Baby "Toms"

Here are more of those adorable shoes that Lara's whipping up!  (They only take like an hour:)  She used the same pattern as the last pair.  This time, she decided to add some extra stitching to make them look like the ever-popular "Toms"!  For me, it was definitely love at first sight!  I can't wait for someone we know to have a girl, so I can see these awesome shoes in action!:)

She used a dandelion canvas from an apron, plus some grippy material for those early-walkers:)

 

Linking up to:

Fluster Buster

 

DIY baby shoes

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, a few ladies in our church are pregnant.  So of course now my Pinterest boards are covered with tiny sized goodies!  It seems like my new baby shoes board is growing every day !  There are just so many adorable ideas out there, and I want to try every one!  So many different styles, fabrics, and added accents!:) {Here are some of my favorites! 1 2 3}  While I was out of town a few weeks ago, Lara whipped these little cuties up, and they are so adorable!  She used a green canvas that was left over from a purse she made a few years ago, plus some woodland flannel from a baby blanket:)  She used the second pattern from above.  It is so well written, and super-duper easy!  Go check it out, and also look around her blog for some other great ideas:)

End of Summer Soiree

In honor of our sister Melisa's birthday, last week we enjoyed a light dinner outside as the sun set behind us. A simple menu of chicken salad on croissants, blackberry-topped fresh peaches from a local farm, and a blended suntea in crystal punch cups.

 

First day of school

For most bloggers, that phrase means the kids are out of the house and there's lots more free time for crafting and posting!  Well, with me it's the exact opposite.  It means classes are starting up and soccer's hitting it hard right about now.  So, I may not be posting as much as usual for a while, at least while I get into the hang of the schedule.  But we'll see!:)  I do have some big sewing projects on the line-up, so that should keep me motivated.  And by "big" I mean that I'm using a pattern and actually hafta pay attention to what I'm doing!;)  Well, that's it for tonight! Have a great evening!

Lowes: my new BFF + paint chip bookmarks

When I first started looking at projects using paint chips, it seemed that everyone talked about how they had to sneak a stash into their purse, or make sure nobody saw them grabbing up a handful of colors.  The first time I was in pursuit of paint chips, I just marched up to the counter at Lowes' and asked if it was okay for me to take a bunch for some craft projects, and they told me it was.  Cool right?  Well, each time I've been in there I still check with them just in case someone has a different opinion.  This last time though, the {let's call him a} paint manager for all of the stores in the area was there.  He said that he re-stocks the paint chips each week and throws out what is left.  So now, instead of putting all those awesome colors to waste, he's gonna start throwing them in a box and saving them for me!  How awesome is that?!?!?!  [I can't wait for that phone call from Lowes telling me they're ready!:) ].

 

Here's the first project I whipped out with some paint chips I already had.  Super easy, and super fun if you ask me!

 

 

Happy Friday!

 

Special Occasion Dog Collar Tutorial







 



Every minute that I spend in my mom's room (the sewing room) working on a project, my doggy is right there beside me. She follows me wherever I go, and she especially loves lying down on whatever fabric I'm working with, denying all attempts to get her to lie down on her cozy pillow. We have TONS of pics of her lying on various fabrics. She just loves sewing!:)

So I decided finally to whip up something for Keiki.  A while back her collar had been rubbing her neck raw, so my mom made a fleece "sleeve" to put around her collar.  This is a "fancified version of that.  And yes, "fancified" is a word:)

Here's the JoJo while I was cuttin out the fabric:)



Supplies

• Fleece
• Lace or other decorative piece

Measure the length and width of the collar, keeping in mind where dog tags and fasteners are.  I just used the sleeve that my mom had made as an example.  It ended up being 3"x10".

Lay lace on top of the fabric, leaving about 1/2" on each end and cut.




Pin the lace on the end that you are not starting on.  Just be careful to not run over the pin when you are sewing.

Sew down one side of the lace.  You seam allowance will just depend on the design of the lace.  I tried to hide my  stitches as well as I could.  Sew down the other side.

Fold the fabric in half, right sides together. Sew one inch away from the edge and turn right side out. Slide onto your dog's collar. And VOILA! Your dog's plain old, beat-up red collar is now fancified!;)

(She loves her "new" collar.  She immediately went around the house showing it off to everyone she could find:)

Paper Airplane Embroidery

Inspiration

A few ladies in our church are pregnant, so I'm scheming up as many cute little projects as possible:)  This one's been on the to-do list for forever, and I was glad to finally have an excuse to make it.  When the time gets closer, I'm thinking about either framing it or making a wall hanging with an embroidery hoop.  Let's just hope that one of them has a boy!:)

Pot holders

Our church was badly in need of some new pot holders, so Lara and I decided to make them on our own instead of buying them.  Here was we came up with!  (she did most of the work, I just helped on a few:)


Inspiration

Guest post

Hey there!  Just wanted to let you know that I'm sharing the Electric Lemonade over at "Days of Chalk and Chocolate."  Go check it out if you like!

A few months back, I mentioned that Uncle Mike would receive a sample of Kelsey's toilet paper art as a salute to an inside joke about giving and receiving toilet paper that has gone on since she was little.

This weekend, I happened to spy it hanging through the window of his sky blue BMW!