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.

The Accidental Handmade Business

I can not believe it's been over a year since my last post, craziness! I guess 2 kiddos running around hasn't given me much time,or maybe I'm just not as great at time management as I thought. Either way, I have been crafting.  In fact last Christmas I unknowingly started a small side business called The GracieLynn Shop.  How do you start a business and not know it? I made my daughter, 9 months old at the time, a Bit of Whimsy Doll.  The Baby pattern, which is absolutely adorable by the way, is the one I purchased and it's smaller than the other ones I've made making it the perfect doll for my little one.

So of course I was so proud of the cuteness I created I posted a picture on Facebook and the orders started coming.  Friends of friends and family members were all wanting homemade dolls for their sons/daughters, grandson/daughter, niece/nephew, and baby shower gifts.

It was truely a blessing because we were unsure how we were going to afford Christmas & going to see my husband's family. I had been praying about it a lot and then this kinda fell in my lap.

I made 4 different girl dolls

And some boy dolls,

Cute little babies

Christmas rolled around and I was asked to make elves (more on that in another post).

And then Easter rolled around and I started making bunnies.

  I used the Sleepy Bunny pattern from Mmmcrafts.

I've had so much fun making them!

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.

 

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.

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

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.

Peg People Dolls & A Little Girl Purse

We are traveling over the holiday to see friends and family and I'm so excited to be seeing a couple of my close friends.  I decided last minute I wanted to do a gift for each of them and one of their daughters who'se almost 3.  I've been wanting an excuse to make peg people for awhile and since I already had the wood people I thought now would be a great time.

 

I have seen some truely beautiful peg dolls all over the internet and while I know mine aren't as detailed as some or perfect, I think they are pretty darn good for my first try.  Grant couldn't stop playing with them, which of course means I have to make a set fit for a little boy next.

 

And of course I couldn't give 3 little peg dolls without a little bag to carry them in.

 

 

I made this little girl purse in about 20 minutes, creating the pattern as I went along.  I'm really hoping to figure out how the heck to make this into a pdf but until then you will have to remain satisfied with the picture.  I used velcro instead of a zipper because it's what I had in my stash and ironed fusible interfacing to the outer pieces of fabric for more stability.  The fabric flower was made using this tutorial.

 

 

There are literally hundreds of fabric flower tutorials out there in the blog world but I really think this is one of the easiest.  I figure if I can do this flower with a 2 year old climbing all around me and on me then it's a score.

 

After realizing how simple this bag was to make I now have it on my to-do list for my neice Sophie.  She has just started carrying bags around putting all her little toys and goodies inside.

 

Mickey Crayon Roll-A Stocking Stuffer

I made my first crayon roll last year for my brother's girlfriend's son.  When I was brainstorming stocking stuffers this year I knew a crayon roll for Grant would be perfect.  I used the tutorial at Skip to My Lou. I bought a box of 8 fat crayons so they would be easier for him to hold so I did have to adjust the measurements a little.

 

I used a hair elastic and a button to hold it closed.

 

 

All the measurements were the same except the length which I cut at about 10 3/4 inches with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  After turning it right side out and top stitching around the outside the length ended up being 10 1/4 inches.  This will be paired with a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse coloring book I found for 99 cents at Walmart.

 

2 Mikey Monkey's for 2 Little Boys

My cousin has twin, almost 1 year old boys, I threw her a baby shower last year, and since we will be seeing her in Tennessee over the Christmas holiday I wanted to make something for them.  My cousin is not in the least bit a crafter, I swear one day I will convert her, so I never think of what to buy them but what to make them.  For Grant's first Christmas I made him a Mikey monkey and I thought it would be perfect for their gift this year.  There is something about a handmade toy, I feel like every child should have one.

 

 

I have to say I love these monkies but there are certain parts that can be a bit of a pain in the neck, not because of the pattern or instructions but because I never seem to follow them completely which can get me in trouble.  Anyway, I wanted to make them matching but not identical and I'm really pleased with how they turned out.  Originally I was going to do really good and make the matching baseball hat and tennis shoes but after I stuffed and stitched them up I decided for my crafting sanity I should leave them as is.  I'm so glad I can now mark these off my Christmas craft to-do list.  I can't wait to see the boys open them, my little guy has already been giving them kisses and trying to drag them around the house.

Superhero Cape for Sophie: A Christmas Gift

I have to take a moment and say how proud I am of myself for already having quite a few Christmas gifts bought and made than I think I ever have in the past.  Usually the handmade gifts are always being finished into the wee hours of Christmas morning.  I vowed to myself I would not be doing that this year since we will be out of town for part of the holiday & packing up extra sewing and crafting supplies is not an option.

Sophie and Grant love playing together and see each other every weekend.  I knew I wanted to make them both superhero capes this year and finished Grant's about a month ago.  I'm thrilled with how both of them turned out, especially since I didn't have a pattern to go by.

I made this cape using the same pattern I created with Grant's.  I made it using one of his large bibs and newspaper.  I traced the neck part of the bib and created an A shape.

 

For the "S" I printed the letter from a Word document in the size I needed, traced it onto the fabric, cut it out, backed it with head and bond and stitched it to the triangle shape.

 

I think I mentioned this when I posted about my son's cape but here's a note, make sure you clip the corners and all the curves to make the fabric not bunch up around the neck when you turn it right side out.  I learned this the hard way the first go round.

 

I'm so excited to see them running through the house Christmas morning with these capes.

Superhero Cape- A Christmas Gift

I am so excited to have this post up. Mainly because it makes me feel like I'm actually accomplishing something and I'm not such a procrastinator.  Either way I'm still excited to have at least one of Grant's gifts finished.

I've known for a while that I wanted to make Grant a superhero cape.  My plan is to make one for my neice Sophia too but I have yet to buy the fabric for hers.  I looked at random blogs and tutorials online trying to get a feel for how to make one and how to create a pattern.  I ended up taking one of Grant's toddler bibs and tracing the neck and then then making an "A" shape on newspaper to make my pattern. 

I bought 1 yard of poly satin and 1 yard of green cotton.  I was really nervous working with satin because I remembered from years ago my aunt (who is an amazing seamstress) said it could be difficult to work with, which is why I decided to use cotton on the back instead of another satin fabric.

 

I used my cricut to cut out a "G" template and decided to keep things simple and applique it onto a triangle shape.  Originally I wanted to put the monogram onto a lightning bolt but that got nixed pretty fast when I tried to free hand one and it turned out awful.

 

Here are my few bits of advice if you are going to make a superhero cape and if you're going to use satin to make it.  Make sure you clip the curves and corners or the neck will be on wonky...yes, I said wonky.  Stitch slow so you will have a slimmer chance of having to rip out seams and risk snagging the fabric.  If you're like me you will finish the entire thing, have it all turned right side out and then have to pull it wrong side out 5 times to fix all the things you forgot to do the first time.

 

Finishing this project makes me want to get started on the rest of my homemade Christmas to-do list.

Christmas In July

Every year at this time I start getting serious about my Christmas to-do list.  Let's face it, if you're a crafter or sewer and you are planning to make any gifts you have to start at least getting your game plan in order during the summer months.

Some people do not like giving handmade gifts for Christmas, and I think that's because over the years they have gotten a bad rap for being cheap (in a bad way) and something that just ends up in the trash.  I am not one that has this mindset,  I grew up with the idea that a handmade gift was a thoughtful, loving gesture and a gift that would be a keepsake.  Any time a holiday or special occasion comes up my mind immediately goes to "what can I make?" or "what can I create?", it never goes to "what can I buy?"

Last year our budget was unbelievably tight and our list of people we gift to was bigger than ever at 21 people (my mom says this is a crazy number of people to gift to at Christmas and we need to cut back, but I love giving gifts, it's a sickness haha).  I already have my mental list going and it really helps to get it all out to get a visual on the matter.

For Grant I have very few things I plan on buying him.  He already has loads of toys so other than a few staples like age appropriate puzzles and the Mr Potato Head I have been dying to buy him since birth, my shopping list is small.  However my "to make" list is growing.

Superhero Cape

We have been using receiving blankets to get the same effect so I think it's only fitting that I make him one of his very own.  This is also what I plan on making my neice Sophie.  For projects like this I don't usually use a tutorial because I find it easier to just wing it but I did find one here that seemed to be easy to follow.

I have been on the lookout for wood blocks but haven't been able to find them at a decent price so this year I'm enlisting the help of my stepdad to cut some out for me.  I also want to make some personalized ones like these from Just Deanna 

I am hoping to find a nightstand at a yard sale to turn into this:

He just started showing interest in toys like this.  I've seen similar ones made from dressers, entertainment centers, etc.  google it or look on pinterest and you will find as many ideas as your heart desires.  I've had this on my to-do list since before my little man could crawl so I'm really hoping I find the stand I need.

I recently found this idea for an ABC book that I fell in love with.

Grant is just starting to become interested in coloring so I want to make him a crayon roll (like I made here) with the fat crayons inside for his stocking.

 

I noticed my mother-in-law's checkbook cover is looking pretty ragged and I already have the perfect fabric leftover from my mom's kindle case.  This will only be part of hers.

There's a great tutorial over at Small Fry & Co if you're in the mood to make one yourself.

Since we will probably be celebrating with my side of the family early and my sister doesn't have much of a Christmas movie selection, I decided so far on a Christmas movie basket for her and her fiance.  She has become more difficult for me to craft for and since she is living with her fiance they get a couples gift, which makes it even more difficult.

I used to buy my sister an ornament every year that said something about sisters.  Since my son was born I have intended on making her an aunt ornament since I can't seem to find one in the stores.  I want it to say something about best aunt or favorite aunt.  I love monogrammed ornaments and these are where I'm getting my inspiration.

My neice and nephews on my husband's side of the family are getting at a tricky age.  They are becoming more and more difficult to buy for and twice as difficult to make things for.  I came across the idea of marshmallow shooters last year and my husband wasn't crazy about the idea, this year I'm gonna have to talk him into it so I can play with one myself.  There is a great tutorial here.

I have had the idea to make a Christmas game for my mom for a while but couldn't quite nail the idea down.  After I found the Family Memories Game on this site I knew exactly what I wanted my mom's game to be like.

If everything works out the way I plan with the game I will have a tutorial and all the steps with how you can make your own family Christmas memories game.  I love the idea of all of us around a table sharing all our childhood Christmas memories.

I found another example of a Memory Lane game Here if you want to get ideas.

My sister-in-law loved her bathroom gift basket last year so her and my husband's aunt are getting them this year.  Let's face it money is tight for everyone and when it comes to toiletries you can spend a small fortune.  I've gotten pretty good at couponing so I don't spend nearly what others do, which makes baskets like these perfect inexpensive yet useful gifts.  The bonus is I've known for a couple months I wanted to do these gift baskets and have been on the lookout for specific items at great prices and I have already bought everything I need so I can mark these 2 gifts off my list.

Lastly, my husband's cousin (who is around 9) loves to draw and color and do anything with art supplies.  I always have a hard time thinking of what to get him and this year the light bulb went off at the perfect time, school supply time.  I'm purchasing art supplies like markers, crayons, colored pencils, water color paints, and drawing pads.  I already found the markers and colored pencils for $0.97 each.  I want to make him a travel art folder too.

Of course the one I'm making will be a little more mature than the one above haha.  There is a great tutorial here if you're interested.

Is it bad that just looking back over this post I'm starting to get a little overwhelmed.  I think I need to take a trip to Hobby Lobby to calm my nerves :)