Semi-Homemade Christmas: Mad Scientist

My oldest loves science - so I decided to put together a Mad Scientist kit. I found this book with great reviews on amazon:

That with a set of these beakers:

Is the base of the kit.  I decided to follow Making the World Cuter's tutorial for a lab coat... I used a men's dress shirt to make this. (I forgot to take a picture of mine before wrapping it, oops).  

 

The fun of Christmas ......

Semi-Homemade Christmas: Hair Stylist

We're doing a simple Christmas this year, so I'm making part of my kids gifts.  I'm really excited to share with you what we've done. First up is my little girl. 

My daughter loves to fix hair. Whenever I am at the sewing machine she is on my chair behind me brushing my hair to "make me pretty".   She also repeats all the things I say to her when I brush her hair like, "this is a bad snarl so be tough..." She was the easiest present to come up with: A hair stylist kit. 

First I went searching for the toys, a blow dryer that makes sound and a flat iron that changes the color of the special hair clips, plus scissors and a comb. This cute one I found at Toys-R-Us for $16. 

Then I went to work sewing up her apron. Don't you love zebra print with hot pink?  I used a vintage pattern I found at the thrift store, Simplicity 7064. It's the same pattern I used for the medical kit I made my niece in August. 

I also whipped up this cutting cape for her doll. Now she can practice on dolly all she wants, well once we get the ratted mess out of her hair.

I grabbed a tote similar to this one at the Dollar Tree added a mini spray bottle, travel size (empty) shampoo and conditioner bottles and a couple hair accessories. This way the entire gift can be stored in the bag for future play time. I love self contained presents :)!

Christmas pillow

I used the mini swoon block to make a Christmas pillow.  Laura

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Mini Swoon block

Designed by Camille Roskelley of Thimbleblossoms. Its an 8" block. A mini version of the 24" block. Easy and quick to make. With 4 of these blocks a darling mini quilt can be made....Laura

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A clear pic

Im not a good photographer. ..

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A quilted Christmas bag

This was so fun and easy to make.

I got to use some of my scraps too!

The tutorial is from:  littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com

Easy make-up bag

Laura

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Ballet Top

My little girl has started dance classes, which are so fun!  I wanted to make her a top to wear over her leotard during the cold months and found this pattern on etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/122244180/new-ballet-sweater-pattern-and-tutorial

It's perfect!  So easy to sew and turned out exactly like I wanted. I used two xl women's tank tops I found on clearance for the material. I highly recommend the pattern. 

Disney trip

I made more mickey shirts for two grandsons going to the magic kingdom next week...

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Homemade Marinara

In the food processor add about 4 forkfuls of jarred roasted red peppers, 1/2 an onion, 2 garlic cloves, mushrooms and process until its in fine chunks. Pour into a sauce pan with 2 cans tomato sauce, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, and a dash of garlic powder. Stir and Heat through. We added Parmesan when serving the sauce over squash noodles - yum!!  It was a hit. 

I threw the leftover sauce into a quart jar for more meals this week. I think it would be a yummy pizza sauce too. 

Cinnamon Christmas ornaments

Cecily and I made these yummy smelling shapes today.
1 c ground cinnamon
1c applesauce
Mix together, roll out like a thick pie crust (between two sheets of waxed paper)
Use cookie cutters to cut shapes. Bake on a cookie sheet at 200 * for 2-3'hours. Turn them over occasionally.
You can poke a hole in them for ribbon to make ornaments. Or put the shapes in a little dish to make your home smell like Christmas.

Superhero Party

Hudson and Oliver had a lot of "superhero" fun at the party.

Easy it is

My son asked me to make him a Yoda doll today. This is what I came up with. I added ears to simplicity 1900 doll pattern (you could easily use the black apple doll pattern available through Martha Stewart- it's free). I used the dress pattern Andrade a robe, making site to see the ties on the back- or they'd be lost on a second at our house :). 

Arm Knitting

I took a little break from boutique preparations and did a little craft for myself today. I saw a pin for a chunky scarf on Pinterest that claimed it only took a half hour. 

It's true!  I whipped out three of these today, super easy and very therapeutic :). Here's the video tutorial:

http://youtu.be/ucg5el7rFZ4

This could be useful...

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Our First Booth

I'm super excited, we've signed to have our first booth at a local craft boutique!  We've been busy getting our wares together- I made 10 garlands in one afternoon... Here's a sample of some if the play items for little girls:

The beautician comes with cutting cape for doll, the waitress is an apron and cap with menu printables. I think I'll do another nurses apron, like the one I did for my niece too. When it gets closer we'll announce the location so if you're local you can come check us out!

A little pouch

I need a pouch or two for my larger bags I carry that don't have enough pockets. I used a tute from polkadotchair and made this one up in about half an hour. I lined it with oil cloth. Fun and very easy to make. Don't get rid of zippers....use them for pouches! Laura

Grid Cheese Sandwhich

Fun twist on your typical grilled cheese sandwhich!  We used the waffle iron to make these, they were a big hit. For a super yummy grown-up version use sourdough bread and a combination of your favorite cheeses. Side of salad and tomato soup makes a perfect meal!

Easy French bread

This was yummy and fast to make.

2T yeast
2 1/2 c warm water Mix these, let them set until bubbly. 5 min or so
2 T sugar
1 t salt
3 T oil. Add these next
5 1/2-6 c flour
Stir until it pulls away from the bowl. Cover with a warm damp towel and let sit 15 min. It will raise faster if you boil a cup of water in your microwave and then remove it and put in the bread dough. Shut the door and leave it the 15 min. Divide dough in half, roll out and then into jelly roll shape. Place onto a grease sheet, cut a few slits in the top, and bake 30~35 min at 375*. Brush with butter if desired. Enjoy!


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Coming soon....

An easy French bread recipe from grandma....

Swoon quilt block

The photo isn't very good. The block is blue, brown, and white.
The swoon block is a design of Camille Roskelley. I love all of
Her patterns and fabrics. I have used many of them! Check out her
Blog: camilleroskelley.typepad.com

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New shelf decor and quilted wall hanging

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Ash made a pillow!

Ash spent the weekend with us. He saw me sewing and wanted to try...
So, he made a pillow. He cut it out, sewed it up on my machine, stuffed it,
And finished it. He really enjoyed it! His smile doesn't reflect the fun he had! Ha!

Happy ironing....

I guess ironing is better on a cute ironing board!
I recovered mine in this cute chevron fabric today.
Laura
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Some girls make music...

Cecily is learning to play the violin....
she treated me to a recital this morning!
laura

Bike Rack

Thanks to my hubby for rallying these bikes up and building a great bike rack!

Jello jigglers!

I don't think I made these with my kids but
i can tell they will be fun to make with my
grands! So, on to the next bunch!
laura
(Walmart has a kit including molds for Halloween)

Garland Fun

I had fun making these seasonal garlands the other day. I thought they turned out pretty cute....

I may make more leaf ones to sell - what do you think?

Sailor Pants Version 1

These were super easy to make. I used the tutorial for flat front pants from Dana Made It. Instead of making my own pattern I pulled out this one from the '70s. 

I loved the wide leg and cuff. I followed Dana's instructions and then added buttons. Next time I'll trim a little off the waist of my pattern, it's a bit too big and I  don't think gathering it anymore would look good. Other wise I love them - she however said they make her look like a mom. :)

Don't be fooled...

It's not the 1980s! My mom has had tthis since then when I made it for her.
 Laura