Trash to Tool Caddy - Using a Six Pack Carrier

 Recently my family and I picked up some Japanese take-out. They sent home our miso soup in a six pack carrier (way to reduce/reuse guys!).

After dinner I got to thinking that I could just cover it with some pretty paper and make something useful out of it. So I did just that.

I started by taping the carrier so it wouldn't fold up, then cut out a piece of paper big enough to wrap around the carrier, leaving a little extra at the top and bottom edge. Then I broke out my trusty Paper Mod Podge and, using a foam brush, glued the paper to the carrier.

Then I folded the edges over at the top and bottom. I cut out two pieces of paper for the handle area, gluing one at a time and folding them through the middle to the other side.

I also covered all the raw edges on the top and sides of the handle with paper. I held up a piece of cardstock to where I wanted it to cover the handle and traced the shape. Then I cut out the handle and traced a second piece (one for each side).

I measured the height, width and depth of the inside sections, cut out pieces of cardstock, and scored them (by running the cutting blade very lightly over the cardstock) to make them easier to fold accurately.

I glued on the cardstock pieces for the handle then inserted the rectangular pieces into the carrier (in a triangular shape to make them easier to get in), opened them out and glued the sides together.

I ended up with this:

From trash to treasure! I seriously love it.

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I'll be linking up to these fabulous link parties:

 Monday -  Craft o Maniac Monday -- Craftastic Monday -- Amaze Me Monday -- Polly Want 2 Party  --  Tuesday -  Get Your Craft On -- Sew Cute Tuesday -- Upcycled Awesome -- Tip Me Tuesday -- Tuesday Talent Show --  Wednesday -  Seven Thrity Three -- Wallet-Friendly Wednesday -- Create and Share -- Whatever Goes Wednesday --  Linkin’ with Lil’ Luna -- Thursday -  Strut your Stuff Thursday -- Transformation Thursday -- Thrilling Thursday -- House of Hepworths -- Friday -  Remodelaholic Friday -- Flaunt it Friday -- Frugal Friday -- Weekend Wander -- Show and Share Day -- It's Fun to Craft! -- Tickled Pink Fridays -- Weekend Wrap-up Party -- Catch as Catch Can -- Friday Flair -- Feature Yourself Friday -- Simply Link {Party} -- Pity Party -- Design Dazzle --  Saturday - Saturday Spotlight --  Sunday -  The DIY Showoff Project  Parade --  Sunday Showcase Party -- Creative Bloggers Party -- I Heart Naptime -- Think Pink Sundays

T-Shirt Superheroes -- Part 2, The Kids' Costumes

I finally finished the kids costumes!

(Well, pretty much... grr..)

There were definitely a few hang-ups along the way.  Just having so many steps to the process and making two costumes at the same time, plus having to continue life as normal made it take a very long time.  BUT it's over now.  So I can heave a big sigh of relief.  Now I just hope they can stay intact nice through Halloween!

Here they are:

The only thing I have left to do is make another cape for my son.  Why?  Oh, because an adult in my household who shall remain nameless (not me) lost it at the park.  Need help visualizing it with the cape?

Here you go:

Hahaha

One of the best things about making things for your kids is how they [usually] completely and utterly enthusiastically LOVE what you've made for them.

For the costumes I used t-shirts, thread, interfacing, stabilizer, fabric glue and puff paint.  I was thinking of writing out full tutorials for each of the costumes but at this time of night I just wanted to get the post up to feel like I had actually completed the project!  But be sure to let me know if you're interested in a tutorial, either full or for a certain part. 

Next up part 3 -- The low-key grownups' costumes
or
Back to part 1 -- Superhero t-shirts using applique and reverse applique

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I'll be linking up to these fabulous link parties:

 Monday -  Craft o Maniac Monday -- Craftastic Monday -- Amaze Me Monday -- Polly Want 2 Party  --  Tuesday -  Get Your Craft On -- Sew Cute Tuesday -- Tip Me Tuesday -- Tuesday Talent Show --  Wednesday -  Seven Thrity Three -- Wallet-Friendly Wednesday -- Create and Share -- Whatever Goes Wednesday --  Linkin’ with Lil’ Luna -- Thursday -  Strut your Stuff Thursday -- Transformation Thursday -- Thrilling Thursday -- House of Hepworths -- Friday -  Remodelaholic Friday -- Flaunt it Friday -- Frugal Friday -- Weekend Wander -- Show and Share Day -- It's Fun to Craft! -- Tickled Pink Fridays -- Weekend Wrap-up Party -- Catch as Catch Can -- Friday Flair -- Feature Yourself Friday -- Simply Link {Party} -- Pity Party -- Design Dazzle --  Saturday - Saturday Spotlight --  Sunday -  The DIY Showoff Project  Parade --  Sunday Showcase Party -- Creative Bloggers Party -- I Heart Naptime -- Think Pink Sundays

Quick House Cleaning Tip and School Update

This post is kind of random, but I just wanted to get something up since it's been a while. (I'm almost done with the t-shirt costumes!)

One of the best house cleaning tips I have ever received was to focus on one area in the house at a time.  Countless times I have found myself picking up a couple of things, immediately taking them to the other room where they belong, putting them away and repeating that over and over again without making much progress in the area I was trying to clean.   But using a bunch of bins / baskets / bags to place items that don't belong makes cleaning up one area a whole lot faster!

I [had -- before we moved] a bunch of plastic bins, one for each room in our house.  I would go to an area (usually the living room) and place items that belonged in different rooms in their own bin. 

It really helped me clear the area quickly so I could do the vacuuming, dusting, straightening, etc that I needed to do. After that I would have the kids take their things to their room, and I would take the other items to their respective rooms and put them away.

It's such a simple thing but it has really made a big difference to me, especially with small children who often leave their things strewn all over the place!


And now for a quick school update -- We were on the waiting list for our neighborhood school, and because they had fewer students in a higher grade, they had an extra teacher and ended up adding a whole new kindergarten class. So, my son is now going to that school!

I was really enjoying doing the K12 method (it's so fun when they send all the books and materials and supplies for all the standard subjects including art, science and music). But it was difficult to keep my son interested for long. After the first week he was getting comfortable and not giving it the same attention he did at the beginning. It was also a challenge with my daughter, being smaller, needing so much attention and care (i.e. diapers/toilet training, frequent snacks, water, cuddling, anything).

So we were excited when we were notified that he got in this year. Although it is bittersweet since I'm still a little apprehensive about how he will behave in school (so far so good, mostly), what his teachers will be like, and how the school functions. I'm not totally convinced standard public school is the best thing for children, but I think it's what my son and I both need right now. He needs the social interaction and the reminder that he does actually have to follow some rules (he doesn't like mine), and I need the time apart so I can have some one-on-one time with my daughter, miss my son and learn to appreciate him more.

Here's to a great year!

Superhero T-Shirt Costumes Using Applique and Reverse Applique -- Part 1

My son has had a pair of Superman pajamas since he was 3 years old.  [These are the same Superman pjs I mentioned in this post about his knight costume last Halloween]  They're a size 4T, so he has worn them even past his 5th birthday.  But the fact that they are now just too small and my son wanting to wear the shirt every single day led me to decide to make a new Superman shirt, but more durable than the printed version he had before (that was cracking and peeling off, yuck!).

My kids happen to be on a superhero kick, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to get a head start on Halloween costumes for this year.  Also adding to the timeliness of the project was Michael's (arts/crafts store) having a 2 for $5 sale on their blank t-shirts.  (This was back in July so I'm not violating my Stash-busting September pact, and I gave myself a little loophole in my project-acquisition fast to allow for a project here and there for the kids... don't hate!)  So I picked up a bunch of shirts with plans to transform them into something my kids will LOVE (and hopefully will last for a couple years at least!) plus a shirt for my husband. My son will be Superman, my daughter Wonder Woman, and my husband Batman. Me? I don't know yet... I will rant about the lack of female superheroes later on. 

Note: I apologize for the lack of photo quality below... but I hope you can follow the idea.

I started by pre-washing all the shirts. I cannot stress enough how important this step is! Things get really messed up when different parts of clothing shrink different amounts, or at all (like in the case of embroidery and appliques). Just launder them as you will launder the finished project.

Then for my daughter's Wonder Woman shirt I had to alter a child's small shirt to make it even smaller ('cause size small is meant for kids 6-8 years old). I traced a shirt that fit her well (use a non-stretchy shirt because even though these t-shirts are knit, they do not stretch much at all!), added 1/2" seam allowance, folded it over and cut it down to size.

Then I cut the sleeves off the original t-shirt and cut them shorter.

I don't have photos for the next steps but I sewed up the side seams, sewed the hem of the sleeves using elastic thread to make them gathered, then gathered the top of the sleeve and sewed it into the new smaller shirt.

For the logos I decided to use applique and reverse applique techniques. The Batman and Superman logos each have two layers while Wonder Woman has one layer. I went around online and found logos for the different characters. I re-sized them in Photoshop and printed them out. I first cut along the outside shape of the logo. I used that as a template to trace the shape onto the fabric for both the upper and lower layers of the logos. For the lower layer I also cut a layer of fusible interfacing and ironed it on.

Then using an Exact-o knife I cut out the center part of the logo and traced it on to the upper layer.

I placed both layers centered on the shirt along with a layer of tear-away interfacing underneath for extra stability while sewing and pinned it all down. (Looking back, I would rather use soluble interfacing so the added bulk will be gone after you wash it or soak it in water.)

Then I sewed an applique stitch (wide width and very short length) on the outermost outline of the logo. That will help keep everything flat and in place when sewing the inner lines.

Here's a quick visual with the tear-away stabilizer. It actually has a grainline like paper does, so it tears straighter in one direction than the other.



When I sewed the inner lines I went very slowly (and I still made mistakes! grr). I suggest you go slowly and at the corners, lift the presser foot and reposition in the new direction so you don't end up with a curve when you need a sharp corner. When you're done, carefully lift up the top layer of a part that needs to have the lower layer showing through and make a small cut in the middle of the fabric.

Then using sharp (clean!) nail scissors, cut away the upper layer, getting as close to the stitching as you can without actually cutting the stitches.

Continue with all the parts that need to have the lower layer showing through and you have a completed logo!

And in my case, one happy little boy.

Come back soon for part 2 -- the whole costume, where I will make the rest of the costume out of little more than t-shirts! :) This should be fun.

P.S. As I was writing this post my son came in with a suggestion for my character. I got a great costume idea to go with it. Hooray for spontaneous inspiration!

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I'll be linking up to these fabulous link parties:

 Monday -  Craft o Maniac Monday -- Craftastic Monday -- Amaze Me Monday -- Polly Want 2 Party  --  Tuesday -  Get Your Craft On -- Sew Cute Tuesday -- Tip Me Tuesday -- Tuesday Talent Show --  Wednesday -  Seven Thrity Three -- Wallet-Friendly Wednesday -- Create and Share -- Whatever Goes Wednesday --  Linkin’ with Lil’ Luna -- Thursday -  Strut your Stuff Thursday -- Transformation Thursday -- Thrilling Thursday -- House of Hepworths -- Friday -  Remodelaholic Friday -- Flaunt it Friday -- Frugal Friday -- Weekend Wander -- Show and Share Day -- It's Fun to Craft! -- Tickled Pink Fridays -- Weekend Wrap-up Party -- Catch as Catch Can -- Friday Flair -- Feature Yourself Friday -- Simply Link {Party} -- Pity Party -- Design Dazzle --  Saturday - Saturday Spotlight --  Sunday -  The DIY Showoff Project  Parade --  Sunday Showcase Party -- Creative Bloggers Party -- I Heart Naptime -- Think Pink Sundays

Stash-Busting September

This month I'm participating in T-Shirt Diaries' "Stashbusting September".  All the bloggers taking part are agreeing to not buy any craft supplies for the whole month of September and only use what we have on hand.  Things for businesses are permitted, but not for personal use.

Since it's already going along with my project-acquisition fast I figured I would participate in this as well.  Maybe it will help me stick with it -- I've been tempted for sure!

Stick with me and we'll see what all I can accomplish! 

Fresh Tomatoes with Dill on Whole Wheat Bread

One of my favorite parts of late summer is the abundance of fresh tomatoes.  While at a farmer's market (one of many in our area) we picked up some tomatoes from a couple of young farmers.

I love using the tomatoes in a way that makes them the center of attention in a meal. Here's one simple and delicious way of doing just that:

Fresh Tomatoes with Dill on Whole Wheat Bread 
from catonalimb.blogspot.com

100% whole wheat bread, sliced
mayonnaise or Veganaise
fresh tomatoes, sliced
dried dill
sea salt

Start with a good loaf of 100% whole wheat bread (from a local bakery if possible).  Toast the bread just enough so that it is slightly crispy on the outside but still soft on the inside.  Let it cool for about a minute then spread generously with the mayonnaise or Veganaise.  Lay the sliced tomatoes on top.  Sprinkle with dill and sea salt.  Sit back and enjoy the abundance of summer!


I'll be linking up to:
Sunday Showcase Party -- Tuesday Talent Show