11.27.2010

Christmas Cards (suck)


I go crazy every year trying to get a perfect photo Christmas/Holiday card out to all my friends and family. Since I can never get a cute photo of all of us together I have in recent years switched to collage photo cards so I can choose the best photo of each child. I plan on doing that again this year. The set up was brilliant...

Then it all turned to shit...


Apparently the cat felt left out and the baby thought there was an pressing phone call for Luca. The only one missing was Rocco and he was sick in bed. Jeez.


11.24.2010

Handmade Beginnings: Quick Change Trousers


Ohhhhh I love these pants! I made them in a size 2 so they are a little big. I had thought the Baby-in-the-Hood Jackets I made were a bit small so I sized up for these pants. I will try the 18 months size next for these adorable pants. I'm also definitely going to use flannel for the lining fabric. They will be so cozy. They look a bit better in person. In this photo they seem a bit blocky.

I used Castle Peeps for the Yoke and a fine wale corduroy for the main fabric. The lining is a fine print in green.


So I haven't started a knitting project yet but the knitting bin makes a great play table. I am totally convinced that knitting will be my crafty salvation with the terror most recently known as Cenzolito.

And while I'm on the subject of knitting. Holy capola yarn is expensive. How do you guys make things that are bigger than a baby beanie? I know sewing can be arguably expensive when you factor in sewing machines and Japanese import fabric, but my straight stitch machine is a Kenmore and it cost less than about two adult knitting projects in fine yarn. Of course that isn't stopping me from making something simple (I'm just a beginner knitter), sumptuous and fabulous for a special someone that is having a baby soon. Since she reads this blog I can't link to any photos.

11.22.2010

Oliver + S Sandbox Pants



So I finally made a pair of Sandbox Pants. I totally copied the fantastic pair that Raven made, but mine are not as cute as hers. I haven't tried them on Cenzo yet so I'm not sure how they will fit over cloth diapers. I totally forgot to add extra fabric in the tush.


Give Away Winner


Yay! I'm so excited that Anna from Noodlehead won the Justin Roberts CD.

I hope your girls have fun dancing to this new CD.

Thanks to all of you that gave me the great suggestions for music. Most were new to me and I can't wait to get to listen to some of them.

11.18.2010

This Bitch Can Sew (and whine)



How does that title grab you? O.k. so you're thinking since when? I know it's been a while since I last made anything with a sewing machine. I've been trying. really I have.

On a side note I recently dug up all my knitting "stuff". And by dug up it wasn't pretty. It involved some major cursing and blaming Chef of some major moving. I was under out house which is just more than a crawl space digging through piles of crap looking for the CLEAR bin that I put under the house with all my knitting paraphanelia. Should have been easy since I purposely put it all in a CLEAR bin. Sure this was about two years ago but I remember exactly where I put that plastic bin. It magically moved to a very distant and remote part of the underbelly of the house. I guess since I am posting this silly tirade you all can guess I found the missing bin...


Voila! All my knitting gear. I learned to knit about 7 years ago. I made a few things even a baby cardigan. I gave it up like all other crafty endeavors at that time. I've written before how I took a ten year break in sewing (gasp!). Now I'm ready to start knitting again. The reason... my third pain in the ass child. I think he will be much happier with me quietly sitting and knitting than sewing. There are no foot pedals, vrooming motors, exciting speed. I hope. I pray. At the worst I will get some knitting done in bed while I watch my mandatory crappy reality t.v. (which occurs knightly, lest my DVR gets to less than 20% available recording time. Gasp Again!).

So this post started with my smug title. I sew. I sew well. I have never categorized how well. Beginner? No. Intermediate? Maybe. Certainly not advanced. That would be my mother. I also have never complained about smaller pattern companies or Etsy seller patterns. Honestly if I don't like a pattern I just don't mention it. I've actually had great experience with small pattern companies.


I'm not going to mention the name of this pattern, but holy shit it drove me nuts. I have bought some Etsy patterns that were very basic but I liked the quirkiness. I could make it through the little errors. Hey, if you give your patterns up for free on your blog (like I did ;) I will never complain. Free patterns are awesome. Thank you to all you generous free pattern givers. To those of you that charge. Please make sure your instructions make sense. I'm just sayin'.

So I did not follow the instructions very well. It was confusing.I'm not exactly sure how I even completed this vest. The one area that I definitely did not follow the instructions is where you leave an opening to turn the garment right side out. The pattern says to leave an opening along the bottom hemline and then once the vest is turned right side out to slipstitch this opening closed. If you do this I don't think you'll ever have a nice looking hemline.
 Instead you can leave an opening along the side seam under the armhole of the lining. When this is slipstitched closed you will never see your handiwork (especially if it's less than perfect) when the garment is being worn. You can do this with any lined jacket or vest.

So after all that poo poo, I tried the vest on Cenzolito this morning and the fit is great. I'd love to make one for Luca. Maybe after I take a breather. I also think I need to get off my high horse and clean those windows.

p.s. I'm nervous about the whole knitting thing. I can't even remember how to cast on. Also I have a pattern I want to make but it has a "Kitchener Stitch" which I have never heard of. Google and You Tube has given me a good idea, but I don't even know if I'll get to that part.

11.15.2010

The Mother of all Concerts Justin Roberts {and a giveaway}



WARNING! This is a long post about children's music. You may have no interest to read ahead. If not, I hope to be back soon with my regularly scheduled pile of crap, so please return at a future date. If you choose to read on, there is a give away at the end of this post.

Remember I mentioned that I have some seriously favorite all time kids music? After I wrote that post I realized it had been over a year since I checked on my number one favoritist of all time, Justin Roberts. By checked I don't mean all crazy stalker-mommy (um, maybe just a little bit). So I checked in to see if any new music has been released.Turns out he has a new album out which I'll get to later. What was even more exciting was that he was on "tour" and his next stop was only an hour and a half away (two hours tops. O.k. maybe a bit more. Give me a break. he's like my hero). So what's a few hours in a car each way when you get to see and hear JUSTIN ROBERTS? And this weekend no less! Holy mother of God. It must be kismet because it just so happens Justin Roberts was scheduled to play a "concert" on Chefs birthday. What better way to spend your birthday than rocking out at a concert mid afternoon listening to juvenile lyrics for an hour and a half accompanied by cranky screaming children. Sign me up and drag everyone in tow. More on the "concert" in a bit.


 Above is a just a sampling of some of the album covers from my iPod playlist. I'm sure some of the names are old hat to you kind readers, but there are a few brilliant songs that I have to introduce you to. They are songs that I can hear literally over and over. Some are silly, some sweet, some almost not rated for children's ears and one that even brings a tear to Chef's eyes.

Clearly I'm a fan of Justin Roberts as noted above (I'm happy to say his restraining order against me is no longer in effect). I also really love Ralph Covert (Ralph's World), Laurie Berkner, I occasionally listen to Sesame Street songs (most from my youth a LONG time ago), compilation CD's like anything pirate related (some rowdy songs there), Dan Zanes... the list goes on.

Since we no longer have to buy full length CD's and we get to pick and choose which songs we want from "itunes" or the like, it's a lot easier to compile a great list of fun kids songs. Most of what I have is actually from the olden days and I own lots of CD's that I had to upload to my computer and put into playlists. These days when the kids hear a song they like I can purchase just that song. Sweet. A recent example is when Luca feel in love with the ending song (Down to Earth) from Wall-E by Peter Gabriel (sigh). She is such a hippie that little girl of mine. And Rocco loves the Life is a Highway re-make for the Cars movie. Oh to watch their little bodies move.

Enough of the kids. On to the music that makes me move. Should I start with Justin? No, maybe a song that gets me laughing every time. The kids think it's genius too. It is also  timely because it's a Christmas song.

1. Brenda Lee -  I'm Going to Lasso Santa Claus
This is such a sweet song recorded in 1956. Her voice sounds awfully chipmunk-like. The song is easy for the kids to get into. I usually tire of this one about two days after Thanksgiving.

2. Dan Zanes - Choo Choo Ch Boogie 
Just a fun song that gets me going every time!

3. Laurie Berkner - Victor Vito and The Goldfish 
Pretty good songs. I like them just fine. Don't want to scratch my ears off after 2-3 listens. More than that maybe a little blood.

4. Raffi - Banaphone
Don't ask. Me likey.

5. Since there are a few artists that I compiled for Rocco's 8th birthday party I thought I'd just show you the list of space themed music we made for my universe obsessed 8 year old.

{So this is a little side note. A great party favor is to make music CD's to put in the goodie bags. Rocco had a space themed 8th birthday (read about my party neurosis here). It's a really inexpensive way to give a great gift that kids don't really appreciate until the drive home from the party. I've had so many parents tell me later that when they popped the CD into the player the kids were totally in love. Lot's of the parents never really played music for their kids so this was a new experience to them. I know. Shame.}

6. Captain Bogg and Salty - Drunken Sailor
O.k so I love this song like a drunken mommy but I've had to get creative. If you have kids that are younger it won't matter much, but when your kids start asking what drunk means... uh oh. I have maintained that when pirates are drunk they are very silly. By silly I mean they are borderline getting a time out. This is working so far. This song may soon get the kibosh from the playlist. That, or I'll just have to listen to it on mommy time. Seriously though. This song is a great old shanty style song. The few second prelude you get on itunes preview does it no justice. LOVE IT!

I originally bought this CD for a friend who was throwing a pirate themed party for her son. I don't think her kids really embraced this album, but I LOVE it. So do my kids. One reason I love it is that is has the music that is played on the Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Hello! Rocco loves the song "Davy Jones' Locker". He is so fascinated that there is a place at the bottom of the sea that pirates have a final resting place. He is awfully scared of dying and it is interesting to me that he loves this song so much. I like all the songs on this album and know the words by heart. They are a good mix of pirate music especially if you are planing a pirate party. I like "Treasure, Treasure" quite a lot.

8. Ralph Covert - All Albums
He's pretty much a close second to Justin. There are some truly brilliant and funny songs he sings. A must for anyone with a boy that likes trucks is "Eighteen Wheels on a Big Rig". I can sing this one in my sleep and it gets pretty tough. Ralph sings to 18 forward, backward, even numbers, odd numbers, Roman numerals and even in Pi. Love love love!!! Another song is "Itsy Bitsy Spider" in which he mentions existentialism. What a way to bring the parents into kids music!

Yes you read that correctly. John Lithgow. I know go figure. Don't ask me how I have this CD. I cannot remember for the life of me where I first picked this one up. It's old too. Originally produced in 1999. 

We have one of those old shower waterproof CD players that I have been playing music to the kids with in the tub since they were just a few months old. 

I guess I can give this Sony quite a good review because I've had this forever and it still works.

This is another CD with brilliant songs. I don't love the whole CD, but there are a few to love for sure. "Singin' in the Bathtub", "You Gotta Have Skin", "A You're Adorable (the Alphabet Song)", "No One Loves You Any Better Than Your M-O-Double-M-Y". My kids scream for bath music. This is the only CD in the bathroom. it gets played over and over for so many years now. Since bath time doesn't last the length of a CD we employ the shuffle mode of the CD player.

9. Justin Roberts - Everything He's Ever Written is Magic!
O.k. so it's probably slightly unhealthy how much I love his music. The lyrics are just great. Justin Roberts has a folksy sound.

Must hear songs are
 In the Car -  Such a great song about getting in the car before mom to turn the "radio dial up to nine".
Yellow Bus - Genius. In the end the character of the song is wondering why the bus hasn't arrived, but it's Sunday!
Get Me Some Glasses - A great song if you have a child that wears glasses.
Nine Planets - The kids love this because they think it's funny that there is a song about nine planets when there are only eight now.
Pop Fly is a great little song about playing little league baseball.
I Lost the Tooth I Lost - Luca is currently loving this because her front tooth is on the verge of coming out.
Mama is Sad - This is a sad little song about divorce. Luca recently asked me why the little boy is sad in the song and why did the mama take off her ring! Yikes. I wasn't ready for that one. I think it's a good song for a child that is going through divorce or separation but if your family is tight maybe just skip this song. My kids don't even know the concept of parents getting separated. I like to keep them young for as long as possible. I'm sure they'll learn all that stuff soon enough through school.
Moving - Oh the song that brings tears to Chefs eyes. He moved a lot as a child and this song perfectly describes the feelings of leaving things behind from a childs perspective.
I love them ALL. I just realized I've been writing this post for hours and hours and I could still go on and on.

The concert was Sunday afternoon in a very affluent area of  "The Bay Area" of San Francisco.  I'm mentioning this because the event was actually hosted by a pre-school. I don't know about you, but the preschool my kids attended never put on events like this.

This group of kids and parents are what makes Californians look like loony tunes to the rest of the country.Very self absorbed children with their self absorbed parents. Oh please don't let anyone read this that actually came to this show. I'm not referring to you of course.


We got in line early and sat right up front. When Justin came on stage I immediately thought WTF was I thinking getting us up front? about 100 screaming, tripping, sneezing, stinky, clueless children bum rushed the stage and our foot space. After the initial shock of the rush of helium voices and tiny feet stomping my camera bag we realized the front row was great. The person who I most expected to get her groove on (Luca) turned into a statue and blinked exactly once in 90 minutes. She looked absolutely petrified. I wanted to shout "Please ignore this little statue up front. She really does enjoy your music". Rocco sat still like a statue buts that's totally expected. Since he's blind he has to sit still to soak in all the sounds and movement from the crowd. He participated when Justin Roberts had the kids do things with their hands. The star of the show was Cenzolito (little Vinny). He totally joined in on the mosh pit of four year olds. He rocked the afternoon away.

Long story short. Wait, too late. Loved the show. Kids loved the show. Got home late. Tired.If you've read this far you deserve a chance to win something great.

On to the give away. I have an autographed copy of Justin Roberts latest CD Jungle Gym to give away! Your thinking No way! I'm saying Hail Ya. I'm so excited for you.

To enter just leave me a comment telling me your favorite children's music. I'm always looking for new to me artists. Giveaway ends next Sunday November 21st at 6 p.m. p.s.t. Open to everyone, everywhere.

p.s. Speaking of weird stalkers... there was a couple there that was on their fourth JR concert.










11.11.2010

~ a young hipster and an old lady ~

So the little man discovered my iPhone, or rather the iPod on my iPhone. He loves to carry it around getting his groove on. I have tons of kids music on a couple of different playlists and that is seriously another post because I am obsessed with a few children's music artists and I want to share them with you (most I'm sure you have heard of).

I'm posting this picture ensemble because the pants that he is wearing are a pair of pants I made when he was 8 months old (he's now 15 months). I guess the legs were pretty long because they still fit. They are made from a recycled cashmere sweater and they are heavenly. AND washable!

On a totally bizarre side note. Last night before dinner I had the news on t.v. and a commercial came on for "The Villages". Why do I bring this up? Luca jumped up from what she was doing and seriously ran to the t.v. blurting out "Mom, I really like this commercial!"  "The Villages" boasts award winning golfing among other exciting recreation for the over 65 set. As you can imagine I am still a little perplexed. Um, yea...hmmm. So after a brief visit to their website...


I am impressed at their 2009 Villager Medley!!! Way to keep your website up to date. Nice clown. Is that what retirees are up to these days? I purposely did not link to this site because
a). you have absolutely no interest in this website. Trust me.
b). I feel bad for any unsuspecting elderly person looking to plan their retirement only to end up at my blog.

Luca. Are. You. Alright?

11.10.2010

Mix n Match and Modify {a mini tute}

I have had a couple of readers ask me if I thought the Easy Fit Pants that I make so often look a little girly with the extra wide leg. Well, I do think they look a little feminine. That clearly hasn't stopped me from making a ton of these pants (as seen here, here, here, here, and here) for Vinny. I have to say that with his blond hair (uncut), blue eyes and dimples he gets mistaken for a girl more often when wearing any of the above listed pants. I don't really care about the mix up but Chef did ask me why I kept making the poor boy wear girl pants. 

Obviously a simple remedy is to taper the leg a bit but I got to thinking about different ways of changing up a wide leg pant. I'm not re-inventing the wheel here guys but I thought you might like to see a few ways to change up a wide leg pull on pant for girls and boys.

 {This is a cute capri length that screams Easter to me}

 {Contrast fabric is a fun way to change things up a bit}

 So let's get started...


These instructions are for the tab set in the side seam.
 I cut two sets of tabs by cutting a rectangle (about 2" X 3") first and then rounding the edges. I used a thread spool as my template for the rounded edges but you can just eyeball it.
With right sides together stitch two pieces together leaving one short end open for turning. Turn right side out and press. I stitched buttonholes on these tabs before inserting them into the side seam, but as you'll see later I realized that buttonholes are just a nasty extra step that is needless for this application. So by all means skip this step.

Place tab on side seam. I made my tabs too long so I have the tab hang over the raw edge by 3/4". I measured where the hemline would be and placed the tab about 1 1/2" up from where the finished hemline of the pant will be. This was totally eyeballed. Stitch side seam closed as usual. 

{I also edge stitched the side seam for a cleaner look}


After hemming the pants and finishing the waistband I stitched in 5 rows of elastic thread to gather the extra width of these wide pants in just a bit. If you haven't used elastic thread yet it's quite fun and easy. Just hand wind a bobbin with the elastic thread. There's really no trick to sewing with elastic thread. It puckers up quite nicely with the steam from your iron.

Here's the blue pant without buttonholes. Just as cute and easier. I totally ruined this pant by not only getting red ink on the front panel but I also made two left legs and didn't realize until the pant was finished. When stitching in your side seam tabs make sure to keep a left and right leg.

If making a pant like the tweed pictured at the top of this post...

I just made a tuck (again eyeballing it!), pinned it in place (centering tab) and topstitched the tab. I then stitched the button into place. No buttonholes... all fakey fakey.


For one of the pant legs I placed the tab about 1 1/2" up from the hemline. On the other leg I placed the tab along the bottom of the pant. I like them both and they are equally cute. I can't wait to try this out for a girl pant.

The waistband of this pant is just added length and a casing sewn where the regular waistband casing would be. This is actually my very first elastic casing for a waistband (I've done it before on gathered pockets). I usually sew elastic waistbands differently (another tutorial one day). I like the high waist detail on this pant and it looks very cute with a onesie. I'm thinking about making it with a little less added fabric for a boy pant and adding old fashioned suspenders. Not sure yet if it will work. Maybe in a corduroy or tweed.

So that's it for some more ideas on embellishing pants. Of course you can always add ruffles to the bottom or this fun pant that I'll have to try next.

11.07.2010

Back to Normal?



My sister was visiting us for a week. I really like her visits, but she is exhausting. The kids ADORE her. It's crazy and sweet. My sister and I are polar opposites. She is the most dramatic person I have ever known. She has a hard time planting roots and staying still. She picked the perfect career (a pilot) for her wandering ways.

We did a fun photoshoot during her visit. I found this amazing abandoned building that was absolutely trashed. It's on an old army base and I believe this particular building was a mechanic shop for tanks or other large vehicles. There was smashed out windows, graffiti, broken furniture. It was almost like a movie set. We had a blast. On her next visit she's packing some interesting clothes to do another crazy photoshoot. She plans on wearing a vintage bell bottom jumpsuit with 6 inch heels. That is just so like her.

Here is a sampling of what my sister looks like on a normal day. No kidding. She really didn't get dolled up for these photos.



The top two photos I actually shot in our driveway today when we got home from Target. Yes, people stare when we go places. It's really great when we are with the kids. I'm not sure who gets more looks, my sister or Rocco. We have decided it's too close to call, but I'm pretty sure a blind eight year old takes the cake.

The bottom photo really depicts her. As a child she was obsessed with dinosaurs and after I took this photo I told her I just caught her Velociraptor look. She is very unique.

She really wore me out. needless to say I did zero sewing this past week. I hope this upcoming week I will get back to some sewing. I can only hope.


11.04.2010

I'm here. Really I am



I'm sorry I've been gone so long. I've been really grouchy lately and I don't want to take it out on all you nice unsuspecting friendly people. I really appreciate that you are all out there reading my stuff. I think there's a few of you left out there checking in for updates. Thank you. It makes me feel better... and motivated. It's frustrating that I haven't really had time to sew. I have me a really difficult 15 month old. Enough said.

Just because I haven't sewn or posted much lately doesn't mean I haven't been reading all your wonderful crafty blogs. I love to sit down in the morning with a cup of tea and see what's going on in the world of creative bloggers. 

I can't leave you without a nice photo so here's a few pictures of my lovely sister who is visiting this week.

My mom made the dress she's wearing and oh boy you should see the front. My sister doesn't have children so certain girl parts are still in their original place. Need I say more? Wait, I've already said too much.

p.s. In case you are worried I won't be back with lot's of sewing. Don't fret. I've been spending a gross amount of money on fabric and patterns.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...