September 27, 2011

Superhero Cape

Someone special in our life turns three this month. To celebrate his birthday, I decided to make him a superhero cape personalized with his initial on the back. Using an old pillowcase as the fabric source  kept the total project cost under $4. (Add a couple extra bucks if you don't already have thread.)

My inspiration came from a cape I had once seen at a craft fair. But that was years ago, and I haven't seen a homemade cape since then. Needing a memory refresher, I clicked through several online sources before realizing that most sites offering tutorials are either extremely complex or extremely simple. I saw instructions for beautiful, fully-lined satin capes and I saw t-shirt capes made by removing the sleeves from a large men's t-shirt. I wasn't interested in making a cape on either end of the talent spectrum. I wanted to make a cape that had enough detail to be special, but was still within my skill level and time allowance.

The cape I created was cut from an old pillow case, trimmed with satin ribbon, and embellished with felt. Despite my novice skills, (this was only my second sewing project within the past decade,) I was still able to complete the project within a few hours. This time estimates includes two phone call interruptions and an erroneous seam that needed to be ripped out and redone - you could probably do this project much much quicker!

What you'll need...
An old pillowcase
A spool of 4" wide satin ribbon- I used 3 yards, but your need may vary based on cape size.
Two sheets of felt (found in the craft row for $0.25 per sheet)
similar colored thread

What you'll do...
1. Begin by cutting your superhero emblem. A basic superhero shape is an inverted triangle with the top corners cut off. Your base sheet of felt will become the color of the border and the initial. For the base sheet, you will simply cut the emblem shape. The top sheet of felt will be cut into an similar shape, only slightly smaller. You will also cut out your child's initial from this top sheet of felt. Fold the felt and make the first small snip of the initial. This will allow the lower scissor blade to insert through and continue to cut out the letter.




2. Sew the two layers of felt together. In my project, I first outlined the letter J, on the red felt with red thread. I then sewed along the outer edge of the red felt. I also sewed two plus signs into the side red space. (Partly decorative, partly to keep the two layers together)






3. Set the emblem aside and begin working on the cape. Place pillowcase on flat surface, smooth out wrinkles and trace half of the cape outline. Cut through both layers of the pillowcase. The fold becomes the center of the cape and the two halves will be symmetrical in shape.





4.  Prepare the satin trim by folding and ironing lengthwise.


5. Lay satin ribbon on the cape and cut to needed length.  You will need one long piece for the perimeter of the cape, and a shorter piece for the neckline.  Cut slightly more than you think you will need. You can trim it down later.

Neckline pre-velcro
6. Begin the trim work at the neckline. The pillowcase fabric should be sandwiched inside the fold of the satin trim. Use pins to keep in place while sewing. Sew along the inner margin, the outer margin, and one or two "lines" in the middle of the ribbon all the way around the neckline. You will also need to secure the loose ends of the collar (where the velcro will go) with a few rows of stitches.  Curves are tricky- do the best you can and move on - your little hero won't notice crooked seams.


 7.
Sew (or glue gun) the neckline velcro.






8. If excess fabric is visible around the collar trim it down now.












9.
 Continue attaching the trim. Use pins to hold the ribbon in place. Begin at the top where the neckline meets the side of cape. I folded under the ribbon edge at this spot to prevent ribbon fraying. (Applying a no-fray solution or heat searing are other options to prevent fraying.) When you reach the corners, simply fold the ribbon as if you were wrapping a present, and keep pinning.





10. Sew on the trim with the same technique as the neckline a row of stitches along the inner margin, the outer margin, and one or two rows of stitches in the middle.







11
. Lastly, attach your hero emblem. Pin in place. Stitch along inner margin of child's initial, and outer perimeter of emblem.

Congratulations! You've created your own superhero cape!


For more superhero inspiration, check out this feminine superhero cape tutorial. Her version looks a little easier than mine with super cute results!!  

September 22, 2011

How to Make Squash Baby Food


Although my previous post goes into detail on the process of making your own baby food, I felt that the squash deserves its own separate post because of the unfamiliarity most people have with this vegetable.

My daughter loved squash as a baby and still loves it as a toddler. Even though she's graduated to fork, spoon, and regular table foods, I still serve up mashed squash on a regular basis because it yields a large amount of food for minimal effort, it freezes well, and is a good source of vitamin A.


There are many varieties of squash, but I prefer the butternut squash simply because its large size and smooth shape makes it easy to remove the roasted interior from the skin. (The acorn squash, on the other hand, requires much more effort due to its small size and irregular shape.)

How to Roast Squash for Baby Food
1. Wash exterior and cut off woody ends. Then cut in half lengthwise.
2. Spoon out seeds.
3. Place cut side down and add a small amount of water to pan. Cook at 350 for 45 min. The skin will become light brown and slightly dimpled when done.
4. Spoon out the roasted interior and enjoy.



Make Your Own Baby Food

These Pyrex dishes are freezer,
microwave, and dishwasher safe.
When my daughter first began eating solids, I, like most Americans, opened jar after jar of store bought baby food. But after noticing their unnaturally long shelf life (and some of the artificial ingredients) I decided to look for a fresher alternative.

If you're like me, the idea of making your own baby food probably sounds extremely intimidating. Before our daughter was born, I would have never dreamed of making my own baby food. It seemed like such a daunting task and I had no idea where to begin. But once I actually looked into it, I was surprised by how extremely easy it is to provide your little one with fresh nutritious homemade baby food. And you'll save a TON of money! Baby food is so easy to make. The entire process can be described in four little steps - Chop, Cook, Puree/Blend, Freeze.


How to Make Baby Food
1. Wash, peel, and chop your desired vegetables or fruit. I usually use frozen diced vegetables to eliminate this step. (Click here for specifics on squash.)
2. Cook to a soft tender state and allow to cool. I prefer stove top cooking with a small amount of water, but any method of cooking will work. Some moms even use the microwave.
3. Puree/Blend. Use a food processor or blender to puree the vegetables to desired consistency. Give older babies thicker, chunkier blends while younger babies need a smooth thin consistency. Adding more liquid - water, juice, formula, or breast milk- can help achieve a smooth consistency. The water left over in the cooking pot is a great choice to use in your puree because it contains escaped nutrients. If you ever add too much liquid, you can thicken it back up by adding dried instant baby cereal just before serving. (It stores and freezes better if you wait to add the cereal until right before serving.) **Important: Pureeing/Blending is easier and safer if you allow the food to cool first.
4. Freeze the food into individual portion sizes. Ice cube trays are great options for freezing small portions. Once frozen, transfer into freezer bags. Small glass pyrex dishes are also great because you can reheat directly from the bowl. Note: If you are using a microwave to thaw and heat frozen food, use a lower power level to help reduce hot spots. Stir well and always check temperature before feeding baby.



September 17, 2011

The Headband Makeover

The inspiration: That's my headband
and makeup she's playing with.
Headbands. It amazes me how such a simple little thing, like a headband, can bring such joy to a young toddler. Our daughter has numerous hair accessories - mostly clips and soft head wraps - but recently she has taken a strong liking to the rigid, firm type of headbands. More than once she's gotten into my makeup drawer, taken out my face washing headband, and insisted that I put it on her. She then proceeds to trot around the house proudly showing off "her" headband. It's an old headband and I don't mind if she wears it. The only problem is, I can never find it when I need it, to hold my hair back as I wash up for bed. So today's mission is to give the beansprout a little black headband of her own.

The backbone for this project was a little purple headband that seldom gets worn. I removed the purple fabric cover to reveal a plastic base. The I used some satin ribbon and a little glue gun to recover the frame. I even added an extra loop of ribbon on the side to accommodate an interchangeable hair clip. This  was a quick, fun, afternoon project.


September 16, 2011

June's Apple Cider


Autumn is in the air (finally!) In celebration of the cooler temps, tonight I am enjoying a cup of my mom's awesome hot apple cider. This is the holiday cider of my memories. Memories of the entire family celebrating together, with a cup of steamy apple cider in hand. But why wait until Christmas to enjoy this tasty treat? I've modified and reduced mom's original recipe to create a simple everyday version yielding only 2-3 servings.

June's (modified) Holiday Cider
2 cups apple juice
1 cup cranberry juice
1/2 cup orange juice
dash of cinnamon and cloves to taste (optional)

Heat on stove and enjoy!



September 11, 2011

How to Tie a Perfect Gift Bow

The first gift I ever received from the woman who would later become my mother-in-law was so beautiful, I almost didn't want to open it. Despite its cross country journey with the United States Postal Service, it arrived inside its shipping box looking freshly wrapped and adorned with a postcard perfect bow. It was the kind of package so beautiful, it looked like it belonged in a department store display window.

It was Christmastime, and my gift to her had already been shipped. I desperately hoped she wouldn't notice my second grade wrapping skills or the dollar store wrapping paper and bargain bow with the peel-away adhesive on the back. What would she think of her son's new fiancee? My worry lasted only a second as my thoughts were drawn back to the package, and that big beautiful bow. How in the world did she do that?

As it turns out, that impressive bow is rather easy to create. But it took me years to discover its simplicity because, (and she'll laugh when she reads this,) I never actually untied any of the bows on the packages she sent! I just couldn't bring myself to untie and throw away such a beautiful bow. The thrifty queen in me would carefully remove -without untying- each bow, and reuse it on gifts for my side of the family!

Years later, I have finally learned my mother-in-law's secret. I still sometimes save the ribbon, but I no longer wiggle and shimmy her packages to release the bow.  Now I can easily tie my own perfect bows for the packages I give. In the photos and instructions that follow, I will show you how simple it is to create your own perfect gift bow.

You will need....
A spool of wire edged ribbon. You will need enough to wrap around the gift, plus an additional 9 feet of ribbon for a large bow. Use less ribbon for small or medium sized bows.

Tip: You will be happier with the results if you choose ribbon that looks the same on the front as the back. For this demonstration, I used ribbon with glitter stars printed on one side of the ribbon. This made it harder to keep the "right" side facing up.

What you will do...


  • Wrap ribbon around box and tie knot. Set aside.
  • Accordion fold 9 feet of ribbon at 10 inch lengths for a large bow. Use less ribbon and shorter folds for smaller bows. This is just an approximate- there is no need to measure- just eyeball it!
  • Hold the ribbon in the middle and continue to fold. You will need about 4 or 5 folds on either side.
  • Use loose ends of ribbon from step one to secure your accordion fold to the box with a knot around the center of the fold.
  • Fluff the ribbon loops and you're finished. You've just created the perfect gift bow!





September 9, 2011

If Only I Had an Embroidery Machine...


This post is for you Becky. In thinking of your upcoming craft fair, my mind is going a mile a minute  with the countless possibilities of items you could make (and sell) with your embroidery machine!
  • Monogram everything! Choose a few common letters for first initial only, and pre-make cute personalized tote bags, duffle bags, whatever. Include some bright colors for the younger crowd. Think electric pink, neon orange, or lime green paired with a black and white background.  Bring your machine to the sale and display a sign telling customers that if they don't see their initial they can place an order and pick it up in an hour.
  • Baby Blankets. Embroider the satin trim of fuzzy baby blankets with cute poems, prayers, and songs. For an even more personalized touch, embroider baby's name and birth stats onto fabric hearts and then iron affix (or sew) at diagonal onto the blanket corner.  Song examples: "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, Angels guide me through the night, and wake me with the morning light." "Twinkle twinkle little star, how very precious and loved you are." "There are gentle winds blowing and stars all above you, goodnight little pookie I love you and love you."- from Sandra Boynton's Goodnight Little Pookie book.  
  • Sorority sisters and sports towel wraps. Get crafty and turn an ordinary towel into a cute and functional towel wrap. A little velcro, ribbon, embellishments, optional shoulder straps and voila!  - stylish way for college gals to walk back from the community showers. Embroider Greek sorority letters, or short sports mottos. Examples: "Dance, Sweat, Shower" or "Peace, Love, Volleyball" or "Dig, Set, Spike" you get the idea.... Embellish with ribbon, and optional shoulder straps.
  • Embroider wide grosgrain ribbon and attach to cloth make-up bags. Use words like "bridesmaid" and "bride" and sell in four packs.

September 8, 2011

12 Ways to Reuse Diaper Boxes



The average baby goes through more than 7,200 diapers in the first two years of life. That's a lot of diapers! If you're using disposables, you will frequently have empty diaper boxes available for reuse. Aside from being the best *free* moving boxes ever, there are plenty of other ways to repurpose and upcycle your empty diaper boxes.

Most diaper boxes are strong and sturdy. Pampers' large diaper box, for example, uses cardboard with a weight limit of 65 pounds! That's a strong box with a lot of potential. Check the seal on the bottom of box for your brand's specifications.

You can even cover with fabric/paper and embellishments to spruce it up a little. Here I used an old pair of pants and some leftover fabric to line the box which now holds all those teeny tiny toddler books.



Here are a dozen creative ways to reuse your diaper boxes...

  1. Store gift wrap and bows. Wrap box in paper. Store tape, scissors, bows, and other gift wrap essentials.
  2. Store old textbooks. Still saving your old textbooks from college? Load them up in one of these boxes to keep off the dust and easily organize your storage closet. Bonus: the finger holes on the side of the box make for easy lifting.
  3. T-shirt forms. Cut out t-shirt forms to place between fabric layers and prevent bleeding when painting t-shirt crafts. (Think handprint shirts for grandma.)
  4. Organize your craft room. Long-term projects (like quilts) can easily be stored with all the necessary tools and pieces together in one box.
  5. Beanbag/ball toss. Encourage your little one to throw a ball into an open empty box. As an extra challenge for older kids, flip the box over and cut out a small hole and you have a bean bag toss.
  6. Small pet bed. Cut off the top flaps and 2/3 of the front panel. Drape with a soft towel or pillow and little Fido now has a new place to sleep.
  7. Car trunk organizer. Use multiple embellished boxes to organize your trunk space.
  8. Finger painting in the yard. Take your kids out in the yard and let them finger paint the box. It's 3D art your kids will surely love.
  9. Bubbles, chalk, and bouncy balls- Little outdoor toys tend to end up everywhere. Store them together in one box in the garage.
  10. Photo mailers. Cut out a rectangle of cardboard and place inside envelopes to prevent bending when mailing photos.
  11. Lawn waste. Take a box into the garden when pulling weeds to collect lawn waste.
  12. Grocery box for camping trips. Keep your bread from getting smashed during camping trips by packing your food in a box.
  13. Transport Christmas gifts.
  14. "Box"car rides. Glide your little one over carpeted floors by looping a bed sheet through the box finger grips.
  15. Shelf liners for built in wire closet shelves. Hate those little lines imprinted onto your folded clothes by wire closet shelves? So do I. Cut a side panel from your diaper box, wrap with decorative paper and use as shelf liners to prevent annoying little line marks.
 Positively Splendid has an awesome tutorial for creating a canvas lined crates out of diaper boxes.

Diaper box + old bed sheet + mom = boxcar rides

Where I keep gift wrap, bows, etc.
Store craft materials


September 6, 2011

Little Girl Hair Bow Holder

Recent gift for my niece 
 How to Make a Little Girl Hair Bow Holder

Heartfelt oohs and ahhs are sure to be received when you make one of these hair bow holders for the next little girl's baby shower you attend. The mother-to-be will be touched by the personalized hand-made gift and the other guests will be impressed by your craftiness. They'll never guess how simple and easy it was for you to make!

What you'll need...
Wooden plaque 7" ($0.99 at Hobby Lobby)
Scrapbook stickers ($2.99)
Paint and paintbrush
3 feet grosgrain ribbon (has ridges) for bottom
1.5 feet chiffon ribbon (lightweight) for top
optional: glossy finishing spray, such as Triple Thick Master Shine Super Gloss Finish by Design Master
(Entire project costs about $10)


How to make it...
First, paint the background color. You may need to apply two coats. Because I chose white for my background, I was able to use some leftover interior latex paint from a previous home project. Once dry, add embellishments and personalization as desired. I freehand the baby's name and then place the scrapbook stickers. To give the project a finished look, I then spray generously with a finishing spray. This also helps prevent peeling of the stickers from exposure to humidity (if hung in a bathroom.) Allow to dry thoroughly. The final step is to glue gun the ribbon to the back of the plaque. For the bottom, used ribbon length of 12" cut on diagonal. For the top, I first attached the main support loop and added the bow secondarily.

Happy crafting! These are so much fun to create and joy to give as gifts!

Easy Enchilada Recipe


Easy Enchilada Recipe
This enchilada recipe is great because it is quick, easy, and inexpensive. The base recipe is super simple (only four ingredients) and produces tasty results the whole family will love. There are also several optional ingredients for an even more savory meal.  The best part about this recipe is that you can assemble it in advance and store in the refrigerator up to 24 hours. Just bake as usual when ready to serve!


You will need...
1 lb of ground beef/hamburger
10 count package of medium sized tortillas (flour or wheat)
10 oz can enchilada sauce 
8 oz bag of mexican blend shredded cheese

optional ingredients: 4 oz can of tomato sauce, 1/2 packet of taco seasoning, diced onion



 Instructions
1. Brown hamburger and drain fat
2. In a large bowl, combine cooked hamburger, half the bag of shredded cheese, and half the can of enchilada sauce. If using any of the optional ingredients, add them now. Stir.
3. Spoon mixture into eight of the tortillas and roll. Arrange enchiladas (seam side down) onto greased 13x9 pan. 
4. Top with remaining cheese and enchilada sauce.
5. Bake 15-20 minutes at 375 



Time Savers
Start a habit of keeping browned hamburger frozen in your freezer. Then on busy nights all you need to do is thaw and proceed with recipe. Or, assemble your enchiladas the night before and store in the refrigerator. Then just warm in the oven and serve.

Suggested Sides
Black beans: Rinse and drain.  Heat and serve. Sprinkle with cheese if desired.
Packet of mexican rice: follow instructions on packaging.

September 1, 2011

Domestic Dummy

I am surrounded by domestic divas. For starters, I have two talented mother-in-laws. One who is constantly sewing and embroidering cute gifts for her grandchildren, and another who can cook and entertain like a professional party planner. Then there's my dear friend who makes almost everything in her pantry from scratch (including her dishsoap!) She can whip up two pans of nutritious homemade granola bars before her boys even get out of bed in the morning.

I love these women and I look upon their talent with awe. Yet when it comes to my own craft and culinary abilities, I'm kind of a domestic dummy. In fact, I managed to reach adulthood without ever learning how to mend a loose button or bake a cake from scratch. I am slowly beginning to learn these life skills, but let's be honest, I'm never going to be that uber-talented mom who feeds her kids homemade ketchup and sews costumes for the school's Christmas pageant. That's just not me.

I'm your average everyday mom living a typical ordinary life. This blog is a collection of simple crafts, basic recipes, and easy money saving tips. It is my personal notebook to refer to when I make these gifts again. And maybe, just maybe, this blog can serve as a resource for other domestic dummies like me. These crafts and recipes are basic enough for the beginner, tasty enough to serve to company, cute enough to give as gifts, and quick enough to finish during baby's nap (hopefully!)