Back to Regularly Scheduled Programming

Tate is about to begin his third day of school.  The first two days, I fought back tears for most of the day.  I went out with Soleil to distract myself from his absence, and yes, I know I'm a freak for feeling this way.  But I like my kid.

He is currently singing, broadway style, "Let's go to school!", a song he is making up as he goes along.  With dancing.

I do love the back to school feeling of fall, though.  I personally loved school, and who doesn't love pumpkin everything this time of year? I even have a new sweater on!  (Pink, cozy, flowy, made out of super soft sweatshirt material.)

His song has just transformed into the tune of "Let's Go to The Mall" by Robin Sparkles.  Just to be clear, he has never seen How I Met your Mother, but he has seen all of the associated music videos.  Because they are awesome.


My house is still not fully unpacked or cozy-fied, but I might have to craft a little today.  I found these three awesome books at our new library, and now all I want to do is make things:)

http://www.amazon.com/The-Cute-Book-Aranzi-Aronzo/dp/1932234683

http://www.amazon.com/Stash-Happy-Appliqué-Projects-Fabric/dp/145470280X

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Stitches-Embroidery-Designs-Projects/dp/1607055252

Crafting at Casa de Schwartz

I had these wonderful scraps of fabric, sent to me by The Makery, so it finally time to use them.  Soleil wanted an eye mask, because she always takes Mama's.  

(I would suggest using 2 pieces of thinner elastic, instead of the one thicker one that I used.)

 And I am addicted to making zipper pouches.  They ARE great for giving small gifts, and it is reusable wrapping!

This is the AFTER photo of the craft cabinet.  The BEFORE photo is on the last post.  It wasn't pretty...

Because all of the kid craft supplies were out, it was easy to make little "invitations" for Soleil all day.  She loves them, and I do as well, as it leads to a moment to read for me:) 

 grocery bag + construction paper crayons +markers

 big buttons+pony beads+pipe cleaners on a messy table

stencils+black cardstock+white crayon

Too Early for Valentine's Day?

Earl Grey Tea Latte. (pinterest recipe)

Dollar Store Felt Heart+Glue Dots+Canvas

More Dollar Store Hearts on the window, decorated by Soleil.  (She HAD to have them.) Here is her craft desk with a V Day craft invitation of glitter (yes, I am crazy), glue, and pink and red sticker gems.  It is out for her to do whenever she wants.  Yes, there is glitter all over the floor, in case you were wondering.

 Me on Sunday.  

I attempted to make hearts out of carrots for Soleil's soup (another pinterest idea).  It is harder than it seems!

Another pinterest recipe, and a total hit!! It is the bread that you mix up the day before andpop into a hot Le Creuset type pot the next morning.  It was PERFECT. 

My not-so-shy child denying me a photo.  The heart is made from a felted sweater. 

Project 21: Reusable Gift Bag

I love a pretty, wrapped package, but I do hate how much waste it creates.  My son, Tate, had a birthday party to attend, and I had a few spare hours, so I made a reusable gift bag.  I love it!!

I used StayzOn ink and stamped the cupcake on the twill ribbon, and hemmed the edges.  I know there is a company who makes these and you can track where in the world they travel to!!  Here is where you can find them.  Or, if you ask me, I might make one for you:) 

Project 20: Random Kiddo Activities

I guess this is Project 20....I have been horrible about blogging lately.  This is where 2 kids is wayyyy more than1 kid.  I look back when Tate was the age Soleil is now, and I think I may have been blogging daily!  

It is Spring Break here and we are chilling at home. I am grateful that I am not sitting on an overcrowded plane with overtired and/or overexcited kids!  I think with the move coming up, I like to hunker down in my home and just feel that cozy homey feeling.  

This woman I found on pinterest makes themed baths for her kids.  They are totally cool.  I  thought they were just for the toddler set, but every time I copy one of her baths, Tate (age SEVEN), loves it and requests one for the next day.  Here is what we did for St. Pat's day, with some help from our local dollar store. 

Food color, green toys we already had, foam shamrocks that stuck to the side of the tub, and green bath safe molding sand (Baking soda+food color+teeny bit of water).  

This is an idea from Family Fun magazine and inspired by the toy Perplexus, one of Tate's faves.  You make a maze out of legos for a marble.  Pretty cool until your little sister decides that she can improve the design...

And I didn't make this, but I am going to!  We were at Minnesota Children's Museum and they have the greatest animal costumes that the kids can don while they play.  Tate loved this bird costume and it was really cozy.  I should start NOW for Halloween...

And lastly, a project that I actually DID make myself.  Tate's friend, Sebas, loves Narwhals.  (Whale +horn=pretty cool.)  His dad asked me to make one, and I was honored!  This was my first time making a 3D stuffie, and it was not easy.  I loved that I learned a new skill, and made a kid happy.  Of course, then Soleil wanted me to make her animals of all sorts, now that she know that I can make them.   

This guy was my 4th attempt and he looks like he ate a few too many plankton and has deformed flippers, but he was wayyy better than the first few attempts.  

If you want to make your own Narwhal, the pattern can be found here.

And since I am being random....anyone else completely tired of being cold?  I am very ready for spring.

Spring has Sprung! Project 19: Felt Bunnies

I feel it right around the corner!  I love the seasons and doing things differently for each season, as suggested by my friend, Bella.  Firstly, I needed a bathroom update.  Soleil and I went to Homegoods and pretended we were on a HGTV show, and got everything we needed to change the bathroom into a spa.

 While we were there, I found this amazing Amy Tangerine ribbon collection!

Paul needed some quiet time this weekend to handle some important business, so I took the kids to the Minnesota Arboretum to get out of the house.  The temperatures were not that bad (above 32F!), and they were featuring Fairy Houses and Maple Syrup tapping, and we were dressed for the weather.  Tate just loved launching himself into the giant piles of melting snow.

....And Project 19:  Felt Bunnies!  I can't stop.  Version #1:  Find Bunny template online, cut out, stuff, and sew together, by hand or by machine.  Version #2: Needle felt little bunny shapes.  Google it.  It is soooo easy, and perfect for one if you have been just exhausted lately with moving plans, and buying houses, and etc etc etc.  

Project 17: Upcycled Sock Hearts

My mom knits me socks.  They are awesome.  But the socks from her first batches may have been a tad too small... and I may have worn holes in them.  I know that it takes A LOT of work to make them, so when they became unwearable, I couldn't throw them away.  I added them to the pile of clothes made from good fabric/patterns that I don't wear anymore that are stashed in my craft room because I know I can use them some day....

That "some day" was this week, when my little one looked me in the face and said "Craft, mama?"  I almost died of happiness.

The (clean) socks are almost felted, because of being washed so many times, so when I cut them open to make useable fabric, it didn't unwind.

This is what I did:
1.  Made heart shape from magazine paper as pattern.
2.  Pinned to flattened out sock.  Cut 2 hearts out of sock material, using pattern as guide.
3.  Put Right Sides together and pinned.
4.  Sewed around 3/4 of heart.
5. Turned right side out.
6.  Stuffed.
7.  Hand sewed shut.
8.  Gave to baby to play with. :) :) :)

This took less than an hour.

Project 15: Valentine's Day Bunting

The kitchen is a mess, and the baby is falling asleep at her meal, but see the pretty bunting hanging above her?

Here is how you make one: 

**NEXT STEP**
No photo, take each the 2 TRIANGLES that you cut, turn them so the pretty sides face each other.
PIN so they don't move around.
SEW ALONG sides of triangle, leaving top of triangle open.
FLIP INSIDE OUT, so that pretty side is showing.
IRON FLAT

Yay!! You are now done. Hang up wherever you want!

This tutorial helped me a lot, but there is a little measurement confusion at one point. (To clear up, she asks you to mark 11cm on top and 22cm on bottom.  Each of the marks should be 11 cm away from one another, but on the bottom, starting at the 22cm mark.)  Again, I love the youtube videos.

As I type this, my sick baby just fell asleep on my arm.  She never ever ever does this, but the snuggly spot and the repetition of the typing must have done the trick!  Keep warm and stay healthy everyone.

Project 13: Ruffle Apron

I made this for one of my childhood BFFs!  I love making things for other people--I try to make it nicer and learn something I wouldn't otherwise, if I were making it just for me.  I reallllly wanted a pretty ruffle on the apron, so I went to Youtube.

Here is the general idea--
1.  I traced the pattern for the skirt, and then the top piece, on newspaper, and cut the pieces out of fabric.
2.  I added ruffle and pocket.
3.  I hemmed everything.
4.  I sewed it all together, trying to make it look as finished as possible.  (This involves sewing right sides together, most times, and opening up/flipping inside out to get a nice sewn edge.)
5.  Watch LOTS of Youtube tutorials and pick the stuff that works for you best.

But I will give your specific instructions on the zipper pocket, because it was so easy!

1.  Sew in zipper to pocket fabric.  (Right side of zipper facing right side of pocket fabric.) Flip over so that you see pretty side, and sewn side is hidden from view.
2.  Place the other side (unsewn side) of zipper face down, on apron fabric.  Sew zipper in.  Fold over so that pocket looks like a pocket.
3.  Make sure you have folded the other 3 edges in about 1/4-1/2 inch, so the raw edges don't show.  Top stitch all the way around, making sure to sew over the little zipper end tails up at the beginning and end of zipper.

(I hate written word instructions... so sorry!  I prefer seeing it, rather than hearing about how to do it.   This is where youtube comes in handy.)

RUFFLE:  The best tutorial was from DIY Dish--the twin sisters who make the videos are soo adorable and easy to understand.

Project 3: Homemade (cute!) Pillowcase

A homemade pillow case sounds really ugly.  You know...like something a relative gives you at the holidays that you only pull out when they come to visit.  But I found this really great tutorial on pinterest, and they used super cute fabrics, which made the pillow case ADORABLE.  Or, I am getting old.

In any case, to go with Mikey's Quilt (Project #2), I made him a matching pillowcase.  He's a 23 year old bachelor, so he'll appreciate (I hope!)  a household good that he doesn't have to buy, and can use the money on food!!

It was really easy and I was able to finish within 2 hours.  Here is the link.

http://patches.typepad.com/notes_from_the_patch/2010/07/tutorial-tuesday-24-pillowcases.html

I personally used the video included from Notes from the Patch blog, in addition to the written instructions.  I love the french seams as well as the finished look of the case. 

Project 2 : Quilt for Mikey

Yes, yes...I realize that we are in week 3, and I haven't posted Project 2 of 52...  I swear! I was working on it the whole time!

Quilts take a really long time to make.  Thank goodness we aren't relying on my quilt making skills to keep us warm, as they did in the days of old.  We would be out of luck.  And by we, I mean my family, who all love to sleep under lots of blankets.  

This quilt is for my brother, Mikey.  I made the top over the last year, but I used the Project 52 to give me focus and actually finish it and mail it off.  (It is not yet in the box.)  The kids are breaking it in, snuggling and playing on it any chance they get.  My kids really, really love quilts.

As for Week 3's project, does decorating for Fall count as a project? Maybe?

Mama Craft and Easy Lunch

I am addicted to Pinterest.  Seriously.  If you don't know what it is, it is another way to waste lots of lots of time, like Facebook.  But, like FB, it is fun.  People post pictures of things that are linked to the original source, so that you can make/find/buy/be inspired by whatever it is.  

I found the tutorial for these fabric baskets, and I had to make 3 of them in a weekend.  

Thanks, Leslie! (I don't know her, but the pin of her baskets led down this road.)  The baskets are now used for Little People, marbles, teeny books, whatever kids want to put in them.  

And if you are really lazy, but are starving, take some premade dough (JUS ROLL in the UK, Cresent dough in the US) , wrap it around cheese, ham, and a little mustard and bake.  Yummy!

 I also just started doing this to make life easier...I put all the dishes on the tray to take to the table, and then use the same method of taking to the sink.  Simple, but it saves time.

Reverse Applique Onesie

This was sooo easy. I found a tutorial for it here.

I got the long sleeved onesie/babygro at M&S here in England. They are thicker than other onesies so they can be worn as part of an outfit, rather than just under things.

1. Draw a design in light pencil, chalk, disappearing ink, or anything that can be washed out easily.

2. Turn your onesie inside out. Take a pretty piece of fabric and place it with the right side against the onesie front (wrong side up). Pin into place.

3. Stitch around design using embroidery thread. It doesn't have to be perfect, just follow your drawing and knot off at the end.

4. Take little, sharp scissors and cut the tshirt on the inside line of the stitching, but leave pretty fabric underneath.

You are done!!

This is a great project to make while you are watching the last episode of LOST that your husband refuses to delete off the DVR.