Pre-school craft-able back rub shirts- for Father’s day!

A Father’s day gift that pre-schoolers can craft!  It takes some prep work, but once that’s done, you can let the little ones loose with fabric markers and some supervision and they can make a pretty nice looking father’s day gift by themselves.  Even better, the gift keeps on giving, as they can interact with dad and play “with” him (even if he’s tired!) later.

I ran across the awesome idea for a back rub shirt over at The Blue Basket (via pinterest).  She painted hers with fabric paint, and there’s a print-able template you can use if you really don’t think you can handle drawing something yourself.  (The template would need to be simplified a bit for my version.)  Other’s have printed iron on print-ables, used puff paint for outlines and filled in, or used fabric markers.  Check down through the comments for ideas and to see what others have done.

I wanted to be able to do a craft with the kids in children’s church (age 3-5) this Sunday for Father’s day and thought this would be great!  Except I like to do crafts that need minimal adult “do it for me” time, and this is a bit above pre-school abilities.  So I decided to finally try Freezer Paper Stenciling.  It’s been on my list of things to try for WAY too long.  There’s plenty of tutorials/ info available about freezer paper stenciling around if you need to know more than the beginners info I give below.

I did a trial shirt with my girls (twins approaching 4 and little sister 2 1/2).  It turned out impressively well (although it looks a little scary while they’re coloring) and they really were pretty self sufficient once I got them on task.  I prepped and applied the stencil and traced around the edges with a black fabric marker.  Then I let them loose with the markers (all colors but black to keep the edges distinct) and tried to keep them from drawing over the edge of the paper too much.  I encouraged them to select some roughly appropriate colors, but it was really up to them.  Some places it’s helpful to assist in holding the shirt/stencil for them to color easier.  They needed a little help to finish the roads- I think they were tiring of the experiment by then.  And this is how the first shirt turned out.  Not quite as cute as The Blue Basket’s, but cute enough!

With that success, I picked up a 6-pack of men’s undershirts and cut some more freezer paper to length.  Just put it on the back of your shirt to size it.

For multiple stencils, here’s what I did: Sketch one to make your “map”.  Remember that it’s a stencil, so nothing complicated.  Shade in the area you want to cut out, especially if you’re concerned you might cut the wrong parts.

Attach all your papers together with several paperclips around the outside edge (i only had to do 4 shirts.  If you’re making more than 5, I’d suggest doing them in batches of no more than 5, unless you’re really good at cutting through lots of layers of paper).

  

Make sure you have a cutting board or other surface that doesn’t matter if it’s cut underneath your paper, and get out the Xacto knife or utility knife or scissors- any and all will work.  I cut my sample out with scissors, but for multiples, the cutting board and knife/knives make it a lot quicker.  Cut out the small details first for multiples using the Xacto knife.

Then get the bigger details (buildings) with the utility knife.

Then just make a starting slit on your road and you can cut out the roads with scissors (quicker).  Cut out the center islands from the road before cutting the road away from the frame (or plan to line things back up and cut the road of the island).  Number your islands if you think you’ll have trouble remembering where they went.

    

Move on to ironing on your stencil.  Make sure the back of the shirt is wrinkle free.  Make sure your freezer paper is shiny side DOWN- the shiny is what bonds to the shirt.  Then set on the stencil, place your islands, and start adhering it to the shirt.

  

It’s a forgiving process- if you get a wrinkle or place the stencil incorrectly, you CAN lift it and re-iron.

Once stencils are in place, trace around the edges.

  

To color, insert a chunk of cardboard inside the shirt to prevent bleed-through and stiffen the surface.  You can expand the edge of the stencil and increase the protected area with additional freezer paper or tape (masking/painters).   If you don’t, you may end up with overflow from your stencil, like this:

  

Your artists may end up with colored hands from ink rubbing off of the paper and/or the shirt.

Remove the stencil when they’ve finished coloring and admire!  Fill in any details if needed- I had to draw swing ropes on to connect to the seats and barn doors.

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Concrete garden stones- reverse pebble mosaic

Our final MOPS creative activity of the year was these concrete garden stones.  I can’t say yet for sure how they all turned out, since I can’t take off the frames and until Friday.  But I think they should be great!

Update- they DID turn out great!

   

The concept for this is taken from a “Sunset” Book called “Decorative Concrete” for a reverse pebble mosaic.  This is a good intro to basic concepts of concrete without having to worry about finishing the concrete surface or hurrying to get your designs in place.

You will need a form, sand, pebbles/marbles/shells/other embeddable objects, and bagged concrete mix (Get the 5000 lb mix), plus water, a bucket to mix in, and a container for measuring (mine is a 3 cup cottage cheese container).

It’s ideal to make these outside or in an unfinished area, just because concrete can be messy.  But if you’re careful, it can easily be done indoors.  We ended up inside on carpet with 13 women making 2 a piece this morning, and I had almost nothing to clean off the floor (thank you for being neat, ladies!).  If outdoors and there’s a threat of rain while it’s curing, you can cover your concrete with plastic.  If it’s freezing, or going to freeze overnight, make it inside.

The first step is to make your form.  I’ve chosen to make 12″ square garden stones, so there are 2 pieces of wood 12″ long and 2 pieces 13 1/2″ long.  These are ripped from 2×4 stock.  The dimensions of the ripped profile is 3/4″ by 1 1/2″.

All volumes that I give for materials will be measured for filling this size form.  If you alter the dimensions, realize the volume of the form will change, so amounts of sand, concrete, and water will also change.

Because of the small size of the wood, it is best to pre-drill a pilot hole for screws to go in to prevent splitting.  The bonus is that this will be a re-usable form.  The alternative is to nail together with finish nails (regular nails will also likely cause the wood to split).  So- pre-drill a hole slightly smaller in diameter than your screws will be in both ends of the longer pieces of wood.  I used a 3/32 drill bit.  Or skip the pilot holes and chance it

Once the holes are drilled, assemble the frame.  The long pieces overlap the short pieces.  Then insert screws to secure it.  You can “start” the screws so they’re most of the way through the pilot holes before you attach it to the shorter piece for easier assembly.

My screws are a little over an inch to 1 1/2″ long.

The Second Step is to prepare the form.  (Or MOPS CA starts here- I had forms already made and instructions written on a dry erase board for easy reference.) Place it on a scrap of plastic that is larger than the form.  It should be resting on a flat surface (floor, sturdy table, etc).  Then put a layer of sand in the bottom of the form.  This should be a thin layer, evenly spread to cover the entire bottom (plastic) of the form.  I used a 24 oz cottage cheese container for measuring- it holds 3 cups.  I used about 3/4 of a container of sand, or roughly 2 1/2 cups.  You will be pressing the decorative mosaic elements into this sand, and they will stick above the finished concrete as far as they’re pushed into the sand.

  

The Third Step is to make your mosaic.  Gather your embeddable objects The thinner the object, the less likely it will adhere properly in the end.  Insert whatever decorative elements you want to be visible on the stone into the sand.  I used a rough figure of  one 1-2 pound bag of stones/marbles for every 2 garden blocks.  Your mileage will vary.

Large pieces will have to be worked down into the sand and the sand re-smoothed before continuing (do these first if using).   Gently press your objects into the sand in a design of your choosing.  Remember that the further they are pressed into the sand, the further they will stick out of the finished block.

   

A few things to remember: 1)  Your image will be reversed.  If you’re making a monogram, or word, keep this in mind- the letter must be mirror image and the word needs to be written right to left, not left to right.  2) The surface you will see when done must go into the sand- do not put the side you want to see towards you, or it will be encased in concrete.  3) The sand around the objects cannot be “banked” up or over the edges of the objects inserted.

Anywhere the sand is, the concrete will NOT be when finished.  You want your objects to be securely adhered to the concrete.  If the sand was smoothed up to the back surface of my tile in the above picture, it would make a channel in the concrete when finished. You don’t want a gap or channel next to these objects.  That gap would create a place for water to get in and freeze (f you’re in cooler climates like me), then expand, and the freeze/thaw cycle will damage your finished stone, eventually destroying it.

Once you have your mosaic completed, it’s time for step number Four.

In Step Number Four you will be mixing your concrete and putting it in the form.

Detail note if you’re seeing a discrepancy in the picture:  The concrete I used for this example was 4000 lb.  mix.  It was difficult to get the concrete to be flow-able enough without adding too much water.  For our CA we ended up using 4 scoops of concrete mix plus a scoop of sand/portland blend (50/50).  The easier thing to do would be to get 5000 lb concrete mix (stronger concrete- it already has more portland in it), use 4 scoops of concrete mix plus 1 scoop of sand.  A sand based bagged concrete mix is also available, but hubby says it’s not strong enough… ::)

Again using my cottage cheese container, I measured out 4 (full) scoops (12 cups) of dry concrete mix into a bucket.  Then I added 1 (full) scoop (3 cups) of sand and 1 (full) scoop (3 cups) of water to the dry mix.  (One 80 lb bag of concrete mix should make about 7 stones).  I used a gloved hand or a trowel to mix the concrete.  Mix until thoroughly combined- check the corners for dry bits.  It should be fairly firm- easy to get clumps of concrete in your hand.  If it’s really too dry, you can add a small amount more water.  You do NOT want too much water and a soupy concrete mix.  Too much water weakens the concrete, and could possibly cause problems with the sand where the objects have been placed.

Add your clumps of concrete by handfuls to your form.  CAREFULLY set the concrete on top of your mosaic design so it doesn’t shift.  Cover designs first, then fill in any gaps.

  

Once there’s a layer of concrete on everything and your form is mostly filled, you can pat the surface. This vibrates the mixture and allows it to settle into the holes, cracks, and crevices to ensure there won’t be gaps in your final surface.

Keep patting and gently pushing the high spots of the concrete around with your hands.  Make sure the concrete is well worked into the corners and along the edges of the form.  It’s fine to do this in stages- put a little in, work it down, repeat.  If you don’t get it worked in well, you’ll have this happen:

The edge is rounded over and lumpy.  Still okay, but not as nice as it could have been, because the concrete did not get down into the edge of the form next to the sand.

It’s also fine to use a hammer to pound a bit on the top edge of the wooden form.  This helps to vibrate the concrete and get it worked down into those edges.  A palm sander does the same trick, only even nicer.

The Final Step is to even off this top (someday bottom) surface of the concrete.  You should have it already fairly even form the patting with your hands.  Now we’ll take a stick to “screed” off the surface to make sure it’s even and basically smooth.  The screed stick rests on both sides of the wooden form.  It is slid back and forth across the surface of the concrete, still resting on the side pieces of wood on the form.  At the same time, it’s slowly drawn across to the other side of the form.  So- “saw” the stick back and forth and SLOWLY pull it across the surface.  All that jiggling from the “sawing” motion allows the surface to be smoothed s you pull the extra concrete off of it.

If you get a gap where the screed has passed by (1st pic), take a bit from the extra in front of the screed, fill in the hole (pic 2), back up, and re-screed that area.

   

Continue across the entire surface of the concrete, scraping the extra off the edge of the form.

Dispose of the extra.  It will harden and cannot be re-used (unless it is used for another purpose right away).

Now for clean up.  Wash off/out anything you want to re-use.  Extra concrete can be scraped out of buckets and thrown in the garbage or outside (depending on where you live… Water it down if you throw it outside for less permanent mess).  The wash/rinse water from your clean up can be thrown outside.

Go put some lotion on your hands- concrete is pretty rough on them.  The solid lotion bars we made on Spa day work wonderfully for this!

You must be PATIENT and wait for your concrete to set up.  It will be solid within the day, but it is still very fragile and “green”- do NOT remove the forms yet.  Also know that if yo touch the surface of the concrete as it cures, it may feel warm- that’s a chemical reaction thing in the concrete- no worries.  Wait 48 hours before taking out the screws that hold the form together.

Once the screws are removed, the wood pieces can be pulled away from the block and the block can be flipped over.

    

Brush off the extra sand and see what you made!

  

The block should not be put outside in the weather for a week and if it will be used for weight bearing (sidewalk blocks, etc), it should be allowed to fully cure for 28 days.  A sealer can be applied if desired after the 28 days.  The stone below is one I made about a year ago and we sprayed part of it with a sealer to see how it would look.  These stones were not polished like the ones above, but with the sealer, they look just as nice- so they’re free instead of paying $1 a bag.

For our MOPS CA, they’re staying at the church until cured.  I’ll take the forms off and they’ll get to take the stones, forms, and screeding sticks home at the next meeting.

Need a print-able for a group project?  Try this:  concrete garden stones take-home sheet

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Summer Bucket Lists for MOPS

Our MOPS Creative Activity for April.  Our kids joined us for our MOPS meeting this past Wednesday.  We were doing a MOPS “swap” day- bring your kids stuff (toys, clothes, books, equipment) they’ve outgrown and maternity clothes and take home what you can use.

Before we swapped, we had a trail mix line for a snack- dip a bit of several different snacks out of a bowl and put it in a bag for each kid.  We enjoyed some chat time while the kids snacked and played.

Then we worked together on our Creative Activity- Summer bucket lists.   I got the idea over here at thefoleyfam.

I got sand buckets for a dollar at Michaels and made a simple wrap from paper for them- about half a sheet of paper that slightly curves.  (Your pattern will vary based on your bucket.  Just remember you can’t get the cool castle shaped buckets if you’re putting a wrapper on )  Everyone decorated the wrap pieces.  Some colored right on the wrapper, some had kids color on paper and cut out shapes to glue on the wrapper. Stickers or paper punch shapes would probably have worked equally well.  (We’ve got part of a sandcastle, a campfire, a wildflower, a book, a kite, a berry, and an ice cream cone here.  I-Spy, anyone?  Colored paper for either the wrapper or the shapes would have been helpful for visibility.)

The wrapper tapes onto the bucket.  You can try glue, but I don’t think it will work well.  (Not that you can see the tape here, but you get a detail of our sandcastle and some random squares/circles)

Then, the list.  The idea is to make a list of things you’d like to do as a family this summer. Go camping, roast marshmallows, catch fireflies, read books, go to the zoo, blow bubbles, go swimming, pick berries, etc. etc.  Some moms wanted to take their list home to consult with their husband and make it a full family decision.  (Great idea!  They just took clothespins with them.  I don’t always think of these things when I trial these crafts at home…)

Once the list is made, write each goal on a clothespin and clip it on the edge of the bucket.  I used a pen to get more letters on, but a sharpie would be suitable as well.  Shorten your phrases and write small.  Remember there’s 2 sides if needed for more detailed goals…

   

As you complete each activity over the summer, pull the clothespin off and throw it in the bucket.  Fun!

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Solid lotion bars

For MOPS spa day we made these:

I love this stuff!  To use, rub on hands or body.  Also good as a chapstick.  It’s done a good job for me of keeping some eczema at bay that I developed in the past year on my thumb and eyelids (Odd locations- who knows why?!).  I don’t have to worry about continued exposure and potential side effects to the prescribed steroid ointment, and I can use it on my face, unlike the ointment.  I’ve also used it effectively on my kids for diaper/wet underwear overnight rashes.

I gave some for late Christmas presents, and even had some takers when I offered it to my rough working uncles, dad, and grandpa.  I think they’ll really use it for burns from welding and other rough on the skin work- they weren’t just taking it to be nice

Instructions based on a recipe found here at Crunchy Betty.

Very simple, 3 ingredients- beeswax, coconut oil, and shea butter.

There’s a recipe at Little House in the Suburbs that I haven’t tried, but it does contain more common ingredients- namely, shortening and vegetable oil instead of coconut oil and shea butter.  Both use beeswax.  I’m not sure how solid the other version would be, or how greasy it may feel.

I used an electric fry pan with water to function as my double boiler for this group craft.  I set it to about 250.  You can also do this in a pan of water on the stovetop or in a (microwave safe) container in the microwave.

The can is a mushroom can- any similar small clean can would work- I wouldn’t recommend glass for this due to temperature change, though.  You can use glass if you’re going to do this in the microwave instead of a double boiler.  I did have to add water over the course of our time at spa day, since the water evaporated relatively fast.  Just don’t add too much, or your cans may tip over!

The stir stick is just a popsicle stick.

I had no trouble lifting the can without a hot mitt, and we had no trouble at our Spa day.  But use caution, your can MAY heat up and could cause a burn if left too long or if the water is particularly hot.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup lightly packed grated beeswax.  Mine is straight from the bee keeper, but any kind should work.  I used a peeler to grate off thin pieces of wax, then lightly pressed in a baggie lined measuring cup.

  

1/4 cup coconut oil.  The “solid at room temperature” oil contributes to the firmness of the final product.  Liquid oils make a very slimy, melty bar.  I did heat the oil in the jar so it was liquid to make it easier to scoop out 1/4 cup for our spa day.  It will still need to be re-melted after adding it to the beeswax since it has such a lower melting temperature.

1/4 cup shea butter.  Mine is natural, unrefined.  This is the only thing I had to buy online- I couldn’t find it at any stores locally.  This scooped beautifully with a trigger icecream scoop into a baggie- the scoop holds 1/4 cup.

Melt the beeswax.  Add the coconut oil and allow all to heat/melt again.  Last, add the shea butter last and keep on heat just until melted.  I’ve run across info that it can get “grainy” if heated too much and too long, but I didn’t experience it myself.  Stir occasionally after each addition.

      

I took the can off the heat to add items- less chance of dropping extra bits in your water, and it will help with space for a group craft.

Immediately pour into forms- we’re using ice cube trays form the dollar store.  This recipe just fills the silicone one with possibly a touch extra or a touch less.  Unfortunately, they didn’t have them anymore when I went to buy trays, so I just got regular ones, and it didn’t fill the whole tray.  We put names on with a sharpie marker. Let it cool when you’re done.  I put mine in the fridge because I’m impatient.  We had fridge space and did the same for our MOPS spa day.  It doesn’t take that long for them to set up.

      

Pop them out of the molds once they’re firm.  They pull away from the sides of the molds a bit once they’re fully set.  store in a baggie or wrapped in wax paper.

I didn’t add scent- I love the smell of the beeswax.  But you can if you want to.  Add your scent after everything is melted together before you pour it into the molds, and make sure it’s skin safe.

Here’s what I used as a directions printout for our ladies for spa day:

Lotion bar directions:

Put 1/4 cup (1 baggie) beeswax in can.  Place in hot water bath until melted.  stir occasionally with a popsicle stick.

Remove from heat.  Add 1/4 cup coconut oil.  Return to heat, melt, stir occasionally.

Remove from heat.  Add 1/4 cup (1 baggie) shea butter.  Return to heat JUST until melted, the last bits don’t have to be completely melted on the heat. (You don’t want to overheat the shea butter.)

Remove from heat.  Stir until the last of the shea butter is melted.

Pour into ice cube trays and set aside to firm up.  Can be put in the fridge to speed up the firming process.

Pop out of the ice cube tray and store in a baggie or wrap in wax paper to transport.  Don’t carry it around in your pocket or leave it in your hot car!

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Truffles for MOPS

Our February MOPS creative activity was coating/decorating truffles.  We made a bag for ourselves and a bag to give as a gift.  Each bag had 10-2 of each flavor.  Our steering team each made 6 dozen balls and brought them frozen to our meeting.  Then we handed them out on wax papered trays and everyone started decorating- all we had to do was melt the chocolate coatings in the microwave.  Then we waited for the chocolate to set up and bagged them.  Bags were donated from a local flower and candy shop, but I think there were decent valentines themed ones at the dollar store (= inexpensive!)

If you have a particularly soft or sticky truffle, get those done first before they have much time to thaw.  Also, if you’re using the powdered sugar or sweetened cocoa as a cover, be aware they then squish in your bags… Maybe put them in a separate bag?  I think that was the big fail of this project.  And make sure your candy bags are big enough to comfortably hold all those truffles!

Here’s how they turned out- thanks Rachel for sharing the pics!

        

The following is copied and pasted from my handout.  I spread it into 2 pages-  a directions page and a recipe page.

Coating options:

Powdered sugar or sweetened cocoa- roll truffle in the bowl to coat

Almond bark or candy melts- melt at short intervals in the microwave (or double boiler), stirring as it melts.  Use a fork or toothpick to dip the balls into the chocolate to cover.  Shake off excess/let it drip off, then put it on a piece of wax paper to let the coating set.  It can go in the fridge or freezer to set more quickly.

Leave the toothpick IN for less mess.  remove it after the chocolate sets up.  You can also use a spoon or try 2 popsicle sticks.  Whatever works best for you.

*you can also use chocolate/white chips and add a bit of shortening to help it “flow”.  DON’T add water- it can cause the chocolate to “seize”

Add garnishes before the chocolate sets.  Sprinkles, colored sugar, cookie or graham cracker crumbs, orange zest, etc

“Pipe” on swirls, flowers, leaves, dots, etc. of melted chocolate/almond bark With cake decorating bags or squeeze bottles.  Put melted chocolate in the bags as you would frosting/icing.  If it cools and needs to be re-melted, make sure to take off any metal tips before putting it in the microwave, and heat carefully/slowly to prevent overheating the bag or container.  You can also use a baggie and cut off the corner if you don’t have cake decorating supplies, or just drizzle another color chocolate with a spoon.

Recipes:  Here’s the quick version of each, a few have some modifications.  Follow the link for complete/original recipes.

Cookie dough truffles- cream 1/2 c softened butter and 3/4 c packed brown sugar until light and fluffy.  add 1 t vanilla.  gradually add 2 c flour and 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk- alternating and beating well after each addition.  Stir in 1/2 c mini chocolate chips and 1/2 c chopped walnuts.  Shape into 1″ balls and freeze.  Coat.  5 1/2 dozen

Cake balls- bake a cake mix as usual.  After cooling about 10 min, dump cake into large bowl, break up into chunks to cool.  after 1/2 hr, dump in 1 can of frosting (any flavor).  Mix completely, cover and cool 2-3 hrs or overnight.  Roll into 1″ balls, chill several hours.   Coat.

Lemon White chocolate truffles- makes about 2 dozen

Melt 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter and 1 c white chocolate, and 3 Tablespoons of heavy cream in the microwave or in a double boiler.  Stir until smooth.  Add a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of lemon extract.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours in the fridge.  It should be handle-able then.  Form it into 1 inch balls and freeze.  Coat.

Peppermint patties- one batch of this recipe should make the 6 dozen.  A can of sweetened condensed milk, 1 Tablespoon of peppermint flavoring, and 6 cups of powdered sugar, mix/knead it, then roll it into balls and pop it in the freezer.  Coat.

Oreo balls- 1 package of double stuffed ores (or fakes) and 4 to 8 oz of cream cheese.  Chop of the oreos fine- a food processor makes quick work of it.  Mash the softened cream cheese and oreos until well combined.  Roll into 1″ balls and freeze.  3 dozen (I think)

Some bonus recipes (we only made the first 5 for our decorating day)

chocolate cream cheese balls- this recipe makes 36.  These are a tad messier to roll.  I kept a light coating of oil on my hands and that worked for me to form them.  It’s just 8 oz of cream cheese, softened, and then you add 8 oz of melted chocolate chips.  Chill in the fridge for an hour or so, then form into balls and freeze.  Coat

chocolate orange truffles- 2 c crushed vanilla wafer cookies, 2 c powdered sugar, 1/2 c cornstarch, 1/2 c butter (melted and cooled), 1/2 c orange juice concentrate, thawed, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and a dash of ginger (not a big deal if you don’t have it- just skip).  Mix it all, chill an hour, roll into 1″ balls and freezer.  It’s supposed to make 4-5 dozen.

Butterfinger balls- 1 pound of candy corn melted in the microwave and add 1 c peanut butter.  When it’s cool enough to handle, form it into balls and pop it in the freezer.  Not certain how many balls this would make… I’m sure at least 2 dozen, maybe 3… I’ve never actually made them into balls, just bars.

More to try at our pinterest “candy” board if you’re looking for ideas!

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Crescent Roll braids and Tatertot casserole

Our MOPS 4th Wednesday activity today was make ahead meals.  We make one for that evening’s meal and one to put in the freezer (or fridge) and use another day.  There’s more recipes of meals we’ve made in the past for this in the recipes tab.

The meal for tonight’s use is a broccoli, chicken, and cheese braid in crescent roll dough.  Everyone made two braids to take home.  One braid will just barely feed 4 with a side of salad. Note:  I don’t know if this dish will freeze well.  I’m trying it with an extra braid and will report back if it worked or didn’t work later!

ETA:  We pulled it out of the freezer and baked it up.  It worked fine and tasted about the same to me.

The freezer meal is Tatertot casserole.

Recipes are below.

A few details.  For group logistics:  We have no childcare on 4th wednesdays.  We break into 2 groups, half do meals while the other half watches kids and we switch part way through.  We figure the same time frame and day of the week as we usually meet for MOPS, since everyone should be free then.

We cook the meat ahead of time, since that takes a long time to do.  We have a sign up list so we know how much to purchase for ingredients, and we ask for money to reimburse the cost of ingredients.  We’ve done $10 for the two meals and that mostly covers it.

I printed off the recipes for everyone to follow and take home.

An explanation on the braids:  There’s (at least) two ways to do this.  Pics of the two methods are here, since this can be the confusing part from just written directions.  NEITHER way will completely cover the filling.  It will ooze a bit in baking.

Method 1:  Lay the crescent roll dough as pictured.  After the filling is in, pull the corners of the crescent rolls up over the filling.  Overlap so they stick to each other.

 

Method 2:  Lay the crescent rolls on your baking sheet as shown.  Use your fingers and the palm of your hand to flatten and blend the edges of the crescent rolls together.  I spread mine to fit my baking sheet (Note this is a smaller baking sheet, not a huge one!  The rolls are straight from the tube in the first photo, so there’s not a huge distance for them to stretch.)  Put your filling in the center as above, then cut slits in the edge  of the dough.  The paper has lines drawn in the same way that I cut slits in the dough.  It’s the same way I do my Stromboli.  Then fold them across the filling.  Overlap so they stick to each other.

     

Substitutions: you can use bread dough instead of crescent rolls, corn instead of green beans, cream of celery soup instead of cream of mushroom, or mashed potatoes in place of tater tots.  Make it flex to your tastes and ingredients.

Here’s the recipes- copy and paste to make your own printouts.

Chicken, broccoli, and cheese braid

1 8 oz tube crescent rolls-

4 oz velveeta/processed cheese, cubed

1 c cooked cubed chicken

2 c cooked broccoli

You are going to make 2 of these.  Each braid gets the above ingredients.

Put a piece of foil on the cookie sheet.

Spread one tube of crescent rolls out on the foil.  Flatten, stretch, and “fix” the seams.  Place on the center line of the dough the cooked chicken, broccoli, and cubed cheese.  Cut strips in the crescent roll base from both sides.  Pull strips of crescent roll over the top of the filling- it will NOT fully enclose it.

Pull the braid off the sheet with the foil, repeat with a second braid.

Baking:  375 for 15-20 minutes- ’til golden brown crust and heated through.

Tatertot Casserole

Layer in a 9×13 pan:

1 lb cooked ground beef (approx. 3 cups)

1 can of green beans, drained

1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted.  spread this over the top of the other ingredients, and use a bit of water to rinse the can, if desired.

onions/onion flakes if desired

6 pieces of sliced cheese, or sprinkle with shredded cheddar, your choice.

Top with 1 1/2 lb of tater tots (3/4 of a 2 lb bag)

Baking:  350 until heated through.

This dish is freezer friendly and can go directly from the freezer to the oven!

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Story Dice for Busy Bags

I’m only doing one set of these for my Busy bag project since it should be something that can be an all-play.

The idea I saw here at My Magic Mom.  She drew on hers.  I could draw on mine (with some mistakes, I’m sure) but if it’s got possibilities of a MOPS craft, I have to look different directions.

My blocks are 3/4″ cubes from scrap wood- thank you my wonderful carpenter husband!  If you don’t have one of those, you could also cut a square wooden dowel into cubes or buy the pre-cut ones at Michaels or another craft store or online.  My backup plan was to use the little square tiles at the hardware store/Home Depot/wherever and do 2 sided tiles, but I like the cubes better.  Another cute way to do it I’ve seen is story stones, seen over at Red Bird Crafts.

I used free clip art images from free clipart pictures and Arthur’s clip art  and a few objects are the odd texts on my computer sized to a 48 or larger font and the color changed.  I’m sure there’s other free clip art available if you search.  I had trouble finding much that didn’t require signups or yearly membership fees when I searched under images.  You might have better luck just searching for “royalty free clip art” in general, rather than in images.

I finally gave up getting pictures at 80.  I also wanted to put our family’s names on some of the blocks.  I made a total of 14 blocks and only had one of my images that I didn’t use.  If we use this for MOPS I’m figuring on 10 blocks and they can pick and choose their choice of images and if they want to do names.  I’m not sure of the details yet- our steering team is tomorrow and I should finalize some details then.  Here’s what 10 look like instead of 14.

I copied and pasted pictures onto a word/pages document and shrunk each image so it was only about 1/2″ at it’s largest dimension.  They easily all fit on a single page to print.  If we do this project for MOPS I’ll either make color copies or have them printed off at the church- 1 copy for each lady.

Cut out all those little squares.  You could do stickers, stamps, or drawing to get your images onto the blocks.  I glued on my little squares then did Mod-Podge over top.  It was the easiest way for me to find images I liked without buying a gazillion packs of stickers.  I have seen where you can get your images and print them on adhesive paper in a craft over here at Creative Holiday Gift Ideas.  I may still go for that with MOPS- yet to be determined.  I’d just have to print the images I found onto the sticker paper, I think.  Either way, it will get a coat of Mod-Podge for a clear, durable coating, and so the kids can’t peel off the stickers, since I know mine will otherwise.  There are other sealers you could use, too.  I did 3 sides  of the block at a time and set each aside as I completed it.  By the time I got through 10 blocks this way, the first ones were getting dry and easy to handle again, so the other 3 sides were done then.  You may need to do a brief wait for things to dry, or get out the hair dryer to help them dry more quickly if needed.

I did one coat of Mod-Podge.  Another coat might make them look nicer, but they’re fine as is.  I’m thinking for MOPS to make the bags first, then do blocks, and send a small container (like the cheap 10 for a dollar at the dollar store) of the Mod-Podge home with everyone if they want to do more.  We’ll need little containers to put it in for everyone to use for this project anyhow, so they might as well go into a container they can take home.

Now for the bags.  I like a sewn bag, but I sew so that’s not intimidating to me.  For those who don’t get along with sewing machines, this is a bag for you.  Just a simple circle cut from T-shirt fabric (I have LOTS of scraps from this and other projects)  Fleece would also be ideal- either are fine since the edges won’t fray.  I traced a circle a bit bigger than a saucer and cut out.  Little snips near the edge give easy holes to thread a safety pin on the end of some ribbon through the holes for an easy drawstring bag.  It will lay flat when it’s opened (unless your ribbon is too short- spread it all out before you cut if you’re not sure!).  So it can also be the place where you roll your story dice.

    

So what do you do with them?  Roll the dice and use what images come up to make up a story.

ETA:  We did these for our MOPS creative activity for January.  There’s a few more details on my MOPS 2011-2012 Creative activities page.  I used mailing labels to print on for a cost effective way to speed up the process a bit.

I also just ran across 2 more ways to do these over at Stitch-Craft.  One way is a package tape transfer (warning- this way would take even longer than cut out from paper and glue on like I did above) and the other way is with temporary tattoo paper (although it’s much more expensive- she found it at Michaels for $10 a sheet, less with a coupon).

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Melt and Pour soaps basics for MOPS

Our December creative activity for MOPS was melt and pour soap.

I really wanted to do a snow globe, but figured out that the soap was too thick to see to the middle.  I think it would still work if your embedded pieces are near the surface of the globe.  I ran out of time to experiment!  Here’s my failed globe, and it sliced open to see the middle.  I also had originally tried a 3-D set, but my molds disappeared and I’m still looking for them- I think my girls got them.  The sculpey figures are still around, though.  I’m hoping I’ll find the molds someday…

       

Our creative activity in December as long as I’ve known it has been a “make one for us and one for our MOPPET workers” for Christmas.  I’ll share my basics for how we did this melt and pour soap, as well as the “extras” that were take homes for ideas and further directions if anyone wanted to try more at home.  And I’ll put in what worked do do this at a group level rather than an individual level.  I’ll also warn you that preparing for this activity was my first exposure to melt and pour soap, so my knowledge is limited to what I learned through trial and error and what I read on the internet.

I pre-made embedded soap figures of the nativity.  There are several options for embedding objects and molds to use- see below.  But here’s what I did, since I really wanted the nativity scene and didn’t have an appropriate mold.  I made the mold with Sculpey mold maker.  First I drew it, then I traced it onto sculpey rolled flat, then I cut it out with a knife and mended and fixed as needed.  I baked the sculpey form, then followed the mold maker directions- coating it with corn starch and pressing it into the sculpey mold maker.  It’s sticky and not easy to work with and hard to get your object back out- I suggest “handles” baked into your original form for easier extracting.  I had do do a good bit of repair work before I baked.

     

My single mold held up well to make the 40 or so pours (a few repeats) to make the figures needed for the day with careful use.  There is a small crack starting off the end of the manger, but it will still be good for many uses.  Note the soap embed below- it was too hot when I poured- it has lighter brown bubbles at much of the surface.  I microwaved for embeds, since I had to do one at a time and it was such a small amount.  I just kept adding more cubes of soap and globs of dye to the same coffee cup and kept going- for about a day and a half.  They only take 5-15 minutes to set (the mold warms and they set more slowly), but you get doing something else and take care of kids and get dinner and whatever else, and they sometimes sit a lot longer before you make another!  I think you can put them in the freezer, but I didn’t want to chance a problem with that many.

     

I planned ahead and used coupons at Michaels to get 40 or 50% off a regular priced item and bought 2 of the 10 pound tubs to make it the most affordable possible.  We did not add any fragrance.

I also pre-cut “molds” from cereal boxes.  The ladies coated the inside of the mold with wide tape.  Then they folded it up and taped with masking tape to hold it’s shape for the pour.  Make sure the wide tape is put on smoothly, or you’ll have wrinkles in the surface of your soap when you’re done.  If you just fold the glossy side of the box in, it comes out pretty well.  But I did have a couple spots were the glossy pulled off onto my soap.   So I’d stick with the tape.  Corrugated cardboard can leave a print on your soap (even if taped) since it can squish. Plastic wrap will leave wrinkles  if it’s just set in the mold (unless perfectly smooth- not an easy task!  Might work if taped at the edges?)  See the wrinkles in the bottom one?  Plastic wrap.

        

To prepare the soap, I got it mostly melted in the microwave and then kept warm in my crockpot.  Mine held a little over 10 pounds of soap- just about right for the group we had that day.  Just know that the last bit (which is a fair amount in that size container) will solidify along with the skin form the top.  I dipped out soap with a ladle.  For small batches use the microwave or a double boiler.  (My second choice was to use an electric fry pan with water to melt the chunks in, but I think it would’ve taken too long for our group.)  I took the lid off a few minutes before we were going to use it and monitored the temperature- it was around 130 when I dipped it out.  If it’s too hot, it can melt the embedded soap.  The soap below is a cross section of one of my early tries at snow globe soap and it was too hot.  See the cute nativity figures?  Me neither.

Tangent:  I will point out that greenish stuff on the bottom- modeling clay.  It doesn’t come off soap well.  I tried to use it to seal the bottom of my mold to pour the soap (my first try upside down my figures floated).  It held the soap fine, but doesn’t come off!  What did work for a mold was the pop can top and a circle cut from a milk jug hot glued on the bottom to seal any leaks.  Pour a bit of soap on the circle and stick in your figures before glueing together, then pour the soap in the top of the bottle.  (Except you’d have to stick your figures to inside surface of the bottle if you want to see them).  Someday I may try again- with an un-ridged beverage container.

    

Back on task:  Put a small amount of soap in the bottom of the mold, then set the embed-able soap piece in.  Spritz with rubbing alcohol and let set up (it will do so very quickly).  Remember to stir as little as possible to minimize bubbles.  The rubbing alcohol helps to get rid of bubbles and helps the soap layers bond better.  The first pic below was stirred too much and not spritzed.  The second was stirred only minimally and spritzed.  Not sure if it shows well here, but it made a significant difference in the final appearance.

   

I ladled soap into tin cans and the ladies added a pinch of very fine glitter if desired.  a quick stir (we used coffee stir sticks) and it went into the mold.  I only checked the temp on the first one and since it was fine right away, I didn’t worry about the rest.  If it’s hot, wait for it to cool to under 140 or so before pouring.  Don’t pour the skin from the top in, it will look yucky.  Set it aside and re-melt.  I only had half a dozen cans to minimize mess, and we re-used them.  Spritz the top of the soap again with rubbing alcohol and let it sit until firm- 20 minutes to half and hour is good.  These soaps were around 1 inch thick, some thicker.

Undo the tape, remove the soap from the molds, and wrap in plastic wrap.  They turned out nicely!

The one “problem”- my embedded soap trials developed halos.  I’m not sure why- too much or too dark of food coloring?  Maybe I should have used a solid white base to add coloring for and need less?  Maybe you really need to use the official soap coloring?  Maybe they didn’t “cure” for long enough before pouring? (in my trials, I would make an embed and then pour it within a few minutes)    I’ll watch and see, and get some feedback from our group on what theirs do.  This is the same soap on day 1 and roughly a week later.  (This is almost the final, but I should’ve (and we did for our activity) poured a thin layer and set the embed-able in first.  That’s why there are patchy spots.)

   

 

Here’s my gathered info for the hand out I gave- just copy and past in a document (and maybe make it look pretty if formatting doesn’t switch well) to print and distribute to your group.  If it doesn’t work, I can try to send you mine, just ask.  The pics are also linked to anything with a tutorial so you can go see it.

Melt and pour soaps

• Bases come in clear, white, and different specialties, like olive oil, goats milk, or shea butter.
• You can find many decorative molds for sale made especially for melt and pour soaps.  You can also use candy molds, popsicle molds, ice cube trays (including the decorative silicone ones), jello molds, and most any container that doesn’t leak the liquid soap when it’s hot.  Some containers (stiff ones) you may need to put in the fridge to help release the soap.  I found that modeling clay stuck to the soap.  Use a bread pan, pringles can, PVC pipe, or other container and slice soaps if you want to make several of one kind.  Mini bundt pans or muffin tins with a liner can make treat shaped soaps, and can be “frosted.”  Shells  or a rubber glove can be your soap mold.  You can do soap in a bag also!  For a custom embed soap mold, you can try making your own.  I used Sculpey (to make my desired shape) and Sculpey mold maker (to make a mold of my desired shape).  One more option is to melt and pour into a baking sheet then use cookie cutters to cut out shapes once the soap has cooled.
• soap can be layered in different colors, just let one layer cool before adding the next.  the container can be tipped at different angles for separate pours to make layers go in different directions.  you may need to “score” (scratch) the surface of the previous layer before pouring the next, just to help it bond better.
• Colors can be added to soap.  Use the paste food colorings or you can get special colorings for soaps.  Different colors can be swirled in.
• Fragrances can be added to soap.  Use Essential oils or Fragrance oils.  Make sure they are safe for skin contact.  Make sure the soap is not too hot when adding scents, or they may be “Burnt” off.  The temperature should be no higher than 140 when adding fragrance.  It takes a fairly large amount of fragrance to make soaps scented.
• Oils and butters can be added- shea butter, coconut oil, etc.  I’d suggest finding a recipe for proportions, though.
• You can add mix-ins to soap.  Think about pulverized oatmeal, cinnamon, lavender (or other herbs, spices, or dried flowers, etc).  Coffee, tea, and powdered milk or other powdered foods are fair game.  Cosmetic clays can be used to make shaving soap.  Glitter (very fine) can be added (course glitter may be abrasive).  Photos and artwork can be embedded.  laminate or use permanent inks/laser printed paper.
• Other mix-ins are embed-ables- cut, molded, curled (try a veggie peeler) or shredded soap.  You can also put objects in soap- plastic bugs or fish, small toys, etc.  Just know that if the soap is too thick, you wont see what’s inside, even “clear” soap.  If it’s thick, make sure the object/embedded item is near the surface.
• stir or mix as little as possible.  It takes a bit longer to melt, but the bubbles are terrible on the surface of the pour if it’s been agitated too much.
• How to heat soap:  Cut into smaller pieces/chunks for even melting.  Microwave in small increments or use a double boiler (or a can/dish in a saucepan of water).  You can also use a crackpot on low- cover for the start, then take the lid off and stir for even melting, and monitor temperature carefully- turn off if it’s getting to hot.  The key is to use indirect heat, as the soap can scorch if  you use direct heat.
• Don’t over heat the soap.  Overheating can cause color changes to the soap as well as more bubbles in it.  For my embedded soap pieces, I microwaved in 5-10 second increments.  It shouldn’t boil and preferably shouldn’t steam.  You want it around 130 to pour.
• If your soap is too hot and you have embedded or mixed in soap chunks/gratings, it can melt your mix ins   Best to check with a thermometer.  The temperature with embed-ables should be no more than 140.
• spritz the surface with rubbing alcohol to get rid of little bubbles right after you pour the soap, and to help deal with oils from your hands to allow better adhesion to the other soap.

• For recipes and more ideas, and some pics:
• layers:  http://www.marthastewart.com/267770/striped-soaps?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/stocking-stuffers

• multi-directional soap layers:  http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2011/03/melt-pour-soap-making-multi-directional.html

• embedded chunks: http://goplanetearth.blogspot.com/2009/09/melt-pour-soap-making-jeweled-loaf-soap.html
• 

• grated soap in soap
• 
• add ins (no recipe for this one, but it’s available for purchase at magicsenses.com)
• 

• embedded bugs/toys/other:   http://frugalliving.about.com/od/doityourself/ht/Treasure_Soap.htm   or http://whipup.net/2008/01/25/tutorial-soaps-for-kids-to-make-pt1/            (the loufa is from a site in another language)
•          
• mini snow globes  http://k-hangingonbyathread.blogspot.com/2011/01/snow-globe-soap.html
• 

• Fish in a bag soap:  http://littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com/2008/11/fish-in-bag-soap.html
• 

• http://www.soapqueen.com- lots here.  Ideas are embedded shaped bracelets, oatmeal soap, and carmel apple soap
•       

• photos in soap.  http://www.photo-opps.com/photo-soap.html
• 

• artwork in soap:  http://abeautifulmess.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/10/tricks-treats-graphic-soaps-by-sarah-rhodes.html
• 

• tea bag soap: http://www.cucumbersome.com/time-for-tea-soap/
• 

• Single use soaps- enough soap coating a fake leaf for 1 use:  http://thegreenbeanscrafterole.blogspot.com/2010/11/leaf-water-soap.html
• 

• Fun shapes:  (the first pic link is in another language, the second is at marthastewart [and I'm being lazy and can't find the exact link right now]).
•        

• Color swirl soap:  http://blog.thesage.com/2009/04/13/melt-pour-soap-day-2/
• 

• Another how to for color swirl soap:  http://www.halderman.net/soap/instructions/mpswirling.htm   LOTS of good recipes and additional info here, too.  (for recipes:  http://www.halderman.net/cgi-bin/showrecipe.pl?mp)
• Coffee and cream soap recipe:  http://www.soaprecipes101.com/homemade-soap-recipes/glycerin-soap-recipe/
• more helpful beginning sites:  http://www.chasenfratz.com/soaprecipes/
• http://www.cacageworks.com/t-meltandpourinstructions.aspx

• And if you want to try out “melt and pour” without using a purchased base, you can use soaps, like ivory and others, that are not a “deodorant or detergent”  This gets into an area called “rebatching” soap. It’s a little more complicated, but there’s lots more to be found on the topic if you’re interested.
• http://www.bearmountainbooks.com/category/hobbies/lotions-and-potions/melt-and-pour-soap/
• and another:  http://rebatchbase.wordpress.com/recipes-for-handmilled-soap/

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Developing Thankfulness in the Hearts of our Children- with an I-spy

John and I had served our turn of the month in children’s church Sunday.  Since it was the Sunday before Thanksgiving, we wanted to do something with the kids that would focus them on that special day.  We made and talked about/used our “I-spy something I’m thankful for” jars.  The point is to find an item in the jar and tell what it reminds you to be thankful for.  For the parents, we included a little tag with a list of the 45 items and the reason for the jar and some examples of how it works.  The jars aren’t anything new, there’s lots of versions and tutorials out there.   The concept applying it to Thankfulness is what I wanted to share here.  I’m sure you could make one to pass around the dinner table with your family/dinner guests on Thanksgiving day, too.  The responses to why you’re reminded to be thankful by a given item can be very personalized.

The items to make these were mostly around the house (at least around a crafter/carpenter/gardener/scrounger/packrat house).  There are 10 or so that are a bit of a cheat and use little things punched out of card stock.  The snowflake was a ribbon that I cut into pieces, as was the rainbow and the red, white and blue ribbon.  I cut crosses out of brown felt and shirts out of some T-shirt scraps (they don’t fray).  I made bitty books out of scrap paper- stapled the insides and then glued on a colorful cover.  A few items were beads.  Most everything else came from small found items around the house or outside.  The birthday candle, pencil, and crayon where cut in half or in small stubby pieces.  Obviously, use what you have and can find that will fit the category of things to be thankful for (most anything!)  I used clear spice jars (the ones from Aldi’s have easy to remove labels) and I swapped some lids from other jars that fit, but didn’t have the little flip tops (=less glueing to secure everything).  The tops were glued on at the end to prevent any untimely messes.  I used poly beads to fill most of mine (I had some on hand), but ran out when I made up the rest at home and used rice to finish.  Some people use bird seed for a filler.

Some logistics:  I put my items into egg cartons- 2 in each hole- so it only took 2 egg cartons to carry all the items to go inside the jars.  Unfortunately, I didn’t put anything over my items to keep them from shifting all over to the other spaces in the carton.  It happens no matter how careful you are not to tip them.  (I tested it on the way home.  They didn’t spill on the way there just because John carried the bag to the car- shouldn’t have blamed him for the mess!)  So, I recommend putting a napkin, tissue, paper towel, washcloth,or something else over your items in the spaces before transporting.  It will save you a lot of fumbling, time, and exposure of all those little goodies (not good in a room of busy little ones)!  I handed items to the kids and let them put each thing in their own jars (Except the busiest two year old who wasn’t interested).  I put the filler beads in.  You might be able to let kids help with this if you have a nice flat container of beads/rice, a scoop and a funnel.  I put a bead of hot glue around the inside of the lid and screwed it on quickly.  (Putting it on the jar itself didn’t work).  Tags I had made up and put on a rubber band for simple attachment to the jars.  I just printed on card stock, cut them out, and “laminated” with clear wide tape.  The tag is the first thing to be removed and crumpled, but at least it starts out with the jar, gives parents the idea, and can go back on easily.  I brought a sharpie marker to write names on jars and tags.

Here’s the info I included on the tag.  I made it fit in two columns on a page of cardstock, 4 in a column (so you could get 8 per page).  I used a size 6 font to make it fit, so it’s pretty small.

I spy… something I’m thankful for! 

Spy something in the jar.  Tell what it reminds you to be thankful for.  There may be more than one reason!  

Examples:A feather could remind you to be thankful for birds, chickens (and eggs), or for a comfortable bed.  A bobby pin might remind you to be thankful for your grandma (or someone else who wears them), or to be thankful that you have hair.  A candle may remind you to be thankful for birthdays, celebrations, or light.  A piece of rainbow ribbon might remind you of God’s promises or the beautiful colors around us.  

There are 45 items.  Here’s a list of what to look for.

pencil      candle     button     bell     paperclip

fish      toothpick     teddybear     penny     girl

apple      rubber band     house/castle     car     flower

butterfly     rock     train     shell     nail

screw     crayon     bobby pin     kidney bean     kernel of corn

star     raisin     feather    cross     smiley face

snowflake     marble      shirt     book     twig

safety pin     google eye     heart     tack     boy

pumpkin seed        piece of electric wire        piece of rainbow ribbon

piece of red, white, and blue ribbon          water drop (blue drop bead)

We only had 4 kids in class (two were ours) but it was a busy day!  I love how they turned out.  I especially like that they are so compact- a nice small size to fit in a bag or purse without much hassle, but still plenty to keep a little one occupied.  They will be joining the busy bags for our trip to NC this Christmas.

What ideas do you have for developing thankfulness in the hearts of your children?

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Dryer balls from felted sweaters- no sew or very low sew

Yes, I have a clothes line, and I’d love to have it fit better into my life.  But right now, it doesn’t.  I rarely make it out to hang clothes early enough, and when I do, I forget to get them off in time at night.  Then they stay out overnight, I have to wait till part way through the next day to get the dampness from overnight off, and then, they’re full of spiders!  Yuck!  On ambitious, good drying days, I still get some stuff hung.  But kids clothes and diapers take a lot more work to hang up (all those little socks and pieces!), so it’s usually blankets, towels, T shirts, and pants.  Consequently, my dryer gets a lot of use, even in the summer.

Back in the spring, my sister saw some “fluffalumps” over here (when she was searching for something else) and thought I might be interested.  This is what they look like.

They’re dryer balls.  The basic idea is that the balls allow lifting and better air flow around the clothing in the dryer.  They’re supposed to be good for keeping cloth diapers fluffy, too.  I haven’t paid attention yet to see if it REALLY takes less time and energy to dry the clothes, but others have and say it works.  For the minimal cost and effort it takes to make these, I’m game.

I found another tutorial to make dryer balls here.

But wanted a simpler no-sew version (or at least very low sew).  Partially to make them quicker and partially because I saw potential for a MOPS activity, and I know many don’t have any interest or ability in sewing.  I don’t know if we’ll ever make them at MOPS or not, but here’s the no sew version, either way.

I tried this tutorial mostly as instructed.  “Felt” the sweaters by washing in hot water and then drying.  Cut into sections- I used a sleeve or half of a front or back per ball.  They end up about the size of a softball.  Some go for tennis ball size or variety. I have half a dozen in my dryer, but some say use a dozen.  You pick, I guess.

My change was instead of cutting strips and sewing them back together, I just cut one long strip.  You can go back and forth, or you can spiral around, it doesn’t really matter which way.  (Note, this one has been wound once, then set back in the original shape, so it looks stretched.)

When you wrap them, you do want to wrap very snuggly.  Since my strips change directions, I change direction in my winding.  I hold the end securely in place while I wrap the other direction,  Then I wrap overtop of the place where direction was changed, make sure it’s snug, and continue until I’m done winding.  Then pin the end and whip stitch it

   

I had several unravel immediately, despite wrapping very tightly.  If I was going to do it that way again, I’d stitch the top layer of winding in several spots around the ball.  But that takes more time than I wanted to spend.

 

So I tried a few other ideas.  One I put the toe of an old sock over and secured with some yarn.  It works fine, but the cotton sock fabric “sticks” to the clothes and makes its way out of the dryer and into the clothes basket a lot more frequently.  (A problem when you may not get that basket of laundry fully put away for a week or more…)

One I did a quick wrap, NOT in a ball shape.  It may perform it’s function, I’m not sure.  But it gets stuck in the clothes a lot as well, and doesn’t look as nice, so I don’t suggest it.

I did a quick finish ball using safety pins (3 pins, but really didn’t matter much).  A few safety pins worked their way off in the dryer.  Others held fine, but after a week or two, they ball found a way to unravel, just like with the ones I’d stitched closed at the end.

After letting the unraveled ones pile up on my dryer for a few weeks, I finally didn’t have any left in the dryer (unraveled or hidden in the clothes baskets…).  So I wrapped them back up into nice tight balls, used one safety pin to secure (the cheap ones from the dollar store work fine for this) and put it in an old pair of panty hose.  I made a string of them before cutting apart to make the knots more easily with less waste.  Make a knot, put the ball in, stretch tight, twist, and make another knot.  I’d make two knots for each end, just for added security to keep the nylon on the ball.

These have worked much better,  They don’t really stick to the clothing (except for velcro) and they can’t unravel.  I think I’d still recommend breaking out a needle and thread to sew the end (pin in place so it stays tight while you sew).  The head of the safety pin will work it’s way out of the nylon, but I think that even with a run in the encasing layer, it will still hold the ball tightly together to prevent unraveling.   Hooray!  No more rats nest ex-dryer balls in my dryer!  Update:  I started to write this up back in July, but I’ve had a busy summer and fall.  Now I can report on how these really held up.

Here’s what mine look like after living in my dryer for 3 1/2 months.  The one to the far left has lost it’s pin and made a bunch more trips in the dryer since.  It is the most exposed.  I’ll have to stitch it soon, but it’s still hanging in there!

Conclusions:  I’d really skip the safety pins and just stitch the end, or use some liquid stitch (or other fabric glue) to secure the ends.  (Pin it while the glue dries, though.)  And if you have a selection of nylons to choose from, go thicker.  The big damage on my dryer balls came from the safety pins working through the nylons.   They still are completely functional and haven’t unraveled, I’m just unsure of how long they’ll still hold up, and I have lost some more safety pins as they work their way out.  They do still come out of the dryer if they’re inside of something big, like a sheet or blanket, but they don’t stick to the laundry and come out hidden that way.

Bottom line, I’m still pleased, and I’d still make more.

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