Still Busy...but it's not all CHRISTMAS!

So when I was done with ART Symposium at the Girls' school, I thought for sure I would be starting on my Christmas crafting....oh how I was wrong!!  You may try to leave...but they will PULL you back in!!  Kathy and I received a distress call from another mom who was in charge of the Library Book Sale decorating...yep we answered it!!  I guess when you do something crafty and put it on display, you should expect to be asked to do MORE!!  So I showed up to a "paint party" at the mom's house thinking I would be putting a day into creating a panel for the hallway leading to the school Library...NO ONE was there...except for the mom in charge...and she was sick!!  So I left her house with THREE panels to decorate!!  The only "instruction" I was given was that the theme was "Wild about Books"!  

Here is the first one:

I wanted it to be "girly" so I could put some Girl Book titles on it!  I had the hippo from Fantasia in my head and just went from there.  The panel is actually a giant foam board covered in bulletin board paper.  I then used wood paneled Contact paper to make the "tree", and some more paper for the leaves.  The hippo is tempera painted on with a tulle tutu glued to the panel.  The giraffe is paper pieced then painted on.  I used hot glue for the ribbon, but Craft Bond glue stick for the paper piecing.  The cheetah is my favorite!!  She was roughly drawn on the paper, then I pieced craft FELT to fill her in!!  I used the Craft Bond EXTREME glue stick...that stuff WORKS!!  I had so much fun doing these panels...but it did take away from my Christmas crafting...oh well...

Here is the second panel I did... 

I wanted to do a "Night-themed" one because of the book Stellaluna!!  I had a whole bunch of craft paper scraps after I cut 22 "V" vests for The Middle Child's Thanksgiving Feast...and I HATE to waste!!  So I used the rolled paper to make the trees!!  Once again, I used the Craft Bond EXTREME glue stick to adhere them to the panel.  Then threw some tempera paint to add "texture"...Kathy must be rubbing off on me :)  I didn't have a lot of time to work on this panel, so I printed outlines of the animals then cut and glued them to the panel.  After, I went over them with tempera paint...worked out much better than me trying to draw or trace all of the animals!!   Thankfully, Kathy saved me from the third panel...she took it and did a Rainbow Fish underwater theme...sorry, no picture!!  So once that was done, I was free to work on other things...but first, I wanted to show you my really QUICK Thanksgiving wreath I did for my momma...

It was my Halloween wreath that I did with the orange drywall tape.  Same scrappy burlap flowers...I just added some thick felt leaves, a different ribbon, and a scrappy "Give Thanks"!!

So I've been knitting....a little...

This was a really quick hat I did for my SIL's new baby niece!!  Her momma sent me a couple of picture texts of hats asking if I could make one...for that sweet babe...OF COURSE!

Her big brother had a birthday in November...this is what he requested...

Spiderman is his favorite super hero...so why shouldn't he have a cape?? HA!  I made it reversible...just in case he realized that Spidey is NOT a cape-wearer!!

 Ms. Priss had a couple of birthday parties to attend this month also...

Pillows are my "go to" gifts these days!!  And headbands...

These are for the second birthday girl...

 YAY!!  A little Christmas crafting!! :)  The last two headbands were actually for Ms. Priss' BFF...she got a bag full of goodies and an I.O.U. from me!!  I promised to make her a pair of jammies, but realized too late that I didn't have enough fabric...GAH!!  So she is owed a trip to the fabric store to pick out her own PJ fabric! :)

I mentioned a couple of post ago about making ornaments with my GS Daisy troop for a swap...well here they are!!

They all did such a good job!!  I brought them white air-dry clay and cookie cutters; floral wire, jingle bells, and some ribbon; and some pre-cut felt circles with the GS logo already stitched on!!  They all picked which type of ornament they wanted to make and went to town!!  I brought them home...under LOTS of protest to let the clay dry and add the hanging ribbons.  The air-dry clay took a LONG time to dry...like a WEEK long of constantly turning to make sure they dryed evenly.  Maybe it is the humidity in LA that makes them take sooo long.  I want to do some with my kiddos...can I put air-dry clay in the oven??

Any way, the swap was cancelled...bummer!!  BUT the girls were sooooo happy to get to keep the ornaments they made, so all ended well!! :)  This month we did some winter-themed tee shirts...

I was just going to paint the mitten on the shirt, but ended up not getting all of the tee shirts in time!!  So I cut the mittens from felt and the cuffs from various fleece and felt scraps.  Then decided to go ahead and monogram all of the girls' names on the cuffs...for FUN! :)  I used a machine blanket stitch to sew them to the shirts...it just looked RIGHT!!

Then  brought them all to the meeting so the girls could put their handprint on them....too cute!!

As you can see...some of the girls still forgot their shirts...and one little girl tells me, "my momma doesn't want me to get paint on my hands..."  WHA-???  So I improvised by putting her hand on the mitten and painting AROUND it...think they can THWART me, huh??  HA!

So wrapping up this super-long post....The Middle Child's teacher has left to have her third sweet baby...which means aLOT of work during pre-Christmas week for this ROOM MOM!!  Anyway, before she left to have her baby BOY...after having two girls, she asked if I could re-fashion her baby swing cover to make it more "BOY-ish".  She sent me the cover and a thrifted bed ruffle...this is how it turned out.. 

Not too bad...but my machine did NOT like all of those LAYERS!!  I finished it and got it back to her a whole day before she left for maternity leave...yay!!

SO this is SMS GIVEAWAY WEEK!!!  Are you participating??  I'll be visiting...so should everyone else!!  Head over to Sew Mama Sew! for the list of link ups!!!   Until later...

Orders Filled!!

While my giveaway was going on...I was busy finishing up some orders.  And since then, I've managed to pick up a few more!  WHEW!!  I am so grateful for the extra income, but it sure makes me SUPER BUSY!!  This week has been one of the busiest by far!  And that is with NO SEWING projects involved!  Between TWO field trips, one Dr. appointment, preparing and having my first GS Daisy meeting, and preparing for my month to do a craft with my daughter's GS Junior Troop...I have been on-the-go EVERY day!!  So today I have vowed to stay home in my PJs ALL DAY!!!  Not that I am not still busy...finishing up the Junior Troop's craft preparations, a birthday hat order, a banner for my Kindergarten teacher's upcoming Nursery Rhyme day, some Nursery Rhyme character cut outs for my Symposium Tent...that my Kindergarten teacher will also use for props, and LAUNDRY!!  Lots and LOTS of LAUNDRY...GAH!!  I feel a few more gray hairs growing in as.I.type!!

Anyway, enough with all my yanh-yanhing!!  On with the orders I've manage to complete...

One of my Big Boy's best friends became a proud Poppa at the end of last month, and my son was named "Godfather".  He placed this order at the last minute...what? OF COURSE I made him pay me!!  My time is money...even for my children...HA!  But believe me, he got a HUGE discount! ;)

This is a 30" x 30" palette "quilt" with no batting, but a fleece backing.  The baby's name and birth date were quickly machine embroidered...when I got the information!  I really like how the paw prints from the fleece show through to the front!

I added a little initial applique burp cloth...for no charge!  The daddy was sooo excited about his new little baby's gift, that he called to thank me.  He told me he had never had anything personalized before and how much it meant to have his son's birth date on this keepsake.  So sweet, that boy!!  He will be a great dad!

Next up, my neighbor's friend was visiting when I was showing off the Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend pillow.  Her family is adopting a 2 yo girl and she was busy decorating her bedroom, but couldn't find pillows to match the bedding set she picked out.  She asked if I would make some...of course I would!!  She ran to the fabric store and came back with some satin and trim...

 The chocolate tulle was my contribution.

I know these pictures are horrible...I couldn't get the colors right!!  These are pillow covers with envelope closures that fit an 18" x 18" pillow.  I think they are sooooo fancy!!  Satin is such a tricky fabric...I've got to get better at sewing with it!!  Any suggestions?  Because my next order had a few oops moments...

This  little Flapper style dress is for one of Ms. Priss' friends.  She is in a Theater group, and a had mini production to put on.  I used a pre-made Halloween costume I picked up last year on clearance as a template, but raised the waist to make it shorter.  I want to do that to the costume also...if Ms. Priss would let me!!  It just looks cuter!  Anyway, I stitched and serged the side seams of this satin dress, but the seams pulled in some places and I had to do an emergency "fixya" a day before her show.  Is there something I missed with the seam?  Some special stitch?  You know I'd rather have someone tell me...then to look it up in one of my MANY sewing books...or the internet!!  Lazy, huh? :)  I had fun sewing on the fringe, believe it or not!!  AND I was so impressed with myself for actually getting them STRAIGHT!! HA!  The headband is some 1" sequined trim sewn on black 1" elastic.  I LOVE how the feather came out.  My friend Kathy spent about 20 minutes "curling" it so it would curve just above her head...like a hat!!  So cool!!  For those of you like me who might not know this...you "curl" a feather just like you "curl" a ribbon.  By gently using scissors and scraping down the quill, the feather will miraculously begin to curl!!  But you have to be EXTREMELY gentle, or else risk hacking the feather right off...that's why it took her 20 minutes!!

My last order was placed almost 2 months ago!!!  Gotta love customers who TRULY understand how CRAZY your life really is...thanks Jackie!!  She is one of my family's oldest friends and soooo supportive of me!!  Every time she sees me or calls me, she lifts me UP with her "Girl, you can do ANYthing!!" attitude!!  LOVE her!  So, when I made the ruffled aprons for her daughters, she immediately placed an order for one to give as a birthday gift.

She wanted a strawberry one similar to the one I made for her daughter, but I thought I would change it up a little.  I LOVE these colors!!

This is the fourth ruffled apron I've made, and yet again...used a different method.  I am trying to find one that works best, and has the most "completed" look on the reverse side.  This one by far is the best.  Maybe I'll take photos of the next one I make and attempt a little tutorial??  We'll see.  Well, I have to get to my LIST of things to do...until later...

LSU Crib Set Order

Well, I think I am happy with how the ol' blog is looking...so it is no longer under construction. :D

So here is the order I got from someone who lives in Baton Rouge!! She and her husband drove all the way here to Lafayette to pick it up...so sweet!! They saved me from the Post Office...YAY!!!



This was my first attempt at a crib bumper, and it was somewhat challenging! But in the end, I was pretty happy with it...and so was the expecting Momma! I used foam padding instead of batting to make sure it was good and firm. I used the tutorial, so generously offered at Craft Hours, but obviously not patchwork...it was work enough with just a solid piece of fabric, whew!! And thankfully, this is what my customer preferred. Anyway, I was able to get through it and think the next time will be easier. Isn't that always the way?


The quilt is just 6" squares sewn up with my signature wonkiness *ahem*, with some machine embroidery sprinkled around on the solid pieces. The paw print squares are fleece, and the backing is a solid flannel. It ended up measuring approximately 40" x 60", which is the perfect fit for when the crib gets converted to the toddler-sized daybed.


And there you have it, enough cuteness to turn any baby into an instant FAN!!! Geaux Tigers!!

I am very humbled when someone happens upon my blog and likes what they see enough to place an order with me! Thank you so much Dawn for being patient with my 50 questions and also for the time line you gave me to complete it! :) As most of my sewing friends know, starting and completing projects with small children is a task within itself. Add in the fabric and materials collecting and the process and labor itself...whew, miracles are happening!! ;) It makes me really appreciate the patience I receive from customers AND my family!

Anyway...if someone else is "happening" on my blog someday and is interested in placing an order, this crib set with LSU team fabric and specialized monogramming is priced at $200. It comes with bumper, skirt, and an approximate 40" x 60" quilt. Fabrics will vary with availability, but we can talk about that later....hence the previously quoted "patient with my 50 questions"!! :D

Hope you all have a safe and fun-filled Labor Day weekend, I am off to the beach!! Until later...

Orders and Gifts

Hi there!! Sorry it's been so long!! I've been busy getting things ready for our Disney World trip, working on Valentine's decorations, filling a few orders, and making gifts!! I was also asked by my sweet Bloggy friend Tammie to do a guest post on her blog, craftytammie!! She is having a LOVEfest of sorts. So take some time this week to check out all of the great things her guest posters are sharing!! And enter a few AWESOME giveaways while you are there! She really is sweet to include me, but with my novice tutorial skills I am not sure I will be very informative...entertaining, maybe!! :) So I chose a quick and easy non-sewing how-to! Wanna know how I made this?

Be sure to check out her blog!! :)

Ok, so on with the sewing stuff! I am hoping this is the last of THESE!!

Three pair of ruffled Minky pants....DONE! My serger is weeping with joy!

My BFFs daughter had a birthday in December. So to ease my sewing load for that month, I just picked up a few things and monogrammed them!

I got the cutest purple yoga pants to go with this fleece pull-over. Teeny-tiny toddler yoga pants?? ADORABLE!! She also got some cute footie jammies...LOVE THESE!!

I am enjoying the simpler gift-giving!! But I also like a little handmade quickie. The birthday girl got a new cousin around her birthday. She was going to see him in the hospital, so I made this little binky holder for her to bring him.

This is just a satin ribbon with a snap and clip attached. She picked out the color for his name...it is hard to see, but sometimes it is better to be subtle! ;)

Next was my nephew's bday. His request....Saints pool cover-up.

This tutorial is ALWAYS good to have!! I would have used different bias tape if I would have had more time...oh well, next time!! :) This pattern will probably fit him for a couple of years, but it still won't stop him from asking for a different one!! And of course ANY ONE going to Disney World with me will be getting SOMEthing with mouse ears...

Well, that was short and sweet, huh? I have LOADS more to post, but will do it closer to Valentine's Day since that is what has been monopolizing my time lately! I know that I have LOTS to catch up on with my sweeties...sorry, I am getting to you! We had an ice storm of sorts last week...not too bad, but they closed the schools Thursday and Friday "just in case". I know alot of you are getting MUCH WORSE weather, so hang in there...Spring is coming....right?? On top of that, our heat is out downstairs...where my sewing room is! Kinda hard to sew when you are tr-tr-trembling!! :) I've been hibernating upstairs as much as I can. Hopefully the part for the furnace will be in this week..but then we will be in the 70s and won't need it anymore...GAH!! So stay warm and have a good week!! Until later...

And so it begins...

Hey everyone!! Have you started your Christmas sewing yet?? I will be in my sewing room aLOT this holiday!! Do you like my wreath? We had to cut some lower branches from our tree and you know how I HATE to waste! :) I just grabbed some floral wire and started wrapping. I know it is not a perfect circle...oh well!! I've never made a "living" wreath before..not bad, I think!

So, this is a little alcove upstairs that looks over our living room. I've always wanted to put lights here, but unfortunately there are no outlets. So this year, I decided to make my own!

These were done almost completely on my embroidery machine. I just cut some extra felt for the backing and sewed them on a ribbon. I really love the silver metallic thread!!

Not as dramatic as real lights, but I think they came out really cute! :)

I also did a set for Ms. Priss' teacher. Don't worry, this is the last "kiss up" I'll be doing at least until the end of the year! HA!

For hers, I wanted to try a different way of making the lights. I did the lettering with my embroidery machine, but then I cut the bulb shapes and did a small zigzag stitch to sew them to the felt backing. It is almost the same effect. I know the pictures are hard to tell the difference between the two sets, but the HOURS spent sitting at my embroidery machine was lessened!! I had some silver metallic fabric in my stash that I used at the top of the bulb to give it the same shiny-ness as the ones using the silver metallic thread! Either way...I LOVE these!! But I think the time spent "babysitting" my embroidery machine while it stitches out the entire bulb is totally UNnecessary!! :) Besides...I will be giving that machine more of a work out as the Christmas sewing continues!!!

Did a couple more yo-yo headbands! One for Ms. Priss...

And one for her friend...LOTS of birthdays this month...which will add to my already MILE long list of things to do!! ;)

And of course it wouldn't be a completely HECTIC month without my sister calling and saying, "Hey, I've got my husband's family Christmas this weekend...ya got anything laying around that you can make for me?"

Sure sis...always have stuff "laying around"!!

Love how this stitched out...so cute!!

This is a size 3t, so you don't need much "laying around" to make a twirly skirt! I think I have mastered the art of ruffles thanks to all of the Minky pants I've been doing!! So WHY can't I get gathering down?? Isn't it the same thing? Just wondering...

This is for the little brother...

I used some old jeans for this bib!! The "shiny" is the vinyl overlay, one of these days I'll buy some of that iron-on laminate...anyone use that before?

Then of course she needed "a little something" for the adults. Isn't she lucky I always have a stash of hand towels "laying around"?

These were REALLY BIG hand towels. I cut them in half to make matching sets. The finished towels were something like 14" x 17"...see, REALLY BIG hand towels.

Well, that is it for now!! I will be posting things sporadically between now and Christmas, but I don't want to give away any presents I'm working on, so those will have to wait until after Christmas!! :) But don't worry, I have LOTS of sewing to do. I have two birthday parties this weekend..and the Middle Child has RED, then GREEN day this week...and next week she needs a tutu for her Sugar Plum Fairy role in her Pre-K Christmas program!! AND I am seriously considering participating in Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day this Monday!!! Am I crazy?? Who else is participating?? I need some ideas for the giveaway, so someone make a suggestion! :) Have a good week!! Until later...

Everybody Loves a Handmade Gift...I Hope!

Can you believe I made it back SO SOON?! I can't, but as promised here I am to show you some things I've made for gifts. One of my best friends while I was growing up was my cousin. She was one of my main inspirations for creativity at a young age. I can remember summer days when she, her twin sister, my older sister, and I would lounge around playing cards and taking turns working on a butterfly latch-hook design, which I still have and is currently hanging in my daughters' room. She also made cute little swans out of looped yarn, a bar of soap, and some chenille stems, or as we called them, pipe cleaners. She could crochet and tried without much luck to teach me...I guess I just didn't have it in me to learn, at that time! :D One of my best memories with her is spending a week with her at her GrandMa Pat's. This woman was amazing..I can't remember exactly how old she was at the time, but to my younger self she was probably ANCIENT!! HA! Anyway, she would get us up at 4 a.m. to slop hogs and feed chickens and horses, then would feed us eggs and fried pork chops with maple syrup for breakfast. I don't remember her having a TV, but she did have one of those antique record players with the BIG horn-shaped speaker that you had to hand crank in order for it to play records that were at least a half inch thick!! We would listen to music while she and my cousin crocheted and I cut out bowties from fabric scraps for a quilt she was working on. We hand stitched alot of those bowties, but then she showed me the most FABULOUS sewing machine ever and taught me how to use it! It was an old Singer with the iron trestle peddle...no electricity used for this baby! I vaguely remember trying to sew the quilt blocks together..over and over because I messed up...ALOT!! Good times...and GREAT memories. So back to my gifts...

My cousin's daughter, her first out of FIVE children, got married last weekend in Mississippi. They have lived there, I'm not quite sure how long, but I regret that I have not kept in contact over these long years. All of her children are absolutely gorgeous and I enjoyed spending the limited amount of time we had talking with her and meeting her family. The wedding was simple and beautiful, very much like the bride! She has made everyone in our family so proud and is an extraordinary young lady. She graduated high school at 16, and at almost 21 has a degree in primary education, she just has to finish up her state exam to become a certified Teacher! So proud!

She had a set of placemats on her registry, and being the lazy, not-wanting-to-leave-the-house person that I am, I decided to make her some from my stash! She is using mostly browns and earth tones so I thought these would work ok! The paisley print is a home decor weight that I've used in many other projects, and is the backing for the place mats.

While we were in Mississippi, I got to meet my other cousin's new baby for the first time. She is sooooo cute with a head FULL of black hair...just gorgeous. I didn't make it to the baby shower, so I wanted to give her something.

I just did a cute applique on the front of a onesie...

And added a couple of ruffles on the back! This was my first time doing one of these...super simple with maximum cuteness!! I chose the cherry print because I had a cute grosgrain ribbon that matched it perfectly for a bow!

My friend Jane went to Houston to visit family and needed birthday gifts for her MUCH younger twin brothers...

They are into soccer, and having some fabric in my stash, I decided to do fabric letters again instead of embroidering their names.

Add some soccer grosgrain ribbon for a binding around the hood and you have some fabulous hooded towels!!

And lastly is an order for a family whose dad works with my awesome man.

First graders at their son's school need a book pocket that hangs from their desks.

I've never seen or made one of these before so I am hoping that it is what is needed. She gave me the dimensions, and what prints and colors she wanted. I just used some quilting cottons with a baseball grosgrain ribbon for fun, and used some pre-made bias for the ties. Hopefully it will hold up!

So that's all for now! I have a few more WIPs to finish, and some new things I want to start. The summer is winding down, and I've already started shopping for needed back-to-school things, but not nearly finished. Be well and until later....