Pants to Shorts

Last weekend I was over at a neighbor's garage sale when I found a pair of jeans in the free pile.  They looked to be about my size and they were free, I couldn't pass them up.  The only thing that was wrong was they had a small hold on one of the pant legs.  I wasn't too worried as I was going to turn them into a pair of shorts.

For those who don't know me, I try to do my best at dressing modestly so when I cut the legs off just above the hole, I was kind of bummed to think they were too short. I still couldn't give them up, they were cute and comfortable so I changed plans and made a trip to Joanns for some fabric.  I picked a cute green and tan printed fabric.  The fabric was the perfect length so when I got home, I cut it in half.  I went to work on them last night. I turned them inside out and sewed them on one of the legs. Once it was sewn on I flipped them right side out and folded the fabric in half and once again went around the leg so no raw edges are showing. I ran one seam down where the fabric wrapped around and overlapped. Once it was all sewn on I sewed around the bottom twice so that it was held in place and wouldn't bunch up or wrinkle up once they are washed.  I repeated this on the other leg.

Here they are halfway done.

Here they are completed.

I'm sorry I didn't take more pictures. I had just gotten my son down to bed and I was just trying to relax but a lot of people have liked the idea.  If I do this again I will take more pictures as I go.  My aunt also said that this just might start a new fashion trend, if this starts a fashion trend I will be in shock, I am just your everyday mom, most days I'm in cut off shorts and t-shirts.

It's not what you have, it's what you make of what you have.

Have you ever seen something in a store or online that you think is really cute?  And how did you feel when you looked at that price tag attached to the particular item?  If you're anything like me, you've probably said "ouch" and walked away.  

After countless times of looking at different dry erase boards that I loved I finally decided to make my own.  Below is the picture of everything I had to start with that was sitting around my house from previous projects.  The wood is a 12" x 24" sheet of wood I cut off a sheet of thin plywood (you can see it in the background).  I had purchased this plywood to make my grandmother's clock for Christmas.  The piece of glass came out of the frame that we used to make my grandmothers clock.  The wooden blocks were from off the end of the wood used to make my brother in law's coin display and the hooks? Well they used to be in the ceiling in my old office where my paper lanterns hung.

After gathering everything I use blue painter tape (not pictured) to tape off the top 14".  I painted the top portion white (two coats).  While the white paint was drying I took my three small 2x2" blocks and sanded the top edges off using a mouse sander (you can do it by hand if you don't have a sander).  I liked the look of the edges being rounded off.  After the paint was completely dry, I used a clear silicone bead on the edge of the glass to attach it. Once the glass was down on the wood I ran a bead of silicone calking around the outside edge and used a wooden skewer (not pictured) to smooth it out and angle it from the wood to the glass.  The hooks were screwed into the wood prior to gluing the blocks on.  The blocks were not painted on the bottom side to insure the wood would stick.  I used Elmers wood glue to adhere the three wooden blocks.

One all the glues had dried I pained the bottom green.  The wood around the dry erase board is from our apple tree which was in desperate need of pruning and rather than throwing the branches out I put it to good use.  We used our band saw to cut them into discs.  If you don't have branches that you could chop down and slice up, you could use other cute things such as buttons, etc. I did use a heavy two part epoxy (pictured below).  Make sure you work fast and mix small amounts at a time.  If it starts getting stiff or tacky mix a new batch, the epoxy has already started to set and will not stick.

I did have to purchase the cork board which I got in a 4 pack at Fred Meyer.  I used our large box knife to divide it in half (2-6x12" blocks).  I glued them together to make them thicker and use the adhesive stickers (comes with package) to attach to the board. 

This was some what time consuming but only due to the fact that you have to wait for the paints to dry and the glues to set....oh yah, and I have a busy body one year old.  I still need to pick up the 3M picture frame velcro to attach to the back and hang.  I love the fact that I can write or tack up a note right by my front door.  I can also hang my keys so they don't get lost any more.  I know it's not perfect like something you would buy in the store but I bet it beats the price and it's totally personalized!

Birthday Invites

It started a few months ago, the venture to make my son's birthday invites.  He is a monkey, seriously, he climbs walls and hangs from what ever he can.  We picked a theme for his birthday "It's a Jungle Out There".  I'm crafty I thought and I love designing things digitally so I started by designing the front of his card...

I designed the monkey, the bugs and everything else.  I happened to have a picture of him from our first trip to the zoo.  We had stopped at the gift shop to get some sunscreen and try and find him a hat.  We loved this hat but it fell off every time he sat back in the stroller.  I managed to capture a cute picture of him and clipped him out of the background.  I loved how it turned out. 

While I could print this out on my own, I have this nifty little (or rather large actually) card company that I go through called Send Out Cards.  Being a wholesale customer/distributor, it only cost me $10.23 for 11 cards plus $4.84 in postage.  Thats only $15.07 ($1.37 each, including postage) to send all those out totally personalized and I never had to leave my house to do it.

After I got all of that put together I started going to work on our 'jungle animals'.  I created an elephant, parrot, and monkey all of which are hanging on my son's bedroom wall at this time.  I'm half tempted to go buy some felt and make some that are slightly stuffed.  I will be making a tree out of tissue paper on our kitchen wall along with some other stuff...I hope.  I'll post pictures when I get it done. 

I know he's only going to be one but I hope this year will be at least somewhat memorable for him, even if we are on a tight budget. 

Colored Pencil Tubes

I don't know about you but as a child I loved to color which meant I had colored pencils.  While pencil pouches are nice for going to and from school, they really get banged around which leads to children trying to sharpen them over and over again, only to be disappointed or frustrated.  

One day I was sitting in my craft room after putting my son down for a nap staring at the piles of 'stuff' on my desk when it popped into my head, colored pencil tubes.  Being that I have a little guy he had been eating the little puffed grain things that you can buy at your grocery store.  I'm kind of grateful that we bought the store brand because under the label, they are all white unlike the gerber ones.

I figured it would be great to cover in something but I wasn't quite sure what, then it caught my eye...the bottle of Mod Podge.  Bringing back memories from young womens I tore up some paper, mixed some Mod Podge and a little bit of water in a small plastic dish and went to work.  

Using a paint brush I'd brush a little glue onto the bottle, lay a small piece of paper on and brush more over top till the paper is saturated.  I also added a somewhat circular piece to the top to cover up where the label had been ripped off.   You can cut all the little pieces but I think it's more fun to rip them so you have that torn paper look.

 I hope everyone enjoyed this.  It's simple and fun, not to mention that mod podge is a water based glue and it can be washed off.  I do not suggest using your best paint brushes as it will harden it a little. 

Laptop Sleeve Complete...or is it?

Being that I just had to replace my laptop after almost 5 years of being well loved, and probably some abuse too, I wanted a sleeve that fit it and didn't let the new one slide around.  I think it looks great but I still might redo the flap to be wider and also add some type of batting or padding in to help protect it a little more.  If I do so, I will post one more revision for it. 

I did get the binding tape around the top edge which by the way I made thanks to one of the million other craft blogs I've been reading.  I wish I could remember or at least figure out which one it was so I could give them the credit for teaching me.  Here is the final product so far. 

Laptop Sleeve

I'm one of those moms that loves DIY crafts.  I started looking at other DIY craft blogs and decided, I own a craft business and I have my own craft blog why am I not writing on it?  So here is my first blog in a while.  

It all started with a green and white polka dot laptop sleeve that I bought at Walmart a few years ago.  It was a cheap solution for a broke college student. It also protected my computer from an ALMOST empty cup of juice that got knocked over and a few puddles of baby spit up. 

As you can see, the stains are not pretty, not to mention that I just had to get a new laptop and it's slightly smaller which means there was a lot of wiggle room.  I decided to dismantle the whole thing and recover it making it slightly smaller.   

Each side panel had three layers.  The green polka dots were a stretchy cover.  The white is a foam padding and the black is a liner.

 

This was the outside band and zipper that was between the two side panels. This part I scratched as my new laptop is thinner and doesn't need this extra depth in the case.

I replaced the green polka dots with this pretty fabric my mother gave me. Sewing the three panels together form each side first, then putting them together right side in. 

It is a little stiff when you flip it right side out but once you get it there it looks great. 

I used velcro to hold it together but you could make it using a number of different things.

I could have put the zipper back in there but I switched the opening from the long side to one of the shorter ends.  I love the new look and the lack of stains.  I also love that the $5 or so that I spent a few years back can be stretched to last a while longer and I didn't spend any more money to make this one!

Upcoming events

In two weeks we will be out at the Cascade Locks Sternwheeler festival in the gorge.  We will be showcasing our newest products along with our garden stakes and heat packs.  

On the blog I've included many of our current products but we have a few more that are in progress.  How many of you shop at places like Winco?  Anyone like the bulk food section?  I do, except when I get home, put everything in little containers and them am left with a million little plastic bags that I either have to store up till the next time we go or throw them in the trash. 

I'll be honest here, I get a lot of my ideas from looking at craft books, put my own little twist on them and go for it.  This time I've found another reusable product and that is our bulk food bags.

These little bags are great, they are made out of breathable linen with a strip of fabric to add some color. Nice thing about these is they can be thrown in your washer and be good to for your next trip.  We are working on making different sizes.  The smaller ones would be great for getting things like almonds or other snacks that you can throw in your bag and take with you. 

We also have some bangle bracelets and headbands that are in progress.  I will work on getting some pictures up soon for both of those items.  Keep a look out for more as we get closer to the festival and don't be afraid to come out and visit us.  We would love to meet you!