He's Creative!

This cute kid of mine had a birthday this week. 

I got to go to his class and "spotlight" him.

On the wall were "superstar" papers on each of the children in the class. So of course I read the one about my boy.

There were lots of fun facts he filled out about himself but the ones that caught my eye were;

The thing people like best about me is, "I'm creative"

The thing I like best about me is, "I'm creative"

Seriously, how awesome is that? It made my heart smile.

I truly feel that we all have the desire to create deep inside us and creation or being creative can bring great happiness and fulfilment.

You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us.  The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter. -Dieter F. Uchtdorf-

To many, being creative only means something in the cultural, performing or visual arts. I think there is so much more to it than that. We can be creative every day and it's as simple as finding a new way of looking at a problem.

So, yes, I am proud of my boy for recognizing and feeling proud that he's creative and I hope he never forgets it!

Bleached T-shirts....what NOT to do!

So I'm all about sharing my mistakes so you don't have to make them too.
I appreciate when others do the same for me.
In that spirit I'm sharing with you what NOT to do when making a T-shirt with a bleached out design.

We thought it would be fun to let our church Young Women's group decorate some t-shirts and we thought this would be an inexpensive, fun and cute way for them to do it.

I thought I should try it out before letting the girls loose with bleach.....and it turns out it was a good thing I did.

With this being a church activity I was very budget conscious. If you've seen the bleached t-shirts around the Internet most people have used their vinyl cutting machines to cut the designs. I do not have one and I didn't want to buy any. So, my brilliant idea was to print up some designs on cardstock and cut them out with an exacto knife.  I used Picmonkey for my designs.

Then I used spray adhesive on the cut-out designs and applied them to the t-shirt.
This is where I made my first mistake......can you see it by looking at the picture below?

Yep! I put the spray adhesive on the black printed side of the paper and then stuck it to the shirt.
If you look closely at the picture under this you can see the black that is now permanently a part of the shirt.

After you adhere your design to the shirt you spray with bleach. The bleach will change the color of the shirt around your design and then when you peel off the paper your shirt looks awesome!

Mistake two: I added water to the bleach in the spray bottle. This made the bleach spread and not speckle. I was going for the speckled look.

Mistake three and the most important one of all: When you spray the bleach you need to squirt it a couple of times and then wait and see what it does before you spray more.
I sprayed and thought, "It's not doing anything it needs more." So I sprayed more.....a lot more.....and then all of a sudden the whole thing was pink and not speckled purple with pink like I wanted.....

Mistake four: I didn't put anything between the front and back of the shirt to keep the bleach from soaking through to the back.
This is what it ended up looking like.

Not exactly what I was going for, but I think it's kind of cute in a sort of tie-dyed way.
The good news is she loves it and that's all that really matters.

And even better news! My second attempt turned out more like what I was hoping for.

Up next.....Bleached T-shirts....what TO DO!

Trying my hand... (and a valentine printable)

...at making some of these today.

It probably would be easier if I had the right software but I'm making due with what I do have.

I thought this would be really cute printed up on cardstock and attached to a little cellophane bag with heart candies.

(I'm a sucker for those cinnamon hearts this time of year.)

(oh, and don't forget the Dove chocolate hearts....mmmm...good.)

Also I'm making some little crochet heart hair clips for youngest to give to her friends.

I thought they'd be cute with this too.

So, I'm making this a free printable.

You can download it here.

If you decide to use it I'd love to hear what you've done or what your plans are.

What are your crafty plans for Valentine's Day anyway?

It's what I do in the winter....

When January rolls around I crochet.
I've been like this for years now. If you want to get specific, 14 years. 
That's when I was pregnant with my second. I found this beautiful, soft, blue yarn with a blanket pattern and instructions printed on the label and I decided he needed a crocheted blanket.
I worked away with my hook and the endless string of blue, indescribably soft yarn.
It kept me warm.
And I enjoyed many evenings after my oldest was in bed listening to music while my husband studied away (he was in college then) methodically creating that blanket.
Months later it became one of his favorite and without a doubt one of mine too.
That blanket made it through 3 boys, believe it or not. Now it sits in a box in storage, we'll see what kind of shape it's in 10 - 15 years from now when I find myself a grandma.......hmmm....that's a weird thought.

Anyway, it's January and I find myself seeking the warmth and relaxing comfort of crocheting.
Check out what I made yesterday!

The pattern is from Little Abbee shop here.
I purchased two other patterns that I'm excited to try out.

Now to decide what I'm going to do with this little cute cap confection.
Yep, I'm done with the babies at my house, except for the baby doll variety. (I hope this picture isn't too creepy. It's what I have to work with.)
I started and ended having babies early so I am done and done! But my friends aren't......decisions, decisions.


P.S. I've been thinking of doing a crochet week here on the blog.
I thought I might share a couple of patterns I've written, share a tutorial on crocheting an edging on a fleece blanket and maybe a couple of other things.
What do you think?

Thank you for the love!

I just wanted to say a great big thank you for the Pins & Needles, Sewing Kit Tutorial Love.

Match Book

Sewing Wallet

I've gotten a lot of great feed back and I'm so happy everyone likes them.

Today I wanted to share what one reader did with her Sewing Kit Wallet.

Stephanie from Artfully Craft 

is using her sewing wallet as the container for a 

"Her"vival Kit 

to give to her friends this Christmas.

Click on over and check it out.

What a great idea!

Today I made

Really if you're going to make jam, freezer jam is the easiest and quickest way to go!
Today's flavor of choice was Raspberry-Peach.
My mouth is watering just writing that.
The raspberries came from our patch (having the summer heat extend into October has meant we've gotten bonus berries! Yipeee!) and the peaches from a local fruit stand. (Utah peaches are the best!)

I love sure-jell as far as pectin goes. I'm not paid by them but I'm certainly endorsing them.
Their instructions are clear and easy.

• Cut up and mash fruit.
• Measure fruit
• Measure sugar
• Combine fruit and sugar
• Let set 10 min.
• Combine water and pectin
• Let boil 1 min.
• Combine pectin and fruit
• Stir 3 minutes
• Pour into plastic containers
• Close 'em-up.
• 30 minutes at the most! You're done! Ta-Da!

Okay so they're a little more detailed than mine but you get the idea.

My tip is to follow the instruction precisely. When it says to stir the pectin into the fruit and sugar for 3 minutes really stir it for the 3 minutes.
At about 1:30 you will think, "Well, that looks like it's stirred in there. I think it's good. I'm going to stop."
Don't.....just keep stirring, just keep stirring, what do we do? we stir and stir......Do you get what I'm saying. Don't scrimp on the stirring of the pectin into the fruit.
Why?
Because if you don't the sugar may crystallize and then you have crunchy freezer jam and who wants that? I don't.

And just so you know....freezer jam makes a great last minute gift! Who doesn't like home made jam? and freezer jam tastes so fresh and yummy.

Good luck! Let me know if you try it!

Have you heard of Pinterest?

If you've been around blog land lately odds are pretty good you have.

But.

Just in case you haven't let me fill you in.

It's a fairly new social media site but not brand spankin new.

It's a site that allows you to save or "pin"and organize pictures and links you find as you are surfing the Internet.

Not unlike ripping the pages of a magazine to file away or pin on your bulletin board for inspiration later.

Or even bookmarking a spot to come back to.

Only now you can have all of the photos in one place with the links to the source.

It's oh so addicting! and fun! and inspiring!

Be prepared to spend some time looking at all of the fun things people have pinned there.

It's growing......just thought I'd let you in on it.

So, HERE is the Pinterest main page.

Here is my page.

And here are a couple of things I added there today.

mmmMMMmmm...Yummy mints.

http://kitchentrialanderror.blogspot.com/2011/05/creamy-mints.html

Here's another one

Homemade Twix......Brilliant!

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/thousand-dollar-bars-recipe

And here's something I found on there today.

Cute, right?

Original source here

Pinterest link here

Happy browsing.

What I learned about spray paint....and my new discovery.

The kids are officially back in school!
I feel a bit conflicted.
Part of me feels like doing a YiPEE! Fist pump, Cowboy jump, click my heels in the air, victory, I survived, dance.
Another part of me feels like taking a very long nap.
And still another part feels like sitting on the floor holding my knees to my chest and crying.
I guess feeling conflicted is a good thing because I'm not actually doing any of those things. In fact I think I'm acting quite normal and I'm trying to recover my house from 3 months of neglect and partying.
And when I say partying I mean the wild and crazy building forts in the basement, camp-out with cousins, go on 3 vacations, and on any given day anywhere from 5 to 15 kids at my house kind of a party.
Anyway.....
In honor of my kids going back to school I started a project that's been waiting patiently in the garage all summer.
So..... I learned something major with this project I thought I'd pass on and I discovered something amazing I also thought I'd pass on.

First what I learned.

I started this project on the hottest day of the year so far. 101˚F
By no means am I an expert on Spray Paint but I decided to use it on this little project (computer armoire makeover) because I've seen so many fun things you can do with spray paint all over the Internet and I thought it would give me a smoother finish for the paint.

However, on the can  it says that you should use the spray paint if the temp is between 70 and 90˚F.
I knew it was warm out but I didn't think 11˚ would make that big of a difference.

Ummmmm......it did.

The paint started drying before it even hit the wood. whoops. .....but I didn't stop. I just kept going thinking it would get better if I put more paint on.

Ummmm.....it didn't.

Take a look.

Yep it's splotchy and bumpy.
That's not the light reflecting weird off the paint that's really how it looks.
Guess who's going to be sanding and painting again?

You guessed it. ME!
But it's not too bad I only did the front of the doors and I'll know better for the rest.


Second, the Amazing Discovery.

This is a Spray Grip.
It fits over the top of the spray paint and then you pull the trigger.
I was amazed at how well it worked and how much more comfortable it was than pushing the nozzle down with my finger.
Seriously, I love it. Here's why. Years ago when I was getting married I spray painted a bunch of things for the reception just a few days before the wedding. By the time my big day came around my arm and hand were so stiff and weak from using the spray paint I couldn't hold my bouquet. True story.:)

Anyway....

I bought my spray grip at WalMart but they have them Here too.

I have a goal to have my living room decorated by the end of September. (I figure we've lived here for 2 1/2 years it's time). So I have a lot of projects I'll be posting as I finish them up.
Wish me luck!

The Pinewood Derby Can be a good idea

Seriously, I think the most anticipated and the most dreaded part of cub scouts here in the United States is the pinewood derby. (The boys are supposed to make their own cars from a kit and then race them. Unfortunately, quite often the Dad's end up doing most of it.)
It is so much work and every boy is just sure his car is going to win but not every car can be a winner and it's so disappointing when they're not. Plus, not every boy has a dad with computerized power tools and an Engineering degree.

But I think our Cub Master came up with the perfect solution.

The boys built their cars the night of the Derby, at the church where our pack meetings are held 1 1/2 hours before the races started.
Brilliant!
Why have I not heard of this before?
The boys were given a paper with 9 car designs they could choose from or they could draw their own design on the grid provided on the paper. Then the papers were handed back in about a week or so before the derby. Three men in our neighborhood cut all of the cars out then the night of the derby the boys sanded, decorated and applied weights and wheels.

Then the races were on.

I've never seen so many close races before in my life. All of the boys were so happy to see who won and there was not one single tear shed that night. It was great!

Doodle's car was awesome and he won the "Best Design" award. He was so happy. So were we.

I can honestly say that I highly recommend this approach to the Pinewood Derby. If you think you'd like to try it out and would like some more in depth information about the way it was run feel free to email me and I'll do my best to help you out.

Posting a signature on your blog

I finally figured out how to put a signature on the end of each blog post.
Sometimes I feel so slow.......particularly when it comes to computer things.
I thought I'd share a little 'how-to' just in case you wanted to add a little signature at the end of your blog posts too.

• There's a website called Mylivesignature.com where you can create your own signature either using their handwriting fonts or you can upload a scanned copy of your own signature.
• Follow the prompts to create your signature
• Click on "Want to use this signature?"
• Click on "Generate HTML code"
• Highlight and copy the code they give you.

1. Log into your blogger account.
2. From your dashboard click on "Settings"
3. Click on "Formatting"
4. Scroll down to Post Template and in the text area paste the code you copied with your signature.
5. Click "Save Settings"

That's it!
Now when you write a blog post your signature should be on the page like a picture each time.
You can move it around to where you want it. You can even change the size a little.

Clearly Cute Card Keeper Tutorial - clear vinyl pockets with fabric slip-cover

As promised this is the second of my tutorials for card keepers featuring vinyl pockets.

I love this card keeper because it is in my opinion

unique!

The dual pocket single fold wallet sewn from vinyl keeps your cards in top-notch condition while allowing them to be visible.

Perfect for your I.D. or your beautifully creative business cards.

And, the fabric sleeve gives you the chance to show a little more of your personality and individuality while also protecting and containing your cards.

Plus

The sleeve easily can be adjusted to carry just cards on their own or a small notebook, or you could even slip a travel size facial tissue inside to keep those pesky purse crumbs out!

(Measurements to make the slip-cover/sleeve to use on it's own with cards will be given at the end of the tutorial.)

Alright, enough yapping! Let's get started.

Supplies:

• vinyl (cut 1: 5 1/4" x 4",  cut 2: 2 1/2" x 4")
• fabric scraps (Outside Fabric: cut 1: 6 1/2" x 4 3/4", Lining Fabric: cut 1: 6 1/2" x 5 1/4")
• Rotary cutter and/or scissors
• Pins
• Thread
• Scotch Tape

Part 1 - the vinyl pockets

With your vinyl rectangles cut to 5 1/4" x 4",  and 2 at 2 1/2" x 4"

Lay them out as pictured above matching corners and keeping sides even.

Use the tape technique I explained in this tutorial, make sure to lengthen your stitches just a little and to move your needle all the way to the left if you're using a blind hem pressure foot,

sew around the perimeter of the vinyl. (Don't forget to back stitch at the beginning and the end.)

That's it!

Simple isn't it?

Part 2 - Fabric Slip-Cover/Sleeve:

You should have two pieces of fabric cut as follows:

Outside Fabric: cut 1: 6 1/2" x 4 3/4", 

Lining Fabric: cut 1: 6 1/2" x 5 1/4"

Lay out your fabric right sides together having the 6 1/2" sides together and pin.

You will notice that the lining is 1/2" longer than the outside fabric.

That's just the way we want it.

Sew along your pinned, 6 1/2" edge using a 1/4" seam allowance.

Open up the pieces you just sewed.

With the right side of the fabric down press the seam allowance toward the lining fabric.

Fold the fabric in half with the right side of the fabric out, matching all unfinished edges.

And press.

There should be 1/4 of the lining fabric showing on the side with your outside fabric.

If you'd like to you can now top stitch close to the folded over top edge of your fabric.

Fold your rectangle in half, sandwiching in the middle your outside fabric.

Match the unfinished 4 3/4" sides, corners and unfinished bottom.

Pin and sew again using a 1/4" seam allowance.

Trim your bottom corners.

You can now serge or zig-zag the seam allowances.

Trim excess threads and turn right side out.

Use a blunt pencil or a chopstick to push out the corners.

And you're done.

Easy as can be!

Measurements for Card Sleeve on its own:

Outside fabric: 6" x 4 3/4"

Lining fabric: 6" x 5 1/4"

 Note: 

VickiT, a reader commented on my previous tutorial that if you don't want to put tape on your pressure foot you can use tissue paper or heirloom stabilizer to reduce the drag of the vinyl on your machine and pressure foot. After sewing you simply tear away the tissue paper.

Thank you Vicki for the fantastic suggestion.

I've tried tissue paper but I've never tried heirloom stabilizer. I'll have to try it out.

If you choose to try out the tissue paper when sewing with vinyl I'd suggest you use the thinnest tissue paper you can so it tears away easily and so you can see through/around it so your sewing is still straight. If anyone tries the heirloom stabilizer please let me know how it goes for you.

Also, If you are worried about a sticky residue being left on your pressure foot here's a tip.

After removing the tape rub some olive oil on the bottom of the pressure foot, you can even add a little bit of salt to help scrub the sticky off then wash with liquid dish soap. (This works great to get price tag residue off of the glass in picture frames too.)

But just so you know I haven't had the scotch tape leave any sticky residue on my pressure foot.

There was a question about where to purchase the vinyl.

I found mine at Wal-mart but I know it's available at most fabric stores like JoAnn's and Hancock Fabric. It was on a long roll close to the cut counter and was pretty inexpensive. The clear vinyl comes in different thicknesses. I chose a medium thickness. Different thicknesses have different color printing on the paper with them. You can see in the picture the color of mine but I'm not sure what it's called exactly.

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask!  

end of year Teacher Gifts

photo from Martha Stewart Crafts

Our school year ends next week.

It seems like only yesterday I was posting THIS.

The year has gone so fast......

Nevertheless today I find myself contemplating Teacher Thank You Gifts.

Bath Fizzies could be fun.

photo by This Present Life

Or

A Ruffled Checkbook Cover might be nice.

Tutorial by 2 Little Hooligans Here.

But I found the tutorial through This Present Life Here.

I'm also considering making a utility apron.

Tutorial found Here.

They are useful for teachers after all.

I really need to decide soon....I only have 7 days.

What do you think?

What are you going to do for the teachers in your life?

Any ideas for gifts for the teachers of the Mister variety?

I'd love to hear from you.