birthday crown (and a winner!)

We had a big fourth birthday this weekend...

I have declared myself a certified lunatic. I was up at 10pm the night before Charlie's big birthday party, baking cupcakes and making a felt birthday crown. Then I promised myself that next year I won't freak out so much about children's birthday parties (yeah, right!).

I got the idea to make Charlie a crown from both my friend, Anna, who made a very cute crown for her younger son's first birthday and from my friend at Two Pockets who made an everyday crown for her daughter (check it out here!). I only wish that I had remembered that I wanted to make Charlie a crown before the eve of his party. But, you know what happens to me? I get an idea to make something, then I get obsessed and can't sleep until I execute it. I guess that makes me kind of a nut, but I've come to embrace this status.

At least I let my control monster go a little bit and turned over complete creative control of cupcake decoration to Charlie. They look pretty cute, huh? There was minimal candy licking, I promise.

Now for the moment you've been waiting for! Drum roll, please...

The winner of the headband giveaway is... Commenter #12 - Stacey (BergerandDeFries) who said: "I like the thickness of the elastic band, count me in!". Congratulations, Stacey! I'll get your headband to you tomorrow! (PS: My headbands were featured on Mother Lode in the Inspiration Files here. You should totally check out Camille's site. It is awesome! Thank you, Camille!)

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:12Powered by RANDOM.ORG

combatting the morning curlies

So, I have some hair issues. My main problem is the curly fly-away pieces that frame my face and how they forever resist any product or straightening device I apply to them. I've even gone as far to purchase a product called Sexy Straight Hair, and was mortified when a friend of mine saw it on my bathroom counter and made fun of me (apparently, he thought that my possession of this product seemed a bit out-of-character). Anyways, in an effort to control the seemingly uncontrollable mess that appears every morning after I roll out of bed, I used fabric scraps to make myself some stylish headbands.

(Just in case you've never tried this, I'll let you in on a little secret: it is actually quite difficult to photograph yourself wearing a headband!)

I made three headbands using six different fabrics. I'm sure you recognize some old favorites there: one from this apron, one from this pouch, one from this apron, and one from this clutch. Then there's that lovely Amy Butler Nigella fabric with the blue/brown print underneath. Luckily, I still have quite a bit of that Amy Butler fabric left!

Here they are on the flip side!

I used this tutorial to make them. The only modification I made was to trim about 1/4" off of each of the sides and use a 1/3" seam allowance. I had tried to make one according to the pattern, but it seemed too wide for my head and kind of winged off of the back. Basically, it looked funny. This new width was just perfect!

See... no winging action!

Plus, I made an extra brown/yellow band... TO GIVE AWAY! Yes, you read it correctly, I am giving this one away!

Wouldn't it just look so cute on you?

Here it is on the flip side - maybe sporting this band will bring back a little summer in Seattle?

If you would like to tame your fly-aways with this darling headband, all you have to do is:

1. Become a follower to my blog (if you aren't already, that is!).

2. Leave me a comment, because I just love those.

I'll choose a winner with the random number generator on Monday! Good luck!

happy headbands

I know a couple of cute little girls who need some of these fun reversible headbands!

When creating these little hair necessitites, I revisited some of my favorite fabrics - what a fantastic way to utilize some fabric scraps!

My friend over at Two Pockets was so sweet to send me this *handwritten!* tutorial in the mail after I inquired about the darling headbands she had made for her daughter and her daughter's friend. Not only did I love receiving this little surprise in the mail, but I also found her tutorial to be very well-written!

What excites me most about these headbands is that they are the perfect shape for a toddler's/preschooler's head - the band width in the middle is just right (if it was any wider, it would stick out like a little wing towards the back of the head).

So I made three for my lovely niece, Abby.

And three more for my little sweetie niece, Maddie.

I am lacking female models around here, but Charlie and his friend (also Charlie!) were each happy to sport a girlie headband in exchange for a piece of orange Pez.

Marcus let me put one on him, too - he just did it out of the goodness of his heart (or maybe because he isn't as bribery-savvy as his older brother). The fit is a little loose on him, but still stays put.

I plan on making headbands for myself using this tutorial - I believe the shape is perfect for my head, too. And, lately my hair has not been so perfect, especially on those hot days when I engage in hose battles with Charlie. I tell you, those little curly fly-away pieces of hair are not so cute once you hit your mid-thirties.

But, before I make any new hair accessories, I have a very exciting project to unveil to you! Stay tuned - it involves sewing CLOTHING (I am tentative, to say the least!).