Category Archives: Projects

DIY Fireworks on a Stick

28 Thursday Jun 2012

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My in-laws take Forth of July fireworks very seriously.  They even own a mini cannon that gets set off when the sun goes down.  I wanted to make some safe fireworks for the girls to run around with in the back yard.  These are made using a variation of The Sweetest Occasion’s Tissue Paper Tassel pattern and a wooden dowel.  The tissue paper fireworks make a nice hissing sound when shaken, cost us under $1 each to make,  and are legal in all 50 states.  To make your own you will need:

*Tissue Paper

*Wooden Dowel (ours are 36″ long and 3/8″ thick)

*Twine

*Tape

*Scissors

1. Layer a variety of colored tissue paper in a stack.  (Our large pink firework has 8 sheets, the green has 5 and the striped tissue is made from 2 pieces on each tassel). Play around with the colors and sizes you like.  The more sheets you add  the heavier the firework will be, so be sure not to outweigh the strength of your dowel.

2. Follow these directions to make each tassel, (Thank you TheSweetestOccasion). We used one tassel per dowel for the larger number of layers and two on the striped fireworks’ dowel.

3. Once each tassel is made tie twine around the neck of the twist for extra stength.

4. Loop a piece of twine through the hole and tie a knot in the center around tissue.  On each end of twine make another double knot.  This will prevent twine from slipping out from under the tape when shaken. (We used a thinner twine and layered it for strength.  If you have a thicker twine one piece will be fine).

5. Tape twine to dowel above knots as shown.  Be sure tape is tight and wrap around a few layers.

6. Let the celebration begin!

Renegade Booth Inspiration

26 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by in Inspiration, Likes, Projects, Shop

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Thank you to all of you who stopped by our booth this past weekend!  (This post was meant to go out yesterday, but a lightning storm left us technology-free for the day).  Marissa, Marla and I had a nice break from the kids and got to meet some new faces at Renegade.  Here are some Instagrams from our booth:

*Letterpress business cards, printed by Woodside Press.  I love this place.  They are located in a cool old warehouse building in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and their space is full of huge old presses and pretty amazing views of the city.  I water-colored the card edges after they came off the press.

*Our table set up.  We used Instagrams of the girls modeling product and then had stickers made by Art Flakes.  The blocks were cut from a long board and stickers applied.  They stood up well to the bright sun and were a big hit with the crowd.

*My crowns on shelves made by Chris.  I am setting up an Etsy store soon, but feel free to email me if you are interested in purchasing.

*Laser cut sign.  Similar work can be gotten here.

*Marissa’s beautiful Soor Ploom clothes.  Purchases may be made on her site.

*Table Top.

*Table Top.

*Tassels that blew in the wind on the front of our booth.

DIY Handsewn Tutu

20 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by in Projects, Vintage

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Ada would dress in pink every second of her life if she could.  I tend to feel differently about the color, but there is one shade we agree on:  Ballet pink is a pretty perfect color in our book.  I found a bundle of vintage tulle (for $3!) at an antique shop and knew it would make a perfect tutu for her.   To make your own version you will need:

*Tulle (We used three different weights and about three yards)

*Elastic (We used 3/8″)

*Flat Seam Binding to Cover Elastic (We used 1/2″)

*Scissors

*Needle and Thread

*Chalk

1. Cut tulle into 30″ squares and then layer on top of each other.  (You can make larger or smaller squares depending on the size tutu you want).

2. Fold tulle pile in half.

3. Trace a half circle onto the top layer of tulle and a smaller half circle within, using the fold as the center of the circles.  (Our large half circle is 15″ from center to outer edge and the smaller inner half circle is about 4″ from center to outer edge).  This will leave a rainbow shape.  The distance from the outside of the large circle to the outside of the small circle will be the length of the tutu.  The center semi-circle is half of the opening.

4. Cut out circles and unfold tulle.  You will now have a doughnut shape.  The opening should be large enough to easily fit over the wearer’s hips.  If it is too tight, refold and cut out a larger opening.

5. Measure wearer’s waist, add an inch and cut elastic to this length.  (I left extra elastic to enlarge as Ada grows).

6. At opening of tutu, fold 1/2″ of the all the layers of tulle together toward inside and baste with needle and thread.

7. Stretch elastic and baste onto folded edges of opening.  The elastic will gather tulle and cover the rough edges as you sew it down.

8.  Stretch elastic again and sew seam binding over to hide elastic.  This will ensure both the rough edges of folded tulle and elastic are hidden.  Turn this seam binding to the inside of the tutu.

9.  Prepare for the show.

Cherry Rhubarb Buttermilk Ice Cream

19 Tuesday Jun 2012

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We had an amazing abundance of ripe cherries from our CSA on Saturday.  Once the girls were sufficiently stained I decided to make the rest into ice cream.  We added the rhubarb from last week’s share and the result is a tart and sweet pink mix.  Chris inherited our ice cream maker from his grandmother and it is one of my favorite summer tools.  Here is the recipe:

*3 Cups Whole Cherries

* 10 Stalks Rhubarb

* 1 Cup Buttermilk

* 3/4 Cups Natural Sugar

* 1 Vanilla Bean

* 2 Cups Good Quality Heavy Cream (Ronnybrook Farm’s is our favorite)

* 5 Egg Yolks

* 2-3 Tablespoons of Natural Sugar

* Splash of St. Germaine Liqueur 

1. Pour buttermilk and sugar into a pot.  Scrape seeds from vanilla bean and drop seed pod and seeds into the milk.  Heat on low until the sugar dissolves.  Turn off heat and set buttermilk mixture aside for about an hour.

2. Chop and pit cherries and place in medium sauce pan with the St. Germaine.  Finely chop rhubarb and put in another saucepan with the sugar.  Cook both over medium heat until bubbly and soft- about 15 minutes.  Turn off rhubarb and continue to cook the cherries until lost liquid is mostly evaporated- about another 10 minutes.  Cherries will be fragrant and densely syrupy.

3. Beat egg yolks with an electric mixer until they become a light yellow color.

4. Remove pod from milk mixture and slowly reheat.  Take out 1/4 cup of the milk and slowly pour into the egg yolks, while whisking constantly.

5. Pour egg mixture back into remaining buttermilk, slowly whisking as you pour.

6. Stir this mixture over low heat until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon.  (A finger run through the back of the dipped spoon will leave a trail).

7. Allow this custard to cool for about half an hour and then pour in cream.  Place the cream/custard mix into the fridge for two hours.

8. Pour cooled custard mix into ice cream freezer.  Add 1/4 cup of the cherries and make ice cream according to manufacturer’s directions.

9.  When ice cream is done, mix in the remaining cherries and rhubarb.

10. Allow ice cream to harden in freezer for an hour before eating.  (OK, this last step has never actually happens at our house).  Enjoy!

CSA Love

18 Monday Jun 2012

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It is that time of year again, and the weather has encouraged big early crops from our CSA farms.  The first week brought four pints of strawberries!  We love seeing what will arrive and plan meals around the deliveries.  Not having to buy produce at the grocery store is a luxury and it feels more natural to eat what is in season.  I like discovering new recipes for unfamiliar vegetables and it is exciting when a favorite comes back into season.  Garlic Scape Bean Dip and Kale Chips are two of the best.  We get our fruit from Wilklow Orchards and vegetables from The Farm at Miller’s Crossing.  Aside from their beautiful produce, the families that run the farms are lovely.  We are invited for a visit at the end of each season.  The kids get to see where their food has come from and meet the people who have worked so hard to get it to our table.

Stripey Ice Pops

14 Thursday Jun 2012

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Can you tell we are ready for summer around here?  Ada has been counting the days until popsicle season and we finally got some in the freezer.  Last summer she got really excited about making ice pops but would never finish the last few bites.  So this year we are trying stripes.  The stripes look pretty and each color is a different flavor.  We mixed in yogurt and soy milk along with fresh fruit so they are colorful and healthy.  To make your own you will need:

*Popsicle Molds (or Paper cups and spoons work too)

*Fruit (We used watermelon and strawberries)

*Juice (We used apple and coconut water)

*Yogurt and Milk of your choice

*Blender

*Freezer

1. Puree fruit in blender until smooth and mix as desired.  Pour each color of juice into its own cup.  Our stripes contain: pureed watermelon, apple juice, pureed stawberries and yogurt, pureed watermelon and soy milk, coconut water.

2. Pour in the first layer and let freeze for about 20 minutes.  Freezer temperatures may vary.

3. Continue adding stripes and freezing for about 20 minutes each time.  The pops should be firm enough for stripes not to run into each other, but soft enough in the center to allow stick to be pushed through.

4. When last layer is poured, add stick and allow pops to freeze for a couple of hours.

Enjoy!

Sketch Book

13 Wednesday Jun 2012

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Ada’s sketchbook, age two.  She has a bunch of these and we have a stack of blank ones upstairs, waiting to be filled.  I love watching the progression of drawing and writing as she gets older.  One is filled with stickers and the beginnings of words and one is fat with glued-in papers.  I am excited for the days when she writes down her own stories and thoughts in the pages.  A blank book and some markers is my idea of the perfect birthday gift for a child.

Doll Popsicle DIY

12 Tuesday Jun 2012

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These felt popsicles are made with mini wooden craft sticks and are just the right size for little hands.  Ada has been counting the days until popsicle season, so I decided to make her some for her play kitchen.  To make your own you will need:

*Variety of Felt in Popsicle Colors (This is my favorite source for wool felt)

*Mini Craft Sticks (Amazon has some here)

*Stuffing

*Embroidery Floss

*Large-eyed Needle

*Scissors

*Card Stock

*Pencil

*Felt-tipped pen or chalk

*Glue

1. Draw a popsicle shape on card stock and cut out.  Our popsicle pattern is about 3″ x 1.5″.

2. Fold felt in half and trace pattern onto felt using pen or chalk.  (Or just hold pattern onto felt and carefully cut around it).

3. Cut out two popsicle shapes from each color.

4. Glue craft stick to the inside of one of the felt pieces.

5. Put a small amount of stuffing on top of the felt and lay the second popsicle half on top.

6. Using the embroidery floss, blanket stitch around the edges of popsicle beginning at one edge of the craft stick.

7. When you get to the other edge of the craft stick tie off stitch and secure with a small bit of glue.  Use the needle to thread floss inside popsicle and cut off the end.

DIY Beach Chair Refresh

11 Monday Jun 2012

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Chris found this sturdy wooden chair frame at a yard sale before we had children.  The seat and back needed to be remade and I have been promising a summer-ready chair for four years now.  Thanks to some baby sitting from my Super-Star Mother-in-Law the chair is finished!  The work took less than two hours to complete and only basic sewing skills.  To recover a similar chair you will need:

*Chair Frame.  (Stoop sales and flea markets are good sources and frames are usually cheap if the cloth is in rough shape).

*1-2 Yards Outdoor Fabric.  (We used some from Jo-ann Fabric).

*Heavy Nylon Thread.

*Scissors or pinking shears.

*Heavy Needle for hand-sewing.

*Sewing Machine.

1. Strip off damaged fabric, remove any staples or tacks and refinish chair frame if desired.  We didn’t need to refinish ours, but did have a lot of staples to pry out.  A flat screwdriver works well for this.

2. Measure chair and cut fabric to fit.  Every chair design will be slightly different.  For my chair I was able to slide the back fabric on, but had to hand-stitch the seat fabric in place.  Make sure you look carefully at your frame before stitching a loop closed!

3. Using the sewing machine, stitch fabric for the back into a tube shape.  I also stitched vertical seams along the back of the chair, leaving space for the wooden bars to be inserted.  This keeps the back in place nicely, but is not crucial.

4. For the seat I folded two layers of fabric for extra strength and then made a loop.  Since my seat bars weren’t open like the back, I first hemmed my edges and then used a needle and thread to sew the seat loop in place.  After stitching it is easy to rotate the loop under the chair and hide the seam.

*We found a similar chair last week at a stoop sale for me.  It was only $8 and came from the seller’s grandpa.  We are on the hunt for some cute kids chair frames, and looking forward to some lemonade and lounging in the back yard!

Tape Fort DIY

07 Thursday Jun 2012

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The weather has been tricky here the last few weeks.  The skies start blue and quickly turn to dark thunder clouds on our way out the door.  Ada got crafty on the box from our grill while she was stuck inside.  She used six rolls of tape and then kept going.  We had a bunch of the Kid Made Modern Todd Oldham tape and the $6.99 price tag was totally worth the two hours she spent constructing the fort.  Not a Box by Antoinette Portis is one of our favorite books, and great inspiration for box imaginings.  To make a tape fort of their own, your kids will need:

*Cardboard Box.  A large one for a kid-size fort, or smaller box for a stuffed animal lair.

*Paper Tape.  We used the Target tape, but colorful painter’s or washi tape also work well.  Just be sure kids can tear it by hand and they won’t need scissors.

*Glitter, Paint, Markers, Clips, Cardboard Tubes, Crayons, etc. for decorating.

1. Help open one side of the box so the child can sit inside.

2. Hand over the tape and stand back.

Rainy day saved!