Friday, February 25, 2011

Polka Dot Elephant

 Polka Dot Elephant

I made this for my sister's new baby, and delivered it to her during my December 2010 Hawaii trip. 

I used Simplicity 2613 with polka dot minky fabric for ultra softness.

I also added the "p.s. I love you" tag

My sister loved it so much, I'm not sure the baby is ever getting to play with it!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Piggie and Gerald

Elephant and Piggie

Hannah LOVES these Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems.

so we set out to make our own Piggie and Gerald

 Here's Piggie...

 and Gerald

 of course they are not exact, but I am not creative enough to design something myself, 
so I used the Simplicity 2613 pattern.

I think they came out pretty close 

don't you think?

 Hannah has her own set, but these were a gift for a very special girl who turned one a few days months ago!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Valentines Chair Backer

(some of the pictures were taken in different lighting situations, so the photo above is the true color of the bag)
Valentines Mail Bags!

I found this amazing tutorial of a Pottery Barn Kids Valentine Chair Backer or Valentines Mail Bag.  I knew I needed to make one for Hannah.  Then realized that we have another little girl in our family (my sister's baby) who would also love one.  So I ended up making two!

(tutorial is no longer available, so I have included a copy of the pdf tutorial. All rights are to ourscoop.blogspot.com. Click here to download PDF Pattern) 

Here is my fabric.  I made sure to buy washable felt, just in case...  I also pre-washed the fabric, to minimize shrinkage.  

Hannah picked this one.  

It has the white heart and red lining.  It also has covered buttons made with the red fabric.

This one is Aliyah's.

Her's has the red heart...

the white lining, and buttons from my grandma

They both are perfect for hanging on the back of a chair and filling with Valentines treats!

They both have buttons from my Grandma on the back...

and working buttonholes.

The buttons on the front of the bag are just decorative, it is velcro that keeps the bags closed.  
It makes for easy access to Valentines goodies!


I added some hand stitching with embroidery thread on both.  I love the detailed look of it.

...and both have a p.s. I Love You tag on the inside

They were both finished the evening of February 13th, and since I had to mail Aliyah's she won't be able to use her bag until next year.  Luckily she is only 3 1/2 months old and has many years left to use it!

Friday, February 18, 2011

3D Heart Card

 Perfect for Valentines!

This idea came from Little Birdie Secrets and her easy note card tutorial.  I made sure that my papers were pink and red (for Valentines), but I love how all Little Birdie Secrets used such a variety of papers!

 I used 4 different patterned papers and  used my Silhouette to cut out the hearts.

I stitched using pink in the front 

 and cream thread in the back.  
I hoped it would make the thread a little less noticeable, but it didn't help that much.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Job Jars

Job Jars

Hannah has been asking to do jobs around the house for a few weeks now.   Of course I wanted something fairly cute, so using some Ikea jars I found at Goodwill and some craft sticks, this is what I came up with. The sticks fit in the jars, and the jars sit on a basket/tray that my mom gave me.  The tray has been around ever since I can remember, and she let me take it home with me after our Hawaii trip.  It works perfectly for holding our little jars.

There is one "To Do" jar that holds all the job sticks.  The Red are weekly chores and the Blue are monthly chores.  I didn't bother with daily, because we're already good with that.  Each person has their own jar with their initial on it.  Jeff and Takeshi are exempt because both of them have "real" jobs (Jeff also takes care of the pool).

Each day we take out a red stick and then Friday or Saturday we also pick a blue stick.

Weekly Chores:
  • Wash Kitchen Trash Can
  • Clean Mirrors
  • Refill Soap Dispensers
  • Dust
  • Wash Kitchen Floor (Sweep Kitchen Floor is a daily chore)
  • Clean Stainless Steel
  • Wash Down Kitchen Cupboards
  • Sweet Bathroom Floors
  • Vacuum Stairs and Upstairs (Vacuum Downstairs is a daily chore)
  • Clean Bathroom (there are 3 of these, since there are 3 bathrooms)
Monthly Chores:
  • Wash Kitchen Counters (This is more of a deep clean, where everything gets moved and EVERYTHING gets cleaned)
  • Clean Patio
  • Wash Walls (fingerprints, etc)
  • Dust Ceiling Fans
  • Wash Tile Floors
  • Clean Baseboards
  • Wash Light Switches 
  • Wash Out Fridge
  • Wipe Down Doors
  • Wash Stair Railing
There are still many chores that Hannah and I have to do together, but Ernest can handle any of these on his own.