Craft Favorites Friday

Welcome back to Craft Favorites Friday!

To start us off this week, we have something for the little ladies. :)

Little Girls' Fleece Jumper



This is another tutorial from Smashed Peas and Carrots. I love the silhouette of the jumper, the over-a-shirt-and-pants look, and I have to admit, I love that it has buttons. I have been eyeing buttons lately and trying to think of projects I can make for Asa that have buttons. So far I have come up with... overalls. :) But here's a toasty and cute jumper for the little girl in your life. :)

Next are some Coasters



Check out the tutorial for these coasters from Beneath My Heart. It would be so easy to coordinate this with decor in a particular room, a holiday, or personalize with a monogram. With just a few supplies, a couple steps, and a little time you have a GREAT gift as well!

Corner Bookmark



I thought this simple and sweet bookmark was definitely worth passing along. I like the "x marks the spot" embroidery, but you could also embroider with a monogram or other little design. The tutorial at Kootoyoo uses a magnet to keep the bookmark on your page. This would be a sweet addition if you plan to give a book as a gift! :)

I finally did it...

... I posted a year or two ago about wanting to make my first quilt. Well, I can check that off my to do list.... 2 years later. :) I began making wonky log cabin blocks for a quilt for Asa before he was born. Then he came. And as any Mom knows, time takes on a new dimension with a baby in your life! I realized I would never finish if I kept piecing the blocks. NOT that they are so difficult to sew. It's just strip after strip. But I was having trouble getting them to come out in the end in a way that squared up well. I put the project on hold while I loved on my newborn. :) Now that he goes to bed by 7 and naps 3 times a day, I have been able to get back on it. I decided to go for a strip quilt instead. I found my inspiration and got to work. I found a few more fabrics to round out my strips, and I sewed the quilt top in 2 days. I probably could have done it in one if I'd devoted all Asa's naps to the quilt, but alas there are dishes to be washed, laundry to be done, floors to vacuum, etc. :)

I need to trim the edges, actually make the quilt sandwich, and choose binding, but I am very excited to have the top done! I found a possible premade binding I might use. Is it weird to use a fabric for the binding that you did not use in the quilt? Also, those blocks I already made? I'm going to piece them into the back so they are still used. :) I am hoping to have it done in time to give Asa for Christmas (shhhh, don't tell him ;) ), but we'll see if I really get that done. I also needed to decide how exactly I want to quilt it... stitch in the ditch? Vertical lines like my inspiration? How do you think they kept the lines so straight for that? I am excited to see how it all comes together in the end. Until then, here's step 1! :)

New Friday Feature

So you know how I said I am finding LOADS of amazing crafting ideas on the internet? I thought I should pass along some of those ideas and some of that inspiration to you! So, I decided to try a new Friday post--Craft Favorites Friday. Now, with my little man at home with me I cannot promise I will never miss a Friday. But these ideas are just too good not to let you know about them!

Without further ado, here's my first Craft Favorites Friday!

The Stuffed Animal Child Harness!

We have all seen those child harnesses meant to keep a "runner" close to Mom and Dad. While we all want to have perfect, obedient children who would never dart away from us, reality does not always live up to that! This tutorial from Cupkateer shows you how to take a stuffed animal and turn it into a harness to help you keep your little one out of harms way. TOO cute. I love that it's so customizable in that you can use any stuffed animal. I love her tip for where to find backpack-like strap adjusters (let me know if you know a better source). And I love how simple it looks. I haven't tried it myself yet as Asa can only roll away from me. I can still keep up with him at the moment. ;) But I will definitely be storing this idea for when our little guy gets a bit older!

Toilet Paper Pumpkins (sew-less!)



I thought these no-sew pumpkins were super sweet. They would be easy to place throughout the house, showing off some of your favorite fabrics from your stash. But after fall has passed, you can add the fabric back to your stash and make something else with it! I love the re-use factor. :) These look really simple and would even be easy to make into an apple earlier in the fall with reddish fabrics. :) Check out the tutorial at Smashed Peas and Carrots.

And lastly, the Outlet Cover Makeover



What a simple and clever idea from Little Birdie Secrets! Again, this would be easy to personalize to coordinate with decor or a favorite character, etc. You could even let your child paint something and then glue it on the outlet cover. You'll want to make sure the decoration doesn't make it so your child can pull out the outlet cover or make the outlet too enticing. But if you can jump both those hurdles, you can have some adorable little outlets at your house. :)

So there you have it, the first installment of Craft Favorites Friday! I hope you find something that inspires the crafter in you!

First Doll

I have seen a couple dolls lately that I thought were very sweet. Then I decided, "Hey, I could try that." I drew my own pattern and kind of worked my own way through it. I will be making a few changes to my next one... the head isn't exactly round, I will add more hair features, shorten the neck area, straighten the torso/dress, and use less wide elastic in the skirt. BUT, overall, I think it's not half bad, especially for not having any directions and making it all up on my own. :)

Without further ado, here she is (minus a face... haven't settled on that yet)!

(it's not really as crooked as this picture makes it look)

After I settle on what to do for a face, this will be my first drop for The Toy Society! :)

Here comes...

...crafting! At least, my brain is SWIMMING with crafting ideas and inspiration! I was thinking the other day how COOL it is to get so many crafting ideas on the internet. There are countless crafty ideas I never would have thought of if I hadn't seen them online! Thanks to all the crafty bloggers out there! :)

On top of collecting a million crafty ideas from blogs, I received several crafting books for my birthday last week. I cannot wait to dive into them! I can now create with the guidance of Applique Your Way, a pre-0rder of Button and Stitch, Softies, and Hand-Stitched Felt, while listening to Paul Baloche and Christy Nockels. Yesssss! :) Thank you to my sweet husband and wonderful family. And thank you, my baby boy and hubby, for letting me do it all while wearing a personalized version of this (with Asa's name and birthdate on the back)! I LOVE it!!

I am really excited to get crafting. I feel like I could start a 100 projects, but I'm trying to finish what I already have started. Stay tuned soon to see one of the completed projects--my first toy for The Toy Society! :)

Machine Applique

Asa had a friend's (actually, 2 friends, they are twins) birthday party to go to for the first time 2 weeks ago. Not even 4 months old and already partying. :) I wanted something special for him to wear. The party theme was Sesame Street (Elmo in particular), so thought about an Elmo shirt. Then I thought about something birthday inspired. I really liked that idea, but there are no more parties on the horizon before I figured he'd be moving up to the next size of clothes. Lastly, I thought of something Fall related. Aha! If I made a fall-themed onesie, he could wear that several more times before it's too short. :)

So off I set to decide what kind of fall item to feature on the onesie. I consulted Matt :), and we were choosing mostly between a tree with fall leaves or an acorn. We both liked the acorn better (and it reminds me of my niece), so an acorn it was!

I went through my scraps (many of which are actually Joy's scraps that she passed along to me) and found some adorable blue flannel with squirrels and acorns and little trees on them. That, I decided, MUST be the nut part of the acorn. Then I found some sweet white on brown polka dot scraps. They were screaming, "Acorn hat!" :)

I had never done machine applique, and there are several things I would/will do differently next time (I can't wait to try it again!). But without further ado, here is Asa's acorn shirt (and party hat courtesy of Taylor & Wesley). :)

Wordless Wednesday

or Nearly Wordless Wednesday

Our little pumpkin :)

Diaper Changing Wallet

I have to admit, I really do like my SkipHop diaper "wallet." Everything you need at your fingertips. If I'm running a quick errand, I could always just grab it (as opposed to the whole diaper bag) and go!

Then I came across a crafty version and decided to try it myself. It seemed simple and straight-forward enough. And most importantly, Asa is now sleeping enough for me to even remotely consider pulling out my sewing machine and starting a project. :)

Without further ado, here is my changing wallet... actually it's not "mine" it's going out to someone special very soon!

(yes, I made the velcro match perpendicularly on purpose, so it would still match up and close no matter how full you make the wallet)

(minky for the actual "changing pad" part, and it has quilted batting between the layers of fabric to make it a little extra cushy)

(it has a pocket for diapers and a pocket for a travel wipes case)

Baptismal Gown

Just a few pictures of our little guy actually IN the gown I sewed (with Mom's help!) for his Baptism. He was baptized about 2 weeks ago on September 20. We are so thankful for the blessing of this covenant baby :) and PRAY that God will draw him to Himself, that he will walk with God all his days and be faithful to Him. Since Asa is such a long and lean baby, I added ribbons to each side seam so I could tie back the excess fabric. We think he looked awfully sweet! :)

(Asa woke up right as I passed him to Rob... and he wasn't too thrilled about that) :)

Absence...

Sorry for the absence from the blog again. Asa hit another developmental "growth spurt" and has been a bit needy in the areas of attention, cuddling, playing, singing, snuggling, etc. :) I think we're on the downhill slope, so hopefully I'll have 2 hands free soon. :)

While I have a second though, I thought I'd tell you about the onesies I have made for his monthly "birthdays."

I started by designing a logo in Photoshop:

Then I altered it so I have a logo for each month and a special one for 1 year. :)

Next I bought some inkjet printer iron-on paper. You flip your image to a "mirror image" and print (so everything is reversed left-to-right). Then you just iron it onto your article of clothing! I've made two so far.

And my husband made a tshirt themed for our alma mater when his company had a day for everyone to wear a shirt for their favorite team. It turned out really well.

I had seen logos like this on boutique onesies, but I had 2 factors I considered: #1 I'm sure I can make that cheaper. #2 How do I know for sure what size Asa will wear for each month? This way I can make the logo exactly how I want, when I want, what size onesie I want, etc. It's been really fun. :)

Asa's birth announcement

In the weeks before Asa's birth when I had begun my maternity leave, I started playing around with some ideas for a birth announcement. I had SO much fun trying different ideas and learning some new techniques in Photoshop, including downloading/using brushes and harnessing the power of layers. :)

Here is what I came up with for the announcement (his room is decorated in a woodland forest animal theme, and I made the owl on the announcement in order to coordinate with the owl in his bedding):

And then so everyone could see his sweet self, we made this photo collage and had it printed through Shutterfly--for the same cost as a normal 4x6! :)

We love our little guy and praise God for him! :)

Baptismal Gown

Back when I got my embroidery machine, I started dreaming of making a baptismal gown for any child(ren) God would add to our family. We considered using the gown my brothers and I were baptized it, but in the end I hoped to be able to make something for our kids to use and have the option of passing down.

I found a great pattern during one of JoAnn's super pattern sales and stashed it away. The closer Asa's arrival came, the less likely it seemed I would get it sewn before he was born. I just hoped I'd have time some time after he was born! Then he took his SWEET time coming, and Mom and I had all this extra time on our hands! We made a prototype out of muslin to learn the quirks of the pattern, and then we ended up having time to make the real thing, too!

We also made "under armor" for the gown, as Matt says his son will not wear a slip. :)

It was a really sweet thing to sew the gown with my mom and to know Asa and any other children we are blessed with will be baptized in this gown--sewn with lots of love and prayers! And he will hopefully be wearing it next month. :)

How we pray for you to walk in the ways of the Lord, Asa, that you would do what is right in the eyes of the Lord and love Him with your whole heart all your days--just as God's Word says of your namesake!

Long time no write

I guess I underestimated how all-consuming these early days with Asa would be. :) But such sweet days they have been!

As you might imagine, I haven't done much crafting. I don't produce much.... other than milk! Ha! :)

I did recently cut a bunch of scrapbook paper to make a mini photo album. I have been wanting to cut it for weeks, and I finally got to last night! Asa hit the 6 week growth spurt and it started slowing down yesterday. He is over the eating-every-second-of-the-day hump and now on the downward slope of SLEEEEEPING to make up for all the sleep he skipped frantically eating all day long and refusing to nap in his hyper-alert state. :) Anyway, during his first stretch of real sleep I got to cut out my papers. And today I got to sort them into coordinating sets. I am excited to show you when I have it assembled!

I also cut out some little corduroy pants, but I haven't sewn them yet. I'm not sure how they'll turn out. I used a pair of pants that fit Asa well as my pattern (adding seam allowance, of course), so it's really an experiment. It would be so fun if they turn out!

And I WILL still tell you/show you about his baptismal gown. And lastly, I found a really cute travel diaper changing organizer (kind of like the skip hop changing wallet) at a nearby boutique. I had eyed it before, hoping to use it as a pattern, but I didn't want to pay full price. I found it on clearance over 50% off and snapped it up! I'm excited to try one out and hopefully have a fun new baby shower gift to make people. :)

Lastly, I'll be sure to post some updated pictures of our sweet baby boy. He is seven weeks old!! I can't believe how fast the time is passing!

A picture to tide you over

2 weeks old and sweet as can be :)

I'll post about the baptismal gown soon, and also our birth announcements after they are sent out. :)

He's Here!!

Asa arrived Tuesday, June 23rd at 12:39 PM after 36 hours of induced labor. He weighed 8 lbs. 3 oz. and is 22 inches long with a full head of dark hair. He was definitely worth all the work to convince him it was time to come out! :)

We are taking it easy, especially thanks to my parents' help this week. :) Here are a few pictures, since I anticipate crafty updates being rather few and far between for awhile. I WILL post about the baptismal gown Mom and I sewed for Asa very soon though. It was one of the things we did to pass the time during Asa's two week "extra" stay in the womb. :)