Dahlhart Lane

Pretty please?!!!!

2012-01-12T13:34:00.001-08:00

I know I haven't been posting lately. Sorry. I just have a HUGE favor to ask of you! If you have the time, could you please go vote for my faux union suit pajamas over in the Sew Warm Challenge at Instructables.com? They are giving away amazing prizes and I couldn't help but enter! Thanks so much!!!!!

My Paper Mache Nativity and thoughts on the Savior

2011-12-17T21:11:00.000-08:00

Several years back, I realized that everything I made, and nearly everything I decorated with during this holiday season were based on the commercial side of Christmas. Now, don't get me long, I still adore Santa Claus, but I wanted my children to see that celebrating the birth of our Savior was what mattered most to me. I knew that I had to throw my heart into a project that would reflect that so I nervously started a nativity scene out of air drying clay and paper mache. Little by little it came to life until it now is my very favorite sculpted project yet. Even though it still isn't finished, whenever I take the time to stop and look at it, I am reminded of all of the feelings that I felt while I worked on it several years ago and the stress of the day melts away.

While I sculpted, I listened to one of my favorite Christmas songs, Mary's Boy Child (a song by Jester Hairston but performed by The Brothers Four). The lyrics, "Trumpets sound and angels sing, listen to what they say, That man will live forever more, Because of Christmas day" were so powerful to me while I worked on my little version of the Christ Child. How grateful I am to him for coming to earth in that humble setting so that someday he could redeem us all and give us reason to hope. Because of him, we have someone to turn to when we are hurting physically or emotionally and can be healed. And only because of him we can pick ourselves up from our mistakes and experience joy in this life and in the next. What a beautiful peace that brings to me! That peace, I imagine, was felt by all who witnessed that little baby in that stable setting on that sacred night of his birth.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

~Isaiah 9: 6

I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas season and that you feel that same peace and joy that our Savior offers to all who will listen.

Love, Malinda

I think I am going to do some sort of gold trip on some of the edges of their clothing, but should I change the colors?

As a mother of three sons, Christmas has taken an even deeper meaning to me and an even greater respect for that strong and trusting mother, Mary. This time of year reminds me that I want to be more like her as I mother my little men.

****Here and here are links to what this project looked like when I was first starting on it.

Linked to: Skip to My Lou, Sew Much Ado, Southern Lovely

Faux Union Suit Tutorial

2011-12-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

Sorry that it has taken me so long to get this tutorial up for you! After losing all of my pictures from the first three I made, I sort of was dragging my feet until I thought about making a pair for my little three-month-old nephew. I now have made these pajamas in size 3-6 months, 6-12 months, 2T, and 4T. If anyone wants to help me figure out how to do a pdf pattern, I would be happy to share my patterns with whoever is interested but until then, this step by step tutorial will have to do.

I was lucky enough to have a couple knit footed pajamas around the house already to use as a basic pattern. If you have a snug fitting pair already, just turn it inside out and place on your fabric and cut out your pattern pieces. The size that I didn't have around, I used a top and bottom set and measured the torso length to make sure it would fit the same.

After cutting out your pieces, they will look like this:

Besides your fabric, you will need these:

The zipper I used on my last one was much too short. I suggest using zippers from 18-28 inches long.

Start with your long strip of fabric. This will be used as the trim for the neck and cuffs on the arms.

Then...

Set the sleeves aside and work on the main body. Be sure to line up the stripes when sewing your pieces together.

Place the flap about an inch up from the crotch and pin in place.

If you look closely, you can see that I sewed the closed edge to the body. Rats. I hate picking out seems on knit fabric.

Sew up the right leg.

Now put in your zipper. I have a zipper foot that made it easy to sew on.

Because my zipper was so short, it wasn't long enough to extend down the leg. But if you can get a long one, make sure that as the zipper goes down from the chest to the left leg, that you have it run along the last edge of the diamond piece in the crotch.

With ends folded in, sew on the neck:

My machine sews button holes (ignore the spelling error in the picture below) for me. All I had to do was mark where I wanted them, adjust my machine, and sew them in. I am totally spoiled. I hope you are, too.

Next are the feet. I am not going to lie, I HATED sewing these in. All four times. If you want to skip this part, just put more trim around the ankles and call it good. If you want the footed look, here is what I did:

Last but not least, sew on your buttons....

....Secure your flap....

and you're done! Hot dog! Now your little ones can stay warm and toasty all winter long! For more pictures, click here.

Linked to: House of Hepworths, Sew Much Ado, Making Lemonade, Skip to my Lou

Little Boy Bowties

2011-12-07T19:19:00.000-08:00

Our family computer bit the dust so my posts are going to be few and far between. However, yesterday I was a guest post over at Simply Homemade as part of her bow series that she is doing. So much fun! Here is the post I shared over there but I recommend heading over to her blog to see her fun ideas as well as the other guest posts.

Hi, my name is Malinda from Dahlhartlane and I am tickled pink to be here on Amanda's blog today! Since I am a mother of three boys, when Amanda asked me to come up with a tutorial for her bow series the first thing that popped in my head to make were little boy bow ties. Now, I know tutorials on bow ties are all over blog land, but this version is a bit different then the rest and I love it's little double-layered rounded edges.

For these ties, you need to cut out four 3x4 slightly rounded rectangles and one long 2 1/2x 19 inch strip. Of course, you can modify this depending on the size of your child and how big or small you like your bow. You will also need a small strip of velcro (or some other type of clasp).

Take your little rounded rectangle-ish shapes and place them in two pairs with right sides facing in.

Sew each pair around the edges but be sure to leave one inch open in the middle of one side of the base.

Next, fold your long strip of fabric in half and sew along the long edge.

Turn everything right-side-out (I like to do this with a knitting needle) and iron them flat. Take your newly sewn strip of fabric and cut about three inches off and set aside. This little strip will be used to secure your bow in place later.

Take the long strip and turn the ends in by poking your finger into the tube slightly. Sew shut.

Sew on your velcro at the ends of your strip and you collar is complete! Hot dog! Now that aside while you finish your bow.

Now, stack your curved rectangle pieces and push your needle and thread through the centers like this:

Pull tight to gather and then wrap your thread tightly around the center several times.

Place your bow on top of the good side of your collar (the side without the seam running down the middle) and then wrap the extra little strip of fabric around both. Turn ends under.

Stitch it shut and your done!

Hot dog! Now your little man is ready for any holiday party thrown his way!

I started making these bow ties several years ago and haven't been able to stop ever since. Any sort of fabric can be used to get the exact look you are hoping for. In fact, come over to my blog to see how I made similar bow ties out of wool sweaters! Super cozy, amazingly easy, and incredibly cute. Thanks, Amanda, for hosting me today! I hope everyone has a wonderful day and holiday season!

Linked up to: Project Run and Play, Tatertots and Jello

Faux Union Suit Pajamas

2011-12-03T22:01:00.000-08:00

I decided to make matching pajamas for my three little men and I have to say, this might just be my favorite project yet! It helps that my boys like them as much as I do! In fact, my middle son (the one who is never on here because he hates to be photographed) was so taken by his pair that he refused to take them off. As much as I hate hearing him tantrum, I can't say that my ego wasn't stroked a little. :) I took step-by-step photos, but my computer has since died and took my pictures away with it. If enough people are interested, I'll be posting a tutorial, but for now, here are some pictures of my cuties in their little flapped pajamas.

***Post edit: Tutorial is posted here!

Linking to: Sew Much Ado, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths, Eye Heart, Making Lemonade, Nap Time Crafters, Project Run and Play, Tatertots and Jello, Whipperberry, The Girl Creative, Kojo Designs, Mommy by Day...Crafter by Night

Christmas Stockings

2011-11-26T22:16:00.000-08:00

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, we can start celebrating Christmas guilt-free! I love everything about Christmas but one of my very favorite ways to kick off the yuletide festivities is with our family stockings. Growing up, one of my very talented aunts made each one of the members in our extended family a personal stocking that had our own fabric print and our name lovingly stitched on top. Now that I have a family of my own, I wanted to carry on this same tradition by making personalized stockings for my husband and our little boys. When our oldest was a baby, my aunt gave me her stocking pattern. This year I made my youngest a stocking of his own. He was born a few days before Christmas last year but I wasn't able to make his stocking in time for that holiday. Happily, this year it is complete (and I may just love it best of all). I love how cheerful it is, just like my little baby boy. Now that my stockings are out, let the Christmas fun begin!

The name was embroidered with a chain stitch that I learned from a library book. That was before I realized that youtube videos were the best way to learn anything new. :)

I found this friendly Santa print at Joann's and knew that I had to match it with my striped red and white fabric for his toe. And who doesn't love jumbo ric-rac?!

I think it is a great addition to our family of stockings.

My aunt made mine with the teddy bear stripes. The rest were made by yours truly. :)

Linking up to: Sew Much Ado, The Girl Creative

Felt Pilgrim Hats

2011-11-21T08:06:00.000-08:00

Last Friday I got to be a creative guest over at Eighteen25. They were so kind and it was a real treat to be a part of one of my very favorite blogs for the day! In case anyone has a little extra time before Thanksgiving, here is the idea I shared over there:

My husband says that making my youngest wear this little girl pilgrim's hat is child abuse. Obviously I need to have a girl one of these days.

Last Thanksgiving I noticed that Pottery Barn had adorable little Pilgrim hats for sale. At the time I was on bed rest with our youngest little man, so I vowed to make some at a later time. This year we are excited to get to dine with the majority of our cousins on my side of the family. Since this might be the last time in a while that we get to all be together for this holiday, I wanted to make it special and decided that Pilgrim hats were a must! They are easy as pie and bring such a festive spirit to this great holiday. And best of all, since they are made with felt, they can be used for years to come.

Little Girl Pilgrim Bonnet:

This little hat is especially easy to make. All you need is a 12x19 inch piece of white felt and some ribbon. It can be done with a hot glue gun, but I sewed it up quickly on my sewing machine.

Make sure to leave a couple inches open at the folded edge.

Open hat up so that it makes sort of a triangle.

Turn hat right side out and fold front edge back about 2 inches. Place end of ribbon under the fold and stitch into place and your done! Now your little miss can enjoy her Thanksgiving feast in style!

Unfortunatly, it seemed that even my youngest could sense that this bonnet wasn't too many and I could catch a good picture of it to save my life! Very frustrating but I guess I really can't blame them.

Little Boy Pilgrim Hat
This hat takes a little more work than the bonnet, but it is still simple and if your little men love it as much as mine do, than it will be worth it.
Cut out your felt. The body of my hat is 8 1/2 inches tall and 12 inches wide (you need 2). In brown, the headband is a strip of 23x4 inches out of brown and then another little strip of 1 1/2x 6 1/2 for the belt on the hat. Lastly, the little yellow buckle is made by cutting a 2 1/2 square and then cutting out the middle.

Next, take your brown headband and fold in half. Sew along the long edge and then turn right-side-out.

I use a knitting needle to help turn out my fabric.

Pin headband to one of the hat pieces. Sew it in place but be sure to not sew it all the way to the edges of your hat. This helps it to hold it's shape when it is all done.

When you are done, fold both ends of the headband inward.

Place other piece of hat on top. Pin in place and sew along the edges, leaving a corner open so that you can turn it right-side-out.

Once right-side-out, stitch your opening closed.

Place second brown strip on hat and sew.

Place buckle on brown band and sew into place.

Fold in ends and sew shut.

Sew velcro onto the ends of your headband and your done!

Now your little men can have all the right accessories to gobble down their turkey dinner!

Happy Thanksgiving!

My youngest likes his manly pilgrim hat much better than the bonnet.

Linked to: Tip Junkie, Sew Can Do, Southern Lovely, Sew Much Ado

Bow Ties made out of Felted Wool Sweaters (Tutorial)

2011-11-19T10:12:00.000-08:00

After finishing the Cashmere Neck Tie for my son, I started thinking of different things I could make with felted sweaters. Since I am taking part in a week all about bows over at Simply Homemade in the next little while, my next obvious choice was to make bow ties. I must say, I am absolutely smitten by these chunky little ties. And the fact that you can easily make one in five minutes makes them all the better!

Before cutting out your shapes, you need to wash your wool sweater and dry it. This makes it felt and it also becomes thicker so it holds it's shape wonderfully well. I got my sweater at our local thrift store but this could be a great project for an accidently shrunken and sweater done in a laundry mishap.

After you sweater is ready, cut your pieces. Because of the nature of felted wool, you don't have to worry about fraying so you don't have to cut any extra seam allowance to turn under. Just cut it the size and shape you think will look nice! As you can see, my shapes are two curved rectangles about 3 1/2x2 inches, a strip for the collar that is about 14 inches long and another small strip for the bow.

Take your two rectangle shapes and stack on each other. Tread your needle and push it through the center of both shapes.

Pull tight to gather.

With the needle still in your hand, wrap it tightly around the center several times.

Place the bow on top of the center of the collar strip. Push needle through both

Put the last little strip on the center of the bow and wrap it around both the bow and the collar. My strip is longer than it needs to be so that it is easier to work with. I just trim what I don't want after it is in place.

pull it tight and sew it shut. If you are like me, cut off the extra length.

Sew your velcro to the ends of the collar and you're all done! See what I mean? So easy and so fun.

In a matter of minutes, you can have a handful of handsome bow ties to dress your little chap in all Winter long!

Linked to: Under the Table and Dreaming, Tip Junkie, Sew Can Do, Southern Lovely, Sew Much Ado, Tatertots and Jello, Project Run and Play, The Girl Creative, Kojo Designs

Little Boy Cashmere Neck Tie (Tutorial)

2011-11-17T22:27:00.000-08:00

With the holiday season right around the corner, who doesn't need a new neck tie for their little man to help wow family and friends at your next gathering? I recently saw a picture (or at least I am pretty sure I did. I can't find it anywhere to save my life) of a cashmere necktie in an Anthropologie magazine and was smitten. But spending an arm and a leg for my four-year-old to look dapper wasn't going to happen this year (or probably ever). Fortunately, I remembered that I had scraps of a cashmere sweater laying around and decided at once to make my own version in a little boy's tie. I am so glad I did because he is incredibly charming in his knew neck tie.

The tie is very easy to make and very affordable. First off, hit the nearest thrift store and buy a cashmere sweater (usually a couple bucks). Wash and dry your sweater so that it felts slightly so that it doesn't fray. Then cut your tie out. My scrap piece wasn't long enough so I had to make two pieces and sew them together in the middle. The entire length was about 28 inches long. Make ends come to a side point. Cut matching pieces of lightweight interfacing and iron on to the back.

Sew flat ends together to make the body of your tie.

Next, fold over the edge of the bottom of your point and iron flat.

Fold end up, making a point. Iron flat. Repeat on skinny end of tie.

Fold over sides of the body of the tie till they are touching in the middle. Iron flat again. Then stitch up the center.

Hand stitch end closed.

Set body of tie aside and cut out a strip of about 3 1/2x16. Cut matching piece of interface and iron on back.

Fold in half with right-side facing in and sew up the long end.

Turn right-side-out (with the help of a knitting needle or pencil and iron flat with the seam down the center.

Fold in ends and sew shut. Sew on your fastener of choice. I am a velcro lover so that is what I used.

It should look like this from the back.

With collar closed, do the following:

Then:

All done! Now your little man is set to impress!

What I like most about making ties like this is that they are adjustable in every single way. When my son grows bigger, or if I want one of his younger brothers to wear it, all I have to do is untie the knot, reajust it, and tie it again. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Linked up to: Nap Time Crafters, Making Lemonade, Tatertots and Jello, Mine for the Making, Under the Table and Dreaming, Tip Junkie, Sew Can Do, Southern Lovely, Sew Much Ado, Project Run and Play, Kojo Designs

Yoda Softy

2011-11-10T09:46:00.000-08:00

My oldest with his new Yoda friend

Out of nowhere, my oldest son has become smitten with Yoda from Star Wars. I don't know how this happened (since he has never seen any of the shows) but I can't say that I blame him. I was always rather fond of that green cutie when I was little and spent many hours playing with my Yoda toy with my brothers. Yesterday, while my babies took their naps, My four-year-old and I got to work on making the Yoda softy that had been on his mind. He was in charge of removing all the pins out of my way while I sewed it on the machine and helped with all of the stuffing and turning of the fabric. He was thrilled! Who needs a daughter to have a sewing partner?!!

If you are wanting to make Yoda of your own, here is how we did it:

First, we made a quick pattern and cut out our pieces:

I conveniently had light green flannel already on hand so we used that for his skin.

After ironing all the parts, take two ear pieces and layer with wrong sides facing out. Add one piece of interfacing and sew around edges (as shown on left). Turn right side out (ear on the right).

Iron ears again and fold base inward:

Sandwich ears in between the two head pieces. Pin and sew.

Turn out (I had to do this several times since my years were WAY too long):

Set head aside and take the back piece of the body and sew together the V shaped cut together at the top of the neck. This creates Yoda's hump on his back. A must-have for any Yoda fan.

When done, place right sides of body together, pin in place and sew around edges. Then turn right side out and stuff. Stuff the head as well. My trusty helper and I like to use knitting needles to help push out all of the tiny edges and stuff in the hard to reach places.

Take pins and place them where you want your eyes to be. Once you are satisfied, make very small holes with small scissors.

I bought a pack of animal eyes. They came in a pack of 6 for 99 cents at Joann's. I like them because once the back piece snaps all the way down, I don't have to worry about my little men pulling them off and chocking on them.

I didn't want his eyes to be so wide open, so I took a small piece of green flannel, folded over one edge and super glued it in place:

After that was done, I carefully cut and glued and cut and glued until I got it just right. I went through several eyes because I had it too bulky on the back with all of my fabric and glue and it wouldn't snap down far enough to hold in place.

Put your eyes in your head and snap the white plastic pieces onto the backs so that they hold in place.

I used embroidery floss to make wrinkles and his nose and mouth. My son wanted him to be happy. Needlework is not my finest strength so I did the best I could. :) Then I stitched the head onto the body.

At that point my babies started squawking in their cribs upstairs so we had to move fast. That meant that there are not anymore pictures of the creation process from here on out. Sorry! While the babies played in their cribs for an extra ten minutes, we whipped together his clothes and a sword (at the request of my son. I know his sword is supposed to be green but he loves the color blue). The sword is held by the wise Yoda with velcro so that he can hold it when he is ready to fight but take it off when he is in need of a good snuggle.

Now my son is in hog heaven with his homemade Yoda. It was all done in one nap session and would be easy to make for a Star Wars fan in one (2 hour) sitting. If you are going homemade this holiday season, I certainly recommend this snugly little friend!

Linked to: Sew Can Do, Making Lemonade, Tatertots and Jello, Nap Time Crafters, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths

Turkey Hands

2011-11-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

Ever since my oldest son was born, we had a Thanksgiving tradition of tracing our children's hands every year for Thanksgiving and writing on the feathers and neck the five favorite things that they are (or would probably say if they could talk at the time) thankful for. I love this tradition because not only does it bring a spirit of thanksgiving and it's easy, but it also is a nice way to a record the things that they loved while their hands were so small. My oldest is now four and I am amazed at how quickly his little hand print turkey has grown already! This year, I decided to take it a step further and put my three son's turkey's in a frame to decorate our home with. As I was getting this post ready, I was surprised to see that one of my favorite blogs, Eighteen25, posted a similar idea. I love how theirs turned out and I'm glad to see that I am in good company! This is how I made my turkey hand print art.

After I helped the boys sketch around their, we colored them in and then wrote on each one the five top things in their life at this time. I then cut them out and set them aside while I got the rest of the project ready. I wanted to have the word, Thankful, as part of the framed piece but since I didn't win a Silhouette machine during this last round of giveaways all over blogland (poor baby me), I decided to use the old fashioned method of Freezer paper and paint. Normally I only do this when I am trying to make a custom t-shirt (like here and here) but luckily it worked! I typed out the word in a font that I liked on my computer (this time on picasa but I regularly scan the internet for free fonts that I like) and then used the computer screen to help trace the word on a piece of freezer paper with a pencil. Then I used an x-acto knife to carefully cut out each letter.

Be sure to only cut on some sort of cutting board or cardboard and also be sure to keep the center shapes from letters (like "a" and "o", etc.) that you will need later.

I decided to use watercolor paper for this project. After placing the freezer paper in the exact spot I wanted, I ironed it on my paper (with the shiny side of the freezer paper facing down) with my iron on the cotton setting and no steam. I then added the center of the letter A back into place and ironed that.

Once I got that done (although I obviously didn't iron down the beginning of my word too great) I used a paintbrush to lightly paint over my stencil. I used a very cheep and watery paint but I would recommend a thicker craft paint so that it doesn't run like mine did.

After it dried for a moment, I peeled back the freezer paper:

(The heavy paper made it so it didn't rip when the freezer paper pulled off)

Ta-da!

I then got my turkey hands and added a little tape to the back....

...and stuck them into place!

I stuck my turkey's in a frame and plopped them in my kitchen where I have been enjoying them ever since! Not only does it decorate my kitchen, but it also is a wonderful reminder of three of my greatest blessings of all.

Linked to: Southern Lovely, Sew Much Ado, Making Lemonade, Passionately Artistic, Tatertots and Jello, Junk in their Trunk, House of Hepworths

How to make a Giant Pumpkin

2011-11-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, I found a tutorial on how to make giant-sized jack-o-lanterns on a website called, Stolloween. Since I was enchanted with the huge pumpkins outside of Hagrid's cottage on Harry Potter, I knew that I had to try my hand at making my own jumbo pumpkin at some point. This October, I spotted a large fake pumpkin at Hobby Lobby for about $140.00 and was so shocked at the steep price that I went straight home and started figuring my own out. In the end, my pumpkin did not end up being as big as I wanted (which is probably a good thing since I really don't know how I am going to store it) but I still got a kick out of making something this large. Whether you are wanting to make a lasting decoration or a seasonal photo prop, hopefully this tutorial helps!

This is how I made it:

I got the largest trash bag I could find and stuffed it full with newspaper, plastic bags and pages from magazines.

Then I knotted it up:

Next I used masking tape around the sides to create the ridges:

Once the general shape I wanted was formed, I used my paper mache paste recipe and added several layers of newspaper strips over the form. After I had as many layers as I wanted, I let it dry in the sun with a heavy can set in the center to help it keep its pumpkin form:

(And I might add, what a fitting can to use for this project)

After it dried, I decided the ridges on my pumpkin were not as big as I wanted, so I crumpled up more newspaper and magazine pages, covered them with paste, and added them to the pumpkin:

After each crumpled up pasty piece was added, I glued it down with a strip of pasty newspaper so that it would hold in place. I did this until the entire pumpkin looked the way I liked.

Once all of my additions had dried, I mixed up paper clay and applied it in a thick layer over the top 3/4ths of the form:

Once it was hard/dry enough (several days later), I tipped it upside down on an empty bucket (so the stem wouldn't break) and cut a hole at the bottom...

...and took out all of the newspaper stuffing. This way it would be lighter and also would be able to dry at a faster rate:

Since all of the paper clay was so heavy, it sort of flattened the bottom of my pumpkin. To fix this, I cris-crossed the opening with more tape (so that my additions wouldn't fall inside) and added more crumpled pieces of newspaper and put more paper mache over them. After that, I added more paper clay to the bottom half of the pumpkin:

Once that all dried fully, I sanded down my pumpkin and then painted it orange. I decided to use a sample-sized can of Gliddens Pumpkin Patch Orange from The Home Depot (since it is so inexpensive). I finished by using brown and green craft paint for the stem:

After my paint dried, I covered it with a marine/indoor/outdoor varnish like Jackie Hall suggested on The Paper Mache Recourse so that it would be able to withstand the elements on my front porch.

Now that it is starting to frost outside, many of our pumpkins have already turned to mush. However, our great big paper mache pumpkin is holding it's own and keeping our front porch festive despite the November chill! It was well worth the adventure.

Linked up to: Making Lemonade, Tatertots and Jello, The Girl Creative, Southern Lovely, Sew Much Ado, Passionately Artistic, The Artsy Girl Connection, House of Hepworths

Owl costume

2011-10-27T06:04:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my son's owl costume! Let me just say, designing a costume for a two-year-old is not my favorite thing, especially when that two-year-old tantrumed every time I attempted a fitting. But seeing my little man in it made it all worth it! Earlier I came across a little owl bank from Urban Outfitters on Pinterest and used it for my inspiration as I made my own flannel version.When it was all said and done, I think even my costume-hating son liked it since he proudly paraded it around for the rest of the night. I am now fully convinced that Halloween was made for mothers.

Source

The leggings were made out of an old orange and white striped polo t-shirt that I died yellow and then made into matching pants. Here is how I made them.

Linked up to: Eighteen25, Sew Much Ado, Tip Junky, Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky!, Nap Time Crafters, Tatertots and Jello, Under the Table and Dreaming

Fox Costume

2011-10-24T22:11:00.000-07:00

Earlier this Summer, My oldest son told me that he wanted to be Batman for Halloween. Since I was hoping to do a woodland theme this year with my three boys, I made him a quick Batman (here) costume in hopes that it would satisfy his superhero needs. Since then, I have been trying to change his mind by having him watch old episodes of David the Gnome on Youtube and telling him that fox's get the most candy when trick-or-treating. Some would say that this is slightly dishonest, but since this is probably the last year that I can pull this trick, I feel completely justified! To make our fox costume come true, we died our fabric orange, made up a fox pattern and crossed our fingers in hopes for the best. I just finished it today and am thrilled. I was a little worried that I bullied him into it until I watched him race happily around for the rest of the day and hearing him say, "I want to wear this costume forever!" Needless to say, I am pleased as punch and would recommend ~~poisoning~~ molding your child's mind with the help of David the Gnome to anyone. Now just one owl costume to go and we'll be set!

Linked up to: Skip to my Lou, Eighteen25, Sew Much Ado, Southern lovely, Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky!, Nap Time Crafters, Tatertots and Jello, Under the Table and Dreaming

Some tips on dying fabric

2011-10-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

In case you are wondering, this is part of the headpiece of my son's fox costume

I am almost done with my last costume of the year and I am pleased as punch (besides the frustration of having to go back and fix a major mistake. D'oh!)! My last costume is for my four-year-old son who wanted/agreed to be a fox to fit in with our woodland theme. I was having some major issues trying to find the right color of fabric for my little man's fox so I finally decided to dye some flannel myself. For some reason, even though I paint and am quite familiar with mixing colors, it didn't really occur to me to come up with my own color since fabric dye is so unforgiving. Since I didn't see any fabric dye in the stores that fit my fancy, I hopped on Rit Dye's website and saw that they offer recipes for nearly any color you could want! Hot dog! In case anyone else is working on a project that needs a custom color, here is what I learned:

Go to Rit's website (I haven't checked if any other dye company does this too) and the Colorit Color Formula Guide at the top of the page:

Once there, go down to the bottom of the page and click on the basic color family you are looking for. In my case, it was orange.

When you see a color that you like, click on it and they tell you exactly what dye to buy and how to mix it. I imagine that once you get the idea of your recipe, you can use any brand that has the same basic colors.

Once you get your colors, get your fabric wet with cold water and wring excess water out. From there, I follow the basic guide that Dana gives on her blog, Made of dying your fabric in your sink instead of over the stove. However, I like to start off by boiling water in a large pot and then pouring it into a large bucket or basin in your sink. Add more hot water (as hot as it comes out of your tap) to fill the rest of your basin. Add your colors and mix well.

Add your fabric and mix every ten or so minutes until you get the color you want (in my case, I did it twice because once my fabric dried, it wasn't quite as dark as I wanted the first time). If you are wanting a light color, stick around 'cause the color will finish rather quickly, but if you want something dark, you have time to get other things done while it soaks. Because I was wanting a more muted tone, I only had to dye it for about thirty minutes.

When you get the color you like, take it out, rinse it and pop it in the washer to get out the extra dye. After it dries, you are ready for your project to move forward! Good luck!

****I'll be sharing my son's fox costume next in a couple days. Wish me luck on the finishing touches!

Linked to: Sew Much Ado

Hedgehog Costume

2011-10-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

Forgive me for putting his face make-up on after I took the pictures....how could I have forgotten that every self-respecting hedgehog has a little shiny nose and whiskers.

This year I decided that my littlest man HAD to be a hedgehog for Halloween. There is something about his cute little upturned nose and sticky-outy ears that remind me so much of the endearing hedgehog that I just couldn't picture it any other way. With a little (or a lot) of felt and some anti-pill fleece, his snugly Halloween outfit came to life. I am thrilled and luckily, he doesn't mind it to much either.

Hop over to Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky! to see a guest post I did where I showed a simple way of making the leggings for this costume out of a t-shirt. Also, stayed tuned for two more woodland-themed costumes! Hot dog!

Linked to: Eighteen25, Nap Time Crafters, Tatertots and Jello, Sew Much Ado, Southern lovely, Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky!, Under the Table and Dreaming

My Round Little Pumpkin Costume

2011-10-17T20:41:00.000-07:00

My sister was incredibly thoughtful to have snapped some photos of my little man in his costume. They still warm my heart every time I look at them.

Of all of the costumes that I have made, this round little pumpkin may very well be my favorite! Everything from the plump little cap to the striped suit underneath made my heart go pitter-pat. As luck would have it, my little boy started walking just the month before Halloween so I got to watch him toddle around in all of his glory! And best of all, I didn't have to worry about him hurting himself as he tripped around since the whole costume was one big puffball.

Linking up to: Eighteen25, Tip Junkie, Sew Much Ado, Tatertots and Jello

Personalized Halloween figurine

2011-10-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

In 2009 my oldest son was an adorable little clown for Halloween. I was so smitten by him in his clown duds that I decided to try my hand at sculpting an 11-inch figurine in his likeness. For nearly two years it sat on my shelf while I took care of more pressing matters (like having another baby). Last week I put some finishing touches on it and I am so glad to have it be part of our Halloween decor this year! I like the idea of making personalized figurines of my boys as they grow over the years, but seeing as this one took forever to make, they might have to wait for when I don't have two kids in diapers.

Linked to: Sew Much Ado, Passionately Artistic, Tatertots and Jello

Candy Corn

2011-10-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

I decided that I needed something to place on our table to help celebrate the festive month of Halloween. Since we are all about candy in this home, large candy corn bowl fillers were a logical choice. They are friendly and fun and keep us in the mood for Trick-or-Treating at the end of the month. Thankfully, they are also very easy and inexpensive to make. In fact, since they are made out of paper mache, they make recycling incredibly fun! Here is how I made ours:

First, take a section of your newspaper and fold a corner of the folded edge down into the middle of your newspaper at an angle:

Fold over (or sorta roll) again while holding on to the top. By doing so, you create your candy corn point. The looser you fold, the more square and plump your candy corn is:

Fold over remaining corner:

Tape in place:

Turn form so that the point is facing down. Fold the raw edges into the cone:

Tape folds down:

Start taping over corners and holes:

Also, cover the base with multiple strips of masking tape until it is covered fully:

You don't have to cover the entire form with masking tape but make sure the holes are covered and the shape looks the way you like:

Cover your entire form with paper clay. I cover mine with about 1/4 an inch of paper clay:

After smoothing, let dry (if you don't have any sunshine, placing them in the oven on warm works like a charm). When they are all dry, paint in your candy corn colors (I forgot to show that part....woops). To get an antiqued look, add a couple drops of black paint to a Tablespoon of water and wipe on your form with a damp rag (I have now also used baby wipes and it worked great). Do sections at a time and blot off with another damp rag (or wipe). Continue to do this until you get the look you like.

After that antiquing drys, spray with a clear coating (like this)and your done!

Linked up to: Tatertots and Jello, Eighteen 25, Tip Junkie, Sew Much Ado, Southern Lovely

Jack-o-Lantern Totes

2011-10-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

Picture taken by my talented sister, Aria

Several years ago I was smitten with all things vintage where Halloween is concerned. I found the cutest vintage-looking fabric for my son's clown costume and knew that he needed a tote with the same vintage-charm. I knew that back in the day, jack-o-lanterns were made with paper mache so I figured that I could make some for myself. Thankfully, my planned worked and we have used them ever since. Here is how I make them:

First (and not pictured. Woops), cover a balloon 3/4's of the way up with several layers of strips of newspaper and paper mache paste. Let dry and pop the balloon. Press down your bowl so that the bottom flattens in slightly. Cut top down to the height you want it:

Cover form with about a 1/4 of an inch of paper clay or Celluclay (I like to keep a bowl of water by me so that my hands can stay wet. I find that the clay doesn't stick to me as much like this).

Leave bottom basically uncovered:

Add extra clay around the rim so that it is a little thicker:

Flatten rim with your finger so that it is even:

With your wet fingers, carve out your jack-o-lantern's face features by pushing the clay off to the side or removing it completely.

Carve pumpkin ridge lines every so many inches around your jack-o-lantern by pressing finger down at the forms base and pulling upwards:

If there are any lines or edges that need smoothing, wet your hands and softly smooth the clay out. When done, let dry in the sun (or in your oven on warm).

When dry, paint however you please:

(I like to use a mix of Americana Tangerine and Jack-o-lantern orange acrylic pain)

When your paint is dry, slightly dilute a small amount of black paint and lightly wipe on your jack-o-lantern (I suggest starting in the back so that you can make any learning mistakes there where it won't be as noticed) in small sections at a time. Then wipe the area down with a damp cloth until you get enough of the antique look that you like:

After spraying your pumpkin with a finish (like this. I like mine glossy because I think it looks nice) to keep it safe from the elements, drill two holes near the top on opposite edges for the wire. Then decide how long you want your wire chain (I buy my wire at Home Depot in a big roll for about $3) and cut a piece twice that length. Fold in half and twist all the way down.

To attach chain, (1) take sharp end and thread through one whole going from the inside out. (2) Pull chain through until the other end of the chain catches on the inside. (3) Continue to pull chain up and over until you thread it through the opposite hole going from the outside in:

Bend the sharp tip in towards itself so that it creates a loop and holds in place.

Tah-dah! All done! Now you are ready for your trick-or-treater to collect as much loot as they please on Halloween night! I hope this tutorial was helpful! Have a wonderful Halloween!

This post is linked up to: Craftoholics Anonymous, Tatertots and Jello, Naptime Crafters, Tip Junky, Sew can do, One Artsy Mama, Sew Much Ado, Southern Lovely, Eighteen25, The CSI Project, Under the Table and Dreaming

How to make Paper Clay

2011-10-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

I fell in love with sculpting with paper mache during my first project five years ago. However, I never really found a recipe that was worth the time and effort and mess that it took to get what I wanted. As a result, I used Celluclay for most projects. However, I recently stumbled upon an incredible blog called, Ultimate Paper Mache where Jonni (the artist and blogger) shares all sorts of tips, tutorials and recipes to help anyone on their way to successfully paper mache-ing. I am blown away by what Jonni can create, but I was especially grateful for the recipe she shared on how to make your own paper mache clay. Hot dog! It is easy as pie, quick, and works like charm!

For my purposes, I ended up altering the recipe just slightly so that I could get the thicker consistency that I like. Here's my version of the recipe but I strongly suggest popping over to Jonni's site where she posts all sorts of details that you might find handy):

Paper Clay:

2 Cups toilet paper

1 Cup regular joint compound (the premixed kind. Jonni recommends not using Dap brand since they changed their product and it doesn't work for the recipe anymore).

3/4 Cups paper mache paste or Elmers glue (much cheaper to use your own paste).

3/4 Cups flour

(The original recipe calls for Linseed Oil, but I didn't really find much difference, other than it was smelly and one more thing to keep out of reach of my boys.)

Start off by soaking your toilet paper in water:

When it is fully wet, remove cardboard center, squeeze out as much water as you can and break up into chunks.

Add all ingredients and mix on medium-high for 2-3 minutes and viola! You are ready to sculpt your heart out! Recipe yields 3 Cups of paper clay.

How to make Paper Mache Paste

2011-09-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

With Halloween right around the corner, I have paper mache projects coming out of my ears! There is something about this playful holiday that just brings out the folk-art in me. In the next so many weeks I will be sharing various tutorials but thought that I would share two different recipes that it takes to get started. Most of you have done some sort of paper mache during your time, but here is the paste recipe that I use to make basic forms:

Paste Recipe

2 Cups Cold Water

3/4 Cup flour

2 Tbsp. Sugar

Step 1: Boil 1 cup of water in sauce pan. While that is heating up, mix remaining cup of cold water with flour.

When water comes to a boil, pour in the flour mixture. Turn heat to medium-high and stir occasionally until it comes to a rolling boil. After boiling, mix constantly for 1-2 minutes, or until it thickens and turns a slightly translucent white.

Paste should be thick but still drip slowly from whisk (it will thicken more as it cools). Turn off heat and mix in the sugar. Let it stand until it cools enough to work with.

This paste can be used in many ways, but generally, it is used to make basic mache forms that can be either left alone or used as a base for other projects. Like you may remember from grade school, you take strips of newspaper, cover them with paste, and cover your form with several layers of paper mache fun. Hot dog!!!

Stay posted for another recipe before we get the Halloween projects started!!!!!
Linked to: Southern Lovely, Yesterday on Tuesday, Tatertots and Jello

Tea Staining Fabric {tutorial}

2011-09-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

Last month I was contacted by Courtney (from the blog, A Little Glass Box) who wanted to see if I could make her a clown costume with a very vintage feel. She had her heart set on striped and polka-dotted combination of black and an aged looking-white and was wondering if I could do some tea staining to get the look she was wanting. Even though I had not done any tea staining before, I was ready and excited for the challenge!

Here is what I learned about tea staining:

After I looked all over the web for tutorials, I found that nearly every one said different things about how to tea stain, however, they each made it clear that I needed to be careful in selecting what kind of tea I would use for my task. I had never thought about it before, but it made sense that since every type of tea has it's own hue, that they would all stain your fabric different colors. From all the research I did, it was clear that for the type of look I was wanting, I would need black tea since it finishes with a very antique-y look which would be perfect for the vintage feel of Courtney's costume.

Before I jumped it, I decided to test the process on a small piece of my black and white fabric. I strongly recommend this since. I did this by filling one small mason jar with hot water and adding two bags of tea. Thankfully, it worked just fine so I moved forward.

While I boiled my water on the stove, I took my fabric and soaked it in cold water, to help the stain be more uniform:

Once my water was boiling, I poured it into a medium-sized bucket that I placed in my sink. Since I had over a yard of fabric to stain, I wanted to make sure that I had plenty of room for my fabric to move while I stirred it around (so that it would have a uniform stain). I added more hot water from the tap till I filled the entire bucket. Then I started adding tea bags the mixture looked dark enough (I added about 12 bags of tea to my bucket of water. I read in here that it should be about one bag of tea per cup of water but I found that it didn't need to be that concentrated since the look I was going for was more of a softer creamy white).

Once I got the color I thought I wanted, I pulled the bags out of the water and threw my wet fabric in the mix, stirring constantly. Most of what I read said that I should let it stay in the tea bath for 30-40 mintues, but since I was going for such a light look, I thought that I should stay vigulant and continually check the color of the fabric. I am glad I did because it only took about 6 minutes before I liked what I saw. It should be noted that the color looks darker while it is wet.

My boys found this step very interesting:

After I got my color, I pulled the fabric out of the tea bath and rinsed it on cold with a little bit of dish soap. I then tossed it in the dryer and hoped for the best.

Hot dog! I got the exact color I was hoping for (I was trying to match a black and off white striped fabric that I was going to be using for the costume as well so the stakes were high) and I was filled with relief! Luckily, Courtney liked how the tea staining worked out as well and now her adorable little boy is all set for Halloween.

Courtney sent me this picture of her little man. What a cutie-patootie! By the way, you should check out Courtney's blog, Little Glass Box. She has so many cute ideas over there. I can't wait to try out this one.

Thank you Courtney for taking a leap of faith with me and good luck everyone on any future tea staining projects. I hope this helped!

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Linked up to:

Katie's Nesting Spot, House of Hepworths, Southern Lovely, Nap Time Crafters, 733, Tatertots and Jello, Under the Table and Dreaming, Craftaholics Anonymous, Tip Junky, Sugar Bee Crafts

Peacock Costume

2011-07-31T21:38:00.000-07:00

Here is another costume that my sister-in-law and I dreamed up. Sadly, her daughter was not in the mood to try it on. What? Who isn't in the mood for Halloween in July?!!! :) Oh well, when she does where it, I'll be tickled pink. Let's just hope it fits!

Caterpillar costume

2011-07-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

Caterpillar

My husband's family came to stay this last week and we had a wonderful time. Not only did we have fun laughing and playing, but I also got sit down with my sister-in-law and sew. She is also a big lover of Halloween and so for the third year in the row we sat down and made costumes together. Yes, I know it is July, but I start my Halloween prep quite early in this house. :) His sister, Audrey, is due to have a baby boy this September (on my birthday!!!!) and so we got to create a costume that would keep him warm and swaddled as a month old babe.

Audrey thought that a caterpillar costume would be fun and we both thought a version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar would be adorable. By using a 0-3 month old pajama outfit and some bright colored flannel, our little costume came to life. I love designing costumes and I can't wait to see our little nephew in it!

http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/, Craftaholics Anonymous

Recovering our jogging stroller

2011-07-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

Our poor double jogging stroller had been slowly going the way of all the earth until I finally couldn't stand it any more. It had been given to us used but since we use it so much, it was starting to fall apart. The frame was in perfect condition and since we aren't ready to pay for our dream B.O.B stroller quite yet, I thought it would be a cinch to upgrade it myself. Boy was I wrong. I loathed this project from start to finish. However, if I am going to be completely honest, it was mostly because it was standing in the way of other more fun projects that I was wanting to get started on.

Before:

First off, I took the fabric seats off of the frame. This just took a screwdriver to do and was off in no time. Then I sweet-talked my honeybun into taking off all of the straps (I'm cheap and didn't want to buy new ones since they were still great). What a man!

I then laid the seats out on the indoor/outdoor fabric that I bought (for over 50% off at Joann's) and started cutting my fabric in the same shapes but giving myself a little extra for seam allowance.

Once that was all done, I used the old cover as a guide to show me where to sew and where to place all of the straps. Good times.... This is where I wanted to jump ship. It wasn't hard, really. Just time consuming.....

...especially with my helpers at my side. :)

Wow, I sure look fancy when I work!

But in the end, it worked and we are back in action again! Hot dog!

My men, trying the recovered stroller on for size.

Now that I have done it, here are some suggestions that might help any other daring soul get through their stroller revamping a little more easily:

Using patterned fabric means that you will have to buy twice as much and takes twice as much work. Duh. How long have I been sewing for? I don't know why that didn't cross my mind when I bought the fabric. I was just thinking of how cute and unique our stroller would be with a print. Next time I would do a solid color because the pattern was only printed on one side.
Take apart the ENTIRE thing. Don't just eyeball the pattern of the seats, etc. in hopes of getting your end result to look the same. Even though I basically pulled it off, I wish I did't get lazy at this step because it would have been more exact.
Make sure you take plenty of pictures of your stroller before you take it off of the frame and before you take it apart. This way you won't have to guess how to put things back in place later.....I still have several screws that I have no idea what to do with.
The heavy duty rope/bias tape/whatever it is called (I found it in the ribbon section of Joann's) that you use on the edges is your best friend. Use it on every seam possible the first time round. I thought that certain areas wouldn't need it so I either had to sew them twice or take them apart and start again. It is especially handy if you choose to go with a pattern like I did and have to use two pieces of fabric. With the binding, you don't have to sew it and then turn it right-side-out. Just face the fabric the way you want it to be in the end and sew the binding around the edges. Much faster.

Anyway, good luck if you ever decide to go this route! In the end I am glad I did it, but during the project I was reminded why some people don't like sewing.

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

I am loving this important holiday more and more every year and this 4th of July weekend was no exception! Unfortunately, with our recent move and settling in, I never decorated for the big day! Thankfully I had this little figurine that I made years ago to display so that my boys knew that we are patriotic. I made this figurine out of paper mache, wire, and acrylic paint in honor of all of the adorable little scouts out there, including my own dad and brothers. However, now that my little men our getting closer to becoming scouts themselves, the figurine means even more to me.

Superheroes made from men's t-shirts

2011-06-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

My oldest little man has taken to all things superhero as of late, but his favorite of all is Batman. For a while now he has been asking me to make him a Batman costume so that he can show the world just how amazing he really is. At first I thought I would pick up some knit fabric at Joanns, but when I realized that even with the fabric 50% off, the costume would still be about $15-$20 dollars to make. Add that to the fact that they didn't even really have the right color of blue that I was looking for, I decided to take my money elsewhere.

I decided on visiting our local thrift store and came away with a handful of mens extra large t-shirts in hopes of being able to refashion them into the dream outfit for our big boy. Thankfully, it worked as planned and we now have a Batman zooming around the house as happy as a clam! He really thinks that with his mask in place, nobody can tell who he is and is sure that he has all of the abilities as the real Batman. In fact, yesterday I watched him try to fly off the couch. Yowsers.

Since we have another little fella who wants to be JUST like his older brother, I decided on making a second costume for our little sidekick. My heart melts every time I see Robin zipping around in his little yellow cape!

Our little Robin isn't so fond of the camera.

These little costumes are so easy to make and are so affordable! Each costume took three X-Large shirts that I found at the thrift store for $1 each, making them only $3 dollars total. Each costume only took me about an hour to make so our superheros were ready to play in no time!

Here is a really lame tutorial on what I did:

Buy X-large mens t-shirts in your needed colors.

Take clothes (in my case, I used pajamas) that they currently wear and turn inside out and place on shirts. When possible, take advantage of the finished edges already there on the shirt. Besides that, I decided to take advantage of the knit material and left the cape edges raw since they weren't going to fray. Cut each piece out and sew together. For the details I cut out shapes and zigzag stitched them in place on the costume.

For a more finished look, I used the collar from the shirts by cutting them out and sewing them to the neckline of the new superhero shirts.

Before you know it, you have the cutest crime-fighters in town!

Having boys is so much fun.

Our Easter

2011-04-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

My three little men, Easter 2011

This Easter was a happy one full of family and fun. My little men were thrilled to see that the Easter Bunny came and I was pleased as punch to see them successfully wear what I made them. Some would say it is child abuse to make your boys wear bow ties AND carrots, but I thought they were darling. It was well worth the effort!

The carrots were inspired by the CUTEST picture I saw on the blog, Aesthetic Outburst. Since I was too late to enter the giveaway, I had to make my boys a version of my own. I wanted them to sorta match their bowties, so I made them with the correlating patterned fabric scraps. I think I like her basic felt version better, but I was still smitten. I will miss having young sons who are willing to put up with so much.

This picture was taken after church in his disheveled state. Getting a 19-month-old to hold still is so tricky.

I made bowties for my older sons with the leftover fabric from the shortalls I made my youngest. My version might take a smidge bit longer to make than the standard bowtie, but I think the finished result is worth it.

I made some last minute basket-stuffers for my youngest two sons. I am sure enjoying learning how to crochet!

I made this little fella in less than an hour. He was darling. I wish I had larger eyes, but besides that, I am a fan of how it turned out. I made it from this free pattern that I was directed to on the blog, Maybe Matilda (she is amazing and you better believe I am going to try to make her bomber hat).

I made this little friend from a free pattern from Lions Brand. It was simple and fun and I have no doubt that someday my son will like it (it is hard to compete with candy). I never got around to buying baskets so my sister made some out of paper bags and spray painted them blue. They were perfect. Too bad I don't really have a picture of them.

More Bunny Ears

2011-04-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

Back in March I stumbled upon the cutest bunny hat that I had ever seen! I found it in the etsy shop, Inner Hooker. I had only attempted crocheting once before (I tried to make a beanie nine years ago for my sister but it ended up looking more like some sort of Sherlock Holmes hat) but since the pattern was only $3.99, I couldn't resist!

The image that stole my heart from Inner Hooker

The pattern was fairly easy, even for a beginner like me. Since I didn't have anyone around to show me how to actually crochet, I turned to Youtube.com and watched all sorts of tutorials whenever I came across a new stitch that I didn't understand (which was every one besides the beginning chain). What a fun way to learn! Much more rewarding that learning on a scarf or Sherlock Homles hat/beanie.

Either my little man's head is on the small side or my skills aren't quite amazing yet because because this hat ended up being a little loose and therefore didn't stand up the way the one in the picture did. I am sure this was my fault since I really had no idea what I was doing. Also, I ended up using two different types of yarn that claimed to be the same weight but weren't. This made the inside of my ears larger than they were supposed to and so I just added more rounds of brown to the outer ear so that I wouldn't have to re-do them. All in all, I was pleased as punch and I am so glad that we are having an unusually cool Spring so that my little man can sport it for longer.

Now I just have to finish three more Easter projects before the big holiday and I am set! Hot dog!

Homemade Bunny Ears for Easter {tutorial}

2011-04-18T07:03:00.000-07:00

Easter is nearly here and I can't wait! We recently pulled out our Easter box and I found a pile of broken cheapo dollar store bunny ears from years past. As colorful as the pile was, I decided that it just would not do for my little men this year. Instead, I decided to make my own so that they could hunt for eggs in style. The project is so easy and very inexpensive. Here is what you'll need:

-Felt (I made eight with a yard and a half with plenty fabric to spare).

-Wire (Mine is 18 gage from Lowes).

-Fabric (Just big enough to cut two bunny ear inserts).

-Headband (The Dollar Tree has them for two for a dollar)

-Hot glue gun

First, cut four large bunny ear shapes out of your felt. I like my ears large and in charge, so I made mine 10 inches long (remember, you will be sewing them so add an extra little bit for seam allowance when cutting).

Cut two center ear pieces out of your chosen fabric (not pictured). I suggest cutting it about an inch narrower than the felt shapes. Next fold sides and iron.

Pin one piece of fabric to the center of one piece of felt. Sew along edges to hold in place.

Once that is done, place your already sewn piece onto another felt cutout with the right side of your already sewn fabric facing in. Sew along the edges of entire ear. Repeat above steps on second ear.

Once done, your ears will look like this.

Turn ears right side out. Cut two pieces of wire long enough to encircle the full length and width of each ear (my ears were about 10 inches long and so I cut my wire about 23 inches). You want to make sure that you have enough wire so that about two inches stick out at the end). Take your hot glue gun and tack your wire in place. Then add a little bit of glue to the base of the front of each ear to hold ear closed and add a little shape.

Glue your ears to your selected spot on your headband. Once secure, wrap wire to hold them in place. Add more glue to make sure it doesn't wiggle.

Cut strips of felt about an inch in width and as long as your felt allows. Glue at an angle to an end of your headband. Wrap over the entire headband and double wrap where needed to cover wire and base of ears. Glue hear and there while you go to hold your felt in place.

All done! Now you are ready to go! Depending on how you like your ears worn, you can bend them any which way you please!

I hope this helped and that you have a wonderful Easter!

Princess Leia onsie

2011-04-16T19:02:00.000-07:00

I just had a new niece born into our family and we are thrilled! I got to meet her for the first time this last weekend and she was adorable. To celebrate, I made her a little onsie in honor of her Star Wars-loving father. It's fun to make something for a girl every now and then.

Easter Shortalls (Von Trapp Style)

2011-04-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

Now that I am posting pictures, I realize that one of the legs is caught up in all of the photos. I promise they are actually the same length.

Two years ago I made a clown costume out of this adorable Hushabye fabric by Moda. With the leftover fabric, I decided that I would put it with the rest of my fabric to someday use to make dresses for a future daughter. I just had my third boy and the doctor told me that we are done having babies. After coming to terms with this news, I decided that I would no longer wait to sew things for a little girl but start making cute clothes for my three adorable sons. I decided to start with an Easter outfit for my new little three-month-old. I used one of his rompers as a general guide when making this pattern. Yes, the fabric is a little girly, but he is so young. Besides, they used to dress baby boys in pink and dresses and this short-all gettup is WAY manlier than that, don't cha think?! Once it was complete, my husband pointed out to me that it looked like one of the outfits that Maria in Sound of Music made for the Von Trapp children out of her curtains. Oops! All the same, I think he looks charming.

I made matching shoes, but I think they really do push it a little too far into the girly realm.

I made this little number from scratch. I'll post the tutorial soon. I just wanted to make sure I posted this in time to share at a few places. Thanks!

Sockhorses

2011-03-31T13:05:00.000-07:00

I recently made sockhorses for my little men. My mother made me one when I was small and so I thought I would recreate the fun with a pair of my own. All it took were three large white socks (one for the ears and nostrils) yarn for the hair, and stuffing. For the halter I used ribbon and then I used scraps of fabric for the necktie. My boys were pleased as punch to saddle up on their new friends.

Outfits for Ian

2011-03-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

We were recently joined by a new nephew in the family. To celebrate, I made some little onsies. His family is way into Star Wars and VERY interested in Legos. As a tribute to his family, I made these onsies with some freezer paper and a little fabric paint.

Since I love the layered look, I added some sleeves to keep his little newborn body warm.

I hope he likes them!

Just for fun I linked these bad-boys over here.

Super Hero wear

2011-03-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

This week ended the month of Celebrate the Boy over at Made. All month long I have been dying to join in the fun and whip up some fun little clothing number for my boys. Sadly, my sewing machine AND serger spent the whole time in the shop. Bummer timing, if you ask me. However, while the days ticked by, my list of things to make when my machines were fixed kept growing. At one point I got so exited at the thought of them all that I blurted out, "I'm going to make something really special for you, Mason!" To which, he replied happily, "Arm things for my super duper (He calls superhero's super duper's)cape?" Where in the world did he come up with that idea? It occurred to me that I could fill his request without having to use a machine with some of the felt I had on hand already.

Mason honestly beleives that when he is wearing his mask, nobody can tell who he is.

My mom said that his cuffs reminded her of Superwoman. Woops. Don't tell Mason. He was already a little let down that I forgot to sew on a bunch of useful buttons.

This is what Mason looks like when he is winding up to run at superduper speeds.

I would say that it was well worth the time. Hooray for boys!

Homemade Suspenders

2011-03-10T11:24:00.000-08:00

When I was a teenager, I fell in love with the movie, A River Runs Through It. Brad Pitt starred in the movie and of course that was my main reason for loving the flick. However, I also was smitten by the suspenders that all the men wore in the show. Why don't men wear suspenders these days? I still love them! This Valentines day, I wanted my men to look especially dapper. So on top of the Valentines bowties, I also made them a pair of Valentine Suspenders. Easy as pie and so adorable!

Since I couldn't find any red elastic, I used Dana's tutorial and a little Rit dye to make my red dreams come true. Also, instead of paying an arm and a leg for the suspender clips, I found some of these wowy cheap-o suspenders in the dollar section of Target and used the clips. I'll use the colorful elastic later.

Boy was he a cutie! Too bad he wasn't as in love with them as I was. Maybe I'll have to show him the movie.

My spooky skeletons

2011-03-05T17:11:00.000-08:00

Mason, working on some spooky Martha Stewart cupcakes. What fun!
My three-year-old really got into Halloween this year. He loved skeletons and insisted that everything be spooky in honor of the big night. Because I figured he would get a kick out of it (and because I love little babies and kids in snug-fitting pajamas), I made my boys skeleton pajamas to celebrate! It was well worth the effort and Mason hasn't stopped wearing his since!

I made them out of black knit fabric and just turned the pajamas they already owned inside out to get the pattern. I then used fabric paint and painted the bones on by hand. I would have used freezer paper as a stencil, but the store I went to was out and I wasn't patient enough to wait. I'll make them again this year for all three boys and do it the proper way.

The picture below was the only picture I got of the full outfit. Not the best, but it will have to do.

Dinosaur Costume

2011-03-05T16:12:00.000-08:00

Mason, being a sport and modeling his dinosaur costume....in January.

I love having my boys dress up in classic themed costumes. Since Mason had already been a pumpkin and a clown, I decided this year to have him trick-or-treat as a dinosaur. My mom had a little dinosaur/dragon costume for my younger siblings with the cutest simplest little hoodie that inspired this little number. Even though he was going for scary, I wanted him to still look cute, so I stuffed him full of stuffing so that he would be plump and round. In hind-sight, I guess I made him a little too round. In person, it was adorable, but in every picture his costumes comes across a little too much like a Teletubby for my liking. Oops.

I made the costume in two parts. Leggings and a dinosaur top. Both were made out of anti pill fleece to keep him warm on Halloween night. Thank goodness I did since it rained all night long! The fleece kept him warm and dry. We were both pleased as punch!

I made the spikes out of flannel and used interfacing to keep them stiff.

Mason still wears this costume around the house and during his play. I even found him using it as a pillow in his bed last night. I guess he was okay with the overstuffed tummy.

Lion costume

2011-03-05T15:45:00.000-08:00

I have always thought that having a little lion for Halloween would be a dream come true. When I had Charlie, I knew that it would be his fate (my poor children....I'm not joking, I plan WAY ahead for Halloween). I wanted a costume that had a mane that would hold it's shape while it encircled his little head. I also got such a kick using cool Halloween prints in my '09 costumes, that I knew that I wanted a tummy with some sort of muted Halloween print to pull the whole thing together. Thankfully, my favorite fabric store still had a bolt from the year before that was exactly what I was looking for. Last but not least, I wanted the costume to be warm enough to wear on it's own, no matter how bad the weather. With this in mind, I decided to make his costume out of anti pill fleece. When it finally came down to the big day, my little man was nice enough to go along with the costume that I had been dreaming up for way too long. A very brave little lion indeed!

I love having an amazing photographer as a sister! Not even remotely overrated!
Linked up to: Eighteen25

I think I'll finally start posting again....

2011-03-05T15:44:00.000-08:00

After more than a year of not posting on this blog, I think I'll get my little hiney moving again. Please forgive all of the old projects that I'll be posting over the next little while before I move on to new ones. I promise, they'll eventually come.

Halloween 2009

2011-03-04T11:36:00.000-08:00

Our family on Halloween night (sans Poppy, who had to work. Boo).

Halloween is one of my very favorite holidays, especially now that I have little men to dress up every year! It is so much fun to see them parade around in something that I made! This year I had such a fun time finding vintage themed Halloween prints. I could spend all day in a quality fabric shop! Luckily, I have a photographer as a sister who kindly documents our big nights for us. I am the luckiest of all!

Since Charlie was just a month old and so small, I knew that whatever he was, he would need to be cozy and warm. I decided on making him a little candy corn bunting to keep him safe from the elements while we hunted for loot. I made his costume even before he was born and thankfully it fit just right!

I made vintage inspired jack-o-lanterns for my little trick-or-treaters out of paper mache, acrylic paint, wire and a balloon. Since Charlie was still a newborn, I figured he wouldn't be collecting so much loot and decided that he could use a smaller-sized bucket for the big night.

Mason wore his little clown outfit. I was thrilled that he actually cooperated! Up until the big day, he would have nothing to do with his costume. Thankfully, once I explained that he could get candy from people if he wore his outfit trick-or-treating, he was very agreeable. Hot dog!

Cousin Sydney wore Mason's pumpkin costume from the year before and was a champ! She walked over a mile getting her candy and didn't complain once! Her frequent candy breaks helped fuel her on.

All in all, the night was a hit. Best of all, we got to celebrate with family.

Feedback would be appreciated

2010-02-04T10:54:00.000-08:00

I have now started painting my little clown but I am afraid that it is coming across more creepy than cute. I have since painted the base and added rick-rack to his hat and ruffles but I still need to add the detailed print to his suit. Also, after painting it, his little jack-o-lantern will be held in his hand. Any ideas? Should I mute it with a stain?

Newest project

2010-01-30T17:21:00.000-08:00

I know that it is only January, but I couldn't help myself from starting a figurine of my little Halloween clown, Mason. I plan on painting it this coming week. I am pretty thrilled. This figurine is about twice the size that I normally do and has a lot more detail. Wish me luck!

Sophie the Clown

2009-08-14T14:22:00.000-07:00

Audrey sewing her masterpiece

This past week James' family came to visit from Utah. The whole trip was wonderful but the highlight for me was that Audrey and I got to make little Clown costumes for our kid's. Hot dog!!! I am constantly trying to lure people into crafting with me but I seldom get any takers. I had a ball sewing with her and I think our costumes turned out so well!

To top it off, my sister Aria was nice enough to drop by and take some cute photos of little Sophie in her "bunny-clown" costume (she said she wanted to be a bunny and so her mom pleased them both by giving her clown outfit a combo name. Very brainy). What is more wonderful than a photo shoot of your child in a homemade Halloween costume?!! Thanks Aria!!! Now if only Mason would get over his grumpy mood and ware his costume I could show you how cute he is going to be on All Hallows Eve.

Check out my sister's website and blog here. She is incredibly talented and I feel like the luckiest of all to have her as my sister. And not just because of her photography.

What I am working on...

2009-08-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

I know it is barely August, but Halloween projects galore are going on in my craft room. Our baby will be due at the beginning-middle of October so I feel like my window of opportunity is now or never for this years ideas. Boy am I having fun! There are plenty of other things that I would like to get done, but here is the Halloween craft to-do list that I am starting with:

Finish Halloween picture frame
Finish large bouquet of black paper roses and make vase
Halloween apron for me
Halloween costumes for my little ones
A friendly witch doll (I'm on the hunt for a good doll wig)
Finish taking down ugly wall paper and paint craft room....for the new baby

Needless to say, I am in hog heaven!!!!

Pinata Making

2009-07-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

This July has been a busy month of Pinata making. Custom pinatas were made for weddings and birthday parties. Hopefully the recipients had as much fun breaking them as I did making them.

Reviving Ginger

2009-06-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

Before: Ginger in pieces

I got to serve as a missionary in West Virginia for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for a year and a half in 2002-2003. While I was there, I fell in love with the quirky little cement goose porch decorations that the locals put so much time and money into. They stood about three feet in height and had many different outfits that would be changed for the season. I got a kick out of them. When my time as a missionary was nearly over, one of my closest West Virginian friends gave me a little mini-cement goose to remember them by. I named her Ginger and have dragged her to every place I have lived since then.

Unfortunately, I am not the only one who loves Ginger. Mason gave her so much love and affection that she broke into pieces last Summer. I thought she was history but my good husband suggested I save her pieces to see if I could fix her one day. Well, nearly a year later, that day has come! I decided that the holidays were too lonely without her on our porch to celebrate. With some gorilla glue, paper mache mulch (more reason for me to love this stuff) and a little paint, she was back and better than ever! Hot dog!!!

After the Gorilla glue

After sanding down the excess glue, I used the paper mache to fill in the cracks and build in places that were totally destroyed. The beak, for example, had a huge piece missing at the front.

Here she is in all of her glory! Sanded down, painted and sprayed with a finish to protect her better in the future.

I was thrilled to see how easy it was to mend an otherwise lost statue. Paper mache truly is a wonderful, wonderful thing!

Easter Projects

2009-04-13T13:07:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to post some of the most recent Easter projects that I have been working on. Sadly, my camera was lost until this morning. I hope that you enjoy the pictures. Most of all, I hope you enjoyed the Easter holiday and the welcoming of Spring.

Peter Cottontail Rabbit. He stands about 18 inches tall and made a great dancing partner for my little toddler this Easter.

This bunny is about 9 inches tall and 13 inches long. He hangs about with Peter.

This little carrot top stands at about 7 inches in height.

This is a smaller and more cartoony version of Peter Cottontail. He stands at about 9 inches tall.

Valentine Aprons

2009-02-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

While I should have been working on these...

I was playing around with this adorable fabric. Can you blame me?!!

Chef Mason even put up with the gettup for a while tis morning. As he is my manly little chap, I made him a half-waisted man apron to go with his hat. I can't wait till we can make Valentine cookies together now!

Valentine's day, here we come! My matching apron turned out a little more feminine with ruffles galore! I'll post real pictures of the finished project later. Let's just say it was fun, fun, FUN!

February is here!!!!

2009-02-06T19:13:00.000-08:00

To prepare for this romantic month, I spent a great deal of my time sitting with various colored sheets of tissue paper. I made nearly ten dozen of these little babies to decorate our home. I sure got a kick out of making them. My honeybun usually lets me know he loves me in other ways besides flowers, so I thought I would make some for myself. The best part is that they last as long as you wish. I got the instructions from this site and it really is simple. Enjoy the romance of it all!

Queen of hearts

2009-01-16T19:46:00.000-08:00

I wanted to make a little valentines day queen to celebrate the season. she was a lot of fun to make. I have decided to donate her to the Nie silent auction, even though we haven't had that long to get to know each other. I hope the valentines season is fun for you as well.

Getting Closer

2008-12-15T17:29:00.000-08:00

my newest project...

2008-12-04T15:09:00.000-08:00

My nativity scene

Look-a-likes

2008-12-04T13:35:00.000-08:00

My new favorite thing to do is make a figurine with a certain person in mind. This proved to be especially fun this Halloween. If anyone has a fun idea or a cute little little one they want to celebrate, just let me know!

Thanksgiving Turkey

2008-11-27T15:13:00.000-08:00

I made this little guy the old fashioned way with a balloon, newspaper, and paste. I had a ball trying out new things!

2008-10-31T12:48:00.000-07:00

My new blog...

2008-10-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

I decided to start a new blog for my paper mache fun and crafts. Since I spend nearly all my time either doing or thinking about paper mache, I thought I should blog about it. As not everyone would be interested in the different projects I'm working on, I am devoting a new blog to it! Here I can blab on and on about my little friends as much as my little heart desires and not cramp any one's style. I am always up for new ideas and feedback, so please feel free to let me know what you think. I also have an etsy account if you want to check it out. Enjoy!