Celebrate the Boy Link Love

This week, I’ve been loving participating in and watching all the AMAZING creativity all over Celebrate the Boy!

 

1. I’m making another play mat myself (i.e. I should be doing it now instead of blogging…) It’s not a car toy one, but I’ve been wanting to make a car toy one for my son. Was going to do my play mat, but after seeing this one by Gingercake, I might have to try something new!

2. This Harmonica Jacket by Sew a Straight Line is a project I think I might have to work up to. It’s absolutely adorable and I love all the details in the pockets and lining and everywhere.

3. Not only do I think that this is a fantastic photo, I love the cape!

4. Another play mat that I am smitten with. This one was created by Cook Clean Craft. Even my husband was like, ‘Wow! That’s cool!’

5. And lastly, how cute is this??? I love the Sneetches, maybe that’s what caught my eye on this one. It could also be that I love the colors together in this onesie by happy stuff.

Dragons, Monsters and Dinos, Oh My!

Yep, I’m blushing again! To my surprise the dragon wings were featured again and this time with Made by Rae’s Celebrate the Boy week in the Creature Feature Roundup!

And man, the dragon wings are in some amazing company!!

1. Dino Sike Crochet Hat and Pattern, 2. Amigurumi baby dragon, 3. Monster Snow Hat, 4. Monster Baby Hat and Shirt

5. Tissue Monster, 6. Dragon Sweatshirt, 7. Yo Gabba Gabba Fleece, 8. Pillow Tee Monster

9. Sweater Monsters, 10. Yep, that’s me, the Dragon Wings!, 11. Yellow Tee Shirt, 12. Monster Art Tote

13. Sock Dragon, 14. Winter Dino Hat, 15. Pipoooo dentinho, 16. Fiery Dragon

Sooo… If I have to pick one, my favorite would be (besides the dragon wings of course…) the sock dragon! I’m blown away by that one!

Check them out, most of them have tutorials as well!

Which one is your favorite?

And check back tomorrow for my very own CTB link love! I”ve found some great things!

Little Dresses for Africa

Yes, another post not about Celebrate The Boy, even though I have a long, long list of projects for CTB… But this one, has been on my mind and I needed to get it done….

 

Little Dresses for Africa is a non-profit organization that provides girls in African orphanages, churches and schools to let them know that people care and to tell these ‘little girls that they are worthy!’

And how did I find out about this??? My quilting guild, of course!  I haven’t been able to make it to the guild meetings lately, but there was a post of a different sort of meeting. A pillowcase dress meeting. Kathy from Pink Chalk Studio let us know about a girl Emily who’s Senior service project is to make 100 pillowcase dresses for the young girls in Africa.

Ok, so I didn’t actually use a pillowcase. I had a shirt that got a hole in it under the arm, but the rest is still cute. My plan was always to turn it into a ‘pillowcase’ dress, it was just initially intended for someone else. Once I read about the Little Dresses project I knew that this is where the dress will go. The pattern (and part of the tutorial) I used is from Prudent Baby and is very simple to follow. (I also just realized we both photographed our finished pieces in front of a fence… )

Here’s the before and after….

 And I love the flower…. 

Yep, a tutorial is on it’s way.

 And, another thing to add to my list of things to do is the Britches for Boys project. The same as the Little Dresses Project, but for Boys….  And as those of us participating in Celebrate the Boy, we know the boys sometimes get the shaft…  Yep, there will more about that too!

Right about the time I read about the Little Dresses project, I also read this quote. I hope it speaks to you as it did to me.

‘I have learned that life is not about me, and it’s not about you either. You cannot live a full life if you cannot share and give to others.’ 

- Behr Champana-Gagneron, architect

 

linked to Made By You Monday

Winter Photo Swap

Wohoo! I got my photo from the Winter Photo Swap  (by The Sweet Light) yesterday! I’ve been checking my mailbox daily  in anticipation of just this..

My partner was Alexandra from Romania and here’s the picture she sent me.

Unfortunately, my scanner doesn’t do the picture justice. I lost some detail… And man, this is a perfect photo of winter. Makes me want to bundle up and head straight to that spot of sun at the end of the trail!

Now with my pictures, I couldn’t decide. I’m absolutely horrible at making decisions…. I had seen the call for artists to participate in the photo swap and decided, nope, I can’t take on anything more this month. Then one day I was driving to work and the landscape was covered in fog and ice. Just a magical winter scene. So I pulled over, took some photos and emailed Azzari of The Sweet Light. I had missed the deadline to sign up, but I emailed her anyway, just to see. And lucky for me, she needed one more person! So, when it came down to it, I remembered another picture I had taken of some geese on a frozen lake. I tried to make a decision, but in the end just decided to send both…

Ok, after feeling the cold from those pics, I’m back to keeping warm in my sewing room this weekend and making some things…. To do list… Another baby present, a pillowcase dress with flower, a play mat, and two of my projects to share with the Celebrate The Boy crowd!  And a trip to the zoo was requested this morning…. Probably won’t get everything done, but I’ll see! What are your plans for the weekend???

Celebrate the Boy 2011!

I’m really excited!!! I found this last year summer online, but missed it as it was going on in full swing. I was really hoping that I would remember it this year and I did!!

Celebrate the boy is a month long blog a thon by the ladies at Made By Rae and MADE about all things boys!!

It’s true, our little boy kiddos get the shaft when it comes to cool clothing options. You see it everywhere… Stores, the girls section is HUGE, the boys section…. little. Pattern books, everything girl. Boys patterns, well… not so much! This isn’t just about clothes, but I”m excited to see what everyone shares….

I thought I’d share a few of my favorites from last year. All of which our on my to do list on the side, but I’ll show you with pictures…

 

1. Mens Shirt to Boys Shirt from Made by Rae. I’ve been stockpiling shirts out of Dad’s ‘Goodwill’ piles for this project!

2. 90 Minute Shirt from MADE. Very cute. I think the 90 minute thing intimidates me though…. My son has a big head (Dad and son share hats… Need I say more….) so I love this shirt style. And it’s just adorable no matter what size head your child has!!!

3. The Slim Slacks for Boys from This Mama Makes Stuff. The girls get the skinny jeans, why can’t the boys have the slim slacks??? My buddy is still a bit on the short side, so I don’t know how they’d look on him, but I really want to try it out!

And I have contributed a few oldie’s to the pool, but I have a few new projects in the works…

What is your favorite thing to make the boys in your life???

Happy Valentine’s Day!

So far I haven’t posted projects that my son has done. But that’s all about to change! He’s a little crafty guy and is loving being a part of crafting activites at our house.

He’s two and loves making things! We’ve had such a good time making Valentines that I just had to share. Inspired by the Owl Valentines by Live, Learn, Love we made some for the whole family and even some friends!

For each person, my son picked the colors. Momma cut them and glued them. While Bobo (my son’s nickname) was coloring the ‘feathers’, Momma cut and glued the eyes. Then Bobo put on the eyeballs, beak and feet. And wah-la a precious owl valentine!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Inspiration- Louise Bourgeois

I am forgoing my weekly link love for this amazing inspiration. A few weeks ago I stumbled upon the fabric works of Louise Bourgeois. The ones below are what initially caught my eye. To me they are so simple, yet fantastic!

Louise Bourgeois was born in 1911 and died at 98 in 2010. Her parents owned a textile restoration business and this is where she was first influenced with the textile arts. As she become her own artist, she became a painter, a printer and a sculptor. Louise is best known for her spiders…

The Spider is an ode to my mother. She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. My family was in the business of tapestry restoration, and my mother was in charge of the workshop. Like spiders, my mother was very clever. Spiders are friendly presences that eat mosquitoes. We know that mosquitoes spread diseases and are therefore unwanted. So, spiders are helpful and protective, just like my mother.

-Louise Bourgeois

Supposedly she was a hoarder of textiles. She took these textiles, some of which were clothing given to her by her father that she would never wear, and repurposed them into art. Her inspiration, her mother, seen through her art in the spider, is taken even further symbolically through the textile arts in her weaves and webs.

I want to get these books, to learn more about her. What an amazing life she led!

Thank you Louise! absolutely Inspiring!

Heart Shaped Crayons- Tutorial

Yep, the crayon tutorial. Yep, it’s been done before, but I want to do it a little bit different… Kinda like a sheet cake, I mean crayon, and cookie cutters.

Materials:

Baking Pan

Aluminum foil (optional)

Peeled Crayons

Heart Shaped Cookie Cutters

Note about the ‘Optional’ aluminum foil method- I was doing it this way with the aluminum foil, but then realized I like the way without foil better. You get a smoother finished underside without foil, but it means giving up the pan to the crayons… You decide! :)  So some pics are showing the ‘optional’ way….

Step 1- Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Step 2- Fill the pan with the peeled crayons.  Optional Method- Line baking pan with aluminum foil. Use the large size foil so that you don’t have to overlap  (My first batch I tore the aluminum foil and then overlapped… If you want to keep the pan for baking, this is not a good idea…) and then fill the pan with the peeled crayons.

 

Step 3-Cook the crayons for about 15 minutes.

Step 4- Let the wax cool for about 20 minutes. You don’t want it too warm that it’s still gooey, but you don’t want it too cool so that you can’t cut the wax with the cookie cutters.

Step 5- Use the cookie cutter to cut out the shapes.

Step 6- Let it continue to cool before separating. I put mine in the freezer for a while and then they just pop right out!

Step 7- Slide them in the Valentine envelopes, give and enjoy!

An Astro-Ordinary Valentine Printable

Another Valentine’s Day post! This time it’s my own printable! My very first… Hope you like it! Actually there are two, cards and a CD envelope, so I should probably say my very first printable’S’..

My son is all about the planets, spaceships and the solar system, so while I was trying to decide on a theme for his valentine to the class, of course, a space theme was in order.

Printable #1- Classmate Cards, click here to download the cards.

 

Printable #2- The matching CD Cover, click here to download the Valentine Envelope.

And a mini tutorial on the envelope..

Materials:

Printed envelopes

Scissors and/or Exacto Knife

Glue (I used the glue dots. They work fine, but am not a fan of  the waste they produce.)

Straight Edge

Contents of the envelope

Stickers

 

Step 1: Cut the printed envelope.

Step 2: Optional. Depending on whats going inside the envelope, you can cut out the heart (that doesn’t sound very Valentine’s Dayish does it…). CD, maybe. Heart Shaped Crayon, possibly, Cookie, probably not…

Step 3: Fold. Fold back over first, then sides, then top flap.

Step 4: Glue the sides to the back.

Step 5: Ta da…. You just made an envelope.

 Step 6: Fill with whatever your Valentine will love! We’re giving heart shaped crayons (tutorial coming this week). Close with a sticker.

 

More Valentine’s Fun to come. Stay Tuned! What treat do your kids give thier classmates?

 

Valentine’s Link Love

ahhhh, the month of LOVE…. It’s all over the internet and it’s about to be all over my little section of the internet as well.

You know, I love me some printables! But there are so many cool, fun things to make, too. So, this week I ended up with 2 link loves….

The ‘Let’s Print’ a Valentine Link Love

1. I saw this post-it note cover from Style Crush and just think it’s adorable. What a cute gift idea!

2. Check out Sprik Space’s Love is Printable and all her other cute printables. I had to pick one, but I could decorate a whole wall with her pieces.

3. ahhhhh…..  The cards from One Charming Party are just charming (ok, kinda silly, but it’s so true).

4. I’m always drawn to the space theme (I have one coming up to share in the next couple of days) so these two cards from Cottage Industrialist jumped right out at me.

5. I saw these and know they are very cute Valentine messages, but these fruit stickers from Twig and Thistle would be awesome to find on my fruit every day of the year.

6. This ‘subway art’ seems to be very popular these days. And I love it…. Check out this one from eighteen25. I’ve already printed mine!

7. And the pirate… Have you ever set your facebook language to pirate? It’s hilarious. So when I saw these I just laughed because I could totally hear the little boys and girls giving and receiving these cards by Mer Mag with their pirate accents!

And the ‘Let’s Make’ a Valentine Link Love…. 

Well, some we can make and some others have made that we can buy…  Either way, very cool…

1. Love the simplicity of this one. Photography by Little Brown Pen.

2. My son doesn’t yet eat much chocolate, but when he does I can’t wait to make these matchbox candy boxes with him. The kiddo drawings (portraits of his friends) on the boxes by Inchmark is what first caught my eye

3. Sweethearts art by The Poppy Tree.

4. I love the garland by Big Brown House. I’ve also wanted to make a felt garland for Christmas, but this one is perfect for the upcoming Valentine’s celebration.

5. Ok, so I have a little addiction… I have to admit… I’m addicted to Coca Cola…. I heart Coca Cola. I just had to add these earrings by Funky Recycling because I do love my Coca Cola.

6. And last, but not nearly the least… The cards my son and I are going to make for the grandparents this weekend are by Live, Learn, Love.