Pajama Squid THREE Prize GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Pajama Squid THREE Prize GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

How cute and useful are these toys!

Getting White Really White!

So, I love white shirts. I don't love what happens wo white shirts in the armpits though. I've tried various remedies, but this was the first that worked and it was so easy that I feel compelled to share.
a gallon or 2 of hot hot water (our tap gets pretty hot, so I just used that, but you could boil some up I suppose)
1 cup bleach
1 cup dishwasher detergent (I used the gel kind from Walmart)

Mix it all up, through in your clothes, make sure they are all covered. Let sit for at least an hour. Mine soaked for 2 or 3. Then wring them out and through them in the washer. Dishwasher soap is specially formulated not to suds up so it's safe to put in your washer.
Seriously, I don't have stains on shirts that I've had for years now. It even got poop stains out of Ellie's white onsies. It even un-grayed some tank tops.YEAH!

Neige $100 Gift Card GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I'm in love with this company now. Not that I can currently afford it, but whatever.

Neige $100 Gift Card GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

LA Originals Knitted Baby Hat GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

LA Originals Knitted Baby Hat GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I wish I could knit like this!

Nieces Christmas Gift

OH I AM SO EXCITED!  I love these butterfly wings.  I found the tutorial here, from one of the sewing blogs I follow.  The only thing I really did any different is I used a black fabric marker to draw on some butterfly wing patterns.  I really like the result.  And it was super easy to do.

Quick, I Need a Hat!

I had about a quarter of a yard of white fleece I've been carting around forever (I have a hard time throwing cloth away) that I finally found a use for.  We were asked to be on a float in our town's Christmas Parade, and, although this is Texas, I knew it would be cold (unfortunately it was so cold and windy that Ellie and I ended up not doing it, but still...).  So the night before I googled for a baby fleece hat pattern and used this one (basically), to make this cute little cap.

When I first made it I centered the earflaps directly on the sides, but when I put it on her I realized they would work a lot better if they were a little farther back.  So when we got home I picked out the flaps and adjusted them back about an inch.  And I embroidered a cute little snowflake on the front.

So here it is in its finished state.  Instead of string that tie under, I attached a snap to the end of the tie and the other side of the flap so it just snaps together.  I would have prefered to use some velcro, but I'm all out.  I also used a decorative wave stitch on my machine in pink to edge to ear flaps, the tie, and the top of the brim.  I love it and it was super easy to do.  I would say all total it took me about 30 minutes.

Nephew Gifts: Check

I decided to make capes for my nephews this year for Christmas.  It was super easy and I know they'll get a lot of use out of them.  I used flannel, because it was on sale mostly.  I appliqued the monogram emblems together using iron-on fusing and then topstiched around them to secure them.  As a side note, when doing letters, next time I would trace the letter, cut it out in a square, do the iron-on and then cut out the letter.  I accidently nearly fused the letter to the ironing board because I cut the letters out first and then attached a square of iron-on fusing.  Anyway.  I hemed the edges and then made ties and attached them.  I took me perhaps 4 hours to do all three. 

But I'm mostly excited about the bib.  My nephew Preston is only a few months old, and he obviously couldn't use a cape right now.  But my mother-in-law suggested the bib idea and I thought it was perfect.  If I were to make another one, I'd do a few things differently (like attach the velcro before I sewed the whole thing together, whoops).  And this time I cut out the emblem and the neck loop seperately and then attached them instead of making it one whole piece.  I just wasn't thinking clearly, obviously.  Anyway, I think they turned out great.  Now on to make butterfly wings for my nieces!