Tutorial | Lil Blue Boo

How To Manage Your Blog Reading

June 18, 2013 By Ashley Hackshaw 3 Comments

If you are like me there are way too many blogs out there to keep track of! I use bloglovin’ to manage my favorite blogs and I get a daily email with all the new posts in it. The great thing is that you can add any blog! There’s even a bloglovin’ app! With bloglovin’ you can easily view, like and comment on new blog posts (easy to sign up here).

If you are currently using Google Reader you might want to know that it’s disappearing in a few weeks (three to be exact I think). Here’s how to import all of your Google subscriptions before you lose them:

How to move google reader subscriptions to bloglovin' via lilblueboo.com

If you haven’t already backed up your Google Reader Subscriptions now is the time to do so! The best way to do this is with bloglovin’. If you don’t already have a bloglovin’ account you will need to sign up for one here. Next, follow this link here to import your favorite blogs from Google Reader.

Step 1: How to move google reader subscriptions to bloglovin' via lilblueboo.com

Make sure you are signed in to your Google Account and then accept the terms.

Step 2: How to move google reader subscriptions to bloglovin' via lilblueboo.com

Once you accept the terms bloglovin’ will begin importing your favorite blogs…it may take a few minutes.

Step 3: How to move google reader subscriptions to bloglovin' via lilblueboo.com

Once the importing is complete the blogs you are following in Google Reader will now be displayed in bloglovin’:

Step 4: How to move google reader subscriptions to bloglovin' via lilblueboo.com

Don’t forget to follow Lil Blue Boo on bloglovin’ by clicking the button below.

Filed Under: Tutorial, Uncategorized

DIY Road Trip Activities for Kids

June 14, 2013 By Lisa Leave a Comment

DIY Road Trip Activities for Kids via lilblueboo.com

Summer is here…and so are long family road trips! We have rounded up 10 awesome DIY Road Trip Activities for Kids to help keep you sane and your children entertained.

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Six free printable car games like I Spy License Plates by Kiki and Company via lilblueboo.com

Six free printable car games like I Spy License Plates via Kiki and Company.

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Filed Under: Roundup, Travel, Tutorial

Organizing and Recycling Junk Drawer Contents

June 10, 2013 By Ashley Hackshaw 10 Comments

I can’t stand clutter around the house….so my junk drawers can tend to get out of control. I also have more than one. They are located around the house.

The first thing I do is consolidate all the drawers in one place…..with a large work area. I use paper plates to sort through everything. Then I split the items up by drawer and return everything else to it’s right place. Anything I’m not quite sure what to do with goes in the JUNK JAR. (see the junk jar tutorial here)

I like for the containers to match the insides of the drawer if possible (makes the drawer look less cluttered)….so I use spray paint to paint various boxes and containers that will fit well:

My newly organized junk drawers:

I went through every single marker, pen, highlighter etc to see which were working and then sorted them into bins within these large wood caddies:

The hardest part about my junk drawers is that I don’t like to throw anything away because I know it will end up in a landfill. I found everything under the kitchen sink: medications, over 50 dried up pens, tons of old batteries. These are things I don’t want to throw in the trash because:

:: Over 10 billion writing instruments are sent to landfills every year.

:: Over 100 different pharmaceuticals have been detected in lakes, rivers, reservoirs and streams throughout the world.

:: 3 billion batteries are bought a year…and contain harmful metals that leak into our water and soil.

It takes a little more work to recycle and donate….but it’s worth it. I created a little recycling station in our laundry room to make it easy on the rest of the family. I painted large coffee tins and added a simple paper label:

This can is for random items that need sorting: writing instruments, old blades, medications etc:

Here’s where you can easily recycle items from your junk drawer….the links are below the images. For office supplies that are still working and in good condition consider finding a local non-profit to donate them to!

Filed Under: Eco-friendly, Getting Organized, Home Projects, Household Tips, Organization, Recycled, Things I've Made, Tutorial, Uncategorized, Upcycled, Work Spaces

Hand Stamped Party and Table Decor

June 5, 2013 By Ashley Hackshaw 1 Comment

In the new issue of Moyo Magazine I wrote a column about DIY Party Decor:

…..a few photos were used from the projects below but I thought I’d share some additional photos that are centered around DIY stamping! It’s very easy to carve your own stamp…and depending on the theme of your party or gathering a single stamp can carry all the way through:

Add tiny accents (dots, stars, hearts etc) with a smaller stamp made from a pencil eraser:

For these invitations I printed out the “Home Sweet Home” on regular card stock, rounded the corners of each invite and added the stamp:

Roll some fabric paint onto a paper plate and use it to stamp your table cloth and napkins:

Having a wine tasting? Stamp a few old book pages with a hand carved stamp:

I wrote an article on wine-themed decor over at Parade:

Also wine themed: tese wine cork stamps….cut one in half and they double as place card holders! (View the tutorial here)

Here are basic stamp carving supplies you might need:

1. Linoleum Cutter Set

2. Ranger Archival Ink Stamp Pad

3. Speedball 4″ Brayer

4. Folk Art Paint Best Selling Colors

5. Speedball Speedycut Blocks

Filed Under: Home and Garden, Home Decor, Party, Printing/Stenciling, Supplies, Things I've Made, Tutorial, Uncategorized

May Tutorial Roundup

June 3, 2013 By Ashley Hackshaw Leave a Comment

: Subway Art Pillows

: Random Household Tips

: Pretty Party Table Decor

: Recycled Tie Photo Album

: DIY Home Office Ideas

: 15 Craft Supplies You Can Make at Home

: Twin Lens Reflex

: Cinco de Mayo Party Ideas

Ongoing series!

For previous tutorial roundups click here!

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Filed Under: Tutorial, Tutorial Roundup Tagged With: roundup, tutorial, tutorial roundup

DIY Subway Art Pillows

May 31, 2013 By Ashley Hackshaw 3 Comments

I’ve been doing some redecorating recently. I’m taking photos as I go so I can share the before and after with you. I’m going from beige/beige/beige to grey/white/black…..crazy right? Ha. My friend Paul came over to give me some ideas and his first suggestion was to carry over the subway art sign I made a few years ago. Here’s the sign in our breakfast area:

When I first made this I was inspired by the black and white vintage subway signs from Restoration Hardware (original tutorial here):

I loved Paul’s idea of taking it to a pillow as a similar accent. I picked a few street names that were important to Mr. LBB and I and here’s the result:

Diesel uses them as a ramp to get up to his perch:

I found a pillow cover with a nice thick upholstery fabric from Ikea….and added the white canvas letters. They are just slightly frayed on the edges giving kind of a vintage feel:

You could use freezer paper to paint your letters onto a pillow or cut out fabric letters to make your own. I have a Silhouette machine so it was so much easier to use that to design and cut out the letters….but cutting by hand would work too. First, I ironed fabric interfacing/fusible web to the back of my white canvas. Any fusible web should work….but if you are using the Silhouette make sure to use the kind that has the shiny clear look to it so it sticks to your cutting mat well:

Designing my pillow on the Silhouette machine software (see fonts at the bottom of this post!):

The cutting machine:

My canvas was so thick the machine didn’t cut all the way through in places but it was easy to trim:

If you don’t have a cutting machine just trace your letters onto the fabric with a disappearing fabric marker and cut them out:

Here my letters are placed onto the pillow cover:

I ironed the letters to adhere them into place (the fusible web on the back is what does this):

Then I carefully stitched each letter with a straight stitch:

It’s easiest to sew the letters all at once and then trim the thread in between as the last step:

Material & Sources:

Ikea Karlstad pillows in Dark Gray

Silhouette Cutting Machine

Fusible Web

White Cotton Canvas by the Yard

Looking for vintage subway fonts? Here’s a list of a few I love! Links are at the bottom of the image:

amble / underground nf / helvetica / franchise / lane – narrow / copperplate / bebas neue

Filed Under: Gifts, Home and Garden, Home Decor, Home Projects, Sewing, Things I've Made, Tutorial

Recycled Tie Photo Album

May 6, 2013 By Ashley Hackshaw 17 Comments

It’s been almost two years since my dad passed away and I’ve been saving all of his ties to make something from. I wanted to make something for my mom, sister and brother. My dad’s ties represented so many different parts of his life….from special events to all of his favorite golf clubs and important tournaments he played in. I came up with the idea of making a photo album using bits and pieces of each tie so that everyone would have a patch:

I added a little tag into the front of each album: Made from the neckties of Norman Virgil Swenson Jr., 1947 – 2011, “Golf’s Ultimate Gentleman”:

Every tie reminds me of some part of my dad’s life….like the pretty blue tie he wore in my sister’s wedding:

To make the albums I purchased simple 4″x6″ albums from the craft store:

Other supplies you may need: sew-on snaps, fusible interfacing, etc.

Here are the ties I used:

I even took the ribbon off of this belt to work the DeBordieu design into it. We used to own a house at DeBordieu beach when we were little….it’s where most of my childhood summers were spent:

Here’s how I made the albums…..they only took me a few hours with an assembly line:

Step 1: Cut apart the ties and press them flat with an iron. Add fusible (iron-on) interfacing to the back of each tie. Begin cutting pieces of the ties into random angles and piece them together until you have a large enough piece to cut for the main piece of the album (approx. 11″ x 7.25″ for my album). Iron all your seams open and flat. Apply fusible interfacing to the back of the finished patchwork.

Step 2: Cut the front of the album (approx. 11″ x 7.25″ for my album). Cut two pieces (with fusible interfacing) for the front and back inside cover (approximately 5.5″ x 7.25″). If you would like a personalized tag in the front, create text and print onto iron-on transfer paper.

Step 3: Turn over the inside edge of each of the inside covers, iron flat and sew with a 1/4″ seam. For a tab closure, cut the end of a tie off and sew it to one side of the front to keep it in place as you assemble the rest of your album cover. Finish the top and bottom edge of the front cover with a serger or zig zag stitch.

Step 4: Lay the two inside cover pieces onto the top of the outside cover piece and sew the seams using a 1/4″ seam. Your album covers should look like the ones in the 2nd photo below. Use some fusible web or a few pins to secure your “tag” to the inside front cover and stitch it into place.

Step 5: Stitch the top and bottom seams of the cover as shown in the first photo with a 1/4″ seam. Carefully trim your corners and turn the cover right side out using a small pencil or stick to push out the corners. Sew your snaps into place on the “tab” and the cover”.

Your finished album! Use an iron to carefully press the piece flat.

Everyone that opens these albums will know where the ties came from….it makes a nice family hierloom.

They all look so pretty together:

I know that Boo will love keeping ours forever and probably pass it down to her children:

I love the idea of “memory” bears….but this is a great way to make something for the whole family:

Filed Under: Things I've Made, Thrifting, Toys and Accessories, Tutorial, Uncategorized, Upcycled

April Tutorial Roundup

May 1, 2013 By Ashley Hackshaw 1 Comment

: Shared Bedroom Ideas

: Photography Tricks

: Easy Vegetable Fried Rice Recipe

: How to Import VHS Tapes into iMovie

: Mother’s Day Gift Guide

: Handmade Baby Gift Ideas

: DIY Suede Book Covers

: Summer Sewing Patterns

: Wooden Nickel Project

Ongoing series!

For previous tutorial roundups click here!

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Filed Under: Tutorial, Tutorial Roundup Tagged With: tutorial, tutorial roundup

How to Import VHS Tapes into iMovie

April 25, 2013 By Ashley Hackshaw 4 Comments

I’ve been helping my friend Daren transfer some of his old acting demo clips from VHS to digital format. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to create a step-by-step tutorial for transferring VHS to iMovie because I know you’ve been asking for a while now.

First of all…..how cute is Daren?! I loved watching all of these episodes….brought back so many memories: Wonder Years, Hunter, My Sister Sam, Growing Pains. You can click the image below and see the clips on IMDB:

I’m still trying to talk Daren into letting me run his fan club.

Ok, on to the step-by-step:

First of all, it’s pretty easy to import a VHS tape into iMovie for editing….but it involves a few steps because the VHS has to be converted into a digital format first. I do this using my Sony Digital 8 Handycam. I record the VHS tape onto the Handycam and then import recorded footage into iMovie. I’ve got two tips to getting this done:

Ok now to get started! To convert VHS to digital format using a handycam you’ll need the following which you can probably find from a neighbor or friend:

Digital 8 Handycam (DVC)
Audio Video TV Out AV Cable
Any VCR
Fire Wire Cable
Fire Wire Cable Adapters (if needed)

The first step is connecting the Handycam to a VCR. This is done with a simple Audio Video TV Out AV Cable….you probably already have one sitting around somewhere. It has the 3 colored plugs on one side and an earphone like plug on the other side.

Here’s a closeup of where to plug each side of the AV cable into: