Checkerboards for Shoeboxes

By now, you know that I'm always looking for things for shoeboxes. I had seen several tic-tac-toe boards made out of felt so I decided that I could put a checkerboard on the other side.

Materials needed:
Felt rectangle for each one
Sharpie
Ruler
Scissors

The felt rectangles that I've seen are all 9 x 12". You can also buy felt by the yard but I've not done that. The felt costs 25 cents to 29 cents per piece.
Measure and cut the rectangle to be a 9" square.
Measure 1/2" from each side and use the sharpie and ruler to draw a border all the way around.
Measure across from inside each border at 1" intervals. Draw lines across.

Turn the felt square a quarter turn and mark the 1" intervals going across the other direction to make 1" squares on the felt. You will have 8 squares by 8 squares.

Next, draw diagonal lines with the sharpie in every other square, alternating on each line to make a checkerboard pattern on the complete sheet of felt.

Next, with the sharpie, draw diagonal lines the opposite direction on top of the first lines.

Complete the checkerboard. On the opposite side, draw a simple tic-tac-toe board, 3 squares across.

For the game pieces, cut circles out of the extra felt  that you cut off to make the board square. You need 12 circles or 2 different colors for the checkerboard. You can use the same circles for the tic-tac-toe board. If you are only doing the t-t-t, you need 5 of each color. 

Or you can use small bottle caps or lids for game pieces.

Ok, so here is another inexpensive items to put in your Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes! Start making the now so that you can fill more boxes for more children. National Collection Week is the 3rd week in November, the week before Thanksgiving.

Butterflies in Flight

Hope you enjoy this one. 

I am in Dallas as this posts at the annual OCC Connect Conference. I hope to learn lots and maybe have some more fun shoebox things to share with you when I get back. 

Friends Collage

Materials needed:
Hot Off the Press Victorian stamp set
Feel Goods stamp set (SU # 129684)
Coastal Cabana card stock 4 1/4/x 5 1/2"
White card stock 4 x 5 1/4"
Patterned paper 3 3/4 x 5"
Patterned paper 3 x 3"
3/16" Corner punch
Memento Tuxedo Black ink


I wish that I could tell you where I got this cool patterned paper. It is a double sided with the blue pattern on one side and the tan on the other. I don't think it was SU! but I'm not really sure. Sorry about that.
The ladies faces are a collage mix of several stamps in a set from Hot off the Press from 2009. I used the masking technique to stamp several different faces and then cut them to fit the space I had. The papers are layered as you see here.

Make a Clutch Bag for Shoeboxes

A friend from another area church showed me how to make these. I've added some embellishments to mine but that is up to the individual. They will be great in a shoe box for an older girl. She can use it as a purse or just something to store her things in.
I'll show you several that I did and then I'll give you the super easy instructions. (If I'm making it, it's got to be easy!)

Materials needed:
Sewing machine
Thread
$1 Place mats
Velcro
Embellishments
   Silk flowers
   Buttons
   Appliques

Like I said, these are really easy to make. I found place mats at the Dollar Tree for $1. I'm sure you can find them other places too but this was the best deal I found. Wal-Mart had some nice ones for $2. 
Fold the place mat up about 1/3 of the length of the mat with the wrong side out (if you plan on turning). Sew one seam up each side to hold it together. Turn. (My friend says that she doesn't turn hers because they already have a finished edge so this is a personal decision. I like them turned.) Cut about 1 1/2" of Velcro/hook and loop tape. If you have the sticky back kind, just press it in place near the center of the bag about an inch or so from the edge. If it is the sew on type, then sew. Fold the top over and you are basically finished,  unless you want to add embellishments. 

Being a scrapbooker and card maker, I guess I always add embellishments. The first ones I did, I iron on-ed some cute appliques that I had had for years. I bought them when my girls were little and I was sewing for them. I just never used these. My girls are now 47 and 43 years old, so I've had them a while! I looked at local fabric stores for appliques but don't like the current prices so I decided to look around my craft room. With lots of silk flowers in my closet, that was a natural to use. I sewed 3-4 petals on with my machine. Then I sewed a button on by hand over the machine sewing. You can add most anything that you have on hand that you think will look pretty to these or you can leave them plain. It's all up to how you want to make them. Any way you do it, these young ladies will love your handiwork!

National Collection Week for shoe boxes with Operation Christmas Child is the week before Thanksgiving. It's never too early to start getting ready!

Ready for Spring

By the time that the dear lady this card is intended for gets this, we will be well into spring, at the end of March. I hope that the weather is cooperating for us by then!

Materials needed:

Coastal Cabana card stock 4 1/4 x 5 1/2"
Summer Smooches patterned paper (#125409) 4 x 5 1/4"

Baked Brown Sugar card stock

White card stock

Scrap pieces of patterned paper

Scotch  Expressions Washi tape

Sizzix Embossing folder

Secret Garden framelits dies (#129372)

Framelits Labels Collection (#125598)

Basic Jewels Pearls (#119247)

Brad

Word Window punch

Modern Label punch

Island Indigo ink

3/16" corner punch

Small hole punch

Stampin' Dimensionals

This is actually an easy card to make. It just has a lot of pieces. Emboss and cut the Framelits Label from Bake Brown Sugar card stock. Adhere it in the middle of the patterned paper. 

Cut 3 different size flowers from the Secret Garden dies. Layer them on top of each other and punch a small hole in the center. Place a brad in the center to hold the flower pieces together. Use dimensionals on the back of the flower piece to pop it above the embossed label piece.

Because the Washi tape is thin and somewhat see through, I used 2 layers of it, one on top of the other, so that the pattern on the tape would show better. 

The rest of the card is just following the picture. Like a said, an easy card to make, just lots of pieces. It's a great one to make assembly line style. I made 6 of the same card this morning to send to birthday friends.

Just to Say Thank you

Materials needed:

Field Flowers stamp set SU (122762)

Greetings from March Paper Pumpkin kit SU

Bermuda Bay card stock 4 1/4 x 5 1/2'

Summer Smooches patterned paper 4 x 5 1/4"

White card stock

Bermuda Bay ink
Strawberry Slush ink
Primrose Petals ink
Gumball Green ink
Doily
3/16" Corner punch
Stampin' Dimenionals

I put the flowers on the stem on dimenionals so they would pop better.

Simple play mat for shoeboxes

I found this on Pinterest about a month ago. It's a simple way for a child to carry their matchbox cars with them. I started thinking about this and remembered that my grandson had a play mat type of rug when he was little. He loved driving his cars all around it. I've seen some of these since I did this one but they are a little more complicated than what I've done. I like simple with little or no sewing. So here is mine.

This was made with a solid colored man's handkerchief, a little bit of sewing (straight lines),and a black sharpie. 

I folded the handkerchief over 1/3 of the way. Sew the folded 1/3 on the sides and then sew straight lines about 2 1/2" wide down the folded section making pockets. You can make 8 pockets at this size or you can make fewer bigger pockets. Both will work. 

Use a pencil to free hand draw some lines for roads. Make them wide enough for a matchbox car to fit on. After you free hand your roads and have them how you want, then go over them with a black sharpie. The sharpie is permanent and will not wash off even after a lot of washings. The lake or pond in the middle is optional. I used some blue acrylic paint but fabric paint will work just as well, maybe better. I just dabbed the paint on the handkerchief and let it dry for a while. 

You can sew a piece of rick rack, yarn, ribbon, or fabric on one edge for wrapping and closing the play mat. To close, fold it in thirds and tie with the yarn around it like you see in the second picture. On the blue one below, I numbered the pockets to help with number recognition and counting. The majority of the world has numbers that look the same no matter what language they speak.

As you can see, I tried using different designs of handkerchiefs. They have a large variety at Hobby Lobby for 99 cents to $1.29. I think I like the solid ones better but that is just personal opinion. 

You can also add trees, buildings, etc on to the play mat, depending on your artistic ability.

When they are rolled up and tied, they will easily fit in a shoebox with 3 or 4 cars in them.

I've added a bit to the play mat (3/15/15). I used Memento Ink, Tuxedo Black and stamped a few animals on the mat.

I used stamps from SU! Zoo Review (#122197) and Every Little Bit (#120558). I recently ordered Zoo Babies (#130456) that I think will be really cute on here also. I used the brush end of a Pacific Point blue marker to make the lines on the pond.