Hippos and Dinosaurs

Ribbons and Puffy Sleeves

2011-10-18T13:11:00.000-05:00

Those were the only requirements for this little dress, according to my little princess. We were headed to Disneyland and I had to make sure she would be going in style!

This dress was surprisingly easy to make. I had originally go to the store, picked up the Tangled pattern and copied the measurements and fabric requirements and got all of the supplies. Then I promptly put the pattern back on the rack. I have a hard time paying full price for patterns, so I was going to go home and wing it. But when I got to the register, I was informed that the pattern was only $1!! I picked that sucker right back up and my life just got a TON easier:)

I definitely didn't follow every detail in the pattern...do I ever?? But I made it just what we wanted it to be. Needless to say, she was thrilled with it, and can't wait to wear it for Halloween as well.

Oh My...

2011-08-13T16:25:00.000-05:00

I am in awe of how long it has been since I have last posted. And you know, it's been about that since I last sewed too!! Sad day, eh? However, it is not because I've been lazy.

You see, I had one of these:

We started up this:

{homeschool}

And now we're trying to sell this:

So we can move here with the military:

However, with all of the craziness, life has actually somehow allowed me a little time to start sewing again. I've started back up with our Quiet Book pages, I am currently working on pages O and P, and they are FUN!

I am also in the process of cutting squares for my little guy's quilt, to match this one.

So, while I may not be posting very often right now, know that I am always thinking about this little space of mine and am anxious to get back. That being said, I must admit that it has been nice to take a little breather, gain a little perspective and organize other parts of my life in the mean time. I think it is vital for us to step back every once and awhile and reevaluate to make sure that all of the many things we have going in our lives are just the things that we WANT to have going. Or do we feel needlessly bound? Thankfully, I have come to the realization that creating things for my family with my very own hands fulfills an inner need to make something out of nothing in an effort to beautify our lives. Thanks for joining me on this little journey. And if you haven't already completely given up on me, I hope you'll continue to stick a little while and see what the future of this blog holds.

In the mean time, go make something! Go play with your kids! Go do something that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and I'll be seeing you soon!

Baby Texture Quilt

2011-04-28T09:00:00.001-05:00

I actually made this about 2 years ago for my little Kai when he was just a wee little thing. . However, back when I made, I had no idea how to do binding. AND I didn't sew all the pieces together with enough of a seam, so some of them came apart. So, I pulled it out of storage, took off the binding and redid it and added some stitching to keep some squares together.

You just need a whole bunch of great touchy-feely fabrics. I just raided my mom's stash of home dec and costume fabrics. I found lots of silky, fuzzy, bumpy and colorful fabrics. Such a great way to use those small scraps! I backed it with a nice silky fabric. It's lovely.

This isn't the easiest little blanket to make simply because you have a lot of different types of fabrics that stretch really differently as well, so they end up a little bit wonky. You could, of course, be uber careful and probably make it closer to perfect, but quite honestly, I know that it just gets drooled on and chewed on and the recipient doesn't care all THAT much.

Regardless of how perfect or imperfect it is though, my little guy loved this thing. It was just the thing to help him stay happy when lounging on his tummy or just hanging out on the floor. It's not very big, only about 14" x 14", so it just gets stored in the basket with the other infant toys.

Can't wait to be able to use it again:) Come out little one!! We're ready for you!

Far Far Away II Quilt...done!

2011-04-25T09:19:00.000-05:00

I've been working on this quilt for a long while now and am so glad to have it finished. This is for Emmie and Kai will get his after the baby comes. I love love love this quilt and I love love love this fabric. It is so beautiful and surprisingly soft, for being linen.

I tried my hand at freehand quilting and really enjoyed it once I got the hang of it. It definitely takes some practice, but it was really relaxing and I love the way it turns out. For the sashing I used a wonderfully soft cotton/linen blend found on Sew Mama Sew.

For the binding I used a vintage sheet that matched just about perfectly. I was unsure of what color to go with when a friend said "I was thinking yellow!". Done. (Thanks Kristen!)

Sweet and Easy Baby Gifts

2011-04-06T08:13:00.001-05:00

Between fulfilling orders and babies being born every time I turn around, it was high time I got to business making some baby gifts. Here's a sample of what I've been up to.

Both booties patterns came from Precious Patterns on Etsy. They seriously have some of the sweetest patterns on the block and at very reasonable prices too! The raggy burp cloth idea came Homemade by Jill. I just drew half a basic burpcloth shape, cut all my fabric on the fold, sewed them wrong sides together (including a cross in the center to keep the pieces from shifting in the wash), cut the fringe and washed them. Super easy. You can seriously whip so many of these out in such little time. And honestly, I do love making practical things for new moms.

I am currently trying to sew my way through my WIP pile...what a job. But it always feels so good to get another thing out of that pile. Not to mention, all those projects are taking up so much room in my craft room right now that I have moved downstairs onto the kitchen table....much to my husband's dismay....muah hah hah! I should make him a deal: He finishes my kitchen backsplash and floor and I'll move back into my own space. Hmn. Wonder if he'll go for it.

They're in the Shop

2011-04-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

Remember all those lovely vintage sheets from my thrift store adventure the other day?? Well, I felt so lucky to find such treasures (and have so very many more in my vintage sheet stash) that I though I should share:) SO, you will find lovely little fat quarter bundles in my shop. Didn't know I have shop?? It's true. I don't advertise it a whole lot but it's there and active so go ahead a take a look. You'll even find a sweet little apron there...the last of that favorite fabric of mine...

Wondering what to do with all these lovely sheets?? Here are some great tutorials/ideas using just fat quarters to get you started:

Vintage Sheet Wrapped Wreath
Patchwork Pocket Tote Bag
Vintage Sheet Quilt -- So lovely!!
Swatch Portraits
Lunch Tote

I have some very sweet blues and pinks that will join these delicious yellows shortly. Keep checking back!

Kids' Dish Drawer Organization

2011-04-04T08:13:00.001-05:00

Now this is organization on a serious budget. I picked up these three wire baskets at the thrift store for just $1.99 and it has completely transformed my kids' dish drawer. (yes, this really is how it has looked for the past two years...)

Hooray! Super simple. Super cheap. LOVE! All those bits and pieces in the back of the drawer are just that...bits and pieces: lids without rubber pieces, random little accessories, bigger water bottles. Who knows, I may keep my eye out for another small basket to house the rest of that little stuff.

Lovely Vintage Linens

2011-04-01T08:00:00.003-05:00

So, I hit the vintage sheet jackpot at the thrift store this week. In fact, I felt like somebody had placed all these lovely sheets and pillowcases all in a row, just for my enjoyment...and purchase;)

I also scored some fabric. No matter the yardage, my thrift store just sells it all for $1.99 a piece. Well, the top two are just about a yard and the bottom piece is well over 3 yards! Yay!I think it will make a lovely backing to a baby girl's quilt...

Boys Need Aprons Too.

2011-03-31T08:13:00.001-05:00

In fact, I think they need aprons MORE than little girls. My little guy sure knows how to make a mess. So, using my super easy, 30-minute apron pattern (which I would LOVE to share with you, if only I could figure out how to make a printable PDF pattern with a few pieces that you would tape together...) (and yes...it truly only takes 30 minutes) I whipped up a special airplane apron just for my little man who is utterly obsessed with "papa's airplane."

I shortened my usual pattern for this one, but, it still has that nice, simple button enclosure in the back, which for some reason is always my favorite part.

And while I could have SWORN that I posted my daughter's apron that I made about a year ago, I'm not finding it ANYWHERE on this blog. So. Here is hers, using so sweet little doll fabric that I picked up at a garage sale a couple of years ago.

Vintage Nightgowns

2011-03-25T08:02:00.000-05:00

Baby, it's HOT outside! And since we're mega cheap-o...I mean, frugal...we refuse to turn on our AC for a little while longer. It's only MARCH for Pete's sake. Therefore, we are all rather warm at night. The fans are turning and trying to keep the room cool, but the little ones need some summer jammies.

You just gotta love the little man's bedhead:)

Enter: vintage pillowcases. Yum:) One found at a thrift store (the yellow flowers) and the other was actually MINE when I was just a little girl. It was always my favorite because it had ruffles. I distinctly remember asking my mom for those sheets every time my bed got changed. And as I got older and I wasn't supposed to think ruffles were cool anymore, I STILL asked for them and made up excuses like, "they're nice and cool so I don't get hot," or, "the other ones give me life-threatening rashes," because I have always loved ruffles. Always, always. Which is why I think that I should have another girl. Too much fun. But I digress.

Pillowcase jammies. Just lovely.

I used two different tutorials for inspiration.

First, this one. This night gown is ridiculously easy. Perfect for any beginner, that's for sure. In fact, you probably don't even need the tutorial. I switched up the back a little to be sure the sleeves won't be falling down.

For the second I used this tutorial, sort of. Just looking at her sweet little nightgowns made my heart go pitter patter. I basically just looked at her pattern and took a dress out of Emmie's closet to trace a pattern and went for it. I made the flutter sleeves into actual cap sleeves. LOVE them.

"NOW can I jump, mama??"

Next on the list is something for little Kai....Anyone know of some fabulous summer jammies patterns for the little men in our lives??

Felt Fun!! {felt board and figures}

2011-03-22T08:00:00.005-05:00

My kids love their felt board, so I just had to share.

Felt boards are incredibly easy and inexpensive to create. This particular one is a cork board that I rescued from my church dumpster when they were doing some spring cleaning. The frame is metal, so I removed it and spray painted it. Then I sprayed the cork board with spray adhesive, laid the felt down, stapled down the back and replaced the frame. This usually stays in their play room, but we're doing a little work in there right now, so I brought it downstairs for them to play with.

Now that my daughter is old enough to tell familiar stories (5 Little Monkeys, 3 Little Pigs, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, etc...) and make stories up this has become especially fun for her. We also plan to use this as a teaching tool for homeschooling this fall. We use it for our Family Home Evening lessons as well.

First, here are the sites that I frequent to print out more stories and pieces:

Preschool Printables -- they have 5 very familiar stories
DLTK -- LOVE these...they have several stories, plus family pieces, farm pieces and others that can be adapted to more open-ended play
Childcare Land- No printables here, but some great ideas of activities that you can cut straight from felt.
Chocolate on My Cranium -- This is where I get all of my scriptural figures. Shes got the figures and the stories that go with them.

How do I make the figures?? For the scripture stories I print them directly onto transfer paper and then iron them to felt. This works wonders because most of the scripture stories print out on just one sheet of paper. But the other stories usually take several piece of paper to print them out and transfer paper can get expensive. So, I print them out on card stock and laminate them. Then I put a little piece of the hook side of Velcro on the back and voila! Super easy and super durable.

It took me a long time to figure out a good way to store them and I am finally pleased with our system. First, all the different sets are filed in regular manila file folders that I have taped along the sides to create pockets. Then I have them all on our office counter in a canvas file box (from W*Mart, about $13??. I also store all of their file folder games in there as well.

This is actually a counter on one random end of our eat-in kitchen where we do lots of art projects and where we will be doing homeschool this fall, so it has turned into a bit of an office space for us.

Anyway, I hope you find some useful links or tips in here. Flannel board stories and activities can keep my children occupied for a while and they can also be such a great learning tool. And when its so easy and inexpensive to put together, its a breeze to incorporate into their playthings. Have fun with it!!

Do you use a flannel board for your children?? Do you have any other sites that have great printable stories and activities?? I'd love to hear about them!!

Menu Plans

2011-03-18T08:00:00.010-05:00

Do you do a plan your meals a week or a month out?? This is a new thing for us, to have a week's worth of meals planned out before I go to the grocery store, and let me tell you, I am loving it. The only downfall for my family is that my husband's work schedule is fairly irregular. As an Air Force pilot, he has to fly a lot of nights. That may not be a big deal to many families, but when I'm only cooking for myself and my two very young children, I tend to not want to make a big meal, and since we don't know his schedule until the Friday before, it makes it difficult...BUT here's how I've conquered it. While I can't plan a whole month out (because I don't know his schedule--in fact, every week you can see the nights that he flies...) I do keep a month's menu plan in my Home Management binder (more on that later maybe?) so that I can constantly change things around. here's a picture of my current menu plan to give you an idea:

I know that's hard to read, but if you click on the picture you can read it better.

I currently have a lot of freezer meals planned to prepare for this baby's arrival. I basically just double the recipe and put half in the freezer. I do at least one freezer meal each week for the last 8 weeks of pregnancy, giving me at least 8 full meals for postpartum. These meals are always lifesavers.

Anyway, I don't have a fancy way of doing our menu plan. Basically, I go shopping every Tuesday. Therefore, I plan our next week's worth of meals sometime between Saturday and Monday. I typically only plan about 4-5 meals in a 7-day period because I have to be flexible. And also because we have to have a leftovers night, and sometimes we like to eat out.

So why do I love keeping a menu plan??

We tend to get a much better variety in our meals
I'm finally trying my gigantic mound of "Recipes to Try"
We're eating less pizza
We're saving money by eating out a lot less
We're saving money by planning our meals around sales at our grocery store
Helps me avoid that last minute dinner rush that I find very stressful
Dinner tends to be ON TIME every night
I have all the ingredients on hand
Our meals tend to be healthier
I quite simply like to be organized:)

The monthly menu plan sheet that I use is from Organized Home, and can be found here.

Menu plans have always intimidated me, making me feel like I was tied down to this ONE plan with no other options and I've been very surprised at how liberating it has been. It frees up my time in the afternoons, not having to worry about what to make and it frees up a lot of brainpower throughout my weeks because I know it is already taken care of.

Anyway, I just thought I would share that with y'all in case any of you were looking for the motivation to just sit down and give it a shot. Let me know if you have any tips or tricks! I'm always open to ideas that make my life a little easier:)

Felt Easter Eggs {A Tutorial}

2011-03-16T08:00:00.005-05:00

My daughter has a bunch of the plastic food from a big box store, and some of it has held up nicely. Her eggs, however, have been "eaten" and stepped on by her sweet little brother. So, as part of Project: Project's fun little series, Play Eats, I decided to make a tutorial for felt eggs. AND since it is so close to Easter, I thought, why not make BOTH kinds of eggs?? The colored variety and the plain 'ol whites. So here we go. Be prepared to have bit of fun with these:)

What you'll need:

scrap felt
needle and thread
batting
egg template

Felt Easter Egg

First, cut out 3 pieces of felt felt using the egg template.

Sew two of the pieces right sides together, sewing from marks a to b.

Open up the un-sewn side and place the third piece right side in and pin one of the openings completely and sew from points a to b. Then sew the other opening from points a to c.

(holding the other two sides out of the way in order to sew the opening closed)

Clip all of the seams so as to make smooth rounded edges when the egg is flipped right side out.

Flip the egg right side out and slip stitch the opening closed. Then embroider!

I'll be stuffing these sweet little things in their Easter baskets this year. What will YOU be doing with yours?

Sharing the love at some of the following:
Monday:
Making the World Cuter Mondays
Keeping it Simple-- Motivate Me Mondays
Skip to my Lou-- Made by You Mondays
Sew Can Do-- Craftastic Monday
C.R.A.F.T-- Making Monday Marvelous
Tuesday:
Sugar Bee-- Take a Look Tuesday
Today's Creative Blog-- Get Your Craft On!
Creative Itch-- Sew Cute Tuesday
Tip Junkie-- Tip Me Tuesday
Wednesday:
Sew Much Ado-- We Did It Wednesday!
Blue Cricket Designs-- Show and Tell
Someday Crafts -- Whatever Goes Wednesday
Show off Your Stuff -- Fireflies and Jellybeans
Friday:
Simply Designing
Kojo Friday Fun Finds
Fingerprints on the Fridge-- Feature Yourself Friday
Tatertots and Jello-- Weekend Wrap-up
Weekend:
The Girl Creative-- Just Something I Whipped Up
Under the Table and Dreaming-- Sunday Showcase

Closet Organization {Before and After}

2011-03-14T08:55:00.007-05:00

This closet was a mess. Unless a closet is built for little ones, it is so hard NOT to waste a whole bunch of space. And with the prospect of the little guy moving into that room in the next couple of months, that space became prime real estate. I KNEW I could use it better.

So, with my design, and my husband's know-how, we created a perfectly use-able, organized space, with places for shoes, clothes, blankets, out-of-season clothes, the whole bit. Let me show you around.

My favorite thing is these bins. They are canvas and have a sturdy wire frame AND a handy little vinyl pocket to put a label so my kids (and my husband) know where everything goes. (Found them at The Container Store)

I simply took a picture of a few of the items that belong in that particular basket, re-sized them to the pocket size in Photoshop, added text with picnik.com and printed them on card stock.

The main goal here was to manage BOTH kids clothes in ONE closet. That was simply not happening with the way it was before. but this way, Kai has his own bar and a shelf (or two) for his shoes and maybe some clothes or toys. This arrangement added so much space that we actually can't even fill it all up yet! But I'm sure that will change.

See those baskets on the top shelf? This was a system I started years ago when Emmie was only a wee little thing. she kept getting hand-me-downs from friends and family, which was GREAT, but most of them were a size bigger or a season later, so I needed to figure out a way to manage the influx of clothes. Not to mention, I needed an easy place to put all of the clothes that she was so quickly growing out of as well. So I bought her two baskets: one for clothes that she had grown out of and one for clothes that were the next size or season up. When the first basket gets full, I take it up to the attic and put it in it's appropriate Rubbermaid tub (we're...uh...obviously not done having kids yet, so I save ALL of their clothes...). When I find a great deal on end of season clothes, I buy a size bigger for the next year and stick it in the second basket. This is a fool-proof way to keep the clutter off the clothes racks and dresser.

One more look:

Hope you enjoyed the tour! Feeling inspired?? Motivated?? Go conquer a closet!! It feels marvelous! :)

Play Eats!

2011-03-08T07:59:00.000-06:00

Have you heard about the fun happening over at at Project: Project?? Beth is dedicating the next two weeks to tutorials and reviews about all things for the play kitchen! Yesterday she posted a fab tutorial for a shopping cart.

I'll be posting something super sweet next week so be sure to stay tuned into Play Eats at Project: Project. You really don't want to miss out:)

Inspiring Creativity

2011-03-03T10:25:00.001-06:00

I love things that quite simply inspire me. This is a favorite video of mine that I find myself turning to often. It makes me want to learn to draw and paint. It is charming and sweet and will likely make you smile:)

Colors Book for Baby

2011-02-28T07:54:00.003-06:00

My husband convinced me that it would be fun to not know what we're having. Boy?? Girl?? We'll know in May I suppose. It is a bit fun waiting for the surprise, but my hands have been itching to make something for baby. That's when I found the crazy quilted colors book tutorial. EmmmyLizzy sent me there a week or so ago and I immediately got started. It feels so good to prepare something for baby....not to mention, it was a nice break from the quilts I have been working tirelessly on.

A few notes about how I made mine:

...First, I added a page so I could include a few more colors...however, this also added to the bulk. If I were to make it again I would not sew batting onto every page. Instead, I would sew onto batting for one side of the page and then sew onto something like muslin for the other side. I think that would give the book the perfect weight.

...Second, the size of my individual pages were 8.5", 8.25", and 8". So basically, I had 4 individual 8" pages, 4 8.25" pages and then 2 8.5" pages, plus the front and back, which were also 8.5". Make sense?? So I would sew 2 8" pages together, side by side, then I would sew the other 2 8" pages together. Then I slapped those two 8" x 15.5" pages right sides together, sew them (leaving a small hole), turn them and edgestitch them. Once I had all three sizes sewn together, I stacked them and hand-sewed them together down the center (which was right down the middle of the yellow and white pages).

...Third, I use a nice heavy embroidery thread to sew the three pages together. I also had to use my thimble and needle-nose pliers because of the bulk, but it worked and I can't imagine it ever coming undone.

It was a fun little project and I was so glad to use up so of the scraps that I love dearly and hoard for such a project as this.

Back to those quilts I suppose. Can't wait to share them with you!! Just waiting on another shipment my cotton/linen blend from SewMamaSew...

Sharing the love at some of the following:
Monday:
Making the World Cuter Mondays
Keeping it Simple-- Motivate Me Mondays
Skip to my Lou-- Made by You Mondays
Sew Can Do-- Craftastic Monday
C.R.A.F.T-- Making Monday Marvelous
Tuesday:
Sugar Bee-- Take a Look Tuesday
Today's Creative Blog-- Get Your Craft On!
Creative Itch-- Sew Cute Tuesday
Tip Junkie-- Tip Me Tuesday
Wednesday:
Sew Much Ado-- We Did It Wednesday!
Blue Cricket Designs-- Show and Tell
Someday Crafts -- Whatever Goes Wednesday
Show off Your Stuff -- Fireflies and Jellybeans
Friday:
Simply Designing
Kojo Friday Fun Finds
Fingerprints on the Fridge-- Feature Yourself Friday
Tatertots and Jello-- Weekend Wrap-up
Weekend:
The Girl Creative-- Just Something I Whipped Up
Under the Table and Dreaming-- Sunday Showcase

Train Caddy {Tutorial}

2011-02-23T08:00:00.004-06:00

I promised a fun tutorial in celebration of Boy Month over at Made by Rae and Made, and here it is! I know there are lots of CAR caddy's out there, but my boy is particularly fond of trains, so I adjusted the pocket measurements a bit and here's what we've got:

It;'s a huge hit for my son and we take it everywhere. So let's get started!! Hooray for boys!!

Here's what you'll need:

Felt: 10" x 19"
        2- 19" x 1/2" strips
        8- 3" x 1/2" strips
Cotton fabric: 10" x 19"
           19" x 3.5"
           8" x 1.5"
1.5" vecro

**Note: I made two of these at the same time, using two different colors of felt...don't be confused by theblue and the green:) **

1. First, you need to position and sew the train track to the felt. You'll be placing it on the top half of your felt piece. but not too close to the edge, you need room for a seam allowance!

2. Okay, now we need to make the train pockets. You'll need your 3.5" x 19" piece of fabric. Fold one of the long edges down 1/4" and press. Then fold it down again about a 1/2" and press. Then top stitch it. Then you'll align the long, raw edge of the 3.5" x 19" piece with the bottom of your large felt piece and sew it down along the sides and bottom. To make the pockets, find the center of your pocket panel and pin it. now measure out 3.5" pockets from the center and pin each one. (The two outer pockets will be slightly larger than 3.5" which allows for the seam.) Sew down these pockets.

3. Now take the 10" x 19" piece of fabric and place the soft side of the velcro right in the center and about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom. Sew.

4. To make the tab that will keep the caddy together you'll need your 8" x 1.5" piece of fabric. Fold in one of the short ends about a 1/2" and press. Then fold it in half lengthwise and press. Open it and then fold it lengthwise again, but only to the center fold, and press, like in the picture below. Do this to both long sides and then fold once more on your original fold and press. This will give you a strip with no raw edges along the long sides and one of the short ends as well. Now edgestitch around all sides.

5. Now sew the rough side of the velcro to the strip, on the opposite end of the raw edge. It should look something like this:

6. Pin the velcro enclosure tab onto the felt panel, velcro side down, about a 1/3 of the way up from the bottom (so that it will align will the soft side of the velcro, which is on the fabric panel) being sure to leave 7" of the tab. the rest will hang over. See the picture below to get exactly what I'm talking about :)

7. Now, place and pin the fabric panel and felt panel right sides together.

8. Sew all the way around, making sure you catch the enclosure tab and leave a 4" hole in the middle of one of the sides (either the top or the side opposite of the enclosure tab). Trim any excess fabric and clip the corners.

9. Turn the fabric right side out, press and edgestitch all the way around

You're Done!! Now fill that sweet little thing with trains and make a little man very happy!

If you're wanting to Celebrate the Boy, be sure to head over to Made and Made by Rae!

Stuff is Happening

2011-02-17T09:22:00.001-06:00

Holy Moly have I been busy. I almost have the kids room completely redone. We had to go from soft pink walls to a gender neutral color. Then coordinating quilts made out of this loveliness:

Photo Credit

So, needless to say, not much other crafting has been happening. However, I do have a rather fun tutorial for you in celebration of Boy Month over at Made and Made by Rae. Stay tuned!!

Fairy Garden Playmat

2011-02-11T08:00:00.002-06:00

About a year ago Emmie and I made this little fairy haven for her, with a couple of fairies to go along, but we decided it needed a little more, so she helped me to design a little fairy garden. She simply let me know that it needed a path and a stream.

It was super easy using some wool felt and slapping two pieces together and embellishing the top. I always like to use two layers of wool felt when making items like this for children simply because I find that it hold up to their play a little better. It would be even more exciting to create TWO scenes, one on the front and one on the back, but Emmie didn't care about that. She just wanted her stream and her path.

If anyone is interested I would be glad to post a simple little tutorial on how to make a sweet little fairy sometime in the near future.

Polka Dot Baby Boy Shower

2011-02-10T08:00:00.001-06:00

So, I don't actually get many opportunities to throw parties here at my house, but when I do, I love to decorate for them. This was a shower for a good friend who is finally having a BOY after 3 girls. We were all pretty excited for her.

I got some of my inspiration from Kojo Designs' Hippo Party, like the giant pom poms and the circle pennant.My favorite thing was the flowers. I think flowers spruce up any party. I found these beauties at my local flower shop. I can't remember what they called them, but online I see them called "spider mums". I found the beautiful milk glass vases at Goodwill for $1 a piece. I love how versatile milk glass is.

I also had tea station because it was dang cold outside and I love herbal tea. The tablecloth is actually a thrifted sheet that I cut to size and hemmed. And then I bought a yard of fabric that I based the party colors from and just squared it off for the center of the table.

There's no food on the table because it was co-hosted and a friend brought the food right before the party got started. We put veggies on the 3-tiered stand, and had yummy cupcakes, bowls of nuts and spinach dip with crackers.

As I mentioned here, we decided against the party games and went with tying a baby quilt and a simple wish book for the mama.

I'm back

2011-02-09T13:12:00.000-06:00

Well now that I have spent a full week on the couch, gone through at least a whole box of tissues, become well acquainted with my remote and favorite TV channels and have successfully neglected my house, I am back on my feet and human once again. But I'll tell ya, going from chest cold to head cold to food poisoning in one week was fairly brutal.

Healthy, Classic Egg Salad

2011-02-04T15:28:00.001-06:00

In my pregger state I have been looking for yummy protein recipes that leaving me feeling energized and full. But I also need to make sure they're healthy. So, here is what I have come up with:

Healthy, Classic Egg Salad Sandwiches

6 eggs
4 TBSP yogurt (plain or vanilla--I used vanilla)
2 TBSP mayo
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 roma tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 a cucumber, peeled and diced
2+ TBSP red onion
2-4 tsp dill (depends on your taste preferences)
salt and pepper to taste

Place your eggs in a pan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Then remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. Rinse in cold water, peel and dice. Meanwhile, mix the yogurt, mayo, lemon juice and mustard. Fold in the tomato, cucumber, onion and eggs. Season with dill, salt and pepper. I always love my egg salad served between two pieces of toast. YUM!

Servings: enough for 5-6 sandwiches

Enjoy!!!

The Barrel

2011-02-03T08:13:00.001-06:00

Okay, so have y'all heard about The Barrel?!? It's an online magazine for women featuring blog articles on food, craft, love, life, raising kids, you name it! It is so fabulously done.

And in this month's issue they're featuring my felt crown tutorial in their Sew That section on page 36! Not sure if y'all noticed, but it happens to be an awesome little valentine's gift for the littles in your life.

So head on over to The Barrel and check 'em out. You're bound to run into a few new and fabulous blogs that you've not met yet.

Sweet and Soft Boy Blanket

2011-02-02T08:00:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I threw a baby shower (details on that soon!) for a friend who is having her first boy after three little girls (!), but instead of doing any traditional games we decided to tie a blanket for her. This blanket is cozy with flannel, cotton batting and super soft minky. We tied it with some crochet thread and then I figured out how to sew that giant silky binding onto it.

Here are some of the guests, hard at work. We got the whole thing tied and mostly cut before the night was through, leaving only a quick binding project for m to finish it off. It was an excellent activity, in place of any cheesy games (sorry to anyone who likes those games! But having my belly measured in toilet paper wasn't one of my favorite memories from my first shower...).

ANyway, I did follow a tutorial on how to do the binding. It was totally different than doing traditional narrow, cotton binding. I also reinforced the mitered corners a bit because I have seen how her girls have LOVED their baby blankets, so I wanted to try and make this to where it could stand the test of time and love.

Pay It Forward {2011}

2011-01-24T17:19:00.000-06:00

I got this off of a friends blog and I thought it would be fun and interesting. I'm not promising anything huge or fantastic, but its a fun way to share some handmade love.

I promise to send something hand-made to the first five peope who leave a comment here.

You must in turn post this on your blog and send somthing YOU make to the first five people who comment on your post.

The rules are: the item has to be HANDMADE and must be sent to the five people sometime in 2011. Time to share some love.

Please be sure to leave your email address in the comments so I can contact you!
Now I have to get thinking about what I will be making...hmmmm...This will be fun!

Felt Crown Tutorial {with template}

2011-01-21T08:00:00.016-06:00

Today I am going to share with you my number one go-to gift for little girls.

The Felt Crown

It is so easy and is so quick to whip up several at a time.

Here's what you'll need:

2- 9.5"x 4" pieces of felt
12 in elastic (this fits my 4 year old's head perfectly, so adjust accordingly)
optional:
10 in ribbon
felt scraps
buttons

First, using the template below, cut out two crown pieces and whichever other pieces you wish to use.
Felt Crown Template

Then take your decorative pieces and lay them on top until you get it the way you want it.

Now, pin the ribbon down and sew it. Then sew each of the felt pieces down. You may want to use steam-a-seam for this if you consider yourself a novice sewer, that way they won't move around or bunch up on you.

Cut the ends of the ribbon to match the edge of the crown.

(You can easily make this a reversible crown by decorating the other crown piece as well!)

Now put the two crown pieces wrong sides together, sewing the elastic into one end first. I inserted the elastic about 3/4". Sew along the bottom of the crown and then when you reach the other end, insert the other of the elastic about 3/4", being sure that it is not twisted and sew it in. **Note: You will want to sew over the elastic 2 or 3 times to be sure it is secure.

Then finish sewing around top of the crown. In some places your pieces may have slipped a bit and aren't perfect. Have no fear!! That's why we love felt, just trim it up to where everything looks just right from the front. Although, if the front and the back are the same color, this really won't be much of a problem.

I know....poor little guy. I guess I need to make him one of his own.

Please let me know if you have any questions at all!! Have fun!

Sharing this tutorial over at * a little lovely

Sharing the love at some of the following:
Monday:
Making the World Cuter Mondays
Keeping it Simple-- Motivate Me Mondays
Skip to my Lou-- Made by You Mondays
Sew Can Do-- Craftastic Monday
C.R.A.F.T-- Making Monday Marvelous
Tuesday:
Sugar Bee-- Take a Look Tuesday
Today's Creative Blog-- Get Your Craft On!
Creative Itch-- Sew Cute Tuesday
Tip Junkie-- Tip Me Tuesday
Wednesday:
Sew Much Ado-- We Did It Wednesday!
Blue Cricket Designs-- Show and Tell
Friday:
Simply Designing
Kojo Friday Fun Finds
Fingerprints on the Fridge-- Feature Yourself Friday
Tatertots and Jello-- Weekend Wrap-up
Weekend:
The Girl Creative-- Just Something I Whipped Up
Under the Table and Dreaming-- Sunday Showcase

Yard Sale!

2011-01-19T08:00:00.003-06:00

While the little guy still thinks it's awesome to climb through that big window, Emmie has used it for so many different things. Most recently?? A Yard Sale window. Needless to say, she is my yard sale buddy:) I train them young.

Travel Buddies

2011-01-18T08:00:00.001-06:00

We do a lot of traveling. And almost all of it is in the car these days. So my kids needed something just their size.

Something with a little pocket for keeping their very special bits and things. And a handle for easy retrieving, or for clipping onto their backpack on an airplane trip.

I got the idea for this on MayaMade, although I didn't actually follow her instructions or measurements.

Here are my measurements and method:

(you'll need about a 1/2 yard to complete one pillow)
2 coordinating pieces: 9 1/2" x 14 1/2" for body
2 pieces: 7 1/2" x 6" for pocket
1- 4 1/2" x 12" piece for handle
Polyfil

Use 1/4" seams.

First I made the pocket by sewing the pieces right sides together, leaving a 4" hole on a long side to flip. Clip corners, turn, press, and sew along the side with the hole. This will be the top open side of your pocket. Now place it on a pillow piece, pin and sew.

Then, fold your handle piece lengthwise, right sides together. Turn the tube right side out, press and edgestitch down both long sides.

Now, for the pillow. Take one piece and pin the handle, right sides together with raw edges matching. Then pin the other pillow piece right sides together. **Be sure your pocket is face the right direction! Sew the two sides together, leaving a 4" hole in the middle of one of the short ends. Clip the corners, turn and stuff with Polyfil. Then slipstitch the hole closed. You're done!

This was definitely one of their favorite mama-made Christmas presents, next to the playhouse, of course.

And my son was rather irritated that I dare to remove his pillow from his bed...

Tutorials!!

2011-01-17T08:00:00.002-06:00

Hello friends!

So, after some doing I finally have a nice little Tutorial Database for you, complete with pictures and quick links. You'll find the link to my tutorial page above on my navigation bar. Each new tutorial will be added as they are created here on Hippos and Dinosaurs.

Hope this makes it easier to find what you are looking for!

Also, I am leaving town for a few days, but I have some pretty fun posts scheduled for you, but if I don't get back to your emails right away, it will certainly happen in the near future.

Ciao!

Quilted Dish Mat

2011-01-13T09:18:00.002-06:00

Okay, I have been wanting to make one of these for. ev. er. I finally did it! using some scraps of my favorite fabric of all time.

I used a thrifted terry cloth hand towel for the bottom. For the top I simply took scraps from my stash and pieced them together until they fit the size of my towel. I didn't actually quilt the top to the bottom. All I did was sew the top to the bottom, right sides together, leaving a hole, flipped them right side out and edgestitched all along the edges, closing up the hole. Then I did sew along one of the quilted lines, just to prevent the two sides from separating too much when washed...just in case.

I'm thinking I'm going to make one more, using only that vintage kitchen print. I LOVE that print. It's from a curtain I found in a giant mountain of fabric in a fabulous little flea market outside a tiny little mountain town in Southwest Colorado. I pray that store is still there next time I make my way in that direction...

Felt Flower Wreath

2011-01-12T07:00:00.001-06:00

Remember my desperate need for color in my living room?? Well, I have been working hard on some pillows, which I will be showing you soon. But my mantel has been looking especially sad since the fall and Christmas decorations have disappeared, so I am working on that as well.

Here's a quick little project that adds a little pop of color to the room. Using this tutorial, I whipped up a handful of little felt flowers, cut out some leaves and simply hot-glued them to the wreath.

So what do you think???? Should I add more flowers??

A Big Batch of Jammies

2011-01-10T07:00:00.000-06:00

A dear friend of mine (note: a very dear friend, as I would not be able to do this all the time for just anyone...;) ) asked me to make matching jammies for her four kiddos for Christmas. Sure!! I said. And the two oldest girls needed matching jammies for their new American Girl dolls. No problem! I said.

Thankfully, a bloggy friend, Melissa, over at Sew Like My Mom, had just started drawing up 18" doll dress patterns. She has freebie on her blog, The Katie Dress, and then she has another on her Etsy Shop. So, those were a lifesaver in making the bodice of the doll jammies and an extra dress as well.

My favorite (and the easiest) piece of all of them were these sweet little pants, for her 2 year old. Put a bum panel on any little pair of pants and I turn into a big puddle of mush.

And then there was the baby's dress...I had no pattern for this and had to just kind of wing it by pseudo-copying a 12-month-old dress of my daughters. The ruffle on the bottom of the jammies used the scraps of all the other jammies.

Here they are, being mostly loved. The little guy wasn't interested in pictures...:) How many 2-year-old's are?

In case you've been living under a rock and are unfamiliar with the fabric, it is Anna Maria Horner's Folksy Flannels. So. Very. Soft. The pants and the baby jammies were each made with a 1/2 yard and the older girls jammies were made with 2 yards each. Or maybe a very tight 1.5 yards?? I can't remember now. Anyway, I have a TINY bit left over and I can't seem to think about how best to use it.

Ruffles!!

2011-01-07T07:00:00.000-06:00

I love ruffles.And I have been blessed with a little girl who does also. With as much as she loves clothes I thought it would be fun to get her something different for Christmas, and something the matches her personality perfectly, but alas, everything I found in the stores was either not quite right or just plain expensive.

So I made her a little something.

With simple matching bows and sweet little flowers sewn to the shirt

I am just thrilled with how all of that ruffly goodness turned out. Since I didn't have any pattern to follow, I was a bit nervous about it.

I'm especially glad that she's thrilled about it also.

The Perfect Heating Pad Tutorial

2011-01-04T07:00:00.002-06:00

Remember that whole me being pregnant thing??? Right. Well, sadly, for me that means a whole lot of sciatic pain and complimentary pain in my sacrum. It's just part of the deal for me I guess. However, the pain is lightened with my perfect heating pad.

Why is it perfect?? Because it is just the right size, with just the right amount of rice that is equally distributed and it's completely fabulous and cozy. Oh, and the added bonus?? It only took two hours to make two of them.

This tutorial will give you instructions for making both an adult-sized heating pad and a child-sized one.

So let's get started!!

Here's what you'll need:

For a Large-
8.5" x 10.25" flannel (short end on fold so entire piece is 8.5 x 20.5)
about 3lbs white rice

For a small-
6.5" x 14.25" flannel (short end on so entire piece is 6.5 x 28.5)
about 2 lbs white rice

For both:
matching thread
1/4 - 1/2 cup measuring cup
(you'll need a little less than a 1/2 yard for both heating pads...I just used up some flannel scraps I had)

First, fold fabric right sides together. Sew one long side and the short side together, leaving a long side open.
**TIP--on the open long side, sew in 1.2 inch from the short sides, this will give you a nice corner when you turn it.

Once you've sewn all the edges, clip the corners (like above) and turn your bag right side out and push out the corners.
Now it's time to mark where your pockets will be.

Large: mark 4 lines every 4"
Small: mark 3 lines every 3.5"

Sew these lines, starting at the closed edge and stopping 1/2" from the open side.
Now fold in and press the opening closed.

Here's the fun...and messy (I currently have a lot of rice surrounding my sewing desk...) part. Time to fill your pockets with rice. Do one pocket at a time!! Fill it, then sew it closed. And do the next pocket.

Large: fill each pocket with 1.5 cups rice
Small: fill each pocket with 1 cup of rice.

Snip all of your threads and you're done!

Now all you have to do is find a recipient, or go throw it in the microwave for 2.5-3 minutes and enjoy the warmth all to yourself. I find myself warming this sucker up when my husband has to work nights and there's no one in my bed to keep my feet warm. Works like a charm.

Sharing the love at some of the following:
Monday:
Keeping it Simple-- Motivate Me Mondays
Skip to my Lou-- Made by You Mondays
Sew Can Do-- Craftastic Monday
C.R.A.F.T-- Making Monday Marvelous
Tuesday:
Today's Creative Blog-- Get Your Craft On!
Creative Itch-- Sew Cute Tuesday
Tip Junkie-- Tip Me Tuesday
Wednesday:
Sew Much Ado-- We Did It Wednesday!
Blue Cricket Designs-- Show and Tell
Friday:
Simply Designing
Kojo Friday Fun Finds
Fingerprints on the Fridge-- Feature Yourself Friday
Tatertots and Jello-- Weekend Wrap-up
Weekend:
The Girl Creative-- Just Something I Whipped Up
Under the Table and Dreaming-- Sunday Showcase

A Happy Little Space {Fabric Playhouse}

2011-01-03T07:00:00.011-06:00

Since we moved into this house well over a year ago, my kids have had a "house" built out of two boxes that I taped together as soon as they were empty. I did this so they would be occupied while I worked feverishly to unpack the rest of the house...and find the boxes that housed their toys...

Two weeks before Christmas, I finally threw it away. It was heartbreaking...but really, it was barely standing anymore and I knew that something far better was in their future.

I started this little house back in October. It was a lot of work (especially since it is fully lined with finished seams) but it is already well-loved on.

The mailbox has a little flap to cover the opening and then a pocket on the inside to store the mail. The flowers in the pot are of course removable.

This panel is for great puppet shows! I sewed in three big pockets to store the puppets in use and they can untie the curtain for the show and hide behind it. I'm thinking, however, that I may need to install a pocket for a dowel right below the window so it doesn't sag at all...and to discourage my son from climbing in and out of it...

My kids both love to help me hang the laundry, so I knew they would enjoy this panel. I made a few items of clothing, embellishing them with some of the decorative stitches on my machine, and placed them in a sweet little woven basket.

There is also a zipper pocket sewn on the bottom corner of the panel to keep the clothespins.

Finally, this last panel was highly inspired by Homemade by Jill's version. I used her templates for the flowers, apples, carrots and corn, although, instead of weaving the corn, I merely stitched the kernels. And the inside of this panel has two clear vinyl pockets (size 8.5 x 11") for endless decorating. Emmie has already inserted a special picture she made of Noah's Ark.

Materials used::
I chose to use all wool felt, purchased by-the-yard from Wool Felt Central. The reason for this is because wool felt does not stretch and tear the same way acrylic felt does. It just seems to have a longer lifespan and holds up to child's play a lot better. Also, it is far softer, and the colors are much richer.

I used muslin for the base of the playhouse, as opposed to felt, as many playhouses are made. Again, the reason I did this is because I intend for this playhouse to last a long time, and I just didn't feel like felt would do the trick. However, this greatly increased the time commitment to the project, as I had to finish all the edges of the muslin, unlike felt.

Please let me know if you have any question about it and I will do my best to answer them. Thanks!

I've entered this little project over at Sew Dang Cute's "Crafting with the Stars"...wish me luck!

Sharing the love at some of the following:
Monday:
Keeping it Simple-- Motivate Me Mondays
Skip to my Lou-- Made by You Mondays
Sew Can Do-- Craftastic Monday
C.R.A.F.T-- Making Monday Marvelous
Tuesday:
Today's Creative Blog-- Get Your Craft On!
Creative Itch-- Sew Cute Tuesday
Tip Junkie-- Tip Me Tuesday
Wednesday:
Sew Much Ado-- We Did It Wednesday!
Blue Cricket Designs-- Show and Tell
Friday:
Simply Designing
Kojo Friday Fun Finds
Fingerprints on the Fridge-- Feature Yourself Friday
Tatertots and Jello-- Weekend Wrap-up
Weekend:
The Girl Creative-- Just Something I Whipped Up
Under the Table and Dreaming-- Sunday Showcase

YOUR Favorite 2010 H&D Projects

2011-01-01T07:00:00.002-06:00

Well, I just thought I'd jump right on to that bandwagon and share you Hippos and Dinosaurs' top five post of the year. This has been a fun year and I have so much more planned for 2011. I still have tons of Christmas gifts to share with you! Anyway, without further ado, here's H&D's top five:

5. Fun Family Napkins We love these and use them all the time...they're definitely not so crisp and white anymore:)

4. Upcycled Napkin Rings Still a great way to store those napkins up there

3. Hidden Pictures Activity Book My daughter was just playing with this the other afternoon. I love that it was free!

2. Carseat Tent This project is continually getting hits. I still love it and look forward to making one for this next baby...though it'll have to be super lightweight since it'll be about 90 degrees outside...

1. The Number One post of 2010 was definitely The Play Kitchen. By far my favorite project of the year as well.

Happy New Year my Bloggy Friends!! Looking forward to whatever 2011 will bring!!

A Little BOY Dress-up

2010-12-31T07:00:00.000-06:00

Currently, Kai's favorite thing to dress up with is Emmie's Snow White dress. While I find it endearing, I do think it would be nice for him to have some more BOY-ish options.

Enter: the cape.

A friend asked to me to make a cape for her son and I found an excellent tutorial on making two capes out of one yard of fabric. Since I lined these capes, I actually took two yards, but still such a fabulous way to expedite the gift-making.

The only thing I really followed from the tutorial was the cutting of the cape. As for the neck strap, I basically made 1.5" bias tape, sewed it on, and attached the velcro.

(Why the "M"?? Because his name is Malakai...we just call him Kai for short;)

Healthy Choices

2010-12-30T07:00:00.003-06:00

If you've ever looked through my "Lifestyles and Interests" blog roll, you've likely noticed that we strive for health in my little family. When friends realize that I don't keep the typical fruit snacks and jellos for my kids they often wonder what it is I feed them for snacks, at home and away. Well, since I've never had much of a will against artificially sweet things myself, I've tried to hold myself to the simple idea of "I will only eat what is available to me." I figure this applies to my children as well. So we keep plenty of sweet things around to please our palate, they just all happen to be natural and exceptionally healthy.

Here's a picture of my son yesterday afternoon. He was hungry, so he grabbed a chair, pushed it to the counter and began perusing. He ultimately ended up with that orange in his hand, but he often goes for any of the other goodies there: clementines, apples, bananas, bread, or almonds. The selection will change with the seasons. This summer he found a love for strawberries and peaches, and currently he loves to grab the carrots from the fridge.

Do my kids like sugar?? Why, yes. But do they notice when it is NOT in the house? Nope. In fact, in the weeks following Halloween my daughter saw that little bowl of suckers hanging out in the pantry and asked for one every. single. day. Until the day I got fed up with the requests (and giving in to them regularly) that I finally threw the rest of them out. She never even noticed. She had only wanted them because she could see them. A good lesson indeed.

*Don't mind the ripped up wall in my kitchen, we are currently undergoing a minor kitchen redo.*

Spontaneous Art

2010-12-29T07:00:00.002-06:00

I am all about setting up an environment for my children where they can feel free to create something beautiful on a whim. This came naturally for my daughter and she spends hours (yes, hours) a day creating things. My son, however, is just coming out of the "eating the crayons" stage and more into the "Look mama!!! Papa's airplane!!" stage (that's his favorite thing to draw). Well, months ago (as in, back in March) I bought an easel at a flea market for only $3.00. It had good bones, it just needed a little spicing up. So I took it home and finally got around to making it look like new again. It is just so hard to do a big project like this without the kids seeing it.

Here's what it looked like before:

And with a fresh new coat of paint, some new boards (my husband found and cut dry erase boards at Home Depot! We used the backside of one to spray the chalkboard paint on) and some tightened bolts we now have a beautiful new easel.

You'll notice that the new boards are larger than the originals. I didn't think it would hurt to have MORE space for creating.

We'll be adding accessories to this as time goes on: a tray to set cups of paint in, perhaps a dowel across the top to hold a roll of paper, and some clips to hold down the paper. For now, though it is getting a lot of use and a lot of love from the little ones in my life.

Cost:
     easel: $3.00
     spray paint: $6.00 (with some to spare)
     hardware: $3.00
     dry erase board: $12.00

               Total: $24.00

Not bad when compared to what they retail for! And I love that there are no plastic pieces that can break and are then very difficult to replace.

Sharing the love at some of the following:
Monday:
Keeping it Simple-- Motivate Me Mondays
Skip to my Lou-- Made by You Mondays
Sew Can Do-- Craftastic Monday
C.R.A.F.T-- Making Monday Marvelous
Tuesday:
Today's Creative Blog-- Get Your Craft On!
Creative Itch-- Sew Cute Tuesday
Tip Junkie-- Tip Me Tuesday
Wednesday:
Sew Much Ado-- We Did It Wednesday!
Blue Cricket Designs-- Show and Tell
Friday:
Simply Designing
Kojo Friday Fun Finds
Fingerprints on the Fridge-- Feature Yourself Friday
Tatertots and Jello-- Weekend Wrap-up
Weekend:
The Girl Creative-- Just Something I Whipped Up
Under the Table and Dreaming-- Sunday Showcase

Giant Tote for Mom

2010-12-27T08:45:00.001-06:00

Mom requested a large tote for Christmas. I was happy to oblige, as I love creating new bags. Her request was something, big, sturdy, roomy and quilted. Well, since the request came only two days before I had to ship it out to get it to her on time, I had to go with pre-quilted fabric from Joann's.

I used french seams for the sides of the bag and bias tape to finish off the top and the inside bottom where I boxed the corners.

Please excuse the somewhat lame pictures...I had to take these at night so I could box it up and get it shipped out the next morning:)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-22T14:56:00.001-06:00

From our family yours, we hope you have a beautiful Christmas with lots of cuddling and hot chocolate and Christmas movies and most importantly, conversation on the reason for this joyous season. May God bless you.

Another Shoot

2010-12-21T09:36:00.000-06:00

Though I am no professional, I have loved taking family photos for some friends. Here's another recent shoot that I did for this family's Christmas card.

These were taken at a local photo op spot, The Old Mill, featured in Gone With the Wind, actually. It's a beautiful spot and its no wonder everyone wants their photos taken there.

Christmas Card Garland

2010-12-15T14:14:00.001-06:00

Well, I am finding that I am running into the same dilemma as Jill where so much of what I am making is FOR somebody and therefore I can't post it, for fear it will be spoiled. But here is something I just put up to house all those lovely cards and letters we've been receiving and that have just been stacking up on our kitchen counter.

I needed a solution that would be quick and easy to put up using supplies I already had.

So using a few thumb tacks, mini clothespins and some thin jute I got busy and it was up in about 5 minutes. Then I tied on a few of the Gingerbread ornaments we made to give a Christmas-y kick. We used this recipe for the cookies and got excellent results. And can I just say, my tree smells delicious with all those cookies on it.

Merry Christmas!!

Whew!!!

2010-12-08T20:02:00.002-06:00

Is anybody else feeling some of this rush?? I think I need some much needed chill time wrapping some presents...oh wait...I guess I need to FINISH the presents if I want to wrap them, no? Dilemma.

On the other hand, my little girl had 2 birthday parties for 3 girls 2 weeks ago. Um, has anybody checked out the stores lately?? That would cost us at least $30, before tax, for a very simple gift. So I opted for lovely handmade out of the stash with purchased crayons and coloring books, costing us a mere $7. Score.

For easy and simplicity in the making process, these bags ware not lined and the handle is a simply grosgrain ribbon. The bag is made to perfectly fit a handful of coloring books and ten beautiful crayons.

Quiet Book: M & N

2010-11-24T13:09:00.002-06:00

With family here, I've been doing a lot of baking and eating, but not a ton of sewing and crafting. However, I did finish up these little pages a few weeks back and finally got some cute little finger puppets to add so I can finally cross them off my list.

The 'M' page was heavily influenced by Homemade by Jill's version.

'N' was fun to create. This has already been to church with us and my kids just love the finger puppets.
I found the sweet little finger puppets at Wee Knit on Etsy. Definitely check her out. She's got lots of cute things.

Don't forget to check out the rest of our quiet book here.

Sharing the love at:
Kojo Designs Friday Fun Finds

A feature:)

2010-11-12T13:02:00.001-06:00

Just realized I got a feature on one of the most inspiring children's decor sites on the block!

Thanks, Ohdeedoh!

Fair Trade

2010-11-12T12:03:00.001-06:00

My friend, Chelsea, rocks at crochet. Me? Not so much, and trust me, I've tried. So, since the cold season is coming...no, it is not quite here yet...I was thinking ahead and decided to contact her to see if I could commission her to make my kids a couple of beanies. Well, she came back with an offer. "How about a trade?" I loved it! Perfect idea. See, she was in need of a giant bag in which to carry her ever-extending supply of yarn. I cannot even tell you how excited I was. I love the idea of trading, to use my own talents to "purchase" something we need or want. Love it. Anyway, I haven't received the hats yet, but I simply couldn't wait to show you the bag I made for her, as I am completely in love with how it turned out.

When she said "giant" bag my mind immediately went straight to Heather Ross' "Everything Tote" from one of my fave books, Weekend Sewing. I made this tote (linked to my personal blog from before the days of H & D) a while back to use as our swim bag, and it has been well-used and well-loved.

Just as I did with the first tote I made, I added a solid 3" to the bottom to give it a little more depth. This particular bag was made with a stretchy linen-type fabric that I picked up at the thrift store a few months ago and it is accented with what I believe is some Michael Miller fabric that I bought because I loved it, and I was so glad to use it on this project.

A special request from Chelsea was to have some crochet hook pockets:

I left it to hang on my kitchen hutch for a few days before I sent it just to admire it...and to talk myself out of keeping it for myself:) Anyway, I just hope she loves it as much as I do:)

It's true

2010-11-09T17:07:00.000-06:00

Looks like another redhead is on it's way. I'm looking forward to having an excuse to make lots of itty bitty baby things that I get to KEEP. 6 months to go. I'll try to keep the gory details of the preggo life to myself and only share the lovely handmades.

New Endeavors

2010-11-03T06:00:00.002-05:00

My friend asked me to take pictures of her family. I was afraid. See, I am not a photographer by trade...I LOVE to do it, but to have someone else count on me to take great pictures of their family was intimidating. But I took the step. And it was FUN! But I must say, it definitely helps when there is a baby involved that is as cute as this one.

The Mom Cave

2010-11-01T12:00:00.000-05:00

This is my space where I breathe. I create things here. And plan things. And sometimes I get nothing done at all. Just catch a few quiet moments. Often times, it’s the place where I sit and simply watch my kids play, as we share a giant room, half mine, half theirs, just the way I wanted it, so we could play and create together throughout our days.

I have a good space, but I am overflowing. Sadly, there is no room for growth. I am always making an effort to use what I have, but alas, some fabrics I just cannot turn down, and so this happens.

This is my happy place. This is a mish mash of lovely things I have found along my way of creating this space. Treasures from our stay in Germany, treasures found in the basement of an estate sale, and treasures from flea markets and Etsy and even from the small hands of my little girl. All Equally loved.

I dream of a dainty little hutch filling this space. Displaying little lovelies, baskets of scrap fabric and finally having a logical place to store my scrapbooking supplies that are currently buried in a closet…

This is my Mom Cave entry over at Between Naps on the Porch

Adding Length to a Skirt {tutorial}

2010-11-01T06:00:00.005-05:00

So my girl has this skirt. A skirt that she has loved and loved, but alas, this sweet little girl just keeps getting bigger, but her love for that skirt has not diminished one bit. So, it needed to be bigger, and longer.

The skirt has an elastic waist, so my first step was to make a small opening in the elastic casing and remove the elastic. Then I placed the edge of the skirt along the edge of the new fabric to figure out how much of the new fabirc I would need. Keep in mind that the fabric that is adding the length will be sewn in about an inch below the top of the skirt, so be sure to account for that approximate inch at the top of your new fabric or it may turn out longer than intended.

My original skirt was sewn selvage to selvage, so that made it easy to figure out the width of the under-layer. I cut what I needed, sewed right sides together (selvage to selvage), hemmed the bottom and serged (but you could easily zig zag stitch it) the top.

Now, turn the original skirt inside out and place it in the underlayer, which is also inside out. Pin the serged edge of the underlayer to the bottom of the elastic casing of the original skirt.

Sew the two pieces together, being sure to leave a 1+" opening where you removed the elastic in the first step. Once you have it sewn, pin a safety pin to the end of your new elastic piece and guide it through the old casing. Sew the ends together and then sew the casing hole closed.

Flip right-side out and admire!

This is such a quick and easy transformation and super frugal, making clothes last a lot longer. Whose to say that next year we may be adding another layer, or perhaps a ruffle, to add some more length to this beloved skirt? And with the cold season upon us, be sure sure to check out my fleece-lined skirt tutorial. I think it would be fun to make the fleece a little longer than the cotton and have it peek out the bottom a bit and maybe trim it with some ricrac. hmmm...

Happy Sewing! And please let me know if anything leaves you confused!

Sharing the love at some of the following:
Monday:
Keeping it Simple-- Motivate Me Mondays
Skip to my Lou-- Made by You Mondays
Sew Can Do-- Craftastic Monday
C.R.A.F.T-- Making Monday Marvelous
Tuesday:
Today's Creative Blog-- Get Your Craft On!
Creative Itch-- Sew Cute Tuesday
Tip Junkie-- Tip Me Tuesday
Wednesday:
Sew Much Ado-- We Did It Wednesday!
Blue Cricket Designs-- Show and Tell
Friday:
Simply Designing
Kojo Friday Fun Finds
Fingerprints on the Fridge-- Feature Yourself Friday
Tatertots and Jello-- Weekend Wrap-up
Weekend:
The Girl Creative-- Just Something I Whipped Up
Under the Table and Dreaming-- Sunday Showcase

Halloween Costumes

2010-10-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Well, in case you're still looking for some last minute ideas, I thought I would share some of our costumes of Halloweens past. Some of these you could easily whip up in an evening and some of them (like the zebra) take a little more time and effort.

The skirt for this angel was a simple elastic waist. Then I took a long-sleeved onesie and just sewed on some gold ricrac around the neck. And for the wings, they are attached with Velcro, but I also sewed on some elastic armholes so they could be worn over her jacket later in the evening, as you can see in the next picture.

Check out that little piglet!! You could whip that one up the morning of Halloween! :)

This zebra was made using a typical Simplicity jumpsuit costume pattern for any animal (the example on the pattern was a lion and a bunny, I believe) so I just modified it for a zebra. This is by far one of my favorite costumes of all time. My favorite part is the grosgrain ribbon for the mane...and that cute tail. My will be wearing it this year.

Another costume that you could easily make in an hour. The skunk. I took a pre-fabbed black hoodie, sweats and an old black sock of my husbands, purchased a small package of fur from Joann's (or maybe Hobby Lobby?) and just sewed it on down. I sewed the sock to the inside of the back of the pants. Unfortunately for me, though, I didn't have a sewing machine, as we had JUST moved from Germany, so all of our stuff was still somewhere on the ocean, slowly making its way to us. So yes, I hand-sewed this whole thing. DO NOT hand-sew this much fur. Painful...and tedious. Consider yourself appropriately warned.

So there you have it! I can't wait to see what everyone's kiddos are wearing this year!

Christmas Ideas: The Ruby Doll

2010-10-27T13:45:00.000-05:00

So the little girl in my life is getting a new doll for Christmas. The Ruby Doll, a free pattern found at One Red Robin. It was fabulously easy to put together, but stuffing the arms and legs were quite frustrating. So I made a second doll (the one below) just a tad bigger. All I did to make it bigger was trace around the pattern pieces about a 1/4", but you could of course just copy it a certain percentage bigger on your printer as well. Anyway, if you're looking for some inspiration to get you started, I would definitely take a look at the Ruby Doll flickr group. (I'd give you the link, but flickr isn't coming up on my comp right, but there's a link to the group on the Ruby Doll tutorial page-linked above). Lots of fabulousness there. You'll want to make one after you see all those dolls.

We're shooting for a mostly handmade Christmas this year and these are next on my list. They should be easy and I think the kids will love them.

Jackpot

2010-10-25T08:45:00.000-05:00

The ladies in my church have a monthly social and at every one of those socials we have a swap. As a natural purger of things, I LOVE this swap. It's always an excellent opportunity to take a load of stuff we no longer need and get someone else to enjoy it. I also LOVE thrift shopping, but its definitely hit and miss, and usually, I don't find anything at our swaps. But good gracious, I sure did hit the jackpot this month.

I could see a sweet Christmas dress coming from that set of three red and green fabrics up there, there's wool, corduroy and a home dec weight. Maybe a dress that uses one of those pretty green trims. And aren't those Strawberry Shortcake and Raggedy Ann and Andy ornament panels fun?? I think Goose will enjoy doing those with me. Anyway, I just love me some free beautiful things:)

Air-peene!!

2010-10-21T08:45:00.000-05:00

The little man in my house is two. And utterly obsessed with anything wheels or wings. He also is obsessed with anything his sister has. Like her very beloved backpack, that she'd really rather not share with him...

So I thought it was an appropriate occasion to get the boy his own backpack.

Of course, I used Rae's marvelous Toddler Backpack pattern. It is such a simple pattern to follow and with such fabulous, sturdy results. Here are some of the specs on how I construct the backpack. I used a quilt weight cotton, medium interfacing and line it with muslin. I love the weight of the backpack this way. Also, I added that fun little pocket in the front, because I am pretty sure all little ones need a special little place to store their most precious of rocks and leaves. If you're wanting to make one, I would definitely check out the Toddler Backpack flickr group for inspiration. Holy Moly. I always get blown away at the cuteness. You've been warned.

So he's off for an adventure, cars and trucks and airplanes loaded into the backpack for safe-keeping.

For the little chefs in my life

2010-10-19T07:40:00.001-05:00

Well, once upon a time I found a great deal on a play kitchen at a garage sale. It had served us well, but was simply too small. All of the various cooking utensils, baking supplies, dishes and food were spilling out of every shelf and were always all over the floor. So, inspired by the oh-so-many kitchens I have seen online(like this, this and this), I decided to take on this next project with my mom, a wood-working extraordinaire.

I started out with two Ikea Rast bedside tables, which were given to us a few years back. These have a lip along the short sides. So, we turned one shelf upside down and used that lip as the legs of the kitchen. Then we cut off the actual legs of the shelves and the lip of the other shelf, placed the shelves on top of each and screwed them together. For the backsplash and the back of the side shelves we just cut a big piece of MDF in an "L", which became the backbone of the whole kitchen.

Decent storage is really what I was going for, and this kitchen has it! I love how much we can pack into those shelves. The last kitchen was just exploding with playthings, so I needed to be sure that I created something that could truly hold of those kitchen necessities.

The faucet is an upside down wooden "J" from Hobby Lobby. The burners were simply hand-painted on. I intend to put on a handle for the faucet and two knobs for the burners. I would just rather find cheapo things at garage sales, rather than buy two knobs at 3 bucks a piece...we'll see...I'm likely to give in by the end...

And a picture of beloved mountains for good measure...

Fall is Here!

2010-10-15T10:40:00.000-05:00

Even though the temperatures remain at around 75-80 degrees down here in the south, the leaves have turned and the soups have made their way into our weekly menu. I have put up our fall decor and lit the sweet smelling pumpkin pie candles.

This mantle still awaits a picture of our whole family together, but I'm working on that one. Other than that, I feel so pleased with how it warms up the room in the evenings, candle burning, lights dimmed. Love it.

Things may be a little quiet around here for a little while. I am working on something fun for the kids for Christmas and I hope to get it done soon enough that I will be able to put up a series of tutorials for you to complete your own before Christmas. Are you curious? Good:)

A reminder of sorts

2010-10-08T22:13:00.000-05:00

I case any of you need a reminder like myself, I found this and it made me giggle, and I realized that I relate. I so relate. So here ya go, found at a super fun and lighthearted little place, Mama is...

{click on the image to read}

Have a FAB weekend. I'll be watching my hottie of a husband fly in an airshow. He's pretty rad. I know;) See you Monday!

Artwork Display

2010-10-07T09:17:00.001-05:00

This is looooong overdue. My daughter has the tendency to tape her artwork (and there is plenty of that around here) all over the house: from the mantle, over her bed, on various kitchen cabinets, you name it. So I needed to create a place for her to display her work where she knows it will be seen and she can be proud.

This was so very simple to create. At Home Depot they have a section of particularly cut and finished wood. These were the perfect size (they have longer ones, if you're interested). Then I picked up the bulldog clips from Office Depot. These are the magnetic ones, which are perfect because they have a nice flat back to glue to the board. I used my handy Gorilla Glue to adhere them to the wood. Then I put picture hanging hardware on the back and voila! It was so easy and the little one is so proud.

Handmade Train Table

2010-10-05T07:16:00.000-05:00

Now don't get me wrong, I did not MAKE the table, but I did paint it. I found this table for $10 at the thrift store and decided to make it into a train/activity table for little ones in my life. And let me tell you, it has been a HIT! I debated back and forth on whether or not I should add a rim to the edge of the table to keep things from falling off, so I let the kids play with it for awhile and realized that more often than not, they created track systems that hung over the sides a bit anyway, so I decided to leave it off.

My Method:: This table was originally a very scratched, shiny ugly brown color with a wobbly leg. I got it home and immediately tightened the leg. Then I covered the whole thing with a good coat of spray primer to accomplish two things: first, make it so the top coat of paint would easily stick and second, to fill in the many scratches. Then I spray painted the whole table white, except the top, which would be painted other colors, obviously. And then I took my supply of acrylic paints and had a ball! It was my daughter's idea to make the water sparkly, I just used some of her sparkly craft paint for that. After all was painted and dried I covered the whole top of the table with a nice coat of spray enamel to keep it protected from the inevitable active play it will receive in its lifetime:)

Also, I didn't want to over decorate the table (in paint) with things like trees and houses and such because I really wanted my children to use their imaginations and create those things on their own. I just wanted this to be an open-ended table, allowing them to use for whatever they fancy.

So, next time you get discouraged looking at the pricey train tables, consider picking up an inexpensive secondhand table and doing it yourself. The project, start to finish, only took me about 4 hours (including drying time). It was easily finished in two naptimes:) And only cost me $15, for the table and spray paints. (the acrylics I had on hand...)

I hope you feel inspired for a little DIY!

Also, I went ahead and entered this into the Crafting with the Stars competition over at Sew Dang Cute. It sounds like a lot of fun, you should go check it out!

Sharing the love at some of the following:
Monday:
Keeping it Simple-- Motivate Me Mondays
Skip to my Lou-- Made by You Mondays
Sew Can Do-- Craftastic Monday
C.R.A.F.T-- Making Monday Marvelous
Tuesday:
Today's Creative Blog-- Get Your Craft On!
Creative Itch-- Sew Cute Tuesday
Tip Junkie-- Tip Me Tuesday
Wednesday:
Sew Much Ado-- We Did It Wednesday!
Blue Cricket Designs-- Show and Tell
Friday:Simply Designing
Kojo Friday Fun Finds
Fingerprints on the Fridge-- Feature Yourself Friday
Tatertots and Jello-- Weekend Wrap-up
Weekend:
The Girl Creative-- Just Something I Whipped Up
Under the Table and Dreaming-- Sunday Showcase

Giveaway Winners!!

2010-10-04T07:50:00.000-05:00

Thank you everyone for celebrating with me!! It's been fun. So without further ado, here are the winners of the four giveaways, using random.org:

Giveaway #1: The Buttercup Bag

Morgan said...
Those are the prefect colors! I want it. So glad I found your blog. I've been following for quite a while.

Giveaway #2: Child's Apron

Susan said...
Audrey has just started to love cooking with me. This would be perfect for the lovely flour messes:)

Giveaway #3: Set of 3 Fabric Rosettes

Megan said...
Jessie said "that is the cutest thing EVER"

Giveaway #4: Camera Strap Cover

Danelle said...And of course I'm a follower! :)

Congratulations!! Please email me your address as soon as you can so I can get the goodies shipped off to you. If I don't hear from you soon, then I'll be emailing you:) I have some fun posts lined up for you this week so keep checking back! Here's to a great week!!

Celebrating {100} -- Giveaway #4

2010-10-01T07:01:00.000-05:00

It's the last day of our {100 Followers} giveaway and I think I have saved the best for last! A dslr camera strap cover. This cover fits a standard dslr camera strap (dimensions: 23.5" x 2.25") and is padded for extra comfort. You don't have a digital slr?? No problem! You can win and give it as a gift! Now, this giveaway is NOT exclusively for followers. Anyone can enter this giveaway (more entry possibilities below).

Extra entries (enter a separate comment for each entry):

1. Because you're awesome;) (and I am quite certain that you all are)
2. Become a follower (or if you are already)
3. Blog about this week of giveaways
4. Tell me what you would like to see more of on this blog. I am always looking for ideas!

Leave your comments with your email address (name AT gmail DOT com) at the end of this post and I'll select winners the beginning of next week.

Celebrating {100} -- Giveaway #3

2010-09-30T07:43:00.000-05:00

Well, here we are again with a fun giveaway. Set of three fabric rosette/brooches. The backsides of these little beauties have both a hair clip and brooch pin, making it extra versatile.

Please remember, this is a {followers only} giveaway. So, you want to win the rosettes?? Sweet! Just become a follower:)

Leave a comment with your email address (name AT gmail DOT com)at the end of this post and I'll select winners the beginning of next week. Stay tuned for more giveaways this week! Go ahead! Tell your friends!:)

Celebrating {100} -- Giveaway #2

2010-09-29T07:39:00.000-05:00

This is Giveaway #2 of our 100 followers celebration. And what will it be today??

Please remember, this is a {followers only} giveaway. So, you want to win the apron?? Sweet! Just become a follower:)

A sweet little vintage style apron for the little girl in your life. This should fit 2T-5/6.(long on the 2-yr-old, short on the 6-yr-old) If you don't win, have no fear, you can find more in my shop.

or perhaps you have a boy??

The winner will get to choose the apron/smock that they would like.

Leave a comment with your email address (name AT gmail DOT com)at the end of this post and I'll select winners the beginning of next week. Stay tuned for more giveaways this week! Go ahead! Tell your friends!:)

Celebrating {100} -- Giveaway #1

2010-09-28T06:37:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the first Hippos and Dinosaurs Giveaway!! Why?? Well, because this little blog has made it to 100 followers and that's reason enough for me to celebrate! There will be a giveaway each day for the rest of the week (tuesday-friday) so be sure not to miss out.

This is a {followers only} giveaway. You want to win the bag?? Sweet! Just become a follower:) Simple right??

So, how about a Buttercup Bag? I made this using the all-too-amazing-and-satisfying-and-FREE pattern by Made by Rae. Probably one of my top 5 blogs, hands down.

Perfect colors for fall, a sweet pocket on the inside for your cell phone, or perhaps some good 'ol Burts Bees, and a button enclosure for easy access.

Leave a comment at the end of this post and I'll select winners the beginning of next week. Stay tuned for more giveaways this week! Go ahead! Tell your friends!:)

**Giveaway is closed**

**If you're visiting from bloggiveaways.blogspot.com, I apologize for the misinformation! Please know that it is my fault, not bloggiveaways. I gave her the wrong deadline. HOWEVER, please keep checking back, this won't be the last giveaway. This has been so much fun that it will surely be happening again. Take care and CRAFT ON! **

Almost there...

2010-09-27T15:27:00.000-05:00

Only one more follower away from 100!!

What does this mean?? It means we're only one follower away from having an exclusive H&D "Followers Only" giveaway!

It's gonna be rad. Be sure to check back;)

edited to add: Wow. You guys are fast. Looks looks like we'll start the giveaways tomorrow morning. What? Giveaway{S}?? Why yes, I think this calls for a giveaway a day for the rest of the week:)

Good Luck !

I Conquered!

2010-09-24T13:53:00.000-05:00

Hm. Maybe it was admitting defeat that got me going, but I decided to march my unmotivated bottom upstairs to finish one of the shirts I started two days ago. It was easy. I'm disappointed that I didn't just finish it before, so I could work on something else today, but hey, it is done! And just in time for Kids' Clothes Week over at Elsie Marley.

Is it Dana's 90-minute shirt? No. I mean, I suppose that simply by looking at it you could think so, but really, I haven't yet looked at that tutorial. So, all I did was rip apart a onesie, trace it and make a new shirt. The cute giraffe applique comes from my new Ottobre winter 2009 magazine. I loved the look of the waffle knit, which is actually an old baby blanket. The orange knit is a beloved shirt of mine from many years back. And for ease, I used the hem of the original shirt. I always love that. Feels like I'm cheating. And for this do-gooder of a gal...makes me feel a little like I'm living on the wild side...or....not.

There's still time to make something for the challenge! Be brave!!

Kids Clothes Week??

2010-09-24T11:28:00.000-05:00

not happening. Not for me, anyway. Not my week I guess. Lack of motivation? yes. Not feeling well? yes. Poor luck with my feeble attempt? yes.

In fact, get this. Today we went ALL THE WAY to Joann's (about 25 min away...that's quite a trek for us:) ) and I realized I forgot all of my coupons, and I had a bunch of them to use. HOWEVER, a super nice lady gave me all of the rest of her coupons that she wasn't going to use. SO nice. So I get everything I need, get all of my items and coupons checked through, open up my purse...no wallet. Blah. So, uh...yeah. We have to go back this afternoon. Please tell me I'm not the only one who has ever done this??

But because every post is better with a picture, here is a sneak peek at a post to come. My little man just had his birthday yesterday and needed something special:)

Hand Painted Name Sign

2010-09-20T18:41:00.000-05:00

After testing out my skills in hand-painting signs with the 'Be' Sign I made a few weeks back, I decided to take on another hand-painted challenge. My very very best friend just got married this weekend and I wanted to make them something that shows how much I love the two of them together. Sure, vinyl letters would have been so much easier, the letters would have been straighter and it would have looked more professional. BUT, a.) I don't HAVE a vinyl cutter and b.) it would be lacking some of the charm that it now has. So, with a handwritten note on the back in Sharpie pen and picture hanger hardware hammered to the back, this baby was wrapped and delivered with a whole lotta love.

If you're curious as to any of the details of how I put this thing together, link on back to my 'Be' Sign for some instructions and for the link to my original source of inspiration.

And because I love me a beautifully wrapped gift, I thought I would show you what it looked like all bundled up.

Her colors were tangerine and watermelon with lots and lots of gerber daisies, so I went with it:)

Sharing the love at:

Ottobre & Kids Clothes Week Challenge

2010-09-15T22:36:00.000-05:00

So, there's this blog, Elsie Marley. Heard of it? (yeah I know, of COURSE you have;) ) Well she is bringing back her Kids Clothes Week Challenge. I completely missed it the first time around, so hopefully I'll be on top of things this time. And something has arrived just in time in the mail.

I have heard wonderful things about the ease of their patterns, and heaven knows that the design thrills me. Reminds me so much of our 3 years in Germany. I feel pretty confident that my little guy will get one of these:

or a few perhaps?? It looks so comfy. And perhaps I can whip this one up for the girl??

It looks quite doable. And, oh, I wish so badly that I had a little baby to sew for right now, because look at these!!

**sigh**

Conkerr Cancer

2010-09-09T12:57:00.000-05:00

Do you have 20 minutes?? Make a pillowcase for Conkerr Cancer! So easy and it is certain to make a child smile. Can't beat that reward, right?

I am so inspired by the work of Craft Hope, that thousands of women are gathering all over the planet to work toward one cause. Makes me feel powerful. And useful. For so many of us with little ones at home it isn't feasible for us to get out and serve people everyday. But Craft Hope gives us a way that we can continue doing what we enjoy doing anyway (crafting!), only we can do it for a greater cause. Because of this, I gathered some friends together one morning and we cranked out 14 pillowcases for Conkerr Cancer, which is the current project for Craft Hope right now (deadline is Sept 15th if you want to join!). Our particular pillowcases will bring smiles to the children of our local hospital, Arkansas Children's Hospital.

**If you're looking for an easy pillow case tutorial, Dana has a great one over at MADE.

Be sure to keep up with Craft Hope, as she is always listing a new project. There just might be something you can help with!

Upcyled Napkin Rings Tutorial

2010-09-06T11:34:00.000-05:00

We needed napkin rings for all of those fun family napkins we made a month ago. I was trying to think of what to make them with when my genius husband said, rather nonchalantly, "we have all those shower curtain rings upstairs...". Genius! I tell you. And they are perfect! And the best part is, I always see shower curtain rings at the thrift store, so if you want to make your own then you can pick them up for cheap. They were super easy to do.

What you'll need:
shower curtain rings
ribbon (just assume you need lots, about a yard+ per ring)
glue gun

First, you open up the ring, insert the end of the ribbon and close the ring on the ribbon.

Start wrapping, overlapping each layer by about half until you make it back to the enclosure.

Once you get to the enclosure wrap the ribbon around it several time until it becomes the same thickness as the rest of the ring.

Now get your glue gun and glue the end of the ribbon down and cut off any excess.

There you go! Easy peasy. And now, every night after dinner we take a look at our napkin and if it could still get some use before it needs a good wash then we put it back in our own ring until our next meal. Enjoy!

I'll be sharing the love here:

Where I Blog

2010-09-02T15:04:00.000-05:00

So I really love getting a peek into people's homes, just to see how they do stuff from day to day. So, here's a small peek into my home. We don't have an office and I don't like having a computer in my room (I have a hard time telling it no and I fear I would never sleep:) ) So we are currently keeping the computer in the kitchen and I think I love it. It is completely central in our home and I can hop on and send an email real quick randomly when needed...or wanted, without it really disrupting our day. It's also great because I can watch anything I want from Hulu or Netflix while I cook or do the dishes...although, right now it is definitely Project Runway.

If you're interested in seeing some other blogging spaces head on over to Centsational Girl.

ABC Embroidery

2010-08-30T15:23:00.000-05:00

I am ashamed. Why? Because I cannot remember where I got this pattern and idea from. If this looks remotely familiar to you and you know where it is from, please tell me.

Now, on that note. I finally finished an embroidery that I started for my son's room at the turn of the year. Not that the embroidery took me very long, but then I had to bind it and then I needed to find the perfect way to hang it. So here it is.

So, the genius that I got the idea from gave a tutorial on how to simply print the pattern straight onto the muslin (by first ironing on a stabilizer and then sending it through your printer...it pretty much rocked.) I did enlarge the pattern a bit. I think this would be so cute sewn into the front panel of a mama-made pillow.

I think my favorite part is the two branding stars that I found at a fabulous flea market just outside of Ouray, CO on our anniversary trip in February.

My second favorite thing is that my daughter has been spending quite a bit of time in her brother's room brushing up on her ABC knowledge.

Pink and Red Posies

2010-08-26T12:43:00.000-05:00

A dear friend has a little girl and that little girl just just turned one, so I'm pretty sure she needs some new sweet clothes, right? I bought this print last year to make something fun for Goose, but it hasn't really spoken to me since. Until now. It is the perfect little print for wee little ladies. I can't wait to see it on her.

When I finished up the applique it still needed a little something, so I came up with this little ric rac flower. I just sewed it right down the middle of the ric rac, pulled the threads (very carefully!! ric rac is pretty stiff and you thread can easily break if you're not careful), and gathered it. I then formed it into a little flower, stitching the back of it together as I went. And to sew it on the the shirt I first ironed on a piece of interfacing to the inside of the shirt since knit is such a lightweight fabric and I didn't want it to tear a hole under the weight of the flower.

linked to:

Adding Color

2010-08-20T12:48:00.000-05:00

So here I am. Right in the middle of my disgust with my colorless living room when I come upon this piece from I am Momma, Hear Me Roar. A beautiful, ~~CHEAP~~ inexpensive piece that I can make in no time that will add some splendid color to my drab room. When I saw it, I was instantly inspired. I loved that I could pick the exact colors that I wanted to bring into the room. And the cost? Next to nothing. The plywood was hanging out in our garage (with a mouse nest behind it...ugh!...we're taking care of that today...) and I only had to buy a couple of the paint colors. Like Cheri, I used a washed out color as my base. It went on brilliantly. I tested it on the back side first to be sure it was washed out enough, but I did have to add a little more water. Then I printed out my "Be's" in different fonts and went to work free-handing the whole dang thing. I started yesterday afternoon at about about 4. Then I did dinner, put kids to bed, had ladies over for craft night (we learned how to draw portraits!), and picked it up again at 8:30 and finished by 10. It was dry and sitting on my mantle by 10:10. I love a quick project like this.

**Do not be intimidated by the free handed painting! Really, I DON'T paint. In fact, it just plain scares me. I'm always so afraid of messing something up. But I could do this, which really means, anyone can. I used a really, really small angled brush and after trying out a few different brushes this is the one that got the best results for me.

So, the living room is coming along. I'll have to wait until next month to figure out curtains...you know, the whole money thing:) Tomorrow it's fun at the lake, so we'll catch up when the weekend is through!

Pillows!

2010-08-17T10:24:00.000-05:00

Oh man, do I have thing for pillows. Such a 'thing' in fact that I can never decide on which pillows I want so I have been living with the same dull pillows for about 4 years now. In fact, my whole living room is dull. It needs sprucing. It needs....life. Enter: new pillows! (and some color...sheesh!)

Here's my boring old living room: (back in December...Christmas...forgive me. But the color palette is the same boring old blah neutral. Gold and burgundy...its killing me...)

So in with some color! I'm bring in a nice royal blue, some avocado green and a lighter shade of yellow...This is the start.

You can see bits of the colors in that pillow on the left...made from 2 giant pieces of fabric I picked up at an estate sale. Love that. And the blue pillow?? Picked that fabric up for a little over a $1 from the Joann's remnant bin and I have enough for a second pillow...I'm thinking something with a ruffle...These buttons are my favorite, they have a rustic woodsy feel.

Anyway, just walking by my living room and seeing this pillow makes me happy. Its a good start.

Christmas Ideas: Gift Wrap

2010-08-10T16:10:00.000-05:00

I have been asked to demonstrate wrapping presents in fabric for our ladies' craft night at church next month. I was excited for the opportunity because it gave me an excellent excuse to start making the wraps we'll need for Christmas this year for our own presents. This year I intend to use no wrapping paper, only brown paper and fabric, in an effort to use more recycleable and reusable materials. I also love the look of a brown paper package next to bright fabric package.

Anyway, if you're interested in this sort of thing, there is a great book that I picked up last year called Wrapagami: The Art of Fabric Gift Wraps.

It looks like there are some other good books out there too, but the photos in this one are so beautiful and the illustrations for wrapping are very clear and simple.

I love all of the ideas that I have seen in this book, from wine bottle wraps, to book wraps (below), to shoebox wraps.

If you don't like the styles with the ties and knots then there is a flat wrap using a ribbon to secure.

And I think that this next one is the most genius. This baby gift is wrapped in a baby blanket with a sweet little toy tucked in there. This is most certainly something I will use in the future. And if I'm totally awesome I will remember to take a picture and share it with you all (don't expect too much...). But I can completely envision a cute little boxed outfit, wrapped in a handmade blanket with a sweet little pair of handmade booties tucked in there. I can hardly stand to even think about it. Too cute.

Party Gift Bags Tutorial

2010-08-08T22:43:00.000-05:00

So there's a little girl in my house. She used to be 3. Now she's four. And in case you didn't know (because she WILL tell you) 5 comes right after 4, and that is some seriously exciting news.

Well, in celebration of this lovely news, we threw a party. And we wanted to send along a little something to all the fun friends who came to celebrate with her. We gave gift bags with two crayons, a printed coloring sheet, a Silly Bandz bracelet, and a small bag of the very best gummi bears.

In an effort to be green-like and to make the bag a part of the gift (not just a cellophane sack that would be thrown out before they even left our driveway...) I decided to come up with a super quick gift bag. And let me tell you, these really were super quick. I finished all 12 in under 1 1/2 hours. Not bad.

So, in case you wanted to make your own, here's a quickie tutorial:

First, you'll need an 18" x 7" piece of fabric (enough for one bag, so cut as many of these as you need bags...), coordinating thread and 2 20" pieces of something to use as drawstrings. (I used single fold bias tape, but I wished I would have had white grosgrain ribbon on hand...would have taken less time.)

Finish all four sides of you piece of fabric with a zig zag, overlock or serged stitch.

Iron your two long sides a 1/4" in to the wrong side. Then iron your two short sides in 1".

Now edge stitch your two short sides down about 1/8" from the finished edge of the fabric.

Then, fold your fabric in half, wrong sides together and stitch down both sides, starting 1" from the top of the bag, sewing very close to the edge of the fabric.

Your bag is finished! Now you just need to add drawstrings. Like I said before, I used single fold bias tape and zig zagged all the way down . Just feed it through one of the sides of the bag and tie the ends together. Do the same on the other side of the bag.

Now fill that cute little thing with goodies!

Make a bigger size to use as a library bag or a quiet activity bag for church or dining out. This is such an easy, versatile design, you can really use for just about anything!

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Hoodie Refashion

2010-08-07T21:14:00.000-05:00

My friend gave me this sweatshirt and her only instructions to me were, "Get rid of the fur...I don't care what you do with it, just get rid of the fur."

So, I picked out the fur, which was a pain. The bane of my existence. Okay. Not that bad. But a real pain. Tthen I matched two coordinating fabrics to those that are already on the Roxy emblem on the front of the sweater. I wanted to keep with the raw edges to make the sweater feel cohesive, though still patchwork. Sewing it back together was easy except when it came to the zipper, which gave me a bit of trouble, but I made it work. Now I just hope she likes it...

I have some other fun things planned to post soon. Stay tuned!

Hidden Pictures

2010-07-26T07:13:00.000-05:00

So I am always looking for good "busy" activities for my kids for while we are in the car, waiting at offices, flying, and just making our way through a rainy day and when I discovered these printable hidden pictures activities, I knew just what to do with them. I thought I would share the fun with you.

When you visit the site you will find so many to choose from. Since my daughter is just four, I decided to look for some that were age appropriate and not overly difficult. Now, when you print them out it prints out the entire webpage, kind of a drag, but a great excuse to make these a little more exciting. {A reader mentioned that you can just click and drag the image to your desktop and then open it with a word processor but I was having a hard time making that work. If you're able to do it, please let us know how in the comments!}

I printed the pages on regular computer paper. Then I just cut out the hidden picture and the key of items and glued them down to a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of colorful card stock. I did a page on each side of the colored card stock. I then sent them through my laminator (if you don't have one, get one. The possibilities are endless when it comes to childrens activities. I've used mine for so many things.)

Three hole punched, place in a thin binder and voila! In the pocket of the binder I keep a washable dry erase marker and a piece of flannel to wipe the pages clean. However, I would like to get my hands on a pack of wipe-off crayons. Have you used them before?? Do they wipe off well?? Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

I have included the file for my cover page for you if you're interested.
Hidden Pictures

Have fun!! Start to finish is only about an hour. I love me some instant gratification:)

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Blue Cricket Design

Quiet Book: K & L

2010-07-22T08:39:00.000-05:00

K scared me. Not gonna lie. But I conquered and am pleased with the result...however, it wasn't all that scary once I did it. So, whatever. Unfortunately, though, I failed to switch my presser foot back to the all purpose one, and it was one of my specialty feet, sooooo, it made some of the detail sewing rather difficult. But I'm so bright that I didn't even realize it until I was halfway through sewing the second page. Brilliant, I tell you.

K was completely inspired by the ABC 123 Craft Book by Phyllis Fiarotta. Read more about here

Then there was L. Other than trying to sew around all those little circles with the incorrect presser foot on my machine, this page was quite simple. This is my own design.

See more quiet book pages here

And have you checked out the Quiet Book Club Flickr Group?

Sorry for the hiatus in quiet book posts. I will keep them coming. It ain't over 'til it's over...right? Right, guys? yeah.....Have a glorious weekend!

I'm such a wuss.

2010-07-14T13:06:00.000-05:00

I have owned elastic thread for nearly two years now...and I have only just used it. Everyone said it was so easy. Just wind the bobbin, sew and iron. Voila! But I remained unsure and a little scared that I would totally mess it up. But finally yesterday, I decided to take it on. I have been wanting to make some simple pillowcase dresses for Goose for a long time now, so this was the perfect opportunity.

This little dress was screaming at me to make a matching headband, so I did:) And goose loves it. Even better.

And can I just say, if you, by some strange chance, have not yet tried elastic thread, just do it. it really is so easy. Just keep in mind that this dress used one whole spool, so plan wisely.

Fun Family Napkins Tutorial

2010-07-12T16:53:00.000-05:00

So in an effort to use a LOT less napkins, I thought that perhaps we could make them. I know, everybody is doing it, and I am only now catching on. However, I wanted these to be special. I don't always get to include the kids in my crafting projects, but this one was perfect.

Here's what you'll need:

fabric paint pens
an old white sheet
lots of fun coordinating trim
disappearing marker
sewing stuff:)

First, you need to decide what size you what your napkins to be. I believe the normal size is 16" x 16". I made mine 12" x 12". Once you decide what size you want, you then need to decide how many.

Okay. So here's my math for how much fabric I was going to cut out. I wanted 8 napkins that were 12 x 12. That meant I needed to cut 16 12" x 12" squares. However, since I have little one to help me color, I wanted to keep it as one big piece, for easier coloring, so I cut a big piece of sheet approx. 24" x 96" If you have older children, I would suggest cutting all of the squares out, taping them to pieces of cardboard (so the paint doesn't bleed through on anything else) and let them paint away.

My husband even got home in time to get in on some of the coloring action.

Once everyone was done with their masterpieces I let the paint set for a day or two and then threw it in the washer to set the paint for good.

Then it is time to do some cutting (unless, of course, you chose to pre-cut the squares). Make yourself a cutting template the size of you desired napkin and start drawing your napkin squares and cut them out.

Once you have them all cut, pair them up they way you want them and get your trims all ready...it's time to put these babies together. Sew each pair right sides together with the trim on the inside. Leave a hole for flipping the fabric right side out. Clip the corners, turn the fabric and edgestitch all along the outside of the napkin, sewing the hole closed.

Nice work! You're done!

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Blue Cricket Design

Three Cheers for Ruffley Skirts!!

2010-07-07T21:47:00.000-05:00

Ruffley...that's a word...right?

Well, regardless, these ruffles had this girl jumping for joy. Although, she was even more excited at the mere fact that it was "long". She has been requesting long dresses and skirts...like princesses. *sigh* What to do...I mean, it is averaging 90 degrees here!! So I compromised with a long-ish skirt.

Silly little brother. He could care less about the skirt. He just wanted an excuse to say, "cheeeeeeeese."

Apples and Sunshine

2010-06-30T09:23:00.000-05:00

I have been saving my jeans for nearly 6 years now. Back when I started saving them I wasn't sure what I would do with them, considering that at that time the only sewing I had done was patch up a pair of pants in college. My uncle always made these super heavy denim quilts. They were always so heavy and warm. And incredibly durable. I thought that might be fun...

Well, I live in Arkansas, people, where it is currently topping out at about 100 degrees everyday. The last thing I need is warm. However, with the Fourth of July and fireworks just around the corner, I am quite certain that we will need a nice, big blanket to sit on.

There are pieces from many of my most favorite fabrics. Apples from this beloved backpack. A sweet yellow vintage from a favorite flea market outside of Cortez, CO. And a vintage red flower from my mother's stash. I backed the quilt with a lovely white daisy sheet found for $3 at my local Saver's.

And what's more? I knew I wanted to use flannel for the batting because I didn't want this to be a bulky blanket. So I searched high and low for used flannel sheets at the thrift stores. Couldn't find anything. So I priced out how much it would cost to just buy flannel at Joann's. Nearly $25 (not on sale). Ouch. So one fateful Saturday we are driving in a part of town we've not been before, I see a church rummage sale, I spot a queen size, white flannel sheet, I offer $1, I take that baby home. Whoo hoo! So the whole quilt cost me approximately $7 (with some pieces that I picked up in the Joann's remnant bin). Not bad. Not bad at all.

I am loving the way I quilted it with the double lines just outside the seams. Someday, I'd love to try my hand at a pretty stippled design. Someday.

A corner

2010-06-18T13:54:00.000-05:00

I have a favorite room in the house. And surprisingly, it is not my sewing room.

But rather, it is this sweet space. Where my sweet Goose spends so much of her time creating and playing and imagining great things and great people and animals and stories. I do look forward to finding the perfect wooden kitchen, or perhaps making one(??), but for now, this one will suffice. But it is an awkward shape, taking up more space than is necessary.

I often find myself in her room throughout my days, plopping myself on her overstuffed reading chair and just taking in a few deep breaths. It is such a simple space, but there is so much love and joy in that room that I like to think that all who enter can feel a bit of that.

It is a sweet little space and is ever evolving with the the little person she is becoming.

Do you have a favorite space in your home?? Where is it?? Is it a whole room or just a corner of that room?

I just love getting a peek into others' homes...My husband lovingly calls me Peeping Jane, as I am known to gaze into people's homes from the street on our evening walks if they are silly enough to leave their lights on and shades open...don't worry, I never stop. I keep walking...just a little slowly is all...

Hmn. Is that creepy? Too much information perhaps??

Beauty...

2010-06-09T08:06:00.000-05:00

...is in new fabric:)

I love me some fresh new fabric. I had told myself that I would not buy anymore fabric until I finished more of my WIP's, however...I just finished a large custom order and had a few dollars just sitting in Paypal and begging for me to put it to fun use:)

And so I listened and got this:

The green birdie fabric will be some curtains for the kids bathroom. And the sweet blue hedgehogs will most certainly be something for Goose. A skirt? Perhaps an explorer bag for her birthday? I'm considering making a pillow out of that avocado green on the right...Everything else I pretty much just loved.

And because Sew Mama Sew is so awesome, they gave me 3 fat quarters during their promotion this weekend! Look how pretty! I'm just in love with that floral...which kind of surprises me a bit....I've never been big on florals...first step to getting old perhaps?