Small Things: April 2012

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Happiness Photo Challenge

I was cruising around online and noticed that the photo challenge on Paper Mama this week is to post a picture of "happiness". This picture of our little guy from Easter came right to mind. Seriously, four peeps on a stick, does it get better than this?

I hope you are all having a wonderful Sunday. We have been working in the yard and currently have a roast in the oven for a big Sunday dinner.

Nancy

Friday, April 27, 2012

Friday Project: Easy DIY Place Mats

Hello! First and foremost-did you see that Maria is back blogging? I sent her a little email and...poof! An entry! If you missed it, scroll down and check out the post before this one. It is a gem, and a challenge. The story she shares at the beginning is making me think about a lot of things I do (or fail to do).

I have a very simple sewing project to share today. It is so simple that 1.) I, an impatient seamstress, was able to accomplish it and 2.) I didn't even bother to take pictures of the process. These place mats are easy and as long as you can find some fun, cheap fabric, a simple way to liven up a dining room.

I based my measurements off this wonderful tutorial. In this tutorial she also explains how to make matching napkins, which I did not have enough fabric for.

The project was inexpensive and easily completed in one nap time sewing session. Mine are made from a simple cotton fabric so when they get dirty, which they will, they are easy to wash.

It is my hope that with nice table settings I can be better about making a nice Sunday dinner every Sunday. My mom was always so good about this, and continues to be. I have many fond memories of sitting, eating too much, and sitting some more laughing and talking long after the meal is over. I also like that Sunday meals are more formal--and more of a Feast!

Thanks for stopping by!

Nancy

Helping Little Ones Help the Poor

To preface this post, I am sure that many of those who will read it will have strong opinions about whether or not this is a truly good thing to do. There is always the (often true) thought that any money given to those begging on the streets and highways only goes to encourage addictions, etc. I won't argue against this. I will only tell you something that my husband was told by a wise priest during his days in college seminary. The story is simple and goes like this: When a man or woman stands before the gates of Heaven and his or her actions or lack there of are surveyed by Christ, their generosity, brought on by seeing Christ in others, will never count against them. It would be very sad if they were found lacking only because they were afraid that the few dollars that actually would have brought a positive change in a man's life, was instead only going to buy a cigarette. In short, we can never go wrong in being generous, even when we are unsure of the consequences. Mother Teresa saw Christ in the poorest of the poor. It is true, I could always carry an extra sandwich with me to hand out the window, but I've found this to be much easier and more practical and, frankly, much more sacrificial for me in my life.

So, now that I've said that -

Over this past winter, my then 3-year-old got a great bug in her system about wanting to help the poor. It was difficult to explain to her that this desire wasn't as easily fulfilled as she thought. She would come to me with a baby doll and another toy, telling me that she had picked these out special to give to a poor girl and wanted me to wrap them up and bring them to the "poor people's house." After racking my brain about how I could encourage this desire in her in a way that was practical as well as something that could not just be a one time fix, I came up with this idea. We live in a large city, so on our drive anywhere we come across at least one beggar on a corner. So, the kids and I made up little packages for the "poor people" and we keep them always ready in the pocket in the drivers' side door. When we are at a stop light and see someone in need, I grab one, hand it back to my daughter sitting right behind me, and she hands it to them out of her window. It has really been a beautiful experience for our family. In fact, blogging about this reminds me that we have been out of packets in my car for a few weeks, and we need to refill! I think we may add a holy card in the packets this time around.

They are super simple packets. All it contains is a few dollars and a special picture from the kids all held together by a paper clip.

Through this experience, the kids and I have actually "gotten to know" some of the men we have given packets to. In particular, we have met a deaf and mute man who, of course, was unable to say thank you to my kids. But he has a great smile, and he seems to remember us - waving and greeting the kids in his own way even in these past weeks when we have been out of packets.

God bless, Maria

Thursday, April 26, 2012

DIY Flat Yarn Wreath

So, I made it through felt week...but unfortunately that many posted burned me out real good! It has taken me nearly a week to get back on the blog (and back on-line!). But I am back, and here with a silly little project I made for my dining room.

These flat wreaths are simple to make, but they do take a little time to make.

Supplies:

Cardbord

Newspaper

X-acto knife

Yarn

Scrap felt/fabric

Buttons

Hot Glue Gun

Directions: Cut out hoops from the cardboard. Next I rolled/crumpled newspaper and hot-glued it on to give the largest wreath some texture.

Next, start wrapping yarn...and keep wrapping. I found it helpful if I wrapped a length of yarn around my fingers, glued the end down, and wrapped this. Once I had all the wreaths wrapped in white yarn, I added some tan accents. Then I cut out various sized circles of scarp felt and fabric. With a button placed in the middle, they look like flowers.

Finally, I added a loop of brown ribbon at the top for a hanger.

I decided to hang my wreaths in a collage in the dining room. Since they are so colorful I thought they would look nice with a few icons I made of our lady.

Oh, and don't forget this important step: have a little boy nearby to create lots of mischief...and knots in the yarn!

Thanks for stopping by!
Nancy

If it's your first time visiting Small Things, I'd love for you to connect with me in some way!

Friday, April 20, 2012

Farm-Kid Onesie: Felt Applique

It's the last day of felt week here, and I have a simple little project to end on. My older sister is having a baby in just a few days, so I stitched up a few onesies for her. She is lucky enough to live on the farm, and whether this baby is a boy or a girl, he/she will definitely be a farm kid!

Here are the simple instructions:

1. Cut various animal shapes out of felt. If you have a fancy cutter this will be a snap, but if you are like me and without one, then you can do what I did. I googled "animal silhouettes" and used those images as guides.

2. Pick complimentary thread, and stitch around the outside. Pin the animal in place as you stitch. It takes a little time with all those twists and turns!

And done!

Thanks for stopping by!

Nancy

If it's your first time visiting Small Things, I'd love for you to connect with me in some way!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

14 Felt Finger Puppets

Here is a project I had a lot of fun doing. Using felt scraps I made 14 cute animal finger puppets. My 11 month old is just getting interested in them, and I'm excited for the fun we will have with them in the future.

These finger puppets are easy and just take a little time and creativity. I have included some basic instructions and hints as well as a close up of each puppet I made. If you get stumped about how to make a particular animal, just google "cartoon cow", for example. Looking at a cartoon image of the animal will give you hints of how to design a simple finger puppet.

Supplies:

Felt Scraps in various colors.

Embroidery Thread of various colors

Directions:

1. (and this is important) Place your finger on a piece of paper, and trace about a centimeter wider on each side than your finger, stopping just below the second knuckle. This will serve as your pattern, ensuring that all of your finger puppets are of a uniform size.

2. Cut out all the pieces you will need (2 body pieces based on your pattern, tummy piece, arms, eyes, ears, beak, etc)

3. With a simple whip stitch, stitch all front pieces to the front body piece. Also, stitch on eyes. I just did several back stitches on top of each other on top of each white circle. Finally, do any detail work on the face with a back stitch.

4. Use fabric glue to glue arms/ears to the back body piece. This way the arms/ears will stay in place as you stitch the puppet together.

5. Once again using a whip stitch, stitch around the outside of the puppet, leaving the bottom open. Also, when you get the to arms/ears a whip stitch will not be possible, so do a running stitch at those places....and done!