I was lucky enough to meet reader Michelle Hartley when I worked for Lasting Memories. She came to my flower demo and asked if by chance I was one of the Little Birdies. We struck up a conversation and this guest post was born! I thought it sounded so cute and hilarious I couldn't resist. Plus the whole thing cost less than $3 to make! The even more hilarious thing is that shortly after seeing her pictures, I saw a QVC segment featuring these mini derby hats for grown women! Ha! Michelle's little girl is the cutest thing ever, and she wants you to know that this is not a "costume," it's "normal clothes." You gotta love a little girl with her own unique fashion sense!


Michelle was inspired to make this by the return of the cocktail hat and some feathers she saw contestants wearing on American Idol. So without further ado, here are Michelle's simple instructions for a derby hat headband!

I bought the headband (plain white plastic for $.59) and wrapped it in black grosgrain ribbon. I decorated a doll's hat (found it at a craft store for about $.79) with ribbon, rhinestones, and feathers. Then, thinking that a glue gun may actually lose a battle to a two year old I actually stitched the hat to the headband. So far it has proven far more durable than I expected - having even survived the might steps of a 5 year old big brother!



We love the sense of community that our blog is creating. If you have a project you'd like to share with our readers and the crafting community, send us an e-mail with the instructions and pictures, or a link to your blog with the tutorial.

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My dear brother-in-law just finished up his two-year surgical dental residency. Whew! What a ride. We got together to celebrate with him, so I decided to make him something unique. Okay, quirky. But I did make it myself and I felt pretty darn crafty when making it so I thought I would share it anyway.

When I purchased the Best Cupcake Decorating Tip Kit from Bake It Pretty, I also picked up some fun chocolate molds. They have a fantastic selection of molds and decorating kits. I fell in love with the garden gnomes and mushrooms and just had to have them. I also picked up this unique mold. We have a lot of dental professionals in our family so I thought it would come in handy some day. I've seen handcrafted candies baby and bridal showers and wanted to do something a little different. You can't get much more different than this.


This was my first time ever using a chocolate mold. Wow, this was hard work. I hand-painted the white for the teeth and then poured the pink melts on top. My hats off to all you candy makers out there. This is not as easy as it looks. I think it turned out okay, but I would love to have someone share some of their tips on how to do this. Anything to make the next time around a little easier.

I put the candy in a cute jar I picked up at Ikea to make them look like dentures. I think bro-in-law is going to love them. Now, I need a reason to make candy mushrooms and gnomes.

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Sometimes we get in a crafting rut and have to look beyond our little world for inspiration. We thought we'd share a few craft projects and inventions today we found totally ingenious, in case you find yourself in a rut, too.

I know I could use a Baby Mops around my house! Couldn't you? But don't worry, the text says it's not child exploitation. You're just teaching "responsibility and a healthy work ethic" to your baby!


Living in Seattle, I could really use a pair of these umbrellas to keep the tips of my toes dry.


I wonder if I could make this using my homemade butter and an empty glue stick?


The only thing missing is a garbage can for the used tissue. I bet I could attach one to my belt. . .


Perfect for nights when my husband is on call at the hospital. It would only take a half a shirt, so I could make one for myself and friend!

Yes, it's April Fool's Day tomorrow. Just keeping you all on your toes. Hope your day is full of fun!

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The leprechauns paid a little visit to our house and dyed the milk green!


First he came across the kitchen floor,


then up the front of the refrigerator. . .


and the next thing we knew, our milk was green!


Okay, so we staged this a little early in anticipation of St. Patrick's Day, but just so we could show you how to invite your own leprechaun for a secret visit this year. We used a little tempura paint to create the footprints using the sides of each hand, plus a finger for the little toes. Do this just before your kids come down for breakfast so it doesn't dry there too long. We wiped it up easily with water, but we don't know how well it will come off if you leave it too long. If you're worried about using paint, try this recipe for washable finger paint. Then you can let your kids play with the leftover paint.

Next we added some green food coloring to the milk. This was a huge hit with the kids! They couldn't believe a leprechaun sneaked in to play a little trick. This would be a great way to introduce a little treasure hunt around the house to find the leprechaun--and his gold!

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The perfect disguise. Check out this cool felt mustache!



Using the mustache template from Family Fun, we cut two identical mustaches out of felt. Then we cut a piece of elastic to fit around a child's head (we used one of them for a measuring tool).

We sewed the elastic down to one piece of felt. Then we sewed the two pieces together. We used a sewing machine, but it was a little difficult with the curves. You could try hand stitching it if you're shy on the machine.

The loot. Make a money bag for the big heist!

We loved this easy tutorial for a money bag prop from CraftApple. Fill with rice like she did, or with wadded up newspaper or chocolate coins. Now all you need is a cowboy hat or vest. Let the wild west fun begin!

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I laughed out loud when I heard the name of this cool product: Pee-Pee Teepee. Can you guess what it's for? I didn't have this happen to me many times, but once is one time too many! These are a great product, but we decided to try making our own for a friend's baby shower.

If you haven't guessed what these are used for yet, you probably haven't had the privilege of changing a baby boy's diaper. This cone-shaped cloth product gives you a fighting chance to stay dry in the event of a little unexpected shower. Just put it over his little wee-wee as soon as you open his diaper and it goes to work. It's a must-have accessory for baby boys, and a set of four or five of them would be great as part of a baby shower gift. This cowboy-themed teepee is especially hilarious because the fabric has the words "giddy up" printed on it! (Yeah, we think we're pretty funny.)

Diaper Change Cone Tutorial

What you'll need:

*Flannel
*Scissors
*Sewing machine and coordinating thread

1. First, make a template out of paper and cut out two half circles of your flannel (or cut one big circle and then cut it in half). You could try tracing the bottom of a bowl or plate. Mine was 7 inches in diameter (7 inches across the straight part for you geometry-haters).



2. Sew the two halves right sides together, starting halfway down the straight side. Sew around the arc and then stop.



3. Turn inside out and iron flat, being sure to tuck in the unsewn opening.


4. Fold in half and sew down the straight side.



5. Turn inside out. Place on baby boy's wee-wee to prevent pee-pee sprinkler!

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These fish-in-a-bag glycerin soaps are sure to fool your kids--at least for a minute. And they're easier than you think to make. We made up a batch to sell at our upcoming craft fairs (more info to come for you local folks!). Here's our tutorial.

Fish-In-A-Bag Soap Tutorial



What you'll need:
*Block of clear glycerin soap. We found this 2 lb. block at JoAnn for about $10 (but you can use your 40% off coupon on it!)

*Plastic fish. We found ours at Oriental Trading.

*Microwaveable plastic bowl. Ours has a pour spout on it which helped a ton.

*Large kitchen knife

*Funnel

*Wooden skewers or chopsticks

*Rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle

*Plastic bags


Okay, let's get started!

1. Cut off a chunk of your glycerin block. Ours was about 3 inches.



2. Cut that block into smaller pieces. We cut ours into thirds.


3. Place blocks in a microwaveable plastic bowl. In this bowl we did about three batches, but we recommend you start with one batch your first time.


4. Prepare an ice-water bath in a bowl.


5. Microwave the soap until it melts (about 45 seconds for a small batch). Make sure all the blocks are melted. If not, stir and put it back in the microwave for 20-30 seconds more.

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This is one hilarious project. I love these dish gloves! For the lady that wants to stay fashionable at all times, even while cleaning. Think hostess gifts! Maybe pair them with a matching apron. . .

Not Your Mama's Rubber Gloves Tutorial

What you'll need:

Household rubber gloves (Walmart has white ones, Target has blue--check dollar stores, too)
Oil Cloth (¼ yd. cut is enough)
Ribbon or trim
Sewing machine
Hot glue gun

Okay, let's get started!

1. Put the gloves on and measure around the end (largest part of the glove that is on your arm). You want your finished, pleated oilcloth to be ½ an inch larger than this measurement. My gloves were 10 inches around so I wanted my pleated oilcloth to be 10 ½ inches long.

2. Cut your oilcloth. I cut my oil cloth to be 4 inches wide and approximately 37 inches long. Pleat the oilcloth by making small folds (about 1/4" to 1/2" long) and sewing over the fold across entire piece.


3. Take the short edges of the oil cloth, put them right sides together, and sew them using a ¼" seam. You should now have a ring of pleated oilcloth.


4. Slide the glove onto your sewing machine. Place the oilcloth wrong-side out on the machine over the glove, leaving a 1/2" of glove at the top, and stitch together.


5. This step is optional, but very cute. Use pinking shears to cut the unsewn, bottom edge of the oilcloth.


6. Hot glue coordinating ribbon around the glove, leaving two long tails on the top of the glove (if you want a bow). Tie the tails in a bow. Tip: It's easier to tie the bow if you can have someone else wear the gloves while you do it.

7. Go do those dishes like the hot mama that you are!

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Who said being a SAHM meant your dancing days were over? Well, the Little Birdies are gals who know how to have fun and have definitely not retired their dancing shoes. Baby Loves Disco is absolutely brilliant and they were in town this past weekend. This organization turns some of the hottest nightclubs in major U.S. cities into dance parties for kiddies and their families. The Halloween bash is one of the most popular parties they throw so we had to check it out. I mean, what better way for my son to show off his cool dance tricks?

After passing through the bouncers and guest list check we headed down into the club. Instantly we felt the urge to groove. The club was absolutely packed! We quickly made it to the dance floor where we jammed and danced to songs spun by a real DJ. There was no iPod shuffle happening here. It didn’t take long to work up a thirst. Have you ever tried dancing to “Flashlight” while holding what feels like a 50-pound adorable chickadee while ensuring that Bat Man or Optimus Prime don’t run off to fight injustice somewhere? That should count as TWO workouts in one day. Lucky for us the Baby Loves Disco staff had a full kid friendly, healthy buffet with juice boxes included!
After filling up on our yummy, healthy snack, we headed over to the play room. This room was full of tents and play things for the kids that wanted a break from all the dancing. Of course, we had to check out the goody tables. You wouldn’t believe the swag. We scored some tickets to the Children’s Museum and a few sets of Babylegs. We left happy, energized, and feeling young. What an excellent way to get your creative juices flowing. I came home and sewed almost a whole quilt in one night just because I was so jazzed up. If you get the opportunity to attend a Baby Loves Disco party, GO. If there isn’t one in your town you can make your own dance party. Just get out there and “bust a move.”

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The Halloween spells continue with more fun Halloween treats and a few home decorations!

Eeee! I love these "Morning Mummies" from Unfurled. They are made from an Ikea break mix (but you could use your own dough recipe or a ready-made store-bought kind I'm sure) filled with Nutella. Mmm, Nutella. I can't get enough of that stuff. My kids are going to freak out when I make these!


This eerie eyeball soup is perfect for a cold Halloween night. It's just tomato soup, a hard-boiled egg, and a sliced olive! So easy! I bet even my 3-year-old would eat tomato soup that looked like this. We found this idea in Matthew Mead's cool Halloween book, Halloween Tricks and Treats. He is amazing.


These little cuties are "cupcake cuppies." How cute is that name? They're little paper wraps for your cupcakes! Yummy Cuppy Crafts sells them in her Etsy store in tons of different designs for every occasion. I love these, but I have to admit I just want to eat that frosting off the top of that cupcake right now!


Look at these adorable felt pumpkins! Pattern Bee is offering this pumpkin pattern FREE! I'm thinking these are a great fall decoration for those of you with little ones running around your house. You know the pumpkin (and the kid) will be okay if someone picks it up and hurls it across the room at their little brother or something (not that that ever happens at my house).


Our talented friend Kayleen made this awesome Halloween wall hanging from the pattern in this book, Quilting With My Sister. Aren't the fabrics she picked for the pumpkins cute? But you better start soon if you want to hang it up this year!

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