Sunday, January 30, 2011

Rolled Flowers




I've been wanting to try these forever. SOo this morning i sat down and had a heart to hear with the glue gun(AKA all my finger tips are burnt). These rolled flowers are really fun, because you can take your finished product and dress up your shirts, shoes, head bands and hand bags. Did i mention they only take about 3 minutes to make?!?! Here's the quick version of how to DIY:
~cut strips of your favorite fabric, 2 inches wide...i did most of mine 15 inches long to start... but you can adjust the length to make your flower bigger or smaller.
~tie one end of your strip in a knot... you can use two colors if you want(knot them together on one end). For a thicker flower you will want to use 2 strips instead of one.
~begin twisting the fabric and wrapping it around the knot.
~every 1/3 of wrap you will want to put a dab of glue on the under side. DON'T rush the gluing: put a small dab and then let it dry while holding the flower. If you try to wrap and glue too fast, you will end up with burnt fingers and strings of glue every where... trust me!
~wrap until you run out of fabric to twist... then glue the end of the fabric to the back of the flower.
~YOU ARE DONE!!! Now you can sew your flower onto any article of clothing or accessory you want to jazz up.
***** Remember... you can use old clothing for fabric strips... Anything you can cut, you can roll!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Giant Swaddler


Just wanted to share a picture of a super cute baby! This is little Selah Belle and she's pictured in an over sized swaddling blanket that i made last week! Not a ton to say, i know everyone is too busy staring at the baby to care about the blanket! Gaze AWwwww.... SOo Cute! (*baby itch)

Washable Nursing Pads


You all know these stories: 1- it is 11:30pm, you just get done with a night feeding, you reach over for the Lansinoh breast pads and BaM!---> they're GONE! or 2- you are at your sister in laws, everyone starts looking at your shirt... (Damn i know my breasts are HUGE, but don't be rude). OH, yeah guys...sorry, that's just breast milk...my pads are leaking, don't mind me.
~maybe you don't know this story... but i had my girls 15 1/2 months apart and i feel like this
happened every 3rd night.
Any how... my solution to running out of expensive(not always soo absorbent) nursing pad, is simple: MAKE YOUR OWN! You can use old receiving blankets,
t-shirts and towels! I can't believe i didn't think of this sooner... it would have saved me a ton of $$$ and spared me the wet t-shirts(odd looks from strangers)!

HERES WHAT YOU DO:
~CUT circles out of your fabric...You will use between 2 and 6 layers, depending on how much leakage you have and you will want to cut circles bigger or smaller according to boob size. Also if your boobs are larger, you might want to make them contoured. I have medium boobs... so i chose to cut circles with a 4 1/2 inch diameter. You can use a cup or bowl as a template.
~I used flannel and an old towel for my first set of washable nursing pads. I placed 1 layer of flannel on the bottom, a piece of towel and then 2 more pieces of flannel. PIN THE PIECES TOGETHER.
~Decide if you want a flat pad(works well w/sports bras) or a contoured pad that wont bunch in a pretty bra(lol...i don't know what one of those look like). If you choose to go with flat, then you are ready to sew... if you want to make a contoured pad, you have one more step: CUT A 30 DEGREE ANGLE OUT(piece of pizza). If you aren't
good with angles, then cut one straight line to the center
and experiment with over lapping them to see what contour will suit you best.
~Now you will serge or ZIG ZAG around the outter edge of your circle... if you have chosen to make a contoured pad... then pinch the edges of missing pizza together, and serge away!
~YOU ARE DONE: Congratulations! You have just made your first washable nursing pad!!! Woo Hoo!
Contoured:

Flat:

All though adding more laundry to the day, sounds horrid; The next time around i will have ton of these on hand! I plan on cutting up all the old(way too small) receiving blankets this week... making thick pads and putting them away for baby #3(not trying, but not not trying). Of course you can always buy new materials from your local craft store, but i say "why not use stuff around the house that is collecting dust?!?! ... i know i'm not the only one that has clothes from high school in the attic!". PLUS... that is an extra $7.99(20 bucks a week if you are like me) that you can be saving. And if you are going the green route,then you are putting a lot less into land fills. See, every one will benefit :)
----->Did i mention?!?!?!---> really great friends appreciate home made gifts and functional is the way to go in my book! Extra boob pads could be the difference between a great or disastrous day.
I hope this post is helpful to some one. I know i am beyond excited about this idea... and glad that i am able to be a little more frugal. Happy crafting everyone!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Let The Cheesy Valentines Patterns Begin!




Valentines is just around the corner: Why not get/make your kids something super sweet, that wont rot their teeth?!?! Plenty of cheesy prints to go around. Here are a few items... including the new mini Roll! more to come this week :) Happy crafting!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Re-Usable Snack Bags


I have been working on these for a few weeks and not feeling like i was making much progress. While the 3 rugrats napped today, i was able to wrap up what i felt, would never be finished. These bags can get thrown in the washing machine, dish washer or be washed by hand. After trying a few different ways to get them closed, i went with the velcro. They are Easy-->simply, ADD your favorite snack, roll 2 times, velcro and GO! But yeah, HERE they are. also, Available upon request @http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1805137885789&set=a.1791111695143.2107525.1160145817 . Save the Planet, cut down on your throw-away plastic usage. PLUS, a few of these can eliminate extra costs at the grocery store. Use them for bagged lunches, emergency car snacks and buying in bulk.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Taggie Roll







I have been a little Taggie crazy for the past two days...here's what got done today, With only a minor DOHT: the tags have to be slightly longer to fit the Plastic hanger... Thank God i didn't sew them all without checking!!! These are all Available to be purchased @ http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1160145817

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Crayon Rolls

I don't know if this is sad or just plain funny... but if some one told me to introduce myself and state 2 facts, i think it would go a little like this "Hi- my name is Kristen: Typically i store crayons in an old wipe box...and on most days, you can find more than 2 kids in my home." Very rarely, can i get through my breakfast with out asking myself, "what the heck happened". Five minutes before going to bed, the house looks 1/2 way decent :) and in the morning i don't even recognize the place. How come after being awake for only 45 minutes, is every tOy, hat, sock, shoe and crayon scattered across my dining room floor and on all of the living room seating?!?! I have toddlers, i expect messes... but man, they happen FAST! One of my biggest annoyances is the over abundance of crayons in the house. We like crayons, we like coloring; Evee likes peeling, Vicky likes pouring, Griffon likes throwing, Amelia likes eating. And all is well, really, until it's time for mom to vacuum for the 3rd time before noon! So today i worked on crayon rolls. These handy crayon sacs carry just enough crayons for coloring any picture you desire... but not soo many, that it takes me til dinner time to fish them from beneath the couch! Need a solution to your unruley Crayons? Luckily for you, they will be available for purchase purchase January 1oth. Check them out here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2107525&id=1160145817



Friday, January 7, 2011

After Holiday Gifts




Just wanted to check in and say "hello". I've been working on stuff every day, but I guess i stink at updating. Here are a few finished projects from the past week. Mini Car seat Crinkle Taggie Toys for baby(say that 5 times fast) and a mini wallet inspired by the lovely Michelle Morgan! Okay, back to work for me! See ya soon!