"C" is for Crafty

Felt Christmas Stockings

2011-12-09T21:20:00.001-08:00

I've been a busy little elf working on products to sell at Sprout this season. I just dropped off more Christmas stockings. If you are a Durango local stop by to check it out!

Lego Birthday Party

2011-12-04T21:37:00.001-08:00

This might be my favorite kids' party to date- Lego Party! I was thrilled when my oldest requested a Lego party for his sixth birthday. I love all things Lego so I don't know who had more fun- me making the party or my six year old experiencing it. The result was super fun. I think everyone had a great time!

Invites- I designed these to look like a box of Legos and printed them out at home, but I found several super cute ones you can buy on Etsy...

Decorations- Lego head banners made with paint chips and Sharpies, bricks also made from paint chips, lots of crepe paper streamers in primary colors, center piece from XL Lego blocks, and lots of little Legos here and there...

Food: I had a hard time thinking of Lego inspired food- cheese slices to look like bricks were my only thought. For the cake I did cupcakes with chocolate Lego guys using this mold...

Gift Bags: Lego head marshmallow pops (how-to found here), stickers, and a mystery Lego mini figure pack...

Games: The kids mostly just wanted to run around outside, but some of them did spend some time playing Legos set out on the kids' old train table. I also printed out coloring and dot-to-dot pages from the Lego sight...

Instead of cleaning up after the kids left I sat around building with all of I's new Legos. Hooray! Maybe He'll want another Lego party next year...

Oma-made Halloween Costumes

2011-11-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

This year I didn't lift a finger creating Halloween costumes, but my mom really outdid herself making these BEAUTIFUL costumes. D chose the Disney Rapunzel pattern that literally would have taken me years to sew. It really is a beautiful dress (for a beautiful girl don't you think?) I'm sad she will outgrow this costume! Ike chose the musketeer pattern. I was too impatient to get a good picture of the cape so you can't see how impressive it is. Thanks Mom!!!!

Rainbow Birthday Party

2011-11-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

I was so excited when D decided she wanted a rainbow party this year- it was so fun! We looked at some party ideas online, but this cake sealed the deal for her. Unfortunately my version of the cake was a bit of a disaster, but everything else came out pretty well.

Cake table (with sad, sad cake): fabric is from Wal-mart and rainbow stripe party hats (and rainbow candles not pictured) from Target...

Table scape: D LOVES to draw, color, and create all day long so this table was a no-brainer. Simple butcher paper with crayons in votives for the birthday girl and guests to design their own table cloth...

Decor: crepe paper streamer rainbow...

...rainbow balloons...

... rainbow paint chip garlands inspired by these at Kojo Designs (although I ended up making mine differently- maybe I'll write up a tutorial soon?) ...

Food: Rainbow fruit and veggie tray...

...jello cups inspired from this post at Glorious Treats...

... and disaster cake. D was thrilled with how it turned out and guests thought it tasted good, so I'm really trying to get over it and count it as a success...

Party attire: Rainbow dress I made for D that she has yet to wear. She opted for her very favorite Hello Kitty rainbow shirt instead. Hopefully I can talk her into wearing this dress soon- before she grows out of it!

Little Monster Party

2011-09-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

My youngest just turned one and I threw him a monster party. The details are obviously lost on a one year old, but hopefully he'll look back on the photos one day and enjoy them.

I "borrowed" almost all my ideas from parties I found online- I'm thankful others are so creative! I found most ideas here at Nounces Design. I obviously loved her color pallette and REALLY wished I could spring for the black and white chevron fabric (I used some black and white polka dot fabric I had on had instead. Somehow I forgot to take pictures.)

I found the idea for these monster headbands at this party on Hip Hip Hooray.

I bought these monster books as gifts- M loves books...

And I made up an invite to put in his baby book to remember the occasion...

Superhero Cape Sets

2011-08-25T20:37:00.000-07:00

This is what I've been up to this summer- lots of superhero cape sets! Shiny capes with super stars or super lightning bolts...with co-ordinating masks and wrist cuffs...My Etsy store is too hard to keep up with at the moment, so I'm selling these (and lots of other fun handmades) at Sprout here in Durango. She carries children's consignment and local, handmade toys and clothes. Durangoans- come check it out! Lots of great bargains on used clothes and gear and a great way to support a local business.
Here are my two oldest modeling their superhero gear as "SUPER D" and "IKE-TASTIC." These guys are ready to save the day!

Oilcloth Art Smock

2011-03-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

D loves to be artsy AND craftsy and has grown out of her art smock, so I made her a new one. Isn't it cute? I LOVE this green apple oilcloth- sewing with it was MUCH easier than the laminated cotton. I must have been doing something wrong M's bib, hopefully I can figure it out. I cut the apron pretty generous so that she'll be able to use for years. I have more than half a yard left of the oilcloth, so I'm dreaming up some other fun projects. Any suggestions?

Baby Bike Bib

2011-03-24T15:36:00.000-07:00

Surprise! I made something! This stage of life with the kids is making it nearly impossible to spend time crafting, hence the lack of posting as of late. I did manage this cute bib for M out of necessity- all my messy food bibs are pink. I used a laminated cotton so it wipes off easily after feeding. Even after doing some research online I still had a difficult time sewing with the fabric. Anyone have any pointers? I still have some fabric left and am hoping to make a couple more bibs, then I am moving on to art smocks made from oilcloth.

Brown and White Baby Shoe

2011-02-18T15:51:00.000-08:00

This is a project I started months ago- cute baby shoes! I was inspired by these shoes from See Kai Run- aren't they awesome? I love, LOVE these shoes. Even on sale I can't justify pricey shoes that will fit a tiny baby for two seconds...

so I decided to make my own. Using the Stardust Baby Shoes tutorial found here, I made... one shoe. It was harder than I thought. It has been sitting on my desk for months. Today I decided to ditch this project since it seems I will never make the second shoe. Yeah! One more project off the desk. Little M will just have to wear his Old Navy shoes. Now trying to figure out what to do with one shoe...

Handmade Valentine Gifts

2011-02-14T12:04:00.000-08:00

I couldn't get it together to do much for Valentine's Day this year, but my mom made wonderful handmade gifts for the kids this year. She is amazing!

This is a felt "Lightning McQueen" for my Cars crazy oldest. Awesome! She is thinking about trying to sell plush felt cars and trucks on etsy. What do you think? I think they would be a hit!Knit pink bear for D. She named her Ruby.And a hanging triangle toy for baby M. It has ribbons and plastic toys dangling and batting.

My kids were thrilled! We've been playing with them all week.

Valentine Garlands

2011-02-04T14:51:00.000-08:00

I'm taking a tiny break from cleaning up to make some seasonal decorations... Valentine's Day heart garlands! Actually this first one is probably not technically a garland, but I don't know what to call it- a hanging? I got the idea from a Paper-Source catalogue.Here's how I did it:

1. Pick out paper. I painted a piece of sketch paper with water colors when my kids had their paints out. A medium weight paper works well.2. Cut into strips about one inch wide.3. Fold in half.4. Using a pen (or dowel, knitting needle, etc.) roll the paper tightly up to the center fold.5. Take the pen out- it should look like this.6. Repeat with the other side. The paper will form a heart that looks like this.7. Cut a length of thread twice as long as you want your hanging to hang. I strung a small glass bead onto the end to give the whole thing weight. Then thread a sewing needle onto the the thread. Using the needle, pull the thread up through the bottom of the paper heart. 8. Using a small piece of double sided tape or a photo mounting square, stick the top of the heart together, making sure to catch the thread in the tape.It should look like this when you are done.9. Follow this the remaining paper hearts, stacking them on top of each other. The finished project- stacked paper heart "garland."

And this is the simple felt heart garland I made. I cut out all these hearts to make embroidered felt conversation hearts, but it was going to take way too long. I just ran them through my machine and made the garland instead.

T-Shirt Headbands

2011-02-01T19:34:00.000-08:00

I recently gave my sweet little girl a horrible haircut- her bangs are short, short, short and crooked! Instead of trying to fix them, I am leaving them be for now, maybe growing them out entirely. Do you cut your children's hair? Ugh! Sometimes I don't think it's worth the money I save. I have REALLY wiggly kids.

Anyway, my solution for now is big, fat headbands. I made a bunch from old t-shirts of mine, and because they are made from knit they are super easy! Just cut a wide strip of t-shirt, sew ends together (I didn't even use my machine, just a few stitches by hand), and embellish with fun flowers or ruffles. Here's a sample. Great for keeping static-y winter hair away from your face or horrible Mommy bang haircuts.

Piggy Bank Personalization

2011-01-27T16:25:00.000-08:00

Another project moved off my desk! I've had this ceramic bank (from Hobby Lobby) for baby M sitting on my desk for awhile. I've been waiting for inspiration on how to personalize it for M, then I got a Cricut machine for Christmas! As I have mentioned, I'm not a big scrapbooker, but the Cricut machine is really neat. My thought was to cut out shapes from adhesive backed vinyl using my new machine. Then I realized I'd have to buy the vinyl. Right now my craft budget is $0 until I get rid of or use up some of my supplies. So I dug through my stickers and found some green and brown flocked alphabet stickers. This is the result. Don't worry about my new little machine. I'm hoping to use it to make baby announcements sometime soon. Other Cricut projects to follow...

Knitting Projects Part 2

2011-01-26T14:59:00.000-08:00

I have finished up my knitting for now. I reworked the orange and blue hat for my oldest- it looks a lot better, don't you think? I was so excited to use up some of my yarn, but as soon as I finished this hat I found more of this stuff in my organizing spree. I see an orange and blue scarf in my son's future. Maybe for the Broncos next season. I'm not sure what to call this... a neck warmer? I was inspired by some pieces I've seen on etsy. Projects go a lot faster when you are using giant needles and a big chunky yarn, don't they?

Baby Books

2011-01-25T15:10:00.000-08:00

With it being January, I am feeling the need to organize, organize, organize! We'll see just how much I get done with the three little ones. My crafting space is in constant need of serious de-cluttering, so cleaning it up is taking up most of my crafting time right now. My first step is to finish all the unfinished projects littered everywhere. One of those projects is my kids' baby books.

I'm not much of a scrapbooker, so I was looking for pretty, modern, reasonably priced fill in the blank books for recording memories. Here's was I ended up with:

This is the book I bought for my first son. It is very simple and works well for a girl or a boy. You can find it here and here. I also bought an adoption book from this company for a friend that I thought was cute, but I'm not sure if they make it anymore.

Here is my daughter's baby book. The cover is very simple ( just solid violet with a slot for a picture) but I LOVE the illustrations and prints inside. You can also buy extra pages if you are ambitious. This book is beautiful! You can find it here. Oh yeah- they carry a blue one for boys, too.Here is the one I bought for our third child. It is SO cute! I didn't know if we were having a boy or girl, so the little birds fit the bill. It is very simple, just right for a third baby (they kind of get the short end of the stick when it comes to documenting every little thing don't they?) It comes in a beautiful box with a little drawer for mementos. You can find it here and here.This is the book I'd buy if I wanted to spend about $100. It is gorgeous! You can find it here

Crotcheted Owl Hat for Baby (and other knit projects)

2011-01-07T14:24:00.000-08:00

Winter makes me want to knit and crotchet and make fun snugly things. It has been REALLY cold here, so these projects for the kids were born. I took apart some old hats and scarves I made several years ago that I never really wore and used the yarn again.

Owl beanie for M-

I needed something without a pom-pom on top because those hats always side down over his eyes in the car seat. This started out at a regular hat and then I decided to add the owl. He's a little lopsided- I think it adds to the handmade-ness: Pink knit scarf with pinwheel flowers for D-

I really am not much of a knitter, but scarves are fun and easy. She needed something to keep her neck warm when I pulled her crazy hair up:Knit hat for I-

I don't really like the way this turned out, so I will probably pull it out and start over again. He has been asking for a Broncos hat and, really, what am I going to do with blue and orange yarn?

Bean Bag Toss Game

2011-01-06T13:28:00.000-08:00

This year's homemade Christmas gift for the kids? A fun bean bag toss game!My husband made the boards from a nice plywood and 1x8's (I think). Instead of painting them we decided to just sand them well and seal them.And then I got to make all the fun bean bags! I used leftover scraps of fabric and filled them with lentils. A set for my girl... And a set for my boy...I actually found these buckets after Christmas (on sale at a Pottery Barn Kids)- they are just the right size for a dozen bean bags.We've been having old school fun with these!

Baby Stocking Stuffers

2010-12-16T21:12:00.000-08:00

Now that M's stocking is done, I need fun things to fill it up! As our third born the kid needs and wants for nothing, but I thought of a couple crafty things to tuck inside. New (old) bibs and pacifier clips. Tutorials are found below...

Pacifier Clip Tutorial

2010-12-16T20:48:00.000-08:00

These are so easy, you could whip up a bunch really quick.

1. You need one suspender clip, a bit of Velcro, and a length of ribbon. I got this grosgrain ribbon at Hobby Lobby- brown with green dots on one side, plain green on the other. I cut my ribbon to 12 1/2 inches...2. Tucking in the raw edge, I sewed one end to the suspender clip using a straight stitch. you could use a sewing machine, but I think hand sewing is just as fast if not faster...3. I finished off the other end the same way- folding twice to cover up the raw edge...4. Sew bits of Velcro onto the ribbon using a straight stitch...5. And that's it! No more picking up pacifiers off the floor every two seconds. Hooray!

Old T-Shirt into Bib Tutorial

2010-12-16T20:02:00.000-08:00

I have a big stack of old clothes that are waiting to be turned into something fun. First project- drool bibs for M.

1. I started with this T-shirt......and some old pj pants of my son's.2. Using a bib I already own, I traced a bib outline onto the T-shirt in disappearing ink. I made it a bit longer to use more of the T-shirt design...3. Cut out bib...4. I cut out the neck and arm holes to use as edging...5. Using a large basting stitch, I sewed the edging onto the right side of the bib with the finished edge facing in...6. I placed bib right side down onto backing fabric, pinned and cut out backing...7. Next I sewed the front to the backing leaving a small opening to turn bib right side out.

8. After turning out, I sewed the opening close with a slip stitch.

9. I sewed small metal snaps on the ends. You could use Velcro dots too...10. And here's the finished bib! Front... ...and back.M is on the verge of cutting teeth, so there's lots of drooling to come...

Christmas Crayon Roll

2010-12-16T14:57:00.000-08:00

I made several of these crayon rolls for the craft fair. Isn't it cute? I want to put this one in my daughter's stocking- I'm just trying to figure out how to convince her it's from Santa and not Mommy! I think it'll be great for coloring in the car during our road trip after Christmas.

I looked at several tutorials online... I like this one from Skip to my Lou. This one from V and Co. is very clever with the hair elastic and button as a closure. As you can see I used a ribbon to tie it up, and I skipped any flannel lining or interfacing. I used this fabric from Hobby Lobby. I LOVE it! Owls plus Christmas-too much fun!

Felt Guitar Christmas Stocking

2010-12-11T10:53:00.000-08:00

I finished the Christmas stocking for M last night. Just in time for filling with fun Christmas treats...
We do not have a fireplace or a mantel, so I'm at a bit of a loss as to where to hang our stockings. I hung them on our IKEA shelving up where the kids can't mess with them. Our stocking hangers are actually picture frames. My next project is to get fun pictures of each of us up there. I only have six hangers so our pets have to share a hook now...

Craft Bazaar Success

2010-12-11T10:37:00.000-08:00

So I'm counting last weeks craft bazaar as a success! It was the first time it was held, so I was a little nervous about the traffic. I had a fair amount of customers and a good response to my items. Actually I was most nervous about leaving my three month old for the whole day, but he did awesome. My husband is a rock star for taking all three kids. Now I am busy listing items that didn't sell on my Etsy shop and doing my own crafting for the holidays!

Etsy Shop

2010-12-11T10:33:00.001-08:00

I'm listing items in my Etsy shop again. Woo hoo!

Craft Bazaar

2010-12-03T08:46:00.000-08:00

Crafting madness! I've been sewing and stitching like crazy for weeks now to get ready for a holiday craft bazaar tomorrow. Hoping all goes well! If you live in the Durango area come and see me at the Main Mall from 9-4. I have tons of fun things for little ones!

CARS Birthday Party

2010-11-22T11:54:00.000-08:00

This month my son turned five and had his first full blown birthday party! I have always imagined crafty parties full of handmade goodness for my kids, so you'd think I would be disappointed when he requested a Lightning McQueen party. The last thing I wanted was a cookie cutter party with a bunch of plastic, licenced junk. But the funny part is- I love CARS too! I grew up with a dad who is a "car nut" who loves all motor sports, Route 66, Paul Newman, and Steve McQueen. Disney's CARS was tailor made for him, and I can't help but appreciate all the clever stuff they put in that movie. Anyway, it was fun to put my spin on a CARS birthday and my son loved how it all turned out.

Invitations- custom tickets to the big race. I borrowed heavily from an invite I found online, but I can't find the source to post here... Decor- birthday bunting made from checkered flag scrap paper found at Hobby Lobby...
...and checkered flag bandannas, also found at Hobby Lobby... Cake- I used one of those molded cake pans (also found at Hobby Lobby.) The decorating instructions were very detailed. Thankfully I had all the decorating tips and icing colors at home already, but it took me over three hours to frost this cake. I doubt I will be making this again...

Party favors- personalized reusable CARS cups (found at Walmart) filled with homemade racing car crayons... I got the idea for these crayons from this post at homemade by jill. Aren't they awesome? You just melt down crayons and pour them into chocolate or candy molds...

She melted crayons on her stove top in tin cans. I wanted to try to use my microwave to melt them down, but after Googling the idea I opted for using a regular oven instead. It sounded much safer. I broke up crayons into metal foil baking cups then put them in a 350 degree oven. They liquefied in minutes, and then I poured them into the mold. I think they turned out super cute!

Overall I think the party was a success! Now we are anxiously awaiting the premier of CARS 2 coming in June!

Women's Shirt to Toddler Dress

2010-11-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

A little revamp on an old shirt I don't wear anymore. I like the way the gathering at the neckline turned out, but overall it looks too baggy. It was fun to sew something without having to iron anything, though!

Weekend Sewing

2010-11-05T19:18:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I whipped up these boxy little bags for gifts at MOPS. They seemed like a hit, so I think I'll be making some for my booth at the Christmas craft bazaar coming up. I have lots of projects in the works for this bazaar. Here's a little taste of my felt Christmas stockings...

Baby Costume

2010-11-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

I didn't have much time to be crafty this year for Halloween, but I did sneak in some homemade goodness for my youngest. Inspired by his middle name, I made him go as Moses. Here he is sporting the Styrofoam "Ten Commandments" and a little grey felt beard that slipped over his pacifier. He was the hit of the evening!

Little Girl's Apron Set

2010-10-31T20:28:00.000-07:00

This was a gift for a birthday party was went to today- a little play apron in a fun cherries print...
That reverses to a red gingham... Matching pot holder...

And felt chocolate chip cookies...

Perfect for a little girl's play kitchen!

Felt Food - S'mores!

2010-10-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

I whipped these up last week... then decided we had to have REAL s'mores. Yum!

Fall Little Girl Jumper

2010-10-01T19:42:00.000-07:00

Inspired by kids clothes week challenge 2010 at elsie marley I did a little sewing for D last week.

I wanted to make a little jumper for fall. This was attempt #1- no pattern, just making it up based on some other dresses I've made for her. The result? Too small abandoned project. I was going to add a band of denim at the bottom, but it was too small so I just ditched the whole thing. Attempt #2- I actually spent a whole $3.50 on a pattern and let D pick out some new fabric. My novice sewing skills made it really hard to follow the pattern, but I love the way it turned out. The only problem with this one? It's huge on her! UGH! She should be able to wear it in a year.

Soft Baby Blocks

2010-09-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

Blocks for baby M. One side spells out his first name in embroidery, the opposite side spells out his middle name.

Pacifier Clip

2010-09-09T17:58:00.000-07:00

Next baby project... a pacifier clip. This one was pretty easy- cute grosgrain ribbon (I got mine from Hobby Lobby), suspender clip, Velcro, and a little thread.

Little Felt Woodland Animals

2010-09-09T04:18:00.000-07:00

Our little one is here! I am so excited to finally have baby M at home. I have all sorts of crafty ideas for this little guy, now I just have to figure out how to actually get something done with three kids.

I made these little friends before M got here. This project actually started as an attempt to revamp a tired toy bar I bought at a consignment shop. I couldn't figure out a way to attach it to the baby chair we have, so I used this rack I made out of PVC pipe for a craft fair last year. It's just the right height for the chair...

Here are the little felt friends for M to get to know. I used plastic toy rings to hook them to the rack. Most of them have jingle bells hidden inside so when he's big enough to bat at and grab them they'll give a little jingle...

Can you tell that I'm crazy about owls right now? Actually I love all the little woodland animals I've been seeing at Etsy. Hope baby M likes these little ones.

Felt Lotus Pillow

2010-08-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

I've seen several pillows on Etsy with overlapping felt "petals" that I've just loved... here is my version. I'm not very excited about how it turned out, but it matches my living room so it's staying for now.

My Baby Neutrals- Brown and White

2010-08-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

Baby #3 will be here in about a week and a half and I am just about done with my baby bedding sewing. We got rid of our broken, recalled, drop side crib and got a new crib for the baby, so I decided that he/she needed some new bedding, too. We don't know if it will be a boy or a girl so I wanted to do something neutral- as neutral as I could get in D's pink explosion room that they will share.

I decided on brown and white- a color combo that I LOVE (I already have it all over my wardrobe and house.) and I think it works great for a boy or a girl. After the baby gets here I'll add lavender for girl or green or orange for a boy. Or maybe green and orange and blue for a boy.

So here is the crib... I bought the sheet here at Target since I'm terrible at sewing with elastic. It saved me a lot of time and headaches. The bumpers I made from some old pillow cases I've had for a while from IKEA. I put white ties on one side and brown ties on the other so I can switch it up if I feel like it. I like that brown ties more... I couldn't find the white crib skirt I used when my son was a baby so I made a new one with a $3 white sheet from Walmart and sewed the brown/white stripe ribbon at the bottom. I think it looks a little more modern than the gathered skirt anyway...My big splurge was this blanket I got from Target. I just couldn't pass it up- I think this owl is so cute. We have plenty of blankets to pass down to the baby, but my kids are kind of territorial, so #3 gets a new one...And this little blanket that I knit with some yarn on hand...Little bag for the end of the changing table, made from another $3 Walmart sheet. I use it to hold plastic bags for stinky diapers (yes, very non-ecofriendly of me) and embroidered the owl to match the Target blanket...
Recovered basket in scrap of brown and white dotted fabric full of, what else, brown and white baby clothes...Brown and white sprinkle donuts for baby toys...

I have a couple more ideas I want to get made before I pack up my sewing machine for a bit- hopefully I can get them posted soon.

Yes, even more Felt Food

2010-08-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

I think I have all my felt food projects out of my system... for now. This is one I've been thinking of for awhile- felt cake decorating. Start with plain "vanilla" cakes...And decorate with just about anything. Because it's felt the decorations just stick on. You can change it as much as you like...

Pot of ravioli pasta- just needs some red sauce. I'm still trying to figure that one out...

Little Owls

2010-08-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

Little patchwork owls for D and I. D had to have pink (of course!) and I wanted orange and black.

Baby Hats

2010-07-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

New hats for the little one: knotted caps...Knit caps- I remember why I don't knit very often. I'm not very good at it and these took forever!

MORE! Felt Food

2010-06-19T13:29:00.000-07:00

To go with her new oven mitt, I have been whipping up more felt food for the play kitchen.

Flower topped vanilla cupcakes...

Chocolate chip cookies...

Strawberries...

I have a couple more felt baked goods projects in the works. Coming soon.

Play Kitchen Oven Mitt

2010-06-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

Little oven mitt for D to go with this apron I made last year. I tried to get a picture of her wearing both, but my model was uncooperative.

Aquamarine Necklace

2010-06-04T19:59:00.000-07:00

Necklace that I made to wear at a wedding last weekend. I wanted to use the big piece of aquamarine- the rest is just Czech glass- I love these colors.

I don't really wear jewelry, but I love pieces from Anthropologie. I was going for something like this...

Knit Green Skirt

2010-06-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

Another project with knits! I used this skirt from Old Navy as a template. I am unhappy with the hem, so I might rework it. The fabric is also a bit thinner than I remember when I bought it. It will be nice and light for this summer, though, when I will be feeling giant and hot!

Baby Swing Redo

2010-05-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

With baby #3 on the way I've been wanting to work on some baby projects, but we really have all the baby stuff we need... too much of it probably. I did pull out our baby swing we received as a gift when I was pregnant with #1. It has barely been used- my kids were not big swingers despite the claims of baby books I was reading at the time (babies HAVE to have swings to be happy- what?) The jungle animals on navy background doesn't really "go" with my house, so I whipped up a cover. It fits...okay. Well enough anyway. Of course NOW I can't keep my 2.5 and 4.5 year olds out of the swing. Ha!

A little blanket I crocheted with yarn hanging around. Maybe this means we are having a boy? Three more months until we find out...

Ruffle Corsage T-Shirt

2010-05-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

I found some ideas at this blog here and various links to turn this shirt...

into this shirt...

I'm not crazy about how it turned out- it's TOO ruffly I think. I'm going to redo it, maybe make the ruffles more floppy looking like the J.Crew inspiration shirt. I love all these ruffles on things (have you seen J.Crew or Anthropologie lately??), but maybe I'm not girly enough to wear this stuff? I'm going to keep trying...

Paper Tile Picture Frame

2010-05-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

I found this project here...Dress up a regular white frame with decorative paper "tiles." I glued them on with Modge Podge.

A close-up look...

Outdoor Swing Redo

2010-05-17T13:21:00.000-07:00

The sun here in Colorado is a killer for all our outdoor furniture and toys. We bought this swing a couple of years ago and the fabric on the seat was already brittle and splitting this year. Everything else was in good shape, so I just sewed a fabric remnant on the top. It looks so bright in our backyard, but I'm sure it will fade quickly to match the rest of our outdoor decor (the pillows on the swing were black when we bought it.) Couple more projects to go and we'll be ready for summer entertaining. I can't wait!

Butterfly Ruffle Sleeve Dress

2010-05-16T06:40:00.000-07:00

New dress for D... I could spend the whole summer making dresses for my daughter, but unfortunately she has plenty now. I'm going to try to make sure this is the last one. We had a couple of weddings happening in May so I made this one for all the festivities.I fell in love with this dress at Mini Boden and tried to recreate it...
I didn't want to use a pattern, so I kind of made it up along the way... the ruffles on the sleeves turned out bigger than I expected. They kind of look like flutter sleeves so I left them. The Boden dress is smocked in the back, something I can't do, so I put in a zipper to make it fit snugly on top. It is a bit of a mess- I'm sure I'll try to redo the zipper when I get motivated.D was actually excited to wear it last night to wedding number one! Often I will make something for her and then she refuses to wear it. I made a little knotted necklace out of glass beads and white ribbon- it looked really cute with the dress. I couldn't get pictures of the whole effect as we were running crazy late :( ... maybe next time she wears it.

Folklore Bag for Summer

2010-05-12T13:56:00.000-07:00

Here is that Folklore Bag from One Yard Wonders in a lighter fabric for summer. Using a fabric with a lighter color showed ALL of my mistakes... I had to redo the yoke on the outside four times. That and the fact my sewing machine decided to go on strike made this a longer project than I was hoping. I added the fabric pinwheels to make it more fun, but I might lose them for everyday use. I just wanted to see what it would look like. Now I just need to Scotch Guard it, and it's ready to go!

Boxy Little Bag for Her

2010-05-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

Here is another attempt at the boxy little bag, this time for my daughter. It came together faster the second time, the pattern was not so confusing. I used a fat quarter of batik from my local quilt store. I LOVE batik (maybe because I was born in Indonesia? There's a connection there I'm sure.) Someday I'd love to try to make batik fabric. I made the strap slightly longer this time so she could slip it onto her arm.Perfect for her little treasures. Her response? "Ooooooh! For me, Mommy? Bootifuw (beautiful)." Not bad.

Knit Shirt

2010-05-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

I made a shirt... I am so proud of myself! Looking at the picture I'm sure it doesn't look too impressive, but I was expecting a bit of a disaster so this was a pleasant surprise. I haven't really worked with knits before and have read that they are hard... I thought it wasn't bad.

For the pattern I took apart a shirt from my closet that I love, but the fabric has pilled horribly. For my new shirt I used a $1 remnant of stripe knit from Walmart- I didn't want to spend too much money on this experiment. I made it extra long and to accommodate for my growing belly and long torso. I think it turned out cute! I'm definitely going to make another one to work out some kinks, maybe in a more flattering solid.

Magnets & Felt Fishing Game

2010-04-30T14:01:00.000-07:00

My original idea for this was felt fish with magnets sewn inside and a felt hook with magnets sewn inside. I didn't want to buy anything new, so I was using materials that I had on-hand. It turned out the felt was too thick for the magnets I used. This would be better with a) stronger magnets or b) thinner fabric.

Anyway, this is how it turned out. My kids like to play with the fish, even without the fishing pole. These are just scraps of felt stuffed with a little poly-fill and small refrigerator magnets, finished with a blanket stitch. Fishing pole- a small wooden dowel, raffia, and more magnets glued together.
My son demonstrating all the fishing fun!

Floral Embellished Onesie

2010-04-19T15:18:00.000-07:00

I started with a plain white onesie and an old jersey shirt- this one is a ballet pink with some silver stitching detail running through it. I thought the silver would be a pretty detail on the flowers.I cut small flowers from the shirt, maybe 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. This was the most tedious part. It is hard to cut something small from jersey because it curls.Using 2 strands of embroidery floss in a coordinating color, I sewed the center of the flowers onto the onesie. I pulled on the flowers a bit to get a puckering in the center to create texture. i wanted it to look ruffley (is that a word?)
Finished project! It took less than an hour, even stopping to take pictures.

Folklore Bag

2010-04-19T15:12:00.000-07:00

One Yard Wonder Project: Folklore Bag

This bag took longer than I expected... I was hampered by my poor sewing skills and my tendency to try to cut corners. Next time around I'm sure I will be quicker. I love the size- it's just right for all my stuff w/o being too big and heavy. I like the wider straps too- they don't fall off my shoulder when wrangling kids. I want to try it in another fabric... I love this fabric, just not for this pattern. Maybe something lighter and more fun for summer.

Tiny, tiny Tie

2010-04-19T14:55:00.001-07:00

I wanted to make a necktie for my son to wear for Easter this year and some upcoming weddings we are attending. I tried this tutorial/pattern from Ottobre Design. The directions were pretty easy to follow (once I really concentrated... what happens to your brain when you get pregnant???) and it came together quickly except for turning it right side out. The pattern says for ages 4-7, but mine turned out super tiny- definitely not big enough for my 4 year old. That's why mine was so hard to turn out- it was SO skinny. Needless to say, my son can't wear the necktie. Most likely it will be used for teddy bear/ doll dress up clothes.

Does anyone have a necktie pattern they like? I ended up buying a tie on Etsy, but I'd still like to try making one.

Crafting Hiatus

2010-04-17T15:51:00.000-07:00

I'm back from my crafting hiatus! Not that I was intending to take one. I am pregnant with #3 (yeah!!!) and have been really sick- so sick I couldn't even do any crafting! In my world that is really sick. It has been a LONG 3 months, but I am finally feeling a little bit better and I'm ready to get my life back. I have tons of projects bouncing around my head... hopefully I'll be posting a lot soon!

Here's a project I finished in January before the nausea set in. I got this book for Christmas- One Yard Wonders. It is awesome! Over 100 sewing projects using just one yard of fabric- perfect for my fabric stash.

This is the first thing I tried- a carry basket for baby dolls. It came together really fast and turned out great! Instead of using it for her dolls, D uses it when she goes "grocery shopping" with her play food. Pretty cute.

More one yard projects coming soon!

Boxy Little Bag

2010-01-02T08:01:00.000-08:00

I made this bag for my son who LOVES his cars. He is always trying to carry 5 or 6 of his most favorite cars around, and I spend a lot of time waiting for him to pick up all the cars he's dropped before we can go anywhere. I finally decided he needed a purse- so this was my solution. There are a bunch of tutorials online for bags like this. I used this one, but I wouldn't recommend it... it was a little confusing, I ended up modifying it in the end (to add the strap), and I didn't realize that there would be exposed seams inside. I didn't read very well before I started cutting up fabric. I like the way it turned out anyway- and it is just the right size for Lightning McQueen and his friends.

Felt Christmas Stockings

2010-01-01T08:43:00.000-08:00

I am packing up Christmas decor today, so i thought I'd throw these on the blog before I shut the door on Christmas. I made these stockings several years ago, but finally just finished them this year. I added linings (so the felt wouldn't stretch out) and ribbon at the top to finish them off. I used a double faced satin ribbon on 3 of them which turned out to be pretty bulky. The single faced satin worked much better.

Felt Finger Puppet Nativity

2009-12-16T21:03:00.000-08:00

Okay, I think I am done with felt this season- I am putting it away now. Here's my last little project. We had a present exchange at our small group tonight, so I whipped up these finger puppets. I love the way they turned out- I will definitely make more next year when I have more time.

Here's Mary, Baby Jesus, & Joseph...A shepherd & sheep...
Angel...
The wise men...

More Lickety Split Bags

2009-12-16T20:52:00.001-08:00

I am making more Lickety Split bags for Christmas presents (get the Made by Rae pattern here.) I really like this pattern and the bags really do come together quickly. I liked how the pale blue and green fabrics look against the dark brown.

Felt Breakfast Food

2009-12-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I had a booth a local Christmas bazaar- I mostly had felt food and barrettes and some embroidered onesies. The food got a great response- here's some highlights... donuts and pancake breakfast.

Felt Bird Cage Ornament

2009-12-15T13:13:00.000-08:00

I made this for an ornament exchange at MOPS today. I think it is SO cute- I am making one to keep for myself. I found the tutorial here.

2009-12-14T20:11:00.000-08:00

I've got lots of Christmas crafting going on... here is a little owl I made for my niece. I loved these owls at Pottery Barn Kids- I think my version needs some tweaking. Both my kids have requested one, so it looks like I'll be making owls in January,too.

Clothespin Cake Topper

2009-11-03T19:23:00.000-08:00

After seeing some clothespin cake toppers online (at homemade by Jill here and lollipop workshop here) I had to have one for D's birthday. My mom did all the hard work- painting the face, making hair out of embroidery floss and creating the arms. I basically just dressed her. I think it looks just like D- before I cut her bangs, of course.

Felt Crown

2009-11-03T19:20:00.000-08:00

I wish I could claim this handiwork as my own, but all the credit goes to my mom. This is the felt crown she made for D for her birthday. This is adorable!

Little Fleece Vest

2009-11-02T15:31:00.000-08:00

Little vest I made for D to wear this fall. Unfortunately she hates it and has only put it on twice for about 2 minutes each time. Several times I've asked her to put it on and she just runs away screaming. Apparently we are not a vest family. I thought it would be a quick, easy, and cheap project. Cheap-yes (the fleece was super cheap at Wal-Mart). Quick & easy-not quite. Using a pattern would have helped a lot. Buying the right zipper would have helped, too. In the end I just finished it without a zipper or pockets. Probably not worth all the effort considering she does NOT want to wear it. Now I am looking for a project for the yard of pink fleece I have left.

Here she is posing for a catalog- hand in pockets. ANTM here we come!

Cord Skirt for Mom

2009-11-02T14:42:00.000-08:00

These pants were too short, so I've been wanting to recycle them. I tried this skirt using the bottom of the legs as panels in the front and back. I think it turned out okay, but it still looks, well, recycled. Any thoughts?

Cord Skirt for Fall

2009-09-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

I've been holding onto this fabric for awhile, wanting to do somthing fun for D with it. It's a baby wale corduroy, so a skirt for fall seemed appropriate. My first attempt ended up too long, so I had to chop off the top. The second try turned out much better.

Felt Barrette Cover Tutorial

2009-09-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

So here's my first go at a tutorial. Let me know what you think!

Cut out all your pieces. You need a top, a bottom, and any embellishments.

Make sure your top and bottom pieces are the same size, slightly larger than your metal barrette. Attach embellishments using embroidery floss. I think the simpler the better, then your embellishments aren't getting in the way when you sew the cover together. (For this barrette I used French knots to attach the flowers.)

Cut your bottom piece in half where the barrette will hinge.

Using a running stitch, sew the longer bottom piece to the top piece. Make sure to hide your knot in between the top and bottom pieces for a clean look.

Once you have stitched all the way around the bigger bottom piece, reverse your running stitch to finish attaching the piece.
Slip your metal barrette between the top and bottom pieces.
Attach the smaller bottom piece using a running stitch.Pay close attention to to the top of the barrette so your running stitch misses your embellishments.

Finished piece from the bottom.

Finished piece from the top.

Happy crafting!

Craft Exchange

2009-08-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

My friend Marci recently organized a craft exchange, and I was so excited to be included! It was fun to try to work on something I hoped my friend would enjoy- and super fun to get beautiful craft surprises in the mail. This is what I received from Riki (as you can see, the lady is TALENTED!)- perhaps the cutest purse ever...

And a fabric bowl that goes great in my living room...

Thank you SO much, Riki. I LOVED everything!

This is what I made for Marci- a "Lickety Split" bag (find the Made by Rae pattern here) - book bag/ stroller bag/ reversible carry-all. I never did get a good picture before I wrapped it, but this gives you a taste of my handiwork.

Thanks for organizing this, Marci. I can't wait to do it again!

Felt Barrette Recipe

2009-08-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

These plain barrettes +

this stash of felt+
these scraps of felt+ this stash of embroidery floss=

Cute felt covered barrettes!

They are nice and grippy- not slippy!

Monkey frames

2009-08-18T17:27:00.000-07:00

Wal-mart frames covered with monkey scrapbooking papers for a friend who is having a baby (and a monkey-themed nursery)

Finally something new

2009-07-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

I have been absent from blogging forever... I was absent from crafting for awhile, but I am finally crafting away again! We expanded our house and I was busy with all the hoopla that created. Both of the kids' rooms were expanded in the process, and I have been working on putting D's room back together. Everything is still pink and brown- I am trying to use up crafting supplies that I have left over from our pink & brown wedding 5 years ago. Here's a couple of things I've been working on...

Painting this brown border. I thought it would go fast, but it is very, very slow. I didn't like it at first but it is growing on me- looks a bit like a string of beads...

Flower pillow- I still have a gazillion of these fake flowers from the wedding, pulled off of cherry blossom branches...Little apron for D while she plays in her kitchen- from fabric leftover from the window valences...

New dress- this time I actually used a pattern. Sewing goes a little faster when someone else is making up what to do!

I have a bunch of projects in the works- more to come soon!

Spring Dresses

2009-03-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple of cover-all dresses I whipped up for D and a friend of mine. Still trying to use up that fabric!

Baby card

2009-03-20T12:54:00.000-07:00

My brother and sister in law are having a baby soon and have done up the cutest gender neutral nursery in green and brown, so I had to make this card for the shower. I love this paper from The Container Store.

Felt House Finished

2009-03-20T12:48:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the valentine felt house. It is cute, no? The roof lifts open to reveal a lined box to store all your treasures.

Superhero Cape

2009-02-19T13:58:00.000-08:00

Here is the cape I made for I. I thought he was requesting a lighting bolt on it, so I appliqued the felt lightning bolt. When I was done he asked me where the lightning was. I pointed to the middle of the cape, "Right here, Bud." "No, Mommy! Where is the car?" He meant Lightning McQueen from the movie Cars. What can a mom do? Now my little girl wants one, too, so I'm trying to think of how to make a pretty one. Any suggestions?

I opened an etsy shop!

2009-02-04T19:11:00.000-08:00

I finally got something together for an etsy shop. Right now it's embroidered onesies and t-shirts for kids. Hopefully I'll add some other goodies as I have time. Let me know what you think!

Little Felt Houses

2009-02-04T18:57:00.000-08:00

I've had these ideas for felt houses that I have been kicking around awhile. I finally started a couple, but they are taking longer than I thought. My crafting attention span is very short. Here is the valentine house... maybe I can finish it by the 14th? More to come...

Wool Bead Necklaces

2009-02-04T14:48:00.000-08:00

Here are some necklaces with felted wool beads I made for D. They are adjustable in the back so she can pull them off herself.

New Year Sewing

2009-01-06T18:57:00.000-08:00

I bought tons of this fabric for a project that I gave up, so I'm looking for fun ways to use it. So far I made a purse and a dress for D ( which is huge on her, I hope she can wear it this summer?) Still looking for more ideas...

Holiday Baking

2009-01-06T18:43:00.000-08:00

Posting a little late here, but I thought I'd throw up some of the holiday baking I did this year.

Buche de Noel- this year I tried making meringue mushrooms, too. They were surprisingly easy, and I thought they looked pretty cute. You can find the cake recipe here and the mushroom recipe here.
Why are mini-cupcakes so much better than regular cupcakes? Poinsettia and snowball mini cupcakes-

Felt squares wreath

2008-12-14T19:22:00.000-08:00

Crochet Hats

2008-12-04T15:45:00.000-08:00

New hats for the gang.

More embroidery & felt barrettes

2008-12-03T21:24:00.000-08:00

Holiday gift time- so I am doing more embroidery. With the strawberry onesie and butterfly shirt I tried my hand at a matching barrette made out of felt. They turned out okay, but I want to work on them a little more- maybe make some for D's stocking this year.

Beaded Earrings and Christmas Trees

2008-12-03T13:19:00.000-08:00

As a general rule, I try to avoid my local bead store because it is incredible, and I always want to spend every cent I have. But I found myself shopping there this week for Christmas presents and couldn't resist picking up some new findings. I put together some sparkly earrings that I would wear to a fun Christmas party if I went to things like that. All of these are made with pressed glass or Czech glass except for the red ones. Those are made with a faceted coral that I've had for awhile that I just love!

After pulling out all my beading supplies it put my in the beading mood. I think I will make another beaded tree like these that I made a couple of years ago.

Advent Wreath

2008-11-30T12:53:00.001-08:00

I had been looking for an Advent wreath for awhile and never really found anything I liked. Our decor leans toward the contemporary, and I wanted to find something less traditional. No luck. So it was time to get crafty. I found this gold wreath at Hallmark, spray painted in silver, and added silver star tinsel from Walmart. I like the result- we start lighting candles tonight!

recycled skirt

2008-11-08T16:20:00.001-08:00

Here's a skirt I made for D from the pant leg of an old pair of jeans that never fit right. I wanted a ruffle at the bottom to make it a little more feminine- it was kind of tricky and ended up having to do it my hand. Here she is modeling it. She's hard to get her to stand still for photos- I don't think she has a future as a catalogue model. She's the cutest, though!

cards

2008-10-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

New cards... This one is an unbelievably belated wedding card- hopefully the pop-up inside looks like a wedding cake! I used die cut leaves from the Martha Stewart collection at Walmart. They would be fun on a lot of things this time of year!

A birthday card for my daughter with random pink and brown scraps I had laying around. I think at least half of my crafting supplies are pink and brown.

Play Money

2008-09-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

My son is really into pretend play now- he especially loves playing "store" with his fake food and cash register. I made some play bills on the computer and then laminated them with packing tape. The coins are wooden disks from the craft store painted with metallic paint and decorated with a Sharpie.

Pumpkin Cake

2008-09-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

I saw this pumpkin cake in the latest Williams-Sonoma catalogue... doesn't it look cute AND delicious? Having eaten a lot of Williams-Sonoma products (that's what happens when you work there) I know it would taste amazing.

SO I was inspired to make my own little chocolate pumpkin cakes using my mini bundt pan. It was a total disaster! I promptly ate my not-so-cute pumpkin so no one would have to look at it. Then I made Bronco cupcakes with all the left over orange frosting.

Polkadot dress

2008-09-20T17:03:00.000-07:00

Yet again Project Runway is inspiring me to sew, so I whipped up this dress for D. I'm really surprised how well it turned out. This is left over fabric from the valances I made for her room. I didn't do the best job cutting fabric (as usual) and ended up with a seam across the front, so I added the pink ribbon. I was hoping it would be big and she could grow into it, but it ended up fitting just right. I think I'll keep it.

Birthday Banner

2008-09-20T17:01:00.000-07:00

A birthday banner for D's first birthday- pink and brown of course. I glued pretty paper onto 3 1/2" paper coasters (I got mine from Blockhead Paper Arts), punched holes on the edges with a hole punch, threaded 1 1/2" satin ribbon through each circle, and added chipboard scrapbook letters to spell out the sentiment. I was going to add more embellishments, but I kind of lost steam and the paper was pattern enough I think.

Felt pepperoni pizza

2008-09-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

A little more felt food- this pepperoni pizza didn't really turn out exactly like I had envisioned it. It also took a LOT longer than I thought it would, so in the end I just finished it off instead of playing with it make it look better. The kids are still have fun with it.

I've been looking for a tutorial on how to make felt food to post instead of writing about my process (since I'm not really great at explaining my haphazard crafting), but I can't find one! So when I have more time I'll try to write something up.

Ballerina tutu

2008-09-02T09:48:00.000-07:00

I decided that D will be a ballerina for Halloween this year. I have been searching for the perfect tutu on etsy to buy for her birthday coming up, but then decided to try and make one myself after spying some tulle on sale at Hobby Lobby. It came together faster than I thought it would. I sewed a length of fairly wide elastic to fit her waist, then tied lengths of tulle and satin ribbon around. I thought about sewing the tulle instead of tying it, but I'm lazy and wanted to sit in front of the TV to do it. It seems pretty sturdy for playing dress up for awhile, but we'll see how it holds up.

**** I just found a tutorial on how to make a tutu that is pretty much exactly how I did it. I guess I wasn't too crazy when I was making this up. You can see the tutorial here

Baseball backpack

2008-09-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

The backpack I was going to buy for I's first day of school was sold out so I threw together this little baseball backpack for him. I've been meaning to use this fabric for valances in his room, but who knows when I'll get around to that project. I meant to put the seam in the back, but then the drawstring wouldn't have worked right. He didn't seem to mind.

oh baby! card

2008-08-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

A new baby card... a simple tri-fold. I posted it because I LOVE the sticker I used (in the middle picture). The whole set really makes me laugh, especially this one with the kid chomping on the dog's ear. They're from Stampabilities. I tried to find them on-line so I could post a link, but I can't find them. I got mine at Hobby Lobby.

Felt Food

2008-08-16T15:44:00.000-07:00

My first attempt at felt food.

Watermelon, carrot, plum and banana. The banana didn't turn out so well, but at least Isaac recognized it as a banana.A Bong family favorite-blueberry muffin
Chocolate cake with pink icing. I like the way it turned out, but Isaac said it was a cucumber. Go figure.

Tattoo card

2008-08-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

Here's the card I made for Matt's birthday this year. I didn't get to work on it very long, but I like the result. I was looking for some sort of skull graphic, but the dragon works pretty good for the tattoo theme.