Easy Kids Journal or Drawing Book Tutorial

I love volunteering my my kids classes! The Kindergarten teacher has the best ideas and I get to make a lot of creative things for the kiddos to use. Today she had me make journals for them to practice their writing in. I'm not sure where she got the idea from, but probably from Pinterest.

I'm sorry about the cell phone quality photos, but I didn't have my regular camera with me.

You will need a large piece of construction paper, white copy paper (or lined paper), a rubber band and 2 popsicle sticks.

(I cannot get this photo to flip around!!!!)

Fold the construction paper in half and hole punch with 2 holes.

Cut the copy paper in half (or to the size you want them to be) and hole punch them with 2 holes just like the construction paper.

String a rubber band through the back cover and the copy paper. Then put a popsicle stick through that rubber band to hold in place. Take the other end of the rubber band and string it through the other hole of the cover and papers. Now string that side through the front of the cover and slide a popsicle stick through the end of the rubber band. 

Remove the first popsicle stick and pull the rubberband through the front cover. Slide the other end of the stick through the rubber band and you're done!

The Wide World of Geekery!

Ok, so my husband is a comic book/figure collector. I never knew that there were so many of these men and women out there until recently. I have been selling a bunch of my comic book wall hanging letters on Etsy, most for kids room decor. You can check them out here.

So now that I know how many adults are comic fans, it has opened up a whole new part of my crafty brain!

I started by making this jewelry box, which I absolutely love.

I just finished some awesome coasters with heroes on them.

 and just listed this amazing wine rack in my Etsy store.

Sometimes when I finish a project, I just can barely stand how excited I get to share it with anyone who will even remotely care. This is one of those projects!

Yoshi (Super Mario Bros) Handmade Birthday Party Invitations

My son wants a Yoshi themes birthday party, so we created these super cute invitations tonight. It was a lot of fun to make them with both of my boys. We had a crafty night and accomplished something for the party! I  am planning a couple of really cute favor/game ideas and will post them after the party!

Mod Podged Comic Book Jewelry Box and Cell Phone Charging Area

When I found this cute jewelry box at a thrift store for $2, I knew it had to be Mod Podged with Comics! Since it's a girly item I thought it would be best to use all female characters.

The jewelry box was in great condition, but had a couple of nicks and the paint was old. After being Mod Podged, the nicks are not noticeable at all! I removed the screws and hardware from the front and removed the glass pieces before working on it. I then painted the drawers and entire inside of the box black. Then I touched up some other areas as well with the black paint.

The only real problem with this jewelry box is that there is a drawer missing. So, after Googling ideas, I found an idea to drill a hole in the back and make a cell phone charging area...brilliant!

More Mod Podged Comic Book Letters

I have had a lot of interest in my Mod Podged Comic Book Letters lately. I am so flattered that my project has been pinned so many times on Pinterest!!!

Here is my latest creation:

These are so much fun to create and I love doing different characters. I also made the word READ for one of my friends that is a teacher. She wanted to hang them in her classroom. What a great idea! I am going to make them for my sons teachers as end of the year gifts. I had her send me a picture of them hanging on her wall:

Here are some other letters I have made as well:

You can find these custom letters in my Etsy shop here: www.melrowe.etsy.com

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Holiday Season!

Fringy Scarf Photo Shoot With Some Beautiful Little Models!

Today was a lot of fun. A friend of mine offered to take some really nice photos for my Etsy site. Her daughter and another friend's daughter were my little models. They did such a great job and the photos turned out so cute!

My scarves made really cute Christmas or Birthday gifts and can be purchased in my Etsy Shop here. I also have a large variety of adult sized scarves in the shop as well. I love doing custom orders, so if you're interested in something specific, let me know!

Stretchy Fabric Headband Tutorial

I see these headbands on Etsy for up to $8 each. A friend wanted me to try to make some for her girls. They turned out pretty cute! 

Supplies:

1/8 yard cotton fabric (this will be enough fabric to make 2 headbands)

4.5 inches elastic - I used 1/4 inch wide

sewing machine and matching thread

2 safety pins 

cardboard to make a pattern piece

To make the pattern, I recycled some thin cardboard. Use the photo below to draw the shape. The length across is 8 in. The height of the right side of photo is 3 1/3 inches. The height of the left side of the photo is 1 1/2 inches.

Fold your fabric in half, trace the pattern and cut with the folded edge on the 3 1/3 inch side. 

Next cut a rectangle about 6 1/2 x 1 3/4 inch. These are the 2 pieces you will now have:

Fold the main fabric piece in half lengthwise and press.

Sew along the long side, leaving openings on each end.

Pin a safety pin to the end and push through to turn the whole piece right side out.

Press open so that the seam in on the underneath side.

Sew the rectangle lengthwise.

Use the safety pin to turn the rectangle right side out. Attach the safety pin to the end of the elastic and push through the rectangle. I like to pin each side now and sew each end so that the elastic won't move.

Turn the end of the main headband piece under and put the end of the elastic piece inside that end. Sew across, making sure that you are sewing through the main piece, rectangle AND elastic. Repeat with other end.

That's it!

These measurements are for a child size. If you would like to make an adult size, just adjust the rectangle and elastic accordingly!