Spring Top Sewalong: Entry #1

So, for 2 springs now, I've been following the Spring Top Week over at Made By Rae's.  You might recognize that name from her great Buttercup Bag tutorial.  Back on topic.  This spring, Rae has decided to make it a Spring Top sewalong...and because I attempted making clothes for my girls last summer and over the winter, I now think I might be able to create something for myself...that is worthy of walking out of the house wearing, NOT just wearing it to bed. Ha!  So, here is my second attempt the first was a miserable fail that I refuse to post about at making a top for myself: the 1 Hour Kaftan.

A sneak peak...

I love the fabric!!  I purchased it from Joann's off the clearance wall.  It was $7 a yard, and 50% off that.  Not too bad!  It's a stretchy rayon fabric that has a very lacy look to it.  I wanted lacy.  I wanted stretch.  I bought a yard and a half.

I wore it today for the first time and it's quite comfortable, albeit a little chilly!  Our warm weather hasn't quite decided to stick around yet...and I have to wear a cami underneath for modesty's sake ;) It's okay to see through the sleeves but not so much the rest of the top!

I ran into a couple problems with the fabric and my machine...the needle pushes the fabric down into the hole.  The fabric gets good and stuck.  I carefully pull said fabric from the depths of my sewing machine and it rips.  Shoot me now!   Repeat two more times.

Replace needle for a stretchy fabric needle...

thread shreds 5 or 6 times as I complete the rest of my garment.  (If you have any thoughts on why this was happening, please let me know!)

Here's a normal color, front view.  I used a tutorial I found on the internet recently to make this blouse.  Have you ever heard of Sew Convert?  She's a pretty amazing seamstress!  Recently, she put out the 1 Hour Kaftan Tutorial.  I absolutely love her lace version!!  Uh, obviously, right? 

I wasn't a huge fan of the pointy sleeves on her lace kaftan (it looked gReat on her, but when I put mine on, I thought it looked ridiculous!  Who knew?)  So, I folded my nearly completed kaftan in half, and cut a quarter of a circle from the sleeves to create this...

Overall, I would definitely recommend this blouse if you like the flowy, romantic look.  I love ruffles, lace, and flowy...so this is me!  Ok.  Now if you're still reading this...

there's this little contest going on over at Made By Rae's for the Spring Top Week's best....uh, Spring Top.  Right now, people are entering their work as will I as soon as I am done writing up this post for you, my beautiful reader!  So, as soon as you're done here, run on over to the flicker group and leave me some comment love!  Or here.  Or both. ;) 

So...what do you think?? 

Organize Your Life: the COAT MOUND

Let me introduce you to...

the

COAT MOUND!!

I immagine it is known by other names in other households, but in this house, it is the COAT MOUND. 

We have never lived in a home with say...

an entryway

or

a Mud Room...oh, a mudroom.  These are the things dreams are made of!! 

Up until Christmas, we used this coat tree to house our mound of many coats.  But oh, the mound became a real nuisance!  Coats would fall off, kids couldn't find THEIR coat: "that's not my coat, that's your JACKET!" 

While I was shopping at Hobby Lobby before Christmas last year, I wandered by an inspiration!! 

I found these iron-like letters with a heavyduty hook on them. 

Yes...

the lightbulb...

came on.

I purchased a each of my child's first name initial.  The older two already recognized their letters so it was perfect.  We no longer have the COAT MOUND. 

Astounding I know.

Instead, each child knows where his/her coat goes.  We purposly placed each letter within easy reach of short bodies so they could each put their own coat away and get it out again.   

The last 3 1/2 months of winter was so much more organized (coat wise that is!).  Oh, did I mention these letters were clearanced out?  I got them for just a few dollars a piece and they were put in their stockings.  I know, boring stocking gift but hey!  They're useful! 

Go any great tips for your winter coats?  Muddy boots?  Nasty shoes?  Please share! 

Spring Walk...and tornados

My girls and I took a walk yesterday in the hopes of gaining a little spring in our steps :) It worked!  On our little journey, we came across these pretty little spring scenes and flowers.  I LOVE photographs but I don't really know what I'm doing!!  My dream camera?  Well, let's not go there since that's a few years off, but we were able to upgrade this past winter from our old camera (a 4mp) to what we have now.

The Nikon Coolpix

It's zooms 15x...which means nothing to me except that I can get some great pictures from a ways away! 

It has a great flower setting...and with the help of picnik.com... you can do this.

I love this bunch of flowers!  Aren't they gorgeous??  I'm considering framing all of these and putting them above my couch...hmmm...decisions, decisions.

Well, purple is my favorite color...and would you believe these little pretties are growing in my backyard??  It's like crabgrass that blooms!  I think they're wild violets but I'm not sure.  They're about the size of a quarter...and look how clear this camera takes it's picture. 

I'm an amateur...amateur photographer!  I have NO IDEA how to work one of those DSLR..or SDLR or LRDS...or whatever those cameras are that all the really cool bloggers have :) Nope. Not me. Just my little Nikon Coolpix. 

Hope your spring isn't as wet as mine! 

And just because...I want you all to be safe during these nasty spring storms,

a week ago today, around 1:30am, my phone rang.  This is really odd, and even more odd that I remembered to bring my phone up to bed! (we only use cell phones which I usually forget downstairs.)

My sister was calling me with some scary news...

Her house...

A tornado hit their home and property minutes before she called me.  While I live 3 1/2 hours away from her, in the whole scheme of storms, we live roughly an hour east of her.  She was calling to warn us of impending bad weather.

Just inside their front door.  The doors were thrown open when the front porch collapsed.  All of their front windows shattered...

And the scariest part, in my opinion (and everyone else's)...the west wall began to peal away from the house.  The wall that is a foot away from my nephews head while sleeping...

...when the insurance adjuster came, he lingered on that wall telling them that if the tornado had stayed only 2 seconds longer the wall would not have held, and more than likely that section of the roof would have collapsed...on top of my nephew. 

My sister will probably kill me when she sees this post!  But, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for my family's safety!  Not only does my sister, her husband and four kids live there, but my parents live in a trailer on the property.  It seems as though the brick house took the brunt of the tornado, and kept it from hitting the trailer head on.  As you can see in the next photo, it missed the trailer and hit the barn beside it.

Oh yeah, the kids are most upset about that latter you see in the photo.  It used to attach to the trampoline which is now in a mangled heap on the other side of the big barn (not shown). 

Sooo....

then we (my small town) had 2 tornados touch down.  On our property we had 2 trees snap, and some local businesses were damaged. 

It was, suffice it to say, an interesting week!!  Be careful and pay attention to the weather :)

Ruffly Dresses n Satin Sashes

My little flappers

I heard that a good amount of times today!  And they did look like flappers. 

I made my girls matching ruffle fabric dresses from the fabric I had left over from my Coast Curtsy Skirt.  You absolutely have to have two yards to make this skirt because of the way the fabric is cut, but there's enough fabric to make two of them...so this is why I had enough to make little dresses for the girls.  I chose a coral color satin for the sashes and matching flower barrette.  I found this pattern for a little girl's party dress and used the bodice pattern for the top...then just drew a slight flair from the edge of the bodice down to the length of the dress i wanted.  I LOVE how ruffle fabric looks but it can be tedious to work with.  You have to make sure you've pinned it well, and so that all the ruffles are laying in the same direction.  Go slow if you choose to use ruffle fabric.  I would also recomend using a size or two smaller in the pattern you choose for the bodice.  The dresses were saggy at the neck and underarms.  Thankfully, no one at church is really a seamstress....so, I'm the only one who was bothered by it!  Ha! 

We all three had matching flower barrettes today :)

Some Easter outtakes!

I'm surprised the little one didn't get mad here! 

Daddy said to give him a big smile...

Cheesy, eh?

And one of mom and dad... 

How was your Easter?   I began my day by listening to this song...if you have any questions about Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection...or if you'd like to know how you can KNOW that you will spend eternity in Heaven, please don't hesitate to email me! 

Happy Resurrection Day my friends!

Organize Your Life: Artists' Display

My husband made I made this a while back to help with the little artists' drawings/pictures/paintings that keep coming into the house during this, his first year of school.  The organizational aspect of this is simply that, if there are too many pictures for it to hold (one per clothespin), then it gets pitched.   

I leave it completely up to him which pictures he keeps, and which ones we toss.  (I do file a few here and there to come back to in the future...and that's another post)  For what we keep in his room, this is it.  He can pinch the clothespin to open by himself and add or remove pictures.

To make this, all you need is a 1x2 that is four foot long roughly.  I marked off every six to nine inches for where I wanted to place my clothespins.  Take apart the clothespins.  Using a 3/4" tack nail, attach one piece of the clothespin to each mark you made.  Put your clothespins back together.  I did not do anything to finish the wood.  It is natural.  You could always paint it if you want for it to match your current decor.  The 1x2 I purchased was already sanded smooth.  It only cost a few dollars. 

This little Artists' Display is very easy and simple to make.  Have any ideas for Oranize Your Life?  Comment and let me know!

Touring Tuesday: Bubblewrap Bingo

So, I am still on a quest for things to keep my kiddos busy on our 8 hour roadtrip this summer.  :)  I know.  It will probably be stressful at times, but I'm still looking forward to it!  My husband and I have discussed a multitude of things in regards to this roadtrip. 

1.  Stop every 2 hours for a 20 (or so) minute stretch.

2.  Map out local elementary schools on your route.  Use their playground equipment for your kids to play on at your 20 minute stretch.  (I thought this was an excellent idea!)

3.  Pack snacks ahead of time in baggies.

4.  Bring easy drinks :)

Now...I have another activity for the car because hey, that is my mission here, right?  How many of you have the large bubble wrap lying around you home somewhere?  You don't either?  Well, I was lucky enough to score pieces of it from my job where we receive packages all the time! 

Here's what you need:

bubble wrap

THIS document (or something like it)

Piece of cardboard

Tape

little fingers :)

I'm horrible because this great idea got thrown away before I could photograph it!!  So, I found the original website (I think)...with their tutorial! 

Photo courtesy of Ohdeedoh.com

At Oh Dee Doh, they hand drew each picture.  Instead, I used clipart and placed them strategically on the paper. 

I'm afraid that my document isn't quite aligned.  I'm working on that so if you need it soon, let me know and I'll get the wrinkles ironed out!  So, here are the basics for making your own Bubblewrap Bingo!

1.  Print out the document.

2.  Cut bubble wrap to fit

3.  Tape document to cardboard

4.  Tape bubble wrap to cardboard making sure the bubbles fall over the clipart pictures correctly. 

5.  Pop the bubbles as you find the items listed! 

6.  Have little prizes for the child who gets bingo first :)

How did this work out with my kids?  My 5 year old enjoyed it...he was occupied for about 30 minutes or so.  I think this would be wonderful for elementary age kids.  My 3 year old didn't really care about it much.  BUT, I absolutely adore the concept and I think it would work wonderfully with a slightly older child.  



Did you miss my previous Touring Tuesday posts?  Find them here. 

Hope you're having a wonderful rainy day!!

These were a hit at my work...

Did you see what I found on my kitchen table this morning?? 

I wore one of these flower barrettes to work a few weeks back and had a co-worker order 5 of them for her daughter!!  When I brought hers in, a few others asked...

and so here I am again just making a bunch to take in and see what happens. 

I figured Easter is a perfect time to sell flower barrettes!! 

This particular one was two flowers that I took apart and put together to make this ONE barrette.  (I'm sorry.  I don't have a modeled photo of this one because my model was getting huffy/whiny easily today!  Running a temp. You know how it is!)  If this one sells, I think I'll have to make another for myself!  (The last one I made for myself sold at work too.)

                  

I had some scraps left from a dress project for my daughter so I thought I'd make a headband.  I'm loving it! 

Doesn't hurt that my favorite color is purple :)

I'm lucky I got this picture!  She was NOT in the mood for modeling today.

Just wait till I get pictures with the headband...and the dress!  That isn't too far off. 

Just a little...Saturday fun

I've been cleaning most of today...with a couple short sit down breaks.  Spent a good part of the morning cleaning my kitchen (the retro 1950's kitchen).  Once I finished in there, I moved on to the Living Room.

While I was vacuuming, someone had a little fun...

Yes.  I found my 18 month old sitting on TOP of the kitchen table, removing each straw from the container.

Be back soon with some crafty fun :) 

Happy Weekend!!

Organize Your Life: the Plastics Cabinet!!!

Ok.  I must confess something first.  I have actually crafted nothing for this post.

Last week I asked my readers what needs to be organized in their lives...and I got some great responses!!  A couple of you said that the plastics/food storage is a big problem area for them. 

Well, I empathize with you!!  A little over a year ago, we moved to a new house.  In my packing, I got serioiusly frustrated with our stupid plastic food storage containers!!  In a nutshell, I trashed them all.  If they were broken, to the trash they went and the rest we donated. 

I had a Target gift card left over from Christmas and I decided that I would break down and buy...

THIS

**the photo links you out to amazon.com where you can purchase this item**

It has been the BEST $22 I never spent in my life!!!  (remember, it was a gift card)  The lids snap/stack together then they snap to the bottom of the container. 

They nest well...

This is not the complete set, but almost. ;) A few are in use right now!

When you do the dishes, you just put them away like this and they stay organized until your baby girl decides to go play in the plastics cabinet.

I was not paid to say any of this :) Both my husband and I love these!!  So, if your plastics cabinet is out of control, my recomendation would be to pitch it ALL!!  And replace with one of these sets. 

Reasons why I didn't do this 5 years ago:

*it bothered me to throw all that out...throwing away money you know*

And that's pretty much the only reason!  LOL  I hate to think that I'm wasting money so that really bothered me.  What was the catalyst to cause me to pitch it all?  I couldn't stand the mess more than I couldn't stand the thought of throwing away that money. *smirk* A year later, my plastics cabinet is still organized.  When I opened my cabinet to take a picture, I did NOTHING to it before the photo.  Seriously. 

To those of you who may have a problem with hoarding or keeping items you don't need...I would suggest looking into finding someone who can help you get over that.  I am so NOT a good housekeeper.  Clutter stacks up alot sometimes and I am constantly going through paper!!  (I think I'll save paper for next week)  When I throw something out, I feel liberated!  If I didn't have kids, I would get rid of sooooooooo much more!  But alas, I think kids are for keeps :) so I'm a few years off from getting rid of EVERYTHING that I want to.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask.  

And if you've never heard of this little nugget of a website, go check it out right now!!  Househoncho is awesome!!  She will help you organize and keep things clean in ways that I would never immagine. 

My Shop

The All in One Hobo Bag is an exceptionally roomy bag.  It comes with four pockets but if you prefer something different, it's not a problem.  You can add zipper pockets, keyfobs, cell phone pockets, etc.  

*click on image to go to the listing in our shop*

Another of my favorites...the Simple Hobo Bag.  A bit smaller than the All in One Hobo, this is still a great size bag for a Mom on the go!  You can elongate the strap for a cross body style or shorten it for a shoulder bag. 

*click on image to go to the listing in our shop*

The Mod Diaper Bag is definitely one of our more popular bags!  I prefer to carry a bag that does NOT scream baby.  I love my babies but they are not the one carrying the bag.  I am finding that more and more women agree with me. 

*click on image to be taken to the etsy listing*

Hope you're having a wonderful day!  Ours is especially beaUtiful!

Touring Tuesday: Mini Memory Game

Do you remember this photo from last Tuesday's Touring Tuesday installment?  These little magnets were great for my youngest to play with.  Let me show you what they were actually for...

My Magnetic Mini Memory Game!!  Aren't these tins great!!??  I got the idea from here.  The tutorial calls for an altoid tin...but that only gets you 6 sets of memory cards.  Also, I don't eat altoids.  Anything mint makes me sneeze a bajillion times! (I do not kid)  So, I started keeping an eye out at the craft stores and walmart, etc...for a hinged tin that was the same depth on both sides (or at least close).  I met up with a friend at Hobby Lobby one day and was specifcally looking for hinged lidded tins.  Didn't find any.  I went back the next day...and happened to browse the kids section in the back of the store and found these.

Oh. Yes. I. Did. 

Perfect.

They have a hinged lid, and each side is roughly the same depth...and of course the best part, they came in Disney Princess and Cars.  I mean really, does it get better than that?

I used clipart on my computer and shrunk down the images that I chose to about a 1"x 1" size.  I purchased these great round wooden disks.  (The ones in this photo are from Michaels.  I bought the first set from Hobby Lobby, but I like the Michaels set better.)  Each package came with 22 cnt, 1 1/4" in diameter. 

Tom and Jerry :)

My kids each have a couple TV characters that they like.  I googled the images and found a few.  I found Tom, Jerry, Dora, Hello Kitty, and of course McDonalds.  The rest were just normal items: car, cow, tornado (my son is obsessed with tornados right now), and more.

I cut out the images, and mod podged them to each wood disk.  Then I used a hot glue gun and glued a magnet to the backs of each disk.

TIP: 

Glue the magnets on first before you mod podge.  This gives you a little handle to hold on to while you apply the mod podge and something for the disk to sit on while the glue dries. 

Purchased the magnets in a bag of 50cnt at Walmart.  You could probably find these at lots of places but I happened on them at Walmart, needed them, and got them :)

The whole set...

My kids did play with these.  It probably kept them busy about 45 minutes.  (The magic number in my house apparently)  The little one as you saw in the first photo, just liked to play with the magnets themselves.  Since the travel tray is magnetic, this was perfect!!!  My ONLY complaint so far is that we have misplaced 3 of the pieces already!  We are on the hunt!!!