If I Only Had a Daughter

I found this at Goodwill for $1. It would be great to see this hanging in a little girls room!! Not sure if I will ever have a baby girl... A mommy can dream though...Right?

Another dress!!!!

I think I'm addicted to stretch & sew 1500!!! Its so versatile!

What do you think?
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Another dress from" one piece wearables"...

Love this blue cotton. I'm not very good at hems so I use accessories to mask some of the imperfections!

I cut the actual fabric once or twice... Might patch with lace...

Any suggestions!
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Strapless Top! Belted...

The top was constructed by some brown and white polka dotted scraps from my fabric stash. This piece started out as a dress bit it wouldn't fit over my boobs... Cut it off at the waist and added some elastic... VOILA! Instant cute top.

The belt is made from pink ribbon and a vintage buckle!!!

Love it!!!
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Lace embellished tank

Do you have any tops in your closet that seem old and boring??? I sure do! In my quest to waste less - I decided that I will try one handmade garment per day.

Obviously, I love making dresses but it isn't always something that can be completed in one evening so I stared to give up on making something today.

When getting my clothes ready for tomorrow, I realized that the blue tank that I had chosen was bboooorrriiinnggg.....

A little light bulb went off and I decided to embellish it with some awesome vintage lace!

Love it!!!
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Another Dress!!!

This dress was constructed from Stretch & Sew 1500 just like the last one. The polka dotted fabric came from my goodwill stash!

The neckline on this dress has been modified and I omitted the zipper. I added some "anthropologie" inspired flowers around the neck and sewed a quick belt from some red quilting fabric.

This dress is sleeveless so thank goodness for sweaters because the hem around the arms is terrible.

My apologies for the poor photo quality - its just been much easier for me to blog via blackberry... The camera isn't nearly as clear as my rebel!!!
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My third dress

This dress is made from some vintage fabric taken from my stash. The pattern that I used was Stretch & Sew 1500. Its a basic ladies dress. It was fairly easy to construct!

Its so basic that you can dress it up or down!

Our internet wasn't functioning due to a storm so I pulled out some vintage sewing books and figured out the darts without you tube!

Thank you so much for looking! I really look forward to your feedback!
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Pattternless dress!!!

I so love this dress that I made with some vintage fabric from my stash!!! What do you think?

I wore it to work this week with a white cardigan. I need to take the left side in but other than that - I think its great!
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Yard Sale Dilema

So I'm having a yardsale tomorrow... That's right - "Fathers Day Sale". All prices are negotiable!

Would u purchase magazines from a yard sale??? Is five mags for a dollar a good price???

I'm interested to hear your feedback!

Stevie
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Adventures in Dressmaking!!!

So ummm yeah --- I made this dress with no pattern. The darts are slightly crooked so along with fixing those, I need to hem the bottom. After sitting at my sewing machine for hours - sticking myself with pins and taking that thing off an on, it is finally close to being finished.

Its very basic with a "scoop neck". The fabric is some vintage jersey knit that I picked up at my local Peddlers Mall yesterday.

Once its finished, I'll post photos of it actually "on"!!!

I hope you all had a great weekend! Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Help???

Does anyone know of where I can have 3 1\2 x 5 photos printed??? I kinda need to put some in these frames???

PB Has a Home!!

There is this little space between the boys rooms and the "community bathroom".... Never have I been able to find a piece of furniture that would fit...

Well, I think We've found a permanent home!!!

Please ignore the dust on the floor - the maid is on strike!

This aint no PB Knockoff!!

You can only imagine my excitement when I scored this bad boy at one of my many FAVORITE Peddlers Malls for $10! I cannot even pretend to be able to afford to shop at Pottery Barn. Their merchandise is beautiful but I just don't have that kind of cash flow.



Still not sure what to do with him.... The drawers are kind of small - this will be perfect for the overflow of vintage buttons and notions that make their way out of my closet on a daily basis. We shall see.

You ask where I've been????

Wow!!! It has been a while!! I hope everyone has been much more productive than I have around the house--- I've pretty much dedicated my whole day to cleaning this house!!

Tomorrow I will post a list of "to do's" for the summer as well as my plans!

I'm glad that I still have followers! I will be back tomorrow!!!

~stevie

Headboard Dilema...

A couple of weekends ago, I painted our bedroom. Between my stomach bug and work, I have been unable to finish the touch ups - I plan on doing that tomorrow evening. I have several "finishing" touches that I would like to add but there is not enough time ---EVER.
Brandon's parents gave us their bedroom suite when we moved in to this house. They bought it when they were first married and the pieces are very dated but solid for sure. The detail is intricate and with some new hardware and a coat or two of paint, I think that they will be perfect.

With that being said, I'm tired of the "matchy matchy"... Its just not my style. I had Brandon remove the mirror that is attached to the dresser. We are going to hang some kind of mirror above the dresser but I'm not exactly sure of where I want the furniture right now. The dressers are fine but I will paint them --- probably white but the headboard is where I am having my most major issue. Like I said, I don't "hate" the furniture because it is certainly vintage and it was a gift but I'd like some variety.

I've been researching DIY headboards for a while and I stumbled across this slip covered headboard.

photo by. marthastewart.com

What do you think? I can't decide on what I really want and to be honest - I don't want to purchase an old door or make a padded headboard because I just don't know what I want. I just know that I don't want what I have. Does that make sense? This gives me a very good alternative that can easily be reversed if needed.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Sew...A Dress??? or Two or Three???

photo from dillards.com

My current day job as a Human Resources Professional, requires me to wear a suit or some sort of professional "ensemble" five days a week. This can be tiring and boring because there are only so many ways to "dress up" a business suit and quite frankly, I'm sick and tired of pant suits.

A few years ago, I had a different job, and not to mention the fact that I was A LOT smaller than I am these days. I used to wear cute dresses with sweaters all the time and it was appropriate - maybe even overdressed for that particular company. I was comfortable and professional at the same time.

With spring right around the corner - I'm thinking that maybe I could try my hand at making a couple of very basic dresses to wear with sweaters or a blazer depending on the day. I found these vintage patterns in my stash. There's only one problem - I have no idea as to how I am supposed to use a pattern. Well two, these dresses are a little more "intricate" than I want to make.

I've thought about going to Goodwill and picking out a $4.00 dress that I like and tearing it apart to make my own pattern. Will this work??? I really hope that it will because I have a tremendous amount of vintage polyester fabric that I practically stole from a thrift store that I could definitely picture as a dress.

Do you use patterns? Any tips?

Vintage

My mother and I went thrifting the other day.... Look at all of those vintage threads and buttons! The colors are all so bright! It reminds me of Spring!

My Second Step....

Here's where I laid out my patterened pieces.... I must say - IGNORANCE IS BLISS. At this point, I still don't realize how bad this is going to be.

Sneak Peak

Look at those crooked strips... I'll post my progress later - It is really sad but it has been a very valuable learning experience for me. I am currently cutting more strips trying to be as precise as possible.

Did Anyone Miss Me this Week??

O-M-G... This has been the week from - well, you know. Sunday as in "Superbowl Sunday", I went to a small party and brought the kids home at half time. We were in bed by 9:08pm and before I knew it, it was 5:00am and I had been hit with the worst stomach bug in history.

Needless to say, I have not been up to blogging. I did however work on my quilt and it is pitiful! I am my seam rippers new bff as we have spent a tremendous amount of time with each other. I will post photos later. This house is upside down!

Have a GREAT weekend!

Quilt!!

Good Morning party people... This weekend, the agenda is BIGGGGG --- and LONNGGGG but guess what, I have a sitter so I could stay up all night if I need to. But that is highly unlikely because I require sleep to function.

Yesterday, Loren and I took a lunch trip to Hobby Lobby to purchase the fabrics for our "Easy Lap Quilt(s)" from the book Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol. First of all, the sales lady was rude but whatever - we were pretty giddy from finally finding the fabric that we wanted to use. It was raining terribly and we had to scarf down hamburgers in her car before we went in but whatever--- we just wanted our fabric.

It was less of a challenge to choose once I got in there. I decided that whatever theme that I picked for my boys would be the theme that I used for their room. I went with cowboys! Is this fabric not precious?? I can't wait - I'm not sure that I will get it right away but hopefully I will be patient enough to get through the first quilt and the second will be a breeze. These will be at the end of their bed. I haven't decided whether to use navy or red comforters but I have plenty of time to think of that since I will be painting our master bedroom this weekend!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend! Hopefully, I'll be able to check in with updates!

Dutch Boy Paints

Has anyone ever used this brand? I bought this at Walmart in the "oops" section for ten bucks! I love the color and plan to paint my bedroom with it this weekend!
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I cheated...

Forgive me fellow bloggers for I have sinned.... It has been about four days since my last confession....

I said that I would not spend a DIME at Thrift Stores in the whole month of February and I lied... Oh boy did I lie - I spent $2.62 on three magazines and a book of quotations...

What shall my penance be?

Our "Inspiration Wire"

Working 40+ hours per week outside of our home allows little time for me to connect with my boys on a creative level but I honestly try my best. There were many nights in the very early days when Drew was just an infant that I would finish my work day in the office only to go straight to a classroom in effort to finish my Bachelors Degree. Luckily, my parents helped when Brandon was still working third shift but I have still always felt incredibly guilty over the time that we spent apart during his first year of life.

After I graduated (one month after Drew's first birthday), I wrote him a letter explaining why I did what I did. I want him to be a hard worker and appreciate a little sacrifice and elbow grease. With that being said, there are still times that I think about how empty I felt sitting in a room full of strangers while my husband or mother was caring for my infant. While pushing myself to finish that degree, I promised myself that no matter what happened, I would continue to build a family, work full time and complete my MBA. Well, baby number two came along a year after I completed my Bachelors and he is now 18 months. Would you believe that I haven't even thought about starting the MBA program... Its funny how priorities change.

Despite the fact that we did spend many evenings apart, Drew and I are very close and always have been. Amongst many activities, we read together, draw together, take walks together and still at three years old Drew even sleeps in between his father and I every night. His imagination never ceases to amaze me and I am almost fascinated by his child-like dreams but yet he is still such and old soul.

Samuel, who I hope to one day be the "middle child" is the baby right now. Unlike his older brother, I hold back on pushing him too hard because I realize that he will be grown up oh too soon. Sammy is creative in his own rite - we use kitchen utensils and old tins as drums or empty boxes as cars. Sam loves to put things in his mouth so we have to be careful about giving him small items but I love to fill plastic containers with dried beans so that he can shake them. He really entertains himself well!

At the end of the summer, I purchased the book "The Creative Family" by Amanda Blake Soule. In the first chapter she talks a lot about inspiration... In our home we have mimicked her "inspiration wire" by utilizing what was meant to be a Christmas Card Organizer by Hallmark. It is in our living room and works perfectly! Anyone in the family can put any item up there whenever they want. At Drew's preschool they focus on one letter a week so if Drew wants to, I often will place photos of items that start with that particular letter - if you notice, I said, "if Drew wants". I also carry a ton of guilt about this full time job that I have to work - I enjoy my job so that makes me feel even worse. Drew spends a full, very structured day at preschool so I do not push him to continue to talk about his "letter of the week" if he'd rather forget about it for the few precious hours that we have to spend together in the evenings.

As I grow as a mother, I realize that every family functions differently. What works for one family might not work for another and I try very hard to allow other moms to inspire me. In our family, we love the outdoors. Most weekends through the spring, summer and early fall, you can find of at a variety of Kentucky or Indiana State Parks soaking up sunshine and the nature around us. We are so very inspired by nature and wildlife - away from the T.V., we love to play games, visit various nature centers and hike many of the easier trails throughout the park.

What are some things that inspire you and your family? How do you keep it interesting?

Hello Blue....

This tray was .75 cents.... yes that's right I felt like I was stealing. It is going to fit right into my blue bedroom that I haven't painted but have all the supplies to get started.

Don't judge me. I'll get it done. Before the end of February. This is precisely why I did not set "resolutions" for the new year - my follow through isn't what it should be.

Tell me something....Should I paint the walls or the furniture first???

Dolly Partons Imagination Library

What a GREAT program! My kids participate and they each get a brand new book every month! In my opinion, you can never have too many books. I love that our county allows us to add to our collection free of charge! This is especially great for children who live in low income households who may not have the extra funds for recreational items.

I encourage you to visit the website! If your community isn't involved see what you can do to get it started!

What do you think??

So I have 3 options here.... I want to apologize ahead of time for the poor photo quality. This project has knocked the breath out of me. It has thrown me head over heels into spring fever and there is no turning back.

Option 1. Ruffle the fabric and sew to the panel - see the left panel in the photo below.

Option 2. Sew the fabric on as is and embellish with a ribbon where the two fabrics meet. (I like this one).
Option 3. Ditch the teal fabric all together and lower the panels.


IF I decide to add the fabric - I will probably opt for stitch witchery instead of actually sewing them together - this way I can change it if I get sick of it.

Hubs hates the fabric option but he just doesn't understand where I'm coming from on this... In this case, his opinion doesn't exist.

Coffee Table Upgrade...

My aunt and uncle gave this to us when Samuel was just a few weeks old. I liked it, it had charm but it had been through about four different families and had been pretty roughed up. My aunt originally bought it for her house and when they were done, it just started being passed around and somehow ended up with her again. She didn't want it, so naturally, I was thrilled to take it off her hands.



I almost forgot the before pic. I didn't sand a lot - I just primed (Killz Original). There was too much snow outside and Brandon hid the orbit sander because he knew that I would use it in the house if he were gone - he has this strange aversion to spray painting or sanding in the house... I couldn't imagine why????



Finished with two coats of Rustoleum Heirloom White! I love it - for some reason, I'm leaning toward the beach theme this time around. What do you think?

Today I Must....

Purchase one of these.... (photo from target.com).

Because I have moved my craft area from the basement to the living room. I guess you could call it the "formal" living room if there is such a thing in this house! Why do I need to purchase it today?? Well, today is the last day of January! Remember, I am on a spending freeze in February! I must hurry!

The desk took the place of the recliner... Remember that cheap table I tried to paint last week?? There it is to the left. It didn't turn out too bad - It'll do for now. If I want to sew, I just move the computer and pull the sewing machine out of here... The same goes form my scrapbook supplies.

Nope, its not fancy but it will do. I wasn't inspired in the basement. For some reason, I am inspired upstairs!

Window Treatments.... help?

At first, my thoughts were that I would make curtains out of my favorite drop cloths... Then I realized that all three of my drop cloths were different colors (different brands, different shade of canvas) so I haven't been in a real hurry to try to go purchase a fourth as it kind of defeats the purpose of being "frugal".

My plan was to embellish these drop cloth drapes with this sweet vintage drapery fabric that I scored at Goodwill a few months ago. This very "durable" fabric is a light teal and would add a nice pop to my color palette if added to the bottom of these panels.

For Christmas I received several Target gift cards and still had about $35 left so the other day, I stopped by to see what kind of deals I could get. So I found these.... Now I don't have to worry about making my panels out of my mismatched drop cloths!

I'm trying to decide whether or not to hang them "as is" or embellish them with my fabric... This is the look that I'm going for if I choose to embellish.

photo by Better Homes & Gardens

Your thoughts?? Should I add the fabric or not?

Lamp....

See this lamp??? Isn't she a beauty? I paid $6.50 at my favorite thrift store... We're painting our bedroom this weekend. Blue --- and I'm also going to paint my dresser ---Heirloom White.

Is it bad to paint all of your furniture white?

"Sew for Toddlers"... by Kerstin Martensson

So I bought this book from on of my FAVORITE thrift stores the other day. Yes - I did pay a full $3.00 for it which I feel is justified because I liked the book. Considering that it was made in 1979 and is a paperback its condition is superb.

The dress and one piece jumper patters in there are awesome- not to mention that these styles are TIMELESS as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure you could find free patterns on the Internet but whatever... The book was $3.00 and I bought it.

These little outfits may just sell in an etsy store....

Feeling for Photos

Photography is not something that I ever thought that I would be good at. As a matter of fact, I have had no formal training but people still compliment my photos.

This isn't something that I would ever do for a living. The pressure would kill me - I'm not a perfectionist so I would never be able to charge someone for my services because sometimes my images turn out worthy of being posted or displayed in my home and sometimes they don't.

Photography has however, taught me a wonderful lesson... For me it is powerful stress relief. I can lose myself behind my lens and attempt to blend in with my surroundings. I love looking at my images and to be able to actually watch myself grow artistically. To me this is exhilarating.

Like the books that I read, my hopes are that my children will cherish these images as much as I do. I hope that the photos that I have snapped over the years will be cherished by many to come after me and that they will be able to feel the love behind them.

My grandmother left behind many black and white photos and I love them dearly. While looking at those photos I have been able to learn so much about who my grandmother was as a young girl - before she became a mother to seven children. I cherish those images more than words can explain and I hope that my children and grandchildren will feel the same about mine.

Something like a Miracle...

Sam's babysitter has the stomach flu... In a sick way, I kind of got a second chance at a three day weekend. I'm embarking upon several different projects over the next few weeks and Saturday and Sunday just aren't ever enough.

I moved my desk upstairs to the living room from the basement. It looks nice but I need some place to store my printer. I've been using this cheap, hand me down, laminate, little cabinet. As you can see, I tried to paint it once before--- UMMM it didn't turn out very well. Today, I am going to try to brush paint my personal favorite, Rustoleum's "Heirloom White" onto this bad boy.

So when I say, "If I pull this off", it will be something like a miracle.

Books....

I never pay full price for books... Well, rarely ever but for just $5 I bought all of these books! The 4th Harry Potter book is there! I've decided that I'm going to just pick them up at different thrift stores until I find them all! "Where the Sidewalk Ends" is amongst my true all time favorites as a kid!

Some of these books may never be read by me - my hope is that my boys will appreciate these books as they grow and grab them off of our shelf as they feel like reading one.

Not a DIME in February....

Its raining today... My plan was to sand my coffee table outside so I could apply a coat of primer but I can't because its raining.... Again.

I've collected a laundry basket full of items that I need to transform so I've made the executive decision that I will not spend a dime at any thrift store for the whole month of February. As a matter of fact, I will log my Master bathroom/bedroom progress as I go. I really hope I finish by the end of February because I still have the "public" restroom to paint and the floor in my kids bedroom. Obviously - these projects will not take place in February but I hope to have them complete by May so that when I come back from Gulf Shores I can concentrate on baby-making...

Planning is definately a downfall that I have so we'll see how this goes down. Will I finish it all by May???

How do you prioritize your projects? What keeps you to that plan? At this moment, all of my plans are swimmng around in my head and of course are subject to change.... HELP!!!

Vintage Button Tin

Did your grandmother have a tin of buttons that looked similar to this one??? These buttons weren't my grandmothers but she did have a tin like this one.

What is your favorite thing about buttons?? I am very partial to buttons of the "vintage" variety! Just like everything else - I love the mystery behind where they came from. I often wonder why would someone sell them/give them away!