Handmade Pretties Special Offers: Themed Giant Fleece Ball Special

I am currently looking to make more giant fleece balls using themes that I have not previously produced. If you order a new themed ball, I am offering $5 off the regular price. A few ideas I have are outer space, flowers, princess, animals, underwater, cupcakes/teaparty, etc.

If you would like to place an order, please visit my etsy site.



Farm Themed Ball


Owl Themed Ball


Rock N Roll Themed Ball

Around Our House: Keeping the Kids Busy One Block of Styrofoam at a Time

In an effort to get more time to work in my studio, I have been devising projects for the kids to do while I work. Our latest project came when we ordered our new iMac.

Both girls got a piece of styrofoam. Sylvia (at 5) is old enough to handle a very small hammer, so I give her a handful of nails and a small handcrank drill with a drill bit. She pounds nails and drills holes and sometimes violently beats the tar out of her block of foam. Beatrice (at 2) is a little small for the hammer, so I give her a pincushion full of pins, a handful of buttons, cut off labels, ribbons, and pieces of felt and paper. She happily stabs pins with buttons and ribbons into the foam. Now before you call DHS or try this with your own children, please remember that my kids have grown up around my sewing supplies and have proven to me that they understand which end of the pin is the stabbing side. And of course they are current on their tetanus shots.

This activity helps them with their fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. Plus it keeps them busy for about twenty minutes.



Beatrice concentrating on threading buttons onto the pins.



Sylvia wielding her junior sized hammer. She's even got her tongue in on the action.



It's Hammer Time!

Do It Yourself: Decoupage Light Switch Plates

A squirrel toting ham in a shopping basket! Even the Anchorman approves (and yes he is an original Janet Stewart...)

Remembering the Ephemera of Your Life

Before we moved back to Iowa from Los Angeles, I purchased a set of Pop Ink cocktail napkins featuring adorable little animals with knives and meat. This package of napkins has remained safely preserved in an unexplored kitchen drawer since our move in 2007. Imagine my horror when I realized that my children had discovered my booty and had been using them to wipe their faces - GASP!

This left me with the dilemma of whether to continue hoarding this little package of divinity or figure out a way to preserve it's glory for future generations of animal and meat loving folk.

The obvious answer was decoupage. For my napkins, I used a water proof decoupage medium that I got on sale at Joanns. You definitely want something waterproof so you can give it a wipe down when cleaning. I first removed and cleaned the switchplates. I like to rough them up a bit with some fine sandpaper to give the medium something to grab onto. Cut your image to fit the switchplate. In the case of the napkins, I made sure that I cut them big enough to wrap around the edges slightly. Brush a thin layer of medium onto the switchplate. Carefully place your image and brush on a thin layer of medium. If your image extends to the edge, wrap the image around the edges. Gently tamp down on the image with the brush to ensure good contact and to lessen wrinkles. Allow to dry completely. At this point, using an exacto knife, cut a diagonal slit from one corner of the switch opening (or outlet opening) and repeat for the other corners. Brush on another thin coat and wrap the switch edges to the inside of the cover. Allow to dry completely.

Once your plate is dry, use an awl or a pen to open the screw holes and replace the cover on the wall. Be very careful as the screwhead comes in contact with the cover so that you do not twist and tear the image.



Had to cut off the meat cleaver, but it's sweet just the same.

Another method I have used that has been surprisingly durable is to affix a postcard to the face of the switch plate using double sided tape.

I first selected a card that allowed about 1/4 of an inch to wrap around the edge of the plate. I coated the back with tape being sure to go all the way to the edges. I like the tape that is all stick and no plastic backer (be sure to use PERMANENT tape!) Center the plate and press down carefully wrap the edges around and stick to the inside back of the plate. Use and exacto knife to cut diagonally corner to corner for the switch opening. Wrap these edges around to the back. Use an awl or pen to open the holes and replace on the wall! This method does not have a waterproof coating so it may not be the best for high traffic switchplates, however, I did this almost three years ago (on a high traffic switch) and have had no problems at all! Most cards have a glossly coating which helps to repel dirt and grime.



Happy crafting!