Free Articulated Doll Craft - PDF

So, I've been busy working on new products for my etsy shop. I've decided to really embrace my inner kid and start making craft printables/kits for younger people. I spent the morning assembling one of my Halloween Articulated Paper Dolls, and had so much fun doing it, that I decided that it's something I'm going to make more of them for my shop. (Think party themes, holidays, etc.)

To kind of kick this whole DIY/Printable PDF movement off for Galactytes, I am making a cute autumn girl paper doll available for free! You can download her by clicking the image below.

She's extremely easy to put together.

○ Bust out your favorite coloring tools. I used crayons, but colored pencils would also work great! (We also did a few with markers.) Color your cute autumn lady.

○ Carefully cut her out.

○ Punch holes on the little X's. This paper doll is designed for smaller brads, so I would recommend using a smaller punch as well. I have this set and used the 1/16" punch for this craft, but the 1/8" would be fine, too.

○ Create the joints and attach the limbs to the body with your brads.

○ Position your darling creation however you like and VIOLA! 

Check out my shop here:

Just buy me an old warehouse.

I'd imagine that a lot of new brides have a pretty good idea of the style of home decor they like. Well, thank goodness for Pinterest or I would have never figured out what I like. I've been married for three years and I'm just now beginning to understand what my taste is like.

Let me first say, that I am grateful to have had the opportunity to live in a small house. I have no idea how long we'll live here (could be forever, I guess), but I have learned to think harder about how I utilize space and the important of "less is more". I hope to someday buy a house that I just can't fill right away. And not because it will be gigantic, but because I will have purged all unnecessary possessions from my life.

Anyway, a while after creating my dream home board on Pinterest, I went back to see what I had been pinning over the months and it became quite obvious that I favor the good old industrial-modern style. Combine that with stark white walls (and exposed brick of course) and you've got a palace fit for me. And boy, I love me some exposed beams/vents/ducts in the ceiling combined with factory windows.

Anyhoo, here's hoping Pax and I have years of discipline and sacrifice ahead of us. ;) Gotta make this dream happen!

Brindille and Twig Sewing Patterns

We are having a baby girl in December. Yes, I'm ecstatic. Yes, I'm a little nervous about how much more money I'm going to be tempted to spend on this kid than the darling son I already have. There is just so much out there for girls. Dresses, leggings, headbands, cute little everythings. It's overwhelming enough that I've been able to refrain from draining our bank account for this Hatchling who still has 14 weeks to bake. (Well, almost. Paying for the delivery two months in advance has been brutal.)

However, Baby S has inspired me to start sewing. This wasn't originally in an effort to save money. I find sewing therapeutic and I have been wanting to make clothes for a long time. I have a hard time spending money on clothing and sewing give you the opportunity to have something just the way you want it. Color, pattern, fabric, all of that. And I love that. That being said, I think I can create personal, unique clothing for my family and do it on a budget.

So, I made some leggings//
I have been sifting through the many baby legging tutorials/patterns on pinterest for a couple of months. There are a lot of great ones out there, but nothing seemed to be exactly what I needed. For starters, a lot of these patterns were supposed to based off of pants you have for your child already. And most of them were patterns for one size, to be modified by you, the seamstress. I don't know about you guys, but patterns are already incredibly intimidating to me. I didn't want to waste time and fabric on that. I was looking for something legit. In desperation, I searched newborn/toddler legging patterns on Etsy.

Boy, did I hit the jackpot. Sewing friends, head over to Brindille and Twig and give the brilliant Melissa Hendrickson ALL of your money. The woman is an absolute genius. Not only are these patterns convenient PDF's, which means you're not wasting any sizes of your pattern by cutting out the tiniest one, but they are easy to read/understand and a breeze to sew. I immediately purchased two patterns. The first was her Baby Leggings. Okay, obviously this lady knows how to display her patterns. The fabric she chose for each of her products could make ANYONE want to sew. But the thing that finalized the deal for me was the fact that both these patterns range from size 0-3 month to 2/3T. Again, jackpot.

The fabric I used is from the Doodles Collection at Joann. It was on sale and these pants are tiny, so I had a ton of leftover fabric.
I finished this masterpiece in less than 30 minutes. Needless to say, I will be make more. Many, many more.

Pax asked me why they were "half crotch" and I had to remind him about diaper butt.
Hah. I love baby clothes.

And then the scariest thing I have ever sewn//
The second pattern I bought was the Envelope Neck Tee.
I'm just going to say quickly, as someone who hasn't really sewn in several years, I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this. I'm sure the cute example shirts listed in the shop had a hand in this, but perhaps I just felt like pushing myself. Not only does this garment have real SLEEVES, but the whole envelope nonsense going on that we all love on babies onesies/shirts. I'm SO glad I went for it, though. This shirt was easy to make.

Obviously, it's not perfect and I'm definitely going to invest in a serger since I've got the knit fabric bug, but I am very proud of how this turned out. The grey fabric I bought for this shirt required a LOT more of my patience, but it's soft and drapey and will make a great tee for my girl.

Let me also just add, really quick, that I was dreading the whole ribbing situation on this shirt. BUT! My rotary cutter and cutting mat made that a cinch and the rest was a piece of cake.

So, I'm going to wrap this up, because it's already really long, but the bottom line is, sewing is extremely rewarding and I'm excited to get even better at it. If I can get those tiny sleeves on that shirt made of extremely stretchy fabric, then by golly I can make whatever the cuss I want. Bam.

I'm most excited about the fact that both these pattern are no doubt going to be utilized for Parley too. Onward!

Please go check out Brindille and Twig. 

This is the pattern I'm getting next!

Cakes and Pretty Shoes

Posted a garbage drawing of Lizzie Bennett on facebook and my awesome cousin, Caroline suggested I draw Marie Antoinette.

Okay, I probably would have drawn Marie purely for the opportunity to draw that ridiculous hair, but the truth is, this was sort of like a "measure my progress" piece. When I first got my tablet I was experimenting with techniques and what not and the cake lady was the first real portrait I drew. And by "real portrait" I mean full on start to finish drawing which I considered to be complete. I was so impressed with myself at the time that I turned her into a wallpaper which is probably still on my personal account on my parents' computer. Anyway! I am quite fond of how this turned out, but I wouldn't go as far as to make myself stare at it everytime I boot up.

Well, I should probably hit the sack (browse pinterest) because it's kinda late.
Bye.