Hair Clip Tree Tutorial

First off, I have to admit that the idea for this hair clip tree was not originally mine.  This is just my version of it.  I first got the idea from my sister-in-law, Jenny, who is responsible for all my girls' cute hair accessories.  This is how she displays her clips at crafts shows and in her studio.  Do you want to make one, too?  They are super quick and easy.  Here is what you will need.

• A basket, pot, vase, or other container
• Floral foam
• Hot glue gun
• Moss or something else to cover the foam
• Sticks (I got a big bundle from IKEA)
• Scissors

First, cut your foam to fit inside your container.  I used a big kitchen knife with great results.

Glue the foam to the bottom of the container for increased stability.  Next, cut your sticks to length, if necessary.  Put each stick in the foam and make adjustments until you are pleased with the arrangement.

I didn't glue each stick into the foam, but if you want to, now is the time.  When you're done with the sticks, grab your foam cover.  I found it easiest to put the glue down in the foam first, then push the moss down on top.

Once your moss is covered, clip all your flowers, bows, and such to your tree and place on the bathroom counter, on top of a dresser, or wherever you like.

Now all my daughters' cute, girly hair clips can double as my bathroom decor!

 Linked up: TT&J

Surf and Sky: Beach Mini Cake

I taught a beginner's fondant class for my Domestic Science Club gals last night.  We did three-tiered mini cakes.  (To make four mini cakes out of a 9"x12" cake, cut the cake into two layers, then six squares.)  Surf and sky is the design that I came up with for my cake.  I was originally going to cover the cake in yellow for a beach instead of green, but I'm glad I didn't so I could use the yellow for the sun on top.  I used a scalloped circle cookie cutter for the top, then I cut the rest out by hand with a knife.  This simple design is perfect for a beach- or summer-themed party.

Click through to this post for my marshmallow fondant and buttercream frosting recipes. 

Linked up:

First Spoonflower Test Swatches

I got an awesome bit of mail yesterday.  My first batch of test swatches from Spoonflower arrived!  I ordered tests of all the designs I have uploaded.  I changed some of the background colors on the Lions, Tigers, and Bears, which I think was a good move.  I approved three out of four of the prints for sale, so not too bad on the color from design to print.  These are the three I approved:

Lions, Tigers, and Bears Big Circles

Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Oh My!

Double Scoops Ice Cream

My favorite one so far is the Lions, Tigers, and Bears Big Circles, although the other two printed really well also.  The fabric that I didn't approve for sale is the Fireworks Show:

The background didn't come out as dark as I wanted, and the pink isn't bright enough either.  All the other colors look good, so I think in the future I will just have to be more careful with the reds.  Here's what the design looks like on Spoonflower: Fireworks Show.  I ordered one last item in this batch, which I hope will help me avoid future color problems.  If you love color, prepare yourself for this.

Shabam!  A full yard of color swatches with the RGB codes for the computer!  I am totally geeking out over this.  As you may remember, I got the Spoonflower Color Guide, which has a few colors, but the Color Map is so much better, even though it costs about sixteen times more to get.  I am so excited to get cranking out more designs, I can hardly take it!  It's so amazing to see your own designs in print.

Simple Cropped Pants Tutorial

Okay, if you are a seasoned tailor or seamstress, then this tutorial is not for you.  I, on the other hand, don't do much more than straight lines and simple mending when it comes to sewing.  I have recently become interested in learning more about sewing, so I will be sharing my new projects as I go.  One reason for my renewed excitement about sewing is this little beauty that I picked up from a public surplus auction for under $150.

To start off, I will show you how to do a simple crop on any pair of pants.  I chose a pair of yoga pants that I have had for a few years that have always been a little bit too short. Since stretchy knit fabrics are much harder to work with, I would choose something else for your first project.  If you still want to crop a stretchy pair of pants, here are some things that made it easier for me: 1) Make sure you don't pull on your fabric while you are sewing, 2) Don't go too fast, 3) A bigger hem is easier to work with.

First step, try the pants on and mark with a pin an inch below where you want them to end up.  I wanted mine to hit just below the knee.

Line the seams of the legs up and flatten everything out.  Get your ruler and rotary cutter and make the cut. 

Then, all you have to do is hem the ends.  You can fold it over twice, which prevents fraying, or just once, which works just fine with knits. 

Once you do one side, check it against the other leg one more time, just to make sure that you end up with both legs the same length.  I ended up doing a really wide hem with two rows of stitching to keep the knit from stretching too much.  I have to say I really like how the double stitching turned out.

You can see that I had a little bit of trouble with stretching on the right leg, which meant that I had to do some reworking.  I know they're not perfect, but I really love them!  These pants are so much better cropped, and I love that I got them the exact length that I want.

Picnic Table In Action

While I work on a new sewing tutorial, I thought I'd show some cute pictures of our picnic table in action on the 4th of July.  Don't worry, Dad was close by to catch baby if she decided to tumble, but she actually did very well staying put.  So glad we finished this project!

Pennant Nursery

What a fun project this room was!  I blogged about it a bit on the way, but I never really summed it all up in a single post.  There are still a couple of things that would be nice to have in there.  Bed skirt and cute mobile, anyone?  If they never happen, it will probably be okay, but if I ever get bored with nothing to do (ha!) maybe I will whip something up.  Well, let's get started on that tour, shall we?

The lovely, awesome quilt was a baby gift from my amazingly talented seamstress, aka my mom.

The circle rug, yellow vase, and sheers are from IKEA, and I made the pennant banner and giant stuffed fish (years ago).

Now for the other side of the room:

I had a lot of fun making those pennant canvases.  They were really pretty easy, too: striped paint background, scrapbook paper pennants, and ribbon for the strings.

My fabric box tutorial can be found here, and here's a quick run-down of the changing pad covers.

This is the art I have on a little forty-five degree wall by the door.  The clipboard is from our wedding reception, and the mini print is from my sister, who got it from The Dreamy Giraffe.  So, there you have it.  I hope you enjoyed seeing another one of our spaces.

Linked up: Tatertots & Jello

Play Kitchen Before

Since I am sort of in-between projects right now, I decided I should share one of the treasures I am waiting to get started on soon.  I got this little antique play kitchen for FREE from my mom's friend.  I am still deciding on all the details, but there will probably be new knobs, either new paint or a sweet stencil, and some cute accessories.

Today, I will be staging photos for the next stop on my home tour-- the pennant nursery.  It's been a little harder than I expected to get in there at the right time for good lighting with a baby who still naps twice a day!  Let's hope today is the day.

Toddler Picnic Table

Remember my toddler picnic table build I showed you ages and ages ago?  Well, you'll be happy to know that I finally finished it!  It had been sitting in the garage waiting for a second coat of stain for weeks. 

We used Olympic Maximum Solid Color Stain in Amsterdam.  This type of stain goes on like paint, but still lets you see the wood texture.  I liked using it, and now I don't worry about leaving the table outside during the warm months of the year.  As a quick recap, here's how the table progressed through the finishing process:

This is the table right after the build, no sanding, filling, or painting of any kind.  Next, I filled the screw holes with a mixture of sawdust and wood glue:

Finer sawdust works best for this step, or you can just buy wood filler at the store.  After the glue was dry, I sanded down every surface I could get to with my orbital sander and used the air compressor to blow away the rest of the dirt and sawdust.  Lastly, we gave the table two coats of the aforementioned stain and let it dry completely.

My two-year-old loves it, and we were able to fit two more cousins on it for a barbeque we had yesterday.  I'd say you could fit four toddlers at this table comfortably, unless they have plates of food, in which case three is a better fit.

*As a quick reminder, I got the plans from Ana White, and I was in no way compensated by Ana White or Olympic, I just like to make it simple to see how I've done things.