Wizard In Training

I have been counting down the days until our annual trip to Universal Studios, and this week I am in the final stretch.  So in celebration I am going to share a couple of different Harry Potter themed projects with you this week.

 

The first one is a baby burp cloth I embroidered using the recently released Wizard in Training file from Thanks4theAdventure.  I so wanted to embroider a tank top that I could wear but several minutes into the stitching something happened and I was unable to save the top.  So instead I traded out for my creating one of my faithful burp cloths.

 

I really like the way this file works with the chevron print on the flannel I chose.  It's a print that I found at Joann Fabrics called Snuggle Flannel Fabric - Chevron Gray Small.  The print is perfect for a variety of projects and chevron prints are all the rage so for this project it's a definite win - win.

Belle Burp Cloths

 

We are half way there everyone.  After today it's a downhill slide to the weekend.  Until then I'm going to continue with my princess theme for this week.  But today I thought I would change it up a little bit and move from greeting cards to burp cloths.  Remember yesterday when I shared my new baby congratulations card I said that baby girls are our princesses?  Well why not have a princess themed burp cloth or two?

 

When I was shopping for some new flannel fabrics at Joann's a couple weeks ago I came across this gorgeous Beauty and the Beast flannel.  Of course I had to have some and so I bought a couple yards to play with.

 

I thought it would be fun to play with both a sketch and an applique for these.  After searching through the files at Thanks 4 the Adventure I settled on the Little Belle applique, and the Princess Belle sketch.

 

If you've never embroidered a "sketch" design you really should check out the ones that Thanks 4 the Adventure has to offer.  They are so quick and easy, and the possibilities are endless.  So pick out a design or two and give it a try....you'll thank me later.  😉

It's A Girl Princess Card

Following along in my princess theme, I have a new baby congratulatory card to share with you today.  This one uses Belle as the princess inspiration.  She is part of the Beauty & the Beast file from Treasure Box Designs.

 

As I began to create my card I knew I wanted to do something a little different.  Since I was on this princess 'series' kick I wanted something other than the rectangular shape folded card.  So I did a bit of searching through my files and decided to use the ornate card base 3 from SVG Cutting Files.  I love how this shape adds just the right amount of dress up to go with my little princess.

 

And, since this is a princess card I used paper from the Disney Princess mat stack by EK Success as my background.  From there I wanted to do something a bit different as far as the card theme.  I didn't want it to be a birthday card or another friendship card.  The more I thought about it, the more I decided that Belle would make a good new baby card.  After all those precious baby girls are our princesses.

 

The stamped sentiment I used for this card is from the Sweet Baby stamp set from Jaded Blossom.

A Boy and His Owl Burp Cloth

It's been a few days since I've sat down to make a burp cloth and so I thought I'd share one of the new ones I just made with you. 

 

I found this great chevron print flannel over at Joann's and had an inkling that it would make a great backdrop for some burp cloths.  Not really knowing what I'd stitch on them I decided to pick up  a couple yards.  During this same trip to Joann's I decided to really stock up on some flannel since I don't get by there often.  By the time I was done shopping I literally had a cart full of fabric bolts.  You see, I'm addicted to fabric much like I am to my scrapbook paper. 

 

After arriving home with my new fabrics, I quickly set about getting them washed and dried so I could begin cutting what I'd need for the next round of burp cloths.  While waiting for them to launder I sat down to find the files I wanted to use for embroidery. 

 

It didn't take long to decide to stitch this wonderful Harry Potter and Hedwig sketch I found at Thanks 4 the Adventure.  I love the way that this sketch stitched out against the chevron fabric.

 

And there you have it, another burp cloth to add to my collection. 

Sitting Bunny

 

Today I have a cute bunny burp cloth that I'd like to share with you.  This one features a relatively recently released applique from the Applique Corner titled Bunny Sitting.  The one thing that I really loved about stitching this one out was that it required only three pieces of fabric.  This made the creation process faster and the cutting so much easier.  Yes, I could have used my Embrilliance software along with my Silhouette and pre-cut my fabrics, but I still need to get the hang of that.  Right now I prefer to do it all myself.

 

For this cloth I used another flannel that I picked up from JoAnn's.  It's called I Love Mommy - although it clearly also says I Love Daddy.  Initially I purchased one yard of this fabric which has yielded about 2 1/2 cloths so I need to get back there and buy some more while it's still on sale.

 

And when I go back I think I'll keep an eye out from some French Terry fabric because I'm thinking about making my own baby bibs instead of using pre-done blanks.  Hmmmmmmm

Sleepy Bear

I found this Snuggle flannel fabric in my stash the other day.  I completely forgot I had it because my current cabinet is so over packed and I can't see half of what I have.  (But that's going to change very soon.  More on that at a later date.)  My original intention was to use this fabric for a scarf liner but then I never got around to making those scarves.  In the long run that works out better for me because this fabric is perfect and much better suited for the burp cloth craze I've found myself in lately.

 

Since this fabric has little bears printed on it I thought it would make sense to use a bear applique.  So I chose the Bear Sleeping Girl Applique from Applique Corner.  She stitched out beautifully and compliments this burp cloth well.

Superhero

 

Tomorrow is my first Spartan Race of the season.  And while I won't be able to do many of them this year, this one always holds a special place in my heart.  Not only is it my first race every season but it's one I run every year with my oldest daughter and this year one of my son's will be running it with us as well.  I hear a lot of people say they couldn't run a race like this but I'm here to tell you that if people that are blind, missing arms/legs and all other sorts of 'health' issues can do it anyone can. 

 

Knowing that I'll see adaptive athletes out there on the course tomorrow I thought it fitting to end this week with a superhero project.

 

So today, I'm sharing a Superhero card I created using the Little Heroes set from Marjorie Ann Design.  My boys have always had a thing for superheroes, and some of the still do to this day so I find myself drawn to them. 

 

The sentiment on my card is from the Jaded Blossom stamp set Super Hero 2.  And as I often do these days, I added some skittles to my card.  These are the stream color from DoubleClick Connections.

 

Not only that but I found this great applique to match over at Stinkin Cute Applique.  This one is called Little Superhero 2.  Like the other appliques I've stitched from Stinkin Cute this one was easy and fun to put together.  And I love how he turned out. 

 

Together this combo will make a fun baby shower gift for any mom who's expecting a little boy.

Hey Look, It's Woody

I was strolling through Etsy the other day when I stumbled across this shop called Thanks4theAdventure.  The owner has all sorts of great designs for applique and embroidery and what I found most intriguing was that she has "sketches".  I've never stitched anything like that before but I was willing to give it a try to see how I liked it.

 

Knowing that I had this green, plaid looking fabric I needed to turn into a boyish burp cloth I searched for what I thought would be a good file to try.  That's when I found Woody.  I thought the colors needed would be perfect for this fabric, and after getting it all stitched out I'd say I was right.  🙂

 

I really liked the way that this sketch stitched out.  It didn't get lost in the fabric and you can tell who it's supposed to be.  Yep, I do believe I'll be stitching out more of these type files on my projects.  Best of all I love that it brings another variation to the crafting table.

A Bear and His Friends

I didn't get much sewing done this past weekend because I bought a new china cabinet to use for my fabric storage.  Before I could begin using it though I had to do a lot of clean up because the lady I bought it from had it sitting in her garage.  Then after I got it cleaned up I had to make room for it because it was a bit wider than her description said.

 

So while I didn't get much done I was still able to sew and today I would like to share one of the burp cloths I made.  For this one I decided to stitch out another new file from Stinkin Cute Applique.  This one is called Bear & Turtle Friends.  As soon as I saw it I knew it would be a perfect design to use with this green flannel I picked up.

 

This was another great project to stitch out, and I had a lot of fun with this burp cloth.

 

Speaking of fun, do you ever wonder where some of the fun fabrics I use for my appliques come from?  Several months ago we had a new fabric store come to town called TJ's Fabrics.  Best part is that you can order online and they have more choices available online.  And I have to say that after years of buying fabric from Hobby Lobby and Joann's this stuff is top notch.  Now that's not to say I won't buy from the others because I will.  It just means I'm more selective now.  And with cute projects like this Bear and his friends you gotta have the good stuff.

Rainy Day Duck

Today I have another burp cloth that I'd like to share with you.  This one features a cute little duck in her rainy day outfit complete with umbrella.  She's another great applique design from Stinkin Cute Applique titled Rainy Day Duck.

 

This was a fun and easy file to work with and I love how it stitched out.

 

If you've just recently found my blog and this is the first post you've read and are wondering how I made my burp cloth (that's right - it's not a pre-purchase burp cloth) let me share that with you.

 

Before I began my burp cloth adventure I thought about using the Gerber brand diapers.  After all so many are made that way.  But then I decided that I didn't want to be like the "so many others" and decided that I would make my own cloths from start to finish.  So off I went in search of a pattern until I found this one from Simplicity sitting in the pattern drawer at Hobby Lobby. 

 

For my fabrics, I settled on using flannel and then using a soft batting in between to help give it some thickness and absorbency.  I found my batting at Hobby Lobby, it's a cotton batting and it lays out very well with the flannel.

 

 For this burp cloth I found this great nursery print baby flannel at Joann's.  Both Hobby Lobby and Joann's has some great choices for flannel and I will be building up my stash from both.  Especially as I find new designs to play with.

Giraffe Heart

This past Sunday I sat down at my embroidery and sewing machines for several hours working on building my stash of baby burp cloths.  Out of the few things that I have embroidered I have found that I enjoy making the burp cloths more than anything.  And I guess that's a good thing because they sure do take a while to make.

 

From cutting the fabric, to embroidering the design, and finishing the cloth by sewing it all together takes about one and a half hours.  And that includes working on cutting or sewing together others while the current one is being embroidered.  🙂

 

A couple days ago I shared with you what pattern and batting I like to use for making these cloths, and you can find that post here.  For this burp cloth I found this great nursery print baby flannel at Joann's.  When I purchased this fabric I purchased two yards and boy am I glad that I did because I discovered this past weekend that one yard will yield three cuts.  That means I can make one cloth using the same fabric for the front and back but the second cloth will need to be backed with a solid fabric.  Now in the grand scheme of things that's not a problem and will actually provide more variety - it's just not what I had originally envisioned.

 

The applique for this burp cloth is from the Applique Corner and it is called Giraffe Heart.  (Imagine that - lol)  I bought this design for Valentine's Day but never really found anything to make with it.  But I thought this design would be perfect for a baby girl burp cloth.  And I really love how the yellow and pink pop against that grey flannel background.  I was a little afraid of the design getting lost but it turned out beautifully.

Sending Love - Onesie Style

Today I have a fun baby onesie that I'd like to share with you.  I saw this wonderful Bird Balloons file over at the Applique Corner and knew that it would make the most adorable shirt.

When I laid this design out for cutting I felt like the balloon strings were too thin so I enlarged those a bit to give them more substance.  I had thought about using a glitter HTV for one of the balloons but since I used foil for one I thought that would be a bit over kill and stuck with just the foil.  Plus I wasn't sure how the white accent would sit on top of the glitter as I've heard mixed reviews.

The Love Script HTV is from the Vinyl Corner - actually that's where most of my HTV for this project came from.  (The foil HTV is from Vinyl Spectrum.)  Our local Sewing Corner folks own the Applique Corner and Vinyl Corner.  It's like a one stop shop and not only do they have wonderful products and prices to match but the customer service is phenomenal.  Yep, I am one happy girl since they've come to town.  🙋

Valentine Butterfly

Since receiving a heat press for Christmas I have really enjoyed doctoring up baby onesies.  It is after all easier to apply vinyl to a onesie than it is to embroider it.  🙂

 

Today's design is no different.  In fact it was a bit more fun in that it provided my first glimpse at layering heat transfer vinyl (HTV).  This past weekend my husband and I stopped into our local sewing store - The Sewing Corner - to talk to them about sewing machines since my 20+ year old Babylock is on its last legs.  While there we checked out their selection of HTV and I picked up some glitter as well as this beautiful Love Script.  I already had one design in mind when I saw this but then when I was going through the selection of SVG files at the Applique Corner I found this beautiful Valentine's Day Butterfly and had to use it for this design as well. 

 

I love how the colors worked together and the printed HTV gives the finished project a little something extra.  Needless to say, it's bye bye boring onesies from here on out.

Dumbo Inspired Night Lights

 

Today I have a Dumbo inspired night light to share with you.  A lady in one of my Disney FB groups shared this image and I fell in love.  So of course I had to save it.  Using my Silhouette Studio software I traced the image and created a cut file.

I still had some night lights from the Dollar Tree sitting in my stash waiting to be used so I cleaned them up and applied the design to them. 

These will be perfect for a baby's room don't you think?

And now I'm off to enter my night lights into the following challenges:

Die Cuttin Divas - Baby Safety Month - Ends September 18th

DL Art - September Linky Challenge - Ends September 30th

Baby Basket & Quilt

 

Now that my daughter's baby shower is over I can share with you the remaining items that I made for her baby gift.  It all began really with this quilt that I picked up over the Thanksgiving holidays so that I could have something to do while sitting at my in-laws house.  Whenever we travel there for the week I always to some crafts to do since we stay up late watching TV and talking.  But last year I finished what I had early and needed more.  Needless to say, I forgot how tedious it was to do cross stitch and just finished this quilt last month. 

 

 

I used the quilt for part of the padding at the bottom of the basket.  On top of that I used a piece of cardboard that I wrapped in pink tissue paper as the support for my sleeping baby diaper "cake".  This became the focal point for the basket.  It was funny though because my daughter didn't realize that's what it was when she was first handed the basket.

 

Also in the basket was a set of baby socks, washcloths and spoons that I turned into pea pods and lollipops.  

 

 

Oh and then there's the baby announcement frame that I made.  I used it as the "backdrop" for the basket. 

 

And of course the kids loved it.

Baby Bear

Today I have a fun shaped card to share with you.  This one is from the Baby Bear and Girl file from Marjorie Ann Designs.

 

Like so many of Marjorie's files this one was easy to piece together.  Especially since she's done all the hard work.

 

My daughter's baby shower is this weekend and I made this one for her since the other items I'm giving her include bears.  (I'll share those with you later once they are complete)

 

On the inside of my card I used a sentiment from Jaded Blossom's Sweet Baby stamp set.  It says, "congrats on that thing you did".  I figure my daughter will get a good laugh out of that one.

Baby Quilt

 

Today I thought I'd share with you a project I've been working on for some time now.  It's the reason why I've been so quiet with my papercrafting lately.  Now that this one is finished though, I'm off to the next.

 

You see, my first granddaughter, Ocean, is making her appearance in mid-July.  So of course grandma is busy getting things made.  :)

My First Night Light

 

I'm so excited to share this project with you.  For months I have been watching people post pictures of beautiful projects using glass blocks.  Well, I finally broke down and purchase a couple sets not fully knowing what I would use them for.

 

As you know from reading my post from yesterday our youngest daughter recently found out she was having a little girl.  Since they've already chosen a name I thought I'd go ahead and use my first block to create a night light for her room.

 

I cut this adorable girl bear with her angel doll from the Bubbles the Bear Sweet Dreams file on to some printable vinyl.  Then using one of the system fonts on my computer I cut out Ocean's name.

 

 

Before applying the vinyl to my block I prepared the surface by cleaning it with rubbing alcohol and allowing it to dry.  Once dry I applied the vinyl and then proceeded to spray the block with the first coat of Rust-Oleum brand Frosted Glass spray.  Let dry for 5 - 10 minutes and then apply a second coat.  Next, I sealed everything with one coat of Rust-Oleum brand Clear Matte spray.  Again I let it dry for 5 - 10 minutes.

 

I then added the light - which by the way is supposed to be on the bottom of the block - wrapped the block with ribbon and placed the light on the stand.

 

And there you have it.  My first night light.

There's a Bundle of Joy

Today I'm sharing a card with you that I made for my Grandma to let her know that she's going to be a Great - Grandma again.  This past week our youngest daughter finally announced her pregnancy (only a select few of us have known for a while) along with the baby's gender! 

 

Surprise - it's a girl!

 

For my card I used clip art from the Bubbles the Bear Sweet Dreams file from Marjorie Ann Designs.   The stamped sentiment is from the Lawn Fawn stamp set titled Plus One.  On the inside of the card I stamped the sentiment "on the way!" in pink ink and then stamped little hearts all over.

 

And now I'm off to enter my card into the following challenges:

 

Die Cuttin Divas - February's Sketch - Ends February 7th

 

DL Art  - February Linky Party - Ends February 28th

Hello Sweet Baby

Today I'm sharing one of my quick 'n easy cards with you.  I've said it before but certainly can't say it enough - I love the print and cut feature on my Cricut.  (That seems to be the only thing I use my Cricut for these days now that I have my Silhouette)

 

I told you last week that it was time to get cranking on some baby cards and this is only the second one but I'm getting them done.  Thank goodness with baby's there's a window of time to get things done.  LOL

 

For this card I used the Baby Shower file from Marjorie Ann Designs.

 

The stamped sentiment is from the stamp set titled Sweet Baby by Jaded Blossom.

I also used some yellow skittles to add a bit of "bling" to my card.