Sunday, March 6, 2011

design studio

for the past couple weeks i've been engrossed in a hobby. i go through these spurts of creativity & project-making where i feel like i need to do something beyond the scope of the usual hum-drum workaday business and make something. i showed you some of those things in october when i did my first crafty post and here's my second one.

i try not to talk about weight loss. mostly because i rarely experience it & i'm a little jealous, but then i remember that it's due to my own inactivity and bad food choices, so i can't be jealous. i can only be chubby and live with it, or do something to make a change. i'm not currently willing to make any big changes, but one thing i can try to improve upon is my inclination to snack at night. once brooke is in bed, all i want to do is eat, especially if i'm on the couch. but i LOVE my couch. i swear, it's the most comfortable thing i've ever draped myself across and my soul takes a deep, cleansing sigh of relief when i plunk down in that one special corner. the trouble arrives when my body hits that spot on the couch & then it starts calling for potato chips. and cheese. and cadbury eggs. so i've been trying to do things to keep my hands and brain busy when i'm on the couch in order to prevent the food inhalation.

here's what i've been doing.
 i've been hand-sewing outfits for my daughter's zhu zhu pets. she doesn't really care about clothes for animals, so i've started making clothes for her friend's toys too.
i've been using little scraps of material and a bit of elastic to adorn these little critters. the girls each got a matching, fringed leopard mini skirt.

the wedding set came out cute. i even used a piece i cut off the wrap from my wedding dress to make the bridal veil.

we've got the party girls with their fluffy dresses. i've been using old, outgrown clothes that i've cut up, scraps my mom gave me and remnants that i found at fabric stores.


brooke said she needed some boy outfits, so i bought a couple bandanas that i used to fashion into a couple of the boys outfits here.


the little one on the left is actually made out of an old pair of poorly constructed dog ears that i bought for brooke before i realized that i could make way better ears myself. it looks like a buckskin jacket to me. the one on the right is actually made out of a ribbon that came wrapped around a blanket that i recieved for christmas a couple years ago. with the added rick rack, it kind of looks like a cocktail dress.

these 2 things are my least favorites, but the girls really like them. i let them pick fabrics & styles that they want for their outfits. whatever.

these 2 are my current favorites. i love the little diamond button on the pink bubble skirt.

that's all for now. anyone (of my regular readers who live in the u.s.) have little kids who love some zhu zhu pets want a cute outfit or two? i'm willing to make & send them since it gives me something to do & they're so cute!

28 comments:

  1. Very cute.
    I'm not very crafty. I used to make Kiddo's Halloween costumes, but that was it.
    It takes patience I just don't seem to possess.

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  2. Those are pretty cute, I am sure that my daughter would love those outfits for her hammies.

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  3. if you want one, email me your address. my email is sherilinr@gmail.com. and color preferences.

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  4. These are adorable! What a great idea to occupy yourself with. I usually draw or crochet.

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  5. Great, thanks. ;) My little guy came up behind me while I was reading this and has now demanded clothing for his hamster pets. You know I can't say no to that! This is what happens when you know that your mommy is crafty...

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  6. Oh god lord! You have way more patience than I do! LOL. Very cute.

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  7. You are the coolest. The bottom two are my favorites, too. I'm sure Kylie would love to dress up the real hampsters in some costumes, but I'm not mentioning that idea to her.

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  8. Those are sooooo cute. You are quite clever.

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  9. So cute! So where are mine, dear friend? LOL I like the wedding one best.

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  10. too adorable my friend. the last 2 are my favs too, but then i like sparkly things!

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  11. They are really cute! I tried taking up knitting to stop that night time snacking. Worked ok until I started rewarding myself with a snack every few rows or so. Good grief.

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  12. Your daughter is very lucky! They are very cute!! Thanks for commenting on my blog - you asked about my kids - 18 y.o.son with Anxiety disorder and Aspergers and 15 y.o.daughter with Ehlers-Danlos and Spinal fusion from scoliosis. Just your normal family!

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  13. Believe it or not, I'd wear these as slippers (despite my leprous feet). Even though I have hobbit feet, they'd have to be a little larger, though.

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  14. nekey, fb me to place your order. carrie, you need to get kylie a zhu zhu pet so she can dress it up. i'm sure the real ones wouldn't love it. especially the pregnant one. can you feel the babies squirming in her belly yet?
    leanne, you know you'll love making them. you're even craftier & handier than i am, so this is right up your alley! with a sewing machine, it wouldn't take any time at all once you figure out a good pattern. i use paper towels to make my patterns.
    laughingmom, thanks. sounds like your kids are lucky to have you as their awesome advocate too! i'd hate to have to endure those meetings with the school!
    al, would you wear the clothes or the toys as slippers? if you used the toys, they've got rollers in the bottoms, so you could kind of roller skate with them on. and they'd squeak out encouraging and silly phrases as they dragged you around. it would be fun!

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  15. Very, very cute! I'll be looking for a leotard, a bikini, a prom dress, a football uniform, and a scuba diving suit in the next set. If you send me a fluffy skirt or two I'll give them to Hannah. She would love them!

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  16. Okay, those are freaking ridiculous--I LURV them. You should call up the zhu zhu company and try to market them to them. No, I'm serious!

    Anyhoo, GIRLFRIEND, diets suck, and suck hard! Remember how I ranted that I do NOT diet?
    http://karensomethingorother.blogspot.com/2011/01/diets-can-suck-it.html

    Serioulsy--I'm so zealous about FREEING ONESELF from food that I am one step away from sounding like some annoying self-help jerk on PBS who has a new book to push (which I do NOT). Eat the mini eggs and chips, but eat them in the morning!

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  17. They are cute. I have once sewed myself to something I was trying fix. Does that make me crafty too?

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  18. Oooooh...these are so cute. What a clever person you are!

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  19. Those are very cute and congrats on being so creative. I am an artist, good at drawing but not so much at making things and design. I agree that you should call up Zhu-Zhu and market them! Great job! And trying to lose weight is so freaking hard! I think its impossible! :)
    Oh and also I am in the market for a new couch, any recommendations??!

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  20. so cute! You should sell some on ebay.

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  21. My 3 y/o begged and begge for zhu zhus for Christmas. Soo, everyone in the family bought her zhu zhu's and all the accessories. Guess where they are now. Yep, zipped up in a lunch bag and thrown in the toy box!

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  22. yeah, I felt compelled to come over and check out the little zhu buddies again. Oh look at those little guys, I just want to poke their little plastic noses! But I know that in doing that, they'll never SHUT UP.

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  23. All the outfits are so cute! I especially liked the weding outfits. Your daughter is real lucky!

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  24. Look at you, Ms. Crafty One!

    My daughter just usually wraps hers in toilet paper.-- Yep, that's how we roll. ;)

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  25. I love the bubble skirts and the bride and groom. Very cute and a lot less fattening than potato chips.

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  26. OH, I love the tutu... The blue and pink, so pretty!!!
    The Girls are just starting with these...
    I have a corner on my couch too!!!

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  27. That is a HILARIOUS thing to do with your snack time. Freaking love it!

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don't let me be the only one doing the talking around here. spill your guts!