Etching glass. What a cool DIY way to recycle those generic glass vases from floral deliveries into something that ends up looking pretty darn elegant. And I’m sharing my free monogrammed printable glass etching template (PDF) template with you so you can make your own.

This free glass etching template is a monogram inside a circle surrounded by little circles that suggest the sun.

I liked the idea of etching it all in reverse so the glass etching wraps around the vase from the front to the back with stripes on top and bottom to add a little more charm.

While I’ve seen how to etch glass before this was my first time doing it DIY. I followed Marie’s etched glass pans tutorial at Makes and Takes and with the exception of a few missed spots that I had to re-do (and apparently large areas can be tricky to do by hand) it was pretty easy all around.

This monogrammed etched glass is a great DIY gift idea – Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, wedding engagements, birthdays…

I had almost tossed my old glass vases in the Goodwill pile but I’m glad the packrat in me paused. Now I’m eyeing other Plain Jane glass around my house to see what I can etch up next.

WANNA MAKE IT? Free monogram template, step-by-step tutorial instructions and supply list for making my etched glass monogrammed vase craft idea –>

Supplies for etching your own glass monogrammed vase:

• Kathy’s Free Glass Etching Monogrammed Template (PDF, fits a vase sized 7-1/2″ tall x 11″ around) – thank you to the League of Moveable Type for their Chunk font
• Glass vase – mine was the standard 7-1/2″ tall x 11″ around free vase from floral deliveries
• Armour Etch Glass Etching Cream
• Foam brush and/or paint brush
• Contact paper shelf liner (I used white)
• Self-healing mat, X-Acto knife and clear plastic ruler
• 1/4″ round hole punch
• 2″ circle craft punch
• Rubber gloves
• Water
• Rags
• Rubbing alcohol pad (optional)

Please post a comment and let me know how this craft idea works for you. And share your own photos at the MerrimentDesign.com Facebook page, “I made it!” flickr photo gallery or tweet a picture to @merrimentdesign.

How to etch a glass vase:

First I cleaned my vase inside and out and ran over it with an alcohol pad – all optional but it did get all the little bits of film off before I started to etch the glass.

Cut 2 strips of contact paper 1″ x 12″ and 2 strips of contact paper 0.25″ x 12″ using a self-healing mat, X-Acto knife and clear plastic ruler.

Peel off the backing of one of the 1″ x 12″ strips of contact paper. Stick the top edges so it’s 1-1/2″ from the top of the vase. Repeat on the bottom. Make sure the contact paper is smooth and totally stuck to the glass without any bubbles or ripples.

Peel off the backing of one of the 0.25″ x 12″ strips of contact paper. Now here’s a little trick: line up the peeling next to the 1″ x 12″ stencil to act as a spacer. Then stick the contact to the glass vase next to the spacer.

Lift off the backing spacer and voila! Perfectly spaced stripes.

Using a 2-inch craft hole punch, punch a contact paper circle.

Print my free glass etching monogrammed template (PDF). Cut out a letter and trace it in the middle of the punched circle of contact paper.

Carefully cut out the monogrammed letter out of the circle using an Xacto knife.

Now here’s another trick: Use your Xacto knife to help you peel the circle without mangling it all up. Slip the blade tip between the contact paper and its backing.

Now it will easily peel off without messing up the template.

Center the circle between the stripes and stick to the glass vase. Smooth it down so it’s totally stuck to the glass, no wrinkles, no bubbles.

Punch out eight circles using a 1/4″ round hole punch.

Now use that Xacto knife trick again to peel the backing off of the contact paper and stick them around the monogram.

If you want a little guide for placing all of the pieces, you can print out my template, curl it up, and slip it inside the vase to help you stick everything down in the right place. Do a quick smooth check to make sure all your contact paper is adhered to the glass with no bubbles or edges popping up. OK now you’re finally ready to etch.

The instructions on the glass etching cream are pretty scary I have to say, so I put on my vinyl gloves and least favorite jacket to go out on our cold deck to do this project outside.

Paint the Armor Etch on using a paint brush or sponge. I had to use a paint brush because I bought such a small can that could only fit a paintbrush. I waited 10 minutes. And I rinsed it off and let it dry. And oof! I missed a few spots. Dang. So I repeated the process again the next day, making sure I hit those extra couple bits. Next time I’ll use a foam brush and layer the etching cream on a little thicker.

Once it’s all dry you can gently peel away the contact paper.

It’s pretty cool to reveal the glass etch. It’s subtle but

Did you make it? Please post a comment and let me know how this craft idea works for you. And share your own photos at the MerrimentDesign.com Facebook page, “I made it!” flickr photo gallery or tweet a picture to @merrimentdesign. Craft and pass it on!

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.

I made these tile coasters using ceramic tiles, Mod Podge and my two-year-old’s fingerpainting artwork. Making your own decoupage tile coasters is crazy easy, I love how they turned out, and Elise got to dig her hands into some goo.

These handmade ceramic tile coasters were a DIY birthday gift for my sister Krista who just redecorated her TV room to be more modern and mostly white with turquoise accents. She got help from a super affordable online-only design service called CopyCatChic.com that charges a nominal fee for a custom design board, product links and a scaled floor plan to your room’s dimensions. Here’s Krista’s custom board:

So for Krista’s birthday I got her this West Elm cream throw for her couch and Elise and I made these ceramic tile coasters – they add to the room, yes?

I like that this ceramic tile coaster gift is warm and personal without looking TOO handmade if you know what I mean. The key with using kid’s artwork on stuff like this is to keep it simple, like Elise’s monochromatic fingerpainting shown here. Otherwise these tile coasters would scream “kiddie artwork in my adult room” – not the goal.

I first saw the make your own tile coaster idea at Style Me Pretty and Prudent Baby has a version with really great instructions and photos. A good idea is worth gifting.

WANNA MAKE IT? Free step-by-step tutorial instructions and supply list for making your own handmade ceramic tile coasters from fingerpainting artwork –>

Supplies:

• Fingerpainting artwork using turquoise fingerpaint (or your color of choice) ideally on 90 lb rough surface heavyweight watercolor paper (I used Canson brand) OR you can buy pretty paper or cute fabric
• Square ceramic tiles – you can get them in a variety of sizes at Home Depot cheap-o
• Mod Podge – pick your poison, I recommend glossy for this project
• Foam brush
• Sealer – I used Polyurethane spray sealer but next time I want to try Beacon Decoupage Sealer because it seems less toxic
• Self-healing mat, metal ruler (or ruler with a metal edge) and X-Acto knife OR Paper Trimmer
• Felt (or thin corkboard) for the bottom of the tiles
• Self-healing mat, rotary cutter and clear plastic ruleror good fabric scissors (if using felt for the bottom of your tiles)
• Elmers glue or other craft glue (optional – you can just use your Mod Podge)
• Sandpaper (optional)

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.

Whenever I’m cropping from a larger piece of artwork or fabric I like to make a pattern to help figure out what areas to crop. To make your own pattern, trace a paper square the same size as your ceramic coaster tile. Draw a square inside with about a 1/4″-1/2″ border.

Now you have a little window to use to figure out what piece of the artwork you’d like to crop and cut for your coaster.

And here’s a tip: Fingerpainting can make paper pretty bumpy. I actually had Elise fingerpaint onto acid-free 90 lb. watercolor paper (I used Canson) and it didn’t actually stayed pretty flat. And it’s more of a matte finish which I prefer over the slick shiny fingerpainting paper.

Cut out the square using a metal ruler (or ruler with a metal edge), X-Acto knife and self-healing mat.

Here are the four squares that I cropped for the coasters from Elise’s fingerpainting artwork.

Brush a thin layer of Mod Podge on the top of the ceramic coaster.

Now before you do this, you can paint the edges with white paint to cover up the unfinished sides. I didn’t do this but next time I will.

Place the fingerpainting artwork square on top of the Mod Podge, carefully smoothing out all the bubbles, being careful not to tear the artwork (see the tip above about reducing bumps in fingerpainting artwork).

Brush a thin layer of Mod Podge on top of the artwork. Brush in one direction because you’ll be able to see the brush strokes, the thinner the layers the better. Let it dry completely, about 15-20 minutes or so.

I wanted the coasters to be as smooth as possible so I sanded between coats. Sanding worked on my decoupaged custom fabric covered baby wipes popup container but honestly, I don’t know if it really helped that much on this project but it Elise liked helping. Maybe it was because I used Outdoor Mod Podge instead of the regular Matte. Anyway, I brushed on the Mod Podge in the same direction each time but if you brush opposite directions if you want a cross-hatch pattern Repeat the thin Mod Podge layers until you like how it looks; I did four layers of Mod Podge.

Spray polyurethane or Beacon Decoupage Sealer or other spray sealer on the top of the coasters according to your sealer’s directions. From what I’ve read yes, you really have to do this step to seal it all up for hot drinks. Do really thin coats – I did three.

Cut felt squares (or thin corkboard) for the bottom of the tiles the same size as your tile using self-healing mat, rotary cutter and clear plastic ruleror good fabric scissors. Glue it on the bottom using Elmers glue or other craft glue – spread it out really thin with your fingers (or  you can just use your Mod Podge, this occurred to me after I already glued them on). Flip over and let dry.

From what I read at Prudent Baby you’re supposed to wait a whole month to put a hot drink on these coasters to let the Mod Podge and sealer fully cure. In the meantime they look great in Krista’s new TV room.

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!

Thanksgiving is around the corner so I thought I’d round up some of my favorite Thanksgiving free craft project tutorials.

First: Some easy ways to dress up your turkey table this Thanksgiving with napkin rings and placecards:
- Thanksgiving felt leaf napkin rings free craft project tutorial
- Thanksgiving felt and paper leaf placecards free craft project tutorial
- Thanksgiving retro embossed label maker placecards free craft project tutorial
- Fabric and paper sewn placecards free craft project tutorial

And then some wreaths to decorate your door:
- Urban wreath for fall using Polaroid photographs free craft project tutorial
- Paper and fabric fall leaf wreath free craft project tutorial

I just love fall colors – I used them all over our wedding decorations too. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I made these personalized sugar cube wrappers to go along with a bridal shower gift for my friend Debbie. I bought Debbie’s sugar bowl and creamer from her registry (very pretty btw) and filled it with personalized wrapped sugar cubes in her pink and orange wedding colors with her soon-to-be married name: Ten Eyck (yep, there’s a space).

Personalized wrapped sugar cubes would also make a great DIY birthday or Christmas gift along with handmade fabric teabags for loose tea.

For the sides of the sugar cube wrapper I used a super cool free font called Aierbazzi to make personalized bouquets. Each letter in Aierbazzi is a plant, and when you type a word it puts the next plant right on top of the previous one, creating a unique bouquet for your words and phrases. This bottom plant on the sugar cube wrapper says “Debbie and Tony” and the top one says “Love Kathy.”

When you fold the sugar cube wrapper, the plants wrap around the sugar cube showing their wedding date on the bottom.

For Debbie’s new married last name I used the free Ostrich Sans font from the League of Moveable Type – those guys are so generous to give away such cool fonts.

This was my second DIY take on Debbie’s shower gift. I’d first planned on decorating sugar cubes with royal icing like these. But then I saw these personalized sugar cube wrappers by Alejandra from Always Order Dessert. Hooray! This would be perfect. Alejandra used tape to wrap her sugar cubes but by looking at her suggested pictures of vintage European and American sugar wrapper on flickr I experimented and figured out how to fold and wrap the sugar cubes without tape {see step-by-step folding instructions and printable PDF template below}.

WANNA MAKE IT? Free printable personalized sugar cube wrapper template, step-by-step tutorial instructions and supply list –>

Supplies for making personalized sugar cube wrappers:

• Kathy’s free personalized sugar cube wrapper printable template – this free template says “SUGAR” rather than “TEN EYCK” – just use Adobe Illustrator to edit the file (or contact me to help create your own personalized printable sugar cube wrapper PDF for a nominal charge)
• Free fonts – Aierbazzi and Ostrich Sans
• 1/2″ Square Sugar Cubes (I used Domino brand)
• White paper – get the thinnest paper you can get, it’s easier to fold (if you print at FedEx Office choose their thin 24# laser paper). It would also be fun to try sugar cube wrappers with clear vellum
• Self-healing mat, rotary cutter and clear plastic ruler (or Paper Trimmer)
• Computerand printer

Please post a comment and let me know how this craft idea works for you. And share your own photos at the MerrimentDesign.com Facebook page, “I made it!” flickr photo gallery or tweet a picture to @merrimentdesign.

How to make and fold sugar cube wrappers

Cut out my free sugar cube wrapper template and cut out using a self-healing mat, rotary cutter and clear plastic ruler (or Paper Trimmer). {NOTE: The photos say TEN EYCK but the free template says SUGAR – just use Adobe Illustrator to edit the file or contact me to help create your own personalized printable sugar cube wrapper PDF for a nominal charge).

Place the “empty” side of the sugar cube wrapper on your left. Flip the sugar cube wrapper face down onto your table.

Place two 1/2″ sugar cubes on the sugar cube wrapper one inch from the left. I use my well-worn self-healing mat as a quick 1″ guide.

Fold the top edge and crease. The sugar cube wrapper should meet the top of the sugar cube.

Fold the bottom edge and crease. The sugar cube wrapper should meet the top of the sugar cube.

Fold the left side of the sugar cube wrapper and crease, making tiny triangles on each side.

Fold the right side of the sugar cube wrapper and crease.

Fold the left side and crease.

Place it on your table and fold the left and right sides onto the top of the sugar cubes to make a triangle point.

Fold the triangle point up and crease.

Now you’re ready to fold the other side of the sugar cube wrapper. Fold the other side of the sugar cube wrapper up and crease with two tiny triangles on the left and right, just like you did on the other side.

Fold the right side of the sugar cube wrapper.

Fold the left side of the sugar cube wrapper.

OK, now read this step before you do it. Put the sugar cubes on your table with the open end towards you.

Using both hands, crease it so that it is slightly folded in. You don’t want to create a triangle like you did last time – this is more like an isosceles trapezoid and most of the design should still appear.

It should look like this.

Now slip the triangle end into the isosceles trapezoid end and fiddle with it until it’s flat.

Like this.

Did you make it? Please post a comment and let me know how this craft idea works for you. And share your own photos at the MerrimentDesign.com Facebook page, “I made it!” flickr photo gallery or tweet a picture to @merrimentdesign. Craft and pass it on!

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

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!

I made this ring holder from a recycled cardboard egg carton as a gift for my friend Debbie’s recent engagement. Would you ever guess that this ring holder was made out of a recycled egg carton if I hadn’t told you? Is this crazy or what?

I’ve been eyeing our empty cardboard egg cartons before putting them into our recycle bin trying to picture something simple and useful. Then Debbie got engaged and I thought to make a ring holder.

Well, I realized pretty quickly that the pointy separator things on egg cartons are just too big to hold a ring — at least too big for my ring size and my fingers aren’t exactly dainty. So I played around with cutting and twisting and gluing the cardboard and figured out the best way to cut and manipulate the egg carton to create one small enough to hold a ring while keeping a nice shape.

I made a series of ring holder samples to see what style worked best. Here’s a white one…

…and here are two different ring holder heights.

I was so proud of Debbie’s finished ring holder that I almost kept it [just kidding]. Really I decided to make one for myself to hold my rings while I wash dishes because I do not like the feeling of having water under my rings, no not at all. So it appears that this ring holder is a great recycled crafty gift not only for a newly engaged bride-to-be like Debbie but also for an old married lady like me.

WANNA MAKE IT? Free pattern, step-by-step tutorial instructions and supply list for making my ring holder from recycled egg carton craft idea –>

Supplies for making a ring holder from a recycled egg carton:

• Empty cardboard egg carton – for best results use an egg carton with smooth rather than bumpy cardboard – I used Farmer’s Hen House Brand – Amish and Cage Free ;)
• Leftover paint (I used semi-gloss white for the undercoat and the eggshell Tiffany-esque turquoise blue from Elise’s table for the topcoat) or acrylic craft paint
• Metal washer (one per ring holder, get at your local hardware store)
• X-Acto knife
• Glue gun and glue sticks
• Q-tips
• Toothpicks

Please post a comment and let me know how this craft idea works for you. And share your own photos at the MerrimentDesign.com Facebook page, “I made it!” flickr photo gallery or tweet a picture to @merrimentdesign.

Grab an empty egg carton. Be sure to use an egg carton with smooth cardboard rather than bumpy cardboard; I used Farmer’s Hen House Brand – Amish and Cage Free ;)

Using your X-Acto knife, cut off one of the pointy separators at the base. Cut if off as evenly as possible.

Make a slit from the middle of the top all the way down one of the four slides.

Now twist it so the sides overlap. Pinch the top so it is as pointy as possible. Your separator will now have three sides instead of four. Glue it shut using a glue gun and glue sticks [and yes that is old glitter stuck to my glue gun; you never can really get rid of glitter, folks].

Now I forgot to take a photo for this next step so pay attention. You need to trim up the bottom of your pointy ring holder piece. But you are going to want it to lean a bit to the back (and make sure the glued seam faces the back). So use your X-Acto knife to trim off a the bottom of your pointy ring holder piece until it is even all around. Test it by setting it on your counter. Repeat trimming until you have an even bottom that leans a bit to the the back.

Cut out one of the egg holders from the carton using your X-Acto knife. Cut around it low as evenly as possible. If it’s a little uneven when you’ve finished, just run your knife around it again to even it off.

Flip the base over. Glue a small washer on the bottom of the base.

Now do this next glue gun step quickly. Run a thick bead of glue just on the inside of your pointy ring top. Quickly affix it to the base before the glue starts to harden.

By running your glue just on the inside of the pointy ring top, all the glue will stay inside and it will look nice from the outside. (Note on this sample below, I didn’t squeeze the top to be as pointy as the other ring holders – personally I prefer the ring holders to be a bit more pointy than this one).

Now you’re ready to paint. I have a crap-load of leftover paint so thought I’d make both white and turquoise blue ring holders. For simplicity I used white on all of of the ring holders as the base coats and then painted a couple of the ring holders blue for their final top coat.

So here’s where I got a little obsessed. I wanted a smooth ring holder. We’re talking SMOOTH, like mimicking a ceramic ring holder as much as possible. So I painted lots and lots of semi-heavy coats – like 5 or 6 of the white – using Q-tips over about a week’s time in the evenings while watching TV. I even let the paint pool a bit inside the base to hide the seams. You can paint your ring holder faster; just be sure to let the ring holders completely dry between coats. The painting gets a little time consuming but it’s worth it.

You can use toothpicks to hold the ring holders upside-down to paint the bottoms. Note that in the photo below I only have the washer on one of these four ring holder samples but I would definitely recommend using a washer on yours – it adds weight and turns it the ring holder into an tip-averse Weeble Wobble.

When you’re feeling pretty good about how smooth your ring holder is looking, go ahead and paint a top coat.

Again, I used sort of a heavy hand on the paint to make it look as smooth and porcelain-like as possible.

And voila! A ring holder made from a recycled egg carton and leftover paint ready to keep your rings safe and mess-free.

Did you make it? Please post a comment and let me know how this craft idea works for you. And share your own photos at the MerrimentDesign.com Facebook page, “I made it!” flickr photo gallery or tweet a picture to @merrimentdesign. Craft and pass it on!

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.

I whipped together this easy but clever hostess gift for my friend Wendy’s ‘Welcome Home’ housewarming barbeque: a potted mint plant with a teabag ‘card’ perfect for summer sun tea.

Wendy’s new 3-bedroom Chicago condo has a rooftop deck that’s easily the size of a large outdoor beer garden. No kidding, it’s really that huge – I’ve never seen anything like it in the city. So I figured she’ll need some plants to cozy it up a little bit.

I potted the mint plant in a cute white planter. Then I made a makeshift ‘card’ out of a couple Lipton tea bags, slipped them onto wooden takeout chopsticks and into the dirt.

Mint is right up there with basil as the perfect summer herb, from sun tea with mint (brewed safely) to yummy homemade mojitos. Housewarming indeed!

WANNA MAKE IT? Free step-by-step tutorial instructions and supply list for making my Mint Plant with Teabag ‘Card’ for hostess or housewarming gift idea –>

Supplies:

• Cute medium-sized pot (or if you want to decorate the outside too try this Vanilla Craft Flower Pot
• Mint Herb Plant
• Natural Potting Soil
• Wooden takeout chopsticks
• Lipton teabags
• Thin Sharpie pen

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 Mint Plant with Teabag ‘Card’ for Hostess or Housewarming Gifts

Assemble your supplies. The white planter is from IKEA and I bought a mint plant and organic dirt at my favorite urban gardening store.

Use your Sharpie to write a little notes and doodles on a couple teabags to make your “card.” Separate your wooden chopsticks and slip one into the label, being careful not to tear the perforations. Press the other end into the dirt and off to the party!

DID YOU MAKE IT? 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.

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. 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.

This free oven mitts sewing pattern was inspired by our new KitchenAid range. Bye bye cheap-o Frigidaire …momma’s got a double oven now with a griddle on top. And it was just begging for some nice oven mitts.

I made this free oven mitts sewing pattern shape by eyeballing oven mitts for sale online and then drawing around my hand. I like the oven mitt shape overall but be advised that it’s size medium-ish – if you want more room just increase the size a bit on a copier.

I didn’t want the quilting to show on the outside of the mitts – I wanted the smoother fabric look on the outside – so I quilted the inside first and then on the outside fabric. I even went to the trouble of pattern matching the stripes on the side seams like so…

It’s easy – I’ll show you how. The oven mitts pattern pairs well with my apron with built-in potholders and secret iPhone pocket free pattern. Now what to bake first?? Shane is voting for this.

WANNA MAKE IT? Free sewing pattern, step-by-step tutorial instructions and supply list for making my oven mitts craft idea –>

Supplies:

• Kathy’s free oven mitt sewing pattern template (PDF – for personal use only. It’s bigger than letter paper size so print both pages and assemble. Contact me for any commercial use; this includes etsy sellers. Enjoy!)
• 1/2 yard 100% cotton fabric – do not use synthetic (I used Heather Bailey Slim Dandy in Blue)
• 1/2 yard Insul-Bright Insulated Batting
• 1/2 yard of fleece fabric (I used yellow)
• Double fold bias tape 1/2” (or make your own with a Simplicity Bias Tape Maker)
• Air Soluble Marking Pen-Pink
• Self-healing cutting mat
• Good fabric scissors
• Good iron (like Rowenta)
• Ironing board
• Sewing machine
• Pins (I prefer glass head pins)
• Thread (I use my thread spool set)
• Computer and printer

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.

Print my free oven mitt sewing pattern template – or just eyeball some oven mitts for sale online and trace about 2-3 inches around your own hand like I did. Cut out and tape the pattern together – it was too big to fit onto one letter-sized sheet.

Cut out your pattern pieces. If you’re using a pattern like I did, here’s an easy way to pattern match the stripes. Place one cut piece face down onto your fabric, right sides together. Trace around that and the stripes should line up when you sew the seams. Easy peasy, yes?

For each oven mitt cut out these pieces:

• Two (2) pieces of outside fabric (cut one with the thumb facing right and one with the thumb facing left)
• Two (2)pieces of Insul-Bright Insulated Batting (see note below first)
• Four (4) pieces of fleece (see note below first)

NOTE: You probably could flip it and cut 4 pieces of batting and 2 pieces of fleece if you want to make it extra heatproof. I was down to my last bit of Insul-Bright Insulated Batting so I did it this way and it feels pretty heatproof to me. Also, quilting shrinks up the batting and fleece a little bit so if you want to get extra points, cut the batting and fleece a smidge bigger than the fabric piece.

Layer two (2) pieces of fleece on top of one (1) piece of Insul-Bright Insulated Batting and pin (I sewed all these in the evening so sorry for the crappy shots).

Quilt as you please. I stitched lines across the stack, turning when I reached the sides and sewing about 10-15 stitches close to the edge, then turning the oven mitt and sewing back the other direction. Repeat for the other set.

Place one (1) piece of fabric on top of the batting/fleece quilted inside. Now like I said earlier, quilting is going to shrink up the batting/fleece a bit so if you want to be extra perfect then cut your batting/fleece pieces a bit bigger than the fabric.

Flip the stack over and pin – I flip the fabric onto the bottom because if you cut the pieces the same size, the fabric is going to be slightly bigger so it’s easier to sew from the fleece side. Sew across the bottom of the mitt and STOP. Repeat with the other set.

Stack the two sets together, right-sides together. Your bottoms will already be sewn and the sides will be completely open. Pin it and sew around the mitt – remembering not to sew the bottom shut. Now if you want to finish the edges you could do a tight zigzag here or fight with your serger to get around the perimeter. I decided to just trim up the seams and go with it as is – the fleece isn’t going to ravel.

Stitch a line of reinforcement in the thumb dip area. Snip the fabric down to the threads. Ignore all my hangnails – desperately need a manicure.

Turn the mitt inside out and give yourself a little preview.

Open up your binding tape. Turn down one edge about 1/4″ and pin to the inside of your fleece oven mitt, right sides together.

Sew your binding tape onto the bottom of the oven mitt. When you get to the end, let your binding tape overlap a bit before cutting it.

Turn your binding tape to the outside and pin. Now I used pretty thin bias tape – you could probably use wider and this whole step will be a little easier.

Stitch down your biding tape close to the edge, removing pins as you go.

Your oven mitt is done! Now get started on your other one :)

Here’s the inside, soft, cozy and ready for cooking.

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. Craft and pass it on!

Today’s photo frame craft idea is all about recycling. I used masking tape pieces to cover an old red photo frame that I almost gave away to Goodwill and voila! A whimsical, throwback photo frame for Elise’s one-year-old portrait.

Anyone else out there make masking tape vases as kids at camp? At Camp Na-Wa-Kwa we took old glass bottles, covered them with ripped pieces of masking tape, and then used shoe polish to color them. Years later I saw blue tape vases on a floor display at Anthropologie and loved the idea just as much as when I was a Girl Scout.

Instead of ripping masking tape pieces I decided to cut them with scissors to make it look more finished. And when I got the photo frame to the shoe polish step I balked – I liked it naked and textured, just as it is. So this tutorial stops short of coloring the frame with shoe polish but let me know how you decide to finish yours. Personally I think it would be cool to make one using electrical tape – I am a sucker for electrical tape and that stuff comes in a bazillion inspirational colors sure to match any home decor.

WANNA MAKE IT? Free step-by-step tutorial instructions and supply list for making my DIY photo frame masking tape craft idea –>

Supplies:

• Masking Tape
• (optional)
• Good comfortable scissors

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

Find an old frame like these on ebay:

Take the frame apart, clean with an alcohol swab and let dry.

Start cutting pieces of masking tape either straight across, or you could cut it on the diagonal if you’d like, or rip it to be old school. Place the masking tape on the frame. Overlap piece after piece.

Curl tape around the inside onto the front.

Keep going until it’s layered the way you like it. I chose to have mine a bit transparent in places so that you could see some dimension and texture.

Optionally, rub shoe polish onto the tape and wipe off with a clean dry cloth. Repeat until you get the color intensity that you like.

Be sure to cover the back too.

COPYRIGHT NOTE: Please post a comment if you use this project – it makes me smile. And you can post your photos to the Merriment “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.