{Bucket List}:: #29 Bottle Cap Magnets - Done!

29. Bottle Cap Magnets {@ Let Birdz Fly}


Finally, finally, finally made these.  And then get this- I dropped them on the tile floor and the magnets popped off the bottle caps and I had to re-glue them.  


I used hot glue and the tutorial suggested hot glue or Mod Podge Dimensional.  Which, I think she used.  I can't find it around here.  I look every time I am at the Hobby Lobby, too.  


But these would have made a really cute Christmas present!  If only I would have thought of it sooner.  Besides, I can't say, "here ya go and don't drop them on the floor or they will just be regular bottle caps again."    


Or can I?
{hehe}

Linking here:

{Bucket List}:: #28 Zucchini Fritters - made and eaten!

Yes, I really did scratch another one off my Craft Bucket List!  Woot woot!


This one, I know is kinda weird for a bucket list...I mean, it's zucchini!  But, I really like zucchini.  I do wonder if it has anything to do with the one summer, when I was a kid, when the zucchini from our garden were the size of your thigh!!  And we had tons of them!  I remember we started calling them "zukes" for short.  My mom cooked it every which way possible.  She even hid it in recipes just so it wouldn't go to waste.  We had enough zucchini bread in our freezer to feed every family on our street (if we shared, that is! YUM!)  Maybe that's why I like it.  Or, maybe it is that zucchini is such a neutral flavored veggie that I can pair it with any kind of meal.  Ok, that and the zucchini bread!


But I was really excited to see a *new* way to cook up my favorite squash.  Kelly at Creating a Family Home posted this very easy zucchini recipe and I just could not resist.  The basic recipe was simple:  zucchini, breadcrumbs, eggs, herbs of your choice, and garlic.


So, Completed:  #28. Zucchini Fritters {@ Creating a Family Home}
This is what mine looked like mixed up.  Probably a little too wet.  I had a giant zucchini so I added more breadcrumbs.  Then to compensate for the dryness, I added an extra egg.  Maybe it was too much.

Here is a round of fritters in the pan...

And here are some burnt-looking fritters with a meatball sub.  They were not burnt tasting though!  They were really good.  I really tried not to brown them up but I couldn't help it.  It doesn't bother me, but my son always complains if food has black on it (even grilled hot dogs).

I just picked up a 3-pack of zucchini today at the store for 99 cents!  I bet I will make these again this week.   I am happy to have a new side dish to add to my repertoire!

{Bucket List} Adding Four More Projects (#27-30)

Dear me!  My Craft Bucket List is really starting to grow.  Seems like I make one and add four!  How's that for productivity?!  

As you can see my ideas are all over the board- accessory, recipe, home-dec, and hair candy.  One thing they all have in common- they are all simple to make!  I should be able to knock these out soon.  right?    

#27.  Lotus Flower Pin
I came across this tutorial when I wanted to make lotus flowers for my friend.  It wasn't what I was looking for for the flower bouquet and it doesn't remind me of the lotus flower my friend has on her sign, but it is just stunning!  I want to make this for every cardigan sweater this winter!

Tutorial at Create and Delegate

#28.  Zucchini Fritters
I love zucchini!  And it is in season now.  These look so simple and would go with many different recipes as a side dish.  Can't wait to try them.

Recipe at Creating a Family Home

#29.  Bottle Cap Magnets
These are made with root beer caps.  I love root beer.  My husband loves root beer.  We also love cream soda.  After a long day we will sit down on the sofa and twist open a bottle of cold soda, put our feet up, and watch a little Modern Family.  

Tutorial at Let Birdz Fly

#30.  Felt Bows
Now we all know I am all thumbs when it comes to ribbon bows.  So why not try felt bows?!  My daughter lost two bows at school already.  I didn't know I had to keep a stash of reserves!

Tutorial at Sew Candid

And if any of my sisters are reading this if you ever see something you want me to make you for Christmas, let me know...bottle cap magnet, anyone : )  

Craft Bucket List Completed: #26 Hair Bows

Remember when I said I was going to make this bow from my Craft Bucket List?

Well, I did.

Well, I tried.

Not sure, but this may border on a craft fail.

 Ok.  Fine.  I admit it, I really struggled to make a hair bow!  Ouch.

I spent, oh, probably an hour or more cutting ribbon, looping and wrapping, and still they turned out pretty sad. How pathetic am I really?  But, they did they did get slightly better each try. And after several attempts (that I won't show you) I finally made a presentable bow. And a few more that sucked but I could still show you without being too embarrassed. I'm afraid I may be asked to turn in my craft crown if I can't master the bow.

What is my problem?

And then after making ONE bow that looked nice enough to put on my daughter, I was feeling very smarty pants and made a few more hair bows for my daughter, Stella, to wear to school.

Not completely embarrassing...

These are for pigtails if she ever lets me...

Why the hair bows all of a sudden?  I am making all of these bows and such because my older two kids are going to a new school this year- one that requires uniforms and therefore my daughter cannot wear her 27 pink headbands, bows, and clippies to school. (Last year, she got away with wearing tiaras and even headbands with antennae on them!)  These need to be school colors- red, white, blue. Sure, yes. Common colors that I can buy at any store. BUT, ever since she started wearing bows as a baby I wanted to try to make one or two.  And I just haven't.  So, maybe this is "harder" --to make a bow than to buy one...?? But I don't care. These won't be the last headbands and bows she ever wears. If I (ever) master the techniques I can make all her bows for ever and ever and ever.  Oh lucky Stella.

Bucket List #24 Completed- Braided Headband

Here's another Bucket List Craft that I made!  Recognize the fabric??

#24 Braided Headband = DONE.

Ohmygoodness...another super easy craft.  Tutorial: Braided Headbands {@ Alisa Burke}

I picked up a couple headbands at the dollar store that had the teeth in them (2/$1). Since I wrapped the knit around the band, I don't even notice the teeth when I am wearing this! I decided to try Fabri-Tac glue for this craft and it worked perfectly. I added a knot to the ends and slipped the headband into the knots. I didn't know how to finish the ends so I just came up with something before the glue dried.  I think the ends are bulky, but fine.

This was a super cute and easy craft. Highly recommend to the novice of novices to try!  And wouldn't you know it- my daughter asked me to buy a headband just.like.this one at Target this weekend- for $3.99.  Actually, she asked me for two.  I said ok for one and I would make the other.  Four bucks, geesh.  Mine= $0.50 

The headband was so easy, that I worked on it while...

I was helping my daughter sew a little creation of her own! She is working on a stuffed owl.  These are the eyes.  She did the stitching all.by.herself!  I was so proud.  sniff.

My daughter, Stella, is 4 and she just discovered sewing...{sigh}.

She received this book for her birthday and we have made several projects from it.  Here is her finished owl.

Craft Bucket List completed: #23 Bow Shirt

Do you remember on Friday I said I wanted to make this?  I can hardly believe it myself!  (I actually attempted and completed three items from my Craft Bucket List.)  I am going to have to figure out how to show they are "checked" off of the list. I found the tutorial here: Simple Bow Tie Top at Sweet Verbena

#23 Bow Shirt = DONE.

This was super, ridiculously easy to make. Promise.

What I like about the shirt: easy, love the colors, it is so stinking ADORABLE. I did take about 4" off each side seam which, for me (5'5") was making me look pregnant (which I am not).

What I don't like: not mom-friendly. It was great for my shopping trip with my friend, but was a hinderance when my family went to Sam's Club. The bow got caught in my leg somehow when I was loading the car and the bow was all untied when I was done loading. Also, it was hard to carry my 2-yr old because he was tugging on the bow or pulling my shirt down. When I bent over you can see in my shirt. I don't own a strapless bra so I had to rig something up for the day. (tmi? sorry.)  And my bow was bigger than hers because I used satin...I looked back on her tutorial and she used silk. Oops on me.  Silk was not in the value section- orange satin was. I just felt uncomfortable in it when I was around the house and grocery shopping- mom things, you know.  But I am not a stylish person so maybe that is the real problem.

Has anyone else made this shirt?

Will I wear it again...probably yes. I was even thinking of sewing the ends of the sash together and losing the bow altogether. Whaddya think?
Do I change the bow or do I just wear this when I am doing non-mom things?  Or do I just get a grip and be stylish once in a while!  geesh.




Linking here:

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{Bucket List} Want to make these very soon!

I have a little running list of all the crafts I want to make. One day. Or one day soon. These I found and I want to make pronto!

# 23. Simple Bow Tie Top at Sweet Verbena.
A.d.o.r.a.b.l.e. and easy! I really don't have an excuse not to make this one:

#24. Braided Headbands at Alisa Burke.
I might be able to use any scraps from the previous project to make this headband. I am slightly afraid that it will stand up too much on my head. But it can't hurt to try it. I could make this in front of the TV.

#25. Hair Bow Holder at Johnny In A Dress
With school starting soon, I figure I need to get organized. My daughter's hair accessories would be one (of many) areas in need of attention.

#26. Hair Bow at My Creative Way
My girl is going to need some new school bows too... I will try it and if I fail then I will suck it up and find a craftier mom to make her one. And pay her for her crafty-superiority.

Hope you have a great weekend!  I hope to show you one of these completed next week.  And maybe even some more progress on my living room!

{Craft Bucket} Adding a Swim Diaper and Dyed Shoes to My List

Have you seen these shoes? They are boring white tennis shoes dyed into awesome!  A gal named Katy at Sweet Verbena made them and I love them!  She even posted a tutorial on how to make them.  I think they have been everywhere on every blog. All the cool crafters are drooling over them. And Me too! And I really would have already made them but I can't go shopping with my kids (see yesterday's post) and I can't go shopping without them. So I don't have any shoes to dye. But I will! And when I do...they will be this cool!

Added to my Craft Bucket List!  #21

Next, I really, really need to add this to my Craft Bucket List and I really, really need to make them soon.  Like, before I need to buy another package of swim diapers!  Right now I am using some leftover swim diapers from my daughter (who has been potty trained for about 2 yrs) and my neighbor who is 6.  I know.  They are old diapers but they are doing the job.  If I thought I had a handle on when my almost-2-yr-old was going to do a number 2 I would just wait and go swimming after it happened.  But since I don't and since I don't want to clean up a "code brown" in the pool (really don't want to add that to my day) then I need the swim diapers.  It just seems so silly to buy them now when we are cloth diapering, too.  So with about 12 swim diapers left, I need to get a move on with this project here:

I found the tutorial over at Sew Mama Sew (the very first craft blog I ever read daily).  But it is made by Samantha who has a blog, making it little by little, and a store, Little Comet Tails.  With all of her awesome patterns for sale in her shop, I feel lucky to have this free tutorial!

This Swim Diaper is now #22 on my Craft Bucket List.

Craft Bucket: Done #17 Kids Pants Pants Pants!

Finally! I give you pictures that I actually sewed #17 on my Craft Bucket List. This was from a tutorial at Kojo Designs blog. I don't know why, but I didn't exactly follow the directions. I kinda started on them by diving in and sewing up pieces of t-shirt without reeeaally reading their directions on how to do this.

They cut their t-shirts in strips, from probably adult sized shirts.

I used baby/kid old shirt and just cut willy-nilly.  Ooops.




Which is fine- except when trying to piece everything together to get a large enough panel from which to cut my pants it got to be a bit more work than it needed to be.  Hence the "oops".

What I did differently (bad and good):

• I messed up making the rectangle by not using nice, even fabric strips. I did the willy-nilly as previously mentioned. {not intentional- got carried away at project start}
• I overlapped my pattern pieces so that I would have one full piece for the left leg and one full piece for the right leg (vs. two fronts and two backs). {this was because I screwed up already, see above, and I didn't want even more chaos in the pants}
• When I made my patchy panel, I lined up pieces that were the hems of t-shirts. So the bottom edge was all hems. Then I laid out my pattern pieces where I thought the hems would be along that pre-hemmed edge. {this was an intentional idea!}
• I made an elastic waist instead of a drawstring. {had to or my kid would have his drawls around his ankles}

I consider these notes as a "lessons learned".  I had to make them work- I had already cut up all the shirts!

Yes, they are pretty chaotic, but you know what, the kid LOVES them!

Pants. Pants. Pants!

I finally started on these pants.

#17 on my Craft Bucket List

I said started on them...but I made them a super easy way so all I have to do now is make a waistband. But I need the boy to try on the pants. This final step will have to wait until tomorrow because the boy is asleep (as is everyone else in my house).

Hittin the hay, too!