From a belt to a headband }{ diy

And the boxes are still crowding almost every room...

On the other hand, I'm taking this move as an opportunity to purge, clean out, de-clutter. With that comes some reorganizing and considering the fate of many possessions. I'm no hoarder, but I also don't like to waste. I see potential in a lot of random odds and ends. If it sits in my to do list for too long however, it's time for it to go.

So, this month's theme on the blog will be reorganizing and repurposing.

As part of that theme, today's post is about changing a fabric belt into one (or many) headbands. It's so simple and easy, you can even do it without a sewing machine (although the machine makes it that much faster).

Materials: your old belt, some elastic, measuring tape, scissors, needle/sewing machine and thread

Steps: 

1. Measure your head around the area you want to wear your headband.
2. Measure your belt from one end to about 4 inches less than your head's measurement and cut it.
3. Cut about 2 inches of elastic (depending on how stretchy it is, you may want to make it a bit shorter or longer).
4. Fold the raw edge inward twice (1/4" * 2) and iron (optional but makes it neater).
5. Place one short side of the elastic in downside of the folded edge and pin. Sew edge.
6. Place the other side of the elastic on the downside of the other edge, pin, and sew it in place.
7. Wear your band.

I asked my sister who's living with us to model the headband for me. She's a little shy but reluctantly agreed. Thank you, sis!

Won't you share your repurposing projects?

Headbands for Christmas }{ crochet pattern

I'm thinking this will be the last in a series of crochet and knitting posts I've been writing.

Following the headband and the scarf, today I'm sharing the pattern I used for the flowers I used in the girls' headbands for Christmas. It's a modified version of a flower pattern I learned a while back, but I can't remember where I got it from.

The pattern itself is simple and easy, but I wanted to share it because of the scalloped edges it creates. Making scalloped edges in crochet projects creates a cute little detail and it's so easy. The secret is to crochet some double or half double crochet stitches in the same stitch, then skip the next and slip stitch in the following stitch. Easy, right? You'll see what I mean in the pattern below.

In terms of yarn and hooks, I used an E hook and sport weight yarn, but that can be changed. Play around with different weights and hooks to find the results you like best.

CH = chain
DC = double crochet
SL = slip stitch

Pattern for base:

1. CH 17
2. Row 1: In 5th ch from the hook (including the chain on the hook, count 5 backwards), DC. *ch 1, skip the next ch, then DC, ch 1, DC in the following chain*. Repeat steps between ** until you reach the end. 
3. Row 2: CH 3, turn. This will be your first "DC" in this row. 5 DC in first ch 1 space, *SL in the next ch 1 space, 6 DC in the next ch 1 space*. Repeat steps between ** until the end of the row.
4. Tie it off leaving a long tale for sewing the flower together with a tapestry needle, then attaching it to the headband.

Pattern for second layer:

1. CH 17
2. Row 1: In 5th ch from the hook (including the chain on the hook, count 5 backwards), 5 DC. *skip the next ch, sl in the following ch, 6 DC in the next*. Repeat steps between ** until you reach the end. 
3. Tie it off leaving a long tale for sewing the flower together with a tapestry needle, then attaching it to the flower base.

The princess asked me to add a "jewel" to the middle and I let her pick one for me to attach with hot glue. Done! Then reluctantly, the dragon modeled the finished headbands.

what's this you've got on my head, mom?

Easy scarf and headband }{ Knitting

Remember the scarf I mentioned back in September? I realized I never shared the finished product with you. I added some pockets at the end of the scarf in a simple way, made this headband, and added a bright flower to the headband. I quite like it and decided it was worth sharing the pattern for it.

Materials:

• Size US 13 knitting needles 
• Bulky yarn

I didn't measure the gauge because I feel like scarves are so flexible. It's really up to you to decide what feels most comfortable in terms of width and length. So follow these instructions with the caveat that length and width can and should be adjusted to fit you and your taste.

What I did:

1. Cast on 14 stitches (this is where you would adjust the width - anywhere between 10 and 18, with 10 being very, very thin)
2. Rows 1-12: knit straight through
3. Row 13: purl
4. Row 14: knit
5. Row 15: purl
6. Row 16: knit
7. Rows 17-28: purl
8. Row 29: knit
9. Row 30: purl
10. Row 31: knit
11. Row 32: purl
12. Repeat rows 1-32 until you're satisfied with the length.
13. Once it's as long as you want it, repeat it one more time (to have enough scarf for pockets). Bind off and weave loose yarn. Fold both ends on their wrong sides, just enough to form two pockets that fit your hands. Sew the sides and turn them right side out. 

I'd share a self-portrait wearing them but the Dragon doesn't let me sleep enough, or wear clothes long enough without spitting up to allow for a decent photo. Maybe soon.

How are you keeping warm this Fall? 

Halloween Lunch Bags }{ Tutorial

With the 31st of October just around the corner, I feel like everything is excuse to do some cute Halloween-y craft. This one is easy, perfect for the little ones in your life, and made with simple materials you can find in almost everyone's home.

So let's get crafting.

What you need:

• paper lunch bags
• construction paper in white and black for the mummy (and for the vampire as well)
• glue
• scissors
• crayons and markers for adding details (optional)

What you do (for the mummy, the easiest one):

1. fold the open end of the lunch bag down about 1/4 of the full length (see picture)
2. fold the bottom so that both sides are going down (see pictures)
3. cut out shapes from the constructions paper: white and black circles for the eyes, a crooked mouth, some longer strips of white construction paper.
4. Glue the strips of white paper all over the bag with the top folded down; lastly add the eyes and mouth. 
5. For other characters like the vampire or the owl, this is where you'd add some extra details with crayons or markers (e.g. blood on the fangs).

The steps are the same no matter what character you make, but the shapes you cut out and the construction paper colors are different obviously. I can also imagine how easy it would be to do a Frankenstein one, or a skull. What Halloween monster/character would you make?

Sweet crochet }{ tutorial

It's been a while since I've shown any crochet or knitting and lately I've been working with it again. I'm getting some things done for the baby girl arriving soon. But what I want to share today is a request from N.

She saw the book "Yummy Crochet" by Kristen Rask and asked me to make her a doughnut. No problem, easy and quick. But then she wanted a cherry on top and a candle. Hmmm. I decided to try and come up with my own.

Here it is: a rough pattern for a small crochet cherry (not quite a proper tutorial, oops).

sc = single crochet
st = stitch

*make a sloppy slip knot and chain two (or magic ring)
round 1: 6sc in first stitch (or 6sc in magic ring)
round 2: 1sc in each st then flip it inside out (so that the tail can go inside the berry)
If you want a bigger cherry, keep repeating that: 1sc in each st until you're happy with the size. It will be long though. For a rounder one, there's a different pattern. I'll share that another day.
round 3: 1sc, skip 1st (you'll have 3 stitches)
round 4: chain 3 and tie it off. Alternatively, you can chain one and tie it off leaving a tail as the cherry's stem

She liked it so much that now she's asking for a cupcake and then cookies. Such a sweet crochet tooth...

What food would you like to see as crochet?

Upcycled Lamp ~ girly style }{ Tutorial

Don't you love a good thrifty find?

N.'s room had a tall lamp that didn't really match her girly taste and didn't seem to fit the rest of the room. But I wasn't really looking to buy something new. It needed to be customized.

Then, just the other day I was looking through a garage sale and found a lamp with a nice long, white base with a broken shade. I got it for less than $3... Then I headed to the thrift store and found a  nice shade that fit it. The color didn't matter at all, since I planned on covering it up.

At home, I got a scrap of fabric that was long enough to cover the shade and went to work.

Materials:

lamp shade and base
enough fabric to cover the shade
ruffles (or ribbon)
spray adhesive
fabric glue
craft paint (optional)

Steps:

1. First you need to make a template for the shade to cut use for cutting the fabric. I used directions from this video on how to make the template from the shade itself, and marked it right on the fabric.

2. Then you can cut the fabric a little above the lines from the template (I like to give myself a bit of wiggle room).




























3. Next, use spray adhesive to cover both the lamp shade and the wrong side of the fabric. Make sure you cover the surface you're working on... It gets sticky all over with the spray!

4. Then it's time to place the fabric over the shade. This is a bit trickier than you'd think, and don't get frustrated if you have to peel it off and start over. The good thing about spray adhesive is that you can easily that. I started by matching the seam on the original shade with the edge of the fabric, then slowly stretching it around the shade. I started the whole thing 3 times before I got it right.

5. Measure and cut something for the bottom edge of the shade- I used ruffles, but ribbon would have been cute too.

6. Then, using fabric glue, slowly adhere the ruffles to the bottom edge of the shade. Let it sit for a while to dry.

7. Paint small designs on the base using craft paint. (optional)

8. Place the finished shade on the lamp, place it in the room of your choice, and plug it in. You're done!

What's your latest favorite project?

This tutorial has been linked to Skip to my Lou's Made by You Mondays and Sew Can Do's Craftastic Monday

Montessori style placemats }{ Tutorial

My little N. is 3 1/2 years old! 

It's such a fun age with surprising sassiness, amazing displays of love, and a whole lot of "growing up" behavior. Seriously. I can't blink and she's developed beyond what I thought was possible at this age. 

One thing I've tried to do is to leave some Montessori inspired activities and materials easily accessible for her to use. This particular project came about because she likes to help me get dinner ready. I obviously can't let her do a whole lot when I'm cooking, but she does help setting the table. And I like to encourage her to help and to do it independently. 

I saw these adorable Montessori placemats for sale at A Bit of This and a Bit of That, and it inspired me to make my own. Jo is much better at making them, so check out her shop to see them! But I'm such a diy person that I wanted to try it myself. I'm sharing the process for those of you who want to try it as well. Mine came out a bit bigger than what it needed to, so feel free to decrease the overall dimensions.

Download the fork, plate, and cup templates here.

Download the knife, spoon, and chopsticks templates here.

Materials

• fabric for the top (22 in x 14 in) - I used pink checkered cotton
• backing (22 in x 14 in) - I used muslin
• fabric scraps in coordinating colors for the utensils, plate, and cup. 
• scissors
• Thread and sewing machine
• iron 

Steps

1) Cut the fork, spoon, knife, plate, and cup out of the scraps of fabric using the templates (link above). The chopsticks were at my husband's request, and for us it's useful. You don't actually have to use the templates. You can take some silverware and place it on the fabric, trace it and cut it.

2) Pin them on the right side of the top fabric. Sew. I used both a straight stitch and a decorative one of top (for extra support and extra fun).

3) Pin the backing to the top, right sides together.

4) Sew around the edges leaving an opening (~3 inches) to turn it over right side out.

5) Iron the opening, folding the edges to the inside. Sew the opening shut.

6) That's it, you're done! So quick right? And now, just put it on the table for your little one to help you set it.

A mixed media card }{ tutorial

I'm calling this post a tutorial, but in truth it's more of a process post. What I mean is, if you follow the steps, you may be using the same process I did, but most likely your card won't be the same. You might change the colors, the background, the final touches, etc. In any case, it's been a while since I did a tutorial-like post.

To be completely honest, I'm not 100% happy with how it came out at the end. So I'm asking for help. What would you have done differently?

This all started with an idea to sew ripped up music sheets together. I didn't know anything else about the project, only that it had to include that. The whole process went along without planning ahead - after each step I'd try to think "what's next?" So I gathered a bunch of things I might use, but here's a final list of what I did use:

• watercolor paper
• old sheets of music
• alcohol-free ink
• walnut ink spray
• sketch paper and pencil
• gesso
• watercolors (and brush of course)
• scissors
• matte gel
• ribbon
• small jewel
• sewing machine and thread

And the process:

1. Cut a piece of watercolor paper and sprayed it with pink ink. 
2. Then grab a ripped up piece of sheet music

1. Rip the sheet music into 4 smaller pieces and then sew them together.

1. Press the edges of the sheet music on the ink pad

1. Sketch some girls on separate piece of paper. This step in particular can easily be made simpler by using a stamp, like these.

1. Decide which image to use, color it (or not), and cut it. I used watercolor for this, but I've seen people do amazing cards with copic markers and other supplies too.

1. Decide on an arrangement on the background paper and paste it together using matte gel.
2. Put on the finishing touches, whatever you deem necessary. I added gesso on the girl for some highlights, as well as some darker colors for shadows here and there. Then I also added some thread using various decorative stitches to the side, then a jewel to her hat, and finally some ribbon.

So back to my question up there, what would you have done differently?

Little ghost garland }{ tutorial

Do you know one reason (among many) I love Fall? There are so many excuses for crafting and inspiration kisses your face as soon as you walk outside. I'm glad my husband isn't a jealous guy.

With a little one in my house, Halloween is one of these excuses to go crazy creating stuff, costumes, decorations, what have you. We can always use a new item to put up for the season, right? And we do end having so much fun doing it together as a family.

This project I'm sharing is a quick and easy one that we did last weekend - a garland of little ghosts that you can hang anywhere.  N. had a great time with this one. The ghost faces were easy enough that she could do some of them on her own, and she loved the results. She actually kept a few of the ghosts to play with.

What you need:

• scraps of muslin
• styrofoam balls
• string
• brushes and paint

Steps:

1. Fold the scrap in half (or a piece of rectangular muslin you cut), then paint the face near the fold.
2. Place a styrofoam ball under the top, behind the face you painted. Tie the fabric tightly just under the ball with the string.
3. Repeat with as many little ghosts as you want. 
4. Once you have your ghosts, place a long string through the knots under their heads and voila. Now all you need is to hang it up anywhere you want.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Swan mask }{ Tutorial Thursday

Today's tutorial was inspired by Angelina Ballerina, one of the few cartoons N. actually watches once in a blue moon. (we gave up the tv years ago, but that's a story for another post)

At the end of each episode of Angelina, she narrates a short segment called "Little Stars" where they show young girls in ballet classes doing all sorts of activities. In one particular segment they were showing the little ballerinas making costumes and playing in character for a short while. N. was fascinated by the costumes - and one of them I figured I could actually make! This is my version of the mask they had for the swans in the "Little Stars" Swan Lake.

Materials

• paper or styrofoam plates
• ribbon or elastic
• markers
• orange and white construction paper
• scissors or craft knife
• glue
• feathers (or any embellishment you want to add, we kept ours simple)

How to make it

Step 1: cut the plate across where your nose will be.

Step 2: cut a small triangle to fit over the bridge of your nose.

Step 3: draw and cut the eyes.

Step 4: cut a medium triangle of orange construction paper and fold 1/8" of its base. Make a half cone shape and glue the folded part over the nose triangle on the plate. 

Step 5: trace the outside of the plate on the white construction paper. Cut the paper about 1/2" below the shape you traced (so you'll have paper to glue on the plate). Cut triangular shapes of different sizes and directions around the line you made on the paper. These will be the swan "feathers."

Step 6: Glue the paper under the line all the way around the edge of the plate. At this point, make one small hole on each side of the swan mask to hold the elastic or ribbon.

Step 7: using a black marker define the edges of the eyes, then using a pink or red marker make swirly "eyelashes" or any shape to make the eyes stronger and more interesting.

Step 8: glue feathers (or other embellishments) to the paper feathers on top of the head. warning: the feathers I used to do this made a mess in my workspace! Even after vacuuming I'm still finding little pieces everywhere. They're taking over my craft area. *sigh*

Step 9: add a piece of ribbon to each side of the mask ti-eying it through the holes made in step 7. These will secure the mask on the wearer's head. I prefer using ribbon because then I can adjust the size depending on who's wearing it, but elastic works wonderfully too.

Here's the finished mask.

We had a lot of fun pretending to be swans and "dancing ballet" around the living room today.

Have you ever been inspired by a show your kids watch? Where do you find your inspiration?

Paper flower card }{ Tutorial Thursday

And I'm back with a card tutorial!

Are you sick of them yet? They are just so easy, quick, and you can use them for so many occasions, even just a simple hello to an old friend.

Back in April, I made some paper flowers based on a Creative Jewish Mom tutorial. I wasn't very happy with how I used them, but I loved the flowers themselves. So I let some ideas brew in my head of how to use them. This is one of those ideas.

Materials:

• cardstock in two coordinating colors
• green patterned paper
• red and light pink tissue paper
• scissors
• glue
• buttons
• permanent marker or pen

How to make it:

Step 1: Choose a card stock backing for your card and then a coordinating top panel. I choose a simple blue backing with some sparkling off white for the top panel to get some glitz in there.

Step 2: Cut the top panel on all sides slightly so that the backing shows, then glue them together. My backing was 4.5 wide by 6.5 long, and I cut my top panel down to 4 by 6.

Step 3: Cut the green patterned paper the same width of the top panel, and about 2 inches long. Cut the top in narrow strips (about 1.5 inches)  to make it look like grass. Glue it to the top panel.

Step 4: Draw the stem on the top panel.

Step 5: Make the flower with tissue paper following the tutorial on Creative Jewish Mom. The only change I made was that I didn't secure the petals together with paper brads. Instead I glued them down on the card and on top of one another.

Step 6: Glue a button on the center of the flower.

You can add whatever sentiment you want to the card or leave it as is.

Here's another one I made with a paper flower:

I really like how the flowers pop out of the cards and create some dimension.

How would you use the paper flowers?