Sweet Baby Boy

It's always a creative opportunity when another friend has a baby

...and this time it's a boy!

YAY! What to make.....

Oo! Babies can never have too many stuffed animals! The first thought that came through my mind when I decided this was,

Oh no. I've tried my hand at sewing little stuffed creatures in the past. They seem to be a better fit for the Land of Misfit Toys than in the hands of a baby.

I knew my friend and her little one deserved more than a make-shift pattern and jagged embroidery techniques. My snow-day-craft-day friend, Amelia, suggested I take a look at her sewing book, "One-Yard Wonders". I found the perfect project! The pattern is titled Leisure Suit Lapdog and is a design by Marlene Gaige. Now, this particular pattern called for  "vintage double-knit polyester" as the fabric of choice...

I'm gonna go with... mmm, no.

I decided on a cotton jungle theme fabric (to go with his bedding, of course!) I added the contrasting fabric on more sections than the pattern recommended. I thought he needed some... pizazz.

The funny thing was, the entire time I was making the stuffed animal I was thinking to myself,

Oh man, it's gonna look so good. I wonder if she'll even know I made it...

I'm going to make a shot in the dark, but I'm pretty sure the poor hand stitching along the back and the fact that the doggie looks like it's making a wee toot give away that it is non-factory produced stuffed animal.

I think I'll go with the

"I wanted to give it a... hand-made look"

Next came the stitching for the eyes and nose. On fourth attempt, I got something I could live with.

My original plan was to sew buttons for the eyes (or large glass eyes as the pattern suggested). But you know, buttons + new born = choking hazard. I hope as long as the little guy has no teeth, unwinding the thread might hold some difficulty.

Many hours and cups of coffee... he's finished! Now on to the card for the...

                                                        

Sweet Baby Boy!

I plan to give this gift at his baby shower later in the month. I hope he likes it!

...and I have to say, I am pretty proud of myself with this project. After all, I sewed my first gusset!

Ah, Warm Weather Crafting

Let us now take a trip from the snow... into the future...

...Ah, Spring.

Guess what else happens in the spring besides crafts. Yes, ok, allergies.

 Babies!

Lots of babies seem to come about in the spring! (I shouldn't talk.. I was born in April). Making things for little ones.. oh man, it's so much fun. I like to imagine it will be their favorite thing for all time. When the truth is they will most likely throw up on it, break it or loose it. Well, maybe not.

My friend, Louann, asked me to make her niece, Erica, a piggy bank last spring. It was to be a gift for her sister's baby shower. She said she wanted a piggy bank, gave me the color scheme.. and off I went!

I was never the best at ceramics in college. I really struggled through the hand building... I think this was mainly due to the fact that I couldn't quite keep the back end of a ceramic cat attached to its body (Ugh, memories).



Specimen A

 My instructor always told me "clay is a lot like bread" because of the wedging and the science behind the mixtures. That must explain why my bread never turns out. See Specimen A.

In my defense, this bread would have been edible if I had not:
1. used wheat flour tried to make it health food
2. used splenda tried to make it health food
3. used a bread maker been in a rush

Despite my lack of confidence in baking and ceramics, I knew little Erica would just love this piggy bank if I made it out of clay.

And so we begin.

Observe slab box

Sense frustration in previous slab box

See newly formed box

"Insert Baby's Savings Account Here"

Adding embellishments (so she'll keep it forever)

Transparent & Opaque low fire glazes

...Ta Daaa!

    

I hope this brought a smile to Erica's little face...

and yours!



"Feeling a Little Loopy!": Ribbon Wreaths

 

So enough about my snow day insanity.. how about some crafts!

I really love these things and making theme is quite addictive. I have a feeling before long I will have one, in every color scheme, in every room of the house. My snow-day-craft-day-teacher-buddy, Liz, shared this wonderful idea!

Sadly, we cannot take credit. We must hand over the I'm-The-Craftiest-Person-Ever-Because-I-Came-Up-With-This-Idea flag to our friends at About.com. Check out this link for the How To's & What For's: Ribbon Wreath How To's

I must say, though, thank goodness this ribbon wreath idea came my way around Christmas time. Hello Hobby Lobby 40% off Christmas ornaments! I like to think I gave this craft my own spin by adding the embellishment in the center.

I have also found that using a variety of widths of ribbon works well. I feel like it makes it a bit more interesting.

I will say that it looks quite sad when you first begin... 10 little loops of ribbon on this styrofoam wreath.. but keep at it! It's totally worth the work!