Pinterest Anyone?

I had this idea the other night... but let me start from the beginning before I tell it to you. :)

When we started The One Stop Giveaway Shop someone suggested we make a site for quilt alongs I think. I agree that is a fantastic idea!

Flash forward to the other night: I was thinking about tutorials and how to help spread the word about them so people can find them and use them. I also thought about the long list of tutorials for key fobs that Susan put together for the RATZ Swap.

Put those two together plus a little Pinterest and here's my idea! literally. It's HERE. on Pinterest.

Originally I was thinking that you could change the settings to let anyone post to your boards, so I figured I'd just let everyone post tutorials they find. But then I realized that people can only post who you've invited to post. Road block. But then I figured I'd just ask, Do you want to help me build up on these boards on Pinterest??? Each board is specifically catered to specific topics for specific searching! Well, check it out! There are loads of Tutorials: Quilting, Quilt blocks, Quilting techniques. (What can I say? I love quilting!) Sewing projects, Bags, Knit, Crotchet, and of course anything else can EASILY be added that I forgot! Like key fobs! Maybe I could add inspiration boards as well for any that don't have tutorials so they don't get mixed in. Anyway, so what about those wonderful Quilt Alongs? I figure since they don't really ever expire, I mean once their over people don't usually take them off their blogs. So I think pinning them would be a good idea! and all of this will be easier to do and maintain than another blog to upkeep.

Now what about all that Pinterest drama? As far as I know it's been somewhat resolved by their new terms of use? I don't know. But I either way I think some good Pinterest etiquette is definitely required! New pins pinned from their original source, including links and names in the descriptions. Giving the credit where credit is due is always nice.

Anyway, what do you think? Good idea? Bad idea? Do you like to pin and would like an invite to help pin your favorite items, tutorials, and QAL's? Boards are definitely not limited to what I have in there. That's just all I had time to think of for the moment. :) Shoot me your Pinterest name and I'll add you to the boards you want to pin to! :) And there's no pressure. It's not a race. But I think in the end it will be quite an awesome resource to turn to for ANY swap, or project you're working on! :)


Even if you don't want to pin, but you think it's a good idea, let me know too! :) A little encouragement goes a long way around here. ;)

My month for Bee a {modern} Swapper

... is not until July. 

BUT I know what I want to do for my blocks. I am SO excited. And I have to document it now or I will never remember. So here it is...

I want to make a Numbers Quilt! :)

there are 6 people in my Hive, so that would be 12 blocks. I think a quilt that is 4 x 4 blocks square would be nice. (so it's square. I just like that shape better for this. I'll make up the extra blocks.) Anyway, I am going to ask each member to pick 2 numbers between 1 and 15 (I'll make the zero block) and make a block for that number. In each block I'll want the actual number (i.e. "10") and then that same number of something (i.e. ten fish). 

How fun will this be?! I think my wee ones would LOVE to play on a blanket where they can see a whole bunch of different items and be able to count them! :) I love things that are fun AND promote learning too!

Some other notes to remember: 

• only one block of each item - only one block of fishes, one of trees, cars, houses, etc.
• bright and colorful colors that are the basic colors - only primary and secondary colors. There can/should be multiple colors per block - that allow it. (the number 1 would be a bit harder to incorporate lots of colors.)
• maybe each person can pick a 1 digit number (1-9), and a 2 digit number (10-15), just to keep it even?! :)

I'll probably come back and edit this post if I think of more ideas. :) Now I can't wait until July!!

Flopping...

Well, I LOVE everyone who is excited for the cash envelope sew along! and for those of you who've entered the giveaway! :D

But otherwise... I feel like it's kind of flopping! Yep, I'm just going to come out from behind this computer screen and be honest. "HI! Nice to meet you!" :) I think next time I try something like this I probably should be a little more organized, and... I don't know. Have any of you ever had giveaways or blog events? Did they turn out super awesome with a lot of response? or did they totally flop and fizzle into nothing? What do you do? what did you learn? Any tips?

Ok, I'm done with the 20 questions. Haha. :)

I did have one idea (get ready to meet Diane the dork!) lol. What if there was one spot where everyone could "advertise" all their giveaways? Like a blog that was strictly a running list of giveaways? Then everyone who likes to enter giveaways can simply check there and find them! That way you won't ever miss a giveaway, and those who are offering them will have a way to let others know about them outside of their normal readers. :) hum? Well, it's not like I don't have anything better to do, but the other night I put this little blog together: The One Stop Giveaway Shop. What do you think? I think it could really be a great thing, if people want to use it. Anyone want to join up with me in making this a happening thing? lol. :) (I think I've got it down to the very basics so it won't be so much work... just getting it started will be the big thing I think.)

What do you think?

Should I go with this?

yes, I know I still need more points on the bottom blue star, but besides that. ???

I couldn't wait

Did you see my post from last night? With my idea for a new quilt inspired by this pattern and Rachel's block? Well, I just had to take a break from cleaning this morning and sketch a little something up. What do you think?

This is of course a VERY rough draft, but you get the basic idea. I think I am in love with it. I'm not sure exactly how I would do the details, like the stems and such, but I think it would be so fun for a little girl. Perhaps my little girl?! (I sure wish I didn't have so many other projects that were first in line....) :)

Source: stitchedincolor.com via Diane on Pinterest

Oh, and I really love the fabric that Rachel used, so I would definitely go with a softer pallet. Not too bright, with a cream background (not my usual first choice, but I would like it here. ok, maybe white. I don't know).

It's been Pinned!

Ok, I've pinned SO many things, but this is a must do... or rather an inspiration starting point to a must do.

Source: thesometimescrafter.com via Diane on Pinterest

Retro Flowers by The Sometimes Crafter

Cute isn't it?! Rachel, over at Stitched in Color just made one of these blocks. Of which I LOVE the fabric she used for it. Which led me to this pattern. ($10) Cute, huh?! (maybe I should ask that just one more time. heehee.) Anyway, my first thought was how cute it would be to make a variation of this that would go a little something like this: (thought I was going to add a picture? nope. It's late. Try forming a picture through words...) :)

If you only had one flower per column, but they were staggered in height. Then leading up to them from the bottom you had leaves that were similar in shape, but more leaf shape. So then you would have 4 different flowers.

Anyway, How I picture it, I think it would be cute. How it sounds... maybe not. I'll show you a picture if I get around to trying it sometime. Until then, it's one more project idea that is now filled a page of my gigantic book of things to do. :)

(maybe I'll applique it. That might be faster...)

p.s. I finished my other Dec do. Good Stitches block! Yippy! I'll post pics tomorrow to complete your bee block overload for the week!

and don't forget the giveaway! Just a few more days left (what day is today?!) It ends friday.

Fab Finds: Sewing Projects

Some days, while blog hopping and project browsing, I end up with a million tabs open of things that I want to make... someday. :) Today is one of those days. Instead of just hiding them away in my bookmarks, I thought I'd share:

First I'll start with some fun projects and quilts from Oh Fransson!

I love this quilt made with Scrappy Hedgerow Blocks

This Charm Squares Baby Quilt would be a fast and easy way to use up some of my fabric and charm packs. So cute!

Here's the link to the pdf tutorial: http://www.sewmamasew.com/store/media/blog/SMSCharmSquaresBabyQuilt.pdf




Over at i have to say... She did a tutorial on HST blocks and has a whole slew of ideas on how to piece them together! She made this cute doll quilt, and I would love to do this for a baby blanket! :)

Over at Ruffles and Stuff she made these FANTASTIC Monster Pillows!

They really are big too! Bigger than a little boys head. How fun!! and easy.

They're made of felt, so the faces stay on super easy. There is also a pocket in the back to hold all of the pieces. Love it!

Love this cute dress I found at Little Big Girl Studio. And what an awesome cause!!

And this awesome Sleepover Pillowcase Tutorial at A Lemon Squeezy! LOVE it! :) 

My boys don't use pillows yet, so I have a while until I need to make these up, but I still love them! :) Maybe I should make some for Neil and I.

And then I found this Stuffed Animal Net Tutorial there too. We definitely need one of these!

Links:
Scrappy Hedgerow Blocks: http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2009/06/how-to-make-scrappy-hedgerow-blocks.html   

Charm Squares Baby Quilt http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2010/03/charm-squares-baby-quilt-redux.html

HST block ideas: http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/randi/2011/03/my-entry-1.html

Monster Pillows: http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/2011/02/celebrating-boys_28.html

Cute Girl Dress: http://littlebiggirlstudio.blogspot.com/2011/02/dress-girl-around-world-sew-long.html

Sleepover Pillowcase: http://alemonsqueezyhome.blogspot.com/2011/01/sleepover-pillowcase-tutorial.html

Stuffed Animal Net Tutorial: http://alemonsqueezyhome.blogspot.com/2011/02/stuffed-animal-net-tutorial.html

Made It: Children's Church Bag, Part 2

Two weeks ago I posted a tutorial on how I made my bags for my boys. (Which of course can be used for a million other things besides church bags. I've even used them already for bags when I didn't want to take everything in my purse. haha.)

But for the intended purpose, here are a few of the things I put in them for church, and a few fun ideas that I haven't put together yet. :) I have a LOT of links to some wonderful ideas, so I hope you have as much fun looking as I did. :)

First of all, I printed out this cute ABC Church Book, from The Idea Door. It was super easy to cut and laminate with my YourStory machine. Then I just punched two holes in one side and used the  Loose Leaf  rings and here's a cute book. :

I think if I were to make one again I would change a couple of the pages to use different words, or maybe different descriptions, but this works and my boys like to look at it. :)

I also made a few manila folder activity folders that I found from this site well, I can't find it, but I know it's somewhere in the links at the bottom. I'll keep looking and update this when I find it. I like it because you can print them out black and white and color them yourself, or print them pre-colored, which I did and saved a LOT of time. :) How easy are these? Super. Print, laminate, cut, add velcro, tape to the folder, and your done! :)

After a bit of use I think I want to make these different too. I think if I can find more churchy stuff (like more bible oriented ones like Noah's Ark) than I would actually make a fabric book out of flannel. When the boys take the velcro off it's kind of loud, and I think if it were simply stuck to flannel it wouldn't be as loud. Plus they wouldn't have to match it up quite as exactly - which also means they'd have a little more freedom to play with them. Here's how I'd do it. Cut out flannel pieces that are two pages across. Trace the basic outlines onto the flannel and draw over them with a fabric marker. Then use crayon to color the pictures in and iron to set the color (I love that idea! so simple!). Make a fabric pocket on the facing page and label the activity. Sew the pages together and your done! :) (I think it would take a little bit more detail to make sure all the pages end up in the right places, but I think it would work pretty well.) The other thing with these books is that the pockets don't work very well. All of our Noah Ark animals are always falling through. It's impossible to keep the pocket taped on when you're always trying to reach in and get the pieces out. See...

I also added a small handmade book for drawing. This was a practice book when I made all the books for the YW's last year - that's why it's pink and my boys are using it. :) On a couple of pages I drew some simple outline pictures for them to color. But mostly they just scribble right now.

That said, I also have some of these WONDERFUL Twistables Colored Pencils in there.

I love that they are washable/erasable, and if Jackson has a hold of them, we can just turn them down and I don't have to worry about him coloring on anything! I do really want to get the Mini Twistables Crayons though (I didn't know they had those when I bought these). Hunter likes to turn them out too far and then the tips break. I don't think I would have to worry about that with the crayons since they are SO thick!

I do also have another little book I put together. All it is are pictures of Jesus, and a few other pictures that are key to the Gospel, which I laminated, punched holes in and used the rings to hold together. I found these at the Church Distribution Center for very inexpensive, but I know you can also find some of them at Deseret Book. (Both places you can order online if you don't have one nearby).

I really like this, especially while we take the Sacrament, to help them know what we're supposed to be doing while everyone is being so super quiet. :) 

Ultimately we're trying to get away from bringing toys or fun stuff to church. We've decided that we want them to learn to be reverent and learn that it's important to be focused on what church is about. The husband is trying to get me to not bring anything, but I think a few things are alright. I think I might actually leave out some of the manilla folders that don't also teach, perhaps come up with some of my own stuff. But until then, here are a few more ideas and places you can go to find great ideas.

And of course when they get old enough to read, we'll add some scriptures in there too. :)

I really like this first book that is all about Jesus (or there is one that is on the Sacrament) - but my boys aren't old enough to read, so I think this will have to wait. (http://www.mormonchic.com/mommy/quiet_books.asp) Plus at this link there are more ideas, like the picture book that I made, a fabric quiet book that is pretty general (not churchy), and a photo book of your baby or family.

Links of all my bookmarks....

General Quiet Books:

• http://quietbook.blogspot.com/  --  An awesome blog totally dedicated to quiet book pages

Churchy Stuff (LDS and general Christian links):

• http://www.mormonchic.com/crafty/quietbook_church.asp  --  A fabric church centered book with full tutorial
• http://www.theideadoor.com/Printables/QuietBook.htm  --  tons of ideas and more links
• http://www.theideadoor.com/Printables/how_to_make_an_lds_quiet_book_by.htm  --  How to make a Quiet book, with lots of pictures to trace
• http://www.theideadoor.com/Printables/quiet_book_pictures.htm  --  a bunch of pictures of already made pages (here's the pdf file of them - http://www.theideadoor.com/PDF%20Files/Quiet%20Book/Quiet%20Book%20Pattern.pdf)
• http://www.ideasforpreschoolers.com/quietgames.php  --  LDS Quiet Church games/activities
• http://lds.org/hf/art/0,16812,4218-1,00.html  --  Gospel Art Picture Kits. This has a section for each book of Scripture: New and Old Testaments, Book of Mormon, General Gospel, Gospel in Action, and Church History! These would be great to print off and make themed books.
• http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000N433JI?ie=UTF8&tag=preschoollearning-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B000N433JI  --  a really cute Noah's Ark Magnetic Tin from Amazon
• http://www.makingfriends.com/friends/f_spiritual.htm  --  printable Paper Doll stuff. Cute stuff.
• http://www.scribd.com/doc/15776290/Sacrament-Meeting-and-the-Sacrament-FHE  --  Cute printable stuff on the Sacrament as well as an FHE lesson to go with it. - there are actually a few different versions. Probably more for a little older, but the pictures are good for younger kids too.

The actual pdf files of ideas and things to download:

• http://www.theideadoor.com/PDF%20Files/Quiet%20Book/GospelQuietBook.pdf  --  The ABC book, from The Idea Door
• http://www.theideadoor.com/PDF%20Files/Quiet%20Book/Quiet%20Book%20Pattern.pdf  --  Pages to use as quiet book (look at this link to see them finished: http://www.theideadoor.com/Printables/quiet_book_pictures.htm)

A few random links I had in my bookmarks that I know have some great stuff, but nothing specific in these links, just a lot more links:

• http://www.mormonchic.com/crafty/  --  SO many great ideas! I could look at this site all day.
• http://www.sugardoodle.info/joomla/  --  This site has endless info. A great place to add your ideas too. It's becoming a favorite resource.

If you have links to other websites or posts, or something of your own that you've made that fits here, leave it in the comments and I'll add it to my lists! :)

Thanks for stopping by! 

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