e-reader cover

So I made my daughter Kristin an ereader cover.  Here is the pin:  http://pinterest.com/pin/179792210094341259/

This pin has a great tutorial and easy to follow directions.  I

I was able to get everything at Wal-Mart.  The fat quarters were only $.97 each!

Bandanna Dress

My youngest Elizabeth is going through a dress phase.  She won't wear anything but dresses, so I've been making her some.  The bandanna dress was one of the first things I found on pinterest.  They are terribly easy and really take about ten minutes to make. 


Here's the pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/179792210094311259/


I got the bandannas at Wal-Mart for $.97 each (you need 2) and the ribbon at Michael's for the green one (it was $2.50 or so) and Wal-Mart ($1.97) for the blue one.  I used the whole roll of the Michael's ribbon and less than have of the Wal-Mart one. So the dresses cost less that $5 each!  The directions from the pin are pretty easy to follow.  I made the casings for the ribbon first (folding down the width of the ribbon + 1/4 inch), then sewed the bandannas together in 1/4 inch seams, stopping 6 inches below the casing.  Cut ribbon in two pieces of 40 inches each (although it would work with one long ribbon-so there would only be one bow) and feed through casing, tying together in bows at "shoulder."  Done!  Easy peasy!


Here are the dresses I made:

The one on the right has narrower ribbon, hence it is a little longer.

Elizabeth modeling the first dress I made, in her new cowgirl boots.

Laundry Detergent

It took me a while to get in to pinterest.  Not sure of what I was doing, like a lot of people.  To be frank, I am still not sure of what I am doing!  I view pinterest as a great source of ideas for me.  It means I don't have to search all over the web-others have done my searching for me! :)

The first thing I tried from pinterest was the laundry soap (you know, the one with the soap, washing soda and borax). I've been wanting to try it for a while, but the hubby scoffs as my attempts to save money.  He is VERY brand name oriented.  Anyway, I used fels-naptha soap as my hubby has very sensitive skin.  I also didn't add any of the fabric softener stuff as there is only certain types that don't bother him.  I didn't want the bother of making the liquid stuff-this was supposed to be easy!  The first time I made it, I hand grated the soap-the second time I chopped it into chunks and threw it in a food processor.  I use an old coffee scoop to measure it, as it is 2 Tbsp.  We use 1/2 to 1 scoop per load.  I made my first batch on 4-15-12 and just made a new batch.  Hubby won't use it often - he has a thing about using the named products. 

I think it works well.  It smells pretty good, but not over powering.  You can find the stuff at Wal-Mart and the boxes of the borax and washing soda will last you a while.  I haven't done the math, but I am fairly certain it costs way less than our typical bottle of all free and clear!

Greetings

My summer project is to blog about what I make from the vast idea box that is pinterest.  Like many of us, I have gotten some great ideas (as well as some duds) and would like to share my perspective.  Plus it keeps me out of trouble for the summer.  Look for my first pinterest post next week!