Handmade Holidays 2011: Owls, Tutus, Birthdays, oh my!

I'm posting this under handmade holidays because they are easily something you could do for Christmas presents. I just happen to have a very sweet niece who will be turning one this week and I made these for her birthday.

I plan to take photos of her in a couple weeks and she'll be wearing a custom-made cupcake hat made by Courtney from Tizzy Dee on Etsy and this tulle tutu I made for her. All you need is ribbon and a bit of tulle.
I figure the finished length to be 9inches for 6-12 months and 12 inches for 12-18months. In order to make the tutu this length, you actually have to double the length. So I bought a 1/2 yard (18 inches) of tulle in three colors. And cut them into strips about four inches wide. This is super easy to do with a rotary cutter and cutting mat.
Once you have the strips cut, you just double the strip up and loop it around a piece of ribbon. Continue until the tutu reaches the width you like or the fluffiness you like. By using a piece of ribbon and leaving the ends longer, you can make the waist of the tutu adjustable.
Here's a photo of the finished tutu and ADORABLE cupcake hat from Tizzy Dee. SOOOO STINKING CUTE!

And the birthday girl opening up her present:
I also threw together this cute little felt guy to hang on the bow outside of the wrapped birthday gift. It matches the colors of my niece's bedroom and it also matches one of the Christmas gifts I'm making for her. For now, the ornament will be sneak peek of her other gift. :-)
I found this owl on Pinterest of course. But you can find the template right here from Jessica at Juicy Bits.