4 Really quick and Easy Back to school Crafts!

Come and look at Gabbys Back to School Tips and Projects! 

No sew kitchen stove hand towel-A 2 minute craft

I don't know about you but I need one of these babies and there seems to be a shortage of hand towels that attach to our stoves out there to buy. I had a beautiful one made for me by my dear Aunt Sarah. She crocheted the top handle that loops around the handle of the oven and it was so well loved that it was finally rendered unusable. It was filthy beyond my washers ability to get it clean anymore. Just keepin' it real folks. So as I have mentioned in the past about me and my life... Necessity is the mother of invention...Here is what I did.

I took some adorable summery flower sack towels and some head bands, (brand new of course!)that matched my cute towels. 

Then after placing the towel exactly how I liked the length against the stove,

See the tail above?

 I attached the head band to it. Wah la! 

Next project?? How I am I supposed to clean in between those darn glass panes in the oven door!! Argh! :)

Loves!

Emily

Mothers Day/Teacher Appreciation gift DIY only cost 39 Cents Each!

Hello Friends! 

Are you looking for a quick, inexpensive gift for the ladies/teachers in your life? Whether they are teachers or mothers this idea will work for all of them! Something the kids can help with? Something that wont break the bank?  Here is my idea... A ribbon book mark  attached to some flower seeds. The kids are going to color and create a card with this quote inside..

With Freedom, books, flowers and the moon, who could not be happy?-Oscar Wilde

Wishing your the Happiest of Mothers days!

 Guess what...it only cost me 39 cents*!! 

Here is how it comes together

You will need:

approx 4 inches of ribbon $0.11

a lighter to seal the ribbon edges 

magnetic tape (I bought mine from Walmart)$.02

a seed packet $.20

half a card stock sheet for the card $.01

and a gift bag $.05

*these are per 1 gift prices

To make the book mark just cut the ribbon to about 4 inches in length and using the lighter hover the ribbon near the flame until the ends barely begin to melt. (this is NOT the kid helping part. Adults only playing with fire please)This step will prevent the ribbon from fraying. You could also use frey check if you don't want to use fire.

Next attach the magnetic tape

The ends will now be able to stick to each other with a page or two in between them in a favorite book. 

I loved this and it was very quick and easy to put together too. In fact when Sarah (my cute 2nd grader) saw what I had done she was very excited to help make an card and put one together for her teacher at school. WINNING!! 

What are your plans for mothers day? We would love to hear!!

Fun with Kids-How to make a bouncy ball!!

Who wants to make some bouncy balls?? Sarah did!! Here's the recipe! 

You moms out there will love it because its all stuff we usually have around the house...YAY!

½ Cup Warm Water
1 Tb Borax
1 Tb of Cornstarch
2 Tb White Liquid Glue
Food coloring

In a cup mix the warm water and the borax.

In another cup mix the glue, cornstarch, and food coloring.

Pour the glue mixture into the water-borax cup.

The glue mixture will harden after 10 seconds; use a fork to take it out of the water. If the glue mixture is still sticky, squish it with your hands and dip it back in the water.

Roll the mixture in your hands to make a ball. The more you handle the mixture the firmer it will become. Store them in small plastic containers or a plastic bag.

PS... the balls will flatten after resting a while.  If they do roll them between your hands again, this will bring them back to the ball shape.

DIY 20 min skirt made from a T-Shirt 1 seam and no heming! A must see!

So Miss Berry has decided to be Fiona (from Adventure Time) for Halloween. Enter the need for a cute simple blue knit skirt. Now, I have a confession...I hate to hem. I do it because I have to but if I can avoid it I will. Its no bueno to me. So what has a built in hem?? A T-Shirt. This baby only took me about 20 minutes and the request is already in for a maxi skirt next. It would be adorable in Christmas colors or a stripe!! Right??

Here is what I did and used...

1 boys T-shirt Med 8-10 (I just looked for a Tee that was going to be the right length under the armpit)

1.5 inch elastic 
(I just wrapped it around her waist and then took about an inch off for the length of elastic needed)

matching thread

I cut the shirt right under the arm pits

Like so...

Then turn the "skirt" inside out and measure for your casing and turn down the fabric accordingly.

Then I pinned. I like to double pin on both sides of the opening needed for threading the elastic through but this isn't necessary if you watch to avoid sewing the casing shut.

Sew around the casing being sure to leave an opening for the elastic to be pulled through.

 Attach a safety pin to the elastic to lead the elastic. I also will use an second safety pin to pin the end of the elastic to the skirt to ensure that I don't pull the elastic all the way through.  Once the elastic make it completely through and the ends have met; sew them together and then sew the opening shut. 

Tada!!

Maxi skirts here we come! 

Easy DIY Pom-Pom Maker

Pom-poms are such a great thing for Holiday decorating, don't you think? They are relatively cheap and crazy easy to make. You can use Pom-pom makers which are pretty great. OR you can make a cheap one out of some cardboard. I made mine out of the top of a pizza box. HA! All you need to do is cut a rectangle as wide as you want your finished poms-poms. Then cut a notch out of one end right down the middle. Instant pom-pom maker.

Voila! Perfect pom-pom maker.

Next cut a long piece of yarn.

Then fold it in half over your notch.

Then start wrapping! Make sure you wrap loosely or you will start bending the two tines.

Remember that the more you wrap the bigger and thicker your finished pom-pom will be. I wrap 60 to 80 times myself. Another tip is to try and wrap evenly. If you wrap it really big in the middle you will have more to trim at the end. Next take the piece of yarn that is fold over the notch and wrap it around the middle of your pom. Tie and knot the yarn super tight twice! Which is hard! You want the middle nice and tight so your pom doesn't lose strings.

Carefully slide off your pom-pom maker. And you have a cute little yarn bow. 

Now cut all the strings.

Next I roll the pom-pom gently between my hands to fluff it up. Then start trimming that bad boy! All I do is take tufts of yarn and hold it between my fingers. Whatever yarn is really poking up I cut off. 

Now you have a great pom-pom! You can leave the yarn the is used to tie the middle long and use them to tie to something. A cute package maybe? Or you can use a big plastic needle and thread them together through the middle and make a pom-pom garland. I made one for Halloween and it is super cute! They are a great little project to work on while watching a movie. Which is exactly what I did. Plus the kids love making them! Anytime I pull my stuff out to start making some they jump right in!

Eyeball Wreath-A Halloween Craft Tutorial

I saw this idea on pinterest and when I found the Halloween colored googly eyes at Michael's it became a must do! 

I think it turned out so cute!  Here is what I did.....

YOU WILL NEED

1 14 inch wreath form

6 yards approx of 1.5 inch white ribbon

 (if you spring for the white form you might not need the ribbon)

90 ping pongs

90 googly eyes

a low temp glue gun 

low temp glue sticks

First I enlisted my Gabby Girl (hey many hands make for light work) and as she glued the googly eyes onto the ping pong balls, I wrapped the wreath with the white ribbon. Once the ribbon was wrapped and glued to the wreath form, I glued the ping pongs onto the wreath fitting them as close as I could to each other. I did find that it was necessary to hold some of them on long enough for the glue to cool or they would slide down but other than that this is a straight forward easy fun Halloween craft!!

Give it a shot!!

LOVES

Emily