Tidies: A Repurposed Gift!

wipes

Alright mamas, tell me I’m not the only one. (And, please, ignore the dirty carpet.)

I’ve lost so many wipes this way. So. Many.

There’s just something about the wet wipes, that will bring babies far and wide to just keep pulling them out one by one.

Enter the brilliant Grammy.Ausust 31 179

Yes, that is a wipe container. With pretend wipes in it.Ausust 31 178

Brilliant, I tell you.Ausust 31 173

It keeps them occupied for, well, longer than most things occupy a 20-month-old.Ausust 31 169

Except maybe a brand new pack of real wipes.Ausust 31 168

Sometimes, they even cooperate while playing with this new toy.Ausust 31 166

Which, of course is a great thing in and of itself.Ausust 31 165

Grammy made these pretend wipeys with an old plastic tablecloth. Which, being plastic means this is a “close supervision” toy.Ausust 31 156

Of course, you could make little squares out of fabric, and if you’re really in a hurry,you can even buy them pre-cut. Check out the Moda Charm Packs. They’d be perfect. Pre-cut 5.5 inch squares. You could sew around the edges to keep from fraying (though, they’re already pinked), or use some Fray Stop around the edges (it’s washable!)Ausust 31 155

One of the best innovations we’ve had around here in a long time.

A great way to use some leftover fabric, or plastic (only with supervision!), and keep a plastic wipe container out of the landfill. In fact, you could even stock up on these and make some for all the little ones you know! (Pssst! Christmas is sooner than you think…)

OH! We will return to our regularly scheduled posts on Wednesday, when Launi (Mom, Grammy) gets back from her HypnoBirthing conference in FL. Sorry for hijacking the blog. My mom made me.

At least she showed me how to keep my real wet wipes safe before she left.

Mwa!

~ April

 

The Chicken or the Egg?

Well, I found an Easter craft that wasn’t tired and lame and best of all–didn’t frighten me. It’s first in line at the Crafty Crow site. In fact, I found quite a few really cute projects. Pretty clever dudes over there gathering up a raft of ideas so you can find them all in one place.

Here is my attempt at the pop open felt egg with the teeny tiny chick inside.

All you really need is a few felt scraps and different colors of embroidery floss. They are quite tiny so it went together fast. (I made most of this at a track meet) How tiny are they–you ask? The pattern for the birdy is the top of a spool of thread. That’s how tiny.

Sweet little pocket treasure for your Easter chicklets–that whip together in a flash.

Go there–you can do it.

Oh, and in answer to the age-old question: Which came first–the chicken or the egg?

The egg.

Now you know.

Scrabble Tile Pendant

 The perfect project for all the ladies on your Valentine list, these pendants can be made to fit any personality.
 

Here’s what you’ll need:

Wooden Scrabble Tiles (you can get these on ebay, or just get the game and cannabalize it…or if you live around me, I already did that, and I’m sure I have a few I can spare)
Super Glue
Diamond Glaze
ModPodge or Tacky Glue


Jewelry Bails (the little metal loop that you thread a necklace chain through)
Emery board or sandpaper

Scrapbook Paper
Scissors or Craft Knife (exacto blade)
Paintbrush or sponge brush

Here goes…

Step 1: Glue the bail (little metal loop) to the back of your tile. You have 2 options here, you can either glue it to the letter side, so that when the pendant is worn, there is a letter on the back and a pretty scrapbook paper design on the front. The advantage to doing it this way is that when you glue your paper on later, you don’t have to worry about it indenting in the shape of the letter engraved on the tile. They do that sometimes, depending on the thickness of the paper. Your other option is to glue the bail to the blank side, so that the pendant has a blank back, which looks cleaner. Also, you can make a pendant just out of the tile, without covering it with scrapbook paper for an initial pendant, in which case you would want to glue the bail to the blank side, as the scrabble letter should be facing out.

I use super glue to glue my bails on most of the time, but tacky glue also works, as does gorilla glue. I use the tip of the craft knife to hold the bail in place so I don’t get glue on my fingers.

If you’re using glue that takes a while to dry, try propping the bail up with something, so you can leave it to dry. Don’t try to hold it dry, it will not set solidly. Let the glue dry for several hours before moving on to the next step.

Step 2: While the glue is drying, cut out a piece of scrapbook paper just a little bit bigger than the scrabble tile. Alternately, I have seen people use photos of their children or pets, or hand paint the tile itself. Or even using scrapbook paper and glitter glue, or little rhinestones.  Use the ModPodge or Tacky Glue and a paintbrush or foam brush to apply a thin coat of adhesive to the front of the tile, then glue your paper on.

Make sure to press all the bubbles out, if you get any. You can use a kitchen spatula, or bone folder, if you have one. Also, now is the time to use any glitter, rhinestones, etc, if you’re so inclined. Wait for the glue to dry. If you don’t wait long enough, when you move on to the next part it will tear your paper…so be patient. 🙂

Step 3: Using your craft knife, trim the excess paper from around the tile.

Step 4: Using the emery board, file the edges or the paper so that it doesn’t extend past the edge of the tile. You can also use the sandpaper to distress the surface a bit, if you like that look.

Step 5: Use something to help your tiles lay flat horizontally. I used a bamboo skewer. I have also used a ruler, and a post-it note pad. Anything works.

Using the Diamond Glaze (speaking of which, I had a really hard time finding this. I finally tracked it down at my local Archivers store. I know you can get it online also, and at one point, I thought Stampin’ Up carried something similar, as well. It’s basically a dimensional resin-type stuff. Hopefully it’s easier for you to track down, if not, I’ll offer some alternatives in just a sec.) first squeeze a little bit out on to a piece of scratch paper, and keep the pressure on the bottle as you go to put it on the tile. Why? Because Diamond Glaze is notorious for starting out with a bubble, and equally notorious for being impossible to remove bubbles from. So it’s easier to get the bubble out on some scratch paper first. I’ve found it’s easiest to go around the edges first, and then fill in the middle. The idea is to cover the decorated top of the tile. I usually do several thin coats, rather than one thick one. It tends to pucker and distort with one thick layer, as the top dries before the inside does.

If you can’t (or don’t want to) find Diamond Glaze, just break out the trusty ModPodge again, and coat your tile a few times, to seal the paper.

If you do get a bubble, get that exacto blade and try scooting the bubble off the edge. You will not be able to pop it, it doesn’t work that way. Just try scooting it off the edge of the tile.

Last step: Let it dry! It takes longer than you think. In fact, you should probably let it sit overnight. The last thing you want is your pretty little fingerprint in the middle of all your hard work.  Additionally, these are not waterproof. Wearing them in the pool/shower/bath/waterfight is generally not recommended.

So there you have it! A cute, trendy, gift for your Valentines!

April

Clipboards with Class

Do you have any boring old clipboards just sitting around looking ugly? Well, I spent the other day with my daughter, April and she showed me how to spruce them up and make them so pretty–you’d be proud to use them anywhere. In fact, if you use a new clipboard they would make a great gift. Don’t be afraid…it was really easy and just see how cute they look!

All you need is:

A clipboard

2 sheets of scrapbook paper

Mod Podge

Scissors

Emery board

Trace the clipboard onto one of the sheets of scrapbook paper.

Trace a 3 inch strip from contrasting paper for the top of the clipboard.

Cut both pieces out.

Spread Mod Podge adhesive and apply paper carefully.

Smooth out excess glue and air bubbles with a plastic scraper.

From the contrasting piece of scrapbook paper, mark and cut out where the metal clip piece will be. It doesn’t have to be exact because even if some of the board shows it still looks fine. Glue it in place. Let the glue dry for about 10 minutes.

Sand the excess paper off the edges of the board with a nail file, emery board or piece of fine sand paper.

This makes the edges of the clipboard look a bit worn.

Cover the whole thing with Mod Podge in two coats–one going from side to side, the other going up and down to give it a linen-look finish.

Allow the clipboard to dry over night. Be amazed.

Rice Pillow

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At our house the rice pillow is the cozy remedy for sore joints, headaches, tummy trouble, or cold feet. Luckily, they are so easy to make. I made these two out of a couple of T-shirts that I was finished with.

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Cut two strips of fabric–the striped one is about 15″x 4.” The flower one is about 15″x 5.” The size depends on what you’ll be doing with it. A nice square is great for keeping your feet warm and a longer strip makes a good back of the neck wrap. The exact measurements aren’t that big of a deal.

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Double zigzag the edges leaving one short side open.

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Fill with rice, or wheat. We chose wheat because this is Utah…and we are all about wheat.  :]

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You can sew the end shut or tie it into a huge knot–that works well with cotton knit.

It is a good idea to sew a pillow case for your rice pillow that you can remove and throw in the washer every week or so.