Braided headband

Got any leftover knit fabric?  An old t-shirt?  Or even just fabric scraps?  Quick and easy headband redo.  I found the headbands at the Dollar Tree, but any craft store will have them.

Here is an easy tutorial for them.  Enjoy!

A really simple skirt

Really, this was a simple skirt to make.  I think it maybe took 30 minutes...including interruptions from my offspring.  In fact, I was sewing this the evening before the first day of school.

Thanks to Dana from Made and her Simple Skirt Tutorial, I ran out the next day and bought more material to make more skirts for the girls.  I might even make myself one!

For this one, I already had the fabric and elastic on hand.  Yes I'm a hoarder....I like to call it being prepared.  You never know when on the night before the first day of school your 6 year old is going to complain that she has nothing to wear and you need to whip up a simple skirt.  I was prepared!

And look at these adorable Hide-eez.  I'm getting them for all the girls.  In multiple colors.  I also took a stab at making a pair out of legging that my 8 year old tore a hole in the knee, but that's another tutorial.

{Sewing Challenge #30}

Sewing Challenge #29

I just sewed Rapunzle's hair back on.  She is a stuffed doll that apparently gets a lot of use and this is mend #2 on her.

Chalkboard Sofa Table

Before...

After....

I'm still amazed what a little bit of paint can do.  But not just any paint....Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint (Old White.)  My new favorite kind of paint thanks to Miss Mustard Seed!

Still haven't decided what to write on it....

"Welcome"

"Your keys are here"

"Don't forget your lunch"

 Its for sale here. {SOLD}

Linking here:

Painting a tree on the nursery wall {tutorial}

(Note: photo taken with cell phone) 

 I've always wanted to do this and I usually wait to see how long we will stay before I decide if I'm going to put forth the effort just to move and let someone else enjoy my work.  So I jumped.  (You'd think I'd take it one project or one room at a time, but nope.  Not me.  I *LOVE* to start projects.  Finishing them is always hard, but I'm working on that part!

Supplies:

Picture

Projector (or not if you can draw :)

Pencil

Paint and brush
(These were all on hand, so basically free art!)

How to:

Find your picture.  After searching and searching for the picture I had created in my brain, these were the closest that I found.

I ended up going with the one on the right, because I wasn't sure how the wispiness (its a word...really) would show up.

Print out your picture.

After getting the projector setup and the picture centered, which was harder than it should of been because you have to think backwards and upside down when moving the picture around.  My picture wasn't small enough to completely fit under the projector square so I had to fiddle with placement and move it half way through tracing.

I put the pic up on the wall and closed the binds.  Stepping back I was worried that it was a little too scary looking, but I knew I was painting it white and hoped it would turn out pretty, not scary.  (Should have taken a picture but was too excited to start drawing.)

Then I started drawing.  The first few pencil marks were the hardest, then I had fun.  I had to laugh because three of my kids were watching Mommy draw on the wall, which is something they've gotten in trouble for in the past.  I went through 3 pencils sharpening trips to get it all on there we have really textured walls which ate the lead.

What???  You can't see it?  Yah...me either.  Which makes is a little difficult to actually paint in between the lines!  My camera had a really hard time focusing to take these pics.  Trust me...the tree is there. :)

Then you just start painting.  Outlining first, then filling in.  Here it is after a couple of hours.  (It really shouldn't have taken me that long but I started with a small artist brush for the tips of the branches and forgot to grab my painting brush.

Here's another angle of the whole top part. (The room is really small...more of an afterthought for the builders I'm sure....and I don't have the right lens to get the whole tree.)

Here is the whole thing...

I still need to finish erasing the pencil marks and touch up a little.  I actually gave me some anxiety before I started, but heck...its only paint!

I want to add either a few 3D flowers or birds or something.

At least I got to check something off my summer to do list!

Sewing Challenge #28

Trying to get through some of the boring part of this challenge, then I can get back to the fun stuff.  Hemmed a pair of my pajama pants that had ripped.

But....today I also went through ALL of the stuff I have to sew.  I found lots of little projects.  I have 24 items left to finish up my challenge.  I have enough stuff in my pile to cover that without even getting to fun stuff.  :) 

Sewing Challenge #27

I picked up an item that has been waiting about a year for mending. Yep....One whole year.  One of the girls' comforters.  It was ripped from one side to the other across where the "quilting" ends.  Its a twin, luckily.  Not sure if my fingertips could have handled much more mending last night. 

Simple shirred sundress or top or skirt {quick tutorial}

First off...sorry for the picture.  I will try to do better!  Its coming to the end of summer and I've not been nearly as productive as I thought I would with all the munchkins home. :)

This was a super simple project.  So easy, that I made 2 (one for my #2 and one for me) and will be making 2 more (one for #1 and #4).  Mine is a skirt or  I can wear it as a top, then accessorize with a belt around the waist (as to not look maternity) and once it cools off a cardigan.  #2's is a dress that she'll sometimes tuck in the straps and wear as a long skirt.

Supplies:

Shirred fabric (or you can shirr your own.)

Coordinating ribbon

Sewing machine and thread. 

How to:

I've always seen this shirred fabric at Hobby Lobby and finally picked some up.  Measure your subject around the chest, and buy accordingly.  Make sure when you buy it, you measure the shirred part of the fabric and not the bottom edge.  Cut, fabric about an inch or so smaller than measurement.  I held it up to #2 here and tested for fit, then cut.  My fabric has a pattern so cutting straight was easy.  I used scissors, not a straight edge.  Sew a seam straight down the back with right sides together.  I surged mine, but a zig zag would work too.

You could leave it as is at this point, which is what I did with mine.  I'm rather well endowed, ahem, so have no problem holding the fabric up when I wear it as a shirt.  This little girl...not so much yet, so I made a "strap" to keep it in place.

Its just a ribbon I pulled out of my stash, cut in half, end folded under 1/4" and hemmed to the top of the dress on the inside.  Once again, I had her put the dress on and carefully pinned where they should go.

Heat sealed the ends of the ribbon.

So easy!!!

 This is sewing challenge #25 and 26 (since I made one for me, too!)

Garland card {tutorial} with free printable

Warning: little story coming, so if you don't want to read, just skip on down to the supply list.

How this card came about....At one time a couple of years ago I taught crafting classes and one of the classes I did was a card class.  For it, I purchased a box of envelopes on ebay.  I couldn't find the right size (#9) locally so I headed online.  Each of box contained 500 envelopes.  That's right....500, for a class of about 20.  It was cheaper to buy 500 than a box of 50 at the store.  Well, the supplier didn't ship them in time, so when I contacted them, they sent another box for my trouble.   So, I have ONE THOUSAND #9 envelopes..  Since then, I've been using them here and there, but decided that in my recent attempts to reorganize my office, I need to start making cards to fit the envelopes and use them up.  In the past few days I've come up with a few really cute ones (at least I think so! :)

I'm totally into the pennant garlands lately.

Supplies:

White card stock (or whatever color you'd like for your base)

Scrapbook paper scraps

Envelope (need some?  I have plenty! :)

Triangle punch or scissors

Sewing machine or marker

Adhesive

Printer

How to:

I like to format my own cards on the computer so I can use the vast selection of fonts that I have accumulated.  (I'm addicted to fonts!)  For this one, I set my paper size to 8 1/2" W x 7"H (which is twice the height of the card).  You can use word, publisher or pages.  I add a text box where I want the text, select the font and type it in.

Here is the printable version:

(I hope it works.  This is the first time I've added a printable.  Please let me know if you have problems with it.)  Its formatted for the paper size above.

 

You can cut your paper before or after you run it through the printer or after.  (I usually cut mine before, just make sure you change the paper feeder to accommodate your paper size.)

After you print, use your scoring board or trimmer and stylus (or just fold it) to score the seam and fold the card in half.

For the pennants, I bought a punch.  I didn't intend to buy one, but I happened through Big Lots one day and this one was on clearance for $3.50 (down from $17).  Yes.  Please. :)  

Punch or cut a handful of pennants out of various paper scraps.  Play around with the placement until you like how they look and then glue them on.  

If you are going to sewn them, you only need to lightly tack them in place because the thread will hold them.  If you draw on your "string" then you need to adhere them to the card.

Either run it through your sewing machine or draw the string and you're done!

I've already formatted a bunch of these with various card sayings so I'm sure I'll be make quite a variety soon!

Two-sided Welcome Door

An old door that I picked up at a garage sale for like $5.  We originally planning on making it into a table, but since we have 3 tables in storage to paint, we had to come up with plan B.  This was plan B....and it turnout out so much cooler than expected.  LOVE it when that happens!! 

 My partner in crime here couldn't wait, so I can't take credit for the actual painting, but we conspired on the idea.  Didn't she do a fabulous job???  (She doesn't have a blog, so I'm posting it.)

Its for sale here. SOLD

Linking here: