Casserole Carrier

Wedding gift part two:

Evidently I wasn't phased by making 48 'Thank You' cards.  You know how I said I usually get my craft on during nap time and after Rowan is asleep?  Well, meet my first (and definitely not last) 12 - 2am project! I used the insulated casserole carrier tutorial at 2 Little Hooligans and followed the alterations as indicated by this post.

It may have been only a 12-1:30am project if I hadn't sewn the panels the wrong way.  That's what I get for sleep deprived sewing.  Regardless, it was a great project and I was very happy with the results.  All the sewing mavens out there should keep this one in mind for Mother's Day!

Now, I need your help.  I have 2m of a dark wash denim that I need to make into something.  It's taking up too much space in my fabric cupboard!   Unfortunately, it's too heavy for baby clothes....any ideas what I could make?

Thank You Cards

I'm going out on a limb here by assuming that my brother and sister-in-law have opened their wedding gifts.  It's been a few days since they've returned from their honeymoon...I think I'm safe :)

A month before the wedding, I asked Jess if there was anything in particular she needed gift-wise.  She asked me to make her some 'Thank You' cards.  Uhhhh, buying paper, ribbon, cuttlebug supplies, ink and an embossing tool for an actual purpose?!  SWEET BEANS!  I think it was my first guilt-free trip to the craft store ever.

I ended up making four different designs, 48 in total.  I thought if I just did one style I would get bored.  The 'thanks' lettering comes from the 'Olivia' alphabet set (by Provo Craft, aka Cuttlebug).  I found it on sale at Walmart and from what I gather, it's becoming hard to find.  I'm thinking Ebay or Amazon is your best bet to nab one.

I left the little embossed birdies blank in the event they don't need all the cards.  These little babies can be used as regular note cards. 

Oh man, I love my cuttlebug.  I used it to cut the 'thanks' lettering, flowers and decorative frame and emboss the paper.  *Sigh* that was a magical afternoon.

I think they took 4 days to complete (my concept of time is shot to hell) as I did most of my work during nap time and after R-man went to bed.  Two other things that helped: watching 'The Tudors' on Netflix and eating 'Toppables' crackers.  Ahhhhhhhh mat leave!

The Baby Holster

It's a little post today of a little sewing project I completed yesterday during nap time.

Up until now, I had been using the travel highchair to secure Mr. Monkey into this seat.  Not anymore! 

Am I crazy, or does this look like female reproductive organs? :)

I used part of the original as a template for the new highchair strap.  I bought the houndstooth fabric as a remnant a long time ago.  I didn't have a project in mind, I just thought it was so darn cool.

I could have used some fancy buckles or snaps, but I didn't care to put that much effort into it.  Plus, I only had an hour :)

Baby Holster Outtake

Wipes Clutch

Babies are messy creatures. 

Any excuse to plaster my son's image all over this blog!

As a (somewhat fashionable) mum, I am always looking for ways to make my life a little more glam.  Even the messiest chores can be spiffed-up with a little fabric and a hot glue gun.

I used a baby wipes clutch tutorial to transform a lackluster wipes case into a chic clutch.  It was so much fun to make, I thought I'd make another for a friend who is expecting her daughter any day now!

I was fortunate to receive stacks of hand-me-down wash cloths.  I use them in place of wipes at home, but for a while I was still buying the disposables for my diaper bag stash.  I discovered that these cases are roomy enough to hold five pre-moistened (I mix a drop of baby body wash with a cup of warm water) cloths!  Great for wiping bums but also handy for sticky fingers.  That's my little eco-friendly tip of the day :)

Yes, a wipes case needs bling.

 Wiping and diapering has never looked so stylish.

Grey Cable Vest

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  I wish I could post something related to shamrocks or leprechauns or...beer...but it's just not going to happen this year :)

I feel like I've been neglecting my blog lately.  It's not that I'm having a creativity crisis - quite the contrary.  I'm currently working on something that MUST be done by tomorrow!  Actually, three things must be done by tomorrow...maybe I'll just forget about sleeping tonight :)  Couple my over-achievements with a recently mobile (and teething) baby and you've got a recipe for blog neglect. 

Since I can't post my latest efforts until next week, I'll tack up something that I finished a little while ago.

I really love this sweater vest; it's so grown-up!  It was a pretty easy pattern and knit up very fast because it used bulky yarn and large needles.  I love a quick, satisfying (and uber cute) project.

I just wish I had some seasonal forethought.  I made sure I knit it large enough so that Rowan would be able to wear it a few times - but I failed to account for the spring weather that is approaching.  He'll just have to wear it every other day until it's too warm.

Speaking of spring weather:

It's officially spring at our house when the windows are left open for most of the day.  The cats are strictly indoor animals, so they love to sniff the fresh air.

We're off to my brother's wedding this weekend.  Very excited to gain a sister and a niece on Sunday!!

Sapling Highchair

How cool is this?!





























Did you know I had these mad skills?  Kidding, I did not make this.  But my Dad did! 

Rowan's highchair is made from maple saplings that were bent and shaped using steam.  Dad said he strapped on some snow shoes and tromped out to the woodlot to harvest some choice specimens. 

My little dude currently needs to be strapped in, so I'm using a traveling highchair to help keep him seated until I can fashion some sort of baby-clasping device. 

Rowan likes to be a part of the goings on at the kitchen table!

On a completely separate topic:

'

I don't know why, but I really wanted to share my latest antique store find.  I guess because it's just so darn interesting and functional.  I was originally going to paint it, but I'm glad I didn't.  It's definitely better au naturel.

A Tale of Two Pillows

Besides painting, I think one of the easiest and most satisfying ways to perk up a space is to make some new pillow covers.

I made these two for a friend (probably my weirdest birthday gift ever); the smaller one is the hourglass pillow pattern (scroll down to almost the bottom) from Amy Butler. 

Front and back of the hourglass pillow

This was my first time making and using covered buttons.  Pretty cool!  Although, I wish the instructions suggested gluing the button together before sewing them on.  I had to preform an emergency reattachment with the glue gun.



For the larger striped pillow I just made a simple slip cover. 

Now that I'm done those pillows, there are a few around my house that could use an update.  Oh what fun!

'C' is for Cookie (and Baby C!)

Almost a year ago, I saw these cookies on one of my favourite craft blogs: Homemade by Jill.  From that point on, I really, really, really wanted to make them for a baby shower.  When I found out that my friend Kathleen (yes, from the slipper post yesterday!) would be co-hosting a shower for a mutual friend, I asked her if I could make them as favours.  Wait - 'asked'?  No...I begged.  

They're so darn cute!!  And tasted great too.  I used my Grandma's sugar cookie recipe (sorry, not sharing that one!) and a royal icing recipe from Canadian Living.  There are lots of royal icing recipes that call for meringue powder, but my aunt (who is the queen of all things gingerbread) swears by using egg whites.  So I did!

I also got to  use my Cuttlebug for this project.  I cut out all the tags with the tiny tags die cutter and I discovered that the die was so sharp, I could cut several pieces of paper at a time.  Holy time-saver, Batman!  I printed off a bunch of 'Thank You' messages from the computer, cut them out and stuck them on.  Originally, I was hoping to cut out the tags directly from the 'Thank You' message paper, but lining the paper up and getting it to cut straight (or even semi-straight) was sort of difficult.  Above is the less-stress method.

I wish this photo had turned out better, but I photographed them at night and had to use a flash.  Meh, oh well :)

Becky (who's last name begins with a 'C'...does 'Baby C' make more sense now?) is having a girl, and although I gave her a few gender neutral clothing items (because what if the next one is a boy!?), I had to make the Itty Bitty Baby Dress from Made By Rae.  I altered the straps and replaced the ties with snaps. 

Also couldn't resist knitting up a pair of purple Perfect Baby Booties.

And, since I love making those slippers so much...

A pair for the Mama-to-be so that her feet will be cozy during the 3am diaper changes.  It's not just about the baby :)

KMS Slippers

aka HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATHLEEN!

Few people can say they've known their friends since the day they were born.  But that's honestly the case for Kathleen and I.  We were born two days apart at the same hospital!  We got to know each other better in pre-school and have been close friends ever since.  For her birthday, I thought I'd knit and felt her a pair of slippers because she told me (a few times) how much she loved the red ones I had made.

When they were finished drying, I thought they looked a little...lumpy.  I was a little concerned at first (all that work down the drain!?) until I remembered that the red slippers were stretched and shaped by my feet while they were drying.  Kathleen's slippers were stuffed with some rags to hold shape, hence the bumps.  Hopefully they will smooth out over time! 

I hope the Birthday Gal had a great day!