Valentine's Day Coffee Cup Sleeves

Coffee Cup Sleeves are always a quick, easy, and fun project to make, so I decided to crochet some for Valentine's Day!

These coffee cup sleeves are made from recycled denim yarn, which makes them extra good for the environment. You can use them again and again without having to waste the cardboard sleeves that most coffee shops use.

To make this recycled yarn, the denim fabric is broken down and then the fibers are re-spun into yarn! Cool, right?

We've got these Heart Cup Sleeves available in our Etsy shop, Sunshine Makings. They would make perfect Valentine's Day gifts for just about anyone: teachers, friends, family, co-workers, or a secret crush!

Click here to get your own Valentine Coffee Cup Sleeve!

Kids Clothes Week Day 3: Little Heartbreaker Pants

It's day three of Kids Clothes Week! 

And, in case you haven't seen, I'm having a GIVEAWAY!

...you can enter it by clicking here. 

For day three, I made some new trousers for my son. He's about to outgrow ALL of his, so it's time for some new ones! I was as cheap as I was for my little girl's dress (KCW Day 2), so when it came to fabric, I hunted through the local charity shops and found a very large pair of women's trousers (£4) that I cut up and turned into this cute pair of boys' trousers. That was much better than £8 per metre at the fabric shop!

I made the Little Heartbreaker Pants from Sewing for Boys. They are adorable...and too big as you can see from the pictures. This was on purpose so the my little guy can wear them for a long time. They'll be baggy now, but will hopefully fit at least until the fall. That's my plan. I even left length inside so that I can bring the cuff down if he gets taller.

This was my first time using button hole elastic, even though it's something I always look for when buying my little guy trousers. I like it and it's another great way to make the trousers fit longer. The facing is from an old button down that King Damascus had in our give away pile. I snatched it out to make a shirt for my son (which I hope to have done by the end of the week!).

The brown pockets are from scraps. I love the overall color combination and think the outfit is going to be adorable with a matching striped shirt!

Today, we settled with orange plaid that matched well enough, wasn't too wrinkled, and was fresh from the closet so hadn't had time to get dirty yet. Bribed him with a lollipop to do the photo shoot and he was such a perfect model! He did everything I asked him, happily. A rare moment in time.

He doesn't love these trousers nearly as much as his Batman shirt, wont' be begging me to wear them, but I know he'll get enough use out of them that it was worth the time I spent. He's even forgotten he didn't want to put them on for the photo shoot and is still wearing them...that's a good sign.

 If you're interested in participating in Kids Clothes Week, click here for more information.

Or you can take a look at all the great kids clothes that people are making by taking a look at the Kids Clothes Week flickr group!

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I'm linking up to some of these fabulous parties.

Easter Tree

After putting together our Thankful Tree, and then our Christmas Tree, why not make an Easter Tree, too? So my kids and I decided to brighten up our days and to celebrate spring and Easter by, yes, making an Easter Tree. 

If you would like to know how to make an Easter tree, you can take a look at my tutorial here. It's one I wrote for our Thankful tree and we used the same tutorial for our Easter tree. I had kept the can to store various objects. Since it was already painted, we decided to use it again. We spruced it up a bit by hot gluing loads of foam flowers and butterflies to cover the can. I bought them at Poundland over a year ago and have been desperate to use them...to get rid of them...for a long time! I don't know why I bought them in the first place because I'm not a huge fan of foamy crafts. After decorating the can, gathering sticks, arranging sticks, and stabilising them with gravel from our drive, the kids hung our colorful eggs from the branches. I'm hoping to decorate it a bit more in the days to come....perhaps with these butterflies.

And now we have another burst of color in our house!

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I'm linking up to some of these fabulous parties.

Love Heart Organic Washcloths

I just returned from a whirlwind weekend trip to California for my grandmother's memorial. It was beautiful day and a wonderful celebration of her life.

On the flight home, I made Valentine gifts for my children: love heart washcloths.

These wash cloths were quick and easy to make on the plane. One flight attendant even asked if I could give her a crochet lesson during the flight...but I was exhausted and fell asleep before I had a chance to teach her.

I used this tutorial for the hearts and sewed them to the single crocheted square(ish) washcloths, made from some really soft organic cotton yarn. Love it! 

Now these are packed and ready to take up to Scotland as I get ready for another trip...this one not as far, though. Our two hour flight tomorrow is going to fly by compared to the ten hour flight I just took today!

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I'm linking up to these fabulous parties!

Crochet Cup Sleeves

We've got two new items listed in our shop, Sunshine Makings. They are green and pink crochet cup sleeves. They very bright and cheerful, made by a bright an cheerful lady - my mom, of course! She blogs at Jerry & Kay. 

These are the best way to keep your fingers from getting burned and, better yet, they are a great help to the environment. Think of all those double cups and cardboard sleeves that won't be used when these crochet cup sleeves are used instead. They're also way cuter!

We've got two colors of the crochet cup sleeves in Sunshine Makings, but are open to special requests and all the colors of the rainbow. 

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I'm linking up to these fabulous parties!

thankful tree made for free

I've seen thankful trees all on more than a few blogs that I follow, all over pinterest, and even have a friend or two with some sort of thankful tree in their home. At first, I must admit that I found the idea a little silly. Do we really need to have a tree for every holiday?? But after thinking about the real purpose of the tree and how it can be used to remind ourselves and our children to be thankful on a daily basis, and not just one day, I decided to get my kids involved and make our own thankful tree. 

I thought about different ones I've seen online, but really didn't want to spend any money on decorative crafting supplies, so I took a quick look around the kitchen and spotted an empty protein powder can. I've been making smoothies for breakfast since summer and have gone through quite a few cans. Some have been transformed into marraccas, some into drums, one stores my little boy's dinosaurs, and I was delighted to use another for the thankful tree. The whole method of making the thankful tree was so easy, kid friendly, and didn't cost a penny. If you'd like to make your own (it's not too late!) take a look around your own living space and see what you can upcycle. Here's how we did ours...

Supplies:

paint

empty can/container

sticks from the back garden

small rocks from our gravel driveway

packing paper or any other paper ready to be upcycled

paper clips from or other bendy wire for hanging leaves

(my other idea was to modpodge with packing paper, but decided on paint in the end because it's more fun for my kids)

Easy Peasy Steps:

(1) Find a can/container.  (2) Arrange sticks & fill with small stones/rocks.  (3) Paint the can.

(4) Cut leaves out of paper.  (5) Write things you are thankful for on the paper.  (6) Poke a paperclip through the top of the leaves and hang them from the tree.

We are cutting out leaves and hanging them each night with something new for which we are thankful. It's nice to watch our little thankful tree grow leaves while the leaves outside continue to fall. 

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I'm linking up to these fabulous parties!

Ladybug Taggie Blanket Tutorial

Let me begin by saying that I completely failed at kcwc. Oh, well. At least I got my little girl's nightgown made and started on my little guy's pajamas that should get finished this next week. The last few days, I have been working on Halloween costumes (cowboy & cowgirl) and quickly made this ladybug taggie blanket for a friend who's going to have a baby soon.

 I thought I'd make a tutorial for this one because it is so easy and I think just about anyone who knows even a little about sewing could make it. Here's what you'll need: 

paper, pencil

ribbon

fabric scraps (I used fleece and an old t-shirt)

2 round objects to trace (I used a plate and a bowl)

the usual sewing supplies: thread, scissors, pins, sewing machine

Step 1: Trace the largest circle and the overlapping smaller circle. 

Step 2: Use the larger circle to trace the bottom of the ladybug's head. 

Step 3: Sketch within the ladybug shape to get an idea of what your ladybug will look like. 

Step 4: Cut the entire ladybug shape out of fabric color A (polka-dot fleece).

Step 5: Cut the entire ladybug shape out of fabric color B (black t-shirt).

Step 6: Cut the head shape out of fabric color B (black t-shirt).

Step 7: Sew a black ribbon (or other color) to the center length of the fleece.

Step 8: Sew the head to the color A body (fleece).

Step 9: Cut 5 inch of each ribbon length. I cut 8 total (6 legs and 2 antennae). Fold them in half and pin to the ladybug color A (fleece). Make sure the folded edge is pointing toward the centre of the ladybug body.
Step 10: With right sides facing, place the fabric color B (black) over the ladybug shape and pin in place. The ribbons should be sandwiched between the two fabric pieces.

Step 11: Sew around the edge and leave a three-inch gap so that you can turn the ladybug right side out.

Step 12: Turn the ladybug right side out. Tuck the 3-inches in and topstich around the entire ladybug edge.
Step 13: Sew over the edge of the center ribbon and the bottom edge of the head. This will hold the front and back together and will also create a design on the bottom of the ladybug. And you're done!

BOTTOM

TOP

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Pinned It & Did It: Braided Scarf

My braided scarf...

Braided scarf I pinned...

                                                                    Source: nettevivante.blogspot.co.uk via Jessica on Pinterest

I absolutely loved this braided scarf when I came across it and pinned it immediately. I love the color and the style.

I've been on the lookout for some great fabric to make this scarf, but haven't had any luck (slim pickings where I am). However, I did have a few stained, ill-fitting shirts stored away to make something on a rainy (or sunny) day. I thought I'd use them to make something for my little girl or guy. Instead, I made something for me! Wow...I can hardly believe it. I made something from my actual "things to make for me" pinterest board that has been more of a place to dream than a place where dreams come true. When was the last time I made something for me??? Maybe this hat. That was a while ago.

Nette describes how much fabric she used here and gives some sort of instructions here. I had to do some fiddling since I used a shirt instead of purchased fabric. My adjustments included adding two seams in order to make long enough strips to braid. I used lace like Nette, but wrapped it around all the lengths in two spots instead of one so that all my stitches would be hidden. 

Another difference was the type of fabric: mine was cotton and hers was viscose. The cotton worked well, but doesn't seem as full as hers. Next time I'd try to make my unbraided length wider but couldn't here because I was limited to the amount of fabric in my shirt.

Overall, this was a success! Hooray! It was easy to make, I got to reuse a lonely shirt, and I now have a new cute scarf to add a little bit excitement to a plain shirt any day!

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I'm linking up to these fabulous parties!

I'd love for you to follow my pinterest board.

Jean Pocket Purse Tutorial

Here is how to make a purse out of a jean pocket because you promised your little girl & boy you'd make them each one to use tomorrow at the Sawdust Festival...and you can't break your promise!

Totally worth staying up until after midnight...

My mom (Kay from JerryandKay) made the one for my little guy. My favorite quote of the night was when she said, "I've never seen Jimmy Kimmel before!" We laughed a lot after midnight.

Okay...if you want to make a purse from a jean pocket, here's how you do it...

First, gather your materials...

1. Old jeans  2. Rope, Ribbon, or Something long & narrow for a strap  3. Thread & Needle

4. Beads (optional)

 Cut out a back pocket from the jeans. Make sure you cut out the entire pocket, not just one side of it.

Then fold over the top and trim it to a length that you like. I cut mine along the stitching so it's a diagonal.

 Flip the pocket over and trim any excess fabric that may be sticking out at the sides.

Now, the really fun part...choose a button. Make sure you have plenty to choose from and a second opinion (mom) or a third opinion (dad) always helps, too! Especially, when the second opinion comes from the person who is making my little guy's bag (my mom, of course...she's got the best selection of buttons!).

 Once a button is selected, place it in a good spot.

Draw a line on the good spot and make sure it's the same width as the button. Carefully cut along the line to make a button hole. Then place a pin through the hole to mark where you'll sew on the button.

Get a friendly poodle to help you make sure your pin is in the right spot. Lift up the flap and put the button in the place of your pin.

Next, take three strands and thread them through a needle.

Sew the button securely in place. 

Now it's time to sew the straps on. After threading and knotting the end of a needle, stick the needle into the inside of the pocket and out through the side, then through the strap. This will keep the knotted end in the pocket and out of sight.

 Whip stitch the strap to the side of the purse. You can see that before I sewed the straps on, I strung some beads between two knots to add a bit more color to my little girl's purse. She loves pink. 

After the strap is securely stitched on to the purse, knot the end of the thread. Then push the needle back inside the pocket and then out after 3/4 inches or a couple centimeters. Pull the thread completely out and clip it very close to where it comes out of the fabric. This will hide the end of the thread inside the pocket. 

Stitch the other end of the strap onto the other side of the purse the same way.

Now, you've got a cute pocket purse for your kid to carry...or for yourself...or for someone else that you love! 

 She loved hers and carried it all day!

 She thought it would make a good backpack, too!

If you make one, I'd love to see it! 

Feel free to add a picture or two to my flickr group, Share with Sunny Stitching