Published on
April 25, 2010 in
Baby and Crafts & Sewing.
Tags: Art, bee, children, Crafts & DIY, game, hide-a-bee, hide-a-bug, ladybug, paint, rock, toddler.
A while back, I was flipping through an old Family Fun magazine where I read about a game called Hide-a-bee. Basically, they painted a rock to look like a bee and then “hid” it in plain site for the little kids to find. The first child who found the bee got to hide it for the next round, and so on. I was charmed by the simple concept (even for a toddler to grasp) and the inexpensive painted rock art. I made a few for Chloe this week (including a hide-a-bug ladybug). Its portability makes it handy for our upcoming flight, and if we lose it, hey, it’s just a rock!
More rock craft inspiration found here.
Published on
February 5, 2010 in
Crafts & Sewing, Things to Make and holiday.
Tags: Card, Crafts & DIY, diy, download, flower, free, love, make, pdf, print, template, valentine.
Print your own card – I had a little extra time to whip up two cards that are free to download and print! The “Your love means the world to me” flower card measures 3.5 x 5 inches and the diagonal label card that reads “Thoughts for you, my love, on Valentine’s Day” measures 4 x 6 inches. There are two versions of the flower card, one with the flowers printed on the cover and the other with the flowers printed on the side. The side flowers are there so you can cut them out separately and adhere them with foam tape for a 3-dimensional look (like in the photo). Enjoy!
Download version 1 | version 2 (3D)
Download Valentine Label Card
I’m happy to say that I completed a craft project for January! I had seen a pair of fleece baby mittens in a store downtown and couldn’t believe the price tag said $20 bucks! More than I’d spend for two tiny swatches of fleece that Chloe would use only for another month or two. Plus, I hate to admit it, but her grandma sent out a set earlier in the year that Chloe wore once before we misplaced them. Not a good track record for us.
All in all, it was pretty easy once I got started. Unfortunately, one of my bad habits is spending way too much time thinking about a project, instead of just trying to do it. The leftover fleece came from my stash, and though it took two tries to get the shape and size right, I’m pretty happy with the results. I worked on these after Chloe went to bed, so they were hand sewn. I kind of hemmed and hawed over leaving the wrist edges raw (one thing I love about fleece), but then decided to finish with a blanket stitch. I also added a ribbon to secure them to her wrists. Sewing on velcro or elastic just seemed too complicated for my limited skill and patience.
I think the funnest part of the project was doing a mini photoshoot with Chloe! She really liked them! I thought she might have a problem grasping things, but she didn’t seem to at all. If I have time, I’ll post my pattern and maybe a brief tutorial. Now, all I need to do is find a new recipe to try and I’ll be done with my blogging goals for the month!
P.S. We found her old mittens in the tray compartment of the stroller. Of course! And I’m also proud to say I made her hat, too. The easiest beginner knit hat ever. I see more of those in her future.
I’ve been feeling unsure about what to write regarding the tragedy in Haiti. So much has been written, far better expressed than anything I could have put down on paper. But I feel like I would be remiss to remain silent. With that in mind I am going to link to these posts on SouleMama and House on Hill Road, simply because I have read them most recently and they in turn provide links to information and ways to help.
Also, if you are a crafter and have something you could donate, please check out Craft Hope. All proceeds will benefit Doctors Without Borders. Already the crafting community and those who purchase handmade goods are showing their generosity – according to the most recent post the Craft Hope for Haiti Etsy shop has made 162 sales and raised almost $4000 $10,000! All those contributions (including those seemingly small ones) really add up, so please take a look.
Published on
January 6, 2010 in
Baby and Crafts & Sewing.
Tags: Baby, Collage, Crafts & DIY, frame, gift, Keepsake, one, Photos, poster, year.
I thought I’d share this collage I made for the grandmas (framed) and great-grandmas (5×7 matted) for Christmas this year. David and I aren’t big on hanging family pictures (thus there are none around, mostly due to lack of space), but I might try and make room for this one. It is sort-of an updated version of this Mother’s Day photo card I put together when Chloe was 6-months old. It might have been easier to choose just one image per month, but I obviously got carried away.
Published on
December 17, 2009 in
Crafts & Sewing and Free Downloads.
Tags: christmas, Crafts & DIY, diy, download, free, gift, holiday, modern, ornaments, print, tags.
I was hoping to make a brand new set of gift tags to give away this year, but time just seems to be slipping away! Instead, please enjoy this updated color set, or feel free to download the original color set. Why buy tags when you can download and print them for free?!
Also, the following downloads are still available from previous years:
…
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Holiday Gift Checklist 2007 / Happy Holidays Card / Printable Snowflake Giftwrap
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Holiday Gift Tags / Holiday Cheer Board Game / From Me to You for the Holidays
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Little Bird Notecard Set / Snowflake Placecards
Published on
October 8, 2009 in
Crafts & Sewing and tutorials.
Tags: applique, cat, Crafts & DIY, dishtowels, diy, fabric, gift, handtowels, Home, make, sewing, step-by-step, towels, tutorial.
While we were in Colorado earlier this month, I had an opportunity to watch my mother-in-law make this fun set of appliqued handtowels as a gift. She made it look so easy! Here are the materials and steps she used:
Materials
Dishtowel
Double sided fusible interface
Fabric scrap for the design
Thread for both the top side and bottom side
1. Find an image that you like and cut the shape out of both the interface and fabric. Sandy chose to use this cat image.
2. Sandwich the fusible interface between the dishtowel and the fabric, and iron them together until they are properly adhered.
3. Using a satin stitch (also called applique stitch, or tight zig-zag stitch), sew around the border of your shape. This will cover the raw edges of the fabric. I was surprised to note that Sandy kept the feed dog up, yet was able to move the fabric around with her fingers pretty easily.
4. After the border of the shape is done, use a pencil to draw the inner details to be “traced” by stitching. Sandy wanted to use a thinner satin stitch, so she adjusted the settings on her sewing machine and did a few tests before continuing.
5. Stitch over the pencil marks to add detail. Sandy noted that it is very helpful to always snip the loose threads as you go.
The finished designs!
Look what arrived in the mail today! My very own copy of the 2010 Sewing Calendar! It features over 100 cute and inspiring sewing projects, including my Felt Photo Album tutorial! It is so cool to see one of my projects in print. No, I don’t get any perks from being included or from the sale of the calendar, but it just feels good, you know? Which reminds me, I haven’t done anything crafty for the longest time. Perhaps it is time to start something. 
P.S. The photo above is from Amazon, but Made by Petchy has some nice detail photos here.
Published on
March 22, 2009 in
Baby, Crafts & Sewing, Etsy and handmade.
Tags: Baby, cards, Crafts & DIY, Etsy, felt, flowers, free, gifts, giveaway, handmade.
I finally found some time to make some new hair clips! These are just so fun. I can’t wait until Chloe has enough hair. Meanwhile it gives me plenty of time to build up my stash, since I’ve been giving most away as little gifts. I also decided to add a few to my sorely neglected etsy shop, and included a couple with matching cards:
Would you like to win the white felt flower hair clip in the top photo? Leave a comment below on this post and I’ll announce a random winner next weekend. Good Luck!
I forgot to mention this, but I’m hosting a swap on swap-bot called Handmade for Baby – Useful. The signup ends today, but here is the listing description if anyone is interested…
Find yourself making all kinds of handmade baby items? This is the chance to share your talent!
Each swap partner will make something handmade (and useful) for their partner’s baby. This could be burp cloths, handmade disposable diaper, onesie or t-shirt, bib(s), booties, quilt or blanket, diaper changing mat, etc. The important thing is that the item is handmade with care in some way – sewn, embellished, knit, embroidered, etc.
In the comments section (on the swapbot page), you can state if you have a boy or a girl and provide their name, if you’d like. Partners may not make a specific request, but can include one thing that they WOULD NOT want to receive. If you choose to make something that needs a specific size (clothing or diaper), then it is important that you message your partner.
Here’s a peek at our new Ikea dresser and bookcase. Holding up the lamp
and shade is Louis the lion, one of our many wonderful shower gifts.
I finally sat down to sew baby’s blanket. The print side is leftover Alexander Henry Kleo fabric from the lovely crib skirt my mother-in-law made, and the back is pink dot minky. At the baby shower, we received two pink and white minky quilts, so I was able to return one and buy a yard of plain pink minky fabric instead.
I noticed the price of minky varies widely at our local shops. I first saw it for $20/yard where we purchased the Kleo fabric. Then I bought it elsewhere for $15, and used a coupon. Later I found it at Joann’s for $12.99/yard, but their pink wasn’t the right match.
The other thing about Minky is that it is a little hard to work with, as my mother-in-law warned me. Plus I’m a newbie sewer and had never made anything with stretchy material before. Knowing this, I tried to put in a little more effort – smoothing out the material, pinning it more often to keep creeping to a minimum, using a longer stitch length to keep the edges from buckling, decreasing the tension, and sewing it with the minky side down.
I started by cutting out matching rectangles from both fabrics. With the right sides facing, I stitched the perimeter with rounded corners, leaving a small open section at one end to turn it right side out. I trimmed and graded the raw edges, turned it right side out, and then top stitched it about a half inch from the edge. The finished size is about 30″ x 40″. I think it looks pretty good, considering.
Now, onto other baby projects…
My hair clip tutorial was featured on the front page of Whip up yesterday! That is so exciting! Thanks to everyone who is stopping by and leaving such wonderful and supportive comments. Yay!
Matchbox Dresser Drawers 2.25 x 1.5 x 2 inches (shown with mini pink post-it notes)
I have been so bad lately about making things for swaps and not photographing them. I get all wrapped up in sending them out and don’t think about it until too late. This little chest of drawers is the only thing remaining from craft time this week. It’s made up of 6 matchboxes, based upon this matchbox dresser tutorial. I used paper instead of paint, brads for the drawer pulls, and felt rounds for the feet. Each drawer contains little surprises. Tomorrow it is on its way to Sweden.
Bottlecap Pincushion 1.125 x 1.75 inches
I also made two bottlecap pincushions, which I forgot to photograph. Here, however, is one that was sent to me. Isn’t it darling? There is a little yellow bird with a beaded eye on both sides, so it’s uber cute in every direction. Thanks Crystal!
I picked up this button the last time I was at Mill End. I’ve never really been a button person A) because they usually look too old-fashioned, or ornate to me and B) because I don’t know how to sew a button-hole yet. But I browsed the racks on my way out and came across this elegant little teapot novelty button by the German manufacturer Dill Buttons. I actually walked away, twice, but I knew I’d regret it if I came back and it wasn’t there.
The thing is, what am I going to do with it? Where could I put it and make it look like it belongs? Probably not a large project, which would just swallow it (it’s not quite an inch tall). Maybe something asian? And smallish? A clutch, maybe? Or does the teapot shape look too food-y to be put on an accessory? Not to mention I could never carry a clutch. I would put it down and loose it in a heartbeat. So… anyone willing to share some ideas?
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