I tried to make these files available on Etsy, but I'm not savvy enough to know how to make a .svg file. If anyone can help me out, please let me know!
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
A Very Hungry Caterpillar banner with FREE Silhouette cut files
I recently made a Very Hungry Caterpillar banner for a baby shower I threw. I developed and cut all the shapes using my Silhouette, and found it took a while! Instead of reinventing the wheel, feel free to email me and I will happily send you my cut files and instructions for making your own banner.
I tried to make these files available on Etsy, but I'm not savvy enough to know how to make a .svg file. If anyone can help me out, please let me know!
I tried to make these files available on Etsy, but I'm not savvy enough to know how to make a .svg file. If anyone can help me out, please let me know!
Friday, June 9, 2017
Fun idea for Father's Day - Storyworth
I'm really excited about the Father's Day gift I'm giving my Dad this year. As a child, I would always ask him to "tell me a story I've never heard". He had so many interesting stories from his childhood to share!
Storyworth is a service that sends weekly writing prompts to the storyteller. They write a response to each one, and at the end of a year they are compiled and made into a keepsake book. You can also get additional books if there are several people interested in keeping the stories. The storyteller can choose to share their stories online with anyone they add to their list. I can't wait for my Dad to get started!
His wedding anniversary is the same week as Father's Day, so the first writing prompt is about his wedding day. Some others coming up are about family vacations, weathering hurricanes, and his grandparents.
Storyworth is a service that sends weekly writing prompts to the storyteller. They write a response to each one, and at the end of a year they are compiled and made into a keepsake book. You can also get additional books if there are several people interested in keeping the stories. The storyteller can choose to share their stories online with anyone they add to their list. I can't wait for my Dad to get started!
His wedding anniversary is the same week as Father's Day, so the first writing prompt is about his wedding day. Some others coming up are about family vacations, weathering hurricanes, and his grandparents.
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Cutting Cricut glitter iron-on vinyl with a Silhouette Cameo
My daughter requested a mermaid party for her birthday this year, and I had so much fun making it special for her! I knew she'd love wearing a special birthday outfit, so I made a glittery mermaid shirt and gathered skirt out of mermaid fabric.
I have a Silhouette Cameo (a fun little machine that cuts custom shapes), but I could only find Cricut glitter heat transfer vinyl at Michael's. I figured it would be similar enough to be able to use in my Silhouette Cameo. WARNING! The pre-set Silhouette settings are wayyyy off! I immediately ruined my cut board and about half my vinyl. Lesson learned...do a small test cut first!
To save you the same heartache, here are the settings I used:
Ratchet depth: 3
Cut Speed: 4
Thickness: 10
Double Cut: Yes
It was super easy to weed, didn't cut through the vinyl backing, and definitely didn't ruin another cut board.
To make the mermaid, I Googled for images of mermaids. I wanted a mermaid that was pretty but not sexy. I used Silhouette Studio to trace the mermaid and make a cut file. Then I cut her out of Cricut iron-on glitter using the cut settings above. I ironed the mermaid onto a plain white shirt, and voila! Special party shirt!!!
For reference, the shirt is a size 3, and the mermaid is 7" tall.
I have a Silhouette Cameo (a fun little machine that cuts custom shapes), but I could only find Cricut glitter heat transfer vinyl at Michael's. I figured it would be similar enough to be able to use in my Silhouette Cameo. WARNING! The pre-set Silhouette settings are wayyyy off! I immediately ruined my cut board and about half my vinyl. Lesson learned...do a small test cut first!
To save you the same heartache, here are the settings I used:
Ratchet depth: 3
Cut Speed: 4
Thickness: 10
Double Cut: Yes
It was super easy to weed, didn't cut through the vinyl backing, and definitely didn't ruin another cut board.
To make the mermaid, I Googled for images of mermaids. I wanted a mermaid that was pretty but not sexy. I used Silhouette Studio to trace the mermaid and make a cut file. Then I cut her out of Cricut iron-on glitter using the cut settings above. I ironed the mermaid onto a plain white shirt, and voila! Special party shirt!!!
For reference, the shirt is a size 3, and the mermaid is 7" tall.
Friday, May 26, 2017
A Very Hungry Caterpillar Baby Shower
This past weekend I hosted a baby shower for my sister-in-law. It was themed after Eric Carle's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I was very thankful to have my other sister-in-law and friends of the Mom-to-be helping me with this. We divided up duties, and I got to do all the decor! Thanks to Pinterest, I found several cute ideas I was able to copy.
We invited guests with these cute on-theme invitations.
I made this Hungry Caterpillar welcome banner using cardstock and my Silhouette Cameo to hang behind the chair where she would open gifts. I even found a font similar to the one used in the book! The red circles are 8" and the green circles are 6".
The paper lantern caterpillars are made using 10" red lanterns for the heads and 8" mismatched green lanterns for the bodies. I found the most affordable lanterns at the Paper Lantern Store. These sizes are fine for a smaller space, but I wish I had used larger ones for these large rooms. I used command hooks (3 lb. strength) to attach the caterpillars the ceilings so I wouldn't have to poke holes with tacks. The lanterns are strung onto fishing line. I used cardstock and my Silhouette Cameo for the face pieces and feet!
I made the giant fruits by painting large swoops of paint onto posterboard (a glass of wine helped me be extra swoopy with my brush strokes, lol). I used the paintbrush I normally use for painting trim and baseboards, and several colors of acrylic paint I had on hand. After making all the swoops, I flipped the posterboard over and drew out the fruits, then cut them out. I traced a roll of blue painters tape for the holes. These were a great way to make large decor for a big room.
The diaper cake is made from about 60 Size 2 Earth's Best diapers (because they're plain white, the larger size helps make the cake larger, and I just really love this brand). I used Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny for the book layer, and clipped them together with paperclips. I managed to find Hungry Caterpillar ribbon to wrap them up, and topped them off with a few Eric Carle toys! I tried accessorizing the cake with mini versions of baby toiletries, but it looked too busy.
We asked the guests to sign a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, as well as address an envelope for the Mom-to-be to use for her thank you notes. With 45 guests worth of thank you notes to write, she needs all the help she can get!
We also asked guests to bring a book to build the baby's library! I think he's going to be quite literate! The quilt is made from an Eric Carle 10 Little Rubber Ducks panel.
A family member made this amazing caterpillar cupcake display!
My other sister-in-law developed a delicious menu: yogurt bar, croissant bar (she MADE them at the house which made the house smell so yummy) with egg salad and chicken salad, pinwheel sandwiches, mini muffins, Duck Donuts, and a popcorn bar. She complemented the spread with a cocktail we named Peach Sparklers, which were made from peach puree, orange juice, and champagne.
Friends of the Mom-to-be created a draw-your-own bingo board where guests first filled out items they thought might get opened, then marked off squares as the gifts were unwrapped. They also broke up the gift portion of the shower with two games, one with nursery rhymes and one with children's books.
I really couldn't be happier with how the shower came together! It was cute, had great food, and fun activities. But most of all, it brought together this amazing community of women who are super excited to welcome this sweet baby into the world.
Hopefully some of these ideas come in handy if you're planning a Very Hungry Caterpillar Baby Shower or Very Hungry Caterpillar Birthday!
This post may contain affiliate links.
We invited guests with these cute on-theme invitations.
I made this Hungry Caterpillar welcome banner using cardstock and my Silhouette Cameo to hang behind the chair where she would open gifts. I even found a font similar to the one used in the book! The red circles are 8" and the green circles are 6".
The paper lantern caterpillars are made using 10" red lanterns for the heads and 8" mismatched green lanterns for the bodies. I found the most affordable lanterns at the Paper Lantern Store. These sizes are fine for a smaller space, but I wish I had used larger ones for these large rooms. I used command hooks (3 lb. strength) to attach the caterpillars the ceilings so I wouldn't have to poke holes with tacks. The lanterns are strung onto fishing line. I used cardstock and my Silhouette Cameo for the face pieces and feet!
I made the giant fruits by painting large swoops of paint onto posterboard (a glass of wine helped me be extra swoopy with my brush strokes, lol). I used the paintbrush I normally use for painting trim and baseboards, and several colors of acrylic paint I had on hand. After making all the swoops, I flipped the posterboard over and drew out the fruits, then cut them out. I traced a roll of blue painters tape for the holes. These were a great way to make large decor for a big room.
The diaper cake is made from about 60 Size 2 Earth's Best diapers (because they're plain white, the larger size helps make the cake larger, and I just really love this brand). I used Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny for the book layer, and clipped them together with paperclips. I managed to find Hungry Caterpillar ribbon to wrap them up, and topped them off with a few Eric Carle toys! I tried accessorizing the cake with mini versions of baby toiletries, but it looked too busy.
We asked the guests to sign a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, as well as address an envelope for the Mom-to-be to use for her thank you notes. With 45 guests worth of thank you notes to write, she needs all the help she can get!
We also asked guests to bring a book to build the baby's library! I think he's going to be quite literate! The quilt is made from an Eric Carle 10 Little Rubber Ducks panel.
My other sister-in-law developed a delicious menu: yogurt bar, croissant bar (she MADE them at the house which made the house smell so yummy) with egg salad and chicken salad, pinwheel sandwiches, mini muffins, Duck Donuts, and a popcorn bar. She complemented the spread with a cocktail we named Peach Sparklers, which were made from peach puree, orange juice, and champagne.
Friends of the Mom-to-be created a draw-your-own bingo board where guests first filled out items they thought might get opened, then marked off squares as the gifts were unwrapped. They also broke up the gift portion of the shower with two games, one with nursery rhymes and one with children's books.
I really couldn't be happier with how the shower came together! It was cute, had great food, and fun activities. But most of all, it brought together this amazing community of women who are super excited to welcome this sweet baby into the world.
Hopefully some of these ideas come in handy if you're planning a Very Hungry Caterpillar Baby Shower or Very Hungry Caterpillar Birthday!
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Mommy and Me skirts for Mother's Day
Hello there! I wanted to pop in with a quick post about the Mommy & Me skirts I just made for Mother's Day! This is a great sewing project for someone with beginner-level skills or someone looking for an adorable end product without spending a ton of time! It's all straight lines!
I used this blog for the pattern, and it was so easy to follow! The only change I made was to include more fabric in the hem, giving me the option to lengthen the skirt as my daughter grows. My other suggestion is to only multiply the waist measurement by 1.25x - 1.5x for an adult skirt, as mine came out very full. For my daughter I used the full 45" fabric width, which was a little more than 2x her waist.
The fabric is Paparounes in Crimson, and I bought it at Bobbie Lou's Fabric Factory. I love her curated collection of quilting fabrics!!! I just bought mermaid fabric (Mermaid Magic in Mist Metallic) to make another skirt like this for my daughter's birthday.
Photos are taken at the Capitol Riverfront in Washington, DC. If you're local or visiting I highly suggest making some time to play and walk around this park.
I used this blog for the pattern, and it was so easy to follow! The only change I made was to include more fabric in the hem, giving me the option to lengthen the skirt as my daughter grows. My other suggestion is to only multiply the waist measurement by 1.25x - 1.5x for an adult skirt, as mine came out very full. For my daughter I used the full 45" fabric width, which was a little more than 2x her waist.
The fabric is Paparounes in Crimson, and I bought it at Bobbie Lou's Fabric Factory. I love her curated collection of quilting fabrics!!! I just bought mermaid fabric (Mermaid Magic in Mist Metallic) to make another skirt like this for my daughter's birthday.
Photos are taken at the Capitol Riverfront in Washington, DC. If you're local or visiting I highly suggest making some time to play and walk around this park.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Extend the life of children's clothing with iron-on patches
We are super fortunate to have a source of adorable and gently-used children's clothing. Once her girls have outgrown items and toys, they get passed on to us! Most look like they've been worn only a few times, some have stains (which I've gotten pretty good at removing), but there are a few pieces that were obviously very loved!
When items are stained beyond my capabilities, they join the "spaghetti shirt" stockpile. Spaghetti shirts function as full-body bibs when we have meals or art projects that I know will stain good clothes.
But sometimes I can rescue a stained or worn item just by adding a little flair. The floral pants below were in good shape and part of the regular rotation, but got stained while crawling on the ground at Luray Caverns (which is totally worth visiting!). Around the same time, we were given a pair of pants that were looking worn at the knees. I wanted to save them both!
I dug around in my fabric stash and found a red and pink striped knit. I attached fusible web to the striped fabric first. Then I traced heart shapes onto the paper and cut out the hearts. I "dry fit" them over the stains/worn places, then ironed them on! Easy peasy.
I thought my project was complete at this step, but my daughter ripped the hearts off after wearing the pants for less than an hour. Soooo, I ironed on new patches, then sewed them down by hand with large stitches along the edge. This took about 5 minutes per patch.
Now these pants have new life, and might even be cuter than the original! Fancy companies put contrasting patches on their clothing and charge big bucks...I put these on hand-me-downs for free and in less than 30 minutes. Score! I did this to extend the life of these pants...but now I'm also thinking this would be a great way to knockoff the fancy children's brands!
The hearts were a cute shape for girls pants, but I think circles, squares, triangles, and hexagons would look great on clothing for both girls and boys. Do you have any clothing items that could be revived with a quick craft?
You might also be interested in these posts:
Baby Octopus Costume
Toddler Octopus Costume
Light-Up Trick-or-Treat Bag
When items are stained beyond my capabilities, they join the "spaghetti shirt" stockpile. Spaghetti shirts function as full-body bibs when we have meals or art projects that I know will stain good clothes.
But sometimes I can rescue a stained or worn item just by adding a little flair. The floral pants below were in good shape and part of the regular rotation, but got stained while crawling on the ground at Luray Caverns (which is totally worth visiting!). Around the same time, we were given a pair of pants that were looking worn at the knees. I wanted to save them both!
I dug around in my fabric stash and found a red and pink striped knit. I attached fusible web to the striped fabric first. Then I traced heart shapes onto the paper and cut out the hearts. I "dry fit" them over the stains/worn places, then ironed them on! Easy peasy.
I thought my project was complete at this step, but my daughter ripped the hearts off after wearing the pants for less than an hour. Soooo, I ironed on new patches, then sewed them down by hand with large stitches along the edge. This took about 5 minutes per patch.
Now these pants have new life, and might even be cuter than the original! Fancy companies put contrasting patches on their clothing and charge big bucks...I put these on hand-me-downs for free and in less than 30 minutes. Score! I did this to extend the life of these pants...but now I'm also thinking this would be a great way to knockoff the fancy children's brands!
The hearts were a cute shape for girls pants, but I think circles, squares, triangles, and hexagons would look great on clothing for both girls and boys. Do you have any clothing items that could be revived with a quick craft?
You might also be interested in these posts:
Baby Octopus Costume
Toddler Octopus Costume
Light-Up Trick-or-Treat Bag
Friday, October 7, 2016
Light-Up Trick-or-Treat Bag
Happy October! I've had so much crafty energy lately, it's been really fun :) My latest project is a light-up Halloween trick-or-treat bag!
I saw the panel for this bag in my local quilt shop about six weeks ago, but I didn't buy it when I first saw it. I kept thinking about it for weeks, so I finally went back, and bought the very last one! It's a panel with instructions to make the bag, but there were a few other supplies I needed, like the fabric for the lining and the binding. The panel also comes with some trick-or-treaters printed on it, which I think I'll save for future projects. Maybe for Halloween bibs, or an applique on a kid dress?
Before I cut into my panel, I traced the pattern onto paper for future use. I feel like if we have additional children down the line, they're going to want a trick-or-treat bag just like their sister!
The example in the shop was quilted all over in a random walk. I decided to quilt mine by outlining the house and trees.
The next step after quilting was to make button holes for the lights to poke through. The ladies at the shop gave me the great advice to lay out the lights first and make sure they would reach from one hole to the next. I also took into account they would need to go from one side of the bag to the other. 20 button holes later, and I had officially doubled the number of button holes I've ever sewn in my life. Thankfully my machine has settings to make it easy!
From there I just followed the directions, and it came together quickly! I think I might be more excited about this than Savannah, but oh well :) It's cute, but I also like that it adds some safety on Halloween! Also, the light are easy to remove, so it can go through the washer if it gets grubby.
If you want to make your own, look online for Northcott Fabric's Happy Halloween collection by Julie Dobson Miner. The bat fabric I used for the lining and the stripe I used for the binding are both from the Here for the Boos line from Wilmington Prints. All were available on Etsy at the time of the posting. (By the way, "Here for the Boos" needs to go on a Halloween sign somewhere in my house...too funny!)
I saw the panel for this bag in my local quilt shop about six weeks ago, but I didn't buy it when I first saw it. I kept thinking about it for weeks, so I finally went back, and bought the very last one! It's a panel with instructions to make the bag, but there were a few other supplies I needed, like the fabric for the lining and the binding. The panel also comes with some trick-or-treaters printed on it, which I think I'll save for future projects. Maybe for Halloween bibs, or an applique on a kid dress?
The example in the shop was quilted all over in a random walk. I decided to quilt mine by outlining the house and trees.
 |
| Quilt Shop Trick-or-Treat Bag |
The next step after quilting was to make button holes for the lights to poke through. The ladies at the shop gave me the great advice to lay out the lights first and make sure they would reach from one hole to the next. I also took into account they would need to go from one side of the bag to the other. 20 button holes later, and I had officially doubled the number of button holes I've ever sewn in my life. Thankfully my machine has settings to make it easy!
From there I just followed the directions, and it came together quickly! I think I might be more excited about this than Savannah, but oh well :) It's cute, but I also like that it adds some safety on Halloween! Also, the light are easy to remove, so it can go through the washer if it gets grubby.
If you want to make your own, look online for Northcott Fabric's Happy Halloween collection by Julie Dobson Miner. The bat fabric I used for the lining and the stripe I used for the binding are both from the Here for the Boos line from Wilmington Prints. All were available on Etsy at the time of the posting. (By the way, "Here for the Boos" needs to go on a Halloween sign somewhere in my house...too funny!)
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