superhero cape

We had a playdate with a friend last week, and the 4-year-old boy was wearing one of his own long-sleeved shirts around his neck as a cape. Hmmm...I've kind of wanted to make a cape, but just haven't done it (my girls certainly wouldn't know what to do with it, except to turn it around as an apron), so I came home and got to work. I ended up not embellishing it too much so that he and his mom could decorate it together. This was SUCH a quick and easy project, and he was SUPER thrilled!

Thanks to this tutorial for getting me started!

proudest moment - diaper bag for Baby Boy

For four years, I've been using a very hip brown diaper bag with pink camo accents. I love it, and it has served us well.

But I can't keep using PINK camo for my Boy, can I?? It seemed like the perfect opportunity to really stretch (ha ha) my bag-making skills. So I spent a few nights reading various tutorials (I love blogs and their free-information-providing authors), and quickly decided that this one was PERFECT in every way.

That was months ago. I had the fabric. I had the notions (zipper salvaged from a worn-out sweater, strap hardware from another bag we never used). But I couldn't get started because I was extremely intimidated and afraid to work that long and hard on something that I might not like, in the end.

But I love it. It turned out great, the tutorial is the most amazing bit of instruction I've ever read, and the bag the most professional thing I've ever created.

So here it is, thanks to A Mingled Yarn!

iPod Touch pouch

Hubby recently acquired a Motorola Droid, which caused him to cast aside his [scarcely-used] iPod Touch. And so, in an effort to catch up with the 21st-century, I set out, determined to conquer and become comfortable using the hi-tech contraption.

I wanted to have something mobile and handheld that offered more options than my phone alone, and so I began toting it in my purse. But alas, I worried so that it would get scratched or, worse, cracked.

So I Googled for a tutorial, and chose this one to make my own. I have a number of discarded upholstery samples I've bought for around $1 each, and. although I love love all the patterns and prettiness, the samples are just too small to use for many projects. This one was perfect! AND, because I used upholstery, the pouch was plenty padded without adding fleece (I used a fuzzy, bulkier fabric for the lining than I used for the outside). I whipped one pouch up, just to test it out and make sure the measurements and everything worked out. I'm glad I did that, because my first run was too snug and about 1/4" too short for my iPod. I adjusted a few times and finally found the perfect size for my final draft. I also cheated on the closure and used the tip of a canvas strap I had in my stash, which was the tie I had saved from a bundle of tiny throw pillows I bought at Pier One years ago. Yay for never throwing anything away!