Candy Corn Crossing

I am a little obsessed with Fall. And candy corn. I had so much fun creating this sign out of old wood and a little paint. I'm considering putting "Candy Cane Crossing" on the back! Wouldn't that be adorable?

Crayon Making - Recycle Those Broken Crayons

I work at a preschool, and we use crayons on a daily basis. Therefore, we end up with a ton of broken, or too short crayons, which is perfect for this project. I, however, went a bit crazy, and after I used up all of our nubby crayons, I went to the dollar store and bought a few more boxes. I thought it would be a fun Valentines gift for the preschool kids to have multicolored crayons in fun shapes. 

The most difficult part of this project is peeling the crayons. I ended up using an old kitchen knife to score the crayon wrapper, then it practically came off on its own. If you try it, just be sure to lay the crayon flat on the table, and pinch it with your thumb and index finger. Then gently slide the knife from tip to tip over the wrapper. It's definitely fine if you slice a little into the crayon, because you are going to break them up anyways.  

I found the silicone molds at a store in the mall called Kitchen Collection. They had several different shapes, and each one was only two dollars. You can end up making five to eight crayons at a time, rather than two in the Crayola Melt'n Mold Factory (Which retails for around $40 or $50). 

I used my toaster oven to melt the crayons, because I wanted to keep a close eye on them, and I also didn't want to heat up my regular oven. I have a cookie sheet that fits my toaster oven, and I placed the silicone tray on that, so it was easier to pick up when the crayons were hot. 

Here is how I did it:

1. Choose your colors, and peel several crayons.
2. Break the crayons, or cut them up, and fill the silicone mold. Larger pieces take a little longer to melt, but tiny ones melt too quickly, and run together.
3. Place tray on a cookie sheet, and heat in a 325 degree oven for approx. 10-15 minutes. 
4. Keep an eye on the melting crayons, because you don't want the colors to mix and become a yucky gray color. Remove them from the oven when you no longer see any solid crayon pieces. 
5. Allow to cool. I usually sit them on the counter for a bit, and then move them to the fridge for ten to twenty minutes. 
6. Once they're solid again, they should just pop right out of the mold.

The Pillow Case Dress

Probably one of the easiest projects for a beginner. You can use an actual pillow case, or two coordinating fabrics. I really wanted to use the circle appliques and buttons to match my multicolored fabric (bottom strip), so I paired it with this orange fabric cut from an old bed sheet. Poor Macy was teething, but she still let me dress her up and take pictures.

This is the tutorial I used:

Pillow Case Dress Tutorial

Ashley does a great job of explaining and taking pictures along the way. Plus she has an adorable model showing off the finished project! So cute.

The Bed Skirt Skirt and the Valance Skirt

The Bed Skirt Skirt:

No, I am not stuttering! I just don't know what else to call it. I made a skirt from a thrift store bed skirt. Not a fan of the name "dust ruffle". Since I am just cutting my teeth on this sewing adventure, I thought I would start with simple projects... (you know, where most of the sewing is already done for me). I think it came out pretty cute, but it has issues. The first issue is that my daughter must have gotten bigger in the day it took me to finish it, because I did the whole "measure twice-cut once" thing. (Okay, so maybe she didn't get bigger, but that is my excuse.) I tried to put in an invisible zipper, and I even watched three different tutorials on You Tube, but my zipper is kinda sorta visible. For the most part though, I am pretty happy with the results. Bed skirts have a ton of fabric, so you get a lot of bang for your buck (or fifty cents). Got that tip from my Aunt Patty.

The Valance Skirt:

This started out as a thrift store valance. I love gingham! I added a little peek-a-boo ruffle underneath using a bed skirt (I also found at the thrift store). It was very simple, because I just threaded the elastic through the slot that was sewn for the curtain rod. To me it still has the look of a curtain, but I think Macy can make any outfit seem haute couture! Yes, I do wear mom goggles.