What to do with fabric scraps.

Here are a few ways I've been using scraps and leftover pieces of fabric {since I have lots of projects but NO quilting aspirations}.

Last summer I used a hodge podge of fabric squares to recover the bench in the guest room....

Before that there was Skylar's little pillow that has become her favorite and she sleeps on every night.

I came across this pin cushion idea a couple of years ago and stashed it in the back of my brain. I remember from sewing with my Nana how handy they are. So when I came across a sturdy little tea cup for $1 at a local antique store, I brought it home, washed it and approximately 3 minutes later....voila!....pin cushion. I don't love the way it looks, but it works.

Home made taggies. All the credit for this goes to Cynthia, who showed me one she had made in her sewing class. She did not however give me any instructions. It appears easy, but I had to rip that sucker apart four times before I got it right. So do yourself a favor and google a tutorial or contact Cynthia to save yourself some time. Or just think it through before you start...that's always helpful. After you figure out, it's a piece of cake.

Since it has crinkly plastic in the middle, Finley loves to play with his. Not only does it use up fabric scraps and an old wipey bag, they also help deplete my enormous ribbon supply....win, win, win.

Then of course there are the easy applique tee's that make an appearance annually....

I also went through a fleeting head band stage a couple of winters ago....

A couple other ideas that I may eventually try are these coasters and this wreath.

If you have any other fun/useful ideas feel free to pass them along!

Rit it.

So what does one do when there is nothing left to spray paint besides your children and dogs?

Pick up some Rit Dye, that's what. Then start going through your closet and drawers. Surely there is something in there that can be revamped.

I had a college roommate who talked about this stuff and I'm ashamed to say it's taken me all these years to give it a try.

It all started with this $3 grey sundress I picked up at Old Navy last fall. (I buy all of Skylar's clothes a year in advance when they go on clearance). I remember thinking "this is a really cute play dress in a really boring color, but it'll probably just get stained anyway and it's a bargain" and I bought it. Except that little girls aren't supposed to wear grey. Which is probably why it ended up being $3. It's so drab I found myself never putting it on her. But the ruffles and buttons were cute, it had potential. So I picked up some Rit in Teal.
I figured while I was at it, I would get some black dye as well and fix all of the bleach splattered black yoga pants I currently own. Why I always wear black yoga pants when I am pouring bleach or cleaning, I cannot say. It must be my mom uniform--yoga paints (or in the winter my beloved $5 sweats from Wally World--I miss them, oh how I miss them) and a Target t-shirt in some form or another.

That's what happens when you've been out of the workforce for 3 years. All your clothes are from Target. Or if you're feeling fancy, Old Navy. Maybe for a hot date night--The Gap. But let's not get carried away.

Speaking of Target tee's, I grabbed one of my dozen whitish ones and tossed it in with the sundress. And an olive green knit skirt while I was at it, just for good measure.

I did the bucket dye method: 3 gallons of hot water + dye. I did not remove the existing colors from the fabrics first as they suggested. I wanted them to be varying shades so I left them as is. Plus I was curious to see what would happen to olive green in teal dye. They soaked for 25 minutes. Then I threw them in the wash.

Of course the white t-shirt was the truest shade. The olive green skirt is now a dark green and I like it much better.
And as for the grey dress that started it all? Much improved.

Next up: I'm going to start on Micah's 25 faded black t-shirts since he will never, ever part with them.

Fall Wreath.

You know the big, beautiful fall wreaths that are $60 at Target and $100 at the Pottery Barn? I really want one, but I won't pay that much. Wreaths are easy to make, but it isn't really the kind of project that excites me and I never like how mine turn out. I always end up with something that looks kind of anemic and really homemade--but not in a good way.

Anyway, I really wanted something on the front door and since I wasn't willing to shell out the money, I only had one choice. I decided to give it one more try and this time I think I finally figured it out: I have to use two wreaths to get the look I'm going for. I used a 24 in and an 18 inch.

I stacked them on top of each other and secured them together with floral wire.

Then $20 worth of supplies (wreaths included) and 20 minutes later I had my wreath. I didn't glue anything, just used wire to secure everything so I can take it all off and reuse it.

I put the project off for a week, but it wasn't as annoying to make as I thought it was going to be. In fact, it was almost fun. I might even do it again someday.

Window pane frame.

All the credit for this idea goes to my sister-in-law Margaret. When she and Thomas got married a couple of years ago, she had this hanging in a tree at their reception and I loved it. In fact, I took a picture for inspiration..... I started looking for a window, and almost bought one at a flea market in Colorado Springs with Nicole last year. Luckily I waited, because my parents have a whole slew of them laying around in the barn behind their house. A little windex, some spray adhesive, and now it's hanging over our kitchen table and makes me happy everyday.

Chalkboard project.

Last weekend I finally got around to a project I've been wanting to do for a long time--making a chalkboard for the kitchen wall.I've had this giant 3 x 4 foot frame since last winter just waiting for me to do something with it. (Once again, 90% off aisle at Hobby Lobby--it was just $16--I hit the jackpot that day.) I toyed around with several ideas, but as soon as we bought this house I knew it would be a chalkboard.

All you need is a can of chalkboard paint from Lowes or Home Depot. You can paint it directly on the wall, or make a hanging chalkboard like I did that can be easily removed. (It'd also be fun to paint the top of a kids table in a play room, or the top of a coffee table, or a closet door......there are lots of fun ideas out there). I wanted to go with a traditional black board, but you can actually make your own chalkboard paint in any color you want. Martha is a genius.

I started out by painting my frame with leftover white paint. Then I went to home depot and had them cut a piece of wood the right size for my frame. (You can either use plywood and sand it down or something non-porous like Masonite that doesn't require sanding and is lighter).

I also wanted mine to be magnetic, so I first painted my surface with 4 coats of magnetic paint (also from the local hardware store) and then covered it with one coat of chalkboard paint. The magnetic paint is a bit pricey, so if you're on a budget you may want to skip this step. Honestly, it isn't very magnetic anyway, just enough to hold a picture or list.

Then I attached my painted chalkboard inside the frame with a staple gun, flipped it over and screamed "NOOOOOOOO" when I realized all 50 staples had gone completely through the frame thereby ensuring that any child that came near it would need a tetanus shot. Not only was it a weapon of mass destruction, it was ugly.

So I pulled all the staples out, caulked all the holes in the wood, repainted my frame and then distressed it to look there were supposed to be chunks of wood missing everywhere from those dang staples. Then I reattached it using a combination of super glue and thumb tacks. Whatever.

I bought a magnetic basket in the school supply aisle at Target to hold my chalk, but it was too heavy to stick to my board so I attached it to the wall nearby instead.
The top of the board is for adult things like messages and lists, and the bottom is for Skylar to play on. (She goes and gets a stool so that she can reach more of the chalkboard:)

It not only fills a big empty wall, but it also keeps Skylar busy in the kitchen which is always helpful for me.

Easy photo display.

A couple of years ago I bought several white frames for Skylar's room to frame family pictures and make a wall collage in her nursery.

It never happened.

Mostly because I realized I would need a whole lot of frames to get all 9 Aunts and Uncles, 2 sets of grandparents, and 2 sets of great-grandparents in there (not to mention assorted dogs-they're her favorite). I really wanted her to have pictures of her extended family since everyone is scattered all over the country and she doesn't see them very often.

Then I remembered this idea I had seen somewhere in a magazine years ago (you've probably seen some variation of it too). It's kind of a spin on the traditional cork board or photo board. So here is my photo collage Plan B.

I got a frame for $6 in the 90% off aisle at Hobby Lobby last winter (I have a hard time believing anybody would pay $60 for it). I used some leftover paint I had (Benjamin Moore Navajo White) and painted it.

Using picture wire I made four rows on the back and stapled them with a staple gun. (There are only 3 rows in the picture here, I ended up adding a fourth).

I just stapled the wire and then wrapped the extra around the staple to secure it like this. There's probably a better way to do it, but I'm all for easy. It took about 3 minutes.

Then I used some metal binder clips ($2.50 for 50 at Target) to attach the pictures. This frame is 24 x 31 1/2 inches and it holds 20 pictures.

Skylar loves looking at it and naming everyone and she especially likes me to quiz her so she can point people out. The cool part is that she's seen all of these people in the last few months so she knows exactly who everyone is.

Spray me a river.

Decorating a new house is fun. Decorating a house that is yours is really, really fun. And decorating on a budget is the best part because I love hunting for a bargain. Needless to say, I'm as happy as a pig in poop right now. (Or as happy as Jack eating a poopy diaper, which he did today. He's in solitary confinement in the cellar crying at this very moment. And incidentally we don't have basements here, we have cellars...they are so much more northern you know.)

So in between other tedious projects, I've been enjoying some spray painting. It's fast, easy and instantly gratifying.

We have a big mantle and we bought a huge mirror in South Carolina thinking it would fit over it. It doesn't--not even close. So now I'm trying to decorate with things I already have. I also decided I was over my metallic phase. Everything bronze, copper, silver must go. Well, almost everything. My weapons of choice: Kilz paint in Georgia Clay and Ivory and a blue shade whose name I can't remember because I threw all the cans away. I'd recognize it at wal-mart though.

When I unpacked I realized I have a lot of candlesticks. I had no idea. Where did they all come from? Since none of them were valuable or sentimental, under the sprayer they went.

Before:

After:

I painted my metal "R" ivory then blue and roughed it up a bit. The price tag that's still on the back says it was $2.90 from Hobby Lobby.Hydrangeas from the garden--absolutely free.

No doubt I'll keep tweaking it, but for now the mantle is done.

This lamp was $5 from a thrift store in Colorado Springs. It started out black and I've painted it twice now.

Next up: wicker rockers purchased at a consignment store in Columbia for $32 a piece and a table I bought at Value City furniture my sophomore year of college and used as a night stand. Considering it isn't well made, I think I've gotten my money's worth out of it in the last 12 years. It's seen better days though. Time for a facelift.

After:

The pattern on the table is from paper doilies. You just use a spray adhesive to stick them on the surface and then spray on top of them and peel them off. (For specific instructions go here). They turn out kind of messy and imperfect, which I liked so I didn't touch them up.

I've seen a lot of cute chunky rockers in stores, but they can't compete with these curvy legs (not to mention they cost three times more).

So that's some of what I've been up to, but there's a whole lot more. I think I'm addicted to the fumes.

Naptime Crafts.

I am a mom and I am 30. You know what that means?

It means I wear Bermuda shorts to partially conceal my spider-veiny legs. It also means I only wash my hair every other day because it's too much work to dry and straighten it every day. It means my eyebrows don't get plucked like they should and my toenail polish is always half gone. It also means I go to zumba with all the other desperate housewives where we pretend we're 18 in a club and shake our jiggly tail feathers in the semi-dark with a disco ball going and leave feeling fabulous even though we only burned 40 calories. (Every time I hear Tik Tok I lose control and break out my zumba moves. It doesn't matter where I am. I have no dignity.)

It also means I do nap time crafts. Lots of them.

I always have something in the works, but lately it's been several things all at once. My craft supplies are taking over the (very small) apartment. I don't post about many of my projects on here because 1) I honestly don't consider myself a crafty person, I just like to make things and 2) I don't want to turn this into a craft blog and get crafty people's expectations up and 3) when I think about crafts I think about crocheted Kleenex box holders and we all know those are just stupid. Then again, maybe when I'm a retiree I will suddenly feel an overwelming urge to outfit my bathroom in crocheted splendour. I'll find out when I get there.

Anyway, I've had several inquiries about Skylar's birthday outfit, so I thought I would share how I made it so that you can see how easy it is. It all started last year on her first birthday when I ordered a "1" shirt. Thus began the tradition of the number shirt/tutu combo. I plan to dress her in a number shirt and tutu every year until she is either too old or too cool, whichever comes first.

The thing is, once I got her shirt in the mail, I realized I could have totally made that myself. So this year I did.

All you need is a t-shirt or onsie. I already had a leftover pack of white 18 month onsies on hand, so that's what I used. Then grab some fabric, whatever you like. I got mine at Hobby Lobby for 40% off, which made it $4 a yard. You don't need much fabric, a half of a yard is enough to make a batch of these. Don't forget to pre-shrink your shirt and your fabric. Then pick up a pack of this stuff:

There are so many different kinds of iron-on adhesives out there, some of them come on bolts. I honestly don't know what the differences are. Just ask the people that work there and they can explain it to you. I would advise against the heavy duty kind since it would be too stiff for this.

All I did was go to Word and pick a font and then I blew up a giant number 2 (I think it was font size 580). Then you just print it off and cut it out. (I actually had to trace it off the computer screen because our printer isn't working. again.) You could certainly draw it by hand if your cool like that. Once you've cut it out, you have your pattern.

Just follow the instructions that come with your iron-on adhesive (I won't put it all on here, just know it's very straight forward). Then stitch around the perimeter with a sewing machine to make it machine-washable. You can whip-stitch it by hand but that takes FOREVER. I know because I tried it. Find someone with a machine if you don't have one. Or find an adhesive that is strong enough to be washed without reinforcing it with stitching.

I had a three pack of onsies, so of course I made three of them......

........And I think that is enough craft nerdiness for one day!

The Napkin Dress Part Two.

I tried another kind of napkin dress yesterday, and I think I like it even better than the first one. It's a little more involved because it has elastic around the top, but still only requires very basic sewing skills (which is good since that's all I've got). I used a great tutorial that I found here.

As it turns out the hard part was getting Skylar to model for me. She wouldn't stand still so I could get a picture. I guess my "dress Skylar up like a human doll and take pictures for fun" days are over now. Bummer.

Anyway, even with my uncooperative model, I can hardly stand the cuteness. Summer come quickly!

The napkin dress.

As soon as I saw these cute polka dot napkins on sale at World Market last fall, I knew I wanted to make them into a dress for Skylar. I've seen pillowcase and bandana dresses for sale on Etsy, and they looked easy to make. All you need are two napkins or bandanas, some ribbon, and the ability to sew four straight lines. Actually, mine weren't even straight. Best of all, cost for supplies was $5, and you could do it for even cheaper.
As soon as it gets warm enough, we'll ditch the leggings and onsie and wear it as a sundress. When she outgrows it, it can be worn as a shirt.
I'm kind of a wing-it person, but if you like to have specific instructions, there's a great step by step tutorial here. You certainly don't have to use a pre-cut square, although it's convenient. If you have older/taller kids, just use fabric and hem the bottom. To give you an idea of how long they are, Skylar is 33 1/2 inches tall.
I'm going to try a different kind of bandana dress next, so stay tuned for part two!

More than just a muffin tin.

These days you hear a lot of talk about people "repurposing" things they already have in an effort to be a little greener. So here is a way to repurpose your a muffin tin into a centerpeice.

I promise I am not getting all Martha Stewart on you. BUT good ideas are meant to be shared, and I think this one is cute. A mentor mom at Mom's and Beyond (a group I go to on Tuesday mornings) shared this.

Since I was a little sad that I won't be able to decorate the house for Christmas this year, I decided to give this a try. All you do is grab an old muffin tin, the more beat up and worn the better. Mine happens to be nasty, so it was perfect. Then you fill it with whatever your heart desires and stick some candles in there. You could use twelve candles or make a random pattern and use less. It's festive in a rustic sort of way:

I used a bag of cranberries, took greenery from the bush in the front yard, and Skylar and I picked up these pine cones while we were out walking. I think some cinnamon sticks would have been nice, but I didn't have any. I put some glass gems that I had (the kind you find in an aquarium or the bottom of a vase) as a first layer and then covered them with cranberries to make it look fuller without buying two bags.

Total cost for 6 candles and a bag of cranberries was under $3. The possibilities are endless--you could use dried beans, sand, shells, dried flowers, or make it seasonal and do Red hots or conversation hearts for valentine's day, Indian corn, acorns, or leaves for Thanksgiving, jelly beans for Easter, etc.

(Side note: You can get a pack of 24 votives at Micheal's for $6 and print off a 40% coupon available on the website bringing it down to $3.60. I'm just here to help.)

I like that it doesn't have to be moved because we can see over it while we eat! A little ambiance is always a good thing. Or as Martha would say, it's a very good thing. (Sorry, I think I just threw up a little in the back of my throat.)

Oh, but I'm not done yet. There's more. Since we're on the subject of muffin tins.....

You should try feeding you toddler from a mini-muffin tin. This idea came to me a few months ago when I was desperate to get Skylar to eat something and I was trying to make it fun. (I'm sure it's not original, mom's everywhere may be doing this and I just never knew.) I put her lunch in the various muffin tin cups and let her sit somewhere special, like the couch. It makes a nice little tray so it stays pretty neat, and she spends a good 45 minutes moving her food around in the various compartments while she eats it, which means I'm able to get some things done.

It works so well that we have a muffin tin picnic a few times a month now. See how excited she gets when she sees it?

Okay, now I'm done.