from plain to bloomin' cute!

My mom gave me a cute plain white shirt for Ruby.  It had a tiny hole in it.  I stitched the hole shut and covered the scar with a flower sequin secured with  thread and a seed bead.  Then I went a little nuts and added dozens more flower sequins.


Ruby likes her re-styled shirt.  Me too.

I bet you can't tell where the hole was!

(Flower sequins by Doodlebug Designs.  You can buy them here.)

for the newest monster...

Alli and Ruby helped make this squeaky tag monster toy for their new baby sister (coming soon).
The squeaker in the tummy is from another toy that wasn't as cute.  We used this fun, stringy fur cut in the shape of a monster blob.  I sewed the face on using felt pieces, then sewed the two sides of the monster blob together.  The tags were sewn into the seams.  The girls stuffed the monster and inserted the squeaker and then I sewed the bottom seam shut with a few more ribbon tags in it.  I finished it off with button eyes.
Alli and Ruby had fun testing out the squeaker.  They can't wait to give it to the newest little monster!

Ric rac pumpkin

Inspired by the fabulous Eddie Ross, I had to make a ric rac pumpkin all my own.

I did mine au natural with yellow ric rac trim... not quite as sophisticated as his, but we are having a kid Halloween at our house.  Easy, quick and adorable!

saving the earth one baggy at a time

For those of you who are trying to live green, this is a project for you! This is great for packed lunches and picnics. When opened, the sandwich holder doubles as a plate.

I started out with an octagon pattern (I made mine from a trimmed piece of 12x12 inch scrapbooking paper... this holds a full size sandwich, not just the half. But if you like taller sandwiches loaded with stuff, you may want to cut a larger octagon). Cut out two octagons from cute fabric (be extra green and cut fabric from clothes in your toss pile) and one octagon from clear vinyl (available at craft store or recycle from those clear zipper bags that comforters and sheet sets come in).

You can also use a vinyl tablecloth or oilcloth and one piece of fabric... I couldn't find any cute oilcloth at JoAnn's when I was making this... so vinyl worked for me. If you are looking for cute oilcloth, check this out!

Stack the three octagons like this: fabric, vinyl, fabric (patterns facing in). Sew together, leaving one side open. Turn inside-out, make sure the vinyl covers the fabric you want to be on the sandwich-side of the sandwich holder. Make a little tab with a scrap of fabric and sew the scratchy piece of velcro to the tab. Sew this tab onto the sandwich holder when you close the open end. Sew around the edges of the octagon to finish it nicely. Add the soft piece of velcro to the fabric side of the sandwich holder... fold the sandwich holder to find the right position.

Make a sandwich, wrap it up, take it somewhere and enjoy!

This super-cute lunch accessory can be used over and over. Usually I just wipe it down after each use, and wash it in the washer every week or so. Wash regular and lay flat to dry (vinyl side down).

I made a few of these for Alli's school lunches... different fabrics for different moods. I made a smaller one (about 8x8 inches) that is great for pretzels, cookie, etc.

This project was inspired by another creative blog... but I have lost the link. I will try to find it and post it here. Sorry.

because I felt like it...

I finished the shirt for Alli's pirate costume... arg! The felt is black with glitter interspersed. I would describe this style as girly-glam pirate chic.

This shirt was in the toss pile. It had a few stains from summer fun. The skull and bones covered most of the stains and gave this shirt new life.

I cut the image out of felt and stitched it on the shirt with the sewing machine.



I also reinvented some of Alli's old leggings for Ruby. I'm hoping Ruby will not get tired of hand-me downs if I freshen them up.

I cut off a few inches from the legs, added pom-pom trim and a few felt critters. I sewed buttons on for eyes. The bat on the back covers a spot that was a little worn. Originally the pumpkin was the only thing on the front, but Ruby wanted to wear them backwards so she could see the bat. I added the spider to the front so she would wear them the right way. Ruby loves these pants and wears them as often as laundering allows.

Halloween garland

I love fall. I love Halloween! It is such a fun, creative, imaginative holiday!
This year we made a Halloween garland to hang over our dining table. We die-cut several Halloween shapes (I used QuicKutz Revolution shapes) from scraps of fall-colored paper. Alli and Ruby decorated several of the shapes with markers and crayons. We strung thread from the wall to the light fixture and then used small pieces of clear tape to hang the die-cut papers on the threads.
Alli and Ruby are so proud of their contributions. The garland is whimsical and festive, and just the right project for an afternoon of spooky fun.

pumpkin hat

Ruby wants to be a pumpkin for Halloween. So I made her a costume. I still have work to do on the suit, but the hat is done, and I love how it turned out! Ruby likes it too and has been wearing it everywhere!
I love working in fleece and felt. They are so easy to work with (and very forgiving)! I made six panels of orange fleece in the shape of Gothic arches. I sewed those together and topped it off with a felt stem (rectangle and circle sewn into a cylinder) and a felt veined leaf. I hemmed the hat so it sits just above Ruby's eyes.
The entire project took about 30 minutes... I was on the phone with my mom the whole time. Not bad.
I promise it is easy, but if you need help, come on over and I'll coach you.