Present for the cutest little baby boy I know.

I love this fabric. I think it speaks to me since my Dad is a firefighter. Hopefully they will like it too.

I think I need to redo the ball. Flannel frays so bad!!! I have never tried to make a ball out of it, and I zigzag finished the edges where I would be stuffing it, so it wouldnt, but that made it even worse when it pulled the stitches out. Next time I will use just fraycheck instead of zigzag stitches. It started fraying so bad when I was stuffing it, I just hand sewed it up so it wouldnt get any worse, then when I was pressing it to give it a good shape and compact the filling- it got smaller inside than I like. I will probably still give it to him, since I dont have time right now to make another one, and just tell his Mommy that I will replace it. It is still great for playing with- in fact I have had to wrestle it out of Kenadee's hands a couple times!

I worked really hard trying to get the blanket to line up perfectly so that when you fold it - it is all even. Gave it rounded edges as I think they look better, and double topstitched all the way around because I think it finishes it nicely.

My Sister's Present.

Front.



Close up of fabric and bottom ruffle.



Close up of top.



Back ties. It is halter style- so it ties around the neck and around the back.



Matching reversable headband. (Just like the one I made my Mom, but with this fabric.)





OK- those of you who read this and know her- dont tell her. She came with me to the fabric store one time, and we were both drooling over this fabric. Matched it up with a stripe for a little contrast- although I regret that a little bit. I wish I would have used plain black. But it still goes really well I think, and I think she will like it. She has been wanting an apron that they sell in the middle of the mall for a while- so hopefully this one will do. I saw this pattern on the front of a book, and had to buy the whole thing- it was just so "her".

My Mom's present

My Mom is the HARDEST person to get a gift for! If you give her a generic gift (lotions, gift cards, etc.) she will just give them to someone else. She loves roosters, so for like the past 4 years I have bought her a rooster for every holiday- Christmas, Mother's Day, her birthday. They are THE ONLY thing I know she will actually keep. Well I am going to try my luck with something else. Hopefully since it is handmade she wont give it away. I dont know - she may try. But I hope she will like it.



Matching headband. My sewing machine is allergic to velcro, so I need to give it a little break before I attempt to sew the velcro on again, which is why the ends look wierd. They will look better soon.




Front of apron.



Pocket



Bias tape must have been invented by someone who was pure evil is all I have to say. But you can see the ruffle. Brown with small white polka dots. Goes along the entire bottom - you just cant really see it in the other picture.



Back. It crosses in the back. I think it is way cute- and it is supposed to be more flattering that way.



Another little close up.

My Dad's present

I think this is safe to post here... I dont think any of my family reads this- or if they do- they dont comment or even mention it to me- so I think I am safe. If not- he will get it in 2 days anyways.
I made him a picture that he can hang in his locker at work (he is a firefighter).



measures 5 in x 5 in. Photos put together with photoshop. I had already edited them- and added their names (even though you cant really see the girls names in these pictures) for a thing we made for Jeremy. Glass in front.



on one of my magnetic chalkboards



Added an acryllic strip in the middle that I used rub-ons on. I wanted to make it a little more personalized to him.



Back. Hot glued magnets on. I originally only had 1 magnet, but it is kinda heavy, and it would just slide down my magnetic chalkboard, so I added 2 more to make sure it stays where it is supposed to.

I hope he likes it. The kids are excited about giving it to him.

Felt Food

Pasta- Meatballs are optional. I did sew all the noodles together and the sauce on top so that we dont get random noodles floating all over the house.



Pizza. Either cheese or pepperoni at this point- will make more toppings later. I know one of the pieces is a little wonky. That was completely my sewing skills (or lack of) manifesting itself. They were all cut EXACTLY the same size.

My final count and cost-

Blanket for my daughter- 0
Shark raglan- 2.99
2 Monster hoodies- 12.80
2 raglan dresses-0
2 pajama pants for my boys-0
2 Kimberbell kids dolls-2.69
2 doll dresses, 2 matching peasant nightgowns for my girls, 2 dolly blankies- 2.98
chefs hat-0
reversable crayon apron-0
oven mitt-0
Advent Calender- 1.00
dinosaur raglan- 0
18 wellness kits- 2.00
3 notebook/colored pencil carriers-0
2 cloth balls & 2 cloth blocks-0
felt food- (2 spaghetti with meatballs, 1 pizza, 4 chocolate chip cookies, 1 sugar cookie baking set, 2 poptarts, 2 bacon, 2 eggs, 2 pancakes)-0

So 63 items for $24.46
(which equals an average of like 39 cents an item) I did end up spending $42.00 on supplies but there were some things I didnt finish by the time the challenge ended, since I got sick. I did finish all my original list- these were some of the things I kept adding when I saw everyone elses great projects. I have finished most of them since. Still working though.

Last Day of the Thrifty 50 challenge!

Alright it is almost "Times Up"- Put down your needles, thread, sewing machines time. Officially the time is 11:59 p.m. tonight. We will see how much I can get done today! I wasnt able to get a whole lot done this weekend. Saturday I had our Ward Party that I am on the Activities Committee for- so most of that day was spent setting that up and getting ready for it. Although I was able to get a couple things done.
Then I got so sick yesterday. I was up in my craft room trying to muster up the energy to do SOMETHING-- ANYTHING!! I just couldnt. I went downstairs and told Jeremy that I didnt even feel like sewing, and he was like- "Wow- you really are sick!!!"
He took the kids to church- I was completely oblivious of him getting them ready. When he came home I realized that Kenadee was in the same dress that she had worn the night before to the Ward Party, and Adelle hadnt even had a brush taken to her hair. She had pigtails in from the day before that were half pulled out. I guess that is what happens when Mom is sick. But yeah- I still think I have a GREAT Husband for taking them (and having to deal with all 4). I know had it been me- we probably wouldnt have made it.
Even though I am still not 100% I think I can give it a go today! I just have to finish a couple more things. Wish me luck. Hopefully I will get a chance today to post all the things I have made since last time I posted.

Kenadees Blanket

So since Kathryn is making all my other kids quilts (her and my sister already made one for Kenadee when she was born). I decided to make a blanket to give her Christmas Eve with her pajamas. Her favorite fabric is fleece, and I saw these 2 cute cuddle fleeces and couldnt resist them. They are kinda hard to work with, but Im sure she wont care that it doesnt look that great.

Shark Fleece Hoodie

Whipped up a quick hoodie for Ryan (my kid who got everyone in his Preschool class to call him "Shark Boy"). I had actually done most of it last week, and then I sewed the hood opening onto the shoulder. Thank goodness for stitch pickers- or whatever they are called (my brain isnt working that good at the moment- I really needed a nap, but Kenadee woke up about 1/2 hour after all the other kids went down for their naps, as I was laying down.) Anyway- I kept putting off finding my seam ripper- (ha! thats what its called!) until I decided I just needed to do it. The fabric is a little juvenile, but he has seen the fabric, and keeps telling me how much he loves the sharks- so I'm sure he will love it anyways.

Monster Hoodies

So I saw these and thought that my boys would totally love them. But $50 for a cheap hoodie for a 6 year old? NO WAY am I paying that. Plus they looked a little flimsy- only 1 layer of felt. I thought I could totally make some myself. Easy peasy! The teeth are 2 layers sewn together and topstitched to get a more professional look. I had a hard time deciding on what kind of monster eyes to do though. I didnt want to do the googaly eyes, because I didnt want them to fall off or whatnot. I drew about 4 or 5 patterns before I settled on these. I did not make the hoodies. I bought them from Gymboree online Thanksgiving Day. They are the sueded microfleece, and are super warm and soft. They were normally $22.50 each, but were on sale for $8.00 each. Plus I had a 20% off coupon, so they ended up being $6.40 each. Yeah I did have to pay shipping, but I got a ton of other stuff that I was going to get anyways so I am not factoring shipping costs into the equation. So total cost was $12.80.



Adelle is modeling them for us. Remember this is a 3 year old in a 7-8 size sweatshirt.











The one in the above pictures has red eyes. This one has yellow eyes. I decided to make them 2 different colors so there wouldnt be any fighting over whos sweatshirt is whos.

Breakfast anyone?

So I have seen a couple of felt food sets made here and there, but for this set alone it is like $30. No way am I going to pay that much for something I can make. So I whipped these up. SO easy. I started with the breakfast food because it seemed the easiest. Since I have never really worked with felt other than making Jedi capes and a felt purse once- oh and the doll shoes, I didn't want to get too in over my head. Had to start simple- and these definitely were! Made up my own patterns.



Pancakes, eggs and Bacon.



Close up of the eggs. The yolk actually sticks up like real eggs do. The pancakes have batting between them to give them more poofyness like a regular pancake. Bacon actually is a little wavy- just like real bacon- Ok well kinda like real bacon.

Oh- these didnt cost me anything, they were made from felt I had laying around (I bought it to make things for our FHE felt board and never got around to it).

Casual Christmas Dresses

I. LOVE. these. dresses. I cannot say enough good things about this pattern. Seriously, it should be in everyones list of patterns that they go to again and again. I had this cute fleece that I bought like a month or so ago because I thought it was so cute, but didnt really know for sure what I was going to make out of it (at no time did I think it would be dresses though, I was probably thinking of a little blanket.) Well this fabric decided that Carlas Raglan pattern was so awesome it just had to become one- or two. I made it long (although I forgot that Kenadee is tall for her age- Very unusual for my children!- and had to add a ruffle to hers to make it longer like I wanted it.) I just followed the standard age sizing in the pattern since my girls were asleep, but there are instructions to make your own pattern based off of actual measurements. I elongated the hood so I could knot it, and added a pocket, although I need to find the manual for my camera to adjust the flash, because it keeps washing things out, and you cant really see the pocket. These dresses are so warm and comfy (fleece) I had to literally pry it from Adelles body as she was screaming that she wanted to wear it forever, and never take it off. But I decided that 2 days was way too long to wear the same outfit anyways, and I was not going to let her go 3. I promised her if she would let me wash it, she could put it back on as soon as I got it out of the dryer.



Kenadees front. You can kinda see the pocket.



Back. Knotted hood.



Adelle and her funny face. Side. You can kinda see the pocket. It all really blurs together. I think it is a combination of the fleece and my flash. It really looks so much better in real life.



Back. Knotted hood. Please excuse the hair- she just woke up... you should have seen mine. Good thing no cameras were pointed at me. Ive been so busy I havent even looked in the mirror for about a week.

Not Naked Anymore!

That get your attention? Well I was talking about the dolls. I got around to making them dresses, panties and shoes. They even have cute bows in their hair, but I think I am going to sew a snap in so that we can change bows out and just snap different ones in... When I get the time (or IF I do). I also made Adelle and Kenadee matching nightgowns. They are peasant tops that I just made long and added a ruffle to the bottom. Funny thing is- they have disappeared. I think my hoarder (aka Adelle) must have hidden them away somewhere after I tried hers on for length. Whenever I find them I will post the pictures as well. The fabric for the dolls dresses, panties, and girls nightgowns are all the same and I got it on Black Friday at Joannes (only had to wait 5 hours in the cutting line for it!!!???!!!) It was $1.49 a yard, and I got 2 yards. I still have some left over that I will probably make dolly blankets with. So all of these things for $3.00! I am going to put it all in their present they open Christmas Eve, along with the AMAZING quilts my neighbor is making them.

What Jeremy has been working on at work.

This is the hotel Jeremy has been going out of town to work on. It finally opened. You can see an article from ET here. The hotels website is here.

Here is what happens when the nerdy guys have too much time on their hands. This uses the software that their company produces to control our home. Its funny to me because we have about 100 of those remotes laying around the house, and that the software that lets me control my house on my iphone can be turned into a remote control.

Reversable Apron, Chef Hat & Oven Mitt

So I have it on good authority that Adelle is getting a play kitchen from a certain fat man. No- not her Dad- this guy prefers red, and only comes out 1 night a year. So I made her some accessories to go with her kitchen.



The reversible apron is a regular apron with pockets on one side and on the other it is a crayon apron with slots to put her crayons. You can get the pattern here. There are a couple things in the pattern I will change next time to suit my own sewing style better (I am a self taught sewer, so I may do it wrong???) but overall it was a good pattern with 3 sizes, and I love how it turned out. I think I am going to make me a utility one for sewing when I get a chance.





The chefs hat is a free pattern you can get here. It is super easy to follow and doesnt take any time at all. I added a little "a" for her, which took the longest since I had to manually machine applique it on (one day I will have an embroidery machine and it will make my life SO much easier!!!) I would suggest doing this step before you sew the sides of the band together, but after you put the velcro on- so you can see where you want it. Oh and do it on the notched side, since that side will be facing out. Oh and it is adjustable so it can fit their head as they grow.





The oven mitt is kinda something I "cooked" up (Jeremy made me do it- he says he is all about the corny-ness.) It was based off of our oven mitt and her hand size. It was kinda hard to turn because I used a stiff interfacing, but it turned out ok, and it is even quilted.





I think I am going to make her a little kitchen towel with a strip of coordinating fabric sewn on to go with the set, but I still have to figure out how I want to do it exactly.

These were all made using scraps- the same ones I used for the wellness kits (like I said I usually buy TOO much fabric). Crayons were bought for like 25 cents at the beginning of the school year (I always stock up on school supplies then). Anything else is stuff I have on hand so these were completely free since I had everything laying around. Not too bad!

Dolls

I love these dolls. They are so cute. They are a little bit more labor intensive than most of my other projects- (The hand embroidery took me like an hour of two- I've never done it before. Thats about what I spend on a complete project, not just part of it.) But I love them, and I think it was worth it. They are naked, but I figured since they werent anatomically correct it was alright to post anyways. Hopefully they will be clothed tomorrow. When I was doing the hair Kenadee came downstairs and was literally pulling the dolls out of my hands to snuggle and play with. She was so excited about them, which makes me really excited about giving her one for Christmas.
Total cost- $2.69 for yarn. I had other yarn on hand but this matched the color of my girls hair better. Everything else is stuff I have had sitting around for awhile. I probably only used 1/2 if even that, so I can make more with it if I have time.

Advent Calender

So my kids have been wanting me to officially finish the Advent Calender. We have been doing activities each night leading up to Christmas, but I had been waiting till I got time to finish the calender how I wanted it to be. Well thats not going to happen, so I just settled with odd shapes and number stickers. This is so not what I had planned, and I am not really that pleased with it, but it is done, and it only cost me $1.00 for the baking sheet because I got it at the dollar store. At least my kids like it.




Hanging on my wall today.



With all the numbers on.

Christmas Centerpiece

So I have been wanting to change my tree from a red tree to a hot pink and lime green tree, but it is so expensive! Plus I absolutely love all my red ornaments. Well on Wednesday my friend called me up and asked if I could do a centerpiece for one of the tables for our Relief Society Christmas Dinner on Thursday night. Well I had seen this and thought- Oh I can make one of those for the dinner. Well since my kitchen isnt in the same room as my tree I decided to do it these fun colors. Of course when I went to the craft store wednesday night before Young Womens, I got a little carried away and came home with stuff to make all these fun things. I guess it is a little Christmas forest.



This is how I sorted all the different buttons while I worked.