Fit for a princess

We were invited to another niece's birthday this summer and I hate going empty handed. So I whipped up this cute little gift.

I made this crown with velcro at the back so it could be sized. It is also reversible, just in case she feels the need to switch it up!

And what princess is complete without a wand? I cut out a star-shape out of felt, hand-stitched it, stuffed it and glued it to a chopstick that was wrapped in ribbon. Then I hot-glued a jewel to the center.

Two little dolls

My sister asked me to make two more "Black Apple dolls", similar to the one I made in the summer, for her two older daughters.
These are what I came up with:

This one - for my older niece - is my husband's favorite. He likes the little buns!

This one is for her younger sister.

Two little dolls for two sweet little girls. I was happy to make them and hopefully they will like them!

A view of their backs. I hand-stitched the lace, tulle and skirts in place. It makes me want a little girl to sew for. Luckily I have lots of nieces!

Mosters and wizards and ....Pilots?

This year was absolutely crazy for Halloween.
It seemed like a ton of stuff was piling on top of our lives and we couldn't stand still to deal with it.

My kids couldn't decide what they wanted to be - I usually have their costumes at least started by the beginning of October. My younger son knew the day after Halloween LAST YEAR that he wanted to be a wizard - and told me - but then forgot until the last minute. My older one wanted to be an astronaut - but we couldn't figure out what to do about a helmet. We tried a motorcycle helmet - but it was just too heavy for his skinny little neck.

I was helping plan a children's primary presentation for our church and needed to help organize and be at practices. Not that I was much help with my little one - but I wanted to try and put in the effort.

In the middle of all this, my dear Grandma passed away. That left me to deal with family things - which really weren't hardships since I love my family and want to be with them.

My husband - who is the creativity behind our Halloween costumes- was taking a class at the University and wasn't around as much as I'd have liked.

And the number one reason it was crazy this year was my precious little 10 month old - who loves to hang on my leg until I pick him up. This happens whenever I sit down at the sewing machine. I would have loved to put a lot more details into the costumes, but I ran out of time. Frankenstein's Monster. Don't you just love the bolts in the neck?

This is Gandalf (NOT Dumbledore).

A Wizard and a Monster.
My sweet little pilot baby. Love those new teeth!