My Little Firecracker

This navy tee was destined for craftiness after I picked it up at a spring consignment sale thinking it was completely blank. After returning home with my treasures, I discovered a small resort logo stitched underneath the pinned-on sale tag. Grrrrr. Note to self - make sure to look everywhere, including under the tags from now on. But I still managed to come out ahead of that sneakiness!

I found the adorable (and free!) embroidery file here at Planet Applique, and all supplies came from my existing stash. For the main design, I used red, blue & gold thread on white fabric. After stitching out the file, I cut an oval border with my pinking shears. Then I layered it on top of a red & white gingham square...that just so happens to nicely cover the resort logo! I outlined and attached the square to the shirt in white zig-zag stitches, and used a red, elongated stitch within the oval.

Thanks to my friend Traci for providing the inspiration for this handsome creation - it suits my busy cutie perfectly!

Drawstring Bag

I made this cute little bag a while back, and used it recently for shoe packing while traveling. It works great and makes me smile. Wouldn't it be adorable in a solid with a large monogram?! If only I had the time, I'd make all of my special shoes their own little pouch!
This particular lined drawstring bag came to be from a very easy Martha Stewart how-to. The outer fabric is orange Baby Starbursts from the Rainbow Garden by Prints Charming. The lining is a turquoise Robert Kaufman from my stash. I cheated a tad by stitching closed some pre-made white bias binding for the drawstrings, but fancied it up by adding gussets to the bottom. There are TONS of drawstring bag tutorials out there with unlimited options, so get to searching if they pull at your heartstrings too!

More Lunch Fun

My son had a summer session of preschool last week, so I gave his new lunch set a try. Here's a peek at my favorite lunch:

top left - honey graham sticks & fruit leather butterfly cut-outs
top right - chickadee crackers
bottom - cream cheese & jelly on whole wheat duckie sandwich

I was excited by how cute it turned out! And from only the crumbs that returned, I could tell my son enjoyed how tasty it was too! I'm looking forward to creating more fun lunches this summer. Hopefully I'll be a pro by the time preschool resumes this fall...a mother can dream, right?!

Train Ride

My family is lucky enough to live close to the beautiful NC mountains. We vacationed there last week and treated our son to his first theme park - Tweetsie Railroad! Now there are many reasons why it was a particularly exciting adventure for this mommie:

1. Both the mountains and Tweetsie hold numerous childhood memories of mine; sharing the fun (and cooler weather!) with my husband and son was priceless.
2. Thomas the Train was making an appearance, and my son LOVES choo choos.
3. The park instantly reminded me of my cherished time at Walt Disney World...I performed there for many years, and miss those times often.
   

So back to my 'made it' reason for posting - hee! I of course had my son wear his appliqued train shirt for the special occasion. I made it back in February for his 2nd birthday party, which just so happens to have been a train theme. Multiple themed use is always a plus!

Simple Train Applique, Embroidery Boutique
I used a blank white T-shirt
& various threads and fabrics from my stash
Navy Engine with gray steam
Green Pinstripe Car
Red Gingham Caboose
Black connectors & wheels

Lunch Mania

I can't seem to shake my new-found creative lunch packing passion. And it seems I'm not the only one from the threads I've recently come across on the local mommie site. I guess summer break has us mommies re-examining the task of packing lunch. I personally never dread the duty, but do find myself packing the same ol' things feeling guilty about the food rut. But have no fear, this mommie is gearing up for fun lunches to pack for summer and beyond!
While checking out a few new sandwich cutters and some popsicle molds, I purchased the Sassy on-the-go lunch set to add to my son's collection today. (pictured above, but his set is all blue and was found locally at Buy Buy Baby) I'm excited because the size of the main container is perfect for a preschooler. Our Bento Box is great, but has always seemed too large quite yet for a 2 year old.

I have lovely memories of my own special lunches packed by Mom, so I guess I'm destined to pass the creative love on. Plus I'm always super excited to provide my son fun, healthy, waste-free and cost-effective food! Have you seen the fun over at Another Lunch?! Wowza.

And in other homemade topics, I promise to share a few new things I've recently stitched soon. We've got a new digital camera, so time to figure out the upload changes. Stay tuned!

Homemade Play-doh

One of my son's playmates turned 2 this past weekend, so I whipped up a homemade batch of play-doh for her to enjoy. My mother made it for me growing up, and gave her grandson his first batch at Christmas. The texture and peppermint scent instantly transports me back into my own childhood. It's a fun gift in that color and scents are endless with this handy recipe. Plus it's just a darn good old fashioned "toy" that's fun and safe to play with...and even eat should it somehow end up in a child's, mommie's or even doggie's mouth!

MHB's Homemade Play-doh
1 cup flour, sifted
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
3 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 Tbl oil
food coloring
(peppermint) extract

Mix all ingredients in a pot, then place over medium high heat and stir constantly for 3 minutes. It gets difficult to stir the last little bit, but stop when it reaches the consistency of play-doh. Some of it does stick to the pot, so don't worry that it's not right. Turn it out on the counter or wax paper and it's ready to go.

We keep our homemade stash in airtight containers in the fridge, and I try to set it out prior to playtime. However, my little guy usually demands it immediately and doesn't seem to mind it cold and less pliable. Once it hits room temp, it really works great with cookie cutters and various play-doh toys. Enjoy!

Food for Thought

Mmnnn! Just made these delicious (and super easy!) granola bars today, and had to share the recipe. I DVR "The Martha Stewart Show" daily and was pleased to catch this particular treat. I used ingredients we already had on-hand, but certainly appreciate the ability to prepare this for others with food allergies. I also used raisins instead of chocolate chips as my little one somehow did not inherit his parent's love of cocoa concoctions. So proud he prefers fruit!

And speaking of preparing food for my sweet bambino, check out the lastest blog I'm obsessing over: Another Lunch. I immediately broke out my cookie cutters for his bento lunches this past week...why hadn't I thought of it before?! My fellow bento-using hometown bestie turned me on to this site and I can't thank her enough. The photos, ideas and products are too much crafty/nerdy fun not to share! Cute waste-free healthy lunches rock!