Work In Progress - Birthday Crown

One week to go, and Little Man's birthday crown is a pile of mostly uncut felt.  He has decided he doesn't want to nap anymore, and won't sleep when it is bedtime.  So my crafting (and rest, and blogging) time has been nonexistent for the last week and a half.

Much to do, but still time for it to be crafted with love.  Now I must go so I can tuck someone in... again.

Inspiration for birthday crowns:
Ada's crown
Dieter's crown
O's crown

Read more...

Monkey Toy Bag

Another last minute project addition!  I am removing most of the packaging materials from store-bought gifts for our toddler before wrapping them for Christmas in order to make everything instantly accessible on Christmas morning.  It's no fun struggling with the thousands of twist-ties that are now used to optimally position toys within their packaging, or the tape that seals boxes like they have precious treasure inside.  It also makes things at least a tiny bit less commercial when you don't have all the packaging to deal with -- you just have the toy, ready to go.  So last night I was unpackaging a toy called "String and Beep", which is a set of wooden truck and car beads that come with a string to thread them onto.  And I realized that we would now have twelve vehicle beads with no home.  What to do?  Put everything else on hold of course so I could whip up a bag in which to store them.

I more-or-less followed the instructions in The New Handmade: Simple Sewing for Contemporary Style for the zippered pouch.  I say "more-or-less" because it is so similar to the wristlet purse design (and I am now a pro at those after having done several) so I didn't really need to follow the directions.  Also, I increased the size so the bag would hold all of the beads.  As a finishing touch, I made a puffy little zipper pull doo-dad to make it easier for Little Man to work the zipper.  I sewed two sun shapes from the bag fabric together, stuffed them, and attached it to the zipper pull with a ribbon.  It's functional and makes the bag look extra cute.

I like the bag so much that I'm not even wrapping it.  It can be its own gift-wrap and save paper.

Read more...

Always More Projects

Yes, that is a stack of Christmas cards ready to mail.  Yes, I said I wasn't sending Christmas cards this year.

New projects always find me at Christmas.  I set goals well in advance:  what to make, what to cook, what to decorate, etc.  Then I start in on those tasks gradually in November, congratulating myself for getting such an early start.  Then I add projects.  Many projects.  Necessary projects.

This year the crafting bug bit me and I have lots of sewing projects on my list to give as gifts.  Some are fully complete (yay!), but lots are still on hold.  Because this year I needed to learn to make paper snowflakes.  And why have I never made a Christmas bunting before?  So that was another necessary project.  But I had decided not to do cards this year, so that gave me extra time for all these other things I am determined to make.  Right? 

Well, we were on track until I took the most perfect photos of Little Man yesterday.  Photos of him decorating his first Christmas tree.  They were taken in a darkened room, and his face is lit just from the glow of the tree lights.  He looks angelic as he contemplates the magic of the tree.  Obviously it would be wrong to withhold these treasured photos from family and close friends.

Could I attach those photos into a premade card template, print them and be done?  Of course not.  None of the store's templates conveyed the right sense of wonder to go with the photos.  And I didn't like the wording on those templates.  And, well... I needed another project.  So I dusted off my scrapbooking files and got to work creating a custom template last night.  Amazingly, I sent the order online to be printed just before midnight last night and received word that the order was ready today before 9am.  So I was able to spend this evening addressing envelopes, and completed this project in only two days. 

Tomorrow I can return to my regularly scheduled crafting, cooking, decorating and wrapping... unless a new project catches my eye.

Read more...