Craft Phesine

Small World Bibs

2011-12-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

Ikea bibs embellished with Alexander Henry's Small World fabric and fun felt scraps. This was for a baby shower gift for my niece Emma. I wish I had gotten a better picture. This fabric is some of my favorite. I've got a Small World quilt for Ivory in the works. Really it's just in the planning stages right now, but I'm pretty excited about it.

Blessing Cap and Shoes

2011-10-14T14:35:00.000-06:00

Hello! It's been a long time since I've posted. I had forgotten that I hadn't finished this post that I started ages ago. I actually made an heirloom! Two of them! Well, three of them, if you count each little shoe separately.

Ivory wore a real family heirloom gown for her baby blessing that many of her female relatives* wore for their own blessing or christening. Including Yours Truly. The various parts of the dress were made by my great-grandmothers, and the slip was even made from a pillowcase belonging to my great-great grandmother. That's Ivory's great-great-great grandmother!

*Ivory's mother, maternal grandmother, great aunt, all her maternal aunts and female cousins, and 3 first-cousins-once removed.

I wanted her also to wear something special and homemade that she would be able to keep as her own. I used some lace and ribbon my mom had lent me to make a blessing cap and tiny shoes.

(Photos of Ivory taken by Deborah Harroun)

Isn't she the sweetest? I wanted the cap to be a special heirloom. But that thought was so intimidating that I had to put it aside before I got the courage to start sewing!

Various ideas I doodled before choosing one.

Here's my final pick. Strips of the embroidered, raw-edge lace sewn together into a long rectangle. With matching, scalloped-edge lace for the ruffled front.

I sewed a casing on the back and fed some ribbon through it.

I tightened the ribbon and tied it in a bow to form the cap shape.

Ta da!

Now on to the little shoes...

I literally made these the morning of Ivory's blessing (church doesn't start until 1pm, thank goodness). I made them in the same general manner of the ribbon ballet slippers I made earlier in the year.

They are teeny-tiny! So I only made her wear them once. Twice. It was worth it, though, especially since she gets to keep them! (And since it didn't take me long to make them.)

There you go, Sweetheart.

Cowboy Cac-tie

2011-08-30T07:00:00.005-06:00

Cactus ties to wear to the concert of our favorite singing cowboys, The Riders in the Sky.

Too Slim, the bassist, is the inspiration for the cac-tie.

You might think you don't know this cowboy band, but I think you'd recognize some of their music:

Here are the boys waiting for the concert to begin, wearing their Too Slim cac-ties. Yes, that is a snail in Lincoln's hand. Boys will be boys!

Here we are after the concert:

The Riders signed the backs of the boys' ties. What a fun keepsake! (BTW, does Alexander's shirt look familiar?)

The ties were simple to make and hardly took any time at all. I could have made them more complicated, but why? I used a single layer of felt for most of it and stitched around the edges to keep it in shape. I used a tie we already had for getting the basic tie shape, and just free-handed the cactus "arms."

I did put an extra layer of felt on the backs of the cactus "arms" so they would reach skyward. Don't forget to add a couple blooms!

I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I had never actually tied a tie before. A YouTube tutorial remedied my inexperience. It wasn't hard at all! Why do we use clip-on ties, anyway? They're so tricky to make, and the clips can be pricey. I love the authenticity of a real tie. I plan to make some real real ties too (i.e. not clip-on and not cactus-shaped).

You can purchase an authentic Riders in the Sky Cac-tie on their website, here:
http://ridersinthesky.com/index.htm?inc=80&prod_id=3692&sid=17419

Lace and Ribbon Rose Cuff Bracelet

2011-08-23T22:24:00.000-06:00

Remember a few months back when I was making ribbon flowers at my mom's house? This is one that I had leftover. The rose is made from grosgrain (the ribbon, not the "fabulous" blog!) and the leaves from a satin ribbon.

The embroidered lace was left over from Ivory's blessing cap (Have I blogged that yet??). I took an extra wide ribbon for the back of the cuff and folded it lengthwise over the raw edges of the lace.

At first I had metal hooks and loops, but the cuff looked too metally (like my mouth when I had braces a few years back). So I took off the loops and stitched some from thread. The exposed loops give it an old-fashioned corset look, I think. Very romantic.

As you can see, one of the satin leaves is snagged. That's what I get for not taking pictures before I wore it so many times! I guess now I can call it "shabby chic."

I have sensitive wrists, so I don't wear bracelets and watches very often. This is one that won't give me a rash because it's made of fabric with no metal parts touching my skin! Another romantic element!

Baby Dress

2011-07-24T20:25:00.000-06:00

Hi there! It's been awhile since I've posted, but not for a lack of "stuff" to blog about. Does anyone else have a hard time doing everything they want to do? My life story. Anyway, here's a dress I made for Ivory a couple of months ago. It's made from two fat quarters. The fabric is called "Spa" by Rosemarie Lavin for Windham Fabrics.

I copied a dress from Target. Plagiarizing a finished piece of clothing is more interested to me than following a pattern. It was still a bit chilly when I took these pictures, hence the long sleeves underneath the dress.

It turned out a little short, so it's more like a pinafore top. I might add another skirt tier, or at least make a matching diaper cover.

Mmmmmm...grass. And yes, the front of her dress is wet. What can ya do?

Detachable flower pin/clip.

I have plans to make more of these little dresses. Also perhaps a tutorial...?

Spiced Up Table

2011-06-07T17:04:00.000-06:00

I like to keep a vinyl cover on my wooden kitchen table to protect it from a little something I like to call My Kids. I replace the vinyl every couple of years. This time I decided to make it pretty.

I use the heaviest gauge vinyl I can find at JoAnn and tape it down under the lip of the table. I know someone who sews an elastic casing into her vinyl tablecloth, but I find that masking tape works great for me, though it does leave a sticky residue.

I rounded the corners of the fabric and singed the edges to see if it would help it not to fray, but I'm not sure if it worked. I did leave the selvage edge in tact on one side, as you can see. The fabric is home decorator weight. It lays flat pretty well because of its thickness, though I would have used regular quilting cotton if I had found a pattern I liked more.

Lincoln demonstrates how the table looks all set and ready for (me to still make) dinner.

Next time I think I'll try again to find a pattern that's less busy. I like how it at least coordinates with my dishes, though. It brightens up my kitchen quite a bit.

Reactions

2011-05-25T11:23:00.000-06:00

Hi All! I added some fun reactions check boxes to the bottom of my posts. This makes it really easy to leave a little feedback without actually writing a comment. Think of it as a Facebook "like" button, but with better options!

I have a few more things I'll be posting soon. I'm finally starting to get my sewing/crafting area unpacked and set up. I even used my machine last night for the first time since we moved in March! Hurray!

Infant Ballet Slippers

2011-05-24T21:16:00.001-06:00

I made these dainty little baby shoes by hand out of ribbons and a bit of elastic. I love the way they look on Ivory. And they weren't difficult to make, either.

First I cut a wired ribbon the length of the bottom of her foot, rounded the toes, and made the heels slightly narrower (it was already the perfect width: about 1.5"). I used wired ribbon because that's what I had, but it wouldn't have to be wired. In fact, I ended up pulling the wires out in the end so they wouldn't poke my baby's feet. Next I cut a piece of ribbon long enough to go all the way around the outline of the foot. Then I singed the cut edges of the ribbon so they wouldn't unravel.

I simply sewed the long ribbon around the edge of the foot-shaped ribbon, with right sides together (actually, I don't know if there was a right and wrong side to these particular ribbons, but you catch my drift). I placed the elastic in the casing as I sewed it. Then I tied and cut off the elastic tails to fit her feet.

After that I stitched the ribbon ties on each side of the shoe (on the inside). I like to be true to the way a real ballerina ties her pointe shoes, but I also like the bow too much to tug in the "piggy tails" instead.

I love these little ballet slippers. I plan to make another pair in white (or should I say "ivory") for Ivory's blessing day.

Famous Fabric Designers and... Me!

2011-05-16T16:24:00.000-06:00

This week has been fun. The Quilter's Market has been in town, along with some of my favorite fabric designers. I don't have the "ins" to go to the big show, but some of the the show came to me! Both Amy Butler and Heather Bailey made appearances at my local quilting store, Material Girls, for a meet and greet.

Amy Butler came on Tuesday. My mom and I went together. Amy Butler was so sweet. She really took time to talk to each of us and to answer our questions thoroughly.

She signed a fabric quarter for me! I plan to put it above my sewing desk.

Heather Bailey came on Friday. More fun! This time my mom wasn't able to come with me. But I met some really fun girls while we were waiting for our turn to meet Heather. And, of course, I had my sweet Ivory with me. (She's a great conversation starter!) Heather Bailey is absolutely gorgeous. She is also very friendly. She talked to a group of us for a long time and included us all in the conversation.

Here are some Heather Bailey fabrics along with the fat quarter she signed for me.

She wrote "happy sewing" because I told her my plan to hang it over my sewing space for inspiration. I'm thinking of putting both autographs and some other favorite fabric on canvases or in frames in a fun arrangement. Won't that be inspiring?

I also bought a cute little elephant pattern. I would have had her sign it, but I just picked it up at the last minute right before I left.

I am so honored to have met these talented, successful women. I love that they create so much beauty for us all to enjoy.

Spring Wreath

2011-05-03T22:41:00.000-06:00

A new wreath for my new house. Actually, I had the wreath before ($3-$4 at Joann), but I just added the flower garland around it ($5 at a Rod Works warehouse sale). I plan to dress it up for each season. Ahhh, springtime makes me happy.

If I were a marshmallow peeps fan I could probably work those in around the peep hole. What do you think? It's not really my thing, but it could be a craft blog sensation by next Easter (if it isn't already)!

Newborn Bibs

2011-03-24T08:00:00.009-06:00

You know when you spend several minutes getting your baby into clean, fresh, adorable clothes and then—wham!—she spits up all over the front and neck of them and then you have to change her whole outfit all over again? Well, here's a little solution: spit up bibs. Then when she spits up unexpectantly you only have to change her bib!

I made two: ruffled and flowered. I think I need more in several colors!

She started getting fussy so I had to put her pacifier in for the rest of the pictures.

You might recognize the fabric from the Stella Pixie Hat Knockoff (here and here). I needed something to match the cute hat, since all of her clothes are pink.

So here they are, paired together:

See what happened when I pulled the "plug" out?

I made these bibs a few weeks ago but held off blogging them because I never put the fasteners on them. In the meantime I've been using safety pins. You know what? I have no idea when I'll get around to putting snaps or Velcro on them! They are not perfect, but they'll do!

While we're talking about bibs, I'll throw this in:

I just saw this picture of my nephew wearing one of the bibs I gave him. It's fun to see something I made actually being used. What a cutie he is!

Breastfeeding Pads -Or- What To Do With Old Flannel Blankets

2011-03-21T13:30:00.012-06:00

With a newborn baby there's one thing that's constantly on my mind: Breastfeeding. And everything that goes along with it. These nursing pads are lined with layers of flannel from old, ugly blankets on the inside and newer cute flannel on the outside. I actually made these a couple years ago when Lincoln was a baby and now I'm using them again with Ivory.

My favorites are the ones with the pink flowers. The pretty/fun fabric puts a smile on my face when I use them. Why not spice up an otherwise ordinary item? It makes life just a little brighter. Another bonus: these breastfeeding pads soak up more milk than the store-bought cloth pads I have.

Ribbon Flowers 2: Black Eyed Susan

2011-03-18T11:00:00.010-06:00

I'm continuing with my wire ribbon flower adventures at my mom's house. Yesterday I did indeed finish the black eyed susan I had started before.

Source

Aren't these cheery? I love to see black eyed susans growing alongside the road in the summer. And although it's March, I just couldn't resist making this flower when I saw the pattern in the book.

Cute, isn't it? And even cuter on the girl. It still needs to be put on a clip, and then probably on a headband until Ivory's hair is thick enough to keep it in (although her hair is certainly long enough!). I might have to borrow it from her in the meantime. Or maybe we'll just share it always :)

Since Pfaffy is all alone in a dark storage unit for a week or two I hand-sewed the whole flower. This way I got to hold a cute baby on my lap and sit on a couch!

My favorite part was pulling the gathering stitches together. It was so satisfying! I didn't have any clear nail polish or Fray Check, so I singed the raw edges of the ribbon. You can see the burn marks here from the back view of the flower.

The button for the "black eye" came from my mom's stash. And speaking of that...

Here are the ribbons I was telling you about. She likes to organize by color the same way I like to line up my M&Ms by color when I'm eating a handful. Pretty, aren't they?

And here are the books I used. The black eyed susan is in A Passion For Ribbonry by Camela Nitschke. Alexander's ribbon roses came from The Artful Ribbon by Candace Kling. The second book has lots of pictures of vintage clothing embellished with ribbons alongside instructions for many, many flowers. It's fun to look at, though somewhat old-fashioned. The instructions were clear and quite thorough. The first book has more fresh ribbon flowers (if ribbon flowers can be fresh!). The hat-decorating projects are a bit too dated for a young, hot, hip, 2011 mamma like me (cough, cough), but the flowers themselves are really fun and the instructions were great.

Next time I'll show you the first wire ribbon flower I started: some sort of geranium. I have to find it, though. It's so little that I'm not sure where it ended up!

Happy crafting!

Ribbon Roses (Ribbon Flowers 1)

2011-03-17T09:00:00.019-06:00

I realize I have nothing green in this post for St. Patrick's Day today. Lately my life has been taken over by the color pink. It's been loads of fun! I have so much baby stuff to blog about, and pictures to go with it. Unfortunately, those pictures are all on my home computer which is temporarily in storage while we move to our new house. Guess what else is in storage? ALL my sewing and craft supplies. All of it.

Lucky for me I'm at my mom's house while we're between houses. She's been known to have a stash of her own. The last couple days I've been trying out her ribbons and flower ribbon books. My six year old took this picture of me:

(You can see where my wedding ring goes. It still feels too tight to wear comfortably, even though I'm not pregnant anymore. I'm thinking I need to get it resized... Um... Okay, now back to my story.) My son likes to be a part of whatever I'm doing. He looked through a book and picked out a pink rose to make for Ivory to wear in her hair. So I temporarily abandoned the little flower I was attempting so I could help him. Well I ended up spending quite a bit of time on the rose "he" was making, but it was worth doing it together.

All my clips and brooch pins are packed (Did I mention that already?), so we improvised by safety pinning the flowers to Ivory's shirt. These two roses were made from the same pink-to-red wire ribbon.

She is one month/four weeks old today! I love this age.

Next time I'll show you the little pink geranium flower I made, and the black eyed susan that I'll hopefully finish today (kids willing). Now I'm going to go kiss my baby. After I pinch her for not wearing green.

My Little Sweetheart

2011-02-22T18:36:00.001-07:00

I'd like to introduce you to one of my best creations ever. My little Ivory was born last Thursday and she has been filling my life with joy ever since. She's also been filling all the baby clothes and gear that had been waiting for her.

The Boppy pillow is so much cuter with her on it:

And my childhood American Girl doll looks nothing in the Stella Pixie hat knockoff compared to my real baby doll:

Here's a closeup of the little munchkin:

Here she is cuddled up on the blanket from her brother:

And, just to show that she can open her eyes:

Have a sweet day! Okay, one more picture:

Bibs and Bias Tape

2011-02-13T17:20:00.001-07:00

You might be wondering if I went into labor since I haven't posted in awhile after posting so often for a couple weeks. Well, I haven't had the baby yet. I'm not really expecting her to come until the end of this week at the earliest. I still have so much to do!

Anyway, here are some more bibs I made for a friend of mine. She is having her first boy and I'm having my first girl, so we had a combined shower. I really should have made some girl bibs for me at the same time, but that is just how it goes. I suppose soon I'll do another bib post with girly bibs! I like how this bias tape turned out, especially when the polka dots happened to line up right in the middle.

I was thinking I might do a tutorial on making bias tape, since I mentioned it in the post of Sawyer's bibs. Of course, as soon as I had that thought, lo and behold I saw two different tutorials on making bias tape! It's probably better this way. Dana does such thorough and fun-to-read tutorials, so I'll link to hers. She also has another tutorial on applying bias tape. I didn't realize there was more than one way to do this!

From MADE:

Wish me luck with the birth (and on finishing all my projects before then)!

New Cover, Old Boppy

2011-02-04T07:00:00.014-07:00

With just over two weeks left 'til my due date I'm going into serious nesting mode. Can you tell? Taking all my baby boy things and making them look new and girly! Latest project: Freshen up the Boppy pillow.

One of my sisters commented to me recently that I have a strange baby girl style. I guess she meant that I use green, blue, and brown just as much (or more!) than pink and purple. I have nothing against the more traditional baby girl colors. I just happen to really like green, blue and brown! And who can resist this beautiful floral pattern?

The minky dots on the other side are so soft. I got the idea from a Boppy cover that another sister of mine recently purchased (below). In fact, I used her new Boppy as inspiration for most of this. Aren't the tulips cute?

Her cover has a zipper straight across the top (or bottom?) of the pillow, but I decided to put mine around the back where it wouldn't be seen as much. Also this way it doesn't look upside-down when I choose one side over the other.

You know I love my rick rack! I sewed the rick rack just on one side of the zipper flap, taking care not to sew over the zipper itself. I also added a little handle for easy carrying, as I imagine I will be carrying the pillow up and down the stairs a bit for feeding time.

Just for kicks, let me show you the old Boppy cover I made before my oldest was born. This is the same Boppy pillow! Way back then I covered all my indoor baby gear with this white and blue checked fabric so everything would match in our crowded one-bedroom apartment. This was actually cute for boys' fabric back in 2004! Fabric has come a long way since then. Or maybe now I just know where to shop! (By the way, throwing the Boppy in the washer and dryer does wonders for the fluff level of the pillow, as well as the dust mites.)

I can't wait to see my baby girl sleeping like that!

Kids' Personalized Valentines

2011-02-01T12:58:00.005-07:00

It's February! The lovely month of valentine cards, hearts, chocolate (oh wait, that's every month), and when my boys' favorite colors temporarily change from blue and green to red and pink (and more pink this year than ever!).

When I was growing up my family had a tradition of making valentine cards for each other. I still try to carry on that tradition, and I've even started getting the boys involved. But I quickly tire of the commercial cartoony valetines from the stores. Yes, they're inexpensive and easy, and even fun. But every now and then it's nice to do something more personal. With the baby due in a couple weeks I'm not making any promises about fancy cards this year. But I was quite pleased with what we did last year. I've been saving them to share with you:

Last year we made our own cards to print and send. First we started with a photo shoot. Five-year-old Alexander was great at doing all sorts of funny (and scary) poses, as well as sweet ones. Lincoln's pictures just came from photos we already had.

I made a letter-size template in Photoshop, and let Alexander go wild. At the same time I made it a learning experience, as he had to do the typing himself. He "drew" the hearts how he wanted and chose the sayings, pictures, and colors. He got quite creative. I made sure we had some sweet and normal ones to send to the grandparents, and let him send the silly ones to his cousins. (One of them asks, "What do you want for Christmas?" Yes, crazy and nonsensical, but it shows his personality.)

Lincoln's template was fairly uniform, but I did switch it up with four different pictures.

I had the valentines printed on cardstock, then I cut them up with my handy paper slicer. In the meantime I had also made a spreadsheet list of all the relatives and friends to send cards to (with Alexander's input, of course).

Alexander did almost all the hand writing himself using the list I had printed for him. He checked off each name after he wrote it. I was proud of him for doing such a big project.

Lincoln, not even two years old at the time, just scribbled on most of his cards while I wrote the names in for him. I had to make sure to place a new card in front of him every couple seconds, and even then we didn't get his cute scribbles on each card. But we got pretty close.

And now... I'm going to share a simple template with you. This is the one I used for Lincoln. Save it, print it, and paste your own pictures on top.

Pink Valentine Template - Here
Blue Valentine Template - Here

Enjoy!

Or, if you plan on making your own, here are some additional ideas:
-To save time: Have the child design just one card and duplicate it, making them all uniform.
-To save time: Make your own templates without involving the kids. They might still enjoy signing their names and addressing them, especially with their own picture on it.
-To save money: I don't have a color printer, and so the 8.5x11" color copies can get expensive when printing a lot. Try making the templates in 4x6" format and get them printed as photos for cheaper (Although the photos might be harder to write on).
-Just for fun: Make a space for drawing pictures. Or do what my friend did a few years ago and have the kids simply draw a picture, then duplicate and print that as the card.

By just modifying our existing template, my kids might send out valentines this year, after all.
Happy crafting!

P.S. I just added the "You might also like:" widget with hopes that it would link to related posts i.e. for this post have links to other valentine posts. But it seems more random than that, at least right now. So here's just an additional direct link to all my posts labeled "Valentines".

Links to more cute Valentine ideas and printables:

Candy bag toppers from I Am Mamma Hear Me Roar

Heartbreaker printable on MADE

Love Mail Valentines by Noodlehead

Love, Lily Lollipop holder valentine on Grosgrain

Baby Sister Blanket

2011-01-30T08:00:00.002-07:00

My six year old has had it in his head that he NEEDS to sew a baby blanket for his baby sister before she arrives. I think it's cute that he's so excited about it. We finished the blanket just a few days ago. It only took us two afternoons.

Alexander picked out the fabric with a very specific blanket design in mind. A few days later my sister gave us a blanket out of the same flowered fabric for Christmas! It would have been very similar to the one Alexander would make, so I talked him into making quilt squares instead of just two large pieces sewn together as he had originally planned (although, I do wish the squares were larger). Now the blankets match, but are not the same. I was also able to talk him into using soft minky dots fabric for the backing instead of pilly fleece.

You may have noticed that the satin blanket binding is two different colors. (That comes from my grandma's stash.) Alexander really wanted the binding to be pink, but we didn't have enough pink to go around. So even though we had enough yellow binding, he decided to do half and half, exactly as shown with the two pink sides touching and the two yellow sides touching.

I love the little message he chose to put on the back of the blanket. So sweet!

I did most of the "steering" while Alexander pressed the pedal for me. It's really fun to have a little helper! It does make things go slower, but it's worth it. I'm trying to let him have more freedom, but I can't resist jumping in and offering my ideas (such as avoiding cheap-o fleece).

My Stella Pixie Hat Knockoff

2011-01-28T12:00:00.002-07:00

I got this idea here from Sew Liberated. She is amazing! Her little boy looks so cute in this Stella Pixie Hat! But alas, I'm not a knitter. My sister Bridey is (as you can see from her blog), but I was hoping she'd knit my baby girl a sweater (hint, hint). So I decided to fake—I mean make—the hat myself.

I made this cap out of some knit fabric I had on hand. Who says blue has to be a boy color only? I think it looks so cute with the contrasting white jersey knit. And just to make it especially clear that this is a girl's hat, I added a little white flower with a tiny pearl-like bead center (bead from Grandma's trim stash that I inherited).

I wish I could try this on an actual baby because I'm not sure how the fit will be. (I still chuckle over the ill-fitting monkey newborn onesie and cap I made Lincoln, then had to cut off him because it was so small!) I think my Kirsten doll's head is smaller than a newborn's, so I can't get the full effect. If only I had my one-day-old niece nearby.

Speaking of my newborn niece, I wonder if she'd like one of these. Hmmmm...

Alligator Clips. Real Ones.

2011-01-27T13:25:00.008-07:00

Currently in our homeschool (preschool and Kindergarten) the kids and I are learning about the Everglades, and more specifically, alligators. Today we made these alligator clips out of... alligator clips. The original idea (that my sister came up with when we were planning the school year) was to use clothespins and hang them from a string or use a magnet to hold pictures of alligators. But since I didn't have any clothespins I just used what I had on hand. The boys are having fun making their alligators snap at each other. I've got mine in my hair today—all in the name of making education exciting for my kids—but after today it will probably go on my bulletin board.

P.S. Family and friends: if you would like the link to mine and my sisters' homeschool blog for this year, "Soaring Over America", let me know in an email or comment and I'll send you an invite.

Featured!

2011-01-27T13:07:00.003-07:00

I'm so honored that my Sawyer Bibs are being featured today on She Wears Flowers. Tammy, the blog author, makes adorable stuff for her three girls and her home. We knew each other way back when, before I had ANY little monkeys swinging from my tree. You should see the cute "cakes" she's been making this week, with tutorials for all the fixings. Thanks, Tammy!

Baby Swing Makeover

2011-01-26T15:11:00.005-07:00

See that flowered fabric? I bought it a few months ago, not sure what I would make out of it, but knowing that I would "need" it for the baby.

I bought this baby swing at a yard sale earlier in the year. I wasn't crazy about the cover. So I decided to make a new cover. Then I decided I would reuse the old padding for the new cover. Then I decided to just cover the old cover. Then I realized that the only part I really didn't like was the animals with the weird patterned oatmeal background. So I decided to just cover those parts. I saved myself a lot of time!

As I looked through my fabric stash I realized that the orange and yellow flowers on brown would go perfectly with the striped trim already on the cover. Ah Hah! So I did "need" that fabric, just as I predicted!

The green striped bias tape was leftover from Sawyer's bibs (last post).

So what do you think? The baby swing was okay without the makeover, but it's definitely more girly than before (although not your traditional pink). And it's so much fun to be able to use flowers for the first time on something for my own kids!

Baby Sawyer Bibs

2011-01-24T15:13:00.007-07:00

You are probably expecting to see baby girl things. But one of my sisters recently had a baby boy, so I needed something for him.

These simple-to-make bibs are backed with washcloths and have Velcro closures.

I love bias tape! Especially when it is inexpensive and comes in any fabric I want! (Meaning, I make it myself)

Lincoln, my little monkey, models one of his newest cousin's bibs:

Feminine Flower Brooch/Hair Clip

2011-01-09T10:26:00.007-07:00

Remember my feminine flower headband from last year? This morning I needed a pin for my sweater so I whipped this up in a minute or two. So easy! The silk flowers came from a craft store closeout I went to last year. (Zim's—it was the craziest place, like I stepped into a time machine and went back to a craft store of 25-30 years ago.)

All that's needed for this project (besides the flower, of course) is an alligator clip, a brooch pin, and a little hot glue. Most of the time spent on this project was waiting for my mini glue gun to heat up.

Here's my 34-week pregnant belly with the brooch/hair clip and headband set.

Maybe I should save some of these flowers for the baby girl!

I like the flower as a hair clip because I can place it lower in my hair than the headband. When I wear the headband to church I feel like I'm blocking the view of the person sitting behind me!

Speaking of flowers, I'm really enjoying Grograin's month of Shoe Sugar. I need to make some of these! I also want to make more homemade flowers like the one I made for Melanie's purse last year.

Karissa's Apron

2011-01-04T17:44:00.005-07:00

I promised an apron to my sister-in-law for her bridal shower ages ago. Here (finally!) is the finished product. A month or two ago the Relief Society had a craft day, and making aprons was one of the crafts. I already had the fabric picked out, so it was a great way to get the project going. How fun it was to sew along with friends! Let's do it some more!

Here's the little darling herself, modelling the apron. Doesn't that inspire you to cook or bake?

I love the over-sized rick rack and absolutely adore the turquoise ball trim. I got some more of that for a blanket I'm going to make for Baby Girl.

Homemade Christmas: Canvas Silhouettes (with Tutorial!)

2010-12-29T11:48:00.016-07:00

Now that all the gifts have been opened I can share my Christmas projects with you! This year my sister Sadie and I had each other for family gifts.

I made each child a silhouette of themselves, and a combined one for my sister and her husband. After sending off the gifts I was nervous that the kids would be upset they weren't getting toys from me. I'm happy to say that I've only heard good reports, and even my brother in law seems to like them (and he's not a homemade gift kind of guy). What makes this gift fun is that it can really show the personality of each person.

Interested in making one yourself? Here's a quick tutorial:

Step 1: Taking or Finding Photos. As you can see, the pictures don't need to be super-high quality. For these I had my nieces and nephew do fun poses. I got some great action shots of my nephew and some cute poses from the baby, but nothing exciting from the older girl, who was not in the mood for pictures. So I looked back and found a cute picture of her playing in the mud in her swimsuit. Now THAT was a pose with personality! Since she loves wearing skirts I Photoshopped a skirt from a different picture onto the swimsuit one. Ta-da!

Step 2: Photoshopping(Optional). I wanted to see what the finished product would look like before I decided to proceed. So I used my eraser tool in Photoshop to crop around the whole picture to just the person. (It helps if the person is in front of a solid white background so you can use the Magic Wand tool.) Then I made the person a solid color and played around with the fonts until I had it the way I wanted:

Step 3: Printing and Cutting. Print your photo (or Photoshopped image) and cut out the image to make a stencil. I tried using both the white space background and the image as the stencil, but really it just depends on what colors you want for the foreground and background. (For the couple silhouette I actually used both stencils.) Use a small pair of scissors or an X-Acto knife for cutting. Print an extra copy that won't be cut to have on hand for reference, especially if it is a detailed image.

If you're using two people in different colors then cut out each person separately.

Step 4: Grab your Canvas. For the kids I used 8x10" canvases that can be hung straight on the wall. For the couple I found a thin flat 9x12" canvas to fit the frame I already had.

Step5: Stencil Painting. Place your stencil on the canvas. I just held the paper in place with my hand. (I wonder if freezer paper stenciling works on canvas? I'll try that next time.) Instead of mixing paints to get your colors, I suggest just picking a color straight from the paint tube. It just makes touch-ups easier. It's hard to match a mixed color after it's dry. I used acrylic craft paints from a craft store.

For this one I painted the background a solid color and left the person the white color of the canvas. Later I painted over her in cream, but since she was already white I didn't have to paint multiple coats. For the kids' silhouettes I had my own boys help me paint the whole canvas a solid color, then I used the stencil to paint the person on in white. I had to do a few coats since I was painting with a light color on top of a dark one.

If you're doing two people in different colors: let the first person dry, then use your 2nd person stencil:

Step 6: Touching-Up and Names. Touch up any little mess-ups you may have made and paint on the names. I chose to do this free-hand because making a stencil for all those little letters seemed much too tedious!

Step 7: Varnish. With acrylic craft paints you should really put some sort of finish on it. I like to use varnish with a satin finish (instead of gloss). You could also use Mod Podge.

And your done! Okay, maybe this wasn't as "quick" a tutorial as I expected, but hopefully it helps.

I put this one into a frame to make it more elegant, but mostly because I happened to already have a nice frame with no glass. The painting didn't need it! (I left the cardboard corners on the frame since the gift was taking a road trip to California).

Autumn Leaves

2010-11-30T08:00:00.006-07:00

Happy last day of Autumn! This project (like many of my projects lately) was inspired by this blog.

I made these Autumn leaves from wool felt I had on hand for various projects. I was surprised and pleased I had so many Fall colors! The embroidery floss also came from my stash (thanks to helping my mom cleaning out her sewing room when she moved a handful of years back!).

As you can see I wasn't quite finished with the embroidery when I took the pictures, but I was quickly running out of daylight, so I took the picture anyway. What I mean to say is, I purposefully didn't finish the project so that you could see what the embroidery floss looks like on my needle!

I hot-glued a brooch pin or hair clip to the back so I could wear them. Like so:

And so:

Do they look cute with my growing baby bump?

I hope you had a wonderful September, October, and November (and First of Octember)! Tomorrow Winter and the Christmas Season may officially begin! (According to my own personal almanac, and despite the eight inches of snow I shoveled from my walk today.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

There's so much I'm thankful for. I'm especially grateful for my husband, two boys, and a little baby girl I have yet to get to know. Have a delicious, meaningful, safe and fun Thanksgiving!

This is a set of autumn-themed paper mache boxes I made a few years back to sit on my desk at the office (back when I was a full-time employee). I kept Tootsie Rolls in them. Now I can't do that or my kids will eat them all at once! but I still set the boxes out every year with my Fall decorations.

Twilight Goodies

2010-11-24T09:58:00.007-07:00

For anyone looking for some Twilight stocking stuffers, I just updated my Etsy shop with the handmade vinyl key chains and rectangular coin/credit card purses I made for the Eclipse premier.

Embellished Tees: A Blast From the (Not-Too-Distant) Past

2010-11-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Since I blogged the Little Green Men shirts recently I thought I'd share some of the other t-shirt projects I've made before. Some of these are in my Flickr photo stream (but aren't showing up because I need to upgrade since I reached my 200 free photo limit). Many of these are done with felt because I love the way it looks. I free-hand painted the Ninja Turtle, but I really want to get into freezer paper stenciling. As soon as I can remember to buy some freezer paper, that is!

You might recognize one or two of these:

Little Green Men Tees

2010-11-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

At the time of the Toy Story 3 movie release I saw that both Target and Disneyland had some really cute Little Green Men t-shirts. The Target tees were almost affordable, but I don't like the way they fit. So I did what I do and I bought some plain shirts to make my own. I've had this project ready for several months now, but I hadn't decided if I was going to use my favorite t-shirt embellishment technique using felt, or if I would branch out and try freezer stencils. Then a couple weeks ago I saw these and decided it was time to go ahead with the project using knit scraps.

These are fun shirts to wear to Disneyland, especially if you're going to meet some of these guys:

And do some of this:

And this:

And, inevitably, some of this (waiting in line):

To make the appliqué I printed out a picture of the green aliens, cut out the head, and used it as a pattern for my fabric (in this case, a green shirt of mine that had a stain, plus some other random knit scraps). I pinned it altogether before I sewed. Then I touched it up with some embroidery. Pretty simple.

I actually did the project when I was in California last month. Two (of my four) sisters and I had a little sewing-pregnant party. Yes, we're all three pregnant! Ashley made baby booties and a Pinocchio costume hat for her son's Halloween costume and Sadie (taking the picture) made curtains and baby booties. Then we stretched out with some pre-natal yoga. That was a fun day. I love crafting together!

Pilot Caps, Goggles & Jackets

2010-10-11T17:04:00.004-06:00

*UPDATE*
I have now posted the pattern. Scroll down to the end of this post!

Have a young pilot-in-training in your house? I have two! For homeschool this year my sisters and I wrote a theme called "Soaring Over America." Naturally we needed pilot caps and bomber jackets for the kids to wear.

As you can see, these little aviators are equipped and ready for take off!

These inexpensive flight jackets are made from Walmart hoodies. I wanted them to have a collar instead of a hood, so I modified them a little. I like how the soft, wool-looking lining shows a little more with the collar turned down.

The pilot caps are made from thin vinyl, though they could easily be made from felt as well (I'm thinking kids' party favors for an "Up" themed birthday...)

I lined the caps for extra comfort and so I could use some cute fabric lining. Don't you love the stars?

I made the goggles out of felt with an elastic backing.

I was thinking these also make great superhero masks by themselves, but in the end I stitched the goggles to the caps so they wouldn't get lost. It also helps my two-year-old put them on easier.

(back)

Intrigued? Let me give you a hint. I made the goggles in two layers of felt to help them keep their shape better. I cut out one layer with the felt folded in half so they would be symmetrical, then sewed it onto a rectangle of felt for the second later. Not until I was finished with the sewing (well, minus the openings I left for the elastic) did I cut out the second layer. I've done this with some other projects, too. It's helps out a lot.

By the way, if you're interested in a pattern for the the caps I can post it for you. It took me some tweaking to get it the way I wanted it. I don't mind sharing. Especially with Halloween coming! *UPDATE! Pattern posted below*

I made simple initial patches for one sleeve and sewed wings patches onto the other sleeve. The idea is that the kids will earn more patches throughout the year. I even have a genuine air force wings pin for them to earn. I'm excited for that one.

Don't these look fun all ready and waiting for the boys to find them in the morning? The different colored felt and lining helps the boys easily tell which cap belongs to which kid. No fighting over them!

You can bet these will be doubling as Halloween costumes! I even made an extra cap for myself. Hmmmm... Amelia Earhart or Anne Marrow Lindbergh?

PILOT CAP PATTERN
The pictures below are set up so you can easily print each on 8 1/2 x 11" paper. Cut out each picture, overlap them, then tape them together for the pattern. My kids have small heads (as do I), so you'll want to add some seam allowance. I suggest first sewing up a test cap in scrap fabric and adjusting it until you have the right fit. Use felt for a simple, quick cap, or use vinyl and a cotton lining for a fancier one. Feel free to comment or email me with questions. Maybe in the future I'll make it into a full tutorial.

Sweater Vest Makeover and Tutorial

2010-10-06T10:37:00.002-06:00

Did Brittany take up knitting? No, it's a refashion!

The boys had fun jumping and posing for the pictures. Here's what my oldest son Alexander has to say about it: "Cool, cool vests! Lincoln is watching me jump, and I'm jumping, and I like it. Lincoln is jumping cool, too."

I've had some sweater vests of mine collecting dust in my closet for quite some time. Earlier this year during Celebrate the Boy I saw that Dana made a boy's vest from a man's sweater:

Cute, isn't it? It got me thinking. So a few days ago I made my two matching sweater vests that I never wear into something my boys can wear:

That's me at Lake Tahoe a long time ago.

Since I was just changing the size of the vests instead of converting a sweater into a vest I couldn't follow the MADE tutorial exactly. Dana kept the hem of her sweater intact, whereas for me it seemed better to keep the V-neck collar, especially since I was planning on reusing all the rib-knit edges. So I started by lining up the collar of the project with one I have in the right size. (Notice the wrinkled vest? It's been folded up much too long!)

Next I started hacking away at that thing until it was the right size:

I was careful to save the rib knit sections to refinish my new little vest:

While I did keep the front V-neck intact, I had to reposition the back neck collar. I started with this, cutting off the extra rib knit. (Also, I noticed there was a stain on the outside of the back collar so I cheated and flipped it around. You can't even tell it's backwards!) One thing that helped to keep the fabric from stretching out of shape while I sewed was to stay-stitch the vest piece first. I did this around the collar, armholes, hem...and I probably should have done it on the side seams, too.

I finished off the raw edges with a zig-zag stitch (you could serge, or use whichever finishing stitch you prefer). To help the seam lie flat I topstitched the seam allowance away from the collar:

Next came the shoulder seams. Again, I topstitched the seam allowance, this time towards the back of the vest:

After the shoulder seams were complete I sewed up the side seams. I finished the edges, but didn't topstitch them down. My hem and armhole rib knit loops were too big for this little vest, so I measured and cut each of them, then sewed them back into loops:

Next I sewed the rib knit armhole loops into the armholes, again finishing the raw edges and topstitching the seam allowances towards the garment. Then I did the same for the hem:

Ta-da! Ready for my little man.

The navy blue vest also needed resizing. I love making my boys match.

Third Egg in the Nest

2010-09-29T10:46:00.003-06:00

Silver bird nest pendant from Emilina Ballerina's shop on Etsy

Yes, I'm expecting! Not only that, but after birthing two boys I'm finally having a girl! I couldn't be happier about the news. My crafting has been a little (okay, a lot) sluggish the past several months. I'm going to use pregnancy as my excuse, though I can think of a few more to top it off. But now that I'm out of that awful nausea stage—though I'm still in the always tired stage—and I recently learned that Mr. Stork is bringing me a girl, I'm hoping that she will be my muse.

I think my most common comment on craft blogs is that I wish I had a girl so I could make/buy/win that skirt, dress, hairclip, or other flowered or ruffled item, too. Now I'm eligible! And oh-so-excited! I hardly know where to begin. So what are your favorite baby girl items? Where should I start?

And, because I know you'll ask, she is due February 19.

P.S. I did buy that necklace. I feel like I've earned it! And isn't it beautiful?

Tie on that Patriotism

2010-09-16T17:30:00.002-06:00

This is one of those projects inspired by the fabric itself. It's from Riley Blake's All Star line. When I saw the paisley I knew exactly what to do with it: Ties!

These were taken on July 4 in my mom's backyard. The flag made for some really fun pictures, although it was stressful trying not to let the boys drag it on the ground!

I love the chest puffs...

The sweetness...

...And the enthusiasm. But enough about my cute boys. Let's talk about the ties.

I had originally planned to make them like a classic tie so I wouldn't have to mess with the clip and all that. But when I cut them out, measuring from a Children's Place tie, I forgot to account for the part that goes around the neck, though at least I remembered the knot!

My local quilting shop sells clip-on tie patterns and the clips, so I made an emergency run over there to buy the clips so I could finish the ties in time for Independence Day. I didn't know how to do the knot (and still don't!), but I just played with it until I got it right, then put in a few stitches to keep it in place.

I made three of these ties. On this one I top stitched the red "lining" in place. In the other ones I sewed then turned. It's nice to try different ways.

Since I cut the ties out on the bias of a yard of fabric I had plenty of leftover material. Here's the first tie, along with matching skirts that went to my nephew and nieces for their birthdays. I had never made little girl skirts before so I had a blast with these.

Here are the girls wearing them on July 4 (taken with a cell phone in Milwaukee--so far away!).

Little Patriots

I suppose I should have posted this for Independence Day, Labor Day, or even September 11. We're closest to that last one, so let's just say this it's 5 days earlier :)

The Huge T-Shirt Refashion

2010-06-14T22:18:00.004-06:00

A few years ago my husband and I got some X-Large family reunion tees. For this year's reunion I decided to cut mine up and sew it into something I could actually wear.

You can see the difference below. These shirts used to be the same size. Crazy, huh?

My favorite part is the short, gathered sleeves, copied from another shirt I love.

I also love the length of the shirt. It stays in place with no fuss.

I'm considering doing a pattern or tutorial for the sleeves of this shirt because they are so unique. In the meantime, there's a great t-shirt refashion tutorial over on This Mama Makes Stuff. "That" mama actually introduced me to wardrobe refashioning and I think she must be the reason it is so cool today.

After this successful project I'm so ready to hack into some older t-shirts I've had stashed and make them wearable too!

Feminine Flower Headband

2010-05-14T12:00:00.001-06:00

There seem to be flowers popping out of little girls' hairdos everywhere these days. But there's no reason for the under-aged to have a monopoly on this trend!

One afternoon I found myself in need of something special to dress up my hair for an event I was attending that evening. I had this project in my stash so I pulled it out and whipped it together in less than five minutes. Seriously.

I love it. I can wear it on a casual date night, to book club, to church, or to a formal event. And, heck, why shouldn't I wear it to the grocery store, too?

You only need three items for this project:
1. Silk flowers
2. Headband - I got these simple, black metal headbands in a 3-pack for a couple bucks at Hobby Lobby
3. Floral tape. A ribbon would work as well.

Now place your flowers on the headband and secure the stems with the floral tape.

Move over, little girls: you WISH you were 30!

The Painted Egg

2010-03-29T13:00:00.003-06:00

I'm alive! I can hardly believe it's been a month since I last posted. I've been on vacation! I have lots to share with you, but I wanted to start with this since Easter is this week.

These painted wooden eggs are becoming a little Easter tradition for our family. They are nice because they won't rot or break! The wooden eggs came from the craft store (Michael's, I think) and are painted with acrylic craft paint. Be sure to buy enough eggs for your kids to paint with you!

Silhouette Eggs

I love the old fashion silhouette look. I recently got my younger son's silhouette cut at Disneyland. But honestly, I always think afterwards that I could have done it just as well myself. That was what inspired these eggs.

How I made the silhouettes:
1. I freehand-outlined my kids'profiles onto the background paint with a pencil. (You could also cut out a side-view picture of your kids and trace around the edges).
2. Next I traced over the pencil lines with a black pen. I suggest using a Sharpie or something that won't bleed when you put the varnish on.
3. Then I filled in the outlines with black paint.
4. I wrote the name on the egg with a pencil, and traced over it with a fine paintbrush. This could also be done with a non-bleeding pen. Be sure to mark the year on the bottom as well!
5. The last step is to put a varnish on it. I prefer a satin finish, and I suggest taking pictures before you do it so the shine doesn't get in the way. But I only had a glossy varnish on hand and my husband had our camera for the day. That's okay, too.

Family Egg

This is one I painted in 2007 when we only had one child. As you can see, the details are not perfect, but the egg is still whimsical and special. The back says, "The Henage Family"

Spring Chick and Bunny Egg

Another old fashioned-inspired egg I made this year. The bunny is Tony, who was my pet rabbit when I was little.

Monkey One's Mouse Egg

This one has a gray mouse with black whiskers and gray rainclouds in the sky.

Monkey One's Family Egg

This one has our family in it (the little black figures) and Winnie the Pooh. The pictures would have turned out clearer if I had given him a non-bleeding pen to use instead of paint, but I like that he has exposure to using different media. I tried not to tell him how and what to paint, but let him exercise his own creativity. Sometimes that's hard for me!

Monkey Two's Egg

Even my almost-two-year-old got in on the fun. Though he was mostly painting his own hands!

I love that I can keep these eggs and decorate our house with them year after year. And now I want to see your eggs!

Busy

2010-02-27T12:00:00.003-07:00

I want to show you a sneak peek of some crafty things I've been meaning to blog: Valentines, flowers, a dress from a vintage pattern... There's more, too! I'm a little bit busy right now, but I'll get back to blogging in a week or two. See you then!

Cowboy Quilt in the Works

2010-02-17T19:00:00.003-07:00

Let me introduce you to an unfinished project that's been hanging around my house for almost a year. It's a cowboy quilt that my oldest son and I have been making. It has large squares embroidered with my his cowboy drawings (that he did last year) that will be sprinkled amongst the smaller squares. I do love all the various cowboy fabric.

Here's Monkey One laying out the triangle pieces that will eventually go around the edge of the diamonds.

The embroidered muslin squares are my favorite part of the quilt. I love the drawings my little artist made. (I still need to clean and iron these, in case you were wondering)

I did most of the embroidery, but as you can see I had some help! The areas he did are so sweet and special to me. I'm glad his stitches are not as uniform as mine because they will always be recognizable as his.

Here are the embroidery portraits of my little cowboys. There will be another one of my husband and me, but it's still in the embroidery hoop right now.

I originally intended the quilt to be queen size, but I'm considering splitting it into two smaller quilts. That way there will be one for each of my boys and I won't have to try to quilt such a large area. How on earth do people quilt a queen size blanket, anyway?

2010-02-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

(Scroll down or click here for CELEBRATE THE BOY collar tutorial)

Xmas Gifts 7: Felt Pizza

2010-02-09T22:51:00.004-07:00

Ahhhh... pizza. Our family loves homemade pizza. Monkey One loves playing "imaginary pizza party" where we send out invitations to our imaginary friends, make pizza together, play games while the pizza is baking, then eat the pizza. I thought I'd make my kids a felt food pizza set to make these pizza parties even better. I actually had been planning on it for quite some time, but I had a difficult time deciding exactly how to do it until this Christmas. I didn't want a ready-made pizza for play eating only. Most of the fun is in putting on the toppings! But if the pizza is whole — better for the making aspect of the pizza — then I sacrifice some of the eating aspect of the pizza, which would be better with slices. I finally decided to compromise on whole mini pan pizzas. They're small enough to just eat, or they can be pretend sliced. I think of it as encouraging imaginative play.

The play pizza is a huge hit pizza! But which is real and which is pretend? Both can be rolled...

Both have sauce, sliced fresh mozzarella and a variety of yummy toppings...

Both are so much fun to make that even a kid can do it...

Well... maybe this kid should only make the play pizza...

And now both are ready for the oven, decked out in our favorite toppings!

(Why is Monkey Two sad? I stopped giving him olives and pineapples to snack on. I almost cut him out of the picture entirely, but he was too cute, even when he was crying.)

One thing is for sure. Your real pizza doesn't keep well. The pretend pizza keeps very well in this handy drawstring bag with individual pockets for every topping you could want and more.

Future additions to our play pizza set:

Whole green olives (they are cut out, just not sewn)
A 1"-ish wood dowel rolling pin and a pizza slicer made from the dowel and a wood 2-3" disk
Canadian bacon with some felt I purchased after Christmas
Maybe new pineapple pieces from the lighter yellow felt I also found after Christmas
Perhaps some felt pizza party invitations?

Everything was made from wool-blend felt (all except the black olives, for which I only had acrylic craft felt and the white bag, which I didn't want to spend that much money on). I realized a few weeks later when slicing real bell peppers for dinner that the red ones have three sections, but the green ones have four. Shhhhh, don't tell my kids!

P.S. This finishes off my 2009 Christmas Gift posts.

Celebrate The Boy Collar Tutorial

2010-02-05T04:00:00.002-07:00

Hello! I'd like to shout a special welcome out to those of you who are clicking over from MADE to Celebrate the Boy. I'm so honored that Dana asked me to be a guest blogger.

As you can tell, I love my boys and I love them wearing these button-up shirts. Likewise, I'm excited to share this tutorial with you today.

Click here to enter the Boy's Collar Tutorial

Boys' Dress Pants

2010-02-01T21:20:00.002-07:00

February is Celebrate the Boy month over at MADE and Made by Rae! And I have a little surprise... You just might see me hanging around at MADE in a few days... Something involving a little tutorial I'm doing. In the meantime I thought I'd blog this pair of pants I made last month. They fit with the Boy theme, don't you think?

I call this kid Monkey, but I think he might be part giraffe. Monkey One recently went through another growth spurt. I had been meaning to sew him a new pair of dress pants for quite some time, as the hem of his old pants was creeping higher and higher up his ankles. I was making him wear his cowboy boots to church every week to hide the problem. One Saturday night I decided I couldn't take him to church one more time in those high-water pants. So at 9:45pm I dug into my fabric stash and started cutting. A few hours later I had these.

To keep things simple I left off the pockets. For the waistband I wanted a smooth front and an elastic back. But, as I always do, I started to complicate things: "Oh, it won't be too hard to add some pleats in the front" "I should just stitch around the front here to make it look like it has a fly" "I'll add this button on real quick just for looks" and so on. But in the end I was glad I added those complications and left off the pockets. The waistband took me longer than I thought it would. One of these days I'll keep that in mind while I'm budgeting my time.

As a pattern I used an old pair of dress pants I had made him for a wedding almost two years ago. Was it really that long ago? I can't remember what pants I used as a pattern for those. Since Monkey One only grows up and not out I kept the width almost the same, but made them six inches longer. Yes, you read that right. Six inches. (Please note that he has had other dress pants since that wedding. One pair he'd already outgrown. Another pair had been ruined in an incident with his female cousin involving pink nail polish, but he would have outgrown those, regardless. His other pair, which were almost too casual to wear to church in the first place--and were also seemingly shrinking--were in the laundry.)

The pants are just a tad too long. Can you see him stepping on the hem as he knocks on the door? But don't worry. I won't be surprised if he grows more and I have to let the hem down by July!

Xmas Gifts 6: Bean Bag Cubes

2010-01-25T18:01:00.001-07:00

My husband enjoys laying on our family room floor. From there he reads, uses his laptop, and watches TV. He's always grabbing for something to prop up his head. But he doesn't use soft objects like a normal person would (no offense, Amore). I've seen him use books, VHS tapes, and remote controls (all standing on their ends) as pillow substitutes. I don't know, maybe it's a macho thing that he can't use anything fluffy? So for Christmas I made him some bean bag pillows to do the trick. The beans make them sturdy yet pliable, so he can shape them the way he wants. I made them in different sizes as well.

Actually, I didn't mean for them to turn out so big. I used up most of a 5-gallon bucket of pinto beans from our food storage, and still didn't have quite enough! I'm considering picking the bean bags apart to make them smaller because they are also quite heavy.

I made each bean bag out of fabric I already had on hand, fabric that I like, so that I wouldn't mind seeing them strewn all over the family room floor. I also put some appliquéd messages on them, though I suppose that's not very manly. The appliqués are already coming apart, so I obviously need more practice in that department.

The inspiration for these came from Paper and String's fun doorstops. And, although I only saw these after I had finished the bean bags, they also remind me of Dana's giant Rollie Pollie pillow, but only because (1) we both made some sort of pillows, (2) IKEA fabric was involved, and, (3) let's face it, I just adore her and want to be as cool as she is.

I still have one more Christmas gift to post, then on to some more fun (and more current) stuff.

Family Mailbox

2010-01-19T17:15:00.002-07:00

When I was little my mom made us an indoor family mailbox. It looked like a little cottage home with slots on the back for each family member. We sent each other notes and items we had ordered from each other's mail order catalogs throughout the year, but the busiest time for our family mailbox was Valentines Day. A few years ago I bought a paper mache house to make my own family mailbox. Since Valentines Day is right around the corner I thought now would be the perfect time to paint it.

I tried to make the coloring and style look a little like our own house. Wouldn't it also make a fun toy house to play with a little wooden peg family?

What's inside? Two Valentine cards!

I thought the house would be so cute photographed on our front lawn. Then I remembered that it's January and all we have is footprint-covered snow. I tried it on the snow, but the white washed all the color out of the pictures, and my little monkey wouldn't stop throwing snowballs at it. So the Christmas tree skirt and my front porch steps will have to suffice.

I was having a lot of fun painting the jasmine plant climbing up the side of the house. Then it suddenly reminded me of a Thomas Kinkade painting so I immediately had to stop. The other side has a birdhouse and agapanthus plants. Hmmmm... I wonder if it would work to paint flowers on the side of my real house to make it look like I have a garden. Do you think my neighbors would notice?

Here's the before picture. House purchased from Hobby Lobby.

My oldest little monkey and I have already exchanged several letters with each other using our new mailbox. A new (old) family tradition!

Xmas Gifts 5: Ashley Purse

2010-01-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

My second vinyl purse attempt. This one is a little bigger. It's more like a slim diaper bag. In fact, I tried to make it the same dimensions as my Similac diaper bag from the hospital. I'm embarrassed to admit that. You know the one I'm talking about. It's really the perfect size bag. Ashley's bag is much cuter, though. I love the little bird on it.

I stitched along all the seams to help the purse keep its shape. I was a little disappointed at first because right up until the very last step it looked more like a messenger bag with its flap missing. Then I stitched those final outer seams along the top section and--voila!--the whole thing came together. I was pleased.

Isn't this the cutest little guy? I just want to toss him some bread crumbs.

Here's the lining. Recognize it? It's from IKEA. The little bird on the front of the purse is from this fabric. I love the little inner side pockets. They are perfect for keeping keys and chapstick handy.

Just as I was about to send this home with my brother to give to Ashley in California I realized I didn't have any pictures of the purse on a human. So here I am, modelling the purse at 11 o'clock at night while my brother snapped the picture for me. He actually paid me a huge complement: When he saw the purse he looked a little surprised, maybe even dumbfounded, and told me it looked like the kind of bag his friends would buy from some hip store. He's in with the cool, film student, artsy crowd, and I know nothing about cool, so I was very pleased to get the complement.
(In case you were wondering: The bracelet I'm wearing is one of the gifts my sister Ashley gave me for Christmas. My sister Bridey made me the knit hat for Christmas last year).

Felt Snowflakes

2010-01-07T13:03:00.004-07:00

My sister Ashley made these beautiful felt snowflakes for me for Christmas. The tutorial came from The Purl Bee. Aren't they exquisite? Ashley did a great job. I love them!

Xmas Gifts 4: Horse of a Different Color

2010-01-05T19:05:00.001-07:00

Do you remember Rainbow Brite and her horse Starlite back from the '80s? I had both toys as a kid. Several years ago I got rid of the horse by giving it to one of my nieces. It recently turned up when my mom moved. Mom showed up on my doorstep all pleased that she had found it for me.

It was dirty.

And it had rainbow colored hair.

My youngest little monkey took to it immediately, tucking it under his arm and blowing raspberries (that's his horse impersonation). But as much as I love looking at rainbows in the sky, seeing one on a toy horse's mane in my son's arm was a little disturbing. I hated to throw it away and waste it, especially since the kid liked it so much. So a master plan began unfolding in my mind: I'd give the horse a makeover. I wouldn't be wasteful, it would be a fun challenge, my son would have a "new" toy horse for Christmas, and it would be cool to think that it was the toy that I once played with.

I covered the hoofs by sewing little caps of black stretch velvet and stretching them over the glue-covered old hoofs (FYI I used flexible fabric flue). Later, close to the end of the project, I hand-sewed the hoofs in place to the bottom of the newly covered legs.

I made small triangles for the ears, then hand stitched them in place around the base. The next step was the to cut out the body pieces of the gray velvety fabric to fit onto the horse. I used the seam lines from the original horse as a guide. I machine stitched the fabric for the horse's back from behind the ears to the tail, then pinned it in place. All the other pieces were first pinned (or rather stabbed) in place then hand stitched.

These pictures were taken at various wee and not-so-wee hours of the morning on Christmas Day while everyone was asleep. Jane Austen on the DVD player kept me company. It was almost dawn when I went to bed. The horse was still hairless and had pins sticking out in a few places, but I wrapped it and put it under the tree anyway, then finished it up later after it was unwrapped. A 19-month-old child doesn't know the difference, right? Just as long as he can open a present on Christmas morning?

I really would have like the horse to be brown, but I couldn't find the right fabric in the little time I had to look (It was a busy season). So the color gray had to do. The fabric is so soft. It's some sort of velvet, though I don't remember exactly what. The black hoofs are stretch velvet, and the mane and tail are simply yarn. I'm happy to say that my little monkey loves the horse. And now I do, too.

Xmas Gifts 3: Melanie Purse

2010-01-02T22:02:00.004-07:00

Inspired by the shape of a favorite purse I own, this purse was my first "big" project in vinyl (and by big I mean in size of the individual item, not in scope of the entire project). I found the vinyl difficult to work with because I couldn't get my machine into the little nooks and crannies at the bottom of the purse very well. Also, the thread was a mess. I adjusted the tension quite a bit, but in the end it seemed to be more luck than science. Other than those hiccups, I'm pleased with how cute the purse turned out. I think the flower/bow (inspired by the flower on my favorite flats) makes the purse, but I also love the green vinyl (from Design Company Fabrics) and the fun black and white Alexander Henry fabric (from JoAnn). This purse was for my sister-in-law, Melanie.

Xmas Gifts 2: Football Fan Blankets

2010-01-01T16:45:00.007-07:00

My brother-in-law is a huge BYU football fan. So for Christmas I went in search of his team's fleece to make him and his 18-month-old son matching blankets. While I didn't find the right team fleece I did find this fabulous minky football fabric that is even better. I lined the back side with fleece for thickness and made my own logo on the front out of the same.

This blanket was for my nephew. It's about four feet, square.

Here's the blanket for my brother-in-law. It's about 6 feet long, maybe longer.

I only had to cut the "Y" out once. I used the reverse for the baby's blanket.

He looks pretty happy about the gift, don't you think?

Xmas Gifts 1: Monsters, Inc.

2009-12-31T15:07:00.013-07:00

My 5-year-old son made these Mike Wazowski softies as Christmas gifts for his brother, his cousin, and even one for his uncle and aunt. Okay, so I helped a little. I was amazed at how long he was able to concentrate. He worked on these for a few days in a row, for several hours at a time.

First he drew pictures of what he wanted the toys to look like. Next I cut out the fabric, according to his specifications. The bright green is fleece (leftover from the Little Green Alien Halloween costume) and the rest is felt.

My monkey helped with the machine sewing by pressing the pedal. As you can see, we had a good time.

Next, time for hand sewing. I really wanted this to look like it was from him, so I had him do the stitching around the circle by hand. I got him started, but almost all the stitches were done by him. I think he worked on it for about five hours one day. Yes, I am beaming.

Next, the stuffing.

MONSTERS! One is stuffed, one is not. The monster in the middle is my son.

Proud Parent

Next we started Sulley for dad. Unfortunately, Monkey One lost some of his momentum so Sulley is still only half complete. Hopefully soon I'll be able to post pictures of him whole.

Snowflakes Roasting on an Open Fire

2009-12-23T22:49:00.006-07:00

I know the title doesn't make sense, but that's what keeps popping into my head, so it stays. We have a somewhat-annual tradition of making paper snowflakes and hanging them in our windows. Most of these are made by me, but a few of them were made by my husband or son. Each one truly is unique! I try to mark each snowflake with the artist and year, so I can remember as I look through our growing collection.

(Marito and Monkey One are so cute, aren't they?) The snowflake in the left corner was made by my husband, I believe, in 2005. This was when I showed him how to cut 8-pointed round snowflakes. The closer one was made in 2007 from thick silvery wrapping paper, which was harder to cut, but the effect when the light shines on it was totally worth it. That year I was playing with a more retro look.

This year I only places the snowflakes on the top half of the windows, as Monkey Two just discovered the concept of step stools.

This top left one is a family classic! Again, my husband is the artist. We call it "Casper the Friendly Snowflake." The other one is another 2007 edition. I was playing around with 6 points.

(Our neighbors' funky yards and horses might ruin the effect for you, but to me it's charming)

These are the windows on either side of our door.

Christmas morning 2008. Can you make out the snowflakes in the windows?

Giveaway Results!

2009-12-08T23:04:00.005-07:00

Hi Everyone! Thank you so much for your entries into my giveaway. Everyone had such nice things to say (with one minor exception, but I'll let it slide since it was directed at a fictional character :) ). Seriously, I appreciate your kind words so much, especially from those of you who took the time to do the second entry.

I'm sorry for the long wait. I meant to post the winner Monday morning, but I've been having some trouble with my Internet.

Winner!
Now on to the good stuff (I'm guessing you're all just skim-reading for this anyway). The winner is Catherine, who said: "Ah those are lovely as simply coin purses, and hilarious as Twilight coin purses...Team Jacob!" Hurray for Catherine! And thanks for thinking they are funny. I smiled at myself a lot as I was making them, especially as I was cutting out Edward's hair and had next to me what looked like a growing stack of miniature Edward toupees. Yes, hilarious. So Catherine, you'll be getting your own Jacob (or Edward, if you change your mind) coin purse in the mail as soon as I can get some packaging and mine and my kidlets' little bums to the post office.

Team Results
I suppose you want to hear the Team Edward vs. Team Jacob results. Some of you said you were Team Jacob, but asked for Edward if you win so you could pass it along to a friend or relative. Sorry, but I'm counting you as Edwards (Edwardians?). Even so, Edward would have still won. (Though I admit I am biased, as my husband is so much more of an Edward than a Jacob.) The results are...
Team Edward: 63%
Team Jacob: 29% (but still won the coin purse!)
Team Switzerland (nuetral or undecided): 8%

Also, some of you showed some interest in purchasing one of the Twilight coin purses if you didn't win. So... I'm opening up an Etsy shop just for you! Well, I've been intending to do in the future, but I may as well do it now since you've asked. You can find the shop at here. I'm listing the items tonight so if you don't see them right away then don't worry... they will be there soon! I'm going to put up Edward, Jacob and Alice coin purses, and a Bella and an Alice mirror. I'm out of the Bella coin purses for now, but let me know if you're interested in her and I'll try to make some more. Or if you would like Edward or Jacob as a pocket mirror, let me know. I haven't made those yet, but certainly could.

Thanks again, everyone!

Giveaway Day!

2009-12-02T00:01:00.011-07:00

**CLOSED**
Thanks for your entries!

Sew, Mama, Sew! is hosting a blessed day of giveaways, and I am participating. This is my first blog giveaway, so I'm quite excited. The giveaway will be open from December 2 until December 6.

It's understandable that my mind has been on Twilight lately, right? My giveaway item is something I made for the New Moon Experience in SLC. It's a zippered coin purse, perfect for stocking-stuffing or for tucking into your own pocket, purse, or hand. I made them in four characters, as you can see in my previous post, but for this giveaway I'm going to have the winner choose either Edward or Jacob.

Edward has bronze-colored hair and white skin stitched with sparkly thread, and Jacob has black hair and that beautiful, dark, Native American skin that I spent my entire adolescence coveting. Both coin purses open and close with a zipper and are lined with fabric that matches their characters (Jacob's reminds me of fur and Edward's is heather gray, like his pea coat).

How to enter: Leave me a comment telling me which character you would like if you win. Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?

For a second entry: Just so you don't think I only make Twilight stuff, browse through my blog and/or Flickr photos and comment on something else I've made. Be sure to leave me a comment here letting me you've done so. (By the way, many of my blog and Flickr photos overlap, but there are some older pictures on Flickr that aren't here.) I label/tag all my things, so browsing should be easy.

Since this is my first giveaway I'm going to keep the shipping to the U.S. Maybe next time I'll feel more adventurous and venture into international shipping.

Remember, the giveaway is open until midnight on Sunday, December 6 (but don't worry, I'm flexible with time differences).

One more thing. I still have a few of these coin purses left. If you're not the oh-so-lucky winner (and I hope you are), let me know if you're interested in purchasing one and we can work something out.

Good luck!

♥ Brittany

Silhouette Coin Purses and Mirrors

2009-11-30T00:00:00.008-07:00

These little coin purses and mirrors have been my babies for the last couple of months. I made them for the New Moon Experience in Salt Lake City. Each vinyl zippered coin purse is lined with fabric that corresponds with the character. The eyes and eyebrows are all stitched on by hand. The two vampires' faces are stitched with sparkly thread.

My favorite one is the first one pictured, Alice. She reminds me of an old-fashioned silhouette that used to hang in my grandmother's house. She also looks a little like Snow White.

A few of the Alices and Bellas I made into mirrors instead of coin purses.

Alice

Bella

Edward

Jacob

Here is my setup at the event. I had a fun time trying to decorate it, but now that I look at the picture it looks a little busy. I came up with the ideas for the setup at 5:30am on the morning of the event when I was too excited to sleep. This was practically my first attempt at selling my crafts, so I was a little nervous. But it was fun and a good experience. (Notice Bella's hair was too big to fit into a frame!)

(The other shelves in this picture are from different vendors. I like the way they all looked together)

I had also planned to make some rectangular zippered pouches with the silhouettes stitched onto the fronts, but unfortunately I ran out of time. These cutout ones are so much fun, though. But boy, they sure took a lot more time than I had initially anticipated! I bet my family is glad not to have tiny little vinyl scraps all over the carpet anymore.

I still have a few of the coin purses and mirrors left over, so just let me know if you are interested in purchasing one and I'll let you know if I still have the one you want. Along those lines, I was also thinking of opening an Etsy shop. I have a few ideas of some other things I'd like to make to sell, as well (For example, some variations on the Little House play set I made for niece last year). There are so many different things I like to make that I fear the contents of the shop would be constantly changing! If you have any feedback or suggestions I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Also, not to give too much away, but you just might want to peek back here December 2 for the Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Day.

Finally, here are a couple of related items I've made in the past, in case you're interested:

Toy Story Bullseye coin purses
Fire and Ice coin purse
All posts labelled "Vinyl"
All my Flickr photos tagged "Pouch"(These have some older items not on this blog)

In Honor of Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T12:30:00.005-07:00

Here are the Native American costumes my kids and I made for homeschool. We used a Simplicity "Historic" pattern for these and costume fabric from JoAnn. I couldn't tell you what tribe they are supposedly representing, but I still think the costumes look cool, regardless. Plus the boys love wearing them.

I had them wear their costumes for Thanksgiving, and took these pictures on our post-feast walk. We've actually had the costumes since early October, but I hadn't gotten a picture of them yet.

It was impossible to get both kids smiling at the same time. It was really bugging me that my oldest little monkey was covering his mouth for the only picture where my little one smiled.

The view here is so pretty. That's Utah Lake and Mt. Timpanogos in the background, on the left.

Monkey One

Monkey Two

Grograin Giveaways

2009-11-28T00:27:00.002-07:00

Peppermint Stick Holiday Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Hop, Skip and a Jump Maternity Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Brass Hussy GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Last Minute Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!! (with free bonus pattern in post)

The Last Minute Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!! (with free bonus pattern in post)

Charm Design Bags and Totes $50 gift card GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

So You Think You're Crafty

2009-11-11T11:19:00.002-07:00

If you're not already following So You Think You're Crafty I suggest you take a look. "10 Weeks - 10 Crafters - 10 Challenges. Who's the craftiest? You Decide!"

My amazing friend Dana is one of crafters. She won last week's challenge, which was "Harvest". This week the challenge is "Leaves." The projects are all so inspirational. And how fun to make it into a game!

The Ghost of Halloween Present

2009-11-03T21:16:00.012-07:00

...One of the Little Green Men from Toy Story!

You already know I'm a big Toy Story fan. This year I added this little alien to our family's growing Toy Story costume collection.

Here's my youngest little monkey, looking adorable, even with a third eye.I'm surprised he let me put it on him!

"The Claw!" "The Claw is our master!" "The Claw decides who will stay and who will be chosen!"

The fabric is super soft and plush on the inside and out. Perfect for snuggling a little Martian. Or a former resident of Pizza Planet.

The alien head is a little big on him, otherwise the antenna would stay up straighter, like it does when his brother wears it. I used the monkey pattern I told you about before to get the shape of the head. The ears and antenna I made up as I sewed.

Speaking of the brother, here is our little friend with his big brother Buzz Lightyear (a purchased costume--only my second ever). Together this duo will conquer the Universe! Or at least their Halloween candy.

...Which was collected in these personalized flannel Buzz Lightyear Trick-Or-Treat bags.

For the jogging suit I used pattern pieces from this old pattern from 1985. My mom must have used it to make some fashionable baby clothes for my youngest sister. If only Toy Story had been around back then!

Only 7 1/2 months until Toy Story 3 comes to theaters. Are we excited?

I (really) Love Grograin

2009-11-03T13:25:00.002-07:00

Shabby Apple Dare to Design Lawn Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Shabby Apple Dare to Design Limoncello Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Noah and Lilah GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Vivi Reborn GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Yellow Finch Designs GIVEAWAY!!!!

Becky Mae Poppy Fields Necklace and Earring Set GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Ghosts of Halloweens Past: Part Two

2009-10-30T15:54:00.006-06:00

Brace yourself for the next round of previous Halloween hauntings.

The Ghosts of Woody, Woody Two, and Jessie

2007 - We had so much fun doing this family costume theme. We got these pictures taken at Target since our regular Halloween pictures are usually dark.

Yes, there are two Woodys. Here's the story: I had told Marito a few years before that we should be Woody and Jessie. By the time we got around to it we had a kid. I really wanted Monkey One to be Woody, so I started planning. When Marito found out he said, "But I thought I was going to be Woody!" in such a sweet, sad way that I had to let them both be Woody. Who'd have thought that Marito even cared? I just think he's a good sport for letting me get him all dressed up in the first place. And by the way, here's the secret, I figure: If you make a big effort to make family theme costumes he won't want to (a) spoil it for everyone one and (b) waste all that time I spent sewing.

Here's the pattern I used for the shirts. I've found it's just as effective to make your own patterns from existing shirts, so this is the only time I've used the pattern.

2007 - Jessie detail. The yoke and cuffs are actually separate from the shirt. They just button on top of any white button-down. I love the cuffs, but I forgot to wear them for the Target pictures. I was so bummed when I realized. So here they are in their full glory on Halloween night. Cuffs, you shall not be forgotten! The faux Jessie chaps are just safety pinned to the front of my jeans. The Jessie pin is from Disneyland. I also got the boys Sheriff stars with their names from Frontierland.

2007 - It was impossible to find any variation of yellow and red plaid fabric that year. So I made my own. I used red Sharpies and a ruler to draw lines on plain yellow fabric. It worked pretty well!

The denim trick-or-treat back I made from a pair of Marito's old shorts. The Woody hat and holster came from the Disney store, and the boots were from Old Navy. The Toy Story fabric for the bandanna came from Walmart.

2007 - This wasn't necessarily for Halloween. It was just a fun dress up shirt to wear anytime. Again, it was just a plain yellow tee that I drew stripes onto. The knit "cow print" (if you look carefully you'll discover it looks more like dalmatian print) vest was sewn right onto it, along with the big white buttons.

2007 - Want to know how to get your kid attention at Disneyland? Dress him up like his favorite character. Of course there are crowds of little girls in princess costumes, but it's less common to see boys dressed up. My husband would say there's a reason for that. But I'll ignore that hypothetical comment and keep gushing. Isn't this picture the cutest thing?

These are "professional" pictures a Disneyland photographer took.

Ghosts of Halloweens Past

2009-10-30T14:54:00.010-06:00

In honor of Halloween tomorrow, I thought I'd revisit some older costumes I've made. These ghosts keep reappearing every other year or so. You may have seen them in my Flickr photos. If they are haunting you here for the first time then I hope you enjoy.

The Ghosts of Tarzan, Jane, and Monkey

2005 - The Tarzan wig is made from fancy yarn. Marito was a good sport for wearing it. Also, that leafy thing is supposed to be a vine. When we walked into the Halloween party someone thought he was a tree! Tree, indeed. Hmmph. The Jane costume is so much fun to wear, but has so many pieces to it! There's a bustle pillow and a fluffy petticoat under that flounce in the back. Just in case you thought that was me. I just want to keep that clear.

2005 - Jane detail (this monkey costume was purchased).

I used this pattern for Jane. It is a very complicated costume, so I simplified it a bit and made it shorter like Jane's. I also made a puffy petticoat for fun.

2007 - Here we used the costumes again (we had moved to a different state, so these was new to everyone who saw us). This time Tarzan wore his costume leopard-side-out.

2007 - Here's the monkey costume I made.

Here's the pattern I used. As you can see, I modified it for an older toddler (he's almost 3 years old here). I left off the obnoxious fringe.

2007 - He still frequently wears this costume around the house.

2007 - It's difficult to see in this picture, but there's a curly tail in the back. It's attached to the top. That fuzzy white part is just a camera thing.

Indian Family Peg People

2009-10-27T12:10:00.005-06:00

I remembered to take these pictures before I put the finish on so there wouldn't be a glare. The woman's clothing is from a painting in a library book about Plains Indians. The little boys' clothing is from a costume pattern we are using to make real costumes for the boys.

My son and I made these as a homeschool activity. I keep finding them in his pants pockets. These would be fun to play with together with the Little House on the Prairie play people I made for my niece.

Olive Kitchen Set and New Look!

2009-10-13T23:35:00.012-06:00

I love this Santorini olive fabric. I hope my mom does, too, because that's what she got for her birthday. I made her two hanging kitchen towels, and since I was having fun I made a couple of reversible hot pads. I have a little fabric left over, so I'm hoping to make some for myself, as well.

The little white ball trim came from (curtains? A bed spread?) something I got at the thrift store, which I bought only for the trim. As soon as I got home I pulled out my handy dandy seam ripper and yanked the trim off that ugly fabric. It's cute on the towel, don't you think?

And speaking of Jack the Seam Ripper... I fixed up my blog! I've had a makeover in the making for a few months. That's one reason I haven't been posting much. I couldn't decide on the many slightly varying versions I made of the header. Finally I decided just to pick one. It's much better than before. My amazing, wonderful, brilliant brother Will made the seam ripper for me. It turned out even cooler than I hoped or imagined. I'm sure I'll keep fixing up the layout as time goes by, but I'm just glad to have something new, fresh and cute for now.

(By the way, can anyone see the favicon? I'm having trouble with it, as it only seems to show up in Chrome on my own computer.)

On the left are some of the other headers I was considering. I almost chose the one with the green rick rack but in the end decided to go for the chosen frame for it's retro look. My "about me" picture looks a little freaky, but it's kind of fun, too. It's from a picture of me at my sister-in-law's wedding this summer. So now I need some feedback: Which header do you like best? Do you have any suggestions for my blog layout? Are you having trouble seeing the images? You love the pot holders and towels so much you want to go visit my mom this instant so you can see them in person?

Play Shoes

2009-10-12T11:30:00.007-06:00

I'm on a shoes kick. Can you tell?

This little monkey desperately needed new play shoes, as his old ones had wholes the size of silver dollars in the toes. I think I've finally gotten down a good pattern and method for making these soft shoes. The key? Simplicity. I love them. I made these out of vinyl because I needed something more durable than the soft leather I used for his green and brown church shoes. This is marine-quality vinyl so water won't soak through it. Although the vinyl is not very breathable I'm hoping the vents on the sides will help with that.

Soft Baby Saddle Shoes

2009-09-06T17:28:00.001-06:00

Hurray! Success! I finished Monkey Two's saddle shoes.

Yes, you saw right. They are light green on brown. Fun! I snapped these pictures after church today, where the little squirt wore them for the first time.

For inspiration I looked at some older leather and vinyl baby shoes we have and, of course, classic saddle shoes. Usually the "saddle" part of the shoe is darker, but I wanted the toes to be dark, since that part gets the most dirty and scuffed. I loosely used this pattern, but I had to resize it, with many attempts in paper and scrap fabric. The shoes are perhaps too wide in the toes, so I might take them in a bit. But better to have them too roomy than unbearably tight!

I made the shoes with some of the leather scraps I was telling you about before (purchased here). You can see I haven't trimmed the elastic on the inside yet. I want to make sure it's the right length first.

The next pair of shoes I make will be play shoes. I'd like to keep this somewhat nice for church.

Saddle Shoes, Take One

2009-09-01T17:53:00.005-06:00

These shoes are made from soft vinyl, with cotton fabric lining (the banana fabric you saw a few posts ago) and leather soles.

Adorable, right? I intended to had some faux laces to the top, but I never got that far. Here's why: They are too small! I made a cloth sample one first that seemed to fit, but in the end it just didn't work out. Monkey Two wore them once, to church. They only fit on his cute chubby feet with a lot of trouble and without socks. Afterwards his poor little feet had such deep dents from the shoes that I knew they needed some serious reconstruction.

I added a little wedge to one, thinking that would do the trick. It helped some with the width/girth of his feet, but it was still a little too short. And his feet are only going to get bigger. So I think I'll just have to add the wedge to the other one too make them match, then pass them along to some other lucky little boy (who's a little younger). Monkey Three, perhaps? (No, I'm not making any announcements)

For the next pair I'm going to go all leather. I have mixed feelings about buying dead animals skins, but the leather came from remnant scraps so I somehow feel justified. The leather is more breathable and pliable than the vinyl. I think will be more comfortable for my guy's little feet.

"Why are you making shoes?" you may wonder. Monkey One had a couple pairs of leather Robeez that I LOVED. I like how the soft shoes let my kids feel their own feet as they walk, instead of trapping them into some stiff, bulky boxes. They are so simple, I always thought I could make my own (I've actually made more difficult shoes--two different pairs of vinyl baby/toddler cowboy boots--somewhat successfully). I like the challenge of figuring out how to make something and customizing it to the way I want it. Plus, I got enough leather scraps to make several pairs of shoes, all for 1/3 of the price of one pair of Robeez!

Today I traced a larger pattern piece and cut out another cloth sample. So look forward to a (hopefully more successfully-fitting) new pair of adorable saddle shoes in the next week or two.

Sneak Peaks

2009-08-13T19:13:00.008-06:00

If the blog has been idle for a bit that probably means I've been working on something. Here's a little fabric swatch teaser on what I've been working on:

I love this David Walker Oh Boy! fabric I bought it at Material Girls. So cute, huh? Wouldn't the vehicle silhouettes make a cute car seat cover? That's not what I'm using it for, but I'm considering it for a near-in-the-future project. The animal silhouettes I actually bought in red/orange (darker than the orange/yellow), but I may have bought the green if they carried had it.

Another project? Yes. Let's just say it involves tan and brown vinyl, brown leather, some heavy thread and needles, a little elastic, a hint of this banana fabric, and a lot of readjusting and making over. Yes, I usually overcomplicate things. You'll see. Soon.

These JoAnn bananas are cute, don't you think? My little monkeys will eat them up.

New Grograin Giveaways

2009-08-05T18:03:00.005-06:00

I love her.

Sew Cute Shop Amy Butler Birdie Sling Guest Giveaway

Sweetie Pie Bakery felt cake guest giveaway

Hide'N'Seek Woodland Frock Giveaway

The Pod Swaddler Pattern Guest Giveaway

Adventure Log Coloring Rolls

2009-08-01T22:34:00.005-06:00

In a sudden burst of energy the night before we left for Yellowstone I decided to make my little monkey boys colored pencil/crayon rolls and mini adventure logs for our trip. I'm so glad I did because they both LOVE them!

Monkey One's is made from a placemat (I got the idea from one Amy made for my sister). I had all the supplies on hand, as I'd been planning on making one for awhile. So it wasn't hard to just grab my stuff and whip it together. Monkey One's favorite color is green, so I gave him the most colored pencils in that color. It's amazing what new life a pencil sharpener and some organization in a nifty carrier will do for old colored pencils! And what a fun journal will do for a family vacation.

I love this Amy Butler scrapbook paper. Again, lots of green. This book is about 6 inches tall and 5 1/2 inches wide. I just took six or seven pieces of plain paper, trimmed them down to about six inches, and stitched them together down the middle with the scrapbook paper on the bottom, then folded them in half to form the book. After that I colored the title and sewed it onto the front. Remember, this was all on a whim very late at night when I was on some sort of creative high. Maybe I should stay up later more often?

Here's a sample page of the finished product. There are a few pages of simple animal silhouettes printed from the Internet for him to circle as he spotted them at Yellowstone. When we got home we printed photos of our trip and glued them in the empty spots (but there weren't many!).

Monkey Two's crayon roll is made from robin's egg colored wool felt (also on hand). The book is about 3 inches square. I knew I had to make a crayon roll for Monkey Two to accompany his brother's colored pencil roll when I recently read Amanda Blake Soule's wonderful book The Creative Family. Anyway, I realized I forgot to take a picture of the crayon roll when it still looked bright and new, filled with a rainbow of newish crayons. Now the crayons are--who knows where?--probably all stuffed down the vents.

Here's a sample page from Monkey Two's adventure log. In the photo we are watching some elk in a field. Both monkeys have their coloring rolls out. They love them! And it made the trip extra special.

For a more ~~exhaustive~~ extensive look at what went inside the adventure logs, take a look at my personal family blog.

Buffalo Patch Tee #2

2009-08-01T22:33:00.000-06:00

I finished Monkey Two's buffalo shirt the day after the first one. Notice the buffalo is facing the other way? I also added a zig-zag stitch to the hem and sleeves. I made the process of this one much simpler, but messier. Instead of sewing the buffalo to the inside of the shirt and cutting away the t-shirt, I made the buffalo separate, then sewed it into the shirt. This made the furry fleece go all over the place. Maybe there's a compromise for the next time (if there is a next time!).

I really enjoy trying out new things, making it up as I go along.

Buffalo Patch Tee

2009-07-31T10:34:00.006-06:00

Homemade buffalo on purchased t-shirt. I stitched over the red thread on the purchased t-shirt with brown thread to tie the buffalo together a little more. I thought about stitching "Buffalo" or "American Bison" onto the shirt (front and/or back), but I might just leave it alone. What do you think?

I straight-stitched the brown felt and furry fleece for the buffalo underneath the t-shirt in the shape of my buffalo, then cut away the red shirt and finished it off with the tight zig-zag stitch. I might try the next one by just cutting out the buffalo first and sewing it on top like a true patch, but that furry fleece is messy!

I meant to have this done before our Yellowstone trip a couple weeks ago, but did some other projects instead (I can't wait to blog those!). Yesterday Monkey One saw the plain red t-shirts and suggested we put the buffalo on right then. So we did. We haven't gotten to Monkey Two's yet. Maybe today?

Toddler Sun Hat Strap

2009-07-27T23:00:00.001-06:00

I had a burst of genius late one night that I thought I'd share.

You know that buttonhole elastic that's inside of kids' waistbands to make them adjustable? Well, I saw some at JoAnn the a few days before this story takes place, so I picked some up, thinking it would come in handy for some future pants for my skinny Monkey One.

Back to that late night. I was packing the kids' sun hats for our Yellowstone trip the next day. I was wishing Monkey Two's hat had a strap (he's 14 months old) when I suddenly thought of my new buttonhole elastic. Then before I knew it I had the hat, the elastic, and two buttons gathered around me at the sewing machine. I used the buttonhole stitch on my sewing machine to quickly attach a button on each side of the hat, then cut the elastic and finished off the ends by folding and sewing a straight line. Easy.

The idea was that I could easily tighten or loosen the elastic as needed. But unfortunately, I didn't measure (it was late at night, remember, and my monkeys were asleep). The elastic is just the right length on the longest setting. Don't worry, I can always cut a longer strip if I need to. I just wish it were longer to begin with. The strap proved successful otherwise. Monkey Two kept the hat on most of the time, and it never blew away!

The elastic is super soft, (not like the scratchy-looking stuff in the picture), so it is perfect for a baby's sweet skin. What I actually bought was about a 1-yard length package of Dritz 3/8" Buttonhole Elastic that came in a small package. I'm sure the scratchy bulk stuff is fine for waistbands.

Daddy Laptop Desk

2009-07-26T22:40:00.005-06:00

This is belated, I know. This is the laptop desk that the little monkeys and I made for father's day / Marito's birthday (yes, it's sad for him to have both in the same week because he often just gets one combined gift). Marito usually uses large book to keep his legs from getting too hot from his laptop computer. When I saw the unfinished lap desk at Hobby Lobby I knew it was the perfect thing, and I could make it so much snazzier than the old book he was using.

This painted side is a personal joke. That's Marito, going about his business "in a professional manner." I was very pleased with the way the illustration turned out. I wasn't so pleased with the lettering. I redid it several times but finally gave up and just settled.

The Father's Day side is a collage of photos of Marito and the boys from (roughly) the last year. I've made him a few mini photo albums with the same idea in years past, and this is just a variation on the theme. The surface isn't perfectly smooth, but I wasn't worried about that since he wouldn't be using it for handwriting. I used Mod Podge for the gluing and finishing, but it seems the Mod Podge sometimes gets a little sticky when it gets very hot. Any suggestions?

It's fun to look at all the 54 of the little pictures of father and sons enjoying life together. I hope the collage gives a cheery boost to his workday.

My paintbrush box was lost so I only had large ones from my grandmother's craft boxes. It was the first time they've been used since her death 10 years ago next month. I felt privileged to use her artist tools. She was a watercolorist, and had beautiful lettering. Her paintbrushes were probably cringing under my use! Thanks, Grandma. Another special thanks to Aunt Cynthy (again) for lending me her I Love Lucy DVDs. They make a great background for crafting late into the night.

Zippity Yay! Patriotic Shirts!

2009-07-06T12:37:00.016-06:00

When I saw the Zippity Doo Dah Moda fabric I fell in love (PDF of fabric collection here). When I saw it a second time I knew I had to get some of those stripes to make the boys some patriotic shirts for July Fourth. I bought the cheaper stars fabric for the main parts and got the Moda to use as accents. The difference between working with the cheap fabric and the Moda fabric surprised me.

I sewed Monkey One's shirt first. I didn't use a pattern for the shirt, I used some of Monkey One's older shirts. It's really fun for me to work that way, trying to figure out myself how to make it. It's like solving a puzzle, but fun.

I initially had the shirt's collar inside-out so the red stripes were on top, contrasting with the stars. But it looked a little too obnoxious. Marito had a funny reaction: "Is there any way you can make it more... masculine?" So I turned the collar back around so it wouldn't be quite so show-tunes-like.

Next I sewed Monkey Two's romper. I copied a button-up shirt of his and a knit romper. I like the contrasting lining and pocket. I realized his arms were a little confined so I took off the sleeves and added extra fabric at the shoulders (I call it shoulder patches) to make sure he would have plenty of wiggle room. I was very pleased that it fit in the end, and the shoulder patches look like they're there on purpose.

I used no-sew snaps because, I should just say it, I hate sewing on snaps. (In fact, the first romper I sewed for Monkey Two before he was born is still sitting in my to-finish pile with only half the snaps sewn on. He's long outgrown it, and never even got to wear it!) Anyway, if you buy the no-sew snaps be sure to get the easy attacher tool that holds them in place while you're hammering. Also, I think I owe an apology to my poor next door neighbors. I was hammering away snaps at midnight while they were probably trying to sleep! What was I thinking?

Here are my boys posing in their shirts for me before we headed off to the parade.

Before I finished the boys' shirts I decided to get some more fabric to make a shirt for myself. Afterall, the fabric was 20% off at Material Girls, and I needed something cute, too! Again, maybe the fabric is a little obnoxious for a woman's top, but I figure anything goes for the Fourth of July. But now that I have the shirt made I certainly have to wear it often, obnoxious or not. I think it's cute. Marito says he likes it, too. The peasant-style blouse is very comfortable, but makes me feel like I should be pregnant.

For the sizing I looked at a few shirts of mine, but I made up the style as I went. I especially like the no-fuss, over-the-head neckline and the button-thing on the back. Did I mention that I love the striped fabric? The solid navy was something I had in my stash. I'm glad I didn't have enough of the jacks fabric because the solid fabric really gives it a... well, solid look. I'm inspired to keep sewing for myself. I certainly have some fabric piling up in my closet that would make a couple of cute tops.

Another Grograin Giveaway

2009-07-06T12:16:00.002-06:00

Rock Paper Scissors giveaway here. I love the monogram stamps. I remember seeing them in a magazine when I was trying to choose a name for Monkey Two. I imagined monograms with each of my top choices while I was sitting in the doctors office waiting room.

Dana's Mercado Skirt Giveaway

2009-06-24T10:00:00.003-06:00

This giveaway ends today, I believe, but I wanted to share anyway. My friend Dana is amazingly talented and made some adorable skirts to give away here on her blog MADE. Seriously, you need to take a little peek. She's one cool girl-io.

Oliver + S Patterns

2009-06-21T15:10:00.003-06:00

Little Munchkins is doing a giveaway for Oliver + S patterns. I've had my eye on these for a little while now, but I've never used one. With any luck, I will soon!

Boyer Apron

2009-06-18T08:23:00.003-06:00

I think cute housewife aprons make such fun bridal shower gifts. So when I was invited to the bridal shower of a close family friend I got busy. I didn't have my apron patterns (I lent them to my sister out of state and keep forgetting to get them back), so I went online looking for ideas. I ended up putting together what you see here. It's a mix of this apron and another one I saw in my local quilting store last year. I'll call it the Boyer apron, after my friend's soon-to-be-former last name.

I see aprons other people post on their blogs, hanging from a rustic fence or a picturesque tree on a beautiful hanger with old fashioned clothespins. So I decided to skip the usual carpet picture and hang mine on the balcony. Of course what you get is the closest hanger I could find (it has a toddler size 4 tag on it) and office clips instead of clothespins. But it's a slight improvement on my carpet, don't you think?

I thought it would be easy to whip up an apron pattern, but it was trickier than I thought. Maybe if I had made it with a simple tie behind the neck, but I always seem to complicate things more than necessary. I adjusted and readjusted my makeshift paper pattern, cutting it here, taping it back together there.

My friend's favorite color is lavender. It's not the cutest fabric in the world by itself, but together it is so pretty. The rick rack is what really makes it, though. I love rick rack!

Here are some other aprons I've made:

Melanie's Apron
Simplicity pattern 3752
I added rick rack and chose contrasting fabric to brighten it up
March 2008

Sadie's Apron
Simplicity Retro pattern 8720
It has her initials on the pockets
December 2003

Someday I'll make one for myself!

Cowboy (Girl) Shirt

2009-06-14T13:56:00.004-06:00

I made this little shirt for my cousin's daughter's 2nd birthday last week. She's a horse lover, so I'm hoping she'll love the fabric too. It's from a cowboy print Nick and Nora sheet from Target. This is the fourth or fifth thing I've made from that sheet set, and I have no intention of stopping soon. I'm hoping to make myself a shirt out of it, actually. Anyway, back to the shirt... I made the whole shirt in an afternoon. Everything was running smoothly, despite my lack of a female model, until I accidentally tacked the flower to the wrong side. But there was no taking it off without some serious damage to the fabric, so the shirt is backwards. Including the collar. But I told my cousin to bring the shirt back and I'll reattach the color the right way. That'll also help with the slightly small neck hole.

I had so much fun with the ruffly sleeves and hem. My boys don't wear ruffles. The hem of the shirt lined up great with the double-stitched hem of the sheet. So I just threaded the elastic between the two seams.

This was supposed to have been the front.

Cute flower/bow, don't you think? But that little thread is driving me crazy. I just want to pull it out! The jeans button in the center added a cute touch, and was super easy to attach.

Here's the cutie wearing her new shirt. She was a good sport to pose for me.

The Latest Grograin

2009-06-14T13:41:00.002-06:00

Hopscotch Camis Giveaway
I love her.

A Cowboy Needs A Costume

2009-06-04T21:20:00.018-06:00

I made these costumes for the cowboy section of our "Wild Wild West" homeschool year theme. These costumes started with vests, and evolved from there over the course of a couple months. I decided to post all the parts of the costumes together in one big post instead of doing several small ones.

1. Monkey One's cowboy vest. Corduroy, lined with cute cowboy quilting fabric (which will also be making an appearance in the cowboy quilt we're making right now. More on that later)

2. Monkey Two's cowboy vest in denim, lined with a more cutesie cowboy fabric. I decided to add the pockets afterwards. And look! I never got around to putting the buttons on. Oops. He's been wearing it just the same.

3. Chaps

3a. Monkey One's "woolly" chaps made from faux fur. He helped make these:

Cutting

Sewing

3b. Monkey Two's chaps made from a cowprint velboa.

4. Did you notice the belt buckle on Monkey Two? Here are both of them together. We painted them onto wooden disks from the craft store, then pinned them onto their chaps belts.

4a. Monkey One paints the finish onto his belt buckle. He chose the design he wanted after we looked at some samples. Then he painted the gray background before I painted on the design.

5. Spurs
Made from vinyl, kids craft foam covered with some shiny silver fabric (though next time I would leave the shiny fabric out), paper crafting brads, hot glue, thread, and jingle bells to give it some "jingle jangle jingle."

This was before we got cowboy boots. I wish I could say the spurs are nice and sturdy, but they fall apart a lot and I just glue them back together. I never have much luck with hot glue!

Monkey One cuts out a spur

6. Cowboy boots for Monkey Two
I got the idea for these from some cute little furry lined infant slippers that Target used to carry. These are made from thin vinyl with a soft backing. They have fringe along the back, some fun stitching, and there is a jingle bell sewed on where spurs might go. They close with Velcro behind the fringe. I'm quite proud of these, except that they don't stay on very well. I think they need some sort of cinching around the ankle. But for an infant with limited mobility they work fine. And they're darn cute, if you ask me.

I actually made some similar ones for my first little monkey when he was two. I had the same problem with them coming off. I wish I could find them so I could post a picture.

There you have it! My cute boys with their cowboy costumes. The nice thing about these costumes is that they can wear them with whatever shirt and pants happen to be clean at the time. A hat and bandanna helps, too.

The following is a little embarrassing, but it's about the costumes and it's really fun. So I'll share. We made up an additional verse to the Disney 1950's A Cowboy Needs A Horse short. Our new verse lists a shirt, vest, belt, chaps, bandanna and adventure log (Monkey One's school journal). We made our own fun video of the whole song, which you can see here, if you like. But I warn you, I'm not much of a singer. Be sure to watch after the credits for a smashbang finish of an outtake.

A Cowboy Needs A Horse Movie

Shabby Apple Dress on Grograin

2009-06-04T20:31:00.003-06:00

I know my last two posts now have not been about my crafting and sewing (which is the whole point of this blog), but I wanted to blog about Grograin. They have the best giveaways, and she is so talented. I am in awe. This giveaway is from one of her sponsors, Shabby Apple. They have beautiful, modest dresses that I absolutely love. I can spend hours on their website (as well as Grograin's). Anyway, here's the link for the giveaway...

Shabby Apple Marseilles Dress Giveaway on Grograin

Perusing Fun

2009-05-31T21:45:00.003-06:00

I found this great blog called Glitter, Vinyl and Thread while perusing the Sew, Mama, Sew giveaways this weekend. Look at these vinyl purses! Look familiar? I love making this kind of thing, too. I'm so inspired! I need to get out my crafting vinyl again. It's been way too long. (You know, like two months)

My Baby's Sling

2009-05-28T17:24:00.004-06:00

I love this baby sling. I have used it so much, and I get compliments on the sling all the time. I put the collage together when I posted these photos on Flickr a few months back before I started my blog. So I thought I would include them here. I had to put up some recent pictures of me using the sling to show how good it is for an older baby, too. Monkey Two is 12 months old now, and I always keep my sling handy. In fact, I even caught my husband using it last night (now that would have made a good picture. Darn). He had the baby more in the front, and they both looked very comfortable. And oh-so-stylish. I made the sling last year, copying a Hotsling. I highly recommend them! Disclaimer: I didn't take these pictures for my blog (in fact, I didn't take most of these), so they are completely natural pictures of my baby and me. And a cut out husband. Sorry for the unprofessionalness of it all.

I don't know if you can tell, but the sling is lined with brown on green Moda polka dots. I love this fabric, and used it on the baby's car seat cover as well (which I still haven't blogged yet). Usually the sling is not lined. I added that bit myself. I also cut it out on the bias since the real Hotslings are made with a thick, stretchy fabric. In these pictures Monkey Two is 2 to 4 months old.

Now that I've proved I would make an awesome hitchhiker, you can see how it works on the twelve month old Monkey. The seam usually goes on my shoulder, but I must have been in a hurry. The padding goes under the kid's legs in this hold.

And one more. Marito is cut out of the picture, but I don't think he'll mind.

So tell me: Don't you just wanna carry one of these cute little guys of your own? Oh, and the baby, too?

Wedding Bow Ties for Little Boys!

2009-05-17T23:37:00.004-06:00

These were for my sister-in-law's wedding last weekend. I must give credit to my sister, who helped me figure these out. Thanks, Bridey! Also thanks to my aunt Cynthia, who provided the entertainment (in the form of her I Love Lucy Season One DVDs) while I did the hand sewing until 2am.

Nine bow ties in three different sizes: four and six year olds (4), one and two year olds (4), and newborn (1). They match the groomsmen's ties and handkerchiefs. Actually, they were made out of some extra handkerchiefs. We only had to cut into three! And almost not even that. I decided to simplify the project by putting them on ribbons that tie around the collar and tuck in (instead of using hooks and eyes, velcro, elastic, or a combination).

My boys, sporting the bow ties at the wedding. (Monkey Two is making a funny face--he usually doesn't look that monkeylike)

Ah! Now I can cross those off of my to-make list!

Animal Brothers

2009-04-21T22:45:00.010-06:00

Completed May 2008

To help welcome Monkey One's baby brother last year we made this little stuffed giraffe. (Inspired by these animals from Target)

Monkey One (then 3 1/2 years old) helped out quite a bit...

He did some (limited) cutting and pinning...

...sat at the sewing machine with me, and helped hand-sew on the wooden bead eye.

Then came the waiting (this picture). Finally, on the day of Monkey Two's birth, Monkey One gave his brother the gift.

In return, Monkey Two "gave" his big brother this corduroy monkey as a surprise.

The animals (and the brothers) proved to be a good pair.

Here's Monkey Two at four months old with his giraffe. I don't know if you noticed, but both giraffe fabrics were also used on Monkey Two's zoo blanket. I love how the giraffe's neck is twisted. It gives him character, though it was really just my sad sewing skills that did it. I was much happier with these animals than I would have been with the ones at the store I almost bought. Besides, they are really special since they were homemade by mamma and brother. What do you think?

Christmas 2008

For his first Christmas Monkey Two got a zebra to go with the growing homemade animal collection. Monkey One also helped with the zebra (along with the zebra's twin, who went to a cousin). What's next? An elephant?