Horizontal Lines - Project Patch 1

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I have mentioned at least once with my Union Jack Jeans how my boys can put holes in their clothes, especially the knees of their jeans.  I have used the iron on patches, and they are never long or wide enough.  Even when I stitch them down after ironing them on, my kids still manage to kill the stitching and separate the patch from the fabric.

Well, I have decided to start a bit of a series on how I have patched my children's clothes, mostly jeans, but we have had the Scissors and Pajamas Don't Mix business and some other random holes, so I expect other projects to make it into this series.  We will just have to wait and see what my boys are able to do, or undo as the case may be.

Rooting Your House Plants

I am the first to admit that I do not have a green thumb for everything that grows, but I really like to grow things.  For some reason, I can kill Ivy with ease, but grow other house plants and most things in my garden without a problem. I really enjoy it and love having green things around my house, even though some of them meet an untimely death as a result of my own not so green thumb, little twiddling fingers, or my father forgetting (refusing) to water my house plants at least once when we are on vacation for 3 weeks.

Here is one of my success stories.

I acquired the plant I am rooting from a coworker's cutting more than 10 years ago.  Since that original cutting, I have rooted this plant many times.  They make great gifts for others who love some green in their homes, and it is pretty easy to accomplish with just a bit of patience.

DIY Your Own Bling 2 - Sequence and Pink Zebra Stripes

If you didn't like the my other bling bracelet, you can not deny pink flannel zebra stripes AND sequence.  I mean, really, even I can't wait to put this one with short sleeves and show it off.

When I finished with my other bracelet, an image of my pink flannel zebra stripe scraps just popped into my head, and I just had to see how it would look with my sequence ribbon.  I broke out my sequence ribbon and by black trim and started to fool around with my fabric.  I don't know about you, but I like the silver over the pink sequence.

DIY Your Own Bling - Sequenced Bracelet

While I love making jewelry, I am not a great wearer of jewelry.  I feel like I am just too rough and tumble and well, that coordinating look persona is just not me.  I haven't worn jewelry or makeup regularly since high school, when I realized I wasn't very good at the coordinating thing, and I just didn't care enough.  (Good thing my husband appreciates these qualities.)  But that does not mean I don't like to look at or make beautiful things.  I just usually make them for others.

So, I was surprised when I was searching through the ribbon section (for a completely unrelated project, naturally) at Hobby Lobby and spotted this fabulous sequenced ribbon.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.  I was going to make some easy, worry-proof (as in it is so cheap and easy, I don't care if it breaks) bling for myself, my niece, whoever, and I knew exactly how I wanted to do it.

Hemming Yoga Pants

I don't know about you, but I am too tall for the shorter hems and not tall enough for the taller hems.  I am often folding up my favorite pants so that they don't drag, but that doesn't work so well with yoga pants.

Well, Gap had a sale on their sale items and I got 2 pairs of really nice (as in they fit my fabulous rump and feel good) yoga pants for $15.  When does that happen?

Body Pillow Cover Tutorial from a Bed Sheet

I have shared my bed with a body pillow since I was in high school.  Since that time I have tried my hand several times at making a body pillow cover for my favorite bed partner.  (Don't worry hubby, if I had to choose I would choose you.)  All my covers did the job, more or less (sometimes less), but this one was surprisingly more perfect than all the rest.

Now, I based it on a store bought one that I had purchased when I originally purchased my body pillows many years ago.  It's dimensions are 19" wide x 51" long.  This body pillow cover had a zipper, but I had no intention of putting zippers on mine.  Instead, I planned on adding an inner flap that I have seen on IKEA, Pottery Barn and European pillow cases.  Now, I had done this once before, but not well, so learn from my mistakes.

Dish Towel Modification

Have I mentioned we have a small house?  Well, we do, which includes having a small kitchen.  While our kitchen reno (still a bit in progress - haha) added some space, as in we tore down the wall between the small kitchen and small dining room.  With the reno we also managed to fit in a dishwasher - hallelujah!  The only issue was that the hooks my mom had attached to the their old frig, which we were incredibly lucky to inherit, were just a bit too low for our dish towels, causing them to catch in the dishwasher door.  If you hang them from the tag that is, and if you try to hang them via the halfway point, they always fall off.  Boo.

Well, this past weekend, I was suddenly struck with an easy, quick solution.

I should use some kind of ribbon at the halfway point on the long side to make a permanent hanging loop, from which the dish towel can hang.  No more falling off and ending up on the floor OR getting caught in the dishwasher.  YAY!