New Skirt For The Munchkin

 McKinley has needed new clothes for church for a long time but I haven't ever gotten around to it until now.  I made this cute skirt using this tutorial from Sewing In No Man's Land and then I also made a headband to match.

 I must say I love it!  Sorry, there will be no cute posed pictures.  I had to give Kin bribes just to get her to hold still for half a second and I certainly wasn't going to go outside in this freezing weather, so just imagine you see a beautiful field behind her or something. :0)

 The bribes only kind of worked!  Do you see her cheeks are full of goldfish crackers in each picture!

I don't know how people get in focus pictures of toddlers.  This girl is wild.  This is as still as I could get her and it's only because she would drop a cracker and pause to look for it.

The skirt has a high waist, although it doesn't look like it in my pictures because the waist was folded over.  Kelly also gives the pattern for an adult size and I'm tempted to make one for myself.  Go check it out!  I'll be linking to some of these places.

Doll Cradle Blanket

 Here is yet another thing made by my crafty mother.  She made it for my niece.  She found this little cradle on KSL.  Isn't it cute?  She made the blanket inside.  It is made from scraps from a quilt that my sister-in-law is making for her girls so the cradle will match their room.  I'll have to show that to you too.  I love all the vibrant colors.

My mom makes the quilt a "cheater" way so you don't have to cut all those tiny squares.  I'll have to share with you how she does it sometime. 

One of these days you'll see something made by me.  I've made some stuff but haven't gotten around to taking pictures.  Kinley has started only taking one nap a day and it's a short one, so there isn't as much time for crafting as I had before.   Instead I've been chasing a toddler around.  She can get into trouble quick!  Last week I was drying my hair while she played and when I came out of the bathroom I found her with my makeup and she had put it all over her entire face!  She was very proud of herself.  It was too cute!  If only I thought to take a picture!

McKinley's Rockin Rocking Chair & Other Cute Stuff

 My parents gave this to McKinley for Christmas.  I love it!  My mom got a plain wood rocking chair at Michael's for 60% off and painted it white to match the rest of her nursery and made that adorable flower petal cushion to go along with her garden room.

 I love it.  McKinley also got this cute pillow made by my Grandma...

 It says,"Like star dust glistening on fairies wings little girls are made of magical things".  The back has this fun, shimmery fabric.  The pillow fits perfectly on her chair.

Another fun touch my mom added to the chair is one of those tiny musical button things (I don't know what they're called), you know the kind that is put in stuffed animals.  She glued it under the arm rest so Kin has herself a secret music button.  She hasn't quite figured it out yet because the button is so small and kind of hidden but whenever she hears the music she does a little dance too it.

 Here she is modeling the Christmas pajamas I made her while she reads some sort of fascinating story.  I think she loves the new seat.  I wish you all could hear her jabber like crazy while she's "reading".  If only I knew what she was saying.

Matt's mom made Kin an adorable, squishable, bunny blanket.

 McKinley loves to hug it.  She thinks it's a baby and packs it around.

 Thanks for all the adorable gifts!  I'll be back tomorrow to show you some other good stuff!

I'm Back...and My Favorite Projects of 2010

I'm back!  I love when blogs do a favorite's post at the end of the year because I don't see every post that everyone does and I get to find a lot of fun projects that I didn't see before so I thought I'd share some of my favorites. 

 

 I love how McKinley's nursery turned out, it was technically done in 2009 but oh well!  I'm afraid I can't claim most of the work.  My little stinker, McKinley, was born super early so I didn't have a chance to do much before she surprised us with her unexpected early appearance, luckily my mom and sister came to the rescue (because you know I couldn't possibly live without having a cute nursery!) ;0)

I loved this ruffly skirt made from an old t-shirt...too bad kids grow so fast, this has been too small for a long time!

 

 These necklaces were quick, easy and cheap.  Just my kind of crafting!

What little girl doesn't love a doll to squeeze?

You can't have too many accessories...right?

I love my dollar store painted frame holding a flower from my wedding bouquet.

I loved learning how to shir on this little dress.  It made me shirrr crazy!

Easy and cute hair accessory organizer.

I had to throw in a recipe here.  This is a good one. I don't think I ever cared what my syrup tasted like until I had Buttermilk Syrup...yummy!  Believe me.  You are going to be sorely disappointed with your bottled stuff from this point forward.

 

Sweet little, I scream for Ice cream onesie and matching hair clips.

This project was one of the most fun.  I loved planning McKinley's first birthday party.  So fun!

Thank you to everyone who visits my crazy little blog!  My camera is fixed and I should be back in business again.  I ran out of time and only got around to making one handmade gift this year and didn't even get a picture of it since I didn't have a camera.  My family however, made some incredibly cute things that I'll have to share with you tomorrow.  I also have all the pictures I needed to show you of my mom's kitchen redo so you should see that soon.  I have a crafty to-do list a mile long and a garage full of junky furniture to redo so hopefully you'll stick around for the ride and maybe I'll actually get some stuff done!

The Itty Bitty Mermaid, Kinley's Halloween Costume

McKinley was a little mermaid for Halloween.  Notice, I didn't say the little mermaid, that would require her to actually wear the red wig I got for her that for some reason she is completely terrified of.  If she even sees it, she cries.
 
Wouldn't this picture of her sitting on a rock be perfect if the rock was in the middle of the ocean and not in the middle of my backyard?  If only I had some good photoshop skills and wasn't lazy! I used this wonderful tutorial from Elegant Bloggery for her tail.  It was really fast to make.  The part that took the longest was adding the fray check.

I never did get a good shot of her standing up to show you the tail. This picture shows the front but was taken before I decided to cinch the tube top in the middle and add a little bling (not to draw attention to her cleavage or anything :0).  I also got some tan dye to color the onesie to make it look more like skin but I never got around to actually doing it!

I just had to post this picture because I have a big case of momma pride.  I love this beautiful, blue-eyed girl and have a hard time resisting posting hundreds of pictures because in each one she's doing a slightly different smile or whatever (I know, I know she is totally my first and only child!). ;o)  Don't worry.  I don't want to turn into one of those people you pass by that pulls you in and takes out their wallet and forces you to sit through hours of looking through family photos.  I will try and resist and only post a few!  I hope you had a happy Halloween!

"I Scream" Shirt Tutorial

I made this "i scream" onesie the other day for a cute little baby.  Do you want to make one?  Well then, here you go...

Supplies

-I Scream Pattern Download

-something to applique (shirt, baby bib, onesie, etc.)

-scrap fabric

-coordinating thread

-Wonder Under or fusible web of choice (Wonder Under can be purchased by the yard at any fabric store)

-freezer paper (can be found at most grocery stores)

-exacto knife

-cutting mat

-fabric paint (I used a textile medium mixed in with acrylic paint, more info below)

-foam paint brush

-tape

-all the usual sewing supplies (sewing machine, scissors, iron etc.)

 Freezer Paper Stencil

1- Print pattern and trace "i scream" onto the paper side (dull side) of your freezer paper.  I have heard that if you cut your freezer paper to be 8 1/2" x 11"  then you can print directly onto it but my printer is finicky and won't take it, but maybe yours will!

2- Tape your pattern onto your cutting mat and cut it out with your exacto knife very carefully.  Take your time.  Remember to save the inside of the letters e and a.

3- Place your stencil where you want it on top of the onesie.  Make sure you put the inside of the e and a back into place.  Iron down the stencil very well. This prevents any paint from leaking.

4- Grab your fabric paint.  If you are using a textile medium like I did (which turns any craft paint into fabric paint) mix them according to the directions on the bottle.  I chose to buy the textile medium because I already have a bunch of acrylic paint and that way I have lots of color options for any freezer paper stenciling I do in the future.  I found the stuff I used at Joann's for $2.99.  Don't forget your coupon! 

5- Put another piece of freezer paper in the middle of your onesie to protect it from any leaks.  Now get painting!  I use a dry foam brush and paint on very thin coats until I get the desired color/coverage.  Let your paint completely dry.  Once it is dry, heat set your paint by turning the onesie inside out and placing a cloth on top and iron as usual.

Creating the Applique Ice Cream Cone

6-Trace the the cone pattern onto the paper side of your Wonder Under.  Remember that your image will be reversed but for this case it doesn't really matter.

7- Iron Wonder Under onto the wrong side of your fabric scraps.

8- Cut out your pattern pieces and peel off the backing.  Arrange the pieces however you'd like onto the onesie and iron them into place according to your fusible web instructions.  For Wonder Under I just stuck my iron right on top of it and gave it plenty of heat for about 20 seconds moving the iron back and forth.

9- A little trick I learned for appliqueing on stretchy fabric, such as a onesie, is to stick a piece of paper underneath the onesie.  When you do this the machine grabs onto the paper instead of the stretchy fabric.  This helps to avoid any puckers in the fabric and makes it a lot easier!

10- I used a normal straight stitch to applique but turned the stitch length down so I would have more control going around all those curves!  If you use a straight stitch instead of a zig-zag (the typical stitch used when appliqueing), then your applique may fray a bit when washed.  I like the look of that but if you don't, then use a zig-zag stitch.

11- To applique, stitch along the very edge of all your applique pieces (make sure you are only sewing through one layer and not sewing the shirt closed!).  I thought it would be cute to stitch through the middle of the cone to create a waffle pattern but then I got lazy!  Once you are done, clip your threads and carefully tear away the paper. Your shirt is complete!

Pair it with some matching hair clips and you are set!

Come back tomorrow.  I am doing a blog swap where I'll show you how to make the flower clips.

I will be linking to some of these parties.  Check them out for more crafty ideas!

Another Car Seat Canopy

I know, I know.  These have been around forever but it doesn't make them any less cute! :o)  Here is another car seat canopy I made for a gift.  I love the fabric, they are both from Amy Butler's Love collection.  I have a little bit left that I can't wait to use up on who knows what. 

To make a car seat canopy, you basically just need to know the measurements for the main blanket and then from there just do whatever you want.  

I did patchwork straps on this one because I wanted the cute polk-a-dots to show.  Here you can find the cover I made for my daughter's car seat and a few links to tutorials to make your own!

Linking to Blue Cricket Design 
and

Black Apple Doll

I made this doll for my niece's third birthday.  There is a how-to video, tutorial and pattern available on Martha Stewart; you can find it HERE.  By the way, she's not wearing a belly shirt, ha ha!  The middle fabric is actually pink but from this picture it looks like she has on a two piece. 

These dolls come together really quick and can be made entirely out of scrap fabric.  If you make them, make sure you notice that there is not a seem allowance for the arms and legs so you sew right on the line otherwise you are going to end up with some skinny, little stick arms!  Another tip, I used a fine-point permanent marker for the face instead of painting it on and a colored pencil to make rosy cheeks and it seemed to work just fine!

Linking to Someday Crafts.

Shirred Summer Dress

I made this little dress for McKinley a while ago.  My mom helped me finish it up by adding the straps I made because I got lazy!  Sometimes I think I have craft A.D.D.  I start making something and then I get bored and move onto something else without finishing the first thing even though the only thing left to do is add the straps! 

I used the same shirring technique tutorials as the last shirt I made for McKinley.  Once you get your tension right on your machine, shirring is just as easy as sewing a straight line!

 I couldn't get my model to look at me.  She was too busy looking around.  We also made a matching flower for her headband.  I made the flower kind of like the one I made for Kinley's car seat canopy except I found a much faster way of making them too bad I don't remember where I saw it online! Sorry.  Anyways, I think it turned out pretty cute!

I'm "shirr" crazy and other crafty stuff to make

That just might be the cheesiest title I've ever done. I just learned how to shirr and now I want to shirr everything! I made this little top for McKinley. Shirring is really easy although I must admit it took me a while to get the tension on my sewing machine right and the thread kept getting jammed over and over again until I got it just perfect and after that it was so fast! I don't swear but I wanted to curse like a sailor after the fifth time my machine jammed up...grrr! Here are a few tutorials that taught me how to shirr HERE and a cute dress made with shirring HERE. I want to make a fun summer dress next.


Here's McKinley modeling as we were planting my father-in-law's garden. We planted ours too and I'm so excited because last year we planted a garden and it all died when Kinley was born so we didn't get to enjoy it. I can't wait for homemade salsa with garden fresh tomatoes, yummy!


I've lost my camera and a lot of these pictures are from my cell phone, I'm sure you can tell which ones. I didn't realize how much I use my camera until I lost it. It's making me crazy! Here's another little creation I made, this necklace. It's a little funky and kind of different but I like it.



It only took like 20 minutes and I made it from some scrap fabric, ribbon these big chunky plastic beads that I got for $3.00 and there is enough to make 6 or 7 necklaces so it's pretty cheap too. THIS is the tutorial I saw but her's are bracelets. I love the lace one she made.

I made this little ball for McKinley a while back and it was one of her favorite toys for months because it is  just the perfect size for babies to pick up and shake. I added a jingle bell to the middle so it rattles.




And here is a picture of it in action. THIS is the tutorial I used.


Another thing I made with some scraps leftover from Kinley's crib bedding and baby blanket are baby bibs. You can piece together the tiniest scraps until you have enough for a bib. You can trace around a bib that you like for a pattern or if you need a pattern HERE is a tutorial with a pattern included.


I've already moved onto "serious" bibs as my sister would call them. You know the ones where they're plastic and cover the entire chest and have a pocket to catch all the food because one of Kinley's favorite things to do when she eats is spit the food back out!