finished projects

The past couple of weeks have been spent getting a few projects off the 'to do' list with the help of our friendly neighborhood Ikea...

I saved most of Carter and Logan's soothers -- is that weird? I had wanted to make shadow boxes with them for so long and finally got to it. As you can see, Carter was a bit more dependent than Logan was. I actually had to dig for the larger shadow boxes that were meant for another project to fit all of them in. Oh, and did you notice the pink empty one in the background? Might as well take care of one for the new little girl at the same time...

I used scrapbooking rub-ons to put the boys' names on the glass. (Yes, the pink one has a name on it already too but no close ups!) The red ribbon on the orange and green soother in Carter's box was his last one. Logan's is blue and still has the tether attached.

Special shelves for special things. The boys now each have a shelf above their bed for treasured items. Notice the fabulous McQueen artwork? Nothing more than an Ikea frame, checkered wrapping paper (also from Ikea) and repositionable wall decals from Home Depot. Carter and Logan were so pleased with the four frames hanging in their room!


Finally a valance to go with that blind. I used the same pattern in the nursery before Carter was born but this time added a rod pocket instead of stapling to a board and attaching to the wall with L-brackets. It means that light peeps through the top but was much, much easier! And while we're on the topic of window treatments: does anyone know how to get a spring-loaded blind to work again? This one is stuck closed and I've unrolled and rerolled so many times but nothing seems to work? I just can't seem to roll it loosely. Advice/recommendations would be much appreciated!

Mike also put the wire shelving I requested in the boys' closet (hooray!). Carter and Logan decided it should be their job to move all their clothing from Logan's former room (the nursery) into our temporary shelving. Didn't they do a fabulous job?

This weekend closet doors will be hung and this room will officially be decorated and done. And it will be the only one in the house that is decorated and done.

a productive tuesday

Yesterday was a pretty productive day in the sewing department.
I got some nearly-finished projects DONE. and that feels good!

This is what came off my sewing machine yesterday:

Five girly receiving blankets, hemmed and ready. I do want to add some fancy-pants trim yet (ric rac and ribbon) but for now they are ready for use. --just in case I don't get to it!

A racecar rice bag for Carter. He's been using one of mine lately but one night I found it around his neck (it wasn't long long enough to strangle, it just looked like maybe it wasn't such a good idea). So, a racecar rice bag. I traced an outline of Lightning McQueen from a giant colouring book and tried to replicate some of the lines with stitches so it still looks like a racecar. Not perfect, but I think Carter will enjoy it. I guess I'll be making one for Logan too!

This is one of three Lighning McQueen superhero capes I've been working on. One for each of the boys and one for their buddy who had a birthday last week. You can find the superhero pattern here on The Long Thread, a blog and website that I very much enjoy!

Carter is here modeling his buddy's cape that was finished this past Saturday. Yes, the cape's logos are different, that was my mistake: sewing the lightning bolts upside down. ooops! The boys have not noticed and now I think there is less likelihood of Disney/Pixar hunting me down.

Carter did not want the cape at first saying that he didn't want to fly. Wow, if I could sew a cape that would make him fly, wouldn't I be mom of the year? I convinced him that since it was a Lightning McQueen cape and Lightning McQueen doesn't fly, he wouldn't fly if he wore it.

Logan and Carter ran in circles around the house yesterday to make the cape flutter behind them. Logan ran into a few things because he was looking at his cape and not where he was going. I think the capes will be fun outside in the spring and summer when they can run far and not collide with anything!