Category Archives: She’s Crafty…

…but not in a Beastie Boys kind of way

Valentine’s Day Heart Garland – Inspired by Pinterest

Written on February 6, 2012 by Simply Heidi in She's Crafty...

Last week, I lamented the fact that Pinterest was making me craft-lazy , but I knew I could change. So I posted several Valentine’s projects that I had pinned and asked you to pick one for Newt and me to make. This was the winner:

Source: ohcrafts.net via Heidi on Pinterest

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Adorable, no?
The garland that we made looks ~~no where near as cute, but oh-well~~ pretty much nothing like it. However, I do like the way ours turned out and it was fun to do a little crafting together.

Here’s how to make one like ours:

1. Go to the Wal-Mart paint department. Consider the colors… Choose reds, pinks and purple for Valentine’s Day.
I loved the colors on my inspiration garland, but was, um, less than inspired by the paint card choices at the store. Though I’m not sure I can entirely blame the paint cards – the whole process made me a bit nervous.
Look furtively around then slip several paint cards into your purse.
I know they are free, but I still felt a bit like I was up to no good (considering the fact that I had no intentions to buy their paint for this project). What are your thoughts? Is it ethical to take paint cards without intending to buy paint? #firstworldproblems

2. While at Wal-Mart, go look at their paper punches. They do not, have not, and likely will not ever have what is needed. Remember that you have a punch at home that will work.

3. Go home and dump out three baskets of craft supplies to find heart-shaped punch. Huh. It’s smaller than you remember. Make do.

4. Start punching. Realize that you do not want to poke a needle (twice each) through all those tiny hearts. Decide to glue. Realize that this will not only be easier, it will make your garland double-sided, perfect for hanging on a window. In your face, inspiration piece!

5. Lay several hearts, wrong side up on a piece of tag-board (which is fancy-speak for an old manilla folder). Put a dab of craft glue near the top of each heart. Lay a length of crochet thread (or whatever you have lying in a drawer somewhere) on top of the glue.

6. Place another heart wrong side down, sandwiching thread and glue in the middle. Allow to dry, then hang somewhere prominent so everyone can ooh-and-ahh over (or make crazy-eyes under) your “hard” “work”.

Total cost: $0 (if you have a punch, glue and thread buried in your crafting supplies).

Newt and I had so much fun, we also made the scrap fabric knotted heart wreath. I’ll share it later in the week.

What projects are you working on?

Linked with Works For Me Wednesday, Trendy Treehouse

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Preempted by Grout

Written on January 30, 2012 by Simply Heidi in Blogging, She's Crafty..., Where I live

Your attention please:

Since I spent the afternoon on my hands and knees grouting the master bath, and the evening playing a heated game of Phase 10 with Walt and Hannah (I won. By a lot.), I didn’t get around to writing today’s post.
I’m not one to send away a guest empty handed, so here are some great finds from around the internetz. Enjoy!

What I Would Feed my Family on a Monthly Budget of $250
This one got me thinking. I’m going to give it a shot. Watch for a post about how it goes.

Curried Carrot Soup
I can’t wait to try this. However, since Walt is neither a soup, curry, or carrot fan, I think I’ll have to wait until he has a night shift at the police department.
Or I could make it for lunch.
Or maybe make it for dinner alongside grilled cheese sandwiches. That way Walt could have soup and a sandwich, hold the soup…
No mater what, it will get made. And soon.

Seven Lies about Homeschoolers – Video
It’s funny because it’s true…

Doodling in Math: Spirals, Fibonacci, and Being a Plant – Video
Newt and I look forward to every new Vi Hart video on you-tube. We may not understand all of the mathematical principles that Vi talks about, but we enjoy watching. Math should always be this fun and interesting.

We Must See Past What it Seems…
I saved the best for last. This post was written a little over a year ago, which would make it about 147 years old in internet years. However, it is well worth revisiting. This is probably one of the most moving and outlook-changing things I have ever read. Go read it. You’ll be glad you did.

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Things I’d Love to Make, But Probably Never Will

Written on January 29, 2012 by Simply Heidi in She's Crafty...

Does it seem as though the whole world has fallen deeply, madly in love… with Pinterest?
I love it too. Sometimes just looking at all of those bright, shiny ideas of what I could cook, organize, create or decorate just fills my little heart with glee.

re-pin
re-pin
re-pin
[big happy sigh]

When I was a teenager, I learned some pretty wise words of uh… wisdom from Poison’s Brett Michaels. Sing it Brett!
Every rose has its thorn,
Just like every night has its dawn,
Just like every cowboy sings a sad, sad song…
Every rose has it’s thorn.
Yeah it does.

Pinterest’s thorn is this:
Sometimes, just pinning makes me feel creative enough.
It’s rare that any of those wonderful ideas ever live outside my pin-board.
Let’s remedy that, shall we?
I’ve spent the evening combing Pinterest for ideas of Valentine’s crafts to do with Newt. My only criteria was that it be something simple to create and inexpensive. There was no shortage of ideas:

Source: ohcrafts.net via Heidi on Pinterest

Source: diaryofaquilter.com via Heidi on Pinterest

Source: sarah-redgingham.blogspot.com via Heidi on Pinterest

Source: morganmoore.typepad.com via Heidi on Pinterest

Source: littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

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Newt and I will recreate one of these crafts this week and report back next Monday. Here’s the really fun and exciting part: You get to pick which one!
Disclaimer: The previous statement is likely false. You may find this idea neither fun or exciting. Humor me, would you?
Leave your pick in the comments.

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On My Mind: The Musical

Written on January 22, 2012 by Simply Heidi in Real Food, She's Crafty..., That's So Random, Tricks and Tips, Where I live

Sometimes I like to pretend that my life is a musical.

I often bust out into whatever song I feel is appropriate, much to the ~~embarrassment~~ admiration of my friends and family. Even when I’m not singing out loud, there is almost always a song running in the back of my mind. When I pay attention to it, I find that the words usually relate to whatever I am experiencing at the time.
For example: a couple of months ago, smack in the middle of my personal winter, I spent several days with The Lion King’s The Circle of Life running through my head. I had no idea why, and frankly, I was beginning to get a little annoyed by it. However, when I took the time to pay attention, I realized that the predominate lyrics I was thinking on were: There’s more to see than can ever be seen/More to do than can ever be done,
Lightbulb: I was silently belting out my feelings of anxiety and stress. Realizing that did absolutely nothing to relieve my stress, but at least I understood the soundtrack.

On a happier note (Ha! See what I did there? Song? Note? … Hello?), I’m pleased to report that for the last three days in a row, I have awakened to this song in my head:

Go ahead and listen. You can’t help but love it.

Here are a few things that are making me smile today.

one
The flood water is receding.
Note: It took me three tries to type w-a-t-e-r. My fingers kept wanting to type w-a-l-t-e-r. Walt is not receding. Thinning a bit, yes, but definitely not receding.
Not only is the water level going down, but we have had honest to goodness sunshine in patches over the weekend.
Me, suddenly bursting into song: I’m walkin’ on sunshine, yeah, yeah and don’t it feel good?
This is the kind of thing that people who know me well have to put up with all the time.

two
The slug slime came up off my couch. All I had to do was wait for it to dry, then scrape it off ~~and then seal off and fumigate the entire area with napalm~~.
Now it’s gone, gone, gone, whoa-oh-oh-oh-whoa…

three
Things are getting done. Hurray!
Our remodeling/repair job feels like it is taking for-ev-er, but progress is being made. For example, we once again have two (count ‘em: one, two!) functioning bathrooms. The hall bath has received a complete makeover, including new tile flooring, new cabinets and sink, granite counter top, and a brand new no overflow toilet.
Haaaallelujah, haaaaallelujah, hallalujah-hallalujah, hall-ayyyy-ay-lu-yah!
We’ve still got some finishing touches to do; I’ll share pictures soon.

three-and-a-half
Remember this?

We found that old window at a garage sale back in September and I had such big plans for it. On Saturday, I batted my eyelashes and sweet talked Walt into finally helping me bring those plans to fruition.
The following horror was our entry when we first moved into our house. If you have small children on your lap, you may wish to cover their eyes.

We have done a fair amount of work there: replacing the front and closet doors, tiling over the ugly vinyl (not pictured) with a pretty matte black granite, replacing and painting the wood trim, and utterly demolishing those terrible ~~prison bars~~ spindles. Still the area didn’t look finished. Without the spindles, we had a hole in the wall that looked to me like a walk up ice-cream counter.
Enter new-old window:

Please note the new curtains too. Love. Them.
Here is another peek at my window:

This afternoon Newt told me: “Mama-
I love that she calls me that…
“Mama, if we sit right here on the couch and look at the front window and the entryway our house looks done. Let’s just not turn around ~~briiiight eyes~~.”
Agreed. I’m not going to turn around and see my plywood and 70′s vinyl flooring (now with more asbestos!).
…but the view I love the most is on my front porch lookin’ iiiin!

four
Our church has multiple congregations that meet in the same building. Every year we trade meeting times around. Last year, we went to church at 8:30. AM. Twice a month I had early morning meetings. At 7:00. AM. As in, in-the-morning.
Aye-yi-yi, that’s early.
This year, we meet at 12:30. Sunday mornings are slow and relaxed again. We stay in our pjs for awhile, walk the dog together, make breakfast… It’s heavenly.
That’s why I’m eeeasy, easy like Sunday mornin’…

four and three-quarters
Newt made breakfast for us yesterday. I found her a recipe for pumpkin muffins and she went to work. They’re whole-wheat with no refined sugar, using honey instead, and oh-my-yum. The only modification she made (she is my daughter, after all) was adding some pumpkin seeds and walnuts to the batter.
Want some? The recipe is right here.
Why are there so many songs about muffins, and what’s on the other side?
Oh yeah, I also make up my own lyrics. Why not? It’s my ~~show~~ life.

What’s making you happy today? Sing it, Baby.

Linking up with: Not Just a Housewife, Create and Share, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Blue Cricket’s Show and Tell

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Guest Post: Newt Shows How to Make a Holiday Centerpiece

Written on December 14, 2011 by Simply Heidi in Homeschooling, She's Crafty...

Hi this is Newt. I made a greenery centerpiece at a 4H class. My mom asked if I’d teach you how to make one, so here you go.

You take this weird square thing [floral foam] and get it wet.

And then you put it in a bowl and you stick little or big pine needle branches in it.

And then you put decorations in it.

And that’s pretty much it.

Newt

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Handmade Gift Ideas

Written on November 28, 2011 by Simply Heidi in She's Crafty...

“Well, now Thanksgiving this year is safely past,
More turkey eaten this year than last,
More stuffing stuffed, more yams jammed
Into our mouths, and using both hands,
Coleslaw in slews, biscuits by twos,
All of us too fat to fit in our shoes.”

Santa’s Twin by Dean Koontz

It’s officially the Holiday season. We have a little tradition in our family of giving each other a handmade gift. We generally tack a sheet across the opening to our schoolroom with a sign pinned to it that reads: Santa’s Workshop – Do Not Enter. Then we take turns using the space for our crafting. It’s a lot of fun to keep little secrets from each other and creating something with our own hands is a great way to show each other how much we care.
I haven’t quite decided what to make this year; I’d better get on it! If you’re in the same boat, here’s a list of some simple gifts that I have made over the years.

Freezer Paper Stenciled T-Shirt or Bag
Hollow a book (and fill with chocolate or other treasures)
Silhouette Portraits
Book Pages Wreath

Tiny Terrarium
Homemade Snow Globes

A wee fairy garden
Gingerbread Play Dough
A simple apron made from a bandana

Of course a gift doesn’t have to be homemade in order to be handmade. If you are looking for a unique and fun handmade gift but aren’t in a DIY mood this season, be sure to check out all of the talented artisans on Etsy.
If you need stocking stuffers, I have a few things in my shop you might like. Stop in tho view these items and more.

I’m offering free shipping all this week. Use the code CYBERMONDAY at check out, and feel free to share with friends.
Merry Crafting!

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How to: Handprint Turkey Thanksgiving Table Runner

Written on November 14, 2011 by Simply Heidi in Frugal is not the F Word, Real Food, She's Crafty...

All month, I’ve been practicing being grateful. It has come in handy over the last couple of days.
Example 1:
Saturday morning, we woke up to a flood.
I think it was Confucius who said: A clogged toilet in the night will lead to an unhappy morning.
We had to pull up the carpet and pad from the hall, our bedroom and the dining room. In order to do that, we had to rip off our baseboards. It looks like we’ll have to disinfect and dry the sub floor thoroughly, replace the pads with new, put the carpet back down, shampoo and replace the baseboards. Oh yeah, and a new toilet seems to be in order as well. It’s a big job and I’ll be talking to our insurance agent about it later today.
Reason to be grateful: the carpets really did need to be shampooed.
Example 2:
I always cook Thanksgiving dinner. So far this year, I have done all of the following to prepare:
[crickets chirping]
Um, right… I wasn’t a bit concerned though because I was sure Thanksgiving was still a few weeks away. That is until I actually looked at my calendar yesterday and realized that we only have about a week and a half until the big day. Kindly refer to example number one.
Reason to be grateful: I have a really cute table runner, all ready to go.

Want to make one? It’s really easy to whip up.
Here’s how:
Measure your table. Your runner should be about 1/3 the width of your table (though you could go a bit wider of you like) and about 2 feet longer than your table’s length.
Cut two pieces of fabric to your desired size. I used muslin; I liked the texture, color and cost. (It’s super inexpensive, generally less than $2 per yard.)
Sew fabric, right sides together using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Be sure to leave an opening to turn runner right side out. Good. Now go ahead and turn your runner right side out. Iron the seams flat, then hand or machine sew opening closed.
Okay, ready for the fun part? Let’s make the handprint turkeys.
Trace your family’s handprints on scratch paper. Raid your fabric stash (or ask your mom for hers) and choose a fabric for each turkey. Pin your scratch paper pattern to your fabric, but don’t cut on the line. Cut about 1/4 inch outside the line, making the handprints slightly larger.
Arrange turkeys-to-be on your runner and pin down. Sew about 1/4 inch from the edge. This way, when you wash the runner, the edges will fray and ruffle up a bit. Hand embroider or use fabric pens to add details like eyes, feet, beaks and ~~those red hangy things~~ snoods. If you like, you could also do a simple running stitch around the edge in a complimentary color. While you are at it, be sure to stitch or write the year somewhere. Won’t it be fun to use each year and see how your own little turkeys have grown?
Another thing for me to be grateful for: making a fun centerpiece is also really easy.
Here’s a shot of what ours looked like last year:

I wrote up a little tutorial for an edible Thanksgiving centerpiece last year, if you are interested.
One last reason to be grateful: We may be eating our dinner in an uncarpeted mess, but at least the table will be cute.

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On My Mind

Written on November 3, 2011 by Simply Heidi in Homeschooling, Real Food, She's Crafty..., That's So Random

1. The Candy Monster came. He/she/it had to leave an IOU since he/she/it did not have time to make it to the store. Newt and I went to one of our favorite bookstores today to redeem it. She got a paperback version of one of the Harry Potter books. We have the whole set in hardcover, but Newt thinks paperback is “more comfortable” to read.
2. I finished Newt’s quilt last week:

3. I have the best friends.
4. Confession: I love real food, but while running errands today, I stopped at Taco Bell. I ate two Taco Supremes. I wish I hadn’t done it, but I can’t say that it will never happen again.
5. Speaking of tacos and confessions, I really like Chipotle. No one else in my family liked eating there, so I might have manipulated Newt into changing her mind about them by showing her this video:

6. Newt likes Chipotle now.
7. Another confession: the Candy Monster takes the Halloween candy and gives it to Santa, who uses it to fill stockings. Recycling is a good thing.
8. Newt and I sat on the driveway for an hour today watching a man replace my windshield. We even took photos. He said had never experienced customers like us – I guess he doesn’t work with many homeschoolers?

9. We ignored a science project in progress to watch said windshield replacement. I was tired (perhaps from the Taco Bell lunch?) and just sitting on the driveway seemed far more appealing.
10. Number 9 was another confession, wasn’t it? It feels good to get these things off my chest.

What’s on your mind today?

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Real Food vs. the Halloween Candy Bowl

Written on October 31, 2011 by Simply Heidi in Homeschooling, Real Food, She's Crafty...

I’m not crazy about refined sugar, but you probably already knew that didn’t you? High fructose corn syrup is even worse. And GMO soy? shudder
No wonder Halloween is so scary. The candy could kill you. {Look mom! I spy an overly dramatic statement.}
However… I love trick or treating. I went every year until I got married, wearing a ghostly sheet over my head to disguise my far-too-old face.
So how do I reconcile my desire to feed my family well with my love of going door to door begging for free-candy?
I don’t even try.
Here’s what we do: We eat good food, real food the rest of the day. Then we spend the evening feasting on candy.
After graphing it on a bar chart, of course. We are homeschoolers, you know.

The next morning, the leftover candy is gone, taken by the Candy Monster. In it’s place will be a new book, art supplies or some other such treat.
You know, the kind of treat that won’t kill you… Mwha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Happy Halloween!

A treat for you:
I’ve added a few new items to my etsy shop over the weekend. Would you do me a favor and drop in? And maybe share your opinions?
Since I love my readers so much, I’ve got a little treat for you. Use the code SIMPLE at checkout for 20% off your order.
Speaking of my shop, I’m working some more nativities, but I keep selling them before I can get them listed. If you are interested in one, let me know and I’ll put you on my list. I charge $40, plus $3 shipping in the US.

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A Patchwork of Friends

Written on October 26, 2011 by Simply Heidi in Gratuitous Dog Photos, She's Crafty...

I am not a quilter. Beginning quilters look at me and feel a smug burst of self-confidence. Even so, I did make my niece a simple baby quilt a couple of years ago, but it was clear that I had no idea what I was doing.
Here’s a ~~little~~ well known fact about me. I like to go big. Instead of going for a jog, I start training for marathons. Instead of moving down the block, we move 3000 miles, practically on a whim, and then move back a few years later.
Knowing that about me, you will probably not be surprised to learn that when Newt told me she’d like me to make a quilt for her bed, I chose one that required approximately 748,000 miles of sewing.
I got the pattern here, if you are interested.

Way back in May, Newt helped me cut hundreds of strips of fabric. And then I got to work sewing up a storm, until I got busy and forgot. However, Newt did not forget. She really wanted ~~to see me finish~~ to have it, and would not let up. So, I made her a promise that I would finish it in time for her birthday. Two weeks before the big day, I got back to work.
Sewing, sewing, sewing…
I might not finish. Crap. I promised.
Sewing, sewing, sewing…
Who needs clean underwear?
Sewing, sewing, sewing…
It’s starting to look like a quilt!
Sewing, sewing, sewing…
I began to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I was going to make it! And then Newt threw me a curve ball.
Mom, I don’t like quilts with knots tied in them. When I use them, I feel like I have to tighten all the knots and it distracts me from my book or tv or whatever. Can you sew it instead?
I was going to need some help. The night before Newt’s birthday, all of my closest friends came over for an old fashioned quilting bee.

Everyone brought snacks and we took turns eating and stitching, laughing and talking.

We quilted late into the night. By the time the last needle was put away, the quilt was half finished.
It’s huge! And hand quilting takes a really long time!
Newt let me off the hook, but I’m still trying to get it done as fast as I can. Which, in all honesty, might take awhile.

The help I’m getting these days is not nearly as productive.