New Dress

I started making Penelope a dress last night based off of the tutorial that Disney has over at Ruffles and Stuff.  I was able to finish it up today and even have Penelope wear it too.  I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out and it was very easy.  The shirt part though has a pink stain in a funky spot and I haven't quite decided how I want to cover it up.  So, what do you think?
I started just like Disney said to, with a stained shirt

then I measured the width, which was conveniently 10 inches

Since it was 10 inches across, I used fabric that was 40 inches so that I could gather it up and also have it go all the way around. I also added a little fabric at the bottom for some fun.  The length of the skirt part was 9 inches then the accent part was 3 inches.  I used Amy Butler material and love it!

 

A little side note, Penelope took 5 steps while I took these pictures and she's 13 months old today :)

Fixer-upper

Good Will was good to me this past weekend.  I picked up a gaudy gold/brass mirror and a frame for Penelope's room as well as a gorgeous (but severely shrunken) Garnet Hill sweater that I plan to shorten the arms of and then let Penelope wear.  The other sweater I got I have plans to cut up and use for my owls.  Here's a part of the mirror that I only paid $4.99.

What? you don't think it's great?!  Now imagine it with a couple of coats of this green apple:

Now you are starting to get the picture :)

My List Gets Longer

My list of projects is getting longer~by the moment it seems~and it makes me so HAPPY! :)  I saw this super cute

 

and super simple dress tutorial and know that some will be hanging in Penelope's closet soon.  And probably in my nieces' closets too! Disney, over at Ruffles and Stuff, is the one who gets all the credit for this cute little dress.  What a great way to cover stains and reuse those cute clothes that most think are ruined.  You should check out her blog~she's such a fun and creative gal who I wished lived closer.

Tile Coasters

Remember not too long ago I said I wanted to make some custom coasters?  Well, look at what I made.

I will post a tutorial soon.  I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out and can't wait to put some of them in the mail :)

Next project

When I first saw these, I knew I had to make them.  I've got to check the basement to see if I have some elastic cording, but if I don't you know I'll be picking some up! I'm picturing making them for younger girls.  I'm thinking in pinks too.  And, you know these cute little buttons could be attached to felt instead of cloth, the cloth can be cut into a flower shape, instead of attaching them to a ring, put them on a hairbow or a headband, embellish a bag...oh goodness, the possibilities are endless!  Thank you Linda for your wonderful idea and tutorial!

 

My Alexander

I love this boy of mine.  He's growing up so fast and now that he's in school all day everyday I don't get to see him much.  Last night I had a meeting after dinner and got home after he'd gone to bed.  I was up late doing some things and reading when I heard him get up.  He got some water and then I thought he returned to bed.  A few minutes later I heard some noise on the stairs.  My little man decided he couldn't sleep and so he too wanted to read.  His current favorite book is the Lego Star Wars Dictionary.  He can't put it down!  I told him he could read for five minutes, but then he had to turn off his light and get to sleep.  Of course he was a bit grumpy this morning due to his middle of the night reading spree, but we've talked about his moods and attitudes and he checked himself, changed his words and his mood.  He left the house for school this morning in a great mood.  He's a great big brother.  Sure, he gets utterly and completely frustrated with his brother when he breaks his Lego creations, but there's a beautiful brother bond there that can't be broken.  He's sweet, protective, and patient with Penelope.  He always greets her with a smile in the mornings no matter what attitude he's got.

Love It

I just love it when (and I call them God moments) happen.  Those little times in my day where~one may call it a coincidence~things happen, words are said, things just work out. I've been able to see God's hand in a few little (and maybe not so little) ways in the last few days.  Then, while checking my email, I read K-Love's word of the day:

Thursday 1/21/2010

Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.

~ 1 Thessalonians 4:11, NLT

and yet another God moment :) 

Have a beautiful day!

Lisa Leonard Giveaway!

I've admired Lisa Leonard Designs for quite some time now.  She's got some fantastic jewelry and wonderful ideas.  I like the simplicity of the stamped metal, yet the touch of chic by adding on the occasional charm.  Lisa does custom work too, so you can pick sayings, names, whatever to go on your necklace. 

One of her latest is a give away

over at the Peated Poppy.  Go check it out and maybe you'll win a great new necklace...be sure to let me know if you do! :)

Naomi's Apron

 Here it is as promised.  This little mini apron was pretty quick and easy to put together (I'm getting better and faster with each one!)  I used pieces of 3 different fat quarters for it and have plenty left over to make a matching one for Penelope.  I love the girly-ness of it.  All the pink and the ruffle...so much fun.  Happy cooking Nomers!

 

 

A Sneek Peek and a Tour

So I wanted to show you my completed project, but my model is asleep.  You'll have to wait until morning, but until then, you can see a sneek peek

And, since I happened to take a few pictures of my workspace, you can see those too.

As I look at this picture, I can think of so many ways to organize that bookshelf behind the ironing board.  

 

Yep, that's my nice cutting table...conveniently next to the My Little Ponies that Penelope and I like to play with.

And where oh where would I be without this?  My mom's old sewing machine perches on the end of a makeshift table that I set up back in my scrapbooking days.  I still love scrapbooking and I know one day I'll get back to it, but for now it's all blogged.

Defeat Frustration

Banish frustration, boredom, excess pounds all while having loads of fun.

Do I sound like one of those awful weight loss commercials? :)

We were given a Target gift card this past Christmas.  We were given one the year before too.  The year before we used it to buy groceries.  This time we opted for fun.  Jaime and I now have our own blaster! (Should I just break down and call it what it is? okay, fine, we now have 3 guns.)

And we all get in on the fun. Penelope doesn't let herself be left out just because she's little.  Seriously, if you don't have at least one Nerf gun at home, I highly recommend getting one.  They don't hurt when you get it, they get you up and moving, you can target practice on others or just go to town on the Star Wars dudes that have invaded.

Tonight I'll post about last night's and today's projects.
Have a blessed and fun day!

I Am Baker

While perusing the various blogs I love to read, I stumbled upon this lovely one called, I Am Baker.  Oh my! Does she know that I've had WAY TOO MANY sweets this past holiday season?! I mean, how am I ever going to lose all this extra tummy weight?  And then she goes and posts pictures and recipes of these!!!

 

and check these creations out:

 

This gal has some serious talent!  Check her blog out and see her beautiful cakes and other baked yummies.

Snow Days

This past week we had 3 snow days! I think that broke some record here in Kansas.  With all that time on my hands you'd think I got some projects done other than organizing my pantry.  Some people may have been able to get stuff done, but not me.  Well, I did get stuff done, but more along the lines of entertaining/educating and cleaning. With all the mounds and mounds of fresh white stuff outside, we just had to do more than gaze at it through the windows.  So, I brought some in....

 We tasted it.  We checked it out up close. We touched it.  We smelled it.  And finally, we made snow ice cream.  Yummy!
 

Now, I told you I've been cleaning and while you may step in to my house and say, "Are you sure you've been cleaning?" I've got proof! Penelope, at just 1 year old has picked up on my scrubbing.  She loves to have a cloth and swipes the cabinets and floors for with me.

 Besides doing all that fun stuff, we spent plenty of time staying warm.  Staying warm for the boys meant fighting over sitting on the heater vent in the kitchen.










 
I did manage to make 2 more aprons and get more beautiful material.

Reorganizing the Pantry

 Today was the day.  About 2-3 times a year I take everything out of the pantry, sweep it, clean the shelves, assess where everything is, and reorganize.  It's a big undertaking and chore for me even though I enjoy doing it and really love the result.  The way our pantry was just wasn't working anymore.  Things kept falling off of the shelves, Penelope kept getting into the cereal (that had been moved lower so that the boys could help themselves), every time we have to feed the dog we have to move 100 things just to get to her food, it looked awful, and every time I opened the door I got frustrated.  Do you see the billowing stash of plastic bags? I always use reusable bags or get paper (reuse the paper ones for my trash bags) but somehow we end up with plastic bags.  I can't just throw them away, I have to use them at least once.  Anyway, you get the idea, MAJORLY unorganized.  So, like I said, today was the day...what else should I do on a snow day? :)
First, I made a plan of where things roughly needed to go: I knew my baking stuff could be moved higher up, I still wanted the boys to be able to get snacks and cereal by themselves, but didn't want Penellie getting them, dog food needed to be easily accessed, plastic bags be gone (I've got a pattern to make one of those nifty cloth sacks to stuff the plastic bags in to), like items with like items, and so on.Second, I moved everything out and on to the kitchen table, then cleaned the shelves and swept the floor.  Almost done here because moving things back in went pretty quickly since I had an idea of where I wanted them.  Lastly, I put a couple quick labels on the baskets so that Jaime and Alexander at least would know where to look for things.I'm not completely done, but for now it's cleaner, functional, and works. I can make it fancy and pretty later. :)
What are you checking off of your to do list?
BEFORE:

AFTER: