Phew!

Well, my stress is over for this week!  wait.  Scratch that.  My WAITING stress is over for the week.

I made it through to the next round!!  WOOHOOO!

Now I just have to get the rest of my projects done, take pictures, edit them, pack, get my house clean before I leave and then get to the airport on time (6:40 is a VERY early flight for people that don't usually get up until after 9...today Eme didn't wake up till 10:30!!)  Oh, and we might buy a car somewhere in the middle of all that.

So wish me luck on everything else that is/will cause stress... But at least the waiting is over!! :)  I'm excited to be continuing! :)

Trashed Toddler Play Table to Beautiful Toddler Bed and Learning Center

Did ya guess this was mine?!  I love it so much!  I can hardly wait till Eme is old enough to use it as a bed. :)  But, it's already a great play table for him... he doesn't get that that the chalk is for drawing, not eating though!  We're working on that! haha!

This first week's challenge was so much fun!  I went straight to the DI and was SUPER lucky to find a majorly trashed toddler play table!  It sparked a very fun (and soon to be needed) project!  So, without further ado; I give you: The (Trashed) Toddler Play Table to Beautiful Toddler Bed By Night and Learning Center By Day!

To begin this make over, I spray painted the table and little stool a pretty light blue.  I also removed the (very ugly) rope drawer pulls and plugged the holes with wood filler.  After it had dried, I (ok my hubby) attached the pretty new drawer handles I had picked out.  (Thanks babe!)

To make this work as a bed, I had to make a mattress.  I did this by stuffing two body pillows into a mattress form that I made using thrifted sheets.  Velcro makes for easy removal and cleaning of the mattress form.  I also used thrifted sheets to make the bedding set and a thrifted pillow to make the "E" accent pillow. The star is corduroy that I had in my stash.

To make the learning center, I painted one side of the table top with chalkboard paint and glued a map of The United States on the other.  (I plan to homeschool, so I figure this will be a fun, easy way to get started with geography early.  Plus it makes for a nice "train" background, don't you think??) :) 

I love this new little bed/playtable!!  And I love that it saves a TON of space!!  The fact that the mattress can also be a soft base for playing isn't a bad thing either!  No cracked heads = a very good thing! The possibilities for play on this table are endless!  Legos? check.  Trains? Check.  Painting? why not?  Really, it's just the perfect space and size for my little monkey!

Sweet Little Baby Moccasins Pattern and Tutorial

Ok guys!  It's here it is!!!  I know a lot of you have been waiting for it; sorry it's taken me all day to get it up.  Like I said earlier, little Eme is teething and is therefore really not in to me doing much else then hold him.  And even when I'm am holding him he's fussy, fussy, FUSSY.  I may just be a little bit insane right now.  Poor guy has at least four teeth coming in though. :(
Anyway!  Let's get on with the....

Woohoo!!!

This is the first crochet pattern that I've ever put together for another person to be able to read and follow.  Generally, when I'm making a pattern it's all kinds of shorthand that only I can follow.  So, what I guess I'm saying is this:  If you come across any problems or get stuck at some point, please email me or comment here and I will fix whatever it is that I messed up!  haha! 

Also, I'd like to thank  Mon Petit Violon for allowing me to share her sole pattern.  (The soles of these moccasins are from this pattern.)  The rest of the pattern is mine. :)


Size:

0-6 months, app. 10 cm foot length.

Materials:
Aprox. 10 g of light weight yarn for color one . 
Aprox. 20 g of light weigh yarn for color two.
Crochet hook size “D” (or size needed to obtain gauge.)

(The turquoise/brown yarns are Patons Silk Bamboo in Sapphire and Bark.  The pink yarn is a bamboo blend that I can't remember or find the name of.  I will figure it out and post it later.  Sorry about that! The pink yarn is Natually Caron Country in Rose Bisque.)

Gauge:
4 sts = 2 cm or 5 sts = 1 inch

Stitches used:
st(s) – stitch(es)
ch – chain stitch
hdc – half double crochet
dc – double crochet
sc – single crochet
sl st - slip stitch
dc2tog - double crochet two together (not sure how to do it? video tute (not mine) here.)

Using color 1.
Sole:
Rnd 1: ch11, hdc in 3rd ch from hook, hdc in next 7 sts, 6 hdc in last ch, work on opposite side, hdc in next 7 sts, 5 hdc in last ch, join with sl st in 1st hdc.
Rnd 2: ch1, hdc in next 8 sts, 2 hdc in each of next 5 sts, hdc in next 8 sts, 2 hdc in each of next 5 sts, join with sl st in 1st hdc.
Rnd 3: ch1, hdc in next 8 sts, (2 hdc in 1 st, 1 hdc) 5 times, hdc in next 8 sts, (2 hdc in 1 st, 1 hdc) 5 times, join with sl st in 1st hdc.

Upper:
Rnd 4: ch 1, in back loop only, sc in next 4 sts, dc in next 7 sts, dc2tog 4 times across 8 sts, dc in next 7 sts, sc in next 19 sts, using 2nd color yarn, join with sl st to 1st st.
Rnd 5: ch 1, working in both loops, sc in next 4 sts, dc in next 5 sts, dc2tog 4 times across 8 sts, dc in next 5 sts, sc in next 19 sts, join with sl st to 1st st.
Rnd 6: ch 1, sc in next 4 sts, dc in next 3 sts, dc2tog 4 times across 8 sts, sc in next 19 sts, join with sl st to 1st st.

Cuff:
Rnd 7: ch 3, (skip 1 st, dc in next st, ch 1) repeat around, join last ch 1 to 2nd ch in the ch 3. (fish net st)

Rnd 8: ch 2, 2 dc in ea sp, join with sl st to 1st st.
Rnd 9: ch 2, dc in ea st around, join with sl st to 1st st.
Rnd 10: ch 2, dc in ea st around, join with sl st to 1st st.
Rnd 11: ch 2, dc in ea st around, join with sl st to 1st st.
Rnd 12: ch 2, dc in ea st around, join with sl st to 1st st.
Rnd 13: ch 2, dc in ea st around, join with sl st to 1st st.
Rnd 14: ch 2, dc in ea st around, join with sl st to 1st st.  If you want to make the top ruffley, continue with next line, if not, tie off and weave in ends.

For Ruffled Edge:
Rnd 15: (ch 3, insert hook into 2nd ch from hook, sc 1, sc into next st) repeat around.  Tie off and weave in ends.

Tie:
Make a chain 80 sts long,weave in to fish net st sps, then attach poms to ends. (if desired.)
OR
Use a ribbon.

Repeat the process for the second moccasin and this is what you'll end up with!! :)

 

Hope you guys have fun!!  If you guys do make any of these PLEASE, PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE send me a link or a picture so that I can see them!! :)

Also, I prolly don't need to say this, but, this pattern is for personal use only, please don't sell them.  If you want to share the pattern with others, feel free, just direct them to my site to get it!  Thanks all! :)

I'll be linking to the parties on the side bar! :)

Little Lyric's Gift Set

So, I know I promised to post this earlier, but, I forgot that we had a "Souper" Bowl party to attend, for which I had to make soup.   Which took a good portion of my afternoon, then there was the party, and now it's 1am and I'm FINALLY writing this.  lol.  O-well, better late then never right?  For those interested I made Itailian Wedding Soup and it was awesome. :)

Anyway, you guys wanted to hear about the gift set right?!

Here it is!  I'm calling it the Little Lyric Set.  I had such a wonderful time designing this set!  (Like the booties?!  I'll be sharing my pattern (for which I used the bottoms of these booties) on this week's Tute {Yourself} Tuesday, so don't forget to stop by, get the pattern and link up!)

The blanket is what I call a "car seat blanket" because it is perfectly sized for a carseat!  No more blankets hanging out and ending up on the ground!!  Woohoo!!!!!  (I seriously HATE when Eme's blankets end up half on the ground because they are too big.  So, this is the perfect solution.)

Then I made a little pink monkey hat to match the blanket so that Lyric can hit the town in style!

I think the flower is a fun little detail. :)

The jewled center of the flower is really a button that matches the one on the chin strap.



Gotta love a little bling on a baby! :)

Next up is the dress that I totally teased you all with last night.  I la-la-LOVE it!!!!

I was seriously dying when I finished it!!  Remember the little white dress that I showed you a few weeks ago?  That was the first draft of this dress.

I shortened the sleeves up, elasticized the neck line and gathered the sleeve and hem lines to make them poofy.  Poofy anything is super fabulous on baby girls, don't you think?! :)

To round the gift out, I made her these sweet little booties.  (Which I realize I showed you just a few days ago...)

Based on your sweet, sweet comments, I decided to keep the polka dots instead of switching to the poms.  Thanks for your help on that! :)

I'll leave you with one last parting shot of the whole gift.  :)

What do you guys think?

Oh!  Before I go, have you guys heard about "One Month to Win It"?  It's a new crafting competion that is being hosted by several different blogs.  The auditions for month one start Wednesday!  I'm planning on entering, but I'm not sure which project to enter...  The two projects I'm deciding between are this post's  Little Lyric Gift Set and Little Elijah's Gift Set.  Which set do you guys like better?

PLEASE, PLEASE help me decide!!!!  Pretty, pretty, pretty please!!!!

**Edit**
Ok guys!  Apparently THIS is the one to enter so, I have!!!  Fingers crossed and wish me luck!!!!!






And, as usual, I'll be linking to the awesome linkies on my side bar. :)

Dino-Eme-Saurus Hat

**Like my hats??  I'm giving one away... Click here.***

I originally made this hat for the first time about a year ago. 

See?  Here's Eme wearing his dino hat when he was tiny. 

I had a client (ok, my Mom) order one as a baby gift.  This is the result! (I'll be shipping it tomorrow Mom.)

This is one of my favorite styles.

Aren't the spikes fun?  They are each individually made and sewn onto the hat.  I love them.

Isn't it super fun?!

As an important side note, Jane, I still haven't heard from you!!  Please email me (or leave me a comment) to claim your hat!!!  If I haven't heard from you by midnight tomorrow (so by 12am Tuesday morning) I will be choosing a new winner. :(  I so hope I hear from you soon!!!

Monkeys for my Monkey.

My son is hilarious.  You've seen the pics, you know.  One of his favorite things to do is pull my blanket off my bed and then roll around and throw himself into it.  haha.  It's really a very cute thing.

My blanket is SUPER soft.  It's like a Little Giraff blanket, only king size and even softer.  I love it and so does he.

Eme has one Little Giraffe blanket that he LOVES, but I thought he could use another one.  (You know, for when the other one's in the wash.)  But Little Giraffe blankets are  EXPENSIVE.  My mom gave him one as a happy BIRTH day present.  He's used and loved it pretty much every day since.  But since buying him another one is out of the question, I decided to make him one with some of the fabric from my stash. (That I bought from the remnant bin a while ago.  I <3 the remnant bin. :) )

It's soft and it's snuggley and it's perfect for my little blankey loving monkey.  Wanna see?

Here ya go!

MONKEYS for my Monkey. :)

The fabric is cute, but not something I would have normally chosen.  The hubster found it.  So, we got it, and tonight as I was pinning on the binding he goes, "Is that the fabric I got?  I was gonna make something with that."  Oops.  Sorry.  Though I really have no idea what he would have make with it.  He just liked the feel of it.

I think this little (totally accidental) corner is my favorite part.  Peek-a-BOO!!!

This was my second time doing a binding and it went a little smoother and looks at least somewhat better.  I have a ways to go before I'll declare myself anywhere near being truly good at it though.  I went the easy(er) (though not as 'creative') route this time and bought pre-made satin blanket binding.  It was definitely faster.  haha.  Making your own binding takes FOREVER.  Especially when you don't have a binding maker. 

All in all this was a fun (relatively fast) little project that I'm fairly certain my son will love.

This is what happens when I try to blog when Eme's awake... aka: It seems I have a food thief.

Someone is getting bigger and that means that someone can reach things that he once couldn't...  Like the last few candy canes from TOP of Daddy's desk.

Sorry that some of these are blurry.  My camera just isn't fast enough to catch my little man in action (obviously I need a DSLR. lol.) but, I still thought the pictures were cute and decided to include them regardless of the blur factor.  Some of them, ok, one  of them actually looks really cool because it is blurry.  Well, I think it looks cool, but it's possible I'm biased.



I think this one is hysterical.

I wish this one had turned out.  Boo.  This is when he realize he was 'caught'.  haha.

This is the one I think looks cool regardless of the blur factor.  haha!  Maybe I'm crazy?!  Maybe not?

Now, to prove I'm not a completely horrible mother, he also swiped some sweet potatoes from a too low fruit/vegetable basket.

Umm. Yum?

He also had a good time with my apples.  He's done this a few times.  I need to get a hanging basket so that he can't keep doing this.  Not that I'm opposed to his eating apples, I'm just opposed to him dropping 3 or 4 apples on the ground before choosing which one he's going to take a few randomly placed bites from.  I hate bruised apples and at this point, I'm not sure that I have any unbruised apples left. :(

I {heart} this one!

O-well.  At least he's cute.

This next one is another new trick of his...  The food thief is cute and silly (and sometimes sticky.)  But this climbing monkey scared the pants off me!   (But apparently not enough to take him down before taking a picture...)  I assure you that this chair has since been moved to a place that he can no longer climb on!

Doesn't he look SUPER proud of himself??  Oy.

I think there is a saying...  "When the cat's asleep the mice will play." 

Fitting?  Prolly.  {sigh.}

I think I need to adopt this mantra: "When the BABY'S asleep THEN Mommy can play {aka: blog.}"