Playing Santa's Elf

So several weeks ago I had the idea to make super hero capes for the boys for Christmas.  I happened to find some nice cute and red fabric at JoAnn's the other day, so I thought I would give it a try.  These capes were SO easy!  Here is the tutorial I followed, courtesy of How Does She?.  It was seriously super easy to follow.  The only thing I have left to do is add the hero logos.  Any suggestions on how best to do that are welcome!  :)

They are both double-sided--red on one side, blue on the other.
Ignore the lack or ironing!

And again... these are Christmas presents, so shhhhh!  Don't mention it to Evan!  ;)

I made a dress for my baby!

Hooray!  I finally got to make something for my little-one-to-be!  I made it without a pattern, thought I did get some inspiration from several blogs (and Pinterest).  I made it using a onesie and a scrap of cute little pink flowered fabric.  Now.  The band around the waist is not straight and I am aware of it.  I took the seam out and sewed it again, and it is still crooked.  Also, I am going to cover the stitching around the band with some ribbon or something,  That being said, I think it's not too bad for a first try at making something completely on my own!

Please ignore the dingy onesie.
This was a trial run with one of the boys' old onesies!

A lot of onesie dresses cut off the bottom part of the onesie, but I left mine whole so that I could still snap it around her diaper.  That way it won't ride up when she wiggling around or we pick her up.  I just hemmed a rectangle of fabric, gathered it, sewed the side edges together, then sewed the skirt onto the onesie.  Then I sewed a purple tube of fabric and sewed it right over top of the ruffle (mostly to hide the raw edge of the ruffle).  I thought about doing a whole tutorial, but didn't know if anyone would be interested.  If you want more detail, let me know.  :)

Christmas presents.. shhh!

So I have started making Christmas presents--yay!  I will post one or two depending on who they're for.  If we have your kid's name and you want to be surprised, let me know and I won't post!  This first one is a scripture tote made from a place mat.  I got just a neutral-colored mat that cost about $2 at WM.  I read several tutorials to get the basic idea of how to do it, then I just sort of worked it out.  Here are a couple of the in-process pics, then the finished result.

Supplies:  place mat, ribbon, sewing supplies

Step one: sew on handles.  (This was my first ever handle, so excuse the un-even box!).
Measure in from the sides to get them evenly spaced

Pin and sew down any ribbon, lace, fabric or embellishment you want.
(It will cover the stitches from the handles)

Now put the right sides together and sew up the sides.

Flatten out each corner into a triangle and sew straight across.
I followed tutorials and sewed it at two inches, but might do it at about 1 1/2 inches next time.  2" made a very wide bag.

Trim corners, turn right-side-out and add a bow or flower or whatever you want!

Ta-Da!

Blocks, phase two

So here is part two of my "multi-purpose" blocks.  I guess I could call them multi-functional?  Anyway, I followed the exact same process as the FALL blocks, even printing holiday paper from the same blog.  When I actually set them out for Christmas, I will embellish them with garland/ribbons, etc., and I'm not 100% sure that I'm sold on my paper choices, but for now here is how they turned out:

Now, there will be a phase 3 of this project.  In the next couple of weeks, I will be decorating the backs of the blocks to spell the word THANKS, so that I will have three sets of blocks in one: Fall, Joy and Thanks.  :)  Coming soon!

Multi-purpose Blocks

Here is my fall craft #2, multi-purpose blocks:

And I actually have step-by-step pictures to go along.  I'm pretty proud of myself.  :)  Now, they don't look multi-purpose here, but that's because I am only done with phase one of the process.  The rest will be explained at the end!  (And I must give credit.  The real inspiration for this is found here, but I only ever looked at the pic on Pinterest.  I never actually went to the blog for instructions, I just made it up as I went along.)

To make blocks you need:

wood blocks, acrylic paint and brush, scrapbook paper of desired pattern, Mod Podge, die-cut letters (from paper or vinyl)

Step 1: Have your super-awesome sister cut random blocks out of scraps of 2x4.  Or anyone else you know who has a saw.  They can be any size and shape, but I happen to like uniformity and symmetry, so I cut 3 short, 3 medium, and 1 tall block.  (Why so many?  Read on....)

Step 2: Paint them.  I chose white because I wanted a neutral color that would fit with different seasons, but any color is fine, depending on what you like.

See how nice and neat??

Step 3: While the paint dries, cut out rectangles of the scrapbook paper to cover as much or as little of the block as you want.  I wanted to show a little of the white, so I cut the paper slightly smaller than my blocks.

This cute paper actually came from this awesome website, and I printed it myself.  They have tons of printables!

Step 4: When the paint is completely dry, decoupage the paper onto the block.  I used a very thin layer of Mod Podge since my paper was so thin.  

The Mod Podge actually seemed to deepen the colors for me, which I like.

Step 5: Cut out letters and adhere them to the blocks.  I used my Cricut to cut vinyl, but any die-cut letters would work.  They could be decoupaged on if need be.  Again, I like uniformity, so mine are all of the same font and somewhat in a straight line.  Feel free to adlib.  :)

Ignore the clutter and random children's toys in the background...

Step 6: Add a bow if you want, or any other embellishments that you can think of, and enjoy.  I first tried them out on my mantle (as in the picture at the top), but with everything else up there it was too crowded and they didn't stand out enough.  So I moved them here:

Nice pop of color, right?

With the other three blocks I plan to follow a similar patter to spell out the word "Joy" for Christmas (my favorite Christmas word), and on the back of six of the blocks I am going to spell out the word "Thanks."  That way I have a set for fall, a set for Thanksgiving, and a set for Christmas, all in one set.  Make sense??

Mod Podge

I think I'm addicted to decoupage.  Here is my latest project.  It's just a wooden serving tray from Michael's, and I painted it white and Mod Podge'd cute paper onto the tray part.  Very easy, very fast, and cute!  It could be done in sooooo many different ways, with any colors or paper.  Love it!

What I've Been Up To Lately

Here is a peak into what I've been working on lately. I had a baby shower coming up and saw this cute idea over at Living Craftily Ever After and knew I had to make one. I have future plans to make one for Addison as well. Aren't they adorable?!

Also, for the aforementioned baby shower, I decided to make some wall letters. Here is how they turned out. I used chipboard letters from Hobby Lobby (which were $0.99 on sale), scrapbook paper, and Mod Podge. Super easy, and I think they turned out pretty cute.

Last but not least, I decided to make a tag blanket. I didn't have any minky fabric on hand, but I did use a soft flannel.The birdie fabric is so cute! I think I purchased it from Hancock Fabrics last year. Oh, and see the little iron-on initial? I wanted to make a bit more personal, and it was obviously super easy to apply. All you need is an iron.

Addison was invited to her first birthday party today. I've been inspired to use my Cricut more and more lately and was able give this bucket from Target (in the dollar section, which cost $2.50...hmmm not really a dollar) a spruce with some vinyl love. Functional and cute. My favorite combination. 

Here's a peak at the back.

I'm tempted to make one for Little A with polka dots. Actually, I think I will. We can always use cute and functional storage buckets. Right?

Menu Planner

Ok, here is the menu planner I made that everyone has been asking for pictures for.  Here is the website I got the idea from.  Most of her blog posts are promoting her Etsy store, but she does have some really cute things and good ideas!  I will let you read her tutorial for directions.  If you like to be organized, this is a great idea.  If you print out all of the sheets, there is room to writethe meals, a grocery list, and even a coupon list.  There is a pocket inside, but I don't have a pic of that right now.  Will add when I get it.  :)  (Ok, I can not figure out why the second picture is sideways...it just keeps doing it, no matter how it's saved, and there's no way to rotate it on here that I know of, so just turn your head sideways! :p  )

Two more gifts

OK, here are two more gifts.  The first is the framed name I made for my niece Abbie.  I think this one is my favorite!  I only had to cut out the name, butterflies and flowers at the top on my Cricut, using the Create a Critter cartridge.  All the other flowers are from a sheet of patterned paper.  I love it, it's so cute!  :)

And this is the apron, again for one of my nieces! 

Tags

Ok, I hope these aren't too hard to see.  Once again, my camera isn't working, so I just scanned and attatched an image of these.  These are some gift tags I made at an activity at church a couple of Saturdays ago.  At the activity I also made one of those cute vinyl last-name plaques.  The tag station was run by Amber Mumford, and she had some really cute ideas!  While I do have tons of scrapbooking and Cricut stuff, I don't have much in the way of stamping or card-making.  So, I was super excited to see (and use!) some of her stamps and get some new ideas.  Thanks Amber!

Gifts galore!

Yay, I'm finally posting new projects!  I have actually been working on numerous projects lately, I just haven't had a whole lot of time to sit down and blog.  With the Holidays approaching, I am working on lots and lots of things!  The following pics are some Christmas presents i have been working on for my nieces.  I still have one to make, so I will post pics of that one when I get done.  I also have an apron and several cards and tags to post, so check back later for more pics!

These I made almost entirely on my Cricut cutter.  In case anyone is wondering, here are the cartridges I used: for Kayla's name and surrounding shapes, Jasmine; for the pink and green butterfly and purple and yellow flower, Serenade; for the blue and purple butterfies, the chick, the flowers and the horse on Melissa's, Create a Critter; for the horse on Melissa's, Paper Dolls Dress Up; and for Melissa's name, Plantin School Book.  Everything else is just strips of paper or stickers.  I just bought a LOT of new patterned paper (Thank you Black Friday!), so I had lots of fun matching up colors and patterns.  I maybe gone SLIGHTLY over-board with the girlie-ness, but since I have two boys, I take the girlie projects whenever I can get them!  (I hope the format of the pics is ok...my camera is broken, so I just scanned them in.)  And again, I have one more still to make, so check back for more pics!

Tis' The Season

As my sick hubby and baby sleep, I have been taking time to reconnect with Blogland. Here are some super cute things to get you into the Christmas spirit. Oh, and best of all, they are free printables! Just click the link and follow the blogger's directions.

Find these two over at  Funky Polkadot Giraffe

This printable is from eighteen25

Much thanks to these bloggers for sharing their talents! By the way, be sure to use these prints for personal use only :)

Finally....BOWS!

I am super excited to finally show off some bows I have been making. Now that I am officially a stay-at-home mom, I can become a nap-time crafter. I am thinking about starting an etsy account, but I am intimidated by all the amazing vendors out there. We'll see. Here is a sneak peak into what I have created.

Paper Pumpkins

Ok, here's an activity Evan and I did the other day.  It was super easy, and turned out really cute!  Here's the link where I got the idea.  I didn't really get any "in the process pictures," but I think you can get the idea from the finished product. 

All we used was orange and green paper, glass jars (we used short left-over jars from spinach dip, but any sort of jar or glass you have will work), and tape.  Since my jars were a little sticky from removing labels and I didn't really want to spend lots of time trying to get the sticky stuff off, I just wrapped a strip of black construction paper around the jars before I started.  Then we cut the orange paper into strips -- long strips if your jar is taller, short strips if your jar is shorter.  Just make sure that the paper is an inch or two longer than the height of the jar.  To make the jack-o-lantern we drew the face on before we cut out the strips.  Then all we did was tape the paper to the top and bottom of the jar.  I overlapped the strips a little so that there wouldn't be any big gaps.  I added some green leaves and a curled vine to the second one for a little color, dropped in a candle, and they were done!  Cute, huh? 

Hurricane Lamps

The other day my cousin sent me some links for some really cute craft projects, one of which was these beautiful hurricane lamps.  The website, MyBlessedLife.net, has some great ideas, and I decided to try these lamps.  As we all probably know, a good hurricane lamp can be pretty pricey.  So, why not make our own?  The lady who originally did this used vases she had around the house and then got assorted candle sticks from the Dollar Tree.  I didn't have any vases big enough, so I got vases and candle sticks from the dollar store.  I just made two to start with, and here's what I did (Thanks, myblessedlife.net):

I started with my two vases and two sticks, washed, dried and ready to go.  I chose two different sizes of vases, just for variety.  (Please ignore all the extra stuff in the background...)

I used Gorilla Glue, which was easier to use than I thought it would be after reading the other blog.  I found it at Michael's right with all of the other adhesives.  You lightly dampen one of the surfaces, then apply a thin layer of glue to the other.  I repeat, a thin layer of glue.  The glue bubbles and expands as it dries, so a little goes a long way.  After adhering the candle sticks to the vases, I weighted them with books and let them dry...

Once they dried (which takes about an hour) I turned them over.....

and filled them with things I had on hand.  I think I would like the larger one better with a larger candle, but here's what I ended up with.