Halloween Mummy Wreath

I don't know how many of you watch Craft Wars, but sometimes it can be incredibly inspiring.  There was an episode a handful of weeks back that had the participants make Christmas wreaths.  One of the ladies made a two layer wreath and that is where my idea for this one began.

I started with a styrofoam wreath, unfinished wood circle, unfinished wood letters, Modge Podge, craft paint, crepe paper streamers, scrapbook paper, and some decorative spiders (mine were actually brads from the scrapbook section.)

I took the scrapbook paper and modge podged it to the styrofoam wreath.  I painted my wood circle and my letters (B-O-O).  I used glow-in-the-dark paint mixed with white craft paint for my mummy eyes and flat black for my letters and the face of the mummy.  Then I coated the circle in Modge Podge and wrapped the crepe streamers around the circle to form my mummy head.  I hot glued the mummy head to the center of my wreath.  I used Modge Podge to attach my letters to the wreath, and then I hot glued some of the brads to the face of the mummy.  The other brads I stuck into the styrofoam around the wreath, and voila!  Easy Halloween wreath that is cute and not too spooky.... as my kids request.  :)

 

 

 

 

Team Spirit Bandana Dress

College Football is officially underway and with today being Team Colors today I thought it was the perfect time to make this adorable little bandana dress.  If you have seen my Hanky Hem Bandana Top then you are off to a great start, because this simple little dress starts off the same way!

 

What you will need for this project

•  2 bandanas (in team colors) - Go Tigers!
• T-shirt
• Grosgrain ribbon - optional

The first thing you will do is cut your bandanas in half on the diagonal so you have 4 triangles as in the picture above.

 

 

Then you need to cut off about 3-5 inches from each end corner depending on the size of your child.  I did 3 inches for my 15-month-old and it still allowed for lots of ruffle.

 

 

Now with right sides facing you will sew the short ends of like bandanas.  Ex. I did my two purple ones together, and my two Clemson print ones together.  Then finish that seam. 

For the next steps I forgot to take a picture so please do not be concerned when you see the bandanas are the wrong color.  I just used these from my bandana top tutorial to substitute.  If you need any clarification on this step you can go here.

 

Open your bandanas up and place one of them inside the other.  Line them up so that they look like the picture above and pin.

Now you will adjust your stitch length to the longest setting and put two rows of basting stitches around the top edge.  DO NOT BACKSTITCH.  There is only one in this photo, but you need two rows.  You will take the long string from the bottom side your work and knot one side so that it sets that work.  Take the long strand on the other end of your work on the bottom and pull, so that it ruffles.  If you have never done this type of gather before you can go here for more information. 

You are going to put your t-shirt inside of your skirt bottom you have been working on. The right side of your bandanas should face the right side of your shirt.  You will adjust the ruffles so that it fits the size of your shirt.  Make sure you align the side seams so that your bandana hem hangs in the right position.  Depending on the length of your t-shirt and how tall your child is you have have to add it up higher on the shirt and cut off some of the length of the shirt.  My shirt was a little long so I cut it off first.  Then when you have everything adjusted accordingly you will stitch your skirt onto your shirt.  Make sure you readjust your stitch length for this step to a shorter stitch length.  Then you need to finish that seam and trim the edges.

Now flip your skirt down and if you wish you can add a ribbon like I did just for some added detail.  Put it on your little girl and CHEER CHEER CHEER!

 

 

School Bus Mailbox Cover

After the stomach bug from Hades and daily thunderstorms that have prevented good photos or internet at times I finally have another project for you.  School starts back here in 10 short days!  This summer has flown by and I am sad to see it go.  I hate to see the kids go back.  No matter how much kicking and screaming and resisting the end of the summer, though, it is still going to come, so I decided that I would add a little back to school jazz to my house.  There really is nothing else coming up until Halloween, and this cute little school bus idea just came to mind.  It is a super easy project that really requires little to no sewing.  So without further ado, I present the school bus mailbox cover.  :)

Measure your mailbox to get the right amount of fabric of course.

Materials:

•  Yellow and black fabric (I used cheap broad cloth), and scraps of red and white.
•  Heat n Bond iron-on vinyl
•  Regular fabric Heat n Bond or Wonder Under.
•  sticky back Velcro

I did not take pictures of all the steps because it is really so simple.  You just need to have the measurements of your mailbox at hand.  Make a template for the square windows, stop sign, and for the round circles that will be your wheels.  Using a template will insure they are all equal size. 

You are going to start by cutting from the yellow fabric a piece that is long enough and wide enough to cover your mailbox.  Then you will just cut out all the pieces and using the regular Heat n Bond iron them onto your yellow fabric.  Remember you want to make the bus show up on both sides of the mailbox so you will have to add the cut outs to both ends of your fabric.  I did not sew the pieces down because it will be sandwiched between vinyl and not washed so unraveling should not be a big problem.  Save the wheels for later.

Then you will take the vinyl and following the directions on the package you will apply it to the front and back side of your fabric.  Then you will cut out two strips that will serve as your straps to Velcro the cover onto your mailbox.  I used the yellow fabric for this.  Then I laminated it with the vinyl as well.  I sewed one end of each of the straps onto one side of the cover (right side to right side).  Then I sewed on the wheels on that side.  Only sew the top part of the tire down, because you do not want it to wrap underneath the mailbox with your strap.  You will then sew the other tires to the other end of your strap.  Then you will put it on your mailbox and apply your sticky back Velcro.  NOTE:  You will need to at some point cut out a place for the flag on your mailbox.  I did this after everything was applied. 

This is where my Velcro straps attached.

I love how from a distance it just looks like a bus cut out, and you can't even tell there is black fabric there.  Best of all you can just wipe the surface clean, too.

Linked up over at the CSI Project for their Back-to-School Project Contest

Pillowcase Romper Tutorial

Hello everyone! I found this cute green polka dot material at the thrift store a while back and it just really wanted to be made into something and what could be easier than a pillowcase dress?? Well, pillowcase dresses I've done before, and I just wanted something new, something a little different. So, I morphed it into the pillowcase romper!

I will preface this by saying I learned a lot in the process of making this romper. I had several firsts as I created this, but none were truly as terrifying as I had built them up to be. One of those being the snaps... I had never used my snap pliers despite having them for probably over a year. Piece of cake. If I can do it, you can do it. :)  I have made a few adjustments to this tutorial since making this romper Little J is wearing and I will point these things out as we go.

Materials:

• 3/4 to 1 yard of fabric
• 1/2 in. elastic
• 1/4 in. elastic
• 1/2 in. double fold bias tape
• snaps

There are a few measurements you will need to get of your child.

1. All the way around your child's chest.
2. From right between your child's shoulders to ankles.
3. Between your child's shoulders to the inseam (crotch.)
4. Armpit to armpit across the front.
5. Around your child's lower leg (lower calf/shin area.)

Take the number you got for #1 and double that to get the width of your fabric you need to cut.  Take the number you got for #2 and add 2 inches for the length.  My fabric piece is 24 x 38.

Now fold that piece in half lengthwise right side to right side.  Sew down the side with a 1/2 in. seam allowance.

Finish that seam and then iron.  Turn right side out.  Now to make the arm holes, measure 3-4 in. across and 3-4 in. down and mark with a fabric marker or chalk.  (For an 18 month size do 3" x 3".  My arm holes turned out a little too big.)

Now you are going to cut out the shape of a J on both of those corners using the marks you just made.

Turn inside out again and fold the top front piece down 1/4 in. and iron.  Then fold down another 1 in. and iron.  Repeat for the top back piece also.  This will be your elastic casing.

Now sew across the bottom edge of your casing stitching closely to the fold.

Now lay your romper out flat and fold in half.  Take the number you got for #3 and add 1.5 in. to that.  Using that number measure down from the top of the elastic casing.  Mark at the side edge of your romper.

Cut out a piece shaped like my cut in the picture below.

When you open it back up it will look like this.

Now you need to get out some of your extra left over fabric.  Take the piece you just cut from your romper and lay it on top of the extra fabric.  Trace the scrap.  Then you need to make another line 1.5 inches around that.

Cut this shape out.  You will do it twice.  It will look like this.

Turn your romper right side out again.  Lay the U-shaped piece on top of it right sides facing and pin like in the picture below.  You will do this for the front and back side of the romper.

Now you will sew with a 1/4 in. seam allowance around the inside of the legs of your romper one side at a time.

Fold in the outer edge of your U-shaped fabric piece and iron.  It will wrinkle slightly in the curve and that is fine.

 Now take that whole piece and fold it under your romper and iron down.

 Now stitch down along the outer edge of the U-shaped piece. 

Fold up the bottom of each leg 1/4 in. and press, then another 1/4 in. and press.  Hem.

This is what you should have so far.

Now take measurement from #4 above and cut 2 pieces of your 1/2 in. elastic.  Using a safety pin you will feed one piece of elastic into the front of your romper and pin in place, and then repeat for the back side with your other piece of elastic.

Next you want to mark where you will place your snaps.  I spaced mine about 2.5 in. apart around the leg openings.  You want to make it so that the back piece of fabric comes over the front piece to snap.  Look at one of your child's onesies to see what I mean.  Make sure that you have the snaps facing the proper directions before you squeeze them on because they are darn near impossible to get off if you put them on wrong.

Using the measurement from #5 above cut two pieces of 1/4 in. elastic.  Take one of them and place right above the hem on one leg of your romper.  Sew it down 2-3 stitches and backstitch.  Now pull taut and stitch all the way across the leg opening.  Repeat for the opposite leg.

It will create this gathered effect like in the picture below.

Hang in there we are almost finished now I promise!  Take out your bias tape and cut it in half creating two strips for your side ties.  Fold one strip in half to find the center of the tape.  Open up the tape and fold over the side seam in our arm hole so that your ties will be centered.  Repeat for the opposite arm hole using your other strip of bias tape.

Starting at the very end of one of your bias tape strips sew across the short end.  Turn and sew all the way down the side stitching around the arm hole and across the opposite end of the strip.  Repeat for the opposite side.

Ta-Da!  Now put it on your child and take lots of pictures!!

This romper would also look super cute layered with a t-shirt for the fall!  Hope you love it!

Paper Airplane Races

Do you remember flying paper airplanes as a kid?  Folding them different ways and seeing who could come up with the best airplane?  Well, me and the boys checked out a book from the library that taught us the physics behind the fun.  Today we thought we would have a little paper airplane experiment and learn the different ways that lift, thrust, drag, and gravity effect the flight of the airplane.  Of course they don't remember them quite in those terms, but they did learn what makes the airplane go higher or nose dive, what makes it loop and what makes it go straight.  Elementary physics - check. :)

Just in case you can't remember how to fold a paper airplane here is a little refresher in pictures.  I think I missed one step in the pictures, but hopefully this will get you on track so you can have your own paper airplane physics lesson fun.

Note, the pilot in my son's plane?  They also learned about how far he could fly before autoeject takes place.  :)

We made our planes out of heavy duty cardstock because we wanted to anticipate the nose dives and hopefully save the plane for a little while.  After doing several run throughs with the plane folded like the above pictures we made a few modifications including adding a paperclip and trying it closer to the nose versus middle versus rear; folding up the sides of the wings; and cutting slits in the back.  We tried the rear slits folded up and folded down for different effects.

Cheap, easy, educational fun at its best.

**Dragonfly Designs Giveaway ends 8/2!  Don't miss out.**

Super Mario Matchup Game With Free Printable

I'm not really sure how this idea came to me at this point.  Somehow in the midst of redoing the boys' room in a Super Mario theme this game idea just popped up, and the next thing you know I am working on it at my kitchen table.  It is a little twist on the old game, Memory, we all played as a child.  The only real difference aside from the pictures is that if you get one of the "bad guy" cards you lose a turn.

If you would like to make your own Super Mario Matchup Game this is what you will need:

• foam board
• printer & paper
• craft knife such as Xacto and scissors
• decoupaging medium like Modge Podge
• Mario Game Printable

The first thing you need to do is print out the free printable from the link above.  Then you are going to cut all of the images out into squares roughly the size of the question mark boxes.  Next you need to use your craft knife to cut out your squares from the foam board.  If the edges are rough you can use your scissors to straighten them some.

Now you will glue all of the question mark boxes onto one side of all of those squares.  I believe there are 18 pairs in all.  The character squares will go on the opposite side of all of these squares so each one is two-sided.  Set up an assembly line and enlist your children to help cut out the squares (using safety scissors) and glue the paper to the squares.  Crafting knives are extremely sharp, so I would advise you do that part, though.  When all of the squares have had a chance to dry you will put a top coat of your decoupaging medium onto both sides of the squares (letting one side dry before coating the second side.)  The red color tends to bleed some so make sure to only do one light coat across it.

When they have all dried it is time for your kids to have fun!  And they aren't even glued to a video game, woohoo!

P.S.  Don't forget to check out our giveaway for some awesome handcrafted jewelry!  Entries end August 2!