Pony Mat

A while ago, I saw a pony mat on Pinterest.  Genius, I thought.  Emily enjoys the car mat I made for her a couple years ago, and she doesn't play with cars that much.  Ponies, she plays with.  And how fun would it be to have a play mat for them, where they could be tucked away and travel with us?

I knew I wanted to do my play mat differently than the one I saw; that one was a pony farm, and used brown as the base fabric, and I believe that ponies should get to play on grass, instead of in the dirt.  So, I picked up some green fabric when I hit the sale at the JoAnn's that was closing near us.  Emily helped me choose which fabric to get.  She was pretty sure some of the green fabric we considered could not be grass for her ponies.  I also wanted the mat to be like the world on the My Little Pony show that Emily watches sometimes.  So the ponies have houses (which double as their holding pockets) and there's a little forest.

Besides the green for the grass, I had all of the materials for this on hand.  (Do you recognize the leftover fabric from covering the chair? I used it for the back.)

I knew it was a hit when Emily played with it while it was only partly done.  After it was done, I showed it to her, and she was very excited about the houses.  Which was gratifying, since I spent the longest on them.

Baby pillow [redo]

Back in October, I whipped up a couple pillows so that Tabitha could have some support sitting (and because Emily had to have one, too).

I brought them out with the rest of the baby stuff, but they were decidedly girly.  Plus, I didn't like how heavy and stiff they were since I just stuffed them with random pieces of fabric, which also made them look funny on the outsides, since you could see the different colors of fabric through the covers.  I pulled them open, sorted out the heavier fabrics from the lightweight ones, and cut the lightweight ones into small strips.

I used some of the fabric I bought out in New York; a bright boy-ish fabric that I found as a fat quarter, and had no idea what I would use it for, but was also sure if I didn't pick it up, I would regret it.  Since there was only enough for one side, I paired it with some bright yellow fabric I had in my stash.  I lined the fabric with batting, so the stuffing wouldn't show through this time.  It's about half fabric strips and half stuffing, and is a nice weight.

I also altered the shape of the original pillows just a little when I cut out my new fabric.  Before, it curved in a little to much at the ends, and the top was too bulky.  Between the new stuffing and the new shape, this pillow bends easily to fit around my tummy, so it can be used as a nursing pillow.  I've never had a nursing pillow, but my sister-in-law, Cora, swears by hers.   Now if only the baby would decide to arrive, so we could try it out.

A Dragon!

Just over a week ago, on Friday, Dan and I got some groceries from the store. Along with the rest of the food we picked up, we git a small cantaloup. When Dan saw it, he protested, and went to switch it for a different (larger) one. They were all small. Still not completely happy, he put it in the cart.

You and Emily can share it for breakfast, I said.

I can it it for breakfast, he countered. There isn't enough for two.

The cantaloup was small, but it was still a pound or two of fruit.

You can each have a reasonable sized serving for breakfast, I insisted.

We got home, and per usual, Dan brings in most of the groceries while I put them away. I tucked the cantaloup into the fridge in the bottom shelf, above the full produce drawers, between the eggs and the bread.

The next day, I was in the kitchen, and Emily wanted food. She pulled open the door to the fridge, and saw the cantaloup.

I should probably insert a couple comments here. First, Emily loves cantaloup, but they are usually at least twice as big, and it had been a while since we had gotten one. Second, Dan had just watched a cut short film with Emily a couple days before. The short film was about the characters from "How to Train Your Dragon," in which the dragons all fly off to their hatching grounds and have eggs. Round eggs. Rough on the outside. Maybe a little like a cantaloup.

"A dinosaur egg!" Emily exclaimed, and lovingly grabbed the cantaloup. Another comment: she also loved to watch a show about a boy who sees dinosaurs. Sometimes they have eggs. 

Over the next couple days she varied whether it was a dinosaur egg or a dragon egg. I asked her what kind of dinosaur was inside (since she'd seen lots of different dinosaurs on TV). She told me it was a baby dinosaur.

I let her carry the egg around, because, really, what could happen to it? Plus, I don't really like cantaloup.

That afternoon we went on an expedition with Emily's cousins, her Aunt, Dan's parents, and his Grandma. We took two cars. The dragon egg came, too.

We ventured out to find ponies at the local state park, and ride them if possible. Failing at that, we went to the playground at different park. Emily had fallen asleep sometime in our quest, but still held her egg, nestled in her lap.

The egg also joined us when we went to church the next day. It got to wait in the car during services, but Emily carried it along when we stopped to visit Tabitha afterward. By this point it had acquired a nice metal "nest" (by which I mean a bowl which I had forgotten at the Memorial Day breakfast the week before). Emily (okay, with some encouragement) told Tabitha about her egg. Then she ran off with her cousin, ultimately to pick peonies from one of the nearby graves. Dan stopped them after they both got one, but Emily was headed back for another.

On the way home from church we asked Emily what kind of dragon was in her egg. (It was definitely a dragon by now.). Dan and Emily settled on a pink dragon, with spots. I glared at him about the spots part. Because I had started scheming, and I didn't have polka-dot pink fabric in my stash.

At home she toted her egg around some more, until Dan convinced her that it should go back in the fridge. I should interject another comment: Dan and I had both reminded her that the egg was, in fact, a cantaloup, and it was going to get eaten. Dan in particular was adamant about the eating part. He is very fond of cantaloup. It was one of the reasons I had started scheming on the way home, because he was insisting on eating the cantaloup, and she so obviously loved it.

At home I drafted a pattern, and got to work. I took time off to have Sunday dinner in the afternoon, but besides that I spent most of the day sewing.

Just before I finished my project, I got Emily to get her egg out again. It would hatch soon, I assured her. We found a spot where she and her cousin could wait. I hurried back inside to finish. Fifteen minutes later I woke Dan up from his late afternoon nap, wrapped up the project in a towel, and went back to where I had left Emily. It was raining, she was gone, and so was the egg. Further searching found them in GranB's truck while Pappy got ready for our trip the next day. The egg was tucked up on our stuff in the garage. We collected both the egg and the girls, and found a spot to watch it hatch.

This fuzzy picture is of Emily drying off her egg.

The egg was wet, so we rubbed it dry. First Emily tried, but the egg didn't hatch. Then I tried (and using some of my superior sneaky skills) and it hatched.

Emily was delighted, and shocked. It isn't often that pretend eggs give you real dragons.

Just so you know, she loves it.

Travel Bags

For my trip to New York, I whipped up some bags to make my travel a little easier.  Well, I could have used plastic zip-lock bags, but these were much prettier.  But as I was packing, I decided I needed some travel bags, so I whipped some up.

The yellow bags were based on the instructions found in my craft sewing book "The Liberty Book of Home Sewing," which my sister bought for me for Christmas.  Or my birthday.  They are only a couple days apart, so sometimes I forget which one I get stuff on.  The book is based around the Liberty of London fabric line, which is gorgeous, and they use the prints for the projects in the books.  I used regular old quilting calico, and my bags turned out great.

The smaller drawstring bag I used for my chargers.  The bigger one was for laundry.

The purple bag I came up with on my own, and I actually sewed it first (the night before flying out, instead of the day I flew).  I'd seen the idea somewhere else, I'm pretty sure, but I used what I had, and came up with this.  There is batting between the layers of the purple fabric, and I folded it up at the end to make a pocket for my earrings.  I sewed lines across to facilitate where it folds, and I sewed on some ribbon to hold necklaces and bracelets in place.  The whole thing fastens with velcro.

I didn't actually wear any of my jewelry while I was there (I forgot about it until I left the apartment on Sunday).  But it was safe in its own little holder.

Rag Rug

I can check one more thing off my project to-do list: Emily's rag rug.  I started working on it years ago.  I've spent a bunch of time over the last couple weeks working on it, and it didn't really take that long.  (Well, it did take many hours, but so do lots of other things).  It involved sewing lots of strips of fabric together, braiding them, and then sewing them together.  Not too difficult.  But my fingers do hurt.

When I was almost done, my mother-in-law told me that she used to make rag rugs when she was little, only they did them differently.  They braided the strands, and while braiding them, looped them through the previous braid.  Intriguing, but probably not enough to make another one.  I have seen a project on Pinterest where you crochet a rag rug; this seems much more do-able to me.

My Thread Holder

Last week I mentioned a project I had been working on.  Here it is, my new thread holder:

I did just about all of it myself.  Well, Dan went to the store with me, and he told the guy at the store how big I wanted my wood cut.  But I could have done that by myself.

I did cut the trim to the right size (borrowing my father-in-law's saw and miter box).  I hammered in the nails, glued on the trim (Emily tried to "help") and painted it as well.  And I attached eye hooks and wire to the back (Emily helped with that) and hung it myself as well.

And then I spent a couple days perfecting the arrangement of the thread on the board.  I think I have it pretty close to color order.  I had no idea I had so much purple and pink before I started.  And orange-ish beige.  I have lots of that, too.

A new dolly

So, this morning I was on Pinterest.  Emily was on my lap.  And she saw a picture I had pinned a while ago:

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She wanted.  We went and looked, and the dolls are not actually for sale; a pattern to MAKE the dolls is for sale.  And it cost over $15.  So, I just made my own.

I must say, she turned out pretty cute.  Okay, maybe the head is a funny shape, and the face isn't quite as adorable as the ones on the dolls above.  But Emily loves it.  She's decided it is an Emily doll.  Of course.

The hair was all sewn on by hand.  We will see if it stays.  I also hand sewed the hems on the neck and sleeves.  The dress comes on and off, which I figured was important.

I tried to take a picture of Emily playing with it, and she hid it from me.

Halloween Ideas: Decorations

First off, today is my big brother, John's birthday.  Happy Birthday, John!  It snowed the day he was born.  Hopefully it stays nice for Halloween.  Or, at least until tomorrow night, when we are going trunk-or-treating at our church.  I'm excited.  We get to decorate the trunk of our car and hand out candy, and the girls get to trick or treat (well, Emily will like it; Tabitha will be happy as long as she is being held).

Next, here are some more ideas I've collected on Pinterest for Halloween.  There are lots of great ideas for Halloween decorations out there.  Here are some of my favorites:

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Halloween Ideas: Jack-o-Lantern

Jack-o-lanterns are a hallmark of Halloween.  Today I'm sharing some awesome ones I've collected on Pintrest:

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Halloween Ideas: Food

Here are some more ideas I've collected on Pintrest for Halloween.  Check out these tasty treats:

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Halloween Ideas: Costumes

A couple months ago, I started using a website called Pintrest.  Pintrest is like a digital pin board, where you can store bookmarks to all the great things you want to remember on the web.  They are all stored with an image from the page you bookmark, so you end up with a collection of great pictures, showing all the things you love. Or, you can collect images other people have posted.

One of my collections is Halloween.  Here are some of the costumes I've found:

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Pillows

Today I made Tabitha a pillow to help her sit.  I'm not sure what exactly prompted it; perhaps the way she was sitting so nicely in her high chair with a blanket wedged behind her, and how happy she was just to look around.

I got out a some yellow fabric I bought recently, sat her down, and traced around her bottom.  I cut inside that line, to allow for a seam allowance, and free-handed a C-shaped pillow around it.  I made it thicker in the back, thinking this would make it higher in the back and give her more support when sitting.  (Not sure if it made much difference now that it is done).  I stuffed it with fabric scrapes I cleared out of my fabric stores last week.  I had thrown them into a large bag, intending to use them for a floor pillow; I only used about half for this pillow.  We don't really NEED a floor pillow, anyway, so this is better.  Emily helped me stuff the pillow.  She is usually interested in whatever I am sewing, and likes to help stuff things.  Tabitha liked to pillow.  See how her head is up in the air, instead of on the ground (or a couple inches off the ground, when she attempts to sit up).  Sure she can roll onto her tummy, but what she really wants to do is sit.

Sitting pretty

Someone else REALLY wants to sit with the pillow too

So we made her another one

Lady Knight

Once upon a time, in a very small kingdom not so far away, there was a lady knight, courageous and fair.

The kingdom was threatened by a beast most horrible and ferocious; a dragon, fiercest of beasts.

The lady knight went forth to do battle against the foul beast.

The dragon rushed at the lady knight, but she easily evaded him.

But wait!  The loyal squire has fallen into the path of the dragon.

The lady knight leaped into action.

She defeated the beast, freeing the kingdom.

Emily's Halloween costume

So, I've been bouncing an idea for Halloween costumes for the girls around in my head for quite some time: Minnie and Daisy.  A couple days ago I was trolling on Etsy (a website where you can sell handmade items) and I found this:

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Emily and I both liked it.  I just happened to already have some red tulle, and I set out to make a red Minnie tutu for Emily. With some of the leftover tulle I whipped up a hair bow.

Tabitha very kindly modeled the tutu and bow for me

Of course, half of the cuteness of the original tutu was the white polka dots, so, I got out my white felt and added some of that as well.

Now all we need is some black leggings and a red shirt.

And I need to make Tabitha a duck costume.  This is going to be awesome.