Monkey See, Monkey Do!

Displaying & Organizing Greeting Cards

2012-02-21T15:25:00.000-05:00

I love getting cards in the mail. However, they can be a disaster to display if you have too many. A display dilemma we experienced this year at Christmas was that many of then cards we received were picture cards that didn’t stand up.

This was my solution: I hung a length of t-shirt yarn (I used that because I didn’t have any regular string!) and used clothespins to secure each card to the length of yarn. I secured the t-shirt yarn to the bottom of my cabinets using tumb tacks.

After a holiday/birthday is over, what do you do with your cards? I used to put them into a shoebox. But this year, I decided to punch holes into all our cards and make a book. My little boy loves looking at his birthday cards. This allows us to enjoy them more easily than we would if they’re in a shoe box! I’ve also started saving birth announcements from friends this way.

My son especially loves looking at Elmo.

Running. Time. Life.

2012-02-20T08:00:00.001-05:00

I ran a 5k this weekend. It wasn’t just any old 5k. This 5k was inside a limestone mine! It isn’t a working mine, but it is use for storage. (It was very structurally sound. No worries there.) I actually got a PR (personal record, meaning I ran my fastest time ever.) 24 minutes, 44 seconds. But that’s not why I’m writing about it.

The course began in a huge cement room echoing with lots of noise from 530+ people. A garage door opened and we started running into a narrower, more dimly-lit hallway with limestone-looking walls and ceilings. The course started changing elevation and we started descending down into the mine. The lighting changed to sporadic bulbs and the floor quickly turned to gravel. It got chilly. (I soon regretted my last-minute choice to shed my outer layer and run in a tank top and shorts and would’ve gladly accepted a pair of gloves!)

Anyway, as we snaked through the mine’s cavern and past various boats and RVs stored there, the walls were open, save a few sizable limestone pillars holding up the mine’s ceiling. As I ran, through the open walls, I could see fellow runners ahead or behind. Seeing these other runners ahead or behind served as a great analogy for me.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you could go back to a different point in your life? Conversely, have you ever wanted to fast forward your life so you could reach a different life stage right now? Obviously, I would never trade my current life (my husband & boys) but sometimes I wonder if I could go back in time, knowing what I know now, could I have a more meaningful presence in my high school? Could I have been kinder, harder working, not have quit band, learned more?

If I could go back to my college years, could I have chosen a different school? A different major? Different activities? Been a better tennis player? Would any of these things make me a better person? Give me a better life?

Now, I never struggle with having a toddler. (Heavy sarcasm.) Actually, I’ve been struggling for a few weeks with my two year old…I think he’s going through a difficult stage since his little brother garners much of the attention. In fact, I am COMPLETELY tired of my two-year old demanding things from me all day long (despite being hard at work all day long on developing manners).

I have heard some moms say they can’t wait until their baby can talk. Or walk. Or crawl. Or their kid goes to pre-school. Or kindergarten. Yet, there are tons of other moms with grown kids who come up to me in the grocery store or the library and tell me they wish they could go back to when their kids were young!

So what is the point to all of this? Running through the mine, I thought about how I can’t skip ahead in the race to meet up with the people ahead of me. I can’t fast-forward my life to skip potty training my kiddos. I can’t rewind my life to pick a new major in college, a different prom date, or enjoy and benefit my mom cooking and cleaning up the kitchen every night (that I vastly under appreciated at the time. Thanks, mom. It’s a lot of work.)

All I can do is run hard. Now. As well as I can. Because life goes fast. It’s ok to look at the other people running ahead or behind. But if I wish I were at a different point in the race, I’ll lose focus on where I am now. And if I lose focus, I might become distracted, or worse, dismayed, at how I performed during a past part of my race. I’m not saying it’s never ok to reflect. But the only thing I can control is how I spend my time today.

So, how are you spending your time? In a month, a year, a decade, if you reflect on this part of your life, will you be satisfied that you ran well?

Cream of ‘_______’ Soup Mix

2012-02-16T09:21:00.000-05:00

I’m on Pintererst. I like having a place to save good ideas. I don’t always get a chance to do all my ideas I save. But I found this idea for making a mix to use for cream of chicken, mushroom, or celery soup. Make a batch of this “Cream of _____” powdered soup and you’ll be able to use it every time you want to make a recipe that calls for a can of cream soup.

1 cup non-fat dried milk

3/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup bouillon

4 Tablespoons freeze dried minced onions

1 T Italian Seasoning

1 teaspoon pepper

For the equivalent of one can of condensed cream soup, mix 1/3 cup dry mix with 1 1/4 cup water. Cook until thick.

Etsy Shop

2012-02-15T07:46:00.000-05:00

Check out my newly renovated Etsy site. I love making crafts for my boys and I had this idea to make some simple boy-themed stamps. They'd be fun to use for stamping clothing (like I've done for projects seen here, here, and here) or for cards and scrapbooking.

Desk Chair Reupholstery: Before & After

2012-02-14T08:00:00.001-05:00

This project is one I began a few months ago (in November!?!) We garbage-picked this desk chair way back when we lived in Ohio. (See my prior post on garbage-picking.) We lived in a neighborhood where people would often put items out on their lawn that they no longer wanted but were in good shape. But I still call it garbage-picking because it seems funny.

There wasn’t really anything wrong with the chair before I recovered it…but I wanted it to be something special and add some interest to our kitchen.

I did use quilting-weight cotton. I ironed some fusible fleece to the back of the fabric to make it [hopefully] more durable.

To get started, I detached the back and seat from the chair using a drill. Then I removed the plastic pieces covering the staples securing the fabric. After that, I removed the staples and the fabric to get to the chair’s foam padding.

This project would’ve been super simple if I hadn’t cracked the plastic seat bottom and seat back when I was taking the original black fabric off of the chair. The plastic was what hid the staples securing the fabric to the chair. To do the top of the seat and front of the back rest, I just stapled the fabric to each wood piece (similar to what I did for the first steps of this rocking chair).

However, as you can see, I had to cover the back of the chair with fabric and blue trim/piping. This required getting out my ply-grip and doing the same process I used for the rocking chair reupholstery. However, I have a better stapler this time (it is just a manual stapler) but I didn’t have to use upholstery tacks this time like I did for prior projects!

I also used the ply-grip for the bottom. I won the fabric from Sew, Mama, Sew about 2 years ago! I am so glad to finally have used [some] of it. My wonderful husband and dad made this desk. Our house has a little alcove in the kitchen and so they just built in this super cute desk. [They would want me to note that it still needs some trim around the edges. But I’m using and enjoying it as is!]

I am so glad the chair is done. It took me forever, but turned out well! Looking back, using a quilting-weight light colored cotton print wasn’t the smartest choice for the kitchen!

I did use two coats of Scotch Guard in an attempt to protect my hard work.

Transforming Short Sleeved Onesies into Long Sleeves

2012-02-13T08:30:00.000-05:00

It has been really hard to find long sleeve onesies for my littlest guy. He has lots of outfits with long sleeves and hoods, but I don't like putting him down for naps in a hooded outfit. I transformed some of his short sleeved onesies into long sleeved ones.

I started by measuring one of his existing long sleeved outfits. (He's in 9 or 12 month sized clothing.) The sleeve length needs to be about 9". The short sleeved onesies have about a 2" sleeve; so I needed a 7" sleeve extension.

I used some old t-shirt scraps. I wanted to use the factory hems for the hem of the sleeve. I cut two 7" x 7" squares.

This is what they look like:

Before sewing up the sleeve, I checked the seam allowance and marked it with a pin. I didn't want it to be too narrow or wide for the original sleeve.

After stitching it up, I pressed the seam open. Don't skip this step. Then I turned it right side out and pressed it flat again.

To pin the sleeve into the onesie, roll up the new long sleeve a few times. It's narrow, so this part is difficult. Pin the new sleeve under the seam of the old sleeve. I wanted to sew right along the existing stitching so my new stitches wouldn't be very noticeable.

Sewing the sleeve to the onesie was a tricky step because the opening is extremely small. It didn't fit around the arm of my sewing machine. I was able to scoot the foot and needle through the neck side of the onesie. Be careful not to sew through any other part of the shirt.

Here's the seam. Steam the seam with an iron to flatten it out and you're all finished!

Old Picture Frame into Cork Board

2012-02-10T10:37:00.000-05:00

There were some old picture frames in our barn. I took one of them that had no glass and [partially] spray painted it and then cut a cork board to fit in the empty space.

For some reason, the paint didn't stick to all of the wood the first time. (I didn't bother priming it, so that's probably why it looked this way.)

Instead of recoating, I decided I liked the 'weathered' look it yielded.

I hung it in my toddler's room so we can put pictures and cards on it!

Book Page Wreath

2012-02-08T08:22:00.001-05:00

Over Christmas, I sort of fell in love with making wreaths.

~My husband and I are into LOST lately (on Netflix) and so making this wreath gave me something to do while watching. A bunch of hot glue gun burns later (because LOST has loads of subtitles), I can't believe I actually finished it. ~

I originally saw this project on Pinterest and decided I needed to make myself one. I started this project just after Christmas. I love how it turned out and that it was practically free to make (I did buy the foam wreath core.)

It is hanging at the bottom of our stairs on a mirror and I do love it. I used an old Exercise Physiology textbook to make all the flowers! That gives it meaning, too!

Bunting Picture Frame

2012-02-06T13:11:00.000-05:00

More wall art. Just what we need! I made this super cute bunting picture frame for my little guy's room.

I found an empty frame in my dad's basement and wanted to use it.

(He had made it as a prototype and it was not in use, so I lucked out.)

Instead of adding glass to make it a traditional frame, I decided to do something a little more three dimensional.

I took some cardstock and made flags of various sizes. I also used a brown paper bag for flags, too.

I took some ric rac (it is from Beautiful Additions, a great Etsy shop!) and stitched the paper flags onto it. I didn't worry too much about having 'perfect' stitches.

Sewing with paper is something that I’ve found to be cute and decorative. You could use glue instead.

To attach the strings of flags, I just used a regular desk stapler. The frame is made of pine which is a soft wood. The staples went into it easily.

It was ready to hang on the wall. I added a hanger with some teeth and didn't even use a wall anchor. (It isn't very heavy since there's no glass.)

Chapstick Cozy

2012-02-02T15:14:00.000-05:00

I have an interest in lip balm. I own way too much chapstick & lip gloss. I saw this project here and knew I should make a few.

This project originated from a great new (to me) blog to follow!

Freezer Paper Stenciled T-Shirt Sleeve Pouches with PLAID Paints

2012-02-01T08:05:00.002-05:00

I came up with a new way to decorate drawstring pouches made from old t-shirts. (To sew the pouch, see the tutorial I posted here.)

**Regarding the original tutorial to make the pouches, I thought of a time-saving tip. When making the drawstring, use t-shirt yarn (tutorial to make your own here) instead of sewing tubes of scraps and then turning them.**

Anyway, to do the stenciling, assemble your freezer paper stenciling supplies. You do not need to use 'special' fabric paint. I used PLAID acrylic paint and it works fine for fabric.

My tutorial for freezer paper stenciling is found here.

I used small paper punches to make my stencils (a butterfly and a star).

I laid out my scraps and waited for the stencils to dry before sewing everything together.

The very last step is to use a hot iron to set the paint. That way if you need to wash the pouch, the paint won't run.

I really love how they turned out. They are super easy and practically free to make! They make great storage for the zillions of tiny pieces that come with toys.

Upcycled Hoodie in Action

2012-01-31T13:45:00.003-05:00

It's January. It should be snowing and frigid. However, I can't complain about the mild temperatures we've had! I took my boys to the park today and my oldest wore his upcycled hoodie! I was so proud to see something I'd made in action.

I'll be back tomorrow with a tutorial!

A Kitchen Disaster

2012-01-27T14:56:00.000-05:00

I just had to share this ~~minor~~ major disaster that happened at my parents’ house. The following picture shows how a jar of peanut butter appears to have exploded everywhere.

A little background: both my family and my parents buy organic peanut butter that requires stirring prior to consumption. My dad developed a method of stirring it that includes his drill. (He attaches the mixing blade to the drill.) My mom wanted to show him how much better it was to use the hand mixer and the single mixing blade.

She accidently let go of the jar.

Leading to the disaster.

The funniest part was that it was in their hair.

This will help me determine if my parents follow my blog on a regular basis. I just had to post these pictures. But I know I’ll hear from them about it if they see them!

Winner of the HarmonyArt Giveaway!

2012-01-24T13:38:00.001-05:00

The winner of the HarmonyArt Giveaway (of 1 yard of Apricot interlock fabric!) is #8!

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:8Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Comment #8 belongs to Gwen, who said, I love the "let it grow" print! gingerbreadgal41 (at) gmail (dot) com

Gwen, I’ll email you for your contact information!

Nursing Cover for a Friend

2012-01-24T10:19:00.000-05:00

A good friend of mine is having her third child this month! She needed a nursing cover and I was excited to have the opportunity to provide a gift she needed.

Here is what I made using the tutorial found here:

I got this great fabric at Hobby Lobby. I love it--my husband had the opinion that it looks like an old bedspread.

He gave me this opinion after I had it all cut out. There was no turning back for me.

There you have it. I love it. I hope she does, too.

Car Appliqué on Backpack

2012-01-23T10:14:00.001-05:00

When we had our little boy this summer, we were the recipients of two plain black backpacks containing free formula. We use one of them for our two-year old to carry his quiet activities to and from church each week. I thought it needed a little something special.

So I added a car appliqué. I used felt and heat and bond; here’s a brief tutorial on how to make your own iron-on appliqués.

I used a car template I printed off of the internet.

First, I bonded all my felt to the heat and bond. Place the shiny side against the fabric and fuse it.

I cut the large car out of blue felt. I next cut out the windows and wheels to use as separate templates.

I peeled each piece of the heat and bond backing off and then I fused it to the blue felt.

I did this for each piece. And then I added a “3” to the car.

To finish it all off, I peeled the heat and bond backing off of the blue felt.

Then I bonded it to the bag.

This technique could be used to make any type of appliqué!

Around My House: Toddler's Room

2012-01-20T17:56:00.000-05:00

Our two-year old has a big-boy bed now. He loves it and tells everyone about his bed.

There are lots of things in his room that have been hand made.

1. Pottery Barn Knock-off Truck, made by my dad!

2. Rocking Chair

3. End Table I repainted.

4. Shag Rug

5. Pillow & Shams

6. Blanket

Have a great weekend!

Rustic DIY Coat Rack

2012-01-19T10:50:00.000-05:00

When my husband and I got married seven and a half years ago, we registered for wedding gifts. As we were about to get the scanner from the sales woman, she happened to ask what our home’s theme would be. Before I could open my mouth to answer, my husband responded enthusiastically, “Rustic.”

???

That answer was not quite what I had in mind at the time! However, as time passes, our home is slowly taking on this theme. This coat rack is an example of the “rusticness” creeping into our decor.

My husband took a rough cut piece of lumber from my dad’s shop and we put some English oil and shellac on it. I picked out some hooks from Lowe’s. For $9, we have a great looking solution for organizing purses, coats & hats in the mudroom.

I love it. My husband is so clever.

And after seven and a half years of marriage, he's got me sold on the rustic theme.

(Why are husbands even more attractive while holding a baby?)

Pottery Barn Kids Knock-Offs

2012-01-18T12:50:00.002-05:00

My dad has talent when it comes to music and woodworking. I wanted to show off his woodworking skills today with some pictures of some toys he made for my boys at Christmas.

The inspiration came from these Pottery Barn Kids toys I saw in this picture:

Using that picture for inspiration, my dad made a few extremely cute vehicles for my boys.

These two were the ‘prototypes’.

Then he deviated a bit from the PBK inspiration and made this enormous fire truck. My dear two-year old has a great interest in “Pirepighters” [firefighters].

I was seriously impressed with my dad’s ability to make fun toys.

Crayon Organizer with PLAID Paints

2012-01-17T09:06:00.000-05:00

Crafting is way more fun when you’re organized.

(We’ll see if my two-year old feels that way. He hasn’t had much time lately for crayons.)

So I made him this.

I saw this idea for a knockoff Pottery Barn Kids craft organizer and decided to make my own from ~~garbage~~ stuff I already had.

To duplicate this project, you will need:

round cake pan

baby food jars with lids

one color of spray paint

glue

masking tape

various colors of acrylic paint

I used the Martha Stewart paints that PLAID sent me a month ago.

I set the jars into the pan to see how many would fit (I used 11) and where I wanted them to be placed.

I masked off where each jar would go. I didn’t want to paint where I intended to put glue.

Then I used blue spray paint to cover the pan.

Here’s a spray painting tip: Place the pan in a box for painting; that way you don’t have to drape your whole garage with drop cloths. Also, if you are spray painting outside and it is windy, a box acts as a windbreaker to keep the paint from blowing around before it reaches the surface you’re painting.

Coat all sides of the pan with spray paint.

Next, choose the colors for the jars. You’ll be painting the inside of the jar. I found that the best way to do this was to squirt some paint into the bottom of the jar, add a tiny bit of water, place the lid on the jar and shake, shake, shake to coat the inside!

These will take forever to dry. Keep them on their “heads” for an hour or so to dump extra paint out. Wipe the rim with a paper towel to remove any paint.

Then turn them onto their sides. Then keep turning them every few hours to distribute any extra paint around the sides of the jar. I dried mine for about 3 days before they were totally dry.

When the jars are fully dry, remove the masking from the pan’s bottom and use the glue to adhere the jars to the bottom of the pan in the intended positions. I used some crazy adhesive that promised to adhere anything. I didn’t try hot glue, but it might work.

What do you think? Will this entice my two-year old to color more often?

Also, one of my goals for this year is to start taking better pictures. I’m pretty happy with how these turned out! I’m trying to learn how to use my camera more effectively. I have been enjoying some sunny weather; it’s far more conducive to picture taking!

A HarmonyArt Fabric Giveaway!

2012-01-16T07:23:00.001-05:00

If you haven’t already heard of Harmony Art Organic Design Fabrics, go familiarize yourself NOW!

Harmony graciously sent me some beautiful organic knit yardage in her solstice print and apricot solid to test drive. I chose to use the fabulously popular flat front yoga skirt tutorial to make a cute little skirt. (I can’t wait for it to be warm and sunny!)

This fabric was so wonderfully easy to work with. It’s a great weight, soft, easy to cut and sew and the edges won’t roll up like a lot of knits.

I will be hoarding my scraps for future projects!

If you’re interested in starting to sew with knits, I think Harmony Arts is a great fabric line with which to learn. And the flat-front yoga skirt is a fun pattern to make! (It’s very comfy.)

Now for the really good part. Harmony sent me an extra yard (it’s a little more than a yard, actually!) of the apricot color knit to give away to one of my readers! It’s a 60” wide piece, big enough to make yourself a skirt or two. (If you have girls, make a few matching skirts!)

To enter to win this yard of apricot interlock fabric:

1. If you’re a follower of Monkey See, Monkey Do, go to HarmonyArt.com and comment about which is your favorite fabric!

2. For a second entry: go “Like” Money See, Monkey Do on Facebook! Then leave a comment telling me you did this!

3. For a third entry: go “Like” Harmony Art Organic Designs on Facebook! Leave another comment.

And if you don’t win and want to purchase some yardage, be sure to order from HarmonyArt retailers.

This giveaway will close on January 24th at 9 am! It is only open to US residents. Get your comments started.

A Cleaning Discovery

2012-01-13T09:06:00.003-05:00

If anyone had told me five years ago that I'd be writing a blog post about cleaning products, I'd have laughed at them.

But I just had to share that I found the very best stuff to clean my cast iron sink with.

I didn't know what a cast-iron sink was until we got one. So here's a
[really bad] picture of part of my kitchen in case you are wondering:

That picture was taken before we moved in. The counters are never that clear nor is the sink ever that empty.

Not only have I found the perfect cleanser for my sink, but I also found some stuff to clean stainless steel and my flat cook top stove.

First, the cast iron sink. I bought this powder cleaner called Bonami that promises it won't scratch. It worked better than the baking soda I had been using. I had a few scratches from pans that it took off right away. The packaging is a little retro. My husband asked if it was from the 1970's. And it only cost $1.19!!

(No, Bonami is not paying me. I wish.)

Next, the stainless steel stuff. I found this stuff called Bar Keeper's Friend next to the Bonami at the store. I had read somewhere it works well for cleaning All-Clad cookware, which we have. It was only $1, so I bought some of it, too. LOVE IT. Not so much for the All-Clad stuff (although I haven't tried it for the food surfaces yet, just the outside, wanted to research if it was food-safe first) but I used it to clean the outside of our tea kettle that was in terrible need of scrubbing. It worked so well I decided to try it on the cook top, too. (It worked better than the stuff I bought specifically for the cook top!)

Bar Keeper's Friend is not paying me to say this stuff, either. But again, feel free to contact me! Hah.

The Wonder of [Homemade] Play Dough

2012-01-12T08:22:00.002-05:00

I'd sorta forgotten about making my little guy some play dough. My MIL made him some a few weeks ago...he liked it and was sad to leave it at her house. So I made him some for home using the same recipe I posted last winter. Try it out! Ours turned out to be a weird shade of chartreuse...but he didn't mind.

It kept him occupied for almost an hour while I made dinner.

And he probably would've played with it even longer had it not been time to eat dinner.

Dry Erase Calendar: Finished!

2012-01-11T10:36:00.000-05:00

Before we start, can I just say it is super hard to take a good picture of something with glass in it?

This is the best I could do!

I was so excited to finally finish my calendar!

Briefly, all I did was measure the width and divide by 7. I cut out 35 pieces of scrabook paper. Then I used a glue stick to glue them to a big piece of brown paper (it was a middle of a wrapping paper roll). Then I put them behind a big piece of glass my husband got for me from Lowe’s. It can be written on with a dry erase marker!

Tutorial: Repurposed T-Shirt Bag with Iron-on Animals

2012-01-10T08:30:00.000-05:00

My kids got tons of toys for Christmas. Way too many. It drives me insane when they all end up in one big jumble…I like to group like toys together. I made a few repurposed bags last summer (small ones from t-shirt sleeves and large ones from t-shirts).

I used an old t-shirt that had some oil stains on it that I couldn’t remove. It was size 2T.

I just cut it off below the armpits. (I saved the sleeves & neck for another project!)

Next, it was time to do some embellishing. I used heat-n-bond to attach an elephant and a hippo to a scrap of white jersey fabric.

Ironing on the hippo:

To make the bottom of the bag, I measured the perimeter of the t-shirt. Then I cut out a rectangle.

I sewed the rectangle to the bottom of the bag, making square corners.

I used the original hem of the t-shirt for the drawstring’s casing. I just pulled out a few stitches and then backstitched with my sewing machine to prevent any more from unraveling.

I made the drawstring out of jersey fabric. I cut a length about 2” wide long enough to go all through the t-shirt’s hem. I sewed a tube and then turned it right-side out with a safety pin.

Then I simply threaded it through the hem with the safety pin and tied a knot at either end! Simple, yet very cute!

Dresser Revamp

2012-01-09T07:58:00.003-05:00

What a change! It goes well with the rest of our bedroom.

My super-wonderful husband and I redid this dresser. It was devastatingly 1960’s-esque.

Here is the before:

My mom said it was the very first piece of furniture she bought; she thinks she paid $50 for it back in the 1970's. She & my dad upgraded their bedroom furniture and my husband and I got a free dresser.

I've always disliked it.

These were the handles.

These were the legs.

My husband made new legs for it. After attaching them, we primed it.

We stripped and restained the drawers, filled the holes where the old hardware had been, and painted the outside. (The top was plastic and not wood, so we couldn’t restain it.)

I love it now.

Also, my super-amazing husband parked his car in the driveway instead of the garage for the entire month of December so we could work on the dresser in the warmth of the garage. He also stored all of his clothing in a plastic tub because of the lack of drawer space in our room while the revap was taking place.

He's a keeper.

Cardstock Garland

2012-01-05T14:55:00.000-05:00

I made this from cardstock scraps; the scraps were left over from this project. This means it matches my littlest guy’s nursery!

Tutorial coming soon!

Quiet Book

2012-01-04T14:53:00.000-05:00

I saw a few ideas for making quiet books for kids and just had to get together my own ideas and come up with a super cute one for my little guy. Here’s a little tour.

The cover.

Colors! I want to add a paint brush to do pretend painting.

The colors all detach and can be rearranged.

Grocery shopping! Bananas, watermelon, grapes, milk, an apple and bread all fit into the grocery bag!

Cars! They attach with snaps. The wheels are sewn onto the book.

They can be moved around to match different cars with different wheels.

Shapes! The shapes can be matched or mis-matched.

Cookie jar! This is my personal favorite. I got this idea from MADE. There’s a zipper…

… And inside are six chocolate chip cookies!

This is the back.

It closes with velcro.

I had so much fun coming up with the ideas and hand-sewing the book together. I hope it lasts for many years! It was a ton of work but totally worth it.

Chalkboard Sign

2012-01-03T08:22:00.000-05:00

Check out the super cool chalkboard sign my dad made for me. He made the frame as a 'prototype' for these frames.

It was sort of discarded in his shop, so I took possession of it. I asked him to cut a piece of plywood for the inside. Then I spray painted the frame with glossy antique white paint and used spray chalkboard paint for the plywood.

I couldn't resist making a cute little banner for it. I used scrapbook paper, t-shirt yarn, and buttons from this Etsy shop.

Bike T-Shirt

2012-01-02T14:07:00.000-05:00

I made this shirt for my husband and gave it to him for Christmas.

I made the shirt from old t-shirts (and some new jersey fabric.)

I used this tutorial for freezer-paper stenciling the bike.

He wore it for three days in a row after Christmas. He loves biking.

Top 10 of 2011

2011-12-30T13:49:00.004-05:00

I have been more than a little busy this week!

I wanted to do a “Top Posts of 2011” post like I did last year for 2010.

However, I don’t actually know how to manipulate Google Stats to just show the top 10 of this year.

I took the posts from my top 10 all-time views (there are 7 of them from this past year!) and then I added three of my favorites that are also popular.

#10 (my pick)

Repurposed Craft Supply Organizer

#9 (my pick)

Child's Rocker

This little reupholstery project is really popular.

#8 (my pick)

Felt Car Mat Tutorial

Toddler Slipper Pattern

Taffeta Flower Tutorial

Non-gathered, flat front Yoga Skirt Tutorial

Cute Little Tote Bag Tutorial

Ruffle T-Shirt Skirt Tutorial

Big Flower Tote Bag Tutorial

#1….

Stuffed Dinosaur Tutorial & Pattern

Thanks for reading my blog! I have taken a needed break from sewing/crafting during this time of Christmas/New Year’s, but I’m itching to get back to work soon.

My husband and I just finished a project that I’m anxious to share. I just have to get some good sunny days to take pictures of our final product!

Happy New Year!

Freezer Paper Stenciling

2011-12-26T08:22:00.000-05:00

Guys are so hard to craft and sew for! But I had the perfect idea this year. I made some pretty sweet shirts for my husband and one of our little guys for Christmas.

They have bikes on them. My husband loves to bike. I not only made the shirt for him using a raglan shirt pattern I drafted myself, but I hand cut the stencil for it from freezer paper.

(Hello, Silhouette??!? I’d love to be given one of your products to try. Or win one. Whatever works. But I don’t have $300 to buy one! Not even on Black Friday!)

I digress.

I cut the stencil using a bike picture I found online. I cut it with some guides from my dad’s shop to help go around the curves nicely. I used a utility knife (not shown) and cut on my self-healing mat I use with the rotary cutter.

After I got it all cut out, I found out I had to carefully place the pieces inside the wheels. So it was like putting a puzzle together. I then ironed all the pieces into place.

I applied fabric paint to the stencil. I didn’t actually use a brush. I used a scrap piece of fleece. It worked out fine.

Here’s my first draft of the stencil. I actually cut three of them. I had to test it out before I tried it on the shirt I’d made.

Here’s me doing it to the actual shirt. Same steps. Just more fear.

I spent a lot of hours on this shirt! I am so excited to give it to my hubby—sorry this post won’t be up before Christmas, but I can’t risk spoiling the aura of surprise!

“Window” Blanket

2011-12-22T10:53:00.000-05:00

Before I start, I just want to warn that it is really tough to get a good picture of a large blanket.

I made a blanket for my 2-year old for Christmas. He needs a large blanket. He’s still in a crib, but soon will move to a toddler bed. We’re planning to wait until he starts climbing out of the crib. (He totally could climb out if he wanted to. He’s very tall! In fact, I've seen him climb into the crib before to retrieve his favorite stuffed animal.)

Anyway, I wanted to make one to match the fabric I used for his pillow shams and rocking chair. However, I didn’t want to buy more fabric. So I just used a little bit of the zoo print fabric and used other fabric that picked up the colors. I made the majority of the blanket out of some inexpensive fleece fabric I found in the remnant pile at Jo-Ann Fabric.

I decided to use the ‘special’ fabrics and sew them to the wrong side of the fleece. I made “windows” for the special fabrics to show through. Since fleece won’t fray, it was easier to have it be the raw edge rather than the other fabrics.

One of these fabrics is a towel. (I wanted to add some texture! Add this to the list of uses for an old towel!) This is most definitely NOT my favorite project! It did not turn out to be as cute and perfect as I’d imagined.

However, I think my little guy will like it. It is soft and warm. And BIG. Hopefully it will help him keep the covers on this winter.

Last-Minute Felt Wreath Tutorial

2011-12-21T08:00:00.002-05:00

This past weekend, I thought my single wreath looked lonely. So I made two more wreaths to hang on the mirror.

I am so excited about these two wreaths! They were really easy to make and fairly inexpensive. Looking at them makes me happy!

If you would like to make one, keep in mind they can be any color and any size. Mine were pretty small (dinner plate size) and required about 1/2 yard of red felt per wreath.

You’ll also need your hot glue gun, a cardboard box, large needle and some embroidery floss (the same color as the felt you’re using for the wreath).

I needed a base to attach the felt. It was 8 pm on a Saturday evening, so I couldn’t run to a craft store. We had some boxes in the garage, so I just took a dinner plate and used it to cut around.

Then I used a smaller plate to cut out the middle. You’ll want the wreath form to be skinnier than the felt squares you’ll be using. It doesn’t have to be perfectly cut. You’ll be covering it up.

To cover it, I just took some felt strips (doesn’t really matter how wide) and hot glued them to the cardboard circle outline.

When you run out of length on one strip, hot glue the end and start wrapping with another strip.

Next, start cutting some squares from your felt. Precision cutting is unnecessary. The size of the squares just need to be in the same ballpark. They can be rectangles, too. Make sure you save a strip of felt to use as a hanger for the wreath. (You could also use ribbon.)

Take some embroidery floss and a large needle and tie a knot in the end. String the squares onto the floss and push them against the knot. Keep stringing squares until you have enough to go around the diameter of the wreath.

Here’s the wreath. I didn’t completely fill it with squares, as you can tell. (I covered the empty part with the strip to hang the wreath.)

I took no pictures of the last step, but in order to attach the string of squares to the felt-covered cardboard base, I used more embroidery floss to wrap around the base and in between the squares. I wrapped once around every inch or so. I tied it off tightly using the needle to take a few stitches into the felt to make it super-secure.

Here’s two wreaths…

And all three! I am so happy with how they turned out. I love that they’re not all perfectly the same. The texture of these wreaths add a lot to my Christmas decor!

Here’s a close-up of the middle wreath.

I can’t wait to make some more non-Christmas wreaths for around my house!

Merry Christmas and happy decorating!

My Christmas Decor

2011-12-20T08:30:00.000-05:00

Let me preface this post by saying I am not a super Christmas decorator. None of this is going to wow you. I do not anticipate anything being 'pinned' to Pinterest. (I'm a member now. Follow me here.)

I made the red wreath. I just bought a small foam core at dollar tree, wrapped it with felt strips, and then hot glued a few felt flowers onto it. My dad made us the mirror a few years ago.
I love it.

I decorated a few things around our home. I used some greenery and some Christmas-y china pieces I've been given.

I made stockings for everyone (except me.) My great Aunt made mine years ago and it's too cute to redo.

I like other people's Christmas ideas, but I don't get too excited about starting a bunch of DIY Christmas projects in October. All the decorations I have were purchased at an after-Christmas sale. I wish I had the drive to go with a specific color scheme and make new decor every year.

Maybe someday.

Bird Wall Art with Plaid Products

2011-12-19T08:05:00.000-05:00

I was so excited when Plaid sent me a bunch of paint and stencils to try out!!!!

Here are the paints they sent:

I wanted to do another project for our bedroom. I had already made some bird wall art (that still hasn’t been hung). Here’s what I came up with this time.

I started with a textbook. Now, this is the 1970’s version of a textbook I had in 2003. Why do I have this book? Friends of mine bought it at the school’s book sale for $1 because they thought it was funny.

This picture is what makes it so funny!

I became the proprietor of the book when I transferred. They gave it to me. And I can’t part with it. However, I wanted to use some of the pages for my project. Who is going to miss the glossary, right?

I stenciled a few pages.

I used a combination of white and purple paint.

After the paint dried, I cut two bird silhouettes and glued them to the paper.

I had already spray painted the frames antique white and then glazed them with purple acrylic paint. They match the other wall art perfectly.

Now I just need to decide where to hang all of it!

Winner of the Gingercake PDF Pattern!

2011-12-17T13:13:00.003-05:00

I used Random.org to generate a winner from all the comments about the PDF pattern giveaway!

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 3 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

The winner is #3 who said:

Kristy said...: Very nice! Her patterns are so cute! I'd choose that sweet Penguin!
Thanks for the chance!; December 15, 2011 9:26 AM

Kristy, I will email you. You can let me know if you still want the penguin and I'll have Virginia email it to you!

Thanks to everyone for entering! I'll be having another great giveaway in a few weeks...probably after Christmas. It is always good to have a January surprise!

Repurposed Frames

2011-12-16T14:44:00.000-05:00

Step one of another project: spray painted and glazed frames. You can’t tell very well, but I glazed these frames with purple acrylic paint. I used the same process found here.

Toddler Wall Art

2011-12-15T14:28:00.000-05:00

I showed you these a few months ago. I really loved them, but the frames I used didn’t like the spray paint too much. Some of them bubbled and then peeled. I was quite sad.

Then, my dad, being the fabulous Grampa and avid woodworker that he is, said he wanted to make some frames for my little guy’s room. This led to me completely re-doing the pictures. Here’s what transpired:

Love, love, love these frames.

I painted the backgrounds using foam board from the dollar store and cheapo acrylic paint from the craft store. I re-used all the animals except for the rhino. The jersey fabric I’d originally used wasn’t sticking well and so I ended up using some scrapbook paper.

I love them. And as my husband points out, the time, energy and thought I put into room decor for our two boys is completely for me, not them.

So thanks, Dad. I love the frames you made for both of their walls.

Bird Christmas Ornament

2011-12-14T14:38:00.000-05:00

I made a bunch of these ornaments last year.

I still had the pattern so I made one more. It is for someone in my MOPS group. We picked names and are doing little gifts for the other person we picked.

I know blue fabric isn’t very Christmas-y, but I really liked it.

Just thought I’d share.

Scrappy Christmas Stocking

2011-12-13T14:09:00.000-05:00

Today is the final day to enter to win ric rac! See the giveaway post here.

*********

I made this Christmas stocking for my mom using the tutorial I shared the other day. However, I made the front from scraps on fabric I used last year to make ornaments for friends of hers. (Looking back, I never posted pictures of the ornaments I made for her, just some that were made from other fabric. Oh, well.)

I wasn’t a huge fan of the fabric she had chosen, but since I can’t let anything go to waste, I had planned to make a bunting from the scraps. I cut it out last year, got busy, and never actually sewed it. (It isn’t appealing to make Christmas decorations any other time than Christmas!)

The triangles were just sitting in my scrap bin. So I took the triangles and made a stocking front and back.

I added some scraps of gold ric rack I had sitting around from a project I made for church. I added these to the front before I joined the front and back pieces.

While it doesn’t fall into my favorite style of decor, I think my mom will love it. She loves red and gold and really had liked this fabric.

Braided Jersey Bracelets

2011-12-12T08:22:00.000-05:00

I was inspired to make these bracelets after seeing this tutorial online. However, I did mine using an easier method. I just took a bunch of t-shirt strips, cut them to relatively the same length, and braided them all together.

I think I started with about 9 strips, sewed them together at one end, grouped them into three groups of three, braided them, and sewed them together at the other end. To join the ends together, sewed the unbraided ends. To cover the stitches, I took a smaller strip of jersey, turned the ends under, and hand-sewed to close it all together.

It was a super-quick project. I’ve found I actually wear them often right now. Since I’m still nursing my 4.5 month-old, I don’t wear jewelry because I don’t want to scratch him. These are so soft that they don’t bother him at all.

Finally, a solution other than going jewelry-less for a year (like I did with my older son!)

WSJ Article

2011-12-09T08:05:00.000-05:00

I don't think you can read this whole article without a subscription, but my mom cut it out for me. It's about a woman who has made a business out of DIY clothing. She doesn't seem to sew, but makes knock off items like capes, clutches and other accessories.

Here's the link.

I just thought that was super cool that the Wall Street Journal featured it in their October 13 Personal Journal.

I really love the WSJ. It isn't all about stocks and boring numbers. They have a great style/personal section with articles I find interesting most weeks. I also like the health section.

PDF Pattern Giveaway from ‘Gingercake Patterns’!

2011-12-08T10:19:00.003-05:00

Virginia, of Gingercake Patterns, sent me this pattern for a bird pillow! I thought it was not only a great pattern but had wonderful instructions.

My little guy loves the finished bird. It didn’t take me very long to make the bird and I definitely could have done it all during one nap time if I’d focused on just the pillow (but there was laundry, folding, cleaning, you know how it goes!)

Virginia is so generous and is offering any one pattern from her shop to one lucky Monkey See, Monkey Do reader!

If you are a follower of Monkey See, Monkey Do and would like a chance to win a pattern to sew a bird, or maybe an art caddy, an elephant, a lunch bag…or something else, just go check out Gingercake Patterns and leave a comment saying what pattern you’d pick.

For a second entry, you can follow Monkey See, Monkey Do on Facebook. Come back and leave a comment telling me you did this! (Or if you are already a follower, just say that in your second comment!)

Giveaway entries will close December 16th. I’ll announce the winner on December 17th! Good luck!

Stocking Embellishments

2011-12-07T20:09:00.002-05:00

I made a Christmas stocking to enter in a contest. I finally put some finishing touches on it today. Nothing very elaborate, just some hot-glued rosettes. I don't expect to win, but since I made one, I figured I'd enter!

Winner of Ric Rac Bundle from Beautiful Additions

2011-12-07T08:00:00.002-05:00

Hopefully everyone went to visit the Beautiful Additions shop!

I used Random.org to generate a winning number for the giveaway!

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:8Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Winning comment #8 belongs to Katie:

Katie said...

I'm a new fan of Monkey See, Monkey Do on Facebook via Sew Woodsy.

DECEMBER 1, 2011 4:07 PM

Congratulations, Katie. I'll email you and you have 24 hours to respond with your contact info!

A Creative Genius!

2011-12-06T12:36:00.001-05:00

My two-year old has been loving that I bought him a pair of children's scissors. He's not quite gotten the idea of using them correctly (he just cuts once and then tears the rest) but he has been busily making everyone in our family pieces of paper. He'll rip one and say, "A bigger piece."

Sometimes he scribbles on them first and then cuts/tears them.

He's constantly asking for "more paper".

This new hobby of his sure is vastly reducing my supply of scrap paper. But that's ok! It sure does keep him busy!

Repurposed Christmas Stocking Tutorial

2011-12-05T10:53:00.001-05:00

Enter the giveaway to win 34 yards of ric rac!

*******

I really want a serger. However, I don’t really have the extra money in my budget to buy one. So, when Prudent Baby says they’re having a Christmas stocking contest and the prize is a new serger, I say, “I’ll make a stocking!” The only requirement is that it be made of jersey material.

So, being the frugal crafter that I am, I dug into my supply of old t-shirts and found part of a red maternity shirt and some leftover dark green pieces. This is what came out. (Not the stuffed dog. He’s just always lying around, so I used him to give the stocking some personality. I can’t teach you how to make him. Yet.)

Anyway, I don’t really need another Christmas stocking for my family, I actually just finished one for our new little guy which I’ll show you all soon. I’m also going to finish one up for my hubby. I’ll show you it soon, too! But the point is that I plan to decorate this one somehow for the contest. I don’t expect to win with a plain stocking.

But to start the basic striped jersey stocking, I cut four strips of each fabric. I didn’t make them the same width or length. I sewed them all together and then pressed them flat.

I then took a cardboard pattern and traced it onto the wrong side of the sewn together jersey strips.

Cut it out.

Now, when I titled this ‘repurposed’, I meant completely repurposed.

I then took a pair of khaki pants that were in my repurposing box and cut the back and lining from them. (You’ll need three additional stocking pieces for a total of four, including the front.)

Next, I debated my embellishment options. If you want to sew something onto the front, like extra stripes, you’ll want to do this now. These are the options I considered but eventually vetoed:

I voted down the ruffles because I live in a house full of boys and I already have a nifty stocking my great Aunt made me.

Then we had this idea. But “ransom note style” doesn’t really scream “MERRY CHRISTMAS!” to me. So I passed on that idea.

Anyway, the point of all that was to show why I didn’t decorate the front yet. But I wanted to show anyone out there that you totally could decorate it if you wish.

Next, sew the striped front to the back of the stocking, right sides together. Sew the lining pieces with right sides together, too. You need to leave an unsewn space for turning (unlike I did). See below.

Next, you’ll want to decide what to use as a loop to hang the stocking. I used a ribbon scrap. You could make a fabric loop. I folded mine like this:

I next pinned the loop to the right side of the heel edge of the stocking. On the top. Line up the raw edge of the ribbon with the raw upper edge of the stocking. Understand? Go ahead and sew it into place.

To sew everything together, you’ll turn both the lining and the outer part of the stocking wrong sides out. Aligning them as shown in the picture below, pin the edges with right sides together, being sure to line up the side seams.

Sew around the top of the stocking. Your stitches will be on the inside. You will turn the whole thing through the unsewn edge left in the lining. After you turn it, make sure all your curved seams are nice and flat. Then sew up the opening in the lining. Press the whole thing. You could also top stitch around the top of the stocking. I didn’t.

I kind of doubt I’ll win the serger, but it was worth a try! It didn’t cost me any money since I used completely repurposed fabric.

Hoodie Zipper Replacement

2011-12-02T08:05:00.001-05:00

Don't forget to enter the giveaway to win 34 yards of ric rac!

*******

I got this hoodie for my 2 year-old from a clothing exchange last spring. The zipper was broken. It’s a size 4T, so it’s a little big. That gave me some time to think about putting in a new zipper.

I considered making a constrution vehicle appliqué for the back but then I found the perfect t-shirt to use instead.

I used some ideas from the tutorial found here to install the zipper. It wasn’t specific to a separating zipper, so I still had to make my own way at some points.

First, I sewed the front together with a zig zag stitch.

I took the zipper and pinned it over top of the zig zag on the wrong side of the jacket.

I sewed down oth sides of the zipper. Then I removed the zig zag stitching.

I sewed down again, this time closer to the zipper’s teeth. I was going to rip out the further line of stitches, but I didn't.

I cut apart a shirt to use for another project. It had this logo on it and since it is orange, it was perfect for the back of the hoodie. It fit perfectly.

Handmade Christmas: Football Softie

2011-12-01T08:05:00.001-05:00

How would you like to win 34 yards of ric rac??? Enter here.

******

Since it is the first day of December, it is fitting to think about Christmas gifts!

I made the littlest guy a softie football (using this tutorial) for Christmas. I actually made two, but didn’t get the second one stuffed yet. Two boys, two footballs, right?

The bigger guy found it and already loves it.

It is a rattle, too. I put rice in this little plastic container to shake. I tried to find an old plastic Easter egg to use, but came up empty handed on the Easter egg. I guess I should save more stuff.

Ric Rac Giveaway from Beautiful Additions

2011-11-30T08:11:00.004-05:00

Want to brighten up the winter months by adding some colorful ric rac to your stash??

Check out Beautiful Additions on Etsy. Juli, who owns Beautiful Additions, has all sorts of colors and sizes of ric rac. She also has organza bags (you could use them as shower favors or wedding favors!) and all sorts of neat ribbon.

She's here today with a giveaway for Monkey See, Monkey Do readers! One lucky reader will win this 34 piece bundle of multi sized ric rac in various sizes and colors. (Each piece is one yard long!)

To enter, you have to follow Monkey See, Monkey Do and leave a comment saying what item from the Beautiful Additions shop you like best.

For a second entry, "Like" Monkey See, Monkey Do on Facebook and then leave a comment saying so!

This giveaway will end December 7th at 8 am EST.

Baby Winter Hat with Earflaps

2011-11-29T08:30:00.001-05:00

I'm [apparently] really into hats.
{Proof is here, here, here, and last week's whale hat creation.}

I made this super cute hat for my super cute child.

The top part of the hat was made using this tutorial. I made it smaller to fit my little guy and then I added earflaps and a chin strap.

I am constantly kissing those chubby cheeks.

Another Repurposing Project

2011-11-28T08:05:00.000-05:00

I found this wire basket in the our barn. So I spray painted it. No big plans for it yet, but I’m going to use it in some way!

Have I shown you our barn? It’s kind of neat. It needs some work, but it has all kinds of treasures I’ve discovered. Some have already been repurposed.

I have more projects in the planning stages.

Projects in the Beginning Stages

2011-11-24T08:05:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I started a bunch of projects the other day. I had tremendous energy and got to work on a few things I’ve been wanting to do!

Here are some sneak peeks of projects I’ll be showing over the next few weeks!

1. I ironed some fusible fleece interfacing onto some fabric I’ll be using to recover a computer chair for our kitchen.

2. A hoodie for my 2-year old. It needs a new zipper and some sort of embellishment on the back. This is from an old t-shirt and is perfect!

3.Don’t let all the button holes go to waste! I’ve come up with a perfect way to re-use the button collars from polo shirts. You’ll have to stay tuned for that.

4. My husband’s Christmas gift in the beginning stages. He follows my blog now on his feed reader at work, so I’d better not say anything about it!

5. This is not really a project but it is a storage solution for my scissors! I started hanging them on my wall organizer. (I still haven’t utilized that dowel rod for a roll of paper yet.) It keeps my little guy from getting a hold of them.

Pumpkin Spread

2011-11-23T08:05:00.001-05:00

I found this recipe in my Martha Stewart magazine (November 2011).

It is for using up left over pumpkin from a can.

Beat 2 sticks of softened unsalted)butter -- I used salted butter and then didn't add extra salt later with 1/4 cup plus 2 T pure pumpkin puree, 3 T maple syrup, 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice and 1/2 salt with a mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy. You can store it in your fridge for up to two weeks.

Yum. Makes a great toast topping.

Dry Erase Calendar Project Part 1

2011-11-21T08:05:00.000-05:00

This is a calendar holder that my mom bought my grandma a LONG time ago. I used it for a regular calendar for a couple years.

It needs a new life.

Today, I finally got around to spray painting it white. (I’ve been waiting for a nice day and both kiddos to be napping at the same time. These things don’t happen often.)

I’ve got big plans for this thing. It’s going to be a dry erase board in my kitchen.

Stay tuned for part 2 of this thing’s transformation. It will include glass & scrapbook paper.

Pumpkin Pie Shake

2011-11-16T08:30:00.000-05:00

Here at my house, we love pumpkin recipes.

{I don't like pumpkin pie, though! Weird, I know!}

I've got a super wonderful pumpkin cake recipe I want to share in a few weeks. That way, you can test it before Thanksgiving and find out how wonderful it is.

I found this recipe at Dukes and Duchesses. It is a Cooking Light recipe.

Pumpkin Pie Shake

Serves 4

2 cups vanilla reduced-fat ice cream, softened

1 cup fat-free milk

2/3 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

3 tablespoons frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed

Combine first five ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Pour 3/4 cup ice cream mixture into each of four glasses. Top each with about 2 teaspoons whipped topping; sprinkle with additional pumpkin pie spice, if desired.

New Email

2011-11-15T16:20:00.004-05:00

I've made myself a new email address:

monkeyseemail (at) gmail (dot) com

If you ever want to contact me regarding projects, suggestions, or questions, feel free to email me at my new super-cute email address.

No spam. No cutesy forward thingies. Thanks.

And thanks for reading my blog. Seriously. I never thought anyone would want to read about what I have to say or what I make. It's neat that you do.

Color in Unexpected Places

2011-11-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

I opened my little storage box on my machine (not sure what the proper name is for this box!) and I was delighted to see all my colored thread.

I Love Mason Jars

I would love to make this crayon keeper someday! Right now, we have to keep the crayons under lock and key because our walls have been used as a canvas twice now.

Felt Flower Tutorial

2011-11-14T08:05:00.000-05:00

Want to make some felt flowers? There are lots of options to use these fun crafts! You could use them on wreaths, as package toppers, as pins, on headbands, or hair clips.

I'll show you how to make three different types of felt flowers. You'll just need some felt and your glue gun! (And some beads, if you want.)

To make the spiral flower, you’ll start with a circle with imperfect edges, like this:

Starting at one side and cutting around the circle, cut the circle into a long strip.

Place a tiny drop of hot glue in the center and start your coil here.

Continue coiling the the strip around itself. You don’t need to glue as you go.

Next, to secure the flower, place a big dot of hot glue onto another piece of felt (this will be the base of the flower and will not be seen after you’re done). Stick the flower to the glue. Go back underneath the flower and glue as needed to secure all the coils.

Place a dot of hot glue in the middle of the flower and add some beads. When the glue dries, cut around the base of the flower.

To make the round flower, cut a strip of felt about 1/2” wide by 12” long. (The longer the strip, the larger the flower’s diameter.)

Place a tiny drop of hot glue and fold the felt around the glue. Start coiling the strip around itself.

Continue coiling the felt; no need to glue as you go.

Place hot glue on a piece of felt. Stick the whole coil on it to secure. Cut around the felt when the glue is dry.

To make the loopy flower, you’ll need a 1” x 12” piece of felt.

Fold the strip in half.

‘

Make small cuts in the felt all the way down the folded strip. These cuts should stop about halfway across the width of the felt.

Begin by coiling the felt around a tiny dot of hot glue. Continue gluing along the base as necessary to secure the flower as you coil the felt around itself.

Pretty!

(Too bad my pictures aren’t so pretty! It is rainy and dark here!)

Project Fail: Toddler Slippers

2011-11-11T08:30:00.001-05:00

I tried to make some slippers for my 2-year old.

They have a few problems.

I used this pattern. It is a good pattern, just didn't fit my little guy. Also, I was in a hurry and didn't pay attention to the markings on the pattern. This resulted in awkwardly placed velcro and an unfinished edge.

The moral of this story is that I should take my time while sewing. I am busy with my kids, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't take the time to properly mark my fabric before sewing a project.

I hate when I waste time.

Whale Baby Hat

2011-11-10T08:05:00.000-05:00

I love to make things for my two sweet boys.

However, I sometimes get in a rut when it comes to embellishment ideas for their clothing.

Flowers and ribbons are so cute but just don't cut it. And I find trucks, cars, and many animals far too detailed to cut out well.

I wanted to make my 3 month-old a hat for fall. [One that actually fit his large head.] I used an old t-shirt.

I used this tutorial to make the hat but drew a larger pattern.

I decided on a whale made from fleece.

I hand-sewed it onto the hat after free-hand cutting it.

I think anything would look cute on him. But maybe I'm a little biased.

My {Newest} Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

2011-11-09T08:05:00.003-05:00

I am always up for trying a new chocolate chip cookie recipe. I'm constantly seeking the 'best'. If you've followed my blog, you'll know I've touted this one as the current 'best'.

All that has changed, my friends!!

I found this tremendous recipe via my friend Kristen’s blog, 'Confessions of a (Not-So) Domesticated Newlywed'. Kristen and I have known each other since second grade. She has a blog and has great recipe ideas.

We just saw each other two weeks ago at our ten-year class reunion. I figured I didn’t have much of an excuse not to go since I now live in my hometown! I’m so glad I went; it was great to catch up.

At first, I laughed a little bit that the planning committee thought we needed name tags. I mean, we only graduated with about 150 others in our class! I recognized most of the girls that were there. But I was surprised to find I did need name tags to ID some of the guys!

But here are my friend Kristen and me:

This recipe for puffy peanut butter cookies was amazing. I’m always looking for the best chocolate chip cookie recipe and right now, this is it!!!

I'm convinced that the recipe rocks because it starts by having you melt butter and peanut butter together and yields a very chewy cookie.

You have to try it.

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

2011-11-08T08:05:00.004-05:00

Here's a fantastic dessert (found on allrecipes.com) that I've already made twice this fall.

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup margarine, melted
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9x13 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Mix well, and spread into the prepared pan.
Sprinkle cake mix over the top of the pumpkin mixture, and pat down. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over the cake mix, then drizzle with melted margarine.
Bake for 60 to 80 minutes, or until done. Top with whipped topping when ready to serve.

Felt Travel Car Mat Tutorial

2011-11-07T08:05:00.001-05:00

What did you do with your extra hour?

This morning, courtesy of the end of daylight savings time, we were up at 5:30 A.M. Before church, my super duper husband took our two-year old on a hike at 8:30 am. The baby fell alseep for a little nap and I found myself with an hour on my hands.

So I made this.

I started with my abundance of felt.

I chopped up a few pieces. I have a big scrap of blue felt from a bolt (not the little squares) so I cut two 10” x 18” pieces for the base and back. I cut a 4” x 12” piece of gray to hold the cars and a smaller brown piece for the road. I used yellow scraps for the yellow line.

I started by sewing the yellow pieces onto the brown road. Then I sewed the road onto the blue base.

For the gray, I sewed just the vertical lines (I did mine at 3” increments). The horizontal bottom will be completed when sewing on the back blue piece.

To make a connection piece, I used an elastic hair tie sandwiched between the base fabric and the back fabric.

Next, sew the back fabric onto the base.

I added a button to keep the whole thing closed.

I let our little guy take it to church. He liked putting the cars into the pockets. It kept him occupied for a good portion of the service!

My Favorite Jeans: Fixed

2011-11-01T08:05:00.001-04:00

This would’ve been the third pair of jeans in about a year that have worn out. I’ve already made two of the pairs of jeans into shorts. Seeing that it is October, I don’t really need any shorts.

To prolong the life of these favorite jeans, I put a patch of denim behind the hole and just stitched some straight lines across the patch.

It isn’t all that noticeable.

If you want to do this to your jeans, the hardest part is getting the knee onto the arm of the sewing machine. I recommend rolling up the pant leg neatly as high as possible to get it around the sewing machine’s arm.

Toddler Belt

2011-10-31T08:05:00.002-04:00

I’m not going to bother posting a tutorial for this project! But I wanted to show what I made for my little guy. He loves belts.

My Fabric Stash

2011-10-27T08:05:00.000-04:00

I use t-shirts and other repurposed materials quite a bit. However, that doesn't mean that I never buy fabric. Here's a few items in my stash that I *LOVE* yet haven't decided on the perfect project in which to use them:

Tea towels from Target. $1.98 for two of them. I couldn't pass them up. I originally thought they'd be perfect in our kitchen, but when they came home, they're slightly 'off' in color. They'll be repurposed somehow.

I won this fabric about two years ago and *STILL* haven't used it. I was considering making ties for my little boys to wear, but that was before my mom brought over a bunch of bow ties my brother wore when he was little. They're super cute, so I'll have to think of another project for this yard of fabric!

I bought someone's scraps on Etsy! There are some great designer prints in this stack:

Bedroom Decorating Ideas

2011-10-26T08:05:00.000-04:00

This is our bedroom. I like it, but it needs something. I don't know what. Our headboard (you can't see it well, but it's two twin headboards that are about 12" wide) belonged to my grandparents. We refinished both headboards a few years ago. So they won't be changing! And I really love the cedar chest in front of the bed, even though it doesn't match the wood of the headboards!

Here are two beautiful, inspiring rooms I've found:

Those two fantastic nightstands? They were a single desk. So cute!

I love this headboard! I love this whole bedroom! The linens, the lamps, the symmetry of the nightstands...it's fabulous!

We don't need a new headboard, but this room is beautiful.

More Zippered Pouches

2011-10-25T08:05:00.002-04:00

I made another zippered pouch using upcycled clothing. This one turned out way better than I'd imagined!

Perfect fall colors.

Repurposed T-Shirt Shag Mat Tutorial

2011-10-24T08:05:00.005-04:00

This project was a [time consuming] way to create a comfortable, cute mat for my toddler’s room using materials I had on hand.

Do you want to make one???

I started by cutting up t-shirts (you’ll need about 10) in the color scheme of his room. His room also has green in it, but I did not have any shirts in the “right” color of green, so I just used navy, gray, light blue, and white.

I made my strips 1 1/2” x 4”. Using a rotary cutter saves a lot of time.

For the backing, I used a white standard-size pillow case. We seem to have an abundance of pillow cases in our linen closet, so we won’t miss this one! It was a little scratchy for my taste anyway.

Side note: my grandmother always called pillow cases “pillow slips”. I referred to it that way in college once and a few friends made fun of me for years!

Anyway, draw lines on the pillow case that are 1” apart. This will be the guide you use for sewing on the strips. Do not assume you can sew a straight line without a guide!

Start sewing on the strips!

To sew on the strips, pinch them in the middle. Backstitch at the beginning and end of each row. My rows run vertically so I could sew fewer strips per row.

Fold the strips over so that you don’t catch them in the next row of stitching.

Keep sewing rows of strips until you’ve completed the mat!

This will probably take a long time. You may have to cut more strips. I sure did.

Up close:

I like how it turned out! I think it would make a great bathroom mat.

My husband made fun of me a bit for taking on this project. I think he wasn’t sure our toddler will use it, considering the little guy rarely sits down!

Feeling Overwhelmed?

2011-10-20T08:05:00.000-04:00

I often add every appealing project to my "to do" list. I am way too inspired by what I see on the internet. This article was good for me.

I really liked the image that went along with it.

Want to Make: Kids' Room Decor

2011-10-19T08:05:00.000-04:00

Love these.

Love these elephants.

Love the whole bear family.

Yummy Recipe for .... Squash??

2011-10-18T08:30:00.003-04:00

I've always HATED squash. (With the exception of spaghetti squash.)

However, we are members of a CSA (I forget what CSA stands for...but you join from April-November and get local foods every week.) Whatever produce is in season arrives every Wednesday to my husband's desk at work and he brings it home.

This week, he brought home a butternut squash. I was at a loss of what to do with that, since I *REALLY* dislike squash and all things resembling a sweet potato.

Photo credit: kconnors from morguefile.com

It stared at me all week. I avoided thinking of how I would use it. But last night (at 4:30 am, while feeding my not-so-tiny three month old) I looked up some recipes for butternut squash. Lots had suggestions of tons of butter, brown sugar, or even maple syrup. But in my kitchen, any recipe that starts out with a stick of butter (with the exception of cookies!) will not fly.

Also, some of the recipes called for roasting the squash. From my experience after making baby food, a squash is nearly impossible to cut in half when it is raw. So cutting it in half and placing it in a baking dish to roast for an hour was not in my ability (or time frame!)

The following recipe is how I ended up cooking the squash to suit my tastes.
(Tasty, yet healthy. Not sweet. Could be mistaken for mashed potatoes.)

2 small potatoes, any type
1 butternut squash, any size
splash of milk (~2 Tablespoons)
2 cloves of minced garlic
salt & pepper
1 T butter

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters. Prick the squash with a fork and microwave it for about 8 minutes, turning it over halfway through cooking.

2. Remove the squash from the microwave and slice it in half. Scoop out the seeds and then take the skin off of the squash. Place the potatoes in a steamer and steam for 5 minutes.

3. Add the squash and steam until all pieces are very tender and mashable. (I made up that word.)

4. Place in a large mixing bowl and use a fork or potato masher to mash the squash and potatoes.

5. Add minced garlic, milk, salt & pepper. Using a hand mixer, beat all ingredients until smooth. Add the butter and beat some more until it is smooth.

I then put it in a casserole dish, covered it, and put it into a 300 degree oven to keep it warm.

I can't believe I actually LIKED squash!

I can't wait to make this again! Finally, an abundant vegetable prepared in a way that I *LOVE*!

Painting and Glazing a Wood Shelf

2011-10-17T08:05:00.001-04:00

This was another *FREE* project! This shelf was in the old house we tore down to build this one. I spray painted it and then glazed it to put in our kids’ bathroom. (My hubby, who so wonderfully hung the shelf, placed the pictures on it. I haven’t yet decided how to decorate it, but I’m pretty sure they’ll be moving off of it!)

Here’s an up-close picture so you can see the glazing and antiquing.

Here’s what I started with. I had to strip the old paint and finish (no photos for this stage).

After I spray painted it a dark blue color, I thought it was just too flat. It lacked depth, so I glazed it. To glaze, you just apply a color of paint and wipe it off before it dries. Easy.

This is the paint I used! Inexpensive.

I used a foam brush to apply it and then a rag to wipe it off.

Please note: It is important to let the spray paint dry COMPLETELY before glazing. You will end up wiping into the spray paint coat if you attempt to glaze before the under coat is dry.

After I glazed it, I took sandpaper and rubbed the edges to make it look a little worn. It looks pretty good for a free shelf.

It’s tough to get good pictures in a bathroom!

Improvements to the Zipper Pouch Tutorial

2011-10-14T08:05:00.002-04:00

I wasn’t completely happy with my zipper pouch. I made some more, with a few improvements.

Improvement #1: Attaching the fabric one piece at a time to the zipper. I attached the outer fabric first.

Then I attached the lining fabric. This ensures you won’t miss either fabric and leave a hole.

Improvement #2: Press both fabrics after sewing them onto the zipper.

Improvement #3: Open the zipper before sewing the side seams. This makes it much easier to turn!

Improvement #4: Add gussets. This makes the pouch stand up. Here is one with 1” gussets.

This one has 2” gussets. That made the bottom denim stripe stay on the bottom of the bag.

Hope these minor improvements help you enjoy your zipper pouches even more!

Want to Make: Window Coverings

2011-10-13T08:05:00.001-04:00

I’ve been thinking about window treatments for our house. The only rooms with curtains now are our boys’ rooms, and that’s just to help keep out the sun!

Love these grommet curtains!

I have no window coverings of any sort in my kitchen yet. I like this idea!

These Roman Shades are cute.

I really wish I could wear…

2011-10-12T08:05:00.000-04:00

Pink Coat

When I was little, I did have a skirt attached to leggings! I loved it!

Other skirt/leggings combo.

Super cute ruffle cardigan.

I just think these girly items are super cute! But they won’t look right on a 20-something mom of two!

Makin' Applesauce

2011-10-11T08:05:00.001-04:00

The great Autumn weather in our area this past weekend put my husband and I in the mood to make a bushel apples into of applesauce! He suggested I share how we did that.

First of all, we bought a bushel of Golden Delicious apples. We purchased seconds; they are the bruised versions that the orchard can’t sell for eating. We got them for a discounted price! Don’t be afraid of buying ‘seconds’! Ours weren’t in bad condition; both our toddler and I ate one on the way home and thought they were fine!

(Expect to pay around $16 for a bushel of seconds.)

We started by cutting the apples into quarters. We have a food strainer, so we did not remove the seeds or skins.

Next, we put the apples into a big pot. Since we made a bushel of apples, we ended up doing about six pots’ worth of cooking. Add about an inch of water to the apples to prevent burning.

Cook the apples down until they’re soft and the skins are starting to fall off. The total volume of apples in the pot will shrink.

This is what the food mill looks like:

To use the food mill,

[after your husband figures out how to assemble it for you!]

you just push the apples through the top bowl. The mill seperates the skins from the good stuff. The applesauce comes out looking like this:

My husband likes it extra smooth, so we put it through our blender.

This is the finished product:

A bushel of apples made a ton of sauce! For $16 and about 2 hours of work, this was our quantity of sauce:

It freezes well. I don’t know how to can food, but someday I would like to learn! This would be great to can.

Repurposed Zipper Pouch with Bunting Tutorial

2011-10-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

Here’s a really easy tutorial for making a cute two-tone zippered pouch with a bunting embellishment!

Supplies: 8” zipper (I used one I picked out of an old pair of pants)

Two pieces of fabric 9” x 6” (the tan colored pieces below)

Two pieces of fabric 9” x 2.5” (the denim pieces)

Two pieces of fabric for the lining, 9” x 7”

Scraps of fabric for the flags

Interesting fact: I used all repurposed fabrics (lining is a t-shirt, the tan fabric is from a pair of pants, and the denim is from jeans!)

To make the bunting, sew a curved, swooping line using a running stitch onto one of the tan fabric pieces. Set the flag pieces on the line to make sure they all fit.

Next, sew the flags onto the line. I didn’t try to follow the exact original line. I think that makes it more fun.

Next, sew around each flag a few times.

After you’ve attached each flag, place the denim piece with right sides together at the bottom edge of the tan fabric and sew that into place.

Open that up, press the seam flat, and then add a line of running stitches for top stitching.

To assemble the pouch, place the zipper right sides together with one piece of the outer fabric, aligning it with the top edge of the tan fabric. Align one of the lining pieces with this top edge and pin in place. Using your zipper foot, sew this into place making sure to catch all three layers.

Check your work to make sure you didn’t miss the zipper of the lining!

Repeat with the other side of the pouch and lining.

Now, open the whole thing up and align the edges of the outer fabric and the edges of the lining.
Pin it all in place. Sew around the whole thing, leaving a gap for turning in the bottom of the lining.

Trim the edges, clip the corners, and turn the whole thing through the gap you left in the pouch’s lining. Push the corners out with a pencil so they are crisp. Stitch up the gap in the lining and the pouch is finished!

Want to Make: Fabric Banners

2011-10-06T08:05:00.001-04:00

Scrappy banner idea.

No ragged edges on this one.

This is so cute. I don’t know if it’s what I’m looking for or not.

Want to Make: Bookends

2011-10-05T08:05:00.000-04:00

I think my little guy's room could use some bookends. Not sure if owls are the way to go...maybe turtles instead...but here are some tutorials I've found.

Super cute owl bookends.

Another owl bookend tutorial.

But since I have two boys, maybe these are a

better ‘want to make’:

Boyish bookend designs.

One-Pot Pasta Dinner

2011-10-04T08:05:00.001-04:00

This lasagna recipe is really yummy and makes cleaning up easy! It tastes like lasagna.

1 # sweet sausage

1 small onion, chopped

1 jar of spaghetti sauce (26 ounces)

4 cups of egg noodles

1 cup of water

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

2T Parmesan cheese (from the green plastic can)

1 T fresh parsley, snipped into tiny pieces

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded.

1. Cook sausage and onion in a large pot until brown; drain.

2. Stir in spaghetti sauce, noodles, and water and bring to a boil.

3. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occassionally.

4. In a separate bowl, combine ricotta, parmesan and parsley. Drop onto the pasta mixture. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top. Cover and cook for a few more minutes to melt the cheese.

Nursery Wall Art

2011-10-03T07:46:00.000-04:00

My dad made these frames for our littlest guy's room! I filled them with animal figures from the fabric I used to make his crib skirt.

There's no glass in them which allows them to be lightweight (the frames are pine). That way I'm not worried about them falling off the wall!

I used foam board I bought at the dollar store for the background. I painted it with acrylic paint and then cut the animals out of scrapbook paper. I used double stick tape to attach the animals

Baby Shower Gift

2011-09-30T08:05:00.000-04:00

I made a gift for a friend’s baby shower. The bunny was made using this tutorial & pattern, and the blanket and burp cloth were made with my pattern and tutorial.

The bunny was my favorite part.

Quiero Perfecto

2011-09-29T08:00:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago I was at a MOPS meeting talking with one of the mentor moms about a few frustrations I was experiencing. She said to me, "It sounds like you just want everything to be perfect. It isn't going to be that way."

She's right.

But yesterday I had a day where I want everything to be perfect. The last few sewing and crafting projects I’ve done haven’t turned out exactly the way I imagined them {perfect}. So I'm frustrated. Other things I want to be perfect:

I want my kitchen to be perfectly clean, yet have a perfectly presented meal for dinner.

I want my kids to never have runny noses or food on their clothing.

I want them to nap (at the same time) between 1 and 3 pm.

I want all my craft projects to go perfectly.

I want my craft/sewing area to be perfectly clean.

I want my bathrooms to be spotless.

I want my kids’ toys to be arranged in proper order.

I want to be able to sit on my deck and enjoy my perfectly mowed yard with perfect landscaping.

I want a beautifully organized linen closet and empty laundry baskets.

I want to wake up feeling rested.

I want to have a relaxing Saturday morning with my husband and our kids play without crying.

I want to wear PJ’s that match.

The reality is:

I’m always cleaning the kitchen.

My little boy’s nose seems to be constantly running due to seasonal allergies.

My kids rarely nap at the same time.

I have to sand the shelf and end table I just painted and attempted to glaze to correct my mistakes and start over.

The zipper pouches I spent so much time on the past few days don’t look the way I expected.

I don’t know if the showers have been cleaned in the past two weeks.

It is raining outside and our grass is still patchy.

I’m exhausted when I wake up in the morning and race to brush my teeth and put in my contacts before my two-year old decides to jump out of his crib. [I’m trying to prevent him from learning to escape. Just a few more months, please!]

My husband is busy biking, running, playing his saxophone with a band, and too busy with his own pursuits for relaxing over coffee. Our kids whine and cry a lot.

None of my PJ’s match. I wear old t-shirts with shorts to bed.

So while I’m sitting here longing for a blog-perfect or magazine-page family, house and life, I wondered why we all long for perfection. Why do I spend my free time creating things? Taking pictures? Posting them online? Why do I clean my home, attempting to make it appear perfect? It just gets messy and dirty again. The laundry fills up. Another meal or snack has to be served.

Hygienic motivation for cleaning aside, I was thinking that we were all created {by God} to live in a perfect world. God placed the first two people in the Garden of Eden, which probably didn’t get dirty. Kids weren’t supposed to whine. Beauty and perfection abounded in this garden.

We’re all trying to recreate the beauty and perfection God intended for the world. We can’t do it and always fall short. Bummer. But that’s because we weren’t created to live in this world. If you confess Jesus Christ to be your personal savior, you can have the assurance that you’ll be surrounded by beauty and perfection for eternity.

There’s nothing wrong with making fun crafts and cleaning your home. The problem comes when it becomes an obsession and you can’t stand your house because it isn’t as perfect as a lovely picture you’ve seen on someone’s blog or in a decorating magazine.

Pattern Testers Needed

2011-09-28T08:11:00.001-04:00

I am planning to sell a pattern for making a raglan shirt from upcycled t-shirts. I've made it several times for my little boy.

However, I want a few testers to try their hand at it before I try to sell it. This way, the testers can report any problems or quirks it may have!

This is my plan:
Email me to express your interest in being a tester.

I will send you the pattern (for free) in several emails which contain PDF files. (There are several variations...long sleeves, short sleeves, hoodie, kangaroo pocket...)

You print it off and make whatever variation you want from your own t-shirt stash.

Take pictures of the final product & send them to me.

Give me feedback.

Update: The shirt pattern is size 3T.

Winner of the My Memories Software

2011-09-27T08:30:00.000-04:00

Thanks to my two entries for the My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software. Random.org chose comment #2, so Stephanie, I'll be contacting you soon with your code to download your free scrapbook software!

Thanks for entering!

Next time we have a giveaway, I'll make sure it is some sort of crafty item! I got the picture that Monkey See, Monkey Do readers would prefer a crafty giveaway!

Covering a Photo Book

2011-09-26T08:05:00.000-04:00

My 2 year-old loves to look at photos. I’d rather his hands not rip apart the scrapbooks and albums I’ve spent hours organizing and decorating, so I wanted to make him an album all of his own.

Note: You could follow this tutorial to make a cover for any type of book (journals, baby books, etc!)

I found this photo book for $.50 at a dollar store. It fits 4x6” pictures. The cover was ugly and I couldn’t insert a picture to cover it up.

Solution: I made a cover (out of old t-shirt scraps) to cover it up.

To start, I measured the book and added 1/2” to each measurement for seam allowance.

(1/4” for each seam.)

I cut one piece for the outside (I added a fabric stamp as an embellishment) and two pieces for the pockets. I made the pockets 4” deep. I would also recommend adding the button at this step. I did it at the very end and it was considerably more difficult.

With right sides together, I sewed 1/4” from all the edges to create the pockets.

I also used a small hair elastic to create the loop for the button. I just sewed it right on into the pocket so that when it is turned right sides out, the loop will be on the seam.

After clipping all four corners, I was done. Since I used a t-shirt, I didn’t hem any of the edges.

Flip the whole thing right sides out, press it flat, and cover your book!

Perfect for a 2 year-old.

Toy Tool Belt Tutorial

2011-09-23T08:05:00.003-04:00

Looking for the My Memories Giveaway? Today is the final day for entries.

Click here to enter!

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My little boy likes tools.

A lot.

One day, he was at my parents’ house and my mom used a scarf to make him a makeshift tool belt. I figured he needed one of his own. With special spaces for his two hammers.

(“Only hit your tool bench, not the walls!” comes out of my mouth at least 45 times per day.)

The belt ties at the waist.

To make it, I used some scraps of fabric I had left over from converting a pair of too-large maternity pants into shorts. (Tutorial for that found here and here.)

I took one of the large pieces and sewed a ribbon to the top, just for decoration. Then I stacked two of the large pieces but placed the top piece (for the pockets) about 1” down from the top of the base piece. I made the pockets 5” deep.

Don’t sew the pockets yet, but cut the fabric to size.

I made the ties by folding over two 1 1/2” scraps and sewing them into tubes, turning the tubes, and then pressing them flat.

I made the hammer loops by taking two pieces of scrap fabric, sewing a tube, ironing it flat, then zig-zagging it, just for fun. Then I just sewed them onto the front of the pockets like belt loops.

I then sewed the pockets. I just stitched down the center for two wider pockets and then off to the side to make two narrower pockets which will be created with the side seams.

Next, cut a piece that will serve as the back. Pin it with right sides together. Slip the ties between the back and front pieces so that they will be caught in the side seams.

Sew around the whole thing, leaving a space at the bottom for turning. Be sure not to sew through any other part of the ties!

Turn the whole thing right sides out and press.

Top stitch around the entire border.

Now your child’s tools will be waiting for him (or her!) after naptime!