Lego Guy Play Case

While I was competing in So You Think You're Crafty one of my fellow competitors Kalleen, made a dinosaur land suitcase! It was adorable, and I so wanted my boys to have one. But two things. My boys would NEVER share one suitcase, and my boys don't play with dinosaurs. It's all about Lego guys here. So using Kalleen's Case for inspiration we got creating ours.

I used their crayola coloring kit cases that we had. All of their coloring items are in their cubby's!

I sprayed the entire inside with spray foam. I made some higher hills and some lower water holes. Don't spray to high because you will need to shut it, and the foam will expand a little bit more as it dries. The hills that I made on one side I made sure were lakes on the other so they would fit together.

Here you can see the hills and the valleys.

Let the foam dry completely.

Then using a knife, carefully carve it down so it closes.

Give your children different colors of craft paint and let them paint their land.

Let the paint dry and set up the Lego guys for hours of Lego guy wars and battles.

Stick your Lego guys in and shut your case.

To bring it along with you on your next excursion.

Hidden Compartment Frame

I recently participated in a blog swap. You know, where you send a gift and you get a gift. I was so excited when I found out I got to create a handmade gift for Nicole Leigh at Farm Girl Chaos. I skimmed over her blog to see what she was like and immediately fell in love with her way of living. I love the rustic, vintage, farm feel! I also read a post where she complained of this:

Having previously lived with one of those, I new I wanted to create something to help her cover that thing up more permanently, but let her have easy access to it.

I went and got two frames. One 10X13 and the other 11X14. The flatter the frame the better.

Stack them up on top of each other.

Get two hinges and slide them underneath the top frame. Line them up on the frame so the top frame is not hanging off the opposite edge.

Then remove the top frame and screw them down.

Now remove the glass to the big frame and fold back the glass holders.

Stack the frames back up and set them upside down on the table.

Open the larger frame and fold the hinges down onto the smaller frame and screw into place.

Now you can close the frame and turn back over. You will see that the screws came through the frame. It's okay, we'll get to that.

I made a photo and printed it in sepia-ish tones and then matted it with scrapbook paper. I added two elements, jute, and ribbon to give it that extra umph.

Tie two bows with jute and glue them over the screws on the front that were poking up.

Take your needle nose pliers and pull out the glass holders on the larger frame that you folded out of place earlier.

Since my frame is going to be used on metal I covered the back with magnetic strips. If you are hanging yours on the wall cover it with felt, to hide those screws poking out!

Add a little magnetic strip on the corner and then on the back of the smaller frame to help keep it closed.

You're done! Hang it up on your fridge, your wall, or your circuit breaker box!

Grab your dry erase marker and write yourself a note.

Open your frame and in the inside of it you can hide your dry erase marker or your eraser! This allows for easy access if you are flipping circuit breakers or it's the perfect spot to hide a treat or two from your sneaky kids!

I hope YOU LOVE it Nicole Leigh! And if you make a version I would LOVE to see it as well! Post it in my comments or up in my flickr group!

Surgeons Hat

My husband came home this weekend and wanted some fabric surgical hats. He is tired of wearing the ill fitting disposable hats that are provided to him in the OR. So while he was home and I could measure his head, I got to work. You will need to fit off the following two sheets with no margins.

Cut out your pattern and tape the stars so that they match up when overlapped. I actually printed off two of the patterns and instead of having to place them on a fold, I could center them on my shirt perfectly. If you want to do it this way, just tape them together on the fold lines.

Place your patterns on your fabric, or in this case an old t-shirt. He wanted it comfortable, breathable, and with a cool pattern on it.

Pin the top of the hat to the top of the side piece, with right sides together. Then sew together with 1/2 inch seam allowance.

Take a ribbon and sew it around the bottom of the sides. Leave 6 inches hanging off both sides, which you will use to tie. Fold the ribbon up and sew along the edge giving it a finished look from the outside.

And there you have it. Easy as pie! A stylish well fitting surgeons hat for your new on the horizon career in the operating room!

He's thrilled that he gets to be my model, can't you tell?

Tutorials

Just an FYI. My tutorial page is now working! All of my tutorials are linked up. Just click on the photo's and you will be taken to the correct tutorial! Thanks for being patient while I sorted through that mess!

Felt Cheez-It Crackers

My sons' birthday is coming up and I want our felt house complete by the time it rolls around, because he is getting a fun new addition to it! A Kitchen, he is going to LOVE it! Stay tuned for the tutorial on that, because of course I made it! So now I need food to fill it! His favorite snack is Cheez-It's and they were oh so easy to make it. Keep an empty box to use to store them in!

Grab some orange felt. I used 2 2 inch strips. Layer them on top of each other. Then sew down both of the long sides, across the short sides and then two lines down the center. I used red thread so you could see it, and I like the look of the contrast.

Then sew lines across the short way. You want two of them together because you will be cutting in between them to separate the crackers.

Then sew little lines in the middle of the squares. I only did 2-3 stitches per square.

Cut off all the excess threads.

Cut down the short sides of the crackers in between the double lines that you have sewn.

Then cut down the center of these. And there you have it! A box full of Cheez-Its for your felt playhouse!

Crackers anyone?

Anthropologie Inspired T-shirt Makeover

Just In Case you missed me last Saturday visting Michelle over at Someday Crafts here is my guest post! And don't forget to visit Michelle more often! She has some fabulous stuff and she is very, very kind!

Hey y'all, it's Shannon over at Shannon Makes Stuff. I am honored and giddy to be over here visiting Michelle at Someday Crafts. Isn't she just simply amazing? I think so. I am a mother of three boys and my husband is in his residency of Nurse Anesthesia school, and it can't get over soon enough! I LOVE to create. Everything I see inspires me. I can't ever buy anything, because I can just create it. Sometimes I think being creative is a curse. But I will gladly claim it any day!

You can follow my crazy journey of being the graduate student's widow. Over there you will find all the daily musings of raising three boys all on your own. I swear, I am a target in public for outlandish situations and comments.

You can purchase my one of a kind vinyl designs over at my etsy shop. Or check out my design gallery for inspiration at my Vinyl Blog. StakerSensations, it's the best vinyl around!

Or you can come visit me at Shannon Makes Stuff and see all of my latest creations. Which vary from felt playhouses, to anthropology clothing inspirations, to wipe boards, to pillow covers, to mod podge toe nails! You won't regret coming over!!! Here's a sneak peak of what I am talking about!

Foam Swords made from pool noodles and pvc pipe.

<>

Snowman Ornaments out of bottle caps.

And last but not least my Flip-Flop Stay On Straps!

So come on Over and Say Hello, oh ,and if you have the desire to purchase my creations you can at my other Etsy shop.

Now that you know more than you wanted to know about me, let's get on with the show...

An ANTHROPOLOGIE INSPIRED T-Shirt Makeover.

It's beautiful isn't it? Well let's create one of our own! Get a t-shirt that is your size. Turn it inside out. I got this one from the craft isle at Wal-mart for $3.00.

Cut around the neckline and make it a v in the front.

Then cut off the sleeves following the seam.

From the bottom of the shirt make a straight pin line to 3 inches above where you cut off the sleeves. This will make the arm hole smaller and will make the sides of your shirt straight to allow for bunching of your shirt when it's on.

Sew down the pin lines and cut of the excess fabric.

Take the neckline that you cut off and cut straight across the v-shape part.

Set this piece aside to use in just a moment. Take one of the sleeves and lay it with the seam in the center.

Fold it in half at the seam.

Cut around it, in the shape of a bow.

Then cut the folds. This will give you 4 pieces.

Take two of them and with wrong sides together sew around them.

Trim off the excess shirt as close to you can as the stitch line without cutting the stitching.

Take the v-shape piece that you cut off from the neckline. Fold it into a rectangle shape. Then take the bow pieces and pleat them in the middle and then pin them to the rectangle.

Take the other sleeve and cut it open at the seam.

Cut off the hem line.

Cut a piece about 2 inches wide.

Set this piece aside for later use. Put on the shirt and pin the bow in place. (See that awesome necklace? I just got it from my sponsor! I love it. Check it out here.)

Take the piece from above and cut it into three strips.

Tuck the ends of these strips under the rectangle part of the bow and pin in place.

Drape two of them to one side and the other one to the other side. Pin them in place. It's important to do while this is on so you can see where they will drape.

Head over to your sewing machine and sew around the bow completely and then sew the ends of the draped pieces onto the side of the shirt. Sew them right at the side seam. Only sew through one layer of the shirt. And then cut of the extra fabric.

At the shoulders make a pleat in the center and sew across it. Do this to both sides.

And as I always say! There you have it!

Layer it with a different colored shirt to add that little extra flair.

You'll feel like an Anthropologie rock star in no time at all with this shirt on!

Don't forget to bunch up that bottom of the shirt when you put it on.

Thanks Michelle for letting me take over the post for the day! I've had a blast letting your followers get to know me! Don't forget to come stop by Shannon Makes Stuff and become a follower so you can catch all my other great tutorials and exciting upcoming projects!