So my husband’s friend Jeff and I were talking at Mac’s about Merriment and he asked if I could make a unique baby gift to help him welcome Isabella, a friend’s newborn daughter. These handmade, sweet, graphic appliqué baby onesies should do the trick.

Supplies:

• Kathy’s onesie shape template (PDF; dog, butterfly, bottle shapes are pictured; plus bow and heart)
• Pack of baby onesies (I used short sleeved white onesie baby bodysuits; also try long-sleeve white onesie baby bodysuits or eco-friendly organic cotton baby bodysuits
• Main fabric (I used black with white flowers)
• Backing fabric (I used hot pink)
• Fusible interfacing
• Black and pink thread
• Good fabric scissors
• Rotary cutter, ruler and gridded self-healing rotary mat
• Sewing machine with a good zigzag stitch

Cut the shapes
Print out my onesie shape template (PDF) and cut out desired shapes. Iron the interfacing onto the wrong sides of the black and pink fabric. Place the shape face down and trace onto wrong side of the black fabric. Cut out along lines. Set cut out black shapes face down onto the wrong side of the pink fabric. Free-form trace 1/4 inch around the cut pieces to create the pink background. Cut out along lines.

Sew pink background onto onesie
Pin the pink background onto the onesie front. Using a tight zigzag stitch, sew the shape onto the onesie, being careful not to pull the knit onesie to avoid puckering.

Sew black shape onto pink background
Pin the black shape onto the sewn pink background. Using a tight zigzag stitch, sew around the edges.

My template includes shapes for a dog, butterfly, bottle, bow and heart but you could easily create other shapes too. Big thanks goes to Tamara Bohorquez and Jon Sawyer for letting their happy-go-lucky baby daughter, Sienna, model the final result.

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this project and pattern for your own personal use. Contact me for any commercial, distributed or published use.

Some musical inspiration for you this Friday. Alex, Heather and I watched Dolly Parton perform at the Chicago Theater last night …10 rows from the front! We went to celebrate Heather’s birthday but I felt like I was the one who got the present. Dolly’s warm, everyday lyrics and voice, not to mention her sunny personality, are this Friday’s inspiration. “All you gotta do is smile that smile…”

Mother’s Day is quickly coming up and so I thought I’d post a unique idea: custom, personalized cookbooks with all your family’s favorite recipes from Tastebook.com.

Build a cookbook using recipes from Simply Recipes (my fav), Epicurious and more. Or if you prefer not to start from scratch, select a pre-assembled cookbook (such as the $29.99 Mother’s Day version), then add/change/remove recipes, add personal family photos if you wish, and choose your cover photo and title.

It’s currently 20% off to create a custom personal cookbook at TasteBook.com. Enter the coupon code MOMSDAY for free shipping through May 4th.

I love the combination of turquoise and orange that Anne-Marie Rosser and Adam Whipple used for their intimate outdoor wedding reception on a Chicago terrace.

Anne-Marie started with turquoise tablecloths and crisp white linen napkins. Her long table centerpiece alternated orange orchid bunches in square glass containers, small succulents in rocks-filled square glass containers, and clusters of clean white pillar candles.

This look would be also be cute for wedding and baby showers. If you’re looking for candles you can get $10 off $50 or more at CandleBay.com. Enter coupon code CB1050 at checkout to get $10 off (they also offer $3.99 Soy Jar Candles).

So what was in Madison’s cookie jar birthday boxes to help celebrate her second birthday? Super fun numbers cookie cutters and a child’s size pink Wizard of Oz apron handmade by Aunt Kathy.

I’ve made many aprons in my time both from patterns and from scratch. I created this child’s size pattern inspired by Amy Butler’s adult-sized short pleated apron pattern and added a cute apron top and neckties.

Madison lives in Michigan so I’d like to thank my friend Julie for letting her two-year-old daughter Paige model it here for you. This child’s pattern should fit most two and three year olds. Madison’s specific measurements are waist 19½, waist to ground 17½, waist to shoulder 10½.

While the apron is actually pretty easy to make, I’m breaking it into two posts so I can include tons of photos to better illustrate the instructions.

Supplies:

• Main fabric (I used Wizard of Oz fabric as a nod to her mom Michelle’s Oz fetish)
• Contrasting fabric (I used hot pink)
• Fusible interfacing
• Thread
• Rotary cutter, ruler and gridded self-healing rotary mat
• Sewing machine

Cut the pieces and mark the pleats
Cut out the apron pieces using a rotary cutter, ruler and rotary mat:

Main fabric
Apron top: 8” wide x 11.5” tall
Apron bottom panel: 26” wide x 11.5” tall

Contrasting fabric
Neckties (cut 2): 4” x 20”
Apron trim: 2.5” x 25”
Apron waistband: 5” x 14”
Waistband ties (cut 2): 5” x 20”

Fusible interfacing
Apron waistband: 5” x 14”

Then mark the following measurements across the top of the panel starting from the left.
2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22

Make side seams on apron panel and trim
On the bottom apron panel: Fold the right side under ½ inch and press the fabric, wrong sides together. Turn ½ inch again and press. Sew the seam close to the edge. Repeat on the left side.

Attach the apron trim to the apron panel
On the apron trim: Fold the top long side of the apron trim ½ inch with wrong sides together and press. Fold both short sides of the apron trim ½ inch with wrong sides together and press.

Put the right side of the apron trim onto the wrong side of the apron panel, lining up the raw edges on the bottom. Pin the trim in place. Sew ½ inch seam to attach the apron trim to the apron panel.

Press the apron trim so it touches the front of the apron. Turn the apron over so the right side of the apron panel is facing up. Pin the apron trim onto the panel. Stitch the apron trim onto the apron panel by stitching ¼ inch near the edge. So it ends up that the apron trim is on the 100% on the front of the panel.

Make and sew the pleats
Make 3 pleats on each side by matching up the first two marks with right sides together. Fold the pleat toward the center of the apron and pin in place. Repeat this step until you have 3 pleats on each side.

Press the pleats and sew a 3/8” stitch across the top of the raw edge to hold the pleats in place.

Make the top panel
Fold the right side ½” inches in towards the wrong side and press. Turn it ½” again, press and sew. Repeat on the left side. Fold the top side in towards the wrong side and press. Turn it again ½” again, press and sew. The bottom edge should still be raw.

Make and attach the neck ties
Fold the neck ties in half and press, wrong sides together. Open. Fold the long sides into the center, wrong sides together, and press. Fold in half and sew ¼” around the neck tie, creating a 1” wide finished tie. Repeat for the other neck tie.

Pin the tie onto the top panel by placing it ½” from the sides and 1” from the top. Sew a square with two Xs in the middle to secure the ties onto the apron top.

What do you think so far? Part 2 of the instructions to finish the apron coming soon…

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this project and pattern for your own personal use. Contact me for any commercial, distributed or published use.

Tonight my sisters and I saw the Edward Hopper exhibit at The Art Institute of Chicago. I just love his everyday scenes of people, life and solitude in the city. Many of the paintings on exhibit captured that late afternoon time of day when the shadows are long and the light looks so beautiful. It’s my favorite time of day, especially on warm summer Saturdays.

I’m always amazed at how beautiful and vivid oil paintings are in person. Books and images like these just don’t do them justice.

So today is my adorable niece Madison’s second birthday. I made her a super cool gift that I’ll post in a few days with instructions once she’s unwrapped her gift. In the meantime here are instructions for her cookie jar wrapping paper.

Supplies:

• Kathy’s cookie jar template (page 1, page 2, page 3)
• Avery White Inkjet Labels, Full Sheet, 8 1/2in. x 11in., Box Of 25
• Wrapping paper
• Scissors, tape
• Rotary Paper Trimmer -12” (30cm)
• Gift Wrap Organizer Tube (optional)

First I Googled cookie jars and found the coolest assortment of random ceramic wonders from to pancakes stacks to Darth Vader to flamingos to the Bumble from Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. I chose my favorites and created three pages of cookie jars in Photoshop.

Print them out on white inkjet labels which are basically like full-page stickers. Then cut them out using a paper trimmer.

Wrap your gift in solid wrapping paper. Peel off the sticker backing and stick the jars onto the box. Voila!

This is an idea you could modify for other gift occasions. Think baby gear for baby showers, trucks and cars for boys, CD covers for music lovers.

So can you guess what’s inside for Madison?? I’ll post what I made with detailed instructions once she unwraps it. Happy birthday, sweet girl.

AT&T delivered piles of telephone books to my neighborhood a couple of weeks ago. Not needing ours but cringing at tossing the stack into the trash I decided to find some crafty uses for them. So I wrapped my sister Karin’s birthday gifts with birthday-themed yellow pages.

Supplies:

• Telephone book (preferably yellow pages)
• Tape
• Scissors
• Ribbonor bow for garnish

Flip through the phone book to find a suitable topic. For Karin’s birthday I chose ‘Bakery,’ ‘Balloons,’ ‘Gifts,’ ‘Flowers,’ and ‘Cake.’ Run one side of your scissors down the spine or tear out to remove the page. For smaller boxes like the jewelry box above you can just cut to size and wrap. Add a ribbon, bow or other garnish; I used a fuschia, sheer, shiny metallic ribbon that picked up the pink in the Sweet Cakes logo.

For larger boxes, tape pages together from the backside to create one large sheet, then wrap. For my sister’s larger box I used 12 pages.

I like this idea because it’s simple, whimsical and green for the reduce-reuse-recycle minded. Here are some occasions and suggested phone book themes to try:

Birthday = Balloons, Bakery, Cake, Candy, Liquor
Bachelorette/Bachelor Party = Bars, Liquor, Entertainment, Escorts, Limousine
Baby = Child, Schools, Diaper Service, Nannies, Furniture - Children’s, Clowns
New Home = Moving, Painting
Engagement or Wedding Shower = Bridal, Diamonds, Jewelry, Wedding, Banquet, Bakers, Caterers

Other fun topics for the right recipient: Travel, Aquariums, Body Piercings, Bowling, Costumes, Golf, Tattooing, Pawnbrokers. Let me know what you come up with!

Here’s one of my favorite it’s-a-rainy-day-and-I-am-low-on-groceries recipe: Green pea soup with toasted baguette slices. It’s a healthy, low fat, non-dairy recipe from Ellie Krieger, one of my favorite Food Network chefs.

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 large onion, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon dried tarragon (I subbed out thyme)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (10-oz) bag frozen peas (I usually use the whole 16 ounces)
4 teaspoons plain nonfat yogurt, optional

From Ellie: In a large pot, heat the olive oil over moderately-low heat. Add the onion, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, tarragon, salt and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper and bring to a boil. Add the peas and cook just until defrosted.

In a blender, puree the soup in 2 batches until very smooth. If serving hot, return the soup to the pot and bring just to a simmer. If serving cold, transfer to the refrigerator to chill. Ladle into bowls. Stir the yogurt so that it is smooth and top each serving with a swirl of yogurt.

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While the soup is cooking you can make the baguette slices.

1 baguette (I used whole wheat)
1 clove garlic
Salted butter (I prefer butter’s taste and browning but you can use olive oil)

Slice the baguette into 1/2 inch pieces (appetizers work well at 1/4 inch but I like them thicker with soups). Place on a cookie sheet. Wipe them down a bit with your stick of butter to add flavor and help them brown.

Most chefs tell you to bake crostini in an 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes; however, for small batches I prefer putting them under the broiler because it cuts the time by at least half. Turn toasts over once they’re brown, rub again with butter and put back in. Cut garlic in half and rub onto the grilled bread. Serve with the soup.

I made these three kitschy CD mixes to thank my friend Amy for letting me stay at her place for the first few days of my week in NYC.

Back when I was a kid, my dad handmade wonderful miniature farmland model worlds. I can still remember him individually painting figurines and gluing on grass and shingles. Last trip home I snapped buckets of great detail miniature farmland shots, not really sure where or when I’d use them. But Amy and I grew up together in Indiana so I thought they were the perfect covers for her CD tunes.

Supplies:

• Kathy’s Farmland CD Template (Adobe Illustrator, 83MB; images of moonshine still, swing and garden embedded)
• Blank CD-ROMs (I got 50 CDs for $12! :: Memorex 700MB/80-Minute 52x Data CD-R Media (50-Pack Spindle))
• Photo paper (I like Canon matte but you can also get glossy)
• Rotary Paper Trimmer -12” (30cm)

First I selected songs and burned them onto blank CDs using iTunes. See my song choices after the jump.

Then I selected three farmland images: moonshine still, swing and garden. I then set up a 5″ wide x 4.75″ tall Illustrator file, but if you don’t have Illustrator you could just use PowerPoint. Then I typed in the song titles and italicized artists in yellow, keeping it simple with the Myriad font.

I printed them on matte photo paper give the covers some weight. I cut them using my rotary paper trimmer and slipped them inside the CD cases.

If you’re using my farmland CD Adobe Illustrator template it will be a breeze. Download and open the CD template. Change the songs to match your tunes. Print. Cut using the rotary paper trimmer. Insert into the CD cases.

COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use this project and images for your own personal use. Contact me for any commercial, distributed or published use.

See which songs I picked for Amy… Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve spent the week exploring New York City and Brooklyn. The crafty clothing, accessories and home stores here in Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill and Boerum Hill are inspiring …and many of them are online.

One of my favorites is Cog & Pearl, a collective of various Brooklyn crafters and designers. Check out the photo mirrors and embroidered silk neckties. I spent a lot of time rummaging through Enamoo with its lovely owner, Lin, and various antique stores on Atlantic Avenue, purchasing sheet music, letterpress letters and other materials I plan to use in future crafts.

And check out the cupcakes at Downtown Atlantic bakery. Mixing in Oreo pieces into icing and mimicking Hostess cupcakes are creative twists that you could easy replicate at home. Although as many of you know, I’m personally partial to the coconut. Enjoy!

We customized the envelopes for our wedding invitations using a couple of easy tricks: Sewing our return address on the back of our envelopes and adding custom photo stamps from PhotoStamps.com.

Supplies:

• A7 size (5 1/4″x 7 1/4″) chocolate envelopes
• 8 1/2 x 11 luxe cream 210g text paper (or other heavy paper)
• Yellow thread
• Digital camera and computer
• Rotary Paper Trimmer -12” (30cm)

First I designed the return address text in Illustrator using the Copperplate font. I ordered a plate from Owosso Graphics and my friend John Devylder letterpressed them when he printed our invitations. Of course you can print them yourself too.

Cut the return addresses into rectangles. Invest in a rotary paper trimmer; it will save you loads of time. Sew the rectangle onto the back envelope flap. Backstitch a few stitches to secure or tie the ends together and cut.

Now for the custom photo stamps. I put the cut-out fabric flower that I used on the invitations onto the cream luxe paper and snapped a photo. Then I uploaded it to PhotoStamps.com and they did the rest.

One great thing about PhotoStamps.com is that you can create one stamp to cover any extra postage. Be sure to weigh your invitations at the post office before you place your order so you know which denomination to buy. PhotoStamps.com is also fun for save the date announcements and thank you notes.

After a brutal Chicago winter I’m aching for spring. So today I planted vegetable, herb and flower seeds for our back deck garden. Now I’ve tried planting seeds many times before with mixed results …I’ve learned that using professional seed-starting germinating mix rather than regular soil makes a big difference. Give it a try.

Supplies:

• Seeds (see below for fun ideas)
• Seed-starting germinating mix
• Tiny cups for soaking seeds
• Large bowl
• Spoon
• Water

First decide what you’d like to plant. I chose peppers, lettuce, herbs and various flowers. Remember to look at the back of the seed packet to check sunlight requirements to make sure it will thrive in your garden, deck planters or windowboxes. I pretty much always plant basil …it’s hard to mess up and so nice to have it fresh on hand throughout the summer.

Here are some super fun seed kits to try or to give as gifts:

• Culinary Herb Garden (seed kit). Cute packaging contains Greek Oregano, Thai Basil, English Thyme, Cilantro, Sweet Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, Garlic Chives, Dill, Mint, Sweet Marjoram and Lavender.
• Herbal Pocket Tea Garden (seed kit). This is fun! You can grow herbal tea flavors including Lavender, Mint, Red Clover and Chamomile.
• Bird, Bee And Butterfly Garden (seed kit). Cute packaging includes flowers attractive to birds, bees and butterflies.

I like to soak my seeds overnight in small dishes to give them a jump start. Soaking helps seeds germinate more quickly by tricking them into thinking they’ve been planted longer. See the layer that forms around basil seeds? They’re ready to go.

Pour your seed starting germinating mix into a large bowl or bucket. It’ll be fine and dusty. Moisten it with water until it feels slightly damp. You’ll notice that even when damp the seed mix is light and airy. If you’re re-using seed trays be sure they’re thoroughly washed with warm water, no soap. Use your fingers or a spoon to press into seed tray cells, avoiding compacting it down too much. If you’re using self-watering trays follow the package directions to make sure the soil makes contact with the self-watering mats.

Group seeds that sprout around the same time, say, 5-10 days, in the same covered tray. If you don’t then your seedlings might mold while waiting for their covered neighbors to sprout, and if you take the cover off to save the seedlings you’ll dry out the non-sprouted cells. I like to write the seed names and planting times on wooden planting markers to keep organized.

Plant your seeds in the cells at the soil depth recommended on your seed packet. I tend to go overboard by putting 2-4 seeds in each cell which is a bit wasteful but ensures something sprouts. Just be sure to cut back any extras once your seedlings get their second set of leaves.

Keep your trays in a good light source, moist at all times but not wet. It’s best to keep them around 65-75 degrees and it’s a good idea to use a diluted solution of liquid fertilizer.

Take the cover off once the seedlings sprout. Remember once the cover is off you’ll need to water more often. When you’re getting ready to plant, about 1-2 weeks prior, ‘harden’ them off slowly by putting them outside for a few hours a day.

I visited my parents in Indiana this Easter weekend and it felt like Spring outside! The crocuses are even coming up which is a sure sign of hope.

I made this garden mosaic stepping stone for my Dad’s birthday. My dad’s a huge gardener and hummingbird fan but you could use the glass pieces to create your own design.

Supplies:

• Mosaic Stepping Stone Kit (includes mold, 7 lbs. of mix, and stained glass mosaic pieces)
• Spatula and bucket
• Newspaper or craft paper
• Water

You can follow the easy kit directions but here’s a summary so you know what you’re getting into: Trace the outline of the stepping stone mold onto newspaper or kraft paper. Lay out your mosaic design. Here’s a tip: put the pieces on their side to create outlines.

For easier clean up, I kept the stepping stone mix in the bag and placed in inside the bucket. Stir in water according to the kit directions. The mix should look like brownie batter. Empty mixture into the mold and use a spatula to smooth. Grasp two corners and gently jiggle it back and forth until the surface levels out.

Transfer your glass design from the planning paper one stone at a time. Push each glass piece into the mix until the until the top of the glass is level with the surface of the stone mixture. Leave a bit of space between each piece.

Let your stone cure out of direct sunlight, waiting at least 2 days to remove it from the mold. Scrape the edges to smooth them and wash it well with dish soap and water to shine the glass. Wait a week before stepping on the stone.

Friday was my last day at work. So this week, inspiration’s coming on a Monday ;)

I love this lace tape over at Willow. Owner Amy Doehla seems to find the most unique things. Typically I’ve purchased “finished” home accessories there yet this two-inch-wide lace tape has oodles of crafting possibilities, from unique birthday wrappings to sassy wall art.

US$10.50 for 5 yards