Friday, April 30, 2010

Nature Bottle

So you remember these Sensory Bottles I made??  And I have been coming up with SO many ideas for these suckers!  Now, I'm just running out of bottles?!  

But I promised Jack that we would be making a Nature-Themed Sensory Bottle 
and here it is!  

We also made another with water and vegi oil (our other bottles are water and baby oil).  So the flow and color are different and Jack loves to sit and compare all of them!

In our nature bottle, we have some dirt, rocks, a shell, some dried leaves and a twig from the pine in our front yard.  Lots of fun to roll around and explore all that's inside!
Happy crafting!

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Ginger
SSB

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Punkin Seed Productions

Thursday, April 29, 2010

A Sloppy Boppy?

Alright...so I just got this new job at a daycare...very cool.  Lov'n it!
What I am not loving is this one boppy pillow they have in the nursery...no cover on it so it gets all slobbed over by the kiddo's!

Ginger to the rescue!  I took a blind stab at sewing a boppy pillow cover!  
Well, not really blind...I have a cover for my pillow...so I, uh...just kinda studied that...and uh, well it's not that hard!  I didn't wanna mess with a zipper so I made one that has overlapping flaps...much like a pillow shame.

And here it is...ta da!
What you need: fabric (about a yard), sewing machine, scissors, etc.

What I did was measure the fabric using my boppy pillow (right sides together), allowing for hemming and I cut generously as my fabric will shrink slightly in the wash.   So we have 2 pieces and I also cut a long rectangle of fabric the length of the inner part of the horse shoe shape down to the tips that's about 2 inches wide.
 Cut off the top of one horse shoe shaped piece (see pic below...you can slightly see where I cut).  Cut a separate piece that is the same shape as the top piece you cut, but only a bit wider so the top piece will over lap.  See 2nd pic below.
Start pinning all around the cover and pin the strip into the inner part of the horse shoe.
Pin and hem up the edges of the flaps and then start sewing.
See how it is starting to take shape?  
 Finish sewing all the way around, turn right side out and all done!

These pillows are a great tool for all mothers and a slip cover for them is just as essential.  Don't wanna make one?  Contact me for a custom order!

Happy crafting and don't forget about Mad Skills Monday!
Ginger
SSB

I'm linking:

giveaways
The Shabby Chic Cottage
HookingupwithHoH



Punkin Seed Productions

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Giveaway at The Gift Closet!

The Gift Closet is hosting a giveaway for SSB's sister-blog, Appleseed Gifts!  Head on over and 
to Appleseed Gifts! 

Ginger
SSB

Don't forget about Mad Skills Monday!  Click the button to link up and share your stuff!

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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

A Family of Koosh Sponge Balls

So I blogged about these some time ago and I finally got around to making some...I thought they were the cutest things and something fun for the bath and pool!

(Don't know why my pics came out so blurry...?)

I bought a 4-pack of wavy sponges at the $1 store for a buck...and it just so happened that Jack got a hold of the dental floss the other day and unwound it all over the living room...perfect conditions for this little family of spongy balls!

Jack calls them the "Mommy, Daddy, and Brothers" koosh balls.  So cute...!

If you're look'n for Mad Skills Monday or my Earthy Linky Party...link it up!

Ginger
SSB

Monday, April 26, 2010

Mad Skills Monday Link Party #5

Alrighty!!  Hope everyone had a great weekend 
and that you are ready for Mad Skills Monday #5!

Here are my favs from last week...just look at the talent!

and last but not least...

Very nice everyone!  Great work!
If you were featured today, feel free to snag this button!



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Today I am linking up ans sharing my Earth Friendly Re-usable swiffer cleaning pads!
A great way to save $$$ and put less trash in the landfill!
Now its your turn!  Here's what you do:

1. Link up something crafty, creative, or fun that you wanna share!  It can be anything you want!

2. Please link to the blog post and not your main page.

3. It can be a tutorial or a project.  No shopping pages please.  An offer to buy your item at the end of your tut is welcomed!

4. Snag the Mad Skills button and include it on your tut post so others can see where you've linked!(PS- this button was designed from my sons art work....if you are interested in a custom button, please contact me!)

5. Visit other links and enjoy their blogs!
This link party will end on Friday, April 30th at midnight.



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BTW, we're using inlinkz today because I'm sick to death of Mcklinky messing up on me!!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Earth Day 2010

Happy Earth Day SSB readers!  
In honor of this day, I am featuring again a few projects that help re-use and re-purpose as well as promote saving energy!  Look for some posts from Appleseed Gifts here too!

Here I go:

Most of these are small, but by making small changes, we can make a difference to preserve and protect our planet...
...she's the only one we got!  

I've striven to lessen my energy usage at home and use the car less.  I've pledged to re-purpose and re-use clothing, toys and more from around the house.  I've tried to create ways to lessen the amount of trash leaving my house for the landfill every Monday.  Earth Day should be every day.

In an effort to engage new ideas and to share our own knowledge...link up with your Earth Day craft or project!
This Earth Day celebration will last until Friday the 30th at midnight!

And don't forget Mad Skills Monday is still going on!  Link up, share your stuff , and visit some other ah-mazing blogs! 

 
Ginger
SSB


I'm linking:
giveaways




Get your craft on Thurs.

Sew Uniques

Hi folks!  Came across a great new blog today...Sew Uniques has fun and cute children and baby clothes, blankets and accesories!  Be a pal and head on over to check it out!


Thanks bunches and be sure to grab this button...just for fun!!

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Ginger
SSB

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Trip to the Thrift Store

Sooooo....went to my fav thrift store the other day and wanted to share the goodies I scored! (Love thrift shopping!!!)  Okay...so these things need a littel help...that's what I was betting on!

One of my little secrets (shhh...don't tell) is I don't buy packs of stuffing or batting from the craft store...I buy old pillows, etc. from thrift stores..!?  Seriously?  Yes.  And don't worry...I wash everything before I use it!
These ugly ducklings costs me less than $3.  Way cheaper and sometimes... 
you luck out a get a cute fabric to boot.

Like these...
this cute pirate flannel...
and this darling ladybug print fleece...

Can't beat that! 
And this thing is super ugly...

but it has a full layer of clear vinyl...I can make something cool with that once the pillow is dis-mantled...check back to see what I come up with!

Alrighty!  Hope you enjoyed my little tip!  Check out your local thrift store...you never know what you'll find!

And Mad Skills Monday is still going on!  Link up and share your stuff...maybe your thrifty finds..?





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Ginger
SSB

I'm linking:
The Girl Creative
giveaways


Get your craft on Thurs.

Punkin Seed Productions

Tips n' Tidbits-Re-usable "Swiffer-style" towels!

Phew! Its been a while since I posted a good tip! But I've been having too much fun crafting, cooking, and re-purposing! I've also been having tons of fun with Mad Skills Monday (which is still going on right now...head on over to link up and share your stuff!)

But anyhoo, I have a great tip for you that I kinda learned by accident (don't you just love it when that happens??)

I, like most moms these days, always do a quick clean up after meals and such with a Swiffer sweeper.  And with 2 dogs and 1 cat...THE HAIR!  EEEWWW!  

But man, those refills can get a bit pricey...so I down-graded to an off brand refill from the $1 store.  But with some products, you just can't skimp on quality...especially when it comes to MY floors!  
I want 'em CLEAN!

So, since I've been on a kick of saving $$$ here recently, I decided to take a stab at making my own washable "Swiffer-style" rags that will fit the Swiffer sweeper.

After trying a few different materials, I found that Micro-fiber fleece works best (the same type of towels used for this project).  I simply cut the towels down to size to fit my sweeper, hemmed up the edges and was ready to go!

And the best part?  I was able to get 4re-usable rags from each towel (they came in a 2 pack for $1)!  A great savings, less Swiffer rags in the landfill, and my floors are well swept!

Happy Cleaning!

Ginger
SSB

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