Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013
I had my two children in mind when I designed this little fabric heart necklace for Valentine’s Day, but after I threw one around my neck, I was kind of feeling the vibe. They make perfect lovey gifts for sharing with friends, don’t you think? Plus, it is a fantastic way to use up those beautiful bits of leftover fabric.
Materials:
fabric
cereal box panels
sewing machine OR embroidery needle and floss
scissors
hole punch
pen
yarn
How To:
1. Ask a child to draw a heart shape on the back of some favorite fabric. Cut out the shape, and place it right side up onto a piece of cereal box panel. I didn’t affix the fabric to the panel with anything, but you could use a dab of a glue stick to keep it in place.
2. Put a denim needle in your sewing machine and sew around the heart. You could also use a big embroidery needle and floss. Once the sewing is completed, trim away the excess cereal box panel.
3. Use the hole punch to make holes in the two tips of the heart. The punch will go through the fabric and cardboard, but you’ll probably need to trim a bit of the fabric out of the hole to clean it up.
4. There are two different ways to string the yarn (both techniques shown below). You can simply thread it through the back and then use a bit of glue to affix the yarn to the back of the heart (so it doesn’t show when you turn it over). Or, you can thread the ends of a piece of yarn through the holes and then tie big, big, big knots so they don’t slip off.
Happy heart making!
xo emily
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Tags:
children, cut, cute, fabric, gift, heart, love, necklace, pink, red, sew, sweet, valentine's | Categories:
Crafts, Everyday Fun, Fun, Group Activities, Holiday, Must Read, Seasonal
Wednesday, December 19th, 2012
Once you’ve driven all of the miles, eaten lots of pie, watched the candles dance, given beautiful gifts, and hummed all of the familiar tunes, you might take a deep breath and settle down with your family for some quiet fun. If this is the case, this updated version of the traditional macaroni necklace is a lovely family activity for both the very young and the very old (and everyone in between). You can all talk about how far macaroni necklaces have come while sipping hot chocolate and munching on popcorn. Consider inviting your children to help you dye the macaroni; it will make them even more excited to string them up later on.
You will need:
macaroni in interesting shapes
food dye
rubbing alcohol
bowls
paper towels
baking sheets
plastic bags (optional)
yarn
beads
tape
How to dye the pasta:
1. In a bowl, mix a 1/2 cup (approximately) of rubbing alcohol with some food dye. Stir.
2. Dump a bunch of macaroni into the bowl. Stir until fully coated. If you want to make the process a bit easier, use a plastic bag instead of the bowl and shake and mush with your hands. It will help distribute the dye. And, hey, children love smushing and mushing!
3. Cover the baking sheets with one layer of paper towel. Use a spoon to lay the dyed pasta onto the baking sheet. Let dry overnight.
1. Cut the yarn into 18″ pieces (approximate).
2. Tie a bead onto the end as an anchor, which will prevent the macaroni from slipping off the end.
3. Tape the ends of the strings, which will make it easier for little hands to thread the yarn through the macaroni beads.
4. Present the prepared string and bowls of colorful macaroni to a bunch of children and watch them create.
5. Make your own.
(This is one I made two years ago)
Happy family gathering to all!
xo emily
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Tags:
activity, children, colorful, craft, creative, fun, group, macaroni, necklace, pasta, play, stringing, young | Categories:
Birthday Party Games, Crafts, Everyday Fun, Fun, Group Activities, Must Read
Monday, November 19th, 2012
1. These Fall Harvest Necklaces by Ariana of Crow Roosters Crow make me smile. (Use a thimble!)
2. This chalkboard design asks family members to keep track of what they are thankful for.
3. Fruit stickers for your sweet pie’s lunch box.
4. Catherine’s Chewy Cherry Granola Bars look incredible, and are on my list of healthy snacks to make for the children’s lunchboxes.
5. The Forgiveness Garden, by Lauren Thompson and illustrated by Christy Hale, is a beautiful new picture book with a hopeful message towards peaceful conflict resolution.
xo emily
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