My version

Excuses, excuses. It's been weeks--maybe a month--since I finished this shirt. But there never seems to be a time when I'm wearing it and someone's around to take my photo. So you get the strange mirror shot. :) Here's the story behind this top. I went shopping at Anthropologie in January. A long time ago. I love looking through that store but rarely can buy because it's so $$$. I found a pencil skirt that I LOVED. Pricetag $150. Too much for me. Especially for a skirt.  A few days later I walk into Joanne's and find this fabric--it's identical to the Anthro skirt. No joke. I bought 2 yards for around $12 and it sat in the closet for a while. I sewed the pencil skirt and it turned out alright. Then had enough left over fabric to quickly sew up this top, using a great pattern that I've used before. Sadly, it's been so long that the original skirt from Anthro is no longer on their website. But really, it is identical! Those people make a killing. And I've still got $138 in my pocket, a new skirt and a new top! And no, I will not wear them together!!

Easter dresses

Don't mind the silly faces. That's just the way we are! Just in time I finished the girls Easter dresses. Because it was general conference and we technically didn't have to get dressed up for church, I almost didn't do Easter dresses this year. But come on, they are only going to let me dress them like this for so long, right?  These dresses were inspired (a nice way to say copied) from a few different places. First, the talented Katiedid has darling girls that she makes beautiful clothes for. Then there is this dress from Lilly Pulitzer. I love their bright colors. But $88 for a toddler's A-line dress, seriously? And then I saw Jamie's adorable dress and skirt she made for her girls. And then I looked in the closet and saw the green and pink fabric I had found for $3 and using A-line dresses the girls already had as patterns, it all came together quickly! Next up I want to copy this dropwaist beauty. And of course the matching little sister dress. Isn't that lace gorgeous!? Girls are fun!

Bulletin Board

I've had ideas of some sort of family bulletin board/message center in my head for a while now, and have been inspired by many different images and blog posts, but when I was talking with my friend, Becca, and she brought it up that she was trying to put one together, I got motivated to just get it done!  A few of the inspirations I used: I originally got the idea for a "Learning Board" from a book I read, and really enjoyed, on motherhood called Steady Days and I used her ideas for what to put on the board. There is a calendar on it with pictures, a sticker chart, a few pictures of Spring, a country that we talk about (so far we're checking a few books out from the library on our "country" and looking at it on the map. Maybe in the future I'll get around to cooking foods from a certain country we talk about. We'll see.) and a holiday (I still need to get some pictures of Easter things up!). It's hung low on the wall in our hallway so it's accessible to Kate. I plan to rotate what we put on the board, and it could eventually just become a family message center or display board. For now it is working well. Kate enjoys looking at the calendar especially. Most mornings she asks "What day is it today?" And it's been helpful to direct her here and show her what might be going on that day or the next.

I followed my favorite design blogs instructions for the bulletin board and it was really simple. I got the board at Micheals, although they sell them everywhere. Just paint the frame, use some fabric tac or spray adhesive for the fabric and cover the edges with gimp or trim. I want to do a few more of these for the walls of our office. I love seeing the pretty fabric on the wall--especially since I found it for $3 a yard. If you live near a Home Fabrics outlet, you've got to check it out!

A few other inspirations:

Soulemama's family board

Family Command Center

Pelmet Box

I used this tutorial from one of my favorite design blogs to make this simple pelmet box window treatment for the girls room. It's made up of foam board and duck tape--but it works! I used fabric from the old curtains in Kate's room in New Haven so this project cost $3 total! I don't have a staple gun (but should get one) so when I upholstered the pelmet box I used duck tape to hold the fabric and batting down. It worked fine, but a staple gun would probably hold the fabric down tighter, so I'd recommend using one. And looking at this picture, it is a rare moment in the day that I see the floor of this room looking so clean. Will my house ever not look like a tornado ran through it? These girls are hard to keep up with!

Simple lampshade

This lampshade came about after I hemmed and hawed and couldn't make up my mind in the ikea lighting department for about 30 minutes. Thankfully, Kate is old enough to go in ikea's childrens area and loves it! I was looking for a simple lampshade for a floor lamp in the playroom. Everything there was either the wrong size or color or shape.  After I had given up on their selection and resorted to going somewhere else and paying a lot more for a lampshade, I spotted one on clearance for $7. A brown, pleated lampshade that was the right size and shape, but brown was definitely not what I was hoping for in the playroom. After examining it and deciding the the brown pleats would be pretty easy to remove, I decided to try to recover it myself. It's just the playroom afterall, so it doesn't need to be perfect. I took it home and looked up some quick instructions as a guide on how to do it. The best part was I already had everything I needed at home! I used leftover fabric from my moms apron and some leftover trims from other projects. It was really simple and fun. I like the whimsical look it has compared to the plain green one I almost bought. It is times like this when being indecisive about a little decision works out for the best!

Lollipop Dress

I feel like I'm getting some creative energy back. I've been sewing and crafting a bit more lately and I'm remembering how much I like it. The whole process of creating something from start to finish, and then actually being satisfied with the end product, is very gratifying.  I made this dress for Kate's 3rd birthday party. I used a fine welt purple curduroy from Joanne's and for the applique and trim I finally cut into some Heather Bailey fabrics that I was given last Christmas, and love. I've still got more and I'm trying to decide what to do with it. I used McCall's 5692 pattern and it was simple to sew. I'm learning that after making so many little girls dresses, you can use the pattern as a guide, but I tend to do things more my way, even if it isn't the right way, or what the pattern specifies.  I used heat n bond for the applique and should have referred to my favorite tutorial, as I got adhesive all over my ironing board cover. Oops. This was fun to sew and hopefully I can find time to make a matching one for little sister.

mom's apron

Another project I found time for was this little apron I made for my mom. She is a preschool teacher and on her wish list was an apron patterned after her apron she wears to work. I guess she doesn't want to wear an apron around the house with a big teddy bear on it? Anyway, it was super simple. I traced her apron onto fabric, made ties and pockets and made it reversible by sewing everything together, right sides together, leaving a small opening at the bottom. Then I turned it right side out, sewed up the hole, did some topstitching and voila! Done. It came together really quickly. The only thing I would do differently second time around--cut the apron pattern out on the fold. It didn't matter too much, but it would have been helpful to have both sides symmetrical. Merry Christmas, Mom!

girly purses

Santa was a little too ambitious this year and didn't get started early enough. That is my excuse for a few of the planned projects that went unfinished. Fortunately, I don't think anyone noticed but me. These girls purses, however, I did find time for! I made 4 of them, for my nieces and little cousins. I glued sequin trim on the front as a monogram because I always love a little sparkle and filled them with treats my little girl likes to find in her purse. I've used this tutorial before and it is very simple. One day I will get around to making a large one for myself!

sparkly skirt

A super, simple variation of a tutu. Shiny satin, sequin material and sparkly tulle. I used a skirt Kate had to use as a guideline, then lengthened it a few inches so it would be extra full. I cut a front and back of each type of material and sewed each one together at the sides separately. Then I layered them together, turned down the top to make a casing for the elastic, sewed and then added elastic. Instant butterfly, princess, ballerina, whatever you want to call it dress up skirt in 20 minutes!

Playbill Project

One of my favorite things about living in Manhattan was all of the great theater we got to see. We usually went to a show when visitors were in town. We went for our anniversary once and quite a few times just because. I saved most of my playbills thinking someday I would do something with them. This was one of the first projects I did when we moved into the new house. They are hanging in the girls playroom. Kate likes looking at all of the pictures and I like lying on the rug, daydreaming about when we used to be urbanites and singing show tunes. It makes for a good time at 3 in the afternoon. :)

This project was very simple and could be done with any sort of memorabilia. Maybe some favorite pages from a children's book would be cool? I used these frames from ikea and some posterboard.

Another related project to these are shadow boxes. I made a shadow box right after we got married that we have in our bedroom with things from our wedding--Invitations, placecards, a few candid photos, swatches of bridesmaids dresses, a boutonniere and ribbon. I love looking at it and remembering our wedding day.

We've been crafting...

just of a different sort. Take a trip to Big Lots and pick up the $2 Martha Stewart craft kits and you can too!

A Summer Shirt

It's a lot easier to take pictures of my girls than myself! It is kind of hard to see the detail of the shirt in this picture because the fabric is so busy. {The fabric reminded me of a dress I saw in a Boden catalog recently. Maybe one day I will be able to afford their clothes!} To see a better picture of the shirt, click here. I saw this shirt/pattern on a new-to-me blog, presser foot. I love their idea of doing a project a month where everyone sews along. I am a little late with this project, but wanted to try it. The pattern is McCalls 5388. I find it's more challenging sewing for myself than the girls because I am more particular about the fit. For example, initially this shirt fit like a maternity blouse. I'm done with maternity clothes. Not quite the look I was going for! I took it in a few inches and added a belt, so hopefully now it looks like I have a waistline. If you end up using this pattern, know that it runs big. Make the size top that you would buy in the store. Your measurements will tell you to make a much larger size--don't do it. It is satisfying to update my wardrobe with $5 and a few hours of work. For my next project I'm going to try and copy a linen skirt from jcrew that I don't have a pattern for... should be fun!

a summer skirt

Do you like the model pose? I tried. I'm having fun sewing a few things for myself these days. With no time--or money--to shop lately I'm trying to update my wardrobe a little bit in the hour or so I have to sew in the evening. It seems that while I love to be stylish, comfort has really taken over. Something about changing diapers and doing puzzles all day that doesn't really allow for a fussy or fancy wardrobe. I love wearing skirts in the summer and I have one knit skirt that I love, but it has bright flowers all over it. Not exactly something that can be worn different ways. I got this book about sewing knits a while ago and thought I'd finally give it a try. While in theory it should have been easy, I had some major tension issues with my machine. I'm thinking a serger is a must for sewing knits--maybe I'll have to put it on my birthday list. While it's not perfect, it turned out well to enough to get lots of wear this summer. It's comfy, can be worn with flip flops or flats and cost less than $10 to make. Now if only it would stop raining and warm up so I could wear it! Isn't it supposed to be April showers? I think we've had rain for 5 days straight!

sisters dresses

simple. matching. not pink (i love it... but i think ALL of gwen's baby clothes are pink!) inexpensive. easy to sew. polka dots.

I've sewn a dress from this pattern before. There are only 3 or 4 pattern pieces to cut (depending on if you use sleeves or not) and that's about all I can handle these days. Maybe appropriate to wear at a certain special event coming up next month? I can't believe graduation is here already...

knitted booties

proof that I still have some energy left for creativity. Another project from this book.

Easter tees

given just a little bit early. These were meant for the girls Easter baskets, but I sometimes get a little too excited about gifts and give them early. Especially when a lazy sunny afternoon prompts a matching photo shoot. I used my favorite tutorial for appliqueing and finally tried making a fabric yo-yo. They are easy and addicting. I'm already thinking of different ways to use them. The peach bunny fabric is scraps from the lining of Gwen's Easter dress that my mother-in-law sent and the bunny's tail was made from the dress fabric. We've got a bit of a robin's egg blue and peach theme going on this Easter. Now if Spring would just stay, we could wear our bunny shirts outside to play!

a shirt for mama

To get me through the in-between phase where maternity clothes are too big (and exhausted--I don't want to look at them again!) and I've only got a handful of pre-pregnancy shirts that I'm feeling comfortable in. Nothing fancy or particularly stylish, but it fits the mom uniform for the time being. I bought the pattern a year ago planning to make the dress, but time and the practicality of wearing dresses (thanks Gwen) put that one aside for a while. This shirt could probably be sewn in one evening. It took me more like five because I seem to only be able to sew for 10 minutes at a time and I either get too tired or someone needs me. (Kind of like when I was trying to take this picture.) And don't mind the funky sun shadows... we were just basking in the balmy 37 degree Spring weather that day.

knitted socks

With a new babe comes a lot of nursing. And a lot of nursing means a lot of sitting. All this sitting allowed me to finally finish the second sock to this pair! This is the first time I have knitted socks and worked with sock yarn. Socks take forever to knit. Sock yarn resembles embroidery floss and the needles you use are the smallest they make! But now that they are done they are soft and comfy, perfect to keep my feet warm during these last few weeks (hopefully) of winter. I used this pattern and they were simple to knit. But did I mention they take forever? Maybe if I start another pair now they will be done by next winter.

diaper bag for dolly

One of Kate's favorite books to read is "Little Mommy". The little girl in the story takes care of her dolls just like a mommy would. Kate loves reading this and then pretending to be a little mommy to her own baby dolls. I'm very excited (and a little bit nervous) to see how Kate responds to there being a real baby in the house. I'd been given advice to have a few special gifts just for Kate when the baby comes home. I thought this would make the perfect "big sister gift". Her very own diaper bag complete with supplies for dolly: a sling, diapers, wipes and case, bib, burp cloth and bottle. I saw the idea here (along with the sling tutorial) and was able to use scraps of fabric I had to sew everything. I used the basic template for this shoulder bag and adjusted the measurements for a little girl. The diaper tutorial I found here, as well as the little wipes case. The bottle I found at the $1 store and I'm afraid that might be the favorite item out of them all! Either way I hope that Kate will have fun being a "little mommy" to her baby dolls and hopefully won't feel too left out when I've got another baby around to take care of!

church bag

Until now, we've been using an ugly blue and white canvas bag that says "Martha Stewart Living" on the side (I must have got it for free somewhere) to tote all of our scriptures and books to church on Sunday. Every time I look at it I get a little bit embarrassed. It is not cute. At all. I got a burst of energy last night (nesting?) and decided to rummage through my fabric scraps to see if I had enough fabric to come up with a new bag. I found this black and white upholstery fabric I bought from the remnants bin a while back and decided it would be perfect. For the lining I used some leftover red corduroy from my Christmas stocking project and an hour later had a new bag! Tote bags are a really great project. They don't require a pattern, are forgiving on measurements and sew up fast and easy. This is actually the second bag I've sewn. I did the first a few nights ago--it's a shoulder bag version that will be a diaper bag for Kate's dolls (I'll post pictures soon)-- so I went with what I learned from that tutorial and modified it based on the amount of fabric I had and made 2 handles instead of 1. Now I can throw the ugly Martha Stewart bag away and as Kate's books get pushed out of the diaper bag to make room for all the things a baby requires (I'm going to have to take so much stuff) her books can occupy this new bag.