I spent most of the day Thursday packing up our Christmas decorations. I always have trouble with my berry garlands — the berries get all stuck together and smashed when I store them — and I have a lot of garlands.

But then I had an idea (all by myself without [...]]]> It’s the last day of 2011! Crazy.

I spent most of the day Thursday packing up our Christmas decorations. I always have trouble with my berry garlands — the berries get all stuck together and smashed when I store them — and I have a lot of garlands.

But then I had an idea (all by myself without looking at Pinterest – ha!).

So here it is:

First, I cut down the sides of a big black trash bag and opened it up flat.

Then, I put the garland along one side. And rolled it up like a caterpillar.

Then I taped on a post it note to label the garland.

Ta-da!

When my three-year-old saw what I was up to he was so disappointed that “Christmas is over?!” and at the same time totally thrilled that I had made a giant snake.

After I wrapped up all the garlands, I covered both ends with two more black trash bags and I have one very big, sort-of heavy garland snake. Chris took it up in the attic. I’ll let you know next year if this was a good idea or not…

Just as an FYI: I only used a little scotch tape to hold each snake together because I want to reuse the bags next year. If I had used packing tape or duct tape I think that would make unpacking them trickier.

Happy New Year’s Eve!

Here is my report on our Valentine happenings.

There were decorations:

Remember the autumn leaf garland we made last fall? I’m still in love with it so we did it again, this time with hearts (and I didn’t even try to make the [...]]]> I know what you are thinking. Wasn’t Valentine’s Day more than a week ago?! Well. Yes.

Here is my report on our Valentine happenings.

There were decorations:

Remember the autumn leaf garland we made last fall? I’m still in love with it so we did it again, this time with hearts (and I didn’t even try to make the boys only use “Valentine” colors! I’m so proud of myself!). I love them (the boys and the hearts).

There was a game:

With all the boys around here (husband plus 3 little ones) I’ve learned that it’s not a holiday without a game and candy. So I made this game: Valentine Heart Bean Bag Toss Game.

I cut out 5 hearts from various colored paper and glued each heart to a paper plate. Then I cut up squares of paper from each of the 5 colors and put them in a bucket. And of course I filled a bucket with candy too.

The game is not revolutionary. Draw a paper. Toss the bean bag on to the heart that is the same color. Eat candy.

My boys love this sort of thing. (But now that I’m thinking back… I’m pretty sure the boys were all fighting while we played which cut the game short)

There was dinner:

In my mind, Valentine’s Day should be treated like birthdays. I let the family choose the menu and I give them little treats that I know they love. I want my family to feel special without making it complicated. So we ate pasta (Cooper’s request), broccoli (Max’s favorite), french bread (Chris’ guilty pleasure), sparkling grape juice in fancy cups (all the boys love this), and rice cereal (Owen doesn’t have many choices right now, haha).

The boys got gumballs and suckers. Cooper ate all of his gumballs before eating his pasta. Chris brought me roses (I love flowers) and sent me on a treasure hunt which lead me to a handwritten love note (you know I love letters!). I had the surprise to beat all surprises for Chris but I didn’t finish it until a week after Valentine’s Day (more on that later).

There was a party:

I invited a few friends over later in the week for brunch. We ate at the table and the kiddos ate outside on a picnic blanket (thank you Houston weather). It was pretty low key and lots of fun. My favorite moment was in the preparation for the get together. Max was at preschool, Owen was napping, and Cooper was playing with play-dough while I made cookie pops. Cooper was working at the kitchen table and it was so fun to listen to him play. I especially love his monster with all those eyes – that’s so he can find the princess (as explained by Cooper).

The end.

I’m embarrassed that I have not yet blogged about my book press.

Chris made this.

For me. For Christmas.

Yeah. I know. Amazing, right?! It was the best Christmas present ever.

Up until then, I had been using piles of books as a press. Ghetto – but it worked.

Thank you, Chris. You are the BEST!

(ps – He followed [...]]]>

I’m embarrassed that I have not yet blogged about my book press.

Chris made this.

For me. For Christmas.

Yeah. I know. Amazing, right?! It was the best Christmas present ever.

Up until then, I had been using piles of books as a press. Ghetto – but it worked.

Thank you, Chris. You are the BEST!

(ps – He followed THIS tutorial)

We recently celebrated a birthday at our house (how did my little guy grow up to be TWO?!). I like to make at least one of the gifts for birthdays. Here’s what I came up with for my two-year-old: A fishing game made of felt. I know this is not a new idea, but I had [...]]]>

We recently celebrated a birthday at our house (how did my little guy grow up to be TWO?!). I like to make at least one of the gifts for birthdays. Here’s what I came up with for my two-year-old: A fishing game made of felt. I know this is not a new idea, but I had trouble finding a tutorial and fish templates so I’m posting my tutorial to (hopefully) help out someone else who wants to make the same sort of thing.

HOW TO MAKE A FISHING GAME FOR KIDS WITH FELT

SUPPLIES

+ assorted colors of felt
+ needle and thread
+ VERY strong magnets
+ dowel rod
+ twine
+ scraps of muslin

STEP 1: Make the fish out of felt.

I found the best tutorial for this part over at The Purl Bee. I used their templates and followed their instructions… mostly. I wanted my fish to be double sided so I put the detailing on both sides of the fish. Instead of using embroidery thread to hand sew the magnets into the fish, I used my sewing machine.

STEP 2: Make the water out of felt.

I bought a 1/2 yard of blue felt for the water. Using a different blue, I cut out waves (you can do this free hand). I had some scraps of a shiny blue (reminds me of mermaids) that I also cut some wave shapes out of. Then, I sewed on each wave with my sewing machine. One of the beautiful things about felt is no hemming the edges!

STEP 3: Make the fishing poles.

I bought a dowel rod from the hardware store and had my husband (thanks, Chris) cut it in half so each rod is about 18″ long. Then, he drilled a tiny hole in one end of the rod about a 1/2″ from the end. Tie a piece of jute twine (or yarn) through the hole. Use your muslin scraps to make a tiny bag for your magnet to go in. Sew the 4th edge of the bag shut with your magnet and twine inside.

The kiddos love it! All it needs now is a storage bag with a pocket for the fish…

I’m happy to say Katie Kortman is back today (remember her ruffle bottom onesie tutorial?). Here is her baby legs tutorial.

I’m really seriously thinking of making my baby these. Is it socially acceptable for little boys to wear these?! Help me out here.

HOW TO [...]]]> Back to baby. (Have I mentioned how excited I am for another baby!?)

I’m happy to say Katie Kortman is back today (remember her ruffle bottom onesie tutorial?). Here is her baby legs tutorial.

I’m really seriously thinking of making my baby these. Is it socially acceptable for little boys to wear these?! Help me out here.

HOW TO MAKE BABY LEGS (LEG WARMERS)

When I first got pregnant and started looking at baby clothes (I started buying them when I was only 3 months along… I bought at stores with a 3 months return policy so I could return once I found out what the sex was. I KNOW I am crazy. But I was just way too excited about all the cute stuff I was seeing! Anyway, I happened upon “baby legs.” These are super cute little legging/legwarmers that are basically socks with no foot. Great for warming the legs and not having to take them off for a diaper change! Anyway, the REAL things are $12. That is just ridiculous. So I perused the internet and found a tutorial. I was able to get the idea of how to do it, but the images were less than inspiring. SOOOO alas, here is my own tutorial on how to make them! Enjoy!

1. cut off a 2.5-3″ piece of the sock (if you are using regular socks, then this would be the section where the foot goes. just trim off the toe cap, and the heel, and you have the middle section to work with)

2. Push the little tube through itself, so that the wrong sides are facing each other.

3.Put the long part left from the sock inside the hole created by the little tube you just made. Right sides should be facing each other.

4. Once you sew the 2 tubes together with your machine (or hands I suppose), you may want to turn the entire thing inside out and then sew it narrower if your baby has thin legs like mine does….

Turn them right side out and there you have it!!! Your own baby legs!!! Almost as cute as the little legs you are about to put them on…..

Alternative way to make these: Cut the sock and just serge the raw edge. Done.

I’m breaking away from my baby and kiddo tutorials this week so you can get prepared for Mother’s Day. I don’t live close enough to my mom to celebrate Mother’s Day in person (sniff sniff) so I try to send something meaningful in the mail. This year, I designed a little flag book with pockets that [...]]]>

I’m breaking away from my baby and kiddo tutorials this week so you can get prepared for Mother’s Day. I don’t live close enough to my mom to celebrate Mother’s Day in person (sniff sniff) so I try to send something meaningful in the mail. This year, I designed a little flag book with pockets that are just the right size for little notes, gift cards, photos, or anything else foldable. So you should have plenty of time to make it this week and ship it off to your mom – where ever she may be!

I’ve included a TON of photos to help make this as simple as possible. There is no sewing involved. And all the gluing can be substituted with tape if you want to skip dry times.

Leave a comment or email me if you have questions.

Here we go.

HOW TO MAKE A SMALL POCKET FLAG BOOK

SUPPLIES

+ 3 sheets of 9″ by 12″ paper (I used a double sided Amy Butler print)
+ 1 piece of paper for your covers that is at least 4″ by 9″ (I used a thick, rough handmade paper)
+ 1 piece of paper for the accordion that is at least 6″ by 14″ (I used a text weight paper, ie computer paper)
+ bone folder (optional)
+ glue and paintbrush
+ double sided tape

STEP 1: Make the pockets.

1. Start with one sheet of the 9″ by 12″ paper.

2. Fold in half (hamburger style) and crease with the bone folder. Unfold.

3. Choose which side of the paper you want to be the inside of the pockets. Lay this side face up. Take the bottom left corner and line it up with the center crease, making a triangle.

4. Take the top left corner and line it up with the center crease, making a triangle.

5. Fold paper in half (hot dog style). Unfold.

6. Fold the triangle half along the first center fold you made.

7. Fold in half along the crease you made in step 5.

8. Trim off the extra paper with an xacto knife or scissors. This is your pocket! It should be about 4″ square.

9. Make 2 more pockets following the same steps. (side note: you can make as many pockets as your little heart desires. The next steps of the tutorial would need to be adjusted for how ever many pockets you decide to make… email me if this is confusing and you need more pockets)

PART 2: Make the book block.

1. Start with your paper that is at least 6″ tall.

2. Measure 3/4″ from the edge and mark with the bone folder (I used my trusty 3/4″ guide made from binders’ board, but you can use a ruler and pencil for this). Crease. Continue folding accordion style the entire length of your paper. For 3 pockets, you need 14 sections (as shown here).

3. Spread glue (I used a paintbrush) in the second “valley” from the left.

4. Place one pocket in the glue with the edge lined up in the bottom of the valley (along the crease).

5. Now fold over the other side of the valley (already has glue on it) and press firmly. Now your first pocket is secure.

6. Skip one valley and put glue in the next one (can you see where the glue is?). Spread it around with a paintbrush.

7. Put in the second pocket the same way you did the first. This time, pay careful attention to the positioning – make sure you line up the top and bottom of the pocket with the first pocket. Fold over the other half of the valley (already has glue on it), just like you did with the first pocket.

8. Skip a valley and put glue in the next one (sound familiar?).

9. Put in the third pocket. Again, make sure it lines up perfectly with the other two pockets. Fold over the valley (already has glue on it) and press firmly.

10. Now, your book block should look like this. See how each pocket is glued into every other valley of the accordion fold? You will use the extra valleys on either side to secure the book block in the cover. That was the hardest part! You did it! Stick it under something heavy overnight (ie under a stack of books, a mattress, etc)

PART 3: Fitting the book block into the cover.

Here is what your book block looks like after you’ve pressed it overnight.

1. Trim off the top and bottom of the extra accordion folds so it’s flush with your pockets.

2. Lay the book block on your cover paper and use a ruler to mark the edge. (side note: I’m lazy when it comes to measuring. You could actually measure this out if you wanted. I prefer to use my book block and eyeball it.)

3. Tear or cut the paper.

4. Put double sided tape on the backside of the book block. NOT on the pocket. ONLY on the accordion (mine is white).

5. Carefully line up the book block on the right hand side of your cover paper. Press firmly so the tape sticks. The first pocket of the book block should be face up at this point.

6. Use your bone folder to mark the spine of the book block.

7. Lift up the book block and back cover so the spine rests on your desk. Mark along the book block edge again with your bone folder.

8. Fold the book all the way over so the back cover is now facing up.

9. Open the book back up. Put tape on the front accordion paper (again, mine is white). Fold back over the same way you did before and press firmly making sure the tape sticks to the cover.

This is what the cover and book block should look like. See how the tabs from the accordion folded paper are now attached to the cover paper? The pocket pages will turn easily.

10. Now it’s time to mark and trim your front cover. Lay the book block down and mark along the edge with your bone folder (or pencil).

11. Tear or cut the excess paper from the cover.

You did it! You made a book!

Part 4: Personalize and Package.

So what will you fill your pockets with? I had a few ideas:

+ old photos of the family (moms love those)
+ gift cards are just the right size
+ left over paint chips are great for writing notes on

There are so many options here so get creative and do something that will make your own mom smile.

I added a fabric flower (from this tutorial) and some twine to tie it all up. Pretty cute, I think!

Enjoy! Let me know how it goes!

As you know, I have a baby on the way so I thought it’d be fun to have a few weeks of baby-related tutorials (at least for me, haha!).

Katie Kortman of Blue-Eyed Freckle is the genius behind this ruffle bottom onesie tutorial. She has so many great ideas and is such an artistic and fashionable girl! [...]]]>

As you know, I have a baby on the way so I thought it’d be fun to have a few weeks of baby-related tutorials (at least for me, haha!).

Katie Kortman of Blue-Eyed Freckle is the genius behind this ruffle bottom onesie tutorial. She has so many great ideas and is such an artistic and fashionable girl! We first met in college on a study abroad to New Zealand. You are going to love her.

(do you think baby boys can have ruffle bottoms? haha. kidding)

HOW TO MAKE A RUFFLE BOTTOM ONESIE

Materials needed:
-( 1 yard-ish) nylon chiffon or tule, or other non-fraying translucent material
-thread/ sewingmachine
-onesie/bloomers

1. cut 3 strips of the chiffon the lengths you want the ruffles to end up. make the strips about 3/4 to 1 inch wide.

2. next, cut out approx 9-12 circles per strip (depending on how long your strips are. mine were 5 1/2 in. long and I used 9 circles that were 2-3 in. in diameter).

images via Thimbly Things

Today I wanted to list all the projects I’m excited to give a try because I have a baby boy on his way… that’s right! I’m expecting! And I couldn’t be happier. Soon there will be THREE LITTLE BOYS tromping around here. Oh how I love my little fellas.

+ [...]]]>

images via Thimbly Things

Today I wanted to list all the projects I’m excited to give a try because I have a baby boy on his way… that’s right! I’m expecting! And I couldn’t be happier. Soon there will be THREE LITTLE BOYS tromping around here. Oh how I love my little fellas.

+ Soft Baby book by Thimbly Things
+ Baby Boy Onesie by Omi Creates
+ Little Boy’s Tie by The Purl Bee
+ Starched Fabric Wall Decal by How About Orange
+ Papercutting by AllAboutPapercutting

This is fabric flower garland is pretty simple. I made the flowers out on the deck while the boys played in the backyard. Later that night I made it into a garland. It’s the perfect thing for spring and summer.

SUPPLIES

+ fabric of your choice cut into circles (3″ diameter) + needle and thread + hot glue + twine or [...]]]>

This is fabric flower garland is pretty simple. I made the flowers out on the deck while the boys played in the backyard. Later that night I made it into a garland. It’s the perfect thing for spring and summer.

SUPPLIES

+ fabric of your choice cut into circles (3″ diameter)
+ needle and thread
+ hot glue
+ twine or ribbon

HOW TO MAKE A FABRIC FLOWER GARLAND

STEP 1: Fold one circle in half. Then in thirds (should be a triangle shape). Pinch it at the bottom to hold it together.

STEP 2: Put a little stitch in the bottom. I used a contrasting thread to make this tutorial easier to follow. You should use a matching thread.

STEP 3: Take another circle and follow steps 1 & 2. After you’ve stitched it, sew it on to the first circle. Continue doing this with 10-15 circles or until your flower is the fullness you want it to be.

STEP 4: Decide the length of your garland and space out your flowers. Hot glue each flower to the twine. I put the twine through the middle of the flower and then glued it in place. This will hold the flower better than gluing it to the back of the flower.

STEP 5: Hang it where you can enjoy it!