Mix up some Laundry soap!

Help with laundry is GREAT... but sometimes the "helpers" use too much soap or laundry booster.  Yes I have to use the laundry booster to get the clean smell. 

So, I mix the two!

It is a two to one ratio.  Two parts soap, one part laundry booster.

In the end, I only have to scoop from one bucket and I get just the right amound of everything.

Happy nose.... the laundry smells springtime fresh.  I have made my own laundry soap in the past.  Stay tuned for a post on that one.

Tara

Pot Rack from Art?

YES!! 

Go to your favorite home decor store 

and buy 1-2 metal wall-art pieces.

If you buy two, bolt them together.  

Hang from "s" hooks and chain segments.

Make sure you use ceiling anchors for your eyebolts 

to secure them. 

Use more "s" hooks to hang the pots.

And Voila! 

POT RACK!!

I'd been wanting a pot rack since I moved in, but I couldn't find exactly the right one. I wanted a HUGE pot rack, but it seemed that all the the ones I could find were tiny. As you can see, I have a substantial island in my kitchen, and I needed a pot rack to match.

 So, the idea came to me that I needed to look beyond the kitchen to find my solution. And there it was... staring me in the face.

Wall Art = Pot Rack

I absolutely love it, and use it every day!

Leather Peter Pan Collar -

I have been so inspired by the fun little accessory that has become very popular.  The Peter Pan Collar necklace.  Looking at all of the styles that are out there, finding exactly what I wanted escaped me.  Well, this caused the little voice in my head to say...you can do that!

That is exactly what happened.  I drew up a pattern, used some scrap leather and some jewelry embellishments.  Viola.  New statement piece.  Love how lightweight it turned out and  the simplicity of it. 

If you want to do this project, instructions and the pattern for this Peter Pan Collar of Leather are at www.whimsyfunk.com.  Or click here for the link to the pattern. 

-Tara
Bring a bit of whimsy to your funky world.

Easy Altered Belt Tutorial

This belt came too long for me. So I decided to try my luck at shortening it. 

After all, how hard could it be? The buckle part is made of vinyl, not leather.

So this is how I did it... First I carefully picked out the stitching holding the  

buckle to the belting (which by the way is stretchy elastic). 

One thing that might make that easier is once you get it started, try to pick it out 

between the vinyl and the belting instead of on the outside. 

 So this is what mine looked like once I had taken it apart.

Then measure carefully and cut off the belting. 

 Stuff the belting back into the buckle end.

Make sure the edges are neatly tucked in...nothing hanging outside.

 Topstitch, following the exact seam line that you picked out.

 And there you have it.

A few simple steps and your belt fits! Yeah!

And no one will be the wiser that you shortened your belt yourself.

Cheap & Easy Card Making Idea - Turn Boring Foil Cards Into Fabulous Foil Cards

Want a beautiful, thrifty and easy card making idea? Here are a few simple techniques you can use to turn foil cards with a matte background into fabulous works of art. 

These cards are so easy to make and they don't take long either!

I found these simple beauties for $1 with 20 cards in it - a dollar! My sisters were throwing me a baby shower so couldn't pass them up. They even had the little feet!! Ah, but I digress. 

I had the perfect plan for them.

Step 1: I started by "grunging" the edges, giving them a modern, worn look. All you need is to scrape your card against your ink pad for this technique. 

For a swiped look, drag the edges of your card across the ink pad. For the spotted/denim/vintage type look, simply press your card into the ink pad without swiping it.

 I like to use 2 different colors to give it depth. Although a monochromatic color scheme can look fabulous too! 

(Tip: always start with your lightest colored ink)

 

Step 2: You can see that the words don't quite pop. So I grabbed my sponge, patted it in the ink, and pressed using a swirling motion just around the words. 

Step 3: Cool as that was, I wasn't done. I wanted to have more of a watercolor look to it. So I lightly sprayed the sponge (that still had ink in it by the way)...

 ...and made short swiping strokes across the center foil words. 

Continue to swipe across the rest of the card until the color runs out. Repeat as often as you like - but remember, not too much water or your card will warp!

 

And this is what you get - unique, artistic cards that only took a minute to make!

 And of course, I couldn't leave it alone! After making a few of one color, I had to make a few in another color! After all, there were 20 in the box.

If you try out this little card making idea, come back and tell us about it. We'd love to see what you did!

Remember to play with it. Have fun! That's part of the joy of making cards. :)

Enjoy!

Pressed Penny!

 Have you ever pressed a penny.  You know, from one of those machines that smash an image into a penny and makes it into an oval.  

I have a bunch from years of making the cheep little souvenirs.  Now, I was left with a big bunch of penny's that had been stretched.  I took those little mementos and made a bracelet.  I really like the way it turned out!

To see more about this little project, go to www.whimsyfunk.com. 

 So, what do you think?

     -Tara

Easy DIY Ruffle Top Dress Tutorial - My Maternity Dress Makeover!

I'm expecting... and when you're expecting there's 2 things you desperately want your clothes to be - comfortable and cute. But that's hard to come by... especially together!

I went hunting at the thrift store the other day and found this gem – a long-sleeved maternity dress that was literally just a giant t-shirt. Talk about comfortable! But not so cute.

Well, it’s summertime and I had a plan… time for a dress makeover!

You could do this with any t-shirt or skirt too.

Step 1: Cut off those long sleeves.

 

Step 2: Cut the sleeve scraps into strips.

We’re going to use the cutoff sleeves for ruffles!

Make each strip 2 ½ inches wide. I wanted 3 ruffles on my shirt. So I cut one strip 14 inches long and the other two strips I cut 7 inches long.

TIP: Cut your strips 2 times the length that you want them to be in the end. This gives your ruffles plenty of “flounce”. Example: Want a 7 inch ruffle? Cut a 14 inch strip of fabric.

Step 3: Sew big stitches about ¼ inch from the top of each strip. The pull one of the strings to make a ruffle.

Step 4: Pin the top ruffle in place (the 14 inch strip). Then stitch it on.

Make sure the ruffle is centered on the shirt.

 

Step 5: Pin the top of the next ruffle about 1 ½ inches below the top ruffle’s stitching. Sew it in place.

Repeat this step for as many ruffles as you like. I made the 2^nd and 3^rd ruffles shorter than the top one just for added spunk. :) 

 

The top is done. YAY! If you’re only doing a t-shirt, you can stop here. But I had an entire dress to doctor.

 

 

Now to fix the bottom of the t-shirt dress…

Step 6: Cut off the bottom of the skirt.

Since it went to the floor, I had plenty of fabric to play with. *Remember not to cut off too much! You can always make it shorter.

Step 7: Make the bottom ruffle.

Cut two strips that are 2 ½ inches wide. Sew them together to make one long strip of fabric. Sew using big stitches about ¼ inch from the top and pull one string to make the ruffle. Then sew the two ends together to make a circle.

Don’t trim those strings yet! You might need to pull the thread again to keep that ruffle “ruffling”.

Step 8: Pin the bottom ruffle in place. Sew across the top of the ruffle.

 

Ok, now you can trim the strings. 

And … Ta Da! Here’s my new cute dress that feels like a t-shirt without looking like one. Happy day! :)

Cardboard Kitchenette Tutorial

My little girl has become quite the chef.  She even has her own cooking show, where she says "And then..." over and over while mixing her "ingredients" in her hat, bucket, bowl, purse, etc.  I decided she needed to have a real kitchen to work in--well--a real pretend kitchen to work in.  Here's what I used to make her a small kitchenette: a medium sized cardboard box, a paper towel tube, metal or plastic bowl (has to have some sort of lip on the edge), pen, cerated knife, tape, paint, felt, Elmer's Glue, string, yarn and a few odds and ends for "hardware."

Before you get started, make sure the box you have chosen to use is a good height for your little one.  And make sure it will hold up to mini Iron Chef-ing.  It would be very sad if the kitchenette fell apart after just a few months.

Step one: tape your box completely closed on all sides.  Make it secure.  Then measure where you want your sink, faucet, stove top, oven door, and cupboard doors to be stationed. Mark all areas with your pen.

Step two: Use your knife to cut open the oven door, cupboard doors, sink area and faucet area.  When cutting the oven and cupboard doors open, be sure to only cut 3 edges, and score the remaining edge so that it will open smoothly.  Also, to cut the sink space, place your bowl open side down on the box.  Trace it, and then cut it a bit smaller than the lip on the bowl.  Cut the hole for the faucet exactly the same size as the paper towel tube.  Err on the smaller side, not the bigger.

Step 3:  Create the faucet out of the paper towel tube.  Mine is not a super clean job, but it works.  I cut two wedges out of my paper towel role so that it would curve over the sink.  I angled the paper towel tube and taped it back together.  The end of the paper towel tube that is going to be inserted in the cardboard box needs to be clipped about 1/4 of an inch in, perpendicular to the open edge.  Insert the clipped edge into the faucet hole.  Under the "counter top," bend out the edges of the paper towel role to secure the faucet in place. Glue and let dry.  Then tape like crazy to reinforce it.

Step 4:  Install Sink.  Literally plug the bowl in and move on.

Step 5:  Get creative and paint away.  I removed my bowl so I didn't accidentally get paint on it.

Step 6:  Gather your odds and ends and paint them (if you need to) to turn them into cupboard handles, oven handles, towel racks, hot/cold faucet knobs, element knobs, oven temperature knob, etc.

Step 7:  Now, what to do about those elements.  There are so many ways you could make cool stove-top elements.  Mine are not that complex.  4 circles of felt glued with Elmer's Glue to the "stove top." I also decided to reinforce the felt elements with large stitches of fun colored yarn sewn through small holes I made in a spiral pattern in the cardboard top. This is really helpful to prevent kids ripping the elements off of the stove.

Step 8: Install your hardware any way you like.  I used hemp-like string and looped it through small holes I made in the cardboard cupboard and oven doors.  I used a pretty small phillips head screwdriver to push through the cardboard.  It worked really well.

Step 9:  Add a little costume apron and giggle as you watch your little chef host her own cooking show: "And then, stir for two minutes....And then taste it....And then...."

clean the shower doors tip

Having trouble cleaning hard water stains off the shower door?

Try this...

Use a mixture of:

1 cup baking soda 

a few drops of oil 

1/4 cup dish soap 

add enough water to make a thin paste 

Use a sponge with "scrubbing" capabilities and scrub with the 

paste. 

After getting the hard "spots" off, rub lemon oil on the doors.  

Use a squeegee after every shower.

Hopes this helps.