"Something Penguin"

F asked me to make a Christmas gift for her teacher, Ms. Che.  I gave her a list of things to choose from that I could whip up in 2-3 days.  But her answer was, “Na… Hey, mom, she really likes penguins.  Why don’t you make something penguin for her?”  

Fine.  Your mom is weak when it comes to crafty challenges.  I must...CONQUER!  

Last night, I got to work.  Surprisingly, it was a pleasure to create this little fellow.  The basic concept is pretty much like the owl purse except now the zipper attachment is curvier.  Done in one night, not bad at all.  

 

 Just when I thought my job was done, F came to my sewing table and said: “Mom, ALL YOU NEED now is to sew Ms. Che’s name on the penguin’s butt back.”

Anyone who embroiders would know that you put all your decorative stitches on your fabric piece BEFORE you assemble your project, and not the other way around...Arrr.  But I have to agree that having the penguin tattooed on the butt back is a cute idea. 

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Faux Necklace T

Get Your Craft On posted an easy faux necklace T-shirt tutorial that produces incredible results.  I decided to give it a shot.  Unfortunately, I only had the puffy white fabric paint at the moment.  Played with it and got this.   

When I pinned the flower on, JJ said, “No, mama, only boys pin flowers on their clothes.”  I take it as a direct result of attending M&C’s weeding last month.  It took a lot of convincing for JJ to wear the flower and pose for me…ayi-ya. (pix will come later.)

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Happy Birthday, Louise

Louise, you have been an inspiring mentor to me this past year.  I admire your calm spirit, your obedience to the Lord and love for the little ones.  Thank you for your words of encouragement and prayer and for making Monday morning a joy.

Knitted Neck warmer 

(pattern found at Zakka Life)

Owl zipper pouch  

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Gifts for Ms. Monica

A coin pouch and a pencil pouch for one hard working teacher. 

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Books On The List

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Be A Marrow Donor

Register today at National Marrow Donor Program.  One small action could save lives.

http://www.marrow.org/index.html

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Tutorial: Organizing Girls' Hair Thingys

The drawer that stores the girls’ hair thingys was about to vomit this morning.  Arrrr.  Time to organize them!  

Remember the Kerr 8oz Jelly Jars (the box was used to organize the sock drawer)? Well, the hair thingys look pretty good in them.

The drawer and my girls now look pretty, too.

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Owls Purses

The owl zipper purses are not bigger than a packet of  pocket tissues.

 Too lazy to go out and get Could not find the right size buttons for the eyes.  I used the pearl black snaps instead.  This one is for my beloved Bible study CL director.  (I share my love for things that are childish cute and adorable in a heart beat.)  

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Tutorial: Organizing The Sock Drawers

Look for canning jar boxes or beer glass boxes.  They come with dividers to keep products in place and prevent products from shattering.   

  

I use these boxes for Kerr 8oz quilted crystal jelly jars.  Fits the girls’ drawer with room for folded leggings at the side.

Put the whole box in your drawer or just use the dividers.  Stuff your socks in each compartment. Voila!

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Bunny Pencil Case

At first, I was supposed to search for a boxed pencil pouch pattern and make one for Z.  But as I searched, I found this pattern and could not help but make this little cutie.  

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Girls' Neck Warmer

Oh, those long car rides.  Just watching the kids plop in their seats make my neck hurt.  These fleece neck pillows are for the 2 sisters.  Of course, the boy does not want to have anything to do with fluffy items...

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Blog Improvement

I have been having fun exploring how to improve my blog by changing the background, header and adding my signature (though I don't spend nearly enough time blogging as I should.)  Then I realized that I am still a pink loving little girl. 


Learn how to include your personal signature in blog posts here. 

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Tutorial: Magnetic Pin Bowl Tutorial

I saw this magnetic pin bowl with pins for $11.95.

4" magnetic bowl that safely holds pins, scissors, and other metal notions. Securely attaches to metal quilting frames. Comes with a box of 80 pins (size 28).

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$11.95?  You've gotta be kidding.  You could purchase a box of 75 size 28 quilting pins for $2 or less.  And you could get a 4" bowl from one of those Asian supermarkets for $1 or so.  

My brain started racing.  What could I do to make one for cheap?

This is what I ended up with:

Cost: $1-2 (pins not included)

Time: 5 minutes or less

Difficulty: Super easy

Ok, let's get started

I found this in the kitchen.  Exactly 4".

Scavenged the magnet from a kitchen timer that no longer works.

Place the magnet on the bottom of the bowl to test how strong it is.

Yap, it's good enough for this project.

Depends on how much coverage you want, you might want to tape or hot glue more than one magnet (I used 3 for mine).

Find a scrap of fabric from your previous project.

Cut the scrap into a long rectangle (long enough to wrap around the bowl and 2" overlapping, tall enough to hang 2-3" and cover most of the bottom).

Hem the raw edges and hot glue it around the bowl (I started by only applying hot glue right under the rim to secure the scrap).

 Now turn the bowl upside down.  Make pleats by pulling the scrap gently, folding and pinning pleats in place (be sure the pleats spaced out evenly).

Glue each fold (pleat) down.

Cut a small rectangle scrap, hem raw edges and hot glue it to cover the bottom of the bowl.

Now you have a magnetic pin bowl on your sewing table!  

You could also use the bottom of the bowl to pick up loose pins on the table. Told you this is easy.  =)

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Fruit Art by Carl Kleiner

F and J voted this as their favorite. 

J: "hahaha, it's so funny!"

My favorite.

Not only are Carl Kleiner's creations clever, they make you smile and want more.

http://carlkleiner.com/

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