Mom found this on pinterest and just thought she had died and gone to heaven!  Wrapping paper unrolling has driven her crazy for years and now her life will change!! Check out these wrapping paper holders from joyastle.com .

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Sewing Tips

I just finished an article for a future newsletter on the website and as usual I had more tips than I had room. Here are a few “leftover” odds and end tips I thought some of you could use.

• Use knitting needle guards or a small cork to protect the end of small scissors, especially when you are traveling with them.
• Use a mesh bag (like potatoes or fruits come in) to put your yarn in when knitting.This is especially good when using more than one color because you can pull each color through a different hole in the bag.

• If you are hand appliquéing and use beeswax to keep your thread from tangling, run the thread over the beeswax then press it with your iron. This embeds the wax into the thread so it all doesn’t come off with the first stitch. This really isn’t that hard. It doesn’t take as much time as you would think and it works so well. It doesn’t hurt your iron, but it does help the iron glide more smoothly.
• When appliquéing, if you don’t have an appliqué sheetfor pressing several pieces together save the sheets you peel your computer labels from. Press your applique pieces to the shiny side.
• If you use a guard glove with your rotary cutter, store your cutter inside the glove. That way you will always know where it is. I also keep my cutter in an old fabric eye glass holder.
• I didn’t know for a long time when using a sewing “ham”the wool side is for pressing wool and silk and the duck side is for pressing cotton and linen. A sewing ham is an odd ham shaped thing which is used to press curved and usual angles especially in sewing clothes.
• One thing I learned years after I had been sewing was that there is a right and wrong side to a needle.If you have trouble threading a needle, turn the eye around and try the other side. It’s amazing how well this works.
• Holding a needle against a white background makes it easier to see and thread.

• Instead of licking your thread, lick the needle itself and be sure to bring the needle to the thread not poke the thread into the needle. Try these things to see if it helps in threading your needle next time.
• Use embroidery bobbins(those square white cards you wind embroidery thread on) to wrap regular thread on to carry for you projects. They are flat and take up very little space. I have used sewing machine bobbins for my portable sewing but I like these are even better.

These are a few ideas for now. I know many of your have some great ones, too. I do believe quilters, crafters and sewers have some of the coolest ideas. It always amazes the things they can come up with. : )

-Jill

photo by: andresrueda

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Did you know you can make your own Chalkboard Paint?  I haven’t tried it yet but I’ve seen this recipe several places and it seems really easy.

My 8 year old wants a wall of chalkboard and I just might try this!  By the way, look in the marked down section at Lowe’s or Home Depot for broken open non-sanded tile grout packages. It would be cheaper than than buying a new package. You could also ask friend, family or in our case you might ask the builder in your subdivision if you can just have some if they are remodeling. 1 Tbsp. isn’t much so I’m sure they would just give it to you for asking.

Don’t forget, those acrylic craft paints come in thousands of colors so you could make some really cool and colorful chalkboards!! Isn’t the one above from BHG.com just too cool! Tawra

Homemade Chalkboard Paint

1 Cup of latex house paint or acrylic craft paint

1 Tbsp. of non-sanded tile grout

Mix paint and grout together making sure all lumps are out. The using a roller* or brush paint on wall or object where you want a chalkboard.  Paint 2 coats for best coverage. After it’s dry use a fine sandpaper and lightly sand to make smooth.

*A roller makes the paint go on smoother.

Photo by: foxtonge

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So I am so excited to get going on my new yard that I am trying to keep myself from going out and start digging in the snow.   Of course, that would be a little hard since the ground is frozen so, to keep myself from going crazy, I’ve been looking all over pinterest.

Well, I ran into this project that I know I am going to have to try!!! I had to sell my garden bench when we moved and this would be just too cute to replace it!! Now I know what I can do with some of the dumpster dived wood we’ve been collecting!  You can see how they did it here at studiogblog.com but I think it originally came from junkmarketstyle.com

-Tawra

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My button pillow

Remember the button pillow idea I shared a while back. I didn’t have a picture of the one mom made me, so here it is!

-Tawra

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