Kiddy Krafts with Mr. E

Last Friday Mr. E brought me a pad of paper and a pencil. He then proceeded to dictate to me a list of things he wanted to do the rest of the day. ( another list maker in the family:). One of the things on his list was to make a pair of binoculars. This seemed like a random request until he started telling me all the supplies he would need and how he would construct the binoculars. I asked if he had made binoculars at school that day, but nope they hadn't.

I don't know where he came up with the idea, but I thought it was cute none the less!

I told Mr. E that I was gonna take picture of him making his binoculars and make it into a tutorial for my blog. He didn't seem to car, but I was just so stinking excited that he had thought out how to make something.

So here we go, you are gonna need so e toilet paper rolls, Popsicle sticks, yarn, tape, staples, and stickers



First, hold the toilet paper rolls up to your eyes to see where you need to position your binoculars.



I took a string and measured the distance from the middle of each roll and then placed it on the Popsicle stick so I would know where to attach the toilet paper rolls.



Now staple your toilet paper rolls to your Popsicle sticks. There needs to be two on the top and two on the bottom, Mr. E was quite adamant about this step.






Now measure your string. Mr. E wanted his binoculars to hang down to his waste.



Now, tape the string to the Popsicle sticks. This took a couple pieces to really secure the string.



Use stickers, paint, crayons, markers, or anything else to decorate your binoculars.






Put those puppies around your neck.






(Miss C's turned out a little wonky, her eyes don't point in opposite directions)

Now go exploring!

Amy


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Frugal Finds-Kid Addition

It is that time of year. Kids are going back to school and the weather is starting to change. What does that mean? New clothes for the kiddos.

I like to think of myself as a frugal shopper. I love a good deal! I mean who doesn't right?

Being a stay at home mom who is going back to school really cuts the family budget. I don't mind because I still get to have lots of fun shopping. I just don't shop in the same places I used to.

I know there are blogs dedicated to thrift store apparel, and I agree with those bloggers! You don't have to buy retail to buy brand name! Not to mention buying at thrift stores and yard sales is a true boost to our economy. That money goes straight in to American bank accounts! (sorry for the political side bar)

Anyway, back to shopping. Around the beginning of fall is when I start thinking about what ,y kids are going to need for the cooler weather. I go through their closets and see what they have. For instance I still have several outfits from last winter for Miss C. She is such a little skinny mini that some of last years clothes still fit in the waist. These will probably only last for a little while and then she will be moving up a size by Christmas. Mr. E has the same situation, except last years pants are too short and most have wholes.

After accessing the situation I start shopping. I love going to my local Goodwill stores. Kids clothes are $1.50 an item, and this includes coats! My town also has a local consignment sale. That just happened to be this weekend. I went Thursday night to shop with my Mom and we were able to finish stocking up on my children's clothing needs.

Here is the spread of clothes for Miss C.







I have a few more things that are already hanging in her closet too. This ate some things I previously scored on Goodwill visits.

There is a total of 16 tops, 4 pairs of pajamas, 8 sweaters/jackets, 14 pairs of pants, 6 dresses, 3 skirt and top outfits, 8 pairs of new panties and 9 pairs of socks.

Here are some of my favorites.

This white dress is a beautiful smocked dress I found at the consignment sale for $9. The red dress is from heartstrings that I found at goodwill for $1.50.



I love this mini Boden outfit! It was only $5.



This adorable brown jumper is handmade! I love the fall colors.



I also picked up a couple of pairs of shoes. The princess snow boots are Miss C's favorite item!





Now for Mr. E. I have been collecting for a while for him. I have a coup,e of friends with boys a little older and a size or two bigger than Mr. E. These friends have been gracious enough to let me go through there kids old clothes and buy some of their stuff!


Mr. E can still wear his winter jacket from last year, so that was one big item I did t Haney to worry about. I did find a cool pair of ski pants for winter play though! I stocked up in 8 pairs of jeans. The kid would wear them year round if I didn't hide them in the summer.

We also were able to find several church outfits with button up shirts. I have a couple of clip on ties for him to wear, and I plan on making a couple more out of some ties I found at Goodwill and some my Dad didn't wear anymore.

Lastly we got tons of tops! I got two brand new plain t-shirts at the Dollar Store. They were on,y a dollar, and both were brand name t-shirts. I plan on them to be layering items with summer t-shirts. I may go a head and do some freezer paper stenciling too. Not sure yet.

As you can tell my kids aren't going to be lacking in the clothes department this fall!
And when you total them all up it is about $200-$250 for each child. I really don't think that is bad for the massive quantity I was able to score!


If you have never tried Thrifting, then you need to give it a chance and see what deals are out there just waiting to be made!

Happy Thrifting!

Amy


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Makin' It Monday-Embellished Backpack

Mr. E needed a backpack for preschool again this year.  There is nothing wrong with the backpack from last year.  I just didn't like getting his school work back all crinkled from where he would cram it in his bag.  The bag was a little smaller than a normal sheet of paper, so he had to cram it to get it to fit. 

Can you blame me for wanting to preserve pristine works of art?  I mean 30 years from now (probably because it will take me that long) when we reminisce about the time Mr. E was in preschool I would rather see his work, than the creases and folds all over the paper. 

Thus enters the new backpack.  

I found this awesome Nautica backpack at my local Goodwill for $3.00!!!  It is totally cool just the way it is, but I felt the need to add a little more to the bag.  First of all Mr. E's name has to be on the bag somewhere, so why not add the name and a little boy bling at the same time. 

Since Mr. E is crazy about tractors, especially John Deere tractors I decided to applique the John Deere Logo on the front and use some John Deere fabric for his name too.  How appropriate for my tractor lovin' baby!

I ironed my fabric to some Wonder Under and then traced the letters for Mr. E's name.  Then I cut out and ironed the letters to the backpack.  To add some extra detail, and support I used yellow embroidery floss around the letters and the logo. 

Mr. E is pleased with the outcome and the extra details make it easier for him to find his backpack in the line of backpacks at school! 

Hope you find some good deals on your next thrifting visit!  Maybe even some you can spruce up a bit too!

Happy Crafting!

The hollow hideout

My kids started making a "hideout" the other day. There is just something about kids, blankets, and small openings.

I found my kids playing under a table in my dining room.



Don't they look comfy?

Thus table was my Great-Great Grandmothers. So it is pretty old!! I Wonder if she ever thought about her future generations and how their lives might revolve around her table.

I am sure she didn't envision these adorable faces playing under the table. I love that I have heirloom pieces, and I hope to pass them down to many more future generations!







Here's to a little bit of history!

Happy Day!!

Amy


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Things to Try Thursday-Flirting the Issue Shirt

I made myself a skirt for Easter. I like for us to wear matching outfits for Easter, well at least matching colors.

I made my skirt using a tutorial from Anna Marie Horner

The other day I decided to use some of the left over material from my skirt to make a skirt for Miss C.

I only used two rows of elastic for Miss C's skirt. I was afraid any more would make the waistband too long.



After I finished the skirt I decided to make her a matching hair bow.



Here we are I. Our matching Mother / Daughter outfits. I am sure she won't let me do this forever, but I am gonna enjoy it while it lasts.



This is a very easy tutorial to follow! I love the way the skirt hangs, it is nice and flowey.

Happy Sewing!

Amy

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Things to try Thursday-Braided Bangs

I know that many of you have caught onto the hair doing fads, but I am a little behind times.

Miss C has only had one haircut. I gave it to her last summer, and I ended up cutting it shorter than I intended. Her hair has brown a lot since then, but the front part hasn't keep up with the back.

Miss C likes to have her hair pulled back in a pony tail. She looks so cute with her hair pulled back, but I usually have to have a clippy or bow to hold back the short hair in front.

Cheri, at I am Momma Hear Me Roar, has had a hair week for the past two years. It is so neat to see how to complete a certain look.

Last year Cheri showed us how to do a side braid. I tried this look out on Miss C the other day.

Here is the result.



I loved the way it turned out. Her hair is so fine that it is hard to French braid it yet. I can't wait until it gets a little longer and I can try some more hair tutorials out on Miss C.

Happy hair doing!

Amy


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Makin' It Monday-Pillowcase Dress and bloomers

I have made a couple of Pillowcase dresses for Miss C in the past.

I LOVE the simplicity, and sweetness of these dresses.

I decided to make another dress for a friends daughter's birthday. She likes purple so I used some purple and green flower fabric. I added a green border on the bottom to make it a little longer and to add a little more color.
























I really like how the dress turned out. But what little girl outfit would be complete without Some matching bloomers.

I used an existing pair of bloomers as a guide. I started by tracing my bloomers on my fabric.

I cut out my bloomers. Two pieces, one for the front and one for the back.
























Then I sewed up the bottom and sides.























You can see that I drew a line on the leg holes. This is where I will fold over the material to make a casing for the elastic.
























Then do the same thing for the waist band.























Open of of the side seams and feed elastic through the casing of each of the leg holes and waist band. Take waist and leg measurements to know the length of elastic you will need. So, if the child's waist is 13 in around you will need 13 in of elastic.

Now that the elastic is through each hole sew the ends together. Then smooth out the elastic and stitch up the side seams of the casings.
























The bloomers are done!

When you put the two pieces together you get a sweet little outfit, and a great present!
























Happy sewing!

Amy

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Tip Junkie





Someday Crafts

Frugalicious Friday

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Things to try Thursday- Hair Bows

I enjoy making hair bows for Miss C. I just wish she enjoyed wearing them as much as I do making them!

I have made her basic bows in the past. Nothing fancy, just small boutique bows.

The other day I decided I would try something a little more daring.

If you have a daughter I am sure you have seen the pretty loopy bows at all the children's stores. They are VERY cute, and are usually VERY pricey.

I decided to make some of these bows. It isn't like I have a shortage of ribbon and hair clips.

Here are a couple of the bows I made.












I can't tell you how ,any ties it took to get this one simple shot.




She keep shaking her head or looking at me!

I guess I can't blame her too much, normally I want her to look at me!

These bows were made using this tutorial. this is a great site for hair bow tutorials.

Happy Crafting!!

Amy


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Things to Try Thursday-Coffee Filter Butterflies

The other day we had a couple of friends over for a couple of hours. It was a nice day outside so the kids got in some good bike riding and general outdoor fun!

That only lasted so long, we needed a little crafty intervention.

The Mother Huddle had posted some coffee filter butterflies back in May. I had everything on hand, water paints, coffee filters, and twist ties.

This was a great way for the kiddos to express their own creativity and have some fun all at the same time.

Here are the kids working on their masterpieces.

Here are my kiddos finished butterflies.

If you are looking for a


fun, easy kids craft this is a great one!! My kids loved making these little beauties!

Happy Crafting!