I just had to share...

I've been skimming through my never-ending back-logged google reader feeds and am seeing so many awesome ideas!  I have been a bit lazy and found it's so easy to click that little "share to Facebook" button and feel like I've done my duty to share, but really I don't think many (if any!) of my Facebook friends care, but you do right?  Here's some favorite ideas out there:

Make these adorable Little Card Pocket Fans from Cathe Holden:

Or make this self zipping coin pouch from a ribbon: (from How About Orange)

And I think this would be a great DIY gift for those hard-to-shop-for tweens- Friendship Bracelet kits! 

Finally, I found a really awsesome designer blog called Sissy Print and it's loaded with gorgeous {free} printables!  She's got a ton of fun back to school things including bookplates and lunch bag tags, and I really love her "quotable Monday" prints, like this one:

Hmm that's what I'm most excited about today anyways, hope you have fun with this stuff too!  Now my head is swirling with ideas, I think I am going to go DO something...?  Good night, if you still read this blog, you're the best!

Yo yo yo!

I finally tried making yo-yo's! And they are really easy, fun and cute! I used the tutorial from Heather Bailey HERE to make mine with some fabric scraps, then added some felt flowers and buttons and glued them to clips for the girls.  Instant (cute) gratification! And this is my favorite picture of the day- I had to share:

For Mother's Day, or any day...

Anna Maria Horner has a new book out and it sounds lovely!  If you are shopping this Mother's Day for a new or expectant mom, or even a grandma who likes to make things for little babes, "Handmade Beginnings" would make a great gift!  I'm a huge fan of Anna Maria Horner and even though I am most likely done with the "welcoming baby" stage of my life (snif, snif!)  it's sitting on my Amazon wish list!  I know it will be full of beautiful pictures and darling patterns.  She is one of my "hero moms." You can order a signed copy from her shop HERE.

Awesome eQuilter Clearance!

I'm having a hard time deciding where on the "need-want" scale new fabric is right now. eQuilter.com is having a huge Labor Day Week 50% off clearance including some gorgeous designer fabrics for less than $5 per yard! Hurry, go check it out HERE.

400th Post- custom blouse and scrapbooking goodies giveaway!

Ok I don't have anything good to giveaway for my 400th post, but I found a couple of good giveaways from my friends! Stephanie is a great seamstress- go leave a comment on her blog HERE to be entered to win this custom "Anthropologie-esque" blouse!She also sews and sells these cute custom dresses, the "1968 dress."

Then, head over to the Glitz Designs blog and enter to win one of 3 Plum Crazy scrapbooking kits!

Good luck! I hope you win! (or I hope I do, either way...)

Recycled T-Shirt ideas

Generally I think if you aren't wearing a t-shirt, pass it on to someone who needs it via DI or Goodwill or something, but sometimes you just love a shirt for sentimental reasons, or maybe it has a really cute design on it, or it's ripped or stained and not really wearable. In those cases, you need a good project! This book caught my attention:I think craft books are great gifts to give and get, but there are so many free ideas out there I can't bring myself to buy one for me, so I've been doing some online searches and found these great ideas:

Make a quilt or a pillow- sew pieces together like these:

Stretch them onto an embroidery hoop or picture frame for instant wall art. (via Betz White)

I love this idea from Craft Gossip, turn the sleeve into a baby hat:

You could make a bag:You could also make drawstring style bags, I saw some little ones made with sleeves, or turn your old shirt into a nightgown or swim cover up for your girls!

I'm dying over these little gauchos that popped up on my google reader this morning made from recycled t-shirts:

And finally, if you're really talented and ambitious, you can cut up a shirt and crochet it into a little creature:

Now go- make something! And tell me if you do, I want to see it!

It's a little big but we like it!

Finished Miss E's dress and it was more gratifying than the first one because it was a lot easier! She is thrilled with it. And notice her new hair cut- she chopped off a chunk last week so we got it fixed. (though she kept telling Beth her aunt/stylist that she wanted it how SHE cut it) Now onto the skirt for Miss B- hopefully the fastest and easiest yet!

I should be sewing...

...but I found the best sewing blog- Sew Mama Sew and I can't stop looking! I was just trying to find a simple tutorial for sewing a girls skirt so I didn't have to go buy a pattern for Miss B and stumbled onto hundreds of great ideas involving sewing or crafting with fabric- many you don't even need a sewing machine for! Check out the list of Easter ideas HERE.

Dress #1 Complete! Simplicity 2677

I'm not sure that I can say it was worth all the time and work, but I finally finished Miss G's dress and besides the off center back zipper, I am quite happy with it! I really like the colors on her, and am anxious to get going on Miss E's dress tonight. It looks easier, we'll see if I can do it in less than 15 hours this time...

Easter Ties

So I saw that the lovely (and hilarious) Sarah made her little boys cute little neckties and that got me thinking, Charlie needs a tie! I wonder if I could make one, if I ever finish the girls dresses I think I will give it a try. I found this cute etsy shop with some nice ones though: And though I don't need them, I had to share her super cute little booties!

All week long

All week long this beautiful stack of fabric has been staring at me. We came home from the ranch last Saturday and I saw the package on my doorstep and couldn't wait to get into it, but unfortunately we arrived late for a party, with filthy dirty kids, to a house that smelled like puke, with a clogged kitchen sink, and piles and piles (and piles) of laundry. I finally opened the box and took this picture, but didn't get to do anything with it until yesterday. Lindsey introduced me to J. Caroline Creative and I got a little carried away and spent all my Easter dress budget, so now I really have to get sewing! I literally worked all day yesterday on Miss G's dress- it's almost done. I think it's really cute, and although I was extremely careful with all my measuring and cutting, following every step with exactness, including marking, notching, basting, pressing etc, I still managed to end up with side seams that don't quite match up, and a slightly off center zipper, but I'm going with it anyways. Pictures hopefully tomorrow!

Do you like fabric? Pretty patterns?

I discovered Anna Maria Horner recently and stuck a little link over there to her blog but I just wanted to point it out in case you aren't constantly checking my links! She is amazing and has some beautiful fabrics coming out- including some fantastic oil cloth which I am suddenly dying for. I haven't sewed anything in ages but visiting her blog has my mind seriously considering it. Doesn't that picture make you want to sew something?

Fashion

I saw this cute picture, on THIS cute blog, and found THIS fun flickr group for Simplicity pattern 3835, and it got me thinking about dusting off my high school graduation present, my sewing machine. Maybe it's just because I probably can't possibly sew with a broken wrist, but those shirts look really cute, and easy enough for me even, maybe.

I think I can do this!

Isn't that adorable? You can get the pattern from Keepsake Quilting by clicking on the picture, or you can figure out your own pattern, and I don't think it would be too hard. It looks like you just chop off the bottom of a onesie, and sew a big piece around the bottom with a drawstring. I tried to make one of those sleep sack things when Emma was a baby but I had too much trouble with the zipper so it sits unfinished in my sewing drawer- I love that this doesn't need a zipper!