I think this has been in Target stores for a while but I just discovered them right in time for Thanksgiving, the Giada De Laurentiis line for Target.  And I wanted to share my find.  I got the set which was on sale a few weeks ago and then had to go back for the oval 2-qt. baker .  I love this off white color and the handles.  Anything you cook/bake looks yummy in them.  And they are ceramic so they bake very evenly and look great on the table. I've used them so much already.  I've made cornbread with honey butter pictured in the little ramikin, pumpkin pie, an insane 3-hour pumpkin bread pudding recipe I saw on TV, the Pioneer Woman's mashed potatoe recipe , left over turkey pot pie in the oval baker and in the large mug for an individual portion, etc.  I love them!

For monkey pants' 6th birthday I decided on a gingerbread house sort of theme since she was dressing up as Gretel for Halloween. We made it a fairy tale costume party. I tried to keep the cake as simple as possible. I figured a nine inch round with a fondant bow around it and a gingerbread house on top made with a kit wouldn't be too much work. The only thing was that I couldn't find any gingerbread house kits. Finally on the day before the party I found some Halloween kits that I had resolved to get and redecorate. But on a last minute trip to Costco (my favorite store) I was saved by this well priced ($10.00) gingerbread house kit that was already assembled! It's a Christmas one but I just added some fondant details to make it a little more Hansel and Gretel like. I have to admit, I was going for speed while decorating the gingerbread house and while I thought it was fabulous that the white icing was included in the kit I could not make anything neat look...

Crafting has been slow the past few months and I must admit I searched high and low for Hansel and Gretel costumes online and couldn't find any so alas, I was forced to make them myself. Yes, it's true I didn't want to do it. But here they are, and of course after they were done I was so glad I made them myself. I was a little concerned no one would be able to tell who they were dressed up as, but everyone recognized them as Hansel and Gretel right away. I used M6187 Misses'/Children's/Girls' Storybook Costumes pattern from McCall's view D. Can I just say how ridiculous the retail price is on these patterns now a days! $18.95! I did get at the "normal" 40% off price at the local chain sewing store, but that is still $11.37. Two days later, all McCall's patterns were on sale for $1.00 but of course this one was gone in the kid's sizes. I did buy the misses size at the dollar price in case I decided to make myself a costume late...

My little boy's favorite show is Super Why on PBS. His options are somewhat limited and very guided ; )  Trying to keep it simple.  Fondant, 2-tier cake with simple cut out decorations and printed Super Why figures on toothpicks.

When I saw this particular selection of fabrics ( Flora and Fauna by Patty Young -the nicest person ever) for the Kyoko dress pattern, I knew I had to make it. And not for monkey pants either. For my little niece who just turned four and because she has this same cute hair. And I have no shame in being a complete copy-catter.  I'm also excited that some of this fabric will be/is available in knits.  I know the green flower print is one of them and that's my favorite. This dress was really simple to make: no button holes, no zipper, no collar, no cuffs. Just mostly straight stitching, some gathering, and binding. And you know I love making that binding with my little binding tool. I also felt the need to make a little tag for it mostly to identify the size of the garment in case it eventually becomes a hand-me-down or something.  I used the June Taylor Fabric Sheets for Inkjet Printers folding in the outer edges and folding the entire tag in half.  It's a...

Actually, the real reason I haven't made anything is because I was going to make the Kyoko dress by Modkid and I cut the pattern out on my fabric, I have the pattern pieces, but I can't find the instruction booklet!  What the hell did I do with it.  I swear, when things get lost within the perimeter of my own house and I can't find them it makes me want to drive myself to the loony house. So, I've narrowed down the possibilities of where it can be: 1) It got lost in the shuffle of one of my purses as I am constantly switching the contents of one purse to another in a futile effort to be fashionable; 2) one of the house midgets took it and used it for a craft project, coloring on it, glue-ing it, and cutting it into a million pieces, 3) it is exactly where it should be; I just can't see it as my eyes are stupefied and blinded at the site of organization. What to do!?  I need it.  It's for my niece's fourth birthday next week.  I have no Plan B.  ...

OK, the reason I haven't made anything lately is because I've been wasting all my time entering Internet give-aways.  Just kidding.  No actually it's true.  Tea collection recently had a whole weeks worth of giveaways on Facebook for their 8th anniversary, yesterday another for See Kai Run shoes.  Cedarworks playsets had some a while back including a fund raising raffle for a school.  I even suffered through a terrible live web meet for a homeschooling core curriculum (I've been considering home schooling) last Tuesday.  So, I haven't won anything yet.  Nevertheless, I will persevere in this time-wasting endeavor.  A nd , if you would like to do the same with your time, here's a giveaway from GummyLump toys for three mini Automoblox cars.  You can kind of see a regular size car in my " Old Nursery " post on the wall shelf if you use a really strong magnifying glass.

I don't typically go for the super cutesy girly patterns with frills and all kinds of fabric combinations, but the truth is, I can't really stick to one style either. And, I just had to make something with this butterfly print from Sandi Henderson 's latest fabric collection, Meadow Sweet , I decided to try the Frida Modkid pattern by Patty Young for a nice summery play shirt. The pattern instructions come in booklet style with full color pages, photos, and great illustrations. It includes sizes 2 to 7. I did View A with the capped sleeves from View C and omitted the pocket. I made up the 4-5T size for an average weight but slightly shorter than average five and a half-year old. I did add maybe 3/4" to the length of the top/dress section. I like the snug fit on the bodice and sleeves, the length turned out good too. If I make another, I might make it just a tad longer for more of a tunic effect. The bodice and sleeves are lined, which is easy to do. However, as us...

I have a couple of things I made a while back and some patterns that I was wanting to put up for sale on Etsy. When I went to create an account for "MakeMeStudio", I was kind of surprised when Etsy said that user already existed. So then I thought, oh, I must have created it a few months ago and I forgot. I tried every yahoo e-mail account I ever created to see if it was linked to the Etsy account to no avail. Finally, I realized, someone else must have created the account, although it appears to be unused. I tried sending them a "convo" message through Etsy, but no response. By chance, a slim chance I know --is this your Etsy account? Are ya using it? If not, can I have it? Pretty please. Doesn't hurt to ask, right. -- Update -- The owner of the Etsy account has contacted me and was nice enough to offer me the account. Hooray for nice people!

-- From Heather Bailey's Fresh Picked Pincussions pattern

When my now 5-year-old went to daycare, she was a super drooler and I couldn't stand it when I'd pick her up and the whole front of her outfit was soaking wet. I put every mismatched and sometimes hideous multi-colored holiday themed bib I had received on her to keep her clean and dry. Lucky for baby #3, I refuse to make him look like a rodeo clown in a gigantic lobster bib. So, I created some small bibs in the same simple and practicle white style as the burp cloths for every day use. This bib is good for newborns upto about six months, the height of the spit up and drooling months. It is about as easy to make as the burp cloth with a little more work on the snap ends.  Here is a free pattern. It doesn't really need instructions, but if you'd like to make one or two and you're not sure how, here they are. MMS Bib Pattern Materials: white flannel - (2) 8"x8" pieces or 1/4 yard (if you find one more expensive than another, buy the more exp...

Babies need burp cloths, or as I like to call them -vomit cloths. I don't know about other babies, but my babies burp, spit-up, and outright vomit a lot. My first was an exorcist-style projectile vomiter. I didn't have one nice burp cloth. The dogs kept getting a hold of them an chewing them up (they're dogs -they like that kind of stuff). And, eventually the "spit up" was so bad, I just resorted to using bath towels and dressing poorly. No, I'm not even kidding. I could write a dissertation on this issue and how I now suffer from post-traumatic stress. But anyway... On this third time around, I decided to make myself some nice little burp cloths knowing that they will be my constant companion for many months to come. It took a long time, but I finally understand why flannel is really the best fabric for baby stuff -because they spit-up a lot and flannel absorbs it, pretty fabrics and minky dots do not. Other fabrics, like plain cotton or jersey soak throug...