Bib Necklace How-to Part 1

So hey, go and check out Bird Crafts and see if 

you notice anything familiar! Thanks Bird for the shout out!

Okay on to the necklace...

Okay everyone, here is my lovely self in my bib necklace...I don't know why I seem to be allergic to looking at the camera. I will work on it.

I wore it on  a white shirt tucked into a gray pleated swing skirt...just thought I would paint the picture for you. I will say that I took this picture after church so the necklace had been through several bouts of our littlest man climbing all over me. I started the day with it tied a little tighter, so the necklace almost looked like the collar of the white shirt.  Okay enough of me in the necklace...on to the tutorial.

The tutorial for this necklace is going to be in parts. I am going to give a tutorial on how to do each flower, and then I will tell you how I put everything together. It might seem annoying to split it up, but believe me you would be more annoyed to have a novel of a tutorial in one post!

Bib Necklace Rolled Flower Tutorial

You will need a light tee shirt for these flowers. Take your tee, cut of the sleeves and the collar. You will want to cut nine 1X16 inch strips...these are just for the flowers, you will need two more for the necklace tie.

Roll each of your strips, tight like this.

Start at one end, leaving about an inch of the end.

Here is where it gets tricky to explain...While clasping the end, roll the strip tighter.

Start rolling.

After rolling around a couple of times, put a drop of hot glue on the inch piece you left on the end.

Fold over your started rosette on the drop of glue. The piece of extra fabric you glued it to will act as a stabilizer as you continue to roll your flower.

Continue to roll the rest of your strip. Use glue on stabilizer as needed to make sure the flower stays together.

Roll until there is about an inch left of your strip. Place a drop of glue on that left over flower, and then fold over onto the back of the flower...again to stabilize the flower.

One flower done...eight more to go. 

This flower (and the smaller version) is next...

but you will have to wait until Saturday...maybe Monday for this one. I am going CAMPING....yep that is right. I am going with the young women of our church to girls camp for the rest of the week.

Don't worry I am not forgetting Recipe Thursday...there is something all ready to go. PLUS I am doing a blog swap on Friday...so I will still vicariously be here even if I am up to my stink in camping. 

BUT when I get back on Saturday I am probably going to be spending my time with my sweet hubby and little men, of course after showering for an hour and washing all my campfire perfumed clothing, so don't cry your eyes out when I don't do the next part of this tutorial until Monday.

My Monday Project Late...The Woes of Blogger

So what was with blogger having a spaz fest for the last oh 18 hours??? Did it just need a really big nap? I am pretty sure it was more than a little annoying, but deep breath...it is feeling better now and is seemingly back to itself (I am not the only one who noticed bloggers malfunction, right???)

I had this pretty little project all ready to show you earlier today, but no one minds if something so pretty shows up a little late to the party.

Bib necklaces are all the rage. I often don't feel "in" enough to be all the rage, but despite my shocking lack of hipness...the fact that I just said hipness proves that I am not hip...I still really wanted a pretty bib necklace.

I scrounged around for some materials and came up with a yellow t-shirt, white felt, and left over scrapbook brads from my scrappy earring adventure.

I LOVED how it turned out...and I even wore it. I got lots of lovely compliments that made me feel hip...well hip enough...I know I need to stop saying the word hip.

This was really easy...I am putting together a tutorial that will show how I made the felt flowers, and the rolled tee flowers and how I put it all together to create the necklace. The tutorial will show up soon...but I figure if blogger got to take a nap, then so should I.

Hey I Can Do That! Diaper Caddy

Welcome to my 2nd installment of "Hey I Can Do That" aka "Hey why don't you actually make something from the growing lists of tutorials and projects you get from other people"

This week it came from a recent tutorial from noodlehead for a diaper pouch. Right away I knew I wanted to do it...here is a little secret though...

I have never sewn a lining in anything.

Another little secret...

The thought of attempting it made me want to hurl.

I decided to push through it because these are way too cute. Hey and you know what...

I Can Do That!

Behold my loverly diaper caddy, as I call it. 

This tutorial was SUPER easy to follow. I did change a couple of things. I did not use linen after seeing it was 14.99 a yard at my local fabric store. I decided to see if I could find something else.

Once again, Target to the rescue. They had these napkins and pillow slipcovers for CRAZY clearance prices. For less than $4 I got all this. It was enough to make two, with some scraps left over.

I also made a fabric strap instead of using the cotton webbing, simply because I didn't want to make an extra trip to the store. I think it turned out just as cute.

So now I know I can do a lining, and I can check a project off my list (don't worry I will probably find 10 more tomorrow). Plus I have a cute baby present for my son's teacher (ps if you are reading this SURPRISE, this is your gift).

Have a great weekend!

And if you need a new project on your list, head over to noodlehead and make up one of these.

Highchair Drop Cloth How-to

Remember the Vinyl Bib Tutorial? One of my readers from Taylor Moments sent me pictures of the bibs she made from my tutorial. Don't you love the tablecloth??? Also don't you love that she put a cutie patootie button on there! 

She said that she actually bought this tablecloth (from TARGET...insert love and devotion for Target here) for a drop cloth but decided to use it on the bibs.

Imagine my delight and surprise when I found the tablecloth she used and the above fishy one while wandering around my local Target. I immediately snatched them both up. 

Then later that day as I watched my littlest man delightfully drop his tiny pb&j pieces all over the floor, my sometimes working light bulb went off, connected the two and we got ourselves a High Chair Drop Cloth.

High Chair Drop Cloth Tutorial

Supplies:

2 different coordinating vinyl tablecloths

fishy one from Target, striped one from Meijer (that is local sorry!)

coordinating thread

Cut out 2 pieces of main print in a square to desired size. I measured mine at 38x38 since my littlest man likes to toss AND throw.

Cut out 2 pieces of coordinating print into a rectangle to fit within main square. I cut out two here, because I wanted a clean folded edge when I attached it to the main print. I couldn't "applique" it on because you can,t iron vinyl...what??? Really? No really it is true. It will make more sense in a couple of steps.

Fold rectangle in half hotdog way...remember what you learned in kindergarten? Trace half of a simple outline of a fish. I tried to match the one on the main print. Once you have your pattern, cut while still folded.

Repeat with other rectangle piece.

Unfold and line up edges with like sides facing. Pin together. Don't stress if the print doesn't 100% match up, only one side of your fish will show...this is that faking the applique look part since you can't iron. 

Sew with a 1/4 inch seam around entire fish, leaving an opening for turning out.

Turn out carefully. Vinyl will tear easier than fabric. Once turned out, fold in the edges of the opening.

Pinch together.

Sew opening closed, outlining the edge. DO NOT outline the entire fish yet.

Place your fish on your 1 piece of your main print. Once it is centered, pin it in place. 

To attach the fish, start at the beginning of where you original sewed close the opening. Sew over those stitches and then continue.

Keep going until the entire fish is attached and outlined all cute like this.

Once the fish is attached, lay your other piece of the main print on top, like sides facing. Pin around the edges.

Sew around the entire square with a 1/4-1/2 inch seam, leaving an opening to turn out. Turn out. Once it is turned out, outline the edge of the drop cloth like you did the fish.

Now as your little eater continues to test the laws of gravity with his/her lunch, you can rest assured because you have a cute little drop cloth keeping at least this square of your floor clean.

"

Southwest Hamburger

So with Summer coming, it is time to start going through the grilling recipes. I would LOVE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE GRILL RECIPES, so leave me a comment and share the grilling love. 

I LOVE this hamburger. It totally shows up the regular burger and makes your mouth and tummy super happy you ate it. Place it along a side of these--

and prepare for a perfect Summer evening.

Southwest Hamburgers

2 lbs of ground hamburger, or turkey, or mix

1 cup of pepper jack cheese or monterey jack for kiddos

1/2 t garlic powder

1 t cumin

2-3 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips

1/2 cup favorite salsa

salt to taste

Mix all together. Form patties and cook until done. Top with a slice of pepper jack cheese.

Serve with a side of baked potato fries, follow recipe, but instead of Parmesan, garlic, and paprika add some southwest seasonings...cumin, chili powder, I used adobo seasoning for these.

 So seriously, leave me your favorite grilling recipe...I NEED them.