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Tag Archives: granddaughter

A Hot Air Balloon decoration for my granddaughter’s room

02 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by Julia Monroe in All Sparkled Up, allsparkledup, crafts, granddaughter, grandkids, home decor, On my Worktable, projects, Uncategorized

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Tags

decorating, granddaughter, home decor, hot air balloon

We have a precious new granddaughter. ♥

I wanted to make something special for her room so I made a Hot Air Balloon mobile to hang up.

Hot Air Balloon mobile, made from a Japanese paper ball, embroidery hoop, basket and brass charms.


The beautiful paper ball was purchased when two of my sons and I visited Tokyo a couple years ago, so the Japan connection is very special to my son. He also has been on a hot air balloon team so thus the connection to hot air balloons.

Hot Air Balloon decoration to hang in my granddaughter’s room.


My daughter-in-law loves butterflies so I was really happy to find the metal filligree butterflies and brass keys in my craft supplies.

Brass butterfly charm sewn to the side of the basket


The hardest part of making this was tying all the knots equidistant from the top of the balloon so it hung straight.




I hope my granddaughter enjoys it for many years.

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Her Princess doll dress

15 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by Julia Monroe in All Sparkled Up, dolls, fabric, fashion design, granddaughter, Princess doll, sewing, sketchbook

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All Sparkled Up, crafts, drawing, granddaughter, sewing

She sketched the princess in her sketchbook while I was busy in the kitchen. I didn’t even notice what she was drawing until it was all done.

A Princess, by my seven year old granddaughter.

A Princess, by my seven year old granddaughter.

A couple weeks came and went and she turned seven. For her birthday, my mom and I got her a sewing basket filled with notions. She was thrilled with them!
2a sewing basket
2b sewing basket
My mom also got her a stash of amazing fabric. Oh the color! Oh the sparkles and sheers! She wanted to look at the fabric right then but the other party goers were waiting so we had to move on.

Fat quarters and quarter yards of lovely fabrics.

Fat quarters and quarter yards of lovely fabrics.

She visited again and we got out the sketchbook. For the first time I really looked at her drawing. What a splendid imagination she has! I was amazed at how much her sketch looked like her doll so I told her we would make the princess dress for her doll.

I asked her to explain the picture to me.
“The aqua thing that goes around her back is flat and sticks up. You know, like the things that queens have.” I had no idea.
“The skirt goes like this,” she gestured in the air. I couldn’t understand. I scrunched up fabric and said “With gathers? Like this?”
“No…” she slowly said. “But that’s ok if that’s how you have to make it. It will still be ok,” she said with a tiny sigh of resignation. She had high hopes in my skill but I wasn’t as confident.

We spread out the fabrics that her Great Grandma got her for her 7th birthday. What a surprise to see that so many of the fabrics matched the sketch! It was important that the colors and sheerness match so we dug through my bins of fabric too to find all the pieces.

Matching fabrics to make the Princess doll dress in her sketch.

Matching fabrics to make the Princess doll dress in her sketch.

We discussed the components of the dress and drew preliminary patterns. We planned how the dress would be constructed so the doll could still get it on and off, where to put snaps, which sheer pieces would be sewn together. That was complicated! She didn’t want a skirt and top, it HAD to be a dress.
While I worked out the patterns, she played with her sewing basket.
4 a sewing basket4 b sewing basket
4 c pin cushion
She had to go home but I continued working on the dress. First I made the underskirt from a lovely ruffle fabric. I also drew out the pattern for the throne based on her sketch and Grandpa cut it out and nailed it together.

She couldn't part with her doll and took it home so I had to use my own doll for fittings.

She couldn’t part with her doll and took it home so I had to use my own doll for fittings.

She visited several times while I worked on the dress. It took a while to make because I was baffled by the construction. It would have been easy to stitch on the doll but I was making a garment that would withstand a little girl’s playing, complete with snaps. I wish I had taken photos of the construction. While I worked on the dress, she painted the throne and she told me more about the dress.

Painting the doll throne.

Painting the doll throne.

7 painting the doll throne

“The skirt is pointy on the sides,” she said. “That’s what makes it pretty!”

We finally used up the two old bottles of acrylic paint. That was the very last of the red paint!

We finally used up the two old bottles of acrylic paint. That was the very last of the red paint!

“I love the hearts on the purple part. But that’s ok that they aren’t on my sketch. But I can add them if I want to.”

Now we just have to add the tufted cushions.

Now we just have to add the tufted cushions.

We still have to upholster the throne and make the crown. She picked out the fabric for the throne but I have buy little black buttons so we can properly tuft it. Or perhaps we’ll paint brads black. In the meantime, I finished the dress.
She loves it!

The Princess doll dress is finished!  She loves it! The design and colors are all her own, inspired by the sketch in her sketchbook.

The Princess doll dress is finished! She loves it! The design and colors are all her own, inspired by the sketch in her sketchbook.

The Princess Dress turned out exactly like she envisioned!

There are three separate pieces: The lavender underskirt, the dress with all the sheer layers and stiff aqua collar sewn in the side seams, and the wide burgundy sash.

There are four separate pieces: The lavender underskirt, the dress with bodice and purple and green sheer layers and stiff aqua collar sewn in the side seams, the outer pink lace skirt that snaps in front, and the wide burgundy sash.

I decided to pleat the sheer purple layer instead of gathering. Unknown to me, the little lines she drew on her sketch were pleats! I didn’t understand her explanation of them so she’s thrilled that I figured it out. Yay!

The outer lace layer is fairly stiff and sticks out just like she hoped.

The outer lace layer is fairly stiff and sticks out just like she hoped. Click on the image to see it larger.

The back is just a little puffy, precisely the way she wanted it, and the aqua collar is one piece that is attached at the sides and loose across the back. I stitched wires and horsehair braid in the collar so it keeps shape. To get the dress on, the collar is slipped over the doll’s head. Then the back is closed with three snaps.

Princess doll dress back.

Princess doll dress back.

It was important to match the colors in the sketch. But even more important were the “points on the side, to make it pretty.” To make the “points” on the side, the outer pink lace layer is made of three pieces, seamed at the side. It is lined with netting, with horsehair braid at the hem to keep the edge stiff all the way around.
14 Princess doll dress skirt
After seeing how adorable this dress turned out, using colors and fabrics I never would have thought combine so splendidly, I can’t wait to see what else my granddaughter designs. I love her style!

Princess doll dress

Princess doll dress

Loving her dolly the Christmas I gave it to her.

Loving her dolly the Christmas I gave it to her.

Loving her dolly the Christmas I gave it to her.

And still loving her doll four years later.
17 still loving her doll

Still loving her dolly, four years later.

Still loving her dolly, four years later.

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Sneak peek of her doll dress

11 Saturday Jul 2015

Posted by Julia Monroe in All Sparkled Up, crafts, sewing

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All Sparkled Up, crafts, granddaughter, sewing

It’s her own design. She sketched it in her sketchbook one day while I was busy in the kitchen.

The dress is done and now we’re working on the throne and crown.

She drew the design in her sketchbook and I sewed it for her. Complete with the “flat collar piece that goes around the back” and “those lines in the fabric when it goes like this -WWW-” in the skirt, which I learned she intended as pleats.

I’ll post color photos soon.
 

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Sleepover at Grandma’s House

26 Tuesday Nov 2013

Posted by Julia Monroe in art, crafts, family, grandkids

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

crafts, crayons, granddaughter, Holly Belle paper dolls, Little Miss Christmas, paper dolls

And of course we did crafts!
First we played with paper dolls. She picked which outfits I should cut out.
Little Miss Christmas and Holly Belle, a reprint of a favorite paper doll I had as a child.

Beautiful color and detail in Little Miss Christmas and Holly Belle paper dolls be E.A.Voss, 1965

Beautiful color and detail in Little Miss Christmas and Holly Belle paper dolls by E.A.Voss, 1965


Little Miss Christmas wears her snowflake headband

Little Miss Christmas wears her snowflake headband


While we were playing with paper dolls, we entertained each other by reciting lines from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer animated film. “Herbie doesn’t like to make toys!” “This fog is as thick as peanut butter. You mean pea soup. You eat what you like, I’ll eat what I like!” “Or a cowboy that rides an ostrich!” “We’re all misfits!” Oh we laughed and laughed and even forgot to go to bed at a decent hour!

When it was bedtime, my granddaughter insisted that Little Miss Christmas and Holly Belle have soft bedding. So we quickly made card stock beds with tissue-stuffed tissue pillows and tissue sheets and blankets.

My granddaughter tucks a little "favorite stuffy" next to each paper dollie, tucked under her tissue sheets.

She tucks a “favorite stuffy” next to each paper dollie, nestled beneath her tissue sheets.


The next day we tested crayon colors. I usually keep the crayons sorted
by color in the bottoms of recycled water bottles, all neatly tucked in a big tin. But we got all the crayons out because some had been mixed up. It’s hard to tell what color a crayon is just by the wrapper so it was fun discovering new favorites by drawing.
I taught her how to draw snowflakes. We tested out a lot of crayon colors and made a page of colorful snowflakes.
She wanted to know how to draw diamonds so I taught her how. Then she colored kites.
"Drawing diamonds and they are kites."

Drawing diamonds and kites.


Testing crayon colors
Such a sweet time we had.
My granddaughter picks colors to test before drawing in her sketchbook.

My granddaughter picks colors to test before drawing in her sketchbook.

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There, in the woods, a flower fairy!

28 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by Julia Monroe in All Sparkled Up, family, flowers, grandkids, photography, sparkling, sunlight

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

costume, family, flower fairy, flowers, granddaughter, grandkids, imagination, photo, photography, wood fairy

In her little black boots, she stepped lightly between the trees. I observed her world, being ever so careful not to disturb the magic.
Flower Fairy -1

Flower Fairy-2

Flower Fairy -3

Flower Fairy-4

Flower Fairy-5

Flower Fairy-6Flower Fairy-7

Flower Fairy-8

Flower Fairy-9

Flower Fairy-10

Flower Fairy-11

Flower Fairy-12

Flower Fairy-13

Flower Fairy-14

Flower Fairy-15

She had the dress but needed something for her hair. So I made her a floral hair wreath and wand. But she provided all the magic.

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Chloe and the toy boat

29 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by Julia Monroe in grandkids, Little Plastic Bears, sparkling

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beach, granddaughter, grandkids, Little Plastic Bears, toy boat

The little bears go a-sailing in the toy boat.

My granddaughter plays with the little bears and the toy boat.

My granddaughter plays with the little bears and the toy boat.

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Spinning Tales

02 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by Julia Monroe in All Sparkled Up, Easter, family

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Tags

dancing, dress, family, granddaughter, spinning, Spinning Tales

My daughter-in-law entered a drawing and won several amazing items from Spinning Tales, a company that makes the most charming spinning dresses ever. Here is a photo of my granddaughter spinning in this dress.

My granddaughter spins  in her Spinning Tales dress.

My granddaughter spins in her Spinning Tales dress.

My son Gabe Monroe took this photo, beautifully capturing the dreamy moment.

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Play Beads

24 Monday Oct 2011

Posted by Julia Monroe in beading, sparkling

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beads, flowers, granddaughter

After she leaves, my three year old granddaughter usually leaves a path of sparkle for me to clean up. ‘Tis the pleasantest of chores.

Play Bead Flowers

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