Father's Day Free Printable

Here's a little banner I thought I'd share, to add a little pizazz to your Father's Day treats.  You can download it and print it onto colored cardstock, or have your kids color it with pencils or markers or whatever. Glue some toothpicks on the back and then add it to his pancakes, french toast, ice cream cake, brownies, pizza, or whatever to make it extra special!
Like so.

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there who probably do more for their kids than they realize.

Oh yeah, and here's how I made this ice cream cake, in case you are interested:

5 ice cream sandwiches
1/4 gallon oreo ice cream, softened
1/2 recipe of chocolate mousse from here
1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks
5 crushed oreos
caramel sauce

Line a bread pan with wax paper. Line bottom of pan with ice cream sandwiches (trim if necessary). Spread ice cream over sandwiches. Freeze while you prepare the mousse, as directed in the link post. Spread mousse over ice cream. Spread whipped cream over mousse and top with crushed oreos. Freeze. Before serving, thaw for a few minutes and drizzle with caramel sauce.

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Shabby Apple Giveaway!

Giveaway Closed

Since the first winner was unreachable and never contacted me.
using Random.org the new winner that was selected is

Linnea

who said: There are so many dresses and skirts I have my eye on, but I think I'd have to go with the Conductor Dress - I just got a new job and it would be such a great office staple piece!

Congratulations Linnea! I will contact you to get the appropriate information.

And thanks to everyone who entered, I hope you win next time!

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I'm excited to share with you another fabulous giveaway! This one is for a $50 gift certificate to Shabby Apple! They have a great selection of vintage clothing, dresses, skirts, tops, swimwear and more. I've had my eye on the Gondola dress for a while now. I love simple graphic looks.

I'm also loving their selection of tulle skirts. They look so fun to wear!

This top would be so great for summer (and I love her hair!)

So go check out Shabby Apple and leave a comment telling me what you'd love to buy with your $50 gift certificate, and you'll be entered in the drawing! The giveaway ends Friday June 14th, so hurry!

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DIY Anthropologie Cardigan (& Tutorial!)

A month or two ago I saw this darling Clipped Etymology Cardigan at Anthropologie. I wanted it. And I happen to be in need of a new black cardigan. So I had to make it happen.

See the lovely rose buttons? And the meticulously yet imperfectly hand-tied french knots?

I wanted the blouse they paired it with in the store too. But I don't have a bottomless budget, so it was time to get crafty. I found a simple (and surprisingly good quality) black cardigan at Old Navy for $20. And I already had some embroidery floss at home, and some buttons I could cover, and some fabric with small vintage-style roses! I was set! Or so I thought.
I watched a few tutorials on how to tie french knots, to refresh my memory. My first 5 attempts failed for some reason, but then I got it and never had trouble again.
Half way through my french knot scallops I ran out of floss. I thought I had gotten it a year ago at Jo-Anns so it should be no problem to get more. Wrong. I eventually remembered I had bought it 5 years ago for a project and they no longer carry that color. So with much disappointment, and drooping shoulders, I carefully snipped out 150 french knots and started over. I must be crazy.

But here is my (finally) finished sweater:

I tested my fabric covered buttons before they were covered, and they fit through the button holes. Once covered, however, they no longer fit! So that is the one flaw. I can't button it. I think if I greased them up a bit they might squeeze through, but obviously that is out of the question.
Does anyone know if you can expand button holes somehow? I'd love to know some trick.

And the final comparison:

Cost: $20 Cardigan, $3 ivory floss/string, $4 for a second packet of buttons
I must say, I am extremely pleased with this project. I'll probably wear it this week even though it's 80 degrees out.

If you want to try it, here's what you'll need:

1 cardigan (you could do any color)
fabric covered button kit (make sure they fit the button holes!) -how many you need will depend on your cardigan
fabric with small floral/rose print (1/4 yd should be plenty, or a fat quarter)
embroidery floss or something similar
a milliner needle (I used a regular needle and it was a real pain)
a piece of cardboard or cardstock
a white pencil
a good long movie or audiobook

1. Measure the length of your cardigan from top to bottom where you want the scallops to go. Divide by 5.5 (or however many scallops you want). Use that number to determine how wide your scallops should be, and create a template as follows.
2. Find a bowl, roll of masking tape, large cup, whatever and trace around it on the cardstock/cardboard to create your scallop template. You want it to be a little less than a half circle, and make the widest points the size of measurement from step 1.
3. Using your white pencil, trace over your template onto the cardigan repeatedly until you have evenly spaced scallops. (The sleeves will require a smaller template, but same idea).

4. Turn on your movie and begin the french knotting! (Watch a tutorial on YouTube if you need to.) I spaced mine about a millimeter or two apart. As your floss runs short you will need to tie on a new piece (on the inside of the cardigan) to continue.
5. Follow the instructions on the package to cover your buttons. I recommend using the template they give you rather than free-handing it, because they turn out nicer if you do.
6. Carefully remove the buttons that cam with the cardigan and sew your new ones on in the same place. And you are done!


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5K Foam Fest

This post is a departure from my normal craftiness, but it's too good not to share (plus I'm giving you a discount code). First, check out this video:

The 5K Foam Fest is a 5K fun run with obstacles and bubbles and mud and the world's largest inflatable slide. This slide is called the Death Drop, 40 ft high, and I'm dying to do it! (Do you see the ant-sized people around it?)

The great thing about this kind of a run is that it is for everyone! Even if you aren't a runner, you can do this because you can take it at your own pace. Doesn't it look like a blast?! These events are held all over the country (USA).

And for my Utah readers I have a special discount for you! So get all your friends together and sign up at 5KFoamFest.com. Use the discount code

RHRFRIEND 

and combined with early bird pricing that will only cost you $40 instead of $75 (day of the race registration). Children must be at least 10 yrs old to participate, but they do have bouncy houses and some fun stuff for younger kids to be entertained as well. I can hardly wait!
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The Truth About DIY Gold Sharpie Mugs

You may have seen the gold Sharpie mug tutorials floating around the webosphere. Seems like such a fun idea, right? Easy way to cuten up some plain mugs. Since I have some plain white mugs I thought I'd give it a try. Let me just state that I get discouraged by DIY tutorials that don't yield professional looking results. Sure, anyone can fake a photo or make something look good on screen, but I want things that are actually going to look good and be worth my time and money.

So I followed the instructions carefully. I colored my mugs (round one showed streaky marker lines so I had to bake and then do a second layer). And baking them took away the shiny gold sheen and left them a dull brassy gold. But I could live with that.

As the mugs sat on my counter top for a while awaiting their photography session, one got a smudge of butter on it. And whadya know! The gold wiped clean off! (So why did I bother baking it? I assumed that would create some sort of permanence). But on the up side, you could do these for a party and then just wipe them clean when you are done, using a little grease or butter! But I'm not sure it's worth baking them. And it's definitely not permanent.

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Children's Maxi Skirt Giveaway!

I've recently started working with my sister's company on some clothing designs for children. Our first round is these chevron maxi skirts for girls. We are pretty pleased with how they turned out. Do you like them? I am giving away one skirt in your choice of size and color! All you have to do is Pin it to win it! Oh, and leave a comment letting me know that you pinned to your Pinterest board, and you'll be entered in the drawing (You can either pin from here or from 500Babies.com). Even if you don't have a little girl, these make a great gift for a friend or grandchild or niece. The winner will be announced on April 19th.
Ava has the red and grey one and always gets lots of compliments when she wears it.

If you want to buy one you can purchase them at 500Babies.com. They are available in sizes 12M to 5T.
I can't wait until our next set of designs are finished, I'm very excited about them! Of course I will share when that time comes.

AND THE WINNER IS....

Ashley! 

Congratulations! I will contact you to work out the details. 

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A Most Practical Tablecloth

Wipeable. Stays put. Protects the table. Looks nice. It's everything I want.

Ezra was making a habit of banging and denting the table top with anything in his hand at random times. And coloring on it. And scratching it. That's what made me first want a table cover. But most laminated tablecloths are not so attractive and I'm not a fan of the clear ones. That's when my friend, Paula, told me about the oil cloth table covers she makes with elastic around the edges so that they stay put. Brilliant! (She also sells traditional style tablecloths in oilcloth). Only my table isn't the type that the elastic would hold it on, so I worked with her to modify the design some, and it works beautifully! I sewed the corners together for a snug fit and sewed in some ties to tie it under the table around the legs. The kids can't rip it off, they can color and eat and spill and bang and the table top is protected. I'm really loving it. If you ask, she'll make one like this for you too.

(See the tie below, on the right side)

You can check out Paula's other great offerings in her Etsy shop. She has really great fabric options. I also got one of her wasties, which are fabulous little reversible waste baskets for car, craft room, or just about anywhere. They stand alone or hang from a (removable) included command hook (or snap loop option too) any where you need. 

And tons of cute options for ironing board covers. They've made my ironing much more enjoyable, believe it or not. It's just less dreadful when you have something fun to look at instead of a plain blue cover.

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