To My 6 Wonderful Followers:

How I enjoyed watching my follower number go up to 6! 

For a while I considered deleting my mommy blog.  Then I did it.  Now I am thinking of stopping my crafty blog.  I haven't added to it for a while so I'm making this officially a break from blogging.  I'm enjoying reading other people's blogs and just making things.  Why stop crafting? 

Reusable Wine Gift Bags

In April, I made my first cloth wine gift bags.  My favorite magazine, Stitch, gave me the dimensions.  Here is my first one...

With only one Opps along the way...

Opps!  I sewing the bottom of both the outside and the lining together.  My 3D thinking needs some more practice.  Here is what it is supposed to look like...

The lining is then slipped inside the outer bag.  I thought this pattern was too large; you could fit 2 wine bottles (or one VERY big one) in this.  So for my next one I cut a few inches off.

It's a wine print fabric with a light green lining.  I made a bunch of these, used up all this fabric actually.  There are 5 of the wine print.

Last week, I made price tags and brought to the consignment shop: 4 toddler dresses and 2 wine gift bags.  That will be all that will go for now.  My friend and I are participating in the DeKalb Farmer's Market on June 23rd!!  Just over a month away, oh my goodness!

I'm an Offical Crafter at the Consignment Shop

My meeting with the owner wasn't exactly what I expected, although I'm not sure what I thought it would be.  I knew she'd look over my things, check the quality, make sure they didn't smell like dog (ha ha), etc. 

The only thing she seemed concerned about is my pricing.  I said, for a store, the absolute minimum I'd take home was $20.  She takes 35% of the selling price so my dresses would have to be priced at $30.75 for both of us to get what we want.  That might be a bit high, at a craft show I'd price them at $25.  But she is willing to let me try.

It was a more casual meeting than I expected.  No contract.  She took my information and gave me a crafter number.  She said, "You can bring in items any day of the week." Apparently, once you get approved by the owner any employee can accept your inventory. 

I was also surprised that she didn't take charge of tagging the items.  Now that I think about it that makes sense as it would make a lot more work for her.  And if anyone is going to make a mistake on pricing it should be the crafter.  So I took my toddler dresses home with me with instructions on what to put on the tags: my number, my name or symbol, description, size, my inventory number, and price.  I can bring in anything as long as it's not exactly the same as another crafter's items. 

The owner did show me another woman's toddler dresses, which are completely different than mine.  Mine are better, of course.  The Other's are priced at $15 compared to my $30.75.  BUT being the fabric whore that I am, I saw right off that the fabric was lower quality and very thin.  The pattern was about the simplest you could possibly sew.  Just a smock.  While mine have a bodice with a lining, full skirt, and multiple aspects.  There could very well be a niche for my version of toddler dresses. 

Meeting at a Consignment Shop

It's an exciting day; I have a meeting at a consignment shop for crafts.  The owner has shown an interest in my toddler dresses.  As of today, I only have 4 sell-able dresses; remember I sold 2 already! 

My friend, daughters, and I are going to show my dresses in person and "chat" with the owner.  We've already agreed on an amount I would take home for the dresses so I suppose she's just going to take a look at them and talk to me about the policies. 

Crossing my fingers!

Overheard in Walmart

As a cashier scanned coupons, the shopper commented how she had a personal best of $15. I saw her 2 full carts of brand name items and thought I was in the midst of a coupon queen...What did she pay? $348. Then she said, "Wow I used $12 in coupons, almost beat my record!"

Ummm...

 

Bye Bye March

Cute toddler dress.  As of last weekend, it's SOLD!  Yay!  I'm so excited!!!!!

I brought out my magnet making supplies to make some magnets for the girls.

It's the same process as the buttons but the pin is missing from the magnet backs.  Then you attach a magnet, which is all included in the supplies.

The images came from a parenting magazine. 













Here are the girls' loving the magnets.  It only lasted an hour or so.  After the initial excitement they began trying to put them in their mouths.  Ummm...not good.  So I had to take them away.  That was a huge HUGE tantrum.

A month later, we've tried again and so far they haven't put them in their mouths.  For the sake of a clean house and safety we keep them put away unless it's time to play.

Party garland flower close-up.

Party garland #2 finished.  Definitely need to work on getting a better picture.

This is my awesome serger that I purchased at an estate sale.  It works great but I won't be doing many color changes as it's a bi**h to thread.

See there?  Waaaayyy back in there is where one thread needs to go.  Turning the knob only brings it so close.  I needed to use the tweezers to reach it in, around, and through the tiny hole. 

After finally getting it threaded, I went and serged all the toddler dresses I had made - the waist seam connecting the bodice to the skirt.  It's so nice!

I've been using the serger like mad since then and I don't know how I ever lived without one. 

The End.

Bye Bye March!

My Other Projects from March

Things I never got around to posting before for March:

• Tried to make a peasant shirt pattern.  Actually turned out to be an off the shoulder shirt.  Not great for a toddler.  I have done more research, looking online, watching youtube videos, and will try again soon.
• As a baby, I was gifted a handmade embroidered piece, framed for my room.  It looks old fashioned now so I took it out of the frame and put it into an embroidery hoop.  After I make a few more I'm going to hang them in the girls' play kitchen.
• Finished 1st party garland - 12 ft long
• Started to organize projects into boxes
• Made my first batch of Snickerdoodle muffins - delicious.
• Brought out the light boarded coffee quilt to finish.  It's a gift for my cousin's bridal shower.

New Plans for Selling Crafties

Been considering various craft show options with a friend.  It's kind of ridiculous how expensive they can be.  $65...$125...etc.  It's only one day or a weekend!  That really sucks the profit out of a person.

Might have finally decided on a Farmer's Market.  They accept crafts.  So what to do...$40 for one day or commit to 9 Thursdays in a row for $90. 

Probably thinking too optimistically.  Don't have enough stuff for 9 days or a babysitter lined up.  Maybe next year.

Homemaking with Coupons

I have fallen for coupons!  I've used them in the past but it just never clicked until now.  Actually, I've been into the game since I saw the first episode of Extreme Couponing on TLC.  WOW that's intense.

It's exciting to get such great deals on stuff I used to spend full price for.  I need to share my exciting coupon adventures with more than the 2 good people that currently listen to it.  My mommy blog didn't seem right.  I didn't want to start another blog.  I reviewed my original post and remembered I intended homemaking to be a topic here. 

Couponing = Homemaking

Couponing is about making money by not spending it and this blog is about making things. 

There you go.  Stay tuned for a review of today's coupon adventure!

AAAANNDD it's Over...

The town's craft show is apparently not happening this year. 

In previous years, the Town's Garden Club would organize the plant part and the Chamber of Commerce would do the craft show part.  Well, the chamber decided not to do the craft show this year.  Very disappointing, especially since $10 a spot is pretty darn good.

My 2011 goal has not changed - still want to do a craft show.  It just won't be in a month.  I'm going to finish up one more party garland then work on stuff for my kids--slippers, bathing suits, felt board pieces, extend pant legs, velcro on pink coats.

And thinking optimistically... I'm turning a very old family crib into a bench/bookshelf for the girls' room.  And the husband and I are making a new stand/storage unit for the fish tank, which is technically for the girls because the current one is NOT child proof.  Meaning if they pulled hard enough it's possible that it could tip over on them.

Oh yeah, my inter-library loan books (sewing kids' clothes) are due next week so I have to copy the patterns and instructions of my favorite projects to do for later.  Yes, I could always order them again but I'd rather just have them when I want them. 

Let's see if I can get all this done by May 31st.  Then I can focus on the craft show projects again.

26 More Days

26 days...

 

2/30 (project goal for craft show)

30 Days

30 Days until the town's annual Garden and Craft show.  Yikes!!  That came fast; definitely NOT ready but with me and a friend maybe our table won't look so bad. 

Getting my act together...

New Toddler Dress Pattern

It still needs some tweaking but here is my newest toddler dress pattern.  I started by making a practice pattern on scrap material or Carolyn's fabric.  

Aunt Carolyn gifted to me an amazing amount of material - scraps from her school costume department.  Apparently, these pieces are too small for costumes; they work just fine for my purposes. 

Plaid, yuck, but it works just fine for practicing pattern making.

The sleeve holes needed to be hand sewn.

The bodice.

At the last minute I decided to add a red boarder in the middle instead of at the bottom of the skirt.

The red middle is too low.  I need to plan for it in the next version.

TA DA!!!

Cookie Time - Chocolate chip with Oreo Center

It's Cookie Time!  I saw a delicious looking cookie on the Craft Magazine Blog.  Chocolate Chip Cookies with an Oreo Center.  The opportunity to make them came in the form of a housewarming gift.  (This was also my opportunity to experiment with mailing baked goods.)

Here is my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe:

2.75 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 sticks butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
chocolate chips to taste
375 degrees for 9-11 min (This is my corrected version.)

I made the dough and then pancaked it around an oreo.  Baked as usual. 

They were AMAZING, especially warm right out of the oven!

Yummmmm.  Looking at this picture, you are probably thinking "Boy those spread out a lot; she might want to add some flour."  Yeah, my mistake.  I have the original recipe written on a paper with a note underneath - Add flour ? 1/2 cup.  Well I missed the note, thinking this was a rewritten version and the flour had already been added.  So I didn't add flour. 

Second batch I still hadn't figured it out, thinking it was the oreo addition I turned down the heat.

They are a little better in the second round.  That's when I say, "Hey, maybe I didn't add flour?"

First batch and second batch.

Melty, rich, delicious goodness.  Warm right out of the oven.  So decadent I could only have one.  Oh, and a bunch of raw cookie dough.  Yum. 

You Need Sunglasses for This

I took these fabric strips...

to make a toddler dress skirt.  My intention was to match it with this bodice...

After seeing the final pieces next to each other, I realize that is WAY to much yellow!  Instead each will be a part of another dress.  The yellow skirt will get a mostly white bodice and the yellow bodice will get a mostly white skirt.

That should keep people from putting on sunglasses to look at them.

Chocolate Chip Walnut Biscotti

With the assistance of my mother, I made my very first biscotti.  (If I find the recipe I'll post it.)  We used the electric mixer.  Mom showed me her special way of laying out the dough, evening it out, and shaping it.  Bake for a set time, take out to cut them, and bake a little bit more. 

As a child, I watched my mom make them and hated the fact that she double baked them--making them hard dunking cookies.  Now, I don't mind so much.  They are yummy both ways. 

Experimental Shirt for Toddlers

This is almost the same pattern as for my toddler dresses, I just shortened the skirt and width of the gather.

I really don't care for this one.  Maybe it's the yellow bottom, which I definitely don't like.  Not sure if I will try it again. 

My other thought was to make a balloon bottom (Is that what you call it?), where the bottom isn't a flat hem but a fabric fold.  It's a poof at the bottom.

 This reminds me, I need to re-thread my serger.  I've been procrastinating!

Projects For My Children

As my children have been progressing and learning new things daily, I've gotten excited about making activities for them.  Here are the things I'm working on so far:

1. Felt board
2. I-spy rice bottle
3. Fabric tent to replace plastic one - They girls have a tunnel and tent; the tent had a weird plastic when I first took it out, which is something I don't like at all.  Can that be good for you?  Not only that but I had to use packing tape to secure the sticks in the bottom; it's so cheaply made that they won't stay in and are at risk for popping out and poking my babies' eyes out.  So I decided to remake the tent with fabric.  I'll use the tent as a pattern and use the sticks to hold the thing up.  But I can definitely make a much cuter version with fabric.  
4. Twin bed tents - Growing up I had a tent for my bed.  It is like a fitted sheet on bottom with a tent attached to it.  I regularly put it on my bed to play, even slept in it a lot.  It was fun.  Over time the corners wore out and the sticks would pop through.  I want to use it as a pattern to make my own--one for each girl.  
5. Decorative embroidery in hoops -- My mom made me an embroidery piece when I was a baby.  It was put in a frame.  Recently, I took it out and put it in a hoop.  I like this look a lot better but it would look even better as a theme.  I want to make several more embroidery pieces to put in hoops.  These will be hung up in the girls play kitchen area.  
6. Dress up Chest - Someone gifted me their kids Disney dress up clothes.  They are adorable.  I wanted to expand on that and put together a big chest for the girls.  Growing up, I always loved dress up.  I hope my kids do too.  Not sure what I will make the chest out of, or if I will even just use a plastic bin, but perhaps paper mache?  Cardboard frame covered with paper mache to create form, texture, and personality?  
7. ABC magnets - I can make magnets with my button maker, even have all the supplies already.  The girls have become interested in the fridge magnets.  I need to either find their magnets (perhaps under the fridge?) or make some.  Hmmm.

Wow, lots of projects to do.  I'm also looking for other toddler activities to do or things to make for the kids.  Their toys just aren't holding their interest as much anymore. 

Ceramics Apron

I made an apron especially for my ceramics class.  Here it is.  Not the cutest fabric but I just wanted something I wouldn't mind getting filthy.  My first apron.  Yeah!

Creepy People

Dear People,

  When you sit outside a coffee shop after they close -- it's CREEPY.  I know what you are doing.  You're using the free internet.  Seriously though, stop being a creep and go home.

Thank you,

Chariot

Sick

Sick again.  I've already gone on about it on my other blog.  But suffice it to say, I'm in pain, recovering from pain, tired, not up for it, etc, etc.  "Golden Time", or the time when the babies are sleeping, has been sorely wasted this week. 

I don't think I've been in my craft room for days; I just look longingly as I pass by.  But tomorrow is a new day.  With the pain killers working better maybe I'll make my way up there and just do something. 

Community Ceramics Class

My ceramics class is going great!  The first class was rough as I felt like I lost all of my previously gained skills.  After class four, I'm much more comfortable.  I've finished 3 pots, need to trim 4 more. 

I saw an awesome video on Youtube.com.  It was a wheel-throwing demo for an enclosed pot. Meaning the artist threw a pot, brought it up, closed it, and then separated the pieces when they were leather hard.  Not as easy as it seems.  My first attempt collapsed; I'll make more attempts next week. 

This is a community class and not at all graded.  So it's very relaxed, we work at our own pace, and just make what we feel like making.

AWESOME First Year Album

I love Shutterfly.  It's an awesome site to make photo projects and doubles as an online backup for photos.  Recently, I just finished my Babies' First Year Album.  The album is about $30 for 25 pages and $1 for each additional page.  My album plus tax and shipping was $60...then I have a coupon for 40% off...then I had a coupon for free shipping.  It ended up around $30.

The album arrived yesterday and I LOVE it.  I plan on making one for each year of the babies' lives. 

I'm giving the note cards a try next.  There was an email for 5 free and you just pay for shipping.  I'm curious about the quality.  So I paid $6 for shipping 5 note cards.  I think they inflate shipping costs to break even on these freebies.  Whatever.  $1.20 for a note card and envelope is darn good. 

Little BooBoo Turns Awesome

Check out my newest toddler dress!

I wanted to try something new with these dresses - a wider opening in back.  That means bringing the opening down a bit into the skirt, which changes the construction somewhat.

The inside back bodice edges were left unfinished.  The skirt was not sewn into a circle, instead that edge was left raw.  The two pieces were sewn together flat, not as circles.  I hope that made sense to more than just me.  Must take more in progress pics on the next one.

The raw edges in back are folded over and held in place with button holes/buttons and a bit of invisible stitching.  A 3rd button was added.  This dress was 10x's easier to try on I-Baby.  It can slip over the head or hips.  To avoid a fuss I left I-Baby's shirt on.  No crying this time.  Yay!  I'm sticking with this closure method in the future.

Now, my mistake...

My plan was to do another school yard print dress with yellow boarder.  If you've seen my previous dress photos you'll notice the bodice is black and the straps use the print (to match the skirt).  But I completely forgot to use the print fabric!  What to do?  I haven't finished the button bodice; I don't want to start another one.

This is what I came up with.  Purple embroidery, purple skirt, and a black boarder on the skirt.  I love it.

I Love Buttons

I love buttons, have a ton of them, but what to use them for????  There was once an art project involving tons of buttons.  Now that I think about it, that's probably why I have so many; I eventually decided to get rid of the project and took off the buttons.  They're expensive ya know.

Well, I decided to make an all black toddler dress with a bodice full of buttons.  I also tried a new version of the straps.  New shape, not sewn decoratively over the bodice, just a regular strap.  I'm loving it.  Sewing on the buttons is slow going but here is my progress so far.

Toddler Dresses - Round 2

Please excuse the boot in this picture.  It has gotten harder to get the girls to try on the dresses, much less take decent photos.  

As much as I loved making the 4th of July dresses, I needed to try something different.  Here is the same pattern except with a single fabric used for the skirt.  This is another of those fabrics that I can't help but say, "Wow, I like it but I really don't need this much!".  A good chunk of that fabric was used for these 3 dresses.  Yellow, red, and green.

None of the green dress photos turned out.  ALL were blurry.  W-Baby was in that dress for maybe 2 minutes.  As soon as I closed the buttons she started fusing and then crying.  I took only a handful of photos and the only possibly usable one was with a cry face on.  Poor baby.  So I guess I'll just take some of the dress by itself; same probably goes for any future dresses.  Oh well.