Refrigerator Magnets

Not only do I love to make gifts, but I really love to make gifts that don't cost very much and are still awesome. This was one of those gifts. Refrigerator magnets. Because what grandma, aunt, and uncle doesn't want to have that adorable baby all over their fridge? 

The first thing I did was create the pictures. I made 2 different 4x6" pictures, each containing six 2x2" pictures. This was done in Photoshop. I started with a blank 4x6 then added my cropped pictures one-at-a-time. Lining them up was the hard part, but once the first once was made, I used that as the canvas for the second one and it went much faster. 

I then ordered 4 of each picture. I ordered these pictures through the 1-hour photo at Wal-Mart. It was less than $2 total. 

I gathered the other supplies: 

-Scissors

-Paper cutter

-Sharpie

-Ritz boxes

-Double-sided tape squares

-Random business card magnets

-Hot glue

Once I had my pictures, I cut them out and separated them into their piles. I had 4 piles of 12 square pictures.

I then cut up the ritz boxes into 2x2 squares using my scissors and paper cutter. (You could use other boxes, those were just the ones I had available)

I used my sharpie to color all of the edges of the blank side of the cardboard squares. I did this because not all of my pictures and not all of my cardboard were exactly 2x2. The black edges just gave it a cleaner look.

I also used my sharpie to color the skinny edges. This also helped give a nicer and cleaner look.

 I then placed 2 double sided tape squares on the back of each photo and centered the photo on the cardboard.

The magnets were then cut just smaller than 2" to fit on the back of the cardboard. The other dimension was cut based on the strength of the magnet.

I then hot glued one magnet to the back of each picture. 

I tested all of the magnets on my fridge to make sure they worked and they did! I loved them!

I made 4 sets so I could keep one for our fridge. I think I will be making some of  these every couple of months!

~K.A.N.

Mustache Cup Cozy

This is a project that I made for my sister for her Birthday/Christmas present. I technically gave her 3 things, so I figured I could count it for both holidays. 

I had wanted to make her a cup cozy for her gift and had seen several different ideas on Pinterest. Some were sewn, some were crocheted, and some were knitted. I was originally going to sew her one, but after talking to my mom, she thought the crocheted and knitted ones were cuter. Since I am no pro at knitting, I decided to crochet one and I love how it turned out!!

The first step was to find a mug to fit the cozy to.

This mug originally had a rubber cow pattern "cozy" on it. To my surprise, it came off super easy! So I cleaned the mug really well and decided to use it. 

I then crocheted the cozy. I used the same technique for the main part as I used for the brim of my little man's Santa hat in this pattern. I simply made a rectangle that fit the mug nicely. I then single crocheted around the whole thing, added two loops on one end and two buttons on the other. 

The mustache is made from felt. I drew out a pattern, cut it out, then stitched it on using regular black thread. 

 Here is the back of the mug:

In my wallet, I found a Starbucks card that still had some value, so I put that in the mug and sent it!

I love how it turned out and love even more how simple it was. 

~K.A.N.

Baby Gift

One of my professors had a baby boy over spring break! I was so excited for him and decided to make him a gift. I love Joann's and one of my very favorite days is black Friday when they have their huge flannel sale. It is awesome and I love to stock up. I always get 1.5 yards of a print with 1.5 yards of a matching plain color for the back. 

When I found out this professor had a baby boy, I just knew that this car fabric would be perfect. I love how they turned out and he really liked them too!

For the blanket, I cut a square piece of the print and the plain fabrics, placed them right sides together and sewed around all four sides, leaving an opening about 8 inches in the center of one side. I trimmed the edges and pulled the blanket through the opening so the correct sides were now facing out. I pressed the seams flat and sewed all the way around the edge of the blanket. 

For the burp cloths, I used Gerber cloth diapers...nice and absorbent. The center of the diapers measures about 5 by 19, so I cut two pieces of the print 6 by 20. I folded the edges under, pinned it down, and zig-zag stitched all around the edges. 

That's it! It is an easy gift perfect for any little one. 

~K.A.N.