Cole's Corner and Creations: All 4 One Swimsuit

Laurel outgrew her swimsuit this year so it was her turn to get a new one.  This time I used a pattern from Cole's Corner and Creations.  It is her All 4 One Swimsuit.  I used the frilly skirted option with all the ruffles, as per Laurel's request, and it turned out so cute.  People (adults included) keep asking if I could make them one too.

I found the instructions easy to follow, though I thought they made a few swim fabric no-no's like pinning outside the seam allowance.  Please use fabric markers and wonder clips. Other than that the pattern is great with a bunch of different options.

I can't get over how darling it is.

Violette Field Threads: London

I've been doing a lot more sewing of late, so I really should remember to blog about them.  So I'll start with the two sundresses I made.  They both were made using London from Violette Field Threads.  You can get it for free if you join their Facebook group.  This is a great easy pattern.  The girls love how well the dresses twirl.

The first one I made was for Laurel to wear to her Kindergarten graduation.  I made it as the pattern stated except using the width of the fabric for the skirt and ruffles, because I didn't want to measure it out, basically being lazy.  The ruffles are also a little shorter since I didn't have enough fabric.

Eleanor's was made using the armhole template for the bodice so that I didn't have to fuss with cutting out armholes from the skirt.  Her skirt was also width of fabric and lengthened.  

This picture makes me think of Anne of Green Gables for some reason.

Both girls love their new dresses and they were really fast to make.  The bodices are great for using up scraps.

Project Run and Play: Greenery

I really enjoy sewing along with the challenges for Project Run and Play.  It helps me to maybe sewing things that I wouldn't normally or learn more about sewing in general.  This week I discovered that I don't buy green fabric.  I don't have anything against green, I just don't buy it apparently.  Given that this week's challenge focused on green, I had to think about how I was going to get it without actually having to buy more fabric (I'm trying to be good, I promise).  I was very tempted to get out the green dye from my tie dye kits and try to make a gingham like pattern, but I didn't was the mess or hassle.  Then one day I was putting something away in my closet, when I saw a dress I made when I was first learning to sew that I don't wear (the sewing on it is a bit embarrassing).  It just happened to be green.

So the outfit I made is green in a couple ways, color obviously and it has been recycled a few times.  The green fabric started out as a sheet before I turned it into a dress and the tan fabric was a slipcover I made for a couch that didn't turn out well before I used it in the dress as lining.

The pattern is Zephyr from Figgy's.  I changed the straps to be able to tie at the shoulders.  I've made it a couple time and the button loops always give me problems coming out the seam.  If I make it again, I will have to remember to find a way to improve on it.

The bows are so cute!

"It's All About That Place": Aloha

A few weeks ago, the girls' school had Hawaiian Day, but only told the parents the afternoon before. I don't really buy/make the girls much in the way of tropical clothing.  So cue me sewing like a crazy person all night.  Since Project Run and Play's first week's theme is "It's All About That Place" I thought I would enter Laurel's dress. 

For her dress, I used the peasant dress from the Sweet Innocence pattern by My Treasured Heirloom using a random tropical floral fabric someone gifted me.  Laurel loves this pattern since it is "puffy" and twirly.  

As you can see, we definitely haven't entered Spring yet.  So tropical getaway sounds like a great idea to us.

Wingback Chair Reupholstered

I have wanted a wingback chair for the longest time.  Once, I even almost got one from freecycle.  (The owners put it out by the side of the road for me to pick up and someone else took it before I got there.)  Since we had very little furniture for our new house, I made it my mission to find one.  I scoured the internet and craigslist hoping to find one that I could afford.  We saw one at a yard sale we drove past one Sabbath and tried to find it the next day, but they weren't having a yard sale anymore.  Finally, I found one, in my price range,when a new Goodwill opened across the street from my parents' house while we were staying there.

Next, I needed to find the right fabric.  After more internet scouring, I came across the perfect fabric; 

Adamina in Mist Tapestry Upholstery Fabric by Mill Creek.

It was quite a while before I got up the nerve to actually tackle the project, like two years later.  Here it is all naked.

There were so many staples!  It was fun to see progress.

All the buttons had to be hot glued with new fabric and then I had to do tufting for the first time.  Michael had to help me put the buttons since my arms are too short to reach around to both sides.

Then it sat unfinished for a couple of months while I got through planning a massive Christmas party, moving, travelling for Christmas, and getting over a stomach bug.

Finally finished the chair!

Though it didn't take long, the back and sides were the hardest parts with all the metal spiky things that were involved and then the nailhead trim was interesting since my fabric is thicker than the original green.  Michael had to use his air compressor to staple the front pieces to the arms before the trim would even stay in.

The chair isn't perfect, but I really think it turned out beautifully.

Christmas Traditions

I know it is a bit early for talking about Christmas, but I was asked by Paperless Post (I wasn't paid) to share some of the traditions we have for the holidays.  I love Christmas and have Christmas on my brain anyways, since I'm helping to plan a huge party for my husband's work (75 tables!).

With the recent moves, some of our traditions have changed, but most remain.  For example, while living in Idaho, I loved going into the forest soon after Thanksgiving to find our Christmas tree and then decorate it while listening to music and drinking hot cocoa.  Now that the forest has been replaced with onion fields and vineyards, we got an artificial tree, which Michael loves, because it is prelit.  So we now we do the same thing just with a different tree.  Though we don't use Santa (except dressing up Vanilla as Santa), we put up stockings and put in small fun surprises and treats for the girls.

Something else we try to do each year is to make cookies and chocolates.  Growing up, my Grandma did this every year and since she passed, I have been trying some of her recipes.  One of my favorites of hers are Peanut Butter Balls, which I have blogged about here.  Someday when I'm brave enough, I will try making her Almond Roca.  In addition to those, we usually make Oreo Truffles.  For the cookies, we often make gingerbread cookies and sugar cookies.  One year, we make some Perky Penquins and Candy Cane cookies that we a huge hit.

Another tradition we have been starting for the girls have been Advent Calenders.  In the past we have read different parts of the Nativity Story each day.  This year I got a Meri Meri one, that I think the girls will love, since they will be building the Nativity Scene and can play with the little pieces.  A plus for me is that we can reuse it.

Some years we send out Christmas cards.  The year that sticks out in my mind the most is one where our Christmas cards were also an announcment that we were going to have baby Eleanor!  Looking through Paperless Post, there are a ton of amazing options (including a bunch of free ones) and they will even email or mail them for you.  I could spend hours pouring over them trying to decide which one I want to use.  You should check out their Christmas Collection here.

What are some of your favorite traditions?

Bookworm Birthday!

Eleanor just turned 7!  To celebrate we had a little Bookworm Party at the park with some friends and family.  I didn't do a ton for it, but wanted to share a little of what I did do.  If you want to see my inspirations for this party, you can see them on my Pinterst board.

I made invitations to look like library cards.

My frosting job was beyond terrible, because I did it at the park and the cupcakes were sticky, but the fondant books and bookworm we made were really cute.

I used the 3D letter printable from Mr. Printables and glued book pages to the back before cutting out.  It took some reengineering since I made the letters inside out, but it wasn't too hard to figure out.  The worst part was being in the depths of despair from cutting up an "Anne of the Island" book I got from a thrift store.

Since the book was already cut into, I figured I might as well use it to make my wrapping paper and bow.  I love how where the pages meet it looks kind of like ribbon was wrapped there.

Eleanor just devours books (thus the bookworm theme) so we asked that if the guests wanted to bring gifts that they bring books.  She finished reading one of the chapter books in less than a day and a half and it would have been sooner, but we forced her to play at the park.

The Cottage Mama: Party Dress

This last weekend we went to the park right after church and I realized that I didn't blog about the girls' Easter dresses, so I took a few pictures before having them change into play clothes.

I used The Party Dress pattern.  It is a free pattern by The Cottage Mama.  I love the look of this dress.  It is a very easy sew, though it is a bit of a fabric hog.

I love this picture of Eleanor.  I just wish I knew how to edit the hair out of her face.

4th of July Outfits!

See, I don't always use Ottobre Design.  For Fourth of July of weekend, I made my girls and niece some fun matching outfits useing the Sweetheart Halter by Peek-a-boo Patterns.

This is such an easy pattern.  All the pieces are rectangles.  I lengthened my girls' to be dresses and left the baby's as a tunic for ease of crawling.

I even tried making stars in the girls' hair.  Eleanor's is made from braids and Laurel's has twists.  I found the idea on Pinterest.

The tunic needed a diaper cover so I used #7 Tiny Toes Bikini Bottoms from issue 3/2016 of Ottobre Design.  I love the little bows so much.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July!

Ottobre Design: #22 4/2015 Blackbird and Cherries Tunic

The next round of filling Eleanor's summer wardrobe involved sewing this darling tunic from the 4/2015 issue of Ottobre Design.

I love how it turned out, especially with that darling Paris fabric.  The shorts are from the shorts sewing spree a few weeks ago from pattern #21 Perfect Shorts from issue 3/2016 of Ottobre Design.  The shorts really are pretty perfect.  They have lots of pockets, elastic waist and a little bit of elastic in the back hems to give it a nice shape.

The tunic was fairly easy expect the hem band, which was a beast to do those curves.

Changes to the House

We are in the process of selling our house, so I thought I'd share some before and after pictures of what we have done.  There is so much more I would have liked to have done, but I'm looking forward to the next adventure.

The before pictures are from the listing from when we bought the house.

In the living room, we painted the walls Silver Screen by Behr .  I made curtains from a grey burlap type of fabric and changed out the rod.  I also flipped the paddles on the fan to hide the wicker insert.  The square light fixtures had been painted red (I'm not a fan of red) so I painted over that with a metalic pewter paint that I used on the chandelier.  We had planned on making cabinets to go on both sides of the fireplace and paint that wall white and I wanted to convince Michael to let me paint the brick (I'm not a fan of orange either).

We did the most in the dining room.  When we moved in the whole large wall was covered in floor to ceiling mirrors.  They went out as soon as we could remove them.  The girls would spend the whole meal just staring at themselves.  

Later, I painted the chandelier (you can read about that here) and the walls were painted the same as the living room. We changed the door to our room.  It was a pocket door which our cat would rattle through out the night and wedge open.  We added a craftsman style trim around the entry ways, wainscoting, chair rail, and baseboard trim all painted in ultra pure white.

Changing the trim around the kitchen entryway made a huge mess so we had to fill that in and painted.  I used Niagara Mist from Behr.

To create more space, Michael made a cool pot rack using plumbing supplies and put up some shelves.

In the girls' room, we painted walls, trim and ceiling the same colors as the living room and dining room.  We also put up some shelves and changed out the blinds.

Other than some other little things, I think that is about all we did inside the house.  We had a lot more plans and ideas, but we are looking forward to getting another house we can personalize when we move.