Random Events

Friday I must have been feeling crafty. I think it happened because we made our table runners at Mom's Group the night before. The boys and I made various cookies and then we made a homemade ornament. Using pipe cleaners, I shaped the ornament into a star. The boys then pushed small beads onto the cleaners. When they started I wondered if it would require fine motor skills that were too unrefined, but they succeeded. Emmett really wanted to give his to Uncle Jeff.




While they napped that day, I made a shirt for my niece, Lily. Inspired by Merranda's freezer paper stenciled and fabric patch shirts and by my new found abilities on the sewing machine while making our runners, I picked up some girly fabric I've had my eye on for a while and a cheap shirt and gave it a try. It really ended up turning out pretty cute. I did have to rip out seams here and there, especially when I sewed the front of the shirt to the back of the shirt! Now, with the extra fabric I'll have to make one for my niece, Kennedy, and some of Aaron's baby girl cousins. Or, Tabitha, if you want some I'll pass it on to you.




Finally, this morning Aaron took the boys to All American to make a gift for me. Afterward, he took them to work with him to make a few strings. He even let Emmett push buttons and Ethan watched Transformers on his computer. Then, after lunch, they left again to go to Menard's. We were watching my brother's kids, too, so Aaron took Brayden along. Half way home they all zonked out in the car. I can't imagine HOW that happened since they usually all have SO much to say. What a good dad he is, though. He had kids all day doing things that required much patience. Why am I sitting here and not giving him some much needed babying?

Even More Stenciling

Here is yet another stencil I just made for Emmett. I am pretty happy with how it turned out. Now the kids I watch are putting in requests for shirts.

More Freezer Paper Stenciling

Okay, I am hooked! I have a bunch of shirt ideas waiting for me to have the time to make, and I have a bunch a shirts to put them on. I am hoping to get my sister into it, now. I think she'd have a blast making some for her baby girl. (See their webpage). Well, I'd have a blast making some girly shirts, actually!
Ethan had been asking and asking me to make him a bear shirt. I spent most of Saturday evening making it after the kids went to bed early. I laid it on his bed, and when he woke in the morning I told him to go see the shirt I made him. He went in and came out and told me it wasn't cool. He wanted a Transformer shirt! Their wants are so fleeting. He wore it Sunday and I am pretty sure he changed his mind about the coolness of it. I told him I could make him a Transformer shirt, too.


This is the first shirt I made for myself. I've been looking for workout clipart. This shirt turned out to look distressed (and I think very cool) due to my hastiness to finish it. I first did the outline of the shoes in pink. Then, I put another stencil over it with the laces etc. and did those in white. Since the pink wasn't quite dry when I pulled that stencil off it took the pink paint off put left a little white behind. At first I was discouraged and then thought it looked kind of cool. Aaron agreed that it was pretty cool. Like I said before, I can't wait to make more!

Thanks Tabitha and Merranda for getting me started!

Freezer Paper Stencils

Okay, I FINALLY did it! This morning as I browsed Wal-Mart I found some solid colored shirts, so I figured I really no longer had an excuse to not try it. The kids helped me pick out some images that they wanted stenciled. The spider shirt, for Ethan, was the first one I tried. It is FAR from perfect, but still looks pretty cool. When I made his shirt I used wax paper, because I thought that was the same as freezer paper. Well, it is not. And, that is why the shirt is less than perfect. Oh well, the first one should look that way, right? I really wanted him to have something Halloweenish but not too Halloweenish. Now, he has something he can wear to school around that time, but he can also wear it any time.

Because of the details in the tractor, Aaron did this shirt for Emmett next. Aaron is GREAT at that kind of detail. He did that shirt start to finish and it looks perfect! That's my guy. Emmett was so excited about it that he wanted to wear it after he took his shower tonight.

I did the wolf shirt for Ethan last. It looks pretty good. I am not as patient as I should be with THIN layers ... maybe this will be Aaron's project to do for the kids, OR maybe I just need to get better at it. But, it was fun and now I think I am hooked.