Make Your Own "Buy a Coffee Card" for Teacher’s Day

 Hello lovelies!

We seldom express our appreciation to all the teachers in the world. One day of celebration is not enough to give them thanks for all the things they do in making our world a better place. This year, my kids and I would like to express our gratitude by giving them a cup of coffee!

Here is the making of a "Buy a Coffee Card" that we made for my kids’ teachers. I just googled some cliparts, designed the cards and printed it on a white cardstock/board. I let my kids color it and I assembled the coffee cup myself. We love the Crayola Colors of the World to color the skin of the people drawings on card front.

We also put cute human stickers on the handmade envelopes. 

It was so fun! I missed doing papercrafts with my kids. I should do this more often. 

Happy Teacher’s Day!

Xoxo,

Ails

Playing with Cardboard Boxes - "Dyna Maxx"

I want to share with you a story that happened on a lazy Saturday  morning (February 16, 2013 to be exact).  This story is about "Dyna Maxx." 

That morning, Perry, the little one, woke up crying.  He was restless for some reason that we couldn't understand.  It was a lazy day, meaning we didn't have any schedule or a major task to accomplish that day, so I thought of building Perry a car to play with and hoped that it will ease his restlessness. The moment I picked up 2 big cardboard boxes, Perry's attention shifted instantly towards them.  Can a toddler (1 yr 7 mos) already imagine things out of cardboard boxes? Because Perry wanted to play with the boxes right away.

So even before having breakfast, we (Mr and Mrs) started working on 2 cardboard boxes that I requested the day before from my cousin who has a grocery store.  Yes, this is premeditated but unscheduled.  I've been inspired by some of the pictures I saw on Pinterest and I rememberd how I used to play with cardboard boxes when I was little.  I even made a dollhouse and doll furniture out of boxes. 

Anyway, while we were working, the little one was trying to help.  He's been picking up cardboard  pieces and acted as if he was attaching it to the piece we are working on.  He was sooo cute and adorable but we didn't took photos because we were all busy "working."  I also wasn't able to take a step by step photo of building a cardboard car.  So I will only be sharing the final pictures of our wonderful creation. :-)

Here's the little one checking the car if everything is working perfectly.  I haven't finished attaching the wheels here.

 And here is the finished car!  It has a rotating steering wheel, 4 rotating wheels, a gas tank door that also leads to the trunk. haha I used rolled pieces of cardboard to support the car seat.  I wasn't able to put a seat belt. lol

We called it Perry's "Dyna Maxx" car!  Because it was made out of a Maxx and a Dynamite candy boxes. With just 2 boxes and a masking tape, we were able to build a nice car for our little one.  We had lots of fun and laughter building this.  I hope that even at his very young age, my son will remember this really fun and creative day someday.

Until now, "Dyna Maxx" is still alive and still entertaining Perry, his cousin, and some friends.  It already had a wheel repair and a broken windshield but it is still living up to its promise.  It even carried both my son and my nephew once!

And just this morning, I saw my little one watching cartoons on tv while sitting and eating inside his Dyna Maxx, à la drive-in theater. lol My next cardboard project for Perry will be bigger than this.  But it won't be  soon.  I'll let Dyna Maxx take all the glory it could receive before I start building something that will surely replace him in the limelight.

Have you done something like this too? Share me the link to your cardboard creations thru the comment section so I could check it out. Let's share love and inspiration! :-)

Blythe's sleepy eyes and new lashes

I've always wanted to try customization on my Blythe for the following reasons:

a.  I wanted a matte finish for my Blythe's face so that when I took her photos, the lights won't bounce on her face.
b.  I wanted sleepy eyes!
c.  I wanted cute lashes!
d.  I wanted a  more poseable body like Licca
e.  AND I wanted an OOAK Blythe art doll!

Yesterday, I finally found the courage to try this on Pepper (Simply Mango).  After doing some research, I went to the market to get some supplies.  I bought a sheet of Hippo 1000 and a sheet of Hippo 400 abrasive paper for 10 pesos each in a local hardware store.  Then I also bought fake eyelashes for 10 pesos in a local Taiwanese store.

By 9 pm, after finishing all chores for the day, I started working on Pepper.  Unscrewing the back of her head was easy even without a screwdriver.  I used a strong hairpin instead.  The part where you separate the back of the head was difficult.  I think I wasn't strong enough.  So I asked the Mr. for help on this.  I told him to squeeze the ears just like what most customizers share on their blogs.  He was adamant at first.  He was afraid of breaking the doll's head.  I assured him that that will never happen.  And so he squeezed until we heard a snap! "Oh, that was easy," said the mister. =D

Here is Pepper with her head open.  See her sleepy eyes? Yes, that's the effect of unhooking the string off her head.

I grabbed her from the Mr. as soon as I heard the snap. I was sooo excited! I tested how the sleepy eyes work.  And then I started sandmatting the back of her head with the Hippo 1000.  I skipped the Hippo 400 because I wasn't sure if it was fine enough for a Blythe. I rubbed a patch at the back of her head in circular motion and the Hippo 1000 didn't leave any scratch marks so I continued sandmatting.  When I was halfway done with her back, I stopped to look at Pepper...

...and she was looking back at me!  Her face was just so pretty and I was afraid that if I sand matte it, she will no longer be my Pepper!  So I put down her head and decided to work on her lashes first as I debate with myself if I will sand matte her lovely face or leave it as it is.

As I was soaking her eyelids in cotton with hot water, I showed the back plate of her head to the Mr. and asked for his opinion.  He just advised me to weigh the difference.

So I did as I was plucking Pepper's eyelashes.  This part was really very easy.

But I had a hard time inserting her new lashes even when I used a needle.  The lashes came out with the needle because of the glue.  Nevertheless, I persevered. And here's my reward...

Isn't she gorgeous? I definitely love her new lashes!

Then we both contemplated if we're going to sandmatte her face as I finish the rest of her back.  I polished the back with a cotton cloth.  See the difference between the the original shiny face and the sand matted back plate?

In the end, I decided not to sand matte her face last night.  Here are my reasons why:

a.  I wasn't sure I can sand matte her face without ruining her original face up;
b.  I do not have chalk pastels and MSC to give her a new face up after sandmatting; and
c.  She's just so pretty as is!

So I just added a sleepy eyes pull string using a crocheted yellow yarn and charms.

And I was done before midnight!  It took me that long because I took a break when I fed my little Perry.

Here's Pepper giving me a flower for her beautiful new lashes and sleepy eyes. =D

 

Wednesday Blythe - Dresser / Drawers DIY

I made another furniture to house my Blythe's socks, pants, and other blouses.  This time, I recycled some trash and turned them into a cute dresser!  

This tutorial is a lot easier than the first one.
 

Materials:

2 Spam tin cans (If you are a healthy eater, ask your neighbors for these. I'm sure they'll save you some)

4 ballpen bottom caps 

Illustration Board

Paper Scraps 

Beads

Craft Glue

Double-sided Tape (thick)

Scissors / Cutter

Ruler

Pen

Paint/s

Brushes

Procedure:

1. Draw the above pattern on your illustration board.  Each drawer measures 3 x 3 x 1.5.  Trace the Spam tin opening too.  2.  Cut the patterns. You should have 2 of each.  3.  Cut lightly the lines on your board.  Make sure to cut only halfway through the thickness of your board.  This will enable you to fold the sides of your drawers easily. 4. Fold the sides of your drawers.

5.  Get one drawer and fold the sides.  6.  Glue a piece of scrap paper to fasten the corners.  Make sure to apply generous amount of craft glue. 7. Glue all corners of each drawers.  8. Place the drawers on top of the oval-shape side. 

 9.  With some scraps of paper, glue the 2 pieces together.  10.  Use the tip of your scissors to make sure that there is no space in between the paper scrap and the board.  Glue all sides of the drawers.  If you want, you can also glue on the inside.  Just use paper scraps of the same color as your board if you are not painting the inside of your drawers.  11. Use wooden clothespin (or paperclips) to keep the pieces in place while drying.  12.  As you dry the drawers, start working on the Spam tin cans.  You will notice that there is a gap in between the two.  We are going to fill this gap in order to attach both tins together.

13.  Place thick double-sided tapes on one of the tin cans.  The numbers 3,3,2,1 on the picture indicate the number of double-sided tapes piled up on top of one another.  14. Press the 2 tin cans together while sitting on top of your table to ensure that they are aligned with each other.  15.  Then work on with the feet.  Fill the ballpen bottom caps with craft glue and crumpled scraps of paper.  16.  Make sure to fill these up to the brim.  

17. Place a double-sided tape on the brim of the ballpen caps.  18.  Tape these caps on your Spam tin can.  These will be the feet of your dresser.  19.  Test the strength of the feet.  20.  Test the drawers on your dresser. 

21.  Paint your dresser.  I used 2 coats of acrylic paint.  Dry completely the 1st coat first before applying the 2nd coat.  22.  When the paint is completely dry, prepare your paints and beads for decoration.  23.  Glue the beads that will serve as your drawer knobs.   24.  Then glue or paint your design on your drawers! Have fun with this part! :D

Congratulations! You now have a handmade Blythe dresser! :D 

Add doilies or table runners on top of your dresser and place picture frames, flowers, and other miniatures to personalize the dresser according to your Blythe / doll's personality.  

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. :D

Sneak Peek on What's Coming this Wednesday

Pardon me but I am just uber excited to share this!

Coming right up this Wednesday! See you! :D

Wednesday Blythe - Dress Rack and Hangers DIY

Hello!

We've had a very busy holiday here.  So please pardon me if I haven't shared a Weekend Baking recipe last Sunday.  I also haven't had the chance to take photos so I will not be able to share how we spent our 1st of November here.  My son was a star yesterday and he was very cooperative even if we came home late from the cemetery. It was a lovely day.  I hope you enjoyed your holiday too! :D

As promised, to myself, I have started making stuff for my dolls' future house. Yey! :D

I have been dreaming of having a closet for my dollies to store and display their dresses.  The available ones in the mall are mostly Barbie's and in hot pink!  I did not like the style.  So for my first Blythe furniture,  I made a simple but cute dress rack!

See the supplies and instructions on making this dress rack below.

Supplies:
popsicle sticks   
metal rod (I used a crochet hook that I no longer use) 
tacky / craft glue     
scissors   
ruler   
pen    
acrylic paint   
brushes   

1. Line and cut one end of 8 popsicle sticks like pictured above.  2. cut the ends of 2 more popsicle sticks, sized according to the width of the 8 sticks.  3. Brush enormous amount of glue on the 2 sticks.  4.  Place the sticks on both ends like pictured above to gather and put in place the other 8 sticks.  This will serve as the side of your dress rack. Make 4 of this if your sticks are the same length as mine (around 4" long).

 5-6.  Glue together 2 of the sides like pictured above.  7.  Do the same for the remaining 2.  ***This is unnecessary if you are using longer popsicle sticks (like the ones available in Starbucks).  This length is all I've got so I had to make them longer.

8. Cut 5 more sticks for each sides' top/upper part.  Glue them on top of each other.  Do the same on the sides' bottom/lower part.  9.  Gather the cut ends and sized it according to the sides' bottom/lower part.  10.  Glue and pile them up together like pictured above.  This will enable your rack to stand better. ***The reason for the piled up 5 sticks is that my crochet hook is longer than the length of the popsicle sticks.  

11. Cut squares from the sticks / cut ends.  Prepare 12 squares.  12.  Glue the squares (3 layers each) on sticks 4 and 5 on each of the sides' top/upper part.  Make sure that there is enough space in between, sized to the width/diameter of your rod.  This is where you will insert the ends of your metal rod / crochet hook.  13.  Create the rack's base and a top shelf. For the rack's base, glue together 8 popsicle sticks like pictured above.  For the top shelf, I glued together 2 1/2 sticks. 14.  This is optional.  I glued sticks on the back of each side.  15.  Place the rack's base and top shelf on their places.  These strengthen the rack and prevent it from swaying especially when the metal rod is removed.  Make sure to always brush huge amount of glue on the sticks.    Then place the rod on its proper place. 

16. Let it dry completely.  Then test the strength of your rack by hanging some dresses.  and Ta-Da!

You now have a doll's dress rack! :D     

Now paint it or glue patterned paper on it.  You can design it with whatever you like.

I painted mine light blue. soo cute, isn't it?

Here is a simple tutorial on making your own dress hangers using pipe cleaners. :D

How to make your own dress hangers:

Materials needed: pipe cleaners and cutter/scissors (optional: beads and other embellishments)

Instructions: 1. Cut pipe cleaners 2 inches long.  One hanger uses two.  2.  Wrap around the middle of a 2-inch pipe cleaner the one end of another 2-inch pipe cleaner.  3. Insert beads to make it cuter.  And you're done! So easy, right?

 Test the hangers on your dress rack.

Then fill it with dresses! 

I will be very grateful if you will share your thoughts on this by leaving a comment below.  And don't forget to include the link of your creation too when you try this.  You can also share photos in this flickr pool that I started. :D  Enjoy!

D.I.Y. - Car Pocket Pillow

My baby boy turned 3 months old 9 days ago.  I made him a pocket pillow in the shape of a car.  This is pure hand-sewn because I do not own a sewing machine yet.  The front wheel of the pillow is quite deformed maybe due to my sewing.  Nevertheless, the pillow is still cute.  =D  So here is how I did it...

Materials:

...and fiber fill.  I forgot to include it in the picture.


Procedure:

1. Draw and cut your pattern on a manila paper.  Download pattern here.

2. Trace your pattern at the back side of your patterned cloth.  ***If you are using the same cloth for the back of your pillow, make sure to invert your pattern before tracing it for the 2nd time.  If you will use a solid color cloth, like I did, you can trace your pattern either way.

3. Provide a 1/2 inch allowance from the line of your pattern when cutting the cloth.

4. Cut the windows of the car pattern.  These will serve as pocket openings.
5. Trace and cut these openings on your cloth for the front of the car.
6. Trace and cut the 'car doors' (red arrows) that will serve as your car pocket.  Trace and cut the wheels too, so your wheels will have a different color than your car body.
7. (The picture shows pieces of 2 cars, except the back.)  Now, you should have 5 pieces for 1 car.  a. front of the pillow; b. front wheel; c. back wheel; d. pocket; e. back of the pillow.

  
8. Start sewing your car windows.  Cut the allowance to easily sew the curves.

9. Start sewing the pieces together.  Start by connecting the wheels to the front body. The front wheel should be on the outside and only half of the back wheel should be showing.
10. Embroider the line separating the 2 doors on the front body.
11. Sew the pocket on the body.  The stitches should look like an embroidered outline of the 2 doors.
12. Embroider your desired design on the front body.
13. Attach / Sew the front and back body of the car together inside out.  Leave a small opening for you to insert the fiber fill.  Invert the pillow case through the small opening.
14.  Wash and iron the pillow case. (optional)
15.  Fill the case with fiber fill.
16.  Blanket stitch the opening.

And you're done! =D

Your child can hide toys in this pocket.  Or you can hide surprises for your child here too.

Look at how happy my little baby is with his new pillow. =D

Happiness! =D