A Crafty Christmas: Kids' Felt Christmas Tree (no-sew!)

     This was such a fun project! I saw the idea on Pinterest, looking at different DIY Christmas decorations, and immediately I thought, "I have to make this!" This felt tree has felt decorations that stick to the tree, so that it can be decorated and re-decorated throughout the holiday season. It is perfect for little kiddos who want to mess with the real tree decorations, which may or may not be something you want them to do. 

Now, I do not have any children. And despite the fact that my husband and I act like children half the time (examples: please note in these photos the Ikea "kids' track start line" rug which this crafting took place upon), I could not justify making this to put up in my own house. However! I am a teacher and therefore work with many people who have young'n of their own. My co-teacher and I got to work one afternoon making the trees and ornaments for our other co-workers. We gifted them just before our Thanksgiving break so that their cuties could decorate their own tree to start the holiday season! 

Photos

LEFT: The finished project, up on the wall and decorated 

RIGHT: A few ornaments. Some were plain cut outs (we used cookie cutters - heart, circle, bell, stars- to create patterns to cut out) 

  LEFT: We sewed glittery Christmas colored pom-poms on some of the ornaments. You could also sew on riff-raff (the zig-zag ribbon), ribbon, or other felt shapes if you wish. I recommend sewing instead of gluing, especially with the pom-poms, because those could be swallowed if they fall off!

RIGHT: Some glitter glue was fun for making the ornaments sparkle, and add personality. 

LEFT: The star atop the tree! 

RIGHT: How I hung the tree on the wall in a secure fashion that was also removable when Christmas is over. See the description below of how I used velcro and command strips to make sure the tree stays up!

Products

(for 1 tree)

~ 1/2 yard green felt (use the weekly coupon at a store like Joann's to save a bit on this!)

~ 1 package multi-colored felt

~ glitter glue (red, silver, gold)

~ spray adhesive

~ velcro sticky back squares

~ command velcro strips (refill pack)

~ glitter pom-poms

~ needle and thread, if attaching pom-poms or other decoration

~ hot glue and glue gun

~ newspaper or old cardboard (to put things on when you're spraying them with adhesive)

Process

1. Cut out the tree first. This way you know how to size your ornaments afterwards!

     Pro Tip:  Fold your fabric in half, and draw a tree outline on the fold. I did this by hand without a template, but you could search for a template to use if you needed one! Cut out the outline and open it up- voila! A tree!

2. Cut out a trunk for your tree from brown felt. I used the fold method again, so it would be symmetrical. But you don't have to be that attentive to detail...

3. Attach the trunk to the tree with hot glue and let it cool. 

4. Make your ornaments! Cut out various shapes in different colors, then decorate them with felt cut-outs and hot glue, pom-poms, or glitter glue! This is the fun part. Here is also where I sewed on the pom-poms. 

5. When your glitter glue is dry and you are waiting impatiently to be able to practice decorating, find some newspaper, old cardboard, or a concrete patio outside (but NOT on a windy day). Lay your ornaments pretty side downward on the work surface, and follow the directions on your spray adhesive for a "temporary adhesive." For mine, this meant spraying from a distances of 10 inches away and letting it dry completely before moving it. 

6. Spray the backs of the soft sided velcro squares and attach them to your tree. 

     Pro Tip: Place these at the top of the tree and then on the edges of the branches so the branches don't droop in once you place ornaments on them.

7. Once they are completely dry, place the command strips on the velcro squares so they attach, and then place the whole thing on your wall. Now you have a tree that will be easily removed when you want it to be (just peel it off of the command strips) and take the command strips off the wall. 

A Crafty Christmas: Decorative Letters

Decorating is on fleek! I'm pretty sure I used that phrase correctly. Right? I'm a middle school teacher, I don't actually know I just pretend I do. Regardless, decorating is the "in" thing to do now. Gone are the days where you have to own a large, swanky house in order to show off your home decor. The rise in popularity of blogs like Shabby Chic, discount stores like TJ MAXX and Marshall's, and countless shows on HGTV have finally gotten through to the public- "You, too, can have a beautiful place to live, no matter where that place is or it's size!"

One easy craft (even for kiddos!) to add some trendy pizzazz to any space are decorative letters. I'm making a few of these to give as gifts this Christmas, and personalizing the colors and accessories to fit the recipient.

Photos

Products
 
~ 3-D craft letters (this is a far less complicated craft if you use 2-D letters!)
~ colorful yarn or thick string
~ beads, buttons, jewels, or other adornments (check the button aisle)
~ matching felt (if using 2D letters, you probably don't need this!)
~ Hot glue gun

I purchased all of my supplies at Michael's and used a 40% off coupon, so the total cost was under $10 per letter. I got my hot glue gun a long time ago at JoAnn Fabrics; they have these low heat mini glue guns which cost $2.99 and the accompanying pack of gluesticks (~$5) has lasted me a few years! Definitely a bargain if you do not have a glue gun.





Process

1. Warm up the hot glue gun. Don't start until it is good and ready! Have more glue sticks on hand for easy resupply.

2. Start by wrapping the yarn around the letter; secure the end of the string with hot glue and let it cool before wrapping any more.
                 Pro tip: Designate one side to be the "back" and one the "front" of the letter; make sure the front is clean of any overlapping yarn or see-through spots where hot glue peeks through. If you stop to change yarns, for example, or if you're using a 3-D letter and have to stop to wrap around a different part of the letter (the middle of the A, in my case), you'll need a side where you can start and stop the yarn by gluing and it will look a little patchy. See below.

Front: All lines are pretty straight! No hot glue in sight!

Back: Note there are some wonky overlaps and
see-through spots. 

3. Wrap as tightly as you can. As you wrap, push up the already-wrapped yarn to make it a little tighter. This will prevent any see-through spots. As you go along, on the designated "back," put some hot glue every few rows of yarn, to keep it secure in case you need to stop and use the bathroom, rescue a pet or baby from eating something they shouldn't, or click "play next" on Netflix. Totally plausible situations there.
                 Pro tip: I found it helpful to make "strips" of hot glue on which to place the yarn, instead of blobs. I'd place the glue gun on the letter and drag it, so it left a strip of hot glue behind. Also, wait until your hot glue has cooled before continuing to wrap. No one likes burned fingers or hot glue tattoos.

There's a LOT of hot glue behind
that button, so I wrapped it in
felt and secured the felt with
 hot glue.

4. When you've finished wrapping, secure the end with more dots of hot glue. If you're using a 3-D letter, cut felt to fit any bottom/top spots, unless you want to get crazy and try to wrap that with yarn as well. Hot glue the felt in the center first, and then around the edges after you place it so that the felt strips are very secure.

5. Add something to either hang or rest the letter upon. No one likes a gift they have to do work in order to display! Give your giftee a way to hang it, if it's meant to be hung, or give it a little resting perch (dowel rod, for example) if it's meant to rest atop furniture or on a mantle. I cut a strip of felt and looped it, then glued it on the back of the letter so it can be easily hung.

5. Add your adornments and decorations. Make sure they are secure with the hot glue, gluing in multiple rounds if needed (let each round cool before continuing). If it sticks out from the letter, wrap some matching felt around it and secure it so that you don't see a pile of hot glue under the button (or whatever) or to help it stay in place. (See buttons secured with glue and felt to the right and below)

I placed this button on the side, and wrapped the edges like a rose
in order to hide the absolute mound of hot glue holding it to the side
of this 3D letter. Looks so much prettier now!

That's all! These are very simple, super easy to personalize, and this whole process took me maybe one episode of the West Wing. Possibly longer because I stopped to make popcorn, but that time doesn't really count against me. The point really is, under an hour to make this cute little letter!


Happy crafting! 

A Crafty Christmas: The Overview

I'm terrible at picking out presents. Terrible, I tell you! I always think that it's good fun to go and buy presents, but I am LAME at picking out good ones. Don't believe me? I'll put some embarrassing examples after the DIY list I'm sharing.

In the next few weeks I'll update this post to include some DIY gifts I'm doing that are a) not sugar scrubs, b) not junk food, and c) fairly simple to make (hopefully). I've got a few started, and one post ready to write, so here's the list.
(If the tutorial is another blog post, I'll link it as "tutorial." The project title will be my outcomes as they are completed.)

~ Birthday Calendars (Tutorial is already made but I'll link the new one I'm making)
~ Decorative Letters
~ Make-up Bags
~ Pencil Holder
~ Kid's Felt Wall Christmas Tree
~ Reversible Shoulder Bag
* edit: The strikethroughs are projects I had planned but just didn't have time for this year. Reminder: Start earlier next year!

And now, let me prove how embarrassingly bad I am at this gift giving game:

Example 1: When I was a kid, we used to pick names of our immediate family members at Christmas, and whoever you picked, you got a nice gift for them, so you didn't have to pick out something good for everyone. One year, when I was around 15, my giftee was my older brother. Slogan t-shirts were in, and claiming your inner video game nerd was starting to become popular, so I went to the nearest Hot Topic store and bought him a bunch of video game t-shirts I thought were cool. I specifically picked out this Mario shirt, with him hitting the mushroom (to grow, in case you don't know what I mean by "hitting the mushroom," obviously), and a caption that said "Size DOES matter." I thought it was a great Mario shirt! I was SO proud of choosing this shirt because you could dominate on the game when you were big Mario. I'm serious, I thought "Jackpot! I am going to win the gift giver of the year award for this." When he opened the shirt on Christmas day he kind of laughed and looked at my mom and was like "I'm NEVER going to wear this...who would even pick this out? I can't believe how awful this shirt is." I was horrified. Mortified. The innuendo of the slogan did not even occur to me in the slightest until he opened it. I had gotten my older brother a t-shirt with a penis joke adorning the front. I probably cried, I don't remember. It was terrible. (I most likely cried. Did I say that already?)

Example 2: One month into being married was my husband's birthday. I thought I was SO smart for having remembered something he liked and getting it for him. It was this Star Wars comic book. At least, that's how I thought of it. It's about what life would have been like for Luke and Leia if Darth Vader had been a real dad. I didn't know there were two of them, I just thought it was the one book. He had pointed it out months earlier and when I was thinking of what to get him, I thought, Oh! That book! What a great idea. He'll be so surprised that I remembered. The name of the book? "Darth Vader and Son." He opened it and looked at me- his face turned white- and he said "Uh..thanks. But you're not trying to tell me anything, right?" Once I realized that he thought I was trying to tell him I was pregnant, I was, again, mortified, and tried to defend it being a good gift still, even though I knew I had lost.

I know it's trendy to "DIY" your Christmas gifts, but making gifts has always been a much better option for me than choosing crappy gifts. It just feels better all around. Here's to the next several weeks being full of crafting while watching Christmas classics, or the West Wing (our current Monogamous Netflix relationship).

T-Shirt quilt: Finally complete! (picture heavy post)

Here's a secret: I actually finished my T-Shirt quilt over a month ago. I've even used it twice since then. Sorry, y'all.

Yes, that is a Harry Potter pillowcase in the background. 

This is a special post- this blanket has been something I've wanted to complete for several years! I kept getting side-tracked, starting it then stopping, then starting again but forgetting what I was going to do, then having to redo things and oof! It was a very time consuming project. Every single step of it. I don't want to dissuade anyone from undertaking their own t-shirt quilt, but I will say this was a heifer of a project to undertake.

Back of the quilt. The square in the middle was not a
smart move, sewing wise. 

Things I learned 
Or, how to avoid a disaster


1. I am not a quilter. Nope.

Front of the quilt! Yay!

2. I rush through planning projects sometimes. This is not one of those things you can rush through! I learned that the hard way, more than once. Yikes.
3. Have a plan that you know you can follow. And keep it nearby for handy reference. I really should have printed out a plan at the start.
4. I have more skills than I thought when it comes to sewing! I also have fewer skills than I thought, as I learned from a few different points where I actually thought "UH. What is this tutorial even asking me to do?!" Oops.
5. Even if there are flaws, it still looks impressive once it's finished. People do NOT notice the things I do, like the lack of straight stitching, the pen marks I can still spot on some of the shirt fronts, my terribly tied knots between the layers...people only see this massive quilt and the shirts which make it up!

Close up of the backing fabrics. Totally wrinkly. Sorry, guys. 

     Resources for the T-Shirt-Quilt-Project(-That-Lasted-Forever-Because-of-Poor-Planning):

This is resting on a full size bed (ha, get it, resting?).

~Here is the website I should have followed the whole time. I found it AFTER I had already (poorly) cut my shirts and attached fusible. Most Unfortunate for me, but fortunately for you, I can save you that anguish.
        Some Notes: 
        ~ If you are a first timer, absolutely go with the "blanket as the batting, sheet as a back" suggestion. And if you are not a first timer, definitely do NOT try to put a square in the middle of the back of your quilt, even if the fabric is beautiful and you only have a square of it. It is not worth the trouble it takes to try and sew in a square between two single pieces of fabric and also be precise. Nope.
         ~Where the tutorial tells you to iron, don't think "Awwww heck, this fabric seems fine. Plus I hate ironing, so I'll just skip that step." It will not turn out well for you.
         ~You do use a lot of thread, but JoAnn Fabrics typically has spools (decently sized) of "quilting thread" that are 99 cents. I found the quality to be fairly sturdy!
         ~TAKE YOUR TIME doing the "math" parts. As a good friend's dad says, "Measure twice, cut once," or as I have adapted it "Measure quickly then cut once, and then do an hour of extra work for each hasty cut because you forgot about x, y, or z, ya dumb dumb."
 
Here are a few other tutorials which are thorough:
~ Cheap Chic Home
~ Sew Caroline (Part 1, there are 2 parts total)
~ Almost Casual
~ The Dixie Chicken (Part 1, there are 3 parts total)



I used some extra interfacing I had laying around, and unfortunately, it wrinkled in the dryer after I washed the quilt. You can see in the picture to the left how it has wrinkled; basically the interfacing disconnected from the shirt and bunched up underneath. When it is hot out of the dryer, I can sort of stretch it back out, but it stays pretty wrinkled. I have a few shirt backs like this. I didn't know that interfacing adhesive could go bad, but I suppose it did!

For the edge, I folded it all over twice and sewed to keep it in place. Not fancy, but also not super difficult!

Video I used for the edge of the quilt (I did not do as much ironing/gluing, hence my non-straight lines)

More of the edge of the quilt

You can sort of see the tiny yellow blob there, left of center in the picture to the left. That's one of the ties on the quilt, to hold the front and back together in the middle spaces of the quilt, so that it doesn't "bubble" out. These took a painstakingly long time, because I did them at/near each corner seam. I am not patient enough nor advanced enough to sew a quilting design into the quilt, so I went with the ties as a more practical option. I think it looks great, actually, and they are small enough that the bad ones are relatively hidden anyway. Wink!


Ta-da! What do you think? Is this a project you'd undertake? Or do you have a project that you've been putting off because you know it will take a lot of time?

I seriously love this pattern. 

Cheap Bookshelf Rustic Makeover

     Last week I completed, with the help of a friend, a project I'd been wanting to take on for quite a while now! We own several of those cheap Wal-Mart bookcases (such as this best seller) and I have started feeling like I can't stand them. Yes, they function just fine, but I have two issues with them:
                   1. They don't look great! A bookshelf should have a certain aesthetic to it, and these                                 shelves have zero character.
                   2. The backs are flimsy, tear easily, and are not sturdy.

     So I did some research. Which really means I browsed Pinterest for way longer than I should have, Googled terms such as "cheap bookcase upcycle," and spent days taking stock of available supplies in order to take on this project. My inspiration came mostly from these two photos:

Source

Source

    


The supplies I had on hand:
- paper and fabric, to mod-podge on the back or shelves to give it a colorful lift
- a friend who was looking to get rid of some wood
- both stain and white paint, both of which match other furniture in our apartment (blanket ladder, pantry shelf, dining table)
- tools to get the job done





With this list fairly narrow, I decided to go for giving just the backs of the bookcases a facelift. I can always go back and add paper or paint, stencil, or sticker the bookshelves or backs later on!

Here's the products, process, and final photos!

Photos (on left)

In the afternoon sunlight...

Products

- 3 "cheap-o" bookshelves (two white, and taller, one brown and shorter/more square)
- various sized 1-inch thick boards, leftover from other projects
- hammer and nails (you could use screws for a more secure finish)
- circular saw and power sander (and sandpaper)
- Stain (personally I am in love with "Early American" by Minwax)

Process

*I began with all the bookcases in disassembled and in pieces. Before step 4, I assembled the bookcases without the cheap cardboard back.

1. Measure and cut the leftover wood to the length needed for the back of each bookcase. Specifically, I laid out the boards until they fit the width of the cheap cardboard back, and then laid the cheap cardboard back on top of the boards to measure length. If I did this again, I'd add about 1/2 inch to the end, to ensure sufficient space to nail them to the back of the bookcases later on.

2. Sand the boards to desired softness. I did not sand them much at all, I simply softened the ends and nicks, and went over each of the faces once with the power sander.

3. Stain the boards. I stained them and let it dry; you could stain and wipe them for a different color, or paint them if you wanted! Options!

*assemble bookcases if they are not already assembled
4. When the boards have dried, place your bookcase front-side down on your work surface. Place the boards on the back of the bookcase and line them up where you want them to be secured.

5. I nailed my boards on the bookcase. I started on the top, lining the boards up for an even look, and nailed the tops of the boards. Then, my friend and I nailed the bottoms of the boards. Some of them were warped and didn't quite lay flat, and there were some small gaps between the boards, lengthwise, but we accepted it as "character." You could also drill holes and screw them in if you wanted a more secure fit!

I might add some paper or fabric to these shelves for a pop of color later on..

Finished products! I'll post some "glamour shots" later on, when I've got them set up and functional!

Explaining the Title

Polymath (n.): A person of great learning in several fields of study

     I was at work and we were eating (surprise!) someone else's baked treat that had been brought to celebrate a birthday. It was a DELICIOUS pecan monkeybread. I'm still drooling thinking about it. Anyways, I'm standing in the workroom, laminating cards for my students to use to play "Go Fish" (with fraction/decimal cards), and a coworker and I are discussing aforementioned monkeybread (drool). He starts asking about my baking ventures. "You're like, a talented baker, right? You just make all sorts of things?" We talk for a bit about that, my previous life with an egg allergy, baking inspiration, yada yada and then he asks how my other projects are going- the quilt I've been making, packing to move, prepping for the school year, blah blah.

     Enter another coworker, and coworker #1 says something along the lines of "Did you realize all the different stuff Sarah can do? I mean she has a million hobbies." So of course I'm flattered and embarrassed and try to avoid the conversation by bringing up whoever made the monkeybread (seriously I need a bib) and fumbling with my fraction/decimal cards. The two of them start talking about how I should start a blog. And one of them says "There's a lot of blogs out there, but you really have a lot of talents worth sharing!" Generally, I never share this sort of flattery. I admit, I enjoy it, and it made my day, but I don't usually like to brag about people bragging about me.  It even sounds weird in that sentence. But it's relevant to the next part of the story, so, yeah. I'll just be over here blushing (and drooling)...

     Fast forward to later that day, while I'm trying to finish THAT DARN QUILT. I'm tying knots (only 9 more to go!) and listening to this when-I-was-in-college-era mix of mostly acoustic mousic (I'm leaving that typo because I like it) when a Mason Jennings song comes on that made my brain wax a wee bit philosophical. I thought a good blog pursuit would be something about being a "Renaissance Woman." That sounds so...touristy, to me, though. It didn't feel flattering. Like, "Oh I can be a renaissance man but I'm a female so I have to classify that with gender specific vocabulary" and I just wrinkled my nose at the sound of introducing myself as "The Renaissance Woman." I also pictured this horrifying scenario where I just start getting offers to perform at Renaissance fairs, totally not the same thing.

     So I did what any average human being does, and I Google search the term "Renaissance man." There it is! My inspiration! I had completely forgotten about the Greek word where the idea of Renaissance man originated- polymath. I love the way the word polymath flows, though! And as a newly discovered math teacher, who's been nerding hard over manipulative activities this summer, the word has the added bonus of containing the word "math."

     I have always envisioned myself spending my life learning to be good at whatever I'm doing. I anticipate that my life ventures may change every now and then because I'm a very flexible person with a large variety of interests. I love the idea of using this blog to be a platform to that journey of becoming a person who spent their time on Earth cultivating knowledge of all sorts. Do I have a cluster of more strong interests? Sure. There will probably be a lot more posts on this blog related to things I pursue often- baking/creative outlets, active lifestyle pursuits (I haven't talked about running yet, have I?)- but I hope that my journey to discover and learn can bring along all sorts of people with me. I'm sure there are many interests that I have yet to discover, and I hope that blogging about them when I do discover will leave behind a trail of inspiration for others to follow.

Finished Product: Birthday Calendar

Following through with a promise from a previous post, here are some photos of the birthday calendar I made, as well as the products and process listed below. Enjoy!

Photos

Products

- 1 wooden board, 1" x 6" x 20" (leftover from previous project) and sandpaper
- Acrylic Paint (blue, white, black), palette paper pad, masking tape, and brushes
- Alphabet stickers (leftover from wedding crafts, ha)
- Burlap "ribbon" (I can't find the product exactly online, but it was the same brand and packaged the same way as THIS product. It was in the party decorations section, and it was a thicker ribbon, for sturdiness) (~ $2.50)
- Small clothespins ($3.99 for 30) and thin marker or hefty pen
-Hot glue gun and glue

Process

1. Sand the board until desired smoothness (edges and faces)

2. Stencil the "birthdays" text. I would give you a specific process for this but I have a talent for being able to look at a font and replicate it fairly accurately, so that's what I did. Font I used was a classic Typewriter font. You could place stickers here if you'd like, but in that case I'd do it after step 3.

3a. For the stripe background, place long strips of masking tape roughly 3/4" apart. Paint one color and let it dry (I had to use several coats). Be sure to paint around the outlined text!
3b. Take off the masking tape and place it on the edge of the previously painted stripe, to give a barrier. Paint the blank stripes with your second color (again, may need to use several coats).

4. After the background dries, paint the sides (or leave, or paint the same as the stripes; there are a lot of options) and then paint the text outlines (Or use stickers. Options!). Let dry.

5. Measure out the spaces for the month labels. I placed mine 1.5 inches from the edge, and spaced them 1.25 inches apart. Place your stickers (the initial for each month).

6. Cut ribbon into 8 inch pieces (Or longer, or shorter if you have a small family. Options people!!). The burlap I used frayed when I cut it, so I sewed each edge with a zigzag stitch. Warm up the hot glue gun and place a pea sized dot on the backside of one end of the ribbon. Place that end of the ribbon underneath the month initial sticker, making sure it is perpendicular to the board's edge, so that it hangs straight. Press down on the ribbon so that the hot glue dries flat.

7. Cut another piece of ribbon to desired hanging length. Hot glue the ribbon to the back of the board. I placed the ends in the middle of the board and hot glued the ribbon from the middle to the top of the board (not done in the picture, which is why it hangs forward instead of flat).

8. The hard part! Write down the names of family members on one side of the clothes pin, and on the edge which clips, write the number of the person's birthday date. Clip the clothespin onto the appropriate month, and voila! A reminder of when people's birthdays are so that you don't forget them. The hubs is already using it to remind me of birthdays coming up!