I'm so excited because I have my two Amy Butler purses cut out and they are ready to be assembled. I think they will have to be shelved for a bit though as I work on an extremely wonderful project.
I really love sewing and when I discovered Craft Hope, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. She just announced a new project this week and I'm glad to say that I will be making some nice tote bags for these kid-os. Please check out her website and the inspiration for the current project, Project 16-Little Warriors, here. If you have time to spare to take part in this project, please do! I have 4 bags cut out and I have lots of remnants that I can use. Now, I just have to find the time! I'll let you know when they are finished!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Handmade Christmas Gifts
Well, it's a new year and I am going to try and get this blog up and running this year! Hopefully, it will help me to stay motivated to finish the piles of projects that I have lying around the house. I am going to look into Etsy finally and see if that is something I want to pursue, but for now, I just want to fill everyone in on the projects I've been working on. I can't believe that it was just last Christmas (2010) that I got my sewing machine! I have learned so much in the past year and am looking forward to more complex projects including clothes this year! We'll see how it goes! Now, on to the post...
So, we have 3 nieces and 2 nephews between our families. I love them so much...they are each so amazing! Anyway, I wanted to make them each something this Christmas just because I think it is extra special when you give someone a hand made gift. I can only hope that when they wear it or snuggle up with it that they can feel the love and care that I was feeling when I made it.
This summer, my nephew from Texas was visiting us and I had just finished a black and gold Hawkeye beach robe for my son. And, of course, I can't find a picture of him wearing it :(
Again, they are super easy to make. I would highly recommend using a beach towel that doesn't have a thick nap...they don't shed as much. These are just bath towels from Target and TJ Maxx, so they were really bad at shedding. There will forever be black specs in the carpet of the sewing room (until we get rid of it and that will hopefully be soon)!
(Beach robe pattern from Dana-easy pattern to follow with amazing step by step instructions and beautiful pictures!)
So...Texas was taken care of. Now onto Iowa.
Our nieces that live in Iowa are getting harder and harder to shop for. It used to be so easy...princess and pink. But, they are fast approaching that tween age and are "too old" for My Little Pony and Care Bears. So, with the suggestion from their Mommy, I set out to find them some sleeping bags. They are not campers, but they are starting to go to a lot of slumber parties and they wanted something more age appropriate (my words, not theirs). WOW! Have you ever looked to see how much personalized sleeping bags are! Pottery Barn Kids had some cute ones, but man...I have to buy two and I just can't afford those prices! I looked and looked and looked. Finally, I gave up. I knew what colors they liked and what their interests are. One is really into gymnastics and the other really likes dancing. Hey...I could make them sleeping bags! I looked and there was very limited information out there AND I'm afraid of zippers AND time was getting away from me! So, I decided I would just get some solid color sleeping bags and personalize them myself. My thought was to paint some silhouettes of gymnasts and dancers on their bags and maybe their names. I drug out my sleeping and did a little testing on it. I had learned this great technique called Freezer Paper Stenciling and I thought as long as I could iron the freezer paper on the sleeping bag, then I would be in the clear. It ironed on, but you know how sleeping bag material is...I got scared. If I messed up these bags, that would be money down the drain. After all of that, here is the final product!
I decided to make them their own sleeping bag bags that are big enough to put the sleeping bag and a little travel pillow into. The thought is that they will be able to put the pillow inside the sleeping bag, roll it up, put it in the bag and pull the string. I hope it works out that easily for them! :) I was inspired by this pin I had pinned on Pinterest and just modified a few things, but it is basically the same. I chose colors that each of them liked and made coordinating pillow cases (also made from one of my pins on Pinterest...I love that site!).
So, that leaves one nephew to go. He joined our family this year (was adopted from Russia) and I hadn't really made anything for him yet, so this was my chance. My first Christmas with my extended family, I asked my mom to make my nieces each a rag quilt (as seen here) because at that time, I didn't sew. Well, I didn't want to spend all of the time cutting and piecing all of those squares together, so I found a little easier version here. I pulled out some cute puppy dog flannel that I had and started piecing it together with a solid red. It was turning out really cute, but really small. So, I added two more strips and I think it turned out to be the perfect toddler size! My only modification to this one was that I didn't bind it. I just sewed a seam around the edge and then clipped it so that it would fray as well. He was so cute when we gave it to him, he kept putting it over his head and saying, "Night! Night!" And of course, I didn't take my camera that day, so I will have to wait and update with a photo the next time we go to see them.
And, don't worry...I didn't leave out my little guy! His handmade 'special mommy' present was actually supposed to be a birthday present, but it wasn't ready. So, I worked on it and got it done for Christmas-and almost forgot to wrap it for him! I made him a personalized ABC book. I had seen one done on Pinterest (of course-I'm really starting to wonder if I'll ever have an original thought again! ) and really wanted one for him. It was pretty easy. I used 5X7 divider cards and put a letter on each tab. I made a list of what I wanted each letter to stand for. I was lucky that none of his cousins have the same letter as their first names so they each got their own pages. They are all pictures from my camera that were taken...except for one! I made the letter pages in Word and the photo pages in Photoshop. Cut 'em out, glued 'em on and then laminated each divider. That part didn't work so well, so I had to go around the edges with packing tape. If I were to do it again, I think I would use clear contact paper. Then, it was just punching holes and putting them in the binder rings! Here are a few of the pages...
And of course, this is our one picture that we didn't take. It is Wall-E and Eve 'dancing' in space. He loves that movie and always says zoom when you talk about Eve.
So, that is what I was busy with around Christmas! I am working on a few projects right now that I'm so excited about! I just bought these two Amy Butler patterns...
I have the Harmony handbag (left) already cut out (it took me 2 nights and still didn't get all of the pieces I needed) and now I'm ready to sew it together. I got the perfect material for the Sophia bag the other day and am just waiting on the pattern to come in from Amazon. I have wanted this purse for a long time. I'm hoping the Harmony handbag goes together easily because I think I want to make the larger tote version, but we'll see. I will keep you posted on these plus a MILLION other projects I have waiting in line for completion!
So, we have 3 nieces and 2 nephews between our families. I love them so much...they are each so amazing! Anyway, I wanted to make them each something this Christmas just because I think it is extra special when you give someone a hand made gift. I can only hope that when they wear it or snuggle up with it that they can feel the love and care that I was feeling when I made it.
This summer, my nephew from Texas was visiting us and I had just finished a black and gold Hawkeye beach robe for my son. And, of course, I can't find a picture of him wearing it :(
Anyway, Nephew really liked it and wanted one too. Unfortunately, he is bigger than the sizes that came with the pattern, so we got inventive, got the measuring tape and freezer paper out and before long, I had a pattern for a bigger robe. I was hoping to finish it while he was here, but that didn't happen. Then, once he left, it just kind of got pushed to the back of the sewing table. When my parents were here in October, he asked if they would bring it home for him. That would have been great if I had finished it. So, no robe and I was hoping that maybe he would forget. You see...I had gotten another towel to make one for my niece (his sister) had it all cut out and accidentally threw one of the sleeves away with the scraps. Took me a long time to find the same towel again and I wanted to have both of them finished before I gave either one of them one. So, it was a perfect Christmas present! Even better...I got them both finished! I didn't take any pictures throughout the process...it's not a tutorial, I purchased that pattern (so should you!) and here are the finished products.
Again, they are super easy to make. I would highly recommend using a beach towel that doesn't have a thick nap...they don't shed as much. These are just bath towels from Target and TJ Maxx, so they were really bad at shedding. There will forever be black specs in the carpet of the sewing room (until we get rid of it and that will hopefully be soon)!
(Beach robe pattern from Dana-easy pattern to follow with amazing step by step instructions and beautiful pictures!)
So...Texas was taken care of. Now onto Iowa.
Our nieces that live in Iowa are getting harder and harder to shop for. It used to be so easy...princess and pink. But, they are fast approaching that tween age and are "too old" for My Little Pony and Care Bears. So, with the suggestion from their Mommy, I set out to find them some sleeping bags. They are not campers, but they are starting to go to a lot of slumber parties and they wanted something more age appropriate (my words, not theirs). WOW! Have you ever looked to see how much personalized sleeping bags are! Pottery Barn Kids had some cute ones, but man...I have to buy two and I just can't afford those prices! I looked and looked and looked. Finally, I gave up. I knew what colors they liked and what their interests are. One is really into gymnastics and the other really likes dancing. Hey...I could make them sleeping bags! I looked and there was very limited information out there AND I'm afraid of zippers AND time was getting away from me! So, I decided I would just get some solid color sleeping bags and personalize them myself. My thought was to paint some silhouettes of gymnasts and dancers on their bags and maybe their names. I drug out my sleeping and did a little testing on it. I had learned this great technique called Freezer Paper Stenciling and I thought as long as I could iron the freezer paper on the sleeping bag, then I would be in the clear. It ironed on, but you know how sleeping bag material is...I got scared. If I messed up these bags, that would be money down the drain. After all of that, here is the final product!
I decided to make them their own sleeping bag bags that are big enough to put the sleeping bag and a little travel pillow into. The thought is that they will be able to put the pillow inside the sleeping bag, roll it up, put it in the bag and pull the string. I hope it works out that easily for them! :) I was inspired by this pin I had pinned on Pinterest and just modified a few things, but it is basically the same. I chose colors that each of them liked and made coordinating pillow cases (also made from one of my pins on Pinterest...I love that site!).
And, don't worry...I didn't leave out my little guy! His handmade 'special mommy' present was actually supposed to be a birthday present, but it wasn't ready. So, I worked on it and got it done for Christmas-and almost forgot to wrap it for him! I made him a personalized ABC book. I had seen one done on Pinterest (of course-I'm really starting to wonder if I'll ever have an original thought again! ) and really wanted one for him. It was pretty easy. I used 5X7 divider cards and put a letter on each tab. I made a list of what I wanted each letter to stand for. I was lucky that none of his cousins have the same letter as their first names so they each got their own pages. They are all pictures from my camera that were taken...except for one! I made the letter pages in Word and the photo pages in Photoshop. Cut 'em out, glued 'em on and then laminated each divider. That part didn't work so well, so I had to go around the edges with packing tape. If I were to do it again, I think I would use clear contact paper. Then, it was just punching holes and putting them in the binder rings! Here are a few of the pages...
And of course, this is our one picture that we didn't take. It is Wall-E and Eve 'dancing' in space. He loves that movie and always says zoom when you talk about Eve.
So, that is what I was busy with around Christmas! I am working on a few projects right now that I'm so excited about! I just bought these two Amy Butler patterns...
I have the Harmony handbag (left) already cut out (it took me 2 nights and still didn't get all of the pieces I needed) and now I'm ready to sew it together. I got the perfect material for the Sophia bag the other day and am just waiting on the pattern to come in from Amazon. I have wanted this purse for a long time. I'm hoping the Harmony handbag goes together easily because I think I want to make the larger tote version, but we'll see. I will keep you posted on these plus a MILLION other projects I have waiting in line for completion!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
GO HAWKS!
I'm really excited about it. It has a pocket on the front of it that proves to be handy for keys, pens or other small things. I hope that it finds a good home! :)
Sunday, August 21, 2011
An Afternoon Project...
...that took a week to finish! Never have I had a project that every step I did the result ended up in me adding another step!
So, I may have mentioned this before, but I have a new obsession called PINTEREST. It's awesome! Kind of like a huge virtual pin board and you can see all of the things everyone else pins. I like it because it is a place for me to keep all of the tutorials and project ideas that I want to try. If you haven't checked it out, you should!
I saw this post on Pinterest and saved it to my board.
I thought...hmmm, I could do Max's whole name. Pick up a few cheap frames at the re-sale store as well as some Hot Wheels, cut big letters out of black contact paper, stick it on some foam core and be done with it. Yeah, right! I only found 2 cars and no frames, so I was back to step one. I really wanted to do this, but didn't want to spend a lot of money doing it. A friend of mine was over last weekend and we set off to Hobby Lobby to see if I could find some decent frames in the 1/2 off sale. Well, no luck, but we started walking around and I saw the canvases and thought I could make that work. Just paint the letter on and glue the cars. Wouldn't need a frame and it would be easy to hang. They had 2 packs on sale and the black craft paint was on sale too.
The first step was to get the letters onto the canvas...how do I do this. Well, there was a link for a DIY overhead projector using a lamp and cardboard box. A lady had put her transparency in front of it and used it to enlarge a drawing on her wall. Well, it didn't work for me. So, I broke out the ruler and pencil. Figured it was 3 letter with straight lines. I measured the width of 2 cars, added a little extra and drew my letters on. Then it was time to paint them. I had to do about 3 coats to get it nice and covered. I had this...
I decided that I did not like the white background since I wasn't going to frame it and I could see some smudges from the pencil marks. Since there is no good way to get pencil off of canvas, I decided I was going to paint the background a solid color. Hubby voted for green, so off I went to get some more paint.
Of course, I chose a shade that was too dark and had a hard time seeing where the letter was. So, now I had to outline the letters...great. Not only were all of these new steps being added, but each step was another way of potentially messing up the whole project. Every step I started with the A because that was the easiest letter to draw and I had one extra canvas, so I thought I could re-do it if I had to. OK, so there I sat one night with my silver paint and my little paint brush going around each letter at least twice.
I ended up with a decent product! I thought I was in the clear. Just the road stripes and glueing the cars on and I am home free...yeah right! I thought the easiest way to do the yellow stripes on the road would be with duct tape. So, I bought a roll and came to the horrible realization that I could not cut a strip long enough because of the stickiness. UGH! A little more investigation and I found a sheet of duct tape. It's duct tape, but comes stuck to a sheet of paper that had a grid on it. Perfect. I sat and cut the lines and cut them into strips and stuck them on. Got them all done and we looked at them and decided they were too thick. Out came the yellow craft paint and paint brush once again! Luckily, I had drawn pencil lines down the middle of the letters to line the tape up with, so I just used those as guides. Then I was left with this...
Nearly finished! I just wanted to do a quick coat of black around the edges and I thought that I needed to put a clear coat over everything before I glued the cars on. Once again, I started with the A. Well, it didn't turn out so well. I got the clear coat thicker in some places and it was just bad looking. I had to repaint the black and green parts of the letters and then decided to forego the clear coat.
On the home stretch now...just have to get the cars glued on. It was a little tricky because I would get the glue on the wheels and then they would turn, but I was bound and determined to get those suckers put on! This morning they were still there and stood the test of being turned upside down.
So, then we just had to hang them up and little man could enjoy looking at his cars!
So, a week after I started this project, it is finally wrapped up! I am happy with how they turned out and I think Max loves them.
Now, onto the next project...
So, I may have mentioned this before, but I have a new obsession called PINTEREST. It's awesome! Kind of like a huge virtual pin board and you can see all of the things everyone else pins. I like it because it is a place for me to keep all of the tutorials and project ideas that I want to try. If you haven't checked it out, you should!
I saw this post on Pinterest and saved it to my board.
I thought...hmmm, I could do Max's whole name. Pick up a few cheap frames at the re-sale store as well as some Hot Wheels, cut big letters out of black contact paper, stick it on some foam core and be done with it. Yeah, right! I only found 2 cars and no frames, so I was back to step one. I really wanted to do this, but didn't want to spend a lot of money doing it. A friend of mine was over last weekend and we set off to Hobby Lobby to see if I could find some decent frames in the 1/2 off sale. Well, no luck, but we started walking around and I saw the canvases and thought I could make that work. Just paint the letter on and glue the cars. Wouldn't need a frame and it would be easy to hang. They had 2 packs on sale and the black craft paint was on sale too.
The first step was to get the letters onto the canvas...how do I do this. Well, there was a link for a DIY overhead projector using a lamp and cardboard box. A lady had put her transparency in front of it and used it to enlarge a drawing on her wall. Well, it didn't work for me. So, I broke out the ruler and pencil. Figured it was 3 letter with straight lines. I measured the width of 2 cars, added a little extra and drew my letters on. Then it was time to paint them. I had to do about 3 coats to get it nice and covered. I had this...
I decided that I did not like the white background since I wasn't going to frame it and I could see some smudges from the pencil marks. Since there is no good way to get pencil off of canvas, I decided I was going to paint the background a solid color. Hubby voted for green, so off I went to get some more paint.
Of course, I chose a shade that was too dark and had a hard time seeing where the letter was. So, now I had to outline the letters...great. Not only were all of these new steps being added, but each step was another way of potentially messing up the whole project. Every step I started with the A because that was the easiest letter to draw and I had one extra canvas, so I thought I could re-do it if I had to. OK, so there I sat one night with my silver paint and my little paint brush going around each letter at least twice.
I ended up with a decent product! I thought I was in the clear. Just the road stripes and glueing the cars on and I am home free...yeah right! I thought the easiest way to do the yellow stripes on the road would be with duct tape. So, I bought a roll and came to the horrible realization that I could not cut a strip long enough because of the stickiness. UGH! A little more investigation and I found a sheet of duct tape. It's duct tape, but comes stuck to a sheet of paper that had a grid on it. Perfect. I sat and cut the lines and cut them into strips and stuck them on. Got them all done and we looked at them and decided they were too thick. Out came the yellow craft paint and paint brush once again! Luckily, I had drawn pencil lines down the middle of the letters to line the tape up with, so I just used those as guides. Then I was left with this...
Nearly finished! I just wanted to do a quick coat of black around the edges and I thought that I needed to put a clear coat over everything before I glued the cars on. Once again, I started with the A. Well, it didn't turn out so well. I got the clear coat thicker in some places and it was just bad looking. I had to repaint the black and green parts of the letters and then decided to forego the clear coat.
On the home stretch now...just have to get the cars glued on. It was a little tricky because I would get the glue on the wheels and then they would turn, but I was bound and determined to get those suckers put on! This morning they were still there and stood the test of being turned upside down.
So, then we just had to hang them up and little man could enjoy looking at his cars!
So, a week after I started this project, it is finally wrapped up! I am happy with how they turned out and I think Max loves them.
Now, onto the next project...
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Little Man's Room
I have slowly been getting the little guy's new 'Big Boy Room' set up. He has been sleeping in his big bed for about a month now, but I didn't have the room anywhere near ready for him. Honestly, I thought we would have to gradually move him in, but he really liked his room and slept through the night the first night. Needless to say, there was no turning back. So, I've been doing things here and there. I painted it a few weeks ago. The color turned out to be more blue than I originally wanted it to be, but it is ok.
My favorite thing so far is the toy storage bin in the corner. Inspired by a pin on Pinterest, we bought some waste baskets at IKEA. Daddy and I sat and drilled holes in them, then zip tied them together one day. Works great in the corner!
And, a close second, is another idea from Pinterest. The fabric book sling.
I found some cute fabric at IKEA and since the little dude is all about cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles, I thought it would be perfect!
I wish I would have thought more about where to put it and how long to make it, but I just followed the tutorial. We'll have to move it at some point, but I think it will work well for now.
Here is another project I did.
My hair lady is moving to Nebraska. So sad to see her go. She has been the only one to cut my hair since I moved to Iowa 6 years ago. She became a great friend to me and I will miss her. I made this little pillow for her.
I was impressed with myself...my first pillow and I thought the piping added that extra special touch. I traced a map on the fabric, then went over it with fabric paint. Then the hearts and connection were embroidered on.
So, that's what I've been up to...have some more projects lined up downstairs, so I better get busy!
My favorite thing so far is the toy storage bin in the corner. Inspired by a pin on Pinterest, we bought some waste baskets at IKEA. Daddy and I sat and drilled holes in them, then zip tied them together one day. Works great in the corner!
And, a close second, is another idea from Pinterest. The fabric book sling.
I found some cute fabric at IKEA and since the little dude is all about cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles, I thought it would be perfect!
I wish I would have thought more about where to put it and how long to make it, but I just followed the tutorial. We'll have to move it at some point, but I think it will work well for now.
Here is another project I did.
My hair lady is moving to Nebraska. So sad to see her go. She has been the only one to cut my hair since I moved to Iowa 6 years ago. She became a great friend to me and I will miss her. I made this little pillow for her.
I was impressed with myself...my first pillow and I thought the piping added that extra special touch. I traced a map on the fabric, then went over it with fabric paint. Then the hearts and connection were embroidered on.
So, that's what I've been up to...have some more projects lined up downstairs, so I better get busy!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Pink and Blue Owls!
Seriously...how cute did these turn out? My photography skills need MUCH improvement, but I love these little bags. I made one for me a few months ago and I use it every day. It is great to keep your wallet, phone, keys, chapstick in as well as lunch. It's just the perfect size. On the weekend, I can throw in a few diapers, wipes and a sippy cup and we are ready to go! The front pockets are perfect for your phone and keys so that you can easily find them. There is also a fair amount of spare change in mine! Well, these totes are up for grabs, and I'm sure I'll have plenty more in the future. I've been organizing fabric this week and there are so many cute prints. So, let me know if you're interested!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
S'mores Bars
So, the other day, I was browsing my new addiction, Pinterest. I love it and find myself using it so much. Anyway, found a post for some S'mores bars. They sounded so good, so I thought I would give them a try. I did make a few changes...basically, I used my recipe for egg-free chocolate chip cookies, so the little man could enjoy the gooey yumminess as well!
So, here is how I did it...
Line a jelly roll pan with graham crackers that are broken in half.
Preheat oven at 375.
Cookie Dough
2 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon vinegar (I know, sounds weird, but trust me)
2 Tablespoons apple sauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
In my Kitchen Aid mixer, I cream the softened butter. I add all other ingredients. When mixed well, I add the flour. Once that is all mixed together, fold in:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows
Spoon about a tablespoon of cookie dough over each graham cracker and smoosh it down.
Bake in the oven for 5 minutes. Take them out and put a square of Hershey chocolate bar in the middle of each one (I bought a big bar and had to cut each rectangle in half-I still ran out of chocolate). Put back in the oven and cook for another 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool on rack or eat them while they are warm and gooey!
Hope you enjoy them...great way to have yummy s'mores without the camp fire!
 |
| Before they went in the oven... |
 | |
| Adding the chocolate chunks. That would have been the only improvement...more chocolate! |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)