I have a new niece, which is wonderful for so many reasons, not the least of which is an excuse to craft for a little one!
I wanted to make sweet girl a t-shirt for St. Patty’s day, so I created this in my embroidery software and stitched it out:
I use Bernina Embroidery Software to create my embroidery machine designs, which I stitched out on a Bernina 730. The Version 6 software has this awesome little tool that makes it easy to do freehand embroidery, which is how I made the lettering on this design (and the one below)
Since the bodysuits came 3 to a pack (from the Children’s Place – great quality) I had to come up with two more designs!
I had been working on a monkey face for a different project, so I did this one:
 For the last one, I did a little bunny for Easter. I worked on it for a while and knew it needed a little something “extra,” so I decided to put on a ribbon. I added a little “x” to my embroidery design to mark the spot to sew on the ribbon.
Here’s how it looked when finished:
 And a close up:
These are all my original artwork, so I can share them with you! If you want the embroidery design files, you can download them by clicking on the design picture below (each file is a zip file containing the formats .art60 .art, .exp, .sew, .hus, and .pes)
Lucky Charm Embroidery Design by Christy Burcham is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Sweet Little Monkey Embroidery Design by Christy Burcham is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Bunny Embroidery Design by Christy Burcham is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
FYI, I have licensed these under a creative commons license. This means you can share the files, but only if you give credit to the author (that would be me, Christy Burcham). If you want to use these designs in a class, you are welcome to – please just credit this site. If you do use these designs, I’d love to see pics or hear about it!
I wanted to do an celtic-inspired project for St. Patrick’s day. After a bit of web-surfing for ideas, I sketched up this design in Inkscape (a really awesome free vector-drawing program, but that’s a post for another day). P.S., I am sharing this with you using a creative commons 3.0 license – which means you can use it pretty much however you want as long as you cite this page.
Shamrock Hearts by Christy Burcham is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Click the image below for a larger version.
To stitch this out by hand, I first printed it out, then traced it with a Sulky Iron-On Transfer marker. Next I placed my fabric over this and ironed the transfer onto the backside of the fabric. If you want the transfer on the front side, you have to reverse your image before you print it. I actually prefer the transfer on the back because I think it shows less.
 
Now, I hoop this up and stitch it. I used a stem stitch so it would show up nicely.
 
I really love doing handwork, and this one was fast and stitched up in an evening. However, even though I love doing handwork, and I love how it looks, I also have an embroidery machine and I love using it too! So, I digitized this up and stitched it. One of the things I love about machine embroidery is that because it goes so much faster, I can experiment a little–I stitched this using YLI variegated polyester embroidery thread.
I am also going to share with you the embroidery design, also under a Creative Commons 3.0 license – use it however you like, just let people know where you got it! As those of you who have embroidery machines know, there are different file types for different machines and software. I’ve zipped up a file with the .art file, .pes file, .hus file, and .exp file. If you need a different format, just let me know and I’ll be happy to send it to you.
Zip file containing embroidery design files
Shamrock Hearts Machine Embroidery Design by Christy Burcham is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
If you use it, I’d love to know it!
Tomorrow is Secret-Agent Saturday and I am so excited!
Around my house, kids are expected to help with the chores. I had to as a kid, and it was quite good for me. For the most part, chores are a part of being part of the family, so there’s no special incentive, money, or treat for doing them – you get a roof over your head, you’re going to do the dishes.
However, I myself find housework to be drudgery. I wish I were one of those types like Snow White–who was such a domestic darling that even the woodland critters would show up to help because she was so darn cheerful about it! Alas, that is not me – I tend to enjoy making messes much more than picking them up.
I just finished reading this great book called Reality is Broken by Jane McGonigal. It’s all about why we like playing games so much (as individuals and as a society) and how certain concepts from games can help us in everyday life. One of the games was an online game called “Chore Wars” where you can get points for doing things around your house. I checked into it, but it wasn’t a great fit for our household.
So, I thought about this – how can I make housework more fun for me and the kids? Chores are a part of our lives – so is there a way we could enjoy it more? That’s when I came up with Secret Agent Saturday!
The kids are familiar with the idea of Secret Agents from several books and movies. One thing they know about secret agents is that they get missions.
I typed up a list of things for the kids to do – each one on a separate piece of paper. Instead of just typing “make your bed,” though, I did something like this:
Agent Girl,
Your help is needed on solving a very important case. Before going ‘under cover’ you need to straighten your covers! Make your bed, and report to headquarters (the kitchen table). You will find a new mission there when this one is complete.
Every third or fourth “mission” I added in something fun. For example, last week my daughter’s favorite doll lost a leg. Fortunately, she is a cloth doll so I sewed her back up. Instead of just giving her back, one of the girl’s missions said:
Congratulations on your last mission. The holder of your next mission is an ‘old friend made new’ whom you will find hiding under a brown pillow.
The doll was holding the next mission in her hands.
 Another mission contained agent “badges” folded inside it that I pinned on the kids.
We played this game for about 2 hours last week, and the kids can’t wait to play again. It took me about half an hour to come up with the clues and get them written up. More than worth it to have their undivided attention, a fun family activity, reading practice, and a cleaner house!
FYI – I had a hard time finding a plain “badge” clip art, so I made one – feel free to use it!
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This little project is the one I had in mind when I started gathering supplies for the kids’ Valentine’s party. However, by the time I finished, I realized that it had a few too many steps for the time we had available. Still, it was pretty fun. I might do it with just the boy and the girl this weekend.
Love Lantern Project
Supplies:
1 8.5 by 11 inch sheet vellum
1 8.5 by 11 inch black cardstock
Tulip Glow in the Dark Dimensional Fabric Paint (I bought a set at Hobby Lobby, but you can also get them individually)
1 black pipe cleaner
Glue stick
stapler
Blacklight (optional) |
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Step 1: Put the black strips on the vellum.
Cut 2 – 2 1/8″ x 11 inch strips from the piece of black cardstock (If you cut the sheet in half lenghthwise, then cut this piece in half again, you will have what you need)
Glue the strips to the bottom and the top of the vellum (laid lengthwise). Be sure to use plenty of glue, because vellum doesn’t like to stick easily. Let dry completely before the next step or your cardstock will peel right off the vellum. |
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Step 2: Trace shapes for your pattern.
From the remaining black cardstock, cut some heart shapes.
Flip the vellum/cardstock piece over (you are now working on the inside of the project). Trace your hearts lightly with pencil between the black strips. |
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Step 3: Add the paint.
Apply small dots of your glow-in-the-dark paint, tracing your shapes. I squeezed some paint onto a paper plate and then applied the dots with the back end of a paintbrush. You can work straight from the paint bottle, but beware – sometimes pressure build up and you get a large blob where you didn’t intend to!
Allow this to dry completely. |
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Step 4: Make a tube.
Roll your lantern into a tube, with about 1″ overlapping.
The dots will be on the inside of the lantern.
Staple the lantern together. I tried glue unsuccessfully, but strong double-sided tape might also work. If you don’t wan the staples to show, you can color over them with a black sharpie. |
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Step 5: Add a handle.
At the top of your tube, punch two holes, one on each side of the lantern.
Thread a pipe cleaner through these holes. Curl up and inch or two (depending on how fancy you want your curl) on the end of each pipe cleaner to keep it from slipping out. Bend the middle of the pipe cleaner to form the handle shape. |
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Step 6: Make it glow!
This paint has to “charge” in order to glow, so you can hold it up to a lightbulb to charge it up. (Adult supervision is recommended for this step – lightbulbs get hot!)
Turn out the lights and it will glow from the inside. |
| It also glows great under a blacklight, so if you have one available, be sure to turn it on and see how cool your project looks! |
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The school Valentine’s party is almost here – and I have been looking for a fun craft project for the students that isn’t too expensive.
I saw these amazing jars on Pinterest, and wondered if I could somehow adapt the idea. Originally, I wanted to try make a paper lantern – and actually made up a prototype, but it turned out to be too elaborate for the amount of time we had.
So, I decided to focus on what I loved about the jars – the dots and the glow in the dark effect.
“You Make My Heart Glow” Art Project
The supplies are simple:
- Tulip Glow in the Dark Dimensional Fabric Paint (I bought a set at Hobby Lobby, but you can also get them individually)
- Black Cardstock (1 piece per kid)
- Cardstock hearts of several sizes (cut before the day of the project) These can be shared among kids, so one set per table or group
- pencils
- plastic paint brushes (1 per kid)
- Small paper plate for each kid – this will be the paint palette.
To get ready for the party, I am putting the supplies into separate plastic baggies – one per kid. The parties we have go really quick, so having everything pre-sorted should make it go smoother. The only part I’m concerned about it getting the paint onto the palettes – so I am getting another set so the other homeroom mom can fill palettes too.
Step 1:
Trace the hearts onto your black cardstock. You can do this for the kids ahead of time if you will be short on time, but it is more fun for them to create their own designs.
Step 2:
Squirt a little of each color onto each paper plate palette.
Step 3:
Show the kids how to use the “stick” end of the paintbrush to apply small dots of paint around the edges of the hearts.
Step 4:
Once the outlines of the hearts have been established, fill in between and inside the shapes to your heart’s content. You can fill in the hearts and leave everything else open, fill in the background and leave the hearts open, or anything in between. The great thing about this it can be as elaborate or as simple as time allows. I found it very relaxing to dot my paper – so I got a little carried away!
Step 5:
Let the paint dry. Once it dries, it will have a fun bumpy texture because the paint is dimensional. Now it is time to see it glow! This kind of paint “stores up” the light energy – so the longer you expose it to light, the brighter it will glow. You can “charge” it by placing it close to a light source like a light bulb or window. Optionally, you can use a black light, which will really make the colors pop! I am planning to take a small lamp with this blacklight to the class so kids can see their work without having to turn out the lights.
I always thought when I grew up I’d have this really modern-looking house-with only real plants and no “old-lady” flower arrangements.
Guess what? I was way off. The older I get, the more I decorate like my mother did. And the older I get, the more I realize what FANTASTIC taste my mother has. (If you know her, you know I’m telling the TRUTH!) I only wish I had appreciated this more as a kid, but that’s a post for another day.
My point is – I really like silk flower arrangements. I discovered this while putting together flowers for my sister-in-law’s wedding last summer. I did several arrangements for the ceremony and reception, and I had so much fun I just kept making them. My goal, eventually, is to have a fresh set of arrangements for my house every month. This year, I am doing a piece for my mantel every month. Here is February’s:
To make the monthly mantel project a little more interesting, I am trying to be creative with the type of containers I use. I also want to save money, because if I haven’t mentioned before, I am CHEAP. This bowl is one I had (it was my mother’s) that doesn’t match the rest of my dishes, but I still love it.
I buy the floral foam blocks in bulk at a craft outlet store we have called Basket Market (it is the Hobby Lobby outlet). The foam is really easy to work with and cut, but it is also really messy. Lay some plastic on your table so you can gather everything up and toss it when you are done. You can cut up the floral foam with just about any kind of knife, but my Miracle Blade steak knives work great! I cut the corners off the bottom of this block to make it site nicely in the bowl. If you are concerned about it slipping, a little bit of low-temp glue gun in the bottom of the bowl will hold the block in place.
  
Now, I just stick the flowers in! What I love about floral arranging is it is hard to screw it up. If you hate it, you can just take it out and start over!
The very basic technique I use has served me pretty well so far:
1.Pick your container, then choose flowers to complement or contrast it. Of course, you can do this the other way around – choose the flowers first and then find a container that looks great with them.
2. Determine the “shape” you want. Do you want your arrangement taller in the middle? Oval-shaped? Varying heights, or more of a “cluster”? You’ll cut your flower and leaf lengths accordingly.
3. Put your foam in place. Depending on the type of container, you may also want to add a layer of moss before you start adding flowers. This hides the foam and fills in any empty space.
4. Start adding your flowers, leaves, and other pieces, one at a time. I do all of one type of flower at a time, then come back with the next set and so on. This helps me balance out the colors.
5. Once you have the majority of your flowers in place, primp. Adjust and rearrange to your heart’s content. Just remember that it will never be perfect – in fact it can’t be perfect, that’s the nature (and beauty) of the beast! Arrangements actually look better if they are not too perfectly symmetrical.
  
For my March arrangement, I found this really cut little yellow bucket at the outlet store for $2.50. However, it needed a little more character, so I beat it against the shop table in the garage, then sanded it with the electric sander and rubbed it with a little charcoal. I think it looks much better, and I also feel much better. Distressing things makes great therapy.
  
 
The flowers for this one were from two different bunches, but I still managed to spend only about six dollars on them in total. The whole arrangement was $9 to make, including the bucket and the foam.
To say the girl is a ray of sunshine is an understatement. She truly does bring joy, smiles, and warmth everywhere she goes. I couldn’t think of a more appropriate tribute to a kid that awesome than to unleash the power of the rainbow!
If you haven’t seen a rainbow cake, you are obviously not using Pinterest. There were so many beautiful options, but the post at One Charming Party gave me the best tips for actually making it happen. The trick? Freeze each layer after you bake it so it assembles easier. I chose to do a modest five layers – and it still got a great reaction. I also put a layer of coconut around the outside to give it a “fluffy” feel. Here are my pics:
 
We have a local popcorn shop called Popcorn Fharmacy (if you are anywhere near OKC, you must go there and buy popcorn. You will not regret it). The girl and I made a special trip to pick up a big bag of “Tutti Frutti” which were perfect rainbow-colored kernels.
We colored the ice cubes with food coloring and served clear Kool-Aid and Sprite. I even managed to find rainbow sunglasses and a rainbow scarf for her gifts.
The table was a simple white tablecloth, strung with white-cord multicolor Christmas lights that I found on clearance.Party favors were rainbow silly straws, rainbow lollipops, and chocolate gold coins. (The lollipops and gold coins were found on Amazon – and very reasonable!) We used white plates and five different colors of napkins and plasticware. To decorate the house, we made tissue-paper poms and a wreath for the door. All in all, it was certainly the most colorful party we’ve done so far!
For the girl’s birthday party, I wanted something festive to greet the guests at the door. I found lots of great ideas for a wreath, but I had one really important requirement – it had to be CHEAP. Because I am. Here’s what I came up with:
 I already needed the tissue paper for presents and for the poms I was making (see this post), so I didn’t have to buy anything except the wreath form.
I had in mind to buy a foam wreath form, but once I got to the store, I realized that the grapevine wreath was a more ecologically sustainable option. (Or maybe it was because the grapevine wreath was $2 and the foam one was $6. Either way.)
I made two tissue paper flowers each of pink, orange, yellow, green and blue. (See the instructions on doing a tissue paper flower in this post). Then, I just used hot glue to attach them to the wreath form. I could have wired them on. I used hot glue to make it quicker to take apart in case I need the wreath form later.
The bow at the top is made like any traditional wreath bow, except instead of making loops from one ribbon, I used lots of colorful scraps – another ecologically friendly (and CHEAP) option! So in all, this project cost me $4 if you count the cost of the tissue paper.
The girl turned 8 this year. (Eight, really??) She is a big fan of all things girly and frilly, but after 7 pink birthdays, we decided it was time for a change.
Pinterest to the rescue! The girl and I spent lots of quality time surfing Pinterest for birthday party ideas. Once we found the rainbow cake – there was no turning back! You can see our pinboard where we gathered ideas here.
As for most school-age kids, there were really two birthday parties. One where we get to bring cupcakes to school, and another party (for us, at home, with family) where there are presents! Since we were already breaking out of our shell by leaving behind a pure pink color scheme, we decided to do something different for school too. In our search we found this awesome idea for rainbow jello by Pink and Green Mama. There were lots of other rainbow jello ideas, but this one was by far the most elegant. There are instructions there – so I’ll just show you the pics of our process. One important tip: Cool the jello liquid in the fridge for a few minutes before pouring it onto the jello already in the cup. I went ahead and put some Cool Whip on top before delivering these since I wasn’t able to stay for the party. By the way, I delivered them in a huge tupperware tub, stacked onto plastic plates.
 
 
I grabbed five packages of napkins and partyware – pink, orange, yellow, blue and green. Tossed the spoons into a plastic cup and did the same for the napkins – Serendipity! The napkins made a perfect rainbow when curved into the cup!
 One of the decorations for my daughter’s rainbow birthday party was this pom, which I hung from the light fixture above the table:
It is made from six simple tissue paper flowers. So first, I’ll show you how I did the flowers.
There are number of ways to make a tissue paper flower, and each will give you a different look. These give you a sort of “peony” flower.
First you need a single sheet of tissue paper for each flower. since mine was for a rainbow party, each one was a different color (pink, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple). This would also look great all in just one or two colors.
To make the flower, fold the tissue paper into fourths, then into fourths again. Finally, fold this in half on an angle to create a triangle. Finally, cut away a curved shape from the non-folded corner of the triangle shape. See the diagram below.
 Unfold this and you will now have FOUR flower shapes. Stack them up so that the edges do not line up (turn each one a few degrees from the previous one so the “petals” will be more full)
Now, fold the whole stack in half and pinch the center point.
  Twist this point to “gather up” the petals. To hold this in place, I twist a small piece of wire. You could also use tape, but the wire works a lot better.
 If you do many flowers or if you do bows, you may find yourself in need of lots of little pieces of wire. If you have a heavy-duty pair of wire clippers and really strong hands (yours, or someone else’s!) you can do this:
One clip into your floral wire and BAM! hundreds of pieces of wire! Plus, they stay around the holder – saves me time and stays neat.
Ok, back to the flower:
 Once you’ve twisted the wire around the base, fluff out your flower. The individual flower is done. You can add floral tape and a stem to use it in a vase, or try using a bunch to make a wreath (post on this coming soon).
To make the pom, I simply used hot glue to glue the flowers together. (I thought about wiring it together, but this was faster and easier)
Start by gluing three flowers together. Add a loop of ribbon (also hot-glued)
Now, just glue the other three flowers and you are done!
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Creator-in-Chief 
- Mom of "the girl" and "the boy"
- Wife of a Certified Nerd
- Business Owner
- College Instructor
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For the last one, I did a little bunny for Easter. I worked on it for a while and knew it needed a little something “extra,” so I decided to put on a ribbon. I added a little “x” to my embroidery design to mark the spot to sew on the ribbon.
