Baby Boy Blanket

Riley Blake Designs has this super cute baby boy owl fabric! When my sister in law and I first saw it, we fell in love with it! Lucky for her, she was pregnant with a baby boy at the time. So, she bought some fabric to make a cute car seat cover.

There is a cute little fabric store that I drive by every day on my way to and from work. I have purposely avoided it because... well, I knew I would spend money there. So, the other day I needed some ric rac for a project (that I need to post about) and I saw that they had the cute owl fabric! My sister in law had mentioned that she wanted a light weight blanket to match her car seat cover. Something she could lay the baby on. So, I got to work! And I discovered that the fabric comes in flannel too! I wanted to use minky because it's really soft... and I had a bit of the lighter brown color left over from a project. Just be careful with minky because it's very stretchy... it caused some problems for me and a little unpicking... and the blanket still doesn't lay as flat as I would like it to, but I still think it turned out cute... and it's super soft! I wanted to give it a little character so I used bright red thread and did some zig zag stitching along the seams. It was super fun to make and I hope baby West loves it!

-Anisa

Birthday and January Banner

A couple of months ago, I made these cute banners. Well, I need to keep making one for each month. So, here are the last two that I made. The "Celebrate" one is mostly for birthdays. I didn't get it made in time for my hubby's b-day in December, but it was finished for my little boy's birthday in January. My favorite so far is the January banner. I had some fun die cut felt that I was able to use and I did a lot of stitching! I love the colors... red, turquoise and gold... and I love the stitching. A couple of close ups... I've got my paper for February... now let's see if I can some up with something creative to do with it! --Anisa

A few homemade Christmas gifts

In my family, we rotate who we give Christmas gifts to. When I asked my brother and sister-in-law what they wanted, they told me a gift card to Walmart. How boring! But, I know better than to give my brother anything other than what he asked for. However, I just couldn't give them a gift card without giving them some cute hand made gifts to go with it. They have a little girl who is 3 1/2. So, I thought I would make a cute hair clip for her.But, they were expecting a baby boy (he was born Dec. 23rd). I couldn't figure out what to make him. I debated on burp cloths and bibs.... but I finally decided on a binky holder. I just put a simple brad on the end to hide the clip... and I love it when I can purchase something for a gift for someone and have a bunch of fun stuff left over for me! One of the fun parts of giving gifts is the packaging. One of the things that makes it cute is when you use something from the gift to decorate the packaging... I used the ribbon from the binky clip and a scrap of fabric from the hair clip to tie the cellophane bags. It adds a fun touch to the gifts. Our little nephew has been in Primary Children's hospital with an infection and we haven't even been able to meet him yet! He is improving a ton but won't be out until the round of antibiotics is over (in another week). I can't wait to meet him! In the meantime, we are baby sitting my niece... I have been making more hair flowers and have plans to make a few more.... I don't get the chance to make girly stuff all that often!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

-Anisa

Easiest Valance Ever!

Last night I whipped up a set of valances for our living room windows! They are sooo fast and easy that I thought I'd do a quick tutorial....

1. Measure your window width. Mine was 63"

2. Cut your fabric 2" wider to account for a 1" seam allowance on each side. I typically like my valance to drop 18". You will need to double the amount of fabric for the drop. So, basically I cut my fabric 65" wide x 36" tall.

So, here is my fabric all cut. I drew a little diagram on the picture. Basically, you will hem the sides first, then put the fabric right sides together and sew it into a tube. Turn it right side out and iron it. You will loop the tube over your rod. Then take two pieces of ribbon. I like mine to be 15" long. So, I cut them 30" and sewed the ends together. then slip them over the rod and slide them into place. It's as simple as that!

If you have any questions, leave a comment and I'd love to answer any questions for you.

-Anisa

(P.S. Sydney... we need to make some for your new house now!)

Not Quite a Rant: Sewing on Knit

A small echo of Anisa's knit post, here. I never know what is going to inspire me. I was browsing in a local craft store and saw that American Craft ribbon was on sale for $1 a spool. The next thing I knew, I was buying several, then going to Target to find a white t-shirt to stitch it on for my daughter. (Honestly, I think this ribbon is too cute to scrapbook with) I had appliqued felt onto knit before, on a small scale, but this was a new experience. Knit is very unforgiving. I pinned the ribbon onto the shirt using small spacing, doing what I could to not stretch the knit at all. Then I sewed down one side, then the other, using a very close stitch.You can see it's not perfect, but it was simple, inexpensive and she loves it. The flower is my favorite part. I folded three segments of ribbon into a flower shape and hand-sewed those together. Then I added an X of another ribbon style and a matching button and hand-stitched those to the shirt.

I love quick-fix inspiration.

Maybe that's why my family dinners have lacked sparkle. My hubby does all the shopping and really, does anyone get inspired looking into their own pantry? :)

-C

1 Craft, Three Ways: Wreaths

This is the perfect time of year for wreaths. Deck the halls and all that, right? I found this little grapevine turkey in my storage closet. My mom gave him to me a while back. We were never sure what to do with it. November we're doing wreaths and here's one that needs to be finished. Necessity is the mother of invention. I did have two issues. First, I kinda liked him the way he was. Second, I have a wreath hanger on my door that presented a bit of a challenge. In the end, I decided to go with simplicity and wrapped wired harvest-themed ribbon around each tail feather except the middle one. There I tied a fancy bow. I twisted the streamers from the bow and glued them on each "feather." When I put him on my door, it was hard to see his little poultry head. By Cami's suggestion, I stuffed him with tulle. It was a light tan and still hard to see the turkey's head. I guess I'll be heading back to the craft store to find a darker brown. For now, I'm kinda liking this little guy, though. -Angie

Wreaths was a hard one for me... not that I don't love wreaths... I totally do. But I already have cute wood craft wreaths for every month and I just recently did a square wreath for my class. So, what else could I possibly do? Then I saw these wreaths in Pottery Barn. As always, I love to get my decorating inspiration from Pottery Barn magazines.

So, this is how I made them. I bought embroidery hoops. I took the outside hoop that screws apart and used that for one wreath. And I cut the inside one open and used it for the other wreath... then just taped it back together when I was done. I bought two books at a thrift store... It was kind of hard to rip up a perfectly good book, but, hey, you do what you've got to do for the sake of decorating. I got two books so that I could have two different sizes of pages. I cut slits in the top and bottom of each page and slipped it onto the embroidery hoop. When I was finished, I closed up the embroidery hoop and tied the ribbon to the hoop. I put these in my office.... I'm going for kind of a French county look in there and I thought the books were kind of officey... (my spell check doesn't think that's a word). I plan on leaving them up as an all the year decoration. (truth be told, I like the PB ones a little better, but I think it's the red ribbon that I like. I have purple as an accent color in my office, so I may go on a hunt for some purple ribbon to brighten the look up a little. On a side note... I just found the most awesome website ever. I love wood crafts and I love wood, but I'd love to take it a little further. This woman has step by step instructions with diagrams and pictures and everything of how to build knock off furniture from stores like Pottery Barn and such. I can't wait to get started in a fun project... I've been wanting to make shelves for my boys' rooms.)

-Anisa

My wreath started out with a simple bleached willow wreath purchased at...the dollar store. Seriously! It was just under the size of a dinner plate. I bought a bag of green feathers, sorted them by size and began inserting them, following their natural curve, in between the twigs, using hot glue to secure them. I did the outer circle first, the inside portion. For the final covering of the wreath, I overlaid the feathers til the willow was covered, still using the hot glue to attach them. I tied a few small bows with some pretty American Craft ribbon, also attaching them with hot glue. Inexpensive and unique!

-C

Countdown with Crafts: Ruffles and Ribbon

Continuing our countdown with crafts today, looking at the ads and giving you ideas for what to do with all the great deals out there before the holidays arrive. On SALE this week!!!

At Jo-Ann's:

50% off Holiday Inspirations Christmas Ribbon

At Hobby Lobby:

50% off all holiday ribbon by the roll 50% all ribbon and trim spools

At Michaels:

50% off Celebrate It! Holiday ribbon 30% off Celebrate It! Holiday velvet ribbon

At Roberts Crafts:

35% off all ribbon

So ribbon...is on sale this week and ruffles are hot right now.

I decided to make a tree skirt using both. Yay!

This tree skirt project is a good beginner sewing project. Perfection isn't necessary. Measurements won't need to be exact. The stitching can be erratic. It's going to turn out great!

The ribbon I used is a sheer but textured, wired, white nylon ribbon, 5" wide, with silvery trim border on right and left sides. I also used a 45"x45" piece of inexpensive white muslin for the base of my tree skirt.

Now, a brief tutorial on making a tree skirt shape out of a square piece of paper:

First, take a square piece of cloth (again, mine is 45" x 45") and fold it into a triangle, matching the 'A' points and folding on the dotted line.Next, take the triangle you made, without moving the the cloth anywhere, match up the 'A' points again, folding on the dotted line.Same thing here, 'A's and the fold line.This one is slightly different. Fold as shown and you'll end up with the next image.

The dotted lines are now cutting lines. Cut a rounded line in both places. The upper line represents what will be the outer circle, the lower line will create the hole where the trunk of the tree will fit. You can cut it with a rotary blade or fabric scissors. If this is reminding you of folding paper for snowflakes, it's exactly the same concept.

Open up your cloth and it'll look like this. Cut on this dotted line to create an entry way for your tree trunk. It doesn't matter if the edges look a little uneven because we're going to cover them up.

I took my ribbon and ran a basting stitch (the longest stitch setting on your sewing machine) down the middle of my ribbon. Since I am doing a very lengthy amount of ribbon, I sew a couple of feet, stop, clip my threads and begin sewing half an inch from the stopping spot and repeat.

By holding onto the bobbin thread and gently guiding the ribbon along, the ribbon will begin to gather into ruffles. You need to be gentle so the thread doesn't break. Spread the ruffles along the length of the ribbon (I didn't cut it, just unwound a bit at a time and sewed) and then pin it along the edge of the muslin skirt base. I pinned it using the center line down the ribbon as a guide. I placed that line over the cloth somewhere between 3/4" to 1" away from the edge.

After you get this first layer pinned (the pinning is the worst part), just re-sew along that center line, no need to follow the guides on the machine. I sew it using a slightly wider than straight stitch.

With this volume of cloth, just be careful not to catch extra muslin under the needle and sew where you don't want stitches.

As you can see, the way the ruffles hang over the skirt edge, there is no need for perfectly cut circles with hemmed edges.

You can continue to add more rows of ruffles or keep them just on the edge. I'm really glad I chose the white on white on white as it is very forgiving, but this would work with just about any cotton cloth base and any ribbon that was wide enough to ruffle.

I'm adding more rows, just pinning away...

Other things to do with ribbon, ruffles or both! (all pictures have links to the original pages)

Clothing re-do at My Mama Made ItMore holiday decor Home decorA High-Waisted Corset Skirt (tutorial here)Scrapbooking embellishments!!!

Have fun! -C

Countdown to Crafts- Easy Throw Pillow

We have started something new and fun!!! We are doing a Countdown with Crafts to help you get ready for the Holidays. For my first project, I bring to you and fun and easy throw pillow. If you go to Joann Fabric and Craft Stores this week, they have their Soft n' Crafty pillow forms on sale for 40% off. I made this pillow by taking basic white fabric. I pinned the ribbon on to the fabric, then sewed it on.... make sure you sew down both sides of the ribbon. I used ribbon from my stash, but scrapbook ribbon is also on sale at Hobby Lobby this week. After I made this pillow, I saw this post on Ucreate from the guest blogger Polka Dot Chair for a skirt just like my pillow!!! Weird Deja Vu. Check out her tutorial, she does it a little differently.

This pillow is also for sale at my SEEDLINGS boutique this FRIDAY at my home. Check out the blog for details!!!

Product Challenge: Buckets

Our product challenge this month was buckets! (I can't lie to you, I was super excited because I already had a project done with buckets that I hadn't posted yet). So all I had to do was take a picture. Do you love the dollar section at Target as much as I do? Well, they often have buckets. So, awhile back I bought several buckets at Target to keep my ribbon in. I made a template out of paper for the bucket, then used my scraps of scrapbook paper and covered the buckets with every color of the rainbow... and then some! I then tied little scraps of ribbon on the handle of each bucket. This helped organize my obsession with ribbon (well, at least the smaller pieces. I have the full rolls of ribbon just in a cupboard... I really like ribbon). Hey, let me know if you want to see pics of my whole craft room sometime and I'll try to clean it up to make a post!!! Just leave me a comment.

So, the ribbon ones are totally cute, but you can't forget my favorite bucket of all..... my thread bucket. I love this thing. I keep it next to my sewing machine so when I clip off the thread I have a quick place to throw it!!! -Anisa:)

My bucket project ended up not being a craft but an organizational project. I had been reading Pretty Organized Palace's blog and one post in particular caught my attention. She was sharing some fun ways to cozy up the home for fall and winter. With my inspiration starting there, I headed to my local Hobby Lobby and purchased this large bucket/basket. At home I filled it with all my yummy yarn for crocheting (and one day hopefully knitting) and placed it by the fireplace. I love how it makes my family room just that much more comfy cozy with the bonus I have yarn storage in plain sight.

-Ang

Check out these darling buckets that one of our readers... Shellie... sent into us. Super cute storage. Here's what she says about them,

"Here is what I have been doing with buckets. I only have 3 done. I still want a ribbon one and thread etc… I just bought some for a couple of dollars and spray painted them, cut out vinyl on my Cricut for the letter."

Way to go Shellie!

Fluff and Stuff for little Girls

My kids had a birthday party to attend the other day for a little friend of ours. Ever since I've dived more heavily into crafting, I hate buying store-bought presents. Especially since you can't get much for the amount I'm willing to spend. The little girl was having a costume party to celebrate and that gave me an idea. Being newly 5 she's into all things princess-y and girly. I found this cute wand (with an easy-to-follow tutorial) at Little Birdie Secrets and knew I was onto something. If a princess has a beautiful wand, what else does she need to go with it? A beautiful fluffy tutu of course! (Tutorial coming soon!) A few dollars at hobby lobby and a couple of hours later I had dress-ups made for the princess that she is-a curly ribbon wand, fluffy tutu, and with my extra curls I was able to pull a cute little korker bow together. Sigh...I love crafting.

A Little Accessory Organization Here

Thanks to Angie's clippie tutorial I decided to make some for my daughter...(I improvised. They are far from amazing). Anyway, right after I made these, I needed a fun place to keep them. Lo and behold. Nanny Goat had the perfect solution HERE. I put my mother (the woman is a garage sale fiend) on the scent for an ornate-looking frame. I think she found a good one. I painted it with regular acrylic paint, choosing not to prime it so that the previous gold of the frame would show through just a bit. I attached ribbon with a heavy application of hot glue. Ribbon is by (l to r) Basic Grey, American Crafts Basic Grey, Offray and Basic Grey. If not yet a fan of Nanny Goat you need to check out their cute craft blog for ideas and inspiration, too! --C

Pre-school Mini Album

I don't know about this whole year-round school thing. For most kids on most tracks, school started today. My oldest will be in Kindergarten so he starts a week late. So, for the craft blog, I thought I'd post a mini album that I made for his last year of Pre-school. I had been wanting to do a mixed media mini album for awhile and this gave me the perfect opportunity.

I used my Cricut to cut out a template of the shape that I wanted the album to be. Then I simply traced the shape on acrylic, felt, chipboard and cardstock to make my pages.

My front page was acrylic with just a title and a few simple embellishments. Then I did a few pages of different type of products. I used quite a bit of stitching on the pages... and of course my favorite thing right now is gathered ribbon that is stitched on.

It turned out really cute and my little boy loves it!!!

To view the complete album visit our Flickr site.

-Anisa

Beach Towel Bag Tutorial

Beach Towel Bag Tutorial....

Supplies:

• 1 Beach Towel (I bought the cheapest at Walmart)
• 5 yards gros grain ribbon (just to be safe)
• Sewing machine
• Thread to match ribbon

Step #1- Fold the towel in half

Step #2- From the open side, measure in 22" and cut the towel (You are essentially cutting out the center of the towel. The excess that you cut off will make a pocket for the front of the bag) Step #3- Turn the towel and cut off about 4-5 inches of one side of the towel (otherwise the bag is just TOO big). You may want to serge or zig zag stitch any of the unfinished edges of the towel. Step #4- Now take the excess piece that you cut out of the center of the towel. This is going to be a pocket. The top of the pocket is going to be one of the edges that is already finished. From that end, measure down 18" and cut the other edge off. Step #5- Take the pocket and place it on one of the pieces of your bag. You will want all of the finished edges to be at the TOP of the bag. You will want your pocket to be about 5-6 inches down from the top of the bag. You are going to sew ribbon over the sides of the pocket so that none of the unfinished portion will show. Pin the pocket into place. Step #6- Sew the pocket onto the bag. Do NOT sew the top of the pocket (or you won't be able to put anything in your bag:) (I had a little excess on the bottom that I had to cut off only because I wanted the pattern to match up) Step #7- Place right sides of the towels together and pin just the bottom of the bag.

Step #8- Sew the bottom of the bag... do NOT sew any of the sides or the top.  You still want to be able to open it up fully to attach the ribbon. Step #9- open your bag up and lay it front side up on the floor or on a table. Step #10- Pin your handles all around your bag. I made the actual handle part of the bag 32". You will want to make sure the ribbon covers the side of your pockets. Step #11- Sew right on the edge of your gros grain ribbon... sew both sides. Step #12- Fold the towel right sides together. Step #13- Sew down the side of your bag (starting at the top) until you are about 6-8 inches from the bottom of the bag. Step #14- Open up the part you didn't sew and ... ...put that part together. Step #15- sew the open part together. (I hope these pictures make sense) Do this on both sides of the bag. It just makes a flat bottom to the bag. Step #16- Flip your bag right side out and you will have an awesome bag to take to the pool!!! Please feel free to email me at twiddlethumbs@rocketmail.com if you have any questions.

-Anisa