Petal Bags

Posted by TheRoomMom

I am on spring break this week and since we just replaced our HVAC unit AND my 11-year old car, an out-of-town vacation was not in the budget. I needed a crafty project to keep me busy. I had this little Valori Wells pattern from my Christmas stocking last year (that would be 15 months ago), and I thought it would be a good time to try it.

My sewing skills are limited, and I only attempt patterns with minimal steps and straight stitches. The petal bag project met my expertise level, so I started with two medium sized bags– so cute. I shared with Miss Priss and Mr. Star Wars. They wanted one each, so we headed to Hobby Lobby for more fabric and ribbon (against my better judgement). Eight hours later, I had made a bag in every size. I made a bag for everyone in my house. I made a bag for the dog and the neighbor’s dog. I made bags for teacher gifts. They assemble pretty quickly, and it is so fun to pick the coordinating fabrics; I can hardly contain myself.

Materials

Sewing machine
Petal Pouch Sewing Card pattern ($4.00)
2 fat quarters or 1/2 yard of 2 different fabrics per bag
1/4″ wide ribbon, 2 pieces for each bag (length varies)

Directions

To make the large bag, cut two 18″ squares in two different fabrics.

Place the two squares of fabric right sides together. Stitch around all edges using a 1/2″ seam allowance. Leave a 3″ opening along one edge.

Trim fabric from the corners.

Turn the fabric to the right side, push corners out, flatten edges, and press with an iron.

Slip stitch the 3″ opening closed.

Fold down the 4 corners of the square to create the petals and press. The petal should be 5″ on both sides of the fold, so the petal will be square and even. The fabric that you want on the outside of the bag should be facing up. The fabric you want as the petals will be seen when you fold the corners over.

To form the casing, stitch 1/2″ from the folded edge beginning at the edge of the bag. Backstitch to secure the petals.

Cut two lengths of ribbon or cord ~26″ each. Beginning on one side, thread one ribbon through the 4 petals and tie the two ends together. Start at the opposite side of the bag and thread the second ribbon through the 4 petals. Tie the ends together.

Pull both drawstrings to create the petal bag.

Uses: You may be asking yourself what one might do with umm, I don’t know… say 13 petal bags. I have many ideas.

The large bag is perfect for holding Lego men.
The medium bag is a great place to keep American Girl doll shoes and socks.
The medium bag is a nice size to hold dog treats and poop bags while you are on a walk.
The mini size is made for hair bands.
The large bag would work well as a cosmetics bag when traveling.
The large bag works like a “hat” when you hold drawings for winners, or Bingo pieces, or student names in the classroom.
The large bag would be perfect for a mini manicure set for a teacher gift.

Notes

I’ve listed the basic instructions for the largest bag. I recommend ordering the little pattern card to get the measurements for the small and medium sized bags and for more specific directions (with diagrams!).
Use ~6 extra inches of ribbon length than what is called for in the pattern to make it easier to thread the drawstrings.

Wrap clear tape around the edges of the ribbon (like the end of a shoestring) and put a safety pin through the ribbon and tape. This will help thread and keep edges from fraying. Push, wiggle, then pull the fabric back to work the safety pin through the drawstring channel.
If you use this as a dog treat bag, use picnic tablecloth material as the lining, so it can be wiped clean easily.

What would you do with your petal bags?

XOXO Valentine

Posted by TheRoomMom

I had zero inspiration for Valentine’s cards this year. Last year, I planned the Matchbox Valentine months ahead, but no lightning bolts were happening this Valentine’s season. It is with heavy heart that I must admit that I completely lifted our Valentine’s cards idea from Pinterest. Mr. Star Wars and Miss Priss love them, so maybe it is not such a terrible thing, and they were easy to make in bulk. I would like to thank Kim at 733blog.com for posting the original Tic Tac Toe Valentine’s card idea.

I created a 2-column template in a Word document (link in the materials list below). I inserted a table in the document and removed the borders to build the tic tac toe board. The part I find clever about the card is the “XOXO” part at the bottom. It is a traditional closing on a card as well as an homage to the Tic Tac Toe game. Yes, I know that detail will be lost on the 1st and 3rd graders who will be receiving these Tic Tac Toe cards Friday.

Materials

Tic Tac Toe Valentine Card Template
white cardstock
clear bags of some kind (I used Bead Landings bags from Michael’s Crafts)
Valentine’s colored M&M’s

Directions

Print the cards in color on white cardstock. My template prints 4 to a page. Rather than burn out my printer, I used FedEx Office for this job. The color print and cardstock paper is much better quality than what I could print on my home printer.
When I picked up the print job, I stayed at the store and used their paper cutter to make sure the card cuts were consistent and even. It was a lot of cutting because I needed to cut all edges, not just down the center. This was a tedious part of the process. The finished cards are 4 1/2″ tall x 3 1/2″ wide.
Sign the bottom of each card after the XOXO. We used bright colored Sharpie pens in reds, pinks, and purples.
Put one card in a clear bag.

Add 4 M&M’s of one color and 5 M&M’s of another color to the bag with the card. Make sure to insert the M&M’s on top of the front of the card. Here is an interesting little tidbit– there are hardly any white M&M’s in the Valentine’s M&M’s mix. The majority are red (isn’t that the poisonous dye color?), and the two shades of pink have about an even amount of each. We dumped out the whole bag of candies and sorted into color piles before assembling the Valentine’s treat bags. A 12-ounce bag of M&M’s made ~37 Valentine’s bags (9 M&M’s per treat bag).

Seal the bag. I used my 4″ x 6″ ziploc bead bags from Michael Crafts. Clear gift bags with a twist tie or curly ribbon would be cute too but more time consuming to close securely.

American Girl Dress Boutique

Posted by TheRoomMom

Guess what Miss Priss got for Christmas? An American Girl dress shop craft book! I practically ripped the book out of Miss Priss’ hands. I did control myself briefly while we visited my parents during the holidays, but then some of my nieces asked about AG crafts, so I made one tiny stop at Hobby Lobby, and you can probably fill in the rest.

Miss Priss actually did a lot of the work on the hats and purses, but there is hot glue involved in the gowns, so I have been handling most of the design on the dresses while Miss Priss acts as consultant.

The Book

The craft book kit comes with two shopping bags, a receipt book, play money, a foldable paper laptop computer, and other paper items you can use to decorate your store. The book gives suggestions for using old clothing and other found items to make doll hats, purses, and gowns. I did source my massive craft supply inventory and end of the year donation pile, but I still needed a few trips to Hobby Lobby for odds and ends to make the shop look really professional. I have a materials list at the end of the post.

The Purses

We used tiny bottles I had leftover from the American Girl Campout and wrapped them in fabric. We put a strip of double sided tape around the bottle first, then brought the edges of the fabric up and tied around the top. You can then add a strap by tying another piece of ribbon around the gathered fabric at the top or hot gluing a looped strap near the top. You can add little beads or sparkly stickers to the sides.

I found small, round bead boxes at Hobby Lobby. We covered those smoothly in fabric using double sided tape and hot glued a fabric handle (see the little white round purse in the picture of the purse wall above).
There are mini drawstring gift bags in the wedding or bead section of Hobby Lobby. We added trim to the bags and other sparkly buttons for another type of purse.

The Hats

First we painted wooden discs, candle stick looking things, and knobs I found in the wooden pieces section at Hobby Lobby with acrylic paint. Once the pieces dried, we hot glued them into hat stands. (We also painted mini wooden spools, which are used to hang the purses on the wall of the shop.)

I purchased round cardboard gift boxes, and we covered those with fabric, trim, and buttons or sparkly stickers to make pillbox hats. The lids work better than the bottom half of the box, but we used both top and bottom box pieces for hats.
I found tiny clips and baby barrettes, and we hot glued tulle and little flowers leftover from the American Girl wedding cakes to make fascinators (very Kate Middleton).

My favorite hat is the stocking cap. We made a trip to Goodwill and bought blouses and knit tops that had fun designs or fancy fabric. I cut the sleeve from a silver knit sweater about 6 inches from the wrist end. Then, I turned the knit inside out and tied the cut end tightly with a piece of thread. Finally, I turned the tied sleeve right side out and added a little button decoration to the outside.

The Gowns

I went through the remnant section and trim section at Hobby Lobby and bought things that seemed fluffy and fun. I also used some of the lacy ribbon I had leftover from the American Girl Sweet Shop and other scraps of fabric I have lying around. As I mentioned in the hat directions, we made a stop at Goodwill for blouses and tops that we could cut apart.

For the gowns, I cut the sleeve off of a blouse or stretchy sweater and put it on the doll to size. Then, I would remove the sleeve and cut the length as needed. From there, I would hot glue or sew trim on the dresses. Do NOT do any gluing or embellishing while the gown is on the doll. Always remove the dress before adding anything permanently. I did use my sewing machine a little, but most of the design could be handled with hot glue and safety pins. On some dresses, we simply wrapped and clipped with small hair clips (kind of like a toga). Miss Priss takes the wrap dresses on and off and re-wraps a new design each wearing.

We made some armholes by cutting small slits about 1 1/2 inches from the hemmed edge of the sleeve. Pull the dress or top on the doll by starting at her feet.

The Shop

Hobby Lobby even has those tri-fold science fair backboards, so I did not have to make an extra stop! Use a science fair board to make the background of the shop. We hot glued mirrors to the sides of the backboard. Along the sides of our “full length” mirror, we hot glued the small painted spools, so we could hang purses on display. We used glue dots to stick the posters that came with the craft kit to the center of the backboard. I did have to measure everything to make sure it was centered and even.

I bought a handful of clear acrylic boxes in a variety of sizes. We stuffed the insides with colorful tissue paper and leftover fuzzy boa trim. Stack the boxes around the store and use them to display the hats and purses.

Cost is (almost) no object when it comes to my crafty projects. I happened to see this pink hanging rack at a local store before Christmas. I did not get it at the time, but when we started building the dress shop, I knew we had to have it– um, I guess I mean Miss Priss needed it. The rack really does add a little something special to the store! It even came with hangers and the bench seat box. The Doll Boutique Kit comes with a cardboard hanging rack that mounts (glues) to the wall. Wooden dowel to complete the hanging rack is not included.

The Fashion Show

The last page of the Doll Boutique book gives an address to mail pictures of any favorite fashion creations. Guess what we are doing next? Any votes for which dress design we should submit?

Kit is wearing a cotton striped tube gown with lace and bead trim. There is a one shouldered floral strap. The drawstring purse has matching bead trim, and the look is finished with a smart pill box hat.

American Girl purple skirt and silver top

Kit is wearing a lilac satin pleated skirt with ruffled waist band. The outfit is finished with a silver tank top and tulle fascinator. Kit has a small lilac purse with wrist strap.

Kit is seen here in a white satin evening gown with red floral overlay and off the shoulder straps. The top is finished with delicate pearl beading around the neckline. A red flower fascinator completes the look.

Kit looks stunning in this silver evening gown with matching fur trimmed poncho. She is red carpet ready and even has a small pill box purse to finish the look.

The Materials List

tri-fold project poster board
3-5 clear acrylic boxes, variety of sizes
mini bottles, small bead containers, little pill boxes
wooden craft pieces (candlestick shapes, knobs, discs)
glue dots, hot glue gun, fabric glue, double sided tape
round cardboard gift boxes (~3 in. diamter)
tulle, trim, ribbon
fabric (various designs and materials)
buttons, stickers, sparkly embellishments
mirrors
old knit tops and blouses that you can cut the sleeves– leggings work too

American Girl Goes Camping

Posted by TheRoomMom

Miss Priss ran out of sleeping space for her American Girls, so I offered to make some sleeping bags. Well, if you make an American Girl a sleeping bag, she will need a campfire to go with it. If you have a campfire, you will want to toast marshmallows. If you toast marshmallows, bugs might show up for a snack. If bugs show up, you will need a bug jar…

Sleeping Bags

Materials

cotton fabric
coordinating fleece
reversible ribbon
sewing machine

Directions

Cut one piece of 30″ x 21″ cotton and one piece of 30″ x 21″ fleece.
Pin the two pieces of fabric together. The cotton should have the wrong side facing out.

Sew the two pieces of fabric together about 3/8″ from the edge. Leave an opening along one long side.

Turn the fabric right side out through the opening. Push the corners out with a finger, so they are square. Fold the fabric in half.

Cut a piece of ribbon about 30″ and fold the ribbon in half. Insert the folded end of the ribbon into the fabric opening and secure the ribbon with a pin.

Pin the fabric along the edge that has the ribbon and halfway up the open side.
Sew the edge with the ribbon and the partial side together.

Campfire and Toasting Marshmallows

Materials

CDs
Elmer’s glue
potting soil
stones
small twigs
tissue paper in fire colors cut into small squares (2″ x 2″?)
white Crayola Model Magic sculpting clay

Directions

Cover the surface of the CD with glue.

Sprinkle potting soil on top and shake off the excess.

Drizzle more Elmer’s glue around the edge of the CD. Add rocks around the edge. Rocks that are about the width of a quarter work well.

Collect small twigs from your yard and break into small pieces (maybe 2″).
Drizzle glue around the center hole of the CD and stack twigs. Drizzle a little more glue and add sticks until it looks like a campfire.

Roll the squares of tissue paper into a flame shape and insert between the twigs. Drizzle glue here and there as needed. Let campfire dry overnight.

Roll a pea sized piece of Model Magic between your fingers into a ball. Flatten the top and bottom, so it is cylinder shaped. Push onto a twig. Let dry overnight.

Bug Jars

Materials

mini glass bottles with corks
mini 5 mm pom poms
glue dots
twigs
sequin leaves
tissue paper in different shades of green

Directions

Find a small twig and break it to the height of the jar (about 1″).
Secure 3-4 mini pom poms to the twig with the glue dots. This is the caterpillar.
Put the caterpillar on the twig in the jar and add a sequin leaf, small torn pieces of tissue paper, and maybe another small twig.

I know the scale is not perfect, but the bug jars are our favorite American Girl accessory right now. What is your favorite American Girl craft? Don’t forget to go back and look at the American Girl Cafe, American Girl Sweet Shop, or American Girl School before making a decision!

Swim Team Shirts

Posted by TheRoomMom

In honor of the final swim meet of the season, Mr. Star Wars and his teammates decorated shirts after swim practice this morning. The coach brought acrylic paint and brushes, each swimmer brought an old white t-shirt, and I felt compelled to up the decorative quality of the shirts and brought materials for Sharpie tie dying.

I learned about this so cool but so easy technique 10 years ago when my oldest niece attended a summer camp near my parents’ house. My niece was 5 or 6 at the time and came home with this t-shirt that had multi-colored sunbursts all over it. Lately, I have seen samples floating around on Pinterest. The Pinterest sample I saw looks a little different than my way, but it is roughly the same procedure. The best thing about the Sharpie tie dye is the minimal mess!

The Materials

Sharpie pens, variety of colors (we used shades of green and black for our team colors)
medicine droppers (purchased at CVS)
rubbing alcohol
coins (quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies)
cardboard squares (about 8″x8″)
cup or jar

The Directions

Put the cardboard piece inside the shirt to prevent the Sharpie from leaking through to the other side. Move the cardboard around as needed, so it is always beneath the area where you are working.
Place a coin on the shirt. Draw an outline of dots with a Sharpie marker around the edge of the coin. You want the dots to be fairly close together to make the effect better. You can alternate color dots if you wish.
Remove the coin from the shirt.
Pour rubbing alcohol into a cup, so it is easy to get the alcohol into the dropper. Fill the medicine dropper about 1/3 full and begin dropping rubbing alcohol into the white center of the Sharpie dot circle.
Add drops a little at a time, always directly in the center of the Sharpie dots, until the Sharpie begins to bleed out.

Notes

Our white cotton t-shirts from Cherokee (Target line) and J. Crew worked better than the Hanes men’s cotton undershirt. There is a difference in the weave of the cotton. It was kind of interesting how the material changed the effect of the stain.
If you alternate colors, you can create new colors. For example, alternating blue and red dots creates purple. This is a great learning tool for kids about the color wheel.
The sun burst size changes depending on how close the dots are to each other, so experiment with that too.
You do not have to use the coins. Kids can create any dotted outline (like a heart or a star) and discover different results.
Unfortunately, I have not figured out a way to set the Sharpie marker well when washing. If you run the shirt in the dryer before the first wash, it helps hold the color. When you do wash the shirt, wash in cold water on gentle cycle. You may want to hang dry.
Black Sharpie marker looks like purple when it spreads.

TheRoomMom

The Parent with the Teacher's Perspective

Crafts– mostly American Girl

Petal Bags

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XOXO Valentine

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American Girl Dress Boutique

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American Girl Goes Camping

Sleeping Bags

Campfire and Toasting Marshmallows

Bug Jars

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Swim Team Shirts

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Sleeping Bags

Campfire and Toasting Marshmallows

Bug Jars

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