January 14 2017 - Urban Wildlife Portraits
While I'm not sewing on the regular anymore, I took some time to make some new items for the lovely Holiday in The Hood event that happens each year at my kid's school. I've been looking at portraits and trying to determine how I could sew some since my painting / drawing skills are 2nd grade at best. I have also been seeing a ton of woodland creatures on kids stuff - backpacks, clothing, notebooks and the like. So here's what I came up with. If you're interested in buying any I sell them on their own or in multiples for a discount. Please contact me at [email protected].
February 7 2015 - nothing says love like a pun
I love valentines day. Not because of the sappy love poems or chocolate, but because I love a good pun. The more I groan, the better. And maybe its just me but it seems that valentines cards are always full of puns. I don't know why, but they are. I choo-choo-choose you with a train?! Classic!
We're in full on star wars mode in this house (which I must admit surprises me a bit) so I made some simple themed valentines for the kids to give out at school. They feature star wars Lego figures and I made them as a bag topper to give a bit of block candy as well.
Here's the download for the bag topper valentines and here's the download for the standalone cards.
Enjoy!
We're in full on star wars mode in this house (which I must admit surprises me a bit) so I made some simple themed valentines for the kids to give out at school. They feature star wars Lego figures and I made them as a bag topper to give a bit of block candy as well.
Here's the download for the bag topper valentines and here's the download for the standalone cards.
Enjoy!
December 30 2015 - Treat yourself to a Year of Handmade Goodies
As my ability to attend craft shows has come to an end, I'm looking for new ways to sell my creations. So here's my latest idea! Get one handmade goodie sent to you per month, based on your general choices and my creative touches. These can be gifts for you or others for special events (or just because!) throughout the year.
How it Works: You pick the appropriate number of items (based on the subscription you choose) from the (long!) list of options. I choose the colours / patterns and style, make them and ship them to you at the appropriate time. For items that require specifics (e.g. kids clothing size or girl vs. boy theme) I will follow up with you after your order is received. What it Costs: 3 month subscription - $125 (can do 3 consecutive months or receive one every 4 months) 6 month subscription - $250 (odd months OR even months) 12 month subscription - $500 These prices include shipping within Canada. If you live elsewhere, I will calculate additional shipping costs at the time of shipping each item. How to Order: Fill out order form (here) and email it to [email protected]. |
July 11 2013 - summer journal for kids
OK, so my last posting was about farewell gifts for the teachers. Now we need to keep those kids busy all summer! I have grand intentions and get around to about 20-25% of what I want to do with them. But I'm hoping this year with be different! :) My goal is to not only get out of the house and visit places - mostly near but some further afield - and have my 5 (soon to be 6!) year old do a little review of the events that she can look back on and have (hopefully) fond memories of her summer home with mom... as I may never have this extended time with her again. OK that sounded very depressing. Note to self: take time off with kids one summer before they finish high school and try and be a hip parent they want to spend the summer with.
OK, back to the creating part. I got this great idea from pinterest / Dana at Dana Made It (awesome blog if you have time to do creative things... or just curse quietly while you marvel at her ingenuity). A journal! OK, not mind blowing. Not like I got the kid a video camera and asked her to do visual diary entries in costume and on location. But still, seems like a cool idea. I have some short stories I wrote when I was, maybe 10? And I think it's cool to look back at them now.
So the journal. Here's what you need:
What to do:
Some ideas and comments:
Happy holidaying!
OK, back to the creating part. I got this great idea from pinterest / Dana at Dana Made It (awesome blog if you have time to do creative things... or just curse quietly while you marvel at her ingenuity). A journal! OK, not mind blowing. Not like I got the kid a video camera and asked her to do visual diary entries in costume and on location. But still, seems like a cool idea. I have some short stories I wrote when I was, maybe 10? And I think it's cool to look back at them now.
So the journal. Here's what you need:
- A pile of 8.5 x 11 pages of white printer paper
- 1 (or 2) pages of coloured 8.5 x 11 paper
- my template
- some activities to do (places to go)
- patience and a laisez-faire attitude
What to do:
- print page 1 of my template on the coloured paper
- print page 2 of my template on the white paper
- print as many page 4's from my template as you think your child will reasonably fill out (you can print them double sided too, if you're interested in saving trees)
- stack them together and fold in half on the short side (book style)
- staple together when closed or sew together while open. I did sewing (as did Dana) but that's because I have a sewing machine out all the time!
Some ideas and comments:
- I highlighted the dates on the calendar when school ended and started.
- I also highlighted my daughters birthday as she's been asking since Christmas when it is :) She will likely cross the days off as a countdown
- Page 3 of my template gives some Toronto activity ideas (and movies) you may want to do with your kids. I plan to have these (plus more, like summer camps, out of town visits we have planned, birthday parties etc) cut like tabs so she can pull them off the sheet and glue into the journal when she fills it out.
- Don't expect it to get filled out every day
- Don't expect a great summary of the day - 1 sentence might be all you get
- If you would rather glue pictures (a.k.a. photographs) into the book vs. have them draw a picture, go for it!
- This would work equally well for a summer trip. Keeping them busy in the car between destinations or at the restaurant table.
Happy holidaying!
June 19 2013- say it with canvas
School ends for the year in 1 week and while I know it’s not required I think its nice to give your children’s teacher(s) a gift at the end of the school year to say thank you for the hard (and tiring) job they do for us. I have a number of teachers in my extended family and I know they deserve it!
I try to find a teacher gift each year that will either be useful or consumed so there is no collecting of crap the teacher doesn’t really want... like 20 mugs saying “world’s best teacher”. Even 1 of these is questionable! I know many school boards (or all?!) cut funding for things like classroom supplies and the teachers need to buy them out of pocket, but at the end of the year, I feel like it should be for them personally, not for the classroom. Perhaps I should ask if there is anything they need (art supplies, books etc) at the beginning of the year and help out if I can... hmm, next year’s plan I guess!
I think this year I’m going with “useful” with a little bit of “consumable” thrown in for good measure. I’m also getting my daughter to help as they are gifts for her teachers. My plan this year includes:
Supplies:
If you don’t have a scanner / printer and don’t want to buy iron-on printer paper you don’t have to. You could draw your entire design with the fabric markers / paint. My daughter is only 5 so I wanted the option to have her draw on paper before committing it to the finished product... in case of mistakes or her wanting to start again etc.
So my first step was to make lines on one side of the bag, to look like a piece of paper... blue horizontal lines (mine are 1.5 inches apart) and 1 red “margin” line down the left side.
After this you have a 2 options:
Drawing ideas (all drawn by your child):
Other ideas:
I try to find a teacher gift each year that will either be useful or consumed so there is no collecting of crap the teacher doesn’t really want... like 20 mugs saying “world’s best teacher”. Even 1 of these is questionable! I know many school boards (or all?!) cut funding for things like classroom supplies and the teachers need to buy them out of pocket, but at the end of the year, I feel like it should be for them personally, not for the classroom. Perhaps I should ask if there is anything they need (art supplies, books etc) at the beginning of the year and help out if I can... hmm, next year’s plan I guess!
I think this year I’m going with “useful” with a little bit of “consumable” thrown in for good measure. I’m also getting my daughter to help as they are gifts for her teachers. My plan this year includes:
- Personalized canvas tote (which I made, of course :))
- $20 gift card (e.g. coffee, book store, movies)
Supplies:
- Blank canvas tote (Deserres sells 2 sizes: 14 x 14 inch for $3.49 or 16 x 18 inch for $5.49)
- Fabric markers or paint (I bought a pack of 8 crayola fabric markers for around $6)
- Iron-on printer paper (can buy 5 or 6 sheets for around $8 at Staples)
- Camera or scanner
- Printer
- Iron
If you don’t have a scanner / printer and don’t want to buy iron-on printer paper you don’t have to. You could draw your entire design with the fabric markers / paint. My daughter is only 5 so I wanted the option to have her draw on paper before committing it to the finished product... in case of mistakes or her wanting to start again etc.
So my first step was to make lines on one side of the bag, to look like a piece of paper... blue horizontal lines (mine are 1.5 inches apart) and 1 red “margin” line down the left side.
After this you have a 2 options:
- Draw rest of drawing directly on bag, over top of lines, with the fabric markers. I suggest adding the teacher’s name, e.g. Mrs. Smith, for good measure. You may also need to “heat set” the final product. The markers I bought suggested ironing on the wrong side of the material to set the design so it won’t bleed or run when/if the bag gets wet / needs washing.
- Draw the message / picture on a regular piece of paper. Scan the picture onto your computer (or take a picture and upload to your computer). Print picture out on iron-on paper making sure to flip the picture if there is any writing on it as the iron-on needs to be a mirror image of what you want the final design to look like. Follow instructions for iron-on paper to add picture to bag over top of the lines.
Drawing ideas (all drawn by your child):
- something you know the teacher is doing in the summer (gardening, traveling to Paris, going to the beach, reading etc.)
- picture of the teacher
- random scenery (rainbows seem to be a favourite at our house these days)
- big fancy “thank you” (or "merci") - with stars and swirls etc.
Other ideas:
- I only made my bag 1 sided but you could put the kid's drawing on one side and the teacher's name on the side with the lines.
- Needlepoint the teachers name (simple back stitch "how to" can be found here)
- Skip drawing and sew book ends onto bag as shown here
- Applique any number of things onto bag using felt. I recently made some kids shirts (see pictures below) that were so easy once I designed the pieces. Felt is easy to sew because it kind of sticks to the material and its also kind of stiff so lays flat well - both of these features mean it doesn’t move around when you’re sewing it.
Feb 14 2013 - Photostrip Card How To
By popular demand - OK, 1 person asking! - I’ve provided some how to’s to recreate my valentine card (at left) with your own pictures. It can be used for other holidays too of course! I’ve got 2 options for you - build it yourself or use a template I have included (that is Mac based).
DIY
Using Pocketbooth app, take 3 strips (or more!) of pictures. You can then save these strips to your photo album (on your phone) and upload to a computer.
In word processing / page layout software (I used Pages for Mac), make a 5” x 7” rectangle (3 pt line thickness). Drag 3 strips of pictures in and space as you desire within rectangle. My strips were 1.5” x 6.67”.
Make another rectangle, or circle etc. for your text. My message box is 2.35" x 1.72". I used CK Racer font (free to download) but you can pick any one you like. I tilted my message box by 8 degrees and made the opacity 88% (so you can sort of see through it). I had a picture in one of my strips that was a write off (moving camera, picture of floor etc) so it was easy to cover that up with my message. You could make a longer or shorter message box though and place it elsewhere.
Mac Template
I have provided a Pages (for Mac) based template here for you to drag any pictures you’d like into the photostrips (the green boxes). You will still need to download the font (or use a different one you have already), but the hard work has been done.
Printing TIP: Once I made one 5”x7” block with pictures etc, I copied the whole thing right beside it on the same page for printing on glossy-ish cardstock.
For those on PCs... I’ve provided a Word version of my template but can’t vouch for what it will look like when you open it / try and drag pictures into the green boxes. Sorry!
Good luck and happy mailing.
DIY
Using Pocketbooth app, take 3 strips (or more!) of pictures. You can then save these strips to your photo album (on your phone) and upload to a computer.
In word processing / page layout software (I used Pages for Mac), make a 5” x 7” rectangle (3 pt line thickness). Drag 3 strips of pictures in and space as you desire within rectangle. My strips were 1.5” x 6.67”.
Make another rectangle, or circle etc. for your text. My message box is 2.35" x 1.72". I used CK Racer font (free to download) but you can pick any one you like. I tilted my message box by 8 degrees and made the opacity 88% (so you can sort of see through it). I had a picture in one of my strips that was a write off (moving camera, picture of floor etc) so it was easy to cover that up with my message. You could make a longer or shorter message box though and place it elsewhere.
Mac Template
I have provided a Pages (for Mac) based template here for you to drag any pictures you’d like into the photostrips (the green boxes). You will still need to download the font (or use a different one you have already), but the hard work has been done.
Printing TIP: Once I made one 5”x7” block with pictures etc, I copied the whole thing right beside it on the same page for printing on glossy-ish cardstock.
For those on PCs... I’ve provided a Word version of my template but can’t vouch for what it will look like when you open it / try and drag pictures into the green boxes. Sorry!
Good luck and happy mailing.
Feb 11 2013 - i heart DIY
Valentines day is just around the corner and I thought I'd share some ideas (almost all from Pinterest, FYI) for those who’d like to put a little DIY (read cheap but full of love) into a valentine gift.
Some kids valentine card ideas
balls, lollipop butterflies, fish bowl, light sabers (the link takes you to a file you can print out for making these cards), pencils, army guys
Some kids valentine card ideas
balls, lollipop butterflies, fish bowl, light sabers (the link takes you to a file you can print out for making these cards), pencils, army guys
Some adult gift ideas
52 reasons I love you, light bulb, button heart, scrabble art
I made the "52 reasons" mini book last year and was (sadly) excited that I could come up with that many things to list... just goes to show that when you sit and think about it you realize how much there is to love about someone!
52 reasons I love you, light bulb, button heart, scrabble art
I made the "52 reasons" mini book last year and was (sadly) excited that I could come up with that many things to list... just goes to show that when you sit and think about it you realize how much there is to love about someone!
Some cute food ideas
Sandwiches, carrots, brownies, french toast, fruit, or good old fashioned cookies :)
Sandwiches, carrots, brownies, french toast, fruit, or good old fashioned cookies :)
Or how about a cute family photo strip to send to relatives? Just start with a plain white onesie / shirt for all and add a simple heart.
Also, the cell phone app Pocketbooth comes in handy to take the pictures and when you print you may just have to cut the photo paper (or cardstock? down to size). Personally, I'd go the cardstock route fitting multiple copies (for all those aunts, uncles and grandparents!) onto one sheet and then cutting them up after printing.
- sew - cut heart out of old t-shirt or sweater, or red felt from a craft store and sew on to shirt. Hand sewing is totally fine... may look even better than with a machine!
- stencil - can find a stencil at a craft store or hand draw with fabric paint
- ruffle - take a look at this posting to see how she did it - definitely the most involved of the 3 options :)
Also, the cell phone app Pocketbooth comes in handy to take the pictures and when you print you may just have to cut the photo paper (or cardstock? down to size). Personally, I'd go the cardstock route fitting multiple copies (for all those aunts, uncles and grandparents!) onto one sheet and then cutting them up after printing.
Jan 18 2013 - Homemade Christmas gift round up
Being home has its advantages... one of which is time to make gifts instead of trudge through the crowed malls etc. I thought I’d share some of the things I made for friends and family this past Christmas. Some will be for sale on my ETSY site (yep, friends and family are my guinea pigs) so I’ll provide appropriate links here too.
Eager beaver reader Pillow
Designed to be laid on while reading your book (that you can keep in his front pocket) this pillow turned out pretty good considering I designed it myself... I usually find patterns to use!
It seemed to be a hit with the kids I gave it to - some more than others... thanks niece Ava for instantly naming yours and “mothering” it :) - so I will be making these to sell on line and at various craft sales I’ll be at this year.
Skirt for Lisa
A pinterest tutorial that my sister-in-law Lisa said she’d pay me to make for her... I took that as a sign she’d be happy to receive it as a gift! Turned out to be a bit big, but the sash helped tighten things up a bit.
Scrabble Wall Art
I got the idea for this from pinterest but changed the dimensions and materials a bit to suit me. Each tile is 5.5 inches square and is fastened to the wall separately with Command Strips so you can move them if you want to and not wreck your paint. I did a set for my brother’s family and one for my husband’s brother’s family. My brother’s family names didn’t fit together on their own so I had to add a word that would join them all up... I think FAMILY was appropriate, don’t you?
I am selling these on ETSY as well but they will all be custom projects as I can’t possibly make enough letters for folks to buy individually.
I am selling these on ETSY as well but they will all be custom projects as I can’t possibly make enough letters for folks to buy individually.
mix CD
I’ve been making these for 5 years I guess, as a gift for those who want to discover some new music.
My criteria is that the music has to be released in the calendar year. I find some picks from the free Starbucks song cards or recommendations from Entertainment Weekly (we subscribe) but most are from artists that I like, have the albums of, and want to share with others. I try not to just collect the singles that everyone knows (assuming folks still listen to the radio!) but share a new track from the band.
I missed last year’s mix as Noah was newly home from the hospital so I did a combo mix this year. And yes, I still burn the music onto CDs because they are cheaper than USB sticks and you can’t make a pretty cover for a USB stick :).
Track Listing: Madness - Muse; Oh Love - Green Day; How Come You’re Not Here - P!nk; What I Wouldn’t Do - Serena Rider; Shake It Out - Florence & the Machine; Sister - Black Keys; Old Lady - Sinead O’Connor; Submarines - The Lumineers; Blood Brothers - Ingrid Michaelson; I Miss You When You’re Gone - Matthew Barber; Trying to Throw Your Arms Around the World - The Fray; Fragile Bird - City and Colour; Rabbit Will Run - Iron & Wine; What Am I the One - Fun.; The Starting Line - Keane; Lovers’ Eyes - Mumford & Sons; I Found a Boy - Adele
My criteria is that the music has to be released in the calendar year. I find some picks from the free Starbucks song cards or recommendations from Entertainment Weekly (we subscribe) but most are from artists that I like, have the albums of, and want to share with others. I try not to just collect the singles that everyone knows (assuming folks still listen to the radio!) but share a new track from the band.
I missed last year’s mix as Noah was newly home from the hospital so I did a combo mix this year. And yes, I still burn the music onto CDs because they are cheaper than USB sticks and you can’t make a pretty cover for a USB stick :).
Track Listing: Madness - Muse; Oh Love - Green Day; How Come You’re Not Here - P!nk; What I Wouldn’t Do - Serena Rider; Shake It Out - Florence & the Machine; Sister - Black Keys; Old Lady - Sinead O’Connor; Submarines - The Lumineers; Blood Brothers - Ingrid Michaelson; I Miss You When You’re Gone - Matthew Barber; Trying to Throw Your Arms Around the World - The Fray; Fragile Bird - City and Colour; Rabbit Will Run - Iron & Wine; What Am I the One - Fun.; The Starting Line - Keane; Lovers’ Eyes - Mumford & Sons; I Found a Boy - Adele
Face Scrub
This started out from a pinterest recipe (can you tell I’m addicted?!) that didn’t work out. I’m not sure what I did wrong - there were only 3 ingredients! - but rather than abandon the bowl of goo I added some more things to it. In the end, it smells like Ace Bakery Rosemary Foccacia, so I named it “rise and shine”.
I’ve been using it for over a month now and I’m loving it. I no longer need to use moisturizing cream (in the winter, no less!) and I’m not seeing any oiliness or pimples. I don’t have sensitive skin so perhaps some recipients didn’t see the same benefits?
I’ve been using it for over a month now and I’m loving it. I no longer need to use moisturizing cream (in the winter, no less!) and I’m not seeing any oiliness or pimples. I don’t have sensitive skin so perhaps some recipients didn’t see the same benefits?
Bird Pillow Music Box
This one was for Bella, my 5 year old who loves music and movies. She loves musicals ... music and movies in one? ... awesome! One of her favourites is Wizard of Oz. She often asks me to sing her “over the rainbow” when I’m tucking her into bed.
I found a great music box store on ETSY that had this song so I bought the music box and built the bird around it. I bought the pattern for the bird pillow from ETSY as well. I plan to make more to sell but can’t decide if I should do plain pillows or musical ones so I don’t have any postings on ETSY yet.
I found a great music box store on ETSY that had this song so I bought the music box and built the bird around it. I bought the pattern for the bird pillow from ETSY as well. I plan to make more to sell but can’t decide if I should do plain pillows or musical ones so I don’t have any postings on ETSY yet.
Doll House Play Mat
I'm cheating a bit here as this wasn’t a Christmas gift but a gift for an early January birthday party for Bella’s friend. I make a similar play mat for boys that has a road and pockets for cars so I used the same idea but make “furniture” instead - bathtub, table and chairs and a bed with covers. I am selling both of these on line so check out the links below.
link to car caddy play mat: whoops! I don't have any for sale right now but will shortly! (you can buy them at Silly Goose Kids though, if you live in my neighbourhood)
link to doll house play mat
link to car caddy play mat: whoops! I don't have any for sale right now but will shortly! (you can buy them at Silly Goose Kids though, if you live in my neighbourhood)
link to doll house play mat