Girlysaurus

Dinosaurs are NOT just for boys!

We are very happy at our house, because Belle has a NEW fascination...DINOSAURS! And let me tell you, it is WAY more fun to play dinosaurs than it is to play princesses.

How this fascination began is still a bit of a mystery, but we are definitely encouraging it. We have checked out just about every dinosaur book in our library, visited the "dinosaur" museum (NC Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh has a cool dino exhibit), pretended to be stegosaurus, pteranodon, and of course, tyrannosaurus rex. We have had a fun-filled few weeks and so we are celebrating with some cool new dino clothes, because seriously...DINOSAURS ARE NOT JUST FOR BOYS!

Bee seems to always have to play the part of the stegosaurus, so this little gal is for her (fabric from Above All Fabric...again:).

And Belle got this great tee from Happy Family happyfamily.etsy.com.

Then Belle requested a "nice dinosaur with a long neck" t-shirt. Of course, I complied with the request. I love the combination of the sweet little ruffle-neck tunic with the traditionally masculine dinosaur design:)

There is sure to be more Girlysaurus sewing in the coming weeks as well...we'll definitely share if there is:)

Making Do Monday - Fisher Boy "Shorts"

I seriously love No Big Dill...like major blog crush! So when I saw this tutorial that Katy created, I just had to try it out...that night:)

http://www.maryjanesandgaloshes.com/2010/08/making-your-own-patterns-with-no-big.html

In honor of my goal to "make do" as much as possible, I raided the stash. This Red Letter Day fabric has been hanging around for months. I've used bits and pieces for small projects, but still had some serious yardage left...it's perfect for that summer to fall transition, don't you think???

Now you must know, I sew at night. That means that all fitting is done through estimation and sometimes comparison to other articles of clothing, but NEVER to the actual child who will wear the item. For these, I pulled out my favorite pants pattern...size 1 year. Bee is only a few days away from being 1, so that seemed to make sense. Then I shortened the pattern by about 6 inches to get a capri length (and lose the extra hem allowance, since I didn't need any for these "shorts."

Well you can see that apparently we grow 'em really short around here, but they're still super cute PANTS...and she'll be able to wear them for at least a year:)

During Breakfast

My girls are SLOW eaters! So slow, that I actually use meal times to sew. We all sit down together for breakfast and lunch, but when I am finished I can usually bet on at least another 15 minutes before they are. So...I sew:)


During breakfast this morning, I whipped up these cuties.



I cut them out last night, using this pattern from Made by Rae http://www.made-by-rae.com/2010/08/big-butt-baby-pants-sewing-pattern.html. I also went ahead and pressed in the creases in the hem bands etc. They came together in about 20 minutes while the girls munched their eggs and fruit.


Love the fabric??? I got it from my fave online fabric shop, Above All Fabric. Click the button on the right to visit Melanie and check out her great selection.

"Art" with Daddy

We're going to call this art...because I just don't know what else to say about it.
(Through the spy lens...)

Daddy took Belle outside while he mowed the grass. This is his variation of supervision.
At least he cleaned it all up, including the child...with the leaf blower.

Making Do Monday - Beads in Our Hair

Belle loves hair clips, pony tails, and all things bling for her mane. But, the little snap clippies from the discount store are starting to feel like "baby" clips, so we felt an upgrade was in order.

These beaded bobby pins are perfect for tucking those bangs back out of her face (where they are 99% of the time since she refuses to let me tuck her hair behind her ears!).

Super simple....and yep, we're making do, so we found all of our supplies in the playroom closet!

You'll need:

thin beading wire

bobby pins

small beads

wire cutters or scissors

those round nose beading pliers are super helpful, but not necessary

For the sake of easy directions, let's call the rounded end of the bobby pin the "back". And the end that you open up to slip your hair in is the "front".

Twist the wire around the back end of the pin (be sure you are only twisting around the ridged prong of the pin...don't tie your pin closed with wire please) 5 times. Slip a bead on to the wire and push it all the way down to the twists you just made. Pull the wire tight and twist it around the ridged prong 3 more times. Repeat for a total of 4-5 beads. Finish off by twisting around the pin 5 more times. Clip your wire and pinch down the sharp end. Voila! Big girl hair accessory complete.

What did you do last night???

I'd like to say that I went out with friends, had a date, or at least had an occassion to wear heels...

But in the absence of exciting adult events, I guess these will have to do:)

A super simple striped pumpkin for my little pumpkin.

A bright and colorful rainbow.

And maybe my favorite tee ever...the Rockin' Dino! Don't you just love his little red corduroy car???

Remember those posts a while back about my highly literal clothing designs for boys??? Well, I've really been working on it. How do you think I'm doing?

Making Do Monday - Fleece Hat and Scarf

Introducing: Making Do Mondays on Belle + Bee

Making Do Monday is all about making do with what you have. This is a tough concept for me!!!! When I dream up a new project, the first thing I do is plan a trip to the "projects" store (Belle's name for our local craft and fabric stores). My goal for this new feature on Belle + Bee is that I will learn to make-do with the gazillion yards of fabric that I already have. Now if you stash isn't quite as massive as mine, don't worry...all the projects can be completed with purchased materials. But I would encourage you to try to make-do with me, as much as possible:)

Each week (I HOPE!) you will find a tutorial for a simple project that I made totally out of things I found in my house and stash.

First up...Fleece Hat and Scarf! Belle got a new coat for fall, and as I was actually on my way to the projects store to get yarn to crochet a hat, I remembered the pile of fleece I had collected a couple of years ago. And Making Do Monday began:)

On a difficulty scale of 1-4 thimbles, this is about a 0.5:)

You will need a large piece of fleece fabric and some thread. This can be made by hand or machine. Assuming you don't have a large box of fleece in your closet like me, then purchasing a yard of fleece will be more than enough for an adult-size hat and scarf.

HAT:

Cut the selvage edge off of the fleece. This is your new measuring tape (I was too lazy to go dig one out of the garage).

Measure the circumference of your head (or the recipient's head) at the widest point. Snip the selvage at that length so that you now have a strip that is exactly the same size as your noggin.

Now measure from your brow bone up to the crown of your head, add 4 inches and snip another piece of selvage.

Now use your two measurements to cut TWO rectangles of fleece. Make sure that the stretchy direction of the fleece goes with the circumference measurement (fleece only stretches in one direction and you want that to go around your head).

Fold each rectangle in half hamburger-style (you are going to match up the height-measurement sides of the rectangle). Sew the edges together using 3/8" seam allowance. You will now have 2 cylinders that you could wear like a stovepipe hat on your melon.

Turn one cylinder right side out and slip it down into the other so that right-sides are together. Match up the seams and pin the bottom edged together. Sew all the way around the bottom edge of the cylinders, connecting the two together.

Flip the cylinder so that wrong-sides are together. You can now put your hat on...it's just missing the fun fluff at the top.

Cut a very narrow strip of fleece (about 3/8" wide and 12" long). Gather the top of the hat, wrap the strip around it and tie several very tight knots.

Use scissors to fringe the top edges of the hat. Each piece of fringe on the sample hat is about 1/2" wide, but you can make them any width you would like.

DONE!

SCARF:

Cut a long strip of fleece, approximately 6" wide (you really could make the scarf any width you like). For this toddler-size scarf, I just cut across the entire width of the fleece, which I think is 58". So, my scarf is 6"x58", but you could use any measurement that fits your fabric and your recipient.

If you want an adult-size scarf, or super long scarf, or you just have a smaller piece of fleece, then just cut two lengths and sew them together.

Use scissors to create fringe along both ends. You can make the fringe as long and wide as you like. Mine is 1/2" wide x 4" long.

DONE!

PLEASE DO NOT EVER USE PICS OF MY KIDDOS!!!! I really don't like to post them at all, but on occassion it seems necessary for a post. I love them and want to protect them, so please respect this request!