Bunny Ears

To celebrate Easter and kick off my obsession with costuming, I decided to make Mozzy, our 3 month old puppy, some Easter Bunny Ears.  He loves the color pink for some reason so I had to make him Pink Easter Bunny Ears. They are made of felt and a scrunchie gingham pink head band that I was able to whip up from my first sewing lessons in the 90’s. It is a fun way to help your doggie become an Easter Bunny in Training too!

Material Needed:

·         Felt—2 different colors

·         Fabric—coordinating for the scrunchie

·         Elastic Band—1/2” wide

·         Paper for the patter, scissors, thread, sewing machine, pins and safety pin.

1.       Decide on bunny ear pattern. Click here for a PDF of what I used.

2.      Fold felt in half and apply pattern to cut. Repeat this as you will want 2 ears. The double felt makes the ears thicker and sturdier.

3.      Cut out inside ear patter to yield 2.

4.      Measure around puppy model’s head. I ended up with an 8” long piece.

5.      Cut scrunchie fabric twice as long as the elastic band you measured.

6.      Sew fabric pretty sides together leaving both ends open. You will need to flip this so that the seams are on the inside. Use a safety pin.

7.      Attach safety pin to one end of elastic and thread through the fabric “scrunching”  the fabric up.

8.     Sew the elastic together several times for a firm hold.

9.      Sew the open ends together so that the elastic doesn’t show.

10.  Sew around the perimeter of the ears and then sew the inside ear onto this piece.

11.   Pin the ears together and sew them at the bottom to attach them.

12.  Pin the ears to the scrunchie at the seam to complete the bunny ears!

Happy Easter!

Best Friend

I missed him this weekend! It was nice seeing my girls during our annual girls trip but I couldn't wait to get home to him. I'm blessed to have such a great husband that listens and cares for me.  Is this mushy for my blog?

Instagram Frame

I printed a bunch of Instagram photos from our wedding in September. We used the hashtag #lorynpluskyle. I didn't have a way to display them since 4"x4" frames are hard to come by.  I saw this idea a few times on Pinterest and I thought I would try my hand at this crafty project. I used a rustic wooden frame that I used during the wedding and some leftover burlap fabric and twine. 
Materials: Wooden frame, foam support board, burlap, twine, duct tape, scissors, hot glue gone. 

Step 1: Stretch burlap to fit the foam support board. Fold the corners over and duct tape the burlap into place. 

Step 1

Step 2: Cut twine to the correct frame width and hot glue the twine into place. I was able to make four rows of twine to hold the pictures. Place a small drop of hot glue on one side and attach one end of the twine. Drape string across the width of the frame and hot glue the other side of the twine approximately across from the other side. 

Step 3: Fit the burlap covered foam board into place. Apply hot glue to the corners and along the side and place the board directly into the frame. I started on the top and worked my ways to the sides and finally the bottom so that the glue didn't cool before I got there. Make sure that the board is straight in the frame. 

  

Step 2

The end product turned out really cute. I have it hanging up in my craft room displaying all of my wedding instagram photos. I absolutely love it and get complements on it frequently. It is really easy to do and does not take a long time at all! The best part is you can apply it to any size frame or with any size photos.

Make sure to buy some cute pins to hang the pictures on twine--finishing touches are always a must. 

Chopped Party!

My husband and I love watching cooking shows together , especially cooking shows like Top Chef on Bravo and Chopped on Food Network. We brainstormed an idea for a dinner party that resembles the Chopped challenge. We chose four mystery ingredients and assembled them in a brown paper bag or what we called the "mystery basket" and delivered these to our friend's places the night before with strict instructions not to open until 6pm. Our participant guests would have one hour to cook a main course using the mystery ingredients as well as anything they could find in their own pantry (kitchen). Then they needed to be at our house by 7:15ish for the judging. My husband and I along with another friend provided drinks, dips and desserts--the essential triple "D's" at any party. We knew the idea was fun and would be fun but we thought the execution might not be up to par but we were so impressed with what our guests came up with! The mystery ingredients were Chicken Drumsticks, Carrots, Dijon Mustard and Salt and Vinegar Chips.  We asked each couple to explain their dish and how they used the ingredients and then we dug in and enjoyed the fruits of our labor. At the end of the evening the three judges gathered together to determine the winner. It of course was a close call but it came down to creativity. All dishes were amazing and yummy. The salt and vinegar chips were supposedly the hardest to incorporate in the dish. 

Top: Sweet and Sour Chicken; Middle: Fried Chicken Crisps with Crispy Skin and Carrot Puree; Bottom: Friend Salt&Vinegar Drumsticks with Rice. The nights winners created the middle dish. The crispy chicken with carrot puree dipping sauce. 

What would you have made using the above mystery ingredients? 

Flying Solo

Kyle is gone this week (and a over the next few weeks) for work and that leaves me alone with the Mozzster. Adjusting to having a puppy has been difficult. It is a lack of sleep during the potty training phase-- does that ever end? We can't keep the floors clean, we spend a few hours cleaning on Sunday and within a half hour of letting him out of his kennel, the floors were a wreck. I want a running partner so taking Mozzy out for a walk/run will only get better right? No, he is actually a pretty good puppy.
However, this is his first time without Kyle his bestie and first time in the kennel all day with only one break at lunch when I am able to come home. Today we had our first explosive diarrhea incident in the kennel.... awful. Is this real life!? But in the end it is all worth it--I guess that is love--cleaning up your puppy's poop no matter what. How can you not love Mozzy's little face?