Gifts #13-15: Mother's Day

Devin's grandma whipped out this cool roll/muffin/biscuit-serving device while we were visiting and I thought it would be the perfect thing to recreate for Mother's Day.  So we traced hers onto some paper, marked where all the seams go, and I made three roll holders: for my mom, my mother-in-law, and my grandma.


Once again, I forgot to take pictures along the way.  But now I want one for myself, so when I make mine, I can do a whole tutorial.


Basically, the roll holder (anyone have a better name?) is made of three double-sided fabric circles.  I cut out all the circles from two different fabrics, then matched one blue with one pink and serged them together.  Serging in a circle, by the way, was very scary but not actually that hard.


Then I pinned the bottom two circles together and sewed three seams all the way across:

You can see the seams if you really really try, or just picture cutting a pie into six pieces.

Next I pinned the last circle on top and sewed six seams, each half-way in between the bottom seams.  Does that make sense?  These were only about 1/4 across the circle, and only through the top two layers.  If you think it's hard to understand, try actually doing it.  I had to undo a few stitches that accidentally went through all the layers.

These are easier to see.

Last, I sewed on two snaps, as shown above.  And the finished product:

See how that works?  When you snap it together, 12 little roll-hugging pockets pop up.  Pretty slick.

I didn't get to give my grandma hers in person, but I enjoyed both my mom's and my mother-in-law's puzzled faces when they opened their gifts.  "Oh, how cute... what is it?"

Cost:

2 yards each of two fabrics (with leftover): $14

6 snaps (part of a set at the dollar store): $1

Serger thread (given to me by my grandma just in time and in a perfect corresponding color): $0

Total: $15 or $5 each

Gift #12: Scavenger Hunt Cards

Ben was recently invited to his friend Erik's birthday party.  We go walking with Erik and his mom, so I thought something like these cards would be perfect for our walks.


These are pretty self-explanatory, but if you must know, I got all the pictures by searching Google Images, printed on regular cardstock, and laminated the cards at the local school supply store (I think 69 cents/square foot - way cheaper than anywhere else).


Total Cost: I'm going to say $2.50, guessing on the square footage of the 16 laminated cards.

I'm Back!

Wow.  We've had quite the little dry spell, haven't we?  Sorry about that.  Besides not giving many gifts lately, I've just plain been busy with other stuff.

First of all, I received a gift that was amazing, but made life hectic for a while.  I babysit for my friend who's a painter so this is how I get paid:

Before

After

I love my new kitchen!  I bet I spend twice as much time in there now, and I keep it much cleaner than ever before.  It is incredible what a difference some paint (and someone who knows how to do it right) can make.

Then, I made a little gift for myself.  I come from a family of musicians.  We used to perform together all the time, but now it's been a really long time - like 10 years.  We were invited to do a sort of reunion concert and so I had to wear something formal.  Only problem is, I'm pregnant.  Very pregnant.  So where do you get a formal maternity dress that isn't either a wedding dress or $400 (or both)?  NOWHERE!  Ok, on to Plan B: find a pattern.  Oh wait, those don't exist either.  So my very patient and generous mother, who has sewn many a dress in her day, went to work with me creating our own pattern (a combination of 3 or 4 existing patterns, plus some good ol' guessing).  We made the whole thing out of a sheet first, made easily over 50 changes, and then finally did the real thing.  It turned out great!  I can't believe how hard it was, and I kept saying that I would never sew again, but now that it's done, I feel pretty empowered and even kind of want to sew more stuff.  Anyway, here's what it looks like:

(The best picture of the dress happened to be a really bad one of my face, so I just cut it off.)

Please note that the pleat in the front allowed for me to make the dress ahead of time, not knowing exactly how fat I would be when I actually had to wear it.  I thought that was pretty smart of us.  In theory, this dress could look good at various stages of pregnancy.  Maybe even post-baby?  We'll see.

Anyway, these things, plus some others, have kept me far away from blogging and reading blogs.  My RSS Feed collection totals 508 new posts right now.  Scary.  But I do have a couple gifts to post, so stay tuned...

Headwrap Mania

Word somehow got out at our restaurant that I was making headwraps.  Before I knew it, two of the servers, Sally & Cecily, had placed orders.  Devin told them I'd do it for $10 a piece if they bought their own yarn.  And so began my commissioned knitting career.  In the end I ended up making five, so now I have $50 to spend on yarn, I guess.  Or needles.  I've been eyeing these fancy interchangeable ones.





Cecily's yarn was really chunky yarn, so it was even faster to knit.  I love how much the texture stands out with the thicker yarn, especially on the orange wrap.

They were good sports when I showed up after the lunch rush to take a million pictures of them.

Making all these in a short period of time, I discovered that it's a bit more fun to make stuff for myself or for gifts than it is to mass-produce for cash.  Just a thought.

Gifts #10 & 11: Knit Headwraps

Two of my lovely sisters-in-law, Mary and Anna, were born in February, so I made them each a birthday headwrap.  There were a lot of patterns and ideas online, but this was the most helpful, so I loosely followed it.  Once I got the hang of it, it was pretty quick and easy.  The hardest part was figuring out how to attach the flowers without making the whole thing look weird.


Here is Mary showing off her new accessory, and her new baby Millie (check out that hair)!

And here's a look at the side and back:

As an afterthought, I used leftover yarn to make another wrap for little Millie.  Here's hoping she doesn't grow out of it before I can get it to her.

Cost:

I bought one skein of yarn for $1.20.  After all three headwraps, I probably still have enough left for another adult-sized one.

The buttons were from my stash, so basically free.

I'd say this takes the cost-effective cake so far.

Mama Gift: Activity Clock

I need a better name for this clock.  Any ideas?

A couple months ago I was whining to my mom about my 2-year-old.  At any given time, Ben would resist whatever I said we were going to do, and ask to watch a movie instead.

My wise mother suggested that I make some kind of clock or schedule so there would be a visual aid when I announced "It's nap time!"  Since Ben doesn't know the difference, I wouldn't have to assign actual times and stick to a real schedule.  It can be whatever time I need it to be, really.  Brilliant!

How to make this clock:

• Buy a kinda cute, kinda not kids clock from the dollar store.

• Remove clock hands.  Peel off the paper face and use it to trace a new one on cute paper.  Glue cute paper to clock with Mod Podge.
• Forget to take a photo at this point.
• Photograph items that represent things to do during a normal day.  Load onto computer and print them really small (about 1" x 1" for mine).
• Cut out pictures and glue them where the numbers would be.  Brush on a top coat or two of Mod Podge for a nice glossy look.

• Wish, just a little, that you'd had the patience to cut circular pictures, or at least put them on more straight (darn fast-drying glue).
• Reattach hands and hang clock somewhere prominent.
• Thank yourself as your two-year-old gets excited about Clean-up Time because he interpreted it from his new clock.

In case you're curious, these are the pictures I used:

1. Stuffed lamb that Ben sometimes sleeps with (nap time)
2. Toy truck (play time)
3. Ben's little table (office time - when I work on the computer and he "works" close by, coloring, etc.)
4. Apron (help Mama time - usually with dinner, but could be anything, I guess)
5. Books (reading time)
6. Shampoo, washcloth and bath toy (bath time)
7. Pajamas (bed or get-ready-for-bed time)
8. Toys IN the basket (clean-up time)
9. Plastic dishes (eating time)
10. Shirt and pants (time to get dressed)
11. Puzzles (school time - when we sit down together and play with special games/toys and learn stuff)
12. Monsters, Inc. DVD (movie time)

Cost: $1 for the clock.  That's it.

Gift to Myself: Jewelry Boards

I've never had a good way to store my jewelry.  I don't have a ton, but it always gets tangled because I keep it all together in a box.  I know.  Devin got me an awesome, yet seriously tangle-able, necklace/bracelet set for Valentine's Day (see above - almost all the way to the left), so I decided to finally fix the problem.


I got two 12" square cork boards, stapled fabric tightly around them, and used push pins to hang all the jewelry.  Someday I'll rearrange it so it looks cool and/or makes sense, but for now, I'm just happy that everything is out of the box and not getting tangled.


The cork boards came with double-sided adhesive strips, so that's how I hung them.  Hopefully it won't destroy my wall.


This was such a quick and easy project (less than an hour with ironing), and I even have two more cork boards and leftover fabric in case I acquire more jewelry.


Cost:
$1.48  3/4 yd of discounted fabric from the remnants bin
$2.97  2 cork boards (4 for $5.94)
$1.44  100 push pins (I hardly need them all)
$5.89  total

Gift #9: Made-Over Picture Frame

I'm getting really good at this business of copying ideas from other people's blogs.


You know those little L-shaped plastic picture frames where the photo slides in the side?  Lindsey at Inspiring Creations put up a tutorial for making them cutesy.  Perfect birthday gift for Ben's great-grandmother.


I used paper from my new stash and got the cute binder clip and ribbon at Wal-Mart.  Clip on a picture of said great-grandmother with Ben, and voila!


Cost:
$1.00  plastic frame
$0.48  binder clip (6 for $2.88)
$0.20  ribbon (just a bit of a $2 roll)
$0.13  4x6 photo print from costco.com
$1.81  total

Gifts #7 & 8: T-Shirt Bows

Alternate Title: I'm in Love!

In 7th grade, I learned three valuable things, all of which came from the same class: Home Ec, or TLC, or whatever they called it.  The one where you do a bit of cooking, typing, sewing, and probably learn how to put together a resume.

1. I became proficient at ten-key, which turned out to be very handy four years ago when I got a job doing reports for a financial planning firm.  I still do those reports, by the way, and the ten-key is still handy.
2. I learned how to use a spreadsheet, that magical chart thing that was absent for so many years of my life.  One day I realized what Excel was and I haven't stopped making spreadsheets since.
3. I learned that the serger is the most incredible machine ever made.  Sergers were also absent from my life until very recently.  My grandma had one she never used, so she gave it to my mom, who didn't use it either.  She said if I could figure out how to thread the thing I was welcome to it.  It's been sitting in my attic for a couple months, just waiting until I had enough down time to try it out.

That down time came last night.  I searched online for a user guide or threading instructions or something, but I found nothing very helpful.  Remember, I hadn't touched one of these since I was twelve.  Just as I was losing hope, I stumbled upon a discussion board where someone mentioned a threading diagram on the machine itself.  Amazing!  Sure enough, it was there, clear as day, and I had the thing up and running in no time.

Once I got over my initial excitement, the motions started coming back to me and my lines got a little straighter.  The machine was even more wondrous than I had remembered.

The point is, I love the serger, and I used it to make these very easy hair bows that I saw on MADE.

I cut strips out of t-shirts in the throw-out pile, serged all the way around, and tied them in bows.  I secured them a bit with needle and thread, then slipped a contour clip in the back of each.

I cut slits in cardstock to hold the bows, stamped the girls' names, and  Ben was ready to go to his cousin Evelyn's birthday party.

We missed his other cousin Maggie's party a few days ago, so we brought her bows too.


Total cost: $0.33 for 4 contour clips ($1 for 12)

Mama Gift: Toddler Sheet and Pillowcase

I wanted Ben to have a boyish pillowcase, so last night I dug out some $2 fabric from a yard sale.  It was cut into two pieces, one of which was about perfect for a pillowcase.  So I just compared it to an existing case and sewed it up (with a 3" hem around the opening).  Piece of cake.  It took about 30 minutes, and I'm not even good at sewing.

When that was done, I thought it'd be a shame not to have a matching sheet, so I measured the other piece of fabric with my fingers crossed, and... well, apparently I had had this idea before.  It was already cut to 45" x 70" so I was ready to sew!  I followed this tutorial and soon had a darling little set.  I'm happy to report that I sewed with elastic all by myself (except while pinning it to the cloth - I borrowed two of Devin's fingers), which I had previously thought to be impossible.

By the way, do you have any ideas for that little dresser behind Ben?  It was a $7 thrift find last year.  I drilled holes and added knobs to the drawers, but it's always been strictly functional and I'd like to doll it up a bit.  Paint, cuter knobs, alphabet letters, ???  I don't know.  Anyone?

Gift #6: Jazz Lap Quilt

Preface: I am married to possibly the biggest Utah Jazz fan who ever lived.


Devin knew he was getting something homemade for Valentine's Day, and he (later) told me he wasn't convinced I could pull it off.  What could I possibly make that he would actually like?  Mostly he wants movies and expensive gadgets.


I was thinking the same thing...until I had the idea of making a quilt with Jazz fabric for him to warm up in while he watches the game.


This was my first time making a quilt, so I went the easy route and just slapped some batting between two pieces of cloth (thin cotton Jazz stuff on top, dark blue flannel on bottom) and sewed around the edges.  I did a second seam all the way around about an inch or so in from the edge to make sure the batting stayed put.  That way, when I tied it (with yarn from my stash), I didn't have to be too careful.  This is not a masterpiece, but it is long enough to cover Devin's always-cold feet, and he does love it.  See?

Ben yells at the ref while a very proud Devin looks on.

Total Cost (I'm not too happy about this): $30.19
I bought expensive thread for some reason, and I just didn't get great prices on the fabric.  The batting was 50% off, though.  If I'd planned better, I think I could have made this for a lot less.  It was a learning experience.

Gift #5: Love Note{book}s

Another online find that I had to try: cereal box journals from The Long Thread.


A couple months ago I read about a couple who each kept a notebook by their bed and periodically wrote notes to each other in them.  It was nothing regular - just whenever they thought of it, they'd write something in the other's book, and now and then they'd open their own books and find a bunch of love notes.  I think that would be great, so I made a pair for Devin & me for Valentine's Day.


The paper was some that I'd ripped out of a fancy store-bought journal to make room for pictures in the book.  For five years that paper sat forsaken in a desk drawer, too pretty to throw away.  But now it has found a use!

I glued scrapbook paper on the inside covers (so as not to show the nutritional information of Kix).  The lettering on the front was a free font downloaded from here.  This project was fun and basically free.  Awesome.

Sending My Love

When I saw these cards at MADE (thanks Melanie for my new obsession), I had to try them.  So a set of valentine cards was born.  It is surprisingly hard to sew in the shape of a heart.  And let it be known that felt is easier to sew around than stretchy t-shirt scraps.  MUCH easier.


Cost: I used cloth scraps and cardstock from my new supply, so the only cost was $0.58 for purple and pink felt.

Biting the Bullet: Supplies

If I'm going to make a bunch of cards, I'll need some stuff.  I figured that cardstock, cutesy paper and envelopes were a good start.  I also picked up a two-size rounded-corner paper punch and a set of alphabet stamps.  This stuff is expensive!

fancy paper, 48 sheets: $16

cardstock, 100 sheets: $5 on sale

300 envelopes: $23.98 (buy 200 get 100 free)

round corner punch: $9.99 (yikes!)

alphabet stamps: $7.99

total: $62.96

Ouch.  I will someday invest in a paper cutter too, but I'm borrowing for now.  Hopefully I won't have to buy anything else all year (at least for cards).

I'm new at this, so please clue me in.  What are the must-have supplies?  Where/how do you get good prices? Help!

New Header!

Isn't it lovely?  My amazingly creative friend Catie made me this awesome header.  She really has an artistic eye - you should have seen her Christmas card.


For your own custom blog header, email catiepilk@gmail.com.  Tell her I sent you and you'll get a discount.

Gift #4: Charlie's I Spy

My son got one of these from his grandma for his 1st birthday.  It had too much filling so I opened it up a bit to take some out, and added a bunch more little things from Hobby Lobby while I was at it.  It's been a great church toy, and I think it will be even better when he gets old enough to keep track of the number of things he finds.


I told my friend Lindsey that I'd make one for her little boy Charlie.  That was probably a year ago.  I've had all these cool little items (tiny metal tools, plastic vegetables, buttons made to look like just about anything) sitting in a box ever since, just waiting for me to get my act together, which I finally did!


The window is a thin sheet of vinyl (hopefully not too thin), which I zig-zag-stitched to the flannel.  After that, I just filled it up with the trinkets and extra filling from last year, sewed the two pieces of fabric together and cut the edges into strips.  Voila!  Totally easy.  Totally not worthy of putting off for a year.  Oh well, at least it's done.  Now let's see how long it takes me to deliver it.


Cost:
Since I bought everything so long ago, I'm guessing here.  Most of the trinkets were from a $5 grab bag of buttons, etc., of which I probably used 5%.  The other, cooler things were doll house accessories, which can be a bit pricey.  Still, I only used a portion of what I bought, so I'm going to say $3 for those.  I did buy the vinyl and flannel, but used so little of it, that I'll just throw in another dollar for both.  So I'm guessing the total cost is about $4.25.  Not bad.  However, I haven't been able to find this filling anywhere, so had I not had extra on hand, I have no idea how much it would have cost.  They are little clear plastic balls, and they're a little bit squishy.  Does anyone know what this stuff is called or where to get it?

Future Wedding Gifts: Jute Coasters

I got a wonderful Suss Cousins knitting book for my birthday that's full of things to make for your home.  I finally tried her pattern for coasters made out of jute twine.  Last night Devin & I watched about half of Pride and Prejudice while I made this set of four.


In case anyone tries this, I'd recommend using smaller needles than the pattern calls for.  It said US 9, which I tried, but the coasters were too loose and ugly, so I tried US 6, which worked much better. I also only cast on 9 stitches instead of 11 to make the finished product a bit smaller.  Keep in mind this was my first time knitting with twine, and I had a bit of a hard time since there's no give like there is with yarn.  Maybe her size 9 stitches are just as tight as mine with size 6.


I bought two rolls of twine at a hardware store with the intention of making a few sets of coasters.  The total was $4.79.  These four coasters used about half of one roll (I'm guessing - hard to tell when it's all wound up).  So this gift's cost so far is about $1.20.  Now what to put with it?  I was thinking of a bottle of sparkling cider for a simple gift or maybe a set of tumblers if I want to spend a little more.  Any other ideas?

Making Cards / Am I Crazy?

When a gift isn't reasonable (too far away, or just not in the budget), I still like to acknowledge someone's birthday. So today I hesitantly plunged into the world of card-making. I know plenty of people make cards all the time and do just fine. But I'm just not sure I've got it in me. Anyway, this was the result of my first unguided* attempt (for my 7-year-old niece). I think it turned out alright, but what do I know?

Basically, I'm clueless here, so any help would be appreciated.

*I admit that I used a long-ago-purchased card kit, so I at least knew all the materials were approved by someone who actually knows what she's doing. Except the twine bow. That was my idea.

Gift #3: Chunky Baby Hat

I'm throwing a baby shower tomorrow for my neighbor. She's due really soon, so I'm hoping the baby doesn't come before the presents are unwrapped. For her little girl, I made this chunky knit hat (adapted from an adult earflap hat pattern) and added a flower to make it more cutesy. The great thing about this hat is that it's super fast to make. I watched a few episodes of Scrubs and was done. The flower took another 1/2 movie, since I had lost the pattern and had to make it up from memory, trial-and-error style.

My only regret is that I cast off pretty tightly, so the baby may not be able to wear it for very long. But it'll warm up soon anyway, and this is definitely a winter hat.


total cost: $0.00 since I already had all the yarn

Vote: Best Edible Christmas Gift

What was the best edible Christmas gift you gave or received in 2009?

Today my husband baked chocolate chip cookies. Our neighbors gave us a roll of dough for Christmas, ready to slice and bake. This gets my vote! Every house is so loaded with sweets during the holidays, so a gift that you can enjoy on, say, January 12th instead, is a very welcome variation. A few cookies will be savored and appreciated much more on an otherwise uneventful Tuesday than they would be amid the usual holiday parade of candies, chocolates and baked treats.

Canned salsa, jam, and fancy shelf-stable foods also make great enjoy-later gifts, but the cookie dough is my favorite because, well, it turns into chocolate chip cookies. Need I say more?