Monogram Pocket Nightgown

Monograms seem to be everywhere right now. A hot trend that can be found on almost anything you want to personalize. Last Christmas I decided to make some Monogram Pajamas as gifts. My mom has an embroidery machine, so I love to use it to make gifts when I go to see her.  Don't have an embroidery machine?  You could also cut your letters out of iron on material. Or even applique your own fabric letters!  

I had found a couple of nightgowns that I decided to personalize with monograms. Instead of embroidering straight onto the pajamas, I decided to put the initials onto a coordinating piece of fabric and create that into a little pocket. 

Embroider your monogram towards the bottom of a piece of scrap fabric. Fold your fabric down on top of your monogram, right sides together. Sew up the two sides of your pocket. Now turn it right sides out. There should be an opening on the bottom of your pocket square. Tuck the edges in. It will be closed when you sew the pocket to your pjs.

Place your pocket square where you would like on the garment. I did one as a chest pocket and one as a hip pocket on another nightgown. 

Pin in place and sew around the two sides and the bottom of the pocket. You now have your own personalized monogram PJs. Great to make for yourself or as a gift. 

Mother's Day Cup of Love Mug

Mother's Day is almost here!  Hopefully you have already found the perfect gift for Mom.  If not, start shopping or maybe creating.  I thought I'd share the mug I made for my mom.  I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut the design.  I got it last year for Christmas and I've had such fun creating with it ever since.  I used the flower wreath design and added the text Cup of Love to the middle of it.  Perfect for her nightly tea.

To the back of the mug, I added Mimi since this is what my kids call my mom.  A fun and simple little gift for our Mimi!  Happy Mother's Day!

Candy Flower Bouquet

Another quick and easy Teacher Appreciation gift or Mother's Day gift.  I made something like this last year for my Mom.  She loves the Dove chocolate candies, so I used those last year.  My daughter's teacher like Reese's peanut butter cups, so I bought a bag of those to make her a Mason Jar Candy Flower Bouquet for Teacher Apprication Week.

I used a mason jar, a bag of candies, double sided foam mounting squares, and some silk flowers.  Place a mounting square in the middle of each flower and attach a piece of chocolate.  Put your flowers in the mason jar and fill around the stems with the remaining chocolate.

I cut a scrap of paper to fit in the middle of the mason jar lid.  I added a little note, "How Sweet it is to be Taught by you!"  I taped the metal part of the lid to the outer rim to keep it in place.  Before taping the lid in place, I slid a piece of ribbon through the lid in order to tie it in place around the mouth of the jar.

Maybe Mom or your child's teacher would prefer real flowers!  I sent in this African Violet for another day of Teacher Appreciation Week.  I used a strip of paper with a note that read, "Teachers plant seeds of knowledge that grow forever."  I taped the two ends of that note to the end of skewers and stuck the other ends into the soil of the plant.  Super easy and a fun little banner to top your plant.  Need another idea?  Check out my Framed Word Art for an easy craft.  

Whatever you decide to do, make sure to tell the teachers in your life and Mom, Thank you!

Teacher Appreciation Word Art Gift

 Teacher appreciation week is here!  Hopefully you've made plans to show your child's teacher just how much they mean to you!  If not, don't worry.  I have an idea for you.

I'm class mom for my daughter's fourth grade class.  I didn't start the year that way, but I guess no one volunteered and they saw me in the school lobby one day and asked me to take over the position.  I wasn't sure how much time it would take up, but it hasn't been that bad.  I've decorated the class door for Red Ribbon Week.  I've organized the teacher's birthday gift and lunch.  Mostly it's been e-mails out to the few parents that would actually share their e-mail address with me.  The toughest part is that I have very few parents that are involved or want to participate.  The school has a basket night where families try to win baskets that the classes put together by buying tickets and using them as chances to win different baskets.  I asked for donations from our class, but no one responded.  I ended up making two different baskets for our class on my own.  I got donations from our local MLS team, Orlando City and made that into a basket.  Then I shopped after Halloween sales to make a costume/dress up basket as well.  I don't like the ball to be dropped so I just take it over.  It' gets to be a lot of work, since I tend to make it more than it needs to be.  But I'd rather do that than have nothing done at all.

So coming into Teacher Appreciation Week, I wasn't too hopeful to get donations.  I was pleasantly surprised to have a few generous donations that will definitely help me to show our teacher some love.  I had already planned to do a little gift each day, so this will help me to do that.

Today I sent in a framed Word Art gift that had all the kids names made into the shape of a flower.  I used Tagxedo to make my flower shape.  There are all different kinds of shapes to choose from and you can change what words you want to use to appear in your word art.  It really is so cool.  Plus it can be used for so many different projects!  I've used it for party invites as well!

After choosing my design and getting it laid out the way I wanted, I printed my flower onto cardstock.  Then I found a frame I liked to put it in.  Now I just wanted to add my message to the mat of the frame.  I used my Silhouette Cameo to print out Thanks for helping me Grow in vinyl.  You can also use sticker letters from the craft store as well.

On the bottom of the mat I added the school name and year.  You could also add the teacher's name or whatever message you choose.

I'm really happy with how it came out.  Perfect for Day 1 of surprises for Teacher Appreciation Week!

Easter Snacks

Easter is almost here.  My kids are on Spring Break!  It's nice to have this time off, but it's also a bit tough to get anything done with them here.  Since there's no school this week, that meant we had school Easter parties last week.  I was in charge of organizing the party for my daughter's preschool class.  It didn't have to be anything too big.  Just a snack, craft, and a book to read.

What little bunny doesn't love carrots?  Especially when they're filled with cheese crackers!  I used Stauffer's Whales which we think are so much better than Goldfish, but any kind will do.  I've found Whales at Dollar Tree, Target and Big Lots.  Annie's bunnies would be perfect but they are a bit pricey when I had to make these for a whole class.

No snack would be complete without a little juice.  I cut yellow scrapbook paper to fit around mini juice boxes.  I taped it in back and they stayed in place just fine.  On the front I used sharpies to color in eyes and a chicky beak.  So cute!

The kids all loved how cute the food looked.  These would be the perfect table decoration for the kids table at your Easter feast.  Plus the kids would have something to snack on while waiting for dinner.

The kids also decorated their own Easter eggs at our party.  I found the plain white plastic eggs at Walmart and then let them be creative with markers and stickers.  See how I made my Doodle Eggs here!  It's fun to see how the kids all chose to decorate in different ways.  Still need to decorate eggs?  I love these doodle eggs since it elimates the big mess that comes with dying eggs.  Have fun and be creative!  Happy Easter!

Pet Memorial Stone DIY

It's been a year since we said good-bye to our sweet baby Tyke.  He was our first fur baby and a very sweet and sensitive dog.  It was something that came on quite suddenly for us, but long enough to see him suffer.  We made the decision to let him go when we just couldn't see him like that anymore.  After letting him go, I did not take it well.  I needed him in my life, even if it was just a little memorial to keep him close.

I decided to make a little stone memorial for Tyke.  I wanted to see his name and keep him close.  I had made paw prints and framed them before he passed.  I made copies of his paw prints and used that along with his name and an angel picture.  I printed all of these on to a piece of cardstock.

After printing, I cut out the inside images of my letters and pictures to make a stencil.  I'm sure if you have a Cameo or Cricut you could do this on there, but this worked for me.  

I placed my stencil on top of a concrete stepping stone I got at a home improvement store.  Using a black Sharpie marker, I traced inside my stencil onto my stone.  I then colored in my letters and freehanded the date as well using a Painters paint marker.  This will last much longer, especially outside.  Mine still looks good a year later, but you could always repaint if it starts to fade.

I made another smaller stone with Tyke's name and paw print on it to bring out to our beach condo. 

We placed our memorial stone in our backyard underneath a maple tree.  I smile when I see it and try to remember the good times we had.

He was our first baby and nothing could replace him.  We miss him everyday.  My youngest still talks about him all the time and tells me she can't wait to go to heaven to see him.  I know he is no longer in pain, so I'm glad he can rest.  Still doesn't make me miss him any less.  Love you Tyke!!

Ball Bin Memorial

Framed Paw Print

Shared at Tatertots & Jello

Easy Monogram Fleece Blanket

Need a last minute gift idea for someone on your list?  This is an easy monogram blanket and can be a great gift for anyone on your list!  Kids, pets, friends, neighbors, teachers...everyone loves to cuddle up on the couch with a cozy blanket.  Fleece is always on sale this time of year.  Plus there are so many great patterns and prints to choose from!  You can find the perfect fabric for anyone on your list.

This is a quick and simple sewing project that even a beginning seamstress can make.  I bought a piece of fleece material.  One yard is usually good for a baby or small child.  I like to use closer to two yards for an adult throw blanket.  Make sure your edges are square.  You can round your corners if you would like to.  Zig zag stitch around the outside edge to give your blanket a finished look.

I found a printable letter coloring page that I printed and used as a pattern to cut out my monogram letter.  Cut a piece of fusible web for your letter and follow instructions to adhere your letter where you would like on your blanket.  Attach your letter by using a zig zag stitch around the outside edge.  That's it!  A nice comfy blanket in any kind of fun print!  I made this C monogram letter blanket last year for one of my Christmas angel gifts for a child from a foster home.  All kids deserve to feel safe and warm!

Dollar Store Sock Snowman

I wanted to share a cute and easy craft project that you can do with the kids!  These adorable sock snowmen are easy to make, inexpensive and great little guys to use as decorations around the house!  I love Christmas, but there is always so much going on and things to do.  Crafts have to be quick and easy or they just don't get finished.  That's why these sock snowmen are the perfect holiday craft!

I found all of the supplies I needed to make the sock snowmen at the dollar store.  I used men's white crew socks for the body, kid socks for the hat, and twine to close up my sock.  One bag of rice should make about two snowmen, depending on how big your socks are.  I attempted to use the funnel to help pour in my rice, but it kept getting stuck.  It was just easier to pour the rice into the sock without it.

Begin by cutting your sock in half around the heel of your sock.  I was able to make two snowmen out of one sock.  It you are using the toe, just pour your rice in, tapping as you go to help settle the rice.  If you are using the top portion, turn your sock inside out.  Tie one end closed with your twine and then turn the sock right side out again.  Fill with rice and then tie the top closed with twine.

Decide how big you want to make your snowman's head.  Tie another piece of twine around his neck to give him his head and body.  You can trim your twine or tie it into a little bow.  Now it's time to take your little kid socks.  You could trim the end off, but I just started rolling it up at the cuff until I got the size I wanted for my little guy's hat!

After sliding his hat on, it's time to give him a face, maybe some buttons or add a scarf.  I used Sharpie markers to decorate and add the final touches.  Want to add a scarf?  Cut a small strip of fleece and tie it on!  My girls loved to make their own little snowman family.  We have them in all sizes to make each one a little different.