Trick or Treat Bag

My son is 20 months old and this will be his first Halloween where he somewhat understands what is going on. Last year we simply dressed him up and took pictures, nothing else. He was 8 months old and he made the absolute cutest green monster, I loved his costume!

Picture by Christina Rush Photography

This year he will be Winnie the Pooh. My mom already got him a really cute little pumpkin to hold all of my..er, his treats but I wanted to make him his own honey pot to go with his costume. I used this tutorial and it took me maybe an hour at the most to make it (including sewing the honey drips and gluing the letters).


Yes, I went slightly overboard and probably bit off more than I could chew but it turned out so cute!

My son's Christmas gift

I figured out my son's Christmas gift the moment I saw this fabric panel:

Source: Clothworks' Choo Choo You collection

Isn't that so cute? My son is 20 months and he loves cars. I've been wanting to get one of those rugs with the roads on it for his Christmas gift but I have yet to see one in stores. So I stumbled upon Clothworks website last night and I found this panel -- it was a sign from God! He is so good, isn't He? :) Anyways, I plan on making it into a quilt/playmat and just having some simple blocks or a solid piece of fabric for the other side. Nothing fancy since he'll mostly be playing on the roads. I am so excited!

More quilts

One of my best girlfriends has 3 little boys, a set of twins and then another that is 1 week older than my son. At her youngest's birthday party I promised I would make her a quilt with anything she wanted on it for him. And I'm just now getting started on it, over a year and a half later. (oi!) Anyways, his favorite things at the moment are balls, dinosaurs, monkeys, and dogs. So here is what I got so far:



The finished size of this quilt will be 36" by 42". The squares are cut 6.5" x 6.5" with a 1/4" seam allowance making them a finished size of 6"x6". There is going to be a 6" border around them but I haven't decided on the fabric for that. I'm having a really hard time finding something that goes well with the rest of the fabrics! I bought this monkey fabric for the back of the quilt:

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She also asked me to make her twins quilts for Christmas in a similar design with their favorite things. So the twins quilts will be almost the same size (35" x 42" - 1 inch shorter) but theirs won't have the border. Instead they will have squares that are 7"x7". All three quilts will have the boys' names on them too, so they can each find their own. So I've been keeping busy lately, and I haven't even started on my family's Christmas gifts. Phew, this holiday season is going to be packed!

Handmade Christmas

So this year I've decided to try and make as many handmade gifts as I possibly can for both sides of the family. I say this because my dad and my father-in-law tend to be slightly difficult to shop for, let alone find a project I can make myself. So I've been searching Pinterest and getting some good ideas for people (which I won't be sharing until after the holiday, just in case), but one in particular I'm slightly more excited about...

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I-SPY BAGS! Aren't they cute? They can be made in any shape (including inside old water bottles) and with any trinkets. I plan on making at least 2 of them for each of my nephews, both with fabric. I don't think my son will be old enough to understand the concept of these by Christmas, so I'm going on wait on making his. But I can't wait to get started on my nephews. Hardest part is just picking out the perfect fabric and trinkets! :)

iPod Soft Cases & Hand Towl Bib

Ever have one of those days where your head is not in the game? Yeah, today was one of those days for me. My seam ripper and I were best friends today. Anyways, without further ado here is what I was working on during nap time today:

A hand towel bib - just in time for Halloween! I loved having those cute little bibs for my son last year for all his first holidays (First Valentine/4th of July/Halloween etc) but it's a little harder to find cute bibs for the holidays that don't contain the word 'first' on them. I originally saw the bib made from a hand towel idea on Pinterest (love that site!) that lead me to the tutorial over at Martha Stewart.


It doesn't tell you much other than you need a hand towel and double fold bias tape. The thing that confused me the most was the dimensions - I mean, what do you mean by lollipop shaped hole Martha? Seriously! I still want to make another one for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and maybe a few more for everyday. So I'll put up a proper tutorial when I get those done, that way you won't have to try and figure out the dimensions of a lollipop. ;)


I also made a smaller version of the Nook soft case for my iPod Touch. It fits perfectly and it keeps my (or should I say, my son's) iPod Touch all snuggly and safe. I even added a D-ring so that I can attach it to the hook inside my (future) purse. Yes, I'm that kind of crafter. ;) There's one thing that I would've done differently about the zipper but I didn't think of it until it was too late. So again, I'll do a tutorial to show you how whenever I make another one. :)



Check out that pretty blue zipper! I love colored zippers, I think it's getting to be an obsession.

I was featured!

I was featured today on Craftaholics Anonymous!

Click here to see my wreath

Check it out, my fall wreath is up there! I'm squealing over here, I'm a huge fan of CA. It's one of my top craft blogs I visit on a regular basis and to see my little wreath up there is just so cool. I'm so glad you all liked it! :)

Laundry Lines Card

Are you a scrapbooker that saves every little piece of paper? Good, this tutorial is for you! I made this thank you card for my mother-in-law who recently took me clothes shopping for my birthday.




I didn't photograph a step-by-step tutorial, but it's really pretty simple. I promise. :) Here's what you need:

Leftovers/scraps of scrapbook paper (if you don't have any just use any paper you want)
Brads in any color you want
Glue dots
Scissors
Pencil/pen/marker

Ok, so here's what I did to create this card:
1. Take the largest scrap of blue paper you have, square off the edges (ie cut off uneven edges) and cut into a rectangle. Fold in half. If you want a particular size card then just double the length to get the rectangle. For example, if you want a 4"x6" card then you need a rectangle that is 8"x6"
2. Find a green scrap of paper and cut to the length of your card, but made it a little wider than you need for the grass. Tear one side of the paper and adhere it to the bottom of your folded blue paper with glue dots, leaving some extra green at the bottom. Fold over the extra green to create a little flap, this will help your card to stand up.
3. Draw clothing shapes (pants, shirts, dresses, etc) onto the back of various colors of paper. Cut out and adhere to card, just above the grass.
4. Using your marker to draw a line across the length of the card, just above the tops of the clothing. If needed, reposition your clothing to "hang" better on the line.
5. Attach a pair of brads above the tops of each article of clothing so that the brad will cover the tips of your clothing and the line.
6. For the interior take a scrap of paper the length of the card and wide enough to cover the brad flappy things (sorry, I don't know the tecnical term). I trimmed mine with pinking shears, but you can use regular scissors or various other edge scissors (like scallop) to get a pretty cut. Write a simple message on it then adhere it to the interior using glue dots.
7. This part is optional, but for the back you can write a simple message saying it was handmade. I simple wrote "Made with love, Ashley"

And there you have it! Write your message and give to whomever! :) Enjoy!