kids cloth napkins

Hello Pretty Handy Girl readers, contributor Jaime back again to share an earth-friendly, fun and very useful tutorial as we begin to think about back to school! Today we are talking about creating DIY Kids Cloth Napkins.

Let’s make personalized cloth napkins for kids, I promise they will be the talk of the lunch table at school this year!kids cloth napkins1

I was sending my kids to school nearly every day with a large paper towel to place on the lunch table, gosh knows I don’t want my kids eating directly off the school lunch table!  Then it occurred to me that using all those paper towels was extremely wasteful.

The solution: make them personalized cloth napkins which can be washed and reused AND makes for most stylish lunch spot at the table! Read more

Mason Jar Foaming Soap Dispenser

My sweet little sister, Caitlin, sent me vintage blue Ball Mason jars for my birthday. I had resisted buying them because I might have a bit of a jar hoarding problem. (If you’re in my home, don’t open the cabinet in the laundry room. You might be horrified or shocked by all the jars I’ve rescued from the recycling.)

When I opened the package of six brand new blue jars, I knew I had to keep them and find some ways to display these beauties. Caitlin suggested I should turn one into a soap pump. I agreed, but decided to make it a foaming soap dispenser. Any one else addicted to bubbly foamy soap like I am? Raise your hand and be proud. We can start a foaming soap addicts group (right after the recycled jar addicts group meeting.)

Here’s my tutorial for turning a blue mason jar into a foaming soap dispenser.

materials_for_diy_soap_pump Read more

DIY Washer Toss Plans

Earlier this month, I ran across a roundup of super creative DIY outdoor games that Sara from MomEndeavors had put together!  After seeing how this crazy talented group of bloggers were able to build their own DIY outdoor games, I decided to try my hand at one that I’ve played for years at the firehouse when we’re not busy running calls.  So, here’s my quick tutorial on how to build your very own DIY Washer Toss Game! Read more

Metal tags for herb garden

Do you remember seeing those adorable metal tags that were part of my last post on  how to build a window box to be used as a herb garden.  The final decorative touches to the box included metal tags labeling the herbs in the planter. They were so easy to make, I figured you’d like the tutorial on how to make metal tags for your herb garden.

herb kitchen garden final Read more

star-wars-themed-party

Today we are going to talk about DIY Star Wars Birthday Party. But first, I have a special guest for you today. Jenelle is a woman who shares my passion for upcycling and creating treasures from trash. She creates at TrashN2Tees. When I say creates, I should say works amazing transformative magic on old shirts and clothing. She turns them into the most adorable shirts and accessories! Like this Fox Applique Geeky Kids shirt:

Fox_geek_shirt

And this too cute for words Hungry Bear Shirt:

Bear_stomach_shirt

But, kids’ clothing is just the beginning. She also sells jewelry made from shirts! Like these funky chunky bracelets:

Upcycled T-shirt Funky Chunky Bracelets

You won’t believe all the cool things she has in her Trash N2 Tees Etsy Shop (First time buyers receive 10% off with coupon code FTB10Off):

Trash_N2_Tees_Etsy

She also launched a clothing recycling program for used, stained or out of style clothing! She’s like the Upcycling Wonder Woman! And, she has a son who LOVES Star Wars. All you mamas of boys know how obsessive our little Jedis can be for Star Wars, right?!

Jenelle knew that her little guy deserved a fantastic Star Wars themed party that wouldn’t break the budget. She did a fabulous job creating a memorable Star Wars Party for very little money. I leave you in Jenelle’s capable hands: Read more