kojodesigns

we've moved (and a giant giveaway to celebrate!)

2012-01-23T09:51:00.000-07:00

Hey friends!

WE'VE MOVED!

The new (and improved!) kojodesigns can be found at

If you'd like to receive our feed, you'll have to update your reader (rumor has it that Google is disabling Google Follower for non-blogspot blogs this Spring, so you might want to subscribe by email or another follower).

To celebrate, there is a pattern palooza giveaway going on right now, so head on over, check out our new digs, update our address to kojo-designs.com, and win some patterns (and fabric)!

friday fun finds

2012-01-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hello there sweet friends! Happy Friday!

I am finally crawling out of the holiday other-life-ness and rejoining the real world. We are back from Dallas (found another pic to share with y'all from the wedding above), unpacking from our trip and our Christmas haul at once. Every bit of Christmas decor is still up in my house (don't judge- ok?). Even worse, I have an extra full to-do list this weekend, and "de-Christmas" is not even on there. To be honest, life is feeling extra full in general (and maybe a bit stressful).

Hopefully y'all are having better luck than I am at getting back into the swing of things and have been crafting/cooking/sewing/making up a storm. Can't wait to see it!

A few guidelines:
1. Include a short description of what you're linking to (as well as the name of your blog if you want). That way people can go see the fun finds that interest them most.
2. Link to your specific post, and not to the main page of your blog.
3. Here's the party button if you want to link back to this party from your blog.

aqua chair redo tutorial (how to reupholster a tufted chair)

2012-01-05T08:04:00.000-07:00

My search for a perfectly girly chair for Piper Jane's nursery was long and tenuous. In fact, while I patiently waited for the right chair, I temporarily repurposed one of our living room chairs to Piper Jane's room.

However, when I laid eyed on this gem at Mile High Thrift (my favorite thrift store in Denver), it was love at first site. Ok, well, actually, more of love-of-possibility! Even though the chair was a little beat up, and the green velvet was hideous, and the seat was super uncomfortable due to some crazy springs and a worn cushion, I could envision it redone in aqua linen and was smitten.

But the first time I saw it, it was still $40. So the answer was nope. Imagine my delight when I went back a few weeks later and The Chair was still there- but marked down to $15! And then my even greater delight when I checked my go-to for linen on etsy and Nicole was having a sale- the turquoise linen was $3/yard (it's $4/yard now- still a STEAL). Me and this little chair were meant to be!

Isn't she pretty all fixed up? Piper Jane thinks so, that's for sure.

Now, before we start this little how-to, I should tell you that this is the first time I've tried anything like this. I am not an expert, by any stretch, and most likely will not be able to answer any questions you have about a different chair. And I don't want to lead y'all astray (if you know how to reupholster and you'd like to chime in, please do!). But I am going to answer the email/comment call for a how-to. Just consider yourself warned.

To give your chair a makeover, first check to see if the frame is solid. If the wood is coming apart, wood glue and clamp together.

Then, take off all of the trim.

Remove stapled seams to get upholstery edges free. We did the chair backing first and then moved to the seat and then the back. Use a screwdriver and a razor blade for leverage. The stuffing started coming out as this point. Take pictures as you go, so you remember what goes where.

If you have button tufting, remove the buttons and set aside. Remove all staples and excess scrap fabric that is hanging onto the frame.

Roughed up with medium grate sand paper. Prime the wood with primer and let dry for a day. Paint the wood. It took us two coats plus touch ups.

To make the upholstery pieces, seam rip apart all sewn edges, taking care to note which pieces went together (I marked them with a fabric pen). Trace all of the individual pieces onto the fabric you've chosen, leaving a wide margin (at least an inch... it was even helpful to us to have a few extra inches of margin in the seat).

Cut out all of the pieces and sew together to match the originals that were your template.

Once everything is cut out and sewn together (and the paint is dry), begin to attach your pieces to the chair. Test fit first to make sure you have plenty of fabric. Start with the seat. Replace the foam if needed (we needed!) and cover with your seat piece (made by tracing the old piece like a stencil and leaving tons of room around the edges). Make the front edge clean and then tuck in the back edges. If you can reach them through the open back, staple the back edges down.

Then, if you have buttons, mark your button holes according to the backing piece you removed. Cover the buttons with your fabric. Poke through your marked template holes and pull through the back of the chair.

Begin stapling the upholstery to the chair. Start in the middle at the top (that was easiest for us at least), working your way down on each side. Also, use lots of staples (LOTS of staples). Pull taut as you go, matching the edge where the trim will be as closely as possible.

Repeat with the fabric on the back of the chair, again starting in the top of the middle and working your way down, pulling taut as you go and using tons of staples.

Once everything is stapled in place, begin hot gluing the trim in place over the rough edge. This is the place where you can make the frayed, stapled, kind of crazy edges look clean and nice again.

Repeat with the chair backing, trimming out all of the edges until the whole thing is clean and 'finished' looking.

Add modern pillows (monogram "B" pillow tutorial here, Land of Nod knock off pillow tutorial to come!) for a little extra sass, and add to the girly goodness in a nursery near you!

Also, today's the last day to vote at So You Think You Can Sew for this chair redo! Would you vote if you haven't yet? Thanks!

so you think you can sew... and a monogram pillow tutorial

2012-01-04T06:31:00.002-07:00

Today the voting for week 1 of So You Think You Can Sew kicks off! The voting window is only open until Thursday at 8:00 pm, so if you have a minute, would you head over there and vote?

My entry is Piper Jane's vintage chair plus pillows (of course)!

Now, before I give you the monogram pillow tutorial, can I tell you a secret? The "B" is for Burke's reading chair (not Piper Jane's).That's probably obvious. But since I made Piper's and Burke's pillows together (and since they both have the aqua linen that matches the chair in them), the "B" earned itself a spot in the pictures. Plus, it's very 'sew-ish' and I figured it couldn't hurt to add it to my "for the home" entry for So You Think You Can Sew.

With that off my chest, are you ready to make one of these monogram throw pillows???

Make a paper letter template (I held my paper up to my computer screen and traced it- how's that for ghetto stencil making?). Using a fabric pen, trace onto two kinds of fabric (they're going to be facing opposite ways, so trace them that way). Cut out.

Cut a 2.5" thick strip of coordinating fabric as well (I started by cutting the length of the fabric, but ended up needing more). Also cut a loooooong thin strip of fabric (to cover your piping) from one of the fabric selections. It only has to be about an inch thick (tuck your piping in the middle to see how big yours needs to be).

Start making custom piping by covering a length of piping with your thin strip of fabric. Tuck it into the middle so that the sides of your fabric meet at the bottom edge of the piping.

Pin the piping on to the front of one of your monograms. Add lots of pins around curved edges and pin twice at the corners- one pin vertically and one horizontally (you'll sew it in place the same way).

Sew in place. To make the edge where they meet look finished, tuck the edge at the end over to make it looked finished and wrap it around the beginning (it'll cover the unfinished edges and look fairly seamless).

Sew the 2.5" contrasting fabric to the other monogram similarly (pin in place, right sides facing each other, and then sew in place). At every edge or corner, start a new length of fabric. Then, sew the fabric rectangle together at their intersections so that the rectangle forms one continuous edge around the entire monogram.

Repeat with the other side. To make sure that you cover over your stitching for the piping, sew along the inside edge of that line of stitching. On one side, leave a 4" opening.

Turn right side in by pulling through your opening. Stuff with polyfil. Sew the opening shut.

Done! Add to a chair or a bed or a reading nook (or your little sister's new chair- haha!) for a little monogram goodness.

And the So You Think You Can Sew voting link one more time for kicks.

Thanks y'all! :)

*The chair how-to and Land of Nod knock off tutorial are in the works! Thanks for all of the encouraging emails and comments!

a vintage, girly chair redo for piper jane

2012-01-02T20:52:00.001-07:00

I am a great waiter. Not like, serving-food-at-a-restaurant-waiter, like delayed-gratification-waiter. I'd rather hold out for something that I really love than get something that I sort of like. Along those lines, I'm still waiting to find a few 'just right' components of Piper Jane's nursery- the most important being a lovely, girly, glam chair.

As a placeholder until we found The One, we moved a living room chair into the nursery.

With the brown place-holder-chair in place, I began my vintage-girly-chair search in earnest. And actually, I didn't find anything for the longest time. But then, about a month ago, the heavens opened to make a halo of glory (ok, actually, a Halo of Potential) around this green, velvet, makeover-ready chair at my favorite thrift store, Mile High Thrift.

And after the redo? Vintage-y, girly, linen-y and perfect for the Smoochie's room!

I added aqua linen on the front...

...geometric, Joel Dewberry, wallpaper-y goodness on the back...

...white paint...

...and covered button tufting.

A couple of mod throw pillows finish the look (the 'huggie' pillow is a Land of Nod knock off and I've been wanting to make the "B" monogram pillow for months).

The Little Miss Priss is more than thrilled with her new chair- and I am loving having a spot to snuggle and read together. So lovely!

*EDITED TO ADD* Thanks for all of the emails and comments requesting a chair reupholstery how-to. I am not an expert by any means, but a tutorial is in the works!

ps- This is my Week 1 entry for So You Think You Can Sew! If you have a minute to head over and vote, I'd really appreciate it! The poll is open from Wednesday at 8 am until Thursday night at 8 pm. Wish me luck!

cheers to 2012!

2012-01-01T22:47:00.000-07:00

I'm taking over Jord's hyatti for today to share some pics of the sparkly loveliness from last night's big event. It was glittery and sparkly and shimmery and gorgeous! Did you stay up to ring in the new year?

Cheers to a glorious 2012-

filled with loveliness (and sparkles), balance, creativity, health, and lots of celebrations (and celebration-worthy moments), snuggles, growth and the things that matter most!

most likely to succeed and other 2011 blog superlatives

2011-12-31T08:07:00.001-07:00

I was on yearbook staff in junior high- have I ever mentioned that? Yep, sure was. And it was in the pre-digital-camera-era, so there was some serious storage for negatives in our yearbook room (are y'all too young for that? Do you know what negatives are?).

Anyhow, my favorite pages in any yearbook are the superlatives. Most Likely to Succeed? Class Clown? That is important info!

So this year, we've decided to add this fabulous yearbook tradition onto the kojo blog as a farewell to 2011!
Here are this year's kojo superlative awards, determined by some ~~complicated polling~~ backwards scrolling-

Best Party- The Sips Launch Party. I know that's probably a surprise choice (so many great parties in 2011!), but Trish and I had a blast putting everything together and the whole night was just fantastic.

Biggest Party Flop- The Around the World Party (40 mph winds killed us on that one! We couldn't even hang up 75% of our decor- EPIC flop!).

Hardest Worker- The Glam Tea Wreath... I use this little gem every.single.day (especially since I gave my original tea wreath away).

Best Looking- Between all of the dresses I made for Piper Jane this year, and how adorable baby girls are in dresses, this was hard to narrow. Perhaps the winter wonderland dress? Layers of fluffy prettiness- that probably qualifies for Best Looking, right?

Best Dressed- Piper Jane in her sweet dresses (and pantaloons) and especially when she's wearing The Felted Wool Boots

Yummiest- The Flavored Salted Caramels that Trish whipped up for Gifts for Guys are so.darn.delicious. We can't keep them in the house, or I'll eat them all (seriously!).

Most Huggable- It's a tie between the very fluffy porcupine and the black apple dolls I made for the girls.

Most Likely to Brighten Your Day- The Blue Gap Knock Off Dress. Also, the pictures of my sweet sis modeling said knock off dress and her adoring nephew as he tagged along during our photo shoot.

Most Likely to Be On a Magazine Cover- The Anthro Inspired Knotted Quilt (technically a product of 2010, but still receiving rave reviews in 2011).

Best (and Worst) News of the Year- Jordan (and her family's) move to the Middleeast. Such great news because they are pursuing their dream. A little sad for her big sis who misses her like crazy!

Most Likely to Succeed- It's a tie- Jord and Drew as they pursue their dream in the Middleeast and my hottie, Boards Part 2 passing husband as he heads into his last semester of dental school.

Best Part of this Year- The people, hands down! Having a chance to work with so many great bloggers on series' like The Sincerest Form of Flattery, Color My Summer, Pretty Parties, and Gifts for Guys was a huge highlight of the year. And I met so many of you lovelies (over email at least) in 2011- lucky me! Definitely the best part of 2011!

And with that, we bid farewell to 2011!

2012, bring it on... we can't wait!

ps- I have some ohmygoodness exciting 2012 news for you... watch for that in the next couple days!

best of 2011 friday fun finds

2011-12-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

I might've mentioned once or twice that I love New Year's... and I love lists! So the "Best of 2011" lists that are floating around right now are right up my alley!

For today's Friday Fun Finds, we're going to make our own "Best of 2011" list- fun find style. Just link up your favorite project (or two) from the last year and enjoy perusing the 2011 goodness.

Happy New Year's Eve Eve, friends! :)

kojotutorial: floating yarn sign

2011-12-28T06:34:00.001-07:00

Hi friends! I mentioned that I have been toying with the idea of a new series called "life without hobby lobby." I am in culture shock at the lack of the DIY mentality and trying to find creative ways to use materials I can find without the ease and convenience of a craft store or hardware store. However, as I gear up to share ideas with you, I realized that I have a whole slew of "life without" moments that encompass more than crafting. So, sometimes I will share crafty goodness, but other times I will be sharing recipes for things I miss as well. Even if you can jump in the car and grab chick-fila sauce, it is still fun to know how to you can make things on your own!

Anyway- onto the sign. I love this floating sign because it is inexpensive, takes only a few very simple materials and it can be customized for any party imaginable. I used some recycled foam board from some packaging, but you can use any sturdy paper material. I also used yarn, but you could use any type of ribbon or even fabric cut into strips.

The steps are quite simple. Find a font you like and copy the font onto your cardboard. Cut out the individual letters. Wrap each letter in yarn until none of the cardboard is showing. You can be precise and make sure every strip lines up, or you can just wrap until everything is covered. Both ways look great.

Hang the letters above your serving table for a wonderfully inexpensive and pretty simple piece of decor!

Thanks for letting me share. Anyone have fabulous plans for New Years? We are so excited to have some friends visiting from home and will celebrate at a small party with friends. If I were going to go all-out for a party though, a "2012" floating sign with glittery ribbon would be a wonderful addition. Just sayin.

oooooh sparkle shoes

2011-12-26T18:44:00.003-07:00

Are you crawling out from your Christmas coma yet? We have been {slowly} coming back to normal life- putting away presents, packing away the massive wrapping station that had set up shop in our basement, eating egg whites and leafy greens to balance the carb-overload of the last week... We've even been prepping for New Year's a little!

In my book, New Year's might possibly tie with Thanksgiving for the second greatest holiday (after Christmas, of course). I love it. It's glittery, and full of traditions, and the beginning of a fresh start and an empty planner. Sparkly fresh starts? Yes please!

And this year, we are spending New Year's Eve watching some dear friends tie the knot (we're headed to Dallas as you read this, actually). The wedding is a sans kiddos, black tie affair. I can't wait.

In honor of Grace and Todd's nuptials on this most sparkly of holidays (and bearing serious resemblance to these J Crew Mona Glitter Pumps that I just adore), I made myself some fabulously glittery shoes.

In the case that you have Big Plans for New Year's Eve (even if those plans consist of making Japanese food and playing games as was our family's custom growing up), I thought I'd share a little how to for the glitter shoes (I found this idea on this wedding site and added my own little glitter paint twist- be sure to check out the original- it's really great).

You'll need-
-a pair of heels or two (mine were black and gray patent leather)
-Mod Podge
-fine (or extra-fine) glitter
-glitter paint (optional)
-paint brush

Mix the glitter and Mod Podge. Add in a little glitter paint if you're feeling wild. Using a paint brush, apply a thin coat of the glitter mixture to your shoes. Let dry completely. Repeat until shoes are completely covered. Make another pair if you please.

And you're done! Sparkly, glittery, New Year's Eve-y goodness!

ps- I can't wait to show you what I'm wearing with these little gems...

hyatti- merry christmas!

2011-12-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

Simply thankful for this day to spend with family and friends. Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

happy Christmas eve (and plaid party clothes)

2011-12-23T10:14:00.038-07:00

Happy Christmas Eve friends!

The Smooches will be decked out in red plaid for church tonight- I am loving plaid this year! Do y'all have special Christmas outfits for your littles (or yourself? I tried to tell Adam that I still need a Christmas outfit, but apparently wasn't very convincing- haha)?

I hope you have a great Christmas Eve...

and a merry Christmas tomorrow!

ps- I just realized that yesterday was Friday and there were no Fun Finds. Sorry friends! Oh crazy week. Don't worry, Friday Fun Finds will be back in full force next week (and the theme will be "Best of 2011," so get ready to link up a couple of your best projects)!

best Christmas drink ever

2011-12-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for a yummy drink to serve in the next few days (it'd even be great at a New Year's Eve party), I am sharing our favorite Brandy Slush recipe over at Sips etc. today.

It has to freeze overnight, so you'll want to make it 24 hours before you want to serve it. Which means you'll want to start on it right now- chopchop!

Also, did I mention that it is ohmygoodness del.i.cious?

a couple of black apple dolls for the littles

2011-12-21T08:56:00.001-07:00

"Bay-bee" was one of Piper Jane's first words. She adores- loveloveLOVES- babydolls! She totes them everywhere she goes, hugs them, kisses them, all the while murmuring, "Bay-bee, bay-bee, bay-bee."

Of course, that means that the top of my To Make for Piper Jane for Christmas list read, "Soft Dollie." And once I got started, I decided to make another for our niece (who, incidentally, loves baby dolls just like Piper Jane!).

I followed this Black Apple Doll tutorial (thanks for all of the tips, Facebook friends) and love the way they turned out. Seriously, can. not. wait. until she and Hannah open their doll babies on Christmas morning.

pour le bebe: a french cafe themed baby shower

2011-12-20T06:00:00.004-07:00

Hey kojo friends- Jordan here! I've missed being around here lately (other than my weekly hyatti installments, of course). Turns out that the whole 'moving-across-the-ocean-with-three-kids' thing has been a little more intense than I'd anticipated. We are finally catching our breath a little, settling in, adjusting to the cultural differences (some aspects are easier adjustments than others). I even helped put together a baby shower last week- a sure sign that we're getting back to 'normal life.'

I can't tell you how much I have missed throwing parties! In six months of living out of a suitcase, one of the hardest things for me was not being available to play hostess. So, when my dear friend, Brittany, mentioned that she was going to throw a shower for a friend I jumped at the chance to help!

THEME

The mama-to-be studied french and loves all things Paris, so we decided on "parisan cafe" as our theme.

INVITES

a simple scalloped edge was used on the all the signage and invites.

DECOR
I've only been to Paris once, so most of this is based that, but simple and romantic are two words I would use to describe most little Parisian cafes. We arranged chairs in small groupings, each with a tea light and used vases of flowers to give it a cafe feel. Other than that we used simple coordinated signs to tie everything together. And, of course, the food was the main focal point.

The piece de resistance (yes, I think I'm clever) was the "bebe" sign floating whimsically in the archway. I made it my wrapping cardboard letters in yarn. It was the perfect extra touch to give the shower the romantic fell we were going for.

My favorite decor detail? The use of French in the signage (just enough to get the point across, without it being to confusing for non-french speakers). I also used the same scalloped edge as was on the invitation.

FOOD and DRINKS
Isn't the best part of any shower the food? The french make it pretty easy to use a couple of simple ingredients to make something fabulous. Again, simple is perfect in this setting and the food was pretty effortless.

The hit of the shower was, for sure, the croissants with nutella. So simple, so french and so.very.delicious.

FAVORS
We gave small bags of madeleine cookies as our favors. It was the prefect simple ending to a perfectly simple shower.

So great to be back with one of my favorite party-throwing partners, and thankful to be making new friends!

Au revoir and bon jour! :)

ps- Hopefully I'll be back around these parts more often in the coming weeks and months! Since there is nothing resembling a craft store within a fly-able distance, every creative endeavor is an adventure. I'm toying with the idea of starting a series called "Life Without Hobby Lobby." Stay tuned for details!

the twelve skirts Christmas!

2011-12-19T09:00:00.001-07:00

One of our best girls, Kelly from Sewing In No Man's Land, is hosting a Twelve Skirts of Christmas series. And we're over there today, sharing a polka-dotty, Piper Jane sized skirt! Come on by and say hi!

hyatti- a different christmas

2011-12-18T06:11:00.000-07:00

As Christmas draws near we are experiencing the season in a whole new way. In some ways, it doesn't feel like Christmas at all. No Christmas music in the stores, no cold weather, no lights on the houses, no candy canes, santa clause or snowmen. The girls school will run like normal on Christmas day and life will carry on without a pause to celebrate. I love the holiday atmosphere and will so miss being with family and partaking in all the holiday traditions.
However, in some ways it feels more like Christmas. Not too far from here is where, over 2,000 years ago, a little baby lay in a manger. Thankfully in our city we have most of the amenities we have grown to love and need, but a quick drive in any direction will lead to a village where the peoples lives look very much like Mary and Joseph's lives did. Being here, I see the nativity story in a whole new light. I can imagine them trecking across the land, on a donkey, in the heat. I can see the manger in my mind, and the whole scenario is easier to imagine.
So this Christmas, yes, I will miss the snow, decor and all the things we love about Christmas, but I will be thankful for getting to experience this season in a new way. I will be thankful for the camels and heat and a big ole desert, and be reminded of why we celebrate the season.

p.s. Don't feel too bad about the no-christmas-thing. We are going to Dubai this weekend where we will sip starbucks in a mall with a huge Christmas tree, we will ski (at an indoor ski mountain) and get a fabulous "winter" holiday. :)

so you think you can sew?

2011-12-17T10:26:00.002-07:00

I've hinted that we have a few fun announcements coming for y'all, and this is one of them- we are one of twelve teams getting ready to participate in the So You Think You Can Sew Competition at Mommy by day... Crafter by night (Week 1 launches January 4th).

We are super excited, though ohmynervous. There are some seriously talented sewists in the mix (and y'all know that I still sew with the sewing machine manual in my lap and a heavily reliance on the fabulous video tutorials on YouTube). Regardless, we're thrilled to have the chance to participate.

Want to check out the blogs of the lovely ladies that will be joining us? Ashley from Art with Ashley, Briana from Babblings and More, Jill from Made it on Monday, Shelley from Custom Slipcovers by Shelley, Jen from Eating my candy..., Mallory from Split Ends and New Beginnings, Margaret from A Heart for Simple, Amanda from Tenderfeet Stitches, Jenny from Jengerbread Creations (a fellow Denver-ite!), Dresden from dresdencarrie, and Krista from Lazy Saturdays. Like I said- serious talent.

Get ready- it's going to be great!

friday fun finds

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a good week around here... a great week, in fact. I hope yours has been similarly fabulous! Some fun find goodness from last week to start off your Friday-

I love it these advent ornaments by Thankfully Thrifty- even better, Ashleigh used an entirely different list of names of Jesus than I did (and there are still so many that neither of us used). Love that!

LOVE this knitted giraffe by Sarah Jane Sews!

I die for these teeny tiny houndstooth shoes by A Jennuine Life!

A-dore this vintage tailgate party by annalea hart!

And the most clicked on link from last week's party? This no-sew, 8 second skirt from Welcome to the gOOd life. It's genius. And adorable.

Here's your featured button, crafty guru's-

We can't wait to see your latest and greatest craftiness- something you made, a tutorial you put together (or tried out!), a product the rest of us need, a scrumptious recipe- whatever you're loving this week!

A few guidelines:
1. Include a short description of what you're linking to (as well as the name of your blog if you want). That way people can go see the fun finds that interest them most.
2. Link to your specific post, and not to the main page of your blog.
3. Here's the party button if you want to link back to this party from your blog.

merry and bright garland

2011-12-15T10:05:00.005-07:00

Happy Thursday, friends!

Three fun tidbits to start off the day-

basking in the blue glow of our tent at our Chick Fil A campout

1- We camped out at a Chick Fil A grand opening yesterday (they give you free meals for a year!). It was unseasonably warm (Colorado in December is not usually prime camping weather as you can imagine) and super fun to spend the day with Adam, my brother Aj and my sister-in-law Trish.

2- Adam PASSED his Board Exam (you might've already heard on FB)! Oh my- best. Christmas. present. ever!

3- Burke is enthralled with all things Christmas. Better yet- he sings Christmas carols all day right now. And his merriness is rubbing off on his mama.

So for this very-merry, 10-days-before-Christmas, whew-I'm-worn-out-from-camping-out-last-night Thursday, I thought I'd share a little how-to for the yarn wrapped light garland. Yep- it's a merry day indeed.

To make one of these merry gems, you'll need-
-replacement Christmas light bulbs
-colored yarn
-hot glue
-pipe cleaners
-a ribbon

First add a dot of hot glue to the tip of your Christmas light.

Press the knotted end of your yarn into the glue.

Wrap the light with yarn, gluing periodically along the way.

Continue until the light is fully wrapped in yarn.

Repeat until you have a little pile of yarn wrapped lights.

Add a pipe cleaner hanger to the top of each light.

String on a ribbon.

Hang your garland, hum a little Christmas carol, and feel the merriness!

ps- I hope that this is obvious, but I realize that all of you don't celebrate Christmas, our share our belief system. At the same time, I'm sure you all know that the kojo blog is an extension of Jord and I and our lives. And since we do celebrate Christmas, of course, the blog reflects that each December. Thanks for hanging around!

violette field threads pattern review and giveaway

2011-12-14T07:00:00.003-07:00

From yesterday's comments, it sounds like y'all are busybusybusy right now too! If so- if you still have shopping that isn't finished, presents that aren't wrapped, To Do lists that are woefully unchecked, I have something that can help!

A pattern giveaway by Violette Field Threads (and some pics of Piper Jane sporting her new pantaloons that are sure to spread some Christmas cheer)! This little bright spot in your day is great on many levels- I get to introduce you to some oh.my.adorable patterns and you have a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Violette Field Threads (either to keep for yourself, or to give as a gift!).

I mentioned that I've fallen in love with sewing from a pattern this year. And this pattern I just tried for the Charlotte pantaloons by Violette Field Threads is no exception. I feel like these little bloomers are the perfect pairing for every single dress and tunic in Piper Jane's closet (and incidentally want to make her a pair in every single color).

Violette Field Threads has all sorts of other great patterns as well- I can't wait to try the Fiona Ribbon Bustle dress. And this Chloe dress is ohmygoodness fabulous. This Vivienne skirt just about kills me in its adorable-ness too!

Of course, the great news in all of this is that Violette Field Threads is giving away TWO twenty five dollar gift certificates to kojodesigns readers.

To enter this giveaway-

1- Visit Violette Field Threads and look around. Then come back here and leave a comment with your favorite pattern (or patterns if you can't pick just one).

2- Follow the kojodesigns blog and leave a comment saying so!

***If you don't leave your email, your entry will be disqualified***

This giveaway will be open until December 16th at midnight- good luck, y'all!

Also, the girls at Violette Field Threads are offering a 15% discount this week. Just enter KOJO15 as your promotional code!

the chaos of december (and a stacked wool tree how-to)

2011-12-13T08:45:00.001-07:00

I think I say this every year, but, gosh December is crazy, isn't it? I keep thinking that I am just about finished with my shopping/decorating/present making... and yet, my To Do list just keeps growing instead of shrinking! A little glimpse into the chaos-

We had Dental School Prom (really, just a fancy Christmas party) last weekend- my favorite one yet. We got all dressed up, danced until midnight, and reveled in the idea that Adam did not just take an Anatomy final, that he does not have any more written Board Exams (just one clinical Boards left!), and that this year was our last appearance at this little event (fun as it is). Dental school has been a long and not-so-easy road and I cannot tell you how excited I am that Adam is 10/11ths of the way to graduation!

Our house has been a Gift Making Extravaganza! Even Burke has been getting in on the action. Handmade gifts delight my heart, and ones made by kids even more so (you should see all of the ornaments made by my onceuponatime students on our tree).

I think I already hinted this, but I am working on about nine projects currently. Since Adam is home for the next couple of weeks, I am pretty sure this is my greatest chance to get things done in the next few months. Nothing like making an already crazy month crazier, right?

Ooooh, and I'd be remiss to not show you a little glimpse of some giveaway goodness that'll be up tomorrow! Cuteness overkill, right? Just FYI, Piper Jane is not the giveaway. Can you guess what it might be?

Finally, in an effort to ~~make your December as chaotic as mine~~ give you all of the information you require for your felt-tree making needs, I thought I'd finish up this little post with a how-to.

Make a tree 'trunk' by sticking a wooden scewer into a disc of floral foam. Cover the base with a muslin 'tree skirt' (just a circle of muslin with a notch in the center for the scewer). Cut a whole pile of felted wool circles in graduated sizes. Cut a little hole in the center of your circles and stack on the scewer, with the biggest circles near the base of your 'tree trunk.' Add little squares of felted wool in between felted wool circles (as fillers/height additions). Keep stacking circles and little squares until your tree trunk is full!

And you're done! Cozy little felt trees to add to your Christmas decor!

If you have a minute, I'd love a little catch up from y'all as well! Have you been making presents with your Smooches? Dancing your bootie off at any Christmas parties? Working on a flurry of projects (and thus making this crazy month more crazy)?

kojotutorial- a very fluffy porcupine plushie

2011-12-12T06:24:00.000-07:00

My poor son. He has spent more hours in JoAnn's and Fancy Tiger (our local fabric shop) than any little boy should ever have to endure. And he knows his way around an Anthropologie, that one. It's a little dangerous to take a three-year-old boy into Anthro, what with the teetering stacks of beautifully patterned dishes, just beckoning to him. But duty calls.

And on one such (oh-so-necessary) Anthropologie visit, Burke discovered, and immediately loved, a plushie porcupine. The upside? Now there's a perk for him in our too-often Anthro trips (he gets to see his little porcupine buddy!). The downside? I can't afford a $50 stuffed animal.

So I made my own little plushie porcupine (or maybe it's a hedgehog? I hope it's a porcupine, because I ordered some darling porcupine children's lit to accompany this little guy on Christmas morning) for Burke!

Does your little guy need one too? To make one, you'll need:
-a gray or brown wool sweater, felted (black would work too)
-brown and white yarn
-black embroidery thread
-embroidery thread (optional)
-a tapestry needle
-sewing machine and supplies

1. Cut out one foot ball shape and two offcentered football-ish shapes from your felted wool. This doesn't have to be exact. Just think about what the general line of a porcupine would be (straight on the botton, curved on the top, and pointy at the nose) and cut out two pieces. Stitch the two 'back' pieces together, right sides facing together.

2. Start making the yarn "prickles." First thread a tapestry needle with brown or cream yarn (or both!). Measure out a length of doubled over yarn and knot the end. Make a loop of yarn along the porcupine's 'back.' Estimate the prickle length and tie off the yarn on the interior of the plushie (just tie them together). Then cut the loop. You should now have four pieces of yarn sticking out of the porcupine back (your yarn was doubled and now you have two sets of prickles). .

3. Repeat and repeat and repeat. I went in rows, making the loops and trimming at the end, but do whatever works for you. Warning- this is tedious! Put in a good movie (or catch up on your shows on Hulu!) with a pile of yarn next to you to make this task less tedious. :)

4. Leave the pointy front prickle free. Add an embroidery thread nose (just wrap the point, passing the needle through every once in awhile to secure) and embroidery thread eyes.

5. Pin the bottom football shaped wool piece to the porcupine 'side,' right sides facing in. Stitch along side. Repeat with the other side, leaving a little opening. You should now have an inside out, unstuffed porcupine (but since you just see the interior, it looks like a mass of yarn knots).

6. Pull right side in through the opening. I embroidered a little yellow heart on the underside since Burke has a thing for yellow (totally optional, of course). Stuff with polyfil and stitch the opening closed.

7. Pair with a the book A Porcupine Named Fluffy if you please (last year, one of Burke's gifts was a stuffed truck with the books "The Three Little Rigs" and "Hansel and Diesel" and I cannot tell you what a hit they were!).

8. And there you have it. Prickly Anthro knock off goodness for one patient little boy!

With Burke's handmade present all finished up, my To Make Before Christmas list includes something fabulous for Trish (who actually might see this, so I won't go into any more detail than that), a baby doll for Piper Jane and a stack of headbands for the Little Miss as well. Fingers crossed that I get to all of that. :)

Are you working on making any gifts right now?

hyatti- beach bums

2011-12-11T07:33:00.001-07:00

All your Christmas crafting has me missing the bustle of the season! We do have our tree and decor adorning our house, but it just isn't the same. Of course, we did spend the weekend on the beach, so that is some consolation. Right now we are still in the research stage of our little business, so we are checking out as many of these beaches as we can. It's really a rough life.

This one is just for kirst. Since I can remember, we have been writing this in the sand every time we are at the beach and apart. Now that I live by a beach though, it may not be every time, cause that would just get obnoxious. Wishing you all a wonderful week-before-Christmas!

my christmas wishlist

2011-12-10T10:14:00.025-07:00

Since my birthday is at the beginning of December (and since someone I know whose name rhymes with "Madam" exclusively shops off of my list), I make my Christmas wishlist in November. And, you guessed it, some of these goodies are already hanging in my closet or tucked away in my craft room (got them as birthday gifts already).

But, since I love reading Christmas wishlists (and shamelessly copying items off of them!), I thought I'd share mine too-

1. Toms- Adam threw away my favorite metallic ballet flats because the soles were falling apart... he deemed them unworthy of donating! So I'm hoping these will be a good replacement?

image via

2. Fabric- for several specific projects, actually, but none that I can tell you about... yet.

3. Sephora Gift Card- My make up bag is in serious need of replenishing. I have several specific items on my Sephora-shopping-spree list, but I'd love any suggestions y'all have for your must have cosmetics!

4. White Cake Stand- A classic. One that I don't have.

5. A Gym Membership for the January/February- I almost always run outside through the winter (since my mom and I usually run a half marathon in May), but it'd be so nice to have access to a place to run on snowy/icy days! And I love classes (spinning, Zumba, step, yoga)- have I mentioned that on here?

6. The Colette Sewing Handbook by Sarai Mitnick.

7. Sewing for Boys by Shelley Figueroa.

8. Sewing Scissors- I'd love another pair. Plus, my big pair are missing currently, so I've been rotary-ing everything- haha!

9. A trip to the Middleeast to see my Cakepops and their parents! Never hurts to ask, right?

What's on your list, friends?

friday fun finds

2011-12-09T07:00:00.002-07:00

My goodness, friends! Y'all have been busybusybusy! Loved all of the links last week (seriously, there were so many great projects that I finally had to just cut myself off from choosing more to feature)! A few lovelies that I found (before the aforementioned cut-off)-

Super fun geography ornaments by Pickup Some Creativity!

I love this DIY Cake Stand on so many levels (as well as the entire Pretty in Pink Party) by I heart Naptime!

How to print on burlap by Sew Rockin'- love this tutorial!

I pretty much love these 'mercury glass' Christmas trees by freaking craft!

I have a thing for herringbone... and LOVE this little jacket by you & mie!

Adore this advent tree by Feel LOVD Everyday!

Fab.u.lous. Christmas tree art by Oopsey Daisy!

Lo-ove this flowy, bow skirt by simply homemade!

This wreath (made from scraps of dropcloth and a hanger) by Beauty 4 Ashes is fabulous!

Burke would love a tool belt- especially one as fabulous as this one by Nikki at Outnumbered.

And the most clicked on link last week? This oh-so-lovely Felt Flower Scarf by Watch Me Daddy!

Here's your featured button, crafty guru's-

We can't wait to see your latest and greatest craftiness- something you made, a tutorial you put together (or tried out!), a product the rest of us need, a scrumptious recipe- whatever you're loving this week!

A few guidelines:

1. Include a short description of what you're linking to (as well as the name of your blog if you want). That way people can go see the fun finds that interest them most.

2. Link to your specific post, and not to the main page of your blog.

3. Here's the party button if you want to link back to this party from your blog.

where's kojo?

2011-12-08T14:47:00.002-07:00

We love having the chance to guest blog around the blogosphere!

A few places we've been lately-

*Sharing a yarn wrapped ornament tutorial as part of the 50 Things of Christmas series at Jame.

And our geography ornament tutorial was part of the Spreading Christmas Cheer series at Sumo's Sweet Stuff.

Also, I added the tutorials for the You Are My Sunshine print, the embroidered geography art and the *snap* embroidery hoop art to the kojo blog (just scroll down!). All of those would make great Christmas gifts if you're looking for ideas.

Hope you're having a great Thursday!

What's on the docket for you today?

kojotutorial: how to make baby boots from a felted sweater

2011-12-07T06:00:00.001-07:00

Good thing Piper Jane is fifteen months old and generally fairly oblivious about things like surprises. Because, not only am I planning on sharing most of her Christmas presents on the blog (the handmade ones, at least), I also keep using her as my model. For her own gifts. Pretty sure I don't have many more years of this- better enjoy it while it lasts, right?

Anyhow, besides the Cottage Mama dresses (also Christmas presents for her), Piper Jane's wardrobe could really use a pair of black boots. I LOVE her brown Robeez booties and would love another pair to rotate in.

So, after finding out that the Robeez booties are $40 (what!?!), I decided to try to DIY a pair of black boots for her. I have several pairs of adorable, but non functional, flats on hand (who makes baby shoes without some sort of strap? And what mom buys those shoes just from the GAP just because they're so dang cute and also on sale for $2? Me, that's who). All of that to say, to make these booties, you'll need a pair of sacrificial flats that you don't mind adding some hot glue to (they'll still get use, just as boots instead of as flats).

I'd seen this tutorial at Instructables for felted wool boots, and this tutorial at Happy Together for sweater boots, and decided to take a little from each tutorial to make Piper Jane's boots. Both of those tutorials are great- I'd encourage you to check them out if you're trying this!

Anyhow, this was my sweater-boot-making process-

I made a template using a sweater boot we have on hand (I can't find the other one!). Though, the shape is pretty similar to a sock- so if you have a shoe with a flat sole (to determine the length of the sole) and a sock on hand, that'll work too.

To make little sweater booties, trace the template boot/sock onto a folded piece of felted wool (mine was a black wool sweater that I felted in the washing machine). Make sure the bottom line is the length of the sole of a shoe that fits. Do this twice (once for each boot) and cut out your pieces.

Then, pin the pieces together, right sides facing in, and sew up each vertical edge, leaving the bottom and the top open.

Pinking shear the edges if you want them to look a little more finished. Roll the top edge down and sew in place. You can leave an opening and use the top edge as an elastic casing if you want the top to cinch in.

Now this part sounds trickier than it is. Leaving the sewn up sweater inside out, turn it upside down and match up with the bottom of the sole of the shoes you're using as the base. Starting at the heel, add a generous dollop of hot glue, slide the sweater boot over the flat and hold in place until it's nice and secure.

Continue working your way around the entire flat, making sure that the center seam of the sweater boot lines up with the center of the front of the flat. Especially make sure you use a decent amount of hot glue and you really let it set up.

After you finish gluing all the way around (and adding an extra line of glue just to be safe), turn the boot right side in.

Look how nice and neat that sole looks. Not all hot glued up at all!

And thereyouhaveit! Booties from a felted sweater- cute as can be and ready to add to our daily dose of leggings, dresses, and tunics! These little gems are already wrapped up and under the tree (Piper Jane is none the wiser, I'm sure of it!). :)

ps- Piper Jane hasn't worn these except for our little photo shoot, so I can't comment on the durability of the hot glue on shoes. Since I had everything on hand, I figured it couldn't hurt to try these. Have any of you made boots using hot glue? Do they hold up?

Gifts for Guys Giveaway Winners!

2011-12-06T23:03:00.001-07:00

One more huge THANK YOU to our wonderful Gifts for Guys Sponsors-

And the winners are-

Rustic Leather Satchel- #20 Peggy

Bare Tree Shirts and Belts- #91 Jasanna

BorsaBella iPad/eReader Bag- #14 Brittany

oneupdesigns $25 Gift Certificate- #52 Christie S.

Teton Cocoa Company Gourmet Cocoa- #105 Katharine

fullgive Custom Leather Belt- #37 Cari

CONGRATS!

snap embroidery hoop decor

2011-12-06T22:39:00.001-07:00

Since my sister and several of my good friends are photographers (or "photog's"), I'm always on the lookout for camera-themed presents.This "Snap" felt camera hoop art (say that five times fast) fits the bill perfectly.

Do you have any photography lovers on your list? Join me and we'll make one of these gems together!

To make your own "Snap" felt camera art, you'll need:
-several colors of wool felt
-background fabric (mine is Joel Dewberry, Lodge Lattice in Azure)
-embroidery hoop
-hot glue
-embroidery thread

First cut out your shapes.
-2" circle
-3" circle
-3"x5" rectangle
-3.5"x5.5" rectangle
- six small rectangles (for buttons)

Assemble your camera with hot glue.

Add embroidery to a couple of buttons or your 'lens' if you please.

Then embroider your background fabric with the word "Snap." Other fitting phrases? "Cheese," "Picture This," or "A Thousand Words," would all be great.

The hot glue all of your felt pieces to the fabric.

Place a back on your hoop art (trace the inside of your smaller hoop for an accurate measurement).

Done! Fabulous, personal home decor for the photographer in your life. What a great (not-so-expensive) present!

ps- I LOVE this camera illustration by grayhood and used it as my inspiration/starting point.

embroidered home sweet home wall decor

2011-12-06T19:02:00.001-07:00

This embroidered HomeSweetHome wall art is a great way to highlight the places that are special to you!

It's simple, fun, and easily personalized, makes a great House Warming gift (or Christmas present). Even better, it matches pretty much any decor style. And it's perfect for the geography buffs (or frequent movers) on your list.

Ready to make one? You'll need:
-a frame with several openings (the number of openings should match your number of locations)
-cardstock (I used Crane's lettra cotton paper)
-embroidery thread (match the recipients existing decor if you want)
-tapestry needle
-small felt hearts

Using the size of your openings as your guide (mine were each 6"x6"), print outlines of your states, provinces, or countries (I used the font 'dingmaps').

With a needle, poke holes along the outline.

Using a tapestry needle (they have large 'eyes'), "embroider" through your already-poked holes. It was easiest for me to go around the perimeter twice (the first time, I covered every other space and then filled in the gaps on the second round).

Finish embroidering all of your places. Mark the specific cities or towns with little felt hearts.

Place each embroidered place in a frame opening and you're finished! This little gem is equally at home sitting on a shelf (or mantle!), hanging on a wall, sitting on a chair or wrapped up to give as a gift!

you are my sunshine print (and wrapping paper covered mat)

2011-12-06T18:43:00.001-07:00

Have I ever told you that I sung the song, "You Are My Sunshine," for my entire pregnancy with Piper Jane? Couldn't get that song out of my head! And now, we call the little miss, "Sunshine" (and about twenty other nicknames) as a tribute to my pregnancy-o'-sunshine.

We made this for her sunshine-y room, but you could make it for pretty much anyone on your list. Even better, it can probably be made with items you have on hand right now!

To make this You Are My Sunshine framed print (with a wrapping paper covered mat), you'll need:
-an 8x10 frame, painted to match your color palette (I spray painted mine coral)
-an old cereal box
-wrapping paper in your color palette
-glue and scissors
-the You Are My Sunshine print (click on the link for the free printable)

First, we are going to make the wrapping paper covered mat (I've also used wallpaper and it works great!). Trace an existing 8x10 photo mat (or just trace the outside of the 8x10 frame insert for the outside edge and a smaller frame in the center if you don't have a photo mat on hand) onto an old cereal box. Cut out your 'mat.'

Trace onto wrapping paper that matches the color palette you've chosen (the You Are My Sunshine print is all grays and yellows, so anything that matches yellow and gray will work. Cut out, leaving a perimeter of at least 1/2". Also, cut out the center piece, again leaving a 1/2" perimeter.

For the inner rectangle, cut at an angle toward each corner. For the outside rectangle, trim notches into each corner so that your wrapping paper doesn't overlap and make bulk.

Glue the mat onto the wrapping paper, using your traced lines as a guide for placing your mat.

Fold each of the sides along the traced lines. Glue in place.

Your mat is finished! Easy, right? You might even want to make another (see the two different mat options below).

Print out the You Are My Sunshine free printable onto high quality cardstock (I love Crane's cotton paper). Trim to 8"x10".

Place your print in your (already spray painted to coordinate) frame.

Give to your Sunshine(s)! Fabulous, nearly-free decor? Yes please!

RIT dye (my newest BFF) and a wooden Christmas card display

2011-12-06T06:00:00.004-07:00

Oh my. I think the geniuses at RIT Dye are my new BFFs.

They've come up with a Color Formula Guide that lets you make more than 500 colors by combining their dyes (and sometimes water). I have this thing for custom colors and have always felt a little, well, stifled by the set group of colors out there. But NOW, now I have a secret weapon for all my custom color needs. Feels fabulous.

I also love their ombre dyeing directions, and their directions for dyeing wood and wicker!

I almost couldn't decide which project to work on with the beautiful box RIT sent me (including every. single. dye. color. in their line)! But then I couldn't get the idea of dying wood without the yucky, smellyness of wood stain our of my head. Plus, we don't have a way to display our Christmas cards. And we need one. So there's that.

Do you need a spot to put all of your Christmas cards too? To make a dyed Christmas Card Tree, gather-
-scrap 1"x2" board, cut into eight pieces (6" long, 9" long, 12" long, 15" long, 18" long, 21" long, 24" long, and another 24" long for the trunk)
-wooden clothespins (I used twenty two)
-RIT dye

First dye your clothespins. Make small batches of dye and soak your clothespins in the dye to make yourself a mini clothespin rainbow (I'll be honest, I. love. these! No clothespin is safe from the RIT dye now that I discovered how fabulous they look dyed).

Nail the shorter boards to the longest board, in order from shortest (on the top) to longest (on the bottom).

Paint green dye on the 'branches' and brown dye on the 'trunk.'

Let everything dry out (the clothespins and the 'tree'). Hot glue the dyed clothes pins onto the 'tree' like lights. Arrange the top row in a yellow starburst pattern. Glue that in place too.

You're done! Add Christmas cards and you have a seriously fabulous display.

ps- More places to keep up with RIT dye-

Rit Dye Site: http://www.ritdye.com/

Rit Dye Blog: http://www.ritdye.com/blogs

Rit Dye on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RitDyeColorCommunity

Rit Dye on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/ritdye

Also, Beckie from Infarrantly Creative will be hosting a giveaway for RIT's entire line on December 9th!

advent ornaments

2011-12-05T09:15:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I shared these advent ornaments as part of the CHRISTmas series at I Am Momma, Hear Me Roar. They are our new favorite Christmas tradition (and one you can still do too!), so I thought I'd share them on here as well.

Jord and I grew up in a home full of fabulous Christmas traditions. Looking back, my favorite traditions are the ones that reinforce the meaning of CHRISTmas as the celebration of the birth of Christ the Savior. I love having that legacy of meaningful family traditions. And as our kiddos get older, I'd love to have the season leading up to Christmas be full of meaning, too!

This box of twenty five ornaments, each bearing one of the names of Christ, is one of those traditions! We are hanging one on our tree each day of December as one way to learn more about Jesus and celebrate His birth.

To make a box of advent ornaments with your family, you'll need-
-a pile of twenty five ornaments (we used big clear ones, small plastic clear ones, plain wooden and ceramic ones, and a few random shapes [a star and a lion])
-some kid-friendly ornament decor (paint, crayons, glitter, jewel stickers, trim/notions, pipe cleaners, pom poms)
-a not-so-kid-friendly Sharpie
-ornament hangers or twine

To make our ornaments, first we found a list of Jesus's names (here). The list also includes biblical references so that we can look up the passages each time we hang an ornament.

And we narrowed to these 25 names-
King of Kings, The Vine, The Word, Lion of Judah, Lamb of God, Messiah, Savior, Alpha and Omega, Light of the World, Redeemer, Bright and Morning Star, I AM, The Good Shepard, Ancient of Days, Bread of Life, Living Water, Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, Rock of Ages, Jehovah, The Truth and the Life, The Great Physician, The Lord of Glory, The Rose of Sharon, Lily of the Valley.

Then Burke and I set to work, making ornaments. He's three, so the joint ornament decorating was limited at best. Think paint splashing, glitter pouring, pom pom pushing, jewel bedazzling. Limited, but fun (and funny!).

After the decorating, I'd add the name of Burke's choosing to the ornament with a Sharpie. And, twenty-five names later, our little box of advent ornaments was finished.

In case you are wondering which ornaments received the honor of "Most Likely to Be Remade Next Year," there they are. Oh, Lion of Judah and Lamb of God ornaments. You are certainly the ugly ducklings of the crowd. But Burke loves you, so I love you.

Like I said- this is our favorite addition to our December List this year. Piper Jane and Burke are loving the ornaments and the family time- and hopefully we are all learning and readying our hearts for CHRISTmas as well!

hyatti- landed!

2011-12-04T12:33:00.001-07:00

We have landed! I know you have been wondering where the JO in kojo went- but the last month has been a whirlwind. This little blog team is now blogging 11 timezones apart- how crazy is that?! Life has been...amazing, tiring, good, hard and so much fun. I have spent more time in IKEA than I care to admit to...but our house is almost set up (pics coming soon!) I am sure there will be plenty of time to show you our new beautiful host country, but for now- here are a couple from our first month here.

ps- Today's post is part of a series called Hyatti, which means "My Life." We love the chance to share little glimpses of regular life every week with y'all.

friday fun finds

2011-12-02T07:04:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it's been a month since our last linky party. I can. not. wait. to see what you've been up to (if you want to link up a few of your favorite projects you've been working on, do it!).

Have you been making presents? We have too (is it terrible that I used Piper Jane as the model for her own presents?)!

Have you been decorating? Us too!

Have you been Christmas-ing? That's what it's like around here too!

Show us what you've been up to... can't wait to see it!

A few guidelines:

1. Include a short description of what you're linking to (as well as the name of your blog if you want). That way people can go see the fun finds that interest them most.

2. Link to your specific post, and not to the main page of your blog.

3. Here's the party button if you want to link back to this party from your blog.

happy december (and an advent countdown)

2011-12-01T08:07:00.002-07:00

Hello there, sweet friends. Happy December!

This may sound ridiculous, but, much as I LOVE hosting fabulous series' around here (especially ones that stock my Guy To Make list as well as this last one did), I miss being able to just check in with y'all! I feel like I get to the end of a series and have a whole conglomeration of things to tell you (most of which are absolutely not worth a blog post- haha)!

So, how are you? What have you been up to? Decking your halls? Shopping for (or making?) presents? Baking?

We have been busy around here! Besides normal life (plus Adam's Boards- which are DONE as of Tuesday!), there has been the usual pre-Christmas present making, decorating, shopping flurry. And, while I always have a project or two in the works, I have about seven half-finished/barely started projects going right now. Call it Creative Energy... or working under a deadline... or maybe just chaos. I also have a couple of projects/announcements in the works that I can't wait to share- stay tuned!

One already-complete project is the Advent Calendar Countdown that Burke and I have been working on. Ever since Burke discovered the concept of Advent calendars (in an aisle at Target early in November, actually), he has been talking about how we need one for our house. Truth be told, I love all things Christmas-Tradition-esque and couldn't be more thrilled that he's 'getting Christmas/Advent' more this year!

Luckily, Burke's pretty easy to please and Piper Jane takes all of her cues from him. And so our Advent Manor is simple as can be- a bulletin board covered in muslin, with some dollar-store-box 'windows' and 'doors,' all labeled with numbers one through twenty five.

We did add in a couple of felted wool trees, a garland of lights, and a white pompom "blizzard" (after Burke repeatedly requested a "snow storm") and a ruffle-y white garland. Very fancy.

Of course, this little gem includes the all-important daily treats- each little window/door contains candy! There is also a daily activity or to do from our December List tucked into each day's slot.

A quick how-to on the advent calendar? 1. Stitch a 'house' outline on your fabric (optional). 2. Wrap the fabric around a bulletin board and pin in place. 3. Trim the handles off of the dollar store boxes (ours came in a twelve pack) so you're left with open topped square boxes. 4. To make window panes, wrap twine around the boxes... 5. ...tape in place on the back. 6. Using pushpins on the insides of the boxes to secure in place as windows and doors. 7. Add little paper divider so each box can hold the treats for two days. 8. Add numbers one through twenty five (I printed numbers out on sticker label paper). 9. Add treats and daily activities/to do's from your December List and you're done!

On our December List? Cocoa drinking, Christmas light sightseeing, zoo lights, fudge making, tree decorating, cookie exchanging, ornament choosing, lights at the Botanic gardens, birthday cake baking, "cozy picnics" and movie watching (we have FOUR different Christmas movies that we watch every year- Elf, Polar Express, Family Man and The Holiday [that last one sans kiddos]), reading the Christmas story from Luke, a movie at the theater on Christmas Eve (and new jammies that night!), making Christmas presents for Jesus... Should be a fabulous, full month!

Do you have an advent calendar? Do you make a December List?
What are your holiday traditions?
Also, let's play catch up- what did I miss in November?

gifts for guys round up

2011-11-30T17:00:00.001-07:00

Gifts for Guys Round Two was more than I expected, y'all!

To wrap up, I thought I'd assemble the entire month of tutorial goodness is in one place.

iPhone/iPod cover by I Still Love You

Tie/Hat/Belt Rack by Sewing in No Man's Land

Flavored Salted Caramels by Sips Etc.

Monogrammed Hankies by La Famille

Fabric Fish by Life Made Lovely

P is for Pirate Kit by Lemontree Creations

Plaid Scarves by See Kate Sew

Rocket Ship Crinkle Toy by Sew.Craft.Create

Stenciled Bike Shirt by Tatertots and Jello

Pamper Your Guy Stocking Stuffers by Oopsey Daisy

Gadget Charging Pouch by Tone

Corn Hole by Bower Power

Boy Belt by I Am Momma, Hear Me Roar

Skateboard Sling by The Boy Trifecta

Custom Canvases by Less Cake, More Frosting

Lego Belt by Delia Creates

Mama Mia Style Gnocchi

GFG guest- I Still Love You

2011-11-29T18:00:00.001-07:00

Can I tell you something? I have had a total blog crush on Melissa Esplin at I Still Love You ever since I discovered her blog. Seriously, love. this. girl.

I am so jealous of her calligraphy skills (maybe if enough of us email her she'll do a class in Denver?), her graphic designage is so gorgeous, I want to come to her parties (dinos for Penelope? LOVE), she sews fantastic stuff for herself!, I love her tutorials, and I'd take her entire wardrobe (especially if I could look that cute in it).

And I can't tell you how thrilled I am that she's here today with a Gifts for Guys tutorial!

I think that for every DIY project suitable to give as a gift to a guy there must be at least 80 million for girls. It's sad, no? I'm just thrilled to be able to participate in this gift for guys series!

Nearly 4 years ago, Chris got his first iPhone. The 3G. Remember that one? He needed a case badly, but wasn't too thrilled about the options at that time. I helped Chris by designing a case for him and, yes, nearly 4 years later he still uses it! It has only worn better with time and it works with the new anatomy of the 4.

I've made and published a couple of cases (1.0 + 2.0), but both have been very much on the feminine side of things.

This is a great gift (especially if you know that the giftee is getting a new phone or iPod touch!) for Christmas regardless of age. I've included an additional pattern piece to make the phone double as a wallet. When gifting, stick an iTunes gift card in there for added awesomeness.

This tutorial can easily be adapted to be used with industrial felt or vinyl. If you'd like to go a cheaper/also eco-friendly route, head on over to an upholstery shop & ask for leather scraps. Oftentimes they'll have scraps large enough for this kind of project. They can't do anything with those scraps & usually discard them. Let's get started!!

• S U P P L I E S •

leather/felt
scissors
pattern
thread + needle
clear tape
awl
hammer

Print the attached pattern & cut out. Tape generously to the wrong side of the leather.

Punch while patterns are taped using the hammer and an awl. You’ll want to be sure to do this over a scrap of wood.

Should look like this on the right side of the leather.

Once holes are punched, cut out pattern pieces from the leather and match up. I flipped the leather inside out for the pocket for variation.

Thread your needle with thick thread (I used waxed linen thread). Sew between the two layers on the first hole and leave a 2-3 inch tail.

Sew in and out through each hole all the way around. Double back.

Once you get back to the start point, tie a square knot between the layers of leather. Trim ends and tuck between the leather.

With scissors or a rotary cutter & ruler, trim down edges to desired width. I like mine at about a quarter of an inch.

Give to a manly guy!

Click the download button below to download the printer-friendly version of this tutorial & the pattern pieces.

Also, check out I Still Love You for more refashions, printables & tutorials than you can shake a stick at. Each year I offer a Christmas gift packaging for readers to download! Check them out here: 2010 • 2009 • 2008 • 2007. Be sure to subscribe to ISLY for more crafty goodness!

This tutorial/freebie is free for personal use and should not be distributed/republished without my consent. Altering the file NOT ALLOWED. If you would like to use this tutorial for commercial purposes, please email me. Thanks!

Don't forget to stop by I Still Love You today!

giveaway goodness

2011-11-29T09:14:00.001-07:00

There are some a.maz.ing Gifts for Guys Giveaways this year!

Don't forget to enter to win...

...A Leather Satchel from Rustic Leather Co.

...$25 gift certificate to oneupdesigns

...Gourmet cocoa from Teton Cocoa Company

...Two shirts and two belts from Baretree Apparel

...A custom leather belt of your choosing from fullgive

...An iPad/eReader cover from Borsa Bella

Also, if you have a minute, show some love to our fabulous sponsors, check out their shops, add them to your etsy faves, support their handmade businesses!

GFG guest round up by made by rae

2011-11-28T06:00:00.002-07:00

Y'all already know, and love Made by Rae, I'm sure of it! And today she's OUR guest!

Oh Rae. How I love you and your gorgeous, precise sewing (sunsuits and tights and beautiful bags) and your clean prettiness! The Buttercup Bag is one of my all time favorites (I made a couple last year!) and don't get me started on the Pierrot top (adore).

And Rae is HERE today with a round up of Guy Goodness from around the internet... yep, more Gifts for Guys ideas!

Hi everyone! I'm Rae of Made by Rae and I'm thrilled to be here today to help provide some gift-making inspiration for the guys in your life! To do this I want to showcase some great tutorials from the "Celebrate the BOY" series that Dana of MADE and I have co-hosted on our blogs for the last couple of years. We have hosted two month-long winter "Celebrate the BOY" series in 2010 and 2011 and a shorter one-week summer series this past June.

The focus of Celebrate the BOY is often sewing garments for (little) boys, but we've had a number of guests who have presented wonderful projects that would also make great gifts for boys, teens, and men. So I thought it would be fun to put together a collection of 20 great posts from Celebrate the BOY here on kojo designs!

[Note: I'm listing them here with the name of the blog they came from; clicking on the link or the picture will bring you back to their feature post and a link to the tutorial so you can make one too]

Maybe you'll be inspired to make or adapt something here for YOUR guy!

1. Tweed and leather wallets from Noodlehead:

2. Lego Quilt from Wee Wonderfuls:

3. Angry Bird Softies from Obsessively Stitching:

4. Paratrooper Softie Toys from Chez Beeper Bebe:

5. Crayon Monster Tote from Hideous, Dreadful, Stinky:

6. Superhero Magnets from Chez Beeper Bebe for the comic nerd in your life:

7. A balance board from Elsie Marley:

8. Messenger bag from Punkin Patterns -- this is a "little boy size" but could easily be scaled up for guys of any age!

9. String Art from Fraufertig:

10. Drawstring backpack from Noodlehead:

11. This Little pirate costume set from MADE would make a neat gift set:

12. Maybe with a little striped Hobo Sack to keep it all together?

13. Leather Cuff from Notes from a Very Red Kitchen:

14. Toy Bag and Lego Sack from Make it Perfect -- a great gift along with a set of Lego or Duplo!

15. Lunch Money Cuff from Lemon Squeezy Home:

16. Snack Bandolier from Whipstitch (pair this with some little toys:

17. Dragon Slippers from Made By Rae:

18. Car Toy Mats (you'll find three different fold-up-and-go car mat tutorials at that link along with a whole bunch of other ideas for on-the-go-toy gifts):

19. Ammo-bag-turned-messenger-bag from Ambrosia Girl:

20. and finally, are you feeling REALLY ambitious? Check out the Reversible Lego Table tutorial from Piccoli Piselli! This could be a cool train or art table too!

You can see all of the tutorials featured here and more at the following links:

Made By Rae's Celebrate the BOY Archives

MADE's Celebrate the BOY Archives

Happy Gift Making to you all!!!

Don't forget to go say hi at Made By Rae!

Between the Gifts for Guys Goodness (I'll put all of it together in one big ol' round up on November 30th), and Rae's great ideas, I have enough Guy Gift ideas to keep me busy for awhile. You too?

GFG guest- sewing in no man's land

2011-11-27T06:23:00.001-07:00

Not only is today's guest a wildly talented sewist (she sews for her kids and for herself... and throws in 'extra' projects like this tent and decor as well!), she is also encouraging and sweet, has great taste, and takes amazing pictures! A few other things I've loved at No Man's Land? The Twelve Days of Christmas series from last year and every single thing she made for Project Run and Play. Kelly is one talented lady!

And she's here to share some of that talent with us today for Gifts for Guys. Lucky us!

Hello friends! Kelly here from Sewing In No Mans Land :) I am so excited to be guest posting here at kojodesigns today !! These ladies are amazing (and have been so patient as I worked through
some LAME computer and timing issues).

Of course I turned to my husband to ask for some suggestions on what to make. We originally kicked around the idea of an IPAD cover but I wanted to do a tutorial that would appeal to non-sewers as well. We started unpacking during this time and I had no where to put his hats, ties and belts. I didn't like the idea of shoving them in a drawer and then suddenly "lightbulb" (think gru on Despicable Me).

What is fantastic about this is how TOTALLY easy and versatile it is! You can make it in four easy steps and pretty cheaply. I bought everything at hobby lobby for under 8 dollars.

1. Materials List:
Piece of paintable/stainable wood in what ever shape and length you like (this actually has more pegs then you can see in the above picture. If your hubby has LOTS of ties grab a longerpiece of wood and more little wooden pegs).
Little wooden pegs.
At least two hanging grips.
Paint.
Optional: decorative wodden scrolls for edge and hooks.

2. ****If you decide to have decorative scrolls glue them on using some strong glue previous to this step*** Paint your board your selected color. My paint was supposed to be glaze but it turned out pretty flat. I would HIGHLY suggest doing a paint with a glaze so that the surface is more wipe-able. At the same time paint your wooden pegs your selected color.

3. Flip over your board and attach your hanging grips.

4. Attach your pegs and hooks in your selected method. I used the wood glue to attach my pegs, but you could also use little screws.

There you have it!! You can also and hats but at the particular moment in time I have no idea where any of the hubbys hats are ha!! This is hung next to the closet door but if it ends up being too cluttered it will make its way into the closet wall
ha!

Thanks so much ladies for letting me stop by- I hope you hop on over to Sewing In No Mans Land!
I hope you have a fantastic holiday season.

Cheers! Kelly

Be sure to stop by Sewing in No Man's Land to check out the loveliness!

GFG guest tutorial- flavored salted caramels by sips etc.

2011-11-25T06:00:00.003-07:00

As an added (surprise!) bonus, my lovely sister-in-law Tricia from Sips Etc. is joining us for Gifts for Guys!

I introduced Tricia a little when I told you about the drink blog we're doing together (ok, to be fair, it's mostly Trish's fabulous work over there and I write a post ever once in awhile). And, honestly, it's kind of hard to narrow my list of favorite things about her. But we'll start with these- she has a fantastic eye for design (which makes her great at presentation and party planning!), she is such a gracious hostess (the Sips Launch party that we cohosted was one of my favorite parties this year), she has fantastic creative ideas (I LOVED the turkey cups!), she has a knack for making everyday things special (see the H2O bar!). Best of all, though, she is such a grounded, gracious, encouraging part of my life. My brother couldn't have done better!

And, good news for us, Tricia's here today with a fabulous Gifts for Guys tutorial (I will be honest- a couple of these yummy deliciousnesses fell prey to my 'sampling.' YUMMY!).

Hi! I'm Tricia, half of the sister-in-law team that blogs at Sips etc. (You know the other half pretty well if you are here reading this series-- Kirstin!). We're pretty new around the blogging world, but we love taking simple things in life and making them just a bit more fun. That's the reason we started our blog! You can find more out about us here, and we suggest checking out some of our favorite drinks here, here, and even the Sippy Cup (our kids column) feature here. I'm excited to be here today!

I'm going to let you in on my most recent guy-present-giving dilemma: Patrick, our brother-in-law, was coming in to town for Thanksgiving and I was planning to give them each a little early Christmas present since we won't see them for the actual day this year.

After a few ideas that I bounced off Adam, I think I found the perfect gift that would cater to his love of whiskey and his renowned sweet-tooth: (Whiskey) Flavored Salted Caramels!

The recipe I used was altered from the one here. I'll show you what to do incase you have your own whiskey + sweet-tooth loving guy in your life too!

Here's what you'll need:

5 T butter

1 c whipping cream

1/4 c whiskey (the alcohol will boil off during the cooking, so it'll be alcohol free by the time you partake)

1 t vanilla

1/4 t salt

1 1/2 c sugar

1/4 c light corn syrup

1/4 c water

1 T coarse Kosher salt

Here's how to do it:

Take a 9x9 baking dish and line it with parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray, and set aside.

In a 1 qt sauce pan, heat the butter, whipping cream, whiskey, vanilla, and salt until boiling, stirring often.

Then set aside.

Then in a 3 qt sauce pan, over medium-high heat, mix the sugar, corn syrup and water. DON'T STIR (the recipe is really clear about this. Avoid the temptation to stir, it's hard, but don't do it!)

Boil until it reaches 310 degrees and is a caramel color.

This part stressed me out. I was so afraid it would burn. So I took lots of pictures so you can see what looks "normal". It took me about 30 minutes. And also, I used a meat thermomater because we didn't have a candy thermomater.

When it the mixture reaches 310, add in the cream mixture and reheat again until it reaches 248 degrees. This took me about 15-20 more minutes.

When it's at 248, pour into your glass pan and let cool for about 10 minutes.

Then sprinkle the last tablespoon of Kosher or Sea Salt on top. I didn't even need to use the full tablespoon and there was plenty of salt on top.

Let cool completely and then cut it into pieces.

And, for fun packaging, try this:

cut wax or parchment paper into large squares.

place the salted caramel in the center, salt side down.

cut out a cross shape around the caramel so it looks like this:

then fold two opposite sides on top of each other

then fold in the last two sides in

seal with printed masking tape (I love finding uses for this stuff! It's so fun!)

put into a bag and tie with a bow!

In case you were wondering, they went over quite well. If I can brag, I'm pretty sure the word that was used was "delicious".

Happy baking! And thanks for having me!

Head on over to Sips Etc. and check out the recipes, the party ideas, the how-to's, and Tricia's snarky wit.

You'll love her like I do, I promise!

happy thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T10:17:00.004-07:00

I had some big plans to share a list of 50 things I am thankful for today. But then my little sis (Kedron) and her family flew into town and we have been spending our minutes laughing, eating, ikea-ing, crafting (which, if you knew her, is quite the feat... even though she's super creative!), thrifting, skyping with Jord and her crew, even running/Turkey trotting (again, quite the feat). Did you happen to notice our awesome "5K to Glory" shirts up there? Yep. It's been a good week.

So, instead, know that one thing on my future Thankful List is YOU! I am so thankful for the chance to have such encouraging, creative, lovely friends (that I *mostly* haven't met in real life). Best part of this blog, hands down, finding y'all!

Happy Thanksgiving, friends (and to those of you who celebrated last month, or don't do Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for y'all too)!

ps- The turkey cups tutorial is at Sips Etc. if you (or your little ones) share our fascination with Sparkling Cider and need an ubercute way to serve it! ;)

GFG guest tutorial- monogrammed hankies by la famille

2011-11-23T06:00:00.003-07:00

Today's oh-so-wonderful Gifts for Guys guest is Alicia from La Famille.

How do I love this girl? Let me count the ways. She throws a mean party (ummm, this carnival party is fantastic and don't get me started on this vintage kitchen bridal shower), she takes gorgeous photos, she has a seriously fabulous eye for design (she just moved, but her old house tour is here), and we have a common love for repurposing pallets into furniture. Also, she's famous. And has a shoppe stocked full of gorgeous home stuff!

But the thing at the top of my list? She is a sincere, real, prayerful friend. This girl's emails and texts have been a bright spot in many of my days. And, if you don't love her already, get ready to meet your new BFF. Oh, and of course, she's here today with a Gifts for Guys tutorial! Lucky us!

Hey girlies! Can I just say I am SO excited/nervous/elated to be here today?! When I saw the line up of awesome crafters on the Gifts for Guys roster, I totally started pitting out! I immediately felt like the nerdy new girl. BUT, here I am with a gift...for a guy...on a super awesome blog. deeeeep breaths, alicia.

So yes, I'm Alicia and I blog over at La Famille. I blog about life, mama stuff, our homeschool days, and of course...projects! Today I'm making monogrammed hankies.

When Kirstin asked me to do this guest post it got me thinking about my guy...he's a banker. A cute one. Very Don Draper-ish, but without all the whole unfaithful tendencies thing. He wears a newsboy on the weekends, carries a hankie every day. *bam!* Gift for my guy...personalized hankies.

my banker and me...not talking about banking...

So, here we go...a set of personalized hankies for your guy/grandpa/brother/dad:
I made mine out of two old shirts my banker had tossed. I untossed them and saved them for a rainy day. I'm glad I did that :)

After I pressed them, I cut two squares from each shirt measuring about 11"x11". Don't worry, I saved the other shirt bits for future projects.

Next I serged all the edges. You don't necessarily have to do this, but I find it easier to hem things when I do. Then turn the edges over and then over again and sew.

Next, the monogrammed part. I just used a fabric paint and stamps...

After the paint is dry, set the fabric paint with your iron. Just make sure something is between the iron and the monogram or it'll smear.

That's it! You're done! Functional, simple, and very Don Draper-esque...gotta love that bit.

I had so much fun over here at kojo today! Thanks so much for inviting me over, Ms. K :)

See, I told you- Alicia's great, right?

Go make a new friend at La Famille today!

GFG guest tutorial- fabric fish by life made lovely

2011-11-22T06:05:00.001-07:00

When I said we had an a.maz.ing. guest lineup, I wasn't joking, y'all. Today's guest is Heather from Life Made Lovely. And she is a.maz.ing. And lovely. Both.

Her Home Made Lovely series (where other bloggers give us a little peak into their fabulous abodes) is super inspiring, I LO-OVE her Life Made Lovely Monday series. And she has this fantastic vintage-meets-modern-plus-extra-fabulous design aesthetic. Also, she shares my opinion that The More Buntings The Better, so there's that. Also her daughter's name is Piper too. We were meant to be friends. Love the girl.

And, of course, she's here today to share a Gifts for Guys tutorial. YAY!

Hello friends!

My name is Heather from over at Life Made Lovely

and I am so very excited to be here today.

I just adore the two lovely ladies behind this blog!!

I have some very special guys in my life,

and just about all of them prefer to spend their Saturdays fishing.

Because of that, my 7 year old's been bitten by the fishing bug

and just can't seem to get enough of anything fish related.

What's a crafty momma to do ?

Why, make some un-stinky fish of course!

At first I was just going to make up some plush fish pillows for my guys bed,

but then I thought it would be fun to make these fish unstinky, so I included some

dried lavender in with the batting. Now they serve as toys, pillows, and a little

something to make my stinky fisherman's bed ready for a long slumber.

This project is so easy peasy, you'll have a whole school of fish before you know it.

Here's what I used...

Less than a yard of cotton fabric

Some batting

About 1/4 cup of dried lavender

A few buttons

And here's how I did it...

Draw out a fish shape that is about 17" long.

I taped two sheets of paper together when I created mine.

You can click these itty bitty images to see their full size counterparts,

and then save them to your computer to use as a template.

Cut the shape out and tape the two sheets together.

Pin the template to two layers of your fabric

(with the wrong sides of the fabric facing out).

Trace the design and cut it out.

Separate your layers and flip to the good sides of the fabric.

Stitch on a couple of button eyes.

Once your fish eyes are firmly attached, flip the wrong sides
of the fabric back together and run a stitch around the entire fish,
leaving a 1/4" seam allowance.

Be sure to keep the entire end of the tail open for stuffing.

Turn the fish right side out and begin adding the batting.

Between layers of the batting, sprinkle in some dried lavender.

Repeat until you've stuffed the entire fish.

Fold in the open ends of the tail and stitch closed.

I don't know about you, but I think that's the cutest fish I've ever seen.

My little guy seems to think so, too.
He also thinks it's rad that they "smell like fabric softener, Momma!"
Happy creating friends!

Thanks for letting me be a part of this fun series, Kirstin and Jordan!

See- isn't she fabulous?

Head on over to Life Made Lovely and say hi to Miss Heather.

GFG guest tutorial- pirate kit by lemontree creation

2011-11-21T06:00:00.001-07:00

We are beyond lucky to have Tiffany from Lemon Tree Creations and Happy Day as our Gifts for Guys guest today!

Tiffany is one of those girls that does everything- she has such a great eye (she's always finding vintage treasures and making them even cooler than they already are), she throws a.maz.ing. parties, she makes fantastic holiday decor (LOVE the mini pillow ornaments she shared last week), she's a baby gear pro (I die for those bibs! And Mia in the pieced jersey dress is just about the cutest thing ever!). Better yet, she is such a genuine friend, a thoughtful mama, and a sweet encouragement! I feel so lucky to have her as a friend.

And she's here (again for a second year!) sharing a fabulous Gifts for (Little) Guys tutorial!

Hi! I am Tiffany and I share my sewing/crafting endeavors over at Lemon Tree Creations and my adventures in motherhood over at Happy Day. I am a huge fan of KoJo Designs! The blog is terrific and the girls behind it are even better! Kirstin is the best friend that I have never met in person, you know the type. I am so happy to be here sharing a gift that I created for my little guy.

Here are the guys I am so thankful to have in my life...

My little guy thinks Pirates are neat and loves to say, "Rrrrr, Matey"

quite often so he inspired my newest kit - P is for Pirate. He

will find it under the tree Christmas morning and I can't wait!

Every pirate needs an eye patch, of course. Preferably a soft

one that won't irritate little eyes.

1.) Cut a little pattern out of paper the size and shape you wish your

patch to be. Use the pattern to cut out two eye patch pieces

from black felt.

2.) Cut the bottom off of an old t-shirt. Measure it on your

little guy's head (in a sneaky kind of way) to ensure a good fit.

3.) Place the ends of the t-shirt band inside the two felt pieces and

pin them together.

4.) Sew together using a machine or by hand. Sew an X on the

middle if you want.

Now you have a super tough (but soft) eye patch for your little

pirate.

I purchased a thin canvas bag at a local craft store and used my iron-
on fabric transfer paper to label the bag.

I typed my label on the computer and printed it as a mirror image.

I cut around the words and ironed it to my bag.

Then I added a mini unfinished wood treasure chest to the kit with

some wooden checker pieces to serve as the treasure. I left them

unfinished so that the little pirate can have a special project to do

later.

I also added a treasure map, a pirate book, and a black bandana.

There are so many other things that could be added to the pirate kit

such as a compass, a hat, a sword, etc. The options are endless

with this gift and it can be personalized to suit the little guy in

your life.

I just can't wait to see my little guy wearing his eye patch. I

tried it on but it's just not quite as cute on me. Ha.

My little guy tells us what he wants most is a "big monster truck".

It's going to be a fun Christmas for sure!

Thanks girls for having me today! It has been a pleasure to be a

part of this awesome series!

I lovelovelove this idea! Don't forget to say hi to Tiff at Lemontree and Happy Day!

Also, we're over at I Am Momma, Hear Me Roar today as part of Cheri's CHRISTmas series. We're sharing a set of Advent Ornaments that Burke and I made (and can't wait to use!).

Come on by and check 'em out!

GFG guest tutorial- plaid scarves by see kate sew

2011-11-20T06:00:00.004-07:00

Today's guest, Kate from see kate sew, is beyond fabulous!

She has some SERIOUS sewing skills (I cannot recommend her Sewing 101 series highly enough!) repurposes with great skill, has fantastic ideas (I need to make one of these toy cameras for my nieces!), and we share a grand love for pleats. Soul mates, I tell you.

And, YAY!, she's here with some Gifts for Guys goodness to share!

I have lots of guys on my list! One of my favorite things about having guys in my life is dressing them up as much as they will let me. Guy clothes are really so fun! I converted my husband to scarves this fall. I wrapped one around his neck and he said "Woah, my neck is so warm!" ...Woah, amazing! He sure has been missing out.

This tutorial is for a scarf with just 1 yard of fabric. It's really the easiest kind of project! I'll scale it down for you for a little guy, too with 1/2 yard. I have a little trick so it's not wrapped around his neck. Let's get to it!

Fabric:
I used a true plaid for this, but you can use anything soft and warm. (A true plaid is one that is made with different colored threads, making it a reversible fabric. A fake plaid is just printed.) Also think flannel, knits, corduroy. Anything that you think would be cozy around your neck!

"man version"
For the adult size scarf you need just 1 yard of 42" fabric. If you have it straight off the bolt, it will be folded in half at the top. Cut along the fold line, so you will have two pieces. They'll be about 26" tall by 1 yard long.

Pin those two pieces together at the short sides and sew at 3/8". Press the seam flat.

Next fold your fabric in half longways, with the wrong sides (with the seam allowance) facing outward.

Sew up all around the open edges of the scarf at 3/8". Leave an opening at one of the short ends, as shown below.

Clip the corners of your seam allowance, then turn your scarf right sides out and press.

When you get to the edge with the opening, turn under 3/8" on both the top and bottom and press.

Pin together and topstitch the whole edge, backstitching at each end. Top stitch the other end also.

That's it! You're done, now you have a plaid scarf for your man! If you want a thicker scarf you can add a layer of quilt batting to the middle. But I like 'em thin. The finished dimensions will be a little over a foot tall by about 6 feet long! Perfect length!

little kid version

I always worry about putting a scarf around wild little boy. Call me paranoid. So I made this version with velcro, so it doesn't wrap around any little necks. In trial runs, my baby can pull it over his head quicker than I can put it on, so I say it's a safe accessory for a trendy toddler.

So here's 1/2 yard of fabric, with the fold at the top.

First, cut along the top fold.

You'll only need one layer, so get rid of the other. Cut your piece in half.

Sew these two pieces together and finish the scarf the same way as in the adult version.

To make it easy to get off I used velcro. Pin a small piece of velcro about 12" in from the edge of your scarf.

To make it look like a wrapped scarf, tack the edges by folding them in and using a needle and thread to sew the layers together. This is optional though, just if you don't want it hanging down.

Done!

Now go wrap up your boys!

I sure love my guys! They're pretty cute, huh?

Also on their Christmas lists: a hard drive to double-back-up movies (?) for the husband and more skinny ties for the boy.

Thanks for having us Kojo Designs!

See? Told you Kate's fabulous. Go say hi at see kate sew!

GFG guest tutorial- rocket ship crinkle toy by sew.craft.create.

2011-11-19T06:00:00.004-07:00

Oh how I love today's Gifts for Guys guest, Heidi from Sew.Craft.Create. Seriously. Love.

Not only is Heidi the queen of headbands and girly goodness, she crochets some serious gorgeousness, she makes mundane things like zippers into things of beauty, she is a design genius (her blog has a different lovely look each season), and she shares her wealth of blog design knowledge with the HTML challenged (like me!). She also takes gorgeous pictures. And she is such a good friend (she has been the recipient of more than one woe-is-me email- haha!). Did I mention that I love this girl?

And today she's here with a Gift for Guys tutorial for us!

Hi!! It's Heidi from sew.craft.create.

SOOO happy to be here 'cause I LUV Kirstin and Jord!!!

I must admit, I'm INTIMIDATED by boy projects! Until recently all of the kidlets were girls {so there are a lot of girly crafts 'round my house!}. That is, until this guy came along.

We lovingly refer to him as "little-man-child" round these parts. Now I need to start making man-toys! and what better for a little baby boy than a...

The best part about this? you get to recycle water bottles!
{make sure you grab the kind with the ridged surface!}

{not pictured: needle, thread, liquid stitch, & batting}

and you're done!!!

Hop on over to my blog sew.craft.create. to say "howdy!"

Thanks KoJo!!!

Don't forget to go say hi at Sew.Craft.Create, y'all!

GFG guest tutorial- stenciled bike shirt by tatertots and jello

2011-11-18T06:00:00.003-07:00

Today's guest is the lovely Jen from Tatertots and Jello. And, y'all, I love. this. girl.

Not only does she crank out the tutorials like no one I know, she has fantastic decorating ideas, shares my love for glitter, and rocks the wreath (seriously, the girl makes lots of fabulous wreaths!). Tatertots and Jello is also a one-stop-holiday-tutorial-shop for all holidays (thanksgiving goodness here).

Of course, the best news of the day is that Jen is here today to share a Gifts for Guys tutorial! Y'all are going to lo-ove this.

Hi there Kojo Design fans! I'm Jen from Tatertots & Jello and I am so excited to be here!!

I love making gifts for my family and friends. But I have to admit that I have a harder time coming up with ideas for the guys in my life. That's why I'm so excited about this series and all of these awesome ideas.

I'd love to share a little project I made for my hubby. He is a bike lover and I thought it might be fun to make him a custom shirt. I have a nifty little screen-printing kit from Plaid that I wanted to try out and I thought it might be the perfect project to try it out on.

I started off with a plain ribbed long-sleeve t-shirt from Target. Just as a side note, it's probably easier if you try stenciling or screen-printing on a shirt that is NOT ribbed. But I couldn't find a long-sleeved one at Target. So I made it work.

Then I found a bike image on my computer, along with a sunburst image and I made the words Just.Ride. I printed these off with my printer. Then I tried out my nifty new screen printing kit. If you don't have access to something like this, what you can do is take the image that you print out, tape it to a piece of stencil material. You can buy blank stencil material at any craft store like Hobby Lobby. It costs about $1 for a sheet. And the sheets are pretty long. I could have used one piece of blank stencil material for this project. Then you just take an X-acto knife and cut out the shape. It's probably a good idea to keep the shape simple if you are going to do this.

Once I made my stencil with the screen printing kit, I taped it on the shirt and stenciled the sunburst first. I used a silver paint. You can buy fabric paint at any craft store too. Or, you can use regular craft paint and add a medium that makes it into fabric paint. Basically it makes it softer and more durable so you can wash it. DecoArt makes a fabric medium, and Martha Stewart's craft line by Plaid does as well.

Once that stencil was done, I let it dry and then laid the bike image over the top. I did a little touch-up since it was tricky to get the image clear on the ribbed material. And the last thing I did was I stenciled the two words at the top of the shirt.

To set the paint, you use an iron and run it over the design.

And now I have a gift for my oh-so-hard-to-buy-for husband. Yay!! {this is my cute son, btw - don't want to ruin the surprise. I hope my hubby doesn't see this post }

Thanks for letting me come by. It's been awesome!!!

xoxo

While you're browsing around the internet today for ~~things to pin~~ life changing, earth shattering great ideas, be sure to stop by and say hi at Tatertots and Jello.

GFG guest tutorials- chapstick and foot scrub stocking stuffers by Oopsey Daisy

2011-11-17T06:00:00.001-07:00

Ohmygoodness do I adore today's Gifts for Guys guest, Alison from Oopsey Daisy.

She is so creative (isn't her Joy display great- LOVE that rosette covered "J"), quite the party planner (I seriously lo-ove their Twinkie Party tradition), has fantastic gift ideas (totally making these coasters), and is so thoughtful in the way she spends her days as a mama (Burke I LOVE her Mommyschool curriculums). She is also sweet, genuine, encouraging, and a blast to hang out with (yep, she is one of my 'real life' friends, too... lucky me, right?).

AND she totally outdid herself with these Gifts for Guys stocking stuffers!

Hello kojo fans!

My name is Alison, and my little blogging home is called Oopsey Daisy.

I am thrilled to be here today.

I feel like a rockstar, joining forces with the amazing kojo gals! I find so much inspiration on this blog... I find myself pinning like crazy 'round here!

I feel extra special to actually know Kirstin in real life. I adore her!!

And my Little Man adores her Little Man too! :)

We were given the VIP tour of the Denver Zoo, courtesy of Kirstin and Burke a few months back.

I love having another blogger in Colorado!

I la-la-la-LOVE this Gifts for Guys series! Guys are totally neglected in the crafting world, don't you think?

Don't tell my husband I said so, but I think that every guy secretly wants to be pampered.

I have a theory that if my husband could go to a spa completely anonymously, he would do it! Let's face it, he travels for work all week long, so he probably deserves it! But this gift brings the spa straight to his stocking!

This year, I whipped up a couple of {simple} stocking stuffers to help pamper my man! I created some homemade lip balm, body scrub, and foot scrub to stuff in his stocking. He may pretend to be underwhelmed, but I happen to know that he will secretly indulge in these little goodies!

My hubby will literally turn around and drive back home if he is missing his chapstick!

So I knew he would appreciate my homemade lip balm.

This is SO easy! To make your own lip balm...

1. Gather your supplies. You will need beeswax, organic shea butter, safflower oil, and your favorite organic oils.

2. I grated 1/4 c. beeswax to start. I combined it with 3 T. organic shea butter and 2 T. safflower oil in a plastic bowl.

3. Then I started microwaving this until the beeswax melted completely, and the liquid was completely clear. Then I added 2 tsp. of peppermint essential oil and just a touch of food coloring. (I wanted this to be peppermint-like!)

4. As quickly as possible, I poured the liquid into the chapstick containers I found at my organic grocery store. I refrigerated this to be sure it hardened up, and it turned out beautifully.

Who knew it was this easy to make lip balm?! I will be making more very soon!

I love Google. I simply googled "brown sugar body scrub" and selected my favorite recipe! Again, this was so simple to make with just a few simple ingredients!

I used a recipe for peppermint foot scrub that I found at The Idea Room. Perfect for Christmas!

I found these containers at the Vitamin Cottage too, although you could easily use a jar or another cute container!

I had lots of fun embellishing these containers (also found at the Vitamin Cottage!) with a little Mod Podge, scrapbook paper, and ribbon! Nothing too cutsie for the Mister.

I can hardly wait to stuff stockings! My husband is going to be so impressed!

I will be making more of everything to give away as gifts for friends, too.

Are you curious about the recipient of this gift??

Look out ladies, he's mine! :)

Mr. Oopsey Daisy is an excellent father and a sweet husband. We are so blessed to have him in our lives!! His #1 wish on his own wishlist is his very own massaging chair. (See, I told you that he needs pampering!) Don't worry, he won't be getting one any time soon. Until he has his own man-cave, I think Santa will forget to drop that down the chimney! Sorry babe! :)

Thanks, Kirstin, for hosting me today.

Good luck with those gifts for guys! I will be checking in to gather more masculine gift ideas!

You are all welcome to stop by Oopsey Daisy any time!

GFG guest tutorial- gadget charging pouch

2011-11-16T07:00:00.003-07:00

Today we're welcoming Tone from Bless, by Tone as our guest.

She has darling twin girls (who are often her adorable models!) and great ideas (love this bird pillow and this jewelry tree). Also, I need to make these photo props (my kids are the worst at not looking at the camera... and they'd love these). And today she's here to share a Gifts for Guys tutorial- a charging gadget holder!

Let me first say that I'm over the moon excited about being here at KoJo Designs for their Gifts for Guys series! They have the most beautiful blog and so many interesting and fun things to read.

I am Tone, from Bless, I run a creative blog and for the full month of November I'm doing a tutorial each and every day. I'll be very happy to see you over at my blog.

Today I want to show you what I am going to give to guys in my life for Christmas - and I will show you a way you can make it for your kids as well.

People say that the only difference between a man and a boy is the price of their toys - with that taken into consideration, this is something for their gadgets. We all have cell phones, iPads, nintendos, cameras and so on - and most of them need to charged. This is the perfect little pouch for charging your guys' gadgets.

You need to diferent types of fabric - and scraps are fine. Because most phones have touch screens, I've chosen to use fleece of velvet lining and a sturdier fabric outside.

The above picture is for two cases. The jeans one is for my brother's phone, I checked online to find the measurements, keeping the phone vertical. I added one inch both ways. The back piece has to be higher than the front piece - about two inches higher. This is for the plug. I cut my pieces with the bottom part folded, that way I only need to sew one side seam.

1. Sew side seams of both outer and inner fabric.

2. Turn the lining the right way, put it inside the main part.

3. Sew around the top edges as shown above.

4. At the bottom, pull the main fabric up and sew the edges of the lining.

5. Fold the edges of the main fabric in a little at the bottom, sew across.

6. Top stitch the edges on top of the case.

7. Then in the middle of the top on the back, sew a square with buttonhole stitching.

8. Use your seam ripper to cut out the fabric in the middle of the square.

And if you please, you may make a decoration in the front, but knowing my brother, I made it as simple as possible...

This is very useful, no cords to trip on, and the phone is safe.

And the best part? This is so adjustable, I even made one for the girls' Nintendo's - and I am so happy I did - their Nintendo is always laying on the floor, being charged and it's so easy to step on it - well, not anymore!

Well, that's it for me - thank you so much for having me!

Be sure to stop by at Bless, by Tone and say hi!

GFG guest tutorial- DIY corn hole game by bower power

2011-11-15T06:00:00.017-07:00

Do y'all love Bower Power like I do?

I wish Katie B. was my BFF in real life. And that Piper Jane and Katie's little guy Will hung out all the time. But since she lives across the country, and has way better taste than I do (here's the DL on her stuff and on their current house that they're redoing), I guess that'll have to wait until Adam and I up and move to Atlanta. I adore the wall of reclaimed wood in Will's first nursery, love her made sewing skills, and just generally like her. And I love it that she calls her husband, Jeremy, her 'boyfriend.' Too funny.

Of course, the best part of this post is that the fabulous Katie B. herself is HERE today with a Gifts for Guys cornhole tutorial!

The hardest people to buy for in my family have one thing in common - they are guys. Last Christmas my boyfriend and I stressed over what to give to my dad - who owns everything he wants already and most of his wishlist items cost the same as a private island with a manicured golf course on it. So we decided that instead of buying another generic tie or a different brand of cologne, that we would build him a personalized gift that would give him the pleasure of friendly testosterone-filled competition, and the most valuable thing - our company :)

Here is how we built the bean bag toss game set (affectionately known to us as Cornhole)...

First you build a box - we used the following materials for each box (two boxes per set):

(2) 2 x 4 x 20.5 - top and bottom sides of box
(2) 2 x 4 x 48 - left and right sides of box
4 ft x 2 ft 1/2" plywood - top of box
(2) 2 x 4 x 18 - legs
2 washers
2 wing nuts
(2) 3" bolts
screws
finishing materials

First you screw together your box...pretty simple...just make sure the top & bottom sides go on the inside of the left & right sides so that your finished box frame is 2 foot x 4 foot.
Then screw the top of the box onto the frame.

We used two screws for each corner - so that it secured it to both sides of the frame.

Your assembled box should look like this (except with the screws in it!)...

Then measure for the hole....

It's smack dab in the center width wise...so mark a spot at 12 inches...

And then measure 9 inches down from the top....

Using that point as the center, mark a six inch wide hole using a compass (yup - dig that sucker out from sixth grade!)...

Then use a drill bit to make a hole on the INSIDE of the line so that your jigsaw blade can go to work...

Very slowly cut the center hole out following your marked line...

Celebrate your hole :)

Repeat that process for another box (so that you can have a set!)...

Now time for the legs....we chose to round out one end of the legs just so that they pivot easier on the backside of the board....

Mark, clamp and jigsaw. Blue fuzzy house slippers are optional :)
Cut the other end of the board at an angle to make the feet level when flipped out.
SAND EVERYTHING!

Using a drill, make a hole through the sides of the board 5 inches from top edge and into the center of the rounded end of the leg....

Insert bolt, washer, and wing nut to fasten.

We chose to paint the sides and legs black and add a decorative black stripe around the top and the hole.

We also personalized the tops of the board with our families favorite sports team before applying three coats of poly.

Create eight bean bags using polyester fabric and corn kernels and enjoy watching the guys in your life attempt to throw it to win a million dollars! Just kidding - there's no cash involved...unless the pride of being cornhole champion is worth something to you...and in our family - it's priceless :)

So useful (Adam would love it if I made this for him for Christmas). Thanks Katie!

Be sure to go say hi at Bower Power, y'all!

kojodesigns

we've moved (and a giant giveaway to celebrate!)

friday fun finds

aqua chair redo tutorial (how to reupholster a tufted chair)

so you think you can sew... and a monogram pillow tutorial

a vintage, girly chair redo for piper jane

cheers to 2012!

most likely to succeed and other 2011 blog superlatives

best of 2011 friday fun finds

kojotutorial: floating yarn sign

oooooh sparkle shoes

hyatti- merry christmas!

happy Christmas eve (and plaid party clothes)

best Christmas drink ever

a couple of black apple dolls for the littles

pour le bebe: a french cafe themed baby shower

the twelve skirts Christmas!

hyatti- a different christmas

so you think you can sew?

friday fun finds

merry and bright garland

violette field threads pattern review and giveaway

the chaos of december (and a stacked wool tree how-to)

kojotutorial- a very fluffy porcupine plushie

hyatti- beach bums

my christmas wishlist

friday fun finds

where's kojo?

kojotutorial: how to make baby boots from a felted sweater

Gifts for Guys Giveaway Winners!

*snap* embroidery hoop decor

embroidered home sweet home wall decor

you are my sunshine print (and wrapping paper covered mat)

RIT dye (my newest BFF) and a wooden Christmas card display

advent ornaments

hyatti- landed!

friday fun finds

happy december (and an advent countdown)

gifts for guys round up

GFG guest- I Still Love You

giveaway goodness

GFG guest round up by made by rae

GFG guest- sewing in no man's land

GFG guest tutorial- flavored salted caramels by sips etc.

happy thanksgiving!

GFG guest tutorial- monogrammed hankies by la famille

GFG guest tutorial- fabric fish by life made lovely

GFG guest tutorial- pirate kit by lemontree creation

GFG guest tutorial- plaid scarves by see kate sew

GFG guest tutorial- rocket ship crinkle toy by sew.craft.create.

GFG guest tutorial- stenciled bike shirt by tatertots and jello

Thanks for letting me come by. It's been awesome!!!

GFG guest tutorials- chapstick and foot scrub stocking stuffers by Oopsey Daisy

GFG guest tutorial- gadget charging pouch

GFG guest tutorial- DIY corn hole game by bower power

snap embroidery hoop decor