Popsicle Fall Cards

Fall Fun Kids Crafts:

By Angela

I absolutely love fall! It is my favorite time of year! I have so many fun craft ideas for my little guys to partake in. Here is one we did last year!

Supplies:

Popsicle sticks (a package should work for about 3-4 of these)

Glue gun or strong glue

Paint

Googly eyes

Various colors of construction paper

Permanent marker

I prepped these the night before because it was just easier. I started by lining up about 5-6 popsicle sticks next to each other. I then glued 2 additional popsicle sticks horizontally to those 5-6 vertical ones, basically just to secure them in place. That’s it!

The next day, my kids were able to decorate their popsicle sticks with paint, googly eyes, construction paper, glitter, really anything you have on hand.

We made Frankenstein and pumpkins and sent them as Halloween cards to friends and family!

This would make a great fun and easy craft for playdates!

Fall Playdates

Fall Playdates:

By Angela

My love for fall calls for me to design get-together’s for friends and family to enjoy in all that the changing of the leaves bring! Here are some fun and festive playdate ideas to get you in the fall spirit!

1.       Organize a trip to your local pumpkin patch!

These can be so fun! Usually you are able to pick out your own pumpkin, go on hayrides, and even do a corn maze! Kids are bound to have a lot of fun.

Corn Maze

2.       Pumpkin Decorating Potluck!

Once you have chosen your pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, organize a fun day when you and your friends can get together and decorate them! Maybe even do it “potluck style” where everyone brings an item to accessorize them with…maybe paint, googly eyes, construction paper, foam, electric candles, glitter, stickers, anything you can think of!

3.       Make a scarecrow with your kids!

Go to the thrift store and find some old jeans, maybe an old flannel shirt, a sweet straw hat, maybe some old work gloves. Take all of your treasures home and have your kids start stuffing the clothes with old newspaper or plastic trash bags, really anything that will give it the 3D effect! Show it off in your front yard when you are done!

4.       Make some fall candy bark!

We did this last year and it was really tasty! I started by going to the grocery store and finding fall colored snacks. I used Halloween Oreos (with the orange cream), pretzels, candy corn, and melted white chocolate. Lay all of your dry ingredients on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Break up the big pieces, like the Oreos and pretzels. Drizzle your melted white chocolate over the top making sure you cover all of the dry ingredient pieces. Put it in the refrigerator until hardened and enjoy!

5.       Make your own trick-or-treat bag!

You can buy a premade plain canvas bag from your local craft store, or you can buy some fall fabric and simply sew a quick one together. Above are the ones I made for my kids last year. Use the same concept as the pumpkin decorating and make it potluck! Everyone can bring something different to decorate their bag with. You can write your kid’s name in spooky lettering too!

6.         Boo at the ZOO!

Most local zoos put on a Boo At the Zoo for the months of September and October. You can take your kids to partake in Halloween festivities while enjoying a fun time at the zoo! Make it a playdate!

Local Boo at the Zoo!

Hopefully these ideas are fun and easy ways to get you in the fall mood! Enjoy!

Maddox by Blaverry

I recently had the privilege of being a tester for Blaverry’s Maddox Dress. Christie is adding options to many of her existing patterns and for Maddox that means sleeves, along with a few other features. The Maddox is such a fun dress for a young girl, my model isn’t one of my kids this time, Miss R is my neighbor’s daughter and one of Emily’s favorite people!  

Miss R was pretty excited about being able to pick out her own fabric, and she decided on this combination from my stash. I was ecstatic she chose this pink voile, I had purchased it on sale at JoAnns a few years ago and have never put it to use - it finally has a use!

The Maddox is a great pattern, it features a curved hem with facing, button placket, cuffs and pockets. For sleeve lengths there are four versions: sleeveless, short, half and long sleeves. This is an intermediate pattern, and there were some moments while sewing that I had to put some thought into what I was doing. I’ve never done a front button placket, cuffs or that many button holes before - but the drafting is impeccable and that really helped me get great results.

With the cotton voile (at least I think it is :) I used chambray for the pockets, facing and cuffs. The pattern calls for a medium woven and since this fabric was lightweight I interlined the dress portion with a cotton muslin, leaving the sleeves unlined. Leaving the sleeves unlined was a great decision, though next time I will probably interface the seam allowances to provide more support. The pattern also calls for snaps on the placket and pockets, however I substituted them for buttons with no issues. I did sew the buttonholes on the pocket flaps before attaching it to the garment. I love my machine, but it’s a little picky. The automatic buttonhole feature is amazing, but it doesn’t want anything in it’s path - or else it retaliates with wonky results!

I was provided this pattern for free since I was a tester, however I was not asked to promote it or post about it on this blog - I just enjoyed this pattern and the results. I have another Maddox planned for my own daughter in the near future!!

Written by: Shawna

DIY Birthday Cards

Birthday Card Ideas:

By Angela

Birthday season appears to be coming up on my calendar! Being a busy mom, I try to get a lot of my birthday cards done in advance. I also hold a special place in my heart for personalized cards, anyone can buy a card, but putting the time in to make one is much more meaningful!

Here are some ideas for birthday cards for friends and family!

1.       What was happening in 19XX?

I use a website called www.thepeoplehistory.com and search the year during which the birthday recipient was born. I find all kinds of interesting facts about the year they were born in and add them to this fun card! You can print your final product on some cool scrapbook paper as well!

2.       Funny Aging Cards:

I made this one for my dad. He had a crazy sense of style back in the day!

The card below I made for my mom’s 60th birthday.

3.       Birthdays Around Holidays:

My brother’s birthday is around Halloween so I thought this card was perfect for him. I’m sure he will never see this blog, so hopefully I don’t embarrass him in front of any current or future girlfriends. This is just a funny picture of him dressed up when we were younger!

4.       3D Cards:

Yes! You actually can mail these through the post office! This is a slice of cake that I made for my sister who I couldn’t be there to celebrate her birthday with. I took a yellow sponge that I found at the grocery store, cut it into a cake slice shape. I carved out a thin layer in the middle side for a frosting layer. I spray painted it brown (you can use any color depending on the type of cake you want to make). Once that dried, I used black caulk as my frosting to fill in that thin layer on the middle side as well as the top and back.

Finally I cut out a piece of cardboard and glued it to one side of the cake for my note and address label!

5.       Birthday Notes:

This card is was using scrapbook paper and some buttons. I simply made the music notes for the classic birthday song and used buttons for the circle at the bottom of the notes!

6.       Funny Husband Birthday Card:

Isn’t this the truth?! Especially after having kids!

7.       A Card From the Kids: Who doesn’t love a card from a kid, especially their grandchildren! I had made sons stamp their hands on to white paper to represent flowers, attached green fuzzy piping to the hand prints and wrapped it in scrapbook paper like a bouquet of flowers!

Winner Announced for Free Pattern of Sis Boom Blog Tour

Drumroll................... Nonna Loves You Sew! Please email us so we can get your free Maddie pattern to you! Can't wait to see what you create!

Congratulations,
Troops To Tots

Gemma Skirt by Violette Field Threads

Next up on my recap from the blog tour we did, I am showing the Gemma skirt from Violette Field Threads. With this skirt I like the high-waisted band and pockets. I used a green sage lawn and buttercream swiss dot from Miss Matatabi, that are no longer available.

For modifications, I added a lining to the skirt. The sage green cotton lawn was a beast to work with and wrinkled like nothing else - but it is so pretty! There are a few things I would do differently next time with this skirt. First would be to interface the front waistband to give it a bit more structure. Second would be to bring the pockets closer together. Other than that this is a great pattern!

Written by: Shawna

Recommended Book fo the Month for September

Recommended Book of the Month for September:

Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford

Have you ever felt that you get so absorbed in your mile long to-do lists that you fail to enjoy those precious moments with your kids? Have you ever felt yourself wishing your kids were older so they would just be out of the "hitting stage" already? Have you ever found yourself feeling that you just don't enjoy your time with your kids and family?

I just started reading this book, but I have been searching for something like this for a while. I'm very hard on myself and sometimes I will admit that my job as a mom isn't always fun. However, I'm learning through this book that I can change that. There are so many sweet moments that I am going to miss if I don't focus less on my chores and more on my children. They need their mom to be attentive and present.

So far, I think all of our book recommendations have been for our kids, but this month, I thought it would be nice to focus on the mom or even dad for once. This book allows you to take a step back and really target what really matters in your life. It has offered me a new perspective on being a stay-at-home mom, something I'm in desperate need of at this moment!

Hope you enjoy it!

Written by Angela