Ever Herd Of Elephants?

Pun intended.

In trying to finish projects in order to pack my sewing machine, my home has been invaded by a pack of tiny pachyderms.  This is the one pattern that has totally been worth buying.  I have made so many little elephants.  Thanks Heather Bailey for making such a cute pattern!

These two for some coming baby boys.

 You can see the girl elephant, second from the left.

 There's something cute about a row of tiny pachyderm hineys.

This little guy is for one of my husband's attendings at work as a thank you.

Fittingly made from scrubs.

Now that these little guys and girls are done, my sewing machine is packed.

More projects to come from our new home.

Toy Mat

This is a Pinterest find courtesy of Freshly Pieced.  I simplified it and made it a little smaller, but the idea is brilliant.  It is perfect for toys that have a million pieces or that just need easier access for immediate playtime.  My youngest is newly obsessed with tea parties and play food, and my oldest likes to set up elaborate tea parties that eat up all the play time.  I saw this as the perfect solution.  And it's very inexpensive - price of two yards of fabric + cord from Hobby Lobby (about $2.99 - and it's way more than you need) + grommets and punch.

My mat turned out about 35 inches.

 I braided the cord so that it would be more durable and not get tangled. 

I love this fabric!

You can see how thrilled my youngest is.

Storage is a snap!  I could use a bunch of these.

Car Clean-up

I have become very annoyed with the state of my car lately.  It's always got a layer of wrappers, tissues, and empty drink bottles covering the floor.  I should be better at picking up after myself.  Two kids and an outdoor parking space has only increased this problem.  And with a deadline looming I decided to tackle the problem.  I made a trash bag for the car.  (Now, if I had not attempted this at a late hour I might have done it a little differently, but I was on a mission.) 

This is the finished product. 

     Twill exterior

     Laminated cotton interior

     Velcro closure to keep the stuff inside.

     Tie to hang from the head-rest of the passenger seat.

I should have taken a picture of the bag inside the car.  (Where it's doing a fabulous job, by the way.)  You will just have to take my word for it. 

Teacher Gifts

This was my first time trying to figure out what to do for my daughter's teachers.  I looked at so many good ideas via Pinterest.  They were all good, but I wanted to something more personal for them and from us. 

I found a free printable book plates from Lavender's Blue.  Then with a little adjustment in photoshop I made them extra special.  The lables were cute, but since the class were called the "leap frogs", I added a frog.

I wanted my daughter to have a hand in this gift.  After all she spent more time with them than I did.  I asked her to pick her favorite book from our shelf.  This is a great book!  A favorite of mine as well.  It's funny and has a very simple vocabulary - great for a kid going into kindergarten.  The teacher's loved it and hadn't already read it.

 Continuing with the leap frog theme we wrapped the books in green and made these funny little cards.  My daughter got to do most of the card work, except the detailed cutting. 

It was great to give something different to teachers that have done so much for my daughter this year.  I am very grateful for them.

Free Printables

I have been doing a lot of projects using Photoshop, lately.  I recently created some motivation charts for my oldest daughter.  They have really made a difference.  They are designed to print on an 8.5 x 11" paper.  Laminate them and you can reuse them with a dry erase marker. 

 Rose Chore Chart

Achievement Chart.

(I could offer a different color if there is an interest.)

I numbered the stars from 1 - 100.  We are tracking her allowance to help her earn the American Girl Doll she has her eyes on.

Leave me a message in the comments section if you would like me to email you the jpeg file.

Stuffies

I've been caught up in making stuffed animals and dolls lately.  I have yet to create my own pattern, so I can't take all the credit, but I really like them when they are done.  These have just been too much fun! 

 I liked this one so much I almost couldn't give it away.

 This one was just to see if I could do it.  Anyone need a platypus?  I think the next one I'll do will be bigger. 

Apples Continued

I don't know what it is about this fabric, but I really like it.  Go figure.  I'm trying very hard to complete projects and use fabrics from my stash, as it's slowly taking over my room. 

I found the idea for a wrap skirt here.  I thought it sounded like a good idea.  As always, I found a way to make it more complicated.  There wasn't enough apple fabric, so I added the dots.  And I made a wide bias tape to act as the tie.  Then I figured out why a wrap skirt is difficult for a four year old to wear.  So, I added a couple more "button holes" for the tie to act more like a belt.  It does a much better job.  Now I just have to teach my daughter how to sit in a skirt.  I guess I better do that before preschool starts anyway. 

It was a fun sew and very easy, even though I complicated it.  I think it would work better for an older girl or woman.  That's what I like about this tutorial - it lets you adjust it for your measurements.  The shirt was something I made up.  It was an experiment.  Thanks to Target, it was only a $5 experiment.