Project 52: Show and Tell – Week 4

Project 52: Show and Tell – Every week I’ll post a piece of artwork or something handmade from either one or both of my girls. By the end of year, creating a calendar of their work should be a snap. If you want to join in the fun on your own blog, please just link back to this page. I’ve also started a flickr group where non-bloggers and bloggers alike should feel free to post their kids’ artwork.

There are two from my 4 year old this week. Both were done at her preschool.

Must Make Monday – Candle Crafts

Candlemas, Imbolc, Groundhog’s Day, whatever you call it February 2nd is just around the corner. Traditionally this is a day we make candles at my house.  Although since having kids this tradition has become a bit sporadic, it is still one of my favorites. Its nice to have a supply of handmade candles for gift giving, celebrations, and cozy evenings at home.

There are many different ways to make candles. You can dip, you can mold, you can use yummy beeswax or recycle the paraffin candle nubs from the holiday season, you can even use good old crayons if you want. Candles are easy to make, but can be dangerous. Always be careful around the stove and hot wax. Let the whole family get in on the action or have a candle making party like we do. Be creative and have fun!

Here are a couple of different ideas and tutorials you can try at home. Have a great holiday!

Leah from Homework shares with us her beeswax candle dipping party.

Candle Craft Ideas shows us how to make Soy Candles.

Learn to make pillar candles at Free Craft Idea.

iMake‘s Beeswax Candle Tutorial.

Craftzine shows us how to make candles from scratch.

Sick

Sick-A-Bed Sally

I’m sick! Nothing major, just a cold. I’m hoping to be back to it soon. I’ve got more to post with the sew along, but I’ll try to post my Project 52 today. Thanks for all the support! Stay healthy!

Inspiration Wednesday – Crazy Cool Cakes

I’m having to post this a day late because I was having some technical difficulties. PZ’s birthday is, in her words, “just around the corner”, and we’ve been having some serious cake discussions. These are some of the crazy cool cakes I found in my research. She actually wants a butterfly cake. Anyone out there have any good birthday cake recipes or ideas on creative butterfly cakes. I don’t really want to buy a cake mold, but I may just have to.

This cake won a blue ribbon in the Kentucky State Fair in 2007 – (My home state!)

All the World’s sugar glass aquarium cake.

 

My Paper Crane‘s pinata cake.

A Delightful Day‘s Candyland cake

Betty Crocker‘s Lego Cake

Love Notes (If You’re Family, Don’t Look!)

These are the love notes the girls and I made for Valentine’s Day. I have a little template here (SFCHearts) if you want to make one too! First thing you’ll want to do is print out the template or just draw a heart on a fold of paper with just a bit of the heart’s side touching the fold. You want two connected hearts like this…

Spring Challenge Color Palette Week 1

Sarai, proprietress of Colette’s Patterns and Portland local, is doing a really cool sew along and I’m going to take part! Its the Spring Palette Challenge, a ten week sewing challenge where you choose a spring color palette and sew yourself a mini wardrobe using those colors. She has created a Forum where people can share their palettes, challenges, and final products.

My challenge will be to sew 3 pieces – a skirt, shirt, and dress in my selected color palette.

My spring palette is this below. Wish me luck and I’d love it if you want to sew along!

 

 

Must Make Monday – Wall Pockets

I have to redo our family organizer wall center in our house. I also need to create better storage for PZ in her top bunk AND we need something better for the art room. Here are some of the things I’m thinking? Do you have any suggestions/tutorials that you wanna share? Please do!

 

Easy Album Cover Wall Organizers by Paper and Stitch – I’m thinking I could do 4 of these, one for each family member and have it for mail.

Corkboard/Wall Pocket Tutorial by Craft Apple –  something like this would make our corkboard prettier.

Mail Sorter by Bright and Blithe – here is another mail idea.

Bunk bed wall pocket by Betz White – perfect for PZ’s bed

Wall Pocket by Stumbles and Stitches – Its like a portable art studio

Kidlet Wall Pocket Tidy Tote by Jennifer Casa – I think one of these would be great on the back of the bathroom door, on the sewing room door, and on our bedroom doors.

Project 52: Show and Tell – Week 3

Project 52: Show and Tell – Every week I’ll post a piece of artwork or something handmade from either one or both of my girls. By the end of year, creating a calendar of their work should be a snap. If you want to join in the fun on your own blog, please just link back to this page. I’ve also started a flickr group where non bloggers and bloggers alike should feel free to post their kids’ artwork.

Week 3 is a painting my 4 year old PZ did at her preschool.

Sewn With Love Sew Along 1 – Cutting

The first Button Down Dress I made from Fiona Bell’s Sewn With Love book I cut all wrong. Its been too long since I made something using a pattern! Of course, I’m using patterned fabric that can only go one way which makes it a bit trickier. But no matter what kind of fabric you’re using, it is important to look closely at all of the cutting instructions on the pattern.

First things first, you want to print out all of the pattern pages for the Button Down Dress. You’re going to want to have some floor space or a big table before starting to tape all of the pages together.

Each page has a number in all four corners. Match the numbers together and tape the pages. You should end up with a big 3 page x 6 page grid.

Once you have them all taped, I suggest highlighting the cutting instructions on each pattern piece before carefully cutting them out. Pay special attention to the arrows that tell you which way the fabric should go and be aware that some pieces are both for the lining and the front pattern.

When you are cutting the Dress Front make sure you fold the fabric over so you are cutting both pieces at once. Same goes for the Front Yoke. You need to cut 2 lining pieces and 2 front pieces of the Front Yoke and if you don’t fold the fabric over and cut 2 at a time, the piece will be facing the wrong direction.

Each of the pieces in this last picture is actually two pieces. I just wanted to show what direction the fabric should be facing. There should be 20 pieces in all (one big back piece, 2 front pieces, 2 back yoke pieces, 4 front yoke pieces, 2 pockets, 2 pocket tops, 2 button plackts, 1 neckline piece, 2 armpit pieces, and two sleeves). The cutting took me about 1 1/2 hours. This dress will be for my oldest child and is a 5-6. If you haven’t ironed your fabric yet (like me, oops!) go ahead and iron the pieces now and next time we’ll get straight to sewing!

Just in case you’re interested, I watched How To Murder Your Wife while cutting this out. I love that movie. Such a classic!

*oops! My original post had the wrong number of cut pieces. It should be 20 with 2 button plackets

Inspiration Wednesday 2 – Soup Ideas

Well, Hubs and I are all a-flutter over our Soup Swap Party coming up. What to make, what to make? Here are a few ideas. What is your favorite soup? Do you have a great recipe you’d like to share?

 

eat make read’s Butternut Squash Soup with Pear, Cider, and Vanilla

 

smitten kitchen’s Baked Potato Soup

 

 

Soup Chick’s Double Goodness Tomato Soup

 

A Thousand Soups’ Cream 0f Broccoli Soup with Bacon and Cheddar

Deja Vu’s Split Pea and Ham Soup