Lil Duckie Arts

Sewing a Ring Sling

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Shauna

Hi there!

This little peanut has grown a lot since I took that picture, but she’s still just as sweet. She even wrote me a card and gave me a gift for Mother’s Day (with dad’s help, of course). I got a lovely wireless keyboard, so I can more easily hold her squirminess and type at the same time. Or at least, that’s what I dream of. I may be stuck with only using my iPhone for another 10 years.

Anyways, back to the post… I made a ring sling, which is pretty darn handy to tote around a wee one. It bunches up really small and fits into the diaper bag. You can whisk it out to use while grocery shopping, or to put babe to sleep, or for a hike down the road. If you have back issues, you probably don’t want to wear it for long periods of time, but it’s perfect in a pinch, and the little ones do love to be right up against a warm body like that.

To sew this puppy, I got a great tutorial from Stand and Deliver and followed it closely. Basically, I picked a fabric I loved, got a metre and a half or so of it, and went to town. I love the little star stitches along the top.

You can get different sizes of rings from Sling Rings. Mine are the 3” rings, and they worked great!

Now, to learn some ways to wrap it, especially since L’s no longer an infant. 3 months already! For instructions, go here.

Posted in baby, sewing | Tagged baby, ring sling, sewing | Leave a comment

Banana Zucchini Flax Muffins

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Shauna

Delicious, delicious muffins. Healthy too. Did I mention that healthy part? Yeah, there’s flax! And zucchini! And banana! All good stuff. No oil, and only skim milk, which you can switch up for almond or light coconut milk if you prefer.

I had to make these muffins during L’s naptime, which I was very lucky to get today. I’d been craving these babies for a few months now. I’ll admit, I had to listen to a bit of screaming as I scooped the last few into the muffin tin and popped them into the oven. The things she deals with, eh?

These muffins are ridiculously moist and delicious. Don’t skip out on the kosher salt. It’s necessary. Finer salts just won’t give it the same kick throughout.

Banana Zucchini Flax Muffins

Makes 12 muffins – about 150 calories each
Source: Adapted slightly from Shutterbean

1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini (ok to use frozen grated zucchini if you have leftover)
1/3 cup mashed banana (about 1 large banana)
3/4 cup skim milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly spray muffin tin with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, ground flaxseed, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt, and cinnamon. Mix with a whisk. In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the milk, egg, and vanilla extract.

Stir the mashed banana and zucchini into the flour mixture. Pour in the milk mixture and stir until just mixed. Do not over-stir; lumps are fine.

Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for about 25 minutes – until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely, then remove from the tin. Muffins store at room temperature for up to 3 days, and freeze well.

Posted in Recipe | Tagged breakfast, flax, light, muffins, Recipe, snack, zucchini | Leave a comment

Card for a guy

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Shauna

Hi there!

The sun’s out, Lila’s sleeping (possibly only for another 2 minutes), and I was able to get breakfast and shower. This adds up to a very successful morning! So successful that I took on the task of making a card and sharing it with you.

This one’s a little birthday card that I made for Nathan. Don’t spread it around, but he just turned 31.

I really like the circle here. I felt like Nathan needed a little something different – a step away from the regular 4 1/4” x 5 1/2” card. So I folded up the usual card base and ran it through the Big Shot, using the large scalloped circle die, but moving it in a bit so a few scallops were missed (that’s the fold). Add the car, the sentiment, some DSP, and you’re done!

Materials:
Basic Gray and Whisper White cardstock; Island Indigo ink; Basic Gray and Lucky Limeade DSP; Big Shot; 3 1/2” Circle Die; Scallop Circle Die.

Posted in birthday, guys | Tagged birthday, car, card, circles, guys, masculine | Leave a comment

Baby Carriage Announcement Card

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Shauna

Hellooooo!

After all this baby stuff, I had to create my own hand-made baby announcements. It just didn’t seem right for me to go the usual route and send one of those cute picture postcard type announcements, since making cards is such a big part of my life. These were not quick and easy to make, especially not in the quantity I needed. There’s a whooooole lotta steps involved, but I’m pretty happy with the end result, especially since they just fit into a standard invitation-sized envelope.

I’ve seen versions of this card all over the internet, such as at Patty’s Stamping Spot. I’m really quite happy with my version, even though it involved so much work. For the buggy handle, I used the little Word Window punch sort of layered on top of itself. It worked out great!

They’re all slightly different, which is fun. I didn’t do the little textured dots on most because my patience simply ran out. That would have taken me another day’s worth of work or more.

On the inside we’ve got our little announcement, a picture, and then a personal note. It was a tight fit, but still worked out.

How’d I use the scallop die to make a card? I cut a piece of cardstock in half to measure 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”, folded it in half, then ran it through the big shot so that the fold was missing a few of the scallops (maybe 4 or 5 of them), so it didn’t get cut there. Then, find the centre point and cut out a little pie slice (about 5 scallops’ worth).

Materials Used:
Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Brushed Silver, Basic Grey Cardstock, and Flirtatious Specialty DSP, as well as some DSP I got on clearance from a few years back.
Scallop Circle Bigz Die, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Word Window, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border, Eyelet Border, 1” circle, and 3/4” circle punches

Hoooooray for baby L!

Posted in baby | Tagged announcement, baby, baby carriage, card | Leave a comment

Kite card for baby

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Shauna

It seems like there’s a lot of babies happening. Maybe I’ve just hit that stage of life, similar to lots of weddings happening all at once. The weddings have slowed down a bit now, and the babies have started coming, and of course I have to send cards to the families!

This card is a fun combination of Pool Party and Calypso Coral, along with a great new stamp set in the current Occasions Mini Catalogue.

We’ve got the Send Me Soaring stamp set, where I’ve cut out the diamonds of the kites and popped them up. I also added some glitter to the middle one. The clouds are just done by using my Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions folder then punching out cupcake tops, using the Cupcake Builder Punch. Cool, right?

The welcome Baby stamp is from my very favourite sentiment set – Short & Sweet.

More baby cards to come, I’m sure!

Posted in baby | Tagged baby, card | Leave a comment

Flannel and Chenille Burp Cloth Tutorial

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Shauna

I thought I should get back to these amazingly plush and cute burp cloths that I made (with some difficulty, but that doesn’t matter – they’re too cute not to make!). They’re soft fuzzy white chenille on one side, and soft flannel on the other. The flannel helps with absorbency, which is really nice to have in a burp cloth.

You can see the original tutorial at How Does She, where they’ve used designer cotton on one side. Also super cute!

If you have a sewing machine like mine, just be patient. The chenille may have a mind of its own and slip all over the place, but you can always trim up the edges before flipping your project right side out.

My flannel’s from Fabric.com, and the chenille’s from Fabricland. They have other colours and textures if you prefer.

So, how’d I do this? Tutorial for you!

Flannel pieces (I used 9” x 16”).
Chenille pieces (same size as your flannel)
Walking foot on your machine (Not necessary, but may help)

Cut your fabric to size (9” x 16”). It’s nice to make a whole bunch at a time for future gifts (or to pet, because the chenille’s so soft that you’ll want to pet it all day long).

Your chenille will leave nice little pieces of itself all over your table and your clothes! Yay chenille lint!

Pin “right” sides together. Don’t get all tired and forget about this! Fuzzy side of chenille facing pretty side of flannel.

Sew around your rectangle with a 1/2” seam allowance – remember to back-stitch. Leave about a 2” hole at the end so you have space to flip it right side out! Don’t forget! (Yes.. these are all mistakes I’ve made in a sleepy state.. or a just-not-paying-attention-state).

Here we are. I’ve sewn around, leaving a 2-inch gap. Now you can trim any pieces that pulled themself off track. I had to trim about 1/2” from all sides! It’s also helpful to clip the corners (not pictured).

Turn right-side-out through your hole. I didn’t find any need to iron it.

Top stitch all the way around, making sure you catch that hole you left and get it nice and closed. Top stitching lets you avoid hand-stitching it closed, and gives the burp cloth a finished look. It also helps keep the fabric from slipping out of shape.

Admire your work and give it to a friend!

Posted in baby, sewing, tutorial | Tagged baby, burp cloths, sewing, tutorial | Leave a comment

The hardest thing I’ve ever sewn–Baby Chenille and Flannel Burp Cloths

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Shauna

If these aren’t the most challenging sewing project I’ve taken on, then they at least come pretty darn close! The crazy part? It’s a rectangle.. you sew straight lines.. really, there’s no skills required! So what the heck was my problem? I’m going to blame it on my chenille and flannel choices not being compatible.. or maybe it’s my sewing machine. Totally not my ineptness!

I fell in love with this fabric at Fabric.com. I couldn’t pass it up, especially with a few baby boys on the way for some family and friends. And then I chanced on a post about chenille/cotton print burp cloths over at How Does She. I figured that my flannel would pair beautifully with some fluffy white chenille, with the added benefit that flannel will soak up messy baby spills a bit better.

I made 2 different sizes. The greeney-turquoise ones are 7” x 13” when finished, and the yellow ones are 8” x 15” when finished. I think I prefer the larger size, as it sits over the shoulder a bit better.

When I started sewing with the chenille, it just would not stay where I put it against the flannel, no matter how many pins I used, how much I held onto it while sewing, or even if I used a walking foot on my machine. I didn’t give up though, as that chenille is just too soft, fluffy, and cute to pass up. I couldn’t skip it and go back to just plain flannel on both sides! I persevered, and ended up with some slightly wonky finished products, but I’m certain the cuteness factor makes up for it…. right?

Happy baby to you, friends!

Posted in baby, sewing | Tagged baby, burp cloths, chenille, flannel, sewing | Leave a comment

Retro doily birthday card

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Shauna

Hiya,

Are you feeling like you’ve taken a bit of a trip back to the 70’s while looking at this card? Me neither…. Um yes, the colours are a bit 70’s or 80’s-esque. Lucky Limeade, Rich Razzleberry, and Calypso Coral are all quite bright and give that shocking contrast.

I’ve used the gorgeous new Paper Doily Sizzlits Die here, from the Occasions Mini Catalogue. I just love how it turns out, even though I had to use my paper piercing tool to punch out all the little bits. I added that 2” circle in the middle to give the cupcake a more solid/bold background to sit on, which made it really pop.

I made this card for a super awesome special friend of mine because when I thought of using retro colours, she jumped to mind – maybe because we did an 80’s theme wedding shower for her. Bonus – she’s got a February birthday! Happy Birthday, Sara!

Materials Used:
Lucky Limeade, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, and Calypso Coral Cardstocks and Inks.
Rich Razzleberry button, and Lucky Limeade Baker’s Twine
Create a Cupcake and Happiest Birthday Wishes (hostess) stamp sets
Cupcake builder punch, Paper Doily Large Sizzlits Die, Circles #2 die, and Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.

Posted in birthday | Tagged birthday, card, cupcake, retro | Leave a comment

iPhone Cover Sewing Project

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Shauna

Heyya!

I got all busy with my sewing machine – can you tell? We almost get along even. Except that I sort of broke her. In making this project I broke a needle, which seemed to also throw the machine out of whack. Now the bobbin casing makes a lovely grinding noise each time it moves.. which is with every single needle movement. Fun! Oh, and it does this even when I use my other bobbin casing, so it’s some problem with the housing or something. Yeah I know, I should take it in for some fixin’ up.

I persevered and finished this project despite the awful grinding noises – my machine’s only sign of protest.

These are great! You can clip them to the inside of your purse so you always know where your phone is.. or even to a ring on the outside if you need it to be extra super handy. I got the tutorial over at Erin Erickson’s Blog. It’s pretty simple to follow. One change I made was to use some fleece for the padding, since I didn’t have any batting.

I think these would be super handy if you used a little carabiner clip instead of a key ring. Clip on, clip off..

Posted in sewing | Tagged case, gift, iPhone cover, sewing | 2 Comments

Rue Des Fleurs Vintage Birthday Card

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Shauna

Hello there,

I had a lot of fun with today’s card. It’s all kinds of girly in a style that’s making me so happy right now. This was my favourite card in a recent Vintage Cards Class. The umbrella stamp and the DSP are both from the current Occasions Mini Catalogue (available until the end of April). Did I mention that I’m in love with so many products from this catalogue? You could almost replace a husband with that stuff.

The colours I’ve used are Pool Party, Whisper White, Soft Suede, and Ridinghood Red. Such a simple and effective combination!

I used my markers to colour in the parts of the umbrella that I wanted, then cut it out, added some glitter and a pearl and called it a day.

That birthday stamp is from the Create a Cupcake set. The white circle’s from Circles #2 die. I’ve also used the Modern Label Punch, and a doily Die-namics die from My Favorite Things.

Posted in birthday | Tagged birthday, card, Rue Des Fleurs, vintage | Leave a comment

Butterfly Matchbox

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Shauna

Heyya!

It’s a crafty project! And useful, to boot! You could put little candies in this matchbox and give to a friend – or eat and refill. Me? The candies didn’t make it that far. I’m using this to house my various paper clips and other such paper attachment type thingamos. It looks pretty cute sitting there being useful on my desk.

It’s very easy to make, and I’m really quite fond of the little ribbon pull. So much easier to open that way. I’ve used the awesome Everyday Enchantment DSP from the Sale-a-bration catalogue. It’s my very favourite item in there, and that’s saying a lot since it has to compete with some pretty darn awesome stamp sets!

You cut out the matchbox using the Bigz XL die, assemble, then punch a hole in one end of the “drawer” part. Tie a piece of folded over ribbon in a knot and slip one end through. You could use adhesive to stop it from moving around at all, but I didn’t bother. Add some super cute Beautiful Wings butterflies, and you’re set!

Colours used: Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, and Pool Party. I’ve also used the Lucky Limeade ruffled ribbon, and a piece of Linen Thread.

Posted in craft, friendship | Tagged box, butterfly, craft, gift, matchbox | Leave a comment

See-your-baby Style Nursing Cover Tutorial

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Shauna

Hiya,

Well, first of all.. I have a baby, ya’ll! She’s a precious little love bug. Little miss Lila came into our lives on Thursday, February 9th, 2012 at 8:50am, weighing 8lbs, 1oz. Sleep’s still an issue for me, and this is the first time I’ve gotten onto my computer in 12 days.. but I wouldn’t trade her for the world.

Now, back to the project! I wanted to make another nursing cover, so this time I thought I’d take on the challenge of making one with a second piece of boning lower down, so that the fabric doesn’t cover baby’s face. It turned out really well!

I got the original tutorial over at Freshly Picked, then modified it a bit to suit my needs, and the added piece of boning. You should be able to click on any of my photos to get a larger version and see more details.

Materials:
(2) 1” D-Rings (they sell them in packages of 2. If you can only find 3/4” D-Rings, those will work too)
1/4” Boning (16” and 22”)
2.25” x 28” piece of fabric (your long strap)
2.25” x 10” piece of fabric (your short strap where the D-Ring will attach)
28” x 38” piece of fabric (the body of the nursing cover)

Here we go, Follow my tutorial below!

Continue reading →

Posted in baby, sewing, tutorial | Tagged baby, nursing cover, sewing, tutorial | 2 Comments

Valentines Heart Box

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Shauna

Need a little gift box for someone special? Give this one a try. It wasn’t exactly a 5-minute project, but it was fun to have the box come to life and get to decorate it and make it all pretty. Yep, I like butterflies.

You can fill this up with chocolate, especially some hand made dark chocolate mint truffles.. or any little gift that would fit in there. Even a gift certificate would find this to be a good home.

So how’d I make this? The top and bottom are layers of the new Scalloped Heart Framelit die. On the inside bottom I used the next size down.

For the sides/wall of the box, I cut a few 2” strips of DSP and glued them together so I’d have about 18” total. It’s best if you use a string to measure your size ahead of time, and add an inch.

Score lengthwise at 3/8”, fold inwards, add a long strip of sticky tape, then cut little hashes all along that little folded/scored edge, perpendicular to it. Peel off the tape backing and carefully glue this down to your heart base. Since I had a smaller heart already glued down, I just followed along its edge. When you’re done, add a second smaller heart to cover up all those little folded pieces.

It doesn’t open like the usual chocolate heart box you’d get at the store. I made some little hinges out of ribbon, and then covered them up with the ruffled ribbon you can see around the edges. They still show on the inside.

Embellish! Add fun things!

Materials:
Poppy Parade and Pool Party Cardstock. Everyday Enchantment DSP (Sale-a-bration)
Big Shot with Framelits Hearts collection Dies, Beautiful Wings Embosslits die
Ribbon (disc), Linen Thread, and Basic Pearls.

Posted in craft, love, Valentines | Tagged box, butterflies, craft, heart, love, Valentines | Leave a comment

Clean and Simple Valentine

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Shauna

Did I mention I’m loving this whole spring in February thing that we’re getting right now? Love. Love love love. Yes, sunshine, you can stay for a while.. Please don’t leave me.. (aaaand it left me).

About the card… Another Valentine’s card – what, what?! Yep, and super clean and simple, to boot. You could make this in just a few minutes, thanks to some items in the new occasions mini catalogue. This time around I’m totally happy with how it turned out. So basic.. but I’m loving the textures.

If you don’t do the whole February 14th thing, you could easily save this card for some other random day. No one’s gonna judge. March 7th just for fun? Sounds good to me. Give it with a smile and a great big hug.

Materials:
Whisper White and Cherry Cobbler Cardstock, and Basic Black ink.
Linen Thread
Big Shot with Textured Impressions Adorning Accents folder, and Fashionable Hearts Embosslits die.

Posted in love, Valentines | Tagged card, Clean and Simple, love, Valentines | 2 Comments