Are you getting tired of me using this pattern over and over again?  I can’t help it, I just love it!  My daughters friend Mia turned 3 yesterday and this was our gift to her.

I messed up the bodice by ignoring the cardinal rule of sewing “RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER”, my mind was elsewhere and I didn’t catch my mistake until after I had clipped the seams and the corners.  sigh.  I didn’t have enough time or fabric to cut out another bodice.  Thankfully the interfacing is soft and it shouldn’t be a problem to wear it against the skin.

“Green” wrapping.  I made a small tote bag with the scraps and folded the dress into it.  Now Ms. Mia can carry all of her treasures when she wears the dress.

Last night I got an email from a friend of mine, it was full of pictures…of me…from behind.  Do you remember back in august there was a balloon launch for the Nielson’s at the Mesa Temple grounds?  Well, I went and dragged my 3 year old with me.

See, here I am, front and center with my white shirt and little daughter at my leg.  Looks almost like I am posing, but I promise if I knew there was a camera pointed at me I would have picked up my daughter and hid behind her.  See the woman behind me with a cute aqua bag?-that’s Jaimee Rose.

Let me say, I don’t know who took these pics- as my girlfriend assembled them and sent them to me, if they are yours and you want credit for the images- email me and I will gladly give you credit!

Next shot, look for the orange-y arrow.

I like this one, it is a bit more of a close-up.  I guess my jeans don’t “hug” me as tight as I thought they did.  Is this a good thing?

Here is the last one, I think this is when my daughter started to cry about having to let the balloons go.  She was very upset and wanted to keep them.  I had to remind her that there was a pink balloon waiting for her in the car.

Oh- the jeans are “Long & Lean” by the Gap.  I think it is funny that my bum (we are a G-rated web blog) was posted all over the web!  Thanks Jaylee- for watching my back (side) on the Internet!

I have a daughter, she is not very dainty.  In fact she really likes to get dirty.  Awhile back I found her in a white shirt sliding on her stomach along the sidewalk- on purpose.  I didn’t worry, it was a white shirt- I could bleach it.

Well, as magical as bleach is, it couldn’t get the stains that all that dirt and oil left on her shirt.  Yesterday morning I took matters into my own hands and re purposed the stained shirt.

The birds are strategically placed to hide the dirt marks! I used some old scraps of Heather Bailey’s Freshcut line because they had a dark pink that matched her pants.  I used fray check on the edges and the used “steam a seam” to adhere them to the shirt.  I top stitched in the same dark pink to help the shirt coordinate better with the pants.  There is still a dark spot in the lower corner, so I added the word “chirp” to draw attention away from the stain!

Not only does my daughter love her shirt, but my son now wants one too!  I’ve uploaded the bird template HERE (oops!  having scanner trouble, I promise to get it up this weekend!), so everyone can enjoy the birdie love!

Today is the last day to sign-up for the Patchwork Pillow Giveaway, I’m going on a date with the husband tonight and won’t turn comments off until I get home- make sure you have your comment in!!

I made myself a skirt this afternoon, using an old sheet and some ric rac.  It turned out too short, maybe it will make a nice hostess apron?  I still have enough of the sheet left to whip up some soft pajama pants for myself and the daughter though.

My son asked me if he could eat some Honey Dew Melon with a melon baller instead of a fork.  Who was I to say no?

Many of you are long time NieNieDialogue readers and some of you have only begun reading about her life recently.  You are all here because we have a common desire to help Stephanie, Christian and their family.

One of the things that really drew me into Stephanie’s online life was her beautiful portrayal of daily life.  I don’t believe for one minute that her life was roses all the time, but I do believe that she chose to see the good in everything that came her way.  I’m sure like many of us she could have complained about the diapers, or the messes her kids made.  Yet, she didn’t.  She chose to find the humor and the fun and the sweetness that comes from being a mother and wife.  She reminded us that “Men (& women) are, that they might have joy”.

So, here’s to helping the Nielson’s & for finding our own daily joy!  Be sure to check out the complete list of auctions here.

I’m offering 2 auctions today, a J Crew Blouse & a Fabric Bunting (click the links to go directly to the auctions for each item).  Please be sure you read the “rules” before posting your bid.

Another repuposed/upcycled outfit for my daughter (made using Simplicity 3511)!  I found this sheet at a local thrift store and just loved it, I paired it with some pink thrifted bias tape and voila! I love this summer sewing thing, next week will be pajamas for my son!  Only 1 more day to enter the contest!

I FINALLY made it in to see Shannon (if you are local and want her number-I love her and will gladly pass it along) last night.  These aren’t the best pics, but what can I do, my son is only 6.

The wispy side swept bangs don’t show too well in this photo, in fact, I may even take scissors to them and make them deeper.  I’m sure I’ll get some better photos this weekend.  Thank you for all the hair advice a few weeks back- it helped!!

Just for fun, here are the out takes from my photo session with my 6yo.

I need a new do. I am trying to grow my hair to all one length (the back is stacked/layered), but in the meantime the front just hangs there all limp like and looks yucky. I want to have a style cut into it while I wait for it to grow.  I found a cut online that I *think* will look good. What to you think?

Current

(my 6yo took this, guess they are better photographers than I thought!)

Option#1

It is basically just adding some layers to the front and some long wispy like bangs. BUT I need you all to tell me that these really aren’t bangs, because bangs look HORRIBLE on me, I have the passport photo to prove it.

What do you think? Are there any other suggestions out there for a style to cut into my shot hair?

Pink, at least it is my new black. I thrifted my daughter some pink chucks for a mere $7.50 today!

On another note (my head is just spinning with things today) Did anyone catch last night’s Lost? Wow, it gave me lots of answers, but even more questions. Like, now that Jack knows that Aaron is his nephew, what is it that keeps him and Kate apart? I think I have it figured out how the 6 survive, but I’m really thrown on how Ben ends up in Liberia (or where ever it is he ends up). I dreamed about the show last night, people I knew became characters and Ben was able to let people temporarily leave the island to visit the grand canyon, but they weren’t really off the island, and children that turned into bears and back again.

One more tangent for you. I love embroidered buttons, I think they look so cool. I thrifted some buttons a few weeks back and decided to give it a try. The embroidery was easy (if tiny) and I used the pattern provided on the button pack for how big of a circle to cut of your fabric. Then I attempted to assemble them. Linen is heavy and thick and I could not get the back on (ok after MUCH effort I got one on). So the next one I cut a little smaller- hoping it would cause the back to go on easier-nope, the fabric wasn’t enough to stretch.

Has anyone else ever tried these with linen?  What is your secret for getting the backs on?  Do I really need to go buy one of those machines?

A craft/design blog can talk about fashion…right?

Am I just dating myself, are these retro styles really not all that bad?  I will admit that I do like the skimmer shoes, they are cute although they (along with Chuck Taylors) make my feet look 10 miles long.  What do you think of all this 80’s fashion rewind?