no sew- upcycled baby hats

Long before little Lucy arrived I had prepared my monthly post for ilovetocreate. It was back when I was in the process of nesting and I spent a few weeks creating some baby clothes and thought that some super simple hats made from upcycled t-shirts would be an easy and fun project. And now that Lucy is here I actually had a teeny tiny little model!

I always like to first raid my closet or clothing that would otherwise get donated before I purchase fabric. And since I have WAY too many t-shirts that I don't wear I decided to use a few of them.

I started by drawing out the shape of the hat.

and then cut out the front and back.

Because I was short on time (again) I decided not to sew the hat but instead use Aleene's Fabric Fusion Fabric Adhesive Pen. It is non toxic and completely washable and one of my favorite "no sew" products to use.

I applied the glue to the inside edges of the hat- the tiny applicator tip is perfect for small projects.

Of course I couldn't resist creating some rolled fabric flowers (see my tutorial here) to add to a couple of the hats.

I glued the fabric flowers to the hat and let everything dry for around 36 hours.

Last I tied a knot at the end of the top of the cap- this can be adjusted depending on the size and desired length.

I created a handful of caps in different colors and patterns.

And just like that I have a little collection of baby caps all ready for Lucy to wear!

a peek inside my sketchbook- fall doodles

the quiet

My head is a noisy place- it is always overflowing with lots of creativity, energy and endless ideas but many times it is also full of fear, anxiety and obsessive planning- bottom line- my brain never seems to stop moving. The last 9 months have made that noise even louder with worry about pregnancy, fear of the unknown and constant concern for the future. But a funny thing happened... despite laboring at home for 24 hours to 6cm before going to the hospital, pushing for 5 1/2 hours straight and then having a scary delivery (though I was able to avoid a c-section) everything went quiet on October 12th the moment I saw my daughter. And despite having to stay a few days in the hospital, feeling out of sorts and uncomfortable, managing terrible pain, having to learn all kinds of new things fast and getting to know a little baby, my head has managed to stay quiet. Something in the last 5 days has happened and all that fear, anxiety and noise has disappeared and been replaced with peace. I have no idea if this feeling will last and to be honest I really don't care I am just happy to be right here in this moment.

While I won't be taking an "official" maternity leave I will be taking a little more time away from the computer for a while with the hope of preserving this quiet time. But I have spent months preparing lots of posts to share with you in the weeks ahead and while I am around and still managing things on the creative business side- please understand that things may take me a little longer over here :)

introducing...

I would like to introduce the newest addition to our little family Lucy Matisse Burke-Gunthardt.

Born on October 12th at 3pm

Weighing 7 lbs 9 oz Measuring 20 1/2 inches

We are all healthy and happy!

inspiration- fishing nets

I often get asked what I find inspiring about the beach and these photos are proof that you never know what kinds of treasures you will find washed up on shore that just might provide inspiration for texture and color.

painted pattern pumpkins

I couldn't resist transforming a few more pumpkins into something unique and chic to use for fall decor around our home. As I am sure most of you know by now that I am very inspired by bold patterns and I thought it would be fun to paint some of my favorites on the surface of some small pumpkins.

I love ikat print and pattern and painted the entire pumpkin white and then added the ikat pattern over the top.

I love suzani textiles and decided to paint a suzani inspired pattern.

And I couldn't resist painting a Missoni inspired pumpkin!

The three pumpkins look GREAT together and are the perfect alternative to a traditional carved or painted pumpkin!

a date with my sweetie

My husband and I have been trying to keep busy with the hope of distracting ourselves from the impatience, excitement and restlessness that we both seem to be experiencing in these last days before the baby arrives. This weekend we occupied ourselves with two of our favorite past times- eating and roaming around our favorite spots taking pictures together.