1. “Gymnastic/Dance fabric” 24″ x 20″ piece- the material is stretchy, shiny and most importantly the edges don’t fray. I purchased 1.5 yards to get 6 capes. 
2. Light-weight cotton material for the circle.  The circles were 12″ in diameter but if I could do it over I would make them smaller…like 9″ each. 
3. Contrasting light weight cotton material for the letters. The letters were approximately 8″ each at the largest dimension.
4. Wonder Under. I got one roll (5 yards) and it was barely enough for 12 capes. Be safe, get an extra roll!) 
5. Felt – 15″x4″ strip per cape.
6. Velcro, 1.5″ per cape (sticky or non-sticky both work fine.)
   

After it was pinned I ran a single line of stitching through the felt. It is little on the thick side but my machine did fine (and I do not have a fancy sewing machine by any means). I used a zig zag stitch because I wanted to use something that would catch the fabric.

 

 

Cut strips of velcro about 1.5″ long. Attach to the end of the felt. I bought sticky Velcro in hopes of not having to sew it to the felt, but was not please with it’s “stickiness” so I ran a quick line of stitches through it.

 

Overall it was very easy and I am NOT an experienced seamstress by any means. The capes were easy for the kids to get on and off and they all seemed to enjoy them!

 

Good Luck!

Catrina

 

 

Catrina whipped these capes up in just a few days…I was SO impressed with the final result! And after preparing myself for the disappointment I’d feel when Ethan inevitably refused to put on his cape (he’s going through an anti-dress-up phase) we arrived at the party and he put it RIGHT on! He didn’t take it off till it was time for bed that night. Since then he’s worn it to the zoo, Home Depot, and grocery store. The cape is the perfect length to avoid dragging on the ground while still being flowy and, well, Super.

 

 

Anyone throwing a Super Hero themed bash needs these capes! Perfect for party entertainment AND a party favor the kids will love.

 

Does your kid wear capes? Where’s the funniest place they’ve insisted on wearing it?  

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We did a quick little yard project recently.

Remember how I said I wanted a BIG pot filled with huge plants to fill the wall of our garage? Well, the pot I wanted was gonna be expensive. And I have other plans for that money! (Hint: The kitchen) So…we decided to make something that would be downright cheap.

Actually, it was free.

 To find this lovely pallet, we drove through the alley behind Grand Street, the main drag in our neighborhood, full of shops and restaurants…and pallets. I thought it would be hard but we hit the mother load and drove by three others before eyeing this beaut. Stu jumped out, asked permission to take it, and one of the shop workers was happy to help carry the pallet to our car. Luckily it was only a short drive home because the thing hung out the back of my trunk, making my car do a “BEEEEEEEEEP” noise for the whole two block drive.

Sorry neighbors.

Stu sprung into action cutting down and screwing in “shelves” out of 2x4s left by the previous homeowners. These shelves would be where our plants get…planted. He then cut down a huge piece of plywood, also left in our garage, for a backer. After adding some “feet” to raise the pallet a little, it was ready for plants.

I had plenty of left-over potato vine, some creeping jenny, and countless petunias (Stu went a little crazy buying plants a couple weeks ago) so those went in first. They will get all ‘droopy’ and ‘climby’ soon, really filling up the planter. Then I transplanted our dill, mint, rosemary, and thyme from their boring, too-small terra-cotta pots into the pallet. I left plenty of space for the plants to fill out, but it already looks very nice.

And does quite a nice job filling up the huge empty space!

We are pretty thrilled with the result!

And our sprinkler system (never had one of those before!) will surely help keep all our hard work alive, even when Stu, aka Water Boy, is traveling.

He’s famous for telling me “Don’t forget to water!” as he heads out of town. I suck at remembering.

Ethan and I also finished the vegetable garden last week. Spinach, arugula, and romaine lettuce now grow in our tiny space. I cannot wait to make our first “harvest!”

So there is my FREE solution to the large-empty-wall issue. I hope everything survives!

Back Update:
Thank you to everyone who emailed, text messaged, called, commented, and Facebooked about my back issues. You are all SO sweet! I went to the doctor on Friday and found out it is not sciatica, it’s a disc issue. I’ve been dealing with degenerative disc disease for many years and it seems things may have progressed past the “maintenance” point. So I’ll be going back on Tuesday for x-rays and, most likely, a round of tapered steroids to get the inflammation down and the nerves calm. After that some physical therapy will be in order. Not sure how that’s going to work with Ethan in tow, but I’ve got some ideas. Hopefully I will be on the mend soon, before I turn into jello from lack of activity. :) 

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I’m afraid summer is coming upon us sooner than expected. We’ve been spending as much time as possible outside exploring, playing in the water every day.

I’ve been dealing with a major pain in my butt.

No seriously, I have a massive pain in my left butt cheek that hasn’t subsided for over two months. I’m convinced it’s sciatica but it could be my lower discs getting worse. Whatever it is, it’s bad bad bad. I’ll be visiting an orthopedic doc tomorrow and have all my fingers crossed that something can be done. Being in pain while planting lettuce, picking up my kid, climbing around playgrounds, and just sitting in a chair is wearing on me. Fast.

**Update: So far I have tried stretching, strengthening exercises, and seen my chiropractor numerous times. She even says it’s time for the doc. But please keep the advice coming!!

Moving around or sitting in a crazy-lazy chair is what helps the most…sitting up straight or laying down is what causes excruciating pain (if I were working in an office I’d be in BIG trouble). 

So until I’m on the mend, I will be so grateful for super-fun-yet-not-painful afternoons relaxing in our back yard doing this:

Oh, and my favorite, “Stinker Face 2.0″. 

This kid is gonna be T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

He could play with water ALLLLLL day long, so putting the hose on the “Mist” setting helps keep the water usage  under control.

Ok, so not to be all complain-y, I’m really handling it just fine. But if anyone has experience dealing with sciatica issues, I’d love to hear about it. Unless, that is, your story involves someone telling you “There’s nothing you can do” or “Just wait it out”. I don’t want to hear those.

Let me just kid myself about there being a possible solution.

What are your favorite fun and relaxing back yard activities? 

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