Thumbprint Pendant {Re-Post)

I'm taking a vacation and rather than have silence I decided to re-post some of my old projects that you may not have seen.  This one was a quick project that I'm still glad I have to look back at.

I found a really cute tutorial a while ago and really wanted to make one so using my Michael's coupons I bought what I needed for less than $4.  I then waited for a trip to Calgary where my sister-in-law and I made them together.

We used some white polymer clay and kneaded a small amount until it was soft.  We then took our clay and rolled them into small oval shapes and pushed our girls thumbprints into them.  I had first decided it would be cute to use Catie's right thumb since this is the one she sucks and it's her favorite.  I hadn't taken into consideration what damage constant thumb sucking at night does though and my first imprint looked a little like a tiny 80 year olds.  It was cracked and funny looking so I rerolled and used to the left thumb with much better results.

Once we had imprints we liked we poked holes so they could be threaded on a necklace and then we baked them in the oven following the package directions and these were the results.

I love that I can carry around a little imprint of Catie all the time and I like that it's so unique.

The only downside being Catie always wants to put it in her mouth, I guess she thought I used the right thumb :)

Double Stroller Re-Cover {Re-Post}

I'm on vacation, posting old projects while I'm gone.  Hope it's a good filler.
This double stroller is the one I was talking about in Tuesday's Post.

Posting has been a little light this week and will probably continue to be for the next little bit.  I have a bunch of projects planned but they were all put aside as I worked furiously, obsessively, painstakingly on Michelle's stroller trying to get it done in time for her to take it home.

Michelle is in Edmonton for the summer and hating her stroller so when she decided to come home for a couple days we figured we could fix it for her.  The original plan was to have lots of time and work on it together but the modified plan involved much, much less time and me on my own.  Overall the project was a success but I have learned that I won't take on any more time sensitive jobs, it takes most of the fun out it.  These before and after pictures just might make all the difficulties worth it.  I was incredibly grateful that I had practiced on my stroller first.

The before

The peach was especially hateful and I feel you can't quite grasp the ugliness of the alphabet print from this far back so here's a close up.  This picture shows the alphabet and the plaid that you can see at the top of both seats.

I was asked for pics while I was working on the last stroller but I hadn't taken any and figured this time I would but I only managed to take one, there just wasn't time for any others.  So here it is, this is one of the sunshades all carefully taken apart.  From here I used the pieces I was replacing as a pattern to cut out my new fabric.  I then re-assembled the pieces and used the original trim to finish the edges.

The more I review the pictures the more the late nights seem worth it.  The $6.00 seam ripper made a world of difference.

As usual this re-do is far from perfect and we may need to do a little touch up when she's back but it's so far ahead of where it was that she was thrilled and I'm confidant I could tackle another.  Here's one last photo to showcase the pretty new fabric.

What Catie Wore Wednesday #42

So I've been showing you what Catie wears for 42 weeks now, I think it's time to admit that no one cares where her clothes are from.  If you like the post you like it for the cute photos, from here on out I'm going to stop telling you where her clothes are from.  If you like them you're welcome to ask where you can buy it, otherwise just enjoy the cute pictures.

Wednesday

Watching a movie in cute polka dot shorts.

Thursday

Yeah, today was a pyjama day.


Saturday

We went to the zoo with cousin Riley today

After a nap we watched yet another movie.  She really loves pillows and blankets.

And then she found Mommy's shoes, and she put them on all by herself


Tuesday

We're house sitting right now and they happen to have a trampoline.  If we let her this little girl would spend her entire day outside.  She jumps up and down saying "Juum" (Jump) over and over.

 

Linking to



 

Vacation - Catie's Stroller {Re-Post}

It's time to admit it, I'm on vacation, there will be no crafts coming any time soon.  Some friends of ours have gone away and they've asked us to house sit for them so I don't even have any of my crafting supplies, I couldn't make anything if I wanted to.

I figured rather than just having silence and What Catie Wore Wednesday I'd post a few of my older projects that you may not have seen before.  For some of you these will be repeats and for some they'll seem brand new, hope it's better than nothing.


This first repeat project is the very first stroller I re-covered and I'm still very happy with how it turned out.

This was a project I had thought about doing a while ago and then dismissed it because it seemed too difficult but Michelle really wanted to re-cover her's so I decided to tackle my stroller in preparation.  Her's is a double so it'll be more difficult but I'm now convinced that we'll be just fine.  This project was the main one that encouraged the Great Falls trip with Mom and I was so pleased with the fabric I found and the price I found it at.

I carefully took apart all the pieces of my stroller, cut out new fabric and re-assembled using the original seam binding.  It looks so much better!

Here's the before and then a bunch of after shots.

What Catie Wore Wednesday #41

This is a picture heavy week, there were lots of good ones to share.  We've had lots of fun this week enjoying summer.

Wednesday

We went to Eau Claire Market today to play at the wading pool and Catie had a great time.  They have a jungle gym and some fountains and it was a great morning.

Sunglasses - Dollar Store
Bathing Suit - Gap

Thursday

I was so happy when I captured this picture, this is the exact same face she makes every time she hears an airplane or hears the neighbours dogs outside.

Orange T - Walmart
Capri's - JC Penny

Friday

Love these little girls.  We went to the zoo today and Catie' two cousins, Gwen and Bryn came with us, they're playing ring around the rosie together.

Recently Catie has been incredibly clumsy and whiny and it was driving me crazy, then I put this dress on her.  The last time she wore it was no more than two weeks ago and suddenly it really isn't a dress anymore.  It's so short!  Apparently she's gone through a huge growth spurt which explains the clumsiness.

White Dress/Shirt - Carters
White Tights - Children's Place
Pink Sandals - Walmart

They have a playground at the zoo with this tube that kids can crawl through, I always want Catie to go through it but she never would, that is until Gwen led the way.  I love that you can see Gwen, Catie and Bryn all crawling along.

Saturday

We went to our community centre today where they have a really nice playground, a spray park, a sandbox, fields to run in and bbq's for hotdogs.  All she wanted to do was play in the mud hole kids had created in the sandbox.  If she can't be dirty here where can she be, right?  Not sure her bathing suit is ever coming clean.

When she wasn't in her bathing suit she was wearing this.  Notice the mud on her eyebrow?  This was right before she was dumped in the bath.  She got her first band aids today, she tripped as she got to the park and skinned her knee badly enough to draw blood so we covered it up.

Yellow T - Walmart
Denim Mini - Children's Place
Pink Flip Flops - Old Navy

Sunday

White Sweater & Pink Dress - JC Penny (thank you Grandma West)
Obviously those are my shoes she's wearing, she's carrying my keys and wearing a key fob around her neck.

Monday

We're down visiting my Mom and she had a little tea party with cousin Riley

Striped Tank - Walmart
White T - H&M
Jean Capris - Old Navy (made by me)

Tuesday

Blue T - H&M
Shorts - Old Navy
Pink Flip Flops - Old Navy

Linking to

Pinteresting Food

I've been using Pinterest for some time now and like everybody else I'm loving it.
You can follow my boards here if you're interested.

I've been thinking lately about how Pinterest has brought me some really incredible food and I thought I'd share some of the amazing things we've tried.


Summer Corn Fettuccine

We actually ate Summer Corn Spaghettini since we prefer it to fettuccine.  This pasta was so good, the combination of bacon, corn and red peppers was perfect.  Now keep in mind it does use 6 ears of corn, this dish really does taste like corn.  If you don't love corn then skip this dish.

Cheesy Garlic-Herb Bread

Okay, this one I didn't actually find on Pinterest but it's just too delicious to not share.
Pesto, slathered on bread and then stuffed with Mozzarella and baked?  Yes please!

Baked Oven Fries

I've often made homemade french fries and just about every time I've been disappointed that they haven't crisped up and browned the way I wanted them to.  This recipe is the solution to this and these potatoes are so good!

Peanut Butter Popcorn

This was super easy to make but so delicious.  My only tip, when you're spreading out your popcorn to cool spread it really well.  I figured I'd be able to break it apart when it was cool but it was pretty stuck together and much more difficult to eat than I would have liked.  This popcorn doesn't come out crispy, it's chewy but not stick to your teeth chewy, I'll make it again for sure.

Saltine Cracker Toffee

I've had this before but I'd never make it myself.  I was looking through Pinterest one day, saw this recipe and thought, "Yup, going to make that right now."  It used all ingredients I had on hand and came together really quick.  I was smart and halved the recipe though, we sure didn't need to eat an entire pan of these.  What I did make disappeared off the plate real quick.

And I saved the most ridiculous for last

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n' Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar

Cookie on the bottom, Oreo's layed on top that, topped with Brownies... GOOD!

So there you have it, Pinterest is a good thing.  Need an invite? I can help you out, just let me know.

What Catie Wore Wednesday #40

We have Brad to thank for this week's post, I very nearly forgot that tomorrow is Wednesday, so here I sit, late at night uploading photos, mostly to make Grandma West happy.  There are some good ones this week Mom.

Wednesday

Catie LOVES to push the mini shopping cart at Sobey's.  You hand her an item to put in the cart while quickly pulling out of the cart any bread that was already in there because she's going to throw that item in, squishing the bread.  And you'd better protect your shins.

Striped T - Old Navy
Skirt - Old Navy
Pink Flip Flops - Old Navy

Thursday

I know this doesn't actually show her outfit very well but it was the best photo of the day.

Blue T - Superstore
Denim Mini - Children's Place

Saturday

Played with stickers today.

Brown T - Annabanana
Plaid Capris - JC Penny

Sunday

She was super un-cooperative this morning and very whiny.  It should have been a warning sign of the multiple throw ups that would come later.

Tan sweater - Mexx
Navy skirt - Gap
She wore her cute red, sparkly shoes with this too

Monday

I think she looks like a movie star here.  She even kept the glasses on the entire time we were there.

Sun Glasses - Dollar Store
Bathing Suit - Gap
Pink Flip Flops - Old Navy

When it was time to leave she wore

Striped T - Old Navy
Denim Mini - Children's Place

I foresee many more days of flip flops, sunglasses and bathing suits.  I'm determined to really enjoy this summer with Catie and spend lots of time outside.

Linking to

Stroller Re-Cover (AKA the DAMN Stroller)

I've done enough strollers re-covers now that when my sister-in-law asked me to work on hers I didn't hesitate.  It was a Graco that she'd bought second hand and was now using it on her second child and it was in really terrible condition.  Apparently I should have been more careful to look at what I was volunteering for.  Never have I come closer to failure than this project and it wasn't long before it was deemed the DAMN stroller.


You'd never tell by the after pictures though because it turned out so well.  The fit of the new cover is amazing, despite the near disaster.

Take a look at this lovely before pic.  Notice how faded the front of the sunshade is?  This needed a make-over almost as badly as the Navy Stroller.

Every stroller is different so there isn't really a tutorial, more like a process. Here's how my process goes.

1. Break the stroller down into sections.  So the sunshade is one section, the basket underneath is one section, the cushion is one section and the lining fabric is another.  If you're lucky the stroller will be in decent condition and you'll just need to re-cover the cushion and the sunshade, those are ideal and a lot less work.  Whatever the condition of your stroller you're going to work on one section at a time, so any time you're overwhelmed you just need to remind yourself that your current project is your one small section, forget about the big project and focus on the small.
2. I always start on the sunshade so I'll use that section as my example.  You're first going to figure out how to remove the sunshade from the stroller, it's usually held on with 4 screws.  Once it's removed you can slide the shade off of the metal supports, there are usually two.  Put them aside for later.
3. This next step is the most tedious, you're going to carefully unpick all the parts to your sunshade so you can use them as your pattern.  It's important not to forget how the pieces you take apart went together because you need to be able to put them back, I find it helpful as one piece is removed to pin it back in place with one or two pins just so I don't forget how it's constructed.  Sunshade's also normally use two thin plastic supports, as you remove these put them aside for later.  
4. Once your pieces are unpicked you can unpin one piece at at time and use it as a pattern to cut out your new fabric.  Once it's cut out I pin the old piece back where it was (not taking any chances with my memory here).  A tip, those two plastic pieces that were removed will need casings to put them back in and that fabric should really be cut on the bias to make it look smoother, I always use bias tape or piping with the cord removed.  Makes your job easier and you want a contrasting fabric anyway.
5. Once your pieces are all cut out of your fabric you can use your old pinned together mess (it's now a mess by the way) to see how you sew everything back together.
6. Add your two plastic supports back in and finish all your raw edges off with some sort of binding.  I like to re-use the original just because you need so much but if you re-use the original keep in mind that you should stretch it while you're sewing it back on or you'll run out.  You could also use twill tape, nylon webbing or bias tape.  I've used all three and twill tape is my favourite and I think the easiest to work with.

As for fabric amounts you'll have to try and figure that out on your own stroller but to give you an idea here's what I used on this last stroller. 

• 1 meter of the stripe  (For you American's a meter is 39")
• 1 1/4 meter of the flower
• 4 meters of plain brown broadcloth (I always double broadcloth because it's so thin, I really needed one more meter of the brown though, I ended up taking a chunk from my stash to finish)
• 12 meters of twill tape (I hardly had any left)
• This is the first stroller I've done with mesh, I happened to have a mesh laundry bag from the dollar store that I'd used on a previous project and it worked great.
• Also, if you're going to replace the backing and the basket underneath you'll probably need to replace some pound on snaps.

So why was this project so difficult?  As I mentioned in my steps above, the cushion and the backing fabric are normally separate but that wasn't the case on this one, they were attached.  That meant I had to sew together all these strange pieces for the backing and then put right sides together and flip the entire thing.  I hope it sounds complicated because it really was!  In the end I won though even if it brought me near tears.  I actually think the fit on this stroller is better than some I've done in the past so the difficulty ended up being worth it.

Okay enough talking, more pictures!

I think the pop of yellow on the cushion is perfect and I love how comfy it looks.

I particularly love this shot. That really washed out fabric is supposed to be dark navy blue, and I love that you can see the holes in this one.  There were quiet a lot of holes (anywhere there were holes I re-enforced my fabric to hopefully make it a little more durable).

 I love that in the after you can see how neatly everything is secured.

One last picture where you can really see the cushion attached to the lining.

  Linking To Monday - C.R.A.F.T., Making The World Cuter, Polly Want a Crafter, Simpsonized Crafts, Sugar Bee Crafts, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, The Girl Creative   Tuesday - All Things Related, Creative Itch, Domestically Speaking, It's Sew for You,  Ladybug Blessings, Sassy Sites, Today's Creative Blog, This & That, Topsy Turvy    Wednesday - Blue Cricket Design, Me and My Bucket   Thursday - A Glimpse Inside,  House of Hepworth, It's Sew Stinkin Cute, Somewhat Simple, The Train to Crazy, What Allie's Making Now   Friday - Creation Corner, Finding Fabulous, Tatertots & Jello, The CrEaTiVe CraTe