Whale Tale

I bought this CUTE cotton print while on vacation in Baltimore/North Carolina. I didn't know what I was going to make with it, but I had to have it so I just bought a yard. Then I got home to discover Gabe's grandma bought him a little table and chair from IKEA. So darling, but white, and he likes to eat at the table so it gets messy quick. It hit me then, a wipe down tablecloth! So I bought some 8 gauge vinyl at Joanns and made 2 fitted tablecloths. I made one of the cotton and one of the vinyl so that I can make more cotton tablecloths in the future and switch them out. I'm thinking about a tablecloth for every holiday... ambitious, I know. SO easy and so cute, if I say so myself :)

Kindle Cover

I made Lexie a Kindle cover for her house-warming/going on tour/birthday present. I kind of just made the actual case up so I didn't have instructions. I embroidered the VanGuard symbol on it. It was a fun/frustrating project. It was fun doing it but it was frustrating it didn't turn out like I wanted. Oh well. Can't win 'em all.

Blessing Dress

since I have no other projects to post at the moment I thought I'd post full pictures of the dress.

They're not the best pictures but oh well

Blue Knit Kimono

Poor, neglected Mini Frippery! I will post on you! 

I love crocheting and I'm pretty good at it. But I have always wanted to be able to knit. I think it looks more professional and intricate. Well, welcome to my first every knitting project! It's a little blue kimono, just in time for it to get hot again in Tucson 

>:P

It's funny, I started this about 6 months ago, came to a wall, where I COULD NOT understand what the pattern was saying, so I put it away. I brought it out a week or two ago and Voila! Miraculously, I understood. Once I got past that little bump in the road, this was a fairly easy project. I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out for a beginner. I spend hours on Lion Brand yarn's website, pouring over patterns. It is very addicting. It's where I get most of my projects from. Check it out!

New Whiteboard

I've seen this Idea a couple of time and I really liked it so this time I decided to try it. I found the idea here, but it's a link to a link to a link, so I decided to do a mini tutorial on it. It's not very hard to do really

(Although, theirs are much cooler than mine, and I'm still not sure I like my fabric choice. I may change it soon)

So,

1. Find an old picture frame (with the glass in it).

I found mine at DI

2. Sand it and paint it

3. Cover the backing, or picture that was in it with your choice of fabric.

The other tutorials said to just glue gun the fabric onto the back, But Tyson had some spray on adhesive I wanted to try. It worked great so I guess any way you want to do it

4. Then put it together.

Place the glass in the frame, then put your fabric-covered backing onto the glass and voila

You will actually be writing on the glass and it works just like a regular white board. When I switch my fabrics I'll post another pic and maybe you'll be more excited :)

Pass the Piggies

For a family reunion they were having a craft auction to raise money for the next year's reunion and I found this tutorial and I had to make it. I used to play this game all the time growing up. It was a fast project and very satisfying in the end.

Freezer Paper Stencil Pillow

Here is some more Freezer Paper Stenciling.  I loved what Chelsea did with hers, so I decided to give it a try for my SIL's birthday coming up.  I love all the numbers people have been using in decorating lately and how they put them in unexpected places, and I know my SIL has been into it as well, so I decided to do a number 5 pillow (she has 5 people in her family).  A few people asked for more detail on how to use Freezer Paper for Stencils.  There are tons of great tutorials online, so this is just the basics, but there really isn't much to it.

You can print right on Freezer Paper.  I found that out after I printed it out on regular paper, cut it out, and then traced it onto the freezer paper, but either way works just fine.  Just make sure you have the wax side down, paper side up.  Cut out your stencil with an exacto or whatever you have handy.

Then you put your iron on the temperature it needs to be for the fabric you are using and iron the stencil on the right side of the fabric, and iron some more to the back side, so it can catch any leaking from the paint.  Just remember that the wax side should be against the fabric.  Press it on really well (don't iron, press).  Then paint your fabric paint on and let it dry completely before you peel the freezer paper off.  Then turn the fabric paint side down and press again so you can heat set the fabric paint.  Then use it for whatever you want.  In my case, I made a pillow with unbleached cotton.

put a pretty bow on it, and give it away! I'm making myself a number 3 pillow and a lumbar pillow that says Nest on it (a la pottery barn)... I'll post then when they get done.