DIY Halloween Paper Wheels and Bats!

I love Halloween.  When I got out our box of Halloween decorations this year (that is practically the size of a shoe box), I decided we needed more!  However, I have a hard time wanting to spend tons of money just to decorate my house. (is it obvious that we are renters?) ;) 

I saw a couple of things on Pinterest and at my friends houses, and decided to see what I could make from stuff I already have around the house.


First up: Paper bats!

I LOVE how these turned out!  I used the free printable from this website, and printed off one full size, one 4"x6", and one 3"x5" to give me the three different sizes of bats.  I was able to cut all 11 bats out of two 12"x12" pieces of cardstock.  I stuck them to the wall with mounting putty.  It took me about 1 1/2 hours to make all of them.  So cute and easy!

Next: Halloween Paper Wheels

I've seen these a lot for weddings and back drops and such.  I saw some at my friends house in a Halloween garland.  So darling!  I decided I could definitely make these myself.  I think they turned out so cute!  I'm especially partial to the spiders on them!

How do you make them, you ask?

Materials: Colored/patterned paper -- I used normal weight, NOT cardstock.
                  For the black wheel I used three sheets of 8.5"x11" paper
                  For the purple wheel I used two sheets that I trimmed down to 6.5"x11"
                  For the orange wheel I used one sheet of 8.5"x11" paper cut in half
Time:        One long nap (about 1 1/2 hours)

Feel free to change up the size of your paper and see what you like!  Since the smaller ones were longer rectangles, I could get away with only two sheets of paper, but since the blacks ones were more squatty, I need three.  Just mess around with it until you get what you like!

First, fold the paper like a fan.  I have a scorer on my paper cutter, and it was AWESOME!  If you don't have one, no big deal, just try to be as consistent as you can with your folds.

I marked mine every 7/8", but anywhere between 1/2" and 1" would work great.  See what you like!

Fold back and forth until you have folded the entire rectangle.

 I then unfolded my fan and folded it in half lengthwise.  It just makes the next step easier.

Fold your fan in half.

For the two-piece wheels, you need something to keep your folded fan together (the three or more piece ones stay together just fine without this step). You could staple it.  I don't have a stapler long enough, so I just sewed it up with my sewing machine on the longest stitch length.  It was super easy.

 Now tape the long sides together (made sure you tape on the back, so it's not visible!). Then need to glue along your stitches (or staple) to keep those two folds together. 

 Tape up the other two sides. I found it was easiest to tape it a little at a time.

For wheels with three pieces, just tape the sections along the folds and then glue the center together!

Glue on a circle of contrasting color (if desired) and some plastic spiders (I used those cheap spider rings)!

I hung mine up with mounting putty.  It's held really well, and then I don't have to hang anything from the ceiling or make holes in my wall. (Yep, it's obvious we are renters!) 

I feel so much more festive!  Now I just need to go buy some candy! =)

Too many hats!

As many of you know, I like to crochet hats. I've crocheted way too many for my own girls, and have made many for gifts.  Last year I made so many viking hats I swore I would never make one again!

However, this year, since Lucy and Kaya both have enough hats (although I'm pretty sure I'm going to make them Mike and Sulley ones -- stay tuned!) I have been thinking about selling some.  But then the questions is, how much do I charge??? What do you think? How much would you pay for a viking hat? Or an owl hat? I'm thinking $25 for kids animal hats, and $30 for adult viking hats, but probably less for the simple flower hats or the teeny infant ones. Is that too much?  Thoughts?

And where do I sell them? On this blog? On Etsy?  Just to people I know via e-mail? What do you think?

While I'm figuring stuff out, feel free to contact me if you are interested in purchasing a hat!  Also, I would happily do custom orders for pretty much whatever you would like.  Just contact me, and send me a picture.  Check out my pinterest board for some ideas too! =) 

Now, for your viewing pleasure, here are some pictures of the hats I have made for my girls! 

Sister hats!

Owl hat!

Baby owl hat (photo by Monkeyface Photography)

Sweet, soft baby girl hat (photo by Monkeyface Photography)

Bomber penguin hat

Baby viking hat (photo by Monkeyface Photography)

Family of vikings!

Circle skirt tutorial (with elastic waistband)!

Don't you just love circle skirts?  So cute and simple to make!  My little Luz LOVES to spin!  So, of course I had to make one for her.

Then, I saw this fabric at a thrift store for $1, and knew I had to made a circle skirt for me too! I love the drape of this skirt!  So flattering!  Plus, I love to spin in it too!  =)

You can use this tutorial for you or your little mini-me, or both!

Materials: About 60"x60" of fabric for an adult.  I used a jersey knit.  Luz's was cotton. You can see how my skirt drapes a little better since the fabric is not as stiff. Also, knit fabric usually comes 60" wide from the fabric store, so it will be wide enough for the full circle without having to sew two pieces of fabric together.  Alternatively, you could buy some cute cotton sheets from a thrift store -- that would definitely be big enough for your circle skirt!
                 About 24" of 1" wide elastic 

Time: One long nap and one evening


First measure around the biggest part of your hips. Then, I measured from my hips to my knees to get my desired length.  If you want your's longer or shorter, feel free to adapt your length measurement. 

Now for the math.  Take your hip measurement plus 1 inch.  My hips measured 39" + 1.5" = 40.5"
Remember the circumference of a circle (C) = 2*PI*Radius. Your hip measurement is the circumference.  We are looking for the Radius (R) of that circle.  R = C/2/PI

So, my R = 40.5/2/3.14 = 6.45" which I rounded up to 6.5" for ease in measuring.  Still with me???

Now fold your square piece of fabric in quarters, and draw your quarter circle from the folded corner of your square (you want to make sure your inside circle will end up in the middle of the fabric, not the edge!). I pinned mine right below my pen marks so when I cut, the fabric wouldn't shift around. 

Now draw another circle by taking your length + 1 inch for a hem and seam allowance (my length was 21" + 1" = 22") and adding that below your smaller circle.  You can see I put my ruler on the inside circle line and drew a little mark at 22" to make my larger circle.

I also pinned at the bottom.  Now, cut along your two circle and unfold your fabric!  You should now have a donut of fabric (which I neglected to take a picture of.  =P Sorry!).

Now for the waistband.  We need the waistband to be 2.5" wide (to fit the 1" elastic). The length is your hip measurement + 1.5" + 0.5" seam allowance.  So mine waistband was 40.5" + 0.5" = 41" total length x 2.5" wide.

Since I bought my fabric pre-cut, I only had enough fabric for the circle, with little triangle things leftover.  So, to make my waistband, I cut out a 2.5" strip from the triangles and pieced three of them together to make a long strip that was 41" long. If you have enough fabric, you can just cut one strip, and save yourself a little bit of time!  =) 

Sew the ends together to made on giant tube, and then fold in half and iron flat.

I then sewed the folded edge shut with a scant 1/4" seam allowance to make it easier to sew onto my skirt.

Don't forget to leave a 2" gap so you can put elastic in!

Now to add the waist band to the skirt.  Start by marking the skirt in eighths (like a pie).  Below you can see the eight pins I put in to mark my eighths. Do the same with the waistband.

Then line up the pins from the skirt and the band and pin together.  This will make sure the band gets put on evenly all the way around the skirt. 

You can see I ended up pinning more that just the eighths.  Pins are my best friends! =)

Next sew together with a 1/4" seam allowance!  I started at the end of the 2" gap in my waistband, so I could end at the other side of the opening, and not sew it shut!

Now cut your elastic the length of your hip measurement minus an inch or so.  Every elastic has a different stretch, so I like to try it on before I sew my elastic together and close up the skirt.  Thread your elastic into your casing, sew the elastic together, and sew the gap closed! If you used cotton, you may want to zig-zag stitch in the seam allowance so it doesn't fray. If you used knit, you are good to go!
 
Now hem the skirt and you are done!!!! 

Ha ha. Don't you just love when tutorials say that; "Just hem and you are done!" They act like hemming is the easiest thing in the world!  Not that you still have hours left to sew.  No worries:  Here is a great tutorial that I use when hemming circle skirts!  Good luck! =)

Now go spin and have fun in your darling new skirt!

Gender Reveal Baby Shower

Last Saturday I did a gender reveal baby shower for my friend Des!  Des has known what she was having for MONTHS but refused to tell anyone! So, she finally acquiesced to tell two weeks before her due date at the baby shower.  =)

We started out with making our guess!

Then the guest wrote their advice to Des for all different ages of children!  (It was one of the only activities I could come up with that was gender neutral!) =)

Nan and Lindsey made the beautiful diaper cake!

We made big soft sugar cookies using this recipe from Our Best Bites.  They were so delicious! (I didn't grab my camera fast enough and one was already eaten!) =)  We also made chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  Yum!

Des had a present within a present within a present containing a PINK CAMO ONESIE! IT'S A GIRL!!! 

Wondering what I made for the Baby???  I made Des a handmade baby viking hat (made from a pattern I purchased here).  I can't wait to see baby Fiona in it! =) Congrat Des!!!

Chi is a great viking model!  Photo by Monkeyface Photography

Birthday Fun and Lime Dessert!

My birthday was last week! Everyone keeps telling me that the older I get, the less I will like my birthday. Ha! Why would I ever hate a day where people buy me presents and my husband slaves away making me loads of delicious food???

My birthday was fantastic.  I opened presents in the morning (while eating some chocolate croissants from Trader Joe's -- YUM!), met my Mom for lunch, and played with the girls all day long!  Logan got off work early and made me some delicious fajitas for dinner!  It was a fantastic day, and I felt very spoiled!

Playing with the toddler science kit. We love it! Thanks, Tay!

For my birthday dessert I requested a family favorite: Lime Dessert (pretty creative name, right?). =) It has a lime flavored creamy center, with an Oreo crust.  Put it in the freezer, to enjoy a deliciously cool treat!  Perfect for the 100 degree weather we've been having!


In the picture below, you can see that we were so anxious for some Lime Dessert, we started eating before we remembered to do pictures and candles! Ha!

So, here is the recipe, so you too can enjoy this scrumptious treat! =)


First, chill one can evaporated milk overnight in fridge – also chill beaters and bowl if it’s a hot day.

Dissolve 1 small (3 oz.) pkg. Lime jello in 1/2 c. boiling water
Add 1/3 c. fresh lime juice
and scant 1/4 c. suger – stir to dissolve.

Whip 1 can chilled evaporated milk until stiff peaks form. Fold in jello mixture.

Crush approx. 2/3 pkg Oreo cookies in food processor. Place half in 9x13 pan. Add dessert mixture. Top with remaining crumbs.

Freeze, then enjoy!