gift

Chicks Free Teacher Appreciation Printable

May 6, 2016 by Jessica Leave a Comment

This past week was Teacher Appreciation Week and I managed to get a few special things done. This was one of the gifts I gave my daughter’s teachers, although I used different packaging because I ran out of time to get these adorable little egg cartons. I’m sharing today the parts of this gift along with the free teacher appreciation printable, “Thank you for taking such good care of my little chick”, in case you would like to do something like this for a teacher or someone who takes care of your children.

To make this gift you will need the free teacher appreciation printable printed on card stock, packaging of choice (I found these cute cartons at Hobby Lobby, but used strawberry baskets from Michaels for the other ones), embellishments for package (I used baker’s twine, fabric scraps, eucalyptus leaves, and a mini clothespin), and baby chick cookies (I found a cookie cutter from World Market for $.99).

I made my own baby chick cookies and decided to try doing the royal icing where you flood the cookie. I used this sugar cookie recipe, which was very delicious! Not super sweet, maybe more of a shortbread cookie taste but soft consistency of a sugar cookie. I don’t remember which royal icing recipe I used. It was one that I had all the ingredients for lol. I used piping bags and frosting tips, but I think next time I would like to try the little squirt bottles. I did okay, but I need to work on this skill. hahaha. I was doing these late the night before and just trying to at least have them look presentable. So I’m happy for my first try 🙂

You can fit up to six of these cookies in the little egg cartons but these won’t sit quite this neatly if you want to close the top. I also suggest wrapping them in plastic wrap if you like. These are uncovered for picture purposes. I put the ones we gave the teachers in little plastic baggies to protect them. I also thought it would be cute to maybe just put two to three cookies in and then add two Easter eggs filled with candy too. Wouldn’t that be cute? -jess

Bunny Bags DIY

March 16, 2016 by Jessica 2 Comments

Spring time brings to mind all the cute adorable animals that are being born. You know, bunnies, lambs, etc. We are getting ready to add some little bunnies to our family soon so my girls are all about the little furry guys right now. With their love for rabbits and it being spring time and Easter soon, I whipped up some cute bunny bags and want to share them with you. They are really easy to make and would make a cute little way to share small gifts. Enjoy this bunny bags diy!

You will need:

Small burlap or fabric bags (I found these in the dollar section at Target)
Felt or leather for the ears
Optional: Fabric to go on ears
Scissors
Hot glue gun and glue
Yarn
Optional: Sewing machine/supplies

Start by making ears from your felt or leather. Since each bag will be different, make the ears the size you like. I suggest making a pattern with paper and using that as a template.

If you like, cut out a smaller piece of fabric and put it on the middle of the ears. You can glue this part on if you like or sew it on like I did.

Then take your hot glue gun and glue the ears on the inside of one side of the bag.

Create little fuzz ball tails by making yarn pom poms. Simply start by wrapping the yarn around a few fingers.

Keep wrapping until you have a pretty good amount. The more yarn you use the tighter the tail will look.

Cut a piece of yarn about 12″ long. Gently take the yarn bundle off of your fingers being careful to keep it intact. Wrap the extra piece of yarn around the center and tie together.

Next, take your scissors and cut through each loop of yarn on the sides. Then trim around the yarn ends until it is all even and fluffy looking.

Glue the little tails on and you are done.

Can’t wait to share with you the real bunnies we will get soon! Happy crafting! -jess

Vintage Tin Recipe Box DIY

February 21, 2016 by Jessica 2 Comments

Any vintage tin collectors out there? I admit I love to snag them up when I see them at thrift or antique stores with the hope to make them into a candle, a planter for succulents, or something like that. But the other day I decided this one should turn into a recipe box! So here is a vintage tin recipe box diy in case you might be interested in making one as well.

{Having a hard time finding a cool old tin? Search around online at Etsy for some great choices of vintage tins.} I would suggest using a size tin that is similar to that of a regular recipe box. That way it’s easy to find ready made recipe cards and such to fit into it. If not, you can always make your own like I did. Start by gathering your tin, a strong glue (I used e600 which is a super strong kind), and a metal label holder with bards. I found these label holders in the scrapbook section but also saw some in the wood section at a local craft store.

Put glue on the label holder just on the bottom and side edges.

Place it on the tin where you would like it to be. I ended up using a clamp and clothespin for extra help holding it in place while it dried.

Cut the prongs off of the bards and glue them in the holes of the label maker.

To create the front label I simply cut a small piece of cardstock that would fit and used small letter rubber stamps to create the word “recipes”.

You can find these stamp sets at craft stores and even in the dollar section at Target. I love having them on hand as they add a little extra character to different projects.

Now my tin was a little too small for the pre-made recipe cards I found at a store. I could have tried to find a customizable type online and printed them, but I simply used 3×5 note cards as they fit perfectly. I found these stickers in the clearance section at Hobby Lobby. They fold over to create a tab on top of the cards.

I used my stamps again to create the words on the tabs. You can make as many different sections as you like.

This vintage tin recipe box diy is a simple project and takes very little time to create. I think it came out really cute and think it would be a cute little house warming gift too. Share if you make one 🙂 #happytogetherbyjess

-jess

Free Heart Animals Pattern

February 12, 2016 by Jessica 2 Comments

Here is a free heart animals pattern for you to use in honor of Valentines Day, which is so close! Of course, these heart animals are for any time of the year really, but are inspired by this love filled holiday.

I picked some of my children’s favorite animals to create: a fox, cat, lamb, owl, and deer. They are an easy sew and if you have scrap fabrics these are a great project to use them on. To create your own heart animals, you will need the following:

Fabric (scraps or a fat quarter for each)
Felt or Other None Fraying Fabrics (like leather/faux leather, fleece, iron on vinyl, etc) for faces, noses, and ears.
Safety Eyes (or use felt circles or embroidery if these are for younger children)
Glue, Felt Scraps, Seam Ripper, and Marker (if using safety eyes)
Embroidery Thread and Needle
Stuffing
Sewing Machine
Coordinating Thread
Iron
Hand Sewing Needle
Scissors
Pins
Free Heart Animals Pattern PDF Download

Start by cutting out your pattern and using that to cut out the pieces from your chosen materials. The pattern pieces have how many of each you will need to cut. As you can see I used all kinds of stuff I had on hand. I use mostly cottons for the body but did use a linen fabric on the owl. I used acrylic felt mostly for faces and ears, but also used wool felt, fleece, faux leather from a purse I had cut up, and iron on vinyl.

Iron your main heart fabric. If you need to iron felt, I suggest placing fabric on top of it before pressing. Then place the heart face on top middle of a heart body piece and sew in place.

If you are using iron on vinyl, you can iron that on now.

Sew on the nose.

If your animal has ears, place them where you would like them.

Then fold them down and pin in place. Sew very close to the edge just to keep them in place.

Note: If you are making a deer, you will need to pinch the rounded bottom and sew in place.

Now place your eyes on. You can sew on felt circles or embroider eyes if this is for a little one. Other wise, add the safety eyes. Mark where they are to go.

Use a seam ripper to cut just enough of an opening for the eyes to go through. On the back, add some glue around the opening.

Cut a small piece of felt and cut a slit in the middle. Place the eye piece through the felt and let the glue dry this in place. Add the plastic eye backing. Note: I have used safety eyes a lot and find adding the glue and felt helps keep it even more secure.

Next embroider on any features you would like to add such as a mouth, eye lashes, whiskers, etc.

Take the face……

and place the heart back on top, right sides facing, and pin in place. I suggest doing it with the eyes up as it’s easier to sew and remove pins this way.

Sew all around the heart (1/4″ seam allowance, which is included in pattern) except to leave a small opening big enough to turn the heart right side out.

Trim notches around the curves of the heart shape.

Turn right side out and push at seams to make sure it is all out.

Fill the heart animal with stuffing until desired size is achieved.

Hand sew the opening shut.

Now you have a cute little heart animal! I hope you enjoy this free heart animals pattern. Share pics on the Happy Together facebook page or use #happytogetherbyjess on social media to share your creation.

-jess

Cricut Secret Santa DIY Gift

December 24, 2015 by Jessica Leave a Comment

This post is sponsored by Cricut. See further down for full disclosure.

In my last post I shared a diy project that I created for another blogger for the Cricut Secret Santa I was a part of. This time I am sharing with you the gift that I received. See that banner on the fireplace? That’s the sweet gift that I received from fellow diy blogger Cori of Hey, Let’s Make Stuff.

I was excited when I saw this arrive in the mail. I knew it would be something cute for sure. And I was right! In fact, if you like it and want to make one yourself, you can find the Glam Noel Pennants DIY here on Cori’s blog.

It goes perfectly with my Christmas decor and I love that it says NOEL because my favorite song this holiday season is Noel by Lauren Daigle. I think of that song every time I see look at our fireplace now. Enjoy the rest of the Christmas season! Time for us to enjoy friends and family for a bit.
-jess

I parterned with Cricut for this post and received compensation for doing so. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting businesses that support Happy Together.