Birthday Board - Never Forget Another Birthday

Have you ever been embarrassed by forgetting a birthday in your family?  Boy I have!  Talk about having a red face and feeling about an inch high.  Tee Hee  Keeping track of all the birthdays makes my brain crazy sometimes. I believe I have found the perfect solution to that dilemma. I ran across this really great idea at The Idea Door  the other day for keeping me on track with family birthdays.  We have 17 great-grandchildren, 8 grandchildren, and 5 children; plus all the cousins and nieces and nephews so this project is perfect for us. 

It's a Birthday Board.....and here is how I made mine.

Materials Needed:

foam board

1/2 yard fabric

embellishments

ribbon 

card stock (variety of colors)

Aleen's Clear Gel Tacky Glue

Tools Needed:

punches -  in your desired shape

exacto knife

scissors

ruler 

chalk pencil or chalk

I started by cutting a 12"x 20" foam board.  I then covered it with fabric affixing it with the clear glue as shown in picture below.

 

 

I decided to use hearts shapes for the months and birthdays because I am all about love and family, and all things of the heart <3 .  I used a 1-1/2" heart punch for the months and a 1/2" punch for the individual birthdays below each month. 

Then I embellished each month with things that pertain to  that  particular month,  for example:  I used a pumpkin and a black  cat for October.

I used my Cricut Machine to cut the title lettering for the board.  I used 2" letters.  Before placing the letters,  I  made a chalk line so   that my lettering would be level across board.  I titled my board Family Birthdays.

 

After I cut all the letters and shapes I glued them to the board using the clear glue.

 I used ribbon to glue the individual hearts with names and   date on them .

I used an exacto knife to cut a small slit below each month to attach the ribbon using the clear glue, leaving about 3 inches or so extra pulled through to the back.  This will allow me to add birthdays if I need to, although they would not be in date order.

 This is my finished Birthday Board.  Even my husband loves it because now he can help remind me.  Tee Hee!!

  I hope you will enjoy making this project as much as I did.  Happy crafting ladies!!              

Until next time Big Hugs and Best Wishes

Don't throw those "sweaters" away.......

Wow! This week has flown by so fast.  Not really sure why.  Maybe it's the fall crispness in the air.  The leaves and the acorns are falling so fast my husband can't keep up with them   I was walking to the garage the other day and got knocked on the head with one of those darn acorns.  OUCH!  I hope that you have all had a good week.

Have you ever wondered what on earth to do with all those outgrown sweaters, or sweaters you've grown tired of?   Well here's some ideas for re-purposing those sweaters.

FIRST is felting  the sweaters and making totes out of them. 100% wool sweaters work the best for these.  Also, try thick merino, cashmere, and alpaca.  If you don't own any of these --thrift shops are a great place to find good buys on them.   These are super easy to make even for the novice sewer.

TOOLS YOU WILL NEED:

*  100% wool sweater (L or X L are good for totes)

*  Washer and dryer

*  Laundry detergent

*  Large needle

*  Strong thread (carpet and quilting thread work best)

*  Sharp scissors (heavy duty ones are best)

Step 1.  WASH - your sweater in detergent, in very hot water,  in your washing machine. (I've found that if I put them in an old pillow case and tie it, it makes less of a mess in your washer.)  Repeat this step if necessary.

Some shrink a little, some shrink a lot; but either way, the individual stitches become more difficult to see and the felted fabric will no longer unravel when cut. 

Step 2.  CUT - Following the pattern below cut off the sleeves and neckline of sweater.  Refold after cutting so the seams of the sweater and the strap openings face front.

Step 3.  SEW - Turn the sweater inside out, and sew across the bottom, 1/2 inch from the edge.  Fold straps, slightly overlapping, in thirds and sew to secure.  Stitch around the bags opening to keep the totes top from stretching.

 Here is a sample of the finished Tote.

If you are an experienced seamstress, here are some other ideas for making purses out of the sweaters.  Some sweaters don't felt up as well as others.  Not to worry though, you can still make some great purses and totes out of them.

First decide the size and shape you want your purse to be.  Then cut your sweater accordingly.  I like to line mine and put pockets inside them.  I look at garage sales and thrift stores for purses that are priced between $2 and $5 each.  I remove the hardware and handles from them and re-use on my sweater purses.  Much less expensive than buying new and I am re-purposing yet another item.

So ladies let your imagination be your guide and create away.  The possibilities are endless.  I've put pictures below of some of my finished purses.  Hope you enjoy seeing them.

If anyone has any suggestions or ideas, please feel free to comment. We will share your ideas on our blog.

This last bag was made and designed by my cousin, Cheryl Beavers.  This colorful sweater was not felted.  Just washed before cutting.  I love the paisley print she used for lining, trim and handles.  So as you see the possibilities are endless.  Let your creative juices flow ladies. 

Hugs and Best Wishes,

                 Nanny