J's Holiday Craft #2

We have a full size, 6 foot christmas tree this year. It was payment for babycare help with the new baby. We don't really have enough ornaments for a full size tree, so my son and I found pine cones outside our public library, and he glitterized them. His grandma helped him as I took pictures.

I thought glitter was expensive, so I ended up only buying paint pens.

He sure had fun making his sparkly pinecones.

J's Holiday Crafts

I'm not the only one making holiday crafts in my house.

My son picked out this fantastic snowflake mask in the store and wouldn't give it up. So then we came home and he painted it.

Snowwoman Ballet

I few weeks ago in a craft store ad I saw a skinny snowwoman, and I thought that is the snowman for my house. I went to the store planning to spend about $10, it was $25, I decided no. It wasn't as cute in real life less ballerina like and more gaudy woman like. So I decided to make my own. The two look nothing a like, I love mine, especially way more than the one in the store. The tutu is huge, for the size of the snowman.

Here is what she looks like on our key spot. I have a thing for gaudy christmas tree cones.

Plus it only took one nap time to make.

Countdown

You might have thought I was counting down to the baby born, but no I'm counting down to CHRISTMAS!

I made an advent calendar for this year. I plead insanity for the moment I designed it.

I sewed 24 little stockings, to help my child count down. They are about three inches high, needless to say it took a near eternity, I didn't think I would finish them in time, for the beginning of December.

The garland that the stockings hang on took FOREVER to make, literally. I spent more than 4 hours on the garland. I couldn't decided how to do the numbers, I didn't really want to use a fabric pen, but I definitely didn't want to embroidery the numbers, I ended up doing the tags. I think the tags are cute, and it was a very non committal way of doing it, next year I can always cut them off and chose to do them a different way.

I used left over halloween candy in the stockings. I thought it was ingenious of me to use Halloween candy, after I came up with it, I found multiple blogs suggesting it.

I love the stockings!!! I wish I would have taken a picture of them before I put the candy in, because the candy makes them a little droopy. I put the candy in on Sunday night after my kid was in bed, he didn't notice until around 4:30 pm on Monday. We played in the living room all morning, and he never noticed. He was very excited when he saw the candy, but then very sad when I told him we only got one a day, and we needed to wait until daddy got home from work. He was so happy when he finally got his piece of candy.

Happy Holidays

As I have already mentioned I have way too much holiday material in my house. So I used some of material to make a fall/thanksgiving apron, and a Christmas apron. The first is thanksgiving if you couldn't tell.

My favorite part, the jack o lantern on the back of the neck. It was no accident.

The Christmas one.

The material was rather dark and busy and needed something to break it up, so I used the lace I had bought but decided not to use for something else. I love the way it turned out, maybe its a little grandmaish, but I think it adds to the retroness of the print. Plus it reminds me of a scalloped design on a cookie, or frosting trim on a gingerbread house.

I've been wanting to make a birthday apron for months now, but haven't been able to find any good material for it. I saw one at a store for a large lump sum and thought it was a cute idea. I thought my small children would think it was fun if their mom had a special birthday apron for their birthdays. I know that sounds cheesy but none the less, I decided to jump on board. So now I'm well on my way to having an every holiday apron. I now need to go get some clearanced Halloween material so I can be ready for next year.

Ladybugs

I finally made the pillow case out of the ladybug material. Yes I admit it took me forever to get around to a 15 minute sewing project. It turned out a little big, because I didn't feel like trimming extra material. (By the way, that is not his blanket or bed, that's way too girly for a little boy.)

Which means my son can use it as a sleeping bag. He loves it. He went to bed the other night in it.

This is what the picture turned out like after my husband said, pretend like you are sleeping.

I thought he was so cute, in his lady bug bag. Once again, good thing he found manly looking beetles.

MY FAVORITE!

Every girl needs a pair of black mary janes. So I decided to start my daughter off early. I made them with black craft felt, because I could not find black wool felt. I love them. They are about my most favorite things I have ever made in my life. No exaggeration. I love them! They make me happy. Which is good, because the hormones are starting to get to me, and I'm a wreck, I started crying in the middle of dinner the other day, and on our way home.

Homecoming Outfits

When I was two months pregnant the first time my husband and I went to Argentina (yes I admit a terrible time for international travel). While we were there we bought a baby outfit. White with blue little chicken like birds, we were positive the child growing in me was a boy. It was the outfit we brought my son home in the hospital in. It was sized 0-3 months, it drowned him, my mom said, he isn't three months yet.

He was so cute! (Can you tell I'm hormonal?)

I spent too much money on this outfit, but my baby will look so cute coming home from the hospital. Its newborn size so it won't drown her. It didn't come with a hat or built in feet on the pants, so I had to take matters into my own hands. I added a matching bow on a white hat, so her head stays warm, and still matches.Here is a close up, you know I love to give my viewers a close up.And I made baby shoes that match! I have an on going love affair with homemade baby shoes for girls. Luckily after making my sister's girl some, I got pregnant with a girl. (They are a different pattern then the last pair.)

This might be a little much, but my first child came while I was busy in school. So my second child, is the child that will have way more stuff than the rest. In fact this was scaled down, I was thinking about making a matching baby bracelet, but I decided I'm too tired. Not to mention I'm sure a day old baby doesn't want to wear beads on her wrist. I'll save that for when she is three weeks at her baby blessing.
PS more baby shoes to come in the future!

Add a fourth

Stockings are my favorite Christmas decoration. Here are my family's stockings so far. Please Please Please click on the link. I love them.
If you will recall, I went on a stocking craze last year.
Luckily this year, the only one in my family having a baby is me, which means, I only had to make stockings for one child. MINE!
So all I had to do this year was add a fourth to the family collection. Luckily I already had everything to make this stocking. My son picked the main material, out of a stack of Christmas material.

I had to buy the green bobbles for this stocking, but that is all. At first I planned on keeping this one, but I'm afraid its too fancy, and I'll set too high of a precedence for my future children.

So I haven't really decided which one is staying at my house, and which one is going to live with all the cousins at grammy's. I like the green bobbles, and it is by far my son's favorite out of two. But I also the how the silver trim brings out the silver in the red material.
Not to mention, my husband confirmed my fears. My son was "helping" me sew the green trim on, and when we finished he went to show his dad. His dad, said pretty fancy, are jealous its not yours? Luckily my kid looked at him like he was crazy and said, no.

First Holiday Post

For some crazy reason I made a Christmas dress for my unborn daughter. I've been wanting to try this pillow case dress, From Freshly Picked.
Obviously a newborn is too small to wear a full size pillow case, but I didn't have a Christmas pillow case anyway, I made a small one out of this material. My real problem is not having a baby girl inside of me, my real problem is way too much Christmas material in my house, because this is not a holiday were I can go spend money at JoAnn's every time I turn around, its about making due with what I already have.
When I finished it looked like a potato sack with holy berries on it, so then I took it some under the arm pits, to give it an A line appearance, instead of a square pillow case.
For the record, Making your own bias tape is about the most ridiculous thing in the world.

Happy Halloween...

...we added a tail!

Needing love

As I think I've mentioned my son has had a hard time adjusting to this mom not picking him up. A few weeks ago I figured since he needed some love I would make him a bag. His grammy had bought him this material in fat quarter a while ago. I would have never bought the material I don't like it, but I guess that is what grandmas are for.

Unfortunately in my attempt to use every bit of material from the fat quarter I made the handles too long for him. I based it off the bag we use the most in our house for our son, we got it at a family reunion a year and half ago. All the kids got one. It is the perfect size for my two year to carry. He was very happy with is bag, he immediately went in his room and put treasures in it. It has not been the great second utility I hoped for, because he has deemed it for treasures.

P.S. 6 more weeks until my due date. I hoping I get all 6 weeks.

Baby Blanket Mania

I made two baby blankets a few days ago, for this new child growing in me. I really kind of hate the brown on the back of this but when I bought the fruit material it is the only stuff I could find that matched. I love the fruit and by the time I sewed them, couldn't imagine anything else for the blanket.

I bought this pig applique because its about the softest applique I ever did feel, (its also rather large). I decided it would go great with the pink ducks. Told you they going to show up again. Plus the blue eyes and nose, gave me a reason to brake up the pink on the front side with another color. They don't look this way in the picture but they are the same color blues.

Doggy Suit

My son wanted to be a dog, I wanted to make something else, but not a bee, so we settled on the dog.

He is a backward dalmatian, because after Halloween I'm going to pull off all the dots and then he has a black sweatsuit. A white sweatsuit on a little boy seems like a bad idea. He has a fake dalmatian, and he loves to tie the leash on the dog, then he is the "big dog" and the toy is the "little dog". Not my best work ever, but he loves the costume, and well isn't that what Halloween should be all about for a two year old.
Part of wondered why I made a dog costume, they are so average, but I couldn't find one for cheaper than I could make.

More Baby Blankets

In honor of this weekend, its that time again, my viewers favorite post. Baby Blankets!

My husband's cousin's wife had a baby at some point in the recent past, and I made them this for their shower. I LOVE the ducks, the back is flannel.

Both of the blankets are made out of favorite material. I told you this material would be showing up again. The blanket was shipped and sent to a niece. I realized on the second one of these blankets the ties look much better when they are darker bolder colors than pastels like I used on my sister's. If she wants darker ties she can order them.