Tool Time Tuesday...Recycled Cap Game

Happy Tuesday! I'm writing this Monday night with Internet and cable restored after a long weekend with hurricane Irene visiting. Thank you again for all your prayers for the east coast. So many areas are still without power and were devastated by water damage. Our 2 daughters were due to move into their university this past Sunday, but the school is still without power. No telling when it will be restored.

Today's Tool Time is a recycling project. An old fashion game in honor of roughing it with no technology or electronics this weekend... a matching cap game!!

I used caps from water bottles. Try to save the same kind or color for the game. Save something that you use a lot of...milk caps, soda bottle caps, juice bottles etc.

Here's the top and the inside of the caps...

For the matching game, measure the inside of the cap...usually inside the lip of the lid. You can also find a coin that fits in there to use as a stencil.

Now for the matching part of the game. You can use anything, but make sure you have 2 of each picture.

• letters
• shapes
• food
• animals
• numbers
• colors

You can get them from the...

• computer
• magazines
• fabric with shapes on them (I Spy fabric)
• old books
• scrap book paper
• paint chips from the hardware store

I used the alphabet. You can just print the alphabet or numbers and cut out the circle.

Towards the end of the post, I show you how to make the circles on the computer.

Cut out the shape...

and glue inside.

After you fill in all the caps with 2 of each letter or what ever item you chose, the game is all set to go.

Game instructions...

The kids can turn over all the caps to hide all the letters. Slide them around to mix them up. Then they each take turns turning over 2 caps trying to match 2 of the same item. They need to memorize where the items are to match them again on another turn.

The one with the most matches at the end of the game wins!!

Remember you can use a coin to trace the shape too, but here is the computer version for a circle.

Microsoft word...click Insert (circled in black) Click the pictures to enlarge to see it better.

Then click "Shapes"

Drop down selection you will click oval, but that makes a circle too.

Over to the far right is a measuring box. My caps were .75 of an inch across. When you put your measurements in, the circle forms in that shape.

Double click on the circle and then to the far left click the button to insert text in the circle.

Don't forget to print 2 of each one!! I didn't do the whole alphabet yet, just wanted to show you the basics.



This is not only a great game for kids to learn their letters, numbers, colors etc...it's also great for their memory.

Store the game in a little bag and it travels easily too! Perfect to keep the kids busy while waiting at appointments.

Have fun making this game with them and then playing it!!

Have a great Tuesday,

~Karen~

Blog Buddy...Flipped Pictures In A Post

Hi everyone! Just a little side note before I start. If this post goes through and isn't finished or looks weird...I'm trying to write it before the power goes out on Sunday morning of the hurricane. It's scheduled to post on Monday, so we'll see! Lol !!

Have you every loaded pictures onto a post and they look straight when you have them on your computer, but when you load them to your blog they're flipped?

Well, I am no computer expert and there may be a simple explanation for it, but here's how I fixed this problem for me a couple years ago.

Where ever you store your photos on your computer do these few simple steps first...

• highlight all the photos in that group (left click and drag your mouse until all pictures are blue...well mine are blue when they are high lighted)
• right click and scroll down the drop down bar and click "Rotate Clockwise"
• once it's finished, right click again and click "Rotate Counter Clockwise"
• that's it...that fixes it for me!! They always show up straight after that.

Here are a few pictures to help.

Photos store in computer.

High lighted.

Rotate Clockwise

Pictures all sideways.

Now Rotate Counter Clockwise to get them straight again.

Quick and easy fix. Maybe the new blogger has helped with this problem, but every once in a while if I forget to do this a picture sneaks in the crooked.

Have a great Monday,
~Karen~

Sew Darn Crafty Party...Week 29

Hello everyone! A great big THANK YOU for all your thoughts and prayers for all of us on the east coast. Irene is here and she's a doosey! This is a very quick post, because our power just flickered 3 times while writing this post this morning.

Hope everyone stays safe for the remainder of all of this.

If you'd like to join in the linking party today, it would be great to see what everyone has been up to! Thanks so much for always linking up such great projects.

Take care,
~Karen~

If you're new to Sew Darn Crafty, then grab a cup of something tasty, sit back and join in on the fun (starts Sunday and lasts all week long at Sew Many Ways).

• "Sew" for anything to do with sewing,
• "Darn" for anything to do with knitting. I always think of darning to do with knitting, but in my case "darn" usually is similar to the word I say when I mess up crafting!!
• Let's not forget the word "crafty"...that can mean just about anything we do to create.

So now we all know what Sew Darn Crafty means, let's explain a linking party again. I subscribe to a linking service, which provides the ability to link thumbnail pictures on my blog. The picture is a link that other bloggers provide to share their projects.

Two things can happen at a linking party...looking and/or linking

• you can be greatly inspired by wonderful projects, ideas or vacation pictures (looking) and/or
• you can share what you've been up to (linking)

If you want to be inspired by all the great ideas...just click on a picture and it will take you to that post from a wonderful blogger willing to share her thoughts and ideas.

If you want to link to the party...see the directions below.

So let's get going...

Sew Darn Crafty is all about YOU!! Show off your projects, share a tutorial, show us your vacation pictures, share a family favorite recipe...share anything. Not only does linking inspire us all, it also brings lots of new people to your blog for a visit. Click here for past parties and lots of inspiration

Easy steps to join in on the fun...

• link up to the specific project post, not your whole blog. Makes it easier to link right to that post and not  search through all your entire blog. To find the http address to a specific post, just click on the Title of your post.
• link as many projects as you'd like...old or new
• anything goes...cooking, sewing, knitting, crafts, organizing, remodeling projects, vacations, parties etc...
• visit other links to share some blogging love! You know we all love comments!
• grab a Sew Darn Crafty button for your blog (on my right side bar) or just link to the party in your post.
• the more we share, the more people will join and then there's more inspiration to look at!
• linking is open til Saturday night, so plenty of time to join in
• just click the "click here to enter" button and follow the easy steps

Have fun linking up! Don't forget to come back and take a look at all the great projects during the week,

~Karen~

Battening Down The Hatches...

Prayers for everyone along the east coast the next few days. Irene is fast approaching. We live along the coast of southern Rhode Island, about 6 miles from the beach. This is a nasty one.

I hope to do a few posts today and tomorrow to go up this weekend and next week, but I know we'll lose power on this one.

As they have been saying on the news..."prepare for the worst, but hope for the best"

Say a little prayer for everyone,

~Karen~

Went for a walk on the beach this morning with my husband...calm before the storm.

Make A Gift On The 25th Club...Cell Phone Key Chain Case Tutorial

Welcome back to "Make a Gift on the 25th Club". On the 25th of every month, every one who joins the club will try to make a gift for Christmas. You can read the original post HERE, but the gist is...we all proCRAFTinate around the holidays and planning some crafting or sewing on the 25th of each month will help us stay ahead of the game!! If the actual 25th isn't good for you...some time the week of the 25th is great too!!

So join in on the fun and sign up today. Grab the Christmas button on my right side bar to remind you each month!! If you click the "Button" button it will show you how to add a button to your blog. Wow, that's a lot of buttons is that sentence LOL!!!

To help you each month, I'll try to have a tutorial for you...last month's scarf tutorial HERE

and here is this month's...a key chain cell phone case.  

This tutorial is similar to the other eye glass case holder and book mark case...just different measurements. Click HERE and HERE for the other tutorials.

You need...

• 2 strips of fabric 4 inches by 12 inches (longer or wider if your cell phone is bigger)
• "D" ring
• key chain rings
• piece of ribbon 4-5 inches long

Loop ribbon through the D ring and pin.

Place fabric right sides together.

Pin one of the short edges...

On the other short edge, center the ribbon with the D ring on the fabric...

cover with the other layer...

and pin in place.

Close up of the layers with the ribbon.

Sew with a 1/4 inch seam. I went over the section where the ribbon was a few times to really secure it.

Sew the other short edge with a 1/4 inch seam too.

2 short edges sewn...long sides still open.

Bring up the bottom seam to match the other seam in the middle.

Match the seams.

and pin in place.

Sew one long side completely with a 1/4 inch seam and then sew the other long side, but leave a small opening for turning.

See the opening?

Turn right side out.

At this point the case is reversible, so you can decide which fabric you'd like.

Just push the lining fabric inside the pocket of the other fabric. Iron flat.

Add your key rings to the "D" ring. You could just have one ring on the ribbon instead of the "D" ring, but it's easier to remove one key if needed.

Now you are all set to add your cell phone and debit card and you're good to go!!

To keep the cell phone secure, you can add 2 dots of Velcro, snap, hook or button.

Stick or sew in place...which ever you have on hand.

Perfect gift for any one!!

Happy 25th,
~Karen~