{Made by Me} Wednesday

Welcome to the {Made by Me} Wednesday linky party!  Many thanks to those who joined me for our kick-off party last week. Wonderful projects and great inspiration!

A beautiful purse from Go Dansker:

A cheerful Hello Card from Linda's Paperie:

A keepsake Baby Girl Album from Rainbow Crafter:

A lovely Praying for You card from Stamping with Klass:

Now it's time to play again.  Come on and join in the party!  Link us up to something you're proud of. Simply enter your link below using Linky Tools (closes on Tuesday, Oct 5th at 11:59pm).  Please link directly to the post featuring your project.  Then visit other posters and show some comment love.  We all love visitors and comments, right?  And we're sure to all be inspired.

Don't forget to link to the party.  The bigger it gets, the more fun inspiration for us all.  You can add a simple text link or use this button: 

Copy and paste this HTML coding to your blog or website:

<center><a href="http://2pawsdesigns.blogspot.com/search/label/%7BMbM%7D%20Wednesday"><img src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/2pawsdesigns/Banners/MadeByMe-Wed-Button.png" /></a></center>

So what are you waiting for?  Join in!

Don't forget to check back next Wednesday for a new round of {Made by Me} Wednesday.  I'll be featuring a few of the links from this week.  I can't wait to see what you've made!

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Make Your Own Poncho! Concord Thoughts

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Friday Freebie - Rounded Corners 12x12 template

I created this template for my Ceramics Painting layout and am now sharing with my readers. It features 10 layers including the photo masks with shadows, journaling blocks and handprint shape.

Click here to download the 12x12 Rounded Corners template

Enjoy!

Have you missed one of my previous digital freebies? Click HERE to find them. And, don't forget to subscribe to my feeds so you won't miss future freebies!

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Welcome, Fall

In honor of the first day of fall yesterday, I went up to our attic and retrieved our fall wreath.  I love hanging it each year as it makes the door look so nice and inviting plus fall is my favorite season.

I made the wreath a few years ago for $3.  Yes, 3 dollars.  I purchased the grapevine wreath, flowers and leaves all from the dollar store.  Then I cut apart the flower/leaf groupings and arranged them on the wreath.  Simple and affordable.

Do you have a wreath on your front door this time of year?

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{Made by Me} Wednesday

Welcome to the very first {Made by Me} Wednesday linky party.  I know I have a LOT of creative readers and friends who post great ideas on their blogs.  Come on and show off a little something you're proud of.  It can be anything (family friendly, of course) so long as you made it - scrapbooking, card making, cooking, sewing, whatever.  It could have been made this week or last year.  Whatever it is, link us up to your post!

To join in the party, simply enter your link below using Linky Tools (closes on Tuesday, Sept 28th at 11:59pm).  Please link directly to the post featuring your project.  Then visit other posters and show some comment love.  We all love visitors and comments, right?  And we're sure to all be inspired.

Don't forget to link to the party.  The bigger it gets, the more fun inspiration for us all.  You can add a simple text link or use this button: 

Copy and paste this HTML coding to your blog or website:


<center><a href="http://2pawsdesigns.blogspot.com/search/label/%7BMbM%7D%20Wednesday"><img src="http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/2pawsdesigns/Banners/MadeByMe-Wed-Button.png" /></a></center>

So what are you waiting for?  Join in!

Don't forget to check back next Wednesday for a new round of {Made by Me} Wednesday.  I'll be featuring a few of the links from this week.  I can't wait to see what you've made!

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sewing! Hello Card Baby Girl Album Tweet Birdie

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Toddler Sun Hat

A few weeks ago I shared a photo of a toddler hat for Dylan in progress.  I was making it in preparation for the trip we took to the beach this past week.  He has, and does a great job of wearing, a very stylish hand-me-down khaki hat.  I joke it's his "signature look" as we've been plopping it on his head each time we leave the house since the spring.  The original intent was to protect his nearly bald head from sun and to shade his eyes.  He's grown accustomed to it and will wear it well.  It doesn't have a strap though and I was worried we might spend a bit of time chasing it down after a good coastal breeze.

However luck would have it, by the time I was looking in the stores, all the hats were gone as part of seasonal sales.  And darn if I didn't catch that I can do this bug again.  So, I did.  I made a template using his khaki hat.  Since it is slightly big on him I knew this meant the new hat would work for a while.  I'm hoping he can still wear both hats next summer.  Then I followed wonderfully detailed instructions on the fabrication.co.nz blog.  The only change I made (minus using my own template) was to add the straps.  I made those by folding and ironing strips of the fabric into 8-1/2 inch long, 3/4 inch wide strips.  I sewed up the long sides and finished end.  Then added 1-1/2 inches of velcro on each and sewed the straps between the crown and brim.

I confess, it has it's flaws, but I really am pleased with how it turned out and it was made with a lot of love.  You can't place a price tag on that.  :)

Supplies: fabrics from Jo-Ann; stiff interfacing (for the brim); Coats & Clark threads.

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CSN Stores Review: Maclaren Volo Stroller

Last month I mentioned that I would be doing a review for CSN Stores.  They kindly gave me an opportunity to shop again and I jumped at the chance to finally buy the stroller I had been drooling over - the Volo by Maclaren.  We already had two strollers - our large travel system stroller (great for long walks, the mall, etc. but too bulky to lug around for shorter trips) and a small inexpensive umbrella stroller.  The latter I wanted to replace.

I bought our umbrella stroller in February.  Dylan had outgrown his infant car seat and I needed a way to get around with him easily.  I was still recovering from my surgery and didn't need to be lifting our travel system stroller and, honestly, it's just too large for some places such as the doctor's office or locker room at the indoor pool.  That said, I wanted something simple and inexpensive so that's what I bought.  And what I got.  Overall, it functioned well, but was lacking in a few areas.  My main complaints: too short (I had to lean over and I'm 5'-6" so it was really too short for Trent); the shade was flimsy and Dylan managed to pull it off one day hurting his finger; impossible to carry any bags on it other than a small purse or diaper change kit; and it only had a 3-point harness which, if Dylan leaned too far forward, he could almost fall out of.

As the months passed, I knew I wanted something different, but wanted to be sure whatever I chose was the right fit.  This is the last stroller purchase.  That said, I confess, 3 of the moms in our regular play group have strollers by Maclaren so I had seen firsthand how sturdy and well constructed they were.  I looked over my options at CSN and placed my order late on a Monday for the Volo.  Just before lunch on Thursday, I found my "buggy" box (oh, how I'm a sucker for the English terminology!).  I was quite impressed with the quick shipping particularly since it was free shipping. 

Dylan and I took the Volo out for it's inaugural ride the next day.  The features I love:

• it's tall and has wonderfully cushioned, ergonomic grips making it easy for Trent or me to push;
• includes a small basket underneath which nicely stows a small diaper bag, my purse, whatever;
• the seat is removable and washable;
• it's very lightweight (only 8.8lbs!), folds easily with one hand and has a carrying strap (great for taking it from the house to the car especially when I'm toting Dylan as well);
• both rear wheel brakes lock with a single click on a foot pedal in the center;
• the canopy is securely fastened on each side and has locking mechanisms on the outside making it easy for me to lock open and keeps Dylan's fingers safe;
• has a raincover to keep Dylan dry when we are out on rainy days;
• so sturdy and smooth riding.  Seriously, I feel like I could push it all day!
• A 5-point harness that keeps Dylan securely in place.

We spent the past week at the beach and took it everywhere - shopping, walking along the waterfront in Morehead City and our multiple visits to the aquarium:

Note: CSN Stores contacted me with this promotional opportunity and I received a giftcard to use toward the purchase of an item for my review. However, all opinions expressed are strictly my own.

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Luau Babies

Does it get any cuter than this?  Dylan's playgroup friend 'C', who just turned one this week, took a trip with her family to Hawaii in July.  She brought back these adorable little outfits for the boys so, naturally, we dressed them all up for a photo shoot. 

Supplies: Paislee Press Designs Press Plate #17 template; Miss Mint's Tropical Popsicle & Kindergarten Crafts kits; Scrap Originals Ocean Breeze kit; 2peas Island Style and Veranda fonts.

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card: first birthday

The last of Dylan's playgroup friends celebrates a first birthday today!  Our only girl in the group so I got to pull out the flowered paper & ribbon. We hope she has a very special day!

Supplies: Die Cuts with a View card; miscellaneous black cardstock; SEI patterned paper; American Crafts ribbon. Inspired by the August A Year in Cards class at Two Peas.

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Independence Day

We celebrated July 4th this year with friends at a cookout.  Dylan and his little buddies are so cute that, naturally, I took a ridiculous amount of photos.  Another reason I love templates - easy to drop in a LOT of photos and quickly trim them up.  I confess, I did shift them around a bit trying to find the look I wanted, but this was a lot faster and neater than if I had cut out each by hand and placed them for a traditional style layout.

Supplies: Scrapping with Liz Template #167; Miss Mint's Painted Season and Ten Pen kits; Queen of Quirk's Give Freely mini kit; 2peas Old Type and Another Typewriter fonts.

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sneakers

Our sneakers right now:

I was inspired by this month's photography challenge at Design House Digital to get a shot of something lined up.  It immediately made me think of our shoes.  Seems like I constantly walk past Dylan's shoes and pause thinking how cute and small they are.  He recently switched from size 3 to size 4.  I'm glad I saw the challenge and took the time to photograph this little bit of everyday.  It won't be long before his feet are as big as ours!

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Ceramics Painting

6 mommies + 6 babies in one ceramics shop = a whole lot of fun creating one of a kind Father's Day gifts.  

This was such a fun playgroup adventure and I think I had almost as much fun scrapping the memory.  I made my own template while working out the photo arrangement (hint: watch for a freebie later in the month).  My goal was to keep the photos the focus of the design.  After the photos & journaling were placed, it felt a little bare.  I finally came up with the perfect embellishment using a scan of Dylan's handprint from thank you notes he and I made in April.  I recolored the handprint in a shade of orange to match the layout.

Supplies: 2paws Designs Rounded Corners 12x12 template; Deena Rutter's Hotel California kit; Another Typewriter font.

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Duke Gardens

In June, our playgroup went to Duke University for lunch and then spent some time at the Duke Gardens feeding the ducks.  We managed to get all four little ones to momentarily pause for a photo.

I was inspired by Gennifer Bursett's September Blueprint Challenge at Design House Digital.  I used her template and tweaked it a bit - changing from 2 photos to 1; adding the journaling block; replacing the embellishment cluster with a single duck sticker.

Supplies: Gennifer Bursett's Blueprint template; Sara Schmutz's School is In Session paper pack; Miss Mint's Craft Jar, Momitude and Twinkle Toes kits; Karen Funk's For the Boys Freebie paper kit; Taylor Made Composure :: Plus kit; Sweet Shoppe Designs A New Day kit; Rhonna Farrer's Celebration and Splish Splash kits; Erica Hernandez's Maddie Embellishments kit; Disney Print font.

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In Progress: Toddler Sun Hat

I kept finding adorable toddler sun hats on Etsy and thinking, "I can do that."  Yesterday, Dylan and I ran a few errands including picking up fabric so I could give it a try.  Here's a peek at the hat in progress:

The crown is complete.  Just need to add the brim and ties.  It's been more challenging that I imagined, but I am excited to see it coming together.  I'll share photos of the finished project soon.

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Watching Planes

This is one of my favorite photos from the Picture Summer class I took in July.  Dylan and I had gone out to the Observation Park at RDU Airport to watch the airplanes.  He always gets so excited to see them in general, but especially when we can get a bit closer to the action (and the noise!).  I finally scrapped the photo this week with inspiration from the Two Peas weekly challenge by Erica Hernandez.

Supplies: Weekly Challenge Template by Erica Hernandez; Miss Mint's Daditude and Kindergarten Crafts kits; Sara Schmutz's School is in Session paper kit; Nancy font.

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