MAKE STRING HEART YARN CARDS
Sentence sticks work great to teach parts of speech: verbs, nouns, adjectives etc. Use it to make silly sentences or real sentences too!
This science center display helps children explore sound with common objects. I collected "found" items to display on the tray with a sign, "What
Knitting Nancys (a.k.a. French knitters, knitting nobbies, spool knitters, etc.) have become something of an obsession for me this week. I’ve been thinking about what …
Tons of ideas here for art, crafts and activities using toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, poster tubes, wrapping paper tubes and more!
How to make an indoor boomerang out of paper. What a fun boredom buster science and engineering project for kids when they are stuck inside!
Blog of Susan Elliott where she shares her life through her needlework and photography.
Make your yard sound beautiful with these pretty DIY wind chime ideas, including repurposed materials and nature-inspired creations!
Good morning! It is absolutely beautiful here. I hope it is where you are, too. In fact it has been for the last two days.... love it... need it! I think it's speeding up my healing process. So today, I want to show you what was exchanged in the Extraordinary Embroidery Sampler Swap for Silver Bella. Here is what I created for my sweet, sweet partner Virginia. (she doesn't have a blog, but I think she should! wink, wink, nudge, nudge) The photo isn't so great. It was really hard to get a decent picture of it, all in focus, because it turned out so dimensional. And, well honestly, I should have changed lenses... I'm so lazy. We filled out questionnaires about what colors, images, styles, etc. we prefer, at the beginning of the swap. I thought long and hard about this one before starting it, but then all of a sudden, one morning, it all just came together for me and I was able to really get started on it. I like how it turned out, but I did have to stop myself, at the end there, from adding too much and making the whole thing an overkill. It's pretty busy as is. Now for the beautiful piece Virginia made for me! I love it! I have hung it up on a frame that the Farmboy chicken wired for me a long time ago... the flowers in the top corner were already on the frame... not a part of the sampler, but they look so pretty with it. Don't they? I really like how she cut a heart out of a piece of fabric and then used the negative piece to put onto the sampler... I think that's brilliant! The lace, buttons, the little bird, the 3D elements... all of it is just wonderful! Oh! And the colors are perfect! Here it is a bit closer. I tried to get some good close ups of it, but... haha... you should have see it. The farmboy had already gone to work and the boys were still in bed sleeping and there I was, precariously standing on the couch clutching my belly pillow to my tummy and trying to take pictures of it this morning. And I had to do it right then, because it's the best light of the day in that room. I'm sure it was quite the sight! And quite typical of me... I hope the Farmboy doesn't read this post, or I'll be receiving a lecture later. Anywho, isn't it lovely?! I really enjoy stitching, but I have such a hard time getting started. You know, figuring out what to stitch. I think my brain is just too box in most times. And my stitching is still a little crude, I think. But I know that will improve with practice. This book has been a great help... so glad I purchased it. And I absolutely cannot wait for her new embroidery book to hit the shelves! Alright, I'll stop rambling on now. I hope you have a beautiful, beautiful day!
It's summer! Which means it's time for succulent crafts and tie dye crafts! Today's activity is perfect for this time of year. Everybody is tie-dyeing. Everybody is reminiscing about nostalgic summer camp crafts. And everybody is going bonkers planting. (And who doesn't love succulents?) So grab an old tie-dyed t-shirt, a cute potted plant, and let's make this adorable DIY macrame plant holder for yourself... or give it to a friend! How to make Easy Tie-dyed T-shirt Macrame Plant holders (A fun summer craft for kids, tweens, teens, and adults too!) Note: This post contains affiliate links. This means I make a small bit of change when you purchase items through the links. Thank you for your support and the grocery money! For my full disclosure policy, click here. Note: This was my very first time making macrame! I watched several videos and visited a couple of blogs for directions. I found this one from A Beautiful Mess particularly helpful! So if my directions aren't clear, be sure to check that blog out for another set of directions! O.M.G. Isn't this craft the coolest? Materials Needed: A pot with succulents Old tie-dyed T-shirt We used a child's Medium-sized t-shirt that we tie-dyed the shirt last summer using Tulip brand dye (which you can purchase through Amazon, or just get it from Michaels with one of their amazing coupons!) Fabric Scissors Masking Tape Ruler (or just eye-ball it, it's not rocket science) How to Make a super easy Macrame Plant Holder: 1. Make T-shirt "yarn" Place your shirt on a table. Cut horizontal strips around 1.5" by cutting from one of the t-shirt to the other. You'll get a bunch of t-shirt loops. Snip the loop once to create fabric strips. You'll need 8 t-shirt strips for this project. (You can use the other strips for other projects. Braid a bracelet or necklace!) To make the t-shirt "yarn," simply pull your strips to create lovely rounded + thin strands. 2. Trim any rough or ragged edges. (Some of my ends were a bit odd-looking, so I snipped those.) 3. Tie a knot with all 8 strands. See the short bit? That will be your plant holder's bottom tassel. We will make the rest of the holder with the longer bits. 4. Separate your 8 strands into 4 pairs of strands. *Optional: I found it easier to tape down my knot for this part. But you don't have to.* 5. Tie a knot about 2" from the first knot for each of your 4 pairs of strands. (You could measure it, or just eye-ball it.) 6. Separate your pairs and create new pairs by joining neighboring strands. Then tie knots about 1.5" from your previous knot. Here I tied 3 new knots. See the outer 2 strands? You'll also tie them together... like this! And now you should have 4 new knots and a mesh net of sorts... 7. Tie your 3rd set of knots by repeating step 6 again. So you'll separate your pairs and tie neighboring strands together again about 1.5" from the previous knots. (My 3rd grader saw what I was doing and wanted to help!) 8. Test out your design by shoving your pot inside your net. Adjust knots as necessary. (Looking good!) 9. Now you'll twist your 4 pairs of t-shirt yarn together to create 4 twisty strands. (You can tie a knot at the end, or just use masking tape them so they don't come undone.) 10. Tie all 4 pairs of twisty strands in a tight knot. (The location of the knot will depend on how long you want to make your macrame plant holder.) Then, trim off any excess t-shirt yarn. Ta-da! You've now got yourself a gorgeous DIY handmade plant holder! (And since you upcycled an old t-shirt, you didn't spend a dime!) More fun Summer Yarn Crafts: Easy Boho Wall Hangings Adorable Cardboard Woven Llamas Weaving God-s Eye Turtles Woven CD Dream Catchers Happy creating and connecting, friends!
No matter who you make this DIY Book Necklace for, they're sure to love it! It's a very thoughtful idea that you will have a blast making.
I remember seeing this wonderful house on another website. I then decided to give it a go with two of my students, they loved it and I have now made it with all my students. I created windows in th…
Super lovely and oh so easy to make Easter Chick Bookmarks. Completed with Chicken Bookmark or even Rooster. Must see and must make for Easter Reading!
Well it's the end of a busy week! I don't know about you, but I'm pooped! But I'm pleased to say we've had some gorgeous, sunny days here in N.I. this week, and there's a lovely Autumn feel to the air! As always, the things I've been working on this week I can't show you yet (soon I promise!), so I'm going to give you a wee tute on how to use up every last wee bit of fabric shavings, you know those bits that end up all over your cutting mat after trimming blocks and hsts? We'll here's a cool way to turn them into a new type of fabric. As far as I know this product doesn't have an official name - I learnt it at college and it wasn't called anything then, but if you know the official name of this craft, please let me know. 1. Save up your fabric shavings & wee bits of offcuts that are too small to be useful (you can also cut up wee bits of fluffy wool, ribbon, sparkly threads etc.). Bigger pieces will need to be snipped down smaller. 2. Take a piece of plain sheeting/calico and lay a load of shavings on top. You can colour code your savings as I have done here, or have a multi-coloured mess! Make sure it's thick enough to cover the backing fabric, but not too thick to sew over. 3. Lay a piece of water soluble fabric over the top and pin/sew round the edges. This stuff is really cool - you can get different brands in a craft shop or online. I've used Avalon Water Soluble Embroidery Fabric by Madeira. 4. Now sew, sew, sew over the top of the w.s.fabric, either by free motion quilting or straight & wavy lines all over. Try not to leave any big gaps where the shavings can later escape from. 5. When you have stitched this to within an inch of its life, take the pins out and under a luke warm tap or in a sink/basin, allow the w.s.fabric to melt away (it goes a bit slimy as it melts off so rinse it well). 6. Give your new piece of fabric a good squeeze to get the water out and then allow it to dry on the radiator. 7. When dry, draw your desired shapes on the back and cut out. If you want to, sew more stitching on top to highlight details, for example veins in leaves, or sew on beads, sequins etc. 8. You can now use your fabric shapes to embellish/decorate cards, cushions, make letters or Christmas decorations etc. etc. The possibilities are endless! Another way to use this wonderful water soluble fabric is to roughly sketch a shape on to it & then put it into an embroidery hoop. Repeated sewing and shading with thread will close all the gaps, so that when you take the fabric off the hoop and dissolve the w.s.fabric you are left with a completely embroidered shape. Have fun & let your imagination run wild!
Ideas for bookmaking projects come to me in all sorts of places. Last month I was at a talk by Tuskegee Airman James A. Sheppard at the Newburyport Public Library. He started by describing the history of African American aviation before World war II and showed a photo of the first licensed black aviator in the US—a woman named Bessie Coleman. I immediately knew she would be a perfect subject for March's bookmaking project in celebration of Women's History Month. Here is a Who Am I? Book about her. This is a simplified version of the book I usually make with a grocery bag and a cereal box panel (directions here). For this one I used two sheets of used copy paper with writing on one side only. You Will Need: 2 sheets used copy paper with writing on one side only Piece of yarn about an arm's length long Bead Glue stick Scrap paper Hole punch Make the Book: Fold one of the pieces of paper in half the long way like a hot dog with the writing on the inside. 2. Open the paper, put glue on one half, close and smooth to help the glue adhere. 3. Repeat with the second piece of paper. 4. Place one folded piece so that it is tall in front of you. Place the second piece on top to form a large plus sign. 5. Take the bottom of the tall paper and fold it up over the sideways one. 6. Take the right side of the sideways paper and fold it over the bottom you just folded up. 7. Do the same with the left side and the top. 8. Take the two piece of paper apart. 9. Put glue on the center of the tall rectangle, place the sideways piece on top, and smooth to help the glue adhere. 10. Fold the book up. 11. Punch a hole in the center of the lower edge of the top flap. 12. Fold the piece of yarn in half. 13. Insert the loop end into the hole. 14. Open the loop, put the ends of the yarn through the loop, and pull. 15. Thread both ends of the yarn through a bead (I find it easiest to fold a small loop and twist it before threading) and tie a knot with the bead inside. Tie a second knot to make it secure. 16. To close the book, wrap the yarn around the book and tuck the bead under the yarn. BESSIE'S BOOK I was able to find a lot of information about Bessie Coleman both online and in books. She's a popular subject for children's books. I love the one I have—Fly High! The Story of Bessie Coleman by Louise Borden and Mary Kay Kroeger, illustrated by Teresa Flavin—filled with both information and inspiration. Here's how the book closes: Daughter...aunt...walker...reader...dreamer...thinker... student...pilot...speaker...teacher. Bessie Coleman was all of these. Like her mother, Susan, Bessie knew how to plant seeds. Her work in schools and churches was as important as her daring spins and loops in the sky. Across the U.S., some of Bessie's young fans grew up to be pilots. Many others would remember her courage, her smile, and her words: "You can do something, too. Keep trying! Fly high!" Here are some online resources: bessiecoleman.com centennialofflight.gov rootsweb.ancestry.com (photos) GIVEAWAY: Join in the celebration of Women's History Month and share a link, a book, or other information about a woman in history to be entered into the giveaway. There will be a random number drawing for each of two books: and The drawing will close on Friday March 23 at midnight.
While doing some research on making friendship bracelets I ran across a link for making cordage with a lucet. I have done this in the past and still have a small lucet. I did not find many patterns to cut a lucet so I made some up for the public at large. What is a lucet you say? It is a wood, bone, plastic forked tool to make decorative cord, for clothes for decoration, to use an bracelets, etc. You will need to click the image to get a full size picture to print. I put a few measurements on the image to help you size it as needed.
Make your own squeezable homemade paint from salt, flour, and water. Add a little food coloring or liquid watercolors to create the color you desire.
I LOVE saving figurative language until June - it's such a fun language unit ... and perfect for our "dreaming of summer brains". We finished up our EQAO testing mid week, and this onomatopoeia activity was the perfect break from testing. How fun is that??? Students chose two contrasting colours - one for the background and one for the word and border "bursting out of the page". They also needed newspaper (cut just a fraction smaller that the "bursting out of the page border" and glued the newspaper on top. They glued their word on top of that (we had brainstormed a lot of onomatopoeia words, but for some reason most of them chose SPLAT for their word). I also had them do a little shading under their letters for that little extra POP (see, I know some onomatopoeia words, too). ;) I had seen this awesome idea on Pinterest and followed it back to Artisan des Arts. Her examples are FANTASTIC!! We also wrote simile poems this week. I found a little template HERE for the students to use for their rough copies. When students were finished their templates, I had them write out their good copies, and illustrate a few lines with a small image. I hung these up, too ... LOVING our bulletin board switch up ... even this late in the school year!!! (I have two of these "smART class" bulletin boards side by side in the classroom. 15 more school days left ... I think I can ... I think I can ... Happy Friday!!!
These handprint lilies are so beautiful and surprisingly easy to make! They'd make such a thoughtful handmade gift idea for Mother's Day if you make a small bouquet and tie them together with a ribbon. Or you could make a bouquet of handprint Easter lilies if you use white paper. Can Easter lilies be pink? I think they're just white? Either way, they're adorable for spring and they're a wonderful low mess craft to make with the kids! I had such an awesome helper when I made these paper handprint lilies! My spunky 5 year old loves crafts, and she
You probably know the scratch off lottery tickets? Ever wondered how to make them? Well, they are very fun & easy to make. I used to make gr...
Cutting cardboard boxes is helpful for fine motor development in preschoolers and kindergartners, and one project to help them hone those skills is to make a cardboard gondola. The process is quick enough to keep the attention of young children for the entire duration.
Photo Source Fellow Fellow One of my New Year's blogging resolutions was to feature artists, designers, crafters, and or bloggers who create and share their talent (DIY= Do It Yourself) on the web and link to them on my blog every Saturday. This week the ideas shown are ones that are easy to do, and when I saw them I thought... Why didn't I think of that! How clever, how sweet! I love when an idea can be accomplished without alot of blood, sweat and tears. Click on any link under each photo and it will direct you to a different artist and blog. Photo Source: Fellow/Fellow's, "Houses at Night" and how to do them yourself. Engravings cut out, then illuminated by electrical tea lights. If you want to do these, I have old engravings that would be perfect for the project .... if you are interested let me know. Photo Source for Do it Yourself Garland Paper garlands sewn together over at Cocoa Daisy, plus many ideas for Scrapbooking and where to buy supplies. Photo Source for Do it Yourself Garland The variety of colors and mixed papers. Such a sweet idea. An easy fun project to create. Do it Yourself Mercury Glass Imitation. Old mercury glass is a favorite of mine, especially candlesticks. But they are not easy to find and hyper fragile... I love this idea, Mercury glass and how to do it yourself. If you try it send me a photo, and I will add it to this post. My friend Pascale over at VOX POPULI added mercury to large clear old wine bottles, the effect was beautiful! Photo Source The White Bench Roses out of coffee filters!? Who would have thought it? So don't toss out the filter... just the coffee grounds! Viola (as they say in French) the perfect tint and shadowing for a faded rose. The White Bench gives easy to follow step by step how to make them yourself. Photo source The Sweetest Occasion. Plastic children's toy animals. I love this idea! Isn't it charming.? My mother made our birthday cakes, she would ask us what theme we wanted, and what type of cake. I remember my brother wanting a motorcycle race track, my mom added plastic motorcycles on the black pavement frosting. My brother was thrilled so much that he asked my mom if he could keep it and not eat...
Cold weather giving you cabin fever? Here are some easy, DIY ways to have fun indoors.
Overheating Soap Every soapmaker will come across overheating issues at one time or another. Maybe you get in a hurry and mix your soap when the oils and lye are too hot. Or perhaps you purchase a new mold and over insulate it. It happens to
Our woodland tree is still a work in progress! The last ornaments I'd like to make with the kids are cinnamon cut out ornaments. I have...
On Mother's Day, show Mom how much you care with creative crafts and decorations like paper flowers, handmade keepsakes, place settings, and more.
Zoe Wide Leg Lounge Trousers Digital Pattern PDF Sewing Patterns for Women UK 4-24 / EU 32-52 / US 0-20/ AU 4-24 Trousers feature a high waist, wide leg, and elasticated waistband, designed in a relaxed fit. This shape can be made in a variety of KNITTED fabrics such as rib knit, jersey, ponte, scuba, sweater knit, french terry, etc. to make those loungewear pants. You can see the example of those lounge trousers made in the rib knit fabric in the pictures attached. ______________________________________________ YouTube sew-along tutorial: https://youtu.be/FRFncSNL7s4 YouTube PDF pattern printing & assembling tutorial: https://youtu.be/WQqsjyuZPvo ______________________________________________ ✂ SEWING PATTERN ✂ ** No paper pattern will be posted to you ** - This is a PDF pattern for download only Fabric usage: To make this style you'll need 250cm of fabric that's 150cm wide. After purchasing, you'll be able to download four files: booklet, pattern in A4 size, letter size 8.5" x 11" or A0 size. FREE scrunchie pattern included as a small gift from me to YOU. :) A4 = 31 PAGES U.S Letter Size = 31 PAGES A0 = 2 PAGES Booklet contains: • Size chart and measurements ( UK 4-24 / EU 32-52 / US 0-20/ AU 4-24 ) • List of suggested fabrics to use • Print layout plan • Fabric layout plan • Step by step tutorial with sketches on how to make this pattern • FREE SCRUNCHIE PATTERN Pattern contains: •Tiled pattern (1cm seam allowance is included in all sizes) Printing: • Pattern available in 3 print sizes: A4, Letter Size 8.5" x 11" and A0 size. • YouTube tutorial on how to print and assemble pattern: https://youtu.be/WQqsjyuZPvo • Ensure you print at actual size (100%scale). You must see all outlines in the printing preview window. • Verify that the printout size is correct by measuring the scale on any page. ( Scale available in cm and inches) • Cut out pages along the solid outlines. Align and tape them together using clear tape. Then cut out pattern pieces in your size. Print out PDF pattern, lay out each page as shown, and tape them together. Make sure to print out all files at 100% scale. If it’s your first time using our patterns I would highly recommend printing one page first just to see if you have all the settings right and not waste any ink or paper. NOTE: This pattern is ready to cut out and includes a 1cm seam allowance in each size. Psst! Remember that you must not copy our patterns and sell, or even give them away for free, in accordance with copyright law. Find the right size using this size chart. The measurements are provided in both cm & inches. For size reference, the size photographed on me is a size UK 8 / EU 36 / US 4 / AU 8 SIZE CHART here: https://tintofmintpatterns.com/size-guide/ How to measure? BUST- Measure the circumference of your chest. Place one end of the tape measure at the fullest part of your bust, wrap it around (under your armpits, around your shoulder blades, and back to the front) to get the measurement. WAIST- Measure the circumference of your waist. Use the tape to circle your waist (sort of like a belt would) at your natural waistline, which is located above your belly button and below your rib cage. HIPS- Measure the circumference of your hips. Start at one hip and wrap the tape measure around your rear, around the other hip, and back to where you started. Make sure the tape is over the largest part of your buttocks. Because making sure the tape is level back there can be hard, try to do it in front of a mirror. I would love to see your finished pieces so, please use the hashtag #tintofmintPATTERNS so I can check out your work! *Please note, that the pattern instructions are written in English only.*
A step by step guide to making your own artist-grade natural pigments from flowers, plants etc. for watercolor paints.
Learn to make your own repairs to books. It is not hard; you just have to know what to do and have the right tools for making repairs to torn pages or broken spines or covers that are loose.
One of my ideas for the Mouthy Stitches pouch swap was a twisted panel, so I made a practice one..... I posted it in the Flickr group - and was promptly asked to write a tutorial for it.......of course I had no photos, so I made another one, slightly smaller and took photos as I went along. This tute shows you how to make one side of a pouch (or a bag, cushion, etc - whatever - the theory can be applied to any project you want to make, you just have to recalculate the sizes) and my side panel is 7" x 12" with a twisted panel, incorporating 5 twists, that finishes around 3.5" square. Please note this is my first tutorial - so go easy on me!! This is the same methodology as Quilt-as-you-go and if any of it doesn't make sense, drop me a line and I'll help in any way I can! What you will need: heavy duty interfacing ruler pencil main fabric (mine is Kona Everglade) scraps of fabric at least 1.5" wide and 5" long (these are for the twists) note - use starch on your fabric - it helps when cutting and piecing What to cut: heavy duty interfacing, 1 piece, 7" x 12" twist scraps, 5 pieces, 1.5" x 5" main fabric 5 pieces, 1.5" x 5" 4 pieces, 1.25" x 5" (we'll call these the spacers) 1 piece, 5" x 3.5" (this will be trimmed later) 1 piece 5" x 6.5" (this will be trimmed later) 2 pieces, 2.5" x 12" (these will be trimmed later) What to do: 1. Mark up the interfacing with your pencil and ruler: measure in 1.5" from each long side and draw a line measure in 3" from one short side and draw a line from the 3" line, measure and mark a further 4 lines, 3/4" apart set aside 'til later I got a bit excited and drew one more line than I needed - you only need an extra 4 to the right of the 3" line 2. Sew your twists: Using all the fabric pieces sized 1.5" x 5", sew each of the scrap pieces to a main fabric piece down one long side and with a 1/4" seam I chain pieced these Press open the seams (this makes it easier to get a good edge), then finger press the twists closed along the seam line, wrong sides together and press again Trim the twists so they are 1" wide and 5" long Here are the 5 twists ready to go 3. Piece the panel: Lay the 5" x 3.5" on top of the interfacing, right side uppermost and centred between the top and bottom lines, carefully matching the 3" line and edge stitch to hold Lay your first twist along this line, carefully matching the long raw edges and edge stitch to hold The twist hasn't been edge stitched in this photo as yet Now it has... Lay 1 1.25" x 5" spacer on top of the twist, matching raw edges and sew through all thicknesses with a 1/4" seam where you just edge stitched Turn main fabric over to the right and press (the long edge of the folded out spacer should be aligned with the next 3/4" line drawn on the interfacing) Oops - forgot to take a photo after the first one, but it's just the same all along - here's the 1.25" x 5" spacer folded out after the 2nd twist and ready to be edge stitched Edge stitch the raw edge Continue adding the twists in this manner until you have stitched down the last one. You will not have any spacers left, but that's ok, because now you'll use the 5" x 6.5" piece to complete the width of the panel 4. Create the Twist: from the back of the piece, sew along one of the 1.5" lines to hold your twists in place I've turned it over so you can see what it should look like fold the other end of each twist to the opposite side and pin to hold Stay stitch along the 1.5" line at the bottom to hold the panel is looking a bit wonky now, but don't fret - it sorts itself out eventually! 5. Complete the panel: Sew the remaining main fabric pieces (12" x 2.5") to the top and bottom of the panel and press open Trim the panel and use as you like.... Let me know if you have a go....and I'm linking up to Tutorial Tuesday over at Lawson and Lotti's
Paper is so versatile. I love the way some people draw or paint on it; some make designs on it so you can use it in your home for an accent, wallpaper, etc.; and some see other possibilities: a for…
