Since it is the traditional school year is over and the crayons no longer look all pointy and shiny and new like this

but look like, you know, all broken and dull, I thought it would be the perfect time to make a video tutorial about how to make jumbo crayons out of broken crayon pieces. 

Except between all the art camps and swim lessons and vacation bible schools and new babies needing attention I have precisely ZERO energy left over to apply eye liner and lipstick so you people will continue to be under the illusion that I look anything resembling presentable to the general public.

That’s when I got the idea to do a photo tutorial instead of a video. Brilliant, right? No one would be any the wiser that I didn’t get a shower today and my hair looks like it hasn’t seen the business end of a brush in nigh onto two days. 

But that was right before I remembered that my oldest daughter took the camera to church camp and won’t be back until the end of the week.

Sooooo… what you are going to get instead is a fabulous recycled chunky crayon tutorial that looks exactly like what I was planning to show you!  Go ahead and click on that link to see a mighty fun way to make jumbo crayons.

It’s a great way to recycle broken crayons and little kids love to color with them to see the marbled results! I even gave them out as party favors one year. I just wrapped two jumbo crayons in some colorful cellophane with a small pad of drawing paper and tied it with some pretty ribbon for each favor.

Click on the Tutorial Tuesday button above to see some of my own tutorials, and if you would like to share one of your own, add your link below. Remember to include a link back to Smockity Frocks in your post so your readers can enjoy all of the tutorials.

I would like to show you today how to make homemade Play-Doh in 3 minutes with 3 common kitchen ingredients.

My friend, Jamie, (Hi, Jamie!) gave me the idea for this week’s tutorial when she was telling me about her first attempt at making homemade Play-Doh. My children love this stuff and played with it for a solid hour after I made this video!

If you have a suggestion for a tutorial you would like to see here, please leave a comment below, and if you have a tutorial of your own, add it to Mr. Linky. Be sure to include a link back to Smockity Frocks in your post so your readers can enjoy all of the tutorials.

Today’s video tutorial is the purl stitch. When knitting, the knit stitch and the purl stitch are the two basic stitches you will need to know.

If you would like to study the purl stitch in still drawings, here are some great Learn to Purl diagrams.

I like to use this little rhyme when showing the purl stitch to my children so they will remember where to place the needle and the yarn.

Down through the bunny hole,
Around the big tree,
Up pops the bunny,
And off goes she!

What tutorial would you like to share? Remember, a tutorial includes step by step instructions, PLUS pictures or a video. Link to your specific tutorial post below. If you include your blog name with a little description, it will give readers an idea about your tutorial. (Example: Smockity Frocks-How to Cast On)

Be sure to include a link back to Smockity Frocks in your post so your readers can enjoy all of the tutorials.

There are 2 basic stitches in knitting: the knit stitch and the purl stitch. Today, I would like to show you the knit stitch.

While you are watching the video, here are some things to remember:

• Keeping your index finger on the stitches closest to the ends of the needles, like I do, will help prevent you from dropping stitches.
• Bamboo knitting needles provide a little more resistance than metal ones. This too will help prevent dropped stitches.
• The rhythm may feel awkward at first, but, with practice, you will find it becomes more natural.
• Resist the temptation to pull the stitches too tight. This will make it more difficult to jab the needles in through the stitches.

Now, it’s your turn. Do you have a tutorial you would like to share?

Remember, a tutorial includes step by step instructions, PLUS pictures or a video. Link to your specific tutorial post below. If you include your blog name with a little description, it will give readers an idea about your tutorial. (Example: Smockity Frocks-How to Cast On)

Be sure to include a link back to Smockity Frocks in your post so your readers can enjoy all of the tutorials.

My sweet friend Liz, from Hoosier Homemade, is my guest today. I know you will enjoy her amazing culinary talents!

Thank you so much, Connie, I’m just thrilled to be sharing these cute Cupcakes for The Smockity Kiddos with your readers today!

Hello, Smockity fans! I’m Liz, the Hoosier Momma from Hoosier Homemade. I’m a SAHM of 3 teenage boys, that keep me running with their sports and school activities. I’ve been blogging a little over a year, I share lots of  baked goods, Budget Friendly Meals, and decorating tips and tricks, all to help you “Make Your House a Home.”

These cupcakes are quick, easy and would make great birthday cupcakes, Family Reunion, or even just to celebrate the birth of a new baby.

Welcome, Baby Peyton!

You can start with any cupcake flavor, these happen to be chocolate. I used a Devil’s Food cake mix. I change the ingredients just a little to make them taste like they are from scratch, it also stretches the batter a little.

• Cake Mix
• Oil (same as directed on box)
• 1 cup Buttermilk (1 tablespoon vinegar + enough milk to fill the cup, set aside for 5 minutes)
• 4 large Eggs

Directions:

Mix as usual, and fill cupcake liners, with about 1/4 cup of batter. Bake according to directions on box.

For the Decorations:

I tinted the frosting using Wilton blue and pink coloring.

For the faces, I used Vanilla Wafers, and simply piped on the face with a decorator bag and Wilton Round tip.

For the babies pacifier, I used pink taffy and shaped it into a circle, and cut a white piece of candy and placed it in the center using a small dab of frosting.

Congratulations! Connie! We are all just tickled pink for you!

Learning how to cast on knitting stitches is the first step in beginning to knit.

I’ve done a video tutorial showing you how to cast on. You can stop and start the video to study the steps involved. Also, look at these great diagrams for learning to cast on knitting stitches.

Now, it is your turn. If you have a tutorial with step by step instructions, PLUS pictures or a video, link to your specific tutorial post below. If you include your blog name with a little description, it will give readers an idea about your tutorial. (Example: Smockity Frocks-How to Cast On)

Be sure to include a link back to Smockity Frocks in your post so your readers can enjoy all of the tutorials.

I have written about this activity before, but I have to tell you about it again because I love it so! We call it ”Pack It All In” and it is a great drawing activity for kids of all ages. Kids love it and it keeps them occupied for a good long time if you need it to.

I used this recently when I had an appointment and needed everyone to stay busy while I was away.

I stretch out long pieces of freezer paper (shiny side down) and make sure there are plenty of crayons, colored pencils, and markers to go around.

Then, I write out a list of items each child is to “pack in” to their picture. This list can be as long or short, detailed or general as you like, depending on the age of the child and the time you want them to spend on it.

This list included 13 flowers, 1 house, 1 horse, 2 dogs, 8 children, 1 mountain, 1 sidewalk, 2 clouds, 1 sun, 3 trees, 1 cat, 4 birds, 1 bird nest, 1 deer, 1 fence, 5 ants, 2 butterflies, and 1 mailbox.

They are to “pack it all in” so all the items together make a scene. They must use their creativity to get it all packed in. This child put his 13 flowers growing on the fence instead of in a garden.

Your list can make a jungle scene, or a farm scene, or an ocean scene. The options are almost limitless!

This is a favorite drawing activity for my kids!

This post is linked at Works For Me Wednesday.

Be sure to come back tomorrow to see what the 4 Moms have to say about cooking from scratch!

Welcome to another edition of Tutorial Tuesday! Today I will be showing you how to sew a machine hem.

I am including the photo below to better explain what I briefly touched on in the video. Notice how the hem portion is barely sticking out from underneath the dress portion. This is how you will want your dress to be situated when you begin sewing with the hem stitch. (Also called the “blind hem” stitch because it is not meant to be visible.)

If you watch the needle in the video closely, you will see the back and forth action I talk about.

And please, do excuse my repetitive repeating! Verily, verily, I tend to repeat things I consider important. Call it a hazard of mothering many children.

(My sewing machine is a Brother PC420 FS Project Runway Sewing Machine.)

See more of my Tutorial Tuesday videos!

This post is linked at DIY Day.

Do you have a quiet life? Even dull perhaps? Do you feel the need to add a little, oh, I don’t know… blood pressure raising activity to your too-quiet days?

Then try this outdated product that is no longer sold in stores and can only be acquired from an elderly friend who has had them in her possession since her children left home some 20 plus years ago!

Be sure to gather ALL of your children around, even the two year old, give them only one pair of tweezers, and remind them to be nice and take turns with the minuscule beads. No shoving, now! Any slight movement will jostle the microscopic beads into the wrong compartment and excessive tweezing will be necessary.

This activity is guaranteed to raise your heart rate, make little children cry, and fill your kitchen with the fragrant odor of melted plastic.

Try it today while supplies last!

This offer does not apply to enrollment with triple advantage.  Void where prohibited.  The activity has been outlawed in the states of Mississippi, Louisiana, California, Washington, Rhode Island, Utah, Idaho, Kentucky, and in the US Virgin Islands.  For use only under the supervision of an individual between the ages of 30 and 57.  Results not typical. Do not drive or operate machinery while using this product.  Side effects may include blurred vision, throbbing temples, high blood pressure, shortness of breath, loss of speech, redness of face, and cardiac arrest.  If you have died from this product contact your veterinarian right away because this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. 

These simple question and answer books that children can make are perfect for reviewing a unit of study.

Supplies needed:

• printer paper
• construction paper
• scissors
• marker
• glue

See more of my Tutorial Tuesday videos for pop up books and more! And don’t forget to come back Thursday, April 8 to see what the 4 Moms, 35 Kids say about menu planning.

This post is linked at A Soft Place to Land and Works For Me Wednesday.