Just Jen

Tied up for the 4th

Last year for Jack's first 4th of July, I made him this potato stamped onesie. This year I decided I'd make him one of those cute necktie applique shirts that are all over Etsy right now. I had gotten this stars and stripes fabric in the bundle I got back at Mother's Day. When I first saw it, I didn't know if I would ever use it, so I was glad to find a good project to use it on! It's definitely vintage, which makes me happy. This was a fairly easy project - I had a few hiccups with my sewing machine along the way, but nothing I couldn't work through. 
I snapped this quick pic of Jack in his new shirt. I didn't like the seeing my cluttered craft room in the background, so I changed it out to something more festive. :) 

Here's how to make the shirt:

First gather your supplies - t-shirt, fabric, scissors and an iron-on adhesive such as Heat-n-Bond Lite.
Cut the two shapes for the tie out of card stock. Trace the shapes onto the paper side of the Heat-n-Bond. Then iron the Heat-n-Bond to the wrong side of your fabric following the directions on the package. A little note on the Heat-n-Bond - If you plan to sew around the edges of the fabric to finish it as I have done here, you definitely want to use "Lite". It will work much better with your sewing machine. For a no-sew option, use "UltraHold". With UltraHold, once you iron on your design, it should hold without sewing around the edges (I've never tried it though, so you may want to do a test piece first.)

Once you've attached the Heat-n-Bond, cut out your shapes and peel off the backing. 
Iron the shapes to the shirt according to the directions. Next you'll need to finish the edges with stitching (if using Lite). I chose to zig zag around the edges with my machine, but you can do it by hand if you prefer. A word to the wise: don't forget to open up the shirt as you sew so you don't catch the back side in your stitches. Yes - I made this mistake and almost sewed the entire front to the back! What can I say? I had a 17 month old hanging on my leg, so I was a little distracted. I finally managed to sew around all the edges correctly and DONE! I thought this was a really fun, quick project.

   

Silhouettes

Today while Jack was napping, I sat down at the computer and finally knocked out something on my to-do list: make his silhouette. A real proper hand-it-down-to-the-grandkids-someday silhouette. Not that I am at all an expert at this. Ever seen those people that can capture your child's best features in a matter of seconds using scissors and a small piece of paper? Not me. Took me more than an hour in photoshop tweaking those curls - which leads me to the very reason I felt the urgency to finish this project sooner than later. Those curls.  See what I mean? They're so perfect I can hardly stand it. And since they're starting to reach the mullet stage, I can see that first haircut looming on the horizon. I will cry shamelessly as those precious curls fall to the floor, I can promise you.  I managed to snap this pic of his profile with my phone while he was playing outside the other day, so I opened it in Photoshop and traced around it. Then I took it into Illustrator to draw the frame and add the color and patterns. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet, but I am thinking I'll blow it up big - maybe on a canvas or in a frame. That'll have to be a project for another sleepy Sunday, though since Mr. Jack just woke up from his nap.

 

Momma Jen Recommends

Baby gear can be very overwhelming and can completely take over your house and car if you're not really discerning about what you actually need and what you (and baby) can live without. There are some really great things that I have found to be very useful for us and totally worth buying, so I'll share them here from time to time.

 

The first is this travel high chair by Fisher Price. It's called the Healthy Care Deluxe Booster Seat, and you can get it here. We take it with us whenever we are eating out at a restaurant or at someone else's house. It's compact, lightweight and fits in any regular chair. I love that I can put Jack's food on the tray instead of the table, and he doesn't have to sit in a germy restaurant high chair. It was especially great when he was too big for his carrier, but he really didn't fit in the restaurant high chairs yet. He is totally strapped in and secure, and I can enjoy my dinner without having to wrestle with a squirming baby. It's also adjustable, so he's going to be able to use it for a long time. My mom even got one to keep at her house in lieu of buying a regular high chair. I've found it's best to just leave it in the car so you have it whenever you need it. Best of all, it's given us the freedom to have a nice relaxing dinner out as a family!

 

Hats Off!

Isn't this Coach hat adorable? I love the knit heart and the skull and crossbones pin. Makes my super secret inner rock star (Yep - I've got one of those. I've also got a super skinny flawless skin girl that's even more elusive) want to come out for a day. But since the price = 753 diapers, I'll just have to continue to admire it from here.  

 

Hold Your Applause...

I just love when I get to see the creative things people do with our pots! My friend Shannon ordered this name pot for a wedding gift and then filled it with all kinds of goodies for the bride and groom. She said it got a round of applause at the shower! Now, I'd say that's a successful gift!

 
 
 

 

It's HOT.

Really, really hot already - and it's only June. I've got a long Texas summer ahead of me, so I'm always on the lookout for ways to beat the heat. This is one of my favorites - Metromint water. It's just plain water with a hint of mint, and totally refreshing (it's best when it's ice cold). Don't be scared of the chocolatemint - it is good! My favorite though is plain old peppermint. I've found it at Market Street, and I would be willing to bet that Central Market and Whole Foods carry it as well.

Tomorrow's forecast: Sunny and 96˚

No sweat.

 

Map It Out

I often dream of traveling the world, but for now it looks like my feet are planted firmly on Texas soil. This map, available at You and Me the Royal We, is perfect for the adventurer (or the dreamer, like me) whose goal is "total global domination." This hand drawn map comes with black pins to mark the places you've been, one red pin for home base and a blue pin to mark your next destination.  So fun!

I am also loving this paper cut by Famille Summerbelle. It was cut by hand from a single piece of paper. The detail is just amazing. You can pick up a print in her online shop and check out all of her other amazing paper cuts here. 

This is a craft I've been wanting to try out, so I'll definitely be on the hunt for a good how-to book!

    

I want one. Now.

 

I love the projects that are featured on the Purl Bee, and this one is no exception! This little tool is something I would have probably passed right over in the crafts store, not realizing its potential. How great are these flowers? Check out the how-to here. 

  

Fabric Tape Tutorial

This week I came across a great tutorial for making fabric tape and stickers on Natalie Jost's blog. I've seen this done before, but never this easy - can't wait to try it!

 

Estate Sale Treasures

I don't often get to shop estate sales, and when I do I usually don't find anything that good - or the really good things I do find I just can't afford. The last thing I think I got at an estate sale (for free!) was an iron stair railing that is currently serving as a trellis for my climbing roses. Well, my luck changed one day last month when I was in town with Jack visiting my folks. There was an estate sale in the house of one of my grandparents' good friends, which makes these particular finds even more special. I like to picture my grandmother, Gogie sipping coffee and playing bridge while using one of these beautiful napkins. I especially love the hand stitched table cloth and matching hankies. And I got it all for less than $20. The linens are a little stained, but otherwise in great condition. 

 I also picked up these books for Jack. I especially couldn't resist "Little Jack Horner".  
Bret happened to be at a different sale later on and picked up these fabrics for me for my Mother's Day present. I thought it was awfully sweet of him to stand there with his manly reputation at risk and sift through this woman's stash. He must really love me.

He ended up with these gems. SO charming.
Here's a better look at a few of my favorites.