Patching up those jeans

Hi there!

I have to say, although I still sew, create and have fun, I haven't really been blogging about them. Sometimes it seems silly to blog what I have done, especially if you can see it somewhere else! Time is precious, and although it doesn't really take a lot of time to do a blog post, its honestly hard to keep up with that and everything else in life. If I have an extra few minutes while nursing or whatever, I tend to post on our family blog.

I did want to share these patched jeans that I did today, because

1. they are a boy's project (even though you can do this with anyone's jeans)

2. i saw this idea for the monster jeans and wanted to post it here too!

(The monster in peeking from another background color because the fabric I used had printed circles on it already, which made it easy to just cut a square out and have the monster peek out!)

Jaden loves both of them, and we saved the jeans from impending doom and he will have some play jeans to be rough and tumble in!

I did reinforce them with knee patches in the inside of the jeans and then did a tight zig zag for both types of patches on the outside of knees. Hopefully this will help them hold up better. Hmm, my husband has a few pairs that need mending. I wonder if he would mind funky fun little things sewn on his jeans too?

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Another Lil Blue Boo Dress

Last night I made two more lil blue boo dresses and the process seems to get smoother the more I make them! I have such a hard time sewing with knits sometimes, and I know its because I am too lazy to change out my needle or use different thread.

This dress is from hand me downs from my sister (appropriately named Olivia). I wanted to make a dress to match the cute tights from my mother in law! (I totally have the Olivia the Pig theme song stuck in everyone's heads today!)

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Glass Etching

Every night when our kids fall asleep, my husband and I get a nice beverage and hang out together. Call it our date time, but we really look forward to bedtime. We usually stay up way too late as well. Our 7th anniversary is coming up, and I think its a good sign that it feels like I get to have a sleepover every night with my best friend! :)

Part of our weirdness is having cool cups to drink from. We used to have these neat mugs from Disneyland, but his broke, so now we only have 1. Our favorite cups are glass mugs we got at my bridal shower. We usually do milk and cookies with those. And when we want a big drink, we have these weird ironman slurpee cups that the boys get a kick out of.

Yes, we might be strange, but its just one of our things we do!

Recently, I discovered some nice heavy glass mugs at the dollar store. I thought it would be neat to glass etch something on them to personalize them for us!

I used contact paper, my cutter and glass etching cream and did this:

Since I had everything but the mugs on hand, it only cost me two dollars! I think it would be neat to do a whole set and each one different, so that if you had a gathering, everyone would know which cup was theirs!

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wet bags

Since cloth diapering our baby, I have learned how valuable it is to have wet bags around. Wet bags are great because you can put wet things in the bag and they keep the moisture and the stink inside of the bag. These are perfect for swimming suits too after getting out of the pool!

I have a large one and a small one, and I use them all of the time, but always have a hard time on laundry days because when they are being washed, I don't have anywhere to put the dirty diapers. I spent a lot of money on them, and just couldn't justify buying two more.

Recently, I learned that Jo-Ann now sells PUL. Score! With a 40 or 50% off coupon, it makes it only 5-6 dollars and yard, and if you have a local one, that saves on shipping!

Today I bought 1.25 yard of pul and made 2 more with enough to make another small one. With the zipper and the toggle for the drawstring, it only cost me 12 dollars. Wow! I also didn't have to wait for it to be shipped to me,  bought it this morning and had made both super quickly.

Here are the ones I had purchased when Ellie was born: 

Here's the ones I made today:

I followed the exact same way the other ones were sewn, and even though I didnt lay them out flat for the picture, they are both the same construction. The large is a drawstring and the small is a zipper.

I know these will be great for other things long after she is out of diapers. I think I have been on a bag making kick, because I have also been making drawstring bags for the boys' toys around here. Its so nice to organize the randomness of their toys.Have you seen the cute peek a boo toy sack tutorial? I haven't made them yet, but its such a cute idea!

Happy Thursday!

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Shields and Swords

Inspired from the Sleeping Beauty movie, My oldest requested a shield. My husband went out and made them both shields and swords and then I painted them. Free and easy, and everyone was happy!

The shield is made from mdf, with two tiny holes drilled in and a shoelace for the handle. The lions are vinyl stickers from my cutter. Everything else is just painted with acrylic paint. 

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Waldorf Dolls Tutorials, Anyone?

I just love the Waldorf dolls out there right now. And the 16 inch size just seems perfect for little ones! Its so sweet how big they are and how you can get them in any style and match clothes and whatnot!

I think they are so neat, but since they are handmade they are SO pricey. So I want to make one for Ellie for her main birthday gift and am looking for any tutorials or advice people have! For example, should I get a kit with everything together? Or try to find everything separately? I will only be making 1, so maybe a kit would be the way to go?

I have found a few things about them online and I also have 6 months to make it, but I'll take anything anyone has to offer on it! :)

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Sensory Board

Today, my sister suggested that I make Ellie a sensory board. It was easy, free and Ellie loves it.

Here's what I used:

a board

a zipper

cork

sandpaper

sequined fabric

soft microfiber

terrycloth

a glittered cotton

oilcloth

buttons

pattern paper

chenille

rainbow cotton

polkadot silk

yellow satin

minky dot

cow fur

shelf liner

fake flower

I painted the board first and then added all the fun different textures!

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What are you doing?

As Americans, for the most part, we have a lot. Even those that don't have a lot really do have a lot. Lately, its been on both my husband's and my own heart to do more. We are told to do more. James 1:27 tells us  ^{"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble,and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."}

I'm not going to lie, money is tight right now.  But at the end of the day, we have a home, two vehicles, we have food to feed our children, food for ourselves and we have clothes. God always provides for us. Sometimes, something as simple as the air conditioner or getting water from the fridge makes me stop and just thank God for blessing us. Healthy children are something else we just can't take for granted. 

I encourage you to watch this video. I guarantee you will be moved. It is a long video, so I would let it load and then start watching it at 3:45 minutes in. 

Then, check out this. I am excited to do this with Jaden.  Jaden will be able to grow up helping someone his own age from another place. Hopefully Jackson will in a couple of years, and then Ellie.  Because as tight as money is right now, there is a way for us to do what we are told as Christians. God always provides.

My grandfather did this, faithful in sponsoring, even when my grandma doubted it was legitimate. After he passed, my grandma still continues to do this, and together they have done this for a child for 13 years. She still regulary gets mail froom her and she is about 18 years old now. How neat to be able to watch her grow up like that, while helping her too!

Just something to think about.

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tuxedo dress

I saw this idea HERE and just fell in love with it. So many different color combinations and styles you could do with this!

I added two ruffles instead of three and then added a ruffle to trim the skirt. So adorable. I plan on adding skinny ric rac to the ruffle at the bottom, but couldn't fit the pack i was looking for. 

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Shopping Online!

I just love to shop online. One place that is so appealing for that is csn.com, because they have pretty much anything you would be looking for!  From dining room tables to baby stuff, and anything else in between, they have what you need.

I love convienence! 

What is everyone up to in the crafting world these days? My sewing machine broke last week and I had to get a new one. I wasn't thrilled about it, but the one I replaced it with definitely makes things easier. Since then, I have made two baby blankets, a set of burp cloths, a ruffle

 diaper cover, a ruffle skirt for Ellie, a clothes pin bag and three skirts for myself! My husband had a long weekend and we spent a lot of time hanging out in the living room with the kids sewing, coloring, watching movies, playing with Ellie, baking and just enjoying each other. 

(Ruffle diaper cover)

 Speaking of Ellie, she turned 6 months old this week. What a fast moving year!

Happy Thursday!

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