MICKEY MOUSE PINATA

While planning my son's 3rd birthday party this year, I decided that I was going to get crafty and make most of the decorations.  A few months ago, I came across several posts online about homemade Mickey piñatas. So I figured that I would try my hand at making one (of course I had Party City on speed dial in case it turned into a disaster).



The piñata turned out really cute and I got so many compliments on it.  It was pretty easy to make but did take a little while to make. One negative thing about making a homemade piñata? Once you finish it, you find it very difficult to accept the fact that eventually a bunch of 3 year olds will be destroying all your hard work.

Here's what you need to make your own Mickey Mouse piñata:

*large cardboard box
*sharpie
*scissors
*packing tape
*black crepe paper
*Hot Glue
*Ribbon
The first thing I did was decided how big I wanted my piñata to be. To make things more simple, I decided that I would only have the "head" of the piñata open for candy and the "ears" would be closed off.  This is a good idea to prevent candy from getting stuck inside the ears and not falling out.  Once I decided on how big of a piñata I wanted, I drew a large Mickey head onto one piece of the cardboard and cut it out. This is what I ended up with:

After I had a Mickey head cut out, I traced it onto another piece of cardboard so that I would end up with two identical Mickey heads.  Next you want to cut out several strips of cardboard (about 4 inches wide).  Using packing tape, secure one of the strips along the edge of one of the Mickey heads. When you reach the bottom of the Mickey head, cut a "door" flap into the strip and continue to secure. (see below)

Continue adding and taping strips all the way around the Mickey head. Next do the same for each of the ears.  The picture below shows what it should look like once you get the sides done for just the head.







Once you have the side strips secured around the whole head and ears, it's time to add the top Mickey head cut out (or front of the piñata).  Secure all the way around so your piñata is firmly held together. This is what it should look like:

So far pretty simple, right? Now it's time to add the crepe paper.  Using a hot glue gun and starting at the inner corner of the ear, add some hot glue and attach the end of the crepe paper. (We are working on the sides first then we will do the back and front of the piñata.)  Cover the sides all the way around the piñata, Using 3 strips of crepe paper, doing each edge of the sides and then running a strip of crepe paper down the middle of the side. Once the sides are done, it's time to add crepe paper to the front of the piñata starting with the ears.  Using hot glue again, attach the crepe paper around the ear, working from the outer edge inward to the center.  Crepe paper strips should overlap a little so that you do not see the cardboard at all. Do both ears first and then use the same process for the head.  Repeat the steps to cover the back. When you are finished you should not see any cardboard or tape.

I added pull strings (very important in case the little ones can't crack open the piñata), by cutting several pieces of curly ribbon and tying them together. Poke a small hole in the "door flap" and feed the ribbon through. I secured the strings even more by adding some hot glue to the ribbon on the inside.  I also poked a hole in the top of the piñata (between the ears) and fed a stronger ribbon through and secured it from the inside. This will be where you hang it from.

And that's it!! All you have to do now is add the candy and toys!  Once the piñata is filled with goodies, close the door flap and I secured with packing tape and hot glue. Then to make it look pretty, I covered the door with more crepe paper so no one could see it.

It turned out so cute, and I was super proud of all my work! It just goes to show that even with an extremely energetic and attention needy 3 year old, you can still get some things accomplished!





FLANNEL BURP CLOTH

Now that I make my own baby bibs and burp cloths, I like to have matching sets. (Yes I'm one of those people) Not only does it look cute but having matching sets make for great baby shower gifts! So when I make a bib, I make the matching burp cloth to go with it. The process for making a burp cloth is basically the same as the bibs which is why I'll be repeating some of the same steps.

What You Need:
*Flannel - 1/2 yard of print flannel & 1/2 yard of coordinating solid flannel (1/2 yard will be enough material for two bibs & a burp cloth)
*Straight pins
*Matching thread
*Sewing machine


Instructions:

***First, before you do anything, you must pre-wash your flannel fabric. Flannel shrinks ALOT and also frays when you first wash it. This is why you buy more than what you need. One way to avoid too much fraying is to wash the flannel on a gentle cycle and then dry on delicate. You will still see fraying but trust me this is minor compared to what I saw when I accidently washed it on regular settings!

Once your flannel has been washed and dried, iron your fabric so that there are no wrinkles and trim off the frayed pieces.  You should now have two nice ironed pieces of material ready to go.

For the pattern, I drew up mine and transfered it to a large piece of stiff felt. For easy cutting and to make sure that your burp cloth is symmetrical, I made the pattern for half and folded the fabric so that once the material was cut, you unfold it and have a perfectly symmetrical piece of material.



This is the pattern for half of the burp cloth. Place
the side marked "fold" on the folded edge of the
fabric.



Once you have both pieces of fabric cut out, pin them together with right sides facing each other.

Then sew around the perimeter of the burp cloth leaving an opening in the center of one side so that you are able to turn the material right side out.





Once you flip the material so that the right sides are facing out, fold and pin the bottom opening closed so that it "flows" with the seam around the rest of the burp cloth. Sew around the whole burp cloth, making sure that you sew close enough to the edge to catch the material where the opening was. This is where you want to have a matching thread color because this is the seam that you will see. I recommend using the same color as your solid fabric. The thread will be more noticeable on the solid than on the print fabric. The print distracts from thread.

The final step is to make a few 1/2 inch long stitches in the center of the burp cloth. These stitches keep the two layers of the burp cloth together to prevent a bag like appearance. For these stitches make sure you use a matching thread! Now you have a cute matching bib/burp cloth set.

*I will be posting the .pdf file of my patterns soon

FLANNEL BABY BIB

Baby bibs are one of the most important of all baby items, but just because it will inevitably be covered in food and spit up does not mean that they don't have to be as cute as the clothes they are protecting.  Bibs you purchase in the store are usually slightly expensive and plain, so why not make some yourself that are half as expensive and ten times as cute?

What You Need:
*Flannel - 1/2 yard of a print flannel and 1/2 yard of a coordinating solid color (1/2 will be enough for a two bibs & one burp cloth)
*Straight pins
*Matching thread
*Sewing machine
*Snaps

Instructions:
***First, before you do anything, you must pre-wash your flannel fabric. Flannel shrinks ALOT and also frays when you first wash it. This is why you buy more than what you need. One way to avoid too much fraying is to wash the flannel on a gentle cycle and then dry on delicate. You will still see fraying but trust me this is minor compared to what I saw when I accidently washed it on regular settings!

Once your flannel has been washed and dried, iron your fabric so that there are no wrinkles and trim off the frayed pieces.  You should now have two nice ironed pieces of material ready to go.

For the pattern, I drew up mine and transfered it to a large piece of stiff felt. For easy cutting and to make sure that your bib is symmetrical, I made the pattern for half and folded the fabric so that once the material was cut, you unfold it and have a perfectly symmetrical piece of material.

Once you have both pieces (print and solid flannel fabric) cut out, pin them right sides facing together.

Next, sew around the whole bib, leaving a small area in the bottom of the bib open so that you are able to flip the material right side out.

Once you flip the material so that the right sides are facing out, fold and pin the bottom opening closed so that it "flows" with the seam around the rest of the bib.

Sew around the whole bib, making sure that you sew close enough to the edge to catch the material where the opening was. This is where you want to have a matching thread color because this is the seam that you will see. I recommend using the same color as your solid fabric. The thread will be more noticeable on the solid than on the print fabric. The print distracts from thread. The picture below shows the approximate placement of how far from the edge the seam should be.

The final thing you need to do is attach the snap closure at the neck.  Using a snap attaching tool, attach them to the ends of the neck straps. This is the step where you could also attach velcro instead of the snaps. (I like the snaps because my son would always rip the bibs with velcro off and throw them food covered and all onto my floor.)



Now you have a super cute, absorbent bib that will get you a ton of compliments! This is what it should look like when finished!



BIRTHDAY BALLOON WREATH

In my house birthdays are treated the same as holidays...and while I may want to skip my "holiday" this year (when you're in late twenties, birthdays just aren't as fun), my son's birthday is a big celebration! I found this really cute idea for a decoration that I could display for the whole month. 

MATERIALS:
*Straw wreath (leave plastic wrapping on...it saves you from making a mess and helps the pins stay in place)
*Floral pins (several packs...you one for each balloon)
*Latex balloons (1"-2" balloons  You need A LOT. I used around 300)

INSTRUCTIONS:
Take one floral pin and one balloon, place pin across the center of balloon (don't put through balloon). Then stick pin into wreath, push in tight, The pin should make the balloon fold in half. Continue with the rest of the balloons, making sure you place them close together so there are not "bald" spots. 

The finished wreath should look full. I only applied balloons to the front and outer/inner sides of the wreath. The back of the wreath should be bare so it lies flat against the door.

The great thing about this wreath is that it can be made with multi-colored balloons for a birthday wreath. Or you can select just a few colors like powder blue and white for a baby shower. I am in love with this wreath!