Steven & I have been getting into a few fun, random projects around here this last week that involved a deer head mount, Nathan needing some play oven mitts for his kitchenette, and getting ready to have Nathan’s 2 year old birthday party. An interesting combination of things, I know….but that’s pretty typical around here when you have creative minds wandering about. Let me share some highlights for you of them all:
:: Deer ::
We first saw THIS moose head mount when we visited our favorite, local coffee shop recently. They were on sale: laser cut small heads for $13, large moose or deer heads for $55. S and I love crafts, but even $55 sounded like an outrageous amount to pay. for. cardboard. So, instead, we came home, and S found THIS website that he used to download, enlarge, and print one himself for FREE. Can I hear another, “Yea, for free,” out there? I thought so!
We got to cutting the templates after N went to bed…
After the templates were cut, S traced them onto cardboard and started cutting the shapes out with a super sharp exacto knife…
**We used a really long, cardboard box we brought home last year from an Ikea shopping trip. Their cardboard worked great, as they only print on the ends of the packaging.
And I was amazed how quickly S had the deer pieces all cut out and assembled!
And here is how it came out. We’re both enamored. It fits perfectly right there in our crafty house. S mounted it on the fireplace with two pieces of command strip with velcro attachments. Worked great.
While we are quite happy with the deer there, we feel he’s a little swallowed up in that large space. Right now we’re working on some decor accents for our “trophy”.
:: Oven Mitt ::
Nathan loves his kitchenette. I particularly like this version of a kid’s kitchen from Ikea (although that should not be a surprise to any of you). I’m pro wood toys. They last longer and look nicer in my home. The kitchenette came with the basics, and so S added a potentiometer for the oven dial…, and I added a side rack a while back. Now he needed a few accessories. First up, a pair of toddler sized oven mitts. No rocket-science pattern making here, folks… I just traced around his hand, and then cut 1/2″ out from the size of his hand shape. I then cut 4 pieces of that mitten shape out of felted wool. See my post HERE on making your own felted wool.
I sewed each pair of mittens together along the edges with a zigzag stitch, turned them right-side out, and then hand stitched a cuff onto each one.
I used a little leftover selvage piece of fabric (from the blue ticking bed sheet), to fold over, and top stitch to the side of each mitten so that they could be hung up. Nathan’s mittens came out pretty raw, and slightly unfinished looking (if you could see the inside), but I am still pleased with the rustic, homey look they came out with.
:: Birthday ::
Just a little peak into a few of my birthday celebration preparations…..
A huge thank you to my VERY talented friend, and graphic designer, Johanna, for making Nathan a perfect digital design theme package for me to use to celebrate, invite, and decorate with! I am loving it! Thank you so much! Desire a professional, customized, special theme for your child’s party? Just leave a message on her website at Nephilim the Remnants, or connect with her via facebook! Her and her husband make a great team, and they are very fast, professional and experts at getting your party package or logo just right for your needs!
More birthday celebrating and craft making up ahead….
and today, there is even some Ginger Beer being home made in our kitchen. But, more on that soon. Blessings, friends!
