Shadow Box

Today's the last day of Baseball Week!

I have one more project for you!

Our first ballpark tour was to Turner Field in Atlanta, GA.  

My husband had been dreaming of going to a game there since he was a little boy.

So I came up with this shadow box to remember our first trip. 

First I painted the outside...

Then the inside...

I'm pretty proud of my baseball diamond :)

Glued a picture of my husband to the back.

Glued one of those plastic baseballs in the corner.

Warning track gravel in a smaller box than I used above.

And a tour ticket signed by "someone" Davies.  (Can't remember...shame on me.)

And we have a nice memory box of the trip.

Baseball Week was fun!  Hope you enjoyed it!

I'm curious, does anyone else try to do crafty things with sports related stuff?

Ballpark Memories

It's Baseball Week on Pandiola Lane!

It's turning out to be a rather short project week, but oh well.

It's a long season so maybe there will be a revival of Baseball Week during the playoffs!

Anytime we visit a city with a Major League Baseball team, we try to get in a game or a tour of the park.

Some of the ballparks we've visited:

Cleveland Indians - Progressive Field

Pittsburgh Pirates - PNC Park

New York Mets - Shea Stadium

Philadelphia Phillies - Citizens Bank Park

Washington Nationals - Nationals Park

Baltimore Orioles - Camden Yards

Atlanta Braves - Turner Field

We've toured 3 parks so far (I think) and my sneaky husband has managed to scoop up a souvenir during each of those tours.

Warning Track Gravel!

We found these plastic boxes at The Container Store.

They are Amac Flush Lid clear boxes - 2-5/16" sq. x 3-1/16" h.

Boo blurry picture!!

I found a bag of 16 plastic baseballs at a Michaels.
(It must have been around Easter because the package says "Easter Collection".)

They come apart like plastic Easter Eggs.

So I printed the ballpark name out on my label maker.  Stuck them to the baseball. And VERY carefully glued them to the inside of the plastic box facing the direction I wanted.

Carefully dump the gravel around the baseball...

And you have a nice little souvenir of the ballpark!

I think it's interesting how the gravel is so different at each place!

Baseball Week ends tomorrow! But I have one more project to share with you!

Super Easy Napkins and Table Runner

It's Baseball Week on Pandiola Lane!

The morning of our Home Run Derby Party, I thought, wouldn't baseball napkins be fun?!?!

Better head to Joann's to get some fabric....

I bought a yard of this Alexander Henry "baseball":  (the background is navy)

and half a yard of this:

I just bought myself a serger (a "end of the school year" present to myself) and am I LOVING how easy rolled hems are to do on it. 

(If you've never used the rolled hem feature of your serger check out this Prudent Baby video on how it works.) 

Ok ready for the steps?  Here it goes:

1.  Wash, dry and iron fabric. 

*NOTE: this is the longest step of this project.

(No need to cut off all those threads from the wash since the serger will cut them off for you.)

2.  Fold the yard of fabric in half (cut sides together) and trim the edges if needed to make the edge even.

Then fold in half again the same direction.

Then fold your long rectangle in thirds the other direction.

 You will have it piled to make 12 napkins.  

Does this picture help? (I forgot to take a picture.)

3. With the fabric still folded cut along all the folds. (Stick your scissors in the folds and cut as straight as possible.)  You'll end up with your napkins all stacked up in a pile.

*NOTE: If you are very particular about all your napkins being precisely the same size, a cutting mat and big ruler might be a better option for you.  If you need to make napkins SUPER FAST (like guests arriving in an hour fast), do it the way I did.  

I figured if our guests were comparing napkin sizes, we must be throwing one super boring party.

4.  Serge a rolled hem around each side of all the napkins, leave a chain of stitches hanging off each corner like so:

5. After you have your pile of napkins serged, keep them in a stack.  Trim all the chains off one corner at a time of all 12 napkins (rather than all 4 corners of each napkin one at a time).  

(This is just to save time - remember guests are showing up in less than an hour!) 

Then dab a little fray check on each corner.

Repeat for the other corners.

6.  And you're done!!

OK, ready for the table runner steps?

1. Serge a rolled hem on all 4 sides of the half yard of fabric.
2. Cut thread chain off corners.
3. Dab fray check on all corners.
4. DONE!

These were seriously so easy it doesn't really feel like a real project.

All the edges look neat and professional.

I laid the runner over a red table cloth I had, 

(which also happens to be just red fabric with a rolled hem) 

added a fun center piece, 

and the food table is ready to go!

I mean can you really call this sewing??  

Hmmm...I don't care!  

They turned out great! 

And even better, hubby loved them!  

(Isn't it nice when your husband truly appreciates something you made?)

I have one more easy project tomorrow that I'm happy to say the hubby also appreciates.
See you tomorrow!

Baseball Week!

In honor of the MLB All-Star Break, this week is Baseball Week on Pandiola Lane!
(Even though I'm a little late getting started. I know you'll humor me. Won't you?)

We are rather big baseball fans in our house, and the Home Run Derby and All Star Game are two events we like to celebrate.

On Monday we invited friends over for a pot-luck Home Run Derby party.  I think the Home Run Derby is a lot more fun to watch than the All Star Game.  It's always a show!! I love it!

The menu was all American cuisine - hot dogs and sausages on the grill, cole slaw, potato salad, fruit salad, homemade popcorn with Old Bay, watermelon, apple pie and peach cobbler.  Yummy!!

We even had our own Home Run Derby in the yard!

My husband has quite a collection of baseball stuff, so we brought it all up to our Derby viewing area.

As my husband says, he's a "bobblehead guy".

Signed Baseballs

Cal Ripkin Commemorative stuff and Ken Griffey Jr. signed ball

Hank Aaron needed a spot too.

I love this vintage looking Pez sign



Ballpark theme table

This might be my favorite - my hubby :) 

The shorts are pretty awesome.

I'm really starting to love the idea of theme parties.
Isn't it way more fun when you have conversation starters like all that memorabilia?

We also had baseball books on our coffee table.
Which I really should have taken a picture of because all books have been banished from our coffee table since our child started pulling things off.  You know what I mean.
I don't think anyone looked at the books, maybe because they were having too much fun :)

I couldn't just stop there. I had to MAKE something.

Check back tomorrow for the SUPER EASY napkins and table runner I made at the very last minute before guests arrived.  Yup, living (or sewing) on the edge over here.

Do you through theme parties??  Share your ideas with me!
I think all our parties should have a theme from now on.