Scripture Power

I made a bag for Tooty's scriptures a couple weeks ago.

We picked up a Book of Mormon for her from the building library

(they had a big pile on a table that said 'free to good home').

It's just the right size for small hands and one book.

It wasn't until then that we realized why they were getting rid of them - 

the first page in her book is 1 Nephi 8.

So it's missing about 15 pages.

But since she can't read yet, it's okay.

They are available under her chair in primary when we sing her favorite song,

Scripture Power.

When I was done and gave it to her, she was so excited.

"Thanks, Mom!!  Thanks to make my scripture power, Mommy!"

She thanked me and thanked me, about 20 times

through dinner and bedtime.

Quick Fix & Easy Clean-up

We bought a changing table after our second child was born.  And I have loved it.  I never realized with child #1 how nice they were.  But now that we don't have to change every diaper on the floor, my back has been saying HALLELUJAH!  Until now, we have been using the changing table pad, but covering it with the vinyl mat that came with our diaper bag.


No more.  Last week, I covered it with some cute Old McDonald fabric and vinyl, so it's super easy to clean and I don't have to worry much about anything happening to it.  And I kept it gender neutral, just in case we don't always have girls...

Finally Sewing Again

I don't know what it is, but it has taken a LONG time to get some projects done that I have been looking forward to...busy church calling, adding a baby, and my husband's crazy work schedule are partly to blame, and then the rest lies with me. 

But enough about that...on to the projects:

Cover for our printer

self-designed

LOVE IT!

Sewing Machine Cover

from One Yard Wonders

with a few alterations:

mainly the bias tape on the bottom and I stuck a flap/hole in the top

so I have access to the handle

I thought it was impractical to not be able to use the handle, since I store the machine

in a different room than where I sew

close-up of the top

LOVE IT!!

I'm Back!

Well, it's probably about time that I post something, since we've finally settled in to our new place across the country and figured out how to deal with having a second child.  So here's what I've been up to the past week:


First, a tape measure Father's Day card for Daddy from our girls.  I found the instructions in the FamilyFun magazine.

This morning I had some help making tutus for the 4th of July; one for each girl.

And a huge THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to Jade's sister (and Jade) for the info about making a Baby Mei Tai carrier...I love it!!  I may need to make some adjustments to the straps, however, because they are SO lllloooooooonnnnggggg. 

But it sure was nice to save $50!

Boy Blessing Outfit

Well, if we have a boy next month, I made some white pants and a bowtie for him to wear when he is blessed at church. The bowtie turned out super cute, and it was really easy. I found the tutorial for it HERE. We will just buy a white button-up shirt for the top, unless we are desperate and just go with a onesie!

Purse & Superhero Capes

Here is my new purse! I used a Simplicity pattern, and I really like it. It turned out great!, and I was surprised at how big it was, but that's okay. So far I have managed not to pack it too full.

And here are some superhero capes I made for a birthday party next month. The Batman is on the back of the boys', with Superman on the other side. And the crown is on the other side of a Supergirl. They are super cute! You can find a tutorial HERE.

We are getting ready for a big move around here, and I found a great idea for an 'in the car' toy for our long, long drive across the country: a felt Mr Potato Head! Here are the instructions if you want to make your own.

If It's a Girl...

I just finished a baby quilt for our baby, if it's a girl. I made an orange and yellow rag quilt with construction trucks on it in case of a boy, and when I saw this tutorial online, I couldn't resist trying it for a girl. I am really pleased with how it turned out.

It still needs to be run through the washer and dryer to help with the fraying, but that will have to wait for a trip to Grandma's.

Busy Bee

I have been working and working the past two days on a variety of things. The first picture is of a bag that I made from an old pair of my jeans and an old pair of my husband's. One of my friends has a bag like that and I would always admire it at church until she moved away, so now I have one of my own.
The next two pics are the advent calendars that I have been working on for so long; the holes in the top are for ribbon (but I won't put that on until the sealer is totally dry). The magnets that I posted a few days ago go on here - there are 24, so you put one on each day starting on December 1.

And the final thing is a Valentine's banner that I made from stiff felt and ribbon. I got the idea HERE.

Winter Bag

Since it's too hard to mod podge with a toddler around who is interested in everything that happens, I decided to make a bag that I have been wanting for quite some time. We started using hats and gloves in October or November and they have just been sitting on the stairs since then, because that is so close to the front door. Today I finally made it...a simple fleece bag with one handle to hold all the winter accessories that have been on the stairs forever.

Mail Sorter

I know I should be posting the advent calendar, BUT it's in between layers of mod podge, so it's not done yet. Tonight I made a mail sorter while we watched House. It has 4 different pockets and should be very helpful; the last couple of months I have been putting mail in various spots and finding bills and things that require action with just enough time to get things taken care of. Hopefully this will help. And I used scraps from other projects for it all.
I found the idea and instructions from bright and blithe. Check out the tutorial HERE.

Break Projects

During the break my husband had from school for Christmas, I didn't do a whole lot of crafty stuff, but I did manage to finish two projects. The first is a blessing dress if our baby turns out to be a girl, which turned out great with some advice from my mom. It will be ironed before we use it...

The next is a project I made for my friend Rissa, which I forgot to take a picture of, BUT I am making another one for someone else. It's too bad I didn't get this one done before Christmas, but she will be able to use it this year! It's an advent calendar, and this is how far I have gotten so far: the magnets. The background, made from a cookie sheet, is in progress and hopefully won't take too much longer.

Latest Projects

Here are my latest projects, dolly diapers and rag light strand.

I got the idea and pattern for the dolly diapers from Make It & Love It. We will be giving them to our little girl around the time new baby comes. She really, really loves to 'match' Mommy and Daddy. I love these, and it makes us wish that disposable diapers could be so cute. If you want to make them yourself, go HERE.
This next one I FINALLY finished - I don't even want to tell you how long it took me to make 3 of these. Right after we were first married, it was Christmas time and we went to a friend's house. She had a beautiful garland near their large window, and so during the clearance sales after the holidays, I bought some fabric. I started making some right away, but I never thought it would take this long to finish them. The problem is, my hands got tired from all that tying, and it takes a long time to fill up a 12' light strand.

Anyway, what I did was cut strips of Christmas fabric (1"x7"). And then I started at the female end of the light strand and tied each one in a double knot. I can't tell you how much fabric you need for one, but I did pay a little more attention today when I was finishing up; I used 13 inches of 44" fabric, and that went for the room between 5 lights. So if you decide to make one, use that as a rough guide so you buy enough fabric.

If you've made one of these yourselves, please leave a comment and let us know how much fabric you used.

Boppy Cover

I didn't make this up - I used a Simplicity pattern - but I am VERY pleased with how it turned out. Since we are expecting a new baby, I figured it's about time that I put a cover on the Boppy.

Sewing with Yoyos

Here is the doll blanket I made for my daughter's birthday. I got the idea from a friend of a friend. It turned out great, especially considering I have never quilted a blanket before.

Ya Da Da Dah!!

Announcing the completion of my big, secret project. I finally finished it on Tuesday afternoon, and one finger is still nursing a little sore spot from all the fabric tying. Behold the Happy Birthday banner. I took a few pics during the process, so if you're interested in a little more detail or a rough tutorial, let me know.

I am excited to use it next month - everyone's birthday is within 7 days of each other, so it will be up ALL WEEK LONG!

I didn't string it up too well, since it was just for a quick pic...stop by our house next month during b-day week for a better view.

I've been busy!

Last night and this afternoon, I have been working on a few sewing projects:

Grocery Bag Holder - tutorial from Make It & Love It


And another wipes container - this one's for my SIL Kristine:

And finally, a new purse, which only took ONE HOUR!! Woot! It's from Martha Stewart, and is made from a pillowcase:

Wipes and Diaper Case

I have been wanting to try this tutorial on Make It and Love It for at least 2 months, and I finally got around to it. I LOVE IT!!

Check out her tutorial here. I would change one thing, to make it a little easier for putting in the lining. I found that by turning the lining right side out and inserting that into the inside-out main part, the right sides are together and it's less confusing where to sew and which pieces go together. It was also easier to maneuver around the sewing machine.

And I had a lot of fun burning my fingers with hot glue - which is something that I have not used much, and I have really enjoyed it. I am almost out of my clear glue - 7-8 sticks in the past week.

Magnet Board & Yo Yos

I finished my new magnet board - I made one last fall with the help of a lady in my ward, and when she was getting ready to throw out the leftover metal, I went and picked up 2 more pieces - one you can see below as the Cool Summer Days board. This one I plan to use for FHE so we don't have to hold the pictures that go with the lesson, and also use flannelboard figures on it (but since it's metal and uses magnets, I can LAMINATE the figures - woot!). I am pretty excited. Plus, it was not very expensive: $5 for the frame (1/2 off from Michaels), free a/c metal, hot glue, metal cutters (borrowed), $1-2 for magnets, and $1 for the glass rocks:

And I have decided to make Maiby a dolly blanket for her birthday, which is in 2 months, so I have plenty of time. I got the idea for a yo-yo covered blanket from Our Side Notes; I know one of the authors and they have great ideas - check it out. Also, as you can see in the pic, I bought a 'Quick' Yo Yo Maker, which I saw on Sewing With Nancy in the one episode I watched. Let me tell you, if you like yoyos, you will LOVE IT!! It takes just about 5 minutes start to finish for one yoyo. In the pic, I made these 4 (my first EVER) in about 30 minutes, and it just got quicker from there...and it was only about $3.50 - with a 40% JoAnn's coupon.

Quiet Book

I finished a quiet book for my daughter. It's my 2nd try - I used the Simplicity pattern #3709, but made a few alterations and the 1st time I didn't like the results. But I am quite pleased this time. I didn't secure it the same way; instead I put 2 button holes on each page and put a large ring through them, so I can pass a page to a nearby child or add more pages from the ideas hidden in my head...

The cat has tiny jingle bells in the bow.

The butterfly's wings crinkle.

Each of the flowers come off the buttons.

The bird's nest contains a surprise of eggs.

The doghouse holds a cute dog on a ribbon.

The corn husk unzips.

A page for peek-a-boo.

And the cover I designed myself.

There are some great resources out there on the web. Homemade by Jill made a VERY cute book for her son, and has included templates on her blog to use for your own.

And check out the Craft Patch; I know this woman, and she has AMAZING things. She has made a fabric quiet book and a really neat magnetic book (on my someday list).