Crafty Cowgirl Series, Episode 1, Tie Dyed Reins

Hi there! It's been such a fun and busy summer here on our little "Patch-A-Heaven!" We have been riding
horses a lot!! And as far as I'm concerned...that's perfect. I have loved and ridden horses since I was a small child. And that love has never left me. We currently have 6 horses here on our little farm, yes...I am in fact what you might call "horse poor!" (If you are not familiar with this term, basically it means you make plenty of money, but you have so many horses that you spend it all feeding, vaccinating, shoeing, medicating and taking care of them so it seems that you are in fact...poor.) Well, money or not, horses bring a certain joy into my life that isn't present when they aren't! So they are totally worth it. (And they must be, because I spent all day yesterday and into the night caring for one with colic and I'm still happy about it, but that's a story for another day.)

Today I realized that in all my "horsing around" that I haven't given this blog the attention and love it deserves. So I thought it would be fun to combine my love of horses and being a cowgirl with my love of being creative and crafty. My girls have always loved to tie dye shirts every summer which is a tradition for us, but I saw some plain white riding reins in my local IFA store and it sparked some creativity! I thought of how fun it would be to have some tie dyed reins. And that's just what we created.

My first thought was to do it like we do T-shirts by rolling them up around themselves to create a circle, then using elastics to section off areas for separate colors. I tried this, put it in a plastic bag all day, took them out, rinsed and they didn't hold the color like I had hoped. So if at first you don't succeed, try try again as they say! So this time, I clothes pinned them to my hog panel fence (getting really cowgirl now!) and individually dabbed on the colors where I wanted them up and down the reins using the bottle full of dye. I left white space in between the colors to allow for bleeding so the colors didn't bleed into each other. The reins are white cotton braids so if yours are like that just take it slow, if you squirt a lot of colored liquid on at once, it will just run off. So go slow and dab it on, while gently squeezing the bottle until you have achieved the desired color.  Then I allowed the reins to fully dry. I didn't rinse them this time so the colors are bolder!

I like how they turned out. This is a fun, easy project that would be fun to add some color and individual style to your horses life. Way more fun than plain white reins right?!!

Here are some pics from our tie dye rein project:

These are the reins before I started and the color kit I used for today's project.

If you use this method, I would highly suggest stopping way before the elastics (leaving some white) to allow for bleeding.

As you can see on the below pic there is quite a bit of bleeding into the yellow by the purple and pink so make sure to leave some bleeding space if you use this method.

The other method, which I used the second time is to hang by clothespins on a fence and apply the color wherever you want (again, leaving bleeding space.)

Here is our handsome equine model, "Tank" (we love him!) He's wearing what all the cool horses will be wearing this Fall!!

We love how our reins turned out! Hope you loved the first of our "Crafty Cowgirl" Series. Watch for more Creative Cowgirl Inspired Projects coming to the blog soon!!

Until then, have a Fancy Day!! And much love from our little "Patch-A-Heaven!"

Project Denim, Diminishing the Jean Pile, Episode 11, How to Make an Asymmetrical Jean Skirt!

Welcome back! Today I'm sharing the other project I made using my favorite, old jeans. I hated to let them go, but they were so worn that I decided to make something new out of them! Distressed denim pencil skirts are all over lately and I have wanted one. So I made one! Here is how it turned out and I love it!!

To make one you will need:
Denim Jeans that fit you
Sewing Machine, thread
Scissors
Unpicker

Directions:
Begin by cutting the skirt off about the knee or however long you want, keeping in mind to cut one leg a little longer if you want to do the asymmetrical look. Then unpick both the inner leg seams all the way up. And a little further in the front (like to the zipper seam) so you can over lap it later. Now sew the legs together in the front over lapping the original crotch seam so it shows in the front. Sew a new seam all the way down the front of the skirt to make the front of the skirt intact. Then for the back I cut one of the legs (that I cut from the original pair of jeans) in half the long way and made a rectangle that fit the hole in the back and sewed it to the skirt, I just placed the square on top of the skirt, pinned it and sewed, so there are frayed edges showing all the way around the skirt. The bottom of the square had the original pants hem on it and I liked the look. Then I cut the front of the skirt so it looked asymmetrical. Then I frayed all edges for a more distressed look. I left all holes and fraying.
My inspiration for the look was a Metallic Skirt from Top Shop that I saw in a fashion magazine.

My fav jeans before I started my skirt project today.

Here they are cut off at and below the knee and inside leg seams unpicked and opened up.

Here the skirt is pinned together and ready to sew. With my inspo, the silver, leather, metallic skirt.

The whole look!

And when I got this all typed up and pics loaded...I realized...I somehow missed taking shots of the back! Well another day I'll show you the back. I'm such a goof ball!!

Hope you love denim projects as much as I do and hope you have a great day!
Much love from my little "Patch-A-Heaven!"

Project Denim, Diminishing the Jean Pile, Episode 10, Moccasin Inspired Summer Sandal Make Over!

Maybe you have been wondering where I've been...maybe you thought I ran out of ideas...well I'm back! It's been a super busy summer around here with kids, lambs, horses, garden and potty training, ugh!! And I'm not out of ideas, I just need more time in the day, the week, the year, know what I mean?!

I have a favorite pair of denim jeans and I've had them for eons!! Seriously they are so worn!! And I have decided that they need to be turned into something else so I can continue to enjoy them. Distressed denim is so in right now, but mine were getting ridiculously distressed!! So I made them into 2 different things (and had some denim left over for another project later!)
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The first thing I want to share with you is a Moccasin inspired sandal look! Moccasins are a hot trend these days too, and I secretly wish Freshly Picked would make adult sizes, but until then I will settle for these!!
They turned out super cute and easy. And I think they add a little extra fun and sassy fringe to my sandals.

The finished project!

To make these you will need:
Denim
Needle and Thread
Hook and Eye closures (Joann fabric store) 2
Scissors
Rhinestones
Glue Gun or E600
Your favorite sandals to wear them with

To make them:
To begin start with two equal strips of denim about 10.5" long and 2.5" wide, (length may vary depending on size of ankles you are trying to fit so make sure to check that they fit around with room to over lap a bit for the hook and eye closures)
Now that you have 2 strips of denim I would fray the bottom and sides by pulling the thread closest to the cut and pulling it all the way out and repeat until you have a nice fray. Then fold the top edge over and glue down to itself using the glue gun, you would also sew this down if you want or leave it frayed, whichever look you like. Then working from the bottom, make cuts about 3/4 of the way up the strips, (stopping at the exact same place each time) about 1/4-1/2" wide, repeat all the way down the strip. and then I cut off the last strip to make a space so the strip could wrap on top of itself where the hook and eye are. Now attach the hook and eye by sewing in place. (Check the fit on your ankle before sewing so they fit perfectly)

Here is my strip I started with.

A closer look at the cuts along the strip to make the fringe.

Here I have cut just above the seam at the top, cut the original strip into 2 strips and trimmed the last fringe off one side on each strip.

Here I have finished the strips by hand sewing on the hook/eye closures and glued on some rhinestones so they match my sandals. I also hot glued the top of the strips down to the back of the strip, by folding it over and gluing.

To embellish and make these match my sandals I added some Rhinestones by gluing them on!

Here's my look!! And tune in tomorrow for the "big" project I made with my old jeans! Just in time for the rodeo!!

My finished project! 

How to Keep the Kids Busy This Summer, Have a Bubble Day!

My kids love bubbles! And the bigger the better!! To be honest when we get this stuff out, even the adults can't resist...it's a lot of fun. So my next suggestion for summer fun with the kiddos is to have a bubble day! We do this a lot and have some suggestions. We like to buy the biggest bottle of bubble liquid at Wal-Mart and then pour out into a round pizza pan. Then use either Joy Dish Washing liquid or Johnson's No Tears Shampoo to squirt extra soap into the store bought bubble liquid for extra big bubbling. Because the bubbles get so big and when they pop if the kids are little and it gets in their eyes the Joy might sting a little. I think the Joy works best for the bubble factor, but the Johnson's also works good and no sting. We like to use butterfly nets that we have cut out most of the net, leaving only the part attached to the ring (so the bubble liquid has something to stick to) and then dip the ring into the liquid, pulling it out slowly. You can also make your own buy using wire hangers and or sticks, making a ring and a long handle, then crochet around the ring making something for the liquid to stick to. (If you have older kids it's a perfect way to teach a simple crochet stitch!)  We have the best luck with huge bubbles when there's a slight breeze to help elongate the bubbles. My 6 year old is the master! She can make the longest bubbles I've ever seen!

Here are some pics of our bubble fun!

This is my mom, seriously you guys she is the funnest grandma ever! Wish I could be more like her...

Here is a look at the wand in the bubble liquid. Keep in mind if you do this on concrete it does get slippery so be careful! I would put the pans on the concrete (so they don't dump over in the grass) ,  and then have them dip and then move to the grass to run or make the bubbles.  Also keep in mind, we have yellowed a patch of grass when we did a huge amount and someone dumped it over in the grass. 

The bubble queen!

Another thing the kids love to do besides make the bubbles is pop them! And for this they like to use fly swatters, but the wands and hands work fine too. We usually take turns making the bubbles and popping them, some make, while others pop!

Keep in mind these are huge bubbles using a lot of bubble liquid so if they pop them over head they will need a bath after or they will feel very slippery and soapy! Or maybe playing in the sprinklers or kiddy pool after would do the trick!! Or just hose them off, LOL!

This is by far, one of my kids favorite summer activities, we hope you like it too!

If one is good...two is better right?!

Pretty sure you can guess how this ended! POP went the bubble!!

All Hail the Bubble Queen!

Next time we do this we are going to try the hula hoop in the swimming pool to see if we can make the huge bubble you can get inside! I just need to crochet around the hoop first! And buy a tanker full of bubble liquid!! Bubbles are so fun and hope you get out and try these with your kiddos.

Happy Independence Day! An Easy 4th of July Craft, Firework Bows!

Here is our Activity Day craft, patriotic flip flops!

Hi friends! Hope you all have a super 4th of July tomorrow! It's such a fun holiday with such special
meaning. I was looking for a fun, easy red, white and blue craft for my Activity Day girls yesterday. (If you aren't familiar with "Activity Day" it's a special bi-monthly, planned activity for the girls in our church ages 8-11, I have the privilege of being one of their leaders.)  I wanted something we could make, that they could wear on the 4th and something they could do while we discussed the significance of Independence Day. I have always loved the 4th of July, the parades, bbq's, fireworks and traditions. But I wanted the girls to really appreciate why we celebrate the 4th and what it means. So we talked about that and made these easy flip flops. Of course this idea has been around forever. And Joann's had flip flops on sale for $1 and I had access to lots of free fabric scraps so it was a win, win! But, then I had another idea...why not make some hair clips using the same method (don't know if anyone has tried this, but it worked great too!) They look like fireworks which is very fitting, and they were super fast and easy!!

This is a fun, inexpensive craft for camp, activity day or family reunion. You could make them using any color combo of fabrics to suit the holiday or affair. We did Red, White and Blue of course and they turned out cute!

To make these, just buy some hair barrettes from Joann, and cut/tear strips of scrap fabric about 1/2-1" wide and 6" long, then just tie the strips onto the barrette, using double (two) knots. And fill in the entire barrette, easy peasy! The barrettes had small, circular holes in the ends so I put one strip through each hole and tied them as to cover the metal ends.

Here are some pics of our creations:

Here is a finished firecracker bow!

This is the kind of hair barrette clip we used.

The fabric strips look like this...

Here is the little hole I was talking about. I thread a strip through each hole and tie 2 knots.

Here's one knot after threading through the hole.

This is two knots in the original red strip and another blue strip added right next to it.

If you continue adding more strips and turn the ties different directions when tying the knots it will look more like a firework and less uniform as the first two do. 

Here is a finished firework bow.

 Oh...and if you aren't familiar with the flip flop craft shown in the picture at the top, you use the same method of tying strips of fabric to the flip flops until they look full. We have also used this same method on a giant safety pin, (only filling one side of the pin) and then you can pin it to a hat or blouse to create fun, patriotic accessories!

Hope you all have a great 4th of July and always remember what it means and how blessed we are to live in the great U.S.A!!

How to Keep the Kids Busy This Summer Series Continues, Colored Corn Kernel Art Projects

Welcome back to our little "Patch-A-Heaven!" It's officially summer!! And we are loving it. Today I'm sharing a simple, inexpensive art project to keep the kiddos busy this summer. My kids love art projects of any kind. I have seen lots of kid projects using popcorn kernels glued to paper, but I've never seen anyone color them. So we thought we'd step up the art with some color!

To do this project you will need:
Popcorn kernels
Glue, we like Elmer's the old school white glue
Food Coloring
Card stock Paper
Zip Loc Bags and Paper towels

To make the kernels colored, just put about 1/2-3/4 cup of kernels in a Zip Loc bag, then put as much food coloring as you like into the bag also, just dropped onto the kernels. (We liked about 7-10 drops per bag) Then seal the bag, getting all the air out. Then squish and roll the bag (from the outside) around in your hands getting the color all over the kernels. The kernels absorb the colored liquid quickly and nicely. You can lay the kernels out onto a paper towel for a min. to absorb any excess color before using them for your project. And I would recommend that as it keeps little hands from getting colored too. In the pics my kids hands got colored because I let them do the dropping and then they put their hands into the bag to get kernels out and some color was on the inside of the bag. To avoid colored hands, just empty the colored kernels onto the towels instead of reaching in the bags.

Here she is adding the food coloring drop by drop. 

And now she is squishing the bag from the outside to coat all the kernels with color.

Working on his train tracks.

I love the look of concentration on his face!

Here are the kernels in the bag all colored.

Then allow the kids to use their imagination to draw what they want with the glue onto the paper and then push the kernels into the glue and allow to dry.

For my older kids I had them pick an object and then try to create it. One chose the shape of the State of Utah. I did the horse. And my youngest chose train tracks. It's also fun for the littlest ones to fill in a shape you outline for them. I outlined a balloon and my 3 year old filled it in. This is also a fun way to teach them patterns.

The best thing I find about doing these sorts of projects with kids, is that it encourages their imaginations and creativity, curiosity and they want to learn more!  When we were done they wondered what popcorn kernels look like when they are colored and then get popped....a project for another day I suppose!

He was pretty proud of his work!

Hope you are all having a super fun summer!

I had my cell phone there to remind her what the great State of Utah's shape looks like.

Until next time, much love from our little "Patch-A-Heaven!"

Easy, Inexpensive New Neighbor Welcome Gift

Hi friends! I've been working hard in my garden this year and I'm happy to say that it is paying off! I have an abundance of fresh, delicious produce. To share some of that garden goodness and say "Hello" to some new neighbors who have moved into our area, I made these really easy boxes with card stock, decorated them with lettering, using my Cricut Explore Machine, and filled them with fresh lettuce from the garden. I think they turned out really cute, so I thought I would share.

To make them you will need:
Card stock Paper, 12x12 size
Tape, I used a cute printed Washi Tape
Modge Podge as adhesive for lettering if you use a Cricut, and a sponge brush to apply the Modge Podge
Markers to write a cute note, or use your Cricut if you have one
And filler, I used lettuce

To make the box:
Make 2 marks on 2 sides of the 12x12 paper, on opposite ends, the lines should be made 4" in from each side and 3" deep into the paper. (Do this on both, opposing ends, leaving the other 2 sides alone)
Then cut those lines you drew. Now, fold the middle flap up at the end of the cut, do this on both sides, then fold the other two flaps up at the end mark also. Then you need to fold the outside flaps to create a fold on the bottom, long sides of the bottom of the box.


Here are some pics that should help with folding. Then you fold and tape to make the box.
I used my Cricut Explore to make text that says "Lettuce Be Friends!" I then Modge Podged it onto the boxes and then filled with fresh lettuce. This was an easy, inexpensive way to say "Welcome" to our neighborhood!

From our little "Patch-A-Heaven",


"Lettuce" all have a wonderful day!!