Fanny Pack

 

 

Finished size is 9 x 7

 Outer fabric by Joann's

Lining by Moda

 1 hr

 

Personalized with beads and a charm hooked through an eyelet.

 

 

Looped belt through caribers and fastened with velcro.

This day, she emptied a coin can into it so it's sturdy enough.

Also added Velcro to flap to keep it from buckling in the future.

Under the Sea Mini Quilt

Finished Size is 17.5 x 18.5 to fit her nightstand.

 

I designed this quilt to....

 

1. Match her newly painted room but not too matchy

2. Cover her nightstand that I have yet to freshen it's paint

3. Get her involved in the design process

4. Make her what she likes

 

I also wanted to try a technique that I haven't seen anyone else do... use regular old craft stamps and washable  stamping ink as an embroidery pattern.

 

 

I gave her probably too many color options to choose from but she really wants and "all blue" room with any matching mermaid colors (I interpret that as watercolor pastels). 

 

I was happy with the fabric choices except for the binding... it's not as matching as I'd like but still very pretty.  My little mermaid chose the embroidery images and floss colors.   

 

 

I'm happiest with the octopus and his French knot tentacles.  I love making French knots and had the most fun with this little guy. I started with a two strand and thought the knots were too big so I switched to one strand and I was super happy I did.

 

 

I tried to coax her into a light coral for the fish and a greener blue for the whale.  But she didn't budge.  I decided to give the fish a darker face to brighten him up but the whale and octopus got a grayer face.

 

 

Look how great it looks with the lamp I'm refinishing.  That turtle was once a lady bug that I had to fill, prime and paint.  She loves the sea creatures.

 

 

 

I used a super light pink fabric that was once her baby sheets.  Great color but stretchy.  I can tell I'm improving because although it's a little wonky, it's not awkward and that didn't throw my finished size off at all.   Last year this time, it would have been ugly.  I stitched in the ditch and gave a few extra machine quilted straight lines.  I did ok.  I would have liked more quilting so I should have thought more about how I was going to quilt it during my design.  These were the best corners I've made as it didn't take me long to pin the miters or stitch them closed and both came out very well.

 

Overall... my little mermaid is very happy, I had lots of fun and it came out pretty good.

 

Yay.

Simple Trick or Treat Bag

We had a fox and Spiderman for Halloween.

I made the sweet fox a bag for all of her sweet treats.

Sturdy for treats.
Big enough for books.
A bag that maybe even a boy could use.


The bag is 10x13 finished.
I embroidered the eyes after I cut out the pieces




Attached the head and tail on the length of the fabric. Sandwiched outside, innerfacing, inside, handle and keychain loop. Topstitched ends together to make a loop.   Overedge stiched wrong sides together.  Turned right side out.   Pressed.




The back... of course.




The Fox and Her Bag




And the cutest Spider peaking from behind the bushes.

Pumpkin Tic Tac Toe

A certain store I frequent had a cute pumpkin tic tac toe game that I thought would be fun for our Halloween party.

I wanted to be pretty and functional for the game and as décor. 

Here is the back.

I love it.

Mermaid Pillow

I saved this pretty little shirt for the past 4 years, always intending on tracing it, embroidering it, making it into a pillow.

Now is the right time, I think...

This little mermaid, will surely need a pillow to rest on when she's all done.




And I do love these soft and pretty blue sheets.  The mermaid should feel at home.

Mermaid Tail

When I was six, I dreamed about being a mermaid.  I didn't have access to a pool so the tub was my sea.  I watched Splash every chance I could catch it on HBO.  Well, my little one wants to be a mermaid, too.  I mean, really, wants to be a mermaid. So she designed a tail and asked me everyday if I were working on it and if I was done.

Now, she "swims" in the garden tub everyday.  She's watching and reading the Barbie Mermaid movies and books.  She even loves my favorite childhood movie, Splash!

ttf

Frog In A Log

Hello, Mr. Pickles.

Chris loves to munch on him to soothe his erupting molars.  He fits snugly into his log case along with other little boy things.

Gone Too Long

I have been working a lot which has included a lot of travel, late night dates with my laptop and zero crafting. 

But, I think I have my new routine down.  It's back to having a crafty good time.  Starting with this traveling needle book.

I needed a way to bring along

• instructions
• needles safely
• lots of embroidery floss 
• scissors
• embellishments 



Beaded Tassels

Our sweet cousin Oknam gave Taylor a ton of new beads for Christmas to add to her growing collection.




And since I have been looking for alternatives to greeting cards, we decided to make her a bookmark to say thank you.

It was easy for her to zig zag stitch lined paper onto cardstock, then write a message onto it.

I always love her creative drawing, but in addition, we added a tassel with a few beads from the set.
I love how it turned out.

Thank You, Oknam!

Credits:

Thank You: http://www.yaochengdesign.com/blog/2013/6/18/thanks-you

The ABCs of 2014

We're off to a chilly start with our first school delay tomorrow.

 

My resolution is to GROW my MIND, BODY and SPIRIT with DISCIPLINE.

 

I'm going to ACT with PURPOSE and MINDFULNESS.

I'm going to do more than just exercise, I'm going to EAT NUTRIENTS.

I'm going to CHALLENGE my soul by VOLUNTEERING and doing more good deeds.

And with more... comes less... I'm going to continue to REDUCE. It's been a slow road but I'm still on it.

Make more, buy less.

 

I'm already on my way.



 

Instead of buying these fabric markers, I decided to dump the sticky notes and make my own.

 

 

Happy Hello 2014!

Dreaming of Windows

I just got an offer from a great company.

 

 

 

Thank You!

A Little Foal All Tucked In

Whipped up an ornament/tag/gift card holder for Taylor.

 

 

I had every intention of making a mouse king after I saw this cute mouse.

 

But I want everything that lady makes.  I have to remind myself who I'm making all of this stuff for and it's rarely me!  Taylor loves horses and wearing her new red starry hat to bed. And so there it is, a Christmas foal, in bed, in a red hat.

 

 



Christmas Blanket

Taylor's blanket is almost too small.

 

 

But I love it so much.

 

 

Not sure I'm ready to embark on another one!



Bows, Bows, Bows

Taylor wanted "present bows" to put on her gifts.  I dug out the prettiest I had.

 

 

 

 

She put them on the presents.

 

 

 

 

And she put them back under our sweet tree.

 

 

 

Our upstairs tree are all candy colors. The ornaments are from Sam's a long time ago with some homemade ones thrown in.   And love this free printable at the website below.

http://www.eyecandycreativestudio.com/2011/12/free-christmas-subway-art-print-for.html

All Aboard

I waited til the last minute to create a "family ornament" for Chris' school tree.

 

I already knew that I wanted it to reflect his love for trains, chocolate, shapes and Daddy.

 

Luckily, I work well under pressure.  Except for a few oopsies, his ornament came out well in record time.

 

 

 

All of these felt pieces, I made on the fly.  I used fabric glue to adhere them together but sewed the envelope.

Clearly, I could use some lessons on sewing felt.

 

I added the title using white cardstock and a pen.

 

Super fast, super cute.

 

I'm thinking about trying this again with more time, more patience, hand stitches and embroidery.

 

 



Helping Hands

Keeping with tradition and because we love it, we made care packages for basically anyone who needs it.

 

 

 

We use a gallon zip lock bag for easy transport, easy hand out, lots can fit inside and it's reusable.  Most items you may acquire on travel at hotels, throughout the year or in samples.  Typical items might include:

1. tooth brush - new, best in bulk at discount stores
2. toothpaste - new, best at discount stores
3. deodorant - new
4. socks - gently used, especially if your husband or son gets new ones all the time
5. soap - new bar (lasts longer than gel)
6. shampoo - by big size and put in recycled containers or buy at discount stores
7. baby wipes
8. tissues
9. a hand towel - gently used
10. gloves, hat, scarf - gently used
11. disposable razor - bulk at discount stores
12. Halloween treats
13. granola bar
14. raisins or peanuts
15. pre-made fixings in small cans or pouches like tuna, pork-n-beans, weenies, crackers
16. napkins, fork, spoon - just one goes a long way
17. girls' hygiene products -  a few pads, tampons, scented spray
18. address book or notepad
19. a list of local places/pantries to get free/discounted foods

 You run into one or two who doesn't want it.  A few will say, "give it to the other guy".  But most will take it and thank you... twice or more.  Either way, be respectful and keep it moving.

 

Every religious doctrine will tell you of the goodness within us, in the Earth and beyond.  There is always hope.

 

The note we included this year says enough...

Revelation 21:3, 4 -3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: "Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. And He will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away."

 

xoxo

What are some other ideas that would fit in a gallon zip lock bag?

Sweet Dreams

Some one's been having "unsweet" dreams. Oh, dear.

 

 

 

Can you tell I'm dreaming of a white Christmas?

 

xoxo

 



Fall Things

One fine fall day, we played in the dirt quite a bit.  We picked leaves and autumn things and decorated some potted bulbs.

 

I like potting bulbs in the fall because I strategically plant them in the Spring when all of the other landscape is sprouted.

We repotted some houseplants.

 

 

I'm thankful for a day in which some Fall tasks didn't seem like work at all.

 

 

http://thepleatedpoppy.com/2013/11/thankful-printable-and-something-for-our-military/

Christmas Postage

If you think it's too early to start celebrating Christmas, then I agree, it kind of is.

 

But, it's not too early to start planning. 

 

I start creating my "lists" the first week of November.  Goals, ideas, and budgets. Surprisingly, one advantage to planning I found was that I had a lot to be thankful for well before Thanksgiving because I had thought so much about my friends and family all month long.  The first list up is your  

 

1. Decide who will receive Christmas cards, photos and gifts by creating a list. I create a list of names with spaces to check mark whether they should get a gift, photo and/or card and a little space to annotate a gift, photo size or special card.  By determining who you will send cards to, you can determine how many cards, stamps and/or photos to purchase.  Remember, always have 5-10 more than what you need.  Don't forget teachers, babysitters, doctors and your regular service folks. I always get a little something for the UPS guy because we give him plenty of exercise walking up our hill and porch stairs to deliver us happy mail.

 

2. Update your addresses. I keep all of my address in Microsoft Outlook.  I call around and put a notice on Facebook to send me their new addresses if they've changed or if they want to be added to my list.

 

3. Choose coordinated stamps and cards.  Some folks on your list will only receive a card so why not make it as special as possible. 

 

I usually take a look at the freshly setup Christmas displays at my "every week" stores to check out any cards or stickers that I like.  It allows me to get in the spirit without buying anything... except stamps. 

 

Happy Halloween

We had a really sweet Halloween. I got happy mail.

 

 

My husband must have noticed how I was utterly defeated last year attempting to carve a pumpkin.  I did not even attempt it this year and we didn't even got to the big pumpkin patch.  So that little cutie showed up just in time!

 

The Pea was not feeling the hat.  And the Princess was a peacock of course and to her delight, she won the costume contest at the Jellybeans in Cameron, NC.  She won a whopping gift card for some delicious froyo and a cute little t-shirt.

 

xo