Sock Doughnuts (and Pin Cushions)

I made these fun sock doughnuts as play food for pretend play (for work awhile back) but I've been using a leftover one as a pin cushion. I decorated more than a dozen doughnuts with puffy paint BUT as a potential Mothers Day present you could use bugle beads as "jimmies" instead to fancy them up. The process for the doughnut base is the same.

Materials: 
2 socks (or 1 knee sock)
Scribbles 3D paint (puffy paint) or bugle beads
Needle & thread

Cut the toes off the socks.

Turn the socks inside out.
Put one sock inside the other (prettiest inside).

Roll the cut edge over about 1 inch and continue to roll the sock up (tuck the heel in as you roll) until the top edge flips over the doughnut.

Use an “overcast” stitch to sew the sock edge to the bottom of the doughnut. It doesn't have too be tidy- a child could do it pretty easily.

Add Scribbles 3D paint "sprinkles" and drip “frosting” to the doughnut top.
Allow the puffy paint to dry completely.

 

To add the bugle beads instead-make sure you choose a needle that's skinny enough to allow the beads to pass through.

Work around the doughnut- no need to tie off each bead- just shove the needle through to the next spot, add a bead and go back into the doughnut. Repeat and tie off the end on the bottom.

You could add felt frosting (sewn or glued?) if you wanted to before you add the bugle bead jimmies...an option I've not yet explored.

 

But it's an either/or thing- I wouldn't give a kid the one with the pins & needles to play with - right? We're giving that one to my mom with some little scissors and a box of pins.
Just sayin' in case you were worried.

Easy Cupcake Wrapper Garland

I will confess -- I have a cupcake wrapper fetish. I have tons pretty cupcake wrappers left over from making Christmas wreaths for work a couple of years ago. They're stored in recycled plastic peanut butter containers, though I have one clear "display" container that makes me feel all swanky blogger -- but the truth is, I'm a little bit of a recycling nut and the rest of the loose crafty stuff -rubber bands, bull clips, washi tapes etc. get the same recycled container treatment (pom-poms in a large pretzel bucket!).

 





I needed an instant and cheap party decoration solution.
It's not that I'm lazy; I just don't have time to cut out individual circles, set up the sewing machine and sew them into those lovely garlands on Pinterest. So the cupcake wrapper garland is the answer today.





Initially, I flattened the whole cupcake wrapper and stuck 2 together, sandwiching the string in the middle. It looked okay- a little wonky and I might give that another try next week when I have more time but for now I'm showing you the folded over version.

Open the cupcake wrapper and flatten it with a bone folder (or even your hand).
Fold it in half then open in up again (could fold a bunch first before gluing them onto the string).
Apply glue stick to one half.
Line the string up with the fold; then fold the glue side down over and smooth it onto the other side.
Repeat and move along the string. 
*The only trick is that some cupcake wrappers have a little branding printed on them- if that matters to you- make sure it's on the "back" or all on the same side when you fold them over the string.
That's it.
Party on.