Start of School Pics - My Favs

I love this tradition now, of taking pictures of the kids before school starts.  This is probably about the best they'll ever look since this isn't the hair-done-just-before-running-out-the-door look, so I don't know if it's a great representation ;) but aww well.  I love to capture their expressions, their excitement, and be able to see how much they change from year to year!

In the past, I have hand written their chalkboard signs, but since my chalkboard is in storage, I used this great printable from Skip to my Lou.  

I also like doing the sidewalk chalk writing - I wonder if I'll still be making them do this in high school? ;)

And of course, little sister has to get in the picture... 

And hold the signs... lol.

Here's an adorable one that they did all by themselves.  Little cuties.

And just because it's fun to see the comparison, here are a few from past years...

I like to take a picture of them against a blank wall so that I can include writing about them. PicMonkey.com is a great option for adding the words, because it is easy, and free!

Okay, that's it!  Don't grow up anymore!!

Hope start of school is going well for all of you out there with kids!  It isn't too late to go outside and take some of these pictures now, if you didn't get around to it before school started.  

These pics are certainly ones I cherish!

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Outdoor Play Mud Kitchen

The girls and I really like to be outside.  The weather in the Northwest has been phenomenal, and we've been riding bikes, blowing bubbles, having picnics, and just about everything else we can think of to do outside.  In addition, my husband and I have been working really hard on clearing overgrown brush from the backyard so we can utilize the space better.  

Over the weekend we put down sod in this corner of the yard that was formerly overgrown with bamboo and raspberry bushes - you couldn't even see the fence it was so thick!  It took us months to dig out every root and stump, but we finally made this beautiful, usable space!  And now that it's clear, we plan to use this area a bunch.  The concrete patio is also a nice place for the girls to bounce balls and ride scooters, and I'm happy to have a fenced place to let them play!  

We didn't have any kind of storage for the little outdoor toys though, so it's been on my mind to make something.  Then, a couple of weeks ago I found out about this industrial recycle center near my house.  If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen the pictures.  This place is huge.  Talk about a repurposer's dream.  People drop off all sorts of building leftovers and discards, and it's all priced really cheap - score!  

So, I picked up an old cabinet and some scrap wood to play with...behold, the raw materials ;)

I sanded the cabinet, took off the hardware, and spray painted it a bright teal color.  One of the handles was broken, but that was ok -- the recycle center had hundreds to choose from.  I picked up another for a few cents, and spray painted the handles black.

I wanted a pallet style back sticking up behind the cabinet - both because I thought it would look cute, and because I wanted to be able to hang things from it.  With my scrap wood I cut and nailed the boards together like you see below...

Then, I nailed it to the back of the cabinet.

Besides just having a place to store toys, I wanted the kids to have another place to play - and kitchen toys are perfect for digging in the dirt with.  

The girls helped me pick out a few old kitchen things from the friendly neighborhood Goodwill, and we got to sprucing those up too.  

I spray painted the handle on an old slotted spoon, and with a few well placed nails we hung the kitchen stuff on the back boards.  

My daughter traced and painted the Mud Pies sign - I love the way it looks :)  

They could barely wait for the paint to dry before they were filling it with their toys and banging around with the kitchen stuff.  Mission accomplished!

I'm sure this will be a work in progress.  We might pick up more old kitchen utensils eventually, or make crates to go on the shelves...we'll see!  Now, it's tucked perfectly against this wall, right where we'll be playing and having a great time in the summer sun.  Mud pie anyone?

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Fold-up Fabric Needle Holder

Is this thing darling, or what??

I don't know about you, but I'm always digging around in my sewing box for a needle.  Ripped seam, popped button, (heaven forbid I actually have to hand sew something, but it happens.  I do so love my sewing machine...).

My needles are usually on my magnetic pin cushion, but they are hard to find (insert joke about needle in a haystack) and I'd rather have the needles in their own, designated place.  

I first saw one of these types of needle holders at my friend's house.  She's had it for a while, and loves hers!  I made myself a pattern, and it was a fun project.  

To begin, click this link to find the pattern shape.

Using the larger shape, you'll need to trace and cut out 2 pieces of fabric.  One of them should have fusible batting, interfacing or fusible fleece ironed to the back.

Using the smaller shape, trace and cut a piece out of felt.

Sew the two large pieces, right sides together, with 1/4 inch seam allowance.  Leave a 2 inch hole along the side of the tab or opposite end for turning.  Clip all the corners and curves before turning.

Turn right side out, and make sure to carefully push out all the turns.  Iron nice and flat.  Top stitch with 1/8" to 1/4" seam allowance.  Make sure to fold under the opening you used for turning, and catch it in the top stitch, so there is no longer a hole.

Next, you need to sew the smaller, felt flower shape down.
To easily know where I was sewing the felt down, I used a disappearing ink fabric pen (or a really light pencil mark would work) and a ruler to make lines between opposite inward points (see below).

Center the felt, sew along those lines from inward point strait across to opposite inward point.  Back stitch at the ends to secure.

Next, in order to make it fold properly I ironed the folds.  This really helped me when trying to make that nice folded shape at the end.  If you start by placing the tab up, fold the flower shape diagonally to one side and iron, and then fold it diagonally the other way and iron.  It will be folded along the sewn lines when done this way.

Then, fold it backward along the middle, as you see below, and press with your fingers.  Depending on the kind of felt you use, you may not want to iron it.  Some felt I have purchased off the roll will melt if ironed!

Once everything was tucking in where it was supposed to, I ironed it again very well to reinforce the way it should fold.

For the closure, I used a sewed a small piece of Velcro to the end of the tab (again, used what I had on hand!), and the matching piece of Velcro on the other side of the holder.  Then, I sewed a decorative button on the back of the tab.  You could even use a functioning button with a button hole if you don't have Velcro handy...

Awesome!  Now, I have this great fabric needle holder - with the needles securely in the felt, no lost needles because it folds it up into a cute little bundle for safekeeping.  

This is such a quick project, you'll want to make a few for your friends.  And they will love them too!

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Patriotic Shabby Fabric Headbands - a very quick DIY craft

Want to add a little patriotic flair to your wardrobe?!  These shabby headbands are so fast, I whipped 2 of them up for my girls in about 10 minutes!

You really only need a few, long, skinny scraps of fabric, about 1 yard long in red, white and blue.

Make a snip about 1 - 2 inches wide on the fabric you want on the base, and TEAR your fabric.  It is amazing how cool this ends up looking, and how it comes out in a straight line!  If your first tear is not straight compared to your edge, make another snip and tear again.  The grain will stay the same, but may not be in line with the manufactured/cut original edge. 

Tear a second piece, in a different color, slightly thinner than the first.
Lay them on top of eachother, so the wider one is on bottom.  If you want to taper your ends slightly, do that now with scissors.

Sew along the edge of the skinnier/top piece of fabric, leaving about 1/8" seam allowance.  Sew two or three times up each side, letting your line wave and cross to accentuate the shabby look.  I used a dark, contrasting color to add a decorative element. 

Now to add flowers.
Tear a piece of fabric about 1" wide and 1 foot long. 
Tuck the end under and start to twirl the fabric in a circle. 

You can twist the strip as you go if you want, but just make a tight little pinwheel.

Then, tuck the end under, and place it on your headband.  I dont usually put it in the middle, because I like my flowers off to the side of my head.  So maybe 1/3 of the way along your headband, place the flowers. 

I dont pin them down, I just smoosh them with the presser foot of my sewing machine.  Then, I sew in a spiraling circle all along the flower.

I twist and twist my headband, sewing the circle tighter and tighter, catching the layers of the twirly flower as I go.  Do this with 2 - 4 flowers, overlapping each flower a bit if you want, sewing each individually.  It ends up looking like this:

That is it!  So simple.
Happy 4th of July!!