Halloween Ornament

I have officially gone batty! I created these felt bats for a swap I'm in a 2peas. I saw a bat a while back and did a screenprint for inspiration. Now I can't find the source. So if it's your idea..please let me know and I will credit you. I did a slight modification on the body shape and added a round circle under one of the button eyes to make it look a little more primitive looking. Here's how I did it.

Step 1 - Cut 2 black bat shapes out of black felt

Step 2 -cut one round circle out of felt(any color but black) - I did mine in orange, yellow, and purple

Step 3 - Gather some halloween colored buttons(I used an SEI halloween button tube I had on hand)

Step 4 - Sew the round felt shape and the halloween buttons on for eyes on one piece of the black felt. (You can use my how to sew on a button with your machine tutorial if you don't know how to do this)

Step 5 - Sew on the mouth and fangs(use a contrasting thread - I used orange but white could look nice too)

Step 6 - Cut a length of ribbon for your ornament hanger(I used orange ribbon)

Step 7 - Place ribbon folded in half in between the two felt black pieces. The felt pieces should be wrong sides together.

Step 8 - Sew around the perimeter of the bat to secure in ornament hanger

Step 9 - Sew two trianges on both sides of the eyes and mouth to create a fun look.

Step 10 - Hang up your bat and let him fly.

ENJOY!

Bandaids for BOO BOO's

I saw some customized band-aids some where on the internet so I had to make some. Here's what you do:

1.) Buy some band-aids, staz on ink pad and a stamp
2.) Open the band-aids

3.) Stamp image with stazon ink. If stamp is too big turn stamp over and place band-aid on top to stamp it.

4.) If you want make a fry container to hold the bandaids(sorry for the bad pic)

5.) Use as needed for all BOO BOO's

School Snack - Oranges

It's our turn for school lunch this week. We usually do a fruit because most people do a starch like peanut butter crackers and baked chips. While Natalie really likes pb crackers and chips she gets bored with them. In the past I have done strawberries with ff cool whip and mini bananas, ff vanilla pudding, and vanilla wafers. So this time we came up with oranges. Since 1st graders can't usually peel oranges I got that job. If I never have to peel another orange it will be too soon. :) I have to admit even for me I went a little overboard this time around. I made bag toppers for the oranges with a knock knock joke, sewed wet one packs for the wet ones(you can't give kids oranges and not have wet ones can you? I didn't think so). And the thing that put it over the top...when Natalie told me she gets to hand out her treats ...what did I do you ask? Yep, I made her a orange shirt to wear to school and a hair scrunchie on snack day to match her snacks. I told you,,,over the top. But hey, let the other mom's talk about how I must not have a job, etc(BTW, I do have a job)..... I had fun making the stuff and Natalie said she loved it...so yeah! Hope you enjoy the pics and let me know if you have any other ideas for snacks.

Spooky Forks

We had several forks left over and some googly eyes so Natalie glued them on. We saw this in a magazine and knew we had to create these for our Halloween Party. Very quick and easy project.

School Fun - Utensil Customization - Twist on Lunch Box love note

I went to the grocery store today and I bought a box of 100 plastic forks. When I cook I try to come up with quick projects Natalie can do to keep her happy. Today's project consisted of white plastic forks and a sharpie marker. Natalie and I customized all 100 of them. We first began with a halloween theme with ghosts, witches, halloween sayings, etc. Then when we ran out of ideas I started coming up with ideas for her school lunch. I usually send a note or goodie in her lunch box anyways so this would be great for the note. I thought of the usual notes...I love you, Your the best daughter ever, etc. I also thought it would be fun to tell her when her favorite shows come on in the evenings...Like - New GLEE on tonight!!! Ideas for customizing your silverware are endless. HAVE SOME FUN!!!

Thanksgiving Advent Calendar

I created this Thanksgiving Advent Calendar for a sewing swap on two peas. It is made of felt, muslin, stazon, and number stamps. It was time consuming but the final product was worth it. I first cut the squares out of fall colored felt. The squares are approximately 2 1/2 by 3. Then I stamped the numbers with stazon onto muslin. After that I cut the numbers out and sewed a leaf on each square. Then I zigzag stitched the numbers on the felt pockets. I laid out the felt pockets on the background and pinned them in place. Then I sewed and sewed and sewed until all the pockets were secure. Lastly I handcut the title and sewed it onto the background. Then I cut out a backing piece and rod pockets for the top. Since I was using felt I did not have to turn right sides together to put on the backing. I just sewed around the permimeter and placed the rod pockets in at the top.

I plan on using my calendar for thankful activities. For instance, one day I might say....We are thankful for our grandparents...Give them a call today and tell them you love them.

Kindergarten Graduation Ideas - Sneak peak

I am planning Kindergarten Graduation party for the students in Natalie's class. I have been a busy bee making all kinds of fun goodies. Check my other blog(http://craftparty.blogspot.com) next Monday for pictures and details. For now...I'll show you the plates in progress for them to eat on. Please ignore the soup can that was to weigh down the plate so the glue would stick. I'm going to have one at each place setting. They still need there tassle but I think they are turning out cute.

Cost: $2.48 for pack of 22 bowls, $4.98 for 2 packs of 15 plates..Total Cost under $10 bucks for a big statement on the tables.

XOXO Hope

End of School Year tradition

The school year is winding down and I wanted to come up with some traditions for my daughter who is graduating this year from Kindergarten. I plan on each year picking a significant item that my daughter has learned in school that year and making her a t-shirt to wear. This year she learned to read so it was only fitting to have a t-shirt that said "I learned to read in Mrs. Briles Class". She wore the t-shirt to school today since it's the last week of school. I can't wait to see what her teacher thought about it :).

This project costs me under $5.00 to make. T-shirt $2.00, Iron On Letters $2.00

XOXO Hope