Material Girl

As expected, I haven't had much time for sewing in the weeks since baby N joined our family. I did squeeze in one little project for a Christmas gift. It was for my mom, a fabulous seamstress and quilter. I can't remember a time when there weren't stacks of fabric around her sewing machine. It has been something my dad has teased her about for years. There are those of us, however, that can completely understand the addiction.

Marie-Thérèse Gown GIVEAWAY!!!!

Marie-Thérèse Gown GIVEAWAY!!!!

This is the most amazing little dress. Someday I might attempt something like this. I could never ever give it away! I don't know how she does this, but I think you can see why this is one of my favorite blogs to follow.

Paper dolls for little fingers

This is an idea that I've been dying to try for a while now. A little background: I love paper dolls. My favorite are Dolly Dingle. I had a huge collection when I was a little girl. My sister and I spent hours cutting them out and playing with them. We each had a little yellow pencil box that we kept them in. When I saw some Dolly Dingle books on eBay I couldn't resist. Emma is still too little to manage the paper tabs and since these seem to be out of print, I came up with an idea for how she could enjoy them without their being destroyed. This is the result of my trial. I copied a set onto window cling and cut each outfit out, trimming off the tabs. The color isn't as vibrant, but is good enough. Then, I laminated the doll. The window cling dresses adhere perfectly to the lamination and to the glossy folder I am storing her in. Emma can stick and pull off the dresses and hats over and over. I have no idea if the color will begin to wear off after awhile. I guess we'll play with this set and see how it goes. A friend who saw this thought it would be cool on the inside of a car window while taking a longer trip. Great idea!

Activity Bag

Not much time or energy for all the projects I want to do these days... but I have managed to squeeze in one or two more little things. First is the Activity Bag. I think these are great for church, for longer doctor's office visits or even for road trips. Similar to Emma's preschool bag, we personalized a tote for her friend Morgan's birthday present. Then I made a crayon roll in coordinating fabric. These are so easy and so handy! (You know the box or ziploc baggie full of crayons will inevitably be dumped all over the floor.) Then we filled the bag with a princess coloring book, a few other coloring activities, notebook, flash cards, and other little toys. For an older girl I think paper dolls or lacing cards would be great too. I've already started a second crayon roll for Emma who had a hard time parting with it. It should be finished before she is home from the birthday party.

I've also been sorting through and getting clothes ready for new baby and realized I needed some more drawer space. I found a really inexpensive, narrow set of drawers at a yard sale (just perfect for a small corner or closet) and repainted it white and added a few decals to girlie it up. I have a lot to learn about refinishing furniture! This was my first ever attempt but it was fun to try on something that wasn't valuable.

Personalized tote for Emma

Big "E" little "e" what begins with "e"? Emma's starting preschool... E... E... E! (There are so many cute alphabet books, but Dr. Seuss is still my favorite!)


Emma is starting preschool this week and she needed a bag for school. I already had this pink canvas tote and I decided to embellish it with some ribbon and felt to make it special for her. She's been carrying it around since I finished it, so I guess she approves. With Emma, you really can't go wrong with pink and polkadots!

Applique detail.

Baby Rattle: Take Two

So I made a few adjustments to my pattern and made up another version of my baby rattle. I like how this one turned out even better.

Handmade Baby Rattle

Made from flannel and felt scraps, she's asleep on one side, and awake on the other. When you shake her you hear a little rattle from muffled jingle bells sewed inside. I've been wanting to try something like this for awhile. I've never done much embroidery, so don't look too closely. I did enjoy making her though. I'm in the mood for baby things.