Mini Christmas Scene

A couple weeks ago I read this post on Filth Wizardry (you will find numerous GENIUS ideas for projects to do with your kids there!) about combining Lego with cardstock and a hole punch. Brilliant, I tell ya! Well, last week my boys were in serious need of a project, so I broke out my supplies. This is what we came up with:


I drew some quick pictures and had the boys color them (they were mostly interested in coloring the trees -- do you like Mr. S's blue spruce?), then busted out the hole punch and went crazy. They had a great time decorating their Christmas trees, then they hung their tiny stockings. So cute, so fun!

Quilty Belt -- TUTORIAL

Today I'll show you how to make a "quilted" belt from a dollar store canvas belt and some fabric scraps!


SUPPLIES:
~Dollar store canvas D-ring belt
~fabric scraps (I chose Amy Butler scraps, of course!)

Step One: Cut off the D-rings and set them aside.

Step Two: Cut your fabric scraps to approximately twice the width of your belt. My belt was 1 1/2" wide, so I shoud have cut my scraps 3" long (It would have made this project much easier if I had cut them longer than 2 1/2"!) The width of your scraps doesn't matter much -- I think it looks more interesting if they are all different widths. Line your scraps up in the order you like, then stack them.

Step Three: Line up your first scrap to the cut edge of your belt, face down. Use your 1/4" foot and sew with the edges of the belt and fabric on the edge of the foot.

Step Four: Turn your belt over and pull the first fabric strap around to the front, pulling it taut. Lay your second scrap face down atop the first, lining up the edges.

Step Five: Sew all the way from top to bottom of your scraps, then

turn it right side up and press.

Continue in this manner until you have covered the entire belt.
(Yes, I am sewing it on the "wrong" side of my machine! No reason! Do it however it makes sense to you!)

This is what the back will look like.

Step Six: Lay your belt face down with the first end you sewed on the right. Using a rotary cutter and ruler, cut one edge of your scraps in a straight line parallel to the canvas belt, approximately 3/8" to 1/2" from the edge of the canvas. (If you don't have a rotary cutter, draw a straight line with a ruler and pencil or disappearing marker and cut with scissors.)

Step Seven: (Oops! No photo!) Cut a strip of fabric 1 1/2" x the length of your belt. (If you're using strictly scraps, you may need to piece this.)

Step Eight: Lay your belt right side up with the straight (cut) side on the right. Line up your 1 1/2" wide strip of fabric right side down on top, lining it up at the right. Sew with a 1/4" seam allowance all the way down the length of your belt.

Step Nine: Press as shown!

Step Ten: Turn your belt over. Press the unsewn edge of your fabric strip up about 1/4".

Step Eleven: Topstitch along the entire length of your belt where your long strip meets the scraps, pulling the fabric over tight as you go.

Step Twelve: Press the opposite side of your belt up over the edge of your belt. You will then pull the fabric strip over the raw edges you've just pressed and topstitch along the folded edge.

When you get to the end of your belt, stuff all the raw edges under your fabric strip to give it a nice finished end (hopefully looking much neater than mine!).

Step Thirteen: The other end of your belt will have raw edges. Thread your D-rings onto your belt, then turn the raw edges once, then over the D-rings.

Carefully sew along the folded edge, securing your D-rings. You may want to hand baste this first so it will stay in place. Then when you go to your machine to secure them, you may want to hand crank the entire length, as there is a lot of bulk. I find this helps avoid breaking needles! I sewed two lines of stitching to ensure it was very secure.

(Awkward self-photo of my belt!)

TA-DA!! It sounds like a lot of steps, but it really is pretty simple!

Christmas Gifts -- Given!

Over the weekend we had our family Christmas party. This year I was supposed to get a gift for my brother.

Back in the day, when we were little, my brother and I used to play Guess Who together. Oh how we loved that game! It was endless hours of fun. Well, in the October issue of Family Fun Magazine there was a quick blurb about customizing a Guess Who game with photos. GREAT IDEA! I decided to take it a step further and draw my people -- my entire family! I think drawings work better because you can really tell eye color, hair color, etc. and nothing is left to "interpretation." But then, since it's family, you can also use facts you know about the person, such as, "Does your person live in the same state as me?"

Anyway, here's what I came up with:

Perhaps everyone looks slightly psychotic with their giant eyes and tiny pupils, but at least you can tell what color their eyes are! :o)

I drew each picture by hand, then scanned them into Photoshop and colored them there. I printed them out on full sheet "sticker project paper," which is like a giant 8 1/2" x 11" sticker label. I then printed two full pages of question marks on each of two different colors cardstock. I peeled and stuck my sheet of sticker people onto the opposite side of the question marks, cut them out, and stuck them into the game! Then I made larger-sized versions of the cards for the "deck," from which you draw a card to determine who you are in the game, and stuck them onto another color of cardstock with question marks on the back. Done!


Here's what the backs of my cards look like.

The funny thing? My brother and his wife used the same idea to make a Guess Who game for my sister for Christmas! Ha ha ha!! He added shirts and a few pets to add another dimension. Shirt color would be another good question to ask about in the game!


Then, of course, I made some more Black Apple Dolls for two of my nieces!
Love those stripey tights!

And, of course, skirts once again!

Is it legal to have this much fun??

Abandoning Tradition

Every year for the past 10+ years, I make English Toffee around Christmastime. Every year for the past 5+ years (with the exception of ONCE), it fails. Last year I had it down to a science. I researched the topic for HOURS before I felt I was armed with enough information to do it right. And, amazingly enough, it turned out BEAUTIFULLY and CRUNCHY and SO DELICIOUS. Then I made it exactly the same the next week. Fail. I was determined for it to work. Did it again and again. Fail.

This year I decided it was going to WORK, and dove right in.

The flavor? Fantastic! (Can't go wrong with butter and sugar!)
The texture? Nastastic!!
FAIL. AGAIN.

Every year I say I'm never going to do it again. I think this time I mean it.

Anyone know where to buy some REALLY GOOD TOFFEE?

LOVES in the Mail!!

I've received some unexpected LOVES in the mail in the past few weeks, and just HAD to share!!

First up:
The cutest lil' felt ninja you will ever see! My bloggy friend Karen from UrbanCraft -- who is an absolute CRACKUP -- made and sent him to me! I originally saw a trio of these guys at The Toy Society, and immediately fell in love. Months later I came across Karen's blog, and -- lo and behold -- she is the genius crafter behind them! Anyway, long story short, she knew I loved them and made me one to cheer me up after a sewing disaster!
THANKS, KAREN!!


Next:
The cutest little rock mouse family! My friend Andrea, who I have known for ~Y~E~A~R~S~, painted this sweet little family of mice for my boys, who are obsessed with baby mice. Aren't they just the cutest?? There has been endless fun at my house with these guys. The boys, like me, love all things tiny. They've got a collection of very small things that they and the mice play with. It's so fun to listen in!
THANKS, ANDREA!!


And last, but not least:
I actually won a giveaway (!!!!) during Sew, Mama, Sew's Giveaway Day!! Isn't this bag/purse just amazing? It was handcrafted by Sarah of SimplySarah. Just looking at all the stitching and details, it's plain to see that she is a skilled sewist. I am in LOVE with the bright orangey-yellow lining. And check the dangly beady fringe at the bottom!
THANKS, SARAH!!

Fabulous Finds!

I was "feeling the radar" yesterday, so I packed the kids up and hit a couple thrift stores. I found a pile of children's books (maybe I'll post that later), and a few other things:

There is 2+ yards of this sweet vintage corduroy print. It makes me smile. It was inside a bag of crud, which I had to buy in order to get it, but it was only $2 so I figured it was worth it.

This little quilt top was hiding in the bag too! It will be so easy to finish it up as a future charity/service project.


And, finally, the best! No -- not the bear...

...His glasses!! It was only 75 cents for the bear. I stole his glasses and he's going right back to the thrift store where someone, I am sure, will find him and love him. But those glasses! They are so stinking cute!! They fit this girl pretty well, but I'm not certain that's who they will ultimately be for. We shall see!

Coin Purse Keychains -- from a Dishtowel!!

I don't always have a particular project in mind when I head to the dollar store. I don't necessarily even have a project idea when I find materials! A couple weeks ago I found a dishtowel with the CUTEST little pictures on it. I had no idea exactly what I would be using it for, but I knew I would think of something -- so I bought it!

Well, this week my idea emerged:Little coin purse keychains!
Perfect for stocking stuffers...


...if I can bear to part with any of them!! :o)


What you'll need:
~ cute dish towel (or placemat!)
~ zipper(s)
~ key rings (optional)
(I found my key rings on the craft aisle at the dollar store -- 12 for a buck!!)


STEP ONE: One of the cute motifs I liked was awfully close to the edge of my dishtowel, so I picked the edge stitching open and pressed out the folds with my iron.

STEP TWO: Cut a front and back for your coin purse. You can make these any size -- just make it fit around your motif with enough room on the edges for 1/4" to 3/8" seam allowance.

STEP THREE: (Note: I'm switching coin purses from here on out!) Using your iron, press the top edge of your front and back pieces down (towards the back) twice. This will tuck away that raw edge and keep it free from your zipper.

STEP FOUR: Open your zipper and attach the front and back pieces to it. Line them up carefully to each other! Be sure to leave enough space between the teeth of the zipper and the edge of the fabric so that the zipper tab will pull freely without catching the fabric.

STEP FIVE: Zip your zipper shut and sew a wide zigzag at stitch length zero to create a zipper stop. You don't want to be zipping your zipper tab right off the end!

STEP SIX: Leave your zipper about 2/3 of the way open and sew around the three raw edges of your coin purse, using no less than a 1/4" seam allowance.

STEP SEVEN: Cut off the excess zipper, leaving the same seam allowance as the rest of your coin purse. (DON'T use your good sewing scissors!!)


STEP EIGHT: Sew a zigzag stitch around all the same edges, allowing the needle to stitch off the edge of the fabric on the right. This will help prevent most fraying.

STEP NINE: Carefully turn your coin purse right side out.

Isn't it CUTE??!?

STEP TEN: Make a million more of them and add key rings!

They're even cute on the back!!