January Spending Freeze, Day 22: Two little girls teaching themselves to sew

For Christmas, Suzi's aunt and uncle got her a really cool craft/sewing set.  It includes pre-cut pieces of felt and instructions for projects, along with needles, thread, pins, beads, and more.  She loves it.  Shortly after we returned home from Christmas traveling, she took it up to her room and spent several hours working with it.  She has sewn things before, both with me and independently, but this kit really seemed to get her motivated in a new and powerful way.  When she finally came downstairs, she proudly showed me an adorable little owl she had made all by herself.  "You know," I said, "you can take any fabric, cut it to make anything you want, and then sew it with the tools in your kit!"  Anytime I sew a project and have a bit of fabric left over, I put it in Suzi's fabric bin.  I especially like to give her sweater or t-shirt scraps and fleece, because they do not require hemming--the edges will not unravel.

A few days later we read The Lorax, one of the kids' favorite Dr. Seuss stories, and Suzi was inspired!  She ran up to her room, and a while later presented me with this adorable little guy, crafted from one of her Dad's old t-shirts, two buttons from Grandma, and a couple of felt pieces from her sewing set.

He speaks for the trees.

Ivey wanted to do some sewing too, so I said sure!  Suzi gifted Ivey her old, smaller sewing kit with threads and a little thimble, and I found her a dull needle.  She found a leftover scrap of fleece and made this.

"Bunny" by Ivey

As I was looking around for cashmere sweaters to start a project of my own, I stumbled upon some cashmere scraps I had meant to give away a few months ago.  I had been crafting simple little dolls to sell at craft fairs, but after I decided to give up crafting for profit, I realized I was never going to use up all those little pieces.  I gave the girls one large ziploc bag each of various colorful, soft, fluffy scraps--perfect for small, easy projects.  It's already kept them busy for hours practicing basic hand-sewing skills on their own, which I've always felt is the best way to learn.  They do not want their mother hanging over them, telling them a better way to do this or that, and stopping them from making mistakes they could learn from.  I offer tips and help when requested, and then send them off to enjoy themselves.  There is literally nothing to lose, nothing to waste.  This little pursuit is a spending freeze win for them and for me!

January Spending Freeze, Day 20: New toys for our cats without spending a dime

Our three kittens.  Not as innocent as they look.

Ever since we started the spending freeze on non-essentials, I've kept a running list of everything we did spend money on.  As soon as I started the list, I knew we would have one conspicuous category (no pun intended, but Jordan found one) that would keep popping up, and it hasn't disappointed:  cat stuff.  We do have five cats, so this was bound to happen.  We have two dogs as well, but somehow the cats cost significantly more; I think the litterboxes are partially to blame.  From December 27 - January 23, the time of this writing, we have spent a total of $183 on cats alone.

$183 in less than a month, on cats--and we didn't buy toys or silly outfits or anything frivolous at all.  Normally it wouldn't be so high, but our eldest kitty is sick.  We've taken her to the vet quite a bit over the past several months and have been back a few times to buy more medicine and prescription cat food.  With a full blood panel and later an ultrasound, our kitty spending for November and December was much higher!

One thing I do to help lower our cat expenses is buy our cat food by the case on Amazon.  For Fancy Feast and probably several other canned foods, Amazon offers the best price and free shipping to Prime members.  Prices fluctuate wildly on Amazon, so I track all our preferred types of cat food on camelcamelcamel.com and get an email when a price drops unusually low.  When it does, I buy 3-4 boxes.  We have an Amazon Rewards credit card, and often use our rewards points to buy cat food or cat litter.  Our favorite cat litter has been ridiculously overpriced lately, so we're going to have to look for it locally.

We try to only buy decent quality cat food, and natural litter that will not be a respiratory irritant to us, our children, or our pets.  I'm not willing to skimp on things that will cost us more (or cost us more than just money) in the long run.  So, yes, the cats are relatively expensive.  But there are certain things our cats love that don't cost a lot of money.

Our three not-so-little kittens are now about eight months old and incredibly rambunctious.  They tear around the house chasing each other, bouncing on and off the furniture as they go.  If they get bored or if their curiosity is not redirected sufficiently, they can be destructive and extremely annoying.  But, thankfully, it doesn't take much to entertain them!

Boxes are a favorite.  Anytime we get an Amazon order (usually of cat supplies) I put the empty box in the floor for them to enjoy for a while.  A few months ago I even made them this cardboard box funhouse.  It only took a few minutes, and they still play in it sometimes!

But today I decided to use up some of my wool sweater stash and make a few simple catnip toys for them to play with.  I already had the catnip--months ago I paid $4 or so for a big bag of it at a local shop where they sell bulk herbs.  Sometimes I make fancy novelty cat toys, but the cats honestly don't care much what their toys look like.  They will end up dusty under the couch no matter what.  So, I simply cut circles about 6" in diameter, and loosely stitched around the edges with some wool yarn and a big needle.  I put 2-3 tablespoons of loose catnip in the center, placed some little wool scraps on top (this will help keep the loose catnip contained), then pulled the yarn to gather the circle into a drawstring pouch.  Finally, I tied it off tightly and trimmed the yarn.  I made five or six...  Not sure exactly, because as soon as I finished one I'd toss it to a kitten and they'd carry it off!

Clemmy got the first toy, but Pumpkin stole it

Please excuse the shoes, socks, and junk in the floor

The toys are now scattered around, and occasionally a mischievous kitten will spot one and play with it for a little while instead of, for instance, finding a roll of toilet paper to shred into bits.  I really need to come up with a few other good ways to keep them occupied and entertained.  Maybe a toy rotation.  It didn't work for the children, but maybe it would for the cats!

January Spending Freeze, Day 19: Adorable, fanciful temptation

It's been a total of about 25 days in a row so far that we have only spent on necessary items, except for Monday when we grocery shopped a little.  It has mostly felt great, and I'm so glad we're doing it!  However, last night I felt my first big pull of temptation that was a cut-and-dry "NO, that's definitely not allowed!"

My temptation is probably different than most people's.  It was this.

Created by GameGuardians on Etsy.  Isn't he just majestic?!

In case you are still confused, I will explain.  This whimsical crafter has taken Falkor the Luckdragon, probably the best character from one of my favorite movies, The Neverending Story, which came out the year I was born, and artfully immortalized him in fluff and faux fur.  But that's not all.  Of course everybody wants their own luckdragon, and since she couldn't keep up with the relentless demand, she is selling the pattern and instructions!  So, not only is it now possible to have a luckdragon, which I have always wanted, but I can make one myself!  I could make one for every member of our family, all in different colors!  And the instruction booklet is only $16, shipped!

When I saw that, I almost fell off my unicorn.  I am going to wait until February 1 to order my copy.  I am.  But I had to practically sit on my hands last night to keep myself from jumping the gun.  I cannot wait to make this for Suzi.  She got her very own Auryn for Christmas, so a luckdragon to cuddle with is naturally what I want to give her for her birthday in May.  I don't know how long it might take me to make this, but hopefully I can keep it a secret until it's finished so it'll be a surprise!

What is your biggest temptation?  Is it something normal like shoes, wine, or Starbucks?  Or are you a little bit weird too?  ;-)

Quick and easy 15-minute fix for damaged couch cushions

Our poor little couch.  It was a hand-me-down gift from my in-laws about seven years ago.  It was in very good condition and we were happy to have it.  Since that time, however, we have had three babies (now 3, 5, and 7) and have adopted a couple of dogs and a couple of cats.  This couch is probably one of the top five most-used items in our house.  If you have kids, I don't need to explain to you how rough little ones can be on furniture--and some pets are just as bad.  (Our kids are much worse.)

We do plan to get a new couch, but not right now.  Therefore, making this one last has been an ongoing project.  Several years ago when we had exhausted our cushion-flipping options, I started sewing up minor holes by hand.  That worked for a while, but any little hole that pops up is soon made much bigger by destructive, poky little fingers.

Finally the holes were bad enough to require patching, so a couple of months ago I cut some fabric from the back bottom ruffle of the couch (it sits against the wall) and patched the holes.  It looked nice, but did not last long.  I then realized that with the type of fabric this couch is made of and the amount of wear and tear it receives, that approach was a no-go.

I resorted to tucking an incredibly mismatched blanket over the injured cushion while I figured things out.  That looked REAL purdy.

Then I began searching online for solutions, knowing that some person smarter than me surely has fixed up a holey couch before--and if you do a Google image search for "diy couch repair" and similar phrases, some great ideas do pop up.  I found this idea, or something very similar, doing such a search, and meant to go back and link to it in my post, but I can't find it anymore!  Please tell me if you know where the original post is so I can give credit.  I am certainly thankful that someone shared it!

I don't have process photos, but this is so simple that none are needed:

1)  I had some no-pill fleece in a neutral green that blended with the couch.  I measured around the cushion (back to front), and subtracted several inches (fleece is stretchy and I wanted it snug) to get the length.  Then I measured across the cushion and subtracted an inch or two to get the width.  The width will shrink a bit after you stretch it onto the cushion, so cutting it the exact width of the cushion might be best if you want a lot of coverage.  I mostly needed to cover some holes in the middle.

2)  After cutting a length of fabric to these measurements, I folded it in half--right sides together, short ends together--and sewed up the short ends on my machine to make a band.  I didn't bother to hem the edges, because fleece does not fray.  I love fleece!

3)  Then I slipped the band onto my holey couch cushion!  It was just what we needed, so I made two more for the other cushions.  I had exactly the right amount of fabric to do this.  It was meant to be!  Now my couch seat cushions each have an easily removable protective fleece band that can be quickly machine washed and dried if needed.  And I'm sure it will be needed.

Ta-da!  It took about 15 minutes!

These covers will undoubtedly get rumpled and need straightening, but they still make me feel much better about this couch until we get our new one.  One reason we are waiting is that I see my children jumping, climbing, and generally wallowing all over this couch and can't bear to think of what they'll do to a new one.  The longer we keep this couch, the better off the new one will be.  And when we finally DO get our new couch, the first thing I am going to do is sew protective fleece bands for all the seat cushions.  I wish I'd had the foresight to do that for this couch.  If I had, it would look a LOT different right now.  Live and learn, I guess.

Do you have any favorite ways to make frequently used furniture last longer?  I would love to hear them!

How to make dryer balls out of wool sweaters

Have you heard of dryer balls?  They are wool balls, generally made of yarn or wool roving, that you throw in the dryer with your wet clothes.  They can be used instead of dryer sheets, reducing static cling.  But more importantly, they SAVE ENERGY by absorbing some of the moisture in your clothes as they dry!  Our power bill has been annoyingly high, especially during the cold part of this winter.  I've been wanting to lower it, and I've also wondered for a long time if I could make dryer balls out of old sweaters.  Sweaters are one of my favorite craft materials!

One day some time ago, I came across a pin on Pinterest showing how a lady had done this.  I repinned, but when I finally got ready to click through to her tutorial, the entire blog refused to come up!  Maybe it'll be back someday?  Anyway, I was inspired by a photo from An Owl's Nest.  Here's how I made some dryer balls out of old wool sweaters, and used up a bunch of scraps!

1)  Round up: 

--Your scrappiest wool or cashmere scraps (mine were left over after I made a Valentine wreath*)

--A thick wool sweater or two--some holes are fine, doesn't matter if it's crappy-looking

--A nicer-looking wool sweater with some decent non-holey sections for the outside of the ball

--Embroidery floss in complimentary colors

--A needle and scissors, of course  :-)

My tiniest scraps, excited to fulfill their destiny

Your sweaters should preferably be clean already, because you don't HAVE to wash and felt these after they are made.  I've done both.  It's optional.  Also, for this project I would not compromise on sweater content.  I used some cashmere for the scrappy core, and the rest 100% wool.  I would recommend avoiding any percentage of polyester, nylon, acrylic, etc., just to be sure they work properly.

2)  Go ahead and thread your needle so it's ready when you need it!  Cut your crappy-looking, possibly holey sweater into long strips.  Grab a handful of your scrappy-scraps and squish them into a ball, then begin tightly rolling as shown.  Keep adding strips until your ball is the size you want.  Mine ended up about softball-sized.  Bigger balls are easier to find when mixed in with clothes in the dryer.

3)  Once your ball is a good size, sew the end of the last strip tightly to the ball with embroidery floss.

  

But WAIT!  Before you go on to the next step, there's another option you could choose.  If you have a little wool roving and would like a more traditional dryer ball, you could apply your roving to the ball you already have.  Just pop over to Crunchy Betty's felted wool dryer ball tutorial and pick up at step 2.  It's a genius way to save on expensive roving while getting a dryer ball that looks about the same!  But if you'd like to continue with sweaters only, go on to step 4.

4)  Now you are going to sew a snug-fitting tube to serve as a case for the ball you just wound up.  So, pull a piece of your nicer-looking wool sweater around the ball to measure where you need to sew, and sew right sides together with your embroidery floss.  Be sure to make the tube an inch or two longer than it needs to be to fit around the ball, because we will be turning the edges under in the next step.

Mine happened to be a sleeve that was a bit large.

When you cut the excess off, be sure to leave enough that it doesn't unravel!  Then throw that cut off piece into the scrap pile for your next ball!

Turn it right side out and try it on your ball to see if it fits.  It should be tight.

5)  Now that you have a well-fitting sleeve, grab one end and turn the edge down to the inside.  We are going to sew a few big stitches around that edge to gather it up.

6)  Pull it tight!  Once you get the first knot tied, tie a couple more to be sure it doesn't come undone.  Then you can snip the thread off.

7)  Repeat steps 5-6 on the other end.

8)  Explain to your ball-loving son that the ball is for the clothes dryer, not for him (if applicable).  He took off with a couple of my first ones and crammed them into his sister's hot pink Barbie convertible.  I'll make him some balls later.  I have plenty of material!

9)  Try them out!  If you'd like the outside sweater to felt up a bit, you could wash it on hot and dry it a time or two.  It might turn out even nicer if you tied it up in pantyhose first (not sure, because I didn't try that).  You don't have to wash it, though.  I was just as happy with the ones I threw straight into the dryer and began using immediately.

These I washed and dried.  They are a little linty.

I haven't been using these long, but I have been able to significantly dial down the time my dryer runs.  I even washed the kids' sheets today, which normally take extra dryer time, and they dried fast!  I think there is also less static, but I'll need more time to say for sure.  Sweater balls are a bit lumpier than traditional dryer balls and not quite as pretty, but since they spend most of their time in my dryer, it doesn't really matter.  Also, if they ever start to come undone, they'll be super easy and cheap to fix!  I'm pretty happy with how this little project turned out.  Can't wait to see our next power bill.

 *Here's the Valentine wreath.  Made it with a coat hanger.

How to love your little artist--without spending a dime

I have a craft room that I love... most of the time.  Because it's the one room of the house that no one lives in and company does not see, a lot of junk gets shoved in there.  Company will come, or we'll need to move something that we don't really have a place for, or I'll neglect to clean up after a project or five, and bam!  It's a crap room instead of a craft room.  As of yesterday, it was quite crappy.  So I decided to fix that.

Yesterday morning, a little while after I started this project

On Saturday afternoon we went to pick the kids up from my mom's house (they had spent the night), and when we arrived the girls were making things out of modeling clay.  Suzi (6) had spent hours sculpting a couple of little teacups.  She was so proud of them.  We were getting ready to leave soon, so she put one of her cups on the table and went to wash the clay off her hands.  While she was gone, either Robert (2) or Ivey (almost 4) squashed one of her cups.  She was heartbroken and furious.  Clenched fists, screaming, crying...  It was terrible.  No one should have their art destroyed.

Suzi had a desk at our house, and even though it was counter-height it still was not completely safe from the littles.  I have known she needed a better space of her own for a long time.  We would love to give her a room of her own, but we'll have to add on to the house for that to be an option, so it'll be a while.  I decided to do the best I could for now.  We recently got rid of a ton of stuff we didn't need, which opened up some spaces in the craft/crap room.  The natural light and view of treetops and sky was too much for me to resist.  I decided to set up an arts and crafts nook for Suzi in that spot.

I sent a big pile of fabric to Goodwill, thinned and consolidated craft supplies, moved stuff around, and vacuumed.  While I was at it, I set aside a bunch of scraps, fabric, beads, buttons, and other things for Suzi.  By mid-afternoon it was looking awesome!  I kept the door closed so Suzi had no idea what I was doing in there.  After she was in bed I cleaned off her desk and moved her stuff to the new space.

Here's one more look at the before pic (blech)...

And here's how it turned out!

Late last night, after I finished

When Suzi woke up this morning I took her up to her new space and she loved it!  I made a little reveal video a la Clean House but my voice sounds weird so I won't share that.  There are enough craft supplies on that shelf to keep her busy for months.  She's been up there all morning creating things in her pajamas, and keeps discovering new little things tucked away in the baskets and bins.  I even gave her some Sculpey clay so I can bake whatever she makes, and it won't get squished anymore!

All hers now

Not a bad view, and you should see it at sunset!

The first thing she made was a little sweater for her "dog," Petey, out of a sweater sleeve.  There have been at least five other projects since then, and when I go check on her she shows me what she's done and pauses to smile and say "Thanks, Mom.  Thank you for everything!"  I feel like a fairy godmother.  Robert's naptimes are going to be awesome because (sometimes) I'll get to spend them crafting alongside my little artist.  And I didn't spend a dime!  Why didn't I do this months ago?!

Anniversary Ornaments 2012: Doctor Who

I've mentioned before that since our anniversary is one week before Christmas, Jordan and I have a tradition of making each other an ornament as a gift each year.  Ornament quality is unimportant.  I love taking a little time in the demanding month of December to just make something fun!  Here are this year's lovingly handcrafted ornaments.

A Dalek, by Jordan.  I really just think Dalek is fun to say.  Dalek.

And the TARDIS, by me.  I made it by painting/drawing on a little wooden plaque.

One night Jordan and I decided to watch a couple of episodes of Doctor Who on Netflix.  It is now our favorite.  I know these ornaments will remind me of cuddling on the couch with Jordan after a long day, watching our show.  Once the kids are finally asleep, we can watch one or maybe two episodes before we both fall asleep.  That little window is the best time of the day!

The paint is still wet on the TARDIS and the Dalek is in the oven right now baking, but we got them done!  The festivities may now commence.  Merry Christmas, everyone!

Old toy makeover: A Barbie for Ivey

I had this little problem.

Ivey, 3, wanted a Barbie for Christmas.  I knew how this would end.  We'd buy a new Barbie, she'd take all the clothes off and get the hair snarled into one disgusting dreadlock, the Barbie would fall into the bowels of a toy bin, and we'd repeat this process in a few months.  I don't judge her for wanting a Barbie, and I don't mind having Barbies.  I had a ball playing with them when I was a little girl.  I do mind spending money on a brand-new Barbie just as we place our old, tangled, naked ones into the Goodwill donation box.

I hate that Barbies and many other toys have become disposable.  I hate the waste.  I hate knowing that thousands of Barbies are trickling from Wal-Mart to homes to Goodwill to landfills while we continue to buy more shiny new Barbies.  They don't stay shiny and new for five minutes!  I wanted to stop the cycle.

So here is what happened.  The other day I went to a local holiday consignment sale.  I knew Ivey wanted a Barbie, so that was one of the things I planned to look at.  There were a few expensive collector's Barbies new in the box.  Then I saw this unusual-looking big Barbie.  I thought Ivey would like her.  It looked like her hair could probably be brushed out and restyled, and she was only $2.  She was also a jointed, posable ballerina, and Ivey had requested a "dancing doll."  So I bought her.

Upon closer inspection after I got home, I realized the Barbie's cheap, flimsy clothes were ripped and stained.  I knew they wouldn't survive being washed.  Her hair was really tangled, and she smelled a bit smoky.  Yuck.  After a bit of research, I learned that she was one of these fancy dancers, separated from all her high-tech accessories.  (Please note the crappy reviews.  Less is more, toy designers!)  I thought about throwing her in the trash and ordering the plain, inexpensive ballerina Barbie I'd seen on Amazon, but it'd been a hard day and I was in need of a fun project.

I asked Jordan to watch the kids for "a few minutes" and got to work.  First I had to remove all the tiny rubber bands--you know, the ones they use to style the hair so it looks impeccable on the store shelf but then, after your child touches it, never ever looks good again?  I tried brushing her hair with an oversized Barbie brush, but it was too tangled.  To help things along, I wet it and smoothed some rich peppermint lotion I happened to have into it.  I brushed and brushed, starting at the ends and working my way up.  It took a long time.  Then I washed it with a small amount of gentle bar soap and conditioned it again with lotion before rinsing it out.  I brushed it several more times between these steps.

Barbie had a few scuff marks and dings on her face and body, and I thought they might be permanent, but they came right off with a Norwex cloth and water!  I love Norwex.

I really wish I'd taken a before shot of this 1998 Barbie in all her tangled-up, dingy, raggedy glory, but the makeover was honestly a last-ditch effort and I didn't know it would work!  So here she is after her day at the spa, leaning against my serger and telling me her troubles while I sew her a new outfit.  If you look closely, you can probably see that her old dress just wouldn't do.

"I mean, seriously!  After all that tireless dancing and smiling I did, they put a $2 tag on me and threw me in a box!  Can you believe that?  Really hurt my feelings.  Glad I met you, though.  And by the way--pink is my favorite color!"

Well, anyway, pink is one of Ivey's favorite colors and was the primary color worn by the Barbie she pointed out and asked for.  It was a picture in a National Geographic!  I give my kids Nat Geo to look at, and they pinpoint the one plastic toy pictured in a story and ask for it.  Funny, huh?  Anyway, I had this delightful hot pink sparkly remnant that just spoke to me in the fabric store about four years ago.  It was stretchy and perfect!  I certainly didn't have a pattern, but all I needed was a simple leotard, so I laid Barbie on the wrong side of the fabric and traced around her body with a pencil.  Leaving a bit of room for seam allowance and to hem the top edge, I came up with this:

I sewed right sides together, except for the crotch, which I left open,

And I tried it on her.  She really liked how it was coming along.

I decided that I didn't really need to trim the crotch and sewed it closed.  Because this was a stretchy, non-raveling fabric, I didn't have to hem the leg holes.  I knew they would be hidden under the skirt I was about to make, anyway.

I did hem the top edge, though, to give it a more finished look.  This is how it came out.  Easier than I thought!

I thought it needed some sort of strap(s) to secure it at the shoulder.  To make things simpler, I decided on one halter-style strap made out of a tube of some of the plain hot pink fabric on the selvage of that same remnant.  It was a little aggravating to turn that tube right side out because I have misplaced my bodkin, but I got it done.

I sewed it to one side just to the front of the side seam, and briefly considered sewing her into the leotard by doing the same thing on the other side, but ended up putting in a snap instead.  Now Ivey can undress her.  And probably will.

 The hardest part was over--now for the skirt!  I already had some tulle left over from Suzi's first birthday party tutu, so I pulled that out.  I tried doing a sewn skirt, but it didn't work out like I wanted at all.  It's tied tutus for me from now on!  I sewed a stretchy band out of another little selvage scrap and slipped it around Barbie's waist.

Then I cut some strips of tulle and made the tutu while she wore it!  So easy.  In this picture you can see the rectangular hole where she would've plugged into her dancing stand thingy.

After a few minutes of tying strips on and a quick trim to make it all the same length, her fancy new outfit was done and Barbie was starting to feel fabulous again!

She just needed a few finishing touches:

1)  Arm warmers (to cover those joints).  I just made two little tubes out of rectangular scraps and turned them right side out, no hemming necessary.

2)  A new hairdo.  I was a little nervous over this.  It's not like I have any Barbie-sized bobby pins, and I'm terrible at hair!  It worked out okay, though.  I pulled back the top and sides and braided it, then parted the rest into two pieces and twisted it around the braid, pulling it into an updo and securing it with one of those tiny plastic bands (same ones I used on my girls' hair).  Then I cut a strip of the hot pink fabric, tied it around the whole thing, and trimmed it.

I am sure Ivey will dismantle her 'do, but I can fix this one again!  Ha!

3)  I took some hot pink metallic acrylic paint and a tiny paintbrush and painted her ballet slippers to match.

Yeah, I know it all seems a little obsessive, but once I get started on a project it's hard to stop.  This is how I do arts and crafts.  Some people knit, some people quilt, I do random stuff like this!  And I do love the way she turned out.  The best part is that the entire project only cost me the $2 I paid for the Barbie, because all my materials and tools were things I had on hand or were left over from other projects!

The moral of this project:  If you want your child to have a lovingly handmade toy but you're not quite that crafty and don't have enough money to buy handmade, why not make over a toy instead?  It's a fun option that comes in many forms and at varying degrees of difficulty.  Have you ever tried this and have some ideas to share?  I think I'll post again later with some of my ideas for pre-loved toy makeovers!