Pillowcase Dress Drive

Hey, friends!  How many of you remember a special post I did last March about a young lady named Mallory who started something called Project Yesu in the hopes of helping provide food, medicine, and education for children in Uganda?  {If not, be sure you stop by to read more about it}.

In the past year, Mallory and her team have been working hard and doing some amazing things, like taking a trip to Uganda in October to deliver 450 lbs of supplies.  They are taking another trip this coming June, and one of the things they want to take with them this time is as many pillowcase dresses as they can collect for the poverty-stricken young girls.

Here's where you come in.

Do you sew?
If so, you probably already know that a pillowcase dress is one of the simplest sewing projects that exists.  If you've never made one, you can find a tutorial here at Sew Like My Mom.

Easiest Pillowcase Dress Ever

Don't sew?

Never fear, you can also make a no-sew pillowcase dress...believe it or not, it's simple and just as nice!

Here's a tutorial from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom.

NO-SEW Pillowcase Dress

What do you think?  To me, it sounds like an incredible opportunity to do what we've been talking about in the CAKE {Crafting Acts of Kindness Everywhere} series...using our interests and talents to bring joy to others.  Could you find the time to make even one of these sweet, simple dresses and send it to Project Yesu so they can deliver it to a little girl in Uganda?  They will take any size, any colors, any fabric...any dress you make with love.  

Completed dresses can be shipped to:

Project Yesu

c/o Rory Fundora

1178 Willow Bend Drive

Clarksville, TN 37043

The deadline is May 31, so that they can get the dresses packed and ready to take on the trip.

If you make some, I'd love to see photos so I can share them on the Facebook page.  Also, please share this post on your Facebook, Twitter, etc. so that we can spread the word and get as many crafters involved as possible!  Here's a great way to use our talents to help and bless someone else on the other side of the world.  Let's do it!

For more information about Project Yesu, take a look at their fantastic website.

Hugs & Glitter,

Handmade Holidays: Kadie's Blankets



I'm so excited to be here today!  I LOVE Amy and all her crafty things she does.  Amy and I started blogging around the same time and have become good friends.  My name is Kadie and I blog at Seven Alive all Livin' in a Double Wide.  I like to blog about crafting, sewing, cooking, and my favorite, crocheting.  I also like to throw in a bit about being a mom to 5 amazing children. I love to make handmade gifts for Christmas.  It's a way I can give a little bit of myself to others.  Not only can I pour all my love and talents into a handmade gift, it is often cheaper to make a gift rather than buy one.  When you are on a tight budget, which with 5 kiddos we always are, cheap  less expensive is a good thing. So this year I am making each of my kiddos their own blanket, pillow case, and pajama bottom set.  It's really fun to have something custom made for you.  There are so many prints and colors to choose from it makes it easy to find something that who ever you are making them for will love!

I'm going to show you how to make the blanket today.  I will have the tutorial for the pillow case and PJ bottoms on my blog next week.

What you will need:

• 1-2 yards Polar Fleece {it is important that you get Polar Fleece because it wont fray} depending on how large a person you are making it for.  2 yards makes a great lap blanket for an adult or a large blanket for a child. The one shown here is 1 yard.
• quilting safety pins {these are the ones with the curve in them.} You can use regular safety pins too.
•   thread in a coordinating or contrasting color. {depending on what you like} I used contrasting thread for mine.
• scissors
• sewing machine {optional, I'll tell you how to make the same blanket sewing free}
• yard stick, or fabric measuring tape.

Like I said above you don't have to sew this blanket so if you don't have a sewing machine don't pass up on making these adorable blankets.  The sewing skills you need if you choose to sew it are minimal, great for a beginner. I am going to apologize for the quality of some of the photos now.  Because I'm making these for my kiddos for Christmas I had to work on them late at night so they don't see them. To start lay out your fabric wrong sides together.  You will need a large space to work on, either a large table or the floor would work best.  Trim the fabric so that the top and bottom are the same size.  You can use this tutorial for using a rotary cutter to do this, or you can use scissors   Be careful using scissors  it's hard to make a really straight line.

I like to pin an X in the blanket first.  Try not to move the blanket after you start. It only takes a couple of hours to finish the blanket, it's best if you can do it all in one sitting because until it is sewn {or cut and tied} the fabric will move all over the place every time you move it. It's a big pain to always have to straighten it back out!  I like use a yard stick to get my pins straight.

After you have your X you are going to cut a 4 inch square out of each corner.   You might need to adjust some of your pins in your X to match up with the corners of the square you cut out.

Now you are going to pin a 4 inch wide border all the way around your blanket.  I know it's a lot of pins but trust me the more pins you use the easier it's going to be over all.

If you are not sewing your blanket then you can skip the next few steps and go right to cutting and tying your fringe. If you are going to sew your blanket, start by following the X that you pinned.  This will make it so that when you wash your blanket the two sides will not come apart and bunch like they sometimes do. I'm going to pass on one of the best tips I ever got about sewing a large blanket like this.  You want to treat it more like driving a car.  It's easiest to keep a straight line if you can see where you are headed before you get there. Remove any pins that get in your way. DO NOT run over your pins; it will ruin your sewing machine. Now sew on the outside of your pins for the 4 inch border.  Each seam should meet at the corner of the 4 inch squares you cut out of your corners.  Take out any pins that are left over. If you are not sewing your blanket, start here after pinning. Cut 1 inch strips around the blanket in the 4 inch border you made.  If you sewed your blanket make sure you don't cut through the seam you sewed around the blanket. Again I like to lay out a yard stick and cut  at each one inch.  It makes it easier than guessing and is long enough that you aren't moving your ruler every couple of inches.

After your cut your strips tie them together in a knot, all around the blanket.  If you are planning on making a lot of these blankets or if you make a lot of rag blankets you might want to invest in some spring scissors, they are a blessing to your aching hands after cutting a ton of strips.  I like to tie my strips so that the strip from the opposite side shows.  I like to tie my blanket while I watch a show, on the couch or in bed.  If you have sewn the blanket you can move it where you need to at this point.  If you haven't sewn the blanket it's best to leave it where you have been working on it until it's all tied.

One kid down 4 more to go.  The first one may take you a while but after you know what you are doing it really only takes 2-4 hours start to finish {depending on how large a blanket you are making}.  They really are fun easy cozy blankets to make.  I hope you'll give them a try and give someone you love a handmade gift this year. Thanks so much for having me Amy I had a great time.

Monster Making 101

Since this week's challenge is all about fun kids' activities, I thought I'd share with you one of my recent favorites.  We had another of our famous craft playdates with the M Family because we all wanted to make...MONSTER PILLOWS!

And yes, by we, I do mean Brandee and myself included!  I have plans for our leftover fleece...:)

In the September issue of Family Fun magazine {the same one where we got the idea for our pom-pom trees}, I saw this no-sew fleece pillow project.  Theirs was to celebrate the new video release of the Lion King.  I thought it was so clever and would be really fun!  We dog eared the page, but never got around to it; Little Crafter has never seen the movie and is kind of indifferent to lions in general.

Then, I came across this variation from Greene Acres Hobby Farm; she had taken the original idea and adapted it to be a monster.  Genius!  Little Crafter may not care about lions, but you and I both know he looooooooves monsters!  And so do his little buddies.  Plus, they're perfect for this time of year.

Naturally, we made it the project for our next crafting playdate.  Here's how you can make one too!

NO-SEW MONSTER PILLOW

Materials per pillow:

Two colors of fleece, 1/2 yard of each {this will actually make more than one, but you need the 18"}

Assorted colors of felt

Scissors

Craft glue

Polyfil

STEP 1: Cut two circles of fleece.  The original lion pillow said to use 20", Greene Hobby Farm used 18".  The biggest thing I could find to trace was 17", so that's how big ours ended up.

STEP 2: Cut slits around circle that are approximately 1" wide and 2 1/2 to 3" long, depending on how long you want the monster's "hair" to be.

{Brandee is making her serious face.  I just love this girl.}

 STEP 3: Cut out felt shapes to make eyes, nose, and mouth for your monster.  Consider eyebrows, eyelashes, and teeth too!

 STEP 4: Choose which color will be the monster's face and glue the felt shapes in place.

STEP 5: Begin tying the top and bottom circles together.  If you've ever made a no-sew blanket, it's the same technique.  Just double knot each fringe.  Depending on how you tie it, you can get either the top or the bottom color to be in the front.  We chose to have the contrasting color on top.  Stop when you have about 3/4 of the circle tied.

STEP 6: Stuff pillow.

STEP 7: Finish tying the rest of the fringes.  Then, name your monster and let it ROAR!

I thought these were so fun to make!  This project does require a good bit of adult assistance; we moms did all the cutting and the tying; the kids did the gluing and the stuffing.  Want to know the best part?  They cost less than $5 a piece.  I got my fleece 50% off, and I already had felt at home.  Even if I'd paid full price, it would have been around $10 for the supplies and that makes at least two monsters plus felt left over.  Hooray for thrifty kiddo fun!

What's your latest kids' project {or project you have done that a kid could do too?}  I'd love for you to share it at this week's challenge party!

PS: Speaking of kids' activities, don't forget to enter the Craftprojectideas giveaway for your chance to win a Halloween Melty Bead Kit!

Fall Flowers Wreath

I'm really really excited about the fall wreath I made!  Want to see?

{thanks for humoring me}

Here it is.....TA DA!



I combined some of my favorite elements from the gorgeous wreaths I pinned and shared with you in this week's challenge post.

First, I love the monogram idea...makes it so personal!

Second, I love bright fall colors, oranges in particular!

Third, I like things that aren't just a traditional wreath base; I really like the look of the ribbon on this.

Fourth, I am crazy about the fabric flowers I've been seeing everywhere in the blogosphere and on Etsy.  I just had to learn how to make me some...so I did.

Fifth, I think it's fabulous when people figure out how to use removeable elements so you can reuse for other seasons and projects.

So, I put all that together to make my own creation...want to see how I made it?

FABRIC FLOWER MONOGRAM WREATH

Materials:

fabric in desired colors

felt in matching colors

buttons

scissors

hot glue gun and glue sticks

foam wreath base

wide ribbon

straight pins

wooden monogram letter

STEP 1: First, I made all my fabric flowers.  I made 9 total, using different orange and yellow fabrics I already had on hand.  I made three different styles.

The Button Flower

For these flowers, you cut 8 circles of fabric {I traced the bottom of a cup; you can use anything you want that's your desired size} and cut a circle of felt that's smaller than your fabric ones.  Then, take each fabric circle and fold it in half.  Place a tiny bit of hot glue in the center and fold in half again; it'll look like a triangle.  Glue four triangles to the felt base, then four more on top, staggering them.  Then, add a button in the center.  For a full tutorial with pictures, check out The Ribbon Retreat.

The Poufy Flower

This is exactly the same as the button flower except that you use nine circles instead of 8.  Rather than putting a button in the center, glue your ninth piece of fabric in there and fluff it up.  Full tutorial here.

I made one big one for the center and two smaller ones.

The Rosette

Cut a long strip of fabric.  Fold in half lengthwise, then again.  Roll it up to create the center, then start twisting as you roll.  Hot glue it every so often to hold it together.  Glue a felt circle to the back.

Full tutorial here.

I made nine flowers, total, making sure I had different styles, sizes, and fabrics for variety.

Ok, back to the wreath.....

STEP 2: Wrap wreath form with ribbon.  I wanted everything on this wreath to be totally removeable, so I used straight pins to secure the ribbon on.  It took an entire spool to cover the wreath...in fact, at first I came up short, so I had to re-wrap.

STEP 3: Arrange and secure flowers onto wreath.  Again, I used straight pins...I hid them inside the flowers.  Sneaky, huh?

STEP 4: Attach wooden letter.  If you don't care about taking it apart, just glue that sucker on.  I, in my quest for thriftiness, glued straight pins to the letter and pinned in in place.

STEP 5: Admire...and make your hubby {and neighbors and kids and blog readers} admire it profusely too.

It only cost me about $11 bucks; 6 for the wreath form, 3 for the letter, and 2 for the ribbon.  I already had all the fabric, the buttons, the pins, and glue.  Plus, I can re-use it all if and when inspiration strikes!

Normally, this is where I'd sign off and tell you to have a fabulous day, but it occurred to me that sometimes here in blogland, things are just a little too perfect.  You only see what I want you to see {ie: Little Crafter happily painting} and you don't see the full story {him covered in paint from head to toe or screaming that no, he doesn't want to take a nap, he wants to paint more!.  You see the carefully photo edited process and the finished product, but not what it really looks like in Artsy Mama's world at the end of a project.

So, here's a rare peek into what I like to call reality...my dining room table post-wreath-making-adventure.

And yes, I did neglect to mention that a Caramel Latte is absolutely necessary for this project.  If you fail to consume one while crafting, I cannot guarantee your end result. :)

Well, have a great day...don't forget to link up your door decor and let me see what you created!

A "Bee-utiful" Day

It's another rainy day.  48 degrees, drizzle, and gray skies are a dangerous combination for an energetic two-year-old who doesn't understand why the playground isn't an option.  So, I decided it was the perfect opportunity for One Artsy Mama to pull out the craft supplies and make the most of a wet Wednesday.  We usually do well with a theme, so I decided we'd focus on making it a "BEE-utiful Day" despite the weather.  I recently saw an adorable idea on the blog Of Pinks and Fairytales where Janelle made a bumblebee out of a plastic Easter egg.  I'd been wanting to try it with Little Crafter, so after taking stock of our supplies and making a quick run to WalMart for some white felt {LC insisted on wearing his striped pajamas and rain boots there or he wasn't going}, we gave it a go.  Here's what we did:

EASTER EGG BUMBLEBEE

Materials:
- yellow plastic easter egg
- 2 googly eyes
- black felt
- white or gray felt
- 4 small beads
- glue

STEP 1: Cut two thin strips of black felt that are long enough to circle your egg.  Wrap around your egg and glue in place.

STEP 2: Cut 4 petal shaped wings...I didn't use a pattern, just eyed it up. Glue them on the top of the egg in a wing formation.

STEP 3: Cut a small, thin strip of black felt to cover the seam where the wings come togther and glue in place.

STEP 4: Add eyes and beads for antennae.  You can also add a mouth with a permanent marker if you like.

Here's a picture of my inspiration - Janelle's finished product. You can see that she used gray felt and different colored beads, and that she gave her bee a mouth.

Little Crafter was thrilled with the project, and declared it to be a "tuute bee", which in LC-speak means "cute."  I completely agree.  Moving on with our theme, our second bee project was one my mom and I came up with years ago when we were teaching VBS.

POM-POM BEE MAGNET

Materials:

- 2 medium size yellow pom poms, 1 black pom pom

- 2 googly eyes

- black felt

- black pipe cleaner

- clothespin

- small piece of magnetic strip

- glue

- 1 tiny pink pom pom (optional) for nose

STEP 1: Cut black felt into a wing shape {kind of like a peanut}

STEP 2: Glue one yellow pom pom on one end of the clothespin, followed by wings, black pom pom, and other yellow pom pom.

STEP 3: Trim pipe cleaner and bend into antennae shape, glue between "head" pom pom and wings.

STEP 4: Glue eyes and nose in place.

STEP 5: Attach magnet to bottom of clothespin.

The finished bee is a handy helper for keeping LC's artwork on the refrigerator.  We also colored a bee picture, which was the perfect thing for this little guy to hold.

The last piece of our bee-themed morning was reading one of LC's favorite stories, Buzz, Buzz, Busy Bees
by Dawn Bentley. 

As we ate lunch, I found myself contemplating the remaining plastic eggs in our pack and thinking about something I'd seen on Martha Stewart's website {thanks to Janelle's link} where she made all kinds of animals out of eggs.  Cute little birds, cows, pigs, bunnies, ducks...you name it, Martha can make it.  The eggs she used were actually real ones that had been hollowed out, but with a toddler involved, plastic was definitely a better call.  Using scrap felt, pom-poms, eyes, and feathers I had laying around, we were able to make an adorable bunny and duck to "bee" friends with Little Crafter's earlier creation.

BUNNY:
- white cardstock
- white felt
- pink pom pom and white pom pom
- googly eyes
- glue

Cut a heart out of cardstock and glue egg to it so it will stand up.  Cut 2 ear shapes out of felt, attach, and curl slightly.  Glue on eyes, nose, and tail.  Cut very thin pieces of felt and attach as whiskers. 

DUCK:
- white cardstock
- yellow and orange felt
- googly eyes
- feather
- glue

Cut a heart out of cardstock.  Cut same size heart out of orange felt and glue together.  Glue egg on top.  Cut wing shapes out of yellow felt and beak out of orange felt; glue in place.  Glue on eyes.  Attach feather...my egg actually had a few tiny holes in it {all the ones at WalMart did this year, for some reason} so I stuck the feather tip down in the hole.

Here they are hanging out with their friend, Buzzy Bee.  For more info the centerpiece itself, which I change seasonally, see my Cheap & Easy Centerpiece idea.

And, here they are with my happy boy, who finally consented to change out of his pajamas. :)  Funny, it kind of looks like the bunny has antlers because of how his shirt is positioned behind it...

All four of these crafts couldn't have been any cheaper or easier!  If you have little ones who want to help make some Easter decorations, or if you just want to make some for yourself, these are a quick way to bring a touch of Spring to any room.  If you make any, I'd love to see how they turn out!

Have a "BEE-utiful" day, friends!