This Is How I (Crayon) Roll

My nephew will be 5 next week and I have been having the hardest time thinking of things to make for the boys in my family. I've seen these crayon roll projects on several websites and blogs and thought that it would be perfect for a 5 year old.

I used a tutorial I found at www.skiptomylou.org. That particular tutorial was for 16 crayons but I wanted to do a mix of crayons and markers (thanks, Courtney, for the idea!) so I adjusted it to meet my needs. And this is how it turned out:


Honestly, I thought this was going to be a nice, easy project that I could complete in an afternoon. Not so much. Maybe for someone else but not for this girl. It took me several days and I had to start over twice. I just couldn't get it to look how I wanted to look. I'm still not super happy with it (I wish I would have made the ric rac a little more pronounced and the corners are a bit wonky) but overall, I like it. Here's some more pictures:


I do love this fabric though:


Cute, right? I used red corduroy for the pockets and red shoe lace material for the tie:



So, that's that...what do you think?

Cherries and Dingleberries

I have been soooooo excited to show you all Keeley's gifts for her first birthday. I loveitloveitloveit! First, I found these cute little chairs at Goodwill for 99 cents a piece! I couldn't pass up a deal like that for such small little chairs:


Kind of cute, right? They reminded me of being in a first grade class room. Then I found this cute little table at a different Goodwill for only $9.99:


I got it home and it was the perfect size!

So then I went to work with some spray paint (and when I say "I", I mean "Big Daddy"); pulled out the trusty Modge Podge and went to work. And now the table looks like this:


Here's the top:


The alphabet is cut out from some scrapbook paper, glued on with Modge Podge, a couple extra coats of Modge Podge for good measure, and a couple coasts of polyurethane.
And the chairs now look like this:


Wait...something's missing:


There...that's better. Cushions with cute little pink dingleberries (I think they're more commonly known as "pom-poms"):


And how cute is that cherry fabric? Here's one more look at it just because I love it so much:


But wait...there's more! I had started on a quilt for Keeley before she was born but it was just a hot mess. The fabric was all wrong and it kept falling apart so I started all over from scratch and finally finished it:


I love that cherry fabric! I also added some detailing...some cute ribbon and buttons:


And one last thing. I decided to try my hand at clothes. I have never, ever even attempted to make a piece of clothing but I think it turned out pretty OK:


More dingleberries!


And finally, here's a picture of the whole shebang:


Whew....that was exhausting. It was a lot of work but I love how everything turned out. Now a day's rest before starting on the next project!

Happy Valentine's Day!

A little late...yes, I know. The problem with blogging about the gifts you make is that you can't talk about them on said blog until that gift is given. Oh well.

So the Big Daddy and I usually don't do anything huge for Valentine's Day, usually just a card (I know, we're such romantics). This year, though, I wanted to do something a little special for him and what better way to say "I love you" than with something sweet? Or how about several somethings sweet? And that's why Big Daddy got this:


Ooooh yeah....a whole year of desserts!



I created 12 coupons for Big Daddy to redeem throughout the year for some of his favorite desserts. The fine print on them reads: "These vouchers entitle the bearer to one dessert of his choice per month. Vouchers must be presented upon redemption and must give at least 24 hours notice for preparation". I had to give myself some leeway, ya know?

Then, I had to make a voucher envelope for the coupons. I found a pattern at www.myrtleandeunice.com that fit the bill perfectly. I bought some kinda/sorta-manly-not-too-feminine fabric. This is the back of the envelope:



This is the front of the envelope:



Note the cutesy cupcake appliques that totally negates the attempt at manly fabric. I then added a little ribbon to tie it closed and voila! Dessert of the Month Club with awesome coupon envelope. Plus a gift that will last all year long!

Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day!

Operation Camo Bag: Completed

Monday is my nephew's 13th birthday (Happy Birthday, Dillon!) and I had been racking my brain as to what to make for a 13 year old boy. I mean, really, what do you make???? I searched through websites and magazines for ideas and I came across a pattern for a large laundry bag in the first issue of Sew It All magazine. Now, I seriously doubt he needs to lug laundry around but I thought, "What about paintball gear? Or his ghilley suit that Big Daddy help him make for Halloween? (For those of you who don't know what a ghilley suit is, google it...it's pretty awesome).

And this is what I came up with:


Maybe it will look better if Big Daddy models it:


I sewed a zipper on the straps so he can carry it as a duffle:


Or he can unzip it and carry it as a backpack:


And, is it just me, or does Big Daddy bear a resemblance to the old guy on the cover of the Led Zeppelin IV album:


No? It is just me? Oh well....

I also addded a name patch that Big Daddy had on one of his old Army uniforms. I mean, we gotta represent, right?


Now, that this is finished, it's on to the next projects: a Valentine's gift for Big Daddy and gifts for Keeley's first birthday!

Is It February Already?

Yeesh, the first day of February and I already feel like I'm behind on my monthly projects! How does that happen? I have a few projects I'm planning for this month: my nephew's birthday (is he 12 or 13??) and my granddaughter's FIRST birthday! Where has the time gone? Better get busy! Oh crap...I forgot about Valentine's Day.....really need to get busy......

My Very First Handmade Gift of the Year!

OK, here it is....my very first handmade gift of the year! I made this rag quilt for my nephew and niece-in-law's (is that a word?) new baby. Well, for the baby shower:



Cute, right? And here's a close-up of the face:




It's actually quite large. Of course, I forgot to measure exactly how big it is but I'd say it's probably 3 feet wide and maybe close to 5 feet long. Yeah, it's a big sucker. Now, before you go thinking, "Oh, Darci probably has lots of sewing experience under her belt to make something this awesome", (that is what you were thinking, right? Right?) the answer would be a resounding NO! I can sew a straight line and sometimes not even that. But I fell in love with this pattern so I decided to give it a try.

I'm not gonna lie to you.....it kind of stressed me out. I had never actually used a pattern before but I thought the instructions would be pretty self explanatory. When I read the instructions, I immediately thought, "Oh crap" and ran out to buy a "Everything you need to know about sewing" book. And a seam ripper. I also had a little difficulty with the embroidery for the mouth....if you look closely, it sort of looks like an old lady putting on lipstick.

But I think it turned out pretty good and I see a few more these rag quilts in my future. I'm working on my next gift and I can't wait to show it to you!

Meet Adelaide the Magnificent

This is Adelaide. Yes, she is a sewing machine. No, I'm not crazy. Not really. Anyways, Adelaide and I go way back. Waaaaaay back. I bought her about ten years ago and she has since helped through a few very basic projects but for the most part, she has been banished to the closet or shoved under a desk. You see, I get frustrated easily and I usually blame my ineptitude on her. So my goal is to renew our friendship and hopefully create some beautiful projects along the way.

I have completed my first handmade gift of the year but I'll save that for my next post (cliffhanger!!) Stay tuned!