AWOL

Whoa...time has flown! Where have I been?? Searching everyone else's blogs. I loooove me some blogs. Tutorials. Creative inspiration. I could browse for hours! I am hoping to do some more updating soon. I have not been exceptionally crafty lately...but I feel it coming on. It's not the holidays if I don't craft. I think I'm gonna revamp the page a little, and try to get this think going again! Thanks for stickin' around ;)

More for the new mommy...

This site is an amazing source for handy-helpers for new mommys! Free patterns galore; everything from wraps and slings (some of them are no-sew!) to converting your bras into nursing bras and t-shirts into nursing tops. What a resource! Oh, don't forget the restaurant high chair and grocery cart covers...gold mine, mommas!

Just remember, these patterns and the products they make are for personal use only. Feel free to share the site, just don't pass off the patterns as your own. And by all means, make these things for all the new mothers in your life, just don't peddle the product :)

Happy crafting!

http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/
Thanks to Jan Andrea for the freebies!

Nursing Cover Pattern

Wowowow. Too bad I didn't have this pattern when my girls were nursing; I was too cheap to buy one!! Dum-da-da-dum...here is it, a free pattern for making your own nursing cover/apron. This would make an excellent gift for any nursing mother. If I can find the time, I would like to make one for a friend of mine :) I'd better hurry it up!

As always, send me a pic of your completed project, I'd love to see it!

http://www.blisstree.com/breastfeeding123/free-pattern-to-sew-your-own-nursing-cover/

Fun Fonts

I am a font-person. I am addicted-ish. Apparently-I like using hyphens today, too! lol. Any whoo- I've been downloading free fonts this morning (because it's my fetish); I thought I'd share the process for any of you that would like to have cute fonts, but don't know how to get and/or install them.

Open your internet browser. You can Google "free fonts" or what ever combination of words to get the type of fonts you're interested in having (ex: free distressed fonts, free girly fonts, etc.). If you would like to browse what's available, try this site: www.dafont.com

Once you've selected a font, click DOWNLOAD for either Mac or PC, whichever; some sites just list DOWNLOAD. OPEN the file, no need to save. Once it is open, you'll want to UNZIP the files, which also means EXTRACT ALL FILES. Sometimes there are more than one file for different type-styles, bold, outline, etc. There can also be ReadMe files, kind of a disclaimer by the creator addressing proper uses of the file. The font files are often denoted with a TrueType (a blue TT) icon (occassionally, OpenType, a gray and green O).

These are the simple instructions for installation---
Windows Vista: Right-click on the font files > "Install"
Windows XP: Put the font files into C:\Windows\Fonts
Mac OS X: Double-click the font file > "Install font" button.

If you are operating on a different system, you can take the long route:
Minimize your extracted file to the bottom of the screen.
Go to your START menu, and select CONTROL PANEL. Open the FONTS file.
Now, open your font again, and drag the icon onto the FONTS file, you might see a plus sign+ denoting the transfer of files.

With certain antivirus/antispyware, the computer will ask permission to download the file, in that case you would select CONTINUE.

I hope this was helpful, enjoy the world of free-fonts! :)

FELT great!

I absolutely love etsy! Even when money is tight, I love to visit for inspiration :) I found this etsy store via a friend of mine; I fell in love! Who knew you could do so much with felt??? And so very GREEN-ish. I'm not the most eco-friendly, but for every piece of generic plastic food that gets stepped on while I attempt to tidy my daughters' room, I will envy these beauties! I would really like to try the tea set, it is absolutely adorable!

Follow this link for an inspirational treat, let me know if you try any of the patterns, I'd love to see your results!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6192066

Tu-tu cute!!

I made tu-tus for the girls as well, the tutorial I used is no longer available. This creative momma gave instructions with photos on her blog: http://july24tojuly24.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-to-make-tutu-with-photos.htmltojuly24.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-to-make-tutu-with-photos.html

Bless her for taking photos as she worked, it never occurred to me how handy those might be later! It can be a little difficult to picture the "ties" in your mind, but once you get the hang of it, you can knock it out in no time!

As always, this project is super cheap, and tu-tu cute! It can be completely no-sew. I did, however, sew the elastic waistband; there are ways around that ;) I used yardages of sparkly tulle from our local Wal-Mart. I'll never do that again. 6" rolls of tulle are available in a multitude of colors. I'm sure it's not quite as cost effective, but with small children and crafting during nap time and after bed time, I'm willing to pay a small convenience-fee :))

I hope to have a tutorial of my own [on the subject] eventually; I wanted you all to know that it is possible, and absolutley worth it! It would make a great gift or costume for any little ballerina-princess-fairy!

Bahaha...I just noticed they both let the same pant leg ride up, lol.

Make Your Own HaIrBoWs!!

Does your girly-girl love to accessorize??...these step by step instructions will save you a ton'0'money and appeal to your creative side :) With easy interchangeable bows it'll save a ton of storage space. Make an inexpensive and adorable bow holder for a great custom gift!

The site is: http://www.girlythingsbows.com/pinwheel_bow.htmlYou can buy lengths of ribbon (for next to nothing!) in the fabric department at Wal-Mart or other craft/fabric stores. Alligator and other clips are available in bulk at little expense at beauty supply stores.

Below is a picture of the bows and bow holders I made the girls for Christmas. I used the pattern for "pinwheel bows" (instead of using craft wire, I used a needle and thread!). I caught the little [painted] wooden lady bugs on 50% sale at Hobby Lobby, I believe I paid 59 cents for the two of them! I just painted their names with puff paint and hot glued a length of ribbon and also a loop of thin ribbon to hang it from.

Bridesmaid on a Budget

I was very proud to help host a Bridal Shower for one of my oldest and dearest friends a couple of weeks ago. I challenged myself to decorate the local conference center on a $50 budget. In the end, I think it was more around $65 dollars, but I anticipate selling them on http://www.craigslist.com/ and getting some of my money back :) If I can get at least $15, then I'll consider myself within my budget!

English Garden Tea Party was our theme; the decor included petite table arrangements in tea cups and table top topiaries. (I made table luminaries, but didn't end up using them.)

The bride's mother provided a wonderful spread of food including tea sandwiches, and fresh fruit, as well as a beautiful cupcake tower; of course we also had Raspberry tea and Boston tea (a tart cranberry tea).

A big part of being thrifty is being resourceful and hard working. Rather than purchase real or silk flowers for our garden party, I crafted tissue paper flowers (http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/crafted-bouquet) and paper pom poms (http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/pom-poms-and-luminariasrthastewartweddings.com/article/pom-poms-and-luminarias) following the instructions provided by Martha Stewart on her website.

I used an elementary school method to construct the topiaries, I plan on posting a tutorial at a later date...I used disposable table cloths (for lack of real linens), and cut down Opalescent disposable table covers to make table runners.

One of the greatest attributes to the atmospere was a [borrowed] white canopy tent. Adorned in my white Christmas lights and the mother of the bride's English Ivy, it provided perfect housing for the food tables. I also borrowed tea cups and saucers from my grandmother to house the centerpieces.

Here are the pictures:

From the back of the room/the topiaries alone/the centerpieces up close

The food menagerie/the centerpieces on the opalescent table runners with lavender rose petals

***You can click on the pics to enlarge; if you need to zoom out press Ctrl + - (minus)

Stitchin' Pigs

I completed my first applique project last month. I always prefer to hand make gifts; it's so much more personal. So, to welcome my newest nephew, Braden Noah, I made him a quilt honoring his nursery decor and his mommy and daddy's alma mater. I just wanted to share pics because I was so sticking proud of it! 80)

Less Costly Laundry

So...I finally did it! I've been saying for weeks I was going to make my own laundry detergent. Once I found that our local Walmart had all the supplies I needed (3 ingredients, believe it or not!), I knew it was time to stop procrastinating. The recipe I followed was very easy; too easy not to try. It calls for 1/2 c. borax, 1/2 c. washing soda (Sodium Carbonate), and 1 c. bar soap, grated. All the recipes I found called for Zote, Fels-Naptha (?), or Ivory soap. I used Zest Aqua because I wanted a fresh smell; I found later that the bar was blue and thought that surely wouldn't be a problem, but I added the detergent to the running water and let it dissolve before adding my clothes. I only used 1/2 c. of bar soap for this first batch. There were so many variations of the recipe, I decided to try equal parts of all ingredients, for convenience sake.
I located the washing soda in the section of pool supplies...don't be worried. It's very safe. I purchased a 5 lb. shaker of pH Plus Balancer. It is used to balance pH levels in swimming pools. It is Sodium Carbonate, the very same thing Arm & Hammer sells under the title Washing Soda.
I also read that the soap is easily grated in large amounts using a food processor; unfortunately my food processor is out of commission, so I'm proud to say that I have a super clean cheese grater now :)
The batch was very small, but it was experimental. Once I find out how it works (of course I have a load in the washer as I type), I can easily produce large batches for future use. Simply add 1 Tablespoon for small loads or 2 Tablespoons for heavily soiled or large loads, and happy washing!