Waterproofing My Kids

My family has been planning an awesome road trip for the end of summer. Two weeks on the road, DVD players, salty sea air, fresh fish, GORGEOUS scenery, and rain. The problem? We're desert dwellers. With the exception of the strange rainy season Salt Lake just experienced, we don't do rain. Not that we don't like it. We do. We just have no protection from the wetness besides an umbrella (or rain-brella as my 2-year-old calls it). As our vacation has a great possibility of being damp for a good portion of the time, I figured my kids will need rain jackets. Luck was on my side. I found these adorable little rain coats at Target (on clearance even!). I got them home and made my kiddos try them on immediately. Sadly, the jackets were too short in the sleeves on two of my 3 kids. Here's how I solved my problem for about $1 per jacket. The jacket: I bought 2 different colors of ribbon (by the yard-1 1/2" wide on both pieces). Measure around the cuff of the sleeve and add a little for your seam.** Since I was using 2 pieces of ribbon, I glued them together using my favorite glue, E6000. Starting at the inside seam of the sleeve, I glued the ribbon all the way around. Add a little embellishment. That's it. When I showed my hubby after one sleeve, he didn't realize I was showing him the "finished" side. He was amazed. (And why shouldn't he be?? ;) ) The best part is it fits her!! **To give your grosgrain ribbon a finished look on the raw edges, I used a propane lighter (like the ones for your grill) to burn the edge. No more fraying!

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.

In my own haste to get ready for a first-time trip to New York City, I forgot to add our brand-new feature to the blog. Before you read the rest of this post, take a gander over to the top of the left column to see our new Creative Concept corner. Sometimes, you just need a small word or idea to send you into a great creative mindset. This month the theme is: travel. So many of us have recently traveled or are about to go on our summer vacations and there are a lot of ways crafts can make your trips easier or more fun.

This very theme inspired my craft for today. It was also inspired by an odd book called The Big-A** Book of Crafts by Mark Montano, pages 142-143. The author says to laminate a color copy of a map, cut it to the desired size, punch a hole in the corner, thread a key ring through it, write your info on the other side.

It sounds easy, but I think I've made it even easier (and less sharp around the edges).

I used these great easy-to-use Photo Laminating sheets from 3M.

I printed off a map of where we spent our recent vacation from Yahoo. I wrote my info on the reverse side and even added the quote I put in the title of this post. I glued the map and info back to back and slipped it into one of these sheets. Easy! I then cut a small slit in the top and threaded an unused hair elastic through the slit to attach it to my luggage. I even added a small ribbon for good measure and to cover the metalic connector on the elastic.

The finished product:

-C

All out of Mod Podge....

This week has been rainy and cold.... I've had sick kids and I've been cooped up in my house most of the week:(  So, I thought I'd skip showering and work on some crafts.  Unfortunately I ran out of Mod Podge but I couldn't drag my sick kids to the store in the rain.  So, I thought I'd post a really cute GIRLY scrapbook layout I got to make of my niece.  My sister-in-law was sad that she didn't win my scrap a page contest so I told her I would scrapbook a page for her anyway.  It was a win win situation because I don't have any girls and it was soooo fun to scrapbook a girl page.  (I have tons of girly scraps if anyone wants to use them).

I used this layout from Elizabeth Kartchner as my inspiration.  I loved the way it turned out and it was soooo much fun... thanks for letting me scrap these Shellie!

Stay tuned for all of my Mod Podge projects when I get to the store!!!

-Anisa

Quick Felt Checkbook Cover

I was getting tired of the checkbook cover that came with my wallet. Not only was it a boring taupe, but that taupe also acted as a type of camouflage, constantly preventing my husband from being able to find it. He won't have trouble finding it now! I used that old taupe cover as a template to cut out my felt. I kept the width the same, but increased the length a bit to allow for folding it in half, etc. The embellishment is just embroidery and a bit of applique. It took me just over twenty minutes of actual work to make this happen.

Waterproof a Blanket

So, here's a funny story for you. We went camping over Memorial Weekend.  On the drive there, it started to rain on us.  When we got there to set up camp, it stopped raining, but the ground was wet.  So I pulled out my waterproof blanket to set the little ones on.  As I was cleaning up camp to go to bed, I thought I'd pick up the blanket and turn it upside down over the tailgate of the truck so that the back side (the waterproof side) could dry.  Well, that night it rained and poured.  The next morning all of our camp chairs that we had left out and everything else we owned was WET.  But not my waterproof blanket.  I turned it back over and had a dry place for the

 little ones to sit!

So, here's how I made it.... I got the idea from Little Birdie Secrets here, but I made my own modifications.

Supplies....  

• vinyl table cloth (60x84)
• lots of old pants for quilt top
• 4 yards of flannel for quilt bottom
• 2 pkgs heavy duty snaps
• twill tape
• hammer.... I have to say that I tried using the setting kit that came with the snaps and I found my scrapbooking tools for eyelets to work much better.

1. I cut out 88 8" squares from old pants I had been saving.

2.  I sewed them together 8x11 squares. (this made my quilt 64"x88" -seam allowance)

3.  I bought 4 yards of flannel for the back and sewed that together. (that made it 72x90" so I had to cut a little off)

4.  I laid the flannel face down on the carpet and laid my quilt top face up on that.  

5.  I trimmed the flannel about 1.5 inches longer than the quilt top all the way around.

6.  I turned the flannel over twice and pinned it.

7.  I machine bound the edge of the quilt.

8.  I sewed a few random X's through the squares of the quilt to hold it together when washed.

9.  I bought a rectangle vinyl table cloth to  snap to the quilt.  I used twill tape everywhere I put the snaps to reinforce the table cloth.

10.  I bought heavy duty snaps and adhered them to the table cloth and quilt.

The best part about this is that I can use the table cloth as an actual table cloth and I can use the blanket without the waterproofing.  I just wipe the table cloth off and I can wash the blanket in the washing machine.

Another thought I had was to just buy a vinyl table cloth and a cloth table cloth and snap the two of them together.

-Anisa

Sweet Little Tissue Holders

I love these little tissue holders and have wanted to make one for some time. I found a super easy tutorial on Skip to My Lou. Honestly I used the tutorial once and didn't need it again. So easy. Here's mine: Cut 2 pieces of fabric 6 1/2" x 7" each and iron Place right sides together and sew around the edges using a 1/4" seam. Be sure to leave a 1 1/2" opening for turning. (I'm sorry about the poor quality of the above photo. They get better.) Turn out and use your scissors to help push out the corners. Iron again. Fold edges in towards the middle. Allow them to overlap about 1/4" Sew 1/4" seam down both sides. (This will close your gap from turning it right side out.) Turn right side out. Add embellishments if you a little extra. Fill with travel tissue pack. How simple is that?! Love it!

And the winner is......

Polls officially closed last night. It was a very close race. (I was checking the blog several times a day to see who was ahead-and it was always different!) Without further delay, the winner is:

Melody and her Firetruck page!!!

Congratulations Melody! Send us your info at twiddlethumbs@rocketmail.com and we'll get your prize pack out a.s.a.p.

For all the contestants, be sure to keep an eye on your inbox. Journaling cards are coming your way!

Thanks again to all who participated!

1 Craft-3 Ways: Use a scrapbook product for a Non-scrapbook craft

In honor of our month of scrapbooking, we thought that for our 1 craft 3 ways we would use a scrapbooking product to make a non scrapbook related craft. I actually had another idea in mind, but then I was wandering around IKEA one day and I came upon this cute plant pot. I have been wanting a plant for my black and white living room, but I couldn't find a great pot. I loved the vertical lines of this pot.... and I love ribbon. So I came up with this idea. I just hot glued strips of ribbon to the pot!!! I love it! - Anisa

I love notebooks. I love making lists (and crossing things off my list). A recent tune-up on my sewing machine, some lined paper I made in Word (or make some using Photoshop and this tutorial), scrapbook paper and a few embellishments helped me make this:

It's been so great to have a cute place to put my daily tasks and long and short term goals. The best part was it was SO easy to make. Cut half sheets of lined paper (regular ol' computer paper) and a piece of heavier patterned scrapbooking paper. (I believe mine was 9" x 6"-or just enough to give about a 1/4" border all the way around.) Carefully sew down the middle of the book. For this part I didn't use my foot pedal. I did it all by using the turn knob on the side of my machine. (Do a test run to make sure your paper stack isn't too thick.) When it was all sewn together I decorated the front with a few simple embellishments, rounded the corners with a punch and inked the edges. It is my favorite notebook. -Ang

This craft is on the CHEAP!

First, I made these magnet board clippies with free promotional magnets (for animal vaccinations, of all things) and Mod-Podged squares of scrapbook paper on them that match my kids' rooms.

My kids always have so many things to hang up (little crafters, all)and they were really excited when I gave these to them.

Next, I bought some simple wooden spring clothes pins at Target for less that $2. I painted some red with acid-free acrylic paint (which I use along in my scrapbooking) and covered the others with Mod-Podge and Rusty-Pickle doodle paper.

I clip these on wires that I strung across my wall in my scrapbook/craft room and use them to hang un-finished scrapbook pages and cool products that I want to use on my next scrapbook page! --C