simple therapeutic neck wrap

okay, so it's been an eon since any of us posted on here! i'm planning a little tutorial of the lampshade skirt i helped jennifer with (and maybe a drawstring skirt too, i promise the construction is the same!) but until then, here's a little something to make the blog less...quiet. it could also be a little test to see if anyone out there is still paying attention to it! ;)

we haven't posted any sewing stuff here, but a few of us do sew, so i thought it was still appropriate. for me, most of my sewing comes in the form of sweet little clothes for my monster girl, which makes sense since i took up sewing to make things for her after seeing how much i could spend on pretty clothes! but i have recently completed a few projects that aren't clothing, and since they were super easy (just a bunch of straight seams, can't beat that!), i thought i'd post one of them here.

seriously, if you have access to a sewing machine and you can drive a straight line, you can make these. and people will think you're so fancy!

so here we go, therapeutic neck wraps. i made these for preschool teacher gifts, since over the course of the year, faith had four teachers (she had three at the start of the year, then one had a baby so she got a new one!) i came across a tutorial for a spa set, changed it up a little bit, and filled them with a combination of rice and flaxseed for good cold and heat therapy uses.

promise, super easy, i managed to get them all finished over the course of a nap with time to spare! the fiddleiest part was the encased seam edges, they were pretty thick at the corners which was a little difficult to navigate, but not too bad.

bear with me, i've never written a tutorial before! :)

materials:
piece of quilting cotton fabric, 12" x 22" (this is the length of a fat quarter, which you can get inexpensively at fabric stores, joann's often has them on sale for $.99)
thread
flaxseed and rice for filler (you can use one or the other, a combination, or another filler like buckwheat or feed corn)
essential oil (optional)



step 1:
fold fabric lengthwise, wrong sides together and press

step 2:
stitch around the edge of the long side and one short side, using a 1/4 in. seam allowance


step 3:
fold edge over at stitch line, press, fold over again, and press. stitch along the folded seam, close to the inner edge. this makes an encased seam that helps keep all of the filling inside where it belongs!



step 4:
fold tube in half (taking the other end seam allowance into consideration), press, then fold each half in half again, pressing again. this provides guidelines for sewing the compartments that help keep the filling evenly distributed.




step 5:
fill 'er up! use approximately 1/2-1 c. of filler material per section (depending on how full you want it--just be sure to leave room to stitch the closing seam.), whatever you decide to use. you can also add a drop or so of essential oil to the filler for additional therapeutic qualities, if you like that sort of thing. most often people use lavender or peppermint, but since i didn't know if any of the teachers had allergies or sensitivities to fragrance, i left it out.


step 6:
making sure the filler is out of the way of the pressed guideline, stitch across the body of the tube, making sure to backstitch at each end. it's important to keep the filler out from under the stitch line, otherwise your needle will break. don't ask how i know that! :)



step 7:
repeat two more times, creating an encased seam at the end like we did for the first to seams.


and that's it! you're done. you can use these for hot or cold therapy, just pop them in the microwave for a minute or so for an hour of heat or store them in the fridge to ease bumps, sprains, headaches, etc.


you can obviously make these in other shapes and sizes as well, i made a smaller one in fancy dora the explorer fabric to keep in a freezer bag in the freezer for when my monster girl runs into/falls off of/trips over something! and while the teacher gift ones were divided up into the 4 squares, the one i made for the tute had the longer middle section (i plan to use mine for migraines), but it's just a matter of preference!

hope that all made sense, and any feedback would be greatly appreciated! :)

maribeth's spring banner

materials:

making memories garden party paper pack 6x6

cricut & accents cartridge

sewing machine

white cardstock

making memories paper flowers

pearl stickers

making memories ribbon

corsage pin

white crepe paper

autumn leaves buttons

small clothes pins

white twine

tim holtz distress ink in walnut stain

dauber

sand paper

green thread

mod podge

foam brush

glue dots
what to do:

1. cut letters and flower shape using cricut. this step could be completed with any shape and could be handcut. the letters can be purchased as well.

2. using distress ink and dauber, antique letters and shapes to your liking.

3. adhere letters to flower shape using glue dots.

4. embellish:

s:3 paper flowers & pearl stickers, p: ribbon & corsage pin, r: create crepe paper rosette and accent with layered buttons, i: paper flower & button
5. create butterfly: trace butterfly template onto paper twice. trace again in smaller size. using mod podge and brush, glue pieces together creating two butterflies (one large & one small). using sewing machine, stitch two pieces together down the center leaving threads longer to create antennae. distress with ink and sand to liking.
when working on this banner, the papers reminded me of vintage aprons so i decided to clothes pin the flowers to white twine to create a laundry line effect. i hung it in my dining room window, hence the night time picture so you can see the details. please ignore the sticky little finger prints. i just love how spring-y it turned out!

maribeth's bunny garland

jennifer's bunny garland inspired me to make a similar one. i drew this bunny last year to create an applique for my children to wear during easter. on the applique, i used a chenille dot from a vintage comforter. for the garland, i used a variety of embellishments-
1. making memories brad 2. prima paper flower and pearl sticker 3. handmade pompom from embroidery thread 4. autumn leaves button and making memories tulle flower (cut into circle) 5. prima paper flower and pearl sticker

if i were a good crafter, i would have taken pictures before and after, as well as created a tutorial for the pompom, but i just didn't think ahead. i will create a tutorial in the future, i promise. until then, let me know if you have any questions!

maribeth's easter eggs

here is my version of the craft:

i used the exact same materials and steps as jennifer did here. the main difference was that my eggs are smaller. i purchased a package in the easter section of hobby lobby. the kraft colored eggs are just the original paper mache with white polka dots added. then, (of course,) i distressed and sanded them. because my eggs were smaller, when i decoupaged the one egg, i cute my paper in 1/4" strips. 

for display, i used some reindeer moss and jennifer "zshushed" them for me. "zshushed" means to fluff or pretty up for display purposes. i hope i spelled it correctly!

Sonya's Decoupaged Photo Frame

I have had this family photo for two years and have never found a frame that I really liked (or could afford), so I decided to make my own! Jennifer did this several months back, so I took her lead and here is my results.

The How-To!

Supplies:

8x10 (size is up to you) unfinished wood frame with glass included (Michael's -$3.00 with 50% off coupon)

Modge Podge (I used satin finish, but whatever you like is good.)

Modge Podge sponge

2 sheets 12x12 decorative paper (Actually, you only really need one, but if it has designs that you want to match up and run the same direction you will need two.)

Acrylic paint of your choice color & paint brush (I used DecoArt Americana's Bittersweet Chocolate.)

Ribbon and/or any embellishments you choose

Craft glue or hot glue gun

Fine sandpaper

Distress Ink

1. Remove glass and backing from frame and sand down the entire frame until smooth.

2. Paint frame front and back (if desired) and allow to dry completely.

3. Measure area on the frame that you want to cover and cut paper into 4 strips. Remember that you will have to be careful how you cut the paper to be sure that your paper's patterns are running the same direction. If you are really smart, you can measure and cut the paper into right angles. I failed geometry and I am way too lazy to figure that out so I did it the easy way, which in my opinion, is the best way. :)

4. Spread Modge Podge on back of paper and on the frame and place horizontal strips first. Apply vertical strips next. (I made mine overlap the horizontal strips.) Because this is my first Modge Podge experience, I learned it may take quite a bit of Modge Podge and lots of pushing and pressing down as bubbles tend to be a common problem. They eventually do come out so be prepared to work with it some. Cover entire frame liberally with Modge Podge and let dry.

5. After drying and if you like the distressed and vintage look like we do, go nuts sanding the frame with a fine sandpaper and apply a little Distressing Ink in the corners and edges.

6. I lined my ribbon up on the seams where the papers came together and used craft glue, wrapping the ribbon to around to the back. You could also use a glue gun, but I felt like I had a little more control with the craft glue. I didn't want to see any glue coming out from under the ribbon.

7. Add a bow or buttons, whatever you like, and put glass back in frame.

8. See? Easy Peasy! And believe me, if I can do it ANYONE can! The whole thing cost me $4.50. I love the way it turned out!

kris's spring banner

okay, jennifer posted all the nitty gritty details about how to make her spring banner, but i just wanted to post proof positive that even newbies can do this! i've never been one for paper crafting, it tends to baffle me (fabric is more my medium of comfort), but nonetheless, here is my spring banner in all it's glory!

this is also a fun way to see how unique the banners are, depending on what paper and accents you choose, since the letters are the exact same as the ones jennifer used, and yet our final banners are very different. :)

Jennifer's Spring Banner

Arghh... I need a new camera...

This tutorial was originally posted on: nannygoat blog. This is just my take on it.

Supplies:
2 pieces plain colored cardstock
2 pieces scrapbook paper
2 pieces coordinating scrapbook paper
glue (I prefer Martha Stewart's Gel Adhesive)
glue dots
2 kinds of ribbon
Chipboard letters (I found my kit at Archivers in the Hot Spots section for CHEAP)
Hole punch (I used my Cropodile)
Cricut (If you don't have a Cricut you can use a 6" scallop punch and a circle cutter or punch)
Mini Monograms Cartridge for Cricut
Corner rounder (I looove the fiskars one)
Scissors
Paper cutter
Distress Ink in Walnut Stain
Dauber

How To Do It:
Decide which letters you would like to use from the chipboard kit
then decide which order you would like your patterned paper to be in (this part takes me the longest)

Using The Mini Monograms Cartridge, make three 6 3/4" circles from one of the patterned papers
Then cut three 6 3/4" scalloped circles from the plain cardstock

Using scissors or a paper cutter, cut your coordinating scrapbook paper into small squares and glue behind negative space of chipboard letters to create a backing for the chipboard (like I did with letters P, I, and G).
Cut larger rectangles from the plain cardstock and round the corners with a corner rounder.

When all of your pieces have been cut out, use the Distress Ink to stain the edges.

After all of the pieces have been stained, assemble them using a glue adhesive


Next use a hole punch to cut holes for the ribbon.
Use two kinds of ribbon to tie the pieces of the banner together.

Embellish as desired.
I used paper flowers, buttons, and rhinestones to embellish mine.