Sunday, October 17, 2010

Dr. Seuss Onesies

I added some extra Dr. Seuss iron-ons to plain onesies to make these gifts.  The possibilities are endless!



The "A" and Flower are my faves.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Quilt for Baby Ava

I made this quilt for my friend's new baby.

I tried this binding for the first time.
I also quilted the layers together for the first time.
The quilting follows the pattern on the back.


This is also the first time I've tried this pattern.

I love the material on the back!
I've got to find another project to use it in.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Personalized Game Pieces

The Giver's Log has done it again! Check out her description for making these adorable personalized game pieces. I was just thinking about getting Candy Land for Audrey. Maybe I'll have to make some game pieces of our family! :)

Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken

Here is one of my favorite slow cooker recipes. Simple and delicious!

Hawaiian Chicken
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (15 ounce) can pineapple slices, reserve juice
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup cornstarch

  1. Place chicken breasts in oblong slow cooker sprayed with vegetable cooking spray and sprinkle with a little salt. Place pineapple slices over chicken.
  2. In small bowl, combine pineapple juice, brown sugar, lemon juice, ginger and cornstarch and stir until cornstarch mixes with liquids. Pour over chicken breasts.
  3. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or on HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Serve over hot buttered rice.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Organizing Your Fabric

When I find time, I'll be using tips from The Little Green Bean on how to organize my fabric. I love how she has displayed her fabrics (above), but I'll have to fit mine in a storage box instead.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Cute Photo Ornaments!

Do you and your family send out a photo with your Christmas card each year? We do, and I've been wondering what to do with them as the years pass. I think I've found my answer! Go to Clover Lane to learn more about how these adorable ornaments were made.


Keyboard Christmas Ornaments

A Christmas ornament that speaks to the geek and "tree-hugger" in me all at once! Check out GEEKWARE for instructions.


Handprint Ornaments

Wholesome Womanhood explains how to use Crayola Model Magic to make these handprint ornaments. One of the comments suggests adding a photo of the child on the reverse side. Brilliant! I'll have to try this with Audrey and the new baby this winter. :)

Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Is it just me, or is your mouth watering just looking at this cake? Get the recipe from Amanda's Cookin'.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Bleach-Pen for Decorating?!

Using a bleach pen to decorate a t-shirt... what a great idea! Check out the tutorial at I Am Momma to learn how to make the shirt pictured. This is a kids shirt, but you could make one for an adult too!

Re-Usable Swiffer Duster

I got a Swiffer and Swiffer Duster a few months ago and have felt guilty ever since! I don't like the idea of disposable cleaning products. It seems wasteful. Here is a tutorial I found at Sew Much Ado to make a a reusable Swiffer Duster.

Neat, huh? I'll have to give it a try!

Friday, July 9, 2010

Decorated Picture Frame

Check out the decorated picture frame I saw at Paper Playhouse. Cute, huh?

I think this is a great way to use those adorable stamp sets my friends have. It's just like scrapbooking, but on a frame you keep out in your house! Another craft to add to my "someday" list!

Monday, July 5, 2010

Button Shirt to Toddler Dress!

Have some men's button shirts that aren't being used anymore? Why not turn them in to a toddler dress!? hmm... time and skill could have something to do with it!

If you are up for the challenge, check out the tutorial at Craftster.org.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Decorated Diaper Box

How cute is this box?! Over at Aly & Ash she used scrapbook paper to decorate a diaper box as a baby doll bed. Of course, a box this cute could be used for storage or display as well!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Father's Day Gift Idea

I already have Greg's Father's Day gift lined up for this year, but I'll have to file this idea away for next year. Check out this incredibly cute and simple gift idea at From the Fence Post. It's only an Amazon purchase and some Costco prints away!

The Mystery Taken out of Quilt Bindings!

Proper quilt bindings have always perplexed me... until now! I just found this great instructional video on WikiHow about bindings and mitered edges. She doesn't explain how to get the measurements, but that can be found in books. What's key is video to show the process.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

A Handful of Sewing Projects

Handmade Mommy says that these PJ pants can be made in 15 minutes. I have some sewing skills, but I'm going to guess they would take longer than that for me. I've wanted to make PJ pants for myself and even have a pattern for it. Of course, I still don't know how to follow a pattern! Maybe I'll try to make an adult version of these for myself... someday.



How about making an entire outfit out of an old t-shirt? Of course the outfit will be toddler sized, but it's still qualifies as one of the three R's! (Reduce, Recycle, Reuse). Go to Lil Blue Boo to learn more.




Make a toddler's dress from dish towels?! The directions at Trey & Lucy make it sound easy. Maybe I'll look for some Patriotic towels in the Target dollar bin as July 4th approaches.

Sew Your Own Hot-Pads

Whenever I make a quilt I end up cutting away some of the batting. I save it, but never know what I'm going to use it for. I finally found an easy/great project to use my extra batting!

Go to Sew Dang Cute for a tutorial and a pattern for these hot pads.

Tote Bag with Iron Ons

My mom sucessfully followed the instructions at the Martha Stewart Website for decorating a tote with iron-ons. I think the bags turned out really cute! In fact, someday I'd like to combine this technique with the idea for a Library Tote that I posted a couple of months ago.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Individual Smore Gift

Is this not the cutest teacher gift?! Go to Executive Homemaker to get all of the details, including the file to print. The text on the tag could also be changed for more occasions... Mother's Day, Christmas.

Bubble Wrap Hop-Scotch

Here's another fun one for the kids, Bubble Wrap Hop-Scotch. Go over to the Giver's Log to learn how to make it. Can you imagine what fun this could be?!


Kid's Drawing Case

Go to theLongThread.com to learn how to make this cute and portable drawing case. It could even be used for a crafty adult that wants to take some supplies on the go!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Decorative Binder Clips

While wandering the internet, I found these cute decorative binder clips at Jane's Apron. It seems like the uses for these clips are endless!
  • Dress up your paperwork.
  • Give as a gift for teachers or anyone that works in an office.
  • Use them to stand up a recipe note card in the kitchen!
  • Use them to stand up little cards to denote where someone is sitting at a table, or to label food at a buffet.

This is definately a future Craft Day project for me!

Personalize a Handsoap Dispenser

Check out the Giver's Log for this tutorial on making a personalized handsoap dispenser. They suggest making these as gifts for teachers, but they are great for other gifts as well! The blog uses kids' art as the decoration, but you could always make your own.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Stamped Candles

These candles were decorated using white tissue paper (like that used in gift bags). We stamped the paper and then used markers to color in the images. Next we held the tissue paper against the candle and used an embossing tool to head the candle. The melting wax caused the tissue paper to stick to the candle.


Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Tiered Cupcake Holder

I love these cupcake stands! I think I am going to have to attempt to make one (or more) before the next tea party. So pretty!!

Check out the Giver's Log for details on how to make this project.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Library Tote

Check out this cute tote for library books! Go to Lulu's Tiles to learn how to make it (including a plastic window for book due dates).

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Photo Gift Cards!

Looking for another way to personalize a gift? Check out the details at The Idea Room for how to add a framed 4x6 photo to a gift. It's such a cute idea. And even better, she uses a grease pen to write on the glass, adding text or funny accessories.

I think I'll have to keep an eye out for cute 4x6 frames when I'm at the discount stores!

No Slip Hair Clips

Here is a tip at Treasures for Tots on how to make hair clips that will stay in your hair! They whould work for even thin (baby) hair. I may have to try this for Audrey at some point.

Brown Bag Bird's Nest

Here's a cute spring project from the Alpha Mom blog. Go to the site for details on how to make the bird's nest.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Counting Fish

Here is a cute idea for a kids game from the Counting Coconuts blog. She made felt fish and a fishing poll for a Counting Fish game. Check out the link to learn more!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Tiny Fairies!!

Another addition to my craft to-do list... Tiny Fairies! Audrey loves Tinkerbell, so this is going to be a must.

Look how cute:


Go to Treasures For Tots to get the instructions and more adorable photos!

Yip Yip Aliens


Check out these adorable crocheted aliens! If I only knew how to crochet. :) Check out this wiki-how for details on how to crochet this cuteness.

Rosette Barettes

Okay, my favorite craft blog has done it again! Go to The Idea Room and check out her Rosette Barettes. They are super cute as hair clips and could even be used to decorate a hat! It hink I've got a project to work on before the next Tea Party!

Here's the update... Phoebe and I made some barettes for our daughters' at the last Craft Day. I think they turned out great! We used tea lights as our flame and some decorative brads for the centers. Audrey, even let me put them in her hair (all at once, of course!). Pretty cute!




Sunday, February 28, 2010

Ocean Inspired Quilt

This past summer I made a bold move, making a quilt for my mother-in-law's birthday. Why was it bold? She's a former seamstress! She lives near the ocean, so I went with ocean colors.

I think the patch on the left is a pinwheel.
The ones on the right are checker board.



I finished checker board piece in the quilt.


A pinwheel in the quilt.



My binding and a mitred corner.
I was very proud of these!



Ta-dah!! The final quilt!
I found the pattern online here.

Flower Pot Pin Cushin

I've had these tiny flower pots for many years, as left overs from a previous craft project. One day it hit me, PIN CUSHINS! So here's how I did it.

Take scrap cloth and fill with stuffing (cotton balls could work).
Use a rubber band to hold the cloth shut.




Glue ribbon and spare buttons to the flower pot as decoration.
Hot glue the cushin into the pot to hold it in place.


Insert pins and enjoy!



These can be great gifts for your favorite sewing enthusiast!

Child's Apron

A few months ago I made this apron for my daughter. I created the pattern on newspaper and used one of her dresses as a size guide.

The purple monster is on a handy pocket.



I added a little lace to the bottom for an extra femanine touch!


I sewed the top bow, figuring that I can
take it apart to resize as she grows.