Ice Skating

We went to the skating rink at the outdoor mall last weekend. My son had a blast, but my daughter isn't in to the cold weather sports like the rest of us.

Look mom, no help!

Okay, maybe a little help is good.

Oaklet Shawl

I said I would never knit or crochet a shawl but I couldn't help myself. I was getting tired or cowls and scarves and wanted to try something new. I had this great Malabrigo sock yarn in Playa and it wanted to be something just for me.
 

 

I am new to lace knitting and it is a challenge for me. There are so many distractions at my house that I have just come accept the little mistakes! My son helped me take the picture above and the one below, I love the perspective in the pictures he takes.

I don't think I will wear the shawl as an actual shawl but more as a scarf but I do want to show off how it looks.

Here is the link to my Ravelry project if you are interested in my making your own.

My Crazy Kids

 

This was taken with my iPhone camera. I see either future Olympic divers or ER patients.

Evel Knievel Costume

My original costume idea for my daughter was this cute crochet lamb costume but the more I thought about it the more I realized that it just didn't fit her personality - enter EVEL KNIEVEL!! I think all parents of toddlers can relate on some level to the humor of this costume. She had no fear and is my little stunt woman.

I took a white sweater shirt and sewed on the blue striping and then added white stars with puff paint. After she colored in the stars with Sharpie marker (heart break) I went over them again with red puff paint. 

I made the pants following this tutorial from CraftStylish.  I sewed in the blue panel and then puff painted the stars on the side.

The cape was made with about a half yard of white satin and I sewed sequins in a V shape. I used a freezer paper stencil to write EVEL on the side in case there was any question of who she is.  She also has a helmet that I spray painted white and added sequins and Evel Knievel on the side. She refused to wear it and I was happy that I made a sequins headband last minute. You can kinda see the helmet in the picture below.

I am happy to report that Evel Knievel won 3rd place in the costume contest and Robot won 2nd even though he was screaming and crying by the time the contest rolled around!

Big Girl Bed

My daughter moved into her big girl bed after she figured out how to jump out of the crib this past weekend. She had been asking for one for a while so the transition was really easy.

I scored the damask comforter at Ross for $10 and the hot pink sheets were $7. I am not a huge fan of pink but she loves them and for $17 we can afford to change our mind and not feel guilty.

While we were setting up the bed and taking down the crib my son asked when he was going to get a new baby sister for the crib. We asked him if he was sure he wanted another sister and not a brother and he was sure! So sweet, but I don't foresee that in your near future buddy.

 

The only hard part is now she has access to everything in their room and she sleeps with lots of books in her bed. Here are some ideas I thought might help.

Under the Mattress Book Holder

Source: holycool.net via Nicola on Pinterest

Ikea Spice Racks

Source: wonderfuljoyahead.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Fabric Book Shelves

Source: pennycarnival.typepad.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Cocktails and Crafts - Yarn Letters

Three words - Cake Batter Martinis!!

The craft this week was yarn letters which looked so easy on Pinterest but once again in practice turned out to be a lot harder to complete (I am sure the martinis didn't help us out at all).

Source: bumpsmitten.com via Lauren on Pinterest

I don't want it to sound like ours were awful, just not as crisp as we thought they would be.

Here was our inspiration for the cocktail.

Source: howsweeteats.com via Sarah on Pinterest

This cocktail by far had the most alcohol in it, so the downside is that for a larger party it can  get kinda pricey. 

Cake Batter Martini:

makes a single serving, is easily multiplied

1 ounce amaretto

1 ounce Pinnacle whipped cream vodka (so good and I am not a fan of vodka)

1 ounce creme de cacao

1 ounce white chocolate liqueur

1 ounce whole milk or cream

assorted sprinkles (nonpareils work best)

I used some the milk to add the sprinkles on the rim.

I am sure cream would have been even better but we also had cheeseburger dip and cupcake fondue to indulge in. Isn't this a pretty drink?

 

This crafter went off the reservation and used mod podge to cover the letters in scrapbook paper. They turned out super cute!

I used the larger cardboard letters from Joann Fabrics and some stash yarn. For a 12-inch letter I used about half a skein of Red Heart. You just start wrapping the letters in the same pattern you would write them in. You have to hold the yarn tight to keep a nice crisp look.

Here are our "finished" letters. Please note the time on the clock 11:25 p.m.! This was a long but really entertaining craft night.

Robot Costume Tutorial

Homemade Halloween costumes are the best!!! This year I made my son a robot costume and my daughter an Evel Knievel costume. You can check out the robot tutorial over at Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky! It is a great blog with lots of tutorials and fun writing.

Go check it out!!!

p.s. I will have the Evel Knievel costume posted once I remake the parts that my daughter decided to cover in black Sharpie!!!