How To: Pacifier Clip

Anyone who has children (or babysits, or has ever even held a baby for more than 1 minute) knows the amount of sheer terror that is evoked when a baby begins to cry and there is no pacifier in sight! With that being said, I found an awesome set of directions for ribbon pacifier clips that I used to make MANY clips for all of the babies in my life. These are really easy projects to create and very inexpensive! Most importantly, they put an end to the lost binky debauchery that has plagued families for centuries. Ok, that might be a little dramatic, but they definitely help!!!

Here is the website (also includes instructions for a matching burp cloth, which I have not yet tried but looks awesome!):

 

T-shirt scarves

T-shirt scarf made from one gray t-shirt and one navy blue t-shirt

If you saw my post from a few weeks ago, you would have seen the tutorial on how to cut a t-shirt and stretch the pieces to create a thick, cotton “yarn” to be used for a variety of items. The previous post showed how to use the yarn for braided bracelets and headbands. This one includes a link to use it for making a t-shirt scarves, which are super cute! Enjoy!!!

Split Canvas Tree Painting

I know…I’ve been a total blog slacker this week, but with good reason! I recently changed teaching positions from working as a consultant in early intervention, where I traveled to various preschools, daycares, and homes to work with children with a huge array of delays and diagnoses, to a self-contained classroom of students aged 9-13 with varying severities of Autism. Needless to say, my life has been more than a little consumed by this teensy little change!

Split canvas tree painting

I absolutely LOVED creating this next project, not only because it was easy and looks awesome in my organic/nature-themed room, but also because it cost me a grand total of around $2!!! I don’t think they have sold them in a while, but the Dollar Tree used to sell small canvases in packs of three and, at the time, I stockpiled them to have for future projects just like this one. I taped the backs of four of these small canvases together so that they looked like one large canvas. Using a tree I had cut out of cardstock (you could use a stencil of virtually anything and wouldn’t necessarily have to cut it out yourself), I taped it onto the canvases and used a light green acrylic paint and foam brush to cover the canvases completely with paint. After the paint dried, I carefully peeled off the cardstock to reveal the tree then sprayed a sealant over the entire painting. Once the sealant was completely dry, I removed the tape from the backs of the canvases and placed each canvas about 1” apart on the wall.

The options for this project are truly limitless! Any sized canvases could be used and you could use as many or as few as you please. An alternative to painting on canvases would be to use Modge Podge and an exacto knife to blow up your favorite picture or print, lay it across multiple canvases using Modge Podge, let it dry, and cut each canvas apart using an Exacto knife to display on your walls. Here are a few other pictures of ways in which others (far more artistically talented than me) have used the "split canvas" technique.

A LOT of printing studios offer this type of canvas now...How cool is this?

I may have to make something like this for my British grandparents!

Very pretty enlarged and cut photo

Flip Flops Into Comfy, Summer, Slippers

I can’t wait to complete this project with my Girl Scout troop in preparation for our first sleepover! Since the flip flops I chose were pink, I chose a fabric from my stash that would compliment them.  I cut the fabric into 3”x1” strips (I used pinking shears, but you could use fabric scissors or simply rip the strips, if you so choose). I feel like I cut about 50 strips, but I can’t say that I counted them , so I would start with like 30 and then just cut as you go (you’re welcome for the specific-ness, by the way). Beginning on one side of the flip flop, begin to tie each strip into knots, pushing each of the knots close together so that the strap is no longer showing. Repeat this step on the opposing flip flop strap and arrange the knots so that the straps and toe separator are not showing. Trim the tails of the knots to the length of your choice. Complete the same steps on the second flip flop and enjoy your newly upcycled creation!  Perfect to wear around the house for comfort and cuteness!

Mason Jar and Candlestick Apothecary Jar

I find apothecary jars so appealing and want to have one (or ten!) of my own. Unfortunately, their prices…not so appealing! I found a picture online of an “apothecary jar” made out of a mason jar, a candlestick holder, and a glass door knob, and I immediately knew I had to try it. Using E6000 glue (an awesome craft glue I have recently discovered), I placed the glue around the rim of the candlestick holder ($1 at the Dollar Tree)  and glued it to the bottom of the mason jar ($1.50 at my local craft store). After I took the screw out of the glass doorknob ($2 at Michael’s), I glued it to the center of the mason jar lid and let both glued items dry overnight. After everything dried, I put it all together and Voila!!! The real challenge of this project turned out to be what I would put in them. I finally decided I would use it to store Q-tips on the window ledge of the bathroom. This may not be its permanent use, but it definitely works for now!