Your Own U Shirt

This is an easy way to design your own shirt with any logo or design you want. I used an old shirt and a fabric scrap I got at a rummage sale. It may fray at the edges, but that's all part of the look.

Print your favorite U logo on paper and cut it out, trace it onto your fabric.

Cut the U out and trace it, centering it in the circle. This is a fabric marker that washes off.
If you don't have a fabric marker use a pencil.

Cut the U out by cutting a slit inside the U and carefully around it.

Pin it to your shirt where you like. I covered up an old stain with mine!

With the zig-zag stitch, start in the middle. Use different sizes of zig-zag if you have smaller spaces.

When you need to turn your shirt while sewing, keep the needle down to hold it in place, but lift the pedal. Remove pins as you get close to them.

Don't worry if it bunches up or isn't straight, it's homemade!

Gallery

As the grandchildren have grown in numbers, I have found the space on top of a bookcase in the "grandma room" where I keep framed pictures of all the "granchies" is gone, baby, gone.  So, I thought and I thought and then I thought some more, and here's what I came up with....

For those of you who have been in the grandma room, you will recognize this wall as the hand print wall.
Above the hand prints I installed 4 "grundtal" magnetic knife racks from IKEA.  They're actually meant to be used in the kitchen.  But, since I never do anything like a normal person, I used them as picture holders.  I bought el cheapo frames (about a buck a piece) and glued metal washers on the back.  This way, I can change pictures as often as my mood changes, and I can rearrange them or hang them crooked or upside down or whatever.  I like it.

How to Make a Wallet

Wallets are one of my favorite crafts to make! I've made so many, and they're so much fun. They take about a half hour to an hour to make, depending on the experience you've had at wallet-making.

To start, make sure that you have all the materials that you need. You should have:

-a piece of plain white printer paper

-laminating paper

-scissors

-a ruler

-glue stick

-magazines, old books, candy wrappers, patterned paper, etc.

-tape

-velcro dots

1. Take the piece of paper, laying it in landscape position, and fold it about 3 1/2 inches over. Cut the extra paper off the side, so that when you unfold the paper it has a line going through the middle.
This is how it should look after you've cut it.

2. To have the plan written out for where to put your decorations on the wallet, fold it like a brochure, while still folded in half as seen above. Leave about one or two centimeters of space between the folds. It should have three different columns when opened up, and should look like this. Then unfold the paper so that it has six squares - three columns, two rows.

3. Cut out, in squares, different patterns, pictures, letters and shapes from magazines, or whatever paper material you want to use (I used gum wrappers for mine). Start to lay them out in the spots you want them on your wallet.

Tip: On your paper (after folded), keep in mind that the top right square is the front, the top middle square is the back, and the top left square is on the inside.

4. Glue the pieces of paper to your wallet, leaving as little white space as possible.

Tip: Only glue them to the top row of squares on the paper - it's the only part that will show on your wallet.

5. Laminate both sides of the wallet and cut the excess lamination paper, leaving a small border of laminating paper around the edge.

6. Fold the paper back in half, as shown in the third picture of step one. Take a piece of tape and put it halfway over the edge of the wallet. Flip it over and press it over the other side, so it makes a pocket, and do the same to the other side edge. Don't do it to the top - that's where you'll stick your money in.

7. Put velcro on the back of the front flap as shown, also putting the opposite one on the other side so they match up.

Ta-da! You've finally completed a wallet!

These are my best wallets. They are great to keep extra dollar bills in, sell at fundraisers or garage sales, or keep lunch money in at school!

Soda Can Flower Pot

I never knew this before, but soda cans make great flower pots. I tried this today, and it turned out so cute! All you have to do is save an empty soda can (I used Sprite) and fill it about two thirds of the way with water. Pick one or two flowers, maybe from the yard, and place them in the can. They look so cute!

Tip: Never try to cut a soda can. The edges will get very sharp and you could cut yourself.