She Believed She Could, So She Did Art DIY

I saw this quote on Pinterest and found in love.  Can you think of any stronger message to send to your daughters? 

I immediately went to work creating something with this saying on it for Chloe's room.  

Pick out a font that you think fits the message best and print it out on regular typing paper. 

I don't know why it's sideways but you get the point. 

Grab some wax paper and rip off enough to cover the words.  You will be tracing the letters so you need to have plenty of space on the wax paper. 

Using puffy paint in the color of your choice, trace carefully over the words.  (If you mess up, move the wax paper and try again - FOOL PROOF!)

 

Continue until all of the words are covered.  Let dry.  

Once all of the letters are dry, line them up onto your canvas however you would like them to be arranged.  Play around with it until your happy!  

Use Mod Podge and carefully glue each letter into place.  I picked up 1 letter at a time, and replaced it before picking up the next letter.  This helps to keep the words aligned.  (You could also use a ruler as a straight edge if needed).

I choose white puffy paint on white canvas intentionally.  My original idea was to spray paint the whole canvas the same color pink that I used on Chloe's bookcase, but I ended up really liking it white and haven't pulled the trigger on painting just yet.  (My white puffy paint is iridescent, which helps it to "pop" off the canvas. 

Ta Da!   The possibilities are endless with this project!  Different colors, different sayings, adding a design... make it your own! 

XO!

I Pinned This - Mess Free Painting

Sometimes messy things don't bother me.  Sometimes I would rather stab myself in the hand than deal with the mess.  Today is one of the stabbing kind of days.

Here's what Pinterest promises: 

I got out a plastic freezer Zip-loc bag and cut a piece of card stock to fit inside the bag. I squeezed some big drops of different coloured tempera paint onto the paper and very carefully slid the paper into the bag. I then closed the bag and using duct tape, taped it to one of our craft trays. (Rainy Day Mum)

Here's what I did:
I got a Zip-loc bag, the only paint we had laying around, and some clear packing tape.

I keep my paint in a bottom drawer of my craft dresser, thus the dot of paint on the top of the lid. It helps know what color the bottle is without pulling every container out! 

I squeezed in some paint.  Not too much because I know my kid and the likelihood of the painting squirting out from too much pressure was high.

I taped it up to the sliding glass door instead of the table.  Partly because of what I said about paint squirting out (and the hope that it would be harder to pop the paint up) and letting the light shine through the bag to see whatever she was "painting".

Make sure to squeeze all the air out of the bag before sealing and taping it! 

Play and enjoy! 

And even with my high-energy little one, this was fun and held her attention for enough time to make lunch at least! 

XO!

Upcycling a Baby Doll Bed Tutorial

Isn't it funny how innate it is for little girls to play mommy? I love watching Chloe be sweet and loving to her babies (all 8324 of them).  While helping her go through her toys the other day for our monthly "Let's get rid of anything you don't play with!", I noticed her baby pack-n-play was ripping at the bottom.  It wasn't too surprising, considering the material used to make it, is the same thin material most princess costumes are made of. (and we all know how easily those rip or fray or snag!) 

My first thought was to sew up the hole real quick and move on.  But the more I sewed, the more it ripped.  2 hours later, someone had a completely "new" baby bed.  (It's most definitely not perfect, and when I was taking the frame apart and putting it back together, I tweaked the levelness of it somehow... but it holds babies, the fabric is cute, and Chloe loves it)

Materials:
   sewing machine (hand sewing would take forever, but you could)
   scissors
   fabric for the sides ( 11" x 36" )
   fabric for the bottom ( 12" x 21")
   thread to match
   coordinating ribbon

• Begin by cutting your pieces.  I struggled with the decision to cut panels, or use one long piece of fabric.  I decided it would be easier to manage with panels. (each measurement allows for a 1/4" seam)
• 2 side panels measuring 11x14"
• 2 side panels measuring 11x22"
• 1 bottom panel measuring 11x21"
• Sew these all together with a 1/4" seam.  (I hate 1/4" seam, but it allows for the least amount of fabric waste. 
  • *Don't forget* Iron your seams for a sharp edge. 

• Now that you have one long piece of fabric, measure the allowance for your bed leg.  Mine was 1 1/2".  (put your pins in to hold it, then check with the leg before sewing)
• *Tip* Use a rubberband to mark your seam allowance to keep your sewing straight!

• Attaching the bottom seemed intimating at first, but just take it one side at a time.  I started with a longer side to get it out of the way. 
• *Tip*  When sewing with Minky fabric, pin every inch.  The fabric stretches as it runs through your machine and will bunch up if you are stingy with your pins. 

• As you begin to sew around the bottom, think of the extra material as wrapping paper.  Fold it as you would if it were a present to keep it out of the way. 
• Attach your bottom to the "wrong" side of the fabric so when you look into the bed, you see the "right" side of the fabric at the bottom. 
• DO NOT sew the "pocket" for your bed leg. I used a larger pin to remind myself when to STOP before closing the "pocket". 

 

• After attaching the bottom, fit your creation (what would you call this thing?) onto your baby bed to make sure all is well. 

• Cut 10 pieces of ribbon and sear the edges with a lighter to keep them from fraying.  Line them up evenly along the top (over the rail) and attach with pins.  Hand sew or machine sew on. 

• Ta Da!  High five to you and be happy with the cute (more kid resistant) baby bed! 

Bloopers - Almost every time I do a sewing project, I have at least 1 oops of sewing the fabric together wrong.  I had 3 this time.  Lesson learned, don't do this with "helpers" or past my bedtime.

XO!

How to Clean Your Make-up Brushes

We all know how gross make-up brushes can get.  When I stop to think about the amount of old, bacteria caked make-up is being rubbed onto my face... I want to throw up a little.  What's the best way to solve that problem?  Keep your brushes clean! Keeping them clean, helps them to last longer, too.

There are many different suggestions for cleaning brushes that range from buying expensive brush solution, to ingredients from your own cabinet.  Guess which one I use.

My 'go to' method has always been a little bit of baby shampoo and some warm water.

Don't let the amount of brushes in the jar fool you, make-up is a rarity around these parts.  Why do it if you never leave the house?

Add a small amount of baby shampoo into a bowl (I put just enough to lightly cover the bottom of the bowl) and some warm water.  Begin swooshing your brush around in the water, making sure to smoosh the bristles against the bottom of the bowl to get any make-up that's jammed way into the the brush.

It's been a very long time since I've washed mine, but with all of the browns and pinks I wear, the water gets really disgusting, really quick.  

As the water gets cloudier, dump it and start again.  I dumped my water 3 times.  If there's one thing that grosser than dirty brushes - its dirty brushes that have are coated in other wet make-up. 

After cleaning a few brushes, rinse them under warm water.  As you "ring" out the extra water, shape the bristles back to their original shape and lay to dry on a clean towel. 

Smaller brushes obviously dry faster than big brushes, but I let mine lay down for a few hours before putting them back into the jar.  

If you don't have baby shampoo, or are interested in other ways to clean your brushes I've seen some people use: warm vinegar and Dawn dish soap, olive oil and Dawn dish soap, or face wash.  The idea is the same with any of those so pick whichever works best for you. 

Until next time...

XO!

DIY Felt Board for Toddlers/Preschoolers

In Chloe's preschool class, the kiddos are encouraged to write books about anything that interests them.  As a way to help Chloe understand that things are drawn with different shapes, I created a felt board that she can manipulate into many different scenes using basic shapes.  (square, circle, rectangle, triangle)  As she grows, the possibilities of what she can create are endless by adding felt shapes as she wants.

Here's how to make your own.  I began with an easel we bought from Ikea last year for Christmas.  One side has a chalkboard that she loves to draw on, which is also great for her writing muscles since it's large enough that she has to reach up and pull down.  The other side is a white board that rarely gets used because of the lap-sized marker board she's always drawing on.  If you don't have an easel, a large frame would work just as well!

For an easel sized felt board, you will need 3/4 yards of fabric.  I chose black so any scenes created would "POP" out.  White or brown would have the same effect.  After cutting the felt to size, I used a clothespin to help hold it in place while I marked where I wanted to Velcro to be.  (If you are using a frame or do not care if the felt is permanent, hot glue the felt into place.  I wanted to be able to remove it should we need the marker board in the future.)

Mark where you want the Velcro to go, and sew on to secure.  I planned on using 4 pieces of Velcro - top corners and bottom corners - but once I started securing it to the frame, 6 peieces were needed to keep a taunt pull, plan accordingly. 

Once the Velcro is attached to your felt, stretch it onto the frame and mark for the companion Velcro piece. Because it was on the back of the frame and you can't see it, I hot glued the other piece of Velcro onto the wood.  

Continue as needed until you are satisfied with the tightness of the felt on the frame. 

Add whatever shapes or pieces will interest your little one! The benefit of this project is that you can customize it for you - if you don't have a lot of room, make it small, if they need help with spelling make letters that can easily be moved around, etc.  

What would you put on a felt board for your toddler or preschooler? 

XO! 

How to Freshen Up Your Mattress DIY

Do you (or your hubby) sweat at night?  Have you noticed the negative impact on your mattress?  We have a mattress cover (that is supposed to stop EVERYTHING from going through or so said the salesman who sold us the mattress that was never supposed to sag but absolutely does after only 2 years of owning it - anywho) and I still feel better taking a day to freshen the mattress and karate kick any dust mites that may be living up in our stuff.

If you notice from the previous posts, I like things that are simple and easy.  This is not unlike any of those other posts.

Sprinkle baking soda onto the mattress (I use a spoon to help evenly distribute, you don't have to) and let it sit. I usually let it sit on the mattress for an hour or so, letting it do it's Baking Soda magic. (And usually by the time the mattress pad it done being washed and dried, I'm ready to make the bed)

After it's done, vacuum it all up.  Ta Da.  You can do what you want, but I usually lay on the bare mattress and smell the freshness because I can.

You're bed is now ready to be re-made and enjoyed.

Until next time... XO!

2 Ingredient Shower Scrub DIY

If you're anything like me... winter is a KILLER on your skin.  My skin is very dry all the time, but with these bitterly cold days, I can't do anything but iiiiitttttccccchhhhh. Here is a scrub that you can make and take with you into the shower once a week to help slough off the dead skin and moisturize what's left.

You need Brown Sugar and Olive Oil - that's it! You have those in the cupboard on any given day.

Don't worry about any specific measurements, just put in enough brown sugar to cover your body keeping in mind it will "melt" a little when you pour in the olive oil.

And you're done!  How easy was that?

*Be careful in the shower when using this scrub, the olive oil can make the floor slippery.

Bonus Scrub
My mother-in-law used to sell Mary Kay and I was always gifted products during Christmas or birthdays. One of my favorite things I was given was the TimeWise Microdermabrasion set. (it also came with a shimmery lotion which I really like, but it's not moisturizing enough for the winter)

The sad news about this stuff is the cost.  If it wasn't a gift, I would have never spent the $40 on it.  

Luckily, the lotion has lasted longer (since I don't use it as often) and was able to create a similar scrub for my face.  And you're not going to believe this... it's even easier than the sugar scrub above!

A small amount of baking soda and a teeny amount of water.  Approximatly.. $.02 compared to $20.. I'll take it!  Plus, I feel like it works just as well, as long as you use your regular facewash before this. 

Now all I need to discover is a good hair treatment and I can have a spa day at home for pennies! 

Until next time... XO! 

Baby Blanket tutorial

I love getting back to my sewing machine the last couple of weeks.  It has been quite a long while (months to be honest) and I'm happy to be finding some time during our hectic schedule.

The hubby's counterpart at work recently had a baby and Ed wanted to give them something sweet and pink for their first girl.  Normally, I would make a shirt like the one I made for my cousin's birthday the other day

but I had just stumbled upon a minky tips Pinterest post and wanted to give a minky blanket a try (especially since our oldest's favorite blanket is minky and she is wearing it out rather quickly).

1. I began with preshrinking the flannel material I got (Minky does not shrink so it's up to you if you wash it first)
2. Cut the material to size.  I cut both materials 41x41 - I only had to trim a little off the side with the JoAnn's Fabric advertising
3. Begin pinning with pretty sides together.  This was a tip from the Pinterest post... pin every 1-1 1/2". As a sewer who kind of hates pinning and usually does bare minimal pinning, I heeded their warning and did as told.

   4.  After pinning your heart out, begin sewing.  I used a 1/4 seam from the edge of the flannel material.      Don't forget to leave 5-6 inches to turn your blanket right side out.  BEFORE flipping, trim off the excess minky to avoid bulky edges. 

   5. After flipping over, you may wish to add another stitch to give the blanket a more "professional" look.  I did so with a 1/2" seam. 

   6.  Trim off any extra threads and TADA! 

A soft, warm and, best of all, large baby blanket for a quarter of the cost of buying one in store.  Now I'm ready to hurry back to JoAnn's to pick up some more material to make one or two for Aria! 

Best of luck... XO!