Finished Object Friday - Mop Cover (And Tutorial!)

Whew. I don't know about you, but March has been a busy month for us! I've been so busy enjoying things, that I haven't taken much time to blog about them! It's pretty crazy when my last post was a Finished Object Friday post. Oh, well...

I had been wanting for a while to try to make a cover for my mop.

Here is a list of the supplies that I used:
Cotton fabric - One 6x12 inch piece
Terry Cloth - two 6x12 inch pieces
Velcro (just the soft "fuzzy" side)
Ribbon

Tools:
My Rotary cutter and Mat
Pins
Fabric Marker
Sewing machine!

Using the original mop cover, I figured out that my cutting ruler (6x12 inches) was just about the right size for a pattern. So I just cut each piece to that size.

 I actually cute two pieces of terry cloth and stitched them together with two seams down the middle. (That's where the pen came in handy - I just laid them flat on top of each other and after tracing two lines, just sewed straight down.)

I then sewed two strips of the velcro (both the fuzzy part) to the right side of the cotton "fun" fabric. This is what holds the cover to the mop. I tried just using terrycloth for a simple cover, but the terry cloth got really snagged in the barbs of my mop. I don't think it would have lasted through many uses!

Next, I was ready to make my "cover sandwich!" I made a loop out of fun ribbon for a little hanger for the pad. Layer with the terrycloth first, then the loop of ribbon (loop facing inside) and the cotton fabric with the right side and velcro facing down. Then sew around the perimeter leaving an opening to turn.

Clip the corners to help it lay flatter before turning right side out.

Pin opening closed and sew a top stitch around the outside.

And the good news - this doesn't just work for my Freedom mop - it also works for a Swiffer as well. (and hopefully many more mops similar!)

I hope this is helpful! Let me know if you make a cover, I'd love to see how your's turns out! And let me know if you have any questions - I'm certainly no pro at sewing or at tutorial writing so I may have left something out! Or maybe you have some pointers for me! :)
So now it's your turn! What have you been crafting recently? I'm excited for you to share your projects!

Finished Object Friday - S'mores Cake

You may have noticed I have been out of pocket for a while! Sorry about that. I had something unexpected come up that was out of my control and it took up several days. But I am recovering from that busy time and am getting everything back on track. (Washed several loads of laundry last night... now to just get it all folded!!) :)

So, FOF is a week late, but we'll just pick up from here, if that's alright with you! ;)

I made this cake a few weeks ago.

You talk about YUMMY!!! The cake recipe is the one that I use for basically all the cakes I make. I realized recently that I have never posted the actual recipe here. It is always soo yummy and moist - and VERY easy. A good "first cake" for young bakers.

Here's the recipe:

Wacky Cake (or Chocolate Stir Cake)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

sift:

1 1/2 cup flour

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Add:

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup water

Stir in liquid ingredients until flour is consumed. Pour in 9x9 in pan. Bake 30 minutes or less (until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.)

Just some tips:

•  Greasing the pan isn't necessary unless you are removing the cake to decorate it. In fact you can mix it all up in the pan you are going to bake it in if you wish!
• For a 9x13 in pan, I double the recipe.
• And yes, there are no eggs!! I love tasting the batter! :) (and I've made it enough, I would probably know if I missed an ingredient!) 
• for something yummy, quick and simple, you can do as I did in the picture above. Just top it with plenty of marshmallows and chocolate chips and broil until the marshmallows are toasted. SUPER yummy! And you for this you can bake the cake the day before then add the toppings and broil just before serving.

So maybe you've made this cake before? Or maybe you've made something else in the last few weeks! Anyone else ready for some spring crafting? :)

Adoption news for the week

Well, the saying goes "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." What that saying fails to mention is all the other thousands of steps it takes before reaching the desired destination!

Our adoption journey has been a series of many steps - some big, some small. Sometimes it seems like a sprint, and sometimes a marathon. I guess it really is a marathon because even when the adoption is finalized, our journey with our new family member will just be beginning.

This week was one of those bigger steps - our main home study meeting! Yes, that meeting about which so many adoptive parents obsess about. We were no exception! :) Mark took the day off to catch up on some work outside, and I cleaned and cleaned all day! I think we could have just about entertained the Queen after all of that! And yes, what they say is true. At the homestudy, they are much more concerned about your providing a safe home and a loving family than they are if you have dust on your baseboards!

And, yes, the meeting went great! Mostly, our social worker had questions about how we felt about certain issues now that we have learned more about open adoption, and also questions about how we felt about certain situations or what kinds of circumstances we felt that we were open to. Lots of talking, and yes Mark did his share! (for those of you who know my quiet husband!) :)

We have had such a positive experience thus far! All the people that we have worked with at the agency have been so professional and sweet and helpful! We are excited to find out just where the next step in the journey will lead us!

Finished Object Friday: Winter Flowers

Who doesn't want a little cheer to brighten up these cloudy winter days? :) Mom and I spent a little time crafting the other day - so fun!! She made some really cute flowers too, but here are mine (plus some... we didn't have long enough to do all we wanted...)  ;)

Felt is so fun to work with - it doesn't unravel or shed so you can just cut it to the shape you want!

These were some of my favorites - soo fast and easy! I made a handful!! (Not all of them are pictured...) :)

and I love these colors!! So bright! (I used this tutorial.)

 I love this one as well... matches several of my wintery outfits! :)

This was a quick and fun little tshirt flower. (Tutorial here.)

It didn't turn out quite like I had hoped. I think next time I would make it a bit bigger - maybe I would have less separation where I tied it off. But still... fun and super easy especially with a rotary cutter! 

 

So what have you been up to? I'm ready to see some of your craftiness!! :) 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Many blessings from our home to yours!