Revamp

My thoughtful mother-in-law found this ikea bed canopy at a yard sale almost two years ago for Lucy's room.

While I really like it, I wanted to change it up a bit for Nora's new room. I found this sheet of linen scrapbook paper that I've decided to use as the color inspiration for the nursery.

With that in mind, I chose a rust red corduroy (that looks velvety) to alter the canopy. I cut off the old flags.

Then I made a template for my new flags.

I'm really happy with the way it turned out! It's sort-of a cross between between a flower and a circus.

Here it is up close.

Six weeks to go!

Baby Shower Gifts

A friend of mine is having a baby shower for her baby boy who's due next month. I thought about just buying something for her, but I always like to give handmade gifts when I can.

So, this morning I put on a 30-minute show for Lucy (I know... but it works!) and whipped up these cute little burp cloths. This is one of my favorite baby shower gifts to make. They're quick, easy, super cute and one-of-a-kind.

I really love that color green mixed with the blue polka dots. I hope my friend loves them too!

I suppose it's almost time to make a few for myself!

I sewed!

After a long hiatus, I finally put my little sewing machine to work. I made this cute little skirt!

Skirts are a fun alternative to shorts in the summer, and believe me, it's HOT here! Please disregard the mess of toys strewn about our living room :). It's unbelievably hard to get a toddler to hold still and pose for a photo. This was the best I could do.

And here's my little girl. She's growing up so fast! It must almost be time to have another one.

Butterfly Cards

I decided to branch out and do something crafty that I've never done before. I made a few cards for my mom. First, I bought a blank card set at Michael's for $1 (don't tell my mom... then again, she might be proud of my thriftiness :). I'm pretty sure they always have cards like these stocked in their discount section. Then, I used a butterfly shaped hole punch by Martha Stewart, an alphabet stamp set, and my sewing machine.

I love the way all the elements work together.

There you go. A hand-made card set for not much money. These make great gifts!

Christmas Coat

I started to make a coat for Lucy several months ago, and I just finished it yesterday! It was SO fun to work on and SUCH a cute pattern. My mom bought me a great book by Anna Maria Horner for my birthday, and I just fell in love with this hooded jacket.

I actually ended up using the same main fabric as the jacket in the example photo because I loved how charming it was :). I love that the coat has buttons, but didn't require any buttonholes!

I chose a super soft pink flannel for the lining.

It fits her perfectly! If you're really observant, you'll notice that in the photos of Lucy wearing it, there are pockets on the coat. I decided to add them because the "finished" coat, seemed like it was missing something. I LOVE the pockets!
Lucy seems to really like her new coat too. It's especially good for pretending to fly.

Lucy's Apron

It was so much fun to be able to make this project for Lucy! I finished the whole thing in one day (except for adding the velcro, which took me about 10 minutes the next day). The advent calendar had me so bogged-down that I didn't even want to sew (which made me realize that it was time to set the advent calendar aside for awhile).

It took some playing around with different fabrics to decide on the final color combination. This is the one I ended up going with.

And here's the finished product!

I used a nice, long piece of velcro so that it can adjust to fit her as she grows.

I love how all of these patterns work together. The color palette is so much fun.

Here's a shot of the back for those of you who might want to make your own little apron :).

I can't wait to give it to her for Christmas!

Sleep in Heavenly Peace

Oh Advent Calendar. You are/were so much more work than I expected. That's why I reluctantly decided to set you aside until next year.


Maybe I'll have more motivation in a few months.

It's a Start

Hello long, lost blogging friends. I'm finally HOME! That means more time for blogging. I'm supposed to be watching Lucy right now, so I'll just post one photo really quick.

Here's a little dress I made for a friend of mine. She gave me a t-shirt of hers that she wanted me to make a dress out of for her beautiful daughter, Millie. Lucy modeled it for me before I sent it off in the mail.

I have many more projects in the works, so I promise to make an effort to show you my handiwork.
P.S. I just ordered wallpaper for the first time in my life. Maybe that will be my next post :).

Racer-Back Dress

I made this little yellow dress for Lucy a while ago, but I had a hard time getting my act together to grab my camera while she was wearing it. It's been great during the hot hot summer here in Phoenix. I just love making these little t-shirt dresses! I first got the idea from this tutorial.

I used the ruffle effect like I've done before, and I love the way that the vertical lines look against the horizontal stripes. By the way... this is the very first time Lucy has ever "smiled" for the camera. Basically, it's her first fake smile :). Doesn't she look so grown-up?

Here's the fun little racer back.

Ruffles are so easy and make such an impact! I love it.

If you have a little girl in your life, you should totally make her one of these! They take less than an hour and are so super cute.

Sheet Skirt

I have been sewing a little bit, but I haven't been blogging. This week is all about playing catch up.

I posted a long time ago about this fabulous elastic I found for super cheap at a fabric store here in Phoenix. I used it in a skirt for Lucy, but I also made a little something for myself.

I bought this sheet a year ago at a thrift store because it was so wonderfully and whimsically retro, and I FINALLY used it to make myself a skirt (see the cute little pink butterflies?).

The really cool thing about it was that I used the existing finished edge of the sheet, so I didn't even have to hem it!

I'm thinking I can wear it with a long-sleeve t and some tights for the fall. And now that I think about it, this skirt probably cost me less than $1 to make! This gal would be proud :).

Strawberries & Ruffles

I ran across this brilliantly sweet tutorial today.

I also found this awesome tutorial for a ruffly blouse. I can't wait to get my hands on a sewing machine so that I can make a few of these cutenesses.

Not So Much

Sometimes I have great ideas that don't quite pan out. Like this skirt I made for Lucy.

I thought it would be cute and frilly and feminine, but instead she looks like a peasant princess. This is good motivation to start her collection of dress-up clothes.

New Skirt!

Yesterday I got to sew! And, oh my, was it glorious. I had bought this super cute this super cute greenish yellow fabric several months ago, and I FINALLY got the chance to use it.

I also got a bunch of yards of this black and white striped elastic that I love. I used it on a skirt for myself as well (but I haven't taken photos of it yet). I bought it for something like 50 cents per yard, so of course I got a ton of it.

The elastic is three inches wide, so I decided to sew the fabric on top of it to make it appear thinner.

This might be my favorite thing I've ever made for Lucy.

A friend of mine also suggested that I sew a big fold into the back so that I can let it out as Lucy grows. So smart! Even if it starts to get a little short, she can always wear leggings under it.

Tank Top Re-do

We have this great store in Phoenix called Last Chance that's FULL of great bargains. Awhile ago they were selling tank tops for $1 each... so I bought 10! The problem is that I didn't try them on, and when I got them home I realized that they were all really low-cut.

This post is the first in (hopefully) a series of tank top re-dos. I used pre-made ruffle trim that I bought at SAS fabric for 30 cents per yard. I think it's pretty cute :).

This photo shows what the tank top looks like...

... but this shot is cuter :)

And here's the back:
Ta Da!

Africa Pillow

I was commissioned to do another pillow! I have been SO crazy busy, that I surprised myself when I said that I'd do it. A lovely young woman named Kortney asked me to make her a pillow with the Dallas skyline a year or two ago, and she contacted me again to see if I'd make one about her trip to Mozambique. She wrote to me about how life-changing her experience was, and I just couldn't say no.

She told me about a little boy who made a big impact on her. It was hard for them to communicate because of the language barrier, but when Kortney asked him to sing her a song, she was surprised to hear him sing the word "butterfly" in English. So OF COURSE I had to include some winged beauties on the pillow.

So, here it is Kortney! I hope you like it :). I'll put it in the mail sometime soon.

model

Here she is!

dress after

I've had these photos sitting in my camera FOREVER. I was all set to shoot some photos of Lucy actually wearing the dress, but then she fell on her face and got blood all over it (SO sad for her). All the stains came out, but I've yet to actually photograph her wearing it again. So... I figured I'd post what I had, and hopefully I'll be able to snap some shots of her wearing it sometime soon.

But.. just so you know.. she looks totally adorable in it :).

Just So That...

...you don't lose ALL faith in me... just tonight I started a new sewing project! Here's an awful iphone snapshot:

I have all the pieces cut out, and now I just have to find the time to actually sew it all together. It's going to be a pinafore :).

Perfect Purse Pattern

... okay, so maybe it's not quite perfect, but it's SUPER great. I found this purse pattern here, and I'm so glad I did! Here's what I made:



I think I'll make another!