Snazzle Craft

A Very Deadpool Halloween

2011-11-01T16:21:00.002-05:00

I made my nephew a Deadpool costume for Halloween. Though not all components were complete at the time of trick or treating, the costume still turned out amazing! There were many looks of amazement from fellow comic book fans as we went from house to house. I decided to put together a mini-comic book story about the adventures from last night…

More detailed pics to follow soon of the Deadpool Halloween costume. I am thinking I may try to enter it in a few costume contests online after I get the weapons holsters finished and tighten the fit on the pants. I would love to know what you think of this costume!

You Know You Want to Knit A Sweater for A Penguin | Common Dreams

2011-10-23T09:48:00.009-05:00

This makes me wish I knew how to knit! How cute are these penguins!? And what a cool way to help out our little oil-spilled friends of the oceans. LOVE this!!

You Know You Want to Knit A Sweater for A Penguin | Common Dreams

No more wire hangers!!

2011-09-22T08:12:00.001-05:00

<------------ Bettie Page is on my list of like the Top 10 Hottest Women of All Time. If she had been able to bottle up her sex appeal (and general capacity for always looking HOT), then I would have been first in line, with a pitched tent and my Snuggie close at hand, to buy a lifetime supply of that magic juice.

Joan Crawford --------------->(circa 1955) couldn't make that list of hotties, even if she tried to blackmail one of the judges by holding one of their children hostage at knifepoint (or wire hanger point? Get it? Oh, nevermind).

So, needless to say, when I decided that I would finally get my bangs cut I certainly made a point to reference several pics of Betty Page. I also made a point, with extreme clarity, to express that in no way did I want to resemble Joan Crawford. Ew, no thank you Ms. Crawford. No. Thank. You.

Just so there would no room for error, I provided my mom with pictures of what I wanted and didn't want in a brand new, shiny set of bangs. I showed her pics of Betty Page and Joan Crawford.

I even took it a step further by spending a ridiculous waste of time on manipulating my long hair into a bang shape and snapping a picture. Just so there could be no confusion……

Of course I thought I was being quite helpful in this instance. My mother (who is not easily frazzled nor annoyed) , on the other hand, looked as if she was imagining me careening into a deep, rocky ravine after tossing me off an airplane. She was not amused by my apparent distrust in her haircutting skills.

Alas, after attempt number one, I looked exactly as I wished I hadn't.

But, thankfully, I was blessed with a sense of humor and not an ounce of an issue with, quite uncontrollably and sometimes very loudly, laughing at myself. So, before I allowed my mother to go for attempt number two, I decided it was the perfect opportunity for me to take a stupendously re-donk-u-lous picture of myself:

Just imagine that in the moment in which this picture was taken that my mom and I are in between the hysterics of laughter while I am yelling out:

"No more wire hangers!!!!!!"

I think this picture is a true testament to my ability to laugh at myself....especially considering how undeniably dorky and presumably unattractive I appear in said picture.

Lucky for me my mom was able to stop laughing at me and my ode to Joan long enough to perform haircut number two in the attempt to fix the hot-mess resting ominously on my forehead.

Now I just feel a lot like Audrey Hepburn from Funny Girl which is about the equivalent of feeling like a prepubescent 10-year old boy....which is never a good thing LOL. But I think I am able to rock out the look for the next couple of weeks until I let mom try for attempt number three.

Well in case you were wondering, here is the temporarily new me, in all my bang-glory:

Here's hoping that three times really is a charm and I end up more sex kitten. If it ends up being some blend of Joan and Audrey, I'm liable to end up looking like 10-year old boy in drag. Sweet. LMAO.

Silly but Fun

2011-09-08T20:49:00.001-05:00

After installing the most recent update for Mozilla Firefox today, I had a few moments to spare and completed this short "survey/quiz" they offered which would result in a personalized....er, well this!

Did anyone else try this out? And if you did, how “accurate” was your resulting image in representing you? I think mine is dead on and perfect! :)

My First EVER feature story: A Simple How-To Organizer

2011-08-11T00:43:00.008-05:00

(via The South Bend Tribune)

Yay! I am so excited to share this link to my first EVER article/story outside of this blog! I am featured on MomsMichiana.com, which is a local (South Bend, Indiana) magazine. Here is the link to the article and the accompanying How-To Guide for making this easy and simple organizer.

I will be posting more images and some variations and updates on this project in the next day or two, so be sure to check back again soon!!

Proof that I don't think of everything....

2011-06-16T11:38:00.006-05:00

Okay this is truly fantastic. I have to share this, though I am sure a few of you (who follow the craft blog circuit) may have already seen this posted somewhere....but it's too great for me to not share just in case someone missed it.

The Frugal Granny: A New "Workbench" for a handy boy

I found it today while trying to get out of my "Crafter's block" (my version of "writer's block" LOL). For several weeks now, I have been researching ideas for DIY ways to decorate and furnish my 5-year old son's bedroom/playroom. Okay, realistically I have been "researching" rather obsessively and, dare I say, excessively. But I tend to do that with most of my projects. But I digress.....

Anyway, I hope to find some random, unused piece of comparable furniture that I already own to create something inspired by this amazing creation.

Vintage in Detail: Dorset Buttons – Sewing Blog | BurdaStyle.com

2010-12-22T10:28:00.003-06:00

[Image from: http://www.burdastyle.com/]

I found this today while searching for a shirt to make for my date tonight with my Lenny Kravitz look-alike (yes he's a hotty!) and thought I would share! I am going to have to add these crazy buttons to my LOOOOOONG TO-DO list of crafty projects for a rainy day. I just love these and think they would make a great addition to the vintage inspired coat I am planning to make out of a 1970's bedspread!

These buttons are probably easy once you've done one or two but I can't lie....they are looking a little intimidating to me right now and I am not so sure that the instructions seem so clear. But I will know for sure once I attempt this! Maybe this is something I can work on over my break from school this January. Anyhow, check it out:

Dorset Buttons – How-To

Easy Santa Beard

2010-12-04T01:50:00.002-06:00

I love easy, fast sewing projects. Especially the ones that make me smile when I am done. This Santa beard is just that type of project.

I have seen similar designs all over the blog world and even on Etsy but I am on a budget so what do I do? Make it myself, of course!

This one that I made here and photographed is now in a box and on its way to my baby sister who is going to be spending her first Christmas away from the family. She is is the Marine Corp and serving in Afghanistan. She has an amazing sense of humor just like her big sister (I am not one for modesty LOL) and will just ADORE the humor in this beard. I can’t wait till she gets it.

Anyhow, let’s get on with it.

First download and print the pattern. I am now including a 1” control square on all my patterns so this should help everyone out. :)

The materials are easy. 1 piece of pre-cut cream or white felt or a nice piece of soft flannel or fleece. This will be the liner that touches your face. A piece of white fleece just large enough to accommodate the pattern pieces.

Now I did the entire piece on my sewing machine but this could also be sewn by hand with a running stitch or blanket stitch. The choice is yours.

Oh and don’t forget your elastic! I chose a narrow white elastic (the size escapes my mind that the moment) but really the choice is yours here as well.

The elastic needs to be long enough to go around the head of the wearer, from ear to ear. There should be some stretching of the elastic when it is on the person but not so much that it leaves indentations and grimaces from “Santa.”

Stitch the mustache onto the right side of the beard piece (the piece that is facing the world not your freckles). Then place this onto the liner fabric.

Now for the elastic. You can pin it before sewing and have it sandwiched between the beard and the liner or your can sew it on last with the ends on the liner side. It’s up to you. The placement position is indicated on the pattern by a small grey box on the beard).

Okay so depending on what you decided for the elastic, you may only need to stitch the liner and beard pieces together using a straight stitch on your sewing machine. Keep the stitch as close to the edge as you feel comfortable.

(Here I am wearing the beard. Tee Hee.)

Remember this project is supposed to be easy and fun. There are no steadfast rules on this, bend or break the few rules there are as you see fit!

And lastly, just have fun. Enjoy! Muah!!

I'm Alive!!

2010-11-20T14:55:00.005-06:00

I am alive. I just thought I would share that. I have been a naughty blogger and completely ignored my baby (my blog) for almost a year! But in my defense I had a lot going on (see my previous post).

And I switched schools! I was attending the University of Phoenix online but decided to switch to art school. It was the BEST decision of my life! I am now attending The Academy of Art University out of San Francisco and working towards my BFA in graphic design completely online! It's really awesome.

I made Flickr profile that has, for the moment, just some of my schoolwork (though I will probably start using it for my blog as well in the future). You can check it out here.

What else has been going on? Well school does take up not only a lot of my time but a lot of my creative energy. I also lost over 65 pounds in the last year since the split with my ex and I am happier then ever!

So with my new found zest for life I am ready to start tackling this blogging world again! I am determined to get a book deal out of this blog and maybe get onto the Marta Stewart Show! LOL. So I better get to it!

Oh and the photo is not me LOL. Credit is due to the photographer: http://andrewnewson.co.uk/

Okay this is soo not crafty-related...

2009-12-14T09:50:00.004-06:00

Like a lot of creative people, I need to listen to music that gets me inspired and feeling creative while I am crafting or doing any other artistic activity. Well, today I was trying to discover more obscure indie/folk/pop/rock musicians, particularly my favorite which are usually female singer/songrwriters. I wanted to add some music to my huge "crafty inspiring" playlist. I found this website that had the enture playlist from all episodes of Grey's Anatomy, which is still one of my favorite television shows.

So even though it isn't technically crafty-related....I think that this list needs to be posted here for anyone looking to discover new and potentially obscure artists. Have fun and enjoy. This list is copied straight from the Grey's Anatomy Insider website, so thank you to them for compiling this list!

*** Oh and as a side note, most people have commented that my musical selection on this blog is fantastic but I have recently discovered one complaining that my music is "awful". I'm not sorry if some don't like it because I love it. AND you can scroll to the very bottom of the page and turn the music off.

Complete Song Listing
Ever wonder what that song you heard on Grey's Anatomy is called? Well, here's your chance to find out. We have compiled a list of songs featured on the show and organized them by episode.

As you know very well by now, the Soundtrack and Soundtrack Vol. II are a mere sampling of the eclectic tunes featured on the show. The artists listed below have produced works both uplifting and eerie, melodic and foreboding.

Without them, Grey's Anatomy would have a completely different feel, and lack much of the emotional force that each episode provides. Here's a look at the songs from each episode - and as of January 2007, the moment during each episode in which they are featured!

SEASON ONE

Episode 1: “A Hard Day’s Night”
O.A.O.T.S., "Dance"
Thirteen Senses, "Into the Fire"
Butterfly Boucher, "Life Is Short"
Rilo Kiley, "Portions for Foxes"
Vaughan Penn, "Ready to Rise"
BANG sugar BANG, "Super Cool?
Jem, "They"

Episode 2: “The First Cut is the Deepest”
The Cardigans, "Live and Learn"
The Ditty Bops, "Sister Kate"
Keane, "Somewhere Only We Know"
Get Set Go, "Wait"
Tegan and Sara, "You Wouldn't Like Me"

Episode 3: “Winning a Battle, Losing the War”
Lisa Loeb, "Fools Like Me"
Tegan and Sara, "I Won't Be Left"
The Ditty Bops, "There's a Girl"
The Ditty Bops, "Wishful Thinking"
Reindeer Section, "You Are My Joy"

Episode 4: “No Man’s Land”
Get Set Go, "Break Your Heart"
The Eames Era, "Could Be Anything"
Rosie Thomas, "Let Myself Fall"
Sia, "Sunday"
Vaughan Penn, "Truth"
Tegan and Sara, "Where Does the Good Go?"

Episode 5: “Shake Your Groove Thing”
Ivy, "Edge of the Ocean"
Interpol, "Evil"
Dee, "Money Girl"
Buffseeds, "Sparkle Me"
Psapp, "Tiger, My Friend"
The Ditty Bops, "Wake Up"

Episode 6: “If Tomorrow Never Comes”
Psapp, "Chapter"
Butterfly Boucher, "Never Leave Your Heart Alone"
Jem, "Save Me"
The Ditty Bops, "Walk or Ride"

Episode 7: “The Self-Destruct Button”
Tegan and Sara, "Downtown"
Wilco, "Hummingbird"
Joe Purdy, "Suitcase"
ACDC, "The Self-Destruct Button"
Jem, "Wish I"

Episode 8: “Save Me”
Nellie McKay, "David"
Masha Qrella, "Feels Like"
Tegan and Sara, "Fix You Up"
Joe Purdy, "I Love the Rain the Most"
78 Saab, "No Illusions"
Laura Veirs, "Rapture"

Episode 9: “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?”
A.M. Sixty, "Big As the Sky"
Psapp, "Cosy In the Rocket"
Medeski, Martin & Wood, "End of the World Party"
Iron & Wine, "Naked As We Came"
Maria Taylor, "Song Beneath the Song"
Nellie McKay, "The Dog Song"
The Radio, "Whatever Gets You Through Today"

SEASON TWO

Episode 1: “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head”
Firstcom, "All I Need"
Michelle Branch, "Breathe"
Esthero & Sean Lennon, "Everyday Is a Holiday (With You)"
Ivy, "Feel So Free"
Bow Wow Wow, "I Want Candy"
Mike Doughty, "Looking At the World from the Bottom of a Well"
Kate Earl, "Some one to Love"
Blue-Eyed Son, "Step Away From the Cliff"
Joe Purdy, "The City"

Episode 2: “Enough is Enough (No More Tears)”
Goldfrapp, "Beautiful"
Joy Zipper, "Go Tell The World"
Jem, "Just a Ride"
kt tunstall, "Suddenly I See"
Brandi Carlile, "What Can I Say"

Episode 3: “Make Me Lose Control”
Sylvie Lewis, "By Heart"
Inara George, "Fools In Love"
Elevator Action, "I'm a Bitch"
Roisin Murphy, "Ruby Blue"
Get Set Go, "Sleep"
Maria Taylor, "Song Beneath the Song"

Episode 4: “Deny, Deny, Deny”
Ben Lee, "Catch My Disease"
The Delgados, "I Fought the Angels"
Merrick, "Infinity"
Rolsin Murphy, "Ramalama"

Episode 5: “Bring the Pain”
Way Out West, "Don't Forget Me"
Mike Doughty, "I Hear the Bells"
Tegan and Sara, "Not Tonight"
Roisin Murphy, "Prelude to Love In the Making"
Blue-Eyed Son, "Step Away from the Cliff"
Blue-Eyed Son, "When I Come Home"
Cowboy Racer, "Yellow Horse"

Episode 6: “Into You Like a Train”
The Hereafter, "Back Where I Was"
B.C. Camplight, "Blood and Peanut Butter"
Umbrellas, "The City Lights"
Emiliana Torrini, "Today Has Been Okay"

Episode 7: “Something to Talk About”
The Faders, "Better Off Dead"
Annie, "Chewing Gum"
Mark Joseph, "Get Through"
kt tunstall, "other side of the world"
Rosie Thomas, "Since You've Been Around"

Episode 8: “Let it Be”
Gabin, "Bang Bang to the Rock n' Roll"
Joe Purdy, "Far Away Blues"
Nouvelle Vague, "I Melt With You"
Anya Marina, "Miss Halfway"
The Faders, "No Sleep Tonight"
The Chalets, "Sexy Mistake"

Episode 9: “Thanks for the Memories”
The O.A.O.T.'s, "Dance"
Dressy Bessy, "New Song (From Me to You)"
Keren Ann, "Not Going Anywhere"
Fannypack, "Nu Nu (Yeah Yeah)"
Josh Rouse, "Sad Eyes"
Emiliana Torrini, "Serenade"
Nellie McKay, "The Dog Song"
Mark McAdam, "Too Hard"

Episode 10: “Much Too Much”
Get Set Go, "Crying Shame"
James Blunt, "High"
Greenskeepers, "Lotion"
Roisin Murphy, "Night of the Dancing Flame"
Lifehouse, "You and Me"

Episode 11: “Owner of a Lonely Heart”
Jim Noir, "I Me You"
Emiliana Torrini, "Sunny Road"
James Blunt, "Tears and Rain"
Gemma Hayes, "Two Step"
Moonbabies, "War On Sound"

Episode 12: “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer”
Jet, "Back Door Santa"
Maria Taylor, "Christmas After All"
Holidays on Ice, "Here Comes Your Ride"
Sixpence None The Richer, "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear"
The LeeVees, "Latke Clan"
Catie Curtis, "Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming"
Lou Rawls, "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town"
Nat King Cole, "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)"
Mascott & Dave Derby, "This Christmastime"

Episode 13: “Begin the Begin”
Slow Runner, "Break Your Momma's Back"
The 88, "Hide Another Mistake"
Kraak & Smaak, "One of These Days"
Cary Brothers, "Ride"

Episode 14: “Tell Me Sweet Little Lies”
Saint Etienne, "A Good Thing"
Carey Ott, "Am I Just One"
Adrienne Pierce, "Fool's Gold"
Sam Winch, "I Got Some Moves"
Metric, "Monster Hospital"
Mike Tarantino, "Wienermobile Girl"

Episode 15: “Break On Through”
Emilia, "Big Big World"
Leeroy Stagger, "Just In Case"
Landon Pigg, "Sailed On"
Kendall Payne, "Scratch"
Rebecca Lynn, "Small World, Big Girl"
Kate Earl, "Someone to Love"
Aqueduct, "The Suggestion Box"
Vassy, "Wanna Fly"

Episode 16: “It’s the End of the World…”
Big Big World (TNT Big Phat Mix): Emilia
Monotypes, "Dead Streets"
Michael Stipe & Chris Martin, "In The Sun"
Joseph Arthur, "In the Sun"
Ursula 1000, "Kaboom"
kt tunstall, "Miniature Disasters"
Kate Havnevik, "Unlike Me"

Episode 17: “... As We Know It”
Greenskeepers, "Back In The Wild"
Anna Nalick, "Breathe (2 a.m.)"
Foy Vance, "Homebird"
Correatown, "I Tell Myself"
Ambulance LTD, "Stay Where You Are"
Kate Havnevik, "Unlike Me"
The Weepies, "World Spins Madly On"

Episode 18: “Yesterday”
All Sad Girls Are Beautiful, "Baby Blue"
Joshua Radin, "Closer"
Psapp, "Cosy In the Rocket"
Diplo, Pantera Os Danadinhos, Sandra Melody & Vybz Cartel, "Diplo Rhythm"
Headlights Headlights, "Everybody Needs a Fence to Lean On"
Rosie Thomas, "It Don't Matter to the Sun"
Devics, "Just One Breath"
Corinne Bailey-Rae, "Like a Star"
Shout Out Louds, "Wish I Was Dead Pt. 2"

Episode 19: “What Have I Done to Deserve This?”
Boy Least Likely To, "Be Gentle With Me"
Madeline Peyroux, "Careless Love"
Get Set Go, "I Hate Everyone"
Devics, "Just One Breath"
Corinne Bailey Rae, "Like A Star"
Sandra Melody, "Newsflash"
New Moscow, "Slow Down"
Brandi Carlile, "Throw It All Away"
Emiliana Torrini, "Today Has Been Okay"

Episode 20: “Band Aid Covers the Bullet Hole”
Ning Baizura, "Breathe Again"
Sing-Sing, "Come, Sing Me a Song"
Jem, "Flying High"
The Last Town Chorus, "Modern Love"
Tina Dico, "One"
Urbs, "So Weit"

Episode 21: “Superstition”
Anna Nalick, "Catalyst"
Luke Doucet, "Free"
Foy Vance, "Gabriel and the Vagabond"
Dr, Moses McNeil and Company, "Halleluah"
Rufus Wainwright, "Hallelujah"
Jeff Buckley, "Hallelujah"
The Fray, "How to Save a Life"
Devics, "Just One Breath"
Jamie Lidell, "Multiply"
Postal Service, "Such Great Heights"
Greenskeepers, "You Don't Know Me"

Episode 22: “Name of the Game”
Sunshine, "C'Mon Yeah"
Gnarls Barkley, "Crazy"
Dressy Bessy, "Girl, You Shout!"
Butterfly Boucher, "Life Is Short"
Joshua Radin, "The Fear You Won't Fall"
Anna Nalick, "Wreck of the Day"
Phil War, "You Think I'm Crazy"

Special: “Under Pressure”
Breath, "Breaking Down"
Mark Joseph, "Fly"
Adrienne Pierce, "Fool's Gold"
Merrick, "Infinity"
Bright Eyes, "I Woke Up With This Song In My Head This Morning"
The Weepies, "World Spins Madly On"
Kendall Payne, "Scratch"

Episode 23: "Blues For Sister Someone"
Metric, "Police and the Private"
Hotel Lights, "Follow Through"
Sunshine, "Love"
James Morrison, "Better Man"
Caleb Kane, "Go Mad"
The Chalets, "Gogo Don't Go"
The Chalets, "Red High Heels"
The Chalets, "Fight Your Kids"

Episode 24: "Damage Case"
Foy Vance, "Homebird"
Kate Havnevik, "Nowhere Warm"
Regina Spektor, "On The Radio"
Brandi Carlile, "Tragedy"
The Legends, "Something Good"
Inara George, "Oh My Love"
Kate Havnevik, "Unlike Me"
Anna Nalick, "Breathe (2 a.m.)"
Natalie Wilson, "When You Need a Friend"
The HorrorPops, "Where They Wander"

Episode 25: "17 Seconds"

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Gold Lion"
Snow Patrol, "Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking"

Episode 26: "Deterioration of the Fight or Flight Response"
KT Tunstall, "Universe And U"
The Coral Sea, "Look At Her Face"
Au Revoir Simone, "Through The Backyards"
Gomez, "How We Operate"

Episode 27: "Losing My Religion"
Peter Droge, "Under The Waves"
Dressy Bessy, "Side 2"
Amos Lee, "Colors"
Masha Qrella, "Destination Vertical"
Kate Havnevik, "Grace"
Snow Patrol, "Chasing Cars"

SEASON THREE

Episode 1: "Time Has Come Today"
The Dixie Chicks, "Lullaby"
Tegan & Sara, "Take Me Anywhere"
Sleeping At Last, "Quicksand"
Emiliana Torrini, "Nothing Brings Me Down"
Gnarls Barkley, "Gone Daddy Done"
Grant Lee Phillips, "Under The Milky Way"

Episode 2: "I Am a Tree"
Moloko, "The Time Is Now"
Mat Kearney, "Crashing Down"
The Chalets, "Theme From Chalets"
Bittersweet, "The Mating Game"
Jesus Jackson, "Running On Sunshine"
Snow Patrol, "Open Your Eyes"
Mat Kearney, "All I Need"

Episode 3: "Sometimes a Fantasy"
Outkast, "Idlewild Blues"
Lilly Allen, "Take What You Take"
The Pipettes, "Dirty Mind"
The Bamboos, "Step It Up"
The Poems, "Ballad of a Bitter End"
Joe Purdy, "Can't Get It Right Today"

Episode 4: "What I Am"
Camera Obscura, "If Looks Could Kill"
The Gossip, "Standing In The Way Of Control"
Au Revoire Simone, "Back In Time"
Kate Havnevik, "So - Lo"
TV On The Radi, "Province"
Mindy Smith, "Fall For Nothing"

Episode 5: "Oh, The Guilt"
Nellie McKay, "Clonie"
Kate Havnevik, "Kaleidoscope"
The Second Band, "Wild Is The Wind"
Fionn Regan, "Be Good Or Be Gone"
Keisha White, "Don't Mistake Me"

Episode 6, "Let The Angels Commit"
Teddy Bears, "Cobrastyle"
Jim Noir, "My Patch"
Peter Bjorn & John, "Young Folks"
Gomez, "Notice"
Vega 4, "Life is Beautiful"

Episode 7: "Where The Boys Are"
Beck, "Think I'm In Love"
Jim Noir, "Tell Me What To Do"
Luke Temple, "Make Right With You"
Inara George, "Greedy"
The Jealous Girlfriends, "Something In The Water"
Big Sandy & His Fly Rite Boys, "It's Time"
Brett Dennen, "There Is So Much More"
Bedouin Soundclash, "12:59 Lullaby"
Bill Ricchini, "A Cold Wind Will Blow Through Your Door"

Episode 8: "Staring at the Sun"
Lily Allen, "Not Big"
Get Set Go, "Everybody Get Movin'"
The Watson Twins, "Time of My Life"
Mat Kearney, "Where We Gonna Go From Here"
Ingrid Michaelson, "Breakable"
Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey), "God Bless the Child"

Episode 9: "From a Whisper to a Scream"
The Dears, "You And I Are A Gang of Losers"
Damien Rice, "9 Crimes"
Kate Havnevik, "New Day"

Episode 10: "Don't Stand So Close to Me"
Anya Marina, "Sociopath"
John Legend, "Show Me"
Son Volt, "World Waits For You"

Episode 11: "Six Days (Part I)"
The Research, "Lonely Hearts Still Beat The Same"
William Fitzsimmons, "Passion Play"
Emiliana Torrini, "Beggars Prayer (demo)"
Michelle Featherstone, "Rest Of My Life"
Travis, "Love Will Come Through"

Episode 12: "Six Days (Part II)"

1. OK Go, "Here It Goes Again"
The song plays as Meredith and Derek bicker in bed after not getting much sleep. Izzie and George discuss Izzie's check.

2. Regina Spektor, "Fidelity"
The song plays as Addison and Callie talk about Addison's choice to not have Mark's baby.

3. Ingrid Michaelson, "The Way That I Am"
The song plays as Cristina complains about sleeping alone, and Meredith confesses she feels jealous of George's relationship with his dad. Cristina brings Burke his dinner.

4. Susanna & The Magical Orchestra, "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
The song plays as the O'Malley family makes a decision about George's dad.

5. Gary Jules, "Falling Awake"
The song plays as Burke, Cristina and Derek talk about Mr. o'Malley. His family is gathered around him in the hospital. George's friends wait in support of him.

6. The Slip, "Life in Disguise"
The song plays as Cristina consoles George, Alex and Addison spend time together, and Derek goes to sleep beside Meredith.

Episode 13: “Great Expectations”

1. Lily Frost, “Enchantment”
Burke has Derek and Meredith over for a dinner party at his house, and Cristina sits in the kitchen counter tossing cereal into her mouth and drinking wine straight from the bottle.

2. Umbrellas, “Ships”
Callie, Cristina and Richard operate on a patient. Derek yells at Meredith about telling Sloan about the chief. Dr. Bailey asks Dr. Burke for help. Izzie talks to Rachel about letting go of Jilly who is going to die of a disease.

3. Skye, “Love Show”
Addison invites Alex to a surgery. Meredith and Derek fight, but make up. Cristina and Burke make up. George and Callie make up.

Episode 14: "Wishin' and Hopin'"

1. Sybarite, "Runaway" feat. Psapp
The song plays as Izzie and Bailey look onto their new "Denny Duquette Memorial" clinic. Cristina considers her ring. Meredith prepares to speak with her mother.

2. Beck, "Elevator Music"
The song plays as Izzie and Alex offer a patient a free consultation. Ellis and Cristina talk about Meredith.

3. Miho Hatori, "Barracuda"
The song plays as Vincent learns about his girlfriend. Cristina begs to be included in a surgery. Meredith warns Derek about her mother but Derek talks to Ellis anyway.

4. Iain Archer, "Canal Song"
The song plays as Meredith talks with Richard.

5. Susanna & The Magical Orchestra, "Believer"
The song plays as Richard and Ellis talk about Meredith and their past relationship.

6. The Whitest Boy Alive, "Fireworks"
The song plays as Cristina and Burke share their moment.

Episode 15: "Walk On Water"

1. Radio Citizen, "The Hop"
Meredith sits in the bathtub alone, Derek tells Meredith he is concerned about her, Izzie misses George, Cristina tells Burke not to tell anyone they are engaged.

2. Union of Knives, "Opposite Direction"
Bailey tells interns to get out there and help people, Meredith tends to the wounded.

3. 8MM, "Liar"
Izzie tells Vince to find search and rescue, Derek asks Meredith if she is upset, Addison and Richard talk, Cristina confronts Burke.

4. Snow Patrol, "Make This Go On Forever"
Alex checks on Jane Doe, Mrs. Heit waits for word on her son, Rick starts to have a seizure, A crowd of distraught family members yells at Alex, and Meredith is accidentally knocked off the pier into the water.

Episode 16: "Drowning On Dry Land"

1. Butterfly Boucher, "A Bitter Song"
The song plays as the episode opens and Meredith struggles in the water. Later, the track plays at the end of the episode as the doctors furiously work on Meredith.

2. Kate Havnevik, "Timeless"
Song plays as Izzie drills into the patient's head. The little girl stares at the water as Derek finally emerges with Meredith.

3. Patrick Watson, "The Great Escape"
The song plays as Izzie is in surgery with her patient. Alex posts pictures from the morgue.

Episode 17: "Some Kind of Miracle"

1. Aqualung, "The Lake"
The song plays early in the episode as the Chief works on Meredith.

2. Damien Rice, "Sleep Don't Weep"
This track is showcased when Meredith's heart flatlines, and the doctors look on, perplexed - and unsure if they should continue.

3. Unkle Bob, "Swans"
Song plays as Chief says goodbye to Ellis, Derek sleeps by Meredith, and Izzie & Denny sense each other in the hallway.

Episode 18: "Scars and Souvenirs"

1. Koop, "Come To Me"
Plays as Izzie gets surprised by Alex in the morning, and she complains to Meredith about it. At the same time, George complains to his wife, Callie, about Izzie.

2. Gomez, "Girlshapedlovedrug"
Cristina catches up with Colin, who shows up out of the blue. Derek and George prep for her operation. Callie tells George about her family.

3. Psapp, "Hi"
This one plays while Meredith tells Derek she is having dinner with her father, Thatcher, and the interns talk in the cafeteria.

4. Wild Sweet Orange, "Land Of No Return"
Meredith and her father and stepmother have dinner. Meanwhile, Dr. Burke questions Cristina about her past relationships.

5. Anya Marina, "Move You"
George and Izzie get drunk and have a blast together. Alex checks on Jane Doe, again. Cristina and Meredith have a heart to heart.

Episode 19: "My Favorite Mistake"

1. Mirah, "La Familia"
This song plays at the beginning of the episode as Izzie wakes up and Meredith and Cristina ask her questions about her night.

2. Alamo Race Track, "Black Cat John Brown"
At lunch, Izzie asks Meredith about blacking out after drinking. Cristina talks about Burke. Izzie asks about Jane Doe's face selection.

3. Adam Merrin, "Still Alright"
You hear this song as George has a flashback to the night before... and he goes to confront Izzie about it.

4. Let's Go Sailing, "All I Want From You Is Love"
This song plays as Meredith harvests bone during her much-anticipated operation, and Cristina amputates her patient's foot.

5. Let's Go Sailing, "Sideways"
Alex talks to Jane Doe about her new face. Cristina talks to Burke about their wedding. Meredith talks to Derek about her dad.

Episode 20: "Time After Time"

1. Amy Winehouse, "You Know I'm No Good"
The song plays as Burke and Cristina operate on a patient.

2. The Whitest Boy Alive, "Burning"
Plays as Cristina and Meredith discuss their issues with Colin and Susan, and Alex asks for Cristina's help.

3. Nouvelle Vague, "Dancing With Myself"
Playing in the background as the interns hang out at the clinic and talk about their patients.

4. Maria Taylor, "Clean Getaway"
George helps Izzie get dressed and she tells him about her family.

5. Lullaby Baxter, "Fontana Fontaine"
This track plays when Derek asks Bailey for advice about Meredith, and as George takes a recovering Izzie down to pediatrics.

6. Maria Taylor, "A Good Start"
Jane Doe argues with Alex. Burke and Cristina talk about Colin at home. Susan confronts Meredith and they have a heart to heart. Addison finds Richard hitting on a woman... and decides to intervene.

Episode 21: "Desire"

1. The Reddmen, "The Secrets of Amanda Prine"
We hear this song as the interns study for a big exam.

2. Let's Go Sailing, "Better Off"
Callie and Addison talk about their various relationships and feelings while this song plays (and Ava listens) in the background.

3. The Bird & The Bee, "Again & Again"
The interns continue studying, while testing out wedding cakes.

4. Beck, "Nausea"
The surgeons and interns participate in various operations.

5. Anna Waronker, "How Am I Doing"
This song plays at the end of the episode, as Cristina is studying and picks a cake, while George and Izzie talk about the future, and Addison unsuccessfully tries to get Alex to hang out with her.

Episodes 22 & 23: "The Other Side of This Life (Parts I & II)"

1. Feist, "Sealion"
The song plays as the interns are wakeful at night, and Cristina awakes to find Burke's mother is there.

2. The Mary Onettes, "Lost"
The song plays as Addison Montgomery drives along the Pacific coast and enters the Oceanside Wellness Clinic.

3. The Broken West, "Down In The Valley"
Addison enters the Wellness Clinic and finds Naomi.

4. The Switches, "Message From Yuz"
Naomi tells Addison they have an opening.

5. The Rosewood Thieves, "Los Angeles"
Couples therapy at the Wellness Center.

6. Jem, "California Sun"
Naomi and Addison talk, Violet runs into her ex.

7. The Adored, "Not Having It"
Cooper cries over his stripped vehicle.

8. Brandi Carlile, "Turpentine"
Addison yells at the elevator to stop talking!

Episode 24: "Testing 1-2-3"

1. Let's Go Sailing, "This Rope Is Long"
This song plays as Meredith gets dressed in a black dress as the interns study. Callie and George study. Meredith talks with Derek at the hospital and Cristina and Burke talk about the wedding.

2. Amy Winehouse, "Wake Up Alone"
The song plays as George tries to talk to the Chief, and the doctors operate on the three hypothermic mountain climbers.

3. Ingrid Michaelson, "Corner Of Your Heart"
Alex and Ava argue about her memory and what she really knows. Izzie tries to talk with George about Mercy West but becomes upset.

4. The Weather Machines, "Stains Of Saints"
This song plays as Addison joins Derek, Mark and Preston at Burke's bachelor party at Joe's bar.

5. Paolo Nutini, "Million Faces"
A mysterious woman offers to buy Derek a drink in the bar, while Ava (or Rebecca Pope) and Alex reconcile, and Richard finds Adele.

Episode 25: "Didn't We Almost Have It All"

1. The Jealous Girlfriends, "Roboxula"
Callie copies Cristina's vows onto her hand, Izzie and Meredith play toilet paper bride, Richard tells Mark he won't be Chief, and Bailey tells Derek that they found the fourth mountain climber.

2. Grace Potter, "Falling Or Flying"
Cristina is unable to sleep on the eve of her wedding day, Alex watches Rebecca and her husband talk, Derek talks to Meredith about his night.

3. Ray Lamontagne, "Hold You In My Arms"
Burke practices his vows in the O.R., Callie says she wants a baby, Alex talks with Rebecca's husband, Jeff, while he holds her baby.

4. Coburn, "Closer"
Cristina operates in order to clear her head before the ceremony. Izzie helps George tie his tie and declares her feelings for him.

5. Ray Lamontagne, "Within You"
The interns get their test results. Ava begs Alex to give her a reason to stay, and Meredith and Derek have a disappointing heart to heart.

6. The Hereafter, "Eulogy"
The song plays as Alex talks to Addison about Ava. George and Bailey talk about his results, and whether they failed one another. Meanwhile, the ladies get ready for the wedding.

7. The Mary Onettes, "Explosions"
Cristina readies herself and Preston goes to check on her.

8. Ingrid Michaelson, "Keep Breathing"
The song plays in the final few minutes of the episode as Alex looks for Rebecca, Meredith helps Cristina out of her dress, Callie watches Izzie sitting in the chapel, George meets Lexie Grey, and Richard talks with Derek about the Chief position.

Why I have been absent....

2009-09-26T13:06:00.008-05:00

I just wanted to let everyone know why I have been silent for so long. Since my last post in the end of May, I had gotten really involved in some craft swaps and everytime I finished an awesome project I couldn't post pics here because my swap partner hadn't received their item yet and I didn't want to spoil the surprise! And I am going to school online full-time and school has been especially tough since I started my BA (it's very fast paced and hard!). So I have been crafting and I do have lots to share and I promise I will get on the ball and share it all with you! But that's not the main reason for the lack of posting....

...So the beginning of August I leave for my 22-year old sister's boot camp graduation from the Marine's (I love her. She is my hero.) and when I got back from the 4-day trip....yeah, my fiance breaks up with me. We have been together since November of 2005. We have two children together, my wonderful 3-year old son and my beautiful daughter of only 18 months.

My kids at ages 1 and 2...

I knew we had problems but it still came as a complete shock to me (though he doesn't believe that's possible). He drops this on me the day I have a HUGE paper to write for a class I was already at risk of failing AND I was right in the middle of the biggest craft swap I have ever participated in. But whoever said breakups happen at a "good" time in life anyway. Then after he tells me that we're done he decides that he doesn't want to be in the same house as me so "we" can have "time to process" what's happened. So then I was basically homeless although he says he didn't kick me out....

....so at almost 30 years old I have been staying at my mom's house with both my kids, sleeping on a queen-sized air mattress in my mom's back family room. No closet. No computer of my own. All my craft stuff at my previous home with my ex-fiance. Needless to say, it's been rough.

But here is the good news! In the midst of all this chaos there is a stream of light shining down through the clouds. My mom and I rearranged her craft room (yes I have an equally talented and wonderful mother!!) and organized all her stuff to make room for my stuff too! We are now sharing a craft room and spending amazing, quality time together crafting every night! And the even better part is that we are starting two businesses together!

We have a dream of quitting our "day-jobs" and somehow crafting for a living. We have started two Etsy shops and are starting to make items to sell on our shops. We have also just signed up for our first craft show that will be in November! I am happy as a clam that my mom is crafting again. And her and I get along so well when we are sewing and crafting. I see promise in a new day and I know that everything will be fine.

Me, my mom (pregnant with my baby sister) and my other sister...

I don't believe for one second that God gave my mother to me and me to her, with such talent and vision, for us not to be meant to do something amazing with our collective talents. If I could wish for one thing in this life, besides giving my children a happy existence, it would be to enable my mother to quit her job and open the boutique she has always dreamed of. I want her to die a happy and VERY old woman who works because she LOVES her job and not because she HAS to. I want her to die with a smile on her face, peace in her heart, and the feeling of fulfillment that comes with doing something she loves....creating.

With that said...I will be posting regular updates again. I have a backlog of projects to share from the last few months. I also will share the opening of my two Etsy shops when I have them fully setup. I want to have some contests with prizes, hopefully soon, and I am going to create a new Christmas craft project list for 2009 like I did last year. You can see last years list here.

Thanks everyone for their continued support and patience with me during these especially tough times. I love this blog and I never want to stop sharing with you all. Thanks for listening to my especially long rant. Mwah!

Floral Shirt to Toddler Dress Recon

2009-05-28T09:27:00.006-05:00

I have been into clothing upcycling/recon lately. So I asked all my friends to rifle through their cloests and give me all their old clothes. My friend Rose gave me this stretch-poly floral print shirt...I think its a L or XL Juniors. Anyhow, I knew it would make a great bathing suit or dress for my daughter. Here is the original top:

I drafted a pattern and got to work. The finished design ended up being slightly too big on her but she can still wear it now and she will definitely grow into it! I am tweaking the pattern so I can post it on here!! I used some tealish colored stretch poly jersey that I had leftover from another project to use as the straps, accent waistband, and headband. I also used a teeny piece to cover the button in the flower.

The picture doesn't quite show how flat the triangle top pieces lay because my daughter wouldn't sit still for the picture and my camera is terrible.

Lastly, I used these instructions to create the beautiful flower for her matching headband. The instructions were realy easy and the design is fabulous.

I will be making another one of these dresses soon so I can *hopefully* post a pattern with instructions for the design. In the meanwhile, you'll just have to over these pictures! :P

Junk Jewelry Necklace

2009-05-19T07:34:00.006-05:00

Today’s “Use What You Have Tuesday” is more of an inspirational guide than an actual tutorial by me. I did a Junk Jewelry Swap right before Christmas...I think....anyway it was a new experience in so many ways for me. It was my first craft swap (which now I am addicted to them!) and it was my first time really trying to mess with jewelry making. Before I get into the details of the necklace let me show it to you. ...And yes, I decorated the entire "package" as well. I couldn't resist. :P

The idea behind the swap was to create a piece of jewelry using "junk" jewelry that you have laying around in your jewelry box. You know, the costumer jewelry your grandma sent you for your 16th birthday that you never got rid of. Or the thought-it-was-cute-at-the-time jewelry from Claire's. Like most of us, I had a jewelry box full of jewelry I never wore but just never could seem to get rid of. So with this swap you collage jewelry pieces together to make a new funky piece of jewelry art!

I made a necklace out of for my partner from parts from a necklace I bought at H&M years ago and never wore. The dangling green beads hanging from the rose were from a pair of earrings. The silver rose was a stud earring...I looped the post around so that I could attach a jump ring and the green dangling beads. The dainty chain hanging from the main part of the necklace was just a plain chain I had that had a broken clasp. And the tiny shell discs dangling in random places were from a pair of earrings my sister gave me.

Here are two little but great links to get you started....now go out there and make your own junk jewelry necklace today!

http://junkjewelry.blogspot.com/

http://www.hippyshopper.com/2009/03/the_art_of_upcy.html

Keyboard Clutch

2009-05-16T09:49:00.004-05:00

I made this for a swap I was involved in around Christmas time. The girl I made it for was a computer science major (hence the computer theme). I love how this turned out and one day hope I can find the time to make one for myself.

The pattern/tutorial I used was from a Craftster.org post. Here is the original link for the instructions to this purse/clutch:

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=240105.0

The only thing I did differently is that I added a flap closure. I would have used a magnetic closure but it was a "Buy Nothing/Green Swap" and we had to use what we already had. At that time all I had was velcro! LOL. Anyhow here it is!

Bridal Bingo

2009-05-16T08:18:00.009-05:00

I am a bridesmaid for one of my friend's wedding this July. We just had her bridal shower and I was in charge of the bridal bingo. Little did I know that it would be impossible to find a cute free bridal bingo game on the internet. Free? Yes. Cute? No.

So I decided that I would make one using Adobe Photoshop CS. I am, after all, going to school for graphic design. How hard could it be?

I ended up taking some inspiration from some other non-free ones I had seen on the internet and came up with this cheerful and happy version of bridal shower bingo. Feel free to download and use this design but remember not to use my design for profit! It's bad manners.

To use: Click on the image and it will open in a new page. Right-click and select "Save Picture As" and save to your Desktop. Then print! The image should print full size on one 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of printer paper.

The rules are simple. Every guest writes in what gifts they think the bride will receive. Then when the bride is opening her gifts, the guests cross off the ones that she received. The daisy in the center is the free space. If someone gets a line (diagonal, horizontal or vertical straight line) then they get a prize. **Note: If you are giving out multiple prizes, as we did, you might want to mention that once you win you can't win again. We didn't and it was chaos.

Fabric & Chain Necklace

2009-05-13T10:50:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to show off something I made for yet another swap. This one was especially hard for me to giveaway...I really loved it. I was inspired by two necklaces I had seen...this one and this one.

Waldorf Boy Doll - w/ clothes pattern!

2009-05-13T09:49:00.007-05:00

I made this doll for a swap I was involved in on Craftster.org. My swap partner had asked for a blond-haired, blue-eyed waldorf-style boy doll for her stepson. The swap requirements also stated that I needed to make some extras for the doll and something not for the doll. I knew right away what I wanted to make: A matchin PJ set for the doll and her stepson (just like I had for my Cabbbage Patch doll in the 80's!!) I also made a blankie for the doll and sent along some bedtime story books.

For the doll, I refered to Simmy's blog Echoes of a Dream to use her waldorf instructions. After I emailed her, she was so kind as to email me the pattern she used for the body! I had used her instructions before for another doll I made for my daughter but made a different body that time.

Well as usual, I was smart enough to make a pattern as I made the clothes for the doll. If you use Simmy's pattern, which you can get by going to her blog and emailing her to request it, then these clothes will fit perfectly! Enjoy!

To use these patterns, Right-click and "Save Target As" and save to your computer. Print the images full size. Each should fit on an 8x10" sheet of printer paper to make it the right size. :P

Mustache Cd Case

2009-05-12T23:10:00.003-05:00

Another installment of Use What You Have Tuesday! So the backstory on this one is that I don't have a car...I share with my hubby (you know, saves on gas, car insurance payments, yada yada...). Well my sister just joined the military and is in bootcamp for 12 weeks, so she is letting me use her car in the meanwhile! I decided that I would need to get a cd case in the car and found an ugly black Case Logic case that used to be the hubby's. It needed some work and so it inspired this project!

The supplies are super simple. All you need it a cd case of some kind, an iron-on patch for jeans, scissors, embroidery thread and needle, a seam ripper, and some ribbon to replace the ugly zipper pull with.

I used the seam ripper to remove the tiny sewn-on logo patch on the front of the case. I took the patch, which already comes folded in half and cut a half a mustache shape out on the crease so that when the patch was unfolded I had a full mustache.

Now when I ironed on the patch I accidentally touch some fo the seam binding with the iron...a word of caution, it melts...LOL. So if you come in from the spine area with the iron you won't touch any of the seam binding. Also, the patch didn't end up sticking as well as I had hoped so I ended up doing some stitching with the embroidery thread to help keep the mustache on. Then all I did was embroider the words on! I LOVE it! Something about the recent mustache craze with crafters that has me all giddy! :P

L is for Lion - FREE Applique

2009-04-19T08:10:00.010-05:00

I came up with this the other day and love how it turned out! The directions are pretty basic and for anyone who has made applique's before this aught to be a snap! I chose to do a reverse applique on the L but you could certainly just do a normal applique instead.

Here is the pattern:

**Note: The elbow/arm piece and the body piece don't line up correctly if you try to pair up the top line...just eyeball it for the bext results. :P

For the "L" I used a heavy upholstery fabric because I liked the print and I already had it lying around! I used the cheap felt for the lion pieces. I would recommend ironing all your pieces onto some type of double-sided fusible webbing, then layering up the pieces onto the T-shirt and then ironing the entire thing together. I personally did the facial embroidery before ironing the entire piece onto the T-shirt so I could hide the thread between the applique and the t-shirt material. This is not really necessary though since they do sell that mesh-netting type stuff at the fabric store that can be ironed onto the inside of the t-shirt to cover the loose threads. I machine stitched around all the pieces and in a few places did some contrasting stitching for aesthetic.

Hope you like it and certainly email me if you have any additional questions about the construction: snazzlecraft@gmail.com

FREE 18-24 Month Dress Pattern! FINALLY!!!

2009-04-14T13:34:00.012-05:00

**EDIT March 9, 2010** It seems as though I forgot to add the 1/4" seam allowance to this pattern. I am working on correcting this and replacing the pattern on here now with one that has seam allowances (and a 1" square printing guide as well). In the meantime, PLEASE ADD A 1/4" SEAM ALLOWANCE TO THIS PATTERN ON ALL SIDES *EXCEPT* THE FOLDED EDGE when cutting out your fabric FOR PROPER FIT.

I finally got around to finishing the pattern for this 18-24 month dress. You remember, the one I said I would finish and post by the end of February here. HA! That's a likely story. Well, two months later it is finally done. And here it is!

To use the patterns, right-click and "Save Target As..." and choose your desktop. Then print from there. If you have Windows Vista, like me, then you want to make sure you UN-check the option to "resize to fit page" (it will be automatically checked!).

Here are the pattern pieces:

Here are the directions:

1) Cut out a front and back pattern piece onto your chosen fabric. Then cutout a front and back piece to the dashed line (pattern piece #2) in your chosen lining fabric. Optional: Serge all the pieces.

2) Stitch a finished narrow hem onto the two lining pieces along the bottom edge.

3) Place the front lining piece to the front dress piece with right sides together and pin in place. Do the same for the back pieces. Stitch 1/4" from armpit to armpit (marked with a blue dot on the pattern). Turn pieces and press. Top stitch 1/4" from armpit to armpit. Repeat for the back pieces.

4) This would be a good time to add a ribbon or lace embellishment to the empire waistline. I stiched mine onto the front in such a way that the stitching line went through the lining hemline just to help keep it tacked down. It is much easier to add the wasitline embellishments now rather than after the side seams have been done.

5) Place the front and back pieces together with right sides together. Stitch a 1/4" seam along both sides. A double seam would not be a bad idea here either for extra stability.

6) Hem the bottom of the dress using a narrow hem.

7) Figure out the best placement for the buttons and button holes for the straps by trying the dress on the child. The buttons should go on the front of the dress (the short, squared off straps) and the button holes should go on the back straps (the long pointed ones).

That's it! Your done! This dress looks cute with a onesie underneath or even a long sleeved shirt. I even like it with a cute cardigan and a pair of leggings! Enjoy!

*Note: This pattern is labeled as 18-24 month. It fits up to a 25 lb child. However, every child is different so you may need to adjust the pattern accordingly.

Waldorf-inspired dolly

2009-04-07T10:41:00.006-05:00

My daughter just had her first birthday and I wanted to make her something special that she would have for many years to come. I decided on a Waldorf-inspired doll after seeing these versions of the dolls. I researched these and found that the dolls have a sack body with arms attached and the outfit is sewn closed and is not removeable. I thought this would be perfect for my one year old. I found a website that teaches how to create these waldorf dolls and though I didn't need help with the bosy or arms (my own design), I had no idea how to do the face/head! So here was the website I used to create the face; I highly recommend it. I ended up using an old pair of pale pink ballet tights for the outside of the face, if you wanted to know.

My favorite part of the whole thing is the outfit. This was a footed pair of Carter's fleece pajama's for my daughter that she had out-grown. I think they were 6-9 months at most. I used the arms to create the hat and the rest of the pj's to make the outfit. I love this idea of reusing an outfit of hers because its now become a keepsake and something I hope she will cherish when she is grown.

An action shot!

Craft Room Bookshelf

2009-04-05T16:36:00.011-05:00

Well I have been in desperate need of re-organizing my craft room, something that needs to be done about every 8 months or so. It was quite a coincidence that there was also a contest on craftster.org that I could incorporate into this reorganizing! The contest was to decorate with buttons. I love buttons but don't have many (trying to build up my collection) so I had to come up with a creative solution. For those of you members of craftster you can check out the entries here. Oh, and I wouldn't be mad at you if you voted for my awesome book shelf LOL! Voting starts tomorrow I think. Well, even if I don't win (I never do!) I don't care....I LOVE this book case like you can't believe and am so happy about my craft room organization!

I found this image of buttons on deviantart.com courteous of lunartex. It was perfect and I thought would make a beautiful background for my currently unused bookshelf. So it was decoupage time! Here is what the bookshelf looked like before:

Here are a couple "during" shots:

Here are the after shots (I am so happy with how it turned out!). This first one is of the top portion of the book case; everything from the fabric panels up.

A full view with some linen (or possibly muslin?) panels I made. You can't see from this shot but there is a row of about 2 inches along the bottom that has hand sewn buttons on it to kind of mirror the idea with the decoupaged background. I screwed up a little here because the intent was for the panels to completely cover the bottom shelves but as usual I measured ONCE and cut right away; I forgot to take into account seam allowances!! So I ended up with gaps. It's okay though because I am going to find a creative way to fix it!

Here is a closeup of the button detail that runs along the bottom of the fabric curtains. And, yes, those are all sewn on by hand. It took forever. Its a good thing I didn't have more buttons because I wanted more on there!

A closeup of the top of the book case:

A closeup of the top shelf:

The next couple pics are of all my supplies and fun containers on the top shelf of the book case.

Some of my painting supplies:

A really cool picture of Mary and Jesus. I just like it. I have had it for ages and it looked antiqued when I got it. In front of that is a basket with some of those clear nylon containers (remember when nylons came in those!) filled with lace. I put all my lace trim in this basket.

I bought this tea container at Goodwill. I love how old it looks. It is filled with craft supplies of course and in front of it are baby food jars filled with color sorted buttons! Eventually I want to have enough buttons to fill lots more baby food jars and then do that cool organizing trick where you screw the lids to the bottom of a shelf like here.

Here are some other containers; one is filled with craft scissors, an old baby formular can houses all my seam binding, and an old candle jar was cleaned out and contains all my teeny tiny ribbons.

In this pic I took down the fabric panels so you could get a better view of what is behind them! I forgot I had this small white shelf thingy that fit perfectly with this new book shelf and now is the perfect size for all my fat quarters!! I also have some beading supplies and jewelry making things on that shelf too. My gold buddha is just there because he likes to hang out by my crafts. :P

Here is buddha peering out from behind the curtain...

Here is a closeup of the detail of the amazing decoupaged background of buttons galore!!

Day of the Dead Matchbox

2009-03-22T09:46:00.009-05:00

I wanted to share my latest project I did for a craft swap I participated in. This was a matchbox swap where I had to decorate a small matchbox and fill it with either handcrafted items or craft supplies. I made a Day of the Dead matchbox for my partner and decided to fill it with goodies I made. The words "Dia de los Muertos" is painted on the front which means "Day of the Dead" is spanish. For those of you unfamiliar with the holiday here is a link to learn more about it! Anyhow, here is the box in all its painted (acrylic to be exact) glory.

Now onto the contents. I made a black and white sugar skull out of felt, embroidery thread, and beads. I added a small brooch pin to the back. I based the design off of one I saw here. The whole thing was just about twice as large as a quarter. My fingers hurt after making this!! So much tiny hand sewing!

I also made two refrigerator magnets out of felt to match the theme. They were about the size of a quarter (super tiny!!) The first was another sugar skull based on a design I saw here.

The second magnet was a sacred heart design that I basically came up with from memory. Both are so tiny and smaller than a quarter! For these I used E6000 to glue the felt to the magnets.

Slacker

2009-03-11T15:16:00.003-05:00

OMG I have been such a slacker lately. I didn't even post the posts I promised to post by the end of February! LOL! AaaaAAAaaaahhh! Sooo sorry! Ugh it has been hectic and crazy lately. My daughter turns 1 in a week so I have been crafting for her and I have a guest coming from England to stay with me for a week so I have been planning activities and cleaning like a madwoman! I pinky promise I will post the remaining items from that previous promise really soon! LOL.

Anyhow, I have a whole bunch of fun things to post from some craft swaps I have been doing lately (also what's been keeping me so busy!). I am really proud of them and hope you like them!

Fused Plastic Bag Coasters

2009-03-10T15:20:00.001-05:00

I am placing this under the "Use What You Have Tuesday" category since I literally did just that for this project (you'll see why further down)! Enjoy!

I learned how to fuse plastic bags recently and it has been a crazy experimental ride since! Here is a link so you can learn too! I have screwed up (a LOT) but also learned a lot along the way. I feel like I have perfected the process finally and am happy to show you some coasters I made!

I made these as part of a "green" craft swap on Craftster where we were encouraged to use recycled material but at the very least could not spend any money. Well....no biggie there since I have quite the stash started! Anyhow because of the constraints on the swap I ended up having to used wool felt and synthetic felt. I want to sell these on Etsy and if I do I think I will use only one or the other and not mix the two.

Now because I want to sell these on Etsy I won't completely reveal how did these because of how hard it was to come up with the idea and how many trial-and-errors I had! But, I will say that I infused the bags with colored thread, metallic contact paper and used silver metallic thread for the stitching.

Here is a shot of the set of all four coasters:

And a closeup of two of the coasters:

Fleece Mohawk Hat - Tutorial!

2009-02-28T14:54:00.013-06:00

So I made this for my toddler for Christmas. His head circumference is 19 1/2" and it fits him perfectly.

Here are the pattern pieces:

Here are the directions:

1) Measure the head circumference of the person who the hat is for. Divide that number by four. That length needs to fit between the blue dots on the hat pattern. Size the pattern up or down accordingly using a copy machine.

2) Lay out pattern and cut 4 pieces (one piece at a time) from fleece, following the bias line. Two pieced will be the outside and two pieces will be the inside and can be contrasting. Pinking shears can be used along the bottom only (just below the stitching line on the pattern).

3) The straps are optional. If you want straps then cut them out of either the exterior fabric or contrasting fabric. The straps may need to be lengthened or shortened if you have changed the size of the hat pattern. Adjust the length accordingly. With right sides together, stitch the straps close the edge but leave the flat short end open for turning. Trim excess if needed before turning.

4) Cut out the Mohawk pieces following the bias line.

5) Take one lining piece and one exterior piece and put them wrong sides together. Now do the same for the other side. Pin the straps, if you are using them, in place using the pink line as a guide. The straps should be sandwiched between the lining and the exterior fabric. You can shorten or lengthen the straps here as well. Now stitch along the bottom only 3/8” from the edge. Make sure you catch the straps in the stitching line. You may want to do a couple reinforcing stitch lines where the straps are since they will get a lot of tension when tied.

6) Mark the holes onto the fleece using a fabric pencil of some sort (really only need to mark one side. Now pin the two halves of the hat together in place. Take a small pair of sharp pointed scissors (or an awl if you have one) and CAREFULLY poke holes through all four layers of fleece.

7) Watch the video to see how to poke the Mohawk pieces through the fabric. Then once you do all the pieces your done!

Monster for my little monster

2009-02-20T08:32:00.008-06:00

I made this for my "little monster", my two-year old son, for this past Christmas. I wanted him to have one of those learn-to-dress dolls but they were all pretty cheesy looking. Besides, I did a homemade Christmas this year and thought making a monster looked fun!

I only included a few concepts from the learn-to-dress dolls: button, snap, velcro, zipper, in-and-out. I decided to forego the lace-up and buckle since he is too young for laces at this point and he already knows how to buckle (he has been playing with his sister's infant carseat a lot!).

I did not use a pattern and didn't make one for this either. I think these types of toys are better when they are unique and a little more free-form. I used fleece for the body and the arms. The claws, ears, eyes, belly, and belly button are all felt. The tongue is an old red t-shirt and the flies are both felt and fleece. The legs are old toe socks of mine that I narrowed and hand-stitched the toes together. There is quite a bit of embroidered things like the eyes and the numbers on the tongue. And the tail and tuft of hair are "fur" fabric that I made into a ball shape, stuffed, and hand-sewed on.

The belly was the most fun I have to say! I made the belly basically a panel that velcro'd closed and when lifted revealed the "inside" of the stomach. I put butterflies in the stomach for humor, of course. The stomach resembles a real stomach too! LOL. The butterflies were thick felt and I bought then in a package just like that. I added a snap to one and I slit the other to fit the button.

For the tongue I used an old red t-shirt and hand sewed on 10 flies and then embroidered the numbers on. I though in lieu of the other learn-to-dress concepts other people use that I would add the flies to teach counting. The whole tongue gets bundled up and put into the mouth and the mouth zips closed! The tongue teaches in-and-out!

Anyhow, hope you like it!

Finally, a onesie pattern! ...and a recon too.

2009-02-17T10:19:00.011-06:00

Okay I finally got my lazy bum around and am posting this pattern! It is for an infant size 12 through 24 month onesie or t-shirt! The pattern is pretty self explanatory for avid sewers except for the sleeve might be a bit confusing. Either way, beginners might want some instructions here so I am going to explain how it all works. To use these, right-click and "Save Target As..." and choose your desktop. The print from there. Here are the pattern pieces:

In this example I am going to be applying the pattern in a recon way. But this pattern would work using material and making the whole thing from scratch (which at some point down the line this lazy bum will explain that too!).

Here is what I started with. It was a size 7 girls t-shirt that my niece outgrew. It was really small. Here is the original shirt:

I laid out the t-shirt nice and flat and smoothed out any wrinkles. I also make sure that the shoulder seam is where it should be at the top and same for the side seams....perfectly flat and in place. This is critical because I am a lazy sewer at times and am using the neck from the original t-shirt as well as the shoulder seam. It will save you a lot of work if you can do the same.

Fold the t-shirt in half lengthwise with the back together and the front will be on the outside. The lay down the pattern, lining it up with the folded edge as well as the top neckline and shoulder line. Pin and cut around armholes, along the side, and the bottom. See below:

Turn sleeves from original shirt inside out and lay flat. Lay pattern on sleeve, matching folded edge and using existing hemmed edge of sleeve, if possible. Pin and cut.

Sew the sides of the t-shirt up using 5/8" hem. Attach sleeves. Hem bottom of the shirt. And that's all she wrote!

Any long-time sewer will know exactly how to sew up a shirt without any or very little intruction at all. If you are a beginner then I apologize for my cruddy instructions but I am sure that you can find a website on the internet that will better explain t-shirt construction and sewing. It is super easy. Anyhow, here is the action shot on my daughter....

One last thing, the pants shown here we also made by me. The pattern is mine and can be found here. I made them from a pair of girls (size 7) sweatpants.

A February Update for you!

2009-02-11T09:58:00.010-06:00

Well time for another update. I have been such a slacker!! But truly for good reason, I am less than 6 weeks away from receiving my Associate's Degree and I have been super busy with school!!

Anyhow, I am posting this update to help keep me focused and to let you know what you are in for in the month of February! I promise the following projects (at least those...if not more!) will be posted this month!!

They are as follows, going clockwise from the upper left corner:

(1) An infant T-shirt pattern recon'd from a girl (size 7 in this case) t-shirt. The pants are recon'd from a girls (again, size 7 in this case) pair of sweatpants using a pattern I posted recently that can be found here. 02/17/09 DONE!! Here is the link to the finished project

(2) ~~A *free* 12-18 month dress pattern I made, shown here as the pink University of Michigan dress.~~04/14/09 DONE!!Here it is!

(3) ~~The mohawk hat with *free* pattern(sorry for the crap picture, a better one is on the way!).~~02/28/09 DONE!!Here it is!

(4) ~~A toddler (size 2T-4T) art smock based on one I found here but changed slightly.~~March 9, 2010 -Yeah...umm...I got lazy and never finished this one completely the way I had intended. LOL. Its on the ever-growing "To-Do" list. So for now, it may not ever make it to this blog since I have far too many "cooler" things I plan to post! Bummer.

Aside from these updates, I hope to post over the next few months some shrinky dinks I have been making using recycled plastic, a tote plus *hopefully* a pattern, and some more fun stuff including more gifts I made at Christmas and never got around to posting. Thank you all for being so patient with me! I love ya!

Pleated Purse

2009-02-11T09:09:00.005-06:00

I made this purse for my sister this Christmas using a free pattern that I altered to my needs which I found online from Canadian Living. Here is the link: http://www.canadianliving.com/crafts/sewing/sew_a_stylish_metallic_handbag.php

The original pattern called for a vinyl material and didn't include a lining. I didn't have vinyl fabric laying around so I opted to use a fun grey flannel fabric that had a black and rasberry-colored design on it. I used the leftover material from a black twin sheet I bought from Walmart for around $3 (makes super cheap fabric!) for the lining.

I added a band of fabric above the pleating because I was afraid with using flannel fabric that it needed a little more stability to help keep the shape the way I wanted it. I also added pockets in the same black fabric for this inside and used a hot pink (closest color I had to rasberry!) topstitching around the pockets. Basically I modified thhe entire bag, but the basics are on the Canadian Living site.
I added a small flap with magnetic closure to keep the bag closed. Lastly I added the metal dangle thingys (don't really know what else to call them!) which I hand sewed on using hot pink embroidery thread. I could have omitted the metal things but my sister is a flashy girl and needs her "bling" to be happy...without it, she wouldn't have used the purse I think. Plus the purse looked a little plain with out them! It was missing something and the metal dangle thingys were it!

Anyhow....here are the pictures of the purse. This first one is before I added the dangle thingys:

A closeup of the metal dangle thingys:

The inside:

Custom Car Seat Cover

2009-01-29T10:07:00.003-06:00

Well this isn't a tutorial or really a great how-to, I just wanted to share a past project today that I had done and am proud of. I sold the carseat recently and it made me a little sad because I worked so hard on it! :(

Here's the back story... I had a son and therefore bought a boyish carseat. Then two years later I had a baby girl. Well call me crazy but I don't see the point in buying a whole new carseat when the other one worked prefectly fine! Here is the finished product:

So I took the carseat cushion off and the awning piece (is that what its called?) and then I proceeded to rip the seams apart. I paid close attention at this point to really watch the construction and how it was put together. Once everything was apart, I ironed like crazy.

I bought some pink flannel material with a cute star pattern all over it and I purple cotton fabric for the accent pieces. From there it was pretty simple. I just laid out my "pattern pieces" (the old cushion and awning parts) and cutout the pieces from the new fabric. I also opted to double the fabric for the awning so that there wouldn't be any visible seams as there would have been if I had not. I added a ruffle to the awning for a little cute factor. I used a litle extra quilt batting in the cushion for comfort as well.

That's about it! Here is what the carseat looked like before:

FREE Felt Food Pattern!

2009-01-27T09:55:00.005-06:00

This is a follow up to all the wonderful comments and requests for a pattern for my felt play food. This is a free pattern, made by me, for a sandwhich and a bag of chips. Right-click the following three images and select "Save Target As" and save to your desktop. Then from there you can print these images full size.

Basically the construction on these is pretty simple. Everything was handstitched using embroidery thread matching the color to the felt. I only used two threads of the embroidery thread in most cases and I used a blanket stitch on everything. the only exceptions to this are the chips and the chip bag. I whip stitched the yellow circle and white line onto the red bag but I did a blanket stitch to attach the two bag pieces together. **NOTE: You could add a little velcro to the opening of the chip bag if you want it to "close". However, I did not.

Potato Chips and Bag:
The chips were the only thing that were not handsewn. The chips were made by first taking one sheet of felt and cutting it in half to make two sheetsthat measured 6"x 9". Then I placed them together and loaded the sewing machine up with a matching thread color. Then I placed the presser foot along on edge. I sewed vertically following the short (6") end. After I sewed that first line, then I moved the presser foot and placed it up against the first line and used that line as a guide. I continued until the entire sheet was stitched with evenly spaced lines. Using this method the stitch lines end up being about 1/4" apart. Then I used the chip pattern (the cutout shape from the pattern sheet) and laid it on top of the stitched sheet of felt and started cutting. You want to make sure your lines run vertically and are centered correctly on the chip (see the pattern drawing for a rough guide). Because the felt has all the stitching, the chips can be "curled" to look like real ruffle chips!!

Sandwich:
For the sandwich, cut 4 pieces of felt for the white bread parts. I wrote on the pattern to cut two strips of dark brown felt in a 14" long by 1/2" wide strip. In order to do this and get it to fit on one sheet of felt, you will have to cut it out on the diagonal. It will take two pieces of felt to do just this part. But don't be discouraged! Save those scraps! They will come in handy for future felt projects I am sure.

Blanket stitch the brown strip onto one side of the white bread part. You can start in the middle of the bottom of the piced of bread or you can do what I did which is start in one of the indented parts of the side. When you go to handstitch the second white bread piece on, leave an opening large enough to stuff batting in. I just used regular Poly-fil. Try not to overstuff it or you will get puffy, swollen looking bread.

Swiss Cheese:
This was pretty simple. I just blanket stitched the holes first (it is easier to hide your starter stitches that way). The I stitched the two cheese pieces together along the outside. That's it!

Lettuce:
I blanket stitched the outside first. Then I hand basted the main "vein" going from one end to the other. Make sure that you get a good secure knot to start. Then when I got to the other end of the lettuce, I pulled the thread to get the rippled effect. Don't pull too tight, it doesn't take much to get the ripple effect. I added a few more veins coming out from the main one also using a hand sewn basting stitch but those were decorative and I did not pull those tight. Do what you feel looks best. Some of the veins may need to be pulled a bit to get the lettuce effect that you like best. Having the rippled effect with the basting stitches and not leaving the lettuce flat really gives the lettuce a realistic look and gives it a more three-dimensional look.

Tomato:
This was one of the harder components of the sandwich. I recommend cutting out the parts with an Exacto knife. The tomato consists of three parts. The back is red, the middle is pink, and the top is the red cutout piece. First whip-stitch the red cutout piece onto the pink piece but only stitch the middle parts NOT the outside edge. Then I just stitched some "seeds" using the same read embroidery thread that I just stitched the pieces together with. Then put the back red piece on and blanket stitch the pieces together.

Other Sandwich Parts:
The rest of the parts were all just blanket stitched except for the peanut butter and jelly. Those were a single piece of felt cut out using the pattern.

You can check out the completed pictures here: http://snazzlecraft.blogspot.com/2008/12/sandwich-and-chips-felt-play-food.html

Just an update...

2009-01-23T21:37:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to give you all a brief update....

It has been crazy with the holidays and then my birthday was on the 11th. Now it has calmed back down to normal again, thank goodness. I have no shortage of patterns and tutorials that I am ready to share and I certainly didn't stop crafting in these last few weeks! SO.....never fear! There will be new posts very soon! I will bombard you with fantastic projects, tutorials, and other cool things I have been working on!

My main goal in the coming weeks is to get my first felt food pattern up that correlates with this project I posted recently. I also have a bunch of patterns I made for kids clothes and I want to get those patterns posted as well. Plus I had a super crafty Christmas and I want to show you all what I have been up to! Anyway, bear with me, I will be posting very regularly again! :)

Adult Pants to Infant Pants

2009-01-23T10:32:00.014-06:00

Here is a pattern, made by me, for size 12-18 month infant girls, flare-leg pants. These are best made out of a super stretch fabric like a jersey, knit, or fleece. This pattern can be made to accommodate a non-stretch but you will have to add extra seam allowance for that in some cases. Also, the instructions here are for refashioing adult pants to infant pants. I will post instructions later on how to use this same pants pattern to make pants from scratch using new fabric and not old clothes.

Materials:
An old pair of yoga pants (or you can just use fabric!)
1" wide elastic (if you cannot salvage the elastic from the original pants)
Scissors
Sewing Machine
Pattern

Step 1:
Right-click and "Save Target As" on the following images and then print. I don't recommend printing directly from your web browser because it tends to shrink the image a little in order to put the web page information on the page.

Step 2:
Start disassembling the adult pants by first removing the waistband carefully. I just cut along the seam line. Also cut the tip off the knotted end of the drawstrong (if appplicable).

Note: The waistband on the adult pants had a drawstring built in that I decided to incorporate into the final design. So please keep that in mind when view these pattern instructions.

Step 3:
Seperate the waistband pieces. Then cut the waistband to match the pattern piece. You can use the old elastic or you can buy 1" elastic if you prefer. Basically the elastic needs to be 18" long.

Now, fold the waistband fabric in half, right-sides together, meeting the short ends together and stitch using 5/8" seam allowance. Press open allowance. Now you basically have a circle of fabric. Take the waistband fabric and fold it in half lengthwise, wrong-sides together, and press with an iron.

Take your 18 inches of elastic and sew it with a 5/8" allowance to make it a circle too. Place the elastic inside your fabric waistband all the way up to the crease, matching the seams. Set aside for now.

Step 4:
Cut along the inner leg seam, starting at the bottom and working your way up to the crotch. Cut the front crotch along the seam line. Now make sure the pants are perfectly folded along the exterior seam line. Smooth out the pants getting rid of any wrinkles or creases, pressing with an iron in necessary. Secure the pants near the seam line with a few pins.

Step 5:
At this point the adult pants should be laying down facing up, as in, the front of the pants are facing you and the tush part in touching the floor, table or whatever worksurface you are using. Keep this in mind for the remaining instructions.

Take the pattern and lay in face down on the right leg (that's your right...i.e. the adult pant leg that is closest to your right arm). Place the pattern as shown in the picture and pin through both layers of the pants.

Step 6:
Cut the bottom edge of the pattern and the along the inner thigh up to the crotch, stopping at the point (see image).

Step 7:
This is where it gets the most confusing! Seasoned sewers who have made pants before will totally understand this but it may be really confusing for a beginner. Click on the picture below to enlarge the image and see the instructions. There are several images here to clarify the instructions.

Step 8:
Place the pattern on the left leg now EXCEPT this time, the pattern will be facing right-side up. Repeat steps 6 and 7. You should now have two halves to a pair of pants! We're almost there!

Step 9:
Starting with one of the legs, turn them so that the right-sides are facing together. Match the inner thigh edges together and pin them. Stitch a 5/8" seam allowance as shown in the picture. Do the same for the other leg.

Step 10:
Okay, here's the next confusing part. One pant leg needs to slip inside the other, right sides together, so that you are looking at the wrong-side of one pant leg. Match up the crotch edges, pin and stitch together. It would be well advised to do a double stitch line in the crotch area for reinforcement. I have skipped that step in the past and had seams pop.

Remember to leave the top unstitched for the waist band!!!

Note: I finished the pants without taking pictures of the last few steps. So I pulled out the completed pants to take a few clarifying photos. The problem is that now my camera is possessed and is on the fritz. I was only able to get three pictures before the camera turned off and won't turn on again and those pics are super blurry. I tried to sharpen them up on the computer a bit but, I am warning you, they are pretty awful, so sorry.

Step 11:
Turn the pants right side out and pin the waistband to the pants, placing the waistband on the outside of the pants with the opening facing up. Match the seam of the waistband to the back seam of the pants. Sew about 3/8" from the edge.

Step 12:
Hem the pants to whatever length you need for the child. Trim all the excess thread and you're done! Here's what they looked like all complete:

What now? Will the CPSC's new law put crafters like me out of business?

2009-01-09T07:24:00.002-06:00

I am so infuriated about this new law that the Consumer Product Safety Commission has gotten passes. I want my kids to play with toys that are free from lead paint and other toxic poisons as much as the next parent. So that's why I started making playthings myself, like felt food and finger puppets. But now I can't sell it because of this law stating I need to have all toys and children's clothing tested for toxins? I am a stay-at-home mom and full time college student. Where would I ever get the money for that? And why shouldn't I be allowed to craft felt food and sell it on Etsy.com if I want? Will I really be fined and thrown in jail for 5 years as the law states for making unique and imaginitive toys for children? I think the companies who make the felt I use should have to incur that cost not the crafter at home. Well I will say this....F#*% YOU Consumer Product Safety Commission. Read my loophole, I will continue to make my stuff and sell it. If I have to I will sell it out of my garage to my neighbors. Try and stop me. Oh and I will be writing several LONG letters to my Congress person and Senators and any other goverment official with the ability to change this law to take into full consideration the smaller-than-small business home crafter.

You can read more about this law here: http://boingboing.net/2008/12/10/consumer-safety-rule.html

Sandwich and Chips - Felt Play Food

2008-12-27T18:04:00.005-06:00

I am so excited to present my first felt play food! I have made a sandwich and a bag of chips! All the pieces were constructed using my own pattern and just your cheapy felt sheets from the craft store. Every piece was handstitched using two strands of embroidery thread.

For the sandwich I made two pieces of bread, a piece of lettuce, a tomato slice, a piece of bologna, a piece of swiss cheese and a piece of American cheese. I also made some peanut butter and jelly for the sandwich.

For the bag of chips I created "ridged" chips my stitching two sheets of felt together, running stitching lines evenly spaced apart and then cutting out the chip shapes. The I made the chip bag from felt and hand-stitched it together with embroidery thread too!

I want to make a banana next and then make this like a sack lunch set. I am on the fence as to whether I should sell felt play food or if I should just post free patterns on this blog. Let me know what you think!

Memory Game

2008-12-26T11:26:00.006-06:00

I made this memory game from baby food jar lids. I used Stage2 BeechNut lids but I think that most any brand will work because the lids size only vary slightly.

The game follows all the same rules of your typical memory or matching game. This is my first design and I am gonna post for FREE the design sheets so that you can make your own! Just please remember to give me some credit if you use my design and also, please don't sell it or pass it off as your own. I worked very hard on this and deserve the credit!

Here's what you need:

Supplies:
12x Baby Food Jar Lids
1x Sheet of Yellow Felt
1x Printout of Lid Pattern
1x Printout of Fruit Pattern
Modge Podge
Craft Glue
Scissors

Instructions:
1) Print out the Lid Pattern below:

2) Print out the Fruit Pattern below:

3) Cut out thin strips of yellow felt long enough to go around the exterior brim of the lids. The strips should only be as wide as the brim itself and not hang over anywhere. Using craft glue, attach the felt strips to all the lids.

4) Cut out all the fruit and lid labels from the pattern sheets. Use the Modge Podge and paste all the blue labels to the lids. The paste all the fruit labels to the inside of the lids. Be sure and get a good coating on the top of the labels to protect the images.

That's it! If you want to type out instructions for the game you can. Here are the rules that I created:

Players : 1 to 2

Goal: To collect the most matched pairs.

How to play: Place all the pieces face down. Youngest player goes first. On each turn, the player chooses two game pieces and turns them over. If a match is found, the player removes the two pieces, keeps them and gets another turn. If the player doesn’t find a match then those two pieces are turned back over and it is the next players turn. The game continues this way until all the pieces have been matched. Each pair is worth 1 point and the player with the most points at the end of the game wins!

I plan on making more designs of things like vegetable, animals, or objects and selling them on Etsy in sets. This way you could add to the fruit set! The more sets added the more difficult the game becomes, allowing you to make it easy for youngsters and harder for older kids!

A Cutie-Patootie Baby Winter Dress

2008-12-22T17:22:00.006-06:00

I had posted a while back that I was going to attempt to copy this Baby Gap dress (you can view the original post here):

So I am proud to say that I finished tonight! Yeah me!

I am going to try and whip up some cut little booties or shoes to match and then get my daughter all dressed up tonight to model it. Then I will post some "action" shots here and just for fun I am going to add my finished project to Crafster.org.

I used lftover fleece for this project for the print sections and an old sweater of mine that shrunk became the purple parts. I love it. I think it looks almost identical to the original from Baby Gap. I decided to go with snaps instead of buttons and I changed the elbow patches to hearts that I did a cute purple embroidery blanket stitch on. I love it and I can't wait to try it on my 9 month old! Sweet! Here it is!

Felt Finger Puppets - African Animals

2008-12-20T14:48:00.006-06:00

I made my very first set of finger puppets this year. They are a stocking stuffer for my son who is 2 1/2. Eventually I want to make more sets, all in groups of five, all with their own theme (such as Zoo Animals, House Pets, Forest Creatures, etc. I started with African animals and this set has...

A lion:

A monkey:

A hippo:

An elephant:

And a giraffe:

I got the original idea from a variety of places on the web. A fancy crafter sells similar puppets on Etsy here while I loosely based my pattern on these free finger puppet patterns found here. I will also be making the finger puppet theatre found here to go along with this later. It won't get done in time for Christmas but hopefully soon after or as late as my son's birthday in May.

Nintendo DS Lite Case

2008-12-20T10:36:00.005-06:00

I saw this awesome case that somebody made here and put on Cut-Out-And-Keep (I am posting mine on there today!) and knew that is what I wanted to make for my nephew for Christmas. I don't own a Nintendo DS myself so, very sneakily, I traced and measured my nephew's DS one day when he was visiting. I also measure and traced one of the game cartidges. Then using the inspiration case from Cut-Out-And-Keep, I made my own pattern.

I knew I wanted the case to be black and red to match my nephew's DS. I got lucky that just about a week before I got this idea my sister gave me a huge bag of clothes that my niece and nephew had outgrown. Included in that bag was a t-shirt that, oddly enough, I gave my nephew for Christmas last year. It was a red Tony Hawk brand t-shirt that had this awesome skull design on the front. My nephew was dissapointed that his mom gave me his favorite shirt because, he insisted, it still fit.

So I thought it would be cute to repurpose the shirt since he loved it so much and it had the colors I needed. That is what I used for this case as well as a black thermal that had red tiki heads all over it (that's the lining inside). There is also some used fleece between the layers of fabric (I didn't have any quilt batting at the time). The tiny Tony Hawk name on the back part of the neck seemed like it didn't want to be left out of the project so I made it into a flap that would be perfect for a snap closure.

I changed the way it folded up a bit in the end and added some storage for some games (6 total) and some velcro so none of the games escape but the overall effect is the same as the inspiration. Now make way for the attack of pictures!!

Christmas 2008 Gift Idea List Update #2

2008-12-20T10:08:00.002-06:00

Another update has been made to the Christmas Gift Idea List found here. I added a food category and added a lot more gifts to the adult category. It may be close to Christmas (only 5 more days!!) but there is still time to make some awesomely creative and unique gifts for those last minute people!

Grey Flannel Pleated Purse

2008-12-20T08:01:00.005-06:00

I was researching gifts for Christmas and I stumbled upon this article with intructions on how to make a pleated handbag. This purse is also in my Christmas Gift Idea List for 2008.

I decided to make it with a grey flannel material I bought recently. You can't tell from the pictures too well but it is a grey flannel with black and hotpink designs on it. I did a hot pink top stitching to really bring out the pink in the fabric.

The chain was something that I had laying around in my jewelry box that I haven't worn in years....it attached to my belt loops on my jeans for a punk look. I removed the clips on the chain (that allowed it to attach to my jeans), removed the dangling "A" (since my sister's name starts with "S") and replaced it with the pink diamond-y bobble thingy (which was on an old zipper pull). I hand sewed the chain onto the purse using hot pink embroidery thread.

The original pattern did not call for a lining or a closure so I decided to add both. The closure has a magnet it and connects to the other magnet that I sewed into the top band. I also added a proper lining to the bag with inside pockets. My sister loves purses so I hope she loves this one!

Playstation Controller T-shirt Applique

2008-12-20T07:38:00.005-06:00

So I needed a gift for an 8 year old boy and was struggling. I decided on an appliqued t-shirt after a month-long debate. I wanted something cool and knew he liked video games. Well, after searching the web for inspiration I came across this image (below) that I found here:

I like the colors on the original illustration so I decided to stick with those. I printed the image out on a regular sheet of paper full page size. I got out some old t-shirts that I have in the scrap fabric pile to use for sewing projects and found a black tee and a green tee to use for this project.

I cut out two pieces of fabric, one black and one green, slightly larger than my printed image. Then I ironed on double-sided fusible interfacing and left the paper on after. I cut out the black first using the printout as my guide. Next, I took the printout and laid it down face up on the right side of my green fabric on top of a self-healing cutting mat. Using an Exacto knife, I cutout all the parts. Then I pealed the paper off both pieces of fabric and ironed them onto the t-shirt.

I decided not to do any stitching on the applique because it looked so good without it and I think that with careful washing it shouldn't have any problems staying put.
I am including this in my tutorial list because even though the instruction are basic and there aren't any pictures of the actual steps, I have included the image I used so that anyone can save the image, print it out, and copy what I did.

Felt Ornaments - 2008

2008-12-16T22:39:00.004-06:00

K, anyone who knows me knows that I have been making felt ornaments like they are going out of style. Last year I made all of them for my tree. This year I am putting them on the packages of the gifts I give away or as presents themselves.

This is a little snowman that I just love! All I used was felt, a little fleece for the scarf and hat, buttons, and embroidery floss. It was a gift for someone and now I want one for myself! Maybe I could make a pattern and post it on here. Ugh, it may have to wait until after Christmas...

This is an angel I made using just felt and an iridescent silver sewing thread as well as metal twisty thing I clipped off the back of a silver bow that was on my Christmas tree that I used for the halo.

Here I made a Cubs logo ornament for my Cubby-obsessed friend. It was very intricate work and it took me over 2 1/2 hours!

Paper Clip Ring #2

2008-12-16T17:39:00.008-06:00

Here is my first official installment of Use What You Have Tuesday. I have already made one of these paper clip rings this week but, hey, I had to start with something on this momentus occasion! And as the name indicates, I can only make things with stuff that I already had laying around on Tuesdays and it should be basic crafting/household items. So anyway....
This here is my second attempt at the paper clip ring. The first one (found here) was too small...it only fit my pinky ring. This one I made sure would fit my ring finger.

I think this will be my last paper clip ring until I buy some jewelry pliers. Anyway, this ring was made using about 6 small (#1 non-skid paper clips) and two beads that I already had. I also use big, bulky normal pliers....which made this project almost impossible. Anyway, I made the "packaging" out of two lightweight cardstock scraps that I glued together with a gluestick and drew the design with a permanent marker. That's about it!

Christmas List 2008 - Update

2008-12-15T09:58:00.002-06:00

The super fabulous crafty Christmas Gift idea list has been updated! I have been collecting websites for a few weeks now and decided to do one large update. Check out the list here and enjoy!

Purple Bamboo Painting

2008-12-15T08:54:00.002-06:00

I painted this for a friend's Christmas present last week and only just now got around to posting it. It's on a canvas that was roughly 11" x 14" in size. I painted the background first using watercolors, mixing purple, white, and blue in various combinations. Then I used a matte finish protective spray before adding the top layer (bamboo and leaves). I finished it off with a few more coats of protective spray. There are some weird shadows showing up in the picture near the bottom of the painting...I was outside and it is from the sun and trees. Anyway, here it is:

Paper Clip Ring

2008-12-15T08:46:00.005-06:00

This ring I made in less than 10 minutes this morning....BEFORE coffee mind you. All it took was some pliers (I don't have the jewelry kind so I had to use regular ol' pliers...bulky and hard to use), paper clips, and 4 beads that I had laying around. It's a bit small...it fits my pinky finger only, so the next one will have to be larger. I am also adding this to my Christmas gift list 'cause it is so unique!

Post Lazy

2008-12-07T07:57:00.006-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately but I am in the Christmas rush! I feel more and more like I am working in Santa's workshop every day. I have been taking lots of pictures of the gifts I have been making but haven't had the time to post them! That just means there will be a surge of posts after Christmas.

Anyhow, I thought I would pop in for a quick update. I have already made a duct tape wallet, learn-to-dress doll (a monster, actually), some felt finger puppets, and everything else is in-progress as we speak. Today I am going to a Christmas party with my kids that I forgot all about until last night. So today I am going to attempt to make a similar version of this outfit from BabyGap:

I will post an update after I get it done....IF I get it done. I only have about 3 solid hours until the party. Crunch time, baby!

Phonebook Gift Wrap & Bow

2008-11-18T14:14:00.007-06:00

I'm starting a new thing here that will soon be all the rage....I can feel it. Okay maybe not, but I still think it is a good idea! I am announcing that plain old, boring old Tuesdays will now become....

I can't promise that I will be motivated, nor creative enough to do this, ahem, every Tuesday, but I will try to shoot for at least once a month for right now until we get past these crazy holidays!

Anyhow, here is my first addition to Use What You Have Tuesday, which also happens to be in my Christmas 2008 Gift Idea list. This was a super easy and quick gift wrap that needed only a few basic supplies: A few phone book or newsprint pages, scotch tape, and scrap fabric, ribbon, or felt (optional).

I made this wrapping paper out of a phone book page. It only took one sheet since all I was covering was a cd. Then I made the bow out of another sheet from the phone book and I got my inspiration from this site. The only thing I did different was make some fringe for a puffy center and I tucked the ends in on the pinwheel bow and taped them down. I taped a few stripes of leftover felt from my scrap drawer to the back of the bow. Then I taped the fringy puffed center piece that I just made to the middle of the pinwheel. Then I attached my pretty bow to the package! That's it! Easy as pie.

18" Doll Outfits

2008-11-18T14:02:00.007-06:00

As part of my Christmas sewing and gift giving extravaganza this year, I made these outfits for my niece's 18" American Girl doll. I made the patterns from scratch and used all recycled fabrics. The jean skirt was very simple and made from the bottom of the leg of a pair of old girls' jeans. The dress was made from a newborn shirt that I adjusted to fit the doll. The leggings, cardigan, and tank top were made from the patterns I made. The shoes were made by adjusting a fleece baby booty pattern I got from Martha Stewart's website. I made the "brooch" from scratch as well using leftover felt, ribbon, and a button from other projects.

Big sweater, little sweater

2008-11-01T18:21:00.005-05:00

I made my first sweater refashion (or recon, as some might say)! The original was a Tommy Hilfiger sweater of my sister's; it was about a size 7 juniors. Here's was it looked like originally:

I only had one issue and I plan to correct that for future sweaters. What I screwed up was the neck. The problem was that when I originally cut the neck, it seemed to small of an opening to go over my son's head, so I made it bigger. However, I failed to take into account that when I re-attached the blue neck trim piece that there would be some stretching as a result of sewing the pieces together. So my hole that I recut for my son's head got HUGE once I sewed ont he trim. It annoys the heck out of me but it is still a cute and functioning sweater for this fall and winter season. I guess I know for next time to make the neck hole smaller! Well you can see from the photo that it still turned out cute so I still am going to pat myself on the back for my first sweater recon!

Pirate Costume for Halloween '08

2008-10-31T22:09:00.001-05:00

It's Halloween! I made my son's costume this year...big surprise there. I wanted to make a costume that I would not have to spend a penny on for two reasons: the economy and to be green! I found a picture online of a pirate costume and knew that I had the material to make it! All I needed were some pirate accessories and some fake leather fabric for the boot covers and "belt". Here was my inspiration:

I did not use any type of pattern in order to save money. I made patterns from some of my son's existing clothes.

The boot covers ended up too tall for his short legs as you can see here:

So I shortened them and ended up with the final result!! Here it is:

Christmas 2008 - Gift Ideas

2008-10-29T23:50:00.012-05:00

Here is my latest brilliant idea. Link to all the awesome blogs and tutorials that I have found that can inspire anyone to have a happy, homemade Christmas. I will organize them by categories to try to keep it a little easier. And since I am a visual person, I will add pictures soon. Happy Holidays. Get crafting!

P.S. I will keep adding to this list weekly, so keep checking in!

UPDATE: 12/20/08 Added lots more stuff!
UPDATE: 12/5/08

BABIES
* Cashmere Bunnies
* Baby Boots
* Bias Tape Bib

KIDS
* Bleach Stencil Tee
* Fabric Dollhouse
* I-Spy Bag
* Finger Puppets
* Finger Puppet Theatre
* First Dolly (For younger children)
* Stuffed Felt Monster
* Bug Sleepover Bag
* Toddler Shoes
* Fabric Alphabet
* 18" Doll Mermaid Outfit
* Button Hair Clips
* Printable Paper Dollhouse
* Detective Kit
* Felt Barrettes
* Jacob's Ladder
* Pizza Game
* Magnetic Paper Dolls
* Bed Bug Doll
* Recycled Glove Doll
* Dolly Hugs

TEENS
* Fingerless Mittens (Glittens)
Recycled Juice Bag Tote
* Nintendo DS Lite Case
* Record Cuffs
* Cool Guitar Bag
* Scoodie: A scarf and hoodie combo....very cool!
* Goth Vampire Doll
* Cd Case
* Captain Underpants
* Monopoly Money Belt
* Cassette Tape Wallet
* Makeup Bag
* Rose-shaped Bag

ADULTS
* Oilcloth Lunch Sack
* Recycled Sweater - Mittens and Hat
* Coffee Cozy
* Recycled CD Votive Candle Holders
* Apron-in-one-hour
* Mix CD w/ Handmade Paper Case
* Stylish Metallic Handbag
* Fabric Coasters
* Quilted Wallet
* Fabric Business Card Holder

ACCESSORIES/MISC
* Felt Advent Calender
* Paper Clip Ring
* Stationary Kit
* Fabric Flower Pin
* Super Easy Keychain
* Car Organizer

FOOD
* Candied Citrus Peels
* Cake-in-a-jar

WRAPPING THE GIFTS
* Printable Gift Tags
* Fabric Gift Tags
* Phonebook Wrapping Paper

ORNAMENTS
* Felt Beaded Stars
* Fabric Pomp Pom
* Peas in a pod

Pirate Treasure Hunt!

2008-10-28T14:17:00.012-05:00

My nephew just turned 8 and I needed an inexpensive and creative gift for him. He is really hard to shop for but like most boys his age, he loves Pirates of the Caribbean movies. I decided to do a treasure hunt for him that would include a lot of different elements. It started with a letter, followed by clues, which led to a map, and ended with buried treasure! Here's what you will need:

Supplies:
* Plain treasure box
* Acrylic paints
* Watercolor paint or shoe polish (optional)
* Paint brushes
* Leftover thin cardboard
* Faux crushed velvet fabric or scrapbook sheet
* 1 sheet fancy scrapbook paper
* Gold paint pen
* Pirate themed items for treasure chest
* Brown lunch sack
* Black fine tip pen or marker

Instructions:

For the outside: I started with this plain box I bought from Michaels for around $4.99. I painted the outside (everything but the "straps") with semi-gloss black acrylic paint. After the paint dried, I added a thick layer of acrylic crackle paint. Then I used watercolor paint to paint the "straps" of the chest. You could use acrylics instead if you like. I chose to use water color paint because it layers nicely and gave the chest more of a worn leather look. If you use acrylic, I would recommend a little bit of black or brown shoe polish on the straps after the acrylic dries to give the straps an aged look. Lastly I used a gold paint pen to add the look of brass nails in the straps.

For the inside: I painted the remainder of the chest black with a flat acrylic paint. Then I cut the thin cardboard into 5 pieces that would fit the sides and bottom of the bottom half of the chest. I cut the cardboard down about an inch so that some of the black I painted would show on the inside of the chest. Also, this will keep the cardboard from overlapping the chain that is built into the box. Then I wrapped the velvet pieces around each of those pieces of cardboard and just taped them into place on the backside. Then I used a hot glue gun to glue the pieces into place. For the lid, I simply glued in a piece of decorative scrapbook paper that was cut to fit the lid.

Here are pics of the finished chest:

Filling the Treasure Chest: Now you need to fill the chest! I made a simple drawstring pirate pouch out of scrap black fabric I had laying around. I put an applique I made (although you could buy one like this) on the front. Here is the size notations:
I filled the pouch with chocolate gold coin candy and chocolate gold nuggets. The pirate pouch goes into the chest along with any other pirate-themed gifts you can come up with! I added a necklace I made out of skull beads and a novelty skull ring. I also added an eye patch, pirate and skull stickers, and a few real dollar bills.

The Treasure Hunt Clues: Now for the treasure hunt part! I have already made out a list of clues for you. Download the clues here. The first page is a "letter" from Captain Longbeard to the child(ren). Crumple the page at least 5 or 6 times and then flatten it out (I used a really low setting on my iron with no steam that way it didn't take away the wrinkles). Next, carefully burn the edges with a match or lighter so that the letter looks old. Roll the letter up and tie it with some string and place in a bottle. I used an old, brown beer bottle that I cleaned out and removed the labels from. **Warning: My nephew broke the bottle within in seconds of removing the letter.** I would recommend buying some type of plastic bottle instead like this one. They are less than a dollar a piece at craft stores. Another suggestions would be to fold the letter and place it in an old looking envelope with a wax seal or a decorative sticker to seal the envelope. Cut the rest of the clues apart from the remaining sheets and tie them up with string. I recommend writing the clue number ont he outside near the string as you roll each one up so you don't get confused. Then download the master location list and print. Use this to write down the hidden locations and to help you remember where to place each clue. The last clue will lead you to the location "under the bed", this is where you will want to hide the treasure map that will lead the child(ren) to the final treasure location!

The Treasure Map: Figure out where you will hide the treasure chest. I wrapped my treasure chest in some extra black cloth and loosely tied it because I buried my chest in the sandbox! I marked the location with two twigs to form the "X". Be sure to hide the chest and then draw the map, it is easier. Now that the treasure chest is buried, it's time to draw the map! Cut the bottom off the brown lunch sack paper and cut it along the back seam. Lay it flat and cut it down to the size you want for your map. Take a fine tip black marker and draw out your map. Here is a cheesy drawing to help you visualize it since I forgot to scan the one I made for my nephew before I hid it! That image should give you the general idea anyway. Keep the drawing simple. It doesn't need to be difficult what-so-ever. The point of the treasure map is more for the "authenticity" of a true pirate treasure hunt than to actually be difficult. You can distress the map after you have drawn it out if you like. I just crumpled mine up a lot, then ironed flat as I did with the letter from earlier, and also burned the edges to make it look old. Lastly, make sure to mark the area where you hid the treasure with an "X"!! And that is it, you're done! Now just sit back and enjoy watching the child(ren) have a lot of fun!

Here is a pic of my nephew opening his treasure.

Bitty Booties

2008-10-06T17:13:00.006-05:00

So I made my first baby booties this weekend! I am not "in love" with them only because I used that super cheap crafting felt and need to use nice fleece or the good wool felt. But I gotta use what I have right now so I made it work. I got the pattern from the ever amazing Heather Bailey. Click here to get the pattern and instructions.

Wardrobe Refashion - Child's T-shirt to a Long-Sleeve Onesie!

2008-09-28T10:22:00.006-05:00

Here is another onesie that I made this week from a hand-me-down t-shirt that came from my niece. The size of the t-shirt was Girls 10/12. First let's look at the before and after, and then I will tell you how I got to the finished look!
Here is the before:

...and after:

This onesie will follow the same basic instructions of the thermal onesie tutorial that I am working on now. I will post that soon!

My Little Onesie Sweatshop

2008-09-27T15:20:00.004-05:00

So here is my little onesie sweatshop I have been running out of my house the last few days. I have been working like crazy to post something interesting on this little craft blog. There are three outfits pictured here. One of them I already posted the tutorial for here. I am going to post another tutorial today for the long sleeved onesie. Then I think I may try some dresses? Or maybe some cute pants to go with the onesies I just made!!

Tank-top Refashion - How-to make an Infant Tank Onesie!

2008-09-26T17:45:00.028-05:00

I have been extremely interested in the concept of "wardrobe refashion" lately. Basically it's where you take old clothes that either don't fit, were given to you or were even purchased at a garage sale or the local Goodwill and then create something new out of it. This something new could be more clothing for yourself, your kids, or a friend! It could be a new handbag, a duvet, or a quilt! Whatever floats your boat. The idea is to be less wasteful and to save money (which is the main reason why I do it...kids clothes are expensive!).

I have been researching wardrobe refashion, also called "clothing recycling", for a good couple of months now. I have been having trouble finding any good instructions or patterns! It's so frustrating! Specifically, I want to make kids clothes out of adult and older childrens clothes. Why is this so difficult? So I decided "enough is enough" and I have to just take it upon my oh-so-creative self and just "wing it." I can do this, right? Of course! So my house has been a little kids clothing factory for the last two days and I am whipping up onesies like it is going out of style! So I am going to give specific instructions on how I got from step-to-step. Okay? Here goes!

So here is the FINISHED tank-top style ONESIE. This is about an 18-24 month size.

Now let's see what it looked like to start. Here We have a size 7/8 tank from Children's Place:

Now on to the instructions.

STEP 1: Turn the tank top inside out and lay flat on work surface with bottom hems lined up nice and straight.

STEP 2: Find a onesie to use for a pattern. I actually used a 12 month size but after adding some crotch length and teeny bits along the side, it ended up fitting more like an 18 or 24 month size. Not sure what happened there but hey, my daughter will grow into it (and 12 months is almost too small now!).

Lay the onesie right side up on top of the tank and pin into place. Line up the back necklines of the onesie and the tank top (as shown). Pin the tank top straps together, horizontally, where the onsie shoulder stops. This is were you will sew to shorten the strap length to fit your baby. With a fabric pencil, draw a straight line from right and left side of onesie down to the hem of the tank top (as shown).

STEP 3: Cut fabric of tank on the line you just drew and following that line up and along the sides of the onesie. Remove onesie and pin the tank top together along sides to hold in place for sewing.

STEP 4: Take one of the strips you just cut off the side of the tank and cut a 1 5/8" wide by 4 inch long piece. This measurement does not have to be exact but it just needs to be big enough to overlap for the crotch and have room for the snaps. I used the sides with the existing serging from the orginal tank to save me a step later on. See below. Stitch, close to the edge, along the two short sides, trim excess fabric, and turn right side out, hiding stitching. Press flat. Do the same for the other piece.

STEP 5: Now pin the two pieces you just made to the existing bottom hem of the tank. Overlap by 5/8" and make sure it is centered and that the two flaps will overlap the same. If you had to cut the bottom hem off to short the onesie then you should finish the edge by serging or sewing a hem FIRST, then attach the flaps.

STEP 6: Stitch sides of tank using a 5/8" seam allowance. Stitch the bottom flaps close to the edge. I used a zig-zag stich and sewed right along the serged edge. Also stitch along the pin attached to the straps. Cut the straps to 1/4" of seam. See below. Then stitch those flaps down and trim away excess material.

STEP 7: Using a snap kit, attach however many snaps as you would like to the bottom flaps. Follow the directions on the back of the snap kit package. I used this snap kit from JoAnn Fabrics.

STEP 8: Next cut 2 strips of bias tape or ribbon 2 1/2" inches long. Fray check the ends of the ribbon. While that is drying, pin or mark along the side seam of the tank onesie about 4 1/2" inches up from the bottom edge.

STEP 9: Baste two lines up the sides on either side of the seam, stopping at the pin or mark you made earlier. Do this on both sides. Pull the thread to gather the sides to just under 2 1/2". Pin the ribbon or bias tape on the inside where you just gathered. Use a regular stitch and sew the ribbon or bias tape to the tank onesie. Lastly, pull the baste threads out.

STEP 10: Clip all loose threads and that's it! Your done! Here are a few side pics and closeups of the gathered side seam!

Crazy Sock Monster - Part II

2008-09-14T21:08:00.015-05:00

I finished my sock monster! It was inspired by the Knitwits tutorial I saw on Martha Stewart's website. I think I am going to give it to my two-year old for Christmas this year. I love it. Here is the inspiration picture...and my version!

I couldn't find any socks in my house for this project. The original Knitwits version was made entirely out of socks. So I had to improvise since I always try to use stuff I already have to A) save money; and B) be as green as I can be. So I looked for funky fabric around the house. The problem? I didn't have any funky fabric that worked for this project! So I took an existing fabric and decided it needed polka dots! I ironed double-sided fusible webbing onto the back of some yellow felt I had and then traced three different sizes of dots onto the paper side, then cut them out.

Next I placed the dots where I wanted. Using a damp pressing cloth, I ironed the dots on. (P.S. I recently learned that the pressing cloth is a sewing girl's best friend. It's the best purchase I have made this year!)

Here is what the fabric looked like after the dots were ironed on.

And that's basically it! I just refered to the Knitwits picture I posted here to get a general idea of how to make this sock monster. The red legs of the monster are the only actual socks used for this.

I hope my son likes it!

Crazy Sock Monster - Part I

2008-09-12T17:03:00.008-05:00

Okay I am literally going to the store right now to buy some crazy socks. I found this on Martha Stewart's website today and fell in love. Click the link to view instructions and a video of how to make these awesome creatures.

I already have material to make a girly version of this for my daughter for Christmas but I couldn't find any useful, fun and colorful material laying around my sewing/craft room for a boyish version (similar to the picture). I am going to make three of these I think. One for each of my kids and one for a friend's child. Heck, maybe I will go crazy and make lots of these for Christmas! I will post pictures when I finish my first sock monster. I think I can get it done tonight....we'll see.

Martha, Martha, Martha! Your shade rocks!

2008-09-07T14:45:00.006-05:00

Most of the time I find Martha Stewart to be a little too square for my taste. She is simply not edgy enough for me to even consider copying any of her craft ideas....usually. However, I was recently looking online for a pattern to make a shade for my kitchen window. I am trying to sell my house so I had some windows that were long overdue for some curtains. I needed to make something that would appeal to the masses rather than to my normally more kitschy and funky sensibility so I had to look for something a little more classic. I found these instructions on Martha's website, found here.

I needed this project to be inexpensive so I bought two black twin flat sheets from Wal-mart that were on clearance for $3.50 a piece to use for the material. I paid 99 cents for the brown satin ribbon and bought the needed dowels from Lowes for around $3.00. I had the stitch witchery for the ribbon already and I had the other necessary components too. For a grand total of $11.00 I made this awesome shade! Not bad for my first attempt at a working shade. Here are the results!

Another Cool Onesie

2008-09-05T17:07:00.006-05:00

Here is the other onesie I made for that same friend. I used fleece material for this applique. I did make a pattern for it but never scanned it in the computer. If I ever dig it up I will be sure and post it on here!

Guitar Onesie Applique

2008-09-05T16:47:00.006-05:00

I have this friend who is pretty edgy and cool so I wanted her to have something fun and unique for her new baby boy and I knew I wanted it to be handmade. I took took onesies I bought at the store and made my own appliques for them.

Now I am not gonna lie here, I had some problems with this applique. I had never made my own before and didn't even think to use the double-sided fusible interfacing to get a nice, stiff applique for the onesie. And I used a really cheap onesie that was not a good quality. The end result gave me a wobbly looking guitar. On top of that I do not have an embroidery machine. My sewing machine is a cheap $60.00, bought at Wal-mart, Brother sewing machine. If I had a nicer machine, then the applique would have been better looking.

All that aside, I made a pattern when I made the applique so I could try again another time and so I could share my design with you! Make sure you use double sided fuseable interfacing (like I forgot to!). Use whatever colors you like and whatever decorative stitching you like!

If anyone makes one please send me pics I would love to see them! All the instructions are included in the pattern. Email me if you have any additional questions!

Cherry Blossoms

2008-09-04T00:39:00.007-05:00

I am selling my house right now and had a wall that seriously needed some artwork to not make it look so blank. I had no money whatsoever so I had to make something. I love Asian art and was inspired by cherry blossoms. So I pulled out the basic acrylic paints that cost about 87 cents a bottle and went to town on an old sheet of handmade paper I had laying around.

The Cardboard Kitchen

2008-09-03T18:10:00.005-05:00

Here is my latest project. When I am all done with it I will post a tutorial of how I did it. I am taking a *break* from it right now because I have been working on it NON-STOP for three days! Here a few pics from the last few days (the last one shows what I have gotten done so far):

Excuse the crappy quality of a picture here:

In the beginning there was...crafts.

2008-08-28T19:15:00.000-05:00

I decided today, sortof out of the blue, to start my very own crafting blog. And why not!? I am crafty and cool. I am constantly creating things. I read other people's blogs to get ideas all the time. I can do this too! So here I am creating my very own blog. I must admit it seems a little daunting at the moment. Like a big responsibility and such. Will anyone evern read it!? I know people will get my crafts, sewing, and art projects cuz their usually pretty snazzy, if I do say so myself. But will they get me!? Maybe I am not everyone's "cup o' tea" as they say. With that, I will tell you all now that I will try to keep my rantings to a minimum and my crafting to a maximum! I will post old projects that I have completed, disasters that didn't turn out, "in-the-works" projects, ideas, inspirations, links to other favorite crafting sites, and maybe even some tutorials.

I plan on snazzling the shizzle out of some crafts!

If anyone is even out there reading this, please enjoy. Feel free to comment. Peace out....and to take a note from Blayne of Project Runway...be Snazzlelicious!!

My First Crafty Post!

2008-08-28T17:56:00.008-05:00

Here is my first post of crafty fantastic-ness! This is a sticker album I recently finished. It started out as a birthday present for a friend's child but after I got about half-way done I realized it was not age-appropriate for a five-year old. Lucky for me she has a three-year old that it will be perfect for at Christmas!! Yippy! All is not lost!

So as a first attempt and never having made one of these before I definitely learned things I will do differently for the next one. But all in all its pretty nifty. Here is the breakdown (briefly) of how I did it:

I found pictures on the internet of cartoonish scenery; specifically plain ones with no characters in them. Printed two scenes to a page, cut them out, put two pics back to back and then laminated them. Those laminated sheets were sewn in between two pages of felt and then cut away windows with pinking shears. I did a lot of crazy topstitching with the sewing machine but I blanket stitched the front and back covers with embroidery thread. That's about it!