christmas lists

I feel like I don't quite have my Christmas list straightened out when it comes to making things for my friends and family. I know that I am going to make certain things, but who they exactly go to, I am not quite sure. So, I am just making things like a crafter with no attention span at the moment. I jump from one thing to another and need to get this all straightened out soon. In the mean time, I have plenty of fabric cut out and many things partially made. And, I did manage to finish a few of these hair clips for some of our little friends on our lists. I have made these before for one of Gage's friends and they are from this tutorial.

winner(s)

If you know me then you know that I have a hard time with not making everyone happy. So, this won't make everyone happy, but it will please two instead of just one. So, I did pick two winners. Now, how will this work with one outfit? I have another outfit to give the second name my kids drew. The first winner of the birdie outfit is.....

Emily of t minus freak out

and the runner up, who will get this outfit, is.....

Carolynn of Matt n' Carolynn's Blog


Send me your addresses and I will get these mailed off (maybe) by tomorrow. Email me at traciu73atyahoodotcom.

Okay, I am getting a few boy outfits ready to giveaway. I will get those up boy the first of next week.

giveaway ends tonight

The giveaway for the baby outfit (plus extra onesie) ends tonight, so leave a comment on this post before midnight. I am excited to send it off. Next I am going to giveaway a boy's outfit. I have a few of those as well!

christmas on the brain

back of reversible apron for kathy
front of apron for kathy

I was at the grocery store for just a couple of things because I have been stuck in the house all week for some reason or another. We just needed some eggs and milk, but I saw all those deals on the holiday foods and just started to pile my cart up. Then, I heard the Christmas music and I started to get excited. With all the negativity from news of the economy I almost feel like I should be sad. But, no, I want to celebrate and I want to do it right. I want to be frugal, but creative. I want to think about the reason for Christmas much more. I want my kids to be happy. So, I am getting the work (well, the figuring out of Santa gifts) out of the way, so that I can have some fun and be reflective. I have a lot of saved sites for Christmas gift ideas and crafts that I thought I would pass along.

vinyl jar labels from once upon a design
sugar scrub recipe from recipe zaar *edited version by angry chicken here
felt ice skate ornament from not quite vintage - i am going to try to whip out a lot these to tie on to the gifts i make
scrap fabric ball ornament from plastic hearts
quick sew funky Christmas stockings from full of fluff
button wreath from craftapalooza - melissa, i think we have found a use for our large bag of cream buttons!
pincushion tutorial from paper.string.cloth - this was the first pincushion i made. very easy
bella dia's ultimate gift tag roundup here

sweetening the deal

Not that something for free isn't enough, but I have been trying out some new freezer paper stencils and this one seemed to match the outfit for the giveaway. So, I am including it. It is on a onesie that is not completely new, but awfully white and it's a 6-9 month size as well. So, keep those comments coming and you never know, I might add a few more things as well before Monday comes!

giveaway

I have a few of these little baby outfits piling up and no babies to give them to. That's where you come in. Do you have a baby for this outfit? Now, I will admit that the pants are a little wonky because I think the flowers are facing one way down one side and other on the other leg. But, it took me a month to figure that out, so hopefully it's not too noticeable. It's a 6-9 month longsleeve onesie and the pants should fit a 6-9 month baby as well. The pants are made from a vintage sheet and the appliqued birds on the onesie are from the same sheet. The pants also have orange grosgrain trim on the cuff. So, just leave me a comment before midnight on Monday, the 24th of November. I will pick a name at random and hopefully, send them off before Thanksgiving.

*edited note* you don't have to have a baby to comment. you can give this as a gift!

this dress again

I think that I want to use this dress pattern for every dress I make because it is so easy. I used it here and here and just make alterations as I go along to change it up a bit. I used a vintage pillow case this time and it has the look of those simple pillow case dresses out there, but with elastic casings in the neckline and arm sleeves. I love how simple it it.



Then, I made it again for a friend's new baby girl and this time I added the little apron to the front. I didn't want it to be too bulky in the back, so the back tie is just in a knot instead of a bow. I like how it turned out, but I think I could refine it a little with practice.

baby shower

My friend and I put on a baby shower for two friends. I love having the chance to make all the desserts I have been saving in my favorites file for a long time. I made this Kentucky Butter Cake and these awesome Black-Bottom Coconut Bars. Both are soooo dang good and I ate my share before I even brought them to the shower. I also love (really do LOVE) making gifts for the babies. Here are the outfits and burp cloths I made. The cloth diapers that I used for the burp cloths came in that dark blue. You can buy a package (I bought mine at Target) with 3 boy colors (dark blue, light blue, and lime green) or 3 girl colors (bright pink, pink, and orange - I think). Then, I just followed this tutorial and added the fabric. The pants I made of knit I got at a garage sale and a t-shirt that my 6 year old never wore. The one from the t-shirt was easy because the hem was already there - love that. I need to learn how to work with knit a bit better. The needle got caught a lot and I got a bit frustrated, but in the end the pants looked like pants!