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The (hand) Making of a Nursery

September 10, 2014 by seesuestitch

When I thought about setting up the nursery for my little one, I knew two things going in: 1) I was on a budget and 2) I wanted to make the room as personalized as possible. Ikea was, of course, my best option for nursery furniture while Pinterest was, of course, a wonderful source for handmade inspiration. Nursery1I preferred to go with a medley of pastels -aquas, yellows, and pinks- rather than a specific theme. I decided to recycle the poms poms I made from my baby shower and hang them over the crib and changing table.

crib

This quilt I had sewn several years back with the hopes to have it ready for a little one. I had come close to giving it away a couple of times but just didn’t have the heart to part with it (glad I didn’t). I made the banner using muslin and calico fabrics and was a last minute project for my shower and later for the nursery.  Although I loved this idea of a ruffled bedskirt, I really didn’t want to spend too much time on this sewing project, so I found a printed fabric and cut and sewed on rectangular sheets; I added a crochet edging to finish the bedskirt.

Art-wall1 I really love whimsical prints and had collected some over the years, but hadn’t found a place for them. Finally they have a home! Woodland creature prints from papersparrow, daisy painting made by my bf, woodblock prints by danita art, embroidery made by me using Cathy Gaubert pattern, and Red Fox by berkley illustration.

Nursery2 Without planning it, the birdhouses I painted seem to be a focal point for my newborn every time I change her, but it also might be that she just likes staring off to the right (she constantly does that) .

Shelf Love this little shelf, it showcases another painting made especially by my bf for our little girl, my bf’s beloved knitted bunny from his childhood, the decorative letter I made, and the garland I crocheted using the rosettes from my shower. One last thing, the picture book Extra Yarn is pretty amazing. I fell in love with the story and the illustrations are really adorable.

I’m really happy with how the room came together. I feel like the little handmade details and keepsakes really make the room feel cozy and special! Sue

Posted in Crafts, Daily Jots, Inspiration | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Nursery Handmade Projects

July 3, 2014 by seesuestitch

During my summer vacation, I’ve been slowly working on some handmade decor for the baby’s room. I really wanted to make a decorative letter for her room and as always Pinterest is a great resource. I decided to give it a weathered look and used what I had in my stash.

Here’s how I made mine: 1) I first painted a base coat of wicker white (2 coats) and then hand-stamped “Homemade with Love” with black ink over the dried base coat. 2) Once the stamping is completely dry, I brushed a heavy layer of crackle medium over the letter (let it dry ’til it has a tacky consistency). 3) I evenly painted one top coat* of Martha Stewart’s “Beach Glass” (love this color!). * Note: do not re-paint or try to go over certain areas, you’ll end up smudging the crackle medium and undoing the crackling effect. 4) For the border of the letter I inversed the colors – Beach Glass base coat, crackle layer, white top coat  5) To help prevent chipping and yellowing, I sealed the paint using Liquidex Satin Varnish (3 thin coats).   DSC05743On the inside of the “P” I cut and glued a strip of pink gingham fabric as a contrasting accent to the seafoam color. I also recycled a crochet rosette I had leftover from my baby shower (I had made them as brooches for my guests). I’m so happy with the result, the crackling effect came out great . . . DSC05745
So great, I wanted to replicate the same weathered look on my birdhouses. I followed the same painting process and covered the roof tops with calico fabric. I highly recommend using Martha Stewart acrylics for this project (other brands did not work as well with the crackle medium). My color palette was Beach Glass, Raspberry Ice, and Chamomile.

DSC05746 I really loved working on these projects; they were fairly easy to do, came out so cute and were affordable to make. This a testament that decorating a room doesn’t always require you to go out and spend tons of money. Being resourceful can go along way, don’t ya think?   Sue

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Saving This Moment

April 20, 2014 by seesuestitch

24-weeksIThis will probably be one of the few pictures I’ll take of myself pregnant. I’d love to record my baby bump on a weekly basis but I’m not disciplined enough nor do I really have the time. But saving this picture is especially important because I just turned 41 and I want my daughter to have a keepsake of me at my happiest moment. I spent 5 years trying to conceive and although I was able to get pregnant, sadly I couldn’t stay pregnant. It was a very emotionally draining journey and as difficult as the losses were, I felt that I just needed to keep on trying. And we did, one more time. For my sweet little baby, I hope that this simple picture is proof that we never gave up!

Posted in Daily Jots | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment »

Crochet for Baby

April 10, 2014 by seesuestitch

Bear-BlanketYes, it’s been awhile but there are valid reasons for my absence. Last year, my bf and I changed from renters to homeowners (yay!) and we found out we’re expecting (double yay!). A lot of responsibilities fell onto our laps in such a short amount of time that things have been quite overwhelming but we’re taking it day by day.

Bear-Blanket1

Between work and fixing up our home (it’s been a slow process), I’m trying to fit in as many baby-related crafts as I can. I’ve noticed that most of what I’m doing are crochet projects, and I think that I’ve gravitated to crochet because, for me, the whole process is so relaxing. This little animal blanket was a design I came up with (amiguri crossed with granny square). Once I found out that I would be having a girl, I added the bow and lace collar which gives it a sweet touch.

Cardi1This short-sleeved cardigan I discovered on Pinterest. At first, I was a bit intimidated by the design but I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to make. This free pattern is really easy to follow. I used  a linen/ cotton yarn blend in pistachio, butter, and coral colors.

Cardi
I love wooden buttons over plastic buttons. They look so pretty and rustic!

Cardi2These cardigans came from another easy-to-follow pattern that I purchased from monpetitviolon. I did make some slight changes like making the cardis short-sleeved (long sleeves in South Florida really doesn’t work!) and adding one button closure, but other than that I followed the pattern to a tee.

Cardi3If you have any questions on any of these projects, let me know. I’m planning on posting more often from now on and keeping you updated on my other crafty projects, so stay in touch! Sue

Posted in Crochet | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Halloween Bulletin Board

November 1, 2013 by seesuestitch

I know this board is a bit belated, but there’s always next year!
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This board was inspired from a reading lesson I taught last week. My 2nd and 3rd graders read the poem “Theme in Yellow” by Carl Sandburg. The children learned about different points of view and how the perspective of a story can change based on who’s speaking.
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Once the children had a strong grasp of the skill, we brainstormed different objects connected to Halloween. The children were then required to write from that object’s perspective about Halloween.
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The children really loved this lesson. There were funny witches, friendly ghosts, a lonely haunted house,  and even a gloomy trick-or-treat bag. Both their poems and artwork were amazing! As for the bulletin board, most of my materials I already had: 2 yards of egg yolk fabric, wavy black border, a Halloween banner ($1 at Joanns) and silhouette ravens (dollar store find). I think the best bulletin boards are the ones that you don’t plan out too much, and this one came together quickly in an afternoon; you got to love it!

Posted in Classroom Ideas, Classroom Projects, Holidays | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

My Halloween Costumes

November 1, 2013 by seesuestitch

I had fun this Halloween and had the chance to get dressed up twice. My first costume was for a pumpkin carving party this past weekend. I decided to reprise a wolf costume I’d worn a couple years back; it’s made up of a headpiece and fur paws. This time around I made more of an effort with the make-up.

wolf

I used lots of golds, bronzes and brown eyeshadows. For the contours on the nose and cheeks, I used a dark, matte brown. I added black eyeliner crayon around the the eyes, nose, lips.
Wolf-001Once I put the headpiece on, it looked really cute. Then for the school, I thought it would be fun to creep the kids out a bit . . .

ghost
This creepy make-up tutorial helped me a lot. I used mainly a dark plum eyeshadow, a dark matte gray for contouring, and deep copper to outline my eyes.
Ghost
I made my ghost costume two days before Halloween. At first I thought I wouldn’t be able to pull it off. Thankfully the jersey fabric I got was really easy to work with and I was happy with the results! Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

Posted in Daily Jots, Holidays | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Halloween Playlist

October 21, 2013 by seesuestitch

Halloween-playlist

I’m a fan of mixed tapes. I remember making them throughout high school; I was so into them that I’d even design the jewel case covers and give them titles to go with the theme. Those CD days are over, but thankfully I can still create on-line playlists. This list has a series of songs (13 to be exact!) I’ve always enjoyed and I think most of the songs carry that Halloween vibe without going overboard (sorry, there’s no Monster Mash). Enjoy! Sue

Posted in Daily Jots, Music | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Sweet Treats – Apple Caramel Edition

October 14, 2013 by seesuestitch

The combination of apples and caramel is something that I’ve always loved. Whenever Halloween comes along, I always have the intention of making some caramel apples, but, sadly, I never get around to making them. Well, this year, there’s no excuses! I’ve found a couple recipes (thank you Pinterest) that look really yummy. Here are several more caramel-apple-inspired recipes in case you’d like to skip the traditional candied apples this year.Tips on How to Make Caramel Apples  This caramel apple recipe is simple and easy, and the end result looks sooo good!https://i0.wp.com/thechicsite.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/TheChic_caramel-apple-cupcakes.jpg Another great option are these caramel apple cupcakes that uses fresh, diced apple folded into the batter.

20131008-105150.jpg  This caramel apple popcorn uses caramel apple milky way minis. Enough said.

They’re pint-sized, use apple crumble, and are perfect for a party. Get your trifle on here.

  Skip Starbucks and make your own yummy Apple Spice drink!

Have you any desserts lined up for this month? I’d love to hear from you. Talk soon, Sue

 

Posted in Baking, Holidays, Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Halloween Inspiration

October 13, 2013 by seesuestitch

My all-time favorite holiday has been Halloween. Forget Christmas, if I could have Halloween repeat itself on December 25th, I’d do it (sorry Santa). Of course when I was younger, it was all about the costumes and dressing up. Now, at least for me, it’s shifted to the decorations. The whole concept of turning your home dark and dreary can be really fun. The amount of inspiring ideas are overwhelming on-line, but here are some of my favorite DIY halloween decor.

this DIY ghost wreath is adorable!These Halloween Luminaries are easy to make and look great!

DIY Halloween/ Nevermore Tree decor

    This Poe-inspired tree is pretty cool!

Sucker-Brooms2

These broomstick lollipop favors are great for trick or treaters, or if you’re a teacher like me, as favors for your students!

Spooky Bat Chandelier

I’m definitely making this spooky bat chandelier; it’s incredible!

Posted in Crafts, DIY projects, Holidays, Inspiration | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments »

Speech Bubble Bulletin Board

October 12, 2013 by seesuestitch

Now that I’m getting settled with the new school year, I found a chance to share a bulletin board that I recently made. Please forgive the pics; the lighting isn’t that great in my school’s hallway.
Talk-bulletin2 At the beginning of the year, I had my students choose from several writing prompts: write about about something funny that happened to you in the summer, write about a new hobby or sport you tried out over the summer, or write about a place you visited over the summer. I used it as an ice-breaker with the class (students would take turns sharing in small groups), but also as a review on paragraph writing.
Talk-bulletin
This assignment sparked a lot of excitement since the students were enthused with the idea of sharing their adventures with each other. For this board I used 2 yards of teal fabric, a wave-print border, multi-colored construction paper, and jumbo-sized index cards. For your speech bubble shapes, any on-line template will do.

Beside paragraph writing, you can also use the board to display the students’ understanding on using quotations in dialogue, speech writing, or story writing which includes a dialogue script. Other possible titles: “You Can Quote Me,” Outspoken Words, Bubble Talk.

Posted in Classroom Ideas, Classroom Projects | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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