KCW Upcycle Spring 2015

This round of KCW was super fun! I only wish I could have seen MORE awesome things. I mean, my upcycled box runneth  over and that's after purging it 6 mo. ago! 

Plush Pony (take 2) in Floral

Not long ago I made an adorable plush Fox Lovey for my newborn, which got me thinking about the first plush toy I ever made, a pony for Lily Mae. I kept going back to it in my head thinking about how I learned so much from it and had so much fun creating it. I began planning #2 in my head, well here she is. 

Happy Father's Day! annual tshirt for dad

Hey guys! 

Though I've been getting things done (amazingly!) ... it's been super quiet around here! This week I'm blowing you up with posts - including this one that I look forward to each year. 

Dad's annual Father's Day shirt. 

PR&P wk 1: Put Me In The Zoo (FAIL)

I completely intended to participate with the wk. 1 theme of Project Run and Play: Put Me In The Zoo. Seriously guys, I did. I even created the "outfit" that I wanted. "What's the problem?" you may be asking yourself.  

The outfit was a total fail. I hate it. Yeah, hate is a strong word and I don't like to use it ALL THE TIME, but there are times when strong words are needed. 

KCW Day 3 & Upcycle Challenge

Day 3 - A success! 

After mulling over a bazillion ideas that I wasn't feeling, I chose to make Archer a tshirt I originally saw on Pinterest that was similar to this but dip dyed in blues.  

Project Run& Play Wk. 2 Candy Challenge

Whew. 

Guys, this challenge was so tough for me. I'm a practical clothing maker, which doesn't work so well when "candy" comes to mind. Candy? Clothing? Add that to my tendency to choose neutral or muted colors and you see my problem. 

I actually considered just skipping this week. 

It. Was. SO. Hard. 

So hard that I finished my whole "Mad For Plaid" challenge outfit and only once it was done decided I shouldn't be lame and went back to the drawing board for the Candy Challenge. 

KCW :: Day 4

Good evening, hope you all had a productive day... maybe your also sewing for KCW! 

(feel free to leave me links to your projects, I love seeing them all!)

Yesterday I didn't post because I had a pattern cut and ready to sew, but the pattern pieces weren't the same as the directions. I've never had that happen before& I got really sad. So, I sucked it up and started hand-stitching a flower girls dress I've been working on. I got quite a bit done, so it wasn't a total loss. 

TODAY, I decided, should be epic. & it was pretty epic. I made a great tshirt dress using a pajama pattern I had on hand. I make the tshirt like normal& serged a knit skirt to the bottom. Yep, that easy. I could have gone to buy a pattern but I knew I could work with what I have. 

Summer Shirts & Mothers Day Present

Whew! 

It's mid-May and we finally have warm weather that lasts. This is what I've been waiting for. I was outside with my husband staring at our newly seeded yard and suddenly, as if there was a moment of clarity or a subtle hallelujah in my mind, I looked up and noticed how blue the Iowa sky was... and how green the grass was ... and I saw the beautiful blossoming trees... and heard the birds (it's like living in an aviary here). I just looked at my husband and said "Isn't Iowa SO beautiful?" 

I get that feeling when I come home from a vacation where I've studied their states distinctive features, then I come home and take a look at my life from the eyes of a traveler and I have a new found appreciation for what I see. 

That moment of clarity that I wish I could embrace every day.

Sewing. 

Yesterday when the kids actually napped, I got in a bit of time to sew up another tee for the little guy. I've already instagrammed  them but they are too fun not to throw up on the blog:

KCW check in

I thought I would just jump in with what I've been making during KCW. 

If  you didn't read my first KCW post go HERE to see why I'm still trying to make up for lost time. 

First plush pony

Hi guys! Last week on k.i.d.s. there were so many awesome kid inspired ideas. I loved watching the children draw something to be created. So, i had lily draw me what her perfect lily style my little pony would be.

Screen Printing ZIpper Bags

If you feel like my content is random, you're right! 

I'm nearly always moving from one form of art to another in a ... well frenzy of thought. 

As you may remember, at Christmas time I was all about making zipper bags as diy gifts. I totally LOOOOOVE them& how quick and simple they can be. There's a never ending amount of ways you can make them your own.. this being my new favorite. 

Screen printing!

Freezer paper rocks, right? Personalized stuff too? 

Yep& yep. 

1 WEEK OF ONSIES: Day 1

HI! So glad to be here showing you guys some AWESOME onesies I've been working on recently. I have been making SO many, that I've decided to call this week:

1 Week Of Onesies

First off is a super simple onsie I made for my Little Man:

Fathers Day& Photo Frames

Hi everyone! What a gloomy quiet Saturday we are having here in Iowa. I'm updating with a few recent projects, first up is the Fathers Day t-shirt I helped the kids make dad this year. 

I love love love using freezer paper to make my own screenprints. If you haven't heard of this technique, you need to check it out. I also made Archer boy a onsie of pictures that Lily drew for him:: an idea I picked up from Delia Creates Blog. Lovely blog she has over there! 

You will need:

Freezer paper

an Xacto knife

Permanent Acrylic Paint 

Foam Brushes

Iron/Ironing Board

Personalized Birthday Presents//

Happy Birthday to a wonderful young lady I know, Mk. She's my daughters older half sister. So, the big 12! I must say this age puts me in my place. I was a bit stumped on what to get her. She's an edgy girl, I wouldn't say a tom boy but definitely loves skulls and chucks and skateboarding. 

First I made her a winter headband. I had made one for lily, which she seems to enjoy quite a bit. 

This time I used freezer paper to customize the headband with her nickname. A little E6000 and rhinestones jazzed it up.

On the inside I lined it with skull fleece. 

I went a little bit more girly with the bag, I would call this my decoy. She probably thought I got her a bunch of skirts&bows.   :)

A close up of the tag. 

I found a super awesome wallet on this blog ... it features the old school cassette tape. I am proud to say that even in high school i loved making mix tapes! 

I didn't photograph the inside once it was finished but its lined with felt. How awesome is that though?

Once again used E6000 to put bling on it. I was thrilled to discover the gems fit perfectly into all of the holes where the screws were. 

She was really excited and started putting all her birthday money into it. A good indicator I think.