Bandana Skirt

I made this skirt a really long time ago, but it was too long. Now it finally fits! I had the bandana from my Grandma Heppner's stash, and the waist band is from an old t-shirt. As you can see, it turned out super twirly!

Bacon!!

Here she is, ladies and gents...the bacon satchel! When we were waiting in line at Obi's with some perfectly sensible floral print fabric, this bacon print jumped out and called to us. I had volunteered to make my niece a satchel and she asked me if she could ditch the floral and go with bacon. Why not, I say! We found some polka dots to go with it, because if there is anything better than bacon, it's polka dots. I drew the pattern up and got to work. We had seen some bags of the same style (minus bacon) in swanky New Hope shops for $$, and I totally knocked them off and made them better. (If I do say so myself ;) I made it reversible, which gives it a nice weight and more options. One side is embellished with rick rack (bonus points!!) because...well, its rick rack, and it reminded me of the ruffly crispy fatty edges of bacon. That sounds weird, doesn't it? Anyway, on the reverse side I whipped out my awesome 1975 Vogue sewing book (thanks, Shay!) and learned myself a new technique. It is a self faced welt pocket, which is pretty darn nifty. After the mental gymnastics required to figure out exactly how it worked, it really wasn't that hard. And to finish it off, I sewed in a 'Shmegan' tag, because that's what my niece calls me. I used label tape from here: Piggy and Dirt.

Butterick 5495

After realizing that knit was not, in fact, my enemy, I have been playing around making myself a few shirts. My first version is here. This time I raised the neck line...maybe a little too much...to alleviate any wardrobe malfunctions.

P.S. I have now resorted to having my 6 year old take pictures of me, because its that...or never post my projects.

Bacon and Egg Fascinator

I'm not even going to say this is the weirdest thing I've ever made. I keep saying that, but really? I have made a spiked dog collar, a librarian sweater for a Smeogal bobble-head doll, an embroidered dog portrait on an apron, and now...this! A bacon and egg fascinator! Here's the back story: recently my niece came to visit me. We made bacon roses, per her request. Then, we found bacon fabric to make her a bag. (Pictures coming soon) Then, my crazy mind decided that she needed this to go with it. She actually talked about giving her prom date a bacon corsage so if she does, this will be fabulous! And if she doesn't, I won't care if she never wears it. It was so fun to make! The egg and bacon are hand stitched from wool felt. I gathered the bacon with large running stitches to make it more...bacon like? And of course, any good fascinator needs feathers! These and the netting are courtesy of Rachel. Now my wheels and turning and I am determined to make myself an awesome (non-breakfast food) fascinator to wear to Jeff's Christmas party...because that is the only place I could ever get away with wearing one.

Tie Dye!

A few weeks ago I did tie dye with a group of kids, all under the age of 7. Considering the age of the participants, I was thrilled that everything turned out well. We did a lot of t-shirts, a tote bag, and several onesies. I am amazed that it seems like a pretty hard craft to screw up. My little one sprayed nearly the entire bottle of green dye on his shirt, and I thought for sure it was doomed. It ended up turning out great! Now I want to tie dye everything in sight...:)

Not So Crafty Post

I get more freaked out everyday by all the nasty chemicals that hide in the products in my house.  I'm currently in an aggressive process of turning my home cleaning into a natural and non-toxic experience with awesome ingredients like vinegar and essential oils. Recently, I noticed that my yoga mat was getting a little funky. It gets used frequently and I haven't been able to find a decent cleaner that made me feel ok about smushing my face on it when I'm stretching out after a run or while in child's pose. So, I did a lot of research, bought a natural cleaning book and today, finally made my own cleaner. It smells delicious and is easy and quick to make. It's also ridiculously     C H E A P and of course, doesn't contain harsh, synthetic ingredients!           

I used this recipe: Organic Authority - Yoga Mat Cleaner and used vinegar. I think I will change up the essential oils next time and use a sweet orange/lemon blend for a bright scent.

Scrapbook Paper Pads

Another shoe box idea: scrapbook paper pads. I have recently ended up with an odd selection of scrapbook paper left from VBS projects and I wanted to use it up. I had a few of those 12 by 12 'stacks' to work with.  I just tore out the sheets that were left, and cut them in fourths. These pads are square...but they sure don't look like it in the photo! I punched two holes in the top and tied them with ribbon scraps. I know I have heard a lot of stories about how often children are prevented from attending school because of lack of basic supplies. In fact, I recently read that in Uganda, the most common reason children are unable to attend school is the lack of pencils...pencils! While I realize that this is patterned scrapbook paper and won't really be that useful for school, I hope it will be a fun thing for whoever receives them...along with the pencils I will be sure to put in there!

Another Shoebox Idea: DIY Stress Ball

We used to make these when we were kids, and I had completely forgotten about them til I saw them on good ol' pinterest the other day. To make one, you need rice, three or more balloons and a funnel or tube.  The wider the spout of the funnel or tube, the better. I actually ended up using the sheath of my candy thermometer and it worked great! Fit the tube into the mouth of a balloon and pour in rice. When balloon begins to fill up, you can stretch it to make room for more rice, or use the blunt end of a knitting needle or something similar to pack it in. When the balloon is full enough to fit comfortably in a child's hand, fold the balloon end over. With the two remaining balloons, cut away the neck of each balloon. You can also cut a hole in the opposite end, to create a window if you'd like. Stretch balloons over ball to cover the opening. You can layer additional balloons if you want to add more color, and it will also make them more sturdy.

Crafting For Operation Christmas Child

Our family loves filling shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, and I am always on the lookout for deals to stock up on. In the past, I have made things here and there to add to our boxes but never on a grand scale. Recently as I was cruising Pinterest, it dawned on me that there are an awful lot of cute little crafts I could make to put in our boxes! I dug through my stash and found almost everything I needed to make some cute hair clips. The cards are made from cardstock-weight scrapbooking paper. There was no tutorial for the felt bows, only pictures. You can click on my OCC board to see the picture/link.  The tutorial for the pinwheels is here. The bow tutorial is here. I will be posting more shoe box craft ideas soon!