Beach Blanket

With the weather warming up and dreams of picnics at the park and trips to the beach I was inspired to make the perfect beach blanket for us. 

Perfect being water proof, not perfectly constructed! 

Given my impatience and lack of sewing skills it isn't quite perfect but apart from not actually being a real shape, each corner looking different from the other, a tiny bit of puckering and the back lining showing up on the front side in a couple places it is perfect enough for its intended uses!

What I hate most about blankets is that if you (unknowingly) set them out on damp grass or sand  it soaks right through the blanket and what should have been a cozy, dry place to sit is now damp and uncomfortable. 

I think I have figured out a way around that.

I bought 4 large towels at the thrift store, washed them and then cut them up and patched them together.

I added a couple decorations to some of the squares, including our last name initial:

For the backing I bought the largest vinyl table cloth that the store had - I'm not sure what the inches were but it was to seat 8-10 people so it was quite large. I ended up losing about 2 feet of length from the tablecloth as I didn't have enough towels. I made sure to pick out a table cloth that coordinated with the towels I had bought.

The final step was to put the front side of the table cloth against the front side of the towels and sew around the edges, leaving a gap so I could turn it right side out and then sew the gap closed. 

It took me almost 2 weeks to finish sewing around the edges because I kept putting it off as it is somewhat of a nuisance to have that much fabric following you as you sew. But I finished it today and am thrilled with my imperfect beach blanket.

From what I have read online the vinyl tablecloths can be washed in cold water and dried on the cool setting. I plan on washing in cold water and line drying when it needs to be cleaned. 

Sharing on My Romantic Home and  The Shabby Nest

Sock Bunny - Using Mismatched Socks

 

I have an abundance of mismatched socks and one evening while listlessly staring at the pile of odd socks I was inspired to make bunnies out of them - I am so glad I did as I think these little guys are so cute!

They are simple to make.

You will need:

-socks

-scissors

-needle and thread

-buttons for the eyes and/or nose

-stuffing

-sticks to stand them on

-ribbon

Start out with a plain sock, turn it inside out.

Cut down the center of it til you're near the heel. The heel area will become the face.

Stitch the ears and then turn right side out.

Stitch on the mouth.

The eyes and nose can either be stitched on or a button.

Stuff your bunny and add a hair bow if desired.

Put a bit of glue on the end of your stick and place inside the bunny. Tie with ribbon.

 I found these cute Easter Eggs at the Dollar Tree and was inspired to make this little pot for the bunnies - it was easy and cheap! 

To make this pot you will need:

A large pot

Floral Foam

Moss

Easter Eggs (already on sticks) -I bought a bag of smaller ones and a bag of larger ones

I added two of the bunnies to the pot and it's sitting just inside our front door to greet our guests.  

Linking to FRUGAL FRIDAY

SHOW AND TELL

Sewing Table - Before and After

 

Last summer I picked up this table for $3 at a yard sale. It took me up until a few weeks ago to finish it and I love how it turned out! This is in our entrance way by the front door.

I did take before pictures but I can't find them anywhere. I remembered seeing Sarah post the sewing table she found at the side of the road last year and asked her if I could borrow her "before" picture as mine was in similar shape to hers - she graciously said yes. 

So here are her before pictures:

 

 I honestly thought we had identical tables until I put them side by side and saw that we definitely don't have the same table - just very, very similar! Check out what Sarah did to her table.

 

I sanded mine down and had every intention of painting it but once it was sanded I liked the look of it and rubbed three coats of polyurethane on it and voila!

 

I used the MiniWax Fast Drying Clear Gloss and followed the instructions on the can.

You can see the picture of the boys waiting to be hung and a Spring arrangement I came up with last week.

I love my priorities - that picture has been waiting to be hung for months and yet I made the time to make an Eastery/Spring arrangement a month early.

The table still has the sewing machine inside it - it makes it a dead weight to move, but I think it adds to the charm knowing there is an ancient sewing machine inside of it. Even if I am the only one to know it's in there.

Easy Craft for Kids

 

Blue Beard. Literally.

Sometimes the greatest craft activities are the easy ones.

The crafts that require a box of crayons, a 5 minute attention span long enough to color and then a hearty "Arrr" to chase them out the door for them to lose themselves in a world of imagination.

I picked these masks up at Joannes for $1 each but I know I have seen similar masks at other stores (Dollar Tree? Target? Don't remember.) They would be simple enough to make yourself out of thicker cardboard in a pinch but part of the appeal is how easy these are all ready made up! If you're looking for an easy craft that requires minimal expense, effort or supplies I highly recommend looking for these next time you're out!

 

I just love how Wesley really has no idea how to hold it! 

Spoon People

 

I couldn't like these quirky spoon people any more! 

They were so much fun to make with Judah (age 3) and somewhat of a pain to make with Wesley (1.5) but we did have a fun time sitting around the table together even if Wesley kept stealing all the googly eyes.

These really are easy and inexpensive to make and I would recommend it for age 3 and up - obviously the older the child the less hands on the parent has to be.

I picked up a couple packs of wooden spoons at the Dollar Tree. Each pack comes with three wooden spoons in three different sizes. Have kids that will squabble over who gets the tallest spoon? Buy two packs and then give them each the shortest tallest one from each pack. Problem solved!

The other supplies we used were:

Googly eyes

Permanent marker

Sea shells

Yarn

Twine

Ribbon

Beads

Glue

These spoon people are rather easy going and would be grateful to be dressed in whatever you have laying around your home.

I started out by drawing faces on the front side of the spoon - Judah didn't want to draw his own and Wesley lacks certain coordination skills to draw his own. 

Wesley wanted two different size eyes on his person and Judah wanted his frowning.

(I actually didn't glue the eyes on until the end as it made it easier to work with the spoons without worrying about drying glue!)

The boys picked out the color pipe cleaner they wanted and worked on wrapping the pipe cleaner around the handle of the spoon. Arms were easily formed using a second same color pipe cleaner. For the pants they picked a different color and then wrapped it around the spoon too. 

Judah chose to use this sea shell as a hat for his spoon person. I copied the idea and did the same for Wesley.

 

Judah's spoon person.

 

Wesley's spoon person.

My sister Esther's spoon person.

 

My spoon person.

Welcome to our lives spoon people! I will do all that is in my power to ensure you are never eaten off of.

Painting the Clean Way!

I was given these Crafty Dab Kids Paint Markers before Christmas and wanted to recommend them to moms for stocking gifts but never got around to it. With all the activities surrounding Christmas and then the traveling and times we've been sick since then I am just now getting around to writing about them. But the good thing about that is that I have had plenty of time to use these (3+ months) and so when I tell you these paints are amazing, they truly are amazing! They smell good, dry quickly, encourage creativity and sparkle!

 

Judah (age 3) loves using these for his arts and crafts. They are simple enough for him to use with minimal supervision, but really, these are so fun to play with that I usually paint along side him. 

I have shared these with moms with older children, grandmas and teens and this product has been a hit with all those age groups. These paint markers really are a great indoor activity! 

I am going to give away 3 of the (non sparkle) Paint Markers to one winner - I will mail to anywhere in the world. Just tell me which 3 of the following 6 colors you would like to win:

Yellow, Purple, Orange, Green, Blue or Red.

Giveaway will end of Friday and winner will be announced by the end of the day.

You can order these for yourself at the Crafty Dab online store.

Tin Foil "Stained Glass" Ornaments

I plan on making these with Judah soon. It's super simple and you can really do so much with these - change the shape, use glitter, add trim to the edge - whatever you think of! I posted this idea a couple years ago, so I am just copying from that post.

You will need 

a piece of stiff paper

 cardboard or card stock

tin foil

hot glue

Sharpie markers

hole punch

ribbon

Directions:
Cut paper to desired ornament shape.
Drizzle hot glue over the stiff paper to make sections.
Once dry cover with tin foil.
Color the sections in with colored Sharpies for stained glass effect.
Use the hole punch to make a hole to place the ribbon through. 

 

If so desired color the 'glue dividers' with a black Sharpie. I don't really like how that looks, so I'll be leaving ours plain.

Flipbook

I had SO much fun doing this activity!! I found the template and instructions Here at First Palette.
Judah is a bit young to play with this book on his own, but he enjoys playing with it with me.
I printed 7 or 8 sheets and colored characters that he likes - swimmer, cowboy, soldier, nurse, etc. He only colored one himself.

When he is a bit older I think I will do this one with him again, but let him color all the characters himself. He's just a bit young for that part right now.

Fish Food (Jello!)

Another fish related activity that I did with Judah this week was to make an edible fish aquarium. I found this fantastic see-through blue container at the Dollar Tree as well as the plastic water animals.

I washed those items really, really well before anything else :)

Then Judah and Wesley helped me make jello - this container held three packets of jello! We did it in layers and added fish on each level.

I added three straws at the very beginning and once all the jello had set I trimmed the straws so they only came as high as the jello and I stuck pipe cleaners in the straws to look like seaweed-y/grassy stuff. I know. It looks nothing like seaweed-y/grassy stuff. But use your imagination :)

Our final step was to add an alligator, seal, turtle and frog to the top of the jello.

Here it is from a side view:

I loved doing this activity with Judah - not only did it include "cooking" together, but he also got to learn the names of some water creatures he didn't previously know about (Seal!). We had a friend over for dinner the evening we served this and Judah was quite excited to show off his plate aquarium and his Jello aquarium.

Hooking up with Tasty Tuesday

Fish Aquarium Craft

We have been studying fish this week - as deeply as a 2.5 year old is able to study anything :)
I think he's had a lot of fun with it and he talks a lot about fish throughout the day.

One of the activities I did with him was to make a fish aquarium - it was so simple and I love how it turned out! We made two of them and put them back to back and currently have them hanging over our dining room table.

To make your own you will need:

- Two plates (I used blue to look like water)
- A baggie large enough to cover the hole you cut in the plate
- Scissors
- Double sided tape
- stapler
- fish stickers/shapes for them to color
- glitter glue (to make the waves and fish bubbles)
- ribbon for hanging

Cut a hole in the center of plate 1 and, using double sided tape, attach the baggie so you have a "window."

Attach fish and glitter to plate 2.

Staple the two plates together - making sure to staple the ribbon to the top and center.

Next up: Fishy Jello

Monster Pillow

Where the Wild Things Are is coming to theaters this Friday, so we've got monsters on our mind here! I was planning on taking Judah opening day to see the movie but we've made other plans for the weekend so our movie date will have to wait until next week. I am SO excited about this movie!! We have been reading the book nearly every day since early summer.

Last week I decided to try my hand at sewing Judah a monster stuffed animal. I used crayons to color a monster on an old pillow case, set it with an iron and then cut around the drawn image. Then I sewed it up, stuffed it and Judah now has his very own Wild Thing. (It was never suppose to resemble any of the Wild Things from the book!! Just sayin. My drawing abilities aren't THAT bad.)

It was so.so.so easy to make - and I don't even own a sewing machine! I hand stitched that monster. But with a sewing machine it would have been *extremely* easy to make!

Finger Painting

We have been enjoying a variety of arts and crafts lately and one of my favorite ones has been finger painting.

Wesley jumped right in and used both hands and smeared his colors all over his page.


Judah used just his fingers and was a bit more orderly.

I love seeing their differences :)

When they were finished doing their pictures Paul helped me cover their palms in paint and we put their hand prints on a canvas. Paul and I added our own to the canvas and we plan to hang it up somewhere in the house.

I recently discovered this amazing blog CRAFTY CROW that contains an enormous collection of kids crafts - check it out if you're looking for some ideas to do with your own children.

Creative Ways to Use Cinnamon Sticks

Five things to do with cinnamon sticks:

Two weeks ago I discovered 6 oz bags of food-grade cinnamon sticks at the Dollar Tree. From the quick search I did online I think that is a pretty cheap price for cinnamon.
I bought three bags and have been having fun incorporating them into fall decor for our home.

1. I tied a small group of them together and added some fall leaves. It's currently on our mantle, but I think it would look charming to make lots of these up and place at each place setting for a dinner party or to use on top of a gift wrapped in brown paper.

2. I placed several sticks in a glass jar and set it on my kitchen window sill. So simple and pretty.

3. By default we exclusively use a French Press for our coffee - our second coffee maker in five years died a couple months ago! I have been using about a third of a stick of cinnamon in each pot of coffee that I make. I simply place the cinnamon stick on top of the ground coffee and then add the water and it adds a deliciously subtle cinnamon flavor. This would work just as well with a regular coffee maker.

4. I glued cinnamon sticks - cut in various heights - around a brown candle. I attempted to use double sided tape first as I am all for the quick and easy... but I discovered white glue IS the quick and easy way!! I added a little bit of fall flair around the candle to give it a bit more class.
The candle was also bought at the Dollar Tree.

5. This is my favorite way to use cinnamon - place it in a pot of water and let it simmer all.day.long. I have done it with orange peels (as seen in the above image) but I prefer using just the cinnamon stick as I just turn it off in the evening and start the simmering again the next day. (With simmering fruit you need to clean it all up at the end of the evening. )
Simmering cinnamon sticks smell amazing - the first day I did it Paul was super excited to see what I had cooked that smelled that good! I have been simmering cinnamon sticks almost non stop since buying these and my house has never smelt so good!!

What are your creative ways for using cinnamon sticks?
And have you found anywhere with a cheaper price?

Fall Gourd Decor

I didn't take a "before" picture of my gourd, so this is more a "during" and "after" photo example.

There is a gourd farm around here that Paul, the boys and I went to last fall. This was the grand-daddy of the gourds I bought and it's been sitting in the garage waiting for inspiration to strike!

A month or so ago the idea struck - monogram it and stick it on the porch by the front door.

I started out by painting the whole thing white. Then I duck taped off an "M" and painted it with the free paint Glidden sent out several months ago.

It's now sitting on our front porch on the spray painted chair.

Lampshade Makeover

I forgot to take a before picture, but just imagine the lamp shade without anything on it.

We were given this lamp (and a second matching one) as a wedding gift and I just love them! But after many moves the shades were a bit scruffy looking and ready to retire ... but before I could let them go I decided to try a project I had seen in a magazine.

I used painters tape to tape off the bottom part and then painted it the color that we plan on painting the Family Room - "secret passage". It's a light gray almost blue color. Dreamy.

I will eventually get a wider ribbon and put it around the lamp shade - this one doesn't fit the entire way around and is being held on with double sided tape.


While the pictures are poor quality and the ribbon is a bit crooked at the moment the paint and ribbon really does jazz up the lampshade and I kinda love the new look!!

Picture This

A couple of weeks ago I found a listing on craigslist for 73 pictures frames. I contacted the man to see if I could buy just a few of the frames - what would anyone do with 73 frames?! Anyways, he said I could, so we went out there one evening and I picked out my favorites and ended up with 13 frames.

A good friend had recently done some decorating with picture frames. She painted five of them red and has them hanging in the hall on the way into the kids play room. The kids art is displayed inside the frames. I love it! But it's not "us" (*ahem*, the Paul part of us) so I can't copy her idea!

Here's what I've got so far;

Two of them I left alone, as they have a lot of character and got a lot of compliments and I couldn't think of anything better to do with them. They hang, empty, by our front door.



Ten of them I spray painted a champagne color. Spray paint is seriously so much fun!! These are hanging in our Family Room. They're also empty.



I can't decide if I want to put something in them or leave them hanging empty on the walls. If I were to put something in the frames, what do you think I should do?

Oh yes, and the 13th frame is in our kitchen. We had a super ugly phone jack in there so I covered the frame in paper and covered the ugliness up. It looks nice, I promise.