DIY | Simple Mom

by Nicole on June 12, 2013 • 42 Comments DIY

5 keys to overcome your fear of sewing

There’s something about a sewing machine that can be so darn intimidating– it’s enough to frighten prospective sewists into packing that machine away in a closet with an open-ended “someday I’ll learn” feeling.

If this sounds familiar to you, the truth is, all you need is a patient friend to walk you through the basics. And guess what? I can be that friend, albeit virtually, for you!

If you missed it, I blogged my heart out about learning to sew last October on Simple Homemade with the series 31 Days of Sewing School. I’m currently hard at work on an eBook that will be released in a few short months, which will include all of that series and more, and I’ll be here at Simple Mom regularly to teach you something new, too.

And in the meantime, here are some of the highlights from Sewing School that you may have missed. You might think of these as friendly bits of encouragement as to why you don’t need to be afraid of sewing.
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by Nicole on May 8, 2013 • 21 Comments DIY Your Home

DIY mini mei-tai baby doll carrier

There’s just something so sweet about a toddler and her baby doll (or his, for that matter; my son loves his doll and animals, too).

When we were first preparing to bring home baby number two, I decided to make a baby carrier for my daughter who was just over two at the time. I had loved wearing her in my handmade mei-tai, a gift from my sister-in-law, and decided to draft a simpler version for her to use with her favorite doll, Molly the Dolly.

Now my third baby is almost two, and just approaching that perfect age for baby-doll-wearing. She loves going in the Ergo with mommy and thus was sweetly excited to put on this mini mei-tai and carry her own baby around.

This is a simple project– easily completed in two naptimes for me.
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by Rebecca Cooper on May 3, 2013 • 19 Comments DIY Your Home

Crepe Paper Flowers for Mother’s Day

Since I was a child, Mother’s Day and handmade gifts went hand in hand. There’s something extra special about giving a gift that’s been created with love. As a mom myself now, I realize what a treasure these handmade gifts are. I may be grown, but I still love to make things for my Mom. No one gushes over or appreciates my gifts quite like she does.

Flowers for Mother’s Day always seem fitting, so this year why not give mom a bouquet that she could enjoy all year round? Using this inexpensive list of supplies, you can make some darling crepe paper flowers. Just follow along – it’s easier than you think!
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by LoveFeast Table on February 13, 2013 • Leave a Comment DIY Your Home

DIY: Paper bag heart wall sculpture

Written by contributor Chris Ann Brekhus of the lifestyle blog, LoveFeast Table and online boutique, LoveFeast Shop.

I don’t know exactly where I got the idea to stick a bunch of paper bags on my wall a couple of weeks ago. The cavernous empty space of my stairwell had been bothering me for a decade. Also, I have a resolution to be more craft-happy in 2013. After all, I was an art teacher.

This is the easy-peasyest craft to do. It’s a great project for sharing some Happy Valentine’s Day love. It’s cheap too, you probably already have all the supplies in your home, it’s going to make your loved ones curious and your heart – simply happy.

Paper Bag Heart Wall Sculpture

You will need:

Brown or White Paper Lunch Bags
Other Ideas: Paper Doilies, Cupcake Liners, Paper Towel Rolls, Cotton Balls, Metal Juice Lids
Adhesive Strips (Command Strips or Painter’s Tape)
Wall space

The trickiest part of this project was positioning the bags. You need to make deeper angles than you would think to get the right shape. Plan to start and then to re-position the bags as you go.

I used Command strips because after years of experience in attaching art to walls as a teacher, and knowing what does and does not work. I have found Command strips to have the longest staying power to lots of different surfaces and they are easy to remove. (This is not an infomercial, just sayin’.) You could probably use a strong tape, like maybe a painters tape, too.

I started by attaching the strips to the bottom of the brown lunch bag.

Then I eyeballed my wall and started sticking.

I stepped back every once in awhile to check the angels and re-adjust bags.

I loved the feeling I got looking up the stairs. No more blank walls happening here. My kids were curious. What or rather why was I attaching brown bags to the wall, just out of the blue. I love that. While this would be a great project to do with kids, I let my kids just watch in curiosity as I had my own fun. I sometimes like to keep them on their toes like that.

The final project looks like this. The bags have been holding strong on a busy stairwell with family running up and down them constantly. There hasn’t been a day that I haven’t smiled as my eyes go across my now filled up wall space. It was fun to do. It just makes my heart happy!

Wouldn’t this Paper Bag Heart Wall Sculpture be a fun surprise Valentine’s Day morning? How do you celebrate the day?

by Arianne on January 30, 2013 • 3 Comments DIY Your Home

Ideas for Valentine’s Day wreaths

Written by Arianne Segerman, Simple Design editor and writer at To Think Is To Create

February is almost here, are you ready to decorate for Valentine’s Day yet? Even if you aren’t big on celebrating this “holiday”, it’s still fun to be festive just because we can. Lots of pretty ideas out there for Valentine’s themed wreaths, so I rounded up some lovely ones to give you ideas for purchasing or making yourself. Check them out below: