Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Felted Globe & Mass Presents

Hello everyone! Wow... welcome to December huh?! I know I haven't posted this month yet... and by the looks of it, this will probably be the only one before Christmas.
Since this will be the only post I'm cramming in as much crafting as I can.
So please, bear with me and keep on reading and scrolling down ;-) for all of the fun things I've been wanting to show you!
Well, in the words of my loving mother - O M Goodness!
FELT GLOBE KIT

The new, anxiously awaited pictures of the felt globe are finally here!!

It was by far the most fun I've had working with felt. The whole thing took me about a week and a half. I basically locked myself up in my crafting room... ended up listening to 4 books on tape (they are a life saver truly - and if you have time anything by Suzanne Collins is AWESOME!)
Ok, back to the Felt Globe *hehe*
The Globe was brought to my attention by a friend who saw it on Design Mom's Blog. Being very taken by this globe I jumped at the chance to make a pattern for it. I came to the conclusion that making the globe and selling it would not be very price effective... simply because the small icons are pretty detailed, so I decided to make a pattern and a kit for it - So that you would be able to make this fantastical globe yourself!
Just imagine yourself this winter crafting away at such a fun project!!!
The globe hangs on the wall. The continents are attached, but the icons have Velcro on the back of them so that your children can have fun putting them in their correct places.
What an awesome way to teach your little ones where the Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower, or the Golden Gate Bridge is?!?
Additional coolness factors are:
(1) A world traveled suitcase that you can store all the neat icons in....
& (2) Three 3D Airplanes - the largest of which your children can "fly" to destinations! And, it's equipped with it's very own airplane hanger!
Here's what your kit will look like:
There are over 45 pages of detailed instructions too...
It sounds like a lot, but I wanted to make the directions as easy to follow as possible, so even if you aren't the most crafty of people you could totally make one.
[Here's a tip I found when making my own - If you lay the paper pattern over the felt and then cut through both of them you'll have way more control with the scissors.]
I thought I'd let you peek into my workspace... or as my husband called it... my mine field!
This picture kind of looks like one of those "I Spy" books ;-)
Can anyone spot the fingernail polish remover, my bag of chips and a soda can!!!
MEMORY GAME - NATURAL STYLE
The other day I was looking on Etsy, and found these memory games for kids, made by Lemon Tree Studios. And, for only $16 they really are fun! But since I'm making and not buying things for L'bug this year I had to improvise.
By improvise I mean Der was sent outside with a tree trimming saw to retrieve a suitable branch from our back yard! Then I cut the branch into 1/8" wide disks.
I found some icons online and used tracing paper to make two exactly the same, then went over the design with a fine tip permanent marker. I ended up making 8 different pairs of wooden disks.
The rockin cool bag was from some vintage Peter Rabbit fabric given to me by a wonderful lady that I'm recovering some chairs for. Can you believe that they originally were curtains for her son's room over 30 years ago!!!
SLEEPY MASKS
I have three things, ok four things that are very crucial for me to have to go to sleep. One, my phone. Two, my hot water bottle (a winter thing only.) Three, my iPod.
(I have a playlist solely dedicated to thunderstorm/rain sounds.)
And forth, my sleeping mask.
The idea came from last year's Anthropologie winter catalog. On the cover were girls showing off some really cute eye masks. Of course really cute for them, would've cost you around $30 a pair. My mom's best friend had given me a box full of vintage ties - and so I used the ties for the outer material, and new silk for the part that goes against your face.
I also used the tags from some of the ties for a fun detail.
Another detail was some simple blanket stitches and an closed eye ;-)
One is a gift - but Santa doesn't tell for whom...
COFFEE CUFF
One Sunday morning I saw a girl with some coffee - not unusual right?
(Our church pampers us by serving coffee, doughnuts, and other goodies on Sunday mornings. And the best part... we get to take them into the service!)
Ok, so the girl's coffee - around which was a super cute coffee cuff! I asked her where she got it and she said that a friend of hers sold them at her coffee shop.
They were made out of reused sweat-shirts and plastic grocery bags! The idea from then on was stuck in my head and I had to have one.
I know Starbucks has some made of felt, but come on people... Have you seen them?! They're solid gray :( and totally Debbie Downer sad looking! As you can guess I made my own. I used an existing sleeve for the pattern, and I've got to tell ya - it was so much fun yo!
I've made a couple - some are gifts but I'm not going to tell for whom...
*wink*
They are made with random left over pieces of felt and fabric.


OWL ORNAMENT
Almost all of my ideas come from things that I've seen while online or looking at books or magazine. The hardest thing for someone who sews is the urge to say, "I'm not going to buy that because I know I can make it." That can be a good thing, but also a bad thing...
A good thing, because you can be resourceful and save some cash - a bad thing when that list of things you're going to eventually make gets too long to accomplish. When really, buying that $6 ornament and getting to see it hanging beautifully on your tree is a way better idea than not having one at all.
Ok - let me get down off my randomness crafting soap box! lol
If you do by chance think like I do and refuse to buy things that you know you could very well make - take heart! Why?
Because you can totally make this freaking cute owl ornament in no time flat!
I saw them (3 for $24) in the Crate & Barrel mailer and made up a quick pattern for them.
All you need is some scrap fabric, a few scrap pieces of felt, a little bit of stuffing, a couple of colors of embroidery floss, two buttons, and some ribbon or string.
First cut out the owl body, wings, and feet pieces. I don't have a picture of it, but lay the wings and feet on the inside of the two fabric body pieces - so that when you sew the body together and flip it inside out the wings and feet will stick out.
Make sure you leave part of the top open to stuff it.
Once you've stuffed the owl, sew shut the top opening. Then cut out the body felt details.
Blanket stitch the top piece (the one between the eyes) and I made small "X" stitches to secure the side body pieces.
Hot glue the ribbon or string under the center top felt piece. I put a drop of glue on the string and then used a tooth pick to push it under the felt to hide the glue.
Cut out the large eye pieces and blanket stitch them to the body.
The below picture shows where I hid my embroidery knots - inbetween the two wing pieces!
Blanket stitch the smaller piece circles onto the larger eye circles.
Attach buttons to the center of the eyes. I didn't make a pattern piece for it - but cut out a small triangle for the beak piece and make a few stitches to secure it to the body.
I made my stitches into a sort of arrow shape, but you can feel free to do whatever you think looks best.
Blanket stitch around the wings
Whip stitch around the feet. And then PRESTO! You've got yourself a really cute gift either for yourself or a loved one.
Here's the pattern - just right click and save it to your desktop, then print it out. You could even take it to a print shop and have it enlarged to make a pillow...
Make sure you cut 4 of the wing and feet pieces ;-)
I hope you've enjoyed my blog this year. I've had such a blast posting and sharing with you all of the fun things that I've been making.
If you see anything that you'd like to purchase please contact me at:
for prices and details.
Thank you all so very very much!
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good craft!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas Presents

This year we've decided to do a "Home-made & Heart-felt" Christmas.
Most of the people I know are like us... in major budget mode. And this year I really wasn't prepared to stress about how many people we have to buy gifts for, what to buy them, or how much crazy bucks would've been spent.
The goal is to have as many gifts as we can...made or found (thrifted) ;)
I've started with L'bug's presents - and because I know that she's too young to understand how to use our computer - showing you guys pictures isn't going to ruin her surprise!
I wanted to make her a collection of something so that we could practice counting. And as I was surfing online I came across these awesome fabric birds! I made 10 of them with random scraps of various fabrics I had lying around.
The blog that has some great photos of them is Spool Sewing - they also have the pattern you can download (for free!)
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The next gift I made was so easy and quick!
I crocheted little puffer fish and put magnets inside them so L'bug can have fun fishing!
The pole is from our front yard :) I put magnets on the end of the braided string... and I have to admit D'man and I had a blast playing with them ourselves!
The pattern for the puffers is also free from Crochet Pattern Central!
I hope these pictures insipre you to make some of your Christmas gifts this year ;) A home made and heart felt gift is way better than giving someone a gift card... just saying *wink*

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Laumeier Sculpture Park

I've been cooped up in our house for the last week working on a couple of chairs I'm in the process of recovering. Yesterday I was especially engrossed in my work for about a solid 9 hours...
(And, I was totally listening to The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, & Mockingjay - all by Suzanne Collins... by far the best books I have ever read / listened to! No joke!
If you've read them I've got one word for you, PEETA!)
So, today Der and I decided needed to be a family day. An outside family day to be more specific!
We tossed around a couple of parks and agreed Laumeier Sculpture Park would be perfect.
We packed a lunch and had a blast!
I don't know what this (above) one is, but it was too cool not to take a picture of!
Der and L'bug (below) are the apple of this eye....
(hardy har har huh?! now you know why I took up crafts rather than comedy)
I know I've got a lot coming up - a lot of new crafts and images promised - and I'll post them...
SOON! :) :)

Friday, November 5, 2010

Fees... What a bummer!

Hey guys - Ok, so I have to admit that I'm fairly new this whole paypal thing. I know what you're probably thinking... "Really Felicia! Get with the program yo!"
And it's not that I don't purchase things online. It's more rather that I don't sell items - in mass - online. To be honest the majority of the items that I sell are to friends and family or friends of friends... and what not.
What I've come to realize as the seller of items is that when using paypal - there are these pesty fees... in a word - bummer
First - thank you to anyone that's purchased things from my blog! You've all been great!
But here's my thought for future buyers...
If you're going to use paypal - no problem! But I'm requesting that you "gift" the money to me so that there aren't any fees.
(For those of you like me - when paying instead of Purchase, use the Personal tab and mark the gift option *hehe)
At first a dollar here or there doesn't seem like a lot, but when it happens to every order...
To be honest with you all - it adds up yo! LOL
P.S. Among other things my camera has decided that it really doesn't want to use it's flash anymore and will only take blurry pictures for me :( I'm in the process of getting another one but I promise I will have some updates on my crafts posted as fast as I can!
Thanks a bunch everyone!!!!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

This month D and I celebrated our anniversary in Herman, MO.
Honestly, it was absolutely beautiful, relaxing, and had great wine!
We stayed at a neat Bed & Breakfast. Ok, neat really doesn't give it justice.
It had nine bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, main living room, parlor, gentlemen's den, an upstairs living room, two staircases, seven bathrooms, and
last but not least a full wraparound porch!

The keeper of the house was a really nice man with his daughter, however part of the initial house tour was his shpeel to sell the house! lol
Apparently, the house and location is great... business is booming... however, he owns land in
the Bahamas and believes that sand and sun is a much better place to
retire than our beloved Midwest!?!?
So, if anyone is interested just let me know and I can hopefully put you one step closer to your dreams of being a B&B owner.
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Not only did we have good wine, but we also went Antique shopping!
Look at the coolest thing I've ever seen...

Notice anything?

Two sets of seats, pedals, and handle bars!!!
Also notice that only one set of handle bars has breaks... and I guess you need to agree who's steering before you start your journey huh?