green(ish) mama

2012-01-04T18:36:00.000-05:00

Thanks for stopping by! For now, I'm blogging over at D.I.Y. Louisville almost exclusively. We're doing some awesome stuff over there, so come on over!

Craving…

2011-09-13T22:29:00.001-04:00

Mojitea from Argo Tea.

Carmel and cheese popcorn from Garrett’s.

Just two of the zillion reasons I miss Chicago.

Back to Reality

2011-08-21T01:18:00.001-04:00

Summer break has officially ended. Al started back to school this week, and I start classes back on Monday. Goodbye lazy days of summer. You will be missed.

Farmers Market Week 6

2011-07-17T18:28:00.000-04:00

Farmers market week 6: corn, peaches, peppers, dill pickles, cucumber, yellow watermelon, zucchini pineapple bread. Total spent: $12. Live bluegrass music: Free.

I was out of town weeks 4 and 5, and I was happy to get back to my routine this week. My big splurge was the jar of dill pickles for $5, but they were calling out my name, honest to goodness.

Summer Cruising

2011-07-15T00:47:00.000-04:00

Cruisin’ to the market old lady style and loving it.

loving…

2011-07-12T02:41:00.001-04:00

summer.

Farmers Market Week 3

2011-07-03T00:08:00.001-04:00

Farmers market week 3: Peas, tomatoes, potatoes, garlic, eggs, peppers, lodi apples, onions, cucumbers, corn, banana bread.

My First Edible

2011-06-28T09:15:00.000-04:00

Toss me some overalls and call me Farmer Jules, I’ve grown my first edible anything, ever.

Farmers Market Week 2

2011-06-24T07:36:00.000-04:00

Farmers Market week 2: Corn, blueberries, onions, cucumbers, peppers

Loving…

2011-06-21T15:51:00.000-04:00

pops of yellow in the morning.

Happy first day of summer!

Farmers Market Week 1

2011-06-19T22:27:00.000-04:00

The farmers market in my neighborhood opened this week, and it is my summer goal to support our local growers each week.

Week 1: Farm fresh eggs, cucumbers, strawberry bread, tomato plant

Sometimes…

2011-06-09T00:26:00.000-04:00

…a limeade and a lunch date with your bff makes everything better.

Loving…

2011-06-07T11:24:00.000-04:00

Summer ice cream outings with my best girl.

In these parts,

2011-06-06T16:19:00.000-04:00

it ain’t officially summer until you run through the sprinkler!

Giveaway at D.I.Y. Louisville

2011-03-15T13:29:00.001-04:00

My other blog – you know, the one that’s not sad and neglected – is hosting a giveaway. Go over there and enter for a chance to win your choice of jewelry from Kim’s etsy shop:

D.I.Y. Louisville

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-26T23:51:00.000-05:00

Know who I love?

2011-01-23T23:54:00.000-05:00

Amy Sedaris, that’s who.

Know who I love even more? Moms who indulge your frivolous wishes and send surprises from your Amazon wish list, for sure.

This can’t be confirmed, but methinks Mizz Sedaris perused Regretsy for some of her craft ideas.

How can you not love to make fun of crafters, honestly?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-12T23:37:00.001-05:00

Yes We’re Going to a Party Party

2011-01-11T01:24:00.000-05:00

Someone in our house turned 40 this week.

No, not me. I’m not a day over 27, remember?

While the birthday boy further solidified his old man status and napped on the couch, his two best girls got to work and threw him a surprise party.

Turns out all you need to decorate for a party in less than an hour is a round paper punch, cardstock, tissue paper, and a printer (or some pretty awesome handwriting/drawing skills, which sadly, I lack). Oh, and I never bake a cake that doesn’t come straight from a box, don’tjudgemethankyouverymuch.

Of course, setting up a face painting station is the piece de resistance of any party.

Handmade Holiday

2011-01-09T17:39:00.001-05:00

I know, I know, we’ve all moved on from the holidays – planning for Valentine’s Day and wishing for spring. But before I get too far ahead, I wanted to show a few handmade items that I received for Christmas that I just love.

The above card was made by my lovely friend Kristen who always sends the cutest notes.

These two little carolers are made from clothes pins. They are so adorable I don’t want to pack them away just yet.

Al’s aunt makes her crocheted Barbie clothes every year. This year, however, she outdid herself. That’s layers and layers of crocheted lace there. Pretty fabulous.

And finally, my friend Kim made me these awesome pair of earrings that I’ve worn everyday since opening because I love them so much. Terrible picture, but trust me on their awesomeness.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-05T16:17:00.000-05:00

Santa said…

2010-12-31T15:39:00.000-05:00

I’ve been a good girl this year.

Does anyone know how to work this thing?

Little Elf Party: Elf Party Decorations

2010-12-30T18:28:00.000-05:00

Part 2: Elf Party Decorations

For the little elf party, I kept the decorations mini-sized and simple. Basically, I just made strands of mini pennants and hung them everywhere.

Because I’m on the mini pennant bandwagon.

And because I can’t resist the adorableness.

Mini pennants on the wall.

Mini pennants on a mini tree.

Mini pennants on the table.

Mini Pennant cupcake toppers.

Mini pennants and mini snowballs hanging from the chandelier.

And lots of little mini trees and mini snowmen scattered about. (Which was the unexpected hit of the party.)

Finally, Al and I made little treasure ball party favors with mini-sized trinkets inside for each girl to take home. (I made a tutorial for these treasure balls HERE @ D.I.Y. Louisville.)

Check out the elf party mini food HERE.

Little Elf Party: Elf Party Food

2010-12-18T13:13:00.001-05:00

Part 1: Elf Party Food

Our annual holiday party turned into a little elf party, complete with little elf mini treats and big-sized fun.

At the table, each girl had a personalized place setting with their name stamped on the pennant at the upper corner.

For dinner we served mini pizzas, mini mac’n cheese bites, mini veggies, cuties and mini drinks.

Dessert was mini m&m’s, mini cupcakes, and mini brownie bites.

I was going for simple, kid-friendly foods in mini sizes that was vegetarian friendly. It was a hard combo to find. Oh, and the cuties look really cute on the table, don’t they? For the record, not one kid ate one . The first thing they wiped out was the mini m&m’s, just so ya know to stock up on those if you want to throw your own mini party.

Check out the post on the elf party mini decorations HERE.

Little Elf Stockings

2010-12-10T00:00:00.001-05:00

…all set to go for a little elf party…

Christmas Tradition: Giving Back

2010-11-29T22:44:00.001-05:00

Last week we stuffed 6 shoeboxes full to the brim with toiletries, toys, school supplies and sweets.

A simple gesture that reminds us how fortunate we are, and how simple it is to make a difference in someone’s life.

Imagination Train Has Left the Building

2010-11-22T01:32:00.000-05:00

Buy the kid a plethora of Sculpey,

and she will make

marbles.

Repurposed Silk Shirt to Pillow

2010-11-20T22:47:00.000-05:00

This silk top set me back a whopping $1 at The Thrift.

It took me only 10 minutes to turn it into this pillow. Five minutes of that time was spent on ironing.

Isn’t this embroidery beautiful?

I’ve never met a paisley I didn’t love.

Thanksgiving Towel Tutorial

2010-11-16T23:37:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving.

You know, that holiday that comes before Christmas.

I have a strict One holiday at a time, people! rule.

And nothing says hold your jingle bells until the Tofurkey and stuffing is all gobbled up quite like a new set of fall-inspired kitchen towels. Who’s with me?

Towel Tutorial of Sorts

You’ll need:

Waffle weave fabric, found at most fabric stores

OR you can ~~cheat~~ go super simple and purchase some towels.

Coordinating cotton fabric

Sewing machine and all your basic cutting supplies

Before you start, wash and press your fabric.

Step #1

Cut your waffle weave fabric and the coordinating strip.

Your measurements can vary depending on your preference, but I started with 16-inch x 30-inch for my towel size.

For the coordinating fabric strip, again, you can go as big or small as you like, as long as you add to the length and width for the seam allowance. I used 6 1/2-inch x 16 1/2-inch.

Step #2

Hem all four sides of your waffle weave fabric.

Obviously, skip this step if you’re using pre-purchased towels.

To hem, fold each edge 1/4-inch and press. Then, fold another 1/4-inch and press again. Pin if you need to. Do this on all four sides.

The waffle weave makes this easy, since each little waffle is 1/4-inch.

Sew a straight stitch along these folds on all four sides.

To keep the ends uniform, sew two parallel sides, then sew the opposite two parallel sides.

You can go all fancy here and do mitered corners if you’re feeling sassy. I’m un-sassy, so I do it the simple way.

Step #3

Yay! You made a towel! (Unless you cheated and used pre-purchased towels.)

Now that your towel is made, you want to spruce it up with the coordinating fabric.

Fold under the two longest sides 1/4-inch and press.

Then, fold under the two short sides to meet the edge of your towel.

Actually, I came over 1/4-inch on the sides of my towel to create a border.

Do it whichever way strikes your fancy.

Pin the strip in place on your towel. Again, the waffle weave gives you a perfect guide to pin this straight. If you’re not using waffle weave, you’re on your own, so break out the ruler to get it straight.

Step #4

Topstitch the coordinating strip in place.

Use any coordinating thread color on top, but to give your towel a seamless finish on the back, use a bobbin thread in the same color as your towel.

Step #5

Hang your towel in a prominent place so you can brag to all your friends. And also, remind your husband that this towel does not double as a floor mop.

Glass Half Full

2010-11-14T13:54:00.000-05:00

If your glass is half empty (like my ~~pea-headed~~ husbands, *ahem*), my first ever hand embroidery may be slightly underwhelming.

But to me it screams, “Go on with your bad crafty-ass self! The world is your oyster!”

New Project: D.I.Y. Louisville

2010-11-08T21:30:00.000-05:00

My friend Kim and I have this language we speak called Craftanese.

Craftawhat?

Craftanese is the don’t-stop-to-take-a-breath-or-let-the-other-guy-get-a-word-in talk that we revert to when we talk very animatedly and overexcitedly about all manner of crafty business. It’s a language where we make taking a trip to the fabric or craft store sound more adrenalin-packed than sitting in the stands at the Olympic extreme winter sports. We use it when we gush over craft books like they’ve been on the NYT best seller list for weeks, and we can recite verbatim all the projects contained within when someone tell us they haven’t read them. Oh, and craft bloggers? We talk about them like they’re our very own BFF’s that we shared martinis and laughs with just last night.

Our friends might describe this phenomenon as a bad musical that’s so bad it’s awesome. You know, where nobody knows what the hell just happened except for the person who just frog-jumped the water hydrant and burst out into a bad Gene Kelly impersonation. ‘Cept in our musical Kim and I are all awesome and none of the bad. Just ask those friends who get up and leave the room and start saying words like obsessive and coo-coo and I didn’t know a cat sang that song in hushed whispers behind our backs.

One day while Kim and I were in a typically brilliant state of mind, we looked epiphanically at each other and heard the creepy whispers of craftspeople long past, “If you build it, they will come.” And just like that, we knew that we couldn’t be the only two whatever-we-are in Louisville.

Born from the love of crafting and artistry, and the desire to bring together other like-minded folks, we bring to you D.I.Y. Louisville, Louisville’s first alternative craft group:

www.diylouisville.blogspot.com

D.I.Y. Louisville Facebook

If you live in Louisville, Ky, you should totally join us. Because it’s an awesome group and we love meeting new crafters and artists. Craftanese not required.

And hey, just to show that we don’t discriminate, even if you don’t live in Louisville you can still like our Facebook page and become a follower on the D.I.Y. Louisville blog. We have some great things planned that aren’t exclusive to Louisvillians, so don’t miss the show.

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T00:18:00.001-04:00

Mom, I don’t want you to carve my pumpkin, because you don’t know how to do it scary.

I’m not sure if that was an insult or a compliment.

One Down

2010-10-12T00:23:00.004-04:00

Because pumpkin makin’ is all I have time for these days.

A Story: Short & Sweet

2010-10-10T22:52:00.003-04:00

There once was a girl who liked to make things.

She knew that there was value in the things she created with her own hands.

And she had the cutest and most bedazzled money box the world has ever seen.

The end.

Is it because I eat too many?

2010-08-18T23:08:00.002-04:00

I turned my back for five minutes on an innocent plate of cookies to come and find them not only decorated, but also assigned.

Take a back seat Cookie Monster, your nemesis, Craft Monster, is in town.

Do you see who got the biggest one? hrm.

Don’t tell my hubs, but I switched out our nametags so I could have more m&m’s.

I’ve Been Tagged!

2010-08-17T00:30:00.003-04:00

The oh-so-cute Stephanie from Made in Australia by Stephanie not only makes the cutest refashions for her little ones, but she also – and I am totally speculating here – talks in a fun accent! What’s not to love?

She tagged me with some summer sunshine to reveal 7 things about myself that you may not know. Sounds easy enough, but since most of my readers are either related or personal friends - and I’m not too good at hiding my ~~neurosis~~ quirks - between all of them, there’s not much about me that’s not already known. But I digress, and I’ll just pretend that nobody here knows me at all.

Here goes seven things you’ll be *SHOCKED* to discover about me:

1) I've been a vegetarian for almost 9 years now. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. But don’t worry, I’m not obnoxious about it. You’re free to eat all the meat you want, just please don’t put any on my plate.

2) I never ever eat a piece of bread without first inspecting thoroughly for mold. Drives my hubby bonkers. I have a serious phobia to all molds, fungus, and mushrooms. Stems from my run-on with a moldy hamburger in the school cafeteria senior year of high school. Yes, I realize portabella is the holy grail of vegetarian eating and they may just kick me out of the veggie club for this, but I ain’t having any fungus for dinner, thankyouverymuch.

3) Until my daughter started school, I had the best job in the whole wide world. I never did grab a beer and jet out down the emergency slide, but after dealing with Cancun spring breakers for days on end, the thought certainly crossed my mind.

4) I know every word to every song in Les Miserables. And I sing them all very badly and very loudly.

5) Birds terrify the hell out of me. They can sense my fear and play games with my mind whilst they wait their opportunity to swoop in and peck out my eyes. You think I’m kidding?

6) Much to my hubby’s chagrin, I still sleep with a nightlight on.

7) I also can’t eat in the dark. Candlelight dinners? Not for me, thanks. Popcorn in a dark theatre? I’ll pass. If I can’t inspect it, I’m not eating it. Period.

8) BONUS REVEAL: Just in case it wasn’t well established in #1-7, I have an inordinate amount of hang-ups about food.

Now, as the game goes, I’m supposed to tag some folks to get in on this fun. Instead, I’ll just double dog dare all my bloggy friends to reveal seven of their own hidden truths. (Posting of an accompanying egregious picture recommended, but not required.) If you do, let me know and I’ll link back to you. Have fun!

UPDATE:

My friend Aaron takes his double dog dares with a side of scotch.

Tissue Paper Flower Tutorial

2010-08-13T21:34:00.006-04:00

My BFF taught me to make these tissue paper flowers several years ago, and because I am so predicable, I have decorated every birthday party for Al with them ever since. I love them so much, I want you all to learn how to make them, too.

Tissue Paper Flower Tutorial of Sorts

You’ll need:
4-5 sheets of tissue paper per flower
String or ribbon or twine or dental floss or anything that you have on hand that will tie
Scissors
Clear tape

First, get your tissue paper. I bought this big ol’ stack of 275 sheets at Big Lots for $5. A great buy depending on how many of each specific color you want, or if you want lots of multi-colored flowers.

Lay out and stack your sheets in the color-order you want. If you want a yellow ~~pistil? stamen? stigma?~~ center make sure the yellow paper is on top. I’m using 5 sheets here – one for the center, and 4 for the petals. You can vary the amount of sheets depending on your fluffiness preference. Keep in mind, though, that the more sheets you use, the harder the flower becomes to manipulate. This is your only warning.

With the center color on top, fold the paper accordion style, just like those paper fans you used to make in elementary school (or maybe you still do – I judge not). Fold up about 1-inch, then flip over and fold up 1-inch, then flip back over and fold…all the way until you can’t flip and fold any more. (I’m no Martha, so the 1-inch measurement isn’t precise, just eyeball it.)

First fold…

Flip & second fold…

All the way up…

Now that you’ve made the accordion folds, fold up in the center. Depending on the spaces of your accordion folds, your center color may be on top. If that’s the case, fold now so that the center color is in the center, and your back petal color is on top. (If that makes any sense whatsoever.)

Now, make a little tail, and use your tying material to tie off the bottom. You want to kind of pinch this in so that it’s as tight as possible, so grab a buddy to help you hold the knot. Also, you may want to leave the ends of the string long so you can use it to hang your flower when you’re finished.

At the top, make a rounded cut on each side. This gives the petal look.

Fold out your paper and resist the urge to fan yourself like a giant in a heat wave.

Start separating the sheets one by one…

…pull up and away from the back tail…

…pull tight all the way up…

You will want to manipulate and fluff the paper a bit to get the look you want.

If you want a fluffy pouf-ball look, stop here.

If you want more of a flower look, crumple up the yellow (or center color) paper. Fan out and manipulate the petals until you’ve got yourself the semblance of a flower.

So cute!

If you want to connect the two sides and keep them from separating, you can use a little clear tape on the back of the petals.

Here they are side by side so you can compare the two looks.

Fluffy pouf-ball on the left, flower on the right.

Now hang them up and be the crafty admiration of all your friends.

Al’s parties are usually outside, so I hang them along the fences. For extra cuteness, I’ve also used them on the backs of chairs for an outdoor picnic.

Go crazy decorating, and if you use these at any of your parties, don’t forget to invite me.

Seventh Butterfly Party

2010-08-09T01:08:00.002-04:00

I know.

I’ve been gone.

It’s summer, and we’re busy, what can I say?

Let’s just put the excuses and feelings of abandonment behind us and jump right back into the good stuff, shall we?

I’ve lots to show and tell.

I’ll start with some pretties I made for Al’s seventh butterfly birthday sleepover party:

Dipped pretzel sticks. Al thinks no party is complete without these little delights, and I’m always happy to oblige in a sweet that doesn’t require any actual baking skillz.

Goodie bags. One butterfly simply was not enough.

Martha paper punches rock my world. I may never drink from an unadorned straw again.

For a girl who hates all flying critters, I went a little crazy with the puncher.

I am not a professional decorator. Ooh over the topper, ignore the icing.

The biggest hit. Idea from Family Fun Magazine. Can you see the nameplates Al insisted on making? She needs to watch a few more Martha shows. heh.

Mini goodies tucked inside: Sundae lip gloss, butterfly tattoos, and a little sweet treat .

Not the best picture of the whole spread, but the best shot I got.

I hope this inspires you to set a pretty table for your next party!

My Stolen Moment

2010-06-30T00:16:00.002-04:00

Refashion In Action

2010-06-06T01:35:00.007-04:00

I had originally intended to use the bodice buttons from the previous dress refashion on the new skirt pockets. Al, however, insisted that she choose the buttons herself from her very own button stash. She settled on this turquoise set. I like her style.

I think she picked the buttons because they matched her month-old chipped-off nail polish that she begs me not to remove.

In addition, I also used the leftover bodice to barely eek out a little skirt for Al’s doll. The skirt is too tight and the ruffle looks cruddy, but eh, sometimes you just gotta work with what you have.

And just because I’m having too much fun playing with photo editing tools, here is how I eeked out the doll skirt:

Dress to Skirt Refashion

2010-06-05T02:01:00.010-04:00

Want to refashion a dress into a skirt? It’s easy – I’ll show you!

When looking for things to cut up, I go cheap. Like this 25-cent…what? dress? nighty?…I found a yard sale. I love the little embroidered hearts and the pockets on the front. This was a women's size xs – a size that I haven’t been in since puberty, alas, but the proportions were perfect for making into a skirt for Al. Plus, it didn’t have a zipper to work around, which makes things nice and easy.

Tutorial of Sorts

What you need: Dress to cut, cutting tool of choice, elastic for waistband, sewing machine (or needle and thread if you’re into doing things the hard way).

1) Measure how long you want the skirt to be, and include a seam allowance depending on the width of your elastic. If you turn the dress inside-out, you may get a straighter cut. (Unless you’re like me and can never quite figure out the art of a straight cut, no matter how many tools you put in place.)

2) Cut with whatever tools you find easiest to use.

2a) Cross your fingers that it’s all straight.

3) Create a casing for your elastic.

4) Insert elastic in your casing.

5) Admire the cuteness.

See the refashion in action HERE.

May Snapshots

2010-06-02T02:49:00.003-04:00

I make things I don’t blog about because, well, either I took really crappy pictures or because they’re rather unexciting things to blog about. I’d hate to bore all 12 of my readers. However, I still want to document these projects, so I’ve decided to lump all of the not-too-terribly-exciting stuff into one post at the end of each month. Minimal boredom, if you will.

Here are some project snapshots from May:

Monogrammed hand towels, commissioned by a friend.

1st birthday hair clippies that the receiver refused to let me photograph, but I promise she looked super cute for her big party.

Birthday gift for a friend of Al’s. Tote bag made by me, scrappy bow with button made by Al.

Easiest Doll Dress Refashion Ever

2010-05-30T14:06:00.005-04:00

First, find a 25-cent baby romper at a yard sale in the cutest floral print you’ve ever seen. (The size of this one is infant 3-6 mos.)

See those little snaps at the bottom?

Cut them off, like so:

Voila – it’s a dress!

Hem the bottom of the dress in any stitch that strikes your fancy:

Put the new dress on, because that’s it! You’re finished!

Since that only took five minutes of your time and because you have an extra minute to attach a scrap of elastic onto a piece of the scrap fabric you cut from the cut-off snaps above, fashion the doll a little headband, like so:

Now give the doll to your tomboy kid, and tell her to go outside and have an adventure.

Project notes: This refashion was for a Twinn Doll, which is slightly larger than an American Girl Doll. For a smaller doll, simply snip and reattach the shoulder straps to fit. Might take an extra minute or two, but still a very simple doll refashion.

Summer Book Lovin’

2010-05-27T02:12:00.002-04:00

Al has pledged to read ten books to participate in the various summer reading programs in our community. ~~Not one to be shown up~~ To encourage her commitment, I have pulled ten unread books from my own shelves to match her pledge.

Al’s selection is a combination of books she can read on her own, plus some more advanced chapter books we’ll read together. We’ll surpass her goal by several books, no doubt.

My choices, on the other hand, will take a larger commitment and some savvy free time reshuffling, but I’m just as confident that I can achieve my summer goal.

I’ll be keeping tabs on our progress on the right sidebar if anyone is interested in following along.

Also, if you’re interested in finding summer reading programs in your area, here are a few links to get you started:

Public Library

Borders

Barnes & Noble

Blinded by the White

2010-05-23T22:36:00.002-04:00

The naysayers said it couldn’t be done.

The skeptics were skeptical.

My friends talked amongst themselves in hushed tones whenever I came near.

And to all of them I say…

*Photo edited so that retinas everywhere would be spared by the glaring whiteness of my skin.

It’s not perfect and I’m going to make another one, but I’m still proud of myself for tackling it and not giving up. I never once cursed or kicked in a dressing room mirror, so that’s saying something.

For those that are interested (Katie, I’m looking at you) I would encourage you to try it. I promise it’s not as scary as it seems.

Weed Bouquets

2010-05-10T01:36:00.002-04:00

My favorite kind of Mother’s Day present.

Teacher Appreciation Gifts – Day 2

2010-05-07T01:49:00.004-04:00

Our care of the children should be governed not by the desire to 'make them learn things', but by the endeavor always to keep burning within them the light which is called intelligence. – Dr. Maria Montessori

The theme for teacher appreciation day 2 was Sweet Treats. Which was probably a no-brainer gift idea for all of those moms out there that actually bake or make candy or some other such awesomeness. As for me, I’m not one of those moms. The kitchen is not my friend.

So I scoured the internet, looked at a million crafty blogs, took some liberty with the theme and decided to make cloth bookmarks with the only sweet-themed fabric I had. And then, because I thought the cupcake fabric was a little juvenile and because I like to sew like a mad woman into the wee hours of the night, I included two more fabric bookmarks in a less toddlerish print.

When it came time to put the little labels on them, I honestly had to ask myself if I should clarify on there somewhere as to what these actually were. Because let’s face it, fabric rectangles with a weird tag stuck out of the top are just ambiguous enough to make one go, “Hmm?” in a C & C Music Factory sort of way (only without the broken-down beat and bad 90’s dance moves).

Do you think the “teachers” may have “cringed” at my “improper” use of quotation marks? I blame the above mentioned wee-nightly-hours sewing.

Teacher Appreciation Gifts – Day 1

2010-05-04T01:07:00.003-04:00

“Whoever touches the life of the child touches the most sensitive point of a whole which has roots in the most distant past and climbs toward the infinite future.” …Maria Montessori

For teacher appreciation week, our PTO has established theme days in which the children can bring in a small gift as it relates to the theme of the day. Since finals week just isn’t busy enough for me, Al and I will be hand making all of our teacher gifts this week. Al wanted to include every teacher at her school, but we had to settle on her two classroom teachers, Spanish teacher, the school director, and the aftercare teacher to gift to each day. *pshew* That’s five, if you’re keeping count. Maybe more than I bargained for, but I didn’t want to completely quash her generosity.

For day one, the theme is Rest & Relaxation. Using the pattern and project in Sew Liberated as our inspiration, we chose to make flax seed and lavender soothing eye masks. Note that our masks look nothing like the amazing Meg’s, but that was due to my lack of time (and let’s face it – perhaps also a complete lack of artistic skillz).

I had all the fabrics on hand, and flax seed purchased in bulk at Whole Foods was inexpensive since I could get just the amount I needed. I gotta say, I love these. My whole house smelled like lavender yesterday. I wish I had cut out an extra set of pattern pieces to make myself one. After the gift making and school finals frenzy this week, I’ll probably be looking for some R&R myself!

No, I haven’t gone mad.

2010-04-30T22:25:00.001-04:00

But I have holed myself up behind a wall of determination, and I won’t come out until I have a swimsuit that covers both my *t* and my *a*.

Nevermind that I’ve never before sewn an actual garment, from scratch, using a pattern. It certainly can’t be any more horrific than drudging myself to a dozen stores and trying on countless swimsuits whilst I internally curse every single clothing manufacturer from the confines of my tiny dressing room for not designing for women with curves, damnit, and no, triangle strips and strings does not a swimsuit make, thankyouverymuch.

(Sometimes a run-on sentence is the only way to get your point across, ya know?)

Stay tuned to see how this ~~madness~~ story ends.

Why I Was Never a Camp Kid

2010-04-28T01:21:00.002-04:00

Every camp kid and stoner from here to Timbuktu can do it, but…I…failed…?

I did everything the directions told me to. Swears.

And yet.

If you’re looking at this and thinking, “Why, that looks like a white tank that got tangled up in a load of red wash-things”, then you are seeing things correctly, my friend.

Failed.

ME: I’m sorry your shirt didn’t turn out. We’ll buy more dye and try again. You can at least wear this tank with your jammies.

AL: Yeah, ‘cause I’m definitely not wearing it out in public like that.

ME THINKING: Right. Because last I checked tie dye is the epitome of publicly acceptable high fashion.

Cupcakes and Cardinals

2010-04-24T01:27:00.002-04:00

I found this crib skirt new in the package at The Thrift, and became all giddy because I remembered this post on Wardrobe Refashion. I was in need of a baby gift, so hello cute skirt and matching cupcake onesie. (And flower headband, too.)

Bed Skirt

Bed Skirt Skirt

And then, because the mom-to-be is a crazed University of Louisville Cardinal fan, and because I like to torture myself by pretending minky fabric is my friend, I made a tag blankie, too.

The minky, it hates me.

Happy Day, Earth

2010-04-23T02:01:00.002-04:00

For Earth Day today, the students at Al’s school provided some recycled art for a local presentation.

We learned that trash can be made into beautiful things,

but striving to be trashless is best.

May you consider the health and beauty of the earth in all that you do.

Happy Earth Day!

Sleepover Bag, Times Deuce

2010-04-10T23:15:00.001-04:00

I was recently commissioned by one of my readers to sew two of my sleepover bags; one for her daughter who was going on her first sleepover, and one for the sleepover hostess.

I just can’t get enough of the this purple princess fabric, as you’ve no doubt noticed.

I think these turned out too cute, and I hope they were a comfort at the sleepover party!

Still on the Bunny Trail

2010-04-07T02:28:00.002-04:00

I saw exactly 57 cute Easter crafts & projects online that I wanted to attempt this year.

I made exactly zero of them.

However, Al and I did manage to complete one Easter craft – one that took us over a week to complete. Honestly, if it wasn’t for hubby, I’d probably still have raw eggs in the fridge waiting to be colored. And the Easter Bunny might have hidden an empty plastic egg or two. Or ten.

Hey, I’ve never claimed time management as a strong suit.

But anyway, this isn’t a post about my shortcomings.

Ahem.

This is a post about this Easter egg Al embroidered at school:

Too cute to toss in the box of schoolwork, right? We discussed how we could preserve her work, and ultimately decided to cut:

Sew:

Stuff:

And turn her work into a pillow:

It DID get complete by Easter eve, and that’s saying a little something, even for this eternal procrastinator.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T23:59:00.005-04:00

Making.

Bribing.

Exploring.

Noshing.

Resting.

I hope your day was filled with many wonderful moments.

Spring, Through a Child’s Eyes

2010-04-03T14:29:00.004-04:00

All photos, minus the cartwheel, taken by Al.

Handmade Birthday Love

2010-04-02T02:08:00.001-04:00

Seriously, I looked at this card for an entire day before I realized Al aged me an additional two years. Look kid, when you hit my age, we count backwards, not forward, ya dig?

The only thing I ever ask for for my birthday is a chocolate cake. Usually made at home, from a box, with hidden eggshell bits because Al goes nuts for cracking eggs – and I’m totally happy with that. However, this year the hubby surprised me with this chocolaty deliciousness full of organic, natural, and local goodness from the baking gurus at Cake Flour bakery. And I was in heaven, because a chocolate cake has never tasted so good.

Because every girl deserves a little champagne on her birthday, my friend Kim (who makes all manner of beautiful jewelry and you should totally check out her shop) made me these lovely silver and champagne glass bead earrings.

Do I need to tell you how much I love these? And how hard it is to take a picture of yourself wearing earrings? And how awesome Kim is because she remembered that I was drooling over some champagne beads when we were out ~~cracking ourselves up~~ shopping in vintage shops one day, and she did what any self-respecting crafting diva would do: thought to herself, “Pshaw! I can totally make her some of those!”

And so, I’m officially one week in on this new age, and all I know is this: That number - 35, thirtyfive, thirty-five, thirty.five. – sounds older than I feel.

Thirty-Five is the New Twenty-Seven

2010-03-30T14:54:00.001-04:00

You heard it here first, folks.

Sneaky Leprechauns

2010-03-19T01:36:00.002-04:00

Pranking your kids might just be better than all the leprechaun gold in the world.

Who you callin’ neglectful?

2010-03-17T01:21:00.005-04:00

Wow. Did March just sneak up on us and swiftly start flying by, or what? Al and I both caught a nasty stomach bug mid-February, and I feel like I’ve been reeling to play catch-up since.

Let’s take a look through my photo album and see what we’ve been up to, shall we?

We survived our (hopefully) last snowfall of the season.

Al got three new fish.

Two of them have already died.

I set up shop with my dear friend Kim for my first craft show of the season.

Al decided on her own to hold an “Art for Haiti” fundraiser. Bless our neighbors for spending a total of $13.25 on kids drawings and cups of Kool-Aid. I’m really sorry I didn’t get better pictures, because it was all kinds of awesome. We have donated the money to Doctors Without Borders.

And in the middle of all of that, I’ve been swamped with tests and paper writing and voting for Crystal Bowersox on American Idol.

So now you know.

Happy two days after Valentine’s Day!

2010-02-17T02:30:00.003-05:00

I must confess, I love Valentine’s Day. Handwritten love notes, whispered sweet nothings, boxes of chocolate – what’s not to love?

This year I participated in a handmade card secret pal swap. My pal has two sweet little girls, so in addition to her card, I made her girls these:

(The flowers are removable hair clippies.)

Although paper crafting isn’t my forte, I think these are so stinkin’ cute (if not a tad more Easter than Valentines, but whatevs).

Al’s school has a handmade only (and no characters or candy) Valentine rule (that I happen to love and support very very much), so she turned out these for her classmates all on her own:

And then, because I am one lucky mama, my Valentine’s Day started out with these lovelies:

And ended with this lovely:

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day, too!

Another Body to Clothe

2010-02-10T16:38:00.002-05:00

This is Amber. Amber came to live with our family on Christmas, and she is Al’s Twinn. Same crazy hair and all. She is not a baby. She is a big girl – a twin sister, don’tcha know. Calling her a baby is a travesty. You know what else is a travesty? How expensive her clothes are. Seriously. And we all know that Amber’s only real allure is the matching outfits. So what’s a mama to do?

Amber came gifted with some cute stuff, but not one set of pajama’s. Good thing I’ve become something of a pro at refashioning pajama pants. Good thing, too, that I had this pair of doggie pj’s bottoms that Al loved and that I was willing to sacrifice to the cause. Also good that I found Amber a matching long sleeve tee at Target for $3. Because guys? Making a shirt is scary stuff.

Has anyone seen a rock?

2010-02-01T02:13:00.002-05:00

It looks like this, goes by the name of Rocky, and is much loved?

I’m tempted to suspect this creepy gal,

but these hooligans look like a couple of trouble makers to me.

Either way, I hope the rock snatcher comes forward. If not, I honestly don’t know how I’m going to persuade Al not to hang the lost rock posters throughout the neighborhood.

Come and Knock on My Door

2010-01-29T23:31:00.003-05:00

And take a peek at my hideout:

It’s my sewing and craft room. Er, closet. It’s a 6’ x 6’ pantry off of my dining room, to be exact.

It’s jam-packed, as you can see, but the 9-foot ceilings give it a slightly spacious feel.

It’s nothing fancy. No designer storage units, no beautiful baskets to hide all the clutter, no Tiffany-inspired blue walls to help elicit creativity. (Not that I don’t dream of all of those things, mind you.)

But I love this space.

Al and I can both fit in here comfortably, either working together, or with each of us doing our own thing.

Folks ask me how I get so much done, and this room is really the key to my productivity. I’m way too lazy to drag my sewing machine out each time I want to use it. Having it set up, ready and waiting for me is paramount. This room gets used everyday for something. And if I can’t clean up the mess right away, no biggie. I just shut the door and pretend it doesn’t exist. Which is pretty often.

And just because I know you’re all wondering, this is also home to the much-prized Jason Castro personally autographed photo:

“…we’ve a lovable space that needs your face…”

Husbands Don’t Always Get It,

2010-01-28T01:16:00.002-05:00

but mama’s definitely do!

Thanks, Mom, for indulging the brat in me!

We’ve had lots of fun looking for new projects, and Al has made a list that will keep us busy for the next five years. Don’t be surprised if you get something that halfway resembles a stuffed dog for your birthday.

We love you!

O’Baby!

2010-01-22T01:57:00.002-05:00

My bestie is expecting baby #2, and I took much delight in sewing some super cute baby items in this super cute polka-dot fabric. Really, who doesn’t love a good polka?

I love these burp cloths. So cute.

The other folded square of polka fabric is a nursing cover. I forgot to get a good pic of it, but just imagine a square of fabric with a neck strap. Convenient for a nursing mama, but not so exciting to photograph.

What I also forgot to get a good pic of is that fabulous quilt you see hanging out over the side there. I’m kinda kicking myself for not getting a better shot of it because it’s a beautiful handmade quilt sewn by Trina, who has mad quilting talents.

Stuff She Makes

2010-01-17T22:41:00.002-05:00

My Toes Too Cold to Step

2010-01-14T17:54:00.003-05:00

The temps are rising, but it’s still cold. Dang cold. So I decided to add a new winter hat to my already busting-at-the-seams-thanks-to-a-several-year-living-stint-in-Chicago hat collection. Because I have time to waste, that’s why.

Andreae is just too cute for words and I used her tutorial to turn this $1 thrifted and felted wool sweater:

into this warm and toasty hat:

My hat turned out more boxy than Andreae’s, but I blame that on my pea-head.

I look really happy in my new hat, don’t I? Actually, I was cracking up at Al, who was taking pictures of my modeling attempts. This is the only pic that actually included the whole hat. I told her to get close, and apparently that means nostril shots in six-year-old speak.

What’s better than a snow day?

2010-01-08T16:32:00.002-05:00

Nothing!

Sleepover Bag: And So, I Am A Genius

2010-01-05T11:24:00.004-05:00

AL is at the age where having a sleepover is The!Most!Funnest!Thing!InThe!World!

And so it was that while we were brainstorming birthday gift ideas for one of her best pals, I proposed a sleepover bag with all of the sleeping-over necessities. Al told me it was the most genius idea I’d ever come up with and that I was the best mommy in the whole world. Actually, she yelled a very enthusiastic “Yeah!”, but you know, mama’s are good at interpreting such things.

I made a bag that is large, holds a fleece blanket, matching pillow, and the #1 most important sleepover essential ever (apparently, according to Al) – a sleep mask.

(The blanket is made from 1-yard of fleece that I hemmed with a decorative stitch.)

There’s plenty of room inside for a pair of pajama’s, and a fresh outfit. Also, pockets for a toothbrush and whatever other trinkets a child deems so important that they must be carried along for the overnight trip.

The bag is ready to hold the matching pillow in this same fabric that was lovingly made by the girls’ teacher last year. (Hi Ms. Katie!)

And the birthday girl’s favorite part?

The mask!

My First Completed Project of 2010…

2010-01-04T15:10:00.002-05:00

…only took me 2 years to complete!

Happy late/early birthday, Lauren!

(Maybe you can talk your hubs into ironing it for ya!)

Christmas: A Wee Recap

2009-12-31T02:52:00.004-05:00

I can’t believe Christmas has come and gone already. We had a busy season, and I loved every minute of it. I reveled in Al’s wonder and awe and the apparent magic that a child brings to the holiday.

To recap:

We sang and danced to every Christmas song that came on the radio. Al loved Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree best, with Silent Night vying for a close 2nd place on her top seasonal tunes list.

We enjoyed many gatherings with loved ones, including our first ever cookie party. We baked yummy chocolate and peppermint treats to share, and Al had a little too much fun smashing up the peppermint!

We received some wonderful gifts, and we packed seven shoeboxes full to the brim with goodies to send to needy children to pay-forward all that we are blessed with.

In keeping with our tradition, we made handmade ornaments to give as gifts. These looked cute enough to eat!

On Christmas Eve, the Elves left iCarly pajama’s at our front door to let us know that Santa was on his way.

So we sprinkled oats on the front lawn for the reindeer,

and left plenty of treats for Santa and carrots for him to share.

We were delighted to see that Santa did indeed stop at our house. At Al's request, he wrote a note,

and placed special gifts under the tree!

Dear Santa,

2009-12-11T01:03:00.002-05:00

Is there anything as endearing as an illegible letter to Santa written by the hand of a child?

Dear Santa,
Be safe on your trip. Say hi to Rudolph for me. Please give me Easy Bake. I hope you have a nice trip.
Love, A.

Ask me how great today was. Go on, ask!

2009-12-09T22:21:00.002-05:00

Yes, that’s me with Jason Castro, and my face pretty much tells what a great-giddy-squeeeeee-fangirly-awesome day today was. (Squeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Even greater was a serendipitous meeting with a fellow Jason fan who selflessly gave me her pass to join the meet & greet that followed the show. A sincere gift from a stranger met with heartfelt gratitude, indeed.

It’s easy for me to gush about Jason Castro because I’ve been ~~obsessed with~~ a fan of his since he first showed up on the American Idol stage strumming his guitar with a cool aloofness and fantastic music sense that I find entirely irresistible. However, I think you should check him out for yourself and download his new single. I promise you’ll be humming it for the rest of the day and falling in love with him yourself.

Did you hear that heavy sigh of relief?

2009-12-08T01:38:00.003-05:00

I am now one more college semester closer to my goal.

I have finished my last craft show of the season.

My tree is up and decorated.

Now I can settle into enjoying the holiday.

Breathe.

Thankful…

2009-11-27T12:41:00.003-05:00

that even though Al’s pilgrim hats turned out pathetically less picturesque than the magazine recipe, they still tasted scrumptiously delicious!

Save the Flooding for Spring

2009-11-20T16:17:00.008-05:00

My child has sprouted like a weed since last winter, and desperately needed some new pj’s that weren’t drafty on her ankles. Capris don’t make the cut on cold mornings, apparently.

She has new pajama’s coming for Christmas, but I need to bide my time until then. A quick look through my collected thrift finds, and I found these pajama bottoms that I thrifted this summer for .75. The print was super cute, the cotton fabric perfectly soft, but the fit a bit too big. A prime candidate for a refashion, yes?

This is a simple sewing project for a beginner sewer. Using a pair of pants that fit well as a pattern, I folded both pair at the crotch, and cut around the fitting pair. Sew up the outer leg seams, hem the bottom, and create an elastic casing at the top for a fitting piece of elastic and you’re done!

Done in less time than it would take to drive to Target and shop for a new pair! Plus, have you seen the price for pajama’s lately? Crazy.

** Speaking of crazy, these were the best shots I could capture of my overly rambunctious child last night. *sigh*

Bookmarks, Button Bugs, and Snowmen, Oh My!

2009-11-18T00:50:00.004-05:00

You know how when you’re in the middle of making stuff, and the kids always come in and want to help, and you’re knee deep in fabric and needles and glue guns and ribbon and really really sharp cutting devices and the best help they can give you is to go off on a mission of finding something – anything! – else to keep busy so long as you can keep on keepin’ on with what you’re doing? And then you feel guilty for turning them away and admitting all of this out loud because, well, because guilt is just a natural attribute of motherhood?

Yeah. So.

To make up for all of that, this past weekend my friend Kim had an open house craft show in her home, and instead of turning the kids away, we let them take center stage. Five girls with five very unique personalities and crafts all very excited to sell and show off their very own handmade wares to friends and family.

The day was such a fun success for all the girls, that I hope we continue to carry on the tradition of setting up a kids craft show every year. After all, now that the girls have been bitten by the handmade-I-can-make-that-entrepreneurial-button-bug, there will be no stopping them!

Hand Make at Your Own Risk

2009-11-12T22:25:00.002-05:00

I am currently cameraless. And that’s a decidedly unfun place to be in blogosphere. So, I decided to take a look around the ol’ photo vault to see if I could find anything fun to post.

Remember that sweet little Polly Pocket roll I made for a little friend’s birthday? Well, here is the dear child posing with it,

and pretty much telling me that it’s a piece o’ crap.

For future gift-giving, I’m putting Angry Chicken’s gift labels on my wish list.

Dia de los Muertos

2009-11-02T21:36:00.004-05:00

May those you have lost always be honored

and their lives always celebrated!

Cutest Witch

2009-11-01T12:08:00.003-05:00

As the events and activities kept piling up for October - and the time kept flying faster away - I was grateful that Al wanted to dress up as the sweet and simple Little Witch from her favorite Halloween story. So,

1 thrifted dress @ $3 + 1 thrifted skirt @ $1.50

+ a few accessories

= the cutest Little Witch ever!

Granola, Schmanola

2009-10-16T00:53:00.005-04:00

When my husband asked Al what was her favorite part of our recent girls’ getaway weekend,

I thought for certain she'd say jumping on the hotel bed,

or making fuzzy new friends.

However, it was the more simple pleasure of eating Froot Loops at the breakfast buffet that ranked #1 on her list. Seems someone doesn’t quite appreciate the healthier fare that mom slops out each morning.

Peek-A-BOO!

2009-10-02T12:49:00.002-04:00

My mom has told me, in no uncertain terms, that she is tired of clicking on my blog every day and not finding anything new. (Hi, Mom!) So this is just a quick little peek at some of the Halloween goodies we’ve been working on for a craft booth at A’s upcoming fall festival:

Whoo says Halloween isn’t fun?

Hello, Polly!

2009-09-26T23:18:00.004-04:00

Another birthday gift for a sweet young lady, but this one has a surprise twist:

My partner in crime came up with the concept of making this hybrid Polly Pocket roll a’ la crayon roll. It has four slots for small dolls and a velcroed pocket for storing all of those teeny tiny accessories toy companies evilly insist on making even though they know good and well they’re just going to end up sucked into the vacuum cleaner. (And also, when did Polly’s clothes turn to rubber?)

Another Score for the Unmaterialistic

2009-09-14T00:51:00.006-04:00

Al’s bestie was having a birthday this week, and in lieu of a traditional gift I had her choose a special outing to share with the birthday girl. I gave her a list of options, and she ultimately thought that a movie “at the theater!” with a shared bucket of popcorn sounded like the ideal way to celebrate with her friend.

Since it’s no fun to show up at a party empty-handed, we made the following movie ticket and popcorn bucket cards as proof of our intent:

I see the wheels spinning in the scrappers heads of how they could make this prettier!shinier!better!, but our supplies were nothing fancier than construction paper, cotton balls, and a glue stick - because I’m old school like that. (Though I will admit I’m not so sure what’s up with the handlebar mustache design hubby drew on the ticket.)

I was a tad worried at how the gift would be received, but the idea was a hit. The girls have been excitedly discussing the movie they want to see, and wasted no time picking the day we’ll go. (Hint: it’s a 3D movie with food, and, uh, I’m kinda excited to see it, too.)

Summer, Baby, Don’t Go!

2009-08-31T00:47:00.002-04:00

How is it that summer has a way of fooling you into believing you have more time than you actually do?

Although we are full into the groove of our new (fall) school schedules, I am attempting to squeeze the remaining warmth and sunshine out of these final summer days.

One of the projects on my summer sewing to-do list was to construct a picnic blanket that could be used with unfavorable ground conditions. You know, one that wouldn’t get your bum wet if you used it on soggy grass after a rain.

My requirements for this project: use materials I already owned, and to finish it in one evening. I succeeded by using a less than exciting basket weave-looking vinyl table cloth, and an old curtain I’ve been holding in a storage tote since the 90’s. Also, I forwent a proper blanket binding and totally just made something up as I went along. (Because who am I kidding? Blanket binding is intimidating and would have required at least an entire day of watching YouTube how-tos and blog reading.)

Since the curtain was adequately sized, I used three of its existing hemmed edges and cut the vinyl an inch shorter all around. Then, I hemmed the one side of the curtain I had cut to size, folded the edges around the vinyl and sewed. Voila! A very simple and functional sure-to-keep-you-dry vinyl-backed picnic blanket!

Perfect? Nope.

Free, functional, and ideal for cloud gazing? Absolutely.

The best part about this gift?

2009-08-17T03:39:00.003-04:00

I finished it two weeks early! Nothing like the foreshadowing of the upcoming semester to kick my usually procrastinatin’ crafty butt into gear.

Keeping to my goal of handcrafting all of my gifts this year, I made this sweet little crayon roll and matching tote bag for one of Al’s classmates.

Al just loves it to pieces, and made me promise that the very next one I make will be for her. Yes ma’am, I’ll get right on that!

I used Skip To My Lou’s crayon roll tutorial and tote bag tutorial to make this set. These whipped up so easily, fellow mama’s be warned: If you invite us to your birthday party this year, this is the gift you’ll be receiving!

Fit for a Monkey

2009-08-16T02:13:00.003-04:00

We have a generous friend who passes down bags of girls clothing each season. Her recent offerings included this delightful pair of Lilly Pulitzer capris:

Though the style wasn’t quite Al’s vibe, the mischievous monkey print was just too irresistible .

It felt sinfully good to cut into them, and the result is a much more suitable skirt. The wide hem at the bottom turned out wonkier than I envisioned,

but I figure the girl never stays still long enough for anyone to notice anyway!

The Craft Bug Bites

2009-07-18T01:43:00.005-04:00

Our grandmotherly neighbor taught Al how to crochet with her fingers. She took to it, and the result has been an almost OCD need to be constantly making.

And that has resulted in a home full of more crochet jewelry than I know what to do with. Unfortunately, I don’t know squat about crochet, so I don’t know what else she can do with this newfound love. Can anyone tell me?

On her own she has covered all the bases, and no one is exempt from these beautiful jewelry offerings. This toe ring was made for hubby. (You should thank me for having her toes model it instead of his.)

I think I’ll let her sell some of them at my next craft show. Who knows, maybe the entrepreneur bug will bite next.

To sew,

2009-07-16T23:13:00.004-04:00

or to be outside running through the sprinkler, that is the question. The days are too beautiful to be inside, and we’ve even taken to sitting at our fire pit in the evenings devouring roasted marshmallows while Al runs through the yard in a frenzied attempt to catch lightning bugs. Does it get any better than that?

Today, however, the call of my machine was too strong, and I sat down and made a sweet little baby gift that I should have made weeks (months?) ago.

I love the sweet little piggy print on this flannel that Al picked out. It’s fun when she gets excited over picking out fabric, too.

These darling snuggly blankets whip up so easily, I don’t think I’ll ever purchase another shower gift again.

Lovin’ Summer

2009-07-13T00:20:00.002-04:00

No time to sew when you’re busy enjoying this

and this

and this.

Just to Prove Myself Wrong

2009-06-17T00:58:00.003-04:00

I took this $.50 yard sale find,

and made myself a skirt.

For all of my cynicism of refashioning for myself, I actually kind of like it. Not sure how much wear it’ll get, seeing as I have exactly zero shirts in my closet that goes with it.

When people know you sew,

2009-06-15T01:09:00.004-04:00

they give you stuff.

I was offered some outdoor fabric scraps which I joyfully accepted.

I knew a perfect little bench that needed some livening up.

I have enough fabric leftover to make a bench cushion, but that project has been added to my ever-growing to-do list. For now, these little pillows help provide the perfect thoughtful spot.

Little Napkins for Little Changes

2009-06-11T12:09:00.004-04:00

Switching to cloth napkins at mealtime will stop my family from tossing over a thousand paper towels in the trash this year. (Best case scenario guestimation, of course – we do sometimes forget, and we do occasionally eat at other places besides home.)

To make the switch, I purchased an inexpensive 4-pack of kitchen towels for $5. From this, I was able to make one art apron for Al, a set of “towels” for her play kitchen, and 12 reusable napkins for our family.

I love these napkins, though they do range on the smallish side at 9” x 12”. The size is perfect for me and Al, albeit a little too dainty for hubby. He clumsily suffers through it for the good of it all (namely, to cease my nagging), but on my summer sewing to-do list is to purchase another set and cut only in half for larger napkins better suited for man hands.

Hidden Treasures

2009-06-09T15:52:00.003-04:00

If you saw this at a yard sale, would you be compelled to open it?

I’m elated I didn’t overlook it. What joy!

These pictures don’t do it justice. Once I cleaned it out, the pockets held numerous packages of vintage rick-rack, bias trim, elastic, buttons, and even some trolley-fare coins from days long gone.

It is now cleaned out, organized and filled to the brim with my small stash of sewing notions. The gentleman I bought it from told me his father made it for his mother. He didn’t know how old it was, but that he himself has held onto it for sixty years. I’m debating with myself if I should recover it with a fabric that’s a wee bit more my style.

Dolly Gets Refashioned

2009-06-05T20:15:00.015-04:00

A cold and rainy day yesterday kept me inside with my sewing machine. Inspired by Care’s baby clothes to doll clothes tutorial this week, I decided to give it a try myself.

A pair of Al's too short sleep pants became sleep shorts, and the legs became a tank top and baby britches for dolly:

Here, I used the top of this refashion with a $.50 remnant bin piece to make a new dolly dress:

I’d love to say that I just whipped up these pieces in no time, but alas, it took me all day. To be fair, though, this was my first pair of pants ever, and I had to read a billion tutorials to get the confidence up to try it. This was a great tutorial on turning sleeves into pants for toddlers.

I would never be brave enough to attempt any sewing projects if it wasn't for the awesome bloggers out there who are willing to share their tips and tricks, so here's my shout-out to all of them for the awesome things they do!

And the winner is...

2009-06-01T16:07:00.001-04:00

Wow! What a great response from the Sew, Mama, Sew! giveaway! The day the giveaway started, I left town and was very happy to have lots of awesome feedback to read when I got home today. Thanks to everyone who took time to stop by and offer a new blogging tip (and more). I couldn’t make a choice on tips alone (SO many great ones!), so I used the Random Number Generator to come up with my winner.

So, without further ado, a big Congratulations to Ali from Thrifty Mom!

Thanks again to everyone who participated!

It's A Party, Ya'll!

2009-05-27T01:16:00.008-04:00

Welcome to the Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Day!

My blog is so fresh, this is a giveaway/welcome/housewarming party all rolled into one!

The giveaway works like this: post a comment below with your best newbie-blogging tip between now and midnight EST on May 31 and I’ll pick a winner. If you don’t have a newbie-blogging tip, then any old tip will do. Also, I cannot ship internationally, so US entrants only. (And I seem to think you'll need to leave your email address so I can notify you if you're not on Blogger because it's weird like that.) I'll post the winner on June 1, and mail to the winner on June 3.

The handmade goods I’m giving away are a pink tea towel apron with a cupcake appliqué, and a set of pink birthday cupcake hair clippies. The apron and clippies look really cute together but it didn’t dawn on me to photograph them like so until, oh, just now. So use your imagination and trust me on that.

But that’s not all! Nope! Because it’s my housewarming party too, I will custom embroider a name up to six letters – or initials, or any word, really - to the bib of the apron! And it’ll be cute, I promise - but again, you’re just gonna have to trust me on that.

Good luck and have fun with all the great giveaways today!

How It All Got Started

2009-05-25T23:23:00.009-04:00

I stumbled upon my first sewing blog while searching for Montessori resources late one night. Meg’s creations blogged on the former Montessori by Hand, now Sew Liberated, was the epitome of inspiration. Her classroom was beautiful, and her students lucky to be surrounded by such artistry. However, it was The Apron that made my heart flutter.

All that has ensued following that fated night has been nothing short of a love affair. Explorations with my first sewing machine, fabrics in colors and prints so beautiful they make me gasp, a hobby that has helped me pass cold days and sleepless nights, sewing blogs and tutorials too numerous to name – indeed, it's love.

When Sewers Have Yard Sales

2009-05-23T02:30:00.004-04:00

$20 gets you all this!