How to Hem Dress Pants WITHOUT Sewing Machine: Blind Stitch Tutorial

Hello everyone. It has been a while since I posted my last project. I started a Youtube Channel Cis4Crafting earlier this year and has been posting videos every week over there. If you like what you see here you probably will enjoy my videos over there. Feel free to stop by.

Today I'm showing you how you can hem a dress pants/dress/skirt without using a sewing machine. I do have a sewing machine-not a fancy kind but I love it. I love hand sew stuff. I don't know how to explain that. Yes, if my project involves a huge piece of fabric I'll definitely use the sewing machine. However, I like just holding the needle and pull the threads when doing small projects like doll clothes, kids clothes, embroidering and in this case hemming pants.

I just learned this hand stitching recently. It is called blind slipstitch. I have found a photo from Pinterest that explains it really really well. It is Four hand stitches you need to know by Byhand London.

Read that first if you want to try this hemming technique. I think that post explained it better than I did in my video. But you'll welcome to read thru my post and watch my video.

You only need,

thread, similar color to your pants, if you have limited options of thread, use white for light color clothes and black for dark.

needle

ruler

fabric marker

scissors.

I summarized this blind stitch as "catch->tunnel". You'll see what I meant in the video.

Here is the tutorial.

Hope you have the chance to practice in your pants. Job hunting + interview season!!! Good luck to those who are looking for new jobs. See you next time!

  

How to Make Easter/Spring Pins with Shrinky Dinks

This DIY is totally inspired by a Youtube video I saw just a couple of days ago, DIY Tumblr Pins Using Things You ALREADY Have by JENerationsDIY. The video popped up in the recommended when I was thinking hard about what easy DIY I can bring you guys this week. Perfect timing!

READ THIS:
The DIFFERENCE is I didn't use the #6 type plastic I can probably find somewhere in the recycle bin.. During the research, I found out bloggers talking about baking #6 type plastic gives off FUME! I do use the conventional oven for cooking food so I'm not taking any chances to create dangerous chemicals in the oven. I went to Michael's and bought the Shrinky Dinks sheets. It only costs $4 for 10 sheets.

Materials you'll need for this project:
permanent markers
scissors
Shrinky Dinks plastic sheets
Hole puncher, optional

Before you jump into the tutorial video, I want to share with you some Fails and semi-fails.

This is the name tag I made for my daughter for her AWANA vest. I traced the brown bear image from her AWANA textbook and colored in brown. It was cute and I can see the details of the cubbie bear's eyes, nose and mouth (and its smile of course). After baking the piece, the color got so concentrated. The name turned out really great though.

I traced this Easter egg image from my doodle practice. I follow the wonderful DOODLES by SARAH on Youtube. The Easter/spring doodle is my Doodle with Sarah practice. I tried to have three eggs and the piece was quite long horizontally. The plastic piece sticked to itself(the one below) when I baked it in the overn. I was able to reheat it and pull it apart but the color got all messed up. The upper one I just drew two eggs and it turned out just fine.

  

Now without further due, here is the tutorial.

If you want the color to pop out a little bit more or you don't want see the metal pin from the front, you can paint the back side of the plastic piece white using acrylic paint. This is totally optional. Here is a picture of comparison.

If you want make plastics charms or earrings don't forget to punch a hole in the original piece before sending it to oven.

I can see so many possibilities in the future Shrinky Dinks projects. Make a successful name tag, charm bracelet, cactus pins, etc.

Please give it a try. If you have tried before please let me know what you made. Leave me a link so I can go check it out.

Thank you for stopping by my blog. See you next time.

5 Minute DIY - No Dye Easter Eggs

I didn't grow up celebrating Easter (religious or non-religious way) so I don't have to follow any tradition. I create my own tradition-our tradition with my family. 

I bought some dye-egg kit last year from their Easter clearance sale. I'm just not ready for the vinegar smell and stained fingers yet so I found three fun ways to decorate eggs without using dye.

1. washi tape

Can you tell my recent obsession? It's washi tape. 

The thin strip one is pretty straight forward. If you don't have a thin strip in hand, you can cut the standard washi in half with a X-acto knife.

I got the butterfly shape paper puncher from local Michael's. It costs around $5. If you are looking for a cheaper option, I believe The Purple Alphabet recently shared a kid's activity post in her Instagram where she showed a puncher that is from the Target Dollar Spot. 

2. Sharpie

No drawing technique needed. A google image stencil and dot the dots using your sharpies.

3. Temporary tatoo

This is the easiest way! The eggs turned out to be so so cute. 

Which no-dye method is your favorite? Or do you have other non-traditional ways to decorate Easter eggs? Let me know. 

Happy Easter!

Spring DIY + Decor Challenge -- Rock Fairy Garden

When I picked up my elder daughter last Wednesday she told me she wanted a fairy garden because Jackie (her best friend) has a one. I had no idea what fairy garden was. I went to Pinterest for help later that night and  thought that wasn't an easy project at all. I went through my old pins and saw some "Rock Village" images. Some of the painted rock houses don't look hard to make and they might be somehow connected to fairy garden. So another round of search and this time I tried "Rock Fairy Garden" and hey it exists. 

This a screen shot of the pins I found and collected. If you are interested, go head and check out my Pinterest Board Rock Village/Rock Fairy Garden for ideas.

Here is the tutorial.

For this project, you'll need,

acrylic paint, from local Michael's

foam brush, from local ACE Hardware

detail brush, I used my eye liner makeup brush

rocks, from your yard

clear spray paint. THIS IS IMPORTANT. I forgot to mention this in my video. You need to seal and protect the paint by spraying the clear spray paint coating before putting the rocks in your garden.

I put the rocks in our tiny plot in the front yard. It is my daughter's plot with one tomato plant, one pepper and one strawberry. I gathered small gravels from front yard to make the paths that connect the houses.

I have no paint skills that's how you can tell this project is easy.

Thank you for stopping by my post. Hope you give it a try. Share your spring DIY ideas with me by commenting below. I can't wait to check it out.

3 Ways to Use Washi Tapes

A week ago my BFF texted me asking how I use my washi tapes. I realized I haven't used any (except for my planner of course) recently. I thought it is time to gather some ideas and maybe make a video of it. 

I posted how I organize my washi tapes using a pant hanger last year. I'm very proud to tell you the collection hasn't grown. I've committed to BUYING LESS AND USING MORE. 

Here I'm sharing 3 ways to use washi tapes, decorating index cards, storage box and paper crown.

WHERE TO BUY WASHI TAPES?

Many of my washi tapes are from the brand "Scotch". They are called washi tape or decorative masking tapes. You can find this brand in Target, Walgreens, sometimes Dollar Tree.

Dollar Tree has their own brand of washi tapes. They are not as thin and sticky as the Scotch washi tapes.

Micheal's, they have a aisle full of washi tapes. Thin or thick, pattern or solid, you'll find yourself totally lost in the aisle.

Amazon and eBay are great places to find washi tapes, especially the seasonal ones. There are a lot of sellers from China sell washi tapes on eBay. It costs around $2 to get a unique pattern with good quality but the shipping usually takes 1-2 months.

1. Stylish index cards.

I use the index cards as reminders to sing a few songs with my kids in the car. The doctors say we should constantly talk to the kids when we do daily business. Let me just admit this, talking to a 18 month old is BORING! Especially in the car I'm not facing her and she is not talking back. I don't mind sing though. 

I believe singing is a great way to teach words. First I talk slowly when I sing. Second the words repeat and rhyme in the kids' songs. When I am driving I just can't think of songs I can sing with her except for Wheels On The Bus and If You Are Happy. 

Now I have the index cards with lyrics written down. I bring them to the car and I can sing the songs we like.

2. Washi tape covering vanity tray.

I posted this last January. Click HERE if you are interested.

3. Decorate Paper Crown

The neighbor's girl got a crown from Burger King. She looked so precious wearing that paper crown. Of course my 3 yr wants a crown now. I just cut out a crown template from a white poster board (Dollar Tree, $0.49) then decorated it washi tapes.

Now share your ways of using washi tape with me by commenting below. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

See you next week.

DIY Kid's Apron

Last Wednesday I stopped by a kids boutique store looking for something for a little girl who is turning two. I saw a lovely apron that doesn't look too difficult to make. When I got home, I checked my fabric stash and happily found sort of color matching fabrics to a kid's apron.

Here is what I used for this project,

Fabric, for apron, yellow with white polka dots

Fabric #2, for decorative piece, floral

Home depot apron, used as my template. Home depot offers free kid craft activity every first Saturday of the month. The children attend can get a free apron, a certificate and a pin.

pencil and iron, sewing machine

Here is the tutorial,

I love the floral decorative piece on the front. It lightens up the whole apron and is very suitable for the spring. 

The girls surely love it. I surely need to make a another ASAP so they won't fight for this one constantly.

Thank you for stopping by my blog. See you next time.

Pinterest: Win or Fail - All about Paint!

A few year back, I found out that Internet is a great place to find DIY inspirations. I started saving images all from blog posts in my laptop which got pretty overwhelming pretty soon. Soooooo many images, so many ideas! When I needed to find something I needed to browse through the icons (tiny picture) of all the images I saved in different sub-folders. 

Until one day, I found PINTEREST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now I don't know how I can live without Pinterest. When I have a couple of minutes waiting for something or I can't fall asleep at night, I open my Pinterest app, check the new pins in the boards I am following, the DIY and craft board and the kids and parenting boards and I pin, pin and pin. Hey, Pinterest changed me into a PATIENT person. I don't mind waiting anymore.   

Collecting ideas through Pinterest becomes so easy. However, I find myself not trying anything I pinned. 

Today, I gathered three kids DIY from Pinterest I wanna try. They are all about paint. Win or Fail? Let's find out.

First, DIY BATH PAINT with three ingredients you already have at home.--totally a WIN!

original post is from Modernly Mogan in her DIY Bath Paint post.
I used 1 cup of shampoo, 1 cup of cornstarch and maybe 1 tbsp of water.
TIPS:
1. scale it down to your needs. I have two girls and a big boy (my hubby) at home so I made a big batch.
2. slowly poor shampoo into cornstarch
3. Have fun!

Second, DIY non-slip socks with PUFF PAINT--IT WORKS!
original post is from I AM Momma-Hear Me Roar in her Handmade Gripper Socks post.

TIPS:
1. Choose easier pattern to draw.
2. If you have a different brand of puff paint, give it a try and let me know. I just couldn't write smoothly with the brand I used.

Third, NEVER BUY PAINT FOR KIDS--FAIL

This image pretty much says it all. I just couldn't use it to paint.

I tried to dissolve the salt in water first. Too much salt for the water, even warm water can't take that much salt.

I can't locate the original post. It seems to be from Reddit. When I googled "Never Buy Paint", all the images are the image I found in Pinterest which didn't help.

Well, do you have a Pinterest account and collect ideas about DIY, kids stuff? I'd like to share link with you.

Hope this post motivates you to try some pins. 

Have a lovely week!

DIY Envelope Pillow Cover

Valentine's Day may be over, but pink is still in the air. I thought it is time to give my old throw pillow a new look. 

My old pillow cover is made from my old tiger tee. This is a post a did a while ago. 

Recycle an old tee into pillow case

It is well loved and used. Now it is getting a little worn out. Since I'm using this throw pillow in a rocking chair in my kids' room. I think it's better I choose a color that matches the room decor-fuchsia.

Things you'll need for this project,

fabric, I got mine from Joann's Fabric

Sewing machine

thread that matches the fabric color, in my case, white

ball pins

Here is the tutorial.

Now my girls can have fun with the pillow however they want. If it gets stained, remove the pillow cover, laundry and put it back. That is a must-have for moms who have small children.

Easy Valentine Cards that Kids Can Make

This is another easy DIY project for Valentine's Day. This is the one you can get you little ones involved. The kids will do sorting beads, threading, cutting, gluing all these fun activities in this project. 

I know you can go to Dollar Tree and find two cards for $1. Wouldn't it be more fun if you and you kiddos can make some?

Pipe cleaner + Pony beads Heart Card

You'll need

pony beads and pipe cleaners, both from Dollar Tree

washi tape, Micheal's

cardstock, Dollar Tree

Heart shape Cards

You'll need,

Scrapbook paper, Michael's

Washi tape, Michael's 

Cardstock, Dollar Tree

Here is the tutorial.

A picture of my 3 yr making these cards.

We made these for the teachers at my elder daughter's class. 

Have fun crafting with you kids.

Valentine Decor - Easy DIY Wreath for under $5

Having a decorative wreath on your front door is a good start to decorate for different seasons and holidays. I know how easy it is to grab a cute wreath from Target or Homegoods or even Thrift Stores. The question is where I am gonna store the cute wreaths and what if I don't like them anymore after one season (donation is always a good choice). I want to mention the work MINIMALISM here. I am not a minimalist and I assume I will never be but I quite fancy the idea of MINIMALISM.   I only have one wreath form so I can decorate them for different purposes. I don't need to worry about the storage issue or spend extra money. 

Enought being said, now material you'll need to create your own wreath,

wreath form, I got mine from Dollar Tree. you can find it in the aisle with the fake flowers

burlap ribbon or yarn

felt hearts, different colors. They can be found in any craft store or craft aisles of Walmart.

twine, I got mine from Target dollar spot

I would say the total cost is less than $5.

Here is the tutorial

I did use any glue so I can reuse the wreath and the felt hearts. For more ideas, check my other posts.

Heart Patched Toddler pants

http://cis4crafting.blogspot.com/2016/02/heart-patched-toddler-pants.html

Hair Clip 

http://cis4crafting.blogspot.com/2014/06/felt-bookmarkshairclip.html

Final look of this wreath on my front door. I love it.

Happy Valentine's Day!

5 Min DIY -- Chinese Name Bookmark

It is going to be Chinese New Year in three days. My elder daughter is gonna be joining a Chinese New Year parade at her preschool this Friday. I think it will be fun to make these Chinese Name Bookmarks for her friends and teachers at school.

An amazing mom had this great idea and posted on her blog here. She had these bookmarks as party flavors for the kids at school. I simplified the ribbon bow and added rooster image and year to the back of the bookmark.

For this straightforward project, you'll need

template, CLICK ME or you can create your own template

gold permanent marker, I use Sharpie metallic gold, from Target

red construction paper, from Dollar Tree, $0.69

ribbon, from Walmart

ruler, pencil, scissors, hole puncher

I google the rooster image and picked a rather simple one. I'm making more than 10 of these bookmarks and not gonna try to make my life hard. This is the image I used,

image from http://www.readhouse.net/post/652686/

TIPS:

STORE YOUR SHARPIE TIP DOWN!!! I guess the gold pigment powder needs to sink to the bottom to show the shining gold color you want. 

Give it a try and let me know what your Chinese names are.

Leftover Candy Canes -- DIY Candy Cane Body Scrub

We got too many candy canes in this past holiday season. I bought some to decorate our mini Christmas tree and to make the candy sleighs for almost everyone in the family.  We each got two candy canes in our stocking from Santa, this is me, hubby, 3yr girl and 1yr girl.

The girls love candy cane. They probably had too much over the holiday. I am not a big fan of any candy but chocolate but I do enjoy candy cane in my hot chocolate. Oh, isn't that just meant-to-be match.

To stop the craziness of overflow candy cane in this house before another flow of candy showing up on Valentine's Day, I'm on the mission of consuming these candy canes in a special way.

This body scrub recipe is from the blog post by MODERNMOM.

I recycled my The Body Shop body butter container. It is the 200 ml 6.75 oz size. If you are familiar with TBS body butter, you know this is their normal size, meaning not mini, not jumbo.

Anyway, to make 6.75 oz of body scrub, you'll need,
3 candy canes, ~ 1/4 cup when crushed/grinded
1 cup graduated sugar,
1/2 cup coconut oil
peppermint essential oil, optional

I like the sweet smell of coconut oil but it kind of covers the peppermint scent from candy cane. I added 5 drops of peppermint essential oil and get the balanced smell I want.

Make this for your friends and family and let everyone you love enjoy this refreshing, sweet and delicious body scrub.