Baby Shoes

The only thing cuter than baby shoes is baby feet.  That's what I always say.

But it'd be pretty creepy to give baby feet to a new mom, so I usually settle for shoes.  Like these.

I used the Taylor Shoe pattern from Homespun Threads.  She's got some really cute designs, and they're all free, which you know I love.  There were a few confusing steps, but overall these were pretty easy to whip up.

I used fabric from from a pair of old cords (outside) and a stained t-shirt (inside), which happened to perfectly match a set of onesies I bought on a clearance rack months and months ago.  Awesome.  Semi-homemade gifting at its finest.

Except, can I make just one little confession?  I actually made these in preparation for a baby shower for my friend Erin.  But if you know my friend Erin, you know that she had a girl.  And if I paid a little more attention to the invitation before I made a gift, I'd have known that too.  No worries though!  I have lots of friends, and they have lots of babies.  So it didn't take long to find some baby (boy) feet to go inside the baby (boy) shoes; Betzy's little sweetheart Jakob.  And now, to come up with something for a girl!  (Sorry Erin!  Not only am I dumb, I'm also slow.)

Keeping track

You're probably wondering what's up with this blog.  And if you're not you should be. I mean, don't you think it's narcissistic the way I take pictures of every little thing I make, and then post pictures and go on an on about how I made it, what went wrong, where I go the fabric, and how much my floor needs mopping?  (Actually, I try not to mention that last one.  Maybe if I don't point it out, you won't notice.  Right?)

 

And you're right.   Blogging is a pretty self-indulgent hobby, and I admit I crave comments like a junkie, refreshing every few minutes until I get my fix  (which usually comes from Peanut).  (Thanks Peanut!)  Compliment fishing aside, though, this really is about me keeping track.  I keep track of what I've done, what I've learned, and how I did it, so I can do it again if I want to.  I can't tell you how many times I've made something and given it away without taking a picture, only to regret it later.  (Actually, I probably can tell you how many times I've done that.  THAT'S  how much I regret it!)  

I also keep track because maybe someday I might want to do something bigger with all this -- start a shop or get a job or something -- and a portfolio could really come in handy.  And I keep track because making and giving gifts is part of how I connect with people.  Thinking of the thing I made for you makes me think of you.  And I like you.  So there.

  

In between all the keeping track, if you find something that's helpful or inspiring or funny, well, I don't mind that one bit.  Feel free to tell me all about it, right down there in the comments.  Really.   Feel.  Free.

In the meantime, I got myself a little behind in the keeping-track department.    So here's are a project from way back in September.  It was quick and easy, and you should totally make one.  (For someone I don't know, of course.  Cause we don't want to show up with the same gift.  Awkward!)

It's a pampering kit for my friend, Kalie, who has 3 kids under 4, and really really deserves all the pampering she can get.

I covered a composition notebook with pretty fabric, and made a matching eye mask (based on this tutorial) and hot/cold pack (like this one, sort of).

 

Then I wrapped it up in a pretty box with a package of ear plugs and a scented candle, and took it to Kalie's "Pampering Shower"  (where you bring diapers or something to spoil the mom).

It would also make a nice get well gift, or swap things around a little and give one to your mom.  Or my mom.  Or anyone else who deserves to be pampered.

I think the notebook is my favorite part.  Since I happened to get a whole stack of composition notebooks for 10 cents each during back to school season, I whipped up another one for another friend's birthday a few days later.

I haven't started mass production yet, but it's really only a matter of time. 

Now, when's your birthday again?  Maybe I need to make myself a pretty notebook to keep track.

Two for Two

Remember the little strawberry blond cuties who turned one last year?  Well, time has a way of turning one-year-olds into two-year-olds.  

And two-year-olds have a way of carrying around purses.  

And I figure, as long as they're carrying around purses, they might as well be cute.  (The purses, I mean.  The girls are already cute, no question.)

And they (the purses) might as well match the dolls I gave them last year.  And they should be reversible (the purses, not the girls), because sometimes you're in the mood for flowers, and sometimes you like polka dots.

 

The recipients seemed to like them. (Caity especially.  Or was it Mady?  I used to be able to tell the difference.)  I was afraid they'd be outraged by the twill tape handles, a semi-homemade shortcut that helped me get them done quick.  But they hid their rage, and immediately started filling their new purses with random objects.  As two-year-olds have a way of doing.

Happy Birthday Mady and Caity! 

And because you asked so nicely, here's some completely gratuitous vintage fabric porn.  (Imagine the google hits I'll get from that one!)   The fabric, the ric rack and the buttons all came from the old lady stash.  Man, I love that old lady and her fabric hoarding ways.

Semi-Homemade Gifting

Semi-homemade gifting is like Sandra Lee's famous Semi-Homemade (R)* Cooking:  It's got its advantages, but it's not quite as good as the real thing.

Take this little diaper bag I made for my friend Lizzy, who gave birth to the sweetest little girl a few weeks ago.  (They christened her Rosalynd Ivy, a name that sounds like it belongs in my own family, where Roses and Ivys run semi-rampant.  (Don't believe me?  One of my grandmothers was named Ivy, the other was Bertha Rose.  An aunt who passed away during childhood was named Rosalee, and my own middle name is Rose.  Plus I have nieces named Rose and Ivy.  So, yeah.  It's not really my fault if I feel like Lizzy's Rosalynd semi-belongs to me.))

But back to the bag.  It's cute, huh?  And as you can see, it's got roses.  It's made from a vintage tea towel semi-stolen from the mounds of crafty semi-junk in the Relief Society closet at church.  (In my semi-defense, it was stolen with permission.  And everyone who was interested has had a chance at them at various semi-crafty activities.)

 

It's lined with vintage rose print fabric from the little old lady stash.  The pockets are from a fat quarter I bought at Wal-Mart more than a year ago.    Lizzy likes it because the larger pocket fits her Nook perfectly, a coincidence I'll happily pretend was my plan all along.

Here's where the semi-homemade part kicks in. The straps are cotton webbing, which is not quite as cute but a million times faster than fabric straps. I finished it off with an elastic loop and rose button closure, and was done in less than an hour.  Seriously.  Not the semi-hours I usually work in, where a 30 minute project takes 2 hours because of interruptions, blunders, and changes-of-plan.  No, this one, from start to finish, including cutting at the beginning and hand sewing at the end, came in under an hour.

So, while I do think it would have been nice to add fabric straps, or extra pockets, or ruffles, I'm happy with the end result.  These days, time is the thing I'm running short on, and the only way I'm going to get through my stash (and my to-gift list) before I move is to take some semi-shortcuts every now and then.

PS:  Just in case you're wondering, the not-homemade-at-all portion of the gift was a little bundle of onesies and a pair of ruffly pants plucked from a clearance rack in a moment of semi-weakness.  (Contrary to scientific opinion, the strongest force in nature is a clearance rack full of cute baby clothes.  It doesn't matter if they're the wrong size, season, or gender for your own child.  Sometimes, those ruffly bloomers just find their way into your cart.  You know what I'm talking about.  Admit it!)  It makes me happy to pass them along to someone who can use them.

*That's right, the phrase "semi-homemade" is trademarked!  Here's hoping I don't get slapped with a lawsuit for daring to type it in a semi-public forum.