Handkerchief Shirt and Princess Dress from the same pattern

I made another shirt from a pattern that my daughter really liked.  I posted it and a photo of the pattern before here.  I altered the pattern by simply adding length to turn it into a bright pink princess dress for my younger daughter.  It's a very easy pattern if you have experience sewing.  The skirt is a full circle, perfect for twirling!  I originally bought the purple and yellow patterned fabric for nursing shawls, but it was also perfect for a shirt in hot summer weather.

www.idealeon.com

Summer Fun Idea: Ice excavation

It's pretty hot here, as I suspect it is everywhere else.  So we chose an activity to help cool off a bit.  We decided to take an imaginary archeological trip to Antarctica to see what we could find.

 The night before, I added miscellaneous toys to pans of water and then stuck them in the freezer.  At activity time, I turned the frozen ice specimens into pans for my junior archeologists to study.

 Excavation tools included turkey basters, small medicine syringes, spray bottles, table knives, and warm water.

 

 Interestingly, this ancient Antarctic culture also appears to have enjoyed Legos, Hotwheels cars, marbles, crayons, action figures, jacks, toothpicks, paper clips, rubber bands, and even coins.  We hypothesized that perhaps the plastic forks had been left by ancient litterbugs who forgot to pick up their trash.  I guess we have a lot in common with Antarcticans!

Except that we're so hot...

Hope someone else enjoy this activity as much as we did!

Summer Fun Idea: Sugar Rock Crystals

This activity took a few days, but we had a great time watching the crystals form and grow!

Over high heat we dissolved 4 cups sugar -- one cup at a time -- into 2 cups of water in a saucepan.  This was interesting in and of itself for my kids to see how sugar dissolves, and to note that it took much longer for the 4th cup of sugar to dissolve than the 1st.

After it was all dissolved, we took the pan off the heat and added a teaspoon of flavor and enough food coloring for the hue we wanted.  We chose almond extract because who doesn't LOVE that stuff?!  We let it cool off for 10 minutes or so, and then poured the syrup into a clean mason jar.  Because I have two children who strongly love blue, and two who strongly love pink, I made two batches:  pink and blue.  I'm such a pushover.

We dipped a wooden skewer into the syrup mixture, then rolled it in sugar, and submerged it again the the syrup jar.  I taped the skewers to the top of the jar, leaving about an inch of clearance at the bottom.  You can fit two skewers into a mason jar, but try to keep them from touching each other because when the crystals begin forming, they will grow together if they're too close.  (See example at the end)

 Lightly cover the jar and let sit in a cool, dark, undisturbed place for a couple of days.  The crystals should begin forming visibly after several hours, but I must admit our first batch didn't.  I think its home on the counter got a little too much disturbance and light.  The crystals did eventually develop, and they were very simple and large, but it was a couple of weeks before I thought they were ready.

Crystals in process of growing

 Yes, you read correctly.  I did  SECOND round because I'm such a cheapskate I hated to use that much sugar (8 cups total!!!) and then just pour it all down the drain.  The second time around I heated the syrup again (not sure if that's necessary, but I thought I'd play it safe) and chose a quieter home for the jars behind the dining room door.  This time the crystals developed much more quickly--in about 5 days.  But they were smaller crystals.   Go figure.

When all was said and done, my kids were thrilled with the process and results, and excited to sample.  And THEN, we brushed teeth immediately after.  I'm such a meanie.

The two pink skewers from the second round are an example of what happens if you let the skewers get too close together in the syrup as they're forming:  candy joined at the head.  Thanks to Selina at Creative Juices Decor, where I first saw the idea.

Hope someone else enjoys this as much as we did!

Denim Quilt is finally done!

It was probably over 1 1/2 years ago that I started this quilt with a friend, who has posted on this blog once- the dumpster truck cake.  I would teach her to sew and help her do projects while she taught my kids to play the piano.  I wouldn't recommend making a denim quilt the first sewing project for someone because she's lost the taste for sewing for a while.  (Quilts aren't my usual project of choice.)

We used her husband's old jeans and bought some red and white fabrics to use in the middle and for the bias tape (which I can post a how-to-make-bias-tape post if anyone is interested.).  She had her 12-13 year old girls church class help tie the quilt at an activity.

Here it is!

Almost King-sized- backed with flannel

Center- long yarn stitching on the red fabric

back of quilt- long yarn stitching

Yea- it's done!

My website

Beginning to Shuttle Tat - Part 4

Slowly advancing through the book 'Easy Tatting'...

Here's my first attempt at the Large Heart and the tidier example from the book.  I didn't pay enough attention to the sizes of the various picots that I was supposed to make so it is quite wobbly-looking and I definitely need a bit of finesse along those edges and joins. 

Here's the center section only of the Large Rosette done in two colors.  This doesn't lay flat, probably because the two threads are of slightly different thickness.

Have a great day,
Janice

The "One And Only" Handbag

At first I intended to share the how- to on this bag also. I faithfully took pictures of how I made the pattern. I cut out fabric for 2 bags. I planned on making 1 bag just to work out the kinks and the second with tons of pictures for a nice long tutorial. However, it was too finicky to make this bag. So, I am not making another one.  And honestly, as great as 3-d pockets are, I am getting less and less fond of them.

 I bough the strap at Joann's. I was so frustrated that I did not want to take the time and energy to make a strap. I actually like it enough with the ready made strap, that I do not feel it was a waste of time.

 I did take a couple pictures I can share with you during the process in case you want to attempt a bag like this. Basically it is a large rectangle, with U shaped gussets. Flap is added separately.

And the pocket is simply a rectangle with rounded corners on the bottom and a gusset that goes around. Made the lining the same way, out right sides together, sewed around leaving a small opening. Turned it right side out and got another 3-d pocket. I hated sewing it on the bag though. I had to use the seam ripper a lot and it is still a bit off. 

The worse part was adding the gussets and sewing around the corners. Since the bag is pretty stiff ( I used heavy sew-in stabilizer) it was really difficult to navigate around the curved corners with all the layers. On top of it, the fabric I used frays way too easily. I should have used more seam allowance. It works, and I am getting better at tackling more complicated designs. 

Although something simpler would be nicer for next time. Maybe a bucket bag!

Summer Fun Idea: Mason Jar Picnic

It was hot and there was a holiday, so we planned a trip with some friends to the nearest beach.  That's a family recipe for fun!

We usually pick up KFC on the way and eat it on the beach.  But although I love the refreshing beach breezes, I really dislike crunching the sand grains that get blown onto my plate.  Blech.  Enter our next Summer Fun Idea:  A Mason Jar Picnic!  Eating our meal from a jar prevented sand from blowing onto our food.  Genius, I say!  And it was easy enough that the kiddos could help with preparation.

Our main course consisted of a chopped salad layered in a quart Mason Jar.  Layers included tomatoes, frozen cheese (to keep the chicken cool), chopped chicken, chopped veggies, and torn lettuce.  Ranch dressing and croutons came in separate jars, then were sprinkled/poured over the top.  We replaced the lids and shook until all ingredients were well mixed.  Very tasty--and no sand!

We also made fruit parfaits with layers of cantaloup, grapes, strawberries, and blueberries.  Because we kept the salad and fruit in the cooler, they were very cool and refreshing when it came time to eat.

The night before I made a basic beaten batter and baked it in these cute little 8 oz. jars.  However, it wasn't a real hit and I don't think it was worth the extra work, so next time I'll probably just plop some frozen roll dough into the jars, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and herbs and bake after it's risen.  But it was nice to have a roll to go with the salad.

For dessert we had brownies in a jar.  We used the same little 8 oz. jars as the rolls.  We dropped a scoop of brownie batter into the jars and baked them.  After they'd cooled, we frosted with mint frosting and then chocolate frosting, then topped with diced walnuts.  I must say this was by far the most popular item on the menu!  : )

We had a great day with our friends, and enjoyed a great meal in our Mason jars.  And having lids on all jars prevented that extra sandy crunch.  Mission accomplished.  Thanks to The Decorated Cookie, where I saw the idea.  We'll definitely be doing this again next time we're at the beach!

Hope you enjoy this as much as we did,

Beginning to Shuttle Tat - Part 3

Here is some of the progress I've been making with shuttle tatting.  I've gotten a good hang of the knots, my picots are coming along nicely and the joins... well, they need a bunch of work and aren't exactly trivial yet.  Practice, practice, practice!

These two patterns are from 'Easy Tatting' by Rozella Linden.

 

 

This pattern is from Marilee Rockley.  It's a nice little edging for practicing rings, picots and spacing as well as to use up the last bit of yarn on the shuttle.

 

Have a lovely day,
Janice

City Tote Tutorial

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City Tote 3-D Pocket Tutorial

THIS POST WAS MOVED HERE

Summer Fun Idea: Marshmallow Toothpick Sculptures

For some reason, I had five bags of mini marshmallows hanging out in my pantry.  Clearly I need to keep better inventory lists before I shop...   At any rate, when I saw this idea, I was thrilled to find a use for all those marshmallows:  Marshmallow Toothpick Sculptures!

 

The sky's pretty much the limit here.  The kids-plus-friends spent a couple of hours building geometrical shapes, buildings and towers, and even a pretty good attempt at a Y-Wing Fighter and the Death Star.  I loved watching the wheels turning in their minds.

Although I tried to get rid of two opened bags of marshmallows this way, we found that the fresh, newly-opened marshmallows were much better for building things.  The older ones were too sticky and weren't stable enough to hold the toothpicks.

So they became the snack.  : )  And no one complained.  Thanks to Amy at The Idea Room for sharing this great idea!

Hope someone else enjoys this as much as we did!

Summer Fun Idea: Personalized Game Markers

I can't remember where I saw this idea, but I copied it.  If it was your idea, please let me know and I'll give you credit!!

We drew "Family Game Day" from our Summer Activity Jar.  To make it more interesting, I printed small pictures of the players, laminated them, and inserted them into the usual place markers.  Three out of four kids were delighted with the joy of moving themselves around the game board.  One out of four kids took defeat much more personally when it was his own picture losing.  Who'd have thought?  Regardless, I saved the pictures so that we can use them for other games in the future.  I hope playing again will help Fourth learn to be a better loser.

Hope you enjoy this ideas as much as we most of us did!

Minecraft Birthday Cake

My oldest has turned 11! For birthdays in our home I like to decorate a cake that symbolizes the birthday child's interests. Something fun for them to look back on. J had suggested Minecraft. I showed him a few Minecraft cakes others have put on the Internet and he chose a very simple one telling me he didn't want it to be too much work for me. The love!

This cake turned out to be a fun birthday activity. The night before I baked the cake, shaped, frosted and covered to top with fondant. J expressed interest in making Minecraft figures out of fondant, so that became our morning activity. All the kids had fun playing with fondant. I loved J's creative ideas and sharing this with him. I just have to say I think he made it look better than the picture off the internet (but thanks for the idea!)

Summer Fun Idea: Plaster of Paris Paperweights

I needed to buy some Plaster of Paris for another craft in our Summer Activity Jar, and found that I had to buy a very large bucket.  Soo... we decided to make paperweights!

It was easy-peasy to prepare.  I just followed the instructions on the bucket, using very cold water.

This is the consistency we used.

We quickly poured the plaster into our molds.  We found some aluminum pans in the cupboard that worked pretty well.  The plaster was initially too wet to hold the weight of the beads and decorations, but after we let it sit in the molds for five minutes or so, we were able to press our embellishments right into the thickened plaster.

We let these harden overnight, then turned them out of the molds and let them dry completely another 24 hours.

We may paint or color them someday, but until then these paperweights are doing their job decorating/holding down papers on my kids' desks.

Hope this brings someone else enjoyment too!