Mother's Necklace

I was out at the store today, so I picked up some Crystals dyed purple to look like Amethyst. I made a new necklace. I think this is way better. It actually looks almost professional instead of bad homemade. I'm a little sloppy when it comes to bending wire, see the bead pins, but these are only about my 4th and 5th attempt. My husband said he liked the double ring look.

Dolly Dolly

I made my daughter some peg dolls, because I knew she would love them, and she does, the minute I saw them on this blog. My favorite is the redhead on the far right, she has the best hair, and dress. I was surprised at how much the permanent markers bled in the wood grain. They were fun and easy to make. Just took permanent markers and material scraps and hot glue. Since we are on the topic, I love these peg dolls, so fun. I can tell I could have more fun if I painted instead of sharpieing.

Mother's Ring

I would love to have two rings, to make up a mother's ring for my right handed ring finger, one with an Amethyst, and one with a Blue Topaz. That is not in the budget for mother's day anytime soon so instead, I made this. I need better stones, these are just cheap glass, but it was good for a first attempt. Leather would probably also be better than this cheap stuff. I think I will also do Turquoise next time for December. I love it. It makes me feel so connected to my children. As if their constant crying doesn't?!

I learned how to make flowers

I learned how to make flowers. So yes, now my wall looks a little frumpy and a little old lady like, but I love them all the same.

Of course I didn't follow the tutorial exactly. Instead of cutting circles, I did half circles, because then I didn't have to iron or rotary cut, plus I was using small scraps in some cases. My flowers also only have one layer not two.

They are a great diversion while watching TV. They were very fun to make, especially the buttons in the center.

We got KEYCHAINS!

I found this cute tutorial, that I barely followed at all, but still after seeing it, I knew I needed to put my scraps to good use. (I know mine totally don't look professional like the tutorial. But Teresa tells me I don't want my sewing to look professional, how will people know I know how to sew?) I had a wrist band thing keychain already that I used all the time but it was so ugly, just a skinny black piece of nylon. I don't know where it came from. This is much more me.

Then I needed one for our pool keys. Once again I had a long black ugly nylon one. I love black and brown together, so I figured it would be a perfect use. I know its not manly looking, but at least its not floral for when my husband goes to the pool.

Seriously I love black and brown, I love the same polka dots (but different color) with the brown square. Oh speaking of the tutorial, it calls for ribbon, I only had white ribbon in that width, so I had to improvise, I like calico there better anyway, plus I'm trying to not spend money. On my first key chain on the top, I use skinny ribbon, and trying to make it purposelessly look messy. I think it looks accidentally messy but oh well.

Then my mom was in town this weekend, and once she saw my key chains of course she wanted one. She likes blue and yellow, I know this is mostly green but still. She did pick the material.

I forgot to mention I think the tutorial calls for wonder under, I don't know she called it something else. I only had light interfacing, which is what I used, because I was trying not to spend money. I don't usually understand directions (blame it on my dyslexia), this being a case in point. So I was left to my own devises after looking at her pictures.

Me the sew"er"

I really enjoy sewing. I'm terrible at cutting straight, and find it difficult to use an iron with two small children. Unfortunately using a sewing machine is only about 40% of a well made project. It takes just as much time to cut as to sew. Not to mention ironing. I'm finally learning how to master my rotary cutter, for straight lines, but oh it takes work. Can someone cut for me? What about the iron, irons are so hot and heavy, and ironing boards are so rickety. I live in dire of fear of burning my children, no one is allowed by the ironing board, and I never store the iron on the board. I enjoy sewing, I especially love coming up with projects in my head, so I enjoy 50% of the project but the 10% of ironing, and the 40% of cutting I could do with out.

This pretty much sums of my life, my young toddler (she's really not a baby anymore), me, my four year old poky the puppy wandering somewhere near but not too close, and my husband, not around. (He was the one that took the picture, and its not a bad thing he wants to provide for the family by working full time, and better the family by another degree, I appreciate it all, but he is still not around.)

Spring Pillows

I felt over run by neutrals, I have a beighish/whitesh couch, and cream reclinder, and white walls. I needed so serious color even if it is too bright. I love my new pillows, they are so springy and bright, and green I love bright green. It will match great with my fake container of green grass, and all my other green knickknacks.

This pillow is kind of cool, I found felt buttons.

Bow Holder

I made my daughter a bow/clippie holder. I love it, I'm quite proud, it was fun to do. The buttons are glued on to give the ribbons stability, I used a rather large frame, so I needed some stability to hold the ribbon on.

Wahoo look at all those clips for such a bald baby. Just kidding she now has hair. Almost.

Her side of the room. Girls are fun huh?

Her patron saint of love. Just kidding, we don't believe in patron saints, its just a yard ornament I thought was cute at Joanns, it was the right colors for her side of the room, and blonde. My son informed me it was an angel not a fairy, because she has a round thing around her head-- halo. Silly me I was calling it a fairy.

You'll Never Guess!

More Baby Blankets!
One for my nephew.

One for a baby shower. I love this print.

Plus I think my point and shoot does a great job at macro

I got way fancy, green thread for the front and pink for the back.

No Hard Boiled Eggs

I don't like hard boiled eggs so since my four year old is none the wiser, I cut that tradition. We decorated cookie eggs instead. My beautiful arrary of easter colored frosting bowls.

Daddy claimed he was a pro.

The chick and the egg were my favorite, that I made.

I pretty much monopolized the whole project.

I left a few for my son to do. He is a natural.

His finished works of art. That he specifically said must wait for easter, at grandmas.

Easter Basket Cupcakes

I thought it might be fun to make Easter basket cupcakes. I hate coconut, so don't ever expect to see coconut as a decorating tool in my baking. My son helped me, place the jelly beans/ mini Easter eggs.

We had a lot of mishaps and the whole two dozen did not turn out. But here is what turned out to be our easter basket army.

Turns out the next morning, that only two worked, the licorice broke though out the night.

Flower Clips/Headband Tutorials (not mine)

I feel totally guilty, because over a year ago my friend Jenny asked me to explain how to make hair clips with flowers for girls. It is super easy, unfortunately it is not super easy to take pictures of yourself doing it. I never found a willing photographer. Every time I made clips I felt guilty and googled how to hair clips, figuring someone would have made a tutorial way better than I ever could have, but never had success until tonight.
Hooray its not me, Here is how to make a clippie/lined barrette, if you want to put a flower omit the bow steps after page 3, step 11 and glue a daisy or some other flower on. You can also bust apart the daisy, buy rhinestones and glue that one where the center of the daisy was. If you are interested in this tutorial, and you don't think you will remember steps I would print it out/save it on your computer, these things seem to get deleted off the internet quickly. Seriously save it now.
To make the headband is super easy, I doubt you even need to sew. Take nylons/tights/pantyhose, in desired color, measure around the size of your daughter's head, giving yourself about a half an inch before you cut, for seam allowance. Glue or sew you nylons/tights/pantyhose in a circle so it makes a headband shape. Then take some ribbon, and loop it around the headband seam. Glue the ribbon ends around the headband seam on only on the back side so it creates a loop to slide your clips in. See the loop on the front, not glued on, perfect for sliding clips in. Does that make any sense, if not email me, leave me a comment something.If you live by a specialty lace shop or sewing shop you can also buy stretchy lace and make a headband from that instead of tights. I know where one is by my house, but be warned JoAnns does not sell stretchy lace.
Here are the clippies I made tonight.See how the clip opens, imagine sliding that on the loop on the headband.
There are a few more free tutorials but not much on this page.
My favorite is the bugs bows.
By the way, these tutorials are for personal use, meaning you can't sell what you are making based on their instructions.
By the way I have never sealed the ends of my ribbon.

Me

I don't know if this is a family blog post, or a me as a crafter post, so it ended up both places...sorry....it is slightly different.

You can't really tell from this picture, but yesterday morning, I spent a LOT of time, decorating for my son's birthday party. I used two packages of streamers, yellow and gray, in not a very large area. I didn't want to save any, so I used the entire packages of both. In the middle of things, my husband came out of "his office" (our bedroom) and sat on the recliner, watching me. He started to laugh under his breath. I said "what?" Smiling, he replied, "You don't ever do things half way do you?" My style is over the top, which explain the multitude of things on this blog, millions of blankets for my kids, home made toy/dolls, halloween costumes without patterns, cookies, cookies, and more cupcakes than anyone should make in a month, I have a tendency to be a little extreme/obsessive. (Oh lets not the forget the 20 page quietbook I hand embroidered, and finished in less than a month.) But that is why my husband is perfect for me, my over indulgence doesn't overwhelm him, he just stays in the background smiling. At the same time I'm not a perfectionist, I have no desire to be spent the time to be a professional baker, sew as well as a sweatshop worker, or be an award winner quilter. That is not me, I just want to have fun.

Fire Monster Truck

My newly turned four year old had two birthday parties. A family one with his uncle, which included just a few cupcakes and a fire truck or two. Turns out I don't like funfetti cake, I've been eating it for years, a decade maybe, and I just discovered this.

Then the Monster Fire Truck one, with his friends. That is what he called it. I am actually proud of this cake. I wasn't proud of his birthday cake last year, or my daughter's birthday cake. But this I'm proud of.

I think I need to take a cake decorating class, I had no idea what I was doing with that gray trim.

According to him, his middle name is "Fast Monster Truck" while his sister's middle name is "slow monster truck"