Makin’ stuff

I’m doing my best to live up to my super hero name: Craft Maiden. (cue cool super hero music.)
I’ve been crafting like crazy in my limited spare time. I’ve been doing a little bit of everything. I figured I really need to post my projects on here so I can look back at them later.

This was a super simple project from this week: flannel diaper wipes. I have been using cloth diapers on Mason for the last couple of weeks with great success. With washable wipes I can just throw them into the diapers and toss everything into the washer. Saves money and reduces the amount of trash we are throwing out.
This is only a few of the 20 wipes I made. They are quick and easy and I already had the fabric sitting in my garage. Cost = $0

Now, rewind back to the end of July. I made a bunch of shirts for Simon to wear to school. This one was my fave. It is a knock-off of one  I found at Nordstrom.com. I fell in love with it and wanted one for Simon. I had one of those “I can do that” moments and I taught myself a new printing technique to get the vintage style color printing on a dark tee. I love how it turned out! It is super soft too.  The Nordstrom shirt was $28, not including shipping. My shirt = about $5!


This is the original t-shirt I found at Nordstrom.com.

And here are a couple of other shirts I finished for Simon. There are still a couple more that I haven’t taken pictures of yet. Another post, another day.

Frayed applique Captain America shirt. I experimented with using my Pazzles Inspiration craft cutter to cut the circles just right. 

Transformers. More than meets the eye.
This shirt used a similar distressed printing technique.

Before and after shots of the processing. This lightning isn’t good but you can see how after it is processed the colors really pop.


I finally made myself a new solar cooker last month. This one folds up very compact so I could stick it in a backpack and take it camping. We cooked chicken and veggies in it one day and brownies the next day. With the temperatures being well into the 110 degrees, I love having the option of cooking outside and not turning on the oven inside.


Speaking of cooking outside, Karissa and I made these rocket stoves out of popcorn tins and vent pipe. They are fueled by small sticks and leaves. They are very efficient outdoor stoves. We finished these at about 11:00 pm that night so the only things we cooked were toasted marshmallows. Since then we have made turkey burgers and campfire eggs and hash browns over our rocket stove. It’s like having a mini campfire in our backyard.
If you want to learn more about these, just look up “rocket stove” on YouTube.

 
My sewing machine is getting a workout too. I’ve been making shorts and pants for my boys. I made these grey retro style shorts for all 3 of my boys. One day soon I hope to get a picture of all 3 boys wearing their shorts. I have also made a few other styles but I have yet to get them captured on camera. Like I said, another day, another post.


And how about a tie and suspenders onesie for Mason? He wore this to his blessing “party” after we changed him out of his blessing outfit.


A few weeks ago we went thrift store treasure hunting, (looking for popcorn tins for our rocket stoves) and I found this beauty. This chair was 50% off and I paid $15 for it. I wanted it for a photo prop, and to just be a cute chair for our back porch. After scouring the paint section at Wal-Mart I chose to paint it sunny yellow.Now I am in LOVE with this chair. I used it as a prop for baby Ellery’s photos. It is so bright and cheery and, as Jeremiah says, WILD!

Mason was testing it out before we did Ellery’s pictures. The yellow chair is a far cry from the retro black and gold it was before. The original chair did remind me of my mom’s rocking chair though.


We have made a goal in our house to eat healthier as well as stick to our budget. I killed 2 birds with one stone with this homemade “crock-pot” yogurt. The idea of making my own yogurt was scary to me but it was so simple. And it takes just as good, or better, than store bought yogurt. Sweeten with a little honey and add fresh fruit and YUM! I have also experimented with making Greek Yogurt, which is my new favorite.

This was a really fun project. We created a tornado maker using 2-liter soda bottles and tape. I used a little plumbers tape on the inside to prevent it from leaking, and duct tape on the outside. We got hours and hours of entertainment out of this project. I couldn’t help but play with it every time I walked by it. And it was sturdy enough to last through our 2 and 5 year olds. And it’s still going strong!

It’s a science lesson and a toy in one. This was a big hit with the whole family.
And since I’m talking about making stuff, I have to show off this adorable onesie that Randi made for Mason.

I LOVE personalized gifts. Randi is such a talented girl. We are so lucky to have her in our family.

Ok, do I still have your attention? And thats not even everything I’ve been working on. I think I have a problem.

And. . .you may see these and other projects popping up on my Cantaloupe Corner blog in the near future.