Saturday, July 8, 2017

GARLAND TOUR

Posted on 3:53 AM by Now That You Are Home...

Summer. My most favorite time of year. Not just because there is unlimited warm sunshine, flip flops are a wardrobe staple, blinking fireflies at night, home run derby and the All Stars game, golden Black-eyed Susans, and the Tour. But, and, almost as important, my birthday. July. Birthday month (my family celebrates birthday week, but somehow I have managed to stretch it out a whole month). Yes, we can all agree it is the most beautiful time of the year.

You would never know it, but, I love the Tour de France. The endless marathon of cycling all July long. Ultimate cycling. Ultimate entertainment. Every day I am tuned in to every turn, road, mountain, village, color, peloton. I love the landscape, the architecture, the hills, the endless fields of sunflowers, lavender, the fans, I love it all! And I don’t even own a bike. Nope.

So, in celebration for this year’s Tour, I have a created a jersey garland that takes no time at all to make. Follow along and you will feel like part of the team too. Show your colors, let your garland fly and stretch July out as long as possible. Let the celebration begin!

This is what you will need-

Jersey Template

Nylon Rip Stop, White, Green and Yellow

Red Sharpie Marker

Pencil

Scissors

Awl/Small Hole Punch

Nylon Cord

Oversized Needle

Low Temperature Glue Gun

You can purchase rip stop nylon at most retail fabric stores or you can order…Link here. I purchased ¼ yard each of white, yellow and green.

Rip stop nylon has these tiny little squares woven in the fabric to prevent small tears from enlarging. The squares also keep the nylon fabric from fraying and becoming a big thready (I just made that up) mess. It is durable and weather friendly. Great for this purpose. A happy outdoor fabric.

Download jersey template. Trace jersey onto card stock to make template to trace.

Trace the jersey template onto the nylon with pencil.

Make red dots on ten of the white jerseys. Yes, it will bleed slightly onto the nylon, but it should be barely visible from a distance.

Cut out jerseys with scissors.

I cut ten jerseys each of yellow, green, white and polka dot.

Carefully punch a small hole through the two small dots at the shoulders.

Make a loop at one end and tie with a knot to secure.

Thread your nylon cord through the oversized needle.

Alternate threading the jerseys together as shown. Continue threading until all the jerseys are threaded.

Space the jerseys about three inches apart on the cord.

On the back, secure each jersey to the nylon cord with a dot of glue to keep the jerseys stationary.

And hang…

Yellow Jersey... Leader...

Polka Dot...King of the Mountain…

Green...Sprinter...

White...Fastest Young Rider…

Makes me almost want to buy a bike.

July Love

Saturday, July 1, 2017

UNEXPECTED UPSCALE

Posted on 3:41 AM by Now That You Are Home...

Unexpected Upscale

I’m not one for purchasing an item with the intent to transform it into something new and exciting. But sometimes it just happens. Well, this was an accident. I desperately need to replace a set of white string lights that had conveniently decided to not light for an upcoming event and there was no time to spare. So I hopped over to my local Target to pick up a replacement and just to my dismay, what I needed was not on the shelf. I browsed to see what would be my next option. And I found this set of lights with these little white cubes covering the bulbs. The string perfect, lights perfect, cubes, well, not so much. But, my problem solved.

Once home, I tested the lights and removed the little cubes. What I didn’t expect was I really liked the little cubes. They were soft and squishy. They can handle heat. They can go outside. And they even have a little hole on the bottom for drainage! Bingo! Instant outdoor tea lights!

These little cuties are a quick and fun way to light up your outdoor space all summer long. No special care needed.

All you need is a few simple items and you can make them in minutes. So follow along and make some hearts or stars and light up your life unexpectedly!

This is what you will need-

One (or more) Set String Lights…Link here

Star/Heart Cookie Cutter

X-Acto Knife/Scissors
Straightedge

Card Stock
Pencil

Fine Tip Marker
LED String Lights/Battery Operated Tea Lights

Start by removing the cubes off the string lights. Set aside.

Make a template for your cutout. Measure and cut a 2" x 2" square of card stock. Trace your star in the middle of the square. You can use any shape you like.

Use a straightedge as a guide to cut the star out of the 2" square with the X-Acto knife.

Lay your star template on top of the cube.

Trace the shape onto two sides of the cube with your fine tip marker.

Carefully slice a small slit in the middle of the star with the X-Acto knife, about 1/2" long.

Slide your scissors into the slit and carefully follow the marker line to cut out the shape.

Repeat for all cubes.

Feed a LED string light through the hole in the bottom. Spiral several inches of the lights inside each cube. Run the end back out of the bottom hole and connect to another cube.