Craft: Upcycled T-Shirt Ornament

I'm always searching for new ideas on how to re-use t-shirts.  With two growing children, it seems there's always an endless source of t-shirts piling up in my craft room.  Which has me asking, do I make something or do I donate the shirts?  Usually donate wins.  But this time around I decided to make something, upcycled t-shirt ornaments. These star ornaments are fun, bright, and simple to make.  So simple in fact that a child could make them (age 7 and up). 

Supplies:
T-shirts in 2 different colors
Embroidery thread in a complimenting color
Polyfill
Sewing Needle
Scissors

Download the star template here and cut out.  I'm trying something new and using Google Documents.  Please let me know if you prefer this over having to copy and paste the image.  I think it will be easier for everyone.

1.  Place template on t-shirt and cut out three stars.  I recommend taping the star down opposed to tracing or pinning.  Do what is easier for you.

2.  Layer your three stars directly on top of each other (orange, pink, orange).

3. With embroider thread, sew through all three layers using a running stitch.  Leave a small opening.  Stuff with a little polyfill between the two bottom layers.  Make sure not to over stuff or your top layer will not lay flat when finished.

4.  Finish stitching all the way around and knot closed.  Add a loop of embroidery thread for hanging.

5.  Carefully pull up the center of your top layer and make a small cut in it.  Make sure not to cut any of the other layers.  Now cut a star shape out of the top layer from the cut you just made (refer to picture on right).

You could make these ornaments in any shape you want such as hearts or birds.   I recommend keeping the shapes simple for best results.  Have fun!

November Calendar & More

Does anyone else feel like the months are just flying by?  I meant to share this calendar with you a week ago but just lost track of time.  But since we have three weeks left, I figure it's still worth a post.  Free People is offering this lovely November calendar to download for free.  They also have some pretty desktop wallpaper up for grabs as well. You can get all the free downloads on their flickr page.  

Other crafty news going on this week:

Pinterest is now offering private boards!  Just scroll down to the bottom of your board's page to find them.

Spoonflower is printing custom wrapping paper for a limited time.  There are so many crafty possibilities with this. 

Hearts and Crafts: The People That Make Hermes

I was browsing the Hermes site when I stumbled upon the film Hearts and Crafts: The People That Make Hermes.  The film is by Frédéric Laffont and Isabelle Dupuy-Chavanat which documents some of the artists behind the Hermes products.  In the film, the artists share about there craft and you get to see them in their work environment. 

I realize this is another promotional piece for Hermes but it's well done and quite interesting.  It makes me wish I had just one craft that I was dedicated to.  I feel like I'm all over the place when it comes to creating.  That's always been somewhat of a craft insecurity for me. 

How about you?  Are you strong in one craft genre or do you find yourself trying/doing it all?

Wagashi: Japanese Desserts

Forget the Halloween candy, this is what I've been snacking on for the past week.  My husband surprised me with a box of Japanese desserts from Minamoto Kitchoan.  Minamoto Kitchoan has become one of our favorite places to purchase wagashi.  Wagashi is a traditional Japanese dessert that is often served with green tea.  It's mainly made with plant based foods such as red beans, chestnuts and sweet potatoes. 

I thought I would share a few pictures of the desserts with you.  If you're looking for a hostess gift to impress, you might want to try one of these boxes filled with Japanese confections.  They're always beautifully wrapped, ready to gift.  These desserts usually last no longer than a month so if you're going to gift a box for the holidays, keep that in mind.  Some of the desserts are only good for about a week.

Inside this pretty package is Hakutoujelly.  It's a peach flavored jelly that has the texture of a gelatin apple sauce.

Fuku Watashi Senbei -  Vanilla cream filled cookie

Cherry Blossom Wagashi - sorry I don't have the official name for this one.  I was more concerned with eating it than documenting it. 

Here's what the cherry wagashi looks like.  Many of the wagashi desserts have a cake like outside and a flavored center.  Many of the confections have mashed up sweetened beans inside.  They're always just as pretty in the inside as they are on the outside.

What special items do you like to bring for a hostess gift?  I always like hearing new ideas.

My Old Stomping Camp Grounds

When I was back in Connecticut I had a chance to visit the place I grew up, The Advent Camp Ground.  We lived in one of the cottages on the grounds.  If you're wondering my connection to the Camp Ground, both my families were involved in the Advent Christian Church.  On my mother's side, both Grandparents attended one of the churches.  On my father's side, my Grandfather was a pastor for one of the Advent Churches.  This might have you asking if I'm an Advent Christian.  The simple answer, I'm a practicing christian but I don't practice the Advent Christian doctrine.

I took a lot of pictures on my trip so I'm going to try to be selective and only show a few but I'm not promising anything.  I feel like there's so much I want to share and say.

See that brown house on the left?  That's where I grew up.  I have fond memories riding my pink powder-puff big wheel down this street.  I also recall how tiring it was to drag it back up the hill.  There was so much to do on the campground, jumping in freshly piled leaves in the fall, sledding in the winter, and swimming in the summer.

On the campground there are about 40 cottages that all look similar to the ones pictured above.  Most often they would be vacant in the fall/winter so the porches became my stage for playing. 

One of the things I liked most about the campgrounds was the camp.  Every summer my home would be flooded with campers and I loved it.  I got to make use of their snack bar where I was formally introduced to fireballs and pizza flavored combos.  I also would spy on their church services at the tabernacle (more about that later).  When I lived here I was too young to attend the camp.  It wasn't until I moved from the grounds, that I got to attend Camp Faithful.

This is one of the boy's cabins.  They're your typical run-of-the-mill cabins, bunk beds and a light.  If you had to go to the bathroom, plan on bringing a flashlight for the trek.

This is the tabernacle where the services would be held while camp was going on.  On both sides of the church the walls open up like garage doors.  Often I would stand outside and watch what was going on.  Sometimes I would even sneak into one of the seats. 

And it just so happens that the doors were open when we visited so I got to take a peek inside and snap a couple photos.

Here's a better picture that shows how the windows/doors open on the side.  See all those windows behind me?  They open too.  And if you look at the top of the picture, you can get an idea of what I mean by garage doors.

So I have to ask, has anyone been here before?  Have you ever gone to camp here?  I would love to here your story and your connection to this place.