Valentine's Day S'mores

I wanted to share with you the Valentines that we made

for Mason to give his Sunday School classmates.

They were so easy to make!

Here's what we used -

Jet Puffed Strawberry Heart Marshmallows

Hershey's Milk Chocolate Nuggets

Plain Graham Crackers

Valentine S'mores Bag Topper

Plain Treat Bags

Ruche Inspired bubbly in braids knit scarf

I knew as soon as I saw this picture that 

I HAD TO MAKE THIS SCARF!!!

(photo credit)

Gather up your supplies -

(these are what I used, but not required)

Lion Brand Homespun Yarn - #393 Cream

Knifty Knitter Purple Long Loom

Knifty Knitter Loom Hook

Tapestry Needle

Clover Large Pom Pom Maker

Make a slip knot with your yarn & place it on the end peg.

Cast on to 3 sets of pegs using the Stockinette stitch.

Use the Stockinette stitch to knit 78 inches (to make a 72" scarf).

After knitting the length you want, just do a simple bind off.

You'll need to make 3 identical "mini scarves" to complete the look.

Take all three of your "mini scarves" & lay them on top of

each other matching the ends.  Use your tapestry needle

and some matching yarn to sew all three ends together.

Braid all three sections of your scarves together.

It looked better to me to make the braid loose.

Now sew the ends together at the end of the braid.

Make 2 identical large pom poms out of matching yarn.

I didn't like the way the Homespun yarn was making the 

pom poms look so fuzzy.  I ended up making them with

Lion Brand Hometown USA yarn in #099 Los Angeles Tan 

Take your tapestry needle & matching yarn again and

sew one pom pom on each end of your braided scarf.

This is going to look great layered with a simple flat scarf or worn alone!

If you have any question, please don't hesitate to email me!

Be sure to check out the other KNOCK IT OFF Contestants!

p.s.  You don't have to run out & buy that particular loom to make this scarf.

It can be made on any of the long looms or even the circular looms because

you will be knitting a 3 peg wide flat panel.  The yarn I used is a #5 bulky.

My Crayon Roll

Having a 3 year old sometimes makes waiting on something or someone

challenging.  A couple of nights ago we were meeting Jonathan & Sid for

dinner.  Jonathan was running late and Mason was getting a bit impatient.

After a few minutes, I remembered I had a crayon roll in my pocket book!

Those crayons & notepad kept Mason occupied until Jonathan got to the

restaurant and even until our food arrived at the table.  Meltdown averted!

So today I thought I would share with you the crayon roll I have.

Crayon Roll with Note Pad

If you are looking for something smaller, say just the crayons, I found

a super simple (& cute) tutorial over at Skip to my Lou's blog.

Crayon Roll Tutorial

These would make such GREAT stocking stuffers for boys or girls!!!

Disclaimer:  I was not compensated in any way for this review.

I just found a product that I liked & wanted to share it with you!

Santa's Magic Key

How does Santa get in the house to deliver the gifts?

I know that is one of the big questions that our little ones ask during the 

Christmas season.  Mason is very excited about Christmas and Santa 

this year.  I wasn't very prepared to answer this question this year when 

he finally asked me.  Unfortunately, our house does not have a fireplace.  

I decided I better get online and find an answer!

Sherry at A Time to Stitch graciously gave her group last year a 

Santa's Magic Key embroidery file.  I found the "key" at Walmart 

in the jewelry section for $4.00...a little pricey but it will work!
Oh, and of course the ribbon came from my extensive stash...

This morning we got up & made Santa's Magic Key for our front door.

Now Santa can deliver those gifts to my boys without breaking the law!  =)

I know that a lot of people don't own an embroidery machine,

so I found a few places online that offer a printable version!

The Idea Door

McKay Designs

DLTK

Now I hope that you will be prepared if you are asked the "big" question!

Sewing Day

For 2 days now Mason has been wanting me to make him a Batman hooded

bath towel.  The weather has been pretty yucky for the last 3 days, so I decided

that I would search for an embroidery design & go ahead and make him one!

I found a design that is similar to Batman's emblem here  (There are a few random

jump stitches you will need to trim & the stitches are not very dense, so I stitched

the black twice.  Oh & I didn't stitch the eyes on the bat..)  I then headed over 

to Cole's Corner and Creations to refresh my memory on how to make the towel..

And here's the finished towel!  =)

Monogram Fall Pumpkin

Pumpkins - $4.99 Michael's

Black Vinyl

Transfer Tape

Cricut Exrpession

SCAL2

Regal Font

I created a 5" tall Regal font capital R in SCAL2 and cut it out in black outdoor

vinyl on my Cricut Expression.  All I had was glossy vinyl, but would recommend

using matte instead.  It takes A LOT of work to get the vinyl to stick onto the

pumpkin, but I totally love how it turned out & will display it until Thanksgiving!

If you have any questions, feel free to email me!

I would love to see your pumpkins, so leave me a link in the comments!

Mouse House Pumpkin

Pumpkin (styrofoam) - $5.00 Walmart

Mice - pack of 8 $2.00 Walmart

Black Paint

Glue

Hollow out a hole in the pumpkin.

Paint the inside of the hole black.

Glue several mice on the pumpkin.

I chose to only make one hole in the pumpkin and use 3 mice,

but I'm sure it would be creepier with more mice scattered about.

I bet the pumpkin would look spooky painted white or black, too.

(you could use gray mice to put on your black pumpkin)

If you have any questions, feel free to email me!

I would LOVE to see your Mouse House Pumpkin!

Feel free to leave a link to yours in a comment.

Halloween Wreath 2010

Black Wreath - $3.99 Michael's

Purple Boa - $1.00 Dollar Tree

Skull - $1.00 Dollar Tree

Boo Chipboard Album - $1.00 Target

Narrow Ribbon

Plastic spider

Weave the feather boa into the inside of the wreath.

Attach the skull to the wreath with wire or hot glue.

Glue the pages of the album together then glue the spider on.

Pull ribbon through the holes of the album & tie a bow.

Attach the "Boo" to the wreath with hot glue.

You could use separate wooden or chipboard letters for the "Boo"

and a ghost, jackolantern, or goblin instead of the skull.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me!

I would LOVE to see your Halloween Wreath!

Feel free to leave a link to yours in a comment.

Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub

Last Sunday was Mason's last Sunday in the nursery at Church.

I wanted to make a special gift for his teachers and I found this -

Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub

This recipe calls for ingredients you probably have in your cupboards!

I found these Ball Half Pint jars, then designed a cute little tag

in Paint Shop Pro, & tied the tags on with black satin ribbon.

(It took 1 1/2 batches of the scrub for 4 8oz jars.)

Thank you Stephanie Lynn for the great idea!

kid's art display tutorial

I wanted to find a simple yet decorative way to display Mason's artwork.  I knew

I would want to be able to change the art & didn't want to use tape or push pins.  

While in the office supply section of my local big box store the other day I saw

some cute mini clothes pins.  2 boxes of those little guys went home with me!

I knew exactly what I was going to do after looking at the various

wooden cutouts that are hanging up on his bedroom walls.

Here's what I used -

2 wooden cutouts

2 wooden knobs

Mini clothes pins

Ball of twine

Paint

E6000 glue

Command photo hangers

Paint the knobs to match your wooden cutouts.

After the paint is dry, glue the knobs to the cutouts.

Cut the twine about 3 feet long.  Make a loop &  knot on each end.

(make sure the loop is large enough to slip over the knob)

Place the photo hangers on the back of each cutout & on the wall.

Use the mini clothes pins to hang your baby's art on the wall!

Change as often as you like without ruining the wall!

black lace & red pearls bracelet

I wanted to share with you a bracelet I made this weekend

using the FABULOUS tutorial over at SevenThirtyThree
Thanks to Beverly at Flamingo Toes for such great instructions!

I made this one while the little one played in the pool & sprinkler.

Can't wait to make more in different colors!

.

Let's Make a Pop Top Tab Bracelet

Thanks to "The Twilight Saga," Pop Top Tab Bracelets are making a comeback.

Kristen Stewart has been sporting one at several public appearances

and photo shoots with Robert Pattinson.  It was inevitable that the

"Twihards" would be scrambling to buy or make one for their very own!

The most difficult part of making this bracelet is collecting the pop top tabs!

What you will need -

Suede Cord

8 to 10 Pop Top Tabs

(in the south, coke can tabs)

I cut my cord 36" to make it easier to tie the knots at the end of the bracelet.

Fold your cording in half and tie a knot about 3/4" from the end, making a loop.

Thread the cord from back to the front of a tab.

Cross the two pieces of cord over each other to make an x.

Bring the two pieces of cord down through the tab.

Bring the cord straight across the back of the next tab & thread through to the front.

Measure around your wrist & add tabs until you reach your desired length.

9 tabs will make your bracelet 7" long (including the first loop)

Tie a knot at the last tab.

Tie another knot, leaving about 3/4" between the two knots.

Trim the remaining cord.

Slip the knot through the loop to wear.

Layering with a plain suede bracelet just adds to the look.

Or how about making one with ribbon or silk cording to match your outfits?

Monogrammed Cutting Board

I wanted to share with you the newest red item in my kitchen!

I was doing some online window shopping & saw lots of

monogrammed cutting boards. It didn't take me but a couple

of minutes to decide I wanted to make one for myself!

I used SCAL to design the monogram.  I imported a swirly

frame SVG and the font Monogram KK.  Once I was happy

with my design, I mirrored the image before I cut the vinyl.

I used my Cricut to cut the red adhesive vinyl.

(settings - 3, 3, 3)

YAY...I had a clear glass cutting board in the kitchen!

After finding the center of my cutting board & image, 

I applied the vinyl to the back of the cutting board.

And here's my new cutting board monogrammed in RED!

Mod Podge Canvas Art

This year I absolutely loved the picture on the giftbag my hubby received for father's
day.  I couldn't bear to throw it away, so I decided I would mount it on canvas.

Supplies -

11 x 14 canvas

Mod Podge

Paint

Picture

I painted the whole canvas a color that complimented the picture.  I wasn't completely
happy with the results, so I pulled out my floating medium & mixed it with a darker
shade of the blue I had used.  I applied that mixture with a dry brush from left to right,
right to left, top to bottom, then finally bottom to top until I achieved a faux denim pattern.
(the canvas now looks like a comfy pair of worn out blue jeans - yay!)

After the paint was dry, I applied a liberal layer of mod podge onto the canvas.
I centered the picture on the canvas and made sure I pressed it down firmly.
I then applied another liberal layer of mod podge over the picture & canvas.
(be sure to let your mod podge dry completely before displaying)

(you can click on the picture to enlarge it & see the faux denim)

I saved a super cute picture from the trash and have a new
piece of wall art that I'm totally loving right now!

Do you have a giftbag or greeting card that you just can't throw away?