Wedding gift - Name & Est. plaque

One of my favorites gifts to give friends who are getting married is a wooden plaque with their names and established date...you know, you've seen them, they're very popular.  And easy peasy to make too.  I buy pine boards in long lengths, cut them into the sizes I want (why yes, I am perfectly comfortable wielding a circular saw), and sand them down nice and smooth.

Then I paint them, generally with acrylic craft paint or sometimes with spray paint.  I always check out the couple's registry to choose a color that will go with the linens and towels, etc., that they have picked out.
The couple that is getting married tomorrow registered for brown kitchen towels and bedding, so I chose a nice warm brown color (believe it or not, that IS brown...forgive my once-nice-five-year-old camera).

Next, I design and cut out vinyl on my beloved Cricut Expression (thank you husband and parents).

Then I apply the vinyl, and Ta-Da!  Finished.  And I'm usually always VERY pleased with it!  :)

Here's a couple more I've made in recent years:

Minnie Mouse ears for baby tutorial

My daughter has this darling red polka dot dress we bought for her the day we found out she was a girl.  So, with that in mind, we decided she would be Minnie Mouse for Halloween.  But, she'll be 8 months old at Halloween, and there is no way on Earth she would keep a regular headband on.  So I decided to make a baby-friendly version of Minnie Mouse ears.

First of all, if you are interested, here is the link to the pattern I made.  (If the image of the file doesn't come up, don't worry, just click download in the upper left corner.)

Okay, so here we go!  You need:
- Black felt
- 1/2" black foldover elastic (I get mine from this Etsy shop)
- Batting
- Fabric for the bow
- Sewing machine
- Hot glue gun

Cut out the pattern pieces out of black felt (To save time, I cut out two, then pin those to the felt and cut out another set, so they are already pinned together, ready to be sewn.)

Then sew around curving edges, using a small seam allowance (less than 1/4").  Leave the straight edges open.

Next, clip pies out of the seam so they will lay flat when they are turned inside out.  (Do this oh-so-carefully, or you might clip the seam and have to go back and reinforce it like I did!)

Turn the ears inside out, making sure all the edges pressed out.  Now time to stuff it!  Take the cardboard inserts, and bend it gently to slide it in.

Then take the batting.  I tore mine in half (in terms of thickness), and slid a piece on either side of the cardboard.

And then stitch 'er closed along the straight edge, where the flap begins from the circle (hopefully that makes sense!)

Now, time for the bow.  I used about a 4X8" rectangle.  Fold in half width-wise, right sides together, to make a square.  Stitch around, using about a 1/4" seam, and leaving about in inch open.

Turn the bow inside out through the open hole, then topstitch on that end (and the other one so it matches) to close up the seam.

Then fold the bow like an accordian, and put a sew stitches through the middle (I did this by hand, but it could be done by machine also).

Next, take a strip of matching fabric (mine was 2X3"), and fold in half length-wise, right sides together, to make a long 1X3" rectangle.  Sew along the long 3" edge, using about 1/4" seam, to make a tube.

Turn inside out, and top stitch down each long edge.  Set aside.
Now, grab your foldover elastic.  Measure your baby's head for how you want it to fit, and add 1/2" to that.  My baby needed 16.5" of elastic.  Cut your elastic accordingly, and overlap about a 1/4" to a 1/2" and sew straight across.  (Make sure you haven't twisted the elastic!)

Now, heat up your glue gun.  I didn't take any pictures of the glueing process, so read through this carefully before beginning.  (If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at diykindagirl@hotmail.com) I cut a small rectangle of felt and folded it over the seam and glued it into place, both so the seam wouldn't show at all (even though you'll be putting the bow there) and so it wouldn't irritate my daughter's head.  Then take the ears, and fold the flaps out flat.  Put a line of glue right down the middle where the seam is.  Line up the edge of one flap with the back edge of the foldover elastic and glue down.  Repeat with other ear.  Next, take the bow and the matching tube.  Line the short edge of the tube up with the back edge of the middle of the accordian you stitched into place.  Glue.  Then wrap the tube around the middle of the bow tightly, gluing as you go, again where you put the stitches, until it overlaps with the edge of the tube you already glued down.  Trim, then glue down.  Take the finished bow and glue it between the ears, lining it up with the front edge of the felt square that is covering the seam in the elastic.

Find a cute baby to put it on!

Coincidently, it's actually Disney week over at Someday Crafts.  They have lots of other Disney related tutorials up right now, so take a look if you are interested.

Stay tuned for my son's Yoda costume!