I'm Back!

We actually got back from our vacation on the 29th of October... We had a blast! I'm hoping that as soon as possible I can start posting fun crafts in here again. In the meantime I've been working my behind off on opening my own Etsy store!

CamBray Creations

I just stocked it with a bunch of purses, wallets and fabric key chains this past weekend. I'm hoping that it will take off soon... I only have about 2 more months before I give birth to my baby boy. Hoping to sell off at least a few items before I have to put it all on hold. :)

Maybe next year around this time I can even do my first craft fair. We'll see...

On Vacation....

 

 Yup, we're on our way to St. Louis to visit one of my best friends who moved back there about a year ago.

We'll be back before Halloween!

When I get back I'll start posting more stuff for Thanksgiving and Christmas! :)

Custom Burp Cloths

After making a few of my own burpies I decided to go a different route...

For these I bought some new prefold cloth diapers from Target and added some personal touches.

Sewed on a strip of flannel fabric down the middle...

And added a decorative stitch in a matching thread color down both sides.

Also made a couple for my sister...

And taught myself how to add a monogram using my sewing machine.

(Too bad I didn't spend a lil more $$ to get a machine that did it all for me... Had to do this all by hand!)

Another Diaper Bag Sewn By Me!

Same design as the owl print corduroy one I made. With just a few adjustments. 

There's now 4 pockets on the front.

4 pockets across the back.

And 6 pockets on the inside lining. (Two of them made to perfectly fit my camera and my cell phone.)

I really like the colors on this one. The green fabric was an awesome find at Walmart. $3 for 2 yards of it! (Only wish I had bought more...)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Yes this is from kevinandamanda.com... again... 

I saw this post and just couldn't resist! Can you tell that I love cookie dough?

Well I do.

But don't these look sooooo good? 

Maybe it's the pregnancy talking...

Or maybe not...

Either way, I NEED to make these!

Ruffled Camera Strap Slipcover

You know you want to make one!

I don't own a fancy schmancy camera just yet, but I have lots of friends who do... Christmas present?

This is from the same blog as yesterday's post... 

What can I say? I love KevinandAmanda.com

Glittered Fall Pumpkins

I think these are cute.. and a good alternative to buying the live pumpkins.

Pack these up each year and bring them out every October!

Very easy tutorial can be found here.

Halloween Wreath Touch Up

Why can't I be creative like this?

Looking at something and creating something even better out of it...

Love this idea.

Cookie Dough Truffles

Mmmm... Can I just skip the making of them and just eat them? These sound and look so yummy!

Lisa's Recipe Cards is definitely a new favorite!

The recipe can be found here.

Plus, how cute are these printable recipe cards?!

Ribbion Hair Clips

I see these type of clips being sold every where... Makes me wish I had a little girl to make these for. I do have a niece and another one on the way though. These would make some good Christmas/Birthday gifts for them!

A step-by-step tutorial can be found here.

Halloween Paper Centerpiece

Love this cute Halloween centerpiece! 

Tutorial can be found here.

Halloween Votives

I LOVE this idea! So simple and so easy to make... 

I'm pretty sure I have all the supplies to make it right here at home. Yes, even the baby food jars... I've been hanging onto them for the purpose of making my own candles. 

(Some day.)

I think the kids and I will be making these soon!

The Cutest Lil Halloween Bags!

Found this super cute bag on Etsy. My youngest son is obsessed with owls so I'm instantly drawn to them too. Everything in this Etsy shop is really cute. Definitely a new favorite!

DIY Halloween Trick or Treat Bag

This year I made my boys their Halloween Trick or Treat bags. My aunt had given me a bunch of really cute Halloween fabric that she had laying around. (She had giant tubs FULL of fabric and has let me go 'shopping' at her house just to get rid of a fraction of it.)

I came across this tutorial the other day and thought they turned out really cute. Love the idea of embroidery... but I've never done tried to do it. This looks like an easy one to learn on.

Adorable Ghost Cupcakes

How cute are these ghost cupcakes?! I think I'll have to try to make them this year to bring to some of my family when we go trick or treating. I know my boys would LOVE these!

Ghost Cupcake Tutorial can be found here.

Halloween/Fall Candle Decoration Idea

It's October! You know what that means, right? Halloween is coming up! It's time to start doing some Halloween crafts. Or maybe you're ahead of the game and you started back in September. Either way I'll be posting several Halloween/Fall crafts this month.

This craft idea can be made and put on display all season long. They're so cute! ...And very easy to make! Use a scented candle like pumpkin spice to make these even better. If you want them to have more of a "Halloween" look you can always add some spider or pumpkin charms to the vases. You can probably find all of the supplies at a local Michaels Arts and Crafts store. :)

Found here.

Diaper/Wipes Case and Some Burp Cloths

 

I made these for a friend of mine who has a baby shower coming up.

(I hope she doesn't see these ahead of time!)

The diaper/wipes case is big enough to fit a travel size wipes case along with 2-3 diapers. These come in handy when you use more than one diaper bag... Just pull this out of one bag and put it in the other! The closure on this is a magnetic snap, but velcro would work just as well.

With the burpies I couldn't decide on what I wanted to make them out of. I wanted something absorbent... and I know that flannel will probably have the spit up roll right off. (Although I have tons of baby print flannel that I need to use up!) So I bought some terry cloth fabric... washed it and sewed one. I didn't really like the texture of it. A bit rough for newborn skin. So the next one I made with some white minky. Perfect. I'm not sure how absorbent minky is, but it's super soft!

I've decided I'm giving her both of them... I figure the one with the terry cloth would be good for some of the bigger messes as the baby gets older.

I'm definitely going to be making lots more of these in the next month or so. I need a diaper/wipes case to match my new diaper bag! I also need a bunch of new burp cloths for Baby Josiah coming next January. Not to mention for my sister and her new baby coming in February! :)

I have LOTS of sewing to get done in 4 months.

My New Diaper Bag

I found this cute owl print corduroy fabric on sale at Joann's a couple weeks ago and I couldn't resist. I knew I wanted to make something for myself out of it... I decided on a new diaper bag. I've been dreaming of sewing myself a bag for about 5 years now. (Crazy, right?) So I finally took the plunge yesterday!

I think it turned out really cute!

This bag measures about 18.5" wide by 12" tall. Magnetic snap closure on the top. 3 pockets on the outside front, one large pocket in the back and a large zippered pocket on the inside.

Now that I've finished the bag and have put all my personal belongings in it I can see a few improvements I would make for the next time... 

Instead of just putting interfacing in the pockets, bottom and straps I would also add it to the main body of the bag. Not sure why I didn't... I guess I figured having the pockets lined would be good enough. It works ok without the extra interfacing, but I think I like the feel of a more sturdy bag. 

I would also add a Velcro or button closure to the large back pocket... or even splitting up the back pocket to 2 smaller pockets. As it is right now it kind of falls open when the inside of the bag is full.

Another thing I would add is 2 pockets on the inside. One to fit my cell phone and one to fit my camera.

Other than those small improvements I really love this bag and I'm happy I decided to make it. I'll probably make one for my sister as a Christmas present with the improvements and see how I like it. Once I get things right I might even decide to start selling these! We'll see...

A Great Way To Save Their Art Work

Right now my sons mostly just scribble. 

They'll tell me it's a rabbit or an airplane... but it still looks like a bunch of scribbles to me. 

So I can't wait til they can start drawing real pictures that I can save just like this...

Isn't this so cute?! 

It sure beats just hanging it on the fridge!

The finished project can be found here.

More on how to make it can be found here.

Cream Cheese Buttscotch Brownies

Don't those look sooooo yummy?! 

I've been in the baking sort of mood lately... only it's been too hot to even attempt it.

So for now THESE will just have to wait on my to-do list.

....patiently waiting on the real fall weather to start...

Toddler Backpack Pattern

I saw this tutorial last year and have been meaning to make it ever since. Now that I have a new sewing machine and some cute fabric to work with I have the motivation! I'm thinking these will turn into some Christmas or even birthday gifts for the boys. (There's really no difference since their birthdays are so close to Christmas anyway...)

 

I love that this tutorial even has a free pattern that you can download and print out. Can't get much easier than that! And can you imagine all the fabric possibilities with this one? I'm thinking a SpiderMan/Red one for my oldest and maybe a car/truck/blue one for my youngest.

Throw Pillow Slip Cover - Made by Me!

What's this? Something that I actually made? AND I'm posting about how I did it!?

Weird.

I've been meaning to make a slip cover for this pillow form since I was pregnant with Brady... He's now 20 months old. It was originally meant to be made into a Disney Princess pillow for my niece. (I can't find the fabric any more. Opps.) So for now it has a Chargers slip cover in honor of my football team!

(Go Bolts!)

So here's how I did it:

1. I started with a pillow form that I bought from Walmart long, LONG ago. It measures 13" x 13". (Seems like a weird size to me, but that's what it is...)

2. Cut one big square measuring 14" x 14". (Added 1/2" all around for the seams.)

3. Cut 2 small rectangles measuring 9.5" x 14". (These pieces are the same length as the square piece on the long edge. The short edge is the length (14") divided in half  and add 2.5" ) Make sense?

4. I used a drinking glass to help me round the edges for a neater look. Rounded all 4 corners of the square piece and the top 2 and bottom 2 of my rectangle pieces.

5. Next I did a straight stitch across the edges of the straight sides of the rectangle pieces. Folding the fabric over twice to hide the raw edges.

6. Once I finished sewing, it was time to pin everything in place. Right sides together I pinned the top rectangle piece to the square. Then I pinned the bottom rectangle to the square.. overlapping the top rectangle.

7. When every thing was pinned in place I sewed around the entire square. Starting and stopping in the same place. 

8. Turn the slip cover right side out and stuff your pillow!

 

 

All finished and sitting nicely on my rocking chair. 

When football season is over I'll probably make a new slip cover to match our living room a little bit better. :)

I see more slip covers in my future now that I've realized how easy the are to make without using a zipper. Zippers are something I haven't mastered yet. They intimidate me!

Smores Brownies

I love brownies and I LOVE S'Mores!

...and that's why I have to try this recipe!

Don't they look soooo yummy?!

Mmmmm...

My Finished Sewing Machine Cover!

Just wanted to show off my new sewing machine cover that I managed to make during nap time yesterday! It was pretty easy to do... Just measured the length, width and height of the machine, cut out a huge rectangle, a piece for the back and some pieces for the front ties and sewed them all together. I used the table cloth I mentioned in yesterdays post.

I think it turned out pretty well. :)

Front of the machine.

I didn't have any matching ribbon so I made the ties out of the same fabric.

The back of the cover.

Probably could have sewn that strap just a bit lower, but I think it still looks okay.

Sewing Machine Cover

In case you haven't heard, my husband bought me a new sewing machine last week! I love it and have made several things on it already. Pretty soon I'll be able to start posting more of my own work along with a link if I made it using a tutorial.

Which brings me to this...

I had thought about buying one of those hard cases I saw for sale at Walmart... but how much more fun would it be to make my own?! I have this gorgeous table cloth that I bought from Target last year that I plan to use for it. It's too big for the desk I've been using it on. (I actually fold it in half.) So there's plenty of extra fabric for this project!

I found the picture above over at Make it and Love it. 

However, there's also a great tutorial over on Nap Time Journal.

Kitchen Art

Like I mentioned a couple posts back... I need some serious help in decorating my home. I came across these and couldn't resist posting about them! I think these would look super cute in my kitchen with the right colors. I have the frames. I have the fabric. I have the silverware. I have the batting. All I would need to go buy is the spray paint! 

I making some of these ASAP!

Tutorial can be found on the same blog as yesterdays post - here.

Fabric Covered Composition Book

Two things I've been obsessed with lately... Fabric and Notebooks.

The fabric is pretty self explanatory. I love the bright colors, shapes and patterns. I love the different textures... etc, etc, etc. 

As for notebooks - I carry one with me every where. Seriously. I use it for reminder notes, shopping lists, driving directions... Just about anything.

I can't wait to make one of these! I'm now kicking myself for not snapping up a ton of those 1 cent notebooks I saw on sale for back to school. (Maybe next year.)

Tutorial can be found here.

Fabric Wall Art

When it comes to decorating my home I completely fail. Maybe it's because I just can't find the time... or have the money to do it... Maybe it's because I move around too much. Either way, my walls could use some livening up! This looks like a good start...

How pretty is that?! Maybe someday I'll have my own space that I can decorate like this. 

The tutorial can be found here.

Interchangable Ribbon Necklaces - Very Cute!

One of my favorite craft blogs is Infarrantly Creative. She always has the coolest projects going on...

I wish I could be more like her. Seriously.

Check out this awesome ribbon necklace tutorial.

Aren't they so cute?!

I Spy Bags

I've been meaning to make one of these for about a year now. I think they would make good toys for car rides and for staying quiet in church. I just need to get to Joann's and buy some of the plastic material and I need to find a store that carries the beads... 

Someday.

 

There are many tutorials on the internet if you search. This particular one was found here.

I Can Sew Again!

Last night my hubby took me out to buy a new sewing machine. (Love him!) I ended up choosing this one on sale. Not the machine that I've been dreaming about getting, but so far I think it's an awesome sewing machine at a really good price! Who knew sewing could be so easy?!

I've had it less than 24 hours and look what I've done...

This is the second trick-or-treat bag I've made in a week... 

The first one was made using my mom's cheap Brother sewing machine. It works ok, but nothing like my new one! My stitches were straight and even and it just feels like it's better constructed than the first.

Oh and did I mention how quiet this machine is? 

I'm in LOVE!

Second sewing project of the day was this fabric key chain I just made.

I posted about it several days ago.

I think it turned out pretty cute... Although it would have worked out better if I had a wider ribbon. This one was really hard to sew on because it was covering a thick seam. (Which by the way, my old machine would have laughed at me and then quit working. This one kept going like a total champ)

Next item on the to-do list..
Chargers throw pillow slip covers, sewing machine cover and a lip gloss cozy!