Very Pretty Apron Using Simplicity Pattern 1240

I just got a new calling at my church that I am SOOOO excited about.  NURSERY LEADER.  DREAM JOB!!!!!  I get to play with little children and have a snack halfway through church.....how could it get any better than that.

 But it can be a messy calling so I made a sweet little apron to wear over my Sunday clothes.  I used Simplicity pattern 1240 because it would flow over my dresses and not crush them.  Plus the model on the package looked adorable in it.  I was even able to find a very similar print for the main fabric.  My daughter Jenn suggested the chevron fabric to make it more modern.  Read that as less "granny looking".

 Isn't it adorable.  And very easy to make.

 I did line the pocket for a more finished interior, and I used my serger for all the seams for the same reason.

Can't wait to wear it this Sunday!  What is it about a ruffle that just makes you feel pretty.

Diana

Camper's First Overnighter

In the yesterday's post I showed you some of the projects we completed at the cabin in preparation for Girl's Pre-camp.  Today I will show you a few pictures of A Frayed Knot on her first over-nighter.  My daughter Jenn and her husband stayed in the camper during pre-camp while the other adults and the girls stayed in the cabin or in tents.

 Here is the camper all set up.

 Outdoor rug is from IKEA..

 The couch was turned into a bed with soft white sheets and an antique quilt.  The suitcases that normally serve as night stands tuck under the bed.

The camper was parked in the field near the cabin.  After setting everything up we took our grandson to the airport and did a fly over.

You can just make out the cabin just off the wing.  It was a lot of work to get everything ready but I love a dead line.  You always seem to get so much more done when you are under pressure.  And we were so glad to be able to share our getaways with the sweet young women in our daughter's ward.

Diana

Cabin Update

What a week!  Between getting the camper ready for her first overnight and doing some last minute projects out at the cabin, we are all exhausted!  Both were used this last weekend for pre-camp.  I will walk you through some of the improvements.

 We did a lot of paneling including the kitchen ceiling.  We also changed the layout of some of the furniture.  The table was moved into the kitchen to make room for the new sleeper sofa which I forgot to get a picture of.

 It is so nice to not see insulation and framing anymore.

 The bathroom got green board put up in preparation for tile, mud and paint.  We went ahead and hung some curtains for privacy.

The sink drain pipes were connected to the septic line.  That meant the sink could go in.  Of course all this will have to come back out to mud and paint but until then we are enjoying having a sink.  Next on the honey do list is hooking up the shower drain, finishing the bathroom and then putting up more paneling in the entry area.  Once that is done we will put down the bamboo floors and do all the trim.  We can actually see an end to this.  Whew!

Diana

Two Gift Card Holders

Bad bad day.  First I find out my debit card is on it's own spending spree.  Apparently it is shopping in Germany and Portugal having a grand ol' time.  Since we had to cancel my card that means NO ONLINE SHOPPING  for me!  Then it is a level 2 snow emergency so once again it is icy and cold.  And I am still in my PJ's at 11:00 am.  Wait, I think I kind of like that part......  Any way, I had to do something fun so the Silhouette was calling my name.

 Our church is having an auction to raise money for Girl's Camp so hubby and I are rounding up items to donate.  We will be giving one of my quilts and a couple of gift cards.  I needed to make cute holders for the cards and this is what I did.

I hope they make a ton of money for the girls!

Diana

Modest Clothing Is So Hard To Find

I went shopping last week.  So depressing.  Not only were the clothes not that attractive (I am being kind) but they were so immodest.  The week before I was shopping with my tween granddaughter and ran into the same issues.  No one wants to see either of us in what was out there, believe me!  And it is not just me, all my friends complain that finding cute, modest clothing is IMPOSSIBLE! 

But look at this cute skirt!  I love it!  While in Orem, Utah Monday (long layover while traveling from Cali to Ohio) I found the BEST SHOP EVER!  Don't let the store's name freak you out.  Sister Missionary Mall isn't just for Sister Missionaries!  Think about it.  Clothes that 19 to twentysomething year old women would find attractive (therefore not matronly) and modest enough to wear to church!  Yeah!!!!!!  And the prices are great, especially when you check out their clearance section.  They--have--dresses--gasp!  When was the last time you were able to find a dress you could wear to work or church!  And their blouses are the sweetest things ever!  They even have a facebook page where they put pictures of the newest fashions to come in.  Be sure and check them out soon, you won't be sorry!

Diana 

Foot Print Cookies

 Need a quick baby shower cookie?

Here is one that is soooo easy to decorate, only uses one color and doesn't require a new cookie cutter (at least for me).  I used a flip flop cookie cutter, I know you all have one, and a few hours to bake and decorate.  I am actually using these cookies in Primary on Sunday as a reward for the children for following in Christ's foot prints.  For a change of pace I used candy flavoring (cherry) instead of the lemon juice I normally use in the icing.  Really good! For the recipes for the cookies and icing go here.   Diana

Be a Little Silly

As a treat for our Primary teachers, I made these fun little goodies to remind them to have fun with the children they teach!

I got the bottles at a local craft store and made sweet little pinwheels with paper and straight pins.  Inside each bottle are Nerds.  I tried to fit in mini M&Ms but they couldn't fit down the neck of the bottle!.  The quilt top used as a backdrop?  I'll be posting that later this month!
Diana

Christmas Handout

Just thought I would show a couple of small gift ideas that are great for children (think church or school).  This first one is a printable download from Laurie Furnell and it is free!  Instead of a knitted hat I did ear mufsf using pipe cleaners and pom poms.  We actually made kits for the kids at church to put these together for themselves!

Below is another handout I made for children at another church group.  Because I wanted these children to receive something more spiritual, I machine embroidered candy cane holders.  Each one took 15 minutes to make so be sure you give yourself enough time.  Since I made 28 it took 7 hours, but I broke it up over several days.  The download for this project was Embroidery Garden's Yahoo group and is free too! 

Both handouts went over very well but then who doesn't like the gift of candy!!!!

Diana

Easy Peasy Halloween Cupcakes

Primary was in charge of the cupcake walk this year at the Halloween party so that meant baking a whole lot of cupcakes!  And they needed to be quick and easy to make since we needed soooo many.  Below you can see some of the ones that I made.

Headstones and bones on a cookie crumb grave.

Pastel candy corn colored high top cupcakes.

Halloween candy corn bark tops simple cupcakes.

The cake walk was so much fun, both for the children and for those of us that serve in Primary.  Diana 

Moody Cookies

Happy or sad, you decide......that was the message these cookies attempted to teach my husband's Sunday School class of 7 year olds!We all have seen the funny little face that when flipped one way shows a happy face but turned upside down shows a frowny one.  We thought it would make more of a impression on the children if that same face was done on a sugar cookie.  It made a great take home treat and hopefully taught a valuable lesson.  We are responsible for our own attitude, happy or grumpy......which is much easier when you are eating a cookie!  Diana

Little Boy Busy Box

After so many little girl crafts I thought it was time I did one for the little guys.  A busy box seemed like a good idea to keep those fidgety hands quiet during church services.Inside is a note pad, pencil. magnets, tiny toys, chalk and eraser (pom pom).

I used chalkboard vinyl on the front!  The 4 year old who got this gift on Sunday was so happy!  Diana

Take Along Doll

After doing the tinned rabbit I decided to try another mini toy in a tin.  This time it is a matryoshka doll I machined embroidered.I don't remember where I got the design but any small little critter could do. 

These are getting addictive.  Diana

Bunny in a Tin

Tinned rabbit, sounds like something you might eat?  Not in this case!  I saw these on the net and thought I could do my own spin on it.I think this would be a great little toy for little ones at church or in the car, anywhere you don't want something large or noisy.  I used my embroidery machine to make the bunny.  Found the free design here, but I changed it up a bit.  I didn't want to turn it inside out so I put the backing felt behind the hoop not on top of it.  Then I just trimmed around the outline leaving a raw edge.

The pillow actually has a pillow case and the quilt has batting inside it. 

The tin has a very simple design on the top that I cut out of card stock.  I have a little girl at church in mind for this sweet toy.  Hope she likes it.  Diana

New Favorite Color Combo

Red and aqua.....how pretty is this.I just wish I had another room to decorate.  Maybe my tiny laundry closet could use a face lift.   This little item is a magnet I made for all the Primary teachers.  Our theme was "Be the Missing Piece"  meaning of course that a gospel teacher can have a huge impact on each child.....  Diana

Young Women's Values Crayons

Sometimes I think I might be going just a little nuts.  I mean who does stuff like this?  Unwrap store bought crayons, print new wrappers on the computer (three times cuz I kept getting the colored paper in the wrong order) (like I said, nuts), cut out said wrappers, apply super sticky tape to one edge, precurl wrappers, and then wrap each crayon just right so the labels all face the same way.......crazy!  It seemed like a much better idea when I saw it at Indablinka.  On her, crazy looks like genius. Diana

More Scripture Covers

New group of little ones getting baptized this year!  These were handed out at our Great to be Eight program.Simple paperback scriptures were covered with scrapbook paper.

Coordinating paper and their names decorate the front of each child's book.

 I tried to pick papers that I thought would match their personalities.

Bright colors and robots for the boys.....

A little glitter paper for the girls.....

This one was for a little rock star.....no one will have any trouble mistaking whose scriptures these belong to.Diana

Baa Baa Sheep Cookies

Last Sunday our long time bishop was released. One of his themes over the years was that of the faithful shepherd. The fact that he also has raised hundreds of sheep added to his image. So, to thank him for his service, I baked him up some sheep cookies! If you notice, some of the sheep has happy faces, some mischievous ones and some a little grumpy. Hmmm, I wonder which ones represent which members of our congregation...... To get this shape I used a six petaled flower for the body and a small square for the feet. Diana

Candy Bar Wrapper

Another Article of Faith reward for a hard working primary child! A girl this time so it had to have some pink on it. Diana

Candy Bar for Monkeys

Sometimes you just need to be silly! This candy bar cover is a reward for a job well done. A boy at church has learned all thirteen Articles of Faith, which is reason enough for a giant size treat. The monkeys are brads with wiggle eyes. This will be a delicious way to celebrate a great accomplishment. Diana

Please tell me this doesn't look like a purse

I promised my eight year old that it doesn't look like a purse, but I am not completely convinced (shhh). He needed a carrying case for his robot covered scriptures he received as a gift for his baptism in May. I found this great fabric at Hobby Lobby and came up with this case. I stitched up two envelopes of fabric and then sewed a 45 degree angle at each bottom corner to create a 3-d envelope. Then after sewing both envelopes together with right sides facing I flipped them right side out through a small opening. A little top stitching and striped handle and he has his own non-purse like carrying case (or so I keep telling him).