Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Kentucky Derby Cake Pop Stand

I love it when I get custom orders and the customers let me play around a bit with the theme.  I had a request a couple weeks ago for a cake pop stand that would hold 24 pops and was in the shape of a horseshoe.  After calculating out where the holes would be places, the horseshoe would have to be pretty large to hold 24 pops, so the customer and I settled on this plan.  I would make a stand that would simply have the design standing behind the stand.  

I did a little searching for what the Kentucky Derby was all about in the first place.  Eventually I made up a couple samples of what we could put behind the stand.  These are just a few...

Hat???  Please like the hat!

This one I totally loved too.

In keeping with the horseshoe theme, my very patient customer settled on this one.  She said her 24 cake pops were going to be in the shape of roses and she thought this layout would be great for the pops.

Here is my actual wood version!  I am a pretty proud mama.  I know you are probably thinking "no big deal", but this stand stressed me out a bit.  I have thought for a long time about a pop stand that had changeable decor, but had not gone as far as to figure out how to make it work.  

Well, I used a hunk of wood that was about 2" too wide, cut that 2" off in a straight line, cut a groove into the 2" strip to fit my horseshoe piece, then wood glued and brad nailed the 2" strip back onto the wooden block.  The horseshoe piece fit perfectly!  
I painted the whole saw-dusted disaster and
 Viola!

Kentucky Derby Cake Pop Stand!  Love it!

Now I can't wait for an excuse to make a birthday or baby shower stand the same way.  The possibilities are endless!

Friday, April 18, 2014

Autograph Cards Revisited


Per an email request, I made up some Frozen character cards to add to the Disney Autograph Card set I have available for free download!!!

I am still passionately in love with the movie, the characters, the songs!
You want autograph cards to go with everything else?  No problem ;0}

My sister went to Disney World last month.  She informed me that Anna and Elsa were at Disney World over Christmas as characters you could meet and get autographs from.  After the surprising demand to see them did not diminish at all over the months, Anna and Elsa are now there until further notice awaiting your visit!  

My little niece had the biggest obsession with the movie, so my sister went to Epcot before the park opened, ran the whole way to the spot where the princesses were to be, and still ended up waiting 2.5 hours to see them.  Crazy lady!  For all you devoted Frozen fans out there, here are your new autograph cards.

I know I need a couple more characters in my collection, but I made my autograph cards long before I had ever been to Disney World myself.  I will add updating the other characters to my list when our Easter celebration is over.  Until then, let it go, and go watch frozen again!

Oh, so three versions based on which Anna you want.  All cards are available for download HERE from my dropbox file!!!

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Dudley Do-Right Peggie Set

Dudley Do-Right and his fellow Canadian Mounties ALWAYS get their man!  
They have certainly captured my heart.  This little crew turned out so much cuter than I had hoped.  Seriously, the pictures don't even do them justice.  

Here is a nother look.  Just like the Rocky & Bullwinkle set I used the Ceramic Stucco to add dimension to the hair and to Dudley's chin.  You can't have a proper Dudley Do-Right without his manly, strong cleft chin!!!





Dudley Do-Right!  We need you!

Do-Right, there's a fiend running loose in northern Canada.  

A fiend, Inspector?  

Yes, a fiend who goes about Canada tying defenseless women to railroad tracks!  

A rope-tying fiend is at large and should be brought in at once!

And remember Constable Do-Right, a Canadian Mountie ALWAYS gets his man!



Meanwhile somewhere else...Snidely Whiplash, you will never win!

Be quiet and let me tie you to that track over there.

Here, here! You oughtn't to do a thing like that: going around tying defenseless people to railroad tracks.

Curses! Foiled again.

Nell are you alright?  I am always willing to help a citizen in need.

Thanks for rescuing me, but I hate to tell you, I would rather kiss your horse!

But WHY Nell???
Because you are simply too good, Dudley Do-Right!

OK, so I changed a few things, but guess what?  When the show goes down at your own house, you get to make up the story ;0}

Monday, April 14, 2014

Rocky & Bullwinkle Peggie Set

Remember these guys???  One day Emmalee was really bored and I was in desperate need of a nap.  I flipped on Amazon Prime Instant Movies that are free with the prime membership...Would you guess what they have for you to watch for free????

Rocky & Bullwinkle, 4 seasons of the whole gang!
My whole family is addicted!

A few days later I started thinking that it would be kinda fun to paint a set of peggies to depict the vintage characters.  I really can't tell you how much fun I have painting these guys.  I mean all peggies, not just Rocky and Bullwinkle and crew.  It is so relaxing and better to me than playing with them.  Good think my kids take over the playing and leave the painting to me. 

"Moose" was a bit tricky to make with his honken' set of horns.  I ended up performing massive surgery on his head to create a crater big enough to wedge in a antler rack.  I cut the antlers out of 1/8" mdf on my scroll saw, sanded his little face flat, then glued the wooden cap on for his nose.  Normally I try and stay away from any small balls or notions that are simply glued on.  I try and keep my peggies kid safe no matter the age, but let's be honest...this set was for me ;0}

Plus, you really can't make Bullwinkle unless he has a gigantic schnoz!

For all of the rest of the dimensional fun I had with the "sqvirel", the hair on several of the dolls, and Dudley Do-Right's chin, I used Ceramic Stucco to build up the areas I wanted dimensional, then I painted over the stucco once it dried.  Now, I probably would use some other medium with a little less roughage in it.  I took a shot in the dark when I picked this stuff up from the Art isle at Michaels.  There was a smoother texture gel sold, but they were out of stock.  Rather than wait...and then never get my guys done, I went for the stucco.  I still love what it did for the dolls!

A little back view...

Boris and Natasha.  A playset with the good guys and no villains would only lead to drama.  NOpe.  You can't forget the villains.

Here is the back view for them.  Boris spent a little time with his head under the sander too.  It is rather painful for me to take the peggies to the saws.  By the time I decide what they should be, it is like they are alive and feeling every cut.  Yipes!  I guess it is worth it though, cause it makes for a much stronger glue bond, not to mention a more realistic look in the end.



I totally forgot that Peabody and Sherman were in the Rocky & Bullwinkle show!  With the new Mr. Peabody movie in theaters, it was pretty exciting for Emmalee to get her very own Peabody and Sherman.  Now I just need to make a Mr. Peabody movie set of peggies.  The only problem I have with that group is I have no idea what to use for the Way-Back.  I will have to keep thinking on that one.

Here is a back view of those two.  Not super exciting, but I worked pretty hard on the hair and ears.  I might as well show them too.

I am off to bed, but tomorrow I will show you the Dudley Do-Right portion of this set.  Madison has informed me, and I totally agree, that I also need to do the Fractured Fairytale fairy.  How could I forget?  
I guess I am not finished.  Darn!  Now I get have to paint some more ;0}

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Skirting Through the Week #6


Favorite Skirt of the Batch!!!  I totally love this one.  I love the double skirt thing, the flower, and the popsicles.  Who doesn't smile at the sight of popsicles?

I did not intend to pull the popsicle fabric up to expose this under skirt.  Had I known, I would have used a fun patterned fabric or just done the chevron all the way up.  I thought I would save some money and use a strip of this sheet I cut up and have sitting next to me.  Cut up sheets are a very soft, comfy way to save a few bucks on under-fabrics.  Oh well.  I still love the skirt.  

I made the flower by taking a 4" scrap of the chevron, ironing it in half the long way, then stitched a wide, sloppy running stitch with a thick piece of button thread down the length of the folded strip.  I pulled the thread just tight enough to gather the fabric a tad to give the flower some shape and personality.  Next I wound the scrap up like a cinnamon bun, slowly bunching and twisting until it looked like a proper flower.  Finally, I used my needle and thread to stitch the thing together.  I just poked it through the hole bottom where I could, through just a couple layers at a time in other places.  

When the flower was made, I used my needle and thread to gather the yellow popsicle fabric up, then secured the flower to the skirt on the same thread.

As you can see here, I made the yolk just like the other skirts, only slightly longer, then gathered the under skirts on top of the yolk.  You will laugh when I tell you this, but I actually sewed the popsicle {right side} to the sheet {white sheets don't really have right-sides, but wrong side}, sewed them together, then flopped the fabric so the seam was on the inside, then gathered the both of the skirts to the yolk.  When I gathered the skirts and sewed them on, it encased the seam so there was no need to surge that skirt-to-skirt seam ;0}
Yep, worked like a charm!

Maybe I should make one for me...so just kidding.  That would look terrible, but this little skirt on my little Emmers, ADorABLE!

Sick of life?  Go make a skirt tonight.  After you scream and yell from misplaced stitches, goofed-up cutting, and one thousand interruptions...you will end up having a blast.  Really.  Just try it!

Friday, April 11, 2014

"Tangled" Hair

Emmers wanted "Tangled" styled hair the other day.  This is what I came up with.  I totally loved it.  The pictures weren't taken until AFTER church, so it is a little fuzzier than it would have been, but still totally cute.

Basically, I made two smaller french braids on the sides of her head and tied them off with rubber bands.  Then I did a bigger one down the center of her head and just braided in the smaller ones when I got down to them.  We hot glued paper flowers to bobby pins and added a little bling for good measure. 

I had one happy princess thanks to the do ;0}

Mom, can you do Cinderella next time???

Novelty Print Quilt Pattern

I have had a hard time finding good quilt patterns for novelty prints the past couple times I purchased them.  I made up this pattern so tha...