Quick pant saver tip

My youngest son has several pairs of cute overalls with snaps along the inseams to facilitate diaper changes. As a mommy, I think little boy overalls are about the most adorable thing ever, and I wish they could wear them everyday. But my youngest son, like his older brother, is a rough-and-tumble, super active little guy. Those snaps stay closed maybe two minutes after I get him dressed, and so the overalls don't get worn as much as I'd like.

So this morning I got the brilliant idea that I could just sew closed the snapped inseams. Yup, took all of a minute to do, and now my son will be rocking his overalls as soon as I can catch and wrestle him into them.

stitches are invisible

Since I just top-stitched the snap flap (technical term!) in place, I used a multi-toned 'denim' coloured thread that blends in with the fabric. I don't have a free arm machine, so it was a bit of a tight squeeze to stitch the entire length of each leg, but with a bit of twisting and a couple stops to make sure I wasn't sewing the leg together, it was easy enough.

Shopping cart cover

One of my dearest friends has four little boys aged five years and under. Early last week, she and her boys got violently ill after a trip to the grocery store. She figures they picked up something from the shopping cart, since that was the only thing they all touched or consumed before getting sick.

I'm personally a little grossed out by shopping carts. Various studies (from the University of Arizona and the CDC, in particular) have revealed what common sense tells you: shopping carts are DIRTY. As in loaded with meat drippings, assorted bacteria, bodily fluids, and even fecal matter. Yeah, eww.

Like the flames?

Built-in loop for attaching toys

So this washable shopping cart cover will be headed over to my friend's house this afternoon, so she can have a little more peace of mind the next time she takes her littlest ones shopping. The cover is like the ones I sell at craft sales and in my Etsy shop (see the left sidebar if you're interested!), but I modified it to hold two children instead of one. I hope to post a tutorial at some point, too, for anyone who wants to make their own. The cover is stretchy, so fits on both standard and oversize carts like the ones at Costco, where I know my friends likes to shop.

I've been using shopping cart covers since my oldest was a wee lad, but he's growing up, and as a self-proclaimed big boy, he likes to walk along when we grocery shop. Unfortunately, he's still prone to wandering off, so I like him to stay in arm's reach. He could just hang on to the side of the cart, but again, eww, so we compromise and use a handle. I posted about the handle I made here, and really, I love it now more than ever. Super easy to make, so try it if you also have a wanderer!

Simple and brilliant because it works! How I love the internet for ideas.

Edit...a couple people asked, so here's a photo of how the covers fit on a cart. Excuse plumpness...when I made my first cover as a first-time mommy, I wanted my little guy to be super comfy as well as clean (=

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Sock monkey lovey

My youngest son has a lovey he can’t do without. He takes it everywhere. jumps around with it when he’s happy, and snuggles it when he’s not. Unfortunately for me, it’s a full-sized crib quilt, so it’s constantly dragging around getting dirty. Did I mention my son flips out when we put his beloved blankie in the washing machine? Add drying time in there and it’s a guaranteed hour and a half of crying and begging. That’d be him crying and me begging him to stop. I’m kidding. The poor kid just wants his blankie back.
Anyway, one of my son’s playmates also has a lovey. A nice small cuddle blanket. So when this friend got a new baby brother, I thought it would be nice to make another little cuddle blanket as a Christmas Valentine’s day gift.

^{Oops, didn’t press again.}

The idea for the this project comes from just another day in paradise. Larissa provides a template for the sock monkey applique as well as a great tutorial on how to put together the project. I changed things up a just a little, putting ribbon tags only on two sides, and, on the other side, adding a Velcro handle to hold a soother or teething toy.

I don’t use cuddle fabric too often, mostly because it’s really expensive around here (a half metre, which is enough for two cuddle blankets, cost $15), but it’s also slippery, stretchy stuff. I pinned the heck out of this time, and it actually behaved fairly well this time around. Despite it’s finicky personality, cuddle fabric is oh-so-soft and touchable. It’s worth the trouble and extra pinning required. I’m hoping to make another lovey with the leftover fabric and use it’s softness to charm my baby boy into wanting to hang onto it instead of his blankie. A girl can hope.

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Pumpkin and cranberry weekend muffins

Sewing hasn’t been working out for me lately. The past few days, I’ve had to rip out every single stitch I’ve made. So I’m giving myself a break and turning to the kitchen instead  (=

Here was yesterday’s offering, delicious pumpkin and cranberry muffins, perfect for nibbling on a Saturday morning. The recipe makes a lot of batter, but you can refrigerate the extras and bake up fresh muffins each morning. The baked muffins also freeze pretty well.

Here’s how you make them:

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

4 eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 tbsp white vinegar
3 cups frozen or canned pumpkin purée, thawed
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup agave syrup (or 1/2 cup sugar)
1/2 lb. (16 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. ground cinnamon
3 Tbs. ground ginger
Pinch cloves
Pinch white pepper
1-1/2 cups dried cranberries (soaked 10 min in water)

---

Heat the oven to 350°F. Measure evaporated milk and stir in vinegar. Set aside 5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, evaporated milk mixture, pumpkin purée, brown sugar, agave syrup, and butter. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pepper. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring until just mixed. Gently fold in the (soaked and drained) cranberries. Line a muffin tin with liners. Scoop about 1/2 cup batter into each tin so that the curve of the batter is even with the rim of the cup. (Refrigerate any extra batter in an airtight container for up to a week.) Bake the muffins in the middle of the oven until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into them comes out clean, 30 min. 
(recipe adapted from Fine Cooking)

Try ‘em, they’re good!

Next up is our Valentine’s Day decorations.  Crayon/waxed paper hearts tied to the curtains of all our kitchen windows. Not too original, but along with our modified Christmas wreath, my Martha-esque pot holders, and baking some heart-shaped cookies, that’s all I’m up to doing.

Finally, just for kicks, here’s a pic of me, snapped by my 4 year old. He always misses the top of heads but seems to have caught on to that whole rule-of-thirds thing. We’re working on it  (=

With any luck, tonight I will remember how to sew a straight seam and maybe actually accomplish something.

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Valentine’s potholders

I have to admit, Valentine’s Day has never been a big deal in our house. While I love him dearly, hubby isn’t exactly Mr. Romance, given to lovey-dovey gestures, particularly on a day he is convinced was contrived by the greeting card industry. My boys still don’t get the concept of Valentine’s Day, so I figured, what’s the point?

But then it started. Little glimpses of what everyone else in blogland is doing to heart up their homes and spirits. All that pinky goodness is getting to me. Step one was a baby step. I moved the coffee filter wreath I made for Christmas from the hallway to over the fireplace – with the addition, of course, of a few pink hearts that my boys and I fashioned out of pipe cleaners.

Then I saw a link to these cute heart-shaped pot holders from Martha Stewart. Although on an intellectual level, Martha represents to me so much of the perfectionism I try to reject in my life, I can’t help myself: her projects are pretty much all adorable and I can spend hours browsing her website. Such a moral conundrum.

I dismissed the pot holders first (too cutesy), but left the tab open in my browser. For days, I’d take a peek and then shake my head no. Last night, the temptation became too much, and at about 11 pm, when I should have been going to bed, I instead went down to my sewing machine to cut out these little beauties. Pardon the wrinkles…I was feeling too lazy to iron.

They were super easy and quick to stitch. Best of all, I was able to make them from scraps. The polka dots were the remains of an apron I made for a friend, years ago. The white portion was cut from a nice thick canvas that used to be a stained bbq apron, and the back was cut from a pair of worn out jeans. I had the bias tape trim in my stash from a 95-cent sale at Fabricland last year.

I used one layer of Insulbrite batting instead of the three layers of cotton batting Martha suggested. The only other change I made was to start my binding at the bottom point of the heart. I started the first one at the centre top, as Martha directed, but I found it tricky to finish later. Starting at the bottom point gave me a cleaner finish.

So yeah, bottom line, I think I’m hooked on Valentine’s Day crafts now.  (=

PS…if you’re not a fan of enlarging things when you print, here’s a link to the full-size pattern.

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Someday Crafts Reveal-My-Gender Party

A Little Lovely Saturday Soiree

Giveaway WINNER!

Wow, this has been a tough week for my family. We’ve all been flattened by a doozy of a cold (maybe flu? I can’t tell the difference) for the past week, my sewing machine broke down for the umpteenth time, and I’ve gained two pounds from boredom and frustration snacking! On the bright side of things, a kind neighbour used his snowblower to clear our driveway of the mountain of snow that came down in the past few days. I’m baking some muffins to show my gratitude, since we were all far too ill to tackle the job with shovels.

Since my sewing machine is out of whack and my kids are extra needy, I’ve been crocheting. Such a portable craft. Here’s a little cloche beanie I made for my husband’s boss’s family and the new baby girl they just welcomed.

It’s soft and sweet and took me only a few hours working with a child tucked under each arm. I didn’t use a pattern this time, so I hope it fits.

And now for the winner of my scarf giveaway! There were only 11 valid comments, but I’m so thankful to everyone who takes a moment to read about what I’m doing or who makes a comment or suggestion.

Da-duh-da-da!

Congratulations to Jacqueline, who is the cooking, baking, candy-making, decorating and styling genius behind Purple Chocolat Home . I’ve been following Jacqueline’s blog for some time now, and she never fails to wow me with her whimsical stories, amazing tablescapes, breathtaking home, and decadent recipes. Go take a peek at her blog, and prepare to be dazzled.

As for me, I finally unfolded and cut out some of the patterns from Amy Butler’s Style Stitches, which was one of the thoughtful Christmas gifts hubby chose for me this year. There are several bags in the book that I would love to do, starting with the Teardrop Bag and the Perfectly Pleated Clutch.

Now I just have to wait for my sewing machine to be repaired, or depending on how bad her prognosis is, I may did out my straight stitch machine and get moving.

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