How To Surprise Your Husband

1. Wait until he goes out of town on a business trip to a warm, southern location and politely decline his invitation to go along.

2. Survey your home for areas that need improvement. 

Exhibit A: Master Bedroom

3. Hire family members to spend a Saturday night replacing the old ceiling fan.  Offer to pay family members. When they refuse, send them home with baked goods.  (gracias to Paul and Evan!)

4.  Admire new ceiling fan. 

5. Remove ugly, outdated wallpaper.

6. Spend hours deciding on  a paint color.  Eventually choose one that is so yummy it makes you want to drink almond flavored coffee.

6. Remove ugly light fixtures.  Patch, prime, paint and hang new curtains.

7. Attack old night stands with a can of white Valspar spray paint.  Use a piece of sandpaper to achieve a weathered, shabby chic look.

8.  Add some personalized pieces.

9. Find a reliable assistant to inspect your work.

10. Pick up unsuspecting husband from airport. Take him to dinner.  
Return home and watch his reaction.

11. See step #1 when he tells you that he has another trip coming up and wants you to go. 

Inspiration: Marshmallow Peep

When I saw Dana's Marshmallow Peep project, it got me thinking.  Using her template for a Peep Bunny, I came up with this:

It was super easy.  I downloaded Dana's pattern (I opened it in Word so that I could adjust the size) printed it, cut it out and traced it onto the back of my fuzzy, pink chenille fabric.  I ironed some Heat 'N Bond to the back of the fabric, cut out the bunny and then pressed it onto a onsie.  Using a paper hole punch, I made three dots for the eyes and nose.  I placed the dots onto the bunny and did a quick forward and back stitch over each.  I then made a tiny little bow and attached it to the bunny's ear.  Finally, I did a zig zag stitch around the entire bunny using a pale pink thread.

Since the bunny was wearing a pink polka dot bow, I made a matching one for Hannah.

Both of these little peeps are almost good enough to eat!

License and Registration, Please

Jewelry Display

My jewelry box is usually a tangled mess of necklaces and bracelets.  I've seen so many cute jewelry display frames and I knew that I just had to make one.  So, I pulled out this shirt...

...that I wore while pregnant.

Here's a close up of the prettiness:

I got a 12x12 corkboard, centered the pretty design around the board and cut.  Then I stapled the fabric to the back of the board.

Next, I used a nail and hammer to make two holes for hanging. Here's the back.  I know it doesn't look great, but I'm okay with it.  If I were giving this as a gift, I would cover the ragged edges with ribbon.

Here's the front.  I then used a pair of scissors to cut holes in the shirt for hanging.

I added some ribbon for hanging.

And tied cute little knots to hold in place.

Next, I screwed little hooks through the shirt and corkboard.  I was loving this project so much that I forgot to take a picture of this step.

I found the perfect spot on the inside of my closet and hung it with a nail.  I added my jewelry and there ya have it.  Necklaces and bracelets organized and ready to wear!

I'm linked up with:
Just Something I Whipped Up
Penny Pinching Party
A Little Craft Therapy
Make It Yours Day

New Item on Etsy

I have another new item on my Etsy site and I am so excited about it!  Check out these little dresses.  They are cute, comfortable and oh-so-versatile!  I the warm months, they can be worn alone and when the weather cools down, simply pair them with jeans, tights, or leggings and a long sleeved shirt underneath.  They can be worn as a dress and as your child grows, they can be worn as shirts.

The orange dress is available in 6-12 months and 2T and is ready to ship.  The fabric is from Joel Dewberry's Aviary Collection.  The brown and pink dress is ready to ship in size 12-24 months. 

I'm currently working on more of these adorable little dresses and welcome custom orders!

This Ohio Girl...

has spent all winter looking at this:

And dressing her daughter like this:

And doing a lot of this:

So, this week, it has been a welcomed reprieve to be able to dress like this:

And do this:

And this.

Extreme Makeover: Blog Edition

My blog has a new look! I've been reading Diana's blog, The Girl Creative and I thought she had great style.  Last week she made an announcement that her blog design waiting list had opened up, so I contacted her.  She was a delight to work with and has very reasonable prices! I had only some sketchy ideas of what I wanted and she went right to work to create something that is totally me.  Diana has a lovely portfolio showcasing her shabby chic and modern designs and will do a complete blog makeover or just spruce you up a little.
You likey?  Me likey!

Repurposed: Skirt to Apron

Funny story about this skirt with blue hibiscus flowers:

I bought it to wear on my honeymoon in 2000. 

In 2006 my BFFs and I hosted a Hawaiian themed bridal shower.

Perfect. 

Don't I have a skirt with blue hibiscus flowers?

I couldn't find it anywhere so I figure that I gave it away or loaned it out and never got it back. 

Fast forward to 2007 when we packed up to move to our new house.

There's the skirt with the blue hibiscus flowers!

Needless to say, I haven't worn the skirt with blue hibiscus flowers since my honeymoon. 

Don't ask why I still have it. 

So, let's repurpose it, shall we?

First, I removed the draw string and set it aside to use a tie later on.

I cut the back piece off of the skirt, about 1 inch from the side seams.

Since I don't have a serger (hint, hint Shawn) I ran a zig-zag stitch along the sides to prevent fraying.  I then got my iron hot and steamy and pressed and sewed a hem along the sides, about 1/4 inch.

Next, I cut a 12x13 rectangle from the remaining piece.  I zig-zagged around this piece, pressed and sewed a 1/4 inch hem around each side.

I did some fast math, found the center of each of my pieces and pinned them right sides together.  I ran a quick stitch to attach. 

Then I pressed the seam up towards the top piece.

 I cut the drawstring in two and stitched off the ends.  I attached each piece to the waist of the apron with a quick forward and backstitch.

Then I snipped off the tag, so as to not be reminded of my newly married, early 20's, pre-baby size.

Next up was the neck tie.  Using the remaining fabric, I cut two pieces of fabric 2x22 and folded each in half (right sides together) and sewed together.  Next, I turned each inside out.  This works really well for turning fabric tubes right side out.  I then sewed each tie onto the top piece.

I had a bit of fabric left over and the seam that connects the two pieces looked a little wonky and still had two holes where the draw string was originally.  So I made a cute little ruffle by cutting the remaining fabic into strips.  I stitched around the edges to prevent fraying and then sewed a basting stitch down the center.

Finally, I gathered the thread, creating a ruffle and sewed it on.

Like it.
Admire the cuteness. 
Then make your sister wear it for a photo since she looks adorable in anything.

I'm linked up to Just Something I Whipped Up and Feature Yourself Friday.

Studio

Welcome to my studio! I probably shouldn't call it a studio because I think that only real artists can call their space an actual studio.

Anyways, we bought our house three years ago and the first time I saw this little room, I knew exactly what I was going to do with it.



It is a small, loft-type room that used to be part of the attic. The previous owners opened it up and made it into a "bonus room." When we first moved in, my elliptical and Bow Flex were also in here, but the slanted ceiling made it not such a great workout room. So, the workout gear was moved out and this space became  known by my husband as my "Clubhouse."

My most recent purchase: an embroidery machine. I just happened to find this treasure one day while browsing through a fabric store. I started talking to a woman who said that she was upgrading her machine and wanted to get rid of her old one. So, I got this one for a great price AND she gave me free lessons!



My trusty old sewing machine. My husband got this for me nine years ago on the first Christmas we were married. I spent that winter making curtains for our first little apartment.



This is just a general storage area. On the shelf are scrapbook and stamping supplies, a tub of fabric and boxes of photos waiting to be scrapbooked. The bottom of the shelf holds scrapbooks that I have made over the years.



Fabric pieces are stored here. When I purchase fabric, I have tried to make it a habit to wash, dry and iron it as soon as I get home or it arrives in the mail. That way it is all ready to go when I start a new project.



This is a collection of things that need to be hung. I found the "family" frame a few months ago and have slowly been gathering and printing photos. I plan on assembling a photo collage on the wall going up the stairs with this as the center or focal point.



Last fall, while visiting my sister in LA, we spent an afternoon in the fabric district where I found these amazing fabrics. I didn't really have anything particular in mind that I was going to make with them but they were just too cute to pass up.

Do you have a space in your home that is dedicated to sewing or crafting?

Have a good Friday!