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!

Hipster Wolf Shirt With Beaded Fringe (!!)

My lovely niece just went home after staying with us for almost two weeks. While she was here, we embarked on a project I never saw myself involved with. Apparently wolf shirts are coming back in, which I find to be amusing because I do believe I owned one circa 1993. We found this shirt at Amish Walmart, also known as Goods Store in Lancaster county. I hacked off the bottom and cut fringe all the way around. Each fringe has a few pony beads on it...glow in the dark beads, no less! The awesomeness cannot be stopped!! :) She posted pictures on Facebook and immediately had questions of 'Where did you get the shirt?' and 'Can I borrow it?' I sense a business venture coming on...ha! :)

The Ice Cream Dress

I bet you thought this day would never come....I finally finished a project! So I started working on this dress in the early fall of last year with the intent to wear it on my beach vacation the following March. The time came and went and it's now half way through the summer and I couldn't take it anymore. Today I just had to finish it because I'm tired of it hanging in pieces in my closet. It's a combination of patterns and I added some red piping for contrast. It's a Moda polka dot print and closes with an invisible zipper (which I'm a little unhappy with). I love how it fits though and I'm looking forward to actually wearing it around town.

Bubble Skirt

I recently bought some stencils to play around with. I had a leftover chunk of cotton/spandex blend that I used. It was really fun to play around with, and so far the paint is holding up nicely. It is Martha Stewart multi-surface craft paint. The skirt is just a basic bubble skirt, but I did manage to add a little yellow rick rack between the skirt and waistband. Bonus points for added rick rack!