Halloween Fun

If you know me, then you know I like to be silly & have fun!  Last year we came up with a silly & cheap costume idea for the girls..."Sticker Monsters!"  For the record, they really did have costumes but this was just spontaneous & for fun.

So this year, the sticker monsters made another appearance...and I joined in on the fun!

 Kyra thought this gift tag would make for a great set of bug eyes...work it girl!

Then I had some leftover streamers & thought my cuties would make some pretty cute mummies...here they are all wrapped up.

Have a FUN & SAFE Halloween everyone - and if you have a fun costume idea to share, I'd love to hear it!

Noah's Ark Watermelon

My Kyra girl celebrated her 5th birthday in class this past Friday.  Instead of the usual cupcakes, I wanted to do something healthy...so the pressure was on for it to be extra special so the cupcakes wouldn't be missed.  Her teacher gave me the idea for a fruit salad, so I decided to go with a Noah's Ark watermelon!  I looked up a few pics on the internet of what the ark should look like & went to work.

I marked my major cut lines & cut away the top parts of the watermelon very carefully.  I cut out a big square in the middle for the entrance to the ark and smaller squares in pairs for windows around the whole thing.

Kyra had the idea to use the animal crackers...that was a great idea!  We glued seven popsicle sticks on top of another one that was cut in half to make the bridge which the animals used to board the ark.

I drained out as much of the excess watermelon juice as possible...didn't want it flooded inside the ark, ya know!  Then I used some "scrap" watermelon rind to construct a mini rooftop, secured with toothpicks.  We put the cut up fruit around the watermelon...just love how this looks all put together!

I carefully placed the animals in the windows, 2 of each kind next to each other & filled another plate with more animal crackers...all set!

Here it is in the classroom before the kiddos had at it...and there is a model Noah's Ark behind it!  =)

My Kyra girl was very happy & had a super special day celebrating her birthday at school.  She gave me the biggest thank you hug for making the special Noah's Ark watermelon & took this picture for me.  =)  

Happy Birthday Kyra, you are such a blessing to my life & so many others.  You are bright, thoughtful & very affectionate...I love you my Kyra girl!

For more watermelon fun & ideas, check out the pics & links I found below...enjoy!!

http://www.thevirtualvine.com/watermelons.html

http://www.creative-baby-shower-ideas.com/watermelon-baby-carriage.html

I found many of the pics I posted here: 

http://shadowshark29.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/25-awesome-watermelon-carvings/

Funky Revamped Skirt

Here is another Wardrobe Refashion I crafted using a pair of old jeans.  I was going for a funky & comfy skirt...here is the "before" shot...

 

I turned the jeans inside out, cut up along the inseam & cut to the length I wanted.

Then I picked out some hot pink cheetah fabric to "fill in" the gaps in the front & back.  I cut it to size, pinned it in place & did some wild free motion zig zag stitching using pink thread..

You can see the stitching here, along with the black & white zebra ruffle I pinned along the bottom of the skirt.  I wanted mine to be on the wild side so I kept the raw edges frayed, but you can finish the edges for a tidy look.  I also pinned the ruffle with the skirt on top...again, for a wild & frayed look.

Then it was time to sew on the ruffle...I used a zig zag stitch, pulling the pins as I go.

I attached a funky pocket to the side of the skirt, made from a quilted log cabin block that I had in my stash.  Before I stitched it on to the skirt, I did some more wild free motion zig zag stitiching...no plan, just going for it!

Then I added my signature free motion "V" to the back...

...and she's all done!  I now have a funky revamped skirt with a cool little pocket, made especially to fit my cell phone.  =)

Here is the wild free motion zig zag stitching I did on the front and a couple pics of the front & back. 

My next revamp is in the works right now...it features some really fun fabric I scored & another t-shirt.  Can you say comfortably cute!!!  Thanks for stopping by...if you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear from you.  =)

Happy Revamping!

 

"Let's Get It On"...& Revamp this shirt!

I recently shared my pledge to re-fashion my wardrobe in an effort to add some funk to my closet, keep money in my pocket & save the planet!  It's a fun & practical challenge that I am really excited about participating in.  You can read more about the challenge here: Wardrobe Re-Fashion

I had a super soft brown UFC t-shirt I bought way back in August of 2006...UFC 62 - Liddell vs. Sobral.  It's an extra large and is a bit frumpy on me now...time to cut it up & refashion it.

My first step was to find a good fitting shirt that I liked which will be used as my pattern.  It's comfy & flattering...simple too.  =)

I put my UFC shirt on top of my "pattern" shirt, matching up the sleeves & neckline, then using a sliver of rescued bar soap...hey, it's readily available & marks your fabric nicely!

Then I cut the neck off my shirt...once again using the scrap of soap to mark my cut line.

 
I have to say...it was pretty liberating to grab my scissors & cut up my shirt!  =)

To create that simple little gather at the bust, I stretched & pinned 2 1/2" of elastic, stretched over 4" of fabric...then stitched it on.  

The tricky part is that you have to hold on tight to the elastic while you stretch & sew it.  I found it helpful to crank my presser foot down a few notches.

 This was surprisingly simple with great results.

I should have stopped right here...but I didn't!  I got the bright idea to cut up the back...wanted to try some lacing.  I cut the shirt straight up the middle of the back, then made a "V" shape on top.  I tried it on & pinned it to fit comfortably. 

I liked it so much at this stage, but really wanted to try that new leather cording I just got my hands on...so I punched some holes in it every inch or so on each side...then laced it up.

I wasn't in love with my bra showing through the back...and I sewed it back up!  Much to my dismay, it was now too small...so I'll have to revamp it again.  I think I'll make another t-shirt dress with this shirt...but I'll leave that for another post!  Can't be afraid to just go for it sometimes...lesson learned!  =)

Funky Fresh Custom Wallet

My latest creation is for Shannon...she requested a custom quilted wallet with the following...

• hot pink
• zebra
• flower print
• lime green
• some black
• loves skulls

and here is what I came up with...

Shannon, I hope you love your new custom wallet...I had fun mixing these fabrics together for you! 

Enjoy!

--Nani   =)