COCOON

One of my sweet blog followers, Sarah, requested a picture of my finished cocoon. So, without further ado, here it is!

FABRIC BANGLES

I made these with my nieces for Cousin’s Camp…

A friend of a friend had put this up on her website with a SUPER easy to follow tutorial. The girls LOVED THEM. They thanked me endlessly for showing them how. I informed them that they could use an old t-shirt (jersey knit – with some stretch to it) to make these bracelets. I just hope they don’t go home and start cutting up clothes and then say “but Aunt Kristy said we could.”

Here is where you can find the tutorial. Thanks Missy!

Owl Bib

While I sit around and wait for this baby to arrive, I’ve added a few more things to my to do list. I found this cute Owl Bib and decided to give it a try. It was really easy to make, and turned out really cute.

It started off with a few different pieces. Eyes, nose, and the owl’s body. The most time consuming part was hand sewing it all together. I did the wings a little differently also.

Here is the owl mostly put together… minus the wings and ties.

Finished Product! I made 2 more rectangle as wings and attached them to the inside of the body (instead of the outside a the pattern wanted)

COCOON

Who says that butterflies are the only ones who need these. Not I. I found the cutest pattern from a blog called Tots and Bottoms for a baby cocoon. My good friend Brittney asked one day if I knew how to make them. I had never tried, but the pattern looked simple enough. So I went out, bought the yarn and got working. It took me about 1 1/2 – 2 hours (which is pretty fast) and it turned out ADORABLE! So cute, I might make one for myself with this little nugget that should be here in a few weeks. I’m no photographer (as I’m also no Martha) but it’s fun to add new things to the list.

Crafts for Baby Alana

What have I been up to? Well, everything to put it shortly. However, it hasn’t stopped me from crafting, it’s just stopped me from blogging about it. So here is a quick catch up to what I’ve been up to.

I’ve been so consumed with home, family, etc… and on top of it all I’ve made things for other’s. I realized that I have been neglecting the baby that is inside me and decided to get working!! I started making this little girl headband after headband. I am also working on a blanket and will be doing a hat and booties also. Crafting is my ME time and it’s such a great release to do things creative. Here’s a little taste…

{Alana’s baby blanket. It’s the exact same one I made here. I used a purplish/pink color. I’m about 1/2 way through. It still needs a border and the ribbon, but I think she’s going to like it.}

{These flower headbands were fun to make. I did the satin flowers and then attached elastic bands to the back. Simple and Dainty. The white one is for Alana’s blessing day.}

{These I made from premade fabric flowers that you can get at any craft store and then attached the elastic to the backs again.}

{And these bands I crocheted. The cream one is from super soft yarn. The white and dark pink ones are from crochet thread and turned out so perfectly. I can’t wait to dress this baby’s head!}

{ I just clipped on flowers I had made for Kalea and Mia. It’ll be fun to reuse these over and over in different combinations.}

And onto what I WILL be doing. I’m going to try and make a tutu for the baby. I bought two different kinds of tulle and some ribbon. I found a tutorial on YOUTUBE on how to make one that requires NO SEWING. Which appeals to me, since I don’t own a sewing machine. We’ll see how it turns out. I’ll be sure to post pictures when it’s finished.

 

Finishing Touches

I finished this baby blanket. It wasn’t hard by any means, but it was time consuming. And it turned out a little smaller then I wanted, but it’s for a baby so I was ok with it. Here is the finished project.

HEADBANDS

So I made some headbands for a friends baby shower. These were the EASIEST thing I’ve made so far. All you need is:

Fabric flowers
Elastic
Needle and Thread
Felt
Hot glue gun

You take your elastic and measure the length. I did newborn headbands and it needed 14” of elastic. Cut your elastic. Take your needle and thread and sew your two ends together (it doesn’t have to be perfect). Once your ends are sewn take your felt and cut a small circle (you may need felt on the back of the flower – which means you’d need 2 circles cut out). Hot glue one circle onto the back of the flower (if needed) then take your elastic (where the end is sewn because it doesn’t look very pretty) and hot glue it between both felt circles. Wahlah! You’re done! Super easy, cute, and dainty!

        

I forgot to mention… You can buy fabric flowers at any craft store in their scrapbooking isles. I bought these ones at Michaels. Also, you CAN dye your elastic to match if you’d like. I’ve never done it, but try and out and let me know how it goes!!

**Thanks to Suzanne for the cute baby pictures.**

Here are the other lengths if you want to make some for older girls:

Newborn: 13 1/4”
3-6 Months: 14 1/2”
6-12 months: 16”
12 Months-Teen: 17 1/2”
Adult: 18”

I WANT TO MAKE THESE!!!

My friend Lindsay told me all about these and they looked super easy to make. So I looked them up and I am IN LOVE. My girls are getting to an age where they aren’t really thrilled with hair bows (or impressed) anymore. Luckily for me, baby girl #3 will be able to wear them if my older girls do not. But I LOVE THEM!

I found them HERE.

APRIL SHOWERS, BRINGS MAY FLOWERS

I have another baby shower coming up. What better time to make a baby blanket. I wanted this one to be different. It’s a work in progress…

First you make one of these…

Then you make like a thousand more… In different colors… And connect them all together…

This is the end result (Just not mine because I need more pink yarn. And I’m doing a slightly different color scheme.)

You can find the pattern here.

RETIRING

Well, not forever, but for the season. Winter has pretty much come and gone in our neck of the woods. I was SO busy and SO thankful for everyone who like my stuff enough to buy something from me. But don’t fret, I’ll be be back next fall and winter. And I think I’ll stock up and make a bunch throughout the summer to keep me caught up. I’ve been very blessed with all of you supporting me and even giving me suggestions and ideas throughout.

I am going to keep making things, mostly gifts. Baby blankets, booties, etc. I made this for a good friend. It turned out so cute that I’ll probably make one for our little girl… eventually.

**I think the brown ribbon around the edging really makes it. Other ideas I thought of  was skipping the ribbon and maybe putting a cluster of flowers in a corner.**

ONE MONTH LATER…

I’MMMMM BAAAAACK. We’ve been REALLY busy around here with all of the house preparations. To bring you up to speed… We are selling our house (or at least going to try to) starting in March. I’ve made it a goal to get the girl’s room to actually LOOK like a girl’s room. So after finally finding an inexpensive ( but cute bedspread) we needed to amp up some of their already established decorations in their room. We had a long shelf that needed to be repainted and hung up. So we painted it a pepto bismal pink (that’s the best way to describe it) and then I needed something on top…

Which brings me to my latest project. It took a couple of weeks to finish. Between sick kids, dinners, cleaning, preschool classes, and regular everyday life I finally finished. My bff Lisa Larson helped me (and pretty much held my hand) throughout the whole thing.  Here’s what we did…

Lisa had a long piece of wood that was about 2 inches thick. We had it cut into pieces 4”, 4 1/2”, and 5” tall. Afterwards, we (Lisa) sanded the blocks for a smooth surface. We both chose our paint colors. I chose a dark chocolate color while Lisa’s was an off white… how appropriate. 

After painting both sides and letting them dry we cut our pieces of scrap paper to fit the front of the paper. We liked a little bit of the brown to show around the front, so the paper was a little bit shorter. We used scrap paper, embellishments, and ribbon from Archivers.  With the scrap paper we Mod Podged the paper and let it dry. Then Lisa happened to have a Cricket which are wicked expensive… I want one. But I’m not holding my breath. We cut out our letters. Mine spelled out “SISTERS” and Lisa’s spelled out “SWEET GIRL”. Then we Mod Podged those on also. After everything dried, we Mod Podged the whole darn thing (we LOOOOVE some Mod Podge… It acts a glue, sealant, and adds a glossy finish. Ok… So time for some embellishments. This was kind of the hardest part. You wanted to incorporate all of your colors, plus you didn’t want to repeat yourself in your patterns. After finally finding the PERFECT combination… Here’s how it turned out.

 

Here’s an up close look to some of the letters…

 
 

I’m REALLY pleased with how they turned out. If I didn’t have Lisa to help me, they would have turned out TERRIBLE!! When I got home I immediately put them up and of course stared adoringly.

And then took too many pictures.

Christmas Crafts

(Quick Shout-Out to my girl Lindsay who I’m “stealing” both of these craft idea’s from. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. )

Here are two fast and easy crafts. My friend Lindsay found this great website where you can make an Ornament Wreath. It only consists of a wire hanger, ~80 ornament balls, and ribbon. I made mine this weekend and it turned our FANTASTIC! It was fast and so fun. My girls had a blast helping me too. Here’s how mine turned out, and here’s where to find it! (Thanks Lindsay for being so crafty!)

Thank you Eddie Ross for being such a creative genius!

The second cute craft I’m also loving! Lindsay (once again) found this little gem. I haven’t personally done this specific craft but I have all the materials rearing to go! 

Here’s Lindsay’s…

Don’t you just LOVE the way the light shines through them? Like little Halo’s. Love it! Beyonce would be proud.

… HERE’S where you can find it.

WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO…

I’ve been a little M.I.A. lately … but for good reason though. I am in charge of a newsletter that our family contributes and then combines together quarterly. This year I’m up to bat as the “editor” (I use that term loosely). During the holiday’s I thought it would be a good idea to put some of our favorite Holiday recipes together into one. So I’ve been busy with that and finally finished the compilation and sent it off to my husband for him to print off for me.

The OTHER thing. The other HUGE thing that I’ve been up to are … well… more hats. I had a crazy idea last Monday that I wanted to make hats for all of my nieces and nephews this Christmas. It’s an inexpensive, yet time consuming idea. It may seem doable to most people. However I have been blessed with 26 nieces and nephews. Which is really fun for out kids to get together and play. It’s like a big party all the time. Not so much fun when you decide to take on a monster project like this. Luckily for me and my obsession I’ve already made 12 hats (minus the flowers which I’ll add later). I just started the boys hats now and are happy how they’re turning out. It’s the colors that I’m worried about. We have half NC State fans in our family. And a few UNC fans. If I make the wrong color hat for the wrong kid… I might have a family feud on my hands.

Here’s how they’ve turned out thus far…

The hats with ribbons can have the ribbon traded out for a flower. It just weaves between X stitches but looks equally as cute with a flower attached. This time around I’m going to put hair clips on the back of the flowers so they can be used as wanted. I think the light pink hats with the chocolate ribbons are my favorites. The yarn is a little daintier but not as easy to work with (in my opinion). The other will be warmer though.

 

My 1 boy hat. It’s obviously NC State colors and was easy to make. It’s been a little harder to gauge the size of the nephews hats. The girls are easier for me to eyeball. Especially since I can try them out on their heads. I’d rather them turn out too big than too small so they can grow into them.

A Simple 6 Pocket Bag

During the week Better Homes and Gardens sends me emails on how to be more creative. Some of it’s kind of weird but every once in awhile you come across a fun little project that is inexpensive and fun. As soon as I saw this bag I thought it was really cute. Granted, I don’t own a sewing machine and I keep forgetting to steal my mom’s when we go and visit… so I haven’t made this little gem yet. However, I thought I’d pass it along anyways.  It’s a perfect church bag to throw together for your kids or it would make a fun little spring bag depending on the fabric you use. If you’re anything like me, it’ll take you until spring to complete it.

What You'll Need

• 1/4 yard blue print (straps)
• 2/3 yard blue-and-green print (pockets)
• 2  10-1/4-x-14-1/4-inch rectangles thin, firm batting
• 1 yard green print (lining)

Finished Bag

• 8 x 10 x 4 inches
• Quantities are for 44/45-inch-wide, 100% cotton fabrics.
• Measurements include 1/4-inch seam allowances.
• Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.

Cut Your Fabrics

Cut pieces in the following order.

From blue print, cut:
  2  4-x-34-1/2-inch strips

From blue-and-green print, cut:
  2  14-1/2-x-16-1/2-inch rectangles

From green print, cut:
  2  14-1/2-x-20-1/2-inch rectangles

How to Make It

Assemble Straps

1. Fold a blue print 4-x-34-1/2-inch strip in half lengthwise with wrong side inside; press.
2. Open and fold long edges into center; press. Refold in half and press. Topstitch 1/8 inch from outer edges to make a strap.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 to make a second strap. 

Assemble Bag Units

1. Fold one blue-and-green print 14-1/2-x-16-1/2-inch rectangle in half lengthwise with wrong side inside to make an 8-1/4-x-14-1/2-inch pocket rectangle; press. Repeat with remaining blue-and-green print rectangle to make a second pocket rectangle.
2. Referring to Diagram 2, with right sides together, layer a green print 14-1/2-x-20-1/2-inch lining rectangle and a pocket rectangle. Place a 10-1/4-x-14-1/2-inch batting rectangle under the layered pieces; pin all layers together.
3. Referring to Diagram 2, pin ends of a strap to the bottom edge of layered pieces, leaving 4 inches between strap edges.
4. Place a pin on each side of strap 10 1/4 inches from bottom edge. Beginning at bottom edge of layered pieces, topstitch one side of strap up to the pin marking 10 1/4 inches; remove pin, sew across strap, and topstitch back down to bottom edge. Repeat with remaining side of strap to complete one bag unit.
5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 to make a second bag unit.

Layer Bag Units

6. Layer bag units' with right sides together; pin. Pin loose portion of straps in place to prevent catching them in stitching. Join units around all edges, leaving a 5-inch opening at top center for turning (Diagram 3). Press seams open. 

Finish Bag

7. To shape flat bottom for bag, at one corner match bottom seam line to side seam line, creating a flattened triangle (Diagram 4). Measuring 2 inches from point of triangle, draw a 4-inch-long line across triangle. Sew on drawn line. Trim excess fabric. Repeat with remaining bottom corner of bag, and both corners of green print lining.
8. Turn bag right side out through opening and finger-press seams. Slip-stitch lining opening closed. Insert lining into bag.

I DID IT!!

As many of you may remember, I tried crocheting 2 years ago. It was a terrible, horrible experience. I was pregnant with my 3rd baby and I thought I kick it old school by making him a blanket. It turned out to be the size of an square oven mitt. I threw it away (in the outside garbage, that’s how disgusted I was) and bagged up all of my crocheting materials and never looked back. UNTIL NOW!! My husband is constantly telling me to find a hobby which is hard for me since I don’t play sports (stop laughing) and the only things I’m good at are playing piano and making jokes. So I branched out. I enjoy reading. I enjoy baking (not so much cooking… there IS a difference). And now I enjoy CROCHETING!!  I have to admit I raveled and unraveled my yarn about a gazillion times. Christian at one point made the comment, “You look really OLD right now.” And I worked long hours on my projects that my hands and fingers would start cramping and my elbows would get stiff. It baffles me how old ladies can do this for so long when I’m feeling pre-arthritic as we speak. However, I have conquered and accomplished something I’m SUPER proud of.  I started off with hats thinking that was the easiest way to go (especially since the thought of making blankets put a bad taste in my mouth). After feeling confident in that area I moved on to other things. It’s really easy to find free patterns online and if you’re feeling discouraged, always know there is a sweet old lady on YOUTUBE who is more then happy to hold your hand and show you how to create the right stitches. The trick is getting your tension right so your project doesn’t turn into a hat that would only fit a newborn (unless that’s the goal, of course.)

Here is one of the first hats I made. Kalea’s not a fan of the dark grey but I love it. I told her she doesn’t have to be covered head-to-toe in pink. She doesn’t agree. The grey yarn is thick so it was really fast to make. It’s really thick which will keep her noggin warm at the bus stop in the mornings. I thought about making my own similar to this one, but I’m pretty sure the flower will make me look 10 years old which is a deal breaker for me.

Mia’s hat is the exact same pattern just with a thinner yarn. They both look so different, but cute on such cute girls!

The latest project that I just finished is this baby shower gift that I gave to an awesome chick and her unborn babe. The hat… easy. The booties… easy (once I got the hang of it). The blanket… uh… apparently blankets are my Achilles Heel. The pattern I found online was so cute I wanted to try it. Plus the lady said this blanket was fast to make. She SAID it was a 3 hour project. IT TOOK ME 3 DAYS. 3 days people. But it turned out so adorable and it was well worth the time and practice.

{Similar to Mia’s but much much smaller}

{The booties were confusing at first. I made 2 right booties on accident along with too much pink and not enough white on one of them. But EVENTUALLY mastered it.}

It’s called a Bubbles Baby Blanket. This little bit probably took me 4 hours…

 

{Here is the finished product. The pattern didn’t have any kind of edging but I wanted to make it look a little more girly.}

Here is the finished product. I was really nervous when she opened my gift. I’d never MADE a baby shower gift before and was kind of out of my element about it. However, I’m really pleased how it turned out.

Here are a few other websites where I’ve found really cute projects for kids and adults.
Ava Hat (toddler size)
Berroco Hat (adult women’s)
Flapper Hat (adult women’s)
Black and White Mary Janes (baby/toddler)
Slouchy Hat (adult women’s)
Ruffled Mary Janes (baby/toddler)