Katie's Preschool Halloween Carnival

Face Painting

Fishing for a prize!

These are most of the kiddies in her class and the teacher's here too.

Gotta have a weenie roast!

And this is it!  The outfit I made out of the apple fabric I've been sitting on for no good reason.

I did ruffle pants and a top that says her preschool's name with a scissors applique.

She has already worn her Halloween themed outfits all week and still needs to wear it one more day...so thought this would work.

She's on a mini hay ride - wagons with hay in them - cute!

 

Here she is with her fave teacher!  She is the best!

Waiting in line for a game with her best buds...

It's tough being four years old.

Homemade Cuteness -Zebras and Giraffes Plush Creations

Zebras and giraffes, oh my!

(Click on pics to enlarge)

My two girls last year decided to be these cute little zoo animals.

My oldest daughter thought of the idea when she saw the soft, plush fabric at the fabric store.
I couldn't wait to turn her ideas into animals in my sewing studio!!!

The pattern is a mixture of made-up and boutique.

I used the Children's Corner pattern for the vest (I think it's the Charlotte),

a commercial pants pattern, and copied the hoods off of a jacket they have.

I made ears and stuffed them with batting.

They loved wearing them. 

I couldn't resist making a ruffle at the bottom of these pants.

I figured she could wear them for other times with a little sweater!

The tail almost gets lost in this pic!  But it's hanging there.

 

 

At the trick-or-treat hot dog party...

Some of the neighborhood trick-or-treat gang...

This year my 8 yr old will be store-bought Hannah Montana (it's what she wanted) and my 4 yr old will be her sister's homemade costume I made a few years ago - a cute little plush pink kitty cat!  I will post those pics tomorrow or Sunday.

Hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween with lots of smiles and good times!

Linking with:

The Thrifty Home

A Coconut Adventure

When the pumpkin carving is over...

Open a COCONUT!

 (The topic of FAMILY FUN...

 a blog hop by Mr. MckLinky.)

My dad opened lots of  'em during his tours in Vietnam while serving in the military.

He also enjoyed opening coconuts with us for a family project at home.

My brother and I took delight in getting shown how it was done.  We liked eating it too.

We figured it would be fun to do with my little girls.

We got out all the necessary tools:

a hammer

a towel

a nail

and a jar to catch the coconut milk

I have this all on video but  it's too time consuming to view!

I won't go over each of the steps but you can read how at How To Open A Coconut

The girls did taste the coconut milk as it was poured out of its shell.

They were not so sure about it's clear color and weak taste.

But at least they tried it.

They ate the meat and enjoyed that.

So did I.  Reminded me of sitting on a tropical island, sipping a pina colada.

I'd say that was a worthwhile little adventure we took right on my dad's front porch!

You should try it!

Now you may be wondering, is a coconut a fruit or a nut???

That is the question for which I do not have the answer.

I am going to attempt making homemade antiperspirant with coconut oil as one of the ingredients.
Wish me luck!

Sewing Pattern Review for Burda Peasant Top

I am loving this little pumpkin top I just made for my 4 yr old daughter.

(The dark spot on the pumpkin is where the adhesive spray has not yet dried!)

I used a Burda pattern I had which was really for sizes 8 and up. But I tried to improvise and cut it down to a 6. It ended up a little short. I can always add a ruffle to the bottom, which I may do in the end.

Would I make this again?

Not in a rigged size 6. If any of you know of a simple peasant top pattern for girls smaller than a size 8, please let me know. I had to rig a couple of seams because they didn't quite match. This pattern is normally super easy if you follow the right sizes!

Was I happy with the fabric I chose?

Absolutely. This is the softest cotton gingham which my daughter just loves! I always wanted something in the brown gingham anyway for her.

Was I happy with the applique choice, fabrics, colors and all?

Yes! I love the raggy pumpkin applique from Embroidery Boutique. Although it would be cute in any color, I was glad I went with a yellow leaf, orange fabric and brown for the stitching. After I struggled with the pattern coming together after I re-sized it, I was sweating bullets putting that app. on.  If it messed up the finished blouse I would cry!

I would love to know what you all think of it.  And do you know of any other patterns that would start out the right size, say sizes 2-6?

My 1 yr. old doing "crazy eyes"

In order to participate in a blog party I am posting this little clip of when my daughter was one and could do "funny eyes" or "crazy eyes" on command.
Who's having this blog hop McLinky party?  It's Hillary from The Other Mama.   The theme is Crazy Carnival.  There are already some crazy posts on there so you should check it out. Join in with your own crazy topic.
Sorry about the dirty nose on my little girl's face!  Guess it was too hard to wipe and video at the same time...
I know it looks like a blank screen at first.  My video editing skills are not yet developed.  It will turn into something in a second.



Hope this brought a smile to your face while you enjoyed a silly moment in our personal lives when our daughter was just one year old.  She is now four years old. We still laugh and talk about it. Do you have any crazy video you want to share? 

New items at Sara Says!

We just got in several new items. We have Christmas coats, smocked bishop dresses, winter smocked all occasion dresses, Christmas longalls for boys, Christmas bubbles for boys, all seasons A-line dresses, and a cute new turkey applique t-shirt for girls in pink and green colors.