Diy Elf on Shelf

Every August when school is about to start a little panic starts to creep in, the panic of fall/thanksgiving/Christmas.  We are always unbelievably busy from mid September through New Years and it flys by.  Which always inevitably makes me sad.

I know I'm not the only one who is starting to think about Christmas and I know there are fellow crafters out there who have already started on their handmade gifts, so I thought I'd post this Christmas post early just in case it inspires someone, there will be no need for a last minute rush.

Last Christmas I started selling handmade Bit of Whimsy dolls, sort of by accident. In the midst of all those doll orders I was asked if I'd thought about making a version of elf on the shelf. A woman my mom worked with wanted to purchase the store bought version for her grandchildren but just couldn't swing $29.99 each.  I was actually sitting in the same boat with her.  After purchasing a couple of my dolls she asked about the elf.  I immediately said no.
After all, the previous year I had searched for ideas for homemade versions and came up empty handed, and I'd never attempted something like this from scratch.  Then I thought, why not give it a whirl.
I think it's important in the blog world to show crafting & sewing fails every now and then, so here's my first try at making an elf

He was really skinny, his side seams were bursting and I made the arms and legs so skinny I couldn't hardly turn them right side out or stuff them.

After my elf flop I redid my pattern making it bigger and tweeking a couple other things and created this:

These are actually the 2 I made for my cousin's twin boys. 

Seriously how cute are they?

And of course no more than my mom took one to work I was asked about a girl version, and so she was made.

All of them have bendable arms and legs so they can actually sit upright on a shelf, or anywhere else you want to sit them.

I had some people order these to take the place of the store bought elf, others already had a store bought one but wanted one of mine for their kids to actually play with, since technically your not supposed to touch elf on the shelf or he will lose his magic.
Sadly I didn't get a chance to make my own kids elves so that is my plan for this year.

Super Easy Fleece Scarf

My mom made a friend of hers an Ohio State Buckeyes fleece blanket for Christmas.  She knows I find all kinds of uses for scraps of fabric so she's always saving me her remnants.  This time was no different.  As soon as I saw how large the remnant was I knew I needed to make a scarf out of it.  I've been wanting to make an OSU one for awhile I just haven't bought the fabric, so this was perfect.

I didn't want this project to take much time, since I'm all about quickies, which is why I made this fringe one.  Years ago I saw tutorials about how to make one and I've kept it in my mind all this time.  After having made one now I question why the heck it took me so long to actually get it done.  It seriously took no time at all.  The most time consuming part was cutting the fabric. 

I cut 3 strips of fabric 7 inches wide and 67inches inches long, stacked them on top of each other, and stitched one long line down the center.

Then cut strips on either side of the center line about 1 inch wide, making sure not to cut the center seam.

Shake it out a little bit and seriously that's all there is to it.  No hemming, no trimming, no nothing.  Super simple, and I love it.

I'm really wanting to make some pink ribbon ones for me, my mom, and sister, how cute would those be?  Not to mention if you're looking for a quick winter birthday gift or Christmas gift this would be perfect and cost effective if you have quite a few people you're needing to gift to.  With the temps being single and negative digits, and so much snow I feel like I'll never see grass again, I'm so glad I have this to keep me extra warm.

Hubby's Valentine's Day Gift: a day late

Every year since my son's birth my husband and I have made it a rule to stick with a simple Valentine's Day and to keep gifts $5 or less.  The first year I made him a snicker's candy bar bouquet, the 2nd year I made him his favorite strawberry cheesecake, last year I bought his favorite candies, Smarties and Sweetarts, and put them in upcycled Starbucks Frappacino bottles that I painted and wrapped in scrapbook paper.  This year I drove myself nuts for a good 3 weeks trying to come up with something different and simple and 2 days before V-day I realized I had no good DIY ideas and wasn't finding anything online that jumped out at me either so it was time to go to plan B, store bought.

I know I know, store bought gift for the hubs, what kind of DIY chick am I?

The answer is a very pregnant one with a loss for unique gift ideas.  What else can I say?  Sometimes you have to give in and take the easier way out.  I decided to post this because I thought maybe next year someone will be on the search for a last minute idea that's not necessarily DIY or homemade but just cute and easy to grab at the store.

We got a blue-ray player for Christmas this year so we have been slowly finding inexpensive Blue-ray discs here and there.  Let me tell ya it's a lot harder to find cheap blue-ray discs than it is to find cheap dvd's.  We've lucked out finding some for $5 and I thought maybe I'd get lucky, that the Valentine's Day God's would smile down on me but no such luck.  Instead I found the Hulk movie, which we had actually been wanting to see anyway, and added his favorite kind of soda that we never buy because it's a little pricey, Cream Soda.

I was so lazy this year I didn't even go the extra mile to make him a card.  Nope, instead he got a pink piece of cardstock with the note:

Sit back and relax with a six pack!

Happy Valentine's Day

The funny thing is, he ended up turning the card over and writing his message to me on the other side, haha.  Can you tell neither of us planned ahead this year?  Some wives might of been upset by this, I got a good laugh out of it and thought, this is what  almost 5 years of marriage, 2 kids, and an extra long work week does to ya.

Felt Batman/Spiderman Dress Up & 2 Matching Peg Dolls

Grant is still having fun wearing his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume and it made me think I should make him a couple more to change things up every now and then.  He is just starting to recognize super heroes.  He runs around at times saying "Mama, I a superhero". 

He can always point out Spiderman so I knew he would be on my list to make, and I also chose Batman because I thought it would be simple and quick to sew.  I made them both out of felt and made them the same way I made the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costumes.  The actual sewing of the pieces took less than a naptime (which for my son is all of an hour if I'm lucky).  So you could whip these up after your little  one goes to bed if you're wanting to add to their dress up collection.

I made the masks using the patterns from this site.  I made 2 identical ones and sewed them together for durability.  For the Spiderman mask I hand embroidered the web details.  You could easily use black puff paint if you wanted to make it a little easier and less time consuming.  I also hand appliqued the Batman emblem using a blanket stitch, and embroidered the black webbing details on the front of the Spiderman costume.  Again, puff paint would make this easier and faster, I just have a thing for hand embroidering stuff.

After making the batman costume I realized I probably should have made it a dark grey instead of all black but this was more simple and Grant won't know the difference yet anyway.  There is no cape on the batman costume, at least not yet.  I didn't realize my black felt wasn't wide enough for the costume so it will be attached at a later date. 

I had some leftover wood peg dolls after making the Ninja Turtles earlier this year and decided to make a Spiderman and Batman doll to go with the costumes.  Grant, my niece, and the 2 year old I babysit still play with the Ninja Turtle peg people so I know they will be played with often.

I can't wait to see Grant running around as Batman and Spiderman on Christmas Day.

Grandparent Gift Idea-Dessert of the Month Club

I saw this idea for Dessert of the Month Club on Crafting Chicks when I did a random google search and thought it was such a cute Idea I would post about it.  The idea was actually from a guest blogger at 30 Handmade Days and she used this gift idea for teachers.  My little guy is still too young for school but when I read the post I immediately thought of grandparent gifts. 

We lived with my mom and stepdad for a year and a half after moving here from out of state and my mom has said many times over that she misses the sweets and treats I used to make.  Everything from cookies, cupcakes, granola bars, to muffins.  She loved getting to enjoy the treats without actually having to make them herself or clean up the mess after they were made.

I thought of the Dessert of the Month as a great Grandparent gift because I have a hard time with gift ideas sometimes.  It seems like most Grandparents have everything and I always end up figuring out a gift that involves pictures, which they always love but I like the idea of an alternative.  It's homemade, which is my favorite kind of gift, and lasts way past the holidays, which is always fun.  Kind of makes it Christmas all year:)

I think this gift would work for anyone on your list whether it's a teacher, friend, neighbor, Grandparent, sister, etc.  Think, if you have a brother/sister in college how much they would appreciate a dessert every month.  It's kind of difficult to bake in a dorm room or to even find the time to make treats when you're studying all the time.  If not for Christmas what about Mother's Day, Father's day or someone's birthday?  And one of the best parts about it is you can go as extravagant, like crème brulee, or simple, like chocolate chip cookies, as you want with the desserts.  It's also a great last minute gift idea because you could probably raid your pantry for ingredients to come up with a dessert on the fly and attach a cute card with ribbon and there you go, no need to spend hours at the crowded stores searching for the "perfect" gift.

If you're looking for more inspiration I also found another blog here, she included a little book which told what dessert she was bringing each month.  This way the recipient always knows what to expect.  I don't know that I could do this because I like to bake whatever strikes my fancy in the moment and I usually bake according to what fruits and things are on sale during the weeks leading up to my baking days.

Pillowcase Nightgown for Sophie

My Mom asked me last year if I would make my neice Sophie a nightgown since the ones in the store are about $10 (ridiculous) and we had no luck finding any at yard sales.  Of course I said "absolutely, a nightgown will be easy", we found some cute polka dot knit on clearence and I was set.

Fast forward 1 year and my Mom was still waiting on that nightgown.  I've come to realize it takes me forever and a day to start a project I've never made before, even when it's a seemingly easy one.  I had put off this nightgown and justified it stating I was super busy with other projects (so not a good excuse).

Then, lo and behold, I came across this post and was immediately inspired and couldn't wait to make little Sophie a nightgown. 

And FYI if you haven't checked out the rest of the iCandy Handmade blog you need to do that immediately.

Like right now, go ahead, I promise you will be browsing her archives and before you know it you will have lost 2 hours of your life and your crafting to-do list will have doubled in size.

Anyways...I didn't want to purchase the stretchy lace that the tutorial called for because I didn't want to wait for it to ship before I got started, so instead I bought some stretchy ribbon I've seen used alot for making baby headbands.

I also didn't have a pillowcase so instead I used the knit my Mom originally purchased for the nightgown and layed a pillowcase on top to cut the fabric the width I needed.  This just took a little extra time that wouldn't have been necessary if I had a pillowcase.

Here's how it turned out:

 

I so wanted a picture of her wearing the nightgown but she wasn't too into modeling and was tugging at the shoulders trying to undress herself so no such luck.  I'm so excited with how easy this was to make that I can't wait to make more.  My mom bought a package of 2 pillowcases for $1 at a store in town called Rose's.  They are nothing fancy but Sophie is makes anything look cute.

 

Kids Clothing Week is coming up,  If you haven't heard about it you should go to the website.  This will be my first year participating and I plan on making the other 2 nightgowns during that week, so I won't be tempted to procrastinate.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

I am so super excited to have this little project finished.  I bought these wood peg people about  a month ago from here.  The only ones I could find in the craft store were too small for my two year old, so I got online and found some that were 3 1/2 inches tall.  They ended up being the perfect size.

Anyways, so our new show around here is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or as my son calls it, "turtles".  When I first bought the wood peg people my intention was to make them all into superheroes like Spiderman and Superman (I'm sure you've seen hundreds of them around blogland), but while watching the Turtles I got the idea to make 4 of them into the green ninjas.

Are they cute or what?  I haven't seen any like these anywhere else so I just watched the cartoon to figure out the details to each turtle and used acrylic paint and paint pens.

 

 

Grant has bugged me to death since I painted them green and started painting their masks.  He immediately recognized them as the Ninja Turtles and wanted to play with them.

 

 

 

My intention was to give these to Grant in his Easter basket but he was so excited seeing me work on them, I just couldn't put them away and not let him play.

 

So I guess I'll have to find something else to fill his easter basket.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baby Renee Gifts

My cousin and his wife are having their first baby and I whipped them up a few goodies for the baby shower unfortunately because of the snow I didn't get to attend but I still finished everything and can't wait to give it to them.

These are becoming my go to baby shower gifts because they are easy, quick (2 of my favorite qualities in a project) and they don't take much in supplies.  I always try to stock up on fabric during Joann's black friday sale.  Every  year they have flannel for around $1.70/yd.  I bought like 7 yards of various fabrics.  Now it's February and most of them are used, I'm wishing I would have bought more.

Anyways.....

I have tutorials for most of these so I won't bother you with more step by steps.  I'll just link them.  I also added a bottle of baby shampoo, a Playtex Ventaire bottle ( my personal favorite for Grant, can't say I miss those days of washing bottles), and a package of 2 Playtex binkys. 



 Changing pads have become my go to gift for babies since my son was born.  I made myself 2 of these 2 keep in the car and at home.  The tutorial is here, I love these because they are made with bathroom hand towels so I don't have to measure and cut that fabric, they are large enough to use on public changing tables covering the majority of the table, keeping your little one germ free, and you just throw them in the washer to clean them.

 

This is the first time I have attempted wash cloths and I think it may be my last, haha.  You would think cutting 2 squares and stitching them together would be about a 10 minute project but that minky fabric is a nightmare for me.  I had never used it before and thought it would be like any other cotton, FYI it's not. 

 

Minky is stretchy, am I the only one out there that didn't realize that....probably. 

 

Anyway, I cut 9 inch squares of the flannel and minky fabric, stitched them right sides together, turned them right side out and stitched around the outside using 1/4inch seam allowance.  My advice if you are planning on making these and haven't used minky before, use lots and lots of pins.  I also baste stitched a cross pattern 2 keep the fabric in place (along with using lots and lots of pins).  I think they turned out cute and I'm glad I made them but I'm a sucker for the easy peasy projects that don't take much thought (after all my little one interupts me about a dozen times during a 10 minute project making it a 40 minute project).

 

I was attempting to do something different with this binky clip.  In my vision I wanted a little ruffle action going on since this is for a little baby girl, however after attempt #2 failing I gave up that idea and got what you see above.  In the past I've used ribbon for binky clips but I wanted one that could be easily thrown in the washer if it gets covered in spit up or formula.  To make the one above I cut a piece of fabric 2 inches wide and at whatever length you want (make it longer than you think you will need because you will be scrunching it up).  Pinned right sides together making a very long rectangle, and stitched.  I turned it right side out and with a 1/4inch seam allowance used a basting stitch on either side.  I pulled one strand of the thread to make it ruffle or scrunch up.  Since I didn't take any pictures during the process of the clip above it would probably be easier to follow the rest of the tutorial here.

 

 

I absolutely love these burp cloths.  I originally saw a version of them at Homemade by Jill.  I use quilt batting in between the layers which I don't think she did and let me just say that it is the way to go.  A package of quilt batting makes a lot of burp cloths and they are the perfect thickness.  When I had Grant my mom and I joined together and made enough to last me a week or more inbetween washes and let me tell you it was a Godsend.  I never had to worry about spit up leaking through onto my clothes and in a pinch they can double as a changing pad (just don't use it as a burp cloth after you change a diaper on it, Yuck).

 

And last but not least I had to make a wipes case to match the changing pad.  I have a tutorial here. I'm still a bit iffy on whether I like the trim I used on it.

 

 

It's the first time I've used a ribbon type trim but there's no way in heck I'm ripping it apart.  I was so excited to cross these gifts off my to-do list.  Seems like everyone is having a baby right now.  I have another baby shower at the end of March and I'm throwing a baby shower at the end of April so I'm in full swing with baby projects around here.

 

Which means you will get to see quite a few more baby projects!

Craft Hope Project 19!

I LOVE CraftHope.  I made a couple aprons to send off months ago and it felt really good knowing something so small from me could help someone else.  I've been wanting to participate in their projects ever since but hadn't found the time.  When I happened to check out their Facebook page (their website is being worked on) I saw they are collecting dolls and monkeys for the victims of hurricane Sandy, I knew immediately I had to get in on this one.  I have made many dolls using Bit Of Whimsy patterns ( I love them, they are easy to follow and come together quick, even for a simple, not so great sewer like me)  and knew I wanted to make at least one to send.  Grant doesn't really like me sewing cuz you know that means my full attention is not on him, so sewing anything becomes quite a job.

 

I actually used 2 different Bit of Whimsy patterns to create this doll.  I used the Jean doll for the body and the Beth doll pattern for the front and back of her hair.  The pig tails I cut out free handed.

 

I wanted the doll to have clothes that were removable and reversable, and I really wanted an excuse to use a new pattern I bought awhile back.  The Criss Cross and Ruffles pattern was so quick and simple and I love that it's reversable.  I only did the dress because I ran out of time and needed to get this little one in the mail but the pants look really simple as well and probably wouldn't take much time.

My intent was to make a few different stuffed toys but needless to say time got away from me.  I am glad I at least got to send this 1 doll and hopefully there is a little girl out there to love her.

Play Kitchen Details

I posted yesterday about the play kitchen I made for Grant and I finally was able to upload pictures!  I knew after I posted the one picture I'd figure out how to upload the rest, so here they are:

I attached (ok well technically my husband attached it but it was my idea and I painted it so I'll take the credit for now) a menu board to one side.  Grant is still a little to young to be trusted with chalk in order to actually use the menu chalkboard but I think it will be a nice touch when the times right.  I bought the chalkboard at Hobby Lobby for $4.99 (used my 40% off coupon of course), painted the outside, then used my Cricut to make a stencil out of vinyl for the MENU label.  The opposite side of the kitchen has 3 hooks, I bought at Walmart in a package of 4 for $0.97, to hold his hat, oven mitts, and dish towles.

Do you notice the fact that the oven door is missing?  Only took a few hours before Grant pushed down on it a little too long and off it ripped taking the screws out and everything.  Needless to say, learn from my mistakes and use heavy duty screws.

 

I used my Cricut, vinyl, and the Accent Essentials cartridge to make the stove burners.  I painted them on with acrylic paint.  Getting them in the right spot was the most frustrating part.

 

 

 I originally wanted a tile effect painted on the backsplash, but due to time constraints and my lack of patience I only got one row of them done.  I actually really like the way it turned out with just the one row but maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel better.

 

I bought these drawer pulls in the unfinished wood section at Hobby Lobby, painted them back with a silver dot in the center then glued them to the top of the stove.  Here's a little tid bit for anyone who doesn't already know this (of course I could be the only one out there) if you are glueing these to the top make sure it's on an unpainted surface.  My father in law informed me, after mine started falling off, if the wood is painted the wood glue has nothing to adhere to.  I ended up having my husband screw them all on.

The 2 other knobs were made from 2 1/2inch wood discs bought at Joann's and the same drawer pulls I used above.  I used a black sharpie to make the lines and words on the disc.  Again these ended up having to be screwed on after they started falling off.

 

Of course no kitchen is complete without a chef's hat, and of course I can't just go to the store and buy a chef's hat without adding my own little touch.  I embroidered the top and I am in love with how it turned out.  He looks so cute in it, I just wish he would wear it more, maybe as he get's older.

 

I am so pleased with how the kitchen turned out (with the exception of the broken oven door) and how much Grant loves play cooking for us.  It's so much fun to play with him.

 

Here's the link to my other post regarding this labor of love including links for the felt food, oven mitt, and dish towels.

 

 

My Labor of Love: Play Kitchen

For whatever reason Blogger has not been working well for me and I haven't been able to upload photos but I really wanted to post this.
My labor of love this Christmas was my son's play kitchen. 

 

I so love this kitchen, Fisher Price ain't got nothin' on it....of course that's just my opinion but I think it's my son's too.  We couldn't get Grant to open any other gifts because he was too busy playing with it.  My husband kept asking him if he wanted to open his other gifts, his response....Nope!

 

I searched all summer for an end table at yard sales and never found one. Who woulda guessed it? You would think I would have come across a dozen of them, oh well.  My step dad made this one for me and was kind enough to paint it too.  All the other details I did myself. 

 

I don't think my husband was sold on the idea of a kitchen for Grant this year but he loves it and has been cooking us food and pouring us milk and juice from his toy pitcher for days.

Chalk one up for mom!

 

Here are the links to the posts for the oven mitts and dish towels, felt food, and salt and pepper shakers.

 

Hopefully soon I'll be able to post about all the details like the menu board and chef's hat but until then I'll have to leave you in suspense.

On the Go Sewing Kit

Since we are spending the holiday away from home and we have a pretty long car ride ahead of us with limited space in our car, I decided I was in desperate need of a travel sewing kit.  I have had the book One Yard Wonders for a couple years and have not ever made anything from it.  Not because the ideas are not good but because I'm really not great following directions with patterns.  I prefer tutorials with pictures, lots and lots of pictures.  However, when I saw this sewing kit I thought it would be really easy to follow and decided to give it a shot.

 

I will admit, I used the same measurements as the pattern suggested but in true Lisa fashion, I did not follow any of their directions.  Don't get me wrong there was nothing wrong with the directions given in the book, they were clear and easy to follow, I'm just really really bad at following any directions, period.  Plus I also had to change a couple things because I refused to go to the craft store until after the holidays.  Here are the few changes I made:

 

 

The directions say to use snaps but I didn't have any so instead I used velcro as closures for all three of the pockets.

 

 

I also made 2 of the needle holders placing them side by side even though the directions only call for one.  One just didn't seem like enough.

 

My one piece of advice: If you look at the picture in the pattern book it will show the top pocket holding a pair of scissors, which is exactly what I wanted to put in the large top pocket of my sewing kit, however, the pocket is too small for the pair of scissors I own.  My advice is if you too want a pocket for scissors, measure your scissors and adjust the pocket size as necessary.

 

 

This project only took me a couple hours from start to finish, and probably wouldn't have taken that long if I would have turned the darn tv off (that boob tube will suck your life away :). 

 

Christmas Memory Lane Game Finished!

I finally finished the game pieces to go with the Christmas Memory Lane Game I'm giving to my mom for Christmas this year.

 

I made 3 girls and 1 boy representing my brother, sister, mom, and myself.  I didn't try anything fancy with these because I needed them to be finished quickly, but I still think they are pretty darn cute.

 

 

For the "treasure" pieces of the game I chose to do wood discs with gifts on them.  I used my Cricut and the Joys of the Season cartridge to cut the gifts out.  I used mod podge to adhere them to the wood discs.  The object of the game is to gain 4 treasures, or gifts, and make it to the home space.  The first one home wins the game.

 

 

I added a title, "The Christmas Memory Lane Game", to the box top as well as photos from Christmas's when we were little.  I had the whole box finished without any photos on the top and just kept starring at it thinking there was something missing.  After adding the photos it gave it just the right nostalgic touch I wanted. 

Even my little guy can't wait to play.

 

 

 

 

 I'm really excited for my Mom to open this one and I'm hoping it becomes a tradition to play this game and share memories of Christmas's past.

Mug Rugs & Cozy to Match

I made a couple mug cozies and mug rugs to match  for 2 of my friends.  Of course after having made them I'm really wanting one for myself and my mom has already put in an order for me to make her one as well.  A crafter's to-do list is never ending.

 

I searched blog land to find a coffee mug cozy tutorial and found this one, but of course in my usual style I used the measurements (the one thing I hate most about crafting is figuring measurements) and did my own thing with the rest.

 

I've seen quilted mug rugs many times and have had them on my to-do list for awhile.  I love how these turned out and just like the cozies I now want a set of these for myself.

 

Here is how I made mine:

 

I cut 2 pieces of fabric 6x6inches and 1 piece of quilt batting 6x6 inches.  I layered them with the batting on bottom, 1 piece of fabric with right side facing up on top of the batting, and 2nd piece of fabric with wrong side facing up on top of that one.  I pinned the 3 layers together, stitched around the 4 sides using 1/2inch seam allowance and leaving bout a 1 1/2inch opening for turning on one of the sides.

 

 

Clip your corners.  This helps when you turn your mug rug right side out.

 

Turn right side out.

 

 

Pin opening closed and stitch around four sides using 1/4inch seam allowance, making sure to stitch opening closed.

 

 

I made a design on my mug rugs by just going around making a square inside of a square until I reached the center.  I think it just gives the rugs a little something special about them. 

 

 

 The best part is you can raid your scrap pile to make these and they make great gifts for friends, co-workers, bus drivers, teachers, or stocking stuffers for family.

 

Now for the mug cozy.  As I said in the beginning I used the measurements from this blog and she made some super cute cozies but I wanted mine to be a bit different and to me mine are a smidge easier and quicker to make.

 

You will need 2 pieces of fabric 3 1/2x10 inches and a piece of Insul-Bright 3 1/2x10inches (you could use quilt batting but the Insul-Bright is what's used in pot holders and I have tested it out with my cozies and your hands will be completely protected from the heat of your mug.  I prefer the Insul-Bright over anything else).

 

 

Layer and pin these pieces as shown below with the 2 pieces of fabric right sides together and the Insul-Bright on the bottom (it doesn't matter which side of the Insul-Bright is up or down).

 

I used hair elastics (I bought a package of 100 various colored elastics at Dollar General for $1) instead of velcro (as is shown in the tutorial I reference above)to hold the cozy onto the mug.  If you choose to use hair elastics cut the metal piece off of 2 of them, if there is one, and place them in between the 2 (right side together) pieces of fabric.

 

 

Using a 1/4inch seam allowance stitch the elastics into place, making sure not to stitch the top layer in place (fold this piece of fabric back while you stitch the elastics in place).

 

Fold the top piece of fabric back down covering up the elastics and pin in place.  Stitch around the 4 sides using  1/4 inch seam allowance making sure to leave an opening for turning.

 

Turn right side out.

 

 

Pin opening closed and stitch all the way around using 1/4inch seam allowance.

 

For the finishing touch, hand sew 2 buttons on the opposite end of the elastics,  The hair elastics will loop over these to hold in place.  I made the gray and yellow chevron cozy reversable.  If you want to do the same make sure you put 2 buttons on each side.

 

 

TA-DAAA!  You're done.  You now have your very own mug cozy perfect for drinking hot chocolate on a cold winter's night.  I will forwarn you, after making one of these you will have the urge to make many many many more, as they can be addicting.