Santa's Elves are Busy Today!

It's Christmas Eve and I am nearing the finishing line for making several last minute gifts.

Remember these chairs that I was working on for Lydia's castle? I finally got them finished!

I also made a clock so that Cinderella will know when it is time to leave the ball.

And then, because I needed one more project, I asked PJ to build a doll bed for Lydia's American Girl doll. I'm making a pillow and a quilt for it and adding some paint and finishing details. It's coming together really nicely and cost a fraction of what they go for even at a discount store! I'll post a full tutorial soon. For now, merry Christmas Eve and happy last minute crafting!

Chocolate Day of the Dead Decorations

A fellow art teacher in my school system is turning 50 and we are celebrating with a Day of the Dead themed get together.

I was asked to bring cupcakes. I decided to use the chocolate transfer method to make edible cupcake toppers that look like Day of the Dead skulls. I started with a large ziplock bag (any clear plastic seems to work, this is what I had on hand) and some quick sketches of skulls. I also had some candy sprinkles which I thought might be a fun added touch.

First, I used brown chocolate to make the outlines. I melted it in a small ziplock baggie that was placed in hot water. I then snipped a corner off the bag and piped the chocolate out to make my designs on the large plastic ziplock bag. It's just like drawing, start with the outlines.

I had some red chocolate left over from a different project, so I used it to fill in done of the designs. The finished "front" of the skull is actually the side that is pressed up against the plastic, so it doesn't matter if this part looks thick or goes a little on top of the lines.

Finally, I covered the entire space with melted white chocolate. I made this pretty thick since it will hold everything together.

Once everything had cooled, I carefully peeled the chocolates off the attic and turned them over to reveal the finished designs.

I used a little melted chocolate to attach a few sprinkles in place of eyeballs and flowers. Then I placed each one on a colorful cupcake and we were ready to celebrate!

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

We took our family pictures for our Christmas card tonight! I am so late getting to this that they are going to be New Years cards instead of Christmas cards. Oh well! New Years fits our theme better anyways! I am trying not to show off the finished card until it gets mailed ( or at least printed!) If you saw this post, you ready have a good idea of where we were headed.

I spent some time today gathering leggings, tights, t-shirts, shorts, all on coordinating colors. Then I gathered the capes and other super hero stuff that I made recently. I just made sure the colors coordinated and I was free to layer up the looks.

The backdrop required a little painting to create the buildings. I made one long strip of skyline and then cut the top edge to finish it off.

My favorite detail are the clouds, made from a few handfuls of stuffing!

But my favorite FAVORITE thing is the finished design for our card. For now, I'm just showing this teaser, with a promise to reveal the real deal soon.

Sewing Super Hero Stuff (Part 2)

I finished sewing the capes for each of the kids, and wanted to make a few super accessories.

Luckily, I still had some scraps to use up. I started with the sleeves off an old sweater.

I cut at an angle to make the top edge a little more interesting and then I sewed a seam down the length of the sleeve. That way it should be a snug fit on my daughter's arm.

Now to add some super hero details!

I went with a lightning bolt to match the design on my daughter's cape. I'm calling these finished!

For the 5 month old, I made a pair of cuffs from the edge of an old sweater. I added star details to natch his cape.

Finally, I made a little hat by cutting two half circles from the sweater and sewing down the center seam.

I decided baby boy should have goggles, but resting on his hat instead of trying to put them on his eyes. Now I just need to dress my super heros and take some fun photos for our Christmas (New Year's) card.

Sewing Superhero Stuff!

I have been wanting to make capes for kids for a while. Especially because buying a cape for a kid is SO expensive! (The example above is almost $50 for a cape and wrist covers!) I decided that I was not only making capes, I was using ALL upcycled materials and scraps from other projects so these capes won't cost me anything but time.

I started by folding a rectangle of fabric and cutting the bottom into a curved shape. Then I cut the sides to be at an angle and finally I cut the top to have a gentle curve similar to the bottom of the cape. I free handed mine, but I bet there are also cape patterns online.

I decided to frame my cape decorations with a circle. Here's Joshua's finished cape (sorry, it came together quickly and I forgot to take pictures) with a star set inside a circle. The red circle and the green stripe were both old sweaters. The band of black and white stripe was an old shirt cut into strips and inserted in the outer seam,

Here is that step on Lydia's cape. I just tucked the stripe under the circle as I sewed my way around.

Here's the finished circle (cut from an old t-shirt) waiting for a decorative element to be added.

I decided on a red lightening bolt. I cut a rectangle of red from an old curtain and laid it on the cape so that when I drew the design I could be sure it fit well with the shape of the cape.

I also decided to add an L for Lydia inside the lightning bolt.

Once all the designs were sewn to one side of the cape, it was time to sew the front to the back. I put both right sides together and pinned the edge. I also inserted two ribbons on the top corners to become the ties.

Sew all the way around, but remember to leave an opening so that you can turn it right side out when finished.

I edge stitched my capes once they were right side out to finish them off and close the hole. I thought I was done, but something seemed to be missing from Joshua's cape.

I cut a scrap of felt to be smaller than the star and added a J for Joshua!

Now the two capes are ready for my two super kids!

Eight is Great, Again!

It's 4 o'clock in the morning and even though I'm going to be really tired later, I'm excited right now because Joshua just went 8 hours between feelings!!!!

He was working up to 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep when I went back to work in late October. Suddenly, he switched to eating every three hours. To keep sane, I just pulled him into bed with me and nursed laying down. It helped me sleep and he got the extra mommy time he needed, but he also forgot how to sleep for extended periods and was getting used to snacking all night.

I felt that it was time to encourage him to sleep longer and eat less at night, but also knew that initially denying him would result in some sleepless nights. I began my holiday from work on Friday so all weekend we have been trying to use a pacifier when Joshua wakes up instead of instantly nursing him. The first night he woke frequently, but went right to sleep again with the pacifier. Last night he slept longer but when he did wake up was not satisfied with the pacifier and I ended up nursing him around midnight. Tonight, he woke up once for the pacifier, but then went a total of EIGHT hours between feelings before insisting on nursing.

I'm not expecting him to sleep this long every night right away, but I am SO pleased with his progress and SO excited by the idea that sleeping through the night is becoming more of a reality! Other exciting developments; Joshua can grab the spoon while eating (no real control, but he has it in his mouth and gnaws on it). Joshua is drooling like crazy and gnawing on everything. He has rolled from the front to the back a few times and seems close to rolling the other way. And finally, he is beginning to grow just the tiniest little dusting of hair. (A good thing, as we were ready to make a wig out of Lydia's mermaid doll!)

How Do I Explain?

These are thoughts that I first put to paper after my cousin, a young father, died unexpectedly last spring. Lydia was still 3 and beginning to ask questions about why mommy was sad and why we were going on a trip. (She ended up sick and stayed home so we never had the conversation)

The events in Sandy Hook have hit me hard this weekend and I find myself revisiting this idea that someday I will need to explain death and darkness to my child. I'm not just not ready for either of us to be that grown up yet.

How do I even begin
to explain.

About sadness
and grownups who feel helpless.

About children who have lost someone
and children who have been lost?

How do I begin to explain loss in one family
without introducing you to the idea that there will, someday, be loss in our family?

How do I begin to reassure you that you are safe
when I am also frightened?

How do I wrap my arms around you
and still send you out into the world and allow you to grow?

For now,
I will not discuss it around you
because I have no words to give you
because there are no answers

For now,
I will avoid the news
and listen instead the sweet steady sound of your breath
While you are sleeping,
innocent
and unaware of the darkness.