Every Gift has a Story

This video has some great earth friendly wrapping ideas.  Use old ties as a bow.  Wrap with an old funnies paper or maps you aren't using anymore.  Use Baker's Twine for a simpler look.  Recycle old cards into gift tags.  Use fabric reusable gift bags for a unique look and an an earth friendly touch.  Happy shopping and have fun wrapping! 

What's your gifts story?  

A Happy Heart is a Thankful Heart

Thankfulness is hard to teach and it's hard to learn.  I prefer to make "projects", as the kids like to call them, and share them with others.  The kids collected all different kinds of leaves several weeks ago.  We put paint on them and stamped them onto these flour sack towels.  

After that we attached notes of thanks and handed them out to daycare staff, teachers and family.  

How do you teach your kids to have a thankful heart?  

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Child Rearing

There are days where nothing seems to go right and today was one of those days.  It all came to a rolling boil when I went to pick my sweet Little O up from day care...I was hoping for a "MOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMYYYY" as he gleefully came running to me with a big hug.  Instead, I got a sheepish look and not one, but two incident reports.  The last time we got one of these a rock mysteriously appeared in said child's nose.  Now I don't know about your house, but in mine kicking another child in the crotch and kicking/hitting and calling someone a "poopy head" is simply not accepted.  Where do they pick these things up?  How do you get them to stop when the usual punishments don't work?  And why in the world would you throw a fit because you weren't the line leader this time?   I think I need to read The Strongwilled Child.  Again.  Oh good, just saw there is a  "new" version out!

Anyone want to read it with me?

NO SEW Pinwheel Project

I'm so excited to try some of these fabric pinwheels in my kids' rooms!  Pinwheels are playful and 3-D and I can make them in any color imaginable.  Sandi Henderson of PortabelloPixie has wonderful fabrics too, Don't you agree?

Well back to the matter at hand...I can tend to get lost when I looking at fabric--just ask the huz.  Here is the Pinwheel Pattern.  

Make 'em big or make 'em small, but these pinwheels will add a lot of fun and whimsy to your walls!

Happy Handmade Shopping

Ok, not saying you need any help shopping, but isn't this little hippo, just adorable!  I know that if my little animal lover Little O walked by it, we would have to bring it home.  Which reminds me, Kohls, your $5 stuffed animals at the registers are too hard to say "no" to.  How many Dr. Seuss stuffies does one house need?


Ok, back to the cutie pie hippo.  Here goes!  Hand crocheted and cute as a bug!  Only $19 at NeedlesNoodles.  

Can you say stocking stuffer?

Hand Dying Fabric in a Rainbow of Colors

Have you done any fabric dying?  I used to have a loom that I made rugs on and I would aquire chenille bedspreads and dye them my desired color.  Most of them were white and white rugs are just not practical for many homes.  You wouldn't believe all the cool colors I came up with.  This is a pic of hand dying fabric from Burda Style . It looks to me like they used some containers that had a previous life somewhere else.  Kudos to these earth friendly peeps!

For more fabric goodness visit Grosgrain .  I have saved myself a lot of money by learning how to do this. Often when sewing I'll have to get a small piece of fabric that is a very specific color. Recently I needed fold over elastic and I needed it that day. The only fold over elastic I could find in the store was in black and white. Rather than buying some online and paying for shipping and waiting for over a week for it to come in the mail I bought some fabric dye and made my own in the perfect shade. For a FANTASTIC color guide for mixing RIT colors look here. Plus, people will be super impressed when you tell someone you 'hand dyed' it. It just so sounds so much more artsy and creative! Another thing I forgot to mention in the video is that if your fabric is not as saturated as you'd like try letting it dry completely then re-dye. This definitely has worked for me. Another neat idea that I'll be trying soon is tea dying for an antique look! I can't wait to show you that one. Top photo courtesy of Divânia Nogueira.

Scarf Along Tutorial

Do you know someone who would love a handmade gift from you this Christmas? Look at this fun and funky scarf DIY project by Heather Mattos.  What a great way to use up your scraps--if you don't have any, let me know and I'll hook you up!  What have you DIY'd today?

by Heather Mattos of Cookie Mondays


Who wouldn’t adore the gift of a cozy, handmade scarf this holiday season? This is an inexpensive and fun sewing project that can be done in an afternoon, leaving you with three happy, handmade gifts- just like that! Don’t let the math scare you away… it really is a simple {precise} tutorial, made up of lots of straight lines, and appropriate even for beginners.


You’ll need:



•self-healing mat


•large ruler/straight-edge


•rotary cutter (fresh blade!)


•pins


•sewing machine


•scissors


•thread


•fabric


•trim


•steam iron


•{6} half-yard cuts in different patterns to make 3 scarves. The busier, the better! For this particular method, I think it looks so much better to mix and match funky, bright patterns, rather than using anything close to solid.


•{1} yard of pom-pom trim. (This is a great resource for trims.)

Sweet Sugar Scrub Tutorial

Hello!  I just had to share this scrub recipe with you from Oh My! Handmade Goodness. This is a quick and easy DIY project that is cost effective and easy to make.  Enjoy!

With the holidays around the corner and cold, dry winter weather upon us here in eastern Canada, I wanted to share a nice sugar scrub to make a great handcrafted gift for family and friends on your gift list this year. This scrub will tame the dry, flaky skin winter brings, and makes an excellent stocking stuffer.

For step-by-step directions, click here.