Monkey See, Monkey Do!

Aztec Hoodie Vest: Pattern Testing for See Kate Sew

2013-06-13T08:25:00.000-04:00

I’m sure you’ve heard of the blog See Kate Sew. A few weeks ago, I was so excited when she asked me to test her new pattern for the Aztec Hoodie Vest! (I signed up when she asked for pattern testers, not like she asked me out of the blue, but still. She’s a sewing blog celebrity in my book.)

So I got to make my littlest cutie pie a hoodie! It’s got pockets (I’ve never made anything with pockets before!!!), an oversize hood, a zipper and is fully lined.

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Fuzzy and Fleecy Bear Hats

2013-06-10T08:01:00.000-04:00

I shared this tutorial for making fleece hats with bear ears a few months ago. When it was cold. Now it is summer, but I decided to make some more fleece hats. I'll give some for my church to donate to the local hospital and probably keep one for our new addition, arriving in late September.
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Baby Shoes & Headband

2013-06-05T08:13:00.000-04:00

Did you see my baby news last week? I'm 23 weeks (nearly 24!) into this pregnancy and I’ve been busy making the baby accessories and just fun things.
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Simple Baby Quilt Tutorial

2013-06-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

Have I mentioned we’re expecting our third child?
Perhaps I’ve neglected to share that news.

Or maybe you noticed in my post about the pleated chevron bags last week…I am looking pregnant.
We’re very excited…right now I’m about 22 weeks into this pregnancy. Too early to nest, but I’ve been thinking about some things I’d like to make this baby.
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Turning a Dresser into a TV Stand

2013-05-30T07:00:00.000-04:00

We have a guest post from my friend Abby, who has a handmade crochet business called GouldThreads. You can check her out via my sidebar or her links below! She's sharing how she and her husband turned an old dresser into a TV stand.
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Hi Monkey See Monkey Do fans, I'm Abby from GouldThreads. I blog about my crochet (and some knit) creations but also enjoy other crafts and DIY projects. Today I'm here to show you how to turn an old dresser into a new TV stand!

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Coffee Smoothie Recipe

2013-05-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

Coffee. I look forward to drinking it in the morning.

We grind our own coffee. Because of this, if we have leftover coffee in the mornings, I don’t usually want to throw it out. So I started saving it by freezing it in ice cube trays and then putting the frozen ice cubes into freezer bags.
This morning, I experimented with this recipe for a coffee smoothie.

8-10 ice cubes of brewed coffee
1 cup milk
8 oz plain yogurt
1 heaping teaspoon cocoa powder
1 banana, peeled
pinch of sugar

Put all the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. You could use vanilla yogurt instead of plain yogurt.

Please note, I drink my coffee black. If you typically add sugar to your coffee, you should make this smoothie with more than a pinch of sugar.

Places I have linked:
Or So She Says, Train to Crazy, Tater tots & Jello, Merry Messy Life, Sugar Bee Crafts, Reasons to Skip the Housework, The 36th Avenue, House of Hepworths, Someday Crafts, Southern Lovely, 504 Main,Serenity Now, Fingerprints on the Fridge, I heart NapTime, Classy Clutter, A Glimpse Inside, Somewhat Simple, Gingerly Made, Serenity Now, Today's Creative Blog, The Winthrop Chronicles, Home Stories A to Z, CraftyScrappyHappy

Sunglasses Case Tutorial

2013-05-23T13:15:00.000-04:00

After observing a few ideas for making sunglasses cases on others' blogs the past few weeks, I decided to design my own. I knew I wanted it to snap closed at the top. Also, I wanted to use supplies and scraps of fabric I had on hand.
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Pleated Chevron Bags with Trim

2013-05-20T07:09:00.000-04:00

I am so excited to show you some new variations of my pleated chevron bags. I used various trims to make the front of the bag more decorative. For one version, I used navy bias tape.
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Swaddle Blankets.

2013-05-16T08:03:00.001-04:00

I can’t walk past the flannel aisle at JoAnn fabric without wanting to buy various cuts of the prints. The flannel was on sale a few weeks ago so I decided to buy some to make some blankets to donate with my church to the local hospital. In the past, I have made some hats but now we’re donating both blankets and hats.
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Flat Zippered Pouch

2013-05-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was Mother’s Day. I wanted to make my mom something special since she’s my mom. Plus, she took my boys overnight one night over the weekend while my husband and I went to a homeschool conference. Since our trip to Toronto last year, we haven’t been anywhere with just the two of us.

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Aqua Pleated Chevron Bag

2013-05-07T07:10:00.000-04:00

I have had several requests for chevron bags. I’d stopped making them for awhile just to give myself a break and make something different. But a few friends have wanted to order them. So I have taken some custom orders and then am in the process of making a few extras to sell.

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A few things.

2013-05-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

Hi friends. Just wanted to share a few things with you from my week.

1. This past weekend, we worked on staining our barn. It’s a big job, we did not finish, but I also stained our sandbox. Last year, I shared how my dad made a great cover for it that folds into seats. We didn’t bother to stain the cover/benches to match and it was bothering me. So I finally got around to doing that this weekend. Yay!

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Scrappy Ruffle Headband Tutorial

2013-04-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

I love fold over elastic. Love it. I ordered a few colors several months ago (Etsy is the place to look for loads of sellers with great color combos.)
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Baby Boy Aviator Hat Crochet Pattern

2013-04-25T07:00:00.000-04:00

I posted a cute little pink pig hat a few weeks ago. Obviously, it was for baby girls. Since I have two boys, I like to do boy projects more often than girl projects. And I make newborn hats to donate for the local hospital and can’t only make girl hats.

I could not find a free pattern for an aviator hat, so I decided to draft my own. Keep in mind, I’m still new to crocheting and I’m especially new to drafting patterns. So if you have feedback, I’d love to hear it (please be kind, thanks!)
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Even More Crocheted Hats.

2013-04-22T13:30:00.000-04:00

Until the past week or so, it was still cold here. So I was still crocheting.
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Crafts for Kids: Felt Masks

2013-04-17T15:26:00.002-04:00

We saw a picture of kids wearing felt masks as part of a party theme spread in a magazine. That made my almost-four-year-old little guy want to make a mask. Usually he’s not so excited about crafts. So I figured I’d better jump on this opportunity to craft with him.
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Child’s Bathrobe Tutorial

2013-04-10T14:55:00.000-04:00

I started these bathrobes for my boys in October. (Talk about procrastination!!)

I did make my oldest his robe in October. And cut out the second robe for the little guy (who had just started walking…it’d be pretty tough to crawl while wearing a bathrobe). But the little guy’s robe sat. And sat. Then I moved the pieces to the closet. Where they waited.
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Winner of "The Sweet Unfolding" Giveaway

2013-04-10T07:05:00.003-04:00

Hi Friends. Thanks for entering the giveaway from "The Sweet Unfolding" a few days ago!
True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:10Powered by RANDOM.ORGHere's the winning comment: Karrie SMarch 29, 2013 at 12:52 AM

I follow on gfc karrie smith & twitter:karriesmith3

I like the chevron cards the best. I love smooth card fronts :)
ReplyDelete

Congratulations, Karrie!
I'll email you today.

Latest Favorite Recipes.

2013-04-08T08:37:00.000-04:00

What is something many of us have to do every day? Cook. Feed our families. I’ve made a few new recipes over the past several weeks and wanted to share some of my favorites with you.

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Little Pink Pig Hat: Free Crochet Pattern

2013-04-01T14:30:00.000-04:00

I’ve been doing a lot of crocheting lately. (See here, here, here and here.) But I’ve never developed my own pattern. Until now. I saw this hat and just had to develop a pattern to make a similar one. I figured I would try to write a crochet pattern to share with any of you who also crochet.
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“The Sweet Unfolding” Giveaway

2013-03-28T07:45:00.000-04:00

Hello, Friends! I’d like to introduce you to Sarah, the owner of the Etsy shop, The Sweet Unfolding. Everyone loves thank-you cards and stationary, especially in bright, fun colors and prints.

Check out some of my favorites from Sarah’s shop.

Everyone loves chevron. I love this chevron zig-zag notecard set:

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Five Children's Books we Love: Part IV

2013-03-27T07:30:00.000-04:00

Hi Friends! If you've been reading my blog for long, you know I love to read to my boys. We love going to the library and selecting new books to read. These have been some of our favorites lately! (If you'd like to see our recommendations from part I, part II or part III, check them out.)

My three-year old loves diggers and big machines. I have probably read this book to him 10 times already. And it is about toy diggers making a cake. Yes, a cake.
Who Made This Cake?
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Teach Your Child at Home: Part 5

2013-03-25T15:54:00.000-04:00

We’re still having snow and cold, windy weather here. That means I’ve been trying to think of lots of activities to keep my kiddos busy. Here are three we did this week.
1. Color sorting. I purchased these colorful pom poms at the dollar store. They are fun to organize by color into ice cube trays.

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Business Card Holders with Snap Closures

2013-03-18T07:50:00.000-04:00

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Pleated Yellow Dot Cross-Body Bag

2013-03-15T06:30:00.000-04:00

When I saw this fabric at my favorite store, I just knew I had to make just one more pleated bag.

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