Dear Creatives, I am starting to sew some aprons for Haiti using a pattern & tutorial I came across. This volunteer apron project is going on at Craft Hope until the end of May if you haven’t heard of it. It is for a great cause & I did a little round up of easy to do apron tutorials! Yes, you can make one in ten minutes or more if you want to join in. I promise to share what I make, but being so busy this week I don’t have time for pictures, editing…  { all about the apron project & address at end of post} First up the tutorials & patterns.

This is a 10 minute apron tutorial for a pillow case apron from Betz White.

Quick & Easy Apron Tutorial via Feathered Nest

•  Quick & Easy Apron Tutorial 
• Apron Tutorial Shinyhappyworld.com via WendiGratz who has more options
• Simple Tea Towel Apron
• Lined Apron Tutorial 

Tutorial  & Pattern Round Ups 

• Tip Nut 40 Free Apron Tutorials 
• ChickenSense.com Apron Tutorials  {at least 40}
• Craft Sew
• Simply Frugal

Craft Hope Project # 17

It is unlikely that the average Haitian woman will ever receive anything that is special and pretty, something just for herself. Daily life for the Haitian woman is grueling and backbreaking. Most have to carry 5-gallon buckets of water on their heads from miles away. Cooking is done in a pit in the ground from handmade charcoal. The few pieces of clothing they have are washed in the river and hung to dry. To receive something as precious as an apron made with love from pretty new fabrics would go a long way in making a Haitian women feel special. We would love for you to join us as we sew and collect aprons for the women of Haiti!

Craft Hope on Facebook – Aprons for Haiti

Guidelines for Project Apron:

• –Pretty-but-practical full or half aprons (nothing too frilly, ruffly or lacey)
• –Washable fabrics only please
• –Pockets are a plus
• –You may include a handwritten note with your apron if you like. Someone will be available to translate when we deliver the aprons

Please send all aprons to:
HAITI BY HAND
3333 Benton Road
Cedar Hill TN 37032
–Contact Rebecca at haitibyhand@att.net with any questions.

For more information about Haiti by Hand please visit their blog at www.haitibyhand.typepad.com

Deadline: May 31, 2012

If you are just learning to sew Aprons are a great starter project! Join in if you like!

Do you sew?

Have you heard of Craft Hope? Have you done any other projects for Craft Hope? 

]]> http://www.dearcreatives.com/apron-patterns-tutorials-sewing-aprons-for-haiti/feed/ 1 http://www.dearcreatives.com/turning-10-blossoming-things-in-the-works/ http://www.dearcreatives.com/turning-10-blossoming-things-in-the-works/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 17:13:04 +0000 Fawn http://www.dearcreatives.com/?p=1378  

Dear Creatives, Yesterday was Sammie’s 10th birthday, turning double digits is a big thing. As a girl you are starting your journey to your own. Who you are, what you love to do, thoughts of where you want to go, the seeds seem to be getting planted.

This is a super busy week for us, with her performances at the end of it. Yesterday & today big, full run through s….At the end of the day Sammie had sadness about no big celebration on her actual birthday. Ah, ten is full of emotion. But a favorite meal & a trip to Cold Stone made things better, along with a little love.

One thing for sure turning double digits is a time of blossoming & although I wish I could stop time on some years it is a blessing to be able to see someone grow.

Not much crafting here this week, maybe a recipe & some creative inspirations I’ll be sharing. Here is a birthday card I made her on Polyvore. Tomorrow I hope to be linking to some fun projects that I found that I liked & you might enjoy too!

Things I am doing:

• Preparing goodies for the bake sale at her performance
• Getting ready for company through the weekend
• Re-doing & creating some pages for my site
• Working on tomorrows post (so I can be ready, unlike today!)
• Planning a new link up
• Finishing a book review

What things are you doing this week?

]]> http://www.dearcreatives.com/turning-10-blossoming-things-in-the-works/feed/ 0 http://www.dearcreatives.com/thrifty-tuesday-savings-discounts-crafty/ http://www.dearcreatives.com/thrifty-tuesday-savings-discounts-crafty/#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 16:08:52 +0000 Fawn http://www.dearcreatives.com/?p=1367  

Dear Creatives, Happy Tuesday to you! I have a few Thrifty Tuesday specials to share with you!

First up a new class every sewing ,crafty gal should consider. Now, I know that you should keep your machine in tip top shape & I’ll be the first to admit I will be joining hands with you to check out this class. The last thing I want to do is have to buy a new machine right now! So knowing how to care for it & deal with emergencies is being prepared! {girl scouts honor} lol  Race you there!!

About the class: Sewing Machine 911 Enjoy your class as many times as you want, whenever you want. Your access never expires. Free online Craftsy class, Sewing Machine 911, teachs all about the typical ills most machines suffer from, and how to easily remedy those pesky problems. Gain confidence in troubleshooting your own machine issues with my tips and tricks. In this class,  is discussion both vintage and modern machines, new and used. All of these machines can sew, and they can sew well when the user understands them correctly. Teacher says,”Work with me and get to know the ins and outs of your sewing machine, including the basic components of each machine, spotting symptoms, knowing when to take your machine to a professional, and much more!”

Don’t sew! No worries, Craftsy has tons of free patterns & classes, along with ones you can purchase too! Anywhere from  quilters, knitters, crocheters, sewists, jewelry makers, and other crafters. . Check them out & see what their current offering are! I promise you won’t be disappointed!!

Off to update a few other discounts & I just might be back later with another! So be sure to check the goodiebag & drop down navigation for $off & printable coupons + more!

What are you crafting or sewing today? Or are  you just bargain hunting?

]]> http://www.dearcreatives.com/thrifty-tuesday-savings-discounts-crafty/feed/ 0 http://www.dearcreatives.com/strawberry-shortcake-yum-yum-yum/ http://www.dearcreatives.com/strawberry-shortcake-yum-yum-yum/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 06:42:11 +0000 Fawn http://www.dearcreatives.com/?p=1360  

Dear Creatives, If you are a mom I hope that you had an enjoyable day yesterday. I spent Saturday at the farmer’s market, taking a few floral photographs & was treated to lunch. Sunday I slept in, helped Sammie work on a photo book for her report & then made a lovely early dinner for the Mr.’s mom. I thought of my mom often during the weekend & even when I cleaned out a drawer I came across a note from her, I had to save it. It’s amazing how sometimes things like that just happen. Almost like she was saying I hear you.

When I was deciding on desserts having  been at the farmer’s market, we had picked up 3 baskets of the biggest juiciest strawberries!

So strawberry shortcake it was. With a little research I found a recipe that just reminded me of my grandmas & when I made it sure enough! Just moist enough, yet with a bit of biscuit taste, yet cake like. Strong enough to hold a mountain of strawberries & whip cream. The best part ever so quick & easy!

I had to share this recipe today as it would be perfect for memorial weekend or any summer gathering.

All I can say is yum, yum yum! This recipe is a keeper!

Here are a few more recipes. I haven’t tried any of these yet, but each  has a different twist such as cheat, light or lemony.

Want to cheat a bit. Here is one from Betty Crocker which includes using Bisquick.

Here is a spin a bit more healthier Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake {light}

Strawberry-Lemon Shortcake

How was your weekend?

]]> http://www.dearcreatives.com/strawberry-shortcake-yum-yum-yum/feed/ 10 http://www.dearcreatives.com/expressyourself-elmers-painters-opaque-paint-markers-projects/ http://www.dearcreatives.com/expressyourself-elmers-painters-opaque-paint-markers-projects/#comments Sat, 12 May 2012 16:21:46 +0000 Fawn http://www.dearcreatives.com/?p=1323  

Dear Creatives, I wanted to share some new products from Elmer’s & a project anyone can do with them! So first up the products & then the project (s) !

Elmer’s Opaque Paint Markers:

• New $1.97 price at Walmart for single Painters Paint Markers
• more selection and the new everyday low price of the single Painters Paint Markers
• They come in sets in if you wish &  in colors such as : pretty pastels & sherbert swirl
  • Medium tip size
  • Fast drying
  • Non-toxic
  • Permanent
  • Acrylic paint
  • Easy to use
  • Acid free
  • Photo safe
  • Can be used on wood, glass, ceramic, foam board, plastic, card-stock and much more
  • Great for crafting
  • Perfect for personalizing
  • Mess free

I picked up a pack of the Elmer’s Painters Opaque Paint Markers, 5-Pack, Sherbet Swirl: Ocean, Lilac, Citron, Coral & Tangerine!

To see my entire shop along with more finished product images check out my Google+ post/shop.

Click any images to enlarge further

 

 

I couldn’t help but, be inspired by all the colors & plants being offered right now for home & garden! I decided to do some projects that I will add to the garden patio & for my herb garden.

 

 

 

One of the places I looked for Elmer’s Painters Pens was the My Memories section of my Walmart store, but they weren’t there so it was off to the crafts section to find them! I could of bought them individually but, for my project decided on a 5-pack.

 

 

Before plain!

After using Elmer’s Painter’s, I still wanted that washed look so I didn’t go over it a second time.

 

 

Before

After bright, beautiful!  I see more of these little garden signs in my future!

 

Before lifeless, colorless mini planter.

 

 

I guess I could of sanded it first, but this happens to be the only side that was a little rough.

 

I did different designs so you can switch the look by moving the sides around.

 

This is the flower design I penciled in the rest is freehand. I think light  penciling in is best for getting a result you like.

 

 

These projects were easy, fun to do & I recommend you give Elmer’s Painters Pen a try I think you’ll love them as much as I do! So many uses for these pens honestly!

 

Have you used Elmer’s Painters Pens Yet? If so what did you do? If not what would you try with them ?

 

To#ExpressYourself & see all thatElmer’s has to offer & follow them visit these links:

 

• http://www.elmers.com/
•  https://twitter.com/elmers
•  https://www.facebook.com/Elmers

“I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric”

 

Dear Creatives, I have been seeing homemade hand lotions & lip balms floating around the web for quite a while. Swooning, pinning, planning & finally making some. I thought I would share the results with you along with the recipes I used.

Here are the products I used to make the homemade hand lotions all were purchased at our local health food store, but there are plenty of online resources. I will share more on that later.  One of the products Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil was one that I was sent to test out to see how I like it. Yes, I do! & it was perfect timing to have it on hand to create these hand lotions & creams.

I made sure to wash & dry the jars I was going to use. Having all your items along with area clean is important & having your items set up makes it so much easier there is no time when you are melting & stirring your ingredients! Down the road I’d love to buy a few pretty jars in cobalt blue, even smaller for making batches half the size. The jars I used were 4oz. jelly jars wide mouth.

Use the recipe melting all the ingredients into the pot, stirring the entire time until all is melted. Then pour into clean jars. Do not move once in the jars or it will leave marks on sides of jars with lotion when dried. So pretty. If you have small children make sure to put them far from the edge of your counter. It does take awhile to cool.

Here is what it looks like as it cools. These two I made more of a hand cream. To make the lotion you place the cooling ingredients into a clean bowl deep enough to use a mixer in. When it is near this cooled point you whip it good! lol

It looks like this. Oh, yes & if you are impatient you can pop the bowl in the freezer, but keep an eye on the bowl you don’t want to forget it!

Then into the clean jars. This will go a long way, be sure your hands are clean when you use it. Great for hands & legs, not for face.

I wish I could send you a jar. This is really easy to do. You can get all your items together & make it at home in a few hours with cooling time. They would make great gifts anytime. It does have a bit of oil to it but soaks in very quickly. We have super dry air here so this is perfect for summer & winter’s here.

I have this great homeopathy book. I read that you can put herbs in oil & infuse them for two weeks to make infused oils. We have sage, peppermint & rosemary…. I might have to try that, of course when I do I will share. Store at room temperature for up to 3 months, or in the refrigerator for 6 months.

Recipes used from or adapted from plus a few more:

• Recipe #1 -I thought I adapted from one on  SimplyHomemade.net but only could find:
• Rosewater Lotion Recipe
• Recipe #2 – Homemade Body Butter
• Homemade Lotion
• Natural Body Moisturizer 

This is the same coconut oil I used in my recipe that I sampled!

On sale at a great price if you’d like to try making your own lotion, of course larger sizes are available! (visit Tropical Traditions site for more options on both shown products & more)

Virgin Coconut Oil, Gold Label – 1 pint

& if you want to purchase a pre-made unscented lotion & add your own infused oil this could be an option:
Special Price! 8-oz. – Moisturizing Lotion – Unscented

Have you ever tried making homemade lotions or other beauty products?

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

His stories are so loved by many. His illustrations & words conjure up ideas far beyond the imagination holding no one captive. In honor of Maurice Sendak I have rounded up some crafty ideas all taken from a planted seed {idea} gone wild. I am also going to share a video I thought you might enjoy seeing.

Dawn DawnyPoo.blogspot

Where The Wild Things Are Tutorial & free hat pattern

A wild thing hoodie that was made for a children’s party

Pixiegennes

A decorated train case with Where The Wild Things Are images.

Courtney Russel Two Straight Lines

A Wild Things Inspired craft bag Tutorial by Courtney Russel

Nikkikkin.com

A two year old’s birthday party, table decor, party treats along with ideas look at what Nikki created. Nikki also created a post dedicated to him, but had only a week prior posted her Where The Wild Things Are Party. You can get lost in her party images as if you were reading the book.

You must read this article from an interview with Maurice Sendak to see why I posted it & it’s being shared via NPR Books

To find out more about Maurice Sendak

A great article & obituary about Maurice Sandak from Comics Alliance

& if you are ready to walk on the wild side & see more things inspired Where The Wild Things Are:

Fashions & Fashion Show

Bento- Food {kids would love} & Food

Wild Inspired Beds {adults will love}

I’ll always keep a copies of Maurice Sendak’s books in my home & I hope if you haven’t read any of his books you will! I promise you won’t be disappointed. Don’t forget to go read a book to a child or just for yourself today!

For you, What was the most special part about reading books when you were a kid?

]]> http://www.dearcreatives.com/maurice-sendak-where-the-wild-things-are-inspired-arts-crafts/feed/ 13 http://www.dearcreatives.com/thrifty-tuesday-mothersday-deal/ http://www.dearcreatives.com/thrifty-tuesday-mothersday-deal/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 15:59:41 +0000 Fawn http://www.dearcreatives.com/?p=1327  

Dear Creatives, I have a Mother’s Day gift deal for you or to give your mom! I hope to be back later, but we’ll see we are switching our phone & internet service today. Hopefully it will help things on this side of the site & on the home front. Who knows how long that will take. Good thing I have something to read. Which made me thing this just might be the perfect gift. Who doesn’t like to take their morning coffee & a magazine outside this time of year? or Maybe perfect for when mom is at the pool or park! What ever the case how can you pass up these deals?

& if you missed last weeks Thrifty Tuesday post was a discount on organic flowers & other gift items for mom! You can grab that discount here!

Remember for handmade gift ideas you might check out my freebies/projects page or resources to help you. (from drop down in navigation bar) Have a great day & see you soon with a homemade craft you can whip up for mom or yourself later!

What gift ideas or plans do you have for Mothers Day?

Dear Creatives, I sure hope you had a lovely weekend. Today I am going to share a recipe that is so easy! & perfect for the upcoming busy yard sale days, picnic season or just make ahead for when your busy! This recipe reminds me of my grandma & Sunday dinner’s with her. I created a coleslaw recipe from adapting two FoodNetwork recipes. I don’t usually make coleslaw but, thought this is the perfect late spring soon to be summer recipe.

Fresh & easy to make!

Why not just use the recipe? Well I am from the school if you don’t have all the ingredients on hand adapt it if you can & if it works add it to the recipe box. But, if you do have all the items great make it, then if you enjoy it add it to the recipe box. We managed our yard sale Sat. & although we didn’t make a bundle (not our intention) We cleaned out several key problem areas & donated to Good Will to help someone less fortunate. Now I am wanting to clean some more & delve into some more closet areas, well maybe just not yet!

Yesterday was rather warm here & the Mr. took the kiddo to the pool. I decided to stay back, catch up on a few things & prepare an early dinner so we can work in our little garden when it cools in the evening. We are on water rationing already! So we need to give the plants a good soak in the evening to get to the roots, as it’ll be a few days until we do it again. Now, you know how our weekend flew by! I promise a craft post this week perfect for mother’s day giving or just for yourself or anytime gift giving. And possibly another recipe + toss in this & that.

This coleslaw recipe is so easy! & you can even cheat to make it go by quicker. (Dear Sandra Lee, thank you for sharing some of your homemade secrets; Semi- homemade! ) I have to admit I didn’t chop all the slaw. I used a deli organic 3 color coleslaw package 1lb. (don’t tell anyone! & if you choose that route I won’t tell either! lol) Serves about 5 if you have kids maybe a few more if they are younger. Here goes I hope you try it & enjoy it! Plus I linked to the two recipes I used for inspiration & a few more. Any way around it your going to take a recipe to your recipe box! Here is the recipe:

ColeSlaw with Pecans and Spicy Dressing

Sweet and Spicy ColeSlaw

Savoy, Lime and Cilantro ColeSlaw & then I found these recipes which I’d love to try since I have been making quite a few Mexican recipes.

Cilatro Lime Mayonnaise ( dressing only Cook’s Note: This sauce is good with any seafood or fish, especially salmon.) I’ll be trying this to go with our Talapia (fish) dinner & I’ll share the results.

Summers here get so hot! There is always a salad in the mix! Hope your Monday is off to a good start & stay tuned for a new giveaway coming soon! Be sure to subscribe or follow along so you don’t miss out. PS. If you are looking for teacher gifts I have a few ideas under projects & freebies & don’t forget to support your local school, you can find it & free sign up for free by clicking sign up now!

What is your favorite make ahead of time salad?