“At the end, I want my life to be unexplainable apart from the Gospel and Holy Spirit.”
This past Sunday’s sermon was particularly inspiring to me. A good reminder that the fruit of a Christian’s life isn’t necessarily measured by how many people you’ve been able to lift out of poverty or orphans you’ve managed to save, but rather:
“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control… Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” Galatians 5:22,26
Along with the handful of scheduled (academic) activities Calvin and Charissa do each day (tracked with the awesome sticker chart), I’ve been helping them memorize Bible verses. I decided that the Romans Road to Salvation would be a good starting point (Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, 10:9-10). The theology is a bit too deep for them to completely comprehend, but as it says in Psalm 119:11
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
…which prompted me to make this heart pocket pillow to literally “hide” their verses inside. A sort of “hands on” literal reinforcement of the importance of knowing God’s word.
The process of making the heart pocket pillow is similar to making a lined tote bag. And the uses for something like this extends beyond memory verses: encouraging or thoughtful notes for someone special or small toys for infants. Or substitute the heart with a tooth for a tooth fairy pillow! Click here to download the PDF tutorial.
This past weekend, we brought the kids to a local farm to play:
jump on a giant bouncy pillow:
and play some miniature golf. Calvin’s got the hang of it:
Charissa is definitely showing potential… in the sport of kitchen-floor-broom-sweeping:
Poor baby Stephen; Still too young to join in on the fun:
I also managed to make a second holiday dress for Charissa and the shop:
Seemingly nice and sweet… until you see this outtake:
Yes. I quickly removed the wooden box prop. So… un-lady like. Totally not the look I was going for!
(except Peter Pan) And I am turning 30 this year! Ahhh! Even as adults, we still have a few more milestones left
My best friend Janet (who will also be hitting the big three-o) had this brilliant idea of going on a weekend getaway together, sans kids and husbands, to help celebrate this momentous occasion. I am super excited. Any suggestions on where to go or what to do?
I may be getting old(er), but I still love roller coasters! This past Saturday, we took C&C to Seabreeze. They absolutely loved it. Compared to Disney World, it was much less stressful with plenty of rides for people 40″ and shorter, short lines, bearable weather, and a smaller map to get from one ride to another. One our way back home, Calvin goes, “What is the funnest place in the whole wide world?! It’s not Disney World! It’s SEABREEZE!”
Here are the kids right before heading out. We kept the trip a surprise until the morning of:
Like their Auntie Amy, they are really into jumping shots
Calvin’s favorite ride was the “Sea Dragon”, the big boat that goes back and forth higher and higher. It really does tickle your tummy from the inside out. Even I couldn’t help giggling like a little girl :p
click to view larger
I do so love amusement parks I was completely wiped after just 3 hours. The kids were fine and so disappointed that we had to leave so soon. Yeah… getting old
I will end today’s post with a tutorial on how to make what I call “The 30 Minute Fat Quarter Skop Top” (Skop = Skirt + Top):
It’s a simple, easy, and “cheap” way to get your designer-fabric fix while making something beautiful for a little lady (up to 4T).
You will need:
- One fat quarter
- 3/8″ wide elastic
- bias tape
- lace or ribbon
1. Unfold your fat quarter and iron out the creases.
2. Cut your fat quarter in half so that you end up with two 18″ by 11″ pieces.
3. With wrong sides together, sew together the two sides measuring 11″, 1/8″ from the edge. These are the sides of your top.
4. Turn your top inside out so that right sides are together. Press the edges and sew together the two sides measuring 11″ again, this time, 1/4″ from the edge. You are effectively doing a french seam here (encasing the raw edges). Not necessary. But it produces a nicer finished product.
5. Zigzag or serge the top and bottom of the top.
6. Fold the bottom edge over 1/4″ and sew, creating the hem.
7. Fold the top edge over 1/2″ and sew 3/8″ from the edge, creating a channel for the elastic. Be sure to leave a 1″ opening to insert the elastic in
8. Using a safety pin, thread the elastic through the channel. The equation I use to determine the length of elastic needed goes like this:
circumference of chest - 2.5″ = length of 3/8″ wide elastic
Note: This equation only works for 3/8″ wide elastic.
9. Once the elastic is through, overlap the two ends by an inch and zigzag them together back and forth a few times to secure.
10. Cut two pieces of bias tape (for a 4T, I cut two 10″ long pieces). Place and pin one end of the tape 2″ from the side seam. This will be the front of the top. Pin and place the other end of the bias tape 3″ from the same side seam (so that the two ends are 1″ apart). This will be back of the top.
11. Secure the ends of the bias tape with a straight stitch, going back and forth a few times. Repeat with the other side.
12. Add lace, flowers, or whatever you want to complete the look!
In effort to redeem myself from yesterday’s post, here is a better cuddle bunny:
Upon closer inspection, I realized that the instructions I bought forgot to include the step of stuffing the bunny’s feet. They hold up much better now!
I’m happy to say that those who’ve bought my dress patterns have done an awesome job in producing finished products that actually resemble what they are supposed to. First up, from Jessica of Mae Rose Couture:
I love the little ruffle she added! And her daughter! So cute!
The little bird-on-a-branch applique is so well placed and designed. Not to mention her yummy fabric choice!
Good job guys! Now back to making more bunnies. By the time I’m done mastering the cuddle bunny, I will have enough of these little buggers to put together a book on the “evolution of Jen’s cuddle bunnies”…
Here’s to a blog post title that will hopefully unite an otherwise random string of updates!
My 1st Drawing Book This was my first drawing book given to me when I was nine. So it was rather nostalgic to see Calvin draw from it!
My 1st Plushie
I really stink at making stuffed toys. It’s like all the skills I’ve gained from sewing dresses goes out the window when I attempt anything cute and cuddly. My finished product never turns out how the designer intended it to. But repetition leads to perfection, and there’s nothing like having two children who are constantly helping you scout out cute plushies on Etsy to motivate one to practice more! Here is my first doll, made from this pattern:
No where as cute or colorful as the samples, but Charissa doesn’t seem to mind!
Now take a look at this adorable plush bunny:
Calvin was sitting next to me when I chanced upon this cuddly bunny and immediately exclaimed, “Mommy! That is sooo cute! Can you get that for me?!” Are you kidding me?! I’ll do better than that! I’ll make it for you! Sort of. Because mine somehow morphed into a ninja-slash-middle-eastern-bunny-with-turban somewhere between trying to hide the uneven placement of ears by tying them together to my inability to embroider and successfully perform blind stitching:
And then one of the poor bunny’s eyes got loose, and in the heat of the moment, I tried gluing the thing back on, only to fail, leaving a smudge mark that resembles dried tears. A sad ninja bunny:
Here’s what it looks like with it’s ears down:
It’s a dumbo bunny! Oh well. Calvin likes it. And that makes one happy mommy But really, I seriously need to practice more.
My 1st Cold Weather Purchase
…from the very talented Merideth of SheepishKnitCrochet:
I love the simplicity of her style and got a pair of these too:
Of course, right after this photo session, he decides to blow out of his diaper. Anyone know of a good way to get rid of poop stains?
Speaking of Stephen, his 1st birthday is coming up! In about two months. But knowing how easily I get distracted, I need to start planning now and with this super cute invitation as a jumping point:
I already have ideas about what favors to make to go along with the invite. Hopefully, I’ll actually get around to them and share with you all!
The owners and designers of the store are really nice! I’ll actually be working with them on something special More on that later! In the meantime, you can visit their blog for lots of party inspiration… and to read their mini feature on me which seriously makes me sound so much more awesome than I am in real life :p
Music & Bible camp/VBS is over and I can finally get back to blogging and making stuff! (By the way, have you guys been to Crap I’ve Made? I wish I thought of that blog title… ) Anyway, here are some things I’ve been working on:
A “Montessori” bag for Calvin (Charissa’s is still in progress):
Room enough for 12 markers, folder or notebook, Goodbyn lunchbox, and water bottle:
A new dress that’s got me thinking about when I want to start the kids on piano and violin:
A cardigan that’s been floating in my head for a while now:
And another upcycled project that I will share with you now:
I remember playing with something similar to these when I was little. You stand and balance on the top of the cans and pull/move with the “ropes”. My mother-in-law had given me a bunch of empty Shaklee cans and I’ve been waiting for the right project to use them. The “ropes” are just strips of fabric braided together, and if you feel inclined to make a pair for your own children, here is a quick tutorial:
1. You will need a power drill with a 1/4″ drill bit.
2. Drill two holes on opposite sides of a sturdy can (the shorter the can, the easier it will be for kids to use. Formula cans may work well too.)
3. Using pinking shears or a pinking blade, cut three 1″ by 88″ strips of fabric (you will need to sew strips together end-on-end to get the length you need.)
4. Layer the ends of the strips together.
5. Roll up the end as tight as possible,
6. and thread it through the hole.
7. Tie a knot,
8. and pull through.
Then just braid the strips together and secure the other end of the strips in the same manner.
Calvin had a lot of fun practicing walking on them:
And for those of you who know my kids, here’s a recent clip of them dancing away. They were much less reserved when I didn’t have the camera on them. Once they knew I was recording, they toned it down a bit
Jeremy thought it would be cool (for me) to make a double rainbow dress. And so I did. Really, just for our amusement. I wasn’t expecting it to sell seeing how it is a bit different than my usual style. But I actually sold one today! Which, in my opinion, is so double rainbow!
This has now become Charissa’s favorite dress. I guess there’s just something about bright colors and rainbows that attract little girls!
Speaking of Charissa, I’m “moving” my store to minimooh.etsy.com (the “h” stands for “handmade” and is only there because minimoo.etsy.com was taken …Now that I think about it, I probably should have just made it minimoohandmade.etsy.com…) Growing Up with Charissa will stay remain open for a while. Maybe even indefinitely due to all those hard-earned hearts and positive feedback!
Anyway, as I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I will be co-leading crafts for my Church’s Music and Bible camp next week. We were all given this lovely t-shirt to wear:
The crew neck is so high it reminds me of a stunted turtleneck. Not attractive. To leave the shirt as-is could be considered crime on the high seas! Especially when one is able to do something about it! (Get it…? No? The camp theme is “High Seas Expedition”.)
Here is the end product (I finally figured out how to activate the self-timer on my camera):
Nothing spectacular, but a bit better than before! If you happen to need to modify a t-shirt into something more “sailor-y”, here’s a quick tutorial:
1, 2. Cut an asymmetrical “v” from the neckline. Be sure not to cut it too wide.
3. Cut 2 1/4″ off the bottom hem of the shirt.
4. Cut the strip from step 3 into two equal-length strips.
5. Place a strip across one of the “v” sides, matching up the raw edge of the strip to the raw edge of the “v”. Sew in place using a 1/4″ inseam and stopping at the bottom point of the “v”.
6. Place the second strip across the other “v” side and sew in place.
7. Tie a knot. You now have a sailor-y neckline!
8. Cut 3.5″ off from both sleeves (or however much you’d like. You can even cut the entire sleeve off and make it into a tank.)
9. Ta da! I also sewed in side seams to help the shirt take on more shape, instead of a giant tube with neck and armholes If the neckline is too wide for your taste, you can always wear a strappy camisole or tank top underneath (which is what I will be doing… I have narrow shoulders.)
I’m a guy when it comes to movies. I’ll take horror, brainless slasher, adventure, or action over drama or romantic comedy almost any day (also a big fan of fantasy and Tim Burton films). I haven’t found a “scary” movie buddy in Rochester yet so when Ninja Assassin arrived via Blockbuster (thanks Mazie for telling Jeremy about it :p ), I was all over it. I was expecting it to be one of those cheesy Asian kung-fu films (and yes, even when I know it’s going to be that bad, I’ll still watch it). It was surprisingly not bad. But maybe it’s because my expectations weren’t very high to begin with .
Anyway, I’m pretty sure the majority of those who read my blog don’t share the same taste in movies as I do (Can you imagine a group of women bringing over homemade apple pie with their cute Vera Bradley bags to watch “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and pop bonbons? Well, if this doesn’t sound like your ideal girl’s night out, don’t watch Ninja Assassin.) I may not be able to round up fellow-crafters-who-have-better-things-to-do to watch slasher films with me, or perform awesome ninja moves to protect my offspring, but I CAN ninja my way into slicing up an old shirt and making something out of it!
Quick N’ Dirty - The Drawstring Layered Skirt
You will need:
an old knit shirt (preferably long sleeved)
ball-point needle (not necessary but highly recommended)
sewing machine, thread, rotary blade and mat or scissors.
1. Lay your shirt flat and smooth out wrinkles.
2. Starting from the bottom, slice your shirt width-wise (from side to side) into three bands, each a different height (the longest should be the length you want your skirt to be from waist to hem). You now have three tube strips.
3. Open up your tube strips and put them over and on top of each other so that the longest is on the bottom/inside and the shortest is on top/outside. Match up the top/waist.
4. Pin and stitch around the top, 1/4″ from the edge, securing together all three tube strips/layers. Set your stitch length and thread tension higher and sew along the top edge again, creating small gathers.
5. 6. Measure your child’s waist and cut two 2″ strips from the remaining t-shirt so that, when sewed together at the ends, equals that measurement.
7. Adjust your gathered/ruffled skirt piece so that it measures the same as your waist strip. With right sides together, sew the waist band to the top edge of the skirt, 3/8″ from the edge. Flip the waist band up…
8. and fold over to the wrong side. Stitch all the way around to form a casing.
9. Find the center front of your skirt and snip a tiny hole in the top layer of your waist band casing.
10. With the remaining part(s) of your t-shirt (I used the sleeves), cut a long 2″ strip (about twice the length of the waist measurement), fold it in half lengthwise and sew 1/4″ from the edge, and turn your tube right-side out to form the drawstring.
11. Use a safety pin to thread your drawstring through the waist band casing.
Everything I know about drugs I learned from movies…
(To my children in the near future: Please don’t do drugs. Please don’t do drugs…) The relevant snippet to this title is further down in the post, in case you were wondering
I finally finished my wholesale order, so now I’m freeeeeee! (Except I still have laundry to fold. Have I mentioned that I hate doing laundry? There are weeks where we just live off the floor, clothing-wise…) Anyway, I’ve been working on this order for a month and can finally check it off my list!
Today’s post is a tablescrap creation (a term I use to describe stuff created from the really tiny scraps I like to hoard… you know, the scraps of scraps… things that we normally would throw away. A challenge to “think outside the [trash] bin” )
You know the line, “watching tv and eating bonbons all day”, often used (more in the past than now) to stereotype the wife who stays at home. Well, to THAT I say, “Don’t EAT the bonbons! MAKE the bonbons!” Out of scraps. And with rainforest-fresh baking soda to make it more than just eye candy . Make multiple candy bonbons and place in a glass jar, or make half a dozen of the truffle bonbons and place in an empty candy box to make a cute little gift set. Either way, here’s another crafty idea to help maximize your fabric usage!
Candy Bonbons
1. Grab a rectangular piece of scrap (approximately 2″ wide by 3″ long).
2. Fold it in half, RS together, and stitch down the length.
3. Pin a safety pin through one layer…
4. and thread it through to turn your tube right side out.
5. Center the seam.
6. With embroidery floss (or thread if you don’t have any), tie a tight knot at one end.
7. Drop in either a round magnet or vase pebble (um, the magnet for if you want to stick your final product to the fridge. I used the pebble.)
8. Now this is where the post title comes in… It seems popular to use small pieces of paper as sniffing devices and to transport tiny amounts of stuff to tiny bags. It makes sense seeing how it would look pretty ridiculous to shove a kitchen funnel in your nose unless you have huge nostrils, most people dump a little of whatever-white-powder-stuff onto a small piece of paper
9. and then bend the sides to funnel the stuff into whatever orifice, bag, or in our case, fabric candy wrapper-tube. (Note. I am in no way promoting or instructing drug use. I’m simple stating how I’ve seen it in movies.)
10. Use floss or thread to tie off the other (open) end and trim the sides to the desired length.
Truffle Bonbons
1. Cut two circles of equal size (mine measured about 2.5″ in diameter).
2. Set your sewing machine tension and stitch length to the max and sew around the perimeter of the candy circle (mine is white chocolate!)
3. Use the paper technique again…
4. and funnel in the baking soda, enough to round out your truffle.
5. hand stitch the opening shut (pull on the upper thread to gather the open edge close).
6. Repeat step 2 for the wrapper piece.
7. Turn your filled truffle upside down into the wrapper.
8. Hand stitch secure the truffle and wrapper, then pull out the thread from step 6.
9. Use a fabric marker (or any marker) and draw a chocolate swirly.
Our summer days are quickly filling up with activities and fun! A little late in coming, but here’s what we did during our memorial weekend-turned-week-long-vacation-at-my-parent’s-house:
Attended a wedding and spent time with some old friends:
Painted our nails for the first time ever!
Did some upcycling…
Made a new dress and took pictures of the kids…
And finally, finally succeeded in making a (matching) top for myself. You have no idea how many hours and fabric I sacrificed to reach this point… oh, and I also realized how difficult, awkward, and depressing it is to have to model something yourself. Almost as bad as shopping for a bathing suit… I must say, Charissa is much better at this than I am! (And thanks to my little sis for taking pictures!)
And now, for my quick n’ dirty tutorial of “The Boardwalk T-Dress” - an easy peasy way to upcycle a free career-fair t-shirt that your boyfriend or husband just can’t seem to let go, or any t-shirt for that matter! And the best part is, there’s no need to serge or zig-zag raw edges because jersey doesn’t fray! Yay!
You will need:
a t-shirt
a ball-point needle, not necessary for constructing the dress, but quite so for your sanity’s sake in working with knits!
scissors or rotary cutter and mat
paper, scissors, ruler, and a pen
a tank top in your child’s size
1. Fold a piece of paper in half, and using the tank top as a reference, trace half of the tank along the fold, creating your pattern.
2. Get your t-shirt.
3. Turn your t-shirt inside out and place your pattern on top.
4. Trace your pattern onto the t-shirt.
5 and 6. Using a ruler, extend both sides to the desired length (for my 3 year old, I extended it 11″ down from the bottom of the armpit).
7. Cut the t-shirt along the lines. With right sides together (as it already is since the shirt was turned inside out!), sew together the sides. You now have a tank dress!
8. Take the bottom of the t-shirt and cut off a strip (mine measured 5 inches wide).
9. With your sewing machine stitch length set to the longest and tension set to the highest, sew around the length of the strip, 1/4″ to 1/2″ from the raw edge. You now have a ruffled band.
10. Adjust the ruffles so that the length of the band is the same as the bottom of your tank dress.
11. With right-sides out, place the ruffled band slightly over the bottom of your tank dress and pin in place (optional. I don’t do this, I place as I sew).
12. Straight-stitch the bottom band to the tank dress. Almost done! Cut two strips from what remains of your t-shirt and tie them to the shoulders to make bows (refer to the initial/finished product pictures). You can also cut another strip and tie the two tank straps together in the back if the straps lay too wide on your girl’s shoulders… or just to add a touch of cuteness
Have you guys seen fabric floral necklaces? They seem to be becoming a very popular accessory, at least in the handmade world
Well, it’s the end of the school year and teacher appreciation gifts are in order! So I decided to make a poppy-flower necklace (in addition to the main gift) for one of the teachers, and in the process, took some pictures to post as a tutorial for you. It’s very easy… as long as you know how to cut a circle and like to play with matches you can do this!
The Poppy Flower Necklace (No sewing machine required!)
You will need:
- 1/2 yard polyester (I like apparel linings from Jo-Ann’s) [photo 1]
- some bling buttons or beads [photo 2]
- needle and thread
- scissors
- matches, lighter, and/or tea light
- satin ribbon
Directions
1. Cut out 6 to 7 circles in graduating sizes [photo 3].
2. Set up your tea light (if you don’t have one, you can just use and hold a lighter in one hand… but it’s much easier with a tea light or candle) [photo 4]
3. Burn/melt the circumference of each circle, passing the edge quickly through the “glow” of the flame (don’t pass it through the flame itself). Your edges should start turning black and curl a little. This step is neat as it serves two purposes: One, to curl the fabric and two, to prevent the edges from fraying [photos 5 and 6].
4. Layer your circle “petals” on top of each other so that the largest one is on the bottom. Make three, or however many you want [photo 7, 8, and 9].
5. Using the needle and thread, secure the layers of your petals through the center [photo 10]
6. Without pulling the thread and needle out, attach/sew your bling button or bead [photo 11].
7. Do this for all three [photo 12].
8. Sew your poppies onto the ribbon.
How I thread my needle
1. Cut a piece of thread and fold it in half so that one end is looped [photo 1] and the other is not [photo 2].
2. Thread the “un-looped” ends through the eye of the needle [photo 3] and pull until the looped end is longer than the un-looped ends [photo 4].
How I secure and make the first stitch
1. Pass your needle through, but not all the way. You want to preserve a small loop [photo 1].
2. Make a small stitch right next to where you just came out [photo 2] and thread back to where you first entered, passing the needle through the loop as you do so [photo 3]. Now you have a clean first stitch. No more messy knots!
Now go make some of these easy peasy poppies and use them on sash belts, hair clips, clothing…
More on that later! In the meantime, you can visit their 
…Now that I think about it, I probably should have just made it minimoohandmade.etsy.com…) 
