they turned out. I haven't looked at all of them, but for now I am going to go with the felt donuts. I have a lot of fake food projects in the works and well... I love donuts. Good luck to all.

Hey Gals....

2009-07-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

I wanted to start this blog so that we can all pile our creative inquiries, projects, thoughts, etc. together. For a few years now I've been in a cycle of hearing from one person about another person's awesome project...and then MAYBE talking to that person about their project like a year later. I thought it would be a good idea instead to see the projects, be inspired, and have all the info in one spot so we can return to it when we need it (or actually find the time to do it)! I want to see your awesomeness incarnate. If you know any other people who would be interested, invite them to add their creative genius.