DIY Drums

So for Kingsley's birthday I really wanted to make him these drums I saw on Pinterest.. Last Year! I know so pathetic.. I think I lost motivation since I was sick in my first trimester pregnant with Hudson, and as more time went on I sorta lost my vision of what style I wanted to go with them. Anyways luckily last second it all came together & I loved how they turned out. They were not that difficult once I set my mind to finishing them. I was actually over surprised and happy that Kingsley seemed to love them as much as I do :)

Kingsley just happened to be reading books in his teepee while I was getting shots of the drums. He loves his little reading nook.

Now I didn't take step by step photos of making the drums or anything but I figured I might as well include some instructions in case anyone was interested in making some.

You will need:

popcorn tins/hat box/oatmeal container

(or whatever you want to use for you drum)

leather or suede cord

(I got the white at Joannes and the mint on etsy)

leather for top & bottom of drums

(warning, this can be expensive so find a friend to go in on it with you!)

paint, or fabric depending on how you want to cover you drums

wood poles, ball knobs from craft store

fuzzy fabric

glue gun

scissors

leather punch

I used different materials on all the drums to have a variety of sizes and styles. First you need to cover your drums. I painted the popcorn tin with a grid pattern. The hat box I covered with a knit fabric I had, and On the oatmeal container I painted fabric and glued it on. Funny enough it took me the most time to paint the fabric and then cover the container, but it's also my least favorite.

After you have covered you drum you need to add the leather to the top and bottom. For example I put the popcorn tin on top of the leather and traced around it. Then I added about 1.5 inch and cut it out. You need to add extra around the circle, so when you cut it out it can fold over the drum.

You should have two leather circles cut out for each drum you are making. Now you need to get your leather punch and make holes around the edges to pull your string thru. I did mine about an inch apart.

After I punched out my holes I glued the leather pieces to the top. This isn't necessary, but I wanted mine to be extra durable since Kingsley is still to young to be soft with his toys.

Next step is to string your cord thru. Do it around the top and bottom leather pieces and then tie them off underneath the leather so the knots don't show. Then for the look of a real drum lace your cord up and down thru the top and bottom pieces till you get the look you want.

Ta da! Your drums are finished! Now all you need to do is make some sticks. I just covered the wooden ball with fuzzy fabric I had and glued both onto the stick. I made extras just in case he lost ones or a friend wanted to jam too.

Kingsley loves his drums and that they all make different noises. The oatmeal container is weak but he doesn't seem to mind.

I enjoy crafting although have the projects don't turn out how I want them to where this one actually turned out much better than I even thought! I'm excited that Kingsley loves to play with them and feels proud I made them for him :)

Up cycled Moccasins

 I was so excited when my sister in law gave Kingsley these cute moccasins from baby gap. But sadly as you can see below they got trashed pretty quickly. Kingsley spit up on the top of one of them leaving a stain, and all the edges turned a dark blue color from rubbing on my pants I guess. I was so bummed they looked so nasty since they were my favorite pair of shoes he owned.

 Then I had an idea.. Why don't I whip out the fabric paint & cover them?! Are you surprised I choose gold? They covered all of the bad spots very well. They did make the moccasins a little stiffer, but besides that I think they turned out quite nicely :)

So I threw on some of Kingsley's other hand painted things to take some pictures.

I forgot I have even made these leggings!

This last one is so sad, Kingsley obviously did not want any more pictures taken.

Seems lately all my posts are about crafts. Probably because that's all I can seem to find to entertain myself in this nasty weather. I am gonna try really hard to post things about my family & what we are up to even though it is nothing special.

DecoArt Giveaway Winner!

Thought I better show a picture of my little man in his Valentines Leggings :)

Now for that lucky somebody :) Drum roll please....

And now for the Decoart Valentines Basket Winner! 

CONGRATS HEATHIEBOT!! Email me your address & we will get your basket sent out to you. Thanks everyone who entered :)

DIY Valentine Arrow Leggings + GIVEAWAY!!

I was so excited when DecoArt contacted me to do a Valentine's project using their supplies! 

I looked through everything and finally decided I wanted to make a project using their fabric paint! (You know I love customizing everything with fabric paint :) )

I have been loving all the cute baby leggings out there lately so I thought why not make some for Kingsley & his little girlfriends to wear this February the 14th!??

I absolutely loved how they turned out, don't you?

For this project you will need:

*Solid baby leggings (I got mine at target for $5)

*Stencil (I made my own)

*Stencil Sponge & Small brush- decoart

*SoSoft Fabric paint- decoart (I used lamp black, and imperial gold metallic) 

This project is so simple it will only take 30 minutes tops!

So first make sure you wash your leggings so they will shrink before you put the design on. 

Next you will want to find a stencil you want to use, or make your own like I did. (Mine was so small I had to cut it out with embroidery scissors :))

After that it is up to you to decide on a design, and colors you want to use. So tape down your stencil and get going. I used the same stencil for all three leggings.

 Don't forget less is more with fabric paint, if you get too much on your sponge it will bleed under your stencil. (If you have never used fabric paint before, make sure you test it out on a scrap piece of fabric first.) It is easier to use your small brush to do touch ups after you pull off the stencil. For more tips on using fabric paint refer to this post.

Kingsley is beyond excited to give these to all his lady friends this year :)

And now for the fun part! I get to send one lucky reader this Vday Giveaway basket!!

 Awesome right?!!

To enter all you need to do is leave a comment below, I will randomly choose a winner Wednesday Night.

 (You may enter once a day, so thats six entries total.)

Good Luck!

DIY MR. FOX

While browsing Pinterest I ran across this adorable fox and knew Kingsley (I) had to have it!! 

But alas what seems like almost always happens when I clicked on the link not only was it sold out, but a whopping $98!! I wish I was richer, but near a hundred dollars for a stuffed animal just wasn't happening!

So I had the (insane) thought "I can make that!"

 Who knows why I was so confident as I have beginner sewing skills and have never made a stuffed animal before? Making the fox from scratch turned out to be WAY more difficult than I expected. It took me almost 2 weeks during nap times to complete, and it definitely is not as cute as the original with plenty of mistakes and quirks, but what can you do.

Here made with lots of love.. and frustration is my own Mr. Fox :)

As you can see he is very "special."  Lopsided ears, upturned arms, showing threads :)

I was very nervous to present Mr. Fox to Kingsley..

but as you will see with the million photos below he was quite smitten with him..

for a whole 2 minutes :)

 Mr. Fox was definitely a rag doll :)

 Looks like they will be best friends for life :)

 He is not as nice as the original, but his little face does make you happy!

By the way just FYI, Kingsley is wearing:

bow tie - target (in stores)

button up top - 77 kids (old)

lime pants - target yes the girls section again :) I love these pants! They are soft & come in a bunch of colors.