I’m sure by now everyone has seen Amy’s amazing Be Joyful embroidery. I am so inspired by her attention to detail and amazing skill with a needle and thread.  Amy kindly sent me a copy of her pattern and I was/am dying to stitch it up, but to be honest I am a bit intimidated by Amy’s amazing work…afraid mine will fall flat. So, I decided I wanted to do a “trial run” before stitching the real thing.

Enter a heart to heart and joke between my husband and I.  We were having a talk about some parenting frustrations we were having.  We decided to take a new approach to the problem, I read the following quote to my husband- “Life by the inch is a cinch, life by the yard is hard”.  We both liked it and thought it would be a perfect approach to our problem. My husbands response was that we needed to have it displayed somewhere we would see it often.  I jokingly said that I would embroider it on a pillow- he took me seriously!!

So, I set about creating a pattern, and decided that really it was a silly phrase (good sentiment, but wrong for a pillow).  I found another quote I liked that also reminded us of the same sentiment.

“Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved”-Thomas S. Monson

I decided to stitch it up and let this pillow be my trial run for Amy’s pattern.  I am really tickled with how it turned out- and my husband of few words (and fewer compliments) has commented multiple times about how impressed he is!

I was absolutely inspired by Amy’s work, I just loved her flowers!  Here is my pattern (free download) in case anyone else wants a trial run before staring Amy’s gorgeous Be Joyful pattern.  The pattern shows only the green vine and words, I made the flowers up as I went along.  I really liked the blackeyed susan at the top and wish I had done a few more.

Looking for a fun Easter craft?  I thought this might be a good time to re-post the Sequined Bunny Tutorial.  Original post with pattern and directions HERE.

I’ve been quite busy lately working on different projects- mostly for pleasure.  It feels really good to have created; added beauty to my space.

Inspired by Amy’s amazing work.  There is a funny story that goes with this project which I will share as soon as it is complete.

Company was coming….it had been over a year since we repainted the living, it was getting embarrassing that we hadn’t updated the pillows to match the new color scheme.  The fabric is from JoAnn’s and I made my own piping.  The pillows went together really fast, an hour each and that includes piping time and zipper time.

This is for a brand new project, coming to an online store very very soon!

Baby got a new dress via vintage Simplicity 4878. It looks adorable on- trust me.

Then there were creations of the culinary kind.  I printed out my daughters name on paper, used a exacto knife to cut it out, laid it over the cake and went crazy with the sprinkles.  It worked, kinda.

I wanted to try that  Jello Frosting recipe that is all over pinterest.  Worked well (super easy), the kids liked it and it tasted similar to 7min frosting.

My goal this week is to find a winter coat for my trip up North, where the snow doesn’t melt until June. Having lived in the desert for 10+ years, my supply of winter clothes is dismal!

I purchased some Stonehill Collection floral fabric from JoAnn’s a few months ago, I didn’t know what I was going to do with it but it was too cute to pass up.  Late last month I happened to find myself at Old Navy looking at their spring kids collection and noticed the color scheme was very similar to the print I bought.  Old Navy’s spring collection inspired me to make a shirt out of the print for my youngest.

I liked the simple understated style of Burda 9491 and decided to give it a go.  I hate burda patterns, I have always had difficulty with them.  This one was no exception.  To make the pintucks you cut a square of fabric (via a pattern piece), stitch the tucks and then lay another pattern piece out to cut the yoke pieces.  Well I did that, and my square of fabric came out a bit too small for the next pattern piece.  I cut it out anyway and figured I’d play with the width of the front piece to make it work…well when I sewed them in they fit perfect.  The mandarin collar was a bit tricky too- the piece didn’t fit quite right.

I’m happy with the way it turned out.  I managed to sew it all in a day.  I mentioned on instagram that sometimes I start projects because I have an over whelming urge to finish something.  It can be very frustrating to go through your day completing tasks (like the laundry or cleaning the kitchen) that will need to be completed again and again through out the day.  So, sometimes I ignore the chores (and the children) and work on something concrete that can be finished and stay finished!!  It helps my sanity every once in a while to do this.

Big thanks to my husband who brought home take out for the grownups and for my kids who were satisfied with bagels and strawberries!

Believe it or not, I started working on these in mid January.  I was so proud of myself for being so ahead of the game, that I put the *almost* finished design on the back burner for a while.  Now, here it is 2 days before the big day and I just finished the photo shoot for you!  Sheesh!

These printable valentines have a sewing theme (seemed appropriate over here, no?!) and can be made with a variety of candies.

I chose a variety of small flat (ish) candies to use as my buttons.  All candies are adhered using Corn Syrup.  It is very sticky and will hold tight, but most important- it is totally edible.  I just used a Q-tip (you could also use a paint brush) to dab some syrup to the back of the candy and stuck it to the paper.  It is a bit gooey to work with, similar to hot glue- but no burns!

A review of the candies I tried:

• Sprees- they looked good, but were bigger than the guide dots I placed on the valentine cards, so they looked a little off.
• Sweetart Heats- these looked really cute and tasted good!
• Buttons- These were by far the easiest to adhere.  I simple trimmed the paper and stuck it down with Karo, but since the candy is on paper, you could even glue it down.  I also think washi tape would be a good way to stick it down.

I suppose if your children’s school was anti-candy you could add a small sticker sheet.

Download the valentine pdf HERE and Happy Valentines Day!

If you have been following a long you know I have made both of my daughters small throw quilts (older daughters here, youngest here).  My son has recently been asking if I am going to make one for him too.  I started pinning and planning for some grand design that would suit his spatial and linear strengths.  Then he asked again a few months later if I was ever going to make a quilt for him.  I decided to just go for it.  I pulled out all of my green, yellow, brown, red and blue scraps and started cutting 4.5″ squares.

I have always loved a scrappy quilt, don’t get me wrong I do enjoy a polished well planned, color coordinated quilt too.  But a scrappy quilt just begs to be used and loved, while a nicer quilt is meant more for looking at.  I was inspired by this great quilt at Film In The Fridge.  I loved the bold colors and cross hatched quilting.

I added a  bit of sashing on my quilt to keep it from being too square, and I backed it in a soft brown flannel.  It looks great on the end of his bed and is perfect for family movie night on the couch (something we try and do every friday- have any good non-animated family movies to recommend?)  I’m really pleased with how well the quilt turned out (and best of all, so is my son!).

When I posted shots of the quilt in progress on facebook I kept getting comments asking how I found the time to sew.  I’m not going to create any grand illusions here, my 3yo became quite adept at watching My Little Pony on the Kindle and my laundry situation is just embarrassing.  This week I’ll be playing catch-up to the floors, bathrooms and laundry!

When I saw this pin, I knew I had to stitch it.  I’ve been making all of my tags generic (no “to:” line) because I like the idea of sharing these with friends who can reuse them- pass them along to someone else the next year. I have so enjoyed making these little things, they are quick and fulfill my daily crafty fix (although in all honesty it takes me a few days to make one- thanks kids!)

I have nearly all of my Christmas shopping done, sent the christmas cards to the printer today and am starting to relax.  I will have to brave the post office at some point next week (ugh!) and may end up spending most of my saturday baking cookies, but I’m enjoying the season!  The forecasted rain is just icing on the cake (or cookie?)!

So…I’ve been trying to point out to my family the small and simple, but so good, things that happen to us.  I’ve been calling them Christmas Miracles just to be funny.  Here are a few from the last few weeks…

• I made Indian Spiced Lentils for dinner and EVERYONE liked/ate it.  As in the WHOLE family.  Miracle I tell you!
• There was no wait for Tithing Settlement at church- almost unheard of!
• I took a 2yo to the post office this week.  I had to wait 15min to use the APS machine.  She quietly played with my keys in sunny corner of the post office.

What about you, any fun “christmas miracles” you’ve observed in your life recently?  The small and simple things that make life a little sweeter?

*BTW if you are looking for some good Christmas recipes, be sure to check out my 1 hour 15min, Cinnamon Rolls; or my Lofthouse copycat Sugar Cookies!

Amy and Kristyn are hosting a Holiday Tag-a-Long this December.  They posted a pattern and tutorial for making cute holiday gift tags.

I feel like I have been running non-stop since the week before thanksgiving (you know the week we were all sick).  We’ve seen all three sets of grandparents and one great grandma all in the last two weeks.  I am very grateful to have visited with all of our family and the children were in heaven.  After my mom left yesterday though…I was tired!  I knew a crafty fix would probably boost my energy and spirits so I went to work on a few holiday tags.

I made my own pattern for this tag, it is larger than the tag provided in the Tag-a-Long pattern, approx 3″x5″.  I used this tutorial to self bind with the backing fabric.  I really like how it turned out!

I think this one might be my favorite.  I embroidered over the elements of the Christmas tree (from a x-mas print I picked up at JoAnns), stitched it to some felt and then onto the tag.  The embroidery blends so well with the print but gives it some texture.

This tag is simple and clean, I used the font “learning curves” for the text and stitched it onto the linen.  The ornaments in all the photos came from my grandmothers collection.  The box is stamped “Poland” and still has the original Skaggs Drugs price sticker of .59cents!!

The crafting was just what I needed, a day of rest and creating!  It’s nearly noon here and I am still in my pajamas, and so is the little one.  Lunch awaits with showers and trips to the dentist and school event meetings, so the relaxing morning must draw to an end.  I am so grateful for relaxing mornings every now and again!

Every few months I receive children’s clothing catalogs in the mail.  I love looking at the styles and individual pieces, I get inspired about different designs and styles i can MAKE for my own children.  Lately I’ve noticed that sequins are IN, it seems every retailer is selling clothing for girls with sequin embellishments.  I have two daughters, both of whom adore anything glittery and sparkly.  This week I made a copy-cat from one of my favorite children’s retailers.  My daughters LOVE the shirts!

My sister-in-law took the littlest one out for a play date and told me that a few people stopped her and asked about the shirt and how cute it was.  Best compliment EVER for a home sewist (to have your work noticed and praised)!

It was super easy to make, so I put together this tutorial for YOU!

NEED:
corduroy scrap
cotton scrap
small sized puff
sewing machine
needle
sequins
steam-a-seam (or wonder-under)
embroidery floss
shirt

I have decided that I LOVE corduroy for applique, it holds its shape and washes up so soft!  Here is the pattern for the rabbit and his contrasting fur.  Adhere your rabbit and his fur according to the manufacture directions for your adhesive.

Step 2:

Stitch all the way around your rabbit and his contrasting fur with a small (I used a size 3) zig zag stitch.  For tutorial purposes I sewed the sequins on first because my daughter was napping and I didn’t want to wake her.  It’s much smarter to top stitch first- then sequins!

Step 3:

Stitch sequins on ears.  I used a pencil to draw some lines to give me an idea of how much of the space I wanted to fill up.

You’re going to sew these on in a back stitch fashion. In step one you are going to come up from underneath your fabric and place a sequin on your needle. Step two you bring the needle down very close to where you came up.  Step three, bring the needle up again about an 1/8inch from your last stitch and place the second sequin on the needle.  Step four, bring your needle down in the center of the first sequin, bringing the needle back up again just past the second sequin.

Step Four:
Use your embroidery floss to stitch an eye and whiskers.  Eyeball it and decide where your whiskers/eye should go.  I used a french knot for the eye and a back stitch for the whiskers.

Step Five:
Stitch your cotton tail on!  I used multiple stitches (up and down and x’s) to make sure it would stay attached.  I am happy to say it has been through the wash and it still affixed!

Ta da!  You’re done!  Send me a picture if you make one, I’d love to see it!  My oldest wants me to do a cat with a sequined collar next!  You could really play with this and do any animal.

For the Under 2 set, you can stitch this up without the sequins like I did here.

I’m not sure if I’m going to put this one in the shop or not….it is sized 12months, anyone interested?

I reopened the shop today with a few new items, I hope to add more bibs in the coming weeks. Go check it out!

p.s. I am working on a tutorial for tomorrow, see a sneak peak here.