Make it: A Snowman Kit

Last year we received a snowman kit from one of my dear friends as a Christmas gift.  A few days after the gift arrived, we had an epic storm and the kids spent hours playing in the snow and building their wonderful snowman.

It was such a fun idea, and I was sure I could make a handmade version for gifts this year.

A snowman is simple.  He needs a hat, eyes, nose, mouth, scarf and buttons down his shirt.  If you want an authentic snowman, you can even add a corncob pipe.

Yesterday I got to work and made my own snowman kit.

I cut a 7 inch width of red polar fleece for a scarf.  Most polar fleece is 60 inches wide which makes a perfect length for a scarf.  Then fray the end by cutting a 3 inch strip every 1/2 inch.  Check it out with a little snowflake:

I traced a snowflake cookie cutter on white craft felt with pencil and cut it out.  This scarf is so cute, you could steal it from the snowman and wear for Christmas.

Ben and I headed over to a stream by our house and gathered small semi round stones.  When we got home, Ben painted them with black acrylic paint to make the snowman’s mouth.

Boys love rocks.  They love to collect rocks.  They love to paint rocks.  I love rocks because they are the perfect old fashioned look for a snowman… and they are free.

I splurged on a fake carrot from a local craft store for $3.  My husband thinks I should cut the “hairy” things off it it… too gross.  You could also use a real carrot in the kit… which would obviously need to be replaced as needed.

Next were inexpensive buttons for the eyes and down his tummy.   I put the rocks and buttons into this cute little box for the gift.

And last but not least, the hat.  I made it out of cheap black felt.  I sprayed the felt with a little heavy starch to make it less floppy, and it turned out darling.  I will be posting a tutorial on making the hat later today.  I still have a few measurements to get right if someone besides me is trying make it…  I had to fudge a few times.  I thought that Geometry teacher was lying when they said you will use these skills someday.  Circumferences anyone?

Last it all goes into a gift box… add a cute little tag that reads, “Just Add Snow.”  And another check off my gift list!

Holiday Plans

Do you ever feel like this during the Holidays?

Like all of your best laid plans have gotten the better of you?  I have.  So, there is one word to sum up my plans for the Holidays this year:

SIMPLIFY

I am asking myself:  What is important?  What can I do without?  What really matters?

The things that matter to me:  some have to do with favorite traditions, some have to do with love of family, and others have to do with the difficult times we are in, these are the things that guide my plans.

Over the next few weeks, I look forward to sharing more handmade gift ideas, also handmade gifts for kids to make.  I can’t wait to share some of my favorite recipes for Thanksgiving.  I am looking forward to finishing many of the items off of my gift list, so these Holidays can be spent enjoying each other, rather than running from store to store.  I am also working on a Giveaway…  which I am very excited about, so stay tuned.

Cookies in a Jar for Santa

During the Holidays, I love gifts that either make my life easier or are a fun activity for my family.  Today’s Make it Do gift idea does both.

Several months ago the fabulously talented Bakerella had a post about cookies in a jar- Cowgirl Cookies.  And my first thought was what a perfect gift for the Holidays.  Most kids love to leave a plate of cookies for Santa.  But having time to bake on Christmas Eve can be a challenge.  This gift makes it easy to throw together a batch of cookies in a hurry.

“Cookies for Santa” makes a great gift for friends or teachers as well.

Of course I had to make a batch to “test” the recipe.  And I can vouch that Santa will love these cookies.

To make this wonderful cookie mix head on over to Bakerella for the recipe.

And here’s a few additional tips:  I found it best to make the cookie mix in a Wide Mouth Quart jar.  I didn’t buy the special craft jars that Bakerella used, because they are more expensive and I don’t mind the embossing.  I used my wide mouth canning funnel to pour the ingredients in the jar, which really reduced the mess.  One batch made about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.  I used regular Christmas M & M’s, but I was tempted to try the Mint Christmas M & M’s, I think that would be really yummy.

For the recipe instructions I created a document with both the front and back labels.  I printed it out on scrapbook paper and cut them out using a 2 inch circle punch.  I adhered the labels to the bottle using double stick tape, just like Bakerella.  If you’d like to make your labels using the document I created click here.

This project was so fun to make.  I loved them when I saw them on Bakerella back in August, and I love it more now that I’ve made them.  It’s a great feeling to make my gifts now and know I’m saving major stress in December.  Thank you Bakerella for the wonderful idea!

Make it Do Gift: Cozy Bed Warmers

A cozy bed warmer is one of my favorite things.  Put them in the microwave for a few minutes and they work wonders for cold feet, aches and pains, or plain old stress relief.  Bed warmers make a such a wonderful gift.  They are easy to make, inexpensive, and both pampering and useful.

For years I would climb into bed in the Winter,  and put my cold feet on my husband’s legs to warm them up.  Then my Mom made me a bed warmer.  Now I heat mine up every cold night before I go to bed.  I think my husband appreciates it more than I do.

Last year for Christmas, my Mom made them for all of her grandchildren.  But I wasn’t sure if my kids would ever take the time to use them.  I was wrong.  It’s a Winter ritual now, every night before bed my girls line up at the microwave to heat their warmer.  Even my son loves his, especially after a day of skiing, snowshoeing or playing in the snow.

My husband steals mine for back or neck aches… come to think of it, maybe he needs one for Christmas.  We have also used them to soothe stomach aches and the chills from fevers.

To heat up your bed warmer, simply put it in the microwave for 3 to 4 minutes.  (Don’t overheat like my husband did once, we heard popping like it is turning into popcorn!)

You can make a bed warmer filled with feed corn, rice or buckwheat.  I use feed corn, because it is very inexpensive and it stays warm for an exceptionally long time. I purchase feed corn from our local IFA, a feed and farm supply store.  A 50 pound bag is less than $10.  That’s enough feed corn to make between 17 to 25 bed warmers.  You can also purchase it by the pound if you are only making a few, but it is not as cost effective.  Buckwheat (use whole seed, not the hulls) can be purchased in bulk from many natural foods stores.  Buckwheat is wonderful, but just more expensive.  Rice is inexpensive, but doesn’t hold the heat as long.  Be prepared for what ever you use to smell when it’s heated- feed corn like popcorn, rice like cooked rice and buckwheat… smells a little grainy, but has the least smell of the three.

We have found several fabrics that make good warmers, such as cotton chenille, cotton flannel or cotton fabric.  I prefer chenille or flannel as you want it to be cozy and soft.  The only thing we’ve found is that the fabric should be a natural fiber, for some reason the synthetic fabrics seem to sweat when the bed warmer is heated (we found out the hard way using minky.)

I prefer a bed warmer with a removable, washable cover. Today I made a warmer with a chenille front for comfort and a print fabric back to make it easier to remove the inside pillow.  The same technique can be used for flannel on both sides, you just don’t need to line the back fabric.

Here’s what you will need for this project:

• 7″ x 21″ 100% cotton chenille fabric for the front (available from most quilt shops) (or flannel)
• 7″ x 24″ cotton print fabric for the back (or cotton flannel)
• 1/2 yard cotton muslin for inside pillow and to line the cotton print fabric
• 7 cups feed corn, buckwheat, or rice (it is just under 3 pounds of the corn- I don’t know weights for rice or buckwheat.)
• rick rack for embellishment, if desired

Here’s how to make a cozy bed warmer:

1.  First start by making the pillow.  Measuring on the fold, cut your fabric 6 3/4″ x 21″.  (Over all fabric will be 13 1/2″ x 21″ when opened up.)

2.  Stitch around raw edges using 1/4″ seam, leaving one end open.  Stitch around again using a scant 1/4″ seam (still leaving the one end open.)  This double seam helps insure against leakage.

3.  Clip corners and turn pillow right side out.

4.  Fill pillow with 7 cups feed corn or filler of choice.

5.  Fold a 1/2″ seam in and stitch the pillow shut, using a 1/4″ seam.  Stitch a second row using a scant 1/4″ seam. (Again double seam to prevent leakage.)

6.  Now to make the cover:  Make sure to square up fabric if it has a grid or line pattern (like the fabric I am using.)  Trim top chenille fabric to 7″ x 21″.

7.  Cut back print fabric into two pieces measuring 7″ x 12″.   I also cut muslin to the same dimensions make a lining for the print fabric (to help it match the weight of the front fabric better.) These two pieces will overlap on the back of the warmer, so the inner pillow can be removed for washing.

8.  Place print fabric and muslin lining, right sides together.  Using 1/4″ seam stitched one end.  Open up so wrong sides are together and press along the seam.  This makes a nice clean seam for the opening.  I’m not really sure why I thought this picture would help, but I was hoping to show the print fabric sewn together with the muslin lining… I think?

9.  Pin rick rack to print fabric (if desired) and stitch into place.  I place them 3 1/2″ in on either side.

10.  With right sides together pin the front chenille to the two pieces of the back print fabric.  The back pieces will overlap in the middle.  Stitch around entire cover.  Clip corners.

11.  Turn right side out and use a chopstick to push out the corners.

12.  It’s a little bit of a squeeze, but fit the pillow inside the cover.

I’ve dropped the corn to one end to show a picture of the front and back in one shot.  If you are giving a bed warmer as a gift, I love to fold it this way and tie a ribbon around the bundle.  Make sure to include a tag that says to microwave the bed warmer for 3-4 minutes in the microwave.  (Do not overheat.)   You can also put your warmer in the freezer to make a cold pack.  I hate cold packs!  Heat it up and enjoy!

For another great gift idea, check out my Lavender Eye Pillow tutorial, which uses buckwheat and lavender.

Make it Do Gift Ideas: Fabric Flowers

A few weeks ago, I decided to wander through Dear Lizzie, a small boutique near my home, to look for Handmade Christmas gift ideas.

Right as I walked in the door, I spotted the perfect project.  It was a darling fabric flower pin, and I knew it would be easy to make at home.  It’s a perfect gift for a friend, mother, sister, or even a teacher.  The flowers at Dear Lizzie sold for about $15 dollars, it cost me less than a dollar to make these.  And it was a quick project that took me less than half an hour.

Here’s what you need for the project:

• A small amount of fabric- scraps of fabric from a past project are perfect!
• Light weight iron-on adhesive like Heat n Bond or Wonder Under
• Wool Felt- just a small amount.  Again scraps from another project work great.
• Buttons, large crystal beads, lace, tulle or any other embellishment you love.
• A hair clip or a pin
• Click here for a printable template of the flower.

1.  Place the template under your iron-on adhesive and trace all three flowers.  Roughly cut out around the flowers, leaving a little edge.

2.  Following the intructions for the iron on adhesive, iron to the wrong side of fabric.

3.  Carefully cut out the flowers.

4.  Peel backing from iron-on adhesive.

5.  Iron the flowers to the wrong side of fabric.

6.  Carefully cut around flower edge, making your flowers double sided.

7.  Cut out three circles from the felt.  For the first circle, I used the top of a shot glass.  Next flip it over and trace the smaller bottom of the glass.  The last circle was about the size of a penny.  So you are basically going from large to small circles.  You can usually use a pencil to trace the circles onto the felt.

8.  In the largest circle, cut two small slits, across from each other.  This will be to slip a hairclip or pin into, as you can see below.

Remove clip before stitching felt into place.

9.  Center largest circle onto largest flower and stitch around edge.  This may be done on the machine or by hand.

10.  Layer large flower, then medium felt circle, then medium flower, small felt, the small flower.

11.  Center a button in the middle of the flowers and using a heavy duty thread, and a sharp needle, stitch through all the layers to sew the layers together and the button into place.

You can also use a layer of lace before you sew on the button.  Using long thread, I weave the needle in and out of the bottom of 7 inches of lace.  Then pull both ends of the thread and gather the lace in tight.  Tie the thread into a knot.  

Trim off the end of the lace.  I used my still attached needle to weave the two ends of the lace together.  This is an optional step.

I used one less layer of flower for this flower pin. I stitched the lace to the flower below it, before securing the button.

These pins are perfect to embellish a purse… like this Swing Bag from Amy Butler.

Or slip in a hair clip for a wonderful hair accessory.

These flower pins make a fun, easy and thoughtful handmade gift.  If you prefer one out of ribbon, don’t forget the tutorial for ribbon flower pins I made in the Spring… they would be wonderful in reds, greens, silver or golds for the Holidays.

Thinking about November

While this is the month I start to get ready for Christmas, I try very hard not to look past November and to focus on what it represents.

It’s a bleak month at first glance.  The brilliant Autumn leaves have  turned brown, the trees rattle with the few stalwart leaves upon the bare branches.  And the wind never seems to end.

But, I love Thanksgiving and celebrating the harvest.  I love taking stock of my blessings.  I love making Thanksgiving dinner, which we often host at our home.  I love watching my husband make the turkey, stuffing and gravy.  I love watching him teach my son to cook and see my son’s fascination, curiosity and disgust at the raw turkey with it’s giblets and neck (me too, Ben, the disgusted part anyway.)

I love making pies with my daughters.  I love to bake the pie crust scraps on a cookie sheet with cinnamon and sugar sprinkles for my children, just like my mom did when I was a girl.  I love setting the long table with my favorite dishes and the smells of the day.  I love having family gather round.

I remember being enthralled with the tales of the Pilgrim’s first Thanksgiving.  But now I know the realities of that time were much harsher and more difficult than childhood stories could ever betray.   Yet, despite having suffered disease, the death of loved ones and enduring great struggle, the Pilgrims saw fit to celebrate their blessings.

Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving an official American holiday in 1863 during the darkest days of the American Civil War.  And for me the message is clear: it is when we are struggling, when we are in the darkest times, that gratitude is not only possible, but becomes most important.

It is with a heart full of gratitude that I start this month of Thanksgiving.

The month will be filled with projects… making gifts, cards and getting ready for the holidays.  The rest of this week, I will be sharing ideas for handmade gifts that will help me start checking projects off my gift list.  For me, making gifts for loved ones is an act of thanksgiving.

You give but little when you give of your possessions.  It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.  ~Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

Just in Time- Harry Potter Quidditch Costume

With a busy morning of getting everyone in their costumes, we just had time to snap a quick shot of my son in his Quidditch uniform before running to catch the school bus.

I am happy to say I finished his costume without staying up til 2:00 am.  Sewing the costume jersey was actually was very easy, despite the fact that I made the pattern up in my head.  I only used my seam ripper twice.  Once because I thought I had made a mistake, and the other because I realized I had done it right the first time.  The fabric was called Ponte, and I was able to by it at 50% off bringing my total in fabric to only $6.  It looked athletic fabricish and all in all was the perfect fabric for the project.

For this costume, the devil was in the details.  Most of the time was spent sewing the ribbon trim.  For the trim I used the wrong side of a  3/8″ satin gold ribbon.  The ribbon however didn’t have the ability to curve the way it should, and if I were to do it again, I would have invested in a  1/4″ Bias Tape Maker.  I could have used gold cotton fabric to make the bias tape (my Mom’s suggestion all along) and it would have made the curves nicely without buckling like the ribbon did.  But you know what they say about costumes?  If you can’t see it from a galloping horse, the mistake really doesn’t matter.  (At least that’s what I tell myself.)  The other thing they say is “Always listen to your mother.”

The best part was using Transfer Magic- Transfer to Dark to make the numbers and crest for the costume.  It worked like a charm.  I made the numbers in Word using Arial Bold sized to 650 percent and colored gold.  Then I printed them from a inkjet printer.  Again, since it isn’t recommended to use the Transfer Magic on synthetic fabrics, I kept the iron moving slightly to keep it from leaving an iron mark.  I also put grommets and lacing down the sides of the costume.

Ben wore his gray athletic pants and a gray long sleeve waffle t-shirt under the jersey. We did buy in a Quidditch accessories kit and broom from the costume shop.  They were made in Taiwan, and guess what?  They are utter garbage.   I wish I would have used my ingenuity and made something out of faux leather.  I could have made the goggles using a tutoral from dadcando.com (Have I mentioned how much I dig this site.)  I think I want to try and make the snitch they have on Dadcando as well.

They’re off to our little yellow school bus…  which they are imagining is the H0gwart’s Express.

Two Harry Potter Costumes Down and One to Go

I’ve done it again.  I’ve somehow managed to leave costume-making to the last minute, despite best intentions.  I’ve finished my girls Hogwarts school uniforms- a little Ginny and Hermione. But my son’s Quidditch costume, which I have had to completely design is still in the early phases.  If I am up until 2:00 am tonight sewing, I am going to be really put out.

Here’s a little about the girl’s Hogwarts uniforms.  I wanted to make them nice enough to be worn as regular clothing.  I started with the skirts and went looking for a pattern.  I loved the pleated skirt pattern from Oliver + S, but could not bring myself to spend $15.95 for a pattern.  In the end, I found a very nice pattern- McCall’s M5459 on sale for .99 and the skirts turned out just how I hoped.  They have an elastic in the back, which I prefer over zippers, buttons or hooks.  And I was able to easily alter the pattern to fit my very skinny little girls.

The cloaks were a different matter, they will never be worn to school (unless that owl arrives) but, they will be worn for dress ups often in the coming year, so I made them out of an inexpensive polyester gaberdine which I found for 50% off. I intended to use the cloak pattern I used last year to make cloaks, but after looking at it carefully, concluded it would not look like a Hogwarts cloak.  So I made up the pattern.  This wasn’t as easy as I thought it might be, and I ended up using my seam ripper more than a few times.  But, they are finished and I am happy with the results.  I used Transfer Magic- Inkjet Transfer to Dark transfer paper to make the crest chest patch.  I will also be using the the transfer paper to apply the number and crest on my son’s Quidditch uniform. It worked really well, I just had to be really careful about transferring to the polyester fabric, which is not recommended.  Test it on small scrap of fabric first.  I recommend keeping the iron moving slightly or you may have an iron mark on your fabric.

We already had white oxford button down shirts, black tights, and shoes.  I purchased the sweaters, which are cute enough to wear all winter and plain red children’s neckties to complete the look.  I considered painting gold stripes with fabric paint, but decided not to.  I would rather have the ties usable for the future, than ruin them for one night’s use.

Next came the wands, I came across the most amazing tutorial on how to make wands out of paper from dadcando.com (a very cool site, by the way.)  We made three practice wands, but had not painted them yet when a surprise showed up on the doorstep.  My husband had purchased Alivan’s Wands, which he has been eyeing for years.  Would you believe they had wands on sale for $7.99?  The kids were surprised and absolutely thrilled.  They are real wood and wonderful… and about the same price as a cheap plastic wand.

Wish me luck with the Quidditch costume.  With any luck, I will end up with something remotely resembling these::

Make it Do- Spooky Silhouettes

Two sheets of thin black poster board is all you need to create a spooky display this Halloween.

I got this clever idea from Martha Stewart.  I simply sketched a witch with a white colored pencil to the back side of the poster board.  She is so tall, I had to tape two pieces of poster board together.  Then I cut it out and stuck my spooky witch to my front window with double stick tape.  When a small light is on in the living room, she takes on a wonderful glow.

Photograph from Martha Stewart

I thought the idea was so easy and fun, I used this mice template to cut out mice silhouettes then pasted them in my glass of my kitchen dish cupboard.  I love to see unsuspecting visitors do a double take.

Both projects cost me around a dollar. And they were fun… kinda like craft time in elementary school.

One thing is for sure, It doesn’t have to cost much to make it a frightful Halloween.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

There are some recipes that just say Autumn.  And Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread is one of those.  This recipe is so good, it might even be better than Great Harvest’s bread, and it costs a fraction to make it at home!  The only problem with making it, is that I want to eat way too much of it.

Here’s the recipe:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

• 3 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
  
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
  
• 2 tsp. baking soda
  
• 1 tsp. baking powder
  
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
  
• 2 2/3 c. sugar
  
• 2/3 c. butter
  
• 4 eggs
  
• 1 lb. canned mashed pumpkin
  
• 2/3 c. water
  
• 1 c. chocolate chips
  

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Sift together dry ingredients and set aside.  Cream sugar and butter until well incorporated.  Add eggs one at a time and then add mashed pumpkin.   Alternate adding dry ingredients with water.   Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour into greased bread pans and bake at 325 degrees for 55- 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.’

Click here for the Printable Recipe.

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray two large bread pans with cooking spray.  Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. After all the ingredients are sifted into the bowl, I give the bowl a good stir to make sure the baking soda and powder are mixed in thoroughly.

2.  Cream together softened butter and sugar.

3.  Add eggs one at a time.  Notice I have all the eggs in one bowl.  After learning from the school of hard knocks (in other words, picking egg shell out of my batter) I always crack my eggs into a small bowl first.  I know this goes against my “as few dishes as possible rule” but rules are made to be broken.  In the off chance there is a bit of shell, it is easily picked out.  The eggs are still really easy to add one at a time.  Just tip the bowl until one yolk drops into the batter, and blend it in.  Then add the next, and so on, until they are are mixed in nicely.

4.  Blend in the mashed pumpkin.  The batter will look slightly curdled once it’s all mixed in.  It’s OK, you haven’t made a mistake.

5.  Alternate adding in the dry ingredients with 2/3 cup of water a little at a time.  It is really important not to over mix the batter.  You want everything incorporated, but just.

6. And to avoid over mixing, I fold in the chocolate chips.  Just a little note about chocolate chips.  I love good ones.  I think it makes a big difference in my baking.  But good chips are expensive.  If I ever see Guittard Semi Sweet Chips on sale, I buy them.  Several years ago, when I was doing a lot of baking, I did a taste test with chips.  I had Nestle, Guittard, and Ghiradelli chips all laid out in a row.  My favorite by far was the Guittard.  Next came Ghiradelli and then Nestle.

7.  Pour evenly into two large greased bread pans.

8.  Bake at 325 for 55-65 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.  Here’s a great tip, I love using a thin bamboo skewer as my cake tester.  I always wash it and reuse it.

9.  Cool on a cooling rack and enjoy.  (More than I should.)