A Castle For Two- Card Table Playhouse Tutorial

This year for Christmas I made my twin nephews a card table playhouse. So here is my little tutorial on how make a Card Table Playhouse.

Step 1: Decide your theme and colors. I went with a medieval theme. I designed it out on a piece of paper and estimated how much of each color I would need so I wouldn't buy too much felt. Total I spent about $14 on felt on sale at JoAnn's plus a little bit that I had set aside from something else.
Step 2: Draw it out on paper. Know what you want to do before you start cutting. This is what probably helped me out the most through the process, being able to go back and see what I had started with.
Step 3: Next you do the measurements. KNOW THE SIZE OF YOUR TABLE. Seriously, can't stress it enough. Now if you know your measurements for example say your table is 34Lx34Wx28H, you want the 4 sides to be 35x29. The top should be 35 by 35. Use 1/2 in seam allowances, if you don't trust yourself add an inch to each side and make them 1 in. SA.
Step 4: Cut out the four sides and the top of the table using your measurements.
Step 5: Decide on your decals. Use the drawing you did in step 2 to help you draw them out. You can make them on paper and then trace it onto the felt, I drew mine by hand onto the felt. While drawing on the felt I did everything mirrored and used a Crayola marker on the wrong side of my decal to draw it all out before I cut. That way if I messed up drawing it is okay because I am sewing that side down. Cut your decals out of felt.

Step 6: Lay your decals onto each side of the playhouse where you want it sewed, then pin them down and sew away. I just sewed all the decals on with 1/8" inches from the edge of my decal, you can use a 1/4" if you don't like getting that close to the edge.
Step 7: Decide where you want your door to be. I sewed my door down before I cut the hole out, mostly because I am always worried I am gonna cut something wrong. Then cut out the windows. Some people reinforce the window with felt which is what I should have done. Instead I serged around the edge of the window, but it didn't hold like I thought it would. (Seriously, reinforcing the windows is smart, my nephews like to use the window's as secret doors.)
Step 8: Sew your sides together with that 1/2 in SA I was talking about. Then pin the roof onto the walls and sew one side at a time, right sides together, corners will get tricky but just keep sewing to the edge before you start the next side.

Each boy gets a princess to rescue after they slay the dragon.

Step 9: All Done!
Step 10: Live and Love

Two swords for two boys.

On the inside of my castle behind the swords in the stone, I added a fireplace to keep the boy's warm during those cold winter sieges. If adding something to the inside, be sure that you are putting something on the outside bigger than the inside decal or you will be able to see it on the outside.

Vikings Vest

The Front.

Alrighty, So both me and Mr. Sir (my husband) grew up in the frigid north also known as Minnesota, USA. At least most winters it is pretty darn frigid, not this one. Anyways, Mr. Sir is a diehard Vikings fan. They didn't do so great this year, but it's not about winning, its about how they play the game and the fact that they represent our home state. Last Christmas I made Mr. Sir a vikings scarf, but this Christmas I decided to use my college education and actually sew him something that will keep him warm.
He had been asking for a vest, so I made him this. Yes I used a pattern, good ole Simplicity. Got it on sale 5 patterns for $5. Not bad.

Merry Christmas dear.

Live and Love 

The Back.

Easy Peasy Croutons

If there is one thing that I love to eat, it is salads. You can do so much with them to give them different tastes and textures but some of my favorite toppings are homeade croutons.

No, these are not those croutons where you start chewing them and it sounds like fireworks in your head. These croutons have just a pleasant  crunch (unless you burn them, that is a whole other problem).
What you need:
-One loaf of store brought bread (or stale bread, or that homeade loaf that you can't do anything with because you messed it up and its all crumbly *guilty*) I used to get my bread at the day old bread store where I would get 2 loaves for a dollar and freeze it until I wanted croutons.
-1/3 cup olive oil mixed with herbs of your choice (I usually just smell the herbs and decide what I prefer that day) and garlic salt
-Cookie sheets

 

 First, I mix my olive oil, herbs, and garlic salt together to get the herbs to re-hydrate a little bit.

Then cube up your loaf of bread.

When you are ready, toss the bread with the olive oil mix, add the mix a little bit at a time so that it evenly covers the bread crumbs.

Spread out on a cookie sheet and stick in the oven for 10 minutes, pull out and stir a little bit with a spatula and put in for another 5 minutes. Then keep a close eye on the croutons and take out when they are done to your liking. I like them best at a little bit darker golden color. I don't have a picture of the finished croutons, but I can guarantee that they are deeelicous. I usually store them in a tupperware container on the counter. Hope you enjoy!

Live and Love

A Carrot Colored Bunny

Now that Christmas is over I must start posting all of the lovely gifts that I made. If I made them myself I will start doing tutorials but if I used a pattern I will just post the finished product.
My earliest gift that I got finished was a knitted carrot colored bunny that I made my (gonna be 3 years old next week) little niece who from here on out I will call Bug. So here you go....

 This is what the finished bunny was SUPPOSED to look like from the book "Knitted Toys", I got the book from the library and finished the bunny in about 2 weeks. The picture below is me working on the separate pieces. Also below is the finished bunny. I messed up on a few things, I'm pretty sure the weight of the yarn was bigger so my bunny got long and skinny. Also, some of the directions were a little confusing for an amateur knitter like myself. But all in all I am pretty proud of the finished bunny. Bug sure likes the bunny too.
~Live and Love