Zeelightful

Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Lucy

2010-10-24T17:15:00.000-04:00

A is for Alligator

2010-10-03T23:11:00.002-04:00

One of the girls I work with has a daughter who wants to be an alligator for Halloween. First of all, that's a pretty cool costume for a 5 year old girl. Second of all, it got me thinking about how to make a cute, girly alligator costume. We already decided to go the tutu route so I got two shades of green tulle and started making a tutu (I need more tulle to finish it). Then we were figuring green long sleeved tshirt, red and white striped tights or leggings (the alligator doll she is basing the costume on wears red and white checked overalls) and some sort of alligator hat. Of course, alligator hats aren't really readily available.

So I have been thinking of options. I thought of buying an alligator stuffed animal, taking the head off and making it a hat (gruesome, right?) or making something with a baseball hat and cardboard or some foam. None of it seemed easy enough or cute enough.

And then I thought about finding a hooded towel that was an alligator and THEN I thought about just making a hood out of some green fleece I already had. And so I spent a lot of my day working out this:

That's before I fixed the eyes so they weren't so floppy and added ribbon to keep it on. Here's the finished look (please excuse my scariness, it was late and I spent the whole day sewing):

The teeth and the eyelashes are my favorite part.

And in other projects, here's a picture of my niece wearing the skirt I made her. I LOVE that fabric and I have some to make my own skirt, once all the costumes are done.

First costume done!!

2010-10-03T16:59:00.002-04:00

Well, mostly. I need to find socks...I might go with white socks instead of yellow. What do you guys think?

Bug is going to be Charlie Brown.

Here's his shirt (front and back):

I bought fabric that didn't need to be hemmed and I also got fusing paper so I could just iron on the squiggle. I cut out the pattern and ironed it and the whole thing took 15 minutes. That's the kind of project I love!

I might make a second one to post in the shop since I bought a back up shirt (on sale at Children's Place) in case this ended up being a more difficult project.

As for the rest of the outfit, he already has a pair of brown shorts and brown shoes. So, like I said, we just need the socks.

Next up is Monkey's Snoopy costume. My plan is to make a pair of white flannel pants (an easy project) and use a white hoodie to make the Snoopy ears and body. Hopefully it works out.

After that it's two dresses for my sister and me (Sally and Lucy) and a striped red shirt for my brother-in-law (Linus). The dresses are the big question. I don't sew with a pattern very often. Cross your fingers!

October

2010-10-03T11:44:00.002-04:00

So. I love October because it means Halloween and Halloween means costumes! Yay!

Since most of my costumes are going to be trial and error this year, I'm going to try to post more while I'm making each one.

I also had a fantastic idea that I'm super excited about for adding product to the Etsy shop....it might not come all together till August of next year, but it's exciting and fantastic all the same.

So stay tuned for more awesome posts! And cross your fingers that I don't go insane trying to make all these costumes...

Bags for Etsy

2010-09-08T08:59:00.004-04:00

I finally got around to getting some bags sewn for Etsy (ie, bags that weren't purchased by my mom). Hopefully I will get them posted soon!

I made a skirt

2010-08-24T12:09:00.002-04:00

I used this tutorial from Freshly Picked - next time I'll probably make it a little shorter and use less material around the waist (just a couple inches off so it feels less bulky). It's super comfortable and I even made the pockets which were so super easy.

Bag Lady

2010-06-21T23:52:00.004-04:00

I went to the beach and it rained for two days so I stayed in and made 10 bags and a blanket and two pillows. I only have photos of 9 of the bags, the rest will follow. The first six are for my mom's coworkers and the last three are for my Aunt's friends.

Ikea fabric. LOVE it.

Dachsund fabric on the inside since the recipient loves her dachsunds.

More Ikea fabric. Love it even more!

Born on the fourth of July. Red White and Blue without being so patriotic.

Stitches

2010-05-13T20:47:00.004-04:00

I have a project. Dishtowels. With fruit. Fruit animals. Amazing, right? Megan's friend drew this Mooberry and I sewed it onto a towel:

It's a strawberry/cow. A science experiment gone wrong. I love it, although my next, sellable version will have a few adjustments. And after the Mooberry came the Quackpear:

It's a duck/pear. I do love this one. So much.

In other news, I made these hankies for Annie's Grandma for her birthday:

It was a new thing for me, Annie helped me find the stitch for the flowers online then I put them together. I ended up browsing through free fonts for the numbers and initials since my first attempts with my own handwriting failed miserably. I really love how they turned out though, much more delicate and they look more cohesive than my first attempts. Anyway, there you go.

And yet another bag

2010-02-12T14:09:00.004-05:00

I've been a little obsessed with nautical lately. My whole room is based on it (the blue and white is my favorite part of the nautical vibe). Well, I wanted to make a bag for my aunt who also likes blue. I walked around JoAnn's trying to find the perfect fabric. She also likes cats and cute little houses and anything that would make you think of your first grade teacher because she was a first grade teacher.

I ended up with this:
I think she will love it for the same reasons I do, first of all, it's gorgeous. I really could just stare at it all day. Second of all, the fabric (especially the liner) is reminiscent of things from my Grandparent's house. I think she'll appreciate that. That sailboat fabric could still very well match sheets they would use in their blue bedroom. They live on the water and have all sorts of ship/sailboat/water related things around their house. Third, she can use it for anything, but specifically a sewing bag or a beach bag. I would love to take this bag to the beach. I made the straps a little longer so you can fit a beach towel in the bag and still sling it over your shoulder. It's the perfect size for a towel, a book, a bottle of water and some sunglasses...and it's easily washable so if you want to stop using it as a beach bag, sand removal is totally painless.

Pillows

2010-02-07T18:41:00.004-05:00

We have couches that are pillow-less. Nice couches, but they need some color. My white couch is down in the toy room and my old duvet cover is on a comforter that we keep down on the couch (because the toy room is always freezing). So the blanket is dark blue with different sized circles in various shades of blue and green all over it - it's an old Ikea design, and the comforter I used through college.

And then we have these curtains hanging (also from Ikea - they used to hang in the boys' bedroom back in the apartment):
The walls of the toy room are all still white, so the curtains look great down there. Well, I decided to hunt down the other things from Ikea that matched the curtains. There was a green and white hippo pillowcase, a bright green crib sheet and a striped receiving blanket. I took the pillow case and the receiving blanket and made new pillows:

The two bigger pillows are cases with pillow forms, the smaller striped pillow is stuffed. I really love how they turned out and I love that we could reuse these things - I didn't have to buy new fabric and these things match the room so everything looks like it's being done on purpose and not just "there because we have it."

Now I'm a little obsessed with how easy it was to turn that receiving blanket into a pillowcase. I just had to fold it over and stitch up the two ends then insert the pillow form. Because the edges of the blanket were already finished, I didn't have to do any hemming! I might check out what other things Ikea has that will match next time I make a trip.

Dinosaurs!

2010-01-10T23:54:00.003-05:00

My mom made me and my siblings giant stuffed dinosaurs when we were younger. That means she made them out of crazy awesome early 80s fabric. My sister had a purple print triceratops and my brothers had a green and a brown stegosaurus. I had a giant pink paisley brontosaurus. I named it Dino ("deeno" like on The Flintstones) and it slept in the bed with me. By giant I mean it took up half of my bed. It's about as long as I am tall now (5'3").

So my mom found these dinosaurs tucked away and brought them out of hiding for my nephews to play with. My older nephew thought they were amazing and plays with them constantly when we are at Grandma's house. I found the book she got the patterns from and decided to make my nephews their own smaller versions. I tried to pick fabric that reminded me of the cool vintage patterns my mom used, but I had to use a lot of red because it's my nephew's favorite color. Here's how they turned out:

No button eyes for this bronto - didn't want the 2 year old to chew them off.

Had to off set the flower pattern with some masculine stripes. I'm very happy with how it turned out.

I think the stegosaurus is my favorite. I am in love with that fabric. I would marry it if it were a man.

A patchwork bronto for Monkey. It had so much red on it. I hadn't planned on making two brontosaurus' otherwise I would have bought more fabric. They were just so much easier to sew and finish and I was on a time crunch. He could care less that it's such a jumble of fabrics (the other side is the paisley print, the under side is the stripe and the tail is the blue swirly dots). He just loves that it's his.

Mind Your Manners Hankies

2010-01-10T23:49:00.002-05:00

I posted these items of awesomeness on Etsy:

I'm kind of in love with them myself. I made them for my brother-in-law and he already wants 12 more. haha. He's not getting 12 more, but he'll get more for sure. I already have one order in from a friend and one set to make for a giveaway winner on the blogject.

Braided Headbands

2010-01-01T13:07:00.002-05:00

These were kind of difficult to photograph, but I'm sure you all get the idea. Braided headbands. I used scraps of leftover fabric from all my previous projects and braided them and sewed them to a small piece of wide elastic to give them stretch. They are unbelievably cute when they are on a real person and not a fuzzy fake head.

Nativity

2009-12-25T23:37:00.003-05:00

My mom collects nativities. She has over 200...they don't all get put out every year, but seriously, that is a lot. Still, we get her more. This year I made her a new one.

It was simple, but she loved it. I had the wooden people so I just bought a couple scraps of flannel and painted and wrapped them up. Then I added a few more things to bring it all together.

Pillowcases

2009-12-21T23:43:00.004-05:00

The nephews and niece are getting character pillowcases this year. They are always so expensive and the two youngest boys have been fighting over the one Thomas pillowcase they have so new cases were in order.

Obviously for my niece. Ariel is her favorite and she has some Ariel sheets already, though this won't match them exactly. The colors will also go nicely with her princess sheets and her HSM sheets (she's in love with Troy).

J and H share a room and there are very few character fabrics that they would both enjoy so I didn't even try to coordinate or match. Plus, this Transformers fabric was awesome and perfect for an almost 7-year-old.

The two oldest share a room and The Simpsons seemed like the safest bet. I'm sure N will say thank you then pretend it's a lame gift and then secretly enjoy using this pillow case for years to come. K may do the same thing, who knows with preteens, really?

Thomas. There's a lot of Thomas in this house. My favorite part about this fabric is that it's got that denim print as a background. That helps it blend in more with the boys' room, which is brick red and beige.

All of them folded up on the table. I was pretty happy with how they all turned out, though I had a harder time with the Thomas fabric and getting those cases to come out straight and even. As long as the pillow fits, right?

Flowers

2009-12-21T23:28:00.002-05:00

Another unexpected project came about when I got into making fabric buttons. I made three preliminary buttons just because I was excited to make them, then I had to figure out what to do with them. I decided to try making some fabric flowers and I used the buttons for the center. Then I added ribbon so they could be used as a headband or tied around a ponytail or a little girl's waist as a belt.

Here's my first ever attempt:

(Notice my awesome fake head. She holds my hat and sits on top of my bookshelf, but she is also quite useful for this purpose...and my nephew escaped having to model the flowers.)

I was very happy with how cute it turned out (the construction is not so clean, but no one can see that so oh well).

Next, I made this one:

I got more creative with this one because I was trying to make good use of the scrap materials we had around and I wanted it to be purple. I love the mix of stripes and gingham and the blue and brown really help the purple to stand out. I'm not entirely sure I want to give this away, but I'm a little too old to pull of this particular style. haha.

I also made one out of some left over Little Mermaid fabric and some pink flannel. It turned out super cute, but I don't have a photo yet.

Bags

2009-12-21T23:26:00.000-05:00

I got kind of addicted to making these bags.

The original idea was to make a bag sturdy enough to carry a lot of books. The two bags above went to Miri (who spends a lot of time at the library) and Megan (who is studying to become a librarian).

And since I'm 99.9% confident that my mother and sister-in-law do not frequent this blog, I also made these:

(See? Addicted. I made the same one twice. I'm in love with that fabric, though.)

And there's more, but they aren't finished yet.

Pink Purse

2009-12-21T23:00:00.000-05:00

I made a purse for my niece. I sewed the straps incorrectly, but she won't notice the difference. I love how it turned out. It's a floppy, pleated purse with a polka dot liner.

I used this pattern.

Upcoming Projects

2009-12-05T19:49:00.003-05:00

'Tis the season to make stuff.

I love Christmas. Mostly because I get to make a lot of gifts for friends and family. This year I am making more painted wooden people, bags, stuffed dinosaurs, hair clips, headbands, scarves (not winter, fashion), and photo calendars. I can't really take too much credit for photo calendars since those are all done online, but it takes hours (hours!) to finish, due in part to my OCD tendencies. I'm also making more than one this year since there seems to be a need for calendars in my family moreso than in the past.

I am also still crocheting blankets pretty regularly. They are a thoughtful and kind of quick (a week of nightly shows or two marathon days, depending on the size of the blanket) gift for weddings and babies and such. And since there are many weddings and new babies in my life, I get to make a lot of blankets!

One happy thing to note. I crocheted a blanket and made some other little things to donate to our local hospice to be sold at their annual Festival of Trees. Crocheted blankets and the like rarely are sold and never go for what they are truly worth. If you are ever shopping for a homemade crochet or knit blanket, remember that yarn is expensive and those blankets take a whole lot of time to finish. But my blanket (a bright varigated pink and white throw blanket) sold for $15! The yarn was stuff I already had on hand so I didn't really spend much on it and it took about 8 to 10 hours to finish. That's a great price and I was so happy it sold so well and that all of that $15 went straight to Calvert Hospice.

Pink Dresser

2009-08-02T22:26:00.002-04:00

Since deciding to move to West Virginia, I realized that the only furniture I actually own is a bookcase. Everything else is just whatever is at my parents house. I don't have enough money (or a job to bring more money in) to go and buy all new furniture so I've been trying to make due with what I have. I broke down and bought a full sized bed. It has a simple design and it was pretty cheap but will work good in the future as a guest bed or child's bed so it was a good investment. Also, the inexpensiveness helps me not be so worried about what happens to it.

Next I needed a dresser. This is what I had to work with:

Yeah. This is part of the bedroom set my mother had as a little girl. When she got it the set was white with gold accents (French Provincial style I'm told) and it includes this small three drawer dresser, a seven drawer dresser, a vanity with a bench, a hutch that goes on top of the small dresser and a four poster bed. My mom used this furniture until she was married then took it with her and my parents used it as newlyweds. I think my sister used it at some point and it was painted yellow. Then when it was my turn to inherit the furniture everything was painted pink. All that paint one on top of the other. The furniture has held up pretty well. I think my parents got rid of the bed since two of the posters were sawed off anyway (I believe my brothers were jumping on it and broke the canopy so the end posters were shortened), but we still have all of the rest of the furniture.

I decided (because I'm crazy) to refinish the tall 7 drawer dresser. This means scraping off all those layers of paint, sanding the entire dresser and painting it. The handles will stay the same since they are unique and in very good shape. The drawers all work beautifully so function isn't a problem either.

I'll try to add photos as I finish the project, but here are a few to begin with:

The drawers prior to scraping paint off for the third (and last) time. Two coats of paint remover and three scraping sessions and I had as much paint off as was possible.

This is a crappy picture, but that's a drawer post sanding. You can kind of see the grain of the wood a little better.

So I've got all the drawers scraped and half of them sanded. I still need to get the paint off of the dresser and sand it as well. I'm thinking about going with a dark brown/black color paint...I'm not a fan of white furniture and I want something that will still be neutral and somewhat timeless (so no one has to go through all of this ever again haha).

Stay tuned...

Catching You Up

2009-05-13T21:45:00.004-04:00

Since moving back to Maryland, I have been severely slacking in terms of blogging. I'm trying to be better because I really do love doing it, but haven't had much to say that didn't (to be completely honest) make me more depressed.

So here's a little catch up instead. Things I've finished since January and new projects I hope to finish before the year is through:

Monster Army (favors for Bug's first birthday party and a shirt for him to wear at the party). Bug had a monster birthday party. I made 16 monsters when all was said and done - some were sent off to live with faraway friends, most were given away at the party. Here are my early sketches:

The shapes had to be simple so I could sew them all quickly. The two on top were the most common shapes, only one looked like the bottom sketch and had a batch of yarn hair instead of ears. I thought he looked too much like a tooth so I didn't use that pattern again.

A plethora of eyeballs. Making the eyes is the hardest part really so I just sat down one night and churned them out so I didn't have to worry about them one at a time.

I also decided to embroider a shirt for Bug to wear. Lauren found hoodies with monsters on them for the boys to wear as well.

That couch was full of stuffed monsters and each went to a new home by the end of the party. I was surprised at how eager all the girls were to choose their own monster (Bug and Monkey don't have a lot of little boy friends their ages so it was mostly girls - I'm sure they won't be complaining come high school).

Flash forward a couple of weeks and you have this:

A flower hair band for my niece and a flower hair clip for me. Here we are posing together just before going to church. I also made the dress I'm wearing...It's the same as the blue polka dot dress I made last summer, just a different pattern.

Other than that I haven't done anything too big. I made a pair of baby leg warmers for Dizzy and a cute spit rag. Mostly I've been crocheting, I just haven't taken any photos of the blankets. I finished one for myself just before moving home. I made a baby blanket for my friend Crin's newest little boy, I made a couch throw for my friend Jamie and I've been working on two more that will be sent out as surprises. You can imagine a full size blanket can take a bit of time to crochet so I don't feel bad that I haven't worked on other things.

Sadly, the tutus have been put on hold. Not having a full-time job gives me the time to make tutus, but not the money for the tutu supplies. Such is life. I obviously would still make them if asked and paid for, but I can't afford to keep a stock on hand. I also have journals and clip boards to make that have been sitting around for a while. I figure I will get in the mood to use the mod podge one of these days and crank out a whole bunch...in the meantime, I'll be crocheting.

Zizi Blankie for Bug part 2

2009-02-12T12:16:00.002-05:00

Here are the photos of Bug's Blankie. I used the rockets and spaceship so I wanted the other fabrics to coordinate. There are clouds and dots that look like planets and swirls for stars. This was the best I've done on making it all straight and somewhat lined up. Something usually falls apart somewhere so Monkey has gotten some slightly off blankets. He loves them just the same...I guess my blankets are just a work in progress.

Inspiration

2009-02-09T15:59:00.002-05:00

The CPSIA has been put on hold for a year - so I'm still selling children's stuff. The problem is, with all the CPSIA and losing my job and such, I've lost momentum and inspiration. I need to start being productive on something, but crafting with a lack of job makes me feel more like a slacker. I guess if, in the end, it brings in money for me then it's not a waste...but still...no inspiration.

I've been listening to tons of music and trying to find a new book to read and I've faithfully been following my blogs (although not so faithfully giving my followers content). I have ideas for some simple journals - I just need to make them now. I have one other product all together that just needs sewing and posting to Etsy. And I have an idea of something I need and would like to use, I just need to figure out the logistics and how to build it. That sounds mysterious and vague, but I'm going to keep it that way until the finished product.

In the mean time, I need inspiration. I'm thinking bright colors (to remind us of spring and summer and to help us forget about this dreary, jobless winter) and in connection with my recent Beatles addiction, I'm thinking 50s and 60s, classic and mod. Plaids and argyles, too! But how do I work that into a tutu? Do I need to find something else that can be easily made AND that will get all these abstract ideas out of my head so I can move onto something else?

I'm also thinking about looking into a craft fair for the fall. I would have plenty of time to sew/build/make whatever products I intend to sell.

But there's an update for now. I don't have much more than that.

New look for a new year?

2009-01-12T03:02:00.005-05:00

With all the stuff going on regarding handmade kids products (Help Save Handmade!) and the very real possibility that selling my tutus (and other items I had in the works) will be illegal as of February (purchase a tutu now, folks!), I've been thinking of how to proceed with Zeelightful.

There are so many questions to answer. What do I do with the tutus I have hanging in my closet? What's the best way to recover my cost before February? Do I just hang on to the tutus I have made (which thankfully are not that many) that haven't sold and use them as gifts later? What new products can I make that are not for children under the age of 12? Is it worth it to try and make and sell those products?

See my dilemma? I have decided to make some new products to put up on my Etsy page. That was the plan after all. I have also decided that I need a new, less tutu-centric look. This was also part of the original plan. So now I want some thoughts on the new look. The first photo is just the regular look, the others are variations and banners. I make use of the same colors (pink, yellow, green and orange) just a little more muted. The font is different and I'm personally digging the black and white. Now let me know what you think.

Zizi Blankie for Bug

2009-01-11T03:07:00.002-05:00

I will post pictures soon, but today I made a Zizi Blankie for my youngest nephew.

I made a quilt for Monkey when he was born and of course my sister says I have to make one for all her kids.

Monkey's was a bit more detailed because there was a lot more embroidery done (I just couldn't get in the mood to sit and embroider this time around - although losing my job helped me do the stuff I did finish for Bug). Monkey's had...well, monkeys on it and was orange, yellow, blue and green. The back side was all fuzzy green.

Bug's quilt has rockets and a space ship on it and is blue, green and brown with fuzzy blue/green/brown striped fabric on the back. I tried to pick fabrics that were appropriate (jungle looking ones for Monkey's and space-y looking ones for Bug's) and the colors i chose match the blankets my mom crocheted for them.

Monkey named it the Zizi Blankie but he pretty much names everything I make him along those same lines but I have since made him a more grown up blanket (the cars blanket with the Mater pillow) and I'm sure I'll probably do the same for Bug when he gets older.

Gogo and Blinky

2009-01-05T00:55:00.005-05:00

I was going to make handmade dolls for my nephews (ages 3 and 10 months) and my sister asked me to try and model them after the Ugly dolls that are in stores right now. This was probably my favorite project. I drew a couple free style patterns to figure out what shapes I wanted and just got to work. The hardest part was figuring out the best way to make the eyes. The easiest part was the fact that because they are Ugly dolls, I could look over any imperfections. In fact, the imperfections make them cuter I think. My nephews loved them, especially the oldest. He immediately gave his doll a big hug and took him on a trip in the car where he named it Gogo then went on to say, "Oh Gogo, I love you." Blinky was named by my BIL, I think it goes well with Gogo. Monkey made sure to tell everyone that Gogo only has one eye. I love that kid. (Sorry, the pictures are backwards, but they are all there.)

Gogo

Blinky was the first, and therefore a little lopsided, but he's supposed to be "ugly," right?

Pre-stuffed Blinky.

Hand painted dolls

2009-01-05T00:48:00.003-05:00

I found these cute wooden dolls on Etsy a while back and have been putting them to use. The first set I painted was for a friend's little boy who liked trains. He got Sir Top'em Hat and a train conductor. These were for my niece for Christmas. They are supposed to be me (in the purple) and her (in the pink). She loved them and I was pretty pleased with how they turned out.

Misc Projects

2008-12-17T16:35:00.002-05:00

Just some of the other things I've made these past couple of weeks.

my first stocking. not too shabby for free hand cutting. I found the owl fabric in the remnant bin at JoAnns for less than a $1 and had the blue fabric on hand.
Matching travel/car pillows for Miri and Mike who will be driving to Texas in the next couple of days.
A blanket for Whitney. My favorite part of this fabric is that it says "dot tree" like that is supposed to mean something. I don't get it, but think it's hilarious and a cute pattern (and it matches Whitney's things).

Monogram Hat Box

2008-12-17T15:29:00.003-05:00

This was Amanda's present. She has all sorts of little things in her room so I figured she could always do with another box. It could be used for jewelry or little odds and ends.

I used the same method as with my clipboards - tear the papers into large chunks and Mod Podge them to the box. Make sure there are no bubbles in the paper. I did that all around the box and the top of the lid then I sealed it all with another coat of Matte finish Mod Podge. I cut a strip of paper to fit the brim of the lid and circles of paper to fit the inside of the lid and the bottom of the box and I Mod Podged those pieces in the appropriate places.
Just to give it a little more character, I added a ribbon across the lid and a fun, colorful flower. I left the ribbon hanging over the box and attached a monogrammed card to it.
I have plans to make some of these for myself. It was a quick and easy project and it produces something useful.

Library in a box

2008-12-17T14:29:00.002-05:00

So I made this for Megan this Christmas. I Mod Podged a book shaped box with paper and ribbon. I wanted it to be fun, but also look realistic.

I took paper with writing, cut it into strips and antiqued the strips with a gold stamp pad. Then I Mod Podged the strips.
Here's the inside of the box. I used a rub on pack of letter's to make the "Megan's Library" plaque and used raised stickers to adhere it to the inside of the box. I bought a date stamp, pencil and stamp pad for documenting borrowed books. Finally, I cut out cards from manila card stock and used the gold stamp pad to monogram the cards and antique the edges. Then I tied them up into a little pack with a cute bow and stuck everything in the box.
I also Mod Podged the top of the inside of the box with a piece of scrap book paper that had a story "hand written" on it. I left the inside of the box plain so none of the contents could get stuck to the Mod Podge.
I was excited to give this to Megan (a future librarian and current employee of the library on campus) because I knew she would love it. It would be a great gift for anyone who loves to read and can be made for various prices (I found everything on sale, used a coupon and used paper I already had on hand so this was all done for about $5).

Today only!

2008-12-15T11:57:00.003-05:00

FREE SHIPPING!

That's right, today only - order the Holly Tutu and get free shipping. Size 4T/5T (23" tie on waist). Just in time for Christmas. I ship via priority mail - and would have it ready to send immediately. Go check it out!

Friday Zeelight

2008-12-12T11:54:00.005-05:00

This little darling is hanging in my closet waiting for a home. The Yaya Tutu.

This tutu was an experiment for me, but I loved the way it turned out. It's actually becoming the most popular style*** (although this particular tutu with that particular pink flower is one of a kind - I can't find another flower like it in the dead of winter). I named it after it's model. It fits her personality perfectly (and those happen to be the exact colors she wants her BMW to be - hot pink with blue racing stripes).

Size 26" waist (approx. 5T) with snaps. It was just a tiny bit too big for Yaya, but she still had a blast jumping and twirling around in it. The flower has a blue button center and can be placed in the front, back or to the side. Check it out in my Etsy shop. Better hurry, though!!

***It is worth mentioning that I have found other flowers that work well with this style and have made custom orders in different colors (pink and orange and pink and purple). The new version of this tutu features a tie on sash (like my other tutus) although snaps can be added by request. I will post photos once those are finished. This style (like all my tutu styles) can be made to fit any size.

News to me

2008-12-11T16:07:00.002-05:00

I'm reaching the sneaking realization that making 90% of your Christmas gifts is not a normal thing.

Of course this year, hand made gifts are being made due to lack of funds more so than preference, but still. I have always made a lot of the presents I've given to people. Maybe it's a youngest child thing or maybe it's because my mom always took the "we could make that and save tons of money" route (which often meant my sister and I spent hours painting, gluing, tying, etc. hunched over a card table in the dining room and dad spent a day or two carving something out of wood while mom supervised).

I've been known to build a piece of white cake with chocolate frosting out of scrapbook paper for a birthday surprise (a "no calorie" cake), compile mix cds with hand drawn covers, and create personalized picture frames.

What I'm realizing this year (probably due to the additional items I've been creating for Zeelightful) is that most people do not spend the weeks leading up to Christmas making all of the gifts they will be giving. They go shopping, buy the gifts then spend their time baking cookies, decorating the house and wrapping. I go home, put in a DVD and proceed to cover various objects in Mod Podge and brightly colored paper or decide to buy some fabric and just "whip up a pillow real quick." I always think," oh, it won't take me long at all. it'll be real quick." ALWAYS. I think that with quilts, tutus, boxes of all shapes and sizes. If I decided one day to make my nephew a toy box in the shape of a dinosaur (something I will never do) I am 99.9% positive the words "it won't take long" would come out of my mouth.

So the thing is, apparently, I'm delusional. That is the only explanation, right? Other wise I wouldn't have just spent the last several weeks gluing, painting and tying various objects for my loved ones (with two more weeks left to go!) and I would definitely have more cookies.

New Things to Love

2008-12-08T14:29:00.002-05:00

Saw these at The Beehive Bazaar:

Fall Down Tree

Persimmon & Pink

I just love their prints. Especially the Dinosores at Fall Down Tree.

Better than a tamale

2008-12-08T00:53:00.003-05:00

So. Friday night I went to an office Christmas party and ate Mexican food that was just alright and drank about 20 gagillion teeny tiny cups of water (I always feel a little ashamed in those situations. You know, the ones where they just leave you with the less than child sized glass because you only ordered water?). But, the most entertaining part about this Christmas dinner was getting to meet Kacy - in real life.

I felt a little silly, but there's this weird thing that happens in the blog world...when you read about the ins and outs of someone's life everyday and have no real life association with that someone, you almost feel a little stalker-like when you meet them in person. It's like "oh, I know exactly what you're talking about, I read about that in your blog the other day." But I digress.

Kacy was really fun to talk to (and not just because we were talking about blogging in a way only addicts can, which again made me feel stalker like "Of course I know your friend so-and-so, I read her blog!") and she even mentioned Zeelightful. And, by the end of the night we had pretty much decided on...a Tutu Give Away!

This is a very awesome thing and a great opportunity for me. I'm incredibly grateful for the much needed advertising. Now, go and read and comment and cross your fingers and toes in the hopes you will win. And if you don't win, there's still time to order from Etsy and get a tutu by Christmas!

My first custom order!

2008-12-07T18:20:00.004-05:00

These photos are mostly for Jamie so she can see the tutus she ordered before I ship them off for Christmas. Two tutus with matching, reversible doll tutus.

I will Mod Podge anything

2008-12-06T00:45:00.004-05:00

I remember the first time I ever Mod Podged something. It was a box with butterflies at a Young Women's activity. I think I lost that box like a week later, but it was a very cute little box. I didn't really think anything of decoupage at the time, only that Rosie O'Donnell was a freak about it. She used to talk about it on her show all the time.

Then when I was a little older I was working out some present idea and (as usual) came up with something I wanted to buy then decided I could make something cuter. I used Mod Podge (I believe it was to make a picture frame or mirror) and random cut outs from magazines and I never looked back. I've made countless picture frames and photo albums covered in paper and Mod Podge. I use those inexpensive wooden mirrors from Ikea and cover them with interesting things. In the last two years or so I've branched out into boxes, blocks, paint cans, clipboards, letters, etc. Basically anything I can get my hands on.

So here are a few of the projects I did with my sister back home in Maryland. She found/thought of all of these and I just tagged along and became addicted.

Just a pink wooden letter. I let some of the pink show through on purpose just for fun. This one is small ish and just sits on top of a row of books I have. It can also hang on the wall.

An altered paint can. I made a small one to keep ribbon in (but I think I will need to make a large one soon). I added the tag with my name. I also painted the can and lid before adding the paper so the silver wouldn't show. Lauren made a large can for Thanksgiving time to fill up with things you are thankful for. I like the idea for storage mostly. If I had the money for a bookshelf from Ikea, I would buy one and fill it with altered paint cans and books.

This is a close up of an altered clipboard. Again, I left some of the clip board showing on purpose. You generally would paint the board a color to match your paper, but I just picked paper that went with the natural color of the board. Then you rip your paper in an attractive way and start with the Mod Podge.
I generally choose two different patterned papers and cover most of the back with one and most of the front with the other. Use the Mod Podge to glue the paper to the board and on top of the paper to create a finish. I also leave some papers hanging over the edges and then fold them over so they cover the front and the back. It gives the board a more finished look.
Finally, I added ribbon and an extra detail at the bottom. By purchasing the legal sized clip board, you can add letters or ribbon or any other embellishment to the bottom of the board without making it hard to write on paper. Since I was just going to have this hanging on my wall, I wasn't worried about writing on it so the ribbon goes across the top. This one is currently hanging on my wall holding a photo of my brother and my niece.

I have made quite a few other things with Mod Podge over the last few weeks, but can't share them until after Christmas since the people they will be given to read this blog. I don't want to ruin any surprises! But I will add more pictures once Christmas is over.

2008-12-06T00:45:00.001-05:00

Friday Zeelight (UPDATED)

2008-12-05T12:40:00.005-05:00

EDIT: There may be something in the works with this tutu. Stay tuned for details!

Not sure about the name of this installment - it may change next week after I have more time to think and be super creative.

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Friday Zeelight. This will be a weekly installment featuring one super special tutu (ala employee of the week...minus the employee). There may be some repeats in the beginning as I only have 7 tutus pre-made and up on the Etsy site, but I'm assuming you won't mind.

The idea is to spotlight each tutu I've made. This could be a tutu posted on Etsy that's ready and waiting to go to a new home or one I've just made for a custom order. Pay close attention around the holidays (Christmas, Easter, Halloween, etc.) for themed tutus (I'm already planning costume-like tutus for next Halloween).

This week's super awesome tutu is indeed a holiday tutu available for purchase in my Etsy shop.

This particular tutu would be perfect for a holiday photo or as part of a holiday party outfit. It has a white ribbon sash so it is easily adjustable and removable should your holiday include something not exactly tutu friendly (hay rides, cookie frosting, etc.).

There are three holly leaves and three red buttons for berries on the sash in the front that help add a little extra Christmas charm. The waist measures 23" (approximately 4T-5T).

This tutu will be available after the holidays (if it isn't purchased before then) but must be ordered before December 16th to arrive in time for Christmas.

So there you go. The first tutu spotlight. Enjoy and check back often for more updates!

Christmas Fun

2008-12-05T00:56:00.002-05:00

In an effort to save money this Christmas season, I'm pretty much making everything. It's working out rather well and I can't wait to give some of these presents to people so I can share pictures. Anyway, just so you know, lots of stuff is coming up.

Now I need to go to bed so I have the energy to make all of these things.

I simply remember my favorite things...

2008-12-04T11:55:00.002-05:00

...and then I don't feeeeeeeeel so bad.

Best. Thing. Ever.

A whole new world

2008-12-04T00:43:00.003-05:00

I've been putting a lot of thought into this whole Etsy thing. I've changed things around a bit over the last few days, but am slowly getting more accustomed to how I want things to be.

I've got three custom orders right now - that's 8 tutus to make this weekend and 7 to ship out. I'll have my hands full (8 tutus in addition to the plethora of homemade Christmas presents) but I really enjoy making these tutus so the time should go by fast.

Heidi let me borrow her sewing machine so I have one at my apartment now. That should really help move things along. It will also help me make some of those Christmas presents I mentioned, but more about those in a post to come.

In an effort to generate more traffic and get the word out about my Etsy shop - I'm going to blog a lot more often here. It will be slightly craft centric as my main, personal blog will always be "To Be Continued" but I think being more active on this blog will help me stay motivated and "keep the creative juices flowing."

...and that would be one of the nerdier phrases I could have used. Go me.

Anyway. I will also be instituting a weekly post. I haven't quite decided what it will be, but it will be a thousand times more successful than my past attempts at weekly posts. Time will be set aside on a special day each week and I'm sure whatever I decide to share with you will just BLOW. YOUR. MIND. Because, let's face it, I'm amazing.

So friends, family and newcomers, welcome to a whole new world of Tutu-centric blogging. Spread the word, comment (I LOVE feedback), buy a tutu! And don't forget to check back for more regular updates.

Important notice regarding orders on Etsy

2008-12-04T00:38:00.001-05:00

**If you are ordering for Christmas, you must purchase a pre-made tutu before December 16, 2008. Any purchase made between December 17 and December 29 will not be shipped until January 2, 2009.

**All custom orders must be made by December 10, 2008 and will be shipped on December 16, 2008. Any custom orders made between Dec. 17 and Dec. 29 will not be ready for shipment until January 7, 2009 at the earliest.

Thank you for your understanding during this busy holiday season. Merry Christmas to all!

Tutu Awesomeness

2008-12-02T01:28:00.002-05:00

K - You can start spreading the word now. I think everything is accurate. Go on and tell me what you think!

Zeelightful @ Etsy

Now Open

2008-12-01T02:07:00.004-05:00

I have officially uploaded new items in the Etsy store (click here to see). I still need to add sizes so wait a day or two if you are someone who will be spreading the word. After a busy Saturday full of sewing and a quick photo shoot (thanks to some very kind and helpful friends with cute girls) I've got some good tutus on sale. I also have seven more tutus to create. I can't wait to get started.

working hard or hardly working?

2008-11-17T22:25:00.002-05:00

just a few things.

i've been experimenting with different tutu styles in preparation for really getting the etsy shop up and running.

i think i've got megan addicted to mod podge. i like getting other people into such things because it makes me feel more normal.

i'm really excited about all the tutus i'll be making this weekend. lots of different colors for lots of different tastes.

That's about it for now. Except this:

Lots and lots of change

2008-11-15T04:19:00.003-05:00

I'm not really sure who's been browsing this blog as of late, but you may notice that everything has changed. I've recently decided to sell custom tutus online via Etsy. I've started up a shop over there (go see it HERE) called Zeelightful. I've also decided to devote this blog to my efforts.

Thanks to a very encouraging friend (and fantastic promoter) I am confident that this venture will be somewhat of a success. So, keep your eyes open and check back often - new photos and new tutus (all made and ready to purchase, just in time for Christmas) will be showing up in the next two weeks. Until then, wish me luck!

Yellow Button Tutu

2008-11-15T03:00:00.000-05:00

Another tutu for one of my nephew's friends. It's melon and cream with a yellow button.

Halloween Costumes

2008-11-09T15:36:00.004-05:00

The three Fates. I used second hand black dresses then draped and sewed sheets to make our greek inspired outfits. Each one is a different style and length. Then we used gold rope to tie around our waists. Megan (far right) hand sparkly gold thread representing the thread of life, I had gold scissors to cut the thread of life and Whitney has a spindle with the thread of life twisted around it.

The spindle is a work of combined genius (Megan and I). We wandered around Michaels till we thought of an appropriate solution. This is a wooden bracelet with gold ribbon wrapped around it to look like spokes, taped on with duct tape. Then I broke a piece of a wooden rod and made it pointy and wrapped it with duct tape and attached it to the "wheel." We spray painted the whole thing gold and TA DA! Spindle town!!
Our hairdos. I did them. I have socks in my hair to make it bigger. Whitney has a curler for volume.

Painted Guys

2008-10-18T12:53:00.003-04:00

Here are the guys I painted for Huck. It's Sir Top'em Hat and a train conductor. Huck loves trains so I made him these guys to go with his Thomas the Tank Engine Empire. I bought the wooden people from a shop on Etsy and then handpainted the suits and little bald heads.

Ikea Cup Coat Rack

2008-10-18T12:46:00.002-04:00

I saw this idea online and thought it would look so cute in the boys room so I put it together for Lauren. It's just a board painted white with Ikea kid's cups screwed on. Then you can hang bags and coats and such from the cups.

Flower Petal Tutu

2008-10-18T12:36:00.002-04:00

I need to get better pics of this, but here is the tutu I made for Lila. It's a flower petal tutu.

My Pillow

2008-10-18T12:26:00.002-04:00

Krissie and I got these t-shirts for 2pounds in London. It's a really soft fabric and the price was right. Alas, the shirt got some bleach stains on it so I had to figure out what to do with it. Lauren suggested making a pillow so that's what I did. It was more difficult than usual to get the lines straight since the fabric is so stretchy, but I'm very happy with it.

Big boy blanket and pillow ft Mater and Lightening

2008-09-30T18:53:00.002-04:00

Monkey loves the movie Cars and Mater is one of his favorites. He was due for a big boy blanket for his bed and I just happened to find all of this fabric for $15! He lucked out basically because Walmart had remnants on sale. Anyway, here it is.

Tutu onesie

2008-09-08T15:33:00.003-04:00

Annie had a baby girl. I wanted to make her a tutu because as Annie says, "every little girl needs a tutu." I figured the best way to make a tutu for such a little one would be to attach it to a onesie. Here's what I came up with:

It's a lot harder sewing things onto a onesie then one would think, but I'm happy with how it turned out...hopefully it fits well. I sewed each piece of the colored tutu on separately so it wouldn't restrict the movement of the cotton, then I added a little fabric sash to bring it all together.

Burp Rags and Diaper Bags

2008-09-08T14:49:00.004-04:00

This would be stuff I made for Crinners and Cristin but couldn't post because I made similar stuff for Annie and hadn't sent it to her yet.

Two burp rags for Crin, one blue and one yellow.

One for Cristin, green and stripey.

One diaper/wipes carrier for Cristin - larger than intended, but still cute.

A better look at the blue burp rag. These are super easy to clean and have two different textures. jBug loved them - he could cuddle them and there was very little worry if he spit up on them.

Jewelry for a friend

2008-08-30T22:22:00.003-04:00

A friend of mine at church had a necklace with a broken clasp and a bracelet that was broken with several lost beads. She asked me if I could fix them since I have jewelry making tools and a plethora of clasps and such.

I've also talked to her before about finding clip-on earrings that could be created without the use of glue. It's hard to find clip-on earrings to make that aren't just "studs" for you to glue gems onto. In Cape Cod I found two different kinds (three actually) of clip-on earrings at the most amazing bead shop I've ever been to so I bought them and decided to make some earrings for my friend.

This was a new set for her using one of the earrings I found. I used white thread to "sew" the beads on in little loops to make a kind of cluster. It's hard to tell but the beads are blue, silver and clear. I made the necklace with the larger beads that came in the set with the smaller beads.

The pearl necklace was the one with the broken clasp. I found "pearls" to match it and made dangling earrings with the second clip-ons from Cape Cod. There are three posts with two beads on each earring.
This uses the beads she had left from her broken bracelet. The green beads and the long silver beads were original. I bought magnetic beads (the black ones) and the spacers so I could create a design and have enough beads to make an entire bracelet. I also thought it would be nice to use the magnets because she has eight kids, this way if the bracelet gets pulled on it will release instead of breaking.

Tutu for Lindsey Jr.

2008-08-30T22:12:00.002-04:00

My niece got an American Girl doll for Christmas last year and promptly named it after me. I never know what to refer to the doll as because it's weird to use my own name...I joke that she is Lindsey Jr.

My niece is turning three next week so I made her a tutu for my mini me and this time I made a matching pony tail holder. I'm extremely happy with how it turned out. I put velcro on the back to make sure it would stay on (my regular size tutus just tie on) then added a jeweled button and a poof to cover the sewing marks of the velcro.

Photos from the Cape

2008-08-26T15:59:00.002-04:00

I played around with the beach setting on my camera this weekend. Here are some of my favorites.

I'm hoping to work out some cool stuff color and effects wise once I have time to mess with iPhoto. First I have some projects to finish.

Things to come

2008-08-15T11:54:00.002-04:00

I've been making things the past two days, but can't post them just yet as they have yet to be delivered to their recipients. I am excited to get one more project done so I can send out one more package and post all the photos. I am really happy with how it's all turned out.

Product Placement

2008-07-17T09:24:00.002-04:00

How does one go about convincing people that something they've created actually is "the cutest thing they've ever seen?" Observe:

iron-on onesies

2008-06-16T18:11:00.003-04:00

I saw these iron-ons at JoAnns and had to make them for Bug. Don't know how long hey will hold up with washings and such, but they sure are cute. The favorite is obviously "that's how i roll".

Photos

2008-05-22T11:46:00.002-04:00

I am saving up for a new camera. I just need to pay off some more debt first. In the meantime, my Canon has been my friend and helped me take these photos:

The color was altered on iPhoto, but nothing else was changed. I used my zoom and took these photos of Miri's wedding bouquet from about 6 feet away while she and Mike were talking to other guests. I took a lot of "spy" photos at the wedding, candids for posterity and random ones for my own pleasure. These two are by far my favorite.

Kirtsy.

2008-05-15T10:33:00.002-04:00



I love this site.  You will love it too.  From Design Mom (and partners) who are having an amazing giveaway for promotion of the site - although i don't think they need promotion because it's amazingness should speak for itself.  It's a collection of things found on the web all right there on one site. 

Go there now and enjoy!

Inspiration

2008-05-07T15:25:00.004-04:00

I've been inspired today! Maybe it's the weather. It's also a little from this website (thanks to google reader). I always have a list of projects, things to work on and it gets longer and longer everyday...but today it's not just ideas but also the motivation to see them through!

Yes, I, like everyone, have a pile of unfinished or not-yet-started projects. Little Bears quilt being the most important to finish...but I am reworking my approach to that one.

Here's the scoop. I have been thinking about making several of my tutus to sell. I think mine are cute and different enough from the others I've seen out there to possibly make some money if I find my materials on sale and probably take custom orders. Shea called me last night to say that a friend of hers saw the tutu I made for G-ball and asked her to make her six tutus! She made $90! I'm not expecting to be so successful right off the bat and I might try a few different avenues for selling, but I think I am going to try it. Of all the things I could make a sell I think this is my best product. So I'll be getting on top of that in the next couple of weeks. I'm going to make about six as an inventory and see what happens from there.

So after Shea got me thinking about making more tutus, I started looking online to see what is being offered already - totally giving me great ideas of how to further improve my design and make my tutus stand out from the crowd.

Then I stumbled across Tangled and True (which has amazing ideas). I am going to make a coat rack for the boys room out of those plastic cups from Ikea. That got me thinking about the art I promised Lauren to go with the sheets and curtains from Ikea that are in the boys room. I was going to paint but now I am going to make shadow boxes and I'm going to create the animals (as close to matching as possible)using scrapbook paper and cardboard. It sounds odd, but I think it will turn out much nicer and there will be different designs and colors, textures and added dimension. Much more interactive and appealing than just painting the animals. Plus, it will be easier to coordinate the colors than trying to match them exactly.

Finally, I was seeing some felt creations on line. Amazing things really. My mom used to make Christmas tree ornaments out of felt...we still have tons of them. They were inexpensive, cute and fun for kids to touch and not break. But now I am coming up with an idea for a baby mobile. I just need to pick a theme (right now I'm kind of thinking of doing the Lucky Charms shapes since those would be basic and simple to start with) and decide how I want it to look. I could use tree sticks from outside or dowel rods for cleaner, crisp lines. After I get the first one out of the way then I might try to find some patterns or make some patterns for more unique mobiles.

And lastly, Lauren wants me to help her make some Tag-its. They are little square shaped "blankets" made with fleece and ribbon. You just sew two pieces of fleece together and insert different colored/textured/sized ribbons all around the edges. Then babies can sit and play and chew and look and feel all the ribbons. Monkey loved his - especially one spotted ribbon. But I've been thinking of improvements. Maybe more colors of fabric, different textures of fabric, ribbons sewn throughout the fabric and not just on the edges, etc.

See what I mean? All of these ideas. Not to mention the blanket I'm crocheting for myself, LB's quilt, restoring my old bedroom furniture, and my "constant" projects of scrap booking and giant journaling. I had to write this all down before I forgot it all!!

Oh and I forgot that I want to....um...I just forgot again. haha. Wait! I want to also perfect my journal making skills. I think I could create some pretty journals like unto the ones I made for Megan, Miri and Krissie - I would just like to find a more stable book to use instead of a Composition book.

Look what I made!

2008-04-29T22:23:00.007-04:00

A triangle cape!! There's a certain boy who is a big fan of triangles. This is for him!

Another Tutu! This one is reversible. I'm very happy with how it turned out and I hope the recipient likes it too!

wedding

2008-04-28T11:53:00.002-04:00

i needed a dress for miri's wedding this weekend. i ended up making one. that's right, making one. it was so easy i might make more.

Updates on new projects

2008-02-27T23:25:00.004-05:00

I made another tutu. Hopefully I will have pictures of her soon in her complete ensemble. Also, pictures of her brother wearing it. haha. Yeah, he kept telling everyone "I am beautiful".

I also made another cape. I'm pretty sure he liked it. At least he was doing a lot of "blasting off".

Locker

2008-02-17T21:22:00.003-05:00

I've been making big gifts for my nephews and niece for their birthdays this year. The last one was Joshie. He turned five on Friday so I made him this box covered in locks. He has been waiting patiently since I gave Caleb his treasure chest in August and he's been "hinting" that this is just what he wanted for his birthday. So it was unveiled and he played with it the entire time he was at my house.

I bought the shelves and the two boards at Michaels then sanded and stained the wood. Then I bought all the metal at Home Depot and had to make doors. That was the hardest part as far as lining everything up but it worked out fine for my first time doing something like this. then I just attached latches with locks wherever they fit best.

I found a key chain organizer with key chains so I attached that on the inside of one of the doors. I labeled all the keys and locks so he could keep them all straight. hopefully they won't get lost...but there's not much I can do about that.

PJs

2008-01-29T15:41:00.000-05:00

For Christmas this year, I made the family I rent my apartment from pajama bottoms. They were all out of Christmas material (the twins got matching patterns in different colors). The patterns I had were terrible and I'm lucky they were finished at all...but the boys really liked them so I suppose that's all that matters.

I had to cut the babies just by sight - which made for an interesting looking pair of pjs - but he looked pretty adorable in them anyway.

I took pictures of the boys in their pjs as a present for the parents. You can't see much of the pjs, but I'm sure you get the idea.

I didn't do too bad considering this was my first solo try for pj bottoms AND I was using a much more difficult pattern than one I was used to using when making them with my sister. I need to find the very easy pattern she used to use, then making these pjs will be much quicker and will produce a better outcome.

Links

2008-01-28T21:58:00.000-05:00

Here are links to posts made on "To Be Continued" regarding projects.

Quilts

Giant Journaling

Every little girl should have a tutu.

2008-01-28T21:41:00.001-05:00

I made two tutus for Christmas this year. The first was for a friend's niece (1 year old) in Alabama. Apparently she liked to wear it on her head. I consider that a hit.

The second was for my niece. I made it a little big so she will be able to wear it for a very long time, so right now it's a little long and the ribbons wrap around twice. Still I think she liked it and she looked so adorable wearing it.

I am totally addicted to making these. I bought some material this weekend to make a tutu for my niece's American Girl doll so they can match. I love sewing these tutus.

Journals

2008-01-28T21:28:00.001-05:00

These are so easy and fun to make. Lauren taught me. She's amazing. It's just a composition book made pretty with scrapbook things; paper, ribbon, etc.

I made these using paper from themed packs but you can pull together different patterns from anyplace. Then you trim the paper and Mod Podge it on there (matte Mod Podge is best).

Once you have your paper on the way you like it, on the front and back as well as on the inside, add ribbon and stickers and embellishments where ever you like. I made ribbons extra long to serve as bookmarks. Lauren staples cute ribbon to different pages throughout the journal. I also put quotes and things throughout the pages - inspirational quotes or something that goes with the theme of the journal; I used Shakespeare with the Fairytale theme and travel quotes with a travel themed journal (not shown here).

My friend, Sheryl, made some of these for the kids she nannies. They loved them. It's a fun journal to use and just so pretty.

Painting

2008-01-28T20:59:00.000-05:00

I painted a couple of rooms a while back and thought I would share the pictures of the finished products.

The first room was the old upstairs bathroom at my parent's house. It needed a change and since my parents were thinking of remodeling the house, we had some fun with it. Around this time, my dad secretly enjoyed watching SpongeBob SquarePants. He would make fun of me if I watched it, but one day I found him watching an episode and laughing his head off, so began the purchasing of SpongeBob products as joke gifts for my father. This is how my family works. We are odd. So the bathroom was turned into the underwater paradise known in the cartoon world as Bikini Bottom.

My favorite part of this bathroom was after it was done, my cousins came over to the house and Andrew, who was 4 at the time and loved SpongeBob, just walked up there and sat down and stared at the decorations. We had to search the whole house for him when it was time to leave.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The other room I did was a "Grandchild's Room" at my friends parents house. Dee (my friend's mom) loves Noah's ark stuff so she wanted that to be the theme.

The fun part is there is a little cubby and a larger room. Here's the larger room:

That's Noah and a chalkboard - which I painted on the wall with chalkboard paint so it actually works - the kids can draw on the wall!

Then there's the cubby.

I think the mice are my favorite. They're just cute.

Another Blog

2008-01-28T20:53:00.000-05:00

Some of you may be thinking "Really, Lindsey? Another blog?" This one is mostly for me so I'm not really posting big posts on my regular blog regarding projects I'm working on or have done. But I like sharing the things I make and the things I am working on with people. So, yes, here's another blog from the wonderful world of me.