Personalized Bridal Shower Gifts
Last weekend I had my little cousin's bridal shower. (She hates that I still call her my "little" cousin, especially since she towers over me, and of course the obvious fact that she's now 24...but even when I'm 50 I think I'll still be referring to her as my little cousin!!)
I decided to go the "handmade" route with a lot of her gift.
The first thing I made was a decorative keepsake plate with the couple's name and wedding date on it. When I had originally bought the glass plate, I didn't think about how it would look being clear- I just figured glass would be a good universal "color" and when they bought their house it'd be easy to coordinate the rest of their decorations! After I had cut out and applied the vinyl and bought the plate stand I realized that buying a plain glass plate was probably the silliest thing ever! The stand I had gotten was black, which mean that you couldn't actually see the design once it was displayed!! So at the very last minute I ended up grabbing some fun fabric and mod podged it onto the plate. (I really lucked out with the fabric too because I didn't have a lot of simple fabrics in my stash and didn't want anything too wild or girlie! Then I remembered I had some of this Michael Miller Delovely Damask left AND the fact that it was that pretty pale blue worked even better since that went with their wedding colors!!)
The second thing I had done was something that I'd been wanting to try forever! Glass etching! I figured a small casserole dish would work best and etched "the shorts" on one side and "est 2012" on the other. There's also a small owl etched in between! Glass etching wasn't so intimidating. The directions on the etching cream states that it doesn't work with Pyrex, so I made sure not to buy the Pyrex brand. I ended up using another brand, however, I think it was made of a similar material as Pyrex, because I had left the cream on for an hour and it scratched JUST ENOUGH of the surface! Part of the lettering doesn't look as etched out as other parts, but I guess for my first time etching it wasn't too much of a failure!
Lastly I decided to make some personalized hand-stamped silverware. I ending up stamping two teaspoons with "mr and mrs" on it, as well as some serving-ware with "est 2012" onto it. I also added in some ruffled tea towels with a black and white owl fabric. I figured these would be a cute addition to any kitchen, and the teaspoons would come in handy if there was any fighting over whose dessert was whose! 
I had a lot of fun making these items, and I'm hoping to get some fun sets into my shop one of these days to make it easy for those who are interested in shower/wedding gifts.
Muslin Blanket With Crocheted Edges
I decided it was time to make a new kind of blanket! B got a ton of baby blankets as gifts but the ones that I am most in love with (especially now that it's starting to warm up) are the muslin ones! I remember "splurging" on an Aden & Anais one that was made for American Eagle Kids (AE77) that had robots all over them (B's nursery theme). Even though he wasn't swaddled for long, he still loves cuddling up with this blanket! I decided that he would need a new one for this spring, and ended up buying a few yards of bleached muslin and some silky bamboo yarn for the edges. I love the simplicity of this blanket, but also love how the crocheted edges add that special touch! I also made these double layered, rather than just a single layer of muslin, so even though it does get softer with every wash, it doesn't seem to get that traditional "wrinkly" muslin look. (I may have to try just doing a single layer next time I make B a blanket, because I do love that wrinkly-ness!)
I also recently had a custom order for this new kind of blanket! The customer wanted it personalized, so I was able to cut out the initials using my Silhouette Cameo and heat bonded and stitched the letters onto the muslin. I love the way it looked, and I hope that the person who received it will enjoy it as much as B enjoys his blankie!
Some new items!
I've been busy lately with some new items that will soon be available in my shop!
A few weeks ago Pick Your Plum had a deal on the metal handstamping sets. I have been wanting to try metal handstamping for a LONG time now, but the cost of the sets always seem to hold me back! And, heck, it's not like I NEEDED another hobby!! (I need another hobby about as much as I need another bite of ice cream right?!) 
But my set came, and right away I thought of a fun way to incorporate it into something I could put into my shop!! Personalized baby spoons was the way to go, and I thought adding them with a handmade bib would be a great new addition to my inventory! I am always getting orders for more personalized items, and this is definitely something unique that I can offer that won't break the bank when buying gifts for little ones! I am also planning on making some personalized teaspoons as well for younger kids. I think these are great, especially if you have young ones in preschool or daycare where you have to pack their own lunches! I put one into my niece's Easter basket and she loved it!
Lastly, another favorite- cabachon accessories! I also scored these cute floral pins from Pick Your Plum a few weeks back as well! I'm excited to have these as part of my collection since I get a lot of people requesting hair accessories- I try and keep plain ones on hand as well as some sort of decorative one. As of right now I have the filigree and floral ones on stock, so I'll be adding a variety into the shop soon! I decided to add the mini cabachon flowers to these to bling them up a bit more!
Shop Update
I've been working hard getting some new items into the shop these past few weeks! Since spring has arrived, I've added quite a bit of fun accessories and children's gifts that would make great Easter Basket stuffers! Hope you'll check it out!
Bunny Blankies- Just in time for Easter!
Yesterday I whipped up this bunny blankie during B's naptime, and I thought these would be a cute addition to my inventory! I generally don't make a lot of seasonal items, however I do get quite a few requests, so I thought this would be a fun take on my sensory blankets. And because it doesn't use seasonal specific fabric, they'll work throughout the entire year! They are small (about 15 inches), and are lined with a thin batting. Instead of the traditional loop ribbons throughout the blanket, there are only two in a corner, as well as the two large bunny ears! I think these will be great basket fillers, especially for new babies! Last year B was only 4 months old for his first Easter, I had a hard time figuring out what to put in his basket because he obviously couldn't partake in the usual jelly beans and chocolate eggs, but I also didn't want to just get him a stuffed animal! Wish I had thought of these then!!
I'm hoping to get several of these will be listed in the shop within the week, but if you would like to place a special order just contact me or leave a comment on this post! They will be listed for $17, with $3 shipping. I'm also thinking of making a few bunny eared bibs for Easter as well!
Stash Busters
Since I've been trying to organize all my fabrics, I've been trying to find more simple projects that I can use all my scraps up! I have two large (we're talking, those large plastic bags comforters come in!) bags that are FILLED with fabric scraps! Since my wrists are still acting up, I have to keep the sewing projects I'm working on small! But the pain is starting to be a bit more tolerable, so I'm thinking in another few weeks I'll be back to sewing on a more daily basis! (FINGERS CROSSED!)
I decided to take a break from making all the coffee cozies that I normally do with scraps, and figured with the cold and flu season upon us, tissue holders would be a great idea! Hey, if you're constantly blowing your nose, might as well make it somewhat cute huh? I'm also thinking of making some in kids prints- maybe that'll encourage more kiddies to use tissues instead of their sleeves?
I may be a fabric crackhead…
Ever since we turned the sewing studio into a nursery, my sewing area has been strewn all around the house! Tools and other craft items, crammed into every nook and cranny you can find!! My sewing table has been in the master bedroom since the nursery was set up, while the cutting table has taken over half the guest room! We also ended up taking an old media cabinet that was no longer in use and turned that into a storage area to house as much of my fabric that it can! Our master and guest closet also has a ton of bins that also has more fabric, as well as all the fusibles, stabilizers, battings and stuffings that I use on a normal basis! It's finally gotten to a point where I would like SOME KIND OF organization as I possibly can to incorporate all my sewing needs into one room again! (I long for the day that we move into a bigger house and I can have a real sewing studio again!)
Recently, many craft blogs have been posting tons of storage ideas. My husband was actually the one that came to me first with this post! (I thought it was hilarious that he showed it to me, and then a week or so later it was popping up all over Pinterest and other crafting sites!! He was mighty proud of himself for being in the know first, especially about something he has no interest in!!)
After a lot of going back and forth about what I was going to do, I finally broke down and bought a pack of comic book boards. I hated the idea of paying $10 for a bunch of cut up posterboard- I'm cheap like that! I thought, for sure 100 pieces would be more than enough- thinking full well that I would not finish up the pack!! Little did I know, I finished the pack of 100, AND haven't even tackled my "secret stash!" You know, the fabric that you love to look at but don't dare cut into! The stash that you either saved up for, or bought on impulse and the idea of cutting it up into pieces for OTHER people sends you into a frenzy, and then you feel just plain silly because, afterall, it is just fabric, but you know that when you need more you might not be able to find it, or worse, it's completely out of print and you know you won't ever get it again, so you have to hold onto it kinda fabric! I know I'm not the only one that feels like this right?!
Anywhoo...I have big plans on where my fabric is going to live next! Not just in some old media cabinet or bin in the closet! Hoping that this gorgeous weekend will allow me some "work time" instead of just playtime with the family, where I can bust out the sander and get started on painting! And of course, off to order more comic book boards off Amazon!
Robot Pillows
My son celebrated his first birthday almost two weeks ago! I had the theme to his party set pretty soon after he was born! (Thank you Target for having the Paul Frank space theme on clearance and for me to get all the tableware for about $5!) And in going with the theme of his nursery of retro robots, I figured the space theme would be perfect! Originally I had wanted to make "ugly-doll" type robot stuffies, but because of my wrist pain, I ended up going with regular pillows with iron on robots! Thanks to my new Silhouette machine, the robots were a breeze, and I had several varieties for the kids to choose from. I used muslin as the solid front and a gray fleece for the back. I had several different solid scraps in green, yellow, pink, and black, so all the kids had a chance to pick their favorite colors- none of the kids left unhappy!
One of the things I decided to do for my son's party was a birthday banner! I had seen a ton of ideas on Pinterest and loved the idea of the monthly photo banner! (Especially because since birth, I have taken a weekly picture of him, and it still amazes me how quickly he's grown!) My pennant had 13 pictures, rather than the traditional 12 because I included his birth-day!
And 2012 has begun…
i had high hopes for getting lots of new projects started in the upcoming year and adding a lot of new items into the shop! unfortunately since Oct. 2011, i've developed such severe tendonitis-in BOTH my wrists-that a lot of these projects have gone on hold, and sewing has slowed down significantly on my part! 
i'm able to get about an hour of work done everyday, and that's about as much as i can do without triggering too much pain in my wrists where i won't be paying for it the rest of the day!
for the time being, i am not going to be taking custom orders! (however, you can always shoot me an email and i will give you a timeline on when i could have it done. in the past i've always tried my best to have orders completed within a week to ten days, however i cannot guarantee that right now). right now i'm trying my best to get some accessories and smaller items into the shop, and have a few other smaller items planned that i've been making using my new Silhouette machine! (thanks hubby for my awesome Christmas present!)
and...since i haven't posted any projects lately, thought i'd share some of the items i made for the holidays, either as orders or gifts!
Ornaments
i had been wanting to make some cute handmade ornaments with B this year and kept seeing some cute ones on Pinterest. however, my idea of doing a glittered first Christmas handprint quickly went out the window- has anyone ever tried taking a 10 month old's handprint and have it coming out looking like an actual hand?!! (and not to sidetrack too much, but back in my days of working in childcare, we did handprints and foot prints with babies ALL the time! i must be getting rusty because i don't ever remember it being THAT hard, or maybe it was because we had a "production" line and had at least two other teachers on hand to get the process moving quickly!! or it was because we only used inkpads and there was no chance of it smearing so much on paper? in any event, a painted handprint was out the window!!)
so....the idea quickly moved on to just a footprint! which actually worked out because i haven't done his footprint in a while (so much for my baby scrapbook and doing a footprint every 3 months! whoopsies! i definitely dropped the ball on that one too!)
glitter ornaments are fun and easy! it adds a bit of bling to your tree, and they are definitely cheap to make! which makes it even more fun when gifting!
i found several tutorials online and basically all you need is glass ornaments, glitter, and some some form of glitter adhesive (some tutorials said you can use floor wax, such as Pledge, but i didn't have any and found Glitter-it at the craft store and just used that!)
just coat the inside of the ornament with whatever form of adhesive you are using, let it hang upside down for a bit to get the remaining liquid out, and then pour the glitter inside, shaking out the excess! for the hand/footprint, just use acrylic paint (i found that actually painting the hand and foot is a LOT easier than dipping the hand or foot into the paint), and, voila- done!
since i had leftover ornaments i decided to do the handprint version with my 3 year old niece for her tree. we painted three of her fingers, and i drew hats and scarves on the "snowmen."
i love how easy these were to make, and with the leftover bulbs, i'll definitely be ready for next years ornament!
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