Mr. Turtle

Maybe he won't win a race for being the fastest, but he'll win any contest for being the cutest!

When I saw this tuturial over at make it love it, Turtle Softie Pattern ... I fell in love.  I knew I had to make a herd of them, even though at the time I had one child that was a bit too old, and one that wasn't even born.  No matter.

The pattern is easy peasy!  Just make sure you gave something to turn those tiny pieces, and you're good to go!  You don't even need that much fabric - scraps or recycled fabrics would be great for this prokect!  I used pieces of fat quarters I had used for a hundred million (for realz!) other projects, in bright colors so that my turtle man would be bright and cheery.

The pattern?  Super simple!  I whipped this guy up after my girlies were in bed, and it was so straightforward.  The most complicated part was turning the tail and legs right side out - I used a knitting needle.  You definitely need something to turn those little pieces, no matter how tiny your hands are.  (And really, mine are pretty small - my ring size is 4.5) 

I love how bright he is, and how the fabrics look together.  Rainbow turtle!  I don't love how dirty my floors are.  Obviously, I sew and craft at naptime, not clean!

Not sure why I decided turtle is a "he," but it's been said enough times now that it must be true.  Maybe next time I'll add a mustache?  :)

Isn't his wittle tail the cutest?!

Undignified belly shot.  Sorry Mr Turtle.

A few fabric closeups...  these are all fat quarters from JoAnn fabric... the orange butterflies is one of my absolute favorite fabrics lately and I buy it out whenever I see it there.  :)

Run, turtle, run!!!

Sister shirts

I love matching outfits.  And coordinating outfits.  I'll out my girls in them for as long as I possibly can.  I also love making them pretty things to wear... so a couple weeks ago I made these shirts to show off some sisterly love!

                                                   Seriously, how cute is this baby?!

The shirts started out as plain white and boring... but with some scrap fabric and a little thread, they became so much more!

And now I'll share a secret with you.  The 5 minutes it took me to take the pictures of the girls in theses shirts?  That's how long they had them on for.  Lucca, queen of spit up, she who requires a full size towel instead of a regular burp cloth... she soaked her shirt.  Like, drenched.  For real, down to her skin through this shirt and the one under it.  That kid knows how to make laundry.  And once I took Lucca's off, Raina wanted to change her shirt, too.  Le sigh.  In no time flat, my hopes and dreams of being the most envied mom at the indoor playground turned into a soggy coulda woulda :) 

But this face, this face... how could I be upset??

Want some?  Need some?  They're for sale in my etsy shop!  (With your kids' names, not mine.  That'd just be weird.)

love my sibling shirts

Rainbow taggies for all!

Remeber the blanket I made for Lucca to come home from the hsopital in?  (If not, check back a few posts and you'll see it!)  The response to her blanket was so overwhelming that I've decided to add them to my Esty store... and ever since I did that I've been making them constantly!  These blankets are SO much fun to make, and I've done a few custom orders, as well.  Here's a sampling of some orders that have gone out recently:

(did you notice Olivia's blanket is upside down?  sorry about that!)

Every time I finish a blanket, it's my favorite one I've done.  Seriously.  I kind of wish I could keep them all, but since I don't have kids with all these names, it makes it a little easier to give them to the UPS man :).

If you love these blankets as much as I do, I'd like to offer you a discount for finding them through my blog!  Buy one through my Etsy shop!  Convo me first and I'll give you free shipping!  I am totally open to custom orders, so if there;s a specific color scheme you're going for, let me know and I'll gladly work with you!  They are great home from the hospital blankets, and tummy time blankets a little further down the road!   The ribbon loops are perfect for attaching links and toys to for baby to eplore! 

Here's the link to my Etsy shop...  http://www.etsy.com/shop/RainaSunshine

The Super Incredible Big Sister

So, i may have an over thinking problem.  It's usually not actually a problem, except when it causes me to lose sleep maybe.  Back when we were preparing for Lucca's birth, the overthinking part of me kept wondering how Raina was going to handle becoming a big sister.  She seemed excited, she seemed happy, she seemed prepared.  But still, she was 2.5.  How ready could she be?  So we (okay, I) decided that when Raina came to see her new baby sister for the first time in the hospital, there should be a present waiting for her.  A big sister gift, from the baby to Raina, super special and only for her.  I pondered a lot of gifts.  I did more research than was really healthy.  And then (thank you, Pinterest!), I found this book.

EXACTLY what I had been searching for.  Raina opened up her book and loved it right away.  It may have helped that it was wrapped in Dora paper, but who that's another story.  I cried, because I do that.  It is a beautiful book, and I swear I'm not being paid to say this!  :)  Raina loved her big sis book, and the special medal (or "award necklace" as it's known arounf here!)

 I am in no way affiliated with this company, but if you're looking for a special gift for a big brother or sister to be, I can't recommend tis book enough.  It's something I can see her treasuring for years to come.  Full disclosure... I still cry every time I read it, but I'm the type that cries at tissue commercials, so you might be okay :)

Here's the link to the site, if you're interested... 

http://www.iseeme.com/super-incredible-big-sister-personalized-childrens-book.html

Anyone else give a special gift to an older sibling when a new baby came along?  Some people seem to think it's customary these days, but quite a few people here in our family were surprised by the idea.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, Raina has taken to her new role amazingly... she really is a super incredible big sister!!

Pinterest Addictions...

I know I'm not the only one who has one!

One of my resolutions for 2012 is to actually COMPLETE some of the things I pin.  Like maybe, 12 or so of the 3,00 pins I make each week :)  If you haven't started pinning, you seriously should.  It's idea soup, and you know how I love soup!

http://pinterest.com/allisongraceann/pins/

Follow me!  Encourage me to make things!  Or at the very least, become addicted alongside me!  :)

p.s. - I know this is kind of a lame post, bt it's been a crazy week.  I'll get better with this thing again, I promise.  It's another reslotion!

The super cute sources of my distraction and time away from blog-land!