Make a Medieval Tapestry

 

 

 

So, I’ve been racking my brain to think of ideas for our Middle Ages unit that are NOT run of the mill and I think I may have hit on one!

Yesterday we made our own tapestries!! Well,  sort of…. We did break out a loom or anything like that. We did it OUR way. 😉

I dug out a couple of scraps of fabric that were sitting on top of one of my fabric boxes and decided they would work just fine.

Then I hunted down the dowel rods that I knew were here SOMEWHERE!

After that I hunted high and low for yarn or twine… ANYTHING to hang them with!! I got lucky and found some string.

When we got to our Middle Ages study I showed Cailey and Colin different pictures of medieval tapestries and explained how they were used.

Then I sat them in front of the fabric scraps with their paints and brushes and let them go.

 

This is what they came up with.

 

 

 

Colin went with a shield and knights.

The lighting for this pic was terrible and using the flash only made it worse! LOL

 

 

Cailey went with a unicorn and rose vines.

 

After the paint dried, I put a ton of glue at the tops and wrapped them around the dowels. Then I added the strings to end.

Viola! Medieval tapestries!!!

You could always have your child try their hand at a bit of embroidery.

 

HAVE FUN LEARNING!!!!!

 

DIY Burlap and Cardboard Initial

 

 

Here it is, my burlap and cardboard initial for our front door. It was very easy to make (other than the blisters on my fingers from the hot glue gun) and the decorations on the letter can be changed with the season.

 

 

What I Did –

 

I cut 3 letter Bs out of cardboard and hot glued them together to make them thicker and sturdier.

Next, I cut out 2 pieces of burlap using the letter B as a guide.  I made them large enough to overlap on the edges.

Then I cut out pieces from a Halloween print and hot glued velcro to the backs.

I made bow and glued velcro to it as well.

Then I hot glued the burlap to the letter, overlapping it.

Lastly, I used some black, shiny rickrack to tie to our front door!

 

It was very quick and easy! 😀

 

I wanted something that I could change with the seasons/holidays without having to keep recreating it. 😉

 

 

Let me know if the directions are clear or not.

 

 

HAVE FUN CRAFTING!!!!

 

 

DIY Cute Storage Box – No Sew!!!

 

 

This is a fast and EASY way to turn a plain cardboard box into a cute storage box!!

There are tons of tutorials about sewing a cover for boxes BUT they require complicated math formulas. BLECK!!! I get enough of those homeschooling the kids! 😉 With this one, you just need to measure and know how to multiply by 2. 😉

 

WHAT I USED – 

1 fabric remnant – toile

1 scrap piece of burlap

1 leftover piece of denim bias tape

smallish cardboard box – 8″ deep, 12″ sides

hot glue gun

 

 

I cut 2 pieces 18 x 26 (2x + 2″) and one piece to cover the bottom (can’t remember the dimensions). You want the bottom piece to be able to go up the sides by 1″.

 

 

 

Start by hot gluing the bottom piece, making sure to glue it up the sides as well.

 

 

 

 

Now for the sides. Draping the fabric over the sides, you want to leave 1″ at the bottom and both sides and slide the top down inside the box.

 

Gently lift the fabric to glue in place making sure of placement.

 

 

 

On the inside, put hot glue in the corners and on the bottom edge. Press the fabric into place and smooth (obviously not shown! LOL).

 

 

 

 

 

Now for the other 2 sides.

Fold the edge of the fabric over 1″ and glue into place on one side.

Now glue 1″ to the bottom of the box.

Drape the fabric over the sides and inside the box and start gluing in place.

When you come to the last side, fold over another 1″ and glue in place.

Then do the inside of the last sides.

 

 

This is what you will have.

 

 

 

I then glued a strip of burlap all around the sides and added the denim bias tape on top of that.

 

 

 

Lastly, I added the burlap bow!

 

EASY PEASY and super fast!

 

If the inside bottom of the box is going to show, cut a piece and glue it inside. 😉

 

 

HAVE FUN CRAFTING!!!!

 

The Headboard Is Up!!!

 

It’s UP!! It’s UP!!! YIPPPEEE!!!!!! And now seeing this I realize how badly we need more decorative pillows! LOL Another thing to add to my make list!

I am thrilled with it, though! THRILLED!!! I can’t wait to get started on the chest of drawers, nightstand and blinds! LOL

BUT I am going to have to wait. We are headed to the woods this afternoon!!! We will be staying in a cabin for a few days and doing some fun stuff around Pigeon Forge with my dad and step-mother. YAY!!!!! The kids are very excited!!! I think the first thing we will do is hit the pool! 😉

I will be away for a few days but when I come back I should have some great pictures to share!

If you want to see the steps I took to make the headboard click HERE!!

 

 

DIY Door to Headboard Upcycle

 

We recently gave the girls our old bed set and changed out our bed clothes. Now we needed something to match!

I have been seeing a lot of DIY headboards on Pinterest and knew that I wanted to give it a try.

The simplest way seemed to be the door to headboard upcycle. I knew we had an old door in the garage so that was PERFECT! All I needed was the paint! 😉

 

We had some plain white paint sitting around in the cupboard under the stairs, so I grabbed that! Then I got some Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch in Colonial Red. It has Primer built in! Then I grabbed a sample of Glidden Rich Navy for the stencils.

The stencil I picked up at Home Depot. It had 3 different designs but I was partial to the fleur de lis.

 

 

First I sprayed 2 coats of the Colonial Red. No sanding, no priming. Just painting! 😉

 

 

 

After the red was good and dry,  I taped around the middle sections and added 2 coats of the white.

I had a bit of an issue with the tape. I used Scotch brand and expected good results. Instead, the white bled through the edges and the tape left a sticky residue on the red paint. GRRR!!!!!!!

 

 

I did a little bit of touch ups.

 

 

 

Next I added the stencil.

That was a bit harder than I imagined it would be. SIGH… I still have some touching up to do but I am pleased with the way it turned out over all.

Advice – Tape the stencil very securely and start with just a small amount of paint. 😉

 

I wish I could show you how the headboard looks actually on the bed, but we can’t  seem to find our screws!! ARGH!!! I will be getting it up in a day or two and will be sure to take some pictures then! 🙂

 

I hope this all made sense! I am up at 2 am writing it all out! LOL

 

 

Some Pinteresting Tutorials & Ideas

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I am not much closer to having the house unpacked than I was went I last posted… Stupid fibro. I have been having a lovely flare up. Hopefully it won’t last much longer, we have company coming this weekend!! I can’t wait to see our friends and I hope that I have everything put in its place by then!!

 

Anyway….

 

I thought I would share some cool tutorials that I have Pinned onto my For the Home board. I hope you enjoy! 🙂

 

 

 

Here is a round up of headboard ideas and tutorials from Saved by Love Creations

I need that one myself! We are giving the girls our bed (headboard, foot board) and will need something to go in its place!! LOL

 

 

How to upholster a bench seat from – Sunlit Places

 

 

Laundry room ideas from The Cranky Queen 

 

 

 

Building a cat tree from P and E Cats

 

 

20 Weekend Projects Under $20 from Better Homes and Gardens.

 

 

 

Glider Make Over How-to from Rock Paper Scissor Graphics

I have one of those that needs some work!! 😉

 

 

Burlap and ruffles ottoman from Burlap & Blue

 

 

 

Tablecloth to Rug from Design Share

 

 

 

Computer chair redo from Sugar Bee Crafts

I have an ugly computer chair that I have been DYING to redo.

 

 

 

DIY Wooden Monogram  from Dittle Dattle

 

 

 

Here are some cute, free kitchen printables from Over the Big Moon.

 

 

 

Free vintage printables to cover tin cans from Lily Box Designs. LOVE this!!!

 

 

Easy home decor craft and gift ideas  from Better Homes and Gardens.

 

 

Key holders from Design Sponge.

 

 

I don’t about you but I need some crafting supplies!!! LOL I want to make ALLLLL of these!! 😉

 

 

 

 

 

Sew or No Sew Stockings

 

 

Christmas is in a few days… HELP!!!!!!  If you are looking for a last minute idea, here you go! These are super fast and super easy. I did 4 of them in an afternoon.

You can sew them or glue them or both. I did both.

What I used to make 4 –

1 1/4 yards of burlap

2 different spools of red, wire ribbon

1 partial spool of shiny, red rickrack

1 spool of gold cording

2 plastic snowflake ornaments

1 tiny bottle of Tulip Puffy Paint

hot glue gun

 

 

 

First I drew out a pattern.  You can trace an existing stocking or free hand it.

Yes, I know this looks NOTHING like the stockings I made… I’ll get to that. 😉

 

 

Place your pattern on the burlap, making sure the burlap is folded so you cut the front and back at the same time.

Yes, still looks different. I’m getting there. LOL

 

 

 

Sew or glue the front to the back.

 

Then hack off the curly toes when you realize that burlap is just too thick to turn right side out with that narrow of a space…. LOL

Now, that being said…. If you want to leave the stockings inside out, it DOES look really cute. The curly toes don’t show up as well as expected but still very cute.

Too bad I didn’t think about that BEFORE I got frustrated and hacked them off…..

Now, turn right side out and press. Use a cool iron if you’ve used hot glue. Or leave it inside out. 😉

 

 

 

 

Turn the top in about 1/2 inch and press. Again, using a cool iron if you’ve used hot glue.

 

 

Now, cut a small piece of the rickrack and pin in place OR hot glue in place.

Then either sew the top under and the rickrack in place or glue the top under.

This one I did with the sewing machine. The other 3 I just glued.  Either way works just as well as the other.

 

 

 

Cut your ribbons to make as big a bow as you like. Cut a smaller piece, about 3 “, to use for the middle. Wrap it around the center of your bow and glue or sew it in place.

 

 

 

Glue or sew your bow in place. Then adjust the ribbons. 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

Measure out the rickrack to go around the toes, cut and glue in place.

 

 

 

Now do the same for the heel!

 

 

 

Then write the name with the puffy paint!

It takes about 4 hrs for the paint to dry so I would suggest putting it up somewhere that the cats can’t get to…… 😉

 

 

 

This is the first one I did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colin informed me that boys don’t like big, red bows so I went with little gold bows and snowflakes for theirs. 😉

 

 

 

 

I hope you like the tutorial! Please let me know if you have any questions. You can leave a comment or use the Contact Me button at the top to email me! 🙂

 

 

 

 

What’s Been Going on Around Here

 

I can’t tell you how many posts I have written and then deleted. There’s so much going on right now. Not only in the larger world but in my little world, too. Now, that being said, the stuff we are dealing with here is no where near as tragic as things that other people are dealing with right now, so I will just be keeping all that to myself. No matter what is going on here, I still have so much more than so many others and I need to count my blessing, starting with the fact that all my children are alive and well, even if one of them is so far away.

So…. Let me share with you some of the things we have been doing lately. Both the Cs have been sick this week so we haven’t done much in the way of school with them.

 

 

Cailey’s Christmas tree art.

 

 

 

 

Colin’s Christmas Tree art!

 

 

 

 

Here is another pair of pj pants that I made for my cousin’s boys.

I can’t show you hers yet… OR the surprises that I put in the box. 😉  (Hee hee hee! Sorry, Amy!)

 

 

 

 

 

This is Cloud hiding in Cailey’s desk last week! LOL

 

 

 

 

 

Here our tree for this year. Cailey and Colin decorated most of it themselves. 😉

 

 

 

 

 

Cailey’s snowflake ornament.

 

 

 

 

Colin’s snowflake. He never did go back and finish it. LOL

 

 

 

 

Colin’s snowman ornament.

 

 

 

 

Cailey’s snowgirl ornament.

 

 

And that’s about it…. LOL

I have SOOOO many projects that I have been meaning to work on but I have been in such a funk that I just haven’t been able to get myself to do them.  I have the fox flannel outfit, burlap stockings, 4 pillows a piece for the Cs….. And the list just keeps going…. YILES!!! Time to pull myself out of the funk and get busy!!!!!! If you could, please keep me and Jacob in your prayers. This will be the first Christmas that he hasn’t been with us. It’s going to be a rough one.

 

Speaking of busy, don’t forget to check out my friend’s blog, Eileen’s Perpetually Busy! She has a great pattern for crocheted hats up!! And I know it’s great because we have 4 of her hats here. 😉

 

Mad Scientists

So sorry for my lack of sewing posts lately. I did manage to cut the pieces for Cailey’s Tinkerbell costume! Step one – complete! LOL  I should have a tutorial up by the end of the week.

Then Deanna comes in yesterday and tells me that she would like me to make her a long black skirt to wear to the Halloween party on Sunday. Nothing like waiting until the last minute! LOL AND she wants makeup like this –

 

Yep… Nothing like the last minute! 😉

 

 

Anyway, since I have a lot of sewing to DO but nothing to SHOW, I thought I would do a post about hands on science for homeschooling! FUN! 😉

 

Here are some fun and easy botany experiments from The Adventures of Bear.

 

 

 

Montessori inspired skeleton units put together by Living Montessori Now

 

 

 

OH! Legos!!! A great hands on unit for boys especially!! This is from The Homeschool Post.

 

 

 

This is an AWESOME idea for this time of year!!! Basically you just fill your pumpkin with soil, water it every so often and watch the seeds grow! 🙂 This idea comes from Growing in PreK. Although it says Pre K, I think this would be excellent for any elementary age child!

 

 

 

I ❤ the Crafty Classroom!!! This fossil craft would be an AWESOME addition to a fossil or dinosaur study! The page has more hands on idea for fossils. And you should check out all the other themes on the right side bar. AH-MAZ-ING!!!!!!

 

 

 

This is BRILLIANT!! What a great way to show the molecules in the different layers of the atmosphere! A really good visual from Science Matters.

 

 

 

E Is for Explore has a lot of great ideas to show static electricity!  And we are quickly approaching the time of year when static electricity will be zapping us on a daily basis….. LOL

 

 

 

I thought this was just brilliant. I would never have thought to use a soggy graham cracker to represent the tectonic plates! Thank you to the Homeschool Den!!!! This page has a lot of other ways to explore plate movements. 😉

 

 

 

Another perfect for fall science experiment!!! This one was put together by Science Sparks with a guest post by Rainy Day Mum.

 

 

 

 

The Science Behind Who Gets Magical Powers would be great for high school biology. It’s not exactly hands on but it is definitely an attention grabber for those HP fans!!!

 

 

 

 

If this shows up (FINGERS CROSSED!!!) it will be a video from BBC One that shows how your ear works.

 

 

 

 

An experiment about brain fluid from Life With My Giggle Girls.

 

 

 

 

Here is an engineering idea from Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational.

 

 

 

Launch a rocket from a spinning planet with this guide from NASA Space Place.

 

 

 

Water Cycle Wonders from Practical Pages. And while you’re there, check out allllll the other amazing things on this blog!

 

 

 

Another brilliant idea!!! This can be found at Momma Owls Lab.

 

 

 

 

Here is another one that isn’t actually hands on but definitely an attention grabber. It shows the skeletons of different cartoons!! How cool is that???

 

Speaking of skeletons, we had an interesting science time yesterday. LOL Cailey was petting Bonnie and asked if a cat has bones in its tail. Instead of just saying yes and moving on, I looked up cat skeletons on Google to show her. Then we dragged out our DK Eyewitness Skeleton book and looked at all the different types. That led to dragging out the starfish as an example of exoskeletons! LOL

Whenever your kids ask a question, don’t just answer it. Help them explore it. See where it leads! You never can tell….. LOL Science is a natural topic for kids. They are always wanting to know the how and the why of everything around them.

We haven’t been doing any “actual” homeschooling since we decided to move. There have just been a thousand things going on around here…. BUT they have still been getting their daily dose of science just by being interested in the things around them. Such as, “why are the leaves turning colors and falling off the trees?” “Why do squirrels collect nuts?” “Why are the buzzards circling over there?”

Sometimes you even get really lucky and can add some history in, too. 😉 “Why do we use pumpkins on Halloween”, can be both a science and a history question!

And don’t forget with Thanksgiving just around the corner that the opportunities to combine the two subjects will continue! Weather, crop growing, and the different animals of the New World just to name a few science items to go along with the history!

And I just had to pause this post to explain how the earth tilts for the different seasons and why there will most likely NOT be any snow in Georgia this winter…. LOL Geography AND science in one question! LOL

 

I need to get sewing on Cailey’s costume but all I reallllly want to do is take a nap! LOL I am trying to fight an oncoming cold….. WAH!! I do NOT need a cold right before we move!!! AND right before Halloween!! Not to mention that I am still having awful fibro flares. I think they are due to having to get up at 4 am this week to take The Hubby to work. WAH!!!!! BUT when we move he will have more decent hours! YAY!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helpful Sewing Tips, Tutorials and Free Patterns

I am posting under the influence of pain meds so I am not responsible for what I might say. 😉 I ended up at the emergency room last night. The pain was just more than I could deal with. Thankfully the doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics and pain killers! Hopefully this will all be behind me in a couple of days.

I have noticed that my blog views have gone WAAAAAAAAAY down over the past 2 weeks. I know it’s because I haven’t had a new tutorial to post. SO SORRY! I have been so busy with costumes and life in general that I haven’t had time to do any sewing for tutorials. 😦  BUT after I finish Snoopy I will be working on Tinkerbell for Cailey. This costume will definitely be all out of my own head so I will be posting a tutorial for it, as long as it turns out… LOL

SOOOO, to tide you over until then I thought I would share some free sewing tips, tricks, tutorials and patterns that I have found. Sound good??

If you Pin any of them, please go to the original source and Pin from there. 😉

First off, I want to share SewSet with you. It’s a great site where people can upload their patterns and tutorials to share with others. Some of them are NOT free but most of them ARE free! I have uploaded all of my tutorials there.

Another awesome free site is Freeneedle. I have sent them links to all of my tutorials and they have been wonderful to include them all on their site!!! 🙂

All Free Sewing is another site with free patterns and tutorials. I have a couple of mine on there. They send out great newsletters, too!

 

Here is a very cute, free pattern for a seahorse pillow! Isn’t that adorable??

 

Here is a tutorial on how to slip stitch.

 

 

Here is a tutorial for a 90 minute shirt from Made. SO cute!!! I am definitely going to try this one out!! It’s so hard to find cute stuff to make for boys!!!! Why is that???

 

Here is a very cute jumper tutorial from Once Upon a Sewing Machine.

 

 

How cute are those??? And if you are like me, you have a ton of fleece scraps lying around! What a perfect idea for them! They would make great presents, too!!! The tutorials are all free and are from FleeceFun.com. I am definitely thinking of making some up for Christmas presents…. LOL

 

 

Here is a great tutorial for adding a faux fly. This is from The Haby Goddess.

 

 

Ok, this isn’t sewing but it is SOOOO awesome!!! What a great idea from I Am Momma – Hear Me Roar!!! The house we will be moving too has hardwood floors in the living and dining rooms, so I can see this tutorial coming in VERY handy!!!

 

 

This is a tutorial for making your own wrap dress!! SO cute!! It comes from I Heart Jenny’s Art.

 

 

Here is an awesome tutorial for making a peplum top. They are very “in” right now. This tutorial comes from Scared Stitchless. I love that name!! LOL

 

 

Here is another cute idea for Christmas presents!!! I know some Auburn and Clemson fans that would LOVE this!!! And I could definitely see doing different shapes and things for other teams. The tutorial comes from Kevin & Amanda and she got part of the tutorial from Make It – Love It.

 

 

How cute is that?? I love the layered look for skirts! I can totally see this as wearable for something other than a costume depending on fabric choices! This come from Sew Easy Being Green.

 

 

With Christmas coming up I know that boys are going to need their Christmas outfits!! Here is an amazing tutorial for the Classic Johnny Vest from Elegance and Elephants. She is one of the lucky few that was chosen for this season’s Project Run and Play!

 

 

This is GREAT!! It shows you how to create ANY skirt pattern by using your measurements! Thank you, I Sew!!!

 

 

Isn’t that ADORABLE??? Here is a free pattern for making that cute kitty from Doll Maker. More Christmas presents?? I think so! 😉

 

 

I LOOOVE this SOOOOO much!!! My Grandpa always wore that type of hat and I think it looks SOOOOO cute on little guys!! My cousin puts her cutie patootie in hats like that all the time! SOOOOO stinkin’ cute!!! Thank you Melly Sews!!!!! I am definitely going to be making one for Colin!!

 

 

This is GREAT!!! Tags are expensive!!! I was looking them up and comparing prices.  OUCH!!! But here is a cheap way to make your own. from Bug & Bird.

 

 

Yes, that says 92 FREEEEEEE dress patterns and tutorials!!!!! YIPPEEE!!!! Thank you, Max California!!!!

 

 

Yes, again, your eyes are NOT deceiving you! LOL 1000 FREEEEEEE tutorials!!!!!! YAY!!!!! AMAZING!! Thank you, Everything Your Mama Made, for cleaning out your bookmarks! LOL

 

 

This is wonderful! I have the WORST problem with my bobbin tension!! So, now whenever I replace the bobbin I always do this to check the tension!!! This comes from  Cool Cottons.

 

 

This site has a ton of free applique patterns. They are all so cute! I love to add appliques! Thank you, Wee Folk Art!!!

 

 

My friend over at Squiggly Twigs Designs has a TON of tutorials, not just for clothing but for sewing techniques, too!!! She has really amazing stuff! You should definitely check it allllllllll out!!!! 🙂

 

 

This site has 30 Top Sewing Secrets tip and tutorials!

 

Another cute tutorial for boys!!! Running with Scissors has this awesome tutorial for her Oxford Gent Trousers!! They would go perfect with the Johnny Vest! 😉

 

 

This site has a big list of free sewing patterns and tutorials. They even have separate lists for the Holidays!!! The site is aptly named Sewing Freebies! LOL

 

 

This would be an awesome charity sewing project. About.com has the tutorial for making this wonderful walker attachment!

 

 

OK, that’s all for today, folks! I hope you enjoy these tips, tutorials and free patterns! You can always check out my Pinterest boards for more. Just click the Pinterest button at the top of the page! 😉

AND you can find all of MY tutorials by clicking the Tutorials button up there at the top. 😉