I made this “Happy 1st Birthday Elise” pink and yellow hanging birthday banner for Elise’s pink monkey and bananas birthday party. I hung it over our living room curtains using three kinds of ribbon – vintage yellow ric-rac, yellow solid ribbon and yellow and white polka-dot ribbon, then I added pink and yellow balloons on …
Occasion
I was totally stumped trying to think of birthday party theme ideas for Elise’s 1st birthday. And then Shane suggested having a Pink Monkey and Bananas 1st birthday party theme and it just felt perfect. Elise has snuggled with her adorable Pink Monkey Security Blankie (by Angel Dear) since she was just a few months …
My DJ friend Chad creates free compilation music mixes for anyone who asks. Being the lucky recipient of many said mixes, I wanted to make Chad something to thank him for the tunes. Chad collects bird-related art and of course loves music so I thought that birds from vintage linen calendars framed by old 45 …
As a crafter like me you are probably doing one or more of the following things right about now: (1) making handmade holiday gifts for friends and family, (2) looking to buy creative and budget-friendly gifts, or (3) making your own list to give to your family. Well, the MerrimentDesign.com Crafty Holiday Guide is here …
Make these cute DIY Halloween luminaries out of recycled supplies that you probably already have in your home. These cute Halloween decorations riff off the traditional Halloween paper lanterns, luminary bags and mason jar luminaries — but mine recycle baby formula cans. It’s well-documented that I’m a pack rat when it comes to items I …
My daughter Elise is my little ray of sunshine, without a doubt. So when it came to making my delightful girl her first proper Halloween costume, I came up with this cheery fleece and felt “Sunshine and Rainbows” Halloween baby costume with sun on the front, sun hat, and colorful rainbow on the back. It’s …
Here’s a free baby bonnet pattern just in time for summer. It’s a really nice baby sun hat free pattern that you can make with our without the ruffle. My super cute baby hat free sewing pattern is below! Elise looks adorable in hats. I just can’t get enough of them. So I decided to …
Elise is eating solid foods now so I’ve entered the Land of Frozen and Leftover Baby Food. With my brain still set on ‘sleep deprived,’ I put my chalkboard obsession to good use with these recycled, reusable baby food jar lids to help me track it all. Hooray for re-writable lids and Chalk Ink food-safe …
I made this toy travel blanket for Elise’s first plane flight. We were flying to Maine and I wanted any toys she dropped to stay in our seats rather than fall into the filthy abyss of the airplane floor. Check out the Snag Free VELCRO loops on the blanket border to attach toys. Instead of …
This original Fourth of July craft was created for Daily Candy Kids. Welcome, Daily Candy readers! I mourn sparklers. The City of Chicago banned sparklers in 2007 joining most other ousted fireworks. Yes, I understand that sparklers can be dangerous especially for small children yet my nostalgia for dancing sparks runs deep. What’s a Fourth …
My milk bottle caps DIY refrigerator magnets craft is a fun way to add vintage flair to your fridge. These unique and simple handmade magnets happily showcase these little vintage circles of art.
My friend K.C. MacQueen asked me to be an artist for the second annual Pritzker School Community Art Project: “Birdhouses.” Artists create a birdhouse for display in local Wicker Park stores. Home Tweet Home graced the front store window at Stitch boutique in Bucktown for two weeks before being auctioned off. I’m more of a …
The pincushion thread catcher that my mom gave me years ago is my sewing table’s best friend. Yeah, I know it seems a little grandma-ish but it’s no surprise that I’m a big fan of things that are both clever and cute. My free pincushion thread catcher pattern and tutorial is an easy beginner sewing …
My baby Elise is four months old now. She can hold her toys in both hands and sit up assisted. I think this big girl is ready for some colorful jingly oversized 5″ x 5″ baby blocks! I am really loving the colors that I chose …which sort of was a fluke. I just went …
Hearts is the theme of two easy Valentine’s Day gifts perfect for spoiling the sweet toddler and tween girls in your life. First is a teeny pouch bracelet perfect for storing candies or tiny love notes. You can make it with either heart-shaped velcro and button closures …and you can hand sew it too rather …