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I made these mini treat baskets for friends of our 3 year old for Halloween.
We are having a little celebration, and I wanted just a small something special to give to the kids. Get the theme?
These are adorable- and tiny too.
Oh so fabulous!
All you need to make these is:
- 1 egg carton
- Orange paint
- Green pipe cleaners
- 1 small treat for each
- Spider rings
- Hole punch
I cut the cups off of the egg carton, and painted the insides and outsides with orange acrylic paint.
Next (after the paint dried), I punched a hole on either side of the cups. I threaded and twisted the ends of the pipe cleaner through the holes to create a handle.
Then I filled them up!
Just enough candy to feel special, but not enough to cause a colossal meltdown.
Our girls made their Dad presents for his Birthday. Every year they come up with things to give him on their own. Our older daughter made him a comic and bought him some chocolate with her own money.
Our 3 year old wrapped up a hourglass for him. When he asked what it was, her reply was “Time, Papa. I’m giving you time.”
Happy Birthday!
You have lots of Love and Time too!
Well, that fabric didn’t last long. I made it into a Birthday present for my husband. He celebrates his 40th Birthday tomorrow, and I thought he needed some new, really cool, handmade underwear. Doesn’t everyone?
This was the first time I have ever sewn underwear before, and the first time I have ever used a pattern! I usually sew from tutorials, or just wing it (~most of the time). This was a pattern that I made from measurements I took from his existing boxers.
I am always amazed when anyone can make anything from a pattern. It is like a puzzle with really confusing directions. This was not as bad, and I found a site to walk me through it step by step.
ThreadBanger has a video and a picture tutorial to follow, once you have cut out the pieces of the pattern.
Not bad for a first try.
Now that you have all seen his underwear, I hope he still wants to wear them!
Today, as I was taking out the recycling, there was an empty cardboard beer container that had this great graphic on it. I am not sure what I will use them for, but I really like them! I was thinking gift tags maybe. Oh so great…and an even better way to recycle! It made me think of all of the packaging that comes in and out of the house, and of how many other really great graphics I have just tossed in the recycling without seeing what else it can become. Not any more!
This is fabric my husband received today as wrapping for an early Birthday Present from his co-workers.
It is like a little present for me. I am so excited even though, again, I have no real plans for it. The possibilities are enough to make me happy.
Both of these small treasures
are perfect for this time of year when lots of cultures reflect on those who have passed, and on our own mortality.
If this interests you as much as it does me, check out the Crafty Chica Challenge.
She has a contest going on where you can enter your Day of the Dead Shrine. I wish I had a bit more time to do it. It is something I would like to do in the future.
If any of you enter, please link back here so I can see it!
It is that gooey, messy, creative,
fun time of year!
My two pumpkins LOVE it…and so do I.
There are so many things to love about the Fall. There is a need for coziness that comes from the added darkness before and after bed, and from the little chill in the air. We also have such great traditions this time of year. It is no secret that my girls LOVE to dress up (OK me too), and we love to create. What better to create with than a ripe orange pumpkin, or crisp fall leaves, or even painted corn.
The visual beauty of our surroundings gets my attention.
The trees shedding their leaves, and the land ready to part with the Bounty of Summer. It is all so colorful in the muted tones of Autumn.
I also enjoy being together.
We share these things as a family. No one objects to Pumpkin Picking or dressing up. It is everyone’s favorite time of year (except for Birthdays and Christmas…and Easter is pretty cool too...- Oh and then there is St. Patrick’s Day, But you get the idea).
I hope you all are enjoying the many colors of Autumn as well.
I finally had time to try this Tutorial from Habitual. She explains how to make a Kimono wrap for all different sized children in a very clear organized manner.
Ah. I love that.
It was easy, and now that I have done it once (along with matching pants), I will have a better idea of what I want to alter the next time. -Oh and there will be a next time. There is a reason this person’s Blog is called “Habitual“. Once you start, you won’t want to stop!
My first impression of them was Hospital Scrubs, or Pajamas. My daughter, though, has worn them out twice already and thinks they are daytime clothes.
I think the tie dyed shirt along with the red socks make the outfit!
There was a brief break in the torrential rains we have had today. The sky turned blue, the clouds puffed up once again, and the sun said “hello”…just for a moment.
I took this moment to go for a Nature Treasure walk with our girls. Basically pick up anything that is lying on the ground that is of interest to you (with the exception of Mushrooms- we know they can be poisonous and the Fairies need those).
They grabbed their baskets and we were off!
We brought home some things to put in our Nature Box. They love to examine these things up close. So far, we found an abandoned bird’s nest, some leaves, and pine cones.
We also noticed the Fairies are back!
They have built their sweet little mushroom houses all over our neighborhood.
There’s Magic all around us.
I love where we live!
Birthday preparations at our house have begun. My husband’s 40th is this month, and our oldest turns 10 in a few months along with our littlest turning 4 within a few days of that. Whew. I am tired just thinking about all of this aging!
To kick off what will be a whirlwind of sewing activity for these people whom I love so much, I made a Birthday Banner.
Future Craft Collective has a wonderful tutorial for making these Banners/Wish Flags.
They can be as simple or elaborate as you want. I made mine from scraps I had from many other projects.I am really happy with the results. I can’t wait to hang it up.
It actually says “Happy Birthday”, but it is so huge I couldn’t photograph it.
I also have stocked up on Bare Books for gifts. I can’t seem to get enough of these.
Let the Birthdays Begin!
My life has piles.
Piles of laundry. Piles of sewing. Piles of costumes. Piles of presents for Birthdays. Piles of presents for Christmas. Piles going out of the house. Piles coming into the house.
Piles. Piles. Piles.
Sounds like the start of a Dr. Seuss Book. It is true, though. This seems to be the busiest time of year for us. With School underway, we are inching toward Halloween (one of our favorite holidays), which means lots of sewing. We also are coming upon (I can’t believe I am saying this in October) our December madness.
Both my girls have birthdays (4 days -and 6 years apart), along with my Dad’s 60th this year. Not to mention 3 other family members in the first 2 weeks of December alone.
Consequently I start sewing and planning and scheming…NOW.
Amidst this madness I must remind myself to slow down, and enjoy it..and enjoy life.
My husband cooking dinner, My girls- and the beach help me with that.
Deep Breath…. Ahhhhhhh.
OK, I am ready to plunge back in!
We are drinking in that sunshine and breathing in the crisp air and crunching those very few (we have mostly evergreens here) leaves…and chasing crows.
Autumn has been a whirlwind so far. I am feeling much like the leaves that blow in the crisp wind…scattered.
I have started to focus on the important things, like Halloween costumes! So far, I have completed 1 costume. The smallest, and easiest. I am on to create the other 3.
Consequently, dinner isn’t as well-planned as it usually is.
Tonight, we had a bit of breakfast for dinner.
Eggs, bacon, potatoes, and Kale (compliments to my husband for making it look so pretty and taste even better).
Breakfast for dinner. Something so warm and cozy about it.
I could get used to this!
Here are a few images of a Mama Deer and her baby enjoying a bit of Fall (and some of our apples, too).
Go on little deer, There’s plenty to share!
They get to munch some apples, and we get a show!
Oh how I love the Fall.
Before the major holidays hit, I have a mountain of sewing to complete. So today on this brisk Autumn day (after our walk and cleaning the house), I started to sew.
My first project was to turn a pillowcase ,that I have been saving, into something cute for our niece. It has the boldest, happiest pattern of Poppies on it. I love it. It reminds me of her.
First, Pillowcase Pants. I don’t think anyone could ever have too many sassy pants, really.
Second, I had a bit
of fabric left over, so I made a matching little bag. It came out so adorable!
If you haven’t tried to make these simple lined totes, you really should. It took just a few minutes to make, and it used up some scrap fabric (because it is kid-sized).
All this from 1 Pillowcase!
OK. One done. Check!
Lately it seems as though I have absolutely no time to do anything except run around. We live in an extremely rural area, and consequently find ourselves driving long distances to get to everything. It is not entirely bad. We love where we live, but when you have two kids and many things to do, it can be overwhelming.
The past three days I had to take care of our car, which involved driving an hour to the dealer so they could not fix the problem. Today I needed to take both children, which tested our collective patience.
When we got home, they asked if they could paint. Immediately, my mind
says “No way- don’t want the mess today”. But my mouth said “In the tub?”.
YES.
They love it. It is such a great activity to just move and smoosh and
create.
Afterwards, we all felt better about how we spent the last few days. All the tension melts away when you are elbow deep in creation.
::
On the way to school a few days ago, I looked down at my little one’s feet, and she didn’t have her shoes all the way on. I tried to get her heel in her shoes, and they were too tight!
Hmmm. I guess I need to pay more attention to their feet.
I took her to get a quick pair before school started, and we grabbed the first pair we saw. She liked them, but asked me to paint her shoes to look a bit more girly.
-Specifically dots, just like I did on her old sneakers.
This is the Before…
And the After…
A little less creepy to her, and pretty cute,too.
