designing with mimi

4th of July activity.

I got this idea from Daisha

So I did this activity with my 4 yr old grandson and his 5 mo. old brother.
the baby didn't do much of his. :)
I think it went well.
I don't know where the photo of Connor painting his shirt is.

He had a great time and loves his new shirt!

click here to se a larger view.( the stars are kinda hard to see)
These are the items we used.I mix the fabric medium with the paint

to make it softer and premanent when washed.

First make sure they cover up their good clothes as shown in the first picture!

We made them each a little different.

On Oliver's onsie, I used the fabric medium and paint with no water. I used a foam brush and pounced to fill in the whole area. (kind of thick and took a long time to dry)

We added water to Connor's paint and fabric medium mix ,

and used a Sea sponge and he lightly pounced the paint on.

I like the look , it dries real fast and the project goes real fast.

(important when working with a 4 year old!!)

Oliver's onsie during the painting process

adorable post-it-note covers

I have tons of scrap booking stuff, but I rarely scrapbook. I do, however, make cards and other nifty things. I came across this fun notepad cover idea back in November and I have since made a zillion! They are fun and easy.

Here are some I have done:

And here's how it's done:

Go to your favorite local crafting center and get a book covering kit. Mine is the 3'' x 3" kit from Michael's--it's perfect for post-it notes. My kit included a plastic template, note pads, and cardboard spine and covers for about 3 or 4 books. This kit will get you started (with supplies, dimensions, and a reusable template) but once you get the hang of things, you can probably go kit free.

I now have my handy husband cut the covers and spines (he is more accurate than me!) out of illustration board and I get my post-it notes in bulk whenever they are on sale. You can buy pastel colors or just the regular yellow. I recommend using 15 x 20" illustration board-Medium (mine is from Hobby Lobby ) and cutting it yourself-- it will save you a lot of moolah!

These make great gifts. ENJOY!!

* If you'd like more detailed instructions, check out my tutorial.*

Post-it- note minibook tutorial

Here is the tutorial for the minibook as seen on a previous post of mine.

I think you will enjoy crafting these cuties.

* I find my self-healing crafting mat is especially helpful for this project, as it keeps table surfaces from getting damaged.

~~


mini-book supplies:

2 squares of 3 1/4" illustration board and one spine 3/8" x 3 1/4"
any 2 pieces of decorative paper, sized at least 8 1/2 "x 5 "
any embellishments you'd like to add .

Use the template and any regular weight scrap book paper.

Trace and cut out the outside cover of your book.

Then cut out a liner of your choice, 3" x 6 3/4"

Glue front, back, and binding piece to the paper.

Then fold and glue the long sides down, then do the same for the shorter, end pieces.

If your design includes some type of ribbon around the sides, make sure that you bring it around to the inside before you glue in the liner. This keeps the book neat. The same thing goes for rivets and pins used for embellishment or as closures.

Paste in your paper liner.

Let the paper dry, then crease the insides of the spine just to make a clean fold.

Now get out all of your "bling," embellish, and have fun!

Some of my secrets:

A trick I use when gluing is to use an old magazine.This keeps my crafting surfaces clean and allows me to glue right up to the edge. Use a clean page for each glue up, then turn the page. Once the pages dry they can be used over and over again.

The easiest way to keep the cover shut is to use ouchless hair bands. These are just the right size! I usually tie on a charm or button to dress it up a little.

IT'S A WRAP

It's a Wrap

I just got a new dog a couple of months ago.

Max is an 18 month old Maltipoo.

While taking Max for a walk the other day,

I noticed he is a hyper dog and pulls,

choking himself with each step.

ENTER THE WRAP!

(click to se a larger view. )

I decided to make a wrap that takes all the pressure off Max's neck.

The wrap is easy to get on and off,

and because of the reversable nature of the wrap,

the webbing works as a handle as well.

If you have a little one,

you know how important it can be

to swoop the little thing up in a hurry

(when a big dog comes by and TINY thinks he's Mr. BIG!** CHOMP**)

It works like a charm.
Max and I enjoy his walks now!
I will be getting the tutorial / template done and
posting it soon.