Tag! She's It...

Little Miss will be attending her first day of preschool on Thursday, and in preparation I have made her a very unique name tag for her not-so-unique Disney princess backpack which, I have a feeling, won't be the only one of its kind in the cubbies this year.

I haven't yet, but I plan to print our home info on transfer paper and iron it to the back.

I have this idea that, as she gets older, I'm going to teach her to have her own sense of style and not to be a slave to fashion trends--and, therefore, the trendy price tags that go along with it. I realize just how far-fetched this idea might sound, but I'm sure gonna try! Starting now, we'll at least mix in some nice handmade items into her wardrobe. And we'll see how that goes once the designer labels become a bigger deal, as she gets older. Wish me luck!

Tidbits for Little Miss and her Friends

WOW, it's good to be back! This is the first weekend in over a month that we've spent at home, and how nice it is to wake up in our own bed, go to our own church, put the kids down for naps in their own rooms, and hang out at our house on a Sunday afternoon!

My hot glue gun and I were on FIRE this afternoon (don't worry--only figuratively). I did some repairs, and then set to work on a small project for Little Miss. A few weeks ago (the last time I saw my craft room!), she brought me some scraps of Russian tulle that I had used for the bridal veil I recently made. Of course, I immediately put on my to-do list to make a pint-sized veil for her. I still had the practice flower piece from the real veil, so I glued some pearl beads to the center of the flowers (where the crystals had been on the real one), bunched up some extra tulle scraps behind it for added charm, and mounted a piece of tulle on the front for a blusher. A small hair clip glued to the back, and voila!

She's been strutting around in nothing but the veil and an old kids' square dancing petticoat pretending to be a bride since she woke up from her nap. It's pretty cute.

And because I've been privy to more than one sharing predicament during play dates, I made an extra one for her to share when a friend is over. I took a few pics along the way because, I mean, why wouldn't I?
I totally owe you a tut after my prolonged absence, and I've just been itching to do one lately, anyhow. :)

You need next to nothing for this project: some fake flowers, yoyos, ribbons, buttons, feathers, or any flair you want to use for the clip; a length of ribbon, popsickle stick, nail file, fabric scrap, or anything a couple of inches long to glue your stuff to; as much tulle as you need to cover the desired area of the face (or back of the head if you turn it around); a hot glue gun; and a hair clip (tip: the bigger the better, as long as it's all covered). After it was all done, I could have done lots of fancier things with it, but I was sticking with what I had on hand.

1. Glue all your flair to the ribbon (my "ribbon" was some left-over homemade bias tape). Make sure to cover the whole thing. Layer your flair for dimension.

This is the front of the piece, all layered up and covering the entire ribbon.

Optional: I glued a piece of tulle behind it, for added affect. Make it as big and loud as you wish!

2. By folding the top edge of the blusher tulle over a couple of times, you can gather it up so that it curves around the face instead of sticking straight out. This will help make it look better. Glue it to the back of the ribbon.
3. Glue on your hair clip. I found a little too late that small clips don't work as well (this was a no-cost project, I just used what I had on hand), so I'd recommend using something bigger or a big bobby pin. And... YOU'RE DONE!

These are the two I made. Little Miss is in love!

Clip it in over the forehead. It seems to work best to pull the hair back. Play around with it. You might find a completely different way to wear it. Any way you do, this is incredibly fast, easy, cheap (or free!), and such a great addition to any costume stash!

PS-- Pics are due any time from our stunning veiled bride, and I'll certainly put them up when they arrive in my inbox!

And More I-Spy Bags

I have two left over from my Christmas stash. My kids already have plenty of gifts, but they'll get these if no one else wants to buy them. At least that will save them from a year of storage in my sewing room closet.

(They are Christmas themed, perfect for any kid, and only $7 a piece if you're interested.

Plus actual shipping costs, if I have to mail it to you.)

I Spy Christmas!

I love these little toys. The hardest part about this project was finding the vinyl for the window. In my little corner of the Midwest, there doesn't seem to be a craft store that carries it within an hour of me, so I bought some pencil bags, deconstructed them (kept the zippers, of course!), and used the windows for this project. The big ones, imo, are a little too big, but this was all sorts of learning for me, so all in all it was a real success. Whichever ones I don't sell (a friend wants 2 for her kids) will be gifts from Santa for the babes.

Gus' Hanging Organizer

This is a great beginner's project, and as cheap as raiding your receiving blanket/sheet stash. I had some old receiving blankets that were given to me, as a set, when Rhyl was a baby. They're circus themed, primary colors, so sorta unisex (as was the point). I love them. Turns out, they perfectly match up with the hand-me-down crib layette that my sister Rachael gave me. I've really only been using the big big big receiving blankets with Gus, so these were going unused anyway. And who doesn't need convenience, attractive storage space??

So here we are, three receiving blankets, a dowel rod, a couple of nails and thumbtacks later. I strung red buttons on the nail (up top) to disguise them a little. On the other organizers I've made (and on my shower curtain, come to think of it), I sew fabric loops onto the top and loop them over nails. You can also put them on doors that way, with over-the-door hooks. This time, I knew right where it was going and I had a dowel rod handy. Total Cost: three receiving blankets and about 45 minutes, start-to-finish.