this first one is my favorite! as soon as i saw this monster flannel print, i knew i had to get it! (i love the whole Ugly Doll theme, so this was perfect!)

since some people like to have items shipped directly to the recipient, i decided to make one set that was packaged and ready to open as a gift! everything comes tucked inside a metal paint tin that’s been decorated with some coordinating scrapbook paper (and sealed with mod podged). this set includes one baby blanket, a bib and burp cloth, and also an appliqued onesie!

this next set is a smaller feeding set made with Alexander Henry’s Juicy fabric. it includes one burp cloth and two bibs.

and since i decided to clean my studio up, i found some earlier children’s gifts that never made it to the shop! these are now in the clearance section!

(you’ll have to click on the picture to get the full view of the fabrics. the top  print with the bears was purchased from this Etsy shop, and the bottom three character prints were purchased here- yikes, looks like they are having a sale- this could mean more trouble!)

in the meantime, aside from dreaming of vacations and weekend getaways,  i guess the only other thing for me to do is get some springy type bags made!! so…i figured it was time to put some fun floral prints i had to use!!

i made a couple more multi-tasker totes by Anna Maria Horner! since i made the last one, i knew exactly the color combination i wanted as my next one! i love Heather Bailey’s Freshcut line and thought the peach mums would look really good with the sage polka dot interior!

and of course, how much do i love a nice paisley print! and some more green polka dot for contrast!

and the most fun spring print that i always get such rave reviews about is the pink dahlia print from Sandi Henderson’s Farmer’s Market collection. since i had a bit left, i thought it would make a fun tote bag- this time i used some heavy weight cotton webbing for the straps and added a small rounded pocket in the front. this is a fairly good sized tote and will actually work great as a reusable tote bag for shopping! (beats those ones you get at the store that i’m still not quite sure what that material is called!) this one is now available in the shop!

and last but not least…did i mention the stash of fabric i got in the mail out of the blue? well, imagine my surprise when i opened up a box from my cousin only to discover about 5 yards of fabric!! (aren’t belated presents the best!) anyhoo…three of the prints were- you guessed it- bird prints!! yeahhhh! so i decided to make a pleated shoulder bag out of  Birdie by  Me & My Sisters Designs for Moda.  (if this doesn’t scream spring, i don’t know what will!)

since she is only two, her class is fairly small, so when i saw this post on some handmade valentines, i KNEW i had to make this one! i thought it was totally perfect (since she loves dancing to whatever music is playing!) and also very unique, and so much more fun than the box of cards you can buy from the store. (loved the crayon idea as well, but didn’t have a heart shaped pan mold).

i originally set out (and had already acquired all the materials) for the candy version, unfortunately, once i was halfway through with putting them all together, i saw a note at the school a few days later that said valentines that were being handed out, should NOT have any food items attached! of course that’s my luck!

since i had already had my heart set on these valentines, i knew the alternative would be just as easy! instead of the sweetheart conversation heart boxes, i used some foam board, and for the “earphones” i found these foam beads that worked out perfectly!

i ended up making both versions, one for my niece to hand out at school, and the other for her to hand out to her cousins and some other playmates! both are tucked inside a clear treat bag, and stapled closed with a cardstock label that has a cute i-pod heart image on it! you can also print out the scroll wheel and playlist from the original post here.

these are super easy to make, and depending on how many you might need, shouldn’t take more than an hour.

Materials:

-small boxes of candy (either conversation hearts, sweetart hearts, or jelly belly boxes)

-tape

-decorative paper (i was able to get a 6pk of valentine paper at target for only $1 from their dollar section!)

-glue stick

-white yarn, or string

-hershey kisses, rolos, peanut butter cups, or foam beads to use as “earphones”

- OPTIONAL: cardstock, clear treat bags

Directions:

1. glue foam beads or whatever candy piece you are using to the yarn/string (cut about 5 inch each)

2. wrap the box or foamboard with decorative paper, and glue or tape shut.  depending on whether or not you want the “earphones” to be seen or hidden, you can either tape a set to the back side of the box or tape directly to the back after you’ve already covered the box.

3. print out the playlist and scroll wheel and glue to the front of the box

4. if you want to hand out the valentines as is, then you are done- just write your valentine message on the back of the box! or, if you’d like, you can package them inside a clear treat bag and make a decorative message to put on some cardstock and envelope the bag in between the cardstock and staple closed! (i used colored staples, so if you want to stick with the valentine theme, you can use red staples!)

Giada has a line at Target- how awesome is that!! i love Giada…what i don’t love though is how she can make such yummy looking meals and desserts and still look like that! it’s just not fair!!

(image from username craftyclogs on Craftster)

Big Bang Theory- probably one of my favorite shows- ALWAYS has me cracking up, and i swear, Sheldon is just too funny for words! anyways, my sister passed along this link from Craftster that i KNEW i had to share, because, really…how freaken awesome is that! now…if only i can get myself back into crocheting again! darn my wrist!!!

(image from i bake for you)

Cookie Monster Cupcakes- these will definitely be made soon for my niece and nephews to enjoy!! original post here. no tutorial but it’s pretty self explanatory how to make these!!

How Does She- can i just tell you how happy i am that i discovered this site (what took me so long?!) anyways, GREAT tutorials and ideas, and constantly feeling motivated to make something fun! definitely ecstatic that i came across this site because for a while i was feeling like i was having some kind of sewing block and needed something to get me started back up again!! found some great handmade valentine ideas from here, as well as these cool frame ideas…oh, and these ruffles!! TOO FUN!

(image from Sweetopia)

the Olympic Mascots-Sumi, Quatchi, and Miga. omg, Vancouver. i have no words to say how much i LOVE Vancouver, and my love for that place grows every time i talk about it!! and especially after our summer trip i would give anything to go back! but these olympic mascots- sooo cute! and after seeing this post, i really want to try making these cookies!!

so, that’s all for now…and not because all this snow makes me giddy but i’m posting this pic because i’m just SO OVER IT!! we got dumped with about 30 inches of snow over the weekend, and they are calling for about 10 more tonight. how totally NOT cool is that?! i won’t subject you too any more than one picture! i think anyone who is around this area is tired of looking at this snow, but this was one of my fav pics from sunday morning- love the way the sun is glistening behind the trees.

]]> http://www.craftynatalie.com/2010/02/09/im-in-a-sharing-mood/feed 2 http://www.craftynatalie.com/2010/02/08/activity-notepad http://www.craftynatalie.com/2010/02/08/activity-notepad#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:07:25 +0000 natalie http://www.craftynatalie.com/?p=1539 since everyone always gets at least one handmade gift thrown in for their birthday present, i had to think of something fun to make my niece for her second birthday! i’ve already made her some dresses, skirts, and crayon caddie, not to mention a play apron to go with her kitchen set she got for Christmas, so i was quickly running out of ideas!

since she LOVES to color i decided on an activity notepad. i didn’t think an activity tote would be too useful yet since she doesn’t need it for school-nor is she big enough to carry her own bag! i figured that an activity pad would be the next best thing. this would be easily tucked inside a purse or diaper bag so if my sister and husband needed something to keep her busy while traveling this would be perfect!

this activity notepad is small enough that it doesn’t take up a lot of room, but has tons of pockets so the inside has room to hold a small drawing pad, slots for crayons or markers, as well as another slot that i ended up sticking a book and some stickers inside! i decided to use Alexander Henry’s Apples and Pears fabric to match another gift item i had made her for Christmas. it ended up working out perfect because i also had some Hello Kitty ribbon that i got from Target that i thought was super cute, and the ribbon even had matching red apples on them!

so…you might be wondering, well, why by one instead of the other? well, if you want the option of not being limited to just art then an activity tote would be more practical- the tote is larger, so you can easily tuck a doll or stuffed animal inside, toy cars, or small electronic toys. the activity notepad is mostly to have a portable art “station.”

but…i will say, the way the snow covered the trees sure was pretty this morning! (i love that this pic- taken on my iphone, but surprisingly good quality- shows the moon just starting to set in between the trees!)

i haven’t been in the sewing room as much as i’d like- mainly because we’ve been redoing the guest bedroom (after nearly three years of living in our house, more and more house decorating is being done! yeahhh!) since we’ve been painting and redoing the guest bed and bathroom, a lot of things have been stashed in my sewing studio, which = MESS!! we also managed to paint the basement and hubby decided back before the holidays to reward himself with a nice new plasma! that meant we also had to get a new tv stand, which also meant that we were left with an old media cabinet that had nowhere to go! since it’s just a black cabinet with shelves i thought it was perfect for storing fabric, and lo and behold i was able to clean out the closet and now have storage space in the closet and an extra cabinet of just fabric! WOOHOO! (sorry, the rooms are still not where i’d like them to be, otherwise i’d have pictures to share!)

and on top of not really having accomplished many new projects, every time i plan to take pictures of what i have completed, it is either snowing or raining, so all outdoor picture taking has pretty much been on hold! added to the fact that i haven’t been as gung-ho to list items in my etsy shop lately! this is mainly because business has been somewhat slow and i find that since etsy is so popular these days, the second i list something, five minutes later i’m already on page 10! (which, if you’re anything like me and doing a search for something and end up with 200 pages of search results, i generally get bored or annoyed after page 10!)  to me, that’s very frustrating mostly because i use my etsy shop as creative outlet, not so much for money making purposes, but the fact that i’m paying to have things listed, and no real sales, i can’t really afford to keep listing as often as i’d like when traffic to my shop can be very slow!

in any event, i did manage to make some baby gift sets because these are always really popular and aside from my laptop sleeves, they are my most requested items! i’ve made some sets in the past that were of the pink skulls and crossbones and they were snatched up almost immediately. while i was organizing through some of my fabric, i realized i had about a yard left so figured i’d make one last cute set! not sure who this is going to, but at the rate all my friends are having babies, someone is bound to have a girl next! this includes a pleated tote for mom, and a fabric decorated burp cloth, sensory blanket, and appliqued onesie for baby!

just wanted to pass along the Craft Hope for Haiti link! Craft Hope just opened up an Etsy shop so that crafters can donate items, with 100% proceeds going towards Doctors Without Borders. if you would like to contribute an item or make a purchase, please check out their site for more details! i’m hoping to donate something this weekend!

one of the blogs i came across last year that i love following now is True Up. When they decided to host a fabric meme, i decided it would be fun to play along, because, well, who doesn’t love drooling over fabric!! 2009 was definitely a year of exploration for me in my sewing room! it’s truly hard to believe that my husband bought me my sewing machine as my Christmas present just two years ago-honestly, what was i doing before that?! the funny thing is, i had wanted it simply so that i could hem up my own pants rather than pay a tailor! never in a million years did i imagine that sewing would become such a huge part of my daily routine- i’m sure he didn’t either! and i’m betting that hubby also didn’t realize the amount of money that would go into this hobby or the fact that it would overtake rooms AND closets in the house!! (love you honey…and, oh yeah…when are we moving into a bigger house?!)

FAVORITE QUILTING WEIGHT COTTON COLLECTION: Tanya Whelan’s Dolce Collection. the second i saw this line i fell IN LOVE!! i WANT each print in every color, and then some!!

FAVORITE HOME DECOR WEIGHT FABRIC: Anna Maria Horner’s Drawing Room. the sketchbook print is my fav and i have (or you could possibly even say hoarding!) the pink and natural ones in a special hiding place in my sewing room that noone can choose anything to be made from! (is that wrong?!)…and i still need to get my hands on some of the blue one!

FAVORITE TREND (MOTIFS): well, if you couldn’t tell from just the first two responses, it is BIRDS!!!

FAVORITE TREND (COLORS): my always go to color trend is typically browns and pinks, but right now i am absolutely LOVING the turquoise/red combos! i just got some of Patty Young’s Flora and Fauna in the turquoise hummingbirds and i haven’t been able to bring myself to cut into it, it’s THAT pretty!

FAVORITE OVERALL DESIGNER: as i’m sure most people will say, tried and true, Amy Butler!! i also love that now i can get stuff for the house already made in her prints-seriously contemplating redoing the master bedroom and bathroom!!

FAVORITE NEW DESIGNER: Studio E Fabrics. i’m not sure how new they are, but i just discovered them over the summer, and love the Nature-ology collection!

FAVORITE NOVELTY PRINT: Monkey N Round by Erin Michael for Moda (or anything Sock Monkey for that matter…but, all i have left in my stash is the Goodnight Monkey!)

FAVORITE GEOMETRIC PRINT: Sugar Snap Kimono by Melissa Averinos

FAVORITE ORGANIC PRINT/COLLECTION: Flock by Cloud 9

FAVORITE JUVENILE PRINT- BOYS: if we have a boy, (unless i change my mind by that time!) our nursery will be made from David Walkers, Robots!

FAVORITE JUVENILE PRINT- GIRLS: but i’m secretly hoping when the time comes we’ll have a girl because  Tina Givens Fairy Tip Toes makes me real happy, and i can only imagine sitting in a nursery made entirely out of this line!!

FAVORITE FABRIC SHOP: locally, Artful Quilter (they just moved, so they aren’t as close as before, but i hear the new shop is even bigger! could only mean trouble!) and online, i love  Hawthorne Threads. they were originally on Etsy under Fabric Supplies, but their new shop i have to say is pretty cool! love the fact that you can click on a print, and instantly find coordinating prints/colors that’ll match it! they also do a tiered pricing system, so the more you buy, the more you save-and the best part is if you shopped with them on Etsy, they transferred your fabric history over to their new shop!