Awana Thank You Gifts

 This is my church's 25th year of doing Awana. Man that makes me feel old!

I figured we needed super cool Awana thank you gifts for directors this year, but it is really difficult to find Awana themed gifts.

So I got creative and here's what I came up with: EASY to make Awana themed key fobs!  All you need is 7/8" grosgrain ribbon (I used white, yellow, & patterns for Trek), light colored iron-on transfer paper, 1.25" cotton webbing (I used black, red, green, & blue), & the key fob hardware.  I got my ribbon, webbing, & hardware off Etsy, but I've seen it at Hobby Lobby and Amazon and anywhere you can get crafty stuff.

Cubbies isn't pictured here because I was waiting on the blue cotton webbing to finish it.

The process is pretty simple - you print out the logos on iron on transfer paper (I've linked the page I made which is already reversed so it's ready to print and go). Then follow the directions on the iron-on paper to iron the logos onto ribbon.

Here are some of my ribbons freshly ironed.  I should have cut the black lines off the edges of the Sparks one, but oh well.

Then, I stitched the ribbons down onto the cotton webbing with my sewing machine.  All straight stitches and very quick!  Then, stitch the two ends together to make a loop with the ribbon on the outside, and attach the key fob hardware with pliers over where you stitched the ends together!

Easy, Fast, But SO Cool Looking for a Special Thank You Gift for Awana Leaders or Directors.

Awesome Baby Shower Gifts

When I was a kid and my mom was still having babies, there was a lady in our church that would make the most soft and beautiful blankets for every baby that was born.  She kept llamas and would spin and dye the wool herself.  Each blanket was a super treasured heirloom and whenever she came to a baby shower you knew exactly what gift she had brought.
Sadly, by the time I began having babies she no longer kept llamas or made blankets :(
My goal has always been to have some amazing gift that I can bring to baby showers like that.

A Diaper Wallet to throw in a purse, stroller, or the car

Holds about a day's worth of diapers, wipes, and butt cream

Wooden, silicone, and crochet bead teethers - all natural and very, very fun to play with!

My niece's birthday gift

I used a pattern from Etsy to make this darling house for a family of bunnies!  The bunny pattern is from Creativity in Pieces and I made up several carrots and a little water dish as well for them.  I also made each bunny make noises (one rattles, one squeaks, and one jingles).
I had SO MUCH FUN decorating this little house!  I added craft foam between the pieces of felt to make it strong enough to stand up to lots of rough play and made one side of the roof open to easily get the bunnies in and out.  My niece turned two, so she was more thrilled about the bunnies, but I think she'll become more enamored with the house as she gets bigger.  Even if she never does, it was really fun to make :)

Felt Garden Toy

I recently made a felt plantable garden toy for a friend's daughter.  I was inspired by A Beautiful Mind and Ikat Bag's amazingly beautiful creations.  I added the broccoli plant with removable broccoli florets (tutorial from Elemental Stitches).  I also made a bean plant similarly to the strawberry plant with green pipe cleaners.
And every garden needs a couple bunnies!  Mine came from Creativity in Pieces.

Broccoli plant - did you know this is how broccoli grows?

Plant with picked broccoli.  See the green velcro in the middle?  Each piece of broccoli has velcro on the bottom too.  Sewing the veins on the leaves was the most time consuming, boring part (even though I used my machine)

Bean plant and picked beans (they all have beads inside so they really feel like beans!)

Carrots (I used ribbon for the tops to be faster)

I loved making the flowers!

Top view of garden.  The "dirt" is actually pool noodle segments inside tubes of brown fleece.

And the bunnies :)

The Finished Car Play Blanket

Thought you might want to see pictures of the finished car blankets.  I have made two of them so far for two little nephews.  I plan on doing another one for my son's birthday in February.

 

 

  

Blanket 1 has Nana's house, a playground, a school, outdoor eating area, and baseball field to customize it

Blanket 2 has a construction zone, field with sheep and pond, and Home Depot to customize it.  Both blankets have a barn, castle, cave w/dragon, gas station, forest with hidden animals, zoo, fountain, fire station, hospital, police station, ice cream store, coffee shop, church, grocery store, and two apartment buildings (one of which can be on fire).

I LOVE how both of these blankets turned out.  They are so interactive and colorful and fun and cuddly!  I am hoping both recipients enjoy them for many years.

Car Play Blanket Tutorial

 Do you have someone in your family that loves cars?  Do I have the coolest idea ever for you!  I have two little nephews that are big car fans and a son who likes "biiiiig trucks!"  For Christmas this year, I thought it would be cool to give each of them a car play blanket.  However I couldn't find any patterns to make one.  No problem - I'll just design it myself.  And of course, share the pattern with you :)

So, I got a yard of 60" green fleece fabric ($5.59 a yard and then used a 40% coupon for a total of $3.35)

I laid the uncut pattern pages on top to make sure it would all fit.  Yes, it totally IS a lot of pages (25 to be exact) but it's worth it (and it's not a lot of ink, so it could be worse :)

I got a yard of gray 72" craft felt ($3 a yard) and cut out each of the road pieces.

Then take the pattern paper off and pin those suckers down GOOD.  Seriously, use a LOT of pins.

Even a novice seamstress like me was able to sew down each piece using my sewing machine.  Actually it took less than an hour.

Here is a picture of the finished roads!  As you can see, it already is getting some use :)  You can also just barely see my son's car mat that we got for free at a yard sale.  He LOVES it, but I wanted something he can use in his bed for nap time, thus the blanket idea.

I have great plans to add a farm, castle, dragon in a mountain cave, zoo, fire station, house on fire, nana's house, etc.  So much sewing and so little time!  I also got glow in the dark yellow fabric paint to draw lines on the roads.  I will keep adding posts as I finish things on the blankets, but I thought if anyone was looking for an inexpensive and cute gift this definitely qualifies!

Here is the pattern if you would like to make your own car play blanket

If you do decide to make one, I would love to see pictures of it when you finish!  I hope you have as much fun putting this together as I did.

I have been busy!

So, here are the projects I have finished recently.  First, my niece had a huge birthday party and I made a dozen robes for her and her friends.  Unfortunately the only picture I got was with my phone and I can't figure out how to get it from my phone to the computer :(  (technologically challenged!)

Right after I finished the robes for my niece's birthday, it was time to get ready for my brother's party.  He chose a Robin Hood theme so my husband made 10 bows and 60ish arrows using the tutorial from here: http://www.ikatbag.com/2012/09/archery-party-scenes-from-shooting-range.html

I also used her tutorial for making quivers.  Then I made Robin Hood hats and costumes as well.  It was a lot of work, but SO worth it!

This is some of the boys figuring out how to shoot their bows and arrows.

After all of that, I have been deep cleaning and moving stuff around in my house, so I haven't really done anything crafty for a few days.  I am hoping that after I get my craft stuff moved into their new area I can work on some more quiet book pages.

Picture Tutorial on Installing a Grommet

I got a comment on my Wheels on the Bus page asking if I could give directions on installing a grommet.  Since I personally am a visual learner I thought I would put up a picture tutorial on how to install a grommet.

Hopefully this makes sense and is easy to follow!  I picked up this package of about 20 grommets and the top and bottom nail piece at my local Joann Fabric store for like three dollars.  Please let me know if you have any questions!

DIY Rattle for a Baby Toy

I was making baby toys this week and wanted to include a rattle inside one of them.  I looked at ordering some but of course it was too last minute.  You probably NEVER do stuff so last minute like I do, but in case you wanted to save some money I thought I'd post this simple tutorial for how to make your own baby rattle using ping pong balls and seed beads.

First I cut a V shaped slit in the ping pong ball with a small sharp pair of scissors.

Then I added a teaspoon or so of seed beads.

Then I hot glued the ball closed.  Once it was dry I tested it out - it shakes GREAT!

And that's all there is to it.  I put these inside small sewn bags for extra security against little mouths and tucked them into my baby toys.  They make great little rattles and were super simple to make!

If you wanted to make a REALLY easy toy, just add a rattle or two to a stuffed or bean bag animal.  I haven't tried it yet, but I bet they would work in the washer/dryer too.  Hmm, I should try that this week.  I will post an update after I test it out :)

DIY Baby Toys

I had a baby shower this past week for two little boys and a girl.  I was in the mood to make toys, so these are what I found via Pinterest.  The above jellyfish were from Kid Dependent and the robots were from Prudent Baby.  I used scraps from my fabric and ribbon stash and put them together on a Saturday afternoon.

This is the robot for the little girl - isn't the hair awesome?  I tried to pick girly colors for it, cause who says a girl can't like robots?