a little last-minute valentine

these torchy little numbers - hey, it IS an Olympic year! - are a cinch
to make and easily reproduced for a crowd

my little boy and i were playing around the other day with colored cardstock and tissue paper, using it to make paper lanterns in honor of chinese new year, when i started thinking about Valentine's Day. 

lantern-making. and, no, those are not child-safe scissors.
we need to invest in some.

h isn't in school, yet, so we're not at the point where he needs to make valentines for all his classmates, but he does have some special friends and family it would be fun to celebrate this year. i got the idea to make treat cones out of the cardstock, with a tissue "flame." a home-printed tag completes the torch. the best part: all you need is a few supplies you're likely to have lying around.

supplies: heavyweight paper such as cardstock or leftover holiday cards, tissue paper squares
(approximately 6" x 6"), scissors, clear tape or glue, ribbon, hole punch, candy

to make the cones, cut the paper into rectangles - an 8.5" x 11" sheet cut into equal quadrants makes a perfect little cone, but 4" x 6" photos or 4" x 8" holiday cards work well, too. form each rectangle into a cone and secure with tape or strong glue, and decorate as you see fit - my kiddo went wild with the markers. 

this is a great way to repurpose your child's drawings

print and crop the tags, then punch a hole in the top corner of each. (click here to download and print your own "i hold a torch for you!" tags). tape a length of ribbon to the middle back of the cone and attach a tag. 

finally, fill with candy or other treats and top with the tissue paper square. (for these photos, i used hershey's kisses santa had brought us, but will invest in fair trade goodies for those we give away. click here to find out why.)

you can also use this technique to make easy little ornaments
out of last year's holiday cards to hang on this year's tree!

happy valentine's day!

small things that make me absurdly happy (a tutorial)

i guess i should be pleased that little things can bring me such unabashed pleasure. like our faucet-mounted water filter. every time i don't have to reach into the fridge for the (usually empty) brita pitcher, i am happy all over again that i bit that bullet. the cushion covers that i made for our kitchen stools are another source of absurd delight. once again, cheap ikea cushions, recycled target curtains, and leftover sewing supplies provided the source materials. this was easily a fifteen-minute project.

Materials for one cushion cover

cushions or pillow inserts (mine were a dollar find at ikea)
four 18-24" lengths of ribbon, depending on stool
four buttons
two squares of fabric, each measuring 2" wider and longer than your cushion
scissors, thread, etc.

Step 1
measure your cushion, adding 2" into the width and length. cut your fabric accordingly.

Step 1 - measure and cut

Step 2
pin right sides together and sew along three sides. in this case, i used the existing hem on my recycled curtains for the fourth side. if your fabric is not already hemmed, you'll want to press the fourth side over by about a quarter inch.

Step 3

Step 3 - sew fourth seam

turn right side out, insert cushion into cover, and machine sew as close to the finished edge as possible.










Steps 4 and 5

Step 4 - add ties

Step 5 - add buttons

fold each length of ribbon in half, and attach to each corner with a machine stitch, as shown. add buttons, being careful to center and space them appropriately.







Step 6

a little more country, a lot more comfortable

tie cushions to your bracingly uncomfortable, industrial-chic kitchen stools. resume normal use.

cool but crazy uncomfortable