Woven Belt Tutorial

This tutorial is for a nifty belt. It’s made out of t-shirt yarn! If you don’t know how to make t-shirt yarn, see my tutorial. (You’ll need yarn from 1-2 t-shirts for a belt like this. My belt is 38” long.)

I have several ‘swing’ type cardigans and I wanted a belt to make them look more fitted.
Want to get started?

Easy Two Ingredient Pumpkin Bars

Two ingredients. Yummy pumpkin bars. I am not the inventor of these things, but I think they're great. Heard of them? Make some. Read on.

Kid’s Craft Project

Do you get Family Fun magazine? We do. I always like their craft ideas. So I decided to make the owl that appeared in their October issue. I saved a few TP rolls and we went to work.
As you can see, ours didn’t look tremendously similar to the original (well, mine sort of resembled an owl). But it made me laugh how my son’s turned out. Love it.
And no, this post is in no way sponsored.  Happy Friday. Thanks for reading.

Bias Tape

I never thought I’d make bias tape. I actually have a really hard time sewing with the stuff! But I’ve got a project I’m thinking of doing…and it requires bias tape.
Being the frugal crafter that I am, I wouldn’t actually buy bias tape. At least, not since I’ve seen so many bloggers swear how easy it is to make. So I’ve made some. I used the continuous bias tape tutorial found here. It was time-consuming, but worked pretty well. I did 1/2 yard of the blue fabric (above).

Fireman and Firedog Halloween Costumes

Our 3 year-old loves fire trucks. He got a beautiful handmade fire truck from my dad last year for Christmas. I made him fire truck shorts this summer. He also got a fire hat and a hose that my dad made. So this year, despite how I don’t love Halloween, I figured I should step up and make some costumes for my sweet boys.


Note: Please don’t pin the photo of my kids! If you would like to pin a photo of these costumes, I’m honored, but use one without them. Thanks.

Newborn Hats with Buttons

I love using old t-shirts to make something fun and new. I made a whole bunch of baby hats from old t-shirts awhile back; you can use my tutorial to make a knit newborn hat.
However, I ran across a tutorial on this website and liked the way the pattern had a different seam on the top. So I tried a few using it. My church collects hats for new babies at the local hospital (where I had my younger child) and I decided I’d make a few of these hats to donate.

Business Card Holders: Mass Production.

And by mass production, I mean I made seven. If you are interested in making one, you could use my tutorial for ruffled business card holders. 

Easy Double Layer Fleece Hat Tutorial

My husband wanted a new hat. So I told him I'd make him one. That was a year ago. Finally, he's getting his hat. Just in time for some cold weather!

I've made some fleece hats before (see my toddler winter hat, baby hat with earflaps, and my own hat.) I've never lined them, though. But I'm bugged by the stitching at the hem. So this time, I lined my wonderful husband's hat. It makes it warmer, too. It is really easy, a great beginning project. Here's how I did it.

Zippered Pouch.

I don’t know what it is about zippered pouches. I just love making them! I have a few in progress right now and they all came from lovely fabric I had in my scrap bin.

Shabby Apple Gift Card Winner!

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:37Powered by RANDOM.ORG
I used Random.org to generate a winner in the Shabby Apple Gift Card Giveaway...and the winner is comment #37, Lindsey Thompson! I'll contact you with the details.
Thanks for entering. I really love Shabby Apple's clothing and it was fun to see that many of you do, too! As one commented said, "Finally, real clothes for real women!" Amen.
Now I must go as my children are unloading our entire entertainment cabinet. 

My First Custom Order.

A friend expressed interest in my owl hats I shared two weeks ago. She had specific colors in mind other than the hats I have posted in my Etsy Shop.
Less than a week later, I have this cute little brown and apple green hat ready to go! Hope her little girl loves it. I'm willing to take custom orders for many of the items or projects I do here on Monkey See, Monkey Do!

Don't forget to enter the Shabby Apple giveaway. It is open through tomorrow night (October 10th!)

Random Things & Lentil Soup.

Looking for the tutorial I just posted on making a tote bag?

In other news:
Lots of things have made me laugh this week. Which is great. Some funny things I want to tell you:
-I ordered nine [yes, 9] different pairs of boots. I really want a pair of brown ones. None of them fit. If I was on Instagram, I would show you a picture of the boxes stacked up by the door, waiting to go to the UPS store for return.  To three different websites. I have really narrow feet and the boots were all too wide. (Off topic, but have I mentioned that I don't even text? I know, I'm outnumbered!)
-I found a half of a peeled banana in the diaper bag. It had been there for about 3-4 weeks and somehow I had not noticed.
-Someone ended up getting poop on the [light colored] living room carpet. In just a few spots. It was a diaper malfunction. Good thing the little guy is so cute.
-I shattered a glass in the dishwasher and required shopvac-ing it out. I dislike getting the shopvac out of the garage. I think I should’ve just mounted it in the kitchen.
So I want to share an easy recipe that we had this week. It was super tasty and really easy to prepare. It is from a Healthy Cooking magazine. I slightly adapted it.

Squared-Off, Stand-Up Tote Tutorial

I like when tote bags stand up on their own (instead of flopping over onto their sides). Here’s a brief how-to on making a square bottom, or gusseted bag using the Upcycled Tote Bag Tutorials I’ve previously posted.

Shabby Apple Giveaway-Now Closed.

Shabby Apple has offered to give one reader a $50 gift card good toward any merchandise on their website! If you are not familiar with Shabby Apple, let me introduce you to some of their products. They sell dresses and skirts plus wearable and home accessories. Here are a few of my favorite dresses:
Study Break

Overboard

L’Ete

Vineyard Sound

And my favorite pick from their accessory category:
Anubis

I think that their designs are unique and universally flattering. They even offer maternity styles.  Plus, they offer free returns. So if you’re in the market for a new dress, maybe for a class reunion, wedding, or just for everyday wear, consider  a dress from Shabby Apple

Would you like to win a $50 gift card for Shabby Apple?
If so, you should be a follower of Monkey See, Monkey Do and leave a comment on this post letting me know which item from Shabby Apple’s website is your favorite.

You can earn an extra entry for either or both of the following (leave a comment for each that you do):
-“Like” Shabby Apple on Facebook
-Tweet about this giveaway (leave your Twitter handle in the comment)

This giveaway will close October 10, 2012 at 9 pm and I will choose a winner on October 11th. I did not receive goods nor monetary compensation for hosting this giveaway. All opinions are my own.

Messenger Bag Refashion Tutorial

Random ugly trade-show items are rampant in our home. We have several bags at the moment that are proudly declaring various company names. We use them for library books or other needs. I decided this orange one (below) needed a makeover! I’m really excited about the result. You might recognize the makeover fabric from these bags.

Do you have an ugly bag you’d like to refashion? Oh, good.

Some Fall-ish Decor and Farmer's Market Finds

I did a bit of decorating in anticipation of the arrival of fall. I don't have a mantle (yet) but I do have this wood mirror handcrafted by my dad, so I often switch up the display on it. I just used things I had lying around the house.