More Pillowcases

I love making custom pillowcases!  I've made a couple of pillowcases for each of my boys here, here, and here.  My favorite tutorial for these comes from Little Birdie Secrets.  They're quick, easy, they don't take a lot of fabric, and they're super cute. 

So when my sister told me about a service project being put together by a gal that she knows, I jumped right on board.  This lady's son passed away just a few months ago - he was born with a genetic disorder and fought hard his whole life.  From the little bit I've read about him on her blog, he seemed like a wonderful son, brother, and friend.  Her idea is to gather pillowcases to donate to the local children's hospital where her son spent a lot of his time.  She's gotten quite a lot of participation from all over the country which is great to see.  I've been collecting some fun fabrics and have whipped up 25 pillowcases in the past few weeks.  Five of them will stay here for friends and family gifts.  The other 20 are headed to my sister's house tomorrow to give to her friend for the children's hospital.

Here are a couple of my favorites:  I searched all over the Salt Lake valley to find this line of fabric - Happy Ever After.  I actually ended up meeting the designer of the line.  More to come from this line of fabric in the next few weeks.  But I love it and couldn't resist making a pillowcase out of it.

This one is some cute monster fabric - I loved it because it says "Don't be afraid" right on it - I thought that was great to go to a children's hospital. 

Another boy fabric - spaceships. 

And some girly ones - flowers and butterflies.

And birds and more flowers.

And one more that I found just at the last minute that made it in to my pile.  Pirates!  Great for older and younger boys.

And here are my boys showing their personal favorite pillowcases.  This has been a good learning opportunity for them to learn about service and children's hospitals.  They were excited about these and loved helping to pick out the fabric with me. 

At The Zoo - Quiet Book

I love a good quiet book . . . . always have, always will.  I have quite a few patterns stashed away and try to make one or two as I have time.  Or I add pages to my large quiet book that my boys love.  By the time I get around to making all the books I want, I will be the only one "playing" with them - maybe my old-age, senile self will think that's pretty fun. 

 

Anyway - I've had the pieces for this book cut out and ready to go for awhile now.  I finally sat down and got it put together.  This is a pattern from Shelley Wallace on Etsy.  I've made a few of her books before - and in checking her store this morning I see she's added a few new patterns and kits that I might have to add to my collection. 

 

This book is about the animals in the zoo.  Very cute, if I do say so myself.

 

Each page has a little burlap flap that hides the animal underneath and the clue helps you to guess what animal is hiding.



 

We have monkeys and lions.

 And elephants and bears.

 And koalas and zebras.

 

And giraffes and hippos.

A cute little turtle is on the back cover.

 And what could be better than a finished quiet book?  How about two of them?  I figured since I was cutting and sewing one, why not churn out two of them. 

 

And I'm feeling pretty proud that I actually got these finished and off my table.  Now I'm on to more baby blankets that have to be sent off this week and then . . . more fun things up my sleeves!

Kid's Calling Cards

My boys go to a school outside of our neighborhood with kids that we don't know and that generally don't live around us.  They're young enough that most of them haven't memorized phone numbers yet either.  They have made some great friends this year so I came up with these fun calling cards (as in "Call us and we can have a play date") for my boys to give to some of their best friends at the end of school last week. 

It is just a simple MS Word project with pre-made business cards and a template.  It was fun for them to hand out to their most favorite playmates before they left for the summer.  We hope that some of them call to come over and play!

More Car Play Mats

I've posted before (here and here) about play mats that I've made for my boys. Well, we have a cousin's birthday party to attend next weekend and my boys decided that the perfect gift would be a play mat. So son #1 and I headed out to one of my favorite fabric stores that always has a great selection of pre-printed play mats. They didn't disappoint. Son #2 has this very panel already, but it is a great one and the fabric quality is excellent.

We found this new fabric panel as well - and although it wasn't my favorite, son #1 talked me in to getting it and using it to back the panel above. So now, a quick trip to Target to get some hot wheels and we're good to go. I've had this panel for a few months now - I found it at a cute fabric shop in Richfield, UT last fall. I finally took the 10 minutes to get it sewn together (the back is the same cute black/white check that you see in the pre-printed border). This one is all about mountains, cabins, camping, etc. I'm sure it will find a fond place in my boy's hearts just like their others.One day maybe I'll attempt one from scratch rather than using the pre-printed panels. But for now, these are PERFECT and easy and well-loved, which is the point.

Parenting

Well I don't know what is wrong with me. I seriously can't seem to get myself motivated to do anything crafty. Apparently I'm in a reading mood. I've been reading a lot lately - and not just work reports. I've been trying to get some new ideas for parenting. My husband and I have followed Love and Logic since even before son #1 was born. And I will always love the Love and Logic way! But I was looking for some new ideas to help me lately as my boys seem to be growing up right before my eyes. They're not my babies anymore. And I really wanted to get some good ideas for ways to teach them to be good, smart, nice boys who are (appropriately) independent and have good values and know how to make good choices (even though I expect them to make mistakes along the way).

I came across some great books from the Eyres and have been reading "Teaching Your Childrens Values" along with another book that one of their daughters recommends called "The Parenting Breakthrough" by Merrilee Boyack which talks about teaching kids to be independent. I have really learned a lot and plan to pick up a couple more books by the Eyres as the years go by. We started with a value from the Eyre's book in February - Honesty. That went really well! Not that the boys are perfect, but they understand what it is about and why it is important. We've already branched off a little and are teaching "Joy" this month - our own value. We want the kids to be joyful and find ways to embrace the good things in life. The values are something that you don't just teach once, but over and over again at different levels as they grow up. So far, I'm really finding some inner peace in knowing that we're doing lots of different things to take our jobs as parents seriously.

Ok - now really, I have some crafting that HAS to get down over the next few weeks. My fingers are crossed!

Creative Kid Lunches

My boys are both in school full-time now. And that has meant packing lunches for them . . . I hate the pressure of this task! My philosophy is that lunches should be something healthy that they will actually eat. And I firmly believe that the lunches should include a variety of foods - not the same thing every day. My older son is the pickier eater of the two, however I still have it pretty good - he's not that picky. After a few months of lunchables pretty much every day, I finally found a fabulous blog called Another Lunch. Melissa uses Bento-style lunches and snacks with her kids and then blogs about them. I have been inspired . . . and my boys are finally happy with their lunches! And I no longer dread having to make lunches!!!

I have been using just some basic Ziplock style divided "boxes" which had been working very well. Then Melissa posted one day about these super cute Lego boxes that were food safe. I couldn't resist and went straight to the Container Store (online of course, since I'm not lucky enough to have a real Container Store near me) and ordered them in a couple of sizes. I have also picked up some egg molds (how cool are those things - seriously!!) and a wide variety of cute food picks.

I actually enjoy coming up with lunches now and I know my boys are enjoying their lunches more. My favorite treat idea from the blog has been the "deconstructed s'mores" - I've been known to make a little handful of that delightful treat just for me from time to time. But mini cookie cutters for cheese, bread shapes for sandwiches, and creative ways to present fruits and veggies have totally revolutionized lunchtime for us. Next up for me - homemade granola bites . . . I just have to find myself some mini silicone cups.

Here is a quick picture of our Lego lunches. These fit just perfectly inside my kid's lunch bags from Target. The smaller Lego boxes open up for a treat or whatever I needed to keep separate from the rest of the food.
Here is a close up - a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (made with my new pampered chef sandwich maker, silicone cups with whole grain fish crackers and grapes. And inside this particular small Lego box he will find some chocolate and graham cookies.
And this is my husband's lunch for tomorrow. He's out of the office tomorrow and working in a place where he will not have access to a frig or a microwave. This is one of my 3-compartment Ziplock containers that have also been great. You'll see some crackers and slices from a mozzarella/prosciutto/basil roll. Then I tossed in some baby carrots and peeled clementines. There's also a silicone cup with sunflower seeds ( I wrapped that cup in some good, sticky clear wrap before I was finished to keep it from spilling). We'll see if that worked.
Truly, this has changed my lunch-making routine. I almost, kind-of, sort-of look forward to making lunches.

Catching Up and Getting Ahead

By some miracle, I made some time this week to finish up a cute little baby blanket that needs to be sent off. It goes with the "A" monogram taggie I made recently. The theme for this baby was monkeys. I had made this same blanket a year and a half or so ago for my husband's nephew's baby. They loved it and baby D carries it around with him all the time. It took me a long time to find the same fabric but I finally got it ordered and it has been sitting here, staring at me, waiting to be sewn together. So off it goes in the mail this week.

And by another miracle (or an unplanned trip to Hobby Lobby), I whipped up two of the cutest Christmas pillowcases for my boys this week. Yes, I am a little obsessed with these pillowcases. They absolutely love their Halloween pillowcases as well as their Thomas the train and Curious George pillowcases. Why not add Christmas ones? I had been looking for some cute fabric that would be "cute" to them, not just me. I found it as I was buying some frames at Hobby Lobby. These pillowcases stitch up so quickly. A huge thanks to Little Birdie Secrets for her custom pillowcase tutorial. These pillowcases are some of my favorite crafts of all time! Husband has now requested that I find Thanksgiving fabric for the boys, since they are already a little sad knowing that the Halloween pillowcases go away at the end of the month (I have to draw the line somewhere!).

Halloween Pillows

Slowly, but surely I'm getting in to fall. I really hate to see summer end, but at least we're having a beautiful fall to end it with!

I wanted to decorate the house and yard for Halloween this weekend, but it was too nice outside to be stuck cleaning the garage - to get to the decorations. So I rounded up a few things to put up so that it felt like we acknowledged the fact that it is now October - like our Halloween Advent Calendar.

I also whipped up these adorable Halloween pillow-cases for the boys. I'm completely in awe of these super easy and incredibly cute pillowcases from Little Birdie Secrets. I made the boys each a custom pillowcase earlier this year and they have been a huge hit. I think I'll work on rounding up some cute Christmas fabric and make them each one for December.

So quick, so easy . . . why not have one for every holiday? Love them!

Boy's Applique T Shirts

This idea is all over blogland . . . and I've been collecting images and ideas for a long time now. I even purchased a couple of white t shirts awhile ago from Hobby Lobby. They've just been staring at me waiting for the right idea to pop in to my head. After crawling in bed last night and being unable to fall asleep, I grabbed my iPad and started cruising the web for more applique ideas. I goggled "Sambo" which is our nickname for son #2. Turns out that Sambo is a type of martial arts. They have their own logo and t shirts. So I decided it was perfect and promptly got out of bed and headed downstairs to knock-it-off.

Here is my version. Super fast and super easy. I decided to satin stitch around each of the letters and that really was what took the longest time. I used my computer to create the letters and stars. Then trace them on to heat n' bond and then on to the fabric. Iron on and then sew down and ta da . . . a new, custom made, personalized shirt.Son #1 was a little tougher to come up with just the right idea. So I waited until he woke up this morning to run a few concepts passed him. At first he wanted a flying saucer with some words on it. But then we looked at this cute shark with a fish skeleton found on a cute but incredibly expensive boys clothing store. I'm no artist, but these were simple shapes to freehand. Son #1 selected some fabrics out of my (ever growing) scrap stash . . . a little heat n' bond and a few well placed stitches later and he has his own custom shirt.

And here they are (on a break from their water fight with dad) showing off their new shirts. I think I might be officially addicted now. Cute and easy and oh . . . the possibilities!

Custom Pillowcases

Check - custom pillowcases for the boys - - - DONE!

And talk about finding a really great tutorial - Little Birdie Secrets has one that I used. I cut the fabric and then sat down to follow it. I kept reading it over and over . . . thinking - this really can't work. She must have mis-typed something. When do I sew a seam? Maybe I should baste this? Really? I finally decided to trust the instructions and do what she said. Even as I sat at the sewing machine to sew that first seam, I kept thinking - there's no way this is going to work.

And then - - - I sewed the seam and pulled the center out - - - and look what I have. Two of the cutest darn pillowcases you can imagine. What a great tutorial!Son #1 requested Thomas the Train (no big surprise). Son #2 got Curious George.And here they are finished and on their beds.

This will be a good night for sleeping boys at my house!

Seriously - this was a great project. Super dooper easy and incredibly cute! Trust the "tute"!

Summer Projects to Do - Someday Soon

This is my incredibly busy time at work . . . . no time for crafting. But along with checking off work projects that need to be finished up and taken care of, I'm also keeping up with my craft project list of things to do. For the beginning of July, I have these three projects at the top of said list:

1. Pillowcases - cute and totally simple! Little Birdie Secrets has this great tutorial that I really want to try. I need to pick up some Thomas the Train cottons for son #1 and then something fun for son #2. They will love them!2. Chick-sicles - seriously, how cute are these! Suzanne at Just Another Hangup has the pattern and a tutorial for a rice-filled cooling pad for the kiddos. Heck, I'd like one for myself too. Gotta get a few of these made to keep in the frig/freezer.3. Love Birds - and to go with the chick-sicle, Suzanne also has these rice-filled owl heating pads over at Just Another Hangup. For some reason, little boy monster heating pads seem to be running through my head . . . but even if I don't get that creative, these little owls will find a home with my boys. Ok - off to memorize some new laws and sign a stack of papers I forgot to sign on Friday so people can get paid. Work is never done . . . at least this time of year!

Felt Birthday Banner

I've been wanting to make a birthday banner for my boys for a very long time. I've been looking all over blogland for cute ideas and tutorials. I thought I had settled on a paper one - bought myself all of the supplies even . . . . but I just never got around to it. Then I blog hopped over to AmeroonieDesigns a few weeks ago and found her super cute felt birthday banner. She even had a tutorial - so I went out and bought all the supplies to make it. Well it seems that birthdays come around much more quickly for me than they do for my boys and what do you know, son #2's birthday was coming along very fast. Too fast, in fact, for me to get a banner made. So I quickly emailed Amy to see if she happened to have one that she would sell me (please, please, pretty please!). And guess what - she did.

(Source: AmeroonieDesigns.blogspot.com)

She popped it right in the mail to me (we actually don't live very far from each other, but with varying schedules we couldn't arrange a meet and sell). And here is my new absolutely adorable felt birthday banner and son #2 on his third birthday. I am so happy with it! It will now be an official part of every birthday celebrated in our house. My boys were so excited to see it magically appear on birthday morning. Great idea - wish I had thought of it! Glad I have one to use from here on out. Even for my own birthday!