Black Apple Dolls

A friend of mine introduced me to these dolls, and since I've been wanting to make dolls for my girls, I had to give them a try. The template and instructions are found on Martha Stewart, and you can see various styles and such on the Black Apple website.

I thought they were pretty easy to make, especially since I have so many calico prints to use from various quilting projects. I just had to pick up some muslin and felt. It probably took me 90 minutes to make one doll. I've been thinking that if I were crazy, it would be fun to make enough dolls to decorate a Christmas tree with. We'll see how crafty I'm feeling!

Gumdrop Wreath

Saw this on MarthaStewart.com

I think I'll try a small, multi-colored version with the kiddos.

Tools and Materials:
Styrofoam wreath form
Florist's wire
Gumdrops
Toothpicks
Decorative ribbon

Gumdrop Wreath How-To:
1. Wrap enough florist's wire around wreath form to leave a large loop for hanging. Break toothpicks in half. Lay wreath form flat.

2. Begin a short row: Place pointed end of a few toothpick halves into Styrofoam, following the form's curve from inside to outside; push one gumdrop onto broken end of each toothpick. After row is a few inches long, make a parallel row on each side until section is covered. Repeat until wreath is complete. (Note: If you try to complete an entire ring of gumdrops before moving to next row, it will be very difficult to create a uniform pattern.)

3. Suspend wreath from wire hanger, disguised with a wide satin bow.

snowflakes

I made these snowflake ornaments with my 3 year old the other day and she loved it. I got the idea from a magazine and I think they turned out pretty cute, I still need to find something to hang them with but it was super easy and fast so I thought I'd share with all of you! 

What you need: 

popsicle sticks

glue

buttons

I heart Etsy.

I'm not a big shopper and most of the shopping I do is online. I have a few favorite online stores that I regularly shop at like old navy and amazon but one of my very favorites is Etsy. It's where people can buy and sell homemade products and there are such unique things to choose from. You can find anything there I swear.

Here's the link...

http://www.etsy.com/

It's also a great place to sell all sorts of things. You pay a small fee to list things but don't have to pay a percentage like on ebay.

I'm buying these Christmas gift tags from there (minus the blue)...

Ornament wreath

I made this today and people seem to like it so I thought I'd post a link to some basic directions on here too in case anyone is interested. It was very easy, not too time consuming, and turned out really cute.

Here's mine...




http://www.deepfriedkudzu.com/2008/01/mardi-gras-wreath-ornament-wreath.html

Need ideas

I'm going to wrap a bunch of boxes and use them as outdoor decorations. I need advice/ideas on what I can wrap them in so they will be snow and rain proof. Any ideas ladies??

Paper crafts

I think paper crafts can be very cool. My favorite part of my Real Simple magazine are the section intros that have a picture made out of paper.

I checked this book out from the library today and it's awesome! I tried to make the tiny gift box and it turned out pretty good for doing it with kid scissors and dealing with a crazy toddler clawing at my legs. It looks like a tiny doughnut box because it's pink but that's okay, it was still cute. I'm excited to make holiday decorations from here. They seem easy enough for Kendall to help with and they're very cute. Clean and not too country which is how I prefer my crafts.

http://www.amazon.com/Paper-All-Seasons-Projects-Presents/dp/0823038920/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221099518&sr=8-2

Sleepover Kit

I saw this on my Joann's coupon and I really want to try it. Ollie is totally into forts and I think he would love this just to play in at home. Unfortunately I don't know how to sew, so I may have to recruit some help. I also couldn't get the instructions to open (maybe I need to update Adobe Reader?) so if anyone else has better luck, let me know.

Beads

For any of you jewelry makers, Michael's has really expanded their bead selection, AND they are all on sale right now. I made these bracelets (Happy Mother's Day mom- these are for you) for less than $6 each.

Quiet Book

I'm thinking about attempting this quiet book for a new project.

More pillowcase fun!

I made the matching orange dress but it's too big and almost totally covers the pants. No big deal, though, it just means the dress will continue to fit her for a long time. Now I know for future dresses how big to make them. It took less than 30 minutes from start to finsh and will be good for playing around outside. I won't care if she gets messy in it too which is nice. And even though the pants are short I'll still have her wear them cause she has a tendancy to lift up her dresses and I'm sick of her showing the world her panties.



And since the ribbon was already out...

Pillowcase fun

Look what I made out of a pillowcase! I'm going to make a matching pillowcase dress to wear over it. I know she'll probably look like a clown but that's even more fun.

Teen Crafts

I might get to work in or be in charge of the craft shack up at Girl's Camp. I have fun ideas for people my age or older or for children, but realized that I don't know what to do for preteens and teenagers. Does anyone know of anything or any sites? My favorite crafts to do involve mostly knitting and scrapbooking, but I don't know if the teens will be interested in those things. Knitting is something you CAN learn to do in a week, but takes a lot of practice and the weather will be hot so maybe they won't want to do that. I would love some input on this. Thanks!

Tutu cute

My mom and I were walking past a little kids' boutique booth at the mall and they were selling little girl and baby tutus. We looked at them closely and both thought- "I could do that!" And for cheaper than the 25 dollars they were charging too. So after a couple internet searches and trips to Joann's here is a tutu I made for one of Kendall's friends. I'm going to make one for Kendall that is pink and brown for her to wear on Easter.

You just get a piece of elastic in the length you want and sew the ends together. Cut the tulle, you need 4-6 yards-this one is with 4, into 2 inch wide stripes that are twice as long as you want the skirt to be. In layers of two or three, depending on how poofy you want it- mine is layers of three, you tie them on. Here are a couple pictures. Too easy and too cute!

Here's a site that explains it better than me.

http://www.gophotography.com/tutu/

Cute Cards

Aren't these cute? They were super simple to make. My neighbor invited me to a stampin' Up! party and the rep let us make two of each card for free. I wish the stuff wasn't so expensive because I would love to buy all the cute paper and ink pads and stamps. My favorite of these is the the cake one. It still fits in a standard invitation envelope, but has a really different look. The last card is a great way to use up those itty bitty scraps you usually toss.

$$ Key Chain Bracelets $$

I'm selling these key chain bracelets at a Salon my mother works at.  They are perfect for the buys mom who always has her hands full.  April and I both have a similar ones that were bought at a beach store in Santa Cruz.  We both LOVE our key chain bracelets so I thought it would be cool if I could make similar ones and sell them.  

I've never seen anyone with anything like it so it's different.  People like different.  What I'm concerned with is the price I should sell them for.  How much would you be willing to spend on something like this? 

For sacrament

I saw this on my sis-in-law's blog and think it's so cute and brilliant. No more crayons hanging out at the bottom of the diaper bag or loud ziplock bags as the kids fish them in and out. Plus you could personalize each child's so they feel special when they use it. AND if you only use it strictly on Sunday (which should be a must for any tactic you decide to try so it stays novel) then they will be excited to use it. My kids only get fruit snacks on Sunday- and only if they are good in sacrament meeting.

Just an Idea!