Boring to Beautiful

How about this for amazing...  

Sachiko from the blog "Tea Rose Home" shows us how to make a gorgeous ruffled shirt out of two matching t's.  As soon as you try this or another amazing shirt from her blog, let me know and I will post it.  

Next on my shopping list:  

Two Matching T-Shirts!

So In Love: Bride and Groom Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Milk chocolate, almond bark, and strawberries... is your mouth watering like mine is?  This idea adds such an elegant touch to your table when you are hosting a wedding shower.  Although they take a little time and patience, you will thank yourself when you take a bite.

Materials:
Washed Strawberries
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
White Almond Bark
Stove
Pan
Toothpick
White Tulle
Needle
White Thread
Wax Paper
Baking Sheet

Groom Instructions:
Slowly warm 1 row of almond bark squares on the stove in a small pot.  Once the consistency is runny, dip the strawberries by holding on to the stems.  Stop just before you get to the greens. Lay them on wax paper on a baking sheet until the bark hardens.  Set aside the left over bark for the brides.

Slowly warm a 1 cup of chocolate chips on the stove in a small pot.  Once the consistency is runny, dip your strawberries twice - once at an angle on one side of your strawberry and once on the other.  Leave a white triangle in the middle for the front of the shirt.  Once all of the grooms are dipped, take a toothpick and dip it in the chocolate and make two small dots for buttons down the middle of the shirt.  Place them in the fridge until their debut.

Bride Instructions:
If needed, add more bark and warm it once again.  When the consistency is runny, dip the strawberries by holding on to the stems.  Set them on wax paper on a baking sheet and place them in the fridge.

Now make the veils.  Cut 1" x 2" rectangles - one for each of your brides.  With your needle and white thread, gather one of the 1" sides.  Leave 2" of extra thread at each end of this gathering and make a knot.  With the excess thread, attach your veil to the strawberry by knotting it around the stem.  Trim off the extra strands.

Make sure to remind your guests that the veil is not edible.  It may seem obvious but it is better to be cautious.

What are your tips and tricks?
Have you made these before?  There are many different ways to do it.  What are your tips and tricks? We would love to hear from you!

Perfect Diaper Cover Tutorial

Wanting to experiment with some new fabric, I came across a great tutorial for how to make diaper covers.  They are perfect for picture sessions or hot summer days (and nights). I thought I would share the link with you.  

Diaper Cover Instructions

Dana from "made" includes numerous pictures and thorough explanations. I tested the directions by whipping up a pair tonight for sparkle #2. Dana's tutorial has my stamp of approval!

Mary's Version

I added brown tulle ruffles to to the back for a little glitz.

Crazy Cute Baby's Hat

It is hard to get any shopping done when you are out with your baby.  There are the numerous fallen nuk retrievals followed by a quick sanitizing... and the switching of outfits due to a sudden outburst of one kind or another. However, I found most side-tracking came from the random stops of adoring strangers.

Don't expect the shopping to go any quicker with this hat on your little girlie. Be sure to allow extra time for all the "oohs" and "ahhs".

Materials:
Felted Sweater (Can be Substituted with Fleece, etc.)
Ribbon
Yarn
Thread
Needle
Scissors
Sewing Machine

Directions:
As you know, I love the look of felted sweaters and I have a stash already felted for projects such as these.  However, you can substitute in fleece or any other warm material.  I saw someone who had knit and sewn two (unused) dishcloths together for a similar hat.

Cut two 8" x 6" rectangles from your material.  If you are using a felted sweater, your edges won't unravel so you can cut from the bottom edge of the sweater but you do not have to.  With right sides together sew a 1/4" seam just as the picture below shows leaving 1" that is not sewn on either side.

Flip your piece right-side out and sew the two 1" sections.  Now your seams will not show when you flip up the cuff on the hat.  Go ahead, flip up that cuff!  

Now for the embellishments.  I used wool yarn to add a loose stitch around the top of the cuff not only to add some detail but to secure it in place.  Then, I attached two bows by hand-sewing them on each corner.  I also added little pieces of yarn with knots at the ends to add some extra pizazz.  

Almost There...

Thanks to each of you for following Mary's Makings!  We are almost up to a group of 20 people!  Hooray!  Remember, if you happen to be the person who refers the 20th person, you will receive the Boutique Barrette and they will receive the "thankful" scrabble decoration.

What do you want to see?  Please leave your comments  below!

Cuckoo for Tutus!

When I young, I remember how seriously I took my dancing as I wiggled and jumped in front of the dark glass on the oven, seeing my reflection.  Then at night, the windows became my mirror.  I believed that I was a world-class ballerina and people all around were clambering to see my secret performances.

Every little girl needs a tutu as they grand jete and sout de chat their tiny tushies around the house.  Here are easy instructions to make a dreamy tutu for your little one.

Materials:
3-6 Yards of Tulle (One or Multiple Colors)
Scissors
Elastic
Sewing Machine

Credit:
I need to give credit to the source of inspiration for these projects, so today's idea is brought to you by my neighbor and friend, Brianne.

Instructions:
Measure the waist of your ballerina and add 2".  This is the length of the elastic you will need.  I used 1" wide elastic.  To secure the band together, overlap the elastic ends by 1".  Sew a square over this overlap as shown below.

If you would like a short ballerina skirt (which is a good length for little girls) cut along the fold of your tulle so you have two pieces.  For longer skirts, do not make this cut.  

You can cut long 3" strips with a scissor or rotary cutter.  But, here is a trick to make one quick, uniform snip for each strip.  Cut your tulle into 1 yard sections and roll them up.  With a yardstick as your guide, make a cut at every 3" mark.

Tie the strips to the elastic using whatever type of knot you prefer.  Just stay consistent.  When you have tulle knotted to cover all of the elastic, you are done.  

Let the leaps and twirls begin!  

Dishwasher Magnet

This little magnet is a great solution for your dishwasher to let your family know if the dishes inside are clean or dirty.  Just flip the magnet accordingly.

Materials:
A Magnet
Computer/Printer
PowerPoint Knowledge
Scanner (Optional)
Paper
Scissors
Laminating Machine
Lamination Pouches
Double-Sided Adhesive Tape


Directions:
Prepare the magnet using PowerPoint on your computer.  Since I used a 2" x 3-1/2"  promotional magnet from our fridge, I made a 2" x 3-1/2" box on the page and put a line halfway through it.  Make two text boxes and picked your favorite fonts for "Clean" and "Dirty" and add a shadow.  Flip one around using the green rotating lever attached to the text box.  Now, you can use a background that you have stored on your computer or scan paper/material that has a design that you like.  Shrink or crop it down to fit in each box and send the image to the back.

When you are happy with the design of your magnet, print it and cut it out.  Place it in a lamination pouch and send it through your lamination machine.  Cut again along the outline and adhere it to your magnet using double-sided tape.

Leave a comment telling me what other projects you would like to see on Mary's Makings and be a "follower" of the blog and I will send you one of these magnets!

Personalized Peels

It is Sunday evening... how many of you are packing lunches for your loved-ones? Anyone packing a banana in that lunch bag? This is a simple idea, but such a good one.

Send a message by writing on the peel of a banana with a pencil. Use pressure in order to make your message slowly appear.  By morning, your writing will be bold.

Write messages of sweet-nothings to warm their heart and yours. Or, use this as a clever way to send a reminder.

Credit for this idea goes to a long-time friend, Jordan, and her parents.  They were the type of family that you were lucky to spend your days (and many nights) with as you grew up.  

Let's Hear From You!
What do you want from Mary's Makings?  What are you working on?  Are you stuck on a project?  Would you like to be a guest blogger?  Comment anytime!