Giveaway: DIY Covered Button Hair Clip Kit (CLOSED)

I had a phenomenal blogging weekend week. My Autumn Recipe Card and Canning Label/Tag Printable was a big hit! Over the course of three five days I gained 10 23 followers, welcomed over 300 1400 visitors to my blog, and was featured on One Pretty Thing and Tatertots & Jello! Not bad for just starting my blog three weeks ago! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am absolutely thrilled. And to show my appreciation, I am going to be giving away a Do-It-Yourself Covered Button Hair Clip Kit to go along with my hair clip tutorial.

The kit includes all of the materials you need to create three covered button hair clips.

This includes three alligator pinch clips, three cover button shells and backs, a button covering mold and pusher, and three non-slip grips. And they all come in this cute little tin.

In addition, the winner will receive six lengths of ribbon (each approximately 5 inches/12.7 cm long).

 

The winner will also receive five scraps of fabric, so they can mix and match and decide which three ribbon/fabric combinations they like best for their hair clips.

Animal Finger Puppets, Matryoshka Dolls, Umbrellas,
Pink/Green Dots, Pink Plaid

Pretty neat, huh? All you need to supply is the glue gun!

This giveaway is now CLOSED. Thanks for entering!

Here's the info on entering the giveaway:

You have two chances to enter...

1. Leave a comment in this post telling me which of the five fabric selections is your favorite.
2. Start following my blog. It's that simple! Then leave a comment in this post telling me that you are following me. If you already follow me, thank you! To enter, just leave a comment telling me that you are already a follower.

You must leave a separate comment for each entry. Only two entries per person please! If your email is not linked up to your profile, make sure you leave your email address in your comment so I can get in touch with you if you win.

Details: The giveaway will close at 11:59 PM (EST) on Saturday, September 4, 2010. I will use a random number generator to determine which commenter is the winner. I will ship anywhere, so please feel free to enter even if you don't live in the U.S. I will announce the winner on Sunday, September 5, 2010. I will notify the winner via email. If the winner does not respond within 5 days, a new winner will be chosen.

Good luck to all, and thanks for making this past weekend so great for me. I can't stop smiling!

Printable: Autumn Recipe Cards & Canning Labels/Tags

I love acorns. I have an acorn doorknocker on my front door. I have a framed photo of acorns on my living room wall. Nine years ago my wedding favors where acorn shaped chocolates that my husband and I spent days making. And we have just moved into "duck and cover" mode in our yard as the acorns have just started pouring out of the oak trees. With acorns on the brain, I decided to make an autumn acorn printable to share with you.

I created two printables for you to download. The graphics are all original, created by me.

The first is a set of two autumn-themed recipe cards.

Click HERE to download the recipe card PDF.

The second is a set of nine autumn-themed canning labels or tags.

Click HERE to download the label/tag PDF.

Instructions:

1. Recipe cards: This printable contains two blank recipe cards. Print on white letter size cardstock at 100% (no scaling). Cut out each card. Finished recipe cards are 4 x 6 inches (10 x 15 cm).
2. Canning Labels/Tags: This printable contains nine round canning labels or tags. If making labels, print on label paper at 100% (no scaling). If making tags, print on white letter size cardstock at 100% (no scaling). Cut out each label/tag using scissors or a 2 inch paper punch. Finished labels/tags are 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. To create tags, use a hole punch and add ribbon, string, or twine.

All printables are for personal use only.

You could even use the labels/tags to leave a little note for someone (maybe in a lunch bag).

This is the first time I've tried to share a file, so if you have any trouble downloading these printables please let me know. Hope you enjoy!

Old Orchard Beach

I just spent a long weekend camping in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. I used to go to Old Orchard with my family when I was a kid, and coincidentally my husband used to go every summer with his family as well. It was nice to bring our girls up there and hopefully continue the tradition.

A lot has changed over the past twenty five years or so, but many things remain the same.

"The All American Meal" has always been 99 cents on the pier.

You have always been able to get fantastic treats. The fried dough is the largest I have ever seen.

I came home with a huge bag full of molasses salt water taffy (my favorite).

And Old Orchard Beach still has one of the coolest carousels I have ever seen.

My three year old rode on the zebra. There's also a bear, a pig, a cat, and a dragon!

The trip was a nice way to celebrate the end of summer and the all-too-soon arrival of fall weather and the first day of preschool.

Jack & Jill Loafer

Summer in New England came to an abrupt close at 1:00 in the afternoon this past Saturday. It seriously felt like someone flipped a switch and fall started marching in. My six month old, who has been barefoot for the past three and a half months, is going to have to start wearing shoes to keep these little piggies warm.

I bought the Jack & Jill Loafer pattern from Sweet Pea Patterns not too long ago, and I finally had a chance to try it out today. These shoes are pretty easy to make, and once you get the first shoe put together, the second is a breeze. The pattern instructions are very easy to follow and there are lots of photos included to help you out.

Jack & Jill Loafer pattern by Sweet Pea Patterns

My youngest is going to start crawling in the not too distant future, and she's going to have trouble getting around on our hardwood floors. With this in mind, I used a product called Jiffy Grip for the outer soles of the shoes. It is a fabric with a vinyl dot surface that provides a non-slip grip. It was really easy to work with and very inexpensive.

Now those little piggies will be nice and cozy as the weather starts to get cooler.

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to check out other great projects at the link-ups below.

Cutest Thing Ever: Counting Sheep Beanbags

I saw one of the cutest projects ever last week, and I immediately had to ask Megan over at Fowl Single File if I could share it with you. Check this out...

They are fleece Counting Sheep Beanbags, and Megan has a great tutorial for them posted on her blog. You can even download templates for all of the pieces, including the numbers.

Aren't they adorable? I can't wait to try these. I'll let you know when I do. Make sure you go over and check out the other great stuff Megan has made, too, like this and this.

Thanks, Megan, for letting me share and for being the first of my occasional "Cutest Thing Ever" posts!

P.S. Megan gets double cuteness points for the name of her blog... "Fowl Single File" because "Ducks in a Row" was taken!

My Happy Place

If you've read my profile, you know that I love the Caribbean. It's my happy place. No other place makes me feel more relaxed. I took this picture in St. Maarten in 2005. It looked so perfect. When we went back to the island a few years later, the boat was still there, but it had deteriorated significantly. I like to remember it like this.

Enjoy your weekend!

The Beginning of a Sewing Area

I have wanted to create a sewing area for myself somewhere in my house for quite some time. I am sick of having to get my sewing machine out of the closet every single time I want to use it. This is my craft/sewing closet.

"Is that a karaoke machine?" you ask. Hell, yeah.

This setup isn't efficient. By the time I get everything out, one of the kids needs something or wakes up from their nap. So I started looking around for a little space to at least leave my sewing machine set up.

I decided this would do for now. It's in the corner of my dining room right between the fireplace and the door out onto our deck. It gets a lot of natural light, and I'll be warm in the winter.

Now I had to find a table. I went into the basement and started hunting around. I found the first dining table my husband and I ever owned from our first apartment. The table actually belonged to my husband's grandfather. It was set up in the waiting room of his dental office many years ago. It's kind of falling apart, and it's a little small, but it will do for now.

So here is my new sewing corner. I would like to add a little cupboard to the left for fabric and supplies. I'll let you know when I find one.

Sweet Little Dress

My youngest was due to be born in early February, and I was determined to make my daughters matching Easter dresses before I went into labor. I finished the second dress on the afternoon of February 1st. I started having contractions at 4:00 in the morning on February 2nd, and my youngest daughter was born at around 2:30 in the afternoon that day. I finished just in time.

The dress is the Sweet Little Dress pattern from leila & ben (There is a separate Sweet Little Dress for Babies pattern for sizes 3 to 12 months). I love this dress. It is so quick and easy to make, and the pattern instructions are very simple to follow.

The dress is super comfortable and has a very flexible fit, since the neckline and sleeves are elastic. My oldest had no problem running around in it while searching for Easter eggs.

It would look great with a pair of leggings when the weather gets cooler. And when my daughter gets a little taller, she can continue to wear it as a shirt.

Sweet Little Dress & Sweet Little Dress for Babies patterns by leila & ben

Thanks for stopping by today! And thanks to everyone who stopped by to see my first tutorial yesterday! I'm loving blogging and can't wait to share more projects with you.

Covered Button Hair Clip Tutorial

My three year old will be heading back to preschool in about a month. She has unruly curly hair that is constantly falling in her face, but I hate to make her wear ponytails all the time, so her favorite hair accessory is a hair clip. I’ve made about twenty five different clips for her, and she loves to pick one that she thinks matches her outfit. She’s not always right, but hey, she’s three.

I’m not into the super girly, fluffy, giant bow, corkscrew, or silk flower clips. I like simple, but for Easter this year I decided I needed to jazz up the clips just a little bit. I made my daughters matching Easter dresses (more on that next time), and I wanted to make hair clips to go with the dresses. I decided to use some fabric from the dresses to cover buttons and add one covered button to the center of each clip.

They turned out really cute, and they are super simple to make.

Materials and tools you will need to make one hair clip:

• 4¼" length of 3/8" wide ribbon
• coordinating fabric
• single prong 1¾" long alligator pinch hair clip  (I bought a pack of 50 on Etsy for less than $5)
• size 30 (¾") cover button kit
• glue gun
• pliers
• candle
• optional: non-slip grip  (more on this below)

Part I: Making the Basic Ribbon Covered Hair Clip

Step 1:  Cut your ribbon to 4¼" long (My favorite ribbon is by American Crafts). Ribbon frays. If you are using grosgrain ribbon, you can prevent fraying by using an old trick... melt the ends in the flame of a candle! After you’ve cut the ribbon to length, quickly run both ends through the flame. It will seal the ends completely. PLEASE be careful when you do this! Only run the very ends through the flame, and do it quickly or the entire ribbon will melt.

Step 2:  Next, begin gluing the ribbon to your hair clip. Work quickly before the glue starts to firm up.

     A.  First, use your fingers to pinch the clip open. Run a bead of glue inside the clip on the underside of the top piece of the clip. Insert one end of your ribbon all the way into the clip with the wrong side of the ribbon facing the glue. Press the ribbon firmly into the glue. When cool, close the clip.

     B.  Second, run a bead of glue along the outside of the top piece of the clip. Tightly wrap the ribbon around the point of the clip from the inside (where you just glued it) onto the glue on top of the clip. Press the ribbon firmly into the glue.

     C.  Third, run about a ½" long bead of glue along the outside of the bottom piece of the clip at the end where you pinch the clip to open it. Tightly wrap the ribbon around into the glue and press firmly.

You have now completed the basic ribbon covered hair clip. The clip can be worn just like this, or you can continue with the embellishment.

Part II: Making and Adding the Fabric Covered Button

Step 3:  Read the directions on the back of your button kit. Most kits are very similar, and these directions will most likely apply to your kit. Your kit will tell you what size circle to cut from your fabric. For a size 30 (¾") button, I needed a 1½" diameter circle. Trace your circle onto your fabric, making sure to center any particular element or pattern that you want on your button, and cut it out.

Step 4:  Next, use a pair of pliers to remove the shank from the back of the button.

Step 5:  Now it’s time to cover your button. This is done by stacking layers and pressing them all together.

     A.  Center your circle of fabric wrong side up on top of the mold that came with your kit.

     B.  Set the button shell (the top of the button) wrong side up on top of the fabric.

     C.  Use the pusher that came with your kit to press the button shell down into the mold on top of the fabric.

     D.  Tuck all of the excess fabric down into the back of the button shell.

     E.  Place the back of the button (with the shank removed) over the tucked fabric.

     F.  Use the pusher that came with your kit to snap all layers together. Make sure you push hard enough to completely snap the back of the button into the shell.

     G.  Your fabric covered button is complete.

Step 6:  Completely fill the back of the button with hot glue, and place the button on the center of your ribbon covered clip.

Part III (Optional): Adding the Non-Slip Grip

The addition of the non-slip grip is key for little kids. My daughter has some clips that don’t have grip on them, and without fail she is handing me those clips within an hour of putting them on because they slide out. The non-slip grip remedies this problem. The grip is just non-slip shelf liner. You can buy your own roll and cut your own pieces, or you can buy some on Etsy that are pre-cut to size (I bought a pack of 50 for $3).

Step 7:  Cut a piece of non-slip grip about 3/8" by 1".

Step 8:  Pinch your clip open, and run a bead of glue inside the clip along the ribbon on the underside of the top piece of the clip. Press the non-slip grip into the glue. Do this carefully so you don't get burned.. the hot glue pushes through the holes in the grip.

 
Congratulations! You’re done!

This tutorial is extremely simple and pretty self-explanatory. Hair clips are everywhere. Please feel free to make these for personal and commercial use.

I'm linking up this tutorial over at Skip to my Lou’s “Made by You Monday”, Keeping it Simple's "Motivate Me Monday", and Today's Creative Blog's "Get Your Craft On"! Go on over and check out all of the great projects featured there.