We Did It! Wednesday

Thanks for stopping by We Did It! Wednesday today!  Before we get to today's party, let's take a look at a few favorites from last week:

Rose ring from Rubies and Pearls:

Reversible pirate hoodie from Double Equis:

Bat pillow from Ameroonie Designs:

Here's a button for those of you who were featured:

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Okay, onto today's party!  Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:

1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the Linky Tools below to something you made that you want to share.  It can be something you sewed, crafted, painted, baked, or anything else you made that you want to share.

2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.




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Tutorial: Sleeved Toddler Bib

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If you're coming over from Inspire to Create at Sew Chic and Unique, welcome!  I'm excited to be a part of such a fun event!

I've literally been using the same three bibs for my kids since Wyatt was about 1.  He's now 3.  And Weston's now 1.  Everytime I look at those bibs, I can't believe that I'm still using them and feel guilty that I haven't gotten around to making some new ones.  The velcro doesn't stick very good anymore, and since Weston's favorite dinner-time activity is to rip the bib off and throw it on the floor (I know all you moms can feel my pain, right?), it's finally time for a change :).

I remember my mom making bibs out of hand towels for all the grandkids to wear, and I've tweaked that idea a bit to add "sleeves" and an optional pocket to the bibs.  They're easy, they're fast to make, and the best part is that they work!

So go and find yourself some hand towels, and let's get started!

Materials:
hand towel (the larger the better -- I found the white one pictured in these instructions at Ikea for a whopping 50 cents -- places like Ross and TJ Maxx are great too)
knit scraps (rib knit works best) - cut a 12"x3" piece

Instructions:

1. Using a bowl or other object approximately 5-6" in diameter, trace a circle in the middle of the towel, 6" from one end.  I know, white is not a smart choice for a bib, but I had the towel on hand (obviously shoved in my sewing stash), so I thought I'd use it as a tester :).

2. Place knit right sides together, matching short ends, and stitch in place using a 1/4" seam allowance.

3. Turn knit right side out and fold in half , matching raw edges.

4. Baste raw edges together.  This will be the collar.

5. Mark middle of collar by folding in half at seam.  Use these marks to evenly pin collar to circle, with the folded edge towards the outer edges of the bib.

6. Stitch collar to towel, keeping your stitch line just outside of your traced circle.

7. Carefully cut away inner circle of towel.  Note: If you have a serger, you can leave a little excess towel seam allowance.  If you do not have a serger, cut the towel seam allowance to match the collar seam allowance.

8. Finish inside collar seam allowance by serging raw edges or using a zig zag stitch.

9. To form sleeves, turn bib front toward bib back, folding at the mid-point of the collar.  Stitch lines approximately 1" long along side edge on each side of bib back to secure sleeve openings.

10. To form optional pocket, fold bottom edge of front side of bib upward approximately 3-4".  Stitch in place along edges of bib.  Note: As pictured, you may need to stitch 3/4" or so in from edge if the fabric along the edge is too thick to stitch through.

Make a few -- your kids will love not having a scratchy plastic bib on their necks.

...And you'll love the bib staying on your little ones :).

I'll be linking to some of these fabulous linky parties!

Gathers & Giggles Quilt Pattern

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Share some snuggles and love with this indulgent baby quilt, full of gathered goodness!

Finished Dimensions: 40"x40"

This pattern includes step by step instructions and diagrams to make your own Gathers & Giggles Quilt, along with detailed instructions and diagrams to perfectly bind your quilt!

Pattern is an instant download PDF file. The download link will be instantly sent to the email address that is on file with your Paypal account, so please ensure that Paypal has your correct email address on file. You'll also have the option to download the file from a pop-up window that will appear immediately after your purchase. Either way, make sure to save the file to your computer for future use. Also please be aware that if you pay by e-check through Paypal, the payment will take 5-7 business days to process, and the download link will not be emailed to you until that time. Let me know if you have any problems or questions along the way!

If you are interested in purchasing the printed Gathers & Giggles Quilt Pattern wholesale, please email me.

Copyright Info: This quilt pattern is protected by U.S. copyright laws, and is for your individual use only. You may not copy or distribute this pattern to any other individual or group. You may not produce derivative works of this pattern. If you would like to sell quilts made from this pattern, please email me regarding a Limited Commercial License.

Gathers & Giggles PDF Quilt Pattern - $7

Flashback Friday: Jessica from Happy Together

Here's today's Flashback Friday...

Who doesn't love Jessica from Happy Together?  I knew she was extra cool, and then when I found out I lived in the same city as her last summer, I couldn't help loving her even more!  Her blog is so upbeat, and she's always coming up with something new and fun to show us all.  I think you'll enjoy her flashback today...

Hi everyone :) This is Jessica from Happy Together and today I'm going to take a look back at some of my very first sewing creations. They aren't from a long time ago, but they do mark the beginning in a new chapter in my life.




Let's venture back and check out some not so fabulous pictures....

It was only a few years ago I began sewing, about 4 to be exact. I had no idea where it would take me when I began. I initially wanted to make some cute purses and friends.

This is one of the first purses I ever made and it was for my mom. I was so proud to give it to her. I remember being frustrated with things, but as I learned, practice and you will get it.

This is one of the first pieces of clothing I ever made for myself. It was a Burda Style pattern. AGAIN, another huge learning experience. I had never done clothing and was so intimidated. It turned out okay, but I made it a bit small.

Crazy me even thought maybe I could make dresses for my bridesmaids!!!!!! (My maid of honor modeling for me). Of course, I didn't accomplish this.

I found that it's a good thing to be over ambitious. You never know what you might accomplish or what you will learn. When it comes to sewing, just go for it!!!! Start small and work your way on up. My work has come a long way and you can see much better work (and photos!) on my blog now :) May this encourage any of you who are thinking about starting a new craft. You gotta start somewhere!

Thanks for letting me share with everyone Abby :).

Thanks Jessica!  Make sure you stop by Happy Together and say hello (and believe me, you'll want to stay awhile)!

We Did It! Wednesday.

We're back with We Did It! Wednesday after taking a break (if you could call it taking a break!) last week during the Creative Chick Parade.

Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:

1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the Linky Tools below to something you made that you want to share.  It can be something you sewed, crafted, painted, baked, or anything else you made that you want to share.
2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.






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Wyatt's Camo Cake.

We celebrated Wyatt's birthday last week, and as usual I had no great ideas for a cake.  I tried to let him pick what he wanted, but his first response was always, "Um, a POO cake!"  Then he would name random objects around the room, car, or wherever we happened to be, until I gave up.

I finally (for some crazy reason, remember how unsymmetry and I don't mix well?) decided to make a camo fondant cake.  That was my first mistake.  Here was my second mistake:

Ignoring the noises I heard upstairs while the (first) cakes were cooling.  I guess he wanted the birthday festivities to get started early!  I have to admit it was pretty funny though.

This cake was as far from perfect as the others I've made (surprise, surprise), but we had a great day and Wyatt was happy -- we didn't plan on having the cake outside but Wyatt would not leave his new bike to come inside, so we brought it out :).

Before and After: Skirt Refashion {Creative Chick Parade}

We are at the end of the Creative Chick Parade, and today's theme is Before and After.  It's a pretty broad theme, so it'll be fun so see what you all come up with! 

Here's my "before":

I found this skirt at DI for $4 a while ago (how do we never get great before pictures?).  It was about 4 sizes too big for me and was a *flattering* mid-calf length.  And I can't forget to mention the practical and bulky side pockets and elastic waistband!  I thought maybe there was some hope for it, and if not, I wouldn't be too heartbroken over the $4.

Here's the after:



I took in the sides, including removing the pockets, and took a bunch off of the length.  For the new waistband, I made a facing out of the extra fabric I had cut off.  Then, since I hate wearing things that can gape open where the buttons are, I stitched all the way down the front of the skirt, over the existing topstitching.  I just left enough unstitched at the top so I could unbutton one or two buttons and slide the skirt on.

It's super comfy, but I'm still debating whether I should be wearing it in public or not (although I already have, so please be gentle with your comments :)).  When I asked a couple of my sisters if they liked it, they both replied "it depends what you wear it with."  I don't take that as a great sign.  But it was fun to make either way I guess!

Don't forget to check out what these other ladies are up to today:

The Girl Creative

Dilly Dally & Flitter

Beat Until Fluffy

Dear Madelyn

Brown Paper Packages

Moody Girl Projects

Lucky Star Lane

Girl.Inspired

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Blog Guidebook

Fingerprints on the Fridge

Enjoy our last blog hop of the week and remember to only link up Before and After projects!  Have a great weekend!

Recipe Round Up {Creative Chick Parade}

Today our Creative Chick Parade blog hop theme is Recipe Round Up!  I'm always in need of new recipes, so I'm excited to see what you all link up.  We've had such a fun week so far, I can't believe that tomorrow is already the last day of the parade. 

Oh by the way, anyone have any good vegetarian recipes?  I'm trying to eat more vegetarian meals with the hopes that my husband doesn't notice so that we can be half-time vegetarians maybe.  He did ask last week, and I played dumb like it was just a coincidence that I hadn't cooked with meat in a few days.  Joel grew up on a ranch, so you can imagine how he feels about meat.  If there's no meat involved, in his mind it's not a meal (although he didn't complain about the "rice balls and spaghetti" that we had for supper last night).  I, on the other hand, have always thought I'd make a GREAT vegetarian!  Is there such thing?  Well, if there is, I'd be it.  Okay, not really since I love hamburgers and the sweet pork from Cafe Rio and the occasional burnt (kosher - cause like the ad says, "no ifs, ands, or BUTTS") hot dog.

Anyway...

Here's a salad recipe that is always a hit.  It's one of those salads that's really like a dessert but you feel like you can eat more of it without feeling guilty if you call it a salad.  Plus, then you can still have dessert too!  Really though, my sister Audy gave me this recipe and for some reason it's a lot of mens' favorite salad ever.  Like where they actually make their wife get the recipe, and follow up with them to make sure they do.  Hope you don't hate it and make this all awkward :).

Mixed Pretzel Salad

1/3 cup sugar plus 1 cup sugar
1/4 cup margarine
1 cup crushed pretzels
1 block cream cheese
1 tub cool whip
28 oz drained crushed pineapple
2 cups blueberries

Mix the pretzels, margarine and 1/3 cup sugar together and bake at 400 F for 6 min (burns really quick so watch it carefully). Let cool. Then break up with your hands.

Cream together the block of cream cheese and the 1 cup sugar. then mix in the cool whip, pineapple and blueberries. Then add pretzel mixture and mix together.

Please remember to link up recipes only, and visit the other parade co-hosts and say hello!

The Girl Creative

Dilly Dally & Flitter

Beat Until Fluffy

Dear Madelyn

Brown Paper Packages

Moody Girl Projects

Lucky Star Lane

Girl.Inspired

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Blog Guidebook

Fingerprints on the Fridge

Furniture Fix Up {Creative Chick Parade}

Welcome to Furniture Fix Up blog hop day at the Creative Chick Parade!  We'll be back next week with our regular We Did It! Wednesday party.  Today's blog hop will definitely be my favorite of the week, as I LOVE to see all of your before and after furniture projects. 

Although I've (let's be honest, I mean Joel and I) done my first few fix ups in the past year (you can see them here, here, and here), I'm most excited about my next one.  My husband is not.  He seems to find an excuse to NOT get started on it every time I bring it up.  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he'll be doing all the lifting, restoring, and basically any other hard work associated with  the project. 

Here it is:

We bought this dresser and mirror off of KSL for $50.  We haven't been able to figure out exactly how old it is, but the lady we bought it from said it had been her grandmother's, and they thought it was somewhere either pre- or early 1900s.

The carving and details are amazing...

And the workmanship is something inspiring all on its own.  I love imagining an antique piece actually being built, 100 years ago, by someone's own two hands.  Wouldn't it be fun to always know the whole history of your furniture?  Where it came from, the different places it's been, especially the people who owned it at one time or another?

The thing that's been holding me back is making a decision on what to actually do to the thing!  My initial feeling is to paint it an antique white or cream, and then distress it lightly as usual.  But then I start wondering if I should do a glaze too (which I haven't done before, so maybe this isn't the best piece to practice on?)?  Joel wants to keep the finish that's on it now, but to be honest, I don't love it that way.  And I think it's just because he's dreading painting it. 

What do you think about the drawer pulls?  On one hand I'd like to keep them to keep some of the antique-ness, but at the same time I can't say that I LOVE to look at them, so maybe I should get some crystal knobs instead? Maybe a combination of both?

It does freak me out to think of changing such an old piece of furniture (not that it's freaked me out in the past, maybe this is worse because it's so big), but at the same time if I'm going to keep it in my bedroom, it should be something that I love, and that makes me happy to look at, right?

Okay, so before you get linking, here's the question:  How would you refinish or paint it?  I'd love to hear ALL of your thoughts, and I promise I'm not just saying that.  The last time we were talking about it, I even told Joel, "well, I'm going to ask my readers, cause I know that they'll give me the best ideas.  They know what would be best."  Seriously, I really said that!  The craziest part is that he seemed to agree with me!  Hehe, I guess he thinks you're all cool (or at least cooler than me!) too :).

Make sure to take a minute and check out my fellow Creative Chick Paraders too, some of them are doing giveaways and other fun things that you won't want to miss!  Here they all are:

The Girl Creative

Dilly Dally & Flitter

Beat Until Fluffy

Dear Madelyn

Brown Paper Packages

Moody Girl Projects

Lucky Star Lane

Girl.Inspired

Sew Much Ado

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Blog Guidebook

Fingerprints on the Fridge

Okay, remember that any link you post here should be related to the Furniture Fix Up theme, and it will show up on all the other blogs above as well!

Ready, set, go!

Sew What {Creative Chick Parade}

Here we are at day two of the Creative Chick Parade!  I hope you enjoyed yesterday's Mod Podge Mahem, I can't believe all the things you've all covered in Mod Podge, wow!  Makes me a little less proud of my project :).

Today's blog hop theme is Sew What.  I thought that for today I'd share some things that you've made.  I've had so many great emails sent to me with pics of your Ruby Lou Dolls and projects you've made using Sew Much Ado tutorials, and I thought today would be perfect to showcase some of your work!
First, meet "Princess" Ruby Lou. 

Toni made a whole set to go along with The Princess and The Pea and it turned out fabulous!

Isn't that an adorable idea?

And I'd like to introduce you to "Dotty," made by the Catherine of Raspberry Rainbow:

Poor Dotty wasn't feeling well one day, good thing she had a friend to make her all better!

Hmm, can you guess why I love this hat that Holly made using the 4-In-1 Bucket Hat tutorial?  Here's a hint.

Here's a diaper bag made by Jana:

And a couple more from Angela (cause one is never enough, right?)

Jessica made these ruffle skirts for her cute little girls:

I've got lots more to show you (seriously, I have a whole post full of your ruffle skirts, but couldn't resist adding at least one to today's post!), but it will have to wait for another post.  Thanks for all the emails, and please keep them coming!

Now let's get linking...  Please share anything you've created related to sewing for our Sew What theme, and we'll see you tomorrow for our Furniture Fix Up party!

Mod Podge Mahem {The Creative Chick Parade}

It's here ladies!  The Creative Chick Parade is starting today, and our theme is Mod Podge Mahem.  This is a blog hop, so if you link up either here or on another co-host's blog, it will show up on all of the hosting blogs.

I was so excited when I found out that today's theme would be Mod Podge Mahem.  I've had a project on my mind for awhile (what's new), and was glad to have an excuse to actually get it done!  I came across this tutorial forever ago from How Does She, and instantly knew it was something that I need to have in my house.

Here's how mine turned out (the classiest part is the tack that it's hanging on):

You see, I'm Canadian, and Canadians remove their shoes when they enter someone's house.  Seriously, it's a cultural thing I think.  Maybe it's partly due to the fact that it's often snowing and shoes are wet, I don't know, but I could probably count on my fingers how many times in my life I've walked into my parents house with my shoes on (please don't tell my mom that it's even that many times, I promise I felt really guilty each time).  I can honestly say that last time I was in Canada, I literally crawled on my hands and knees (careful that my shoes made NO contact with the floor) through my sister's entire upstairs to get from the front door to the back entry.  Actually, I think I did that twice last time I was there!  Ada takes "clean" to the next level, and I was not about to mess with that!

Anyway, so now that I'm living in the US, I think this sign will come in handy.  I still feel guilty when people say "leave your shoes on" and I listen.  I just can't help feeling like I'm doing something naughty and wrong.  Now, if you've ever been to my house and have left your shoes on, please know that I still love you!  ...But I'll love you even more next time if your shoes are left at the door :).

If you're wondering, Leslie from My Tulip Garden did the vinyl lettering for me.  She was super quick and it turned out exactly how I wanted it.

Let's keep today's links strictly to Mod Podge projects.  You'll have chances to link up different themes as the week goes on, so no worries :).

Come back tomorrow for our Sew What? themed party!