embroidered baby quilt

There is something in Nebraska’s water. The past few months and the next few months seem to be filled with babies, babies, babies! So, expect to see lots of cute things for my friends’ wee ones here on the blog.

embroidered eyelet baby quilt

This is a really basic blanket, but the eyelet fabric makes it extra special. Bonus: the eyelet fabric was already quilted, so no need for batting!

embroidered eyelet baby quilt

I added an embroidered monogram to make it a little bit more fancy. I love the contrast of the dark pink on light pink!

stash: Eyelet fabric was from someone who was selling her grandmother’s fabric stash. Pink check fabric was the very first fabric I purchased when I got my sewing machine. Monogram letters from Sublime Stitching.

flower pins for haiti, doctors without borders

crochet flower brooch

As soon as I hit “publish” last week on my flower pin post I decided to donate all of the proceeds from my flower pins to Doctors Without Borders. I figured I needed a few more in my shop, though. There are currently four, but I plan to make more. I’ve also created a special section for them in my shop.

recycle: These pins are crocheted from unraveled sweater wool. Remember these balls of yarn?

crochet flower pins in the shop

crochet flower brooch

I tried really hard to write about fabric gift bags last night, but it seems so trivial right now with everything that’s going on in the world. I’ve got a lot of nervous energy to burn. Today I finished a blanket and crocheted more flowers. I can’t stitch flowers to everything in my daughter’s wardrobe, so I made a few into pins. They are in my shop. A cute alternative to hearts for Valentine’s Day, don’t you think?

etsy: Red flower here, pink flower here.

how to make microwave crayon shapes in 3 easy steps

microwave heart crayons

Maybe I should call these Really Lazy Crayon Shapes. I’d been thinking of making them for awhile, but all of the tutorials I found online suggested baking in the oven, melting over a double boiler or melting into cups and pouring into molds. Those were just too many steps for me.

I found a silicone mold at the thrift shop for only a few bucks, so I wasn’t too concerned if I ruined it. I threw all caution to the wind and microwaved the crayons directly in the mold. It was simple, fast and easy to clean up.

microwave heart crayons

Materials
crayon bits
silicone mold
knife
toothpick

Step 1
Put your crayon bits directly in the mold. Break up any bits that are too big with a knife.

Step 2
Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes. (I’m sure times will vary based on microwaves. Watch your first batch carefully!) Use a toothpick to stir if your bits aren’t melting evenly.

Step 3
Allow to cool and then pop them out of the mold. I put mine outside because we’re having a frigid winter and it didn’t take long, but you could stick them in the freezer, too.

Clean up: Put some water in the mold, microwave it for about a minute and dump it out. The crayon residue wipes out easily with a paper towel.

*After searching, I found that my mold is actually an ice cube tray and shouldn’t be exposed to heat. It held up just fine, but I wouldn’t use it for ice cubes or food after heating just to be safe.

recycle: This is a great way to use all of those crayon bits that are too small for little hands to hold.

my first crochet hat

first crochet beanie

I’ve got too much acrylic yarn. I like to keep a stash on hand for spontaneous amigurumi projects, but it’s gotten out of hand. I was planning to give it away, but it’s been so cold out, I thought maybe I’d do something useful with it.

A few months ago, my friend Lisa asked all of her crafty friends if they would consider making some hats for students at her school who needed warm clothing for winter. I actually started one and then the holidays hit and I completely forgot about it.

As you probably know (unless you’ve been living under a very warm rock), it’s been pretty cold in Nebraska the past week. I’ve been thinking about the kids who usually walk to school. Then I remembered the hat I started.

I was surprised how fast this worked up. (I was also surprised that my daughter agreed to wear it for a photo.) I definitely plan to make a few more of these.

pattern: This is a basic double crochet beanie like this one. I modified it a bit as I went along. My yarn was sport weight, so I double stranded it and used a larger hook. It is thick and warm!

garden scarf

birthday garden scarf

Have I mentioned that I’m addicted to crochet flowers? I made this as a gift for a friend’s daughter and it was so much fun. What a perfect pattern for little girls. My daughter loves it! I think I’ll be making a lot of these this year.

handmade crochet flower scarf

I love these colors together, but I think it’s time to add some new colors to my stash of acrylic yarns.

project notes: Pattern is the Garden Scarf from The Happy Hooker. This book is a really great resource for crocheters, especially beginners. Thrifted yarn from my stash.

new year pajamas

I finally got around to finishing up my daughter’s second pair of “Christmas” pajamas. We’re now calling them New Year Pajamas.

handmade pajamas

They are pink with little white flowers, but with the weather we’ve been having, my daughter has been calling them snowflakes. We’re supposed to get more snow tomorrow. I might let her were these all day long.

handmade pajamas

stash: I wish I could remember where I picked up this fabric. It’s so soft and thick. Nice and toasty for the chilly temps we’ve been having in The Heartland.

meet stu

handmade christmas knitting

While I was trying to wrap up my holiday knitting, I thought it would be cool to teach my daughter how to crochet. We tried finger knitting in the past with no success, but she loves my crochet hooks. I figured if I could get her busy making chains or something, I would have better luck getting my projects finished.

I checked out Kids Learn to Crochet from the library. Have you seen this book? The instructions are labeled with big numbers in circles. My daughter loves numbers almost as much as she loves letters. She sat and counted off the steps for each pattern in the book. Then she asked me to make her a blue Stripey Stu.

What can you do? I made her a Stu for her stocking and took the book back to the library. We’ll try again in a few months.

stash: Thrifted tapestry wool, felt and vintage buttons. Oh, and if you get technical, this is really Big Bert. My daughter just likes the name Stu better.

christmas pajamas

handmade christmas jammies

I was planning to make two pairs of pajamas. Only one pair got finished. When I showed them to my daughter, she said they were very cool, but she didn’t want to wear them to bed. I was a little crushed. Fast forward to today: they’ve been on for over 24 hours and she doesn’t want to take them off. Success?

handmade christmas jammies

The flannel was thrifted from somewhere—I’m starting to lose track of where I get these things! I was planning to use a Simplicity pattern, but didn’t have enough fabric. Instead, I used a pillow case pajama pants tutorial, and it worked out perfectly.

handmade christmas jammies

The top is just a plain t-shirt from Target. I added a little appliqué to help it coordinate with the pants.

handmade christmas jammies

I’m very happy with how these turned out. I’ll be making the other pair this weekend.

project notes: Making a pattern from measurements tutorial from Brandy over at Minivan Life. Very easy to follow. I highly recommend it!