Summer Fun for Kids {from the Archives}

Summer is here....at least for us. But where we live it feels like it is summer most of the year.... :)  And if it isn't summer where you live, it will be soon. ☻ Here are a few ideas from the archives to entertain the kiddies.

Make a bubble blower- a.k.a. "The Foamerator"

Enjoy some "Beach in a Cup"

Make a sponge ball or two

Let your cars play in the snow

Make a play mat from a shower curtain

Enjoy some muffin tin meals for the kids

Have some refreshing homemade ice cream

(a fun family activity)

What do you have planned for this summer?

Another Furniture Re-Do {entertainment center/hutch before}

About 2 months ago, I spotted this little beauty at my favorite thrift store in my area:

I had been wanting a hutch-type entertainment center and thought this would be perfect. It was only $50. It is  a solid piece and we found a paper inside dated 1966. Cool- eh? And the top part comes off.  So we bought it and brought it home. For a while I thought it might not work for an entertainment center because of its size. But after doing some measuring/looking/shopping, I found that entertainment center hutches that were smaller than this, were selling for at least $500. So it will be the home of our new T.V. that we don't have yet and won't have for a while. :) The top part is going to be turned into a small bookshelf and mounted to a wall.

For a while it sat like this- like a few months ago when I bought it:

The plan is to paint or stain it black- since it will be in our great room next to our refinished kitchen table. Then I want to put bookshelves on each side, and photos and a shelf type thing over the top. I have the vision all thought up in my head ;) Problem is...it might be a year before we get around to refinishing this.
This desk....well....it has been a year-we bought it last summer for about $30. And it is almost done! yay!! Just a few little fixes and I can show you where I will be sewing...in my new home ;) Stay Tuned!

Arizona Bloggers Tour De Thrift

O.K. Arizona  Blogger Peeps who ♥ Goodwill....here is an event you will not want to miss! Cute as A Fox and Aly & Ash are throwing a Goodwill Party with all kinds of sponsors and fun! I so wish I could go...but we are moving at the same time :( and I'm pretty sure I could blow our moving budget with some Goodwill shopping.....um yeah, issues. But let me just tell you, I bought my first piece of furniture from D.I. (Utah's Goodwill) back in the 90's refinished it, used it for years, and now it is in my boy's room. That is a story for another post. :) AND wait until you see my desk- that is just about finished!! I just L♥VE some Goodwill finds.

 So do you need a little Goodwill fix? Check out the details here. The event is June 19th!! Oh the fun! It is in Phoenix/Chandler area. Check it out-- I can't wait to hear how it went :) Wish me luck on the big-fat-move :) maybe I can sneak away and attend this....maybe. :)

A Little FYI: blogs, scams, and ads

This is a passing-along-of-information-post for avid bloggers :)

I receive many emails about all kinds of things concerning this blog. :) I really enjoy hearing from my readers! THANKS! I appreciate your comments, contact, and interest. ;)

Recently, I received an email wanting to know if I would like to place a text ad on my blog for a very nice and reasonable fee. Of course, it sounded great. With a little research, I soon learned that I was being "scammed". This ad, although about a real product, was not from the actual company. In order to pay me, they wanted my pay pal information sent over to them through email. I immediately saw a red flag and figured the entire thing out. :)
SO WATCH OUT if you have a blog, and are contacted about advertising...make sure it is an authentic source and advertiser :)

Second, there is a popular blog on my sidebar, that I am removing. (or have already) This blog contains very fun and useful information. I have enjoyed reading it in the past, and seeing it featured on many local (Utah) shows. But, for the past several visits to this blog, I have gotten a virus on my computer, every time I log on to the site. I believe it is probably from an advertiser, and the owners of the blog/website may not be aware at all that this is going on. I would like to contact them and let them know, but I don't want to log back onto it because of the virus. :) Fortunately, I have software installed, that warns me of this, and catches it right away.

So....in summary- I just wanted to warn you all, to watch out for this kind of stuff  . :) I have considered putting ads on here, but I'm not a fan of just any ads on a blog-as when I am reading I find it a little annoying myself...but you gotta do what ya gotta do! I have spent a ton of $$ on this little blog and never recovered a penny of it....so if in the future you do see ads, you will understand why:) {I prefer to call them sponsors- people who love what I do and I love what they do!}  I am all  for stay-at-home- moms who are earning a little on the side doing something they love-making jewerly, selling fabric, making cards, birthday party supplies, sewing items, etsy shops, photography,  teaching piano, pre-school, etc. -you get the idea. :)  I am one of those moms myself :)  That is the kind of ads I would love to support My Little Gems... ♥ ☺ ♥  Since this blog started out about things I love, I'd kind of like to keep it that way- so I'm all for products and companies I love too! -Did you hear that Target? Pottery Barn? Want to advertise? ha ha :)

If you are interested in very reasonable rates, and run a small business from your home, I would love to help you out and promote your business. I would also love to run a post or give-a-way for you....{free} ;) See contact tab on top :)

Thanks for reading!

Picking Paint Colors

Picking paint colors....aw...the joy of it! I did a little research and here are a few links with good advice on this subject:

Colorcharts.org shows you what your color could look like in your home. It also will show you color matches for your color from other paint companies. The problem is that it does not look the same on your computer screen at all. I would never buy paint online unless I was certain I wanted that color.

The Nester did a great post on choosing a paint color. Thank you! This is very helpful.

Another super-duper helpful post was from Our Suburban Cottage- on picking a paint color you will love.

I followed the advice from many websites- especially the ones linked above, and made my own larger samples. This cost a little bit of money, depending on how many samples you do-but totally worth it- so that you get a color you can live with! Did you know Pottery Barn will send you Benjamin Moore paint chips in a fan deck for $2? You can feel just like a designer on HGTV with your little fan deck of colors :) I know my colors above look kind of blah blah...but with the furniture, and other stuff....in the end it will look good.

Plus, I'm not a fan of super dark painted walls. I need things light and bright on the walls.... :)

I found some Benjamin Moore colors I liked, and took them to Home Depo. They mixed samples of the exact colors using Behr paint. An 8 oz. can was 2.94. A poster board was 39 cents. I did 6 colors. I might need to do a few more...as I'm still undecided about the color for the room above.

SO help me- What is your favorite color to paint your walls and why?

And I am taking any color here- as I have a whole house to paint. Oh yeah, I may or may not have mentioned we are moving here in short while. So "please excuse my blogging absence"....as that happens.  :)
Tote-baggers: I did get everything to do the tute, but now all I need is some time ;)

Scratch That, Apology, and Postponing Plans

I don't know what I was thinking. Several things "in real life" have come up and I can't possibly do the whole "summer tote-bag tutorial sew-a-long" that I announced a few days ago in the timeline that I gave myself. Oh wait, I know what I was thinking...it was something like, "this will be fun, I want to make my readers happy, several people have asked for the step by step and that will be fun to share, and this cute  fabric that I have here wants to be made into a tote!....and I totally didn't even think about  kids or my husband, etc. when I thought that.  My apologies. Please excuse the delay. I still have plans to do it. The fabric is sitting here- half way cut out.  Please understand that my "real life" and family has taken over, with doctors appointments and many other things, so I will get to the tote-bag when I can. (I have had plans to get to the store and get the rest of my supplies and that has still not happened.:( )  SO... I guess keep your eye out for some cute tote-bag fabric and know that the tutorial and sew-a-long steps will be coming soon!! (and if you really can't wait, google "tote-bag tutorial" because I'm certain there are some great ones already out there!) Thanks for reading, please come back.... and  thanks for your patience with my real life craziness :)

WINNERS of Glossy Bands by Klutz Books

Thank you to everyone who entered the Klutz Books Give-a-way for their new book, Glossy Bands.
And those of you that didn't... you are missing out :) But you can purchase the book - as it was released yesterday-(about $19.95) And I recommend it if you have a house full of girls...it is a great summer activity!

HERE ARE THE WINNERS! (using random.org)
You will need to email me your contact information so I can get your book sent to you! (see contact tab at the top)

MELISSA who said: My dd just discovered her Klutz book on How to Crochet Jewlery this week. She's been making rings and bracelets galore. She would LOVE this! :)

LAURA who said: Thats great! We are always looking for fun stuff

KRISTIE who said: my daughter would love this.

You will each receive a copy of the book Glossy Bands! Congrats!



Thanks for reading!

Tote-Bag Sew-a-long {Tutorial} Supply List

Are you ready to get started ? OK, maybe not...since I gave you no warning that I was going to do this. :) That is how I do things sometimes... But no worries, you can jump in and do it later. The steps will be posted so you can make your simple tote-bag at anytime. :)

So my camera battery is dead and I can't find the charger, so maybe pics for this post will come later.

Just in case you are really wanting to get started making a tote-bag, here is a supply list. (which will be edited later once I get my camera working :))

Summer Tote-bag Supply List:

The best kind of fabric would be canvas, but I use cotton with a heavy interfacing.

Canvas would make a sturdier bag, but there aren't as many cute choices. :)

You can pre-wash your fabrics if you like.

3 Coordinating Fabrics in the following amounts:

main fabric: 3/4 yard

two other fabrics: 3/8 ths yard of each

You may have some leftover scraps :) I made one bag entirely of scraps, so I may be over calculating the fabric amounts, but it is better to have too much than not enough right?

You can add a fabric flower or something to your bag afterwards w/ your scraps :)

Another fabric -3/4 yard for the lining of the bag (a lighter cotton works best)

Interfacing:

You need enough for all sides of your bag and the bottom of the bag.

You have lots of choices here- as there are all types out there. There is this thick stuff they use for bags- and I have not used it.

I use heavy craft interfacing that irons onto one side of the fabric and is also machine washable. Interfacing is all different widths, but you need it at least 18 inches in width and about 40 inches of the stuff.

I'd just get about a yard and a half of whatever interfacing you choose. :)

Thread

Optional: you can get magnetic closures, different types of things for the handles, but in this tutorial, the handles will be made out of fabric.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional by any means. Sew at your own risk :) Please email me if any of my instructions are not clear, and feedback is appreciated. :) Also if I am a little slow at getting the steps for this posted, it is because I am packing/cleaning/moving.:)

Thanks for reading! Photos coming soon! :) Happy Sewing!

GIVE-A-WAY: Glossy Bands by Klutz Books {kids crafts & fun}

This is such a fun give-a-way! There will be 3 winners of the book pictured above! We aren't just about boys here- we love girls too! ☻

 We had so much fun making these Glossy Bands by Klutz Books.

If you are not familiar with Klutz Books, let me just tell you - they have great kid's craft books on everything and for just about every age! You must check them out!

This new book, Glossy Bands, is going to be released on May 17th. It is recommended for ages 8 and up, but I did this just fine with my little ones and they really had fun using the paints to make these little bracelets.

Here is how it works:

( you can watch a video here)

First pick your pattern from the book- or you can make your own.

Use the non-toxic acrylic gels to make the pattern dots.

The book comes with little re-usable plastic strips that you do this on.

Next swirl the dots to make a design using the swirling sticks or a toothpick.

Last let it dry and when it is all the way dry, wrap around your wrist and you have a wearable piece of art!

These really are cool - and I can see young girls having tons of fun with them. My boys have fun with anything that involves paint!

How cool is that?

The book has beautiful pictures and easy to follow instructions.

Klutz makes some of the best kids craft books -all with materials needed. I think these books make great gifts too!

Want to win this for your kids?

Leave a comment!

( not required- but take a look at the other Klutz books too-they just have all kinds of great stuff for kids!)

You have until May 17th, at midnight, p.s.t.

Good luck!

Thanks for reading!

Announcing: Tote-bag Sew-a-long {Tutorial}

OK.. first I apologize to the many people who have contacted me for a tutorial on my tote-bags. I never took photos or wrote down measurements, so it is all stuck in my head. :) However....This week is it. I am going to share with  you how to make a very simple tote-bag for summer. Simple. That is the key word here. Believe me, I am not doing anything even remotely fancy at all.  Starting on the 17th, I will post a supply list. Then each day I'll give you a few steps, and by the end, you'll have your tote-bag for summer. This is the first time I have done something like this...and I'm doing it mostly because I have not had time to make the tote-bag in one sitting and writing tutorials takes a lot of time, and time is not my friend lately. :)  So we are breaking it down into small steps. :)  I hope this will help you make your own tote-bag- and if you are not much of a sewer, maybe this project is just what you need to get started. :) Happy Sewing!

Craft with your kids this summer- check out the KLUTZ book give-a-way- it ends Tuesday!

Strawberry Grapefruit Smoothie

Don't forget to enter the Klutz Books give-a-way of their brand new book- Glossy Bands! (ends 5/17) :)

(This is adapted from a Hungry Girl recipe from her new cookbook)

This is my new favorite smoothie!

And everyone in our family loves it too.

Strawberry Grapefruit Smoothie

1 whole peeled and seeded grapefruit

1 cup (or a little more) frozen, chopped strawberries

(about) 1 1/2 cups vanilla soy milk

1 small container (6 oz?) vanilla Greek yogurt

1/3-1/2 cup sugar or a  little Splenda-(HG uses this)

dash of cinnamon

ice cubes

Redi-Whip (optional)

In a blender combine everything but the yogurt and ice. When well blended, taste for sweetness. Adjust ingredients if needed- add more sugar, or milk, etc. Add yogurt. Blend well. Add ice cubes. Blend on high until thick.Pour into glasses and top with Redi-Whip. Serves 4.

Most of the time when I made smoothies, I don't measure everything exactly. So a few little adjustments may be needed. :)

This is SO SO yummy! It is loaded with flavor, fiber, and protein. If you want to add more protein, add a scoop of vanilla  protein powder. If you want to add less sugar, it is still good, and the cinnamon gives it that little "what is in this" flavor. :) ENJOY!

I'm going to be enjoying this all summer long!

Have you entered the Klutz Books give-a-way for Glossy Bands?

It is a fabulous thing for all those little girls!

Scrappy Table Runner and a Chair

So the other day, I splurged, and  I bought 2 of these parsons chairs for our kitchen table. But when I got home, my practical gene kicked in.
As much as I love them and really want pretty parsons chairs, with little kids who have sticky fingers and usually spill at least once when they eat, it just isn't practical. Who am I kidding- those chairs would be ruined a week!
So I'm trading them for this one chair for the living /family room instead. (I know, they match my blog-and my whole house too-lol:))

So I decided if I was going to have lots of black-n-white, I needed to have some color.
I broke out the fabric and made a colorful table runner...because it makes me really happy in the morning to see something nice on the kitchen table. (I hate getting up to a messy kitchen table and counter and it has been happening a lot lately. :))

Want to make one? I cut my fabric 13 inches by 4 inches, and did as many strips as needed until it was as long as I wanted it to be. Then I sewed them together at 1/4 inch. For the backing, I used a piece of an old sheet- gotta love repurposing things- and I put a light batting in the middle.
Sew together, turn, topstitch. That was it.

On another note- did you see these at Target?

Now I know this sign and saying has been around forever- but Target finally created a cute little sign on canvas- and it comes in all different colors. Gotta love Target. My place for everything.  I loved it- such a good reminder too!

Have a great day and thanks for reading!

Facebook, it is not for me

We interrupt your regular crafty-mommy-posts- to talk about facebook....

This is a post I don't want to write, but I feel it needs to be said.

I recently joined Facebook, as a personal account,  for about one month. I am done with it.
While it was fun for a while- connecting with old friends, seeing what everyone was doing,  the novelty quickly wore off.
Facebook was distracting me from what was most important- being  there for my kids and husband.
For me, it turned into a time-waster.
Not only that, misunderstandings were very common among family members and friends. When you read something that is typed, you cannot tell the person's tone of voice. So in reality, you read it, in your current emotional state, and interpret it from there. Do you really get the meaning of what others are truly saying? I don't think so.
So while Facebook was suppose to help me connect with friends and family and form better relationships, it was actually hurting and harming some of the relationships I treasured the most.
Ironic isn't it?

And I decided something about Facebook, that I shared with a few family members:
It is an adults way to have "show-n-tell" and pass and write notes.
I don't know about you, but I think I finished junior high a long time ago. ☻☻☻

Just something to think about with internet communication. :)
I know some would argue blogs are the same. For me, the difference with this blog, is that it is a record of things I am doing-a sharing journal-and it is a means to help me stretch my mind and learn and share new things.
 For example-If you had told me 5 years ago I could teach myself to machine quilt- or I would actually enjoy making quilts-
I would have laughed. ;) I learned to do that and love it through blogging and the inspiration shared by others ;)

I would love to hear what you think of the whole FB thing ....


Thanks for reading!
More crafts coming this week- i.e. the tote bag tute many of you have requested :) thanks for your patience!

Happy Mother's Day & thanks

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers and women out there.

I love being a mom.

Some days  I hate it too, but mostly I love it.

I did not become a mother until I was in my 30's.

Thank goodness for that I say! Lots of years, education,& experiences, to prepare me with this daunting  job of being a mother.

And yet I still feel inadequate in so many ways.

Each day I appreciate more and more my own mother, who raised 9 children, and the examples of   dedicated mothers everywhere.

Thank you.

Thank you for going before me and doing the hardest and most important job on earth.

And thank you- all the mothers and women who read this, who leave sweet and thoughtful comments, who share their own journeys through motherhood through the world of blogging. I read your stories, and I so appreciate your thoughts and inspiration.  You truly inspire me.

THANK YOU.

I hope you have a fabulous Mother's Day!

 Incredible Motherhood inspiration found here.

thanks Nie Nie for inspiring all of us.

Blog Swap with Fireflies and Jellybeans

We have a great blog swap guest today- Fawnda from Fireflies and Jellybeans! She has some great projects on her blog! I'm excited to get to know her!

Hello Little Gem-ers! I am so excited to be guest posting here today!

Let me introduce myself!

I am Fawnda from Fireflies and Jellybeans a little DIY blog that I co-author with my best friend Jeannine.

I am a mom to a 2 year old son (who we adopted from Korea about 1.5 years ago!) and a wife to an amazing man! I love all things crafty!

We have all kinds of fun stuff going one at Fireflies and Jellybeans! We have a Show Off Your Stuff Party every Thursday where you can link up your posts that you want to show off!

We also have many great tutorials! Here are a few of our favorites:

Travel First Aid kit



Book Page Wreath

Scrabble Tile Ring

Chalkboard Mugs





Ribbon Bead Necklace



Leg Warmers

Crinkle Tag Blanket

Ruffle Butt Onesie with leg warmers for baby








Come on over and check us out at Fireflies and Jellybeans We love to meet new friends!

Thanks Sharla for letting me invade your blog today! It has been so FUN! :)

If you haven't checked out Fawnda's blog, Fireflies and Jellybeans, you really must!
She has some cute stuff, and great tutorials!

If you have a craft or DIY type blog, and would like to do a swap, I would love to have you be our guest here in My Little Gems  ;)
Contact me at little gems crafts (all one word) at gmail dot com.
Thanks for reading!

Fabric Tic-Tac-Toe Game {Tutorial}

I started this back in March, but finally finished it. This is a fun way to teach your children tic-tac-toe- a great game for pre-schoolers- since it introduces things like patterns, strategy, while having fun at the same time.

(please let me know if you have any questions- as I wrote this really late at night- and I'm sure my brain was rather tired....:))

Supplies for Fabric Tic-Tac-Toe:

2 large squares of 2 different fabrics (I made mine 14 by 14 inches)

scraps cut into 2  or 2 1/2 inch strips for the lines

scraps for the x's and o's

thread

Light batting (I used warm-n-natural)

After you have your two 14 by 14 inch squares (you can use any size), iron your long strips as shown in the photo. Measure where you want then to be sewn to form a tic-tac-toe square.

Pin on, spacing evenly and sew close to the edge on both edges of each line. You can leave the raw edges alone on the short ends. When sewing the two pieces together, you will catch these ends in the seam.

The above photo shows the raw edges of the board. The tic-tac-toe lines are left unsewn. Trim them so they are the same length as the board. Now you are ready to sew both pieces together and complete your board.

 If you want to use batting, cut it the same size as your board size. (14 by 14 inches)
Put right sides together, and the batting next to the wrong side of one of the board sides. Sew 1/4 inch around the entire thing, leaving an opening to turn right side out.
Trim threads, turn and press.
Top-stitch around the entire board about 1/4 inch or less from the edge.

Now your board is complete!

You can use anything for your x's and o's- craft foam, felt, cardboard, chipboard, anything. :) I used fabric.

My son helped me make the x's and o's. I cut a long strip for the x's and cut pieces into 4 inch strips. I did the same with the batting. Then I sewed the batting in between two layers of fabric, and crossed two of these together to form an X. I sewed right in the middle of these two to make the X.

For the O we traced a cup and cut out the circles. We sandwiched the batting between two pieces of fabric, and I sewed around it.

Since it is two sided, you can play tic-tac-toe on either side. (just adds a little variety for the little ones ;))

You are now ready to play tic-tac-toe. Want to take it somewhere- a road trip, a doctor's office?

Just fold in half with the letters in the middle, roll it up, and tie it with a ribbon or scrap of fabric. Now you can throw it in your bag and take it with you.

Happy Sewing!

Thanks for reading!