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A little project, with a happy thought.
To remind me that it is the little moments that make life so special.
Just a quick little project because I can ;)
Made with one of my girls old shirts and scraps from a pair of cut offs. I opted for three layers for better insulation. No buttons or velcro made it a bit annoying to sew at the end, but so much more user friendly. I think it came out looking really cute, especially the back.
It was a gift for my Mom. She loves it!
And yes, I still make things for my Mom.
I just had to share this really cute tutorial I found today on SwirlyThoughts. She shows how to make padded envelopes using reclaimed materials.
It is such a wonderful idea. So many possibilities!
I have been been doing a lot of playing around with magazines lately. I saved a rather large stash from the trash at work last week. So as you can imagine there has been lots of cutting, folding, rolling and gluing (non-toxic) going on. Needless to say, it has been an interesting challenge coming up with different ways to reuse them all.
For the most part I have had great luck in making jewelry out of them. Earrings, bracelets and beads have all been fun. I’ll post about them later though.
Today however, I am very pleased with a tea wallet that I made. I love my tea, and always have a bag or two in my purse or pocket. Christy’s Creations had a great Tea Wallet Tutorial that I thought might be a fun way to reuse the magazines. The image I chose was a little small, but I love how it came out.
Surprisingly durable and very cute. I have been taking it to work all week, and absolutely love it.
I came across this great utensil holder project made from paper bags, over at Machine d’amour.
All you need is a paper bag, some vinyl and a sewing machine. It is really quite simple. Check out her instructions here.
This would also work great with magazine pages and left over paper scraps.
I have some extra vinyl laying around, maybe the girls and I will make some pretty placemats for when it’s warm enough to eat outside again. :)
My little Jade came up to me after finishing her homework and asked when I would finally teach her how to sew. I have to admit I was a little surprised by her question, so I asked her what she had in mind. She answered by pointing out my knitting project, the crochet needles and my sewing machine. Then she went on to explain she wasn’t sure witch one would be best, she just wanted to learn something new.
As a mom, who could say no! Well my little Rain didn’t want to be left out. So we decided to go with the sewing machine as it seemed the easiest for both of them. We grabbed a bag of clothes that Rain had grown out of and started plotting.
After much talking and planning Rain decided to make a bag out of her strawberry shortcake shirt and Jade went for a doll out of an old dress.
Rain loved her project and it was a great one to start her on as it was very easy and fast. I sewed the bottom of the shirt and she went to work on cutting off the sleeves.
It turned out pretty cute and she has been putting everything in there since. I am so happy she likes it!!!
Jade’s project took a couple of days to finish, but she did a great job. First we measured out the skirt and used a piece of news paper for her to draw up a design for her doll. She made a few patterns before she found the one she liked.
After it was all cut and pinned, she got to sewing. Jade was really excited to use my machine. She had a blast, and did a great job. I hand sewed the eyes for her. She did the seams and the mouth.
Stuffing it was a really fun part for her. She wanted to make sure it was super soft and cuddly, so she kept hugging as she went, just to be sure.
All and all her doll turned out very cute. Jade is thrilled and has been telling everyone she sees that this is her favorite doll and she made it out of her old dress.
I think she is very proud.
So am I!
Happy Day!!!
My Mom loves her earring holder. It turned out really nice, and matches her room beautifully.
Here are the pictures I promised. Sorry about the delay. Let me know what you think.
I backed the image with cardboard trimmed in black to add some depth and better frame the earrings. Also I applied a matte finish to complement the satin ribbon.
Now that the crazyness of everything is finally dying down, things are getting back on track.
My house has been a buz lately. Everything from crafting, and cooking to good friends and snuggle time. I couldn’t be happier, life is definitely perking back up again.
Mom just moved in around the corner. It is so great to have her back, and soooo close:) She loves to cook and my kitchen has not been a quiet place since. Which is a great thing. My girls are so excited about all the new foods they are trying, and I am having a great time having someone to cook with again!
I did notice the other day that she has a ton of beautiful earrings. So I am going to make her an earring holder for her new room. Today we went through some of my old calenders and one of the pictures she liked would be perfect for it. Cross your fingers, I hope she likes it!!! I am going to use some of the ribbon I have left over from my wedding and an old frame that matches surprisingly well. I’ll post a picture when I get it done.
MamaBear has also been keeping me busy. She got an order in for me to make 2 childrens aprons for SadieDey’s Cafe. I am really excited to be working with them. I love their Cafe. If you have kids and are near Oakland you must stop by. Great food and a wonderful play area for the little ones. I took the girls to the New Years party and we all had an absolute blast.
I have been learning how to knit. It takes some getting used to, but I have almost finished a scarf for MamaBear. It is turning out beautiful and so thick. I can’t wait to get it to her. Hopefully I will have time to make one for myself before it gets to warm outside to wear it.
Hope your new year is off to a great start!!!!
Happy Days!!!!
While online last night I ran across a post by AlteredFantasy that I wanted to share. It is a DIY picture frame made from recycled shoebox lids. They are really simple to make, and the results are quite beautiful. 
You can check out the instructions here, and view some of her other projects.
Another fun project would be to cover with plain paper and use as mini canvases, or cover with your child’s art to make a personal masterpiece.
I am excited to get started. Happy Day:)
I found a craft very similar to this online, where they used 2 pouches to make a coin purse.
What you need: 
Capri Sun or similar, empty and clean (slice through the bottom to clean out.)
Velcro
Sewing Machine (unless you really want to do this by hand)
To start, sew velcro across the top on the back side of the pouch. Then add the other strip across the bottom on the front side.
Fold up the bottom. Sew around the edge and you are done. Easy!
I thought it would be neat to try and Decopodge on the back side of one. I used a piece of colored tissue paper from my daughter’s birthday present.
Just glue it onto the back. When it drys just sew it together.
I really like the way they turned out. Perfect for lunch money and spare change. They would also be cute to personilize. I am going to make one for my sisters gift card.
Happy Birthday m4m4b34r!!!!
My Happy Earth 