Make Something Monday: 3 Pair of Jeans

When I was in my early months of pregnancy, I visited my brother and his wife and got a bunch of hand-me-down clothes. I hadn't gained much weight by that point, but enough that some of the clothes that enticed me, namely some pants, wouldn't fit over my expanding hips. But they looked cute so I took them anyway. Once I lost my baby weight and was able to fit into the pants, I noticed something about 3 pair of seemingly cute BKE jeans: they all had a wide leg. Not super in style in our skinny jean generation. Heck, I'd even settle for bootcut.

So despite the cute, butt accentuating pockets, all three pair of jeans made it into the, "donate" pile and were safely stored in the garage until I found the energy to take them somewhere. A few months later I went to Arizona and stayed with my Grandma who helped me make a quilt for Evelyn. I had so much fun sewing that I was desperate to undertake another sewing project and decided that since I really had nothing to lose with the jeans that I was just going to give away, they would be my next trial project.

Make Something Monday: DIY "Places you Wanna Go" Cork Board Map

Before your tutorial, (If you wanna skip to the tutorial, scroll down to the pictures, but you'll be missing a great story!) you get a little story, I call it

The Story of the Maps

So back last fall sometime, I had this brilliant plan to find a moderately sized map, adhere it to some cork board and make an awesome 'where they've been, where they wanna go' type deal. Skip ahead to late January right before my birthday party and the first time we really had anyone over to our basement house. I was stressing over making the house not look so basement-y and the biggest problem was this huge horrific white wall in the kitchen. To me it was this eye sore akin to someone having wiped fecal matter all over it. To anyone else it was non-noticeable because, hello it's a white wall.

So I was desperate to come up with something adorable and clever to cover the wall and convinced Chris, in the middle of a blizzard, that we needed to go find a map and cork RIGHT NOW. And so he dutifully drove me to a map supply store, because where else do you go to find maps? Only problem is they didn't exactly have the moderately sized map I had been dreaming of. The only one we could find was hugenormous. The good news was it would cover the ENTIRE white heinous wall. The bad news: it was like 30 bucks. And then we had to buy the cork to go behind it. Yeah that was gonna be a fortune so instead we just got some thick poster board. But the piece we bought was so huge that it wouldn't fit in my teeny tiny bug (who needs a mom car?!) so we had to borrow a dull Xacto knife from the map supply store people and we sat on the floor and cut it up.

Long story short (you wish) the map ended up in a series of panels on the terrible horrible wall. Yay! Everyone loved it and continues to comment on it whenever they come over. Probably because it's a hugenormous map taking up the whole wall. Then the weather changed and it got Utah-hot. So Chris hooked up the swamp cooler so we wouldn't all die. Then it got not so hot so we turned off the swamp cooler. What does this have to do with the map? Well the swamp cooler is right next to the map, so the map soaked up some swampiness. Then when we turned it off it expelled said swampiness and started to bubble and whatnot and now basically it's ruined. Yeah. I mean falling of the wall, peeling off the poster board ruined. There goes $50 or so down the drain.

Look how sad and bubbly it is :(

The good news is I found the map I had wanted in the first place at a poster sale at BYU for 5 bucks so now I can make the project I had been planning to make all along.

The moral? A white wall isn't so bad. And if you can't find the right thing...just wait until you do.

So now for you (if you made it through the story of the maps) I present the awesome "Places you Wanna Go" Map.

I love how the map can be separated because it's on separate tiles. It

can take up as little or as much room as you want. It's perfect for someone 

who moves a lot (college student) because it's not big and it can be 

stored easily.

Materials:

• A map (size and color of your choosing but use the above story as a cautionary tale for a huge map)
• Cork Board Tiles (Get them at Target or Walmart or Michaels, etc. Usually come in a 4 pack. I needed 6 so two 4 packs were $14 at Target)
• Spray Adhesive (Tacky glue or wood glue works also but I HIGHLY recommend spray adhesive. I'll tell you why.)
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Pins

**When collecting your materials, measure your map to figure out how many cork board tiles you need. I made my pieces slightly smaller than the cork board to avoid the dreaded overhang.**

001 Trace a cork tile on the back of your map to mark where you will cut the pieces. Using sharp scissors, cut along the lines very carefully.

002 Cover the surface you're working on to protect it from the spray adhesive. Spray a thin layer of adhesive on one cork tile and smooth one piece of the map over the top. Repeat with remaining tiles and map pieces.

*A note on glue: after two tiles I ran out of spray adhesive and had to use tacky glue. It works but the end product is not nearly as pretty. It creates air bubbles and causes the cork board to warp as it dries, so you have to pile heavy books on top of it. If you do use tacky glue, instead of squirting it on the cork board willy nilly (bad idea) pour the glue into a bowl and spread a thin layer on the cork board with a paint brush. You may need to use a credit card to smooth out the bubbles and then let it dry underneath a heavy book overnight.*

003 Most cork board tiles come with sticky foam that let you stick the cork board tiles to the wall. If you use these, be warned that they are SUPER sticky. So only put them somewhere if you want them to be there forever. You might want to purchase another form of sticky foam adhesive that comes off easier. Then go ahead and add pins for places you want to go or places you've been.

For ours, I made this map key on picmonkey.

Now the good news about you trying this project is that I did it first and I can tell you what not to do. So if I had it to do over, I would adhere a thin piece of plywood to the back of each tile (like I did in this tutorial ) and add a sawtooth hanger to nail it to the wall. It would make it so much more durable and wouldn't make it so permanent on the wall and probably a lot easier to hang up or fix if you mess up.

*It's super hard to get the tiles even and the right distance apart and if you use the super sticky things that come with the cork boards, you'll tear the paint right off your wall when you try and fix it. Be warned.*

Make Something Monday: DIY Moby Wrap

perfect for the airport

Or if you don't want to bring a stroller

Even a hike

This tutorial is so simple, it feels wrong to spend an entire blog post explaining it. But here you go.

For those of you who don't know, a moby wrap is an expensive baby wearing option. I've found it to be my favorite. But since I didn't have $50 or so to spend on one I made my own. There are two steps.

001 Go to a fabric store of your choosing and buy 6 yards of stretchy knit fabric in the color of your choice.
4 yards wasn't enough and I have 5 yards which works but I wish it was a little longer. So 6 should be safe.

002 Your fabric will be double the width that you need it to be, so carefully find the center and cut it in half. You should have two pieces of fabric, 6 yards long. Make sure you're cutting the width in half and not the length.

That's it. That's all. You're done. 

Now you have two moby wraps for a fraction of the cost.

If you really want to you can sew a little tag in the exact center because you'll need to know where that is when you tie it on every time but I just fold mine in half to find it.

To learn how to tie it and put your baby inside, just search on youtube for tutorials.

Make Something Monday: The best chocolate chip cookies EVER

When we moved to Hawaii, I was going through this phase where I liked eating cookie dough A LOT. But it wasn't good enough to just buy it from the store. I liked my cookie dough minus the chocolate chips. And then one day I realized that I could leave out the eggs and not feel guilty that somewhere my mother just knew that I was breaking the rules. (Oh perhaps the reason she didn't want me eating the dough is because why should anyone consume that much sugar and butter?!).

Unfortunately when I went to Hawaii I didn't bring my cookie recipe and I could not find another one that was up to par. So I was cookie dough-less for almost a year. A tragedy I know. But besides making delicious dough, these cookies turn out perfect like every time. I get compliments on them every time I make them for other people and I'm over here like...what? They're cookies.

So for all my friends who want the recipe and the rest of you who wish you've already tried my cookies, here you go. The recipe is originally from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and I just tweaked it a tad.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter softened
1/2 cup shortening (that's crisco)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs (salmonella balls, mom)
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup-3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Set your oven to 375. Throw your softened butter and crisco into a mixing bowl and mix until your arm falls off. If you're lucky enough to have an electric mixer, you may opt to use that.

2. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix mix mix. If you're a salmonella hater go ahead and taste some before adding the eggs.

3. Add your eggs and vanilla. Beat it till it's dead ya'll. If your just making the dough, leave those eggs in the chicken.

4. Mix in that flour. Depending on how strong your mixer is, or how many arms you have left, you may need to mix it in gradually.

5. Not using your mixer (hope you haven't lost both arms, or you have a well trained monkey) stir in the chocolate chips. Now this is important, it's the difference between a chocolate overload and a perfect cookie, if you have a whole bag of chocolate chips, only use about 1/4 of the bag. You just want a smattering of chips.

6. Use a spoon to make you some cookie dough balls and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Not too close and not too far apart. Bake for 8 minutes. The cookies might not look all the way done but as long as the edges are golden, you're good to go. Let them cool for a few minutes on the stove before putting them on a cooling rack.

In that few minutes you'll see them transform into cookies that look just plain delectable. But patience ya'll, don't burn your tongue.

7. Now sit in front of a good Netflix marathon, might I recommend How I Met Your Mother, and eat all the cookies. You might want to save some cookie dough for this binge. Add some milk and nachos and you've got yourself a party. Just don't invite anyone, cause who wants to share?!

Jk, go share them before you weigh a million pounds.

Make Something Monday: Free (or cheap) DIY gifts

Has anyone else noticed that Summer is the season of birthdays? It seems like every week is someone else's birthday that I've forgotten...thanks a lot Facebook. Yeah, I'm pretty much a terrible friend and family member. But what I am pretty good at is the last minute throw together gift. Whether you have an hour before the party or a day to run to Walmart, I gotcha covered.

None of these are groundbreakingly brilliant ideas or anything. But generally when you're in need of something clever that says, "Happy Birthday, I care about you so I made you a gift instead of buying one" instead of, "Happy Birthday, I bought this at the gas station on the way here," people's minds tend to go blank.

001 Make a card.

This one is as by the book as it goes, but don't let that keep you from trying it out. You can do something classic with construction paper and scissors or get silly and make something on the computer.  If you have a little extra time and money you can have your card printed at Walmart, same day.

002 Coupons.

Another pretty typical one but the fun part is that you can make it totally personalized and hilarious. I made these for my little sister's birthday. She just started college so you can see how these are fun. Also, go all out crazy with some fine print. Just for an extra giggle. I made these on picmonkey.

003 Picture Collage/ Video

Can you tell I like to laugh? These can be goofy but they also be really meaningful too. The video might take a little more time depending on how you do it, but if it's more a slideshow of images it can be quick. These gifts are great cause they can be emailed or shared on social media so they can make their way all over the world. Or stick the photo in a cute frame (one you have or buy a new one).

004 A Gently Loved Book

Okay, yes this is used, but hear me out! If you have a good friend or family member who loves to read (and you do too) give them a book that you love. The more used it looks the better. Then they know that you really loved it. Write a message on the title page and maybe mark some of the parts you like best. Now when they read it, it's like you're reading it together.

005 Baked Goods

Another classic. All you need is what is in your baking cupboard. Do you have a famous cookie recipe that everyone loves? Maybe people die over your s'more brownies. Or perhaps you don't have a recipe, then you could just stay tuned for my famous chocolate chip cookie recipe on next week's Make Something Monday! Wrap them in some festive paper and add that homemade card and you're good to go!

Bonus! If you have a little bit of money to spend (emphasis on little) try a themed gift!

Use your creativity on these and personalize it!

• Movie night: A couple $5 Walmart movies, popcorn, hot chocolate, and candy.
• Spa night: lotion, hair ties, nail polish, remover, a mud mask, maybe slippers.
• Campout: S'mores fixings, a little flashlight, bug spray, sunscreen, maybe a blanket.
• New Driver: Steering wheel cover, fuzzy dice, keychain, air freshener.
• Student: Back to school notebooks, pens, pencils, sticky notes, and other office supplies.
• Summer gift: pool toys, frisbee, baseballs, blow up beach ball.

Really you could add candy to any of these, because who doesn't love candy?!

And speaking of which, you could always do a candy poster.

What are your favorite free, or cheap gifts??

Make Something Monday: Easy Oreo Ice Cream Dream

 Chris and I had dinner group last night with some friends. I made the easiest, yummiest dessert and everyone went crazy for it and demanded the recipe. So I figured I'd share it with ya'll today.

Ingredients:
1 package Oreos
1/4 cup melted butter
56 oz (or so) carton vanilla ice cream
12.8 oz jar hot fudge
8 oz container Cool Whip

1. Spray a 9x13 glass casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.

2. Empty the package of Oreos into a large ziploc bag. Use a rolling pin to crush all the oreos.
Once all the Oreos are crushed, pour in the melted butter and mix well.

3.Spread Oreos along the bottom of the casserole dish, cover with plastic wrap and put it in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.

4. Take the dish out of the freezer and layer the ice cream on top of the now frozen Oreo crust. You may need to set the ice cream out a little to thaw so it's easier to spread. Replace the plastic wrap and put the dish back in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.

5. Repeat step four with the hot fudge and the cool whip, making sure to let it freeze for at least 20 minutes in between layers.

Makes 15 servings.

Variations: You could really make this any size you want. You could put it in a circle pie pan or cupcake tins for single servings. Fancify it with a drizzle of hot fudge and a cherry on top when you serve it.

It went fast

Make Something Monday: Bench Cushions

I have a confession to make. Today's Make Something Monday is actually a project I did a while ago that I never got around to posting, but my new blog schedule has given me the perfect excuse.

In our old apartment we had very limited seating, so we bought this entertainment center from Ikea:

Chris didn't put the legs on or shelves in it but instead put on some wheels. That way when we were eating in front of the TV we could wheel it over and use it as a makeshift table. The only problem was that it didn't look much like a place to sit. It needed cushions.

I scoured stores looking for cushions and couldn't find anything in a pattern or color that I liked, so I decided to make my own.

I almost bought the foam at Joann's where you could have them cut it to the size you want but it turned out to be much cheaper to buy the pre-cut and prepackaged foam at Hobby Lobby. I also found the fabric that I loved there. Then, at Home Depot I bought the cheapest plywood and had them cut it to the right size for me (no extra charge) and also got a staple gun. I really loved how it turned out and they're pretty comfortable to sit on too.

Materials:
Fabric

Foam
Plywood
Staple gun and Staples
Iron
Ruler and pencil
Hot Glue Gun

1. The first step you'll really have to figure out on your own because it involves getting the right size foam, plywood and fabric. Measure your bench and decide how you want to do it. You could do multiple cushions or one long one. I'd do the cushion slightly smaller than the bench. The foam can be as thick or thin as you want it. Your fabric doesn't need to completely cover the back, just make sure it can wrap around enough to staple.


2. Measure and cut your fabric. The edges don't have to be perfect because you won't see them.

3. Iron.

4. Lay out your fabric face down. Set your foam on top of it in the center making sure that the fabric is oriented the way you want it if you have a pattern that goes a certain way (for mine it didn't matter). Set your plywood on top of that so that it's even with the foam.

5. Starting with one side just pull the fabric tight and staple it to the plywood. When you get to the last two sides you want to make sure not to pull it too tight or else you'll squish your foam down. You'll want to fold the corners in nicely like you would when you wrap a gift.

6. Now, to make sure that your cushion doesn't slide around on your bench, just squiggle some hot glue on the back and let it dry. It's the perfect non-slip texture.

Now all I need is some cute baskets to go underneath.

Now sit and enjoy!

Make Something Monday: 5 Quick & Easy DIY Fourth of July Decorations

Ya'll. YA'LL! The fourth is on Friday and if you're anything like me you've majorly procrastinated putting up adorable decorations so your house looks festive (maybe you've also procrastinated making party plans..also like me.)

Well lucky for you on our first official Make Something Monday I have five quick and easy decorations you can make with stuff you have at home (mostly)...right now....while the baby is sleeping. For reals. Do it and decorate and your husband (or wife, I'm not judging on who has the crafty tendencies) won't know what hit 'em.

So don't just read it, go grab the materials and get crafting!

1. Festive Wine Glasses

I layered beans in some cute wine glasses for this one and finished it off with a bow. If you have the resources any red, white, and blue small object would work. (i.e. m&m's, jellybeans, marbles). Yes, those are black beans...nothing gets passed you. But I think they work for this and kind of have that vintage-y feel to the colors.

First, go grab two of your funnest looking wine glasses/stemware.
Next, raid your pantry slash food storage for red beans, white beans and black beans.
Then, grab some cute red, white or blue ribbon.
Now, Layer the beans and tie yourself a cute bow.
Success! Now move on to #2.

2. Pinwheels

What's more American than pinwheels?! Grab your favorite red, white, and blue scrapbook paper, some pencils, thumbtacks, scissors or a paper cutter and some glue.

First, cut your paper into squares. I did mine several different sizes the biggest was 6" and the smallest was 3".

Next, Unless your paper is two sided with different designs you should glue two squares together back to back.

Then, Use a ruler and a pencil to draw an X on your square. Snip diagonally down each corner almost to the center but not quite. I don't have a measurement for you, just don't cut so far that it will rip but far enough that you could fold the corners to the center.

Now, You want to fold every other corner into the center making sure the points overlap and use a push pin to pin them to the eraser of a pencil like so.

*Optional* Paint your pencils or wrap them in cute paper (They don't have to be perfect, I just wasn't loving the green plaid of mine).

Success! Now for something to stick your pinwheels in move on to #3. (Note that I made a bunch of pinwheels so it took me longer. If you're looking for a quicker craft, only make one or two. The same applies for craft #3)

3. Cute mason jars

Okay so mine are not the mason jar brand, but I'm covering them so it doesn't matter anyway. I am kind of weird about saving jars so I had a few to choose from and I liked how it looked to do a few different sizes. You could also raid your local Goodwill or DI cause they always have 'em.

First, get your mason jars, some red, white, and/or blue tissue paper (two colors is ideal), scissors and some tape. I went ahead and filled my jar up with beans. (Just don't accidentally tip it over on the floor when wrapping your tissue paper.)

Next, Wrap both sheets of tissue paper, both colors on top of each other, around the jar. Your more dominant color should be on top and the tissue paper should be taller than the jar. Tape it down.

1

2

Then, snip around the top of the tissue paper like so:

Now, you should be able to see your other color. You're just going to twist the two colors together and kind of mash the center back into the jar. No tape necessary.

Success! Shove your pinwheels in there (nicely of course) and head to #4, quick the baby's nap is almost over!

4. Print this out and stick it in a frame. (It was made by yours truly).

Success! Wasn't that easy? Don't put that printer away just yet, get on over to #5 first!

5. USA in frames
This last one is nearly as easy as #4.

First, you want to find three complimentary frames (they DO NOT have to be the same size).
Next, grab some cute scrapbook or just colored paper and print out the letters below.

Then, trace the letters onto your cute paper and cut them out.
Now, tape or glue them onto some complimentary paper and stick them in your frames!
Success!

The final step is to set everything up strategically around your house to amaze your spouse!

I would LOVE to see how you used these to decorate for the fourth! Send me your pictures, or put links to where they are posted in the comments below.

Do you have a request for Make Something Monday? Give me some comment love and tell me all about it. I'd love to help you with your crafting dreams!