Hulk and Iron Man Freezer Paper Stencil Shirt

Hulk Smash!


That's what my 3 year old runs around our house saying...over, and over and over.  He loves the Avengers.  He loves superheroes.  He always notices the shirts in all the stores with these characters on them but lets face it, I'm not made of money, he has plenty of other shirts, and they are always upwards of $15 each.


And what does a DIY Mama do when she doesn't want to spend a small fortune on character shirts but really wants to give her little one what they want?


She makes it herself of course.


So I took a little trip to Hobby Lobby picked out a green shirt, they are less than $3 each after their "Always 30% off" discount.


I got online and googled, "Hulk freezer paper stencil", and somehow found an image of half a face that was supposed to be the Hulk.  I then went to Dafont.com and found a font that was more comic book-ish because I knew I didn't just want the face on there, there needed to be some kind of wording so anyone and everyone would know who it was supposed to be.


Of course the wording immediately came to me, it had to be, Hulk Smash!

Someone told me it's more of a Lego version of the Hulk and it probably is, but Grant knew exactly who it was as soon as he saw it and he loved it.  What did he say after he talked about how much he wanted to wear it, "right now!"?

Mommy where's my Iron Man shirt?

Another trip to Hobby Lobby later for a red shirt and a trip to Joann's for a small bottle of gold metallic fabric paint (because Hobby Lobby didn't have any) and he now has an Iron Man shirt as well.

To find the above image I simply googled, "Iron Man freezer paper stencil".  I now have 2 other shirts in the works for a Spiderman and one with the Avengers emblem on it.

There are dozens of freezer paper stencil tutorials out there which is why I didn't make one for this project.  I don't think I do anything different from anyone else.  Here is one I looked at before I did my first project last year.  If you've never done freezer paper stencils, go to the store and buy some freezer paper right this second!

You will quickly become addicted and coming up with your own shirt designs for you or your little ones.

Smore's Trail Mix

Since I'm keeping a 10 year old this summer I wanted to come up with some different snacks than I normally do.  I'm not one to have a lot of cookies and cakes for snack time.  I prefer cheese crackers, fruit, pretzels and graham crackers with Nutella.  I figured a 10 year old who's used to the more junk filled snacking would get bored with my versions pretty quickly so I started thinking up ideas for a happy medium.


Enter in trail mix, not just any trail mix....s'mores  trail mix.  Does trail mix get any better than that, and who doesn't love s'mores?


If you answered, "me" to that question you are either lying to yourself, or haven't tried one made to perfection.


Either way you will love this and so will your kids.


It's as simple as pouring some Golden Grahams cereal, mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips in a bowl, giving it a stir, and separating it into those cute little snack baggies.

Now toss one to each of your kids, try not to whack them in the eye when you toss them, and don't forget one for yourself because, yes, you will want some too.

Flubber Fun

Since I started watching my 10 year old cousin this summer I've been scouring the internet and trying my best to come up with some activities that will both occupy a 10 year old and 3 year old and will keep their attention for more than 37 seconds.

After the first couple days of our new summer routine  I adopted the attitude that as long as it was entertaining for them I would not freak out about the mess the projects made.  Needless to say I have done my fair share of cleaning my apartment and yet it is never clean, but the kids have had fun and that's what's important.

One activity we used to do a lot during my days working at a daycare was making flubber.  I've read where people say it is dangerous to use the borax because it's a chemical and all that but I make sure the kids wash their hands after playing with it, don't put it anywhere near their mouth, and the amount in flubber is very small so truthfully I'm not concerned, you can make up your own mind and decide what is best for your children.

I think the second best thing about this project (the first being that it kept them occupied for a good 45 minutes on numerous days) is that I already had all the ingredients at my house.  So no extra trip to wally-world where I would inevitably walk out with a cart load of goodies instead of the glue I went in to buy.

Recipe:

3/4 cup cold water
1 cup Elmer’s glue
liquid food coloring
1/2 cup hot water
1 teaspoon borax (you can find this in a box in the laundry aisle)
directions:
step 1: in bowl 1 – mix together the cold water, glue, and food coloring. set aside.
step 2: in bowl 2 – mix together the hot water and borax, until the borax is completely dissolved.
step 3: slowly add glue mixture to borax mixture. mix well. pour off excess water.

**disclaimer: if your child is like my son and squirts half the bottle of food coloring in his flubber mixture he will inevitably have blue tinged hands every single time he plays with it.
Recipe from here: http://www.livecrafteat.com/craft/homemade-flubber-for-kids/#ixzz34EWcdCfJ

I halved the recipe and gave each of them the necessary supplies to mix their own flubber.  I did not let them touch the borax, only stir it once I had added it to the hot water.  This was the perfect amount for each of them to play with.  Store your flubber in a plastic baggie (sandwich size is perfect for a halved recipe) and it stays good for at least a week.

I have every intention of stocking my craft cabinet with glue this summer during the back to school sales to have it on hand for future rainy days, and the cold days of winter.

Shaving Cream Bathtub Paint

I saw the summer roundup over at A Girl and A Glue Gun and was so excited with all the fun activities she had posted.  It can be difficult to figure out entertainment for kids during the summer but I have made a vow to not worry about the mess as long as the kids have fun with the activity.  When I saw the bathtub paint idea I was super excited because I knew Grant would have a blast.  He loves playing in the tub and it usually gives me the opportunity to clean the rest of the bathroom and do some laundry.

 All I did was took some Pure Silk women's shaving cream (which I got a while back with coupons for all of $0.15) but any shaving cream that foams white will work (I think you can get it at Walmart for $1), and sprayed it in the wells of a muffin tin.  Then I took some of Grant's Crayola washable paint and put maybe a teaspoon in each and mixed it together.  I found an old paintbrush, that will now be his bathtub paint brush, and let him go to town.

I think the "recipe" on the original website used food coloring instead of washable paint but after cleaning up the cool whip we played with and seeing the food coloring stain Grant's entire arm, I was afraid it may also stain the walls of the tub.  The last thing I wanted was to have to scrub the tub walls any more than I do already.

This is definitely an activity we will do again.  He was so excited about his painting he begged me to take a picture so he could show Daddy.  The best part for me, other than seeing how much fun he had, was the clean-up was as simple as wiping it off with a wet washcloth.

This could also be an activity for playing outside.  You could take a white shower curtain from the Dollar Tree, your shaving cream paint, and some sponge brushes and let the kids have at it.  Then just hose them and the shower curtain off, and hang it up to dry for another day.  Or leave the shaving cream on the shower curtain and use it as a foamy slip and slide.

Bit of Whimsy MerMae Doll

I was super excited when Bit of Whimsy had a 40% off sale over black Friday weekend.  My husband decided he wanted to gift to the nieces and nephews this year so I had to come up with a gift for Sophie. 

She loves The Little Mermaid and I thought this doll would be perfect for her.  Not to mention I always love an excuse to buy a new doll pattern.  I've gotten so much use out of the Jean and Beth patterns I bought I consider it an investment.  I can almost always raid my fabric stash without purchasing a single new piece when I make a doll, which I love because I get rid of some fabric that's taking up space in my closets.

When I saw the pattern I immediately thought of a blue paisley fabric I used for pj pants last Christmas and a onesie dress last year.  For whatever reason the paisley made me think of a mermaid.

 

I am so in love with this doll!  Is she too cute or what?  I love her pink and blue hair.  I wouldn't normally use non-hair colors on a doll but considering this one's a mermaid I thought it was perfect.

 

I have to say I was a little intimidated when I read this doll pattern wasn't for beginners like the other patterns on the website.  Not that I'm a beginner but I just wondered how much more difficult it would be to put together.  I have to say I was happily surprised it wasn't that bad.  I think there are just more steps to this doll than to the other 2 I've made.  I've used my other patterns so much, it was nice to start on something new and a little different.  Kinda makes me want to buy another different pattern and make another one haha.  I'll have to refrain though, I think my husband would flip if I added another "project" to my to-do list.

 

I'm happy she is done and can't wait to give her to Sophie.

 

Felt Ninja Turtle Costume Tutorial

I posted here about the Ninja Turtle costume I made my son and like most things I make him, I had to make one for my niece as well.  I originally wanted to make her Donatello, or he purple turtle, but when I realized I only had red felt and no purple I figured it was better to go with red so I wouldn't have to buy any extra felt.

I used the same measurements for my 3 year old son and my 2 year old niece.  The shoulder pieces were 2.5 inches wide with a 5.5 inch opening for the neck.  The width of the body of the costume was 14 inches, the length was 16 inches.  This size fit my 3 year old perfectly and was a little big on my niece, but this just means she will have some growing room in it.  It wasn't falling off of her or anything so in my world it fit perfectly, lol.

I didn't do any measurements for the arm holes I just made them as long as I thought they would need to be for easily taking the costume on and off.  I think, when in doubt make them a little bigger.

 

 I used an 8x12 piece of tan felt to cut the stomach of the turtle.  I didn't use a pattern, just cut it in what I thought was the right shape.

 

To give it some dimension I cut a piece of quilt batting to go underneath the tan piece of felt.  I stitched the layers of the green body, tan stomach piece, and quilt batting in the same pattern as the Ninja turtles on tv.

 

I cut a piece of 2inch wide brown felt for the belt.  I stitched it to one shoulder at an angle, then pinned it down and stitched the yellow buckle in place going through all the layers of felt,

 

I kept the shoulder strap not sewed down until I got the waist belt in place and stitched, this way I knew for sure how long the shoulder strap needed to be.  After the waist belt was stitched down trimmed the shoulder strap.

  

Next I an extra strip of green felt to either side of the body pieces (right sides together).  This is just so the costume hangs easily and moves freely.  You don't want it to be in any way restricting.

 

 For the shell I cut a random oval shape, cutting 2 pieces of quilt batting to make it more dimensional.  For Grant's costume I used some polyfil I had in my stash to make his more rounded.  The I stitched the layers together in the shell design I could remember from the cartoon.  It's far from perfect but Grant knew what it was and that's all that matters.

 

I didn't sew the whole shell onto the back of the body piece.  Instead I placed it where I wanted and stitched it by hand in 4 different spots.  Add the shoulder strap by sewing it to the shoulder and stitch the waist belt on either side and to connect the shoulder belt to the waist belt.

 

Now stitch the front and back body pieces, right sides together, at the shoulders.

 

For the masks I made them about 5- 5 1/2 inches wide and freehanded the shape of an eye mask.  I cut one out in green felt and the other, slightly smaller out of colored felt.  I stitched both together then cut out the eye holes.  I attached a 1 inch wide tie to either side.

 

 

And there you have it a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Costume!  These types of costumes are great for dress up play around the house which is what I originally made them for, however they are also great for Halloween.  They are easy to have multiple layers underneath and kids can move freely in them.  Grant decided to wear his for trick or treat and he had a long john thermal shirt, a sweatshirt, and a jacket all underneath his and it still fit well enough that he could run like a Ninja Turtle from one house to the next.

 

 

 

 

Grant won't hardly take his costume off and he and Sophie ran around my mom's house like ninja turtles when I put them both in the costumes.  So score one for mom!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boo-Boo Bear Ice Pack

After I started watching another 2 year old 3 days a week I realized how desperate I was for a cure all for everyday boo-boos.  Seriously, 2 year olds are like magnets for bumping heads, running into walls, falling over toys, and random clumsiness. Grant has always been clumsy but usually a hug, kiss, and a shake it off works well for him and he's "all better".  This apparently doesn't work for every child.  S's first week with us consisted of her losing her balance and rolling down the last 3 steps bumping her head on the rail, slamming her teeth into Grant's forehead (accidently of course), running into the corner of our end table, and busting her lip on the edge of a toy she fell on.

Needless to say she screamed every time and my hugs and kisses were no longer a magical cure all.
Enter, the Boo- Boo Bear.  I gave both Grant and S a baggie with a piece of ice when they collided teeth and forehead, and then every injury thereafter they wanted more ice.  Call me cheap but I didn't want to keep giving out baggies nor keep track of the 1st one I gave them.  So that night I got out my fabric scraps, used a lid to trace a circle (the bear's head), and freehanded the ears and the embroidered face.  I filled it with rice (I have loads of rice) using a funnel and popped it in the freezer.

 

First thing the next day Grant hit his lip on something and the Boo-Boo Bear ice pack was there to cure his pain.  He loved it and him and S have actually fought over who needs it the most when they are "hurt".  Which of course means I need to make another one.  The to-do list never ends.

Bit of Whimsy Doll for Skylynn

I love Bit of Whimsy dolls! I really can't say that enough.  The 2 patterns I've bought have been used numerous times and I love having them on hand for last minute little girl birthdays and Christmas gifts.  We were invited to a family friend's 2nd birthday over the weekend.  Well you don't know this but October is a very busy and very expensive month for us.  Not only is it Grant's birthday, but our county fair, my husband and I's anniversary, our trip to the pumpkin patch, the pumpkin hike at our park, Boo at the Zoo & trick or treat (which means me making 2 costumes, one for Grant and one for my niece).  So to fit much else in with time and a small budget is next to impossible.  So naturally I decided to whip up a Bit of Whimsy doll for little Skylynn.

Usually I have all the fabric and notions I need in my stash to make a doll on the fly, however moving has put a wrench in finding any of my craft stuff, especially fabric.  I currently have my fabric and craft stash located in 4 copy paper boxes, 2 diaper boxes, 1 laundry basket and an armoire.  And I searched for flesh colored fabric for about an hour before I decided it wasn't worth it anymore and made a trip to Hobby Lobby.  I spent a total of $2.35 on flesh colored cotton fabric and the cute pink paisley print I found on clearance and decided I had to have it for the dolls dress.

This doll was made using the Jean doll pattern.  I've made more of the Jean dolls than the Beth (the other pattern I purchased a couple years ago) only because I never can find my yarn and I always have felt.

I will say this, if my little one turns out to be a girl I will be investing in quite a few more doll patterns.

Dora Jumper

When my sister was a toddler I made her a simple summer jumper, white with fruit on it.  I was so proud of that jumper, it was one of my first sewing projects.  My mom found some clearance corduroy Dora fabric and asked if I would make one for Sophie.  I thought I would be able to find such a simple pattern online for free, but no such luck.  I searched off and on for days and came up with nothing.

Ugh! I hate it when an internet search yields nothing, so frustrating.

So I had to resort to the next best thing, a store bought pattern.  I really try to stay away from them because they are harder for me to understand and I usually end up getting half way done with whatever it is and it sits in my sewing box for years on end before I give it up.

Here is the pattern my mom bought:

I had never used a New Look pattern.  I usually try to stick with Simplicity.  Not really sure why, but it's the patterns I first started using and I'm not one for change.

This pattern was super easy.  It had a total of 4 pattern pieces and took me less than an hour to finish once the fabric pieces were cut out.  That's my kind of sewing project.

 

 

It seems I can never get a picture of the clothes I make actually on the kids.  They don't understand or care why I want their picture and instead say thank you and run away.  I guess I should just be thankful they say thank you.

 

I love the colors of this fabric and my mom actually bought 2 yards so I have a whole other yard to play with and sew something else.  Maybe a winter skirt to wear with tights! 

 

 

 

Kids Clothing Week-a little delayed

I had grand plans for kids clothing week and so many ideas of what I wanted to accomplish for my first go around.  I didn't officially sign up for KCW because even though I had grand plans I knew there was alot going on with a baby shower and a Minnie Mouse birthday (more on this later), and of course what we do best-moving. 

I guess I should be proud of the fact that I did get a few things accomplished along with all those other things stealing my attention.  I think I over estimated what I could accomplish with a 2 year old at my feet and not sleeping but with all that being said I do have some things to show off.

I made my neice a couple more pillowcase nightgowns.  My mom requested more for this summer because she loved the one I made here.  She found these striped pillowcases, 2 in a package, for $1 at a discount store, and I got the stretch ribbon at Hobby Lobby @ 50% off for $1.50.  So all in all each nightgown cost a total of $1.25, you can't even go to Wally World and buy a little girls nightgown on clearence for that price.

Of course as usual I didn't get pictures with the kids in their clothes because toddlers in this house don't seem to like my camera very much.  They turn their back to me, run in the opposite direction, and lay face down on the floor when I say "come take a picture for me".

I also made a shirt for Grant.  I bought the Maxwell shirt pattern a couple months ago with KCW in mind.  I have quite a few of derricks old button up shirts I've wanted to repurpose for Grant and decided it was the perfect pattern to attempt it. 

 

My husband's shirt before I started cutting it to pieces:

Maxwell Shirt front:

 

Back:

 

It is so darn cute I can't stand it and I have to say I'm pretty proud even with the mistakes I made in the process of putting it together. 

I'm going to be honest because lets face it we all should be, this shirt has alot of problems.  Not due to the pattern, I absolutely love this pattern and it's super easy to follow so you should definately buy it if you have a cute little boy in your life.  All of my errors were because of myself, ugh, wish I could blame someone else but I can't.

Button holes make me nervous, don't ask why they just do.  So I had the grand idea to avoid having to make so many I would just use the existing button plackart (have no clue if thats how you spell that but you know what I mean).  I just left that pattern piece in the envelope and went on my merry way cutting and sewing.  If I was a better sewer or had done this before maybe it would have turned out better but because I hadn't I had to improvise on more than one occasion.

I feel it's necessary to purge these imperfections to all of you so here they are:

 

Top of the button plackard



 

The inside collar

 

Inside button plackard

I'm gonna say these blemishes give this shirt a little character, and take this as a learning experience rather than being uptight about it (which I usually would be).  Normally when I sew clothes (or anything for that matter) and the above happens I start to get flustered and say many choice words (not outloud of course) to my sewing machine, the pattern, my scissors, or anything else I can blame for my lack of perfection.  But not this time.  I took it and ran with it making the best of the situation.

Aww, I'm growing up becoming a big girl.

I have intentions of making a few more of these shirts and next time I'll make it and face my button hole fears and hopefully show off a shirt with a few less imperfections.  There's no point in hoping for perfection, it's just not gonna happen.

Jello Playdough

I've noticed Grant acting out a little more recently and have come to the conclusion he is getting pretty bored with his toys and needs a little something more.  So I started looking online for different learning ideas and activities for toddlers when I came across Jello Playdough. 

I know what you must be thinking.... playdough....toddler...duh!  But I honestly had not thought about him playing with playdough at his age, thinking he would for sure try to eat it, and wouldn't really know how to play with it.  Of course as Grant has done on many occasions since his birth, he proved me wrong. 

I used this recipe and even let him help stir.  I halved the recipe because I only had a 3 oz package of Jello, and it was more than enough for 1 little boy.  I raided my Mom's cookie cutter supply and gave him a smooth butter knife and he was thoroughly entertained for a good half hour.

We only had one incident of trying to eat the playdough, which I think he realized quite quickly it was disgusting tasting, and no real big mess to clean up, so now we have a new activity and I'm super excited.

I guess it doesn't take much to get this mama excited these days :)

Relay for Life Team Shirts

I posted here about our Relay shirts I'm freezer paper stenciling and after finishing 3 (of the possible 23) I have come to realize, maybe I took on too big a task.  Our Relay is in June and I'm guessing as to whether or not I'm going to be able to get them all done. 

I will say I love freezer paper stencils and already have a design made for my son's zoo shirt this year (cuz you know you have to have a special themed shirt to go to the zoo).  However I wasn't aware that I would not be able to reuse the stencils.  For whatever stupid reason I thought I could just peel and restick the design as many times as I desired.  I have found after 2 shirts the stencil needs pitched because the stickiness of the small pieces no longer works.  So that means I have to make about 12 stencils, x-acto knife them, paint them, heat bond them, and wash them.

There are loads of tutorials and tips on various websites, just do a google search and you will find dozens.  In case you don't want to go to all that trouble, I looked at this post as a reference.

the color in the pic above is a little wonky but its a really pretty pink in the right lighting.

 

 

Even though I love how they are turning out I'm thinking maybe we should have ordered some haha.

O well back to cutting and painting I go.

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Valentine's Day Chair Pouch

I made my son a Valentine's day chair pouch before he could sit up on his own. 

Why you ask?
Because I thought they were so stinkin cute I couldn't wait a whole year to make one. 

Fast forward 2 years and 3 moves later and I havn't got the slightest clue where its at.  I take that back, I know exactly where it is.  It's in a box in the room in the basement.  Of course so is just about everything I own so in reality I just have no idea which box it's in.

Rather than being annoyed with this reality (as I am with so many other things I have had to remake or rebuy for lack of wanting to search through boxes that are stacked higher than my head) I decided it was a great opportunity to make a newer, cuter V-day pouch.  This year I think Grant will actually be excited to wake up from naptime and see a few little surprises waiting at his high chair. 

So as I do any time I get the idea to do something I googled valentine's day chair pouch to get ideas on the shape I wanted and how I wanted it to be embellished.  Then as I also always do I threw all that out the window and started cutting and sewing. 

I don't advise this if it is late at night and you have spent way too much time fighting with your 2 year old to not dump the entire contents of his toy box on the floor, clear off all the shelves in the living room, or trying to figure out why in the world they are standing in front of you mouth wide open screaming out of the blue as if you should know what in the heck they want.  In the crafting world, or at least in my crafting world, this results in ripping out seams, recutting fabric, and my sewing machine being subjected to dirty looks and name calling.

Don't judge, I know you have secretly done the same.

I had grand plans of a beautifully written and photographed post of this wonderful V-day pouch I was making, however as you can guess from the name calling I referenced earlier all the pictures didn't get taken and after looking back through them I can tell you I was confused so I knew I wouldn't be able to acurately write a great tutorial.

Yes I know if I was a top knotch blogger I would have that tutorial regardless but I had no desire to remake this pouch.  Even though it was actually super easy to make.  I'm really happy with how it turned out and can't wait to fill it with a couple treasures.

 

I made mine to fit on the bar stools we have our highchair sitting on.  I've seen some made with backpack like straps but I thought the one single wrap around strap would make it easier for Grant to get into it himself.  It's just at his height.

 

I stitched the stap to the back of the pouch and used velcro as a closure.

 

There are a ton of different ways you could design your pouch, I liked the messenger bag type look so that's how I did mine.

 

Since it's for Valentine's day I had to put a heart somewhere so I cut a white and red from felt and stitched it on the flap to cover where I stitched the velcro on.

 

I used the basics of making a messenger bag and you can find those tutorials everywhere.  Just change the measurements to make them the size you need. Here is a great one.  I think mine ended up being 10 inches wide and 6-8inches tall (not including the flap).  It was very easy to make and I used interfacing on all the pieces to give it a sturdier shape so hopefully it will hold up over the years and I won't have to make my little Nutty Buddy a new one.





 

 

 

Puffy Vest

I saw this post on A Girl and A Glue Gun and Sugarbee a while ago and immediately went out and bought the flannel fabric I needed to make Grant his own puffy vest.  I thought after reading the tutorial how simple and quick the project would be so I could knock it out in a naptime.

Ask me why I ever think that will be the case, cuz it never is. 

Why don't I learn?

I proceeded to make my own pattern to use and cut both my lining fabric and outter fabric, then decided since I already read through the tutorial and knew (ok, thought I knew) exactly how to make this vest I didn't need to read the tutorial again.

This was mistake #1.

I stitched the lining and outter pieces together in the way I thought, ignoring the fact that they weren't matching up correctly, thinking the imperfections would work themselves out.

This was mistake #2.

I ended up getting most of it done (or rather thinking I had most of it done) to realize I had messed up the entire vest and there was no salvaging it unless I ripped out every seam I had previously stitched.  And seriously who wants to do that?  So, like so many other projects I screw up on the first attempt, it ended up getting thrown in a bag and procrastination set in on making another.  Every time I saw this bag an eye roll and a thought of, "I really need to make another one of those", would follow.

Finally I am here to say I have finished this project.  My words of advice.....
Read the tutorial.....And then read it again so you don't have to rip seams or procrastinate making another.

It really is a simple project.  I get easily distracted and lose focus cuz here is my background noise music:

Grant:  "MAMA, MAMA, MAMA, MAMA, MAMA"

(picture a 2 year old jumping up and down in front of you patting your knees, getting closer and closer to your face with every "Mama" he says)

 

Me: "what?"

 

Grant: "MAMA, MAMA......"

 

Me: "I said what?"

 

Grant: "MAMA, MAMA, MAMA......."

 

Me: "WHAT?"

 

Grant: sigh, eye roll, and he proceeds to turn around and watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

 



I stuffed mine with Polyfil, made the faux pockets and collar.  You can tell my work is not perfect but I think it's really cute.  My only regret is the length.  The next one I make will be about 1 inch longer on the bottom.  Grant is growing so fast these days (what am I talking about the kid has grown like a weed since birth), so I know this one won't fit him very long.

 

 

I swear I don't take him in public dressed this way but he wanted the vest on and I had to take advantage of my fleeting moment to take a few pics.

 





He likes to turn to the side when he knows I'm about to take his picture, laughing the whole time.

 

I get alot of pictures that look like this one.

Or this.

 

After making this here is what I would and will do differntly the next time around, I will use quilt batting instead of stuffing (mainly because I'm lazy).  I think I over stuffed mine making it shrink a little in length.  I also won't bother using bias tape on the arms.  I used it on the one above but it looked a little strange to me.  It may not have been the tape, maybe it was my pattern but when I tucked the tape inside and stitched it down so you can't see it when Grant's wearing the vest, it seemed to fit him better and look better on him.

 I have this vest on my list for the fall to participate in the fall kids clothing week challenge at Elsie Marley.  I've been dying to participate for about a year but just havn't had the guts to attempt.

I've got my guts now.

Pretend Mail Set

My friend's daughter is turning 3 this month and I thought for quite awhile about what I wanted to make her.  Ultimately a play mail set was a must.  I'm all about simple toys for kids and toys they have to use their imaginations with.  I first saw a pretend mail set on the blog 12 Crafts til Christmas (which I think has been taken down since then or at least that's what google tells me) and logged it in my favorites as a "one day" project.  I guess that one day has come.

Here's the whole lot, 4 post cards, 3 envelopes, 3 letters, 7 stamps, and 5 address labels.  I think the whole set turned out really cute.  The only things missing is the mail carrier bag (still working on that) and the mailbox.  My plan is to buy one of the paper mache mailboxes at Hobby Lobby.  The only problem is they have been out of the size I need, bummer!  So I'm hoping they get it in within the next week.

 

 Postcards:

 

 

I used heavy interfacing as the main part of the post cards and a sharpie to write on them.   As you can see I'm not great at making a perfect square.  All my postcards are a bit wonky, but that's the great thing about sewing for kids, they are very forgiving of imperfections.

 

 

I used ric rac for the address part of all the postcards with a place for the stamps in the upper corner. 

 

Envelopes:

 To make the envelopes I used a sheet of computer paper and just cut it in the shape i needed.  I used a coordinating green fabric for the inside, velcro for the closer, and placed velcro on the outside for the address labels and stamps.

 

A word to the wise: make sure your letters are small enough to actually fit inside your envelopes.  I wasn't paying attention and mine almost didnt fit.  Oops!  The letters are muslin fabric with cotton on the back. I stitched them right sides together then turned them right side out and stitched a 1/4inch seam around the outside.  I used a sharpie to make the squiggle lines that represent writing.

 

 

 

 

 Address Labels:

 

 Each address label consists of 2 pieces of felt.  The top piece is hand embroidered with the person's name and the bottom piece has a piece of velcro stitched on so it will easily attach to the envelopes. Then I stitched the top piece to the bottom. 

 

 Stamps:

For the stamps I just cut a square of felt, a small heart of felt, stitched velcro on the back and stitched the heart on the front.  Ta-Daa, instant pretend stamp.  You could be a really good crafter and applique the hearts on the front so you wont see the triangle stitch but let's face it, I'm lazy and I was working during nap time.  Which means short cuts are a must!

 

 

Hopefully I'll have the mailbox and bag to show soon but I got impatient wanting to share the pieces of the gift I had finished.  My plan is to make a set for Grant for Christmas this year (maybe with that one I'll have measurements and patterns since I was a slacker with this set).  I know what your thinking, It's January, what in the heck am I thinking of Christmas for?  What can I say? It's the way my mind works!