At Second Street

{family love} subway art

2012-01-27T15:12:00.000-07:00

I've always tried to stress love for family and friends during Valentines and not so much on romance. Adding everyones names to subway art was an easy and fun way to show the kids what a big part they play in our love story.

I put mine together in a special program, but I don't think it would be to difficult to make one in Word. All my fonts were free downloads online.

It was instant gratification. All it took was a few minutes typing, printing and a $1 frame.

Since it is customized I can't share a free printable, but here are two free-printables that inspired mine (the links are under the pictures):

get this free printable from Girl Creative HERE

get this free printable from eighteen25 HERE

The Emma Dress

2012-01-25T11:08:00.001-07:00

I made something yesterday.
My friend Jess, at craftiness is not optional, did a sew-along for this super cute Emma Dress last week. I wasn't feeling well, and had to put it off until yesterday. Jess has the tutorial split up into 3 days, but I was able to finish it up in a couple of hours. Lucky for me, our daughters wear the same size, so I was able to print her pattern and save myself some work.

I love the off-center bodice.

Not to mention the collar and ric-rac.

I was worried it was a little too yellow, but it really brings a ray of sunshine to a cold January day.

Best of all she loves it.

I was at a meeting yesterday and left all the fabric and supplies laying around the dinning room table. When I came home, my husband said my girls were talking about how much they loved the fabric and how much they love it when mom sews for them, and soon there was a fight over who was getting a new dress. Ha, I love it. I think I just go the motivation to make something for valentines.

love is in the air

2012-01-20T09:02:00.002-07:00

In honor of finally getting all our valentines decor out, I thought I would post a list of my favorite valentines projects I've done in the past. I absolutely love Valentine's Day. It's not about romance for me, but celebrating the love I have for everyone around me.

Hope you'll be inspired and feel the love in these past projects:

(click on the title under the photo for the original post)

Love Juice Valentines

Valentines Mail Pouch Tutorial

{LOVE} and {BE MINE} banners

Crepe Paper Hanging Hearts

Vintage Valentines and DIY stands

LOVEly ruffle dresses

Valentines Attire

Cherry Chocolate Fudge

Sweets for your Sweets

I don't get to spend as much time blog surfing. I'd love for you all to share any fun valentines ideas you've seen out there or better yet your made yourself.

favorite homemade gift I received this year

2012-01-12T14:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I have to share one more homemade gift from Christmas and then I will move on with life.

My sister made these for me and I love them. Do you know what they are?

Does this help?

How about this?

Or this?

They are handmade luggage tags. I've seen a lot of different ideas for handmade luggage tags, but these are so classy and she put so much heart into them I had to share. Our entire family travels a lot, thanks to a mother who has worked for Delta and has provided years of free and discounted airfare.

I've been wanting to make something to help me find my black luggage at the airport for years but always forget about it till I'm packing my bags.

They are made of special vinyl purchased at Mood during our trip to NY. She said it's typically used to make high-end ski clothing.

This one was for my husband, I'm glad she kept his simple.

Thanks again Shelly for the perfect thoughtful gift.

Clair's Christmas Dress

2012-01-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

As usual I insisted my girls have matching dresses for the Holidays. I know it's a sickness. The fact that I couldn't find three that matched, in all the right sizes, didn't stop me either. I had NO choice but to make Clair's.

Kate on the left is showing the original dress purchased for her and big sister Lydia. Clair on the right is wearing her copy-cat dress made by me. Although I couldn't find the exact same materials, I think it's a pretty good match.

She loves it and declares herself a princess every time she wears it.

I was quite proud of myself, making my own pattern and once again using an invisible zipper.

Okay, I took my first leap and went with non-traditional colors for a Christmas dress. Maybe next year I can take another leap and get them dresses that don't match.

On another side note, I found it interesting that I really didn't save much money making the dress myself. Luckily I got all my fabric at 50% off plus and extra 20%. In the end I spent $16 on supplies and the original dress cost $25. I would have gladly paid ten dollars and saved myself the time.

Fleece Ear Warmers

2012-01-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

Okay I think I discovered the best handmade gift ever. Not only is it super cheap to make but also quick and easy.

While in NY for Thanksgiving my sisters and I were talking about our knit ear warmers and how although they were super cute, they didn't always do the best job of keeping our ears warm. That's when I thought of Delia's ear warmer tutorial and thought I should give fleece a try.

I was totally inspired by Delia, but made mine a little differently. I doubled up my fleece and simply sewed the two pieces together, leaving the edges raw. I added two buttons so it could be adjusted and rounded the ends.

I love how they turned out. Cute but also toasty warm.

I stuck with rosettes, because they were quick and easy, but I can't wait to try some other designs.

These would make great gifts for your sisters, girlfriends, teachers, and co-workers. They only cost me about $1.25 each (I bought my fleece at 50% off) and they only took about 20 minutes each to make.

Handmade Holidays?

2012-01-03T16:07:00.000-07:00

I promise I have a real excuse for the lack of blogging. I've been having major technical issues. First off, a few weeks ago iphoto deleted all my photos. After an hour of crying I found them , but will still have to reorganized them all, YIKES. Now we are trying to figure out what is eating up all the memory on our computer, so I can download new photo's. It's been a bit of a nightmare. I'm currently using my hubbies laptop but it takes FOREVER to download pictures into blogger. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping this will all get sorted out sooner than later.

For anyone that's been following for over a year knows how important homemade gifts for the holidays are to me. Making things for those I love is what makes Christmas meaningful. Nothing gets me into the Christmas spirit like creating the perfect gifts for my family.

Unfortunately, my family and I had abnormally busy November and December this year, and weren't able to be as ambitious we have been in the past. My next few posts will show the few things I was able to pull together before Christmas.

Like most Americans, our family follows the tradition of opening new pajama's on Christmas Eve. My Mother almost always made ours for us, something I never thought I would do. But, in a moment of frustration I committed myself to sewing PJ's for all my girls. I don't understand why it is so hard to find PJ's that are Christmas colors but not overtly Christmas themed. I want something festive but can be worn for months after the big day.

Luckily I stopeed myself from my big plans of sewing tops for my older girls. Instead they got a full set for their dolls (simplicity 4268).

I love how the full set turned out for my little thing. My favorite part is the piping and ruffle at the bottom.

I'm proud of the top. I made up my own pattern and can't even remember how I did it.

I had just enough material left to make me a pair of bottoms as well.

Hope your holidays were as joyous as ours!

Paper Medallion Ornaments-guest posting

2011-12-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

Today I'm sharing a tutorial for these super easy, inexpensive, ornaments at Design Dazzle's 100 ideas of Christmas.

Come on over and check it out HERE.

White Chocolate Fudge- with cashews

2011-12-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

Today we start our Chocolate making process. We usually start on Monday and do it for an entire week. My sister is flying in and couldn't come until today, so we are attempting the impossible. Wish us luck.
In honor of chocolate week, I thought I would post my White Chocolate Fudge recipe from my guest post a few weeks ago. I've added a few little details I forgot the first time around.

I am so excited to share one of my favorite holiday traditions, CHOCOLATE. My mother, sisters and I spend a week after Thanksgiving making around 350 pounds of hand-dipped chocolates. You can read more about it HERE.

Not everyone has an amazing mom like me to sit next to them and help them dip chocolates for their neighbors, co-workers and friends. So, I thought I'd give you something almost as good, our recipe for White Chocolate Fudge with cashews. It's to die for.

It's easy to make yet your neighbors will think you're a professional candy maker. This just may become your newest secret family recipe.

** A cube of Butter is a stick or 1/2 cup butter**
***The evaporated milk is a 16 oz can***
Another important thing I forgot is, you don't want to scrap the sides of your pan when pouring the hot liquid into the mixer. It will sometimes make your fudge grainy.

Once you've let it set for a couple hours somewhere cold, turn your pan over and let some hot water run over the bottom of the pan. Make sure to hold you fingers over the opening so that your fudge doesn't drop into the sink. After a couple of seconds of hot water the fudge should release.

Drop the pan over onto parchment paper so you can cut it into pieces. I got out my ruler to cut 20 even pieces. Once cut, I wrapped each piece in plastic wrap.

You can deliver your fudge as is or you can dress it up in one of these SWEET bags:

They are the perfect size for one or two pieces of fudge.

I printed this fun images onto Paper sacks from Michaels.
(CELEBRATE IT, paper sacks, 3-1/2" x 2" x 6-3/4", 16 pieces)

To make your own, down load the file HERE.

***To print, click on PRINT in FILE menu. Then click OPEN WITH PREVIEW. Then click on PRINT in preview FILE menu. When the print options box opens change paper size from standard to untitled. Tape down the bottom flap on the back and print. ***

If making fudge is not for you, you can still fill the sacks with you favorite holiday goodie.

Hope your holidays are SWEET!

making the season bright

2011-12-04T13:31:00.001-07:00

First off I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. We sure did. We spent the holiday in NYC.

The parade was the highlight of the trip. It was a once in a lifetime experience for us. The kids loved it, but I don't think I have it in me to do it again.

Here I am with my sisters saving our spots at 6am. Notice it's still dark outside and very cold.

I've been running non-stop since we got home getting ready for Christmas and our annual Santa party, which we had over the weekend. I have a couple days to relax until we start our Chocolates.

Cutting down our tree.

Letting the kids decorate the tree before bed so I can redo it while they sleep.

This is our droopiest tree ever, but I still love it.

A closer look, it's covered in Santa ornaments to go with my Santa collection.

The tree was too tall and we had to cut off the bottom. My sweet sister-in-law cut off the branches and made these awesome swags for me.

Did you notice the packages under the tree? They're our 12 days of Christmas presents. I've used the same wrapping paper for years and ran out last year. I had to come up with a new look and love how these turned out. I used my Silhouette to make the tags. I love that machine.

You can check out my holiday home tour from last year HERE.

I sure do miss you guys. I hope to be back blogging on a more regular basis, but don't want to make any promises. I'll do my best.

What do you want this year?

2011-11-23T05:52:00.001-07:00

First off I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and hope everyone traveling makes it to their destination safely. I'm on the East Coast enjoying time with my siblings.

I just wanted to pop in and let everyone know about a Black Friday sale silhouette is having. I'll be stopping in sometime over the weekend to pick me up some stocking stuffers for myself.

In addition to the 30% off, if you enter my code "SECOND" at checkout you get an additional 10% off, for a total of 40% off.

If you are interested in getting the CAMEO, you won't find it on the regular page. You'll need to go to the secret page found HERE. The 30% discount code won't work for the Cameo, but if you use my code, "SECOND" you will get a VERY nice discount.

If your a crazy Black Friday shopper like myself I wish you the best of luck and lots of energy.

Refashionista

2011-11-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Today I am guest posting at I Am Momma Hear Me Roar as part of a refashionista series.

Come on over and checkout how I put together one of my favorite refashions to date. Click HERE.

I hope you love it as much as I do.

White Chocolate Fudge - guest posting

2011-11-06T09:02:00.003-07:00

Today I am guest posting at I {heart} nap time, as part of a month long series called Crazy Christmas Crafters.

I'm sharing this ridiculously yummy recipe for White Chocolate Fudge with cashews...

And a free printable for these sweet bags to deliver it in.

Come on over and check it out. Just click on the button below.

There will be great Christmas ideas all month long from some great bloggers, so head on over and get ahead of the game before the season starts.

Christmas Cards from Shutterfly

2011-11-03T12:10:00.002-06:00

Giving and receiving Christmas cards is one of my favorite traditions at Christmas. It's just one of those little things that makes the season so magical.

Last year was our first year ordering cards through Shutterfly and boy was I impressed. First off, they have an amazing selection, over 800 options to choose from. Second, they are easy to use. Third, they are super fast, I think I received mine days after ordering them. And lastly, they were super high quality, definitely the nicest cards we've ever sent.

After searching their site here are some of the designs I really love:

Not only does Shutterfly do cards, but also holiday gifts and photo books. You could get some early Christmas shopping done while you are there.

I don't know about you, but our holiday season is insane, I can't wait to get these done and have one less thing to worry about in the months to come.

Do you want to get your cards done too?

The first three readers to leave a comment here, WITH THEIR EMAIL, will get a code for 25 free card. (sorry-US residence only).

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2011-10-31T09:40:00.000-06:00

We celebrated all weekend long, with multiple parties, lots of candy, treats, spooky movies and carving pumpkins. I think we've had our fill and will skip trick-or-treating tonight.

Trunk or Treat

We attended our first ever trunk or treat. It was so much fun.

We decided to stick with our costume themes and decorated our trunk like Hogwarts.

I basically grabbed everything old looking from our house and set it up in the trunk.

I turned printed images from online into a pendant banner to help people get the theme.

My cute little sister threw a big Halloween party at her house later that night. My dad helped her make this amazing face-in-the-hole picture boards for her party.

What would Halloween be without lots of homemade goodies?

We've been making cakes for the school Halloween carnival for years. We loved how this ghost cake turned out. We copied THIS.

When I showed my daughter the cake online to see if she wanted to make it, she said, "what if another mom is a blogger and they help their kids make the same cake." It cracked me up.

We always do a spider cake because I like to use the barbie cake pan at least once a year. This year we did a black widow, complete with a red hourglass on the back.

I copied THIS idea and made these super cute cupcakes and toppers.

Mummy pretzel sticks. So easy, so festive and so yummy.

Hope you all are having a great Halloween.

GO! BABY WINNER

2011-10-31T08:45:00.003-06:00

WE HAVE A WINNER....

CONGRATULATIONS BRITTANY OF THE PISTACHIO PROJECT

I'll be sending you and email.

harry potter and friends

2011-10-28T09:06:00.001-06:00

My kids have known for months what they wanted to be this year. It all started when we listened to the first Harry Potter book on tape this summer on our way to California.

Luckily, I talked the little ones into being owls so we could finally have family themed costumes.

It helps that my kids already look similar to the characters.

I can't get over how much he looks like a young Harry Potter.

I made the robes with a $5 bolt from Walmart. I was so excited when I found it. They were a nightmare to line with the burgundy, but totally worth it. I ordered the patches online for a few dollars each.

Hermione wants to wear hers 24-7.

It was her idea to pose with books. She takes her character very seriously.

There has been non-stop spell casting in our home all week.

I don't know if I should be concerned that they keep trying to kill each other with their spells?

Kate was so excited to not just be an owl, but Harry's owl.

I was inspired by THIS costume, but made mine a little differently.

I made the mask so it could be worn over her eyes or can sit on top of her head.

I think my favorite is the brown owl.

Hoo...Hoo...

I just love all the textures of the fabrics.

And I love the mask. It's so cute and only too minutes to make.

I'm so glad to be done and that they all worked out. It's been a crazy week. The best part is that most of our costumes came from stuff we had around the house. I only had to buy the robe material, patches, and glasses. We borrowed the tie and had everything else on hand. The owl costumes are made from old clothing in our donate piles.

GO! Baby AccuQuilt cutter Giveaway!CLOSED

2011-10-26T10:42:00.001-06:00

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED*

THE WINNER IS BRITTANY @ THE PISTACHIO PROJECT

I'm so excited to finally be giveaway one of these amazing Accuquilt Go! Baby fabric cutters.

Not, only will one lucky winner get a cutter but also 3 free dies.

I've shown you how easy they are to use.

It made my yo-yo pillows a breeze.

And, provided perfectly cut circles for our spider web headbands.

Are you dying to have one too?

To enter:
1. leave a comment with your name and email.
2. for another entry, visit the shop and tell me one of the dies you would pick.
3. for another entry, sign up for AccuQuilt emails, by clicking the link below. Once you're signed up leave a comment telling me you did.

Once you've signed up for Accuquilt emails, you will receive 22 Free Patterns. SCORE! It's a win-win.

Good Luck, this giveaway will end Sunday night at 10pm MST.

spider web headband

2011-10-25T17:38:00.001-06:00

Times have changed and many kids aren't allowed to wear costumes to school on Halloween anymore. It breaks my heart, parading around the school and showing off my costume was one of my favorite traditions.

I thought it would be fun to make some Halloween headbands for my girls, so they could still be festive without their costumes.

I had all my supplies on hand and they literally took minutes to make.

Since I won't be dressing up either, I made me one too.

It's a lot bigger and a lot more dramatic.

To make it: I cut a 3" and 5" circle out of felt with my GO! Baby Fabric Cutter and drew web lines onto the big circle with chalk. I used two 3" circles for my daughters.

Next, I went over my lines with a double stitch in black thread. you could use a regular stitch or ever embroider it instead. I added a spider, cut from a ring, with hot glue.

I glued the smaller circle onto the headband, and covered it with glue.

Lastly, press onto the bottom of larger circle.

I think it's a great solution for mom's who don't want to dress up, but still be festive for the kids.

P.S. come back tomorrow. I'll be having a giveaway for a tool that could help you make your own.

a magical time

2011-10-24T15:56:00.001-06:00

Most of you probably didn't even notice my absence, but for those of you wondering where I've been. I was with my family on a magical vacation. We visited the Western Caribbean with some of our favorite characters.

Between getting ready and actually going, I didn't have time to blog. Hopefully you'll hear a lot from me this week as I've got halloween project to finish and a couple giveaways lined up.

Star Wars room completed

2011-10-11T16:56:00.000-06:00

We finally finished the room. We would have had it done on schedule but ran into so problems with our new furniture, and had to make an extra trip to Ikea.

If you follow my blog, this post won't be that exciting, because you've already seen all the elements of the room. But, I still wanted to show the finished product with the painted walls. I found it to be incredibly difficult to get any decent pictures. I had low light, lots of glare from the windows and even while standing the corners I couldn't get the views I wanted. Does anyone know of a good tutorial for shooting a small room?

I started a gallery wall above his dresser with most of the artwork. I hope to add more to it over time.

Go HERE for more info about the artwork.

I was worried the blue walls were too dark at first. Now, I love it, especially how they make all the wood stand out. We finally got him a real book case from Ikea. I'm hoping he'll store all his junk here so no one will see from the hallway.

I used some of his star wars toys around the room, which he loves.

We have this mask that is meant to be a costume, but I decided it looks better on the bed as decor.

For more info about the bedding go HERE.

We all LOVE the room. I wish you could see it the way we do.

2011-10-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

Hi there, today I am guest posting over at The Train to Crazy as part of a Handmade Dress UP series.

I'm sharing my tutorial for iridescent wings from last year.

Andrea has invited guest bloggers for basically the whole month so there is lots of inspiration if your looking for ideas for Halloween.

Come on over and check it out HERE.

family pictures

2011-10-06T09:11:00.000-06:00

I have avoided getting our family pictures done for years. The thought seriously terrified me. In fact the last time we got a family picture was about 7 years ago.

Well, I finally bucked up and made an appointment. Time to face my fears head on. What would we all wear? What if my kids don't behave or smile? What if the weather is bad? What if I put all this money and effort into pictures and non of them turn out?

Luckily, it did all work out. No, my kids did not behave despite the pleadings and bribes of ice cream when we were done.

The trick was having an awesome photographer. He and his wife worked magic with my kids. They were so patient and full of ideas to keep everyone happy. And, he was quick to get a shot the split second it happened. I was shocked when I got my pictures back that half of them turned out well.

Not only is he a professional, but he's affordable. One of the most important things to me, when picking a photographer is that they will sell or give you a digital copy of all your pictures at a decent price. My poor sister had her family pictures done and they looked amazing, but she would have had to pay a fortune to get digital copies. We always joke that the photographer was holding her precious family memories ransom.

For our clothing, I was able to pull most of our clothes from our closets. You might recognize a few things I've made.

I found THIS great post about how to dress your family for pictures. It's all about having everyone compliment each other, but not be "matchy-matchy." I shows how to use layers, textured clothing, and pops of color to create a great photo.

I was not paid or given anything to promote RLT photography. I just think he is that awesome. If you live in Utah you should check him out HERE.

millennium falcon lego cake

2011-10-03T10:22:00.002-06:00

It's tradition to let my kids pick whatever kind of cake they want and I will try my hardest to make it happen. I've been anxious ever since my son let me know that he wanted a Lego cake. As we looked online at different options he fell in love with some images of millennium falcon Lego cakes, HERE and HERE. Despite my concerns that it might not work out, I told him I would try it.

It's not perfect but I was pretty proud of how it turned out. I spent about 6 hours on it, 2 of which were spent just putting the little Lego bumps on.

I had to get creative and figure some things out with this cake. I wanted to share what I did in case anyone else ever wants to attempt this.

This was my first cake using a cake and rice crispy treats and I loved how much easier it was. I used a 8' round cake for the main body and then added the rice crispy pieces to the front and side. Sorry I forgot to take a picture before I frosted it. I think it would have been a big mess if I had tried to cut cake into this shape like I was originally planning.

When I colored my fondant I ended up with purple instead of gray. Apparently this is a big problem when using black coloring,especially with the Wilton brand. I also tried Americolor and it wasn't much better. Luckily, I found online that you can add some yellow coloring to neutralize it. Worked like a charm.

This is my contraption I created for making my Lego bumps. I had some straws from Ikea that were the same circumference as my bamboo skewers. I cut a 2' piece of straw and slipped it over the end of the skewer.

With the skewer pulled up into the straw I would poke the straw into rolled out fondant.

Then I would very lightly wet the bottom of the fondant and then with the skewer push it out of the straw onto the cake.

I hope this makes sense. It worked very well. It's important the the skewer fit tightly inside the straw otherwise the fondant will squeeze up the sides of the skewer as you push it out.

I probably wasn't very acurate in the design I just kinda stuck things were I thought they would look good.

In the end all that matters is this happy face. Happy Birthday G-Man!

I'm linking to today's creative blog and these parties.

Star Wars art

2011-09-27T06:30:00.000-06:00

I'm still trying to get my sons room completed before his birthday this weekend. Hopefully I can show you some pictures next week.

Yesterday I finished his name sign. He's wanted one ever since I made one for his cousin at Christmas.

I added more layers and detail to this one and we both love how it turned out.

I thought I might as well share some of the other art we are hanging in the room. I've been so worried about him outgrowing this theme, so I tried to keep it as grown up as possible, and as inexpensive as possible.

action figure shadow box:

I love how this turned out. I can't imagine anything not looking great in a shadow box. I glued a gray scrap of fabric from the bedding to the backing and then hot glued the toys to that. I had big plans to tie them down with clear wire, but in the end decided to go with what was easiest.

R2D2 print:

I got this print from HERE. I especially love how it pulled all the colors in the room together.

character line up from the entire saga:

I got this print HERE. We absolutely love this print. My son could spend hours staring at it. I can't image any star wars room complete without it.

We got a huge surprise when it came in the mail. The artist Brad, was so kind to address the package to my son with a painting General Grievous.

Since General Grievous is his favorite character we had to cut it out and frame it too.

I seriously can't believe, the artist would take the time to paint this for the package. The detail is amazing. I wish you could see it in real life.

Complete saga poster:

I am not usually a poster fan, but it was only $5, I already had a frame, and I liked the colors for his room.

I finished up the artwork by framing black and white photo's from his birthday party last year.

I know I haven't been posting as much as I used to. My life just can't seem to slow down. My days are filled with running kids to preschool, soccer, baseball, dance, scouts, etc. I thought my life would slow down when my kids got older and didn't need to be entertained as much, turns out I'm just spending that time in the car now.

Thanks so much for sticking with me. Crafting and Blogging are still my outlet. I love having something for just me. Your sweet comments help keep me going.

Star Wars Bedding

2011-09-21T06:00:00.000-06:00

Last spring I attempted to get the ball rolling for the decor in my sons room. It's a sad neglected room full of left-over furniture and no style. You see, decorating a boys room is scarier than a girls. Boys seem to out grow things so much faster.

When I finally decided to redecorate my son's neglected bedroom there was only one choice for a theme, Star Wars. He wouldn't have it any other way. I've been dragging my feet on this project wondering how I was going to tastefully accomplish his dreams. Then I found the Star Wars collection from Pottery Barn.

I was so excited to find some pieces that my son wouldn't outgrow overnight and weren't too cheesy.

I especially liked the pillows and knew they were something I could tackle on my own.

Here is the my version I made for a guest post on a knock-off series.

Even though I had bought supplies to finish the room, it has sat untouched all these months.

This week I decided I better get it done before his birthday at the end of the month. I finished all the bedding, including this fun pillow.

Since I never posted the tutorial for pillow here on my blog, I thought I might as well do it now.

With an envelope closure and appliqued letters it was super simple make.

Details make the difference in a good knock-off. The pillow wouldn't have been the same without adding the pick-stitch boarder

This Knock-Off can be easily changed to fit any decor. PBkids is famous for it's personalized accessories. I would love to make one in pink with my daughters initials on it.

To make your own pillow you'll need:

-a printer, paper, a pencil

-outer fabric- 1/2 to 1 yard depending on size of pillow

-white or contrasting fabric

-wonder under or Heat N' Bond

-clear ruler

-thread, pins and sewing machine

-chalk pencil

-pillow form, mine was 20 x20

Step 1: print and cut out lettering

I typed out the saying in a word document. I used the Star Jedi font found HERE (size 190).

After printing the document I cut it out and traced it backwards onto my white fabric that was already treated for applique. Then I cut all my fabric letters out.

Step 2: cut out pillow front and back.

Since I was working with a 20 x 20 pillow, I cut a 22 x 22 square for my front and two-13 x 22 rectangles for the back. What ever the size you make, add an inch for the boarder and and inch for your seams.

Step 3: add lettering to the front.

Using my clear ruler, I laid out my lettering so it would be centered. Once it was all in place, I ironed it down. I put a towel under it so I could iron on my table, since it wouldn't all fit on an ironing board.

Step 4: stitch down lettering

I used a zig-zag stitch because it reminded me of the embroidery on the original. A straight stitch would be easier. Use a short stitch to avoid going over the edges.

Step 5: adding the back

I hemmed one side of each of the back panels. Then with right sides together I places the first panel on top of the front piece. Make sure the finished edges are on the inside of the pillow and your edges line up.

Next I put the second back panel down, overlapping the first. Pin and stitch around the edges.

Step six: adding the boarder

I flipped the pillow right side out and pressed all my seams and corners. Then I used my ruler again with a chalk pencil to draw a line one inch from the sides around the entire pillow.

Next I sewed over the chalk lines first with navy blue thread then again with a double stitch in white.

When your done slip your pillow inside the opening.

* I made my own pillow form using a standard $4 pillow from Walmart. I measured 20" over and cut the pillow in half then stitched up the opening. It was a lot cheaper than any other square pillow forms I found.

Sail Away School Dress Tutorial

2011-09-15T08:32:00.001-06:00

I've been a little obsessed with all things nautical lately, so I made this little number to help my oldest sail through her school year.

I'll be showing you how I refashioned a men's shirt into this adorable neck tie top.

I also have a tutorial for the gabardine flat front skirt. It can be recreated in any size with a variety of fabrics.

Let's start with the shirt.

You'll need:

-a men's shirt with no front pockets and wide enough to cut smaller shirt and strips for neck tie.

- a shirt to use as a pattern, pick one without a separate sleeve.

- biased tape

-matching thread

Step 1: cut out shirt

I turned my shirt inside out centered it over the buttons. Because the final shirt won't stretch like the t-shirt I added a couple inches to the sides as I cut it out.

Step 2: cut neck line

After cutting, I separated my front piece from the back, folded it in half and cut a lower neck line.

Step 3: sew shoulders

Pin front and back right sides together at the shoulders. Sew and finish edges.

Step 4: pin and sew biased tape around arm holes

Because my fabric had some good stretch to it I was able to make my own biased tape with scraps of the shirt. If you use a traditional cotton shirt you will want to buy or make matching biased tape with another piece of fabric.

Step 5: sew up the sides

Pin, sew and finish the edges.

Step 6: make neck tie

Going back to my shirt, I cut 4 strips of fabric 1-3/4" wide. I cut them as long as the shirt would allow. I sewed ends of the strips together to make two really long strips. Then I sewed the two long strips right sides together all the way around leaving a small gap, which I used to turn the tube right side out. Once turned, I ironed and topstitch the tie.

Step 7: finish and fold under neck edges.

I serged my neck edges and ironed them under. If you don't have a serger you may want to do a double fold.

Step 8: pin a sew on tie.

Lining up the center of the tie and the center of the back, I pinned the tie around the neck. Leave an opening in the front about 2" from the edge, so you'll have room to tie a knot. Stitch around the neck, overlapping the top stitch on tie.

Step 9: top stitch opening in front.

Secure the folded neckline in the front by topstitching as close to the tie as possible.

Step 10: Hem bottom and you are done.

Easy Flat Front Skirt

You'll need:

- 1-2 yards fabric depending on size

- 1" elastic band

- matching thread

- four buttons

Step 1: cut skirt pieces

The length and width of these pieces will depend on the size of your child. I will tell you how I did it based on the size of my child who has a 24" waist.

Here is what I cut for a 24" waist:

2 - 4"x 12" strips (12" is half of 24")

2 - 4" x 15" strips ( 12"+3" for room to stretch)

2- 13" x 24" (13" was how long I wanted the main skirt and 24" will give me a good gather)

1- 10" piece of elastic (12"-2")

Step 2: sew 4"X 12" and 4" x 15" strips together

Match up the same sized strips and sew right sides together across the top. After sewing a seam across the 4"X 15" strips, you'll sew the elastic band onto one of the stripes just below the seam.

It will look like this.

Sew it to only one of the pieces do not sew through both or you won't be able to turn it right side out.

Step 3: Press seams open.

These will be the front and back of your skirts waist band. The elastic piece will go in the back.

Step 4: sew front and back panels together

With panels still open pin front to back right sides together and sew up the sides. You will have a tube when you are done.

Step 5: Topstitch waistband

Fold the waistband in half right sides out and topstitch the top and then over the waistband securing it in place.

Step 6: Sew skirt sides and gather.

grab your larger skirt pieces and sew the ends right sides together. Gather the top to the size of your waist band.

Step 7: attach the skirt to the waistband.

pin and sew skirt to waistband matching up sides.

Step 8: finishing details

Topstitch gather to waistband and add buttons.

Please let me know if you have any questions or if I left anything out.

pinwheels

2011-09-12T07:00:00.000-06:00

My little sister celebrated her birthday over the weekend. Since she was having a party at the park, I thought cupcakes would be more appropriate than a cake.

I couldn't show up with plain cupcakes, so I added pinwheels.

pinwheels are my new obsession. Like yo-yo's, they also make my heart go pitter patter. They are so easy to make and bring a smile to anyones face.

I don't have a tutorial but here are some great ones that inspired me:

linen pinwheel cupcake toppers by kojo designs

pinwheel art by little lovelies

pinwheel bows by Style Me Pretty

pinwheel hair clips by the Mother Huddle

dolls for the fairy festival

2011-09-08T12:53:00.001-06:00

I was asked to make some more black apple dolls for a Fairy Festival tomorrow night. They're very similar to the ones I made for my nieces at Christmas, but thought I would share them anyways.

If you live in the Salt Lake area, you should come to the festival tomorrow night. I've never been but, I'm hoping I find time tomorrow to take my little girls, cause I know they would absolutely love it. All the proceeds are donated to charity and this year they will be given to the Tanner Dance Program.

You can come and buy one of my dolls or one of the many handcrafted items that were donated.

Black apple dolls are so simple and fun to put together. You can go HERE for the pattern.

p.s. I widened the arms, because I thought the originals were just too thin.

This project is linked up to THESE Parties and Design Dazzle.

Labor Day

2011-09-06T15:15:00.000-06:00

I hope you all had a fabulous Labor Day weekend. We sure did. We ran up to the lake for one last trip. It was cooler than usual, just another reminder summer is over, but we still had fun relaxing, watching football and playing in the sand.

Pie, anyone?

I thought I would show you some paintings I did a couple years ago for our little spot at the lake.

I painted over some hideous old train paintings.I love how simple yet whimsical they are.

It was so relaxing, sitting outside and painting by the lake.

I loved watching my dad sail his little boat on the lake growing up and still love to look out and see white sails dotting the horizon.

yo-yo pillows- AccuQuilt tutorial

2011-09-01T16:21:00.000-06:00

I was so excited to get my AccuQuilt Go! baby fabric cutter. The minute I got it, I knew what I wanted my first project to be.

I knew I would be using the circle cutter to make me some yo-yo's.

I kinda have a thing for yo-yo's, they make my heart go pitter patter.

I've been dying to make some throw pillows for my boring bed and I love how these turned out, they remind me of something Anthropologie would make.

If you want to make your own you'll need to make a pile of yo-yo's too.

To be honest, I got the machine just for the circle cutter and it did not disappoint. I was able to cut out 8 layers of fabric at a time. I had all my circles cut within a minute. Seriously, I spent more time finding a needle than it took to cut out all my circles. I don't know if you've ever cut circles before, but I'll take this route any day.

Yo-yo's are incredibly easy to make and are the perfect on-the-go project. Throw all your circles, a needle and some thread into a zip-lock and you can work on them wherever you are.

To make a yo-yo fold over the edge a little, and run a long stitch around the circle.

Like this.

When you get back to the beginning, pull on your thread.

Once you get a tight gather in the center, pull the thread through the back and tie a knot.

Keep making yo-yo's until you have enough to lay out any pattern you want.

I used a little stitch in the back wherever the yo-yo's touched.

For the pillow I did a simple envelope back.

For a 12" x 16" pillow, I cut a 13" X 16" panel for the front, and two 13" X 12" panels for the back. I finished the inside edges of the back panels and hemmed them. Then I laid the front panel right side up and the back panels right side down, on top, lining up the outside edges. There should be an overlap of several inches.

Stich around the outside and finish the edges.

When you turn it right side out you'll have an opening to stuff your pillow in.

But, because of the overlap it will stay nice and closed.

My bed could still use some more pillows, but this is a huge improvement for now.

For a couple more yo-yo ideas I had, you can go HERE, HERE and HERE.

Did you Know if yo sign up for AccuQuilt e-mails they'll give you 22 FREE Patterns! Sign Up HERE.

1st Birthday Outfit

2011-08-29T15:05:00.000-06:00

When one of my good friends had a baby last year, I asked her what she wanted for a baby gift. This was her 3rd girl and she wasn't really needing much, so I thought it would best to give her a choice. I was thrilled when she said she wanted a birthday outfit for the baby's first birthday.

I had several ideas, but decided to go with this fun pendant-banner jumper.

I used heat and bond to apply the pendants and sewed over the tops with a double stitch.

The jumper is actually a re-fashion. I made it from a men's shirt I found thrifting. I thought the multi colored stripes were perfect for a birthday.

I kept the buttons in the back.

I used all my scraps to make a couple banners and a hat.

Happy Birthday Myra.

This project has been linked to THESE parties and Design Dazzle.

First Week

2011-08-28T16:39:00.000-06:00

We survived our first week back to school, but it has been crazy around here. It's been a huge adjustment getting back on a schedule. Even though we were late our first day, I made everyone run to the front porch for a quick picture. Instead of cute signs, we keep it simple and use our fingers to say what grade we are in.

Oh, and guess what I got in the mail this weekend?

I'm so excited. I'll have some fun projects to show you and possibly a giveaway.

Sail Away School Dress- Guest Post

2011-08-22T01:00:00.002-06:00

I'm guest posting today at The Train to Crazy as part of the Dress Your {School} Girl Series.

You don't want to miss this:

I've been a little obsessed with all things nautical lately, so I made this little number to help my oldest sail through her school year.

I'll be showing you how I refashioned a men's shirt into this adorable neck tie top.

I also have a tutorial for the gabardine flat front skirt. It can be recreated in any size with a variety of fabrics.

Just click HERE for the full tutorial!

why haven't I done this before?

2011-08-18T16:59:00.003-06:00

Today I made head bands for the new school year. I don't know why I haven't ever done it before. I had so much fun. In fact it's kinda addicting.

I pulled out a bunch of scraps and my glue gun and went to town. I loved that I didn't need a sewing machine to make any of these. Which means I got to watch TV while making them, something I rarely do. I might make some more tonight just so I can watch project runway.

i love the versatility of cream

I made this one for a friend, who was over for a play date. She wanted something green.

This is my favorite. I might have to make an outfit to match.

I had these flowers from an old hair tie for about 10 years. I'm so glad I finally used them.

Do you have any cute head band designs you want to share? I'd love the inspiration, please leave a link in the comments.

Check out the super cool parties I link to HERE
I

back to school on a budget

2011-08-16T10:42:00.001-06:00

I pride myself on being pretty thrifty. I'm probably more excited when someone says they like something I bought for super cheap, than if they say they like something I made.

School starts next week for us and in the name of tradition we've been doing some back-to-school shopping. With four school age kids, it can be very costly.

Some ways I shop on a budget are:

-clearance, especially end of season for the next year

- buy second hand- (I find new things at thrift stores all the time)

- back to school sales for jeans

- refashion unused clothing you already have

I kinda have this rule in my head that I won't spend much more than $10 for an outfit. Sometimes I get worried when I go to a few stores and I don't find anything I like in that price range, but if I keep looking, it always works out. Of course the exception to that is boys jeans. It's really hard to find boys jeans second hand. That is when you have to take advantage of back to school sales and stock up.

One of my favorite traditions is to do a little fashion show with the kids when we are done shopping. We've done it for the last few years. It's a fun way to show dad the new stuff and get the kids excited for school to start.

Here are a few of our thrifty finds this year:

1. Arizona shirt- thirfted, $4; Levi's Jeans- thrifted, $8; total- $12

2. long sleeve T- thirfted with original tags, $2.60; jeans- The children's place, $12: total- $14.60

3. J. Crew polo- thirfted, $3; jeans- The children's place $12; total-$15.00

DC shoes, $10

1. dress- thrifted, $2; jean jacket- thrifted, $2.50; total- $4.50

2. sweater- thifted, $4; leggins- walmart, $5; total- $9.00

3. shirt- walmart, $5; turquoise corduroy pants- Osh-Kosh clearance, $6; total-$11.00

1. shirt- Walmart, $3.88; skinny jeans - thrifted, $6.50; total- $10.38
2. dress- Walmart, $6; leggins- Walmart, $3.88; total- $9.88
3. shirt and pants combo- costco $7.99

One of my favorite buys were these hightop sneakers. I got them at a thrift store for $5.

We got loads more stuff to integrate with their current wardrobe and I'm hoping to do a few more refashions for the girls this week. You can't beat free clothing.

Here are the links to the refashions I did last year, for those that missed them:

1. pear dress, 2. Skirt to Shirts 3. Pants to Tunic

1. eyelet dress, 2. T-shirt dreses, 3. sundress to school dress

For more ideas on sewing for school age girls check out Dress Your School Girl starting next week on The Train to Crazy. I'll be guest posting on Monday.

What do you do to save money this time of year?

101 Tee's: Restyle, Refashion, Revamp- WINNER

2011-08-14T19:12:00.000-06:00

I have a winner- #55, Erica. I'll be sending you an email.

I'm sorry I've been such a loser with posting this last week. I was asked last minute go to Girls Camp for the week, then I ran away with the family to the lake for the weekend.

101 Tee's: Restyle, Refashion, Revamp- A Giveaway- CLOSED

2011-08-08T05:00:00.003-06:00

Do you know Cathie Filian from Creative Juice?

Well, she's a Emmy nominated tv host, ubber-talented crafter, inventor, designer and book author. Her newest book 101 Tee's: Restyle, Refashion, Revamp was just released last week. She uses lots of great techniques to transform a plain tee. In her own words, "This book is all about giving you the potential to create your own designer tees for a fraction of the cost. Every chapter contains at least 10 original ideas, each with a new technique to learn or explore. Many of the tees are so quick and easy to make, you can be wearing one tonight."

Take a look at some of the fun ideas:

If you would like to WIN one of Cathie's books, simply leave me a comment with your email address.

The giveaway will be open until Thursday 10 pm MST.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED

maxi dress tutorial

2011-08-04T08:39:00.000-06:00

Yeah, I finally have the tutorial for the super easy maxi dress.

Before we get started, I have to first thank Jess, from Craftiness is not Optional. Not only has she given me the motivation to sew for myself, she also has a great tutorial for a raglan tee that helped make this possible.

I really love wearing this dress. It is unbelievably comfortable.

The raw edges and elastic thread made it super simple to put together.

I kept it plain so I could wear it lots of different ways.

What you need:
2 yards of knit fabric (60" wide) or 4 yards (30"+ wide)
(you may need wider or longer if you are taller or wider than me.)
elastic and regular thread to match
preferably a serger, but you could try it with a zig zag stitch.
rotary board, ruler and cutter.

for the pattern:
a good fitting t-shirt
pencil
rotary ruler
freezer paper or wrapping paper

Step one: Make your pattern

Take a good fitting t-shirt and turn it inside out. Pull one of the sleeves inside itself and pin. Then with t-shirt folded in half trace around the edges the best you can.

Using your ruler draw a line from the armpit to the middle of the neckline.

Next line up your ruler with the shoulder seam and draw a new sleeve.

It should look something like this. I also re-drew the side seam so it gradually came down from the armpit and away from the body.
*I only cut a pattern for the bodice and sleeve of the dress.*

After I cut it out, it looked like this.

Step 2: cut out your pieces
This is probably the most difficult and nerve-racking part. It is easier if you have someone helping you, but I was able to do it on my own.

My fabric was 60" wide and I wanted the front and back to each be 30" wide at the bottom. So I found the middle of the fabric and folded in one side at a time. I pinned down my bodice on the fold at the top and marked the length I wanted it to be on the bottom with a pin. (I cut it out to be longer than I wanted so I could have some wiggle room. I cut the excess off later.)

I cut out my bodice and continued cutting down the side with my ruler angled at the pin marking the bottom. When I got to the edge of my cutting mat I slid it down, being careful not to pull on the fabric.

Cut a front, back and two sleeves.

Step 3: Sewing it together
The worst is over and the rest is a breeze.

Pin and serge the sleeves to the front body piece (right sides together). Next, sew the sleeves to the back piece.

Once the sleeves are on, serge up the armpit and down both sides.

Step 4: make adjustments
Try on the dress at this point and figure out if you need to make adjustments.

I wanted my neckline a little lower, so I cut that. The other adjustment I made was cutting some length off the bottom of the dress. One of your bottoms might be longer than the other, just cut them to be even.

Step 5: add elastic thread around the neck and sleeves
Don't be scared, it's really easy. You can buy elastic thread in the notions department. It comes in black, white and I think navy. Hand-wind the elastic into your bobbin and sew like normal. I sewed a zig-zag on the longest length I could. I sew two seams around the neck and one around the sleeve. You may need to play with your bobbin tension. If you have a brother machine you might want to read this tutorial. Practice on a scrap before starting.

Don't panic when you are done and the neck is itty bitty like this. It will stretch and elongate with gravity once it is on.

See, no big deal.

(Optional) Step 6: sew waist line
I didn't sew a waist line on my dress because I wanted to be able to wear it with different belts. We did sew one on my sisters dress though.

While wearing the dress we marked were she wanted the waist line to go. After taking it back off, we drew a straight line all the way around the dress using a chalk pencil and the ruler.
Then, we sewed over the line with the elastic thread. We did two rows.

That's it, let me know if I left anything out or if you have any questions.

so sorry

2011-08-01T12:37:00.000-06:00

sorry, I have nothing crafty to show you today. I've been far to busy playing this summer. I mentioned that my sister was staying with me this summer, but I don't think I mentioned that she has four kids.

Our life with eight kids has been crazy but so fun. Our kids are really close. My sister usually comes to stay with us twice a year, and usually for several weeks. They will be leaving this week and days of tears and depression will follow.

Here's what we've been up to:

Lots of hours at the pool. We are so lucky to have a community pool two doors down from us. A day doesn't go by that we don't spend at least an hour at the pool.

Camping. We had to cut our trip short when my youngest stepped on some hot coals from the night before. We had to run her to the ER. She's a brave one and has handled the accident better than I did.

We always spend as much time at the Lake as we can. It's our second home during the summer. In fact, we lived there for a couple summers, a few years back, while my husband worked on his masters at a neighboring college. My favorite week of the whole year is a week we spend there with family.

I especially enjoyed playing several rounds of croquette with the amazing set my dad made for Christmas.

I'm hoping to get back to reality this week and post a tutorial for the maxi dress. thanks for being patient with me.

at your home

2011-07-22T07:00:00.019-06:00

i love getting emails and comments showing me what you made with my tutorials. here are a few I've gotten lately.

Raglan Sundress from A Few Things Emily Made

Raglan Sundress from A few Things Emily Made

T-shirt hat from Paige Sparrow

t-shirt hat from erratic tidbits

Dora backpack from Therese

Dora Backpack with map pocket from The Lawrence Family

Mini Mouse Pinata from The Ultimate Minnie Mouse Birthday Party on a Budget

raglan summer dress

2011-07-19T07:00:00.006-06:00

In case you missed the post and tutorial for my simple raglan sundresses at icandy. I'm reposting it here today.

I was originally only going to make one dress, for my middle child, but then my oldest daughter asked for a dress too.

Then my sister came into town and decided to make her daughter one too.

Next thing I knew I was making dresses for everyone's dolls with the scraps.

I made my own pattern and it's simple enough you could do it too.

To make your own pattern you'll need an existing pattern for a sleeveless bodice. I'm using one I made for my daughters Easter dress, but you could use one from a store bought pattern.

I traced the pattern onto freezer paper. Wrapping paper works well too.

Next I drew a line with my ruler from the armpit to the middle of the neckline. Then because I wanted a wider neck I lowered one side. It still has a curve it's just a lot more gradual. This was the final pattern I used for my front.

***At this point you will want to cut out your front and use it as a guide to draw your other pieces.***
I'm going to continue to draw on top of the same pattern but you'll want to trace the front bodice several times and cut new pattern pieces.

Add an inch to the fold of the front piece to get your back. Don't cut this piece on a fold.

For the sleeves, I measured 3 inches down from the neckline at several spots and left a dot. Then I connected the dots to get a 3 inch curved band.

When it is cut it will look like this. If you cut it to the length of the front piece it will work for the flat sleeve. If you make it the length of the back piece it will work for a pleated sleeve.

You will have 3 pieces when you are done. A front, a back and a sleeve (flat or pleated).

cut :
1 front on the fold
2 backs
4 sleeves on fold

To put the bodice together:

Sew the front to the back pieces together at the sides and finish your edges. Then finish the edges of the arm holes, but not the neckline.

Sew the sleeves right-sides together on the outside seam. Turn right side out and press. Finish the edges on the ends. If you have a pleated sleeve, add pleat and baste the inside seam.

Next I folded over the arm holes and 1/4 in and ironed. Then I pinned my sleeves into place lining up the neckline.

Then I top stitched down from the neckline around the armholes and back up to the neckline. Your stitch should hold down your fold and secure your sleeve in place.

Next I added biased tape around the neckline.

All that is left to do is attach a gathered bottom, sew up the back and add buttons.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for reading!

sewing for me- maxi dress trial

2011-07-14T13:56:00.002-06:00

My sister is staying with me for the month and we are trying to tackle some fun projects together. Since she lives on the other side of the country, we can usually only talk about the projects we would do together if we lived closer.

We both have been wanting to learn to sew for ourselves. It's one thing to sew for kids and a whole other story to sew for a curvy women's body. The maxi dress was on the top of our lists of things to sew. After lots of thought, we decided the easiest and most forgiving method would be to make a knit, raglan dress with raw edges.

We used elastic thread at the neck, sleeve and waist. We were laughing the whole time joking about wether it would all work out. Luckily we were using a giant piece of knit I got for $2.99.

This one is hers, and we're making one for me next and I'll do a mini tutorial for you, if you want it.

We think it turned out pretty good and want to get more knit.

blessing shorts

2011-07-12T12:14:00.000-06:00

I was asked to make a pair of shorts for my nephew's baby blessing last weekend.

They have a modern lederhosen look.

the front:

I made my own pattern from a pair of his shorts and simply added straps.

I love the little pop of color from the blue rimmed buttons.

the back:

I added a bit of elastic to the center of the back.

I was so excited to finally use one of my special stitches for something.

my sister added to the outfit making a cute pair of shoes to match.

Aren't I lucky, I get to see this cute face almost everyday since he is also my neighbor.

i am not a professional baker

2011-07-05T16:49:00.001-06:00

Somehow my sister recruited me to make another wedding cake for a friend.

This was the inspiration. She wanted it to look just like this.

It looked easy enough, so I agreed.

But as the date got closer and gave it some thought, I realized this cake would be a lot more difficult than anticipated.

I had several anxiety attacks over this cake. It may look simple, but to keep that tall middle from tipping or leaning over was practically impossible. The whole time I just kept saying, "why am I doing this, I am not a professional baker."

I was more precise with this cake than ever before. I measured everything and even used a leveler, but I still couldn't keep it from leaning.

In the end it was a good learning experience.

The bride loved it and it tasted amazing, so I'll count it as a success anyways.

Since I have a few pictures, I thought I'd show you some things I loved from the reception.

I loved the old warehouse building.

Loved that she used a dresser for the sign in table. The birdcage was so cute too.

Loved the pom-pom wall, it was stunning.

My sister also talked my mom into doing the flowers. I loved the use of the yellow billy ball flower (aka craspedia).

I especially liked them used with the boutonnieres. Pretty but still very manly.

dresses for the 4th- i couldn't resist

2011-07-01T18:01:00.000-06:00

I've had these dresses in my head all week.

I already had the fabric in my stash HERE,

and I loved making dresses for my girls last year.

Every time I mentioned making them to my husband he would look at me like I was crazy and told me not to add anything else to my list.

I saw things differently. I needed to make these dresses to have a break from my list.

I am so glad I did.

I had just enough fabric to make two dresses. One for the middle and youngest girl.

I was hopping to get some cute pictures of the two of them together, but my youngest has been in a rotten mood the last couple days. So you only get to see one of them in the dress.

I love the giant star.

And the button neckline.

Did you notice the American-Chinese yo-yo's she is playing with. We got them at Joann's. I think they will be a lot of fun when we are celebrating on the 4th.

Happy Independence Day!

God bless America!

simple raglan sundress at icandy

2011-06-28T05:30:00.001-06:00

Hey, I'm guest posting over at icandy homemade todayas part of their Fun in the Sun{dress} series.

Come on over and check it out HERE.

I'm sharing a mini tutorial for these raglan sundresses.

a fisherman's cake.

2011-06-27T11:08:00.000-06:00

My uncle Nate turned 50 last week and I was asked to make him a cake. I was actually really excited to do it because my uncle has done a lot for me and my family over the years.

I was asked to do something with a fish since he is a fisherman.

On the top of the cake was an oversized fish coming out of the water. I didn't actually make the fish. After several failed attempts of my own, I went to my brother and asked him to make something.

I love the look of the tall reeds and cattails. I had to include cattails because I have so many memories of playing with them while my dad fished when I was little.

You can't tell the scale from these pictures but it was actually a pretty big cake. Probably one of the biggest I've done.

Happy 50th Nate. We love you.

Safety Tattoo's- Silhouette Promotion

2011-06-22T08:09:00.000-06:00

Silhouette sent me some of their Temporary Tattoo Paper to test. I was so excited to use it, and make little safety tags for my kids to wear while we are out and about this summer. I've lost my oldest son twice at Disneyland and my little brother once got lost for a few hours on a beach in Hawaii. There is nothing scarier than losing a child, especially at a crowded place. My kids know our home address and phone number, but that information is not very useful when you aren't at home or on vacation.

I'm hoping we never have to rely on these tags but I'm glad to have them.

We spent the day at an amusement park yesterday, where we were able to try our tattoo's out.

For the older kids we placed the tattoo at the bottom of a sleeve with just the stars showing.

And for my younger kids, we placed them on their backs with just the top showing.

That way the tags could be seen but we weren't advertising our phone #'s.

Turns out I'm not the only one who had this idea. You can see other examples HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

If you are interested in getting your own Silhouette and some tattoo paper, check out this promotion:

1 Silhouette SD

2 Packages Temporary Tattoo Paper

for $199 (U.S. only) (120 dollars in savings!)

Also, 25% off all other products in the Silhouette shop (excluding gift cards and download codes)!

*** you must enter the code "SECOND" at checkout.***

The promotion will run June 21-2

winners, the beach, and auditions

2011-06-15T08:59:00.000-06:00

The winners of The Key to Taking Pictures ebook are, #86 hazey skye and #99 Jo. You should hear from someone soon.

Sorry to be a little late posting the winners. My family and I were in California for a little summer vacation. It was so nice to not think about anything, that I totally ignored the blog.

And... If you don't already know, today is the last day to link up a project for Season 5 auditions.

Audition HERE.

AMERICA banner free printable

2011-06-09T14:36:00.001-06:00

My sister asked me to make a banner for the 4th of July. I threw this together and thought some of you might want one as well.

First you'll need to download and print the letters:

letters A and M are HERE

letters E and R are HERE

letters I and C are HERE

and, letter A HERE

After printing the letters, I matted them with blue card-stock and hung them with red ribbon. For more detailed instructions on how I made and hung the banner, you can look HERE.

Let me know if you have any questions or need help with the download.

Check out THESE super cool parties I'm linking to.

The Key To Taking Pictures ebook- giveaway- CLOSED

2011-06-06T10:30:00.003-06:00

I am so excited to share today's giveaway. Not only because it will help any of you out there who need some help with your digital SLR camera but because I find it to be a great source of information.

My sweet husband gave me my Cannon Rebel SLR a couple years ago for Christmas. I was so excited and spent my Christmas Day reading the manual and listening to all my brothers advice on how to use it. I had never used a SLR before and had no idea what I was doing. By the end of the day, I was confused and frustrated and decided to shoot in auto until I could attend a few of the free classes that came with my camera.

Guess what? Being a busy mom, those classes never happened. Even though they were free and only minutes away from my home. I never could find the time to make it happen. I eventually had a friend, who is a professional photographer, and happened to be hanging out at our house teach me the basics (thanks Dirk).

Although I learned enough to get out of auto, I can't tell you how many times I've wished I had more knowledge about what I was doing and how to fix everything that bugged me with my pictures. That is why I was so excited to get Katie Even's ebook "The Key to Taking Pictures like a Professional Photographer." When I opened it in an email, I started reading it immediately and couldn't stop reading until I had read the whole thing. When I finished I wanted to run out and try some of the tips and techniques, unfortunately it was well after midnight.

I love that is was something I could read after my kids were in bed, no scheduling needed.

I love that I can re-read it any time I want.

I love the way it is easy to read and step-by-step.

Seriously I can't wait to re-read it this summer and start practicing to get the most out of my camera.

Do you want to start taking pictures like Katie Evans?

You can order her ebook HERE.
(enter the code SECOND for $2 off for the next two weeks)

You can get photography tips on Katie's Blog HERE.

You can attend one of her workshops found HERE.
(she recently added the workshop to coincide with the ebook. It's a great option for those who are more of a visual learner.)
*GIVEAWAY CLOSED

teacher appreciation gifts

2011-06-03T11:15:00.001-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posting. Things are crazy around here with school ending. We've had School plays, preschool graduation, dance recital, pinewood derby, end of soccer celebrations, field trips etc. I haven't had much spare time for myself.

With all the end of year excitement I've needed some quick and easy appreciation gifts.

You can't tell from the pictures, but they are GIANT sized Symphony bars.

All the lettering was cut on my Silhouette, but you could easily print the script onto the paper instead. I especially liked the detail of handwriting paper.

Last years teacher gifts were a hit and I thought I would be doing them again this year. Instead, my plans had to change because my daughter has the same teacher my son had last year and my son has a male teacher this year.

I've been raking my brain trying to think of something a male teacher would actually enjoy and finally came up with this idea.

I know it's weird, but let me give you some background. My sons teacher has a weird sense of humor. The kind that 8 year old boys truly enjoy. It's not my cup of tea, but my son loves going to school everyday. He thinks his teacher is hilarious.

I asked my sone to tell me some of the funny things his teacher says regularly. We picked his favorite two sayings and made custom t-shirts.

When reading the school menu in the morning, his teacher tease them with silly gross entrée's. One of his favorite concoctions was "Vulture Vomit Stew".

What is a "Nostril Inspector"? It's a student of course. His teacher calls him and his classmates "nostril inspectors" on a daily basis.

I thought this was a fun way to remember his students while doing other things this summer. Not to mention, men can always use another t-shirt.

This could also make a fun Father's Day gift. The shirts were only $3.50 at Walmart and I used my silhouette for the lettering, but you could also use freezer paper and fabric paint.

With school ending and vacations planned, I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging this summer. I've got some ideas I hope to be sharing, but we'll see what my kids actually let me get done.

OMTWI - Season 4 Begins

2011-05-30T20:42:00.000-06:00

Week One of Season 4 at One Month to Win It, started today. Head on over for some burlap goodness.

Our wonderful sponsors for Season 4! Show em some love!!

partial sundress refashion

2011-05-27T07:30:00.011-06:00

As I mentioned, I am working on building my daughter's summer wardrobe. I made this sundress last week. While I was sewing it, I was so excited because I loved how it was looking. THEN, I added the sleeves and I wasn't sure how I felt about it anymore. I decided to put it away for a week.

When I pulled it out today, I fell in love again. Funny how sometimes you need to not look at something for a while.

Seeing it on this cute thing helped a little. I truly feel she could make a potato-sack look good. I know I might be a little biased though.

I love the crocheted ribbon detail around the bodice.

I had just enough to add it to the bottom too. I bought a spool of it at Walmart for $2.97. I used a similar cream spool on this dress. I bought the main fabric on sale at Joann's.

Are you wondering what part was the refashion? All the white fabric came from a white shirt my husband never wore. I think he got it from my brother.

Although it's not raining today, we are still waiting for summer to arrive.

I used this pattern from Simplicity. I followed a link to the pattern after seeing this dress. I used the size 4 pattern and my daughter usually wears a size 5 or 6.

One Month To Win It - Season 3 - final week

2011-05-24T13:51:00.000-06:00

It's the last week of Season 3 on OMTWI. I've had such a good time hosting this month and am really proud of all the contestants.They have put a lot of hard work into the competition and made some amazing projects in the process.

Tomorrow is the last day to vote, so go vote now.

VOTE HERE!

Blue Bird Birthday

2011-05-23T09:20:00.002-06:00

We celebrated 7 this weekend. And we did it with blue birds.

We started with her outfit. She pick and loved this great fabric for her skirt.

I finally pulled out my new silhouette and used it to make her shirt. I wish I had bought vinyl heat transfer when I bought my machine, but I'm cheap and didn't. By the time I decided what I wanted, it was to late to have it shipped. Instead I used heat n' bond to the back of some white cotton, cut out my letters and sewed them on. It was a big mess, but I made it through it and love the shirt.

I also love the little birdie.

Of course she needed a hat to match.

I think this was the last year she'll wear a party hat. I hate seeing my kids grow up.

The Cake

Thanks for the any suggestions that were sent our way. In the end this is what she wanted.

I love the birds, branches and flowers.

I have to brag for a second about how good this cake tasted. I think this is one of the best tasting cakes I've ever made. For birthday cakes like this, I usually make white cake with fondant. My daughter requested chocolate cake with mint frosting. That blue frosting is yummy vanilla-mint goodness. And to top it off, I put chocolate ganache in between the layers. I may or may not have eaten two slices for breakfast.

We did a little decorating too.

I used left over fabric to make bunting and placed paper birds above all the door frames in the room. I cut some more of that fun lettering with the silhouette and tacked it up with scrapbook tape.

She's a little old for balloons for I added some drama with the pom-poms.

She didn't want o go to bed that night, for in the morning "my birthday will be over."

Check out these cool parties I link to.

today's creative blog

Sundress Refashion

2011-05-20T09:17:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile since my last refashion. I was excited to finally break into the bag of clothes I got from my sister and her roommates and month ago.

Sundress Before:

Sundress After:

I cut off the top and attached a new knit bodice.

Then I added the lace detail to tie the two together.

It was finished off with biased tape and a button in the back.

Now if we could just get a day of sunshine she might actually be able to wear it.

Hooray for easy refashions, hopefully they'll be some more next week.

Untraditional Birthday Cakes

2011-05-18T15:49:00.000-06:00

I love it when My husbands birthday rolls around and I can make something other than my usual fondant cake. Instead of focusing on how it looks I can focus on how it tastes.

He is a huge fan of Strawberries and Cream.

I made this cake for him last year.

But, this year he requested something with strawberries and cream but no shortcake.

So I thought and thought, and finally decided to break tradition and not make a cake.

Instead I made giant cream puffs with strawberries.

They were pretty amazing and surprisingly super simple to make.

I used THIS recipe for the Pate a Choux.

I also tried THIS recipe for a pastry cream. I'm not sure if I did something wrong, because honestly it was a lots of work for basically just pudding. I ended up mixing it with whipping cream. It was delicious but not what I was looking for.

We still stuck a few candles on top and sang our traditional version of "Happy Birthday."

This and That

2011-05-17T10:34:00.003-06:00

First off, I was thrilled to find my Girly Cake on Cake Wrecks this Sunday. If you don't know, It's actually an honor to be featured on Sunday. Any other day of the week, not so good. A special thanks to Jutta for the nomination and Jaime for letting me know.

Honestly my cake was a little out of it's league. You can see it amongst all the other amazing cakes she featured HERE.

I made that cake almost a year ago for my oldest girls birthday and guess what? It will be her birthday again this week. We are in the process of designing this years cake. She has requested blue birds.

So far here this is what we have for inspiration:

I love the flowers on this one and the birds are okay but not my favorite.

I love the branch on this one. The bird could use some tweaking, but I like the idea of a silhouette better.

I would love your help, have any of you seen any cute birdie cakes?

And I hate to brag, but look what I just got in the mail. I'm so excited. Unfortunately, my life has been so crazy I haven't even played with it yet. I'm hoping to get to it today. Do any of you know if I have to use the Silhouette brand fabric interfacing or can I just use heat and bond? I wanted to make something for the birthday girl, but don't know if it will get here in the mail on time.

And Lastly,

Season 4 auditions are happening now at The Country Chic Cottage! You only have today and tomorrow to link, so get going.

If you want to be part of the fun, just link up your favorite project from the last three months.

Want to know what you could win?

1st Place
Appliqued Stretchy Knit Sling Bag by Love Knots 4 Baby ($25 value)

$25 Gift Certificate to Arcoiris Bundles of Joy

$25 Gift Certificate to Belle Rose Designs

2nd Place

Custom Mother's Name and Birthstone Bracelet from Make It Sparkly Mama (approx $30 value)

3rd Place

Necklace and Ring from Debbie Choo (approx $22 value)

Check out the rules here for more information. Then head to The Country Chic Cottage and link up! We would love to have ya compete next season!

Color My Summer - white - etched glass votives

2011-05-16T05:00:00.001-06:00

Today I am a guest participating in Color My Summer, a Fabulous Series hosted by KoJo Designs and Delia Creates. Each day a new color is celebrated with fun ideas for summer.

My color is White and I'm sharing one of my favorite parts of summer.

I am so excited for summer to finally arrive at our home. I'm especially looking forward to summer nights outside.

Is there anything more magical than twinkling candlelight. They make parties festive, dinner more romantic and lounging more relaxing.

This is a fun, simple and inexpensive project to help anyone light up their night. I used flowers, but you could make it with any design. I love the idea of using a monogram for a wedding.

to make this project you'll need:

glass votives (Mine are from Dollar Tree)

contact paper

a razor blade

Etch Cream

a disposable paint brush

Step 1: cover your votive with contact paper

Step 2: using the razor blade cut out the images you want to appear on the glass.

(I cut my flowers free hand, because it was faster. If you don't feel comfortable with free handing, you can tape an image to the inside and trace it with the blade. )

Step 3: apply the etching cream following the directions of the bottle.

( I actually added an extra 5 minutes)

Step 4: remove the cream and clean the glass.

You can actually reuse the cream. I tried to scrape off and save as much of the cream as I could before washing. Also don't rinse it in a ceramic sink, it can dull the finish.

And Voila'

Just another reason to wish those summer nights didn't have to end.

Mother's Day Treat Boxes

2011-05-09T11:30:00.000-06:00

I hope you all enjoyed Mother's Day. I usually like to do something sentimental for Mother's Day. Because we were swamped, I had to keep it simple this year.

I whipped these little treat boxes up in minutes by printing the picture and saying on our computer. I added some scrapbook paper and pre-made flowers and button from my stash. Although these are bag shaped boxes you could recreate the look easily with treat bags.

I filled them with chocolate covered almonds from Costco. They were a hit.

My mom's been asking for a new work bag. She didn't want anything fancy because it will get a lot of wear and tear. I thought this would be practical yet fun.

I love the corduroy straps with the canvas hounds tooth.

And it you haven't voted yet, you have to check out this weeks projects on OMTWI.

Hurry and VOTE HERE.

Kensington

2011-05-06T17:08:00.000-06:00

One of our neighbors recently had their first baby.

I was excited to make another painting for their little girl, Kensington.

I was given these pictures to help me decide what to do.

The brown is looking almost black in these photo's. The real thing is lighter.

I hope they like it.

paper coterie open house

2011-05-04T06:00:00.001-06:00

Have you heard? Paper Coterie is throwing an all-day celebration in honor of their official launch today...

And they are giving everyone $40 to spend during their open house event.

Paper Coterie's goal is to document the beauty of life well lived. They do this by making memory books, cards, calendars, posters, personalized recipe books, journals and so much more.

The books are amazing.

How fun is this ABC book.

I adore this calendar.

I love all their poster ideas.

Really you have to check them out and join the party. With an offer like this how could you not.

Are you worried about having time to make something before the event ends tonight? Well, I've been told that they are extending this deal till later this week. But you only have a couple days to use the code, SO ACT FAST.

Striped Maxi Dress

2011-05-03T07:00:00.000-06:00

I am loving the trends of stripes and maxi dresses right now. Since I'm scared to make myself clothes, I had to make a striped maxi for my daughter.

I like the way it moves when she walks.

She likes the way it moves when she twirls.

And although it works great with a jacket in the spring, I really made it for her to wear this summer.

I was worried it would be too long to play in. But she didn't seam to have any trouble when I set her loose.

OMTWI- Season 3 Begins

2011-05-02T10:20:00.002-06:00

Season 3 of One Month To Win It begins today.

You don't want to miss week one's projects, they are AMAZING and many of them would make fabulous Mother Day Gifts. Check it out HERE.

Please visit the sponsors below for Season 3! Without them we could not offer such great prizes to the winners of OMTWI!

Season 3 starts Monday! Are you all ready to vote?

Easter Attire

2011-04-26T09:48:00.000-06:00

I made Eater Dresses for the first time. I've toyed with the idea of making Easter dresses for years, but always end up finding something that I love for an affordable price. When I didn't find anything I loved this year, I decided to give it a try.

I've had the main fabric for years. I originally bought it to make curtains. Although it wasn't super ideal for a dress I was happy to finally use it. I kinda felt like Maria from Sound of Music.

I love the finished dresses.

I love the champagne color, polka dots and how the bright pink pops.

I love the simple flower and box pleats.

And I love the back.

I was so stressed trying to get this done last week. Making patterns and sewing three dresses the week my kids are out of school, was not a good idea. I swore I'd never do it again. But now looking back, dresses done and easter over, it was all worth it.

I had to share this last picture. It makes me laugh. My son thinks he's pretty hot stuff and so do his sisters.

Sincerest Form of Flattery Guest Post

2011-04-25T08:40:00.000-06:00

I'm guest posting today over at Craftiness is Not Optional as part of the amazing knock-off series, the Sincerest Form of Flattery.

I knocked-off these pillows for my sons bedroom.

Check out how I did it HERE.

And, if you haven't already, check out the finals for One Month To Win It. There are some amazing refashions to vote for.