UPDATE: Congratulations to Liz! According to Random.org, she is our lucky winner of the box of Velcro. Thanks everyone for entering …and be sure to make your Velcro kid’s blanket! Did you see the free tutorial for my kid’s travel blanket with Velcro loops, Velcro pockets and ribbon tags? Well, the VELCRO® brand fasteners company …

I made this toy travel blanket for Elise’s first plane flight. We were flying to Maine and I wanted any toys she dropped to stay in our seats rather than fall into the filthy abyss of the airplane floor. Check out the Snag Free VELCRO loops on the blanket border to attach toys. Instead of …

This original Fourth of July craft was created for Daily Candy Kids. Welcome, Daily Candy readers! I mourn sparklers. The City of Chicago banned sparklers in 2007 joining most other ousted fireworks.  Yes, I understand that sparklers can be dangerous especially for small children yet my nostalgia for dancing sparks runs deep. What’s a Fourth …

My milk bottle caps DIY refrigerator magnets craft is a fun way to add vintage flair to your fridge. These unique and simple handmade magnets happily showcase these little vintage circles of art.

My friend K.C. MacQueen asked me to be an artist for the second annual Pritzker School Community Art Project: “Birdhouses.” Artists create a birdhouse for display in local Wicker Park stores. Home Tweet Home graced the front store window at Stitch boutique in Bucktown for two weeks before being auctioned off. I’m more of a …

The pincushion thread catcher that my mom gave me years ago is my sewing table’s best friend. Yeah, I know it seems a little grandma-ish but it’s no surprise that I’m a big fan of things that are both clever and cute. My free pincushion thread catcher pattern and tutorial is an easy beginner sewing …

My baby Elise is four months old now. She can hold her toys in both hands and sit up assisted. I think this big girl is ready for some colorful jingly oversized 5″ x 5″ baby blocks! I am really loving the colors that I chose …which sort of was a fluke. I just went …

At the risk of dating myself my sisters and I used to play with embossed label makers when we were kids. With the new “improved” models and computers that came out in the 90s, manual embossing label makers all but disappeared from use. I saw this Dymo retro embossing label maker while walking through the …

Hearts is the theme of two easy Valentine’s Day gifts perfect for spoiling the sweet toddler and tween girls in your life. First is a teeny pouch bracelet perfect for storing candies or tiny love notes. You can make it with either heart-shaped velcro and button closures …and you can hand sew it too rather …

Years ago I bought a vintage kissing couple pendant at a Manhattan summertime flea market. I wore the sweet thing ad nauseum, which you can see here in this summer cider and berry smoothie post that includes this photo of me fawning over Stephanie and Dale at the Green City Market. See also: ‘Make Valentines …

My niece Madison is universally and deservedly spoiled by all members of our family. I try to make her special handmade Christmas and birthday gifts like this one and that one. With our cross-country family — Madison in Arizona, me and Shane in Chicago and the grandparents in Michigan — I decided to make Madison …

I’m crazy excited to be a part of the Sewing 2010 Day-to-Day Calendar edited by Megan Smith. One hundred simple sewing projects organized in three-day increments fill this crafty calendar of the new decade. Featured MerrimentDesign.com projects include sewn poppy fabric invitations, bridesmaid’s applique handbags, Thanksgiving felt leaf placecards and napkin rings, and Chicago flag …

When Shane told me that he wanted to host our sixth annual Thanksgiving dinner I didn’t quite know what to say. Baby Elise was born on October 20th and I was crazy sore and beat. Flash forward a month and we’re all starting to get the hang of things as a family. So what better …

Got leftover rice? Make these delicious rice pancakes with my yummy rice pancakes recipe straight from my Grandma Beulah’s kitchen. Yep, this is the original recipe that my OG Grandma Beulah used to make for us. Along with homemade egg noodles, decadent chocolate pie, and fresh-off-the-vine concord grape juice, rice pancakes were my Grandma Beulah’s …

My coworker Danielle recently came back to work after the birth to her first child, son Otto James. We work together at a web design company in an industrial part of Chicago near Oprah’s TV studio and the legendary Chicago meat markets. So I thought it would be fun to make a book for Otto …