It's October, and that means scarf weather! DIY: multi strand infinity scarf

You'll need a combination of fabrics that compliment and contrast each other.  I used 100% cotton.

Cut 4 inch strips of each fabric.  Each needs to be about 5 1/2 feet long.  For my scarf, I had two black and three patterned fabrics for a total of 5 infinity strands.

Sew each strip together length wise, sewing with the right sides of the fabric facing each other.  You will now have a long tube of fabric.

The trickiest part of the whole project is now turning the strip inside out.  It just takes some patience.  Now you can fold the ends into each other so that the unfinished edge is inside the tube.  Sew the ends together.

Pretty easy, and super cute!

Happy Fall, everyone!

DIY: How To Do A Hair Wrap, Demo

I gave MyGirl a hair wrap as part of her back to school preparedness.  Fifth grade finds her the artsiest little hip girl!  She picked out all of her colors and we sat together, watched a chick flick, and spent some quality girl time together.  I think her hair wrap goes especially well with her striped knee highs.

I made this little step by step in case anyone wants to try it out.

Grafitied Fridays: A Decade of MyGirl & Make a Paper Doll

I just love birthdays, and making crazy creative fun birthday cards!  You may remember some of my pop-up cards from here and here, and the little paper movie I made here.  

This week was a birthday week.  MyGirl turned ten!  (Happy birthday you sweet, beautiful, smart, talented, sassy, girl!)  

Instead of a card, I made MyGirl a paper doll with moving parts (brads are fun, especially these tiny little star shaped ones).  I thought it would be a cute way to give MyGirl the necklace I made for her, and a fun way for her to start her birthday morning.

This doll is how I see MyGirl in a few more years.  She has grown so much, I am very grateful for her beautiful presence in my life everyday, for the past ten years, and for many more to come!

Ready For The Roller Rink!

MyGirl is turning a DECADE this week.  So proud, amazed, shocked....no little ones in this house any more.  

To celebrate this momentous occasion, we have secured her the "Sparkle Room" at our local Skate World.  She is a complete bada** on skates, so this is going to be a blast for her!  I just hope her friends can keep up.

Speaking of friends...MyGirl and I made these neat-o invitations:

Step 1--->>>  Cut paper for card, and create and cut informative insert for the inside of the card.

Step 2--->>> Design a template for your card.  Then trace and cut out as many as you have guests.

Step 3--->>>  Color and decorate design.  (We just loved the dimension the ribbon added to the skate laces!)

Step 4--->>> Glue design to card, and also glue insert to inside.

Step 5--->>>  Hand out to friends!!

Now on to the cake planning!   I bet you can't guess what animal will be gracing MyGirl's cake/cupcakes this year!  Hint:  it isn't what we did last year.

Very Hip Wrap Bracelet (BFFs)

Over the long break we got crafty!  MyGirl and I made some new bracelets from a DIY we found here.  I love sitting down with her and making things, it makes us both happy.  This is a really simple bracelet to make with only leather cord, waxed linen, and ball chains which you just wrap around each other.  We mixed it up and used some funkier beads for the clasp.  They turned out totally cute, and neither of us have taken our bracelets off (Besties forever).

These would make a fun handmade gift for her gilfriends at school, don't you think?

Gratified Friday: They're Crafty!

I am so lucky and grateful to belong to a crafty little family.  I love it that they all enjoy participating in the crazy projects I dream up.

Usually, this time of year I make a christmas wreath for the front door by wandering around picking up fallen evergreen branches and looping them around and adding a big bow.  Simple.  

But this year, I decided to get crafty and make a wreath that will last.  The best part is that I didn't make it.  We made it together, all four of us, one crafty family.  A bit more complicated but a lot more fun!

Believe it or not, we had no prior experience making felt flowers at all!  They are surprisingly easy and fun to make.  Look here for some felt flower tutorials, and here for wreath ideas.

Now I just need to get the wreath hung on the door!

Happy decorating!

Art Smart

Remember those posters I made for the fall carnival?  Well, after that project, I was asked to help teach the after school art program!  Years ago, I taught watercolor classes part time to teens, so I figured this would be a fun opportunity, and one that I could really help with.  So I was given free reign to come up with four different projects.  As an extra bonus, my two kiddos get to attend for free.  :)

Last week we worked in oil pastel and watercolor and masking tape.  I taught the kids about using 'resist' techniques to control the paint...they were so into it!  We only have a bit over an hour, and these kids couldn't paint enough!  Some of them made at least three paintings, and they all were really inspired by the process.

>>>How To:  Abstract Watercolor Painting Using Resists


Materials

Cold pressed watercolor paper
Oil pastels
Masking tape
Brushes
Water

Method


Tape the paper to the table to keep it from buckling.  Before painting, first use masking tape and oil pastels to create your design.  Using generous amounts of watercolor paint and a 'wash' technique, paint over your design.  Watch as the oil pastel and tape control where your paint goes.  Let your work dry a bit, and then take off all the tape.  Notice the clean white border around your paper, and the clean white paper that was hiding under any other tape lines!




It's a shame that art is always the first thing to be cut from a school's budget.  These kids are so lucky to have volunteers willing to come in after school (and once a month during school) to make sure there is still art in the curriculum!  I am very happy to be involved, and so appreciate the other moms and volunteers that make these programs a success!

Inspired To Make

I'm dying to get my hands on a bottle cutter to turn some wine bottles that are currently wasting away in the recycling bin into beautiful glass tumblers.  Are't they pretty?

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For Dad...

My Dad is the most unconventional of Dads I've ever met.  When I was really young, he was a birthday clown, putting acts together for kids (and my own) birthdays...size 20 converse, red nose, mini harmonica, juggling rings and all.  He was really funny in all of his silence.  I learned how to juggle and attempted the unicycle. He moonlighted as a guitarist in a country band.  I don't know a lot about that, although I do have one of his shirts, all plaid and with those pearly snaps and pointy collar.  His classical guitar playing is crazy good and I love it.  I can thank my Dad for my silliness and musical interests for sure.  I have a lot to be thankful for when it comes to my Dad, more than I could say.  So, I made him a Pop-Up Card for Father's Day because a real live card is just so much better than a phone call or an email. And he deserves it.  <3

Make A Pop-Up Card For Your Dad:


Think of a theme, something your Dad digs.  My Dad digs playing the guitar and Garden Gnomes (because I started collecting them for him and hiding them around his house).

Plan a scene and what parts of the scene should have three dimensional qualities.  I chose a garden/music scene, naturally, and wanted the guitar playing and the text of the card to work in three dimensions.

This card uses paper strips accordion folded for added dimension behind the guitar and the mushrooms. The text says, "Happy Dad's Day" in a music note font and will slip behind the right side of the card through a slit in the paper.

Use a fine tip Sharpie and colored pencil to add detail to your paper designs.

Happy Father's Day, Dad.

Starburst Wrapper Bracelet = Adorable

Check!  I've always wanted to learn how to do this, since I was probably 6.  Thanks to MyGirl, we bought a big bag of tropical starbursts after we checked out this awesome tutorial.  Oh how girly.

Our Bitty Bracelet So Far

Have you seen those sweet little clutches made out of candy wrappers?  Not only recycled and eco friendly, the look can be anything from girly to glam.

Wrapper Fun Clutch, ecoist.com

Wrapper Bling Purse, ecoist.com

I want to make one!

Maybe more Fun than a Pop-Up Card

MyGirl had been keeping her fingers crossed (forever!) for one of my hand made pop-up cards for her birthday.  But, since I had just made her one for Valentine's Day, I was inspired to make her something maybe even more fantastic.

3x5 inch Birthday ''Card"

I don't know what to call this.  I have a vivid memory of my grandmother teaching me how to make a bigger version with a shoe box and paper towel tubes when I was 4 or 5.  I hadn't made one since, but the memory found its way to the surface, and I made one for MyGirl, a tiny one, because little is cute.

Here's How:

1) Find a box and cut a viewing window out of the top.

2) Wrap the box with pretty paper.

3) Make two tubes out of thick yet pliable card board for the spools (make sure they are longer than the length of the box and a diameter that fits inside the width of the box sides). 

4) With an x-acto knife, cut holes the same diameter of the spools on both sides of box, parallel to each other.

5) Now create a story board on paper that fits width wise inside the window of the box (the length can be as long as you want it.  

Here's what my story board started out looking like:

22 inches of Story Board

6) Now tape the story board together so that it is one continuous length of paper.

7) Carefully insert the end of the story board through the window and tape one end to one spool.

8) Wind the story around the spool you just taped it to.

9) Tape the remaining end of the story board to the other spool.

10) Have fun winding your story back and forth!

Here's the one I made for MyGirl: