Upcycle Old Hoodies into Pillows!

I've seen sweaters turned into pillow covers. Why not turn zip-up hoodies into pillow covers, too?

Look at all those pockets! Perfect for keeping an emergency Kleenex stash while watching sad movies!


A Big Thank You goes to  Amanda Formaro (Crafts by Amanda and Fun Family Crafts) for promoting this project on Facebook!

Show Your Irish Pride with Buttons and Felt!

Ready to show your Irish Pride? Add buttons and felt shapes to the sleeve, back or pocket of your shirt! Quick and simple.

Craft Blog Basics: No Pin Code

The second installment of Craft Blog Basics! Go here for the first installment,"What are Linky Parties?".

 

(This is Callie the Pug. Yes, I know that she is not a human child. Try telling her that!)

A *slightly imperfect* way to keep specific pictures from getting pinned.

Have you noticed how I mention employing "No Pin" code on each Sunday Funday Feature? I learned this code from Jessi at Practically Functional (she is one of the hosts of Creativity Unleashed, a super fun Friday link party). Go to her site if you'd like to learn how to keep ALL your photos from being pinned.

I absolutely love it when people pin from my site. It gives me shivers of glee to know that someone liked a project enough to Pin it!

There are, however, certain pictures that I'd rather not have pinned from my site. Pics that I add no-pin code to:

1. My post script. Boring.

2. Pics I use with permission but don't belong to me. These include Sunday Funday feature pics. This way, readers will - hopefully - go to the featured site to Pin and anyone who clicks on the picture on their Pinterest board (hoping to find the tutorial) will go directly to the original creator's site. 

DIY Art with Copper Molds!

Canvas, paint and copper molds. How much easier could this craft get?!

Sunday Funday Features #3!

It's that time again! Sunday Funday Features. A.K.A. the day I bring you the Craftiest, Prettiest and Yummiest creations from across the blogosphere.

As always, No-Pin code has been added to feature pics. Please pin from the featured sites!

Craftiest: 

Felt Succulent Tutorial by Shaken Together!

This is such a good idea! Works especially well for those of us who have Black Thumbs of Death instead of green thumbs. Namely, me. Sad face.

Go to Keri's site to see the tutorial!

Prettiest:

Easy Tulle Skirt Tutorial by Everyday Reading!

It's so fluffy! The multi-layers of tulle give the skirt a dreamy, ethereal charm. I rather doubt this skirt would look as good on me as it looks on Janssen, but a girl can dream!  

Head over to her site to see the full tutorial!

Yummiest:

Creamy Roasted Garlic and Chicken Tart by This Silly Girl's Life!

There is nothing silly about this delectable-looking savory pastry by Dana of This Silly Girl's Life. Look at how the balsamic vinaigrette is drizzled tantalizingly across the tart. A smattering of chopped green onions . . . yum! 

Go to her blog for the recipe!

Honorable Mention:

Click here to see Halfway To Hipster's 'Patriotic Dress'. The fabric print? Sexy presidents. SEXY PRESIDENTS! You really need to see this dress.

Did you miss last week's Sunday Funday features? Click here!

All Sunday Funday images are the property of their respective owners! Each photo and description links back to a featured blog. Use of featured photos on Muslin & Merlot complies with each blog's photo use policies:

http://www.shakentogetherlife.com
http://www.everyday-reading.com/p/about-me_10.html
http://thissillygirlslife.com

Upcycled Crayons To-Go Container!

I used to babysit a little girl while her mom worked. We'd go to various parks every day and bring a bag of toys & crafts with us. 

Like most kids, she loved drawing her own pictures and coloring in her coloring books. And like most kids, she kinda drug her feet when it was time to go home. It always took forever to place her crayons in the box so that they'd fit exactly right. 

Failed crayon container ideas:

Fail #1: I thought about making her a crayon roll but that would have taken her even longer to put crayons away! 

Fail #2: I thought about putting them in a bag but she didn't want the crayons to break.

Fail #3: The chinese food container always seemed to get squashed or the cover came loose. 

Fail #4: An ice cream pail was way too big to take with us every day.

Quite by accident, I found the best container to carry the perfect amount of crayons:

Oh Baby! Part Two: Contoured Burp Cloth Tutorial

This is the tutorial for the second installment of 'Oh Baby!'. Click here for the first installment of Oh Baby!: Mini Baby Burps.

That is frost in the picture, not dust! It was slightly chilly this morning. And icy. I slipped and fell on the sidewalk. No broken bones, thank goodness!

To make the the Contoured Burp Cloths, you'll need to print out the template. Go here for detailed instructions on how to put the template together.

Ready? Let's begin!

Oh Baby! Part Two: Contoured Burp Cloth Template - Free Template!

Welcome to the Template round of Oh Baby! Part Two: Contoured Burp Cloths. Go here if you'd like to see Part One: Mini Baby Burps!

These wonderfully soft burp cloths are contoured on only one side in order to maximize the burping surface! Since they're made of flannel and minky fabrics, both sides are absorbent. This way, the burp cloth can easily be switched to the other shoulder. Click through for template instructions and the link to my free template!

Wine Glass Coaster Tutorial has been updated!

Updated 2/16/2014

These coasters put the FUN in functional! 

Don't we all have a friend that is, shall we say, a little forgetful when they drink? This friend may or may not be me. But that is beside the point.

The important thing is that now you won't have to worry about your friend not remembering to put their wine glass on a coaster . . . because the coaster is attached to the wine glass!

Sunday Funday Features!

Every day is a fun day but Sundays become extra fun with Funday Features!

I'm here to show you the Bloggity Best on this lovely Sunday! Craftiest, Prettiest and Yummiest.

 "No-pin" code has been added to feature pics on this page. Please pin from the featured sites!

Craftiest:

Foam and Paper Heart Wreath by Little Miss Celebration 

Property of Little Miss Celebration. Picture use complies with Cindy's "pinning and sharing" rules

Isn't this sweet? So many cute details! Want to Pin it? Go to this post on Little Miss Celebration. The 'Pin It' button is at the bottom of the post.

Prettiest:

Heart Shaped Chalkboard by Real Coake.

Property of Real Coake. Picture use complies with KC's "Policies & Disclosures".

I'm a sucker for anything 'ombre'. That's why I collect paint chips like squirrels harvest nuts! This heart is so pretty. To pin, go to this post on Real Coake. There are Pinterest hover buttons on each picture and a Pinterest clickable button at the bottom of the post.

Yummiest:

Strawberry Cheesecake Cookie Tarts by  Dizzy, Busy and Hungry!

 

Property of Dizzy Busy and Hungry. Picture use complies with directions on DBH's "FAQ's" page.

Don't these look delicious? Almost too lovely to eat! To pin this pic, go to http://www.dizzybusyandhungry.com/strawberry-cheesecake-cookie-tarts/. There's a Pin It button at the end of the post, under the social media buttons. Kristin of Dizzy, Busy and Hungry shares the recipe for this incredible dessert on a different blog. For the recipe, please go to http://memoriesbythemile.com/2014/02/13/strawberry-cheesecake-cookie-tarts/.

Did you miss last week's Sunday Funday Features? Find them here!

Dollar Hearts

Make these Dollar Hearts! Hand them out to your favorite little people (nephews, nieces, your friends' kids, etc). They will 'LOVE' these Valentines! As an added plus, these won't rot their teeth like delicious, delicious candy might. 

Unless they use the dollar to buy delicious, delicious candy . . .

Craft Blog Basics: What are Linky Parties?

This is the first installment of Craft Blog Basics, just a few tips and tricks I've found while on this blogging adventure! Today's tip? Linky Parties!

Click here for the second installment, "Adding 'No Pin' Code to Specific Pictures"!

DIY Buttoned Up Envelopes - Free Template

Jump down to where I partied!

Make your own envelopes with pretty button closures! Perfect for special Valentine cards.

Upcycle grocery bags, magazine pages or other bits of semi-strong paper. Do you like the pretty dollar hearts? Go here for the Dollar Heart Tutorial.

Have you ever gotten a grab-bag from Michaels? Grab-bags are plastic bags filled with remaindered crafts and supplies. Never know what-all the bag will hold. A surprising crafty hoard for only $2!

They usually show up after Halloween and Christmas. Last time, one bag held some notebooks with round paper closures. Seeing the closures, I thought, "I could do that with buttons!"

So I did. I even designed the envelope template myself!

Sunday Funday Features!

Check out these great crafters! 

On Sunday Fundays I'm going to feature links (and pictures, when permission is granted) of the bloggity best in three categories: Craftiest, Prettiest and Yummiest.

"No Pin" code will be added to Feature pics since they don't belong to me. Please pin from either the original blogger or from that blogger's Pinterest page, according to their wishes. Will add more details with each feature!

Craftiest:

Pink Stripey Socks makes snow from diaper filling. True story! While you're there, check out her painted jeans. So fun and bright! 

Courtesy of Pink Stripey Socks. Used with permission.

To pin this pic, go to her site and click on her Pinterest icon! You'll find this pic (and many more!) on her "Fun With Kids" board.

Prettiest:

Renee at Two Many makes a fancy dress-up dress. Pin-able from her blog. 

Lace, sash, ruffles, bows, buttons, a twirl-able skirt - any little girl would love this! Heck, I would love this. You are welcome to sew one for me ;-).

Yummiest: 

Summer Collier from A Spicy Perspective makes Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Pops. 

FOUR - Yes you read that right! - Four layers of chocolate over luscious fresh strawberries. Pop over to her site for directions! Pin-able from her blog.

Use a Glue Gun to Write on Glass!

Remember these bottles decorated with paint and a glue gun by Pure and Noble? Simple and beautiful. I was sure it would be SO easy to use a glue gun to write on glass.

I was wrong. My shaky hands almost ruined everything!

And that's why I have perfect confidence that your version of my project will be much nicer than this:

Tutorial after the jump . . .

Pretty Box Facade with Replaceable Labels!

Pretty up your storage boxes! Easy labeling system.

As you've probably noticed, I tend to make not only easy crafts but frugal (i.e. super cheap) crafts. 

I'd really love to use rubbermaid containers to store everything . . . but I'm too cheap to buy the containers. So I reuse shipping boxes as storage vehicles. And instead of using specific boxes only for certain seasonal decor items, I take out the new decor and put away the old decor in the same box. 

Yes, cheap and lazy. A perfect combination. Like peanut butter and jelly. Or mashed bananas on toast. (You've seen Gilmore Girls, right?)

This gets me into a spot of trouble:

Pretty soon there won't be enough empty space to use my Sharpie! Then how will I know what's in the box?

Ta Da! Same box!

Pretty Box Facades w/ easily replaceable labels! Tutorial after the jump.

DIY Easy Nursery Decor

Looking for an easy nursery decor idea? How about this:

So easy! Relatively quick. Make any shape you desire! An infinite amount of color/fabric combinations.  

Don't let the blanket stitch scare you (click on the picture - not on the round pinterest logo! - to see the stitch more clearly). Using the blanket stitch on your machine is no harder that the regular plain stitch. Do a practice run on scrap fabric if you're nervous :-). Tutorial after the jump.