slovly artwork

that I made for Lucy?
Well in the mail a month ago, a sweet package arrived.
From Slovly.
A handpainted image of Lucy and Owen in their Put Me In the Zoo outfits.
How completely sweet, endearing, and totally thoughtful. I absolutely love it. And the resemblances are right on. Thank you Sabrina!! You made my day, my month, my next 3 months!
What an interesting chain of creativity. I was inspired by the book to sew clothing; Sabrina was inspired by my clothing to paint art. Inspiration hits us in such different ways.
So, with giving in the air, I asked Sabrina if we could host a giveaway of some of her prints. Here's a Slovy Christmas gift for you! Click HERE to enter the Giveaway.

itsy bitsy giveaway

** You're always welcome to leave a comment (I love to hear from you).....but this giveaway is officially closed **
Last night while sewing up some Quilted Notecards I thought, instead of making two, why not make twelve? And better yet, why not give them away?!
So here we go. It's gonna be teeny, it's gonna be short, and two people will win. Above is the original mama card, which resulted in a bunch of babes. Using scraps, I made the tiniest 2 1/2 inch by 2 1/2 inch cards:
Perfect for that last minute shower gift you forgot to wrap.
Or why not punch a whole in the back and tie it up?
Left-over scraps from the purple bird skirt? I'm pretty sure gifts like tutus too....As I often say, the possibilities are endless.
So here are the rules....
1. THIS IS GOING TO BE A SHORT GIVEAWAY. Seems more fun that way. Why draw things out? The Giveaway ends TONIGHT 7/17, FRIDAY night at 11pm, Pacific Standard (West Coast, USA) time zone (that way, I'll get to bed by midnight, instead of 1am). That's an 8 hour-long giveaway. Fun!
2. Open to everyone, though many of our overseas friends may be sleeping from now until 11pm.
3. Just leave a comment! and PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR COMMENT.
4. That's it!
Two winners will be chosen using random.org, and will have a little stack like this coming in the mail very soon:
Thanks for playing and have a great weekend!
For other Gift Wrapping ideas, see here.

simple love cards

Please Note: This Giveaway is closed. But feel free to leave a comment if you like. We love to hear from you!
I wasn't home even an hour from our 3-week Christmas vacation when I started sewing. I really didn't plan to do it. I'm not that obsessed, I promise. But I was in charge of a church activity that night for the 8-11 year old girls and we were learning about Thank You cards. So, I had one hour to either run to Target and buy cards, or....I could just make them! So I kept it simple. Because I often think that's the way love is.
A "try and wow me"/expensive card with only a signature inside feels forced. But a handmade card with meaningful words inside saying Thank you, I loved the _____ gift, I'm truly blessed to have you as my friend means so much more.

So here's what I did.
If you haven't noticed by now, I often use this hemp-colored cardstock for many of my projects. I bought a whole ream of it for Christmas cards one year. So, I've got a lot of it hanging around. And I purchased tons of plain white envelopes from kelly paper for the same project (so those come in handy too!) So, create your own cards by cutting and folding a piece of cardstock in half. Pick out some cute fabrics and start sewing!
Some cards are basic with a simple heart. Some have a white background,
And this card was a play on the Quilted Notecard. I'd say this heart is bound.
You can find the Quilted Notecard Tutorial in the Tutorials tab at the top, or by clicking the button below:
And here's where you come in! It's more fun to give away the things I make, than to watch piles form in my sewing room. So, I'm giving away this little set of 4 cards. It's not much. It's pretty simple. But hey, why not? Love is in the air!
GIVEAWAY Rules:
* Leave a comment here.
* PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
* Only one comment per person. If you mess up and need to leave your comment again, please go back and delete the previous one.
* This will be a short and simple giveaway. GIVEAWAY is only for 24 hours! Giveaway ends Wed 1/20 at 10pm, central time.
* Open to ANYONE!

And that's it!
Enjoy!

aaar you ready for more giveaway?

Please NOTE: GIVEAWAY is closed. But please feel free to leave a comment. We love to hear from you!

Wow. One thing is certain: YOU GUYS ARE EXCITED ABOUT BOY MONTH. Woohoo! That makes The MADE-Maids happy to hear! And to really get our celebration going, I thought gifts were in order....our should I say Pirate's Booty?
Lounging pants are one of my favorite gifts to make for a newborn babe (or toddler). They're soft knit, they're lounge-y, comfy, and the best part is....you can decorate the bum:
The pattern for these are similar to kid's pajama bottoms from GAP or Old Navy, with a triangle in the bum area. The changes I made are: Elastic waist band with casing, and wide pant leg (instead of elastic bottom). So if you have a pair of PJs lying around, use our Make Your Own Pattern Tutorial and try them out!
And if you're in a Pirate mood like the MADE-maids are.....
Try out the Lounging Pirate Pants! I found an image online, printed it off, cut it out, traced it to knit fabric, cut the fabric out (with much patience)....
and sewed that Jolly Roger right on to the bum. That's right. Arrrr kinda like it! And arrr kinda want to wear these myself! But...we're not talking about girls here....back to the boys.

Wondering where the GIVEAWAY part comes in? I'm getting there.

But let's just be all pirate-y for a bit longer. How bout some really cool Etsy finds....

I wish I'd found this when Owen was a babe. Totally cool and looks totally soft. You can find it HERE at Charliemai:
Planning a Pirate party? Let Paper and Cake take care of all your graphics with their PDF Pirate Party package. It's printable party wear:
Now this is pattern my simple crochet skills can probably tackle. Bucaneer Booties! You can find the PDF pattern HERE by Mamachee:
The most painless sword fight ever. AWESOME! From All Boy House, it's the Soft Pirate Sword (make sure you check out her Light Sabers too):
You know, cool/cute/fun circle pirate pictures. Print them out for buttons, magnets, your own craft, whatever! Brought to you by ReviDevi:
And this loot really knocked my boots off! Attention all pirates! Grab your Skivvies.....
And walk the plank! Thank you Small Threads for seriously making my day with this photo:
And that's a pirate round-up! Now for your treasure Maties.....


I'm giving away TWO pairs of the Lounging Pirate Pants! Yep!
So there will be TWO winners (sorry if you're a mom of twins and you win. Maybe you can cut a deal with the other winner). Pants fit anywhere from 3-9 months old.

GIVEAWAY Rules:
* Just leave a comment! That's it.
* LEAVE YOUR EMAIL address in your comment
* Open to Anyone! (as long as you have a "normal" mailing address in the world)
* Only ONE entry per person. If you forget something in your comment and need to leave another comment, please go back and delete the first comment.
* Giveaway is only 20 hours long. It ends Tuesday 2/2 at 9pm, Central Time.

So jump on board!
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Did you see Rae's adorable boy's button down shirt, made from a Men's shirt?! Clev-ah lady. Today she's showing us how to make Western flap pockets. Yeehaw!!

Time for Felt Giveaway

PLEASE NOTE: This Giveaway is now CLOSED. Please feel free to leave a comment though. We love to hear from you!
As I gathered GUEST bloggers for Celebrate the BOY, my friend Laura of Alice in La La Land immediately came to mind. She doesn't have a craft blog and she doesn't have a boy. But this lady has amazing style. She's traveled the world, her mom taught her every craft skill in the book, and well, she always looks like she just walked out of a magazine. I knew that whatever she chose to share, it would be cool and photographed just perfectly.

So without further ado.....
it's something you've always yearned for....
a way to accessorize your little boy while still keeping him manly.....

The Felt Watch:
But first let's hear all about it from Laura.....
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I love making creative things, I guess primarily because I have been surrounded by über creative people all my life. I was raised in a family of all girls by one of the most amazingly creative and crafty women on earth. From her I learned just a few of her many talents: knitting, sewing, crocheting, needlepoint, and many more. I am, however, sad to say that I did not inherit her patience and precision in these areas. I avoided these crafts for years, instead doing things like cooking, drawing, jewelry making, and photography. But, then I had my little girl, and found a new desire to create things for her.
My daughter is the inspiration behind the majority of the things I make. I love to accessorize, and luckily so does she. I have an ETSY shop where I sell some of my accessories for girls. But, thanks to my good friend Dana, I have revisited creating for boys! Boys like to accessorize too, they just don't know it. Every boy likes wearing a cape, a belt, boots, a hat, and a watch, right?

Well, what I have for you today is a watch that every boy will like. It may not tick, but it is soft, comfy, easy to put on and take off, doesn't set off the airport security machines, doesn't require a battery change, and always let's you know what time it is. With this watch, it's always party time!
Made of craft felt, embroidery floss, and velcro, this little timepiece is a quick project with a lot of life!
Your boy is sure to enjoy his felt watch. (My girl thinks they are fun, too! Shhh...I just mentioned girls).
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Where can you find these cool watches?

FIRST, in the Alice in La La Land SHOP!

SECOND, right here on MADE. Because for the next 8 hours, we're doing a little mini Giveaway! Yep, you can win the watch pictured below, compliments of Alice in La La Land:
Giveaway Rules:
* Leave a comment! That's it.
* Leave you EMAIL ADDRESS in your comment.
* Only ONE entry per person.
* If you forget something and need to leave a second comment, go back and DELETE your first comment.
* Open to anyone with a normal address in the world!
* Giveaway ends IN 8 HOURS!!! That means by 12 midnight tonight! (Central time)
I like immediate rewards. I'll post the winner just after midnight.

The uh, watch is ticking! So get commenting!

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and check out the cool way to decorate your boy's room in BOT CAMP, with Guest blogger Stardust Shoes: