The following is a post from contributing writer Jasmine.

Last month my niece turned 7, and I was at a loss for what to get her. I wanted to give her something fun that would also promote creativity. My sister doesn’t have ample space in her house, so it needed to be something that didn’t take up too much room. After some brainstorming, my daughter and I were able to create a Big Top Puppet Theater.

We went with the “Big Top” theme because I happened to have plenty of scrap fabric leftover from a quilt and my daughter had matching yarn to make puppets. However, by changing up the fabric choices it would be easy to create all sorts of cute themes (princess, outer space).

Supplies Needed:

• 2 pressure curtain rods
• 1/2 yard of various fabric scraps (for the valance)
• 4 feet pom-pom trim
• 1 yard of printed fabric (for the curtain)
• 2 felt rectangles
• stick on felted letters or 1 sticky felt rectangle (cut out your own letters)

Instructions:

Valance:

1. Cut fabric scraps into 5 1/2 x 19 inch rectangles.   You will need 10 to 12 rectangles.  I used 11 for the rainbow pattern, but you may want more or less depending on the pattern you create with your scraps.
2. Sew long sides of rectangles together using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  Press seam allowances open.  You will now have one large rectangle.



3. Hem the 2 short sides of the large rectangle.
4. Fold rectangle in half, right sides together.  Sew together using a 1/2 inch seam allowance.
5. Turn inside out and press flat.
6. Sew across the top of the valance 1 1/2 inches down from the top.  Then sew across again, 1 inch down from the top.
7. Sew trim along the bottom of the valance.

Curtain:

1. Hem all four sides of the printed fabric.
2. Fold the top of the fabric back 3 inches.
3. Sew across the top of the curtain 2 1/2 inches down from the top.  Then sew across again, 1 inch down from the top.
4. Create a pocket for the curtain using the felt.  I took one piece of felt and added a strip of felt to the top and bottom to give it the look of a “sign”.  I then cut out letters from a rectangle of sticky felt and personalized the theater with my niece’s last name (used her last name because she has a sister who will be playing with the theater as well).
5. Center pocket on the front of the curtain, 3 inches from the top.
6. Sew bottom and sides of pocket onto the curtain using a zig-zag stitch to make it more secure.

Additional Puppet Theater Accessories

I thought it would be fun to include some puppet theater accessories with our gift.  Here are a few ideas we came up with to add to the theater.

• Hand-Knitted Sock Puppets - My oldest daughter created a knitted sock puppet pattern and used rainbow striped yarn to match our “Big Top” puppet theme.
• Sound Effects – Every theater needs sound effects and it is so easy to create your own such as beads or rice in a tub, bells, whistles, 2 sticks, or 2 pieces of wood covered in sand paper.
• Story Cards – Print out a “script” (use pictures for smaller children) on cardstock, place in a page protector and use a metal ring to hang it from the end of the pressure rod.

More posts from Jasmine

The following is a post from contributing writer  Jackie.

Do you own a Swiffer? I do, but I have never liked the idea of having to buy the disposable cloths both from a money standpoint and an environmental one. But, what are you going to do? Well, I’ll tell you. You can make your own reusable cloths, that’s what.

Do you have any fleece fabric lying around? What about a fleece blanket you don’t use anymore? While you can always go out and buy fleece fabric, I try to be frugal and “shop” at home for craft supplies first.

Once you have found some fleece you are ready to make your own reusable cloths.

To make Swiffer cloths for dry mopping you will need a piece of fleece fabric that is 8 1/2 inches by 10 inches. You can cut the fleece with a rotary cutter or scissors.

That’s all there is to it. Just poke the fleece through the holes on the top of the mop and you are on your way to clean floors.

I did a little checking of prices at the store recently and a box of 16 disposable cloths costs approximately $4.50 + tax. That would mean that I would spend about $9 a month on disposable cloths. In a year that would be approximately $108 for something that I would just through away. I would rather spend that money on something else for my family, wouldn’t you?

Now, if you sew, I have another idea for you that works great for wet mopping. My mom is actually the person who came up with this idea, but her words to me on how she made it were, “Oh, I just used some terry cloth and elastic and that was it.” Well, I needed a little more guidance than that, so I did some playing around and this is what I came up with.

This reusable cloth is perfect for wet mopping. Here’s how to make your own.

Supplies

• Hand towel or terry cloth fabric
• 3/8 inch elastic
• Sewing Machine
• Scissors
• Thread
• Pins
• Rotary Cutter
• Ruler

Instructions

1. Cut a hand towel into two pieces that are 9 inches by 12 inches. As you can see from the picture below, I made my pieces smaller than that, but I think a little bigger would be better.

2. Cut a small amount off of each corner to give them a rounded look. If your house is like mine you may have to be on the lookout for 1 year olds who might try to steal your scissors. (Don’t worry, I grabbed them away before she got ahold of them. )

3. Pin the two pieces, right sides together, all the way around.

4. Using a 1/4 inch seam allowance sew around the towels but leave a 2 inch opening for turning.

5. Turn the towels right side out and sew around the whole thing again using a 5/8 seam allowance. Be sure to keep that 2 inch opening from step 4. This second seam creates a casing for the elastic.

6. Attach a safety pin to the 3/8 inch elastic. I don’t have an exact measurement on the elastic, but I think 1 yard would be more than plenty. It is probably only 1/2 a yard, but it is better to be safe.

7. Thread the elastic through the casing. Ease the elastic through the opening and thread it through the casing until it comes out at the opening. You should have both ends of the elastic at the opening. Make sure the elastic is pretty tight.

8. Place one end of the elastic on top of the other end. Use a zig-zag stitch to sew over the elastic a few times and then cut off any excess.

9. Sew the opening of the towel closed.

This is what your reusable cloth should look like when you are finished.

It will slip right over your Swiffer and be nice and snug. You won’t even need to poke the ends into the holes of the Swiffer.

I like to use this kind of cloth for wet mopping. I simply run it under water, wring it out, and then slip it on my Swiffer.

If you were to purchase the wet disposable cloths at the store they are approximately $4.50 for 12. Even if I only use 1 package a month, that is still over $50 a year for something that gets thrown away. I think spending 10 minutes to make my own is worth it to save that much money.

To wash either of the reusable cloths I have shown you how to make, simply wash them with a load of towels. There is no special care that is needed.

If you have one of the mops that has the solution in it, I found that it is over $5 for a bottle. If you want a frugal and green option I would recommend using white vinegar either in a 50/50 mix with water or by itself.

Do you have a Swiffer? Do you think you would make and use either of these reusable options?

More posts from Jackie