ONEderland

It's official!  My little boy is now a toddler (although he had actually been "toddling" for a few weeks before his birthday)!  I had so much fun planning for his party.  Somewhere along the line several months ago, I had come across the ONEderland theme and decided I couldn't resist the chance to jump down the rabbit hole.  Here's are some of the fun party ideas!

I was so excited about the way that the invitations turned out (especially since I have almost no graphic design experience!)  This project taught me about downloading new and exciting fonts to my computer which could prove to be very helpful in the future.  Want a few to try?  Check out my Pinterest board.

Welcome to ONEderland!

I scoured garage sales, Craigslist, and our local antique mall for lots of fun teapots.  And see that little hat there?  I made that for little G, but alas, we are in the phase where he hates having anything on his head.  So it just ended up being decoration instead.  Sigh.  You can find the free pattern at www.fleecefun.com

This was one of my favorite last minute decorations because they were so easy and I already had everything on hand!  Many thanks to Suburban Utopia for the adorable addition to the table!

This bit of decor was inspired by a Pinterest pin to a very talented Etsy seller.  I would have just ordered them, but since I had almost all of the supplies at home, I opted to cut them from cardstock myself.  I regret that I didn't make more people take pictures with them, but they looked great!

 Weren't they cute?!?!

My hubby also helped me make a cupcake stand for our little teacup cupcakes out of some boards he had in the garage.  We used this tutorial as inspiration.  It will be interesting to see if I can get those cans of corn and green beans that we used as pillars open now that they've been covered in hot glue!

 

 Yay for new fonts and fun paper punches!  Oh - would you like a cupcake wrapper template?
Here's the one I used.  I used my scalloped scissors for the top edge and attached the little handles from scraps I cut.  A friend also shared a great link with me for how to frost cupcakes and I used the Wilton whipped frosting mix where you just add cold water.  It rocked!

My little man and his "1"-sie.  It matched the hat.  :( 
Perhaps I should dress him up in them now and take a picture so I get over that, huh?

 Last, but not least - I wish I would have taken some better pictures of this.  My hubby helped me make the croquet wickets out of giant playing cards from the party supply store.  I didn't have time to create pink flamingo mallets, so we used the standard set, but the kiddos didn't seem to mind.

I suppose that now it's time to start thinking about the Halloween costume.  I'm trying to be the lady who thinks ahead about these things.  I did that for the party and it worked great.  But maybe I should also begin the actual construction phase more than about a week out.  Eh, we'll see . . . :)

Baby Bootie Bonanza!

As mentioned in a previous post, I seem to have a bit of an infatuation with baby toes lately.  I just keep finding the most adorable patterns for knitting to keep those little tootsies warm.  I've also discovered that this is a pretty good type of knitting project for me.  They are quick and the payoff is adorable!  Then I'm off to the next one!  Here are the projects I completed while on blogging hiatus.

Sweet Slip-Ons 

pattern available for FREE at www.lionbrand.com

Lavish Booties

pattern available for FREE at www.lionbrand.com

Last, but not least . . . 

Cozy Bear Paws

I'll have to find a model for those last ones because my little man's feet are too big, but the camera just doesn't do them justice!  They whip together with Fun Fur yarn and a pattern from the book Wacky Baby Knits.  Too cute and the best part is that you don't have to be so crazy about seaming them just right!  Now off to make some Ruby Red Slippers!

Light Box Day

On Monday, my little man and his Daddy had a night out and so I decided to spend some time browsing the bookstore and drinking coffee.  While I was browsing (in the craft section, of course) I found a book with tips and tricks for capturing your work on camera.  Overall, it was way too technical for me at this juncture in my life.  I did however land on an idea that I decided to try and that was to make a DIY light box.  So since the sun was shining brightly today and offering lots of natural light I decided it was time to give it a go.

You want to start with a nice sized box.  I began with Size 2 - 120 count (hey, I'm a mommy!) which was about 1'x2', but after trial run #1 realized we needed something bigger and ended up using Size 3 - 222 count (= about 1.5'x3').

To make the box, cut out large holes in three of the sides.  You'll want to leave enough of a frame to maintain the rigidity of the box and determine if you want the base to be the long or short side - depending on what you plan to photograph.

After completing your cuts, you'll want to cover the openings to diffuse and soften the light that will illuminate your subject.  My first attempt at this was to try parchment paper because I thought it would let a decent amount of light through.  Unfortunately, I realized that not only do my cookies not stick to parchment paper, but tape doesn't either.  I may have said a few choice words.  So my next thought was to use white tissue paper and that cooperated much better.

I also found a roll of wrapping paper with a light front (to make sure it didn't show through) and plain white back to drape down the back and bottom of the box.  It's best if you can avoid creasing this paper as it will show in photos!

And here we are sitting in the afternoon sun!  I'm going to need to try it down in the dungeon with my desk lamps as well, but I like the results from using sunlight.  I suppose if needed, I'll just have to go shutter crazy on sunny days and spend the cloudy ones actually making the things to photograph!

Here are a couple of items that I photographed today!

Gift Basket Bonanza

One of my favorite ways to put together an affordable, yet thoughtful gift is to assemble a gift basket.  There are so many fabulous ways to theme them whether you are creating one for holiday gift giving, weddings, baby showers, housewarming gifts, etc. The sky's the limit!  I like to get a bit of e-inspiration regarding a theme (there are several websites available to help with this - I especially like www.homemade-gift-basket-ideas.com) and then customize the basket to your recipient by adding things geared to them.  Here are some helpful tips on assembling the baskets!

To begin, you should gather your supplies and basket stuffers.  My favorite time of the year to do this is the day after Christmas.  I go to the local shops that are itching to get rid of their holiday items and stock up.  (This is my absolute favorite shopping day of the year!)  You can find these things any time of year though and if you're creative, you might find great items already around the house.

You will need cellophane wrapping, basket filler (tissue paper, shredded paper, tinsel, or even the Sunday comics), a rubber band, wired ribbon, clear tape, and scissors.

There are a wealth of options available for your container.  Of course, one of the most popular choices is a basket, but don't rule out flower pots, vases, mixing bowls, etc.  Be creative and find a container that matches your theme.

One of the most important things about container choice is making sure that your basket looks full.  You can help achieve this by use of decorative fillers, but starting with a container that is proportionate will make a big difference.  In the photo above I only used a small notepad and Santa ornament, but the container made the fit look just right.

Now on to assembly tips!  First, take the clear cellophane wrapping and position your container to that the short sides are on the left and right and you can unroll the wrap as you fit it to your container.  I like to unroll enough wrap to have it go up the front and back and have about 6-8 inches that extends above your tallest basket stuffer.

Next, gather the wrap starting at each side and working towards the middle.  A trick I learned here is to utilize a rubber band to secure the cellophane.  It makes it much easier and more secure than trying to attach the decorative ribbon at this point and gives you more leeway to adjust a tweak the ribbon later.  I gather my wrap pretty close to the top of the tallest basket stuffer to help hold things in place inside the basket.

You will find that your basket now has wings.  This is a great time to reach in and adjust the contents to make sure everything is displayed just right.  You may find that you need to secure your items together or to the container with a bit of tape here.  Just reach inside and fuss.  (Or add that one little thing you forgot like I always tend to do - such as the card!)

After that, simply fold and tape back the wings to the back of the container.  One special note here is to make sure that you have clear tape.  If you use the Scotch tape with satin finish it will jump right out at you off the cellophane and look rather tacky.  You don't have to go out and buy a new roll of Scotch tape if you have packing tape around - just use that instead.

To complete the gift, use the ribbon to cover that rubber band and add a decorative touch.  You can take creative liberties here too by using raffia, hair bows, and other items that coordinate with your theme.  This is also a good place to tie on a gift tag if you don't want to require the recipient to open the gift to see who it's from (think baby and wedding showers) or add a baby rattle, holiday ornament, etc.

Finally, here are a few photos of some baskets I put together this year for the holidays.  Happy gift giving!

This breakfast basket included homemade pancake mix, gourmet coffee and hot cocoa, a wire whisk, oven mitt, and recipes for unusual pancake ideas.

A little holiday happiness basket for our family's $10 gift exchange included a snowman, painted spoon ornament, and Cake in a Cup mix)

These baskets were made for some of our best friends and included coffee mugs, spiced tea, hot cocoa, and Cake in a Cup mixes.  I also added some cuddly socks and little fun things for the kiddos.

One last note!  You can see the basket liners that I made in a couple of these photos.  I found an incredibly easy tutorial for how to make these on YouTube.  I also used the leftover fabric to make coasters that had cinnamon and cloves inside that smelled FABULOUS when your warm coffee mug sits on them.  Here's the video!

Swiffer Covers

As I was scouring for fabulous ideas in conjunction with my new Pinterest addiction, I came across the great idea for Swiffer covers.  The first version I came across was knitted, which I may also try for damp-mopping my hard floors, but I also found this great sewing tutorial on the blog Sew Much Ado.  Today I gave them a shot and they turned out fabulous!

I made two minor modifications that are different from her pattern.  The first is that I used a mircofiber towel for my dust-grabbing side.  This isn't so much because I doubted the effectiveness of a chenille sock, but more because it was what was in the aisle in front of me that reminded me that I wanted to make these.  I also made the decision to reinforce the stitching where the pocket meets the pad when I was completing the topstitch.  I decided that it might be helpful after I put my first one on and stretched it over the edge of the sweeper.  Otherwise, I found this tutorial spot-on and quite easy to follow!  Thanks for a great idea!