Felt Pillows for Friends

I have been very busy crafting these fun pillows for my daugther S's little friends! It was so fun coming up with each of the designs!

I hand stitched the whole thing, using the blanket stitch around the edges and the chain stitch for the text (found instructions from: Purl Bee).

If you try this, share the fun pillows you made!

Cute Face Pillows

I made these for Christmas gifts a couple years ago and I just love them, and they are so simple!

Supplies
fabric - I prefer fleece or corduroy
insert pillow
buttons
embroidery floss

1. Cut the fabric 1/2" to 3/4" larger then the pillow insert.
2. Once you have the two pieces, sew the buttons on the front of one side for eyes.
3. Then hand sew a smile/frown/smirk, whatever, with the embroidery floss. If you want to add any other decorations now is the time. A bow, earrings, necklace, or just keep it simple.
4. Sew the two pieces of fabric together (good sides facing each other) Leave an opening on the fourth side of the pillow so you can insert the pillow. Then hand sew the pillow closed.

You can even make little ones and stuff with stuffing to make Christmas tree ornaments.

Just have fun with the personality of the fabric and buttons!

Cookie Dough Cupcakes

A friend turned me on to this fabulous blog kevinandamanda.com. They had featured a really fun cupcake recipe and I decided it would be fun to try something different! So here we go:

day before: make cookie dough and roll into an oval/tube shape. (I actually ended up using half of one of these for my cupcakes).

next day: fill cupcake pan 2/3 full, then put the frozen cookie chunk on top and bake!

hot fresh out of the oven!

decorated with yummy frosting and mini chocolate chips.

So fabulous!

Here is the link to the recipe!

Wedding Cake

Well, I did it! Here it is! The cake is DONE!!!

Here is the picture of the crumb coat of the cakes.



And here it is all done! I think it came out great! It is so cute and sweet. What do you think?

I am also debating on selling the bees on etsy (not these ones, but another set) What do you think? How much should I ask for them? I am also trying to think of other creatures that I can create.

Buzzing Bee Cake Topper

Well I did it! Here they are... INTRODUCING the Mr. & Mrs. Bee's for the wedding cake! I hit a bump or two in the road, but they turned out ok.

Supplies
Wooden balls
drill
yellow and black paint
14 gauge wire
tissue paper

1. Drill holes (one on each side) into the wooden balls, these are for the wings to go into.

2. Paint the wooden balls. Start with painting them all yellow. Then Add the stripes, you can go small stripes, or large stripes, your choice. I choose wide. Also add any facial features you would like at this time. I choose to do just little bead eyes.

3. (optional) I sanded the bees down to give them a worn look.

4. Take the wire and bend down the ends to create the "legs" to stick into the wooden ball holes.

5. Cut the tissue paper a tad larger then the shape of the wire. Glue the edge of the wire and a little in the center of the paper. Fold over the edges and press gently. Glue the ends and stick into the holes.




6. Assemble!

{Introducing Mr. & Mrs. Bee}

Here is a tally of what is left to do:

1. make bee cake topper (tutorial to come)
2. make fondant hive and bees (pictures posted below)
3. make wedding cake (pictures to come)
4. make table numbers (pictures to come)
5. make table name cards (pictures to come)
6. make 15 rock holders for the table numbers (pictures to come, tutorial already posted)

Wedding Table Numbers

Another project for the wedding done! I have completed the rock holders with table numbers.

First I washed the rocks:

Then wrapped with wire, printed and cut out the table numbers, then placed them in the rock holders:


I think they turned out really cute. I was working on the name cards but the printer wasn't printing straight and I just couldn't deal with that late last night.

Here is a tally of what is left to do:

1. make bee cake topper (tutorial to come)
2. make fondant hive and bees (pictures posted below)
3. make wedding cake (pictures to come)
4. make table numbers (pictures to come)
5. make table name cards (pictures to come)
6. make 15 rock holders for the table numbers (pictures to come, tutorial already posted)

Thoughts Punctuated.

Thoughts Punctuated. This is the blog of an extremely creative and talented lady named jessie lynn. A recent post has not left me since reading it.

"the inner you.

I’d like to crawl inside and feel the inner you.

I’d like to look through your eyes to see what your sight is set upon when you look forward, what gets caught in it when you look back.

I’d like to feel you ache, when you’ve pushed yourself too far.

I’d like to wander in the beyond of your dark eyelids, when you finally stop to rest.

I want to read your thoughts for a better translation of what pours from your mouth.

I want to taste your sour that’s my sweet and my bitter that’s your blunt.

I want to hear the words that make your ears stop to listen, finally.

No one will ever know you like the way I wish I knew you."

I find these words resonating deeply within my soul. For me this writing feels and sounds familiar to what I have felt and heard in my mind. To truly have an understanding of someone you love, to see clearly, without any doubt, without any obstruction, their true perspective, to feel what they feel - love, sorrow, guilt, joy, anxiety, contentment, to experience what they experience, to know what they have experienced in the past and how that has affected them, molded them, scarred them.

jessie lynn's words are an accurate translation of what I have never articulated. For me, they are profound.

Lemon Love

Little S and I are going to visit Papa today and he has a weakness for Lemon! So what sweeter thing to do then whip up a batch of Lemon Cupcakes! We cheated a little by using Pillsbury Lemon Cake Mix, but we did make the frosting from scratch (which is the only way I will make it now, I can never go back to can frosting). Check here for the amazing recipe. If I had the time, I would have also made the filling.

We topped with delicious raspberries and voila Yummy Treats!

I think this is my last attempt at holding onto Summer. Although I am super ready for Fall and all the fun things that go along with it!

Fondant Bees

So progress has been made... albeit is small progress, but non-the-less progress! The wedding is next weekend and I still have a few things to do:
1. make bee cake topper (tutorial to come)
2. make fondant hive and bees (pictures posted below)
3. make wedding cake (pictures to come)
4. make table numbers (pictures to come)
5. make table name cards (pictures to come)
6. make 15 rock holders for the table numbers (pictures to come, tutorial already posted)

First I broke up my (store bought) fondant into three balls. Then I dyed each ball a different yellow. I was looking for a gradient effect, so the hive will be the darkest and then the bees will get lighter.

Then I rolled out each fondant and used the cookie cutters.

Then I placed them on a sheet, but will be packaging them up in a sealed tight container till next week!


It was very simple, and I am laughing at myself for how nervous I was. Now onto the bee cake toppers!

Photo/Art Display Tutorial

There are many takes out there on art displays - here is mine...BG loves looking at photographs. She flaps her cute chubby arms and kicks her yummy legs when we walk by photos displayed around the house. When you let her look at them up close, while saying the name of the individuals in them, she smiles chin to chin and squeals with excitement.

Originally I thought of display photographs in her room in picture frames, but that was a bit too boring. Something fun and girly was more appealing to me. I immediately thought of the art display's that I have seen on blogs and store websites. I decided to make one!

Materials:
1. Display ends - 3" wooden letters
2. Rope, ribbon or wire - white satin cord ribbon
3. Wooden hooks or hangers - small nailess sawtooth hangers
4. Clothes pins- standard size wooden
5. Wood cut outs - two pre-painted and three bare wood
6. Paint - spray paint, craft paint and interior wall paint
7. Accents for the letters - K&Company Citronella Floral Layered Accents
8. Hot glue gun
9. Nails
10. Tape measure
11. Hammer
12. Poster tack

Step 1 - Paint the wooden letters, wooden cut-outs and wooden clothes pins.

I used white spray paint for the letters because it is simply easier. Craft paint, specifically Memories Scrap booking paint, and interior wall paint, because I didn't have white craft paint on hand, were used to paint the cut-outs and clothes pins.

Step 2 - Attach hooks to wooden letters.

Step 3 - Determine what distance you'd like between the ends and how much sag you'd like in the ribbon. Then tie the ribbon to each letter's hook.

Step 4 - Add embellishments.

Step 5 - Hot glue clothes pins to wooden cut-outs.

Step 6 - Hang letters on wall and put the clothes pins on the ribbon. Oops! Look what happened. The weight of the wooden cut-outs flipped the clothes pin over. Not to worry, poster tack to the rescue!

Step 7 - Put a small ball of poster tack on the back of the clothes pin and adhere to the wall. This will allow for easy adjustment when displaying different sized photos or art pieces.

I am extremely happy with the results! This is the first goal completed off my September list. Off to a good start!

Hope you find this inspiring and helpful. Let me know what you think!

Katie's Goals

Jumping on the bandwagon! Here are some of my goals for the next few weeks.

1. Finish the adorable headbands that Ida and I are working on.
2. Make little bees to go on top of a wedding cake.
3. Make about 15 rocks with wire for table number holders for cousin's wedding.
4. Make a wedding cake.
5. Decide on and make a halloween costume for my LG. I am thinking ladybug or butterfly. I was a ladybug when I was 2/3 years old, so I was thinking that would be cute, but I can't decide, and I am always open for suggestions!
6. I am going to add more when I think of it!

Ida's Project Goals - September

This post was inspired by MaryAnne at mama smiles. Her goals are meaningful and admirable!
Mine? Well, here, they are project goals, but I am motivated to make goals similar to MaryAnne's for my family!

1. Photo/art display - This is for BG. I have been working on this project for over a month! Actually, I completed one that I did not like at all so, started over. I've really only bought the materials and haven't started yet.

2. Travel games - We have a wedding this month that will require us traveling a long distance by car. LM will need some entertainment and although we have a DVD player, I'd prefer if he didn't watch for 9 hours!

3. Wedding card box - Yes, another one. My SIL is marrying in early October and I am making the card box. I'd like to get that done by the end of September.

4. Hair band - BG is the flower girl in my SIL's wedding and again, I need to get that finished.

5. Refinish BG's dresser - The dresser I have been using in her room was purchased on Craigslist for $50. I don't like the color, it is more cheaply made than I originally thought, it doesn't have drawer slides and half the knobs are missing. Why am I bothering then? It has character. It has tons of potential! I am definitely painting it, adding new knobs and I want to try to add some type of drawer slides.

6. Start priming and painting our basement/laundry room - I have started to organize the basement last month because the floor paint is peeling and I am finding it throughout the house. It is driving me crazy. Well, of course, I'm not painting the floor before I organize and then paint the walls. I have the organizing under control so, my goal for the month is to get the walls primed and start some painting. Oh, and putting up peg board on one wall.

Whew! Can I do it? I sure hope so. If I can get LM and BG to nap at the same time at least 4 out of 7 days a week I may have a chance!

Appreciating Daddy

My husband has been completely stressed at his job the last couple of weeks. All I can do for him is try to keep our house peaceful and let him know that we appreciate what he does for us. I decided to make a craft that Allie at No Time For Flash Cards posted as a Father's Day project. I wanted to make it back in June, but couldn't find the time to get to the craft store for the shrinky dink paper (do you remember that stuff? Awe to the some!). I thought it would be perfect for our current situation.

Let me tell you, trying to get a 9 month old's foot print is no easy task! I should have read all the comments. Allie suggests using ink and stamping a baby's foot. I also left the shrinky dink paper in a minute or two too long. They really shrunk, but I am super happy with the outcome.

My husband loved it!