Companion Dot & Floral Ruffle Dress

I just finished the companion dress to the Floral & Dot Ruffle Dress I made earlier this week for Baby R. This one is for her big sister, Little H. Their mom picked out the fabric. I just love the colors. And I've always loved flowers and polka dots together. I'm giving both dresses to her tomorrow when we meet up at gymnastics class.

Here are some more shots of this dress.

Here are the two dresses side by side. The girls are going to look so sweet in them. I love that they coordinate, but because they are inverse, they're not too matchy-matchy.

And, I apologize for the crappy photos. It's after midnight and I'm giving them away first thing in the morning, so I didn't have an opportunity to take any photos with natural lighting.

Felt Christmas Tree

Earlier this week I found a really cute felt Christmas tree on Pinterest. And I knew I just HAD to make it for Little O. I thought it would be a great way to allow Olivia to play with ornaments and leave our real tree alone. Speaking of which, we put up our real tree today!

I went to Hobby Lobby and bought everything I needed to make Little O her very own felt tree. I bought green felt off the bolt, and several colors of felt squares from the crafting section. I also bought some trim (ric rack, sequins, and glitter glue) to make it fancy.

Here's how it turned out.

She's been playing with it nonstop since she got up from her nap. She has barely even looked at the real tree. I'd call that success!!

Note: I hung it on the wall using that gummy adhesive that teachers use to hang posters. It stuck to the wall, but it didn't stick to the felt. So I hot glued some green card stock to the back of the tree in various places (the top, the bottom, and several of the branches). That did the trick. The gummy adhesive is sticking great now.

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DIY Baby Instruments

Lately, I've been racking my brain for ways to keep my 14-month-old baby entertained during the late afternoons--you know, the witching hour. Basically, between the time she gets up for nap until Daddy gets home from work, she's generally crabby, fussy, grumpy, or just plain bored. I thought that if I could present her with some fun crafts or games in the late afternoon, it might help us survive until Daddy gets home.

Some things I've tried over the last week or so include edible (though not tasty) playdough and finger paint.

I thought we were full on messy crafts (although they were tons of fun), and I decided I wanted to involve some of her other senses. Since this was the last week of Kindermusik until the fall, I thought some homemade musical instruments would be fun.

I was inspired while cleaning out my pantry. Yeah, I know. But I had three almost empty, expired cardboard cylinders. They used to contain grits, bread crumbs, and chow mien noodles.

To make these, you will need:
cardboard cylinders
pretty paper
rubber cement (or any glue you like)
a hot glue gun
an assortment of sound makers (I used little jingle bells, Styrofoam balls, and split peas)

First, I measured the height of each tube. I cut out a piece of scrapbook paper that size, and then I wrapped it around the tube, gluing it down with the rubber cement. I used a thin bead of hot glue to make sure the end of the paper was secure as I didn't want Little O to peel it off.

Once the glue dried, I placed the noisemakers inside. I used hot glue to secure the lids to the tubes to prevent choking hazards.

That's it! Now I am just waiting for her to wake up from her nap to show her the new instruments I made for her.

I was featured on Carrots Are Orange!

ABC Quilt (Baby Boy)

No I haven't forgotten about my Baby Girl Owl Quilt. But I did stop by the Sewing Studio yesterday for some inspiration, and I found some fabric I just had to have!!

First, I found the ABC panel. Then I saw the green gears (bottom middle in the picture above) and a red stripe (top right in the picture below). I also used the plaid from the Fun Mischief line instead of the Exciting Mischief line.

 In addition, I bought a blue swirl from the same designer (only the girl line) (center in the photo below).

What's really exciting about this project is that I designed the quilt by hand using good old fashioned graph paper and colored pencils. The other exciting part: I used up some of my leftovers from previous quilts to add some color. I used the green and blue polka dot, black and green from the Owl Quilt. And some yellow from a Sock Monkey Quilt I made for a friend.

Here's the design I created. It's a random assortment of blocks including pinwheels, diamonds, flying geese, checkerboard, and some others.

I can't wait to start piecing it together!

Owl Quilt Top (Baby Girl)

I FINALLY finished my first quilt top for my shop. All that's left is the quilting and the binding. Hopefully I'll finish that this week.

Here's the fabric I chose.

Brother Sister Design Sleepy Owl (from Hobby Lobby)
Blue swirl, pink swirl, and green and blue polka dot (I don't remember what they are)
Hello Luscious Rosemary Green Geometric by Basic Grey for Moda (from The Treadle II)
The white fabric I bought at the Sewing Studio, but I can't remember what it is called either.

I designed a 9-block quilt with two borders. I used the owl print for the large border and the blue and green polka dot for the smaller inner border. The blocks alternated. Four blocks are a type of Irish Chain (I think).

Irish Chain Block (sort of)

And 5 blocks are white with blue triangles in the corners. I appliqued pieced owls (to look like the ones in the border fabric) on each of the white squares. Let me tell you... that was a beast! First problem: the Heat n Bond I used was way too strong. It was nearly impossible to peel the paper away without shredding the fabric. So, back to the store I went. Then I realized I didn't have any gray or black for the eyes. Another trip to the store. Finally, all the owls were assembled, and it was time to sew. Of course the tension on my machine went all wonky. So I pulled my backup machine out of the basement, but the thread kept snapping for some reason. Time to have my machines serviced I think.

It all worked out in the end, and I'm really pleased with the results (after remaking two owls because of skipped stitches and ripped fabric). I plan to quilt it (with more owl fabric for backing) and bind it (with the green) later this week.

Here it is!

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shakentogether.blogspot.com

Owl Quilt Block (Baby Girl)

I'm so excited to be working on my first quilt for my shop. It's a nine-block quilt with adorable little appliqued owls.

Here's a sneak peak at one of the blocks. Obviously not one with the owls.

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I can't wait to show you the finished product!

Tutorial: Very Hungry Caterpillar Invitations

I'm planning my daughter's first birthday party this month, and I've decided to run with The Very Hungry Caterpillar as the theme. I found some really cute invitations in the community area of What to Expect. And I decided they were so cute, I wanted to make them for Little O's party.

Click Here to see how I made them!
Update: Since making these, I've made some other invitations too!
Jessica