{My Projects} Norah's Christmas Dress

After 4 sons in a row, it has been so fun to have a daughter to dress up!  This was her sweet little Christmas dress for 2016.  Maroon satin dress with lined cream chiffon scalloped bodice. I was very pleased with how it turned out!  And I just think she's the most beautiful little girl in the world!  💖

Capes in Action! {My Crazy Family!}

My husband is an art professor and his colleague, who teaches studio lighting, invited us to come in as portrait subjects.  We were thrilled to have a special family photo session and really had a fun time!  The students did a great job and we had tons of fun!  We did a series of more formal photos, then brought out our Superhero Capes that I've made over the years.  My 4 sons really got into it then!

 Watch how we slowly descend into madness!

{My Projects} Birthday Purse for my Mom!

 My sweet mom's birthday was last week and a few days before, I finally was inspired as to what to make her.  She's been wanting a new small purse made from denim in order to match anything.

I finished it and got it to the post office with just minutes to spare!  And she got it on time. Phew!

This is the small Buttercup Bag.  Very cute with the pleats!  I also installed a magnetic snap for easy security.

{My Projects} Cowboy Vest

My 5 year old son was invited to his classmate's cowboy-themed birthday party.  I asked him I should make a Crayon Bundle or something like that with cowboy fabric.  He said, "No, you should make him a vest."  OK.  So I got out my different cowboy print fabrics and my son picked the red one with cowboy boots.  He was very sure that it was the right one.

And I have to say, I was really pleased when the birthday boy opened his present and shouted out, "A vest!"  He put it on and wore it the rest of the party.  :)

{My Projects} Puzzle Magnets for Sammy!

I came across some old puzzles that were still in great shape, since they're the wonderful wooden kind, and thought about making Sammy some magnets out of them.

He'd been sneaking little nibbles out of the cardboard "Dirty/Clean" magnet I'd made for the dishwasher a long time ago.  There's not much left of it. Seriously!  But he loved playing with it, so thence came the inspiration to up-cycle these fabulous wooden puzzle pieces.

And, then of course, I thought I'd put some up for sale for other magnet-munching cherubs!

Click here to see!

{My Projects} Little Fleece Boots

Look who's got some new boots!  I made my 11-month-old boy some fleece boots.  The star and the fringe are so fun and look so Texan.

I used the McCalls pattern # M6342.

{My Projects} Baby Overalls and Fleece Hat

I wanted to make some clothes for my baby boy this Christmas.  I started these overalls before Christmas, but then came down with a horrible Flu.  I'm finally on the mend and sat down yesterday to finish them.  It felt so good to be sewing again!

Today I got to make this cute fleece hat.  It was the perfect color to match his adorable blue eyes!  It's hard to believe he's almost 11 months old!

I used the Simplicity pattern #2523 for both the overalls and the hat.

{My Projects} Christmas Wreath

This wasn't much of a sewing project since the only sewing involved was tacking the two bows together and then attaching it to the wreath.

But, I had fun making my first wreath and thought it turned out quite pretty. I love the red cranberries and ribbon.  It's lovely against the white door!

I used a 14" wreath, ribbons, dried wheat, and faux cranberries from Hobby Lobby, and decorative dried grass from Dollar Tree.

{Halloween Costumes} Making Mr. T and Company

 Update:  My little Mr. T won 2nd place in the Baby costume contest at our city Halloween festival!  Yay, Sammy!

I saw a photo on Pinterest of a baby Mr. T costume and it was so cute and so funny that I had to give it a try!

My baby, Sammy, is 8 1/2 months old and the youngest of 4 boys.  So this was going to be fun (and funny)!

I started out by making a basic hood out of an old t-shirt from the thrift store.  It was too tight.  So I had to open up the back seam and add a piece.  While it was open, I thought he looked like an Ewok.  (Next year...)

Nothing like framing a chubby little face.  Look at those cheeks!
Surprisingly, once the hood was on, he didn't mind it too much.

 I had picked up some black faux fur trim at Hobby Lobby last week --  the ladies around me probably wondered at my excited laughter when I spotted it and realized it would make a perfect mohawk!

 Then, I added fur trim around the ears and under the chin, trying to make a good imitation of the famous Mr. T buzz cut.  Sammy really needed a mustache, too, but I didn't want him eating fake fur or rubbing makeup all over his face (and into his eyes).

So, here Sammy is, with his bling and camo shirt!
(Looking a bit more like an Amish punk.)

But, several people were able to tell right away that he was Mr. T and that drew some good laughs!
After all, to me, Halloween should be about good laughs not grimaces and cringing from gory costumes.  I really don't like grotesque costumes.

On the left, we have The Very Scary Spider, named Ben (age 5).  The fake legs were connected to each other as well as his real arms so that they would all rise together when he lifted his arms.  :)  And on the right, is The Very Handsome Husband, who puts up with my theatrical ideas.  He was my personal consultant when it came to Mr. T's facial and head hair design.  He was excited about the Mr. T costume.  It was really funny.

Tim (age 7) had his dreams come true and got to be a Ninja!   Ninja costumes couldn't be easier.  Wear all black, tie on a red sash and make a quick hood out of an old black t-shirt from the thrift store.  The glowstick sword was from the Dollar Store.  Cheap-o Mom Award!

Caleb (age 9) wanted to be a werewolf.  Well, perhaps I'll respect his dignity and just say the face makeup my husband did was so realistic and amazing that Caleb worried about being teased, so his costume downgraded to Hobo.  Ha!