This came across my email over the weekend, and I had to share. Y’all know I love to tie-dye.
Regardless of whatever type of dying you want to try, Tie-dye, marbling, you name it! Take advantage of the last sale of the year from Dharma Trading to get 10% off your favorite kit and be a holiday hero!
And if this is your first time ordering from Dharma Trading, you can pick a free gift with purchase.
Dharma Trading is where I get all of my dyes and chemicals, like urea, to tie-dye.
Mending clothes is a simple way to save money. Knowing a few stitches is a good skill. In a previous post, I wrote in 2018, I discussed what to have a basic sewing kit and how to repair a hole in the back pocket of a pair of jeans using a commercially available denim patch.
Today we will be discussing mending tiny holes in clothes. These are tiny holes that can be caused by catching on jewelry, work badges, or lanyards, or clothes rubbing together in an overloaded washing machine or dryer.
Zippers, buttons, and other clothing fasteners can cause holes to form and clothes when they rub on fabrics in the washer or dryer. This is why it’s important when you put your clothes into the washing machine that you button, zip, or otherwise fasten your clothes shut before washing them. Cleaning out pockets can help too- especially if you have a rock collector in your family (I do with mine).
Things like bras or clothing that has sharp edges like rhinestones or beads should be washed either by hand, or put into lingerie bags. Remember to clasp up your bra so the hooks do not snag on anything- even in a lingerie bag.
Clothing moths, or carpet beetles, can also nibble holes and clothing. They prefer natural fibers like wool, rayon or ramie, cotton, bamboo, or tencel.
Tiny holes can be mended with a satin stitch. A satin stitch is a close back-and-forth stitch over the hole with the stitches close together.
Longer tears or rips along the seam are best secured with the back stitch. It is a very secure stitch, and very easy to do. There is a great tutorial on YouTube from Sewn Company here.
I spent about an hour a month mending clothes. Between kids, being kids, and the fact that I get the majority of my own clothes secondhand, and therefore don’t know the exact age of them, it is not uncommon for me to wear holes in elbows of sweaters, or in pockets. I do spend a lot of time mending pockets.
One thing I do not mend is socks. Socks are inexpensive enough that when they develop holes, they become rags for dusting, or cleaning up spills. When T-shirts become too holy, they also become rags for cleaning up, spills in the kitchen, or wiping off counters, or cleaning the bathroom mirrors.
Did you know that March is National Craft Month?
It’s one of our favorite months of the year. We are definitely a crafty family. While I was researching for this post, Bitty Girl was drawing Gatcha girls at the kitchen table, and Big Kid was drawing maps for the dragon game he’s making.
For those of you who love crafts too, check out this sweet deal from Craftsy–Celebrate National Craft Month at Craftsy! Get your 1-Year Premium Membership for only $2.49, originally $97!
Craftsy also offers a lot of free classes. Here are just a few that I love:
If you need some ideas to get your creativity flowing, here are a few:
Michaels offers free online classes on a variety of crafting topics. Many of their classes are free. Check out their offering here.
Dollar Tree has an amazing selection of paints, wooden items, soft crafts, craft kits, iron-ons, beads, you name it- And everything is $1.25/each or less! You can order in bulk online with free shipping to your closest store, or head in-store to check out the selection.
AllFreeKidsCrafts Spring Crafts eBook is now available for download here. I found 3 new crafts for the kids to do today!
And if you need something to keep you entertained, Favecrafts has something for us adults. Sign up and download 15 Printable Free Coloring Pages for Adults eBook.
Did you know that March is National Craft Month? My daughter told me this morning and now she’s got all sorts of crafts planned for us to do.
If you need some ideas to get your creativity flowing, here are a few:
Michaels offers free online classes on a variety of crafting topics. Check out their offering here.
Dollar Tree has an amazing selection of paints, wooden items, soft crafts, craft kits, iron-ons, beads, you name it- And everything is $1.25/each or less!
AllFreeKidsCrafts Spring Crafts eBook is now available for download here. I found 3 new crafts for the kids to do today- they are going stir crazy because it’s raining here.
I know some of my readers love their wine, and if you are one of them, FaveCrafts has something just for you! Their latest free eBook, 25 Cool Things to Do with Old Wine Bottles is available here.
The week of 3/8-1/13 Craftsy, has a really great coupon to use on supplies or classes! Use MARCH15 to take $15 Off A Purchase of $25 or More!
In addition to the sweet 60% off at Craftsy, they also offer a lot of free classes. Here are just a few that I love:
Most of us Gen X kids remember shrinky dinks. They’re still around. You can buy craft kits at Dollar Tree, Five Below, local craft stores, or on Amazon.
Recently I found LOL Surprise shrink plastic kits at dollar tree and I picked a couple up.
We were also recently given shrinkable plastic by the sheet. And this is great because you can draw your own designs, cut them out, hole punch them, shrink them in the oven, and end up with all sorts of cool stuff.
If you’re not familiar with Shrink Plastic, it is super fun and simple craft with anyone who can color can do. However, it does require adult supervision at some point during the craft, cause you have to use the oven.
To do this craft you will need the following items:
You are looking to make a specific design, you will need to print that image out onto a piece of white paper. And then you will trace it onto the shrinkable plastic using a pencil. Word of advice: most shrinkable plastic shrinks significantly if you start with an image that is the size of a silver dollar, it will come out about the size of a dime.
Also important to note, punch a hole if desired, in the plastic before you shrink it. Once it has shrunk and is hard, it is almost impossible to put a hole in it. Especially without damaging the plastic.
Once your design is traced/drawn onto the plastic, color it with permanent markers. I like these markers.
Once your design is colored, punch a hole in it as desired/needed. Then cut your image/design out of the sheet, trim up any sharp/pokey edges. Use a nail file if needed. You can also file the plastic after it has been baked/shrunk and cooled down.
Most shrinkable plastic sheets will come with the heating/baking directions for the plastic, but it’s usually less than 10 minutes. And you will need to keep an eye on it. That is the step where you do not want small children around.
In the past, I’ve made wine charms, this year I made all kinds of cool stuff, including zipper pulls for the kids’ backpacks, I made keychains, I drew our family’s SCA heraldry/devices. I also made some little charms for a charm bracelet for my daughter.
Next up I will be drawing food and making little toy food for my son’s Playmobil characters to eat. While some of his sets have come with food, he is missing things like french fries, hamburgers, pizza. All things that the Playmobil guys in his adventures want to eat.
The post is dedicated to Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes… RIP.
One of our family favorite restaurants pre-pandemic was Souplantation. So many great veggie and salad options all in one place. This summer I’m trying to find easy, simple lunch options for the family, so this week I’m making a salad bar.
It might sound like a lot of work, but I spend about an hour a week prepping veggies as soon as the CSA box arrives, so it’s just a slightly different prep this week.
First I got out our Rubbermaid reusable containers and lids, and I chopped the various ingredients. At lunchtime, I’ll set all of the containers out, and put the salad greens in a large bowl that is nestled in a baking dish full of ice to keep the greens crisp.
It keeps the components cold and at their preferred temperature for an extended period of time.
Here are just a few of the ingredients that we’ll be featuring in our DIY salad bar:
What do you like on your salads?
Recently I learned about Hostess with the Mostess, and wow! I love throwing parties, and Hostess with the Mostess makes doing DIY parties a cinch and looks AMAZING.
If you are like me, I host 5-8 parties a year (pre and post-pandemic, but the post will def. be different/smaller). Birthdays, Girls Nights, Holidays (Our family 4th of July Party is LIT). In the past, I’ve handwritten labels, signs, and all sorts of party stuff. I love doing calligraphy, but with a Design Hero All Access Pass from Hostess with the Mostess, I have access to over 120 themes to make any event or party awesome! The Design Hero All-Access Pass also includes:
And the price- Incredible! Only $99 for a one-year pass, and my readers can save an extra $10 off with coupon code: hewesfamilyfun. If you love hosting parties, making special events even more special with customized printables (including invitations, cards, and wrapping paper), you have to check out Hostess with the Mostess!
Here are a few of the recent pieces I’ve made Hostess with the Mostess. My friend’s birthday is this week, and she loves Champagne. I made printables to go with her gift (which is a case of her favorite sparkling white wine).
Bonus! I’m giving away a one-year pass to one of my readers! Entering is easy. Leave a comment on this post with a memory of your favorite party. I’ll choose a winner on April 27, 2021. The winner will be notified via email!
Today is National Beer Day! What better way to celebrate an awesome day than with my favorite beer-related recipes, crafts, and DIY fun?
**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
One of the ways that we’ve combated boredom through the stay at home orders over the past 11 months is by coloring our hair bright, fun colors! Little Bit has had various shades of pink, and I even did “mermaid” hair for her. I wasn’t sure exactly what she meant, so we did pink, purple, and teal. Pink was the all-over color and she had highlights of purple and teal. It was a hit!
We rely a lot on Sally Beauty for bright colored dye. For the Kids, I use Color Jamz Semi-Permanent Color. They have a lot of great colors (19), and they last about 2-3 weeks.
One bottle is usually good for 2-3 all over colorings, but you may get more or less usage depending on the length, thickness, and texture of your hair.
For myself, I prefer Inspired By Nature from Ion (Also available at Sally). It’s a permanent color, so you will need a developer too. I’ve been using Medium Plum, and it’s unlike any other purple hair color I’ve ever used. It has minimal fade, and leaves my hair so soft and manageable!
If you are looking for more short term color, Check out color sprays or hair chalk.
If you are new to coloring your hair, Sally beauty has step by step tutorials to achieve salon-quality results at home.
We are looking at a lot of rain over the next week (or two) here in San Diego. That means a lot of indoor time. I was looking for something fun for us to do this weekend, and while cruising through Dollar Tree the other night, I discovered they have Fairy Garden Supplies!
I love making Fairy Gardens with the kids.
It’s a great way to make something tangible that uses the imagination. Create or expand your fairy world with Dollar Tree‘s NEW Enchanted Fairy Garden collection! This entire 35-piece collection is available online now for just $23, if you can’t find them in-store. The fairy garden sets are also the perfect addition to DIY terrarium parties and resale in garden and gift shops too. I personally think they would also be a great Easter Basket idea (DIY Fairy/Spring Garden).
Don’t forget when you shop online, you can take advantage of FREE shipping when you choose to have your order shipped to your local Dollar Tree store for pickup! It’s easy, convenient, and saves you money on shipping costs.
Hewes Family Fun 