31 posts tagged “craft”
From Cool Mom Picks (the 'green links' below may have been from somewhere else)
- Wear You Spirit for Humanity
- Green Veranda and recycled newspaper products
- Natures Legacy
- Swahili Modern African
- True Green
From Craftzine
- From Paul at DudeCraft, cool mini LP gift tags tutorial
- From an article about craft kits for kids, comes this blinky bug kit (blinking eyes on pipe cleaner legs)
- I'm not totally enamored with the final product, but here is a felt ornaments tutorial. It's the rounds bits in between I don't like but totally like the shape and 3D-ness.
- Great ideas from My Paper Crane for homemade holiday goodie bags: wood and felt gnomes, hot chocolate mix, jingle bell necklaces, makings for a snowflake, and candy cane reindeer. Much better than junk from the dollar store!
- Instructable on paper snowflakes
- Raisin Jungle Cookies at Indie Fixx
- Felt crayon and notebook holder from Skip to My Lou (of course!)
From other
- Another from Skip to My Lou - stuff to do with kids when they say they are bored.
- She linked to Alpha Mom for a Christmas surprice ball - wrap little gifts up in creap paper and hang on the tree.
- Parenting 2009 Holiday Gift Guide
From Craftzine
- I Can Art - art kits in a can for kids, developed by artists
- I posted this before, but I love these wool felt log kits
- Partridge in a pear tree gingerbread from Not Martha, and MS's gingerbread recipe for houses (see this How-to and links)
- Pickling with kids
- Fernworks jewelery - great found objects
- Iram-Inal Designs Green collection and more - cool stuff.
- How to use wine corks
- My Recipes and Cooking Light Cranberry nut chocolate chip cookies and banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
- Apple Butter Apple Pie (crumb crust apple pie) from People and singer Michelle Branch (who?)
T was invited to a couple of birthday parties recently. He has a great time at parties so if we aren't doing anything in particular we always go. However, it feels at times that we are spending a lot on birthday gifts. Especially since T hasn't received any in return, not having had parties with kids the last two years. Maybe it is just my inner miser coming out.
Anyway Saturday was a party for his classmate Jake (4) and Jake's 13 month younger brother Luke(ie). Three weeks ago T and I went to the bookstore to get a gift for Jake and one for Zora, whose birthday party was right after Thanksgiving. Feeling miserly I decided that we didn't need to get Luke a gift since Luke would probably have friends from his class at the party. We spent $16 on a really fun book called Harry and Horsie. Of course after leaving the bookstore I felt guilty and kept questioning my reasoning of not getting something for Luke. I posted to my mom's group about birthday etiquette and everyone thought in my shoes they'd get something for both boys.
This past January we went to parties for two of T's classmates where I bought books and made a little puppets to go along with the book (here is the Grumpy Bird). So I decided if I ended up with the time I'd make puppets for the boys to go along with the book. Saturday morning T and I got busy. Or, I got busy and T helped for the first 20 minutes or so, then went on to play other things. At first he was quite upset that the rocket I made didn't match his vision of a sleeker looking vehicle, but later, while I worked on Horsie, he rocketed it around the house. I decided then these might work out as gifts. Although there are 'issues' on both puppets I am happy with how they came out.
As mentioned the book is a lot of fun. The story is sweet, the illustration fantastic - like old comics. I posted photos of the puppets to my mom's group and one mom replied this is a favorite book of her three year old. I think if I got it for T it would become a favorite of his as well. He enjoyed the story in the bookstore as well as when I pulled it out to make the puppets. Very cool about it, proceeds help other children through the child developed Free The Children.
Photos will come later, but T had a blast at the party. It was at a toddler 'gym' that had trampolines and a ball pool. T LOVED the ball pool.
From Cool Mom Picks
- Three child craft friendly advent calendar instrucitons from Kids Kraft Weekly, and advent calendar filling ideas from Jorden Ferney
- From Julie K, How to make kids pants adjustable waist pants
- Simple Vanilla Syrup, just right for gifting to flavored coffee lovers
- Irish Creme Liquor recipe from Skip To My Lou
- Blanket stitch tutorial on Future Girl
- Do with kids wreath ideas at Alpha Mom
- Chalkboard placemat tutorial at Little Birdie Secrets - only issue is that the chalkboard material off gases such that it is not recommended for kids under age 12! Uhg.
- Resin Rings tutorial from Such Sweet Tierney
- Toddler backpack tutorial at Blueprints
- The Nook posted a yummy looking biscotti recipe - orange cranberry pistachio
- Mommy Blessings posted a fairy wing tutorial and links to two more.
- Silly mustache tutorial at 5 Orange Potatoes
- Check out the series of felt food tutorials at American Craft and Felt
- Pinecone shaped pom-poms tutorial on Resurrection Fern
From Craftzine
- A new lunch tote pattern from Clouds and Cotton
- Chez Beeper Bebe made some awesome birthday (reptile) goodie bags, and these fun kid gifts - must remember both and think of making these drawstring bags for gifts...
- Lovely Designs has a gift bag tutorial (as if you really need one, but ..) and she made some sweet home books. She has a beautiful blog and design aesthetic.
- Ric Rac posted a cute free PDF tutorial for one-hour softies. PDF here.
- Howtoons on making ice cream - no ice cream maker involved, but a lot of tossing.
- Tree shelves
- Bed idea, and check Gothic Cabinet Craft
- Great space party and blog to check
- Mothers Day Every Day - place to donate, somethign to look into. One woman dies in childbirth every minute.
- Feeding my desire for Frye boots, they are even mentioned on CMP.
- My coworker Kelly is going to do thirty minute circuit training in her living room using circuits from Sports Fitness Adviser
- Mommy Track'd lost its apostrophe and is now Mommy Tracked. A lawsuit??
- I love this coat rack from Second Drafts found via Sweet Sweet Life
- I love this post from Matsutake (had to post it below, short and so worth a laugh!). Check out too here Halloween craft #1 (wait for #2, and #3).
Halloween Ideas for meWednesday, August 26, 2009
Whew!
I thought that my butt was getting too big, but it turns out that I just have my shorts on backwards.
at 9:20 AM
- From Martha Stewart: Birds Nest, Woodland branches, and Bat headband
From Craftzine
- Make poppies with a tutorial from Grosgrain. These are very similar to the ones selling for $70 or so over at [enter later]
- Newsboy cap and mittens from a felted sweater tutorial from Simple Up
- From the Motherload, Spiced Pumpkin Waffles
From Apartment Therapy Ohdeedoh
- Zebra felt rug tutorial at Etsy Storque from Dorm Decor
- Entertaining after the kids are asleep
- Tufted headboard tutorial from Nest Decorating
- Dinosaur lamps! At Think Geek.
- Barefoot in the Kitchen is having a giveaway of an Anthropologie inspired (copied) top - very cute (via A Room Somewhere). This is the same woman who posted the jeans hemming tut I linked to a couple of weeks ago. See also How to Use Elastic Thread, and this cute red shirt (using eleastic thread), ok this black shirt, and this white shirt. Must get some elastic thread!
- Clothed Much - a very cute Koren girl blogs about how she makes multiple outfits from basic pieces. Good for some inspiration. Use those scarves and belts! (More indication that I have to get new belts! Shoes and belts my new obsession as mine are lacking.) Ended up perusing a bunch of clothing post a day blogs and this place called Weardrobe. Interesting. Links to Shade Clothing (I've linked before), and Ruchi
- Fab learning letters idea at Filth Wizardry - letters coloring game. This led to this great post about making a font from your kids (or your own) handwriting. How cool and fun is that?! They used FontCapture.
- Flower pin tutorial on My Mama Made It
I've been thinking about making T a superhero cape for quite a while. Last year I had one made for my nephew Max for his fourth birthday, and my sister said he LOVED it. This weekend the zoo is having Superhero weekend - something T has been excited about. I decided now was a good time to try it out.
While I should have been working I found some tutorials on the web:
- The Long Thread - Reversible Super Hero Cape
- Puking Pastilles - Super Hero Cape
- Creative Kismet - Super Fast, Super Easy Super Hero Cape
After a late dinner I started working on the cape. I used the pattern and instructions from The Long Thread, and the instructions for the emblem from Puking Pastilles. I consulted with B about what emblem to put on the cape. Although I was very interested in using the lightening bolt from The Long Thread, or some flames similar to the ones on T's flame shoes, I ended up doing a simple T. While it is a little crooked on the blue side, I am fairly happy with it. On this emblem I used some silver lame along with the blue satin. I also used super sparkley thread.
I finished late and posted to Facebook:
Just finished cleaning up and making T's superhero cape for Superhero weekend at the zoo. Not perfect and didn't manage a lightening bolt or flames, but it is cute. Can't wait to see him play in it! (and oh I hope he does!!) Sat at 2:09am
This morning I was about to burst to see what T's reaction was. It was a little disappointing. At first he was a little shy about it - perhaps it didn't meet up to his expectations - and was quite. Then he dutifully put it on, ran, and smiled for me.
So, we had breakfast. Hot cooked millet with honey and raisins for me, fried egg on whole wheat for him.
[edit T has been coming around a little on the cape. As you'll see in later posts, he wore it at the zoo. He also has been playing Tickle Man and Superman in B's office and having a great time with it. He jumps off the couch and either knocks over Tickle Man or Tickle Girl (he then becomes Superboy as I refuse to have him a man and me a girl.) His favorite is to have the blue side out.]
How to make Silly Putty at home. T asked me to do this, and low and behold it came up on WikiHow. (See also How to make play dough.)
From Craftzine
- Whole Grains 101 at Chow - info and recipes.
- House pouch from the Long Thread
- Back-to-school cloth lunch bag from the Purl Bee
- Easy pennant roller stamp from Just Something I Made
- Volunteer Spot for easy organizing of volunteers with out a million Reply Alls
- Very amazing and doable (?) dragon cake at Dabbled. Check out her blog for more fun stuff.
- Great posters for kids rooms under $20
- Tey another blog to peruse for pretty inspiration and recipes, Sweet Fine Day. Make sure to look at their Etsy Shop and online store. I htink some gift boxes of their confections could make very nice birthday or Christmas gifts!
- Harmonie Interieur wall decals
- A very cute book idea for T - pictures of his favorite things spelled out and bound - from Say Yes to Hoboken.
- Polka Dot cookies from SweetAmbs Etsy shop
pretty flower clips from Old Soul, New Heart - Wool felt laptop sleeve from Byrdnbelle Etsy shop
- Blaire at Wisecraft made this fab ruched center pillow. I really need to figure out what I want to do pillow wise in our house!
- Organic yumminess for babies at Dress Me Up via SouleMama
- Rediscovered Distressed and found this skirt, with this three part tutorial: #1, #2, #3.
- Leisle also had a free download for this adorable popover sundress with this comment on how to make it reversible
So I link to a TON of projects that I think would be cool, fun, or easy to do some day. While I would love to do many of them, the reality is that I have very rarely managed to actually do it.
Until last night/today. Thursday I linked to this swim cover up from Creative Kismet, and the stars aligned. It was an easy project, I had all the materials, I made some time, and I kind of need it. We're going to the beach for a long weekend and I need to cover up my thighs. My once muscular thighs, while not devoid of muscle, are covered in fat and are not something I am looking forward to exposing on the beach. The cover up I got from Lands End last year doesn't fit that well and I always feel frumpy in it. Oh to just be able to whittle myself back to my former weight and fit body!
Anyway, back to the project. It required two t-shirts, something I have plenty of even if I haven't been participating in rec sports, doing 5Ks, or volunteering lately, and even with giving a bunch away, and making lounge pants for T. I chose two I have very fond memories of, ones that were ten years apart in age from each other - 1988
and 1998, a L and an XL.
I was very nervous to take scissors to them, especially the one that would make the main part of the dress. It is one of my beloved rowing shirts, and one of only a few from my days with the club at Lehigh (founding member number 3 and first women's team captain, though I have barely helped the team since I left - certainly not to the degree of some of the other founding members, and not like the real founders Ed and Tom). I was worried I would do something stupid and ruin the shirt.
And of course I did do something dumb in haste to get to bed. I cut the back much lower than I intented making the front and back the same depth, which cut into the back graphic and cut off the part that said Lehigh University Crew. Uhg!! Fit wise it is fine and as designed, but I think that the back being a little higher would make it a little more comfortable. The gathers around the neck feel odd on my back.
Last night I made all the cuts and today I did the sewing. Happily I only had to take out
one bit of seam and was with it enough not to forge ahead without trying the project on. The seam issue came because T really wanted to help me (really, really) and pushed his little foot on top of mine sending my machine at full tilt and croockedly through the basting for the ruffle. That put a halt to sewing until he napped and then I discovered why for me using a size L wasn't the best bet for the top. I didn't want the top to be a tent, but I forgot that a L is not that long on me, certainly not on a 20 year old t-shirt (oh my!). When I tried on the project with the ruffle just pinned on me it was like I had on a bad tutu. Remember I want this to give coverage to my thighs - tutus do not do that!
I pulled out another t-shirt. One I always felt awkward about that also had great memories. It was from a bar that I went and danced at EVERY saturday night for a two years (Ok, maybe not every, every, but practically - my name was on the 'wall of shame' for both their first and second anniverary parties). I cut a 9 inch swath from it and tacked it on the bottom of the crew shirt. I contempated keeping the coverup with this straight look, but in the end added the ruffle about 3 or 4 inches (didn't measure) up from the bottom of the addition (which I didn't trim in case I change my mind).
I'm not sure it looks that great on me, and it certainly didn't photograph well on me, but it is done. I made something, completed it, did not majorly flub it up, and can use it. Hooray! I also made a second pillowcase for T's small pillow out of the remains of the shirt that created the ruffle. He is sleeping on it now. :-)
Until last night/today. Thursday I linked to this swim cover up from Creative Kismet, and the stars aligned. It was an easy project, I had all the materials, I made some time, and I kind of need it. We're going to the beach for a long weekend and I need to cover up my thighs. My once muscular thighs, while not devoid of muscle, are covered in fat and are not something I am looking forward to exposing on the beach. The cover up I got from Lands End last year doesn't fit that well and I always feel frumpy in it. Oh to just be able to whittle myself back to my former weight and fit body!
Anyway, back to the project. It required two t-shirts, something I have plenty of even if I haven't been participating in rec sports, doing 5Ks, or volunteering lately, and even with giving a bunch away, and making lounge pants for T. I chose two I have very fond memories of, ones that were ten years apart in age from each other - 1988
I was very nervous to take scissors to them, especially the one that would make the main part of the dress. It is one of my beloved rowing shirts, and one of only a few from my days with the club at Lehigh (founding member number 3 and first women's team captain, though I have barely helped the team since I left - certainly not to the degree of some of the other founding members, and not like the real founders Ed and Tom). I was worried I would do something stupid and ruin the shirt.
And of course I did do something dumb in haste to get to bed. I cut the back much lower than I intented making the front and back the same depth, which cut into the back graphic and cut off the part that said Lehigh University Crew. Uhg!! Fit wise it is fine and as designed, but I think that the back being a little higher would make it a little more comfortable. The gathers around the neck feel odd on my back.
Last night I made all the cuts and today I did the sewing. Happily I only had to take out
I pulled out another t-shirt. One I always felt awkward about that also had great memories. It was from a bar that I went and danced at EVERY saturday night for a two years (Ok, maybe not every, every, but practically - my name was on the 'wall of shame' for both their first and second anniverary parties). I cut a 9 inch swath from it and tacked it on the bottom of the crew shirt. I contempated keeping the coverup with this straight look, but in the end added the ruffle about 3 or 4 inches (didn't measure) up from the bottom of the addition (which I didn't trim in case I change my mind).
I'm not sure it looks that great on me, and it certainly didn't photograph well on me, but it is done. I made something, completed it, did not majorly flub it up, and can use it. Hooray! I also made a second pillowcase for T's small pillow out of the remains of the shirt that created the ruffle. He is sleeping on it now. :-)
From Craftzine
- Tiered linen skirt tutorial from Amazing Mea
- Road trip pillow cases look fun. I also want to look further into bucket gardening and some of her other posts.
- MakcC Creations posted a doodle satchel tutorial
- Wee Wonderfuls is selling her Ollie + Archie Make-A-Long pattern for two dolls (girl and boy) and various accessories (13 of them)
- Etsy How To Tuesday, and from yesterday, make a log cake stand
- More from Maya Made - a very easy backyard pavilion - though I don't think we have the required trees do would need additional stakes.
- Chalkboard tees from Class Atire (and also via Inhabitots). Cool stuff - has a pocket for chalk and won't wipe off until you use a wipe/damp cloth.
- A pillowcase market bag at Jordynn Mackenzie
- Maya Made is now selling her pattern for the burlap buckets (made from old coffee bean bags she gets from her coffee roasters); $7
- Kidishes - tempered glass cups, plates, and bowls at Zoe B Organic. These are made by Duralex just like the cups I grew up with and will be an excellent alternative to the plates etc that t uses now.
- Very cool body puzzle - several layers describe what is in and outdie the body, available at Uncommon Goods
- Cut Out + Keep, a craft site with projects and much more
- New stuff over at Moleskin, including new planners
- Common Sense Media - reviews and alerts about movies, games, videos, etc to help you decide if your child is
ready to watch something. Gives suggested ages, but more importantly areas to watch for so that you can decide based on your own moral or whatever code.
- Ty Pennington stuff at Kmart and Sears - like these bamboo towels
- Lolligift for pooling gift money!
- Neat little table (and more) from a Dad in Corvallis
- I like this chair at Urban Outfitters!
- Wiki How to make a cluster ring
- On blogs.com, 10 Green Mom Blogs
- Piggy (and other) banks at Elegant Baby
- Someone posted on Facebook about Camp Gwynn Valley. I don't know if this camp my niece went to and loved, but it looks fun!
- A picture rail for hanging child art at MS (lots more crafts here)
- Fun activities for sensory integration at the Crafty Crow and Roots and Wings Co. More at a Crafty Moms Life (here too)
- Via Alpha Mom, some travel helpers - Chalk and Doodle, I-Spy-Bags from Those Great House Women, and a compilation of Where's Waldo books
