baby

Handmade Fabric Birthday Party Hat (Photo Prop)

by Lesley Oman on 1 March, 2012

The plans are in place. Well… almost in place.

Last week we decided it was about time to start planning Piper’s first birthday. It started with having a few friends over to the house, then we talked about a soft play adventure, and now there is another plan on the cards. We will make our minds up eventually.

One thing i knew for sure was that i wanted to make Pi a party hat. I spied this fabulous hat on pinterest, isn’t it beautiful!? It inspired me to pull out the fabric and get crafty! {Click on the photo to visit the etsy page where there are other lovely things to drool over!}

After a few chewed pencils and a little bit of sketching i set to work. Once I started I was on a roll, it only took two short evenings from start to finish.

So…What do ya think?

So, as usual, i was making it up as i went along To begin i drew a semicircle onto a piece of paper, curled it to make a cone and trimmed it a little. I drew around the template to cut out a piece of interfacing to use as the base of the hat to make it sturdy. Then i stuck the interfacing to fabric using spray adhesive. This held the fabric in place to allow me to cut it out and sew around the edges. {note to self: this worked really well. Definitely will be doing that again}

For the pretty felt panel I used spray mount to stick felt to paper then ran this through the cuttlebug using a die to cut out the shape. This was really easy. It didn’t cut the whole way around but a few snips of the scissors and it was fine. I used a zig-zag stitch to sew the edges to create definition and to ensure it wouldn’t fluff away/fray. I did the same with the number one (hand cut).

To make the trim i cut strips of green polka fabric and used the machine to make a long straight stitch up the middle, then pulled the thread to ruche the fabric. It was looking a bit bare so i added some tulle (everything looks prettier with tulle!). I had to hand sew the ruche on because i had already sewn the hat into a cone shape. Next time i’ll definitely wait and do everything on the machine first! (sewing through all they fabric and the interfacing was a MISSION!).

For the top i looked in my stash for pom poms but i think that must be the one thing i haven’t got, but i salvaged some of that green fabric and made a little fabric poof pom pom by gathering circles together. To finish, I added a little cord for Piper’s chin but in hind sight i think i might replace it with light elastic.

We took some photos of the princess in her hat to use on the party invites. She looked adorable, but the hat kept slipping, so elastic is definitely the way to go. I’ll share the party invites soon.

Thanks for popping by, and a special mention goes out to Ellen Mandriss who liked the facebook page this week. Thanks for your support Ellen. ♥

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Baby Spoon Carry Pouch

by Lesley Oman on 8 January, 2012

Playing with my sewing machine is fun, but making something useful gives me more of a sense of accomplishment.

I can’t tell you how pleased I am with this little pouch I made. You see, every time we go out I have to bring some baby spoons in the diaper bag. At first I wrapped them in cling film, but then got annoyed about how wasteful that was. Then I popped some in a little resealable baggies along with her snacks, but that wasn’t ideal either as the spoons would get covered in crumbs or sticky residue.

But look, a solution. One cute little pouch that can hold two spoons. Easy to pop in a diaper bag or a pocket, ready to go. Just clean down with a baby wipe before popping them back into their snug little sleeping bag. Goodnight little spoons.

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Last Few Weeks: Scrapbook Layout

by Lesley Oman on 29 October, 2011

This is the scrapbook layout that I made on holiday using my Emergency Craft Kit. Sorry it’s taken so long to get it photographed and up on the website.

My supplies were limited because I was crafting on the go, and because of this some ideas which I had never really panned out, but it was good because it forced me to stop, think, and move in another direction.

I used one of Jen Gallacher’s ‘Stretch your sketch‘ videos as a starting point for this layout – so you may notice some similarities in regards to the way the panels hang from the string, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. I had watched the video before i went on holiday, so this was the one bit that stuck out vividly in my mind.

I had taken a few printed iPhone photos with me, most of which were of Piper but I found a few that had me and her together. Back when I made this layout, it was only a few weeks before I returned to work, so although the page doesn’t have a visible title, the journaling is a conversation with my daughter, promising to make the most of our last few weeks at home together. Looking back, i can see that I was completely over dramatising my return to work. Okay, i’ll say it- i was DREADING it! And calling this layout ‘last few weeks’ kinda sounds like I was about to drop of the face of the planet or something! I’m so glad i didn’t put a title on it with letter stickers. lol.

Despite the limitations I had due to crafting-on-the-go, I’m pleased with the finished result. I guess I am just glad that I had the opportunity to get creative when I was away from home.

Here’s some more close up piccys.

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‘Just One Squeak’ – Scrapbook Layout

by Lesley Oman on 10 September, 2011

Hey everyone,

I’ve reached the final countdown. One more week at home and then i’m back to work. w O R K. Ugh! The dreaded W -word. Piper has been doing her settling in days at nursery, and i am so pleased to say that she is doing really well. This week however she has the cold, so my snotty little dottie has needed lots of snuggles, especially in the evening which means not a lot of crafting for mummsy. Never mind. I just hope she gets better soon.

But lucky for you I have found a project that i never got round to sharing with you before now. A scrapbook layout featuring the princess. This is actually the first layout i made after Piper came along. I don’t know why i haven’t shared it before now. I remember making it on the living room table whilst my little smoosh slept in her carry cot beside me. She was so tiny then.

Craig’s parents came down the week after Pi was born. It was awesome. They cleaned, stocked up our fridge, ran trips to the shop, and basically helped with everything. But every little squeak from Piper made Granny and Granda come rushing. It was adorable.