Gifts for a Baby Shower... and my niece's birthday!

So, I'm supposed to be attending my cousin's baby shower today... but, my little boy is sick. :( So, I'm sending my gifts with my mom, and I hope she takes good pics of my cousin and his wife opening their gifts! My cousins and their family are majorly into the "surprise factor" with everything... so it comes as no surprise that they won't tell us the sex of the baby until the day of the shower. I'm gonna have my mom text me "boy" or "girl" today! Hee hee!

While browsing my cousin's baby registry lists, I saw that they were doing a "hippo" theme in greens, yellows, and browns for the baby's crib and room. I saw this fabric (Zoo Menagerie by Eleanor Grosch) and thought it would be similar to what they were registered for, but still different. When I got the fabric in the mail, I realized that the "hippos" were actually rhinos. Oops! Oh, well! It is still super cute fabric! So, I quickly made up a simple patchwork/checkerboard quilt with 5" squares, alternating with white.

I did my usual stipple using a pale yellow thread. It's kinda hard to tell unless you look really close.

I found some lovely Riley Blake dots in yellow and green on a white background for the back, and added a little strip of more squares. Hmm... I believe my strip of squares is actually straight! I can't believe it! :)

I used some Mingle fabric in brown for the binding, and added my tags. Usually, I have a tag that reads, "Handmade with love by Mama Mel", but since my cousin's wife also goes by "Mel", I thought that might be confusing. So, I specified "Cousin" Mel. :)

I also whipped up some quick baby burp cloths using leftover pieces of fabric and some new cloth diapers. ;)

Of course, I had to make a sock hippo. I think he's looking rather "horsey", but I added teeth (post photo shoot). I also put in a onesie of their choice... depending on whether it's a boy or girl. I put a necklace onesie in a pink bag, and a tie onesie in a blue bag. I kinda think they're having a boy, but my husband thinks they're having a girl. I can't wait to find out!

Oh, and here's a pic of the sock giraffe (with a crooked neck... oops) that I made for my niece's birthday. She had her giraffe themed party at the zoo and we got to feed the giraffes! It was very cool!

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

Gifts for a Baby Shower... and my niece's birthday!

Turkey, anyone?

I listed this cute turkey in my Etsy shop recently! Check it out if you want one... or more. Unfortunately, these turkeys aren't stuffed with Stouffer's stuffing. ;) But, they are filled with lots of love!

Turkey, anyone?

My Newest Sock Animal Creation!

I had a friend request a sock hippo, and although I've never made one before, I thought it should be relatively easy. So here he is! I will be making more like him soon, and selling them in my Etsy shop. What do you think? :)

My Newest Sock Animal Creation!

Giveaway!

Hi, everyone! I am hosting a giveaway on Krimsin's blog! Do you want to give this sweet little monkey a home? :) Check out Krimsin's giveaway blog here to enter for your chance to win! You can also check out her other giveaways while you're there! Good luck!

Giveaway!

Heaven... I'm in Heaven...

Attention everyone! I am SOOO excited!!! I just have to tell all my bloggy friends what I'm excited about! :) At the end of July, I stumbled upon this awesome blog, called Craft Hope. If you've never heard of it, you have to check out their site! I think what they are doing is so great! Every month or so, they have a new craft project, and a group of people make some lovely handmade crafts to share with others less fortunate. They've made dresses out of pillowcases for orphaned children in Brazil and Mexico, dolls for orphaned children in Nicaragua, and blankets, booties and beanies for orphaned newborns in India. By the time I found out about this awesome website and this amazing group of people, I was too late to enter into the 3rd project. Now, the 4th project is here, and due in September... and guess what the project is..? It is something so perfect for me... hence my extreme excitement!!! :)

SOCK MONKEYS! 

OMG! When I saw the project, I almost screamed (but couldn't since my son was napping)! I was jumping up and down all over the house, with a big smile on my face, and laughing on the inside! My heart is so happy! :) I am SO excited to do this project, and it couldn't come at a better time! I was just about to start making a whole bunch of monkeys so I could start up an Etsy store, but I would much rather make a whole bunch of monkeys for these children! The monkeys will be going to burn victim children in California. If you would like to get involved in this amazing project, check out Craft Hope's blog, and join in the fun! :) I might try to post a sock monkey tutorial if anyone is interested in helping out! 

Thanks for sharing in my excitement! :) Now, I'm off to make monkeys... 

By the way... the sock monkey pictured above is on his way to his new home with April! :)

Heaven... I'm in Heaven...

And the Winner is....

Thank you all for participating in my first giveaway! It was so much fun to read all your comments about why you should adopt Mr. Monkey! I wish I could send him home with all of you! Next time I'll have to make more monkeys and have more winners! :) So, I won't stall any longer... I used Random.org, and the lucky winner of Mr. Monkey and the $10 Target giftcard is... #26, April! :) Here's what April said: "Congrats on your 100th post!!! I would like to adopt him for my boys, they LOVE LOVE LOVE monkeys!!!"  Well, I feel very good that Mr. Monkey is going to a great home where he'll be very loved! :) Check out April's lovely blogs sometime... She has three! Mama Must Haves, Mama Loves Food, and April's Little Family. 

Have a great day, everyone! 

And the Winner is....

My 100th Post Giveaway--last day to enter!

Hey, everyone! Just a reminder to enter my first giveaway. I will be selecting the winner tomorrow morning (August 3rd) via Random.org. Please make sure you visit my 100th post giveaway here to enter before midnight tonight. If you are following me, or have done any of the "extra credit" options, make sure you place a comment about it for an extra entry!

Thanks! :) 

My 100th Post Giveaway--last day to enter!

Quadropus

I found this idea in my Family Fun magazine, and I thought it was so cute, I had to try to make one for my son! :) If you have an extra knit glove that is missing its partner, this is a good way to use it, instead of tossing it. Otherwise, you can make a bunch of Quadropus' by using a lot of cheap knit gloves. The gloves can sometimes be found on clearance in the spring or summer. They are easy to make and are a great addition to your kids' animal collection! :) I did mine a little different than the directions in Family Fun, but it still turned out okay. 

Here's the backside with the "tentacles". 

What you'll need:

1 knit glove

Needle and thread, and/or hot glue gun

Dry rice

Stuffing (I had Poly-Fil on hand)

Buttons

Felt or scrap fabric

What to do: 

First, tuck the thumb inside the glove and use a needle and thread to sew it shut. Fill the glove fingers (tentacles) with dry rice, and the palm (body) with stuffing, then tuck the cuff inside.

Stitch all along the cuff's edge, then pull the thread tightly to close the top. Knot the thread.

At the base of the quadropus, where the glove's fingers attach to the palm, pinch the sides together, and sew a few stitches to hold them (See back side of quadropus). This will help make the body rounder.

To make the tentacles, attach buttons to the undersides of the four fingers by sewing or using a hot glue gun. Sew or hot-glue on button eyes and a felt/fabric mouth. You can add extras, such as a hat or scarf by using pom-poms, felt, or fabric. I just kept my simple. :)

Have fun!

Quadropus

Celebrating My 100th Post With a Giveaway!

It's official! Today is my 100th blog post! Mama Mel Loves... has been around since April and I've already posted 100 times! I can't believe that happened so fast! I love blogging about all of my crazy ideas, but most of all, I love meeting some really amazing new people through my blog and through visiting other blogs! The blog world is so awesome! :) 

So, to celebrate I'm having my first giveaway! Since I've never done this before, I thought I'd start simple by giving away a sock monkey in a cute argyle "sweater", handmade by yours truly... along with a $10 Target giftcard! 

So, here's what you have to do:

1. Comment on this post and tell me why you would like to adopt Mr. Monkey. :)

For Extra Credit you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra thing you do:

2. Follow me

3. Subscribe via Email

4. Follow me on Facebook and tell your Facebook friends about this giveaway

5. Follow me on Twitter and Tweet about this giveaway with a link to this post

6. Post this giveaway on your blog with a link to this post

Each extra credit item gives you an extra entry into the giveaway. But, be sure to place a comment about each extra thing you do. Also, please leave your email address in at least one of your comments so I can get in touch with you if you happen to be the lucky winner! :) I will be choosing the winner on Monday, August 3rd, using Random.org. 

Good luck! :)

Celebrating My 100th Post With a Giveaway!

Sock Penguin

Can you believe it?! I think I'm going crazy making all these sock toys for my son... But, I just can't seem to help it... I get these ideas in my head and I think, "Oooh! I can make this animal next!" So, here's my newest animal... Sock penguin. I didn't use a book or a pattern or anything. Just my silly imaginative brain... And, the good news about the penguin is that he only required one sock! However, I did use some pieces of felt for his tummy, beak and feet, and the fish... I am trying to make these animals look a little bit less pathetic, but I am still new at this, so I'm sure they will get better in time. :) 

So, it seems that penguins are my son's favorite animal thus far... Here's how it happened: I was at the store with my mom one day when my son was about 6 months old, and there was a display of all these cute little stuffed animals, Webkinz I think. I thought he might like the polar bear or the rooster, but he was very interested in the penguin, probably since it was black and white. So, I bought the penguin for him. Now he can't sleep without it. It's his "security blanket". So, in case something happens to that penguin, I bought another one that I keep in a drawer, so hopefully he'll never be without his favorite penguin. Anyways, I thought I'd make him a special penguin too. He doesn't like the sock penguin nearly as much as the store-bought one, but he still plays with it a little bit... It was my husband's idea to add the fish. He always has an opinion on anything I make. :) I think it's cute that he wants to be involved. 

Anyways, enjoy! 

Sock Penguin

Sock Mouse

See what happens when you give a girl an idea? I am going crazy with different sock animal ideas over here! In case you missed my previous post about Sock Animals... I have this book that is giving me ideas for all kinds of handmade, stuffed animals using socks or gloves. The idea for the mouse in the book used a grey mitten... the kind with the string attaching both mitten hands. So, they used one mitten and the string for the tail. I don't have a grey mitten, and I know I am certainly not going to find one anytime soon in AZ! So, I used a grey sock, some black fabric for the nose, pink fabric for the ears, and a hairband for the tail. Then, obviously black buttons for the eyes, and some white whiskers using thread...

Better view of the hairband tail...

My husband wanted it to be a mouse, but with fleas... as if it was carrying the bubonic plague! I told him that rats were the ones that spread it to humans... but, oh well! It's a mouse with fleas. I just made some black thread knots for the fleas... 

The cat approved of my design...

Sock Mouse

Sock Animals

So, my husband got me some gift cards to Michael's and JoAnn's, and I was so excited to use them up! We went to both stores and browsed... well, I browsed while my husband entertained our son. Let me tell you, I can go crazy in any craft store! There are so many ideas running through my head! "Oooh! I can make this... I can use this for such and such..." My brain was hurting by the end of the "shopping spree". Anyways, I found this Sock and Glove book by Miyako Kanamori at Michael's, and I thought it was so cute! There are some great ideas on how to make your own stuffed animals out of socks and knit gloves! Obviously, everyone has seen a sock monkey before, but I thought all the other animals were super cute too! I was so excited to try to make my own sock animals! Here's what I came up with so far....

I made a sock dog, monkey, elephant and cat. They aren't the prettiest sock animals. In fact, they may even look pathetic. But I was happy with them, for my first try! It didn't take me very long to make these. I would work on them during my son's naps, or at night when he was sleeping, and throughout the day if I wasn't busy with something else. All were hand-stitched. I probably could've used the machine for some of the stitching, but I was more comfortable just hand-stitching this time. The sock dog was my first. I made him using toddler sized socks. I'll probably make a bigger dog later on. The monkey and the elephant were made using some women's knee-high socks, and the cat was made from women's trouser socks. My son thinks the cat is a mouse... I guess the ears were a little too rounded. I even added "claws", and he still makes his sign for "mouse" when he sees it! Oh well! I am going to buy more socks and gloves so I can make some more animals! 

Tell me what you think of these... and be honest! If I get better at making them, I am thinking of selling them. Would you buy one? 

Sock Animals