I Heart Arts & Crafts

So, for those of you who know me well, you won't be surprised that I've been using much of my summer to finally do some crafts that I had been dreaming up all school year. Especially now that I have a baby girl, there are so many things that I'm dying to make. I also have a few friends that share this love of arts and crafts and are always inspiring me to make things that they are making or finding on cute blogs. So, I've made a "to do" laundry list of crafts for the summer. I realize there's no way that I'll complete, or even begin, all of them, but I'm giving it my best shot! Here are some of the projects that I have been working on:

FATHER'S DAY T-SHIRT:

I painted this t-shirt for Laney to give Marshall for his first Father's Day. One of the only things Laney has learned how to say so far is "Da" and she says it over and over again. It sound a lot like "Dad-Dad" when she says it, so I thought this would be a cute saying for his t-shirt. I was really excited that it turned out so well. I'll definitely use this technique again. All I had to use was freezer paper, a razor blade, an iron, and fabric paint.


RIBBON & BOW RACK:

I've been looking for a cute bow rack to put in Laney's room because she has already accumulated quite a few ribbons and bows in her short 8 months of life! I was unable to find any that I really liked, so I decided to paint one that matched her bedding and room. After I painted the wood panel, I found the iron rack at Hobby Lobby and some matching ribbon and put it all together. The headbands just hang on the iron hooks, but many of the clip-on bows are displayed on the rack by clipping them onto the two ribbons that are hanging down.

CARD TABLE PLAYHOUSE:

I was hoping not to post pictures of this little jewel before it was finished, but I just can't wait! I got this idea from my friend Natalie, who found it online and made one for some special little girls in her life. The finished product will be a playhouse made entirely of felt. It basically serves as a cover that fits snugly over a standard card table and works as a little tent for toddlers to play in. There are people making these and selling them on Etsy and they're going for $150 - $250! I saw them and thought, how easy would that be to make? All it would take is felt, thread, a sewing machine, and a few hours. WRONG! It's been a lot of fun for me because I love this sort of thing, but it's also been a lot of work and taken a lot of time. And I only have ONE side done! It's a tedious process to cut out all the little pieces, pin them together, and get them sewn. And the removable pieces, such as the mail that goes in the mailbox, take quite a bit of time to stuff and sew. I'm glad I started this project really early because I hope to have it completed by Laney's first birthday so I can give it to her then. She'll have so much fun playing in her own little "house" and hopefully it will help her learn our address (the number above the door is our actual house number). I'll post more pics as soon as I get more of it completed!