Quick and easy handmade stuffed bunnies

I have a little bit of show and tell to do with the things I made for Christmas gifts this year. I did not make as much as years past, but I did do a bit of sewing and put together some craft kits for Elise. All in due time, but first, these bunnies.

Of course, bunnies might be more appropriate for Easter rather than Christmas, but who wants their kid carrying around a snowman all year long? And someone peeking out of the top of the stocking is essential in this house.

I followed this free pattern and used a couple upholstery fabric samples and some felt scraps from my stash. I didn't have any stuffing, so I filled them with shredded batting scraps. They each probably took about an hour to complete. Maybe less. Definitely a simple little bunny.

I am not an expert on sewing curves, but I took it slow and my zig zag top stitching does not look half bad. (Sewing with black thread on a dark fabric is also very forgiving.)

Like I mentioned before, I tried to use materials I already had, but I did buy a few safety eyes, something I didn't even know existed before a couple of months ago. It's almost like a screw with a nut on the back holding it in place. Easier to use than sewing a button!

I sewed tails onto the bunnies for some added detail. The neon houndstooth fabric I found at my grandma's house. Vintage polyester, but it looks so 2014!

Ugly craft makeover: Wooden toy sewing machine

After watching me work on a couple of quilts, Elise became really interested in my sewing machine, asking how it worked and politely inquiring if she could make a quilt of her own. Obviously at three years old, she's too young for real sewing, but I realized this would be the perfect time to give one of my thrifting finds an ugly craft makeover.

I found this wooden sewing machine at a thrift store a couple of summers ago ago for $3 and it has been sitting in my basement ever since. I don't think it was a toy, but rather a prop for an industrious doll or teddy bear in the country crafts eighties. Oh, the gorgeous things those teddy bears used to sew back then!

It was an awkward height even for a kid sitting down, and I wanted to make it similar to a modern day table top machine, so with a little help from my dad, we pried off the bottom stand portion. Sorry, Salley.

After sanding it and scraping off some random hot glue globs, I primed with a stain-blocking primer and painted it a cool mint green.

Then it was time for the details. I added a spool pin (made from a chopstick) on the top right. The pin that was already there was on the "wrong" side for a modern machine, and it was too thick to hold a spool anyway. My real machine has a metal piece that sticks up on that side to guide the thread, so it doesn't look out of place.

The body of the machine was lacking dimension, so I also added some dials made out of two-inch wooden wheels from the craft store. They are attached with screws through the center, enabling the dials to turn like a real sewing machine.

To add to the play factor, I picked up a package of unfinished wooden spools and painted them a rainbow of colors. So far, I think this Elise's favorite part of "sewing." Changing the thread. She has a lot to learn.

But what's a sewing machine without something to sew? I raided my stash of fabric scraps to make some faux sewing. I even hand stitched a heart on one with some embroidery thread.

I was kind of surprised that this was one of the toys under the Christmas tree that she really gravitated toward. She's in that imaginative play stage, so the timing was right. Can't wait to have a mother-daughter sewing afternoon soon!

Let's talk about playroom toy storage

I hope you're not getting bored with all the playroom posts. This is the last one, I promise! There is just so much I wanted to show you, but I'm ready to move onto something else now.

But before we wrap this up, I thought it would be worth explaining a little bit about the toy storage in the playroom.

The vintage Little Tikes strawberry toy box was a leftover from my childhood. (Made when Strawberry Shortcake was popular, I guess.) That stuff is indestructible!

It holds a surprising amount of toys (especially great for bigger and odd-shaped items) although Elise often prefers to empty it and sit inside.

I took an unused TV stand from our basement and tucked some pink plastic bins from Target inside. These bins are working out really well; they are very sturdy and have lids to keep little pieces contained.

The red vintage suitcase was something I've had for years and I've used it to store everything from videotapes to blankets. Right now it's empty, but it's a nice shot of color and gives us room for expansion.

I took this oversized wire tray I found at an antique mall and wasn't really sure what I would use it for. But I needed someplace to put Elise's puzzles, and the tray volunteered for the job. It holds about six or eight puzzles horizontally (only about half is shown in the photo above) and slides neatly underneath the couch.

Click here to see the finished playroom!

Simple drawstring bags

I needed a couple of bags to contain some tiny toys Elise will be getting for Christmas. If the toys have a home, there's hope they might get put away. I had never made these before and just sort of winged it with fabric and twill tape scraps I had on hand.

This pink one was made from the leftover side from the pillow I made and then disassembled. It's a long and skinny 9" x 16" when flat. Bigger than it needs to be, but I just used the entire piece of fabric.

The yellow ginham bag is smaller at approximately 9" x 9" inches (again, made from a scrap and the scrap determined the size). I made it to house the matching game I made earlier this year.

Pay no mind that Elise is playing with the farm animals she is getting for Christmas in the above photo.

Handmade chunky toddler crayons

After last week's failed attempt at making crayons, I decided to try again. I was able to reuse the half-melted blobs, and I was amazed that they retained some of the marbling from the different shades of crayon.

I melted them in a cupcake pan (with paper liners doubled up) in the oven for about 30 minutes at 250 degrees. After taking them out, I carefully picked up each liner and gently poured them into the candy mold.

I had to buy a new mold because the old one was too warped to lay flat. It took about 4 to 5 full size crayons to fill each cavity in this "cookie candy" mold.

Some came up a little short because I didn't account for the amount of melted crayon that would stick to the cupcake liner. If I had to do it again, I would probably pour half of them, then stick the pan back in the oven for a couple of minutes to re-melt the remainder. They were still very liquid, but I think less wax would have stuck to the liners if the wax had been hotter.

They turned out mighty cute, no? I think the elephants might be my favorite.

This is part of my Handmade Gift Challenge.

DIY matching "Memory" game for kids

I wanted to make a set of matching "Memory" cards for Elise for Christmas. I made a set for my nephew last Christmas using some unfinished wood craft circles and had planned to do the same for Elise.

When I was cleaning up my workbench, I found a bag of pieces that go with our window blinds. The blinds were already installed when we moved in, so these pieces were just surplus. Among them were 20 small white wooden rectangles. They were already painted and free free free. Just perfect for my memory game!

I used coordinating scrapbook papers I had leftover from Elise's birthday party decorations. I selected papers with shapes that were easily identifyable like animals, flowers and fruits. To make it easier for Elise to match, I tried to cut the exact same portion of the pattern for the two matching pieces. But in some cases I didn't because I would have been cutting two random holes out of the 12" x 12" paper.

Some of the rectangles had raggedy edges, so I gave them a quick sand. Then I Mod Podged the papers on the rectangles. Once everything was dry, I sprayed with a glossy triple-thick clear spray.

The rectanges are really thick and durable and can definitely withstand a toddler's tosses. And because they are sealed, they are protected against sticky jam hands.

This has to be my most favorite thing I've made in a while. The photos don't convey the wonderful tactile quality of the pieces. All the patterns are supercute together. I had all the materials on hand, so it didn't cost anything. And I repurposed something that would have otherwise been garbage. It hits on so many levels!

This is part of my Handmade Gift Challenge.

Fail Fail Fail: My attempt at Crock Pot crayons

I'm super eager to get Elise coloring and creating. (I've been looking forward to it since before she was born!) She should be ready for coloring in a few months, so I decided to make her some toddler crayons for Christmas. Why don't I just buy the kid some crayons, you ask? Remarkably, I don't think Crayola makes big chunky crayons, or at least I haven't seen them in stores. And I am a Crayola-only crayon snob.

Melting old crayons into new crayons is another one of those kid's crafts that is all over the internet. I didn't have any broken crayons, so I picked up a couple of boxes of Crayolas for 25 cents a box at Target. Hooray for back-to-school sales!

I was excited to find this cute animal candy mold at Michael's. It's designed for making chocolate-covered Oreos, so it's thicker than a normal candy mold. And that should make sturdy crayons for little hands.

Looking to eliminate pouring of hot wax, I was generally following this tutorial to make crayons in a Crock Pot. I was a bit skeptical about heating the candy mold in the Crock Pot, but the tutorial noted the use of a candy mold, so I went for it.

I sorted out the crayons into color families, peeled them and broke them into little pieces. If you look closely at the above photo, you might be able to spot one of my problems. I had trimmed down the mold to fit inside the crock, but the crock is tapered and the mold still wouldn't sit on the bottom. I created a platform with some stoneware, but two corners of the mold were hanging out in the open with nothing to support them.

I should have realized this might be a problem, but I chose to ignore it, not realizing the mold was going to soften with the heat and warp.

I'm lucky I saw the wax spilling out when I did. Don't worry; with a lot of hot water, scrubbing and a cycle in the dishwasher, I was able to make the crock good as new.

Look at how cute they were going to be! All marbly and chunky. I have to figure out if the mold is still useable or if I need to pick up another one for round 2. Yes, I am going to try this again (except without the Crock Pot this time). The good thing is that I will be able to re-melt the crayon blobs. Wish me luck!