Valentines? Check!

The Valentines are done ahead of schedule this year, thanks to Pinterest!!

 The idea for Lucy's Valentines came from this tutorial.  We tweaked it a little by sewing the paper shut instead of gluing it.  Lucy wanted something to do with dogs, especially since it's almost Mochi's 1-year birthday.  

After we filled each favor with candy hearts, she cut out ears and drew on eyes.  We added a pom-pom for the nose and tied on a little tag (suppose to look like the dog's holding it in its mouth).

I picked up some candy sticks from Trader Joe's while I was in L.A. and I really wanted to do something Valentines-y with them.

Henry goes to a little preschool once a week and it just happens to fall on Valentine's Day.  

He was intrigued and a little confused as I explained to him the concept of Cupid.

But, he does love arrows so, this free printable was the perfect choice!

Pinterest has made the kids' Valentine's so easy this year... I might have time to plan something for my sweetheart.

Oliver + S Jump Rope Dress: Valenine's Style

Oliver + S Jump Rope Dress Pattern

This pattern only goes up to a size 8, but I tweaked to be around a size 10 for my tall 7-year old.  The fabric is Everything But the Kitchen Sink and something else, but I can't remember what-- maybe Marcus Brothers Aunt Grace?

Here are a couple sweet deals that have helped get me in a Valentine's kind of mood.  Thought I'd share...

I bought the fabric in Vicksburg, MS at Stitch 'N Frame.  You can sign up for their on-line newsletter and be entered to win a $50 gift certificate to their store or online catalog! 

Oliver + S is coming out with their first pattern book in March, but you can preorder it for a great deal on Amazon (over 40% off the cover price).  I've already got my order in and I can't wait to get my paws on it!

Reverse Appliqué Tutorial: Boy's Valentine's Shirt

While working on Lucy's Valentine's dress, Henry expressed an ardent desire for a Valentine's dress of his own.  It's hard for him when 98% of the things I sew are for Lucy.  Not wanting him to feel left out, we worked together to make him a Valentine's shirt.  He picked the fabric for the heart and watched eagerly as I sewed and cut and trimmed.  

He was very happy with the result. 

I embellished this t-shirt using reverse appliqué.  It's a very easy process and I thought I'd share how it's done, just in case you have a three-year old boy in need of a Valentine's dress. 

1. I took one of Henry's t-shirts and removed the pocket with a seam ripper (hence the little hole on the right).  That small hole actually acts as a guide later on.  If you are working with a shirt that doesn't have a pocket, cut a small hole in the front of the shirt where you want the heart to go.

2. Cut a piece of fabric into a heart shape.  This heart is about 4" x 4".

3. Turn the shirt inside out and pin the heart over the hole you made in step one.

4. Using a straight or zig-zag stitch, sew around the edge of the heart.  Turn the shirt right side out and cut away the fabric that falls inside your stitching.  Cut close to your stitches (about an 1/8" away from the seam), but be careful not to cut through them.  

5. Baddabing-baddabang! You're done!  AND you have a happy boy!

Rose are Red...

We've been Valentining.
Lucy (and i) made Valentine mixed cd's for her to give to her classmates this year. Full of Lucy's favorite songs at the moment.

And a new shirt for the day. I've been trying to figure out what to do with all of the vintage hankies I've accumulated over the past decade. I don't know why I didn't think of putting them on a shirt before. Lucy keeps pretending to cry and wipe her eyes on the handkerchief.