You know you have boys when...

... not only does a toy gun make its way into the dish washer, but you don't even notice it's there until after you run the load.

Easter Ties

Every Easter (and I do mean Easter morning, as we are rushing around getting ready for church) I take stock of my boys' closets, looking for something a little more fancy than usual to dress them in. Of course, there is never anything. If either of them happens to have a white dress shirt, it is stained beyond repair, and "nice" pants (pants that haven't been repaired with iron-on patches) are usually too short. This year I am determined to not let that happen. I have a few days left, right? Why not whip up some cute Easter ties? Well, I had a very hard time finding patterns for children's ties on-line, so I decided to wing it. This post certainly can't qualify as a tutorial, as I don't know if I can even duplicate the process I went through for Titus' tie to make one for Moses. But I took a few pictures along the way - maybe these can help you wing it yourself. :)

First I used a piece of string to estimate how long the tie would need to be - hung it around Moses' neck, added a few inches for tying purposes, and hoped for the best. Then I used a tie we already have (it isn't a full tie - just a pre-tied one on an elastic necklace) for the shape. I taped the string on a huge piece of paper, and then things started getting weird. There was some tracing, the use of a belt as a straight-edge, lots of erasing, and I finally came up with a template for the tie.



I placed the template on my fabric so that the tie would be cut on the bias (the one tip I was able to find on-line) and used my rotary cutter to cut out two tie pieces - one for the front and one for the back. I also cut out one piece from some white cotton muslin I had (again on the bias), which acted as interfacing. I sandwiched my pieces with the first printed piece right-side-up, the muslin in the middle, then the second print wrong-side-up. I pinned the heck out of it and sewed around the outside with a 1/4" seam, leaving a small opening for turning.




The scariest part was turning it because I didn't know if I had just spent hours creating a mess, but it worked! I carefully ironed the edges, sewed up the opening, and we had our first tie! Titus is very excited to wear his car tie on Easter. I'll be making another one for Moses and will show you how cute they look all dressed up for Easter. For now, you'll have to settle with seeing it on Titus in his jammies (and not tied properly because Daddy isn't home).

No-Sew Kid's Bunting

Here's another of my tentative forays into interior decorating - I'm really not a natural at making the house cute, nor do I have the budget to buy, well, anything. Thinking about redecorating is so overwhelming that I end up frozen in fear, so I've taken to thinking of things in terms of walls. This time I turned my attention to the "wall above the dressers," which has been an ugly area for a long time. Next I figure out what problem I'm trying to solve, which in this case is the fact that there are two completely different dressers crammed right next to each other and this corner is kind of dark. My solution: add color and fun to distract from the dresser situation and bring a feeling of brightness. Enter the banners: I didn't have any money to spend on new decorations, so I decided to make something. I had fabric (of course) and some of this great baker's twine, so I made several strands of bunting to add some color and whimsy.

Next I chose fabric and cut out triangles. I kind of winged it from this point on. I chose fabrics in bright colors that worked in the boys' room but weren't too matchy-matchy. I cut out 3 different sizes of triangles, keeping them pretty small, though you could make them any size you want depending on the space you are hanging the bunting.

The last step is stringing the triangles on the twine (I should really call these low-sew bunting banners since you do have to sew, but no machine is needed and you basically just need the ability to thread a needle and have decent aim). I used the biggest embroidery needle I had so that the twine would fit through the eye. I used lengths of twine about 5 feet long but of course you could make them any length you want. After cutting the twine, I poked my needle through the front upper-right-hand corner of a triangle and then back through the back of the upper left-hand corner. This way the twine runs along the back of the fabric and you don't see it when the bunting is hanging.

I made about 7 different banners using different shape and fabric combinations because I like the circus look of having a big bundle hanging together. Here's the new look - of course I didn't take a before picture because I'd rather forget how this area looked when it was piled with dusty lego cars and orphaned socks.

I had originally planned on hanging these more straight, but I used some pre-existing nails in the wall (seriously, this area was a disaster) and really like how it looks hanging skewy (is that a word?). The street signs are courtesy of my brother's rebellious phase as a teenager, and the button bouquet is something I made a few years ago as a baby shower decoration. The lamp and clock were purchased from Target a few years ago.

I'm pretty excited that I managed to tackle this difficult space without spending any money. Let me know if you decide to make some of these banners - I'd love to see pictures! I'm seeing bunting everywhere in kids room lately and I don't picture myself ever getting tired of it. :)

Boys in the Spring

We just love "the outside world" around here. I forgot how much I love being outside with little boys in the spring. Last spring I spent every moment (in both the outside and inside worlds) trying to quelch my prenatal nausea. So it feels like it's been two years since I've been able to run around and really enjoy the dirt and grass and frogs and trees and ladybugs.
Every afternoon the three of us go outside and make our rounds: check the status of our garden and water it (nope, the raspberries still aren't ripe, sorry Moses); find the dog's ball and give it a few throws; walk to the end of the driveway to get the mail (collect sticks and fallen petals along the way, cram them into the basket on the front of Moses' scooter); make our way back to "Papa's lawn" where we search for ladybugs and baby frogs, both of which are in abundance right now; discuss why said ladybugs and baby frogs "wouldn't be happy" inside our house as pets; dig up dead grass with sticks and fling it all over the place until Titus starts to look like this. Then it's time to go inside for nappy-noo and a snack. Pretty great.

And these chubby little feet would look cute anywhere, but I think they look cutest all tangled up in the grass. :)

For the Little Dudes

I try to keep my shop stocked with cute stuff for boys, since I always have such a hard time finding cute and unique things for my little guys. However, the bottom line is that girly stuff sells better. Maybe all the moms of boys have just given up and stopped shopping. *sigh* Anyways, I'm trying to restock some more manly blankets (yes, polka dots and elephants are manly) - here's the first. Pretty cute!

Oh, and thanks so much for all the lovely comments on my last post. You guys are great. :) My mother's day was wonderful and relaxing and not nearly as traumatic as I imagined it would be. Things really do seem better in the morning!

My Work Here is Done

Today while retrieving one of his bouncy balls from under the kitchen table, Moses looked wistfully at the sewing machine and said "Mom, I wish I was a lady." Of course, he quickly changed his tack once I explained that you don't have to be a lady to use a sewing machine, just an adult. (After a bit of negotiation on his end, I admitted that one might be able to use the sewing machine upon reaching "older boy" status.)

My husband got a mildly panicked look on his face when I relayed this story to him - until I explained that the only reason Moses is interested in the sewing machine is that it contains a motor and is propelled by something closely resembling a gas pedal. And while the whole situation made me wonder about the gender stereotypes my son is being exposed to and reminded me of the countless videos I watched in psychology class about people giving their little boys dolls to play with and pink sweat suits to wear, it ultimately made me realize that I don't really care.

Moses has been exposed to both ends of the spectrum. He has 5 uncles and no aunts - in fact, he has started to refer to my brother's fiance as "Uncle Cindy" and looks at me as if I'm nuts when I tell him she is going to be his "ant." A typical evening for him involves helping daddy load the tractor onto the trailer, feeding the neighbor's goats, riding the zip line, and wrestling Daddy. However, during the day he is involved in the finer pursuits, often helping me bake cookies, pretending to knit, and handling the un-pinning of any sewing project I happen to be working on. He has been known to utter a heart-felt "Oh - that's so cute!" in the middle of the fabric store, as well as telling me that "I'm going to gun that rabbit that ate your flowers." It's a really great combination, and I am happy to be the feminine side of the mix, raising two boys to both appreciate and take an interest in "non-boy" activities. ... Even if they do use the knitting needles as swords. :)

Seriously, all this testosterone is getting to me...

The other day, my brother placed a special order for a "man blanket," specifically requesting "anything with tanks or ninjas." Well, the best I could come up with was dragons, and this is how it turned out. It's actually really cool, and despite my initial qualms about using a fabric that my son is scared of ("Don't show me that dragon, mommy!"), I think it's recipient will really enjoy it (or at least his mom will!).

I can't say this is anything new. In fact, the pink flowery theme of my shop is really some sort of reaction formation (you know what I mean Amy) to the fact that I grew up with 3 brothers, refused to wear dresses, and played either "tame the wild wolves" or "lets-pretend-someone-is-breaking-into-the-house-and-we-have-to-beat-him-up" with the neighbor kids. I guess I came into my girliness pretty late in life. Needless to say, between making the scary man blanket and planning the Delta Force 30'th anniversary, this week has been pretty much like the rest of my life - filled with boy stuff.

I can't WAIT to get back to my mountains of pink flowery fabric! In fact, this just came in the mail:

It isn't pink or flowery, but it is for a girl, and the last time I checked, boys don't place special orders for throw quilts that match their drapes. :)