My Little Panda

Last night we went out to this outdoor shopping center to let our little one partake in the giving of candy. She is in love with pandas, so when I asked her what did she want to dress up as, she said panda real quick.

I made the top from two t-shirts and felt for the ears. I had her black leggings already.

I think it came out real cute. She was the only panda I saw :) Our first stop was Anthropologie!

I also made this little panda bucket out of felt too.

We found out she isn't a big clown fan yet.

But, she loved this crazy cat puppet!

A Deadly Combination

I confess that I love baking. Not because it's necessarily fun to make it, but the outcome is so delicious! My wonderful amazing mother sends us care packages from time to time, and this time we got two boxes of stuff to make this wonderful dessert. If you like brownies and peanut butter cookies, this is for you.

*Thank you to Glenda for making these for Dayspring so my mom could let me in on this :)*

It was gone in two days! Now, granted, I did make half in a pumpkin tin for my hubby to take to work and share.

Here is what you need:

-One box of Supreme Brownie Mix and all the ingredients it says to have
-One Peanut Butter Cookie Mix and all the ingredients it says to have

1. Prepare the Supreme Brownie Mix as shown. Pour in pan.
2. Prepare peanut butter cookie mix as shown. Spoon on top of brownie mix- spread out as best as possible.
3. Cook. I went by the brownie bake time.

My Heart is Just Melting

The in-laws are gone, so things are getting back to normal. I have had the itch to sew some things for my little one and whipped this up last night.

I was inspired by this dress at Anthropologie. I absolutely adore how it came out! I made it from two different shirts I had.

I love how the little ruffles bounce when she walks. She just melts my heart. What can I say? I love my daughter and think she is just a cutie.

The only problem I had was I made it too tight at first. I added a triangular panel to the front to help out. Before I did that, she looked like she was going clubbing or something. Not something anyone, let alone a two year old should be wearing :) lol.

New PJ's

I am trying to begin making pajamas for my little girl now. It is just outrageous how expensive pajamas can be, unless you get them on clearance. They are also usually too tight around her wrists and ankles, or way too long. I wanted them to be comfy, so I used t-shirts and knits of mine.

This was my first go at it. I created the pattern myself and went for a faux kimono shirt look. I like this way the best so far, but I did try another method to go for the same look on another one.

Here is the second one I made her. I did it differently, but it came out good. She really likes it because it has flamingos on it. She didn't want to take it off! I made it from a t-shirt I picked up on our anniversary trip. I figured the pj's would be her souvenir.

Then she decided to be her little monkey self and have fun climbing on everything instead of letting me take pictures.

Needless to say, she did fall. But, she didn't hurt anything :)

Today

Had lunch with a wonderful new friend today. Preparing for the the in-laws to come in a few days. Hoping my daughter will actually take a nap today. Visiting more friends in a little bit. Finished a few more Christmas projects:

Monogrammed Tote Bags to hold Christmas gifts. I used the letters I already had cut out from the Rag Quilt Letters. *PS: Found the totes on sale at Micheal's.

Not too inspired on my ornaments for the family ornament exchange. Just dressed up some bears and bunnies. I do love their hats though.

Announcements

I have a few things to share with you all, so here goes:

1. So You Think You're Crafty
Starting at the beginning of November, it's on in the crafting world. Myself and nine other amazing women (most of whom you have probably already heard of), are participating in a new contest called "So You Think You're Crafty." Each crafter will anonymously create a craft for a specific theme and then it will be up to the public to vote for the most creative each week. The winner of each week will provide a tutorial for that project. I'm excited and super nervous because there's some amazing talent involved! So, go ahead and follow along on the So You Think You're Crafty Blog so you don't miss a thing!

2. VivaLaModa

This is "a totally handmade online magazine focused on handmade and vintage fashion (as well as makeup, beauty, art, designer interviews, recipes, product reviews, decorations, and kids). It is made by indie amateur collaborators, trying to show people how handmade and vintage clothes and items are cool, elegant, and innovative as high end fashion."
I first heard about it from LuvintheMommyhood. They have a new issue out now and it's awesome! Check it out and be inspired!

3. LuShae Jewelry Sweepstakes

Enter their online competition for the chance to win $200 cash (to spend anywhere you like). Simply display one of their jewelry badges on your blog, website or social profile page and be automatically entered each and every month. The sweepstake giveaway is open to all countries. Every entrant will also receive a 15% discount off the entire LuShae Jewelry range!

4. Tupperware
My friend Karla is venturing into the Tupperware business, so I would like to show her some love and give you the info in case any of you are interested.
"To order online, you can go to "Shop Our Product Gallery" where you can look and order whatever they would like. It will get mailed straight to your door. It's as easy as 1..2..3. And to make things more easy. It's very simple to get started in Hosting your very own Online Party. After going to Karla's site, you would have to go to Party "Inspiration Center" and click on "About Online Parties" and it will walk you through just a few steps. It will take 5 minutes. Very Simple. Also, if you would like more information on wanting to sell and being their own boss, then email Karla at aeschlimanfamily@hotmail.com and let her know. Imagine ... Life on your terms!

A Hot Scrappy Mess Journal and Tote Tutorial

It's about time I've been able to get back on here and post something. I guess all I can say is that I really have a 2 year old ;). I had made this journal a while back to give to my husband for our anniversary.

He journals a lot when he does Bible studies, quiet time, writes songs, etc, so it's a perfect gift. I'm planning on making a few more for some Christmas presents for those who like to write, draw, journal, etc.

I'm going to share a tutorial for how I made the journal cover. I know journal covers have been done before, but I tried to make one the easiest and fastest way I could. And a sneak peek...

...this is a tote bag I did using the same method. See further down for pics.

Journal Cover:

What you need:
-2 pieces of felt
-Scrap Fabric
-Journal
-2 Buttons (for closure)

-Small pieces of elastic (think about reusing broken hairbands or elastic that holds shoes together when first purchased)

1. Sew two pieces of felt together

2. Place journal on top, so it is in the middle, and measure how much to cut off. Make sure to leave about a half inch or so extra around the bottom and top edge (I forgot to do this and ended up gluing the cover on, but if you sew the flaps, it can be reused on other journals later).

3. Cut off excess felt at the bottom and on the sides if necessary. Make sure to leave enough on the sides to fold over to create the flap.

4. Lay the piece of felt right side up. Take your scraps and just start placing them all over.

5. Pin all the pieces in place.

6. Sew the them all on however you like. I just kind of went crazy with it. No order or anything to the fabric or the sewing. Just did what I felt like. It reminded me of how my child does art. It seems chaotic, since she is only 2, yet comes out really cool anyways.

7. Cut two small pieces of elastic. It should be long enough to be sewn onto one inside flap and come over the journal side to the top to loop onto a button.

8. Pin the elastic where you would like it to hold the journal together at. Sew it on.

9. Then, cover the ends with a small piece of fabric and sew that on.

10. Fold the ends in and place the buttons to line up with the elastic. Take journal cover off and hand sew on the buttons.

11. Place the cover on the journal again and fold the flaps to the inside and sew together at the top and bottom to create the pocket to place the journal cover (unlike what I forgot to do :).

The Tote Bag:

I basically did the same thing. I took a blank tote,

Covered it in scraps.

Pinned them in place.

Sewed them on and added other embellishments (crocheted flowers, felt heart, embroidered stems on the apples).

That's it. Happy Sewing!

A Girl and Her Flowers

About two weeks ago, I had this idea to make some kid friendly flowers for my daughter to have to put on her table. This was to add to the effect of setting her play table with all her food and stuff.

So, I did it. I crochet the stems and then stuck a straw in them to give support.
The flowers are just yarn pom poms I made and then sewed on. Simple and sweet.

Now, she has "fresh" flowers to arrange and set her table with. Just like mommy.

My Anniversary Trip Scarf Dress

I was inspired to make this after Burda Style had that scarf dress competition. I found this huge beautiful scarf at AC Moore's for super cheap. I love the colors. Just shirred it some around the top and left a little extra to create a ruffle look (although, I think I'm going to shirr that part too).

I also shirred the waist, but you can't see it under the belt.

6 Years Ago

Six years ago in the month of October, my husband and I went on our first outing as two people who liked each other (it was kind of like a date, but not; hard to explain :). Then, three years ago, in the month of October, we were married. So, this year to celebrate our 3rd year of marriage and our 6 years of togetherness, we took a trip to Key West. That's where I have been!

It was so nice and relaxing! My parents came down and watched the little one for a few days.

We went to the beach a lot. Although, I should have done more research before going there. It's not really a beachy place. Key West is more about fishing and diving. There were only two small beaches on the island!

It was nice though. We ate a ton of fresh seafood. Mmmmmmmmmm.....

We stayed at a wonderful Bed and Breakfast called the Popular House.

I went crazy when I saw this! How I wish I had all those spools to decorate my house with!

There were lots of quiet happy corners all around to relax in.

I loved all the bright colors and the amazing plants.

We even hung out with the sponge man.

And, we saw lots of cool vintage things. I even bought a neat vintage purse and picture at an antique store (Although, most of the antique stores were very very overpriced. I was fortunate to find my stuff in the bargain bins).

Then, we followed the signs and found our way home. Now it's back to normal again. Lots of craftiness coming up! Stay tuned!