SYTYC is over for me...Sad!

So, after a 5 week run, I got last place and was "voted off" last week. Sad! The 5th, 4th, and 3rd place people were only separated by 3 votes, but my time was up this round. I loved competing and will miss it, but it'll also be nice to just craft for fun instead of deadlines, etc, which turned out to be way more stressful for me than I thought it would! Anyway, here's what would have been my entry for the Kids Can Do week which is taking place right now -- go on over and vote for your fave! And now I present: Genesis' Swimsuit Cover-Up!

When I was 8 years old, I spent a summer with my grandma learning to sew. She was a fantastic seamstress and I loved spending time with her just to soak up all the knowledge she seemed to exude. My own daughter turns 8 this winter and so I decided it was high time for her to learn the basics, and what better opportunity than the Kids Can Do week at SYTYC! She's been wanting to make a swimsuit cover-up for herself and here it is!
She picked out the fabric and buttons and did about half the sewing (until Phineas & Ferb came on tv and I lost her completely). I made the design as easy as possible so she could follow my instructions:
The swimsuit cover is made of lightweight fleece to absorb the water but not be too hot, and it was perfect for her to sew because it doesn't fray like terry cloth or knit. The front is held closed by stick-on strips of Velcro so she didn't burn out on button holes on her first project. The three buttons that are across the top are functioning but since the fleece doesn't fray it didn't need a fussy buttonhole. Now she's desperate to get to the lake and try it out. And she's got a notebook full of sewing projects to try before school begins again!

Week 4 - Upcycle

My favorite part about summer is the colors. All the stores have bright displays out and I love to browse and see what the new color schemes are for housewares and fashion. My sister recently sent me a care package in which she included several fantastically bright placemats. And while I love how this yellow one looked on my table:

I decided I wanted to be able to enjoy it more than just at mealtimes so I made it into a summery bag!
I added a double-sided (for added stability) ribbon for the handles and mitred the corners so it will stand up on the table by itself. It's fully washable and dryable and stain-repellant because in real life it's still a placemat. It's just big enough for an on-the-go summer -- my wallet, keys, phone, and a granola bar for the kids. I could also toss in a magazine or novel for those long hours by the pool.
I love how it looks hanging on my kitchen chair and can't wait to give it a try!

I made it again ~Week 2~

Thanks to all who voted over at http://www.soyouthinkyourecrafty.com/! I made it through to Week three; the entries are up so come on over and vote!

Here's my entry for the Week 2 Make Believe:

My son's favorite person in the whole wide world is our mailman. He loves him so much that he waits at the window every day, rain or shine, for the mailman to come just so he can wave to him. I decided it was time for us to have a mailman outfit of our own: I found an old pair of navy pants at the thrift store, along with a blue broadcloth button-down shirt and a tiny navy blue beanie (we live in the cold most of the year and our mailman wears a ski cap). I printed out some post office insignia and a "letter carrier" name tag onto iron-on transfer sheets and sewed them on to the hat, the shirt and the bag. The bag was just a remnant of fabric I had around the house which I fashioned into a messenger bag and added the stars and stripes ribbon strip. And because the mailman needs letters to deliver, I made some felt postcards and envelopes to go in the bag. I used various ribbon strips for the addresses and return-addresses and cut hearts and diamonds for the stamps. Some of the envelopes open and close with velcro so he could write his own note and letters.When the outfit was done, my son ran out to show our mailman -- and was rewarded with a ride in the mail truck! Love that little Mailman!

SYTYC Auditions- I made it!

For those of you who hadn't guessed, the football buddies were mine! I made it through the first week of voting - thanks for all the votes, friends! Here's the entry as it appeared:Meet "Annie" and "Jake"! My husband is a huge San Francisco 49ers fan and our kids love screaming at the tv....er, I mean, watching the games....with him. I made these little friends to join the party! "Annie" loves to tail-gate so I made her a watermelon to share: And "Jake" is in his 49ers jammies with a blankie to cuddle with at bedtime. And because I love accessories (but hate picking them up all over the floor), I made his blankie "attachable" -- two loops for his arm to slide through.These two have become very well-loved friends around our house, especially during football season.
Now, if only the 49ers could get to the Superbowl!