Bonus Post! Upgraded Dollar Store Flip Flops

So I was out shopping today with a friend, and we were admiring all the fun little shoes, clothes, etc. at the boutique shops.  The only thing we couldn't admire was the prices!  I love the look of the items, but I just can't bring myself to pay the prices when I know that my kiddos are going to grow out of them or wear them out in about 3 months.  So today I was inspired to make my daughter a cute ribbon wrapped pair of flip flops for much cheaper than I saw at the store.  The ones I saw had ribbon wrapped around the straps then a bow made out of matching ribbon at the toe.  I knew I wouldn't be able to replicate it exactly (bows are so not my forte), but I though I could make something similar that was fun and my daughter would like.  It only ended up taking some ribbon, flip flops, 3 different colored pieces of tulle, and a glue gun.

After picking her up from her MDO, we went off to the dollar store where we found some flip flops in her size with multi-colored peace signs on them.  My daughter is a little obsessed with peace signs because her Grammy, my mom, is also a little obsessed with peace signs (teenager of the 70s) and passed that on to my daughter.  So when I saw the peace sign flip-flops, I knew they would be the ones. 

I then let her choose from a couple different ribbons of matching colors to wrap the straps in.  She chose pink (of course), so I set to work.  I recommend starting by hot gluing the ribbon to strap then wrapping it around and regluing it to the ribbon to make sure it stays.  The hot glue comes off the rubber strap pretty easily.  I then wrapped it around, gluing it to the previous ribbon each time.

I made sure to put half the glue on the ribbon and half on the strap.  I also applied the glue to the backside of the strap so any extra glue could not be seen from the outside.  I kept warping until I reached the end of the other side, finishing by gluing ribbon to ribbon.

To finish it off, I grabbed a couple colors of coordinating tulle to tie around the tie instead of a bow.  Again, I am definitely not a bow maker. :)  I tied on piece to one side of the toe and another to the other side.

I then took a piece of black tulle and tied it around both the other pieces of tulle.  I took some scissors and cut it down, so it would be just little puffs of tulle at the toe.

End result, while not as nice as the ones in the store, I ended up with a pair of flip flops that my daughter was able to pick out and help make herself.  She loves them, and even if they fall apart in a week (hopefully not) I only paid a $1 for it b/c I already had the ribbon and tulle. :)  Fun project to do with your kiddos (minus the glue gun) that they can proudly wear later.

Week 14 - Pillow Mat

This may have been one of my (and my kids') favorite projects so far.  I saw a pin that showed a blog with instructions to make a pillow mat.  It looked so cute that I couldn't resist trying it out!  The pillow mat instructions came from the blog Southern Disposition.  The instructions were super easy to follow, and this project took me about an hour the first time, but only 45 minutes the next.

I started with a shopping trip to IKEA to get the duvet cover and the pillows.  The duvee cost me about $16.99, and, after some searching, I was able to find the $.99 pillows.  I got to work with the duvet when I got home cutting it into half and stitching it per the directions.

I measured the same way she did by laying out the pillows, then I marked the spots to stitch with pins.  It was overall pretty easy, although I did mess up some of the measurements creating some pillow pockets are little bit bigger.  The mat worked out well though, I am just going to add some velcro to avoid the pockets opening and allowing the pillows to come out.  She loved it!

We found that you can even fold one pillow on top of the other to create an elevated pillow for extra cushion under her head. :)  My son wanted one once he saw hers, but I couldn't find a duvet that looked boyish enough for a 7 year old, so we went off to Target to look for a flat sheet.  We found an entire sheet set for the same price that I got the duvet at Ikea in a space print, so we got that.  I figure that I can use the sheets one his bed with a different flat sheet.  It was not hard to convert the instructions to a sheet.  I first cut the sheet to the length of the four pillows since I knew it would be longer than the duvet.  I sewed the raw edge to clean it up.  I folded the sheet in half and pulled out the bottom half of the sheet until the tops half matched the width of the pillows.  I then cut the bottom half about 5 inches longer in width to create the pocket.  I sewed the bottom and top together then sewed up the raw edge and completed it the same as the duvet.  I think that this actually did better b/c the length was created exactly for the pillows making the pillow pockets just right.  The sheet was also a little thicker fabric, not stretching as easily either. 

End result, they both love them!!

They use them for mattresses when they do "slumber parties" in the playroom, and they have actually started using them on top of their real mattresses in their bed b/c they are so comfy!

Week 13 - Triumphs

Well this week I tried a couple different things from pinterest.  Some things turned out great, and others I will not try again.  Live and learn!  This post with contain the success stories, and I will put the learning experiences in the next post. This will be a longer post, so hopefully you don't get bored!  :)

Starting off with one of the successes!  I was invited to a shower last weekend that was put together by my church's associate pastor and his wife for a pregnant woman in their apartment complex whose husband is serving overseas and family lives out of state.  When they heard that she was about to deliver and had not yet had a shower, they threw together a fantastic shower for her and invited everyone in our church to come by to congratulate the mom to be and "shower" her with gifts. :)  I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try out the diaper trike that I had seen on pinterest!  The pin lead me to the link, Maiden D'Shade.  It gave very easy instructions to follow.  The whole thing took about maybe 30 minutes start to finish.  Very easy! 

I started with the wheels.  I didn't have rubber bands as the original blog called for, but I had some stretchy ribbon that I used instead and just pinned it.

I then connected the wheels with the first rolled receiving blanket.  Instead of using yarn to connect the blanket, I just pinned it together.  I looped the second rolled receiving blanket through the front wheel and tied it together with some coordinating tulle.  I stuck a pacifier in to serve as the head light. :)

 To finish off the trike, I folded up the last receiving blanket into a small rectangle and pinned it to the top of the "tires" to serve as the seat. 

SUPER EASY!!  I would definitely do this again!  I would try and get the rubber bands for the tires next time to hold them a little tighter and just go over them with ribbon.  That is really the only change I would make.  Totally recommend this for a quick and cute shower gift. :)

Next success:

Chalkboard paint!  This was awesome and will be a regular part of our summer entertainment.  I am guilty of not going to the blog on this one b/c the pin had the directions listed, but I wanted to list the blog anyways to give credit where credit is due.  Plus, I like to go back and visit the blogs later as they usually have lots of other great ideas!  Domestic Charm served as the inspiration for this pin!

You simply mix 1 cup of cornstarch with 1 cup of water.  I did this in a Pyrex measuring cup.  I then poured it into a large 6 opening muffin tin.  One mixture of the solution filled 3 openings in the tin, so I made two batches.  Once in the muffin tin, I added the food coloring.  We took it outside, and the kids went to town.  They loved how it went on wet, but dried to look like chalk only seconds later, especially my science-nut son!  They stayed busy for about 45 minutes painting the driveway.  I even joined in on the fun! 

I had been worried about it possibly staining their clothes, but instead of absorbing into their fabric it seemed to bead up instead (not sure if b/c of the corn starch).  It also did not stain their skin either!  Great paint!!  It washed off the driveway easily with the hose a couple days later when I was watering the plants. 

Week 10 - Easter Egg Tree

This project was another learning experience for me, but in the end it turned out really cute!  I chose to try out the Easter Egg tree that I saw on pinterest that linked me to the blog, Sweet Floweret.  This seemed easy enough, so I went to Walmart to get the floral foam cone, eggs, and Easter grass.  I decided I would try to use some craft glue that I had at home since I did not have a hot glue gun.  I thought it would be fine, so I started to glue small spots onto the eggs then attach it to the cone.

The glue was not drying quickly, and the eggs were sliding around a little bit, so I had to prop them as I kept gluing.  I made it around the first layer and... they all fell.

I thought about some sticky dots that I had tat have worked well with other crafts including fabric.  I tried sticking some on the same spot as I had applied the glue. 

It did not work with just the dot, so I put some glue around it.  I got the rest of the way around the tree and decided to wait until the morning to put the grass in, so the glue would have a chance to completely dry.

I went off to watch a show with my husband, and half-way through I heard a plastic "clink" on the table.  I told my husband I didn't even want to look since I knew what was happening.  We started to laugh after a couple more "clinks."  I still didn't check.  I thought I would just fix whatever fell in the morning.  This is what I walked into the next morning.

That was a lot of fixing.  Instead of repeating the same mistake, I decided to go a buy a glue gun.  I have learned to use the proper materials and not try and substitute other things.  I also learned that craft glue will not glue plastic to foam. :)
After purchasing a glue gun I tried again.  It's amazing how much easier and faster it is when you have the right materials!  

Woo-hoo!  No plastic "clinks" after the fact too.  After making sure the eggs were secure, I stuck the grass in between.  I would pull the grass apart (it was clumped up in the bag) then I would bunch it and stick it in between the eggs.  I would try and stretch it out so that it would be secure.  It was pretty easy to do.

Ta-dah!  The finished product!!

Overall this was a pretty easy project, especially once I got the glue gun!  It took about 45 min start to finish. 

Week 8 - Ruffled Tier Skirt

Sorry about the delay!  I am a couple weeks behind on posting, but I am still crafting! :)  On week 8, i decided to try my hand at making my daughter a ruffled skirt.  Now I have only made one other sewing project from a pattern and that was a pillowcase dress, which is pretty hard to mess up.  The measurements on this one had to be a little more exact and I had to create a waistband.  I took it on excited about learning how to ruffle as well!  I know that I can buy a ruffling foot for my machine, but that costs some $$, and if I can do it with what I have, that will work! 

I took the pattern from this pin on pinterest which led me to the blog, Craftiness is not Optional (http://www.craftinessisnotoptional.com/2012/02/l-o-v-e-tee-and-easy-tiered-skirt.html).

Cute blog with pretty easy to follow instructions.  I cut my fabric to the to my calculations per the directions on the blog.

Now looking back at just these measurements, I can see why this skirt wasn't as cute as I thought it would be.  I didn't get enough length on my middle fabric.  A couple more inches on the cupcake fabric would have led to a probable success on this one.  Oh well! :)

Not realizing my mistake, I went ahead sewing the skirt.  I did a zig-zag around the top and bottom edges since I do not have a serger.  I ironed up a hem on the bottom layer of the skirt and zig-zag stitched to secure it.  After this I sewed a long single stitch on a tension of 5 across the top of the bottom and middle layer. This will create your ruffle! :)  I was able to pull one side of the thread to ruffle the fabric.  It took a little time to figure out just how to get the fabric to bunch, and it's hard to explain, but one I got it, I was able to ruffle it pretty quickly.  She probably does a better job of explaining this process on her website. 

I then tied my strings to the string on the other layer of fabric to complete the full circle of that layer and zig-zag stitched them together wrong sides out.  I did this to both the bottom and middle layers.  I then took the middle layer and turned it inside out and put the top of the bottom layer inside of that to pin together to sew together wrong side out.

I ran this through on a zig-zag stitch to connect together.

Looks cute so far right?  Well attaching the top layer is where I went, "huh?"  I prepped the top layer by ironing the top over to create a space for the waistband to go into.  I threaded the elastic through using a paper clip that pierced the elastic and a pin to grab it and pull through.  I really should get some safety pins!  That would have made that process a little easier.  Oh well! I got it through and sewed it together.  I then attached the top layer to the middle using the same method as before.  It was at that moment that I though, "This doesn't look right."

Where it was supposed to tier out it was almost gathered tight.  I had my daughter try it on, and she was excited at first, but then decided that she didn't like "lumpy" skirts.  I had to laugh b/c she pretty much hit it on the head. :)  The tightness of the skirt on the middle created a bubble on the top part. LOL! 
I am going to try this again with some changes.  I will DOUBLE check my math this time.  I am thinking it was user error and not the fault of the pattern as I look back.  I would also tighten the waistband about an inch tighter.  It said to add an inch to your child's waist size, but for my daughter the waist was a little big, so I think I will keep it exact next time.  I will post an update with a hopefully better looking skirt! :)

Week 7 - Chocolate Peanut Butter Hearts

In honor of Valentine's Day, I made my husband a homemade treat of Chocolate Peanut Butter Hearts found on....Pinterest, of course! :)  The pin led me to the blog Hungry Happenings (http://www.hungryhappenings.com/). 

My husband is a HUGE fan of Reese's Peanut Butter cups, so instead of buying him some from the store, I decided to try this recipe that I found.  While mine didn't end up quite as pretty as the ones on the blog, they were still cute and very tasty!!

I started out making the peanut butter concoction first.  I poured the bag of white chips (I used Hershey's Premium White) and the Reese's Peanut Butter chips into a large microwaveable bowl and heated per directions.  (45 seconds - stir, 30 seconds - stir, 25 seconds - let sit for 2 minutes then stir).  Mine required another 10 seconds after that to fully melt all the chips.  I stirred in the salt then the 2 cups of peanut butter.  I used crunchy peanut butter for two reasons - 1) My husband prefers crunchy peanut butter over creamy and 2) I forgot to get creamy at the store and all we had was crunchy in the house. :)  I was not running back to the store in the middle of making this, so crunchy peanut butter it was!  It actually turned out great!!

I laid out a layer of foil on a large cookie sheet then put some heart shaped cookie cutters on top.  Using a ladle I poured the peanut butter mixture into the cookie cutters.  I filled them about 3/4 full, maybe a little more.  I then put them in the freezer for a couple hours so I could run out to my son's school Valentine's Day party and pick up my daughter from preschool. 

When I got back, the hearts were frozen through and popped out of the cookie cutters easily.  I then made the chocolate ganache (yummy!) by heating up the heavy whipping cream (1 cup) until almost boiling then stirring it into the bowl where I had poured the bag semi-sweet chocolate chips.  I whisked this until smooth then used another ladle to pour and smooth the chocolate over the hearts.  I returned them to the freezer to harden up the chocolate before dinner. 

My husband loved his surprise, and I took one of the larger hearts of the freezer, so it could thaw while we ate dinner.  We shared a portion for dessert, and it was delicious!  Today I had one of the smaller hearts just out of the freezer, and that was pretty yummy too!  It had a little more crispness, where last night, being thawed, it was more gooey.  Might just have to keep some in the freezer and some in the fridge!

One of the bonuses was there was enough chocolate ganache left over for the kids to dip strawberries for their dessert that night!

I would definitely recommend this one to try.  It's neat that you can make it for whatever, holiday, or just because! :)

Week 5 - Part 2 Homemade Sugar Scrub

I am becoming a fan of DIY gifts.  Not only are they more cost effective, it also gives the kids a chance to help make gifts for their teachers.  We decided to make homemade sugar scrub for their teacher's for Valentine's Day.  I found this idea on pinterest which linked me to the blog, Under the Table and Dreaming (http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2010/05/lemon-sugar-hand-scrub-for-mom.html). 

We got out our ingredients and got ready.

I got my jars from our local Sprouts.  I liked the smooth sides for this gift, instead of the ones with imprints on the jar.  It was relatively cheap, about $1.  We combined the olive oil, sugar, and lemon juice as directed into a big mixing bowl (2 and 1/2 cups sugar, 1 cup olive oil, and 4 tablespoons lemon juice).  I let the kids help measure, pour, and stir.  We were able to fill two small jars (one for each teacher) instead of just doing one 12 oz. jar. 

I used a ladle to pour the scrub into the jars for less mess.  I made another batch for me and my mom to test out before I gave these out to make sure it wasn't a flop! :)  I did end up pouring some of the olive oil that settled at the top of the teacher's jars, as my mom and I discovered that there was almost too much in our batch.  I also tried to add in more lemon juice for scent, but the olive oil scent seems to drown it out.  I didn't mind though, as it left a neutral scent allowing me to use whatever lotion I wanted afterwards without a scent clash.  If I were to do a scented one again, I would add less olive oil and more juice or just use essential oils instead.

I out some ribbon on to attach a spoon and added a label to spiff it up.  We included the directions on the back just in case. :)

All in all, I think it made a cute gift that the teachers will enjoy.  It does work well to moisturize the hands, and my skin felt so soft!  I would just tweak a few things for next time.  Feel free to add comments if you have tried something similar that worked!

Week 5 Part 1 - Making Colored Noodles and Rice

This week I decided that I wanted to be ambitious again and try out two different things.  One for the kids, and one for Valentine's gifts.  I started the week with a link that I found to make colored noodles and rice.  On the success of last week's cloud dough, I thought having some multi-colored rice buckets would be fun for the kids.  This pin on pinterest came from The Daily Buzz (http://www.thedailybuzz.com.au/2011/11/make-your-own_homemade_crayons_play-doh_chalk_fingerpaint/).  They had all kinds of great ideas for things to do with the kids.

I stopped by the store to get some rubbing alcohol, rice, and noodles.  My daughter and I found a bag that had three different kinds of noodles (shells, penne, and spirals).  I liked this b/c I can have her sort out the pasta by color then by shape.  It's two for one!  We set off home to dye our pasta. 

I was a little disappointed in myself not thinking to buy more food coloring when I discovered the only colors we had at home were yellow, red, and green.  We made due with what we had and started to mix the rubbing alcohol and food coloring (1 tsp. alcohol to how ever many drops of food coloring you want.)  I did this in a big measuring cup, so I could then just pour the rice or noodles on top of the food coloring mix up to the one cup line and stir.  It was a little harder than I anticipated to get all the mix throughout the rice and noodles and stirring took a little while.  I would let me daughter stir the first couple times, then I would take over to get it evenly distributed. 

 I did not have wax paper as the website suggested to let it dry, so I did foil instead.  We did this on the afternoon, and I let it dry overnight.  Some of the noodles were even a little tacky in the morning, so I let them sit a little longer. 

When my son got out from school, we broke out the rice and split it between two small buckets, so each kid could have their own.  They loved it once again!  I gave them some paper cups, measuring cups and spoons to play with.  They had a blast scoop, filling, and pouring the rice.  My son even put two cups together full of rice, tapped it on the side of the bucket then poured the rice out, saying he was pretending he was cracking an egg.  I loved it!!

The mess factor was bigger in the making of the rice and noodles (My daughter ended up with a stained elbow on her shirt from dipping it in red food coloring).  The mess factor from playing with the rice was minimal.  We kept it at the kitchen table, so it was easy to wipe off.  This was a great activity start to finish, and I like that I can put the rice in a plastic bag and save it for another time too!