Disney Bound Inspirations

Planning a trip to Disney World can give you all kinds of ideas!

My daughter was coincidentally dancing to the Mickey Mouse March as we were planning this trip. I decided to make the girls little hobo bags and a tote for me.

The dance teacher was expecting a new baby and already had a baby and preschooler at home. So I thought a nice carrier would be the perfect gift. The other moms chipped in and the Mickey Mouse carrier was created!



Around this time another friend was having a baby and lived near Disneyland. I made her baby one of my texture quilts with a Mickey Mouse theme. Some of the squares have vintage Mickey mouse fabric from my mom's old stash.

Quilt for my daughter

I had played around with quilting and had even made a few small quilts. I've always bee a big fan of one day projects. Then I thought, why not make a bigger quilt, how hard could it be?

I did a lot of Google searches for a basic quilt pattern. I wasn't having much luck. Then I searched for baby quilt images and found one I loved! I didn't know what it was called and wasn't sure if I could figure out the pattern.

I started with the image and then brought it up into a paint program. I started making lines on the photo and trying to figure out where the blocks started and ended. Finally it was making sense. Along with my husband's help, we simplified the repeating pattern and I was ready to make it.

I started with a butterfly fabric that we had already chosen for window valences. Finding matching and coordinating fabrics was more time consuming than I expected. Finally we had all the fabric and I was ready to cut, piece and sew.

The quilt went together fairly quickly. Then I needed to learn about sandwiching and binding.

After reading some tutorials and buying some new sewing machine feet I was ready to go.

Working on a larger quilt really is trickier. Stitching in the ditch, making designs and just getting from one area to the other is challenging.

Another thing we did to help with the quilt sewing was to lower my sewing table. I use a small wooden kitchen table I got from a friend. My husband shortened the legs for me and also made a cut out in the "apron" for my legs to fit comfortably.

Finished quilt! Now on to one for my son.

Doll Sized Slings For Kids

Little girls and sometimes boys love to carry their baby dolls around just like mom.  Finding cute fabric and rings make a simple little project.

Hair Bows

After noticing in some pictures that Sydney's bangs naturally separated themselves, I encouraged her to grow them out. Finding the right hair accessory to reach that goal took a bit of time.

But we did find some little clips at Target. After looking at them carefully I decided that I could make them myself and Sydney could have clips to match different outfits. I found lots of resources for making hair bows and found that the little clips were called alligator clips.

Sydney got lots of compliments on the hair bows and I decided to make even more to sell.

Here is my big collection!

Sewing Box

I found myself doing more hand sewing while creating hair bows.  I thought it would be great to have a little box to bring around with me and carry my supplies.  I looked at sewing boxes and they all seemed to be bigger than what I wanted.  I found a cute little box at Hobby Lobby, but it didn't seem finished on the inside.  The price was right, so I bought it and wondered about lining it.  I took some of my favorite fabric leftover from a sling and cut some cardboard for the lid, glued the fabric on and glued it to the lid. I thought I'd make a few holders for my scissors and also my stitch ripper.  I sewed elastic in and then I just tucked down the raw edge and quickly glued it in around the top edge.

Thinking ahead to Christmas, I made one for my daughter too and accessorized the box with pink scissors, cute pins, and a custom matching pin cushion.

Black Belt Pretzels

Kyle was to be testing for his Little Dragon Black belt. It was a big deal for the new eight year old. Usually parents bring along something to help celebrate. I thought pretzels would be a bit healthier than cake, so I thought about making the little snake that is on his Gi.
The recipe is from Motherhood and Applepie and requires no rising time. Just flour, water, yeast, salt, and sugar. It's a great project for snow days too.

They were a big hit!

Jewelry for Support

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I knew that there would be many parts of my journey I would need to travel alone.

I remembered that some of my friends had prepared for the birth of their babies with a Blessingway. One part of the Blessingway was for each participant to bring along a bead for the mother to be. The beads would then be strung together to make a very special necklace or bracelet for her to wear.

I shared my desire for something similar to my sister. She collected all the beads for me and strung them together. The bracelet is made up of beads from my family members. The necklace is from friends.

The bracelet in particular became a regular part of what I wore, especially when I went to appointments and even for one of my surgeries. I felt very well supported and it was a nice reminder of that support.

Breast Cancer Support Bracelet