A long time gone...

It has been a long while since I have even visited this blog. Its been a crazy couple of months crammed with lots of various issues. But I won't get into that one here.

This week my mind has been racing with a variety of different things that I want to do. So I am going to list my latest projects.

1. Diaper Bag:
     While we were in Tucson I found "Little Stitches for Little Ones" on the clearance table at Borders. Thanks to my amazing friend Deanna, I was able to get a discount off of that clearance price. This is a book that I have been wanting since about this time last year when I discovered all of Amy Butler's amazing patterns. I had already fallen in love with her fabric but had no idea of her talent at pattern design until I was searching the internet fervently for crafts last winter.
      Anyway, there is a huge, beautiful diaper bag pattern included in the book. I love it! Not only is it big (which is a concern right now since I will have twice as much stuff to lug around and our current diaper bag is just barely big enough for one), but it is stylish.
       The trick is that I am trying to do it without spending much, or any money. I may have to pick up a few little supplies but I don't want to have to spend much money on it. This has been more of a challenge than I expected. Although I do have a decent amount of random fabrics, it is hard to find fabric that will work and that I like. I don't want it too be too baby-ish and would really like it to be more like a purse I would carry around.
       The other problem is that it calls for fusible fleece. First of all I don't really know what that is. I looked at it while I was at Joanns today and it looks like it is just fairly thin, soft interfacing that has glue on one side so that it will stick to the fabric. I have been looking online for reviews of this pattern so that I know what I am up against and so that I can find something that I might be able to substitute. The best I have come up with is felt. Several people have said to use fleece but the fusible fleece is really nothing like regular fleece and I doubt that would work well in the pattern. So I can't decide if I should get the fusible stuff or if I should just try it with the felt.

2. Curtains:
      This has actually been a priority for awhile now. I need to get curtains done in order to move my son into his bedroom. I haven't been able to decorate it as much as I would like but thanks to my friend Nenna it has been cleaned up enough that S can be moved in. But there are two bright street lights that shine into the room and the sun is blaring in the morning. Even though there are the standard blinds that were included with the house (base housing), they don't do a whole lot to help with the light. So curtains are a necessity.
          A while back I found some curtains that were the perfect color of green at the Airman's Attic (think free goodwill for enlisted military families). There was a stain on one of the curtains and they were not the right size for the windows that we have in the room. Due to that I knew that I would need to re-adjust the curtains in order to make them work. This has been a lot harder of a process than I expected.
         First, I discovered that the person who had owned them before had actually bought the top layer of the curtains and then attached fleece to the back. The stitching was horrible and needed to be replaced in order to make the curtains even begin to work.
          Second, the freshly altered curtain pieces lost quite a bit of fabric from removing the bad stitching. Now I am in a place where I am not sure that there will be enough fabric to make it work. This means that I will have to use more of my own fabric, which was something I was trying to avoid (except in small quantities).
         Tonight I took a part a bumper (also found at Airman's Attic) that was really cute but had a lot of little stains on it and the ties were messed up. I didn't feel comfortable with using it in my son's crib so I decided I would take it a part and use the fabric.
          The fabric matches wonderfully with the room, and with the curtains. Now the trick is figuring out how to attach it to the curtain pieces and make it look good. I might have to do patchwork and fill in with random material. The problem is that I don't really have material that is the same weight AND colors to mix in. So I am kinda at a loss as to what to do.
             I do have some cute monkey fabric that mostly matches that I was thinking of using. I just don't know how to make it all work. Its puzzling me. But I am sure I will figure it out.

3. Crocheting:
         I'm excited about the two crochet projects that I have in the works. The first is a baby blanket for T (all yellows and a new pattern I haven't tried before) and the second are squares that are going to be mailed to an online buddy, stitched together and then donated. I am really excited about this project because it was my New Year's Resolution to make at least two afghans to be donated this year. I'm not sure that I will count this as one of them but at least it is working towards my goal. And its only February! Lol!

4. Cards:
        For some reason my mind has not been working as well with creativity as I would like. On one hand it is racing with ideas. On the other, the ideas are just not coming out completely.
        One project that has been stumping me is card making. I need Thank You cards to give to people who have (and will) given us baby gifts. I also need to get a plan together for my baby announcements. I need to get as much of it pieced together as possible so that when T is born it doesn't take forever to get them done. It is going to be a challenge to craft, as it is, with two babies in the house.

5. Bags:
       These are to organize things in the diaper bag. Right now I have a bunch of different ziploc baggies in my diaper bag to keep things organized and easy to grab. Although this does work, I want to make myself a set of bags that will coordinate with the diaper bag I mentioned above.
       I want to make a bag to contain diapers. One bag for each child. They will contain just that, diapers, and nothing else.
       I also want to make a coordinating changing pad. This I want to make as a kind of wallet that can hold the container of wipes. I have a changing wallet but it is kind of big and I would rather have something more simplistic for the purposes of being in the diaper bag.
         The other bags that would be nice to have are: clothes bags (one for each child), a matching bag for food and such, and a bag for the toys to be in. I don't know how much I want to make all of these bags. I am going to start with the diaper bag and the bags for the diapers and then move on from there. Currently each of those items are inclosed in separate ziploc bags even though there are plenty of pockets in my diaper bag, simply because it makes it easy to grab things out when needed. But we'll see how ambitious I get. It all kinda depends on when T comes.

6. Clothes Dividers:
       I want to make clothes dividers and labels for everything in the nursery. I want it to be easy for me, and anyone else who needs to get into the clothes to find exactly what they need. And I want them to be cute.
        This one I have totally planned out as well. I just need to sit down with my cricut and do it. But that has proven to be easier said than done. I also need to pick out some paper out of my vast amount of scrapping paper that I have.

7. Name Banners:
       This is another project that really just requires sitting down and doing it. I am going to use cereal boxes and my cricut to make "chipboard" letters to decorate and then hang on the wall above each baby's crib. I haven't decided how I am going to hang them. I think that I might hole punch the letters and then attach a loop at the top of each letter so that I can easily hang them. I don't have any other ideas of how to get them on the wall that wouldn't do any damage to the walls.

I also have several ideas of things that I want to make for friends, for my "business," and for myself. But the above are the more pressing items. I know that once Tobias comes it is going to be really hard to get anything done. And although I am so ready to be done with this pregnancy and the contractions and doctors appointments, I would love to be able to get through at least part of this list before he comes. But we'll see what happens. The boys might just have to figure out how to spend more time playing on their own so mama can get some things done. I'll try to get some pictures posted tomorrow so you can see what I have done recently and what I am up to. Hopefully I will be productive tomorrow.

Update

I know I have been missing from here lately. That is not to say that I haven't been working on crafts. I have been. Just not as much as before. First, Christmas came and I got wrapped up in all that brings. Then we got home and I started preparing for Sherwood to move into his own room and for T to come. Now I am in so much pain due to the pregnancy that it has really slowed me down. So I may not have anything new or exciting to share with you in the next few weeks (months?) but I will try to get some pictures up of some of the things that I have been doing as soon as possible.

So behind!

I have been so behind in my blogging these days! I have to admit that, although I have been crafting, I have been thoroughly enjoying my time with my little munchkin, who turned 6 months today. Its been so much fun to watch him grow! This last month there have been so many changes. He went from simply wiggling to rolling around the floor. He had decent head control but now he is trying to crawl. He is working on sitting up, and working on holding his own bottle. He loves to eat solid foods and loves to talk our heads off. He has the best laugh and longs to have attention 24/7. It has been such a blessing to just enjoy the little moments with him as we prepare for his monkeybrother to be born in just a few more months (crazy!).

Meanwhile I have been getting in gear for Christmas. I have found a passion for tie-dying, a love for making little scrapbooks, and having a blast creating new patterns out of yarn and crochet hooks. I have a bazillion ideas in my head and no where near enough time to get them all done. So I am trying to focus my energies on Christmas projects both to sell and to give to family/friends.

Here are some pictures of some of the things that I have been working on. You can find them all to purchase on artfire.com/users/adaynasmilescreations. Consider using me for your Christmas needs.

Here is a crocheted wreath that I created. It is filled with cotton stuffing, and completely designed by me.

Have a little one in your life? Know someone who is expecting? These hand-dyed onsies are super cute and unique.

Here is a gift that I made for one of my husband's co-workers. She is expecting a little girl in the next week or so. Although this one has already been given, I would be happy to design something similar for the newborn in your life.

And, finally, I have been enjoying recycling all those baby magazines that I get in the mail on a regular basis and turning them into something beautiful. They will be available on my artfire soon. I can also make them out of wrapping paper with any color scheme in mind.

I just finished two frames that will be Christmas presents for family members, have some Christmas placemats that I will be photographing and selling soon, am working on a crochet advent chain, and a variety of other little projects. I am busy busy busy, but that is part of why I love this time of year! Happy belated Thanksgiving to you all and welcome to the craziness of the holiday season!

More New Holiday Items

Holiday Star Scrapbook...

Assorted Holiday Cards (4 pack)

Festive Red Holiday Cards (3 pack)

*As always, these items are available for purchase at artfire.com.

Adaynasmile's Creations in lights

Very fun! Just thought I would share... Hope you are all doing well. :)

Christmas Cards Preview!

Christmas is coming! Alright so many of you may not be thinking about Christmas yet. And many may roll their eyes at me for getting prepared. But in the world of crafting, I am actually far behind in my Christmas crafts.

Check out my first installment of Winter cards. They are available on artfire.com. I only have one set of this specific print, so snag it before it goes! If you would like for me to design something for you personally, email me at adaynasmile@gmail.com.

Keep checking back for more Christmas items, coming soon!

These cheerful cards are decorated with the winter season in mind.

Each card is approximately 5" x 7" and are made on cardstock. The envelopes are lined with a coordinating paper. I left the cards blank inside so that you may put your own personal message. 

There are a total of three cards included in this package. It comes attractively tied with a white ribbon. 

*I only have one set of this particular design. If you would like a similar design, please feel free to contact me through my email, adaynasmile@gmail.com.

Nook bag

Aaron got me a Nook for my birthday. It is AMAZING!! I love it! The only thing is, even with the cover I bought from Barnes and Noble, I didn't feel comfortable just throwing it into my diaper bag or purse. So, I decided to embark on creating a bag to carry it in. Now I know that random little things won't get stuck in the cover. And best of all. I made it with a cheap fabric bag that I bought at Toys R Us (for like $.60), some brown thread I had from another sewing project, and some buttons from my scrapbooking collection (they are technically sewing buttons, I just use them for scrapping). It was an almost entirely free project. I love it! There are few flaws in it (mostly I should have sewn the buttons over just a little bit) but I am thrilled with how it turned out. Can't wait to try it out! Next doctor's appointment I will be ready!

Here is the original bag. Cute, huh? 100% polyester. Not so great for clothes but great for a bag. It was twice the size of my Nook in its cover.

The first thing I did was cut off the front and back. I cut off all of the seams and saved the handles, sides, and bottom. All of the pieces where there was stitching I discarded.

The next step was to determine the size I needed. Originally I was going to put in a zipper but I hit a snag with that idea (need to practice inserting zippers in things other than lightweight cotton clothing), so in this picture it is actually longer than it ended up being. But here you can see one of the sides and the front panel. I took the original sides and cut them into four equal pieces. That way I would have two sides for the outside portion of the bag and two for the liner.

The next step was to put the sides, front, back, and bottom together. Here you can see the outside of the bag all assembled. The top is pinned and ready for me to do the hem and give it a finished look (this was when I still thought there would be a zipper and wasn't going to use the handles). 

Here is another picture of the outside of the bag. You can see the inside seams and can see that it is not yet lined. The lining is the exact same as the outside. I simply turned it wrong side out (so that the wrong sides of the outside and the wrong sides of the inside were facing one another) so that the design was on the inside as well as on the outside. This also hid all but the top seam.

 After deciding I did not want to have a zipper, I needed to come up with a way to fasten the bag closed or it would defeat my purposes. So I decided to create a little flap that would fold over and then have a button hole. That way I could button it closed. Here is a picture of the scrap fabric (from the original bag) that I sewed (inside out to create a nice seam). It is pinned and ready to go. (The side that isn't pinned I left unsown so that I could turn it right side out. It was later sewn into the top seam of the bag.)

Here is the final product! See how the button pulls the tab slightly to the side? That is the only thing I don't like. The buttons are light and dark blue, by the way. I hate the lighting in our dining room. You can see I took the handles (I cut them shorter than they were originally) and attached them. I sewed them on at the same time that I attached the button flap and did the top seams.

And here it is with my Nook. All ready to go!

PS. If anyone would like me to create something similar for them, for any electronic device (or just a cute bag), please email me at adaynasmile@gmail.com. I would love to discuss ideas with you!  

Gift Card/Greeting Cards

I love these cards! They are perfect for adding a gift card and sending to your friends and loved ones. I didn't put anything on the inside so that you can include your own message. I've been looking around town and many stores sell something similar for between $1.00-$1.50 a piece. I am selling them for only $3.00 plus $.50 shipping! What a deal! Although these sets are already created, special requests can be made. Look out for more sets to come! (All of these, and more, can be bought at http://www.artfire.com/users/AdaynasmilesCreations.)