Valentine Felt Flower Headband Tutorial

Will you be mine?

Supplies:

Supplies(minus glue gun)

Felt scraps of pink, red, white and moss green(optional)
1/4 in Elastic(size chart below)
Hot glue gun
Sizzix (big kick)
3-D Bigz die flowers ( for this tutorial I used just the smaller flower)
Scissors

I rarely use my Sizzix for paper, usually just felt occasionally fabric. I use polyester felt a lot because wool felt is a little harder to come across in this small town(at least in any good colors). But it does work better on wool felt, with that said it still works great for any felt!

Size chart (this is the length of elastic you'll need to cut based on age)
Preemie: 12 inches
Newborn: 13 inches
Baby: 14-15 inches
Toddler: 16-17 inches
Child/Tween 18 inches

1 cut small squares of felt in pink, white and red just a little bigger then the flower on the die run all 3 pieces layered up through the Sizzix.

3 layers of felt sandwiched between to cutting boards and die

(don't mind my colors just what I had left in scraps)

2 Roll the flower holding it some what flat and starting with the little narrow part towards the outside of the 

spiral

begin rolling here

hold rose flat as you roll

3 Roll flower almost all of the way up leaving the rounded center to cover the bottom of your rose. Cover the bottom whith glue and press the center part over the glue Wa-La one rose done repeat for other two!

glue and cover with what was the center

flip down any loose parts and gently glue and press back together

4 Cut a small triangle and elastic according to size chart put a line of glue down the middle of the triangle and line up the ends of you elastic not overlapping(it will be too bulky and cause red spots or dents if you over lap) the triangle shape is KEY for the out come ;)

 

5 Glue roses to each corner making sure they are tight on the front and touching(if they are too close it might bow out but will lay flat when on :) just make sure you cant see the triangle from the front. And your DONE!  You can also attach small green leaf shaped felt if you desire or leave it the way it is. I added leaves for an example :D I hope you enjoyed! 

The important stuff! Please do not re-use this tutorial as your own idea - you may however share it all you want and are more then WELCOME to sell any finished products you make using this tutorial(if you have the time and patience to do so!) 

Tip - You can go crazy with color's or cordinating these with out fits for you little one - not crafty?! feel free to contact me or check out www.fortheloveboutique.etsy.com you can see in the "supplies" picture I cut out a ton! Which means many are being listed soon!

Thanks A Bunch! Happy Valentines Day! 

~Mrs.M

Celebrate Winter * FREE Pattern *

Celebrate Winter

Today was the mother of all storms so far this winter(school canceled, foot of snow, horrendous winds 60+mph and now rain!) ,  I thought why not crochet up something cozy for an up coming baby shower(flavor not known). I know from experience that working with this chunky yarn in a very small size can yield a pointy hat so I toyed around with it a little bit and found that this method is the best way to get a nice flat round top :D Enjoy my first ever published pattern....I have more patterns in the works!
I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. My mom and I operate a little Etsy shop BendBeanies.etsy.com (she writes patterns, I occasionally sell finished items - if I ever finish them ;)  But it looks like I am moving on to writing patterns as well! This was fun and if you try it let me know how it turned out!!!
Happy Winter!And Keep those little ones WARM*****

Super Easy and Fast, Soft, Warm Infant(Nb-3m.) Ear Flap Hat 

This works up in less then an hour!!!

Supplies: Hometown yarn or super bulky (6) yarn, size K crochet hook, and a large tapestry needle (the plastic ones seem best for BIG yarn)

Pattern: Abreviation DC = Double Crochet

Ch 3 

Row 1: In 3 ch. from hook 7 DC  join with Slip Stitch (8 double crochet)

Row 2: Ch2. 2DC in each DC around (16DC) Join with slip stitch.

Row 3: Ch2. *DC, 2DC* Repeat in each st. Join with slip st.(24DC) Join with slip stitch.

Row 4: Ch2.DC in joining stitch DC in ea stitch around join with slip st. 

Row 5 -7:DC in ea stitch around(25DC) (for a total of 7 rows, not including foundation row of ch 3.)

Do Not Cut Yarn - begin first ear flap. - *also make sure hat is measuring at what you need before going on to ear flaps see end for final hat measurements*

Ear Flap 1

Ch2. DC in same ch2.  DC in next 3 stitches (4DC)

Ch2. Turn. Dc2tog, Dc2tog cut yarn and tie off (first ear flap done)

Count 9 stitches and tie on(the 9 stitches is for the front of the hat(the back should have 8), in-case you want to add a flower or something, or so it doesn't go on backwards;)

Ear Flap 2

Ch2. DC in same ch2.  DC in next 3 stitches(4DC)

Ch2. Turn. Dc2tog, Dc2tog. DO NOT CUT YARN 

Ch1. Single crochet around entire hat and slip stitch in Ch1. Cut Yarn and tie off

Weave in lose ends.

Braided Ties:

Cut 6 pieces  of yarn  approximately 24 inches OR double the length you want (be sure to leave room to loop through and knot the braid)

Fold in half and pull loop through between the 2 DC2tog on the ear flap and pull all 12 tails through the loop, give a good tug(making sure you yarn loops over the outside of the ear flap)refer to picture.

Braid with groups of 4 strands together. and tie in a knot(mine might look different because I used a clear tiny hair tie then wrapped yarn around it just to see how it would hold up;)

*Finished hat should measure about 7.5 wide laying flat and 6 inches tall(not including the ear flaps) Adjust hook if needed.

TA-DA! It's fast, easy and warm! If you have questions feel free to comment or contact me :D

Calm Balm/Hiney Salve :D Safe, Organic, Natural and Momma Made!

My desire to make body products was out of pure necessity. My daughters hiney is endlessly chapped and dry, diaper rash cream wasn't cutting it, maybe even drying it more. I wanted something natural so I knew I could use it often with out harming her skin more(scary that baby products are so chemically ridden that it makes us think about how often we can USE it). I found a lot of what seemed to great natural products on the net but still spendy. So after a little research I decided I could make my own too! There really isn't a thing I won't try anyways. So I went to my LOCAL natural food store and got everything I needed for $13 bucks(which included a $10 bottle of essential lavender oil.)

Ingredients needed for your very own head to toe Calm Balm:

1/2 cup Sweet Almond oil(100% Pure Sweet Almond oil is a wonderful conditioning oil,a great emollient for softening and conditioning the skin. It is well suited for eczema, psoriasis and itchy, dry and inflamed skin.)

1/8 cup Beeswax (comes in bars of some shape, mine happened to be organic smelled more like honey than the natural beeswax??)

15 drops of Lavender Essential Oil(known for it's calming, natural healing abilities and antibacterial properties)

Heat Sweet Almond Oil in double boiler(my double boiler is a glass bowl in a pan with water)

Grate about 1/8 cup of beeswax and add it to the oil, stir gently till melted, remove bowl from heat.**Here is a good point to test the consistency. Drop a small amount on to a small plate and place in freezer, remove and check thickness. It's personal preference here if you want it thinner add a little oil and re-heat or beeswax for a more solid product.**

Once cooled (starting to turn opaque) stir in 15 drops of oil.

Pour into desired container I used a little glad container let cool at room temperature BEFORE putting your lid on:) I absolutely LOVE this stuff great for hands, feet, chapped cheeks face or behind (like my poor little daughters case) it does seem to resist moisture(while moisturizing), feels great on my skin and hers. Smells CALMING too!

Painting!

My Brother and Dad came down from Vancouver this weekend to help me break the seal and finally put some paint up in our new house. I always wanted to paint Ava's room pink with pink stipes but I seriously lacked the knowledge and skills to pull it off so I was thankful they "volunteered". So the recipe for her gorgeous room is:

1 gallon satin Alysum paint color from Sherwinn williams (wall color)
1 quart satin Loveable paint also sherwinn williams (stripes)

painters tape and skill!!

one good tip I learned is once we had our tape up for the stipes you go over the inside edges with the wall color, that creates crisp clean lines for the other color. Happy painting!

Questions? Feel free to ask I am glad to help!