One Hour Baby Blanket

My friend Jennifer taught me how to make this blanket and when she made one, it looked so easy and it took exactly one hour.  It took me a bit longer, but under two hours.

 

For this Project you'll need:

1 yard of flannel

1 yard of fleece

coordinating thread

(sewing machine, scissors, pins)

 

My friend Gayle decided to decorate her nursery in a Noah's Ark theme - which I LOVE! 
So I searched for the perfect fabric and thought this was just adorable.

 



 

It cracked me up to place an order with 1-800-Dreidel, but that is where I found this cute fabric!

 

When Jennifer made her blanket, she just cut off the edge of the fleece that curls up and that was all the cutting needed.  For some reason I had to cut several edges.  I ended up with 1 3/4 inches of fleece past the flannel on all four sides.  (which is the goal)  Then I folded the fleece edges over and pinned.

For the corners, I cut a diagonal piece out of the fleece, so the fabric wasn't too thick.

 



This pin shows the line that I cut.

 



Then I used a tight zigzag stitch to sew the edges.

The fleece kept bunching.  I'm thinking that is why Jennifer used a ton of pins.  It is full of imperfections, but at least the fabric is soft and adorable!

My second attempt went better - more pins is definitely better.

 

This one was for sale in my Etsy shop, but is currently sold out - TheBurlapFlower.  All my blankets are sold with an adorable, free, matching gift tag, which are similar to the tags I made in this post!

 

This one is currently for sale though! Light Blue Flannel Blanket with White Bicycles

Have you ever made a baby blanket?  How long did it take you to make?

Ring Bearer Pillow - Sew Your Own!

You can find ring bearer pillows from $10 (Wal-Mart) to $110 (Etsy).  My sister Laura asked me to make a very simple version.  Besides costing less than the ones she found in stores, it added a personal, handmade touch. 

 

I didn't have any instructions, I just thought about simple ring bearer pillows that I've seen (I've seen more than you would think, as I spend most weekends photographing weddings!). 

 

For this Project, you'll need:

 

fabric (white, satin polyester blend)  -

I bought a yard for $2.99, but 1/4 yard would have been enough

Polyfill stuffing  - $2.99

Pretty button - $2.99

Ribbon - $1.99

Sewing machine

Needle and embroidery floss

Tulle or elastic (optional)

 

I made a pattern on paper that was a 9.5 by 9.5 square.  I pinned it to the fabric and cut out two squares.  Then I ironed the squares.  I found the center of one square and hand sewed the pretty button onto the right side.  Most ring bearer pillows have an elastic strap on the back, for the ring bearer to hold.  I didn't have elastic, so I used tulle ribbon.  I sewed the tulle ribbon to the right side of the other square.

 

 

Then pin right sides together.  Then sew, with a 1/2 in margin, leaving about 4 inches open.

 

Turn the pillow right side out, then fill with the polyfill. 

 

Sew the 4 inch opening closed (probably the most difficult step).  My best tips are to:  iron the seam, push the filling away from the seam and pin the seam. 

 

The final step is to wrap ribbon around the button and tie it in a knot. 

Here is the final result!  What do you think?

Of course, it helps if you have adorable ring bearers to carry the pillows!

 

Photo Booth Props

You've made your adorable photo booth - (or if you haven't click HERE) - now you need props!  I found some great deals at Party City - top hats, oversized sunglasses, boas, masks, necklaces, etc.  I also wanted some lips and mustaches!  Those were definitely a DIY project for me. 

For this Project you'll need:

felt

templates

dowel rods

hot glue gun

scissors

I found several templates for mustaches and lips:

http://files.diy.weddingbee.com/1870.Lisa-Welge-mustachio-template.pdf

http://littlerayovsun.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/lipstemplate.jpg

http://www.scribd.com/doc/125128212/Lip-Photo-Props-The-TomKat-Studio

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VFQFu2Qe2JtEZssEw1r-F8SGTDhhqhrRtM20-975OYV_J2T7Lm1M3aniOy7Oy0Zn9sYa-3DzvbT_mJlSGscbkWuOHUAnAkefsMhy5fegqEMqCIQBov55XnjmsCIAyG6_eylAKRCEmCA/s1600/Photo+booth+templates.jpg

There are plenty more online and you can draw them, if you are an artist (I'm not!).

I cut out the shapes I wanted to use from the template, then I traced around them on the back of my felt.  I used felt with a sticky side and a peel off backing, but left the backing on, to give it more stability.

Then I cut them out and hot glued them to dowel rods.

 The turned out ADORABLE!

Which prop is your favorite? 



Keys to a Happy Marriage Vignette

What is it about old-looking keys that is so enticing?  When I see an old skeleton key, I feel like it could open anything.  It definitely unlocks my imagination!

 

 

I think old keys fit in perfectly as a theme in a wedding.  Your new spouse "holds the key to your heart."  Metaphorically speaking, the wedding itself is a key, unlocking a door into your future together. 

 

For my sister Laura's wedding - I really wanted to incorporate keys.  I decided to ask guests to give marriage advice to the couple with a "Keys to a Happy Marriage" vignette.  I found great-looking keys at Michaels in the dollar bins (and sometimes they were 50% off!).  I also found a jar of random keys at an estate sale.  Antique stores would be great places to look, but it would take time to comb through them - which I didn't have. 

 

I found simple paper cutouts at Michaels and tied them to the keys with pink and ivory ribbon. 

 

 

I printed the title and instructions and put them in frames with fun paper behind them. 

I found this at Hobby Lobby on sale and loved how it matched the theme and colors of this vignette.

This is the vignette in place at the reception.  I found a branch outside and a small gold pot at an estate sale.  I used Plaster of Paris to cement the branch into the pot and then put decorative diamonds at the top of the pot.

The keys look amazing hanging on a branch.

What "Keys to a Happy Marriage" advice would you write to the bride and groom?