elastic laces

This is what you do when you're lazy and you want to buy your two year old cute shoes with laces, but you don't want to tie them for him two hundred times a day.
{sorry some of the pic's are blurry, I was trying to do this with a two year old and a puppy running circles around me... guess I shouldn't have been working on the floor}

1. You'll need some elastic and a needle and thread.

2. I cut my elastic about a foot long and Jackson wears a size 8 shoe. You may need to adjust the length for bigger sizes.

3. Thread the elastic through the holes like this:

4. And then like this:


5. Keep going and end up like this:



6. Then take the "tongue" and pull it through the middle of the elastic:



7. Your shoe should look like this:

8. Now you're going to stitch the two ends of elastic together. Make sure you stitch well so it won't come apart when you stretch it open for those chubby toes. (Jackson has really wide and chubby feet)

And there you have it! Cute chucks without the laces! Like my model's cute chubby legs?

Wall art under $10

I found these semi-ugly wall hangings at HL on sale for $3.20 a piece (they were $15.99 reg.). I bought three of them thinking that I could transform them into something pretty. (They had these weird crowns on them with some little sayings, not my style)


So I brought them home, taped around the edges with masking tape, and painted a couple coats of some latex paint that I had laying around. (You'll see why I had that paint laying around in a future post.)

Then I looked around for some inspiration. Etsy is a great place to find some (inspiration). I drew out my picture and painted with acrylic paints.

I thought I would make one picture using the three seperate hangings.





I like the way it turned out... especially since it all cost under $10. Now I just need a house to hang them in. Hopefully we'll get that call soon.

Mia's lovey

Mia is definitely teething. She's all drooly and everything she gets her cute chubby fingers around goes straight into her mouth.

I've noticed that she really loves chewing on her dresses. So I decided to cut up a few of her cute little dresses that don't fit her anymore and make her a pretty lovey to chew on. And I used a cute little wash cloth too. I just cut out four even squares and sewed them together. Added a light weight cotton to the back, and finished it off with some ribbon in the middle.

She really loves it, especially the ribbon part. I guess I could have tucked some ribbon around the edges like a taggie, but I was trying to hurry and finish it before naptime was over. I'll have to get some pic's of Mia loving on her lovey later.

the dress

So the shop is going well. I've had 5 orders this week! I still have things I need to post, but I've been slacking. Maybe I'll get that done durring naptime today.

I made my first dress recently, I love the way it turned out. I'll be putting some up in my shop soon.

But other than that, not much new. Jackson found a box of fruit snacks in a target bag laying around, so that's what he's having for breakfast this morning (while he's dancing along with the Imagination Movers). And Miss Mia is in her bassinet (which she's getting too big for) talking to her birdie mobile. She's growing so fast. She's begining to grasp her toys and she loves her baby gym.

I can't believe Jackson is going to be two in less than two months! I don't think we're doing a big party this time around. Maybe just a family and a few friends. He's really been into trains lately, so I thought I'd make him a train cake. He really likes the one on display at HEB, but I'd rather make it myself. We'll see how that goes!

Well, I'm off to buy some tutu supplies....

paper beads

I used to make these all the time, but I forgot all about them until Lizzie mentioned her Sassafrass necklace that she's working on. So I got that itch back and this is what I've been doing durring naptime! Here's how you do it...

Ingredients:

• toothpick
• glue
• pretty paper (cut into long, skinny triangles)

1. spread glue along the top half of the triangle and wrap around the toothpick. you could also use a pen or straw, depending on how big you want the opening of the bead.2. keep wrapping the paper until it looks like this. 3. slide the bead off of the toothpick. this is why you only put glue on the top part of the triangle, if you don't it will stick.

Here's my jar of beads. I just need to string them to make a pretty bracelet or necklace if I have enough. Have I mentioned how much I love my new camera!

mermaid and pirates

the mermaid card I made with Lizzie's stamp:

oh-so-cute iron on's: (Mia's says "arrgh, kiss me booty")

("wipe me booty")

two birds

I carved a couple of bird stamps that I sketched while waiting in the car for my mom to come out of the Art Supply store. If I had the tools, I could have carved them there too.

trying my hand at embroidery:

setting up shop!

Did 'yall miss me? I haven't posted in a while. It's because I've decided to finally open my very own Etsy shop! I'm super excited about it. I've been trying to get some things made between nursing my fatty, playing with Jack Jack, laundry, cooking, cleaning. It's not easy. Hopefully I'll get some stuff done and I'll open up sometime this month. Here's a little something I did today:

Stay tuned for more info on my Etsy!

what i've been up to:

In between changing all those dirty diapers, nursing a fatty, chasing after the monkey, and all that good stuff... when (as Ivy would say) I should be sleeping, this is what I do...

Okay, you know how when you have your first baby and you go all out and money doesn't matter? I spent too much money on Jackson's PB bedding. And I just had to have the $45 mobile that was just perfect with it.

Well, when you're buying diapers for two, you spend your money a little more wisely. So this time I made Mia's mobile. It was really easy and cost pennies to make. Well, not really, but it was cheap as dirt!






I've also gotten back into carving stamps.



And of course I have to show off my babies. This is Fisher... he's my baby too.


Grandpa's boots...

and my chubbers...

valentine pops

Instructions:

1. cut out four hearts
2. glue together to form a flower
3. punch a hole in the middle
4. insert lollipop
5. tie a ribbon to secure
6. give to someone you love =)

sling shot =)

Here's the sling I made for Janelle. Little miss Mia is snug as a bug in it, and I'm sure baby Juilian will be too!