Fit to be Tied by Lady of the House

Today I hit my local craft store with one thing in mind, or I should say two: my niece and nephew. They're approaching the wonderful age of scribbling and doodling, and I've had this idea for a while that I ought to make them each their own little crayon roll-up. I found adorable fabric and headed straight for the cutting table.

With the help of my dear Mum, a true artistic genius, we whipped up this little kit in no time. I used basic quilting fabric, cut to an 18 by 18 inch square. Then, I lined it with a piece of felt cut to 10 inches by 16.5 inches.

We folded the edges of the quilting fabric, pinned it, then stitched it.

Allowing ample room for the spiral sketch pad and crayons, we stitched pouches so everything tucks neatly into its proper place. (At the outset, a placemat, and a bit of pinning with the crayons and notebook of your choosing give a good gauge of where you're headed measurement wise.) And perhaps it's helpful to note that we allotted 1 and 3/16 inches per crayon, and 5.5 inches for the notebook.

The crayons I purchased are triangular in shape and recommended for little ones. Truthfully, I think those crayons are really suited to their parents who don't need the added burden of chasing rolling crayons in addition to keeping the blasted things out of baby's mouth!

I'm no seamstress, but I'm happy to report this was a simple project with zero drama. And hey, I've got a jump on my Christmas presents!!

xoxo,

{ Lady of the House }

please send along any questions: hdhhlady@gmail.com

Pom Pom Tutorial

This past weekend I had the extreme pleasure of attending the wedding of dear friends in--of all places--Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I also had the extreme pleasure of responding to the bride's request for a "just married" sign for the back of their ridiculously beautiful '57 Porsche Speedster.

Beyond the sign's structure, I immediately thought of pom poms, and I thought it might be fun to share my method. It's quite simple, really.

Gather your materials. I chose four types of organza ribbon, while cream tulle served to provide the loft and bulk I needed. You'll likely need only scissors in addition to the ribbon and tulle. (I also bought three cowbells and a bunch of jingle bells to intersperse. The sound as they drove away was the epitome of celebration, but that's just my take!)

Begin by clutching the tulle in-hand, gathering from the center of the material. Be sure to pinch from the center as you go along, as this will give you the roundest and most symmetrical pom pom. Insert your ribbons at a ratio of four to five wrinkles of tulle per ribbon. There's no real formula--just what you think will look best.

Keep this up until your fist is full of ribbon and tulle. If you're about to drop it while you're trimming the tulle, your pom pom is well on its way to perfection.

Next grab a similarly colored pipe cleaner, and wrap it at the center of your folds. Quickly bind all your hard work with the pipe cleaner. Twist, twist.

Finally, fluff by pulling ONLY the tulle in opposite directions, taking care to work the circumference of the pom pom. Essentially, you're teasing the pom pom like you once did your bad, bad 80's bangs. (If you tug at the ribbons, they'll come loose. Leave them alone.)

If all goes well, things may look something like this... And as always, feel free to email with any questions. (hdhhlady@gmail.com)

xoxo,

{ Lady of the House }

She's Crafty

5 essential tools for crafting you'll always want on-hand, and my favorite sources...

1) Washi tape - One of those cheery touches that takes ordinary to splendid very quickly

2) Twine - Sweet, delicate and completely fool-proof

3) Labels - I love a border, and these just look terrific on dark envelopes

4) Glassine envelopes - Super for adding just a bit of texture and panache. They're also perfect for sticking to notes and cards like a pocket, and tucking gift cards or other little treats inside.

5) Luscious papers - For everything including wrapping, lining envelopes, making pretty gift tags, and lining your drawers.

xoxo

{ Lady of the House }

Erin attempts cutsie-tootsie

I think it's pretty clear that the Lady of the House has cornered the market here at Hot Dinner Happy Home when it comes to artistic flair and creativity. I cook hot dinner. (And, let's be honest, sometimes I cook cold dinner or leftover dinner or takeout dinner.) Unfortunately, however, I can't manage craftsy and cute.

Most of us eat with our eyes. With bake sales, in addition to the deliciousness of the treat, this translates to choosing the item with the most clever tag or the prettiest ribbon. When the Cookies for Kids' Cancer Bake Sale came to town, I was terrified. Quaking in my Wisconsin springtime wellies. Staying up at night worrying that no one would purchase my Ooey Gooey Caramel Chocolate Chunk Bars because their label wasn't appropriately adorned with Ric-Rac. Honestly, it was pathetic.

So, I did the only reasonable thing: I turned to the Lady of the House. She gave me a plethora of fabulous ideas on how to decorate my treats, and I did as well as I could. Lady, I hope I done you proud.

What about you guys? How do you get your treats bake sale ready? I'm definitely going to need ideas for next time!!