February 2013
1 post
5 tags
From throw to curtains....
I was at Ikea with my kid and after eating our cheap breakfast and playing in all the kid room setups, we headed down to As-Is section. I found a black and white throw for 6 bucks, marked down from 14.99. I bought it and during nap time the throw went from this
to this
They are super basic. I just measured, cut, serged, and sewed. There is enough of the throw left, I might make a...
August 2012
1 post
3 tags
Agreed. →
July 2012
1 post
5 tags
June 2012
2 posts
2 tags
7 tags
May 2012
3 posts
1 tag
5 tags
Felt Food for a Friend...
Elliott’s friend turned one back in March. Her mom told me she was getting a play kitchen, so I decided to go felt crazy and make some food. She got some paste, Ravioli and Farfalle (Bowtie) with homemade bags. I used the bags they put wine in at the grocery store. I cut a window and taped in some plastic.
And then I made a banana that actually comes out of the peel. It was the thing...
April 2012
5 posts
5 tags
3 tags
Setting World Records....
We are going to the Great Cloth Diaper Change today! It should be fun!
7 tags
Rocking Chair Makeover...
My dad fixed up an old rocking chair for Elliott’s nursery before she was born. I have loved having it to nurse her in, to rock her to sleep, but it needed some light padding. I had been sitting on a old folded blanket and it would slide and shift, making the rocking experience less than ideal.
I finally finished these tie on patchwork pads. They work great, are just the right about of...
March 2012
3 posts
7 tags
You are invited....
Elliott will be one year old soon. So I had to start planning her birthday party. I came up with the idea of having a Book Birthday Party. Elliott truly loves looking at books, flipping through them, back and forth, upside down, right side up. She loves them. She has gotten to the point where I am not afraid of her ripping pages in non-board style books. She is happiest with a book in her...
8 tags
Gifts for a baby girl....
My cousin is having a baby girl in May. I decided to make her some handmade gifts for her baby shower.
I made an Elephant. A sock bunny. And cloth teething rings.
The Elephant was my favorite. Elliott loved it too. I might have to make her one!
The bunny is just made from an inside out baby sock, Elliott has several and LOVES them. The teething rings were a bit of a challenge. I...
5 tags
Terrarium love....
Per request of my sister Adri, I made her a terrarium to go under this cool glass lid she owned that she didn’t know what to do with.
To add interest, I took a wine cork and made a few slices and laid them in among the plants like a secret path.
Adri seemed to like it, and now her lid has a purpose!
February 2012
4 posts
7 tags
Tea (Towel) Anyone?
Inspired by Pinterest, my friend Alynn has started to host Pinterest Craft Nights. We have had two so far and I love it. I took the lead on this past Monday night’s craft. We designed and sewed our own tea towels. I bought flour sac cloths from Walmart (I try to avoid Walmart, but they were the only ones selling them) for a buck each and brought my abundance of fabric. We cut, ironed,...
5 tags
Saying Congrats with a card....
I made this card for my sister-in-law. She is graduating from a doctoral program of the medical kind. She is amazingly smart and beautiful! So I made her a card to let her know how proud we are of her.
7 tags
Where is Oprah when you need her....
Lately I have read several blog posts like this post and this one, by moms who basically hate on moms who craft/sew/knit/cloth diaper/make baby food or enjoy being at home, mothering, and spending their free time being creative. These women seem to think that just because some moms choose to knit a sweater for their kid and use cloth diapers then we look down on everyone that hasn’t done...
6 tags
January 2012
3 posts
6 tags
An Embroidered Gift....
I have been wanting to start seriously embroidering. I have to hoops, the needles, the thread. I have made a few things here and there so far. My favorite has been a gift for my sister Christine.
Its the Chicago Flag as a necklace pendant. I was trying to think of what to embroider for her. Finally I realized she loves Chicago, she lives there. She had made some sugar cookies to sell for...
7 tags
Biscotti anyone?
My amazing friend Amanda made biscotti as a Christmas present this year. The biscottis were only one of several thoughtful homemade Christmas presents she gave her friends and family. After savoring each biscotti I decided to ask for the recipe and make my own. My friends and I were going to have a Downton Abbey Recap party, so it was the perfect reason to try to make some fancy treats.
I...
6 tags
A sweater for Elliott...
I knitted this sweater this fall. It took me a long time only because I ran out of enough of the pink to finish the sweater and spent a month trying to decide on a solution. I finally came up with knitting the sleeves using brown and pink.
I had been knitting using two strands of the pink. I purchased the pink way back when I was pregnant, and so when I returned to the store to buy more,...
December 2011
2 posts
2 tags
6 tags
A quilt fit for a New Baby Girl!
A new Baby Girl Cousin for Elliott should be here any minute, literally. Cousin Jenny was induced last night and should be welcoming her second child, first baby girl into the world any time now. Knowing the gender of the baby to come, I made her a quilt.
I wanted it to be super girly and cute. I didn’t want her older brother Wesley to get any ideas and think he could claim it!
I...
November 2011
1 post
5 tags
Family Pics
I have been making so many things lately! But our computer at home has crashed, so it is really difficult to post pictures. So I have returned to the library where I used to do all my posting. Since I can’t post new pics right now, I will just show you my new favorite family pics.
First there are two that I love of my little family of three.
This one just makes me laugh. The ice...
October 2011
4 posts
6 tags
Happy Halloween
Elliott is Princess Leia for Halloween.
I made the costume from white sheets, a brown skirt, and some black felt.
I got the idea from this post:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=326432.0
and I am very happy with how it turned out! Easy and cute.
5 tags
Baby Food....
So Elliott has started to eat food….
She loves it, she is a good eater. So far she has eat rice cereal, bananas, and homemade applesauce. I am trying to go organic with all her food, making it myself (expect for the rice cereal).
The only problem we have run into is poop. Elliott only poops once or twice a week at most, and it has all been breastmilk poop. The first few times she...
2 tags
8 tags
A basket full of toys...
We needed a place to put all of Elliott’s toys when she wasn’t busy playing with them in the living. I decided to put some of the tshirt yarn I had been making to good use and crochet a basket.
I used gray, black, and white t-shirts with some old ugly acrylic yarn in brown tones. I really like the way it turned out.
I used the big plastic blue crochet hook I have, I am not sure...
September 2011
4 posts
9 tags
Some good food....
I thought I would share some recent dinners I have made for my family. They are all easy and delicious to make.
First, I made some chicken wings, just broiled them on a cookie sheet lined with foil and a cooling rack. The glaze is one part Frank’s Hot Sauce to one part Cherry Jalapeno Butter (purchased at the Farmer’s Market) with a generous squeeze of honey, all heated together...
4 tags
E is for Elliott!
I made this for Ellie. I put batting and some crinkly plastic in the middle. She loves the crinkle and the tags. It turned out pretty cute. I am going to make more for friends with babes. I will do the finishing of the edges different for the next one. I will try pressing the edges and then sewing it together instead of leaving them raw.
5 tags
Baby Sock....Bunny!
My mom loves buying baby socks at garage sales. She routinely brings me grocery bags full of baby socks. She gets them so cheap she isn’t picky and just buys all of them. So, in doing so, I end up with some ugly socks. One thing I really don’t like is anything “Princess” for Elliott. Its just not my thing….so thanks to this post by Elsie Marley:
...
4 tags
My Frugal Family
I grew up in a family of seven. A mom, a dad, and five kids, all girls. We had everything we needed and a few things we wanted. I loved growing up in a large family. There was always someone to play with and plenty of love and laughter to go around. One major lesson I learned from my family is how to be frugal.
I wanted to share some of the ways my family of three spends and saves money so...
August 2011
3 posts
8 tags
Found Objects Bracelet
After making some pillows, I decided to make a bracelet from some of the clutter in my craft cabinet drawer. Using a piece of grey t-shirt, a yellow ribbon, a purple string/cord from the handle of a gift bag, a red cord from somewhere, and a strap from a silk tank top, I 5-strand braided them together to get this.
I wish I could have made it long enough for a headband, but it wasn’t...
5 tags
More Booties....
I found these booties online, free pattern!
http://www.fleetingthing.com/images/ruffled-baby-shoe-25.jpg
I had to make them and I love the way they turned out.
6 tags
From Rags to Riches...
My sister Adrianne gave me a bunch of denim, an old belt, and a direction. She wanted a purse. After adding two fabrics I already had to the mix, I made her this purse!
I gave it to her for her birthday with a pair of salt and pepper shakers. She loved it! I was so glad (she can be really picky).
July 2011
5 posts
5 tags
Braided Headband update....
I forgot to share this. I have made at least four of these, all in the same grey t-shirt material, all with different width strips.
This one is with 1.5” strips. I love them. They fit great and stay in place!
5 tags
Hair Bows!
I am obsessed lately with T-shirts! So far I have upcycled old t-shirts into cloth diapers/spit rags and cloth wipes for the baby. I have been wanting to make cloth yarns for the longest time.
I got the idea from this site:
http://www.craftpassion.com/2009/05/recycle-tutorial-making-of-t-shirt-yarn.html
And this morning I got inspired to make a simple hair bow for El.
Start with Yarn...
4 tags
Sleeping arrangements.....
Last night, by the request of my husband, we tried to put Elliott in her own bed in her own room for the first time. There is really no reason why she still sleeps in our room in the packnplay next to me. She sleeps 12 hours a night, she’s old enough, and I finally got a monitor. (My mom got it for one dollar at a g sale and it works great.)
So we tried it. She fell asleep around...
Summer....
This summer is flying by. I can’t believe my birthday is this week. It always marks the middle of summer for me. I feel like there is so much we haven’t done.
There are a few things we have accomplished. We had an amazing bonfire with friends and family at my parents house. My good friend got married, I was in the wedding! We went to the Iron & Wine concert in downtown...
June 2011
4 posts
4 tags
Off to the races...
My husband and I have made a goal to run a 5k by the end of the summer or very early fall.
For me, I have never been much of a runner. I am a good athlete but I have never understood just running to run. I would much rather play a sport to get my exercise in for the day.
Our post college lives, full time working, becoming parents selves have grown to see the value in running to run. Its a...
5 tags
Completed Project thus far
I made myself a skirt. I used a tutorial from Anna Maria Horner. http://annamariahorner.blogspot.com/
I also whipped up a little needlepoint to for Ethan.
Now I am going to start on my sister’s purse!
3 tags
Sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy....
I just watched the sunrise. Ever since the last month of my pregnancy, I have been waking up most mornings in the early hours before any of the people on my block, before any cars are driving down my road, before the sun. I sit in our blue room, passing time till the sun rises. I used to wake up from pregnancy pains, then with a nursing baby, now I wake up because I can’t sleep (and to...
So much to do....
Ugh, I have so much I want to be blogging about, I’m so disorganized in my thoughts and picturing taking.
I have started sewing again. I made myself a skirt, pics to come soon and my sister wants me to make her a purse using jean scraps and a fringe belt! My sister is throwing a pirate themed birthday party for George with my help. I can’t wait to make some things and show the...
May 2011
3 posts
3 tags
5 tags
No, I'm not bored thank you!
Being a stay at home mommy, homemaker, keeper of the house, goddess of all things domestic, is NOT boring. I can’t count how many times I have been asked this in the past couple of months. Take today for instance….
Got up at 5 AM to feed Elliott.
She finally falls back to bed at 6:15 after a diaper change.
Wake up for the day around 9 AM, feed El, change diaper.
Put Elliott...
4 tags
Thoughts on being home.....
I have been home with Elliott for 5 and a half weeks. It has been better than I expected (and I had high expectations) and it has also been harder than I expected in many ways.
Here are a few thoughts on being home…
Dealing with never getting more than three hours of sleep in a row is the hardest part of being a mom for me, and being home doesn’t mean I get to sleep all day to make...
April 2011
1 post
5 tags
My Birthing Story....
It has been two weeks since Ethan and I drove to the hospital to have our baby girl. I have heard lots of birthing stories from family and friends, and I have read countless ones on the internet. I figured I would share our experience.
A little more than half way into my pregnancy I started to read lots of books and options for birth. Once Ethan and I took a birthing class at the hospital we...
