Repurpose: Rosie the Riveter Headband from Old T-shirt

I love recycling and repurposing!  I love a simple project!  And I LOVE making something old, turn into something new!  Several months ago I had an idea for a Rosie the Riveter style headband for my little Indee.  I knew I wanted to make these headbands out of stretchy knit material because of its forgivability, but didn't have any on hand.  So I went to my storage room and started pulling out old t shirts that showed promise.  I found several and was excited to get started!  From start to finish, 1 headband took me 10 minutes or less!  This is great for me considering I am just a beginner at sewing!  Here is one of the finished headbands on my Indee Lu Lu.  I love how it turned out and with very little effort involved!:)

I apologize for not having step by step pictures for this tutorial.  I'm hoping that because it's so simple, with very few steps, that I can explain it good enough!

1.  Measure your little girls head around where the headband will fit.  Indee's was 19 inches.

2.  Next, cut two strips lengthwise(top to bottom) out of your t-shirt.  For a 19 in head, I cut the strips roughly 25 inches long.  The strips should be 2 1/2-2 3/4 inches wide.

3.  Now, put the right sides of the two strips together facing each other.  Wrong sides facing out.

4.  Start at the middle on one side and sew with a straight stitch along the edge, all the way up rounding as you stitch at the end, back down the edge of the other side and rounding the other end.  Once you get about 1 1/2 inches from where you started, do a quick backstitch to secure it.  Trim the excess corners at each end.

5.  Now, using the 1 1/2 inch opening you've left on one side, turn the head band right side out.  Fold the opening seams inward and sew it closed.  And you're done!  

Project by Kara

Images by Kara     

Mini Me Maxi Skirt DIY

I am a huge fan of the comfort and ease of the maxi skirt.  Not to mention the fact that I love the laid back style.  I had this idea to attempt to make a "mini" sized maxi for my 2-year-old Indee, but I needed some guidance.  So I called on my good friend Sarah over at Made It Mine to help me bring this idea to fruition.  With Sarah's help I completed what would be the first of many maxi skirts for Indee.  Once I got the hang of it, I pulled out an old t shirt I figured would look sooooo much more cute as a skirt on Indee, than it ever did as a shirt on me!  And let me preface folks, that if I can make this skirt, anybody can!  So here we go!
Things needed:
Sewing machine;)
An old t-shirt(preferably in decent shape)
Measuring tape
Good fabric scissors
Matching thread
Elastic thread

Lay your shirt out flat.

Next, take your measuring tape and measure around your little girls' waist.  Then measure from her waist down to a point on her leg where you would like the hem of the skirt to hit.  

Next you need to divide her waist size in half for the front piece and back piece to the skirt.  Example:  Indee's waist is 18 1/2 inches.  So I measured what would be the top(not the waistband) of the skirt width at roughly 9 1/2 inches.(front and back)  Then I measured the length, wanting it to hit Indee just above her ankles.  Example:  16 inches.

Here is the cutout.  I used the already sewn side of the shirt as my guide for following the same slant in cutting the other side.  So again, the measurement for Indee at the top is 9 1/2 inches front and back.  And the new measurement at the bottom is 14 inches front and back.  The nice thing about repurposing a shirt is the fact you already have a hem at the bottom and only one side to sew up!

Now turn the cutout inside out and match up the open sides.

Here I am sewing up the open side.  Make sure you backstitch at both ends.

Now turn it back to right side out.  Here is the side a just sewed closed.

Next, cut your waist band.  The thickness will just depend on how much shirt you have leftover.  The length of the band should be slightly bigger than your little girls' waist.  Example:  I cut a 20 inch length for an 18 1/2 inch waist.

Now, lay it out flat, seam in the middle.

Fold it in half, inside facing out.

Next, sew up the open side like I've done above.  Sorry, you can't see it very well.

Just another picture of the waistband.  I hope this isn't confusing.:)

Now, fold the waistband in half, open edges facing up.  Put the top of the skirt inside the waistband, lining up all the raw edges.

Wind a bobbin loosely with elastic thread and put in sewing machine.

Sew the lined up raw edges of the top of the skirt and waistband together.

Here is what it should look like after sewing the skirt and waistband together.  Waistband up.

And with the waistband folded down.

Here's the finished skirt on my sweet Indee Girl!  

 

 

I hope I've been clear enough.  If you have questions, let's chat in the comments!


Images by Kara

    

    

Taco Box

How was your weekend? Anything good happen? We did a lot of yard work, which was actually fun! Randy and I both had that Springy itch to get out in our yard and start dinking around. So, there we were- in our yard, on Saturday, working alongside each other with our butt cracks flashing the neighborhood. Anyway, let's talk about this Taco Box:

I saw this Taco Box on the kitchn blog (via Cup of Jo). A neighborhood friend recently had a baby so my friend Kris and I put together our own version (above) of this taco box to take over. I didn't have a wine crate laying around to use like they did over at the kitchn, so I did the next best thing and wrapped a diaper box in wrapping paper. Wink. I also used some happy tape to write TACO BOX on the outside. It looks a wee bit crazy, but I like crazy. In wee bits. 

Here is what we filled our box with: Speciality sodas, tortillas, freshly grated cheese, shredded lettuce, salsa, sour cream, black beans, slow-cooked shredded beef, and stuff to make guac. I packaged the meat (which isn't pictured because it was still slow cooking) in freezer safe bags with the juices so they could have the option to freeze it for later use.
I'm sure there are other things that you could add to this taco box (like you could kick it up a notch and make it a little more gourmet) and you totally should! when you make one of these for a family in need in your neck of the woods.

Thanks to The Kitchn blog for this rad idea! 

images by Briana

Crafty Yarn Wrapped Letters

Our Spring Break isn't feeling very Springy. The temperatures have dropped and the rain has come. We even got a little snow last night! We are still making the most of it though. Yesterday we stayed inside and spent the morning making yarn wrapped letters. I was inspired by a recent The Land of Nod catalog where they had a whole alphabet of craft paper letters decorated with baubles and wrapped with yarn. I thought it was a really great spread. Did you happen to see it?

We made our own version of them at home using materials we already had. My initial thought was to cut the letters out of a diaper box, but that got thrown away and then I remembered I had a piece of foam core that was banged up and no longer pristine to photograph food on, so I used that. This is a fun project and there are so many different ways to wrap your letters and be creative. Here are some pictures and details on this project, if you'd like to take a look:

Materials needed:

-kraft knife or scissors (depending on the type of material you use)

-foam core or cardboard

-yarn (colors of your choice)

-tape

-template {{HERE}} is the template I used and printed off. I cut the letters about 1/4 inch larger on all sides because I wanted a bigger letter. There are plenty of templates on the web to choose from- different fonts and sizes, etc. My google search was 'alphabet letters template'.

Trace and cut out your letters. Don't be worried if your cuts aren't perfect.

Wrap your letters, making sure to wrap thoroughly for good coverage. Secure each sections of yarn on the backside with tape. Before you wrap, think about how to wrap your letter since every letter of the alphabet is different and will require a different strategy.

For Lily's L (above), I wrapped it more uniform and went for a ombre/watercolor graduated vibe. Hadden's H (below) is wrapped more willy-nilly. I adore how both turned out. Just have fun and do what feels good to you.

When you've finished wrapping and securing your yarn, hang your letter. Use plasti-tac or something that won't damage paint underneath (I used removable glue dots from my stash). I hung the letters on the girls' doors, but you could hang these anywhere, really!

If you decide to make some letters of your own, I'd love to hear how it goes! Have a lovely weekend! See you next week!

images and project by Briana

How To: Fabric Easter Eggs

I'm really excited about stuffing my girls easter baskets this year. Here are some ideas bouncing around my head: big beach towels for the pool (I'm on the hunt for mermaid ones!), flip-flops, bubble wands, sidewalk chalk, sunglasses and candy, of course. P.S. My favorite easter candy growing up was the gum in the mini egg cartons. What was yours?

I also wanted to make a little handmade something to stuff in their baskets. I thought some little eggs made out of felt and stuffed would be cute. They could use them in their little kitchen and when they play "grocery store" or sometimes they call it Wal-Mart. "Let's play Wal-Mart!"

Problem was, the felt I thought I had was long gone from another project I forgot I even did. I decided on plan B and made them out of fabric scraps. I think they turned out adorable and they've got that handmade flavor, but I do think felt would be ideal for this project. Here is how I made these little charmers:

You'll need:

cotton balls

fabric or felt of your choice

embroidery thread

embroidery needle
scissors or pinking shears (to prevent fraying)

Step 1. Click {{HERE}}. Hold a piece of white paper up to your computer screen and trace the egg template onto your paper. Cut the egg out. Hold the cut-out egg up to your fabric with your thumb and cut fabric into egg shapes. Double up your fabric while cutting to save time and make the front and back side of your eggs exactly the same shape.

Step 2. Pull apart three strands from your embroidery floss (Embroidery floss makes up 6 strands). I used the whole length of the embroidery floss to make four eggs. Thread your embroidery needle. Knot the end. Using a blanket stitch, stitch around the edge of your fabric egg. Making sure the right side of the fabric is facing out. {{HERE}} is an excellent video on how to start, do and finish a blanket stitch. Super duper simple.

Step 3. Leave a couple inch opening and stuff the egg with cotton balls. I used three cotton balls per egg. Tear and pull apart the cotton balls to better help them fill in and around the inside of the egg. 

Step 4. Stitch up the opening. Finish it by knotting the thread to secure the stitches. It shows you how to do this in the video.

Thanks for letting me share! Now, I want to know what you like to fill your kids easter baskets with! I'd love to hear your ideas.

project and images by Briana

Three Things

Happy Presidents Day! Long weekends RULE, don't ya think? Today I'm sharing three RAD things that I've seen around zee blogs that I decided to make and and do: A DIY mirror, a yummy soup, and Apple Cider Vinegar as toner! 

1. After seeing this round-up of DIY (SHIM) sunburst mirrors on Little Green Notebook, I decided I'd give it a go since all the sunbursts I've admired over the years cost around three-hundy. The above picture is my finished mirror in all its gilded glory hanging above our bed. This project isn't difficult, but it does take time and patience. I mostly followed her instructions, but I did do a few things different (in case you decide to make one yourself): I used a 12 in round mirror from Michael's (not a 10 in), I painted the whole thing using Martha Stewarts Metallic Paint in Vintage Gold (from Home Depot, comes in a 10 oz container) as opposed to spray painting it and I used screws and wire as my hanging hardware instead of the teeth attachment. Click {{HERE}} for the tutorial.

2. Potato, Sausage and Kale Soup. I had this soup at a luncheon awhile back and really enjoyed it and then my friend had it brewing in her home one afternoon and her house smelled phenomenal and then Sophistimom posted a version of the soup on her blog. I decided it was high time I make a batch of my own! A double batch, athankyou. I followed Sophistimoms recipe to a T. It's delicious and I love that I found another purpose for kale. I even took some to my grandparents and they loved it! {{Click HERE for the recipe}}

3. Apple Cider Vinegar is my new toner! It has to be an Apple Cider Vinegar with the "mother" in it. I started doing this a couple weeks ago when I saw this post via A Blog About Love. My skin is softer, my T-zone doesn't produce as much oil and overall my skin just looks and feels cleaner. And it's all natural! I'm totally sold. All I do is pour a little Apple Cider Vinegar on a cotton disc (like you would with nail polish remover), then I just quickly run the vinegar soaked cotton under running water to dilute the vinegar a little. Then I swab it all over my face, starting with my T-zone first. The smell doesn't bother me and once it's dry and absorbed you won't be able to smell it. Give it a try! Read all about it {{HERE}}.

Thanks for letting me share these three things with you today and thanks to the awesome bloggers who inspired me to do them! Check ya later. xoxo

all images by Briana

Chilled Hot Chocolate Panna Cotta & Appliqued Hearts

Since the big "LOVE" day is tomorrow, I thought I'd show you an incredibly simple dessert that will make your sweetie swoon!  Remember the Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta recipe??  Well, I decided to modify it to make a chocolate version and holy smokes!!!!  It tastes incredible!  The first bite I took was like chilled, creamy hot chocolate heaven!  Thus the name!  My Mom said, since it does have a hot chocolate flavor, that I should serve it with a dollop of marshmallow creme!  Well Mom, you are a genius!!  It adds the perfect touch!

What you'll need:


3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon gelatin
4 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3-1/2 cup cocoa powder (depending on how intense you want the flavor)


In a small bowl measure the 3 T water and sprinkle the 1 T gelatin in the water. Allow it to bloom for 10 minutes.  
In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, heat the cream, sugar and cocoa powder.  Stirring frequently to dissolve the cocoa.  Once the cream mixture is nice and hot remove from heat and add the bloomed gelatin.  Stir to let the bloomed gelatin dissolve completely.  Pour into whatever size cups you would like.  I did mine 1/2 cup servings which yielded a little over 8 servings.  Cover each cup with foil and into the fridge for at least 3 hours.  Once they have chilled completely, you can either eat them straight from the cup or run the sides and bottom of each cup under hot water(making sure no water gets in the cup;) to loosen the panna cotta.  Then turn out onto plates, dust with cocoa powder and a dollop of marshmallow creme and you are good to go!


Now for the appliqued hearts!:)


A few weeks ago I ordered the most soft and buttery organic cotton onesies and today I decided to get brave, pull out my scrap fabric and the Heat-n-Bond and have a party!  Well, a party for 1 that is!  I used Heat-n-Bond Lite(sewable in the purple package) and followed the directions precisely on the back of the package.  Once I had my desired fabric heart shapes ironed on the onesies, I just used my straight stitch and outlined all the way around the heart.  It was a little rough at first but I got the hang of it after using my seam ripper more times than I want to count.:)  I call this the "Heart Over Heart" onesie.

I know the pictures of Q are excessive but I couldn't help myself!  She had just gotten up from her nap and was full of personality!  

images by Kara  

    

Lily's Girly-Girl Party

When I asked Lily what kind of birthday party she wanted to have, she was all over the place like a four year old should be. Here's a sampling of what she would say exclaim when I would ask her what she'd like to do: Princess! Fairies! Whales! Radishes! (dead serious, you guys) Dance! Nail Polish! Fancy Nancy! Phew. I tried to prod her in certain directions, but we weren't getting anywhere. Then it hit me one night as I was laying in bed bouncing ideas around my brain. Why not throw a girly-girl party?! Bingo. A girly-girl party would surley fit most of Lily's desires under its umbrella.....all except maybe the whales. I pitched the idea to Lily and she loved it, so we ran with it! The party came together with ease and Lily and I had fun making it all happen. 

On a completely unrelated note (but somewhat related), I've decided that we're going to throw a friend party for our kids every other year, starting when they turn four. I know lots of other families do this and I think it's so smart. Gives us moms a nice break to let the creative juices fill back up and your bank account gets a break too! Here are some pictures from Lily's first official friend party, if you'd like to take a look.

This giant balloon (36 in diameter) greeted the guests when they arrived. Lily and I fell hard for this balloon when we walked in the party supply store. We had to have it!

I dug through my craft supplies to make these banners and they came together in about an hour. Lily helped me punch out the circles with our round punch for the happy birthday banner. I used a black sharpie to do the all caps lettering and then I strung it up with some pink ribbon. For the Lily banner I used black cardstock that I cut into the flag like shape, strung them on some hemp twine, then I used a piece of white chalk to do the girly cursive lettering. The Lily banner ended up being one of my favorite elements of the party. Black, when used right can have a cool impact.

We flanked the banners with some balloons from Zurchers (party supply store in Orem, UT if you're local). Nice and simple.

Randy grabbed a mediocre grocery store bouquet of flowers the morning of the party and it totally pulled the food table together. Flowers are the icing on the cake, so to speak....even if they are mediocre.

For the food I made some simple ham and cheese roll sandwiches (with a fancy toothpick, our subtle nod to the Fancy Nancy books), raspberry lemonade, and some kid friendly fruit and veg.

White cupcakes w/ strawberry buttercream frosting per Lily's request. I piped that icing on the cupcakes half-hazardly and that is just the way I like it. It took me all of 10 minutes.

I pulled out all my pink bowls and cake stands for the table. I rolled out a piece of black and white wrapping paper for a little interest and a foundation. Want to hear something weird? Pink is my least favorite color, but I LOVE and am always drawn to it on dishes and serving pieces.

The girls ate their food on a blanket picnic style. They all LOVED this. Scouts honor, not one of those glasses of raspberry lemonade got tipped over.

I adore this picture of Lily. So happy. So excited. 

The girls painted wooden jewelry box purses that you can find at Michael's. You don't see it, but I made each of the little girls wear a white garbage sack to protect their clothes. We let the boxes dry while we opened presents. After presents we came back and "bedazzled" (this was a stretch for me) the boxes with some sticky gems and some glitter.

In true Lily fashion, she chose sunglasses and lip gloss for the party favors. We got the lip gloss in a pack at Michael's and the sunglasses in a pack at Zurcher's. Both the lip gloss and the sunglass pack were super inexpensive. I think the lip gloss pack was around four dollars and the pack of 12 sunglasses was around 10 bucks. The striped bag is from Zurcher's as well. We sealed the bag with some pink washi tape from my own stash.

The end!

Thanks for letting me share this really long post about Lily's fourth birthday. It was a pleasure to put together and Lily had so much fun, which makes me the happiest mom in the world. However, I did learn a few things that I will do for parties to come, like being aware of where the products I'm buying are made. This is a hard feat since it seems as though everything is made in China. Next time I'll put more effort in to finding favors and supplies that are made in the states or local. I also loved having a helper at the party and I will definitely do this again. It was especially helpful when we painted the girls nails! Thanks to my girl, Abby, for helping me out the day of the party and making it that much more fun. If you have any questions about the party, leave a comment and I'll respond in the comments. Thanks for stopping by today!

all images by Briana, last image from my instagram, follow me at breezy_may