Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Sew a Family Passport Holder Wallet - Tutorial Tuesday

Do you need a passport holder to store several of your traveling party's passports all together? Learn how to make your own fabric family passport storage wallet with this how-to tutorial.

Homemade Fabric Family Passport Wallet and Organizer Holder Sewing Project
For the family passport wallet you will need:
Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you new sewing and crafting content.



Looking for other travel accessories ideas? Check out these projects!

Otherwise, just watch how-to tutorial for this homemade family passport wallet sewing project right here:

Need a single cover instead? I have you covered with the single passport cover tutorial!

How to Sew a Fabric Passport Holder - Tutorial Tuesday

"But personally I think everyone should have a valid passport."
-Deb Pfeifer, Cruising with Confidence: How to be a First Time Cruiser without Looking like One, Second Edition 

I'm not sure why it took us so long to finally get a passport, but I'm glad we did. At this point I couldn't ever imagine going back to not having one. I want to be able to pick up and go anywhere in the world anytime I want. Not that I do that, but I want the option.

So for those who do have a passport - or those who don't (go get one, now!) - here are a couple quick and easy projects for them.


For this passport cover sewing project you will need:
Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you new sewing and crafting content.


Looking for other passport and vaccine covers? Check out our other projects?


Or just watch the tutorial for this homemade fabric passport cover sewing project right here:

Saturday, April 14, 2018

Saturday is for Silly Kitties

Had to take a break from Saturday is for Sailing. Decided Saturday is for silly kitties in training instead.

Friday, April 13, 2018

Friday 15

And the crap just keeps leaving. Woo hoo!

2 items on eBay
8 magazines and catalogs (including some kiddo brought for me to read)
1 Golden Gate bridge tshirt
2 pieces of fabric
1 bag of unused pencil top erasers
1 pressure cooker

Goodbye 15!
But the kitties? They aren't going anywhere yet.

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Top 5 Snorkeling Spots in the Caribbean

Today we're talking about the top snorkeling spots in the Caribbean. Clear waters, beautiful fish, what could be better?
Top 5 snorkeling spots in the Caribbean

As I was driving the kitties back from their shots yesterday, my mind started wandering. Random thoughts. So totally random. Seriously, who has their mind making a list of all the places they've snorkeled while sitting at a stoplight on an April Monday morning in Idaho? And who starts putting  them in alphabetical order in their head? Well, me. (I didn't finish the ABC order. I wasn't at the stoplight that long.)

Bahamas
Belize
Grand Cayman
Grand Turk
Aruba
Bonaire
Cabo San Lucas
Cozumel
Costa Maya
Curacao
Dominica
Hawaii
Playa del Carmen
Roatan, Honduras
St. Thomas
St. Maarten

I've snorkeled most of the list several times over. Don't worry - my drive wasn't long enough where I was assigning tally marks of how many times I snorkeled in each place.

But I did assign a ranking.

1. Bonaire
You can snorkel from shore - the beach itself is made from coral so you'll definitely need water shoes - but the best snorkeling is somewhere else.

See that island out there? That's Klein Bonaire, an uninhabited island. No chairs, no toilets, no services. But there is a water taxi that can take you out there so you can snorkel from shore. Tours also take snorkelers out for drift snorkeling. The absolute best snorkeling in the Caribbean, hands down. (Check out Woodwind tours. The best!)

2. Roatan, Honduras
If you head to the West Bay you'll have easy access to the reef  right from the beach. There are even fellows in kayaks working for tips who will tow you out to the back side of the reef for even better snorkeling. Water clarity is amazing, coral is in pretty darn good shape, and fish are abundant.

3. Grand Cayman
There are a couple spots in Grand Cayman that are my favorite. If you've never snorkeled or swam with stingrays, this is the place. No, their barbs aren't removed. Head out to Stingray City on a boat or jet ski to see something like this.
Those dark blobs are the stingrays. They congregate at the sandbar and are fed by tour operators. You get up close and personal. And yes, you should go in the water with them.
Otherwise head to the Paradise Seaside Grill and snorkel right from the shore to the reef. It's within sight of the ship.

4. Bahamas
You can see the clarity from the shore.
 From the air.
 And from the water.
And the fish are pretty cool, too.
5. Belize
Belize has its own barrier reef. You'll need to take a boat to get out there, and the current can be a bit strong depending on the weather, but the clarity, fish, and coral are amazing.

Belize was my first snorkeling adventure - before I had an underwater camera. And the next Belize visit was after my underwater camera busted. So no pictures. But I'll be back again some day!

Top 5 snorkeling spots in the Caribbean

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Easy to Sew Sleep Mask Project - Tutorial Tuesday

“I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?” 
― Ernest Hemingway

I like my sleep. It's great in the winter when it's dark early but in the spring and summer? Not so easy to sleep late. Which is where my second sleep mask in a year comes into play. When I don't like something I have I just make another.

So a sleep mask is what we have as today's tutorial. And I get to sleep in because I'm wearing it. Score!

Homemade Fabric Sleep Mask Sewing Project


For this project you will need:
Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you sewing and crafting content.


Looking for more travel ideas? Check out some of my other projects!



Check out the step-by-step how to tutorial and make your own homemade fabric sleep mask:

You can find the directions in a PDF here.

Sunday, April 8, 2018

Sunday Sew-In

“I hate Sunday, and I don't think I'll ever get over it. But I'm going to try.” 
― Frank D. Gilroy, The Subject Was Roses

I used to hate Sunday. Sunday meant Monday, and Monday meant work. Now Sunday means I get to sew. And Monday means I get to sew some more. Or cut fabric. Or film a tutorial. Or write for upcoming books. In other words, not work.

Today's Sunday was filled with two projects. Actually, four. Two from an upcoming travel crafts book and two cute little black and white foster ones from Simply Cats.
Cutie patooties Cami and Sami.

Saturday, April 7, 2018

Cruise Ports - Tendering


It's Cruise Ship Saturday! Today we're talking about tender ports.

“To reach a port we must set sail –
Sail, not tie at anchor
Sail, not drift.” 
― Franklin D. Roosevelt

Unless your ship is at a port that requires tendering.

In some ports the ship may not be able to dock at the pier. The channel may not be deep enough for the ship or the piers could be full with other ships. The ship instead anchors offshore. Passengers are then shuttled back and forth from ship to shore in tenders. The boats used to tender are typically the ship’s lifeboats and in some cases, local boats.
Lifeboats are quite safe and stable.
Tenders, being small boats on ocean waters, can bump and move. The crew does a great job in assisting passengers with entering and exiting the tender. Follow their instructions. The movement felt on the tender will be more than is felt on the ship. Tendering can be a challenge for people with physical difficulties as tenders require steps to enter and exit and are not wheelchair accessible. Passengers with collapsible wheelchairs and foldable walkers and scooters who can navigate steps may be able to access the tenders. Full sized mobility scooters and electric wheelchairs are usually not allowed.

Don't want to take a tender to shore? Stay onboard the ship. Some of the most peaceful and quiet times can be had when everyone else is off the ship. While onboard shops are closed the pools are open, the buffet is empty, and the decks are clear. It’s like having your own private yacht for the day.
A private yacht day.
Excerpt from Cruising with Confidence: How to be a First Time Cruiser without Looking like One, 2nd edition.

Friday, April 6, 2018

The Friday 15

“Friday's a free day. A woman's day.” 
― Neil Gaiman, American Gods

Or a good day to get rid of a Woman's Day magazine!

And another magazine,
and four spools of thread,
and a placemat,
and four pieces of fabric,
and two tutorial projects,
and two things on eBay.

Friday is a free me day for me. I'm free of 15 more pieces of stuff.

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

5 Things to do in Ensenada, Mexico

Today we're talking about what to do in Ensenada, Mexico. Learn five different activities you can do when you're visiting Ensenada on a cruise ship.

5 things to do in Ensenada, Mexico

The first time we ever took a cruise to Mexico we stopped in Ensenada. Just a couple hours south of San Diego but a world away. Actually, we didn't know if it that was true because we didn't get off the ship. And the next trip we stayed on the ship, and then the next. Yep, we were fearful American tourists who never stepped foot on shore. But then one of our crew member friends was celebrating his birthday in Ensenada and invited us to go along. Only then did we venture out.

Fast forward to now. How many times do we stay on the ship when it docks in Ensenada? Like, never. We've found lots to do - and found our fears about safety were unfounded.

If you want to venture out a bit either by car, bus, or taxi you can visit:
  • A winery? In Ensenada? The nearby valleys of San Vicente, Santo Tomas, and Guadalupe produce 90% of Mexico 's wines.
  • La Bufadora, The Blowhole.  The spout of ocean water is created when waves and air are pulled into an underwater cave and spit back out.
If you want activities within walking distance of port you can visit:
  • Hussong's Cantina is Baja's oldest bar still in use. It's also where the margarita was invented in 1941.
  • The Malecon is a nice waterfront walkway. The Malecon starts just past the ship's secure areas. We frequently see families out and about walking and sitting and playing with their kids along The Malecon. (We enjoy watching locals with their families.)   You'll also see Mexico's second largest flag there. (Although you can easily see the flag from the ship - it is huge.)
Large Mexican flag in Ensenada, Mexico
Walking The Malecon will take you to #5, the fish market.
  • Mercado de Mariscos - Fish Market. Northern Baja California 's largest seafood market, you can find all kinds of small and large fish here. Don't be surprised if you see a fisherman bringing a shark to market - using a wheelbarrow.
Shark meat for sale at the fish market in Ensenada, Mexico
Also near the fish market are lots of restaurants. Restaurants that just go next door to the fish market and purchase the fish for your meal.
Preparing red snapper at a restaurant stall in Ensenada, Mexico
Ensenada is home of the original fish tacos. With fish straight from the market you can't get much fresher. Cheap, tasty, can't-be-beat fish tacos. Yum.
Baja fish tacos in a restaurant stall in Ensenada, Mexico
Fish tacos in Ensenada is our top pick for what to do in Ensenada.
5 things to do in Ensenada, Mexico

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

How to Make Flower Button Magnets - Tutorial Tuesday

"When buttons came in, about 1650, people couldn't get enough of them and arrayed them in decorative profusion on the backs and collars and sleeves of coats, where they didn't actually do anything. ”
― Bill Bryson

And this week's project doesn't have buttons doing much of anything either. Except maybe holding up papers on the refrigerator. Buttons + scrap fabric + magnet + hot glue = super quick and easy spring project.


Homemade Fabric Covered Button Flower Magnets Craft Project

In addition to the standard crafting supplies, for each flower magnet you will need:

Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you sewing and crafting content.


Looking for more craft ideas? Check out these projects!

Check out the step-by-step how to tutorial to make your own handmade flower button magnets:

Monday, April 2, 2018

MY BOOKS

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Note: Some of my links are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support the blog and allows me to continue to provide free content. I only recommend products I use again and again. Thank you for your support!

Sunday, April 1, 2018

Making Spring Flower Placemats and Table Runners - Sunday Sew-In

“We need solitude, because when we're alone, we're free from obligations, we don't need to put on a show, and we can hear our own thoughts.” 
― Tamim Ansary, West of Kabul, East of New York: An Afghan American Story

I like my Sundays. Actually I like my Mondays and Tuesdays and Wednesdays and .... These days - all of these days - are my alone times. I go to the sewing room in the morning, put on my headphones, and work. Every day. And it's great. (Actually, I'm not technically alone as I have kitties running around my feet and table and shelves. And that's great, too.)

Back to today's Sunday Sew-In. It netted two projects, a spring placemat (you can find the tutorial video for the spring flower placemat here) and a still-in-the works project table runner. (You can find the spring table runner tutorial video here.) My daylight is waning and prime photo taking and video recording time is coming to a close for the day. Alone time is done for now.

Sewing Room Storage

Want to know what kinds of products I use for storage in my sewing room? Here are my favorites.


ClosetMaid Stackable 15-Unit Organizer I have three of these.
Sterilite 3 Drawer Unit I have six of these.
ArtBin Super Satchel 1-Compartment Box I have four of these.
IRIS 6-Drawer Scrapbook Cart with Organizer Top I have two of these.
ClosetMaid Cubeicals Organizer, 9-Cube I have two of these.

Note: Some of my links are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support the blog and allows me to continue to provide free content. I only recommend products I use again and again. Thank you for your support!