You're Invited

Wow, we made it.  All the weeks (ahem, months) of planning, pinning, researching, note taking, supply gathering, experimenting, sewing & baking brought about a marvelous success for Livy's 3rd birthday and I'm finally getting around to sharing the details!

Granddaddy & Gramma with Livy, the birthday cowgirl!

I decided a while back to do a farm theme as Livy was enamored with farm animals, Old MacDonald etc... and I knew it would be a blast to organize:)  So many possibilities- I confessed to Sweetstamper that I could happily plan a farm birthday every year and make each one unique!  I was having that much fun...

 ...and so was Livy:)

So here is where things started: a custom birthday invitation made using My Digital Studio.  I'm not a techy girl but this came together so quickly and I had a blast designing it with Sweetstamper's help.  And most importantly, I didn't end up frustrated; it was so easy & quick:)  I had Stampin' Up! print the invites as their print quality is fab!

And here is the back...

Isn't it sweet?  I love the simplicity & vintage accents:)

 

I used the Storytime suite from Stampin' Up! for all of the images- LOVE!

And I can't wait to create a custom invite for Jonah's next birthday on My Digital Studio- try it free here!

Stay tuned for more farm paraphernalia:) 

Tiffany

Olivia's Birthday Dress

Several months ago the sewing machine was stashed at Gramma's house while we de-cluttered our home for sale purposes- 2 weeks ago I informed 'Ricky' that I was bringing home the sewing machine since we had sold the house:)

I had a hankering to make a dress for Peanut, and not just any dress, a party dress:)  I saw this tutorial and began hatching a plan for my 1st dress project, including clearance fabric from Hobby Lobby, just in case I botched it! 

 

Livy liked the "Purpur" aka "purple" fabric with flowers & helped to find appropriate buttons so off I went!

Since this was my first proper dress adventure, I read through the tutorial + comments several times ( & even then, still made a few boo boos!) and worked on this once my little Ms were slumbering:)  A bit more sewing experience would have been helpful but I figured this was the perfect opportunity to acquire some!

After 2 evenings I had a lovely dress intact and was just missing the sash- I made a rather large cutting boo boo which took a chunk of time to remedy:(

I wish I could've captured when Livy first tried on her new dress- she grinned from ear to ear and quietly, in awe, strode to my full length mirror & began to twirl, admiring herself:)  Even with the dress not being perfect, she was elated!

So, finally Livy's birthday rolled around and she was able to show off her new dress at church- she'd been pining to show Gramma & Granddaddy all week:)

 

Livy commandeered one of my necklaces, insisting that she needed it for her new dress!

I made a simple coordinating yoyo hair clip- the button & fabric covered brad are from Stampin' Up! & match perfectly:)

  

There's a peek at the massive bow that tied in the back- neglected to get a proper pic of that feature...grrr...

FYI, if you choose to try out this great dress tutorial, be sure to measure your child- I made the biggest size offered (5) and it fits well with some room in the bodice to hopefully extend Livy's twirling escapades:)

Plotting more dresses to come...Livy informed me tonight, "Mama, I need new dress pees."

Thanks for looking,

Tiffany

Designer Fabric Business Card Holders

Here's one of my recent 'completed' sewing projects...I made one of these 'Designer Fabric Business Card Holders' for each of the ladies in my family & they were so fun to make!  What a great way to promote your business:)  

I followed this great tutorial & found these scrunchies worked really well:)

TIP: Be sure to get the fusible fleece vs regular interfacing!

 Large chunky buttons are a must!

And I love the look of the contrasting fabrics from Stampin' up!

These little cuties are perfect to tuck into an upcoming Easter basket (it's just around the corner!) or just because, so have some fun with these fabric business card holders!

Thanks for looking,

Tiffany

DIY Stitched Felt Hair Clips

Last Friday, the Ricardo's (minus 'Ricky') participated in a little Valentines bash in our Moms & Tots group- it was great to see the tots marching around in their pink & red 'lovey' attire, celebrating this holiday:)  Did I get just one pic of this?  Sigh.  Alas, I didn't, even with my camera stowed in the diaper bag with such an intention- never happened.

There were fun snacks like popcorn bedazzled with red sugar, pink strawberry cake & caprese skewers...

Heart crazy straws for the tots and of course Valentines from my little Ms:)  For Eli, Livy crafted this and then helped create something special for the girls:)

These custom hair clips were quick & easy and I love them!  Each stitched felt piece is slightly unique and Livy helped decide which pieces should be allotted to Rose & Lily:)

I grabbed my handy dandy glue gun to whip these up and of course made one for Livy too!

And they fit into our Valentine boxes perfectly!

There's just enough time to make some of these Stitched Felt Hair Clips for V day so here's what you need:

• Felt applique pieces (mine were from a previous Stampin' Up! mini catalog)
• Glue gun
• Barrettes of choice

Thanks for looking,

Tiffany

Buttoned Up Valentine!

 

It's been a long week as my little Ms and now Ricky & I battle through virus terrain...the really hard part is being sequestered at home...for days...and days...sigh...

So today, I determined that sniffles & coughs would no longer keep us from having some fun...thus we started on Valentine crafts:)

Cut a piece of medium weight wire, long enough to make a heart shape...

For another craft using Wire Works (or alternate wire) check here- this can easily be themed for Valentines too!

                                  ...then choose buttons...                                              

 ...and begin stringing onto the wire...

...shape into a heart & twist the ends, curling down to protect little fingers.

Olivia loved her heart!

 

Next, attach some ribbon of choice to be hung on a Valentines tree, around a decorative candle, jar, door knob etc...  

Finally, tuck your button heart into a Valentine box for a friend:)

Enjoy & thanks for looking,

Tiffany

Model to a T

Back in the fall I made a little ensemble for Livy for under $10 and was quite proud of it, especially it being my first:)  However, the sleeves were a bit long & then by the time I added cuffs, they were way too long!  So it has sat in Livy's dresser...






 And then I finally remembered to shorten the sleeves- this worked like a charm but I didn't like how the new seam looked with the existing top stitching etc... so I added some yellow grosgrain and coordinating hot pink buttons for beautification:)

 I also added the ribbon to the hem of the skirt and around the large flower adorning the shirt...and now I really love it!  And best of all, so does Livy:)

Livy wore this to church and seemed quite pleased with herself and has since taken to bringing me her play scissors and saying, "Cut my dress, Mama" aka 'Make me another dress'!!!

On to the next!
Tiffany

DIY Rice Therapy Pillow

I'm so glad to be sharing this with you today- I loved how this project turned out:)

That's me feeling chuffed after finishing these at O dark thirty one night...and yes, I am often running around in one of Ricky's old shirts, sans maekup these days...sigh.

So, after scrounging online for specifics on dimensions/materials/design for rice pillows, I came to the conclusion that this is based on personal preference:)  So, I chose a natural linen for the pillow and then made a removable cover from cotton &/or flannel.

There were ALL kinds of contradicting info on what to use as a filler too- I chose rice with the condition that I kept it in the freezer for 3 wks before using and recommended to recipients to store their pillows in the freezer, avoiding any potential 'bug' issues.  The filler can be scented with essential oils but I opted not to- the 'naked' rice evokes a nuttiness when warmed that I find quite pleasant and also keeps it neutral:)

First I made a small "boo boo" pillow for dear friend, Sylvia and found a funnel very helpful for filling approx 3/4 full; I didn't notate my dimensions for this (surprise, surprise!) but I believe it was approx 5x7 inches (minus seam allowances).

 




Then I set out to make neck pillows for Granddaddy & Chef Timmy, approx 16x6 (minus seam allowances)- I made the pillow the same size as the cover and had no problem fitting them together, as I wanted a snug fit:)

For the neck pillows, I filled just 2/3 so the rice could spread & conform more comfortably:)

 For Chef Timmy's pillow, I got very creative and made one side cotton and the other flannel.  This seemed appropriate since the pillow can be used for hot or cold therapy!  Flannel for the hot and cotton for the cold...we'll see if he can figure that out:)

This lovely polka dot cotton print is one of the fat quarters from the Stampin' Up! Essentials Designer set and it matched my random flannel plaid beautifully!

There are lots of tutorials online for this project- I found this one helpful:)

These therapy pillows make lovely gifts and can be made in countless shapes & sizes- have fun!

Thanks for looking,

Tiffany

Cherry Cobbler Creation

 In my parents Christmas hamper, I intended to include a custom bulletin board for my Mom's studio, decked with Stampin' Up! fabric & accessories.  Alas, it wasn't completed in time for Christmas morning and so it was just delivered today and thankfully, the recipient (BFF!) was very understanding!

I started with a damaged frame, unexpectedly found in a back corner at Hobby Lobby...love that it mimics the 'top note'!



 I sealed up the crack with Liquid Nails, held together for a few minutes and allowed to dry overnight.






Next I picked up some cork squares and cut them to the appropriate size...



My little helper caught wind of a something fun in process and immediately & forcefully offered to "hep"!

Livy helped to cut some thick cardboard to adhere to the cork and serve as a base:)

I chose the Cherry Cobbler fat quarter from the Deck the Halls trio (just $0.99 for 3!) as it seemed appropriate for Christmas, Valentines & just everyday...

 ...ironed and cut to size...

 And then I took my handy dandy glue gun and adhered the fabric to the back of the board.

And now the fun part: embellishment:)

I created this flower using some Cherry Cobbler striped ribbon, vanilla velvet ribbon, linen fabric and the Antique brads.

I hand sewed a running stitch along the top of each ribbon & the strip of linen, cinched, knotted off and then tucked the ends under adhered together with hot glue.  Each layer was hot glued to another and then placed on a Sticky Round.  Next I wadded up & glued some vanilla velvet in the center and hot glued my brads (legs removed with scissors) on top.

And last but not least, I made custom pushpins with more of the Antique brads- cut the brad legs off with scissors and attach to the head of each pushpin with hot glue!

Hope you're inspired to make something lovely for a loved one, and in plenty of time for Valentines:)

Thanks for looking,

Tiffany

Candy Cane Lane Wreath

As promised, here is another lovely fabric project featuring the Candy Cane Lane trio of fat quarters- a wreath, made for Sweetstamper in honor of her birthday and another year of crafting success:)

The full instructions are included on the illustrated foldout provided by Stampin' Up! when you order the fat quarters- I just made mine super duper big!

 You'll start with lots if strips- sew a basting stitch down the middle of each, ruffle and pin all around the wreath form, overlapping slightly.  I just love how the ruffles look like little petticoats, all piled together:)

Then you'll cut a bunch of circles using the Big Shot or tracing around a glass, like I did...TIP: since I was making this wreath larger than the original, I upped the size of my embellishments to compliment the overall scale:)

Then grab your handy dandy hot glue gun and plop a dot in the center of the circle and fold in half.  Do this again, folding into quarters and here's what you get:

After whipping up a bunch of these little petals, they're arranged into 'flowers'- I did add some extra glue & twisting action here and there to make my 'flowers' fan properly:)

 

 Next are the yoyos, topped with buttons- I have a pet peeve about buttons not being threaded.  The end result is ALWAYS worth the time so get that thread ready!

 And here it is, all done!  I loved making this!  I hadn't ever attempted a fabric wreath before & discovered it was way fun, but I especially reveled in making something unique & special for my Mom:)  Should look pretty in her stamping studio:)

Thanks for stopping by!

Tiffany