Hair Elastic Exposion

More bling for my daughter's hair and simple enough she can do it herself.  It's just basic elastics and material.  I cut the material into 8 inch by 1 inch strips.  Tie it on with a loop and pull the ends through.  Pull it tight and it will pop when you get it full. 

Put on as many ribbons as you want.  It is all dependent on how full you want it to be when its on.  This is what I did.  I used 15 ribbons of material tied on for 30 strands sticking out. 

This is what it looks like in her hair.  She loves the poof of color and the tiny sparkles on the material.  It was made of scraps I had around the house and basic hair elastics.  Total cost was under $1 per set.

XOXO Mist

Hair flair.

My daughter was born as girly as it gets.  My house is naked Barbie heaven.  She wants to look the part too and so we find a lot of ways to create her girly style rather then buy it all.  Its pricey stuff but so simple and cheap to make. 

These are made from things we have in our house everyday.  Items to gather are alligator style hair clips, hot glue gun, scissors, material and a small piece of felt.  I buy the clips at Sallys Beauty Supply in a box of 500.  Its a ton of clips but we go through a ton here.  I think they are really meant to hold curlers in place but if it works it works. 

Cut the felt in to tiny rectangles.  This will be glued in the top part of the clip.  Its best to put the felt in then try to glue it.  Pop the felt in, open the clip and run a strip of glue.  Let the clip close and the glue cool.  This makes a nice surface to glue the pretty things to. 

Cut the material into circles the size you want to use.  I think random cuts look best.  I fold the material over itself and cut the circles in one cut.  Split the circles in two piles if you are making two flower clips.  I don't have a magic number of circles, it depends on the material used and the desired flower.   For this is used 7 circles for each. 

Glue in the center and add each piece of material on top of another.  Its that simple.  I like to add a button or a different piece of material in the center to pull the look together.  Some people like to add a smaller piece of material.  Its all up to what you have and what you want to use.  I wrinkle them up a bit and they are good to go.  Simple and easy, just my style.  

Linked up at DebbieDoos

XOXO Mist

Old hack even cheaper (AKA coffee filter wreath)

I know that this has been done all over blogland and since I am late in the game on decorating, I am only recently attempting it. I tell people that I want my home to be inviting, cozy, and look like we're not renting. And since I've started blogging I find myself out on the quest to make new friends (like Tracy H, Susan, and Daniella...Hi!). That leads me to the ever addicting habit of blog stalking. It's like a disease! I just can't stop. I see so many awesome things out there to make or do and it leads me to wonder just how many pages I can bookmark before my computer vomits. I haven't reached it yet but I'm sure that I'm close. I have only recently come across coffee filter wreaths and since I am not a wreath kind of person, I was surprised to find that I really like these. So I decided to put that one on the checklist for later. It has been raining quite a bit at my house so I figured that now would be the time. Luckily I had almost everything I needed. The only thing I didn't have was a wreath form. I saw that most people have used styrofoam wreath forms but I really didn't want to go to the store with all the kids so I had this brilliant idea that I would make my own. I gathered all my supplies and got to work.

I took an empty diaper box(bulk size of course), leftover scraps from my skirt/sheet project, my glue gun, and newspaper. I rummaged through my recycle bag for those. I had everything on hand, even the coffee filters. So I began by drawing a 12 inch circle on my cardboard diaper box. Then I drew a 9 inch circle within the 12 inch circle. I cut that out. That was to give me a shape. Sorry that I don't have a picture of that. Next I tore my newspaper into even pieces and scrunched them into balls. Hot glue those babies on both sides of the circle frame.

 Don't worry if it's not exact it won't matter.

 Next, take your fabric scraps, and tear them into strips. I then wrapped the strips of fabric around the newspaper frame.

At this point you can wrap it loosely or tightly to try to make the frame even all the way around. Glue you ends and Voila!

 A wreath frame out of trash, ahem...all ready on hand supplies. Now all that's left to do is attach the coffee filters. I only had these ones on hand so that is what I used.

Because of that, I cut mine out into circles and stuck the blunt end of a pen in the center. I then pushed the filter down over the pen and put my dot of glue in the center of the filter and then stuck it on pressing with the pen. Easy peasy. And 4 hours and 1 fit (not mine) later, I had this.

Awesome, huh! Notice the sneak peak which is the background. That'll be coming soon. I hope this inspired you to made do with what you have and try a new project...maybe a coffee filter wreath. If you decide to make this we'd love to hear about it. Link back to us and share the blog lovin.


Linked up at A Creative Princess

     

                                         Eve

Holy sheet it's a skirt! (Petticoat skirt tutorial)

The older I get the more I realize that I have been a tomboy so long that I don't really know quite how to do feminine. I know how to be lady-like and all the etiquette stuff...well, mostly, but looking feminine is another story. I didn't start really wearing makeup until about 3 years ago and I did so only because I started feeling old. Since then I have tried to find a sense of style that suits me and for the most part I am okay. Dresses, however, have eluded me since Jr. High. Because of this, I have resigned myself to wearing skirts. In all my blog-surfing, I have noticed that Shabby Apple and Anthropologie are very popular and I like what I have seen on other people and on the websites. Although, I have a hard time imagining myself in such attire. So with this in mind, I am taking a huge risk-- well, for me it's a risk--in trying this. So you'll have to tell me what you think.

I saw this skirt on someone's site, sorry, I can't remember which, but it gave me inspiration to try to make something out of the ordinary for me. I am very cautious by nature and being such, I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something I couldn't be sure I was going to wear. I know myself, and even if I made it, I might not wear it so I thought, "what can I do?" So, I looked in my closet and found a sheet. It was a lonesome sheet that I had no idea how I ended up with since there was no fitted sheet or pillow cases I figured it didn't matter what I did with it.

This sheet had a decorative trim so I cut that off to use for my top layer.

I measured this top portion and it was about 5 inches wide and folded in half so that is what I am going to repeat for continuity. Set this aside for later.

Take the rest of your flat sheet and measure out your foundation for your skirt. You can either use a favorite skirt as a pattern or just measure to your desired width. If you decide to trace your skirt, make sure you leave extra for seam allowance or you will find out that it doesn't fit. I measured mine and then sewed it together. I didn't make this an A-line skirt, I just cut out a rectangle since it will have an elastic waistband, I had to leave room for my "junk" if you know what I mean.

With the remainder of your sheet measure out 10 inch strips of the sheet the entire width of the sheet. I wanted 4 layers for my skirt so I cut out three strips in addition to my decorative sheet top. Fold in half so you have a 5 inch strip. Press these for a nice crease. Now if your are like me, you need to be careful while doing this. See what I did?

Doesn't this just SCREAM Domestic Diva? Makes you want to hire me doesn't it?

Set your machine to a basting stitch or the longest straight stitch you have and sew the raw edges together. I didn't roll my edges on the ruffles so they are raw and exposed. Pull the top thread to make the the ruffle. I pulled mine and pinned them onto the skirt as I went so that I didn't over ruffle them.

I sewed this on before moving on to the next layer. Leave the open edges until you have sewn most of the ruffle on to the skirt.

Flip this and sew right side to right side. Then finish sewing the ruffle onto the skirt. Repeat these steps with the next two ruffle layers overlapping the previous layer about 1/2 an inch or where you sewed the previous ruffle on. Stage the last ruffle approximately where you want it to be on the skirt and measure the distance from the top of the ruffle to the top edge of the skirt.

Cut out a piece that matches the top of the skirt and add about 1/2" to the height. Sew the top skirt together then sew on the top, decorative ruffle to the edge.

Put this top ruffle layer inside of the skirt right side out and sew it to the wrong side of the skirt.

 Flip out the top ruffle and press the edge of the waistband.

Measure about 1 inch away from the edge and sew a seam parallel to the edge leaving about 2 inches open. Cut a piece of 3/4" elastic to size and thread it through the hole. Sew the elastic together and then enclose it in the waistband by sewing up the 2" hole. And you're done! You can wear this by itself or under another skirt to make it more modest or more fluffy to your taste.

What do you think? Yay? Nay?

If I get really ambitious I might post a picture of me in this but for now, my floor gets to wear it. This project cost me nothing but time. That's the way I like it.

Tell me what you think? I'd love to hear the good and the bad. It only makes you better, right? Umm, please be gentle. If you decide to make this skirt, I'd love to hear about it. Send us a link from your blog and give us some love.

*Edited to add: This skirt was inspired by Alisa Burke


I linked over to Debbiedoos Newbie Party

        

                                               Eve

Lose 16 inches in just 30 minutes...No gimmicks!

Really, no gimmicks involved. You can go from this

to this

in just 30 minutes or less.

I had some time on my hands and you know what they say about "idle hands." Since we began our blog I have noticed that I look at things very different now. No more do I look for "new" things. Lately I've been looking for "new to me" things and it has really changed my perspective on retail. I went shoe shopping the other day, an endeavor I generally greatly enjoy, but to my dismay I found nothing. Oddly enough, I even went to my fave shoe store and found a pair that I mostly liked but then thought to myself, "I can make these." I really cannot make shoes, well, not high heels, but I can re-purpose or rather, revamp a pair that I already own. But that is a post for another day.

So there I was, time on my hands, kids were being good, what more can you ask? So I did what anyone would do. I raided my closet for something to refashion. I had an old sweatshirt which shrunk on me. But of course it shrunk up instead of in. Now, I am not a tall person. In fact my brother says I have height envy and that is why my heels keep getting taller and taller. But really? It go shorter! So, I never wear this sweatshirt out of the house because it is so wide but also so short. Perfect project for a refashion.

I laid it out flat and traced a shirt that fit me better making sure to leave a seam allowance.

We are very sophisticated here using top of the line tools to get the job done right. Ha! No, not really, I used what I had, which happened to be...duh, da, dah....wait for it...sidewalk chalk.

Ground to a point by my gracious children. The great thing about using chalk to trace is you can use any color you need to in order to be able to see it, if you mess up just wipe it off, and it is easily laundered. It also will not hurt clothing if your little helpers happen to try to help while you are away.

I cut my shirt out one layer at a time so I wouldn't mess it up.

After it is cut out,

decide which side you want to be out or if you want it to be reversible. My shirt had some stains on it, probably from cooking so I opted for the inside out look. If you have a serger, serger the edged leaving the sleeves with a raw edge. I do not have a serger so I just straight stitched my shirt fairly close to the edge.

 That's it!

You can add embellishments or even cut off the neckline if you want to. I may revisit this project and add those later. We'll see. The best part of this was it only cost me time. That's just in my price range.

I have plans for what's left of the sleeves from this sweatshirt.

Can you guess what they are?

If you like this project or decide to make it, link back to us and send us some blog love.

         

                                            Eve

Baby gift box tutorial

I am fairly new to the scrapbooking world and I find myself trying to just make do. This box is actually very easy to make and doesn't require any special tools. It does, however, require a fair amount of paper. I doubled the base of my box to make it sturdy enough to handle whatever I decided to put in it and also to cover my seams. I purchased a book of cardstock for $5 so even though it took me about 8 sheets of cardstock to make this, it still cost me less than $2 to make this which is better than a gift bag. Make sure you have enough of the paper you want in advance. I will give you the option for a large box and the medium box in the the instructions. Just follow along with the instructions for the size you need. The dimensions for the large box are 7 1/2" x 10" for the base with a height of 5" not including the hood of the pram. The dimensions for the medium box are 6 1/2" x 5" for the base with a height of 4". Notice that the base of the box is graduated so these measurements will not be the same for the top of the box base. You'll see what I mean.

You will need

cardstock 
a ruler
a compass or a circle cutter
a scoring tool (I used an embossing stylus and a straight edge)
glue (I used a glue stick and a hot glue gun)
scissors
ink or other decorations (optional)
a pipe cleaner
 
Step 1--cutting and scoring


First cut out four rectangles (side a)  that are 12" x 5 1/2" or 8 1/2" 4 1/2" and set aside. Also cut out four rectangles (side b) that are 9 1/2" x 5 1/2" or 7" x 4 1/2". Next cut out two 10" x 7 1/2" or 6 1/2" x 5" pieces (base). You will also need one 12" or 8" diameter circle, two 2" or 1" diameter diameter circles, and one 11 1/2" x 9 1/2" or 8" x 7" piece for the (hood) of the pram. Lastly, you'll need four 1" x 2" tabs for either size.

These are sides a and b respectively. The red lines are scoring and the blue lines are cutting. Please excuse the crude picture.  This part of instruction is for either size of the box. Measure in 1" from the short side and score parallel to the long side. Measure in 1/2" from the opposite end of the short side and score parallel to the long side. On (side a) piece following the line of the 1/2" score not the edge, measure 1" from the short side. Cut off excess.

(Side a) should look something like this. I know they don't look the same size but it is the same side with one folded on the scored edge and one flat. The 1" scored edge is the top and the 1/2" scored edge is the bottom. 

(Side b) is cut and scored similar to (side a) but the cutting is different. Refer to the red/blue or red/black picture if you don't understand what I'm saying. Score the diagonal edge instead of cutting it and about 1/2" or so away from that score, cut off the excess. It should look something like this.

Notice the little corner cut out of the bottom. Now you should have this.

Sorry, this shows (side b) then (side a) respectively cut, scored, and folded.

Next, take your large circle and cut it into 8 pie shaped pieces. If you are going to ink the edges now is the time to do it to all your pieces. The base pieces only need to be inked on one side (two on the front side, two on the back) whereas the hood pieces need to be inked on both.

Step 2--assembly

 Take two (side a) pieces for the outside of the box and two (side b) pieces for the outside and one base piece. Glue them together according to the picture with the tabs glued to the inside.

Glue up the side tabs.

Take the four 1x2 tabs and glue them in the corners of the top of the box.

Take one (side b) piece for the inside and glue it in. You may need to trim it just a bit to fit it inside so try it out first to make sure it fits.

Next take 3 of your pie shaped pieces and overlap them about 1/2". 

I accidently put mine on the wrong side so when you do it, the overlapped pie piece should be at the bottom not the top.  Do this for both sides. You can also glue on the 2" or 1" circles. Next take your inside pieces of (side a) and glue them inside. You may also have to trim these pieces. Add your pipe cleaner handle and then glue on the last (side b) piece. Then glue on the interior base piece. All that is left is to finish the hood.

Take your (hood) piece and glue it on using the hot glue gun. That's it! Fill your box with your gift and leave it open or wrap it in cellophane.

If you decide to make this please send some love our way. Mention our blog, grab a button, tell your friends. Thanks.

                                                                         

          

                                                Eve

Baby Gift

I attended a baby shower this past Friday and made my Baby gift box specifically for that gift. She was having a boy which was good because I had leftover fabric and batt from my baby blocks so this gift cost me almost nothing. Had it not been for the fact that in my non-girly state I own no ribbon, this gift would have cost me $7 for the sippy cup and package of onesies that I bought. But alas, I am just getting used to the fact that girls like pink, dreamed about their wedding day, and like ribbons and ruffles. If you saw my closet and new where I've been in the world you may understand better. But I'll not bore you with that detail.

So, my tutorial for the box, which is in the works, will come in two or three sizes depending upon what I come up with to put in each box. The box size that I used for this gift was the medium size and measured 8 1/2" by 7" uh, -ish. It fit a sippy cup and sippy cup leash

washable fabric rings,

and a crinkly toy with tabs

all in one nice little box.

And here is how I finished it off. Just some cellophane and a little hemp tie.

I forgot to add the card like I always do. I don't know why that is. If I wanted to, I could definitely have fit a small fleece blanket, an outfit, some washcloths, binkies, or some receiving blankets. Probably not all at once, but some combination of the above would have fit. For such a small box, it really does hold quite a bit.

I didn't use a pattern for any of the gifts I made but I got all the ideas from Ashley at Make it and Love it. Just search through her tutorials and you'll see the fabric baby rings, the crinkly toy, and the sippy leash. She has a lot of great stuff so if you haven't been to her blog, check it out. I'm sure you'll find a lot of great things like I did.

                                                Eve