Vee gifts

Long story, short, or not told at all. I decided it was high time to make my son the goldbug I've been planning to do for a year. I had no idea what I was doing when I started. I just randomly cut, and sewed. Then I unpicked, and sewed some more. His antennas have a pipe cleaner in them to give them shape. One leg is quite a bit longer than the other but that's what you get with homemade toys, made by me. Not to mention his head/face is lopsided. I was laughing about it to my husband, and he said that's ok that how he looks in the book.

I decided to give it to him as a Valentine present, because for one he already had enough birthday presents. And for two, I wanted to try my hand at making doll rattles for the girl. And I thought he would appreciate getting something handmade when she got something. She isn't quite old enough yet, but soon. They are kind of ugly, but it was a first attempt, without a pattern. Sadly enough I made the green one second, but yet its the worst. They match her baby quilt.

Then I felt bad, that my husband didn't have a valentines present and the kids did. Since he is quite literally my valentine (his birthday), I decided to just make something stupid and stuffed for him, like the kids got. Sadly, his present is made with scraps. But true nonetheless.

Lastly, I made myself a present, but I didn't wrap, mine up. A valentines apron. Once again, I didn't buy trim so I had to look at what I had, and what I had was left over pink satin quilt binding trim. So that's what won.

A holiday of homemade. I should take the handmade challenge for valentines I could accomplish that! J is going to think that February is just as excited as December. Cake, cookies, presents multiple days in a row. And snow! blah, that's the most depressing part of Valentine's Day. By the way, I do think Valentine's is a stupid holiday. But I do love the valentines candy, much better actually than Christmas candy. Other than the candy and cookies its good for nothing. I never once celebrated Valentine's Day with a boyfriend, I never even had a date on Valentines until I got married. But part of the fun of kids is doing fun things on all the holidays I think. Anyway. By the way, since my husband's birthday is on the 14th, we've always celebrated valentine's day on the 15th. Some may wonder why we even celebrate, after 4 years I do, seems like his birthday is the perfect excuse to ignore it. I think it has something to do with being newlyweds 4 years ago, and just be so excited to have a date on Valentine's Day. I really couldn't tell you why, I can't even remember why. Probably has to do, with I really wanted these kissing frogs from Hallmark, so my husband planned to buy them for me, but on Valentine's Day we got about 4 feet of snow, so even with skipping class, and only going to work, he spent the whole day other than work, and pie shoving the neighborhood. Ahh, to be young and in love, I doubt my husband would still go down to the hallmark store to pick up stuff animals, and I doubt I would even ask for them anymore.

Birthday Sewing

This crown is roughly based off of this lady's site. I decided I needed to make something for my son to not steal his three year birthday thunder, and I immediately thought of a picture of me in kindergarten with a HUGE pink construction paper Birthday crown on, holding cup cakes for my class. I thought yeah a birthday crown. I didn't actually read the tutorial, I just printed off the patterned, then barely used that too.

The whole reason we needed the crown was because I made the birthday apron. I am so excited about this. About a year ago I saw an birthday apron for sale for $40, a little much in my opinion, although it was quite fancy. Ever since I have wanted to make one, but you would be surprised at how hard it is to find birthday material at JoAnn's. Maybe you wouldn't, and I wasn't about to start searching quilt shops, for $15 a yard material. This was made for less than $8, plus my time. Anyway, I found this material a few days ago, and bought it, not only that it was on sale. Its not the cutest birthday stuff I could ever imagine but, beggars can be choosers. I've been looking for a year.

When I came home to cut out my material, I realized I didn't buy an trim for my apron. I had to scrounge around to see what I had. I think it turned out well with the scraps I found, it reminds me of frosting decoration. Plus since it was scraps it was paid for months/years ago. I love the pockets, I used elastic in them to make them feel/look 50's-ish.

When I was in the middle of making the apron, my son said, "whata doin mom?" I said making a birthday apron. He said "for dee?!" I said no for me. He totally didn't understand why his mom need an a birthday apron for his birthday, and you know I can understand why he didn't understand my logic. That's where the crown came in. I wanted to embroider a cupcake on above Happy Birthday, but my son said no a star. See I had shown him the website with tutorial, and he said yeah, a birthday crown with a star, for me. So I had to go with what he wanted and not with what I wanted. But I had to show him the site because there is no way I was going to make a birthday crown if he didn't want one. It was pretty easy to do, I didn't use wool felt, because well wool felt is expensive, and I only had white at home. And I was not about to go buy any, I used fabric scraps, that my son picked out.
Hopefully in a few years my son will not think I'm stealing his birthday thunder by wearing a birthday apron, but instead be excited when he sees it. Oh its party time, the birthday apron is out. Yes, I know I'm weird, frumpy and old lady like, did we already have a post about that.
But at least I have mad sewing skills.
Moral of this post, I don't imagine anything, I just copy everything.

Homemade Presents

I always have dreams about taking the hand made only Christmas pledge, so I start early and plan ahead, but I never make it. This my attempt for the gift exchange family, on my husband's side.

I ended up really loving this apron by the end, and wasn't sure she would like it. I made it back in November or October, but then by December she kept mentioning that I had never made her one, so I ended up making the perfect present.

Best part, I sewed so straight! and the pocket magically lined up with the other material.

Her daughter got a flower tutu. I had no idea what I was doing when I started out, I just had a picture in my mind. I was happy with the results.

P.S. The Pledge doesn't quite work for me anyway, because I'm a cheapskate so I don't buy handmade, I only make handmade, and the site is buy not make.

Apron Craze

If you haven't noticed I've sort of been on apron kick. I made one for my son, he picked out the yellow material, yellow is favorite color right now. And he picked out the button and told me to put it on the top, and picked out the ribbon I used for ties.

I probably should have not used it for the trim on the pockets. My husband said oh well he will use it twice then his sister will use it all the time. I have been planning to make him an apron for a while now, I use to make him wear bibs when we baked but the bibs were all put away when we moved since he had boycotted them for eating. (Which is fine because now he doesn't need them.)

Here is my latest apron. We have quite a few roosters/chickens in our kitchen when its not christmas time. Not to mention it goes with the color scheme of my plates.

Close up now, Teresa might start charging me royalities, with as many aprons as I have made.

another one bites the dust

I recently acquired another sister in law, to go along with the other ten I already have. I made her a lovely apron for her bridal shower, which I did not attend since I was in the hospital. I have only met her twice so it was hard to pick out material because I don't know her. My husband told me after I went shopping to get pink, I said does she like pink? He said have you seen her of course she likes pink. (He in no way means that as a derogatory comment, he often picks pink things out for me.) (Although I am pretty sure I don't like pink as much as some of his family thinks I do. I'm much more a purple girl.)

Here is the matching card I made, because I'm a cheapskate and don't like to spend $3 on a piece of paper. Which is the whole reason I made an apron in the first place instead of buying something off the registry.

Happy Holidays

As I have already mentioned I have way too much holiday material in my house. So I used some of material to make a fall/thanksgiving apron, and a Christmas apron. The first is thanksgiving if you couldn't tell.

My favorite part, the jack o lantern on the back of the neck. It was no accident.

The Christmas one.

The material was rather dark and busy and needed something to break it up, so I used the lace I had bought but decided not to use for something else. I love the way it turned out, maybe its a little grandmaish, but I think it adds to the retroness of the print. Plus it reminds me of a scalloped design on a cookie, or frosting trim on a gingerbread house.

I've been wanting to make a birthday apron for months now, but haven't been able to find any good material for it. I saw one at a store for a large lump sum and thought it was a cute idea. I thought my small children would think it was fun if their mom had a special birthday apron for their birthdays. I know that sounds cheesy but none the less, I decided to jump on board. So now I'm well on my way to having an every holiday apron. I now need to go get some clearanced Halloween material so I can be ready for next year.