I think it's going around...

Chloe singing: Oompa feber! I bet you're jumpin' around. Oompa feber! I bet you're jumpin' around.

(To the tune of Boogie Fever)

And if you haven't seen Despicable Me. Go. Now.

.

Inspiration...

So I was over at the Project Run & Play Stripes and Dots Linky Party when I discovered Shaffer Sisters blog and an outfit so cute I wanted to make it for Wub right then and there. Unfortunately it was 10:30 at night so that wasn't going to happen. I Pinned it.

The next day I dug through my stash for  the black and white polka dot and then crossed my fingers, made a wish and looked to see if I had white bias. Whoo hoo!

\

I drafted the pattern from a t-shirt. Minus hand sewing the buttons it took me

 about two hours from draft to button holes. 

My favorite bit (aside from the Wub) is the way the polka dots line up so perfectly.

Like I planned it.

I didn't, it was luck.

Wub would say I'm not s'posed to tell you that. Just pretend it was all part of the plan.

50's Vintage with a 70's Retro Twist

 I have to admit this really wanted to be a little bit of a fail. The Peter Pan blouse was adapted from a 1956 dress pattern (that I'm totally making her Easter dress from.) I added 4 inches at the waist to give it proper length and it still wasn't quite long enough.

Then for some reason when I drafted the pants pattern I totally disregarded seam allowances. And yes, I did sew the entire pair of pants minus hems and waistband before I realised.

In my original vision the pants were going to high waisted to compensate for the short blouse and the only floral was going to be secret pocket lining.

I decided actually being able to put the pants on Wub was infinitely more important than "vision". I ripped out the side seams and added a two inch wide strip of the floral fabric.

This was going to be her Thanksgiving outfit. She wore the blouse. The pants sat there reminding me of my lack of skill until last night when I decided to finish them up. (Sound familiar?)

I sewed in the elastic waistband this morning and put it on Wub.

Not a fail at all.

And yes that is the exact same fabric I  used to make her Jammin' Jammies. The green was her alternate choice for her Christmas skirt. We couldn't decide between the brighter green with a gorgeous sheen or the Grinch green "lemon" fabric. 

A Pair of Mooses

So...I love Little Tikes chairs. There is something about the shape of them that immediately cheers me. We bought our first two at GW for a dollar apiece. The second set was $2.00 each and when I found a third set for $2.00 each I realised I was becoming a Little Tikes hoarder.

What to do? What to do?

Give them away as birthday gifts!

Erm...they're a bit rough...

and yes, we really did pay $2.00 each







                  I know! spray paint!
I bought one can each of Rustoleum Ultra Coverage (Works Great on Plastic!) Primer and Cinnamon Brown

But what else?

Good ole' Martha, sure I think she's a deplorable human being, (Everybody should raise chickens my foot.) but she does make some good craft supplies like these paints which work on plastic.
I used the Satin finish because I didn't want a lot of extra gloss. I'm sure these colors have fancy names but I'm too lazy to go dig them out to find out what they are. Let's just say Black, White, Dark Brown, Medium Brown and Sky Blue.

To begin I gave the chairs a good hard scrub with a kitchen sponge and hot soapy water.

Outside the chairs and I went with a plastic tarp to protect the porch.

Then I sprayed each chair with a good coat of the Primer (Sorry no picture but just imagine the next picture white and you'll get the idea)




After the primer was thoroughly dried I sprayed the chair with a few coats of Cinnamon Brown. I let the paint dry in between coats. For two chairs I used the entire can and I still had a few thinnish spots. I would have been more worried about it if I hadn't wanted to decorative paint over the base coat.

 Next I used the Sky Blue and defined the head and ears on the front and back of the chair.

I allowed it to dry before going on to the next part.

Using a dry scruffy brush and both Dark and Medium Brown I placed dabs of paint on the body then used the scruffy brush to blend them into fur. It took a few tries to get the effect I wanted but once I got it down the painting went very quickly. For the time I avoided the face and neck. 

Using a liner brush and a combination of Black, Dark, Brown and Medium Brown I defined the shape of the head and body using quick short brush strokes to add some definition and a fur look.

Then I painted a face. I thought about trying to somehow make the face so it was facing the seat part but realised I am just not that clever of an artist. So, face on back of chair. 

You'll notice in the next pictures that he has highlights in his eyes. Q-tip, dip in white, make dot in eye, Simple enough that even a four year old could do it. And she did which is why there is no picture. Can't help the four year paint and take pictures.

For the antlers you will need two ball point pens, dismembered.

You only need the shaft and little soft protective cap on one end. These came from the Dollar Tree and were absolutely useless as writing implements. After I removed the ink tube they were perfect as antler holder uppers.

You will also need brown felt. (One of the craft squares will be plenty) Some heavy duty fusible interfacing and an iron. Cut 2 appropriately sized, antler shaped piece of fusible interfacing. ( I thought about making you a printable file but then I decided to save some trees. I also realised if you are not the type of person who can free hand an antler, you are most likely not the kind of person who's going to try this anyway.)  Fold your felt in half and using the interfacing as a guide trace around the antler shape making the felt antler about a 1/2 inch larger all around. Cut out the antlers. (You'll end up with four.) Cut 2 strips of felt about 1/2 wide and 3 inches long. 

Next make an antler sandwich. Take one piece of antler felt, the interfacing, the felt strip (Keep the strip centered on the interfacing. This is what forms the pocket for the antler holder uppers/dismembered pens to slide into.) and the other Antler shaped piece on top.

Press according to your interfacing's directions. 

  

Next sew around the edges of the antler leaving the bottom edge open. Next sew a rectangular "pocket" around the 1/2 inch felt strip. Back stitch at the top and corners to reinforce. 

Mark 2 dots near where the ears join the head. Using a heat tool melt a hole roughly the size of the antler holder upper/dismembered pen. test as you go. you want the pen to fit snugly in the hole. 

Once you have the hole the size you 

need it to be, test fit  your antlers.

Trim away any excess felt to make the antlers look nice.

Once you are sure of the fit and trim you can go ahead and glue. I used Beacon Quick Grip. Use whatever permanent waterproof glue you have. Place a small amount inside the pocket you sewed on the antler.

Also add some glue to the hole you made in the head.

Slide the dismembered pen into the antler pocket then push the assembled antler into the head. 

Voila! One absolutely adorable Moose Chair!

Actually...

two...

And in case you think I forgot...

Our dear Katherine at work came up with what has to be one of my all time favorite alcoholic beverages. It's a delightful combination of rum, ginger ale and lime or lemon. She calls it a Perfect Storm and I agree.

When I came across this idea on Pinterest for an "instant" maragarita my mind immediately took away the tequila and added rum and ginger ale instead. Tonight we had a wee drop with dinner...delightful!

The Perfect Ice Storm
You will need:

Lemon or lime sorbet
Ginger Ale preferably Schweppes
Rum
Lemon or Lime Wedges

Place one or two scoops of sorbet in the bottom of your glass. Squeeze the lemon or lime wedge over the sorbet. Pour a jigger (or more if you are kind of a drunk) of rum over the sorbet and fill with ginger ale.

Enjoy!