Mail Time!

I love getting mail :) I have a very crafty friend who is currently pregnant with her second child. We were talking one day and decided we'd swap some stuff. I wanted an apron, she a baby blanket and sweater. Decided on a few extra things for the kids as well. An apron for my daughter (that matches mine) and an art smock for each of the kids. She made an apron for her daughter and will be making a smock. And well, I'm still working on the blanket.

The sweater I'll start after the little babe comes and we see if it really is a boy. I'd love to just start it for a boy, since that is what everyone thinks she is having, but then if it's not... how do you change it for a girl?

Anyhow, my package came today and the aprons and smocks are hits! I've got mine hung up in the kitchen for the next time I need it, and my daughter has hers hung up by her kitchen. Although they were worn for quite some time before being hung up. My son was a little upset that he didn't get an apron and tried to wear mine for awhile. We'll see how attached he is to having one later on.

She did also send me a really cute quilt that I'm going to bring in with some blankets (one is on the side) that I'm working on for Kids Konnected. Thought it was really nice that she took the time to work one up. She's due in the next few weeks, and so had a huge push to finish as many crafts as she can before the babe decides to show!

Mail Time!

My kids watch Blues Clues so just saying that makes me think of the song! Anyhow, normally it's not a big thing getting the mail. But yesterday I was pleasantly surprised by having 3 packages to open! And I still have one more thing on the way :)

Two were from Etsy. Ordered a great checkbook cover for my hubby. May have to use it myself, but we'll see. The one I have is leather and has spots for everything. My hubby doesn't carry the checkbook all too often but he was complaining about needing it and not having a cover. So here's one for him, an adorable tribute made by bethjt. She has an amazing shop with so many different things to choose from. Pretty soon here, she'll be competing with me on the crochet front I'm sure! Check her blog to see! So cool to see how quickly she's picked it up.

The second from Etsy, was from BubbaRye. A beautiful card shop. The picture doesn't even do justice to how lovely the cards really are. I got a 2 pack of cards and she threw in some of her new monogramed stationary. It'll come in handy! My daughter loved her little card she sent out with her package as well. Although she didn't like that it already had wording on it! She did ask what it said though. It was very nicely written, just like her blog. A favorite one of mine to visit and see how her days are going.

Lastly, my FIL and his wife sent the kids some new books. It came with a note saying Happy AnyDay! Our kids love books and so it was a nice treat. One was for my daughter, a princess book. It's sort of like a mini scrap book really. Came with a few things to do with it and lots of ideas to put stuff in it. May be a little old for her now, but she'll grow into it soon enough. There is a page you can dress up the princess, which she really likes so it works. I think we'll have to see if we can find her a SuperHero one as well so she can continue to have both things in life.

Second book is simply adorable! It is called Pigs Over Colorado. The pictures are fun and interesting and cover vacation spots in the state. Several that I've been to. The kids seemed to enjoy it as well. It also has hidden animals on every page. Those sorts of books are fun once the kids realize they are there :) Well that was in my mailbox yesterday, and so I thought I'd share.

Father's Day Crafting with Kids

So went to the store yesterday to buy a shirt to decorate for Father's Day. My daughter asked that we make on for Pop Pop and Grandpa as well. Figured we'd get some iron-ons to write out a message and then sponges and paint for the kids to have fun with! Well, here's a list for all of you thinking of doing the same thing:

1. Remember to take off all clothes or put on smocks with clothes you aren't worrying about being messed up. For you and kids. Although my clothes stayed clean, there's even paint on my sons shoes.


2. Painting outside or on a drop cloth is the best. My son decided to sponge all over the old sheet, so that has hearts and stars on it as well.


3. Pull up any long hair you or your kids may have. Sadly, mine is in a pony here, although I did it while I did the ironing. And as you can see in the pic, my daughters is not.


4. Test your fabric and paint for bleed-through factor first! I checked this on an old shirt of mine. Did bleed through the shirt and on the sheet. So we put posterboard between the shirt front and back.


5. Remember to have fun and that there will be foot prints (or shoe prints) on any and all things.

This was a fun little start to the day. Did my iron-ons and let the kids paint. Now they just have to dry. All three shirts say RockStar on them since that is what my daughter ask that they say. We tend to say the kids are rockstars and to rock n roll when we leave or just to rock it when dancing. It's adorable really to watch your kids bang their little heads just so they can rock it. (Also causes my son a bit of confusion since he has a rocket and when you tell him to play with his rocket, he'll rock it!)

So here's a little something for our Father's Day present (as well as a Lego Helicopter set). What are you doing for Father's Day? Don't forget to Rock It!

Somedays...

It's one of my favorite things to say and it was all I was thinking yesterday when I wasted the better part of a day trying to make a doll out of my daughters old clothes. You see, I thought it would be a cute idea to make ones for the Grandmothers using each child's clothes that they've long since out grown. It'd give them something to be near to when they wanted to be around their grandkids and couldn't. Unfortunately, I'm still learning the sewing bit! I've made a few things for my daughter before, still working on a quilt for my son, and wanted to do these for Mother's Day. Then my mom went in for surgery this last week. She's out, she's recovering, but I still wanted to send her a sorta "get well" present and figured this would be a good one to do.

I had two dresses in mind of my daughters, one a houndstooth dress and jacket that my mom gave her, the other a velveteen maroon dress that I thought would look great with the other. So I cut out my pieces, stuffed my arms and feet (I do realize that this is not the way it is done and that was part of my folly, but figured I could try it. Made a bunny for my daughter's second Easter this way and it worked out ok. Of course his limbs were smaller and his tummy larger, he has his own issues though, being as I did the head seperate from the body. His poor neck flops everywhere! First one made and it was a learning process right?)

Back to it, arms and feet stuffed, put in the doll, sew it around. Flip it out and only half of it was attached correctly. Fix the feet, try it again. Well the feet turned out great and the arms still didn't work. So I set that one aside. My husband, big Navy man, is a much better seemster than I. He does all his own uniforms, great for me because he can be anal. And even put together the kids' stockings this year. It was the first year we'd had stockings. Here's a pic.

So I got to work on another doll, basically the same way, but not quite. Figured I'd try to sew the legs and arms onto the doll body and then sew around it all and stuff. This worked out fairly well, other than the fact that it now looks like a voodoo doll! Not sure if that is something you really want to share with people is a voodoo doll of your children. Although my hubby said you could always tell them it's so the kids feel it when they hug them.

One last try, victory! Now on to stuffing the body... I don't know enough about fabric really to be doing this. Seams broke. Thinking I'll just make some pillows instead. I'll post pics when they are done. Just trying to figure out what I can do with my voodoo doll. :)