Awesome photo edited birthday invitations

Phew, well a lot longer between posts that I had hoped for! I have been really busy around the house, and my famous sewing Aunt Kathy came for a visit. I learned a lot from her in one weekend. My next tutorial will be how to sew on a button on any machine without ANY special feet or settings, which I learned from her of course.

For now though I am so excited to show off this years photo edited birthday invitations for my boys. Every year I make our invitations and all but 2 have been photo edited with Corel. This years theme is Toy Story and we are having the party at a local bounce house which has a special "GLOW" party. Strobe lights, glow necklaces, and black lights will be sure to make the party a huge hit with our toddler crowd!

Finding the right picture that will not get pixilated is always tricky, but this my best picture yet! Logan loves it so much he slept with it, took it to daycare & still has it with him now. I guess I will have to get him a laminated copy. I am going to get a poster size print made in color for the party to add to the decor as well. Happy Birthday to my babies!



Fun & Fancy Fleece Blanket upgrades!

We all know how to make the "tied" fleece blankets. Don't get me wrong, they're great. However if you are a sewer, you can & want to do more! I am here to help open your eyes to cheap, fast, easy and FUN fleece blanket upgrades.

There are a lot of things you can do to turn these easy gifts into a really WOW gift. Try using your different stitch settings to jazz up a plain old two piece fleece blanket. Then take it one step further and use your pinking shears to create a fun decorated edge. I used black as my main thread & white in my bobbin. I wish I had swapped the 2 so the black thread had been on the white fabric & the white on the black. Give it a shot & let me know how it looks!

 

Or simply sew some ribbon on the top & bottom edges for a quick polished look.

 

Cut your fleece 1 inch bigger all around a scrap piece of matching fabric. Then fold the edges 1/2" over & sew all around. Really you can make this any size with any size "border" you want as long as the fleece & the fabric will sew together when you sew the edges. This creates a professional looking blanket in no time. To make the process even faster use a patterned fabric you can easily follow when turning the edges over to keep your fabric straight. I followed the polka dot line when I sewed this & it went really fast.

Cut out a cute appliqué from fleece & sew it on, adding polyfil behind the appliqué before you close it up. With a fast hand stitching of a name you have a super cute, personalized gift that is sure to become a treasured keepsake for years. If you can't make your own appliqué, just cut a cute pattern from some matching fabric & puff it up with polyfil. I went all out & made a matching stuffed pet to go with the blankie!

Fleece is a very forgiving fabric and easy to work with. Use your imagination! Every loves to cuddle up in a fleecy favorite of their own. So go wild creating your own styles and making unique gifts, I would love to hear your thoughts & ideas. I also love to add ribbon to my handmade gifts, I think it makes them look extra special!