...All I Got Was This T-Shirt

I've always had a desire to learn how to quilt. Recently, a woman I go to church with offered to share ALL of her quilting wisdom and knowledge with me. I'm hooked! And then one day, she introduced me to my new friend. You know those friends that you instantly know you will love. That's how I feel.

Meet Wonder Under:

You can find this magic at any fabric store. How I've gotten this far in life without this little buddy, I do not know. But I'm in love with what I can create with this. My latest joy is found in T-shirts.

I love to personalize things. I get ideas in my head of what I want, but never can find exactly that same thing in the stores. Now I can take care of it myself. Let me give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

That's right. I made those. And what's more amazing...I made them in a matter of minutes. Really!

Meg's turning 8 next week. Guess what the birthday girl will be wearing. Her new school shirt for The Stars can also double as a 4th of July shirt. And my little Cookie can wear that letter shirt to declare the first letter in her name. How cute is that!

Here's the trick:

I bought the shirts at Target (of course). They were each under $5. The little girl shirts are on sale for $3.50 this week.

I had lots of fabric left over from quilting, but did buy the star fabric for just what I had in mind.

I found the letters and shapes and used Word to get it to the right size that I wanted for each one.

Instructions for using the Wonder Under is on the packaging. I'll give a quick visual and a few tips.

Start with tracing your shape onto the paper. I always put the different shapes right next to each other to conserve to make my Wonder Under go farther.

If you are tracing letters or a shape that is not symmetrical, you will need to trace the shape backwards onto your paper. Then when you iron it to your fabric (on the wrong side of your fabric), it will face the right direction (on the right side of your fabric).

I then cut out the shape. I like to leave a little edge around the shape. That way when it gets ironed onto my fabric, the glue on the paper will adhere to all of the fabric that I need.

Then:

1. Iron on the wrong side of fabric.

2. Cut out the shape along the lines

3. Peel of the backing of the Wonder Under

4. Iron the shape to shirt exactly where you want it.

Here's a tip to find the middle of the T-Shirt. I fold my shirt in half. I then iron it in half. When I open it back up, I can see the middle to line up my shape exactly where I want it.

Now, Wonder Under says that you can be done at this point. You can wash your shirt and it shouldn't come off.

But, if you're like me, you were the kid that still did the Extra Credit in school even though your grade may not have needed it.

So if you want to take it to the next level, you can stitch around your shape.

* You can do a blanket stitch or straight stitch by hand.

* You can do a straight stitch or zig zag stitch with a machine.

* You can use a buttonhole stitch with your machine

(You may want to practice on an extra piece of fabric before you try to stitch on your finished product).

My machine actually comes with an applique stitch, so I like to use that.

*** IdEaS ***

After seeing Melissa's bandana skirt, I though it would be fun to make a star shirt out of bandana material to match.

You could also make a shirt to match Noreen's No Sew Tutu.

These would make a great Birthday gift. That personal touch. It would make for great pictures for the Year that they are turning.

To make the flower, I printed an "o" and made 7 circles (6 for petals and 1 for the middle).

Not just for cowboys...

I don't think I've ever really had a use for a bandana. Bret Michaels wears one to hide his receding hairline. Bandits wear them to rob trains. Farmers use them to wipe the sweat from their foreheads. And me....hmm...I think I may have tied my hair back with one while moving out of a college apartment. But I came across something that changed my relationships with these paisley squares; I found this awesome tutorial from V and Co!

I am an amateur when it comes to the sewing machine so the simplicity of this project really appealed to me. It took me less than an hour to complete this!

Once I started looking for bandanas they were pretty easy to find. Walmart and most craft stores have them. I found a nice, soft cotton one at a thrift store for just $.50!

Since I rarely take out my sewing machine, this little guy was pretty excited to see how it worked! He insisted on helping so here he is showing you half of the skirt.



And here is my super cute girly showing off the finished product!! It's a little big so it may get more wear next Spring or Summer but it sure did turn out cute!



This was so fun to do and it made me realize that I need to dust off the old sewing machine more often.

Here are some other fabulous tutorials that I will soon be trying and you may want to try too:

This amazing blogger uses the same tutorial as the bandana skirt but sewed napkins together!

And check out this great little dress made from an adult sized button-down shirt!

Love this skirt from The Polka Dot Chair!

Another V and Co. tutorial makes an adorable dress from one of your skirts!

Happy sewing!!

A very easy and inexpensive Quiet Book for older kids

OK - I'm about to make a confession...actually I'm about to rat-out my dad. When I was younger and I would get bored in church (every week), I would scavenge to find a blank piece of paper and a pen.  Sometimes there was no paper, so I would use the free space on our program to beg my dad to draw something.  My dad, who is an artist, would draw various animals, inanimate objects and sometimes, if I was really lucky...a caricature of the bishop or the other speakers at the pulpit. This little drawing was so worth 3 hours of church each Sunday.

Sometimes my mom would find out and give us the "stink eye" and my dad and I resorted to what we would call the "Squiggle" game.  That's when one person draws a squiggle and the other person has to create a picture out of that squiggle. I loved that game. And now my kids love that game.

This is how we play as a family.  I pass out an index card to each person. Each person has to draw a squiggle. Then we set our timer for 1 minute and pass our cards to the left and hit the timer. When the timer goes off we switch cards again for 1 minutes and do this till we get our cards back. It's best if every member of the family has a different color pen so you can see each person's contribution. You'd be amazed at the creativity of your young ones.

My kids love this game so much, I decided to make their own books of squiggles (which we now call doodles).  I found 5x8 spiral index cards that work the best (about $2.49). I couldn't find spiral index cards that were blank on both sides, so I bought the ones with lines.  I decided I was going to make a Doodle book...it will be pre-loaded with my doodles...on one side and fun kid's journal prompts on the other (the lined side) to bring out the writer in them. (I didn't do that for the baby.) So, here's how I did it.

 You will need:

1 spiral bound index card book (I used 5x8)

Cardstock to print the titles of your books

Address Labels (to easy slap in the journal prompts)

Scrapbook paper to liven up the covers.

A glue stick

Scissors

Different colored pens

Use the cover of the index card book as a template and cut out from the scrapbook paper two covers. We will be using this notebook facing both directions.

Then cut out the scrapbook paper and glue it to the covers of the spiral index cards book. 

Then cut out a title plate (mine are 6.5" x 4") and glue that on as well.  The doodle pad title plate should be on the back of the sprial bound index card book because those are the pages that are blank (not lined). I'm planning on decorating the Doodle Pad title plate with actual doodles that I like to do. This will give it more personality.

Now it's time to load the books.  Take a red ball-point pen and just make simple and complex squiggles. You will do that on the blank index cards side.  Hopefully you would have already printed the kids journal prompts on the labels, because then you just have to peel and stick. Here are some shots of the inside.

Each of the spiral notebooks have 50 pages, so I have 50 prompts.  Would you like to see them? Of course, you do not need to use these...you can use your own.

Write a knock knock joke.
The last thing you expect to find in a swimming pool is...
I remember the first time that I...
I'll never forget...
I am the one who...
No one can make me...
If I were sure I'd never be caught, I just might...
My life would be different if I'd never met...
If someone went through my trash, they'd think...
Nothing could have prepared me for the day that...
I want to be famous for...
I'm really good at...
When I was a baby I always wanted...
One place in the world I really want to go is...
I wish I never had to...
If I could have a second chance, I would...
Write about a memory of something blue. Or red. Or yellow. But don't use the name of the color in your essay.
Write about a memory of the smell of vanilla. Or grape Kool-Ade. Or Play-Doh.
Write about the first time you walked home from school all by yourself.
Write about the first time you saw the ocean.
Write about the best Halloween you ever had.
Write about the first time you can remember doing something you weren't supposed to do.
Write about when you had to eat something that you didn't like.
When I used to pretend I was a superhero, I always imagined myself with really cool powers. Invisibility. Super strength. Super speed. But never, never, in all my imaginings, did I ever think that one day I'd really, truly end up with the most uncool power of all.
I'd aways imagined that a talking dog would have a deeper voice.
I woke up that morning to the smell of fried bacon and buttermilk syrup…I knew something was not right.
Ilenia Applecup was the meanest, nastiest, stinkiest and most horrible girl in all of third grade.
Write about an invisible world.
Write about your nose.
No one knows about the _______________ in my pocket.
Write a poem about bubble gum.
Make up a joke and write it here.
Write a short story about a magical toilet.
Write down the names of your best friends.
Write down names that you would like to give to your children.
If you could change your name, what would you change it to and why.
What is your favorite color? Why? Name three things that are that color.
I found a box. It was weird looking and you wouldn’t believe what I found inside….
When I grow up, I definitely don’t want to be a….
If I had three wishes, this is what I would wish for…(no wishing for more wishes)
The weirdest hairdo I’ve ever seen was…
If I could tell my past self something, this is what it would be…
My mother has taught me….
My father has taught me….
The greatest thing that’s ever happened to me is….
If I could go back in time, I would go to…
Once upon a time, there was a huge…
Let me tell you a story about the biggest, smelly ___________ I’ve ever seen…
I love to eat worms with…
Make a Poem out of your name.

There you have it. I confess that I've been known to play a few rounds of "Squiggle" at church with my kids. I just haven't attempted caricatures of the clergy. Maybe next week.

Ring-a-ding-ding

I hope all you mother's had a fabulous Mother's Day. I was pampered all day. It won't surprise many at what I received...4 more frames. I'm so excited about these frames. They hang like normal frames, but they actually open up on a hinge and can store all of the precious artwork that my kids love to make. I then asked for some new ramekins and we made this yummy and super easy dessert from Our Best Bites. After receiving my breakfast in bed, I took it upon myself to poll my Facebook friends. It was unanimous that Mother's Day should happen on the second Sunday of every month. I'm putting the word out.

Today for my idea, I'm passing along a kitchen tip that I love.

I've always been a fan of Rachel Ray. We began our "friendship" when all she was known for were her 30 Minute Meals. That spoke to me. So I was thrilled for her when she got married. And soon after that, during one of her meal preps, she casually mentioned this tip and then went on. It was the tip that saved my marriage. Really.

You see, I've always thought that there are two types of women in this world: those who keep their rings on for absolutely everything including sleeping and swimming pools, and those who take their rings off for everything including sleeping and swimming pools. I fall in the latter group. My rings come off for everything. I can't stand getting gunk in the prongs, especially when cooking and doing the dishes. So I would always take my ring off and put it on the counter, usually in a safe corner. When my husband would come in and see my ring just laying on the counter, it would frustrate him. He was convinced I would lose it, or accidently send it down the drain or in the trash.

Enter Rachel. One day before mashing food with her hands, she took her ring off and then put it in a cute little bowl. A-ha! That's all I needed. A bowl. Something designated to sit on the counter to hold my jewelry while busy in the kitchen. I shared this idea with my husband and he was sold. While on a business trip in Vegas, we spotted the perfect size cup and we bought it. Our marriage is now intact. Thanks Rachel!

While perusing Etsy.com (not Regretsy.com) I came across some bowls that I think would be perfect for this solution. Take a look at these cute and personalized bowls. I think they would also make a cute gift to give to friends. Afterall, you could be the Rachel in their marriage.

For the budding artist!

My 4 year old is finishing up his first year of preschool. Anybody who knows anything about preschool knows that it involves a lot of artwork. Whether it be paint, markers, stamps, stickers or crayons, you can always count on my son bringing home a masterpiece!

You've already seen the chaos on my fridge, so I had to come up with something other than the refrigerator to display my boy's art. I've seen ideas similar to this in classrooms and other families homes so I spent some time wandering the aisles of Hobby Lobby brainstorming and here's what I came up with....

I had plenty of paints and scrapbook paper and letters so I just had to buy the wood plaque and the clothes pins.

Plaque - $7
Clothes pins $.97 (a pack of 50 at Walmart! They make great chip clips as well so my family is going to have to start opening a lot of bags of chips!)

First thing I did was flip the wood over and trace it on to the backside of my scrapbook paper.

I carefully cut out the pieces to glue onto the face of my wooden plaque. I got out my spray adhesive (I have a love/hate thing going on with this stuff!) and adhered the pieces carefully to my board. BUT WAIT!!! Here's where I reveal to you that I'm not perfect. I tried to keep the illusion going but I had a moment of impaired crafting and It was photographed so there's no way out of it. I should have painted the plaque first! But I was eager to use my adhesive so I had to paint the edges after I glued the paper on. No biggy. I just had to paint very carefully!



So I painted my edges and then I painted my clothes pins.



When it was all dry I sand the edges and I used distress ink give it a little character.



Since my plaque was just covered in paper I felt like I needed to protect it so I went over it with a clear, glossy varnish. I also added just a tiny dab of distress ink to the varnish so the paper would have a bit of an aged look.



And after it had plenty of time to dry, it was time to place everything and glue it all down! And now look what is hanging in the playroom...



Can you think of a better way to display your child's artwork?!

Happy Friday!

And I Quote: Coffee Filter Flowers in a Chalkboard Pot

One of my kids' favorite activities is to read the funny things they said when they were little. I always try to write down the funny things they say and then years later I read something and they have to guess which child said it. Indulge me and let me share a few of our favorites:

Mika @ age 3 - Mika's tadpole died and I had to tell him. He was so sad about Buzz. I took the opportunity to explain death to him. He had a tear. I asked him if we should get another tadpole and he said, "No, let's just get the frog already."

Mia @ age 3 - Mia asked me to fix something my husband couldn't. Mika and Mia were both surprised when I fixed it. I asked them if they knew why mommy could fix it. I told them, "Because mommy has mad skills." And Mia added, "Yeah, and daddy has SAD skills."

Ayla @ age 3 - "Somebody stole my towel and when I say somebody I mean daddy!" (insert scowl on her face)

Quotes are so fun and today's craft gives you a chance to write some nice quotes on a pretty gift. Today's idea can also be used as another Mother's Day Gift idea...

A bouquet of gorgeous Coffee Filter Flower pens in a chalkboard flower pot.

Don't you think these turned out so pretty...wanna' know how to make 'em? Read on.

You will need:

Coffee Filters (about 50 for a $1 at the dollar store)

Pens

Water based markers like pre-school markers.

Flower wire

Flower Tape

Some filler or pillow stuffing

Popcorn or beans or coffee beans

Spray bottle with water in it

Flower Pots (mine were already glazed and painted on the bottom)

Chalkboard Paint ($11.99 at Home Depot, but I found mine on sale at Walmart for $6)

Chalk

You will use 2 coffee filters for each flower. First, let your kids color the filters. I kept telling them the picture didn't matter. So my 3 yr old was so excited. They colored the filters and then sprayed them with water. I put the filter on a plate before they sprayed.

Below is an example of the metamorphosis of a colored coffee filter.

Then, dry the coffee filters. I used a hair dryer. And in the pictures below you can see the ones I dyed with food coloring (the darker ones on the left) and those that were colored with water based markers. I like having both types. It helps give the flowers depth with different shades, colors, etc.

When the filters are dried you can make a couple of different styles of flowers. I'll show you two.
First, fold one filter in half, then in half again, then in half again. Draw or freehand cut something like what you see in the first picture below. Then with the second filter, fold in half 4 times and cut it like in picture two.  Then open them up and place filter two inside filter one. You will grab the middles from the bottom and twist a little.

Style 2: Fold each in half 4 times (separate) and cut it like it shows below. Then twist the bottoms of each as seen below.

Then, with both styles, you will take about 5 inches of flower wire and tie the bottom, then wire it to the pen. Then with floral tape, tape over the wire and the end of the pen and the bottom of the flower. Go all the way down to the bottom of the pen.

Then you are going to prep your flower pots. Tape off any parts you don't want painted and use the chalkboard paint (seen in picture three above) to paint the pot. I chose to use these colored bottom pots, but I've painted the whole pot before and it's REALLY cute.

Then fill the bottom of the pot with some pillow stuffing or any filler. It should fill half the pot and then use popcorn or beans or even coffee beans to fill the rest of the pot. These will help to hold the pens upright.

I was so tired last night that I forgot to take a picture of the finished flower pot with the chalk phrase on it. Luckily, my 3 year old got a hold of the camera and snapped a photo...it's blurry, but you get the idea. Don't you love the coffee filter flowers?

I've also looked up a bunch of quotes you can use on your pots. Some are mothers, grandmothers, sisters, or friend quotes and some are just related to the flower pot. You can use one of the quotes or one of your own. One cute thing you can include with the coffee filter flower bouquet is a card with all these sayings and some chalk so they can change the sayings whenever they want.

Mother's plant seed of love that bloom forever.
Mom is another word for Love.
A family blossoms with a Mother's love.
Home is where mom is.
A garden of Love grows in a Grandmother's heart.
Sisters are different flowers from the same garden.
True friendship is a plant of slow growth.
It takes a long time to grow an old friend.
Gather flowers and friends in bunches.
Life grows lovely where you are.
Grow through life.
Plant smiles, grow laughs, harvest love.
What you so is what you grow.
All things grow with love.
May all your weeds be wildflowers.
Bloom where you are planted.
Smell all the flowers, not just the roses.

So there's my last easy, easy Mother's Day Gift idea. Even my daughter made her own coffee filter flowers. So here's a quote for ya'..."Mom, I want to be on your blog. I don't want to make anything, I just want you to take my picture and make me famous." That one is going in the journal.

And just a side note, last night my girls and I were making Mother's Day gifts for my mom. We were making a magnet board thanks to guest blogger Heather's idea (click here if you didn't see that one). I found some pretty economical metal sheets. I went to the hardware store and found out each sheet of sheet metal was about $7. I asked my husband for suggestions and he suggested galvanized steel shingles that they use for roofs.  They were only 98 cents per 8x12 sheet!

Picture This...

I love frames. I love photos. There is not a bare space on my walls or shelves without a picture frame near by. I have a bad habit of adding more because I don't like to replace the old pictures. Picture frames have even found there way to my kitchen counter and even my bathrooms.

A few years ago, while visiting my parents, I ventured into one of my favorite local home decor shops. I stood looking at the picture frames. I knew I wanted to have frames that would be dedicated for my children's artwork (I make them rotate). I just wasn't sure if I wanted brown frames or creamy frames. So I bought both. The only problem...because it's a local store two states away, there was no returning the set I didn't need. To justify, I needed to find a purpose for those frames.

I also love picture frames with messages. I choose carefully the sayings that hang on my wall. I want them to really sum up how we feel. I want motivation in just a few words. I want it to say what we believe. I want it to express our true emotion.

And then it hit me. In a last minute pinch (because company was coming over) I wanted to put something in those two empty frames hanging by my front door. And it was easier than I thought. The funny thing is when that company came over, it was the one wall hanging that she asked me "Where did you get that?" I felt proud and then I actually laughed. Ready...here it is:

And all I did was open Word, find a font I liked, and ran it through the printer using a tan cardstock. It hangs by the front door and I love it. It perfectly expresses how I feel when I walk through that door.

If you're still looking for an easy Mother's Day gift, hopefully this gives you another idea to use. Think of that perfect saying for your mom. Find that perfect frame or frames. And put them together.

*** Holiday Adjustment ***

At Christmas time, I replace it with "Merry Christmas to all..." in the top frame "...and to all a Good Night." in the bottom frame.