fabric green beans tutorial

ready to make it fun to play with your veggies?! then make these super cute fabric green beans for your favorite little chef...don't forget the little pat of butter!

Click below for more details!


you'll need:

several pieces of dark green flannel or felt, cut into 4x3 inch pieces
matching thread
sewing machine
hand sewing needle
stuffing

here are your pieces-4x3 inches...of course you can make them smaller, or larger if you like!

fold them in half, and starting at one end, on the fold, stitch in a sort of half circle (back stitch at start and finish), stopping in the middle to leave a space for turning.

can you see the inch or so i left open for turning? look REEElly hard.

now, trim close to your seam, leaving enough at your gap to be able to slip stitch it closed later.

turn right side out, using a chopstick or turning tool to get the little nooks at the end all sorted out.

now carefully and patiently...(hah!)...stuff your little green bean. the great thing is, it doesn't have to be perfect. lumps are good! it makes it look more lifelike. at least, that's my story, and i'm sticking to it!

now, still using your matching thread, slip stitch the opening closed! repeat with all the rest of your squares...or do one step at a time, assembly line style.


then, serve! (ok, ok, don't really try and eat them.)

so fun!

hope you liked the tutorial, and as usual, let me know if you have any questions!

***If you have used any of my tutorials, I'd love if you'd add a quick pic to my flicker group! Thanks!***

oh christmas tree..

we went and picked out our christmas tree yesterday with my family-always a tradition to do this the day after thanksgiving! we got it decorated, but no picture yet...

anyways, here are some fun pics...

sadie doing her "cheese" face
the gang. NO idea what justin is doing.

my absolute new FAVORITE picture. i loove sadie's face in this one!

we just can't help it. cheesy photo op? we're in!

turkey day and black friday

how was your thanksgiving? ours was great, thanks for asking.

we had thanksgiving with my family this year, and it was huge! there were something like 25 people there, and the missionaries from our ward as well. there were tons of yummy appetizers to start us off, hummus, bacon wrapped jalapenos, cream cheese dip, artichoke dip, stuffed mushrooms, and bacon onion pinwheels. those last three i made, recipes coming soon!

then we took a break, chatted, nibbled, threw a football around...(oddly, joanna was the one urging us to all play football) of course, then we had our corn tradition. everyone gets three pieces of dried corn, and we take turns naming one thing we're thankful for, for each piece of corn. it's slightly corny-(heh heh)-but we all love it!

then the feast began! of course sadie chose that moment to wake up from her nap in a foul mood. kids have the greatest timing, eh? we enjoyed all the dishes, especially the mashed potatoes and smoked turkey. (on my dad's smoker, yum!) i also loved the stuffing and brussel sprouts. (i am THAT person who loves them. weird, i know!) after dinner, frisbees were thrown, you tube videos were watched, and sadie continued to be grumpy. oh well! then we all sang a few thanksgiving songs (betcha didn't know they had those!), feasted on pie (pear/raspberry, peanut butter cheesecake, chocolate, pumpkin, and apple pie), and played a ridiculous 24 (the tv show) game.

this morning we decided to brave the crowds and head out for some deals! they didn't have everything we were looking for, but we did get some christmas shopping done, and scored a down comforter for $20! no joke. it was originally $160, marked down to $30, and i happened to have a $10 off a $20 or more purchase, so...tada! saved us $140! can't beat that. later we're going to pick out our christmas tree! i want to set up christmas decorations but i'm kinda tired....i'm loving the christmas music on the radio though...we're those-don't-play-christmas-music-until-after-thanksgiving kinds of people.

of course, i thought i forgot my camera yesterday, but then found it while we were leaving. hah. hah. anyways, happy late thanksgiving!

DIY headboard

so, about a week ago we woke up to a crashing sound...one of our picture frames had fallen down, luckily not on anything valuable. (like our heads) i muttered something to rory after taking down the other two pictures: i want to make a headboard....i saw it online.....looks pretty easy....ZZZZZZzzzzz.

surprisingly, i actually remembered my sleepily made plans the next day, and decided that's what i wanted for my birthday! so....voila! here is my birthday present from rory! (thanks hun!)

still looking for new bedding, so excuse the poorly staged picture and wrinkled duvet cover. har, har. the room used to look like this.

i got the idea here, and pretty much copied it, but i did make the panels long enough to (mostly) hide behind the bed.

the panels are 36"x 20", if anyone's wondering, and we have a queen-size bed. i used about 2.5 yards of material to cover it. we also got an awesome staple/nail gun to add to our collection of tools!

one thing i learned was to staple around the edges very closely so that it doesn't bulge. ours did a little bit, and i might go back and fix it but for now i am too lazy.

the total cost for the project was about $65. not too shabby, i think!

what do you think?

featured on Room Remix!

refashioned skirt tutorial

you'll need:
a skirt
the normal sewing stuff (thread, machine, pins, and elastic)
a onesie or pattern for bloomers

first measure how long you'd like your skirt to be, and around your child's waist. you'll want to add a few inches to the top depending on how wide your elastic is, for the casing, and for seam allowances on the sides. (about 1/2 on each side works for me!)
then cut out two pieces, i cut mine out in a slight a-line shape, and you'll notice the back piece is a tad longer than the front. this is to accommodate the elastic in the back. sew your pieces together along the sides, making sure to match up the bottom and any stitching. serge or zig zag your edges.
now for the built in diaper cover (if you need it, if not, skip this part!) i used a pattern that came with a dress pattern i'd purchased but was kinda...er...voluminous in the top portion, so i cut out the elastic and used the bottom finished half. you could also use a plain white onesie...just cut it to size.

now we'll work on the waist. taking into account how much room at the top you allotted for the elastic, roll the edge over once, and then once again to form your casing, working a little bit at a time. slip the unfinished edge of your bloomers or onesie under the casing edge and pin it together as you go. make sure the leg holes are lined up with the front of your skirt! we wouldn't want a crooked skirt now would we? also make sure you don't pin it to your skirt so that it's inside out. nope, never did that! not me. so now you can see how it's pinned in there with the casing, right? just humor me if you don't. now, sew around the bottom edge of the casing, leaving an inch or two un-sewn for your elastic to fit through. with the elastic, i kinda just winged it, but i basically pulled it all the way through..then sewed one side down (all layers, along the side seam so it was not noticeable), and then trimmed as close as i could on that side...then i pulled the elastic so that it bunched in the back and so that it measured close to my daughter's waist measurement (stretched out). then i sewed it in on the other side, and trimmed as close as i could on that side as well.
hope this picture helps a bit! i then sewed the casing gap closed, and top stitched along the top of the front of the skirt for a finished look.
please ignore the puckers along the top. i don't mind them...so whatever. haha. please, let me know if you have any questions, i'll do my best to answer them!

thanks!

***If you have used any of my tutorials, I'd love if you'd add a quick pic to my flicker group! Thanks!***

new moon=strange car?

soo...new moon was great! but what happened afterwards was even better. so, joanna and i walked to her car, where a couple guys were standing near it...she tried to open her door but it wouldn't open...i got in the passenger side...and got barked at by a dog inside the car! i'd gotten in a stranger's car! not only a stranger...but a stranger who was standing right there, staring at us in disbelief! they laughed at us as we ran a few cars down to joanna's real car. then we laughed til we cried all the way home. the end.

p.s. i really, really liked new moon! it was better than twilight we thought! we liked the wolf pack, and the special effects were awesome! having just read the book last week again, i can say that they stayed very close to canon, which made me happy!

skirt at the park

i made this skirt awhile ago but didn't get any (good) pictures of sadie in it, so we stepped outside this morning to give it another try. i ended up going back for my keys so we could take a walk, cause sadie took off for the park as fast as she could! that girl is a super walker. (to our happiness, and dismay)

i made it out of a larger jean skirt found thrifting for $1, maybe. i love pairing it with her striped tights. LOVE these!
she had a blast on the swings, saying, "wheee!" every time she wanted me to push her again.

what a cutie patootie. (i think so at least)

here's the skirt i used.....


transformed into this! i did take some pictures, so let me know if anyone's interested in a mini tutorial, it was pretty easy and straightforward. it has a built in diaper cover too! handy!
see? uh...sadie was dying to show you her diaper cover. i swear i didn't set this photo up or encourage her to lift her skirt. she's just a little weirdo! love her!

hope you're all having a great friday!

currently...

...working on christmas presents. (finally!)

...watching the vegas episode from Friends

...feeling hungry for dinner. (baked potato soup)

...glad sadie fell asleep for her afternoon nap

...kinda cold. brr.

...working on plans for sadie's kitchen!

...SOO excited for new moon coming out! seeing it on saturday with joanna and janae

...also excited for my free birthday burger from red robin. (hehe)

...planning my dishes for thanksgiving next week. (i loove making appetizers!)

...glad sadie isn't crying at the drop of a hat today. (soo glad)

fabric high chair

i totally got-ok-stole this idea from Jill. (yeah we're on a first name basis, at least in my head. haha) it's basically three rectangles sewn together with some velcro to form a kind of harness for when there are no high chairs available. which isn't often for us, but i figure i'll keep it in the car for emergencies! i made it purposely gender neutral, so if we have any boys they won't be subjected to wearing something pink. hah. see her blog for more details on how it's made!

i think she likes it! (please excuse her hair...no point in doing it before morning nap!)

and then...trying to escape. well, she'll be distracted by the food when we're using it, at least!

play food containers

since i've been thinking (obsessing) over sadie's play kitchen, but not doing anything yet, i thought of making little containers for her kitchen out of old stuff thrown in the recycling bin!

what a great way to use those little containers for something fun!

first I cleaned them out thoroughly...

then used some scrapbook paper and glue to "cute" them up! (i love the little peanut on top)

i have plans to make green beans to go in that container, and i shoved my peanut butter from the sandwich i made in the PB container.

can't wait for more containers to be used up so i can make more!

sunny day

sadie had so much fun playing at the park today. my brother, sister, mom, and sadie and i took a picnic lunch to enjoy the sunshine!

sadie had fun...

...being swung by grandma.

...drawing with sticks in the dirt. (the quintessential kid activity)

...playing with the dirt.

...and pointing out the trees to everyone. she LOOVES trees. all i hear from the backseat while we're running errands is, "tee, teee, tee!"

currently...

...wanting to make one of these for sadie. actually, i want that EXACT one. dad, rory, you up for the challenge?

...finishing up the last of our s'mores bars.

...wishing i felt crafty today

...amazed that sadie can unclothe herself now. great.


...reading new moon again, before the movie comes out next week. (can't wait!)

...giggling over the ending of this video clip. (alright, laughing so hard i'm crying)

...happy i had a lunch at in 'n out today with my sister who's moving to utah in 6 weeks. :(

...sending good wishes to jarom and steph in their job hunts

...excited for chris and cassy and their new baby boy! (going to see them in the hospital tonight!)

...eyeing my last piece of halloween candy. (yes, i did just have some s'mores bar...haha)

...reading Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts...talk about intimidating! (got it from the library...they have a lot more cool craft books than i thought they would!)

...jealous of rory's new phone. (the droid) it does some pretty cool stuff!

...ignoring the mess on my craft room floor. (what mess?)

...excited for thanksgiving in two weeks! (oh, and my birthday, which is on the 22nd)

...stressed about christmas gifts

...loving glee

...excited about spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. (i'm a simple girl!)

recycled gift box tutorial

thought i'd share this little idea i had for recycling cereal boxes, probably not the most unique, but crafty and green nonetheless!

you'll need:

a cereal box
a glue gun
your hands

that's it!

first gently break down the box along the side and the bottom.

this is what it will look like. (yes, we shop at wal-mart, and that is my breakfast about 90% of the time...i'm boring)

turn inside out and bend all flaps to the inside to make them more pliable. then use your hot glue gun to attach the sides and bottom together.

then, tuck in the top like you normally would on a cereal box!

place your gift inside, wrap with wrapping paper, or simply decorate with a ribbon or yarn! easy peasy, and totally free! that's my kind of project!

tune in tomorrow for a jean skirt refashion! (for the sadester, of course)

***If you have used any of my tutorials, I'd love if you'd add a quick pic to my flicker group! Thanks!***

polka dots

blue and white polka dots. what's better than that? i was inspired by a shirt from wal-mart (of all places!), and made this the other day. i used simplicity pattern 3511 with a few adjustments. i made the back with elastic in it, added elastic to the bottom for a bubble hem effect, and added the ruffle and button thingy on the front. (which i had placed and sewed down about an inch to the right when i realized it was off...nice.)

i'm not showing the back cause...it's not done. need to sew a few pleats in i think..that's the fun part about messing with a pattern! you run into roadblocks...that's when i have the most fun, figuring out how to put together the pieces. forget patterns! they stink anyways.

alright, this picture is just cause she is so cute!

and i love the look she's giving me here....

sadie: gee mom, made me enough clothes lately? i'm getting a bit sick of these photo shoots.

me: shush. now, pose!

primary program? check.

today was our ward's primary program. (every year the children in our congregation do a program in front of everyone, with short talks and songs) i am in charge of the music in our primary, and taught the kids eight new songs throughout the year. i don't know how professional music teachers do it! i do have some musical background (some choir, violin and flute), but man! this tested me in whole bunches of ways! i am soo proud of how well the kids did!

in short, it was awesome to see the fruits of my labor for the past year when the kids sang all the words to all the songs (one tiny word mix-up), and to feel their sweet spirits!

that's it. just wanted to let it out. i'm relieved it's over :D

cargo pants refashion

yesterday was salvation army's 50% off day, so i picked up these girls pants with a drawstring for $1.05. nice!

i have been wanting to try samster mommy's cargo pants tutorial for awhile, so i was just waiting til i found something that would work.


i. love. these. i don't often show rory my projects, but i had to show these off right away. his response? "cool."

don't know why i try. whatever!

i followed the tutorial closely, but i used a commenter's tip:

"sew the drawstring ends to a piece of elastic which is about half the length of the waist, and just thread that through the waistband. I anchor it by sewing through the centre back of the waistband so it never falls out and the ends are always even. The piece of elastic is enough to make the drawstring stretchy enough that you can pull the pants on and off without untying the drawstring if you like."

it worked perfectly! i love the outcome, and the fact that sadie got a cute pair of pants for $1.05 and an hour of my time. awesome!

gift for ju-bug

i made this little notebook/pen case for my sister julia's birthday. she and josh love to draw pictures at church, so i thought this would be a cute thing to contain her supplies! i used this tutorial, awesome one by the way, very specific and easy to follow! the outside, i just love the girly fabrics! inside...i added some twistable colored pencils too...fun!
got the notebooks 3/$1 at Walmart, and used some scrapbook supplies to cover the ugly top and personalize it a little.

betcha didn't know i made jewelry! well, i don't. not really, anyways. i did somehow manage to make this little set for her. :D

happy birthday julia! (yesterday!)