"Finished" Nursery

A friend reminded me I never put up any "finished nursery photos" so I real quick took some shots of at least what it looks like now. I still hope to get my talented sister to paint some fairy's for her walls to add some color, but her "thumbprint tree" is hung (still needing more thumbprints of assorted family) and the bumper is up (she still doesn't sleep in here yet though). A few little bird houses on one wall, and her birdhouse nightlight on the other. The mattress won't STAY, but does come in handy the nights she doesn't want to go down easy (or stay down). The rocking chair was made by hand from some lovely maple by dear Hubby, and is SUPER comfy and GORGEOUS. The furniture was my older sisters, and then mine until we finally got "grown up furniture" for our room. And yes, if you've been reading along, the two drawers are still broken ;). And still could be fixed in the same amount of time it's taking me to write this blog. But I have decided that Hubby should be the one to fix it, and I'm not very good at nagging him ;).

 


-Betsy

AMIGURUMI HIPPO!!

I bought a book at Michaels: Vanna's Choice Easy Crochet Critters

And I FINALLY finished my HIPPO!! Including yarn-embroidered nostrils (straight stitch) and eyes (french knot)

The first, and possibly last amigurumi animal I create (not, Hubby wants the monkey, and I like the penguin and lion too much, lol!)  One more "task" off my list! :-D

-Betsy

DIY - Sheet Keepers Tutorial

I'm not promising I'm back for good here... but I put together this little "last minute project" (that I've been meaning to do for weeks now) this afternoon, and knew if I didn't post it right away... I wouldn't ever. Since it's FUNCTIONAL not VISIBLE, it looks kinda gross. But hey... it cost me $3.00.

What are we making today? SHEET KEEPERS!

No, not THESE THINGS

(can I tell you how happy I am to have figured out how to link to someone else's photo? I am really happy)

But ones that you DON'T have to roll the bottoms of your sheets for... that will keep your sheets pulled to the bottom of the mattress... that you won't see AT ALL... and that cost $3.00 a set instead of $30. I like that last part especially. Oh, and they'll take about 10 minutes to make AND install.

SO, what do we need to start with?
1) shirt stays - Essentially, we want garter belt clips - from an old garter belt, an actual package from the store, or from these shirt stays. This tutorial will be based on the shirt stays I picked up for $5.00 (and only used half of)  Added bonus? We won't be using the elastic, which means you get a couple stretches of 1" elastic FREE for your stash!

2) 1" ribbon. I like the ribbed stuff because it makes me FEEL better, but any type of ribbon will do. It should just fit the wide edge of your clip (if you're using a different kind than me, it might not be 1"). Added bonus? It can be HIDEOUS ribbon, because you won't see any of it. I picked up a few yards for $0.50 at the thrift shop.

3) Sewing supplies, like thread (no need to match anything), and a sewing machine or needle, and scissors.

4) About 10 minutes, and ideally, a buddy (buddy not necessary... this preggo chick did it all by herself)

NOW! lets get started!!

First, cut the hemmed edge of the shirt stay off below the hem (so you'll have a LITTLE wiggle room when we're done)

Then detach the rest of the elastic from the other side.

(save your leftover elastic for some other fun project)

OK, we're making 2 for our bed, so you might want to repeat those last two steps on another shirt stay, but once that's done... we're on to sewing.

Take your hideous ribbon and fold the edge over to prevent any fraying, and stitch it to the elastic left on one of the straps. I did one correctly, and one incorrectly... you want to make sure (if you care) that the white part faces the sheet, and so the fold is on "top"... like this:

Stitch it down in whatever way makes you happy and comfortable that it will stay.

Now, go to your bedroom, and stick it under the foot of the bed. We're measuring where the other side goes... of course, I could have ACTUALLY MEASURED my bed (or even looked up standard widths beforehand) but this was easier. Make sure that your sewn edge just hits the edge of the mattress on one side, and note where the other end of the ribbon comes out - add about an inch, and cut it. If you use the link and MEASURE... you'll want 1-2" more ribbon than the width of the bed (so for Queen... the width is 60"... so I need 61-62" of ribbon... ish)

Back to the sewing machine (or maybe you measured and never left...) to sew the other side. Guide the ribbon through the stay, and fold over the edge to "hem" it... and sew it down. That easy. Just like this! (of course, I took pictures of the one I did "wrong" but it will still work either way. Just make sure that your white pieces will be facing the bed on both ends and you'll be fine - or twist it under the mattress... no one's gonna know!)

 Ta da!!  Sew up your second one and you're ready to put them on your bed!!

It's easiest if you have a second set of hands to help you wiggle it under your mattress... but totally do-able without a friend. If you're doing it alone, I suggest wiggling to the approximate location on both sides slowly, and attaching ONE side to your sheet, then pulling the other side to the right location after fishing it out from under the mattress. You DO need to fish a little to get them on, but they should stay in place between washings and you DON'T need to lift the whole mattress to do it. I used 2 locations, but if you really wanted, you could probably just use one per side (or more if that suits your fancy). Remember that one pack of shirt stays will make 4 straps so for $6.00 you can EASILY have straps for two beds.

Our bed before:

And after:

And a close-up of the side:

It took me longer to WRITE this post than it did to MAKE these, take pictures of the process and put them on!  Don't let your super-comfy Jersey sheets roll up on you tonight... make some quick sheet keepers instead :)

-Betsy

Thing Thursday - Baby Presents!!

So within the past few weeks, THREE friends have had little munchkins :-P All little baby boys, and all SUPER adorable. And because I'm fairly impatient... I'm going to show you all what I'm giving each of these munchkins... but in the event that their mommy's read my blog... I'm not telling who's getting what :-P

SO:

A Merry Go Round Blanket (Crocheted) from Red Heart

It's a simple pattern, and really fun. There's so many ways you can change it up with different yarn colors, etc. It's made from Lion Brand Yarn's Baby Soft Sportweight yarn (100% machine washable and dryable - important here people...) and I got all nifty and used "Baby White Pompadour" which is a STRAIGHT yarn, but with one strand being a reflective shiny white. Too bad I learned the hard way that they don't sell it at MY Michaels. Ah well. HOWEVER, Since I don't like gauging, or really following directions, my blanket is not made TO the pattern... but it'll give you the overall idea on HOW to make this blanket. I started this one a LONG time ago... I'm not a very diligent "hooker" :-P

A Stuffed Turtle (from Make It and Love It)

This was made of cotton fabric I had left over from other projects. The red and green were from a gator backpack I never finished (and never had an intended recipient for anyway, so it's all good) and the blue is leftovers from my bean bag chair! All the pattern pieces fit together on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper (and it's free on her blog), so it's PERFECT for scraps you may have lying around. I WANTED to do the shell in Red, Yellow, Green and Blue... but I apparently have no yellow cotton in my house. I even contemplated cutting up something... to no avail though...  It still came out super cute! It doesn't take MUCH stuffing (although Make It and Love It stuffed theirs MUCH more than I did... I like squishy toys :-P) All-in-all... it probably took me maybe 2 hours? Not bad, considering I definitely didn't just "sit down and sew it."
 
A Car Seat Canopy (reversible even!) from Sweet 'n' Sassy Girls: A Mom Blog

(A special thank you to the Thrift Shop for letting me borrow a car-seat off the rack to take this FAB photo.

Yes, I'm aware it's a little blurry... it was time to go home, lol)

I really liked this project. Next time, I may not make it reversible, but solely because it's SO much easier to not have to line up the little tabs on either side and sew them together (aka, I'm lazy). The other side is a solid navy blue. It's made of seer sucker, since it's a summer baby - this way, Mom will be able to keep the sun off munchkin (and dirty fingers, and sneezes and curious strangers), but baby will still stay nice and cool. Having thrown it over my head... it's kinda nice in there! :-P  This one sewed up pretty quickly too - again, about 2 hours for the first go-round!  In fact, this MAY become my "standard 'welcome to the world' gift"... It used 2 yards of fabric, and basically 4 inches of velcro. Bean may get one of these with fleece on the inside and "windbreaker" material on the outside. You could even make it with just ONE yard of fabric if it was fleece (doesn't need to be hemmed) or if you hemmed or bound all the edges somehow (oooh... crochet bind the edge maybe?)

All that's left now is to write these mommies some notes and take a trip to the post office! Which means I better get moving, since it closes in an hour...

Anyone out there been doing any fun projects lately? Post a link in the comments so I can check it out!

-Betsy

Thing Tuesday?

In our neighborhood (whether it's allowed or not, being part of a Home Owner's Association), we get a lot of solicitors. People selling meat out of the back of a pickup truck (3 last year), selling bug-maintenance memberships, savings cards, coupon books, driveway seals... it's a little ridiculous. It drove me NUTS all last summer, and yesterday, the first of the season came by. It's begun. So once he was gone, I immediately went to the garage, grabbed a hunk of scrap wood, painted it, drilled some holes and hung it on the front door with some fishing line.

This WELCOME sign was not my first plan of action. I considered following through with last year's idea of a mail-slot with a "Solicitors will be shot" sign underneath and placing the (unloaded) shotgun in the front hallway so that I could peek the end out, and if the person then announced who they were (and I knew them), I'd open. Otherwise, they'd hopefully run away. That's a little excessive, but that's how many people came by last year!

I tried to tone it down a bit, and the signs I came up with before this one were:

"No Solicitors. I'm poor, but I still have a shotgun"

"No Solicitors. Yes, that means you." 

"No Solicitors. I have my own Girl Scout" 

"No Solicitors. I won't buy it anyway". 

Obviously, I went with none of them :) And the look on hubby's face when he came home to the "Welcome" sign with fine print below... was priceless. HOPEFULLY, I won't get any doorbell rings. And if I do, this year... I'm pointing to the sign, and closing the door.

-Betsy

Don't forget to check out www.somethingbetsy.com and find a photo to enter for next week's Monday Monday deal! Just make a comment on this week's Monday Monday post with the image number!

Thing Thursday - Recipe Calendar Tutorial

WARNING! This is a VERY long post... telling you how to make this:

A Recipe Calendar of your very own! 

Also, pardon my flash. My craft room is not fabulous at lighting, and to show detail... flash was required. Which means that not all these photos are fabulous. I'm sure you'll love me anyway.

If you don't care about how to make this... see ya tomorrow! OR, play with me from Monday's Post ;)

A number of people (mostly in real life) have said that they'd LOVE a recipe calendar. But I'm not interested in MAKING everyone recipe calendars... SO... I decided to TELL you how to make your own. Because really... if you know how to use your sewing machine and iron? it's not that hard.  I just ask that you use this for personal use only.

First things first... here's what you need to get/have.

2.5 yards of fabric, 3/8 inch dowel (I used oak), ribbon or string, yard stick (or long straight edge), measuring tape, pins, chalk, scissors, iron, a sewing machine (oh, and thread), and a paper bag.

**note: these measurements will provide you with a 29" wide calendar. This should JUST fit standard fridges. I gave myself some "wiggle room" with the tutorial version... and now it doesn't fit on my fridge :-/ (hence the "hang on the wall" photo). The measurements have been altered so it will fit on YOUR fridge though. :) Also, I laminate my recipes, so it's perfect for 4x6 recipes, but obviously, 3x5 cards fit well too.

Step 1: Cut fabric to 30 inches wide

Step 2: Hem the bottom edge by folding over once, and then again. I did this in 2 steps, but you can do it in one if you find that easier. I recommend a half inch hem, because it's easier to sew.

 Step 3: Prep your grocery bag by cutting the bottom off and up the seam.

Draw a straight line across the edge of the bag, then measure 5", 6", 13" and 14" from that line, and draw parallel lines. Cut into strips along the original line, the 6" line and the 14" line. These are now your "folding templates".

Step 4: Iron. The goal here is to crease your fabric, so steam is a good idea (and maybe even starch if you're so inclined). You'll line up the hemmed edge along the line on the 5" template strip, and then push up the bag until it's tight against the edge of the paper and iron the whole thing.

You'll then take the 5" template, and line up the creased edge. The crease you iron next should line up with your hem.

Then use your 7" template to form the next fold. You'll alternate between the 5" and 7" folds until there are 6 pockets. I recommend pinning your folds together after each 5" round, and re-pinning the two pins below it to catch the "new layers" that have been created since they were put in.

Note that you'll need to fold up some of the fabric when ironing the 7" creases

When you've completed 6 pockets worth, make sure everything is pinned securely. It can be a little tricky flipping the piece over and over, even with it all pinned, but give it a few go's and I'm sure you'll figure it out.

Step 5: Now, hem the edges with a half inch double hem again. I recommend pinning from the inside to the outside of the fabric to catch all the layers (and keep it from un-folding on you).

  Step 6: Sew down the edge, and repeat on the other side

Step 7: Once the two edges are hemmed, you can measure out the pockets. You'll want to be as accurate as possible here to get exactly 4" between each sew line. (If you have a better method than chalk... use it! and tell me!)

Step 8: When sewing the pockets, start at the edge of the top pocket... not the top of the fabric. And always make sure to back stitch to lock the stitches in. It's really beneficial if you're good at sewing straight for this step ;). I suggest going from "top to bottom" because it keeps the flaps from folding up under the sewing foot on the back side of the fabric.

 As you move across the fabric, roll the calendar to fit in the throat of the machine

When you're done, you'll have 7 pockets across and 6 pockets up and down, with a bunch of "extra" fabric at the top.

Step 9: I chose to have 3.5"  between the top pocket and the top of the calendar with a 1.5" pocket (plus 1/2" seam allowance) so I drew a line 5.5" above the top pocket. You may want to consider leaving more space if you plan on embellishing it (some suggestions are at the end).

 Cut the leftover fabric strip off along your line

 Step 10: Time to make our pocket! Iron down a half inch single fold hem (this edge will be hidden, so you don't need the double fold)

Then fold the edge down to make a pocket. The 1.5" pocket nicely fits the 3/8" rod. Pin the pocket in place, making sure that you fold the very corner under so it doesn't poke out on the final project.

 Sew the pocket down twice - your whole calendar and all your recipes will hang from this, so it's nice to have it a little extra secure.

You're essentially done! Slide the rod into your pocket

Tie some string or ribbon on to the rod, and hang! If you're feeling really motivated, you can drill holes in the dowel to thread the string through so it doesn't slide later. If you plan on hanging this on your fridge, then lace the string through the door (between the door and the fridge itself) and through the door handle before tying the second side on. The string will sit against the edge of the door frame (above the sealing strip).

Sadly, the little epoxy paper clips I used on my original one were a clearance item at Michael's I've not seen since. I saw them in Walmart a while back... but they appear to have disappeared. I saw something similar at Office Max as well. Now... Amazon is the best I can do :-(. Another option would be mini clothes pins with just numbers (for the more simplistic) or with things glued to them with numbers for a cuter look. You'll want at least 36 number pieces... a 1-31 and an extra 1-4 and 30-31 (Lets you fill in the last/first week of the month.)

Now... for those embellishment suggestions! I'm not a big embellishment person, But I probably wouldn't be against a little S-M-T-W-R-F-S above each of the days. OR, putting a bit of Velcro on (before sewing the rod pocket down) and making some month markers to change out. Other ideas for "fancy-fing" would be to use ribbon on the sewing lines, and/or as binding around the edges.

And make sure you make yourself some of my favorite "recipe cards" like...

Out to Dinner

Leftovers

Out of Town

Your local Pizza Joint and Chinese Place (with phone numbers)

I love being able to build my grocery list off this each week to make the most of the fresh food I need to buy, and to make sure I'm accounting for our time out of town or on nights we have other commitments! It also is great to reference back to, to see how overdue those leftovers are for the garbage :-P.

If you make one, let me know! I'd love to see yours and hear if you like it!

-Betsy