porcupine onesie done? -check

I tried to mimic the porcupine that was on these little baby pants (again - only .25 cents) in an applique. Of course, this was started a few weeks ago, but I kept messing up (snagging the fabric underneath, etc.). So, it was put in the "I'll mess with you later" pile. I usually get to that pile when I have a little more patience. I finished him late the other night. I think he would have looked a bit cuter if I had hand embroidered the quills, arms, and legs, but it was late and I just did a straight stitch on the sewing machine - quick and easy. He is still quite a cutie, I think.

you just never know

Each time I start a new project I have high hopes that it will turn out exactly as I imagine it to. Sometimes it even exceeds my expectations. Once in awhile it turns out so bad I have to throw it away so that I am not reminded that I stunk something up! And, sometimes it's a learning process where I realize how I will do it better the next time. This picture on a plaque was one of those. It turned out o.k. - nothing to scream about, but I will keep it. In using paper and Modge Podge there were too many bubbles and as I tried to press them out I stained the paper with newsprint. All said and done it is up in my girl's room and I do like the bright colors of it. I found this tutorial here at the thompson family blog where she made some silhouttes and I decided fabric (although she says perhaps paper) is the better way to go with Modge Podge. So to see if I could get it right I made a small little plaque that I am excited to hang in my craft area. It's still drying, but I am liking it a whole lot better than the first attempt. Plus, I love the red and green together.

a good use for books

Thank goodness my husband made a batch of snickerdoodle cookies or I might not be awake right now. We have a bad habit of conjuring up something sweet late at night. Last week was the ultimate when we made this pie. It was amazing! Not the best late night habit though. I had just started to come out of that winter weight gain. I'll just have to work a little harder - well worth the effort.

I have been collecting some vintage (and some just slightly old) children's books as of late. I have a few ideas of how I want to use them. One was this idea from Kiddley that I mentioned earlier. But, the first one that I am going to work on it a plaque for my daughter's room. I picked up the wood, printed paper, and Modge Podge tonight from the craft store. In the morning I want to paint the wood white. Then, I will decoupage the paper on and pick one of these pages - either Alice, Robbin Hood, or the little girl from Never Tease A Weasel - and decoupage it on. I will show you tomorrow how it turns out.

hot chocolate helps me think

It's 9 pm and it feels like midnight (too many late nights with projects and such). It's spring and it doesn't feel like the winter (besides the sound of rain outside), but I needed a hot chocolate for a treat. Pretty soon it will be too darn hot and I need (yes it is a need) to finish the box. Plus, I am addicted to Redi Whip and I had to have something to put it on. I don't always - sometimes a squirt in my mouth is enough. Is that bad? I guess it could be like drinking the milk out of the jug, but I will have to live with that bad habbit. Plus, around 3 or 4 pm when I need a burst of sugar, it does the job and it's actually not that bad for you. I put together a flickr tag that has most of the crafts that I have done since January and I went over my monthly limit with the photo uploading, so I will have to wait awhile to put the rest on. But, I guess what I am thinking about it is the fact that I am trying to decide why I blog about my projects. I don't think there are too many people out there listening, so I guess I do it for my own record. I think I do it because I like to see some progress and have some accountablity. Plus, someday I would like to put together some sets of embroidery patterns with children's themes and alphabet sets that have a few images with each letter and a few words plus a few renditions of the letter itself. I haven't come very far with these other than doodles and a list of things I could draw for each letter of the alphabet. I don't know how to get the drawings printed on heat transparency paper or if I should just sell them (who knows- I'll probably give them away) as PDF files. So, I continue to think. Hopefully, the hot chocolate will help and if it doesn't, then it sure tastes good along the way.

favorite colors

The colors of this pin cushion are my very favorite. I made it today as a gift for someone special. I made the bithday stick pin from Shrinky Dinks using this tutorial at wee wonderfuls. When I look at the colors of this pin cushion, it makes me dream of the time I will be able to decorate my craft space in turquiose and red. Also, I figured out (finally) how to make a PDF file so I was able to turn my monkey applique pattern into one and am in the process of doing the same for the duck and bird. I am going to use the monkey for some upcoming embroidery as well. Multi use pattern! I will put them on my blog as soon as I have them all converted.

the joy of waffle cones

Do you know what I can smell right now? Hmmmmm....fresh baked waffle cones. Oh, and does it smell good. I needed to whip some up for a friend and this time I made a few extra for my guys. Sometimes I don't and all that they are left with is the lingering smell and no cone. Cruel. My mom and dad gave us this Chef Mate Waffle Cone Iron for Christmas one year and I didn't realize what a treat I was given until we made our first batch of cones. Later, when I would bring them to friends with a gallon of ice cream, I also realized what a gift maker I had as well. So yummy. The waffle iron comes with booklet of different cone recipes. I have a great cone recipe that doesn't require a waffle cone maker (except for you playing the part!) that will do until you have an iron of your own.

Ice Cream Cones
2/3 cup sugar
3 egg whites
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup melted butter

Heat the oven to 400 degrees (350 if you are using a dark coated baking sheet). In a medium sized bowl, beat the sugar and egg whites with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Mix in the flour until smooth, then add the vanilla extract and melted butter. For each cone, scoop 2 1/2 Tbs. of batter onto a baking sheet, spreading the batter into thin 6-inch circles (usa a measuring spoon for accuracy). Bake for 7to 8 minutes or until golden, then remove the sheet from the oven. Working quickly, form each cookie into a cone, pinching the tip to seal it tightly. Allow the cones to cool seam side down. If a cookie begins to cool and is difficult to shape, return it to the oven briefly to soften it.

*Tip* - Put a mini marshmellow at the bottom of the cone to prevent melted ice cream from leaking out the bottom.

thought i would share

These are a few new websites that I have discovered and thought that I would share with you. The first one was started by my dear friend's sister and it just launched last week. It is called babysteals.com It has amazing deals for moms- clothing, nursing cover ups, etc. Take a look and see what you think. It has one item each day and once it is gone, then it is gone. I have just found Burda Style. I am sure that many already know about it, but I am just happy that I finally have. Some of the patterns seem really easy and some are a bit above my sewing expertise, but they give you some great ideas. I think I am going to start simple and make the men's silk tie for my husband for Father's Day. One day when I was looking up this new line of fabric I saw in a magazine I found this website called Baum Textile Mills, Inc. that has tons of quilt and project patterns for free. I think I want to make the Sweet Baby Quilt to start out with. As usual, I want to start out with an easy project just so I don't get overwhelmed and never want to try again. That has happened before. I still have a fear of bias tape. It's true! The last one is Kiddley. They no longer keep up the blog, but the archives have tons of ideas and crafts to do with your children. I love the Valentine buckets and just picked up some old Golden Books for .25 to .99 at the flea market and Half Price Books that I want to decopauge on to some metal buckets. I want to keep the kids craft and coloring supplies in them upstairs in the playroom. Thought these were all worth a mention.

random stuff

I got this beautiful stamp today that I ordered here from Craft Pudding. Isnt' she so cute? Now, what am I going to use her on first? I think she looks like my little girl and couldn't help but want her for my own.





I went on a little treasure hunt at the flea market last week when my son was at playgroup. I found a few things that I was excited about. I still don't know what I am going to do with them, but the baby wrapping paper will probably turn into a craft where Modge Podge is involved. The vintage Valentines were just too cute to pass up. The yellow apron was only $2 and the I loved the pattern of the brown and orange one and want to copy the style for the upcoming Sassy Apron Swap so I bought it for $5. You can't see it very well in the photo, but it has a nice curve at the bottom and the scallps on the side have pockets. So, I just need to study it and see if I can get the pattern right.

Yesterday my son got his two front bottom teeth pulled because the ones behind them were already 3/4ths of the way grown in. It was wild to see. When he was at a birthday party that I night I realized he didn't have a tooth fairy pillow, so I quickly sewed this one. I made it blue because I didn't have white felt and he does like blue. But, looking at it I realize that it is kind of weird to have a blue tooth. It worked though and the tooth fairy was able to make a deposit in the little pocket as well as withdraw! The B is for his first name, Boston. He got that tiny orange treasure chest from the dentist's prize box and he put his two teeth in that and then stuck it in the pocket. Such small teeth!

Finally, today is our hometown favorite - the Kentucky Derby. It is always so much fun leading up to it and celebrating the day of is quite fun as well with Derby Pie, Hot Browns, and plenty of games and contests with the kids. This is the first year we didn't do much on the day of the Derby because it's our 12th wedding anniversary and we had a babysitter. It was nice! Happy 12th to my wonderful husband and project supervisor. He is the handyman and I am the one with the crazy ideas. He says, "you want me to get my drill out for what?" "Yes, it will work, I promise" - that's what I always say. And, most of the time it does! Thanks for putting up with my imagination and I appreciate all of your help with it all!

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

This is one of my boys' favorites. I love them as well!

1 2/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar (I use the Splenda mix)
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
2 large eggs
2 cups frozen blueberries
2 Tbs. granulated sugar(opptional)

Preheat oven to 400 degree. Place oats in food processor; pulse 6 times. Place in large bowl. Add flours and next 5 ingredients (through salt) to oats in bowl. Stir well with a whisk. Make a well in the center of mixture.

Combine buttermilk, oil, rind, and eggs in a bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Gently fold blueberries into the batter.

Spoon batter into 16 muffin cups coated with cooking spray or foil liners; sprinkle with 2 Tbs. sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched in the center. Remove from pans immediately. Place on wire rack to cool. Yield: 16.

pincushions

I now constantly have a helper when I sew. She is my baby girl and her favorite toy upstairs is the pincushion. I know it's not safe, but she is attracted to mine like a magnet. When I made some pincushions this week for upcoming birthdays, she screamed when I took them away. Finally, I had them downstairs on the bench and she found them right away. I am not sure if this is an early sign for her future in sewing or she just likes to play with sharp objects. Either way, I need to hide them better!

drawing books

When I was in second grade my teacher, Ms. Jenkins, taught us fingerprint drawing. I loved it. I think I still have some fingerprint art that my mom saved of a skeleton that we did for Halloween. When I was at HalfPrice Books the other night (a very cool store) they had the drawing and fingerprint books of Ed Emberley and I realized this is where my second grade teacher got all of her ideas. He teaches you step by step how to draw people, animals, characters, etc. and it is so good for kids. I picked up his Big Red Drawing Book, but can't wait to go back and get his complete collections. I was looking at his website and he has all these crafts and activities for kids for all seasons. Love it. I looked at Amazon.com and they have all of his books and there are a ton more than I thought. My kids are getting some lessons in drawing tonight!

monkey and ducky

I am up late with my husband because he got a craving to bake something late at night and I need to assist (and taste). Plus, we are watching the Star Wars Sunday on TV and although I have seen them many times and we own them on DVD, I still manage to get enthralled with it all. I thought I would share the template (very hand drawn - kind of shakey!) for the monkey and ducky as well.

For the monkey - the eyes and nostrils are french knots and I just did a back stitch for the inside of the ears, the smile on the mouth, and the little hairs on the top of his head. Make sure you overlap the mouth piece over the head until it looks right. Also, layer the ears behind the head when you go to iron it on to your project.

For the ducky - just a french knot for the eyes and what I didn't show in the photo was that I went back and machine stitched the outline of a wing on his body.

Okay, that's it and these are yours for personal use to have and to share!

applique help

This isn't necessarily a tutorial because I don't have much to tutor on and I am no expert, but I will let you know how I do the applique and what works best for me.

1. I like to use felt, wool if I have it, because it is easy to cut and I have TONS of different colors. But, almost any fabric will work.

2. First you need to draw your pieces on WonderUnder on the paper side. I draw (usually trace) the pieces backwords so that when you put them on the item you are appliquing on they are going to lay the right way. Then, you peel off the paper and iron them on. I try to piece them so that -for example- the ears of the monkey are slightly behind the head and everything is layered correctly. And, follow the directions on the WonderUnder for the length of ironing.

3. Cut out a piece of tear or cut away stablizer (can be purchased where ever they sell WonderUnder, fusible webbing, interfacing, etc.) that is just slightly bigger than you applique and pin to the inside of project. This will help (especially when sewing on knits) to stablize the fabric when sewing a secure stitch with the sewing machine.

4. Use a zig zag stitch to secure the applique on to the project. A small, close zig zag is best.

5. Add any embroidery stitches or embellishments that you want.

6. If I use a lot of stitches and french knots on the back, it tends to add a lot of extra thread and knots on the inside of the project. If I am doing a onesie and know that it will rub against the baby's skin, after I am all finished with the stitches, I cut out a piece of light weight fusible interfacing that is slightly bigger than the stablizer that is already there and follow the directions from the manufacturer to iron it on. This makes a smooth surface and hopefully, protects the baby's skin from all the stitching.

I told my sister, Tanya, that I would put the pattern for the birdie on here. It's only been drawn by my little ol' hand, so it's not perfect, but it will definitely work. I used a backstitch for the legs, a french knot for the eye, and used the sewing machine straight stitch to add detail to the wing.

*This is just for personal use so feel free to use it and share it with others*

P.S. - I don't know how to make a PDF file, so I am hoping you can click on this image and print it out and resize it to the size that you want. I hope it works!


*Something I didn't mention - I did not prewash any of my felt, fabric, or the onesies, but I would highly reccommend doing this as they are going to be washed often and you would hate the first washing to shrink or pull out the stitches on the front. I usually don't do this because I am so excited to sew when I get an idea, it would kill me to wait the whole cycle of the washing machine plus the dryer. But, my new goal and what I have realized is that it is more important to wash all the fabric because whenever you are giving a gift you want it to last the test of time. I found this out when I made my little girl's first Easter dress this year. I didn't wash it and now after just one wash, it is too small. Here's a tip - *If you wash your fabrics right when you get them, they will be all ready to go when you finally use them in a project. Since I was asked, I thought it was worth mentioning!

the applique goes on

I love creating these little onesies for baby gifts. I actually don't have a lot of friends having babies right now, but I think my sister's pregnancy is inspiring me. I think I am getting old though because I used to have baby showers to go to every month if not a few, but now the number is shrinking. I think that means that my friends my age are done having babies and now we are moving on. I think it's a little sad, but I am sure that the next stage coming that doesn't involve waking up every two hours to feed a baby will be exciting. We'll just have to see. Anyway, I tried to take a nap yesterday and instead layed there thinking of all the animals I could draw to applique on onesies. Once the wheels start turning, then sleep, especially naps, can be thrown out the window. I managed to get two completely done and one in the works still.

My play room (not a craft/sewing room because I share it with so many) is coming along. It is still *slightly* at a stand still because the dad of the family has dry wall to finish in the corner that I am not showing you. It has a stage built in that corner as well that is just waiting for kids to perform on, but that will have to be in the future. For now, my play room has a corner for my sewing machine, fabric, crafts and odds and ends. I finally got the gift wrap organizer up that I made in December and I found that I need even more room for ribbon. I think I am addicted to ribbon and didn't even know it. I will have to add another dowel rod somewhere to add the other 10 spools of ribbon that I am keeping in a basket for now. I would love to paint the whole room a shade of aqua when the dry wall is done. That would be a good color because the other half of the room which I didn't occupy is for the kids play area. Plus, with IKEA now in Cincinnti, we can get it organized and make it cute at the same time. Here's to the future...Oh, and here's an apron that I made as a thank you to a friend who so kindly took me to the Michael Buble concert last month. And, a bag I made from Jodie's tutorial at Ric Rac for another friend who told me she liked the 1st bag I made. All you have to do is say you like something and then I go and make it (sometimes)!

taking a stab at applique

I was invited to a friend's baby shower this week and I wanted to make her something special. I wanted to applique on a onesie to match these little pants that I got at the Gap Clearance Center for *shhhh* .25! I only bought 4 pair. What was I thinking? For that price, I should have just scooped up the whole rack. The regrets of a good deal not had still linger....and I will just have to make do with the few that I did buy. Anyhow, I digress (tends to happen when talking about bargain shopping)... I did draw up a cute birdie and appliqued it on the onesie and really loved how it turned out. This morning I made one more to go with the other pair of pink pants I bought. I would love to put these on some bibs too to match. Too cute. It makes me want to go and have another baby just to make her a cute onesie. That's if I would have another her and we all know the chances of that are slim with 3 boys I had before the she came! I could always make some cute little boys ones too. That will be my next project since I have like 5 pair of little boy pants that are just calling for a onesie to go with them. Let me think about what cute applique I could put on the boys sets....

fonts

Get your handwriting made into a font here at www.kevinandamanda.com. She is still accepting handwriting and you can get it done for free. There's nothing better than free!!! Plus, she offers all the handwriting she has made in to fonts there to download for free and she has some really cute ones of her own to download here. Do it!

spring break

This week for the boys' Spring Break I was sick. I am still so tired, but that will have to be solved with some sleep - which I am trying hard to get. I did manage to get these bibs made for my sister who is having her first baby. I got the pattern here from Nested. I am so excited for her and her husband. I got these barrettes done for Gage's little friend who was celebrating her 3rd birthday.


We did try to do some fun things during Spring Break. Boston got these for Valentine's Day and the Easter Bunny brought him a package of new patterns, so we tried to make some on Saturday. Gage's is the multi colored dolphin. Boston started one, but got frustrated. They do take a little time and some delicate hands. Trevor decided that he is going to make some Nintendo figures, but we need a bigger square template to do it so we are heading to the store later. Gage and I made the cat together which he named "cat." I made the turtle. I loved making these. Of course, it reminds me of my childhood. We are really trying to make more things around here, but with 3 boys and the love of video games that can be like pulling teeth sometimes. I am going to just have other options available for them to do everyday -if you know what I mean!

pennant(s)

Where does the time go? Was it me or did Easter come way too fast this year? I wasn't even ready for it, but I still tried to get some decorations made for it. Well, the day or two before I thought I would make an Easter pennant really quick and then I had the brilliant idea to make one two sided that had a St. Patrick's Day theme so I could get two times the use out of it. I finally had it sewn together and was ready to sew the bias tape at the top and as I laid it out I realized it would have said, "Easter" on one side and "ykcul os" on the other - translation "so lucky" backwords because I didn't do it right. I unpicked the whole thing and just made two separate ones. How come the easiest projects take the longest? I think I will whip something up and then I don't realize I have to spell backwords to make it all work! Oh, I was not so lucky with this one, but they did turn out cute still.

just a few more

You could go a million directions with these. I thought about adding ribbon, but that will be a someday project when I am not just making these for a future baby gift, but for a new niece or nephew.