Dolly Blanket

Sparkle Power has a quick, easy, and adorable Hooded Doll Blanket tutorial that I followed to whip up a blanket for Serenity's doll today. 

Of course she loved it and it's the perfect size for her Corolle doll!

I used iron-on Velco instead of the sew-on kind, and I attached one of my crocheted butterflies to the front of the blanket.

Thank you Candace for the sweet tutorial!

Have fun!

Sugar 'n Honey Scrub

I kind of combined two different sugar scrubs to get this one.

Craftstylish has a yummy recipe for a Creamsicle Body Polish that is a snap to make. I love the scent she used, vanilla and sweet orange! Mmmmm!

The other scrub I borrowed from is an Oatmeal and Brown Sugar Scrub at Teach Soap. I especially like the honey and jojoba oil in that recipe!


Sugar 'n Honey Scrub:
1 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup honey (I used dark raw buckwheat honey)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon jojoba oil
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
15 drops sweet orange essential oil

Add honey, olive oil, jojoba oil, vanilla, and essential oil in a bowl and mix well. Add the raw sugar, mix well, then put it in your favorite jar/container! All done!

It's a wonderful body scrub and excellent for feet, hands, and elbows. It leaves your skin all nice and soft!

I wanted to add oatmeal and the oil from a Vitamin E capsule to the scrub too, but I didn't have any. I think it would've been interesting with the oatmeal. This was fun, cheap, and very easy to make. You can get really creative and experimental by adding all kinds of different stuff to your own scrubs.

Of course scrubs make great gifts too - I'm sure your family and friends would love getting the results of your experiments - this stuff is expensive in the stores!

Googling "sugar scrub recipe" netted 152,000 hits!

Have fun!

kil.sook Art Illustrations

I can't remember on whose blog I first spied this darling artwork (sorry!), but I instantly wanted it! What attracted me the in the beginning was the dress the little girl (Zari) is wearing... do you recognize it? It was inspired from the dresses by courtneycourtney! How neat! And doesn't Zari look like Serenity?! Utterly adorable art! Well of course I had to order a print!

The artist, Kim Haller, drew this adorable little girl using a "micron pen, and colorized through combinations of prisma color pencil, gelly roll pens, color markers, watercolor pencils, and computer graphics".

I love the rest of her whimsical work too. Probably one of my favorites is her BFF print series set, but it's so hard to pick an absolute favorite since all of her work is so beautiful!

Go have a look at Kim's sweet and imaginative art illustrations over at kil.sook on Etsy today! I'm sure you'll have an equally hard time trying to pick a favorite!

Have fun!

Crochet Butterfly Pattern

You can use any size hook or type of yarn.

Experiment to change the look and size of your butterfly.

Abbreviations:

sl st = slip stitch

ch = chain

bl = back loop

sc = single crochet

dc = double crochet

tr = triple crochet

Butterfly Pattern:
Ch. 5 loosely
3 dc in 3rd ch from hook; ch 2 sl st in same ch
sl st in next ch; ch 3, 2 tr st in same ch
2 tr st in next ch, ch 3, sl st in same ch

Working in the back loops:
ch 3, 2 tr st in first bl
2 tr st in next bl, ch 3, sl st in same bl
sl st in next bl, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 2, sl st in same bl

Working up the center:
Evenly space 3 sc up the center.

Pull the yarn up a little for the antennae and tie into a small knot, then cut off the loop.

Fasten off and weave in the ends.

You can add tiny rhinestones to the butterflies (or not!) and attach them to lots of different things:

sewn on clothes
a magic wand accessory
a hair clip
a hair pin
or
on a long or short crocheted chain (or ribbon) for a necklace or ring for your Darling Stinker!


I've been crocheting for over 25 years, but this is the first crochet pattern I've written down for others to follow.
It may not be completely error-free.
If you have any questions, please email me.

POST-IT-NOTE:
My crochet hook came from The Fanciful Feline on Etsy.
I love Jenn's pretty hooks, plus they are comfortable to use.
I almost have an entire set!


For another cute crocheted butterfly pattern, check out this quick and easy butterfly by Crocheted Sass.


One of the bestest helpful crochet books I've ever read is The Crochet Answer Book.
It will help you with practically any crochet problem and answer just about anything to do with crocheting.
It doesn't matter if you're an experienced crocheter or a beginner - this is an awesome reference book!
Plus, it's small enough to slip in your purse.


POST-IT-NOTE 2:
I would like give a HUGE thank you to 10marifet.org for linking this post.

Have fun!

BENTO WINNERS!

I'll be posting the winners of both Bento Box Sets later today. I went to Mississippi for the weekend (Sagan's baby shower was Sunday), and I just got home! I'm very tired so I'm off to bed!


UPDATE:

The winner for the BOY Bento Box Set GIVEAWAY is:



The winner for the GIRL Bento Box Set GIVEAWAY is:




Congratulations to both winners!! Please contact me so I can get your address to mail your new Bento Boxes!!


A BIG thank you to everyone who participated in my very first Giveaway!!

Onesie for Baby Khloe!

A few days ago, I found out Sagan's baby shower was actually this week and not next week! I thought I'd have a whole week to do baby clothes - I was planning to blog about it too!

I've been rushing to get a few things done (like the diaper cake) - and since I'm the slowest sewer in the world, I need lots of time to do one outfit! Especially if it's something I've never done before - like this onesie.

I finally finished one for Sagan's shower, but I wanted to do the entire pack (5 onesies)! Oh well. I still have until October before Khloe arrives!

Here's the onesie I finished up tonight (morning!). The images aren't the greatest - I'm very tired! My pictures always come out so dark indoors - I don't get it! Guess I've got to study some more to learn how to fix that problem!



I used the Ruffle Butt Onesie Tutorial by UCreate.
I crocheted the sweet dainty flowers following a pattern by Lily Knitting over at Etsy.
I used the Magic Adjustable Ring tutorial to start the flower. The MAR is the best thing since slice bread!
To get my "k", I found the font I liked best (Impress BT) in Word, sized it to "500", printed it out and then used it as my template. Worked like a charm!

I love how it turned out! Aren't babies cuter when they have ruffles on their butts?!


Don't forget to enter to win my BOY Bento Box Set GIVEAWAY and GIRL Bento Box Set GIVEAWAY before it's too late!


Have fun!

Sagan's Diaper Cake

I made this diaper cake for Sagan's baby shower on Sunday. It's the first time I've made one by myself.

A HUGE thank you to my baby sister for showing me how to do this! I love you chick!

I hope Sagan likes it!





I used an entire box of 92 Swaddlers (size 1) and a glass Munchkin bottle in the center of the cake. Since I was in a hurry, I didn't fill it with anything - it's just diapers. The flowers, butterflies, and ribbon were 1/2 off at Hobby Lobby. All together, the cost of the cake was around $40. It would've been less, but I had to buy a 3-pack of glass bottles - I couldn't find the singles! I saw some people on youtube.com using baby powder and baby lotion instead of a bottle. I've even seen them use an unopened champagne bottle! I might try something like that next time!

I was going to hang toys, pacifiers, teethers and other thingys, but I thought it would distract from the butterflies and flowers. So I piled (somewhat orderly) all that stuff in a baby bathtub!

POST-IT-NOTE: A BIG thank you to everyone for leaving all the wonderful comments on my Giveaway posts! These are my first Giveaways and it's great to see everyone participating and enjoying it!

Have fun!

The Magic Coloring Wand Tutorial

While looking for number and letter silicone molds to make crayons (check out my post here), I found this darling Ice Princess Star Wand silicone mold ($8 & free s/h w/Prime).

How cute would that be for a crayon/pencil color wand?! After I got all those crayons for 25¢ a box, I went back and grabbed some pencil colors for only 75¢ a box (12 pencils) by CrazArt; the Crayola brand was $1 a box.

You can click on any of the following pictures to ZOOM in.

Supplies:
Princess Star Wand silicone mold
X-Acto knife or razor blade
Crayons
Pencil colors

Remove the plastic straws from the mold.

Using the X-Acto knife or a razor blade, remove the crayon labels.
Thank you Ashley for the tip!


Break up the crayons and put all "like colors" together (thank you to Crafterella for the tip), and fill both of the big stars with the pieces.
Place in a 200 degree oven to melt.

While the crayons are melting, sharpen the pencils until they are the same size as the straws.


Once the crayons have melted, place the pencils in the grooves, then put the tray in the ice box until the crayons are firm.
I put too many crayon pieces in the molds and the wax got into the straw grooves. No problem! Next time I won't use so much.


Pop out of the molds! Scrap off the extra wax - or not! No biggie.
Let 'em cool a little longer if necessary.
Ta da! All done!


Give 'em to your Darling Stinker!


POST-IT-NOTE: These would make fun party favors!!

Have fun!

BOY Bento Box Set GIVEAWAY!

Did read my post on Bento Boxes? I love the idea. It's so much fun for toddlers to open their box to see what they got for Lunch! I think it's the best thing to get your picky toddler to eat!


Here's a few examples of Serenity's Lunch boxes (click on the picture to ZOOM in):

I've decided to have a Bento Box Set giveaway to two blog readers! I put together two cute sets, one for boys and one for girls.


This post is only for the BOYS (click HERE for the girl's Giveaway). This is the set you can enter to win:

Mickey Mouse Bento Box, Mickey Mouse bag, pirate stickers, a bear egg mold, puppy rice mold, crab hot dog/sausage cutter, 5 animal food picks, 2 heart silicone cups, 3 frogs, and 2 bouncy balls.

Everything is brand new. Some items were opened to take pictures and to divvie the items up.

So if you'd like a chance to win a Bento Box Set for your cute Lil' Punk, here are the entry rules:

Giveaway Details:
All you have to do to enter is leave a comment and I'll randomly pick a winner next Monday, August 24th! Winners will be posted on Tuesday, August 25th at Midnight (Central time).

Rules:
1. US only please.
2. Enter before this Sunday, August 23rd at Midnight (Central time).
3. Make sure to leave your email address in your comment as well if it isn't available through your blog or profile.

Extra Entries:
1. Follow my blog and leave a comment telling me you did!
2. Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment telling me you did!
3. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment telling me you did!


UPDATE:
You can enter to win both Giveaways if you want - sorry I didn't make that clear earlier!

Also,

I purchased the Bento Boxes from Disney's online store and the accesories from Bento Crazy!


Have fun & Good luck!

GIRL Bento Box Set GIVEAWAY!

Did read my post on Bento Boxes? I love the idea. It's so much fun for toddlers to open their box to see what they got for Lunch! I think it's the best thing to get your picky toddler to eat!


Here's a few examples of Serenity's Lunch boxes (click on the picture to ZOOM in):

I've decided to have a Bento Box Set giveaway to two blog readers! I put together two cute sets, one for boys and one for girls.


This post is only for the GIRLS (click HERE for the boys's Giveaway). This is the set you can enter to win:

Little Mermaid Bento Box, pink flower bag, Little Mermaid stickers, a bunny egg mold, puppy rice mold, tulip hot dog/sausage cutter, 5 animal food picks, 2 heart silicone cups, 3 rings, and 2 bouncy balls.

Everything is brand new. Some items were opened to take pictures and to divvie the items up.

So if you'd like a chance to win a Bento Box Set for your little Darling Stinker, here are the entry rules:

Giveaway Details:
All you have to do to enter is leave a comment and I'll randomly pick a winner next Monday, August 24th! Winners will be posted on Tuesday, August 25th at Midnight (Central time).

Rules:
1. US only please.
2. Enter before this Sunday, August 23rd at Midnight (Central time).
3. Make sure to leave your email address in your comment as well if it isn't available through your blog or profile.

Extra Entries:
1. Follow my blog and leave a comment telling me you did!
2. Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment telling me you did!
3. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment telling me you did!


UPDATE:
You can enter to win both Giveaways if you want - sorry I didn't make that clear earlier!

Also,

I purchased the Bento Boxes from Disney's online store and the accesories from Bento Crazy!


Have fun & Good luck!

Lavender Hair Mist

Lavender essential oil has many health benefits.

It's also really great for biracial hair care since it's a wonderful all-natural moisturizer, cleanser and refresher. Why pay tons of money to buy those expensive tiny bottles of Lavender water when it's ridiculously easy to make yourself? I decided to make some for Serenity's hair today and found lots of homemade lavender hair mist and lavender flower water recipes online.

The one recipe for Lavender Hair Mist I kept finding over and over online, practically word for word, was this one:

Bring 1/2 gallon water to a boil. Simmer for 1 hour to purify. OR you can use distilled water.

Remove the teapot from the stove and add 5 to 10 drops of pure (only use pure) lavender essential oil. Place the lid back on and allow to steep until it's completely cooled.

Pour into spray bottles.

All done! Simple!

POST-IT-NOTE: 

Pour the Lavender Mist in a pretty little spray bottles and add a sprig of lavender for a lovely baby shower gift. 
The Mother-to-be can spray it on her sheets, in her labor room, even on her face for an instant calming effect.

Have fun!

Inchworm Shoes

Have you seen this shoe? It's from Inchworm and it has a button called "iFit technology" that will allow you to adjust the shoe as your child grows. It adjusts one full size in half size increments. So it will go from, say a size 11 shoe to to size 12! Wow!

Inchworm shoes came out a few years ago, but I still can't find them in the stores - or any online store except from Inchworm's own site.

I bought the Magenta style for my niece three years ago. She liked them, my brother liked them; the shoes were well-made and held up pretty good.


There's a FAQ on their site that will answer the most common questions you might have, such as this one:

How do I find my child’s correct shoe size?

Kids feet and shoes are all made differently! We suggest as a general guideline to find proper size shoe for your child the following: Children ages 2 ½ to 4 years old will generally fit inchworm shoe size 10-11; Children ages 4 to 5 years old will generally fit inchworm shoe size 11-12; Children ages 5 to 6 years old will generally fit inchworm shoe size 12-13 and 13-1; and Children ages 7 to 9 years old will generally fit inchworm shoe size 1-2, 2-3, 3-4 and 4-5.

You can check out the video on their site that shows all the press the shoes have been getting. Here's a video I found on youtube:

The shoes are $39.95 and the styles I really want are mostly sold out right now - probably because school just started back up.

These are styles that are currently available:

Chomper (several sizes), Cruncher (several sizes), Crawler Earth/Silver (13-1), Crawler Pink (2-3), Digger (1-2), Milan Strap, Primer Green (several sizes), Primer (several sizes), Prowler (4-5), and Venice (several sizes).

I got an email from them today letting me know that their Winter and Hiking Boots will be going on sale in September for only $19.95! As soon they are back in stock, I'd like to grab a pair of their new style, Bergamo for Serenity!


Have fun!

M&D Fold & Go Mini Dollhouse

I ordered Serenity the Melissa & Doug Fold & Go Mini Dollhouse ($35.93 & free s/h w/Prime) from Amazon last week and it arrived today. I was looking for a small, quality wooden dollhouse to take with us when we visit friends and family in Mississippi and on vacation trips.

Serenity loves it! She immediately started making up tasks for the dolls to do. She talks to the dolls and creates stories for them - all out loud. It's so funny to listen in! She's even named the dolls - Princess and Boy! Funny! And a little amazing too, since before today all her dolls were named Baby. It's so neat to see how much she changes day to day and how each day her comprehension grows.

She's telling Princess to say "cheese"!

I love that the dolls are the perfect size for her little hands. They are somewhat posable too - their arms move and their legs bend so they can sit and it's easy enough for her to pose the dolls by herself. It comes with 11 pieces of wooden furniture - plenty to keep her busy making up all kinds of activities for her dolls to do!

She's giggling her little butt off 'cause she made Boy sit on the potty!

The only thing I don't like about it is the lack of a latch on the outside of the dollhouse. It's hard for Serenity to carry it without everything falling out. AND if you're traveling with it, you'd have to make sure it doesn't fall over and the pieces get lost. I'll probably buy a tiny latch and install it myself to take care of the problem.


But overall, it's a great toy that will probably last a long time. I didn't want another piece of plastic that only lasts about a minute before it's ready for the trash and does nothing to inspire Serenity's imagination.

I've been checking out M&D's Folding Castle ($62.64 & free s/h w/Prime) for maybe Serenity's birthday. This is something that will last well beyond her toddler years - I love a toy that will be durable enough to handle years of serious play. This castle is big. It's 3 feet long when it folds out! The reviews on Amazon full of praise for this toy - it has an unbelievable 5 star rating! It has matching furniture and Royal Family dolls that's sold separately. And shouldn't every castle have a dragon?


M&D has a darling pink smaller wooden Fold & Go Castle ($49.99 & free s/h w/Prime) and a more "boy friendly" Fold & Go Castle ($31.19 & free s/h w/Prime). I like their fun Fold & Go Mini-Barn ($32.23 & free s/h w/Prime) too!

I wonder why the pink castle is so much more?

Ryan's Room makes a large wooden dollhouse called Home Again, Home Again ($99.97 & free s/h w/Prime) that has an optional extension ($65.99 & free s/h w/Prime) to make more room. Ryan's Room offers lots of durable doll, furniture, and accessory sets.

I like the HUGE dollhouse ($172 & free s/h w/Prime) by Plan Toys. Plan Toys are made of "eco-friendly, recycled, chemical-free Rubberwood".

In the picture below, the dollhouse by Plan Toys is shown with the optional extra floor ($91.90 & $5.95 s/h). Plan Toys has high quality dollhouse furniture, accessories, and dolls too.


When I showed pictures of this dollhouse to Serenity, she says, "Yes, that's right, that one! It's big!". I kinda want it too - I wish I had a huge dollhouse like that when I was a little girl!


Have fun!