Archives for March 2010

31
Mar

Easy No-Sew Applique Tutorial

As I have mentioned in previous posts, it is “birthday season” around here.  My daughter’s 12 little friends all have their birthdays within a month of each other.  Well this weekend is the grand finale of all the birthday festivities!

This weekend my friend Danica’s little guy, Roaran, will celebrate turning 2 and will finally join his friends in the “2” club!  She is planning an awesome “Thomas the Train” party that I’m sure will be amazing.  She wanted to jazz up his basic train overalls to make them “Thomas” themed and I agreed to help her out with this little project.

This is a simple, inexpensive no-sew (or a little bit of sewing if you want) project.  This would be perfect for your child’s jeans, a little jacket, a t-shirt or anything you are wanting to add something to, just to make it a little bit more special.

Easy No-Sew T-Shirt Applique Tutorial
Supplies:
1 pair overalls
1 T-Shirt (whatever theme you like….Thomas, Elmo, Dora, Mickey Mouse)
Fusible Web (WonderUnder or any other brand)
Scissors
Iron
Thread
Directions:
Start with your basic overall.  Danica picked out this super-cute classic train overall.
She then found this “Thomas” shirt at a local children’s resale shop in town.  It’s a cute shirt, but she (and I) didn’t care too much for the fact that it was a tank-top and looked a little too plain for a birthday boy.
I cut the “Thomas” and the wording off of the t-shirt as close to the edge as possible.
I then cut fusible interfacing out to match the shape of each of the cut-outs from the t-shirt.
I ironed the interfacing to the back-side of each of the t-shirt applique pieces (follow the directions for whatever brand of interfacing you use).  Then I took the paper off of the back of the appliques.
I placed the applique pieces where I thought they would look best and ironed them into place. 
I appliqued the picture of Thomas on the front pocket of the overalls and the “Thomas and Friends” onto the back-side.
You can stop after you have ironed on your applique, but I like to take it a step further.  I stitched around each applique piece after ironing, just to increase durability.  If you know anything about toddler boys, they are super-rough on their clothes so this is a good idea if you plan on having your little one wear these after the party.
The nice thing about using knit t-shirt material for the applique is that you don’t have to worry about the edges fraying like you would with regular quilting cotton.
Hopefully Danica will be “guest” posting about her fabulous “Thomas” party in the coming weeks!!
Cottage Mama’s Note:  The next time you are out at a garage sale or resale shop, look around for t-shirts that could be deconstructed for their applique potential.  Maybe your child likes Elmo or Diego or Barney or simply look for t-shirts that have pretty flowers or designs.  This Thomas shirt was not particularly special, but once I took it apart and added it to the overalls, it became just that!!
30
Mar

The Cottage Mama is in the Mommyhood!

I’m so excited that Shannon over at luvinthemommyhood.com has posted this lovely feature/interview about my family, myself and my etsy shop “The Cottage Mama“.  Yes, that’s right, I have an etsy shop!  I know I haven’t officially talked too much about my shop here on the blog, but I just recently got some inventory listed and I’m open for business!! 


I am doing a giveaway for a $25.00 gift certificate to my shop over at luvinthemommyhood.  I would love if you would head over to luvinthemommyhood, check out the interview and enter to win!!  You will also learn lots more about “The Cottage Mama”.  While you’re over there, take a few minutes to poke around Shannon’s blog – she has some wonderful projects, ideas, and gorgeous pictures!

If you would like to keep updated with “The Cottage Mama” become a fan on facebook.  Click here to become a fan!

26
Mar

Boys………

If you have been following my blog here for very long, you know that most of the things I post about (when it comes to children) has to do with girls.  I’m sorry, I can’t help it, I have two of them!!

Well, I have been working on some birthday presents for my daughters little friends and they happen to be mostly…………boys.  I love to make Savannah’s little friends handmade gifts for their birthdays.  Now it is not always possible to make ALL of them totally handmade, but I try my best.

I’m a huge fan of making super-hero capes for the little ones, but here are some other gifts I made recently that will be given to my daughter’s 2-year old “boyfriends”.

The Car Cozy:

 I love this gift idea!  I think this is so perfect for a little guy on the go.  Mom can take this simple “Car Cozy” in her diaper bag or purse and whenever she needs to entertain the little guy, she can pull it out and he can have instant fun! 

I based this design off of the “Car Cozy” tutorial by Homemade by Jill.  So if you are interested in making this gift for someone, I definitely recommend checking out her tutorial – it’s great and very thorough.  I did change it up a bit, so I’ll let you know what I did.

As you know, I love toys that encourage imaginitive play and this one is perfect.  You’ve got the street and the different cars – so much fun!

I used brown and yellow felt to make the road.  And used Riley Blake’s new “Wheels” line for the fabric to hold the cars.  The light khaki color is a thick cotton twill.

I appliqued a car out of fabric (again, Riley Blake “Wheels”) and sewed wheels made from felt to the exterior of the “Car Cozy”.

For the exterior, I used a thick denim.  This would be a great idea for recycling a used pair of jeans that you are no longer wearing.

To speed up this project, I used my serger to sew around the entire exterior.  Homemade by Jill’s tutorial does not use a serger.  I know many of you don’t have a serger, but if you do, I think this is the way to go!

For the tie, I used two pieces of felt ribbon that I got at my local Michael’s.

To close the “car cozy” you fold it in half (as you can see, I included my “The Cottage Mama” label).

Then you fold it in half again and secure with the tie.

 I think any little guy would be thrilled to receive this gift – Vroom, Vroom!!!

Charm Square Car Bean Bags:

I included these four bean bags in one my my daughters friends gifts.  The main portion of the gift was a tote with a bunch of outdoor sand toys and I thought these bean bags would make for some additional outdoor fun!

These four bean-bags were all made from charm squares of fabric.  I made one side from Riley Blake “Wheels” fabric.

And on the other side I used a fun polka-dot in “boy” colors.

Again, if you have a serger this makes for a super-simple project.  Just serge three sides of the fabric together, fill with beans, and then serge the fourth side.  I finished all of the corners with fray-check to prevent future fraying.

If you do not have a serger, place the right-sides of the fabric together and stitch three sides (1/2″ seam allowance), then turn them right-side out and press your seams.  Fill with beans, and hand-sew the fourth side to close the bean bags.

I used an entire bag of beans for these four bean-bags.


Cottage Mama’s Note:  Since this wasn’t a full tutorial, if you have any questions about these gifts, feel free to leave me a comment or send me an email.

24
Mar

Pretty Scrapbook Paper Covered Magazine File ~ Tutorial

I’m in the midst of needing to re-do my sewing/crafting/office space – it needs it – desperately!!  If you came into my house right now I would be so embarrased.  I have a gazillion yards of fabric everywhere and have taken over the entire dining room and office.  I am the type of person that needs my space to be organized and put together in order to feel like I can move ahead and create…….well right now, I should be at a stand-still because it is a disaster!

So in an effort to start to re-do my “studio” (that’s what we’ll call it…….sounds good, right?), I decided to start with an easy project.  Several years back I had purchased some inexpensive cardboard magazine files from IKEA – these to be exact:

They are only $2.99 for a pack of 5 – a bargain!!  But look at them…….they are screaming for some color.  So here is my overhaul project for these great deal, but not so pretty, magazine files.

Pretty Covered Magazine File Tutorial
Supplies:
-Magazine files
-Pretty scrapbook paper
-Glue
-Scissors or a paper cutter
-Pencil or pen
Directions:
Grab your scrapbook paper.  I used Amy Butler’s scrapbook pack so that I would have a bunch of designs and colors that all coordinate and you know how I feel about Amy Butler (love her)!
Get out a sheet of 12 x 12 paper.
Flip your paper over and trace (with your pen or pencil) around the long-side of your magazine file.
This is what it will look like after you have done your tracing.
Use your paper cutter (or scissors) and cut out what you traced.  If you don’t have a paper cutter, I highly recommend getting one.  They are pretty inexpensive (especially if you use your 40% off coupon at Joann’s or Michael’s) and if you plan on doing much crafting at all, it is well-worth the money.
Here is your long front piece cut out and ready to go.
Take your glue and place it all over the side of the file and place your long piece on top (be sure to line it up perfectly).  I just used your basic glue, but the stronger the better.  Another idea is to use Mod Podge for this project – if you are into that sort of thing.
Now you could stop here, as you really will only see the front of the file if you keep these in a bookcase, but I decided to take it a few steps further and cover the entire file box.  For the sides trace each one on another piece of scrapbook paper.
Use the first one you cut out as a template for your second.  You need two in order to cover both sides.
Again, swirl glue all around the side of the file and place your pretty paper on top.
For the other small piece, use a scrap from the first long-piece we cut.   Trace the same as the other pieces.
Here is what the smaller side of the file should look like.
To add your labels, I cut small pieces of neutral cardstock (approx. 1″ x 3″) to back my printed labels.
For the printed part of the label, I used my label maker (oh how I love my label maker!), but if you don’t have one, just print your text out on your computer or hand-write it.
Place your labels all at the same height on the long-side of the file.
Here is what your pretty magazine file will look like after it is complete.  Looks like it cost a lot more than the 60 cents that I paid for each file, right?
Here are some more files that I did as well in coordinating Amy Butler scrap paper.
These files just make me so happy, now if I could just get the rest of my “studio” to make me this happy!!
22
Mar

Easy-Sew T-Shirt Shrug Tutorial

So I never sew anything for myself these days.  Right now it is all about my girls, but I decided today was a new day, the sun was shining and it was time for the cottage mama to have something new to wear.  I saw this idea here and it looked SO easy that I had to give it a try. 
I know several of you have commented or emailed me about being new to sewing.  This is the perfect project for a beginner sewer.  Don’t be intimidated by the fact that I am using knit here…….trust me……you can do it!
So let’s begin…….
This was a long-sleeved t-shirt that I had been wearing this past winter.  Unfortunately it had gotten several small holes right in the center of the shirt and had a small little stain (as is with most of my white shirts).
There are the holes in the middle of the picture……see them……they are very tiny, but they are there.  But no worries, they will be hidden as I turn this t-shirt into a shrug.
I used my quilters ruler and drew with a regular pencil.
Make sure you just cut the top layer of the shirt and don’t cut the back.
It was sad to cut off this beautiful trim, but I saved it and will use it for another one of my many projects.
Turn the shirt inside out and measure around the entire area that you have cut – up and around the neck-line.
Pin all the way around – please, please do not skip this step.  I know there are some who think that having to pin is a big pain in sewing, but trust me, it is the only way to achieve professional looking results.
When sewing with knits, I prefer to use a Singer “orange” needle that is especially designed for sewing with knit-like fabric.  You can use your regular needle, but I find the other needle to move through the fabric more smoothly.
Once you have sewn around the entire center and neck-line turn your shirt right-side out.  I don’t know if you can see it very well, but we have created an opening all the way around the neck-line.  Ok, stay with me, we’re almost done!
This was a really fun piece of trim that I got recently and I decided to use it for my shrug.  Any ribbon or string will work.  You can find bodkin’s at all of your sewing shops – they are very inexpensive and I much prefer them to the safety pin.
You will use approximately a yard and a half of ribbon – give or take, depending on your size and how much gathering you do with your shrug.
 Completed T-Shirt Shrug
 (that’s me taking a picture of myself)

Then pull your ribbon tight and tie it into a bow (pulling the ribbon on both ends will cause the shirt to gather).  You can wear the bow higher or lower on your chest.  Just play around with it and see what fits your personal style.
There are so many ways to personalize this shrug.  Use any kind of knit t-shirt – go edgy, punk-rock, preppy, laid-back……..whatever your style, you can make it work with this look! 
Have fun and happy sewing!!
17
Mar

Spring May Finally Be Here – Time for Spring Fashion!

Here in the Midwest we have FINALLY thawed out from this cold winter.  As of right now, we have no snow on the ground and it was 63 degrees today – hooray!!  I don’t mind the beginning of winter, but after months and months, it is so nice to finally be able to play outside with my girls.

Today I had a little nap-time project that I’ve been wanting to accomplish and I finally got around to it and thought I would share it with all of you.  Several months back my Mom sent me this skirt that she picked up at Goodwill:

My Mom saw this skirt and loved the fabric (she and I have similar taste).  This skirt is way too big for me, but she knew that I had been really into “upcycling” things lately so she thought I could use the yardage for something.  When I got this skirt in the mail, I was in love with the fabric – gorgeous, bright, and cheery!!  I instantly new this had to be made into a dress for my oldest daughter, Savannah Rose.

So in less than 30 minutes during nap-time this is what I came up with –

A cute spring/summer dress for my sweet Savannah Rose.  I took in about 8-10 inches on each side of the skirt to make it fit my daughters chest measurement (21 inches).  No hemming was required because the hem was already in place.  I folded over the waistband about two inches on the top in order to get the desired length.  I decided to leave it longer for now so it will grow with my daughter.

The side of the skirt had a zipper closure, but I just decided to use that as the back of the dress.  How easy was that?  I didn’t even have to put in a zipper!!  I did two additional tucks/darts in the back of the dress (about two inches from the zipper on either side), that way as my daughter grows, I can easily seam rip the darts out (which are just sewn at the top) and the chest size will expand.

I used two pieces of polka-dot bias tape for the straps and simply sewed them into place.

For the front detail I sewed two fabric yo-yo’s in coordinating fabrics layered on top of one another and stitched them together.

I then covered a button with fabric, using additional yardage from the skirt and stitched it on top of the two yo-yo’s.  I think I may be addicted to yo-yo’s – they are so cute and add vintage charm to just about anything!

Happy Start of Spring!

Cottage Mama’s Note:  If you would like any further explanation on how this dress came together, feel free to leave me a comment or send me an email and I can answer any questions you may have.

12
Mar

Easiest Appetizer EVER – Cream Cheese & Olive Crescents

This recipe is so easy, it’s almost embarrassing……..I don’t even know if I should call it a recipe.

Yesterday I wanted to make something super yummy for my daughter and I for lunch (my 2-year old loves olives).  I was kind of in a comfort food sort of mood (what’s new, right?) and this is what I came up with and boy was it good!!

Cream Cheese & Olive Crescents
Ingredients:
1/2 brick cream cheese
Marinated olives, chopped – I used an olive muffaleta spread, but olive tapenade would work well
1 package crescent rolls


Directions:
 
Cottage Mama’s Note:  What do you think of my little tutorial?  Like the text on the pictures?
11
Mar

Pretty Dish Soap Storage

So, I don’t know about you, but being the Mom of two little ones (both of which use the high-chair), I am constantly hand-washing their high-chair tray about 4-6 times per day.  I don’t care to have things out on my kitchen counter that are not esthetically pleasing, but what a pain to have to get out the dish soap a gazillion times a day.

So I store my dish soap on my kitchen counter in a pretty olive oil bottle.  This way it is always out when I need it, but it still looks pretty.  The soap easily dispenses out of the bottle just by tipping it over and shaking it slightly.  My Mom was the one who originally gave me this idea…….she is such a smart lady!!

Anyway, I just thought I would pass along this idea to you all in case you wanted to “prettify” (I don’t know if that’s a word) your kitchen counter! 

8
Mar

Elmo Dance 2nd Birthday Party!

Wow, this was a busy weekend!!  As you read in my previous post, this past Friday was my older daughter, Savannah’s, 2nd birthday and on Saturday we had her big 2nd birthday bash – an Elmo Dance Party!  Savannah LOVES to dance and she LOVES Elmo, so why not combine them both into one great party!

We had a little over 50 people at her party – I know, totally excessive for a 2-year old, but we had to invite all of her playgroup buddies and parents (wouldn’t have been the same without them!).  My in-laws (Gigi & Grumpy) graciously allowed us to host the party at their gorgeous home (The Cottage Home is a little small for that many people) and it worked out perfectly.

I thought I would share with you a few of the pictures from her party and some of my party ideas:

Invitations

These are the invites I made for Savannah’s party.  I did two different variations of them because I couldn’t decide which one I liked better.  I used cupcake liners and flattened them, printed out a birthday picture of Elmo and framed it with a card-stock frame cut-out.   I printed all of the party information on the inside of the card.

Party Favors

For the party favors we gave out balloons and I made rice-krispy treat pops.  I bought store-bought rice krispy treats from Costco – they came in three different varieties – ones with chocolate candies, chocolate drizzle, and double chocolate.  I then stuck multiple colored sticks into each rice-krispy treat.  To wrap them up, I put a clear bag over the top with an Elmo sticker and tied them with multi-colored grosgrain ribbon.  I think they looked pretty cute in the little basket!!

Party Food
We kept the party food really simple (50 people is a lot of people to feed!).  And my Mom and Pepo flew into town from Texas, so I wanted to be able to spend some quality time with them and not be cooking our brains out to get ready for the party.  My father-in-law grilled cheese burgers, we had a bunch of different varieties of chips, and had bagel dogs for the little kiddos.
We also had cups of layered goldfish and cheerios for the little ones (I call these kiddo parfaits).
As I have mentioned before, my husband is a home-brewer and makes his own beer and wine.  For Savannah’s party he made a special beer (for the adults, of course) called “Elmo’s Hoppy Birthday Red Ale”.  It was AWESOME!!
We also served different sodas, sparkling cider (there were quite a few pregnant mama’s there), wine, and more varieties of beer.
Decorations
On the front door we had a big poster of Elmo.  My friend Elizabeth drew these posters and my mother-in-law and I glittered them and added a glitter border.
Inside we had another large Elmo poster over the fireplace mantel with a “Happy Birthday” banner.  I also had a Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird Posters placed on the ledges of some of the huge windows (but with the back-light, I couldn’t get any good pictures).  We also had a big poster of Oscar the Grouch on the huge trash can.
We just hung some Sesame Street cut-outs with ribbon from the dining room chandelier.
Another big Elmo on the door leading into the pantry.
We had balloons all over the place, but we tied a large bunch to a plant container to make a centerpiece on the huge kitchen island.
On the kitchen table, we had crayons and large sheets of butcher paper covering the whole table for the little ones to draw during the party.
I made a special “Elmo” dress for my daughter to wear to her party.  I knew I wanted to make her a dress, but I still wanted it to be girly and Elmo at the same time.  Let me tell you……that was kind of hard to come up with since Elmo is so red.  But when I received my huge order of Heather Bailey’s “Nicey Jane” in the mail it clicked!!  I saw the red accents in some of the fabrics and this dress was born.
I created this Elmo applique using a picture of Elmo that I deconstructed to make it out of fabric.  I also changed Elmo’s nose to pink instead of orange to tie it into the other fabrics.  I then hand embroidered it to the apron.
I love big pretty bows on little girls dresses and this one was just right!!  The apron is sewn to the dress so I didn’t have to worry about it sliding around when Savannah was getting her dance on!
I used a decorative scallop stitch in red for the bottom hem and used polka-dot bias tape to complete the look.
I made a matching birthday hat in coordinating fabric with a big “2” on top.  To be honest, it didn’t get worn much during the party, but it looks cute!
Party Pictures
Savannah loved having everyone sing to her.  I did not make the cake (I am NOT a baker!).  I love, love, love to cook, but baking is too precise for me.  So my mother-in-law ordered this cake with Elmo, Dorothy and Mr. Noodle from a local bakery.
Mmmmmmmm…….cake and ice cream!  We served little ice-cream cups with the cake which worked out really well and reduced the mess with 18 toddlers!  This is my Grandma (Savannah’s GREAT Grandma) standing by her waiting for some cake.
Trying to sneak a little present before the party even started………she was caught in the act!
Savannah and Matilda with their guys.  From left to right……Grumpy, Great-Grandpa Alex, and Pepo.  These men adore the girls and it is SO sweet to see them together!
Brett and his Dad (Grumpy).  Is my hubby a good sport or what?  He wore this big Elmo shirt during the whole party – way to go Brett!!
Savannah had a great time at her party and got lots of tutus, princess and dress up things – she was in heaven!
We had such a great time with all of our family and friends and were so glad everyone could join us to celebrate our little girl turning 2!!
Cottage Mama’s Note:  I have listed a version of this Elmo dress in my etsy shop.  It is a custom order dress.  If you know anyone looking for a girly Elmo dress, send them to my etsy shop and I am happy to help them create something truly special for their little girl: www.thecottagemama.com
I will be listing many more items in the coming month……I’m just getting started!
5
Mar

My Sweet Savannah Rose

Two years ago today, my life was changed forever……..I became a mother and my sweet Savananh Rose was born into this world!  I love this poem (not sure the author), but it sums up just about everything I am feeling today as I look back over the last two years.

Before I was a Mom
I made and ate hot meals.
I had unstained clothing.
I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom
I slept as late as I wanted
And never worried about how late I got into bed.
I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom

I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot the words to lullabies.

Before I was a Mom
I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom
I had never been puked on
Pooped on
Spit on
Chewed on
Peed on
Or pinched by tiny fingers.

Before I was a Mom
I had complete control of my mind
My thoughts
My body
And I slept all night and got plenty of rest.

Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child
So that doctors could do tests or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn’t want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
When I couldn’t stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew what love at first sight really meant.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom
I didn’t know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn’t know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn’t know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn’t know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
Every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth
The joy
The love
The heartache
The wonderment.
I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much
Before I was a Mom

Happy Birthday, my sweet Savannah Rose – I love you from here to the moon and back again!! (ILYFHTTMABA)