Vanilla T-Shirt Rug Tutorial!

I have 3 minutes to blog (WAY too many things being juggled today) so I'm going to be quick ... make a t-shirt rug! Seriously, do it! I needed a rug for the Mission Exchange changing room floor and my budget was exactly zero dollars. Well, I've been looking for an excuse to crochet a rug for ages and recently ran across this lovely bit inspiration at Sockmonster on Etsy. I figured it couldn't be that hard to make a rug, right? Only problem was that I wasn't in the mood to buy tons of tees and I'd already raided my closet for different t-shirt project. What to do?

Then came my one and only moment of brilliance this week... I thought to buy a flat t-shirt material sheet at the thrift store. Super cheap (.60 cents) and way easier to cut into long strips! So I cut up the whole sheet into 1.5 inch strips, stretched them so that the edges would curl in, tied them together and crocheted a quick circle out of them. Oh and I used a jumbo crochet hook, super fast! I think this project would be amazing in color, but I needed to reserve the right to wield bleach. Maybe I'll have to make another one?...

- HAPPY LITTLE FLOOR COVERINGS -

Lemon Balm Salt Scrub Tutorial

Thanks to my lovely friend Miss Angie, I've rediscovered the intense greatness of salt scrubs. They do wonders on legs like mine - aka. overused, mistreated, under-appreciated, shouldn't be shown the light of day kinda legs. Yup, they're in need of some help and love! So I figured that there must be an easy way to make my own steady supply of salt scrub that would be super cheap... and then I remembered the huge patch of lemon balm in my garden...

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
• 1 cup of kosher salt
• 1 & 1/4 cups of baby oil (I used "with Aloe")
• 1/2 cup very finely chopped herb of choice

Gently mix the salt and oil together in a bowl. Add the herbs and mix again. Spoon into a glass jar (I used a pasta sauce jar) and refrigerate. The longer the scrub sits the more the herbs will "saturate" the oil, so good! Most fresh herbs would be amazing - like lavender, rosemary, mint, sage or even basil. I'm thinking this is a really easy handmade gift for mother's day, Christmas, baby & bridal showers, teachers, thank yous, etc. And if you package some in a cool mason jar or baby food jar with a pretty ribbon you're all set. Oo, how fun would it be to have a set of baby food jars with different scrubs in them for a new mom? Now I'm getting excited! Happy scrubbing everyone!
PS - the photo of McB is my new favorite. I've never seen him sit still for that long! Thanks Jason for your patience & musical genius!

Latte Love Cup Sleeve Pattern!

Here's a little pattern that I'm teaching at Craft Social Workshop tonight, so you're getting a sneak peek, shhh... it's great for a rainy day or stormy night...

LATTE LOVE CUP SLEEVE KNITTING PATTERN:
aka. a little bit of sweater coziness for your coffee. It's the least you can do for a drink that brings so much joy!

Supplies:
~ Size 7 needles
~ Medium "worsted" weight yarn

Instructions:
~ Cast on 32 stitches
~ knit 2, purl 2, repeat til end of row
~ Continue in pattern until piece measures 3 inches, approx 14 rows
~ Cast off
~ Sew together the short edges using mattress stitch
~ go to your favorite coffee shop, buy something yummy & enjoy!

These are great little gifts for folks of all types and super quick to knit. They're a fun way to use up scrap yarn and look extra special when stripey. You could even give someone a set with a sleeve for each day of the week. How bout one for your favorite guy in his team colors or just a charcoal gray so that he feels manly? Mmm hmm, sure to make happiness. Hope you like it!
-HAPPY COZY COFFEE-

Some Serious Seed Bombing!

OH me, oh my, I had a ridiculously great time the other night!! To celebrate Earth Day I taught a "seed bomb making" workshop at Craft Social. If you know what this is, you can fully appreciate how much of a blast it was. If you don't, let me make your world a tad happier...

Do you ever feel a bit rebellious but you're not in the mood to get in any real trouble? Do you notice all the bare, ugly spots around town and want to make them prettier? Try "guerilla gardening" with seed bombs! All you need to do is follow the recipe below to make balls filled with seeds and all the good stuff that they need to start growing. Then you throw them wherever a little bit of happiness is needed and wildflowers will grow. You know, like empty lots, the side of the highway or maybe your backyard.

Just before midnight we drove all around town "bombing" away through the car windows, the sun roof and over fences (no private property was harmed I promise). It was wild, crazy and hilarious - I felt like I was in high school all over again! I can't wait to see what sprouts in approx 45 days and we're definitely having a seed bomb party in the very near future. Try it, I promise you'll like it!

SEED BOMB RECIPE:
This recipe is written in "parts" - determine what you "part" measures and mix away (mine was 1/4 cup)
• 2 parts all natural clumping kitty litter (Arm & Hammer Natural made with corn)
• 2 parts water
• 1 part compost and clay mix (I dug some clay out of the yard)
• 1/2 part wildflower seed
Mix together until moldable. Form into balls, about shooter marble size. Let dry for at least an hour. Happy guerilla gardening!!
-HAPPY TIMES, GREAT FRIENDS-

Crafty Kids - Spring Shower Curtain Bangles!

Well folks, we unpacked storage this past weekend. Yup. For any of you that have ever had a storage space, attic, basement or even a closet, you know how scary this can be. After all the dread it turned out to be quite fun. Honest! I found all kinds of goodies including old photos of our early days in New York and some of my kid's preemie baby clothes. It's hard to believe they were that teeny!

Anyway, I also found a bunch of home stuff that we used to stage our house in Southport. Including some really great shower curtain rings - exciting, I know! So when I went to change out the el cheapo ones, both kids had rings stacked up their arms. Which got me thinking... how to make them into a fun project?

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
• cheap plastic shower curtain rings
• white glue
• fun paper napkins or tissue paper
• a junkie paintbrush

WHAT TO DO:
Cut up the napkins or paper into 1 inch squares (no need to be perfect about it). Paint enough glue onto a ring to stick one of the squares on. Continue until the whole ring is covered. Then coat the ring with another layer of glue as a varnish. Let it dry for a couple hours and ta-da, a fun kid's sized bangle! You could add glitter, gems, buttons, etc. Tons of fun for a princess party craft and super cheap!

PS - Because this involves glue and some skill, I would recommend this craft for ages 3 plus
-HAPPY REPURPOSED HOME GOODS-

Sharpie Marker Tie-Dye Tutorial

Ok folks, as promised, here's a quick tutorial on how to tie-dye using sharpie markers. We did this at Craft Social Workshop last week and it was a blast! Tons of colors and great ideas... it's always fun to see what crafty people come up with when you show them a new technique and then shut up. Usually the results are way cooler than if you tell them what they should create. So here's the technique:

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
• Sharpie markers
• 100% white cotton tshirts, socks, undies, etc
• rubber bands
• a jar
• eyedropper
• 91% Isopropyl alcohol (at the drug store)

WHAT TO DO:
This is so easy that it actually makes a great kids craft and is much quicker than regular tie-dye. Just be sure to keep the windows open. Place the jar inside the shirt and position the top where you'd like the dye to go. Secure it with a rubber band around the edge. Now comes the fun part, but don't picnic once you've started the process (aka - don't take your time, be a bit speedy). Using the sharpies, draw dots, lines, etc on the fabric. Fill your eyedropper with alcohol and begin dropping in the middle of the circle. I usually start with approx 10 - 15 drops and then see if it needs more. As the marker reacts to the alcohol, it begins to bleed or "dye". The colors will blend together and will dye up to the rubber band edge. You can do one big design or go crazy and dye the whole item. There's no right or wrong! The really cool part is that the "dye" dries very quickly so no 24 hour wait. And, because sharpie is permanent, there's no need to worry about dye bleeding in the washer, yay! Enjoy!

-HAPPY COLORFUL TIE-DYE-

Number 22 Wristlets Pattern!

As promised, here's a little bit of what happened on snow day two... Aside from watching the crazy kayakers go down our road at mach speed, I also had a moment to whip up a quick knitting pattern. It's VERY easy and super fast for those of you who are looking for a quick fix or a way to use up one skein of yarn that you've been saving. Plus it's the ultimate alternative to the dreaded scarf as a beginner project. So, introducing the Number 22 Wristlets - ta da!! They're inspired by this slouch hat that I found on Ravelry.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
• Size 11 needles
• Super Bulky yarn (1 skein)

Cast on 22 stitches. Knit 22 rows garter stitch. Cast off. Stitch together the cast on and cast off rows, leaving a hole for your thumb. Done!

For those of you in the Chattanooga area, please come hang at Craft Social Workshop on Jan 25th at 7:30pm. I'm starting a knitting series featuring the hat and wristlets. All welcome, more details here.

-HAPPY WARM WRISTS-

Sugar Plum Mermaid Princess Cake

My little girl is 4! I can't believe it, really and truly! Now that she's a bit older, the whole birthday right before Christmas deal is getting much tougher. It doesn't matter what you do, the two seem to muddle together a bit. But I was determined to give her a special moment of her own this year...

Anyway, here's what happens when you ask a four year old what the ultimate birthday cake would be (keep in mind she's obsessed with the Little Mermaid and had just seen the Nutcracker for the first time). "Momma, I'd really love a Sugar Plum Mermaid Princess cake". Ok now what, especially since I've never made one of those cakes with a barbie stuck in it?

So, here's how to make a cheap version of a barbie princess cake... I baked up two 9 inch layer cakes (berry/vanilla swirl). The third layer was a little experiment. Instead of buying a cake pan that I'd use once, I figured out a cheap way to fake it. I used a 6" pyrex bowl, sprayed the inside with Bakers Joy, then placed a tall glass (also greased) in the middle of the bowl. Here's the hot tip - I poured a bunch of dried lentils in the glass to keep it from shifting. Then I poured the batter in the "o" space and baked it until a skewer came out clean. After it had cooled, I flipped the "dress" part of the cake onto a small plate (leaving the glass in place, so that it didn't cave in). I wrapped all the layers in press & seal and let them cool in the fridge for a couple hours.

Now comes the fun part! I stacked the lower 2 layers together with a filling. Then I placed the "skirt" on top and crumb-coated all three layers. There was no need to secure them because the frosting acted like glue. After decorating all the layers I stuck the doll in the hole on top, being sure to push her feet into the middle layer. Then I used mini marshmallows to pad around her. Ta-da princess cake extravaganza! And when we cut the cake the marshmallow middle was a fun surprise for the kids.

I was pretty psyched cause I'm not a fancy decorated cake expert by any means and it still looked like a real-deal cake. AKA, all of you guys can definitely do this! And most importantly, MG was thrilled. Birthday specialness achieved!

-HAPPY SUGAR PLUM BIRTHDAY-

Ahh, Pool Blue

One of my all time favorite colors is pool blue. I mean really, is there anything better than a bright, sparkling blue pool on a hot day? Ahh. So for the past few days I've been bravely sporting my bathing suit (not the cutest sight at the moment) and we've set up shop at my parent's pool. MG splish splashes a ton, McB naps and I cruise along. It doesn't get much better than that in life.
With all that in mind, I made McB a taggie blankie. For those of you that sew, this is the best little project to make cause it's an excuse to use all the fun little bits of fabric and ribbon that you've been saving. Plus it's a quick, fun baby gift that's easily personalized. Just cut the fabric into 2.5 inch squares (I used a bunch of my fav vintage scraps) and the ribbon into 6 inch strips. Sew the squares together until it's the size you'd like - McB's is 14 x 20 inches so that it fits over him nicely in the car seat. Once the top is done, fold the ribbons in half and pin along the edge. Sew in place. Cut a piece of fabric the same size as the front, pin right sides together and sew. *Remember to leave a hole for flipping it right sides out (like a pillow case). Flip, pin the hole together and top stitch the edge to finish. Ta-da!

- HAPPY SPLISHING AND SPLASHING -

Happy Birthday Tee Tutorial

Happy June everyone! Thought I'd sneak in a couple more free tutorials before baby 2 arrives - I can't believe it's next week, so exciting! I've noticed a ton of number t-shirts lately in boutiques as well as etsy. They're not cheap, so I figured why not make a little project out of them? They're a great birthday gift for little ones, plus they make for good photos on the big day. I also figure I'm going to need a cheat sheet when I'm old & gray so that our kids will know which birthday they were celebrating in the pics!
WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
- a t-shirt
- fusible web
- an iron
- fabric scraps
- sewing machine (optional)
- scissors
-computer or your imagination
These can be made with the kid's age in numbers (2, 3, etc) or with candles (see pic). Using your computer, print out a big number as a guide or go crazy and cut out your shapes freestyle - the cupcake is super easy. Follow the directions on the webbing to create fabric stickers. For the one I use, all you do is iron the fabric to one side, cut out the shape you want, remove the paper and iron it to the tee. It's so much fun! Once you have all your pieces stuck to the tee, stitch around the shapes to secure them. This step is not necessary (especially if you're not sewing savy), but it will make the shirt last longer. Finally, if you want, add embellishments like buttons or rhinestones for sparkle. Give em away, dress up your little one or celebrate yourself - happy birthday all around!!

- CELEBRATING HAPPY BIRTHDAYS AT ANY AGE -

Anthropologie Tea Towel Tutorial

Most of you know that I'm not a big time cook. In fact, I mostly shine in the dessert category - if you count eating tons of them!! The only thing I do often, thanks to my South African roots, is celebrate tea time. You know, the real deal with a proper tea pot and a pretty tray with all the accessories. So this free pattern is tea time, Cath Kidston & Anthropologie inspired (I'm always drooling on their linens in the store, oops!). You can sew up a few quickly to add sparkle to your kitchen or for hostess gifts (wrap a box of nice tea with one & add a ribbon - pretty!).

What you'll need:
• a dish towel
• fabric scraps to coordinate
• thread, scissors, sewing machine
Ok, I admit there's some sewing involved with this, but trust me, it's minor... start by cutting your fabric scraps into rectangles. There's no right or wrong, just randomly cut. Sew them into a strip - keep adding until it's a 1/2" wider than your towel. Trim the strip so that the long edges are even. Fold over the short ends 1/4" and seam. Hem one of the long edges with a 1/4" fold over. Pin the strip to the bottom of your towel (right sides together) and stitch to attach. Flip the strip over and top stitch with a zig zag seam. Ta da - you're done! Now have a cup of tea, you've earned it!!

- A SIP OF TEA CAN MAKE A DAY HAPPY -

Chocolate Dots Hair Clip Tutorial

Ribbon is a dangerous business my friends. It has a way of wanting to be kept, regardless of having a purpose. Truthfully, I have tons of little ribbon scraps from all over creation bogging up my sewing boxes. I know they should be sent packing, but I just want to own them. Yes, it's a problem. So, I've decided to make use of some with this little tutorial. These hair clippies are quick, easy and could rival the expensive ones in children's boutiques. Trust me, you can make these!!
What you'll need:
- about 6 inches of ribbon (1" width works best)
- a couple buttons
- a needle and thread
- an alligator hair clip (available on etsy)
Here goes... thread your needle & knot. Starting on one end of the long side of your ribbon, sew a running stitch (looks like a line of dashes) all along the edge. When you get to the end, pull the thread so that it gathers the ribbon into a flower. Sew a little stitch to hold it in place and knot. Don't cut the thread! Now sew on the buttons using the same thread and knot to secure. Glue the flower to the clip and ta da!! Your home ec. teacher would be proud and your little girl will be happily stylish!

- CLIPPIES FOR HAPPY GIRLIES -

Upcycled Zinnia Bangles Tutorial

I'm a huge fan of upcycling. AKA - taking something old or no longer useful and making it into something new. With that in mind, I figured it was time to do an upgrade with the zillion random bangles lying around my house. Yeah, most were from fashion fads long gone. Anyway, they turned out to be quite snazzy, so I thought it would be a fun free project to share with you all.

What you'll need:
- any bangles you can find (plastic, wood or metal)
- ribbon, yarn & scrap fabric cut into strips
- buttons and beads
- glue gun
Dab a little glue on the bangle to secure one end of your yarn, ribbon or fabric to it. Then wrap around the whole bangle and glue the end in place. Careful with your fingers and the hot glue - I almost made my thumb a permanent accessory on the green bangle! Once it's covered, add a doo-da of your choice (button, bead, sequins, etc). Ta-da, boutique style jewelry with no cost to you. Plus, they make great eco-friendly birthday and mother's day gifts! Make a few and you're sure to make someone happy too!

- UPCYCLING MAKES THE EARTH HAPPY -

Baby Wash Scrubbies

If you love sewing and you're like me, you've probably got a stash of fabric scraps that you can't stand to part with. Seriously, I bought a bag of scraps at a Denyse Schmidt workshop and have been adding to it for years. I think it's growing overnight, but I love them all!

So what to do with them? Make personalized baby gifts of course! Maybe this little free sewing project will help you out...
1. Have fun diving through your scraps and find a few favorites.
2. Quilt them into 5 inch squares - there's no rules, so have fun!
3. Cut a new washcloth into 5 inch squares (Homegoods always has them on sale, yay)
4. Sew right sides together, leaving a gap for flipping right side out.
5. Flip and sew 1/4 inch from edge to finish.
6. Add a pretty ribbon and give to a favorite friend's baby for bath time.

PS - I'll be adding some of these to my etsy store later this week for your giving pleasure

- KEEPING BABIES CLEAN AND HAPPY -

Knitted Cozy Barrettes - Tutorial

Happy Tuesday everyone! I'm finally getting around to posting some free tutorials / patterns for those of you who are crafty inclined or would like to be. Actually, I truly believe all people are crafty, they just need to find what suits their fancy and go for it.

So here's free knitting pattern number one - Knitted Cozy Barrettes (or clips if you prefer). They're super simple, take no time, need barely any materials and are fun to wear. Plus they're great little gifts for girls of any age...

What you'll need:
- 3 colors of baby or sport weight yarn (scraps are great)
- size 2 knitting needles
- barrettes of your choice
- hot glue gun

How to:
* Pattern is knit is stocking stitch (one row plain, one row purl)
- Cast on 6 stitches in color 1
- Knit 6 rows
- Switch to color number 2 and knit 4 rows
- Switch back to color 1 and knit 6 more rows
- Cast off
- Using color 3, tie a piece of yarn around the middle of your knitted rectangle. Knot it on the back and ta-da - it's a bow.
- Glue bow to the barrette using the glue gun
- You're done, hope you love them!

-LITTLE BITS OF HAPPINESS TO WEAR-