creatively christy

Toddler Hair Clips

2012-01-24T13:58:00.003-07:00

Recently I made these felt bow clips for my 2 yr. old. They are just alligator clips with the bows glued on. Simple as can be.

I also made a satin bow clip with some leftover ribbon I had.

Peacock Bathroom

2012-01-20T15:13:00.002-07:00

I love this inspiration board for a peacock themed bathroom by The Rooster and the Hen. Such a lovely color, that peacock blue. But look at this before and after of their light fixture, so clever!

For more about the lights, click here.
For more about the bathroom makeover (and more), click here. And be sure to check out their mural!

Custom Nailpolish

2012-01-20T12:33:00.001-07:00

I tried a little experiment this week, and it worked! I had some old crumbled shimmer eyeshadow (Mac "Say Yeah") and I mixed it with a little clear nailpolish. It worked great! I put on a clear topcoat and it was as good as anything. Maybe not my favorite color for nails, but I look forward to trying some other colors too since I never use up my eyeshadow anyway (and it doesn't take much). Give it a try!

Project Christmas Stockings

2011-12-28T15:25:00.001-07:00

Well, it took me until the day after Christmas to get these completely finished. By Christmas morning they were done enough for St. Nick to stuff them with goodies, so no harm done, right? Besides, my kids are still too young to have any expectations.
These are the stockings I ended up making, and it will be easy to add more in the future, should we decide to add to our family. Hope you had a happy Christmas!

Stocking Stuffers

2011-12-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

I hope that all of you had a wonderful holiday! I sure did. I love the time with family and the memories that are created, and the time to reflect of the glory of my Savior.
This year we spent Christmas with my husband's family, and did something new (to me) and fun. Instead of Santa (Mom) filling the stockings this year, we filled each other's stockings. I decided to take care of the ladies and Ryan took care of the boys (yes, boys). I made 5 headbands for the 5 lovely ladies in the family. Each one is pretty different and unique, and the hard part was deciding to give which one to whom. Is that grammatically correct, "whom"?

And here they are.

These are a great way to have fun with all those leftover bits of fabric you have. Just mix and match and make something fun. Super easy too. Here are some closer shots of one I made a month or so ago for a neighbor gal.

Coal Candy

2011-12-21T10:03:00.001-07:00

I grew up in coal country (West Virginia), and there was one year that one of my siblings actually received a lump of coal in her stocking. She was an emotional, freaking out teenager, enough said.

If you are looking for something a little sweeter to give, Sprinkle Bakes has a tutorial coal candy. Such a fun idea. So watch out family, you might just be getting some coal in your stockings this year!

Stockings

2011-12-14T21:44:00.002-07:00

It's time for me to make some Christmas stockings for my family. I've been contemplating this for some time now. Here are a few inspirational ideas I've collected. Which is your favorite?
(Click on the photo for the link—except the first one)

I love the rustic-ness of this one

Cashmere anyone?

These are real socks, and oh how I want them, for more than just Christmas.

I wish I knew how to knit. I'd definitely go this route if I could (but different colors).

But I think I'm going to do something along these lines (and maybe add names on the stockings?):

What about you, do you have a favorite style of stocking?

Lovely Little Framed Ornaments

2011-12-11T22:24:00.001-07:00

I love these ornament ideas. First, something other than a wreath for the front door. Feels kind of modern to me. (via Pinterest)

Second, a fabulous ornament tree in a painted frame, so sweet.(via Inspiration Ave).

Toddler Bow Shirt

2011-11-15T21:56:00.001-07:00

A while back I saw this toddler shirt at Gap (I can no longer find the image of the black and cream one they had):

I decided that I wanted a black and silver one, so I took a black long sleeve t-shirt from Target ($6) and bought 1/4 of a yard of grey satin ($1.50) and made my own. I think I overestimated the size of the bow, so mine is a little bigger than theirs, but I love it still. It was super easy and fast. Ava is also super fast (and hard to get a still photo of!)

Necktie Onesie

2011-11-12T16:25:00.001-07:00

Ezra just keeps growing so I just keep making new neckties and necktie onesies. This is the third one of these I've made in his short 4 months of life. I like to keep him somewhat dressed up for church.

Halloween Review

2011-11-03T22:42:00.003-06:00

Oh, how October got away from me. I had planned to do so many Halloweeny things and Halloweeny posts, but it turned out to be an incredibly busy month. Not to mention some illness sweeping through the house and catching us each in turn. I'm kinda bummed that I missed out on so much from one of my favorite months, but I hope you all had a fantastically spooky October.
I have had Ezra's costume planned for a little while, and half done for most of the month, which is why it got finished—mostly. I had intended to add a dorsal fin, but again, ran out of time. Here's my little shark-bait.

His costume was made from gray fleece (to keep him warm) and flannel. If I'd had time I would have dressed up as a lifeguard, since I would be holding him.

Ava's I struggled with more. I had kind of planned to make her a pink flamingo (guess I'm on a bird kick with her) but never had a chance to even start on it. So two days before Halloween I threw together a Little Red Riding Hood costume. I made her cape out of an old skirt lining (I made the hood way too big) and a feather boa. All I bought for the costume was the basket ($5), the kerchief ($1), and the feather boa ($2). The rest I already had. Not my proudest moment in costuming, but it just had to do. And it was so fun to take her out for her first trick-or-treating ever.

Next year I'll try not to book so much during October. I don't know how some of you super-moms do it! (But I'm glad you do because you inspire me).

Another Pacifier Clip

2011-10-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

Last week I shared with you how to make a binkie clip without a sewing machine. Today I'm sharing with you a pacifier clip that I made for my sister-in-law for which I did use the sewing machine. Same basic idea, only instead of using a ribbon I used fabric, so it required some sewing.

No-Sew Binkie Clip Tutorial

2011-10-05T06:00:00.000-06:00

You don't have to have a sewing machine for this one, but you will need a spool of thread. This kind of clip will work with most pacifiers, including the round ones the hospital gives you.

Supplies:
hammer
spool of thread
snaps
suspender clip
ribbon
hair elastic
matches

Step 1: Cut your ribbon to length.
Measure and cut your ribbon to the desired length. Keep in mind you will be folding it over at both ends, so allow enough length for that.

Step 2: Stop the fray.
You can use Fray-Check if you prefer, but I think it works better to take a match and run the ends of the ribbon across the flame so they slightly melt (provided it's got some polyester in it).

Step 3: Thread your ribbon through the suspender clip.

Step 4: Set your snaps.

Follow the simple instructions of the back of the snap package to set your snaps. Basically you line up the front piece and back piece of the snap on the ribbon, center it under the spool of thread, and hammer on top of the spool to force the two pieces into each other. When both parts of the snap are set, snap it together around the suspender clip.

Step 5: Thread your ribbon through a small hair elastic.

Srep 6: Set the snaps at the other end of the ribbon and close around the hair elastic.

Step 7: Thread the hair elastic through a hole in the pacifier, or the handle if it has one.

Step 8: Thread the clip end through the hair elastic and pull it though.

Step 9: Pull it tight and you are done!

Halloween Costume Collection

2011-10-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to October! I love Halloween. I think the biggest reason I love it is because of the creativity that it unleashes in people. The costumes, the pumpkin carvings, the decor, the food... everything gets a dose of fun. So to kick off the month, I thought I'd share with you a few of my costumes from past years (all home-made).
First, easiest costume ever. White clothes with black electrical tape. Add a cardboard head, and done.

This was last year, celebrating UP!

This you've seen. Ava's peacock costume.

Years ago some friends and I were the alien guys from Toy Story (I've also been Jessie, but have no photos).

And since I obviously have a tendency toward Pixar film characters, let's end with Elastagirl, AKA Mrs. Incredible.

I get my love of costuming from my mother, who always made costumes for her 6 kids (though some of us sometimes got hand-me-downs)

Recipe Share: Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella

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

Last night I made this delicious recipe which I found on skinnytaste.com via some else's blog (which one I can't remember). Lately I'm looking for anything that uses zucchini or tomatoes, both of which are growing plentifully in my garden. And this one is a keeper, it's quite tasty and looked just as good when I made it as it does in their photos (and tasted as good as it looks)!

Find the recipe here.
(photo from skinnytaste.com)

Black Bow Headband

2011-09-28T22:36:00.000-06:00

For Ava's birthday I bought her a 3 pack of satin headbands on clearance with the intention of adding some flair. Ava still has barely any hair, so I like to have some girlie accessories for her so she doesn't get mistaken for a boy, which does happen from time to time.
This week I finally fancied up one of the headbands. Originally I was planning to do a twisted satin rosette but at the last minute decided to go with a simple black bow. I was going to take pictures of my process for you, but the kiddos just weren't allowing it, so my apologies.

If you want to make one, it's just a loop of satin ribbon pinched and hot-glued onto the headband, with another satin strip wrapped and hot-glued over the middle. Super-duper easy.

DIY Wood Scrap Wall Art

2011-09-18T13:36:00.000-06:00

I love the style of this piece of art and anyone can make it (from scraps of wood)! You can find the full tutorial here.

Fabric Scrap Bowl

2011-09-15T18:39:00.000-06:00

When I was in elementary school I remember that we once made these bowls from strips of fabric, and I've been thinking about them lately. And lo and behold, Prudent Baby posted a tutorial! Such a great way to use up that pile of scraps.

Recipe Share: Low(er) Fat Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-09-07T22:24:00.000-06:00

If you planted zucchini in your garden, then you are probably like me and have more zucchini than you know what to do with. Or maybe your neighbor has an abundance and is sharing with you. So here's a sweet way to use it up and sneak some veggies into your kids too.

Low(er) Fat Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c sugar
1/4 c butter
1/4 c applesauce
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
2 c flour (whole wheat works too)
1 c oatmeal (non-instant)
1 c grated zucchini
1 c chocolate chips (I think Guittard are the best)

Cream together sugar, butter, applesauce, and egg. Add dry ingredients. Add zucchini and chocolate chips. When well blended, let sit for at least 10 minutes. Spray cookie sheet with PAM and drop by spoonfuls on to cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen.

What's your favorite zucchini recipe?

Men's Shirt Repurposed

2011-08-23T22:11:00.000-06:00

I love a good upcycling tutorial. It seems that men's shirts have enough material to them that there is a lot you can do. Check out this tutorial for turning a men's button-down shirt into a women's top.

Yellow and Grey

2011-08-15T21:11:00.000-06:00

Remember my bathroom makeover?
Looks like I'm not the only one who likes yellow and gray and stripes in a bathroom. Check this one out (they even have the same yellow towels as me!):

And in case you missed mine:

The Littlest Tomato Plant: A Story

2011-08-12T13:30:00.000-06:00

Like many of you, I planted a garden this year. This is my first time ever to do a garden. I was pleasantly surprised when my garden began to grow and thrive. And then one day, my cherry tomato plant was chewed off at the base. Then the thyme disappeared over night. Then my parsley began to shake and my cat was next to it staring intently. The culprit? Gophers!
Soon one bell pepper plant disappeared, then another and another and another. We couldn't find the holes though, so Ryan dug deep trenches on either side of the garden box in hopes of discouraging them. That didn't work. Then we sprinkled gopher poison in the trenches. That seemed to do the trick. But only after so many casualties.
The dead plants that weren't completely eaten were thrown in the compost box, in which I planted pumpkins and corn because I ran out of room in the garden box. So there was some good soil in there too. A few weeks later Ryan noticed a tomato plant growing in there. It was just a scrawny little twig, but he moved it over to a now vacant spot in the garden. I laughed and said, "Good luck with that."
But whad'ya know, this little guy was a fighter. One day I looked out and saw two tiny little tomatoes growing on that single 10" stalk.

So here's to all those who keep on fighting, even amid the toughest challenges and obstacles.

Peacock Costume How-To

2011-08-02T14:56:00.000-06:00

I'm posting this in response to numerous requests for instructions on how to make the peacock costume I made for Ava last year for Halloween. I know a lot of you want to get a head start on the costume making, so I'm jumping the gun and sharing this in August. I don't have a photo step-by-step, but I will do my best to share with you how I made it so that you can replicate it if you want. Please let me know if my instructions need any clarity.

So first the easy part. The orange tights I got at Gymboree in October (they were sold as a Halloween item, so you might have better luck finding them then) and the onesie I got from Old Navy. Much easier than making those things. And useable afterward too.

Next I bought the peacock feathers, large teal feathers, and elastic sequin material at Hobby Lobby. The sequin elastic was used for the headband as well as to hold the feather part onto her waist and legs so it stayed up properly. I bought a shiny teal blue polyester type material at JoAnn's (I think). I was lucky that the onesie matched the fabric color so well.

I figured it would be easier to explain visually, so I drew up a really simple diagram for the rest. I hope it makes sense. The peacock feathers were really long, so I was able to cut them almost in half and use the bottom part inside of the fabric "petals" as support. Better than wire because it's lighter and less risky for the kiddo. A lot of the costume I assembled with a glue gun, because it was only going to be used once or twice, so I figured it didn't need to be too heavy duty on the durability, but you could sew more if you like. The elastic bands I sewed into loops—I figured glue wouldn't hold those very well.
I hope this, with the diagram, gives enough information. Here is the {link} for the diagram.

Oh yeah, and I'd recommend gluing or sewing some feathers onto the headband—it would have looked better.

Good luck and happy Halloweening a few months in advance!

"Up" Comes to Life

2011-07-10T22:23:00.001-06:00

Remember my Halloween costume from last year?

I was the house from the movie UP. Looks like I'm not the only one who decided to make something from the movie. A local contractor meticulously built the real thing (with permission from Disney).

You can watch the story here. I have to go see it in person.

Baby Break

2011-07-05T11:45:00.000-06:00

I just had a baby so I won't be posting as frequently for the next little while. Meet baby Ezra. He came a glorious 2 weeks early and weighed in at 7lbs 3oz.

But he is a scratcher, so I made him some baby mittens for his own protection.

I used one of Ryan's old shirts from my scrap pile, and utilized the sleeve which already had the bottom hemmed. I based the shape and size on some girly ones I had for my daughter, only they are too short for his hands so I made these ones longer. I figure he won't outgrow them in a week if I make them a little bigger too. They are a nice soft jersey-knit and I like that they don't have animals or footballs all over them.

It's Raining Felt

2011-06-25T20:34:00.000-06:00

Over a year ago I saw this darling felt cloud and raindrops from Etsy seller Butterflying.

When I started planning baby boy's nursery I knew I wanted to include this idea over the crib. See, I'm paranoid about anything framed or heavy falling off the wall and injuring baby, so this idea was perfect. I customized it to match my nursery and made my own.

Once I have Ava moved into her new room and the baby moved into the nursery, I'll share photos of the whole room. I still haven't shown you the crib bedding, have I? I will.

Clever Design: Magazine Walls

2011-06-22T12:18:00.000-06:00

I never cease to be amazed at the ingenious ideas people come up with and execute. For example... this design studio has walls made out of magazines! (Do you know how many thick magazines design studios get? A lot.) To see more and find links, click here.

Father & Son Tie Shirts

2011-06-19T15:54:00.000-06:00

One last little Father's Day item. I appliqued this shirt & onesie for Ryan and the new little guy, full well knowing Ryan will never wear it, but I just couldn't help myself. At least the baby will wear his.

Happy Father's Day!

World's Best Pop

2011-06-18T06:00:00.000-06:00

Here's a little glimpse of what the father in our house will be getting on Sunday. A collection of "Pop" items! Soda Pop (IBC Rootbeer), Popcorn, Pop-tarts, and a Blow Pop lollipop.

Wrap it all up and throw a ribbon on it, and there you go. A sweet little treat for your special Pop.

(To make the label, take a 1" x 12" strip of scrapbooking paper and fold it in small accordian folds. Glue the 2 ends together with a hot glue gun. The center part is just printed on a color printer and punched out with a scallop circle craft punch. Flatten your accordian folded paper into a circle and hot glue the scallop circle label onto the center. Then just glue it onto a cute ribbon and drape it over your bag of goodies.)

More Father's Day Goodness

2011-06-16T22:15:00.002-06:00

More fun Father's Day ideas! And these come with a free downloadable template. Don't you love that? So nice of people to share. From the Lifestyle Crafts Blog.

via Armelle blog

Bow Ties

2011-06-13T13:58:00.000-06:00

Still looking for Father's Day ideas? I am. And Twig and Thistle has some fun images and links that are all about the bow tie trend. It could be a fun theme for Daddy's big day. Head on over there for the complete gathering of ideas.

Twin Duvet Cover

2011-06-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

Ava will soon be moving into a new room and bed to make room for the new baby (though I plan to procrastinate as long as possible). Her nursery is pretty un-girly, so I thought this time I'd try to be more feminine for her. I'm not a big fan of pink and purple, but decided I'd let Ava decide for herself about such things. It's no ruffles and lace, but I'm taking baby steps here, okay?
Her room starts with the bed and duvet cover. Since all the duvet covers I liked were pretty expensive, I decided to make my own. I used this Tina Given's fabric by Free Spirit. (And I have extra yardage, so if you want some you can go to my Etsy site).

The bed is from IKEA but I got it from the local classifieds for around $100.

See the cute dots on the sheets? Awww. So cute. (I didn't make the sheets, I got them here.)

See those snaps below? Yeah, I hammered those in myself. It was my first time doing that kind of snaps, and it was so super easy. Instructions are just on the back of the package and all you need is a hammer and a spool of thread. You should try it, if you never have. I want to put snaps on everything now.

Next I have to figure out what color to paint the room. I was planning on doing a really pale yellow, but now I'm afriad that with the tan carpet that might turn pretty blah. And I don't know if I can bring myself to go pink on the walls (even a very light pink)... Especially because this duvet reflects quite a bit of pink into the room (and hallway) already. But if I put a cute little yellow night stand next to the bed, it would sure be cute. There is a bit of very light aqua in the duvet, but the new boy's nursery is that color so I don't want two rooms the same color. Suggestions?
If you are looking for a good duvet tutorial, this is the one that gave me basic direction. Just make sure you square up/true up your fabric before you cut it! I didn't and it caused a bit of headache for me. And keep in mind, as you calculate your measurements, that home decor fabric is like 54" wide on the bolt and quilting cottons (standard fabrics) are like 44". That will make a difference in how many yards you need.

Simplest Sewn Fabric Bag (Tutorial)

2011-06-06T06:00:00.002-06:00

I needed to make 15 simple cute bags for Girl's Camp in a few weeks (for 12-18 yr. old girls). So I used a little bag from Anthropologie as my pattern (even their baggies are cute!). You can make these any size you want, and they are about as fast and easy as it comes.
(Since mine are basically going to be disposable, I didn't bother ironing).

I started with a scrap of fabric that was 8x10 inches.

Next, just barely fold in the top edges on both sides, about and inch and a half or two inches.

And sew that.

Like so.

Now you are going to roll over a seam, so fold it down once along the top, then fold again and pin it down.

And sew along the bottom of that fold, leaving a big enough gap for a safety pin to pass through.

Fold the whole thing in half (vertically), right sides together, and pin.

Starting at the seam stitch you just sewed, sew along the outside edge and bottom.

Flip inside out (or actually outside out)...

Tie a piece of twine, embroidery floss, ribbon, or whatever around the end of a safety pin and feed it through the gap in the top of the bag and out the other side.

Tie a knot in the end and voila!

Fill your cute bag with whatever you see fit! Pretzels, candy, manicure kit, sunglasses, money, etc. But if you fill it with money, send it to me, okay? Thanks.

Father's Day Crafting

2011-06-02T21:49:00.000-06:00

With how long it takes me to get things done sometimes, I have to start thinking early. Martha is always a reliable source for fun ideas, and this Father's Day she and her team have done it again. Here are a few ideas I think would be fun.

Jacket Pocket card

Bow Tie Wrap

And from Schlosser Designs, necktie and bow tie cards:

Free Printables from 9 to 5 Mom:

Cupcake toppers and necktie banner.

Sew a tie with Purl Bee:

Happy Father's Day crafting!

The Double Needle

2011-05-28T14:50:00.000-06:00

Have you ever sewn with a double needle? I haven't. But here's good news for people like us.

Over at Make It and Love It you can read about some basic stitches and how to use a double needle. I figured it couldn't be too hard, but I also didn't want to risk messing up my machine. Turns out it's a simple as can be. I can't wait to try a double needle now. I'll be looking for an excuse to use one!

Here's the link to her post.

Since I have no real official education when it comes to sewing, there is a lot I don't know. I never took a Home Economics class in school or anything. What I do know I learned from my mother, who was kind of tired of sewing by the time I was ready to learn. Not to mention she was juggling 6 kids. So when I find a nice little post like this, I find it helpful. Thanks for sharing, Ashley!

Not Too Shabby Knock-off

2011-05-24T09:18:00.000-06:00

I recently saw this dress at Shabby Apple, and loved it. The price, however, I did not love. Especially for the quality. I think if you are going to pay that much for a little kid dress, the quality had better be pretty good.

And then today I saw this great tutorial and pattern by Kelly on how to make your very own. And it looks pretty simple!

Thanks for sharing, Kelly!

Nursery Designer

2011-05-18T21:05:00.000-06:00

I'm in love. I've just discovered the Nursery Designer website by Carousel Designs, and it's amazing and so fun to play with.

They have tons of fabrics to chose from, and you just drag and drop them onto the part of the bedding you want in that fabric. They'll even show you just the matching fabrics if you want. And you can change the wall color (Benjamin Moore paints—real colors!) and trim colors, change the flooring (so it looks like your room), change the crib color, and so forth. And then you can have them make the bedding for you! What a magical place.

DIY Fringe Chandelier

2011-05-13T13:16:00.000-06:00

I'm too scared to attempt any lighting project that includes an electrical wire, or removing my current light cover, because I think I might burn my house down. But here's something I can make for Ava's new room that I could just mount right around the existing flush-mount light fixture. I'm loving this idea!

You can find the full instructions at The Sweetest Occasion, but I'll give you a quick summary.

Buy 2 embroidery hoops, paint them, tie them together with fishing line, use a hot glue gun to glue fringe trim (4 yards) to hoops (wrapping around twice), hang up and admire. Easy peasy, right? I can't wait to try it.

These would also be fun for party decor.

More Bathroom Goodness

2011-05-11T21:06:00.000-06:00

I'm a fan of framed bathroom mirrors. Where I live, in houses that I can afford, builders tend to just put in plain borderless mirrors in every bathroom. So framing the mirrors is something I've wanted to learn how to do. Of course I could pay someone else five times as much to do it for me, but why do that when I know is totally do-able myself? (Or at least do-able for my hubby, if I can convince him to do it).

I found a great tutorial at Show & Tell on custom framing your bathroom mirrors. Basically, you take some crown molding and/or baseboard trim, measure it, miter cut it, paint the back, and glue it on with liquid nail. Then fill in the gaps with dry-dex and caulk, paint it, and you're done! But there's a more thorough explanation and details over at Show & Tell.

I won't be able to get to this project myself for a little while still, but I can hardly wait to give it a try. It looks pretty simple, and the results are so great!

Bathroom Makeover: The Reveal

2011-05-08T20:22:00.000-06:00

Enough delay. Forget the rug. Here's the bathroom!
BEFORE:

AFTER:

The cat seems to like it...

I ended up spray painting the mirror (Craigs List, $30), but in retrospect I think I should have used a brush. I may still do that, so I can get a color that matches the towel better. Because of all the grooves and ornateness of the mirror, I think a brush would work fine on it and not leave those despised brush strokes visible.

The hand towels are these:

The toilet corner...

I saw a bike print almost like this at Etsy, but it was the wrong size and slightly wrong colors for what I wanted. So I recreated it, and I hope that's okay. I won't be selling it or anything. Painted this $2 gilded frame white to match the trim and cabinets. For that I did use a brush and it came out great.

And since everyone likes to read in the bathroom, why not have a magazine rack? Is that shameful or just practical? I like to think it's practical. Or at least realistic.

Extra info:
Painting the cabinets turned out to be quite a pain. I think I didn't sand them sufficiently. So when I did the first door with a nice brush, and still saw too much brush strokage and uneven coverage, I had to sand them down again. I opted to use an electrical sander this time, and the paint all started beading up in a few places and creating edges and it was just a mess.

But I finally prevailed and got the whole thing painted using a small foam roller. That required a lot of coats of paint, but looks so much smoother and professionally finished. For me, definitely the way to go.

Taping the walls (and then retaping for the second color) took some time, but it was worth it. And I didn't have to do very much touch up. I did use a level, if you are wondering.

I think I will probably go with this rug from Garnet Hill, and be done with it all! Hopefully it actually looks like the internet photo.

Can you imagine if I ever tried to makeover my kitchen, or something big? It might take me 10 years. The boy nursery (crib bedding is almost done) and the girl toddler room (not even started) are next though... so wish me luck! I've only got about 2 months to finish both of those! Yeah, yeah, I know some of you could do them both in a week. I wish I could!

The Rug Issue

2011-05-06T21:50:00.000-06:00

My long-awaited bathroom rug finally arrived. Problem is, it doesn't look like this (the online photo):

It looks like this:

It doesn't even really look yellow. It just looks like a dirty rug in need of a washing. Gahh, internet ordering!
So now what? First, I have to make sure I can return it. It didn't come with clear information on that.
I'm trying to decide if I should order something like this white and yellow rug from Garnett Hill...

But will that white show so much dirt? I suppose I could just wash it weekly (it is right across from the laundry room after all), or should I go with just a solid yellow rug? Or maybe I should try a DIY rug—I've been seeing a lot of those around. I'm a little skeptical of how they turn out in real life though, so I'm not sure I dare. Have any of you tried doing a painted rug?

Oh, Wouldn't It Be Lovely?

2011-05-04T13:26:00.001-06:00

Today I spotted these lovely framed decorations over at Curbly. And I have to agree, the DIY light bulb in me totally went off. It would be so fun to recreate these. Even more fun than buying them (for $65 a pop). They are lovely by themselves...

Or with objects!

If she wasn't on the other side of the country, I'd give them to my mom, whose house has been referred to before as "the white house". She likes things light and airy, which I suppose is right on trend these days. They would be fun in an entryway. Or at least in my entryway.

Ruffle Baby Shoes (Tutorial)

2011-05-02T06:00:00.001-06:00

Remember this striped ruffle skirt I made a while back?

Well take a look at these shoes! They are a perfect match--exact same material (and style!) And much better photos. And you can make your own darling baby ruffle shoes in any color, because there is a free tutorial! Head on over to Fleeting Thing for the instructions.

via UCreate

Wedding Monogram

2011-04-30T06:00:00.001-06:00

My SIL is getting married next month and had seen some nice monogram images on wedding invitations. A friend of hers did most of the work for her invitation, but I helped out by designing the monogram and helping with fonts. The invitations are letterpress and turned out oh so lovely.

TRYathlon Logo

2011-04-29T06:00:00.000-06:00

Our neighborhood elementary school had a triathlon aka TRYathlon. The events were a short run, a ride on the square sitting scooter things, and jumping rope. I was asked to help out by designing a logo to go on the water bottles that they would give out. The school's mascot is the tigers, so the design is orange and the running is represented by paws (and the neighborhood and school are Traverse Mountain):

Tomorrow I'll share with you another project.

Recipe Share: Butterscotch Budino with Whipped Crème Fraîche

2011-04-27T06:00:00.001-06:00

When I saw this picture on Oh Joy, I started drooling. I knew I had to find a recipe and try this out. And I was not disappointed. As my sister said, "It's restaurant quality good!" She and I have similar taste in food. My hubby, however, prefers brownies and rocky road ice cream. So if you are like me and love fancy, exotic desserts, you'll love this. If you're like him, this is probably more work than will be worth it for you. Oh, and if you care about fat content—just forget it.

This amazing recipe is from epicurious.

Budino:

3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 large egg
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum

Toppings:

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, divided
1 1-inch piece vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
Fleur de sel*

For budino:
Mix cream and milk in large bowl. Whisk egg, egg yolks, and cornstarch in medium bowl. Stir sugar, 1/2 cup water, and salt in heavy large pot over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and boil without stirring until mixture turns thick, syrupy, and dark amber, occasionally swirling pot and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 7 minutes. Immediately whisk in cream mixture (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir to dissolve caramel bits. Bring mixture to boil, watching closely to prevent mixture from bubbling over, then reduce heat to medium. Gradually whisk half of hot caramel mixture into egg mixture. Return mixture to pot, whisking to blend. Whisk over medium heat until custard boils and is very thick, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter and rum; stir until melted and smooth. Strain.

Divide custard among ten 6-ounce glasses or cups. Chill uncovered until cold, about 4 hours.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.

For toppings:
Place 1/2 cup cream in small saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Add butter and set aside. Stir sugar, corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons water in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and boil without stirring until mixture turns medium amber color, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 6 minutes. Immediately whisk in cream mixture (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir to dissolve caramel bits. Set pan in large bowl of ice water to cool. Discard vanilla bean. DO AHEAD: Caramel sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Using electric mixer, beat remaining 1/4 cup cream in medium bowl until peaks form. Add crme frache and beat until soft peaks form. Place 1 budino on each of 10 plates. Reheat caramel sauce just until warm. Spoon 1 tablespoon caramel sauce over each budino. Spoon dollop of whipped crème fraîche over and sprinkle with fleur de sel.

*A type of sea salt; available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

My notes:

I used rum flavoring--worked fine.

I shelled out $7 for 2 vanilla beans. Are you kidding me? That's outrageous. You only use one inch of one bean. So if you don't have anything else to use real vanilla beans in, just try vanilla extract and save yourself some dough. Don't over-do it though, it's a subtle flavor.

I left my budino (pudding) in the ramekins rather than putting them on plates. You could put them in tea cups, mugs, glasses, anything really.

I used Real Salt sea salt instead of Fleur de sel, because I already had it on hand. The salt really ads a fantastic contrast to bring out the flavors.

Bathroom Sneak Peak

2011-04-25T06:00:00.000-06:00

Did you forget about my bathroom makeover? Can you believe it's still not done? Waiting on that rug still, so I'm taking my time finishing up a piece of artwork to go on the wall. It's done, I just need to print it and paint a frame. But here's a sneak peak of how it's looking.

And evidently my design plan isn't too original. Look what I saw this week! (OrdyandJoon)

I like their mirror better, but I doubt it would have fit in my space. Too wide. Besides, mine was only $30 from Craig's List.

More pictures to come when it's all done!

Papier Mache Easter Eggs

2011-04-20T20:17:00.000-06:00

How cute are these polka dot papier mache, piñata-esque Easter eggs by Not Martha. She always has the greatest holiday projects on her blog. She even walks us through the how-to, step by step (link).

Origami Easter Bunnies

2011-04-15T13:17:00.000-06:00

I'm thinking I might have to make some origami Easter bunnies this year. Find the video tutorial here!

Painted Frames

2011-04-11T06:00:00.002-06:00

I've been spray painting a lot lately.
I like to have a family calendar out where all can see it so that we can more easily coordinate our schedules (all 3 of us, you know). And to remind me when bills are due. And you just always need a corkboard for miscellaneous items. What I really want is this, but I just can't bring myself to spend the $160 to get what I want. So in the mean time, this will have to do. A thrifted frame ($3) painted blue, and a new frame ($2) painted green. I wish I'd seen the green frame sooner, I would have just bought 2 of them. But my white board won't fill the opening now. But not too shabby for $5, right? And they go nicely with my Orla Keily tablecloth.

By the way, I got the green frame (originally white) at Tai Pan Trading on clearance. What a deal!

Little Necktie

2011-04-08T11:50:00.000-06:00

So I've now made my first of probably many neckties for my future baby boy, using this pattern from The Little Gentleman's Closet. It was super easy and fast, and I can't wait to make more.

I plan to use this Joel Dewberry fabric for the next one, but first I have to use the bulk of it to make baby's crib skirt.

Plum Rose Headband

2011-04-04T06:00:00.000-06:00

Made another satin rosette headband, this time for a friend. I put just a teeny bit of adjustable elastic on it, since her baby is a newborn and her head is still growing rapidly.

The Little Gentleman's Closet

2011-04-01T06:00:00.007-06:00

Is there anything more adorable than a little man in a necktie? I hardly think so.

If you have a little gentleman of your own, check out Etsy shop the little gentleman's closet. These ties is that they have an adjustable neck strap so they will fit your little guy for a loooong time! You can buy one that is already made, or you can buy the pattern and customize it with your own choice of fabric. She even sends you the clip and adjuster strap when you buy/download the pattern! You can order extra clips and parts, which I will probably do because I plan on making like 10 of these. Bow tie's are also available!

This is the first pattern I've gotten from an Etsy shop, but I have to tell you, I'm super duper impressed. It's so much better than a standard store pattern! It has tons of great photos to walk you through every step. So if you are a beginner and still a little nervous about doing your own projects, this is a great pattern for you!

Plus, no hand sewing required! Hooray! I don't like hand stitching things, it seems like it takes so long. Plus I'm always nervous about it coming un-done. Never has yet, but I'm still always nervous. Most of the necktie patterns out there require some hand stitching, but not this one!

You only need either 1/4 yard of fabric or a fat quarter (which I seem to have an endless supply of), so you can make tons of these. I can't wait to get started. My baby boy is going to be well stocked when he arrives. Oh yeah, and the pattern is for size 6 months up to 9 years old, so I can prepare now for the next few years. Or if you have like 4 boys of different ages, this will work for them all.

You can check out the facebook page or the little gentleman's closet Etsy shop!

Taking in Jeans

2011-03-23T06:00:00.001-06:00

This is one of those much needed tutorials for something that has always intimidated me. I'm pretty scared of pants. My elephant-legged maternity pants need a different kind of makeover--but let's not go there. So for all of you who have to put your jeans in the dryer before each wear, hop on over to Freshly Picked for a fab tutorial!

Recipe Share: Oven Pear Pancake

2011-03-21T06:00:00.001-06:00

This recipe was recently featured on Real Simple. I made it on Saturday and ate half of it in one sitting. Of course I'm pregnant, so maybe that's not saying much. Let's be honest, even if I wasn't pregnant maybe that wouldn't be saying much. But it was good, and simple. I liked it and thought it was share-worthy. I would make it if I was having friends over for brunch. In fact, maybe I will do just that!

Ingredients

2 pears
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar

Directions

Heat oven to 400º F.
Lightly coat a 9-inch pie plate with vegetable cooking spray. Peel, core, and cut pears into eighths and arrange them in the pie plate.
Combine 1/2 cup minus 2 tablespoons sugar, flour, eggs, whole milk, vanilla, unsalted butter, and a pinch of salt in a blender. Pulse until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Pour over the pears. Place in the oven and bake until springy to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Heat broiler. Sprinkle the pancake with ground cinnamon and the 2 tablespoons sugar. Broil until browned, about 1 minute. Serve warm.

Photo and recipe from RealSimple.com

A Work in Progress

2011-03-17T13:36:00.000-06:00

Happy St. Patty's Day! {pinch, pinch}

Today I am prepping my cabinets for painting. The bathroom walls are painted (despite having to wait a couple of days for more paint to come in) and I like them. The hand towels are in, but the rug is on back order until the end of April. Boo. So for now I will paint the cabinets and mirror.
Part of what is taking me so long is just mental block. I'm always scared to start something I've never done before because what if it doesn't work and then I've just ruined perfectly good cabinets? So wish me luck. I finally filled the knots in the wood and started sanding. Hopefully tomorrow I can prime and then Saturday paint! Whoo!
If the finish comes out as smooth as I'm hoping, I will probably use the same technique on the mirror, rather than spray painting. Then I can get just exactly the shade I want. Wish me luck!

Easter Crafting: Marshmallow Bunny Plushies

2011-03-14T21:17:00.000-06:00

My hubby is a big fan of Peeps, so I might just have to make one of these for him for Easter. They are so cute I want to make one for everyone I know. (And there's a full tutorial!) Thanks for sharing, Dandelions & Lace!

I found this over at Ucreate.

Bobinette

2011-03-12T08:23:00.000-07:00

I'm loving the kid's clothing designer Bobinette. So many fun & stylish things.

Upon a Fold

2011-03-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Do you like paper? How about origami? How about amazing things? 'Cause this is waaaay beyond origami if you ask me. Behold, Upon a Fold!

These paper vases are shapable and stampable, not to mention A-mazing.

And I'd love to get this paper piano for my sister, the pianist.

I think everyone needs a cupcake stand—or two or three.

And what a lovely way to send some love.

DIY Thrifty Baby Art

2011-03-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

Found this cute idea on Ohdeedoh, one of my favorite kid sites. How fun would it be to make a project like this? You can find the link to the tutorial here.

Caution: Wet Paint

2011-03-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

This week I've been painting my new bathroom. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to get anything done with a toddler around. Or maybe you know. That blue painters tape is just so fun to pull off the walls!
Since my walls have that awful orange-peel texture, I decided to follow the advice of Dana from MADE. She has some good instructions for avoiding paint bleeding when doing stripes on a textured wall. Plus a whole lot more. Find it here.

Celebrating Handmade

2011-03-02T12:20:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law made this cute onesie for a baby shower and I wanted to share. She decided to skip the sewing machine and stitch it all by hand. She cut out her pieces and roughed up the fabric and then hand stitched it on. Idn't it sweet?

Bathroom Makeover: The Plan

2011-02-27T15:38:00.001-07:00

This is probably the last room in my house that I should be decorating, but it's small and cheap and I just keep thinking about it. So on I go. It's the half bath on the main floor, and is about as plain as they come. White walls, white trim, grayish formica counter-tops. Blaaaaaaah.

Here's my plan. Grey horizontally striped walls (13" tall per stripe). Repaint cabinets white. Yellow accents (hand towel, wall-mounted magazine rack, artwork). I'm afraid a small yellow rug would get grungy too quickly, so I'll probably go grey on that. And then some pops of spring green (plants?) and maybe orange?

By the way, you wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a cute patterned yellow rug or hand towel. And it's hard to find many options for a very small rug too (even in grey!). They are mostly just solid bath mats. So if anyone has any suggestions of places to check out, I'd love to hear them!

So, I wanted to use this great mirror I inherited from my parents, whom I believe inherited it from my grandparents. I was going to paint the frame all yellow (is that a crime?), but was devastated to discover that it is about a half inch too wide for the room!

After some disappointing shopping trips, I've decided instead to use this mirror from my bedroom and paint the frame yellow. It will replace the flat mirror currently over the sink.

So here's the plan (plus painting the cabinets white)

Or at least that was the plan until I discovered that rug is no longer available and the towels are the only one on the website where the hand towel is not offered. Now what? I swear I've searched high and low. I'm going to go ahead and paint anyway. If you've seen any great yellow or grey rugs and hand towels, please let me know where!

Textured T-shirt Tutorial

2011-02-23T10:43:00.000-07:00

Now that's a lot of T's.

I've been wanting a white or cream shirt that has texture, that I can just layer under cardi's and jackets. Most of what I've been seeing has been more expensive than I like, so I decided to make my own. I ordered 2 of the same shirt from Forever 21 ($6 each) and in 2 different sizes, since their sizing is somewhat inconsistent for me (not to mention my growing pregnant belly). I like the material of this shirt--it's a soft somewhat dressier jersey knit and a scoop neck that is not to low for bending over and picking up a toddler. Not to mention it's long enough to cover my enlarge abdomen for at least another month or two!

Here's how to do the rest:

1. Using an erasable fabric marker (the kind that disappears with water) and a ruler, mark down the sides of shirt #1 where you want your edges. In the last 2 photos you can see that the texture is a panel down the middle, doesn't go all the way accross. You can also see that I skipped this important step myself and tried to eyeball it.

2. Cut shirt #2 up the side seams so that you can attack the front and back of the shirt separately. Using a solid cutting edge (metal ruler) and rotary blade, cut shirt #2 into horizontal strips about 3/4 of an inch in height.

3. Measure the width of your proposed panel on shirt #2 and trim all your fabric strips to that length.

4. Pin one fabric strip onto shirt #1 at the top. You will quickly see how the jersey knit curls up at the edges. I used about 6 pins per fabric strip. Line up your next fabric strip so that the edges touch the first strip of fabric (and you can even slightly overlap them since they will curl). Repeat again and again and again.

5. Sew two lengths of stitches parallel all the way across the shirt on each strip of fabric. Trim all your threads. Repeat again and again and again.

6. Using water, erase you guide lines and then congratulate yourself on a job well done!

p.s. I think this would also be cute if you only took the texture 1/3 of the way down the shirt for a tuxedo effect.

p.p.s. You could use another matching material besides jersey knit, like layers of matching colored linen, or chiffon, or cotton, etc. Something that won't fray though.

DIY Paper Cup Wreath

2011-02-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

I see a lot of crafts in the blogosphere that I think, "That looks okay in the photo but in real life I think it would look cheap." But here is one craft that is cheap but I think real life (and in the photo) would actually look pretty darn cool. What do you think?

A DIY paper cup wreath! Modern and elegant. Twig and Thistle does it again.

Fancy Cuffs

2011-02-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

Do you watch Modern Family? Cam always has fancy shirts with fancy cuffs. Do you know what I saw on last night's episode? Take a close look at Cam's shirt cuffs.

It's the very same fabric I used to make my high chair cover!

My Paper Heart

2011-02-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

I recently shared these awesome framed hearts from Sarah & Bendrix. Since there wasn't time for me to order one before Valentines Day, I decided to make one of my own to give to my hubby. I didn't go back and look at theirs, I just loosely had the image in my mind and made my own version of it.

If you want details on how I did it, keep reading.
I used a frame from IKEA and used some strips of corrugated cardboard under the mat to give it enough room for the dimension needed by the folded paper hearts. A simpler solution would be to just buy a shadow box frame, but apparently I can't do anything the easy way.

I gridded out my paper into equal size squares (and apparently I can't count, I should have had another row or two!) Then I cut out anything red from my magazines (strawberries, bike jerseys, shoes, swimsuits, etc.) and used spray glue to back them on another sheet of paper for more sturdiness. I used my mini heart punch to punch out the hearts, and scored each of them down the center. I folded them to give dimension. I put a dot of plain old Elmer's glue in the center of each of my grid squares and carefully placed each heart using needle-nose pliers and an Exacto knife. I felt like an entomologist (bug scientist). Let dry and erase grid lines. Then I wrote in my love note and put in in the frame. Total time commitment: about 2 hours. And he loved it.

(grid lines)

p.s. I have to say, this day is a lot more fun when I'm planning special things for someone else.

Valentine Goodies

2011-02-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

I found this cute idea on Super Ziper, and thought I'd give it a try. My crazy husband likes milk chocolate better than dark chocolate, so that is what I used. Chocolate dipped pretzel sticks with candy hearts on top.

The pretzels are not quite flat on the end so the candy hearts kept sliding off, so I actually sawed off the tips. Yes, I sawed off the tip of each and every pretzel with a serrated knife so they would be flat. Then dipped in melted chocolate, and stuck the candy heart on the end. Since I didn't have any styrofoam without raw meat on it, I improvised and used a loaf of rosemary bread that I was about to throw out (because it was getting old). I just stuck those dipped pretzels right in for drying. Hopefully they won't taste like rosemary. Hopefully my hubby will think they are as sweet as I do.

I made these a couple of days in advance, so the salt is starting to spot through the chocolate. So a little tip for you would be don't make them in advance if you want them to look perfect. Also, don't use a loaf of bread to stick them in. If you leave them there for a few hours, the ends start to get soggy. But they do crispen up again once removed. That's another lesson I learned.

You can find the jumbo candy heart sprinkles on Amazon or Etsy, or probably a number of other places too.

Valentine Sneak Peak

2011-02-12T06:01:00.000-07:00

I ordered this Valentine for my hubby for V Day. If you know him, you know nothing could be more fitting. He has a nickname of "mantis the man" which comes from an inside joke, from high school I believe. Big thanks to designers Nathan and Matthew for making more and shipping so quickly. If you want one too, you can find it in their Etsy shop here.

Baby Hat & Blanket Tutorials

2011-02-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm a little scared of sewing knits myself, but these are so cute I might just have to cowboy up and try it. You can find step-by-step hat tutorial here.

And the step-by-step blanket tutorial here.

She ordered Michael Miller knits (design by Patty Young) from Etsy, which explains the cuteness. I haven't see such cute knits around here locally. Not that I've been looking, but I periodically browse, you know.

Free Wallpapers

2011-02-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

You know how everything Fossil does is cool? Well you can download some pretty cool wallpapers for your computer/iphone/ipad for free on their website.

Recipe Share: Mini Chocolate Lava Cakes

2011-02-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

Now here's a recipe that might just come in handy for you this Valentines day. Or any day really—I mean we're talking chocolate here. Double chocolate. Does your sweetheart love chocolate as much as mine?

Ghirardelli® Individual Chocolate Lava Cakes

Centers:
2 oz Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate baking bar, broken or chopped into 1-inch pieces
1/4 c heavy cream

Cakes:
4 oz Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate baking bar, broken or chopped into 1-inch pieces
1/2 c unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 large whole eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/3 c granulated white sugar
1/2 t pure vanilla extract
1/4 c cake flour
Raspberries for garnish
Whipped cream or ice cream for garnish or topping

To make centers, in the otp of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, melt the 2 oz of chocolate with the cream. Whisk gently to blend. [I had success microwaving the chocolate 30 seconds at a time on 50% power, stirring in between, and then adding the cream. But you have to be very careful not to scorch it if you use the microwave.]
Refrigerate for about 2 hours, or until firm. With your hands, form into 6 balls; refrigerate until needed.
Preheat the over to 400 degrees F. Spray six 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups with cooking spray.
To make the cakes, in the top of a double boiler on in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, melt the 4 oz of chocolate and the butter, stirring occasionally until smooth.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, whisk the whole eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla on high speed for about 5 minutes, or until thick and light. Fold the melted chocolate mixture and flour into the egg mixture just until combined. Spoon the cake batter into the ramekins. Place a chocolate ball in the middle of each ramekin.
Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cake is firm to the touch. [Be careful not to over bake them]. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes. Run a small, sharp knife around the inside of each ramekin, place an upside down plate on top, invert, and remove the ramekin. Garnish with raspberries and a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.

from AllRecipes.com

Valentine Inspiration

2011-02-03T06:06:00.000-07:00

Check out all these cute Valentines items from Sarah & Bendrix. How fun would it be to share one of these with your sweetie this year?

I see a new DIY project in my future! My little heart punch is going to come in really handy.

Made It: Tea-Dyed Eyelet Baby Skirt

2011-01-30T06:00:00.003-07:00

A few months ago I saw some darling skirts on Zulily's website. {EDIT: Guess who showed up again on Zulily today! This very skirt! The company that makes it is Hazel, and for the next few days you can buy one on sale for $28.99 at Zulily. Or you can make one, for like $7 ish. But you really should check out their other clothes because they are sooooo darling, all of them!}

From the baby blessing dress I just made, I had some leftover eyelet that was the bottom section of the fabric that was unused. But it was white. White white. So I got this little idea in my head to try something I've been hearing about. Tea dyeing. I had a boxful of lemon-ginger tea that I didn't care for, so here was a great opportunity to use it up.
I found some instructions here, and loosely followed them. My tea gave me a satisfactory ivory color.
(Sorry, most of my photos are at night--the only time I can do much is after little {A} goes to bed).

I dyed the eyelet fabric as well as a lining material:

Then into the dryer it went, to help set the color.
Next, I measured the elastic and sewed it together:

Then I measured and cut my fabrics (about double the width of the waist band). Hemmed the bottom of the lining fabric:

And sewed a basting stitch along the top of each of the 2 layers.

Gathered each layer, sewed the side seams.

Finally, pinned the 2 layers upside down and inside out to the elastic band.

And sewed it on, using a zig-zag stitch to allow for stretching of the waistband.

Flip it over, and Ta-da!

I tried to get Ava to model it for me, but had little cooperation. It's still a tad big on her anyway.

Now you try one and send me a photo!

DIY Fabric Covered Shoes

2011-01-27T06:32:00.001-07:00

Have any of you ever tried to cover a pair of shoes with fabric? I love this idea! I think I've given all my "I don't wear these anymore" items to the thrift store though. Maybe it's time to take a trip inside the thrift store to buy back a pair of "test shoes"!

The inspiration (I want these!):

Her homemade version:

You can find the full DIY instructions at Burda Style. Let me know if you try it out!

Blessing Dress, Round 2

2011-01-24T21:49:00.000-07:00

Remember this dress? Well this is actually dress #2! A sweet new mom of a darling adopted baby girl contacted me and asked if I would make one for her, and so here it is. I made this one about an inch and a half longer than version 1, because my original was barely long enough. And that's what I've been up to lately.

Even though I've made this dress before, I was still a little intimidated, so it took me a while. Making something for myself, I don't mind raw edges on the inside, and if something is a tad off here or there, but making it for someone else, I wanted it to be perfect. And since I don't really have a pattern, I was so afraid of messing up. But it turned out great. Phew.

Embellished Socks

2011-01-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

How cute are these embellished socks?!

I just saw some grey & salmon striped socks at Forever 21 (sorry, can't find them on the website) that would be fun to do this with.
via Whip Up

Another Headband

2011-01-17T10:04:00.000-07:00

I quickly made this headband one morning to go with a beautiful gold dress that Ava has. In the future I will try to take more photos of my processes and share them with you. I just used a crochet style ribbon, and two pieces of satin ribbon for the flowers.

17 months old, and that's all the hair she's got!

Military T-shirt DIY

2011-01-09T21:03:00.001-07:00

Does everyone know what DIY stands for? I had someone ask me that once. Do-It-Yourself.

So here's a DIY that's as easy as one-two-three... four.

This idea came about from seeing 45 seconds of the show Cougar Town one night. One of the girls had on a pink slouchy T-shirt with basically this pattern of military design on it. I've had this green shirt that's a bit too tight, and this seemed like a good update and a way to mask the too-tightness.

So here's what you'll need:

One T-shirt; about 1/16 if a yard of fleece, flannel, or felt; 8 buttons (mine are antiqued gold color)

Step 1. Cut.
Cut 4 equally sized strips of your fleece/flannel/felt. (I recommend creating a simple pattern for yourself using wax or parchment paper. Or wrapping paper. Or anything.)

Step 2. Pin.
Put on your shirt and decide where you want your top strip and bottom strip to sit. Loosly pin those two on and carefully remove the shirt (and put on another one). Lay the shirt flat and now adjust your top and bottom strips so they are level, and pin in place. Evenly space the middle 2 strips and pin in place.

Step 3. Sew.

With strips in place, sew them onto the t-shirt, stitching around the outside edges.

Step 4. Buttons.

With a needle and thread, sew on your buttons, one at each end of each strip.

That's it! You're done! Now go show off your new shirt (and send me pictures!).

Christmas Wreath Make-over

2010-12-23T08:31:00.002-07:00

My last house had a huge knotty alder stained door for the front door. And I had a cranberry wreath that looked just lovely on it. But since we moved and painted this door red-orange, the cranberries clashed. So I gave the wreath a little make-over with some silver spray paint. (Sorry I have no before photos). I much prefer the silver to the cranberry colored wreath!

I ran out of spray paint, so you can see little bits of cranberry showing through if you look closely. But I'll finish 'er off before she gets packed away for the season, don't you worry.

Merry Christmas everyone!

DIY T-shirt Wreath

2010-12-22T08:00:00.001-07:00

I think I'm going to have to make one of these for next year. Merry Christmas!

Head over to Cathie Filian to find the tutorial.

Pom-Pom Stocking

2010-12-20T22:43:00.001-07:00

Just in the nick of time, here's a stocking I made actually like 3 weeks ago. Not your traditional color scheme, but I think it could be fun to work around. I'd like to embroider a name on it, in red thread, to really finish the look. (But I don't embroider.)

The top fabric is a grey linen, the stocking fabric is a home decor-weight fabric that feels a little tapestry-esque. And of course, yellow pom-pom trim!

Ornament Tree

2010-12-20T08:35:00.002-07:00

What a wonderful idea, particularly if you have a small space or an aversion to pine needles. Or a love of great, creative design.

Check out Not Martha for more fabulous pictures and explanations.

Birdcage Ornament

2010-12-07T07:46:00.000-07:00

Found this darling birdcage ornament over at Pretty Ditty. She's got a full tutorial and lots more photos. Wouldn't this be a sweet little gift for coworkers and friends? Here's the link.

Lunch Bag Love

2010-12-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

Heather Bailey has a new lunch bag design that kind of puts my lunch bags to shame. I think I might have to indulge and buy her pattern.

Edible Stars

2010-12-03T06:26:00.002-07:00

Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, never let it fade away.

And now you can eat your stars too! Just what I need to make the season bright. Edible star sprinkles, from Wilton.
Add some gilded doily/lace cups, and you've got a party! (theirs are glass votive cups, but I would try it on white paper party cups). Tutorial here.

Good Deeds Advent Calendar

2010-12-01T08:23:00.000-07:00

Oh dear, where have I been? On holiday, I suppose.
I just had to share with you a darling tutorial about a service/good deed oriented advent calendar. Each day has a good deed to be performed (she even shares her list of deeds), and a piece of candy as a reward. I love this idea and I will be making one of these for my family! Here's the link.

From I Am Momma Hear Me Roar.

The Most Adorable Quilt Ever!

2010-11-17T07:43:00.001-07:00

My friend Patti, of Talk of the Town, made the cutest quilt I have ever seen for her soon-to-arrive baby boy. What a lucky boy he is. I think if I made anything this cute I wouldn't let my child touch it until he was 13. And of course by then he would have nothing to do with it. Which would ensure perfect preservation!

Head on over to her blog for more photos (as well as other inspiring things). Sounds like instructions may be coming soon as well!
She's also the genius behind this amazing bird chandelier. I want one.

Mosaic Pottery Barn Art

2010-11-11T08:06:00.000-07:00

If your house is in need of a little Umph (and mine is!), you might want to try this mosaic tutorial over at Remodelaholic. She takes her inspiration from Pottery Barn and creates a custom piece using scrapbooking paper. I might just have to do this for the large blank wall behind my bed.

The inspiration:

The homemade version:

Thankful Tree

2010-11-06T10:40:00.000-06:00

I love love love this idea of a Thankful Tree for the month of November. I want to start this tradition in my family, though little A isn't old enough to understand any of it yet. Click here for the full scoop.

If you love me...

2010-11-05T06:00:00.000-06:00

You'll buy me this book.

Actually, it wouldn't be for me, it would be for my little one.

You can read (and see) more about it over at Prudent Baby. I can only image the other fun pages that must be included. Wouldn't you have loved to have a book like this about your birth?

Kate Spade and Cake

2010-11-04T08:20:00.002-06:00

I think Kate Spade would have liked Ava's birthday cake.
From Kate Spade's Spring 2011 Collection:

Ava's birthday cake:

Do you see that the colors are pretty much exactly the same? Okay, so "pretty much exactly" might not be a real concept, but you get the point.

If I had a dog...

2010-11-03T07:00:00.001-06:00

If I had a dog, this is what it would be wearing. It's almost worth getting a dog, just to put it in one of these coats.

From Etsy seller Rover.

Colored Spoons Tutorial

2010-11-01T21:21:00.001-06:00

I found these amazing spoons over at Ladies and Gentlemen. But what if I don't want serving pieces, I want a full set of flatware instead? That is where the magic of spray paint comes in. Here's my version and how I did it.

What you'll need:

1. Flatware of your choice

2. spray paint metal primer

3. spray paint

4. painter's tape

5. sandwich bag

1. Wrap neck of utensil with painter's tape, being careful to make a straight horizontal line; also make sure you press the tape into any grooves to prevent bleeding or dripping.

2. Wrap the head of the utensil with the sandwich bag and secure with more painter's tape.

3. In a well ventilated area, hold utensil by the head and lightly spray the utensil on all sides with the metal primer. Repeat. (As tempting as it is, don't spray one heavy coat of primer. It will create drips and also fill in the delicate carvings in the metal.)

4. Repeat step 3 with spray paint color of your choosing. Allow to dry and remove tape and bag.

5. Stand back and admire.

Note: Should you decide to vary from this design, you probably shouldn't ever spray paint the part of the utensil the food sits on. I doubt spray paints are "food safe".

EDITS: Standard spray paints are not food safe. You can, however, buy food-safe spray paints here. Thanks to reader hampton for the link!

Also, I've had questions about how these have held up. I haven't used them enough to give a fair answer, but I will say they've made it just fine through 4 or 5 runs in the dishwasher. Thanks for all your interest!

Halloween at Work

2010-10-30T19:21:00.001-06:00

Here are some photos of the Halloween festivities at my office. Thank you, co-workers, for making this day so fun. Everyone brings their kids in to trick-or-treat, there are costume contests, decorating contests, coloring contest for the kids, and a chili/soup lunch plus cookies for dessert.

Bees and bee keeper

Braveheart

Curious George and the Man in the Yellow Hat

Harry Potter and the gang. My favorites are Moaning Mertyl and Mrs. Trelawney, and of course, the snitch.

Nerd on a Segway. He may not be Gob Bluth, but I still like it.

Lord of the Rings group. Look for all the specific characters... even including the ring!

Snow White and the 7 Dwarves

My favorite costume: gorilla carrying Danny in a box

Masquerade Ball girls

and their magnifiscent decorations below

Halloween Costumes--the Photos

2010-10-29T22:03:00.003-06:00

As promised, here are more photos of our costumes. I made them both (details at the end, if you are interested). If you aren't familiar with it, I'm the house from the movie Up.
Halloween is kind of a big deal at my office, and I look forward to it all year. They even set up a little photo booth for us to all get our pictures done.

My hair quickly became staticky. I only have this photo for now.

For the house I carved and taped together boxes, painted it with cheap craft paint, and drew on the siding and shingles with a marker.
For the peacock, I got the tights at Gymboree, the onesie at Old Navy, and the rest of the supplies at Hobby Lobby. (I'm kind of obsessed with these tights. She will be wearing them a lot this winter.)

Sneak Peak

2010-10-29T07:46:00.001-06:00

Here's a sneak peak of our Halloween costumes... more and bigger photos to come.

Pumpkin Bike

2010-10-29T07:21:00.000-06:00

One of my fellow co-workers rides a recumbant bike to work every day—rain, snow, or shine. He built an aerodynamic structure to go on the back of his bike so that he could carry things such as a change of clothes, lunch, etc. Wanting to be seen (and not hit) on the road, he made it orange. That's where we come in. Nothing that is orange can go untouched in October.

We cut out jack-o-lantern faces and stuck them on, to keep him in the spirit of Halloween.

Halloween Food Round-up

2010-10-27T07:26:00.001-06:00

The octo-pot-pie was just the beginning. Here I've collect an assortment of scary Halloween treats for you to try for your next party. Some of these, I'm not sure I could eat. Like the ham skull. Ick!
I'm planning on trying this first one out tomorrow:

via Instructables.

Melon Brains, also via Instructables.

Vampire Lolliipops (or Blood Suckers, as I like to call them). via Tissuepapers.

Meat Head /Ham Skull (I'm putting just the link because
I can't bear to have that image on my blog).

Halloween Mashed Bootatoes. via Martha Stewart.

Eyeball (tomato) Soup. via Little Birdie Secrets.

Jellied Eyeballs. via Jelly Shot Test Kitchen.

Candy Corn Jello. via Jelly Shot Test Kitchen.

Cake Pops from Bakerella.

Ghost Pretzel Sticks from Kids Fun Reviewed.

Witches Fingers. via Kids Fun Reviewed. (I've had these with a thin pretzel stick in the center—like a bone. Eeeew.)

Meat Hand from Not Martha.

Brain Muffins. via Prudent Baby.

Spider Suckers. via Oh Dee Doh.

Octo-pot-pie

2010-10-26T06:02:00.000-06:00

I can't wait until Ava is old enough to enjoy and appreciate fun foods. Actually I can wait. She's growing up so fast! Anyhoo, onto the details! Megan, of Not Martha shares this delightful tutorial on how to make these tentacle pot-pies—perfect for the Halloween season. Link.