Taggie-type blanket

I made some taggie style blankets for the two newest additions to my family. They were fun, easy, and quick to make!
Front:


Back with the minky-like fabric:


Close-up of my mad applique skills. It's the first time I have appliqued something:


The babies (both 5 months old) loved them! I couldn't have been happier! The gold mesh ribbons started pulling out so I removed them before I gave them to the babies. Is there a special way to sew mesh?

Measurements:
Blanket = 15in pre sewing, 14 in after sewing
Ribbons = 5 inches pre sewing, 2 inches after folding and sewing

How to make a symmetrical 5-point star in one cut!

Pretty Pretty Princess

I just finished my daughter's Halloween costume! I used McCall's 5731 view B. Parts of this dress were troublesome, but I managed! As always, click images to view larger.

Full dress, on hanger, as modeled by my blinds.


Spread out to see all the details.

Modeled by it's owner, my daughter. Her silly faces are due to the wonderful song she was singing me. It goes something like, "I'm a princeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssss!"

Nap time. It's hard work being a princess.
And just to show how large the skirt is...


hopefully I can get some better action shots ;c) I'm glad she likes it though... especially since she refused to wear the first dress I made her for days!

Pyramid Bag

Found instructions for this bag here and here.
Decided to grab a scrap of fabric and give it a whirl.

My result:


Side-ish view to see it in all it's pyramid-y goodness.

Open. I did not line it. Maybe next time.


And full of dice:


The real reason for making on of these? Because they look like 4-sided dice! Yes, I am a geek! Hubby has already claimed this one, but I will be making more. He has already requested on with numbers on it. =)

Chocolate Charms

Here are 4 chocolate charms with strawberry filling made from Polymer Clay (Sculpy III and FIMO). They measure just over 1/2 inch.
I had originally made them to be magnets for my fridge, but found out they are too small for the magnets I have. Of course I didn't measure them before I baked them.

Small Crayon Tote

I saw this post on Craftster.org and knew I had to make one! My daughter loves to color and is almost obsessed with bags/purses (teach 'em young, right?). I was trying to decide which scrap fabric to use as most of my fabric is still packed away. I should really get my craft area more organized. As I was standing in my craft space, contemplating, I noticed a fat quarter sitting next to me. It's super cute fabric that I had no other use for and thought it would be cute. Excited, I got to work.

The lining is the same as the handles.
My daughter was super excited to find it in the morning. Since I didn't have a small notebook on hand, she's been storing other things in it - like her Hello Kitty mirror/lip gloss. I think these would make great stocking stuffers, good bags for parties, etc. I want to make more. In fact, my son saw it and wants one now too. I'll have to find some "manly" fabric for him.

Some notes:
Don't drink while sewing - if you do, write down more specific directions. I only wrote measurements down as this should have been a quick project. It was not. I couldn't figure out how to get the lining on the right way and had to rip out the seam once. I also had to boot up my computer and check the online tutorial... twice. Oh well. It looks great and is well liked by it's recipient.
I am thinking of making another, but bigger. Coloring book sized that holds either 16 or 32 crayons.

I made artwork for my walls!

Taking inspiration from This Thread at Craftster, I went to the dollar store and picked up 3 8x10 frames. They were all split at the corners, but a little wood glue fixed them right up. I also spray-painted them blue to match the revamped clock I made earlier.
I tried to get a size reference shot, but any further away and my camera wouldn't focus on it.


Fleur De Lis


Butterfly, shape taken from a sticker I bought, scanned in and enlarged.


Tribal Ravens/Wings. I found this one specifically for Jesse. The artwork is from here.


This is the first time I have hung pretty much anything on my walls since my first apartment 8 years ago. I think I just never bothered because I always lived in rentals. I am definitely enjoying the look and feel of having things you enjoy looking at hanging on the walls.

Some notes:
My printer paper is super thin. You can see the magazine strips though it - I found that out after I had cut out the tribal ravens/wings. I re-traced them onto photo paper and re-cut them out. It was a pain. Luckily, I was smart enough to print the butterfly directly to the photo paper and just skip the printer paper all together.
Using an exacto knife is much easier than using scissors .
A paper cutter is a life saver!
Larger designs (like the fleur de lis) seem to work better than the smaller tribal designs - and are easier to cut out!

Key Fobs - Ribbon and Fabric

I found a couple tutorials on key fobs and went to town!


There were a few more, but they were claimed before I could get a picture of them. The music note one has also been claimed (she just needs to get her butt out here to visit so she can have it!). And of course the butterfly one is mine since it matches my purse, wallet and tissue cozy.

Resouces:
Fabric Key Fob Tutorial at cute2carry.com
Ribbon Key Fob Tutorial at jcarolinecreative.com
Key Fob Hardware at cdwplus.com - the cheapest I have found.