The high chair cover

Today I felt the urge to make something other then hair bows! I looked over my list (below) and picked the one I wanted most, of course it also seemed to be the hardest! The high chair cover. I read the tutorial found here very carefully. I felt I knew pretty much how to do everything it described except I had no idea what bias tape was or what to do with it exactly. Luckily a lady at Joanns knew just what it was and she gave me all kinds of good info on the stuff! Anyway, you all know I am a beginner sewer so if anyone else wants to make this go for it! If I can do it you can too!

Before:
Do you see why I wanted a new one?

After:
I simplified the tutorial a little by just using one piece of fabric for the front, I was too scared to cut up my original cover in case things didn't work out and doing it this way I didn't have to cut it! I love this fabric! I have a girl but those colors match the room we keep our high chair in so it works.

My List Of Things To Make (or try to)

There are so many fun crafty tutorials out there! Thank you craft geniuses for inspiring me! I recently started bookmarking all the neat things I want to try to make. Some are simple and some may take me a few times to get it right but I really want to at least try to make everything on my list! Here are just a few of my favorites so far...

Teether Toy By Patchy Apple

Mod Podge Memory Game by Green Apple Orchard

Fabric Magnets by Make it and Love it

Industrial Strength Jewelry By Crafting Chicks

Play Makup for Little Girls By Not So Idle Hands

Super Cute Headband By Foofangle

Easy as Cinch Little Kid Bag By Make it and Love it

Cute Stuffed Animals By Make it and Love it

Fun Monogram Bags By Crafting Chicks

High Chair Cover By Make it and Love it

Dollar Store Hedgehog

I saw this super cute idea a while back and just got around to trying it out! It's a hedgehog made from a car washer mitten from the dollar store! I looked and looked and could not find the original tutorial to link to so I did my own tutorial. If this was your idea please let me know so I can link to you!!

Update: Here is where I found the idea and from there you can get to the original tutorial. Enjoy!

To make your hedgie you will need
-1 car washer mitten from the dollar tree
-two buttons for eyes
-1 pom pom for nose
-batting

First take your car washer mitten and....

Cut the black part off as well as the thumb, you will want to leave a little extra material when cutting the thumb so you will be able to sew it shut when the time comes

Turn your mitten inside out and cut two diagonal lines as shown below

Sew it using your machine lining it up with the foot. Do not sew the thumb hole shut yet!

Very carefully turn it right side out through the thumb hole and sew the eyes on

Stuff with batting and hand sew the thumb hole shut. Sew on the nose securely! TaDa! You have a super cute, easy, hedgehog for a dollar!

Cute Spider Decorations

These are fun Halloween decorations that your kids can easily make! You just need black fuzzy... I think they are called pipe cleaners? Well anyway you know what mean by the photos! And if you want them to be super cute, you will need some google eyes and hot glue! They are very easy to make:
Take 4 pipe cleaners and line them up next to each other
Bend them all the way around at the middle (kind of twist like a twisty tie)
Arrange the legs, make a knee and foot for each leg
Glue on google eyes if desired!
Decorate!

On lamps

Outside

Without google eyes for extra creepiness!

Alphabet Lids!

Eden loves playing with baby food jar lids! I thought it would be fun to save a bunch of them and put all the letters of the alphabet inside for when she gets a little older.

Here's what I did:
I traced a lid on some cardstock paper
I cut out all the circles (26 of them) and wrote the letters on each one
I pushed the circles down into each lid, it should fit nice and snug and be very hard to get out
I covered a formula can with scrapbook paper to store all the alphabet lids in

I think I will keep saving lids so I can do numbers and shapes too. I think when I do the shapes I will make two of each one so they can also be a memory game!

Baby Legs

I was at the dollar store a few months ago and I spotted these adorable striped scarfs! I thought "too bad those aren't tube socks, they would make the cutest baby legs." It never dawned on me to actually sew them into baby legs! I'm so creative huh?

So, I forgot about those cute scarfs until today when I found this GREAT tutorial on obsessively stitching. She teaches how to turn those exact adorable dollar store scarfs into baby legs!

I don't have a serger but I was able to do the tutorial the exact same except instead of serging I zig-zag stitched, I went around each end twice and I made the stitches short. I think it worked well!!

So cute!! I think I am going to have to make a pair out of every color scarf they have!

I added the cute flower bow Eden is wearing to the boutique today!
I am going to be doing some more in different colors soon hopefully!

Little Apron

This is sooooo easy and fun! It's a little apron made from a place mat! Of course Eden wont be able to use this for a few years but it was only $1 to make and I can save it for her! I got the idea and tutorial HERE on dollar store crafts!

Hooded Bath Towels and a FIRST!

Don't you love the idea of hooded bath towels for babies? Don't you hate the ones you buy at the store that only last for maybe 3 months before your baby out grows them?? I was sooooo pleased to find an awesome, simple, tutorial at Green Apple Orchard HERE. Like I have mentioned before, I am a beginner when it comes to sewing so I was excited when I saw how easy a project this was. I got my towels and wash cloths at wal-mart on clearance. The big towels were only $2.00 each and the wash cloths were only $1.00 each! Yah!! I made two and love how much more functional they are compared to those tiny baby hooded towels!



My mom was in town this past week and she helped me make a jumper for Eden! This was the first time I have ever sewn something like this. My mom helped me follow the pattern and basically told me what to do! This pattern had "easy" on the cover and after doing it with help, I just might be able to make another one all by myself, just maybe!

Baby Shower Idea

A friend from my ward is having a baby girl soon! This is what I came up with for her baby shower gift! It was super easy and it works as a bow holder!

Create

Cloth baby rings

I found this great tutorial on make it and love it for cloth baby rings. I was a little worried at first because I am not the best at sewing, but I am trying to get better so I thought I'd give it a shot! I'm glad I did because it ended up being pretty easy and only took about an hour to do both sets! I do need to get some cuter fabric though! There is no place to get cute fabric in Vegas! Does anyone know any good places online to buy fabric at a good price? I guess the important thing is Eden loves these!! They are going to be part of her quiet toys for church!

Headband Holder

I have a ton of these cute lace headbands with bows made out of sheer ribbon attached to them. I learned the hard way that these do not do well shoved in a box with the rest of my headbands! Last night I finally came up with a solution for storing them.
I took an old formula can, the tallest one I had, then I took the label off. I'm sure you can guess what I did next!

Covered it up!!
To cover it I just cut out a piece of material the same size as the can, then I took the lid off and lined the edge of the fabric to the very top. I used hot glue around the top and bottom edges. Any fabric I had hanging over the bottom edge I just folded under and glued to the bottom of the can. I also covered the top part of the lid with fabric just by tracing it, then I lined the edge of the lid with ribbon. You could also use scrapbook paper with mod podge to make one of these.

Here is what it looks like with all the headbands on it. You can also store any non-fragile headbands or anything you want inside the can!

I still had more headbands so I am going to take this smaller can and cover it with different fabric that matches and stack it on top! But I need to find the perfect fabric first!

T-Shirt Quilt

I made my t-shirt quilt a few years ago, just after I got my first sewing machine. I had to post it because it's one of my favorite things I have ever made. It's all of my t-shirts from high school sports. I loved high school and this quilt just brings back all those fun memories! If anyone has any questions on how I made it you can email me meka.duane@gmail.com

Blog Award

Lara from Heizzy Scraps gave Eden's Flower Garden an award! Check out her digi scrapbook pages, aren't they adorable? Thanks for the award Lara!

Here are the rules:

1. Put the award on your blog.

2. Include a link to the person who gave you the award.

3. Nominate 6 or more blogs

4. Leave a message on their blog letting them know they have an award on your blog.

I want to give this award to:
1. A Frugal Friend- Thanks to her blog I know about swagbucks, and youdata. Plus I get awesome freebies in my mail daily!
2. The Craft Patch- Awesome blog that has all kinds of thrifty crafts and ideas. I seriously go through withdrawal when she doesn't update!

3. Adopt a 'Do Cute Girls Hair Styles- This blog is great in so many ways, first the author is an adoptive mommy as well! And she has so many cute ideas for girls hairstyles that I am so excited to try on Eden some day!
4. Shes Crafty-Fabulous craft blog with great ideas, plus her blog design and layout is awesome!
5. Creatively Crafty Baby- I love baby crafts! This blog has tutorials and she makes the CUTEST polka dot baby shoes I've ever seen!!
6. I AM infertility. adoption. motherhood- This blog is amazing! I love the title and she describes infertility the way I wish I could!

Another Bow Holder Idea

First, thanks to those that suggested I sell the tutus at my boutique. I made some to sell today and I just posted them! Let me know what you think. And don't worry, I am saving my extra poofy one for Eden's birthday!
Since I have decided to start selling hair bows it seems I am running out of room to store them! I have a simple, cheap, idea for another bow holder and I thought I would share.

I took some sturdy cardboard, traced and cut out the letter E (for Eden)
Apparently I have a hard time cutting within the lines.

Then I took a square of some cute fabric I got on clearance from Wal-Mart and mod podged it to my letter.


Then I cut around my letter leaving a little extra fabric so I could mod podge the edges to the back.
Then I hot glued some ribbon to the letter! I used the gift wrapping kind so I wouldn't have to use up my bow making ribbon!

Toilet paper rolls

There are many many ways to recycle toilet paper rolls around the house, this is an idea I learned from my aunt to help keep your bathroom a little more organized. The drawer I stuff my hair dryer, curling iron, etc. in was usually a huge mess. The wires would always get tangled together and some how tied in a bunch of knots. Well thanks to aunt Jo, problem solved...

If you want, you could even cover the toilet paper rolls with scrapbook paper or fabric. I will probably do that, some day.

Dragonfly Clip Tutorial!

I am not even sure if a tutorial is necessary for these, you can probably just look at the picture and be able to tell how to make them but just in case....



Start by covering your 2 alligator clips with some cute ribbon. If you aren't sure how to do this check out this link for a tutorial on that

Choose a thinner ribbon for the wings, cut out 4 pieces all the same size

Using hot glue, make them into circles

Make the circles into figure 8's by gluing two opposite ends together.

Glue two wings together, layer them slightly or whatever way you want and put rhinestones or buttons or something else cute in the middle! If your kid has fine hair you may want to glue a no slip grip on the inside of the clip so it will stay in better. I get mine on ebay along with the alligator clips!

FRAMES!!!

There are so many neat things you can do with picture frames other then the norm. Here are some of the ways I have put those frames I had just laying around in my garage to good use!

First, I saw this way cute idea on make it and love it. It's a dry erase board! For my family it's our new grocery list! I don't think I ever realized you can use dry erase markers on glass like that but it does make sense! I love the idea of having such a cute grocery list only I thought it would be nice to make it a magnet to hang on the fridge. So I just took an old frame and added some cute scrapbook paper that would match with my kitchen and came up with this...

Then on the back I just added some old magnets we had laying around! It holds well, but keep in mind the frame is cheap and very light weight!

I spent 59 cents on scrapbook paper. I already had everything else, so this was a super cheap project!


Once again, I came across another cute idea on make it and love it! I know I already have a bow holder, but I had to try this one out! I didn't want to cover the frame with fabric, because I liked the frame a lot. So I just added some girly fabric with ribbon going diagonal.


Make it and love it is such a good blog! I didn't realize it until now, but I got this idea from that blog as well. We had this boring white board/cork board we purchased from the thrift store that really needed some help!

Before...

After...

Our office is so boring, what a perfect opportunity to add some color with some fabric I had been saving for something like this. I was lucky enough to have a frame in my garage that fit perfectly!
I also made some square thumbtacks out of the same fabric to match with a tutorial on how about orange. So after a little cleaning up and some color, I think it looks much better!

Homemade Laundry Soap

I am into saving money, but I didn't know I was capable of taking it this far! When people talk about this kind of thing I usually don't pay much attention. Homemade laundry detergent? It seems like homemade stuff like that would have tons of weird ingredients that I would never be able to find! But it's sooooo simple, I wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't! All you need is borax, washing soda and a bar of soap! You can get the borax and washing soda I'm pretty sure at any grocery store on the laundry aisle. I got mine at Smiths so I know they have it there for sure. Click Here for my favorite tutorial on how to make this stuff! You can also check here for other recipes, they all have the same ingredients pretty much, just different proportions. A few tips the first tutorial does not mention, you should have a lid for your bucket, and you need to shake or stir well before each use. Oh and this is good stuff, I like it a lot better then the cheapo detergent we had been buying! Good luck and if anyone makes it let me know how you like it!

Polka Dot Onesie!

Remember the shoe boxes I covered with a receiving blanket here? Well I had just a tiny bit of fabric left over. So this is what I made....

I love polka dots!
I cut out the circles from the fabric, then I just use iron-on adhesive from the craft store. I used the no-sew kind so we will see how it washes! It seems to be stuck on there pretty dang good! I have some cute ribbon to match that I want to try to do ruffles on the butt with. I am not the best at sewing so if anyone knows any easy tutorials on how to do it please share!

StArBuRsT!

I saw this idea on HGTV and have been wanting to do it for some time. Its a starbusrt! The only problem is for this to be "cheap" the way I insist on, you need to use tinker toy you have laying around or that you find at the thrift store for cheap, if you buy tinker toy new it just isn't worth it because they are like $15-$20! So basically you just take tinker toy and build it like the picture shows.

Then you spray paint it (semi-gloss works best for this) I used brown because it matches my bedroom but I think it would be fun to do a multi-colored pink, green, and brown one for Eden's room, be creative! Then hot glue little mirrors around it and one in the middle. Very simple!

Tinker Toy: $1
Spray paint: $ 1.12
2 packages of mirrors from Michaels: $3.24
Total cost: $5.36

Storing spooless ribbon

This is how I have been storing my ribbon that is not on a spool. I use index cards and fold them in half, then I just wrap the ribbon around it and put a little piece of tape on the end. You can probably also use cardboard or popsicle sticks or something like that. I was also thinking you could use old empty thread spools? Then it would probably be able to go on a ribbon organizer like mine in the post below!! I need to try that! Until then, card stock type paper works just fine. It may not look that organized but it's a lot better then having it all shoved in a bag!

More Storage Solutions!

I love to keep things organized and I have quickly learned that ribbon is a tough one to keep organized and looking neat. I finally found what I was looking for to help me with my ribbon issues on my thrift store adventures today. I found this perfect piece of wood with holes already drilled into it! It was a dollar and it even had a turn table on the bottom! What a bonus!
All I had to do was stick some dowels in the holes! It's nice because I can see what I have where as before it was all in a bag and just a huge mess! You can make one of these with a piece of wood, a drill and some dowels. Check your thrift stores!

Here is how I have been storing Eden's bows and clips. Its a wooden frame with her picture and I just glued 5 pieces of long ribbon on the bottom to clip the bows on. It looks a little busy to me so I keep it behind her door where it's not seen much, but I still like it! I don't know how else to store them, she just has too many!