Super Mario Birthday Party

I haven't been posting much lately because we've been getting ready for Finn's big party! He requested a Mario/Bowser birthday, which is kind of hard to get supplies for, so I got a lot of ideas of the internet. Here's the spread: I painted some styrofoam blocks to look like bricks and I got all the mario figurines off of ebay. We served pizza (italian for Mario), chips and sodas.

Mario-kart figurines for decoration:

I got the sign off ebay as well:

We took white balloons, colored in ghost faces and put paper "wings" to look like Boos (I got the idea here):

Bowser pinata (also from ebay). I thought the kids would like giving Bowser a good whack:

Finn said he wanted to dress like Bowser for the party, but it's nearly impossible to find a costume. So, I made him this Bowser turtle shell out of felt. However, he said it was too scratchy to wear at the party:

He got a hat as well:

For an activity, we made up an obstacle course in the backyard. The kids with the fastest time won a prize (we did an over and under 5 set):

I originally was going to get a cake with a race track and then put the Mario-kart figurines on top, but Finn kept asking for a Bowser cake. I knew that would be hard to find, but I printed out a picture of Bowser, colored it in and took it to the store with me. They said they could imprint the image right on the cake!:

Each kid got a Mario hat and mustache. I made the hats from foam and I bought the mustaches from amazon.com:

Finn opening presents with his sister:

We also had a Yoshi egg hunt that I forgot to take pictures of. I bought some white easter eggs (and mixed in a few colored ones too) from amazon.com and then got a green paint pen and drew spots on them. Then I filled them with candy. In a few, I put a gold star, which meant that you won and extra prize (mushroom keychains I bought off of ebay). I also hid a mini-Goomba in the yard (also from ebay) and whoever found it won a prize too.

Here's Finn hitting the pinata:

Finishing it off:Getting the goodies:After the party, Finn decided to impersonate a Chip N Dale dancer:

Playing with new toys:

And, finally, here's a video of the birthday song:

Modesty Makeover

Upon realizing that my current swimsuit was practically thread-bare in the back (I'm not sure when exactly I bought it, but I do know it's older than my first-born), I decided it was time for a new one. I'm not exactly flush with cash at the moment, so I dug out another suit that I had stashed away. I like it a lot, mostly because I found it at Goodwill for $1 last year (unused with the tags still on!). However, I had always avoided wearing it because I felt the bust dipped a little too low: So, I laid out the old suit:

Snipped off the inside layer:

And sewed it in! Good thing I have an affinity for blue suits. I feel much more comfortable in it. Here's hoping my stitches hold in until I have the funds for a new one! (Maybe I should go browse Goodwill again)

Taking it Easy

I've been working, but not at the rapid pace that I usually go with. And I haven't been very good at all about posting pics of my work. Here's a little snippit of something I've been working on for Kiki: Truth is, I need to take it easy. That's what summer is for anyway, right? I think it's time to loosen up my work ethic and take a cue from the kids (that is, naptime is essential):

No More Stitch in the Ditch

Since I started quilting, I've been a bit intimidated by free-motion quilting. But I decided to give it a shot today and it turned out great! This is a pot holder, but hopefully I can work myself up to something a bit bigger: All I did was lower my feed dogs and strap on a special quilting foot. I'll probably buy a stencil to use next time since I overlapped a couple of times. This is awesome!

Sorry

I've been a bit busy, so I had to take a small break from blogging, but I haven't breaked from sewing, that's sure! Between a new car, selling my old car, picking up hours at work, and my sewing projects (can't share yet, they are a surprise for someone) I haven't had as much time to sit at the computer.
First, I snapped a couple of pics of Kiki in her new headwear: Goofy face:

And here's a little look at something I made this week. My friend Nicolette made Finn a crayon roll last year and I've always thought it was the cutest thing. So, I made one up for a birthday party last weekend. I need to put this in my store:

Fourth of July Leftovers

Well, I had the intention of making a lot of Fourth of July yo-yo's to decorate a front door wreath. However, it is now July 3rd and I have yet to put it together. I won't completely rule it out, but for now my craft table looks like this: I didn't want my work to be completely wasted, so I put a couple together to make a hair clip:

And I picked up a headband and made another yo-yo hair piece:

This were originally for Kiki, but I'm starting to think they work well for me too! I should get started on some for Halloween and put them in my store!

Howdy

Yikes! I've been on a bit of a blogging whirlwind lately, and it seems I've fallen behind this week. But with good reason! We've been a bit busy.
We celebrated Father's Day:
Then we took a short vacation to visit family. And I forgot my camera! So frustrating.
I have still been sewing. Here's the tote bag I made for my mother:

And a quilted birthday card (LOVE these!):

And we spent a little time celebrating my mom's birthday:

Last but not least, we bought a minivan!

I'm not sure how much I'll get done this weekend since it's a holiday, but I am working on a project for the Fourth (we'll see if I get it done or not). Hopefully I'll be back to my regular blogging schedule soon!