How To Heat Seal a Ribbon

I know this is probably so simple and silly to some of you, but I've never had to "heat seal" a ribbon before. However I was working on a project today that included this as a step. So of course I had to look it up.

To heat seal a ribbon:

Simply hold the end of the ribbon tightly over a flame (candle, lighter, etc) and move from left to right once or twice.

(picture courtesy of http://needlesfabricandthread.blogspot.com)

Compassionate Service

At my church we have what is called a "Compassionate Service Leader". This person is responsible for making sure that other women and their families are taken care of. It can be anything from someone needing meals brought to their home after a baby is born, to someone looking for a good home for their old clothes.

Well....I was asked or "called" to be the Compassionate Service Leader for our little branch. So I made up this folder that will be passed around each Sunday during our meetings. Its very basic and self explanitory. The women can write down their specific needs or write down that they have something they're giving away or selling for a great price. It will also have my phone number in the front cover, in case someone has a very personal need that they don't want everyone reading about :)

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Thank-You Card

I'm not very talented at card making, and I have no supplies to make cards whatsoever. I have cardstock and thats it. But here's proof that you don't have to have all the fancy trimmings to make a homemade card that looks {halfway} decent....
All I did was type "Thank You!" on my computer and then chose a font that I liked. I taped the printed letters on green cardstock and cut them out. Then cut the border with just siccors, no straight lines. Adds character?

New Fav Blog!

Thanks to a comment given under my tote bag post, I have found a new favorite blog for project ideas. Its called Make It And Love It . I have yet to see a project on her website that I don't absolutely love and want to try! So check it out!

Tote Bag

Here's a picture of my most recent sewing project. I'm not about to try to explain how to make this. So click HERE to see the tutorial that I followed. I made my bag a little smaller than the tutorial's, and I also added interfacing to the lining, and covered some cardboard and stuck it in the bottom to make the bag a little more sturdy. It turned out bigger than I expected. I fit the contents of my purse, 4 diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, and 2 bath towels in there yesterday when we went swimming.

Getting Rid of Unwanted Knats

I think thats how you spell it. Anyway, you know how sometimes you get those pesty "fruit flies" in your house? Maybe from your fruit, or your garbage, or your inside plants? Well, here is a solution I heard today (haven't tried it yet):

Crush up a garlic clove or 2.
Place them in a cup of water.
Allow them to sit overnight.
In the morning, or the next time you water your indoor plants, water them with the garlic water.

My friend swears by this, so if you try it let me know how it works out :)

Goo Gone

I just have to share this with you. My husband, once again, left gum in the pocket of his pants. Which means it ended up ALL OVER my dryer AGAIN! I was so furious. Well, a good friend of mine let me borrow her Goo Gone because I couldn't find anything that would remove the gum without a massive amount of scrubbing. I sprayed this Goo Gone on the gum spots, waited about 2 minutes and it wiped right off...no scrubbing AT ALL! I was ecstatic! Last time this happened, I used another brand of goop remover and spent about 2 hours scrubbing...so lets just say I'll never go back.

What do you use to remove gooey, greasy, gummy messes?

Storage Cubes

I got this idea and the instructions from Crazy Mom Quilts. She has lots of amazing things on her blog!

1. Using 2 different fabrics, cut out 5 6-inch squares from each fabric for a total of 10 6-inch squares. If the fabric is thin/lightweight, use interfacing for best results. (interfacing is the stuff that you iron or sew to fabric to make it more stiff).

2. Outer shell: Sew 4 of your 6-inch squares together using a 1/4 inch seam allowance as pictured below.
3. Sew the 2 ends of your row together to make an unfinished cube.

4. Pin the 5th square to the bottom of your cube and sew with a 1/4 inch seam. Reapeat the process for the inner shell, except when sewing the bottom square, only sew 3 of the 4 seams. You will use this gap for turning and placing your cardboard inserts. You should now have 2 topless boxes.

5. Once your inner shell is complete place it inside your outer shell with the "right" sides together. Pin and sew around the entire perimiter of the cube using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

6. Through your gap, turn the cube right side out and sew around the perimiter once again using a very small seam allowance. Pictured below.

7. Using any type of cardboard box (I used cereal boxes), cut 5 sqaures each measuring about 5 1/8 inches. Don't use any cardboard that has a fold in it. It won't stand straight once your finished.8. Through the gap wrestle the cardboard into each side and the bottom of your cube.

9. Carefully sew your gap (I have no suggestions on the easiest way of doing this), making sure the cardboard doesn't slip out of place and you're finished.

Things I would have done differently: Used stiffer interfacing or stiffer cardboard, ironed the fabric before sewing it together, and I wish I had known a good way to sew up that final gap. It was awkward and difficult and doesn't look very good. But it worked I guess. Also, I accidently trimmed my cardboard pieces a little too small, so the fabric isn't as tight as it should be.

Sewing Machine Cover

My husband bought me a sewing machine back in February for Valentine's Day. A complete surprise. Something I had been BEGGING for. Well, come July and its sitting on my desk like this......unused......
So I decided to learn how to use it this week. My first project was a sewing machine cover. Sewing machines are usually pretty expensive, so its important to keep them covered to protect them from dust, scratches, etc.

I think my machine is a pretty standard sized machine...so here is how I made the cover. It took me less than an hour. Keep in mind that I cut my fabric too large by accident, so you may want to measure your sewing machine to get a more accurate measurement. Also, I wanted my cover to touch the table, but some people just want them to cover everything but the base, so its totally up to you. You can make it however you want.

1. First I cut out 2 rectangles measuring 17" x 14" and one long strip measuring 7" x about 45".

2. Then I rounded the 2 top corners of my rectangles.

3. Next, I pinned one of my rectangles to the strip. I ended up having to trim a little bit off the end of my strip because 45" was too long. But thats okay. Better too long than too short. Pin the sides and the top, leave the bottom open.

4. After pinning the strip to one of the rectangles I sewed about 1/4 inch around the edge using my pressure foot as my guide.

5. Pin the 2nd rectangle to your stip and sew in the same manner as the first.

6. On the "wrong" side of your cover, fold up the bottom edge as far as you need to in order to make a hem. I folded mine up 2 1/4 inches because I cut my fabric too large. I later learned that on a hem you usually fold it up about 1/4 inch, press and then fold it up another 1/4 inch and press it again.

7. Press your seem with an iron.

7. Sew your hem and your sewing machine cover is finished!!

Great Deal!

Have you ever heard of Dave Ramsey? Well, he's a financial guru who has helped millions of people get out of debt and take control of their money, including my husband and me. We've recently become debt free thanks to Dave and the feeling is undescirbable!!!

Right now, on Dave's website you can get any one of his books, audio CD's, DVD's, children's programs, and lots more for only 10 dollars each!!!! Thats an amzing deal! I think its only going on this weekend, so hurry up! If you have any desire at all to be debt free then you will love Dave and his ideas.

Thank You's

Just a little background: In our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, each ward (congregation) has what we call the Primary. Primary is made up of children ages 3-12. There is a Primary presidency made up of a President, 1st and 2nd counselors, and a secretary. I am currently serving as the 2nd counselor in our ward.

We often have to ask people to substitute teach a class when a teacher is sick or out of town. So I made a bunch of the above thank you's to keep in our closet and give to those who help with the kids. Its pretty cheesey, but I thought it was cute. I wanted to do something that went along with the month of March (like the candy gold coins), but I can't find them anywhere in Korea, so this is what we went with. I'm looking for ideas for April. I'd love to hear any ideas that you may have.

Fabric

Yesterday I went to the fabric market here in Seoul. I was OVERWHELMED when I walked into the 4 story building. 2 of the 4 floors were strictly fabric. Every type you could possibly imagine. I had my daughter with me, so I wasn't able to spend the time I would have liked. And I'm not sure when I'll be able to get there without her....So,

I've been desperately trying to find fabric online that isn't going to cost me a fortune. I think I've looked at hundreds of online fabric stores and have come to the conclusion that Fabric Worm is the best place to buy fabric if you MUST buy it online. He sells it by the half yard. Which is great, I can't find any other store that sells it that way.

The fabric at the market here in town was SO CHEAP!!! I paid around 2 dollars for a yard of 100% cotton. I've got to get back there when I don't have my daughter with me and I can spend about 7 hours just browsing.

PS I found this super cute quilting blog...CrazyMomQuilts. Check out her Ragged Squares Quilt. Thats going to be my next project. Once I get my fabric :)

Strawberry Yogurt Pie

I went to lunch at my girlfriend's house today and I made this yogurt pie for the occassion. It turned out so delicious. I used lite/lowfat everything, so it made it VERY easy to justify eating it :)

12 oz. Cool Whip Dessert Topping
16-24 oz. Strawberry Yogurt (or any flavor you desire). I just kept adding more until it tasted good.
2 any brand ready-made graham cracker pie crust (or make your own)
1 cup sliced frozen or fresh strawberries (or whatever fruit you want)

Combine Cool Whip, Yogurt, and sliced fruit
Pour into pie crust
Cover with pie lid
Freeze for 3 hours or overnight
Remove from freezer about 20 minutes prior to serving
Top with additional Cool Whip and Strawberries if desired
I like to crumbled graham cracker on top for a little extra decoration

Sale

Oldnavy.com is having a pretty good sale on baby, kids, and maternity clothes. Plus its only 7 dollars shipping no matter how much you purchase.

Snapfish

I usually upload and print my pictures from WalMart.com. Well, the other day I tried to order something like 200 photos and they wouldn't ship it to my APO address. So I tried Snapfish for the first time. The prices are comparable, but let me tell you...the quality of the Snapfish pictures were way better than the Walmart pictures I've been getting for years. And they often have great deals, like your first 20 prints are free. Anyway, thought I'd share my opinion.

Did You Know You Can Get it For Free?

I didn't know this until just the other day, thanks to my sister-in-law. Walmart.com gives lots of free samples of selected products so you can try them before you buy them. Click here to see whats available now. I know they have Crest Whitestrips right now, which, from what I've heard, are kind of expensive. So hurry! Unfortunately I couldn't find any samples that would ship to an APO address.

Dusting Solution

I have lots of blinds in my new apartment. In Korea there is a very thick black dust that covers everything inside and out. I've tried to use a cloth and dusting spray, but that usually just smears the dust and takes hours to clean. So I bought some of these little Swiffer Dusters and they worked wonders! I loved them! My blinds look amazing and it took half the time to get them all clean.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchilladas

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law and it was a big hit!

2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
Mix together in a large bowl

In seperate bowl mix
2 cups cooked chicken (cubed or shredded)
2 cups cheese
3 chopped green onions
1 cup of the above soup/sour cream mixture

Dip tortillas in soup/sour cream mix
Place chicken filling in tortilla and roll up
Place in greased 9x13 pan (makes about 8 enchilladas)
Cover enchilladas with remaining sauce and extra cheese if desired
Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 30-45 minutes