Some of my favorite projects are creating with my kids.

When they get ideas and I can make their concepts in real life it's really fun and creatively fulfilling.

RJ is getting older and more interested in making things himself.

Our girls enjoy the dollhouse I made Ellie for Christmas more as they get older, and the peg people family is one of my favorite toys I've made them.  We have male and female dolls, but I guess RJ wanted a doll that was more superhero than human...

The last few years for my husband's birthday I've made him a "nerd shirt".

Previous years:

Spreadsheet Lover

 Bracket Master

Maurice Moss

So for this birthday he got Kip:

Follow the paint instructions about dry time and possible heat sealing with a dry iron.

For the text, I wanted it to look hand "written" and similar to the font of the movie title.

To stabilize the knit t-shirt so I could paint the letters, I ironed freezer paper on the wrong side to keep it from stretching as I sloppily painted the words.

Happy Birthday Rhett!

I hope your wildest dreams come true.

 My husband got home from work and came up where I was changing the baby's diaper and asked if I thought it was OK RJ was in the basement drawing on a shirt with a permanent marker.

WHAT?

I ran down there to see him holding up this shirt smiling.

Initially I was really mad.

"It's those fish that can crawl on sand, then they get back in the water, just follow the arrows".

Then I decided I couldn't really get mad at him for making the shirt as he sees me make crap all the time.

But we had a new rule about permanent markers and asking before you make your own clothes.

I don't want creativity to be against the rules, I'd just like some control over where he lands his next big idea.

He was pretty proud of his shirt.
I was pretty impressed myself.

My favorite part is his own head on the top with a cartoon bubble holding his name "RJ" and the fact his head looks like a troll doll.

You can always buy the fake ones, but I like the fact this is actually real leaves and has a lot of different colors in it...plus it was free!

I'm not sure how long it will last, I'm hoping a few years.

The glycerin really makes the leaves have quite a long life span from other projects I've done.

Before the real post:
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I HATE LEGOS!
My son only asked Santa for two things last year, and unfortunately one was Legos.
I understand why kids would love them, building anything they want and often with trendy Star Wars or Harry Potter themes.
I dreaded the tiny pieces to be lost, stepped on, vacuumed up, or mainly a toy that is such a pain to clean up.
But my husband got a Lego set for our son for Christmas and I’ve hated them as much as I thought I would.

We’ve stored them in a Tupperware, but they still get everywhere and it is an overwhelming job for my 4 year old to clean them all up by himself.  So I end up having to help clean them up the majority of the time, not to mention stepping on the sneaky one that didn’t make it in the Tupperware that ticks me off and makes me curse Legos!

So I saw these block/ lego mats popping up on Pinterest a while ago and finally made my own version.
Because it’s not my original idea I didn’t do a tutorial, but here’s an in depth version of one of the first lego mats I saw from Toni at Make It Perfect.

So details on my mat:
-one layer: rather than having two sides, this is one huge circle from nylon rip stop fabric.
I bought 2 yards that made one 60” diameter circle and had leftover for the book pouch
-drawstring casing: I serged the raw edges of the nylon, then sewed around the circle with a long stitch length 1” from the edge.  This basting stitch made it easier to turn the edges of the circle once to make a 1/2” wide channel for the drawstrings.
-double pull drawstring: I used mason line to have to drawstrings that pull opposite from each other like you find in cheap little tote backpacks.
The openings for the drawstrings were just two buttonholes on each side of the circle, and I used a safety pin to thread the rope around the circle, then tied the ends in knots.
-book pouch: oh the annoying instruction books.  I don’t want to store them myself, so I made a zip pouch for the instructions just in case he ever cares to actually create the original structures.
Basically I sewed a 9” zipper into a larger rectangle and serged around the edges, then on the back of the mat I top-stitched the rectangle on. 

So the books are zipped on the bottom of the mat, and he does sit on them while he plays.

So far it’s been awesome. 
He keeps all the Legos on the mat while he plays and when he’s done we cinch up the mat and clean up is 15 seconds rather than the 10 to 15 minutes trying to coach him to clean up all the pieces strewn everywhere.

I’m not that good at accessorizing, but I found this tutorial to make your own filigree earrings on pinterest and made a few sets.
I couldn’t find the charms any where locally, and finally got them at Hobby Lobby. 
I glazed the green, but left the rest solid. The orange are a splatter of yellow and orange.

I just used the standard earring tops and opened the bottom loop with needle nosed pliers, plopped on the filigree, then squashed it shut.
Really easy and affordable.

 Ombre Pleated Pillow Cover

SUPPLIES:
-pillow form (16")

-backing fabric (1 yard)

-scraps for colored strips

-invisible thread

1. Cut Strips:

For a 16" pillow, you'll cut strips for the pillow front:

Colors: 11 strips 2.5" wide and 17" long (for my ombre: 1 white, 2 of each transition color, then 4 of darkest)

Backing: 12 strips 2" wide and 17" long

I usually prefer envelope pillow covers, so for the back of the pillow you'll need rectangles:

17"x 12" and 17" x 10"

2. Sew Strips Together

Using a 1/4" seam allowance, alternate between a backing strip and your contrasting colored strips to chain sew them into a panel, making sure to sew your ombre pattern as you go.

3. Create Pleats

You'll next fold the panel right sides togther for each pleat you'll make.  This will bring the seams on either side of a contrasting colored strip together, making the pleat fold on itself.  Sew along the seams, conecting the two backing strips together and causing each colored strips to stand up off the backing layers.

Repeat across your panel, creating the pleats. 

 4. Create Zig-Zag Texture

Placing panel with strips horizontally, chalk in two lines, the first 3" from raw edge, the second 6" from first line or 9" from raw edge.

Using invisible thread, sew down these lines, holding all the pleats in the same direction.

 5. Press Pillow Front

I use my iron and press the pillow front along the length (up and down) of the pleats rather than across.

You're finished!

You could use all one color on the pleats, mix prints, or play with different fabrics textures like sheer organza or lace.  This pleated zig-zag technique could also be used on tote bags, backpacks, clutches and more!