Michelle Barneck - 55/264 - A Little Tipsy

Pom Pom Bunny Pillow

March 19, 2013 By Michelle Barneck 5 Comments

Hi there, A Little Tipsy readers! I’m Terra from mama says sew and I’m excited to be here to share a sewing project with you today.

I’ve seen some Easter decor that have a bunny with a pom pom for a tail {see here and here}. I decided to take that idea and turn it into a bunny pillow cover.

I love his fluffy little tail.

I’ll show you how to stencil the bunny on your fabric, and then insert a zipper as you make your pillow cover. That way, you can easily change out your decor when Easter is over {and you don’t have to store an entire pillow}! Another great thing about zippered pillow covers is you don’t have to do any hand stitching to finish up.

Here’s how to make the bunny pillow.

You will need:

About 1 yard of fabric
Pillow Form
Freezer Paper
Fabric Paint or Acrylic Paint
Zipper
Sewing supplies, ie, thread, scissors, sewing machine

First, cut out two squares of fabric, the size of your pillow form, plus 1 inch. For example, if you have an 18 x 18 inch pillow form, cut out two 19 X 19 inch squares.

First, draw or trace a stencil onto freezer paper. I found the stencil I used here and enlarged it.

Cut out the stencil and iron the freezer paper onto the right side of one of your pillow squares.

Fill in the stencil with paint and allow to dry.

Peel off the stencil.

Sew your two squares right sides together along the bottom edge of what will be your pillow. This is important. Make sure the bottom of the bunny is closest to the seam.

Press the seam open and center the zipper over the wrong side of the seam with the zipper pull on the bottom, as shown. The size of your zipper isn’t a big deal, as long as it opens wide enough to insert your pillow through and is shorter than your pillow form.

Using your zipper foot, stitch up one side of the zipper.

When you get to the top of the zipper, leave the needle inside the fabric and pivot. Sew across the top of the zipper. Go back and forth a couple of times to make sure your zipper is secure. Then pivot again and go back down the other side. Pivot and go back and forth to secure the bottom of the zipper. You may find it helpful to stop and move the zipper pull as you sew, so that it is out of your way.

When you’re done, you should have something like this.

Use your seam ripper to open up the stitches on top of the zipper.

Make a pom pom and stitch it to the tail of the bunny.

I used a needle to make big stitches underneath the pom pom to hold it securely.

Match up the pillow squares right sides together and stitch around the rest of the pillowcase 1/2 inch from the edges. Make sure to unzip the zipper before you do this!

Clip your corners and turn right side out.

Insert your pillow into your new pillowcase and viola! Instant decor.

Thanks Terra for such a cute Easter project! I have seen pom poms popping up everywhere and this bunny pillow is such a fun way to try out the trend!

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Here’s the Biz #DirtyLaundry

March 18, 2013 By Michelle Barneck 125 Comments

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Biz Stain Fighter for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I actually don’t mind the laundry. Stick it in and it cleans itself while you take care of other things. But, you know what I do mind (especially with two little boys) stains. It seems like I am always battling something trying different stain fighters and sending the item through the wash cycle over and over. It’s annoying.

The other day I ended up with a stain, yes me not the kids, though it was due to one of the kidlets. I got chocolate milk dripped right in the middle of the neckline of my go to white shirt. You know the one, the staple you wear like once a week. “Why do I have to wear someone else’s mess?” I thought. Ug. Worst things was it was on the first stop on a bunch of errands so one, I had to go other places like that and two I knew it would set in and chocolate milk can be a bugger to get out when dried.
Biz Before and After
So, I tried something new, Biz. I remember my mom always used it, but I had up until this moment not. Lucky for me they sent me some to try out. Guess what? It worked like a charm the first time! I pre-treated with Biz and washed as usual with no bleach or anything and it came out spotless. Hallelujah!
And get this. Biz isn’t only for laundry detergent boosting! You can use it as a multipurpose cleaner. I am anxious to try it out on the grout between my bathroom tiles.

If you want to give it a whirl here is a $1 Biz coupon. You can also like Biz on Facebook or follow @BizStainFighter on Twitter for more tips and deals.

In the spirit of fighting laundry messes,
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Method of entry: leave a comment on this blog post telling me what your biggest #DirtyLaundry problems are. For example; kids sport uniform stains, potty training woes, etc.

Extra entry: For an extra chance to win – Follow & Tweet at @BizStainFighter and use #WinBIZSTAIN

Enter using the rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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12 Favorite Windows Phone Apps for Kids

March 14, 2013 By Michelle Barneck Leave a Comment

When getting a new phone I always like to know what are the good apps. Especially for kids, there are a lot of games that are not worth the download. So, let us save any Windows Phone users some time and share our list of our favorite Windows 8 apps for kids.

We chose to keep the list super budget friendly, so all apps listed are 99 cents or under (eight are free).

Animal Fun – question games, puzzles, matching and a sticker book, all revolving around a collection of cute cartoon animals.
Color Me – by far my 2 year old favorite app of all.
Scooby Doo – over 80 Scooby-Doo episodes
Kid Songs Machine – sings 6 classic songs with cute graphics that kids can interact with
AE Gun Ball – My favorite childhood game in mobile form.
Frogsling 2 – slingshot frogs into buckets, onto bullseyes and more.
Where’s my water? – physics-based game where you try to get the water to the alligator so he can take a shower.
AE Fruit Slash – practice your slicing action on a variety of fruit
Shuriken Ninja – My karate obsessed 5 year old’s favorite. Master the ninja star. Stars are physics based and will ricochet or stick to different surfaces. Get the right angle to break the targets.
Where’s my Perry? – a physics-based game using water in all its different forms, ice, steam and liquid, to solve the puzzle.
Star Wars Angry Birds – Star Wars + Angry Birds. Need I say more?
Cut the Rope – Cut the rope to feed candy to little monster Om Nom

Also, did you know that Windows phone comes with a separate screen for your kids?!

They get their own start screen called kid’s corner where you can customize it with music, games and apps just for them. When in Kid’s Corner they can’t access your screen and re-arrange it, download things, or make random calls to your lady dr. They are locked in to what you have approved. Is that not the best ever?!

Your phone just became yours again and they feel super cool that they have their own page. Win, win.

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Windows Phone.

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Easter Treats for Kids

March 13, 2013 By Michelle Barneck 3 Comments

We found the cutest candy molds in the Target Dollar Spot. They had bunnies, butterflies, chicks, eggs and flowers. I remembered making lollipops with my mom when I was young and how fun it was to make your own candy. I knew it would be the perfect Easter treats for kids.

Easter Treats for Kids

SUPPLIES:

Candy Mold and sucker sticks (both in the Target dollar spot kit)
Colored candy melts
Small bowls
Spoons
Toothpicks

1. Melt down the candy melts you want for your first layer of color according to package directions. You’ll only need a little bit for this step. Use a toothpick to “paint” the melts in to the detailed grooves in the mold. Let dry.

2. Melt down the colors for your second layer. Spoon the melts into the molds and move in to grooves as necessary with toothpick. Add the sucker sticks and cover them. Let this dry until the top layer is set.

3. Add your last layer (white behind butterfly antennae and chick wings) and make sure there is a thick enough layer behind the sticks to hold them securely. Let them dry completely. You can put them in the fridge if you you need to speed it up.

4. To remove from mold, turn them over and carefully wiggle them out.

These easter treats are easy for the kids to do themselves too. This bunny was made by my 5 year old and the other two by my two year old. They LOVED painting with candy!