Sew a Summer Dress

I am not much of a seamstress (like I mentioned before, I try to stick with sewing straight lines) but I found a tutorial on Teresa Franco's blog for making a summer dress that is cute and fairly simple to sew. You really just have a big square of fabric and sew in a few strips of elastic. Not too complicated. I found a green dress just like this at Target that I loved but of course it was while I was pregnant so I didn't get it and now its gone... I think I could actually make this dress. Wouldn't it be pretty using an Amy Butler print?

Crafty Planet

I came across an online fabric/craft retailer I wanted to share with you. Crafty Planet carries a lot of good fabrics including Amy Butler prints, Denyse Shmidt, Heather Ross a selection of retro prints and more. There selection of products isn't huge, but I like what they have. They also carry Amy Butler's new sewing patterns, and several crafty books that I'd love to flip through.

Butterfly Specimen Case

I came across a fun idea on the Wise Craft blog. She purchased a Martha Stewart specimen case from Michael's and tacked pretty paper butterflies inside. She hung it in her daughter's room. What a clever idea. It is so simple and pretty. Perfect for a girl's room. And I might add, I love the purple paint in the room. I searched for lavendar for Jane's room, and after trying four shades which looked hideous, settled for a pistachio green.

New Amy Butler Fabric Line

For those of you who love Amy Butler's fabric, she has a new line called Nigella that is gorgeous. Amy also has six new sewing patterns available. I especially love the over sized "gumdrop pillows", "feather your nest" projects, and the really cute "barcelona skirt" patterns. Ooh... and I just found out Amy has a line of papers out as well. I can't resist pretty paper. Check out her paper craft lines at K & Company.

Fabric Flower How-to

One of my first crafty business attempts began when I started sewing fabric flowers onto hemp handbags and selling them to my friends (you). It seems that fabric flowers are still popular and have a variety of uses. Wise Craft has an online tutorial which includes a template for the flowers and step-by-step directions on how to make them yourself. These flowers are so cute added to bags or barrettes. They have lots of possibilities and are a great use for leftover fabric. If you decide to make a few, I'd love to hear how they turn out.

Wee Wonderfuls

Hee hee. This is totally what I would look like as a plush doll, don't you think? I love the adorable plush animals and dolls created by Wee Wonderfuls. Check out the site and sift through the wonderful (no pun intended) projects section. I absolutely adore all of her toys and dolls and her quilts are just beautiful. If you want to purchase the pattern for one of her plush animals, check out her store or the pattern section under "make a long story". "Make a long story" is a photographed story book about two of her plush dolls named Olive and Archie. They are starting 3rd grade and I love their lunch bags, thermoses and backpacks. The story is definately amusing. Check it out. Last of all, Wee Wonderfuls has some fun free patterns for plush animals, and my favorite: super cute paper dolls you can print.

Dick and Jane Make a Comeback

I have always been a fan of nostalgic "Dick and Jane" books. My own daughter is named named Jane and her nursery features two "Dick and Jane" prints framed above her bed. Awhile ago my mother-in-law, a quilter herself, found this Dick and Jane fabric at her favorite shop and bought some for me. If you have a favorite quilt shop of your own, you have probably already seen the line of Michael Miller "Dick & Jane" prints which came out this year. If not, feast on these fun fabrics which capture our love of Dick and Jane and all things retro.

Craft Apple Mod Podge

Craft Apple is a new blog I've added to my endless list of cool crafty sites to check out. She recently mod podged some paper mache letters (to spell WASH) with fun Michael Miller fabric (a designer I love by-the-way) to hang in her laundry room. The fabric has an ironing board, scissors and cleaning supplies motif and is suitably named "Mending Madness" and "Tidy Up." Michael Miller has other fun fabrics in his retro collections including some of my favorite "laundry day" and "bake sale." I've been looking for something to hang in my own laundry room and I am contemplating this idea. The materials needed and instructions can be found on the Craft Apple site.

Tote to Applique

My sister found these cute polka-dot tote bags at Old Navy that would be perfect to applique (a sparrow on a branch or something cute). Aren't they fun, they come in black, blue, red and green and they are only $12.50. If you are looking for an idea for my Crafty Party, these would be great.

My Latest Project

Here is the fabric I purchased recently to make Jane's toddler quilt. I went with blues and reds and greens so that the room wouldn't be too feminine since she will be rooming-in with her brother. I did add a couple of softer prints to the mix though so it wouldn't be too bold either. I am really hoping my vision turns out. I am very distressed however, because I had planned to frame some of the pictures from the Little Golden Books 2007 Wall Calendar and when I went online to purchase it yesterday it was sold out everywhere. If anyone knows where I can get my hands on it, I would be so grateful for the help! I really had my heart set on using some of the pictures. If I simply use the illustrations from the Little Golden Books they will be a lot smaller than the calendar pages and won't fit the frames I have. Another bit of trouble I am having is finding medium width ric-rac in an apple green color (to match the green polka-dot fabric)to sew onto my baby bumper. I thought finding ric rac would be easy but even looking online I haven't had any luck. If anyone has suggestions, I would love to hear! Thanks. Wish me luck.

Change of Plan!

The date for my first ever Crafty Party has been changed! The party starts at 11:00am on Saturday, August 4th. Hope you can all make it!

Fun Luggage Tags!

Oooh! I just found these funky luggage tags at marthastewart.com and I love them. All you have to do is print the template on white paper and slip them into plastic luggage tag holders. They are so fun! Thanks Martha.

Template Ideas

I spotted this animal template at the Martha Stewart website several years ago and absolutely love the animals! I used the lion, elephant, and hippo templates to create birthday invitations for Jane's first birthday party (a trip to the zoo). I enlarged the whale and used the template to create nameplates for the children in Jane's nursery class. I am planning to create appliques from several of the animal templates to adhere to baby onesies. I think the baby birds and the Scottie dog will be adorable.

Mark the Date

The much anticipated crafty party is underway! Join me at 11:00am on Saturday, July 28th at my home to create an appliqué project of your choice. We will go through the steps outlined in the Etsy blog tutorial: “Making and Applying Appliqués”. All you need to do is decide what type of item you want to add your appliqué to and to bring that item (a skirt, top, apron, pillow, quilt, bag, onesie, etc.). Then, you need to decide what type of image you want to use for your appliqué (bird, butterfly, flower, moon, fruit, dog, animal, etc.). I suggest coming up with an idea and searching for simple clipart that would be easy to trace. Make sure you enlarge your image to the right size beforehand. If you have a specific fabric you want to make your appliqué out of, bring that too. I will have a basic supply of thread colors, but if you want a particular color to sew around your appliqué please be sure to bring that too, and any buttons or other embellishments you want to add as well. Feel free to invite any of your crafty friends, coworkers, neighbors, relatives, etc. who want to come along.

I will be happy to donate any of my fabric remnants to the group to use. If you have any leftovers fabric scraps you can part with, bring them along too. Also, I will make sure we have enough needles, thread, scissors, sewing machines, irons, ironing boards, fusible interfacing and lets not forget food!

Check out the following links for appliqué inspiration:
Bee Bee Mod
LazerBeanz
pinklemonadeboutique
cipolla
Pumpkin Head Baby Co.
Lollipop Guild
a modern home

Curl up with a good book

I love books with beautiful pictures and fun ideas. I wanted to share some of the books from my bookshelf that give me crafty inspiration, and some of the books that are on my wish list. First of all, I love my ChocolateChocolate cookbook by Lisa Yockelson because it is absolutely beautiful just to look at and I start drooling when I open the pages. There are so many fun treat books out there, and I have my eye on Elinor Klivan's Cupcakes! cookbook and The Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook: More Than 80 Recipes for Irresistible, Old-Fashioned Treats by Jennifer Appel.

Another book on my shelf is Flea Market Baby: The ABC's of Decorating, Collecting & Gift Giving by Barri Leiner and Marie Moss who use all their flea market finds to decorate their daughters rooms. I found a book full of adorable crafts for kids that I am dying to get my hand on titled B is for Baby: 26 Projects from A to Zby Suzonne Stirling. It is full of ideas for making bibs, mobiles, nightlights, you name it. Weekends with the Kids: Activities, Crafts, Recipes, Hundreds of Ideas for Family Fun, by Sara Perry is another book I've had my eye on for awhile. It is full of creative ideas for snacks, meals, and family activities and crafts.

Amy Karol's new book, Bend-the-Rules Sewing: The Essential Guide to a Whole New Way to Sew is getting a lot of buzz from the crafty community and I am really anxious to check it out. Check out Amy's crafty blog, Angry Chicken or her website amykarol.com to find out about her, see her artwork or order her book. One last book I can't resist sharing is titled The Crafter Culture Handbook by Amy Spencer. This too is on my wish list and it sounds so cool. It is all about the and hip crafty culture, and includes both funky ideas and traditional ones. Check out the editorial review by Publishers Weekly included on the Amazon site.

Blue Tape Artwork

An old dresser revived. And all it took was some blue painters tape and white paint (well, after the sanding and prepping and sweat and tears of course). Ao Neko came up with this totally original idea and blogs about the process of sanding an old dresser, creating a tree design with painter's tape, and painting white around it to let the wood show through. The best part is that she added one little green leaf just to give it some extra personality. The fabric sitting on top of the dresser is going to be sewn into curtains and the whole thing is being used in her daughter's new room. I can't wait to see it all put together. I am really inspired by her creativity.

Applique How To

When it comes to using my sewing machine I try to stick with straight lines. However, I am feeling motivated to move out of my comfort zone, and attempt sewing an applique onto fabric. Etsy has a great 8 step tutorial which shows how to make an applique and apply it to fabric. It includes a list of supplies needed and outlines each step. A cute flower or bird applique would be great on a funky bag; or an animal or tree would be so fun on a child's tee. You could aplique burp clothes, aprons, pillows, whatever. Here are some photos of appliqued products for sale on Etsy to inspire you to applique your own creations.





Weiner Dog Onesie by Bellablue Designs
Lucille Owl tote by Janesays
Oliver the Owl Onesie by BeeBee Mod
Boot tee-shirt by Lollipop Guilde

Children's Spaces

For years I have been collecting pages from decorating magazines and catalogues, ripping them out, and organizing them with dividers in a 3 ring binder. I sometimes buy a magazine just for one cool decorating idea that I just have to add to my binder. I notice that the "children's rooms/nurseries" section of my decorating book is bigger than the "bathrooms, living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms," sections all combined. I guess I am just drawn to children's rooms, nurseries and playrooms. There are so many fun ideas for kids. I am always daydreaming about the house I am going to have someday while I'm browsing the pages of the Pottery Barn Kids catalogue. So don't be surprised if I am often blogging about fun ideas for decorating children's spaces.

One new idea I recently spotted at realsimple.com was the chalkboard art they created on a child's wall. Using chalkboard paint you can draw and fill in a tree, an animal, etc. and give your kids a s pace where they can write on the walls.

Creative Ideas for Old Picture Frames

While reading my new issue of Real Simple magazine, I came across a cool idea for reusing old picture frames. I always end up with frames that are missing the glass (I've accidentally broken it); and I end up throwing the pretty frame away. I love the idea of pairing frames with pretty hooks and creating a spot to hang up keys, etc. Using a distressed frame and Victorian style hooks would make for a pretty vintage inspired key rack. Check out the hardware at my favorite stores, Anthropology and World Market to find beautiful hooks to use for this project.

Party Update

I've gotten lots of good feedback on the crafty party! I am really excited. Sounds like you guys would like to get together to work on some of your own projects rather than do a planned craft. I want to pick a date and time. Give me your opinions so I can get invitations out and we can start planning. I'd love for everyone to invite any friends they want to come as well. The more the merrier. Please give me your thoughts!!!

Simple Stroller Quilt

Why didn't I think of this? The stroller quilt created by Joybucket is so cute and super smart. Kids are always losing their blankets and getting them run over by the stroller while out and about. Here is a pattern to follow to create your own fashionable stroller quilt to keep them warm and looking stylish. This would make such a cute and thoughtful baby gift too.

On Vacation

I am on vacation. Check back next week!

Mmm...cake!

I love cake and have gotten somewhat into cake decorating. I've seen some really fun cake pans at Williams Sonoma recently that are worth checking out. Even if you just use a regular bunt cake pan your cake ends up looking beautiful--just sprinkle some powdered sugar on top or drizzle with chocolate. When I wanted to learn how to decorate a cake, I took the Wilton Course I class to learn the basics. It was definitely worth the investment. I have a few basic supplies that have come in handy for every cake I've made since. And just so you know, when I baked my first cake to bring to my cake decorating class, it completely fell over. Now I've created masterpieces like Jane's first birthday lion cake (part of a circus theme). So if you are interested in learning how to decorate cakes, I definitely recommend enrolling in the Wilton course. It is offered at most craft stores (JoAnne Fabric, Michael's Arts & Crafts, etc.). I might add that I am also a fan of cupcakes as well, and opted to decorate butterfly cupcakes for Jane's second birthday. Check out Cake Journal and Cupcakes Take the Cake for more ideas.

New Nursery

How do I decorate one nursery to accommodate a two year old girl and a baby boy? Hmmm... The walls are already painted a pistachio green and I have to work with the existing furniture. Once we add in a toddler bed, I've decided to make a new quilt for Jane using colors that are a little more neutral. I've picked 30's inspired prints in blues, greens and reds. I decided to make her bed bright and colorful and keep Clark's crib subtle. I plan to buy a white crib bumper and add fat green ric-rac trim to tie the two beds together. I think a new floor pillow using the green polka dot and ric-rac trim will also be a nice touch to the room. The last detail will be replacing Jane's "Dick and Jane" artwork with artwork from some of the classic Little Golden Book stories. Hope it will turn out cute! I will update you as the quilt is coming along.

Crafty Party

All of these crafty ideas have inspired me to host a crafty party. Lets get together, hang out, eat (of course), and make something! I would love to make this an ongoing event held each month. I will be happy to host at my home, provide the food and gather the supplies. I would love feedback from everyone on when they would like to get together (July? August? Saturday morning? Friday night?) and what you would like to make (cool Amy Butler bags, embellished baby onesies, etc.?). Please give me your ideas! We will pick something everyone is interested in and make it together. Check out my Project Ideas section or come up with your own ideas. I can't wait to hear everyone's suggestions! (PS Party hats are optional)