So I have been making quite a few things out of felt lately (don't even
ask about felt food!). This project is
one of my favs! It can be challenging finding cool things to make for boys, so
this one is pretty neat. Also,
as always, it is quick and cheap. It took me less than an hour while I sat on
the couch watching the Olympics!
I had everything I needed too, which is always great.
It's an awesome felt watch! Here is how to make one for your cool dude.
Supplies:
- 3 colors of felt (.29 at Joann's)
- Embroidery Floss in a contrasting color and black (.35 at Joann's)
- 2 buttons
- Needle
- 2 snaps or a piece of velcro
Recipe:
1) Measure the little man's wrist and cut a 2 inch wide strip, adding about an
inch in length.
2) Cut out the other 2 pieces. I did it freehand and it was pretty easy. Just
estimate the size based on
the size of the strap. Make them each a little smaller than the last.
3) Now, using the floss, stitch around the strap. I was thinking it would have
looked cool if I had yellow floss, but I didn't.
4) Stitch the clock backing onto the strap, all around the edge.
5) Starting with the hands, stitch the clock on. Then, using a marker, make a
dot where each hour should be. Stitch.
6) Sew the buttons on. Mine don't match exactly, but that's what I had!
7) Now, you attach either the snaps or velcro. I used snaps because I figured it
would be better. Noah can snap
them but they hold better than velcro. Plus, I thought the velcro might stick to
the felt.
See?? Easy. It doesn't have to be perfect, and actually, I like it to look
handmade and unique. I think
I'll be making a couple more in some different colors!
Here's a couple quick shots of Oliver, learning to sit and using the highchair
for the first time!
I think I'll be putting up a new HOME project this
weekend!
February 25, 2010
Anyone for some easy projects??
Today I have 3 small projects I thought I would share. I have been
sewing a LOT this week since it is just the
two boys and I here. I feel like I have SO much more time without having
Charlotte here. I love having her, but
goodness, I have a lot of free time! I have been sewing/crafting, cooking,
baking, cleaning, organizing, reading,
and also PLAYING! The boys are really enjoying the one on one time. Oliver is
sitting up pretty well now, I
put the Boppy around him just in case still, but he is strong! He is also
working on crawling. He seems to be
able to scoot backwards a little already! Noah has such an imagination lately.
He pretends all day! So sweet.
OH, I also wanted to throw a great link out there. I ordered a sterling silver
ring from this seller on Etsy and
I love it so much, I figured some others might too! It is beautiful. Very dainty
and SHINY. The best part is,
it was only $7.50 including shipping! I think that is a bargain. So here is
that! Be sure to check out all the
things he has in his shop, there are a few other rings that are cute too.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=40169114
Finally, we are gearing up for a mild storm here in the next couple days. Spring
will be here someday, right??
A King's Crown
This is a great easy craft for a little man, or girl of course! You
could switch up the colors
to suit a princess. What kid doesn't love a crown?? I was inspired to make this
by a Burger
King crown that Steve brought home for Noah. Noah just loved it, but
unfortunately they are
made of paper, so it didn't last long. You could make it much more simple than I
did, but really,
it didn't take long at all!
Supplies:
-Felt. I used 2 of the sheets that are .29 at Joann's
-Iron On Adhesive or interfacing
-Elastic (optional)
-Gold puffy paint
-Jewels
Recipe:
1) Iron on the adhesive to one full piece of felt. Iron the other felt to it.
They should now be attached.
2) With either a BK crown, or freehand, trace the pattern onto the felt. Start
right at the bottom edge.
You can get both halves of the crown from one sheet of felt if you position it
right.
3) Cut out.
4) If you are going to use elastic on the back do that now. All I did was lay
the elastic where I wanted
it on the bottom edge. Then I sewed a casing for it in between 2 layers of felt.
BUT that is because
I did not iron the back pieces together, since I hadn't thought of that
marvelous idea yet. So, what you
can do is just attach the elastic to the back of the inside of the crown. Just sew
it at the ends to attach. Or
you can just make the crown the perfect size and not use elastic. Whatever! (was
that confusing?? sorry.)
5) Now you need to sew the 2 halves together to form the crown. I used my
machine of course but you
could VERY easily hand sew the few stitches.
6) I also stitched around the entire perimeter of the crown, but that is totally
optional.
7) Decorate! I happened to have these jewels from a shirt that I did NOT like
them on. So that was nice!
8) Watch in delight as your little king enjoys the fruit of your labor!
An Adorable Pincushion!
If you have a sewing machine, this is SO fast. I think 20 minutes? I didn't have
a pincushion previously
so this was a necessity for me. This could be a great gift for someone who sews.
If you don't have a
machine, again, it wouldn't take long to hand sew since it is so little. It is
cute and I used scrap fabric
I had leftover! Perfect.
Supplies:
- 4 to 5 inch circles of 2 fabrics you like. I used a cotton top and a felt
bottom.
- Embroidery Floss & Needle
- Stuffing. I used quilt batting since I had some, but you can use FiberFill or
even just stuffing from an old pillow OR even cotton balls! Use what you have!
- Thread
- Button
Recipe:
1) Find something circular in the size you want. I happened to use a plastic lid
for Pyrex. Use that to
trace 2 circles out of your fabric.
2) Place them right sides together and sew the edges together. Leave a 2inch or
so opening.
3) Inside out through the little hole. A pencil or chopstick is helpful for
that.
4) Stuff. FULL. You want it to be really plump. I think I could have used more
actually.
5) Hand sew the hole closed.
6) Using a LONG length of floss, pull the needle through the middle from the
bottom. Then go
over the cushion and back up through the bottom. Pull tight.
7) Repeat around the cushion, pulling tight as you go.
8) Tie a knot but don't cut the floss.
9) Find a cute button and sew it on right in the middle, pull the floss tight
and PUSH the button
down.
10) TADA! Easy, adorable, and cheap. LOVE it.
The last thing I am going to show today, takes 2 minutes and is (for me) very
helpful! We got a new
stove recently, and the handle for the oven goes out wide. So, the hand towel
slips off ALL day long.
Between the 3 kids and the 2 cats, it is always on the floor. This quick fix
really solves that issue!
Can you see what I did??
All I did was buy some velcro (not SUPER strength stuff, you don't want the kids
to be able to
open the oven by pulling the towel hard), and sew it to the edges of the towel!
Make sure you sew
it on so that it forms a loop. So, on opposite sides. That's it! I can't tell
you how that tiny little project
brightens my day! No more wet towel on the floor. So nice.
If you don't know how to sew. I'm sorry! I have been doing so much of it lately.
BUT, if you don't
sew, you should really consider taking it up. I'm not saying you need to start
producing your own clothing
or anything. It is just so fun (and addicting) to create things from nothing!
Sewing is nice because as opposed
to knitting and crocheting (which I love), it is FAST and easy. With a small
investment in a machine, you can
do so much! SO, consider it. Curtains especially are easy. The possibilities
are, as they say, endless!
February 23, 2010
Noah's 1st Haircut & Being Sick.
Sick kids. AGAIN. Poor guys. I swear, they have spent more time sick
than well this winter. I feel so bad for
them when they aren't 100%. Hopefully they will recover quickly. So, needless to
say, I haven't had too much
time to upload photos or work on posts. Sorry about that!
BUT, Noah did have his VERY FIRST haircut this past weekend! It just started to
grow in the last 6 months
and finally was just a bit too long. We strapped him into the highchair and
Steve chopped his little locks. I felt
sad with each piece that hit the floor. WHY?! I guess because some of that was
"womb" hair. LOL! Sorry, I'm
a mom and things like that just give me pause. I wanted to save every last curl
and wisp but I managed to limit
it to just a lock or two.
He looks like such a big boy now! I DO miss his long hair, I thought it was so
cute. This is much more managable
for him though, no more brushing it out of his eyes every five minutes. He also
loves to wear a little gel in it, just
like daddy!
Enjoy the view and I'll be back with a couple little projects tomorrow!
BEFORE
DURING Gotta have a treat right?
Our little man AFTER (handsome, no?)
With some glasses from Uncle Jordan!
I couldn't leave you without a little bit of
Oliver, now could I?
February 20, 2010
Are you ready...
...for a serious dose of cute?? You better sit down. Because you may
not be able to handle it...
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