babymoon boutique

Busy

2011-07-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

Because we had another baby here - #8! Benjamin Mikel was born two weeks ago early in the morning. I'm still just hanging out snuggling him!

Over my head

2010-07-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

Here's my oldest. Up in a tree. Her own tree now. If her parents weren't hobbits I'd swear that she was a wood elf. I posted this for the iheartface s weekly challenge "Over My Head".

Make your own Cow Ears

2010-07-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Chick-Fil-A’s Cow Appreciation Day we are dressing like cows (and hopefully getting a free meal, too!) Unlike last year, when I found out the day of (and had to safety pin black patches over white shirts) I have a couple of extra days to plan ahead, so we’re getting a tiny bit more complex with the cow outfits.

I wasnted to share a little tutorial on how I made several sets of cow ears for my little bovine crew. All the necessary parts I had on hand, use what you have and feel free to substitute what is convenient for you!!You will need:

• 15 inches of grosgrain ribbon, ¾” or 1” width.• Upholstery weight fabric, a small amount, ¼ yard or a fat quarter’s worth or scraps. You need to cut it into 4 pieces 8” x 3.5” . I used some black canvas that was on hand. If you are using a quilting cotton you will need to interface it with at least medium weight interfacing to give the ears some body.
• Thread to match (I had no black – we just moved and I’ve gotten a lot of my sewing supplies out, but I haven’t found the black thread yet. I did have navy blue, which was just fine for quick cow ears!)• A small bit of elastic – 5” or less. Using what I had, I took some stretch lace that was black and just bunched it up. You’ll see what I mean in a minute. You could also sew a tube of black fabric and thread elastic through that or use stretchy black elastic for the whole thing. Now that I think about it, I’m quite sure that we could use a black elastic headband and just attach the ears to that, but I didn’t think about that in the beginning.

So, here we go.

From the 8”x3.5” pieces of fabric, cut an ear shape. Taper towards one end so that it comes to a point. I cut all four out at once so that they were all the same. My fabric was the same front and back, but you may need to consider if you have a definite right or wrong side.
Sew around the ear shapes (2 together, right sides together) leaving the short edge open.
Turn inside out, using something to get the point out (chopstick, blunt pencil, something else not-to-pointy). My six and eight year olds turned all mine out while I sewed the others. Delegate whenever possible!

This is quick and dirty sewing, so I didn’t press, but if your OCD like that, go ahead and press. This is Chick-Fil-A, not the state fair!

Bring the opposite corner of the open end of the ear together in the middle, and sew down with a zig-zag. Trim if you need to neaten it all up. Isn’t that a cute little ear?? Repeat to make another ear. Sorry about the blur! (Or repeat as necessary to outfit all the cows you have)

Measure about 5” from the end of the ribbon and attach an ear at that point. Sew with a zigzag stitch just to make sure it can’t get yanked off by a little brother or sister cow. Repeat on the other end of the ribbon, with the other ear headed the other direction for some sweet bovine symmetry.

Now take the elastic, or whatever stretchy stuff you are using and attach it to one end of the ribbon. If this is for girls, the attaching place will most likely be hidden by hair, so don’t get too crazy trying to make this look perfect. I just folded my grosgrain ribbon up and then bunched up the stretch lace until it was the same width as the ribbon and just zigzagged it all together. Do the same on the other end, making sure that nothing is twisted up.

Try it on one of those little cows and soak up the cuteness!
Make another one, and another! Moooo!

Cute quilt project

2010-05-11T20:51:00.000-07:00

The new episode of the DIY dish came in my email today and I cannot wait to make this cute quilt with the frayed applique flower!

You'll love it too! I'll be sure to post my quilt here as a show and tell!

Tutorial Coming soon!

2010-05-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

I made these tiny snap strap totes to use up some extra fabric that was too good to toss in the scrap bin, but not really usable for any of my other projects.

I love totes of all sizes, and these are SO cute! I'm using one on the handle of my diaper bag now to hold my cell phone, which always seems to get lost in there underneath all the extra diapers, changes of toddler and baby clothes, and other random stuff that mom gets to hold for everyone else. This way my phone is handy and easy to get to, without having to fiddle with extra zippers or velcro in a regular cell phone pouch! Don't know about anyone else, but by the time I could get into one of the other "cell phone cases" I've already missed the call!

There are a few of these coming to my shop, too, but I wanted to share the tutorial as well, since they are SO easy to make!

Sparkle Sparkle!

2010-04-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

Just added - some fresh and sparkly jewels in my etsy shop!
Perfect for just about any occasion!

Take a peek and let me know which is your favorite!

garlands

2010-03-11T22:06:00.000-08:00

Since we're living in a rental house right now (and only for a couple of months) I can't bring myself to putting holes in the wall that I'll have to fill and paint over when we move out. It's just not worth it! But I've been a little discontent with the bare walls. So, cricut to the rescue!
I made this cute garland for my craft space:

And this one for my patio:

(Don't laugh - I kill plants and need all the positive input that I can get to help them out!)

Cascarones

2010-03-10T09:15:00.000-08:00

When my family moved to San Antonio in the early 80's I fell in love with the brightly colored confetti filled eggs that seemed to be everywhere around Easter time. These eggs are meant to be cracked over the head of unsuspecting persons, showering them with confetti that may last for days on their person, or at least for the rest of the day.

Here is some information about cascarones, and even a place where you can purchase ready made cascarones if your local grocery doesn't carry them. Here’s a great painting of a family making their cascarones. I love that boy who’s bored at the table – it’s always someone, isn’t it?

A couple of years ago, while living in a cascarone-free land, I decided to introduce this custom to my children. Having a houseful of said children, we go through eggs like crazy people, so there were plenty of empty eggs to be had for the filling and decoration. Here is my process for making some - maybe you'd like to make your own, too. This is a great activity for a warm spring afternoon that even the littlest ones will enjoy. Aside from the cost of the eggs (which were groceries to start with, so it doesn’t count for “crafting” cost!) this is a nearly free craft using things you most likely have on hand!

You'll need to take care when cracking your eggs to save most of the shell. I have found that the contents are most likely to end up as scrambled eggs or omelets when cracking this way, as the yolk will probably break when you are shaking the contents out. If you crack the smaller end of the egg you will have a smaller hole and a neater cascarone.

Rinse out the remaining goo from the eggshells and set out to try. Shake out any extra water and leave them for a couple of days.

On a side note, I've found that "store eggs" (you know, the eggs you buy at a grocery store as opposed to the eggs you buy from your friends with free range chickens) have thinner shells, which are more fiddly to crack, but which cause less pain to the one upon whose head the cracking is done on. Just saying.)

Store these empty clean and dry eggs somewhere safe so that 1)an ambitious partner doesn't toss them into the bin while he helps clean up the kitchen, 2)so that curious little hands don't do so much cascarone cracking before you have all had a chance to make them into the cascarones. I keep them in a plastic basket on top of the fridge. You probably don't want to put them in sealed zip-style bags, just in case there is a little water or residual egg goo and you find a moldy surprise in a week or two. I keep cracking lots and lots of eggs so I have more than we’re going to end up with because it is inevitable that several get busted in the process. We make lots because there are lots of us in our family, but you should make lots, too, because they are just lots of fun!

Gather the rest of the supplies you need:

Confetti (see my note on confetti later)
Glue

Empty egg cartons

I like to have more egg cartons than I'll need in order to keep my little assembly line going smoothly.

Tissue paper (whatever was left from the last birthday party is fine – you won’t even use up an entire sheet, probably)
Paints (again, whatever you have on-hand - I use acrylic craft paint)
Permanent Sharpie-type markers

It's best to work outside, especially for the filling of the eggs.

Stand all your clean, dry, and empty eggs up in the extra egg cartons with the openings that you cracked pointing toward the sky.

Fill the empty shells with a couple of tablespoons of confetti.

Did I mention you should try to do this part, at least, outside?

I distinctly remember the first time when we made them inside. It was not good or fun. This should be fun, so just go outside!

Keep in mind where you will be when you are cracking the cascarones and use confetti that is quick to decompose. Sure, you can use that cute shape confetti from the party supply section with those pretty metallic plastic pieces for a nice sparkly show, but they will be forever embedded in the lawn or driveway or the grandmother's lawn or drive. And no one wants to be picking up confetti parts for the rest of Easter day! One day I hope to get my cascarone making so organized that I can order some of this great confetti in time to make them BEFORE Easter, and not just the week of, like I usually do. Of course, if you really want to get crazy you can make your own confetti , but seriously, I’d be doing all the punching and not get nearly enough for one egg by doing all the punching myself, then the cascarones would never get made, and we’d all be sad. I found tissue paper confetti at a small card and party store that didn’t have plastic in it.

There was this one time when we filled the eggs with birdseed

The cracking was to happen in my own yard, and we didn’t have much grass to grow anyway, and we had plenty of birds to help clean up the birdseed.

Your grandparents may not want sunflowers and millet sprouts in their carpet grass after Easter, so you decide if this option works for you.

Set the eggs upright into those egg cartons when they have their confetti. .

Cut tissue paper from various colors into rough 1 and 1/2 inch or 2 inch squares. Apply some good old Elmer's glue all (school glue works, too, I just like the thickness of the glue-all) around the opening of the egg, being sure none drips to the inside.

Quickly press on a square of tissue paper and set them up in the egg cartons again to let dry.

Once the glue is dry you are ready to decorate the eggs.

Maybe everyone has gone off and you are left alone finishing the eggs. So it might be a good time to close up all the cartons and start another day. You can leave them plain, especially if they've been topped with fancy tissue paper - they already are pretty! But you can get creative with additional decorations, too!

My favorite part is the decorating of the cascarones. The eggs which have been filled with confetti and closed with the tissue paper can be decorated in endless ways. In the past we have painted the ends as flowers, polka-dotted them, painted cute spring motifs (bunnies, snails, flowers) or painted them all with pastels or metallic paints.

This past year we made lots of extra eggs so I didn’t get to obsessive with the painting. This was probably the most fun, because I didn’t do all of the extra work of going back over everyone else’s eggs with my painting to neaten them all up (I mean, they are going to get cracked anyway! See how relaxed I am about the whole process now?)

You can see lots of other people’s painted cascarone’s here and here, in case you have time to accomplish something on a grander scale. I have a feeling that this loose painting will be our standard for the next few years, until my little painters either grow out of the tradition or decide to paint more intricately themselves

Acrylic paints work well for this (be sure to wear aprons because acrylic paint does not come out easily when dried).

Watercolors would probably work, too, but I don't know how well the egg surface will hold the thin color paint.

Another side note - the more layers of paint are applied will definitely affect the "crackability" of your cascarone. (I think I just made up a new word, again!) That means more pain for the upon whose head the cascarone is cracked. So use a light touch with the paint!

See here - thick paint + zealous brothers leads to tears on Easter afternoon. Keep the paint to a minimum!

To add finer details, use a permanent sharpie-type marker to outline or accent areas of your painting once the paint has dried.

Put all the eggs back into their cartons to store them until your appointed egg-cracking time. Ours is usually after the finding of the eggs on Easter Sunday afternoon, but really, any springtime gathering is a good time for cascarones!

Thanks for reading and have a truly wonderful Easter celebration!!

Diapers

2010-02-19T22:51:00.000-08:00

I broke down and bought a package of paper diapers today.

What I should have done instead of lugging 3 reluctant big kids, one eager not-big-but-not-really-little-anymore kid, a very reluctant preschooler, an indifferent and heavy toddler and the baby-who-at-any-moment-would-like-to-nurse-whether-or-not-it's-convenient to the grocery market is dug around in the boxes that have yet to be unpacked to find the cloth diapers which have plenty of life left in them.

I blogged about my diaper system over here a couple of years ago, but since our move, I don't have a convenient cloth diapering area. Really, I should just get over it and clear out the baby bed that Jude doesn't sleep in and use that as a changing area and set up a little plastic bin for holding dirties until they are ready for the wash.

I'm almost ashamed to post such rambling run-on sentences. But it is late, can that be my excuse? And I am somewhat frazzled from taking the children to the store and answering the same questions yet again. (Yes, they are all mine. No, I don't have a daycare [as if I need to torture other people's children by dragging them out on errands, too!]. Yes, they are very well-mannered - probably because I've bribed them with a lunch out!)

Perhaps instead of finding the other diapers I should sew some new ones. I did find two boxes of lovely flannel and can make up flat diapers in no time at all. I made some really cute newborn sized ones from these instructions, and she has instructions for regular sized flats as well.

The diapers I have packed away from the move are mostly from the Ottobre Designs pattern and from the Chloe Toes pattern. On my last go-round with cloth, I really liked the inners made from flannel and the covers from PUL (polyurethane laminate), separate diapers from flannel and the covers from PUL. For a while I was using pocket diapers, but I got all freaky about wet polyester touching new baby skin, then tried wool covers, but never got that quite right. I think in this hotter climate, though, wool won't be as hard to use (it was that it was colder and I felt like I had to keep baby bundled up, so the compression of the wool with clothes on top caused more leaks than I liked. Here, baby can have air circulating with less clothes, leading to fewer wet outfits.

Well, I think that's enough motivation for me to get up and get busy, no?

Lovebugs!

2010-02-13T13:26:00.001-08:00

We made some adorable little Valentine's cards for the children to pass out to their friends on Valentine's Day.

Using the Cricut machine, we cut square cards at 2 1/2 inches from the Platin Schoolbook cartridge from assorted colors of cardstock.

Then we cut ladybug backs from the Paisley Cartridge at 2" on black cardstock using the Button Feature from the "Boots" and the circle with Heart cutout from the Shift-Button Feature on "Boots" on red cardstock.Hmmm, looks like my mats need cleaning!

The children LOVED putting the LOVEbugs together and made ooodles of them for their friends.
They gave quite a few out to grandparents and cousins two days before Valentine's Day, so we had to make some more and have another lovebug session today!

New from You Can Make This.com

2010-02-10T08:35:00.000-08:00

Welcome to "The DIY Dish!" (WIN a Sewing or Embroidery Machine!)

It's no secret that I love the YouCanMakeThis.com website! It is full of great patterns and ideas. Now YCMT is starting a new blog/show called the DIY Dish and to celebrate (and spread the word) they are giving away two new sewing machines - and one of them embroiders!!

Head over there and check it out! And be sure to sign up for their newsletters so you always know when they have a new feature!

P.S. - You can also go to their site from the new DIY Dish button on the side of my blog!

Hey Jude

2010-01-17T15:53:00.000-08:00

A few new pictures of our latest bundle.

I wish 4 months old would last forever! Such a sweet age!

Cards

2010-01-13T20:57:00.000-08:00

I've been distracted with my Cricut. So much so that my sewing machine is getting a little dusty. I feel bad for my sewing machine, but I'm having so much fun with all the cool things the cricut can do. Maybe I should sit them together. Then they could hang out and look all crafty and useful. Or maybe I should just grow fifteen more arms so I could use them at the same time.
Anyway, I've been playing with the Paisley Cartridge a lot. LOVE the mushrooms and owls and cherries, but I really love the Card Feature. I've not made a lot of cards, but now I don't have an excuse since I finally figured out how to use this feature. It's not a traditional side opening card (or top-folding, for that matter) But it's a nifty little back opening kind of card that has a cut out in the front as a window.

This has puzzled me since I first went through the booklet that came with the cartridge. After all it's called a "card" so surely it must be able to be used as a "card", right? I found this link that helped explain a fun way to make this little card really work. And then this one that had something shaky shaky in the cut out section. SO I had to give it a go!

Using some bugle beads for the shaky shaky part and the queen's crown cutout card from Paisley I managed this for a special little birthday girl.

Taking advantage of the way this card closes, I did everything I could to the window part, then used the back as the new "front" and had the message of the card inside it. It took a while for me to figure out how to make sense of getting our message into the card but I think it came out well.

I know she'll love the shaky shaky part, and I'm sure that her mom will put it up before she reverse-engineers it to get the beads out!

Speaking of cards, OH MY GOODNESS, I have to try this now.

I love this so much I can't stand it! That tree is brilliant! I know I've seen a fence on one of my cartridges - maybe it's Paperdoll Dress UP. So all I need is the stamp, some polka dotted paper, a leaf punch, that Martha Stewart Deep punch and some thick thread! Or maybe I'll just win her giveaway!

Gmail/Google Help

2010-01-10T13:02:00.000-08:00

So, I've moved, changed my email, and Google won't let me use my new email address (it's a gmail addy) for my blogger account. Anyone have any ideas how to work around that? Right now I've got it going to my yahoo account, but I just have that address for email lists and it rolls over to my gmail so that Outlook can pull it all up.

The idea of all the spam from the yahoo address coming through my Outlook makes me nauseated. I'm interested in hearing from anyone else who has already come up with a solution!

Swagbucks

2010-01-10T12:45:00.001-08:00

I just added a swagbucks widget to the side - join me in getting swagbucks when you search, ok?

Coming soon!

2009-08-08T12:57:00.001-07:00

Here's just a sneak peek of some neat little things that are on their way into my etsy shop!

Check back soon!!

Thanks for peeking!

Small town fun, AKA, we don't get out much around here

2009-05-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of this guy, the man going across from Tennessee to Arizona in a mule-drawn wagon? Today we just happened to be coming home from the post office and Braum's when traffic in our little downtown slowed way down to yield to John McComsey and his two mules! How fun! The kids were so excited (which was good because they had been crabby after running errands all afternoon!) and we figured he just might keep going straight and go right by our house. Since we were not being drawn by horses we rushed home, threw the groceries in the fridge real quick, and my oldest pulled up his website so we could double check that it wasn't just a crazy kook and something worth getting excited about.

Sure enough, John McComsey isn't a kook :-), and is making his way slowly across the country to visit his sister and her husband in Arizona, and their daughter, his neice, who has Multiple Sclerosis. And he's apparently having a good time with it, too!

Anyway, it was a delight to see him drive past - his mules are so patient as the cars zipped around him (carefully, I hope!) We all went outside and waved - it was like our own private parade this afternoon! We wish you the best, Mr. McComsey! And safe travels and a happy reunion with your family!

Just a little new news

2009-03-03T19:56:00.000-08:00

What? I haven't said it here? Oh, a thousand pardons. Here, is our special announcement, then.

We think there's something in the water. Ha!

A new little one to share our lives with is expected to make his or her appearance sometime late September 2009. That's good, because I don't have any birthday parties in September to plan for yet!

Baby number seven we can't wait to hold you in our arms! The Lord continues to pour out His blessings on us!

As close to a fancy lollipop as we get around here

2009-02-02T15:05:00.000-08:00

I've been a terrible slacker mom lately, letting the technology parent the children while I clean, pack, clean, pack, clean, and pack. Since most everything is clean and packed now, I can relax and start to DO some things with my kids instead of just keeping them busy so I can get my own stuff done!

This afternoon (after I had a nap, of course!) we made these great cookies. The original recipe is from here. Surprisingly, after making the dough (a double batch, because I have a double batch of kids!) they were able to do most of the work! The rolled the balls, then after the dough balls chilled a bit, they rolled them together three at a time into multicolored ropes that they coiled into "lollipops". I suppose that cookie sticks could have been shoved into the cookies as they were cooking, but with my bunch I didn't think they'd last long enough to enjoy them standing up in an arrangement! Still a great big hit all around! Even the little one was available to make sure that any cookie dough didn't fall to the floor. Man, she's a quick one!

Dolly for a sweet girl

2009-01-30T22:13:00.000-08:00

I made this little dolly with pretty rainbow hair for one of my daughter's friends. My 8 year old picked out the dress fabric because she loves turquoise and brown together, and wanted to use brown hair because the birthday girl has long brown hair. But one of the neighbor children was ready to play, so she didn't want to have to go to Hobby Lobby for brown yarn for hair. All the yarn in my stash is multicolored for some reason and I just this afternoon realized that! So my daughter was thrilled with Rainbow Hair Dolly, and I think she came out brilliantly! Hopefully the party girl will enjoy her as well! Doll is loosely based on the tutorial here

CPSIA Blog In Day

2009-01-28T16:02:00.000-08:00

This is so well written from a fellow Etsian that I wanted to share with you.

(It's my first blog-in! I guess I'm a real hippie now, not just a wanna-be!)

As parents and concerned citizens I’m sure most of us at one time or another have been confronted with the question of lead poisoning. But have you asked yourself what your government is doing to protect your children from lead contained in toys? The answer? They're banning toys, taking books from schools and libraries, hurting low income families, killing entrepreneurial spirit and risking putting the economy in an even greater depression than we've seen in decades. I'd like to introduce you to their solution: the CPSIA.

Do you know about the CPSIA? No? Then I ask you to take a few minutes to find out about it.

The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on 10 February, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. Make no mistake, this is very real. View it for yourself. If Forbes, the American Library Association and numerous other media are paying attention, perhaps you should too.

How will these new laws affect you? Well, here are a few examples:

To the Parents of Young Students:
Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.

To the Avid Reader:
Due to the new law, all children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves, as there is no exemption for them. That’s okay though, there's always television. Our children don’t need to learn the love of reading after all.
Article from the American Library Association http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322

To the Lover of All Things Handmade:
Due to the new law, you will now be given a cotton ball and an instruction manual so you can make it yourself since that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed testing. It won't even be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter.

To the Environmentalist:
Due to the new law, all items in non-compliance will now be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the Big Box Stores as well. You can't sell it so you must toss it. Or be potentially sued for selling it. You can't even give them away. If you are caught, it is still a violation.

To the Second-Hand Shopper:
Due to the new law, you will now need to spend $20 for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second hand. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.

To the Entrepreneur:
Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue to make and/or sell them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. Due to the current economic state, you'll have to hope for the best when it comes to finding a new job in Corporate America.

To the Antique Toy Collector:
Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html

To the American Economy:
Already struggling under an economy that hasn’t been this weak in decades, the American economy will be hit harder with the inevitable loss of jobs and revenues from suppliers, small businesses and consumers. The required testing is far too costly and restrictive for small businesses or individuals to undertake.

To the Worldwide Economy:
Due to this new law, many foreign manufacturers have already pulled out of the US market. You can imagine the impact of this on their businesses.

If you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html

And for those of you prepared to be stupefied and boggled, The New Law
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

Did you know? If this upsets or alarms you, please react.

2009-01-12T13:16:00.000-08:00

New regulations from the CPSC passed by Congress will prohibit many independent artists and designers from selling their work soon unless the act is amended quickly. Fellow etsy seller Shalom Shultz put together this great pamphlet detailing many of the items that you will no longer be able to purchase for your own children or make to sell.

As a parent, I am definitely concerned about lead in my children's toys, but I made a choice long ago to limit own own "consumption" of these plastic toys made by large companies for various other reasons anyway. To deny parents their own "choice" of making playthings for their children seems more than a little invasive. Please spread the word, contact your own congresspersons (I have) and let them know that while you support regulations monitoring what comes in to the USA from overseas factories with little quality control, you still think that what you make at home is safer for your family anyway. Thanks!

Stencil it!

2008-10-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

My friend Jessica came over tonight to show me how she turned a photograph into a larger than life stencil. She had done one of a cute couple of friends all kissy face, and is planning to spray paint them onto a background that includes lettering and random designs. I don't have many pictures of me and my husband together (usually because we're the ones with the camera at this stage of life!), but I have plenty of my kids. I've never gotten around to doing the cool silhouettes of them as babies, but this is just slightly cooler on the crafty scale. Here's what we did tonight.

We started with this picture, taken of Molly this summer at a birthday party - I just love her little scrunched up face!

In Picasa, because I'm lazy and haven't had time to really learn GIMP, we turned it black and white, then used the "sharpen" tools for a little more contrast and then turned up both the highlights and the shadows until her features stood out. I saved this image as a new file so I didn't lose my cute original.

My camera is set to take high resolution (which makes uploading them to the photoshop take FOREVER, but my prints usually turn out great, so it's a worthwhile trade off) and large, if I were just to print them out they are like 16x20 inches or something ridiculous like that, so I try to remember to scale them down for emailing, but I often forget and then clog up someone's email (sorry about that, too!) But it works out perfect for this! In Publisher, I opened a blank document and inserted the whacked out picture, which did not fit on the one little page that Publisher gave me. I set the printing to print actual size as a poster, then printed using "draft" mode, because I knew it was going to use a bunch of ink, and I had messed with the image enough to give me enough contrast to trace the major parts I wanted. Anyway, we got 4 regular sheets out and then taped them together.

Next, we looked for options since we were working without the sun on our side. Ordinarily, I might have hung this up on my bedroom closet doors (great big mirrors) like I do when tracing off patterns like Ottobre, but Jessica had brought posterboard, and the photo wasn't visible through the posterboard when it was held against a wall or a window or the mirror. So we ended up tracing the photo over a lamp. This worked amazingly well, but I probably won't be allowed to do it if hubby is here next time! We just traced very simply over Molly's features.

With an x-acto knife we cut away the lines that had been drawn in the tracing. Jessica's photos that she had turned into a stencil had people with darker features, but I figured with Molly's baby features and little curls we only needed to trim smaller sections out to emphasize her features. At some point early on Jessica told me, "Just cut out the line you drew," and at that point it made a lot of sense and went very quickly.

For some people, this may be easier to do if you turn the tracing upside down. I learned about myself that if I can turn whatever it is upside down, at least in my head, then I quit worrying so much about what it actually is and can draw it because I'm just focusing on the simple lines of whatever it is. So turning the stencil upside down sped things up for me because I wasn't worrying so much about all those cute little curls or the little pucker of her chin, and I could just cut away the lines.

Here is what it looks like with just a few of my lines cut away:

You can see my tablecloth through the stencil as we were cutting (there was a box top we were using to hold the posterboard away from the tabletop, but at the very end we found out the using a scrapbooking cutting mat worked really well).

Now Molly's all cut out! Jessica is holding her up against the wall (yes, my living room walls are red - my favorite!)

The parts that were cut out were all removed (and were all tasted by Miss Molly herself as they floated to the floor) and those will be the areas covered by paint when I figure out what to paint her onto. Not the walls, at least not in this house since it will possibly be going on the market soon. Maybe a big canvas covered with something else or just a wash of soft colors. I can see a whole series of these as a family gallery grouped together for a really dramatic presentation.

And again - another perspective just with a different contrast (sitting up on the couch) . Thanks again, Jessica, for showing me how!!

These are a few of my favorite things....

2008-09-26T22:44:00.000-07:00

Just a few of my new favorite handmade items I came across on Etsy:

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
babymoon.etsy.com

Krylon Paint on sale at Hobby Lobby

2008-09-24T17:07:00.000-07:00

Hey, I just had to share this. At Hobby Lobby this week there is an internet coupon for Krylon Spray Paint. The FUSION is what I recommend for painting the pole of the Hobby Horse if you are making one from my pattern. I just thought I'd mention it because you can get that paint for 30% less with this coupon until this Saturday.

By the way, the FUSION is non-toxic when dry - I know that makes a big difference when we are talking about paint and children's toys!

Here's the direct link to the coupon.

What is a babymoon, you say?

2008-09-23T23:00:00.001-07:00

babymoon - (n.) The brief but happy period of time when a family welcomes a new baby to their world.

I know, it's not what wikipedia says, but traditionally, the babymoon is the time AFTER the baby is born, like the honeymoon is the short trip AFTER the wedding, see?

So it's the time for the new family to get adjust to their new lives together, to get to know the baby who has recently show his or her sweet face, and for mom to get her land legs back (if you've ever given birth you know what I'm talking about there!)

Sometimes I get weird looks when I tell my shop name, so I just wanted to put this out there to clarify for everyone what I mean.

The funny thing is, since I have so many kids, I've gotten to have lots of babymoons! I am so thankful that I have a great family who helps out during the babymoon and super friends who go over and above to help with the kids who aren't always completely thrilled by the grittier aspects of the babymoon!

Top Ten Reasons to wear your baby in a sling

2008-09-22T09:35:00.001-07:00

1. Easy to feed your baby discreetly in public while wearing a sling. Even if baby is pulling up all your clothes, the tail of the sling can be used as a cover up, and you don't get that hiding-under-a-blanket feeling.

2. Carried babies are happier. Of course mom's arms get tired, so a baby sling keeps baby happy because he is carried, and mom's aching arms get a break because they are free!

3. When you are carrying your baby all the time you are essentially exercising MORE without doing more, simply because you have an extra 20 pounds or so strapped to you!

4. Baby slings hide the smears and drips of food that you (or your baby) got on your favorite shirt!

5. Baby slings hide the little baby fat tummy pooch that many new moms end up with!

6. Babies LIKE being held and they can see more up high with you than down in a stroller or cart.

7. If your baby is in a sling, he is less likely to be touching all the icky stuff on the floor or on the cart handles when shopping.

8. Babywearing keeps your baby close to you so that you get to know him better.

9. Babyslings are more economical than the gadgets available at the discount stores. In fact, many sling sellers are happy to tell you how to make one yourself from readily available materials, even if you don't sew!

10. Babywearing just looks cool and is FUN!

*wink wink - new babyslings are now in the shop! Thanks for taking a peek!*

Facebook and high heels (not related randomness!)

2008-08-11T09:02:00.000-07:00

I've had a rash of new friends on facebook - it's like a blast from the past and has been really fun to see what old friends have been up to. We recently went to my husband's 20-year high school reunion, which was fun, but I only knew a couple of people (actually only ONE other than my husband!) so it was more a people watching event more than anything. That, and I wore heels one night and I haven't worn them in 10 years, so I had a hard time walking (I really did walk around in the store before buying them - don't know what my problem was!) I'm just really out of practice with heels. They don't lend themselves well to chasing after kids and carrying a little chunk of baby!

Blog feature!

2008-08-06T20:06:00.001-07:00

Hey, this is cool - I just found out that my tutu overalls were featured on the coolcraftymom blog! How fun! Makes me feel both cool and crafty!

By the way, these can be made in any size, too! I love to upcycle overalls, especially the ones whose knees have seen better days, but I can also make them in new overalls as well.

Thanks for taking a little peek! XOXO!

Finally a shop update!

2008-08-01T22:04:00.000-07:00

Well, having a teething baby doesn't lend itself to getting a blog updated!

I put a bunch of new baby bibs up at my etsy shop and some new baby slings, then they sold before I could even say anything about them. Good problem, I suppose!

Anyway, I managed to update tonight with some new listings and more new listings while the teething one dozed on my lap - yay to both!

Hopefully my new items won't last long in my etsy shop!

Revolution Money Exchange

2008-05-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

I just signed up with RME to try it to see how it does with my etsy. Join by clicking through from here and you can get a $25 bonus and I get a $10 referral bonus! Only until May 15, so hurry!

Amber beads

2008-04-29T21:50:00.000-07:00

I heard about these amber bead necklaces that are used for helping teething babies from a friend at a recent La Leche League meeting. I've got a teething one right now and the drool is killing me. Supposedly the amber sap resin released tiny amounts of a something that helps with pain. So teething babies are supposed to feel better and not so grumpy. So I found these amber necklaces on from etsy seller InspiredbyFinn and ordered one and it came not even a whole 2 days later.

My baby wore it for two days and seemed to be doing better, so I did some more research on these beads and other things they were used for and thought I might let my son who gets an allergy headache just about everyday try it out. He says that he doesn't get a headache while wearing it, so I ordered a couple more so I could let the baby have hers back and have a spare in case someone misplaced theirs. They will all be here tomorrow so everyone can have their necklace back and get to feeling better at the same time!

Ohhhh

2008-04-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

I should have checked earlier, but I spend my etsy time either listing stuff (or editing my typos!) or searching the forums from pearls of wisdom from other etsy sellers.

So I thought I might sweep up a bit (many of my favorites have apparently expired as evidenced by empty boxes where listings once were) and check my feedback real quick. I am so glad I did because it just made me so happy to see that the people I have done business with are pleased with my work. Here's just a few of the really sweet things they have said:

Absolutely stunning! The fabric is beautiful the stitches are strong and well done. The Instructions are easy to follow. I love it thank you so much!!

super fast shipping and is so adorable

The necklaces are SOOO-O BEAUTIFUL! They are above and beyond my expections! Thank you so much for such beautiful products and excellent service!

Wow! Got a super impressive package from this seller today! As well as the cute clippies I bought, I got a pretty matching bonus item, nice decorated thank you business card, all in a gift box, safely packaged up in a plastic bag inside a bubble envelope! Who could ask for more! Babymoon was already on my favorites list and is staying there! Thank you!!!

Amazing! Just as ordered. Thanks so much.

Anyway, it just makes me all gushy! Now I'm off to make more wonderful things for you!! Thanks for the lovely feedback!

Make your own baby sling Fast and Easy

2008-04-15T11:13:00.000-07:00

I love to make and sell baby slings. It seems that all babies are happier if they are carried, but sometimes mama's arms get tired (amazing how heavy those tiny babies get!) Most of the time, though, I prefer to tell people how to make their own if they sew because they are so incredibly simple. Plus, if I tell you how to do it then I don't have to spend extra time sewing, packing, printing wearing instructions, and shipping them off.

Here for you today I am sharing how I make a baby sling. Granted, there are lots of other tutorials out there for making baby slings, but I'm not any good at following directions, so here is the way I do it.

1. Hem the long sides of a piece of fabric that is 42-45 inches wide by 2 and 1/2 yards using a narrow hem. The fabric I like best for slings is a slightly stretchy woven cotton poplin.

2. Hem one of the short sides.

3. Fold the unhemmed short side with pleating it across the width so that it ends up about 4 to 6 inches wide. Replace your needle with a size 14 or 16 sharp needle. Baste the pleating down. Serge across the end to neaten it up if you want.

4. Stuff that end into two welded stainless steel rings (get them at Lowes in the hardware aisle for $0.79 each, fold over and sew down with three lines of stitching. Go slow because there is a LOT of fabric under the needles here. You may consider wearing safety glasses. (Actually, my sewing machine manual recommends that I wear safety glasses anyway). Make sure everything is all smooth so that you don't sew extra tucks on the right side of the fabric.

So there you are. Put it on (there are some great sling wearing instructions here, as well as different ways to make other baby carriers) and then you're done!

New Pattern!

2008-03-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

I get so many comments on my hobby horses that I wrote a pattern up. I mean, to ship one of these guys in any kind of timely manner is about $20, and I know that you probably could spend that somewhere else besides the post office! So I wrote up a pattern that I listed in my etsy shop, so that you can make your own! Now don't get worried - it is really pretty simple, and I include step by step photographs so that you can see exactly how to put it all together. You can make your own hobby horse for about $15 in materials (or less if you put one together from what you already have on hand!). This pattern is 20 pages, with 36 color photos, and will come to you via a PDF file in an email attachment. You will love it! Your kids will love that you made them their own horse. I made a bunch of these for a Lone Ranger party we had, had a stick horse race, then the guests all took one home! What a great party favor! You can make it from really nice fabrics, then you don't have to touch all the acrylic stuff that the manufactured ones are made of. Or maybe I'm the only one who gets grossed out by the texture of fake fur! Anyway, you can get your own copy here and print it out and have your own hobby horse in about 1 hour and not even have to wait for the mailman!

Fun in the forums

2008-03-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when you can't sleep and you've read all the other crafty blogs and the baby doesn't want to sleep and no one else is awake to listen to all the fun things you did all day, there's always someone in the etsy forums!

The other day was one of those days for me, so late late late at night some of the etsy sellers were running contests in the promotions section of the forums, where you had to be a certain number "poster" on their topic. I think there were only 4 or 5 people actually watching the same topic I was, so we were just jabbering on until the appointed post got closer and closer. Then bam, there it was, and I happened to post on the winning number!

Anyway, this was the prize, from Lori of Heartworks by Lori. It's so pretty! I have no idea how people make these things, but I love it!
Thanks again, Lori!

What you really need to know

2008-03-09T11:45:00.001-07:00

I got tagged by Jenny this morning to reveal seven random and personal things about myself and then pass it on to others.

Ok, I've never done one of these - now you all get to see how lame I really am!

1. My love for Stash Earl Grey tea is only second to a Starbucks mocha. I pretty much can't live without a cup of tea in the morning, morning being loosely defined as the period of time before hubby comes home from work. Everything is better after a cup of Earl Grey.

2. My wedding band has a garnet in it, not a diamond. We picked garnets because they are a symbol of love, faith, and constancy, as well as a reminder of the blood of Christ that paid for my sin. And I had a diamond once, long ago, and they really aren't forever, no matter what De Beers says.

3. I think Sandra Boynton is the funniest person ever. And then Jerry Seinfeld.

4. I freak out often about chemicals/pesticides/chlorinated water/non-organic food/refined sugar. But then eat out at Taco Cabana no matter what and at every opportunity. I'm pretty inconsistent like that.

5. I thought last summer that I needed reading glasses so I went out and bought two cute pairs. When my hubby sat down at my computer he saw that the screen was going out and making everything fuzzy. So it wasn't my eyes at all! Good thing I didn't spend too much on the reading glasses. But they are so cute I'm saving them for a future time when I might need them.

6. I have read all of War and Peace. But not Moby Dick.

7. I love to take the elevator all the way up and find a window to look out. In our tiny town the pediatrician's office is on the 5th floor of the professional building. The only other taller building is the adjacent hospital, which I avoid at all costs! But with kids, we often visit our pediatrician for something or other, so I love to look out. Yeah, I don't get out much.

Ok, so now I'm going to tag Texas Tesla, Lisa, and Bl Soaps. Thanks for playing!

I want to sell this rock (homeschool economics project)

2008-03-08T18:23:00.001-08:00

...that's what Jeremiah said to me the other day.

me: Hmmm, let's see. Not sure many people need a rock.

him: But it's so pretty, and look I washed it and it kind of sparkles.

me: Yes, it does sparkle a little bit. i could put it on ebay for you.

him: Yeah, and then we could sell it for one hundred dollars!

me: You think so?

him: No wait - you could sell it on Etsy!

me: well, the listing fees are cheaper...but it has to be handmade to go on Etsy. You could do something to it to sell it there.

him: can I paint it? Or I could put some glitter on it. And feathers. Do people buy stuff with feathers on it?

me: some do. Want me to research it for you?

him: Yeah - see if anyone will buy a rock.

me: maybe you could offer it customized. Like you sell it and they tell you what to put on it and then you can send it to them.

him: really? I get to pick?

me: no, you get to tell them what you're good at and then they pick what they want you to do to it.

him: Oh. Well can I sell it?

me: sure. Let me put out some feelers first and see what the market for custom-ordered rocks looks like, ok?

So here I am, putting out feelers for the custom-decorated rock market. And trying for the mom-of-the-moment award.

Indierepublic

2008-03-04T17:42:00.000-08:00

I just joined indierepublic. I need to spend a little bit of time to see how it all works and make myself a pretty page, but it looks fun! Are you on indierepublic? Add me as a friend because I haven't read far enough how to add you!

Visit Indiepublic

Featured Etsy seller Word4worddesign

2008-03-03T19:59:00.000-08:00

I just got this in the mail today from Etsy seller Word4worddesign. It is amazing! She has more in her store, different words, and even does custom orders. I think a set of these would be fantastic for bridesmaids, or daughters, or anyone really! It's simply gorgeous! Thanks again, Claire!

Crafting? Who has time for crafting?

2008-02-26T20:21:00.000-08:00

Sometimes having a wide range of hobbies is a bad thing. I walk into my sewing room, and realize that in order to sew I have to put up the bead box and the glue gun for the hair clippies I was making, and then I have to move around the overflowing basket of felt that the kids can cut and sew with. At some point in there the wiggle eyes fall out of their package again and I have to put them all back in before doing anything else, then I have to go get a ziploc from the kitchen to put them in. If I come out of the sewing room, one of the six children needs something to eat or something to drink or something to do ("Can I have just 10 more minutes on the computer to finish this game?"). Then I need to find a sling so I can go back to the sewing room and feed the baby at the same time. Back in the sewing room I find a few orphan pattern pieces and remember that I said I'd organize a sewing room, so I head back to the computer, promising the small internet junkie child of mine that I'll just be a minute, and yes, he can have 2 extra minutes on the timer, send out the email and resist the temptation to receive any new messages right now. After the orphan pattern pieces are put into the basket designated for other orphan pattern pieces I find the chinese coin pendants we were looking at while we studied 18th century Chinese history and remember that the boys want cool necklaces out of them, so the bead box comes back up to the sewing table and a suitable cord is found for them, but no matching cord crimps to match the pendant or the necklace clasps, so a mental note is make to visit the giganto hobby store in the next week or so to get something to match, and the bead box is put back up. Then the cotton yarn that the toddler undid last year is moved out of the way, because now is not the time to rewind it into balls because it would have to be untangled first. So instead the 15 pieces of fabric from the last several sewing projects are either put back onto the shelf or into the scrap bag for the lady who quilts.

Can I sew yet? No, the baby needs a new diaper and the toddler is awake from her nap. And someone needs to cook supper. Wasn't the 21st century supposed to have those cool instant food pills or some kind of Star Trek gadget that did the cooking for you? Maybe I need one of those before I need a new sewing machine or set of crochet hooks or wire crimpers or more stencil templates or red paint or scrapbook paper! One day if I get it all organized in there I can get something completed during a naptime!

I suppose I could just let the toddler loose with a spoon of nutella - that would keep at least one person busy for 10 minutes or so....

New by babymoon

2008-02-25T15:13:00.000-08:00

Hooray! I finally got my pattern pretty enough for sale on etsy for my Ruffle Back Skirt! There are instructions in this pattern to make a skirt for ANY size! The emphasis on the pattern is for little girls, although some of you may be brave, daring, cute or whatever enough to wear ruffles down your backside. I prefer to live vicariously through my daughters! I've had several people let me know that they have made it for babies all the way through early teenagers, and they have all loved it! Check it out and let me know what you think!

Pretty stuff for moms

2008-02-21T17:54:00.000-08:00

My opinion is that anybody offended by breastfeeding is staring too hard. ~David Allen

I'm telling you, this stuff you find on Etsy is amazing. I found this pendant from etsy seller suchprettycolors. She has many many other pendants, and a whole series of breastfeeding pendants.

Wouldn't this be a great gift for mother's day or for any new mom you know? Pretty, and pretty cool!

Gratuitous chubby baby pictures

2008-02-20T18:44:00.000-08:00

Molly (our baby #6!) at 3.5 months.
Just a little chunk of love!

Extra links on my blog

2008-02-20T18:39:00.000-08:00

In trying to understand how the google ads work, as well as attempting to drive traffic here as well as etsyward, I went ahead and added the google ads. If they get too weird I'll remove the service from adsense, but on other blogs they don't seem to obtrusive. This first one just looks like a plea for hurricane relief, (still?), but I'm ok with that. Apparently I'm not yet a "catch" to be eligible for blogging services like payperpost. Maybe in a few weeks!

Navigating Etsy and Getting to Know the Sellers

2008-02-20T15:11:00.000-08:00

One of the fun things about Etsy is the ease in connecting with other buyers and sellers. When you want to know more about the handmade product you are purchasing, check out the seller's profile. and shop home page. If you want to shop from someone in your local area you can click the shop local tool on the Etsy home page, just keep in mind that you may have to pay local state sales tax in addition to shipping! But it's a fun way to find other sellers local to you or nearby.

Just want to see what the sellers and buyers are yakking about today? Head over to the Etsy forums where you can listen in on the conversations of the sellers, eavesdrop on what the buyers are looking for, and interact with Etsy admin. It's better than wandering around the mall just staring at people! Many of the sellers run special sales for people in the forums, mentioning a secret code that you can convo them with for a little something extra. In the US, the forums are busiest in the evenings and Saturday and Sunday nights. If you are really feeling chatty try the chat rooms, where buyers and sellers discuss everything under the sun as well as peek inside each other's shops and see what goodies are on the plate.

What, you just have a quick question for the seller of the item you are thinking about? Contact the seller with a "convo" by clicking contact under the seller's shop avatar. Etsy will send this message to the seller's regular email address so that you get a quick answer. Don't worry about bugging them - the beauty of handmade is that there are REAL people behind each of the shops who have time to answer your questions and make sure you are happy!

Still confused by Etsy? Look in the FAQ's for real answers to any other questions you might have, or just convo me! If I don't know the answer, I'll do my best to find it for you!

Please pass the biscuits

2008-02-13T23:07:00.000-08:00

Fresh hot biscuits, so tender they don't even need butter (well, it's already in there!). I found THE perfect biscuit recipe yesterday when I turned to my handy, most-loved, and most convenient cookbook of late, the internet!

We're not eating shortening anymore, thanks to this book, which we checked out from our local library and which my children have now memorized. The good thing about that book is that we don't have to go to that place with the meals-that-don't-really-make-you-happy anymore. But it puts a cramp on some of our favorite meals, like Chicken Fried Steak (which we now cook in sunflower oil, but we still don't have it too often) or more importantly, biscuits. I can't eat the things in the can. Well, I might be able to if there wasn't anything else. But I've always made a decent biscuit, but have for the last several years been bothered by the necessity of shortening (aka, hydrogenated vegetable oil) in any recipe that comes out decently.

Well, on the internet I found a terrific blog called Homesick Texan, where the perfect biscuit recipe is posted. It's actually one of the most popular posts on her blog, and after making it last night I can see why. Butter is used instead of the shortening, adding more flavor than the shortening would and keeping us away from the nasty trans-fats. We didn't "beat" ours, like she does, because the baking powder does its job making them rise just fine, but on a particularly stressful day we might beat them just to get some tension out.

Now, just don't tell me what's in Cracker Barrel's biscuits. These are better, anyway. What, you like the ones in a can? Alright, try these anyway. It'll change your mind for sure.

Umm, there's no picture because we ate them all. Yeah, they were good!

Horsing around

2008-02-11T16:34:00.000-08:00

It's been all horses here - or rather hey-hee's as the one-who-is-not-yet-two calls them. Horses for the birthday girls this week, horses for a pattern I'm finalizing, horses in the yard for pictures, horses, a certain horsey shirt that gets worn the very minute it's out of the laundry.... You get the idea.

Well, to celebrate all of that, a certain horse was added to my etsy shop this weekend. Take a peek at him and let me know what you think!

Promoting Etsy

2008-02-05T21:10:00.000-08:00

I still need to upload some things to pretty up this blog, like the Buy Handmade Button and my etsy mini. I'm too tired tonight, but I needed to give my blog a little hug just to let it know I still cared. Reminding myself to do it soon!

Treasury

2008-02-03T21:51:00.002-08:00

Catching an open spot in the Treasury is a thrill! Many people pick their treasuries by color or texture, or by other themes. I don't have an obsession with guitars, it was just on my mind the other night. I just get these songs in my head and can't get them out. If I ever get another one it might be about blackbirds or the pies they get baked in.

You can click here to actually see the treasury and comment on it at etsy, but only until Monday night sometime.

Raison d'etre

2008-02-03T21:03:00.000-08:00

This blog is to feature my babymoon boutique store at etsy and to promote the other etsy sellers I meet and interact with. I will show you some great treasures I find at etsy and introduce some lovely people I think you will be pleased to purchase handcrafted items from.