A few of my favorite things

 

 

On Monday I showed you my version of See Kate Sew's Sweet Scallops Tote.  Today I'll show you my favorite way to use this type of bag.  It's perfect for packing a few items for a change of clothes, using as a full-on purse, or carrying a bunch of craft supplies that need organization *cough cough: stamps*.

1. Sweet Scallops Tote: well, duh.  I like it.  And I fully believe everyone should make one;)
2. My favorite sunglasses, purchased on sale at Ann Taylor.  I'm a big, perfectly round sunglasses kinda gal.  These are the smallest ones I've had in a while, but I love them.
3. Fold-over elastic headbands.  Swoon.  Last year, I bought a bunch of FOE from Elastic By The Yard on Etsy.  My package came super fast, and I'm pleased with the quality!
4. TOMS, yay or nay?  I love the look, but I'm not willing to pay the full price for a pair.  Solution? Rite Aid.  Believe it or not, these shoes were only $10!  I'm not usually a fan of hte knock-off brands, but these ones are different.  They're really comfortable, and have lasted well for how much I wear them!
5. Vintage sheet goodness, mmm mmmmm.  This pouch from Sand and Starfish pairs just perfectly with the vintage florals on this tote.
6. Speaking of vintage....antique jewelry is one of my favorite things ever.  Ok, well it's up there with ruffles and puppies and nutella.  But still.  This particular one belonged to my gramma and was passed down to me and my sister.  In this particular necklace, I love how each of the three layers is a different type of chain.  And I love how the pearl is a perfect accent, and yet not too gaudy.

What are some things you are loving these days?

~Kelsey

The Sweet Scallops Tote

Hello!  Here I am for one last (semi-large) project for the summer.  I don't know about you, but nothing inspires me to create like summer coming to an end does.  I quickly realize how little time I have left to finish up my projects, so I get right to work!  Some of you may have seen the sneak-peek of this tote on Instagram (fancythatnotion).  Unfortunately, it was a sad one.  The kind where your thread runs out one inch away from being done with a 12-hour project.  At 10:30 at night.  But you know what?  It was "totes" worth it.  *couldn't help myself*  This is another bag pattern from See Kate Sew that has been sitting on my Pinterest board for a while.  I raided my fabric stash once more and came up with this combination.

 

 

The pattern and instructions were written so well and all of the sewing was very simple.  This would be the perfect project for a beginner!  Those scallops take a while to cut and sew, but the finished product is worth the time.

 

Kate pays so much attention to detail (You should check out her ruffles series going on right now!).  The top-stitching gives the body of the bag a clean, finished look.

 

 

 

The possibilities of combinations are endless!  You can base off of one color-theme, do an ombre look, or whatever you fancy!!!  The two blue fabrics were vintage sheets and pillow cases.  Pink polka dots and the purple flowers were my gramma's fabrics, and the top two were purses!  This is such a great fabric-stash buster!!!

 

The inside of the bag is my favorite vintage sheet.........again.  I used it for my envelope clutch here as well.

I hope you are enjoying the last few days of summer!  If you are looking to learn to sew, Kate has a bunch of great tutorials, and this project would be a perfect one to start off on!!!  Have a lovely Monday, friends!!!

~Kelsey

 

 

Envelope Clutch

Hi.  My name's Kelsey and I start my Christmas shopping sewing in July.  Ok, maybe I do some shopping too.  Now don't start thinking that I'm on top of my game in any way.  I mean, after all, I haven't touched this blog in almost two months.  And I saw the pattern for this clutch in February.  Yep, FEBRUARY.  I've had all the supplies, plenty of time, the pattern on hand.  And yet........it's August.  But hey, at least I sewed something that has been hanging out on my Pinterest board right?

 

Anyways, Kate over at See Kate Sew created this pattern in February and had a mini series of other ladies sewing up their own versions.  So, here is what I came up with for this awesome pattern!  For the outside, I used a sophisticated and simple tan canvas.  I plan on adding a decorative pin on a chain for the closure (I'm afraid of button holes).

On the inside, I added a pop of color with a vintage sheet that I scored for just a few quarters (remember this shopping trip?).  This pouch is going to be a Christmas gift for my sister (Shhh! If you see her, don't tell!).

 

 I love how you can barely see the edge of the sheet from the outside!

I also whipped up this clutch using a sturdy black denim and then a thin gingham (sp?).  Even with the extreme weight difference, it was still easy to sew up.  And when I said whipped up, I really meant it.  I had been working on a super fun shirt that totally ended up being the wrong size (maybe I'll post that later.....#DIYfail).  I instantly needed a project that I new worked, so I whipped up that clutch in under an hour!  I think these might be my new "standard" gift.  Super simple to sew, with endless pattern options!  You can sew on a fun button, use a snap or magnet for a hidden option, or use a decorative pin to keep it closed!

 

Also, I wanted to point out the graphics that I used for these pictures.  The lower one was created with the "A Beautiful Mess" app (hashtags are #abmapp and #abeautifulmess) and the "Rhonna Farrer' app (#rhonnadesigns_app and #rhonnadesigns).  The lower one used the "A Beautiful Mess" app.  If you don't have either of these, you should grab them up!

A Few of My Favorite Things: my life according to my phone

Today's "Favorite Things" isn't in the form of Pinterest links or blog inspiration.  It is simple pictures from my phone capturing some of the things that I am loving lately.  Different filters, raw pictures, various frames, #ABeautifulMess graphics, etc.

Stamps.  Smash, Amy Tangerine, Dear Lizzy.  And smashbook media papers.  What's on your reading list this summer?  Playlist?  Who are your favorite athletes?

Fresh homegrown strawberries.  Like I said on IG, I wish I could send one to all of you:)

Pizza.  Homemade, on the stone, in a mock wood-fire oven (heated to 500+ degrees before cooking).  Lara's all official with that wooden paddle;)

A quick stop for ice cream at a place that my dad would go to in college.  "Those Christmas lights are probably the same ones that were up when I came here."  Ahh, nostalgia.

Adorable Targets that take you by surprise with their cuteness.  This was downtown in our big city.  I can't wait for it to open this summer!

 

Caprese on a toothpick.

Picnics.  Stripes and floral patterns.  Sun tea in an Izze bottle.

Haagen Daz ice cream bar.  And patterned pants, $14 from Walmart.

A Starbucks photo wall that looks like it popped straight off of Pinterest.  I will be back.

The sound of #paigetheportrait at work.

Pottery Barn Kids.  Make me wish I was a kid again.  Inspire me for more creativity in my own room.

Caramel on green grapes.  Same flavor as caramel apples, nowhere near the mess and work.

Beautiful skies that the Lord paints.  I don't mind the clouds when they look as lovely as this.

Oxfords.  Oh how I love this style.  Lace and floral? Yes please.

This single little flower amidst a sea of green.  The only bloom on the whole plant.  Looked like a little firework.

A dog who hides from showers.  Seriously, she wanted to leave the marshmallow in her hair rather than have a shower (???).

Also, a dog whose hair looks like this after the shower.  Ok, I helped it a tad bit.

 

$9 men's shirts at JCPenney's.  Will be living in these this summer.  See that one on the bottom left?  Wearing it right now with my polka dotted skinnies.

 

What are some simple things that you are loving right now?

 

~Kelsey

Silhouette Project: Potluck Sign

Well, I reached a very special milestone on Thursday: I made a recipe from my BAKING board on Pinterest.....for the very. first. time.  I was so excited!  When asked to bring a few dozen cookies to a function, I determined that, instead of making that same old recipe for the thirtieth time (gingersnaps anybody?), I would try something entirely new.  Not just someone's gramma's "world-famous" chocolate chip cookie (now don't get me wrong, I love me a good chocolate chip cookie), but instead something that jumped out of my screen and said "!!!POW!!!"  And, well, these definitely fit the bill.  I'm a major sucker for snickerdoodles.  No amount of self-control can keep me away.  And when I saw this twist on the classic recipe, I was intrigued to say the least.  White chocolate pretzels?  Sign me up, I said.  These cookies should be illegal......or mandatory.  They're that good.  So good, in fact, that they needed a proper introduction.  So, I put #paigetheportrait (yep, "she" has "her" own hashtag) to work and whipped up this little sign!  Super simple and perfectly practical!  (Don't worry: I saved it because I'm SURE I'll be making plenty more batches of these cookies).  And so, bloggyland, here I give you my first "tutorial" using the Silhouette Portrait.  I hope it is the first of many!

Open up your Silhouette program (duh.) and create a new page.  Using the drawing tool, create a square/rectangle.  You don't have to get it perfectly the first time because you can adjust the shape and size.  I decided that I wanted mine to be roughly 4"x6", but decide what is best for you.

 

For this project, I used "Bookman Old Style" font.  Since I knew these letters weren't going to be huge, I wanted a font that would be easy to peel off.  Center the letters in your rectangular shape, and play with them until they only fill up the BOTTOM half of the rectangle.  Then, put your Silhouette to work!!!  Although you can just leave fold it in half and leave as is, I wanted to add a pop of color to this project.  Since the party was "America" themed, I decided on a sturdy piece of red cardstock for the background.  Instead of cutting pieces out just to cover the words, I decided to incorporate the red into the stand.  Use glue (I used a regular old glue stick [ha!] ) to secure the red on the back of your sign (in the end, I did not fold it exactly in half).  TADA!  You're sign is done!

 

This is the prefect project for summer parties, potlucks, etc.  And make sure to try out the recipe for these scrumptious cookies!!!

~Kelsey

A Few of My Favorites Things: DIY clothes

Happy Monday lovelies!  Did you have a fabulous weekend?  I know I did, thought I might have enjoyed the sun a bit TOO much;)  It seems like, as the summer hits us, I see more people focusing on making their own clothes!  I definitely want to try to create some outfits in my free time this summer!  Here's my inspiration!

Zipper Sweatshirt from Cotton and Curls

Lace Sweatshirt from Anthropology

Glitter Peter Pan Collar from Armommy

Draped Colorblock Tee from Melly Sews

Nautical Colorblock Shirt from Alida Makes

Lace for Days Skirt from Elle Apparel

Glitter Chevron Tee from What I Wore

Ruffled Maxi Dress from Sugar Bee Crafts

 

Hope you have a lovely week!

Echo: Small Town Travels

This last weekend, my family and I traveled to a teeny town called "Echo."  You can probably already tell that it was cute just by that name:)  I didn't take a ton of pictures, but thought I would share on here those that I did:)

First things first.  We stopped by Jamba in the airport and tried these "wheatgrass shots."  Interesting.  They tasted like sweet peas.  Thankful for the orange juice!  Have you tried these?

 

It was a beautiful, sunny day.  The rays shining through these trees were just lovely.

I love old bridges, don't you?

We stopped for dinner on the way and I ordered a Caesar salad (for those of you who don't know me, I always eat Caesar salad).  But the pickles that came with the sandwiches sounded yummy, so I asked for "extra pickles."  You mean not everyone does that?  I think every meal should come with a side of pickles.

Lovely sunset on the river.  No filter, no editing.  Just a raw shot.

Those clouds.

 

Three of the four stores in the town: an antique shop, a bike shop, and a boutique.  All open from 9ish-5ish.....if the owners decided to show up (they didn't.)

 

A lovely old bank that had been there for many, many years.

 

I don't know what it is, but old firetrucks just make me happy.  But there weren't any there:'(

Love the look of this old building.  And the train in front.

 

Blue skies and golden grass.

Stopped by a train.  When was the last time?  I don't think I mind.