Toodles

So Long, Farewell

2010-05-03T15:12:00.002-06:00

This blog is going dormant. Scratch that. This blog has been dormant and will continue as such. There are a variety of reasons, none of which I feel inclined to mention here, other than to say that I have refined my priorities.

That being said, I know that most people that read this blog know me personally. If you do and you don't read my private blog, drop me an e-mail: mommybethanyATgmailDOTcom. I would love to send you an invite.

It's been real.

Happy crafting.

Simplicity: Project Runway Pattern

2010-01-05T15:37:00.003-07:00

As "easy-to-sew" as most Simplicity patterns are, this one was not. It was certainly do-able, but I would never recommend it to a beginning seamstress. I had to read each direction a few times to figure out exactly what my next step was and even then was often unsure.

That being said, I am thrilled with the result and I am sure that I will sew from the "Project Runway" pattern line again, mostly because I bought two other patterns from it the same day I bought this one.

I just won't expect them to be two hour projects this time.

And maybe I convince Princess that it is the dress I want a picture of, not her empty fruit snacks package of which she was apparently very proud of.

This Face Made it All Worth It

2009-12-31T15:08:00.000-07:00

Yep, he likes it. Phew!

Christmas Sunday 2009

2009-12-20T21:01:00.005-07:00

Every bit of their outfits are store bought. The hair bows, the dress, the shoes...

It went against my very sewing soul.

And it saved my sanity this Christmas season.

The sanity that is getting lost amidst felt,thread, and PVC pipe.

These kids better like their playhouse.

Hooded Towel for My Princess ... Finally!

2009-11-24T15:57:00.003-07:00

Coat Season

2009-11-17T14:41:00.005-07:00

We had our first snow of the season this past week. With snow comes coats, and hats, and mittens, and scarves, and boots, and wet socks, and, snow pants, and mud, and mess!

I sat down today to brainstorm some ways that I can be more effective in organizing all of our winter stuff.

I love some of the ideas I found.

From the practical ...

that seems like such a simple and ingenius idea. Why didn't I think of that?! The fact of the matter is that I didn't, so thank goodness My Blessed Home did! ...

to the pretty ... I can't not even begin to express how much I love this entryway. Love, love, love it! Not practical for my space, unfortunately. I love how the wallpaper steals the show so that the bags, boots, and coats are somewhat masked. (Although, who would want to mask them? They are darling!) Yep, I am pretty sure this idea at Apartment Therapy is going to save my world!

to the basic ...

this would work really nicely right outside our garage door and rather than using a small basket for hats and gloves I would use a hanging shoe organizer for the hats, mittens, etc.

to the clever ...

Yep, it's a sticker. See? I told you it was clever. And apparently Ferm Living thinks it's super clever, so clever in fact that they are charging $127 ... for just the sticker. Hooks not included. Geesh.

Want even more ideas? Check out this article at Apartment Therapy. AT is definitely my new BFF.

Happy Tuesday, all!

Oh, Baby!

2009-11-11T13:29:00.003-07:00

My younger sister is pregnant and she found out last week that she is having a girl. She is admittedly disappointed, as she and her husband were hoping that their first would be a boy. So, naturally, that is where I step in. I am making her a "Yay, It's a Girl!" gift.

It's perfect timing because I am waiting for my playhouse fabric to come in the mail. Otherwise, I would feel guilty about working on anything but "the beast", considering how many hours I am anticipating will be spent on that thing. In hopes that that many hours and more will be spent by my children playing in that thing.)

Moving on, as soon as I hit "publish post" I will be making my way down to my sewing machine to work on a couple of rag edge receiving blankets. Tutorial courtesy of Sew Much Ado.

Happy Veteran's Day, everybody! How grateful I am for the endless sacrifices that have been made my so many brave men and women.

The Playhouse Brainstorm

2009-11-09T14:37:00.003-07:00

This thing has been haunting my thoughts of late. I can't wait to get started so that I can in turn get it done and not think about it anymore.

Is anybody else like that? When you get excited about a project you just can't stop thinking about it until you do it? Like, seriously, on your mind 24-7?

I have pretty much worked all the details out in my mind and now, after I write this blog, I am going to sit down and put them on paper. (When I am figuring this out I just have to do the pen and paper thing. Other than writing lists, I just can't brainstorm on the computer.)

And because somebody asked, here is where my inspiration has come from:

Ikat Bag's Princess Pavilion: Although inspirational I will not be using many ideas from this one, mainly because I am just not talented enough. ;)

Nothing Fancy's Playhouse Tent: I love the way the door ties up on this one!

Homemade by Jill's felt playhouse: This is definitely my favorite playhouse out of all the ones I have found. I really love the look of the felt. My favorite detail is the way the tree wraps around the corner. And thank goodness for her Q&A post, complete with some templates. Love that!

Angie over at This and That was brave enough to line her playhouse so that the kids have a nice cozy fire inside. Wow!

Sew Much Ado makes a playhouse that is all boy! Gotta love camouflage. And yet another lined playhouse ... brave, so very brave.

And for the record, our playhouse will have a PVC pipe frame, much like this one, as opposed to being made to cover a card table. The hubby is going to use his genius engineering skills to steer me through that challenge. Which is a good thing because he thinks it would be really cool to have a tunnel on one side that leads into the house. Yeah, he is so figuring that out for me.

Ah, Christmas ...

2009-11-04T23:29:00.004-07:00

.... it started to creep into my mind a couple of weeks ago, but I forced it away until I made it through Halloween. Now it is November 4th (almost 5th) and I am consumed with thoughts of what I need to make, who I need to make it for, how I am going to make it, etc., etc., etc.

I don't go all handmade for Christmas. Heck, I don't think I even go 50% handmade (don't hate me), but I do like to craft a few things.

At the top of my brain right now?

My daughter's Christmas dress and a playhouse that will be for both the kiddos.

After doing lots of research I presented the playhouse idea to the hubby and he is all for it. Yay!

As far as the Christmas dress, I am tossing back and forth between a more traditional dress or a more modern/trendy dress. The traditional dress would probably be with a flocked taffeta and the modern/trendy dress would probably be out of Michael Miller's Ginger Blossom line. Ah! I can't decide!

Speaking of dresses ... I am willing to take one or two orders for a custom handmade holiday dress. Anyone game? e-mail me -- toodlesbybethany[at]gmail[dot]com -- and be fast!

Halloween -- A Success!

2009-11-04T07:53:00.006-07:00

black alova suede: cowgirl skirt, chaps, both vests: $2.50
brown fake leather: chaps, cowboy vest:$2.00
pink gingham homespun fabric: cowgirl shirt: $1.75
black tulle: cowgirl skirt: on hand, but it was probably about $2.00 worth
eyelet lace: cowgirl shirt: $.97
hats: $3.74
bandannas: $2.00
white shirts: for "the cows": $6.00
black broadcloth: cows spots: $2.00
cowboy boots: borrowed
cowgirl boots: on hand
______________________________________________________
costumes for a family of 4: $22.96

And I didn't even have to use garbage bags.

Pretty, Pretty Princess

2009-10-27T20:19:00.004-06:00

I was super excited when a friend asked me to sew her daughter a princess dress for Halloween. I used the pattern from my daughter's dress last year, so I thought I would just fly through making it.

Then I had to be over ambitious and choose the worst fabric ever to sew with. Darling fabric for sure, but so hard to sew! The organza overlay has small white beads all over it. My sewing machine and small white beads do not get along very well.

Anyway, after a few more hours than I planned, I was very pleased with the results and it is perfect for Princess S.

Hooded Towels and Sweet Babies

2009-10-23T13:35:00.006-06:00

A couple of months ago my husband's cousin had a baby shower thrown for her and her soon-to-be born twin girls. I made some hooded towels as my gift to them.

I just love big, fluffy, warm hooded towels. Those small thin ones that are common at stores these days are a joke. So, I consider it one of my missions in life to give hooded towels as shower gifts. Yeah, so if you invite me to a baby shower anytime soon then you now know what you will probably get, and I am OK with that. :)

It was so fun this week to see pictures on M's blog of her sweet babies wrapped up in their towels after their first bath at home. (Thanks for letting me share your pictures, M!)

Baby T -- she was about 3 1/2 lbs at birth and only had to spend a couple of weeks in the hospital ... definitely a fighter!

Baby M -- she was around 5 lbs at birth and went home right away

Halloween Revisited

2009-10-14T15:15:00.007-06:00

Halloween costumes are underway. My only serious dilemma is finding cowboy boots for my son. I found them for my daugher for $5 at Kid to Kid. No such luck for him. Unfortunately you can't just whip out a sewing machine for boots ... wish me luck on that one.

Anyway, in my effort to put a bit more consistent at updating this blog I thought I would do a bit of reminiscing. If you read my personal blog, you have seen my kid's past Halloween costumes, but I only have last year's on here. So here's to a trip down little ol' memory lane!

Halloween 2006: Little Bo Peep and her sheep

Halloween 2007: Peter Pan and Tinkerbell

Halloween 2008: Princess and Knight (click for link)

Halloween holds a special place in my heart when it comes to sewing because my first real sewing project was a Halloween costume for my brother. I was 10 and he was 4. (I think. Is that right, Mom?) One of these days I need to dig out a picture and put it on here. He was Aladdin, a dang stinkin' cute Aladdin, if you ask me!

What are some of your favorite past Halloween costumes? Share them on your blog and share the link with me! Go on. I dare you. You might win something cool. Just sayin'.

Halloween Prep

2009-09-29T14:09:00.005-06:00

My daughter's boots from the 4th of July inspired this years theme for both kid's Halloween costumes. Cowboy and cowgirl! If you know my children and know how obsessed with Toy Story they are you might ask why I don't dress them as Woody and Jesse. My answer? Because I don't want to. Fair enough, right? OK, really it is because I want my daughter in a big poofy rodeo queen type skirt. I'm a girly girl and she's a girly girl because of me. We can't help ourselves.

My in-my-head brainstorming has been going for a while now, but now it is time to put it down on "paper".

The cowboy is easy. Martha Stewart helped me out by putting this tutorial up on her website. I won't be using grocery bags, though. A little too cheap for me. Plus, if I make it a bit more durable maybe, just maybe, my son will want to wear it again. Wishful thinking? Perhaps.

The cowgirl is another story. Making it will be easy. Settling on what I want to make, not so much. I did a little search on etsy to getting the creative juices flowing.

Here are my four favorites from my search results. (Click on the image to head to the etsy shops that these costumes are being sold at.)

from NY Costumes

from So Shaes Bowtique

from Girlie Bows

from So She She

I'll probably end up borrowing ideas from each of these costumes. Aren't they all so cute and unique? I love the internet and the ability to see so much creativity from so many talented people!

Let the costume making begin!

What are you going to be for Halloween? Your kids? Your dog?

Piano Bags

2009-08-28T08:51:00.005-06:00

I have been spending most of my crafting time getting ready for piano lessons to start this fall. Reviewing method books, reading tips and watching videos online, developing studio policies, and drafting piano practice sheets are some of the many tasks that have consumed my time.

It has been fun to get back into the music world. I have my Bachelor of Music and taught school for three years, but since I became a stay at home mom a couple of years ago I put music on the back burner (besides singing with my kids). Now it is moving to the front again, at least for one evening a week.

Anyway, I couldn't help but throw a bit of craftiness in the midst of all my music focused prep, so I made bags for my students to carry their music in. I have 2 students so far and am leaving time open for 2 more. I am very happy starting small, since my kids are little and they need their mama, especially in the evenings.

Back to the bags. Do you think these will motivate my students to practice, practice, practice?

I bought the canvas bags at Hobby Lobby, along with two rectangles of felt for each bag,one for the background and one for the letter. I love the tan felt on the 'a' bag. It is embossed with a damask-ish pattern. And I figured the camouflage would be perfect for my 3rd grade male student. Boys and camouflage always go together, right?

The total cost for each bag was about $4 and a couple of hours in front of your favorite movie while you do the hand stitching. Can't beat that!

Free Oliver + S Pattern!

2009-08-17T14:28:00.002-06:00

I have been drooling over Oliver + S patterns since I discovered them a few months ago. I have heard that they are wonderful to sew and OMG, aren't they just the cutest things ever?!

So today I was super excited to see that one is being offered for free! The popover dress looks simple and fun to sew. Sewing it will give me a good chance to test out the patterns to see if I want to splurge on another pattern such as this,or this, or maybe even this.

Happy sewing!

Pillowcase meets Bandanna

2009-08-03T07:19:00.005-06:00

The past few weeks have been filled with lots of summer fun. Busy, busy, busy! I have had to drop sewing and crafting down the totem pole just a bit.

Last Thursday I did manage a couple of hours though. I had this pretty blue fabric and a yellow bandanna in my stash,but I wanted a top, not a skirt. Using a pillowcase dress as my inspiration I came up with this.

Unfortunately, I made the arm holes a bit short, so it didn't fit my daughter as well as I would have liked, but was perfect as a dress for my 9 month old niece.

I am definitely going to have to give this idea another go. I hope you enjoy the dress baby E!

Cupcake stand

2009-07-16T13:46:00.004-06:00

I was just staring at my growing vase collection beneath my kitchen sink and pondering the idea of adding some of them to my D.I. pile.

Then I saw this tutorial for a cupcake stand.

Except, why stop at cupcakes? I am thinking of making one to put in my living room. Perhaps some decorative balls will sit in it. Maybe I will put a shallow bowl on top instead of a plate ...

More on this later.

I need to go clean up my crafting area so I can feel justified in starting more crafts.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Gorgeous Dress for a Gorgeous Girl

2009-07-15T20:54:00.002-06:00

You are going to steal the show in your family pictures, baby J!

Let Freedom Ring

2009-07-07T14:17:00.004-06:00

We spent the 4th in Small Town, Utah so I thought a bit of western flair was appropriate for my daughter's attire. Thankfully, a couple of my friends introduced me to this little beauty of a tutorial. Thanks V & Co.

And, of course, an applique t-shirt is the name of the game for boys these days, right? Western flair for him didn't work so well. A flannel shirt and Wranglers would have been a tad bit hot in July.

Throw Down

2009-06-29T15:10:00.003-06:00

I can't really say why throw pillows have been one of my greatest struggles as I have decorated my home.

Silly me.

They are fast, easy, and cheap to make, especially if you make them as slipcovers. No hand sewing necessary. (I do everything I can to avoid hand sewing) Thanks, Ashley, for your inspiration.

Plus, they add so much to a room!

I smile every time I look over at mine. I am thinking I need to make two or three more ...

Project One Hour: New Look 6796: Part Two

2009-06-25T13:17:00.006-06:00

My mom bought me this material (from JoAnns) to go with a dress pattern she had on hand. When I went to cut it out, though, I couldn't help but pair it up with this New Look pattern instead.

The funny thing about this project is that the vision in my head was a sweet little top paired with bermuda length shorts. The vision was so clear that while cutting out and sewing the pattern I didn't even pay attention to the fact that the pattern was for pants. How's that for absented-minded? I was a bit disappointed when I tried them on her. So, in reality, this project isn't done yet. I need to make the pants into shorts, which is a bit trickier than it may seem, but still doable.

Pants or not, I couldn't resist having her wear the outfit today.

P.S. This material is seersucker. Seersucker is a bit of an old school material, you don't see it a lot in the stores, but I don't know why. I think it is darling and it is wash and wear. No ironing needed, ever. How can you resist that?

Project One Hour: New Look 6796

2009-06-19T15:06:00.005-06:00

I did pretty well getting my hour of sewing (or rather, cutting!) in each day at the end of May. Now that June is zooming past me, I am attempting to bring all the unfinished projects to a conclusion. The first finished product with much more to come ...

Father's Day Gifts

2009-06-16T14:44:00.004-06:00

Dear Father and Father-in-Law -- STOP READING NOW!

One afternoon

Two Shirts

Three fat quarters

A bit of inspiration:

I have seen tie applique t-shirts and onesies all over blog land. Here, here, and here ... just to name a few. I thought I would do a little grown up spin on it.
I recently bought a shirt for the hubby with this logo on it (on clearance for $3, yay!). I thought to myself, I can do that ....

The results:

My Favorite Photo Action

2009-06-04T19:21:00.006-06:00

For the record, I use PSE 7.

OK, moving on.

I really don't like to spend a lot of time editing photos, but I like to make my photos to look their best. Enter photo actions. My current favorite for portrait style pictures is from Rita over at Coffeeshop. It is called Perfect Portrait. Really, it is the only one I use. I like it so much, why spend a bunch of time finding more? Check out the before and after and tell me you aren't a fan, too:

Before

After

Project One Hour: Day Seven: kimono shoes

2009-06-01T14:11:00.003-06:00

made with Aimee Larsen's kimono shoes pattern

It kills me that I hadn't discovered all the adorable baby shoe patterns out there when my little ones were babies. They would have had the best dressed feet this side of the Mississippi, for sure. On the other hand, maybe it is a good thing. They might have also been seriously neglected.

"I know the baby is hungry. Just a sec, I need to finish one more pair of shoes. Yes, I know she has been crying for 30 minutes. Just a sec."

"Oh sweetheart, you can sit in that yucky diaper for a few more minutes. I need to finish these shoes."

Not a pretty picture. I guess I better get the shoe sewing out of my system before we decide to bring even more chaos into our lives with baby #3.

Another item to add to the queue

2009-06-01T09:58:00.003-06:00

What an ingenious idea for making reusable placemats. Ideas for variations are already spinning around in my head!

Project One Hour: Days Five and Six: Lots of cutting

2009-05-31T18:32:00.004-06:00

Two dresses, one shirt, one pair of pants, and two pairs of shoes later; I am ready to get that sewing machine going.

Oh yeah, the bags, that is my sanity trick. When I have a lot of projects in the queue (when don't I?) I keep them in their own bags so that all the pieces and scraps don't get mixed up. Even before I start I will often separate the material and patterns into bags, just so I can remember what I was planning. Otherwise I end up with a jumble of fabric, patterns, and notions and it is inevitable that something will get lost. Inevitable, I tell ya!

Project One Hour: Day Three and Four: New Look 6796

2009-05-28T16:21:00.005-06:00

I am sorry to say that the kids naps, or lack thereof, stopped me from being able to cut out much of the New Look pattern on day two; so that became day three.

Day four was sewing this fabulous pattern. I got the pockets on, sewed the sides together, and sewed the shoulder straps. It is too bad the very details that make clothing so cute are what make projects take SO much longer! Remember that when you want to buy some cute detailed dress. The little pockets or ruffles or sleeves or applique take forever to do. That is what you are paying for.

Project One Hour: Day One: Applique Dress

2009-05-21T14:03:00.004-06:00

photography by my darling 3-year-old, not bad, huh?

When I saw this dress at Target it was a blank palette just screaming "applique me!" I conceded. I was going for a kind of paisley flower-ish effect. Not sure if I really succeeded there, but I still love the finished product. Although, I am thinking I might put a couple of leaves on. What do you think?

Oh, and if you like this dress and just can't get enough of it, I have 4 more of them. I cleaned out the rack, that's how cute I thought they were. I have a 4T, 24M, 18M, and 12M. I can't actually sell the headbands because of the copyright on the pattern; however, I will throw one in for free with the first two dresses that are bought.

GONE

e-mail me if you are interested: toodlesbybethany[at]gmail[dot]com

It's My Party and I'll Eat if I Want To

2009-05-20T15:20:00.006-06:00

Let's just say that any healthy eating habits that I have obtained in my lifetime go completely out the window around my birthday. For me, it's even worse than around the holidays. During the holidays I have enough self-control to nibble a bit here and there, but not overindulge. My birthday is a completely different story. I tell myself, "It's your birthday and you deserve it." How can I argue with that?

I know there are health nuts around the world that could argue with that, but you can't argue with this. Three words. Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake.

What? Still not convinced? Here let me cut you a piece.

Here's a bit of heaven for you. Oh, and let me get you a napkin to wipe that drool.

And to those of you out there that didn't need any convincing, there's plenty to share! My birthday is over so now I can't justify overindulgence. Darn.

Or head on over to My Kitchen Cafe for the recipe. You won't regret it. I didn't.

Project One Hour: Day Two: Headband

2009-05-20T15:01:00.002-06:00

I made a headband today to go along with yesterday's project. My model is napping, so pictures will have to wait.

The headband is Heather Bailey's pattern, Hooray for Headbands. Easy, fast, and dang cute. The perfect combination.

And because it was so easy I have time to spare so I will be cutting out material to make a dress from New Look 6796. I am making the variation that the model is wearing on the pattern cover and I am already thinking that a Heather Bailey headband will be the perfect accessory!

Anyway, I'm off to turn on a great movie (to be determined) and cut me some fabric. I don't cut out patterns without a movie on. Anybody else with me on that?

Gettin' My Craft On

2009-05-19T15:19:00.004-06:00

Lately I have allowed myself to feel overwhelmed with all of my sewing projects. Not a good thing. This is my outlet. My thing that I do for me. My escape. Feeling overwhelmed is not an option so I needed to come up with a solution. The solution?

Project One Hour

An hour of sewing/crafting a day for the rest of May. Pretty self-explanatory, right? I won't get into the nitty-gritty rules and details because, well, there aren't any. Oh, except one, that hour does not include time spent on the computer looking at all the fantastic ideas and talents of my fellow bloggers. Darn.

So, here is the product from today's crafting hour. It's just a teaser. The project will probably be finished tomorrow or Thursday.

Success

2009-05-18T23:22:00.002-06:00

One t-shirt from Wally’s World: $3.50

Two fat quarters of material: $4.00 (and plenty leftover for future projects)

One sheet of Steam-a-Seam: $.50 (or something like that)

Cutting, ironing, and sewing: 30 minutes

Reaction from my three year old --

“You made this for me? That’s awesome!”: Priceless.

2009-05-12T11:07:00.002-06:00

It's official. I must find somewhere in my house to put this clock. Love it!

Brag Bag

2009-05-01T23:11:00.000-06:00

I'm posting this with the hope that my mother-in-law doesn't read this blog. I mean, I don't think she reads it, she's never mentioned it. If you do, Amy, Happy Mother's Day!

What you will need:
Two tea towels
bias tape
12 gage vinyl (I bought a 1/4 yard for .86 cents and could make about 5 more bags with what I have left. It doesn't take much.)
sewing machine
thread
one darling picture

What you get:
The perfect Mother's Day gift

P.S. This darling picture is my beautiful niece. It is just there for effect. The bag will be gifted to my MIL with a picture of my kiddos, of course, once I print one out.

P.P.S. Anyone interested in a tutorial? I think I'm willing.

P.P.P.S. My parent's grapefruit tree as a background is really working for me this week. don't you love those big green leaves?

Lots o' Dots

2009-04-24T17:12:00.001-06:00

This was a FUN dress to make. The pattern is very basic and allows for alot of creativity. I added an extra panel on the skirt and some applique.

I did find that the pattern is sized about a size too small. I made a 3T for my daughter and store bought 2Ts fit her with room to grow. Also, if you are interested in trying out the pattern, let me know. I used a much better method to construct the bodice then what is directed in the pattern.

Now if only my princess would wake up from her nap so that I can try it on her!

On My Desk

2009-04-21T00:32:00.003-06:00

Forget Me Knot Dress

Polka dots are on the menu for my version. I can't wait to see it on my baby girl!

Backpackin’

2009-04-16T16:21:00.001-06:00

When my little guy was ecstatic about wearing my backpack the other day I knew it was time to make him one of his own.

This was my favorite kind of project. It only took me about an hour and I used materials that I already had in my stash. I LOVE decreasing my stash because it allows me to be justified in buying more fabric. Right?

Easter Outfits

2009-04-13T14:16:00.001-06:00

Our handsome boy didn’t get anything handmade this year, unless you count the tailoring I had to do to make his pants three inches shorter. Yes, three inches. We had to buy a size 5 suit so that the jacket had some room to grow. He is still wearing size 3 pants though. Yep, short squatty legs. All his height is in his head. Ha!Handmade or not, I’d say he looks like quite the stud, wouldn’t you?

It would be sacrilegious for the little princess to be without a handmade dress on Easter, though, at least at my house. I took an old dress of mine that I made about 7 years ago and probably only wore once. It was still hanging in my closet because I loved the material. I was staring at the dress a few weeks ago, contemplating getting rid of it, when I realized I could use it to make an Easter dress. Perfect! My favorite part of the outfit is the flower that I whipped together about 30 minutes before we had to leave for church. (Do you procrastinate like I do?) It is inspired by the Frayed Flower tutorial over at Maize in Montana.

Phew!

2009-04-11T22:58:00.001-06:00

Easter outfits are rip, roaring, ready to go.

Our 4th year video is finalized.

Eggs are hard-boiled.

Time for some sleep.

Good night.

Easter Egg Tree

2009-04-07T09:32:00.001-06:00

I saw a few of these last year on some of the blogs I browse but didn’t get around to making one then. So this year when the hubby pruned our trees I was quick to snatch up the discarded branches. The eggs were already in my stash of Easter decorations. (I say that like I have a lot. I really only have these eggs and a “Happy Easter” plaque. Sad. I know.) Super simple and it adds so much to our living room. I am going to miss it when Easter has come and gone.

It wasn’t until yesterday when I read this post from Baroque Babies, that I learned that this is actually an Easter tradition from Europe. How fun is that? I love decorations with just a bit more meaning than, “I thought it looked cool.”

This shop in Austria is pure eye candy, don’t you think?

Of course, it’s only appropriate that Martha has her version of this tradition.

Sew Mama

2009-04-02T14:16:00.001-06:00

My mom taught me how to sew. What I remember the most about the projects was her patience. Patience as I once again “forgot” to follow the instructions and ended up ripping seams out. Patience as I burned an iron mark onto the pants I was making for my brother’s Halloween costume. Thankfully, he was going to be Aladdin. The poor boy version of Aladdin. A burn mark fit right in.

I also remember many times in my childhood when I would go to bed to the sound of the sewing machine whirring and wake up to a beautiful creation hanging up waiting for me to try on. I loved wearing the dresses my mom made for me. From my baptism dress to my prom dress. Loved. It.

Add my sweet daughter into my life and not only do I get to use my skill to sew for her, but my mom gets to continue to share her talent.

What a lucky little princess!

Thanks, Mom, for bringing me a lifetime of creative happiness. I owe you. Big time.

Baking

2009-03-30T14:22:00.001-06:00

I love to bake, however, I would never consider myself a baker. Why? Because of people like this. Seriously. Bakerella is super woman. I am not.

And then there is Gourmet Mom. Check out those cupcakes. Genius. Will I be making them this year? Not a chance. Of course, if I win her awesome giveaway I just might be persuaded for next year. Maybe.

Thank you!

2009-03-27T14:18:00.001-06:00

Big huge thanks to everybody that voted for me over at Gourmet Mom. I won! Woohoo!

Slideshow

2009-03-23T14:17:00.001-06:00

Back in the day, when our first year anniversary rolled around, I decided to put together a little slideshow of pictures to document that fabulous year. It has since become a yearly tradition. We have our first three years done. Right now I am working on the fourth year slideshow and we will be celebrating our fifth year of marriage in August. Not too far behind.

Moving on. The fourth year has proved to be more of a challenge than the previous years. We added our daughter to the family which increases the photos exponentially. I am having such a hard time narrowing down the pictures to fit in a 12 minute-ish slideshow.

One fabulous solution has been to make some digital scrapbook pages. Thanks to Jamie for inspiring that idea!

The best part is that I am killing two birds with one stone. These pages can be used for future scrapbooks, too!

Credits. Mostly. These aren’t as detailed as I know they should be:

Templates by mandagirl. Paper from Happy Go Lucky, Vintage Florals, and Sweet Sprinkles kits by Shabby Princess. If you are dying to know what fonts I used leave me a comment and I’ll look for you.

Happy Monday!

Catch Me If You Can

2009-03-17T22:29:00.001-06:00

Mandy’s leprechaun challenge over at Gourmet Mom on-the-Go inspired our St. Patty’s Day fun today.

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After the leprechauns had turned our breakfast and our lunch green we knew that something had to be done. We set a trap with a magically delicious treat.

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The sneaky little rascals escaped, but left behind a treasure hunt as compensation.

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After drinking a bit of leprechaunized milk the treasure hunt continued.

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The leprechaun let me in on a few of his secrets. Shhh … don’t tell him I told.

The “pot of gold” was inspired by Erin over at The Sister’s Cafe. Who knew leprechauns were bloggers.
The “rainbow” is a rainbow sherbet/angel food cake. I, uh, he layered slightly softened sherbet and cubed angel food cake in half of a spring form pan. After letting it set up in the freezer for a bit he stood it up and frosted it with Cool Whip.
The rainbow decoration was created with Fruit by the Foot.
The clues were created with the Happy-Go-Lucky kit from Shabby Princess.
And the likeness of Mr. Leprechaun himself is courtesy of Gourmet Mom on-the-go.

The Unveiling

2009-03-11T21:39:00.001-06:00

of our happily ever after. (Check out the before here) Nothing too drastic. Unless you consider red walls drastic. My grandma thinks I am scandalous for them. Love that lady. And drastic or not, my kitchen makes me super happy!

I am going to owe the hubby big time for posting this. Alas, it is the best shot I have of both walls.

For the record …

2009-03-08T22:08:00.001-06:00

… I have sewn a bit recently.I couldn’t bear to let my sewing machine feel too neglected.

One project was the valance for the kitchen window. Look for more details on this! This is definitely a perfect project for any level of sewing experience and the end product is fantastic.

Project two is skirts for my Grandma-in-law. Sorry no picture. It isn’t anything too fancy. Just a simple skirt she bought years ago and loves, but can’t find anything like it in the store. She commissioned me to come to her rescue. The one she has is purple. I am making a three more in red, blue, and gray.

And because I’m not any good at geometry (just ask my Dad, he’s the reason why I passed in 9th grade), I bought the wrong amount of fabric for grandma’s skirts. I am brainstorming ideas on what to do with the extra. This fast and easy skirt was some of it…

My stomach is growling ...

2009-03-06T23:34:00.001-07:00

This is a total deviance from any crafting. Sonora Grill has a major giveaway going on right now. Check it out!

My Favorite Little Space and a Small Preview

2009-03-04T21:37:00.001-07:00

This is my favorite place to look as I take in my newly painted kitchen. The main reason is because it is one of only two spots that have any accents, but even if it wasn’t, I am pretty sure it would still be my favorite.

This is also your little preview. I still have a few finishing touches before the entire kitchen is picture worthy. It’s coming soon. I promise. I am sure you have been losing sleep over this, right?

Oh, and remember what I said about getting the “everything-is-exactly-how-I-want-it-and-I-wouldn’t-change-a-thing” after? Even this space isn’t there yet. I need to buy something like this green decorative ball for the candlesticks (I feel funny calling them candlesticks. They look more like vases, but they aren’t hollow. Whatever. Oh, and if you want to know where you can find that ball,

it’s at Save On Crafts.) And the adorable picture of my baby girl is going to be replaced with this adorable picture of both of my kids.

Colores!

2009-03-01T22:00:00.001-07:00

A couple of friends and I started a little preschool group for our sons. It is small and low key. A little something to get start gearing them towards preschool in the fall. Each week we take turns having it at our house and do a one hour lesson. I kicked off the first week and have to share the fun idea I got from Everything Preschool.

Theme: Colors

As I googled ideas for the theme and tried to find songs and art projects I realized that what these boys would love is a science experiment. Everything Preschool provided just that!

You will need ice trays, medicine or eye droppers, water, and food coloring. Fill four spaces with water and die each one a different color (red, blue, green, and yellow). Give the boys a dropper and let them have at it.

The real purpose is for the children to experiment with color mixing. These boys were content just to figure out how the dropper worked and then move the water around. I probably could have just left the water clear and they still would had a ball. Easy and fun. Let me know if you give it a try!

Coming right along … just not very fast …

2009-02-26T22:17:00.001-07:00

Before

After

The pictures don’t allow you to appreciate the change nearly enough, in my opinion. Alas, this will have to do. We love our newly “frankincensed” wall and the new knobs on the pantry doors. Now if I could just figure out what else to put on the wall above the pantry. Suggestions?

(And please don’t say vinyl. I love vinyl. Vinyl has its place. Above my pantry is not its place. If you have vinyl above your pantry, I bet it looks terrific. Seriously. I might even have to come over and admire it. I just don’t want it above my pantry. Savvy?)

P.S. Remember the knob company I told you I would totally recommend, if they came through on delivering the goods? Well, they came through all right. We got them today … about 4 weeks sooner than we were expecting them. We LOVE them! So, if you are itchin’ to replace the knobs on your cabinets, go to Kitchen Cabinet Hardware. You will not be sorry. Or you could always buy our big ol’ fat white ones that we just happily removed. Yep. You could do that to. Very inexpensive. Are you tempted yet?

Before

2009-02-23T23:29:00.002-07:00

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for us. A trip to IHOP for free pancakes, stop at Lowes for the last few painting supplies, and then to the library. All with a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old in tow and all early enough to get home for lunch and naps. That makes you tired just reading it, doesn’t it?

So what do I do? I stay up past my bedtime reserving books at the library and posting a “before” picture of our kitchen. Smart.

I am starting to have anxiety over the red. Not the color itself, but the hue, or is the correct word shade? I never did like those art lessons. Whatever the case, I just want it to be the perfect red and I’m not sure if it is. I will probably dream in red tonight based on all the times I have walked past and studied the test patch on my wall.

Here is my kitchen as of tonight, never to look the same again. Well, starting tomorrow at naptime. Right now I am going to be responsible and head to bed.

Changes on the horizon …

2009-02-21T21:51:00.001-07:00

I hesitate posting this because then I am going to feel obligated to post “before” and “after” pictures and I don’t think I will get to the after for a long time. Well, at least the “everything-is-exactly-how-I-want-it-and-I-wouldn’t-change-a-thing” after, at least. Does anyone get to that point outside of TLC and HGTV?

Alas, my excitement outweighs my hesitancy.

We bought red paint today for my kitchen. “Bangkok Rust” to be exact. It is a dream come true. I believe every home should have a red wall and I have lived in my home for two years without a red wall. Such a travesty.

Soon to change. Very soon.

We also bought a can of “Frankincense". Lovely name, isn’t it? It is on the same paint chip as “Butternut Tree” and “Pronghorn”. Who comes up with these names anyway? Wouldn’t you love to just sit in a chair eating vending machine snacks and making up outrageous names for paint colors? What a job, but I digress. “Frankincense” is for a wall that sits between our kitchen and living room.

Once the walls are painted I can finally make the window treatment for my kitchen window (and possibly frame the kitchen window, but I haven’t presented this one to the hubby yet). I have had the fabric picked out for about 1 1/2 years. I suppose that means that I still like it, right?

And finally, we bought new hardware for the cabinets. We bought them online at a great price. If all goes well with the shipping and such I will definitely recommend this company to you. The knobs were 66% off the price that we found at Lowes. Now I can put that money I saved towards replacing the chandelier, or maybe a new dress. It’s a toss up.

Sewing Can Wait

2009-02-18T15:31:00.001-07:00

I have a few projects up my sleeves in the fabric department, but my current addiction (aka digital scrapbooking) is keeping me from them. I’m OK with that.

Last night I learned a few new tricks of the trade, thanks to a friend (thanks Jamie!) that so willing offered her fantabulous expertise to a small group of novices. Now a page takes me, oh, I don’t know, like 3 hours, instead of 4.

I am still trying to figure out my plan of attack. I have so many pictures to document, like, all of them. I can’t decide where to start , hence the randomness of these two pages.

Halloween 2007 and Marie at 2 months

Credits: Mass Production Template from Manda Girl; Paper and Embellishments from Shabby Princess Holiday Sampler

Credits: Template from Manda Girl; Paper and Embellishments from the Golden Girls Welcome Kit

Doesn’t This Make You Happy?

2009-02-15T23:34:00.001-07:00

This is the desktop on my computer. I smile every time I see it. Thank you Shabby Princess.

I couldn't resist this...

2009-02-07T16:10:00.001-07:00

This is how this works:
The first 5 people to respond to this post will receive something made by me for you.

My choice.

Made especially for you.

Of course there are some restrictions and limitations:

1 I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2 What I create will be just for you.
3 It will be done sometime this year.
4 You have no clue what it will be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may draw or paint something. I may bake something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure.
5 I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? The catch is that you must repost this on your own blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on their blog.

The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did will win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!!

First Haircut

2009-02-04T13:55:00.002-07:00

Credits: Paper and embellishments from Ronna Penner's Express Yourself Kit; Overlay from Edge Stax Mixed by Kim Liddiard

V-Day

2009-02-03T20:26:00.001-07:00

At 5 pm today my “desk” looked like this

after I finished making this. (inspired by this tutorial)

Thank goodness dinner was quick or I might have had mutiny on my hands.

Fine (Fee-nay). Or as Baby Girl would say, “Aahhh Dahhhhn”

2009-02-02T14:36:00.001-07:00

One Yard Half Apron from My Byrd House

This is completely cute and hardly practical. (Is any apron half apron really practical? For me it isn’t. If it doesn’t cover my shirt it isn’t doing its job) This apron makes me want to thrown on some high heels and start vacuuming the house.

Mother-Daughter Aprons -- inspiration from here and here.

Adorable, practical, easy. Three ingredients for the perfect apron. Can you tell I’m biased? I am. I cannot tell a lie. But please don’t let me stop you from making the apron of your dreams, whichever one that may be.

On My Desk …

2009-01-21T23:29:00.001-07:00

… alright, it’s my kitchen counter, but let’s not get picky. This stack of darling fabric will soon be a stack of darling aprons, three to be exact. They will be the samples for the Home, Family, and Personal Enrichment class I will be teaching at the end of February. It’s almost midnight and I have everything cut out. I am sorely tempted to go switch on the sewing machine. If only it wasn’t in my bedroom where my sweet hubby is sleeping … if only my kids would sleep later than 6:30am … if only I didn’t need sleep … *sigh*

P.S. Do you like my new header? It is the first of many improvements coming to this blog. Stay tuned!

The Christmas Dress Debut … better late than never.

2009-01-20T22:27:00.001-07:00

On Christmas Sunday her brother threw up all over her, only 15 minutes into our church service. Five days later she came down with RSV. Four weeks later I finally got some pictures of our baby girl in her Christmas dress. We won’t even talk about getting a picture of the two together. OK, we will talk about it. It didn’t happen. At least I am not killing a tradition. It didn’t happen last year either. Now we’ll stop talking.

Leg Warmer Tutorial

2009-01-15T22:37:00.004-07:00

Don’t even get me started on how cute I think leg warmers are. Alright, the picture above is totally irrelevant, but I figured I would post it for a brief flashback moment. Those are not the leg warmers you will be making. Gather your supplies and enjoy making some adorable non–80s leg warmers for your munchkin.

What you will need:

One pair of women’s knee high socks
Scissors or rotary cutter
Self-healing cutting mat (optional)
sewing machine
matching thread

1. Begin by laying each sock flat and straight on the mat. Cut each sock just above the heal.

2. Take a picture of your children who are saying, “cheese” over and over again because if the camera is out it must be to take pictures of them, right?

3. Cut just below the heal on each sock. Make sure that your cut creates a 90 degree angle with the foot of the sock. By doing this, you are removing the heel flap, heel turn, and gusset.

4. You have the foot and toe left. Lay the sock flat so that the bottom of the sock (the part that would be on the bottom of your foot) is on the mat. Cut the toe off the foot (wow, that sounds gory).

5. Now all that is left is the foot, which is a rectangle shape. Cut a straight line length-wise along the rectangle, I followed the crease that was already in the sock. Unfold it and take inventory of what you have to work with now. You have two long tubes which will be the leg warmer itself. The two rectangles that you created will be the cuffs of the leg warmers. Time to move to the sewing machine!

6. With right sides together sew the sock foot back together, exactly where you just cut it. I know what you are thinking. Why did I have you cut it in the first place? We are creating the cuff that will be at the munchkin’s ankle. This step is allowing it to be small enough that it won’t slide off her feet. Saavy? Straight stitch a 1/2 inch seam and then zigzag stitch the edge to reinforce the seam.

7. Fold the foot in half with wrong sides together and match the seam. You now have a cuff.

8. Take one of the long tubes and tuck it inside the cuff with right sides together and matching raw edges.

9. Sew the cuff and tube together using a 1/2 inch seam. Again, zigzag stitch the edge to reinforce. Repeat steps 6-9 with second leg warmer.

10.Unfold both cuffs and TADA! You have a pair of adorable leg warmers for your munchkin.

This being my first tutorial please let me know if there is anything that I can explain more clearly or if there are any errors. Also, what’s your vote … should the pictures be above or below their accompanying text? And finally, if you make some of these, let me know. I would love to see some finished products!

Technorati Tags: tutorials,sewing

Aprons Galore

2009-01-11T16:32:00.003-07:00

The Home, Family, and Personal Enrichment Committee asked me to teach a sewing class in February. Aprons will be the subject of the day. In my quest for a specific apron pattern I found a plethora of other adorable ideas! Maybe I should start an Apron-a-Month Club. Take a look at all these splendid tutorials:

ruffle apron (pictured above)

one yard half apron tutorial

crafty tool belt tutorial

lined apron tutorial

thirty handmade days has several apron tutorials here and here

What are you waiting for? Start sewing those aprons!

Technorati Tags: aprons,sewing

On its way ...

2009-01-09T16:48:00.002-07:00

... to a special princess who is turning 1! Happy birthday, Kylie!

2008-12-29T22:18:00.004-07:00

I found another true love in my life this week. Anthropologie. I have heard of it. I have walked by it. I have seen these some stuff from there, but nothing that I really thought was all that fantastic. Then I walked into the store. Oh my goodness, so much "scope for the imagination!" (Thank you L.M. Montgomery for that phrase) The stuff there can be pricey, but they had a great sale on dinnerware. I bought this monogrammed plate for 50% off.

A little online shopping for you...

These alphabet hooks make me happy. A current obsession of mine is monograms. So attracted to them.

These knobs would make me want to cook dinner twice a day. At $16 each I think we need to win the lottery sometime soon, considering the fact that we need almost 30 knobs.

And this coat rack is exactly what I have in mind for my entryway.

There's more. So much more, but I'll stop there. Thank you, Anthropologie, for coming into my life.

2008-12-28T17:38:00.005-07:00

Phew. That's all I have to say about the past 6 days. Phew.

Remember when I showed you the tutorial for super cute boxes that would work perfectly for neighbor gifts? Here are the results!

I filled them with caramel corn, Muddy Buddies, and peanut butter balls. Delish!

I helped my mom put together some boxes for her neighbors, as well. Actually, I had had enough of folding cardstock so I put my dad to work. Just call him M. Stewart.

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and please have a safe New Year!

Wedding

2008-12-22T10:02:00.006-07:00

The dress is done and made its debut at the wedding. Super poofy, super cute, and super stressful! A word of advice. If you plan on tweaking a pattern, plan the tweaking before you cut the material.

The bride and groom looked absolutely fantastic and still haven't stopped smiling. And the veil was lovely if I do say so myself.

The tux was a bit of a flop, I am sorry to say. The pants were super slim and just barely long enough, making his already chicken legs look like toothpick legs. The shirt was two sizes two small and had stains all over it. The jacket would have been alright, but there wasn't a cumberbund and since the shirt wouldn't stay tucked in it just wasn't wonderful. And to top it off, black shoes were not provided so we were scrambling to find some up right before the reception started. That's what you get from a small town tux shop, I suppose. It is a good thing the boy inside it is still as handsome as ever.

Brother and sister, looking pretty sharp, if you ask me.

On My Desk

2008-12-15T10:51:00.005-07:00

I am making Baby Girl's dress for my sister-in-law's wedding reception. Technically she isn't part of the wedding party, but Busy Boy is going to be decked out in a tux, I couldn't leave the girl out on all the fun!

I knew exactly what I wanted and for the life of me couldn't find . However, I did find a blessing/christening dress pattern in my stash that will work with some tweaking and thankfully it is sized up to 24-27 pounds. Baby Girl is 25 pounds. Phew.

Last night I pieced it together with pins while the hubby and I discussed our to do list for the week. It is looking good, except I think I am going to need some more tulle.

Drum Roll Please …

2008-12-12T14:49:00.001-07:00

Let me start by saying that this giveaway stuff is harder than I thought. As any blogger does, I LOVED reading your comments and blog entries about your Christmas decorations. As I read them I found myself rooting for each and everyone of you to win the giveaway. I began contemplating how long it would take me to make one ornament for each one of you. Too long. Way too long. Just know that the thought crossed my mind and the saying does go, “It’s the thought that counts,” right? To appease my desires I decided to make two extra ornaments, so there are two winners today! Yippee!

Winner #1:

Jill said, “Most of our ornaments are the same kind - those we received when Dave's dad cleared out his stash, the ornaments I was giving growing up, and those we've purchased each year since marriage. My favorites are those folksy one from Dave's dad. They remind me so much of those on my parents tree.”

Winner #2:

Stacie said, “I too have a box full with sentimental value. Those that were handmade or passed down through the years, and they have all adorned my tree for the past 8 years of my married life. This year, though, I was feeling a little fancy…so we (or really, I) changed it up a bit (pics on the blog). We do have the same tradition in our family of letting the kids pick out a new ornament every year. I let the kiddos decorate with their ornaments first, then I fill in the rest. ;) At this point they are happy as long as their special ornament is within grabbing distance so they can rip it off the tree and show anyone who visits.”

You will notice that the second ornament isn’t quite finished because last night as I sat down to finish it at 10:00pm I realized that I needed to finish my sister-in-law’s veil for her wedding on Saturday. So, veil came first and is all finished, thank goodness. The finished ornaments will be on their way to both winners early next week! Thanks again everybody for giving a bit of holiday cheer to my December.

2008-12-12T08:57:00.002-07:00

I'll be drawing names today during nap time, so if anyone reads this and still wants in on the mitten ornament giveaway, you have until 2:00pm MST. Yippee!

There’s Always Next Year

2008-12-11T15:21:00.002-07:00

With only a couple of weeks until Christmas I am running out of time, but most certainly not running out of ideas. Is it a bad thing for me to already be making my list of Christmas projects for next year? I hope not because these two are at the top of my list. Maybe I will make them in June. Hey, it’s winter in Australia then.

Amy Butler’s tree forest. How is it that something so simple can look so deliciously elegant? Thanks Amy, my piano was just telling me the other day that it would like a tree forest atop it.

Thanks to Jill for directing me towards this lovely creation. Paper crafting is a bit more time consuming for me than sewing, so starting in June probably isn’t such a bad idea.

Neighbor Gifts

2008-12-09T10:09:00.003-07:00

Thanks goes to Karlie for her tutorial on making these super cute boxes. I will be making a plethora of them to fill with something sweet for my neighbor gifts.

P.S. Karlie is a SUPER talented florist. Check out her website, Garden House Floral. Seriously, it makes me want to marry Brandon all over again just so that I can have her do my flowers.

Humor Me

2008-12-08T14:55:00.001-07:00

Did you read the last paragraph of my last post? I’m doing a giveaway! It would just tickle me pink if lots of people entered. Go for it!

How lovely are thy branches!

2008-12-05T14:18:00.002-07:00

I am a sentimental decorator when it comes to Christmas. It is a tradition in our family that we get an ornament every year for Christmas. When we get married my mom passes those ornaments on to us for our tree. I love pulling out each one and remembering the year it was given to me.

This lovely gem of an ornament was given to me the year I was born. Do you see what I mean? You would have to be sentimental to keep this. (The bad photography doesn’t help much, does it?)

The ornaments that remind me of what was going on in my life at the time always make me emotional. This was from my mom last year, in honor of our first Christmas in our new home. What a special memory.

These two ornaments aren’t gifts, but have equal sentimental value. I remember as a child I loved putting the ornaments on our tree that my parent’s had made for their first Christmas tree. So, after Brandon and I got married I was super excited to get some ornaments that we could remember as our first. Being in the thick of my first concert season ever as a music teacher, handmade didn’t happen. I love what we chose from Terry’s Village, though. The heart is one of 12 ornaments that are part of an old German tradition. I’m not German and didn’t even know about the tradition until I saw the ornaments in the catalog, but I thought it was pretty nifty, so I decided to join in on the fun! The snowmen are just cute. Busy Boy loved putting them on the tree this year.

What kind of tree decorator are you? Do you have any favorite ornaments?

Leave me a comment or write on your blog and leave me a link in the comments. I am making the cutest mitten ornaments for my kids (based on a pattern from Leisl at disdressed) and will have some extra fabric. Anyone that comments will get entered in a drawing for their very own mitten ornament. Also, if you link to my blog on your blog, you will get a second entry in the drawing. I will draw a name on Friday, December 12th. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say!

Sunny Skirt

2008-11-25T15:13:00.001-07:00

I have a 3 year-old boy and a 1 year-old girl. When we found out by ultrasound that baby #2 was indeed a girl, my shopping began and it has never stopped! I have found that dressing a girl cutely (is that a word?) is so much more overwhelming than a boy. For a boy you get a few pairs of jeans, some dress pants, a variety of shirts, a couple pairs of shoes and *TADA* you have a wardrobe. For a girl you need skirts, shirts, dresses, bows, headbands, tights, socks, shoes in every color, etc. etc. Never-ending! Whenever I see something cute at the store I have to think, "OK, what else am I going to need so that she can actually wear this?"
And that, my dear readers, is the question that inspired this post. You see, I just finished a skirt for the shop. As I looked at the skirt though, that infamous question popped into my head. It's winter. Skirts and winter don't usually mix very well. Unless you are like me. There is a picture of me as a child. I am wearing a knee length dress, tights, coat, hat, and gloves and there is about 3 feet of snow on the ground. Winter never stopped me from wearing a dress! So, for the true girly girl out there, here is how I would dress up a skirt for the winter:

This skirt is made out of seersucker material. I love seersucker because it sews very nicely and it is totally wash and wear. No ironing involved, and let’s be honest, who likes to iron clothes?

I decided to use the green in the center of the flowers as my inspiration for the rest of the outfit.

This turtleneck is from Children’s Place, one of my favorite stores because they always have good deals and their clothes hold up to all the rough and tumble that comes with kids.

These CRAWLER COVERS are the perfect answer for wearing skirts in the winter. Warm and cute. Perfect combo! You can find this pair at Crawler Covers & More.

Last, but not least, I thought this adorable hat would be the perfect finisher. This adorable hat is made by Adrienne Kinsella.

Are you smiling yet? I certainly am.

Gobble, Gobble

2008-11-19T14:04:00.004-07:00

We have been battling adenovirus for a week. This lovely virus caused bronchiolitis and croup in Baby Girl. So what I had hoped to be a very productive week for the shop has ended up just being a productive week as a mommy. My goal changed from "1 project a day" to "get baby healthy while attempting to entertain a 3-year-old that can't go anywhere all while maintaining sanity". Baby Girl is getting better. The 3-year-old has watched more TV than I would prefer. Mommy is sane. Mostly. And it's only Wednesday!

Somewhere in the midst of all this, probably in a less sane moment, I decided to do our pumpkin turkey. Although he couldn't really help much, Busy Boy loved thinking that he was helping make this. He was pretty impressed with our pumpkin turkey and now walks around the house saying, "What does the turkey say? Gobble, gobble, gobble."

Poor Baby Girl. She was feeling so rotten that night.

Waste Not

2008-11-11T21:46:00.001-07:00

I bought a pumpkin before Halloween. That is as close as we got to making a jack-o-lantern this year. So I keep looking at the pumpkin sitting on my front porch (which I love because it is tall and skinny, it would have been fun to carve!) and feeling guilty that I didn't do the quintessential Halloween activity (next to trick-or-treating, of course). Tonight I found the perfect solution!

Thank you, Kaboose. This is going to be a lot of fun.

Cuddle Tag Blanket

2008-11-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to finally add another item to my inventory! For a while there my goal of 15 seemed like it would be years away. Now that I have made it past Halloween I have a couple of weeks before I have to crack down and get Christmas presents done, make a veil for SIL, make a dress for Baby Girl for SIL wedding, and figure out what I am going to wear. That being said, I am thinking that 5 more items will be up by November 21st so stay tuned.

I made one of these for Baby Girl for her 1st birthday. She loves to walk around with it, the tags looped around her fingers. I wish I had one of these to cuddle up with! The material is so soft and I love the color combination of blues, greens, and yellows.

A Wish Your Heart Makes

2008-11-08T22:02:00.000-07:00

Shabby Apple is a site with cute and modest dresses. I lust after them. I daresay, I may even covet them. Check out the line for little girls, too. Covet. Covet. Covet.

Right now they are having a contest. I could be the lucky winner of the lovely outfit pictured below. Check out the details here.

Enjoy!

A Wish Your Heart Makes

Have you ever seen Fantasmic, the nightly fireworks show at Disneyland?

In this show Mickey comes out and creates a magical world with everybody’s favorite characters. Peter Pan. Winnie the Pooh. Belle. Ariel. Snow White. Cinderella. Prince Charming. You get the idea.

Then the bad guys come. Let’s be honest, would it be a Disney show without bad guys?

Ursula and crew do their worst.

After you are convinced that this is the end of all things Mickey, the Mouse takes center stage all decked out in a snazzy tuxedo. With all the power his squeaky voice can muster he says, “You may think you’re so powerful, well, this is my dream!”

With the flick of his wand the bad guys are conquered and we celebrate the return of all of our favorite characters as they sing a cheesy, happy, feel good song, sung in true Disney fashion.

That is totally my life. Totally. Completely. My life.

I have created my own little magical world. It is complete with Prince Charming and two adorable offspring. We have a warm cozy place to call our own. I have worked both my dream jobs; as a teacher, and now a stay at home mom. Our house is filled with laughter and giggles. It is everything I have ever wanted.

Except well, the bad guys. Oh, the bad guys.

Dirty diapers. Baby weight. Guilt. Frustration. Patience, or rather, lack thereof.

Temper tantrums. Temper tantrums in public. Strangers disapproving looks that just scream, “Why can’t you keep that child under control?”

Potty training.

Feelings that I will never be clean enough, cute enough, creative enough, smart enough, brave enough, classy enough. So why try?

Regrets.

This is where our story differs, Mickey and I, because I don’t have a magic wand. I can’t will the bad guys away with one flick of my wrist, never to be seen again. I fight these bad guys daily, hourly, to the minute.

So I take charge. I step up. I throw on a flirty dress from Shabby Apple that reminds me I can be cute! I put on some hot boots that will kick some bad guy booty. Soft pink jewelry will remind me that I can be patient and a sassy diaper bag declares that my kids are my greatest accessory. In this I can remind myself every day, every hour, even every minute that this is my dream!

And I plan on living happily ever after.

(cue cheesy, happy, feel good song here)

Swaddles

2008-11-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

I have a dear friend from back in my college days. We lived in the same dorms for only one semester and haven't seen each other since, yet, somehow I feel like I have known her forever. I love friends like that. Well, I have recently discovered that I want to be her when I grow up. She is uber creative and has developed these adorable bath aprons. Wouldn't this be a perfect gift for a pregnant mama? Or perhaps that favorite grandchild of yours? Check out her etsy shop, she has lots of aprons to choose from!

2008-11-06T15:53:00.001-07:00

Remove one feather every day from now until Thanksgiving, easy enough! Thanks to Marie from Make and Takes for this idea. Busy Boy was a little distraught when I suggested he throw the removed feather away. So I let him put them in a wire pumpkin we keep on the kitchen table. Hmmm ... do you think I should tell him we plan on eating a turkey?

Wedding Preview

2008-11-04T15:41:00.000-07:00

My husband's sister is getting married this December. She is the only girl in the family and I have the fabulous opportunity to help with the wedding planning. I just love weddings. They make me so happy. I am so glad that SIL is letting me be a part of her special day.

It is a relatively low budget wedding (my father-in-law would probably disagree with that!) at least in today's standards in which the cost of a wedding averages about $28,000. I am glad though because low budgets allow for more creativity and simplicity, which I prefer. Anyway, on to the preview.

With Christmas stuff out in the stores I was able to put together a prototype of her centerpieces to see if she likes the idea. Using pictures I found on various wedding sites as my inspiration ...

... I came up with this ...

It is so simple and costs under $10 per centerpiece and yet it has a certain elegance to it, don't you think? And the best part? She can take the ornaments home with her and decorate her first Christmas tree with them.

So, what do you think?

Halloween!

2008-11-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

Update

2008-10-28T15:58:00.000-06:00

The halloween costumes are still underway. The knit I am trying to sew has proved to be a lot less moody than the stuff for my sister's wedding. Finished product is coming soon (It better be. Right? Halloween is on Friday!)

Speaking of giveaways ...

2008-10-28T14:15:00.000-06:00

Check these out:

Lands End Diaper Bag Review and Giveaway: Please tell me I am not the only Mom in the world that doesn't have a fabulous diaper bag. I need one. Bad.

Old Navy gift certificate: Need I say more?

Mother/Daughter Sterling Silver Bracelets: How is it that having a girl has turned me into even more of a girly girl than I already was?

Crayon Apron: I love that this is for a boy.

BabySNAZZ legwarmer giveaway: I totally know how to make these, but getting them for free would be even cooler!

Can you tell I am going for the law of probability? Is that really a law? I don't know. Whatever. Anyway. In all of my blogging days I have never won a giveaway. (cue sad violin music) I am crossing my fingers and toes for any one of these!

Oh yeah, and check out Bloggy Giveaways for LOTS more free stuff, if you are lucky enough to win!

Someday I will win a giveaway ...

2008-10-24T21:07:00.001-06:00

... and if this is the one, I would be so SUPER excited! Kathleen at GROSGRAIN is so uber-talented. I want to win!

Tackling Knit

2008-10-24T13:56:00.000-06:00

Back in June my younger sister got married. The material she picked for the bridesmaids dresses was a brown knit. It was perfect for the dress. Totally and completely UN-perfect for my sewing machine. I ended up having to take it to California with me and my mom finished it the night before the wedding. Bless her heart.

So here I am. It's a week before Halloween. I just bought the material for Busy Boy's costume. It's knit. I'm crazy.

Before I throw the timing off on my sewing machine again and tear out all of my hair I thought I had better do a bit of research. Here is what I found.

Because of what I found here I will be sure to lay some tissue paper down underneath the material when I go to layout and cut out the pattern pieces.

This article tells me to be sure to use polyester or nylon thread. I might be going back to the store ...

Amy Hester tells me that I need a sharp needle. And then I find here that they recommend a ball point needle. Hmmm ...

This is probably my favorite article/site pre-sewing.

After I have tried out this tips I will let you know if I have tamed the beast!

Toodles' Future

2008-10-16T15:51:00.000-06:00

I have been thinking alot about my sweet little shop. I want so much to get it launched and going, but do you know what? It takes money to make money. Such a shame. Also, I have been wondering when I want to do my grand opening. I mean, at what point to I decide it is "up and running?" So, here is the conclusion that I have come to. Little bit by little bit I will add inventory. My goal is to get to 15 items. Once I have 15 items I will have my grand opening. Stay tuned ... I have a few projects up my sleeves right this minute!

Allie Brown Giveaway

2008-10-16T15:49:00.000-06:00

Have you ever wanted a custom made blog layout? Me too. It would be cool. That is why I am entering this giveaway. You should too, even though it will lessen my chances to win.

Costume Time!

2008-10-12T21:49:00.000-06:00

I am working away on my kid's costumes. Well, kind of. Baby girl's is finished, minus a zipper and a hem. Busy boy's is still just in my mind. This picture is from last year. Don't they make the cutest Peter Pan and Tinkerbell ever?

Don't these make you happy?

2008-10-07T14:36:00.000-06:00

Little clippies. Gotta love them!

SOLD!

2008-09-30T23:24:00.000-06:00

I'm doing things a bit out of order. I sold my first item! The tutu now has a proud owner (and a very cute owner, I might add). And the grand opening? It is coming soon, I promise! Just let me make it past my daughter's birthday party first ...

Headbands

2008-09-29T10:20:00.000-06:00

When I was introduced to the world of little girl's headbands I had just had my daughter and I was so excited to learn how to make them! They are super simple, and really, anyone can make them. But I have learned that not everybody wants to make them themselves and that is what I am here for!

All wrapped up in comfiness ...

2008-09-29T09:45:00.000-06:00

I have made several different versions of hooded towels. This style is by far my very favorite! Because of the way the hood is attached, the towel easily drapes around the child. I made this specific towel for my son's first birthday, so it is a couple of years old. He loves getting out of the bath almost as much as being in it. Wouldn't you, if you had this to snuggle with after?

You can definitely expect to see some of this hooded towel goodness in my etsy shop!

I have a weakness for dresses ...

2008-09-27T14:40:00.000-06:00

...especially adorable dresses like this one! I am crossing my fingers that I just might win it. Maybe. Hopefully. Oh man, I love this dress!
Dollhouse Frock GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

First Project: Tutu!

2008-09-26T15:57:00.000-06:00

I think that tutus are absolutely adorable! They work great for photo shoots or dress-up. Throw a turtle neck and tights under it and you have a to-die for holiday outfit. This tutu is very simple. I love the color combination of lavender and amethyst. And all that puff! How can you resist that?!

Baby Steps

2008-09-25T14:36:00.000-06:00

I've made a header. My blog looks cute. My etsy shop is on its way to its grand opening.

Just one more thing ...

Something to sell. Ah. Minor detail.

Don't fret. It isn't a detail I have ignored, it is just a detail I have yet to deal with. The purpose for my shop is selfish. I love to craft. I love to sew. I love to create. This isn't a business venture, per se. Would I like to make money? Of course. But really, I just want to share what I can do.

So what can I do? Well, lots. Headbands, tutus, dresses, PJs, aprons, bows, towels, and more. What I actually do will depend on demand. Isn't that the way it goes? To start out, my shop will be a bit of this and a bit of that. Once I see what YOU really want, I will narrow down my projects. As my first projects reach the finished stage, I will let you know about them!

2008-07-24T23:07:00.000-06:00