Another Fall Project

I saw this illuminated pumpkin over at Recaptured Charm:

I thought it was the neatest thing, so I decided to make one for myself.  

Here is my version:

It didn't come out nearly as nice as hers, but I like it anyway!  I painted mine orange, then did a little orange Glitter Spray on top of it. I bundled up some cinnamon sticks with a rubber band and used those as the stem, then hot-glued some Spanish moss to cover up the rubber band. Just to pretty it up a bit, I tied a raffia bow around the stem. I put orange lights inside of mine... can't wait to see how they look tonight!

If you are not into messy projects, don't attempt this one! It is very, very messy (but fun!)

Thanks so much for the inspiration, Lisa! I love that it cost very little to create this, and it is something I can keep out through October and November.

If you'd like to make one of your own, you can find Lisa's tutorial here.

Fat Free, Calorie Free Candy Corn!!

Did that get your attention?  Ha Ha!  If only they made that, I would be a happy woman! 

My fat free, calorie free version is this:

I used this tutorial from Bethany at Sweet Bee Buzzings.

I made mine in three different sizes. Rather than sewing the top closed (cuz you know how much I hate hand-sewing of any sort!) I used my trusty 1/4 inch Steam-a-Seam2.  I love that stuff, and use it all the time. It is great for closing up openings that you don't want to sew. I also use it to help my quilt binding stay in place while I sew it .... much easier than pinning!

More fall-related projects are in the works... stay tuned!

Baby Project - Initial Crinkly Toy

I finished another baby project. As you know, I can't come up with an original idea, so I followed the tutorial found here at HMH Designs.

This is for my friend's new baby boy, Tristan. I thought it would be cute to make something with his initial.

I followed Martta's tutorial with one exception - I didn't have any crinkle wrap, so I just used a big plastic grocery bag and cut it to the correct shape.

I also free-handed my "T" so it may be a tad lopsided. Oh well... adds to the handmade feel I guess!

The back is brown minky fabric:

Here is a close-up of the ribbons:

I was thinking that you could hang a plastic link toy or teething ring from the ribbons too.  OMG... was that an original thought??? Nah, I probably read it somewhere!  Ha Ha !

Thanks so much for the inspiration Martta, I think Tristan will like his new toy!

Baby Love

I love making baby things.... they are always so cute and adorable, and so much fun to make. Here are a few projects I finished recently:

These tie onesies are so cute for baby boys and so easy. Simply adhere Wonder Under to your fabric, cut out the tie shapes, and iron them on. I then stitch around them with a straight stitch.

I made this for my new great niece Natalie who is due to arrive in December:

All I used was a scrap piece of muslin, some pink fabric and some brown polka dot fabric that were in my scrap bin. I added Wonder Under to the pink fabric and then ironed it on to the muslin. I added Wonder Under to the brown polka dot fabric, traced my "n" to the paper side of the Wonder Under (make sure you trace it in the reverse!) then cut out my letter and ironed it to the pink fabric. Using a zig zag stitch, I used brown thread and sewed around the edges of the pink fabric; using a straight stitch, I sewed around the letter using pink thread. I then stuck it in the embroidery hoop, trimmed up the back and glued the remaining pieces down with white glue. This project cost me all of $1.49 for the embroidery hoop, and I think it will look so cute in her nursery!

I am working on another baby project and will post that when I am finished with it - hope it turns out as planned!

Reversible Mug Rug

I made a mug rug for my sister's friend Kendra using the tutorial found here.

I used a jelly roll that I found in my stash that I had never even opened! Here is what the back looks like:

Instead of putting the word "java" on mine (like Angie did in her tutorial), I decided just to put Kendra's initial instead. I used the font Pea Jack and Jane that you can find for free here.

You really should check out Angie's blog, Stitching by Starlight. She does absolutely beautiful quilting, and has some other great tutorials in addition to this one.