Zipper Flower and Feather Headband

For this project you will need two zippers, a small piece of felt, lace, hot glue, ribbon, and some feathers.

Grab your zipper and cut off the two ends. You can discard the ends as well as the zipper pull. These zippers are 22 inches. Separate the two sides. We will use three sides. You can save the fourth side for a future project.

Take your scissors and cut half way down the zipper. Cut this all the way off on all three sides.

Using hot glue. Slowly roll the end of the zipper in.

Add more hot glue and keep rolling in.

Keep repeating the process.

Until you have rolled the entire zipper and ave glued the end down. Repeat with the remaining two sides. You want to have three zipper flowers for this project.

If you have a bunch of feathers like this you will need to take them apart.

To do this just unwrap the green floral tape around the bottom and slowly peel of each feather.

Grab your three zipper flowers and cut a circle of felt large enough to fit all three of them on it.

Cut a strip of ribbon long enough to tie around your head. Fold it in half. You will want to place the felt circle on the wrong side of the ribbon and you want it 2-3 inches from the center of the ribbon.

Hot glue the felt onto the ribbon. Flip over. The right side of the ribbon should now be facing up.

Grab a few wispy long feathers and hot glue them in the center of the felt on the ribbon facing out.

Then grab your lace. Place hot glue around the outer edge of your felt circle and press the lace down on it.

Keep circling around until you reach the center. You can stop here for an elegant hair piece or add just a few pearls or buttons to the center. Or you can continue on...

Then glue down a few more long wisps of feathers and a large feather on top of the lace in the center. Place your zipper flowers how you would like them and see if you need to add any more feathers.

Then go ahead and hot glue your zippers down once you like the way it looks.

Tie the ribbon around the back of your head.

And you have a fun and sassy headband.

Wear it tied with your hair all messy! I love these big hair pieces that are coming in! So much fun to dress up your boring old wardrobe.

Quiet Book Page: Help The Gardener Arrange The Flowers.

On this page your child gets to use his hand eye coordination to take off and put on the flowers using buttons. They can trade around the flower tops and arrange them as they please.

Interview with Kim from A Girl And A Glue Gun

Hey gals, or crafty men if you are reading my oh so crafty blog I would like to introduce you to the fabulous Kimbo from A GIRL AND A GLUE GUN. She's terrific and you'll love to get to know her better!!! So read on...

1. How did you choose the name of your business and or blog?
I really feel like the glue gun represents me as a mom AND a crafter…..I do the craft thing with it but I also do the mom thing…gluing super hero legs back on and reattaching the hair bow to the clip.

2. What is your morning ritual?

Breakfast first (a bowl of marshmallow maties) check my email. Shower. Try to make myself presentable to society. Baths for the kids. Spend the rest of the morning cleaning. I’m a pretty big neat freak.

3. What inspires you?

Everything everywhere….honest. EVERYTHING……EVERYWHERE. I have a little tablet in my purse that is filled with ideas that I have gotten while I am out and about and had to jot down before I forget.

4. Do you prefer to sail, fly, or ride?

Ride. (I’m not a huge fan of water….flying I don’t mind but I love going for car rides with the window down.)

5. What is a little known fact about you?

Um…I’m a huge neat freak? I love my glue gun? I would take a bath in chocolate? I would marry my cricut if it was legal? I like to use…..periods….a lot of periods…… I should get paid to advertise for JoAnns? I can’t answer a question with just a simple little sentence?

6. What is the furthest destination that you have traveled to?

Washington D.C. (hey, I did it. Simple….except I just wrote this so I complicated it again…)

7. Share with us, your most embarrassing moment ever!
I might have passed out at walmart. (I’m anemic!) in the line while I was checking out….with my three kids and a cart full of groceries…but luckily I didn’t know anyone so no harm done! (except that I shared with you….so now everyone knows.)

8. What is your favorite color?

Pink

9. Who is your greatest influence and how have they affected you? Craft influence? Or personal influence?

My craft influence is http://www.abeautifulmess.typepad.com/. I found her blog and loved her…and then I found out that she was about the same age as me…and she had accomplished so much and was doing what she loved…it really got my butt in gear. My personal influence? Mother Jodie. (like Mother Teresa…but she is MY mother and I love her so much.) I am who I am cause of that woman. She gets the noble peace prize in glue gun love.

10. I say turkey, you say?

Gravy. (obviously I’m not a vegetarian.)

11. How do you spend your free time?

Watching movies and eating choc. I love to read, play games, and LOVE to take baths…but for the most part….I craft.

12. Give me a list of your everyday must haves?

Mascara. Chocolate. Shower. Prayer. Kisses. Sleep.

13. Do you have a lucky number?

yes.

Wait did you want to know what it is?
21
I was born on the 21st.
It would be my deal or no deal briefcase number.

14. What are your hopes for your future in both business and your personal life?

Oh geez louise. Um….I have been working on a children’s book for two years and would LOVE to finish it. I would love to help support my little family by doing something I love (ie craft) I want to move into my own home and decorate like crazy and raise my children to be upstanding citizens of the community (oh who am I joking? Just raise my children to stay out of jail.)

15. How would you spend $1000, with no strings attached?

Far too easily. A freaking awesome sewing machine….I’d go to Ross and buy some new shirts and the rest would be spend at JoAnns. I could probably spend it in like an hour.
Or I could be generous and take my fam to Disneyland.
Lets go with Disneyland. It IS the happiest place on earth. (Next to Joanns.)

16. If you could live your life again, knowing what you know at this very moment, what would you do differently?

Way too many things….honest…I don’t know where to begin. But I don’t want to dwell on shoulda woulda coulda’s. Live in the MOMENT.

17. If you could be a character from any novel what would it be and why?

oh my gosh. Not Bella! (Nobody shoot me.) I’m reading a pioneer novel so definitely not that one. I always thought it would be fun to go back to Jane Austin time. (mostly for the clothes) Let’s choose Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice.

18. Which genre do you feel gets the short end of the stick?

Rrrrrrr..um I don’t know. SKIP ( I can skip right?)

19. How do you juggle your real life and your blogging life?

Not very well sometimes. Blogging can really suck you in….I just schedule myself like crazy and sometimes I’m like, sorry son, I don’t have “play gold fish” on the schedule. I have got a new laptop recently and it is making things a lot easier though!!! (have I mentioned just how much I love my laptop?)

20. Which one of the seven dwarves best describes you?

Sleepy and grumpy sometimes. But for the most part Bashful. I am really shy and not comfortable around people I don’t know. I’ll just sit there with awkward silence.. I know…weird because I can write and write and write on my blog and usually make a huge fool of myself.…(which is one reason I love blogging!)

Baby Blanket Wrap Update

Alright. So I sat down last night and measured everything. Every step of the way. I hope this is a big help. Let me know if you have any more questions for me! You will follow the steps of the original listing here. This is just the measurements.

The first step is this: All the measurements are in inches. This is the blanket piece of the swaddle.

This line is the first fold line which is 1/2 inch down. (Please ignore the measurements in the next two photo's. They are not correct for a 30 inch blanket. Use the measurements above.)

This is the second fold line which is another 1/2 inch and this is the point which you sew.

Here is the finished measurements of the blanket piece.

This is the swaddle piece of the wrap.

This is the 1/2 inch fold line.

And then you fold another 1/2 inch. This is the part you sew.

This is the final measurements before you fold the corners in.

The first corner measurements.

The second.

The third and the fourth.

Here is the final measurements of the swaddle piece before you add the straps.
Please let me know if you have any more issues! Thanks so much!!! Please let me know if you make it and have success as well! I want you all too!!! I had no idea that a basic receiving blanket came in so many sizes!!! You learn new things everyday!

Quiet Book Page How Many Items Can You Find?

This quiet book pages lets the children find things. The clues also need to be answered in order to figure out what the hidden object is. So it requires problem solving skills much like a crossword puzzle.

To see the complete quiet book visit the tutorials tab.

Coconut Cream Pie

My husband requested a coconut cream pie for his birthday. He had one request. I make it. I searched for the perfect recipe and they were either WAY above my skill level, which isn't hard to be, or way to simple. So I mixed a few together and came up with this. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. It's super yummy!

BEST EVER Coconut Cream Pie with my Mom's Pie Crust.

Kathy's Pie Crust:

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup shortening

3-4 tbsp water

Mix flour and salt together in a bowl. Add shortening and cut in with a pastry cutter until pea size. Then add water until it forms into a ball. Roll out in flour and press into pie pan. Scallop the edges with your finger by placing your first two finger on the outer pie shell and pinch in between fingers with your other hand. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 minutes. Makes 1 8 or 9 inch crust.

Coconut Cream Pie Filling:

2 c milk

1/4 c milk

3/4 c sugar

1/4 c sugar
3 eggs, separated
1/4 c cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla
2 c toasted coconut
1 tsp butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Whisk 2 c of the milk and 3/4 c sugar together in a saucepan. Place the pan over medium heat and bring the liquid up to a simmer.

Whisk the egg yolks together in a bowl. In a separate bowl place the egg whites. In a third bowl dissolve the cornstarch in 1/4 cup milk.

If your coconut is not toasted spread it out onto a cookie sheet and put it in the oven.

Temper the hot milk into the egg yolks. You don't want them to scramble when adding them to the hot mixture. So don't skip this step. Take about 1/4 c from the saucepan and add it to the egg yolks and whisk it together. Add about 1/4 c more and whisk it again.

Whisk the egg mixture into the hot milk mixture.

Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the hot milk mixture. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until the filling is thick, about 4 to 6 minutes.

Keep your eye on your coconut. You don't want it burned just brown and toasted. Pull it out. The time will vary depending on your oven. But check it every few minutes. It doesn't take very long to toast.

Fold in the vanilla, coconut, and butter. Mix well.

Pour filling into the pie crust and cool completely.

Whip the egg whites to soft peaks.

Add the remaining sugar and whip the egg white to stiff peaks.

Spread the egg whites over the top of the pie. Place the pie in the oven for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown.

(Don't mind my messy oven. I neglect cleaning it.) Take it out and enjoy!

It really was delicious. I was rather impressed with myself. Because heaven knows I am not a cook or baker. And it really was delicious.

Let me know if you try it out! I think it's worth the exercising you'll have to do after you eat it! Delish. Scrumptious. Really. Try it out!

Mixed Fabric Flower Wreath

Do you remember the darling fabric flowers I made last week? Yeah, of course you do! Well go ahead and make a few and grab a twig wreath. Simply clip the flowers onto the twigs.

I added them one by one. I like the off centered look. So I started towards the bottom right and moved down around and finished to the middle right.

Stagger them and hide the twigs.

Get a ribbon and wrap it around the top of the wreath and tie it in a knot.

Hang it on your wreath hanger (or if yours recently got broke, hang it over the top of the door and attach it to the other side with command picture hanging strips).

It's beautiful and cheerful, and colorful, and just cute. Even if it doesn't match your ugly rental home door.