Jake & Izzy Neverland Pirates Costumes {DIY No Sew Scalloped Tee Tutorial}

Remember back in the day when Halloween consisted of just one night when you went around your neighborhood and trick or treated your heart out?  Now, Halloween has turned into a month long extravaganza with parties, carnivals, parades, dances, events and a whole lot of candy.  I'm not really complaining since Halloween is one of my favorite holiday's but it does mean that I have to get an early start on the costumes.  Luckily the kids decided on what they wanted to be all the way back in May - Jake and Izzy from the Neverland Pirates.

And today I'm going to show you how I made the Izzy scalloped tee.  I know it seems weird for me to be on top of things and actually put out a holiday tutorial in an appropriate time frame in relation to the holiday but this year I shocked even myself and got 'er done!  Don't be fooled into thinking I have my act completely together though.  Just yesterday I found an uncashed check for my 25th birthday {I'm *ahem* 31.}  Also I went an entire day this summer running errands with my yoga pants on inside out.  There was even a little crotch panel and a tag on the back.  I died.  But I digress...  Let's get back to the costumes-

 

And just in case you don't know who Jake and Izzy are, it's these guys -

 

 

 

I'm sure you can guess by my lack of crafty posts lately that I have been not quite feelin' it in the creative department so I wanted to keep things as simple as possible and wanted to make these NO SEW!  Each costume consists of clothes they already have and a custom made-by-mom t-shirt. 

 

Each tee cost me $3.  The bandana was $1.99 and a $1 tube of puffy paint was all I needed.  The rest of the supplies (felt, fabric, buttons & ribbon) were from my stash. 

 

For Jackson's I mean Jake's tee I just hot glued pieces of felt onto the front.  I then glued on ribbon trim and buttons.  I chopped up the sleeves to give it that authentic tattered pirate look.  Or as Jackson would say, "Mom, I look like a pie-rick!"  If you're wondering about the face this is his "yargh!" face.

Maggie oops, Izzy, got the coveted pixie dust necklace.  I used hot glue to make a little pouch, filled it with a little fluff and tied it off with some ribbon.

But the great little scallops are what this tutorial is all about.

This scallop technique is a great no sew way to add a great detail to any costume.  I can see this working for a knight, or a fairy, a flower, you name it.

 

Are you ready for the world's easiest tutorial?

 

Step 1:  Cut off hem of shirt and turn it inside out.

 

Step 2:  Iron a strip of light weight iron on interfacing to the bottom of the shirt.  This will make sure the scallops on the cut t-shirt don't roll and keep their shape.

Step 3:  Draw scallops onto interfacing.  Tip - Start with a half scallop on the sides and work your way into the middle of the shirt so you have nice even scallops all the way around.

Step 4:  Cut.  I cut both layers at once so that the scallops were even on both sides.

Step 5:  Flip shirt right side out and add details with glitter puffy paint.  The glitter is important because for reasons unknown to man it makes girls feel pretty and fancy and it's just plain cute.

At this point I added my paint scallops to the arms, and neck as well.  After the 4 hours the bottle told me to let it all dry, I flipped it over and added the paint details to the backside of the shirt.

As far as tips for the bandana I would recommend putting it on your child and marking where the ear ends.  Do this for each side. 

Place your paint detail between those spots so that when you tie on the head band you don't get snagged up on paint and so none of the pattern gets lost in the tie.  It just makes for a cleaner look in my opinion.  Plus I didn't want to hear the freak out if the paint started to peel off from the friction of the tie because you know those kinds of things are the end of the world to a 5 year old.

 

 

And Booyah!  It was THAT easy! 

 

Costumes that require little time, little money and little skill and effort always get a big thumbs up from me!  Not to mention the joy they bring your kids.  Mine were so happy and grateful that not only did they hug me but they hugged each other.  It was a Halloween miracle.

 

So do tell, what are your munchkins going to be this year?? 

 

Feel free to link up any pics or posts you may have so we can all visit and give a great big collective "awe". 

 

Did I mention I just love Halloween? 

 

I love Halloween.

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Just thought I would stop into the ol' blog today and share what I had for lunch with you.  I opened up the cupboards today, threw some foods together that I love and this tasty salad was born.  It is light and refreshing and filling at the same time.  The flavor combination was wonderful and the best news is it's only 152 calories per serving.  Yes.  Yes.  YES!

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1 cup spinach, chopped
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/8 cup feta cheese
• olive oil, drizzle or about 1 TB
• balsamic vinegar, drizzle or about 1 TB
• 1/2 tsp dried basil, or fresh to taste
• lemon pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Place all ingredients in a bowl and give it a good stir.  Eat right away or allow salad to marinate.

Serves: 4

This salad could not be easier and it's super good for you too!  Check out the nutritional information below - hello protein and vitamins! 

 

 

The nutritional information was determined through the app MyFitnessPal which I have on my iPod.  It's a great app to track your dietary intake, exercise and progress as well as communicate and get encouragement from your friends.  It also lets you put in your own recipes.  I love it.  I need to use it more often.  You'd be surprised at how many calories you actually eat in a day.  My sister-in-law lost a good amount of weight from using it and it has started her on a pathway to healthy living (which she chronicles over at Lemon Living).  I'm not paid to brag about the app.  I just think it's a really good resource for those trying to improve their health habits. If you have the app you can locate this recipe by searching for Mediterranean Chickpea Salad - The Creative Vault.

Dresser Before and After

I so wish I could take credit for this furniture transformation.  This past week I have been selling furniture online for a friend.  I posted a dresser and a woman named Liz snatched it up right away.  As a hobby and side gig she refinished old furniture.  She picked up the dresser Sunday afternoon and by Tuesday morning she sent me a picture of the after.

 

IT.  IS.  BEAUTIFUL.

 

 

RIGHT?!? 

 

I can't even believe how beautiful it turned out and how quickly she works!  Seriously impressive.  I knew you guys would be interested in a little furniture inspiration. 

 

It appears that she sanded the top and gave it a coat of beautiful stain to bring out those beautiful wood tones.  (The scroll part in the pic is actually another piece of furniture and isn't part of the dresser.) The brassy hardware all got a coat of paint.  The dresser itself was painted in white with a glaze over top.  I want it back now!!

 

If you're local to the Birmingham area you can sometimes find Liz's pieces posted on Facebook at Mountain Brook Trading and Resale 280.

 

Do you guys refinish furniture?  I'm really wanting to get into it.  What are your favorite techniques?  What do you use to paint - chalk paint, spray paint, glaze, stain?  I'd love to hear your tips and tricks!  Also feel free to link any before and afters you have in the comments.  I LOVE before and afters!

 

 

**UPDATE:  Liz shared with me her color selections in case you want to recreate the look.  It was a custom mix cream , and glazed with an aged bronze glaze. Hardware was painted in hammered bronze

Independence Day Tie-Dye

 

Are you preparing yourself for the 4th of July?!  We love all the celebrations every year {especially since you can light all the fireworks you want here in Alabama}!  I still don't know what I'm going to do for patriotic outfits for the kids.  I figured you might be in the same situation so I wanted to remind you of my super easy Stars and Stripes Forever Tie-Dye.  {Click the link for the full tutorial.}

I've gone all out in the past with red white and blue refashions like this Rocket Pop Dress.

Or the New Glory His and Hers Outfits.

But this year the holiday just snuck up on me.  I'll have to dig through old clothes to see if anything inspires me.  Do you have any ideas for me?  I'd love to hear them.  Feel free to leave links in the comment section if you like.

Have a safe and fun holiday!  Go America!

The Snitch Tee

What is the best book series in the whole entire world?  If you answered Harry Potter you are correct.  100 points to Gryffindor!

I'm always looking for new t-shirt ideas for Jackson and when I can throw a little Harry Potter in the mix it's just a great big golden bonus.  Speaking of golden, here is Jackson's golden snitch tee.

This is a hard shirt to photograph {mostly because it's always covered in dirt from a messy little boy who won't stand still}.  It's just a plain black tee, a painted snitch and hand embroidered detail and if you keep reading I'll tell you exactly how to make one of your own.

A few weeks ago the school age son of a friend of mine saw this shirt and begged his mom to go to the store to buy him one that very instant.  It was nice to know that the shirt was "cool" and that he recognized it as a snitch.

Jackson usually wears it with his mustard skinny cords.

 

Want to make your own??

 

ACCIO TUTORIAL!!!!!

 

Supplies:

• t-shirt
• interfacing
• gold craft paint
• gold embroidery thread
• needle
• iron
• freezer paper stencil

Directions:

 

Step 1:  Cut out an image of a snitch onto freezer paper.  You can trace a snitch onto paper and cut it out or you can print it directly onto the freezer paper and cut it out from there.  This makes your stencil.  You don't need any detail with the stencil just the outlined image.

 

Step 2:  Iron on a small rectangle of interfacing to the inside of the shirt in the area that you want the design.  This acts as a stabilizer for your embroidery.  Without it your image will come out wonky and will not hold shape over time {for reference the shirt you see in the picture has been washed dozens of times and still holds it's shape}.

 

Step 3:  Iron the freezer paper stencil onto the front of the shirt and use the gold paint to paint inside the stencil.  * You'll probably want to put a piece of card board inside the shirt before you paint to keep the paint from bleeding through to the back.

 

Step 4:  After the snitch is dry, add detail using embroidery thread.  There are many ways you can do this.  I didn't do anything technical, I just free hand stitched.  I really don't know anything about hand embroidery but according to this pin the technique I used looks similar to the "threaded running stitch".

 

And that's it!  The whole project took me about an hour to create while I watched Downton Abby for the millionth time.  You really can do so many things with this painting and embroidery technique you're only limited to your imagination.



This shirt and this boy are just so cool that the crazy Mamarazzi just can't stop taking pictures of them!

Alright, I'm off to go dig up my old Harry Potter books and read them all again! 

 

Are you as obsessed as I am? 

Father's Day Ideas From The Creative Vault

So Father's Day is coming up. I wish I had some new tutorials for you but it has snuck up on me.  If you're feeling the same I thought I'd share with you a few things I've done in the past so maybe you can feel inspired to make dad something before the big day.

Here's the Grilling Apron I made for my dad one year.

 {click HERE or on pic for more info}

 

And here's the really simple Father's Day Treats Done Two Ways:

 

{click HERE or on pic for more info}

 

 

And I didn't make these cupcakes but my talented friend Amy at Indulge With Me did.  She did these for her husband one year for Father's Day and I just adore them.  I mean, tiny BBQ's!!  Adorable.

 

{click HERE or on pic for more info}

 

I may try and tackle making these cupcakes for John.  So far all the direction the kids have given me is that dad should have some orange juice.  I guess it's a start.

 

What are you doing for dad this year?  Feel free to leave a comment or links in the comment section and share what you have planned.  I need some inspiration!

So grateful for all the great dads I know!

Graduation Crafts! Diploma Cover Scrapbook

Hey, hey, hey! It's graduation time!  There's nothing like the feeling of letting all those school burdens go and feeling that sense of accomplishment.  Plus, it makes me want to sing School's Out by Alice Cooper and who doesn't love that song?  Nobody, that's who, because that song is awesome.

Johnny Boy and I got married our Junior year of college so we spent our Senior year and our first year of marriage enjoying date nights at the library.  Oh yeah, keepin' the romance alive.  Nothing says love like a 1,000 page science textbook.  We graduated Spring of 2006 from BYU-Idaho, John with a bachelor degree in Chemistry and me with a bachelor degree in Geology and Earth Science.  Nerds.  You can say it.  We know. 

John's parents were generous and bought us nice frames for our diplomas which left us with these empty diploma covers.  You know I wasn't going to let that go to waste.

The cover is a nice pleather and satin bound cover with our university stamped in silver on the front.  This isn't a piece of junk {I mean I paid thousands of dollars and years of my life to get it} and it had a greater purpose than just tossing it.

So I added a few scrapbook stickers and pictures from our big day and The Diploma Cover Scrapbook was born.

This scrapbook is John's.  Mine is basically the same.  Just with a few more pictures of my parents.

I also had these cute little diplomas that I stuck in there.  You can buy a similar one HERE.  If you don't frame your original diploma you could still keep it in the cover and just scrapbook the left cover.  Lot's of options here.

 

The scrapbook is nice and compact and fits on my bookshelf but I can also take it out every spring to remember the accomplishments that we achieved and look at how cute we look in black robes and cardboard hats pre-children.

 

 

Happy Graduation to All You Grads! 

 

 

 

Feel free to turn this post into a little graduation brag board - Did your baby graduate Kindergarden, High School, College?  Give a shout out to your High School {Reed High class of 2000!} or did you finally pass all your classes and get that higher degree?  Whatever it is, y'all have worked hard so be sure to brag about it below in the comments!  

 

 

Personalized Paper Doll Quiet Books

I was going through old posts on my family blog today and discovered this fun project I did for Maggie a few years ago.  It's a personalized paper doll quiet book.  This book was very easy to make and could be used not only for entertainment but would be a great way to help with speech therapy, or even learning how to match and dress oneself.

How I made my book:

1.  I used my Cricut cartridge, Paper Doll Dress Up to create all of the images, however you could always just cut out pieces by hand if you do not have a Cricut.

2.  I created the main doll by cutting out a doll and trying to make it look as much like Mags as possible, long brown hair, blue eyes etc.  I also used different outfits on the cartridge to make an undershirt and underpants.  {The fewer naked dolls we have around here the better.  Why are there always so many naked Barbies at my house??}  I also decorated the background page by cutting out grass and flowers.

3.  I then used patterned paper and cut out a few dresses.  You could also cut out shoes, socks, pants, shirts, hats, headbands, wands etc.  This cartridge basically has everything.

4.  I then used my personal laminator to laminate all the pieces.  I laminated the entire page of the main doll and each dress individually.

5.  Glued the main page into a cheapy file folder.

6.  On the back of each of the dresses is a piece of sticky tack.  This allows for the pieces to be placed on the doll and stay in place.


Super simple little book that can provide lots of entertainment for your little one!

If you're looking for more ideas for paper dolls be sure to check out my tutorial for

Actual Size Paper Dolls

 

Or check out all of my other Quiet Books

 

 

Beach Fun and a WINNER!

Hope y'all had a lovely Mother's Day, celebrating moms or even yourself. I've told you how much I love my momma so you know I was sad to not be with her in Nevada this year but the kids and John made up for it and took me to the beach for the weekend!!

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on the beach in Orange Beach, Alabama. The gulf is perfect and I highly recommend this hotel. It was wonderful.

We saw wild dolphins, built sand castles, swam, relaxed, collected shells (project coming soon!) and had a great time. The kids even got to touch a dead fish. Exciting!

At the end of the first day Maggie said, "I love me!" I loved hearing that and by the end of the trip I declared that I loved me too. I hope y'all take the chance to love yourselves as well.

P.S. Today, we wrap up the doTerra giveaway from Lemon Living! Thanks so much to them for proving such a great giveaway. The winner was #10 Mary. Thanks to everyone who entered!