McCoyalicious

Things we do after nap :: Ice play

2012-08-20T21:14:00.000-07:00

Its been soooo hot! Disgustingly, depressingly hot. Now before you scold me for complaining about the heat when I live in the Seattle area let me remind you that one, I'm getting mui preggo-pants here and two, because it doesn't get hot often around here, no one has AC. That means that when its 85 outside its 100 in my flat roofed, no insulation house. Gross.
Jack and I were melting the other afternoon and so lethargic that I decided it was a good day for ice play. Ice play is a lot like water play. Its easy, so fun for littles and requires minimal clean up. Put a towel down (or not) under your highchair, strip that baby to a diaper and gather a couple of things you already have in your kitchen.

We started with some ice water in a sippy and a small plastic cup filled with ice cubes. We tentatively touched the ice and talked about how smooth it was and how it was slippery like soap in the bath tub. Jack wants to kiss everything right now so he decided to give the ice a little smootch.

"Oooooo cold!" Since we'd just had our faces next to the cup we decided to blow into the cup and feel the cold air come rushing back out.

We noticed that the ice had started melting and that there was now a little bit of water in the bottom of the cup so we talked about how ice is made from water, and then poured the water onto the tray.

Then some of the ice came out too...

Of course the next logical progression was for colored water to join the party.

We eventually added some dinosaur sponges and the color blue.

It was at this point that Mama realized we had been playing for 45 MINUTES, and that it was time to get started on dinner. I was shocked that Jack stayed engaged for so long. It was a great lot of fun and helped us stay just a little bit cooler.

McCoyalicious Granola

2012-08-18T12:49:00.002-07:00

Hubs loves granola but we don't have it often because the stuff you get at the grocery store is generally super expensive and super fatty. I don't know why I got it in my head to try making it, probably Pinterest again, but I was inspired one afternoon to take to the Internet and seek out a recipe. I found Alton Brown's here and it looked perfectly tweakable. Now, I'm not one to follow a recipe or pattern to the letter... ever, so below you'll find my version. We thought it came out delicious but I would suggest that you add/swap whatever nuts or dried fruits you and your family are fond of. I used what I had on hand but I think that next time I might try sunflower seeds in place of the peanuts, add some dried cranberries and swap out half the coconut oil for vegetable oil. Experiment, experiment! It is a little time consuming, though not labor intensive. You just have to stop by the oven and stir it every 15 minutes. So if you have an hour and a half I highly recommend spending it multitasking by cleaning your house and making this crunchy goodness.

McCoyalicious Granola

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup shredded sweet coconut

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup coconut oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 250.

In a large bowl combine oats, nuts, coconut and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl combine honey, oil and salt.

Combine both mixtures and spread onto sheet pans. Cook for an hour 15 minutes stirring every 15 minutes for even color.

Remove from oven, transfer to a large bowl and stir in raisins until distributed evenly.

I stored mine in a couple of mason jars but any airtight container should work. I cant officially tell you how long it will keep but we are still working our way through one of the jars 3 weeks later so it's got to stay good for awhile.

Saving a fave

2012-08-11T12:52:00.001-07:00

I have these V neck t-shirts that I got from Forever 21 a million years ago and I am obsessed with them. I'm glad I had the forethought to buy 4 of them but I wish I'd bought 50. They fit like a glove, are the perfect length, have the perfect neckline, and have held up shockingly well for how cheap they were. We redid our bathroom completely by ourselves a couple of years ago and in my sleep deprived stupor (when you are without a bathtub in a one bathroom house, you stay up late and spend all your free time installing tile) I wore one of my lovlies while grouting. Of course there were spills and I thought I'd ruined it but I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. It lived in my craft room for 3 years until the perfect idea came to me, inspired of course by Pinterest. Oh Pinterest. I do love you so. Note: I get that the damage doesn't look that bad in this photo, but trust me, it was not wearable to anywhere other than Home Depot.

Some white fabric paint, a chop stick, a Trader Joe's bag and an hour later I had this.

I leaned heavily on this girl's work for inspiration. Amazing isnt she? I thought about freezer paper but in the end I just free handed that sucker on there. I did not have the energy or patience to make a stencil and I'm actually kind of glad that I didn't. It has this sort of batik, boho thing going on with the imperfect line work that I'm totally digging and hopefully looks as cool as I think it does. There is a wealth of inspiration out there and this is a great way to cover up any kind of minor staining on a beloved piece.

Things we do after nap :: Water play

2012-08-07T12:31:00.004-07:00

I've been doing this with Jack for several months but have yet to blog about it. Its such a simple thing and yet for littles, so effective. Its even better now that Jacks a little older. I think he spent almost 45 minutes in complete concentration in which Mama was able to finish the first (hopefully of many) hand-knit sweaters for baby girl.

All I do is lay down an old towel (important in case the food coloring stains) and grab an assortment of things I find in the kitchen. It varies every time and the possibilities are endless. This time we had a Pyrex pie plate, measuring cup and spoon, a straw, an old spice jar and a plastic squirty alligator from the latest trip to the zoo. Then I fill a couple of containers with colored water and let Jack have at it.

He has so much fun. Pouring, scooping and splashing. There is minimal clean up involved with the towel on hardwood floors (I would suggest not doing this on carpet. We've hung out in the kitchen several times) and it gives a Mama time to finish a couple of chores. That being said, I do love to find an activity for myself that allows me to sit near and observe if I can. Without direction the way he chooses to use these objects never ceases to fascinate me. So next time you're bored, grab some kitchen junk and some water and watch the magic happen.

A little trip for busy bees

2012-08-06T19:22:00.001-07:00

Oof. Pregnancy + toddler is hard work! I've managed to keep sewing, baking and making, but blogging has fallen by the wayside. I don't know how some of these bloggy mamas do it. Those broads are amazing. I've got lots to share so I'll start with our recent little summer vacay.

We decided not to deal with air travel this year and opted for a cabin on the Wenatchee river, only an hour and a half drive from Seattle. What a treat! The weather was great, we were in a little community with a playground and a pool just steps away and Lake Wenatchee was literally a 5 minute drive. We swam, we threw rocks in the river, we sat in the mud, we giggled and sunned. Before we left I did a little vacation sewing. A couple of pairs of maternity shorts for myself, some shorts for Jack and then while we were there, I finished the hand stitching on the next sized bucket hat (I'd already made Jack one in small).

They were all fun projects. For the mama shorts I drafted a pattern using a pair that fit when I wasn't preggo, leaving the fly open to accommodate some extra room in the waist area. I also cut the front extra low and made a simple elastic waist. One pair is thrifted brown corduroy and the other is a Laura Ashley print that I got on clearance a million years ago. Comfortable and easy. For Jack's shorts I did pretty much the same thing, using a pair of shorts that fit him well, I made a pattern and used an old linen shirt and one of Bruce's old polo's for the fabric. The hat is from Little Things to Sew. God I love that book. The patterns are so well written and easy to follow. This hat comes together pretty quickly especially considering how professional the finish is.

We even caught a fish, and what are mini vacations for, if not for getting a little slimy?

Things we do after nap :: Popsicle stick & Clothes Pin Airplanes

2012-06-19T17:12:00.001-07:00

I really didn't intend to be away so long. One post in almost 3 months, ouch. Clearly I've been busy with something, and the something happens to be growing another human. We are expecting baby #2 in early December! This pregnancy has been a bit harder than the first. Chasing a toddler around rather than lying on the couch with a bag of pretzels is a bit more exhausting than I was expecting. I unfortunately, also had much worse morning sickness this time around. Puking with a curious toddler trying to look over your shoulder is a hilarious story for later but not really all that funny in the moment. I am getting some energy back now though. We're into the golden second trimester and other than the emergence of the rotten heartburn I had with the first pregnancy I'm almost symptom free. I've even started to feel my little goldfish move a bit. So fun. I'd forgotten how magical those first little flutters are.

But this is what I really wanted to tell you about. A fun and easy project idea we found (where else?) on Pinterest. Popsicle stick & clothes pin airplanes! Who doesn't have those things laying around? They came together in literally 5 minutes, which includes a few minutes hunting for the hot glue gun. For the little guys like mine, I suggest putting the airplanes together during nap and having them all ready to decorate when they wake up. We used crayola washable markers, but the decorating posibilities are endless: glitter, crayons, stickers, modge podge and paper...

As you can see, Jack quickly lost interest and started coloring on the picture we'd been working on that morning.

No worries, he came back to it soon enough. Now these are a bit delicate, so be ready to re-glue a couple of times before your littles understand how fragile they are. Maybe super glue would work better... I might try it next time. Either way get ready for some silly fun, though your airplanes may turn into hungry bugs or dancing dinosaurs, I'm not really sure what was going on...

Simple sandbox

2012-05-23T13:05:00.000-07:00

Seattle weather has been giving us glimpses of summer lately and any day above 60 degrees around here (rain or shine) is a good day for the beach. Jack is thoroughly enjoying all this digging around in the sand and muck. In fact one of his latest vocabulary additions has been "Sand! Sand!" so last weekend when it was better than 60 degrees, 70 and sunny all day in fact, we made ourselves a simple sandbox.

We went back and forth about using an old planter box on the patio but settled on our hand-me-down kiddy pool and about 15 bucks worth of play sand. Easy peasey. The hardest part was getting the sand out of the car. Those little bags weigh 50 pounds each. I'm not really sure what were going to do when/if we need to move the sandbox...

Jack was THRILLED. The man is a fan of sand after all and couldn't even wait to get proper clothes on before he jumped right in. Sadly the weather took a turn for the worse the next day and poor Jack hasn't been able to play in it since. He longingly looks out the sliding glass door and points, "sand... sand". Soon my love. We've got sunshine in the forecast for this weekend. I think there is plenty of digging and "ditty" (dirty) in your future.

My sorbetto

2012-03-25T20:56:00.002-07:00

"I'm accomplishing goals!", she shouted. I really wanted to start sewing for myself more in 2012 so I made this sorbetto top for a couple of reasons. Reason one, silly me, I thought that a blouse would be sooooooooooooo much easier then pants. Reason two, it was free. Reason 3, I had this image in my head of red gingham in the summer. It took me 5 or 6 hours all together. I made this a size 12 but I did mod a couple of things. When copying the pattern, I added about six inches to the length. I did end up taking in the hip area but I should have anticipated that from the beginning since my hip to waist ratio makes me a classic apple shape. Boo. I added sleeves using the free pattern at sew weekly (which needed a mod itself being way too small for me at the first cut). I also added 3 vintage buttons at the pleat to balance my idiotic choice of white bias tape around the neckline. I dunno, its OK I guess. At least its wearable and doesn't look completely home sewn. You can see the darts are a little high on me. I should have adjusted them but after taking in the sides and re-cutting and sewing the sleeves I was kind of done. I've gotten so much better, but I still need to learn to be less lazy with my sewing. Half an hour of adjustments can mean the difference between a well fitting garment that you wear over and over and something that you spent hours making that just sits in your closet, judging you. At least it looks pretty good with stretch trousers and motorcycle boots.

More knitting

2012-03-11T21:36:00.004-07:00

I've been on a total knitting kick lately. Little man has been a bit high maintenance, wanting Mama and nothing but, so its been harder to get invested in anything that demands large chunks of time. I also really enjoyed knitting that last pull over for Jack so that's sort of fueled my knitting fires.

For some reason, I have this issue with Jack's clothing/accessories. I really have trouble with the fact that my child actually grows. Its not the whole "I can't believe my baby is getting so big" kind of trouble, though that crosses my mind daily. The kind of trouble that I have is not realizing that he has gotten physically larger to the point that I am continually stuffing him into things that clearly make him look like Chris Farley in Tommy Boy. I had one of those moments last week when I noticed that the little bear hat he always wears was beginning to resemble a yarmulke. To the yarn stash! I grabbed a couple of leftover bits and used my favorite go to hat pattern for stash busting, Jane Richmond's top down hat tutorial.

It only took a couple of naps and one stint in the waiting room at my doctors office. This is my first successful attempt at intarsia. I'm pleased with the result especially considering I made the pattern up on the fly and I like the way the colors came together too. I think it looks like something I might have worn at Jack's age, very early 80s. I really wish I'd remembered to switch to a smaller needle when knitting the brim, as it looks a little sloppy and the whole hat is a bit big, which I guess is a theme with me lately, but better big then small when making for kids right? And Jack seems to like it.

Things we do after nap :: Pipe cleaner madness

2012-03-06T12:44:00.002-08:00

I picked up a package of pipe cleaners on my epic trip to Joann's a couple of weeks ago with no clear plan, but I did know that these great colors and that delicious pipe cleaner texture would be a hit. I busted them out yesterday while Bruce was on a call from home and needed some space from a curious little man who loves to help Dada by clicking buttons on his laptop. These made for another simple, fun and infinitely customizable activity.

First we dumped the whole package out on the floor (that kind of mess seems to always be exciting to little people and grabs their attention right away). We talked about the pretty colors, we felt the soft texture and tickled them against each others faces and necks, we bent them and noticed how easy they were to manipulate. Then Mama made some creatures and Jack stuffed them into an empty cookie box.

I feel like this could work easily for a group of children of diverse ages. There are just so many directions you could take, structured art projects, sensory exercises or completely free play. I'm pretty sure that pipe cleaners will become part of my "go-to" arsenal from now on. And 15 minutes of pipe cleaner madness keeps a busy work-at-home dad and an under-caffeinated mama very happy.

Varying degrees of fail and win.

2012-03-04T21:34:00.003-08:00

I've recently completed a couple of projects, unfortunately they did not all come out completely as planned. Exhibit A: The Child's Placket Neck Pullover from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. It's a lovely pattern, well written and easy to follow even for someone who had never done raglan sleeves or a placket neck. It only took 2.5 skeins of Vana's Choice from Lion Brand. Yes I know its trashy and I am a little embarrassed but 1, I'm too cheap to buy cotton and 2, I have felted every wool sweater I have ever known. It's a good choice for me. It also washes surprisingly well which is great for kids clothes since I refuse to hand wash anything and will inevitably throw everything we own in the dryer at some point (read 2) but I digress.

I did not swatch this project first. Let this be a lesson to us all. When changing both suggested yarn type and gauge, go ahead and swatch. Ive already got a second one on the needles though and he'll grow into this one eventually. (I'm realizing that these photos don't do justice how huge this thing is on him, but maybe this helps, he is a large 17 month old and this sweater came out at the 6-8 year old measurements) So its a sizing fail, but a definite experience win.

The second completed project is a lovie for a little boy that Ive been meaning to get to FOREVER. His mama asked for my help recreating one that had been destroyed. Pretty simple, or so I thought. Let me tell you, these minky and sateen blankies are tough to sew. They are diametrically opposed and super bitchy fabrics. Seriously, they hate each other. Also the minky hates irons as evidenced by that top left corner. Jeeze, thanks for telling me in advance minky, WTS? I totally winged this one. I eyeballed some rectangles making the sateen about 3 inches wider on all sides than the minky, slapped them together and machine sewed around the perimeter about a quarter inch in (insert plenty of swearing at this point). Then I ironed the sateen's edges over about a quarter inch and folded and pinned just inside the sewed line. Finally I hand stitched the folded edge of the sateen to the minky. This really didn't take long, maybe 2 hours total. Pretty good for all that hand stitching right?

I guess it doesn't look THAT bad, though the bunching is killing me. I can see it in this photo and it is making me crazy. Despite my grumping I was informed by the mama that her little man basically had a happy baby heart attack over it. So I guess that makes it a win?

The third thing I guess isn't really much of a project and isn't really mine to take credit for but it was such a win that I had to share. CRISPY FRIED SHRIMP! They had those bags of frozen, uncooked shrimp on sale at Safeway last week so we grabbed one. Dinner rolled around the other night and we decided to make shrimp tacos. Bruce, who has no fear in the kitchen (blessing and a curse) made a flour, cornmeal, cayenne pepper and salt dredge and an egg/milk wash. I'm sorry I cant post a recipe, Bruce is wont to literally throw things together. Luckily, they often the look like this.

Oh god, it is so good. Is your mouth watering right now? These were so delicious it was kind of ridiculous. We added home made tarter sauce, corn tortillas and shredded cabbage. Mmmmm. This was of course the big win of the week. We'll be making these again for sure.

Its about time!

2012-02-24T21:21:00.005-08:00

I've had several failed projects lately, hence the lack of posting and general making malaise. A trip to JoAnn's last week helped to fuel the fires and after one more semi-fail (not terrible, but certainly not good enough to blog about) I dove into my version of Dana's Lined Kid Pants. I think I may have even used the same fabric she did. It was super easy and a great way to use up Dad's old t-shirts as the lining. Basically you just make 2 pairs of pants, turn one inside out, stuff them together and sew. Now that I've got this pants making thing down, its not much of a hassle to make the second pair. I'm pretty sure I put these together in under an hour, including a sizing snafu that required additional sewing.

My latest pattern iteration is a little on the long side, hopefully allowing for a longer wearing pant. This lined version is a great realization of that with the built in contrasting cuff from the lining.

And everyone knows that its important to have a comfy pair of pants to rock out in. Even if your headphones aren't plugged in.

Things we do after nap :: Mirror art with bath tub crayons

2012-02-11T12:25:00.001-08:00

I'm finding that sometimes its hard to fill time with a toddler. Our biggest obstacle right now is Jack's attention span. When planning activities, I have to find short, uncomplicated things for us to do.
Bruce was on a work call from home yesterday so I needed something to keep Jack busy on the other side of the house. Having daddy work from home certainly affords us moments that I'm sure many moms and dads aren't able to experience together but it also presents some interesting logistical challenges with a rambunctious little boy in a 1200 sq foot house. I had bought our first bath tub crayons a couple of days prior and when I walked into our bedroom to change Jack, the light bulb went on.

I drew some silly pictures and Jack scribbled happily. This actually kept us both busy for a whole 20 minutes or so. Enough time for Bruce to finish his call and wander into the bedroom to find out what the heck we had been up to.

I like that we were creating on a unique surface. When you get up close, the reflection of the line work in the mirror makes it even more interesting. From further away our own reflections can become a part of our drawings. I suppose Jack's a bit young for these musings just yet but I hope I'm sowing the seeds. Either way, I got some sweet, baby hugs so that's a win for this Mama.

The best upcycled tote!

2012-02-02T21:05:00.000-08:00

Bruce started a new job at Microsoft this month. Very exciting career move for him and very exciting swag upcycling opportunity for me. He brought home this bag from his orientation (along with, seriously the best water bottle in the world). Also, please ignore the monkey. They are EVERYWHERE.

I knew it was the perfect size for a new diaper/snack/toy/extra wipes bag. So I slip stitched some polka dotted fabric on the front and elevated it to moar awesomer status.

I used it first on our outing to the Seattle Children's museum a couple of weeks ago and it was perfect. I HATE taking my purse there since I inevitably end up crawling around on the floor with Jack. Something not too big, but over the shoulder is best for me. It easily held several snacks, 2 bibs, a package of Kirkland wipes, 3 diapers, my giant wallet, keys and the Jelly Bean sling. I've been using this thing almost every time we've gone out since then. That's a pretty successful upcycle, dontcha think?

No sew infinity scarf for FREE (I promise)!

2012-01-29T22:13:00.000-08:00

Maybe someone has already come up with this but I've never seen it anywhere. I'm claiming it as my very own simple but kick A idea.

I ~~do not~~ did not own an infinity scarf. I did however, (being the scarf lover that I am) own several billion un-infinity scarves. Not cool Bree, you need to get with the times. Jeez self, quit being so hyper-critical. This week, Jack and I had a play date scheduled with a delicious little girl and her awesome mama, whom I had not seen in many years. Of course I wanted to look fantastic (I did BTW).

Side note: Isn't it funny how much more we dress up for other women than we do for our husbands/boyfriends sometimes? Maybe that's just me...
Anyhoo, it's chilly in Seattle and I felt like the regular old scarf wasn't hip enough so you know what I did? I lined up the fringey bits on each end of my favorite scarf AND TIED THEM TOGETHER!

That's it. Now I have an awesome infinity scarf! I think I'm gonna do this with all my fringy scarves. The best part is that when infinity scarves aren't cool again, you can just untie it. Sigh... so proud. Can you see my head from your house, because it is huge. Have fun tying up all your scarves tonight and when your husband asks what you are doing, tell him you are being hot for other ladies.

A little variety...

2012-01-26T13:24:00.000-08:00

I made some more pants for Jack. It gets easier every time. Seriously, if you have never made pants for your kids you have got to try it. Its so great to be able to get a perfect fit.
Jack has got a different body shape than most kids I guess, because store bought pants that fit are hard to find. He has one pair that fits wonderfully and I wanted to add a little more variety to his wardrobe (he kind of lives in them). I drafted a new pattern and made a muslin last week, all in one nap I might add. With just a couple of tweaks they became these brown cords.

Sorry for the blur, this kid is in perpetual motion. The fabric is thrifted. Man I love thrift stores. I got about 5 yards for 3 or 4 bucks. I wanted these to look a bit more polished so I top stitched all the seams and added a faux fly. Not much more work for great results. I left a huge hem so I could take them down as needed.

And there you go. A great pair of pants that fit like a glove. I may never buy pants for this kid again.

Thrifty goodness

2012-01-25T20:36:00.000-08:00

When Jack and I dropped off the dry cleaning this afternoon I realized we were 2 doors down from this tiny thrift shop that used to be kind of skeevy but had seemingly cleaned up its act. Bruce was working from home, so I decided to give him a few more minutes of peace and we wandered over to check it out.

I think I'm in love with this shop. Seriously, if you live anywhere near Bothell, I kind of don't want to tell you where it is because you might steal my secret spot. Ok ok, jeez... it's the shop that used to be called "Aslan's Too" in the strip mall with the QFC & Starbucks on Bothell-Everett Hwy and it is awesome. Here's what we got for 15 bucks and just a little bit of sanitizer.

A very cute board book about opposites, a BRAND NEW copy of "In a People House", a Scholastic animal book (its awesome, its sort of like a mini animal encyclopedia with fantastic, huge pictures), a small toy car which is the perfect size for Jack's road play mat, a pair of fleece jammies, one of those shape sorters we all had when we were kids, a hilarious tie for Bruce (its got horses and carts on it) and the piece de resistance, a little stroller. Jack found that thing and pushed it all over the store making lots of friends with cute little old ladies along the way. He was in love and since, a) we know several little girls who might like something like this, and b) it was clean, in great shape and 2 freeking dollars, I had to buy it.

Jack is obsessed. I let him push it out the door and to the car and he screamed his head off when I put it in the trunk to go home. Little man happily pushed Murray and his monkey around the house pretty much non-stop from when we got home to bed time. Sorry little girls in our lives, you may not be getting an awesome thrifted present any time soon.

A Valen-tiny

2012-01-24T21:14:00.000-08:00

First off ack! We had a redonkulous round of illness after illness at the McCoyalicious homestead and I'd not been in a bloggy mood of late. I didn't completely stop making stuff though so Ive got a couple of things to share. Bit number one is the shirt I made for Jack for Valentines Day. We aren't super big on Valentines Day around here. Bruce and I don't even buy each other cards anymore but I'm starting to see the value in celebration with little ones and so I'm making an effort. Who says I cant change the meaning in our house from that of sappy romanticisms to a celebration of my favorite emotion (aside from YAY, that's an emotion right?).
I wanted to make something cute and boyish and the first thing that popped into my head was an old school "Mom" tattoo. Tell me I'm not being self indulgent because Bruce teased me.

I compiled a few ideas from the interwebs and made my own embroidery appropriate sketch. Then I pinned it on the inside of the shirt and used my light box to trace the drawing in fabric marking pen. I almost did this in white, so thank you's are in order to Bruce who convinced me to do it in red. I love the way it turned out.

If anyone out there is interested in making their own, I'll scan in my sketch and post it here for you to use. Happy lovey dovey stitching!

Update: Here is the sketch I made (its already sized to 8.5x11 so you should just be able to right click, and print), feel free to use it for your own Valen-tiny.

Happy 2012!

2012-01-01T18:02:00.000-08:00

Yay! Its 2012! Pardon me while I attempt to wade through this food/drink coma. Hubbs is starting a new job this week but we worked it so that he had the last couple weeks of December at home with us. We have been merrymaking aplenty. Eating too much, drinking too much, going to the park and the children's museum, strolling through Candy Cane Lane (a Seattle staple) and visiting friends. Its been so wonderful to have all this time together as a family. That being said, we are all looking forward to getting back to some sort of schedule and I have been looking forward to non-holiday crafting and sewing. I have a list of course, some of which is not super glamorous (mending that has been put off for waaay too long) but I wanted to start with something fun. I asked for Little Things to Sew for Christmas and I am so glad my Mom obliged. I LOVE this book. There are so many cute and fun projects I had a little trouble deciding what to make first. I finally settled on the Cozy Winter Hood.

It was so easy and fun to sew! I used a felted sweater as the outer and an old t-shirt as the inner. Its warm and soft and in my opinion, ridiculously cute.

And now that this little man never wants to come indoors, he can't have too many warm hats can he?

More handmade gifts: T-shirts for my girls

2011-12-18T20:02:00.000-08:00

After I made that dolman sleeve top, both Brenda and Kayla said they each wanted one for Christmas. How flattering! Of course I had to oblige. I picked out some fabric at Jo-Anns about a month ago and got to work. I've been working on these on and off when I had time, amidst other things so the month time frame is really misleading. In total (including pinning at which, for some reason, I am painfully slow) these probably only took a couple of hours each to complete. I adjusted my original pattern slightly by dropping the armpit on both of these. I like the look a lot. The striped one is made from a super stretchy knit that was a nightmare to sew but I LOVE how it came out all drapey. Its really soft and comfortable to wear too. To be honest, I kinda wanted to keep it. The photo makes it look a bit pink, but its actually bright red and navy.

Kayla's was a little less frustrating to sew with but isn't as stretchy so its a bit more structured. I think the cut of it will be so flattering on her. She also got to peek at the fabric before I started and claimed she loved it. I forgot to take a picture before I wrapped it so I'll have to try to get her wearing it.

Kayla's whole present includes the top, a jar of homemade pickles and a little something Jack picked out for his auntie. Brenda will be getting her top and a picture that Jack scribbled just for her. Now, off to the post office! Auntie Brenda's gift has to travel all the way to Australia... if we hurry, it might not be too terribly late.

Semi-homemade holiday cupcakes

2011-12-16T11:58:00.000-08:00

First off, ooch! Sorry blog, I didn't mean to be away so long. Hubbs and I went to Vegas for a couple days sans babe (it was a blast) and then things happened and whatnot and such. Anyhoo, I'm back, and I've been in a holiday mood!

I wanted to bake something festive but I didn't want it to be complicated. I started digging through the pantry and inspiration struck when I saw the chocolate cake mix. I sent hubbs out for some frosting and candy canes (which I needed for the Christmas tree anyway...) and the chocolate, peppermint cupcake was born!

This is all you need. These turned out amazing. They were met with both "Oooos" and "Ahhhhhs" and also with requests for seconds. So I'd say they were pretty AND nummers. Win!

The deets: I added a half teaspoon of peppermint extract right into the frosting can and mixed it up before decorating the cupcakes. I think it was just the right amount. A subtle flavor that was definitely noticeable but not overpowering. I would add more flavor by the 1/4 teaspoon to taste if you want something a little punchier. For the "Martha Stewart" topping I just unwrapped 3 candy canes, put them in a freezer bag and smashed them up with the bottom of my Pyrex liquid measuring cup. The single can of frosting and 3 candy canes were just about the perfect amount for 24 cupcakes (1 box of mix).

Note: In the photo you'll see whipped frosting. This turned out to be a bad idea and hubbs went back out for cream cheese, which ended up much tastier anyway. See, once you mix the flavoring into the whipped frosting, the texture turns to a silky paste which when combined with peppermint flavor is unmistakably toothpaste-ish. Not yummy at all.

I would totally make these again. They were a huge hit and so easy. Perfect for a quick and easy festive project. Happy baking!

Animal flash cards

2011-11-21T12:48:00.000-08:00

I'm almost done with the homemade gifts. Well... Jack's homemade gifts anyway. I have one left to go. I'm doing so well, I may have to throw in a couple extra projects before the big day. Anyhoo. Here are my animal flash cards.

Ive been talking to a friend about how much she loved using flash cards with her son and how much she thinks his language skills developed because of them. I thought about buying some, even took a gander around the interwebs but the graphic designer in me always comes out at times like these and says "You know, you can MAKE some that will look exactly how you waaaaaannnnt...". That voice is always a little sing-songy. Of course, I listened to the voice. I bought a roll of Duck clear laminate from Staples for $9.49 and 10 sheets of scrap book paper (for the backing) at JoAnnes for about 3 bucks. I have TONS of laminate left. Plenty to cover the food cards I also designed but have yet to print out as well as, I'm sure, several more sets.

All that cutting was a bit time consuming. I'm so glad I thought to bust out my rotary cutter and mat for trimming the edges. Stacking 4 at a time and just running along a straight edge was sooo much better than scissors. Plus scissors always get stuck to sticky stuff and then you have to stop and pull the extra bits off. Anyway, this worked beautifully.

Not sure how interested Jack is yet. Truthfully, this is what happened next.

We've got over a month till Christmas. Perhaps they'll hold his interest a little longer by then.

I put the PDFs up on a file sharing site if anyone is interested in making their own. Just click through to download.

http://www.4shared.com/document/4n0S4H9p/animal_flashcardsA-F.html
http://www.4shared.com/document/8_SmeC1Y/animal_flashcardsG-L.html
http://www.4shared.com/document/I4QvJVNQ/animal_flashcardsM-R.html
http://www.4shared.com/document/HnhKOw7B/animal_flashcardsS-X.html
http://www.4shared.com/document/U48wdaOY/animal_flashcardsYZ.html

Another Christmas present for Jack: floor cushion

2011-11-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

I've been kicking ass this year in the handmade gift department. Perhaps the universe is making up for last year but everything seems to be coming together quickly and almost exactly as planned (wouldn't be hand made without a couple of bumps). I've had this project on my gift list for Jack since forever. Its the land of nod inspired floor cushion from Living with Punks. There are so many great tutorials on Susan's blog and this one didn't disappoint.

I didn't have any piping so I used strips of corduroy along the edges and I think it worked out just fine. I can see that the thickness of home dec fabric would have probably made a pillow with a bit more structure. I would definitely go that route next time. It looks a little overstuffed. That's OK though, Jack doesn't seem to mind.

Part of the beauty of this age is that I can check out the sizing of my mama made presents and then whisk them away at nap time. He wont remember a thing. Win.

Best hat in the world?

2011-11-10T13:22:00.000-08:00

I love projects like this. It was conceived and executed within 48 hours. It's getting colder around here and I wanted to add a hat to Jack's hand made Christmas presents. Of course it couldn't be any old hat. Ive had this super soft fuzzy yarn in my stash forever. When I came across it, looking for inspiration it jumped out and screamed "Yeti". Right in my face. Rude right? But it couldn't be ignored.

I used Jane Richmond's top down hat tutorial and this ear flap hat pattern as reference. The face is craft felt, a couple of mis-matched buttons and embroidery floss. I'm so excited about how it turned out. Now, on to slippers for mom!

Things we do after nap :: indoor "leaf" pile

2011-11-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

I've been fascinated lately by "things we do after nap" going on over at Sew Liberated, mostly because I've found it hard at times to find creative activities to do with a 13 month old that aren't completely exasperating for one of both of us. Jack is old enough now for independent play which gives this happy momma a little more time to get some things done around the house. Jack isn't quite old enough not to put things in his mouth, or pay attention for more than a few minutes in any kind of guided environment. He is however, beginning to understand simple instructions and I wanted to encourage that by doing something a little more specific together. I was inspired by both a recent trip to the park and a recent trip to the mail box. Jack and I were admiring the lovely fall colors and I was reminiscing about making piles of leaves in my parents front yard as a kid. All that jumping and throwing was a blast. We only have evergreens in our yard so piles are unfortunately out. When we went to get the mail that afternoon and I saw the ridiculous stack of junk mail I had my ah-ha moment (the light bulb, not the band... but now I need to listen to "take on me").

Here's what we did. We tore all the junk paper into strips together.

And made our own indoor pile of "leaves". We threw them about and stomped around.

And then practiced putting them away in a paper bag.

I'll save this scrap paper for more indoor play as the weather continues to get less friendly around here and when we're finished Jack will hopefully be old enough for his first simple paper mache project. I do love me some paper mache. Theres recycling at its best my friends!