Playdough Cookies

I made these Halloween Playdough cookies and gave them as "Boos" to my neighbors. Yummy! Find the recipe here.

Magical Halloween

Ever wonder what the heck you are going to do with those graduation gowns hanging in your closet? Well I made mine and the hubs into wizard costumes for Halloween.

It was fairly easy. I bit time consuming, but easy. I cut out star and moon shapes from felt. On mine (purple) I sewed them randomly all over the gown. On the hubs (black) I sewed them down the front, right over top of the zipper. This makes it so the zipper no longer works. So check that the person can slip it over their head without unzipping it.

As for the hats, I cut out a basic cone shape using poster board and this tutorial. After forming them into a cone shape I rolled the cone along a piece of news paper, tracing it to make a pattern for the cover. I used fleece to cover the hats. At first I used cotton to cover the hubs, but the fabric laid wonky. The fleece stretches and fits nicely around the cone. I added a strip filled with polyfill to the bottom for a brim.

Magoo was a dragon, hence having wizard parents. Happy Halloween everyone!

Magical Family

Dragon Magoo

P.S. I got the dragon costume at Old Navy. Unfortunately you just can't make a costume like that for $20

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Look what I won from Scraps of Simplicity

Thanks!

Featured over here today at Someday Crafts. Great site with a TON of darling tuts!.

Thanks for the feature.

Fall Market

If you live in the Northern Utah area, there's a craft market going on this weekend. If you're like me you'll probably be a "deer widow" this weekend anyways. It'd be worth checking out.

ScRapS oF sIMpLicIty

Reversible Twirly Skirt

Begin with 5 different pieces of fabric. One of the pieces (middle polka dot) needs to coordinate with your other fabrics. This fabric will be used on both sides.

This skirt is fairly easy once you've figured out all the measurements. For that you will need to dig deep into things you filed away during high school. Specifically from your high school algebra class. You need to start with this equation. I know it looks scary, but stick with me for a minute.

Radius = Circumfrence/2*π

Begin by measuring your widest area (hips and butt) that number will be your circumference. Mine was 37 inches. So... 37/2*π (π = 3.14). I rounded the number up to 6 inches. That is the first radius measurement you'll need.We'll call it Hip Radius

Step 1 Cutting out Fabric:

Fold your fabric into fourths. (fold hotdog, then hamburger) Your folds will be on the left and on the top, Starting in the top left corner (where all the folds meet) mark your hip radius multiple times. Connect the marks so you have a quarter circle.

Next decide how long you want your first tier to be. I decided on 6 inches. I added 1 inch for seem allowances. Add your length measurement to you hip radius measurement 6 + 7 = 13 inches. Starting again in the top left corner mark your hip + length radius multiple times. Connect the marks to make a bigger quarter circle.

Cut out on the lines you just created. It will look like a donut.

Diagram of measurements.

Next you will need to cut out the fabric for your other 2 tiers. Math time again... you will need to know the measurement of the outer circumference of your skirt.

Circumference = 2 * π * Radius

So using my measurements 2*π*13 (hip + length radius) = 82" (rounded) add 6" to this number

Decided how wide you want your second and third tier to be. My second tier is 9" and the third tier is 3 inches. Add 1" for seam allowance.

Cut out your next tiers using these measurements. You may have to sew several strips together.

Tier 2- 10" x 88"

Tier 3- 4" x 88"

Step 2 Sew Tiers together:

With right sides together, pin tier 2 to the outer circumference of tier 1. This takes ALOT of pins. Click on the image to enlarge it to see just how many pins I used. Pin all the way around.

Tier one is cut on the bias which means it will stretch (that why we added 6" to the length of tier 2)

When you've pinned all the was around mark where you will need to sew to combine the second tier.

Sew the second tier closed. Finish pinning to Tier 1. Sew using a 1/2" seam allowance.

Step 3 Third Tier:

Repeat step 2 to sew third tier to second tier.

Step 4 Repeat for Reverse side:

Repeat steps 1-3 with fabric for reversed side. Use the same fabric for tier 3 in both skirts.

You will now have two pieces.

Step 5 Iron & Topstitch:

Iron the seam allowances between the tiers. Iron the seam between tier 1 & 2 towards tier 2. Iron the seam between tiers 2 & 3 towards tier 3

Top stitch 1/4" in, on tiers 2 & 3.

Step 6: Combine the 2 skirts:

With skirts right sides together sew along the bottom (tier 3) with a 1/2" seam allowance. Iron seam open. Turn right side out and top stitch 1/4" from bottom all the way around.

Step 7 Create Elastic Casing:

Remember that first measurement you took (hips + butt) that is your inner circumference. Add 6 " to that. Cut a piece of fabric using the same fabric as tier 3 (or coordinating fabric) 4" x inner circumference + 6". For my measurements that was 43"

Iron 1/2" on each side. Then iron in half. This creates a sort of bias tape.

Step 7 Sew Casing:

With wrong sides of skirt together place the top of tier 1 inside the waist casing you just made. Line the raw edges of the skirt up with the raw edge of the bias tape.

Pin like crazy and sew casing to skirt using a 1/4" seam allowance. Be sure to catch both sides of the casing into your sewing.

Leave about a 2" opening to insert the elastic.

Cut a piece of 1" elastic that goes around where you want the skirt to sit on your waist. Insert the elastic into the casing and sew the casing closed.

Step 8 Sew a Sash:

To create a "sassy sash" cut 2 pieces of fabric 5" x waist measurement * 3 (it will wrap around your waist 3 times). Sew with right sides together, turn and top stitch.

Tie around your skirt after you've put it on.

Step 9 TA DA:

Side 1:

Side 2:

My original thought was that this would be cute on a little girl, but I only have a little boy. Then I thought hey, I'm a girl! So I made it for my self. I felt kind of silly the first time I wore it, but I got tons of compliments on it, so I guess it works for big girls too.

I'll answer any questions in the comments.

Thank You Mr. Columbus

If it weren't for you Mr. Columbus I never would have got work off today. If it weren't for having the day off of work I never would have got such a good deal.

A friend from work and I took a day trip to IKEA since she had never been there. (I am a regular at that store even though it's 1.5 hrs from my house) I have been coveting this "big boy" bed for my son.

It goes from this...

to this...

Regular price? $200 I got it for $60 because the box was damaged. Hands down best deal ever!

Digital Scrapbooking

I decided to give digital scrapbooking a try. I found this really cute Wild Ways Kit at Everyday Mom Ideas. Great site with a ton of digital scrapbook freebies. I have photoshop on my computer to put the page together with but you can download a free program called paint.net

So what do ya think? Is my first page fabulous or a flop? I am so nervous about this digital scrapbooking thing...

Homemade Car Cart

So in this post here I told you guys about how my son LOVES car carts. And for my sanity I LOVE car carts. But not every store has them, and the are usually SO DIRTY I hate to put my kid in them. So I came up with this.

BTW, he is feeling better, but not good enough to let go of the binky, so he's proudly sporting it in this pic.

Here's how I did it.

I attached two ribbons to the bottom of the toy and TA DA! Easy huh? I attached my ribbons through the same holes that were used to bind the toy will a million wires to the packaging (by the way, anyone want to join me in boycotting toy packaging? Seriously, who is suppose to be able to open those things?), but you could use hot glue or E6000.

See, threaded them through existing slots.

In addition to my other post about this project, here is the original toy I bought at the DI for $2.50. Isn't it dorky? I decided spray painting it was a bad idea so I threw it away. It took weeks to find this at the DI and I was inpatient to wait for another one to show up. I stopped in the toy section at Walmart to see what they wanted for a new one. When my son saw it he wouldn't let it go. He cried when the cashier had to ring it up. I usually never buy things for him if it isn't an occasion, but I caved and spent $15 on the one in the finished project. A little high priced for my taste, but shopping has been a breeze. Oh well.

Want to see new posts? Just hang on a minute...

Sorry I have been lacking in posting this past week. I have been in a crafting rut. I have a ton of ideas flying around in my head, but it seems like everything I've tried this past week has been a failure.

I took a break this weekend. Worked on file folder games for my son. Thought I'd start the week refreshed and ready to craft.

Then Sunday night my son started acting sick. After a really rough night I took him into the Dr where they confirmed he had the flu. They only did a general flu test, they said to check for swine flu they would have to send the swab to a lab. But they had stopped sending swabs in because 100% of swabs they'd sent in this past month were positive. So the Dr basically unofficially confirmed swine flu.

Now after being up 2 nights in a row with a sick little boy mama feels like this:

Hang with me. I'll be back to crafting soon.