Wearable car seat blanket/poncho

Yes, I've used the word 'poncho'. Mental images of unflattering moo-moos abound. Bad plastic rain gear. But wait! There is a method behind my madness...

Winter is here. Yes its late, and the weather is still mild, but its here. And I know that means that any day now we could be hit with -30 weather. Which has some less than obvious inconveniences. Did you know that it is unsafe and unrecommended for a child to wear a coat in their carseat? The bulk of a coat can interfere with the performance of the safety straps. So when you are hit with the chill of a Canadian winter, that leaves you in a bit of a dilemma. What to do? We don't have the luxury of an attached garage. We must leave the warmth of our home, brave the wind and cold to the car, open the door, buckle the boys in and then finally close the door. This may only take a few minutes, but that's a very cold few minutes. And add to this that apparently we should take off their coat before buckeling them in? And then when we get where we're going, we're supposed to open the door, unbuckle them, then put their coats back on? Plus while driving, even with the heat on, often its chilly in the car. Ciaran is now big enough to cuddle under a blanket, but Roan kicks them off.

So I started thinking. And planning. And googling. And here is my solution! A wearable carseat blanket/poncho!

Basically its a poncho that fits over the lighter coat that Roan is wearing now in our autumn tempatures. Its two layers of soft soft soft fleece, sooo cozy and super warm. When I sit Roan in his carseat, the back of the poncho lays over the top of his car seat, and his straps are easily buckled under the front of the poncho. Then he's toasty and safe. And if he starts to overheat in the car, its easy to slip off. Its long enough that on the short trip from the door to the car and the car to the door, he's perfectly covered and warm even on what will soon be the coldest days of the year.

I'm really happy with this one. I might have to add some snaps or something for armholes as Roan doesn't like his hands getting lost under the folds of the fabric, but thats an easy fix. And of course now its too warm outside for me to actually test it, but here are some inside action shots. Forgive Roans grumpy look, he thought we were playing peek-a-boo and wasn't pleased when I wanted him to sit still for a few pictures lol!

A little bit of this and that...

So I have finished a few different items lately. I haven't however found time to post about them. Until now, ha!

I'll start with my jewellery mirror. I have just a few things, and I almost never wear jewellery, but half the reason is probably because its all tucked away in a box and I never remember I have anything. Well no longer! I took this cheapo Ikea mirror, added some hooks for necklaces and bracelets, plus some ribbons for my earrings (I have all studs, so needed something for them to go through) and voila. I like it, except for the ribbon. I don't have much in the way of ribbon, but as soon as I find something prettier, I'll switch it out. Now we just have to finish organizing our bedroom so I can figure out where this will be hung so I can get it off my craft desk!

Then I also made another shopping bag and a matching zipper pouch. This has a home it will be going to shortly. I found adding the zipper much easier this time. Practice makes, well, better!

Then as I'm sure everyone is well aware of, Christmas is coming! So I made a fun little toy for Ciaran's stocking. Its an I Spy Bag. As you can see, its a bag with a window, filled with beads and miscellaneous little trinkets. You squish the beads around trying to find all the trinkets inside. I managed to find this Thomas fabric that I'm sure he'll love, and hopefully he'll have as much fun with the bag as I do!

Here is a pic of all the items inside the bag. This picture will be printed and laminated and attatched to the loop so Ciaran will know what to look for.

I will be making another one for Ciarans little friend too :)