Tutorial - Felt Flash Cards

With summer upon us it's a good time to do some craft projects with/for the kids in our lives.

While looking for some ideas to do with my kids I ran across this great tutorial on Sew Much Ado. It's for flash cards (or a memory game) made from felt.

I love how she added the grommets so they can be easily attached to the ring and kept track of.

This is something that would be fun to get the kids involved in. It seems like things are always better and more fun if they helped make it. Also, if you don't sew, there's always glue and it works great on felt.

Be sure to check out the complete tutorial on www.sewmuchado.blogspot.com

Thank for joining us!
Deena Davis
www.byyourhands.com

Organizing Your Junk Drawer

Do you have a junk drawer? I do!  I think I have about 30 of them. ;-) Well, maybe not that many but I do have a couple and when they get out of hand it seems like I need about 30 empty drawers to get them tamed down.

My quest today was to scour the web to see what kind of ideas I could find to help me (and you) get the junk drawers under control.

On about.com I found a great article, How to Organize Your Junk Drawer in 5 Easy Steps Great information and I love this idea they have on there with the muffin tin...

Then I stumbled upon the idea of using ice cube trays to organize the little things in your drawer at www.bloomingdesign.wordpress.com. She has her jewelry stored in hers, but why not store paper clips, rubberbands, etc in them.

Of course, you can always buy drawer organizers, similar to this one that I  found at www.merchantcircle.com

Lastly, I found this tutorial at www.orgjunkie.com and she has shown us how to organize our drawers using those small baskets.

I don't know about you, but I'm inspired to get busy with my junk drawers and get them all little more organized.

Thanks for visiting,
Deena Davis
www.byyourhands.com

Blog Party Sunday, Show Something Handmade for Summer

Welcome to another Blog Party Sunday. Summer has finally arrived and that means barbeques, pool parties, vacations, and for some, trying to find ways to keep children, home for the summer, entertained.

For the crafter it is can be a slow sales time. So today we want you to show us something you have made for summer to tempt your buyers with.

I will start it off by showing one of the entries from one of our previous blog parties.
This is a sweet baby cocoon you can crochet while you are out and about this summer. Find the pattern here on the Creative Crochet blog
The darling baby inside the cocoon is another of Kristine's creations.

Show Us Yours:
So, now it’s YOUR turn for the party this week! What do you have for summer in your Etsy Shop, Artfire shop, or website that you would like to share with us.

Our guidelines:

1. Just click on the Add Your Link button below, and add your Etsy, Artfire, or website url to your shop for the link.
2. Add a picture of your item.
3. If you are a blogger, please add our button to your blog and invite your readers back to join the party.
4. Family friendly items only, please.

<a href="http://www.byyourhands.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy110/ByYourHands/blogparty.jpg" /></a>

Upcycling Trash Into Treasures

Upcycling is a new word for turning trash into treasure. You will hear it associated with the green movement.

You have probably seen the koolaid juice bag purses. They have been around for a long time now.
Here they are turned into a lunch bag at Mommy Knows

Can you guess what this cuff bracelet is made from? It started out as the cuff off a western shirt. The tutorial is on Something From Cassie

I bet you can't guess what this necklace started out as. It is an eyeglass lens.  Made by In My Own Style.

I know you have seen these scrabble tile pendants. They also make great magnets.
Tutorial at Make and Takes.

My favorite thing to recycle is denim jeans into purses. They are also great for the backing on rag quilts.
Check out this tutorial for a hanging vegetable bag made from jeans legs on my blog, Bette's Tomorrows Treasures.

So what do you make from upcycled treasures?

Thanks for visiting today and happy upcycling.
Bette Shaw
www.byyourhands.com

Make It Yourself Father's Day Gifts

I thought I would share some Father's day gift tutorials with you today. Do you find it hard to think of something to make for your husband or father? I have always had a hard time with this so maybe these ideas will help those of you who like to make your own gifts.

For the coffee drinker here is a neat tutorial for making this cup wrap with a picture inserted.  You can find it here on Spin Control Blog.

How about this Ipod holder made from an Altoids tin from Hands, Heart and Head.

How about a tie you can make in fabric to match Dad's interests like golfing, cars, fishing,  etc.    The tutorial for this can be found on The Purl Bee.

How about this water bottle sling from Make It And Love It

And finally here is a tutorial to make a car registration holder at Mom's Mess.

Hope you found something here today to help you make a gift from the heart for the special father in your life.

Thanks for visiting us today.
Bette Shaw
www.byyourhands.com