Free Printable Monkey Puppets

Looking for an easy paper craft for kids today? Look no further! I have an free adorable printable paper craft toy  to share - Monkey Puppets! These cute little monkey puppets are so fun, my boys could hardly wait for me to finish making them. Cheese kept point at the laptop screen and babbling toddler gibberish as I was putting together the printable. Needless to say, they could hardly wait to get their hands on them. I recommend that you print out these monkeys, assemble, hand them to your kids and fix dinner as fast as you can while they play quietly. (Because quiet moments seem to be few and far between when you have little ones!)

You will need:

- the Monkey Business Printable

- 3 popsicle sticks (we used the larger size)

- masking tape or glue

- scissors

Here's how we made these fun little monkey puppets:

Print out the Monkey Printable onto card stock. Cut out the monkeys and tape or glue the popsicle sticks to the back of each monkey. 

Grab the PDF

Play with them. 

So hard, right? Yeah, no it wasn't. Major win for quick and easy kids entertainment! 

Want another set of printable puppets? Try the Silly Shape Finger Puppets. 

Enjoy this printable and use it as much as you like for personal use or even in the classroom, but please remember a couple of things - 

1. If you post about this printable on your blog, always link back here. 

2. Don't pin directly to the link, but instead this page.

3. You can't sell this printable or any other printables available on So Here's My Life :)

Got it? Ok cool. 

Swallow Stenciled Denim Jacket

This post is sponsored by Plaid Crafts via Blueprint Social. I received materials for this project and compensation for my time - all opinions are my own!

Hey! So, did you see last week's Hooded Denim Jacket DIY? If you missed it, you can find it here. I came up with an amazingly easy way to create a hooded denim jacket, without taking apart the hoodie or denim jacket and restitching it back together. Quick, go and see it. You do not want to miss out! Anyway, at the end of that post I told you I had one more amazing upgrade. Remember that? Have you been on edge for the last five days, waiting in great anticipation to see the awesome upgrade? I'm going to pretend like you said yes. So, today the icing on the cake is revealed with help from Stencil1 and FolkArt Multi-Surface Paints. I used a fantastic set of layered swallow stencils to create the finishing touches for my hooded denim jacket project. Are you ready to see it? (Because I'm dying to show you!)

Here's what you need:

- Awesome Hooded Denim Jacket

- Multi-Surface Paint like FolkArt

- Sponge Brushes

- Swallow Set Sencils

- Masking Tape

Here's how I made it:

Before starting, make sure the surface of the jacket is clean and wrinkle-free. Open up the jacket so it lays on a flat surface. I recommend sliping an unfolded piece of cardboard underneath the denim. It provides a flat surface to work on and also prevents any chance of paint bleeding onto the fabric underneath the denim. Tape around the edges of the rectangle on the back of the jacket.

Place the patterned stencil at a 45 degree angle, making sure the shape starts at the top left corner of the rectangle. Place one small strip of masking tape on the edge of the stencil, just to keep it in place as you work. Using a sponge brush, gently dab the fabric overlaid by the stencil in an up and down motion. 

Once all shapes inside the patterned section of the stencil have been used, peel the stencil in a gentle, upward motion. Allow paint to dry for at least 15 minutes, depending on how much paint was applied. Once painted fabric is dry, line up the patterned stencil with the a portion of the dried section, and apply paint, creating additional shapes and extending the pattern coverage. Repeat this process until the entire rectangle section is covered in the stencil pattern. (Don't forget to wash off the stencils afterward so you can re-use them later. These mylar stencils are durable and easy to clean.)

Once the patterned section is completely dry, position the bird silhouette stencil over the painted pattern section, and dab paint. Allow to dry completely. (I found that the bird silhouette needed an additional coat of paint. However, make sure to allow paint to dry completely before applying an additional coat.)

Once the silhouette has dried, paint an additional silhouette below the first bird. 

Finally place the bird detail stencil over the silhouette and dab. Allow to fully dry before adorning. (It's hard to wait, I know!)

Are you feeling the inspiration yet? Go make one for yourself! This stencil set and the rest of the collection can be found at Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft stores. 

P.S. The FolkArt Multi-Surface Paint can be used on just about anything AND are even dishwasher safe! (gasp) I seriously love this paint.

Like what you see? Find more awesome stuff from Plaid Crafts here:

The Plaid Palette Blog ~ Pinterest ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~YouTube ~ Instagram

Hooded Denim Jacket DIY

My husband has nicknamed me the "Lazy Seamstress." Maybe I should be horrified, but when he first called me that, it made me laugh for about 2 minutes straight. Why? Because it's true. So. Terribly. True. I'm not in love with sewing or anything, but it's definitely a very necessary means to an end. I tend to avoid any sewing projects that do not involve sewing in a straight line. Why am I telling you this? I'm telling you this because I made something amazing. Something that I've had on my list of Things to Make for years. It sat on my list for years, because I wasn't sure how I was going to make it. I just knew I wanted a hooded denim vest jacket. I found plenty of tutorials, but none of them were quite what I was looking for - an easy, minimal-sewing tutorial that didn't involve taking apart the jacket. All I wanted to do was cut off the denim sleeves leaving vest portion, insert a zip-up hoodie, and then find a way to attach them. In my head it seemed easy enough, but I just couldn't figure out how to make this without over-complicating it (I'm really good at this) until I talked it over with my mom, Aka Seamstress Ninja. Guess what? It was waaay easier than I realized! Major win for the Lazy Seamstress! ;)

Supplies needed:
- zip-up hoodie
- denim jacket
- basic sewing supplies (sewing machine, scissors, thread, and pins)

Let me first give you one quick note about matching a denim jacket with a hoodie. For the best rest results, it's important to find a hoodie and denim jacket that are close in size as well as the same sized sleeve openings, near the armpit, since you have to slip the hoodie into the arm hole openings of the denim jacket. Also, make sure both the denim jacket and the hoodie are freshly washed and wrinkle free. Got it? Good.

Start out by cutting off the sleeves of the denim jacket below the seam that attaches the sleeves to the vest. Trim as close to the seams as desired, but be sure to leave the arm hole seam intact.

The hoodie that I used in this project had a bunch of stuff sewn onto the front. I felt like most of it detracted from the jacket as a whole, so I ripped out the letter seams and removed the letters from the front.

Line up the seams as best as possible

Next, insert the hoodie inside the denim vest. For best results, work on a flat surface. Button each button and zip up the hoodie. Smooth out all the wrinkles and folds and line up the side and shoulder seams of the hoodie with the seams of the vest as close as possible.

Carefully, pin the hoodie to the vest at both arm openings. This portion is not hard, but takes a little patience. Be sure that the seams from the vest and hoodie line up as closely as possible while pinning. This is truly the most important step of this project.

Once the pins have been placed on both the left and right sides of the sleeve openings, sew the vest and jacket together at the sleeve openings along the seam of the denim jacket or in between the two seams of the arm holes. I began sewing at the armpit of the vest on the backside and worked my way over the backside towards the front. Repeat the same process on the opposite arm hole.

Additional seam sewn across back for added security

Once both arm holes have be sewn, lay the hoodie/vest on a flat surface again, front facing down. Pin the backside of the vest to the hoodie along the back seam that runs across the shoulder blades. Run the pinned portion through the sewing machine for a little added security, to keep both layers together.

BAM! That's it! After I finished, I just sat there, amazed and speechless over how easy and awesome this jacket turned out. I didn't even mess up!!! (I usually end up ripping out a couple of seams on each sewing project). Ha!

Love it? Guess what? Just when you thought this project couldn't get any cooler, it does. I have one more amazing upgrade for this jacket. Click here to see how I stenciled the back. I promise you won't be disappointed :)

12 Free Printable Paper Toys

Printable Toy Fans, Unite! I've been searching the Internet high and low to find a variety of fantastic printable toys to make with my kids. The problem that I came across was that several printables came with a small price tag. I'm not against paying for things (especially if they are awesome), nor am I against those who use their amazing talent to gain an income, but I do like FREE STUFF. So, I sifted through numerous sites and found an awesome collection of 12 Free Printable Paper Toys for both girls and boys. Rejoice with me, friends!

Bird Finger Puppets from Mr. Printables

3D Paper Lizard from Skip To My Lou

Spiderman from Mini Paper Craft 

Papercraft Alphabet from Digit Prop

Elastic Powered Duck from Creative Park

Fairy Tale Dress-Up Paper Dolls from Tip Junkie

Angry Birds from Little Plastic Man

Paper Owl by Craft and Creativity

Paper Dolls from Weelife

Puppies from Paper Replika

Snake Finger Puppets from Mr. Printables

Robot from Lou Lou and Tummie

Looking for more? Joel and I have started making a nice little collection of our own. Check out the Paper Animal Rings, Silly Shape Finger Puppets, Printable Train Tracks, Jack-In-The-Box, and the Printable Roads. I also have a board on Pinterest dedicated to a large variety of printable projects. 

How to Make an Infinity Scarf

Have you ever seen The Sound of Music? Remember the part when Maria von Trapp sewed play clothes for the children out of the drapes?  The idea of turning window dressings into clothes, has always amused me. One day, while rummaging through some fabric scraps, I found a forgotten set of curtains that were given to me several years ago. The problem was that they didn't match anything, so I never hung them up. So guess what I did with them? Did you guess, "Make play clothes for your children?"  Ha! Fooled you! Well, I didn't make clothes play clothes for my boys out of drapes (that would be weird), but I did upcycle an infinity scarf from a curtain.

After I came up with this idea, I planned out each step in my head and then proceeded with the project. Little did I know that my plan was unbelievably flawed! Really and truly this shouldn't have been a difficult project, but somehow I managed to over-complicate this project by leaps and bounds. So, after ripping out the seam (probably about 10 times), several phone calls and Skype sessions with my mom (I had to ask her for help. She's like the Sewing Master), I finally figured out how to make an infinity scarf. Now, I have good news for you - it's not hard, but I had to make 934,283 mistakes before I realized this. So, now that I know the right way as well as the easy way to make this, I'll show you how to make an infinity scarf.

You will need:
- fabric (mine was 24 inches x 70 inches)
- sewing machine
- matching thread
- scissors

If you plan to use a curtain like I did, make sure to remove the back panel of the curtain.

Fold the fabric in half lengthwise (the longer side) so that the backside of the fabric faces outwards. Pin and sew the long sides closed using a straight stitch to create a long "tube". Pull the fabric tube right-side-out.

Bring the two un-sewn ends together, making sure that the seam from both ends line up. Fold approximately 2 inches of the edge of Side B inside the tube. (tip - I had to iron the fold to keep the fabric in place). Slip the end of Side A (unfolded) into Side B and pin together, leaving an opening of approximately 5 inches (or more, if needed.)

Sew the ends together as far as possible. You won't be able to connect the entire circle using a sewing machine. Hand stitch the remainder to close the opening.

That's it friends! Now, go and make one!