greetingarts

bathroom banter

It's hard for me to believe, but it's been over six years since we made our first home purchase and have been living in this town house.  When we moved in, there were cosmetic things we immediately wanted to improve.  We didn't plan on staying too long, but like I said, now we're closing in on seven years here, and while we did repaint the upstairs bedrooms, the downstairs areas have been pretty much untouched.  Who knows how much longer we'll be here?  We might as well make the place the way we want it right now, rather than fixing it up just in time to sell it.  I know we'll be happier with just a little paint, a little organization and elbow grease (and ripping out the disgusting carpet, but we won't talk about that just now).

 
One of our biggest projects that we did finish was the small upstairs bathroom.   It was pretty tragic when we moved in. 

 
Two things that don't belong in a bathroom (particularly a tiny one without a window) are wallpaper and wall-to-wall carpeting.  Please, people, when you're building a home, can you rethink the whole wall-to-wall-carpet-in-the-bathroom thing?  And Don't. Do. It.  Just restrain yourself.

I honestly don't remember taking down the wallpaper... maybe my husband did it all while I kept Rebecca (who would have been less than 2 years old) occupied.  We used mildew resistant primer and paint, and the bright yellow and white color scheme does wonders for opening up the tiny bathroom, brightening it up a lot. 

Getting that carpet out (years later) was just the greatest feeling!  Our new floor is made up of small tiles, probably 1" squares and 1" x 2" rectangles, but they came in square foot sheets that are laid down in blocks.  Very neat.  With just paint, we spruced up that yucky little sink and made it look loads better.  New knobs would do wonders, too, I know.

Now, it's time to tackle the downstairs master bath.  It's... bad (thus, no pictures).  Peeling Southwestern-ish wallpaper (though uncarpeted, thankfully!), and it's much bigger than the upstairs bath, so it's much more daunting.  We have no budget to spend on this, so we'll just remove the wallpaper, repaint *everything,* and dream about a new bathroom vanity, like this or this (my husband probably won't vote for that last one).  Wish me luck, but don't hold your breath.  It's been almost seven years.  Can I get this done in the less-than-seven weeks left of summer vacation?

plant me - a long-winded tutorial of sorts

Okay, so maybe I didn't take as many good photos as I'd originally thought... but anyway, for whatever it's worth, here goes a mini tutorial to let you know how I made the little plantable flower favors for Jessie's preschool class.  It's kind of a multi-step process, you can split it up if your kiddos are going to be helping and have a short attention span.  There are papermaking kits out there that you can buy that have much better directions than mine, and probably lots of great videos and online tutorials too - so please go check them out if I end up utterly confusing you.

 
First, you'll need to find some paper you were about to relegate to the recycle bin, mostly non-glossy (though you can put in a bit of that, too).  We used some construction paper from old preschool homework projects, and the corner of one of those drink holders they give you at the fast food places when you haven't got enough hands...  The size of the pieces isn't a horribly big deal, because next you'll be getting out the machinery.  Well, actually, I  take that back.  If you're using super thick stuff like the drink holder, I think you probably do want to rip it up so the pieces are no bigger than oh, say your thumbnail, or your blender might not like you too much.

So then, yes, pull out an old blender - preferably from the thrift store and not one you'll ever use for margaritas again.  If you don't want to mess up your blender, you could probably get away with ripping up your pieces really really reeeally small and letting it all soak in a bucket of water overnight.  But my kids (and I) are not that patient, and I made my own paper way back before I was married so I already owned a messed up blender.  Put a couple of handfuls of ripped up paper into the blender, then fill about three-quarters of the way with water.  Hit the button and mash it up until it looks like a smoothie.  Puree is the right setting on mine...

It doesn't look attractive, I know.  But you're going to pour it into a dishpan and probably make at least another batch.  I have my well-used tub filled about halfway.  As  you can see from the grey sides, if you use junk mail or stuff that already has printing on it, the ink will run and that's just something you need to be aware of.  Obviously, this isn't an exact science - at least not for me, anyway.

The rest of the supplies you'll need are a sponge, some muslin or other cheap cloth (keep in mind whatever texture your cloth is, that's the texture you'll have on your paper - mine is smooth), and some wooden frames.  The size of your frame will determine the size of your paper.

 
One of your frames is simply a wooden rectangle, or whatever shape you want, really.  The other frame has a very fine mesh stapled to it.  You're going to hold the two frames together, the mesh one on the bottom with the mesh side up (staples facing you) and then the other one stacked on top.  You'll dunk the frames into your washtub, letting the paper pulp settle onto the frames.  Move gently from side to side so that you get even coverage, and here's where you add the seeds, and need a couple of extra hands.  You could also pour the seeds into the tub after you add the pulp and mix it up inside the basin (with your hands, don't put the seeds in the blender of course), but I just wanted to make sure you could see them lying on top of the paper.  Then lift straight up, and let it drain, using the sponge from the underside to wick away as much water as possible.  Then, carefully remove the top frame and turn the mesh frame with the paper on it face down onto your cloth.  Use the sponge to press down on the back of the mesh frame, removing as much moisture as you can, and repeat until you can't wring out your sponge any more.  Start pulling the frame up from a corner, and the paper should come away from the mesh easily, sticking to the cloth on the bottom. 

 
Take the cloth with the newly-made, still-wet paper on it, set it by a window in the sunlight, allow to dry, and then the paper will peel right off the muslin.  If you don't put seeds in, you can even iron your paper and it will be dry almost instantly (again, that patience thing).  But, of course, if you have seeds you can't do that! 

When everything was dry, I cut out a cute shape, traced on the back of the paper (less seed interference that way) and cut.  You could certainly use a die cutter or paper punch.  That would be much smarter.

 
We used poppy, batchelor button, forget-me-not and daisy seeds.  They were small, and not too thick.  

I printed up some simple tags so the parents would know what to do with these, and cut them into strips.

I looped the strips and used a water soluble glue stick to attach them onto the backs of the flowers.  In retrospect, I think they would have been cuter with green paper, maybe even cut to look like leaves.  Anyway, they were pretty simple, even though my directions may not make it seem so.  Please email if you have questions, I didn't mean to confuse anyone.  I hadn't expected to explain the whole papermaking process, just the adding seeds part and how I made them into favors!

Happy Earth Day, everyone.

bunny bucket

I should have posted this like two weeks ago, but whatever, I haven't got the foggiest idea how today is my mom's birthday (Happy Birthday, Mom!) and last week was like Valentine's Day, right?  And tomorrow it will be Easter?

So here's a seasonal project, done on time!  I was lucky enough to test the Bunny Bucket pattern for Australian designer Helen Stubbings, whose embroidery designs I have long admired.  My photos are horribly washed out (it was too sunny!) but the colors are really rich and bright and I had a great time stitching the bunnies, flowers and dragonflies.  Embroidery is so soothing and magical for me.  I had a lot of success with my satin stitches this time, too, miracle of miracles.  I usually struggle with them so much, but this time it was simple and relaxing.  See the dragonflies?

 
The frill around the top of the bucket makes it nice and girly, and while my girls requested colorful embroidery, the original design is stitched in one color and uses a faux applique method described in the pattern.   For my embroidery fabric, I chose a batik leftover I had and the lining, frill and handle are lime green with tiny gold dots.  There's a circle of plastic in the bottom (from the lid of an old ice-cream container that was holding Legos) for stability, and the embroidery was done in a single strand of DMC Pearl Cotton #8.

 
For a while I was stumped because I didn't have any boning to use for the handle, and I knew cardboard would be too flimsy, but can you guess what I finally figured out to put inside my turned-out tube?

Good excuse to eat up all those Mini Lemon Bites.  I just cut a strip from the side of the container, and it worked like a charm.  The sewing machine needle went through the plastic with no problem.  Do you think a double thickness of two layers would be pushing it?

And here's the real reason (aside from the fact that I'm just not a very good photographer)that I don't have very good photos of the Bunny Bucket.  We went to pick up Rebecca from school a few minutes earlier than usual so I could use the grass in front of the main building to pose my bucket, but Jessie really only wanted me to take photos of her with Puppy.  I should have just let her put Puppy in the Bunny Bucket, but I didn't think of it until just now.

let's focus on the lovely

On Valentine's Day, Rebecca woke up grumpy and lethargic, and by the afternoon had developed a slight fever and yucky stomach trouble.  Jessie got it about 24 hours later, and Rebecca stayed home from school yesterday, just as a precaution.  So let's just remember the fun stuff about the weekend, not the ugly...

I filled up two of those cute Target mailboxes (which seem to be on every crafty blog this year) with dollar store trinkets and miniature stationary cut with my Sizzix, and my husband spent the night before Valentine's Day watching the Olympics and punching tiny hearts out of scrap paper.

I was most excited about the toilet paper tube hearts, though, which I hung with some fishing-line-type stuff from their doorway.  I first saw the idea here (scroll down a bit) on Roots & Wings Co. (a fabulous blog by some amazing women), and knew I had to do it.  Jessica is fascinated by all things hanging in the stores, like the McDonald's coffee displays and Target banners dangling from the ceiling.

I taped them onto the door frame in the wee hours of Valentine's morning, so the girls would see it first thing when they woke up.  It was a huge hit, and I think they'll stay there until well past Mother's Day.

My husband brought home three gorgeous bouquets of flowers and beautiful cards, one for each of his Valentines.  Just looking at the blooms makes me instantly feel cheerful and I can't help but smile.

And to  put a smile on your face, too, here's a picture of Jessie at her sister's classroom party, held right after her own preschool party Friday afternoon.  Jessie kept saying it was her best day ever.  Two parties, goodie bags, Valentines cards, and a trip to Disneyland after school.  We even saw the fireworks show as we were leaving to catch the tram back to our car.  One of the best days for sure.

umi-ingenuity

My youngest is really into Nick Jr.'s latest educational kids show, Team Umizoomi, a math-related cartoon based on numbers and shapes.  I signed up to "Join the Team" and got to print out a multiple-page activity pack, with a poster and some stickers and things for Jessie.

She's currently learning how to write her numbers in preschool, so I thought this would be great reinforcement of that activity.  But how to make it last a while?

I'd just been cleaning out my cupboards and boxes the day before (okay, really I was trying to find something among the piles and stacks) and *almost* threw away the old, yellowing magnetic album pages (remember those things?) that I'd been saving for "something" someday.  And here was the perfect use for them.  I peeled off the plastic liner sheet, taped them together and used them to faux laminate the top of the poster.  Now Jessie can trace and circle numbers with a dry-erase marker, and just wipe off with a tissue.

Then I stuck the sheet that was supposed to be printed onto sticker paper onto the sticky leftover part of the magnetic photo album page, and had some instant stickers.  Well, almost instant.  I did have to cut them *all* out first.

All finished and taped up on the wall within twenty minutes.  And I didn't spend a penny.  I don't think this will be the last of the Umi crafts, though.  Jessie *really* likes this show.

fix or flop?

Rebecca was given this perfectly nice pink and white sweater a few months ago, but it has proven to be completely unwearable.  I don't know if clothing from other countries suffers the same fate, but a lot of stuff from China (I'm a proud Chinese-American so no one should think I'm racist) has just *ridiculous* English writing on it.

"Beny knedee?"  Or is that an "h?"  "Hnedee?"  "Beny?"  Anyone got a clue on that one?  Ugh.  *Any*way, it's been cold here.  Like, highs in the low 50s (trust me, that's practically unheard of here in So Cal), and my girls really don't have very many sweaters.  And it was such a waste to have this one sitting there, exactly the right size, in colors Rebecca loves, simply collecting dust.

I thought of removing the embroidery and the heart, but after looking at the construction, I realized that just wasn't going to work.  So I took a cue from the flowers along the bottom, and made some crocheted flowers one night.  I hand-sewed them on this afternoon, but I'm not entirely convinced that I've fixed the problem. 

What's the verdict?  Wearable now?  Or not?

'twas the night before the classroom party

...when all through the house

the crafter was crafting,

ignoring the snores of her spouse.

Just kidding, actually I got everything finished before midnight, and my husband kept me company the whole time.  Wanna know how I made them?  You probably won't have time to do this in time for Christmas this year, but you can hold onto the idea for other holidays or Christmases to come, right?  Thought I should put the instructions and little tutorial together now, while I remember. 

Can you guess what the packages are made out of?

Yup.  Empty toilet paper roll.  So useful, those things!  So, collect yourself some paper tubes, and gather your supplies.  You'll need the tubes (one tube makes one package), some gift wrap (preferably 24" in length so you won't have any scraps at all - love the way that works out), something to measure with (I used my Omnigrid), something to cut with (I had an Xacto knife), double-stick tape, glue stick, and a paper crimper.  Oh, and small little things to put inside, of course.  You could use scrapbooking paper, too, but I think the gift wrap is a little thinner (which is good, because the toilet paper tubes are pretty thick), and probably works out to be a *lot* cheaper, especially if you're making quite a few.  I had 24 of these done in about an hour.

Cut your wrapping paper into 4.5" x 6", use glue stick or tape to wrap your paper tube with the cute gift wrap, then put a strip of double stick tape on the inside edge of one end.  Run it through the paper crimper, turning the handle about three times.  You're crimping about an inch.  Incidentally, Cindy has a great tutorial for this, too, only she made hers entirely out of cardstock. 

Insert your goodies (remembering that you'll lose about another inch again when you close it up), and flatten the other end, making sure it's perpendicular to the first edge (whoa, what's that *math* word doing on my blog?!).  I think you'll get it if you just look at the photo.  I used a screw punch to make holes in the corners where we attached little "From Rebecca" tags.  Turned out cute, but I hope the kids don't care that there's only stickers, mini erasers and peppermints inside.

I even got all the teacher gifts made and wrapped up, but I'll save that for another post.  Did you notice the wrapping paper I used?  How it says "Randolph" right next to the reindeer?  Do you think that's a crazy, glaring typo?  Is there a Randolph Reindeer legend I don't know about?

it all got done

Somehow, we managed.  Target didn't have any plain white knee high socks or tights in Rebecca's size, and on Wednesday night I was kind of panicking when I remembered an old pair of the girls' footless tights that had a teeny paint stain on them. I'd dumped them in the box designated for charity, so I pulled those out and with some pinking shears, fabric marker, a can of Sprite and tape, I transformed them into Pearl the Cloud Fairy stockings.

With pinking shears, I cut the legs off as long as possible, then stretched one over a soda can.  Using tape as a spacer and to mask off the areas I didn't want painted, I just colored stripes with a pink fabric marker that I had left over from Rebecca's birthday party.  The tops rolled in on themselves, didn't need hemming at all and it was pretty perfect.  I didn't spend a dime, and it was very MacGyver-ish of me, don't you think?  I don't think my husband or Rebecca was sufficiently impressed.

And on Thursday I only stayed up until a little past midnight finishing up 26 of these candy corn bags for Rebecca's classmates.  See the little tag on the right?  Made by printing this adorable design by Babalisme onto cardstock (sorry, I don't think it's available for download anymore).  Jessie tried to help Rebecca sign her name on the tags, since they all had to get done at breakfast the following morning.  Cute, huh?  Rebecca was not amused.

And speaking of Jessie, here's the only sharp photo I could find of her in the hat.  

Trust me, it looked cute, and with a Hello Kitty Halloween T-shirt and the skirt I made last year, she was stylin' during trick-or-treat.  I also made some quick, reversible treat bags from the glittery ghost fabric seen in the background of the first photo and some Halloween Hello Kitty stuff I found at Joann.  Of course they wanted the HK facing outwards.  

There was plenty of loot for all... I'm off to sneak some Reese's cups.

sock it to me

Two packages from Amazon.com came for me yesterday, with four books that I'd pre-ordered and almost forgotten all about.  Soon, I'll put them on that as-yet-non-existent third blog I talked about earlier, but for now, I just want to tell you about one of them.

Now, I own (and have looked at) a lot of craft books.  I mean, really a lot, just ask my husband.  And there's usually at least one or two projects from each that I want to bookmark, or that make me want to start gathering supplies.  But I don't think I've ever had one that grabbed me so immediately and made me conquer my fears and whip out a finished product in less than a couple of hours. 

One baby sock, a pair of scissors, a needle, thread and some stuffing (a surprisingly large quanitity, actually!) all combined to create Beatty, the Box Tops bunny.  Remember my little request for Box Tops?  For each one you send me, you'll get a chance to win this little fella!  I'm extending the drawing date to October 15, and I'll pick a winner after I get the mail that evening.

And in case someone doesn't want to part with  Beatty, I'll make another from the other sock...

Good thing they come in pairs.

neither paper nor plastic

Okay, what the heck happened to last week?  Where did it go, and can I get it back?  No?  Sheesh, well let's move on, then.

During the last week of Kindergarten, Rebecca's teacher asked me if I'd make her some reusable shopping bags over the summer.  So now, three weeks after the new school year, I figured I'd better get around to finishing them up!  Here's my utterly underwhelming photograph... note to self: white walls, white door, white blinds and white bag does not equal a stellar picture.

I love the fabric, a sheet I found at the thrift store.  I don't think I paid more than a couple of dollars for it, and after making 5 bags, there's still a heck of a lot left.  I really didn't use any one particular tutorial for these, but looked at as many as I could and pieced together ideas from several. I folded the sheet in half, and took advantage of as many of the already hemmed edges as I could, especially the top edge.    I used French seams, so there are no raw edges, and I boxed the bottoms.  The finished bags are about 15" x 17" x 3".

I bought webbing for the handles (cost almost 10 times as much as the sheet!), and made darn sure they weren't ever going to go anywhere... those suckers are secure.  They're about 6", long enough to put over your shoulder, but short enough so you can carry the bag in your hand without it dragging on the floor.

 

These five were delivered today, and were enthusiastically received, if not enthusiastically modeled.  The look on Jessie's face just cracks me up.

"What am I?  A bag tree, Mommy?

Just kidding.  See?  There.  There's a teeny tiny smile.  She really was having fun, she just didn't want to smile for the camera.