2 little hooligans

Happy Valentines Day!

2012-02-14T09:03:00.006-05:00

May your day be filled with lots of fun, happiness...
and unexpected gestures of love. And may your night be filled with a quiet romantic dinner away with the hubby...instead of my night, which will be spent peeling sticky hearts off from all those unexpected places!

But really, I wouldn't want it any other way! Although take-out from a certain Italian restaurant with a little chocolate mousse would be nice.

Anthropologie Inspired Toddler Bed Comforter Tutorial

2012-02-08T13:33:00.000-05:00

In case you missed my tutorial over at Me Sew Crazy as part of Jessica's New Years ReSEWlution series, here is my Anthropologie inspired toddler bed comforter.

As most of you know my husband and I just recently finished renovating 5 rooms in our old farmhouse. So now we have a lot of empty, undecorated rooms that echo like crazy. Yes, I have a HUGE to do list right now. First on my list was to make matching bedding for my three little ones that still share a bedroom. I wanted to make each of their bedding a little different and personal, but still use the same fabrics. So after seeing this duvet from Anthropologie I knew that at least one or both of the girls bedding would be similar in design but with a few added touches. My middle child right now just turned 3 and loves to button and unbutton things. She will spend hours buttoning and unbuttoning anything in sight. So it made perfect sense to make her bedding with some fun little flowers that she can play with. Maybe I'm just hoping that these buttons will keep her busy a few extra minutes at naptime so that I can spend a few extra minutes sewing. But whatever the motive, I am loving these sweet little interactive flowers.

So let's get started.

Anthropologie Inspired Toddler Bed Comforter Tutorial
(allow 4+ hours to complete)

Materials Needed:

*1 twin flat sheet

*One 46" x 60" piece of batting or terry cloth (purchase about 2 yards)

*One 46" x 60" piece of minky fabric or any backing fabric of choice (purchase about 2 yards)*Cut 12 pieces of fabric that are 12" x 4". (These strips will be attached to the flowers and are needed if you want the flowers to have the ability to be buttoned and unbuttoned.)

*Assorted small scraps for flowers (about 1/2-1 yard of fabric total)

*6 buttons

Start by printing the template above. Go here to print template. Take two small scrap pieces of fabric and place right sides facing. Trace around template onto wrong side of fabric.
Sew right on top of marks. Trim excess fabric. Cut a little slit in the middle of the top layer. Make sure you cut just the top layer. Use this hole to pull fabric right side out. Don't worry you will not see the hole once the flower is finished.
Pull fabric right side out and iron flat. Make sure you push out all of the edges neatly. Repeat with another piece of matching scrap of fabric. (You are going to end up making 12 of these single flowers to make 6 double flowers.)
Take 2 small scraps of fabric and place right sides together. Trace the larger or smaller circle onto the wrong side of fabric. (I made two sizes of circles just in case, but ended up just using the larger circle.) Sew around marks, trim excess fabric. Cut a small slit in top layer and pull fabric right side out through opening.
Take 2 of the 12" x 4" strips and sew the two together with right sides facing. Leave one end open to pull right side out. Iron flat and top stitch on sides. You should now have this. You may want to zig-zag or top stitch the flowers for a little added detail. If so, do so now.
Start by taking one of the flowers with the slit side up and place the strip on top of flower. The end of the strip should cover up slit in flower.
Take the other flower and place it slit side down on top of strip. Then place the circle on top and pin in place.
Zig-zag or straight stitch around circle. You will want to repeat this 5 more times to give you 6 flowers with strips attached.
Cut button holes into the flowers.
Use more scraps to make your buttons or use whatever you have on hand. Now set flowers and buttons aside and gather sheet, batting and backing fabric.
Lay sheet flat on floor. Place batting on top of sheet. Line up the side of the batting to side top of the sheet, minus the large finished edge. Cut sheet to the same width as the batting. Do not cut the length of the sheet at all.
Now determine how many rows you want. Take that number and divide by 46". That will tell you how far apart to make your rows. I made 5 rows at about 9" apart. Draw the rows in the whole length of the sheet.
Now you need to change the settings on your machine. Set the tension of your machine to the highest setting and the stitch length to the highest setting. This is a little trick I learned from these gals a few months ago and love to use it to ruffle. Of course if you have a ruffle foot you can use that instead.
Start sewing on top of marks. Now I decided to double my rows to cause the fabric to ruffle more. If you want the fabric to ruffle even more, sew a third row.
The top of my comforter all ruffled.
Now take the batting piece of fabric and lay it on top of ruffled top piece of fabric. Draw a line across the length of the ruffled fabric where the batting lines up.
Now before you trim off the excess fabric sew little stitches across the top of the stitches you just made to ruffle the fabric. If you don't do this the threads used to ruffle the fabric will come out over time.
Now trim off excess fabric. Just make sure not to cut off little stitches just sewn in.
Save that fabric to make a little pillow with.
Assemble quilt like so. Batting on bottom, backing fabric right side up and then ruffled sheet right side down on top. Pin together...a lot. At points you will need to fold and ruffle edges by hand. Don't get too picky on the edges, just make sure they line up all around. Now decide where you want your flowers to be. Pin them on the top of the sheet in desired locations. Line up the edge of the strip with the edge of the sheet. Pin flowers on right side up.
Layered like so.
Top stitch all around leaving a 8" opening to turn right side out. Turn right side out and stitch opening closed.
Now fold strip and flower over onto top of comforter. Make a mark in the center of the button hole.
Attach button on mark.
Top stitch the straight strip in place for about 5". This will allow the flower to be buttoned and unbutton but still safe and not allow too much room between the strap and the button to harm little ones. This step should not be skipped if using for a toddlers bed! Remember safety first!
And that is it. A cute little Anthropology inspired toddler bed comforter.

Now use your left over scraps to make some matching pillows.

Or a stuffie or two...or in my case three.

Thanks for having me Jessica and for inviting me to be part of your New Years ReSEWluation Series. At least now I have one project checked off that HUGE to do list!

A Birthday Bow Tie

2012-02-03T22:00:00.006-05:00

I made this cute little bow tie for a friend of mine who's little one just turned 1.

I used this tutorial here from Natures Heirloom. It was so easy to follow and I think it came out great! I'm pretty sure I will be making a few more of these. My son has already requested matching ones for himself and Fire Dog, Piggie and Chippie.
I'm pretty sure I can manage to make some more of these...a lot of these! They are just so dang cute and fast to make. Plus, what little boy wouldn't look absolutely adorable in one of these?! Ok and maybe Fire Dog, Piggie and Chippie will look cute in them too.

The Kid's Playroom

2012-02-01T12:06:00.000-05:00

I cant even begin to tell you how much I love having a playroom. Seeing toys all over the house just drives me crazy. I guess I just need order to stay sane. Yes in the past I was unable to do anything about it, but now every toy has its own place and if need be, I can just slide one of those doors shut...love that!

The room is pretty small. It measures about 7' x 8', but really that is plenty of room to store all of their toys. My first plan was to buy new storage for the area, but once I started putting all of their toys and our old storage bins in there I realized we didn't need any new storage. The hardest part I had when designing the layout for this space was the lack of walls to work with. There is only one wall to store anything on. Two of the other walls have windows on them and the last wall isn't much of a wall due to the doorway. Plus the little wall on the left side of the doorways is off limits to hanging anything since that is where the hubby ran the drain pipes from the upstairs bathroom. That is one wall I will NEVER be sinking a hole into.
The larger storage bin was something I bought about 7 years ago from The Christmas Tree Shop and the little bin was something we got as a wedding gift for our bathroom. It is actually a large hamper, but it didn't fit into the bathroom so I decided to take the top off and use it for storage. The large white cushion was a fun clearance find from Home Goods.
In our old playroom I hung the bags and plastic buckets on hooks to store all of their mega blocks and other small toys. I thought that the corners would be a good place to hang them. They are a little too high for the kids to reach on purpose. This way they have to ask for help and its a great way of keeping things from just being dump out for no reason. Funny how kids love to dump out baskets but hate to fill them back up. To hang the bags and plastic buckets I just bought a few of those heavy duty hangers at Walmart that are actually used to hang bikes on. They are super cheap and can hold a lot of weight.
With such a small space, I wanted to make sure I kept as much stuff off the floor as possible. And by hanging the bags and buckets it gives the kids the extra space they need to play on as well as keeping it all organized.
I ended up using the same shelves we had in our old playroom to store some of their art supplies and little toys that I want out of their reach. Eventually I want to find some old cabinets to line this wall with, but until then these shelves work fine.

The walls are painted Sunflower from Glidden paints. I like the color even though it is super bright. I have walked over to this room many a times to shut off the light just to find out that the light is not on and it is just the walls shining brightly.
I have to say, the kids love this little room but they still prefer playing with their toys under my feet. I guess even a new playroom doesn't change some things.
And lastly how fun is this view...the playroom, living room and kitchen and all its bright colors?!
And just because I love seeing the before and after pictures. Here is what the playroom used to look like. It was a bit smaller then what the playroom is now and it was being used as a closet. It was also where the staircase was heading upstairs. (And sorry to the person in the picture...don't worry you will remain anonymous. But I think some of you can guess who she is.)

embrace the camera {not too fancy tea parties}

2012-01-26T12:45:00.007-05:00

I purchased this cute little tea set a few weeks ago at the thrift store.

At the time I envisioned fun little tea parties with the girls. We would wear pretty little dresses and wear tutu's. Our hair would be all fancied up with bows and ribbons. We would sip on tea and eat little cucumber sandwiches.
Boy was I dreaming! Instead these are our tea parties. Dress is optional.
And you may even be yelled at if you drink the last cup of tea.
Sandwiches have never been seen on those plates nor have ribbons or bows been seen in our hair.
And that is fine with me. That is not what makes these tea parties special. Just being together and seeing them be themselves is what makes it special...fights and all.
And believe me, there are lots of them. And really they wouldn't be any cuter with a tutu on and bows in their hair anyways. I guess I just love them the way they are.
Oh and I know I skipped the past 2 weeks of embrace the camera. Told you I was no good with New Year's resolutions.

Momma's got a sewing room.

2012-01-25T09:26:00.000-05:00

I think this just may be my most favorite room in the house now, but that has not always been the case. This is the room that caused my worst "why did we buy this house" melt-down. When we purchased the house this room was not being used for anything, it was a big, dark, empty room. There was no insulation and the walls were actually the siding from the outside of the house. There was even a little hole in the back wall that was completely open to the barn. The floor was patched together with old barn boards and plywood then they were covered with roofing tar paper. Hmm? It was one of those floors that bounced like crazy when you walked on it and in all honesty I chose to crawl and not walk on it. I still remember the day when my hubby sent me up there to start demoing the floor and to pull up the tar paper. It took about one minute to completely break down. This room scared me! Seriously I thought something was going to crawl out from under that tar paper and attack me or that I was going to literally fall through the floor. A few minutes later with two spot lights and lots of reassurance I was pulling up that tar paper. Within a few months this room was framed, insulated and had sheet rock. At first it was our living room/office/guest room. Then it became our bedroom with the first little one joined our family. So here we are 7 years later and this once scary room is my craft room and...Momma's got a sewing room!
I can't tell you how amazing it is to have all of your materials and tools stored in one place. I can finally sew and create with all of my materials in the same room. Goodbye to running around the house to find all of my items so I can begin sewing at the kitchen counter. Goodbye to stacks of fabric and unfinished projects stashed all over the counters. And goodbye to having to clean up my sewing messes just so we can eat. Yes, I am one lucky girl, that I know!

So welcome to my sewing room! I'm pretty sure that when the kids are sleeping this is where you will find me.

So the two huge armoires hold all of my fabric and crafting supplies. I am so lucky to have these to store my fabric in. They are great! Unfortunately now we have no where to store our clothes...minor details right?

Most of the items that I added to my craft room came from thrifting, yard sales or something that I already had in the house.

Nothing more perfect for a craft room then to hang bunch of pretty fabric up on the walls with hoops. And of course my 2 little hooligans logo needed to be hanging up there as well.

A little peek inside at my fabrics that are finally neatly organized.

I used a combination of comic book boards and Fabric Organizers from here.

All of my knits, satins and whatever cheap fabrics I have snagged up to make clothes is stored on the top shelf.

In the other armoire I placed all of my home decor, upholstery, minky and odd ball fabrics. I also squeezed my batting's, pillow forms and whatever else I could in here. The drawers are filled with zippers, threads, patterns, and every single crafting supply or material I own.

I purchased this little vintage inspired dress form a few weeks ago. I had been searching for a real dress form for months now but they were just too pricey. So I snagged up "Beatrice" for a mere $30 with free shipping (brand new) from Ebay. I think this will be great to bring to craft fairs and is just a fun display piece.

And in all honesty we are the same height. So she may help with draping and some minor fittings, but her waist is going to need a lot padding before she can even get close to the same measurements as mine. She may be skinny, but my bust size is bigger, so boo-yah!

Ok, so here is one of my most favorite thrifting finds...my sewing chair! I saw this little beauty and knew it would be perfect and for $15 I couldn't pass it up. Just look at the shape of it, how cute! I think I might end up painting it white in the end, but for now it is going to stay as is.

My sewing table is actually a fold out table that we already had. The top was in pretty bad shape but with a little sandpaper and a few coats of white paint it is now perfect. I love how big it is and really it was free, so you cant beat that. I also bought a large cutting mat and a new ruler. I had been using a tiny scrap booking mat to cut all of my fabric and let me tell you how difficult it was cutting out large pieces of fabric. So this is amazing to use. I also found a fold-out suitcase holder while thrifting for $2. Now it makes the best little spot to hold unfinished projects so that my table can remain clutter free. It's s holding a sleeping bag that is in the works right now. I'm just hoping that my unfinished pile doesn't get too big.

Then there is this little chair. Yet another thrifting find for $21. The fabric is in amazing shape and needed nothing other then a new home. Its not my typical style but for some reason it was calling my name (maybe because there is orange in it) and I'm so glad I brought it home. What a cute shape and you should see the piping on it...adorable! I have learned over the past 6 months that my style has changed so much. I am now a cheap, thrifting, vintage loving girl...who loves bright colors!

Another dresser for storage which is actually still filled with some of my clothes. In time I'm hoping to fill it with all of my handmade items. I would love to start selling again in the next few months and hopefully I will have enough items to go to a few craft fairs this year.

And here is my newest little baby...and obviously not a thrifting or cheap find, but a NEEDED one.

I've used it a couple of times, but I need to spend A LOT more time learning all of the stitches and how to master threading it. But I know in a few months this is going to be my best friend! Goodbye to zig-zag stitching all of our clothes.

So all I need now is a good light for sewing. The only problem with this room is that there is not a single window in it. So it is really dark and as you can tell from the photos, really hard to photograph. Any ideas on a good light? I see them all the time at JoAnn's but wonder if they are worth the money or if I should buy a cheap lamp at Walmart.

So there you have it, Momma's new sewing room!

I kinda like it.

2012-01-23T18:12:00.000-05:00

So I just kept going with my first paint choices and I'm glad I did...I kinda like it. No, I don't love it, but I really like it. And in all honesty I think it will grow on me. This is a change. A big, bright change. So time will only tell. But one thing I do know for sure is that I am LOVING my kitchen being a kitchen and only a kitchen.

This weekend I even started decorating the walls in the kids rooms.
And even started working on my sons comforter. Can you guess what I'm making?
I even started making a little something for my bunny-button loving girl.
Oh and I almost forgot to mention that I finally finished organizing my sewing room! Oh I am thrilled! Don't worry, lots of house pictures soon to come.

So any fun projects for you this weekend?

Girly-Twirly Dresses

2012-01-20T18:48:00.000-05:00

I had a lot of little girls to make Christmas gifts for, 12 to be exact. So I decided to make them all the same dresses to make it easier for me. I bought The Twirl Skirt Pattern from Lil Blue Boo and copied her A Party Dress Tutorial. Instead of using cotton fabric for the twirl skirt I used ruffle fabric.
As you can see in the picture below, the ruffle fabric goes in all different directions when cutting it into a circle skirt. I think it adds to the girly-twirlyness of them. Yes they are so sweet and I'm pretty sure that I just made up a word there...girly-twirlyness!

I bought most of my tee-shirts from Walmart or Old Navy. I find they have the best selection of plain tees that can be embellished. And they are very reasonable in cost.
Some of the dresses I added flowers to them, while some I left plain.
I even used a few other fabrics that I had on hand to make each one unique and one of their own.
It was fun making so many different dresses with so many different colors.
I just wish one of these girly-twirly dresses would look as cute on me as they do all those little girls that they went to.

Shabby Apple giveaway winner and repainting the kitchen.

2012-01-17T06:02:00.008-05:00

The Shabby Apple giveaway winner is...

Adventures of Shaw who said...
My favorite Shabby Apple Dress is Le Coeur. We are going on our honeymoon to France in April and I want all of them.

Congrats! And how exciting to be going to France for your honeymoon. That dress couldn't be any more perfect for the trip!

So this weekend I decided to repaint our kitchen. I know, I said I was going to take a little break from working on the house once our other rooms were finished, but this room desperately needed a new paint job. And really I just couldn't wait, even though I promised the hubby I would.

Instead of repainting everthing the existing colors I decided to go with something new. Most of the time I can pick out the perfect color in minutes, but I was just having a tough time with all those blues. So I took a couple of fans home to help me decide. Gosh, all of those colors are dangerous for a color loving girl! I thought about going red for a minute or two but decided to go with big country blue for the cabinets and true blue for the walls. It took hours to remove all of the doors, hinges and hardware so late that night I started painting. It wasn't until I finished painting the built-ins (on the left) that I realized the color I had chosen was way to bright for me. Like WAY too bright. Trust me, these pictures make the color look great, but they don't really show the true color. But I had gotten too far to turn back...plus the paint store was closed and I'm an impatient kinda girl when it comes to such things. So I decided to go with it and make it work somehow. Last night I finished painting all of the cabinets. I wish I could say that I love it and that all of the time spent painting was worth it, but I can't...not yet. Hopefully after I paint the walls and trim today I will like the color and it tones down the brightness on the cabinets a little.

Oh geez, sometimes my love for color can really get me into trouble! And in case your wondering, the hubby loves the color.

Have you entered?

2012-01-15T15:35:00.002-05:00

Just a quick reminder that the Shabby Apple giveaway ends tomorrow. I know some of you were having a hard time entering due to issues with Blogger. I think I fixed the problem for the time being, so thanks for being so patient.

Gosh I want that dress!

Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway!

2012-01-11T20:10:00.015-05:00

Oh boy do I have an amazing giveaway for all of you today from Shabby Apple!

For those of that don't know shabbyapple.com carries the most beautiful women's dresses, little girls dresses, and even maternity dresses. Here are just a few of my favorite dresses that they carry.

Shabby Apple not only carries clothing but they also carry the most amazing accessories to go along with any outfit. They carry everything from shoes to scarves and from bracelets to belts to bags. There really is something for everyone at Shabby Apple! Just go and take a little peek for yourself. But I'm warning you ahead of time, you can spend hours just browsing their collections.

Spring Bloom Necklace

So are you all wondering which dress one lucky winner will be receiving? Well it's the Spanish Steps dress! My favorite.

I know right?! It's beautiful! I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this dress! It's dressy, yet casual. Simple and comfy on the top yet intricate and girlie on the bottom. Its one of those dresses that will look completely amazing on any body type and it could be yours!

So here are the details on how to enter to win the Spanish Steps dress. And lucky you, you have two chances to win! But first I must mention that those of you that enter must have a US shipping address and that there will be no exchanges for the winning dress. And like always make sure you leave a seperate comment for each chance to win.

First Chance: Head on over to shabbyapple.com and choose your favorite dress then come back here and tell me which is your favorite
Second Chance: "like" Shabby Apple on facebook and then leave me a comment saying you did so.

**Shabby Apple is also offering my readers a 10% off discount for the next 30 days! Just use the coupon code: twolittlehooligans10off **

Special thanks to Shabby Apple for letting me host this amazing giveaway and hurry on over there because the giveaway will end Monday January 16th, 2012.

Great ways to use up leftover wrapping paper.

2012-01-11T16:45:00.006-05:00

Sometimes I do something and wonder why hadn't I ever thought of that before...this was one of those moments. We finally took down our tree today (right before my 2nd craft failure). Of course like usual I didn't have a great way to pack up our breakable ornaments. Every year I say I am going to buy some ornament storage boxes, yet never do. So this year I got the bright idea to use up my leftover wrapping paper by wrapping up our breakable ornaments with it.

I never knew how much fun you could have with a roll of wrapping paper.
It was definitely worth the few bucks that were wasted.

Not only is it fun to hide in, but you can also use the backside to color on. Just tape a huge section of it onto your table and let the kids color. Yes, hours of entertainment for just a few bucks, gotta love that!
And don't forget to save the roll on the inside to wrap your lights around.
Who knew one roll of wrapping paper could be so entertaining.
And that wrapping up our tree would be just as fun as putting it up. Yes, there were a few melt downs over the pig and chicken being packed away, but it will make playing with them next year just that much more special.

Do you have any other great uses for leftover wrapping paper?

2 craft failures in 2 days.

2012-01-11T15:26:00.005-05:00

People ask me a lot if I ever have a craft fail...well of course I do, everyone does. I just had 2 craft failures in 2 days. Luckily some of the time I am able to turn it around and make it into something else. For example this Anthropologie inspired comforter I just made was a craft failure at first, but I was able to turn it into a craft success. But sometimes my projects are just beyond being saved and they end up in the trash like this homemade fruit leather that took me over three hours to make.

It sure was pretty to mix and it smelled amazing, but I wouldn't try that recipe again. My second craft failure came today when I started to pull all the staples out of this chair that I was reupholstering.
I'll admit I was getting pretty discouraged fast with this chair. The chair wasn't even bare and I had pulled 10 pieces of fabric off it, yet I was still determined and kept going. But once I found out that the cushion on the back was glued onto another piece of fabric which was filled with fluffy batting I decided to give it up and call it a craft failure.
I'm pretty sure that if I were willing to put in many many hours on this chair I could eventually reupholster it, but I'm just not willing to do so. So I'm ok with failing sometimes.
And luckily I'm only out $9.99 for both chairs because they were 1/2 off the day I bought them.
But I learned a lot from this little project. First of all when I'm completely in love with the design of the chair to begin with, don't buy it. There will be more matching chairs out there that need to be reupholstered. And secondly, spend more time looking at the design of the chairs and not just the price tag... $9.99 really spoke to me.

So those of you out there that are too scared to try something due to failure just remember we all have failures. But don't let that stop you. It's always better to try and fail, then to have never have tried in the first place!

Upcycling a boys shirt into baby doll clothes.

2012-01-09T16:29:00.013-05:00

My little girls love playing dress up with their dolls. So a few months ago I made them a bunch of clothes for their dolls using their old baby clothes and a few of my sons. I had these two plaid shirts that I just loved and couldn't part with. So I turned one 2T long sleeve button down shirt into one pair of pants and one pillowcase dress.

They were so simple and easy to make. Just take your shirt and cut off the sleeves right at the seams. Then cut the sleeves to the desired length by measuring them up to your doll. Remember to allow a few extra inches at the cut part to allow the edges to be rolled over for the elastic to be added. Cut your little half circles on the inside parts of the shirt like I did below. This way you will end up with the buttons on the outside of the pants.

Now turn one sleeve inside out and keep the other one right side out.

Place them inside one another with the half circles lined up. Pin in place. Sew only the half circles.

Pull the legs. Now turn the pants wrong side out.

Fold over the top edge twice and iron flat. Sew all around edge while leaving a 1" opening. Feed elastic through opening.

Sew opening shut and turn your pants right side out.

Now to make the pillowcase dress all I did was trim off the collar and made sure the fabric was straight across the top and back. Then cut the arms out by using the seams where the arms used to be sewn on and where you just cut the sleeves off.

Fold the top and the back of the dress over twice and sew like a regular pillow case dress.

Just another quick and easy upcycling project. And what a great way to use up those outgrown hard to part with clothes.

New Years ReSEWlutions with Me Sew Crazy

2012-01-07T08:11:00.000-05:00

I'm over at Me Sew Crazy today as part of her New Years ReSEWlutions series.

I'm sharing my tutorial for this Anthropologie inspired toddler bed comforter that I made for my little girl. It was a great way to kick off the New Year and to finally start checking off those projects on my list.

Christmas, New Years and Chineese Chopsticks

2012-01-06T07:54:00.000-05:00

I'm going to miss the Holiday season and all the excitement that comes along with it. Looking for Reindeer in the garden is much more fun at Christmas time while being dressed in Santa suits.

And I'm going to miss watching the kids act out scenes from The Grinch. But really, if I have to play Max one more time I just may burst. Why can't I ever be the Grinch?!
The tree after Santa came.
Santa couldn't find his tractor that digs on two sides, but instead brought a chainsaw and weed whacker. We wondered what would happen Christmas morning but were not expecting what we got when we walked downstairs. Immediately he screamed "Oh, just what I always wanted a weed whacker and chainsaw! Santa couldn't find my tractor so he brought these instead!" Yes, that was the best way to have Santa introduced in this house. Santa brought the girls a doll highchair that was purchased this summer for a mere $3. All it needed was a little love and lots of spray paint. Their best finds in their stockings were definitely the electric toothbrushes and the Bug Juice. We learned fast that it doesn't take much to make these kids happy. Hope that never changes.
The girls got their first doll house from Grammy, while our little guy got his first set of Lego's.
We even added a few new "ornaments" to the tree. This one reminds us of some relatives that were visiting this summer and all the fun we had together. Mary, I thought you would get a chuckle out of that one. But really, these two dog toys have been a hit!
Plus they even match my tree decor. Yes, I'm that crazy.
I'm sad to see it go, but the tree must come down this weekend.
It is shedding everywhere.

We rang in the New Year with Chinese food and some chopsticks. Ok, maybe it was more like daytime then night, but who is counting when you have 3 little ones.
It was fun trying to use the chopsticks. Our little guy came up with a great technique for using the chopsticks and ended up using them the whole meal.
Whereas this little one decided to use what God gave her instead.
I have to admit it is much faster that way.
It was fun to try and they do make great drumming sticks once your done.
So... farewell 2011 and hello 2012!

embrace the camera {Resolutions}

2012-01-05T12:57:00.005-05:00

I make a New Years Resolution every year. Very rarely do I keep them, but I make them nonetheless. However two of my resolutions I am determined to keep this year are to lose weight and to keep up with embrace the camera. Documenting our lives together is so important to me, but for some reason I haven't been good about taking pictures of myself with the kiddo's lately. The truth is, seeing this big ole' body of mine plastered all over my blog makes me cringe. For some reason my camera has decided to add an extra 30 pounds to every picture instead of the normal 10. But really, shame on me! That is not what this is all about. Documenting our lives together is what is important, not how we look in our photo's. So here we are, back to embracing the camera every week. So sorry, but you are going to be seeing a lot of me again...along with these extra 30 pounds. We spent the morning painting the hallway and mudroom. This picture really does make me chuckle. I thought I was looking pretty bad and then I took a closer look at my little girl. What is up with that hair? And really, don't you think my kids could actually get dressed once in awhile? Maybe my New Year's Resolution should be to get the kids dressed daily... NAHH! Even if I do get them dressed in about 10 minutes they are back in their J's or running around the house naked. Its just a loosing battle.
How many of you make New Year's Resolutions?

Top 11 crafts from 2011

2011-12-30T08:49:00.015-05:00

Here are the top 11 most visited crafts from 2011.

How to make ice cream in a baggie

Organizing Tote Basket

How to make butter in a canning jar

Shopping List and Coupon Organizer

Baby Basket Cake

Round Nesting Baskets

Beach Comber Bag

Ruffled Wristlet

Baby Doll Diapers and Wipes Case

Homemade cupcake liners

Ruffled Maxi Skirt

And my most favorite craft in 2011 was definitely these one eyed one horned flying purple people eater costumes that I made for each of the kiddo's.

Thanks to all, of my readers, I have reached a huge milestone with this blog. I have now had over 1,500,000 visits. WOW, how in the world did that happen?! I have been featured on some amazing blogs this year and even made it to the blog of Glamour Magazine (screech!). I'm so honored to have people enjoying my crafts and ideas as much I love sharing them.
I hope this year brings more crafty ideas to share with all of you and Fat Quarter Fridays makes an appearance again some time really soon. I have missed my quick little sewing projects.

How to make a big kids sippy cup from a canning jar.

2011-12-29T06:44:00.005-05:00

You all know my love for canning jars by now, so it is probably not much of a surprise that I came up with another use for our beloved canning jars. A few years ago we started using canning jars as our regular everyday drinking glasses. They are strong, hold up well and we always have a ton of them around. So it was a no brainer when I was in need of some sippy cups the other day to turn our canning jars into sippy cups for the kids.

I know some of you are thinking that I am totally nuts for giving my kids glasses to drink out of but in all reality they have been drinking out of canning jars whenever we ran out of sippy cups anyways and they have yet to have one break. (I hope I didn't just jinx myself there by saying that.)

As you can see they are super easy to make. All you need is some canning jars, Ball plastic storage caps and some straws. I purchase my plastic storage caps in with the regular canning supplies at Walmart but they can be purchased on-line too. They come in wide mouth and regular mouth sizes, so they will fit whatever size you have on hand.

Once you have all of your supplies, just take a drill and drill a hole into the lid close to the edge or in the middle of the lid. Then take a knife and cut off the little plastic remains if you have any. If your lid splits try turning them upside down and place on top of a scrap piece of wood. Then drill the holes. This should help keep the lids from cracking. Of course don't forget to wash the lids before using. Then plop in a straw and let the kids enjoy.

The lids are dishwasher safe and are easy to clean. The kids love using the different colored straws and are now fighting over who gets what straw instead of who gets what sippy cup...some things just never change. If you wanted to, you could even use some of those super cute paper straws or some reusable straws. I just happened to have the plastic throw away ones on hand. Of course these sippy cups are not spill proof and may not work for everyone, but they are working great for us and hopefully will work for some of you. I already have a bunch of canning jar cozies on my to do list. They will give the jars a little added protection just in case and will add a little fun for the kids.

I know I have been MIA a bit these past few weeks, sorry. We are doing well and yes the house got finished in time for Christmas. But now I am repainting all of the rooms we had been cramming into before. They are in need of a new paint job and a lot of patching. Plus, those rooms were never fully finished in the first place. Luckily these are little jobs that I can do without the hubby's help. He needs a break from working on this house and deserves it without a doubt. I still cannot believe how he ever did all of this having never done something like this before. I'm one lucky girl to have such a handyman! Slowly I will be posting pictures of the renovation along with the details. A lot of you were curious on my color choices, accessories and such. But for now, I still have a lot of work to get done and cannot fully rest until it is done. I'm hoping to have it all done and organized in the few weeks and cannot wait to get started on that long list of crafting and sewing to do's.

Letter to Santa

2011-12-23T07:21:00.010-05:00

This is the year Santa has been discovered.

I have never really pushed the subject before and really they were just too young to understand it. But this year, this little guy gets it and he really wants Santa to bring him something special. See, he has been holding out for his birthday to go to the "tractor store" to pick out his birthday present, but now that he knows Santa will bring him a gift, he is asking for that green tractor he has been wanting for so long.

He sat there for over an hour writing his letter.
I have never seen him be so picky about his letters before. But I guess when you are asking for a green tractor you make sure those letters are perfect. He was so excited once he finally finished his letter.
I read his letter back to him and he quickly realized that he needed to add in that it "digs with 2 sides". He is very particular about such things. After all, he has been wanting that tractor for 10 months now.
I just hope "Santa" knows which tractor he wants and that the "tractor store" still has it.

Just a few more days to be nice!

**I used this printable from sandy toes & popsicles.**

We have a tree!

2011-12-22T13:54:00.018-05:00

I still cannot believe my eyes...we have a Christmas tree in our living room. Oh and we actually have a living room! I'm not sure which one I am more excited about.
Since we had very few Christmas ornaments I had to buy some at the good old Walmart. Next year we will add a bunch of handmade ones to the mix, but this year we are using store bought ones, which I have to say I love. I was so excited to see purple ones when I was scouring the shelves one day. I'm one of those people that likes to match their Christmas decorations to the rooms that they are being displayed in. I always remember my gram having the most beautiful pink Christmas tree that matched their living room. I just loved it and the nontraditional colors. I guess that is where I get it from.
So its purple and green decorations for this girl with a mixture of purple wrappings under the tree to match. Thank you TJ Maxx for the cute wrapping paper.
My tree skirt is actually a few yards of fabric just bunch up underneath the tree covering the stand. It is nothing fancy, but it works.
They may not be handmade or from Christmases past, but these ornaments are already loved by all.
It was so fun watching the kiddo's decorate.
My son took his time picking out the best place for each ornament and carefully placed each one onto the tree.

Whereas the girls place all of their favorite ornaments all in one spot.
And continue to redecorate on a daily...or hourly basis. You can tell which ones are their favorites by where they are placed on the tree. They are always at the bottom of the tree all on the same branch.
And all of them just happen to be from a pretty special auntie and uncle.

How many of you have nontraditional Christmas trees? I know I am not the only one out there. How many of you saw this post over at tatertots and jello? I want that whimsical candy tree...adorable!!

Home renovation updates

2011-12-08T16:04:00.006-05:00

So apparently some of you are curious as to what things are looking like around here. So the living room is pretty much done except for installing the sliding barn doors onto the kids playroom and the doorway to the cold cellar. As you can see the hardwood floors are covered in cardboard for protection from little boys with hammers and to keep from tracking in too much snow and sawdust onto them. I am so tempted to pull that stuff up and see what it looks like. Nonetheless I wait...impatiently. One of the many chairs sitting waiting to be reupholstered. I never liked the style of wing back chair but for $5 I couldn't pass it up. Plus these chairs are dang comfy! My hubby has already claimed this one to be his along with this spot, but the designer may have other ideas for this area already. Shh, we'll keep that one between us until he finishes the house.
The playroom is finished and as you can see I couldn't resist laying that rug down. I'm still searching for the best way to design this room that will fit our storage needs without looking too crowded. There are a lot of great inspirations out there I just need the time to sit down and organize them all.
The kiddo's room is finished and is just waiting to be filled.
The bathroom is still needing a second coat of paint along with all of the joints and nail holes need caulking, but by tomorrow it should be finished. I just need one more late night up there. Hopefully this time I wont spill my glass of wine all over the floor while painting. And that is why we still have cardboard protecting the floors. The tub and sink have been sandblasted and painted...orange. They will be installed this weekend and hopefully by the end of the weekend this room will be completely finished.
Our last big project will be to install all of the stair treads and risers. Then trim out the stairway, caulk, paint, and do minor touch ups.
It's becoming more real now that we can actually see into the other side of the house. I cannot wait to take down that gate and let the kiddos run free and I cannot wait to decorate...the fun part is coming soon!

The Lorax.

2011-12-07T12:53:00.003-05:00

Anyone else obsessed with the book, The Lorax by Dr. Seuss?

We received the book last year for Christmas and it quickly became the kids (and our) most favorite book to read. You know that one book that you can resight word for word...well this is the book in our house. I have said countless times that I wished they would make a movie, so you can only imagine the excitement we all had when we heard that they made The Lorax into a movie and it will be in theatres March 2012.

We have already watched the trailer more times then I'm willing to admit. I think I'm just as excited (if not more) then the kids are.

So are you counting down the days like we are? This will actually be the first time for any of our kids seeing a movie in a theater and I'm so glad it will be to see this movie!

P.S. The fabric scraps are spoken for, sorry!

Today was a sewing day.

2011-12-06T17:48:00.010-05:00

Sewing days only happen about four times a year and only when I really need to get something accomplished. I let the kiddos run around like wild animals dumping out every single toy while making the biggest mess you have ever seen. They can snack when they want, play play-doh all day and just do whatever they want just as long as I get to sit and sew. Sometimes these days are a complete disaster and it leaves me wondering why I even attempted to do such a thing in the first place. But today wasn't one of those days, the only thing that ended up being a complete disaster was my house. Surprisingly they played well together and we spent most of the day listening to Christmas music while I sat and sewed and they well...made a BIG MESS!

But it was worth it because I managed to make 7 skirts, 4 dresses and a few pairs of leggings. I made a huge dent in my Christmas list! I try to make all of my gifts, or at least the ones that I can make for. Guys are always a tough one for me. When making my list I always have a back-up store bought option just in case. For me, I would rather be up late frantically sewing then running around the stores frantically looking for something to buy. By no means are my gifts extravagant, but they have been made with love and I always put a lot of thought into them. For some Christmas shopping is the best choice, but for me Christmas crafting is the best choice...or maybe its just the best excuse to make the ones I love most a gift. Anyone interested in a bunch of ruffled fabric scraps with a few knits thrown in? I have a bag full already and I'm sure there will be more to come. Just send me an email if your interested. No cost for the fabric, just pay the shipping.
Any of you have "sewing days"? What do you do to keep the kiddo's entertained?

Christmas gifts {baby booties}

2011-12-02T11:23:00.006-05:00

I started making our Christmas gifts last week and these booties were the first to be finished. I easily made two pairs within a nap time. They are one of those gifts that can easily be made up in a jiff and you would never know it. The booties can be worn folded over or straight up. They have an internal elastic that will keep these booties on and from being kicked off. I decided to use an anti-skid material on the bottom just because I had some laying around, but I could have just as easily used the fleece on the bottom instead.
I purchased the pattern here. It was so easy to follow and her directions were great, I highly recommend it. The only thing I would have done differently is use a smaller patterned fabric. I think the pattern is a little too big on such small booties, but I still like them.
Even though the pattern called for anti-pill fleece I wanted to give minky fabric a try. Can you image your feet being wrapped in minky fabric? Oh, that's one lucky little baby! The minky booties don't have as much form as the fleece booties but they still look adorable and will function just as good.

I can't help but be in love with little baby booties.
So what are you all busy crafting for Christmas?

embrace the camera {growing up too fast}

2011-12-01T09:12:00.000-05:00

These little kiddos of mine are growing up too fast! I have always tried to embrace each and every stage...even those newborn sleepless nights. I know that someday these little ones of mine will be teenagers and our battles will be much harder then the ones we are faced with right now. Our little 20 month old decided to potty train herself a few weeks ago right in the middle of our flooring marathon and while being sick. Much to me begging her to "just pee pee in your diaper" she was determined and is now wearing big girl undies...even at bedtime. I'm pretty proud of her and in all honesty I cannot take any credit for it, unless you count the insane amounts of trips to the potty room I have made with her.

My little missy girl got her nails painted for the first time last week. She saw me painting my nails and begged for some of her own. So a few minutes later we snuggled on the couch in our J's while I painted her sweet little fingers for the first time.
And this little boy is a wiz with power tools and hammers, so much so that its kinda scary. But he will tell you like he tells us "I be careful...see. Don't worry I wont hurt myself!" He spends hours at those benches drilling screws in and taking them out. He is always building something that requires daddy's help to cut more wood or more tools. He is usually getting in the way and slowing down our progress while chatting non-stop. It can definitely be a challenge sometimes. Working on the house is the easy part...working on the house with the kids around is the hard part. Someday we are going to wish for these days again. I just have to remind myself to slow down and enjoy them a bit more. Its easy for these times to slip away or be wished away too quickly.

embrace the camera {a winter's day at the beach}

2011-12-01T08:27:00.016-05:00

A few weeks ago we had some unseasonably warm weather, so I decided to take advantage of it by taking the kiddos to our favorite beach. It was a bit windy and chilly once we got there and definitely not as warm as I had first thought.
We brought some bread to feed the ducks, but they were no where to be found. They did find a lot of these cute little pine cones though.
Sadly our trip to the beach was a quick one as we all ran to the car as fast as we could.
On the way home we took a little pit stop at a campground to play on their wooden train.
The kids have been begging me to stop there and I can't blame them, it does look like a lot of fun.

They played on the train for over an hour while I shivered the whole time. I so wished that I was smaller and could have played on it myself, but I'm pretty sure I would have gotten stuck inside some of those carts.
Ok...maybe I actually did get stuck in one of them.
It was worth it and we all got a good laugh. My little girl laughed and told me I was "too big". Gee THANKS!

So I guess our winter's day at the beach ended up being a winter's day on the train.

Ruffle fabric is my fabric of choice this Christmas.

2011-11-29T18:18:00.007-05:00

I have been wanting to try out some of this beautiful ruffle fabric for some time now, but the cost of it has always turned me away. Ruffle Fabric has an amazing selection of ruffle fabric but most of the fabric costs about $16.99 a yard. It is just waay too much for me. So the other day I did a quick search at fabric.com and found some for $12.98 a yard. And thanks to their Thanksgiving sale I used a 30% off coupon and ended up paying only $10.38 a yard...with free shipping of course. It is still a tiny bit more then the usual designer fabrics, but I have already been able to make 3 toddler skirts out of one yard of fabric. That is 3 Christmas presents for a mere $10.38!

I even used up some of the scraps to make some Christmas decorations. I'm telling you, I love this fabric! If you have never worked with it before it's kinda like sewing knits, but with pretty little flowing ruffles all over it. The best part is that it does not fray! A few days after I made my first purchase I noticed that they added a pretty stone and grey color to their selection for only $6.98 a yard... $6.98! So I just had to buy a bunch of it. My fabric allowance has taken it pretty hard with this pretty little fabric, but almost all of my Christmas presents will be made for less then $150, with many yards leftover. Not bad, huh?
I'm still debating on what to do with all of the 20+ yards of ruffle fabric that I now have, but I'm pretty sure that this list here will definitely give me some inspiration. Plus I plan on making some home decor items with it and maybe a skirt or two for myself.

Any of you used ruffle fabric before? Are you just as obsessed with it as I am?

2011 Advent Calendar.

2011-11-25T13:26:00.008-05:00

One of my favorite traditions at Christmas time is an advent calendar. (Christmas 2009)

I just love how excited the kids get everyday when they get to open a gift. (Christmas 2010)

And how they try so hard to wait til Daddy's home before they open that little package.

(Daddy's advent calendar 2010)

This year I decided to do a book advent calendar. We already had 20 Christmas and winter related books, so all I had to do was pick up a few more.

I love that I got to spend more time wrapping then shopping. I'm one of those crazy people that loves wrapping.
Sometimes my gifts look better on the outside then on the inside...that's just part of the fun for me.

I used a mixture of paper, fabric, and yarn to wrap the books and just made a bunch of numbers in print shop. A little time consuming, but well worth it in my book.

Once the wrapping was done I stuck them all in this little wooden caddy.
I'm sure you all know why I wanted our advent calendar portable this year.
That's right, my fingers are crossed that we will be opening #25 in our new living room. We are so close, yet still so many little details left to finish.

Any of you have advent calendars? Do you make a new one each year?

Happy Thanksgiving and...

2011-11-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Grammie!

Last minute Thanksgiving ideas for the kiddos.

2011-11-23T07:57:00.005-05:00

The Idea Room has the cutest little Turkey Feathers game to entertain the kiddo's while cooking your feast.

Here are some cute little teepee place card holders from sweetology101. UMM yes, I will gladly sit at the kids table for one of these!
Candy Cornucopia from Simple Girl at Home and while you are there, check out her other amazing treats!
This cute little book has a Thanksgiving twist on the The Very Hungry Caterpillar book. Visit Our Wonderfilled Life for your free download.
And this one is by far my most favorite...
Turkey in a jar from munchkinmunckies. You know my love for anything in a canning jar, but these are just over-the-top with cuteness!

Indian Corn Wreath.

2011-11-20T09:47:00.003-05:00

I realize that Fall is over for most and Christmas decorating is already underway, but I still wanted to share this little Indian corn wreath that I made a few weeks ago.
As you can see, it was super easy to make. I just took a bunch of Indian Corn that we grew and hot glued them into a circle on top of an old piece of barn board that we had. It took a total of a 30 minutes to make.
I just love the colors and the rustic feel of it. Plus I love that I can hang it if I want to or just simply stand it upright. Sadly, it will be packed away soon and the Christmas decorations will be brought out.

Pine Cone Crafts {Inspiration}

2011-11-18T21:31:00.000-05:00

source: favecrafts.com

source: unknown

source: tpinegcones.com

source: creativejewishmom.com

source: diycrafts.blogspot.com

source: plaidkidscrafts.com

source: unknown

source: timusenn.shikshik.org

source: unknown

source: christmasdecorationcrafts.com

source: nwf.org

What is your favorite pine cone craft?

Operation Shower.

2011-11-17T21:28:00.000-05:00

How many of you have noticed that little pink DONATE NOW button on my sidebar?

I know a few of you have, but for those of you that haven't I wanted to let you what that little button is all about. The DONATE NOW button is for donating funds towards Operation Shower.

Operation Shower is a non-profit organization that recognizes and honors the sacrifices military families make by producing and coordinating baby showers and “Showers in A Box” for pregnant and expecting military personnel and their families.

In the past I have supported Operation Shower by donating 25 handmade burp cloths. It felt so great to be able to give back to those women that sacrifice so much for us. So last year I set a goal of raising $250 to donate towards a shower. I'm excited to say that I am more then half-way there, but I still have a ways to go. So over the next few weeks I will be adding some new items to my etsy shop in which 100% of the proceeds from all sales will be donated to Operation Shower. I hope that by the New Year I will be that much closer to reaching my goal of giving some expecting moms an amazing baby shower. I hope that you will all take a minute to learn more about Operation Shower by visiting their website or watching the video below. And if your super cool you will even donate towards a shower...just saying.

Home Renovations.

2011-11-17T11:30:00.007-05:00

How true is that? Those of you that have lived through a major home renovation like us know how true that is. But thankfully we are finally seeing it come together.

The rooms are painted.

And the hardwood floors are in.
And so is the tile.
Yes, it has been far from easy (especially this past week), but WE WILL be in there for Christmas. And we will have a real Christmas tree this year. So all of this hard work will be worth it. Then once the house is finished I think I better check myself into a facility for craft addicts.
I mean really, who looks at tile spaces and thinks of all the crafting possibilities with them? Me of course!

Blue Sky giveaway winner.

2011-11-15T11:37:00.002-05:00

Sorry I am a little late on this one, but I have had a house full of sick kiddo's. It has been a tough few days, but thankfully they are on the mend. Anyways...

Congrats Doris Pop for being the Blue Sky giveaway winner.

I will be emailing you shortly for your info.

"Howbout we call em Wilbur?"

2011-11-15T09:05:00.009-05:00

"I think floppy, cottontail or fluffy is a better name."

You just never know what they are going to call their first bunny.
Thankfully he is now Fuzzy to my son and the girls call him Bun. We refer to him as a boy bunny, but we are not sure...guess it doesn't really matter to us, because we already love him.
I wasn't too thrilled at first when my hubby brought him home, but I quickly fell in love with him since he became the best distraction in the middle of the night when trying to calm croup and stridor. I guess he is a keeper.

embrace the camera {not just another picnic}

2011-11-10T08:13:00.007-05:00

We love to go for picnics. Sometimes we drive around looking for the perfect spot and sometimes we just drive up the road to picnic close by. It doesn't matter where we are or what is in that picnic basket...

because it always tastes better when eaten out on a blanket in the middle of a field.
Sometimes we spend hours playing after our picnic is through and sometimes our picnics get cut short by rain. Either way, it makes for a good day... or at least a good moment. As moms, we all know that the perfect days is rare, but perfect moments happen all the time. Just don't forget to take the time to capture them.

**I want to thank all of you that commented on this post. All of your comments were so kind and it was so nice to read how many of you enjoy reading my blog...THANK YOU!**

Another amazing GIVEAWAY from Blue Sky!

2011-11-10T07:55:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited to have been given the chance to review and host another giveaway for Blue Sky. This time I was sent a few products from their new line of calendars and planners from Egg Press for Blue Sky. I'm telling you, these planners are simply beautiful! The new collection comes in a range of sizes, colors and formats to suit all of your needs.

And will be available in all Target stores beginning November 1, 2011, just in time for the Holidays.
These planners offer plenty of writing space while still giving you a modern look and feel with lots of bright colors. Plus, they are still small enough to store in a purse or bag. If you are anything like me I cannot go anywhere without my planner.
The pages are uncluttered and so fresh looking.
And are set up in a simple but very usable manner.
This is one of my favorites in the collection. It is the Egg Press Heartflower Weekly/Monthly Planner 5" x 8." It comes in a durable wire-o binding planner and is the perfect size for storing in a bag, but still has plenty of room for keeping track of ones busy schedule.
I love how they paired the bright yellows and greys together in a wire-o binding. I'm a big fan of being able to fold my planners over when out and about instead of having the whole planner open all at once. I have found that I like to use my planner for everything. And with all of the recent home improvements lately I have been using by planner to store all of my paint chips and fabric swatches in. It works perfectly to have everything in one convenient place. That way I am not juggling a bunch of different books when I'm in the stores shopping and can spend more time juggling these 3 kids of mine.
And for those of you that prefer to use a larger calendar they also offer desk pads, spiral wall calendars and tablet calendars. They come in the fresh modern looking designs just like their smaller planners.
This is the Egg Press Garden Monthly Calendar. It is perfect for use on a desk, wall or in a binder. I can totally picture this calendar in one of my fabric 3 ring binders, how cute would that be?! So are you just as excited about these planners as I am? Want to win one of your own?

You have 2 chances to win!

**Just make sure you leave a separate comment for each chance to win.**

1. Head on over to Blue Sky to see which planner from the new Egg Press line would work best for you and your busy life.

2. “Like” the Blue Sky Face book page.

Giveaway will end Sunday November 13, 2011.

A pretty little craddle for her 3rd birthday.

2011-11-08T08:14:00.009-05:00

On Friday we celebrated my little girl's 3rd birthday. It was nothing fancy but it had everything she requested...

chocolate cupcakes
and balloons.
For her gift I repainted an old wooden cradle that I picked up from a yard sale this summer for $2.
Then I made some cute little bedding for the cradle out of one of her old Easter dresses.
The pad was made from the main part of the dress and I used the gathered top part of the dress to make a little pillow.
The crochet (or knitted) blanket is actually a place mat that I picked up at a yard sale this summer. So cute isn't it? (I loved it so much that it actually became the inspiration for their playroom, which you will see soon!)
Since I couldn't stop there, I made bear-bear a bunch of clothes using her old outgrown baby clothes. It was such a fun and cheap gift and I loved upcycling all of those outgrown baby clothes. It is so sweet watching her play dress up with some of the clothes she used to wear.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-07T11:54:00.000-05:00

Halloween snuck up on us this year.

We didn't carve any pumpkins and the decorations were thrown together at the last minute.

But it was one of the funnest Halloweens yet. We walked to the neighbors houses before it was too dark.

Then hopped into the car for the rest of our treating.Their favorite treat of the night were oranges from Grammy's house.
But getting candy was not the best or the most memorable part of the night.
Piling into the car and sitting on the floor in between stops was by far the highlight of the night. But our stop at Grampa's was a close second.
My littlest is still searching for that lost pop.
And they are already planning out their costumes for next year. I'm just hoping its nothing as hairy as this years.

Sorry, but hate mail is no longer being accepted here.

2011-11-07T07:43:00.007-05:00

I mean is hate mail really necessary?! Really?! I have received a few emails rudely complaining about my tutorials not being descriptive enough, too many pictures of my kiddo's being shared, the lack of fat quarter fridays, and even my misspellings and grammar. I mean really folks, is it necessary? I want to remind you all that these tutorials are FREE for your use. I do not get paid at all for this blog and the hours spent working on my posts and tutorials. I do it because I enjoy it. I have never said that I had the best sewing skills and know all of the proper ways of constructing things. My tutorials show you how I got to the finished product and I am sorry if yours does not come out exactly like mine. Yes, I understand how frustrating it can be, because I have run into the exact same issues when following others tutorials. But instead of sending hate mail (and by hate mail I'm referring to those being rude and making rude comments, not those of you that are asking me questions or questioning my steps) I contact them for further help. And I have always encouraged all of you to do the same. If you get stuck or need a little help please email so I can help you further. I want to help you out and that is what I am here for. All of your questions and comments (positive and negative) have helped me make my tutorials better and I am thankful for that. I know that I am not perfect and gladly welcome negative criticism...just don't be rude about it...being rude is just unnecessary! And if you are going to tell me that you are no longer want to follow me unless I change things on this blog then buh-bye! Sorry but that doesn't hurt my feelings one bit! I have watched my number of followers rise and fall all along the way and have never changed my blog to gain more followers, that is not why I blog. This blog is first and foremost for me. I am just honored that so many of you take the time to read and comment on my blog. I really do love all of your comments and enjoy reading each and every one of them. So sorry for this post and I have debated and debated on posting it, because its just not how I am. But I have tried to overlook these rude comments and such, but there comes a time when I just have to talk about it and to let some of know that...hate mail is no longer being accepted here! So there I said it and I'm over it, and I wont mention it again.

On another note, yes I did make three 1 eyed 1 horned flying purple people eaters for Halloween and used an Old Navy costume from last year as a template (sorta). I did put together some templates to share with all of you but I am in the middle of finding a new place to download all of my printable templates. I know a lot of you have been having some trouble with downloading my templates from my Scribd. So hang in there I am working on it and hopefully will have things changed over soon. But for now if anyone has any suggestions on where to upload them to then please let me know.

Baby Basket Cake Roundup.

2011-11-02T07:53:00.009-04:00

All of the tutorials are finally finished for the baby basket cake and are linked below. All you have to do is click on the picture and it will take you to that specific tutorial. A few of you have had certain questions about some of the projects and I hope that I was able to help you work through them and you are still putting one of these gifts together. For those of you that have not started making one I will be putting together a FAQ page to help clarify any questions that have already come up and some other helpful tips to get you through making one of these. Yes, they do require a lot of time to make, but just remember not everything in the cake needs to be homemade. Use your imagination and pair some homemade and store bought items together. Or take a hole different route and buy some nesting baskets and fill those with homemade items. Remember a gift doesn't always have to be homemade...it just needs to have a little thought put into it. And think outside the box (or basket in this case), it doesn't have to be filled with stuff just for the baby.

Some other fun ideas for a basket cake would include:

Bridal Shower Cake: Fill it full of homemade dish towels, hand towels, an apron, cloth napkins and a table cloth, hot pads and hot mitts, use some kitchen gadgets to adorn and hang on the sides of the cake.

Birthday Cake: Fill it full of the birthday girl/or boy's favorite items. Just remember to use large gifts that are lightweight.

Graduate Cake: Fill it full of necessities for a freshman's first year at college. Add a bunch of fabric 3 ring binder covers, make some PJ's, skirts or any type of clothing. Some pillow cases, sheets, or a throw blanket. How about some cute little hair accessories or some home decor items for decorating their dorm room or apartment. Again the ideas are endless.

Remember just have fun with it! Anyone would love one of these cakes whether they are homemade or not. Remember, its all about putting a little extra thought into a gift to make them feel extra special!

Baby Basket Cake Tutorial Links:

(click photo's below)

**Reminder**

All of the tutorials listed above and all the tutorials shared on this blog are for personal sewing projects only! If you have any questions about this policy please contact me, thanks.

Vinyl Covered Trash Bag {tutorial}

2011-11-02T07:37:00.001-04:00

Vinyl Covered Trash Bag Tutorial
(allow 2+ hours to complete)

Materials Needed:
*28" x 24" piece of cotton fabric (or whatever size you wish)
*1 yard iron-on vinyl
*1 set of plastic buckles or Velcro

You can purchase iron-on vinyl at Jo Ann's and at most fabric stores. It is really easy to work with and you will love that you can turn any fabric into a laminated cotton by using this. Of course you can purchase an already laminated fabric, but i like making my own since it allows you to have more fabric choices.

Attach the iron-on vinyl onto the fabric per instructions on package. Once ironed on fold the fabric so that it measures 14" x 24".

Measure down 3" from the top and cut off. These two pieces will become the handles of the bag.

Now measure in 12" from the side and cut. You should be right in the middle. Now these two pieces will become the main pieces of your bag.

This is what your pieces should look like now.

Now take one of the large bag pieces and sew right sides together while leaving the top open. Repeat with the other piece.

Switch to a Teflon foot. It will make sewing on top of the vinyl side of the fabric much easier.

Once the sides are sewn together, square up the edges on the bottom of the bags to give them shape.

Trim excess fabric off.

Here is what your two bags should look like from the bottom now.

And on the inside.

Now it is time to make the straps. Take your two 3" wide strips and cut them in half length wise.

Sew two of the strips together on the sides with right sides facing. Trim excess fabric off.

Turn right side out and top stitch down the sides of straps.

Now take one of the bags and turn it right side out.

Stuff the bag that is right side out into the bag that is wrong side out.

Gather your buckle or Velcro.

And attach it to one end of the straps.

Now you are going to place the straps in between the two bags like pictured below with the buckles on the bottom. Just make sure when pinning the straps in place that the buckles are facing in the correct position and will buckle once turned right side out.

I like to leave about 1" hanging out of the top for a little added stability. Now sew all around the top edge while leaving an opening of about 2"-3" for turning right sides out.

Turn right sides out and top stitch all along top edge while sewing the opening shut.

And there you have it. A cute little vinyl covered trash bag for the car.

I purchased a box of those plastic diaper bags from the dollar store to use inside of it. You can unbuckle the straps and put the buckles through the handles in the plastic bag to hold the bag in place. Its a great way to keep those plastic bags in place and from slipping especially when its going to be holding dirty diapers.

Monster Munch.

2011-10-31T10:31:00.006-04:00

How many of you have tried Moose Munch from Harry and David? Well if you haven't, it is delish! We were just introduced to it a few weeks ago and I have been dreaming of it ever since. So for Halloween I decided to make Monster Munch, my homemade twist on that oh so yummy Moose Munch. Instead of making those chocolate clusters I used this recipe found here for making Halloween bark. I followed her recipe but just mixed up the treats that I put into mine.

It was super easy to make and is definitely a step up from the regular trail mixes that I usually make. Just imagine, all those flavors in just one bite... YUM!
Then I made some kettle corn and added a little candy corn in with Halloween bark and the Monster Munch was complete.
Yes it's a bit different from the Moose Munch, but still oh so yummy...and plus it was homemade!

Now it is just waiting for all those little monsters to arrive tonight!

2011-10-30T20:42:00.024-04:00

Well I saw the thing coming out of the sky

It had one long horn and one big eye
I commenced to shakin' and I said oo-wee
It looks like a purple people eater to me
It was a one-eyed one-horned flying purple people eater
Sure looks good to me

Well, he came down to earth and he lit in a tree
I said Mr Purple People Eater don't eat me
I heard him say in a voice so gruff
I wouldn't eat you 'cos you're too tough
It was a one-eyed one-horned flying purple people eater
It sure looks strange to me

I said Mr Purple People Eater what's your line
He said eating purple people and it sure is fine
But that's not the reason that I came to land
I wanna get a job in a rock 'n roll band
Well, bless my soul rock 'n roll flying' purple people eater
Pigeon-toed under-growed flyin' purple people eater
One-eyed one-horned it was a people eater
What a sight to see!

Well, he swung from the tree and he lit on the ground
He started to rock really rockin' around
It was a crazy ditty with a swinging tune
Wop bop a lula wop bam boom
One-eyes one-horned flying people eater
Ooh, it sure looks strange to me!

Well he went on his way and then what do you know
I saw him last night on a TV show
He was a blowin' it out and really knockin' them dead
Playing rock 'n roll music through the horn in his head!
Happy Halloween!

lyrics from: lyricsbay.com

fall beauty.

2011-10-27T07:22:00.004-04:00

I'm not embracing the camera this week, I know your all disappointed by not seeing my face plastered on the screen, but there was no way I was going to capture our life this week and chance my camera getting covered in orange, green, turquoise, and grey paint... with purple shag blanket fuzzies stuck to it. That's right, I have been painting like a mad woman and putting the finishing touches on the kiddo's Halloween costumes. So instead I wanted to show you this beautiful fall weather that is quickly leaving us. We have already had threats of snow and these brightly colored leaves are now rust colored and are blanketing the ground.

Why does fall have to be so short?!

Homegrown Popcorn.

2011-10-24T11:44:00.007-04:00

This year we planted popcorn.

It is something I had always wanted to do, but never remembered to order the seeds in time. Well this year I was ahead of the game and ordered my popcorn seeds here while ordering some of my other seeds.
We planted the popcorn seeds in the same rows as our Indian and sweet corn. Instead of picking the popcorn when we did our regular sweet corn we just left the popcorn in the garden until the husks started drying and turning brownish. Then a few weeks ago we picked and husked all of the ears and set them inside to dry a little longer.
For the past two weeks, every few days I have been popping a few of the kernels on the stove to see if they were ready. Then two days ago we got a few kernels that popped and then today we got a whole plateful!
I really can't tell you how exciting it was to hear and see those little kernels popping.
The kids were just as excited as I was.
Then once I saw that the kernels would pop in the pan I had to try and see if the kernels would pop right on the cob in the microwave. So I just took the cob and placed it into the microwave.
And a few minutes later I got this...
not exactly what I had hoped for, but still pretty cool to see. And just in case you were wondering, our homegrown popcorn is like everything homegrown or handmade...
way better then any store bought popcorn by far!
Here is a great resource for those of you that want to try and grow your own popcorn next year. It is so fun and easy to do, go ahead and give it a try!

Have any of you grown popcorn before?

Baby crib turned front porch daybed.

2011-10-21T13:58:00.010-04:00

A few months ago my two littlest decided to start climbing out of their cribs. So much to my liking they were put into big girl beds and ever since then bedtime and naptime has not been the same. I tell ya there is one big ole party happening up there two times a day. Oh those two little girls can be naughty! Anyways, I was left with two cribs and had no idea what to do with them until I saw this post. It gave me the inspiration to put one of the cribs onto the front porch.
Basically all I did was convert the crib to a daybed and then sawed off the legs about 8". The normal height looked a little too high and cribish for me, plus it is a better height for the kids to climb up on. I made a few pillows and used a few that I already had. The green pillowcase was something I found for $1 at the thrift store the other day. It was a sham for a square pillow, so I just ended up sewing it to fit a regular sized pillow instead.
I found this green fabric for another steal...3 1/2 yards for just $6. I used it to make a fitted cover for the mattress and to cover a body pillow that is being used as a cushion for the back.
It was one of those projects that took no time at all to do, but has been a great addition to the porch. I think it took me longer to sweep the front porch clean then what it did to make this. Unfortunately it took the kiddos even less time to spread all of those leaves onto my newly swept floor.
The kiddos love it just as much as I do.
And I love that I have a way of keeping my first baby's crib. Some things I have a hard time parting with and this was one of those. I mean, it still has his little baby teeth marks in it. How do you throw something like that away?

He was a...

2011-10-18T09:27:00.003-04:00

Just a little sneak peek at what this momma has been making while rocking out to this.

2011 trip to the corn maze.

2011-10-17T12:44:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite things about blogging is the ability to look back at previous years posts. It always makes me realize how fast a year goes by and how quickly these little ones of mine are growing up. This was our trip to the corn maze last year and here we are at the corn maze this year...a little bit bigger and a little bit faster.
Those kiddo's kept us moving. Good thing my sister-in-law and Sandy Candy were there to help out. I definitely would have had my hands full with these three all by myself.

It was the perfect fall day and we took full advantage of it.

We ended up spending the whole day there.
The kiddo's loved playing with all of the games and activities that followed the corn maze.And I just loved being able to let the kiddo's run around and play while we sat in the sun chatting away.
We couldn't have asked for a more perfect fall day!

Embellished Onesies {Tutorial}

2011-10-17T07:55:00.001-04:00

I'm still trying to finish up all of the tutorials for the baby basket cake. It is taking me a bit longer then expected, but luckily there is only one more to finish up. Once they are all finished I plan on doing a FAQ and a round up where I will link all of the tutorials in one spot. Then in the next month or so I'm looking forward to getting back to posting my weekly tutorials for Fat Quarter Friday. I have missed making those quick little projects and hopefully this will give me a head start on all those Christmas gifts on my list.

Embellished Onesies Tutorial
(allow 1 hour per dress)

We are going to start by making the little polka dot dress, but all of the embellished onesie require the same materials, just different amounts of fabric. I didn't keep track of the exact measurements while putting the tutorials together so you are going to have to trust your own judgement and make it how you like it. I'm going to show you just a basic way of putting these together. Remember there is no right or wrong way to do it.

Materials Needed:

*Onesies (any size works)

*Large scraps of knit fabric about 30" long and about 6 " wide (these are the measurements I used for a newborn onesie. You will need more material if you are working with a larger sized onesie.)

*Smaller scraps for making the flowers and for the ruffles on the backside.

Start by measuring the distance around the onesie where you will be attaching the skirt on. I like to attach the skirt about 2" above the top hem on the buttoned part of the onesies, but you can attach it wherever you would like. Now take your marking pen and draw a straight line around the front and back of the onesie where you want your skirt to be attached.

Measure the distance around the onesie where you made your straight line. Add 1 1/2 times to that measurement or even double it. Now cut your piece of fabric the distance just determined by the desired length. I like to cut mine about 5" long. But again you can cut it whatever length you want. and if you cut it too long in the beginning you can always trim it down a bit later.

Now sew the two ends together with right sides facing. Sew all around the top edge and make it ruffle.

Pin the dress on so that the right side is right side with the onesie and the ruffled edge is lined up with the line you drew onto the onesie.

Sew skirt in place using a a zig-zag stitch. I like to slightly stretch the onesie while sewing the skirt on to give a little extra room for stretching.

Now take a little scrap piece of fabric about 16" x 1 1/2". Sew on the top edge to ruffle it.

Pin in place on the top of the onesie like so. Only make one complete circle with the ruffled piece right now.

Sew in place on the ruffled edge.

Keep wrapping the ruffled piece in the shape of a circle while sewing it as you go. Don't worry about making it look too perfect.

Cut out some little circles to cover up the stitches in the middle and sew in place.

And there you have a cute little embellished onesie that only took a few minutes to make. Now for the next onesie all I did was cut out a little piece of fabric and sew it to the front of the onesie.

Then use a scrap piece of fabric that is 1 1/2 times the length of the back side of the onesies. Ruffle the fabric then zig-zag stitch the ruffled piece onto the backside of the onesies. Extremely simple, but so fun to do.

For the teal dress I made it just like the pink polka dot dress above but this time I cut the two pieces of fabric different lengths to give the skirt a little different look.

Cut one of the pieces about 1 1/2" to 2" wider then the other piece of fabric.

Sew edges together like on the first dress. Ruffle the top edge of both pieces of fabric.

Pin the two pieces of fabric together and repeat the same steps as above with the pink polka dot dress.

For the last and my most favorite embellished onesie I wanted to keep it simple with a big pink flower on the front and a cute little ruffle on the backside.

Cut out some flowers. I used two different colored fabrics for these but you can use whatever you have on hand.

Just pin your flowers in place and sew like below.

Then add the centers of the flowers.

Add a cute little ruffled piece to the backside.

So there you have some fun and easy ways to embellish those plain white onesies.

embrace the camera {pull the handle...pull the handle}

2011-10-12T21:06:00.010-04:00

Thank goodness for embrace the camera this week. I was having one of those days and these pictures just cheered me up! Sometimes I wonder if I was cut out for this job and other days, I just know I was. Gotta have bad days to appreciate the good days right?
So yesterday they chopped the corn field across the street. It's one of those days we look forward to all year long. Its also one of those days that we stop everything we are doing to sit and watch the tractors drive around and around the field. This year we decided to drive the tractor up to the top of the hill to get a better look and to enjoy the crisp fall air.

We munched on popcorn and apples while we used the pumpkins and gourds as our seats. We spent hours just watching them drive around and around the field. No fighting... just smiles, laughter and lots of snuggling to stay warm. I'm telling ya, days like this don't happen too often. So I enjoy them to the fullest when they do. Of course my favorite part of the day was watching the kiddo's jump up and down yelling "pull the handle...pull the handle" every time the trucks drove by. Whoever was driving those trucks sure was great to us and those honks definitely made our day a little more special!

My newly upholstered love seat and more dollar fabric deals.

2011-10-06T17:28:00.013-04:00

I finally finished reupholstering the love seat a few days ago. I have to say it is far from being perfect, but I just love the way it came out! I find myself constantly staring at it in awe that I did it. I am shocked by how easy the process was and how rewarding it is to be able to do something like this. So here is what I started with, a little love seat in need of a lot of love.
And here it is looking like a LOVE seat.
Yes, it's far from being perfect, but it's perfectly imperfect for this gal. The seams aren't exactly where they should be and some of the fabric is running in opposite directions.
The batting is too thick in certain areas and sticks out a bit more then it should.
But I don't think anyone will notice and really I don't care if they do. I am so proud to say that I made those oopses. I definitely learned from my mistakes and know what to do next time, because there will definitely be a next time. I'm telling you, reupholstering furniture can be addicting. I changed my mind and decided to reupholster our sleep sofa now, plus this past weekend I picked up two chairs and an ottoman for 15 buckaroos to redo. Yes, it is addicting!
The total cost for redoing this little love seat was about $55 and that includes the cost of a new staple gun. Not bad for a new love seat huh? This past weekend was the weekend for finding some amazing deals! Not only did I snag up those two chairs and an ottoman, I also snagged up some amazing fabric deals...again!
I found more $1 and $1.99 a yard fabric deals that coordinate perfectly with my newly upholstered love seat. Yes it is more purple fabrics but for that price I will make it work. Plus they do look great together and I love that purple flowered fabric that has a little punch of green in it. It just happens to be the same shade of green that I am painting the walls.
Plus it helped by seeing the most amazing purple couch at Crate and Barrel that had lime green pillows on it. It totally reassured me of my color scheme. I think purple was just meant to be in our living room. In case you were wondering, the darker purple fabric will be recovering our sleep sofa and the purple flowers will be recovering the two chairs and ottoman that I just picked up.
Speaking of Crate and Barrel, how many of you have been diving in their $.99 a pound barrel before? I left there with almost every single piece of fabric that was in there.
I mean when a girl sees Merimekko fabric for $.99 a pound she is going to snag every piece she can! I had no shame in walking out of that store with a bag full of fabric after barrel diving for 1/2 an hour, yup no shame at all!
I thought my fabric deals would have stopped there, but they didn't. I snagged up these pretty silky fabrics for another $1 a yard. I bought all they had which will be more then enough to make myself and the girls matching dresses.
Any of you snag up some good deals on fabric lately?

pumpkins, gourds, frost...oh my!

2011-10-05T21:00:00.014-04:00

We knew it would be happening soon, the first hard frost of the year.

I spent most of the day yesterday picking the gardens clean.
Which you can see have been severely neglected and was still full of fresh goodies. Along with lots of pumpkins, gourds and squashes.
Normally picking the pumpkins is a family affair...not this year.
This year it was a scramble to get everything out of the garden, into piles and undercover. The kiddo's helped at times, but mostly played in the car where it was warm and full of gum and lost treasures hidden under car seats.
Normally I would take my time and admire the beautiful pumpkins and gourds and all of their odd shapes.
But this year was all about getting these beauties undercover.
And safe from the frost.
I think the biggest pumpkin weighs a good 40-50 pounds and really wished the hubby was home to help to carry it.
But not just because he would have been more helpful then these little hands.
But because it would have been more fun.

And not just a scramble.

embrace the camera {picking apples and pears in the yard}

2011-09-29T08:50:00.001-04:00

Embracing the camera again to capture our days together.

Making it work.

2011-09-28T07:21:00.010-04:00

We are right on schedule for finishing the other side of the house (squeals), but it might be one big ole empty 1/2 a house. We realized that our funds will be depleted and we will not be able to furnish it. Realizing that was a bit of a bummer. So the red couch I have been dreaming about for 7 years and all those cute little storage bins from Ikea that I have been eyeing for the kiddo's playroom will have to wait. But instead of getting down, I decided to use what we have to "make it work." Plus I've been on the lookout for any freebie on the side of the road to repurpose, repaint or reupholster. Reupholster? Yes, reupholster. Now I have never reupholstered before but I have heard its doable, so why not give it a shot. Plus this bloggy friend of mine has done it before and she has given me the courage to give it a try. Thanks girl! I figured I would take the old love seat that has been sitting on our front porch for years and use that as my trial run. It was in really bad shape and wasn't worth saving anyways, so if I messed it up, no loss. Then I started searching for fabrics online but quickly realized how much upholstery and outdoor fabric costs, yikes. Then when you add the amount of fabric needed on top of that...yikesaroo! Yes, its still way cheaper then a brand new couch, but still way out of our budget. So I decided to just wait for a good fabric sale and put my reupholstering dreams on hold.

Well the other day we were driving by the local fabric shop and saw that all the upholstery fabric was on clearance at $1/yard...seriously?! I still cannot believe $1 a yard and even felt a little guilty for paying just a dollar...but obviously not guilty enough because I left the store with 17 yards of fabric. This is plenty of fabric to cover the love seat and a few chairs. It just so happened that one of the fabrics had the perfect shade of green in it, plus I love those the little squares! Unfortunately she only had a few yards left in it but I ended up finding the other purplish fabric to coordinate nicely with it. Not crazy about the purplish color but there is a tiny little bit of green in there and I will make it work somehow. Then I found this great lime green knit to match and just love how the green fabric brings out the greens in the other two fabrics...helping to tone the purple down a bit.
So that afternoon, my three helpers and I started pulling staples out. A few hours later I was taking the fabric and batting off. Unfortunately the batting was in such bad shape it had to be replaced...unfortunately adding a little more to the total cost of the project.
But I'm excited at how easy the love seat is going back together and it is already looking so much better! I'll admit, I have run into a few tiny obstacles with the wrong sized staples and two nails that went right through the foam and out the front of the frame, but luckily my hubby has been there to bail me out. I definitely have a new appreciation for power tools and the powerfulness of them!
But really "making it work" is not so bad after all. It's kinda working for me and has actually been a lot of fun. So have any of you reupholstered before? Any tips? What do you think of my $1 a yard fabrics and my new color scheme?

Catapillar to a monarch butterfly.

2011-09-22T22:30:00.018-04:00

This year I was determined to document a caterpillar transforming into a beautiful monarch butterfly with pictures. It is something I have wanted to do for a few years, but never seemed to follow through with it from start to finish. This year things were different, the kiddo's were so interested in watching our caterpillar transform into a monarch butterfly that we spent a lot of time each day looking into the jar. For those of you that have never raised a monarch before, you really should. It really is amazing to watch, plus it is a great way to teach the kiddo's about metamorphosis. I bought this book a few years ago and read it everyday to the kiddo's while we watched the caterpillar transform.

Caterpillar to a Monarch Butterfly (our unscientific observations):

Day 1: Today we found our caterpillar eating some milkweed and gave her a new home...in a canning jar of course.

Day 4: Our little caterpillar attached herself to the side of the canning jar with her head hanging down.
Then the chrysalis starts to form.

And within a short period of time the chrysalis is complete.

Day 16: The chrysalis is becoming transparent and we begin to see the monarch butterfly on the inside.
Day 19: We can really see that little monarch butterfly inside of the chrysalis and it looks like it is ready to come out.
Within minutes of showing the kiddo's the chrysalis our butterfly emerged from the chrysalis.

We all sat there in amazement watching our butterfly wiggle and become bigger. Her wings became larger and straighter while her abdomen became smaller.
Then she slowly opened and closed her wings.

A few hours later she started climbing out of the jar.

Unfortunately the kiddo's were sleeping and didn't get to see her fly away.
But this momma was determined to take a video of her flying away for the kiddo's and spent close to an hour watching her before she decided to fly away. And yes, this momma was able to catch her flying away for the kiddo's.
The hubby says I was using the kiddo's as an excuse to watch the butterfly fly away and maybe he was right. No matter how many times I watch a caterpillar transform into a butterfly I am always amazed at how nature works and does it so beautifully.

So there you have it, our totally unscientific observations of how our caterpillar turned into a beautiful monarch caterpillar.

Ruffled Baby Lovey {Tutorial}

2011-09-22T21:00:00.002-04:00

Moving on with the last of the baby basket tutorials, today I'm showing you how I made this cute little ruffled baby lovey. These are becoming one of my favorite blankets to make. They are the perfect size for the car seat, stroller or for baby to hold and snuggle up to. They are super easy to make and take just a few hours to put together. This is one of those projects that uses up those little but long scraps or you can use a fat quarter pieced together.

Ruffled Baby Lovey Tutorial

(allow 2+ hours to complete)

Materials Needed (cut to the following):
*Long strips of cotton fabric that are 30" x 3" or use fat quarters and piece them together to make a 30" x 3" strip. I used four different fabrics, but you can use as many different fabrics as you want.

*One strip of cotton fabric that is 120" x 5" (ruffled edge). Again, you can use smaller scraps pieced together to make one long strip.

*One piece of minky fabric about 21" x 24".

Start by making sure you have the 8 strips cut out to the size of 30" x 3".

Take one of your strips and sew down the middle and make it ruffle with your sewing machine. This is a new little trick I just learned from the gals over at Simple Simon & Co. Set the tension on your machine to the highest setting and the stitch length to the highest setting. Trust me, once you ruffle your fabric this way you will never pull a thread to make it ruffle again. It is so much quicker! And looks neater and the ruffles are more uniform. But of course you can ruffle your fabric the other way by just pulling one of the threads to make it ruffle. By doing it this way you can get a more ruffled piece of fabric then just ruffling it with your machine. So its up to you here.

Repeat with the other 7 strips of fabric.

Take your iron and gently press on top of the ruffled pieces to press them flat. This will make it easier to sew together.

Now lay out the ruffled pieces into the desired pattern.

With right sides facing pin together the two fabrics that are beside one another. Sew in place. Unfold and gently press flat.

Lay your fabric pieces out again to make sure you keep the fabrics in the right order.

Pin the next two rows together and sew. Just make sure you are sewing on the correct side so that your fabrics line up correctly.

Press flat. Pin and sew the two last pieces of fabric together. Now you have the top of your lovey.

Press flat again.

Trim off any loose threads and neaten it up on the backside.

You should have this now.

Take your seam ripper and pull out the threads in the middle of the ruffled pieces.

Use the back of your seam ripper or an iron to fluff out those little marks down the center of the ruffled pieces.

Square up your edges and make sure they are straight.

Round the corners.

Top stitch if you want.

I just used the edge of my foot as a guide and top stitched both sides of each fabric.

Take your 120" x 5 " piece of fabric and fold wrong sides together. Sew all the way down the open edge of the piece to make a ruffled piece. **Make sure you use a 1/4" sew seam here.**

Take the ruffled piece and pin it all the way around the top of the blanket. Where the two unfinished edges line up just fold each of the unfinished edges in opposite directions. Then place one on top of the other with the folded edges touching and sew in place. That way you will have a finished edge that is quick to do.

Now place on top of minky fabric with right sides facing. Place a few more pins in. I know this is a lot of pins, but it does make a huge difference.

Sew around outer edge with a 1/2" sew seam while leaving at least a 2" opening for turning right sides out.

Trim excess fabric.

Be careful of all the pins and turn right side out. Iron and sew opening shut.

Trim off all of the little threads.

And that is it! One cute little lovey for the baby!

Thirty 3

2011-09-22T09:35:00.008-04:00

It was a store bought Boston Cream Pie that had lost a quarter of its frosting on the way home.

It was celebrated a day late.

There were no decorations and we were all in our J's, except for Daddy who made it home just in time.

We couldn't find the candles since they are buried in someones box of Lincoln Logs.

Those cute little plates were not used and instead we just dug right in with our forks.

It was the first time all 3 sang "Happy Bird-day to Momma"!
It was the best gift this momma was given.

It was far from being the "perfect" party, but it was perfect for this momma at thirty 3!

Candy corn hats from Sandy Candy.

2011-09-19T18:34:00.008-04:00

I wish I could take credit for them, however I can't.
Their great aunt (also known as Sandy Candy) made them for them. But she is more like a grammy to them, then a great aunt. Plus great aunt sounds old, dontcha think?
She is always knitting up something amazing for the kiddo's.
But these three just might be my favorites.
There is just something pretty dang cute about your three little ones wearing matching candy corn hats.

Thanks Sandy Candy, we love them!

We heart dry wall.

2011-09-19T06:30:00.001-04:00

Three 16 hour days, 80 sheets of dry wall, lots of coffee and take-out and we are done. We have walls!
It was a lot of work and took a lot of patience, but it was also a lot of fun. It was great to be working on the house with the hubby again, but definitely harder with 3 little ones under our feet though. Luckily my mom took our kiddo's for a whole day and we were able to get the entire upstairs and the ceilings downstairs done. The two other days we did what we could to keep them out of trouble while we kept working. All I have to say is that I'm glad its done and hope that we never have to hang that much dry wall again!

Ironically, our kitchen was featured this weekend over on Remodelaholic. Gosh, just looking at those pictures again make me realize how much we have done...yet have so much more to go!

Its that time of the year.

2011-09-13T06:26:00.001-04:00

Its that time of the year when the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting cooler. In a few short weeks we will be getting our first frost. And in a few short days fall will be arriving.

Its my favorite time of the year. The sunflowers are in full bloom and are towering over the cornstalks.
The pears are just about ready to be picked.
And time spent in the garden is getting less.
But we are picking some of my most favorites.
The leaves are beginning to change colors and soon will be falling from the trees and blanketing the grass.
The pumpkins and gourds will be picked soon.

And the snake gourds are as big as they are going to get this year. Its that time of the year that I wish would last forever!

Baby Basket Cake Bunting {Tutorial}

2011-09-12T20:11:00.009-04:00

Baby Basket Cake Bunting Tutorial
(allow 1/2 hour to an hour)

Materials Needed:

*small fabric scraps
*1 package of bias tape or make your own

I used only 3/4 of a yard when making my bunting but you can make yours longer depending on how long you want it to be. I think it would be super cute to drape it around each of the tiers instead of just the bottom basket like I did. Once you have decided how long you want your bunting to be, top stitch the bias tape the entire length. Take and cut up your small scraps into all different sized circles, flower shapes and squares.

Layer the different sized pieces on top of each other to make the desired designs. Sew in place onto the bias tape.

Add as many circles and flowers that you want. Have fun with it!

Not only with it add a little extra special touch to the baby basket cake, it will also look so cute hanging in the nursery afterwards.

2 little hooligans

Happy Valentines Day!

Anthropologie Inspired Toddler Bed Comforter Tutorial

A Birthday Bow Tie

The Kid's Playroom

embrace the camera {not too fancy tea parties}

Momma's got a sewing room.

I kinda like it.

Girly-Twirly Dresses

Shabby Apple giveaway winner and repainting the kitchen.

Have you entered?

Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway!

Great ways to use up leftover wrapping paper.

2 craft failures in 2 days.

Upcycling a boys shirt into baby doll clothes.

New Years ReSEWlutions with Me Sew Crazy

Christmas, New Years and Chineese Chopsticks

embrace the camera {Resolutions}

Top 11 crafts from 2011

How to make a big kids sippy cup from a canning jar.

Letter to Santa

We have a tree!

Home renovation updates

The Lorax.

Today was a sewing day.

Christmas gifts {baby booties}

embrace the camera {growing up too fast}

embrace the camera {a winter's day at the beach}

Ruffle fabric is my fabric of choice this Christmas.

2011 Advent Calendar.

Happy Thanksgiving and...

Last minute Thanksgiving ideas for the kiddos.

Indian Corn Wreath.

Pine Cone Crafts {Inspiration}

Operation Shower.

Home Renovations.

Blue Sky giveaway winner.

"Howbout we call em Wilbur?"

embrace the camera {not just another picnic}

Another amazing GIVEAWAY from Blue Sky!

A pretty little craddle for her 3rd birthday.

Halloween 2011

Sorry, but hate mail is no longer being accepted here.

Baby Basket Cake Roundup.

Vinyl Covered Trash Bag {tutorial}

Monster Munch.

fall beauty.

Homegrown Popcorn.

Baby crib turned front porch daybed.

He was a...

2011 trip to the corn maze.

Embellished Onesies {Tutorial}

embrace the camera {pull the handle...pull the handle}

My newly upholstered love seat and more dollar fabric deals.

pumpkins, gourds, frost...oh my!

embrace the camera {picking apples and pears in the yard}

Making it work.

Catapillar to a monarch butterfly.

Ruffled Baby Lovey {Tutorial}

Thirty 3

Candy corn hats from Sandy Candy.

We *heart* dry wall.

Its that time of the year.

Baby Basket Cake Bunting {Tutorial}

We heart dry wall.