Forest Friends Infant Car Seat Cover

Friends of ours were expecting their first baby next month (in about 2 weeks). She showed up early on Monday - healthy & perfect. Oops in that I hadn't yet shipped the gift! Luckily I had made it already.

They had a car seat cover listed on their registry so naturally I made one instead. I had fun shopping for fabrics. I was trying to find something feminine but not pink overload. This fun forest friends print jumped right out at me. Surprisingly, Dylan also loved it when I showed up with it asking if it was for "our baby." Aww. At the time we still didn't know whether we were expecting a boy or girl so I assured him I would go back after to buy fabric for our baby. (Note to self: still need to do that  - but we have a few months still.)

For the inside I chose a complimentary light green check patterned flannel. Just dark enough to help block a little extra light during nap time.

I packed it up and got it in the mail yesterday. Thankfully, they are in the same city so it should be delivered today - just in time to welcome the new family of 3 home.

PS - thanks to LM for once again letting me use her infant car seat for photographing!

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DIY Roman Shades from Mini Blinds

I mentioned in my currently post last week that new yellow towels had me thinking about paint and fabric possibilities for our master bathroom.

I've been leaning toward gray walls with a white/gray/yellow print fabric for the curtains. There are two windows. One over the tub in the main bathroom area and a smaller one in the toilet room. When we moved in, both had mini blinds. Ok. Sufficient. But blah. I kept thinking back to an idea I pinned a while ago about making roman shades using mini blinds. I ended up following a tutorial by Craft, Interrupted that I found more recently.

I originally searched online for fabric and found a print I liked. Then I calculated up how much I would need for the two windows - 3 yards. About $35. Reasonable, but I thought there had to be a way to do it for a little less. Then I remembered another Pinterest idea I had used in our home before - repurposing tablecloths from Target for curtains. Perfect. At about $16, I would have plenty of fabric from one tablecloth to make the two roman shades.

I found a tablecloth online that I liked and headed to Target to buy it. Then I actually saw it and stopped dead in my tracks. The colors just weren't working for me. What I thought was white/gray/yellow was white/gray/yellow and beige. It was a larger print and just … well, just felt wrong.

I reassessed. I looked at every tablecloth. No.  

I wandered down the aisle of curtains. No. 

I considered looking at the sheet sets. I did make curtains years ago from flat twin sheets that we used in both an apartment and our last house. But, again - no.

I found myself in the shower curtain aisle and suddenly I found options. 3 different designs (including one that was remarkably similar to that original tablecloth but in the right colors). I ended up choosing a pretty, silky feeling, white/gray/yellow paisley print. On sale for $18 it more than fit the budget.  And when I came home and compared it to our new "Mum" towels from JC Penney? The yellows were almost a perfect match. Yes.

At 72"x72" one shower curtain was had more than enough fabric for the two shades. I cut both out on Saturday night and yesterday completed the shade for over the toilet. The smaller of the two, I thought it would be best to start with. Honestly, the project went pretty quickly. The most time consuming part was being patient while waiting for the fabric glue to dry.

I plan to make the second shade next weekend. It should go together even quicker now that I know the basic steps and won't need to stop and reread through them multiple times.

Overall, I'm very pleased with how the shade turned out. From the ugly mini blinds to this beautiful custom shade - our master bath is looking all grown up (just wait until we get paint on the walls! Crazy ;) ). Also, this is the second time I've made a roman shade. The first was one I made for our kitchen in our last house using a pattern I saw online so long ago I've lost it. This particular idea was easier, faster and looks better.

Cost: $18.29 for shower curtain

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The Tree was Trimmed

We bought our tree on December 1st. Added lights the next day. And then finally got around to the ornaments yesterday. It's been a busy month already so we intentionally saved the ornaments to a day when we had time to devote to them.

I set up the DSLR on a tripod and used the timer to take a few photos trying to get a picture of all 3 of us for our December Daily album. The only shot that had all 3? This one and it cracks me up.

I guess Trent & I didn't realize that we were actually in the shot plus we were laughing at the fact that every time Dylan heard the camera timer beeping speed up, he stopped and posed. So much for a "natural shot."

My other big achievement of the weekend - a new handmade tree skirt.

I've wanted to make my own tree skirt for years but the project kept hitting the back burner only to be forgotten for another season. This year I was determined it would happen and went shopping last week for fabric. Pattern is by Amy Butler Design. I opted to leave off the buttons and used white fleece instead of wool felt so it is machine washable.

It took a good part of two days. A bit of frustration at times as I read and reread the instructions. One section seam ripped and restarted. But it's done and I absolutely love it. So nice to finally have this project completed and able to enjoy for many years to come.

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Owl Baby Blanket

Over the weekend, we celebrated the upcoming arrival of our newest playgroup member and third little girl. Naturally, I wanted to make her a handmade gift. This sweet owl print flannel caught my eye when I was buying tulle for my Halloween costume and I bought a yard on the spot.

A closer look at the fabrics:

I made the blanket similar to how I made Dylan's Cars blanket almost 3 years ago. It still gets a lot of love and hopefully this one will too.

Looking forward to meeting you soon, Little Miss S!

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Crib Teething Rail Cover for 'Little Miss'

I was honored when I was asked to make the crib rail cover for our playgroup's newest member.

I made a slight change from my previous covers and made bias tape from the fabric to add around the edges. I really like how it looked.

Hopefully 'Little Miss' enjoys it too!

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DIY Superhero Costume

I pinned a tutorial two years ago (yes, 2 years!) from The Southern Institute for making a superhero cape & cuff from an adult's t-shirt. Fast forward to a recent birthday invitation for a superhero party and I finally got around to making one.

I actually picked up the t-shirt at Goodwill so it cost me under $1.50. All other supplies for the cape and cuff I had in my stash. I purchased the blue/silver reversible mask at Target for $3 (purely a luck find as I passed through the toddler section).

My little superhero was more than excited. He had fun checking himself out in the new playroom mirror (finally got it hung!). Super D to the rescue!

Supplies: repurposed t-shirt; cotton fabric; interfacing; iron-on adhesive; velcro; Coats & Clark thread.

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30 Minute Seuss Shirt

This week has been Dylan's and my first full week of school (i.e., daycare) and work. It has also been "Seuss week" at his school in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday. Each day has had special attire  - pajama day, favorite hat day, wacky socks day, topsy turvy day and black/white day.

Still being the mom who wants to enjoy her creative side while juggling the full time working schedule, I was determined to fit in a special shirt for him to wear on topsy turvy day yesterday. The description on the sheet he brought home was to wear a mix of stripes, polka dots, etc. I knew I had a few bits of Seuss fabrics in my stash. Of course, I put off until Wednesday night to do any of this which is why it quickly became the "30 minute shirt" project. I pulled out the 3 Seuss fabrics I could find plus 1 from the Eric Carle collection that coordinated colorwise, a white t-shirt from our beach photos last fall and formulated a simple idea.

I went wild (ok, wild for this girl who loves her straight lines and clean measurements) freehand cutting rectangles and then used iron on adhesive to attach. I quickly sewed somewhat angled lines (also intentional) around each patch of fabric for a slightly finished look. Then I tossed it in the wash to soften the edges.

He was very excited to try on his new shirt yesterday morning. Even eagerly posing for photos.

Supplies: Robert Kaufman (Seuss) and Andover (Eric Carle) fabrics; Coats & Clark thread; Gildan toddler t-shirt.

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Draw a Dinosaur Day

Last year, in February I think it was, I stumbled across Draw a Dinosaur Day. It's an annual event on January 30th where you draw a dinosaur of course. Dylan and I started on our dinosaur fun last week as we stayed in from the cold and recovering from colds. Must do something to entertain.

I started our projects by handing Dylan a sheet of yellow construction paper and his box of crayons. I simply instructed him to draw a dinosaur. We talked about whether his dinosaur would be tall, have big teeth, have spikes, etc. I loved the result ...

He helped explain it to me. The top right is, of course, the face. Notice the eyes, nose and smile. To the left are a series of spikes. As we discussed his drawing, an idea hit me. I had seen a number of pins on Pinterest regarding turning your child's art into a stuffed toy. At first I thought I might try that and then the idea quickly switched to a pillow.

Dylan helped me pick the fabric and trace his drawing onto freezer paper which I used to create a template. I cut out the design and sewed the outline & face. Then created the pillow sham to fit an existing pillow form I had.

Truthfully, I think I'm more in love with it than he is and that's ok. I put it in our family room to photograph (better lighting than his room) and it has stayed. It actually goes well with the color scheme and is a fun little conversational piece.

Supplies: all from stash - freezer paper, cotton fabrics, iron on adhesive and stabilizer, Coats & Clark thread

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Roll A Snowman

On cold days stuck inside, new entertainment is a plus. This project kept Dylan & me busy for quite a while between picking the fabrics, sketching & cutting the pieces, constructing it and then playing.

I came across the idea of Roll a Snowman on Pinterest last year. Find the instructions and printable on this post at Funky Polkadot Giraffe blog. I followed her general idea, but substituted blue dotted flannel for the background as I was purely using my stash and somehow didn't have any blue felt. Actually, I liked how it turned out since the flannel looks sort of snowy with all the dots.

Everything stores in the back pocket when not in use (including our missing button that reappeared after I finished taking pictures, of course).

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Cowboy Ribbon Blanket

I love this adorable print from Michael Miller Fabrics (C1486_Retro Yippee). I bought a little over a yard of it from a neighbor having a moving sale last year. No plans for it. Just liked it so into the stash pile it went. As soon as I learned a friend was expecting her second boy, I pulled it out to create a ribbon blanket with.

The print and colors are so fun. I backed it with soft dark brown minky dot fabric.

And added a coordinating plastic ring. Perfect for teething or clipping to car seat or stroller.

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Happy Halloween!

This past Saturday it was once again time for our playgroup's annual Halloween party. Everyone came dressed for the festivities ....

Our family theme this year was Monsters Inc. The idea started back in the spring when I stumbled across a kids' Sulley costume at Goodwill for $5. I bought it thinking it would be fun for Dylan's dress up collection but later decided it would work great for Halloween.

We tried for a family photo similar to last year, but, while he posed for the kids' shot and the group one above, our little monster refused to pose with just us. I tried begging to no avail ...

Nope. Not happening. So Trent & I posed just the two of us ...

I made both of our costumes. For the Mike costume, I took a green t-shirt we already owned and added fabric to create a giant eye and smile. The hardhat was a thrift find (50 cents). I spray painted it blue using paint leftover from my canvas art project and added a sitcker with the Monsters Inc logo that I created in Photoshop.

For the Boo costume, I used her monster costume as inspiration. I combined a sparkly purple dress and sheer gray top - both thrift finds ($7 total). The hat I created using purple felt, leftover white fabric from Mike's eye (teeth), batting, a headband (free from the NC State Fair last month. I just added sticker "eyes" over the original stickers), and yarn (hair).

All in all I spent under $20 to outfit all 3 of us. Hopefully I can do just as well next year and we can get a true family photo. Maybe.

Happy Halloween!

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Football Tee

A couple weeks ago I shared a birthday t-shirt I made for one of Dylan's friends. I had a creative spurt and couldn't stop there. She regularly tailgates (and attends a few games, I believe) with her parents before Duke football games so I made her this Pinterest inspired shirt as our gift:

Close-up shot:

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Princess "Three" Tee

The one girl in our playgroup of ten kids is turning 3 next week. I was honored when her mom asked my help in making the birthday t-shirt:

Looking forward to seeing her wearing this and celebrating the day in princess style. :)

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Fat Quarter Bag

We have a birthday party for a 5 year old girl this weekend. I liked the Fat Quarter Bags I made at Christmas so much, I decided to make one for her gift. I used the same tutorial, but changed up the bottom a bit to give it a more rounded look vs boxed.

Supplies: Heather Bailey (outside) & JoAnn fabrics; Coats & Clark thread; grosgrain ribbon.

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Superhero Pillowcases

This was a fun order - superhero pillowcases for a special little guy. He told his mom he was "big boy" now. :)

Spiderman pillowcase

Superman pillowcase

I hope these fill his "big boy" request!

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Infant Car Seat Covers

During the past week, I've been busy sewing custom orders including infant car seat covers. The recipients of both of these covers are expecting girls which sent me in search of pink fabrics.

The first has a beautiful floral print on the outside with a complimentary solid pink on the inside.

The second cover has an elegant brown damask print on light pink background. The inside is solid brown.

Halfway through I discovered a flaw in the fabric print. It affects only a small area just behind the handle. Enough that I didn't want to send it as custom, but also small enough that you almost wouldn't see it. Thus, I finished it and am listing in my Etsy shop at a discounted price.

Thankfully, I had enough of the print fabric remaining (and I've checked it carefully!) to make a second cover and complete the order. Sewing that is next on my "to do" list.

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My Cowboy

Dylan's imagination has really kicked in over the last month. It's been so fun to see. One of the ways we've been encouraging it is playing dress up. I've put together a small collections of hats and costumes into a mesh basket from Ikea. One of the hats is a cowboy hat. To help him dress as one of his favorite characters, Woody from Toy Story, I made him a vest to go with it using some fabric leftover from the chaps I made for my Jessie costume last Halloween.

I made the vest a little large to allow for growing room so he can hopefully enjoy it for a while to come.

He's also been sneaky about not wanting to have photos taken at times. It took a lot of work to get these couple with my iPhone! (Including bribing him with the lollipop seen in the 2nd shot. And, yes, he's wearing the shirt I made for his second birthday party last summer! It still fits too!) Hoping to get some better photos soon with the DSLR.

Supplies: Alova Print-Pony fabric; Coats & Clark thread; Wrights bias tape.

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Little Order to the Pantry

Last year, I found a great blog post on creating your own lined canvas bins using old diaper boxes. I bookmarked it for future reference. Fast forward to this week and I was frustrated with a pile of chip/snack bags in our pantry that fall everywhere with the slightest bump. I had a small cardboard box that was just the right size so I set off to repurpose it and have it looking cute.

Completed Canvas Bin

I used canvas and spray adhesive to cover the exterior of the box. Then dug through my scraps for fabric to make the liner. I followed these instructions for making the liner with a little alteration as I added the striped top with fabric left from our dining room curtains. (Yes, this bin totally coordinates with the dining room/kitchen even though it lives in the pantry!)

Filled to the brim with bagged snacks.

Besides the new neatness to my pantry, the best part was the price - free. All of my supplies I had on hand left from previous projects.

Supplies: cardboard box, canvas, spray adhesive, fabric remnants, thread.

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Lens Pouch

Since getting a new lens at Christmas, I've been looking for ways to take it along from time to time. My camera only fits in my small bag with the kit lens (new one is too long) and I don't always want to carry my large camera bag as I typically have a diaper bag in tow as well. I found the idea for the Strappy Camera Lens Pouch on Pinterest.The tutorial was written by another mom who also wanted to take along the extra lens while toting the diaper bag.

This was my first time sewing a project with a zipper. I was proud I at least knew to change the foot on my machine! Beyond that, it took a minute of reading the manual. I was just about to search online for how-to videos when I figured it out.

The main fabric was in my stash leftover from creating my camera strap cover. On the inside I used a coordinating fat quarter I bought while shopping for the zipper.

Supplies: floral print fabric - Central Park by Kate Spain; liner fabric - JoAnn Fabrics; Pellon fusible fleece; Coats & Clark thread and zipper.

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Pillowcases

I enjoyed making Dylan a Cars pillowcase last year and he likes it so much, I have made him two more pillowcases in the last few months.

The Buzz Lightyear pillowcase was one of Dylan's presents from us this past Christmas. He actually picked out the fabric when he and I were shopping one day. We were passing through an aisle and he exclaimed "Buzz Lightyear!" (although truthfully it wasn't exactly that clear but I, of course, knew what he was saying). I couldn't turn him down when I saw the clearance price on the fabric. The two solid fabrics were from my stash.

The next pillowcase was for Valentine's Day. He's been a big Muppets fan since seeing the movie at Thanksgiving so I went shopping for fabrics specifically with the Muppets in mind. I think this one is Kermit's favorite. ;)

Supplies: cotton fabrics; Coats & Clark threads; pillowcase pattern from AllPeopleQuilt.com - Pattern 15.

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