The Playhouse Brainstorm

This thing has been haunting my thoughts of late. I can't wait to get started so that I can in turn get it done and not think about it anymore.

Is anybody else like that? When you get excited about a project you just can't stop thinking about it until you do it? Like, seriously, on your mind 24-7?

I have pretty much worked all the details out in my mind and now, after I write this blog, I am going to sit down and put them on paper. (When I am figuring this out I just have to do the pen and paper thing. Other than writing lists, I just can't brainstorm on the computer.)

And because somebody asked, here is where my inspiration has come from:

Ikat Bag's Princess Pavilion: Although inspirational I will not be using many ideas from this one, mainly because I am just not talented enough. ;)

Nothing Fancy's Playhouse Tent: I love the way the door ties up on this one!

Homemade by Jill's felt playhouse: This is definitely my favorite playhouse out of all the ones I have found. I really love the look of the felt. My favorite detail is the way the tree wraps around the corner. And thank goodness for her Q&A post, complete with some templates. Love that!

Angie over at This and That was brave enough to line her playhouse so that the kids have a nice cozy fire inside. Wow!

Sew Much Ado makes a playhouse that is all boy! Gotta love camouflage. And yet another lined playhouse ... brave, so very brave.

And for the record, our playhouse will have a PVC pipe frame, much like this one, as opposed to being made to cover a card table. The hubby is going to use his genius engineering skills to steer me through that challenge. Which is a good thing because he thinks it would be really cool to have a tunnel on one side that leads into the house. Yeah, he is so figuring that out for me.

Ah, Christmas ...

.... it started to creep into my mind a couple of weeks ago, but I forced it away until I made it through Halloween. Now it is November 4th (almost 5th) and I am consumed with thoughts of what I need to make, who I need to make it for, how I am going to make it, etc., etc., etc.

I don't go all handmade for Christmas. Heck, I don't think I even go 50% handmade (don't hate me), but I do like to craft a few things.

At the top of my brain right now?

My daughter's Christmas dress and a playhouse that will be for both the kiddos.

After doing lots of research I presented the playhouse idea to the hubby and he is all for it. Yay!

As far as the Christmas dress, I am tossing back and forth between a more traditional dress or a more modern/trendy dress. The traditional dress would probably be with a flocked taffeta and the modern/trendy dress would probably be out of Michael Miller's Ginger Blossom line. Ah! I can't decide!

Speaking of dresses ... I am willing to take one or two orders for a custom handmade holiday dress. Anyone game? e-mail me -- toodlesbybethany[at]gmail[dot]com -- and be fast!

Halloween -- A Success!

black alova suede: cowgirl skirt, chaps, both vests: $2.50
brown fake leather: chaps, cowboy vest:$2.00
pink gingham homespun fabric: cowgirl shirt: $1.75
black tulle: cowgirl skirt: on hand, but it was probably about $2.00 worth
eyelet lace: cowgirl shirt: $.97
hats: $3.74
bandannas: $2.00
white shirts: for "the cows": $6.00
black broadcloth: cows spots: $2.00
cowboy boots: borrowed
cowgirl boots: on hand
______________________________________________________
costumes for a family of 4: $22.96

And I didn't even have to use garbage bags.

Pretty, Pretty Princess

I was super excited when a friend asked me to sew her daughter a princess dress for Halloween. I used the pattern from my daughter's dress last year, so I thought I would just fly through making it.

Then I had to be over ambitious and choose the worst fabric ever to sew with. Darling fabric for sure, but so hard to sew! The organza overlay has small white beads all over it. My sewing machine and small white beads do not get along very well.

Anyway, after a few more hours than I planned, I was very pleased with the results and it is perfect for Princess S.

Hooded Towels and Sweet Babies

A couple of months ago my husband's cousin had a baby shower thrown for her and her soon-to-be born twin girls. I made some hooded towels as my gift to them.

I just love big, fluffy, warm hooded towels. Those small thin ones that are common at stores these days are a joke. So, I consider it one of my missions in life to give hooded towels as shower gifts. Yeah, so if you invite me to a baby shower anytime soon then you now know what you will probably get, and I am OK with that. :)

It was so fun this week to see pictures on M's blog of her sweet babies wrapped up in their towels after their first bath at home. (Thanks for letting me share your pictures, M!)

Baby T -- she was about 3 1/2 lbs at birth and only had to spend a couple of weeks in the hospital ... definitely a fighter!

Baby M -- she was around 5 lbs at birth and went home right away

Halloween Revisited

Halloween costumes are underway. My only serious dilemma is finding cowboy boots for my son. I found them for my daugher for $5 at Kid to Kid. No such luck for him. Unfortunately you can't just whip out a sewing machine for boots ... wish me luck on that one.

Anyway, in my effort to put a bit more consistent at updating this blog I thought I would do a bit of reminiscing. If you read my personal blog, you have seen my kid's past Halloween costumes, but I only have last year's on here. So here's to a trip down little ol' memory lane!

Halloween 2006: Little Bo Peep and her sheep

Halloween 2007: Peter Pan and Tinkerbell

Halloween 2008: Princess and Knight (click for link)

Halloween holds a special place in my heart when it comes to sewing because my first real sewing project was a Halloween costume for my brother. I was 10 and he was 4. (I think. Is that right, Mom?) One of these days I need to dig out a picture and put it on here. He was Aladdin, a dang stinkin' cute Aladdin, if you ask me!

What are some of your favorite past Halloween costumes? Share them on your blog and share the link with me! Go on. I dare you. You might win something cool. Just sayin'.

Halloween Prep

My daughter's boots from the 4th of July inspired this years theme for both kid's Halloween costumes. Cowboy and cowgirl! If you know my children and know how obsessed with Toy Story they are you might ask why I don't dress them as Woody and Jesse. My answer? Because I don't want to. Fair enough, right? OK, really it is because I want my daughter in a big poofy rodeo queen type skirt. I'm a girly girl and she's a girly girl because of me. We can't help ourselves.

My in-my-head brainstorming has been going for a while now, but now it is time to put it down on "paper".

The cowboy is easy. Martha Stewart helped me out by putting this tutorial up on her website. I won't be using grocery bags, though. A little too cheap for me. Plus, if I make it a bit more durable maybe, just maybe, my son will want to wear it again. Wishful thinking? Perhaps.

The cowgirl is another story. Making it will be easy. Settling on what I want to make, not so much. I did a little search on etsy to getting the creative juices flowing.

Here are my four favorites from my search results. (Click on the image to head to the etsy shops that these costumes are being sold at.)

from NY Costumes

from So Shaes Bowtique

from Girlie Bows

from So She She

I'll probably end up borrowing ideas from each of these costumes. Aren't they all so cute and unique? I love the internet and the ability to see so much creativity from so many talented people!

Let the costume making begin!

What are you going to be for Halloween? Your kids? Your dog?