Valentine's Monster Mailbox

This year Mr E's teacher asked the children make their Valentine mailbox at home. This was a first, so I went to look for ideas. I discovered over at The Polkadot Penguin an adorable idea for a monster style mailbox. I thought this was a great idea for a boy. Mr E was feeling the Valentine ideas were a little too girlie for him.

Tonight, I stopped off at the Dollar Tree and picked up supplies, except I forgot googly eyes -- so I just made some with a marker and made the pipe cleaners on top some antennae.

FYI, Dollar Tree has solid white and solid red wrapping paper. I think I'm going back to get another roll of each. There is so much you can do with solid wrapping paper. It's pretty nice wrapping paper, too.

This is what I came up with, and he loves it! I like the signs. I think that's my favorite part because it rhymes, lololol. It's super easy to make, and you can probably make it with what's lying around the house.

Click the link to The Polkadot Penguin above to take you to the super easy tute!

I'm trying to catch up on housework since everyone is finally on the mend. I will be posting new tutorials this coming week. See ya!

American Girl Mermaid Tail Sewing Pattern

 The downloadable pattern has finally arrived!  And, it's only $4!  Please head on over to Etsy or Craftsy to download your very own copy.  The pattern is completely digital, which means you print it right from your computer and can get to work as soon as you want!

Click here for Etsy
Click here for Craftsy

You can whip up 2-3 mermaid costume sets with just 1/2 yard of a four-way stretch dancewear fabric.

This is a great last minute gift you can whip up in an afternoon for the little girl in your life who loves American Girl. This is an easy to make tutorial for a mermaid tail and bandeau style top for your American Girl or similar 18 inch doll. It also fit my 18 inch Waldorf style dolls.

Recommended fabrics: dancewear fabrics, four-way stretch lycra and spandex knits.

Yoda Star Wars Ribbon Sculpture Hair Clip Headband Tutorial

Well, believe it or not, I did make time for some blogging.  While making some things for my new booth space, I decided to whip up a 3 part tutorial on some of my favorite "nerd girl" ribbon sculptures.  This is part 1.  There are 2 more parts coming this week from the Star Wars theme.  And no, even though my children have begged, one of them is not going to be Jabba the Hut.  

This tutorial is to make a Yoda ribbon sculpture.  I have it pictured both on a hair clip and on a headband, and both look adorable.

I've seen tutorials that tell you to use that fray spray, but I don't like it.  I prefer to seal my ribbon edges with FIRE!  I usually just light a candle and run my edges close to it to seal them.  I'm not good with holding a lighter.  I plan to get a wood burning tool very soon to try that method.

Yoda Ribbon Sculpture Hair Clip / Headband Tutorial

Materials: 
Hot glue gun or fillet tape
Scissors
Lighter or woodburning tool to seal edges
Ribbons:
Light green (almost a pistachio color):
    1 piece 3.5 in, 1 piece 1.25 in, 4 pieces 1.1 in/ea
Dark Brown:
    1 piece 2.25 in, 1 piece 1.5 in
White:
    1 piece 5 in, 2 pieces 1 in/ea

1.  Take 3.5 inch green piece and roll top into head and secure with hot glue. 

2.  Take the 1.5 inch green piece, heat seal the ends, and create the ears.  Glue each end down as shown.

3.  Insert ears into the head loop and glue to the inside back of the head loop.

 

4.  Take all four of the green 1.1 inch pieces and round one edge of each one.  Then heat seal and glue them as the arms and legs.  Keep the legs fairly close together as shown.

5.  Take the two 1 inch white pieces and cut one end at a diagonal.  Heal seal those edges and glue to the arms for sleeves.

 

6.  Take the 2.25 inch brown piece, heat seal the edges, and glue down the length of the body.  I like to roll the head piece up a tiny bit and insert it right under it.  If it's too long at the legs, cut it so the legs will shown, like this example. Take the 1.5 inch brown piece and glue it wrapped around to create a waist.

 

7.  Create the robe.  Take the 5 inch long white ribbon and find the middle of it.  Glue the down the sides as shown in the picture.  Leave an opening to go around the "neck" Yoda that is 3/8 inch wide.  I just eyeball it and try it on Yoda before I glue it down.

 

8.  Heat seal the edges of the robe, then wrap it around Yoda's neck, glue it down at the arms, and at the edges of the legs that are next to the brown ribbon.  Then you are done with Yoda.  

Attach to a ribbon covered alligator clip or a ribbon wrapped headband with fillet tape or hot glue.

**If you want to add a little embellishment, dip a toothpick 1/3rd in black paint and 2/3rd in green paint.  Allow to dry, then hot glue into his hand for a light saber.  When I write up the PDF version of this tutorial, I will include pictures of this embellishment as well.

Enjoy!

 

Animal Applique - Free Downloadable PDF

Here are some more "boy" friendly appliques (as opposed to the cupcakes and ice cream ones from before), though they are perfectly find for girls too.  I love this crazy-eyed octopus.  I've been putting him on all kinds of things lately, especially lots of onesies for new babies. 

Included in this sheet is the crazy-eyed octopus and the elephant pictured above, as well as a whale, that I forgot capture in a picture.  I'll make a new one soon.  To describe it, he should have curly cue water spouts coming out of the top of him, a bullion stitch for his eye, and a little smile. 

Find the printable here.


These samples are headed to my little microboutique over at Creative Collective in Fort Worth. If you are local, check my blog for our little boutique here.  I update when we restock.

If you need help with learning to applique, I have a great tutorial here.

This animal applique printable will go up on Craftsy soon.  I'm combining the "how to" applique tutorial with the sheet before I upload it.  And, I'm currently in sew-mommy-sew mode by making some Mommy Diva diaper bags and changing pads for my microboutique.  I'll be sure to snap pictures to share. The fabrics are coming together and looking so adorable!

Jumbo Ombre Cupcakes

 

My son is still talking about the rainbow cupcakes I made from a few months ago, so I thought I'd try this ombre thing everyone is doing.  I could not get a decent picture, but they sure look cool in real life.  

It's super easy if you haven't done it before.  I was a bit worried they'd bake weird. 

I made 6 jumbo cup cakes.  Here is what I did:

1 box white cake mix

3 egg whites (no yolks to prevent yellowing of the batter)

1 1/4 cups water

1/3 cup oil

Preheat oven to 350.

Separate batter into 4 bowls. 

1 bowl: white

1 bowl: 3-4 drops food coloring

1 bowl 6 drops of food coloring

1 bowl 10 drops of food coloring

 Then I layered the cupcakes.  I used a regular ol' flatware spoon and but 2 spoonfuls of each color batter starting with dark, then medium, then light, then white.  I filled these up about 3/4 full as I wanted big tops.  This yielded 6 jumbo cupcakes (which is probably about the same as about 18  regular cupcakes only filled 2/3 full of batter. )

Bake for 20 minutes.  

And Voila! Ombre cupcakes. 

I also made a cream cheese butter cream frosting

6 oz cream cheese

3-4 tbs butter

3-4 cups of powdered sugar

Allow cream cheese and butter to sit until close to room temperature.  Then beat together until smooth.  Gradually add powdered sugar until the frosting makes stiff peaks.  

I used a large star tip and swirled it on the cupcakes.  Then, I dusted them with pink sugar crystals. 

Enjoy!!