LaLaLoopsy Party time!! ANY SUGGESTIONS?

Ok y'all.  I have a little soon-to-be four year old who is obsessed with LaLaLoopsy!!  Partly my fault, I know, but now we want a LaLaLoopsy Birthday Party, and I have to come up with some decorating ideas that won't break the bank.  I've looked on Pinterest, and while there are lots of noble ideas out there. I am not a professional blogger and I do not have all the connections I'd need to pull some of that stuff off!  LOL!!  The supposed party is a week and a half away, and I am still at a loss on how to design the cake, what little take home things I should do, and all sorts of fun stuff.  I want your opinions.  Have you had or been to a LaLaLoopsy themed party lately?  Are you thinking about doing one?  What good little ideas have you picked up or seen out there?  Now I assure you I am not completely unprepared.  I've got a few pages of what ifs and could that works.  I just need a push in the right direction.  So, your comments would be greatly appreciated.  I'll post on here what I did, and what did and didn't work a few days after the party is over.  Thanks y'all!!!

Whoo likes to be savvy?!

I use tissue paper for little decorations in my Sunday School classroom and birthday parties.  It's cheap.  A little goes a long way, and it makes big statements especially when your budget isn't that big.  (I have a few ideas coming up for my daughter's Lalaloopsy birthday party in January.  Check back then to see what else I can do with tissue paper and other cheap dollar store and crafty supplies.

I teach the three and four year olds' Sunday School class at our church.  Last week we began work on our nativity scene for our room.  I wanted to do something big enough they could all see and not fight over touching.  I think this worked out pretty well.

I just cut out everything free hand, and tried not to use the same scrapbook paper twice.  It's not perfect, but it gives the kids something to picture while I'm teaching them the Christmas story.

Here's what we came up with.  Hope you like it!

I used brown tissue paper for the barn, and simply tore it into the pieces I needed.  I wanted it to be simple

I used the same basic shape for all the tops, heads and "legs".
The camel was the hardest to free hand.  I had to look up a lot of pictures to make sure I got him right.

I used several pieces for the swaddling clothes for baby Jesus to make it look like they used scrap fabric/cloths to wrap Him up.

I think these sheep and pig are my favorite!  They were soo cute, and the kids helped pick out the patterns from the scrapbook paper.  They're pretty smart, aren't they?!

Here are the shepherds, again, same basic shapes, just turned the opposite direction.  I couldn't get their crooks to be long enough, and my daughter thought they were old ladies, instead of shepherds.  Lol!! But we'll get that sorted out next Sunday School lesson.

And last but not least, our angel.  I cut here wings in a giant heart shape and just free hand cut one side.  Obviously I folded it and cut the other side to match.

We've used scrap book paper in our other classroom decorations as well.  Here are the other walls.  The kids just love them!

 So, if you can picture it, our room goes from left to right.  The big owl tree, the nativity corner (there's a window on this wall, as you can see a little in the left of the large nativity pic), and the little owl tree.  


The nice thing about the tissue paper is that the longer it hangs the wrinkles come out, and now it looks really neat!  I'll take a panoramic with my iPhone and post it later.

Here's a couple of pics from my third's 1st birthday party.  As you can see I used the same owl pattern I created then, for my owls in my classroom now.

I'm all out of time for posting, but I've got many more ideas to come!

Have a great day!

A Fair Isle Winter!

My husband LOVES fair isle sweaters.  We try to get one every winter, sometimes it happens sometimes it doesn't.  I think some of them are ridiculous.  Others are adorable.  So,  while finishing up the last orders of the season, I decided to make a few door hangers of my own.  (Finally!!)  I took inspiration from my husbands favorite winter sweater style and made these.

Not too shabby for a quick days' work.

Long Time, No Write

It has been an extremely long time since I last blogged about our little family and our projects.  A lot has been happening.  After a bout with the flu, the stomach bug, and severe colds I think we are all on the mend, except for mom, who is just now catching everyone's little colds! (Yay me! - NOT)

Still, in that time I have managed to complete a few projects, and of course, start a few more.  I promised back at the first post to show you how I make a burlap door hanger.  Today I will post those pictures and simple instructions.

First, Supplies:  1 yard of Burlap
                          a pile of grocery store sacks
                          acrylic paints in your preferred colors
                          a sewing machine threaded with a coordinating thread

In this project I was making a two sided wreath and "snow globe"

First I took a large round serving platter and used it for my template.  With my burlap folded in half (like it comes on the bolt) I cut about two inches around the plate, or however large I could get it to fit.

Second, I sewed a large stich around the perimeter, being sure to leave a hole big enough to get my fist through.  This is where you'll stuff your bags.

After stuffing, go back to the machine and sew the hole closed, being sure to start and end where you left off.

Now comes the sloppy part!! I usually put on an old apron for this, because I tend to make a ginormous mess in whatever project I'm doing.  Take your base color of paint and swirl in in the approximate shape of your wreath.  You can use your paint brush to push the design out further.  And, don't worry about messing up, you can paint over it.

After painting the first set, continue to paint until your desired area is covered.  Let this dry and then you can apply your accent colors.  (I chose to stick with the basic red and green, however, I do like to "prime" where the red is going to go with white first, it keeps me from having to go over the red three or four times.)

Once that's done, flip to the other side and paint your other picture.  This can be a "snow globe" like picture, an easter egg, a basketball, and many other things.  The possibilities are endless!

To make the "hanger", I use 12 to 14 gage wire.  I poke a hole through the top left side, twist it with pliers and do the same on the opposite side, that way each side has a swirly piece.

Now, on to the next project:  Ruffle pants

I take a pair of pants that fit my little girl very well.  Fold my chosen fabric in half and then half again, so there are four layers.  Lay them over the fabric I want to use for the pants.  Make sure the outside hem of the "pattern pants" is on the fold, then I cut about 1 1/2 inches above the waist, and about 1/2 to one inch along the inside seam.  This leaves me enough wiggle room, incase I mess up.

It will look like this.

For the ruffle, I cut a strip twice as wide as one pants leg (on this example I didn't have quite enough, because I was using scraps and had already gotten started).  Then I pressed the hem, and sewed it.  Next I ran a basting stitch along the top and gathered my ruffle.  I pinned the ruffle to the outsides of the fabric first, making sure to match the cut edges.  Then I adjusted my ruffle accordingly.   Repeat for the other pant leg.

I pinned that, and sewed each ruffle to the bottom of the pant leg.  Then simply turn the pants legs right sides together and start from the bottom of the ruffle and sew up to the crotch of the pants.  Do this on each leg, then place the right sides together on top half of the pants and sew those seams.

Next iron down about an inch or so, depending on the size of your elastic, and sew that edge down, forming a pocket for your elastic.  ***Make sure you leave a hole big enough to thread your elastic through the pocket.

Thread the elastic, sew it together, sew the little hole up in the "pocket" and turn your pants inside out.  Voila!!

I made the swirly ribbon shirt too.  It's requires a little more patience, but it's pretty easy.  The next one I do, I'll take pics and post a tutorial for it.

You should know that Christmas is my favorite holiday!!  And, "Elf" is one of my most favorite movies.  I've made a cute little printable just to get a jump on the holiday season.  I'm going to frame it in a funky frame and put it up on the wall in my living room, but feel free to mod podge it onto something, or use it as a little thank you card.  If you do use it, I'd love to see what you did with it!

Ok, I think that's enough sewing and painting for one day.  I'm going to rest and drink some hot tea.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Back to school, back to crafting, back to... farming?

Being a mom of four keeps me pretty busy.  So I Pinterest, Google, and craft in between cooking, nursing, showering, eating, and sometimes sleeping.  This makes for great ideas, and a sleepy mom, but I don't care. I love it!  

Since Riley just started kindergarten, I am new to being a "school-mom" (just my term, y'all may have a different name for it.  Like I said I'm new to this! LOL), and having several teacher friends of my own, I know how important a little happy and some volunteer time are.  I wanted to make something sweet for her, and something I could possibly sell on the side as well.  

I have seen these cute burlap door hangers around town and on Pinterest.  I wanted to make one for my house and then I thought one for Riley's teacher would be nice.  Now I've been so busy making these for others that I haven't thought about what I want on my front door!

This is the one I made for Riley's teacher.  Everyone at his school loves it and I've actually gotten a few orders for more!

I made this one two sided, so she could use it longer

A little side note: the cheap $1 plastic, party table cloths really help protect your table and make for an easy and cheap clean up.  Plus, if you're really savvy you can use half of it at a time and make it last longer.

We have been really busy crafting for a conference coming up at church, and I haven't had much time for crafting at home. (Pics of those little projects will come after the conference has started.  I don't want to spoil the surprise!)  So while I was making these footballs late one night, I forgot to take pics of the "how to" part of these door hangers.  I PROMISE, the next one I make I will take step by step pics and post them.  

I did not paint the brown on the football, I just bought brown burlap and painted it.  However, I painted another one, that I forgot to take pics of, and I had to paint it brown because I made it two sided and my paint bled through, and I think I like that better.

I have tons of ideas of other things to make and am working on designing more two sided ones.  If you have any ideas or suggestions on these please feel free to post them!

(I am also working on a set of volunteer coupons for moms to give to teachers, but I haven't perfected them yet.  I promise those will be up on the freebies page in a few weeks.)

Now on the the farming part.....

In all this hullabaloo of back to school, and crafting, my dad called and said has decided he wants to raise cows again.  Just a few little calves to start off with.  This reminds me of my days in grammar school because we did this when I was a little girl.  We'd have to get up early in the morning and fix a bucket of milk for the baby calves, walk it down to the barn, and feed them before we ate breakfast and got dressed for school.  This was not always a pleasant experience (I got kicked in the chest once), but still, they are fond memories.  (at least I didn't have to muck out the stalls!!)  There's just something about the fondness of petting a baby calf, even letting it suck on your fingers, and watching that little thing grow into a big ole cow!

So, when Daddy said that he had a two week old calf that he was having to bottle feed I loaded the kids up and we rode over to my parents' house to let the kids see a baby cow up close, and "help out" a little.  (and I do mean, a little-they didn't hold on to the bottle too much because the calf kept bucking it, but it was fun!)

Meet Chick-fil-A!!

(A friend called her that, in hope that mom and dad would "eat more chicken" and it's stuck. lol!!)

even baby Jude got to meet the calf!

Riley and Cecily talking to her.

Finn wasn't too impressed.  I think the idea of petting something bigger than our dog had him a little spooked.

So, that's all from here, for now.  I know it's all over the place today, next time I'll try to have it a little more "together".  Check back next week and hopefully I will have some of these projects marked off my list.  (Yeah right, I'll have added more, and you know it!)