Gifts - 26/29 - The Idea Room

Make Some Mother’s Circus "Shape" Cookies

Through some blog surfing the other day I found this yummy recipe for making your own Mother’s Circus Animal Cookies. Since these are my man’s favorite store bought cookies, I knew I had to give them a try.

I whipped up a batch of sugar cookies using Vanilla Joy’s recipe and then left the dough covered in the fridge overnight. The next day during nap-time, my daughter and I baked the cookies and dipped them in melted almond bark (I had some left over from my Christmas baking that needed to be used; you can find it in the baking aisle by the chocolate chips) and added sprinkles.

They turned out so cute and better yet…DE.LI.CIOUS! They were even better the next day when they had dried out and were as crunchy as the originals. I think they would be so cute to give as a gift or a party favor at a birthday party or shower.

Vanilla Joy has some other great ideas. Go check out and make some for yourself. You know you want to. But be careful…you can’t eat just one!

April 22, 2009 · Filed under: Gifts, Recipes, Treats Tagged with

Tutu Tutorial

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I have always wanted to buy my girls one of these tutus that can be found in boutiques and craft fairs but have been to cheap to pay the $15+ price tag. Upon inspection I noticed that they were just elastic with strips of tulle tied onto the elastic. I thought…I can do that. So I finally got around to doing it and they are so simple. Really! I spent about $3 on tulle from JoAnn’s (use your 40% off coupon), and used some elastic and flowers left over from previous projects. (I found my little rose bud flowers at Wal-Mart and had used them to make some baby head bands when my baby was a newborn).

I took some elastic (any size will do) and measured it so that it fit nicely around my baby’s tummy. Then I sewed it together with the sewing machine several times so that it would not unravel. (You can also hand stitch it).

Then I took my tulle (originally I used tulle from the bolt to make the smaller tutu which is a bit cheaper than on the spool. I found the spool tulle in the wedding aisle at JoAnn’s, which I will be using for the longer skirt for my older daughter). Anyways, cut your tulle into 6 inch wide strips with the length being double that of how long you want your skirt to fall. So…for the baby I wanted it to be 10 inches long so that it fell a bit below her knees. I cut my tulle into strips that measured 6 x 20 inches. Make sense?

For the baby I ended up using about 2 yards of tulle total cut into strips. You will need more for a bigger skirt. Originally I did not get enough and had to go back for more :(!

Then slip the circle of elastic up onto your thigh and while sitting on the couch with your feet propped drinking your favorite soda, scratch that…I just quit…ice water, tie each strip onto the elastic with a double knot. Your skirt will be more uniform if you make sure that the knots are at the base of your elastic.

Then when your tulle fills the elastic to your liking your done. So simple. But of course I wanted to add a little something extra. I hot glued three rose buds in the center of the tutu!

I am really happy with how it turned out. And you cannot beat the price tag! By the way, I would love to see how your projects turn out if you ever use any of these ideas. So if you want to you can leave me a comment and a link to your pics.

April 17, 2009 · Filed under: Gifts, Kids, Tutorials Tagged with

Make A Girls Nightgown From A Pillow Case

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I made this cute nightgown from a pillowcase! I have seen this idea all over the net for a while now and found a tutorial that was pretty easy and had sleeves. The tutorial I used can be found here.

I used a pillow case we had received as a wedding gift almost 15 years ago. It was not our “style” and so it sat in a closet, long forgotten. During some spring cleaning I happened across them again and realized they would be perfect for this nightgown I had been wanting to make. (If you are reading this and realize that you are the giver of this wedding gift…um…we love them. Even if it took us 15 years to appreciate them! HaHa!)

I followed the above mentioned tutorial except made my sleeves bigger. I cut off the folded end of the pillowcase, 3 inches to make the wider sleeves).

Instead of using a ribbon to pretty up the sleeve, I used some green and white polka dot material I had. I cut a long strip that was about 24 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide. Then I folded the strip with the WRONG sides together and ironed. Then like the tutorial, I sewed along the two open sides (not the fold) close to the edge. Pulling one of the strings, carefully, I gathered the material. Then I made sure to even out the material so that it fit into the 3 inch strip I cut off of the pillowcase and sewed them together. When your sleeves are sewn, finish the dress part of the gown and then fit dress on child and maeasure exactly where you would like the sleeves to sit over the shoulders and pin into place, before sewing.

I finished the nightgown by following the rest of the tutorial. Then, I added a little “Yo-Yo” to add an embelishment and some flare.

To make a yoyo, cut out a circle of fabric whatever size you want. My circle was 3 inches in diameter. I used a spool of ribbon for my pattern. I folded over the edge about 1/4 of an inch and hand sewed it down. The farther apart your stitches are the smaller your hole in the middle of the yoyo will be.

Then when you have finished sewing, do not tie off the end. Leave a length of string and pull on your thread so that it bunches up into a small tight circle.

Then use the long thread to stitch it onto the center of your nightgown (or wherever you would like it to go). I also added a white button on top of the yoyo to hide the small opening in the center. Now you have a fun, summery nightgown for your little girl or grandchild, or a fun gift for someone special!

I will be taking a little break to spend some time Spring Breaking with the family. I will be back next week with some fun new tutorials. I have been sewing up a storm!