The Christmas shopping has begun! I’m feeling much better knowing that at least a few people are crossed off my list now, and I can really concentrate on the toughies… like my dad who has pretty much been claiming he doesn’t need a single thing for the better part of my life.

I had been really trying to keep the “things I’ll make” list pretty short this year, but it keeps expanding – just a project or two at a time – thanks in large part to all of the inspiration I keep stumbling across in internet land and catalogs. Last weekend, I loaded up on fabrics to make soft trees. They’ve been on my Christmas project list since last year when I was completely smitten with the ones at bella dia and little birds. It’s no surprise to me that they’ve seen a huge resurgence in popularity. I think what I really, really like about them is that they seem to look better the more you make. I love seeing little armies of people’s creations. I’ve never made lots and lots of the same thing, but it’s really appealing to me. I wonder how many I can get through… do people machine stitch the bottoms of the tree or is that part done by hand? Hmmm… my little tree farm is going to have to be efficient.

And then there’s this project…

This one came from one of my favorite editions of Cotton & Paint (Vol. 23). The little bird with the washing line (up top) was the reason I HAD to get a copy, but it’s this little dog with backpack and hat that I’m going to try making first. I ordered my copy from Kitty-Craft along with a lot of fabric, and she generously sent me a sample of some pretty cute dog fabric that will be used on the little guy’s hat. (Oh, Kitty-Craft, please come back soon! Molly Chicken, as usual, has some great pictures from this volume if you’re interested.)

So far, I have all of the pattern pieces cut and ready to go. Now, I just need to get the machine threaded and ready to make a mad dash to the finish. If that all sounds too easy… I’ll openly admit that I still have more shopping, Christmas tags, some pretty insane baking goals, and wedding thank you notes on my list. And true to my word, I haven’t freaked out that the decorations aren’t quite up yet. I think we’ll need to do that pretty soon though – I’m not sure how much longer I can maintain my cool.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 09:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I can’t tell if it’s cold in here or if it’s just that I’ve been reading too much about first snow sightings and chilly weather. I think the low tonight can hardly be classified as cold (43 degrees F), but I’ll use any excuse to stay inside and have some hot apple cider.

I’m on a full time mission right now to round up Christmas hints and organize my shopping expeditions. I try to come up with ideas unaided, but sometimes you need a little push in the right direction. So far, my sister is the only one who has helped much in that department. I’m getting the impression that she’s been divvying up hints across the family so as not to get any duplicate gifts. It’s pretty impressive, really.

The only thing I have organized so far is the wrapping paper. This will now be the third year that I’ve stuck with one wrapping paper/gift tag theme. It’s so wonderful. I mean, it’s horribly obsessive-compulsive, but it makes things so much easier. The wrapping part is very calming that way, and I find it incredibly satisfying to see a growing stack of monochromatic presents. I’m sure this wouldn’t work for everyone, but I do enjoy seeing everything match like that. I also splurge on fabric ribbons. I had one to many run-ins with the curling ribbon and scissors.

These pictures are from last year, and I used the same circle punch/eyelet setter combo as I did to make my numbered stocking tags. The circle design was heavily inspired by the alphabet garland I saw over here at The Small Object. For my version, each one was labeled with a person’s initial and name... as in "K is for Kristen."

This year, everything is getting wrapped in a silver/white motif. Mr. Bunny Slippers is in charge of designing our new gift tags which I’ll share here when they’re done. Now we just need to get stuff to put inside. Oh.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 06:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It’s grey out today which is very nice for things like cozying up the house and pulling out the Christmas decorations – and not as great for things like taking pictures for one’s blog.

So I’m pulling a couple of pictures out from my stash.

Like a number of people I can think of last year, I got completely caught up in the Advent stocking frenzy (see posts here, here, here, and here). I am a total sucker for Advent calendars and have always kept an eye out for unique ways to mark the count down. Even now, I don’t think I’ve ever quite lost the here-comes-Christmas anticipation. My sister and I shared one as children that was a small felt tapestry with Velcro ornaments that you placed on the tree each day (kind of like this, but cuter). Oh man, when it was time to pull that thing out and hang it on my bedroom door, I knew Christmas was coming. At some point, almost all of the Velcro wore off of the backs of the ornaments, but I was still quite devout about trying to get all of the pieces to their proper spot.

Last year’s holiday season was very special as it was the first Christmas I spent with Mr. Bunny Slippers. Looking back, I know I really over did it – planning everything down to the last possible second and creating a spirit that was more manic than festive. Working on that. Really. Working. I promise.

We haven’t started putting up the décor this year (please see above where I promise not to over-plan everything and force holiday spirit upon others). However, I am REALLY looking forward to pulling out the decorations and just enjoying them. And top of the list for me are these stockings which I just loved making, but were also quite a source of stress at the time.

They are so warm and cuddly looking – all store bought, but different textures, sizes, and colors. All lined up, they make this side of the living room feel deliciously cozy. The numbers were printed on card-stock in different fonts and colors. I used my beloved eyelet setter and circle punch to make numbered tags for each. Although if you had the time and the inclination, I think the beautiful appliquéd ones that others made would be lovely (and probably longer-lasting).

I think I spent the better part of last November trying to figure out what 24 items to put inside. There are some great lists circulating now with ideas for children, but I had a much harder time adapting these ideas for adults. Being young at heart, this sort of dilemma seems to creep up quite a lot (which may be a clue that I need to grow up a bit!). I ended up surprising him with an assortment of chocolates, practical items, the occasional trinket, and a handful of notes directing him to the fridge where a favorite snack or dessert would be waiting. All in all, it was a pretty good time. I figured out by the end of the month that all he really wanted were the chocolates anyway, so I think I’ll be simplifying this year. Feels good.

[For those not cutting back on new projects this year, here are some more ideas: here, here, here, and the one I will eventually try here. Above are photos from two of my all time favorites from Pottery Barn.)

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Earlier this month, my favorite nephew turned one. He is one of those exceptionally lucky kids who turned everyone into an aunt, uncle, or grandparent for the first time, which basically means we fall over ourselves trying to dream up the absolute best possible birthday presents.

In all fairness, I do think he’s cute and nice enough (see proof here) that he could be my 26th niece or nephew, and I would try equally hard to please him.

This year, I started what I hope turns into a long-standing tradition: I wrote him a little book. Here is a shot of all of the pages laid out before they were laminated and bound.

From the introduction:

Right now, you are one year old, so I understand that you can’t read this. Don’t worry. You’ll be able to read eventually.

When you’re ready, turn the page.

Some sample pages:

First, the rhinoceros is the coolest animal. You might like other animals. Maybe you like dogs or cats or even dinosaurs, but the rhinoceros is the coolest. It’s a fact.

When buying someone a present, it’s nice to ask them what their favorite color is first. In case you were wondering, my favorite color is green.

And just in case, he doesn’t appreciate his aunt’s whacky sense of humor, he got a pirate ship too. We weren’t able to stay for his party, but I’ve heard he got quite the haul. Happy Birthday, Kaden! Be nice to your parents.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 09:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Last week, as I was completely freaking out over my "to do" list, I had a sudden inexplicable urge to do some paint by numbers. A couple of people have mentioned them lately so I think the idea has been simmering for a little while:

Yarnstorm talks about how embroidery can be similar to paint by numbers. And Blair at Wise Craft found a completed paint by numbers painting for her house.

I think the idea of creating something without having to really think about it appeals to me at the moment. I have such a limited amount of time to actually create things, and millions of hours where I can think about what I'd like to make. By the time I actually have supplies and free time in front of me, I end up putting a lot of pressure on myself. After this next round of commitments, I'd like to take some time to do some "selfish sewing" and maybe some more relaxed projects. Of course, if I order a kit, I'll be completely past this idea and ready to –I don't know- design my own patterns or something. (Ok, not really. That will still be completely beyond me.)

This place has quite a collection. I have a certain fondness for "Balloon Glow" on page two. Anyone tried one of these lately? Or what about "Twilight Cottage?" I've spent the past couple of weekends looking at model homes (just for fun – more on that later), and I think I have houses on the brain. I don't know if I could seriously hang either one of these on my wall, but they look like they'd be fun to do.

If anyone's in the market for some upscale (read: pricey) paint by numbers. There are some flower prints over here at Weego Home.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 08:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Squeaking in just under the deadline was my BT3 package for Moki. I had a blast reading Moki's blog and getting to know her (and her many, many hobbies). She is an incredibly talented and prolific blogger. I highly recommend reading through her archives to see some of her wonderful ideas and tutorials.

Here is the description of the bunny I made that I included in her package:

I discovered in doing Back-Tack III that I have a somewhat rebellious nature.

This bunny and his squashy little sidekick were sewn by hand. I went with a simple color palette, because I think what makes a softie really great is a nice squishy texture.

The big bunny is more of a sit-on-a-shelf-looking-cute type. Too much exercise and his head gets a little floppy. His little friend in black is a little sturdier and likes to be squeezed.

For the purposes of not getting me kicked out of Back Tack, we're going to pretend that the yellow in the center of the daisies is really a pale green.

I am certainly not going to win any prizes for most creative use of buttons. The eyes were purchased in the button aisle so we're going to go ahead and count those towards my quota. (Who knew I was such a rule bender?)

As you can see from his squashy little sidekick, I did try to use Hillary's Wee Bunny pattern. Alas, I really struggle with patterns that require symmetry. (Note the ears.) So after reading the guidelines four or five times to make sure this was really allowed, I decided to stick with what I know. The pattern is one made somewhat famous by Sewing Stars. It's from a Japanese craft book that was posted on Craftster sometime ago.

There is an embroidered "M" by his tail. Yes, I know it looks more like an "X."

I am a BIG fan of terry cloth and other fuzzy fabrics that hide sketchy stitch-work. I'm not the best sewer so I like to use my own techniques which are, like, totally wrong. Terry cloth is just fuzzy enough that it hides the fact that you skipped stitches and had to back track and such. You just keep stitching away until it seems that the whole thing will stay together. (Moki, I hope you're not reading this. If you are, keep the bunnies away from any pets.) I'm going to stop outing myself now. I should just pretend that I'm a model participant - ha!

On Moki's blog you can see some of the extras I sent (including some goodies from Mitsuwa, the Japanese grocery store). All in all, I'd say Back Tack was a big success (and I hope Moki feels the same way) -- although I won't pretend I wasn't cutting it VERY close there at the end. Very.

It feels so good to look at my To Do list for the week and see some things crossed off the list!

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 08:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have been in a frenzy over here trying to make up for my laziness last week. This Saturday is Mr. Bunny Slippers' birthday, and on top of that, I have had to scramble a bit to make sure my Back-Tack project gets to my partner Moki on time. (And while I'm talking about Moki, you should go sign up for her recipe card stamp swap.)

Last Friday, my lovely Back-Tack III package from Ann arrived. I am a little late with my post and pictures, so hopefully she'll forgive me. (There are some great photos on her blog along with her notes on how she made it.) Look at how clever she was with the little bunny cheeks!

The construction is amazing -- there are so many little touches and details which make it special. And the bunny came tucked into this bag with a little window to peer out of... Did you go over to her site and read about how she sewed a rounded soap inside? Ann should win an award for best smelling softie. He smells so good!


[Click on photos to see larger versions...]

She also generously gifted me with a tissue cover, embroidery supplies, and some chocolates which I'm looking forward to trying out (I mean the embroidery, not the chocolates... I already tried out the chocolates.) I’ve been wanting to do embroidery for awhile now; I go over to Yarnstorm's blog and just drool over her work. Ann picked out this wonderful leaf stencil (which if you'll look around just happens to be a favorite motif of mine), a cute set of “days of the week” transfers, and some lovely pink, green, and orange pearl cotton skeins. Thank you Ann!

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 08:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I keep stumbling across people mentioning the wonders of freezer paper (here, here , here, and here), so I thought I would share the results of my one attempt. This test run was from last year before Christmas. I had great plans to stencil the bird design onto some drawstring pouches but ran out of time. It was a fast and fun project though. The drawing it based on a little statue I saw in Domino.

All of this talk of stencils has gotten me thinking about another project on my to do list. I really want to try stenciling onto a mirror to make something like this (at least until I can afford the real thing). I just love the stuff from Atelier LZC.

I have a couple of bottles of acrylic Liquitex Glossies paint that is supposed to work on glass, but it looks like it has to be heat set which seems dangerous for a mirror. (Can you even put a mirror in the oven? For some reason I don’t even want to think about that. It just sounds like trouble.) I want to look at some of the glass painting kits at the craft store first. (Something like this that doesn’t require heat setting.)

And in other news, since the fun of Back Tack III just wasn’t enough, I’ve signed up for another swap. I’m so excited. This “Hand Carved Stamp Recipe Card Swap” is being hosted by Moki (who just happens to be my Back Tack III partner). She put together an amazing tutorial for carving stamps. There was also some great talk about carving materials over here too..

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 08:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The post in which I reveal my first apron for Amy’s Tie One On challenge and propose my first ever swap. (If you’re interested in having this little apron and doll for yourself, read on!)

I had decided even before the theme was announced that I wanted to participate this month, so I was a little bit distraught when it turned out we would be making an apron for a toy. Most of my stuffed toys are chubby little creatures who I couldn’t quite picture wearing an apron. So I was relieved when I found Miss Madeline hiding in the closet. Of course, she was wearing a Santa-style Christmas dress, so I had to make her not just an apron but a little outfit to wear underneath.

The apron is made of black lace trim, remnants of a white cotton sheet, and some green ribbon. This Anthropologie drawing room skirt was my inspiration. Her apron is really a tiny little copy.

She’s sporting a summer shift dress lined in green cotton. This was my first foray into making doll’s clothes (or any clothes for that matter) so it was challenging at times. In fact, Madeline was going to be getting a black dress instead, but that one was eaten by the sewing machine and ended up in the trash. This one was attempt #2, and honestly, I like the color scheme a whole lot better anyway.

I didn’t know how to make a doll’s dress, but I remembered all of you Blythe fans make doll clothes all the time. So I modified a Blythe doll pattern to make the little A-line dress. Madeline is still growing into her summer dress which is a little big for her in places. (And don’t even ask me to show you the back where the hem is all kinds of uneven.)

Now, the part about the SWAP… This is a little bit dangerous since I think there are maybe 3 people who visit me here, but I would love to do a swap. Madeline was sitting all lonely in the closet, and I would love for her to go to a good home where she could be appreciated. I would be sending you:

• 8” Madeline Doll
• Madeline’s red Christmas hat and dress
• Her summer A-line dress
• Her drawing room apron
• And assorted other goodies to be decided by me

Edited to add: What you'd like to send in return is up to you!

Anyone interested? Please leave me a comment or send me an e-mail at kelly(at)littlehappones(dot)com. Please keep in mind that the apron and dress were made by a very novice sewer, so they probably wouldn’t stand up to a lot of wear and tear from small children and animals. Madeline was never played with, but she did spend time in a couple of boxes during moves. Overall, she’s in very good condition and ready to be loved.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I scraped by on my inspiration hunt challenge and came home with this. It’s really not a lot. I have a love/hate relationship with looking for materials. Finding just the right thing can be so exhilarating. The day I found the shrinky-dinks you could run through your printer was like that. But most times, I find I walk away with almost nothing – and then wonder why I even bother looking for stuff if I’m not going to buy anything. Or I suddenly have a lot of faith in myself that Yes! I will find a use for this strange thing, and I will make it into something amazing! Yeah, ok. Maybe.

Well, we’ll see.

Thank you, oh weekend, for rescuing me from myself and my deranged trips to the fabric stores. May happy materials show up from the sky with little notes attached showing me how to make them into something even happier.

Speaking of skies, I’ve been really enjoying this link I saw here. This is a quote from the Skyfish web-site that I can’t stop re-reading. I’m not 100% sure what it means, but it makes me really happy:

"The image of Skyfish is a very curious fish jumped out of water, perhaps
a big whale floating in the sunny sky. It continues to float all the way
to the universe to meet another fantastic world."

Now, doesn’t that sound nice?

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 06:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, my quest for inspiration is getting off to a very slow start. Trips to such uninspired places as the grocery store keep interfering. Even the Harry Potter DVD is proving elusive.

So instead I will leave you with this picture of a little house which is serving as a muse of sorts for a new project I have in mind. For now, I will leave it at that.

I haven’t given up on finding some new materials to get the creative juices flowing, so hold tight. The hunt isn’t over yet.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday after work I trekked through the rain in search of crewel supplies. I bought Katherine Shaughnessy's book, The New Crewel, as an early Christmas present to myself and have yet to start on any of the projects. Well, that’s about to end. At least, I had hoped that it was about to end. I got home to discover that I had picked up tapestry wool instead of crewel wool. I seem to have a gift for this sort of thing. (Anyone need some pink and green tapestry wool?)

I know I should just ask better questions, but the store was slightly intimidating. The shop was in a high-end neighborhood, and there were a number of well dressed older ladies working on their projects and gossiping. (I overheard one woman say in a dramatic, scandalized whisper: “Oh yes, that’s right. That’s after she had embroidered the snowman.”) The store owner smiled at me, but I got the hint that I was intruding upon their social hour.

So I’ll need to get my act together and try a new store this week. There really is a wealth of inspiring places to find materials and ideas around here, and I thought I’d make a game of it. This week I’m going to try to go on at least 3 trips for inspiration and/or supplies. [Note: I’m going to count today’s trip to buy the Harry Potter DVD since that’s a crucial backdrop to any project making.]

If I find anything good, I’ll let you know.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 08:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wire working always seems so complicated. I once tried to make an angel ornament for my mom out of beads and wire courtesy of a seemingly simple kit from Michael’s craft store. The whole experience was so awful that I swore I would never get ambitious with wire again. Four years later, her ornament still isn’t finished although I try to fix it every year.

Then, I stumbled across this book (ISBN 4-88996-114-3) and fell in love with this necklace. I liked the whimsical style so much it made me feel brave enough to try again. I even splurged on a wire jig (not needed for the project pictured above).

I made this bracelet a while ago. My attempt at making a bracelet looks strangely like the picture and took under an hour. Hmm… maybe this isn’t so hard.

My sister seemed to like it, and I've wanted to try making more. Not everyone wants to look like a fairy princess, so some slightly more subdued colors might work. There are some other pretty cool projects in the book, if I can work up the nerve.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 07:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I feel like the New Year sprang up on me so fast, I didn’t really get a lot of time to write any good New Year’s Resolutions. I did, however, manage a list of ideas and things I’d like to try this year.

Maybe this little guy will finally get some legs.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 07:36 PM | Permalink

I finally got a chance to properly photograph my Christmas present to my mom. I made her a basket bag (inspired by the ones Hillary makes at wee wonderfuls) along with a knitting needle/crochet hook case.

To be honest, there were some close calls with this one.

In the weeks before Christmas, I quickly had a meltdown as I realized how much I still needed to accomplish despite my best efforts at planning ahead and starting early. My mom kept offering to help me finish up my Christmas projects not knowing that it was hers that was hanging in the balance. It’s safe to say that this was a stretch of my sewing ability, but I’m beyond happy with how the whole package turned out. My boyfriend, trying to be supportive, offered me what he thought was reassurance: "You can really tell it's handmade because the lines aren't straight." Right.

My favorite part was the silver love bird charm stiched onto the needle case. Just a little something extra...

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 08:23 PM | Permalink

I’m celebrating Christmas with my family tomorrow, so Christmas day is no break from the madness of preparation.

I enlisted my boyfriend’s help to finish up one last present for my mom. I made her a pincushion inspired by one I saw at http://www.craftapalooza.com/ and wanted to include some shrinky-dink pins. So we sat down with some coloring pencils and shrinky-dinks. I drew what I thought were some cute designs – a leaf, a flower, a little bird. Then I look over at my boyfriend who is drawing a detailed replica of the outfit he’s planning to wear the next day along with some bunny slippers. I am starting to feel really uncreative.

Me: “You’re drawing clothes?”
Him: “Yeah. This pin cushion is supposed to be for sewing, right?”
Me: “Right.”
Him: “Well, it seems we should draw things a person might actually sew.”

So out of my league.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 08:05 PM | Permalink

As promised, I made an apron this weekend.

My sister is quite the chef and really loves preparing meals for her family. I wanted her to have something a little special for the kitchen so I made her this set of potholders and an apron.

I will admit that while sewing the potholders I felt pretty stupid. When I was a kid, I had one of those looms where you weave little loops to make a potholder. I couldn’t help but feel like I was 6 again making a present for my grandmother. My sister is cool! She’s cooler than a potholder loom!

I have to say, though, that putting anything into a “set” instantly makes it better. The more pieces I made, the more the potholders started to make sense. They also started to look a whole lot better after my mom patiently sewed on the bias tape for me (evil bias tape!).

I’m not sure how practical the oven mitt is going to be for her. This was my first attempt at quilting something. Maybe this will be her “for show” oven mitt when company comes over. Do people have oven mitts for show?

I had wanted the apron to have a little tulip shaped pocket, but that was a total disaster. Maybe next time after more sewing practice…

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 09:41 PM | Permalink

I never thought knitting was my thing. The last time I tried, I was 12. I had one skein of rainbow-colored yarn and wanted to make a scarf for my grandmother. Unfortunately, the yarn and my attention span wore out fast. At Christmas, I gave my grandmother a scarf which was maybe 8 inches long and barely wrapped around her neck once. I didn’t think I would ever knit again.

Now I’m back, and I’ve set a quota of 10-15 rows a day. I think I might actually be on track to finish up 3 scarves by Christmas. They certainly aren’t fancy (no tricky patterns or alternating stitches), but I’m on a mission to find the perfect colors for my friends (and sister!).

I think Melissa will like her furry pink scarf. When I hold it up in front of the mirror, I feel a little Sparkly. I hope that’s a good sign.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 11:53 AM | Permalink

Sewing is not really my specialty. I figure if you throw enough thread at something, it will eventually stick together. Of course, in my experience, it might not be in the exact shape or dimensions you intended for it to be. There’s a good chance that anything I try to sew will be 50% smaller than intended. That may be fine for some things (stuffed animals come to mind), but it’s really not going to work for projects out of this beautiful (but intimidating) Amy Butler fabric.

For Mom -
• A basket bag for projects (inspired by these creations over at wee wonderfuls)
• A knitting needle/crochet hook case
• A pin cushion – ok, fine. The pin cushion could very well be 50% smaller than intended. It would only hold three needles though…

For my sister -
• Pot Holders/Oven Mitt
• Café Apron (inspired by this apron seen at tie one on.)

I think I’ve successfully sewn maybe two things without having my mom stand over me and fix it. Unfortunately, it’s probably really wrong to have your mother sew her own Christmas present. I hope my pot holders don’t end up being the size of postage stamps, but such things have been known to happen around here.

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 10:32 AM | Permalink

I’m letting the little wooden people go. It’s hard, but I think it’s for the best.

Continue reading "Little Wooden People" »

Posted by The Little Happy Ones at 12:54 AM | Permalink