Baby Accessories

I know you are probably tired of reading about baby stuff - this is the last one for a while...I think! :)

I wanted to get these things done before Victoria was born, but never had the chance until a couple weekends ago. The first project was a change pad for my purse.

I am not a fan of carrying a purse, and a diaper bag and a baby in a very heavy car seat, while trying to steer boys in the right direction. I just don't have that many arms. So for short trip, or running down town etc. I'll just throw everything I need in my purse. Pampers, wipes, receiving blanket, extra sleeper... I have a big purse. This is fine, except then I can never find anything! I decided the solution was a travel size change pad with a pocket so I could bundle everything all together.






I've used it many so many times already! It's so handy!

The other project was a car seat blanket. I saw this on Pinterest (directions here!) and thought it was a great idea. The blanket is attached to the car seat! One less thing to hold on to! I went down to my fabric stash and an hour later had this sewed up.






It is just perfect for this spring weather we are *finally* getting!

On a side note, I'm going to change the name of this blog to Jen's Crafts and Cakes...or Jen's Cakes and Crafts?  It seems more fitting since half my post are cakes! And if you don't have a google account etc. there is also an "anonymous" option for posting comments if you so desire!

My Baby's Blankets

I went through a baby panel buying craze a few years ago. Every time I saw a cute panel I just had to buy it - which was just about every time I was in Fabricland! I couldn't help it! Have you seen those panels hanging in Fabricland? So adorable!! I had quite the stash. Most of them were gifts, a couple I sold. I'm happy to say I'm down to 4 or 5 left to make before I can buy any more. And a couple of those I have plans for!

I've made one for each of my kids, and it wasn't exactly planned but the theme for all of them - baby animals.

I finished Victoria's a couple weeks ago. This panel I bought before Seth was born and intended to make it for him, but then I came a across a couple others I really liked and decided to make them instead. I love this one and can't believe I left it for so long! It has purple minky on the back which makes it really girly.





These are the two I did before Seth was born, one for him and one for our next baby which turned out to be Anthony! Those were the good old days when I had all the time in world! :)


Seth's baby blanket.




Anthony's baby blanket. Pandas are my favourite!




Now with Victoria's blanket done I'm trying to decide what to do next. I have 3 quilts in mind...

Baby Feet

For each of my babies I've done a cross stitch with their feet stamped on. I'm quite excited because Victoria's just came back from getting framed! Nothing is more motivating then seeing a finished project!

Her's was a lot more stitching then the two I did for the boys, but it was so cute - and the only other one I could find with feet! There doesn't seem to be very many baby cross stitches with the feet stamping. I was beginning to think I was going to have to come up with my own pattern when, luckily, I found this pattern on ebay. I was really hoping to get her's done before she was born but that didn't quite work out! We stamped Victoria's feet when she was 2 months old, not bad considering I only started it after Christmas!





Anthony's had the least stitching and it done before he was born. Stitched his name and stamped his feet when he was just a couple weeks old.




I didn't get Seth's finished until he was 3 months old. I was in a panic to get it done and actually finished it on a road trip to my brother's wedding - it was a long drive! (And Seth was so good! He has always traveled well.) I was getting worried his big feet weren't going to fit in that little space, and they almost didn't! He is pretty much standing on that poor little bird!



Now with Victoria's cross stitch done, I'm going to work a little bit on my Peach Chorus from Mystic Stitch before I start her Christmas stocking!

"What is happening?!?!"

Another birthday in our house! For his 3rd birthday Anthony decided he wanted a Lightening McQueen cake. I've made a couple Cars cakes already, so this one I based on Cars 2.

Since I wasn't about to make McQueen, Mater, and Francisco, and I knew Anthony would love some more cars from the movie, I went out to buy them. I found Francisco but I couldn't find a Lightening McQueen or Mater. The whole cake depended on these cars so we were planning a trip into the city to get them when I had a brilliant idea! I texted my siblings in Saskatoon and asked if anyone wanted to do me a favor. Luckily for me my brothers volunteered. They braved Walmart, found the cars, put them in the mail and saved the day!

I got busy making the rest of the cars for the grandstands, and cookies for his name. The grandstands I made out of rice krispie cake. Stirring those marshmallows was probably the hardest part of the whole cake!

I based the cake on the boy's favorite scene from the movie - Mater is racing down the raceway with the bomb and McQueen is trying to catch him. He finally hooks on to Mater's tow hook just as he lights his rockets. They go speeding past Francisco, who was in the lead, and he shouts "What is happening?? It is a bad dream!!".



I disguised Finn, the super spy car, as a bush! And you thought it was just a random bush! :)



I really liked how this cake turned out. I have to say it is one of my favorites!

The Caribbean Clipper

Ever since he was a kid my husband has loved LEGO. Recently he has gotten re-excited about it, and now not only him, but our two boys are also avid collectors. Markus dug out all his old LEGO and he and the boys spend hours building fire stations, airplanes, gold mines etc. There is LEGO all over the house. Not even kidding. We even have LEGO Duplo, and Mega Blocks for our 2 year old. And they are all over the house as well, but at least they are easier to pick up. I enjoy LEGO as well, although when I was growing up we didn't have the fancy sets, just the good old fashion blocks, a few windows and doors. This puts me at a bit of a disadvantage, since I'm the one that has to put the garbage truck back together if Seth is having trouble with it and Markus is at work. The last time I tried to fix it I pushed too hard in the wrong spot and the whole thing fell apart. Seth was not impressed.

And ever since Markus was a kid he always wanted to build the LEGO ships. With this new found excitement for LEGO he has decided now is the time to start. Currently we have 2 LEGO ships sitting on the mantle and 4 or 5 (that I know about!) waiting to be assembled. I can't wait to see where he puts the one that is 3 feet long.

Since his birthday was coming up I decided to replicate one of these ships, the LEGO Caribbean Clipper, in to a cake. Looking back I probably could have picked something a little easier, like a LEGO block! It didn't start our very well. I didn't make the fondant sails in time to let them dry properly and so I had to make paper ones. Then getting the icing to stick to the freshly cut, boat hull was another issue. And with Seth leaning over my shoulder saying "I don't know if it is going to work Mom." over and over again until I sent him to bed I was beginning to think the whole thing was going to be a disaster! Luckily it started to come together and in the end it didn't look to bad. I ended up borrowing Seth's canons and ladder from his ship and the soldier mini figures from the Clipper. Sleep is more important then fondant canons to me these days!




Seth critiqued it in the morning and let me know what I was missing. Like the ladder, which he let me borrow. And he really thought there should be stairs for the captain to get up to the steering wheel (there is probably a ship word for that...). I convinced him they were on the inside.







It looked the same...kind of! So I had to make a few modifications! Markus was happy with it, and so were the boys!

The Card Table Playhouse

Last summer I came across a picture of a card table playhouse on Pintrest.

Such an adorable idea for a little girl! I immediately decided I simply had to make one for my little niece. I thought if I started it now I could easily get it done by Christmas, and I would only use the scrap and extra fabric I had on hand. That part made my husband very happy! So I asked my brother and sister-in-law if they had a little table that would work for such a project. I think they were a little confused as to what I wanted, and I decided that they didn't have a table. So I put the idea on hold until I could figure out a solution to the no table problem.

Until 3 weeks before Christmas. So very typical of me! Still didn't have a table, still determined to make it, still looking for ideas. I had come across another idea which used tension rods in the hallway to hold up a playhouse but I liked the card table idea better. So I called up my mom and it turns out they had a card table they never use! Problem solved!

Then I googled card house playhouses. I didn't realize they could be so detailed! They have an inside and a outside! That is when I realized I should have started back in August like I had planned. With only a couple weeks to get it done I knew I had to make it fairly simple or I'd never get it done in time for Christmas. My husband was working evenings so after the kids went to bed I got to work. I finished it Christmas Eve morning!

Christmas was at my house, so the plan was for my parents to bring the table but unfortunately they didn't have room for it. We had to set the playhouse up on some chairs for my niece :)



I was promised pictures so I could see what it looked like set up, and I just got them today!

The outside - the mail box opens,



every girl needs a flower garden,



and an apple tree!



and being a farm girl I knew she would want her own sheep!



The inside - pockets to hide her treasures,





a cozy fireplace with a family portrait,



and a teddy bear of course!



My niece loves it!









It turned out so well I'll have to make another one! There are so many different ideas, and I still have lots of fabric to use up!

Recieving Blankets

My aunt kindly forwarded me this tutorial on how to make double sided self binding receiving blankets with mitered corners. So of course I rushed to Fabricland to buy some pink flannel for my baby girl! We are lacking in the pink department and I feel a little bad when she has to use her brother's baby stuff!




These blanket are so cute and so easy to make; if you don't have little boys "helping" they really would only take 10 or 15 minutes! I've only made two so far, but intend on making many more! Check out the tutorial here.

The first one I made I sewed the corners on the wrong angle, had to patch them up and do it again. Make sure your ruler is on the folded edge! And check before you cut the corner off to make sure it is right, because a little bit of seam ripping sure beats patching! At least all four corners of my first one match and I can say I did it on purpose! ;)

Turtles and stars!




Strawberry Shortcake!






My aunt made some combining flannel with fleece and minky fabric. I'll try that next!

And it bugs me that these pictures aren't centered, but I don't know how to fix it!!

UPDATE:

I made a receiving blanket with minky fabric and flannel. It was a little more tricky to sew since it stretches a bit, but I think it turned out alright.