Quick baby blanket

There seems to be a baby boom around me, and that means making baby gifts for me. There are so many things that are so cute to make for little ones. I made a blanket like this one for my niece when she was a baby, and she still loves it now that she's 2. This little blanket is also perfect for the stroller or car seat, plus the minky fabric is so soft against the baby's skin.

This quick baby blanket is easy and comes together in no time. You need only a few simple supplies:

• 3/4 yard of fabric
• 3/4 yard contrasting minky fabric (you can also use flannel or anything soft)
• double fold bias binding (one package or enough to cover the edge of your blanket)
• thread
• sewing machine

My blanket is a rough measurement, but it's about 27 inches by 24 inches. Cut one of the fabrics to the measurement then lay that fabric on top of the second fabric and cut them to the same size. Pin around both fabrics to make this easier.

Take both fabrics, and while they were still pinned together, serge around the edges. If you don't have a serger, you can just zig-zag around the edges. Now, remove all of the pins.

Next, take the bias binding and wrap it around the edge of the blanket.  Sew the binding around the serged edge. (If you have trouble making the corners square and neat, just round the corners and the bias binding will curve around it.)

And voila! That's all there is to it. You have a great easy blanket that is a perfect baby gift.

With some basic sewing knowledge, this project shouldn't take more than about an hour. And the result is so cute, who wouldn't want one.

Have you ever made any baby gifts?

Handmade Christmas gifts

Now a year couldn't go by without me making some gifts for the season. So this past Sunday, after I dropped off Grandma at her Christmas sisters brunch, I got busy and got to making my handmade goodies.

I used to make cookies for all of my friends and co-workers every year. But my boss makes these amazing cookies that he's famous for, so I had to switch it up. After making cake pops at the  Handmade Miami cake pop crafter-noon we had earlier this year, I though they would make a great gift for my co-workers. So I baked off a chocolate cake and got down to business.

I was browsing Bakerella's site and the Christmas cake pops she had were so cute! I was gonna try to make the reindeer ones, but I forgot to buy the red candies for the noses, so I made the santa hats instead. Once I got the hang of it it wasn't that hard. The worst part was the dipping. After I was all done, I found out that I should've thinned out the candy melts with some shortening. Oh well, maybe next time. I made about 15 santa hats and got over the triple dipping it required, so then I just made round cake pops. I made a full batch, which is about 55 (I got 57, but had a few cake pop casualties along the way).

I wrapped up the cake pops and attached a cute little tag and handed them out at work. Everyone went crazy for them. And how cute do they look?

While my cake balls were chilling, I had time to make some cranberry orange vodka for my friends. I can't take credit for this, it's all Martha. The recipe is so easy. I made two batches and was able to fill the two smaller and one larger bottle. You just have to do this with a few days of advance notice of when you're gifting it, because it needs at least 3 days (the more the better) to infuse.

So those are this year's handmade gifts (so far at least). Are any of you handmaking any gifts this year?

Holiday gift guide

Yeah this may be kinda late, but after seeing all of the gift guides out there, I had to share my own!

So here are some holiday gift ideas (that are reasonably priced):

For your Mom:
This is what my mom asked Santa for this year. And from what I've heard its awesome. Why not get your mom the book and the movie?

The Help (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

$24.99 on Amazon

For your Dad (or Pop, like I call my dad):
Ok, so all these gift guides tell you to get your dad golf accessories or ties or tools. This stuff doesn't work with my dad. He doesn't golf, has no use for more ties and has every tool known to man. But Pop loves history stuff, especially anything about "the War" (that's WWII). He has this book and really loves it.

The Pacific by Hugh Ambrose

$15.35 on Amazon

For your brother:
I have two brothers. Two people that I always have a helluva time shopping for. They are musicians, but they have every musical instrument and gadget known to man. But how about this awesome gadget wallet? It even has a pick pocket. They can keep all their stuff together with this.

Nerd Herder gadget wallet

$29.00 on rockitbot on Etsy

For your grandma:
My grandma loves puzzles, she does about one a week. And they can't be too easy or she just won't like it. This one is pretty and at 1000 pieces, it should keep her busy for a while... well, at least a week.

La Grande Jatte 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle

$15.98 on Amazon

For the little boys in your life:
Who doesn't love Legos? This starter kit is pefect for any little guy to start building.

LEGO Bricks & More My First LEGO Set

$15.99 at Toys R Us

For the baby girls in your life:
Every girl needs a pair of Mary Janes and just cause you're a baby shouldn't mean you shouldn't look fashionable too. Aren't these too adorable for words?

Mary Janes Crochet Baby Shoes

$12.50 on Naptime Stitches on Etsy

For your BFF:
My BFF can't get enough notebooks, pens and pencils. Why not get her a pretty notebook she wouldn't get herself?

Crewel Embroidery Fabric Covered Journal

$19.95 on Barnes & Noble

NOTE: To my family and friends that may be reading this. These may or may not be the gifts I have gotten for you. Any similarity to gifts past or present is purely coincidental.

I hope you have all at least started your shopping for this holiday season. And if you haven't I hope my gift guide gave you some ideas to get started.

Baby shower sewing

Now that I'm craft show free, I'm getting to do some different types of sewing. My mom got an invite for a baby shower of a friend and former co-worker of ours. I've known Marc for what seems like forever and I was so happy that him and his wife, Melissa, were having a little boy. So I had to make something for the new little guy.

Whenever I'm invited to a baby shower I like to make my gifts. It's so much cooler and more personal than buying a generic something from the registry list. I try to make the baby things fun and cool, but still going with the theme that the mommy & daddy seem to be using. Plus, this is me, I like to think that people look forward to my handmade gifts. So I picked up these cute fabrics (the stripes, dots and plaid are cotton and the lime green checks is flannel for the back) and got to work.

I made these cute bibs with the coordinating fabric. And I know you guys may think that I'm obsessed with bias binding (which is true to a certain point), but the bias, in this case, was covering up the fact that I cut the bibs too small. I dBut in the end I like the detail the bias gives the bibs.

Out of the same fabrics, I also made some burp cloths. I added batting to the inside of both the bibs and burp cloths to make them extra cushy and comfy for mommy and baby. I think any baby would love to be burped on these.

I thought the gift needed a little something else. so I snagged these white onesies that Mom had left over from another shower gift. Little girls seem to have the market on cuteness in the clothing department, but who says the little boys can't look dapper too? So I added a bow tie and a long tie to the onesies. Marc & Melissa's little guy will look super cool in these.

 

I love making these handmade gifts and they were pretty easy to whip up. 

Do you like to get handmade gifts?

Cute baby stuff

... for my soon to be niece!

One of my best friends, Kristina, is having a little girl. So I went up to see her in Orlando for the baby shower a couple of weeks ago.

When Kris and I started talking about the shower she asked me for something. She wanted me to maker her a new baby bag. So after some online browsing and finding the right fabric, I made her this. It's HUGE and so roomy inside. It's got tons of pockets to keep all that baby stuff handy, plus since it's all cotton, it's totally washable. And it's sure to say that no one else will have this bag! Gotta love custom handmade!

Now I couldn't just make the bag, my new niece needed a cute outfit too. So using my Martha Stewart Encyclopedia of Sewing, I made the baby kimono in this great bright print.

The little bows are too cute for words. And since it called for bias binding, I was in luck, since I always have some extra rolling around my studio.

Now we girls know that no outfit is complete without a pair of shoes. And the Martha Stewart felt booties are the easiest things to whip up and so freaking cute. I think she might get a few more pairs before she's ready for big girl shoes!

I had a few other projects that I wasn't able to finish up before the shower, but I'll have them done soon.

And I hope to post some pics of the shower too, since I hosted it and I have to say it was awfully cute!

M is for Mom!

Alas, Mother's Day is upon us once again. And after racking my brain for gift ideas for all the moms in my life, I got inspired and made up something oh-so-cute for Mom and the MIL.

This year the ladies got some great girlie movies. But this is Mother's Day, I couldn't whole-heartedly just wrap up the DVD and call it a day! So I made them each themed giftboxes with little trinkets that went along with the theme of their movie.

First my Mother-In-Law, Ana. I got her "Hope Floats." So to package it all up, I got a little wooden crate and lined it with straw. With a paint pen, I wrote "My cup runneth over" on one side and "Hope is the stuff that floats to the top" on the other (both are lines from the movie). I draped over a bandana print fabric that I had to line the box. Then in went the DVD. I also made her a Flower Pen Pot. It had yellow flowers, just like the ones Justin Matisse gives to Birdee at the end of the movie. I was gonna make the galvanized pitcher into a candle, but i worried about the narrow mouth and a flame. So I filled it up with sugar-free chocolates. I wanted to give this one a very country feel. I know she'll like it, it's totally her style! I'm not sure if she's seen Hope Floats, but I know she'll love it.

Now onto Mom's gift box. She got "My Fair Lady." Her box was a hat box, cause Eliza wears some great hats in the movie. Didn't think I'd be able to actually get a hat box, but I found one! On the side of the box, I wrote "Wouldn't it be lover-ly" (from one of the songs in the movie). Then I filled it up with pink tissue paper. Mom also got a pen pot, but her flowers were more pink/purple, like the ones Eliza sold in the beginning of the movie. Then I made her a teacup candle, cause everyone knows a lady drinks tea. The box got adorned her box with black and white ribbons, just like on Eliza's "Going to the Races" outfit. It's so cute and I know Mom will get it.

Now, since I know the ladies will be reading this, I won't divulge the price, but needless to say they were very affordable and a great way to jazz up a DVD for anyone. Plus, I got to try out some great new crafts. The pen pot was seen on craftser.org and the candle cups are from Martha Stewart. So easy and so fun to make. This would make a great gift for anyone. Just vary the movie and the trinkets to go with it. I can't wait to make more of these, now I just need a reason!

And to all the Moms out there, "Happy Mother's Day!"

I is for Inspiraton (for gifts)

There has been so much stuff going on I haven't had the chance to update. But I did find some gift inspiration for the people at work.

After being off the week after Thanksgiving I was able to watch all the crafty shows and get some inspiraton for some gifts for my co-workers. But my department is about 20 people, what's a crafty girl to do? How about making some cute, easy and yummy gifts.

So I made the 20 people in my deparment Hot Chocolate Cones! And I took pictures for all of you to see how easy it was.

All you need is:
Wilton Disposable Decorating Bags
Rubber Bands
Curling Ribbon
Hot Chocolate Mix
Mini Marshmallows
Mini Chocolate Chips

1. First take your empty decorating bag and empty two of the hot chocolate packets inside.
2. Top with a handful of mini marshmallows.


3. Cover the marshmallows with mini chocolate chips.


4. Secure the top with a rubber band.


5. Cut off excess bag leaving about 1 1/2 inches after the rubber band.


6. Decorate with curling ribbon.


7. Attach the instructions.

I made my own instructions tag with some cardstock and regular printer paper. After all, you've gotta let the people getting the hot chocolate know how to make it. To make it even easier, here are my instructions (there are 9 to a page). Feel free to use them to make your gifts!

... instructions coming soon!...

Since I am "Ms. Overacheiving Crafter," I also made chocolate spoons to go with the cones. These are even easier, and would make a good gift by themselves.

Here's what you need for the spoons:
Plastic spoons
Chocolate Chips
Plastic bags (the little kind used for chocolate lollipops)
Curling Ribbon
Sprinkles/crushed candy canes (optional)

1. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. Place chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave in 15 second increments stirring after each until chocolate is smooth, shiny and completely melted. (NOTE: On my first attempt melting chocolate in the microwave years ago, the chocolate got burnt. I didn't know to stir it. If it doesn't get stirred, it will always look like the chips you put in there. The stirring helps it melt, so don't skip this step!)


2. Dip the plastic spoon into the melted chocolate making sure to cover the front and back of the bowl part of the spoon.


3. Add crushed candy canes or sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet, if desired.
4. Place on waxed paper (parchment or freezer paper works too) and into the fridge to harden.
5. Once hardened, place in the treat bags and secure with a piece of ribbon.

The total cost for all 20 of the cones I made and gave as gifts was just under $20. It came out to about 95 cents for each. You can't beat that. And best of all everyone loved the cones and said what a great idea it was. Lots of my co-workers told me they took it home right away to try the hot chocolate. So I would say it was a HIT!