For a little girl's birthday...

...I made this.  I saw a tutorial for it and knew it would be perfect for a little girl's birthday gift.  This little girl will be turning 4.  How handy is this thing?  You stuff the toys into the pockets on the bottom of the mat, roll it up, throw it in your bag, and go.  What a handy little number this will be at restaurants to entertain a board preschooler.  Kadyn, as usual, was eye balling this project and declared she would like one for herself.  I may just have to deliver this Christmas.  It was fun to make.  You can also make them for little boys, but instead of doing a farm theme, you could make a car theme complete with roads, gas stations, you name it.  So neat! 

Margaret Sling Bag

After sewing so many things for other people, I start to itch to sew something for myself.  I saw this tutorial and fell in love with this bag.  I wanted to do it as low of budget as possible, so I didn't put the interfacing in it as the tutorial called for since I didn't have any.  The outer fabric was an old pillow case that I bought to help me make those baby bibs awhile back.  The lining was fabric that was given to me for free a little over a year ago.  It really was an easy bag to make.  The bulk of the time to make it was cutting out all the pieces.  Assembling it went much quicker.  It does have two pockets inside.  It was hard to photo the inside as it was hard to hold it open and take a picture at the same time, sorry.

It is a little larger than I had hoped it would be.  It also looks a bit like a diaper bag because of the fabric I used.  I'm trying to decide exactly what to use it for.  I currently use a backpack for my diaper bag.  Hmmmm.....I'll think of something.  A woman can never have too many bags;)

Anyhoo...here's the link to the tutorial.

http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2008/11/margaret-sling-bag.html

Embellishing the existing

Something I thought would be nice this Christmas is to embellish what the kids already have.  This will eliminate the toy overload that can so often happen.  I often find myself looking around at the new toys wondering where in the world I'm going to put them; I really do think a lot of kids have too many toys; I don't want my kids to be those children.  Already we have more than we probably should.  If it weren't for the daycare, I would be tempted to dump half of them.  I also think children need to use their imaginations more.  More often than not, it is the simple toys that the kids like the most, not the ones with all the bells and whistles. I also notice that when floor is littered with toys the kids sometimes have trouble focusing.  It's not uncommon to see the kids having more fun just running around the house without a toy in sight.  Sometimes they don't need a toy at all, just a little imagination and a lot of open space. 

Anyhow, I digress.  Of course, if I can find a way to sew these presents it will eliminate a lot of the extra cost of Christmas too.  So....I've happened on a tutorial for making dolly diapers (SO EASY).    Can't seem to find a tutorial on doll clothing.  Plenty out there for barbie clothes, but not dolls.  I may have to just put on my creative cap and try it all on my own.  I might have to make a few barbie clothes while I'm at it (it seems impossible to find barbie clothes anymore that aren't inappropriate).  I also thought I might try to make some baby carriers for their dolls.  Then to top it all off, a new baby diaper bag to put all those new clothes, diapers, and baby carrier in.  All of these creations require minimal fabric which means minimal cost.   Of course, there are other present ideas I'm entertaining, but at least I've got a good start.

Unfortunately, Kadyn has seen all of this.  I told her it was all for Brennan (and at the time it was).  She has put her two cents in that she wants some as well.  I told her I might be able to do that.  I'm just hoping after it gets stashed away for a couple months, she'll forget all about them and then there will be SOME element of surprise.  Sewing these things at night just isn't that feasible.  I'm usually tied up getting kids fed, bathed, and ready for bed.  After that I want time with Jeff.  I might have to get over that for awhile to get this stuff done however.  We'll see.

Another one down

I have made a goal to make one Christmas present a week until they are all done.  I think that's a reasonable goal.  So far I've made 5 1/2.  The latest is a little armband pouch for cell phones, keys, or an ipod.  It will come in really handy for this special someone when she works out. I'm almost thinking I need one now, although I need to make it out of a sturdier material next time.  Luckily, I am able to post a pic because the gift recipient A. already knows what I'm making her...and...B.  Never reads my blog.  So here it is.  It was a little more difficult to make than I expected.  Mostly because it is hard to sew on such tiny things.

Playing dress up...in the kitchen

I have been using bathroom hand towels in the kitchen since I was in college. I was given a set of kitchen towels when I got married, but they were never absorbant, so I rarely used them.  My towels are ratty and ugly.  I decided it was time to get real kitchen towels and dress up the kitchen a little.  Of course, it had to be as low budget as possible. So....I tapped into my internet search powers and came up with this tutorial:

http://treyandlucy.blogspot.com/2009/12/hanging-dishtowel.html

We do not have a towel holder in our kitchen.  Nor do we have a good place for one.  Therfore, I have been using our oven door to hang them on.   It used to look like this:

But now it looks like this.....

Much better eh?  Honestly, I would have rather had a little more contemporary looking towels, but these were only a dollar each at walmart, and they WEREN'T bath towels.  I already had the pot holders on hand.  Jeff bought me a ton of them one Christmas and they were overflowing my drawers.  That only left some cheap buttons to buy.  Really a very inexpensive fix.  After I sewed them together, I did realize a couple of the pot holders had fabric that was fraying, so at some point I'll have to get out the seam ripper and replace those, but for now they should work fine.

A Sneak Preview

I heard there were two adorable super heroes coming to town this Halloween to make sure everyone stays safe.  They can't be revealed in their entirety for fear that the public would overwhelm them with requests to save the day (and because their costumes aren't complete....and it isn't halloween yet).  Until then, they save the day at home 24/7 flying about capturing "bad guys" and throwing them in jail.  Shew!  Never knew there were so many "bad guys" in Branson.What would I do without them?

Martha Stewardish

Something about making and wearing my new apron makes me feel very Martha Sterwardish.  I was surprised to find that Jeff actually liked it too.  He usually doesn't like homemade.  Anyhoo...it was easier than I expected.  I had to add the top part by myself as the tutorial was only for a half apron.  I LOVE it and feel so girly in it.  So much better than my other store bought apron.  It's so nice I almost don't want to get it dirty cooking LOL. 

Here's the tutorial I used:
http://morganmoore.typepad.com/one_more_moore/2007/02/valentine_tree__1.html

I Spy Bag

Saw a tutorial for one of these and HAD to try it.  What a cool time killer in the van.  I seem to be in a travel entertainment kick lately.  First the seat organizer, then the lap desks, now the ISpy bag.  Anyhoo....these were relatively easy to make, minus the one time I accidentally melted the vinyl and had replace, or when I forgot to put a few things in and had to rip it back open, or when I had to reopen again because I put too much rice in it.  Oh, and then there was the learning curve for the grommets.  I'm a little rusty on putting one of those in.  I discovered they are much easier to install if you use a concrete floor when you hammer those puppies.   Needless to say, there were quite a few bumps along the way, but I think they were worth it.  I made one for my niece for Christmas too.  If only I could find a way to make a living at sewing, I'd die a happy woman.  It's my happy, me place if you know what I mean?

The card that is attached has a picture of everything inside the bag on one side for nonreaders and a printed list on the other side for readers.

Lap desk

Everyone I'm sure has encountered this problem at some point during their child rearing days.  You're on a long trip and to save time you decide to eat on the go.  Give the kids their hamburgers and hope they don't make a big mess all over their seats and laps.  Oops, too late, they just did.  Laps and car seats are cleaned up as much as possible.

Lunch is done, now to find some entertainment seeing how your DVD player's batteries are dead after being on for 5 hours.  How about coloring?  "Sorry, kiddo, do the best you can.  You'll have to use your lap, we don't have a desk in the van."

Not anymore :)  I found a tutorial to make a lap desk.  Very little sewing involved. Easy, easy, easy.  They aren't as sturdy as a real desk, but they ought to get the job done.  I, of course, was trying to make these on as little of cost as possible, so I didn't use the recommended materials in the tutorial.  I just picked up two serving trays for under a dollar, polly foam I found at the thrift store, used some of my scrap fabric, cut up a cereal box, and a little hot glue and wala!  A solution to my problem.   They have a little bit of a lip so that should help crayons from rolling off.  I think they may be handy when we go camping.  The girls can sit in their lawn chairs and eat.  Brennan doesn't exactly fit on a picnic table very well yet.  Sorry, Bren was taking a nap and couldn't model hers for you, so it's just pictured here all by itself.

• 

  Here's the link in case you want to make some for yourself.
http://balancingeverything.com/2010/04/09/who-wants-to-make-a-lap-desk/

Polly meets Paul

Polly was SOOO excited to meet her new buddy Paul.

When they met it was love at first sight.

....and they were thrilled to pieces that they had a nice sleeping bag purse to rest in and store their cloths in. 

....but most of all, the are beyond excited to meet the princess that will be carrying them around and giving them lots of love.

Another green move

Whipped these up last night and this morning.  I've been reading a few green blogs and the writers on those blogs are quick to point out we have an overuse of plastic in this country.  I knew using reusable grocery bags was a great way to help reduce this waste, but it never even dawned on me to use reusable produce bags.  After all, you never see those for sale at the registers as you check out like you do the grocery bags.  So when I read about making your own produce bags I was all about it. I picked up some sheer fabric that had been used for curtains at the thrift store, used a few regular cotton fabric scraps, and ribbon.  I wasn't very careful about making things all nice and neat as I knew this really wasn't going to be a show piece, but more of just something to help make life more functional and less wasteful. 

Sure wish Branson had a farmers market, they'd really come in handy then.  I realized after making these little puppies that never again will I have to go to a bag dispenser only to find out it's out of bags and have to go to the next one.  I made big bags, 2 medium bags, and 1 small bag.  I think that ought to do it.   Since becoming vegetarian, it's amazing how many of those produce bags I was coming home with every week.  Glad to know I'm doing my part there.

Babies, babies, babies

Seems everyone is having a baby.  Just found out about another dear friend who will be welcoming another little one into their family ;)  Anyhoo....I found a sewing tutorial that showed how to make the CUTEST little baby bibs ever.  I had these all done a week ago, but waited to post them until now because I took them to an embroidery place to have the names put on them.  Turns out I'm not very good at embroidery on my machine, and I didn't want to take the time or the chance of screwing it up by doing it by hand.  Now I have a new thing on my wish list, an embroidery machine.  I just love personalizing things I made five bibs total. Anyhoo...all the girl bibs look the same and all the boy bibs look the same. Too make them I used a combo of used pillow cases, receiving blankets, and an old pair of jeans I got from the thrift store.  They were SOOO fun to make.  The girl bibs I admit are my favorite ones.

And this isn't really baby related, but remember how I said I wanted to make a chocolate colored table cloth to go with my new sewing setup.  Well I found the perfect shower curtain at target to turn into a table cloth.  I had a gift card so I ended up only spending 10 dollars and I had a ton of fabric left over for more projects.  Yea!  You can't tell in the pic, but it has satin like stripes.  It did exactly what I was hoping, it makes everything POP!!!!  Now it all goes with the rest of my decor in mour living area.  I'm afraid that means, it's a permanent part of our living room, or at least until we get the basement finished or one of the girls moves out in 20 years and I get to steal one of their rooms and make it into my craft room...snicker, snicker.  Anyhoo...I just wanted to show it all put together.  It turned out exactly how I wanted.  The only thing that would make it more perfect is a tiny little plant, but then I thought, that might be a disaster if some tiny little hands knocked it over which is VERY possible. 

Booty bag

Today to get a little sewing fix I decided to whip up a quick booty bag to store my hand sewing/cross stitch stuff in.  I used to store it in this:

Now I will store it in this:

It's hard to tell in the pic, but the lining material is also on the handle.  I know there are several booty bag tutorials out there. I just kind of winged this one on my own.  It's not all symetrical. (I had difficulty trying to figure out how to make it look symetrical because of the angle of the pant leg).  But it will get the job done. Kadyn had to try it out and asked for one for her birthday.  I originally used the genes to make a lunch sack for my parents and this was left over.  Kind of nice that it has built in pockets.  I think it would actually make a cute little bag to collect Easter eggs in.  Or you could do it up with an orange lining and it could be a Halloween candy bag.  Better yet, It seems like a really cool way to store those little felt dolls I've been making Bren and all her clothes.  She could carry it around to places with a little bag like this.  Hmmm....I may have to put a couple more on my list of things to make.

All for two bucks!

I have been busy, busy, busy.  When we went to Springfield last weekend we were able to shop at several thrift stores.  There are a gazillion of the in that town.  I found some awesome deals and fabric to help me feed my sewing addiction.  Thanks to some free online tutorials and little of my own ingenuity, I was able to beautify my sewing surroundings all for only two bucks.  Everything I made today was made from one old pillowcase and a little ribbon.  I still would like to make a chocolate colored table cloth to go underneath all of my stuff, but that will have to wait until I can go shopping again.  I think a chocolate colored table cloth would just make everything pop just right. 

Anyhoo...first up is my pin cushion.  I took an old starbucks coffee mug and hot glued some ribbon on it.  It doesn't look as nice as I hoped it would, but better than my old red tomato.  The best part is, my red tomato fits perfectly in the opening so all I had to do was cut some fabric, pin it around the tomato,, and shove it in the hole.  Should I ever want differnt fabric, changing it should be a snap.

Then we have my thread case.  It is full, and I will no doubt get more thread throughout the years, but I think it's nice to have my staples handy.  This case was just clear plastic when I started.  After a few stitches and some hot glue (one of mybest friends), I came up with this:

Then we have my sewing caddy.  I had a pattern for this, but wasn't in the mood to read difficult instructions, so I just took off the dimensions from the pattern and winged the rest.  I didn't have any batting on hand, but I did have some scraps of crocheted blankets which worked just as well.  When not in use I slide it forward (little hands DO NOT need to be exploring this).  When in use it hangs off the edge of the table so it's nice and handy with everything I use a lot.

Now put it all together including my new sewing machine cover (minus my chocolate table cloth) and you get this.  Should've taken before pics but forgot, sorry.  Anyhoo.....today was a fun day.  Such easy projects and so much reward all in one day.  Still can't believe I made all of this for two bucks.  Go me!

Storing Ribbon

The other day in my organizing rampage I looked at an empty bin I had with holes in it and then it came to me.  A new handy way to store my ribbons.  I saw a similar idea on another craft blog, but this one is a little different.  I think ultimately I need to buy dowel rods, but for now that ribbon is being held up by a straw.  The ends have an ugly ball of duct tape on them to keep the straw from going back through the hole.  Eventually I want to find a better solution to that problem too, but for now, it is SOOO much more handy as I can see all my ribbon and just pull a strip and clip when I need it.  Oh I love organizing.  It gives me a high:)  Sigh!

Introducing (drumroll) POLLY!

I finished my first doll.  She just really looked like a Polly so that is what I will call her, unless Bren decides to name her something different, of course.  I made her two outfits.  I do think I may still add some velcro to the inside of her hair pieces so they stay on better when the kids play with her.  I also may swap out the straps on the overhauls for something more sturdy (I don't think the thin felt straps are going to hold up very good).  Other than that, I'm pleased with the way she turned out.  It was kind of nice to hand sew ( I did use the machine for two small things I confess), but for the most part it was all done by hand. 

I think one of the reasons making this doll appealed to me is that it kind of reminded me of a paper doll, only a little more sophisticated.  As you can see in one of the pictures, the tops are very easy to get on and off as they are open in the back.  This was yet another reason this really appealed to me. Both girls are great at getting clothes off of barbies and baby dolls, but they can never get them back on.  I'm hoping this doll's clothes alleviate that problem.  Anyhoo...I will be starting her boy companion, Paul, very soon.