sew into crafts

New Name, New Blog!!!

2012-01-18T16:30:00.000-08:00

Exciting things going on here!

I have a new blog!

I have moved all the old posts over to

http://cinnamon-and-sugar.doontoon.com/

Please click on the link,

put my new address to your favourites list,

and join me there!

To all of my faithful followers, please become a follower on my new blog -- I plan on hosting a giveaway very soon, and I don't want you to miss out!

And if you aren't a follower yet, make that jump.

You won't be disappointed.

:o)

PS. You will notice on my new blog that there is now a link to my new Facebook page too! It is still a baby, so not a lot going on right now, but I also plan on hosting a giveaway on there as well! So click on the big blue F, and like my page to keep up with me there...

new things

2012-01-16T04:58:00.000-08:00

I have some exciting things coming up here soon, including a name change!

Stay tuned...and thanks for your patience.

new year, new resolutions?

2012-01-06T13:16:00.000-08:00

A lot of people love to make New Year's resolutions.

Last year I did, and failed. Again. So I decided this year I wasn't going to make any.

I have plans to do much this year, but if they don't get done, no skin off my back. I won't feel guilty about it.

I have lots of things up my sleeve for this blog, including opening an etsy shop! But, that may take some time as I build up a bit of inventory first. I don't get how people can open up an etsy shop with only one or two things to offer....

I have ideas of things to make -- my list is quite long! -- but right now I am busy digging my house out from under the chaos the kids left behind when they started school. I want to start the year with a totally clean house, everything organized and sorted, things purged and put away properly.... you may see me in March or so.

Kidding.

I hope.

I have an idea for a super dee dooper hat for my little guy which I will share with you as soon as I have it done -- after all, I can't slave away in the bowels of my house all day, every day. Mom needs a break too!

:o)

I have a custom order to fill first, but stay tuned for Aiden's next hat!

He needs SOMETHING to cover his crib-bed head....

Sign language

2011-12-29T16:55:00.000-08:00

I told you yesterday I was working on a little painting project...

here it is!

I took a piece of unusable flooring from our shop -- leftovers from our renos, and the tongue was wrecked, so it was garbage....

Cut it down to size, sanded it really well,

and primed it with a grey tinted primer. I wanted a grey undercoat, so this served a double purpose!

Today I dry brushed some white paint on top until it was the colour I was looking for.

When that was dry I roughed up the edges, sponged a very thin layer of brown over top so it wasn't quite as bright white anymore, chucked the keys on it a few times to create nicks in the paint, and this is what it looks like now!

I picked up some wall decal sayings in the states for a DOLLAR a piece!

This was my favourite one, and I wanted more than just a little saying stuck on my wall somewhere.

I think this one will do the trick...
Now to figure out how -- and where -- to hang it!

ANNNNDDDDD........
since anyone who knows me also knows I can't leave well enough alone...
I HAD to add some shading on the edge!
The big board was bugging me.
It looked too big.
Now I am all done.
I think.
LOL

Sew day!

2011-12-28T17:18:00.000-08:00

Well, since we aren't anywhere close to having a snow day, I decided to have a SEW day instead.

It was that or housework, and I ran out of Tide after one load of laundry this morning.

It was decided for me!

LOL

The first hour of sewing (I didn't start until after lunch) I made a pair of sweat pants for Aiden. Nothing spectacular, or photo worthy. They are boring, navy blue, and will keep Aiden's legs covered while he gets dressed up with cuter-than-him tops. Is that even possible?

Ah well, after that I decided to start on a little painting craft!

Okay, it is not so little, and not done either, so you will have to be patient while waiting for that post!

While the paint was drying, I thought of something else I could sew.

Quick and easy pillows for my couches!

I had picked up some beautiful woven material a while ago in the states for a mere $3.50 a yard.

YES, the price was right. On sale too, and the colours went perfectly with my house!!!

See, I had these pillows that came with the couches, but I never liked them. The material looked.... dirty, even though they were brand new! And they are a little washed out for my living room.

In a closet they languished since the couches were delivered.... two years ago?

See how bland they are?

The new pillows!

I made them a little smaller, and stuffed them with the old pillow stuffing.

The colours are actually much redder than they appear in this photo...

Such a pretty fabric!

And adds a bit of a colour punch.

Just the way I like it.

:o)

I have my laptop resting on this pillow as I type this!

home made bling

2011-12-19T15:00:00.000-08:00

I went to Michael's this morning to pick up a couple things, and came across a sale on jewellery making supplies!

I have always wanted to try my hand at it, so I just grabbed a set of two connectors and a couple necklaces, not having a clue what I was going to do with them!

lol

Yes, how very like me...

I really loved the vintage look of this connector, and thought I would make a bracelet with it.

I went through my jewellery, found an old necklace and took it apart.

This is the end result!

I ended up having to take a bit more chain off, as I have impossibly tiny wrists!

I haven't owned a bracelet in YEARS!!!! I think I like this one...

Christmas gifts

2011-12-17T21:02:00.000-08:00

I made a couple more gifts today... one is for Aiden, and another for a friend who doesn't read this blog, so it's safe!

(I hope)

These stars I first saw on lemon tree creations here, and fell in love with them instantly!

Today I dug out a paper bag from safeway, an old dictionary I have previously used for cardmaking, some ribbon and batting, and got to work!

I made a set of six, but I plan on making many, many more!!!!

:o)

***********************************

This next project was something I had swimming around in my head for a while. I am planning on making all my kids note totes for church (no, I am not finished yet!), and I had a special one in mind for Aiden.

Here he is!

I used felt and ribbon for the face and 'collar', and a bit more suede material for the ears.

I also used suede string instead of a button -- it obviously wouldn't have fit anywhere on the front.

He is so soft and cute!

I made a pocket on the inside with dividers for Aiden's pencil crayons -- I give him crayons, because pencils get all over his hands and clothes, and pens mixed with a three year old is a recipe for disaster!

Now he can draw rainbows...

Made with love

2011-12-15T16:16:00.000-08:00

I may never make another note tote after this Christmas.

I am seeing them in my dreams!

LOL

These three guys I made for two of my sons and a nephew...

they are for taking notes in church, so I didn't want to make them too bright (I nixed the idea of using my camo material on them, but they sure would have looked cute!)

I used black corduroy, and kept them simple.

I couldn't resist adding a pop of colour with the elastic, and ironed on a camo printed intial with the iron on patches you can buy for super cheap.

I traced a chipboard letter on the back of the material and cut them out.

So easy for appliques!!!

I only added one pocket on the left side, because really, extra pockets would be wasted on the boys.

Or ripped off.

lol

I have more of these babies to make, and I have a super cute on in mind for Aiden, so stay tuned for those!

*********************************

This adorable owl was gifted to me today by a dear sweet friend!

I love it, Tania, and it will be sure to put a smile in my face every time I see her.

Owls are so cute!!!

giveaway link!

2011-12-10T21:15:00.001-08:00

Nathania and Sarah are two sisters (and my cousins) who live in Alaska.

They have their own blog, www.sewdutchsisters.blogspot.com,

where they like to share the things they have made, whether it was sewn, felted, painted, or crafted.

Over the Christmas season they have brought their felted wares to a few crafting shows and have sold heaps of their adorable stuff!

They plan on opening an Etsy shop soon, but in order to drum up some followers in blogland, they are hosting a cute little giveaway here...

Stop in their blog, become a follower, and leave a comment so you can be a part of their giveaway as well!

They will ship anywhere in the world!

They are the ladies who sent me these amazingly cozy mittens:

What are you waiting for?

Go!

:o)

handmade Christmas

2011-12-08T10:28:00.001-08:00

When I first got married, my perfect Christmas tree held matchy matchy ornaments, white lights, everything placed just so.

Over the years those matchy matchy ornaments were packed/ given/ thrown away, to be replaced with much more meaningful ones...

Ryan's snowman brought home from school

little gloves I made that actually fit Alyssa's hands that year

another school project

recycled light bulb snowman I made... can't do this with the spiral lightbulbs!

a gingerbread man I made

scandinavian looking heart -- also by me

made by my m-i-l before she became my
m-i-l :o)

simple wooden ornament coloured by one of the kids

school project by Alyssa

I made wooden stars wth popsicle sticks

There are many more ornaments, some handmade, some bought with loving thoughts...

Darryl's mom has helped our collection by adding one ornament for every person each year!

So, no more matchy ornaments, no white lights -- all colour, all loving memories... with more to be added every year!

heartfelt thanks

2011-12-07T11:12:00.001-08:00

This past week I was so happy to receive two packages in the mail! One I knew about, one I didn't... This first one came from Georgia...

It was a book that I had won on www.mmmcrafts.blogspot.com. Larissa Holland is the blogger, and she does some fantastic things with felt!

This book has some reallllllly cute things in it, like these finger puppets on the cover...

or how about these adorable cute'n cup cozies???

these zombie critter charms would steal any boy's heart...

And my favourite is this daschund moneybox!!!

There are 25 projects in total, and I want to make all of them!

Guess I should have added wool felt sheets to my Christmas wish list...

******************************************

The second box came from Alaska, and I had no idea it was coming!!!

I was so excited, it was like Christmas and my birthday all rolled up in one...

These gloves came from a crazy talented felting duo, Sarah and Nathania at www.sewdutchsisters.blogspot.com.

These lovely ladies (and my cousins too!) make all sorts of incredible goodies with recycled wool from sweaters and such, and love to refurbish old furniture as well!

I love my gloves -- they are INCREDIBLY warm!!! I can't wait for the colder weather to wear them...

Thanks again to all three ladies, who made my day, my week, my month, my year!!!

Check out their blogs at www.mmmcrafts.blogspot.com

and www.sewdutchsisters.blogspot.com and give them some love today!!!

the lost mittens

2011-12-01T09:32:00.001-08:00

The three little kittens who lost their mittens didn't get their pie....

because they left their mittens at my house!

I used the tutorial that Dawn so graciously posted at The Feathered Nest.

She makes such beautiful things!

My attempt desperately falls short of Dawn's talent, but I love mine just the same.

Click here for the tutorial, and while you are there, check out Dawn's shoppe!

I did antique them already, but I am thinking of antiquing them more still with coffee to stain it...

should I leave them or take my chances?

custom order

2011-11-30T14:27:00.001-08:00

This note tote may very well be my favourite one yet.

The colours, the feel of the suede exterior....

pretty sweet.

What do YOU think?

This one is also different from the others, as it holds a 4 x 6 pad of paper.

I had to do a little math, and a few corrections as I went along sewing it...

Apparently I wouldn't get As on a math test anymore.

LOL

run, run as fast as you can...

2011-11-29T14:14:00.001-08:00

This guy cracks me up.

When I found him on elsiemarley.com, I knew I had to make him mine.

I used the tutorial found here, with a few substitutions...

I had no ric rac, so I cut up some felt.

I had no red buttons, so I used felt circles.

I also found a darker felt, that is the exact same colour as gingerbread!

He has three friends, too -- I wonder where they will find a new home?

Christmas crafts!

2011-11-28T19:10:00.001-08:00

This is the first post in a Christmas extravaganza!

I am hoping to do a bunch of sewing/crafting this year for Christmas -- for myself, for friends, for gifts, and for my terribly neglected pay-it-forward list.

This hanging mistletoe was inspired by a tutorial I stumbled upon at

Matsutake. Find her tutorial here, and then go check out the rest of her tutorials... good stuff!

I used felt instead of fleece, and the one on Matsutake looks wayyyy nicer than mine, but I love it anyways.

And so does Darryl.

:o)

Come here and give me a kiss!

in business!

2011-11-18T20:44:00.001-08:00

The friend who requested the custom order of note totes for Christmas also wanted some sort of signature/business card to include with the gifts.

I had until today to make up some business cards, and because I ~~sometimes procrastinate~~ work best under pressure, I left it until late last night.

I knew the totes were going to be picked up early this morning, but I figured since I had a run booked at 5:30 that I would have plenty of time to finish them.

Last night at ten while I was getting ready for bed I was jotting down some potential names, but eventually gave up and went to sleep on it. lol

As I was getting ready for my run this morning a name popped into my head and I quickly jotted it down before heading out in the cold, cold cold.

I hopped in the shower shortly after 7, then settled down at the computer to work on the business cards.

Okay, I have a name. No website, fine. No catchy email address, so I quickly made up an alias on my account with the business name. And a link to this blog.

These totes are hanging around my friend's house until Christmas, so I have a bit of time to come up with a website if wanted, or some fun stuff on my blog.

I printed up the cards on the computer with cardstock, added a little stamp love, and cut them out with my papercutter.

Just in time, because three minutes later there was a knock on my door!

I'm here!

2011-11-15T10:52:00.001-08:00

I have been on a bit of a sewing hiatus since the beginning of school, but am hoping I am now getting back into the swing of things!

This is a custom order I made for a friend -- a pile of note totes!

These little guys hold 3 x 5 pads of paper...

Just the right size for notes or shopping lists, with spots to hold coupons!!!

***************************

And yesterday I finally got started on more pants for Aiden!

No more flood pants for him...

This material I picked up at Fabricland, in the remnant bin when they had a half off sale.

I think I paid $2.25 for a yard of this super soft (almost like a flannel) super adorable camo print!

I used a pants pattern from the new Sewing for Boys book, which I absolutely love!

So easy!!!

Since they were camo pants, I had to add a couple cargo pockets for lots of little boy storage...

and a little taggie because I love tags :o)

Cuffed bottoms for growth spurts... simply undo the stitches and voila! Added length!

Another tag added to show which side of the pants is the back... I didn't feel like adding a faux zipper fly.

Double stitched all the seam allowances down for added durability and softness inside.

Aiden, you like your new pants?

Love them Mom!!!

Now can I have a mento for each of my pockets???

Not my handiwork....

2011-11-01T12:30:00.000-07:00

I love our street.

I get to marvel in God's awesome handiwork every season, but especially fall on our road.

These photos do not give it any justice, but you get a little glimpse...

still kicking

2011-10-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

I realize it has been a while since I posted... okay QUITE a while!
I have been a little caught up with life here, and have several things in the works.
Hopefully I will be done some stuff soon to show you all!
Patience, my faithful followers.
I appreciate you all!!!!
As an aside, I am so excited to see we have international visitors on our humble blog!
Love to see that, and please stick around for much more fun stuff!

Good bye my friends( only Tania is leaving)

2011-10-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say good bye and let you all know that Im leaving the blog world. Just one step in prioritizing my life. Facebook was also shut down for me. There is another author of this blog who has been doing most of the posting lately and makes some pretty amazing stuff so no need to go away. I will be checking out her creations frequently just wont be posting. I have been spending more time in my sewing room since fall has arrived and even through out the summer I managed to make a few things. I made a clutch purse , pencil rolls ( a few) , a bag, done some quilting, made 3 failed kobo reader covers( Im not giving up), and a couple blankets for friends who had babies.

Anyways just thought I should do a post as to why I haven't been posting :)

Take Care

Tania

sew crazy...

2011-09-22T09:50:00.000-07:00

The last couple days I was feeling a bit sew crazy and made a few more things...

Leanne's custom note tote!

I made this little guy for Aiden for his birthday next week.
I was in love with the pattern I drew up, but not entirely happy with the end result. I would make a few changes next time...

I was so disheartened by the way it turned out (the head in particular) that I gave it to Aiden right away just to get it out of my stuff...

Well at least Aiden likes it! And that means one less present for him on his birthday, but I don't think he will notice... Aiden does refuse to take him to bed, though, which is really odd and a little bit insulting! lol

Yesterday I was feeling fallish, so I made a few pumpkins out of scraps of material!

They are so easy to make!

left over pants material for the above pumpkin

left over t shirt scraps for this one!

They found their way onto my dining room table this morning. So cute!

PS The orange material came from the hemmings of Michael's bedroom curtains! I made a table runner, a runner for the top of my TV cabinet, this one pumpkin, and still have leftovers. Probably for pillows or something! The curtains were lined, so unfortunately I can't use them for clothes... lol

latest projects...

2011-09-14T11:47:00.000-07:00

I have been a busy little bee!

The week before school started, I decided to make a messenger school bag for my daughter, and one for her friend. I took a messenger bag pattern I have in a book and blew it up to suit the needs of a bag that has to carry binders, a lunch bag, and the most essential thing, my daughter's purse! lol

It turned out alright, but I am not going to post any photos of it. The bag is not going to be used for school, as it turned out too big! It will be used for sleepovers and such, but I would have to make another bag for school.

The bag below is the one I made for Alyssa's friend. I used a different pattern, sized it to her needs, and this was the result!

J picked out a fun boucle fabric, which was easier to sew with than I thought... I love the pattern on it, and the fact that it looks like a sweater or suit jacket!

She also picked out some purple jewels for me to add as a bit of bling...
Side pockets for a water bottle and what have you...

The zipper proved to be tricky with all the thick material, so I ended up sewing it on by hand. Next time better!

I added a couple interior pockets and voila!

J loves it, and I hope it lasts her many many years... if it doesn't, she knows where I live!

lol

This next project I picked out of the sewing cupboard -- I keep all my fabric in drawers, and chuck stuff that is too small for Alyssa in there that I figure I can use for repurposing.

This shirt fits me, but it fits a little bit too much, if you know what I mean...

;o)

I sewed up the sides by the arms a bit more, added a false tank top, and a bit of swing on the bottom...

Both of the added materials came from another shirt that was already partly repurposed for another shirt of Lauren's...
This one ended up being long enough for a dress!

But I made Lauren wear leggings with it, so she can run and jump and play at school without having to worry about being a lady (snort, like she does that anyway...)

She loved the dress so much she wanted to wear it to school again the next day!

I had to draw the line...

This final project is my favourite of the three!!! I LOVE the fabric Alyssa picked out for her second messenger bag -- I have big plans for the excess material!

Her bag also needed a bit of bling, so I took this flower that we bought specifically for the bag a while ago...

Got rid of the plastic centre, sewed on a button and brooch clip...

Instant happiness for the bag!

Alyssa hasn't seen the finished bag yet, so I am really excited to show her after school.

Hope she loves it as much as I do!

Next on my to do list?

A present for Aiden's birthday and three or four pairs of pants for him!

He outgrew almost all his pants over the summer!!!

Note tote

2011-08-24T15:17:00.000-07:00

I made this note tote for a good friend's birthday today.

In fact, she is the original author of this blog!

Happy birthday, Tania.

:o)

I found a great tutorial at http://thecottagehome.blogspot.com/2011/06/fabric-portfolio-and-notepad-holder.html and thought I would give it a try, with a few of my own minor modifications...

The front cover, with a vintage button and elastic closure

The entire outside cover

The inside of the note tote -- lots of pockets to store bits of papers in, or business cards or coupons!

A close up of the left inside

All closed up again

With a pen and memo pad -- to write notes, shopping lists, whatever!

I had looked in one store this morning to find a good sized pad, but this plain one was the best I could come up with.

On the way to Tania's house, I stopped in at another store, and found the right size pad there... this note tote holds a 5 x 8 memo pad!

These would make great gifts for the ladies in your life -- use them for church, shopping, notes as you go!

If you are not a sewer, ask me to make one for you... I can make them smaller as well, to hold a 4 x 6 pad, or a 3 x 5. The choice is yours!

I plan on making some for Christmas for my kids to take to church for notes -- the boys will get manly material, of course. ;o)

So really, these totes are great for anyone!

Dino town

2011-08-18T12:43:00.000-07:00

Look who I found in the backyard today...

I made him for a certain cutie who is turning three soon...

Hope 'B' loves him!

Aiden wanted it, so who knows -- maybe there will be another little dino around his birthday time!

:o)

Messenger bags for two...

2011-08-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

Michael and Ryan are going to a double birthday party tomorrow, and I made these messenger bags for their two friends.

This one is for Jasper.
For those of you who are friends of Cloverdale Reporter on Facebook, he is also known as the comic strip kid.
This little black and white hero is Al Lando, the star of Jasper's latest series...

Levi loves owls, so I put one on his bag flap.

The boys can use these bags for anything -- a trip to the library, a spare change of clothes when they go somewhere, a place to put snacks and drinks while on a day trip, or a bag to store new found treasures in!

The sky is the limit -- hope they like them!!!

Big Room Reveal!

2011-07-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

While Alyssa was away this week at her cousin's, I decided it was time to get her room redecorated!

We had planned it for a while, and Alyssa had even started to prime the bottom walls, but that was as far as we got when she left.

Here are some photos of her room before, mess and all:

Monday I painted the bottom half of the walls white, and started on the top half:

Bye bye blue!

What a beautiful grey!!!! The photos don't do it justice! I fell in love with it, but alas, it was only the primer.

Hello BLACK!!!!

More photos on that later....

I had also started on this little goody for Alyssa's room:

It was a freebie from someone I bought a bookshelf from!

I loved all the molding on it, and knew I could paint it and give it a new home...

All primed and painted:

I also put new handles on it, since it turned out to be cheaper (and quicker!) than buying spray paint for the old handles...

And since I was painting furniture anyways, why not paint the sleigh bed to match the rest of the room?

Primed and ready to go

As the paint dried, I began working on a bit of wall art I had in mind for the room.

I grabbed a large frame that I had sitting around, plus a bunch of little frames and a couple initials, and played around with them...

I nailed the frame to the wall...

and filled it with repainted and other goodies!

Alyssa can use the little frames to put her own photos in.

This is the new workstation -- a desk that fit perfectly into the space, with shelves for all Alyssa's little collectibles and a place for her bulletin board.

One day I hope to add a curtain to hide it all away...

Putting the room back together.... today!

Alyssa came home just before dinner.

This is a sneak peek at Alyssa's new quilt!

It is just the top, since I was busy in the room until 10 every night -- didn't leave much time for sewing!

How many kids can say they have a piano in their bedroom???

Sure beats a TV...

And does Alyssa like it?

The photo says it all...

:o)

The room is still not quite done, as it still needs baseboards, and a bit more artwork on the walls... I am thinking maybe a swirly decal or two?

Light Bright

2011-07-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

I was given this night light lamp for Lauren, and I thought it was pretty cute.

The only problem was that it was a pale pink, a colour which she has none of in her room...

I was so eager to get this lamp in her room that I grabbed the first matching acrylic paint that I had in my cupboard, which happened to be this orange...

Not bad in itself, but it just didn't go with the rest of the decor in Lauren's room, so I considered it a fail. Bummer.

Today I was inspired to try and glue some twine all around the outside, so I scraped off the paint -- and it came off VERY easily -- another fail on my part! :oP

This is the original colour:

The pink is a nice colour, but definitely does not go with Lauren's room, so I got out the glue gun and my roll of twine and started gluing!

One year I will figure out how to use that silly gun without burning my fingers!!!

This was the finished product, and I quite liked it.

Lauren thought it was ugly. :oP

She said she didn't like the colour.

What am I to do?

I get out the paints again, and grabbed the fullest bottle of matching paint I could find, which happened to be a daffodil yellow.

I couldn't let it rest as is, so I decided to add a felt flower that also matches the material in Lauren's quilt, and this is how it ended up...

Now Lauren LOVES it and wants to keep it on all the time when she goes to bed!!!

Isn't that reason enough to give up the natural twine look for a kid's version?

:o)

Done!!!

2011-07-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

It is finished!!!

I don't even remember when I started on this quilt, but I finally finished it off last night.

It was my first time making a quilt, and it was definitely a labour of love.

:o)

Lauren was so excited she wanted to wear it for the rest of the day!

Now all that is left is to change the paint colour on the walls... who knows how long that will take?
lol

Before and After of Madison's room FINALLY!

2011-07-14T08:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Im FINALLY done Madison's room. I finished her quilt about a month ago but idea's of a complete transformation kept coming to my mind so I ended up painting her brass balls on her day bed brown, made 3 accent pillows, made new curtains and my mom had an old carpet that went perfectly. She has a magnet board that was white that was painted brown. She hasnt seen it yet shes out with my mom right now but she is just going to love it! Best part is the pillows were made out of extra material and free corduroy, the curtains are a twin flat sheet I just added the bottom to it. And the carpet was free. :) Im very happy with the outcome. Oh and the flowers on the wall is a craft Madison did all by herself. I picked the colors though without her knwing my idea ;0)

BEFORE ( she is always messy)

AFTER (im kinda giddy about it)

Tube Top

2011-07-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

Do to my brothers up coming wedding I needed to make a tube top to accommodate my bridesmaid strapless dress. Im a sun baby so this was my way of avoiding tan lines. Its a pattern from the One Yard Wonder although mine turned out ALOT different lol. oh well I only wear it around the house.

mug rug

2011-07-06T14:41:00.000-07:00

I have seen these little mug rugs all over blog land, so I thought I would give it a try.

It was a lot of fun, and it came together so quick and easy!

I just happened to have this cute little mug material in my fabric stash, and grabbed some coordinating fabrics -- a great way to empty that scrap bin! Or maybe just make a teeny tiny dent into it, like it did for me...

:o)

The back of the mug rug is the same material as the ivory and brown polka dot stripe on the right part. I just quilted along the middle up and down, along the tops of the wonky stripes, and can you tell what I quilted in the mug material?

Ah... coffee love.

Or latte love, for me. Flavoured, of course. Oooo, or mochas!

Or tea -- whatever you prefer!

PS I have been featured! LOL Okay, maybe not featured, but mentioned with a link to this blog! :o) Check out my cousins' own crafty blog at www.sewdutchsisters.blogspot.com and see what these talented ladies are up to!

Jewellery tree

2011-07-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

A few months back I was inspired by this post on Centsational Girl:

http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2009/07/diy-jewelry-tree/

One day when I was spring cleaning my gardens, I had to cut off a couple branches from my rhodo bush that had died over the winter.

I held on to this one, and let it dry for a while.

I finally brought it down to my hubby's workshop with a circle piece of wood that Aiden had written all over in ink. *sigh* At least I still found a use for it!

I sawed off the bottom of the branch to make it straight, then drilled a hole into the piece of wood and up into the bottom of the branch. Then I screwed the branch onto the wood.

I drilled a bigger hole at the bottom of the circle so the screw could be sunken into the wood, to avoid wobblies when all was said and done...

Then I primed the entire thing, using some primer that was sitting around the shop.

No it wasn't spray paint, which would have been easier, but I was not going to spend any $$ if I didn't have to.... so I did it by brush.

Next I took it outside and used some flat black spray paint that had been sitting in my closet for a few years -- I finally had the perfect project for it!

And this is the finished product! I love that I can have my necklaces out in the open, and they are not getting tangled in a jewellery box!

Should go pretty nice with my earring holder!

:o)

A flower Girl Dress

2011-06-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

I have been very busy and haven't had alot of time to post but I will do a quick update. I have sewn a tube top shirt, another bike basket for another niece , a flower girl dress ( which I can only take a quarter of the credit for ,Im working on 28 place mats centerpiece things for my brothers wedding, I finished Madison's quilt finally and made 3 accent pillows . I dont have pictures of the tube top or the quilt and pillows. I am going to do Madison's room all in one shot and surprise her. I have to make curtains yet and do another coat of paint on the nobs on her bed. I also want to cover a chair a she has. Anyways here are a Picture of my daughter in her flower girl dress and a picture of the bike basket :)

Riley Blake Contest!

2011-06-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

Riley Blake is holding a contest for quilters to make a quilt out of Riley Blake fabric you can check it out here
edited to add, I should have read a bit better . The first contest is over for apparel but there is still the quit and home decor contests that can be entered , so get sewing!

shrug it off

2011-06-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

I was going through my shirts the other day to find one to wear, and I came across a couple shirts that had all sorts of stains on them!

Grrrrrrr........

I really loved the neckline on this shirt, so I wanted to try and repurpose it somehow...

I decided to try a shrug! I figured if it didn't work, oh well. It was probably going to end up in the garbage anyways...

So I cut the shirt up the middle in the front (have I told you how much I love working with knits just because it doesn't fray?), then cut it across width wise right above the highest grease spot.

Bad bacon!!!

I put on a new hem, rounded the front, and this is what I ended up with!

I am still debating taking in the sides in the back, so it doesn't hang out so far.
Once I get more thread.
AGAIN.....
:oP

Bonus -- it matches my new tank top!!!

So what do you think?

Next item to sew for myself: AN APRON!!!!!

eeep!

2011-06-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

I finally made a shirt for myself!!!

I don't know why it has taken me so long to do this... maybe because kids clothes are so fun?

Or if they don't quite turn out the way you wanted it to, they will still wear it anyways?

LOL

So this is my first attempt at making a tank top for the summer:

I had some of that stretchy material left from the failed skirt attempt (see earlier post -- I made it for myself but gave it to my daughter instead, because it didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to... :oP)

I had found a pattern online that looked pretty nice, but when I did the top bodice part, I hated it. So I ended up cutting up the skirt (LOL even Alyssa wasn't wearing it!) to make a new and improved bodice based on a dress I have in my closet. Who needs patterns???

I just fooled around with it, came up with different things based on what I have in my closet, and this is it!
The straps ended up being too long because I didn't realize how much they stretch! lol
So I will have to gather up the bottoms, but it will have to wait until I buy more black thread.

Note to self: Buy two spools of every colour, or bigger ones at least!!!
I go through thread like water....
:o)

ear candy

2011-06-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

From bad...

to drab....

to FAB!!!!

Note to self....

buy more earrings to fill it up!

:o)

Itty Bitty baby dresses and baseball

2011-06-09T17:38:00.000-07:00

This past little while I spent some time making things for babies -- two friends' baby girls, and my own baby! Well, he isn't so much a baby anymore, but he is still MY baby!

:o)

www.made-by-rae.com shows you how to make the itty bitty baby dress, which I have been waiting to make for a long time.

This first dress I made for an almost 11 pound girl, so I had to size it up a bit. It ended up being a bit too big still, but she will get to wear it over the summer. :o)

I am just a little sad I didn't take more photos of it, but I wasn't thinking blog material at the time. I was just excited I had made my first dress in *gasp* over 20 years! Sewing class in high school, and for some reason I can't remember what grade that was...

The material is from Momo freebird, and the green is T shirt material that I used for softness and a bit of colour punch.

This second dress I made for a little girl in our church, and she hasn't gotten it yet! :o)

This girl is much smaller than the first girl, so I got to work with smaller pattern pieces!

I don't know if that was what threw me off, but this little dress was much more time consuming to make. I had to undo stitching a few times, screwed up the bodice lining, and even the bias at the bottom! Argh!

But this is the finished dress, finally!

I added a sweet piece of crocheted lace I had sitting in my ribbon stash and was the perfect size for the front of the dress!
The fabric is from my stash of nondescript fat quarters and extra pieces...

I also added my own little touch on the bottom bias -- where I screwed it up! LOL

But now you can see it was made with love...

:o)

Hope this little girl -- and her mommy -- likes it!

I picked up this cute print at Fabricland the other day -- they are having great sales right now!

Or they may be over already, I don't know. But I spent $38 there and got 7 yards of material, two spools of thread, and two bias tape packages. Not bad!

Anyways, I was looking for cotton to make a new crib sheet for Aiden's crib (yes he is 32 months old and still in a crib -- and will be until he learns to climb out! lol) and saw this sweet American Pastimes print from Marcus...

How cute are these little baseball players???

Aiden loves his new sheet and played in his bed for fifteen minutes after I put it on his mattress just to hang out with the players...

And he went to bed very happily that night too!

LOL

This and that

2011-05-30T10:30:00.001-07:00

I have been up to some fun stuff this past week!

Most notable was the beginning of the end for this baby:

This is my first quilt EVER (aside from a little doll quilt I made for a tiny crib last year), and it is a biggie! Bigger than a standard twin size, but not as big as queen. I made it bigger than a twin so that the sides of the quilt can be tucked in if necessary (we have always been tucking in the kids' comforters, because they love that tightly tucked in feeling!), or left loose to hide the boxspring mattress on the bed.

The quilt top has been sitting around for a while, as I have been a little more than intimidated by the actual putting together of it.

This past Thursday I had a kidless day as Aiden went to his little friend's house during school hours, so I finally bit the bullet.

I pulled out the quilt top, sewed up a quilt bottom (top photo -- blogger is not letting me move my photos around right now!!!), and sandwiched all the layers together.

I didn't have any basting spray, so I just kind of winged it and it turned out great! I taped the bottom layer to the floor, spread the other layers over top, basted every block corner, then just started sewing from the middle out.

No bubbles so far, so I am very impressed!

Now I know why avid quilters love long armed sewing machines!
*********************************

Remember this lamp from Lauren's room?

I said I had plans for it, and the plan was to make a ruffled lamp shade for it!
I have seen them on other blogs, and online stores, so I thought I would give it a whirl myself.
I sewed up a whole bunch of extra quilt fabric into ruffles (easy peasy -- just set your machine on the longest stitch, the tension on the highest setting, and stitch away!)

After making the ruffles, I ironed them in half to make it easier to glue on the lampshade...

This is going to take more material than I thought!

One word of advice... be careful with a glue gun. Delicate skin does not like the hot glue.

I know.

After using up every scrap piece of material I had, this is how it turned out:

I think it looks like a tutu or something, but very Lauren, yes?
And I put the base on a diet!
Actually, I had to change the base out -- I didn't like the size of the new (and bigger) lampshade on the old base, so luckily I had this one sitting around waiting for a new table to sit on!
Lauren's room is getting there!
Hopefully the next photos will show a newly painted room with a finished quilt and all!
:o)

Before and After

2011-05-18T16:27:00.000-07:00

These past two weeks have been full of re purposing projects.

And I just realized it was all for Lauren!

LOL

Lucky girl...

Lauren loves this jean skirt, but it was just getting too short.

Since the waist still fits her, I just added a new piece of darker denim at the bottom to lengthen it!

I also added a heart patch on the back to add a little cuteness...

:o)

I bought this pair of jeans two or three months ago and was really disappointed when it took Lauren no time at all to go through the knees! She is such a tomboy...

I just got out some denim scraps, cut them into hearts, and ironed them onto the knees with fusible web.

They looked kind of bland, so I added a little something...

I hand embroidered some coloured stitches around the outer edges to add some colour!

They look super cute on!!!

This shirt is a hand me down from Lauren's big sister Alyssa.

Well, I made it into one anyways! It was in Alyssa's bag of clothes that she grew out of, and since it would be years before Lauren fit in it properly (she is six, Alyssa is thirteen!), I made a couple adjustments and additions to make it fit!

Old shirt from Alyssa

+ another shirt kicking around the scrap material box

= major cuteness for a six year old!

It is almost long enough to be a dress, but not quite. So Lauren wears it with some brown shorts and voila!

New outfit!
Just in time for the warm weather we are enjoying right now...

This dresser has been in my radar screen for a while now. It still needs to have the drawers fixed with some up to date glides, but it stores well!

I wanted to strip the top of the dresser for Lauren's redecorated room, and I forgot to take a photo of it before this one.

It was all white.

:o)

Funny (or not) story stripping this dresser:

I grabbed some dish washing gloves to apply the stripper with, because it is the safe thing to do.

Ten minutes after starting up, I experienced SEVERE burning on my hands!!!
In a panic I ripped the gloves off my hands, flinging softened paint all over the floor (look at it -- anything is an improvement! lol), and saw my hands were completely covered in hives!

I had forgotten the gloves have latex in them, which I am allergic to!

Oh well, lesson learned.

Here is the dresser all done.

After frying the skin on my hands, I found out I didn't have quite enough stain to finish the job beautifully on the top of the dresser.

But I really love the way it turned out, since Lauren's finished room will have a vintage vibe to it, and it looks like the top has been worn.

I also refreshed the white paint with another coat.

Last on the list was Lauren's night table.

This was her original one...

An old footstool!

I looked around craigslist for a while, but couldn't find anything I loved.

Then I remembered I had this table in my closet!

Once again, I didn't remember to take a photo until after I started.

It is an Ikea table, one of the few quality things we have purchased from there, several years ago. It is a folding one, in unfinished wood. Not sure on the wood, but it is definitely not pine -- birch?

Anyways, I stained the top and painted the bottom white to get this:

I really like it a lot!

And I have plans for that light of hers... stay tuned for that one!

:o)

Happy Mother's day and Happy Birthday!!!!!

2011-05-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

I had a great mother's day yesterday. My hubby spoiled me. I had asked him not to spend any money on me but maybe just help me out around the house. So on Saturday he did around 10 loads of laundry and Sunday he made me the most delicious stir fry. I had a nap after a birthday lunch with Aaron's family which helped gt rid of my headache. Then we played a game and ate ice cream with caramel and smarties on it , YUMMY! What did you do for mothers day? Because Gavin had already had a birthday party I decided to make mothers day cupcakes instead, nothing fancy but they were cute and good.

Last week I went over to my friend karen's house and we made bike baskets . Mine was for my niece M for her birthday and it took me FOREVER to make it , I kept getting frustrated and in the end it was to small and the velcro didnt match her handle bars. So it will go to my little girl for her birthday . Today I tweaked the pattern and gave it another go. I hope it works . With the first one I used heavy interfacing for this one I used an extra layer of thick fabric. So its a bit limpy :( Im hoping once its on her bike it will be ok, but if not I will try to fix it. Second time around was way better I even enjoyed it . Here are some pictures all our bikes are hanging up so I couldn't model then properly.

The back of the bigger one

inside of little one

Family Fun Night

2011-05-04T14:06:00.000-07:00

This year I was approached by the family fun night committee to donate something for the silent or live auction -- I knew it would come one year or another! :o)

I thought about what I was going to donate, and had thought of doing up a sewed item, but then saw how many other sewed goods were going to be given too.

I thought and thought some more (think, think, think!) and had just about given up when I walked in to our shop looking for something else, and saw this:

I had a set of two beat up looking child sized adirondack chairs sitting in there that I had picked up off craigslist last year, and had planned on fixing them up this year for Aiden. I saw them on the floor and went "Bingo!"

I was going to fix both chairs up and donate them to the school, but on closer inspection noticed that one of the chairs was beyond redemption.

So one chair is was!

I replaced a couple broken pieces, filled up some gouges with wood filler, and primed it.

I used paint from our shop -- exterior paint that won't come off in the elements (hopefully!), and used denim fabric from my stash to make a cute little cushion to add a little pop.

I hand embroidered this cute little sun on the denim, just to give it some colour, and to maybe wish the sun here???

The finished deal!

Check out:
www.familyfunnight2011.blogspot.com

to see the whole list of items up for auction!

I know I have my bidding arm itching to go!

:o)

Please come out on Friday to have a great time, fabulous food, and to help support our school!

Skirting the issue

2011-04-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I took an old pair of Alyssa's jeans (that still fit her but never wore because of the flare on the bottom) and changed them from this:

(okay, not these jeans -- I had already cut Alyssa's up before remembering to take a photo)

To this!

All I did was cut the jeans across the knees, took apart the inside leg seams and up the back a bit, then flattened it all down nice and sewed it up. Then I made a hem and voila!

Unused jeans to worn at least once a week skirt!!!

Alyssa thought it was really cool and all her friends couldn't believe I made it.

It does look better in real life, but alas, my photography skills have been left behind in the dust while I goof around with my sewing machine...

I had bought some stretchy jersey knit the other week so I could make myself a skirt.

Got it all made up, tried it on, then asked Alyssa to try it on.

It looked better on her then me!

*sigh*

It is a yoga type skirt with a really REALLY comfortable waist, with an added ruffle on the bottom.

Sewing with stretchy knit was a LOT easier than I thought it would be! I love the drape of it, but more on Alyssa this time. :o)

And those jeans in the first photo? I had tried to do the same thing with a pair of my jeans, which were too big for me (I hate it when that happens! lol). The problem arose when I tried it on pinned up skirt style. The jeans are stretchy material, and they had been worn so much that the derriere part was a little over stretched (I hate it when that happens!!!) so it looked really dorky.

So the jean material has been relegated to my sewing material pile, and I went out and bought not one but two skirts to make up for this injustice! (there was a sweet sale)

But I didn't get a jean skirt, so maybe I will have to raid my closet (or Alyssa's!) and find a pair I can use for me!!!

Another Coaster Set -Birthday Gift :)

2011-04-15T13:01:00.000-07:00

My sister in law Marie had her birthday a couple weeks ago but I seem to be on slow motion. When I saw this fabric I totally thought of her. She's a latte kinda girl and the colors are totally her colors. Im very happy with the way they turned out . :o)

sew busy

2011-04-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

This past week I had mentioned on my personal blog that sewing machine was going to get a good workout this week.

And it has, I think.

Monday I spent putting a bunch of patches on clothing for a friend, and Tuesday I started a project for myself.

My old purse was starting to fall apart, and rather than shell out $$$ to buy a new one, I decided to try make my own.

I found this bag tutorial at http://bluebirdbaby.typepadcom/phots/bag_tutorial/index.html and had it sitting in my inbox waiting patiently for me.

I noticed that it had a center panel, which gave me the perfect opportunity to use the rest of the fabric that I loved so much here: http://sewintocrafts.blogspot.com/2011/02/im-back-after-enjoying-nine-blissful.html

I even have a little bit extra! Now what do with that...

Anyways, here is the finished product. Since it was such a deep bag (YAY!!!) I added a middle divider and extra pockets to keep things a little more organized.

I used longer middle panels and ruffled the edges to give it a little more visual interest. I also put in a zipper instead of the button it called for. I like to have all things in my purse a little more contained -- and hidden from a certain 2 year old! :o) Best of all it has room for everything -- and more! -------------------------------------------------- I worked on my purse Tuesday and Wednesday, and then today I made up another pay it forward gift. This bunting was a good way to use up scraps of fabric. I love how it turned out -- even the bias tape was recycled from my little guy's crib bumper pads!

This bunting has a little secret though... This gift is for a sweet lady in our church who has boys, but also a girl! And girls can't have blue bunting, can they?

Well, not all the time, anyways.

So I made the bunting REVERSIBLE!!!!

So I have this sweet piece of pie ready to go...

Only ten(?) more to go.... better get back to my machine!!!

A Baby Gift and a Pillow Made with Madison

2011-04-06T20:50:00.000-07:00

I had fun this past week taking a break from Madison's quilt. I whipped up a baby girl quilt for a couple of friends who just had there first baby . Her name is Sydney and she is BEAUTIFUL. I wish I had a picture to share. Jamie ( the dad) was my neighbor and classmate for many years and my brother and him are best buds. Anyways I used some minky type stuff and flannel and then flannel for the back so its nice and cuddly.

I am so close to being done Madison's quilt. I had a few extra squares so I made her a pillow and plan to do more but this was something she could help me do. She stuffed it for me while i quilted and she was a wonderful help. Im happy with it , its corduroy on the back which gives it a neat look. I cant wait to teach her to sew, I thin for her birthday coming up Im going to get a sewing kit started for her.

And just for fun a couple pictures of Madison and I playing with the camera

works in progress...

2011-03-28T12:52:00.001-07:00

Here is the project I have been promising to show you for a while....

The top of Lauren's quilt!

This is my first attempt at a quilt, and rather than going with something intricate and wrecking it, I went with simple blocks. When Lauren's room is done, it will have a vintage vibe, so I am glad I didn't do anything fancy. Simple and sweet! I love the vibrant colours, which suit Lauren's personality to a T! I am glad I added white, though, otherwise it would have been too much colour. The patterned material is from Momo Freebird -- I really like their fabric! The solids (blue and white) are just whatever was the cheapest! LOL I still have to find a sheet for the back of the quilt, and figure out how I am going to do the binding...

This is material I bought I while back (last October to be exact!) for my eldest daughter's room.

We are redoing her room, but I am not saying how until it is all done and I can post pictures! Let's just say it will be a teen's room... :o)

This past weekend I used some of the material to make curtains for Alyssa's window. I lined the curtains with some lining material that was given to me by my sister -- thanks Rona! :o) I sewed a blue ribbon across the panels to give it some pop, and used wide ribbon as the top tabs -- much quicker than making all the tabs from regular fabric!

I also put sheers in the window so my daughter could leave her curtains open during the day and not have her room visible to anyone in the backyard. (The window is right above ground level, and anyone can look in...)

Teens need their privacy!!! :o)

I had to shorten the sheers, so I sewed a thin strip of blue ribbon across the bottom, then cut off the excess sheer material. Saved time by not having to measure and sew up a new bottom hem!

So cute!!!

I really love them, and they are the first installment in Alyssa's renovated room. Different wall colour, new quilt, and lots of other stuff to be done yet! Can't wait to get it all done and share with you....

A Hard Working Boy

2011-03-23T19:04:00.000-07:00

At Christmas my Mom bought Brandon a cute little black n Decker tool set and I have been wanting to make him a tool belt for a while but decided to make an apron instead. He picked out the fabric himself when we were at Joannes a couple weeks ago.Here it is.

Whim...

2011-03-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

I had ABSOLUTELY NO intentions of going anywhere near my sewing machine today!!!

But while I was downstairs sorting out the laundry, I came across a bag of too - small T shirts from my eldest daughter. We had planned to drop them off at Sally Ann or donate them to a friend, but I thought maybe I could upcycle them instead!

A long time ago I had come across a cute tutorial at http://iammommahearmeroar.blogspot.com/2010/11/upcycled-t-shirt-dress.html where the blogger made a cute dress for a little girl using used T shirts. I always had it in the back of my mind, and that post came back to me when I opened the bag of tees.

I didn't want to do a ton of strips, as I was afraid they wouldn't match up when I did the side seams.

Here is my finished product:

I still have to wash it so the raw edges curl up a bit, but Lauren couldn't wait to wear it for the day!

I may add some stamps to the strips with fabric paint as well, but it does look cuter in real life!

Lauren LOVES it!!!

She can't wait to wear it to school.

Looking at this photo though, makes me think I should have photoshopped all the bruises on her legs... such a tomboy!

Oh well, she will just have to wear tights or leggings with the dress.

:o)

Spring Break???

2011-03-16T17:26:00.001-07:00

I thought having spring break would mean..... a break!

Well, it is for the kids, but not for me!!!

I have spent almost the whole last week sewing!

I have been working on a big project (which I mentioned in an earlier post), but got stalled on it as I am needing more material. In the next day or so I hope to take a photo of what I have done so far and post it for you!

In the meantime, I got to work on this pattern I found at
http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/tutorial-and-pattern-kid-pants.html

It is a very basic pants pattern and tutorial, and seriously easy to sew!

Aiden was very excited I was making him new pants, and didn't want to take them off when I measured him for hemming.

They look so cute!

Considering the success of the first pair, I decided to try another one, this time making it much more fancier.

With a matching shirt! :o)

I just cut out a tie pattern, fused it on, and stitched the edges with a straight stitch. The tie is also made with a tee shirt, so I am not worried about unravelling...

So for the pants!!!

Aren't they sweet?

I embellished them with sewn cuff bottoms and little buttons with straps...

Buttons on the flat front...

Extra little tabs on the pockets... the pockets are a necessity for Sunday pants as that is where he stores his church candies... ;o)

And even lined the pockets with the matching tee!

I also double stitched everything and sewed the seams down flat to give them extra durability...

because I am going to need it with this little guy in them!!!

I love the retro look of these pants!

:o)

A little pretty

2011-03-11T22:04:00.000-08:00

I have been working on a big project the last few days (which you will get to see in the next day or so), but decided to take a break tonight and work on a little pretty for Lauren's bedroom.

I had a wooden plaque that I had picked up at Sally Ann for a dime way back when, and I came up with inspiration for a new use for it last night as I got ready for bed.

I got out some chip board letters and put it all on my night table so I wouldn't forget about it (as I would most likely do and it would sit and languish in a drawer somewhere until one day in a couple years I will spy it and remember I had big ideas for it! lol) and worked on it tonight while hubby watched some TV.

I did this at the dining room table, so we at least shared the living space! :o)

This is what I came up with:

I mod podged some cute blue card stock paper to the back, and glued down a strip of matching velvet ribbon.

I put on three 'hooks' -- in reality they are three old furniture tacks that were kicking around in the tool chest down stairs. I didn't want to push them all the way through, but also needed some stability so the pins wouldn't fall off in a day, so I raided Lauren's bead collection and found two beads for every pin -- perfect!

The chipboard letters I had were a pretty sparkly pinky purple, but NOT the colour I needed for Lauren's room. So I ripped off the top cardboard...

.... painted the letters white and added some sparkle to them!

Now they match!!!

:o)

Vintage with a modern flair?

Hope she loves her new jewellery holder!

:o)

3rd Annual Quilt Retreat

2011-03-10T09:17:00.000-08:00

I look so forward to the annual quilt retreat every year. There is always so much inspiration packed into one room! All day long you hear laughter, everyone just has such a fabulous time. The last couple of years we have done a charm swap but this year we all made a block for a quilt to donate for auction to a charity. ( pro -life was the charity). We played some games, they had lots of prizes, and food was prepared for us for the day. Its a great time to re connect with those I only see at the retreat . the best part is I got alot done! Stay tuned for that..

Myself and one of my great friends Esther!

Quilt made by 2nd retreat charm swap

project I was working on

Pro life quilt

karen from http://twiceasniceboutique.blogspot.com/

Rebecca from http://ourbusylittlebunch.blogspot.com/

Rebecca and Alisa from http://makingmorewithless.blogspot.com/

My Newest Addition!

2011-03-08T12:43:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to introduce to you the newest addition to my family... my sewing family that it is . HEHE. I have been looking for quite sometime now for a sewing table, one that my sewing machine can sit in to make quilting a bit easier. There not cheap you can find tiny ones with no storage for 50 dollars or one that your machine just sits in and it has 3 drawers for 100 and most made out of particle board. I was going to buy wood and have my wonderful step father build me one but I came across the perfect for me table on craigslist. He was willing to go and look at it for me and had to go half way up Seymour mountain for it( if your not familiar with Vancouver its quite a ways). I had plans to go out already to the states so when I came home this is what I found in my sewing room........

All for the wonderful price of $110 dollars . yippee! All I need now is a big cutting mat :) THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK DON !!!!!!!!!!!! xxoo

Madison's Quilt, Brandon's Quilt and Retreat day!

2011-03-04T20:25:00.000-08:00

Im so excited tomorrow is the 3rd annual quilt retreat. This is a day I look forward to ALL year long. We really should do it more often. I will tell you all about it next week. For now I will share with you Madison's finished quilt top. Im so happy with the way it turned out. I was also busy cutting away fabric for Brandon's ( 2 year old) quilt. I really wanted the red All Star fabric from 2009 but of course its hard to come by, well my great friend just happened to have 13 fat quarters in her stash she wasn't planning on using so I bought what little I could find on line and now Im ready to piece it together. Here are a couple picture's and really the photos dont show how pretty the fabric really is .

upside down but you can see my little tag :)

She doesnt even want me to quilt it just wants it on her bed LOL

I did it pretty random , Im happy with it


Just igonre Hubby's feet

So WHAT DO YOU THINK! I cannot wait to get them done . Im really thrilled with the way Madison's turned out. have a good weekend!

Tania

more bedroom upcycles

2011-03-03T09:59:00.000-08:00

I got more things done for Lauren's room!!!

I picked up this cute shelf unit a few months back (off of craigslist, where else?) and just let it sit until I actually got started on things for Lauren's room:

Here is the finished product!

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I had a broken lamp that had an adorable wooden base, just waiting for inspiration...

I picked this little birdhouse up at Joann's in the states:
(sorry about the REALLY poor quality photo -- the light was terrible and I couldn't get the camera to focus!!!)

And this is the finished product!

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On my other blog a while ago, some of you might recognize this wrought iron piece I picked up at sally ann for super cheap:

I was planning on putting it in our entrance way when it was renovated:

Since then I made NEW plans to put a different piece from our kitchen wall down there, so had no place for this piece.

UNTIL....

I got these vintage photos from a friend, who printed them up into 5x7s for me.

I put them in cheapo ikea frames I had kicking around, and stapled them on to the wooden strips.

Oops the photo above slipped!

I fixed it after...

There are french sayings on the bottom, but I haven't bothered to figure them out yet... nothing google translate couldn't figure out!

And another blurry photo due to bad lighting and an ornery camera... :oP

Now all that is left is her dresser which needs to have new drawer glides put in, plus a little bit of fancying up.... future post for sure!

As for the rest of her room, I need to get a can of paint, plus sew a quilt.... oh and I have plans for the initial 'L' too!!!!

:o)

Such fun!

furniture redo

2011-02-22T22:43:00.001-08:00

I finally got the first -- of many -- projects done for my six year old daughter's bedroom.

I am in the process of redecorating her room, which will eventually consist of a paint job and various other renos.

I am planning a vintage room for her, and was more than thrilled to find this pretty headboard at a neighbourhood garage sale...

The price tag was great ($15), so I grabbed it and took it home.

But the medium oak colour was not one I had in mind for the bedroom's new look.

So I sanded it...

Primed it and painted dark spots...

Painted it white, and sanded/ distressed it to get this...

Lauren is over the moon with her new headboard!!!

I put it up in her room while she was at school today, and she spent the ENTIRE afternoon after school just playing in her room so she could be close to her bed...

Will I ever be able to drag her out of her room when it is all done???

:o)

Its coming together!

2011-02-18T09:56:00.000-08:00

So yesterday after being pleased with amount of work around the house this week, I decided to spend time on the quilt blocks for Madison's quilt. I had run out of the solid color which slowed down the process a bit , but it's getting there. I do wish I would have a bit more dark colors in it but other then that im happy with it so far.

Buttercup bag

2011-02-11T16:45:00.000-08:00

I'm back!

After enjoying nine blissful days and nights in Maui with my hubby and his parents (our gracious tour guides), sans kids, it was back to reality.

Fevers, colds, strep throat, and cold weather.

I really miss running on the beach barefoot in 20 C degree weather!!!

To combat those blues, I have been searching online for some fun purses to make (which lady can ever have enough?), and came across this cutie:

http://www.allcrafts.net/fjs.htm?url=madebyrae.blogspot.com/2009/02/free-buttercup-bag-sewing-pattern.html

I had two fat quarters of a cotton that I absolutely ADORE, but couldn't think of anything to make with it. I even went back to the store I got the fat quarters from to see if they had any on a bolt, but I couldn't find any.

So these fat quarters languished in my cupboard just waiting for the perfect project....

Meet the buttercup bag!

It only used one of my fat quarters!

It turned out great, and I think it is adorable, plus I even added a couple extras to the interior.

Only thing is, it is too small to fit all my junk in! Wallet, camera, eyeglass case, cellphone... they take up a lot of room!

So thankfully I have another pattern on standby (which you will get to see in the future) that I can use my second favourite fat quarter with!

Now I just need to find a new home for this baby...

Amy Butlers Birdie Bag

2011-01-28T16:58:00.000-08:00

Awhile back in December I went for my sewing class with my friend Karen and cut out he pattern for this bag. I kept seeing it lying there wanting to get finished so I found some tips online and managed to sew it up today. I was working on Madison quilt until I ran out of pink thread. Oh well I found another project. Im pretty proud of myself which I dont say very often but I usually will cut out a pattern and unless I finish right away it ends up in a pile with the rest of the unfinished projects. So I went ahead and here is the end result...

I dont know how much I love the bag. It has a poof to it that im hoping I can fix and i found the top panel a bit finicky. Oh well I think its always good practice and even with its faults I know I will use this bag.

Well Im off to eat dinner with my Dad. Have a good weekend everyone!

Batman to the Rescue!

2011-01-24T09:22:00.000-08:00

First I would like to give a shout out to Amanda at Serenity Now I wont this sweet giveaway from here . She has a Christian store with all sorts of goodies VERY nice stuff! This is what I won ....

Did you check out Chris's post below? She made me the CUTEST owl pin cushion . What a sweetheart. I absolutely adore owls and this was the perfect homemade gift for me!

And lastly I had bought a couple shirts for Dylan and found out that both sister in laws bought the same shirts for their boys. So since they are all in the same class I thought I would try and make Dylans a bit different. The shirts were only 2.99 each and they have a ragged bottom so instead of doing it the usual way I just cut out the shapes and sews a straight stitch along the edge. He loves them.

And just cuz I think he is adorable here is a picture of the cutest batman EVER!

What a hoot!

2011-01-20T10:08:00.000-08:00

Recently in the land of Facebook I signed up for a pay it forward venture...

I was to sign up my name to receive something handmade, while I had to do the same for five fellow FBers.

So I posted the same in my status, but the response was poor! Do I not have any crafty friends on FB who want to pay it forward???

I still really wanted to make little things for other people, so I changed my status and told the first seven people who signed up under my comment that they would get something handmade by me, no strings attached.

Apparently I am not good in math because I ended up with around 13 people in the end!

I couldn't just turn them down... :o)

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So meet this little guy.

He is a pincushion, and I made him for none other than my co blogger here!

Hope Tania loves him!

link to the owl pattern here: http://www.thediydish.com/promo/theDIYdish_OwlPinCushion.pdf

Then I made this hairclip for someone else on my list... actually it is for her daughter

-- I got the flower pattern from here:

http://www.purlbee.com/rose-barrettes/2010/1/23/mollys-sketchbook-rose-barrettes.html#comments

I used their flower pattern but put the clip together with my own ideas.

These three clips I made for my daughter, using the same flower pattern as above.

I want to make a few headbands with these as well -- they would look super cute!

Thank You Poppy Seed Fabrics :)

2011-01-14T17:52:00.000-08:00

The other day I received a really fun package in the mail. It is beautiful fabric , I have no clue what im going to do with it but Im excited!Thank you Poppy seed Fabrics!

Getting to know you....

2011-01-10T21:07:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone!

I first want to say thanks to Tania for inviting me to guest post on your blog.

It means a lot to me to know how much you like what I do.

Hearing that from people keeps me inspired to do more!

Much to my husband's chagrin, I am sure... :o)

So, I thought I would start with letting you all know a little about myself.

THEN I will bury you in an avalanche of past projects I have done!

-- I am a happily married mother of FIVE children, ages ranging from 13 down to 2.

They are all the loves of my life, and my joy and inspiration!

-- I LOVE to run. It is my sanity time, and chance to clear my head. No matter how lousy my run turns out, I always come back refreshed and happy. Maybe it is the fact that I run with a partner -- I know for sure if I didn't, I would have given up running before I even started!

-- I like to think I am a crafty person. I like to paint, sew, upcycle things, refurbish furniture, and craft. I am always looking for new things to inspire me, and my to do list for this year is already VERY long!!!

-- I love photography. But I am still working on becoming a better photographer... I have a Canon Power Shot which I love, but am still trying to figure out how to use it! Hopefully when I have it all figured out I can sneak out my husband's camera when he is working (he has an SLR), and fool around with that as well!

I always have lots of subjects handy... :o)

Hmmm... not much else to say right now, other than bring on the photos!!!

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Soldier and Pirate costumes I made for my nephew this past Christmas

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Pillows made for my niece at Christmas

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A shirt I completely accidentally shrunk in the laundry (how many times can I apologize honey?)

Now it fits me!!!! :o)

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I love adding appliques to plain shirts for my kids... there are so many fun possibilities and they will always have original shirts!

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I made a quilt cover for my little guy's crib this past year... this year I am attempting to make two quilts and I am so scared!

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new shirts for my daughter...

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A messenger bag I made for our family trip this past summer to California.. it held everything I needed!

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An apron for my eldest who started grade eight this past fall and needed one for cooking class...
her favourite colour!

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A purse I made for a niece... I also made the same one with longer handles for my daughter!

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Art work I painted up for my second daughter's 'new' room...
This year I hope to be redoing all the kids' rooms except for my youngest!

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A monogram picture I made for another niece this Christmas

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A memory board I made for our kitchen pantry...

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I love to repaint furniture!
This crib before....

And after! I also sewed the little doll quilt, sheet and pillow...

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I received this little table (or I should say a table very similar to this one) from my in laws, and repainted it for my daughter's room...

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I painted the drawer fronts and added the bugs (that I painted as well) for my son's room...

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HAHA! Got this cabinet from Canadian Tire and painted it to match my bathroom...

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I love finding things at second hand stores any changing them to make new things.

The lamp on the left is the new one. It replaced the teeny weeny ones I had in my living room...

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An old frame found new life in my kitchen...

As a chalkboard!

Phew!
If you made it this far, congratulations!
Now you have had a glimpse into my past, and I can't wait to share my present and future with you all!

I have a few projects already on the go, with many many more waiting patiently for me!

I actually did do a project today, but you will have to wait for photos as it is in bed right now...

:o)

A new Team Member!

2011-01-09T19:42:00.000-08:00

Yay Im so excited that finally Chris's crafts will be shared with the rest of you. Chris is a great friend of mine and she does all sorts of things from sewing , card making, refurbishing old furniture and even photography. Im excited that this blog will now be her's as well . Stay tuned for her first post!

Thank You to the The Paisley Cupcake

2011-01-08T12:14:00.000-08:00

I love how the craft blog world likes to try to connect with everyone with the same interests. its a neat way to get ideas of new crafts, recipes, organization. THANK YOU Paisley Cupcake for the award ...

I didn't even know they new I was around so how cool is that. There blog is great I highly recommend checking them out.

To accept this Award you must:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers.

4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award!

So here it is 7 things about Me

1. I am studying to become a teachers aid

2. My favorite food is chicken pizza and I could probably eat a large to myself

3. I can't spell ( btu u proly nodiced thet alredy)

4. I love going to concerts Ive seen Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland, Kenny Chesney, Blink 182, Barenaked Ladies, Michael w Smith, Paul Brant x2 , Sara Evans , Brooks n Dunn, Biff naked, Matthew Good band, The Offspring, the list goes on.

5. I live In Vancouver B.C and I have Never been to a Canucks game or been to Whistler

6. I used to be insainly into scrapbooking but haven't touched it since I learned to sew.( I do have to complete it eventually though)

7. I married the guy I had a crush on since I was 15. hehe Hes awesome.

OK here is my list of Bloggers to Award

1. Twice as Nice Boutique

She make quality sleep sacks that are adorable. I just bought one for my 2 and a half year old!

2. Bluebirdswing

She has a wicked wallet tutorial

3. Poppy Seed fabrics

beautiful fabric and great coaster tutorial

4.The Vintage Pearl

everytime I go over to her blog i drool

5.Chasing Cotton

She is such a talented quilter

6.Chickadee Creations

Go check out her year in review WOW!

7.Lemon Tree Creations

neat crafting ideas

8.RHB designs

Great tutorials , beautiful jewlery

9.Sugar Bee

I couldnt get away with not mentioning this one. Ive been a follower as long as I have blogged!

10. Tiny Seamstress

She has the cutest baby bump ever

11.Sugar Stitches

another great quilter

12.Our Busy Little Bunch

She is such a good sewer making a variety of neat things for baby's and kids!

13.Making More with Less

This sister team comes up with smart solutions to save money while crafting

14.Made on Main Street

Gotta check her site out. Awesome stuff and cute kids

15. Be Still

You may noticed there is no link that's because its a private blog such a shame as she is the best crafter I know, perhaps she could join my blog. Whata ya say Chris

What's Your New Year's Resolution?

2010-12-31T08:51:00.000-08:00

I have so many goal's for 2011!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. Be happy and content in all situations.

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not think you are superior". (Rom 12:14-16)

2. Be a better wife and mother
I often feel like I don't live up to my duty as a wife and mother. There have been so many trials in the last year that have made me feel as if I'm not living up to what a "good christian wife and mother should be like"

3. of course I wanna loose 20 pounds haha
I lost a bunch of weight but after a big surgery I have gained about 10 of it back . :(

4. Finish one project at a time instead of starting a bunch and not finishing them.
the first one to finish is Madisons quilt and 2 shirts for my son

5. Finish my teacher's aid course

6. Run 5 km

7. when I look back at my list the only thing that really matters is the 1st one. In order to be successful at all of this i need to be happy and content. :)

May God Bless you in the year ahead in whatever your situation is He is always with you and He will guide you and take care of you .
peace and love from my house to yours

And the Quilt FINALLY begins.

2010-12-23T08:42:00.000-08:00

Remember this I finally started it. I think this is one of the funnest projects i have ever done. The circles are a hoot. I have alot of work to do yet but heres a peek of what I started.

One thing I have really learned I NEED A GOOD IRON. I actually did iron before doing this. :( oh well