Vintage wrapping paper

I thrifted this vintage wrapping paper for pennies and just adore the scenes on it.  I am hoping to use the images for embroidery patterns on baby items.  I love the mushrooms and creatures that play around them.  As I child I know I would've loved imagining all intricacies and lives of the animals that lived in those mushroom houses...what fun!

I love the thought of using the images for embroidery patterns but what should I do with the actual paper?  I thought it could be cute modge podge but a lot of things I've modge podged I eventually got rid of.  So what could I make with it that might be lasting???  I'm open to suggestions. 

Valentine's Day creations

I've been working on some new items to consign for Valentine's day.  The idea behind them was that they would be nice travel pouches to put a camisole or other undergarments in (my sister likes to call these things "unmentionables" :).  I also think they could function as a nice clutch or jewelry pouch.  They have velvet on the outside and most have soft silver silk on the inside.  I've hand embroidered wool hearts on several of them and a silk bow on the other.  Maybe in the future I'll do a tutorial on how I made these. 

This is the silk bow and the beads are small sterling silver bugle beads.  The edges are hand embroidered hem tape. 

This isn't the greatest picture but you get the idea.  It is lined with red polka dot cotton fabric and actually drove me a little bonkers.  I tried to sew it right sides together and turn it and its just too difficult to do with either slippery silk or velvet. 

This is a close-up of the details on the last one I'm making.  I love the aqua against the royal blue.  I hope to make something for AJ for Valentine's day too.  I'm thinking of making her some kind of bean bag toss game or velcro paper dolls.  Happy Valentine's creating to you in your neck of the woods! 

Refashioned sweaters bonanza!

Recently I've been inspired by the blog http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/ and I've aspired to refashion several sweaters for myself.  My goal was to pay two dollars or less for each sweater.  Here are a couple of my sweater remakes.  They look better on than they do on a hanger, the light blue one is the same sweater I have on in my profile picture.  I have had so much fun wearing them and will post more of them in the future.

Sweater #1: Before

 After...

I took up the sweater along the sides for a better fit and added lace down the front along with new rhinestone buttons.  Everything was thrifted and cost around 2.00 total! 


Sweater #2:  Before

After...

Again I took this sweater up on the sides (it was an XL) and then removed the buttons.  I added crochet lace around the opening and a sort of frog closure where I put a length of elastic under each button and then had the elastic wrap around the opposite button to make a closure.  I've really enjoyed this one too!  The sweater was thrifted along with the buttons and the lace was given to me by my Mother-in-law.  The lace is really beautiful close up.  I believe this one cost around 1.50!  I'm totally hooked on remaking sweaters now and love that I can give an old sweater new life.

Finished Toddler Crown Unveiling....ta da!

My husband finished decorating the crown for our sweet pea before Christmas and just as I suspected she would, she refused to wear it for us.  Bummer.  After much coercion on the day after Christmas she finally wore it.  It looked adorable and I had hopes that she'd show it off to family but alas I was, again, disappointed.  What can I say...she's two.  Any-who I think that Micah did a fabulous job!!

I love my husband who is so willing to go along with so many of my schemes.

What you can get at the thrift store...

I've promised my sister more pictures of "what you can get at the thrift store..." and of items that I have been sewing...do these promises count as new year's resolutions?  I hope so because this means I will actually follow through on a few resolutions! 

This fabric was thrifted in the past couple of months, I just love the shamrocks and have used them as the front placket on a thrifted/redesigned sweater.  The brown, grey, aqua and mustardy yellow are all favorite colors of mine.  The blue and yellows flowers fabric is lightweight and I think qualifies as a voile.  The yellow polka dots are a vintage sheet. 

 This wall art was thrifted this summer with my Mom and it looks like its circa 1970's, but I just love its folksy look and the mother natureness of it all! 

I was going to post about some sweaters I've refashioned but that will have to happen another day.  My allergies are going nuts today and after a benadryl I'm feeling pretty drousy.  See you next post.

Toddler Slippers

Its winter and its finally turned really cold here in KC and since my little sweetpea (AJ) doesn't like to wear socks around the house I made her slippers. I used a pattern from the blog From an Igloo and it turned out perfectly!  I made the size two and used a polyester microsuede type fabric on the outside and some pink fleece on the inside.  I added suede leather to the bottom to make them non-slip. 

AJ loves them and insists on wearing them during her naps and to sleep at bedtime.  She even wore them to a Christmas party recently.  This makes a momma very happy and I don't have to worry about how cold her little feet will be in this 17 degree weather.   I would highly recommend this pattern and also all the other cute stuff on the From an Igloo blog.  Well happy winter and may your toes stay as toasty as my little girl's!

Toddler Crown Tutorial

My first tutorial...what a nail biter, what is its not clear, thousands of people may be dissapointed, the pictures aren't of professional quality...oh wait I only have two followers...hmmm no worries! 

My toddler loves to wear hats and I love to rope my husband into creating at least one thing for her for Christmas. You know it just makes it that much more special if you can say "Daddy and Mommy made this for you" and my husband does like a little creativity every now and then.  Hence the toddler crown that Mommie sews and Daddy embellishes. 

To begin I purchased precut felt that was sold at Joann's around Halloween probably for costume embellishment.  In case you want to make your own, it is three inches tall from the base to each point and three inches from the valley of each point to the next.  So each little point is three inches by three inches.

I wrapped this around my toddler's head to get an idea of how long to make it mine was 23 inches long.    Make sure to overlap it about four extra inches.  The overlap is where you will add the velcro.  Next lay the "crown" embellishment felt (yellow in my pictures) on top of a contrasting color felt (red in my pictures) and where they line up at the top is the height of your crown.  Also cut the contrasting felt to the length of your "crown" felt.  (Ignore my lovely vintage placemats.)

 Hopefully you can understand what I mean by the pictures.  Next pin the two pieces of felt together and stitch along the "crown" felt attaching it to the contrasting felt.  I used green thread to add more colors and interest to the crown.

After stitching around the curved edges of the "crown" felt I also stitched along the bottom edges of the crown where the yellow and red felt line up.  Next attach velcro to the ends of your crown where you would like them to overlap.  I attached two rows of "female" velcro in order to make the crown sizeable and one row of "male" velcro to move up and down the opposite row.  I'm lazy so in attaching my velcro I don't measure it I just sew it on from the long piece and cut it afterward.  But if you want measurements they are 1 inch wide by 3 inches long. 

This is the female velcro and I will add another row to the right of this row.  After it is sewn I trim off the rest of the length. 

Next I sew on the male velcro and I only use one row of it as I said earlier to move up and down the female side to adjust for sizing and as the toddler's head grows it can be adjusted. 

After you have sewn on your velcro your crown is almost finished.

Now your crown is waiting to be embellished by your husband, at least that's what mine is waiting for.  I will be sure to post a picture of the finished toddler crown after my husband has added the symbols.  He is thinking of adding an "A" for our sweetpea's name, a number 2 for her age and various other appropriate symbols.

I hope this tutorial inspires you to make your little dictator...I mean sweetpea a crown that helps her rule with leniency and grace.