I’m starting a new column today on MerrimentDesign.com called DIY or Buy. I don’t know about you but when it comes to crafting I totally have an “eyes are bigger than my stomach” syndrome. I’ll see something and I’m like oh, I could totally make that. And it gets added to my sprawling Make This Someday List. But sometimes just don’t have the time (or I have a full plate) and it’s probably better to just buy it — preferably from someone else who made it by hand.

So for today’s DIY or Buy I’m featuring how to make crib bed skirt dust ruffles. You know, those things that hide all the goodies that you can stash under your bed. First, I’ll start you off with my own free DIY dust ruffle tutorial for cribs or toddler beds that you could easily re-size for grown ups, no serger needed.

Here’s another great gathered crib dust ruffle tutorial by Sew4Home that uses really cute patterned fabric.

Creative Urges has an easy-to-make ruffled version using an old bed skirt or sheet if you’re looking to recycle.

Don’t have time to DIY? You could either add it to your Make It Someday Craft List that may be pages long like mine is, or just buy it! Nepeto’s Etsy store is stocked with box pleat crib dust ruffles to buy in every color of the sun.

Looking around our house it’s clear that “stickers” was the perfect theme for Elise’s second birthday party. Last year it was monkeys and bananas but like many kids her age Elise is a sticker junkie — the proof is on our refrigerator, furniture, clothing, floor and pretty much everywhere else. So “stickers birthday,” yeah, she’ll love it.

We bought oodles of stickers that we used on party decorations and of course for the kids to play with during the birthday party. I also made some 1″ custom stickers for the party sign…

…as well as 2″ circle stickers for birthday party guests to wear on their shirts (and to decorate the tablecloth on the food table but I forgot to take a photo, arg).

I made name stickers for the birthday party favor bags and tucked some inside with more stickers. The possibilities are almost limitless with sticker printing from PsPrint.

WANT TO SEE MORE? “Stickers” birthday party theme for kids {with free custom sticker template} –>

I decorated a white cupcake stand for Elise’s sprinkle cupcakes

My mom and I made party hats that the kids decorated at the party.

And after the party Elise loved making her own thank you notes — covered in stickers, of course.

I’m giving you my free printable custom sticker templates and step-by-step DIYs from the sticker birthday theme party. Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting:

• Free custom 1″ and 2″ stickers (used on the party sign, cupcake stand, favors)
• Free pattern for handmade party hats (kids can add stickers or you can use them plain)

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use free pattern and how t0 step-by-step tutorial for your own personal use. Contact me for any commercial use – this includes etsy sellers.

Please post a comment if you use this project and let me know how it works for you. And you can post your photos to our “I made it!” flickr photo group. Craft and pass it on!

Today’s craft is for babies and toddlers about 15 months to 2 years old: a straw game made out of a cardboard oatmeal container. All you need is an empty Quaker oatmeal canister, a standard hole punch and a bunch of colorful straws. Then show your toddler how to put the straws in the holes at the top of the can where they magically “disappear’ into the container and you’ve got an addictive new activity.

My friend Arlene told me about the oatmeal container straw game during the dead of Chicago winter when we were all desperate for new indoor activities. I like to recycle objects into useful things, like fabric napkin rings made from Saran Wrap tubes and refrigerator magnets from vintage milk and juice cardboard bottle caps. So we made one and Elise was hooked!

A couple weeks later I wanted to make the game a little cuter and more challenging so I made a four-quadrant lid sticker for Elise to try to match the stripes on the straws with the colored holes. I also made her a stack of red, blue, yellow and green rectangular stickers to decorate the outside. Elise is totally into stickers these days and loved peeling them (with a bit of help) and sticking them on the container.

So now the disappearing straw game is fun and a little educational too. And it looks a little more classy sitting in our family room than The Quaker Oats Man.

WANNA MAKE IT? Free printable pattern, step-by-step tutorial instructions and supply list for making an oatmeal container straw game idea for babies and toddlers –>

Supplies:

• Kathy’s free oatmeal container straw game printable sticker template (PDF)
• Full-sheet sticker paper
• Empty Quaker oatmeal container
• Straws (straight skinny ones work best)
• Round Hole Punch – 1/4″
• Paper trimmer (or scissors)

Print my free oatmeal sticker template onto full-sheet easy-peel sticker paper. I recommend laser printing for best results but you can use ink jet too.

Peel 1-2 full-sheets of white sticker paper and cover the oatmeal container label.

Cut the stickers into rectangles using your paper cutter.

Let your kid peel and randomly put the colored rectangles all over the oatmeal box.

Cut out a white circle, peel and stick onto the top of the lid.

Cut out the circle sticker, peel and stick onto the top of the white circle on the lid.

Use your hole punch to make 1-2 holes in each color quadrant. Test your straw to see if it will go through; if not, keep punching to make larger holes. Put on the lid and play!

COPYRIGHT NOTE:You’re more than welcome to use free pattern and how t0 step-by-step tutorial for your own personal use. Contact me for any commercial use – this includes etsy sellers.

Please post a comment if you use this project and let me know how it works for you. And you can post your photos to our “I made it!” flickr photo group. Craft and pass it on!

My baby wipes pop-up container box has become a fixture on Elise’s shelf so I thought why not make it extra pretty? So I decided customize it by covering it with fabric. Here’s what the Huggies baby wipes pop-up container tub looked like before:

Not too bad but I wanted something more custom. So I grabbed some leftover Anna Maria Horner fabric from Elise’s drapes and a bottle of Mod Podge to cover and decorate my baby wipes case in fabric so it would coordinate with the rest of the room.

I decoupaged the fabric on to seal it up – have never done it before but I remember my mom using Mod Podge left and right when I was little. It was actually super easy to do and you can finish it under a couple hours including drying time.

And if you asked me if I like the smell of Mod Podge I couldn’t deny it. I think I’ll be making these custom fabric-covered baby wipes container cases as my new go-to baby gift.

WANNA MAKE IT? Free pattern, step-by-step tutorial instructions and supply list for making my custom fabric-covered baby wipes container craft project –>

Supplies:

• Kathy’s free pattern for covering a Huggies Sensitive Wipes plastic popup tub (PDF)
• Huggies Sensitive Baby Wipes, Tub, 64-Count – you need one tub for this craft. Note that different Huggies tubs may fit my free pattern differently so be sure to get the sensitive wipes popup tub
• Huggies Baby Wipes Refill Packs – to refill your new cute container!
• 1/4 yard fabric
• 1/4 yard blackout drapery lining (optional but recommended)
• Mod Podge (I used matte but you could opt for gloss)
• Foam brush
• Dritz Fine Point Disappearing Ink Pen Purple
• Good fabric scissors
• 1-2 sheets of 400 grit super fine sandpaper
• Piece of butcher paper or 2-3 newspaper pages to cover your working surface
• Computer, printer and paper

Please post a comment if you use this project and let me know how it works for you. And you can post your photos to our “I made it!” flickr photo group. Craft and pass it on!

Assemble the pattern
Print and cut out my free PDF template for covering a Huggies Sensitive Baby Wipes 64-count popup tub container. The free pattern is on multiple pages so cut them out and tape them together to make one pattern.

Line the wipes box (optional)
My fabric was thin enough that I could see the label through it so I decided to line my box using my favorite “secret” interfacing – blackout drapery liner. This will give you a completely blank slate to cover with your fabric.

Place the PDF pattern onto the drapery liner. Trace around it using a disappearing fabric ink pen.

Cut out and set aside. As you can see, mine was pretty wrinkled so I ironed it a bit as well.

Cut fabric
First, iron your fabric – I recommend using spray sizing to make it extra crisp.

Place the PDF pattern on your fabric, making sure any pattern (like my flowers) is centered. Trace around the template using a disappearing fabric pen.

Cut it out using good fabric scissors and set aside.

Decoupage and sand
I got some great Mod Podge tips from J Caroline (via howaboutorange). Worth a read before you get started if you’re new to decoupaging with fabric.

Apply a thin coat of Mod Podge onto the front and two sides of of your Huggies wipes tub container (hold off on the back for now).

If you’re using drapery lining, place the lining on the front and smooth, working your way across each side. Try really hard not to stretch your fabric as you adhere it to the container; otherwise, you’ll have more trimming to do later.

Now coat the back and smooth the lining to cover – your seam should overlap a little bit but you can trim it as needed at this point.

Place the box upside down and allow it to dry a bit; I waited about 10 minutes.

Here’s a tip – wrap your sponge in plastic wrap between coats so you don’t have to wash and dry it each time.

Now you have a blank slate.

Apply another thin coat of Mod Podge on top of the drapery lining front and two sides (again hold off on the back for now).

Repeat the instructions above to adhere the fabric. Now do the back.

Carefully cut any stray threads and any fabric that stretches below the edge of the tub container.

Apply a thin coat of Mod Podge on top of the fabric on all sides. Let it dry about 15 minutes or until it’s no longer tacky (remember to wrap your brush in plastic in the meantime).

And repeat.

Sand lightly using 400 grit sandpaper until smooth. Wipe dust clean. You can add a third coat if you’d like. Allow to dry, then lightly sand. Fill your finished container with Huggies Sensitive Wipes refill packs.

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use free pattern and how t0 step-by-step tutorial for your own personal use. Contact me for any commercial use – this includes etsy sellers.

Please post a comment if you use this project and let me know how it works for you. And you can post your photos to our “I made it!” flickr photo group. Craft and pass it on!

Here’s how to make a fabric safety gate for baby and toddlers for the bottom of stairs or between doorways. This DIY fabric baby safety gate has given me a lot of piece of mind these past months. We tried store-bought safety gates at the bottom of our stairs but couldn’t figure out how to work around our awkward window angle so had to return them. So for a long time we had nothing – eek!

Elise at 1-1/2 years old likes to climb up the stairs all the time. But now when this fabric baby gate is up, she asks me if she can climb! I just unlatch the ribbon loops from the 3M Command Cord Bundlers (very easy), open the gate and follow her up. She has learned to ask me first and go up with me. I don’t know how long she’ll be this cooperative but it’s worked for the past couple of months without a hitch.

Years ago my friend Yoko Terretta made a fabric baby gate for the bottom of her stairs. Her daughter is now way past toddler age so she drew me a photo of her old fabric baby safety gate:

I made some assembly adjustments when making the fabric safety gate for the bottom of our stairs and it’s worked great! And with my long monkey legs I can actually step over it pretty easily if I’m feeling too lazy to unhook the loops.

That said, I’ve gotta state some legal disclaimers on this one: ** Using this fabric baby safety gate idea is at your own risk. ** I will assume no responsibility for any injuries if this type of gate doesn’t work out for your family. You have to judge your own parenting style and your child’s behavior before deciding to use a DIY fabric safety gate. This DIY fabric baby gate is not tested for safety by any formal organization.

** DO NOT use a DIY fabric safety gate for the TOP of any stairs ** — it’s just not sturdy enough. Never, never. But it’s working on the bottom of our stairs in slowing down Elise – and I bet it could be a decent room divider too.

WANNA MAKE IT? Free sewing pattern, step-by-step tutorial instructions and supply list for making my DIY Fabric Safety Gate for Baby and Toddlers –>

Supplies:

• 2 yards fabric – ideally home decorator weight (to make a 30″ high by 43″ wide fabric baby gate – but measure your own opening and adjust as needed)
• 1 yard thick batting (to make a 30″ high by 43″ wide fabric baby gate – but measure your own opening and adjust as needed)
• Couple feet of Velcro® brand Sew-On Tape
• Bit of 5/8″ grosgrain ribbon
• 3M Command™ Cord Bundlers – I used 3
• Dritz Air Soluble Marking Pen-Pink
• Self-healing mat, rotary cutter and clear plastic ruler
• Good fabric scissors
• Thread
• Shop at Joann.com
• Good iron like Rowenta
• Ironing board
• Sewing machine

Please post a comment if you use this project – it makes me smile. And you can post your photos to our “I made it!” flickr photo group.

:: How to make a fabric safety gate for baby and toddlers ::

This is definitely a project you will need to customize for your own situation and measurements, so please read all the instructions carefully before cutting anything out.

Measure the opening that you want for your fabric baby safety gate. Cut two rectangles of fabric the same size – this assumes you’re going to sew 5/8″ seams which will build in a bit of spacing for your loops later in the process. My finished size was 30″ high x 43″ wide so I cut two fabric rectangles this size. You can use your Dritz Air Soluble Marking Pen to make things easier.

Then cut one piece of batting the same size as your two rectangles using good fabric scissors.

Now here’s where I’m going to tell you what I did and then I’ll give you a “hindsight is 20/20″ instructions. So read all of these instructions first before moving forward.

Cut 4 pieces of Velcro long enough to wrap around your banister and attach securely to the back of the fabric safety gate. Mine were 8.5″ long. Separate the cut Velcro into two pieces each. Place one piece of Velcro in the middle of one of your short sides, pinning it onto the right side of the fabric. Sew around the Velcro to attach it to the fabric front like in the photo above.

Repeat on the top edge of the fabric piece on the short end, placing the Velcro one inch down from the raw edge. Repeat on the bottom. You should now have three pieces of Velcro sewn to the front side of one of your fabric rectangles.

Now here’s my hindsight: I think the finished baby safety gate would look better if I would have shortened the length of the Velcro that’s sewn to the fabric. That’s because when the other end of Velcro wraps around your banister, it’s naturally going to be short on the other side. So play around with the length a bit before you sew the Velcro down. Alternatively, you could use ribbon ties here instead of Velcro which was Yoko’s original idea and probably would look a bit cuter but perhaps less sturdy than Velcro.

Now place the other pieces of the Velcro on top of their mates – three pieces in all.

Place the batting down on your table and layer one of the fabric rectangles on top, face up. Place the other fabric rectangle face down so that the two right sides of the fabric are together. Pin it all together on the batting side – it will make it easier to sew later if you are sewing with the fabric side down.

Above is a photo of how I started to pin it before I moved the pins to the batting side. But it’s a good photo to show you how the fabric baby safety gate is coming together.

Make ribbon loops. Cut 3 pieces of ribbon – mine were 5 inches long each. Fold the ribbon in half to make a loop. Place one loop between your fabric layers about 1″ down from the short side’s top raw edge (the opposite side of all the Velcro). Repeat for the bottom and the middle ribbon loops. Sandwich these three ribbon loops between the two fabric rectangles and pin the whole stack together (again, pin from the batting side and then up like the pins above).

Place the fabric down on your sewing machine and stitch 1/2″ seams *almost* all the way around the rectangles, making sure to catch all three layers – the batting and two fabric rectangles – all around. Leave an opening about 20″ long on the ribbon loop side.

Turn the fabric gate right-side out through the opening.

Optional: Sew close to the edge to sew the batting to one layer of fabric (it made it easier for me to turn it down).

Now turn down the opening, pin, adjust the middle loop as needed, and sew.

Now here’s another optional step (one I didn’t do). Yoko then quilted her fabric baby safety gate – you can refer to her drawing. I didn’t do it and mine works fine.

Attach the Velcro side to your banister and secure. TIP: I measured my gate height so that it would be right above the horizontal railing here which really helps keep the whole thing from sliding down. If I didn’t have these rungs on my banister, I think I would use more batting (see Yoko’s drawing) to make the whole fabric gate more able to stand up on its own.

Pull the fabric safety gate taut to see where to put your Command Cord Bundlers. Following the 3M instructions, adhere three Command Cord Bunders onto your wall. Once it’s secure, you can hook on the ribbon loops. This photo really shows how wonky our situation was — I had to adhere them inside the window itself!

To open the gate, just slip the ribbon off of the Command Cord Bundlers, roll the gate onto itself a bit, rest it on the stairs, and climb!

COPYRIGHT NOTE: Please post a comment if you use this project – it makes me smile. And you can post your photos to our “I made it!” flickr photo group. You’re more than welcome to use free pattern and how t0 step-by-step tutorial for your own personal use. Contact me for any commercial use – this includes etsy sellers.

My friend Jolyn, the Queen of Handmade Burp Cloths, taught me years ago how to turn regular white burp cloths into posh fabric-covered burp cloth sets in less than an hour. Cute, huh? And oh so useful too – my #1 baby gift criteria. Recently it seems like everyone is having babies and I have to admit I feel a little bit of pressure to make them something handmade.

This time I’ve added a little twist: a couple of handy loops to keep track of toys or binkies on the go.

Just attach one or more plastic baby links to the loop and voila! A mini travel-blanket burp cloth to toss on your shoulder or in your baby bag, keeping shoulders spit-up free in style.

WANNA MAKE IT? Free pattern, step-by-step tutorial instructions and supply list for making my DIY Baby burp cloths with loops for toys or binkies craft project –>

Supplies:

• 3/4 yard of fabric (for 6 cloths; this varies a bit depending on the cloths you buy)
• White burp cloths (pack of 6 – these work great), ironed flat
• Plastic baby links
• Rotary fabric cutter, self-healing cutting mat and clear acrylic ruler
• Good fabric scissors
• Good iron (like Rowenta)
• Ironing board
• Sewing machine
• Pins (I prefer glass head pins)
• Thread – your fabric color plus white thread (I use my thread spool set)

Please post a comment if you use this project so I can smile when I see that it’s being used. Craft and pass it on!

1. Cut your pieces

You can pre-wash your burp cloths and fabric if you want but usually I skip it and hope that they’ll shrink together. Iron the cloth flat. Measure your burp cloth. Add 2″ to the length measurement (assuming you’ll be folding over 1/2″) and add 1″ to the width measurement and cut.

For instance, mine was 20 long and I wanted the middle fabric strip to be 4.5 inches finished. So, I cut my fabric piece 22″ x 5.5″ (which is the size you should cut if you buy the white burp cloths that I recommend from Amazon.com).

Cut two loops 4″ long x 3″ wide.

2. Make your loops

Iron your square in half so it’s 1.5″ wide and 4″ long.

Fold each raw side into the middle and press again. You’ll have a little sandwich.

Sew at about 1/8″ around the edges. Repeat for the other loop and set aside.

3. Attach the fabric strip to the burp cloth

Take the long fabric piece. Turn one of the long sides under 1/2″ and iron flat. Repeat on the other side.

Lay the wrong side of your fabric piece onto the middle of the burp cloth, lining up one of the raw, short ends. Pin.

Now line up the other short side on the other side of the burp cloth and pin. You’ll have a bit of a hill in the middle like this.

Sew the short end, stitching at a 1/2″ seam. Repeat on the other short side.

Now turn the burp cloth “inside out” so that the wrong side of the fabric is touching the burp cloth.

Iron flat.

Fold one of the finished loops in half. Slip the raw, unfolded edge of the loop 1/2″ under the large fabric piece — about 4″ down from the top of the burp cloth. Pin. Repeat on the other side.

Switch your bobbin thread to white. Stitch around the large fabric piece to secure it to the burp cloth. I used a straight stitch close to the edge but you can use a zigzag stitch instead if you’d like.

3. Attach toys

Take a plastic baby link and slip it within the loop. Attach toys or binkies for safe keeping.

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this free pattern and step-by-step tutorial instructions for personal use. Contact me for any commercial use – this includes etsy sellers.

Please post a comment if you use this project so I can smile when I see that it’s being used. Craft and pass it on!

Like this free project? See more in our Baby & Kids category.

I’ve been making this sweet potato cracker recipe again and again since Thanksgiving’s sweet potato leftovers and I think it’s high time I passed along this yummy kid-friendly crackers recipe.

Elise has become my official cracker-making helper and #1 taste taster and she loves them! I couldn’t even take these photos without her reaching into the sweet potato crackers and dipping her little hand into my shot…

Once you make these easy, healthy-esque sweet potato crackers, you’ll be floored at how few ingredients are in a box of store-bought crackers. You’re truly paying for packaging.

I found this sweet potato crackers recipe from the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission, making some ingredient changes to make it a little more kid-friendly as well as adapt the instructions for my KitchenAid Mixer. They’re so good …you can’t even tell these crackers have vegetables in them. I love eating them, and I think Elise would agree.

WANNA MAKE IT? Recipe, ingredients and step-by-step instructions and supply list for making sweet potato crackers –>

Ingredients (makes the equivalent of about one box of crackers):

1-1/2 cups organic flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder (see note below)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons organic unsalted butter
1 medium organic sweet potato (1 cup of sweet potato puree)
1 teaspoon organic sugar
coarse salt

(NOTE: after reader feedback and re-testing I have lowered the baking powder amount from the the original recipe’s call for 2-1/2 tablespoons)

Supplies:

• KitchenAid Mixer
• Rolling pin with Rolling Pin Rings
• Large Cutting Board or this Pastry Board
• Heart Cookie Cutters or other mini cookie cutters
• Two Jelly Roll Pans (I prefer these to flat cookie sheets)
• Parchment Paper
• Airtight storage container
• Hand blender (these are the best for making purees)
• Wire rack
• Silicon ice cube tray and Ziploc freezer bags (if you are going to make puree to store for the next batch)

Cook sweet potato until softened. The original recipe suggests boiling it in water but I prefer to roast it in a 400 degree oven for about 45-50 minutes. It’s easy – all you do is place a potato on an aluminum-foil-lined jelly roll pan and that’s it. You can bake it while you’re making other food, and you can roast more than one potato and freeze the puree in silicon ice cube trays, store it in Ziploc freezer bags, and then just thaw it whenever you want to make some crackers (I learned this trick from making Elise’s baby food purees). Or you can cut the potato into pieces and steam it until softened.

So anyway, however you cook your sweet potato then let it cool, remove the skin and purée using a hand blender (these are the best for making purees) until it’s a smooth mixture. You will need 1 cup of sweet potato purée. Like I said, freeze the rest in silicon ice cube trays and then store it in Ziploc freezer bags until you need it.

Set the cooled sweet potato puree aside.

Place butter into the bottom of your KitchenAid Mixer. If you don’t have a KitchenAid Mixer, well …you should really get one, saves tons of time baking, but anyway go ahead and follow the original recipe instructions. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together into a large bowl. I don’t have a sifter so I use a colander.

And it sifts like this:

Using the KitchenAid Mixer’s regular mixing attachment, mix the butter into the flour mixture until it becomes a coarse meal texture like this:

Switch your KitchenAid Mixer’s regular mixing attachment to the dough hook attachment instead. Add the sweet potato puree and let it stir until it turns into one big clump like this.

Roll it into a ball using your hands. Divide dough into 4 pieces. For easier rolling, wrap it in wax paper and chill for 1/2 hour.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and and roll each very thin. Seriously, as thin as you can roll it. If you can use rolling pin rings you’ll be in better shape than I was – you’ve got to make sure it’s all even so the crackers all bake evenly.

Cut using small cookie cutters. Here I’m using heart cookie cutters but I’ve also used these great mini-cookie cutters. Place on a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

You can sprinkle with salt, sesame seeds and a little cayenne, if desired. I skip it for the kid crackers.

Bake in a preheated 350 F oven on an ungreased parchment paper-lined jelly roll pan or cookie sheet for 10 minutes until bottoms are slightly browned.

Turn over and bake until they’re crispy. The original recipe says 3-4 minutes more but mine are always another 8-12 or so …maybe it’s my cheap-o oven.

You want them to be crispy, not chewy. Just don’t let them get too brown. Here’s what they look like when they’re done:

Cool on a wire rack before storing in a airtight container. Remember there aren’t any preservatives in these so you should probably snack them up within a week. Yum!

Adapted from the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission’s Snappy Sweet Potato Crackers recipe.

Please post a comment if you use this recipe – it makes me smile. And you can post your photos to our “I made it!” flickr photo group. Craft and pass it on!

Elise loved her 1st birthday gifts and wanted to say thanks in style! I designed pink monkey thank you cards with a ’1st birthday’ bananas birthday party hat and yellow polka dots cards. Then I used pink and burgundy fine-point Sharpie markers to write on them.

This free pink monkey 1st birthday thank you card coordinates with Elise’s other free pink monkey 1st birthday party printable templates – monkey birthday party hat, month-by-month photo display of how Elise has grown, front door happy birthday signs, bubble favors, monkey thank you cards, and monkey party cake:

WANNA MAKE IT? Free printable template, step-by-step tutorial instructions and supply list for making my DIY free printable birthday thank you cards craft project –>

Supplies:

I can customize this printable thank you card template for you for a nominal charge – add names, change colors, change year and more – or create a custom party invitation. Just send me an email.

• Kathy’s free printable template for thank you cards with pink monkey and 1st birthday hat (PDF)
• White cardstock paper – 8-1/2 x 11
• Pink 4-Bar envelopes
• Pink and Burgundy Sharpie ultra-fine-point colored markers
• Paper cutter OR Xacto basic knife set (this is my kit and it’s great), ruler and self-healing cutting mat
• Pink Monkey Security Blankie (by Angel Dear) – every child should have one!

How to make thank you cards for the pink monkey birthday party:

Print my free thank you card template on white cardstock paper, 2 cards per page. I can change the year and colors or add names for a nominal charge.

Using your paper cutter OR Xacto basic knife set, ruler and self-healing cutting mat, cut out your cards. Be sure to hold your ruler down tight and run the Xacto knife a couple times to make sure the edge is smooth.

Now here’s a tip to ensure your cards fold perfectly. Turn your Xacto knife upside down. Yep, upside down. Run the *back* of your knife gently down the middle along the ruler two or three times. Your goal is to just score the line, not cut through the paper, so be careful. Now you’ll be able to easily fold the card in half along a perfect seam. Bananas!

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this free pattern and step-by-step tutorial instructions for personal use with the request that you post a comment below. Contact me for any commercial use – this includes etsy sellers. Craft and pass it on!

I made these yellow and pink bubble labels to coordinate with Elise’s 1st birthday party theme – Pink Monkey and Bananas. Elise just loves bubbles – she has a little menagerie of “bubba” blowers that she especially wants at bath time.

I can make custom labels for you for a minimal cost. Just send me an email.

WANNA MAKE IT? Free pattern, step-by-step tutorial instructions and supply list for making my bubble label favors for kids craft project –>

Supplies:

I can customize this printable template for you for a nominal charge – change year, add names, change colors and more – or create a custom party invitation. Just send me an email.

• Kathy’s printable free bubble labels for party favors template (PDF) – coordinates with the Pink Monkey and Bananas birthday party theme
• Full-sheet white sticker label paper
• Paper cutter OR Xacto basic knife set (this is my kit and it’s great), ruler and self-healing cutting mat
• Computer and printer
• Pink Monkey Security Blankie (by Angel Dear) – every child should have one!

For all free printable templates, you can either print it at home or do what I do: Send it online to FedEx Office.

Please post a comment if you use this project – it makes me smile. And you can post your photos to our “I made it!” flickr photo group. Craft & pass it on!

Print my free bubble labels printable template onto full-sheet sticker paper using a laser printer (like at FedEx Office). Cut the labels into strips using an Xacto knife, ruler and self-healing mat.

Peel the original label off of your bubbles – I got mine at Party City.

Peel your label from its backing and adhere, pressing down from the center to the outside.

Repeat.

You can optionally cover the labels with a piece of packing tape cut-to-fit to “laminate” the labels onto the bubbles. I didn’t do this and over time, the label started to get wet from bubble dribbles.

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this free pattern and step-by-step tutorial instructions for personal use with the request that you post a comment below. Contact me for any commercial use – this includes etsy sellers. Craft and pass it on!

I made this pink monkey birthday hat for Elise to wear on her 1st birthday. She was a good sport about it and I think she looked adorable especially when she dug into her matching monkey birthday cake.

It’s really easy to put together and attach the white ribbon ties. The free printable PDF below says “Happy Birthday” instead of “Happy Bday Elise” and I can customize it for you for a nominal charge – change year, add names, change colors and more – or create a custom party invitation. Just send me an email.

This birthday hat coordinates with Elise’s other free pink monkey 1st birthday party printable templates:

• “Happy 1^st Birthday” banner free printable hanging sign template
• Month-by-month photo display of how Elise has grown (coming soon)
• Front door happy birthday signs (coming soon)
• Bubble favors
• Monkey thank you cards

Happy 1st birthday, Elise!

WANNA MAKE IT? Free pattern, step-by-step tutorial instructions and supply list for making my pink monkey printable birthday party hats for kids craft project –>

Supplies:

I can customize this printable template for you for a nominal charge – change year, add names, change colors and more – or create a custom party invitation. Just send me an email.

• Kathy’s Pink Monkey Birthday Party Hat free printable template (PDF)
• White cardstock paper – 8-1/2 x 11
• White grosgrain ribbon – 1/4″
• Good paper scissors
• Regular Scotch Tape
• Paper cutter OR Xacto basic knife set (this is my kit and it’s great), ruler and self-healing cutting mat
• Computer and printer
• Pink Monkey Security Blankie (by Angel Dear) – every child should have one!

For all free printable templates, you can either print it at home or do what I do: Send it online to FedEx Office.

Please post a comment if you use this project – it makes me smile. And you can post your photos to our “I made it!” flickr photo group. Craft and pass it on!

How to Make Birthday Party Hats

Print my free birthday party hat printable template onto white card stock – yours will say “Happy Birthday” rather than “Happy Bday Elise.” Please send me an email if you’d like to change the age, colors or add a name for a very nominal cost.

Cut it out along the outside markings and along the two notches on the side.

Carefully cut the two slits in the notched tab using your Xacto knife.

…and also carefully cut the slit.

Curl the hat onto itself, tucking the notched tab into the slits. When you slide it up, it will look like this:

Cut two pieces of white ribbon about 12-16 inches long each.

Tape one ribbon to the inside of the hat on the right side. Repeat on the left side.

Place the birthday hat on your monkey and tie.

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this free pattern and step-by-step tutorial instructions for personal use with the request that you post a comment below. Contact me for any commercial use – this includes etsy sellers. Craft and pass it on!