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Friday, September 2, 2016

Keeping Kids off Screens Printables

School is back in session, and as a mother of four school-aged children, I have made some New (School) Year's Resolutions. Shamelessly, I will share them here:

I will actually open my children's backpacks each afternoon and see what is in their take home folders.
I will read school emails (including attachments!).
I will take and enforce measures to limit my children's screen time.
I will implement a plan to help my children exercise every day, even when the weather is bad.

If you don't struggle with any of the above 4 items, then a big pat on the back to you for being a more responsible mom than me. I usually start strong, but by mid October I deserve about a C+ in any of these subjects. This year I am determined that I will be better. And one way I am taking action is by displaying these posters in my kitchen. I am truly enforcing the rules of what must be completed before screens.

(Click here to get printable download)

I began this quest by making these handwritten signs (shown below). I used scrap cardboard and glued some flat magnets to the back. My husband loved the idea, and suggested I make digital files he could print and laminate for me to make them more durable, so I did! I went ahead and made my handwritten signs into digital files as well because I still kinda like the homemade look.

I amended the "Before Screens" page from the handwritten to the digital to say "Read 30 Min+" instead of "Read Scriptures 10 Min+." I did this because while I do want my kids to read scriptures daily, they also enjoy reading other books. The 10 minute amount for scripture study is a challenge we made as a family, so I will include that as part of their 30 minute requirement.

I helped my 6 and 9 year olds go through these exercises yesterday afternoon. I over-estimated how many sit-ups they could do and how long they could hold planks and wall-sits. I told them (and I'm now telling you) that if you can't do the amount shown on the poster now, just do as many as you can, and you can work up to the amounts here over time. We turned on a fun Pandora station (I recommend "Everything is Awesome Radio"), and soon they were sweaty little bootcampers in our living room! We put a timer on in the kitchen so they would know when 30 minutes was up, but by about half-way through, they were so into the exercises, they weren't concerned with the timer. :)

Ideally, I want my kids to enjoy exercise outside playing pick-up soccer games in the cul-de-sac or riding bikes and scooters, but unfortunately that doesn't always work out. This way they can stay active, get stronger, and learn to enjoy exercise even when it is not perfect weather.

Saturday, January 23, 2016

2016 Youth Theme Poster Printable

Today I am sharing this FREE printable of the 2016 Youth Theme for Latter-day Saint youth. I made it to display in our Young Women's room throughout the year. We will recite it each Sunday in the hope that by the end of the year each girl will have it memorized!

This would also be a great way to incorporate the principle of "ponderizing" into your family's life. Just print and put on the fridge!

I got my poster printed at Costco as a 16"x20" poster board. Have you ever bought one of their poster boards? They are of an impressive heavy, quality plastic and cost about $15. My Costco takes less than 24 hours to have it ready!

I saw a similar poster to this on Etsy as part of printable set for sale. However, the one on Etsy did not have the words to the scripture on the board; it only had pictures. I wanted both, so I made my own design. I hope your youth enjoy it!

Click link below to access downloadable file:

FREE 2016 "Press Forward" Theme Printable

Participating in some of these link-ups.

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

2016 Youth Theme Candybar Wrappers

Each year The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a scripture-based theme for the youth program. I am so excited about this year's theme, from 2 Nephi 31:20,

“Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life”

I love the feelings of hope and action that this scripture evokes. It was hard to be a teenager 20 years ago. I know it hasn't become any easier today. In an effort to keep this scripture at the forefront of the minds of the Young Women in our youth program, we decided to give them these theme-wrapped candy bars for their birthdays this year.

These would also be great to give out at New Beginnings, Young Women in Excellence, or as a welcome gift to new Beehives.

These are sized for a regular, flat-shaped (approx 2" x 6")candy bar such as Hershey's, Mr. Goodbar, or Nestle Crisp. I went with the Nestle Crisp bar because it has the foil-edged wrapper, which looks nice sticking out the ends of the new wrap.

Links to FREE PRINTABLES of these wrappers can be found below.

2016 Youth Theme Candybar Wrappers 1

2016 Youth Theme Candybar Wrappers 2

Participating in these link-ups.

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Peter Pan Collar Ruched Blouse Tutorial

I have had this darling polka-dot chiffon fabric for over a year, waiting for the right amazing inspiration to hit me. I considered a skirt (which would've been adorbs!!), but I have a TON of skirts, and I'm always wanting new, original tops to wear.

I am SO in LOVE with the Peter Pan collars that are popping up on blouses everywhere, and I am totally digging all the lace overlays and inlays being added to every kind of clothing.

SO... I decided to do a bit of both with this sensational easy-to-make blouse!

Whether you are an experienced or newly-budding sewist, this tutorial will be a surprising cinch. I'll walk you through each step!

You will need:

Chiffon Fabric: 26" wide x 60" length. If you are shopping, one yard should be enough. Knits, silks, or other light-weight flowing fabrics would also work.
Lace trim, gathered: 3/4 yard of 1.5-2" wide. I used cotton eyelet lace.
Elastic thread
Scissors; Corresponding thread; Chalk for marking; Sewing pins; Sewing machine

1. Fold fabric in half (wrong sides together) to make a 26" wide x 30" long rectangle. Find the center of the width and mark it at the fold with chalk. (I laid chalk here so you could see it clearly.)

2. Measure 4 inches on each side of the center and mark with chalk. Measure 3-4 inches down (depending on how low you want your neckline), and mark with chalk. Draw a line connecting the three marks to make a half-circle. This is your front neckline.

3. Measure and mark 4 inches down from the upper left and right fold corners.

4. Draw chalk lines connecting the side marks to the each end of the neckline. These are your shoulder lines.

5. Make a mark 1.5-2 inches down from the center point along the fold.

6. Draw a curved line from the ends of the neckline to the mark you just made. This is the back neckline.

7. Cut along the TOP curved chalkline through BOTH layers of fabric.

8. Cut along the BOTTOM curved chalkline through only the TOP layer of fabric.

9. Cut along the shoulder lines through BOTH layers of fabric.

10. Turn fabric to right sides together (RST). Sew the shoulder lines together with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

11. Turn fabric to right sides out. Sew a rolled hem around the neckline.

10. Pin the lace around the neckline. I left extra at the end because pinning around a curve with gathered lace is not an exact science. I had to do some re-positioning at the end. Fold the ends of the lace under and at an angle to make the "Peter Pan" shape to the collar. Pin in place. Sew a topstitch along the top of the lace first, then carefully topstitch along the outside edges of the entire collar. (I did this as my very last step for this blouse, but you may as well do it now since you'll already have the right thread in your machine).

11. Measure and mark 9 inches down from the corner of the shoulder. From there, draw a line 3 inches horizontally. From there, draw a straight line to the bottom of the fabric.

12. Repeat #11 for the other side of the blouse front.

13. Cut through both layers of fabric along the chalk lines you just drew. (It's starting to look like a shirt, huh?)

14. Draw a curved line beginning 4 inches above the bottom corner down to 4 inches along the bottom edge. Cut through both layers of fabric along this line.

15. Fold the blouse in half along the length, and use the curve you just cut to draw an identical one on the other side. Cut along this line through both bottom layers of fabric.

16. This is what your shirt should look like (folded in half) at this point. Unfold for the next step. Turn right sides together.

16. With RST, pin along the bottom of both sleeves and sides of the blouse, ending at the top of the curve.

17. Put ELASTIC THREAD in the bobbin of your sewing machine. This is the key to making this shirt "ruched." With a 1/4" seam allowance, sew along the bottom of the sleeve to the top of the curve at the bottom of the shirt on both sides (where you just pinned in #16). Tie off with a back-stitch at the beginning and end.

18. Sew a rolled hem along the sleeve edges.

19. Sew a rolled hem around the bottom of the blouse.

You are done!

Participating in these link-ups.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

DIY Sleep Mask College Student Send-off Gift

When I left for college a few years back, someone gave me a sleeping mask and earplugs. I remember my dad saying, "Oooh good! That will come in handy!" I didn't grasp what he meant until I had lived in my new dorm for about a week. I soon learned a fact of college life: Night time doesn't mean sleeping time. But I wanted to sleep! I had early classes or an early job to get to every day, and I often woke up even earlier to work-out. I was SO GRATEFUL for the sleeping mask and earplugs I was given!

So when I saw this tutorial for a reversible sleep mask from Behind the Seams Sewing, I thought it would be a perfect gift for some gals I know who are heading out into the world of dormitories, lectures, and libraries.

The tutorial includes a link to this simple pattern from Instructables that you can print out on one regular sheet of paper at home. I used some extra fabric I had for the outside, and white felt for the inside. For the band, I used 1/4 inch elastic.

With all gifts, but especially simple ones, I believe presentation is of utmost importance, so I am sharing a cute printable I made using the Rhonna Designs app to give with the sleep masks.

Go HERE to download this free printable. I sized mine in Publisher to 4"x 4" so it would fit just right on the top of the bags I used.

I found some earplugs at my local hardware store for 49 cents/ pair, because what good is a dark room if it is still noisy??

And finally, I used some long, clear party bags (found HERE on Amazon) to package up each sleep mask and earplug set with the printable poem stapled to the top of the bag.

I wrote a personal message to each recipient on the back of the card. It is great to be able to give something useful, and if it can be homemade, you can truly make it a gift from your heart!

Participating in these link-ups.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Granola Bar Printable Valentines

Who remembers the days when a valentine was just a little piece of cardboard torn along perforated lines with a Care Bear or He-Man telling you how awesome you are? So simple. I guess those are still around (maybe not He-Man...) but hardly a valentine is exchanged without a treat attached, am I right?

Don't get me wrong--I am not lamenting this. I like treats! And I adore all the creative ways out there for sharing the love during this fun holiday. But as I parent, I also know the challenge of monitoring the consumption of all that sugar. So, this year I decided to do my part to ensure that the constuction paper-covered shoeboxes your kids bring home contain a bit of nutritional value amid all the lollipops and Fun-dips.

I'm sharing two printable valentines (already laid out several to a sheet for easy printing) that can be attached to granola bars. You can certainly use store-bought bars, but if you want to go the homemade route, I will include a link to my favorite granola bar recipe (which happens to be my first blog post!).

You can find the recipe for these bars here.

I added chocolate chips and red M&Ms (and left out the raisins) to the dough to make them more Valentine-y.

Click here for a page with "Love Raises The Bar" printable valentines.

Click here for a page with "You are the Best, Bar None" valentine.

Participating in these link-ups.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

The Poncho Tunic

One of my dearest friends just had a birthday, and I wanted to make her something cute. She lives too far to be my model, which is too bad because she will rock this piece when she wears it!

I followed my own Poncho Shirt Tutorial to make this, but made a few changes because of the length. I will walk your through it all. No biggie, I promise!

To begin, you will need 1.25 yards (45 inches) of 60 inch wide fabric. I suggest a knit fabric so it will stretch nicely. Also, many knits roll nicely on the edges, so you don't have to hem.

You'll also need elastic thread, and all-purpose coordinating thread.

1. Fold the fabric in half so it is 45" long by 30" wide (folded).

2. Cut along the fold, making two pieces, each 45x30". Lay it out with short sides on top and bottom.

3. Follow the instructions in Steps 2-7 of the Poncho Shirt Tutorial for making the neckline and shoulders.

4. Hem the neckline.

5. Cut a curve on each side of the base of the tunic, as shown. I cut one side, then folded it in half and used the cut side as a guide for cutting the other side. I also trimmed about 1.5 inches from each side of the tunic because I decided not to do a rolled hem. If you need to hem your edges, do that now, all the way around the bottom and sides.

6. Beginning 9 inches down and 4 inches in, pin through both front and back, 18 inches down the tunic, on both sides to make the arm holes and give shape to the piece.

7. With elastic thread in your bobbin, stitch along the pins, removing as you go. Tie off with a back stitch or two at the beginning and end.

8. With iron on lowest heat for fabric, press along the elastic to draw it up further, if desired.

With the fabric I chose, I liked the look best with a belt. I tried it with a jean jacket--also super cute for fall! So many possibilities here! And so easy to make!