I-Spy Tutorial is Here!!!

It's here!  This really is an EASY project, but I just haven't had time in my sewing room until today.  I also started a really adorable sun suit for Stella using some light blue eyelet and vintage cotton eyelet trim for the ruffles.  It is going to be sooooo cute!
But back to I-Spy bags...these are great for kids who need to work on fine motor skills, memory, learning colors and shapes, etc.  If your child is on the Autism spectrum (as the recipient of this bag is) then you will want to make a few of these!  They would be a great teacher gift for your child's special ed teacher too- make a couple and tie them up with a spa gift card.  Teachers need that! (I know, I used to be one!)

You will need:
-2 fabric scraps, about 8"x8"
-a Clear plastic scrap (needs to be thick and durable- I cut up a bag that some sheets came in, you know the heavy plastic kind with a zipper?)
-Rice, beans or plastic fillers
-Tiny objects to fit inside (Try the craft store, tiny dollhouse pieces, bead shops have cute things too)
-Sewing stuff (machine, thread)
-Scotch tape (the satin finish kind)
-A camera
-A computer and printer
-Contact paper (or a trip to the office store to laminate)

Let's get started, shall we?

Step One:
Gather up your tiny items and photograph each one individually.  Here is a sample of what is in this bag.

Step Two:
Use the individual photos to make a composite and label each item.  I used the free online photo editor "fotoflexer" in collage mode to make this!

Step Three:
Print out the composite, and cover with contact paper or laminate.  This page will be kept with the I-Spy bag.  You can attach it to the bag with double sided velcro, a metal ring, etc.  Whatever you prefer.

Step Four:
Cut out two squares, about 8"x8".

Step Five:
Fold one square over, about 1/3 of the way.  Then cut a window out!

Step Six:
Cut out a plastic window slightly larger than the fabric window.

Step Seven:
Cut out any appliques you want to use to decorate the bag.  I made some eye pieces with a button for the eyeball.  The stripes will top the black part.

Step Eight:
Place a piece of the Scotch satin tape on your presser foot.  This will make it slide effortlessly over the plastic.  (Do this anytime you sew on plastic, laminated fabric, oilcloth, etc.)

Step Nine:

Using an applique stitch of your choice, attach the plastic window.  I set my stitches close together so I didn't need to hem the window first.  Yay for saving time!

Step Ten:
Apply your design item, in my case the Eye for I-spy!

Step Eleven:
With right sides facing, sew the two squares together leaving an opening to turn/stuff.  Clip corners!  (No picture, I know you got this, right!?!?!)

Step Twelve:
Stuff with rice (or whatever you chose to use) and the tiny items.  Leave space for the top stitching!

Step Thirteen:
Top stitch once on the very edge to close the hole.  Then go in about 3/4" and do it again!  You will need to move the rice around carefully so you don't stitch over it!

All done!  Enjoy!!!

Embellished boy's tshirts

I am ready to put the first winner's prizes in the mail!  She didn't really need any of the "mommy" prizes, so I let her pick two kid prizes.  She ended up going with two boy's t-shirts.  Her son wears cloth diapers (check out my cloth diaper post here) so a t-shirt is perfect to show off his cute diaper covers!
The first one is a tie t-shirt.  I used some "manly" blue fabric and appliqued it on. 

Basic tie t-shirt!

For the other one, she said to get creative, and mentioned her hubby's love of baseball.  So I traced a circle on some off-white fabric (since a classic baseball is off-white) then used bright red thread to make the lines on the ball.  My sewing machine has a stitch that looks EXACTLY like a baseball stitch, yay!  I used a narrower version of that same stitch around the perimeter of the ball.  I definitely will use this technique again, it turned out so cute!

Baseball t-shirt

Close-up of baseball stitch

I am putting these in the mail today!  The other giveaway winner has been traveling so I am waiting on her to choose her prizes and will post them when they are complete!  (It actually has worked out well since I am so much busier with two kids now!)

Some projects I am working on and hope to post for you soon (and by soon, I mean whenever I get a chance to sew...since my daughters have not been synching up their nap times lately!)

-i-spy bag tutorial (as suggested by YOU!)
-Free People inspired "hippie" headband
-Yoga waistband knit skirt (turned out so cute, just need to put the tute together)
-Baby "lovie" mini blankie

There are so many more ideas floating around in my brain...the curse of the creative person, hahah!  I know that someday when my girls are both in school I will have more time to work on my projects, so I have to force myself to put the brakes on my brain and realize that this stage in my life is not the time to get a million sewing and craft projects done!  I wouldn't trade one minute of this time in our lives for a million dollars though! (Okay, sometimes during a toddler tantrum I would be tempted...)

Have a great week, and if you haven't gotten your mom a gift for Mother's Day yet jump over here to get some ideas!

Wildflowers Baby Mobile Tutorial

It's almost time for this baby and as I've told you I have been a BUSY bee making projects for her!  One project that I finished this week is the Wildflowers Baby Mobile.  It turned out even cuter than what I had envisioned! (Love when that happens!)
I think this could even be used in places other than a nursery.  It is so whimsical and romantic, girlie and unique!  So even if you don't have a need for this in a nursery, you could add some white Christmas lights and use it as a little chandelier, etc.  Let me know if you come up for another use for this project!

So, you want to make one? Let's get started!

Gather your materials!

Materials Needed:
-One long flexible floral stem with leaves/branches
-2-4 floral stems with several flowers each in the color scheme of your choice (this is up to your creativity- you can use as many flower types, colors, etc. as you choose!)
-Floral tape, wire, or "vine" (I used the faux flexible vine stuff)
-Clear elastic jewelry thread (use a thick gauge for durability!)
-Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
-Tiny metal hook for hanging

Step One-
Take the long leafy/branchy stem and wind it into a circle.  Mine is about 12" in diameter but make it the size you think looks best for your space. 

I bent some of the leaves the opposite direction so they were all over.

Step 2-
Use your floral tape or vine and wrap it around to firmly attach the ends.  Be sure that the circle will not be coming apart!

See how nice the vine wire blends in?

Step 3-
Prepare your flowers.  Pop off some individual flowers and some groups of flowers (it might depend on the types you bought).  The point is to try and get some variety in how they are grouped.  Use the glue gun to be sure all the flower parts are reinforced.  Faux flowers can pop off into tiny pieces that could be a choking hazard so this step is VERY important both for durability and safety.  It takes some time, but is well worth it!

Gluing base on securely.

Step 4-
Decorate the circle with flowers from all angles- you want the mobile to look pretty from the baby's view, not the top!  The sides should be pretty too since you will see that in the room...but mainly keep in mind the baby's view.  Try not to follow a regular pattern, this needs to be very organic looking!

Don't be shy with the glue!  Have fun arranging your flowers in random places.

Step 5-
Begin attaching the hanging parts.  I put a drop of hot glue on the end of the clear elastic thread, then inserted it into the hole at the base of the flowers.  Some of the blue ones in clumps didn't have a hole, so I glued the thread to the side (about 3/4" of it for durability).  Vary the lengths of the thread so the flowers hang randomly!

See how nicely the elastic thread fits in the base of the flower?

Step 6-
Tie the elastic threads to the circle and glue well.  Again, you don't want this to be too uniform- space them out differently and be sure that there are a variety of flowers- colors, single flowers, bunches of flowers, etc.  It's best to lay them out ahead of time to plan.

Glue the knot, but be careful not to melt through the plastic!  These knots will not hold well without the glue.

Step 7-
After all of your flowers are attached the way you like it, attach four equal lengths of the elastic thread to the top of the circle and knot at the top.  Then screw a hook into the ceiling and hang the mobile on the hook!

Mine is not above the crib yet- waiting on my Dad to bring the hook over!

Some ideas for variations-
-Use a floral stem for the circle and hang lightweight birds or butterflies from the elastic thread!
-Make one that is all leaves.
-For a boy, it would be cute to use leaves and hang some lightweight plastic lizards, caterpillars, etc.
The sky is the limit to your creativity!!!
Let me know if you try it and post a link below so I can see it!

Please remember that this tutorial is for personal use only.  If you pin to Pinterest, please use the top photo with my website watermark on it!  Thanks so much!

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Super Bowl Week- Post 2 (Stuffed Football Toy!)

This weekend is not only the Super Bowl, it is also the birthday celebration of a sweet little boy who is turning one year old!  He is the son of our close friends, and we are so excited to be celebrating this milestone with them.
His party theme is of course football, I mean, how could they NOT do that theme with the Super Bowl being in our own city this weekend?  He also was dressed as an injured Peyton Manning (complete with neck brace) for Halloween.  What a cutie!
So, along with his other birthday gifts I whipped up this toy football using a few scraps, some stuffing, and embroidery floss.

To get started, print off this FREE pattern for the football panels. If you want a larger or smaller football, just use the general shape, or you could mess with your printer settings to shrink or enlarge my pattern.

Cut out four pieces from your fabric.  I used a heavy home-dec weight fabric, but you can really use whatever you have on hand that is sturdy.

I varied the direction I cut mine out since it had stripes- this gives it extra visual/textural interest.

Then, begin sewing your panels together.  Take your first two pieces and put the pointy ends right side together.  Use as close of a seam as you can!!!  I also used a double stitch instead of a plain straight stitch to make this more durable. (DESIGN NOTE- if this is for a tiny baby, you could add "taggies" if you want.  Just stick them in between the seams and pin!)

Very close seam- see how its inside the edge of the presser foot?

Reinforced stitch!

After you sew the first two panels together, turn it right side out so you can carefully lay down the third.  Be sure the points are all sew over as we don't want a hole in the tip of the football!

Adding third panel- right sides together!

Third panel attached!  Starting to really look like a football!

Now simply add your fourth panel.  Then you have all four panels and one side open.  Turn the entire football inside out and line up the open ends right sides together.  Sew them, but leave a hole in the middle (about 2 inches) for turning/stuffing.

Inside out- carefully sew the last home together!  Don't forget to leave an opening!

Now you need to turn it right side out and stuff.  Be generous because you want the football to be relatively firm.  (DESIGN NOTE- if you want to make it more interactive, you could add some crinkly sounding plastic, bells, etc. inside.  Stuff them into the very middle though so they aren't felt on the outside!)

All stuffed.

Sew the opening shut using coordinating thread.  Don't worry about it looking perfect- you will cover this part with laces!

Now, get some embroidery thread (I used off-white for a vintage feel).  Use all 6 strands and double them over so its nice and thick.  Sew the end parts and a couple of criss cross parts!  Then hide your knot at the end.

And that's it!  You're done!  Mine took about 20 minutes from start to finish, including taking photos.  So if you wanted to make one for each kid coming to your Super Bowl Party, you just might have time to whip through these this week!  It would make a great gift any time of the year for a little one- including girls.  I am thinking of making LJ a pink one- she would love that!  You could also do this as a doggie toy as long as your pet doesn't chew things up- the stuffing or fabric could be a major doggie choking hazard if they do!

In other Football Related Crafting, have you seen Little Becky Homecky's football beanie hat?  It is adorable!  Go check it out!!!

Remember to join me all week as I post something every day Super Bowl Related!

Are you a follower yet?  If not, join the fun!  When I reach my current goal I will do another giveaway!!!

Candy/Toy Packet Handmade Valentines- FREE PRINTABLES!

This girl loves boots!

 I wanted to come up with something fun for LJ's Mother's Day out class for Valentines Day.  I loved Valentines Day as a kid- it was such an exciting day!  At my school we always made hand decorated bags to put on the back of our chair for everyone to put a treat in.  That was the 80's, the good 'ole days where you didn't HAVE to give a Valentine to everyone in the class, only who you wanted to...but I never remember anyone not giving it to everybody.   I DO remember this little blonde kid named Steven who made me "roses" with a red pencil and his hand-held sharpener.  I kept those in my desk all year long!  Ah, my first Valentines Day roses.
Now as an adult, I still think the kids stuff is more fun.  I mean, I want my husband to do something...but I really care more about him loving me all year long rather than buying me some chocolate and roses on this one day, you know what I mean?

So, here is what I came up with for LJ's class- packets that you print, decorate, then attach with whatever method works for you- hand sewing with embroidery thread, machine sewing, or even stapling!  You can print on whatever you choose- regular printer paper, construction paper, old paper grocery bags...whatever floats your boat, okay?

Simply print using the links below, then cut them out.

  Let your little one go to town decorating them.

Then attach with your chosen method leaving a hole to insert candy, tiny toys, even a cookie!
Here is what's in ours:

plastic dollar store "clappers"

stickers

 

...and some chocolate.  I gave in, since its kinda a chocolate-y holiday!

I used colorful embroidery thread to attach ours.  NOTE: Try not to overfill or you will have a hard time attaching them!

  Then shut the hole.

Voila, you are done!  Much cuter than those flimsy paper Valentine's with the envelope that will NEVER stay closed, haha!  Of course if your kids are older their decor skills will be better!  You could give them bits of lace, sequins, whatever you want.  I try not to be a control freak about projects like this.  I feel like it builds LJ's confidence for me to let her do things her way and not "fix" them or tell her what to do.  Could I make a prettier Valentine?  Sure, but I am an adult...and these are from her, not me!

Enjoy!  And please use these for personal use only (not that I think any of you will be impressed with my "artwork").  Let me know if you have any problems with the files- its my first time sharing a printable!  Suggestions are appreciated if you know of a better way!

Click HERE for "Valentine, You're a HOOT!"
Click HERE for "Valentine, You're the cat's MEOW!"
Click HERE for "Valentine, I HEART you!"

Crazy Crayons How-To

Today was the kind of day where you work on a lot of projects but not much seems to actually get done...that happens to me all too often I must admit!
While my daughter and I cleaned up the mess of pom-pom balls, pipe cleaners and crayons that had been dumped on the floor like confetti (Happy New years to me!), I found a ton of broken ones.
So, I remembered ages ago as a child how my mom always saved the little pieces to make melted big crayons with them. Those were always my favorite crayons! I decided that it would be fun to make some, and ended up having enough for 4 crazy crayons. Now, you see, this is how my days get away from me. I cleaned up the mess...but the other things I had to do got pushed aside for this project. My husband just laughs at me because he knows this will happen every time.
So here's how its done!

Step One- preheat your oven (or toaster oven) to 200 degrees F.
Step Two- peel your crayons and break them into smaller pieces if need be (about 1")

Step Three- pile them into muffin cups (use a liner!)about 1" deep- remember, they will melt down. Too thin and your kids will break them when they try to color. Today I did them in color families and made one "crazy" one. So I did yellows and oranges together, blues and greens together, etc.

Step Four- place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. If they don't look melted together all the way, keep them in a bit longer. Some of this depends on the type of crayon and how thick you layered them. Speaking of types of crayons...the nice name-brand ones will work the best because they have more pigment. Today I had mostly cheapo crayons to use, and they have more wax. When they melt, the wax will come to the top, and the pigment will sink to the bottom. So it actually turns the cheapo crayons into higher quality ones! Just remind your little one that the plain waxy top won't color at all, it will be clear. You can try to shave that part off to save frustration if you want, but LJ got the point pretty quick.

Step Five- Cool them, then COLOR!!!

They are great for chubby little hands...

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Fun Stuff Fridays!