Monster Patch Jeans

I have seen a TON of different versions of these monster patch jeans.  Since it it Halloween season, I thought it would be a cute idea to make them for my son.  Lo and behold, he had a pair of holey jeans!!  (And, always the right knee...)  Here is how I made them, and I don't sew! :)

 

Supplies Needed:

A pair of Holey Jeans

White Felt

Red Felt

Navy Thread

A needle

Pinking Sheers

1.  Cut away as many pieces of string from the hole as you want.

2.  Cut a red felt piece slightly larger than the hole you are working with.

3.  Cut teeth with pinking sheers, in the shape you'd like.  (I did them pointy.)

4.  Cut triangles (or circles, or ovals) with pinking sheers for the eyes.

5.  Put the teeth on top of the red piece of felt, towards to top of the hole.  (Here, I used a bit of fabric glue to hold the teeth on while I sewed the patch on.)  Put on the inside of the jeans and adjust to where you'd like the patch.

6.  Use a needle and navy thread to sew around the hole, making the thread as noticeable as you can.  That is the beauty of this project: you HAVE to sew messily!!

7.  Put the eye shapes above the mouth and sew them on the jeans with an 'X' pattern.

That's it!!  Easy as pie!  Let me know if you've tried this type of project or not.  I'm curious to see yours!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Kim

Our Sick House Nees to be Decontaminated

We have been sick here for too long!  My son got sick during his first week at Kindergarten {of course, I said to myself; it's a germ fest in school}.  And, I finally got some antibiotics for me for what was found to be strep throat.  My mom told me she's not feeling well (we see the grandparents A LOT).  Then, we get word from my son's pediatrician that all the revolving sickness has brought some worsening to his asthma, and that is why he's coughing like crazy.  On man!!  My poor little guy, my poor mom, and POOR ME! :(  This is exactly what I wanted for my 40th Birthday (yep, it was on 9/11)!!

Well, I am feeling so much better with these antibiotics.  I mean these started working within 4-5 hours that I took them!  WOW!!  Now that I'm feeling better, I think it's time to put a tent over this sick hole and decontaminate it!!  No, not that 'harsh', but definitely a deeper cleaning than normal. 

I went to the Internet to see what I could do.  Here is what I found:

1.  The most important thing is to wash all of the sheets, blankets, towels immediately!  Even clothes, too.  You might have a giant pile of laundry to fold, but....  On top of that, I think I am going to run the 'naked' pillows through several minutes in the high heat of the drier.

2.  Get rid of your toothbrush OR disinfect the head of the toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide.

3.  Wash all of your dishes in HOT water or the hottest setting in the dishwasher.

4.  Use disinfectants (like Lysol, vinegar & water mix, hydrogen peroxide, tea tree [meleleuca] oil)--whatever your preference--on everything anyone could have touched everywhere, including door knobs, handrails, switches, etc.!!

KITCHEN = refrigerator/freezer/dishwasher handles, door/cabinet handles, light switches, stove/oven handles, water spigot, tabletops, chairs, floors??, trash cans (if you can manually open them), etc.   Then, take out the garbage...

BATHROOM = door handles, light switches, the whole flippin' toilet seat (under, over, + around), the toilet flusher, the tub & sink water spigots, the floor, and anything else you may have that I haven't thought of.  Then clean the garbage can, and take out the garbage...

BEDROOM/LIVING ROOM = (any room the sickie was in, sterilize it)  phones, t.v. switchers, door knobs, light switches, chairs, recliners, toys, bed, vacuum or clean floor, window handles, etc.  The, take out the garbage.

When you're all done with that, maybe wipe down your car as much as you can (steering wheel, door handles, buckles, etc.), then dump some Lysol all over you and jump in the shower to sterilize yourself from whatever yuckies you cleaned just up!!  Do you think I am serious??  No, people...  But, if you want, go and take a shower.  It will make you feel better...

So, I guess this could be called a "Fall Cleaning" instead of a Spring Cleaning.  And, remember to please not go nuts trying to get all of the germs out of your house.  In my germophobia days, I used to think it was possible.  But, now with a Kindergartener, I realize that is highly unlikely to happen. :(  I know, it'll be ok.  Don't stress.  It's not worth it.  Your family is just getting better.  No more unneeded stress... :)

Now go get a Flu Shot!!  And, WASH your hands!! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Puppy Themed Boy's Birthday Party!!

When I asked my son what kind of party he wanted for his 5th Birthday, he said Chuck E. Cheese's.  I told him that was fine; but, asked him what 'theme' he wanted.  And he said he wanted a dog party.  Actually, it was kind of cute because he said it like this, "Mommy, I want a dawg pawty."  So, he got a puppy themed party at our local Chuck E. Cheese's...

Everything I made for the party was found either on Pinterest or somewhere through searching the Internet.   {Have I told you I was addicted to Pinterest??? :)}

We had a dog bowl cake and dog bone shaped sugar cookies that my crafty sister-in-law made.
(Go check out her Facebook page.  She specializes in beautiful sugar art, especially sugar skulls!!)

I made a banner with my son's name on it.   (See the dog bone shaped cookies under the banner...)  I printed the 5" circle banner from Sarah Hope Designs via Catch My Party.  Then, I cut them out and pasted them onto green scrapbook paper, punched two holes at the top with a hole punch and strung some cute ribbon through it.

There was a Puppy Adoption Station where the kiddos picked out a stuffed dog (from the Dollar Tree) and gave it a name.  I typed 'Adopt a Puppy Here' in Microsoft Word and changed the font and the colors.  I then printed it out and pasted it onto a piece of scrapbook paper, and added a little washi tape to the corners.  The Certificate of Adoption free printable can be found at Chickabug.

We also had Doggie Bags as the favor bags.  I used a mix of these cute dog print bags that I got off of Listia, and red paper cub bags that I got from the Dollar Tree.  I also gave small gifts to the siblings of my son's friends--there were only 3 or 4.  I put those in small brown paper treat bags. We just included the typical Dollar Tree trinkets (crayons, coloring books, etc.) as favors.  The Doggie Bags sign was made the same way the adoption sign was.

One more thing that I almost forgot was the kids' 'Dog Tags'.  They each got a necklace with their name on it on red craft paper that I Sizzix'd to look like a dog tag.  Not difficult at all.  I even think there are paper punches at your local craft store that are actually shaped like a tag...  {Sorry for the blurred faces of the kids.  I didn't want to chance it, and I wasn't able to contact all of their parents.  So, I just blurred them out.}  My little one, however, is in the middle!! :)

That's it for the puppy party!  We had a wonderful time and there were many compliments by the employees and other parents at Chuck E. Cheese's.  So, that made me feel all fuzzy inside!!


Check out these other super rad bloggers with some way cool party ideas!!  They are the ones I'm joining forces together with for the great Party Pack giveaway...

Events To Celebrate: 3 Birthday Party Invitation Ideas - Free Printables
Create & Babble: Party Decorations Round-up
Simplistically Sassy: Party Favor Ideas
Party Pixie: Party Planning Timeline and Stress Free Tips
Painless Meals: Party Planning on a Budget
Cupcake Diaries: Cupcake Shake Shooters
Lady Makes It: Allergy Friendly Party Ideas
Solace Amid the Chaos: Puppy Themed Birthday Party
You've Got Your Hands Full: 5 Party Themes for Twins

Also, here is the information on how to enter our big giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks so much for stopping by and good luck, if you enter!!

Aden + Anais Swaddling Blanket

If anyone is looking for the cute swaddle blankets used on Prince George when he made his debut to the world, I have found a place that has a good price and has these blankets in stock!

These swaddle blankets are from a company called Aden + Anais (pronounced either an-ay-ees OR Ana-iss).

I used these swaddle blankets when my son was an infant (5+ years ago).  I loved them!  They are so versatile, soft, comfortable & not itchy, and cute on top of all that!   We used them to swaddle, as a car seat cover/shade, as a tummy blanket, etc.  They lasted a long time, and never seem to wear when washed.  I think it's definitely a good investment!!

Shop Aden + Anais swaddling wraps, as seen on the new Prince of Cambridge!

Busy Bottles for Kids {DIY}

For the Summer Survival Challenge I am doing, a part of it suggests that we make a quiet time activities list for our children.  I made a good list of activities that I will have upcoming (DIY) posts on...  Some of my ideas were: file folder games (DIY); puzzles; Leap Pad or iPod; felt boards (DIY); beading-pipe cleaners, yarn, etc. (DIY); writing and letter tracing; coloring and drawing practice; sorting games (DIY) and Unifix cubes.  My last idea was something that I saw on a Sensory Processing website awhile back: Busy Bottles.  Not only were they fun for me and my son to make.  But, he enjoys looking at them and 'finding' what items are in there (like beads, buttons, pom poms, etc.).



Here are all of the things you will need for this project:

Small Plastic bottles
(I found these bottles at our local CVS pharmacy.  They had a sweet kids drink in them, so I just dumped it our and removed the label)

A variety of colorful, water resistant type of items: rhinestones, beads, glitter, pom poms, pearls

Water

Hot Glue Gun

1.  Empty the bottle(s) and be sure it is clean and not sticky. 
2.  Put the colorful items and glitter in the plastic bottle(s).
3.  Add water, but leave a bit of room at the top.
4.  Twist top onto the bottle and make sure it's tight.
5.  Hot Glue the cap onto the bottle.

That's it!!  This is a fun thing for kids to look at and keep them quiet (for a few minutes, at least) because they helped you make it.  The kiddos just LOVE to play with things that they helped make.

Have you ever made a busy bottle?  Oh, have you tried making a vortex out of two 2-Liter plastic soda bottles??  Here is where you can purchase the connector to make one:

Easy Peasy!



Thanks for stopping by,

Kids' Toy Organization

We have a 4.5 year old son, who is an only child and only grandchild. He is inundated with toys--too many, really, for any kid. So, my husband and I have been clearing out his toys and have been keeping the ones not in use out in the garage. We alternate the toys every so often when he gets bored... So, these are pictures after one of our toy "updates". This system works great because I have added pictures and words, so that our son knows what goes where.

(Now, to keep him on task with cleaning everything up at the end of the day...)

OUR LIVING ROOM

MUSIC AREA

TRAINS

 

MISC. ITEMS

LEARNING AREA

ART SUPPLIES

WII, STUFFED ANIMALS, BLOCKS

TOOLS

Things are a bit astray after Christmas, but  we are trying to keep everything in its place and to make new places for the boy's new toys!

Happy New Year, all!

-Kim

Linked to Kids Co-Op via Crayon Freckles