DIY Fabric Letters

What a great DIY project this is!

I love using monograms and large initials for decorating and for parties. Everyone seems to love seeing their "special letter" as a focal point, although sometimes it's difficult to find "your" specific letter. The stores always seem to be sold out of the very one you need. Or sometimes I want something really large, especially for a great party feature or centerpiece, but those large letters are not only hard to find, they are expensive, too.

That's where this little project comes in.

When I came across this cute idea for fabric letters from Lindsay over at Artsy Fartsy Mama, I knew I wanted to share it with all of you. Make them as large or as small as you wish.... hang them on the wall.... use them for party table backdrops or even banners.... give your toddler a new tactile play toy.... the possibilities are numerous. And the part that I like best is the fabric -- I'm kind of a fabric junkie anyway. No painting.... no decoupaging.... just pick out a few of your favorite fabrics and wah-lah! You've got a perfectly coordinated bedroom or party decoration.

Here's what you will need:

Fabric for front and back of letters
Quilt batting
Sewing machine
Scissors, pin, etc.
Letter templates

And Lindsay is sweet enough to share a step-by-step tutorial for all of us newbies, too.

Cute and textured, too. I love these!

Lindsay was inspired to make letters to decorate her daughter's bedroom after seeing these adorable alphabet toy creations from Oh So Happy Together. If you take a look there, she's even got some great templates for the letters. Here's the download link for the uppercase ones.

How much fun is that?

I just have to say how glad I am that it's Friday...... our last Friday of the school year!

Only two more school days left.... yippee!!

Letter to Santa.... FREEBIE!

The Christmas spirit is alive and well in our house this year. Decorations are going up, a little holiday music is in the air, and the advent calendar was a huge success! I surprised my kids with it yesterday morning... I hadn't mentioned it at all and didn't have it anywhere in sight. So it brought joy to my heart and a huge smile to my face when my little 5 year old boy came down the stairs yesterday screaming, "It's a MIRACLE! A Christmas Miracle!"

You can't do any better than that. It kinda makes all those crazy hours making it last year knee-deep in felt and glue and ribbon worth it. Kinda like pregnancy.

I digress. So back to Christmas and the whole Christmas spirit thing.... isn't it wonderful? Candy canes and hot chocolate, Christmas cartoons and favorite old movies, shopping and wrapping.... I love it all! So as happy as I am about the season, I thought I'd share a little FREEBIE with all of my Facebook Fans and blog Followers. How about a cute Letter to Santa with a sweet address label to the North Pole? And I'm throwing in a sweet note to Santa, too, for Christmas Eve -- you can put it right beside his cookies and milk.

The only thing I ask before you download is that you become a FAN of Shindig Parties TO GO on Facebook (just click the "Like" button) and a Follower on my blog (look on the left sidebar and click "Follow"). That way you can find out about other Freebies and special deals I'll be offering.

Want to take a peak at the Letter to Santa??



Here's the link to the DOWNLOAD . It's on Scribd so you'll have to be logged into Facebook to download it.

After you save the file to your computer, you can just print it, then cut it out and let the kids fill in their wishes. You can cut out the address label and glue it to the front of an envelope or you can print it onto sticker paper (mailing label paper) and apply it to the envelope that way.

I hope you enjoy it -- my kids were begging to fill theirs out last night and get it straight to the mailbox. Maybe with this economy they're a little worried and think they might better ask Santa early this year!

Linked to: Some What Simple, House of Hepworths, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Beyond the Picket Fence, Life as Lori, Blue Cricket Design, Me and My Bucket, Domestically Speaking, Just a GirlSkip to my Lou, Tater Tots and Jello, CRAFT, Todays Creative Blog, Under the Table and Dreaming, Between Naps on the Porch, The Tidy Mom, Craftomaniac,, The Idea Room, Tip Junkie, Making the World Cuter, The Shabby Nest, Fingerprints on the Fridge