DIY Play Tea Bags

A long while ago I pinned some pretend tea bags for play...

(photo courtesy of pinterest)

...and I finally got them made last night:)

I went through my fabric stash this week, pulling all the scraps aside which served to make these...

...play tea bags:) 

I left some of them with raw edges and enclosed others, stuffing first and stuffing after sewing up the sides, not making any 2 quite the same way...it was late and I felt like experimenting:)

I opted to glue the 'tags' on the ends as my sewing machine was already griping about the tea bags:/

I dithered about saving these for a stocking stuffer...

 ...but then caved in to revealing them now:)

Livy got right down to business, allotting a bag per tea cup...

...while Jonah perked up, seeing a new toy- he was struggling with a cold:(

By this time Jonah was wanting to play...

...so little Ms. Sneaky popped all the tea bags in her teapot...

..."hiding them from Jonah"!

 Next it was time to set up her tea party guests...

...and make an "icky face" at Jonah for getting too close!

"Jonah, shoo shoo..."

Fortunately everyone had their tea and had a blast:)

So glad I took the trouble to sew up these little play tea bags- anticipating hours of fun ahead:)

Play Tea Bag Costs:

Fabric: free (stash scraps)

Polyfill: free (stash)

Mini Rope Cord: free (stash)

Fabric Glue: free (stash)

TOTAL: FREE!!!

Lucy: "Free? F.R.E.E.E.?"  The best kind of project:)

Thanks for checking in,

Tiffany

"Swell" Book Caddy

You remember this, right?  "Infanticipating" Lucy asks Ricky to read a children's book to test his English/reading skills.  Poor Ricky is not able to successfully maneuver "...through, cough, bough & enough."  As a result, Lucy hires an English tutor and gets more than she bargains for with "Mr. Livermore":)

I won't go into further details of how closely the above scene resembles our own family dynamics and family reading time, except to say that 'Ricky' is happy for me to do the bedtime stories while he & our little M's listen:)

I've loved reading since I can remember & hope to see our children embrace the wonders of escaping into a literary work, evoking imaginary worlds and creativity far beyond their scope- it's part of what makes childhood such a special place.  So we encourage them by reading aloud:)

While browsing on Pinterest (for a controlled amount of time!) recently, I saw this travel book caddy and thought, "I'm totally making that this week!".

I followed the tutorial with just four tweaks:

• I top stitched along the upper edges of the book pockets- gives a nice finished look
• I used fleece interfacing (had a surplus!)
• I added buttons vs a flower
• I didn't make my own bias tape!

 I opted to double stitch along the bias tape for added security and since I was in a hurry, it looks a bit "lousy" in a few spots but I don't my little M's will mind:)

 

I also brainstormed (while sewing) to add an " x box" which ended up looking "lousy", so I added some buttons transforming my "lousy" stitching into a "swell" detail:)

And here is my "swell" caddy with a few board books tucked inside, all ready for it's debut Christmas morning!

Another fabulous project for utilizing fat quarters!

Cost:
Fabric (4 FQs): $4
Interfacing:<$0.50
Bias tape:$1.19
Ribbon: stash resident= free!



 So for less than $6 you can reproduce this "swell" addition to your car for a road trip or just outings around town, keeping your little ones reading:)

Thanks for stopping by,
Tiffany

The "Minnie Bow" Dress

I'm currently working on a stack of crafty projects but since they're gifts for upcoming birthdays & holidays, I haven't been able to share...yet:)  So, I decided to tackle one of Livy's projects this week- a play dress.

I saw a sweet ivory tunic T shirt at GAP a couple of months ago and snagged it for Livy (GAP has super soft Ts) as it was a whopping $4 & I loved the small pleat details on the neck & arms and the flounce ruffle at the base.  I knew this would make a great piece for embellishment- the question was, what to do???  So many options...

I set out to make a "transition into fall" dress with an appliqued pumpkin...but changed my mind, wanting to keep it more neutral, hoping Livy might be able to wear it next spring too.

 Since I'm still a beginner I didn't want to tackle anything too labor intensive and decided on a 3 tiered ruffle skirt using 3 fat quarters from this collection and some sort of applique/embellishment for the bodice...

 I was planning on a fancy flower but when Livy saw me working on her new dress, she asked for a bow and not just any bow, a "Minnie bow"!  Done:)





Once Livy tried on the dress, the bow didn't look as 'bow like' so I plan to readjust it a bit...sigh. Oh well- she's worth it!

I'm also thinking of adding some
daffodil seam binding trim...
maybe around the top of the skirt portion...

 I worked on this little project over several evenings once our little Ms were asleep- it would've come together even faster if I hadn't encountered several sewing gliches.  Since I was working with fat quarters vs fabric yardage I had to piece the panels multiple times and since I was making this up as I went along (is there another way?!) I had to continually develop solutions:)  The flaws aka 'homemade' touches aren't too noticeable though and I had to remind myself that this was intended to be a play dress:)

 

I also added a lining for the 1st time to ensure comfortable twirling:)

Despite the extra time involved in designing/piecing this little dress, I'm not deterred in the least from using my beloved extra wide fat quarters- they've already made fabulous 'Snack Sacks' and a backdrop for Benjamin's button frame!

Livy & I are thrilled with her new twirly dress and I have yet another tick to add to my check list:)

On to the next!

Quilted Flowers

A few months back, I snatched a long sleeved T-shirt & vintage denim jumper from GAP to put away for Livy...when I tried them on they weren't nearly as big as I thought they would be so I opted to go ahead & get them ready:)

I dithered & went round and round about how to embellish this neutral ensemble...and finally decided to keep the ensemble neutral, where it could work for any season.  Still, it needed some kind of personalization...and then I saw them...

 

...these gorgeous quilted flowers, resting on one of Sweet Stamper's studio shelves!  The colors were perfect & fit so well with the vintage feel of Livy's denim jumper!  These flowers were made from running quilt remnants through the Sizzix Big Shot using the Fun Flowers Bigz L die- easy!  Gramma graciously relinquished these treasures and I set out to add some Stampin' Up! chunky buttons to finish off my ensemble embellishments.

 I attached the larger flower to a safety pin (like the efficiency of this!) so I can remove the flower for washing and to change the look vs sewing it in place.  The smaller flower I thread onto a basic hair clip and it sits on Livy's head perfectly.  I love the thickness of the quilt on these pieces!

My little model was thrilled to try on her new outfit and insisted on wearing her pink boots (only 4 sizes too big!)- they've barely left her feet all week...best $5 I've ever spent:)

I love being able to personalize the kid's clothing with creative embellishments, taking something ordinary & transforming it into something "boutiquey" & unique:)

 "Livy, say cheese!"  "Theez!"










Thanks for stopping by,

Tiffany