Matchbox Dolls on ABM

I have a fun little DIY over on A Beautiful Mess right now!  I made this matchbox bunny as a little Easter giftie, but created the pattern so you can sew this as a doll or any animal you'd like.  Save your old (large) matchboxes and make something darling for a kiddo you know!  You can find the full tutorial right here!

I hope your week is lovely so far!  xo.

New Stuff on ABM!

I have a few new posts up over on A Beautiful Mess that I thought I would share here as well!

This wide headband tutorial is great as a last-minute gift idea!  Hope has already swiped all the headbands I made for myself.  ;)

Johnny and I worked together to make this sweet dollhouse for Poesy.  Last year I made the girls a play kitchen that they LOVED, so I'm hoping this special gift gets as much use!

This knot braid is one of my very favorite tutorials right now.  I'm going to practice making it into a crown for New Year's Eve!

Now to kick my last-minute Christmas shopping into high gear!  How is it getting so close already??

Guest Post: Hope's First Competition

Hi, guys!  This is Hope!  I recently had my first gymnastics competition.  I have been training for months and looking forward to my first meet!

When I got there, I was very nervous before they called my name.  Of course, my first event was balance beam.  My legs were all shaky!  I ended up falling off twice.  

My next event was floor and I did much better.  My legs stopped shaking and I felt a lot better.  My floor routine was pretty good and I got to do vault next.  I love floor AND vault!  I took 1^st place in my age division on vault!  I was SO EXCITED!!!

The last event was bars.  I got really nervous again because I hurt myself a little while back on the bars.  I told my teacher I didn’t need her to spot me and I went for it.  I got 2^nd place in my age division on bars!  I even got my stride circle without any help!  My family was all there to watch me and cheer for me.

When they were announcing names for the trophies I had no idea I had done so well.  Here are all my events:

Vault: 1^st place 

Bars: 2^nd place

Floor: 3^rd place

Beam: 6^th place

All-Around: 3^rd place

When my next meet gets here I feel like I can do even better.  Hopefully my legs won’t be so shaky!  MAYBE I will even win another trophy.  Fingers crossed!  Thanks for reading!  xoxo Hope

Everyday Styling and Alphabet Bags Winners

Happy Monday, friends!  I have a new post up over on A Beautiful Mess!  I had the privilege of doing an Everyday Styling post where I break down my typical makeup and hair routine.  It was a really fun post to do, especially since I love talking makeup.

(photos by Elsie)

Now, the winners of the Alphabet Bags giveaway are:

If you are a winner, please email me at skunkboycreatures@yahoo.com.  Have a wonderful day!!

Plain Jane Canvas Shoes Restyle

Hi, Skunkboy friends!  I'm Jodie, crafter and stitcher of Lova Revolutionary and author of Happy Stitch.  Summer time is just my favorite and I love a simple pair of canvas shoes to slip on for some quick outings to the park, to take to the beach, and to play with the pooch in!  I picked up a pair recently but decided they needed a little something-something to make them extra cute.  I thought I'd share this little restyle DIY with you, so you can stitch up a cute pair or perk up a pair you have already!

Supplies:  canvas shoes, several colors of embroidery floss, thick hand sewing needle, needle gripper (optional), pencil

Step 1:  Simply sketch out your design on your shoes with a regular pencil, careful to leave some space around the edge.

Step 2:  Begin filling in your design using some easy embroidery stitches.  I used a back stitch for the solid line and a straight stitch along the sides of my shoes.  Use a fill stitch to create a solid shape.  You may also need a needle gripper-- there are a few different kinds to choose from.  Depending on the thickness of your fabric, it may make it easier to pull it through.

Step 3:  When you are finished with each floss color, tie a knot on the inside to secure your thread.  Since it can be a little difficult to make a knot on the inside, try looping your thread around your finger and rolling it down to meet the inside of the top of the shoe.  If you need to, use a dab of clear fabric glue on the inside to hold your knot in place.

Stitch How-To:

Straight Stitch- bring your thread through the back of your design and then down through the top, leave a small space, and then repeat your stitch.
Back Stitch- begin with a single straight stitch.  Bring your thread through again from the wrong side of your design, a few centimeters away from where you finished your first stitch.  Bring the needle back through the same hole where you ended your first stitch.
Fill Stitch- make a series of long straight stitches, very close together to fill your shape.  If you have any fabric showing through, just make more long straight stitches on top.  You can also outline your shape with a back stitch or small straight stitches.

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Thanks, Jodie, for this adorable DIY!  I can't wait to try it out!

Jodie has also just released her first craft book: Happy Stitch: 30 Felt and Fabric Projects for Everyday, and she is giving two copies away!  If you'd like to enter to win a copy of Happy Stitch, just leave a comment saying why you love crafty projects.  :)  I'll pick the winners at the end of the week!

Guest Post: Hope Hearts Gymnastics

**Just in case there are any newish readers out there who may not know, my daughter Hope used to guest blog bi-weekly here on my blog.  It doesn't happen as often these days, but when it does it's always a sweet treat (at least for me).

Hi, everybody!  Long time no see!  I've been really busy so I haven't been writing much.  Anyway, today I want to talk about gymnastics.  I started gymnastics about a month ago and I REALLY like it!  Last week I got to do a gymnastics camp which means a 2 hour class for 4 DAYS IN A ROW!!  I just graduated from Level 1 and I will be starting Level 2 on Wednesday.  I don't mean to brag or anything, but my coach said I'm almost ready for Level 3!

My favorite parts about gymnastics are:
*the bars
*the balance beam
*the trampoline

I'm learning to walk backwards on the balance beam and do cartwheels on it.  We also started working on back handsprings last week!  I still need to be spotted but it is lots of fun!

Poesy can't wait until she is big enough to do gymnastics.  She is always running out on the mat and doing somersaults and jumping around.  My parents are constantly chasing her around.  She is very determined to do what the big kids are doing.

Oh!  Another favorite thing about gymnastics is being in class with my friends.  Two of my friends in my class I've known since I was a baby and they are home schooled too.  After class every week we go out and grab dinner and sometimes they come too.

Okay.  Thanks for reading.  You guys are good blog friends!
--Hope

Dolly Hair

For all of you Dolly Parton enthusiasts, there is a new hair tutorial over on A Beautiful Mess completely inspired by her!  I have a deep love for Dolly, so this style was extra fun to wear.  :))

Have a wonderful day, friends!!

Etsy Weddings

Hi, friends!  I'm happy to finally be able to share that I have been working on some new hair tutorials for the new Etsy Weddings page!  

It was a lot of fun and I'm happy to be a little part of it!  If you are interested, you can view them here and here.  Have a lovely Monday!!

Recipe Time: Blackberry Coconut Crumble Muffins

Hi everybody! I'm Megan, and I'm the blogger behind Freckled Italian.

My blog is a place where I share what it's like to be a running, cooking, photo-taking graduate student with dreams of a literary life. I'm here today to share a new muffin recipe with you! I recently cut grains, dairy, and sugar out of my diet, so I'm sure you can imagine how difficult that makes something like baking. But it's not impossible!

Freckled Italian's Paleo Blackberry Coconut Crumble Muffins

Ingredients:

3 eggs

2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup Blue Diamond coconut almond milk

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut

About half of a 6 ounce package fresh blackberries

1. Mix the (melted) coconut oil, eggs, honey, and salt together.
2. Add coconut flour, baking powder, and mix. Stir in coconut almond milk.

3. Fold blackberries into the batter. I cut some in half but soon decided that I liked the idea of whole ones better.

4. Add the shredded coconut and stir a final time.

5. Spoon the batter into greased muffin tins. I used mini ones because I left my regular sized ones at a friend's house!

6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. 

Just keep an eye on them. They'll be done when they're golden brown and firm to the touch.

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Thank you so much, Megan, for this recipe!  Blackberries are an absolute favorite in this house!

If you get a chance, stop by Megan's blog and give her a little hello.  She is sweet, adorable, AND she has a really fun pen pal project going on right now!  I'm so happy to have her as a sponsor this month!

Tattoo Tuesday

I'm just popping in to let you know that you can find me over on Sometimes Sweet today for Tattoo Tuesday.  I adore Danielle and her lovely blog, and I'm so happy to have the opportunity to share a little bit about my tattoos over there. 

Have an amazing day.  <3  xoxo Katie

New Hair Post and Winners!

I have a new hair post up over on A Beautiful Mess!  This is one of my go-to hairstyles!

Also, I've added some more items and dropped some prices in my Reloved shop!

 

And, finally... here are the Sleepy King giveaway winners!

Fletcher:

 Embroidered piece:

Wing hair accessory:

Congrats!  If you are a winner please send me an email at skunkboycreatures@yahoo.com.

Happy Thursday!  xoxo Katie