DIY Bell Bottom Jeans

Remember my ugly jeans? When life gives you an extra 10 pounds lemons, I say make lemonade! First we turned them into cuffed jean shorts. And guess what we're using the leftover scraps for? Yes, bell bottoms!

The flair trend is great for us pear shapes for a couple of reasons. First, it balances the hip width. And second, it forces me to wear heels for desperately needed height!

Enough rambling, ready for the how to? This one is a bit more complex than the shorts so stay with me. You will need:

• A pair of fitted jeans (not jeggings but not baggy)
• Denim scraps from making shorts
• Seam ripper (scissors will also work)
• Scissors or fabric cutter
• Sewing machine (or a friend with one, thanks Nikki!)
• Pins

First, open the outer leg seam of the jeans. I went up about 18 inches, which was not quite knee height. I used a seam ripper to get started and then just ripped it to where I had marked. I also opened about an inch of the hem on each side of the seam.  

You can open the entire hem if you don't want to re-hem at the end. This will just add about an inch to the length. Clean up the open seam and pull out the loose threads.

Next, take your bottom denim pieces from making the shorts. Cut down the side seam to open up the fabric into one flat piece. Now fold over and measure 18 inches.

This is the slightly tricky part for me. You are basically cutting a triangle piece to sew into the leg seam. You want the base of the triangle to be 6 inches wide and the top to be 2 inches wide. (Of course, you can go wider if you want more flare.)

After you fold over the fabric, use a ruler to mark 1 inch in at the top and 3 inches in at the bottom. Then draw a line to connect or use a ruler and cut on the diagonal to make your triangle.

The next piece is easy because you can just use the first one as your guide. Then put them together to see if they match up (right side facing in) and trim up an errors.

Now turn your jeans inside out and pin in the fabric triangle, making sure you match up the end open hems. Then sew it in.

Finally re-hem. You may have to do this by hand if your sewing machine won't go through the denim layers.

Voila! Super cute bell bottoms! I kinda wish I had gone even wider ... though I'm not quite ready to try any crazy fabric quite yet.

What do you guys think of this trend? Is it something you would wear?

Linking to Get Your Craft On and Tips & Tutorials Tuesday - Home Stories A2Z

DIY Cuffed Jean Shorts

Got a pair of jeans that make you look fat? Oh the therapy that comes from ripping them apart. But seriously, you can save yourself some big bucks this season by making not one - but two! - projects from one pair of jeans!

First, shop your closet for a pair of jeans that are too long, too short, too whatever to turn into cute cuffed shorts. Or thrift a pair like mine above - Loft boyfriend jeans for $7.

Second, gather supplies. You will need:

• Pair of jeans
• Scissors (shearing scissors if you have them for less fraying)
• Tape measure
• Pencil

Third: Decide how long you want the shorts to be. This momma does not really wear short shorts so I erred on the longish side when cutting. Measure the inseam allowing an extra 2 inches for folding and mark your length. TIP: Lay the legs on top of one another so you only have to cut once. D'oh!

I started by cutting at 10 1/2 inches, went back to cut at 9 1/2 and finally again at 8 1/2. So that's roughly 6 1/2 inches of length after rolling. But these jeans are pretty baggy so they sit low on the waist.

Next: Cut a triangular notch about 1 inch high on the outside of each leg. You need some give in order to roll the pants. Otherwise you'll get some unsightly bulges, a la muffin top.

Almost there: Put them on, roll twice, and assess length. Are they even? Does the length feel right? Wear them around for a bit to see how they feel. After an hour of wearing mine I decided they needed to be a smidge shorter so cut a bit more.

Sorry, no full body shots. These legs are too lily white! But seriously, could that be any easier?

Finally: Don't throw away the denim scraps! DIY project #2 is coming up.

give | Homemade Herb Soap Tutorial

First up from the herb garden - my very own soap! I thought this would be a lovely homemade Mother's Day or Teacher Appreciation gift. I picked up some plain, unscented glycerin soap and added herbs from the new garden and some citrus. I love the smell and bright green color of mint.

I diced up some rosemary to add with lemon zest.

I found some great napkins at Goodwill (where else) for 25 cents and some 50% off ribbon at Hobby Lobby for some easy gift wrapping.

I also thought about putting them on pretty antique plates found at Goodwill for $2. But does it look like I'm giving someone a slice of lemon cake? LOL

Herb and Citrus Soap
Recipe adapted from Martha

You'll need:
Glycerin soap (sold at craft stores)
Assorted herbs & citrus - I used basil, mint, rosemary, orange and lemon
Food processor
Glass bowl or measuring cup
Plastic spoon or scraper
Soaps molds - any plastic or cardboard container will do
Cooking spray

1. Melt soap
Put the soap blocks in glass bowl & melt in the microwave for 30 second intervals until melted. Stir every so often to break up big chunks.

2. Prepare additives
While melting, puree the herbs and squeeze out excess water in a paper towel. For citrus, zest the peel. You'll need about 1 tablespoon of additives for each cup.
FYI - Orange + basil = an unattractive muddy green brown color. 

3. Get mould containers ready
You can buy cute moulds at the craft store, but any plastic container will work, even your Ziploc containers. Though you might want to use something you can just pitch in the recycle bin when finished rather than trying to clean. Use old milk cartons or even yogurt cups. Spray with cooking spray and wipe out excess.

4. Add purees
Once glycerin is melted, let it stand & cool for a few minutes. Before it sets too much, add the additives. Keep stirring to ensure they don't all float to the bottom. When you have the color you want (more time stirring = darker color) pour into container.

5. Setting the mould
Let the soap sit on the counter for about an hour to completely set. Then put in the freezer for another hour or so. Then it should pop right out. Slice with knife, give to someone you love and use within 3 months.

P.S. Circle of Moms nominated us for their Top 25 Moms with Style Blogs. Just takes a second to click and give us the thumbs up. You can vote once a day! Thank you!

Homemade Pasta - Best Meal Ever

I am in love with homemade pasta. My kick of doing things myself (root beer, yogurt, cheese, pizza) continues, and I thought homemade pasta was sure to be delish. I was not disappointed! Plus it was amazingly easy.

Nikki agreed to show me her technique. For 3 adults, 2 toddlers and 2 babies we used 4 eggs (set out an hour before) and roughly 3 1/2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour.

Make a volcano with the flour and crack the eggs into the center. Whip with a fork and start incorporating the flour a little at a time.

Continue incorporating the flour until it's easier to do with your hands than with a fork. It will look something like loose dough. Then you knead for 10 minutes. (I don't think we kneaded this long, maybe 5 tops, and it was fine.) Punch a hole with your left thumb and use the heel of your right to bring the dough around. The will ensure the dough turns itself inside out.

Wrap with Saran Wrap and let the dough rest on the counter for about an hour. After it rests, slice off a section and start rolling. With a wine bottle if you have too... Nikki forgot her pasta roller and I don't have a rolling pin. Oops. You want it very, very thin. Keep flour nearby to help with the rolling.

Put a big pot of salty water on to boil at this point too. Slice the pasta into thin strips and put 'em all together in a bowl. It's okay if they clump together. 

Separate the pasta as you drop into the boiling water. You only need to cook 3-4 minutes - don't over cook! - and it's ready to eat immediately. Drain, put back into the pot, and add the creamy sauce (recipe below.) If you're like me, you'll want to stand and devour the entire pot. YUM.

Homemade Pasta with Creamy Sauce
Ingredients for Creamy Sauce 
(Nikki is a pro in the kitchen, which means she doesn't really measure things. I've done my best to capture what actually went into the dish.)

• Couple of TBs of olive oil
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1 container mushrooms
• 1/2 of a red onion, chopped
• 1 cup cream
• 1 cup shredded parmesan
• 1 cup frozen peas
• Fresh tarragon, de-stem and roughly chop
• Salt & Pepper

Preparation
Heat olive oil in saute pan, add butter and melt. Add the mushrooms and let them cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the onion and continue to saute for 5-7 minutes more. Add the cream and parmesan. Let it cook for another few minutes and add frozen peas. You could also add some proscuitto here. Give that a minute or two to warm up. Add the tarragon and finish with salt and pepper.

DIY :: Green Goo

Remember me mentioning that I was pretty unambitious in the craft area? Well, here's our ode to green with mysterious Green Goo.

I'm sure every mom out there has done this already (1 cup cornstarch, 1/2 cup water, food coloring) but it was SO cool!

I could have played with this stuff for hours - it's solid, it's liquid, it's gooey. It was hard to share!

DIY :: St. Patty's Projects

via The Mother Huddle

I'm ready to get my craft on for St. Patty's Day. Caroline loves to paint her nails so I think green polish is up first.

Picks for adults:
Yes, most involve a bit of booze. Aren't those the best holidays? Like Cinco de Mayo, it's pretty much just an excuse to have a drink. These lift your spirits in unexpected ways.

 Chocolate Stout Cake

Homemade Leprechaun Spirits

 Beer Soap 

Picks for kids: 
Nothing too elaborate here as most are appropriate for a preschooler and an unambitious mom. I'm always amazed at the creativity of the moms out in blogland. I'm always like, Why didn't I think of that?!

Thumb print leprechauns

Shamrock cookies

Split pea shamrock

Green collage shamrock

Potato print shamrocks

What projects are you planning? Send me a photo & I'll post!

diy | $185 Bracelet for $5

Would you rather spend $185 for this version?

Or $5 for this DIY version?

Thought so.

I picked up the parts for both bracelets at the local hardware store for $10. The twine was the most expensive part and there's plenty left to tie up many a roast chicken. The DIY directions didn't give much in the way of specifics, just twine and small hex nuts. Uh, there are a lot of different options for twine....

I went with Wellington Cabled Cotton Premium Multi-Purpose Twine and 10-32 diameter hex nuts (vs 8-32 or 6-32). Picked up both gold & silver colors for variety. Just 15 cents each! 

Some helpful hints when braiding. First, anchor the twine with something - a wine bottle works nicely. And a helper nearby or a third hand is handy. Especially if you've had a glass (or two) of wine. Always on the lookout for process improvement, Nikki threaded more than one nut at a time, which helped when trying to keep tension.

I think it turned out pretty nicely. Gotta figure out how to seal the ends because I can't tie it on by myself. Otherwise, perfection!

Hey, maybe I have a 2nd career as a hand model? Ok, that's Nikki's hand. Don't you love her ring?

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