Reversible Jumper

One of my favorite dress patterns for little girls is the "lucy" pattern by Childrens Corner. It sews in less than an hour.. and the fun of it is embellishing the fronts and backs. I have seen all kinds of cute things put on the front- it is great for making "seasonal" outfits for kids becuase it only takes 1 yd of each fabric and is quick..
Here is a Christmas one I did for my daughter. On one side is a snowman and the other Santa- this way she will be able to wear it after Christmas and into January/February.
(oh yeah, pretend it's not wrinkled.... :-))

25 days of December... are you doing it?

For the last couple of years, Ali Edwards has done a December Daily journal/scrapbook. I really need to slow down and appreciate the Christmas season for all it has to offer... I am hoping that journaling it a day at a time will help me not get so caught up in the business and enjoy it more.

This year I decided to jump on the bandwagon and make one too. The trick she says is to have your book made and your "stash" together before December 1. So this weekend I worked on the book- The best part is that so far they only thing I had to buy was some digital scrapbook images. The rest I just went though my stash and found stuff that would work. I just pulled out anything red/green/black/cream and vintage looking. I bought the Basic Grey Christmas paper last year on clearance so I used that for most of the book.
The inside pages of the book are 9x12...(that's just what I picked everyone does different sizes etc). To make the covers I took 2 9.5x12.5 pieces of chipboard and decoupaged paper on them. The title on the front is a digital image, but the #25 are brads. I rounded the corners then inked the edges...
Here is a pic of my "stash" the idea is to take a picture every day until the 25th.. then sit down and quickly journal and add pictures to the album. So having everything all in one place should help with the construction/embellishment.

I bought on www.designerdigitals.com a set of brushes (they are for sale under Ali Edwards) that are #'s. I printed them out on cardstock in a size that fits in my circle punch. These will be used to number the "days" throughout the book.

The "filler pages". I wanted a very hodge podge look... So the pages are all different sizes and all by different manufacturers. Some are vellum and some are cardstock. I need to go to office max to get reinforcement rings so that the lighter pages won't tear in years to come.

You can not see it very well in this picture but one of the pages is a 12x12 pocket page protector that I cut down to 9x12... there are now spaces for 3 4x6 photos and 3 3x3 photos or embellishments.

I am planning on covering up the backs of the pages with photos/journaling blocks etc. so that the words/bar codes of the papers don't show though.

This was a 12x12 piece of "shaped' paper that I cut in half then glued the halfs together- so the back of it looks the same as the front. There is also a vellum page behind it..

Clock transparency...

Scalloped cardstock cut down..

Jenni Bowlin bingo cards- I'll probably put pictures on the back then my "circle" # on the front to show which day it is for..

The inside cover... Mini calendar is also Jenni Bowlin (I get her monthly kit- I'm glad I did, I had quite a stash of stuff to pick from)..

That's all for now- I am going to post pictures as I work on it. I REALLY want to have the patience to finish it with a photo a day... so I figure if I promise to post the pictures here that is a good motivation for me to stay consistent with it.

Diaper Bag

Lately I have taken to making Diaper bags.. I don't know why- I am way past needing one and don't anticipate needing one in the future. I have made quite a few in the past and wish I had taken pictures of them.. so I am going to try to be better in the future. I can never make the same bag twice and change the pattern a bit each time I make one. I guess I'm on the quest for the perfect diaper bag...
This bag started when I was at a Fabric store and saw a charm pack- (a charm pack is a stack of fabric pre-cut into 5" squares, usually used for quilting) I looked at it and thought "I could do something with all those squares. So I got the charm pack and 1 yard of matching fabric and went home. I started laying out the pieces and got this bag together. Then I decided it wasn't thick enough so I stipple quilted the front and back using warm and natural as the lining. I also used interfacing on the lining - the first time I did this and really liked the stability it gave the bag.
For the changing pad I just bought a cheap changing pad at target then added a layer of matching fabric and cut up a plastic shower curtain and sewed them all together..
FYI: the bag is 4 charm squares wide, 3 high with 1 charm square on the sides.

Memo Board Idea...

This project is not 100% completed but I thought I would share it... I posted it on my regular blog awhile ago but thought I'd give some instructions..

I was really excited about this project for my son's room. It was one of those "ah ha" moments. I was trying to think of how to get materials for a memo board for his room and thinking about sheet metal at the store but it was the wrong size and sharp, then I started thinking "What else is metal?" and "ah ha" license plates- PLUS his room is transportation themed so even better.

My Mom helped out a ton and got me some old license plates that were my grandpa's when she was in Missouri. The others I had or had saved.... Okay big NOTE here- NEW license plates are NOT the right metal for magnets to stick- just the old ones- so hunt yard sales, junk shops and antique stores.

1-After I picked out the plates I wanted, I laid them out on the floor (after I had given them a GOOD scrub!), then measured exactly how much space they would take up.

2- I then went to Lowe's and bought a piece of plywood and had them cut it- (easy part - they cut for FREE!!). I looked though the store until I found some screws that I liked how they looked (since they would show).

3- Spray painted the board white.

4- Attached the plates with screws

5- Use finish nails to attach the board to the wall.

6- (step that is not done yet) use 1x4 to make a frame around it (it will be painted red).

Tagged: Halloween Crafts

Kathyrn tagged me... So I thought I'd post some Halloween crafts that I have been working on;
Oh- I tag- Emily, Ali, Lori, & Vicki

This is a treat basket for a couple of girls at church that I visit each month. It was easy to make. Using a circle punch, punch out cardstock in graduating sizes , I got the scalloped circle off a cricut cartridge. Then glue the circles to York peppermint patties. Then use bamboo skewers to make them stand up in the treat bucket. The bucket is a cauldron that I got at Target for $1, I just used E6000 glue to glue a piece of styrofoam to the bottom so the skewers had something to stand in. Then just tied some ribbons and make a quick card.

I thought it would be fun to have a mini scrapbook to put out each Halloween that showcased some of our Halloween costumes from past years. This is a 6x6 Acrylic album that I got from CTMH. It's was pretty easy to make, just remember since the pages are clear that you have to think of what will show up on the back side of each page. I used alot of different products on the book- rub-0n's work great and seem to stick to the acrylic well. I liked the way it turned out, I might have to make another one for Thanksgiving pictures each year.

Inside Pages: (not in order)

My creative space

I still need to take some better pictures- it's getting more and more cleaned up everyday- here are a few pics from about 1 month ago.

My Craft room- This is as close as I will ever get to my dream craft room. Jeff put in the floor and cabinets himself- the green cabinets will get painted with chalkboard paint in the center (soon I hope- we are running out of steam)..
View in the door- the big Island is my Scrapbook work area- it is from IKEA- it is made of 3 upper wall cabinets with a Kitchen Countertop on top.. so far it's a great worksurface.

My cutting table- LOVE THIS! It's big enough to spread out drapery fabric.. the fabric on the wall is a metal sheet I covered with Fabric to make a magnet board to hold pattern cutting instructions etc...

My sewing table and "cubbies" for embellishments- I keep them by color The black cube cabinet holds all my fabric- I like to keep it folded and out so I can see it - I get ideas better that way..
The room has been ALOT of work and there is still alot of work yet to be done (notice the boxes all over the floor and tables)..

Syd's Room

I finally got some pictures taken of Sydney's room. Ever since we moved she wanted her "pink" room back.. and boy did she get pink. I liken the room to a giant pink wedding cake. Jeff did all the trim, you can't tell in the pictures but the crown and chair moldings are all carved florals.. very girly. There are still a few little projects that I have planned but here it is so far.

I didn't forget!

I have been neglecting this little blog latley.. I have some stuff to post, I just need to take some pictures so I can start sharing again!
So stay tuned..

Apron for a teacher

So yesterday I had big plans to go and get a gift certificate for the twins teacher. Today was the last day of school and needless to say I waited until the very last minute. Well I had people putting in a tile backsplash in my kitchen all day and couldn't leave the house. I figured since I was "trapped" in the house for the day I would do something productive. So I made an apron for their teacher for a gift. I luckily had fabric left over from one that I made for a girl at church.. I knew there was a good reason that I always "hoard" fabric- for instances just like this.. need fabric, can't get to the store.
This is what I made- I gave it to their teacher today along with a smaller gift certificate to Starbucks (managed to swing over there late yesterday)- the colors are off- I had to use my flash since I finished it after midnight.. it's black with hot pink..

Beach Art

Here is a better picture of my last painting. It's my favorite of any that I have painted.

Messenger Bag

I wanted a messenger bag to take to Chicago. I went a few weeks ago with my daughter's class. This one turned out pretty well considering that I didn't have a pattern. The handle did start coming unstiched about 1/2 way through the trip and I had to borrow a sewing kit from the hotel, but other than that it was a great bag, easy to carry around.

The Movie Room..

We are in the process of finishing our basement. Much to my husband's delight we have room now for a dedicated movie theater. Since we took most of the equipment from our old house (projector, screen, receiver) we should be able to set it up right away.

I was looking for durable carpet in a dark color for in there but was coming up blank, then I saw this..

The lighting is a bit off but the carpet has a dark brown background. The walls will be the lighter of the 2 shades of red with the brown being used for ceilings and trim.

I'm pretty sure I'm going with these sconces for lighting (still debating about doing chrome instead)..

we also picked out this (great deal at Sams Club):

and these (but in red leather):

Grilled Pizza 'a la Costco...

Last night I made pizza on the grill. It turned out so great (good crispy thin crust) I thought I would share the recipe here. I hesitate to call it a recipe, since most of the ingredients were pre-made from costco, but I had fun making it up:

Grilled Shrimp Pesto Pizza
1 recipe pizza dough (to follow)
1 jar pre-made pesto sauce
10-20 medium shrimp, peeled raw
Fresh Mozzarella Cheese sliced very thin.
Olive Oil
1 Jar Roasted Red Peppers, diced

Preheat Grill on high- Get the temperate of the grill to about 500 degrees.
Marinate shrimp in olive oil and 1 T of pre made pesto sauce (about 1/2 hr- do this while you make the dough). Grill until just done. Cut off tails and set aside.
Roll out pizza dough until it is very thin! (like you can almost see through it thin)
Using a silicone brush, brush grill with olive oil. Place pizza dough on hot grill. Let grill until the crust bubbles, then using tongs turn over.
Brush crust with olive oil, then spread on pesto sauce, cut up shrimp, diced red peppers and mozzarella cheese. Close lid to grill and cook just until cheese is melted.
Remove.
It would be fun to do for a party. I let each of my kids "shape" their own dough- I learned from the kids the thinner the better, but the kids each enjoyed making shapes with the dough (I cooked it for them, the grill was too hot).

Pizza Dough

Combine:
3 C. all purpose flour
1 envelope quick rise yeast (2 1/4 t)
1 T Sugar
1 T kosher salt.

Place in mixer with dough attachment, mix dry ingredients then add:
1 C warm water
2 T. olive oil
Mix until dough forms a ball, add more water if necessary 1T at a time.

Grease dough with olive oil and place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap until doubled in size, about 1 hr.