Customizable Flip Flops
By kristinabjornbak | Category: Home Crafts, It Worked 4 Me | Posted Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Summer is here again and everywhere I look I see the (roughly) same pair of inexpensive plastic and rubber sandals. You can find them at different stores, often for under $3 in a wide range of colors. Who wouldn’t want to have some?
Well, me. I don’t like them. Not that I’m opposed to color or flip flops, but the plastic/rubber thong part (the part that goes between your toes and up over your feet) grabs at my skin and cuts me. I have the scars to prove it. Fabric uppers aren’t so bad, but are often much more expensive. On a whim this year, I bought a pair of the cheap flip flops to the tune of $1.98, and got to work making them something cute and wearable. You can, too! Here’s how:
Materials:
- Cheap thong flip flops
- Knife or sturdy scissors
- Grosgrain ribbon or strips of fabric
- Hot glue
Step 1: Remove the thong upper.
Turn the flip flop over and find the bump/knot/nut that is securing the thong upper in place. Use a craft knife or a pair of sturdy scissors to cut the thong free. Remove thong part and discard.
Step 2: Make the toe loop.
Make a small loop with ribbon or fabric. Make sure it’s long enough that about two inches stick up, plus enough to make a knot on the underside. Thread the ends through the toe hole, but don’t tie yet.
Step 3: Thread the ribbon.
Estimate how long a piece of ribbon or fabric you will need. Add a bit to that because you will be knotting the underside and you may have measured wrong. You can cut off the excess later. Tie a knot in one end of the ribbon. Thread the other end through one of the side holes, going from the underside up, so that the knot is on the bottom. Give your knot a test tug. If it pulls through, the knot is too small. Because of this, I added a small bit of extra scrap ribbon to the ends to give the knots more bulk without them being too big.
Thread the unknotted end through the toe loop and down through the other side hole. Do a test fit on your foot to see how much of the ribbon you’ll need to pull through.
Step 4: Place your knots.
After you do a test fit, you’ll want to knot the ribbon/fabric on the underside of the shoe to hold it in place. Do a final test fit to make sure it fits correctly.
Step 5: Add your glue.
On the underside, pull the knots slightly so the that the cavity under it is exposed. Fill the cavity with hot glue and pull the knots back into place. Trim off any excess fabric or ribbon on the underside.
Step 5: Secure the scrap
If you used an extra bit of scrap to beef up your knots, you’ll need to secure that those on the top. Just a bit of hot glue between the main layer and the scrap will do it.
Slip on and enjoy!
As a final note, to give credit where credit is due, I did see the wonderful Key West Flip Flop tutorial over at The Mother Huddle. Although what I made was completely different, I did learn the knot and hot glue trick from there, so a big thanks to her!
Kristina is a stay-at-home mom of two boys. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English and spends her down time sewing, baking, doing crafts with her children, and experimenting with recipes with her husband.
Baby Banana Brush – A Mom 4 Life Giveaway
By mom4life | Category: 4 Free Friday Giveaway | Posted Friday, June 24, 2011
BabbaMat Self-Inflating Play Mat
Retail Value: $82.99, marked down to $66.39
Congratulations to Vanessa, who won a BabbaMat Self-Inflating Play Mat!
BabbaMat Self-Inflating Play Mat will be 20% off this week, June 24-30!
Baby Banana Brush for Infants and Toddlers
$10.25-$11.50
One lucky winner will receive our video demo (unused) Infant Teether!
Baby Banana Brush for Infants is a bendable training toothbrush that comes in a fun banana shape and soft texture that is the perfect introduction to brushing as early as 3-4 months.
Baby Banana Brush for Toddlers is the ideal toothbrush for toddlers ready to graduate to their first real toothbrush.
- Dental hygienist mom-invented
- Doctor Recommended
- Flexible material decreases risk of mouth injury
- Non-allergenic medical grade silicone
- BPA, latex, and phthalate free
- Dishwasher and freezer-friendly
- 100% non-toxic silicone
- Lead-free
- Winner of the prestigious Mom’s Best award
To watch my video review for the Banana Brush including footage of it being used by my son Quinten, click here.
To enter, leave a comment below on our blog letting us know if you would find the infant or toddler Banana Brush most useful. You can earn yourself a second entry by watching our Banana Brush review video (and while you are there we would love for you to comment or “like” the video). Simply leave a second comment here letting us know you watched! You have until Tuesday, June 21st to enter. Good Luck!
Watch Heather’s review video to see why we love Plan to Eat! Then check our promotion page for details!
This week at Mom 4 Life, we’ve added:
$29.95 – $64.95
Hello Kitty BabyLegs, in 16 different options!
Available for pre-order now, with expected shipping by July 1.
$10.00 – $15.00
Hello Kitty BabyLegs!!!
By mom4life | Category: New Products | Posted Tuesday, June 21, 2011
in newborn, original sizes, and the Five Lives Set!
16 choices available!!
We are now accepting pre-orders, expected to ship by July 1.
Check our listing for details!
Homemade Earache Oil Recipe
By mom4life | Category: Recipes & Kitchen Tips, The Journey of Motherhood | Posted Monday, June 20, 2011
Earaches are awful. I am well acquainted with their pain having been the victim of many earaches growing up. Thankfully as an adult I have not had very many, but I can greatly sympathize with my children when their ears begin to hurt. During our family’s last bout of ear infections, I was left with a period of a few hours between when my ear began to hurt and when I would be able to see the doctor. I decided to use this time to try out another homemade herbal remedy from my Herbal Nurturing guide. To be honest, I got the recipe started and then my husband was kind enough to finish it up while I laid in bed. Here is how you make it:
Happy Father’s Day to the man in our home
By mom4life | Category: Family Focus, The Journey of Motherhood | Posted Saturday, June 18, 2011
We are terribly blessed to have a great father in our home. I interviewed our kids to ask them some questions about their dad and learned a few new things. First of all, Hunter informed me that his dad’s favorite food is Broccoli and Cauliflower. The only thing that shocked me more than that was how he followed up by saying how much he also enjoyed those foods, who knew! Ashlyn explained that the way she knows her dad loves her is that he disciplines her, wow, what wisdom from someone so small:)! Here is the video interview.
And here is an Animoto video that I created from snapshots taken over the last seven years as I have had the privilege of watching my husband develop into an amazing father. I hope you will enjoy this snapshot Father’s Day video!
Still looking for something to give your man for Father’s Day? Perhaps you will enjoy some of the ideas presented in this blog post I wrote last year titled “Let’s Give Honor for Father’s Day“.
