Scrapbook Paper Ball Ornament

 

I'm actually surprised that I have "followers" besides my friends and family. But I do. Just a couple, but they are out there :) And I went to one of their blogs the other day & found this on their front page.

Last year at Hobby Lobby, I bought a few glass ornament packs on clearance. Not that they are expensive to start with, but at 90% off, why not? So, I need to now do something with the & this just seemed perfect for me. Next time I'll add some more paper, but I think they turned out super cute. Thanks for the idea!

Luggage Tags

We have some good friends moving to the land down under next week. Our family is so sad, but at the same time, so excited about all of the great adventures they will have! Their girls have been big sisters to my kids & Teagan sometimes even prefers "That Daddy" to her own (and old term...now she just calls him Adam). No offense to Ryan...it's just that Adam is a package deal that includes three fun girls and a dog. What's not to love?!

So, since they're travelling during the holidays, and hopefully doing lots more travelling once they arrive in Australia, I thought I'd make them something to help them out during their trip(s). Luggage Tags!

 

I used the tutorial at Skip to my Lou. I used ribbon instead of fabric...less steps, just as cute.

 

Hopefully, this will make their bags easy to find as they sit waiting at the baggage claim. No lifting huge bags just to find they belong to someone else!

My Mantle

 

Ta da! Here's my finished mantle. I made a total of six stockings...just in case. Four will work splendidly for this year! The two other stockings I had to tuck back into storage before I could take pictures... Teagan was dragging them around the house and stashing things in them. Cute...but I'd like them to be useable for the next 20 years at least?!

I love adding to my Santa collection, or should I say, my mom likes adding to my Santa collection & I'm grateful that she does! One of those is even hand made by a childhood friend's grandma!

Now if only I'd found the motivation last January to make a tree skirt & advent caledar...

Hourglass Stocking

 

There's a tutorial for an hourglass quilt here. I'm pretty sure that's NOT how I did mine, but at least you have something to go by. Since I couldn't clame the Ticker Tape as my own, this one will have to do as "my" stocking.

Scrappy Stocking

 

Inspired by this. This one was chosen by Teagan for Ryan. It actually drives me a bit nuts that the cuff is so like the color scrap right below it, so I might have to switch it out!

Ticker Tape Stocking

 

Inspired by this. The ticker tape quilt MIGHT be one of my favorite designs...or not a design, but you know. This one was Teagan's pick. I was a little jealous, though...I was hoping to save this one for myself!

Zig Zag Stocking

 

Inspired by this. A zig zag quilt was on my to-do list...I think maybe this project will take it off my to-do list for a while. This one was Kai's choice.

Happy Owling

 

I had grand ideas to make these for neighbors and friends. But if you're my neighbor or close-by friend...don't expect one of these on your doorstep. I think I'll max out at the 4 I've already cut! But they sure are cute!

Hmm...and I stuffed mine a bit more than she did. Not sure which one I like better. And mine aren't hanging from a tree yet either. Maybe this weekend?

I am working...I promise

But no pictures to show for it. A family has hired me to help them with their adoption profile, and since that's pretty confidential, well...that's that.

Can I just say what a fun experience this has been?! I really have loved being a part of this & seeing everything come together. They already had great pictures and a sweet letter, but needed a little help in putting it all together. I hope they are pleased when it's all finished. More importantly, I hope they are quickly blessed with the baby they so desire! I feel invested in them now & really hope this helps.

I should wrap this up soon...and then on to finish the quilt.

A finished Quilt...Top

 

My quilt along quilt was supposed to look like this, but I was worried it would be too busy. So now it resembles more of a coin quilt. But I love it just the way it is. And I may never quilt with velvet again.

Happy Halloween

 

From the Monster's Inc crew--Sully & Boo

About 8 years ago, I saw a little boy at the grocery store at Halloween wearing this Sully costume & he was adorable! I knew I had to have one for myself, so when I saw one listed on ebay for not very much, I jumped on it (it was off season of course!). Better yet, when the seller went to mail it, she realized there was a little hole in the horn, so she refunded me the cost of the costume & just had me pay shipping. Gosh...that was really unfortunate because a little thread fixed it up perfectly ;o) Kai couldn't fit into it until now (even though it's a 2-4T Costume!). And even though we purchased an Iron Man costume for him this year, once we pulled this out, it was over. Luckily it was cool enough to wear it too (just barely).

Of course, if I have a Sully, I have to have a Boo!

 

Here's my cute girl as Boo! She was totally on board with being Boo instead of a princess...until the day of our Trunk or Treat. And then she told Ryan (repeatedly) "I DO NOT WANT TO BE BOO." So, since I'd already made the costume, Ryan told her she couldn't get candy if she wasn't Boo...she quickly decided she was more than happy to wear her princess dresses around the house & Boo at our Trunk or Treat.

 

I was going to do a zipper or velcro down the back, but when I watched the movie, I realized the monsters just clipped her shut! So, here you have it...binder clips :)

 

They got lots of attention all night. This little boy went RUNNING up to Sully. So cute. Even a Mom asked if she could "pet" Kai. A little weird, but I guess it was just cause he looks (and was) awfully soft.

Happy Halloween to all of you!

bummer

Did I tell you that Ryan broke my camera lens?  I don't think I did.  And taking pictures with my kit lens is just not as fun.  The good thing about someone else braking your treasured item is that they have to replace it...before Christmas!

Did I tell you that then I broke something of Ryan's?  Only his was more expensive.  So now we're even.  And I'm trying to get some motivation up to take pictures again.  Without my little lens that won't be replaced until Christmas.  Bummer.

Not much going on in the craft world here, but I'll hopefully get something done soon!  I am working on my quilt a long quilt that I started this summer.  I should have the quilt top pieced tomorrow :).  Then I'll have a photo to post.

Oh, and Chloe is finally going home.  Hopefully today!!  The first surgery did not work & they had to redo the process the following Tuesday.  To say I was stressed last week was an understatement.  And I am not even her mother!  She did look adorable in the gowns.

I'm working with the pattern creator to start a non profit together.  I even talked to the cardio Child Life Specialist while I visited Chloe & I'm feeling pretty positive that we may have found our first donation location.  Now, to register for a non-profit & to come up with a name!  Then you can all get to work making gowns & have a tax write off for them too!  Think 2011 :)

Bright & Cheery #2 & #3

Today, I made two of these:

Hospital gown front

Hospital gown back
(with a few pieces of velcro to avoid that embarassing bum shot!)

What kid wants to wear a drab blue hospital gown while they are recovering from surgery? I imagine this will make Chloe's stay a little more colorful!

The pattern is thanks to my friend Tammy. She had gone to the hospital with a mutual friend of ours whose son was going through cancer treatments. When they gave him his gown, he threw a fit--he did NOT want to wear a baby gown with teddy bears and balloons on it. So...creative & thoughtful Tammy "borrowed" one of those said gowns, took it apart, copied it, put it back together & returned it, with a bunch of other "BIG BOY" gowns with it...just for Ethan. She is truly thoughtful if you ask me. Now that we've both revisited this pattern, we are both thinking about ways to get these to other kids. And when we have it figured out, you might be the first to know (or the first to get asked to help!).

No news on Chloe's surgery yet. I'm anxiously waiting by my computer & phone for a text or an email...

Bright & Cheery for a Hospital Stay

Our friend's daughter is going into the hospital tomorrow to have open-heart surgery. Yes, she's four. And saying open-heart surgery at any age is scary, but especially so for a four year old! She'll be in the hospital for 10-14 days afterwards, so Kai and I have been trying to come up with things to do for her. We got her a care package with candy, snacks, a craft kit from hobby lobby, etc. But, I felt like she needed a little bit of color in her hospital room. So, here's part one of bright and cheery.


A butterfly pillowcase. I followed Dana's tutorial here.  So easy & fun.  I can see why she made 10 donate!  I know she'll bring one from home too, but this way, her mom can wash one and still have another at the hospital.

Part two of bright and cheery will make it's debut tomorrow. Or maybe Friday, depending on when I finish!

As for now, my house is clean (except for the "catch all the junk" room that is my craft room). So, I'm going to go clean my craft room. And then I'll be able to walk through it enough to make Bright & Cheery #2!

Say a little prayer for little Chloe that all goes well tomorrow!

A Clutch...variation

So, I tried something new. I originally thought it needed 3 ruffles, but when I was sewing them on, it seemed like too much.   I'm waivering back to three. Maybe it'd be cuter if the ruffle fabric contrasted just a little bit more?  What do you think, compared to the gathered clutches?

Already gifted to my friend Andrea...albeit four (or maybe five) days after her birthday. She's still my friend though, I think :)

Next variation? A clutch that's just big enough to fit a size 4 diaper...would that still be a clutch? Unless my project next week is to really get my girl potty trained.  And that would be my most dreaded and hated project ever.

I may truly never buy bread again.

I made this. Yup. All by myself. New sewing or mod podge required. You can too with the directions here. I have a feeling my midsection is going to hate me for this, but my tastebuds sure love me. And I'm looking forward to many future variations (roasted garlic, olive oil & rosemary, etc.). So easy...even a non-bread maker can do it. In fact, it was my friend Lisa, who is a self-proclaimed non-bread maker, who turned me on to this. Thanks Lisa!

My Little Flower Girl

Isn't she adorable? She even performed well...sort of. She took her assignment of dropping petals VERY seriously. She dropped maybe 2 petals as she walked down the aisle and at the end she stood there dropping pile after pile of petals. And once her basket was empty, she was done. Michelle had a nice pile of petals to stand on during the ceremony!

And this isn't my favorite picture of the bunch, but I'll save my favorite for my Christmas Card (probably at least...we had family pictures taken while we were in Utah, but my kids looked so adorable at the wedding, I'm not sure I can resist!). Hey, both of these are my main projects in the making, so they count, right?

After we finally get unpacked, groceries bought, house cleaned & kids back to normal, I MAY actually work on some new projects! Anyone have any great ideas?

Flower Girl Headband

This matches her basket & the pin on her dress. She is going to be adorable I tell you! Final product pictures will follow :)

Flower Girl Basket

A little basket, spray painted black and flowers hot glued on. Cute!

Asking for help

I don't like to ask for help very often...but sometimes I get desperate. And I'm sorry, but when the pattern for your daughter's flower girl dress is written in a foreign language (well, not all of it was foreign, just the parts I couldn't undertand), it's time to get desperate. So my friend Amie's sister Beth  came to my rescue (did you get that?  Yes, my genius sewing friend who moved to Colorado called her sister for me!). Thank you Beth (and Amie for making the call!). She taught how to make these adorable puffed sleeves:

And talked me through finishing the dress. Except the zipper--her response to the zipper was, "call my mom and she'll do it for you!"  And I'm sure she would too!  They are those types of people :).  Today, I am getting more help from another friend (thanks Looli!) and will be installing the zipper this morning (if all goes well!).   I, seriously, am so grateful for so many talented people in my life.

PS--I'll be trimming all those loose strands, don't worry.  But my goodness, taffeta frays like mad!

Doll Friends

More Black Apple Dolls. They've already arrived in LA--man, the USPS is fast!


These girls are always just so darned cute.

PS--If you follow her tutorial, do not hand stitch her together in the head!  They end up looking so wonky that way.  Leave the opening to flip her right side out on the side under her arm.  It's pretty discreet and it doesn't matter how straight it is.  Oh, and if you're a perfectionist, sew her head together with the same color thread as her hair.  Then switch to a neutral to do the body.  It looks SO much better that way!

Flower Clips

Yes, I am the best sister in the world. You're welcome Becky.

Kindergarten Book Bags

At our curriculum night, Kai's kindergarten teacher asked if anyone "crafty, or good at that type of stuff" would be willing to write the kids names on their book bags. Ryan nudged me...I think he was hoping that by volunteering, I would get "in" with the teacher. I, of course, was up to proving my craftiness. I decided to freezer paper the names on (against the advice of two friends!). I had to do the paint pretty thick to get it to show up on the black, so it did seep through a bit, and they are definitely not perfect. But, black sharpie works wonders, I tell you!



The question is, does it need anything else? A blue star underneath? Or should I just call it good & be glad that they are done. All 22 of them.

Oh, and as a word of advice on freezer paper stencils:

--You do not have to trace onto the freezer paper first. The paper is sheer enough that you can use your exacto directly over what you are tracing. It eliminates a step.
--Rulersare a great help for keeping straight edges straight.
--For some reason, the freezer paper left residue where I had ironed it on some of the bags. Just be forewarned that this could happen to you on dark surfaces (again, thanks black sharpie!)
--Use a Cricut to cut out your design! (finally wishing I had one)

By the time I do this again, I hope I have a silhouette instead. Then I could just heat transfer the letters. Hmmm...I need to win one of those give aways.