Rocking Horse Before and After

Is it just me, or are there lots of baby showers to attend these days? I think it's just this stage of life. Surely it's not the water.

When I'm out thrifting, I always stay on the lookout for unique baby presents so I'll be ready for the next shower. One morning I ran across this sad little wooden rocking horse for $2. It looked like someone had tried to spray paint it black and then gave up.
I couldn't help but imagine it painted and pretty, and the cheap price tag made it easy to say yes. So I took it home with the idea that, once refinished, it might be a great gift for a baby shower I'm attending this month. I started sanding and discovered this...
No wonder it was $2! But some wood filler, lots of sanding, and even more coats of blue paint led to this...


I used my trusty Silhouette machine to cut out a vinyl monogram in the baby's initials, and then whipped up some rosettes (how-to here) that match the nursery colors picked out by the mommy-to-be.

Unique, thoughtful and TWO DOLLARS. I can't wait to give this to her!

Linking to:
Sew Much Ado ... Beyond the Picket Fence ... Tip Junkie ... Skip to My Lou ...

Pomander "Kissing Ball"

Amy at The Idea Room is never short on great ideas (hence the name, I suppose). I recently followed her pomander tutorial as I was preparing gifts for a friend's baby shower and this craft didn't disappoint. I took pictures of the process so you could join in, too.

Pearlized sewing pins, a Styrofoam ball, pink paper and a craft punch are all you need.

An hour and a very sore thumb later, I realized that I could have used my Silhouette for this project and finished about 58 minutes sooner.
But the end result was worth it. I added a ribbon to my project so it could be hung from a door knob.
Or even a shelf hook.
A fun and simple project that will add a little sparkle to a sweet baby girl's room.

Spring themed Baby Shower

I helped host a baby shower yesterday for a precious friend and my only assigned task was to make a dessert. Since I had 8 extra extended family members spending the weekend with us, I thought it was the perfect time to make the most detailed dessert in my repertoire. {Insert: what was I thinking??}
But these mini-cupcakes are just so stinkin' cute that I couldn't help myself. Thankfully, they turned out to be a big hit, and hopefully made the mommy-to-be feel extra special.
I've made these before and you can see pictures and a link to the recipe here.

Candy Corn Ruffle Bottoms

Halloween is over! I mean, ahem, Awww, man! Halloween is over already? Bummer.

I didn't hide my excitement very well, did I? I've already admitted that I'm not a Halloween fan. There is one giant redeeming factor about the holiday, however. Candy corn. Candy corn. Candy corn! I may have eaten a bag of it by myself in the last week or two. But my favorite kind of candy corn is this little number...

Candy Corn Ruffle Bottoms...

I took the fastest, sloppiest pictures ever for these. I had a lunch date with a precious little one month old Haper Jane who was receiving these little candy corn ruffle bottoms as a gift. And I was late! Imagine that...

To make the bloomers, I used Dana's diaper cover pattern found here and added ruffles to the backside. Her pattern was easy to follow and her sizing was spot-on. I used the 0-3 month pattern and it fit perfectly. The top cream ruffle was leftover from this project. The orange and yellow ruffles I made by pleating the fabric underneath my presser foot as I sewed. I hemmed the edges by folding under 1/4", twice.

Not wanting to sew your own? Ivy&Mae sells a similar version here.

OK, I'm not a 100% Halloween hater. I love the community that develops because of all the trick-or-treating. Texas is so wonderful. Even on Halloween the weather was warm enough that we could all sit out in our driveways, wear shorts and t-shirts, and enjoy chatting with each other while we greeted the costumed kiddos.

I was glad I had read this post before the doorbell started ringing, though. It was a good reminder of what an opportunity Halloween is to be a blessing, instead of my first thought which was to turn the porch light off and watch the Rangers! (Texas in the World Series??! Yes, please!)

And just for kicks (and to further prove I'm not a Halloween hater). Here's some fun spooky decor we've enjoyed recently.

I hope everyone's November is off to a great start!

Baby Shower Day

See my tutorial for the butterfly collage centerpiece here.

I'm not sure words can describe how incredibly delicious that cream cheese frosting was...

Baby Shower Week: Butterfly Collage

If you're just tuning in, it's baby shower week around here. Four of my friends are adding another bundle of joy to their lives and I wanted to make something special for each of them. This yellow and pink butterfly collage will be the centerpiece at a baby shower I'm throwing in two weeks. I also recently made a pink and brown version for one of my sweet friends and her BEAUTIFUL baby girl (Hi, Jill!).

I started with an average matted 11x14 frame I found on sale. I had plans to paint the wooden backing of the frame to create the backdrop, line it with card stock or even fabric, but I kid you not, all I did was flip over the paper that came with the frame. The backside ended up being a beautiful glossy white paper that looked prettier than anything I had on hand. Plus, it made adjusting the butterflies a little easier since it was glossy...it didn't tear every time I moved one.

Do remember to tape down the edges of your paper to the wooden backing. It will slide all over the place on you, and it gives it a little more reinforcement to handle the weight of the butterflies.

To hold the butterflies in place, I used foam squares that I cut into fourths. Their thickness added a lot of "oomph" to the project.

Using my butterfly punch (The Martha Stewart brand punch made this a cinch!) I cut out coordinating scrapbook paper we had on hand. This collage will go to a friend whose nursery is pastel yellows, pinks and creams so that was my main focus when choosing papers. I threw in two or three that included a light green as well to give the overall look a little extra punch.

Fold the wings out, using your fingernail to create a crease.

Then place a quartered foam square, sticky-side down onto the butterfly. Once you decide on positioning, peel off the backing and lightly set it in place. I recommend not pressing down until you're completely finished. I was surprised how many times I had to readjust my lines.

See the difference the foam and wing creases make?!

Finished product!

Have you seen Amy's butterfly collage yet? It's stunning!!


**I've had a lot of questions (including one text message, haha!) asking if the butterflies were under glass. Nope, no glass. The butterflies are too "3D" and will not fit. But now I have a free sheet of glass set aside for another project someday! :) **


Check out the rest of my Baby Shower Week projects:

Ruffle Baby Blanket

Ruffle Baby Burp Cloth

Linking to:

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Baby Shower Week: Matching Burp Cloth

I didn't say so in the last post, but believe me, it's baby shower week here. I have four baby shower gifts to give over a span of about 2 weeks so I had to get crafty!

I guess we'll call this Part II because this post is a tutorial for how to sew a matching burp cloth for the Ruffle Baby Blanket. Did you see it? If not, here's a picture of the blanket:

And, yes, I do own an iron. I just don't like hanging out with it very much.

This project is a "scrap" project. Meaning that if you've already made the Ruffle Baby Blanket, then you'll have everything you need for this project except a plain burp cloth because you'll be using your leftover fabric scraps.

Start off by eyeballing your stripes. I laid my scraps across the burp cloth and decided to make the green stripe skinnier than the pink one. Symmetrical stripes weren't as appealing in my opinion, but you can obviously craft it however you'd like!

Press the edges under evenly with an iron. I think these were 3/8 inch edges. Then pin into place on your burp cloth.

Sew the stripes one at a time, sewing the second stripe on top of the first. Here's a close up of my seams. No perfection here.

And don't worry about squaring up with the bottom of the fabric. Somehow I must have purchased uber-cheap burp cloths because the bottoms are crazy uneven. See the white cloth poking out underneath the seams?

No worries, it'll be ruffle-covered. Tuck under the ends of the ruffle and pin across. Sew two seams: One along the seam already in place on the ruffle, and another about 1/8" from the top. Don't forget to back stitch!!

And you're done! Matching burp cloth and blanket. Very boutique! And all it took was 2 yards of fabric, a little trim and an afternoon!

And I might have put a sneak peek into next week's project in this picture...

Linking to:

The T-shirt Diaries

Creative Itch

Ruffle Baby Blanket

You'll Need:
2 coordinating fabrics, 1 yard each
4 1/2 yards ruffle trim
thread

Squaring up the fabric is the bane of my existence during most projects. I want it to fit together perfectly but it almost never, ever works that way. My mom (the seamstress) keeps reminding that it usually isn't that big of a deal unless you're quilting. But I think I'm about to start quilting soon...then what will I do?!!

This is an extra step, but it was a must for me. My blanket is 34 1/2" square. I pinned the sides of both fabrics, right sides together, so that they were as even as I could get them.

Then I used the very scientific and professional corner-cutting method of using a glass bowl to round out the corners. This will make it easier to sew the ruffle all in one swoop. (And I like the rounded corner look for this fabric.)

Mark the fabric (you'll cut this ink off or sew over it...no worries)

Now sew the ruffle trim along the right side of one of your fabrics. I followed the seam already on the trim as my guide.

When your ends meet, you'll have to cut the trim so it will fit nicely. You can use your excess to make a matching burp cloth (tutorial coming next). Fold over the ends so they butt up against each other. My machine had a little trouble making it over the fold, so you may have to manually turn your needle. And don't forget to backstitch a few times!
Here's what you'll end up with...

And this bugs me. So at this point I sewed the ends together, just overlapping them ever so slightly. (This is the before picture...)

Now add in your other fabric and pin it right sides together to your ruffle-trimmed fabric.

Don't forget to leave an opening so you can turn it! I pinned on my pink fabric, the fabric I had just sewn the trim on. It was counter-intuitive, since I was sewing the green fabric on, but that way I could follow the seam I had just made. Fewer seams, prettier project.

After you sew the second side, turn your fabric, press the edges, and topstitch around the edges, right next to the ruffle. This will make the blanket lie flat, and keeps your ruffle seams (inside your blanket) from bunching up. And it closes up your seam opening that you left for turning.

And here it is! I just love how it turned out!

Think I should iron before I give her this one??!! Yikes!

I made a matching burp cloth and I'll post that tutorial soon. This was an easy afternoon project, so give it a try! And don't forget to send me a link/email me if you decide to make one as well...I'd love to see it!