At long last this came in the mail.
I finally ordered some real grown up labels from here.
Think of the potential!
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Showing posts with label links. Show all posts
Showing posts with label links. Show all posts
Friday, July 20, 2012
Thursday, July 12, 2012
little pattern weights
I used up some favorite scraps the other day to make some cute little weights. I needed them to help hold down fabric while it's being cut, hold templates in place, etc.
{fabric: alexander henry apples and pears, unidentified heart print scraps, fusible fleece}
This is definitely one of those patterns where you don't really need a pattern, just an idea, and I must give credit where credit is due: Oh Fransson (aka Elizabeth Hartman). I love the blog, and her book The Practical Guide to Modern Patchwork. Practical? So very HoopDeeDoo.
To fill the weights, first I tried to use those glass flat-bottom marble thingies you use in home decor, because I have a lot of them for some reason. They aren't heavy enough. So I went with the pennies.
It strikes me as a little sad that pennies are not worth enough as currency to buy something and are now essentially filler. Poor Abe Lincoln. Don't take it personally.
And they do an excellent job of holding the aforementioned book open to the pattern I've chosen for that lovely fabric you saw the other day. :)
{find the tutorial here.}
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Tuesday, May 17, 2011
a new look!
Hooray! The blog finally has a new look, designed by someone who knows what they are doing!!
...the fabulous Jeannette from Crafty Hippo Designs!
Jeannette is fabulous not only because her name is Jeannette, which is my middle name with an extra "N", but also because she is so easy to work with.
We met on Twitter via the Ultimate Blog Party, which has been a fabulous opportunity to connect with other bloggers and crafters.
I was going for something pretty and practical, which should come as no surprise. That's my motto.
I really wanted something simple that wouldn't compete with pictures and stuff in the sidebars. It seems that I am so easily visually overwhelmed these days when I read blogs that are full of blinkies and videos and swirlies and flourishes and doodads, so much so that I can't concentrate on the posts. Didn't want that to happen on my own blog!
Do you like the font choice? That would be "Socially Awkward" from http://www.kevinandamanda.com/, where you can find a staggering amount of free scrapbook fonts. I think the name is quite appropriate, of course...
In other news, I have been super focused on family stuff the last few weeks, as we wrap up school, and as I am helping my mom hunt for a house. I like to blog, and I like to craft, but social media is absolutely the first thing to take a backseat to family stuff, and the blog was being renovated anyways. Looking forward to summer and all of the downtime!
And, I have updated the Etsy shop lately with a few things I really like and am not entirely sure I want to sell, but what the heck:
I lurrrrrrve this Kindle cover. I almost kept it for myself...It was upcycled from a sweater the girls had that they just loved. The sweater got a big, unfixable, frogging hole in the front. (Frogging is actually a knitting term, seriously!! You know, when you're ripping something out - rip it, rip it - it's so corny you know I didn't make this one up!)
I may keep if for myself if it does not sell, but somehow I think it will. Just too cute.
I may keep if for myself if it does not sell, but somehow I think it will. Just too cute.
This camera strap cover has the happiest summery colors. I could spend all day playing in these fabrics. These were all from a big Lily Bella Fabrics scrap bag, which is almost better than chocolate, and certainly lower calorie. An hour in that scrap bag will cure what ails ya, believe me.
So...what do you think of the new blog look?
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Thursday, May 5, 2011
summer is coming...moms, are you ready?
Hey, friends! The days are flying by, aren't they? I have been trying so hard to get things done around here, because it is only a few weeks until school is out!
16 more days of kindergarten.
6 more days of preschool.
AAH!
The summer looms before me...what on earth am I going to do to keep my excessively bright, creative, and energetic children engaged all summer?
Sure, we've got camps scheduled, a family vacation, Backyard Bible Clubs, and there's always the pool.
But it's those days here and there when you hear...
"MOM, I'M BORED!"
Now, my mom's favorite answer to this problem was to hand my brother and me a mop or a toilet brush, once we were old enough to use them properly. Oh, I firmly believe in lots of chores, yes I do. But my kids are merely 6 and 4, so there are only so many chores they can be expected to do.
A couple of years ago, I started doing themed weeks or days during the summer. For example, "Princess Day" required costumes, pink pancakes (made with beets instead of food coloring, of course), and we used royal titles for each other all day long. (I really liked being called "Queen Mother.")
This year, I've got an awesome idea in my "Summer Box," thanks again to my mom, the Retired Teacher Extraordinaire.
DINOSAUR WEEK!
(I don't have any pictures of us actually doing the activities yet, because I am keeping it a surprise from the kids for now.)
We've got bones!! These are those very cool wooden dino skeleton puzzles. I'm gonna hide them in the sandbox and have the kids dig them up and attempt to put them back together. Some of these are incomplete skeletons, which actually makes it more realistic when you think about it.
Activity books - how to draw, word search, etc. I also expect that my girls will need to make dinosaur models out of pipe cleaners, their current favorite sculpture medium.
My 6 year old probably knows all of these guys by sight already, but maybe these flash cards will help me keep up with her.
Let's not forget a bunch of random fossil pictures, labels, etc. Perhaps we will use the labels to organize our drawings, or create "learning centers."
So, if you are wondering what to do with your kids this summer, send them to my house for Dino Week, or hit up your favorite retired teacher for some cool stuff. And check out the Save Our Summer series on the Brassy Apple blog, one of my favorite bloggy haunts - just click this big button!
Do you have any theme ideas to share?
P.S. a new look for the blog is on the way, keep your eyes peeled!
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Tuesday, April 26, 2011
{tip Tuesday} : flower headbands
I love all of the cute flower headbands for little girls these days, and my girls look great in them.
But headbands are notoriously cheapo. And little girls are not always gentle.
"mommy! I broke my headband!" (weeping and gnashing of teeth)
"not again!!! I just paid x dollars for that!!" (weeping and gnashing of teeth)
Here's my solution:
The flowers slide on and off! I made these flowers myself (see tutorial here) and added a small tube to the underside. Presto!
"mommy! I broke my headband!" (weeping and gnashing of teeth)
"no problem, honey!" (supermom grabs new headband from stash, slides flowers on it, and tosses the busted one)
Incidentally, the hem of an old t-shirt just happens to be the perfect size for these 1/2" wide headbands...
Another bonus is that this makes the flowers interchangeable, repositionable, etc. Let me know if you try it!
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Friday, April 15, 2011
she thinks she's crafty...and she's right!
Happy Friday! I just wanted to brag a little on my friend Beckymae.
She's in the running over at So You Think You're Crafty, where 10 crafters duke it out over 10 weeks to see who comes out on top!
If you aren't following this competition, you really should. Vote here for your favorite projects!
This week's theme is Knock Offs.
(Becky's project is an Anthropologie knockoff.
It's something you can really rest your head on...hint hint...)
And if she didn't have enough to do right now, she has a booth in the Georgetown Red Poppy Festival this weekend. If you're local, you MUST check it out! Fun family stuff, and all free! The girls and I are going on Saturday in between yardwork and taxes. :)
She kindly offered to put some of my camera strap covers and Kindle covers in her booth. See what I mean about crafters being some of the most generous people in the world? How they tend to see others as colleagues rather than competition?
So please head over to SYTYC and vote!! And check out her previous projects here:
Go Becky!!
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Friday, April 8, 2011
I SHINE - a donation challenge!
Hey hoopdeedoodles! It's been a wild week of Ultimate Blog Partyin'! I have visited so many cool blogs, participated in several whirlwind Twitter chats, and met lots of new people. If you haven't seen the full list of participants, brace yourself and click here.
I've also been feeling totally overwhelmed by the amount of clutter in my house. I suspect that it's breeding at night while I am sleeping.
So when I saw The SHINE Project blog's weekly challenge, I was already feeling highly motivated.
Y'all know what a big fan of Goodwill I am.
I had a major Goodwill pile going in the closet already, but it was the hardest kind of stuff to part with.
Stuff I like.
Stuff I just don't fit in anymore (because I lost weight: now don't get all jealous and stuff, I had to break up with sugar to lose that weight. We barely speak anymore. It's too painful.)
Stuff that's really nice (say like Cousin Eddie from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation).
A Talbot's silk dress. Michael Kors blouse. Two Ann Taylor cashmere twinsets. Etc. etc. etc. ad luxuriam.
I could give these things to friends, or consign them, but decided against it.
Some woman out there, looking for a job, or struggling to make ends meet, is going to find these gems amidst the Goodwill racks, and it will give her a much needed thrill. And on Easter Sunday, or at her next job interview, she is going to look radiant and proud.
Now, to be sure, there were also some real stinkers in that pile. Like the sweater on top - one of my first knitted projects - a shrug that made me looked like a frilled lizard. No I will not model it for you.
I also....
I also....
...gave away the Christmas quilt.
(That *gasp-thud* sound is the simultanous cross-country reaction of my BFF, mother, and husband, who did not think it was possible for me to let go of this failure.)
This had a less noble motivation. I just needed the storage for fabric so I could clean my office!! :)
I did keep back a few things to refashion, and will share the process with you when I do, of course!
So, head over to The SHINE Project and get motivated to bless someone with your clutter!
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Friday, April 1, 2011
Ultimate Blog Party 2011!
Hey all! I'm in a party mood, so I'm joining in the Ultimate Blog Party over at 5 Minutes for Mom!
It's just a way for bloggers to get to know each other, share a little bit about themselves, and make friends! So here's a little bit about why I started blogging:
I needed someone to talk crafty to, other than my poor husband, who only speaks engineer.
I like to share my harebrained ideas with the world.
I needed an occasional soapbox.
I have an etsy shop for my creative overflow and wanted a blog to go along with it.
I like show-and-tell.
I wanted to make new friends online!! (It is hard for me to make friends in person.)
Here's what blogging is teaching me:
I don't have to be perfect to be liked. (There is no chance I will be perfect, so this is a very good thing.)
Bloggers are overwhelmingly supportive of one another, even their direct competition. I love that!!
Twitter isn't just for 14 year olds.
I really really need to take pictures and write things down when I'm creating things from scratch.
I don't have to blog every day or even every week to be a "success."
There are so many cool people out there that I can't wait to get to know!
So head on over to the party at 5 Minutes for Mom and meet some other new bloggers! And please leave a comment for me and for them - we bloggers LIVE for comments!!
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Friday, February 25, 2011
hoodie upcycle, part deux: coffee cozy
Hi there, Hoopdeedoodles! (do I sound a little like Flanders from the Simpsons?)
Thanks for all of your kind comments regarding last week's project, where I cut up my beloved gray hoodie to make a cute makeup bag. But there's still a lot of hoodie left, and I can't give it to Goodwill now..
So I decided to challenge myself to use up as much of it as possible!
This week, I made a super-cute coffee cozy!
Maybe it will actually protect my hand from those screamin' hot cappuccinos I prefer, unlike the cardboard sleeves. Oh, and it's good for the environment and all that.
Using pinking shears, I simply cut off the sleeve just above the wrist.
Using pinking shears, I simply cut off the sleeve just above the wrist.
Then I added a flower made of knit scraps - soft and stretchy.
Easy as pie.
and check me out, I was featured over at Humble Homemaking!
{ironic, to brag on myself about being featured as humble, dontcha think?}
Have a wonderful weekend!
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Friday, February 4, 2011
time for a giveaway!!
Hooray, it's time from another giveaway from CSN Stores! CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find anything you need, whether it be swingsets, fitness equipment, or even cute cookware!
Speaking of swingsets, I've been dreaming of spring, looking outside at our awesome playscape, which is currently covered with snow (yes, even in Austin, TX).
We have the Gorilla Big Skye I. My kids LOVE it! My hubby and father-in-law put it together themselves, a big job to be sure, but it turned out great.
All year long, my kids and their friends spend hours here.
It enables me to craft, cook, or talk with my mommy friends in peace.
It has been a pirate ship, rocket ship, secret clubhouse, and who knows what else.
Sigh. I love it so much.
Anyways, I can't fund your entire backyard remodel, but I'm giving away a $25 gift certificate, redeemable at any CSN site!
I won't tell your kids if you decide to spend it on yourself.
There are lots of chances to win! Here's how:
1. Leave me a comment!
2. Follow my blog (Google connect or RSS), Facebook, Twitter, or tell me if you already are.
3. Take a peek at my etsy shop and tell me something you like or want to see there.
4. Take a peek at the CSN stores sites and tell me what you would spend your $25 on!
5. Spread the word about this giveaway, and let me know how.
Remember to leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry - so you get all your chances to win. And be sure to include an email address in your comment or Blogger profile, so I don't have to track you down.
Contest closes Wednesday, Feb. 9, at 11:59pm CST.
P.S. The snow has already melted, and the kids seem to be melting down as well. Time to go PLAY OUTSIDE!!
{images copyright hoopdeedoo}
I am not being compensated by CSN for this giveaway. This is to bless my readers!
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Friday, August 27, 2010
the paint chip challenge!
I stumbled upon this challenge yesterday, and it got my mind working. My eldest has a birthday in the fall, and we need to be thrifty with the party this year, so I am pondering an "art party." This kiddo LOVES art projects, drawing, painting, play-doh, you name it. She gets positively giddy over paint samples, so they would be perfect for the goody bags!
Supply list:
paint samples - the large single-color kind
cellophane bags
stickers, erasers, and other small goodies
pencil
hole punch
sharpie
I used Better Homes & Gardens paint samples from Wal-mart, which, due to incredible luck, fit perfectly into these 6" x 3.75" cellophane bags that I already had on hand.
Write your message on the paint sample, slide it into the baggie, and slide in a page of stickers facing the other way so you cover up the ugly backside of the sample. Incidentally, I'm the world's WORST note-writer, so I try to say "thank you" in the goodie bags. It's not how Emily Post would do it, but it's better than never getting around to it.
Now punch two holes in the top of the bag and slide a pencil through the holes. Ta-da! For only pennies you have a cute party favor!
We also picked up a few of the paint samples with the hole in them. I think these make terrific gift tags!
This is a little bucket with holes already in the sides for tying a ribbon. Full of art supplies, it would make another inexpensive yet fun gift for a creative kiddo!
By the way, immediately after these pictures were taken, the kids appropriated the paint samples for their own creative uses. They will probably end up being placemats for the next stuffed animal tea party!
And don't tell my husband, but while I was at Wal-mart I picked up a few extra samples that would look nice on the living room wall...
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Tuesday, July 27, 2010
dude. i made a button.
Look over there to the left!
i could not have done this alone. let's give credit where credit is due:
Thank you, Oikology 101. I don't know you, but your directions were impeccable, and it gave me the self-satisfaction of having done it myself. Now I can go upstairs and brag to my husband, who will be totally shocked that I did it without interrupting his Starcraft game.
i could not have done this alone. let's give credit where credit is due:
Thank you, Oikology 101. I don't know you, but your directions were impeccable, and it gave me the self-satisfaction of having done it myself. Now I can go upstairs and brag to my husband, who will be totally shocked that I did it without interrupting his Starcraft game.
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Saturday, July 24, 2010
Twenty-Minute Tote Redo!
Went to Old Navy the other day to hit the clearance sale. Old Navy's sales are garage sale cheap and often about as organized as digging through a big box of random unpriced stuff. But, just like garage sales, sometimes you find a little gem.
I found this denim tote for 8 bucks. I felt very sorry for it, because it was like the plain girl at the school dance, sitting in the bleachers while her colorful friends are getting all of the attention. But, bless her heart, she is just soooo boooooring. Let's help her out.
I pinned the doilies to the bag using straight pins, but I would recommend using curved safety pins if you have them on hand. I stuck myself a lot during the sewing process. Since the bag is already finished, sewing the doily on required a lot of maneuvering and folding the bag as I sewed, hence all of the sticking with pins.
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Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Tutorial Tuesday linky love
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Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Easter outfits for MY girls!
Some time ago, I purchased the Patchwork Twirl skirt pattern by Carla C from youcanmakethis.com. LOVE her patterns, she is very thorough. I probably could have cooked this one up on my own but when I totally rip off someone's idea, I like to give them money for it. Call me old-fashioned. Anyhoo, I had big plans to make Easter outfits for my kids.
Then I abandoned the plans, because my dad got worse, and I was up and down the highway all the time. Put the etsy shop on vacation, put my plans on hold, put life on hold.
And then, plans changed again, because I totaled my husband's car, so I couldn't go anywhere for a while. As you can imagine, I was starting to get a little bit stressed out at this point. What do I do when I get stressed out?
MAKE STUFF.
And suddenly I'm back into crafting, and let me tell you, it is GOOD THERAPY. I've had a lot of extra time around the house lately with my sweet daughters, and they make me smile so much, and they love to twirl and sing. So last week I pulled out this pattern again, and a big pile of scraps, and a couple of Target t-shirts. Voila!
I used the Moda Bake Shop tutorial for the flower. There are lots of great flower tutorials out there, but this one was specifically the look I was going for.
Did my heart good to see their faces for the big "reveal". They immediately put their skirts on and began dancing around!! I was too busy having fun with them to take a picture at that moment!!
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Monday, August 17, 2009
sharing the love
Rachel of p.s. i quilt is doing a giveaway over on her blog.
I'd like to win and I know you would too, so I am sharing. She has a wonderful blog, so if you are a fabric junkie, check it out!
I'd like to win and I know you would too, so I am sharing. She has a wonderful blog, so if you are a fabric junkie, check it out!
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