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So Cute in Bunny Ears

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Isn’t this the cutest hat for your littlest bunny to wear Easter morning?  I made one for each of the girls for their first Easter.  The original instruction set was in an issue of Martha Stewart’s lovely Baby magazine when Olivia was a baby (circa 2006??).  I made the first two from the sleeve of Graham’s white t-shirts, following Martha’s instructions.  Addie, however, is quite a bit older than the other girls were on their first Easter.  I made a little hat for Addie today, but I used the bottom of the t-shirt rather than the sleeve so that it would fit over her mess of hair.  In case you are not really wanting to forage through your perfectly preserved back issues of MS magazine, I snapped some photos of the step-by-step.  It’s a quick project and oh-so-cute for some Easter photos.  Have fun!
For the finishing touch, tie a short ribbon into a bow around each “ear”, and you are done!

Easter Mini-Album

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The weather is warming up, the days are getting longer, and the girls are all growing way too fast.  I was looking at the bin of summer clothes for Gracie today and I couldn’t bring myself to get them out.  I feel like I just put them away; it seems like Olivia was just running around in those very clothes.  Time passes too quickly on days like this and I start to panic that I’ve let moments slip by that I won’t remember.  Even through scrapbooking, photographing, and now, bloggging, I often feel like I’m only capturing the tip of the iceberg.

Two Easters ago, Olivia wore one of the outfits that I saw folded in that box this afternoon.  I went into my office and thumbed through the mini-album I created to capture those sweet memories and it just made me smile.  In case you’re looking for a bit of Easter inspiration, I thought I’d share the album.

There is no rhyme or reason to the album.  I used two pieces of 6×6 clear acrylic for the front and back covers.  The rest of the album is just cardstock adhered back to back.  I added in pages in a variety of sizes to include journaling blocks and to highlight favorite photos.  I hole-punched the sides of each sheet and joined the album together with rings embellished with a whole mess of ribbon.
If you’re looking for a way to display your mini-albums, I highly recommend these cheap picture stands.  I think I picked a few up at Michael’s for just a buck or two.  They are subtle and display a little album in any space.
I’m putting this album out with my other Easter decorations – I forgot how much I love it.  I was able to write down the cutest little things from our celebrations that year and document old and new traditions.  When I’m feeling nostalgic about the girls at an earlier age, flipping through these pictures certainly helps.  It’s better than freaking out that they’re growing too fast.  Ali Edwards said something about preserving memories this week – “Whatever you’re doing, it’s good enough.”  I needed to hear that.

Dingy to Darling

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Ruffles and fabric flowers are popping up everywhere.  And I needed a little something green for Olivia to wear to school on St. Patrick’s Day.  I started fooling around and I got sort of carried away.  But it’s okay because the other girls need green attire for their 10-minute preschool walk-thru in the morning.  My favorite part of the project is the onesie makeover for Addie.  When a white onesie has made it’s way through two older sisters, it needs a bit more than Biz and Bleach.  I tried ruffles to spruce it up and I love the result.  Talk about dingy to darling!  Want to make one?  Here’s how I did it:
Pretty St. Patty tops ready for preschool:
A closer look at the fabric flowers for the hair or clothes:
I love the frayed edges.  You could go to the trouble of turning your edges or using a non-fraying material if you’re not feeling it, but this was so quick to do and it works for me.

File Folder Baby Announcement

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No, I did not have another baby (wink), but I am a believer in making cute and equal keepsakes for all my girls, even if it takes a while.  This announcement for Grace sits on the bookcase in her room and I smile every time I look at it.  It’s busy.  It’s bright.  It has ribbon and chipboard.  What else do you need? 

Instructions: 
1. Cut a 12×12 sheet of solid cardstock into a rectangle or file folder shape measuring 10×7.  Fold in half  and round outer corners so that you have a 5×7 card base.
2.  Cut three 1-inch strips of patterned paper and align diagonally from left bottom to top right on the front of the announcement.
3.  Stamp elephant crowd with brown ink onto solid cardstock and cut out.  Apply to bottom left corner. 
4.  Using six 3-inch pieces of ribbon, fold each piece in half and staple along back flap (this is the file folder label area on my announcement). 
5.  Embellish front with three flower/brad combinations, completed tag, and a small knot of ribbon.
6.  Lay chipboard letter face down on patterned paper and trace.  Cut out letter and glue onto the chipboard.  Sand edges.  Use foam adhesive dots to apply the letter to the front of the announcement.  (The foam adhesive “pops” the letter and gives the piece an extra layer of dimension).

Products used:  cardstock:  hollyhock solid carstock by Close to My Heart, patterned paper:  MME “everyday tango” by Lisa Cohen, ribbon: Designer Ribbon Rounds (hollyhock) by Close to My Heart , tag:  7Gypsies, Stamp:  “Nursery Bash” by Close to My Heart, brads: American Crafts, flowers and chipboard letter: from my stash, staples: office supply (I think it’s funny when magazines list “office supply” for staples…duh)

This post is linked with:
Sumo’s Sweet Stuff: Market Yourself Monday
The Girl Creative: Just Something I Whipped Up

Halloween Countertop Creations

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Olivia spotted a very sparkly, very pricey “haunted house” in a catalog a while back. I pinned up the picture with promises of making one ourselves. After painting a milk carton, a cracker box, and a couple cake boards with not-so-full-coverage paint, the wind blew them off the deck and I ran out and bought myself another birthday present, the Winter Wonderland cartridge for Cricut. Have you seen this thing? It is amazing. Not only does it have a cool font and some fun wintery pictures, but it cuts out the pieces to construct AN ENTIRE VILLAGE. A little black glitter paint, a little orange paper, a couple pre-made accents, and VOILA! we made our own sparkly Halloween village. This was so much fun. The houses I put together in the evening and the girls helped me paint the base board, the fences, and glue on the accents. Fun, easy, and really cool, don’t you think? Now, if only I had the big Cricut . . .

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