My Crafting Goals

I feel like I should give everyone a little bit of insight into the kinds of crafts I hope to someday have mastered.  My Pinterest board is an insane look into my (possibly skewed) sense of my personal crafting ability (because all you really need is a quick online tutorial, and you can totally be a crafting god/goddess!).  This is an opportunity to get real with myself about which crafting projects I will really try to tackle.  And, so I don't procrastinate, which I may or may not have issues with (ok, I do), I will even set a timeline.  

In the next year, I will specifically work to gain a working knowledge of the following craft categories:

• Sewing (with the sewing machine I begged my parents for last Christmas; yes, I'm in my thirties and yes, I truly begged my parents like a ten year old for this machine)

• Crocheting (with three kiddos under 4, it really seems like a missed opportunity not to know how to do this)

• Accessories (specifically, accessories for the girlies.  Headbands, DIY bows & flower clips, jewelry, etc.)

• Special Occasion Crafts (Ok, I know this is a bit broad, but I love pinning holiday decorations & recipes.  So, I might as well detail how that really goes for someone who isn't all that crafty. Plus, who knows when I will come across an adorable project I can't resist - I already have a Mod Podge project in mind to attempt and share with you.)

So there you have it.  My craft goals for the next year.  See? I have a plan.  I hear that's the first step to successful crafting; that, and glowing & totally unfounded optimism! I can so do these.

Wish me luck!

Halloween Costumes (Elmo toddler girl costume DIY) - I can totally make those... (Part 2)

So, bolstered with my newfound costuming confidence, I set off to make the desired Halloween costume for my two year old (Goosie). When I asked her big sister what she wanted to be for Halloween, Goosie (who I generally assume isn't actively listening to word I say) shocked me when she very excitedly came up to me saying "Elmo! Elmo!" So, I quickly searched Pinterest for an adorable Elmo costume for a girl.  I was underwhelmed by our choices, but found this cute DIY at Girl Loves Glam that sounded easy enough.

So, I sent the hubs out to the store to find red sweatpants and a long sleeve red shirt in Goosie's size.  Why is it whenever you want to buy something in a very specific color (like cherry red), it becomes crazy hard?  Luckily, the hubs managed to find some velour leggings and a shirt one size too big (though it fit like it was 3 times too big) from the toddler boys' section. 

Then I headed to the craft store and emerged with much better success than when I went for Honeybee's costume.  I didn't find exactly what I needed for the headpiece, but I was able to tweak it enough (aka - pull off the decorative peacock feather that was over the giant red feather pad that I needed).  So, I had all my supplies: the clothes, the flexible fabric glue, my strips of fringed red felt.  Yes, felt... if anyone has looked at the original tutorial yet, you've caught on to where the drama begins.  Somehow in my sleep-deprived new mommy haze, I kept reading felt on the supplies when the costume calls for fleece.  Awesome.  Well, surely this will still work, right?  Felt is a fabric too, it will just be a little stiffer, right?  WRONG.  Apparently, felt is less compatible with the flex fabric glue & therefore doesn't stick at all, let alone permanently.  

Ok- at this point, I had two and a half days before Goosie needed her costume for the first of the many Halloween celebrations held in our area.  So, Plan B... again.  

I was able to make the adorable headpiece still, with the feather pad, an oval of orange felt, big goggly eyes & a glue gun.  This kid is going to be Elmo one way or another.  Well, I know how to make tutus, and Goosie's eyes certainly lit up when Honeybee tried on her tutu gown.  Why not just make a little red tutu to wear over her clothes?  Granted, she doesn't really look like an actual Elmo in this costume, but I was out of patience and ideas.  So much for an easy DIY, huh?

So, I grabbed supplies to work on the tutu (a red crocheted baby headband, since Goosie is still skinny enough to wear it as a belt, red tulle - measured and cut so it would fall just above her knees when folded in half, and a crochet hook) and knotted away.  Now, just a couple of tips, if you want to do this:                                                                             

1. Use a cereal box - put the headband around the box & tie away!  Plus, you can store the extra tulle in the box to keep it from getting messed up, lost or played with by little hands (or paws, if you have pets)
2. Use a crochet hook - yes, I saw this tip in the tutorial for the Elsa-inspired tutu gown, but I didn't use it.  Actually, for Honeybee's costume, I didn't have a crochet hook (because I hadn't worked with the crochet tops before and didn't think about how tedious it was to pull tulle through tiny little holes a gajillion times) so I actually used a mechanical pencil.  It worked really well.  I just used the clip to hold the tulle and pull it through the hole.  For Goosie's tutu, I decided to try the crochet hook. Fair warning - there are a million kinds of crochet hooks.  I didn't know this, I thought all were created equal (again - can I just reference my utter lack of crafting skills here?).  I bought a cute pink hook, that was honestly a little too shallow to really hold the tulle well.  So you might want to ask for a little assistance at the craft store or from a crafty friend to make sure you are getting the kind of hook you need for your project. 

I finished the tutu in just a couple hours.  Total project time: 2 and a half hours (including failed attempts at the other costume 3 hours - I gave up really easily). So technically, since I had another costume project in mind to start - my optimism was definitely unfounded and no, I cannot do this.  But, since I changed to another tutu - Yes!  I can absolutely make those! And honestly, Plan B was a hit.  Goosie was super excited to have a tutu and she loves her Elmo mask. 

See?  Even Elmo thought she was adorable!

 Elsa & Elmo hanging out together in all their tutu-rrific glory

Happy Halloween folks!!  Now, I'm off to figure out my next crafting adventure since I have tackled my most pressing project.  If you have any suggestions - feel free to comment below!

Halloween Costumes (Elsa-inspired tutu gown DIY) - I can totally make those... (Part 1)

So this year, I fell victim to the inspirational abyss that is Pinterest, specifically: DIY Halloween costumes. I found an adorable tutu gown costume I was sure would be the winner for my 3 and a half year old (Honeybee). I asked Honeybee what she wanted to be (already knowing what she would say) & of course, I received my answer: "Elsa, Mommy!!"  So I turned my iPad around with a big smile on my face to show her the pin of her dreams (specifically, this "Ice Queen" dress tutorial from the Hairbow Company).  As I expected, she loved it and had every confidence I would have her dress ready in just a few short hours.  

Ok, I can do this. I've made tutus before; it's just tying tulle in little knots. No biggie.  Honeybee even had one I made for her first birthday. 

This is where my lack of craft experience came in to bite me - umm, where do I find all the supplies? How much should I buy? How did they get it to look like it's straight from the Disney costume department? But, I remained undeterred. I went to the craft store looking for large crocheted headbands (because the post so confidently just told me to use one, obviously, they must be stocked in every color in every size in mass quantities, right??) No. Seriously, none of the craft stores in my town sold them.  I did however find plenty of tulle options (and spent way too much money on glittery teal tulle that ended up being completely unused, bummer.) 

So Plan B - I can totally still do this.  That's why the internet exists.  Off I go to an awesome (and affordable) site with lots of accessories and craft supplies for accessories and I order a large teal tutu top/ headband.  And, because it's so affordable, I might as well buy several others in varying colors and sizes (for the record, I have no plans for these supplies; but the savings are hard for me to resist).  

Success!  The tops come, they fit, and then I realize there is such a thing as a lined crochet tutu top... well, crud. For my purposes, I decided it doesn't matter since I will make Honeybee wear a shirt under her gown anyway (Halloween in Illinois is not a sleeveless affair).  At this point, my minimal level of tutu making experience kicked in and I was able to work on the project over a couple of days (total time: approximately 4 hours).

Luckily, her costume was actually a verifiable success.  It fits her nicely, looks cute and, most importantly, Honeybee loves it!  Yay!  I'm a crafting success.  I can totally do this.

Now... don't I have another child around here somewhere?

I Could Do That

The goal of this blog is to chronicle one woman's journey to actually follow through on a lifelong attitude of "I could do that" and see if I truly can! 

It all started with a craft show when I was about 7 years old and just a few simple words from my mom: "Oh Jenny, we could make that". This was my cue to put my money away and move away from whatever crafty objects had caught my eye (usually Barbie related). Sadly, the various coveted craft projects were never attempted. These few words stuck with me, unfortunately, so did the complete lack of follow through. 

Well, I've grown up and now have three girls of my own. I found myself saying those fateful words to my oldest (currently 3) the other day when talking about a headband and I decided the time had come to actually put my money where my mouth was. From the sheer success of Pinterest (and from the humorous memes that pinpoint how common it is to post with intent but absolutely zero follow through), I am now aware that I'm not alone in my affliction.

So join me as I enter the world of all things crafty. I'm sure it will be interesting to discover which of the many things I've always said I can do will come to fruition and which will epically fail.