Monter Truck Invites-How To

Okay, it seems I'm getting lots of traffic for these invitations I made. Here's a quick how-to. I made them several weeks ago so I only have a pic of the final product. Just refer to the photos.

You will need:

• Premade cards and envelopes. I found these kraft paper colored ones at Michaels. I liked the color. The color becomes your "sky."
• A couple sheets of scrap book paper. I used a bronzy-brown which I later found out revealed a black-brown color when ripped.
• A couple sheets of sandpaper OR a different shade of scrap book paper.
• Monster truck stickers (BMX bikes would be cute too!)

Cut the scrapbook paper into rectangles a bit larger than the width of the card (you can trim it later) and about 3-4 inches tall. Ask your kid to rip each rectangle in half down the middle. The rougher the tear the better.

Do the same with the sandpaper, but with slightly shorter rectangles.

Glue the scrapbook mountains to the card, then glue the sandpaper mountains on top. Stagger them a little. Trim the edges even with the card.

Add the truck sticker and you're done.

For the envelopes:

• paint
• toys with treaded wheels--I used Legos.

Pour a little paint onto a plate or something and roll the wheels through it. You'll want a scrap of paper handy to roll off the excess paint. Roll the wheels across the envelopes.

This part isn't in the pictures above:

My handwriting leaves something to be desired, so I printed all the pertinent info onto regular printer paper and tore around the edges. Then I glued that to the inside. I also printed each invitee's name and tore the edges of those and glued them to the front of the envelopes (This might not work if you had to mail them).

If this inspired you, I would love to see some pics! You can email me from my profile, or leave a link in the comments.

Boo Boo Bunny Tutorial

When I discovered I was going to have a baby boy, I bought three boxes of bandaids. When I discovered I was having a second boy I mapped out five different routes to the ER. Well...first I cried, then I called everyone I knew and cried, then I started mapping. I'm fortunate that I haven't had to use any of my ER routes (yet) but I have had to pull out Boo-Boo Bunny a few times. Usually for grown men (I know he ended up having a broken rib, it was still funny).

You will need a washcloth and a hair elastic/rubber band/ribbon/string. I can always find hairbands around my home (except when I want them for my hair) but maybe you're more the kitchen twine type.



Lay your washcloth out and fold it into a triangle.



Starting from the corner, roll the cloth up toward the long edge.



Fold the tube in half and squeeze it tightly together. Then fold the ears up over the tushie, or tushie up over the ears.



You'll need to squeeze tightly here. Wrap your hairband around snugly to form the neck of the bunny.



Fluff up the little ears and he's ready to go.



To use: Either you have a screaming child right now and you just need to plunk the bunny in some ice water and let him hop (gently!) onto the boo-boo. Or, you anticipated this sort of thing and weeks ago you wet the bunny down and stuffed him in a bag in the freezer for emergencies.

Mine lives next to the popsicles--the other standard emergency medical supply.

How I Handwash Socks

After waxing nostalgic with my wedding dress, it's time to come back to reality. And what better way to come back to reality than with laundry?

Now that I'm knitting children's socks and feel a little bit like a sweatshop I have found that I am hand washing those socks frequently. Luckily, socks are small and can be easily washed in the sink I have in my laundry room. Most of these socks can be machine washed, but a couple pairs of hand-wash only have snuck in. I want my kids to see me hand wash these things so they become familiar with this habit later (assuming they will continue to wear hand knits).

First, you need to make sure you separate the socks from the rest of the laundry. This batch has seven socks so I suspect I failed step one. Fill up a sink with water that's about body temp. There are all sorts of wool washes on the market but I just pump in a few squirts of hand soap because it's there--my wool wash lives by my bathtub where I wash my nicer and larger knitwear.



Gently swill the socks around until they are saturated. You can leave them and forget about them but eventually you need to come back and gently squeeze the socks and try to get some of the dirt out--these are boys' socks after all.

Speaking of which the next picture is so disturbing it may turn you off to boy children for the rest of your life.



Seven socks' worth of grime. I bet you didn't know little feet could produce that much nastiness. No, it's not dye from some of the yarn, the water always looks like this (for socks). You'll want to do a good and thorough rinse, with body temp water.

What I Made:

Seven clean socks sitting by the fireplace. Getting nice and dry for another round.



I did eventually find the eighth sock.

Part II of I Made My Wedding Dress will be back tomorrow.

Reusable Giftwrap Tutorial

Edited April 13, 2009: A winner has been chosen. Thank you for participating.

The Easter Bunny told me that he wanted to give the kids some movies, probably out of respect for my tendency to inhale all chocolate that tries to reside in the house. I let him know I would leave some reusable wrapping for him so he wouldn't have to use any paper.

Then I thought maybe you too might like to know how to make something similar.

First, you will need some fabric, some fusible web (Heat'n Bond was the brand I used) and a sewing machine if you want finished edges.

After several hours of fine and precise measurements using a protracter, compass, slide rule and graphpaper I concluded a good size (for movies and Wii games) is 12 inches (just kidding, I eyeballed it). Cut both fabrics and your fusible web(FW) accordingly (you'll have to figure out what size to use for cds, books, bicycles, etc.).

To use FW, first iron the web to one of your fabrics. Note the paper is on top. This is very important unless you like cleaning your iron (go ahead, ask me how I know). Repeat after me: Fabric right side down, then FW, glue side down.

Then peel off the paper (see the glue stuck to the fabric?).

Next, iron the second square of fabric to the glue. You might want to keep the paper on hand to avoid gumming up your iron (you'll notice I didn't do this).

Does anyone know how to clean an iron?

Next, finish your edges. This is where I show off Nina, my serger.

She's been whining about the lack of modeling gigs lately.

Add a button hole (note how lovely and crooked mine are).

I did a double buttonhole so I could tie this one with ribbon. The first one I made I sewed on a button. Don't tell the Businessman. He still thinks I don't know how to sew buttons.

Then you wrap and tie:

What I Made Am Making:

Here comes Peter Cottontail hopping down the bunny trail. Hippity Hoppity Easter's on its way!

How would you like one of these?*I have an extra. Leave a comment (with a way to contact you) telling me your hobbies.

Edited: the winner will be chosen at random on April 13th.

*Only U.S. readers please. One comment per person.