The Kids Can Handle It + Giveaway

I want to thank SEI for giving me the opportunity this week to share some of my ideas and creations. I thought it would be fun to leave you with a tutorial (it's fun to have a project for the weekend). Summer is coming up and my kids are already talking about going swimming. With three little ones, going to the pool is no small task. I thought it would be fun to make something the kids could carry to help lighten the load of junk we haul to the pool. My inspiration for this handled towel came from the straw mats available all over the beach in Waikiki.


Supplies:
1 towel washed
26-30 inches of grosgrain ribbon
iron on transfers
sewing machine

The first step to making this towel is to fold it just the right way.



Follow the picture above and fold your towel into thirds length wise.


Now fold your skinny towel in half. Finally, fold the towel into thirds like the picture.


Cut your ribbon to the length you want each handle. I made mine 13 inches each. Use a candle or lighter to melt the edges of the ribbon to prevent fraying. I pinned my ribbon three inches in from the edges. Make sure the ribbon isn't twisted. You should have one handle pinned to the finished edge of your towel, and the other pinned to the middle of the towel. Look at the picture on the far left. Sew the ribbon to the edge of the towel. I used a box stitch (a square with an X through the middle). Repeat sewing the ribbon to the center of the towel.


Your towel should look like this when opened up. The ribbon is soft and when you lay on the towel you won't feel it.


I let my kids design their own monster and critter. This was probably the most time consuming part of the project. They were so excited about all the options. Once everything was picked out, the towel headed over to the ironing board.


This is how our towels turned out.


Now the beach bums are ready to carry their own towels.
Wouldn't this be fun for a pool party present?!

Thank you so much, Nikki! We have really enjoyed having you with us this week. Every project was amazing and are so excited to try out all of your creative ideas. Readers, you can find more even more great ideas on Nikki's blog Salty Pineapple.

Ready for another giveaway? To enter all you need to do is leave a comment on this post telling us which post was your favorite this week, you will be entered into a giveaway for a chance to win some of the monster iron-ons and tumble dye Nikki used this week.

Just leave your comment by Monday, May 17th at midnight MST and we will announce the winner Wednesday. Be sure to check back to see if you are the winner. If we don't hear from the winner within a week we will have to pick a new one!

An Accessory's Accessory

Yesterday I mentioned where I applied for my first job, Island Snow. The first job I actually landed was at a surf shop in the mall in Kaneohe. If you have ever had a job in a retail store, you know that most of your paycheck ends up back in the store. One of my favorite things to buy were sunglasses. Over the two years I worked in the shop I bought four pairs; the first I still have, the second I still have, the third I broke down the center and I'm still sad about, and the fourth I left in a hotel room in Arizona (if you happen to have found any sunglasses in a hotel room in Arizona ten years ago please let me know, I'd love to get these back). Each one of these came with a cute little protective sleeve.

Now that I have kids, my money is spent in other places and I opt for the less expensive sunglasses. I have a different outlook on sunglasses now. The less expensive, the more I can buy, and I don't cry if they get broken or lost. One downside to buying cheaper glasses is the lack of a really cute protective sleeve. I decided it was time to remedy that problem!


Dill blossom was the perfect summer time fabric for my sunglasses to be cuddled up in. I sewed a simple rectangle and lined it with batting. Then I folded it in half, sewd up the bottom and side to create a pocket. I also added a strap to hang the sleeve from my bag handle. This way I'm not fishing around the bottom of my bag for my sunglasses.


So, whether I am sporting my regular mom glasses, or cool mom glasses, they have a nice carrying case to go home to.

Tropical Snow

A while back we switched the kids to different bedrooms. We decided to have the two older kids share a room and let the baby have his own. Davis moved into Tess' very pink girlie room. It wasn't until just recently that I was able to redecorate and tie everything together.

I thought it would be fun to do a "Summer Time" room. I grew up in Hawaii and summer is just about all year long. One of my favorite summer time treats is shave Ice from Island Snow. I always order banana and vanilla, it's makes a pretty turquoise color. Pineapple tidbit: I filled out my first job application to work at Island Snow in Kailua. I didn't get the job though.


I thought it would be so awesome to make Tess a shave ice pillow for her bed. I repurposed some old white t-shirts and pants to make this pillow. Spraying Tumble-dye on the wet t-shirt fabric makes the perfect shave ice. I sprayed blue on one side, red on the other, then yellow down the middle to create a rainbow shave ice. The cone needed a little spiffing up, so I added a Salty Pineapple stencil. I love this pillow!


The kids had some wooden initials that I had painted, but were lacking personality. I sprayed tumble-dye on some card stock and created a water color effect. After the ink was dry, I used spray adhesive to attach the paper to the wood. Then I used an x-acto knife to cut off the excess paper. Much better.



For the last major detail to the room, I got the kids involved and sprayed tumble-dye on their sheets. I grabbed some inexpensive sheets that we already had on hand and we headed outside. They each picked out the colors they wanted on their bed sheet and helped design the spray patterns. They were so excited that they were involved in the process and could help to make their room special.

A room makeover doesn't need to be costly or take a lot of time. The total make over was under $50 and it took around two days.

Party With The Birds And The Bees

You can purchase some of our fabric on our website or go to your local Robert Kaufman retailer.

I LOVE parties. I love attending parties and I love hosting parties. Parties with a theme are even more fun!

The Chic-a-dee line is so perfect for throwing a baby shower. You can use it from the invites down to the napkins. I love that SEI has fabric to match their paper.


I thought it would be fun to make some bunting for baby shower decor, but also a way to display some handmade gifts.


I followed this tutorial to make a onesie dress. This little dress is perfect for summer. Your little one will look dressed up and still be comfortable.


Adding a little applique is a simple and quick way to add pizazz to a plain onesie. The tiny bubbles print is great for this happy little bird.


You really can't go wrong with flowers and birds! Now go find someone that's pregnant with a baby girl and throw them a super cute baby shower. Know someone that is having a baby boy? Use the Chic-a-doo line instead, omitting the dress of course!

Whose Got the Button?

After I had my first baby I needed to find a hobby for myself. I didn't know what to do, so my husband and I went on a date to the library and walked the aisles of books. I found a book on wire wrapping and jewelry making. This started me on a new adventure. We were living in the Portland, Oregon area at the time, and I searched out bead stores all around town. I spent the next months exploring the many bead stores while toting my new little baby in a front carrier; it's a miracle we made it through all the stores without a disaster!

With a few basic tools and techniques you can make something really awesome and personal. Last year, I came across a book all about making jewelry with buttons. I thought it would be fun to make mom and daughter button bracelets. I love the sweet colors of the chic-a-dee buttons, they remind me of fruity mentos and rainbow sherbet.


For my daughter's bracelet, I used clear elastic thread from the beading section of the craft store. I looped the thread through the button holes a few times, adding the colors at random. I did try to keep big buttons on one side and small on the other. Tess has such a tiny wrist I only made her bracelet about four inches long. When I found the right length, I double knotted the string together and sealed the knot with a little clear nail polish.



I wanted my mom version to feel like a charm bracelet. To create the bracelet, I used some metal chain from the beading section of the craft store and added a lobster claw to one end with a jump ring. Super easy. I gathered up my chic-a-dee buttons, some coordinating beads, and head pins to make my charms. With my pliers I bent the end of the head pins and wrapped them to attach my charms to the metal chain.



These bracelets are super fun to make and the colors scream pretty and playful.

Guest Blogger, Nikki McBride

Please welcome our guest blogger, Nikki McBride. She is an amazing crafter who has a knack for sewing without a pattern, finding fun activities to do with her kiddos, throwing parties, and making yummy-looking food (we haven't tried any but it must taste as good as it looks). Be sure to soak up some more inspiration on her blog, Salty Pineapple.

Hello Crafters! I am really excited about guest blogging here on SEI Lifestyle.

I thought I would share a little about myself. I was raised in Hawaii and now live in Utah. I grew up surfing at the beach and now I know how to use a snow blower. My husband and I have three spunky kids who love to have dance parties and jump on our bed. I have not always been crafty. Looking back, I might even call myself a "craft snob." However, things have drastically changed and now I have a whole room to myself with all things crafty.

Here are a few pineapple tidbits:
1. I've never met a brownie I didn't like.
2. My favorite color is orange, but I love all bright colors.
3. I DVR all new episodes of Dog The Bounty Hunter.
4. It took me a year to decide on a blog name.
5. I like to talk to strangers in the store that can't decide what to buy.

I'm excited to show you some of my ideas over the next couple of days.
Have a great Mother's Day weekend!