Pleasant Projects: Creating a Personalized Name Canvas

Although I wasn't doing much writing during the holiday season, I was quite busy crafting gifts with my girls.  This project was one of my favorites!  My sincerest apologies for the poor picture quality in this post.  The good camera was still in the shop at the time we did this project!

 Here is what you need for this project: a canvas, craft paint, card stock, school glue, assorted trims, fabric for embellishment, hot glue gun.

First, we painted our canvas with two thin layers of craft paint. While the canvas was drying we cut out the letters on card stock, using a computer font as a pattern. ( My daughter actually ended up doing our letters free hand, but you can easily print out the letters you need, cut them out, and trace around them.) We did not have the color of card stock that we needed to match our sweet niece's nursery, so we also painted our letters with craft paint.

Next, we searched our craft closet for suitable embellishments. We came up with a stained hand-me-down shirt that had been saved for its cute-fabric value, buttons from the same shirt, a wide lace scrap, and a narrow lace scrap. Both lace selections from a box of trims that an elderly neighbor gave to us!  Next, we used a flower shaped cookie cutter to trace/cut out our fabric flowers.

When our canvas and letters were totally dry, we created a mixture of equal parts school glue and water. Using a paint brush we glued down our lace, also "painting" the top surface of the lace with the glue. We did the same with the flowers and letters, taking care to cover the top surfaces thoroughly and fix wrinkles. Later, we gave the entire surface of the canvas ( embellishments and all!) a second coat of the glue mixture. The next day we used the hot glue gun to secure the buttons in place.

Although the photos really don't do the final project justice, I can tell you that this canvas ended up looking surprisingly "professional" as we placed it in our gift bag. We were thrilled! Our only expense was the canvas (less than $5.00) and two bottles of 99 cent craft paint! It was a wonderful lesson to our girls on reusing/re-purposing items, as well as on the value of sharing what we can't use with others. It was such a joy  to be able to provide my niece with a cute, personalized gift while staying within our budget. I am fairly sure that we will be revisiting this project for future baby and birthday gifts!  

Pleasant Projects: Making Your Own Teepee Tent

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, and playtime moving indoors more and more as the weather cools down, this is a great time of year to make a teepee tent!  I made this one several years ago after seeing one my friend had made. It is still a favorite with our little ones. It is cozy spot for doing a puzzle or reading a book...even taking a nap! I love to pull it out on rainy days and during the Thanksgiving season when we are reading books about native Americans.We have even used it for special events at church.  In case you are wondering, it can also be easily folded and stored in a closet or under a bed when not in use....I love that!

This tent was made using these directions from Sew, Mama, Sew as a spring board. ( If you have been reading this blog for very long you know how bad I am about following directions exactly. Look closely at the back of the tent you will see a circular "peep-hole"...yup, my first attempt at cutting the hole for the poles was incorrect.  I was going to just patch it in some colorful fabric, but it  turns out that it is really fun to have a little toilet-paper-roll-sized "window" for spying! )  I was easily able to acquire bamboo poles and a painter's drop cloth at our local hardware super store. For a punch of color I  used hot glue to secure the blue rick rack and red craft paint for the stars and circles.  I had a star stencil in my craft box and simply dipped the bottom end of a Crayola marker in the paint for the circles that are seen along the bottom edge of the canvas. I found a red bandanna  in our dress-up box and used it to cover the rubber bands that are holding the bamboo poles together at the top. The possibilities for decorations are endless. I think it would be lots of fun to let your children decorate the canvas for themselves. I'd love to see what designs you come up with, so send me a photo if you make one!  Happy Crafting!!

Pleasant Projects: Jeweled Pumpkins

I have a fabulous mother-in-law.  Always dressed to perfection, she is one of those ladies who can pull off large clunky jewelry and wild handbags, all with out looking the slightest bit tacky!  She is just that kind of lady. And she is always coming up with unique ways to decorate her home as well.  Her ideas not only work, they look great!

Last year, she shared these little jeweled pumpkins with me. (This photo was taken on a really old camera and it doesn't do these glistening beauties justice...trust me !)  If you are looking for a really simple craft that will add a touch of sparkle to your fall decor, this project is for you.  You need to purchase a few sheets of stick-on jewels from your local craft store and collect a variety pumpkins. You attach the jewels to your pumpkins and that is that! This is great project to do with the little ones in your home...quick, easy,and hardly any clean up!   My mother-in-law had  several of her jeweled pumpkins in a pretty blue and white china bowl,  along with several non-jeweled gourds of various shapes and colors. The effect on her glass-topped antique table  was lovely.  I placed a couple of the pumpkins on our fireplace mantle and also put a few more on the table with our candles.  I think a large jeweled pumpkin would be a unique addition to a front porch or window display, especially if you also were using some colored fall lights. Something unique, with just a bit of sparkle....never a bad thing! Happy  fall crafting!

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Fall Savings at the Thrift Store

Fall can be an expensive time of year if you have children. This, of course, sends me flying to the thrift stores.  Clothes for a new season, back to school supplies, and holiday decorations are all wonderful items to be searching for as you visit your thrift store this fall, especially early in the season while the selection is at its best.  

Back to School Supplies...We use lots of three ring binders in our homeschooling and in the older children's classes outside of the home.  Each of my four school age children require 6 binders each, plus a huge binder ( read pricey) for their own yearly portfolio. If purchased new, we are talking about spending around a hundred dollars in binders alone. EEK.  Thankfully, businesses often will donate their unwanted binders to charity thrift stores. I can almost always find them for a dollar or two, in good working order, and in nearly-new condition.  I try to find the binders that have a clear pocket front so the girls an decorate them to their liking....just slide in some cute scrapbook paper and a label, and a plain-Jane folder is suddenly cute as a button. And all this personalized cuteness for less than half the price of the new "generic" binders. Thrift stores are also a great place to find general office supplies like staplers, desk sets, and filing supplies. If I need something for school or home office I always check the thrift store first. 

Holiday Decorations...I am not all that into decorating for holidays and seasons.  I like to keep things simple, simple, simple.  However, I do have a fireplace mantle that begs for adornment. Every year when I take the Christmas decorations down from the mantle the whole living room looks bare. Anyway, this is the season when thrift stores are putting out all those fall and Christmas decorations that have been collecting in their back room for the past year. This weekend  I  found a lovely round felt table cloth for three dollars.  It features the 12 days of Christmas in beautiful hand-sewn bead work.  I don't need a round table cloth, but do you know that in my 18 years of marriage we have never had a tree skirt for our Christmas tree?  With a few cuts and a few stitches I can easily re-purpose this table cloth into a most beautiful tree skirt.  I also found a fall leaf garland for two dollars. I was quite thrilled since this type of item is not something I could justify purchasing new. It is already on my mantle and it adds a lovely fall glow to the whole living room! I am pretty sure that both of these items would have been gone by the end of the day if I hadn't purchased them.  If you need holiday decorations, shop your thrift stores now for the best selection. 

Clothes for a new season... Well, I am sure you already know all about this :).  Shop early for best selections, check carefully for stains and tears, get what you need, but don't go overboard just because there are good deals out there. Enjoy the bargains that the Lord leads you to with a thankful heart. He provides for our needs, and sometimes ...in His own good time... even for some of our "wants".  Happy Fall :)

This post is also linked to Growing Home!

Creating a Presidential Election Notebook

Our family loves a presidential election year.  We are not under the impression that politics is the answer to everything in our society...far from it.  However, we can celebrate our country's political process and the freedom we have to vote. Our children have always accompanied us to the polls to vote. They have also been allowed to stay up late on Election Day for an special party.  We print out maps and give them red and blue crayons so they can color in the states as the results are announced.  Snacks are in abundance and sleeping bags are spread out on the living room floor for those who drift off early.  One year we were really brave and joined with another family for the evening...lots of fun memories.

As our children have grown older we have sought to  involve them in the election process in other ways.  There is a little more talk of politics at the dinner table,and a little more watching of the news and reading news articles together. One of our teenagers even went to one candidate's local headquarters during the last presidential election and watched his grandmother make phone calls. This year we are trying something new... keeping a family Presidential Election Notebook. I was inspired to do this by my husband's grandmother, who has saved news clippings on each presidential election for several decades. It is so much fun to look through her notebook. I thought it would be even more fun for the children to one day be able to look back at their own reflections and observations on the election process. So, creating our own notebook is one thing we are "aiming to do" over the next year.

  We began taking notes during the first televised debate. We have already crossed out candidates and added others as the weeks have progressed. (We each have our own predictions about who will be remaining at the end of the candidate selection process.)  I plan on having one section of the notebook categorized by issues, one section categorized by candidates, one section of debate notes/winners, and a final section of news articles. Because we have such a wide age range in our children ( almost 17 years down to 4 years of age), different family members are responsible for different tasks. Mom and Dad will take notes of things to discuss with the children later. ( I must admit that being able to "pause" live TV would be very handy during debates!) Our eight year old will copy down each candidate's home town, family information, current position, and other general information as it pops up on the TV screen during the debate. The middle and high school students will each be assigned specific issues and will record notes on each candidate's view as a topic is discussed.  Older students will also take general debate notes: the questions asked, who was asking the questions, general impressions on candidate readiness/level of articulation, potential bias, and the like.  As we get deeper into the election, I plan to have them gather current events articles and write about the their relevance to the election. There will probably also be papers comparing and contrasting candidates and persuasive papers/speeches on why a particular candidate is the best choice.

 So far our debate evenings have been a fun, family time together...almost like a long awaited football game for something . Yes, snacks are provided, and there is the added bonus of getting to stay up late on a school night, but the best part has been the conversations we have had. Teenagers have opinions and they love to share them. What a great time to hear their thoughts and ask them challenging questions. Our two older children have had debate and logic classes and delight in critiquing ( and complimenting!) the "professionals."  An election year provides parents with so many opportunities to discuss values and ideals with their children and teach them to think critically about issues. Take advantage of this time!  You can be part of raising up the next generation to be "thinkers" instead of those who merely react to circumstances or those who go with the popular flow of thought.  It may be impolite to discuss politics at the beauty shop, but discussing these matters in your living room is one fantastic way to spend an evening with the family.





This post is linked to Growing Home!

Nurturing Creativity in Children: Part 1

I am going to spend a few days discussing  what parents can do to nurture creativity in their children.  I think we are all more or less "born with" our own unique amount and variety of creative gifts. However, it is obvious that children are much more creative than the average adult. Children have more leisure time and more opportunities for creative moments. Children also have more courage in expressing their creativity and place more emphasis on the process, as opposed to focusing merely on the end product. As parents, we need to utilize this valuable stage in our children's lives. The atmosphere in our homes can either encourage children to continue in life-long creativity, or it can cause them to neglect the expression of their unique gifts and  perspectives as they become older. Over the next few posts, I hope to provide you with some tips that will enable you to draw out and encourage your children to thrive as they think and express themselves in creative ways. Let's get started!

*Provide children with abundant down-time.  When I was in high school I read David Elkind's book, book The Hurried Child for an education class. Even at the tender age of 17, with my very limited experience with children, I could see that his words were true.  Children cannot flourish when they are hurried to grow-up quickly, or when they are hurried from place to place throughout the day.  If children are going to develop their creative gifts they need leisure time. Not time-in-front-of-a-screen leisure time, but hours on a back yard swing or unstructured time in the playroom to putter around...thinking and playing time! My youngest daughter spends her free time in the afternoon dressing up like historical figures. Breakfast conversation often centers around who she is going to pretend to be today.  Harriet Tubman, Annie Oakley,Corrie Ten Boon, an immigrant from Russia, an Amish girl, and many more, have been researched on the Internet or in books with mom at the start of her play time. Closets are raided, dress up boxes are emptied, opinions are gathered, and then...the historical figure appears and heads off to the backyard for her adventures. I never would have thought to have her do this. It was the product of her having time alone and needing to figure out what to do with herself. In developing our children's creativity, we are teaching them to be boredom-busters!

This type of down-time is not something that creative people out-grow. Creative moms can become instantly energized after a few creative moments, either alone or with their children. And the gift of time to explore, think, and develop creative skills is of great value to our teenagers as they transition into adulthood. My oldest son, who spend many childhood hours creating elaborate stories to "play out" with Legos, unwinds from a long day by puttering around with his filming equipment, or building a new kind of tripod he read about in the Internet. My teenage daughter Peace developed her love for photography by spending time  (hours and hours this summer!) wandering around our backyard, photographing things I had never even noticed. It may have looked like she was wasting her time and being quite unproductive, but she was learning, experimenting, and creating. She was learning how to be busy and content at home, and how to bring joy to others by sharing her gifts. This creative process would never have occurred if we had been spending our afternoons running around to various activities and lessons. Whatever your children's age, do not neglect the importance of down time!

*Arts, not crafts. As I mentioned above, a creative mom can gain a great amount of energy from doing creative projects alongside her children. I love getting out the easel and painting with my younger children.  I am in no way a painter, but there is something about all those lovely colors and a preschooler's excitement that gives me a whole new perspective on my day.  However, as we seek creative projects to do with our children, a distinction must be made between an art and a craft. An art is open ended, a "here are your supplies, see what you can do" sort of thing.  Even if you are doing something like a sewing project that has a pattern, let them choose the fabric combinations, the buttons the thread colors, the type of stitch...this is the creative part of the project. Step-by-step projects that produce identical results may have their value, but they do not develop creativity.

More to come...have a great day being creative with you family!
Join me at the Hearts 4 Home Link-up and Ramblings of a Christian Mom Thursday(Almost Friday!) Blog Hop!!
Check out the Amazon links below to Elkind's book, as well as the easel and paints we use in our family!

Pleasant Projects: Easy and Economical Skirts for Girls

Spring and summer are my favorite seasons for skirts. No fussing with tights or stockings, or dealing with uncomfortable shoes.  Just throw on a skirt, a knit shirt, and a pair of sandals, and you have a quick outfit for the day. Cool, feminine,comfortable...what more could you ask for?! However, it can be difficult to find appropriate skirts for young girls. Sewing is always an option, but can be expensive and time consuming if you are not careful. Today I am going to share two economical and easy ways to provide cute skirts for your girls.

I found the skirt above at a thrift store. It quickly became a favorite at our house, and people are always asking me about it. The skirt has 3 darts in the front and the fabric is basically sew onto the top portion of a pair of jeans, with a ribbon covering the seam. I especially like that the cut-off jeans used in the top part have an adjustable waist.  While I have not been able to find a pattern for this exact skirt, there are numerous patterns on the Internet that use jeans to make skirts.  For more ideas you may enjoy looking here and here  (this site features a cute skirt, but there is a rather scantily clad sewing form in the top photo...just so you know!).

 This is another simple and inexpensive skirt.  My daughter Love made this skirt when she was learning to sew and it has down been handed down within the family. It is a perfect "every day" kind of skirt when paired with a knit shirt.  The fabric was purchased with a 40% off coupon from Hobby Lobby, and the rick rack was also 40% off.  We downloaded the Lazy Days Skirt pattern free of charge here, although we added some length.  Because they can be completed so quickly, I think both of these skirt would be perfect for matching "sister skirts". You could also just make 4 or 5 skirts with different fabrics ( wait for those 40% off sales or coupons!), purchases a few knit shirts, and be practically done with your daughter's warm weather wardrobe! Let your daughter help pick out the fabric and assist with (or do!) the sewing. I'd love for you to email me pictures of your creations...happy sewing!

This post is linked to  Raising Homemakers, Our Simple Country Life, and Far Above Rubies.

Pleasant Projects: Luggage and Diaper Bag Tags

 When our youngest child was diagnosed with a serious food allergy I realized that I was going to need a diaper bag/backpack tag that I could personalize. I needed something that would look official for times when we needed to take our own snacks into places like baseball games and museum snack bars. The tag needed  plenty of room for parent phone numbers, warnings about his allergy, and information about the Epipen and medication in his bag.  I also needed something durable. I have tried several different methods, but this type of tag is easy to make and has met all our needs. It is also lots of fun, allowing room for personalization and creativity! 

Supplies: Self-laminating Pouches(Business card/I.D. card size... I use Scotch brand and find these in the office supply section), paper cutter or scissors, printer, plain paper, and scrap book paper.

I first cut my scrapbook paper background to fit inside the required laminated area.  I cut two of these so that I can have information on both sides of the tag. Next, I make a template for the plain white paper. I print out the information I want on the tag (one for front and one for back),using different colors to highlight important information. I place the template over the printed information and trace around it.    

After cutting out the printed section of the tag, I adhere it to the scrapbook paper background using scrapbook adhesive, doing the same for the backside of the tag. I place the two sides together and stick them together ( again using the scrapbook adhesive).  Now comes the tricky part. Carefully place one side of the tag onto the sticky side of the laminating pouch. This adhesive is not very forgiving! You will need to set the paper down straight and press it down evenly so that the paper does not wrinkle. Personally, I am very thankful that these pouches come in packets of ten.  I rarely get it right on the first try! 

Finally, use your hole punch to make a hole in one of the corners. Now you can use a cute ribbon to attach the tag to your bag, and your project is complete!  

*bow added for the picture...Mr. T. would never allow a bow on his boy's back pack :) 

I have needed to keep our "allergy alert" tag simple and serious looking, but there are several fun ways to dress-up this project.  I have already mentioned using a cute ribbon to attach your tag to your bag. You can also have fun playing with different font styles and colors. Choosing back ground paper also can personalize this project... the supply of different patterns and styles is endless! You can use clip art or scrap book embellishments/stickers to add some decoration. Anything flat will work beautifully! I have never tried it, but I expect that you could also hot glue rick rack or some other sort of embellishment to the outside of the tag. These make wonderful baby gifts, and also will make it easy for you to identify your own luggage or diaper bag in a crowd. Happy creating!

This post is linked at Raising Homemakers , Our Simple Country Life and Far Above Rubies.  I am a few days late in linking these sites because of computer issues, but be sure to check out the great ideas shared by other bloggers!

Pleasant Projects: Patching Jeans with Fabric

We go through lots of jeans at our house.  For years I have kept a stash of iron on patches and used them frequently.  Girls got a heart shaped patch; boys got a plain old rectangle or square. They were a good quick fix, but after a while they start to peel off...and they just are not very attractive! I have continued this love/hate relationship with iron on patches because I really wasn't sure what else to do with holey jeans ( besides make them into shorts,which we also do!).  I was very excited to see this post about patching jeans...functional and quite adorable, in my opinion! The tutorial gives a good explanation of the process, but basically you tear out the side seam of the jeans, sew on a fabric patch with an embroidery stitch on your machine, and then sew the seam back using the sewing machine. 

Tearing out the side seam of the jeans was not nearly as difficult as I had anticipated. The tutorial suggests using denim patches for boys, but since my little guy is still well within the age for cute fabric selections, I called my mom to see what kind of "boyish" fabric she had in her quilt scrap collection.  I let Thunderbolt pick out the fabric scrap he wanted me to use for his patch. I cut the faric to size, doubling the fabric for extra strength.  Unfortunately, I could not get my embroidery stitch selector to work, so I had to go with a straight stitch. I was a little frustrated by this because I think this application is an excellent use for those fancy stitch options...extra strength for the patch and a nice decorative touch, especially if you use a contrasting thread color. ( I couldn't even get my zig-sag to work, but this would also provided extra strength if you do not have other stitches to choose from.) I was pleased with the outcome, despite my stitch limitations, and am looking forward to doing some cute patchwork for the girls the next time they are in need of a patch! 

Pleasant Projects: Rice Packs

Several years ago, our middle daughter Love  received a sewing machine for her birthday.  I began researching very easy sewing projects,and read about rice packs here. It seemed like the ideal starting point. We were not disappointed. In fact, we are still making and enjoying rice packs today!

Kathy does a great job of explaining them, but you basically sew a small pillow case  in the desired shape, and then sew two lines to make three separate compartments.  After filling each about 2/3 full of rice, you stitch your opened side closed.  Packs can be stored in the freezer and used to reduce swelling after injury or dental work, or heated in the microwave and used as hot packs. They are excellent for headaches either way, especially with a few drops of lavender essential oil in the rice. We have found that the time required for warming varies greatly depending on the size of the pack and the individual microwave.  I encourage people to start with 45 seconds and then increase time gradually so that the packs do not get too hot.  We have found that all types of fabrics work well, but flannel is our favorite.  This is an excellent way to utilize fabric scraps and re-purpose old clothes. 

  

Love has given them as gifts to new moms, sold them to help pay for her basketball fees, given them to family members recovering from dental work, and, of course, kept us in good supply here at home.  During our "big snow" this winter she made several tiny packs to heat up and place in her siblings' mittens and rain boots while they played in the snow. And on a cold winter night there is always a line at the microwave because everyone wants to take a warm rice pack to bed with them.  My grandmother used to tell me about warming up a brick in the fire place, wrapping it in a towel, and placing it under her covers at the foot of her bed to keep her feet warm while she slept.  I guess a microwaved rice pack is our 2011 alternative!