DIY Concert Shirts

I am so excited! We are seeing Katy Perry on Friday night. I haven't made my shirt yet, but I made matching shirts and jackets for my daughter and her friend (we gave her friend them for her birthday when her mom was surprising her with the tickets for her birthday).

This summer we went to see Shawn Mendes (made the girls the matching blue shirts) and Charlie Puth (made us moms the matching ATTENT!ON shirts) using my Silhouette machine. I think it is fun to have our own concert t-shirts that I can make in advance and we can wear there. Concert t-shirts are really expensive once you get there and it's not in my budget to pay that much for a shirt (I think the cheapest ones at Shawn Mendes were $35) as well as pay for the tickets AND parking AND concessions.

By now, you gave seen that I enjoying using the Heat Transfer vinyl and have made several items:

• Teacher T-Shirts
• Girls Beach Weekend Tanks
• Road Trip Shirts
• SWIM pants
• Name Headbands
• Llama-Corn Pillowcases
• Pun Kitchen Towels (spoiler alert!)

And then there is the regular vinyl I have used in the Silhouette Machine:

• Cabin Sign
• After School Snack Wine Glass
• Lettered Cups for Teacher and Bus Driver

Silhouette Heat Transfer Vinyl Created Gifts for Tweens

This is another fun use of my Silhouette machine to make some birthday party favors and and birthday gifts for my tween daughter.

She had a "Spa" birthday party and so I did Silhouette Heat Transfer Vinyl on headbands to give as one of the party favors at the birthday party. They were an awesome addition to have as they needed to pull their hair off their face when they had the clay masks on. I also made my niece one that she will be opening up as a birthday gift in another week.

I also put Swim down the side of a pair of pants I bought for her, so she can wear it with her growing collection of swim championship t-shirts I buy for her when she attends these earned meets with swim team.

And finally, I also made her some Lllama-Corn pillow cases. I knew she would think these were fun and quirky and would  love them.

Road Trip T-Shirts

We are off on another road trip soon and will probably take along these shirts I made for our summer road trip through CA, NV & AZ on our fall road trip through MN, SD, and WY.

These were the shirts I made for our family by importing images and text that I learned working with text in an image can be very tiresome and difficult. The complexity of some of the images was difficult to format and edit, and after lots of putzing around I learned that it is worth it to spend $3 to buy some new font so you get the look you want and not have to spend hours editting the font.

You don't always have to buy images and fonts though, below is information my mom emailed me about free images and fonts to use with your Silhouette machine. I thought I would share the info so my readers can see it, and I can easily look it up when I need to and not have to search through old emails.

http://www.fontspace.com/

http://www.dafont.com/

These both have preview boxes, so if you are looking for a particular look for a word, you can type that into the preview box and all the fonts will show what your message looks like. Be sure to do a search for the theme of your project.I have used these among others: http://www.fontspace.com/donna-j-morse/dj-kitchen, http://www.fontspace.com/nymphont/nymphette These are just your basic letters, unless you buy a commercial font. 

The following font place has a free font every week and it includes a "Premium Font License", so you get ( PUA Encoded meaning that it is fully accessible to everyone and all glyphs are available in Character Map on Windows and Fontbook on Mac.). These are swashes and flourishes you may want to add to some letters. 

https://fontbundles.net/free-font-of-the-week?ref=livesearch

If you have the current version of Silhouette software, Designer Edition, like I have, you can do this right in the program. This gives you the rundown on the new features. http://www.silhouetteschoolblog.com/2017/08/silhouette-studio-v41-released-update.html

https://apexembdesigns.com/cuttables/subject/all?keys=&commerce_price_amount=1&field_font_type_tid=All

This has a free design several times a week. I usually check it every day, and download the ones I think I will use at some point.

https://www.misskatecuttables.com/products/freebie-of-the-week/

This used to be a free one every day, but went to a freebie of the week.

http://freesvgs.blogspot.com/

This one has a lot of free files and you can do a search to see if there is something that works for your project.

https://www.silhouettedesignstore.com/ 

Don't forget the Silhouette store. They have a freebie every week and it goes directly into your Silhouette program. If you computer crashes, you are able to get back all of the files from the Silhouette store, usually automatically.

Girls Weekend Beach Tank Tops

I created theses custom tank tops for for our upcoming Girls Weekend. In the past I have made us coordinating jewelry, but this year I went for clothes. It's our first year doing Florida together, even if it is only for a weekend. We have done trips in MO, AR & MN together in the past.

Like the teacher t-shirts I made, I used heat transfer vinyl to make these. I used 2 fonts I purchased from the Silhouette Design Store and then cut out parts of images from other clipart in my silhouette library to add in the sun, stars and waves.

I don't like to make us all matchy-matchy, just coordinating and somewhat matchy. So, I purchased the same tank in four fall colors.

Some of the things I made in the past include:

• Pottery Pendant Necklaces
• Birthstone Color Beaded Earrings
• Hemp and Pearl Bracelets (like this one)
• Pottery Pendant Necklaces
• Wire Wrap Pearl Rings

I think I got them all listed and not I have gone in to clothing. I should really look in my jewelry box and find all of them I made to bring along to wear on this trip too.

DIY Cheer Pants

I made these DIY cheer pants for my daughter this year because she made a competitive cheer team. They do have both pants and a jacket that are optional for them to buy and we're over there uniform but they are just that optional. It was going to cost $40 for the pants alone and they did say cheer on them but they weren't anything really all that special and the only function they have is to keep them warm before they go out and compete. So I went to nearest Old Navy and picked up a pair of yoga pants and got some iron on transfer letters and basically just iron them on and peeled off the backing and created a pair of pants for her to wear. We plan to do something similar with a warm-up jacket. That we also have from Old Navy and will do an iron-on for that as well instead of paying $50 for a jacket that she would only wear to keep warm before competitions. Considering she only has four meet these products might not get used that much and she will probably outgrow them before the season next year.

Pinterest Inspired Craft Projects

Time to check off a few of the projects on my Pinterest Boards as DONE! If you don't already follow me on Pinterest, please do. Follow me on Pinterest!

One afternoon, us mommies decided to have a lunch playdate and I  just had enough of only doing projects with the kids. I wanted to do something for me, by me. A t-shirt scarf had been in the back of my head for a long time and it felt SOOOO good to make it, have it turn out just how I anticipated. I didn't realize that project was weighing on me. I felt such a sense of accomplishment after we finished them. I made a brown scarf that came from a tutorial from Shwin and Shwin. My friend made her gray scarf from an image that was just a pinned image, so I don't know who to give the credit to. She might need to start a blog and pin her own tutorial because she figured out re-purpose a men's t-shirt and make the scarf. Smart lady!

 The idea and basic tutorial for this giant felt flower came from Sewing In No Mans Land and ironically the tutorial was to hot glue the pieces and not sew them. I am sure it is much faster to hot glue all the pieces, but I was afraid it might not hold up if I had to wash the hat, so I hand stitched each piece to each other. I thought it turned out really cute!

No Knit Scarf from Martha Stewart was pretty easy to make. You are simply tying a bunch of knots.

Easy Fleece Scarf for Kids to Make

Making a fleece scarf is soooooo easy that even my 5 year old son could do it and it's pretty inexpensive as well. I have instilled a love of homemade gifts in my kids (both receiving and giving) and he wanted to make this scarf for one of his friends.

Just cut one length of the fleece from a 60" width bolt of fleece. Cut it to your desired width between 6"-12", obviously if you cut it smaller you can make more scarves from one yard of fabric and if you watch sales you get it for up to half off at JoAnn Fabrics, and if you really want to be thrifty, check the area for remnant where they sell small pieces (which might be all you need if you are just making one) for 50% off whatever the current price is, so if it's half off you will get another half off that price on a remnant.

I pre-cut the rectangle for my son and let him cut the fringe. He was very proud that he made "clothes" for his friend and has since used other scraps of fleece to make scarves for his stuffed animals.

Recycled T-Shirt Belt

Making a belt out of old t-shirts is easy and thrifty. Just pick up some D rings from a craft store or even Wal-Mart, or maybe you have an old belt of a style you don't care for anymore that you can re-use the rings for this project.

I chose a T-shirt that I didn't wear anymore because it was too stretched out nut I still loved the colors in it. I wanted a skinny belt to just add some detail to my waist with another top, but you can easily make a much thicker belt by cutting/ripping thicker pieces from the T-shirt.

Measure your waist and take that number and times it by 2.5. That is the length that you need to allow to rip from the t-shirt so that you can accomodate the braiding, My shirt was a loose fit and baggy one, so you might need to get a shirt from someone a size or two bigger from you to make this.

Rip the fabric (or cut, depending upon the fabric) your desired width and a length that is 2.5x your waist.

Fold over the fabric over the flat edge of one of the D rings with about a 2" tail. Sew this down just below the edge of the D ring. Then place the other D ring on the opposite side of the tail and fold the tail through the 2nd D ring. Stitch this in place. Trim away any extra fabric.

Now you can braid your belt. When you get near the end, try on your belt to see how much further you need to braid. When you have your desired length, tie off the end (or you could stitch it over if you wanted) and trim the ends.

#ad Review: Aurorae Yoga "The Ultimate"" Racer Back Tank Top

My Thoughts:

As someone who does yoga at least twice a week, I was very excited to try a new top that was geared towards participating in yoga and see if I liked it better than other athletic tops I wear. I am reviewing the Aurorae Racer Back Yoga Tank Top in a size Medium and color Black, but there are sizes XS-XXL and quite a variety of colors.

My biggest gripe when I pick out a top for yoga is having it be loose. I hate the feeling of my stomach being exposed and chances are when you are doing yoga you will expose your stomach unless you have the right top and this is the tight top. It is made long so that it covers my torso completely (my torso is on the long side too) and stretches in to place settling at the top of your hips. The bottom of the top pretty much stayed exactly there the entire time of yoga class.

My next biggest concern with yoga clothes is if the top of the shirt comes forward when I am in downward dog and end of having my nose in my shirt. You just can't breath or relax when it looks like you are a turtle with your head in its shell rather than a downward dog. This top does not do that at all. The only part about this shirt that I wanted to point out is that make sure you wear a sports bra underneath that adequately covers your chest as the top part moves a bit with all the movement (granted I go to a power yoga class, so we move rather rapidly).

Overall, I am very with this top because it isn't loose and it nice and long.

Buy the Aurorae Racer Back Yoga Top on Amazon!!!

Product Description from Aurorae:

Aurorae's new clothing line is made from a eco-friendly fabric, Lenzing Modal and Spandex. The fabric is made in a carbon-neutral process from beech wood trees, which are 100% self-rejuvenating. The Ultimate Racer Back Tank Top is made with the active yoga participant in mind, but because of its extreme comfort and stylish design can be worn by anyone. Designed specifically for women, The Ultimate Racer Back Tank Top is lightweight, machine washable, breathable, moisture wicking, and features flat lock seams as well as high fabric retention so material will not lose its flexibility or shape.

I was sent the above product for the purpose of reviewing it on this blog. No monetary compensation was received. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are my own.

DIY Dinosaur Felt Bow Tie

My son is a HUGE dinosaur fan, which you probably have been able to figure out if you have been reading my blog for a while. I tend to foster my kids' interests and since he loves dinosaurs we are all about dinosaurs here. Honestly, I never thought I would learn so much about dinosaurs beyond knowing the name of about a handful. I know I have Soooooo much more dinosaur stuff to learn, but in the meantime I will keep crafting dino things for and with my son.

I had made my son an Easy Felt Bow Tie a couple months ago, and I did the same basic things for this one, except I did NO SEWING at all for this one. I bought some Fabric-Tac and reading about it in some other tutorial and thought I would try it on a small project (this one) instead of embarking on the bigger project I had intended it for. This stuff is amazing. Not only does it dry super quick, but it is very strong and supposed to be able to be washed (I haven't used it on anything I need to wash yet). I have made my daughter some beautiful loopy hair bows with this as well.

You can read the post on the Easy Felt Bow Tie to see just how that was constructed, but basically you just glue where you would have sewn previously. And it worked so easily to embellish the tie to make it a dinosaur. Oh, I guess I did sew on the googly eye because I had sew-on ones and I wanted to make sure that in anything came off it wasn't the eye.

DIY School Sweatshirt

This Christmas my husband asked for a sweatshirt in school colors with the emblem of M on it, which is the same M for the University of Minnesota Gophers and our own school district. Problem it, my husband NEEDS a tall, not wants, he needs one otherwise the sleeves and length are just not long enough. Well, the problem with that problem is NO ONE makes one. Ugh! There is no use buying one when after a couple of washes it would shrink up and be way to small and a waste of money. So, my solution was to buy a Tall sweatshirt (JC Penney has a good selection of Big and Tall items, plus we have one locally to pick up and returns online orders for free) and use some iron-on tranfer printer paper (I used stuff I have had for years made by Hewlett Packard) and printed out the logo. The transfer paper looks best on lighter fabrics, but you can't really tell from this picture but the ties are a darker cream color with brass metal ends, so it has a vintage feel and the color that the iron-on transfer turned out really worked with the vintage feel.

This was a present from my daughter and myself to my husband (since it was more than she was spending, but I let her do the ironing). Since the sweatshirt was kinda pricey (I was trying to find a combination of both a Tall and a maroon color, so my options were limited) so we tried it out on a cheaper t-shirt first and she gave that to her brother for Christmas as well.

Wordless Wednesday: Loom Knit Ruffle Scarves (Christmas Gifts)

I have made a couple of Loom Knit Ruffle Scarves for Christmas presents this holiday season. Those gifts have been given already, so I can share them on here. If you want to learn how to make your own, check on out my post on Loom Knit Ruffle Scarves & also watch my youtube video of how to make one.

Ok, this is turning in to a not-so-wordless Wednesday. I had made two of these scarves, but I guess I never took a picture of the second one before I gave it to a friend. Doh! But there are several others to see in the post I linked above.

Easy Kids Felt Bow Tie

I thought this turned out so cute! My son has been asking me for weeks if I could make him a bow tie to wear instead the ties that came with his dressy outfits. I finally made one for him when it was a "dress-up" day for Homecoming week at school.

It was really easy to make and requires very minimal sewing (no sewing machine needed!). Pictured above is all the supplies I had that includes a piece of felt, which you can usually buy on sale for 4/$1, thread, a needle, scissors, and sticky-back velcro (which you only need the rough side of.)

To start out with, I cut 2 rectangles to the desired size, then pinched them together in the center and ran thread through the folds in the center and wrapped it around the center next.

Next, I cut 2 strips of felt that would reach around his neck and a small rectangular piece that I wrapped around the center and stitched in to place. I stitched the 2 long neck pieces together in the center and stitched them to the bow. Then I wrapped the small rectangular pieces around the center so that the spot for the ends meet were in the back of the bow and them stitched it to the bow tie.

Lastly, I took a piece of  sticky-back velcro (just the rough side is needed since it will stick to the felt just fine, but go ahead and use both sides if you want) and pressed it in to place where I wanted the ends to meet and them just trimmed the excess felt from the ends.

This only took me about 10 minutes to make, which included gathering the supplies from my craft room. This would make such a cute little bow for the holiday season. My son is requesting a striped tie next, so I am going to have to think about how I will make that, it might include some hand painted stripes on the bow tie using fabric paint.

Review: Miss Oops Lace Tube

My Thoughts:

I was sent the Miss Oops Lace Tube to review. They sent me it in the color Beige, but it also comes in the colors white and black. I am wishing I had the black instead because I like it to blend more and I have many black tops and a couple of them can have a bit of a low neckline. Instead of not wearing the tops or having to deal with pins, you should try out the Miss Oops Lace Tube. Mine is in a size M/L and I would say it fits more like a L. I wore it over the top of my bra, as there is not support in it. It is simply a lace tube with elastic. It does exactly what it sets out to do and add more coverage and add visual interest. The top I was wearing below was a jersey material and I thought it helped to dress up my outfit. I like the idea of this product a lot and would love to get a black one as well.

Product Description from Miss Oops:

Need a little extra coverage but would still like a little "peek-a-boo"? Then Miss Oops unlined stretchable lace Tube is for you. It is made like a tube with elastic at the top and bottom to keep it in place. Sold Individually. S/M - sz 32-32", M/L - sz 36-38", L/XL - sz 40-42", 1X - sz 42 -44", 2X - sz 45-48", 3X- sz 48-50" If you wear a D cup, you might need to go up a size. Comes in black, white or beige Lace. Introducing Tube Lace, a stretchable lace band worn around the breasts to transform an existing top into an eye-catching masterpiece. Tube Lace” couples modest cleavage control with the sexy appeal of lace. Tantalizing and tactful, all in one product! Try Tube Lace in black, white, or beige to oops-proof your entire wardrobe.

Find Out More Information about Miss Oops Online:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Google+

Pinterest

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Review: OOFOS Sandals #feeltheOO

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

I was skeptical when I took this review of OOFOS shoes that they were going to be as awesome as they sounded, so I thought it would be interesting to find out. I looked at my choices of colors and styles and decided on a black pair of original OOFOS. One of the requirements for this review was to take a video and pictures of the first time you put on the shoes. I figured there had to be something to that, but until you actually step in to them you have no idea. You do #feeltheOO . Towards the bottom of this post is my trying on the shoes right after they were delivered (and I was back from the pool). Seriously, the video speaks for itself.

But I do want to add that I chose to wear these shoes while my daughter and I went to rummage sales in our little town city-wide rummage sales and typically by the end of our sales, my feet are tired and sore and my back feels our of whack. That was not the case. We did 55 rummage sales in 3 1/2 hours (lots of walking back & forth from the truck) and my feet felt great at the end. I was amazed! And my back was just fine. These are my go-to shoes this summer! I might need to buy them in another color now so I have variety.

I have been telling people non-stop about these shoes since I got them. Often people will point out that it looks like I got a new pair of sandals and then I tell them about the first time I stepped in to them and could #feeltheOO. I had my husband gently slide his large feet in to mine and it first he felt nothing because he was sitting and I told him about how I first stepped in to them and how they felt so he figured you must have to stand in them to #feeltheOO. He immediately said he needed to get a pair but commented that they probably don't have them in his size. Good news! They carry them up to s sz. 14 (his size) for men! A couple days later my daughter asked is she could try my shoes on since she had her my husband talk about wanting to get his own pair. So, she stepped in them and promptly asked if they made them in kids sizes. While they do not make them in kids sizes, the women's sizes do go down to a size 4. Wow! She is a sz. 3 and I think a size 4 will be just fine for sandals. Guess I will be buying 2 pairs of OOFOS for the family.

And what's awesome is that my readers can all get FREE SHIPPING when they purchase their own pair of OOFOS. Just use code: CREWnorth



Product Description from OOFOS:


What is OOFOS footwear?
- OOFOS footwear is powered by our innovative and proprietary OOfoam technology combined with our patented footbed design
- A unique combination of a proprietary foam compound and an innovative foot-bed design resulting in a glorious sensation that has to be felt to be believed

Leader in the Recovery Market
• 37% shock absorption than any other foam material currently being used in the footwear market.
• Each step OOFOAM disperses your body’s impact to the side of the shoe, rather than coming up back through your body.
• Allows the body to recover after athletic activity. Endurance athletes in particular benefit from the well-designed massaging footbed.
• Countless testimonials on our social media from people who have found relieve from plantar fasciitis and other foot pain thanks to wearing OOFOS.

Recovery Shoes not “flip-flops”
• OOFOS footwear are not sandals or flip-flops. They are shoes that integrate a revolutionary foam technology that makes yOO feel better!
• Flip Flops are a generic term for a style of shoe that are sold everywhere. In many instances some “flip flops” are not recommended by the medical community due to issues some consumers have come to develop with their feet. OOFOS footwear actually offers benefits to the consumer.
• Yes, our styles of footwear were launched in a thong style, a slide style and a clog. The reason for this was it was the most economical way to deliver product to our consumers so we could allow as many people as possible to experience the OOFOAM technology and appreciate the great benefits of our footwear.

Material
- OOFOS are made from our proprietary OOfoam technology- meaning it is the only material like it in the world

Durability
- Feel the cushion and arch support. Long lasting cushioning and support. Doesn’t break down with wear
- Wet surfaces- great traction on water surfaces
- Shoes made of closed cell foam that prevents anything from penetrating the material, Machine washable


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

GIVEAWAY and Review: PRO Compression Marathon Sock

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

My Thoughts:

I was super excited to be asked to review PRO Compression Marathon Socks. As a runner and athlete, I use compression socks. I find them most beneficial when I am running longer distances, but I also wear them for shorter distances as well as for other athletic classes and events.

My first impression was that I love the color and design. It is bright and fun. And today when I wore them to drop off my kids and VBS a friend saw me and immediately complimented me on them and told me I looked super cute (I was also wearing a neon yellow tank and black shorts) and told her about the discount for them (see below!) I received the same response when I went to my Kick It Up class from many of my classmates. That made me love them even more because of the positive response because I do want to look nice even if I am going to be a sweaty mess very soon. I notice that if clothes don't feel good on me or don't look good on me then I don't feel good and don't put forth as much effort compared to days when I am wearing clothes that feel nice and look nice.

Speaking of feeling nice, I love the amount of compression these socks have. I own 2 other different pairs that I bought from 2 different companies. One of them is quite tight and are laborious to get on and the other feel like there is barely any compression. These had the perfect amount of compression! I have average size calves and they worked really well for me. They are a graduated compression with the most compression and support around the ankle. They were relatively easy to get on and off and felt good the entire time I was wearing them and afterwards. When I took them off it felt like my calves were done being given a hug.

You will want to get yourself a pair of these and you can either win a pair from Save Green Being Green (enter below) or use the 40% off code below and buy your own.

GET 40% OFF ANY PAIR OF MARATHON SOCKS OR SLEEVES AT PRO COMPRESSION

USE COUPON CODE: COMP40

Product Description from Pro Compression

PRO Compression is a California-based company that is focused on making the best athletic socks on the market! Our compression socks are proudly made in the USA. They are a true graduated compression sock which is beneficial for athletes, travelers, professionals who are on their feet continuously or anyone who is on the go. Graduated compression is shown to help increase blood flow in the legs which helps reduce lactic acid and helps you to recover faster and feel less fatigue. Our socks can work for a variety of sports or under a pair of business pants - they are great for many occasions!

ONE LUCKY READER WILL WIN THEIR OWN PAIR OF

PRO COMPRESSION MARATHON SOCKS

WINNER MUST COMMENT WITH LINK TO THE SOCKS THEY WANT TO WIN AND SIZE NEEDED

ENTER RAFFLECOPTER FORM BELOW

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Try It Tuesday: Toddler Sized Poncho

Some day my son will be mad at me for having this picture of him in a pink and purple poncho, but my daughter would have been too big for it and I made it to give as a gift. The poncho pictured is how I gave it with the added pocket in the front and the purple collar, but below you can see what the poncho looks like if you just want to cut it out and do a no sew poncho.

Supplies needed - fleece and scissors and a measuring tool are all the basic supplies you need to make a no-sew poncho.

First I measured out to make a 24" square out of my fabric. I will later cut the edges, but it is easier if you cut down your fabric to square to begin with.

Using a bowl that fit on my toddler's head, I placed it in the center of my fleece and cut around it.

Here you can see how it drapes around him when left as a square, which you can certainly do. But I laid it down and rounded off the edges.

With some leftover fleece, I made a pocket for the front. Toddlers love pockets!!!! Of course, this you will have to sew on, but I wanted you to see it so you could see the measurements and how I cut it. The piece is folded here.

Fitness Friday: Freshen Up Workout Clothes

Well, it is that time again that my workout clothes need a little freshening up. I was in Zumba class and was a sweaty mess and could smell that I was not so fresh and was really hoping that I was the only one that could smell me. If you workout often, like I do, then you know exactly what I am talking about. They start to smell funky once you start sweating in them again. I find that it is worse with my sports bras, which absorb most of my sweat since it is the first layer. I also find that it is the items that have the highest cotton content that retains that funk the longest and easiest.

It takes just a little planning ahead, but it sure beats feeling the need to replace perfectly good workout gear and absorbing that cost. All you need to do is dissolve 1/2 C borax in some warm water in the bottom of a bucket. Then fill the bucket the rest of the way with cold water. Add your workout clothes and allow to soak for 30 minutes. Then wash as usual, but add another 1/2 C borax to your wash.

Hopefully you will find this helps you too. Borax is a great cleaning and laundry aide that is inexpensive and should be with everyone's cleaning and laundry supplies.

Try It Tuesday - Glam'ed Up Flip Flops

We made these flip flops during Camp MOM (stay tuned, there will be a other posts about our crafts and activities coming up over the next few weeks!)

I bought $1 flip flops when Old Navy had their sale, 3 bunches of flowers from the dollar store (although most of us chose the same flowers) and used leftover fabric and leftover beads and also used needle, thread & scissors.

All we did was cut strips of fabric that were about 1/2" in width by about 18" in length. We cut 2 pieces of fabric for each flip flop, so you need 4 strips for a pair. Next tie (double knot) one piece of fabric to one of the flip flop bands and wrap around until you come to the center where the two bands meet and then tie again. Repeat for all bands. Tie the ends of the fabric in the center where the two bands meet together. If your fabric is too thick to stay tie, you will need to put in a couple stitches to keep it in place.

Next take your flowers off the stem and remove all the plastic pieces, then re-stack your flower petals. Stitch the petal to the fabric in the center, as you bring your thread through the top add a bead and pull your thread back through the petals to the fabric. Repeat that for every bead you are adding. Tie off thread when you are finished.

Try It Tuesday: Turn Too Short Jean In To A Skirt

This set of tops (for her and her American Girl doll) and the skirt was something I made for my daughter for her birthday last month. She had these very cute pair of jeans still fit her in the waist but were too short for her since she grew 3.5 inches in the last 9 months. I could have just made cut offs out of them, but I knew if I made it in to a skirt she would find it to be extra special, as she loves to wear skirts and dresses. The tutorial to make the girl-sized and doll-sized halter tops will in a post on Northern Cheapskate in July. So, stay tuned!

To start out with I cut off the jean to the length I wanted it to be, keeping in mind I would be adding to ruffles to the bottom as well. I them cut up the inside seam on both legs up to the crotch of the jeans.

Next I took part of the leftover jeans from the leg bottoms and pinned it in to place on the back side so that it was a solid jean back. I then stitched it in to place.

Next up was making my ruffles, which you do my stitching across a single layer of fabric and then tugging on the bottom string on either side so that it begins to pucker. I did this for four ruffles (seen above) that were stitched on another piece of jean, as well as a 2 ruffles that went around the perimeter of the skirt at the bottom.

Here you can see that I have pinned one ruffle to the bottom. I then used a straight stitch to secure it in to place. I started with the bottom ruffle and made my way up to the top ruffle. For top ruffle, I stitched it across the top with right sides together and then folded it back down and pinned the sides.

Next I used a zig zag stitch and stitched the sides of the ruffle down created a triangle piece.

The triangle piece was pinned in to place and stitched down to complete the front of the skirt. Since white stitched was used on the jeans, I used white thread to stitch it down and provide interest. Next I pinned the longer ruffled together (the bottom pink ruffle is twice as thick as the purple and I stitched the purple to the pink before adding the ruffle to the bottom of the skirt.

Here is the front view of the finished skirt.

Here is the back view of the finished skirt and the halter top. 

I will let you know in July when the Halter Top Tutorial posts.