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2 Little Hooligans

"mo pees peesz?"

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I love capturing the simple moments in life. The ones where you can watch their sweet little movements and expressions. Watching the kiddo’s eat straight from the garden for the first time is always the funnest thing to do. They are so curious and unsure.

But it doesn’t take them long before they know exactly how to get to the goodies.

I love watching those little nibbles.

And those chubby little fingers.

And how they know just where to go to pick more.

These past few months have made me appreciate these moments even more. And in all reality, made me slow down and take the time to enjoy these moments.

Because these babies of mine are growing up way too fast.

Our little family of 5 is complete, but I can’t help but think maybe there is room for one more.

Because I just love watching those little babies grow.

But I have also loved sleeping and wearing a normal bra again…so maybe I will just make the garden bigger next year…and watch that grow from seed.

**Unrelated note…We had a super productive weekend! I did some sewing and Im almost finished my gift for that sweet little baby niece of mine. I just keep adding more goodies to the mix…I just need to stop! Plus we (mostly the hubby) worked non-stop all weekend on the house. We finally have walls up and the rooms are actually looking like rooms. Maybe we will have it finished by Christmas!**

How to make a kite from a garbage bag {Tutorial}

A little over a month ago I shared a tutorial over at U Create with kids on how to make a kite from a garbage bag. It is so quick and easy to make your own kite, all you need is a few materials and a windy day.

Garbage Bag Kit Tutorial

(allow 30 minutes to 1 hour to complete)
Materials Needed:

*2 skinny wooden dowels from the hardware store
*1 garbage bag
*duck tape
*ribbons and string Cut one of the dowels 21″ long and keep the other dowel full length for now. Take the 21″ dowel and center horizontally it onto the larger dowel 9″ down from the top of the longer dowel. My dowel ended up being 10 1/2″in from the sides when centered. Secure the dowels in place by wrapping string or ribbon around the dowels in the middle. Make sure that they make a straight cross and are as even as possible. Take and lay your garbage bag flat on the floor. Place your cross on top of the bag. You want the top of your cross to be even with the top of your bag. Mark your wooden dowel where you want to cut the excess part off. I wanted to cut the drawstring part off from my kite, so I measure just above where the drawstring area stopped and cut my dowel there. Cut the dowel with a pair of sharp kitchen scissors. Should look like this now.

Take some duck tape and tape it around all of the edges of the dowels. This will keep the dowels from making holes into your kite.
Now lay the cross onto the bag. Measure to make sure you have it evenly spaced on the sides and as close to the top of the bag as possible. Tape the dowel in place at the edges of each of the dowels.
Now take and fold the top edges of the garbage bag in. Try and keep them neatly folded and even. Place tape on the front.
And fold it over neatly, like so.
Repeat with the other side of the kite.
Your kite should look like this now.
Cut off the drawstring part if your bag has one.
Tape the bottom of the bag.

Tie some ribbons onto the bottom of the kite.

Tie a piece of string or ribbon onto the kite just above the center of the cross. Wait for a windy day and enjoy!


Fabric Curly-Cue Ribbon {Tutorial}

The other night I was packaging up some gifts and orders that needed to be shipped out. Usually when I package up my gifts and orders I place them into a drawstring bag that I have made. I first started doing that with my bibs and large orders and have decided to do this with my jewelry sales as well. (I guess sewing is still my love, since I spend more time sewing these little bags then making the pieces of jewelry.) Anyhow, I was working through my scrap pile when I decided to use long skinny strips of fleece as my ties. But when I cut the long strips of fleece and pulled on them to string them through the bag they immediately turned into these sweet little curly-cue ribbons. Oh yes, I was giddy as any crafty momma would be. This is kinda like that cheap plastic rolls of ribbon that you buy in the store and use your scissors to curl…but waay cuter! So you wanna make some too?

Just grab a piece of fleece. I used anti-pill fleece. I’m not sure if this works with regular fleece as well, sorry but I didn’t have any regular fleece to try it on. You don’t need a very wide piece of fleece since you will be cutting off a very skinny piece. And as far I could tell, once the fabric is pulled it at least doubles in length, if not more.
Now line up the fabric so that it stretches vertically when pulled on. When you pull on the fleece horizontally it should not stretch.
Now grab your rotary cutter and cut a tiny little strip. I cut mine about 1/8 of an inch by about 10″ or so.
Now hold the top of the strip and slowly pull on it starting from the top to the bottom. That is it, easy right? Now you have some cute fabric curly-cue ribbon to tie around those homemade packages. Unfortunately the curly-cues don’t last forever…I know, stinker! The more I played with the ribbon the more the curls started to get larger and eventually became wavy. But luckily you are left with a cute little fleece cord. Either way, I think it is a great way to use up fleece scraps and add a cute little curly-cue to your gifts.
This definitely adds a whole new way of wrapping gifts with curly-cues without using that cheap looking plastic ribbon.

Fabric Luggage Tags from Auntie.

When I made this luggage tag for Fat Quarter Friday a few months ago I had good intentions of making a bunch of them for my sister in law and her daughters. Unfortunately is was one of those projects that got put on the back burner, until the other night.
While I was sewing these I realized that my sister in law has been the recipient of more 2 little hooligans handmade goodies then ANYONE else. She even has more of my homemade goodies then I do…seriously!
I have made her a tote bag, casserole carrier, wash cloths, dish towels, a wristlet, an apron, diaper and wipes bag, burp cloths and A TON of bibs.
Even my 3 little nieces have received lots of handmade goodies from this Auntie. Peasant dresses, crayon rolls, pencil wrap and case, a tote bag, princess play tent, hair accessories, purses, a beach robe and drawstring tote bags. I’m pretty sure there are even more that I’m forgetting.
 I never realized how much I had made for them until I started listing them all out. And it made me chuckle about the numerous times their gifts have given me something crafty to blog about.
But isn’t it more fun crafting for others especially when you know they love your handmade goodies so much?!

Baked Jalapeno Poppers {and a giveaway winner}

Each year we grow jalapenos for making salsa. Unfortunately sometimes the timing of when the jalapenos and the tomatoes are ripe don’t exactly line up. I didn’t have enough jalapenos to fill a jar and be pickled, so I decided to give jalapeno poppers a try. I have to be honest, I have never had them before and what a shame. They are delish! I used this recipe here and just made a few minor adjustments. I used less then the full amount of seasonings called for and instead of making my creole seasoning I just used one that I already had in the cabinet.

And the winner of the Blue Sky giveaway is Laura.

Congratulations Laura, your on your way to being one super organized momma!

Come visit me at Me Sew Crazy today!

I’m so excited to be over at one of my favorite blogs today…Me Sew Crazy! And I’m actually kinda surprised (and a little nervous) that Jessica is actually allowing me to sit one of her “babies!” Her sewing skills are AMAZING and she continues to impress me with every post. And in all honesty, if it wasn’t for Jessica and her amazing tutorials I never would have started sewing clothes. She inspired me to step out of my comfort level and try something new and this was one of those creations.
So head on over to Me Sew Crazy to see how make your own ruffled maxi skirt and while your there peruse through her amazing tutorials, because I promise you will be inspired too!

Nursing Cover/Swaddling Blanket Tutorial

Over the next few weeks I will be sharing a bunch of baby related tutorials with all of you and at the end I will be showing you how I put them all together to make the most precious baby gift for my sister in law. So first up is this great Nursing Cover/Swaddling Blanket Tutorial.

With the addition of each baby I realized that I actually needed and wanted less “stuff” to get by. After all, I had a newborn, a 16 month old and a 3 year old all in tow. The less stuff I had to carry, the better. So I never used a nursing cover plus I always wore Glamour Mom or Bravado nursing tanks, so those allowed me to nurse in public while being discrete. However there were many times I wish I had one, and ended up resorting to using a baby blanket (that I always had on hand) to cover up with. With baby #2 I purchased a few swaddling blankets from Amazon that I just loved. They were actually just soft cotton knit blankets with rounded edges. They made a great little cover up when needed and I loved how lightweight and breathable they were, plus the material was the best for swaddling or covering up that little baby of mine. The only problem I had while nursing with these blankets was that since my little one wasn’t used to being covered up while nursing, she kept pulling the blanket down, so let’s just say it was a struggle staying discrete at times.

So when my sister in law became preggers with baby #5 I knew I was just going to make her things that she needed and would use. After all, she is going to have 5 in tow now…so the less things to carry the better. So the first thing I thought up and made for her was this nursing cover/swaddling blanket. After making it, I so wish I would have thought of this before. It definitely would have saved me from a few embarrassing moments, oh well! These nursing covers/swaddling blankets are so easy to make and probably only took me about 1/2 hour start to finish.

Nursing Cover/Swaddling Blanket Tutorial

Materials Needed:

*Cotton knit fabric cut to the size of your choice.

*Suspender clips. I purchased mine here.

Cut the cotton knit fabric to the size of choice. Round the edges.

Now set your sewing machine on a small zig-zag stitch. Your going to make the edges into lettuce ruffled edges. If you have never done that before here is a great tutorial on it.

Of course you could add a knit binding all around the edges instead, but that would take a bit longer to make and really, I just love the little ruffles on the edges.

Cut one piece of cotton knit fabric to the desired length and width. This is going to be the removable strap that will go around your neck and attach to the blanket…turning it into a nursing cover.

No need to finish the raw edges, just fold up and sew in place.

Now you have the little clip when you need to turn your swaddling blanket into a nursing cover. Just make sure you remove the clips before giving the blanket to baby…safety first right?

Need a nursing cover…add the clips. Need a baby blanket…remove the clips.


**Please feel free to use this tutorial for your personal sewing projects. You may link this to your blog and use any photo’s. Just please be kind and give credit where credit is due.**

Any questions or comments please do not hesitate to contact me. If you make one using this tutorial, please add it to my flickr group. I would love to see it!

Blue Sky Giveaway.

I was contacted by Blue Sky a few weeks ago wondering if I would be interested in sampling a few of their products along with conducting a giveaway on my blog. I am usually hesitant about doing such things, but once I had a little peek at their products I was sold immediately, plus I knew that you all would love the chance to sample a few of their products as well.

Have you heard of Blue Sky? If not, Blue Sky is a new line of calendar-based organizing products designed especially for busy, modern households. The collection includes 14 different products – most featuring dated calendars and all under $10 – that can be mixed and matched to meet the organizing needs and lifestyles of busy families. Their new line will be available for purchase in Target stores this July.

Here is the bundle of samples I received in the mail the other day (insert squeal)! Oh yes, I love these checklists, note pads and planners. I cannot wait to wrap open those door pads! I foresee lots of fun notes for Daddy from the kiddo’s with these.

The colors are wonderful and I love nice clean simple designs of them.
How cute is this grocery checklist?! I just wish my coupon organizer was large enough to hold this pad. I just may need to make a new one now.
And this is the greatest little “notebook!”
It is full of checklists and pockets. Plus it is small enough to fit right inside of your bag. Oh and there is a whole section that is just orange…does it get any better then that?

Then there is this great weekly/monthly planner. Now I’m not going to lie here, I love my Erin Condren planner and I still use everyday. I have nothing negative to say about it except the price was a bit steep. So if your not willing to pay the $50+ that I did on a planner, then this is the one for you!
It has more then enough room to write all of your activities/appointments for the day.
And even has an extra little space for notes each week.
I love these pages. A monthly calender and your to do lists all in the same place. How convenient is that?!

So who would love to sample a set for themselves? You have two chances to win. Giveaway will end August 1, 2011.

To enter:

1. Leave me a comment.

2. “Like” the Blue Sky Face book page for an additional entry.

**All the opinions in this post are mine and mine alone. I was contacted by Blue Sky to simply sample and conduct a giveaway. They did not asked me or require me to write a review. I however choose to do one, because I felt that many of you would be interested in their products.**

Sorry I’m a little late on this one…

Giveaway winner was #15
Adriane said…These are lovely! I think my favorites are the white and pink chrysanthemum rings…so cute!

Congratulations Adriane, I will be sending you an email shortly!

And besides this little munchkin, the exciting news around here is that our little farm stand is open for business!

The garden is overflowing with fresh veggies and needs picking everyday. We are already getting waaay more fresh veggies then this little family of ours can consume. So whatever we don’t eat ourselves goes straight into the farm stand. Each year my goal is to make enough money to pay for next years seeds and plants. But really, I’m just happy that nothing is going to waste. It is actually amazing how many customers I have on a daily basis. But I guess when you sell cukes for 10 cents you are bound to get some business. I even have a few customers that like to stop by before I pick the garden to place their orders. So if I’m not crafting and blogging as much as I normally do then this is why. Veggies this beautiful cannot go to waste and a farm stand this cute needs to be well stocked!

https://www.2littlehooligans.com/2011/07/24/sorry-im-little-late-on-this-one/

embrace the camera {new baby cousin}

It has been one exciting, crazy, fun-filled week! Auntie had baby #5 on Monday…a pretty little girl! While auntie was in the hospital having a much needed vacation we were lucky enough to have our 4 cousins for a few days and even managed to have one BIG sleepover. We spent our days playing in the garden, running through the water sprinkler, eating snacks and doing lots of crafting.

We made lots of “tutti-fruitti” and freshly squeezed lemonade. We watched tractors cutting hay across the street, made jewelry, beaded fairy’s, learned how to play shoe shop and even did a little sewing. But the funnest part of the week was when Auntie A joined us for the day with 3 more cousins and we got our craft on! We managed to have all 10 kids finger paint signs to welcome their newest little cousin or sis. Then we hopped into our swagger wagons and headed down to the hospital where we paraded around the hospital searching for Auntie’s window. Once we found her window we quickly got all 10 kids lined up in order while holding their signs. Then they started singing “Happy Birthday” to Auntie and Uncles newest little bundle! It was completely priceless and I cannot think of a better way to have welcomed a sweet little baby into this world! One proud BIG sister that is completely smitten over her new little sis!
But I’m pretty sure we can all say that we are completely smitten over this precious little one!
Now my little guy wont stop begging me for another little baby. And I have to admit, this little one sure does give me baby fever! Welcome to the world pretty-pretty little baby girl!