Simply DIY 2

I'm going to start this post off with a tribute to my Grama (one of the best cooks I know) that passed away last week: “If God had intended us to follow recipes, He wouldn't have given us grandmothers.”  ―  Linda Henley I was blessed for 28 years to know her and she will be missed dearly.  She was a fantastic cook and an even better Gram.  On that note, as my mother and I were taking a trip down memory lane and rooting through some random stuff in my Gram's home, we came across some old mementos.  My mom found the memorial prayer funeral cards for her grandmother (my great-grandmother) and I found some old "vintage" McCormick extracts.  I told my mom that I could frame them and make them fancy.   So this is what I did: I went to Ikea and bought two frames, one brown and one white. For the funeral cards, I looked through my scrapbook paper and found appropriate coordinating colors for the cards and frame.  I cut them to the size ...

I just wanted to share what I started over Easter break and finished yesterday in between church, hunting for Easter baskets, and eating tons of food.  My Gram's birthday and my godmother's birthday is in April, so I told them I'd make an Easter hanging towel for them.  I had four towels, so I was able to make 8 all together.  Only five are shown: Since I last made the shamrock one, I did find out that I can make a buttonhole with my sewing machine.  However, I can't find the manual so I still don't know how to use it.  So I'm still sewing snaps on the towels like I did  here .  I did figure out that I can sew the button on at the same time as the snap, so that made it MUCH easier than the first time I did it.  I actually like the snaps and will probably keep with it even if when I do figure out how to use it. I gave all of them away as gifts, except for one.  I think they turned out just springy :) I hope that you ...

I loved the  pantry  update so much that I decided to do under the kitchen sink.  This was a much needed update, as the old liner was peeling and it was starting to smell a bit musty.  It needed a good cleaning out/organizing anyways. So I got my trusty Target shelf liner, pulled off the old stuff, and got to work.  Pulling off the liner was easy - I just grabbed where it was peeling and pulled at an angle.  Once it was out, I gave the bottom a good scrub down.  I just used some Green Works all-purpose cleaner to wipe it down.  Then I measured the bottom and then cut two pieces. When I got to the pipe area, I just took a knife and cut around the round part at the bottom of the pipes. The two pieces are slightly overlapped in the middle, but you can't even tell because the pattern is so tiny.  I also picked up a stackable shelf from Target to put some of the cleaning materials on.  I like to use as much vertical space as possi...

The previous owners of our house had lined all of the shelves in the house - the pantry, cabinets, drawers, and even the linen closet.  As soon as we moved, I replaced the kitchen cabinets and drawers with some plain white liner.  I didn't get around to the pantry until now.  I was tired of the "kettle-themed" paper and wanted something a little more upbeat. I searched the internet for some patterns and I found  this  one: So off to Target I went, purchased two rolls, and came back home to start my little project.  First, I took everything out of the pantry and wiped it down with some cleaner.  I made sure that any little crumbs were gone and that the shelves were clean.  It looks like there was some previous water damage- maybe that's why they were lined, but it seems to be just water spots and no deterioration of the actual shelf, so I let it go. There were directions on the rolls tho help make putting on the liner easier. ...

OK - So I'm just writing a little blurb about the other half of this  towel.  I've used the other half and made one for my mom.  Since I apparently can't make a buttonhole, I decided to put a snap on the hanger part. It turned out perfect !  Also, the stitching on this one is a little better than the first - since mine was a practice trial, I suppose. Hand-sewing the snap was easy.  However, sewing the button overtop the snap was difficult because the holes from the button didn't line up with the holes from the snap. I sewed the snap on first, then I just wriggled my way through the button holes and fabric until I felt it was sturdy enough.  I'm very happy with this result !  Until I figure out how to sew a button hole, I'll be snapping my towels. How do you sew a buttonhole? Do you hand-sew or use the machine? Now you can Do It Yourself Too ! ~Stephanie

For my birthday and Christmas, my mom will sometimes buy me cute hand towels for the kitchen.  Every once in a while she'll pick up a holiday-themed one with a homemade handle from a craft fair.  I like these ones because they button/snap/velcro and will stay hooked to a handle and won't drop to the floor.  My cousin's wife pinned this cute idea  on Pinterest which was linked to  this  pattern.  I printed out this pattern and went to work on my first handle for a towel.   The instructions were pretty easy to follow, but I made (and will make) a few changes to it as I went (go) along.  The hardest part for me was doing the button hole.  I don't have a button setting on my sewing machine, so I did the best I could.  I think next time I'll hand sew a snap button, or just stitch some velcro on both sides.  I will also make the "handle" part of the pattern a little bit wider.  Here it goes: Tools: Sewing machine (unless y...