The Children's Festival of Reading!

This weekend, Lydia and I attended the Festival of Reading, put on by the Knoxville Library and TONS of sponsors and volunteers.  It has been going on for years, but this was only our second visit.  

This year, my plan was to arrive early in the hopes of finding more parking options and less crowds.  We pulled into an almost empty parking garage about ten minutes before the festival began, walked the short distance to the fair grounds, and arrived at the arts and crafts tent just as it opened.

Seriously, we got a balloon, made a book work out of pipe cleaners, took a few pictures, all with out any crowds!  Lydia humored me through all of the above activities and kept pushing on to the end of the park where the bounce house was waiting.  She was one of only TWO kids bouncing at that point.  When she decided she had had enough, we headed to the playground.

The playground is a permanent part of World's Fair Park and I forget how much Lydia LOVES it. 

 Really, there is this whole festival with tents and activities and we are playing on the stuff that is ALWAYS here. Oh well! Last year and this year we ran into other kids we knew who were also playing on the playground.  This year it was a preschool classmate.

They played for a LONG time (probably only 30 minutes in mommy time) and then Lydia couldn't resist the fountains in the park.  

I usually don't want to deal with a change of cloths and towels and swimsuits, so my rule is that you can get as wet as you want but that is the end of our day.  When she is finished, we walk back to the car, where I always have an extra towel, dry off and go home.  

Pretty soon, Lydia's school friend showed up at the fountains too and the two girls had SO much fun playing in the water.

Lydia played until she was super thirsty and then spent a good long time drying off and drinking most of our slushy.

 We decided to get a corn dog, my all time favorite fair food, and eat while drying off in a nearby tent.  We had seats right up front when a quartet from the symphony set up and played an amazing concert accompanying a woman reading story books.  It was SO cool!

At the end of the concert, they let the kids try out a child's size violin.  I admit, I am a little biased, but even the lady from the symphony remarked that Lydia was actually making real music sounds.  Anyone know when kids can start violin lessons?

Finally, It was time to head home.  On our walk back across the fair grounds we signed up for the summer reading challenge at the library, watched a really cool Chinese dragon parade, danced with some Alice in Wonderland characters/ballerinas, and I thanked Lydia fir not being the kid who was throwing a fit because it was time to leave.  We had a WONDERFUL time and Lydia and I are both looking forward to returning next year with baby Joshua!

Hand Made Hand Print Cards

Every year that I have been a mother, I have made a Mother's Day Card featuring Lydia's handprints.  I always make four or five so that I can keep one (is it wrong to orchestrate my own gift?) and then we give them to Grandma, Grammy, Nana, and Auntie who all help me SO much in mothering my child. This year was no exception.

A few days before Mother's Day, I took Lydia over to the studio and pulled out the paper and the paints.  I showed her how to hold her hands together so that it made a heart shape between the two hands.

We used vellum for the paper so that I could have patterns and words behind the hand print, similar to last year. I used a full page for each, way more than I needed, but that way I didn't have to position Lydia perfectly.  Her prints went anywhere and I planned on lining them up and trimming them later.  When all the prints were made, I pinned them up to dry and let Lydia continue to finger paint.

When the paint dried, I selected some paper that looked nice under the hand prints and cut it to size.  I also traced out the basic shape of the heart between the hands and the edge of the empty space at the bottom.  This way I could plan a little for the lettering and designs that would go under the vellum.  I decided early on NOT to try to line up everything and print it all on one piece of paper.

Instead, I decided to print a page with all the Happy Mother's Day messages, cut those into strips and glue them to the bottom of the patterned paper.  Then I wanted to find a heart shape to glue in place.  I thought about cutting out paper, or a photo of Lydia, or doing something else with text that could be cut into a heart shape but nothing jumped out at me.

Then I remembered this contraption.  I won it in the "Just Something I Made" swag bag last year and haven't used it yet.  It is a punch and plastic sticky backed buttons, so that you can make custom buttons out of scrapbook paper.  The set I got just happens to be heart shaped!

Here are my custom heart shaped buttons!  The punch was pretty cool because it cut the shape and applied the pressure to attach the sticky button to the paper.  In the end it is just paper glued to a button, so these are for paper crafts and probably not for sewing.

Speaking of sewing, the button was getting sewn onto the top of the card, but I still needed to attach the vellum to the background.  I don't like to use glue with vellum because it shows through and looks messy.  I decided to use my sewing machine on the edges of the two papers.  Then I sewed the button through both layers and the card was finished!

Matching Outfits!

I LOVE coordinating what I am wearing with what Lydia is wearing.  I don't usually get too matchy-matchy but we have similar coloring and often are able to wear complementary colors.  Siblings, however, can go a bit further, especially if mama can sew!  I'm sure they will roll their eyes at me later, and I promise to try and keep it in control, but I am a little excited about making a few fun matched outfits for Lydia and baby Joshua.

It all started with an article of clothing that I was convinced Lydia would NEVER wear.  I LOVE teal and bought this top because it was a super soft fine sweater knit in a pretty shade.  I have since realized that I buy a LOT in this color and its hard to get it all worn in a season.  I also have discovered that sweaters, especially with hoods, just don't make sense in short sleeves.  It is either warm enough for short sleeves and, therefore, too warm for sweaters and hoods OR it is cold enough for hoods and sweaters and, therefore, too warm for short sleeves.  We never end up wearing this type of a shirt and, even at thrift store prices, that is a waste!  So this top was in a pile of clothing that I was hoping to re-make during the Kid's Clothing Week Challenge a while back.

So were some plain white onesies and this really boring pair of plain white pants.  Maybe you can already guess where this is headed.  Lydia has lots of clothing in this color, but Joshua doesn't.  It is REALLY soft fine knit that would be perfect for a baby.  AND the length of the smooth front is EXACTLY the same as the length of the pants.  I used the white pants as a pattern, only making the legs wider at the bottom instead of tapered.

Somehow I managed not to take any pictures along the way, but I think I sewed the inseams first, then the crotch seam, then the side seams. Here is Joshua's teal outfit, next a teal dress for Lydia.  They aren't an exact match in color and they need some details.  I have been wanting to make a onesie with a tie appliqued on the front for a while now.  When I saw this grey polka dot fabric at Walmart, I thought it would be a nice accent to all that teal.

I cut the polkadots on a diagonal to make it easier to work with as a trim on Lydia's dress (the bias will bend and give more than a straight cut).  Then I laid out the outfits to get an idea of where I wanted to add the trim.

Here is the basic idea without anything being sewn.  I was able to sew one edge of Lydia's trim on the machine, but then the rest had to be turned to the inside and hand sewn. I decided to hand sew all of Joshua's tie because I wanted it to look more like a real tie and less like an applique.

Here is an in-progress shot.  Lydia's dress was finished and so was the bottom of the tie. I did not sew the very top inch of the tie to the onesie because I wanted to be able to tuck the edges of the "knot" under the tie for a more realistic look.

Here is the finished tie and until Joshua comes along, here is the only view I have of the matching outfits minus his pants.  There should be a picture with the teal pants somewhere, but for now, I think you get the idea.

A Bee Birthday Dress!

My cousin needed a gift for a one year old who is having a bee themed birthday party.  I normally don't do well with crafting very specific requests, nothing about the person asking, I just like to make what pops into my head and don't follow direction very well.  However,  this is the cousin who ALWAYS puts us up when we come to visit (and cooks for us...and invites other family members over to see us... and cooks for them).  I wanted to do something to return the hospitality, but I knew from my own recent Bee Party planning, that cute bee themed fabric was difficult to find.  I left town saying that if she could find fabric, I would make something.  And then I went to Walmart (of all places) and saw this....

Walmart has been getting rid of their fabric section in a lot of stores.  My closest Walmart still has one and I hope it stays that way.  While I can't find really great designer fabrics there, every now and then, when I just need something basic, it is an easy solution.  And then there are times that I not only find something great, but I find it at a super great Walmart price!  (Lydia's brown smocked dress was made from Walmart fabric) This was one of those lucky fabric trips.  I found several really great pieces of fabric for $4 a yard! Then I saw this pre-gathered, elastic top, bee themed dress fabric.  It was a little pricey ($11 a yard) because of the elastic detail, but not much more than regular fabric at an actual fabric store would have been, and certainly not more than I was willing to spend for this very hospitable family member.  Also, they did measure it by the gathered part, so I got twice the fabric for the actual yardage that I was charged.  The only issue for me was that it was really long. It would have been perfect and super easy for an older girl, but I knew that this would swallow up a one year old.  

I decided to buy it and base this project on Lydia's "Tea for Two" dress, where the skirt was made from three rows of progressively larger rectangles that were gathered together to create a really full skirt.  What I love about this idea is you sort of see what you have and do a little math about the best way to divide it into strips.  Then you gather and sew and gather and sew! (there are slightly more detailed directions for this technique posted here) This time, I started with a width of the bee fabric that seemed appropriate for the elastic part to be the top of the dress.  At the time I couldn't remember if it was a one or a two year old, so I guessed on the big side and figured I could cut it down later.    So, the gathered elastic part took the place of the pink top on the tea party dress and cut out a lot of work.  Because the fabric was long and I wanted it to be full, I cut the bee fabric just below the elastic and then cut it again to separate the yellow bee section from the black and white dot section.  Since there was more of the yellow bees and less of the black and white, I decided to reverse their order.  I cut the black and white fabric in half, making a long thin rectangle for the next layer.

Because the black and white strip was being sewn to the already gathered part, I decided not also gather it.  I just stretched out the elastic part as I held the black fabric in place, sewing right sides together.

You can see how full the black and white strip looks even with out any extra gathering.  In the end I only needed one half (or the original width) of the black and white because I didn't gather it any more.  It already WAS the same width as the elastic part once the elastic was stretched out, if that makes any sense.  Either way, I had some extra black and white so I saved it for making the dress' straps.

Next, I took the long bee section and also cut it into two equal halves.  Since the black and white dot section was one width, I sewed together and then gathered the two strips of bee fabric so that it was twice the fullness of the preceding (black and white) layer.  At that point, I had used up all of the original parts of the elastic bee print and the dress appeared as it does above.  It didn't feel finished to me.  Fortunately, I also bought some black and white smaller dot fabric at Walmart in case I needed to make a diaper cover.  After cutting out the diaper cover pieces (using an actual pattern!), I had just enough small dot fabric to make a finishing edge to the bottom of the dress.  Basically, I took what was left and cut it into two strip to match the width of the yellow section) There wasn't enough to gather like on Lydia's tea dress (that last pink ruffle was 4 widths of fabric!) but the dress is already so full, it really doesn't need it.

I still have to sew those straps on, but I think I will do it so that they just tie at the top.  This dress can stretch and grow with the kid, so I like the idea of the straps not "bee"ing a fixed size.  This dress was SUPER easy, and I only had to gather the one yellow layer.  Everything else just worked off of the pre-gathered elastic!  I am SO happy I saw the fabric, so glad to fulfill my cousin's request, and so hopeful that the birthday girl LOVES it!

Today we are....

Today we are following school rules and keeping Lydia home for 24 hours after a diagnosis of strep throat and potential UTI, found by a new pediatrician, resulting in a new prescription (.... and in the official request to transfer her medical records to this new office in the hopes that future illnesses won't linger like this!)

Anyways, all things considered, it's been a really good sick day! Lydia's cough had been getting progressively worse through yesterday, prompting doctors visit #3 for this particular illness. She had been miserable at school, but after her first dose of the new antibiotic she slept without coughing for the first time in a long time. Today she seems SO much improved that I had to keep reminding her that she couldn't go to school today (darn 24 hour rule!)

We both need some extra rest, but after laying around for HOURS all morning, I suggested a quick visit to the studio before taking daddy to get lunch. I had an idea in mind for a new mother's day card featuring Lydia's hand print. Lydia had an idea for painting her own picture of, as she explains it, "Dollywood, but a Dollywood that we have never been to!" Three guesses who won the debate!

I forgot how nice it was to work on one of my projects in the studio now that Lydia can entertain herself a little! I suppose I did get my mother's day gift from her after all!

  I can't promise that I won't still hound her for those hand prints to make something for all the other moms in our family, but for now I will be content with a little crafting, a little lunch, a BIG nap, and hopefully a much healthier girl soon!

Zebra Cake!

It is hard to believe, but it is time to start seriously working on preparations for Lydia's birthday party.  We will be out of town a LOT in early June, so if I don't get details finalized soon, there just won't be time.  I will try to work up the invitations sometime in the next week, because Lydia's pre-school will end the school year soon and I am certain she will want to invite some school friends this year.  I have big bins of pink and black birthday party supplies that I need to revisit and decide exactly how we are using everything and what else we need.  Last week, I needed to bring a cake to church for an auction, so I used it as an excuse to practice the zebra cake directions that I have been seeing on Pinterest.

The basic idea is that you have two different colors of batter.  We used a white cake mix and a chocolate cake mix.  You alternate pouring about a fourth of a cup of each into the center of your cake pan.  So you pour in a small circle of one color batter and then you pour in a small circle of the other color right on top.  As you alternate the batter will spread itself out.  My sister was kind enough to do this for me as I was still sick and did not want to spread my germs.  It took a while and it was hard to keep the batter from getting off center.  It didn't seem to matter too much.  After the cake was cooked and cooled, I had to slice the top off of our layers to make them stack uniformly.  I was so excited to see the zebra pattern from the top of the cake.

I did not get to slice into my cake (because it went to an auction) but I assume it looked similar to this.  Once the cake was baked (Thanks again Jen!) I got to decorate it a day or so later when I was feeling better.  I wanted to do something fancy, but also something that alluded to the zebra pattern hiding inside the cake.  I decided to try my hand at doing a ruffle, but alternating white and chocolate to create a ZEBRA RUFFLE!

I started with a crumb coat and then used a wide flat leaf tip (I had to buy an extra one so I could have two bags of icing with two identical tips going at the same time).  I felt like I got better results when I used the slightly wider end of the leaf tip closer to the cake, so the thinner end became the end of the ruffle. Then I just did an up and down motion to make the ruffle.  If I were doing a "normal" ruffle, I would have needed to  keep it really consistent all the way around the cake and meet up where I started each time.

Because my plan was to have chocolate ruffles tapering in and out to make a zebra pattern, I had the luxury of stopping often and being OK with a little wobble to my ruffle.  I still worked in rows and had to sort of think ahead for making the zebra stripes zig zag across the cake.  Above is a picture of one side when it was finished.

I decided to continue the round rows as I moved from the sides to the top.  I just worked my way toward the center with smaller and smaller ruffle rings.  I can't decide if I will do ruffles for Lydia's party, but we will DEFINITELY do a zebra cake in some form or "FABULOUS" fashion!

A Weak Later

Has it really been a WEEK, since I posted about stomach flu and pretty Gatorade labels?  Ugh!  The last week has washed over me and I am still feeling WEAK!  Whatever this virus is, it just won't let go.  I feel OK for a little while and then not so great.  In addition to trying to get well, I have been trying to get my classroom and my house back in order from more than two weeks of illness.  So there has been little time or energy for making anything fabulous.  I began moving the last of Lydia's stuff out of the nursery and making room for pulling out all the baby stuff.  It didn't feel like that much work, but I was wiped out pretty quickly and spent the next day trying to deal with a sinus infection.

Sunday, I made it out to meet up with some friends for a few hours at an indoor water park. It was a lot of fun and a good distraction from feeling sick.  We came home for a much needed nap and then set up our own little pool, so Lydia could play and I could kick back and soak my feet.  Not bad at all.

 I promise that I have several fun projects that I have started, but I need some time and energy to get them finished before I can share them.  More soon!