Toddler-friendly DIY valentines

For Valentine's Day this year, I thought it would be sweet for Preston to send handmade cards to family and friends. While I think all of the ways Pinterest involves painted hand and footprints are cute and a sweet way to get the little one involved, I shuttered at the thought of a squirmy, paint-covered hand smearing on everything but the paper I was aiming for.

Since he loves stickers and tearing up any piece of paper his hands land on (books, magazines, mail, etc.), I thought this craft was the perfect marriage of his two favorite activities: tearing and sticking. Plus, it was a lot cleaner.

Together, he and I made these incredibly simple tissue paper hearts. I drew some hearts onto drawing paper and roughly cut them out to make each more manageable for Preston to work with. I smeared some glue onto each heart and showed Preston how to tear the tissue paper and stick a piece to where I had just put the glue.

He enjoyed the free license to rip something up and made lots of little tissue paper pieces. But, like he does with stickers, he wanted to peel the piece back off whenever he stuck it to the heart, which made the somewhat permanence of the glue frustrating. I helped him a little just to make sure the heart got completely covered, then I cut them out and wrote a little message on the back so they were ready to mail.

It also helped that the project could be spaced out over the course of several days so that, if he was soon over the whole process, we could abandon it to come back to it later. After one particular melt down (he wanted the glue stick, then was upset when the glue stick made him sticky), I may have just finished up the last two. It's the thought that counts, right? 

In the end, not only was it great motor skills practice, but he was able to see the process of making something on his own and sharing the finished product. I'd mark that in the "win" column.

Easy fabric garland

As I've mentioned before, a seamstress I am not. When it comes to DIY projects, it needs to include a hot glue gun or elementary school-level gross motor skills for me to do it. That's why I love this project: You just have to be able to use scissors and tie a knot. This is the second garland I've made like this, inspired by the rustic-looking fabric garlands I'd seen on — you guessed it — Pinterest. This one was for a camping themed baby shower, but I think the colors work well for Christmas, too, so I'm getting dual use out of it!

All you need is some fabric (about a yard of each should do it), scissors, and string (I've used twine before, and yarn for this one. Really, whatever you have around works). Cut strips of fabric twice as long as you want it to be (you'll fold it in half) and as thick as you want. I did about 10 inches by 2 inches.

Once you have a good little stack to work with, it's knot time. With your fabric folded in half, place it behind your string. Then bring the folded end to the front and loop the tail end through the folded part. Pull the tails to tighten the knot. And that's it! Like I said, simple. Keep doing that until you have as many fabric knots as you like, leaving some extra string at either end for hanging it wherever you'd like.

It would look pretty hanging from your mantle or even wrapped around your tree. Since we don't have a fireplace, I've taken to treating our buffet as a mantle. You work with what you have!

Let me know if you try this project. I'd love to see what fabrics you choose!

O (felt) Christmas tree

So, it looks like we won't have to ignore my whole "I'm going to try to make a felt Christmas tree" promise after all. Saturday after my comprehensive finals (which didn't go so badly, but I'll find out the final results Friday), I tackled my own version of a child's Christmas tree and am pretty pleased with the outcome! I think Preston was pretty happy, too.

I decided to make Preston his own Christmas tree because 1) I thought it'd keep his hands off the real one and 2) he loves stickers and sticking things on/pulling things off stuff, so having his own tree to decorate seemed like his cup of tea. However, most of the felt trees I had seen on Pinterest were flat and stuck on the wall. I didn't really want to put anything on the wall, and I liked the idea of a stand-alone version we could move around. So I started working on how to make a base for a 3D tree.

I figured cardboard would be the easiest thing to find and began a search for a large box. Luckily, I didn't have to look too far because we still had the box our dining room table was delivered in. It was perfect. I used a tripod box to estimate the height and a diaper box for the length of the base to achieve that perfect Christmas tree isosceles triangle. I cut out the first triangle and used it as the template for three more triangles.

Initially, I'd brought out a pair of scissors to cut the triangles out, but just three cuts was murder on my hands, so I opted for Scott's knife. It was much easier to manage, but the whole time I felt like I needed adult supervision. Then I realized I was the adult in the situation and worried for the future generation for whom I'm responsible to watch in blade-wielding situations. 

I used the pieces as the pattern for four triangles of green felt, which I bought four yards of, before my sister and I taped the cardboard pieces into a pyramid with packing tape. We ended up only making the tree three-sided because it was easier to keep three pieces aligned to tape than it was with four.

My biggest concern with an angled tree was covering the angles. I'd been working out the logistics in my head for this tree for a couple of weeks, and this was the issue keeping me up at night. So, I decided to cover the angles in green felt first before I placed the green triangles I'd already cut onto the tree. There was a lot of hot glue involved and a lot of finger-burning in the process.

I didn't like how flat the tree looked with just the felt triangles. It needed some texture, so I cut five-inch wide strips of felt long enough to wrap around the tree and scalloped the edges. Then I wrapped each around a section of the tree. I cut down the excess fabric that would result in the strip turning around the angle and tucked it under each side with some more hot glue. It caused a little bumpiness in some spots, but not too badly.

Then, using square sheets of colored felt, I cut out the ornaments, their embellishments, and the star for the top. One sheet of each color was plenty, and I had some leftover even after making 15 ornaments. I also bought some thick, yellow ric-rac for tinsel that I ended up not using except as ornament embellishment. In the end, the whole thing cost me $17, and I had a lot of green felt left over. I would've probably been OK with just three yards, but I didn't want to run out mid-project and had no idea how much I'd need having never done anything like this before. It took me about four and a half hours to complete.

I'm really happy with the end result! Preston has been happily taking the ornaments off and sticking them back on, clapping for himself every time. I hope it becomes one of those iconic Christmas decorations for him — like the pair of wooden reindeer my grandfather made are for me — that whenever we unpack the Christmas boxes, it's the thing he looks forward to and feels like Christmas to him.

Not my mother's Halloween costume

Too legit to quit

In my Halloween costume hall of fame, there is one that tops them all — the pink Power Ranger. I mean, that helmet, those boots, the iron-ons! How can anything top its majesty? The costume was made all the more special as it was tirelessly crafted by my mom. She has always been a great seamstress — whether it was sewing my sister's and my Easter dresses, making our American Girl dolls' clothes, or just hemming our always-too-long-for-our-short-legs pants.

Her sewing abilities, despite her best efforts, were not passed down to me, though, and when it came time to create Preston's costume for this year, I was at a loss. I picked Peter Pan because 1) I think Preston would make a cute Peter, 2) maybe if I dress him as the boy who never grew up, he won't grow up himself, and 3) it's easy to hobble together without really making anything.

Supplies//Trying on the shirt//Zig-zaggy cutting

I picked up some black leggings and a green shirt a couple of sizes too big at Walmart and cut the shirt bottom and sleeves zig-zaggy. (Is "zig-zaggy" even a word? Let's roll with it.) Belt it with some yarn I had on hand and *ta-da!* Peter Pan. The only problem? The hat. Peter Pan needs a classic Peter Pan hat. It makes the look.

And to my great fear, every Peter Pan hat tutorial I found included the S-word — sewing. I thought about fabric gluing it, but I didn't want it looking horribly made. I could hear Tim Gunn critiquing its poor construction in my head ("I'm sorry. This hat just looks tortured. I'm just flabbergasted.") Luckily, my friend Cassie came to my rescue. I cut out the pieces from green felt, and she sewed the two sides together. While it sounds simple enough for even a beginning sewing student, to me it was basically brain surgery, and Cassie is a skilled surgeon. She was even in the midst of making her own son's costume — the cutest little squirrel costume you've ever seen. She's definitely beating me for Mom of the Year this year.

Peter Pan and his remote, the only way he would stand still// "Preston, please wear your hat." "No no no!"

I'm pleased with the final outcome. I still need to make the red feather for the hat (or maybe I'll just leave it off) and maybe a little cardboard sword for him to stick in his belt. He at least looks like Peter Pan — or an elf. Hey! He could wear it again for our Christmas card!

Maybe next year I'll have tackled my sewing fear head-on and created a memorable costume for Preston. Or I'll just break down and have mom do it.

Nursery canvas DIY

"When I grow up" canvas with Preston's Winnie the Pooh, Sleep Sheep and little bison. 

Slowly but surely, Preston's nursery is coming together. All the furniture is in place, and we're in the process of gathering those little knick-knacks that add a personal touch. To go with our dapper gentleman theme, we have gathered prints of hats, little dogs, and have a pennant on the way with his name on it, but last night I decided to do a little art project that, while it didn't directly go with the theme, is still a cute addition to his room.

Upon completion last night

I had seen a similar canvas on Pinterest a few months back and loved the sweet sentiment. Obviously I'm quite keen on Preston's dad, so why wouldn't I want two of them? (Ask me that when Scott is in super intense Type-A mode, and my answer might be different.) So, I bought a 9x12 canvas at Hancock along with the blue paint (I already had white paint) and some thin paint brushes and went to work.

I printed the sentence off the computer and cut out the letter with an Exact-o knife to make a stencil for the canvas. After I had painted the canvas blue, and it was dry, I traced the letters onto the canvas and painted them in. The whole project cost me $9 and took me about three hours. The best part was that I was also doing my homework, listening to the book I need to have read by Thursday night on my iPod. (Even better than that, I got the book for free from the library instead of $10 from iTunes!) I felt incredibly productive when it was all said and done.

I love that, with the canvas, it can sit on his bookshelf or be hung on the wall. I don't know where it will finally end up, but I'm loving how it came out.

Crochet show and tell

After I sold my summer textbooks back to Amazon, I spent part of my credit on this crochet book. I'd stumbled upon it in my search for free amigurmi patterns, but after looking through it online knew it was worth the price. I mean, "seriously cute" is in the title. They're not mucking about with the cuteness factor.

As a result, I've been crocheting a lot lately, which has filled my need for adorable animals and gifts with which to bribe children to love me. It's a win/win, really.

Here are a few of my recently completely projects.

The puppy dog is for a little girl in our home Bible study. She loves to act like a dog, crawling around on the floor, barking, rolling over, etc. I figured she needed a puppy pal. I did change him up a little bit, though. The book called for nubby-like ears similar to the legs, but it came off looking more like a reindeer than a puppy. So I made the elephant ears instead to give him sweet floppy ears instead. I like how they came out a lot better. 

The lion is for our friends' brand new baby boy. Every boy needs a lion to go on adventures with, right? In the process of making the lion, he was one-eyed for a long time. I'd run out of black yarn. I thought he might look good with an eye patch though. 

Right now I'm in the middle of a making a monkey. The building stages of making an animal is funny because during the process it looks like some kind of massacre with legs and heads and stuffing strewn about. But it all comes together in the end. 

This hat is for the baby boy, too, but the pattern isn't from the book. I had a baby beanie hat I built this pattern from, adding the bill, leather buttoned strap and colored trim. I used the same basket weave stitch I did for the bear hat only this time I did it all over the hat. I think it's perfect for a dapper little man.

I knew I'd done well when Scott was extra impressed with the hat. The Scott stamp of approval is a hard one to get.

The Pinterest Challenge: Summer edition, part two

{Click here for part one!}

In addition to my long list of crochet-ables I have on Pinterest, I also have a lot of potential crafts in mind — specifically in the DIY jewelry department. And while all of these projects looked like such fun to tackle, my small town didn't have a suitable craft store. That was until the local Hancock's got a crafty face lift! When I went in for my monthly yarn shopping, I was surprised to see row after row of jewelry-making, crafty goodness! I was more excited than a normal person should be and immediately new which project I would tackle first: these colorful wrap bracelets!

{via}

I love the layered look and how I could choose whatever colors I wanted (or felt my wardrobe needed). I gathered up the necessary materials at Hancock's — leather cord, embroidery thread, ball chain and diamond chain — and went to work. I think my leather cord is thicker than theirs because while they suggest using a hex nut for the closure, I just tied a knot at the end and slip it through the loop on the other side. (Click the "via" link above for the "how to.")

Here's my final result:

I really love the final outcome! Scott says the red one looks like a dog collar. I tell him to hush his mouth (in a loving, respectful way, of course). I was thinking it would be the perfect addition to my game day apparel in a few weeks. The turquoise and yellow were two of my favorite colors for the summer, and they add the perfect pop of color to just about anything.

So, thus ends my summer Pinterest challenge. I'm sure you'll be seeing lots more of these projects posted here in the future. I can't help but show off the good ones.

P.S. Like the new look? I thought it was time for a little sprucing up around here. Let me know what you think!

Linked up at the Crafty Nest!

The Pinterest Challenge: Summer edition

My friend Alex posted this to my Facebook last week and told me I needed to do this. But then, like most things I do, I ended up doing it late. I was supposed to have this post up last Tuesday, but instead I'm going to make it two posts and a week late. I like to make things my own, after all.

I'm always nervous about doing something I've seen online because I'm afraid I won't do it as well as the original, like this pin I found:

Note: I didn't make these cupcakes. I found this picture on Pinterest.

But I put on my big girl craft pants and went to work. My Pinterest is heavy with items on my "to crochet" list. Sometimes I feel like I should apologize to my followers for my yarn-centric pins, but there are so many awesome things to make out there! I'd been looking for the perfect baby gift to make for my coworker Heather's baby shower when I found this adorable teddy bear hat.

[via]

The pin didn't lead to a pattern, so I was left to my own devices as far as making it. I have a generic baby hat, but it was the alternating patterns that had me scared. Was I woman enough to tackle these various stitches? After some time searching YouTube (where I've learned most of my stitches), I went to work on this baby shower gift. Here's the final result.

I think it's pretty spot on! I really love the criss-cross stitch and think the various stitches give the hat lots of texture and character. I can't wait to see it modeled in a few more weeks! To go along with the hat, I crocheted my first stuffed animal — appropriately enough, a teddy bear.

I think they make a cute pair, don't you? And while the bear didn't come from Pinterest inspiration, I couldn't help but show her off anyway. I'm a crafter and a bragger.

Later this week I'll show you the bracelets I made from another Pinterest inspiration. Try not to soil yourself with excitement, OK?

What Pinterest-inpired crafts have you undertaken?

P.S. Want to see more of my Pinterest crafts? Click here.

Linked up at The Crafty Nest

This craft brought to you by Pinterest

If there was a support group for Pinterest addicts, you'd better believe I'd be there. If you're unfamiliar with the highly addictive website, let me break it down for you. Pinterest is an inspiration board website where you can collect, or "pin," your favorite things from around the Web in one easy to find location. You can also see the pins of other users and find inspiration that way. I have boards for clothes, recipes, crocheting and even The Beatles — plus a lot more. It's amazing the time you can waste away browsing through all of the stuff on there. Much like Facebook, the magic of Pinterest is lost in its explanation. You can only appreciate it when you go on a Pinterest bender, resurfacing from your computer 72 hours later wondering when it got so dark outside and what today's date is.

What Pinterest has done for me, besides sucking up a large portion of my time, is made me more crafty, or at least want to be more crafty — in the creative sense, I mean. Not the evil, mustache-twirling sense. I decided to hone my Pin-spiration (see what I did there?) and actually do some of the things I'd found.

Project one is for a Harry Potter party Scott and I are going to on Friday. While I don't have full on wizard attire, I decided that I wanted to wear something to celebrate the final Potter flick.

So, I took this Harry Potter print ...

[source]

... along with this tutorial on freezer paper stenciling ...

[source]

... and made this shirt.

I love how the shirt came out. I realize the purple shirt is more Ravenclaw than Gryffindor, but there were no red shirts in my size, so purple it is. I knew I'd done well when Scott, who was skeptical of the craft in the first place, said it turned out really well. 

I also took to Pinterest when it came my turn to host Bunco. I wanted a summery, picnic theme, so I took these ideas ...

[sources, clockwise: 1, 2, 3, 4]

... and turned them into this ... 

I had to do a looser translation on the doily on the paper bags because there is not a cute doily to be had anywhere around me. I've looked almost everywhere.

I can't wait to tackle more of the ideas I've pinned, like this crochet football hat, this zucchini spaghetti or this cute states print (with Arkansas and Tennessee, of course).

So, are you a pinner? Follow me at jmhannigan. If you find yourself with lots of time you'd love to waste, leave me your email in the comments, and I'll send you a Pinterest invitation!