For Valentine’s Day my husband and I decided to make each other a gift. I am anxious to see what he comes up with, while I decided to make him one of the things on his “list” that he can enjoy while playing with our son: Superman. We want to fill a chest with costumes for playing dress-up, so I made 2 versions of this cape that would hopefully make Clark Kent proud.

I bought red 1/4″ bias tape and 2 yards of red satin, measured the length to about the bottom of the seat of their pants.

Small Child: 18″L x 16″W
Adult: 40″L x 28″W

1. I like to iron my hems rather than pinning so I started with the sides, turned over twice about 1/4″ and ironed them down. Then I hemmed the sides and did the same with the bottom.

2. At the top I ran a thread through near the edge and pulled it in to gather. Then I sewed across my gathering. Be sure to keep your finger near the sewing needle so you can press down the fabric where it gathers.

3. Next, I used 1/4″ red bias tape to create the tie. Open the tape, center it across your fabric, and tuck in the newly gathered top seam. Then sew all the way across the bias tape. It shouldn’t unravel but you can also tuck in and sew the ends of the tie.

I think this would be really cute with a contrasting color of bias tape around all of the edges. I can’t wait to see them play!

In addition to being a craft-nazi, I also love to bake. So when you love to be in the kitchen and have limited funds, making food gifts is the way to go. With Valentine’s Day just a few days away, you can make some easy and delicious cookies, and package them in boxes and bags perfect for the holiday.

The box is made from posterboard and then covered in scrapbooking paper. The template I used I found here and just made it for how big I needed it. Then I glued scrapbooking paper to the outside once the box was assembled.

The cookies pictured here are sugar cookies and they are the easiest and yummiest cut-outs I’ve ever tried. The icing recipe that follows dries hard and shiny, making it a perfect recipe to stack your cookies. If you’re really not a fan of cooking or labor-intensive items, this cake cookie recipe is super easy, and takes no time and effort at all. Really really not a fan of cooking? Then head to your local bakery and snatch up some goodies and put them in homemade packaging. Your recipients will still thank you.

Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla and mix until smooth. Sift together the flour and baking powder and stir into the creamed mixture alternating with the heavy cream. Cover the dough and chill for 2 to 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters and place them 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until bottoms and edges of cookies are light brown. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire racks. Makes approx. 4 dozen cookies.

Sugar Cookie Icing

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tsp milk
2 tsp light corn syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla or almond extract
food coloring

Combine the sugar and milk until smooth, then add the corn syrup and extract until the icing becomes stiff. Add more sugar to thicken or more milk to thin. Divide into seperate bowls and tint with food coloring. Let dry atleast an hour before stacking.

I am so excited about this, I just had to post about it right away! This is a hat that I finished on the weekend, I needed a warm hat for when I go walking in the cold, and I love the look of cables. I’ve always been scared of cables though, they look so intricate and hard, and I’ve never tried them. I decided this weekend to give them a go, and I was surprised at how easy they are!

I found a free pattern online, and I followed it as written, except that I made it bigger (I have a big head ) and I did an additional row of SSK at the end of the pattern, to make the hole at the top of the hat minimal. I should have made it a touch longer, as it only covers the very top of my ears, but it does keep my head warm and that was the goal.
There are a few mistakes that I can see, but all in all I’m really happy with how it turned out. And now I’m not scared of cables.

I thought this was a fun Valentines idea. It’s Paper CD sleeves used for cookies. You can stamp them any way you like & add tags. This gives me a chance to introduce to you one of my favorite crafty blogs, Kiddley where I found the idea. Tons of great craft ideas for kids. I can’t wait to try some of these when Lucy gets old enough. Hope you have a wonderful Valentines day with your loved ones. Happy Valentines Day!

Did you find some cool V-day ideas? do share.

I’ve been seeing these sock puppies around the internet lately and decided that I would try my hand at making one. I mean, how hard can it be? Pair of socks - check. Fiberfil - check. Matching thread and buttons - check, check. So with all my tools, I began cutting, sewing and filling my sock puppy. The finished product is one that, while it’s not entirely embarrassing, it’s definitely not something I want to put on display. But for your amusement, I shall.

As you can see, it’s hind legs are way too long and his front legs are too short. And uneven.

And it looks like he’s been *fixed* and the doctor didn’t do a very good job sutchering him.

It’s not too bad, but I do feel bad for the poor pup. I did have an overwhelming sense of pride that I completed it. But that faded when my son wouldn’t even play with it. *Sigh* I guess I shall stick with my love affair with felt and leave the sock puppies to a professional.

I never thought our pug, Jaxon, ever cared about where he slept. This dog will sleep anywhere, and all day if he likes, so I thought a dog bed was just a dog bed. Until I got him one that clearly did not meet his standards. He would’ve rather slept on the hardwood floor than in this thing. So out it went and I was left with the dilemma of spending yet another $20 on a dog bed that he may or may not like. And would most definitely be ugly.

So I decided to go the cheaper (and better looking) route by making one myself. I bought a cheap, yet fluffy, pillow from Walmart and some canvas fabric on sale at JoAnn’s that would match our decor.

I’m new to sewing and I didn’t have a pattern to go by, just what was in my head, so for all you experienced sewers out there, please excuse my ignorance and don’t laugh at the diagram I put together below. I mean it - don’t laugh!

Okay, so you get enough fabric to completely cover your pillow. I got a standard sized one and used just a smidge over a yard (a yard x 45″). First you’ll hem the top of your fabric, one of the shorter sides (Figure 1). Then you’ll fold your fabric in half length-wise (so the opposite side is on the outside) and sew the edges together (Figure 2). You’ll finish by sewing the bottom of the fabric together (Figure 3), so the only opening will be at the top. Turn your pillowcase inside out and then slide your pillow in, tuck the remaining fabric underneath and you’re done!

I don’t know how to do a zipper, but if you know how to do this, then have at it and you can close it. I chose to let the fabric be a little longer, and then just tucked the longer portion underneath. This reason was two-fold: one, so I could accomodate a larger, longer pillow in the future, and second, I was lazy and just wanted a quick fix for the puppy.

From start to finish this project cost $9 and about 20 minutes. At the end you will have a functional dog bed that looks as fabulous as it is comfy. And the best part of it all is it’s washable!