tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20005371599090349312024-03-05T22:31:50.822-08:00The Aimée WayAiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-42387700767478104992014-02-11T12:19:00.000-08:002014-02-11T12:19:48.683-08:00Mickey and Minnie Oreo Valentines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fNq4HqI1rcYuPOQHGjZnYu9m_gtigFXD3sZAoyuOCk7F-DR6rhqLt1h3mCgO_NrQ1FVLlBGU-_VK97GNVEfemaGyYVbzT5YRJUewYrlhmJ7rqsozQTQ8VIXK-TvFJqarg8S20xVn90E/s1600/DSC_0720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fNq4HqI1rcYuPOQHGjZnYu9m_gtigFXD3sZAoyuOCk7F-DR6rhqLt1h3mCgO_NrQ1FVLlBGU-_VK97GNVEfemaGyYVbzT5YRJUewYrlhmJ7rqsozQTQ8VIXK-TvFJqarg8S20xVn90E/s1600/DSC_0720.JPG" /></a></div>
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What's better than Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and OREOS??? Yum!!</div>
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I made these little Mickeys a few years back and decided to resurrect the idea, adding Minnie to the mix this time! </div>
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I needed around 35 valentines this year, so I took a guess on how many packages of Oreos to buy. I wish the packages said how many were in each, but here's what I found:</div>
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1 package of double stuf Oreos= 30 cookies (but a few were broken)</div>
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1 can mini-Oreos= ~26 non-broken cookies</div>
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Make sure that you get double stuf Oreos, there's enough space between the wafers to exactly fit on mini-wafer. </div>
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Separate the mini-Oreos, and scrape out any remaining "stuf" from the middle.</div>
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Chocolate melting: Super easy. Here's how I do it:</div>
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Microwave 1:00 on 20% power (then stir)</div>
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Microwave 0:30 on 20% power (stir)</div>
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Keep warming the chocolate in 30 second increments until it is all melted</div>
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Dip the mini-Oreo in a bit of dark chocolate melts:</div>
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Insert mini-Oreo into the "stuf". Wiggle the mini-Oreo back and forth very slowly to secure it into the "stuf". The big Oreo might crack a bit, or separate from the big "stuf", but don't worry, the chocolate in the next step will hold it all together. </div>
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Melt the pink or red. Note: 50 chocolate melts covered around 15 Oreos. There were approximately 130 melts in the bag.</div>
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Dip Mickey or Minnie into the chocolate, making sure to get the front, back and sides covered. Toward the last cookies, you might need to tilt the cup of chocolate and/or spoon the chocolate over the cookies.</div>
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Carefully place the cookies onto a sheet of waxed paper to dry. They will set up pretty quickly, but you can also put them on a cookie sheet in the freezer to speed it up.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihCzHYc-nboj4Yj8-BYRil_pzfcoRx0ZhyphenhyphenyDMrxrzF6NHlHhVIFZuYC_oiT1QaEeNTKsAKBOmpZAqKiBCXXftmAX5i_IXhctq-o4OGiCv-x91_jUz9C-_Ngx9XCYD2NvHsIgUIP7MqWm0/s1600/DSC_0717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihCzHYc-nboj4Yj8-BYRil_pzfcoRx0ZhyphenhyphenyDMrxrzF6NHlHhVIFZuYC_oiT1QaEeNTKsAKBOmpZAqKiBCXXftmAX5i_IXhctq-o4OGiCv-x91_jUz9C-_Ngx9XCYD2NvHsIgUIP7MqWm0/s1600/DSC_0717.JPG" /></a></div>
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The Duncan Hines cookie icing is great. It's a bit runny, but it self-levels, creating a super smooth, hard icing, so you can stack the cookies when they are fully dry. I added a sugar pearl to Minnie's bow, just for a little bling!</div>
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I love treat toppers! I used Photoshop and a Disney font on a rectangle of cardstock (was able to get 4 per page). Then just folded them in half and stapled them to the tops of the treat bags. </div>
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Happy Valentine's Day! </div>
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Love, Mickey and Minnie</div>
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Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-20782537533407561062014-01-20T12:50:00.000-08:002014-01-20T12:50:03.805-08:00Featured in an Etsy Treasury!My teal chevron toddler outfit has been featured in an Etsy Treasury!<br />
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According to Etsy, a treasury is "an ever-changing, member-curated shopping gallery comprised of lists of items." <br />
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Basically, it's just a collection of items someone loves. Another Etsy shop owner created a treasury and included my outfit! They called it "Winter Teal Prepared". Take a look at the screenshot below (bottom row, second from left), or click <a href="https://www.etsy.com/treasury/MjI0ODYyNjh8MjcyMjk4NTE2Nw/winter-teal-prepared" target="_blank">here</a> to visit the treasury on Etsy to view all these wonderful teal items!<br />
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<span style="color: #7d7773; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXcEgnheD_uQFC8tHyD__PZTI8bEn7qlKy25HM-yoYHoIBOsUhK2KmyBJoQ0CUUYeHIFUffdX15q4PdzYGjTDFUT6TsO1h8wcByybYOuylXKxareaLSgTOGCludW5mCGrDbztquWwD2gw/s1600/treasury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXcEgnheD_uQFC8tHyD__PZTI8bEn7qlKy25HM-yoYHoIBOsUhK2KmyBJoQ0CUUYeHIFUffdX15q4PdzYGjTDFUT6TsO1h8wcByybYOuylXKxareaLSgTOGCludW5mCGrDbztquWwD2gw/s1600/treasury.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></span></div>
Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-59463567070259802282013-11-22T14:13:00.000-08:002013-11-22T14:13:32.781-08:00Halloween Recap: Costumes Costumes Costumes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDt3I5hB2r-xS0vAWzkCZvEgcF_26RqumE6qm4_0X_u8rBChIC4w0fvYgQ9Jq95DEOItv7eoMF1ltLo9h3QczeJsp6992EVuKkFD8-Wmsn88Tx9V7x3h44Z2Z2yuo_dnuK-Z3WMUW2CA/s1600/Halloween.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDt3I5hB2r-xS0vAWzkCZvEgcF_26RqumE6qm4_0X_u8rBChIC4w0fvYgQ9Jq95DEOItv7eoMF1ltLo9h3QczeJsp6992EVuKkFD8-Wmsn88Tx9V7x3h44Z2Z2yuo_dnuK-Z3WMUW2CA/s400/Halloween.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, here is a recap of Halloweens past, and of the fun costumes I made the kids this year. How fun to reminisce about these tiny costumes I made in years past, and how much the kids grow from year to year. I can't believe how big they are getting!</div>
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Drake was only 4 weeks old for his first Halloween. What better costume for the son of a football coach than to BE the football? I made this pattern up myself....a front and back of brown fleece, a big plastic white zipper and some grosgrain ribbon for the stripes. And a fleece hat to match. So of course we went to the football game. He's soooo tiny! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTTaTf3C5kKUA5U7_DQILEOi2fq7co4FgSQrmzdyqlh17ScDe509BY83IeK3brhOxRkBHCwTF_JG4eSUVMqMamfgYSilk_sW9lvptWPNJi-a4TeYvfXbvkcDh9DgrP4hK4e8dJXn5KB8/s1600/Drake2008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTTaTf3C5kKUA5U7_DQILEOi2fq7co4FgSQrmzdyqlh17ScDe509BY83IeK3brhOxRkBHCwTF_JG4eSUVMqMamfgYSilk_sW9lvptWPNJi-a4TeYvfXbvkcDh9DgrP4hK4e8dJXn5KB8/s1600/Drake2008.jpg" /></a></div>
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Look at the difference a year later! A little cowboy! I made a tiny little vest, complete with an embroidered sheriff's badge. And chaps! Tiny, baby sized chaps! Again, I just made up a pattern, tracing a pair of his pants, fringing the edges and adding a velcro closure in the back. Add a hat and boots, a "cool dude" shirt that his Pops gave him, and Viola! The cutest cowboy in the land.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFSnb5vuQOVSkCEgkKm-qX7Wj2-ZUUqYk8qlC6TXLoLAtf488Sdh4bT_OwHxr8NpiJeixPDfZLchLzurp0DRf7Z-9yNgUQwimqtLyMGu_s9dN03oSGq5jvbjfyNNDhyCzAAO6p0L_f4k/s1600/Drake2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFSnb5vuQOVSkCEgkKm-qX7Wj2-ZUUqYk8qlC6TXLoLAtf488Sdh4bT_OwHxr8NpiJeixPDfZLchLzurp0DRf7Z-9yNgUQwimqtLyMGu_s9dN03oSGq5jvbjfyNNDhyCzAAO6p0L_f4k/s1600/Drake2009.jpg" /></a></div>
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Curious George has always been a favorite of mine. For this costume, I followed a pattern,<a href="http://www.simplicity.com/p-3028-toddler-costumes.aspx" target="_blank"> Simplicity 2506</a>, adapting it a bit to make a little George. The body is a fuzzy fleece type material, with felt ears, hands and feet. I embroidered the t-shirt and cut it short so it was the correct proportions. Add Daddy as the Man in the Yellow Hat....perfect! I made the hat and got his pants from Goodwill, and the rest was his!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6BjbSFmv-TRRmvqe81Qlr1weePqw7ecg791Zm1LwKW1KcAdhgVz8Ut6kvn-EVbupAdgwP23sV4BHVyzQwig9mHpn2kdS4Zy-uuVx1YKcjyCPoPvYNe_X0YQZ8tQUyCVoKqKh5iNYwL8s/s1600/CuriousGeorge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6BjbSFmv-TRRmvqe81Qlr1weePqw7ecg791Zm1LwKW1KcAdhgVz8Ut6kvn-EVbupAdgwP23sV4BHVyzQwig9mHpn2kdS4Zy-uuVx1YKcjyCPoPvYNe_X0YQZ8tQUyCVoKqKh5iNYwL8s/s640/CuriousGeorge.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E! His birthday is pretty close to Halloween, so I did dual duty with this one. I made him a long pants jon-jon with an appliqued Mickey that he could wear to his Mickey Mouse birthday party, and then layered Mickey shorts, hat, gloves and yellow shoes to complete his outfit. He still loves Mickey to this day!</div>
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The year of Robots. When he said he wanted to be a robot, I did some serious brainstorming. I just love this costume. I started with a long sleeve t-shirt, sweatpants, and a milk jug. I found a tutorial sort of like <a href="http://lazyhippiemama.com/tag/robot-costume/" target="_blank">this</a> one (can't find the original), covered the shirt and pants with duct tape, cut the top off of the milk jug to make the hat, and covered it in duct tape also. I then added stick on foam panels and shapes on the front and the arms. I got a strand of LED battery powered Christmas lights, poked holes all around the front panel and stuck the bulbs in there. I ran the wires through the arm and taped the battery pack in the wrist, so he could turn the lights on and off, and make them blink! The "eyes" were flickering pumpkin lights. I attached them with velcro since their on/off switch was on the back of the lights. He was his very own flashlight for trick-or-treating! A great bonus was that I could see him really well at night!</div>
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My sweet little violet! I actually had <a href="http://img0.etsystatic.com/000/1/6221044/il_570xN.274468376.jpg" target="_blank">this</a> pattern by Simplicity in my stash. I added a petal collar, the tiniest green tights you've ever seen, and crocheted her a yellow hat like the center of a violet! (I'm all about dual-duty...she still wears this hat!)</div>
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I feel like my kids have grown 5 years in the last 1. They just seem so big and grown up! My sweet boy wanted to be his Christmas elf for Halloween. The child has a countdown calendar to when "Grady McGee" is coming to visit, the day after Thanksgiving. He wore Hanna Andersson striped PJs, with flannel shorts and a flannel top I made following <a href="http://butterick.mccall.com/b5869-products-44947.php?page_id=678" target="_blank">this</a> See & Sew PJ shirt pattern, deleting the ruffles, lengthening it, and adding the slits on the sides. I embroidered the snowflake, and sewed on the belt and bow tie. </div>
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This will probably be my last year to pick her costume, so I chose Dorothy. I just made this pattern up by cutting out a circle skirt and attaching a bib and straps. I crossed the straps in the back and had them button to the skirt. I made matching bows....who can resist these pigtails?!! And of course, gittery red shoes, a basket for "Toto", who was played by her favorite panda, and a tutu underneath the dress to make it really poofy!<br />
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I just love making costumes and creating characters out of my little ones!</div>
<br />Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-74954601559419395432013-09-30T13:50:00.000-07:002013-09-30T13:51:58.149-07:00Snack Packs!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jU8d0M9txPhc43Z8IfmLdTz7GgIkaGhEU2IUYvG4wU4BvmZ7EqVP0RJ3nfeoymjZJExnHXCoBiUtfkopOU6EPR5YpvskfDZh18oa05Zyvna71uMtd3uW87Mr5jeNJv01yJPHqk4Sd44/s1600/snackpack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jU8d0M9txPhc43Z8IfmLdTz7GgIkaGhEU2IUYvG4wU4BvmZ7EqVP0RJ3nfeoymjZJExnHXCoBiUtfkopOU6EPR5YpvskfDZh18oa05Zyvna71uMtd3uW87Mr5jeNJv01yJPHqk4Sd44/s1600/snackpack.jpg" /></a></div>
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Back to school time is so fun. So much excitement, new markers, backpacks and SNACK PACKS! Drake needed a snack pack for school that was separate from his lunch box. </div>
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I found <a href="http://www.maubys.net/2011/11/ultimate-re-usable-snack-bag-machine.html" target="_blank">this</a> tutorial on Pinterest (of course). It calls for a fabric called PUL (Polyurethane Laminate), which is used in cloth diapering. There's some discussion as to whether PUL is food-safe. The FDA hasn't evaluated it, since it's primary use is for diapering, not food, but the Babyville website states that it is BPA, PVC and Phthalate free. I put the snacks in little containers inside of this snack pack, so the food isn't directly touching the fabric anyway. I just like the fact that it's easily wiped out, and is machine washable. </div>
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This tutorial uses a white, plain PUL, but my Joann's has a selection of cute Babyville brand printed PUL (Pricey, so use your coupon!), so I used it for the outside and also the lining. </div>
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I cut out 4 rectangles as per the tutorial, and cut out the corners.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFSMCOxrc6RzfLZDl3ygA5rp-ZYZN7lqnZ-bG33vLaDMg_1Q3t8r3hjcNrX5sYQjO_MbSpDLiA-5n9cpnngJYFisaSOiIyJeI5ZuQ2qdDt0-Cq_9tDS9JOJguEgsUk8gzCu0lkQ2rccU/s1600/IMG_4574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFSMCOxrc6RzfLZDl3ygA5rp-ZYZN7lqnZ-bG33vLaDMg_1Q3t8r3hjcNrX5sYQjO_MbSpDLiA-5n9cpnngJYFisaSOiIyJeI5ZuQ2qdDt0-Cq_9tDS9JOJguEgsUk8gzCu0lkQ2rccU/s1600/IMG_4574.JPG" /></a></div>
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Stitched on the top edge band....</div>
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Temporarily glued the velcro in it's place and then sewed it down (love the glue stick!)</div>
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After stitching up the sides, the bottom corner cut-outs didn't exactly match up, so I trimmed them to match.</div>
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I stitched close to the top edge and then every 1/4" or so down the band.</div>
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I used my sewing machine's built in lettering stitches to put his name on a ribbon backed with interfacing. This isn't the embroidery side of the machine, it's in the sewing side. Perfect size font for a 1/4" ribbon. I stitched this ribbon down the middle of the velcro band.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitCBDE4p48eLnT26hlovbvJh-zkejFlVTBSr3qDeHLGVRirCCihdHWhSO8U7ASoJ9Ssr5t2Yc0uCV9zenhnx6mYG9PpJLDtQpt-hyUW9ooYAgB5sTHChmvxw5JLK76ZFQgdr7Ek-Ys6qc/s1600/ribbon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitCBDE4p48eLnT26hlovbvJh-zkejFlVTBSr3qDeHLGVRirCCihdHWhSO8U7ASoJ9Ssr5t2Yc0uCV9zenhnx6mYG9PpJLDtQpt-hyUW9ooYAgB5sTHChmvxw5JLK76ZFQgdr7Ek-Ys6qc/s1600/ribbon.jpg" /></a></div>
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Finished view of the top. Two little ribbon pulls help little fingers pry the velcro open. Genius!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEGTbbRRzaVhHL82GbMph51GFDSJDq265s7B1Gzd3F3UuuLWNuEKCoANd9cUS_S-VU24GmMBRkQDO5mS4ZxcUQ5SV3xow2JEoHxyIEYqI9b-NhqibJzKno8ZOi570mCrCajdTtuAqcOOk/s1600/IMG_4583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEGTbbRRzaVhHL82GbMph51GFDSJDq265s7B1Gzd3F3UuuLWNuEKCoANd9cUS_S-VU24GmMBRkQDO5mS4ZxcUQ5SV3xow2JEoHxyIEYqI9b-NhqibJzKno8ZOi570mCrCajdTtuAqcOOk/s1600/IMG_4583.JPG" /></a></div>
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And the final product....it's been great! Just big enough for an afternoon snack.<br />
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<br />Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-77402860996341845902013-08-21T14:31:00.000-07:002013-08-22T18:27:03.921-07:00Embroidered Patch Tutorial - Backpacks and Lunchboxes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwZLA-8cZLfn7k0RQHQU8yBy8MbyvRQSMadD-957E-fTvk9_4yDjU-fF_WIDM0OAXcKRju2z5TDywpq4eeEkzW_o4_auYgK4mQC4_0xx_Md91fotGDCr36YmhWd7xJTZ0o8RWxvVKdyl0/s1600/IMG_4498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwZLA-8cZLfn7k0RQHQU8yBy8MbyvRQSMadD-957E-fTvk9_4yDjU-fF_WIDM0OAXcKRju2z5TDywpq4eeEkzW_o4_auYgK4mQC4_0xx_Md91fotGDCr36YmhWd7xJTZ0o8RWxvVKdyl0/s1600/IMG_4498.JPG"></a></div>
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Well, it's that time, back to school! My oldest child started Junior Kindergarten this year, sniff sniff! He's getting so big! We went shopping, just the two of us, and picked out this backpack from Pottery Barn Kids (thank you very much, mall gift card!). </div>
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I've made embroidered patches before, and knew this would be a great use to personalize his backpack, especially since there was no way to hoop it to embroider directly on it. </div>
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First up, pick a design. I found a free download for applique shapes, click <a href="http://fivestarfonts.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=268" target="_blank">here</a> to download! It came with rectangles, rounded edge rectangles and ovals. I added Drake's name and positioned it to the edge of my hoop (I wanted to save fabric and stabilizer).</div>
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Next, I hooped some tear away stabilizer. Probably non-tear away would work better, but this is what I had!</div>
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I pinned my fabric really well to the stabilizer, making sure I had enough room to stitch my design.</div>
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Let's get to work! Ready, set, go!</div>
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I started stitching the rectangle, bad idea. When it got to the satin stitch on the edge, it tore away from the stabilizer. So I just used some sticky back stabilizer to stick it back in the correct spot. </div>
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***NOTE TO SELF, AND YOU......stitch the name first!*****</div>
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I cut away the excess fabric, leaving just stabilizer hooped, and a rectangle of fabric.<br>
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Then stitched in the name (Remember, do the name first!)</div>
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Once it was finished, I tore away all the excess stabilizer, and then cut a rectange a bit smaller than my patch out of Steam-A-Seam. Love this stuff!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jRiBio8xTI560taTvL0PyNdOD5jKpqgqqFztGdHkyDwVqlBSgDlfF2HMHNOw2p1CrZzE40rJs9OFrPM0Z_DZ4gdT3H4qgNq5InaBdZeuYr6FQaQDEOsUVaEYIHdOVCMwyt1yhA3iqow/s1600/IMG_4489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jRiBio8xTI560taTvL0PyNdOD5jKpqgqqFztGdHkyDwVqlBSgDlfF2HMHNOw2p1CrZzE40rJs9OFrPM0Z_DZ4gdT3H4qgNq5InaBdZeuYr6FQaQDEOsUVaEYIHdOVCMwyt1yhA3iqow/s1600/IMG_4489.JPG"></a></div>
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Peel away one layer of paper from the Steam-A-Seam, stick it on the patch, and then pull off the remaining layer of paper. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZeXT4zxaubjAtXb5xF_eKDPXbhlUxIykMUcLhMusywm74gXJT9GJtrAakOuddYSxU-IefikTaqzpYDLF5Tg4eursfY-C9h4BmDhFltX7CiTe42xjJlGJKwjedlhtZ-5DwikSGZNYnOsg/s1600/IMG_4490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZeXT4zxaubjAtXb5xF_eKDPXbhlUxIykMUcLhMusywm74gXJT9GJtrAakOuddYSxU-IefikTaqzpYDLF5Tg4eursfY-C9h4BmDhFltX7CiTe42xjJlGJKwjedlhtZ-5DwikSGZNYnOsg/s1600/IMG_4490.JPG"></a></div>
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I unzipped the front pocket of the backpack, stuck the patch where I wanted it, and pressed it in place. </div>
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The edges don't stick really well....the iron just won't heat up through the satin stitch well. This is why I said cut a rectangle of the Steam-A-Seam a bit smaller than the patch. I used a hot glue gun to run a thin line of glue around the edge to really adhere the patch well. and keep those edges from peeling back in the future.</div>
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Voila! Personalized backpack! <br>
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Here's his lunchbox I personalized for him last year. Same process. It held up all year long. (Laptop lunchbox, LOVED it!)</div>
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And here's my big boy, off to his first day. Love you sweet boy!<br>
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<br>Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-29816514873605064362013-08-08T13:28:00.001-07:002013-08-08T13:28:34.334-07:00Mickey Mouse Calzones!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Oh blog, I'm sorry I've neglected you the last few weeks. After the <a href="http://the-aimee-way.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-disastrous-adventures-of-hot-air.html" target="_blank">Hot Air Balloon Cake fiasco</a>, I got straight away to making custom bows for various cheerleading squads, school spirit shops, and even a travel softball team! Want to see pictures? Click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.161144400737723.1073741829.146140268904803&type=1&l=97072e3d0c" target="_blank">here</a>....and don't forget to "like" The Aimée Way on Facebook!</div>
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I'm always looking for dinner ideas that my almost-5-year-old will eat, and when I found a recipe on Pinterest for heart shaped calzones, I knew I could make my Mickey Mouse loving kid sooo happy! The recipe is from Parenting.com, and is made with whole wheat flour, even better! Click <a href="http://www.parenting.com/article/calzone-recipe-for-kids" target="_blank">here</a> for the recipe.</div>
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After making the dough, I rolled it out, and used a Mickey Mouse cookie cutter to cut out the shapes.</div>
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I filled each with a bit of pizza sauce, cheese, and cubed ham:</div>
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I used a fork to crimp all around the edges. I think a bigger Mickey would allow for more filling, but this was the size of the cookie cutter... </div>
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They puffed up quite nicely in the oven, though some of the filling came through the sides...<br />
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YUM! They were a hit. I even saved some and put them in his lunches the next week.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_PCjcgFb025WpWZS7c2WOoVF0azDO8hhetqEHt288HRSmv1544HNMDMNSCekoGvS9KG7F5M1o8dgXXlmrU7xriRpSuaAxiGT9ep-Ltk3euVBtDe5ghesPpnhE3HgY_KgV7k0-5JElCo/s1600/IMG_4239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_PCjcgFb025WpWZS7c2WOoVF0azDO8hhetqEHt288HRSmv1544HNMDMNSCekoGvS9KG7F5M1o8dgXXlmrU7xriRpSuaAxiGT9ep-Ltk3euVBtDe5ghesPpnhE3HgY_KgV7k0-5JElCo/s1600/IMG_4239.JPG" /></a></div>
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A Mickey plate for a Mickey dinner!</div>
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<br />Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-28326195924111923472013-07-09T18:33:00.000-07:002013-07-09T18:33:26.924-07:00The Disastrous Adventures of the Hot Air Balloon Cake <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I talked in my <a href="http://the-aimee-way.blogspot.com/2013/02/valentines-cookies.html" target="_blank">Valentine Ninja Cookies</a> post about how Kelly Ripa feels like she can do anything if she watches it on TV....I'm sooo the same when it comes to creating stuff. Yes, stuff. Usually it's making things for the kids, or sewing. This time it was THE HOT AIR BALLOON CAKE. Cue sinister music....dun dun DUN. </div>
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A friend asked me to make a cake for a baby shower, and wanted this hot air balloon cake made by <a href="http://jessicakesblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/hot-air-balloon-cake-up-up-and-away.html" target="_blank">Jessicakes</a>. Gorgeous, right? She even has somewhat of a tutorial on her blog on how she made it. So I'm all..."sure, I can do that!". This cake is made up of (6) 6" round cakes and (3) 4" round cakes stacked on top:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAKhXXUY5LReqm0XUgIIxV8JL5GXePf8G6p3SIz4L4vh6PC4BNQhqPR0mimH6ZMxXttIwuEAGZmY8olhCGDW0zeAKwfsXp_5tQju9K_43YsygE-8dNC3lmV1R5jlH6nuVreeXzuPLpf4/s1600/Ash+Shower+27wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAKhXXUY5LReqm0XUgIIxV8JL5GXePf8G6p3SIz4L4vh6PC4BNQhqPR0mimH6ZMxXttIwuEAGZmY8olhCGDW0zeAKwfsXp_5tQju9K_43YsygE-8dNC3lmV1R5jlH6nuVreeXzuPLpf4/s400/Ash+Shower+27wm.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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So I got to baking. All is well! Cakes turn out perfectly, assembly is pretty easy. I supported the cake with a cardboard cake board after the 3rd 6" cake, and then again under the 4" cakes. (I ended up using (5) 6" cakes. I think my cakes baked thicker than Jessicakes). I also used bamboo skewers in multiple locations on each level to keep this tall cake sturdy, making sure I had one going through the entire center.</div>
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Look, level!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBgbQeMDBkbQLjpLYfA3HOfGkk6T25UCfDYsS_yviv_X1EXF1UBXA38hCZsZM1ZQ3oAuSSXOeERGhROxVHLMVkqeJrzaawCzTn5DH3YdmVQn4adLFXhW3hFmzEqjCVPgXTOTpZewM38o/s450/IMG_4243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBgbQeMDBkbQLjpLYfA3HOfGkk6T25UCfDYsS_yviv_X1EXF1UBXA38hCZsZM1ZQ3oAuSSXOeERGhROxVHLMVkqeJrzaawCzTn5DH3YdmVQn4adLFXhW3hFmzEqjCVPgXTOTpZewM38o/s1600/IMG_4243.JPG" /></a></div>
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And because the cakes were thicker, this thing was taaaaallllll..........(look at all that MESS!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdA5EhSQPjhhG4QZ3GXltwYeN7y9urNjnEfChyUb1u7UmzU9exXxSv_hfCY9QZZwv_aqlIhZf670Ipu6Qlw5PHy0etFcp_Jx18SNx_bcO5TTE1SxoIJbPs8v6ZbPVvYAEzh8RYigiZiJ0/s450/IMG_4244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdA5EhSQPjhhG4QZ3GXltwYeN7y9urNjnEfChyUb1u7UmzU9exXxSv_hfCY9QZZwv_aqlIhZf670Ipu6Qlw5PHy0etFcp_Jx18SNx_bcO5TTE1SxoIJbPs8v6ZbPVvYAEzh8RYigiZiJ0/s1600/IMG_4244.JPG" /></a></div>
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So here it is. Crumb coated, just about perfectly level.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qwdcitvWnfpDRNhl6kC0RaMYrMaeBRbcK-9cIzC-k-YzoUPXwm8IVVOYGiMNHsV1uAPBS1jo5Q0z8f6inCSdfITM1e3xVQSOsLD33Rn2FIeBapuSQeA2fRlrbqRSNXF8K8euZouRIMU/s450/IMG_4246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qwdcitvWnfpDRNhl6kC0RaMYrMaeBRbcK-9cIzC-k-YzoUPXwm8IVVOYGiMNHsV1uAPBS1jo5Q0z8f6inCSdfITM1e3xVQSOsLD33Rn2FIeBapuSQeA2fRlrbqRSNXF8K8euZouRIMU/s1600/IMG_4246.JPG" /></a></div>
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On to modeling chocolate! This was fun. I'd never used it before, but it's just chocolate candy melts mixed with corn syrup, and kneaded into a Play-Doh type consistency. It rolled out beautifully, and I got this handy tool to help me cut out the shapes and run decorative lines on them. I used a bit of icing to adhere the sugar pearls. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92P-W3vle7WcbXMEE0AVH7q9GT0sV0ABZMrN_RjkQ_xdWHxryzQpLYj7wY05XyqDKdpIYQEyeZeVF1Z-I3HcAkms7d1Gv6PzQO3nR7baieerctZZUDfWleH3g1xTIuVu-Q_kiWLzJ0NI/s450/IMG_4247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92P-W3vle7WcbXMEE0AVH7q9GT0sV0ABZMrN_RjkQ_xdWHxryzQpLYj7wY05XyqDKdpIYQEyeZeVF1Z-I3HcAkms7d1Gv6PzQO3nR7baieerctZZUDfWleH3g1xTIuVu-Q_kiWLzJ0NI/s1600/IMG_4247.JPG" /></a></div>
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I wasn't about to attempt that striped border, so I used solid blue in the same shape to give it the same effect.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7Ycz3z9lsS2rIShxq6zhe5D0a4qVs06u1EV6zIIWFABLUnZCcxQZAAZgYph7jVt3fPrAYNWcwDFRpJACWUi07r-HK3yxVY4KeWdJIQFM2da999QZL3IlXBX6Cy8CBYw0bgo_ygVrwxM/s450/IMG_4249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7Ycz3z9lsS2rIShxq6zhe5D0a4qVs06u1EV6zIIWFABLUnZCcxQZAAZgYph7jVt3fPrAYNWcwDFRpJACWUi07r-HK3yxVY4KeWdJIQFM2da999QZL3IlXBX6Cy8CBYw0bgo_ygVrwxM/s1600/IMG_4249.JPG" /></a></div>
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The morning of the bridal shower, I adhered the chocolate pieces and added the topper. I'm pretty happy with this cake at this point. Looks pretty close to the original, yay! Hmm. It's leaning just a tad to the right, but that's ok. Nobody's perfect.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfwa2NEDikraw3alHEqnfB6ooP4UjVXw1i5KWEMb4z57mjtGYHw49klYSUBfDIBlZOPbYCUd2bSSwua5UvrH1I1BFK8A1V-oSpCcy_m9I0Z8yDRtAWeshelW2Cs9cn5FX0PQq1hXLZtE/s450/IMG_4250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfwa2NEDikraw3alHEqnfB6ooP4UjVXw1i5KWEMb4z57mjtGYHw49klYSUBfDIBlZOPbYCUd2bSSwua5UvrH1I1BFK8A1V-oSpCcy_m9I0Z8yDRtAWeshelW2Cs9cn5FX0PQq1hXLZtE/s1600/IMG_4250.JPG" /></a></div>
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From the back, not bad! I get a call from my friend that she is on her way to pick it up. Cool. I think she'll like it!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOpctlqF2FlcL16J_OIW0BaWYcq8uUYbLBc6lpNowG89Fum3qvUcmiQs6lJ4-9uws4OaM7vcewvr32SMJvMyPuJaGYd2uKkXlp7wCgZJetvwrXsbcT66l9nlrKybAHzNj6SyziB-wsGs/s450/IMG_4252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOpctlqF2FlcL16J_OIW0BaWYcq8uUYbLBc6lpNowG89Fum3qvUcmiQs6lJ4-9uws4OaM7vcewvr32SMJvMyPuJaGYd2uKkXlp7wCgZJetvwrXsbcT66l9nlrKybAHzNj6SyziB-wsGs/s1600/IMG_4252.JPG" /></a></div>
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My children had spent the night at my parents' house the night before, and my dear husband went to go get them so I had the house to myself. I went ahead and sat down with a cup of coffee. Sigh. A nice reward after hard work. </div>
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And then. </div>
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I went upstairs for something and noticed the cake was leaning a bit more, I think? Maybe it was leaning before? Nooo.....it wasn't leaning that much, was it?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tmvWLFmPAJoD2eTmHHwl0awJe2wqAmaAlnzKj2oXN5CNjEt9WFi7qHtON5fYOkFuJVmbIAqU1jUA433dSi_ETxiY18E14G9YeQsBvPofxN6K14fFCVt4B_rvMCW31xkebRFjTBecQhY/s450/IMG_4251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tmvWLFmPAJoD2eTmHHwl0awJe2wqAmaAlnzKj2oXN5CNjEt9WFi7qHtON5fYOkFuJVmbIAqU1jUA433dSi_ETxiY18E14G9YeQsBvPofxN6K14fFCVt4B_rvMCW31xkebRFjTBecQhY/s1600/IMG_4251.JPG" /></a></div>
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Oh no! Oh my gosh! Someone help me! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDmQNMGlQkyYKzSkqDn_R55-e1znR9te4Q4zRpLPvGcCeA_fAOx4ccqnmECnxPYlqz8oP3cO8bEPncG4i5jK_JHQxkTnATqKC_HzWxsf6eXHlidaRp3E5PUesyjcQqXomv7o92Ak0mW60/s450/IMG_4253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDmQNMGlQkyYKzSkqDn_R55-e1znR9te4Q4zRpLPvGcCeA_fAOx4ccqnmECnxPYlqz8oP3cO8bEPncG4i5jK_JHQxkTnATqKC_HzWxsf6eXHlidaRp3E5PUesyjcQqXomv7o92Ak0mW60/s1600/IMG_4253.JPG" /></a></div>
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I get to the cake just as it TOTALLY falls over. So here I am, by myself in the house, holding this cake with two hands. The platter it's on is sliding all over the counter top, and I'm just frozen, trying to figure out what to do...trying not to cry or laugh hysterically. I wish I had this on video. </div>
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Carefully I transfer my hands so I'm holding it with one hand, and quickly take off all of the chocolate decorations. I grab a plate, and in the fastest motion you've ever seen me move, I picked up the top blue part, stuck it on the plate and caught the cake again. I separated the white cake at the cake board and put it on plates too. </div>
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Did I mention that my friend is almost at the house to pick up the cake? Holy panic. What do I do? The only think I could think of was to run to Publix and buy a sheet cake. But they didn't have a plain one, so I got one with pink roses on it. They were NOT easy to get off of the cake, and I realized I needed to put a layer of icing on top of this cake. But of COURSE I don't have all the ingredients for another batch of icing. so back to the store I go. (nerves.panic.hysteria)</div>
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And then, the icing I made would NOT stick to the Publix icing. Finally I got it to smooth out just enough, added my decorations back on it, and Voila! New hot air balloon cake. Definitely not as awesome as the original cake, but passable. In a panic, in a pinch, it turned out ok in the end. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1Jb2H8U7F7B3BC-kQ5sSX2nkfSf_gynVmrIxDXHH96epF6BN2amEn9kFfGuVaj4rdXf27pNB-5bS3z3G8GQId_pGSBWGIVtH_dZpJTEl4DJFDv4icq8-QlO8vasLWPOMylEK5jRXU2w/s450/IMG_4254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl1Jb2H8U7F7B3BC-kQ5sSX2nkfSf_gynVmrIxDXHH96epF6BN2amEn9kFfGuVaj4rdXf27pNB-5bS3z3G8GQId_pGSBWGIVtH_dZpJTEl4DJFDv4icq8-QlO8vasLWPOMylEK5jRXU2w/s1600/IMG_4254.JPG" /></a></div>
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I don't have a lot of pictures of the disaster, but here's a shot of the remains of the white part of the cake in the background:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8dPXDp1mWlb5_GRcBGif6VaYGpzX1ZHm14WvqVkm_fdXA75HUBeUBuHhdpp9YpqA8dg_O0cyjB6gDnMQxPuC_eCgTQ4lEZMna0-_cxDKdEr8HWOtfkt8qrVZFpG51Hoomu97vx1hhRc/s450/IMG_4255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8dPXDp1mWlb5_GRcBGif6VaYGpzX1ZHm14WvqVkm_fdXA75HUBeUBuHhdpp9YpqA8dg_O0cyjB6gDnMQxPuC_eCgTQ4lEZMna0-_cxDKdEr8HWOtfkt8qrVZFpG51Hoomu97vx1hhRc/s1600/IMG_4255.JPG" /></a></div>
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I was able to salvage the blue part of the cake, and added a small hot air balloon to it. The cake table was really pretty. What a huge relief that it turned out ok. I think my cake was not dense enough to stack that high, that narrow, etc. Note to self, don't make this cake again. I delivered the cake to the baby shower, came home, resumed my spot on the couch, but this time I had a beer. Sigh.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjva1gt8V2rwhAXVz94mXr-EijunCuCNQLIHM7p4weRCWPZ0_JzEetUKjv4x1ZV4LZczhZeJfsff22_PGnQ1gQ5G7DozVO1dApmluBjgkbwgmLrkC5tKKWMCpDtKlDyr-lMsVW9pP2W0Ag/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjva1gt8V2rwhAXVz94mXr-EijunCuCNQLIHM7p4weRCWPZ0_JzEetUKjv4x1ZV4LZczhZeJfsff22_PGnQ1gQ5G7DozVO1dApmluBjgkbwgmLrkC5tKKWMCpDtKlDyr-lMsVW9pP2W0Ag/s1600/photo.jpg" /></a></div>
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I ended up salvaging part of the white cake as well. I put the remaining hot air balloons on it, made a new topper and brought it to welcome my in-laws to Tennessee. They just moved here, yay! (Drake wrote "Love Drake Violet" on the bottom banner)</div>
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So I have to resign myself to the fact that I actually CAN'T do everything. Remind me that next time, mmmkay?</div>
<br />Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-52657920359501217042013-06-15T18:20:00.000-07:002013-06-15T18:20:43.072-07:00Fabulous Peplum Shirt From a Man's Dress Shirt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3cMuhI-98C_QI5lUoSAEWnngDWCy_CFQwv1JSEE_unM4yrYUSs8x-KWvn6LnOC67HwCWSmts3XkeGcTQvekjGMOhN5jz6C-L_miA8GKbJFEZ1lXvtxEq-wgqAPQlk1NRtuAthSUpnSs/s1600/beforeafter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3cMuhI-98C_QI5lUoSAEWnngDWCy_CFQwv1JSEE_unM4yrYUSs8x-KWvn6LnOC67HwCWSmts3XkeGcTQvekjGMOhN5jz6C-L_miA8GKbJFEZ1lXvtxEq-wgqAPQlk1NRtuAthSUpnSs/s400/beforeafter.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">I've really wanted to refashion one of my husband's dress shirts ever since I saw </span><a href="http://www.cottonandcurls.com/2012/10/mens-button-up-to-womens-button-up-tutorial-or-button-up-peplum-top-tutorial/" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">this tutorial</a><span style="text-align: left;"> by </span><a href="http://www.cottonandcurls.com/" style="text-align: left;">www.cottonandcurls.com</a><span style="text-align: left;">. There are some great pictures on that tutorial! I did a few things differently, so I took some pictures of my own along the way. </span></div>
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Here's the before picture....super huge on me, obviously, but beautiful fabric. Tiny light blue stripes. However, my husband had gotten red ink on the cuffs. I felt like I was wearing dress-up clothes here!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqEHI_vSD5b7rP9uY2D0UQliQYj23_eLUpqmMQw3y9A5cgDU_tFQWUW7LqVkE6ppVuxI1wsyyAzNmKBJBeUEqECvk6W2GYODXifkzD0irgmSr8AS5q8jktv8qpF8kzUSYU2PagpIvlZc/s1600/before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPqEHI_vSD5b7rP9uY2D0UQliQYj23_eLUpqmMQw3y9A5cgDU_tFQWUW7LqVkE6ppVuxI1wsyyAzNmKBJBeUEqECvk6W2GYODXifkzD0irgmSr8AS5q8jktv8qpF8kzUSYU2PagpIvlZc/s1600/before.jpg" /></a></div>
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So I got to work and cut the shirt around where my natural waist is, and also cut the sleeves completely off.<br />
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I put the shirt on inside out, and pinned the sides, marking horizontally with pins where the armhole should start. I also put a pin (not shown in this pic) where the shoulder seam should be.</div>
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I stitched up the sides and serged the edges. I then recut the armholes from the side seam up to the pin I put in the previous step. </div>
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Now to the bottom half of the shirt. It was going to be too long on me, so I took off a few inches. I will use this strip in one of the steps later. I ran a basting stitch around the top of the remaining piece of fabric, gathered it up, and stitched it to the top part of the shirt. I didn't take pictures of this, but the tutorial I linked to above has some pics.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1GpjjMzyaOXoIQEngSRMrl_KCGSGfTW6Yx2r485oTqzkJJfDl6q_G-XLz9IN2OXOBmtYOL7E57-Uiwo4_I746VFRrX4t7C8ta2s31JqiNKaMWuS_pSTIv6RwwGtzcXlMDuftRRtuZoAs/s1600/IMG_4179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1GpjjMzyaOXoIQEngSRMrl_KCGSGfTW6Yx2r485oTqzkJJfDl6q_G-XLz9IN2OXOBmtYOL7E57-Uiwo4_I746VFRrX4t7C8ta2s31JqiNKaMWuS_pSTIv6RwwGtzcXlMDuftRRtuZoAs/s1600/IMG_4179.jpg" /></a></div>
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Then I cut a strip off of the top of each sleeve to use for binding the armholes. I was thinking of putting some short sleeves on this top, but after cutting off the ink stained cuffs, it just didn't look right. So sleeveless it is!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbnUIHie5K6c2L-NHUpVe_qrOuit1eR9m13w8iZt7yXJ6pFWYFgSDGXUAVZ5etN_mi-9ySDnz0MddZx8wKqh8aTWTdXEeKqSonwCRUMaUVV2OE1iPBjxRtDbHhZjDgmEZ-bIIlBlOtAk/s1600/IMG_4181.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbnUIHie5K6c2L-NHUpVe_qrOuit1eR9m13w8iZt7yXJ6pFWYFgSDGXUAVZ5etN_mi-9ySDnz0MddZx8wKqh8aTWTdXEeKqSonwCRUMaUVV2OE1iPBjxRtDbHhZjDgmEZ-bIIlBlOtAk/s1600/IMG_4181.jpg" /></a></div>
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I pinned the strip I cut off of the sleeves to the armholes (right sides together). Then stitched!</div>
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I flipped the binding around to the inside and turned the edges under. Then I pinned like crazy and then stitched in the ditch from the right side of the shirt.<br />
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Remember the strip I cut off of the bottom half of the shirt? I used that to make a waistband detail. I turned under the seam allowance on the bottom part of the waistband and stitched it on. Then I carefully turned down the top seam allowance, and made sure that it all matched up when buttoned. Then stitched it down!</div>
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The vertical seams on either side of the placket are actually the original side seams of the shirt. I made sure they were pretty evenly spaced from the buttons, so it ended up looking sort of like a buckle. </div>
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And here's my best America's Next Top Model pose. Go ahead, you can laugh. I don't think they take models that are 4' 10 1/2". So fierce! Tyra, I'm smizing behind those sunglasses!</div>
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<br />Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-2917293465945847862013-06-03T18:54:00.000-07:002013-06-04T11:34:04.197-07:00Violet's Felt Name Book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's finally done! Violet's felt name book. If you haven't seen Drake's, check it out <a href="http://the-aimee-way.blogspot.com/2013/02/drakes-felt-name-book.html" target="_blank">here</a>, that post shows a lot of my processes, and this post will just be about Violet's finished book.</div>
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Obviously, violets on Miss Violet's cover page.....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8Phun28xhIJNOKUmVeLfqOJ05D9YMY9jcNEK-mG_Sza0TlkTSu5cLKpHECXwGro3QjjwnuFRzHAJqAnCeJ-u-f0ix2AZQtyT6T0S8u90LotdU-hOv1nVQCr5MBA1DD9GNbR4U2Ao-YI/s1600/Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8Phun28xhIJNOKUmVeLfqOJ05D9YMY9jcNEK-mG_Sza0TlkTSu5cLKpHECXwGro3QjjwnuFRzHAJqAnCeJ-u-f0ix2AZQtyT6T0S8u90LotdU-hOv1nVQCr5MBA1DD9GNbR4U2Ao-YI/s1600/Cover.jpg"></a></div>
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V for violin, lots of layers of felt and trying to keep lines of embroidery straight!</div>
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Ice Cream! Sprinkles! Yay!</div>
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Sweet little Owls. Satin stitched beaks and leaves.</div>
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Lollipops....bunting....bows!</div>
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E is for eggs. I tried to make this a sort of embroidery sampler page. Scroll down to see a close up of some of the stitches. Again, like with Drake's book, <a href="http://www.embroidery.rocksea.org/reference/picture-dictionary/" target="_blank">this site</a> was essential in learning different stitches and for getting ideas.</div>
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Tea time!</div>
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Marguerite is the french word for daisy, so a field of daisies! I also was not going to create a page for each letter....M-A-R-G-U-E-R-I-T-E......so many letters! Not enough time!!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUr7QRCmeaGdvCLHBVPPxgm0O_ckPyJLhyphenhyphenmX3icUpyMjk4g7gF7Ye8ZaQ15v2nwwtboM1pkgGE8WVuRf_K2xJuKlfGDLjk_t00yity7IGUFMJjEGfOKG8-36tWihE_jaSnMa2IGBHePWk/s1600/Marguerite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUr7QRCmeaGdvCLHBVPPxgm0O_ckPyJLhyphenhyphenmX3icUpyMjk4g7gF7Ye8ZaQ15v2nwwtboM1pkgGE8WVuRf_K2xJuKlfGDLjk_t00yity7IGUFMJjEGfOKG8-36tWihE_jaSnMa2IGBHePWk/s640/Marguerite.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
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To my sweet girl, I love her so much!</div>
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Here are a few close ups of the stitches....</div>
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Note the double threaded backstitch for the branches, blanket stitched tree trunk, and satin stitched beaks and leaves.</div>
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So many stitches! It was fun to try out some new ones on the eggs.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJuuw2w1jDBS6AzvS60KDlU08CYUbWe9m-ftQIQ2vvaliGrASYMvFjb387HZLqAZgIf-f_QLbk69UWpl20WVNmQPqy9hJEdyHCjiVM2dW864mBrIq3j3cAlluUK-nEVFeswlOK9_HOqo/s1600/Eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJuuw2w1jDBS6AzvS60KDlU08CYUbWe9m-ftQIQ2vvaliGrASYMvFjb387HZLqAZgIf-f_QLbk69UWpl20WVNmQPqy9hJEdyHCjiVM2dW864mBrIq3j3cAlluUK-nEVFeswlOK9_HOqo/s1600/Eggs.jpg"></a></div>
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Braided chain stitch teacup handles:</div>
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She couldn't sit still enough to see all of the pages, but I know she will love it over time.<br>
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Drake was just thrilled to give it to her....so sweet.<br>
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<br>Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-61947083449832278922013-05-31T18:52:00.000-07:002013-05-31T18:52:50.804-07:00Exciting things for The Aimée Way! Etsy, Facebook, Celebrities....Things are starting to get rolling! I have a few projects to blog about, never fear, but just a few updates on what's been going on lately!
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I finally got my Etsy shop set up! Click the link below my blog header to go visit my shop. I got my first sale already, one of the teal chevron boy outfits. So exciting! Anyone out there have an Etsy shop? I'd love any advice!
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I've added a few things to the right side of this blog. First off, I set up a Facebook page. It will be a great place to post about my blog, Etsy shop, and whatever new and exciting things that are going on, so take a look at "like" my page! Just click the link over there ----->
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There's also a new way to follow my blog. Simply input your email in the field on the right. It'll ask you to copy in some letters and numbers to make sure you are a real person (you are, right?) and then it'll send you an email. You have to click the link in your email to confirm that you do indeed want to follow this blog by email. (AND YOU DO....RIGHT???). This way, any time I post something, you'll get an email so you can read it and never miss another post.
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I know you've only reading this to find out about the celebrities, right? Well, I have toddler outfits going to two celebrities! Watch out, Hollywood babies!
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I went to high school with Reese Witherspoon. We cheered together, and had lots of classes together. It's been so cool to see how well she has done with her career over the years. Unfortunately we have not stayed in touch, but I have a friend who has, and is giving her an outfit as a gift for her third child, Tennessee James.<br />
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Here's a blast from the past, Reese and I in our cheer uniforms (Reese second from the right, and I'm on the right next to her). This is a pic that Reese gave me as a Christmas present one year:<br />
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Remember that show, Blossom? Remember her best friend, "Six"? </center>
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That's actress, Jenna von Oy. I have a friend who knows her, and she got one of my outfits for her as a gift for her little girl, Gray. Jenna has a blog, <a href="http://www.cradlechronicles.com/">www.cradlechronicles.com</a>. She has some darling pictures of her and baby Gray (who is now a year old!) Darling!</center>
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So exciting! I hope they both love their outfits!!!</center>
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Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-31467166596754030612013-05-19T18:49:00.001-07:002013-05-23T12:14:40.713-07:00Cakes, Cakes and More Cakes!<b:include data='blog' name='all-head-content'/>
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After making Ruthie's birthday cake, I got to reminiscing about cakes that I have done for my own kids the last few years. I've had so much fun coming up with ideas and making them come to life! (This is a super long post, covering the last 4 years of birthday cakes, so hoooold on......here we go!)</div>
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So....I love Curious George. Therefore, my son does too :). So we decided on good ole Georgie for Drake's first birthday theme. </div>
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I have a huge family. My mom is the oldest of 11 children, and we have 20+ family members here in town. So I generally have done a kids/friends party in the morning, and a family party for the evening. I've tried to work my cakes so that I can just make one big cake, and keep most of the design intact for the evening party. I made a big rectangle cake with a circle on top, serving the rectangle for the kid party, saving the George part for the evening party. </div>
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I always frost my cakes with buttercream, and for the details, I made my own fondant with marshmallows! I don't remember the exact recipe, but there's several online. I used it for George's face, head, ears and eyes, and then piped the black details (so hard to color icing black!)</div>
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Here's my little man, so cute! Looks just like Violet!<br />
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Fast forward a year! Look at this little boy! Not much baby left in this 2 year old! Drake's godfather made him this special birthday plate, so we try and use it as much as we can on birthday week! These are the cupcakes he took to school. Pretty simple!</div>
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By the time Drake was two, he was full on obsessed with cars. Especially Daddy's Yellow Car (a yellow VW bug). So we decided to go with a car theme, and a D.Y.C. cake. For this cake, I did three tiers of cake, with a cake car on top. I made fondant again, in gray to wrap around each layer like roads, and in black for the hubcaps. Maybe I should have done black tires with gray hubcaps, oh well. </div>
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I wish I had a video, but I successfully used two large spatulas under the D-R-A-K-E layer, and transferred the top two tiers (and car) to another tray, and served the cake from the bottom layer to the morning guests. So it was a complete cake for the evening!</div>
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Cars are still an obsession to this date, but when we got close to his 3rd birthday, all he could talk about was Mickey Mouse. There was no question as to the theme of this birthday! I did the three layer cake again. The Mickey hat is cake with fondant on top (this time I bought a small bucket of fondant, it's so hard to color stuff black like I said before!). I cheated a bit with the ears....they are cardboard covered in fondant. <br />
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The candle holders were a gift from my aunt when Drake was a baby. There are 5 silver circus animals. They are soooo cute! I love to pull them out at birthday time!<br />
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Mikey and Minnie!! I made Drake black corduroy longalls with a Mickey applique on it. Stay tuned for a birthday outfits post! (I was about 7 months pregnant with Violet here!)<br />
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On....to....ROBOTS! This was a really fun one to do. This little guy looks like he's going to Eeep Beep Boop, stand up and walk off the cake plate! The body and head are made of 3 layers of cake (8" and 6" squares), and the legs are one 6" square cut in half. All of the nuts, bolts, wrenches, etc are chocolate. I used <a href="http://www.amazon.com/TOOLS-ASSORTMENT-Dads-Candy-Chocolate/dp/B000EHNGDC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368997332&sr=8-1&keywords=tools+chocolate+mold" target="_blank">this mold</a> for the wrenches (arms and ears), and <a href="http://www.bakerscandc.com/nut-bolt-chocolate-mold-1300.html" target="_blank">this mold</a> for the nuts and bolts. I stood up lollipop sticks in the chocolate molds, so that I could push the nuts into the cake and they would not fall off. There are mini <a href="http://www.suntekstore.com/goods-14005181-robot_pattern_silicone_chocolate_muffin_mold_tray.html" target="_blank">chocolate robots</a> on the cake board as well, which I used for cupcake toppers for school. So cute!!!</div>
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I discovered a new product that I used for the face and name plate...Wilton's Sugar Sheets. You can get them at Michael's in many colors and patterns, and it cuts with scissors or a craft knife. I printed out the letters on computer paper, cut them out, and used them as a template for the Sugar Sheet letters. You just adhere them with water, and they are eatable. (though I wouldn't cover an entire cake in it, it's not thaaaat good to eat. But a good layer of buttercream underneath, and you can just peel it off if you don't like it) </div>
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Oh the elation on his face!!!</div>
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Not cake related, but these were the goodie bags and Nuts and Bolts snacks (pretzels, cheerios and M&Ms)</div>
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And now on to my precious little lady, Violet! Or, as Drake calls her "Our Little Sweet Potato", lol. </div>
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At one, they don't really have things they are super into yet. For Drake, I just chose George, so for Violet, I decided to give her a Violet Cake. I got a silicone flower mold, and some violet gumpaste. This is the <a href="http://www.flourconfections.com/petal-blossom-mold-p-863.html" target="_blank">mold</a>:</div>
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Here are a bunch of finished violets, with a dot of yellow buttercream in the middle. This heart cake pan was the one my mom used on my first birthday cake! I ended up serving appetizers in them :)</div>
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I did three cake layers, and pressed the violets along the edges. I used Sugar Sheets again for the lettering and the 1. I brushed on some luster dust on the 1 to make it a bit glittery. </div>
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Surprise! Ombré cake! I separated the cake batter and colored each layer a bit more purple. </div>
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So pretty on a plate!</div>
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And here she is, my precious little doll. I made her dress, of course ;)</div>
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<br />Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-59765637915879621502013-05-09T18:04:00.000-07:002013-05-09T18:04:07.744-07:00Ruth's 30th Birthday One Direction Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My cousin Ruth turned 30 recently, and I was asked to make the cake for her. She's a HUGE boyband fan. Especially One Direction! However, she was very indecisive as to what she wanted for her birthday. Did she want pink and girly? Did she want One Direction? Did she want a cake? Did she want cupcakes? So I got my creative juices going and came up with something that would hopefully be the most perfect cake she'd ever seen (and I think I lived up to it!). Pink, pearl-y, rhinestone-y, One Direction-y and last but not least, silver glittered microphone cupcakes!<br /></div>
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I gathered my supplies...Duncan Hines Butter Golden cake mixes (the best cake mix in my opinion!), ice cream cones, bamboo skewers, rhinestones, sparkly scrapbook paper, candy pearls, silver sprinkles....</div>
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I started with the cake toppers. I used a variety of sparkly scrapbook papers and cut out the decorations.</div>
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A little glue, a whole lot of rhinestones....</div>
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And bamboo skewers hot glued to the backs, covered with another piece of scrapbook paper to hide the glue.</div>
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I wanted her to be able to keep the toppers, so I took a block of floral foam and wrapped it with pretty wrapping paper, and stuck all the skewers into it (the bunting is hung on braided embroidery floss). This helped us transport the toppers as well. </div>
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On to the cake! I made three 8" round cakes and froze them so they were easier to frost. I gave them a really thin crumb coat. I have a few tools, including a Wilton angled spatula, another cake spatula, but in this case, I just used my trusty Cutco spatula spreader. </div>
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After letting that set for a while, I added a thick top coat (using the Wilton spatula this time). After this top coat dried, I tried a version of the <a href="http://cakecentral.com/tutorial/how-to-create-faux-fondant-the-paper-smoothing-towel-method-viva" target="_blank">Viva paper towel trick</a>. The original trick utilizes a Viva paper towel (the only brand that has smooth paper towels with no quilting imprinted on them). You place the paper towel on top of the frosting (once it's set) and smooth out any imperfections with your hand. Well, I hate buying a whole roll of paper towels just for this method, so I decided to try using a piece of printer paper. It worked wonderfully! </div>
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Look how smooth the cake turned out! </div>
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I used one of the extra skewers to impress diagonal lines on the cake. I then piped a dot of buttercream into the intersections and added sugar pearls. I also added large and small sugar pearls (the large ones have chocolate in them!) around the bottom edge.</div>
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Now for the microphone cupcakes! I filled each cone to the inner edge with batter.</div>
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Then I iced them, and rolled them in a bowl full of silver sprinkles. So pretty!</div>
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I made an insert for my cupcake carrier so the cones wouldn't tip over during transport.<br />
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And here is the finished product! So pink! So 1-D! So sparkly! I love it! And she loved it, even more importantly.</div>
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<br />Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-5871138670142898992013-05-06T08:36:00.001-07:002013-05-06T08:36:35.673-07:00Craft Fair Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Whew! After two months of sewing sewing sewing, I finally had my craft show! Unfortunately it poured raining, and we had to be in the gym. It definitely hurt attendance, but I did make some sales despite it all! It was so fun to see the other artists and their work, including a student made 3D printer, Tye Dye Mary, and beautiful paintings, both student and professional. <br />
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Here's a few pics of my set up. I had two tables that I placed at angles to each other. I was really fun to see all of my work displayed so neatly in front of me. <br />
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Here's some of my bows, my headbands displayed on the <a href="http://the-aimee-way.blogspot.com/2013/04/no-sew-headband-storage.html" target="_blank">stand I made</a>, some pacifier straps and some super soft baby blankets with elephants on them!</div>
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This table had all of the teal, multi-color and helipcopter prints. </div>
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The second table had all of my silver and cardinal MBA colors. Matching outfits, hair bows, pacifier straps and burp cloths. I love how my poster of my promo pictures turned out. So cute! </div>
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The boys at MBA made us all signs for our spots. The color matches my collection!<br />
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I had a vinyl sign made at Staples (only $10 + shipping!) and hung some of the pieces. I think I like this part of the display the best!</div>
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It was a fun day. I sold some things, saw some friends, and visited with the other artists. Next step, set up and Etsy shop with the leftover inventory. Stay tuned!</div>
<br />Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-57115840144414498782013-04-24T17:37:00.001-07:002013-04-24T17:37:59.791-07:00Endada Art and Music Festival!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have been a creative force to be reckoned with lately! The last few months I have been preparing for a booth at the 3rd annual Endada Art and Music Festival held at Montgomery Bell Academy, where my husband teaches and coaches. It's a place near and dear to my heart, as I was a cheerleader there in high school and I coached the cheerleaders the last 6 years myself. </div>
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I have been a mini factory, designing, creating patterns, and sewing toddler clothing. I love sewing for my own children, and have had so much fun with this endeavor. I made outfits for children sizes 12-18mo, 2T/3T and 4T/5T. I picked three of my favorite fabrics for each, and made 3 pieces per size. So that's 27 skirts. 27 shorts. 27 Polos. 27 tops. I can't get that movie "27 Dresses" out of my head. Maybe I should have made dresses. </div>
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I've also made hair accessories and some baby items as well....scroll down to see!</div>
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Without further ado, here is my collection! It's simply called {aimée}.</div>
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For my fellow MBA fans, gray chevron with cardinal accents. </div>
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I love this blue chevron. I added colorful fabrics underneath the buttons on the polo and added a coordinating patch pocket. </div>
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The girls top is reminiscent of a tuxedo shirt, with tiny buttons in the center. I love this boys outfit, with colorful helicopters flying around!</div>
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MBA hair bows! I am so excited how these turned out. I just adore them. The center is a metal backed button. I also made pacifier clips with these same buttons. Adorable! (I am taking orders for custom logo bows....do you have a team that needs coordinating bows? Contact me at aimeegolenor@yahoo.com)</div>
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Look how cute the edge is! ROLL RED ROLL!!!</div>
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And now for my models. My son and daughter were good sports and actually stayed still for a few minutes!</div>
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We recruited a few friends on a beautiful day to photograph the clothing. I love how the pictures turned out, especially the ones with the kids in motion!</div>
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Come see me at Endada!<br />
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<br />Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-69686670760539406792013-04-10T13:28:00.000-07:002013-04-10T20:41:16.271-07:00POW! BAM! Comic Book Murals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZj9BmIqOSmSuC29GbwQyAe3LE2bftVdJB1dmtliHLNWKBOvg6wj51Xx5FZ18qoRx3_qBENfHVtdB0hw2FEKxLoWu-QeHjsqEMBSPT67oP76TuAkDezKkdwIpByi68AajvmsZbis6BZs/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZj9BmIqOSmSuC29GbwQyAe3LE2bftVdJB1dmtliHLNWKBOvg6wj51Xx5FZ18qoRx3_qBENfHVtdB0hw2FEKxLoWu-QeHjsqEMBSPT67oP76TuAkDezKkdwIpByi68AajvmsZbis6BZs/s1600/photo+2.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My best friend Jess is renovating her house, and has the cutest room for her son, who is 6. He's totally into superheros right now, so that's the theme of the room. She had an awesome idea to have some murals on the wall, and I jumped at the opportunity. I love to paint on walls. Just ask my mom, when I was little I drew all over my bedroom walls. I was only about 3 at the time, but I have definite memories of having to clean it up myself. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My first step was to design something in Powerpoint. I like using Powerpoint for graphics, I feel like you can manipulate things easily and change things. Perfect for roughing up an idea. Jess sent me a few ideas that she'd seen and I worked from there. Here's what I came up with:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jess has a tiny projector that you put a USB memory stick in, and can project on to the wall. I taped off the points, and used a trick that I love to make the edges really sharp. You know how sometimes when you peel back the painters tape, it bleeds a bit and looks rough? Can't have that in a superhero's room! The trick is to take the wall color (or clear acrylic craft paint if you don't have wall color), and paint from the inside toward the outside, filling up any gaps with wall color/clear. After this dries, you can paint whatever color you want, and when you peel the tape, it's a perfect, razor sharp edge! I used this trick in Drake's bedroom, where I did an orange stripe around the room. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jess graciously put on a coat of primer before I came back the next time, so the white background would be really opaque. Then I hooked up the projector again and sketched out the design.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRadIWs_Z5io7CgfPmG8oAf1ItimkZDRfbAYQrPNnVfczvZglJ-6GPJwTOgOGOaIRvED5c_IMCMn78fhFZcP7M6jmEydvJznqIUcfgQ_nSMn8uWByOUl6V3UfR8TpcNj112CJFmdccpyE/s1600/photo+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRadIWs_Z5io7CgfPmG8oAf1ItimkZDRfbAYQrPNnVfczvZglJ-6GPJwTOgOGOaIRvED5c_IMCMn78fhFZcP7M6jmEydvJznqIUcfgQ_nSMn8uWByOUl6V3UfR8TpcNj112CJFmdccpyE/s1600/photo+4.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I started filling in the color, and it began to came alive! I also added primer where the letters extended past the points (probably should have done this at the same time as the points, oh well)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN5iW0Ep0itE1XyDJgF8OODjEr9R0EwQevw1V1_wZHLCi4GUH9NZzu3HV2gVd61-qJji2m-i2qziD2tRodxdtH8sOwiYieLfjruvXFD1EXj9yVrHmSG2Xvl8XWyk0PTLJSCy58un96cdk/s1600/photo+1+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN5iW0Ep0itE1XyDJgF8OODjEr9R0EwQevw1V1_wZHLCi4GUH9NZzu3HV2gVd61-qJji2m-i2qziD2tRodxdtH8sOwiYieLfjruvXFD1EXj9yVrHmSG2Xvl8XWyk0PTLJSCy58un96cdk/s1600/photo+1+(1).JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The final step was to outline in black. This was the trickiest part. I used a Sharpie and a straight edge for the most part, but the tip kept getting gunked up with residue from the paint or something, so I used a paint pen as well. Same thing happened with the paint pen, but somehow I was able to get it outlined just enough. I used black paint to fill in the larger areas after outlining with the Sharpie.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The black just makes it jump out of the wall, doesn't it? Very dynamic if I do say so myself! All in all, I think it took me about 12 hours to complete both murals. Almost hard to tell this one from the Powerpoint one!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And a few shots of the darling room. I love how it's a classic room infused with some fun superhero stuff added in. I love the white wood ceiling, it's just so inviting. </div><br />
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Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-49648245657834320802013-04-07T09:21:00.000-07:002013-04-07T09:21:30.189-07:00Crochet Toys<br />
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I love creating toys for my kids. It's so fun to create imaginative, colorful, simple things that they will love. </div>
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I love these blocks that I made for Drake when he was a baby. Soooo simple, no pattern, just single crochet squares and whip stitch them together, stuff them with foam and add decorative details. A great way to use up all those yarn remnants! I ran out of a few colors, so added squares and circles of other colors. I think it worked out fine!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgUMZntT6AHc-X0tQPGkUwrMiJJJCwKV5-0hVo8OLLWZGD16HmqmUsnCDSj_ofo2LorOsoG2rk3h_194Q3ga2frDEOo0lK0wOOsi0pmWVhpKLkZEAHDo08Gcn8-5TLLEbxnGvLS1MQ4A/s1600/IMG_3730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgUMZntT6AHc-X0tQPGkUwrMiJJJCwKV5-0hVo8OLLWZGD16HmqmUsnCDSj_ofo2LorOsoG2rk3h_194Q3ga2frDEOo0lK0wOOsi0pmWVhpKLkZEAHDo08Gcn8-5TLLEbxnGvLS1MQ4A/s1600/IMG_3730.JPG" /></a></div>
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I did the letters free hand crochet, just making it up as I went, but here is a great tutorial for crocheting letters <a href="http://www.mooglyblog.com/the-moogly-crochet-alphabet/" target="_blank">(click here)</a>:<br />
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<img src="http://www.mooglyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/The-Moogly-Alphabet-All.jpg" />
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Hoo! Hoo! I love this little owl. So cute! <a href="http://www.coatsandclark.com/Crafts/Crochet/Projects/BabyChild/WT1741+Cutest+Little+Owl.htm" target="_blank">Here</a>'s his original pattern, which called for hard doll eyes. I crocheted little circles instead so he was all soft.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKzKHHSTDj9LOfyIZotgQ_q-CFgUhbHyceWOYL2_P2rSM7lRvr7zHFzi0-bvH_2VP9KFf-kbltZL6ABPuaXgpgTYUA1Hsb0LPRyu95X16qk7acVXmESJjSdP82E8gw9MJJ8tActDXHpGQ/s1600/IMG_3722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKzKHHSTDj9LOfyIZotgQ_q-CFgUhbHyceWOYL2_P2rSM7lRvr7zHFzi0-bvH_2VP9KFf-kbltZL6ABPuaXgpgTYUA1Hsb0LPRyu95X16qk7acVXmESJjSdP82E8gw9MJJ8tActDXHpGQ/s1600/IMG_3722.JPG" /></a></div>
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Look at this little guy! I'd like you to meet Chubby the Fish: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4lBCSe6jVXXOeHrgjagcS7ES5jX_XEaIZ5NHye_1CL6FhPldw_u2OFjFaffpD9ziQhpKo0dOGrfxQhgsqCFjWv20wmdL67TGa2leNAi9YEiaIZLcte3f8CnU4R2thp6tdodiJ_vnFZc/s1600/IMG_3727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl4lBCSe6jVXXOeHrgjagcS7ES5jX_XEaIZ5NHye_1CL6FhPldw_u2OFjFaffpD9ziQhpKo0dOGrfxQhgsqCFjWv20wmdL67TGa2leNAi9YEiaIZLcte3f8CnU4R2thp6tdodiJ_vnFZc/s1600/IMG_3727.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">He was pretty easy to make, though I will say the tail was a little more challenging. Blub blub blub! Click </span><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/chubby-fish" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="text-align: left;"> for Chubby's pattern. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Do you know about </span><a href="http://ravelry.com/" style="text-align: left;">Ravelry.com</a><span style="text-align: left;">? What an amazing site for crochet and knitting. There are tons of patterns, and you can look through other people's projects as well. The link above to Chubby's pattern lets you look at it as a guest, but if you sign up (free), you get many more options. Here's a screenshot of Chubby's pattern, while I'm logged in. See all these tabs along the top of the pattern now?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkp2tZM4zQnZZUfjnzT1dFTzMShukGwEaj7rR3QRcK9tfB6HmmU9EaFEc6eEz4LassfoKRm7-2KdYHlZ6yz7Mf5OtmIGy95Ai7e3aBmbidemuhcTxAo8Ihv5mdj2zTOoxqYC0UgNPY7w/s1600/chubby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkp2tZM4zQnZZUfjnzT1dFTzMShukGwEaj7rR3QRcK9tfB6HmmU9EaFEc6eEz4LassfoKRm7-2KdYHlZ6yz7Mf5OtmIGy95Ai7e3aBmbidemuhcTxAo8Ihv5mdj2zTOoxqYC0UgNPY7w/s640/chubby.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The big arrow is pointing to "94 projects". This means that 94 other people have made this project, and if you click there, you can see 94 different versions of this fishie! I love looking through blankets for instance, and seeing all the color and yarn choices people choose, and how different each project looks. <br />
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Another great aspect of this site, is that it allows you to search for a certain yarn, and then look at all the different projects people have made with the particular yarn and color you have in your stash, for instance. If you crochet or knit, hop on over to <a href="http://ravelry.com/">Ravelry.com</a> and set up an account. You will thank me, I know!Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-86732567211573647752013-04-01T19:16:00.000-07:002013-04-01T19:35:56.680-07:00No Sew Headband Storage<b:if cond='data:blog.postImageThumbnailUrl'>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7SBnlGFIldx_ZE7X3FZbxQiKE7cU2Ds84CbMzR6RP0g19eA-GhNaaZJOc0rQNU2HBo4VM3c07Sci8YVlZFMKTxkaon86GLJAM1bZ9YJJcEEW5r3kQm1hfvO9nPkb4XOG7jNq3gccAhEY/s1600/IMG_3706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7SBnlGFIldx_ZE7X3FZbxQiKE7cU2Ds84CbMzR6RP0g19eA-GhNaaZJOc0rQNU2HBo4VM3c07Sci8YVlZFMKTxkaon86GLJAM1bZ9YJJcEEW5r3kQm1hfvO9nPkb4XOG7jNq3gccAhEY/s1600/IMG_3706.JPG" /></a></div>
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I was looking for a way to display my headbands I'm going to sell at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Endada-Music-and-Arts-Festival/117405738336351?fref=ts" target="_blank">Endada Music and Art Festival</a> at MBA in April, and decided to create a display using....wait for it...a roll of paper towels. It's just the right diameter! I wanted a paper towel dispenser to stand the roll up, and was thinking of using one of those wooden dowel type ones that sit on your counter. I didn't want to spend much money on it, so I got in my car and sang rather loudly "GOODWILL....POPPING TAGS....", lol. I found this cute little paper towel dispenser for just a few bucks. It has a metal rod that goes through the hole in the top to secure the roll. But, it was dirty and had some stains on it.</div>
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I gave it a good coat of primer.....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLDG_HkPihpIFF933RE8OT68OjE-y4PIlJh8lr9U_z6b_5_N6AoxczK8H1Ms2FY_QkcjeRDyfTRbXN19yogsE-0H_KqeqAnq5DVP_FIFkNnrTZh0sNnzvuFeOW-j4-6y-O-opT3U2crVI/s1600/IMG_3532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLDG_HkPihpIFF933RE8OT68OjE-y4PIlJh8lr9U_z6b_5_N6AoxczK8H1Ms2FY_QkcjeRDyfTRbXN19yogsE-0H_KqeqAnq5DVP_FIFkNnrTZh0sNnzvuFeOW-j4-6y-O-opT3U2crVI/s1600/IMG_3532.JPG" /></a></div>
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And a few coats of spray paint in my favorite color.....so much better! </div>
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On to the paper towel roll itself. Now, in my title, I say "no sew". And it would be, if I didn't piece some scrap fabric together. So I lied. But you can do it without sewing if you have a piece of fabric big enough. This was 18" wide x 19" tall. Like my neon pink big toes? </div>
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I put the roll in the middle of the fabric, wrapped the fabric around it, and stuck some pins directly into the roll to hold it in place while I got my glue gun. One stripe of hot glue was all it took to secure the fabric around the roll. Then I removed the pins.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHW3cRbfTMO_IthJveXivNfXLzTmNf9LRFZnxNVoaWQ1kjfcPVfqP0t87yBcuQn6MmKWA9Bjxin73USfApcLGVZcECBfdvJyzyR5_ZmvlxyhFaIr4DHfRMyfBEiAwDd3GsnxIvfcsZLrU/s1600/IMG_3701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCj8ikn2HrT6I_JgVt4oVniJtHdryBc3zkOFOThdjHPACn_H0I0pzvCW9NyGx2U0AiZc2_ddXOLX6dst54HoUn-afYx3K6hrCdautFEDX6AIjC_AkpBU4ch4OLBNdYDJSe7kc6V4dEwCc/s1600/IMG_3699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCj8ikn2HrT6I_JgVt4oVniJtHdryBc3zkOFOThdjHPACn_H0I0pzvCW9NyGx2U0AiZc2_ddXOLX6dst54HoUn-afYx3K6hrCdautFEDX6AIjC_AkpBU4ch4OLBNdYDJSe7kc6V4dEwCc/s1600/IMG_3699.JPG" /></a></div>
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I stood the roll on end, and tucked the fabric into the paper towel roll. I put a few dabs of glue in the tucks, just to hold its shape better.</div>
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Finished roll:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsA9AncVluQ8i2RAG3B0AlxDJh_hUz7sxjmYGz8cRCk4V5JcWdxYT1EyNi8UikOp2rDU_iRzg9P9_6YKfXWD7tX3dgQgKYeoV_UkUrmudP0wPNTOEEvKj2MEo7Bkr3u7wzSIiuroWmhdo/s1600/IMG_3702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsA9AncVluQ8i2RAG3B0AlxDJh_hUz7sxjmYGz8cRCk4V5JcWdxYT1EyNi8UikOp2rDU_iRzg9P9_6YKfXWD7tX3dgQgKYeoV_UkUrmudP0wPNTOEEvKj2MEo7Bkr3u7wzSIiuroWmhdo/s1600/IMG_3702.JPG" /></a></div>
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And the finished product! It will be so cute for selling items (I'll display one of each color and then have stock in a box under the table), but then awesome for storing headbands at home too. Regular "U" shaped ones will just slide on and off easily. Also, if the stretchy headbands are bigger than your roll of paper towels, you can stick pins in the back to hold them in place!</div>
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<br />Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-89349910165521224562013-03-30T13:08:00.001-07:002013-03-30T13:13:54.988-07:00Darling Cabinet Re-do<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Creative storage is key in our house, as I've mentioned before in <a href="http://the-aimee-way.blogspot.com/2013/03/my-sewing-cabinet.html" target="_blank">my Sewing Cabinet post</a>, so when I saw this little.....dresser? nightstand? bedside...dresser? on craigslist, I knew it would help us in the storage department in our bedroom. It's about 30" tall, and only 16" wide and 14" deep, but the drawers are surprisingly roomy. Perfect! Oh yeah, other than the yucky green paint and ugly brass pulls.....</div>
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So.....I enlisted the help of my big boy, who was thrilled to take on the task of redoing this little number. Big boy painting requires stripping down to undies in our house, so I added some clothes on him, lol. See that horrible 70s armoire in the background? That's coming out of the room. We have way too much big furniture in there. It might need a redo down the road if we have a bigger room to put it in, we'll see. Anyway, back to the big boy...he primed the whole thing basically by himself!</div>
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The knobs had a pretty basic shape to them, so I stuck them through some cardboard (yeah, blueberry Eggos!) and spray painted them....first with a primer, then with a few coats of a metallic silver, and then finally a clear poly coat. That should make them pretty durable!</div>
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Then a shiny coat of oil based white paint, hardware re-installed, and Viola! Darling little cabinet that is begging to be filled with our stuff. There's a plug right behind it, so I'm brainstorming a charging station for all of our devices and gadgets to sit on top. Stay tuned!</div>
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<br />Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-14357462900324245652013-03-25T13:47:00.002-07:002013-03-25T18:39:36.690-07:00Violet's Easter DressOh my sweet Violet, my little doll. I love sewing for her. I've had some material in mind to make her a dress, and it was the perfect choice for Easter. Tiny, hexagonal violet flowers on it! So darling. <br />
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I've had bunches of ideas floating around in my mind for a while now, and I ended up meshing a few of them together to get the final design. First, I want to stress the importance of having a good bodice pattern. When I made Violet's Heart Dress, I purchased Burda 9752 with sizes from 1-12 months. I've learned the hard way that pattern sizing can be WAYYY off, so I made sure to take Violet's measurements and compare them against the <a href="http://www.burdastyle.com/downloads/SizeChart_Kids_Inches.pdf" target="_blank">Burda size chart</a>. I ended up making a 6 month size bodice. (So crazy, she's almost 16 months old!). <br />
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My two most favorite inspirations were a darling bubble dress and one with a heart cut out in the back. Both of these started out as online tutorials with downloadable free patterns, but both have transitioned into selling their patterns. Sigh. I waited too long. However! I just KNEW I could figure out how to make this darn thing!<br />
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I started with the Burda bodice. I took the back piece and drew a heart on it, and cut it out. Sewed right sides together and flipped it around (after major clipping around the curves). As for the bubble skirt, the outer skirt piece is a big rectangle, the width of the fabric (44") x the finished length plus 2" to wrap under and create the bubble, plus seam allowances at top and bottom. The skirt lining is curved at the top and bottom, ensuring that the circumference of the skirt at the waist matches the bodice circumference. I also made the tiniest tulle petticoat and inserted it inside the bubble skirt, so it holds its shape really well, and is super poofy! Sorry, I didn't take pictures of everything...I was in major sewing mode and just put it all together so quickly!<br />
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For the sash, I sewed two pieces of ribbon together (I couldn't decide on the color so used both!).<br />
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Then, I attached snaps to the underside of the ribbon at the side seams, back seam, and front under the bow so that it would stay in place. A bigger snap closes up the sash. I wanted the bow to just be a clean silhouette, since the flowers are so geometric. (I wanted the sash removable for washing)<br />
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I love how it turned out! I also found a tiny darling button shaped like a heart to close the neck...the perfect touch!</div>
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See? Doll. Wearing her dress-up Easter hat my mom got her. She doesn't want to take it off (or the dress, apparently, I learned soon after this try-on)</div>
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Don't you just want to plant a kiss in the middle of that heart? I do! </div>
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Happy Easter! </div>
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<br />Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-43809298531658514692013-03-22T08:43:00.000-07:002013-03-22T08:43:19.586-07:00Drake's Clothes MapAh, mornings. School day mornings. Sigh. Things are crazy on a regular, stay home morning, but add in trying to get two kiddos up, dressed, fed and all of their belongings gathered for their school day, and out of the house on time, and it can veer off into a full-on whirlwind of super crazy.<br />
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Oh, and I have a very opinionated 4 year old. (Aren't they all?)<br />
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For a long time, I struggled every morning with getting him dressed. He didn't like what I picked out for him to wear. He didn't like anything in the drawer to pick out himself. I'd give him two choices, he wouldn't choose either. What he wanted to wear was dirty. He wanted to wear shorts and short-sleeves when it was 20 degrees. All of these things were usually accompanied by screaming, kicking, running away and hiding. SUCH a nightmare. <br />
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So I invented the "Clothes Map" (name coined by Drake).<br />
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On Sundays, we sit down together, and draw up a plan for what to wear for the entire week. It started off with me drawing the whole thing, but he has taken over for the most part and can do it all by himself. It's a great lesson on planning, decision making, practicing letters, drawing, and coloring. That makes it win-win-win-win-win, right?<br />
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Here's an example of one of our first maps. Drake drew faces and hair on them all, and told me all of their expressions, so I added those captions to the bottom of each person. The map is taped to the wall in his room.<br />
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We try to do all of our laundry on Sundays as well, so all of these choices are clean for the week. However, sometimes something is accidentally dirty. We solved this by letting Drake modify the map on Friday. </div>
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This is the latest map. Lots of the same choices week to week, lol. He did this one entirely by himself, and was so proud (except for a few additions to the t-shirts by me)</div>
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The beauty of this plan? We lay out the clothes on a school night on the rug. (Mr Owl always gets to be the head!) <br />
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We set an alarm clock. Drake gets up on his own, gets dressed on his own, and the first thing I see in the morning is this smiling face, no nightmare mornings anymore!!!<br />
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<br />Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-6068656470895999792013-03-17T11:18:00.000-07:002013-03-17T11:18:12.378-07:00Cross-Stitch Transporter Truck Pattern TutorialAhh, I love my little boy. Oops, I mean big boy, he's 4 and all now!<br />
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Have you looked in stores lately? It's soooo hard to find cute clothes for boys. Especially when they are in toddler sizes. I mean, really....Drake has his whole life to wear skateboard t-shirts and basketball shorts. Don't get me wrong, he has his fair share of play clothes, but when it comes time for dressy occasions, it's just hard to find cute boy stuff. Soon enough, he'll be wearing khaki pants and button downs, right? <br />
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My boy is into TRUCKS. CARS. Anything that rolls. So when I saw a smocked outfit with a transporter truck on it, I was in love. I knew he would adore it:<br />
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At this point I hadn't done any smocking, so I decided to create a cross-stitch panel that I could stitch onto the front of a shirt. Most of my projects start with some planning in the computer, so I turned to Excel to plan out a pattern. I started a new file, pasted this picture in, and then resized the columns and rows. The easiest way to do this is to right click on the column/row labels (A,B,C, etc) and choose Column Width/Row Height. I resized these to: Column width=0.75, Row width=8</div>
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After resizing the cells, I started putting an "x" in them to create the truck. I changed the font colors to figure out what thread to use where. For the car wheels, I also used slashes (/ and \) to make the wheels look round. (and stitched just half a cross-stitch in those).<br />
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From there I got to stitching...counting and re-counting to make sure I stitched in the right spots. (I stitched on cross-stitch fabric called Aida. You can find it at Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.com/DMC-CR5440-6750-Classic-Reserve-18-Inch/dp/B000YQH5DU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363537446&sr=8-1&keywords=aida+fabric" target="_blank">here</a>. And if you want to cross-stitch your very own transporter truck, here you go....<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2nS9VOla8S2SGp5YTlOVXgtMzQ/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">a PDF of the pattern</a>.)<br />
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I bought a shirt that buttons up the back, and turned the edges of the Aida under and stitched the cross-stitch onto the shirt. <br />
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Here he is, my handsome boy. This is Easter 2012. He has requested to wear it again this year, so I'm adding a yellow band to the bottom to extend the length, matching the yellow piping at the collar. </div>
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Stay tuned for Violet's Easter dress post! (I'd better get to work!)</div>
Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-26692024232535299322013-03-08T08:30:00.003-08:002013-03-08T08:30:56.562-08:00My Sewing Cabinet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We have a little house. At least little for 4 people. 10 years ago we bought out house, and 1500 square feet was perfect for the two of us. Enter two kiddos with all their toys and stuff. Creative storage is key to our sanity! </div>
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I dream of the day that I can have an entire room dedicated to sewing and crafting supplies, a nice wide, open space to spread out and leave a project out to finish the next day....however leaving things out for tiny fingers to find is not ideal.<br />
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While browsing craigslist one day, I found an armoire that housed a home office-type setup. It had a yucky white-ish wood finish on it, but I definitely knew this was the piece of furniture to organize my sewing. A few coats of shiny white paint later, and here she is:<br />
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The interior was black, so it was really dark on the inside (you can see the bottom part is black). I had some paint left over from Drake's bedroom, so I painted most of the inside walls this lovely color, which brightened it up immensely. It makes me smile every time I open it! On the left door, I have a shoe organizer stuffed with every color of felt (for projects like <a href="http://the-aimee-way.blogspot.com/2013/02/drakes-felt-name-book.html" target="_blank">Drake's Name Book</a>), and some embroidery blanks like bibs in the bottom pocket. The bottom left shelf holds projects to be completed and my iron.</div>
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This was the perfect spot for my serger. I hung a thread organizer on the back. It keeps all my thread visible, and I love to glance over and see all the different colors of thread. They are organized by color families, which makes the engineer/slightly OCD side of me very happy! The upper shelf has embroidery thread, and a wood organizer from IKEA that I painted with the same blue. This holds elastics, buttons, embroidery floss, sewing machine needles, etc. A few beautiful books, and a glass vase that holds zippers and marking pencils. My clear ruler is hung on a nail on the left wall, and the little white bin is for trash...threads, clippings, etc. Since this is an office armoire, there are holes for all the cords to be threaded through to the back! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrMFif7J_5KFNL2xTsMmI1Jws0V3L5Ubc2y6N1SXKPnyor8Fs1mMUZ0qLmgAFM7xe652Vql4zOWtiSBaRQsEYu7DImQ_YkHunxiGyfof2RpO15e5YHWNUtnUKXPedwYdWJ1wvGo8eqL0/s1600/IMG_3372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrMFif7J_5KFNL2xTsMmI1Jws0V3L5Ubc2y6N1SXKPnyor8Fs1mMUZ0qLmgAFM7xe652Vql4zOWtiSBaRQsEYu7DImQ_YkHunxiGyfof2RpO15e5YHWNUtnUKXPedwYdWJ1wvGo8eqL0/s1600/IMG_3372.JPG" /></a></div>
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A shot behind the fold down table...my sewing maching fits perfectly on this shelf, and I slip a small, tabletop ironing board back there as well.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVP1LYJRr4bFOsm0BoqBzBPgJOYQZHOQimI-g3e8dYEmxTgGOfZB11uWJgjvvGIYSJZq0CtERI9c8LVvjU6e2K8AG1n94mjBiUL12V6uZC1Xp44sZ7EHBBbHIf6lVCzsPlehwER7X1S4Q/s1600/IMG_3373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVP1LYJRr4bFOsm0BoqBzBPgJOYQZHOQimI-g3e8dYEmxTgGOfZB11uWJgjvvGIYSJZq0CtERI9c8LVvjU6e2K8AG1n94mjBiUL12V6uZC1Xp44sZ7EHBBbHIf6lVCzsPlehwER7X1S4Q/s1600/IMG_3373.JPG" /></a></div>
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Fold the table down and Viola! Instant work station! You can see I store the sewing machine pedal on the bottom shelf so I just have to pull it out and put it on the floor.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmq1vnYfRaQCUER7W1WehZzLA94cK7qoTr6lJV0M270KRFGMBroZOtEBKhSLH13ypU8F4NaMrpg_q0fMRZhMxyC9U2uBQP5tNnujeI9_Ltc0sXKa5jDLH8utT3uwGQglteHkTaKesdGOk/s1600/IMG_3374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmq1vnYfRaQCUER7W1WehZzLA94cK7qoTr6lJV0M270KRFGMBroZOtEBKhSLH13ypU8F4NaMrpg_q0fMRZhMxyC9U2uBQP5tNnujeI9_Ltc0sXKa5jDLH8utT3uwGQglteHkTaKesdGOk/s1600/IMG_3374.JPG" /></a></div>
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Office armoire, remember? So yay! Keyboard tray! This slides forward and I have all of my pins, scissors, seam gauges, etc etc etc in there for easy access. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ8U9dQqUNbIQtcqx2p-AgMjISIObZ-YrYWlko5wJ1dD5kNYjQWxVoEFIkDX3PfGA9Bysi05XyB0mWkcUbB2KR4IwdZLRxYCcY8rJmIc0kF59I8Vp8YX02eb56BRfZcwSgUgl7v_URUJM/s1600/IMG_3377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ8U9dQqUNbIQtcqx2p-AgMjISIObZ-YrYWlko5wJ1dD5kNYjQWxVoEFIkDX3PfGA9Bysi05XyB0mWkcUbB2KR4IwdZLRxYCcY8rJmIc0kF59I8Vp8YX02eb56BRfZcwSgUgl7v_URUJM/s1600/IMG_3377.JPG" /></a></div>
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The machine slides out easily into place, and now I have an "L" shaped work station. I can sit in my chair and swivel to each side to use the serger and machine. I have a small OTT light that really helps brighten the area.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCveoEa5bzouvSIiAEih8dbDIYB4OEY6FTN8KH8mNvqT5GNVFV5fPvHYngeQ3g636SSbfiv4ZDUYA4duaYjsn79fUgI_EXl3j-Y6CxAG8hZRhC5aWRVjm9N9GMVsoBm6s_X9mZ9SEUE5g/s1600/IMG_3379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCveoEa5bzouvSIiAEih8dbDIYB4OEY6FTN8KH8mNvqT5GNVFV5fPvHYngeQ3g636SSbfiv4ZDUYA4duaYjsn79fUgI_EXl3j-Y6CxAG8hZRhC5aWRVjm9N9GMVsoBm6s_X9mZ9SEUE5g/s1600/IMG_3379.JPG" /></a></div>
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Under the table is a hanging file drawer. I use this for patterns. It's nice to separate them by type, makes it really easy to find things. More books and machine manuals are on the shelves.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gBCNBL9Sm0eLqqd2eVymyThMjyeHNAHU8YfagB5RYZhM0cAB9k6XVyU8QuS1nXwjUsqQYnbrl9wwI-PLSA1Yz-fKNu1AN3DRJO-1fYwsPlrZUQ7vAin982uklrJFL4Uj8VFFthx7oU8/s1600/IMG_3381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gBCNBL9Sm0eLqqd2eVymyThMjyeHNAHU8YfagB5RYZhM0cAB9k6XVyU8QuS1nXwjUsqQYnbrl9wwI-PLSA1Yz-fKNu1AN3DRJO-1fYwsPlrZUQ7vAin982uklrJFL4Uj8VFFthx7oU8/s1600/IMG_3381.JPG" /></a></div>
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This is in my dining room, so I just borrow a chair and get to work! Also bonus, I can use the dining table for cutting and fits my huge cutting mat, which I slide behind the armoire to store. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMiwkBD_b-NksejFSl7SORzAo-Y4LxDqBS8nmFXO4hoJyF6SLt3iRnD_Wwn4QC8XlyarTeX0VaPEavVLP-bhNbroRrtC06sxhBPv_frlDYweZy6_3wX0vq66AzLApzWXXD5vEiz9mcfUU/s1600/IMG_3382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMiwkBD_b-NksejFSl7SORzAo-Y4LxDqBS8nmFXO4hoJyF6SLt3iRnD_Wwn4QC8XlyarTeX0VaPEavVLP-bhNbroRrtC06sxhBPv_frlDYweZy6_3wX0vq66AzLApzWXXD5vEiz9mcfUU/s1600/IMG_3382.JPG" /></a></div>
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I just love that everything can be put back into place, the doors closed up, and this is what I'm left with...ahhhhh.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiugGw8WKwW-GaiuJq9jUCcp71PiCT1Ika7gld7bLV47xAocej_TjMA3dIxwBr-hbVanbNbuOooCo0TjtOb306L7H1nLsnelC4eXJhPhWLiZPhBV6SC2R71qZyRpWc4sTpljy21FxdY6w/s1600/IMG_3370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiugGw8WKwW-GaiuJq9jUCcp71PiCT1Ika7gld7bLV47xAocej_TjMA3dIxwBr-hbVanbNbuOooCo0TjtOb306L7H1nLsnelC4eXJhPhWLiZPhBV6SC2R71qZyRpWc4sTpljy21FxdY6w/s1600/IMG_3370.JPG" /></a></div>
Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-10839866658847560682013-02-27T10:50:00.000-08:002013-02-27T10:50:29.760-08:00Art Smocks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWCbaTFuhlpFD_QyAPwRzS6RvaZf-eb__URWM-dWi82D9KyH5SRWD-CP3RFLuCoot0pDjLIphxScRhVE0OrLxJsmJLdYqOwm38LO5h1LP7_GsN_yyycRTEpXx5QiSa0w37fGI6AjZHC8/s1600/IMG_3425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWCbaTFuhlpFD_QyAPwRzS6RvaZf-eb__URWM-dWi82D9KyH5SRWD-CP3RFLuCoot0pDjLIphxScRhVE0OrLxJsmJLdYqOwm38LO5h1LP7_GsN_yyycRTEpXx5QiSa0w37fGI6AjZHC8/s1600/IMG_3425.JPG" /></a></div>
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Drake got an easel from Santa this year. He's really been interested in art ever since he started a new preschool this year, and they have an art center. Paintings after paintings have come home (have you seen the app <a href="http://www.artkiveapp.com/">Artkive</a> ? You snap pictures of kid art, tag them with the kids name, date and a title, description, etc. Cuts down on art clutter! You can even make a photo book with them pics...Genius!) Anyway, Drake's art has gone from scribbles to this in the last few months (I did the left two cars, he copied the last one on his own! BTW the lines on the houses are Christmas lights!)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zr0HmUJZyAu_sJACP34_4go3zq3kcXTMfL4PPWbvXpLjHE-X_roa0xCbp2JGyfUPhktEj_qi8EgMXKHMYH9l_eHBCeZpxaB88GjRvxmxQat3n-4PSjoVtuHkp2IawLcQ47jg-CjioQQ/s1600/2013-01-05_12.52.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zr0HmUJZyAu_sJACP34_4go3zq3kcXTMfL4PPWbvXpLjHE-X_roa0xCbp2JGyfUPhktEj_qi8EgMXKHMYH9l_eHBCeZpxaB88GjRvxmxQat3n-4PSjoVtuHkp2IawLcQ47jg-CjioQQ/s1600/2013-01-05_12.52.14.jpg" /></a></div>
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The downside of the marker board is that marker gets on his clothes. So let's make some smocks! I found <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/24066179230859698/" target="_blank">this tutorial </a>on Pinterest (of course). It has a downloadable pattern and is cut out from an old towel. I had the perfect one, a plush Restoration Hardware one that had a stain and some pulls in it. I was able to get two smocks cut out from one towel, folding the long ends in to the middle. The tutorial says the pattern is for a 2T. I cut it out exactly for my 14 month old, and you can see how I made it longer and wider for Drake, who is 4.5.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGax6tS0GQfc0HcBfQSLTdqlgTkJceLwWxO_zuikRcPbxyFcIUYG760icflkiSqyTX8ZF11zgbkMGitXDiT2_CzIysZg5WO5tI9wirlguGTuzYeH3HXU2e9kKani4Kuv-RSMcnGbJKEfM/s1600/IMG_3367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGax6tS0GQfc0HcBfQSLTdqlgTkJceLwWxO_zuikRcPbxyFcIUYG760icflkiSqyTX8ZF11zgbkMGitXDiT2_CzIysZg5WO5tI9wirlguGTuzYeH3HXU2e9kKani4Kuv-RSMcnGbJKEfM/s1600/IMG_3367.JPG" /></a></div>
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The pattern calls for extra wide double fold bias tape. I didn't have any store bought, so of course I decided to make my own. So much cuter, using scraps from old projects! I measured around each smock to see how much bias tape I'd need. For the pattern as is, I made 95" (includes a few inches to spare) and 105" for the larger one.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgws2KrHKpkJlQHHI4olAiIx8ULh9NiZEChskWUzM4HJu5-4pItc789698PHPFCsHsVWikiilaQaQlk4dUIftHRpaNvihx6HNOwX6YuhxW0sw6YqJWh1SOnq8c1GXNsNbyoqCouNf-c-YI/s1600/IMG_3369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgws2KrHKpkJlQHHI4olAiIx8ULh9NiZEChskWUzM4HJu5-4pItc789698PHPFCsHsVWikiilaQaQlk4dUIftHRpaNvihx6HNOwX6YuhxW0sw6YqJWh1SOnq8c1GXNsNbyoqCouNf-c-YI/s1600/IMG_3369.JPG" /></a></div>
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Then I got to cutting bias strips. I used fabric from both kids' curtains (both <a href="http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/main.php?fl=0" target="_blank">Amy Butler</a>, love her fabric!). I had juuuust enough. Love the rotary cutter and mat!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjc_2NiFj5oklDQOqj-CfGjmJEhY6om-C9sQIy2ntFUlOqiCsMTNReV7quKzNr9GJJr3Sr87PBjpZBf9JF8Jihsreoa2GA2K2bNC7TY9flCNEStNjauWvgWD7h7HrhyphenhyphenFUq9WOOmqL1NIg/s1600/IMG_3383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjc_2NiFj5oklDQOqj-CfGjmJEhY6om-C9sQIy2ntFUlOqiCsMTNReV7quKzNr9GJJr3Sr87PBjpZBf9JF8Jihsreoa2GA2K2bNC7TY9flCNEStNjauWvgWD7h7HrhyphenhyphenFUq9WOOmqL1NIg/s1600/IMG_3383.JPG" /></a></div>
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When joining bias strips, I can never figure out how much to overlap them to get a nice continuous piece. So this is what I do: I press the seam allowance:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2_4c8QonwmtKh91pZN8qBjUaQGyVmfdq328DkNVUktMTKlDDTeLceUSaE8q1U5o3QfwGvdBdzYbkXzFjJ43rsSDSz9L0jMiWJHTuHap5EYcNL3Vyz_2NiTf8zDDeeqFVQnOt_RyF4bA/s1600/IMG_3384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2_4c8QonwmtKh91pZN8qBjUaQGyVmfdq328DkNVUktMTKlDDTeLceUSaE8q1U5o3QfwGvdBdzYbkXzFjJ43rsSDSz9L0jMiWJHTuHap5EYcNL3Vyz_2NiTf8zDDeeqFVQnOt_RyF4bA/s1600/IMG_3384.JPG" /></a></div>
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And then line them up and pin them. Viola! Perfectly aligned strips.</div>
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Once the strips are sewn, seam allowances clipped and pressed open, time to iron it into bias tape. I came across this lovely <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/24066179230863451/" target="_blank">bias tape maker</a> on a blog called The Scientific Seamstress (LOVE the name!). You download and print two sheets on cardstock, cut out the pieces, do some gluing and you have yourself a handy dandy bias tape maker. You feed the tape in from the left, and pull it through, pressing with the iron as you go:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZUQlviEY_0CtNYkWoR9-Vfvu6rXFMqYQ7JXxsczEPbLkH0U75R5fBLeSYm-9CVprDvNiLetEvfZN5evF-wbpruuGgUbdS9-38XACFb79Ls0bZhMBKe7yZqC1X4bqcNz09XMdpJ4G_-8/s1600/IMG_3386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZUQlviEY_0CtNYkWoR9-Vfvu6rXFMqYQ7JXxsczEPbLkH0U75R5fBLeSYm-9CVprDvNiLetEvfZN5evF-wbpruuGgUbdS9-38XACFb79Ls0bZhMBKe7yZqC1X4bqcNz09XMdpJ4G_-8/s1600/IMG_3386.JPG" /></a></div>
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Some comments on her blog says it's a bit finicky, but I didn't have a problem, the only thing I did do was to hold my fingers like so (pressing the fabric to the cardstock), to create some tension and to keep the fabric from slipping:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghdtmJCHYQT1FIOGnkPpicIf17FZZotTjBBSlbg7hklVVy2YHpreWamNaOsBzPERjlClWGAwSuHDnxwLdPm1qL2igE-MH7_I9MLf8KBpNYPhpZ7X27-b_ppOGei16MZ9DCv_66dAOGW-s/s1600/IMG_3387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghdtmJCHYQT1FIOGnkPpicIf17FZZotTjBBSlbg7hklVVy2YHpreWamNaOsBzPERjlClWGAwSuHDnxwLdPm1qL2igE-MH7_I9MLf8KBpNYPhpZ7X27-b_ppOGei16MZ9DCv_66dAOGW-s/s1600/IMG_3387.JPG" /></a></div>
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Look at this beautiful bias tape! So much cuter than the plain stuff you can buy in the store!</div>
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I opened up the bias tape and stitched around one side. Pressed and wrapped it around to the backside, pinning in place, ensuring to cover the first stitch line.</div>
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Stitched from the front, trying to stay in "the ditch", but since the towel was so fluffy, and I used brown thread, it didn't show at all if I weaved away from the "ditch". I just tried to stay on the towel side and not stitch into the bias tape.</div>
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I added some fun pockets. Drake's has car fabric from his 2nd birthday outfit I made him, and Violet's has sweet little gathered pockets.</div>
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The backs have snaps. If I did it again, I'd do Velcro or buttons, since the snaps were really hard to set into the plush towel. Also, the pattern has you stitch the sides. I think in the future I'll probably remove this stitching and add ties so that it can grow with them. I'd also say it runs small. The "2T" fit Violet really well at 14 mos, and she's only 8th percentile! </div>
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In action! </div>
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A bit fuzzy, but I love this angle!</div>
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Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-26301502381817046222013-02-14T18:45:00.002-08:002013-02-14T18:45:53.679-08:00Valentine's Cookies!Sooo I love it when Kelly Ripa talks about watching events on TV like gymnastics, ice skating, etc, and totally thinking that she can do it just by watching. I feel like I'm the same when it comes to crafting, etc. I see a picture, a tutorial, a video, and I'm like "I can TOTALLY do that". And then there's always some point in which I say to myself (or perhaps rather loudly to my husband) "WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO?" Enter royal icing. <br />
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I've always marveled at the beautiful cookies at bakeries with their clean icing and intricate designs. I mean, really, how cute are these?<br />
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But I've never tried royal icing cookies before, and decided for some reason that I needed to do this for Valentine's Day. I think it started when I asked Drake what kind of valentines he wanted to do, and he told me "ninja ones", since we have ninja cookie cutters. <br />
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I turned to Google for ninja cookie inspiration and found these:<br />
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Cute! Seemingly simple! (LOL) </div>
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I started with <a href="http://sweetopia.net/2009/12/sugar-cookie-recipe/">this</a> cookie recipe that touted that the cookies don't spread after cutting them out, ensuring they keep their shape. And while I had to add more water to the recipe than it called for, since it was super duper crumbly, these cookies really did hold their shape. And are pretty good. Probably better once there's icing on them!</div>
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And then I found a video tutorial on icing them, along with a recipe that was supposedly the best, <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/24066179230473546/">here</a>. (What she failed to mention on the video is what a HUGE mess this is, ha!) This<a href="http://sweetopia.net/2012/01/royal-icing-recipe-free-illustrated-recipe/"> recipe</a> is from the same place as the cookie dough recipe, and what I found was that this recipe ALSO needed a bunch more water than it called for. Anyway, once I finally got the icing to stand up to the "<a href="http://sweetopia.net/2011/02/video-royal-icing-consistency-made-easy-the-10-second-rule/">10 Second Rule</a>", I started the icing process. </div>
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I loaded up the icing bag. I hate my icing bags. I need new ones. Mine are too small (9"). Almost immediately, the super thin icing started squishing out of the top (it does this a tiny bit with buttercream). Icing up to my elbows, insert "WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO?". This, folks, is the Aimée Way, lol. I should probably just get some disposable piping bags...they're such a P.I.T.A. to clean anyway. (note to self, check on Amazon).</div>
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I started by icing the circular cookies, and they are allll wonky (they look worse in person, promise). Not very circular, more oval-ish. This is how the night ended, with my lovely husband of mine fixing me a cocktail....</div>
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And then I started to get the hang of it a bit (BEFORE the cocktail, thank you very much), and once I got to the ninjas, my skillz (yeah, SKILLZ) got better, and they started to look pretty good! Here's a video of me Piping a Ninja (doesn't that sound like the name of a rap song?). Be jealous of the PJ pants:</div>
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Fast forward a day...a trip to Michael's for 16" disposable piping bags...and this girl is in heaven! OMG, so much easier. No squishing out of the top, a good twist on the bag....and then I got to throw it away when I was done...woot! So here's the finished product:</div>
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I made the toppers in PowerPoint, with some free clipart I found online. Drake got some great handwriting practice, and I loved to see that he knew how to spell a few of his friends' names!<br />
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(Sorry Brent, yours got a little overcooked on the bottom. Dang oven!) </div>
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Heart cookies for Violet, a.k.a. Little Miss Sweet Potato, adding the hearts and dots detracts from the oval wonkiness of the white....</div>
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Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!</div>
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Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2000537159909034931.post-60569843979716816162013-02-07T06:47:00.000-08:002013-02-07T06:47:41.877-08:00Drake's Felt Name Book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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I just love to hand embroider on felt. Felt cuts cleanly, comes in beautiful bright colors, and is pretty kid-resistant. So when my son turned one, I made him a name book. </div>
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I started out with the letters of his name, and stuck with animals as a theme. I had seen a few beautiful books on <a href="http://crafster.org/">crafster.org</a> (so fun to peruse the crafts on there for ideas!) I turned to Google images to start looking for images to use. I'd use search terms like "xxx clip art" or something, so I narrowed the search down to cartoon-ish images. </div>
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Once I found what I wanted to use, I turned to Powerpoint. I made an 8"x8" box, since a felt sheet is 8x12, and I wanted a square book. From there, I pasted my images in, played around with different fonts, and when I was done, I printed each page.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ezs1uuiSaD-RyvoyPRp4afhQKdEe4Jz9rpUGW9fkbkSsMc0f8A0BQBTKTD3fuT6JrLImCtCg_ohyphenhyphenugpUNvqzlm1Iyaid5I5cOelbyaJcmTGr9FjrzqsvDhvgnRp-H5mFiuWCXiErEGo/s1600/PPTNameBook.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ezs1uuiSaD-RyvoyPRp4afhQKdEe4Jz9rpUGW9fkbkSsMc0f8A0BQBTKTD3fuT6JrLImCtCg_ohyphenhyphenugpUNvqzlm1Iyaid5I5cOelbyaJcmTGr9FjrzqsvDhvgnRp-H5mFiuWCXiErEGo/s320/PPTNameBook.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I then cut out the images and the text, and used them as templates to cut out the felt pieces. I didn't use any glue or anything to hold each piece down, I just held the pieces to the background with one hand and stitched with the other. </div>
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I LOVE this site for embroidery stitch how-to....they have a picture dictionary where you can just look at the stitches, and click on the one you want to learn how to do: </div>
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<a href="http://www.embroidery.rocksea.org/reference/picture-dictionary/">http://www.embroidery.rocksea.org/reference/picture-dictionary/</a> </div>
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I did mainly backstitch on the pieces and blanket stitched the pages together, but I did do a few fancier stitches in places. I also added a few decorative buttons, and sometimes embroidered a few things completely, with no felt (especially if it was a tiny detail like the bird on the R page). I typically used 3 threads for the embroidery. I think I used 2 for the eagle to get more detail in the wings. And I used the full 6 threads for the blanket stitch on the edge.</div>
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If you didn't know, a drake is a kind of duck, so I went with that for the cover:</div>
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D is for DRAGON</div>
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R is for RABBIT</div>
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A is for ALLIGATOR</div>
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K is for KANGAROO (See the K in the Australian flag?)</div>
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E is for ELEPHANT</div>
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R is for RHINOCEROS</div>
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E is for EGRET</div>
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E is for EAGLE</div>
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D is for DONKEY</div>
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Close up of the bird on the R page</div>
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Bird button on top of the tree</div>
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I have completed the pages of Violet's book. Of course she turned one in December, and I haven't bound the book yet with the spine. Hopefully this post will urge me to finish it and post pictures of hers!</div>
<br />Aiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06763076517978137334noreply@blogger.com2