teacher gifts: ombre zip pouches

For Teacher Appreciation Day, our preschool parents decided it would be fun to pool our money and send the teachers for a well-deserved spa treatment, so I offered to make zip pouches to use as the gift card holders. 

I whipped up these little ombre zip pouches using Anna's lil' cutie pouch tutorial and one of Target's fun ombre tablecloths. While at target, I also picked up some leather boot laces for the zipper pulls.

I love giving handmade gifts, but I also know how much teachers love to get gift cards, and these pouches offer the perfect combination the two! They came together in no time at all, and I still have a ton of fabric left over that would make really cute matching tote bags! ... Mother's Day gifts?! Maybe!

 

Thank you to all of the wonderful teachers out there - we appreciate everything you do for our kiddos!

mini icebox cakes

Yesterday, I shared one of my favorite quick and easy desserts from my childhood over at MADE as part of the Sweets & Treats event going on all month long. Icebox Cake.

This recipe is very rich, so a little goes a long way. I thought it would be fun to make mini icebox cakes.

One thing I love about this recipe is that it is SUPER easy to make and you can store the cakes in the freezer for two months!  

Mini Icebox Cakes:
Famous Chocolate Wafers (I was able to find them at my Safeway store)  
1 pint (2 cups) heavy whipping cream  
1T vanilla extract
2T sugar   

 10-12 - 1/2 pint wide Mouth Jar Canning Jars  
 

Whip the cream until almost stiff. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until cream holds soft peaks.

Scoop about 1/4 cup of whipped cream into the bottom of the jars. Add a wafer. Keep layering in this pattern until you have 5 scoops of whipped cream and 4 cookies.  Then pop them in the freezer (if you want to eat them the same day, then refrigerate for 4 hours before serving). 

When you are ready to eat your sweet little treats, remove them from the freezer and let them thaw for 1 hour. Then grab a spoon or fork and enjoy!

Share them with friends and neighbors, or maybe enjoy one while putting the finishing touches on those last minute gifts.  

Happy Holidays!

hot/cold pack details

After receiving a few comments and emails with questions about the hot/cold packs I made for Halloween, I thought I would give you a quick rundown of the details.

The tutorial for sewing and filling the packs can be found over at Rubber Punkin, so I am just going to share how I was able to get 24 packs from one yard of fabric.

CUT:

(24) 12" X 5" - from main fabric (see diagram below)
(24) 6" loops - (I cut 1" strips from a t-shirt, stretched them out, and then cut the 6" lengths)

Here is the layout for cutting 24 packs out of 42" wide fabric (you will have 4" left over along the 36" side)

Check out the TUTORIAL for sewing and filling the packs HERE at Rubber Punkin.  She also has some great ideas for adding different scents and fillers.

Thanks for stopping by!

party favors: hot/cold packs

Just a quick post to share the party favors we handed out this year at my son's preschool Trunk-or-Treat party.

Last year I made hot/cold packs for the boys' Valentine's Day parties. Since then, several parents have mention how much their kids loved them - which inspired me to make them again.

They are a great candy-free gift for kids, and easy enough to crank out in an afternoon.

The tags were made using my tried and true method, and they turned out great.

 

To make 24 packs I used: 

 - one yard of fabric

 - scraps from an old orange t-shirt

 - long grain white rice

 - flaxseed

 - mint essential oil

...and I still have at least half of the rice/flaxseed mix leftover. Stocking suffers? Birthdays? Get well soon gift?

Thanks for stopping by!

happy halloween & a DIY halloween village

DIY Halloween Village

This Halloween village was a gift for my mother-in-law, and it turned out to be such a fun and simple project. 

Materials: 

 - scrap wood

 - paint

 - fine point pen for outlining (optional)

... I am dreaming of a little winter village for our mantel!

Happy Halloween! 

a succulent gift

OK, I have to admit, I  waited until the last minute to get my Mother's Day gifts in order, but I am happy to report that they are finally finished.   And boy are they succulent! (no peeking Shelley and Julie)

Oh, and did I mention that they are super easy to make? Here's How:
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Materials: (please note: I am not a garden expert by any stretch of the imagination)

• shallow pot (if there are no drainage holes, you can always drill a few - carefully)
• cactus or succulent potting mix
• pebbles (optional)
• succulents - I used some we had in the yard

Gather your materials...

(I have to admit that I am a little embarrassed to share this) when these succulents were given to me about 2 years ago by my dad, I set them on the rocks in front of our house expecting to plant them in the perfect place... but here we are two years later, and they are still sitting on the rocks. OOPS! But I have to say they are doing really well, and spreading like crazy! I could not have picked a better spot if I tried.

Fill the pots about 2/3 full with potting mix

Gently insert the roots of the succulent into the soil and tuck some soil around the base of the plant

Add some pebbles if you like (these are actually beach rocks) - making this a little oasis of sorts!

And that's it! See, I told you it was super easy!

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Happy Mother's Day to my Mom - an amazingly creative woman with a brilliantly green thumb!  - I love you. I miss you.  I cherish every day we had together.
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And Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms out there!

Shorts Tutorial (from a shirt)

  

This time last year I started making birthday gifts for my oldest son, but his heart was set on a robot t-shirt, and I was not confident enough in my freezer paper printing skills at that time to attempt one.  So, I searched Etsy until I found this one. 

I did, however, feel confident in my ability to make him some shorts to go along with the t.  Using a mans button-up shirt (XL),  and a pattern made from a pair of shorts that fit him well, I set to work.  

Well, summer is just around the corner again (and his birthday too), so I thought I would share a tutorial for making these super easy shorts.

Materials:

• button-up shirt (I used a mens size XL to make 4T shorts)
• elastic (1" -1 1/4"width) measured 1" longer than the waist measurement of your child
  
• a pair of shorts that fit your child
• paper for the pattern

The first step is to do a little deconstructing. Cut the shirt up the side seams, around the sleeves, and across the shoulders.  What you should end up with is two front pieces, two sleeves, and one back piece.  

To make a pattern: trace around a pair of shorts that fit well, adding a 1/4" seam allowance down the side seams (making sure to stretch the waist band out when doing so).  Then  mark the top of the waistband (I used dashes) and add a 1.5"  (1/4" wider than my elastic) above that line for the casing. 

For the bottom hem, I added 2 inches while cutting the fabric (notice the "add hem" note at the bottom of the pattern) because the paper I was using to make the pattern was just a little too short - oops!

I added a back pocket placement line 2" below the waistband line (dashes) and then a center mark.  This will make the next step a lot easier.

This part is very important... make sure you take your time when lining up the pockets (front of the t-shirt) with the marks you just made.  I folded along the horizontal line, making it easier to find the center.

Pin (or use weights) to keep the pattern in place while you cut.  I started with the bottom hem, adding 2" with my ruler.  Continue cutting all the way around the pattern.  Repeat for the second back pattern piece, but be sure to FLIP the pattern over - so you end up with a right AND a left!

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Cut the front pattern pieces from the back of the shirt.  Again, be sure to FLIP the pattern before cutting the second front piece.

 

Once all of the pieces are cut out (4 total - 2fronts & 2 backs), then stack the them up with the right sides together - pictured above.

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Now for the sewing.  Start by sewing the center front and center back of the shorts or as I like to call them, the "J's." 

To finish the seam, use a serger if  you have one - OR - a medium width zig-zag stitch close to the edge.

Next, insert a side tag if you have one, and then sew along the outside leg seams.  Finish the edges with a serger - OR - a zig-zag stitch. Iron the seams as you go.

outside leg seam                                                 inside leg seam

Finally, match the center front and the center back seams (crotch), and sew from the bottom inside edge of one leg to the bottom inside edge of the other leg.

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Using your serger OR zig-zag stitch, finish the top of the waistband and the bottom hem on the legs.

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Fold over the waistband about 1/4" more that the width of the elastic.  I used 1 1/4" elastic (just what I had in my stash) so I folded the hem over 1 1/2" and ironed.  Then, mark the opening for the elastic and your tag  with two pins so you know where to start and stop - if you don't have tags, a loop of ribbon will work just fine.  Pin the rest of the way around the waistband.

Sew all the way around, stopping at the double set of pins.  Using a safety pin or bodkin, pull the elastic through - making sure it does not get twisted.  Then overlap the ends of the elastic 1" and zig-zag stitch closed. 

Pull the elastic into the casing and insert  the tag (or ribbon loop ends) and sew closed - pulling a little as you go to avoid bunching. 

An optional step: stitch along the top edge of the waistband to give it a little more detail and help keep the elastic from twisting inside the casing.

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For the bottom hem, I have my boys try the shorts on to be sure I get the right length.  Then fold, iron, and stitch.   DONE!

Super easy, right?

 

Some notes about the brown shorts:

You might notice that the brown shirt only had one pocket - totally fine. There are so many possibilities, just have fun with it!

I also used one of the shirt sleeves to make a side pocket, placing the bottom of the pocket about 2" above the bottom hem.  (tutorial to come)

Thanks for visiting! 

If you decide to make a pair, I would love to see them!

** UPDATE: See more shorts HERE **