Friday Favorites: Won't You Be Mine, Valentine?

1. paint chip valentines, 2. crayon hearts, 3. crochet heart garland, 4. pirate valentines

Mason Jar Roundup

I finally put the jars to good use! There are still more out in the garage, but here's what I did with these ones:

1. Notion Jar

I used a couple jars to display some crafty eye candy on my sewing table. I picked up a stash of sewing goodies at a garage last fall, but they've been sitting in a shoe box until now. 

2. Pincushion 

I originally found this idea in Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts and I couldn't wait to make one of my own! It's a great way of using up your favorite scraps and I'm thinking of making some as gifts for my crafty friends. You can also find the tutorial on Martha's website here.

3. Soap Dispenser

I've been needing to upgrade our much-used plastic dispensers and this was super-easy to make! You can use the pump from any bottle and just cut the tube to fit your jar. I hammered a nail through the lid to make a hole large enough to fit the pump.

4. Memento Jar

I can't go to the beach without combing the shore for souvenirs, and I found these rocks with my husband during our honeymoon in Washington state. I didn't have enough to fill a bowl or vase, but a jar is just right for a small collection. 

Here are some other upcycled jar ideas from across the web:

mason jar lights via Design*Sponge

Make your own blue jars with Bridal Buzz

 

oil lamp via Raised in Cotton

 

tablescape via Apartment Therapy

Friday Favorites: DIY Home

1. tv restyle  2. wine rack storage   3. diy painted kids mat   4. diy chest of drawers

Tummy Time Pillow

Take a look at what I whipped up last night!

And no, I don't mean this adorable baby...

...I mean the pillow!

After watching Amelia growing more and more frustrated trying to play on her belly last night, I remembered how much Skyler loved playing on his as a baby. And then I remembered the pattern I had from Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing for Baby. So I raided my fabric stash--I didn't have any girly prints that were large enough--and sewed and stuffed it in about an hour! 

It was so satisfying to finish a project so quickly! I've been working on a couple of knit and crochet projects that have taken me over a month so far, and was really starting to get sick of them--I'm still going to finish them, I just needed a quick sewing fix to keep me going. 

I didn't have enough of the print for the whole thing, so I used some old grey duck cloth from the inside of Skyler's R2D2 bag for the bottom (nobody's gonna be looking at the bottom anyway). For the stuffing I used up a bag of polyfil I had on hand, along with a bunch of scraps from my stash. I learned from my mistake with the kids' cushions that using scrap fabric alone for stuffing makes for a very heavy cushion!

So this is my first official entry into the Rumplestiltskin Challenge, and I think it's a rather good one, if I do say so myself! And now for a couple more cute baby pictures (for posterity, of course):

The Mason Jar Project

The Ball jars above are just a few of the dozen-plus stash of mason jars currently housed in our garage. We inherited a box of them when we bought the house and the second box is a curbside find. I can be a bit of a hoarder when it comes to things I think I'll do something with one day. And my husband ever-so-nicely mentions them to me from time to time (the garage is his workshop). So, today I transferred four dirty jars from a box in the garage to the top of my sewing table--where they will probably sit for a week before I even clean them--but at least I won't be able to avoid them!

Mary Jo from Five Green Acres has issued a Rumpelstiltskin Challenge inviting crafters to create crafty gold from their simple stashes. I definitely have tons of stuff to work with (some of which may end up tossed or donated), so I thought I'd start with my lovely jars (the blue ones are my favorite!). I have a simple little project in mind for them and will share photos once they're all gussied up! You can join the challenge or follow along by clicking on the sidebar button.

I hope to whittle away a good chunk of the fabric/scraps/yarn/buttons/ribbon/old clothing/who knows what else I've put in hiding. What kind of goodies do you have stashed away?

Change in the Making

So. I've had a new blog title in mind for a while now. And if you look up at the top of your browser, you'll get a peek at my new blog name. I'm still in the process of creating a new header, but hopefully going public will give me the motivation I need to get it done. (Finished up the header--yes!) And don't worry, the old blog address will still bring you to my little online world (you do want to add Maker Mama to your feed reader though). Thank you all for being a part of it!

How do you like the new name?

Christmas 2010

Although Christmas is almost a blur by now, I'm just now getting around to sharing some photos from our holiday visit up to Tulsa. There's something about getting back into the swing of things (and the cold weather) that's making me move a little more slowly right now. So I'm gonna keep it short and sweet  (the kids won't let me write anything more detailed anyway). Here are a few snapshots from our holidays:

amelia & gran

waiting

santa

skeptical

jumping

smiling

loving

hugging

mail

second chance with santa (she wasn't in the first pic)

 breakfast

rushing

 playing





christening




lights




cold noses




joy

Library Bag : Seasons

I saw this book staring at me from across the room during the Little Read Wagon program at the library last week, and I couldn't resist picking it up and taking it home. Although it was in the kid's section, I didn't really get it for them. It's a little bit of eye candy I enjoyed pouring through with a cup of tea during nap time.

The images remind me of a vintage children's book.

They're colorful...


 

...and whimsical...





...and it was a nice little way to spend naptime.

Friday Favorites: This & That

1. rock dominoes  2. blank comic book   3. childhood charms   4. calendar journal

I would love to make the rock dominoes with my oldest son Skyler, and both the boys would love the blank comic book templates (Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid are both popular in our house!). And the childhood charms and calendar journal would be perfect for catching those fleeting moments of childhood! Have a great weekend!

Knitting in the New Year

Thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law, I learned how to knit and purl just before the new year arrived. I've longed envied the abundance of knitting patterns and books available on the web and in stores (there just aren't as many choices with crochet--although I'll never forget my beginnings with yarn!), but now I can officially call myself a knitter!

And now, after pulling my stitches out at least a dozen times, and with the help of the very handy The Knitting Answer Book, I am on my way to knitting up my first scarf! As you can see from the photo above, I've still got a way to go, but it will eventually look like this...

...hopefully. I found the pattern on The Purl Bee. And I'll be scanning the web for more knitting projects to add to my to-do list for the year (as if that isn't big enough already)!

What new things do you hope to learn this year?