Monsters Inc. Stuffed

I was perusing pinterest late one night and came across these cute little monsters. When I clicked on the link it took me to one of these sites that was ad heavy and with no real directions. I'm thinking this was stolen content from some creative soul {they offer a link but it doesn't work}. If you think you originated this let me know. I'd love to give you kudos!

    

I found some really cute flannel fabric that had little monsters on it and decided to buy it for a few burp cloths  that I wanted to make for an upcoming baby shower. {I will show you next week}. 

Inspired by the fabric and a recent showing of Monsters Inc. I decided to make a few for a little baby I know that is soon to make an appearance {No, I am definitely not pregnant!}

Here's my version:

We went on vacation this past week in Ludington, MI. Its gorgeous up there and it was such a great week of just hanging with the fam, unplugging from the world and recharging our batteries. Of course part of my recharging is getting crafty so I brought my sewing machine along! {Come on, who doesn't do this when they go on vacation!?} The kids wanted to make their own little orange guys so we now have a whole slew of them! 

We made our monsters out of fleece with some felt details. If you want to make your own, here's what you'll need:

Felt/fleece

batting or stuffing {I'm sure even cotton balls would work}

needle and thread

sewing machine {optional}

Scissors

Fabric glue

I started by cutting my basic shape (twice) out of fleece and making.

Next I cut out three round shapes for the eyes and different colors and sizes. For the white part of the eye I hand stitched this with a gray thread. For the next circle {the gray} I added the black center on top, stitched an X through all three circles, then went back lifting my loose edges and adding some fabric glue.

Using black thread I added eye lashes and a mouth.

The "warts" are just randomly cut little shapes that were also sewed on in an X pattern.

The little tabs on top are strips of ribbon. In the original photo it looks like felt strips were used but because my little guys are for a baby I wanted to add the little silky strips for texture. {Besides I think the felt might stretch and tear if pulled on too tightly.}


These guys can either be hand stitched inside out {leaving a small side seam} but if you are adding the ribbon it will be a lot more durable if you machine stitch them using a small stitch size. I used a "1".

Machine stitch them inside out and leave a 2-3 inch opening on the side. {You can also stitch them right sides out if you want like it did for the blue guy}.  Stuff them with your stuffing of choice. Whip stitch the side, and you're done! In the pic below my 7 year old did the one on the right {with a little help}. Then my three boys wanted one......now we have a family! ;)  Theirs didn't get the ribbon hair.

Now I think we're ready to go see Monsters University!  I have more monsters coming up. I found some cute flannel monster fabric that I made burp cloths and baby washcloths for the upcoming shower. I will share these next week!

I'm sharing this here:

Tatertots and Jello
Between naps on the porch
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Too Much Time

Building a Little Girl's Room

Today I want to share with you my friend Christine's daughters room. 

Anneliese is 3 and she has a new baby sister Lillian. Anneliese needed a big girl room and Christine asked if I would help. I love this girl. She has been my best friend since high school. She's funny and loyal and has two of the cutest little girls ever!

So of course I said yes! :)

The room was already painted and they had all the main players. Bedding, furniture, and lighting. So my job was to pull it all together. We started by determining the placement of our furniture. Once we had this figured out we put a plan in place. We decided to paint the wide green stripe on the wall to fill some of the space and bring more color into the room.

The bedding and rugs were from Target. 

I found several fabrics that coordinated with the bedding and put these in embroidery hoops for "art" above the dresser. {The dresser is from IKEA}

The colored poms are hung above the reading area and help to define this space. 

Christine added a bulletin board with pictures of family members far and near to keep them familiar to Anneliese. They love to sit here and read books. The little book shelf is a spice rack from IKEA and was just spray painted.

Other personal touches around the room make this room a special place just for her.

These little shoes were her dad's when he was little! I just love them! And this toy below is another "vintage" item from his youth.

This little table works well as a bedside stand but can be pulled out and seating added to do projects or color. Underneath a basket holds dress up clothes.

Christine took the leftover fabric from our hoop art and made this banner that hangs over her bed.

When designing your own kids spaces, think about including the following:

~Comfortable bedding

~A place to sit and read

~Storage for books, toys, and clothes

~Items that reflect your child's personality

~Good lighting

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm sharing this here:

Tatertots and Jello
Its Overflowing
Between Naps on the Porch
The Shabby Creek Cottage

April/May in Review

    I'm fresh back from vacation. You know what that means, lots of dirty laundry, bags strewn all over the floor, no food in the kitchen, and a lazy mentality that won't shift into high gear to get it all done!

So what's a girl to do about her blog?

How about a recap! 

No worries, I do have some fresh stuff for you all but I'm saving it for next week!

So here are may favorite/most popular projects from the past two months.

Summer Decorating Ideas

Bookcase background ideas

The Deck Redo

Pillow Form Customization

Fish Scale Flower Pots

Memorial Day/4th of July Wreath

Parade Home

Secret Ingredient Carrot Bars

So it certainly wasn't my busiest two month period but this girl does have a life, a busy one!

Thanks for joining me on the journey!

I'm sharing this here:

Between naps on the porch

Independence Day Wreath

I have totally embraced the current trend for wreaths in the past few years. Yarn. 

I love the bright colors you can use and the impact that it gives to your wreath. 

So why not continue this trend for the 4th?! I was all gung-ho to get this done for Memorial weekend but it didn't happen! Good thing the 4th of July is just around the corner!

The little poms are supposed to be like fireworks. Can you see it?

As you can tell this is a simple wreath to do. It just takes time. If you haven't tried one of these types of wreaths before this is a simple one to do and it gives a big impact!

Here's what you'll need:

For the patriotic theme I did sections of white and red for 'stripes' and then a patch of navy. I did this all by eye ball, meaning I didn't measure or count how many times I wrapped. Just tie your color on and wrap!

To make the poms simply wrap the yarn around your fingers, tie in the center and cut through the loops!

Aren't they cute! And now we have fireworks!
These little guys attach easily with hot glue.

Or add a little flag:

With that I am ready for vacation! Today is the last day of school {I can hardly believe it!}

Here are the pics of my cuties!

{this is my ham!}

and apparently we are too cool to smile now that we are a big 6th grader!

I will be back in a week or two! Welcome to summer!

I'm sharing this here:
Tatertots and Jello
Funky Junk
Its Overflowing
Between naps on the porch

Carrot Bars

Oh you are in for a treat today! I wish I could give you a taste of these amazing bars!

What makes them so amazing you ask? Its a secret.......but I will let you in on it, just for today! ;)

I was never much of a fan of carrot cake or carrot bars for that matter. I didn't like the chunks. And some well meaning souls decided that nuts and raisins would go well with carrot cake. Really?

This might sound rather harsh but my motto has always been "if its got fruit in it, its not dessert!" {This might have a little something to do with some fruit allergies of mine but I digress}. 

What makes these bars so good is that they are super moist. AND, no chunks! :)

So lets get down to business!

Here's what you'll need:

Can you see the secret?

Yep, baby food carrots! 

Here's the recipe: {which I got from my mom, thanks mom!}

4 eggs {beat until thick}

{add in} 2 cups of sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Beat in 1-1/2 cups oil {I used canola but vegetable would be fine}

{add in} 2 cups of flour

2 teaspoons of baking soda

{lastly} add 3- 6oz. jars baby food carrots or 4-4oz. jars. 

{I know this doesn't add up the same but sometimes I cant find the 6 oz. and the 4 oz. work just as well}

Spread this in a greased jelly roll pan {10 1/2 x 15 1/2}

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

When its cooled, its time to make the frosting! Do not defile these bars with can frosting. There are some things I can tolerate but canned frosting is not one of them!

4 Tablespoons melted butter

1 8oz package of cream cheese softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

Beat together till smooth. Add a drop of milk or two for desired consistency.

Oh, these are so good! They won't last long!

So what are you waiting for? Its time to get baking! 

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm sharing this here:
Between Naps on the Porch
Tatertots and Jello
Funky Junk
Its Overflowing