i make stuff

how-to table setting place mat.. freezer paper stenciling

I've been trying to get cyra more involved in meal-times.. so I freezer-paper stenciled place mats with images of silverware and plates.. to "help" her set the table..




I cut the freezer paper using my silhouette.. but you can also go the more traditional route of cutting out the stencil manually..
(I've shared all of my files at the bottom of this post.)
after cutting out your freezer paper.. arrange your stencils and iron them onto your place mat, shiny side down, no steam, med-high heat setting.. I found that the "plastic lined" freezer paper works best for stenciling..


then using a foam brush I painted the place mats with fabric paint with two even coats... allow your place mat to dry entirely before applying the second coat. Once completely dry.. slowly peel off the freezer paper.. and that's it!




here are my files, if you'd like to try this.. be sure to download the JPEGS if you are going to manually cut out your stencil..

Silhouette files (MAC):
Plate Silhouette file
Silverware Silhouette file

If you use a PC and have a Silhouette.. I'm not sure the above files will be compatable on your software, since I use a MAC. You can get around this by downloading the JPEGS, then import them into your Silhouette library and use the trace feature to set up your file. You can also refer to this Help section on the Silhouette site. Importing and cutting other images with the Silhouette

jpegs, if you are going to manualy cut your freezer paper stencil:
silverware JPEG
plate JPEG

here is our first time using them.. cyra thought it would be "silly" to use the painted plate as her plate for lunch... she is just too much.


hope you enjoy this project as much as we do!

valentine dinosaur heart jars

yesterday.. we made valentines.



In keeping with up-cycling spice jars.. we used the clear spice jars (left over after cleaning our pantry) and turned them into dinosaur heart globes. This was simple.. fun.. and very easy to involve your little one in making something for others this valentines day.

what's better than mini dinosaurs and hearts?
we thought they would make the perfect valentine.


we filled each jar with distilled water, heart confetti, a mini plastic dinosaur (bought at target), glycerin (you can find this at many pharmacies), and a sweet wooden heart I found on etsy here then sealed each jar off with silicone sealant, to glue the top tight onto the jar.. i bought mine on amazon.. but I imagine you can find it in most hardware stores. And I used Twinery Maraschino twine to tie a small piece of green linen to cover the lid.


we got little heart confetti everywhere..

I cut the paper dinosaurs using my silhouette.. and designed a little card to hang on the jar..
"you're the best valentine in 65 million years. happy heart day. love, cyra"
there you have it.. fun valentines.. all packed and ready for school.


she's totally into valentines.. and said to me "mommy, i'm going to really love you on valentines" she is the sweetest ever.

Here is a a link to download the little card I designed.. if you'd like to try this with your little one..

happy heart day!

the gathered pant - pattern

My pattern is based on a 3T/4T sizing.. you can always adjust the length of the legs to make the pants shorter or longer.. and shrink or enlarge the pattern to suit the size you are going for. For the most part since these are knit pants with an elastic band the sizing is flexible.

you'll need:
one men's t-shirt
cotton ribbing for the waistband
non-roll elastic
one yard of jersey knit fabric for the legs
twine for the lettering
thread
sewing machine
serger (optional)
download and print the pattern here- pattern gathered pant
**please note that I'm happy to share this pattern and design with you for personal use only.. thank you. OK lets get started!

start by cutting out the pattern pieces I cut mine from a old men's tshirt - 2 each
cut waistband from cotton ribbing 1- 5 x 28 inches .. this may end up being a bit long.. but I like to be generous with my cuts since you can always trim it down
cut legs - 2 - 15 x 30 inches
**I will mostly be using a serger in these directions.. but you can use your sewing machine as well.. using a strait stitch and then go along the edges with a zigzag stitch.


first take the back inside of the pattern pieces you cut right sides together and serge long ends together.. do the same for the front pieces.


now that both front and back pattern pieces are joined.. pin together both pieces at the crotch area, right sides together.. then serge

match up the sides.. and serge.. when you are done with this step you will have a pair of knit shorts.

next take the 2 leg pieces.. taking the long 30 inch side.. use your sewing machine to sew a basting stitch.. this will allow you to easily gather the leg. before you gather mark the middle of the leg with a pin. pull one thread on the end and your leg will begin to gather.


find the middle of the shorts you have already sewn.. and place right sides together and pin. mske sure he middle of the leg that you have previously pinned match with the outer seam of the shorts.  


once everthing is pinned together you can serge the legth of the leg.. you can also do this before pinning everything together..


using a strait stitch on your sewing machine .. start to stitch the legs and shorts together.. slowly removing the pins as you sew.


press and fold under the waist of the pants, about 2 inches and stitch.


take your cotton ribbing and serge the ends.. press in half lengthwise, fold and pin over waistline and stitch together.


once your ribbed waistband is attached to the pants, take your elastic piece and pin a safety pin to the end.. this will help you feed the elastic through the waistband of the pants.


feed all the way around the pant.. pinning the elastic together.. I always like to leave excess elastic so that i I'm able to adjust the sizing later on if need be..


using a zig zag stitch on your sewing machine.. stitch the elastic together and insert it all into the waistband and handstitch the opening closed.


using twine handstitch with matching thread your word.. I stitched the word "love" freehand.
the last step is to finish off the bottom of the legs using a rolled hem on your serger. and you're done!




hope you enjoy this pattern!

upcycled spice cans

i recently reorganized our spices.. and had these sweet tins left over.. I held onto them.. thinking it would be a nice addition to Cyra's play kitchen.. when I saw this project I knew I had to do something similar..




so I found some sweet vintage labels on flickr.. resized them in photoshop and printed them on label paper..


20 mins later.. start to finish... cyra has a brand new, old toy.

To make them extra durable.. consider using clear packing tape to laminate them.. here are JPEGS of the label files. (please note.. these are not my original images.. so do not sell anything using these images.) hope you enjoy..

lemon
tomato paste
green beans
sirup
tomato
tomato II

lentil goodness

i made soup.. simple and tasty.

i've been feeling overwhelmed lately.. maybe the sleep deprivation is finally catching up with me.. sometimes i even think my little ones are out to get me.. :). then i realize how incredibly adorable they are and i keep going somehow.
so... i made soup, just for me and it felt good. 


to make..you'll need: one small onion chopped, 4 carrots copped, 3 celery stalks chopped, 2 small potatoes cubed, 1 1/3 cups green lentils, juice from 2 lemons, 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, 1 cup frozen collard greens, 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 8 cups of water, salt, 2 teaspoons of coriander

first saute onions with olive oli until translucent, add carrots, celery, potatoes.. saute for 3 mins. Add lentils, 8 cups of water and bring to a boil.. lower heat to bring the soup to a simmer.. add collard greens, spinach, coriander and lemon juice. Cover pot and simmer for about an hour, mixing often. If soup gets too thick add a little more water.. add cilantro and salt to taste.

You can skip the collard greens and sub spinach or any other greens...
and there you have a simple healthy meal.

wool felt christmas tree

here it is.. so simple.. a wool mini tree..


to make this project you'll need:
wool felt.. (you can try using a variation of colors.. or felt some old christmas sweaters. I had two scrap pieces of felt on hand.. but I'd love to try this in many other variations.. )
craft glue or glue gun
foam cone.. I used 12 inches
scissors


first you'll want to start cutting your felt into leaf shapes..


then cut some more..


start lining the cone.. bottom up with the felt leaves and glue as you go along.. if you use a glue gun.. i suggest leaving the plastic wrapper on the cone.. it sticks much better to the cone that way.


now how simple was that?

the birthday crown - how to

a few of you have emailed me asking for a tutorial for the birthday crowns I made for Cyra's party.. these are so simple.. and should take you no longer than 10 mins each..



you'll need:

scrapbook cardstock 12 x 12 (inches)
paper cutter (optional)
scissors
double-sided tape
glue
sewing machine

1. first you'll need to cut your paper in half.. leaving you with two long pieces 12 x 6


2. next using your sewing machine place the two short sides together.. and zig zag stitch, once the short sides are sewn together.. stitch along the longer side a strait stitch.. this is decorative only.. you can skip this step if you like.. or embelish with ribbon.. or really anything you have on hand.


3. now attach the name.. I cut all my names using a Silouette.. you could also just write the child's name.. for my crowns I used a font called "Wendy" if you google it.. you should be able to find a free version


4. while you are waiting for the glue to dry.. cut the peaks of the crown..


5. the last step is to glue the end pieces together.. I used both double sided tape and glue.. the tape will hold the ends together while the glue drys..


and that's it! all while he took a 10 minute cat nap..

the birthday bash..

cyra has been getting herself ready for her birthday for months now (and so has mommy).. we turned three last week.. and with the new addition of her little brother.. I wanted her birthday to be a big deal. it was a circus themed party.. with chocolate cake and all..
we made wishes..

wore clown noses..


bounced..


ate popcorn and had a great time..


this scrapbook paper was my inspiration for the party.. I used the paper as placemats..

I made quick small table cloths with extra fabric I had on hand.. just simply serged the ends.. so it looked neat.

The birthday crowns were made using also scrapbook cardstock.. Super simple.. seriously..I made twelve of these crowns in 45 mins.. I cut them in half and used my sewing machine  to stitch them together.. and added another stitch along the base.. Then I used my Silhouette cutter to cut out all the children's names and cut the triagle peaks at the top freehand.

The gift bags were filled with animal crakers, mini paint set, toy circus animals and wooden animal whistles. I also used the Silhouette to cut out the names.. (can you already tell how obsessed I am with this machine?)

And used the pennant banner i made a couple months ago.

I also put together a quick coloring page.. for the kids to do and tossed crayons in the middle of each table. You can download a pdf of the coloring page here Download

here is a closeup of the cake topper... if you want to try to make your own.. check out this post

 

and a closeup of the birthday crowns..

*some of these photos were taken by Russ Loyd.. a talented guy.