Handmade Party 2011

My lovely friend Brooke has hosted a handmade party every December for the past three years. Last year was my first year and I since then, I've been hooked. The party is done white elephant style. Draw a number, choose an unwrapped gift or steal one you've already seen. For months before this year's party, I found myself mentally grading the DIY items on Pinterest according to Handmade Party worthiness.

The year before set the bar pretty high and I realized that I might have to jump outside of my comfort zone to make something that would be "steal-able." I also realized that the most popular items were primarily accessories and home decor. Ouch, those aren't exactly my strong areas. I'm more of a little girl's clothing kind of sewer. Yeah, and many of the items were crafted, not sewn. Sometimes even with power tools. Double ouch.

So, you probably think I'm leading up to my awesome gift that blew the minds of all those who laid eyes upon it, right? Wrong. I had GREAT ambitions but at the eleventh hour, I ran out of time. The bag that I attempted (from I Am Momma Hear Me Roar's Tohoku Tote tutorial) was cute but I felt lame wrapping up something with an "I owe you a completed lining and handles." So, with minutes to spare before leaving for the party, I went with my plan B and gifted some wintery, silvery snow globes that I made with my sister-in-law over Thanksgiving. Only, I didn't have time to properly wrap them.

I replaced the tulle that you see, above, with a silver ribbon that can easily be removed.

I couldn't find tissue paper in the house so I ended up stapling the bag. STAPLING! This is the kiss of death for a white elephant gift. Nobody wants the lopsided, crumpled bag that is stapled shut. Who knows what's in a bag like that? My bag was chosen near the end of the approximately 40 person exchange and was only stolen once. Fail.

Next year! Next year, I will finish before December. I will finish even finish before the end of October when I am exhausted by Halloween costumes. And this mythical gift will have THE most dazzling gift wrap. Ideas, anyone? A beautiful bag? Lovely accessory? Maybe I'd better start now.

The (finally) finished bag made a cheerful Christmas gift for my mom.

It had handles AND a lining ;)

Link, Princess Zelda and The Fairy

We love Halloween. Probably the kids' favorite holiday next to Christmas. The pumpkin patch, costumes, trunk-or-treating, trick-or-treating, carnivals, parties - what's not to like? Well, Halloween is probably my second most stressful holiday (next to Christmas) because I usually make the kids' costumes . . . and go a little overboard with it. I know that most of my friends don't think it's worth it - and some days I'd agree - but at the end of the day I'm always glad that I did.

Plus, do you know how hard it is to find a Link costume for a six year old? Apparently, it is a very popular ensemble for costume players, not the 1st grade crowd. The kids love their costumes and will get a lot of use out of them. Abby's dress this year? With the sash removed, I'm guessing she'll make a lovely angel or beautiful bride. Lots of possibilities. Oliver's Link costume? He loves it, especially paired with the seriously awesome shield that Nick painted for him.

Oliver waving to Nick at his school's Halloween celebration.

Abby's school doesn't do costumes on Halloween. They have "orange day" instead (ugh). We met somewhere in the middles with a candy corn dress. I stayed up most of the night working on it so it was a complete surprise for Abby. She loved it!

When Evelyn took a nap that day, I told Abby that she was resting up for Halloween . . . so she decided to do the same.

Getting ready to go out trick or treating with friends.

The nap must have paid off because Abby had plenty of energy.

Ready to trick-or-treat! Link, the Fairy and Princess Zelda. I love that Oliver and Abby chose their own costumes.

Goofy pic.

Waitressing Kit

This was the gift that Abby and I put together for her best friend's birthday this past weekend. Aside from the normal preschool favorites - dolls and princesses and such - her little friend loves to play restaurant. She wears many hats in her restaurant - taking orders, preparing and serving the food - so we made her a little waitressing kit. It includes a lightweight tray, personalized menu, name tag and apron. You might recognize the apron as the same style that I made a week or two ago. The menu is laminated and the name tag is actually painted with chalkboard paint so that the name can be changed at the whim of the proprietor or to reflect staffing changes at the Cafe.

Dot to Dot

Goodbye knee high socks, hello toddler scarf!

I saw the tutorial for the Toddler Scarflette on Living With Punks not too long ago and thought it would be perfect for my two girly girls. BUT, I'm supposed to be working on Halloween costumes so I needed a very good reason to bump the project up on my list. An educational, I'm-really-doing-this-for-the-well-being-of-our-child kind of a reason.

Like any creative person, I made one up. I offered my preschooler a positive incentive (my mom's code words for 'bribe') and said that if she learned more than a dozen sight words, she could earn a fabulous new accessory. As I expected, my little smarty pants quickly did. Win-win.

She loves her new scarf and is very proud of all of the input she had on the embellishment - sock selection, trim, button. She is so enamored with it that she brought it to preschool the day after I finished even though the weather was expected to be in the 90s. She may have only carried it or stored it in her cubby most of the day but it was still special!

Can't wait to finish baby sister's coordinating scarf. It's a different color but it has dots too!

Ahoy! A Starboard Skirt

Ahhh, the Starboard Skirt. I had planned on sewing a red/white stripe one up for myself before I made something for Abby but the Ikea Sofia fabric that I had want to use is out of stock at my local store. I'm still going to make one for me but when I saw this cute corduroy on sale at Joanns, Abby's skirt was bumped up on my list. I think the cord is perfect for fall.

I really, really love the way it turned out. The Simple Simon tutorial is easy to follow and it fits my daughter well. I took her measurements before she went to bed, followed the instructions, and was able to sew it up without trying it on her a thousand times (hard to do anyways since I sew when the kiddos are sleeping). Other than using a smaller seam allowance, about 1/4" with my serger, I did as I was told.

Cute, inverted pleat

Just as cute from the side too.

Apron for Abby

I had the best intentions last weekend. I was going to make a darling little apron for a birthday party the next morning. Fabric? Check. Tutorial. Check-itty check.

BUT then I had doubts on the fabric. I started over-analyzing Abby's little friend. Is she really a roses and red polka dot kind of girl? No. I remember her mother saying that she loves pink. She must have something pink or - worst case - purple. I then made the interesting discovery (after going through my entire stash) that with the exception of one or two prints, I don't really buy pink fabric. I don't discriminate against it but my daughter usually owns plenty of pink clothing without me adding to the mix. Erghhh!

The back and forth burned up valuable time and by the time I committed to something (not pink), I was really tired and only had about an hour of steam left. Soooo, Abby's friend got something from the toy aisle at Target and Abby got a new apron about a week later. Win, win.

The apron was inspired by the Nae Nae Apron from Craftiness Is Not Optional and the Dating Diva's 'Flirty Apron' that my sister-in-law made for my niece. I used the Nae Nae apron measurements as a jumping off point for the straps and I love her tutorials. I've also been dying to add a heart shaped pocket to something - anything - after seeing some pop up on Pinterest so that made it on there too. I love the pocket even if it is really small. I didn't want the tie at the waist to cover it up so I intentionally kept it teensy.

Back view of the apron.

My lawn has never looked so good. Seriously. If I covered the lawn with aprons you wouldn't be able to see any dead patches at all.

I heart this pocket. Ha ha ha! Were you waiting for that one? It's just big enough for a pen or maybe a mini scraper if she's playing 'baker' instead of 'waitress.'

Day In Class

Oliver has a summer birthday just like his mama. Yes, there are advantages when you're little - no school - but sometimes you miss out on the special classroom perks or get smooshed into a really long rendition of the birthday song with all of the other summer kids. Ugh! But if you're in Mrs. Stephenson's kindergarten class, you get your own special day. Today Oliver's class celebrated his birthday a few weeks early and tomorrow another summer birthday kid will have his turn.

In lieu of birthday cupcakes, which students aren't allowed to share anymore, many of the kids bring something for the classroom. Oliver said that he wanted to bring a new "mascot" to share with his friends. What his class refers to as "mascots" are really canvas bags containing a book and toy or stuffed animal that each student gets to borrow for one night before returning to the classroom. We chose Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs And Ham" for the book - green is Oliver's favorite color right now - and I made some felt food to go with it. There are some really great examples here and here. We 'do so like green eggs and ham!'

Our inspiration . . .

All the elements for our "mascot," ready to be bagged.

I debated sampling them for breakfast but decided to send them along with my very own Sam-I-Am. Ultimately, he forgot to take the packet out of his backpack (What?!?) but he'll have a chance to share it with his friends tomorrow.

I embellished a little bag to go with it. Blue plate special!

A very, merry unbirthday to you!

Party At The Petersons

When I woke up this morning, I walked out of my bedroom door and saw Abby laying on the carpet just waiting. She was so excited for the day to start that she couldn't stay in bed. Right now, she's sleeping in her new Cinderella pajamas with a beautiful ballerina doll and she looks so blissfully happy that I want to remember this day and document it for her.

Today was her 4th birthday party and after a hectic morning - in which I didn't have a chance to blow dry my hair or apply makeup to my suddenly teenage skin - the party started. In the rush of last minute things, a few things slipped through the cracks. I was disappointed that my pretty pink tissue paper flower was never hung and my mini-cupcakes didn't make it onto the tiered stand that I borrowed from a friend but it all worked out. I'm confident the kids couldn't have cared less. The party was fun! And two kids actually cried at the end when they had to leave. And they weren't my kids. Hooray! Abby's friends wanted to stay and were so cute that I actually wouldn't have minded.

The promised pictures (lots and lots of them) . . .

The pink "gardening table."

Abby showing her handiwork.

Abby and Oliver

Right before the girls started working on their flower pots, at the beginning of the party, Abby asked for some lemonade. She then gathered up her friends and they sat around the snack table and sipped on sparkling raspberry lemonade for a bit. It was like a preschool coffee break or miniature tea party in the midst of her birthday celebration and it was hilarious to watch.

Oliver showing off his button flowers. I think he made more than anybody else and they turned out great.

One of my friends helped with the planting.

Grandma Harris and Evelyn. Evelyn had a minor meltdown before my mom had the happy thought of providing her with a shovel. I think she held it almost the entire time.

"Dirt cups" in pink and purple.

Gummi worms for the more adventurous eaters.

Abby loving every minute of the party.

Either Abby's getting ready to blow out her candle or she's expounding on something very important.

Waiting for the spoons and sneaking in a hug.

"Back-up" cupcakes for any kids that were suspicious of the dirt cups (and for moms too). I love sprinkles and had fun making these. The royal icing bugs are from a cute bake shop in my hometown called Clarice's.

See? The cupcakes didn't make it out of my trusty Pyrex but it all worked out.

Mini cupcakes are fun to eat and just the right size for tiny hands.

"What are you looking at?" Ha ha! Abby wanted Evelyn to wear her matching dress so that they could be "twins."

Chalk. We had two of these little buckets on the gardening table.

Oliver's button flowers (and potted pansy).

Abby's decorations, for the most part. The funny pink cloud looking thing is mine.

Here's Abby's finished pot. Love her button flower and that she picked each one herself. That's it for Abby's Garden(ing) Party!

Garden(ing) Party Prep

Can't believe my little girl is almost four. I still remember the ultrasound when they told Nick and I that we were having a girl. I didn't believe it because, at the time, I had eight nephews and only one niece. It's true that seven of the nephews were on my side of the family - which didn't affect our chances at all - but boys just seemed to be in the cards. I grew up with four brothers and one sister and Nick has two brothers and a sister. See? Boys. Well, of course that wasn't the case and I can't imagine a girlier little girl than Abby. We love her so much and I'm so grateful that she's part of our family.

Anyways, Abigail has always loved flowers and spending time gardening with Grandma so a garden party seems like a perfect fit to celebrate her birthday this year. Since this is her first year of preschool, this will be Abby's first party with "school friends" on the invitation list and she couldn't be more excited.

Knowing that the planned activities - decorating pots, planting flowers and creating "button flowers" - require a little DIY and a lot of organization beforehand, I've been prepping as much as possible. Wish me luck because ensuring that the birthday girl and each of her little three and four-year-old friends has a wonderful time seems like it could be a tall order. Not sure. Second on my wish list is a spectacularly clean house for the benefit of all of the parents that will be attending and I think I need even more luck to pull that one off. Here's a sneak peek at the work in progress.

Fifteen terra cotta pots painted with a stripe of black chalkboard paint.

A pot will be labeled for each guest and then they will get to decorate the rest with chalk, even the unpainted part. The chalkboard part will probably hold the chalk better after watering but the kids will have fun anyways.

Abby helped me pick out some buttons for the garden ornaments.

And then she helped me sort them: small, medium and large.

I think they're going to be darling.