weekend sewing: dollhouse pillow

Over the weekend, a blog friend and a blog friend stopped for a little while in Chicago.
Luckily, the timing worked out that we got the chance to have lunch and indulge in some creative chit chat.

How we forgot to take a picture of the three of us...I'll never know.

Anywho, all that talk of making and creating got me all fired up to go home and sew something.

I'm soooo good at perfectly imperfect sewing. Ha!!

Since all my party prep came to an end, I've been feeling aimless...
So I made this dollhouse pillow for Sister...it's only been on my to do list since she was born!

This pillow is super straightforward...what you see is what you get.  Windows.  Door.  Chimney.  I added a pocket to the back for fun and thinking that little treasures will find their way in there as she gets older and is interested in that kind of thing.  :)

To see how beautiful and intricate dollhouse pillows can be...just admire Rubyellen's.  I can only imagine how much work she puts into them!!

xoxo

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hello summer: sew a simple mason jar cozy

Have you been following the Hello Summer series at I Heart Naptime?

Today I shared a useful {and of course colorful!} way to keep favorite summertime drinks cold in mason jars.  It's a super simple sewing project {if you can sew a straight line, you can make it!} that only needs a tiny bit of fabric and that you'll be able to complete in less than a half hour.

See how to make one for yourself right here!

xoxo

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gifting: a brand new baby boy

Good friends of ours welcomed their second little boy into the family a few weeks ago.

We gifted them with a little handmade, a little homemade, and a little store bought.

You can download the free superhero brother printable right here.

sources:

bunting: made by me

turtle pull toy: toy store

Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton: Target

outfit:  Old Navy

printable:  made by me, printed on glossy heavyweight paper at the office store

And since I've brought home a new baby a few times before, I've learned that I love and appreciate the itty bitty newborn outfits and baby gifts, but practical is really, really nice too.

So I made a quick little dinner for the family.

on the menu:
cheater cheater baked ziti from Julie
salad
garlic bread
chocolate chip cookies

Welcome to the world, baby Charlie!
xoxo

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HGTV fabric at JoAnn's, coupons, and indecision

So I've confessed before how I overwhelm myself with projects and things I want to make...
and instead of making something...

anything...

I do nothing and take a nap on the couch.

So a few weeks ago JoAnn's sent a couple of yards of their new HGTV home dec fabrics and some trim for me to try.
They said I could make anything I wanted with it.
Anything.
Just try it out.

And I did what I did every time one of my professors gave an open ended writing assignment...
immediately had a million ideas...
and at the same time had no ideas...
because I didn't want to waste my new fabric.

So after looking at it for this long...
and getting over my nervousness of wasting it on a "bad" project...
I took my indecisiveness and decided to change up our family room pillows that I made so long ago {3 years?! Seriously??}

Totally taking the safe route...
But I hate to waste pretty fabric!

And now I can finally update the pictures in my 10 minute envelope pillow tute!
Updated pics and tutorial coming soon. :)

If you'd like to check out the HGTV line of fabrics {or anything else in the store!}, here are some JoAnn's coupons to use this weekend...

...coupons have expired...

And here is a whole bunch of ideas...because maybe you make decisions easier than me! ;)

Happy shopping and happy sewing!
xoxo

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kcw: day 1

Like I already mentioned, I have a few projects to sew in mind, with my Mini Boden catalog close by for inspiration.  

When I posted this pic on instagram/facebook, I got a few questions about sources, so here goes.

Blue stripe and yellow stripe...both shirts.  The blue was once mine...from Land's End...and yellow was purchased last year with the intent of upcycling...from Walmart...I plan on making them both into leggings

Coral...also a shirt purchased just to refashion.  Also from Walmart.  I plan on making it into a tunic/dress.

Violet gingham...yardage from my stash.  Super old, but I know I bought it online.  {I'm no help!!}  Also going to be a tunic/dress.  I plan on pairing it with the blue stripe leggings.

Blue gingham...also yardage from my stash.  Purchased at the same time as the violet gingham.  This will be a bubble skirt.

Floral...vintage yardage.  This became a dress.

Anywho, even though I'm a little late getting started, I did make a dress out of the vintage floral last night.

The pattern is my often-used sweet dress by Leila and Ben.

I'm very comfortable with this pattern, and I've said it before I don't care for the directions, so I just make it my own way.

This is a really quick sew with a serger and it's a cute, flattering fit on my girl.

Sister got a ton of wear out of her gingham and floral ones last year.

This morning I was questioning whether I like the fabric for this dress after all.

As cute as I thought it looked in my head, I started doubting it.

Like it looked just a little too much like my grandma's housecoat...

Haha.

I got a whole bunch of suggestions from instagram and facebook friends and I think once I add pockets to the front it'll lose the grandma thing it has going on right now.  

Tonight I'm going to spend my sewing time cutting {so not my fave part!} so tomorrow I can crank out those leggings!!

Have you made anything for kcw??

I'd love to see it!

xoxo

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earth day, kids' clothing week, a whole bunch of links, and whatever else I'm forgetting.

Happy Earth Day!
{is that even something people say?? Ha.}

The weather was finally decently springlike around here today so we spent the afternoon working in the yard.  
I'm longing for the hot days and blooming gardens of summer!
We mainly spent our time pulling leaves and the mess left over from fall/winter out of the garden beds, but while the boys were digging for worms and the other grossness that little boys love, I was plotting.
This year is going to be the year I actually build a cucumber trellis.  With a deck and wanting enough grassy areas for our littles to play, we're really limited on space for gardens.
We have two raised beds and I've heard plenty of good things about square foot gardening, so I've been researching these like crazy.
A trip to Home Depot for supplies is on the schedule for tomorrow.  ;)

I saw this darling little succulent terrarium project last week and fell in love.
We took a trip to the nursery this morning to pick out a few plants.
I'm really looking forward to making it and putting it in the boys' room!

Kids' Clothing Week started today.  {Well, yesterday I guess...}  

I haven't even started thinking about what's on my list to make.

I'm feeling that way a lot lately.  

Life will slow down soon, right?!

I took the fall week off, but last spring I was pretty productive.

I'll definitely be making leggings and maybe a few dresses/tunics.  Sister got a ton of wear out of these last year and they're a really fast sew.

Method offered me the opportunity to try their concentrated laundry detergent a few weeks back and I've been using it ever since.  

I have a draft of a post about what I thought about it for {hopefully} tomorrow.

And psst...if you didn't see me post it on facebook or twitter...you can enter to win a year's supply of detergent for yourself.  Go here to enter. :)

xoxo

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a pillow for the tooth fairy

We hit a big milestone in our house this week with a first wiggly tooth.

Naturally I knew this day was coming, so I had a cute little pillow sewn and waiting for the tooth fairy.

Ha!

Martha to the rescue.
I love her tooth fairy pillow.  I love the description, too:

Martha makes a charming pillow to hold baby teeth awaiting pickup by the Tooth Fairy.

So Martha.

Description of my project:

Cheryl starts sewing a pillow with a slightly crooked tooth on it at 11:30 at night because her child will only eat applesauce in fear of said wiggly tooth falling out before we have the proper pillow.

Ha ha.
So not Martha.
Very Cheryl, though. ;)

Anywho, I followed her basic pattern and got this done in about an hour last night.
I made my pillow 9 x 9 and used her tooth template.  The only changes I made were appliqueing the tooth to a larger pocket, and I used a regular quilting cotton for the tooth.

And now we're ready for that little tooth to come out anytime! :)
xoxo

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a valentine gift for our teachers

The day before Valentine's Day I instagrammed a few pics of the valentines I was making for the boys' teachers.
I got a few questions about them, so here are the deets...

I nestled a tea towel, English muffins, a jar of strawberry jam, and a jar of cinnamon honey butter into a box.

The cinnamon honey butter is a recipe I've had scribbled down from a blog/the internet/can't remember it was before Pinterest for a long time.  I usually make it as a hostess gift at Christmastime.

This is enough for two little mason jars, plus a little bit leftover for you. ;)

1 stick butter, softened to room temp.
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Then all you do is whip it.
Whip it good.
Haha.  I crack myself up! :)

I made the tags for the lids the same way I made them for cupcake in a jar party favors.

The English muffins and jam are store bought.  I took out a few muffins and tied them up in simple cellophane bags.

If I were an overachiever, I'd make my own jam.

But if you do buy the cute little Bonne Maman jars, you could always turn a few into tiny salt & pepper shakers. :)

And last but not least, the tea towels are just a simple red version of my DIY rainbow dish towels.

Happy weekend, friends!
xoxo

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lately.

Before I completely forget to share...last week I made a sparkly {no sew!} burlap bunting for Delia Creates.  
It'll take you 10 minutes to make one.
Go here to get the DIY.

I spent the last week as a single parent.
Of course, I never share this until after the fact because I don't want the bad guys to know I'm home alone.
Big props to the real single parents.
5 minutes in the morning alone in the bathroom or a little bit of time to make dinner in peace makes a big difference.
And we just plain missed him.

But I was able to catch up on a bunch of house-y projects.
Mostly not exciting ones...pulling outgrown clothes from closets, paring down the worn out things that will never cut it as hand me downs...
Riveting I tell you.
But also a good jump on my 40 bags in 40 days challenge I like to try every year.

If you follow me on instagram or facebook, you know my big project has been cleaning out our craft room.
It's become a dumping ground instead of a happy place for making.
Over Christmas it just gets worse when we throw junk in there and shut the door 5 minutes before guests arrive.
It was bad.
But I'm almost done!
And already I feel as though we have a whole space in our home.
So I hope to share a few pictures from that soon.

A few friends on instagram have asked for some house "tour" {that sounds so fancy and professional...neither of which will ever describe me!!} pictures.
I'll try.
The truth is our house looks like 3 littles live here.
And not in a minimalist/Apartment Therapy/I'm ready for my photoshoot kind of way.
More of a watch your step, pointy Legos are everywhere kind of way.
So we'll see about that.

We've also been getting all kinds of valentiney around here, so I'll be sharing some projects and decorating items soon, too.

At any rate, happy Monday, friends!
Enjoy your week!
xoxo

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Toddler pillowcases {a mini, mini tutorial}

I said I was going to follow through on my projects, and I actually completed one!
Girly pillowcases for our girl.

I feel like I was just making these for the boys.
Time goes by too fast.
Sad face.

Anywho...

fabrics are from JoAnn's in November or December??
toddler sized pillows are from Ikea.

There are bunches of pillowcase tutorials out there, but for a quick reference for teeny Ikea sized ones...

Total lack of pics because I whipped these together at 11 last night...

you need:

8in x 30in piece of fabric for the trim
20in x 30in piece of fabric for the main portion (if you have a directional print, pay attention before cutting. Ahem.)

Fold the trim piece in half, the hotdog way.  Wrong sides together.  Iron.

You should have a a strip 4in x 30in

Pin the raw 30 in side of the strip to a 30in side of the main fabric.  Right sides together.  Sew and serge/overlock/zigzag the seam.

Iron and topstitch along the seam.

Fold the entire piece in half, right sides together.

Pin and sew along unfinished edges.  Serge/overlock/zigzag the seam.

Turn right side out and there you go!

Edit: on account of a RIDICULOUS number of spam comments continuing to be left on this post, commenting has been shut off.  If you have any questions or comments for me about this tute, please email me directly at cls1981 at att dot net

Thanks friends!

xoxo

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2013

printable available from Joy's Hope.

And, well, that's all I'm going to say about resolutions.

2012 was a wonderful year.
A happy, healthy, full year.
I hope to repeat all that.

But.

In 2013 I'm going to get more done.

And I guess it extends past pinning.

Thinking.
Planning.
Drawing.
Dreaming.

Buying supplies.

Ahem.

My mind is bubbling over with ideas and lists of things to do.

I've got projects I never started.
I've got projects I never finished.
I've got a whole mess in between.
(emphasis on whole mess--ha!)

And not much to show for myself.

So this year I'm going to get stuff done.
Big. Little. Whatever.
Make like Nike and just do it.

For Christmas this year I did actually get quite a bit done...now I need to follow through and share. :)

Consider this your warning that my little corner of the internet is going to look like the Christmas clearance aisle at Target...

Nothing particularly useful right now.
Still fun to look at, though.
And maybe even something to save for next year. ;)

xoxo

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A Very Go To Christmas: Vivienne Dress pattern review

Recently, Andrea from The Train To Crazy gave me the opportunity to review one of the patterns in her Go To Patterns shop for her A Very Go To Christmas.

I chose the sweet and ruffly Vivienne dress.

Because I do have a thing for ruffles.
Ha.

The pattern was simple and straightforward.  I would say an advanced beginner sewist would have no trouble completing it.

I'd guess it took me a couple of hours to complete, in the midst of a million other things of course. ;)

I followed the pattern exactly, except I did add topstitching to the bodice.
I think it gives dresses a more professional look and helps them to retain their shape after they've been washed.  ...but maybe that's just me!

And then there's the sash.
I'm as indecisive as ever lately, so I just couldn't commit.

Red?
Pink?
Blue?
Black?

I tried them all and couldn't make up my mind, so I took the easy way out and decided to be able to change it up with pretty ribbons like I did for the seersucker dress I made last Easter.

Just a few choices.
Ha!

I think I'm leaning towards the blue.

But then again I'll change my mind another dozen times.

Overall, it was a really nice pattern.

I just LOVE the convenience of PDF patterns.

The directions made sense.....which I think is hit or miss with sewing patterns.  

And there are plenty of photos to illustrate each step.

Note: I was given a complimentary pattern to try, but all opinions in this post are my own.
****************************************************************************************

Now how about a contest?

Leave a nice comment...about anything!

Enter to win a shopping spree at GoToPatterns.com and Sew Fine Fabric!

 

THREE WINNERS!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Not bad!!
xoxo

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Gingham placemats at Oh, Sweet Joy!

Eek!

I don't know how I forgot, but yesterday I shared a sewing tute for my rainbow of gingham placemats over at Oh, Sweet Joy!  It's such a quick and easy project...if you can sew a straight line, you can make them.

Perfect for a beginner, perfect for presents.

Go and see...and while you're there, you won't be able to help falling in love with Kim's awesome sense of style and handmade projects.  {Remember it's where I got the cake in a jar favor ideas??}

Hurry up.  Check it out!

xoxo

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