Invitations

I dabble in photography and prefer Photoshop for editing purposes.  My wonderful husband surprised me with CS5 for Mother's Day last year and the features improved quite a bit from CS2 which I was using previously.

I've had a few requests for custom invitations for family and had fun brushing up on my design and editing.  Here are some examples.

I'm sorry for the ugly watermarks but you never know who'll steal your stuff. :)

Dress to Apron

Nothing like being broke to bring out the craftiness in me! My Christmastime crafting schedule is overbooked.  We like to exchange gifts with family and this year I decided to make all the gifts by hand.

My sweet sister-in-law was first on my list.  I looked through my giant pile of clothes and fabric which I keep for moments of inspiration such as this.  I found a bright yellow sundress and thought, "What a cute apron that would be with a little embellishment!"

I simply cut the back of the dress off and added some ruffles and straps and voila!  An apron to inspire delicious cooking!

Modeling the apron

Countdown to Babies

My mile long list of nesting strategies is becoming shorter by the day.  I've been tackling at least 2 projects a day so I can be ready for these little ladies when they decide to show up.  My last big project was to make slipcovers for a glider that my awesome neighbor/friend gave me.  I was so excited when she asked if I wanted it because I have wanted a glider for a LONG time!  We have an old rocking chair that I love (because it's classic) but it's so very uncomfortable to hold babies in.

I wasn't sure what to expect as far as fabric prices are concerned because I rarely buy home decor fabric.  I went to Joann's to try my luck and found some beautiful fabrics that I would have loved to buy...in another, less frugal, life.  So I headed to the clearance area and found this cute, simple houndstooth fabric and figured it would be neutral enough to fit with a variety of decor.

I've never reupholstered anything or made slipcovers for anything before so this was a new adventure for me!  I turned the fabric right-side in and pinned around the cushions the best I could, slipped the pinned fabric off the cushions, sewed them and created snap closures on the bottoms of the cushions so I'd be able to take them off and wash as necessary.  I left the maroon vinyl on as an extra layer of insulation from the cushions.  You never know what will end up on a glider and need to be washed off.

My honey helped me take the ottoman apart so we could staple the fabric on (probably my favorite part because I got to use the staple gun).

I also got to use my new serger (courtesy of my wonderful mother!! A perfect baby gift!).

Before

After

Fabric closeup

What to do with an empty can:

I was cleaning up after lunch today and went to put away the can of Gatorade my husband had used but found that it was empty.  I rinsed it out and got ready to recycle it when I thought, "Hm, maybe I can recycle it into something useful!" 

If you have young girls at home, you know how messy the "hair" drawer can get.  It spews barrettes, bows and ribbons every time I open it.  It's so overwhelming that I hardly use any of the accessories because I just don't want to take the time to organize them all.

I had a bright idea!  Let's use this old can to make an organizer for our bows!

This would also work for any other organizing need and the great thing about it is that it's free!  You just use the leftover fabric scraps and ribbons you have around your house.

Here's what you need:

1.  Cleaned coffee/Gatorade/large can

2.  Remnant piece of fabric large enough to cover the can

3.  Ribbons/trim to beautify!

4.  Hot glue gun

Step 1:  Cut your fabric with enough leftover to tuck under the bottom and into the top of the can.  I left about 3/4in for the bottom and about 2in for the top (just so I didn't see the can looking right at it).

Step 2:  Wrap and glue the fabric around the can.  It's nice to have a fabric that has a bit of stretch/give so you don't have to be perfectly lined up each time you glue.  I used a light linen I had leftover from this project.  I only glued the beginning edge along the whole height of the can and then the very end the same way.  I didn't glue anything around the top or bottom edges since it will be tucked under/over later.

Step 3:  Pull the bottom edges of fabric over the bottom edge of the can and glue.  Don't worry about trimming all the strings.  You can if you want to, but I like the homemade/rustic look of leaving them.

 
Step 4:  Turn the can over and tuck the top edges of the fabric inside the can and glue.  This can be a little difficult depending on how much fabric you left to tuck in.  Go ahead and trim some off if it's too hard to reach your glue gun inside the can.

Step 5:  Add ribbon and trim however you want!  Since it's almost Springtime, I wanted to use some organic and Springy colors.

Final Product:

 

I clipped some flower clips I made around the top for easy access.  I glued a bit of ric rac around the middle and left portions unglued and away from the can's surface so I can clip barrettes and bobby pins to those instead of digging around inside the can to find them.  I'll probably store combs and bigger things inside the can.

Car Seat Canopies: Done!

I finally dug our infant car seat out of storage so I could make sure I made the canopies to fit.  My kids were very curious about this new car seat, especially my 2 year old since she was the last to be in it and can't remember.

I bought this beautiful fabric at The Village Quilt Shop in Gardener's Village.  They have the most wonderful selection of fabrics but are unfortunately way over my budget (at about $9/yard).  Luckily for me, they have a few clearance bolts and I was able to find all 4 coordinating fabrics for about $4.50/yard.  I bought the accessories (buttons and trims) at Joann's.

I made these so that they're reversible.  The side I have pictured is the main side and just in case it gets dirty and I want to flip it before I have time to wash it, I've sewed straps onto the opposite side.

I used a few different sites to guide me along but mostly eye-balled it.  It's pretty basic so it was nice to not use a pattern.  I used a big glass bowl to round the edges of my fabric so they'd all be even.  Every car seat is different so it's better to use your own as a guide for where to put the straps.

Here's what you need (for just one canopy):

2 1/2 yards coordinating fabric (1 1/4 of each print)
Accent Thread
Buttons, Ric Rac, and ruffle are optional

For Twin A

For Twin B

 

Homemade gifts are always better

You know how when you want to give a gift to someone and you want it to be memorable, how hard it is to find the perfect gift?  I'm rarely satisfied with the options I have to purchase.  Not that they're not nice quality or that the person won't like them but I know it will most likely be a gift that's forgotten and won't have any sentimental value to it.

My precious niece, Olive, whose birth I witnessed, is turning one!  I can't believe its already been a year.  Her mom is throwing a birthday party today and I wanted to get Olive something special.  I know she's only one and doesn't have any clue about what's going on and won't remember anything about this day but I wanted to get her something special.

I had the crafty itch and decided to see what I could come up with.  My sister said Olive loves to take things out of bags and put them back in.  She could do it all day long.  I thought it would be fun for Olive to have her own little bag instead of disassembling mom's purse every time she got the urge.

I pulled out some scraps and this is what I came up with:

It is the simplest of bags and only took about a half hour to sew but it will serve it's purpose!

Now, something to go inside the bag.  I started looking for baby toys online and was reunited with the wonderful site called The Purl Bee.  It's awesome!!  She has tons of tutorials and even sells sewing and knitting supplies.  She had this tutorial for a toy she called "Best Bunnies".  I thought they were so cute and perfect for a one year old!  This is how mine turned out.  It is one bunny with alternating fabrics and the bunny has 2 faces, one on each side.

Projects on my "To do" list

Since I found out we're having twin girls (yay!), I've given myself the go ahead for a few new projects.

Car Seat Canopy x 2

I haven't found the right fabric yet, but I'll be making 2 of these to make our car seats coordinate a little better.  Since we already have one infant car seat, I'm going the cheap route and buying only one more (not matching) so I'll use the canopies to help them be a little bit matchier (made-up word).

"Moby/Sleepy Wrap Lookalike"

This is the only carrier that can carry twins comfortably and safely.  I know I can buy one of these babies for $40 but I figured I'd try to find the fabric and make my own.  It shouldn't be too hard as it's just one strip of 5.5 yards by 30 in fabric.  If I buy 60 in fabric I can get two for one!  I have yet to find the right fabric.

Car Seat Replacement Pads

Again, since I'm not going to be buying matching car seats, I've been mulling this option over for a while now.  I'm considering attempting my own car seat pads.  I think they can be pretty involved and it's always hard for me to do 2 of one project because I feel satisfied after I've done the one and can't make myself start it all over again.  Do any of you have a good pattern for these?  It's certainly not something I can bust out on my own.

So keep checking back! I'll be working on these things this week.