Birthday Outfit Anyone?

Recently, I received a request for a special order. I love special orders, because they usually are items that I haven't ever made before. This particular one was so much fun to make though. You just gotta check it out!

Thursday Pinterests

I thought since I am done with the most recent special orders, I would start making a few of the items that I have pinned.

Some of them may very well be items that show up in the shop and some of them will just be made and kept as a stockpile of gifts and - dare I say it - give-a-ways right here on this very blog.

Check them all out...



I saw something very similar to this in the Victoria's Secret catalog recently.

I am definitely going to make one or two or three...

Enough of them to match each of my bathing suits. I have plenty of them!

Super simple cover-up.

Super cute too!

Trying to be a Busy Bee...

The last few weeks, I have been attempting to get things made for the shop.

Unfortunately, it has been slow going.

I am in LOVE with the baby blankets and burpies that I have been listing.

Besides, they go together so quickly...

Unlike the kitchen items.

The hotpads and kitchen towels take a bit longer to put together and the fabric has to be ironed before I can do any cutting. To be honest, I am afraid to use the iron we have at home, because it will sometimes cause discoloration on the fabric - especially light colored fabrics.

I did take the plunge and purchase some St. Patty's Day and Easter themed fabric, so I need to get a move on it to have some sets posted for those holidays.

If you haven't checked out the shop, here are a few items I have completed and listed and will list this week.

  

This was a custom design that sold earlier in the month.

There will be one more of the blanket.

I am waiting on the polka-dot fabric to come in this week though.

This is another custom order that will also include 3 burpies.

Don't forget that there is a 10% discount on everything in the shop in February.

You still have a little time left to get in on the deal!

The coupon will only be valid until Wednesday, February 29 at 11:30pm Central Time.

Coupon Code:

SPECIAL10



Thursday Pinterests

Okay, you all know I L-O-V-E to sew...
No need to go into how much, let's just get on with the "pins" already!


I love dresses for the summer and this one will be so simple!
A fitted tank top (or t-shirt) and a whole lot of fabric for the skirt.


Aren't these bags just so cute?
I want to make one of these so I don't have to pack a suitcase for a weekend at the in-laws!


I know 2 little girls that may be getting these for Christmas this year, only in different colors.
How bad is that?
My sister and I always got the same thing in different colors from our Maternal Grandmother and Grandfather.
Now look at me, I'm doing the same thing to my 2nd cousins!


Mommy version of a pillowcase top...only made in a much more "flowy" fabric!


I am in love with Owls lately...
See...



Definitely an option for Warm Bouquet on Etsy.

Taking for Granted...

I have never really thought about how much I take for granted the fact that my mother taught me something that, in my eyes, seems to be a dying legacy.

Sunday afternoon, I got home from work and went down to my craft room.

My family had gone out to go fishing while I was at work, so I had some free time to myself...

...at least for a little while.

I was sitting in front of the computer trying desperately to figure out how to make some tags for my etsy.com items when my family got home.

My husband hollered down the stairs to me that our neighbor wanted to ask me something.

I was annoyed because I was tight in the middle of something that was very important to me, but figured I can get back to it after I talk to her.

I got upstairs and stepped out on the front step to talk to her.

She stated that her daughter was going to the "Heritage School" in a couple of weeks and she needed a pioneer costume. I thought oh, that's easy.

I started suggesting that she just make a long skirt and have her daughter wear a t-shirt, but she broke in and said I already bought a pattern and all of the fabric for a dress, but I don't know how to sew.

Oh boy!

I really didn't want to make it for her, but she asked me if I would teach her how to do it.

At first I wasn't so sure I wanted to do it, but I figured she's such a good neighbor that I couldn't say no.

Thank goodness, she chose a VERY simple pattern!

At least the dress was anyway. We got the pattern and fabric cut out and the dress sewn together all in a matter of 2 hours. I showed her what she would need to cut and how to piece the fabric together.

First I would sew a seam or make the casing for the elastic and then I would have her sew the other seam or casing.

Now all we have left to make are the apron and the bonnet.

The bonnet will be a bit more difficult (for her), because there is interfacing, but I will coach her on it and her daughter will be a perfect pioneer school girl on the 23rd.

Wow, that is Monday! I may need to make the other stuff for her myself!

So, that is my story.

I taught someone how to sew with a sewing machine and using a pattern.

Quite different from the way I learned.

Sewing machine - Yes. Dress pattern - No.

I learned the very basics before I actually "graduated" to sewing clothing and complicated stuff.

Sadly, I think that sewing is a dying art, thank goodness for ecommerce sites like

etsy! Without them, most people would be buying everything from a retail store.

The "Studio"

Have I mentioned that I LOVE to sew?

Well, once you see my "studio" you will know that I love to sew and that I am pretty darn good at making a huge mess!

I do clean it up once in a while, but what's the point, I know where everything is located when it looks like this.  When I took these pictures, it was actually not nearly as messy as it is today! I just CAN'T be clean when I am in creative mode.

It would be fantastic if I had a special room just for my sewing, but unfortunately that is not the case. Hopefully at some point I can move into our office, but right now that is not a possibility, the hubs would absolutely go insane if I left a mess like this in the office. I'll have to mend my ways a bit first.

Anyway...

Hope you have a fabulous week!

See you back soon!

Sewing at My Leisure...

Ok, I have been doing a lot of cutting, sewing, and cussing over the past few weeks.

The cutting and sewing has been for the shop....

The cussing has been done at the items I have been attempting to make for myself.

I have gotten them made, but man-o-man, it's been frustrating.

Anyway...

For your "ooo-ing and aw-ing pleasure...

New scrub top for work

Unfortunately, it got made the day after Independence Day.

Nice new handbag to carry my Nook and all of my purse essentials.

P.S. You may see handbags very similar to this one in my etsy shop! Keep checking back!

 Last, but certainly not least, a new sleeve for my NOOK.

I liked my other one, but I found that I didn't leave it in the cover to read it, so I thought a sleeve would be a better option for my NOOK and me.

Check back soon, I'm gonna reveal my mess, er...um, "studio" and the things I am currently working on for the shop.

My New Look!

Isn't it lovely!

My bestie, Lindsay, is so awesomely talented.

You just gotta check out her stuff...Really, you gotta!

I didn't give her a whole lot to go off of and she came up with a design for my blog and my etsy shop.

I've even got a new "blog love" button for you all to put on your blogs if you'd like to

"Show me the love"!

I have been frantically working on some new hats to post in the shop, so this week has been all about hats.

My only problem is taking the pictures. The hats are adult sized hats, but I don't have an adult sized model to take the pictures of. Ok, I don't have an adult sized model very often and I'm afraid my son doesn't know enough about our camera to take super good photos of me *wince* as the model.

Don't worry though, I am gonnna get them posted soon! Maybe...just maybe... I'll use my mini model for some of the photos too.

It's Just Not My Week!!!

I can't believe it is Thursday already!

This week has gone by so doggone fast!

I had ANOTHER sewing accident too! Good greif! I've been sewing for roughly 26 years and have never had so many issues with killing hurting my hands! Actually, I've never done any damage to my hands! In the last 3 weeks or so, I have sewn through my finger with my sewing machine and clipped the palm of my hand with a pair of scissors. Really!?! Minor set backs, but one can't exactly sew when the main part of one's body that touches the fabric is bleeding profusely!

Which leads me to my next thought...

Well, I hate to disappoint, but it doesn't look like my shop will be opening tomorrow (7/15/11) as I had originally planned. I have nearly everything ready that I am going to open the shop with, but I have not gotten any photos of the products taken.

Tomorrow, I am going to finish one last item first thing in the morning (I almost got it done today, but alas, I had to go to work) or maybe I'll finish it up tonight when I get home from work, and then take loads and loads of pictures. Hopefully I don't get a "wild hair" and decide I need to make "one more thing" again.

I may still be able to squeak in a shop opening tomorrow, but at the latest, the shop will open up on Saturday. If you are interested in anything in the shop, my readers will receive a Grand Opening discount. So, be sure to check back for your discount code!

It Never Seems to Settle Down Around Here...

Lincoln, Nebraska may not be a big city, but it is certainly nice enough for us.

Maybe someday we will get to live on an acreage outside of town, but we are happy with what we have RIGHT NOW! :-)

When swimming lessons were over, I thought, "Finally, I can sit back and go 'gung-ho' on crafting for the summer!"

Boy was I wrong! Even though the kids are done with swimming lessons for a while, we seem to always be doing something. I finally had to just decided on 2 days of the week where I could focus on nothing but sewing and creating. I'm still trying to get into the swing of things for those 2 days of the week. At some point, I would like to make it 3 days a week, but I don't see that happening.

It has actually gotten to the point that I bring fabric and my simple patterns to work and trace and cut things out while things are slow later in the evenings. Honestly, it is very nice to have that option. I can focus on something in particular and get it traced and cut. Then when my 2 days come around, I just have to sit in front of my machine and sew things together.

Did I mention that I am super excited about opening my etsy.com shop?
I am using up A LOT of my fabric stash to bring some fun stuff to the shop.
There may be some unique color and fabric combinations, but I am in love with everything I have made so far! I want to keep one of everything for myself! Unfortunately, if I did that, there wouldn't be some things for all of you.
So...
I am listing everything I have in my shop.

Later in the week, I will give you a sneak peek into what I've been making over the past couple of weeks. For the shop and for my leasure. It's fun stuff - I promise!

What a Find!!!

To start, I am not totally against garage sales, I just don't typically go to them unless I can see from the street that there might be something of interest to me.

That being said...

This last weekend, one of my besties - Jacqui, by name - and her sister were having a garage sale.

Now typically I wouldn't be interested in much, because I just don't do garage sales.

Well, being the fab-tastic friend she is, she called me about something that her sister had that she knew would be of immense interest to me.

I am a hoarder!

Yes, a hoarder! I can't pass up cheap (by cost only) fabric!

Jacqui's sister had a whole tote (I'm talking an 18-20 gallon tote) FULL of different fabrics!

I haven't even had a chance to look through my treasure, but I know there are some awesome fabrics for hats and totes and whatever the heck else I wanna make.

I can't wait until swimming lessons are over this Thursday, because I am gonna be a sewing fiend for the next two weeks (until swimming lessons start up again).

The best part of this find, was that it only cost me $25.00 for the whole "kit-n-kaboodle"!

Seriously, some of the fabric in there was probably about that much for a yard or two alone, so I made out awesome on that deal.

Okay, her sister made some cash to send her girls on an FBLA trip too.

So not only was it worth it for the fabric, but I was helping fund something important to them!

Now I need to find a dresser for the guest bedroom/craft room to store all of the hoards of fabric I have.

Maybe I should rethink my attitude about going to garage sales a little bit!



Monday Musings

This week may be all about sewing...

Hope y'all don't mind too much!

I've been sewing up a storm and looking for fun fabric combinations online and in stores.

Here are some musings over fabric...

I bought some of this in BRIGHT pink this weekend.

It may make a few very fabulous hats! Can't wait to put them together.

What beautiful linings for purses these would make!

"Fat Quarters" are my friend for small "fat quarter" projects!

A few of these would be great for making teacher gifts.

OMG! So many prints and textures! Love me the red, white, and blacks in this first row.

I am in L-O-V-E with pink and chocolate brown!

Oh, and I just made a little something out of two of the fabrics in this photo...

The brown with pink polka dots and the pink and brown print!

I would love to show you all what it is, but it is a gift for some friends that are expecting their first baby and I don't want to give away the surprise if Alicia would happen to read this. 

*wink* *wink*



You understand right?!?!

I thought so...

I will be sure to take pictures of the completed gift to post after the gift giving is done!

See this color combination? Well, I love this too!

(the teal with polka dots is a terrible photo of the actual color - it's not that dark)

I love it so much that I made my dress for this little lady's wedding in June 2010.

(check out their Wedding Story and you'll see the dress)

I'm sure you recognize her, you probably even read her blog!

If you don't, you better get over there and start, she's uber talented!

Happy Monday all!

XOXO,

Beth

Potential for May...

Holy CRAP!

May is only 1 1/2 days away!

I love our pups, but their collars and leashes are so masculine and dull. 

So, I thought this month would be a great opportunity to "Spice Up" the dogs' necks and leashes.

Yeah, my husband will probably just think I am insane!

Seriously , male dogs can have "cool" looking collars and leashes, they are NOT just for the ladies!

To go along with the pet theme, I am also going to try my hand at the poo-bag holders.

You know, a small inconspicuous little bag that you can put whatever it is that you pick up your pet's poo with when you go for a walk (we use plastic shopping bags - cuz we never remember our reusable sacks when we go to the store, so we have like a million and one plastic bags shoved under the kitchen sink).

How about something totally off the wall?

Key-fob keychains.

I know, I know...WTH!

Doesn't even correspond with anything that has to do with animals. 

Oh well, it's what makes me happy! 

Disclaimer: this is NOT our dog - pic

See, I'm smiling (oops, that's not me)!

April Creativity...

These are such pretty fabrics, I wonder what they will be?

The lavender, yellow and black are lining fabrics.

The red is velvet, the gray is a suiting, and the kakhi is sort of a linen.

What do you think?

I made this on Friday as a b-day gift to myself.

I am going to making a number of them, so I have inventory for my future Etsy store!

The red velvet one with black lining is going to be so gorgeous!

The only thing I'm gonna have to do is figure out how to make the back part elastic.

That way they are "one size" and you all wouldn't have to worry about it not fitting your noggins!

I made mine to fit my head, but that's only because I had access to my head to measure it!

Never in a million years did I think I would be able to pull off wearing this baby.

I think it actually looks pretty doggone good!

Now I have a reason to grow out my hair instead of cutting it all off again.

On me, this will definitely look better with longer hair!

What a Busy Weekend...

Okay, so I was a busy bee this weekend. First my hubby decided we needed to do some spring clean in one of the rooms that we do not frequently use except to "stash" stuff that we need to get out of sight. Most of the time because we are having company over. He also decided we needed to clean a large storage closet - that we have cleaned once before.

So, all day Saturday was spent doing nothing - and I mean NOTHING - except cleaning. Oh, and this room just happens to be in the basement where the heat from the wood-burning stove does not, I repeat, DOES NOT find it's way.  Needless to say, it is freaking cold down there (yes, the craft room/guest bedroom is also down there, so I don't sew all too often as of late).  Bundled up in long sleeves, pants, socks, and my trusty old fluffy slippers, we cleaned, and cleaned, and cleaned...  Well, you get the picture!

Anyway, I felt on Sunday it was time for me to treat myself to some well earned sewing time. I have had fabric cut out for two tops and a pair of pants (all scrubs mind you, I have to stick to my 30 for 30 challenge over here) for roughly 6 months now. So I took a trusty little space heater, plugged it in and nearly sat on it for 2-3 hours to make one of my tops.

I must admit, I really like the way the top looks and the next one shouldn't take nearly as long. It always seems to work out that way once you have made one.  ;-)  Even though I am not a "die hard" Nebraska football fan, I still try to look the part - mostly because most Nebraskans are.  I really like the fabric, just wish it would not have focused on football, guess I will need to see about finding fabric that can be "universal" for all Husker sports.

Here are a few pictures of the finished product...

What do you think? Cute right?

It is a wrap top and I really like the fit.

For once in my life, I didn't have to have my mother sew the sleeves in for me.

Love you MOM!

My Weekend (ok, Sunday) Creations

Have I mentioned I have a ton of fabric that I need to use up?

Well, last week, I decided I wanted to try to design a purse and put it together so that it was much more sturdy than some of the other shoulder bags I have made before.  Anyway, I have this really great brown/green fabric that is a heavier weight and I thought it would make a super cute purse, so with a little heavy-weight fusible interfacing, an iron, my sewing machine, and literally some sweat, the following was created.  Next time I won't use the stuff I used to hold the brown fabric on the handle, because it made a dark lne down the center.  I don't mind, I made this one for me!  I didn't take a picture of the inside, but it is fully lined and has a pocket. 

Also on the agenda for sewing Sunday were the following two items.  The book-type item is actually a great way to get organized for shopping - grocery shopping in particular.  It is a shopping list and coupon organizer (too bad I don't ever use coupons)!  I cannot take the  credit on this one though...I found the idea and "how to" here.  The pocket next to the pen is for a note pad that I didn't have at the time I took the pictures (I have since purchased the note pad for it).  The other item is of course a coffee cup cozie.

Isn't this fabric super cute?

I love all three items and started carrying them around yesterday.  Now I need to get more of the fabric for the cozie and organizer so I can make a coin purse and checkbook cover.  Then I will have a matching set for the inside of my purse!

My-oh-my, I L-O-V-E being creative!!!

I'm thinking a set of these or the purse would be great for the Craft Swap over here.

Happy Tuesday!

Beth