The UN-Pillowcase Dress

I am very excited about my first attempt at a pillowcase dress.  I didn't use an actual pillowcase as per tradition, so I'm calling this my UNpillowcase dress.  I love the fact that I didn't have to use a pattern to make this dress.  I was able to use leftover fabric and ribbon from my stash AND it only took about 2 hours to make.  It's the perfect kind of dress to make for the poor, ADD inflicted, crafty mama.

I will definitely be making lots of dresses just like this for my Princess in the future.  I have seen many variations of this on different blogs and look forward to spicing it up next time with some ruffles or something. 

I know I'm her mama, but is she not the most precious thing you've ever seen?

Handmade Halloween Hope List

It's been a rough day.  I've got three sick kiddos, had to fill another $70 perscription (bye-bye fabric money), and have pancake flavored puke in my car.  My heart hurts for my children.  My nose and wallet are hurting pretty badly too.

However, I just got two outta three medicated munchkins down for the count, so I have a few moments to focus on something encouraging: my Handmade Halloween Hope List.  These are the things I hope to be able to make in the next week or two in order to have the most awesome Halloween decor ever.

One or two weeks, you say?!?  I know, I know...that's why it's called a "hope" list...not a "to do" list.

Normally, I would scour the internet looking for all sorts of  spooky decor ideas.  This year, however, Pottery Barn Kids did all the work for me.  They have such great ideas in their Autumn 2010 catalogue that I don't have to look any further (which is good, because I can use that extra time to de-odorize the car).  So, without further ado...here are a few pics of the things I hope to make while quarentined with sick babies:

I love the banner, the "Boo" letters, and black crows here.

It may be difficult to see, but I'm totally digging the painted white pumpkins with the black stars and spider.

Pumpkin laterns!  I think I might make a spider version of this.  Or, I might just buy these.  :)

Painted signs.  Sweet.  I love the idea of personalizing these to scare the snot out of my neighbors' kids.

What's up, cool cat?

Like the idea of making this then switching out the basket liner during Christmas.

Not sure if I'll have the time to make these.  But, if not, they're only $16 at PB!

That's it.  Now share your favorite handmade Halloween/Autumn decor ideas...

{images via Pottery Barn Kids}

Free Typography Art

I have been so into typography art lately.  I like how simple it is.  I like how many different ways one letter can look and how different fonts (or even sizes) can dramatically change the mood of the word.


Lots of folks are putting positive messages into their typography art.  It's amazing how uplifting a sentence in a frame can be.  Inspired by a few of the posters I've seen around Etsy, I decided to make a few and decorate different parts of my house with scriptures from the Bible.


Especially for the children, I thought this would be a helpful way to remind them of the few short scriptures that I try day and night to drive into their little brains.  It cannot hurt to have scriptures like "Love is kind," (aka. don't poke your sister in the head with that fork) framed above their beds.  I'm definitely, definitely going to make a super large print of "Honor your father and mother" in bold letters and loud colors with a little wooden spoon at the bottom just to drive the point home.


Any way, I just whipped up a quick little poster and thought I'd share it.  Feel free to print it out for yourselves (for personal use only, obviously).  Let me know if you need a larger file.  And, there will hopefully be more on the way.

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deut. 6:6-9

Spa Wrap Tutorial!

Recently, a good friend turned a year older and I wanted to make her a gift that showed her how crazy cool I think she is.  Since her home away from home is the YMCA, I thought I'd make her a little spa wrap towel to use after her workouts.  Personally, my favorite thing about the gym is putting the kids in childcare, then taking a shower and putting on my make up in peace.  This little wrap lets you soak up those baby free moments in style.


Here we go...

Supplies Needed:

1. 2 towels - make sure the towel is large enough to wrap around you comfortably

2. Fabric - 2 times the length of your towel

3. Velcro - 3/4 inch sew in 

4. Elastic - 1.5 inch knit woven 

5. Scissors

6. Thread - should match your towel and fabric

7. Pins

8. Cutting Board, ruler, rotary cutter, fabric pen (these are optional, I suppose, but make life a HECK of a lot easier!)

Ruffle:

1. Cut the edge off the towel and finish the edge.  You can do this with a zig zag stitch or with a serger.

2. Cut a strip of decorative fabric 5 inches wide by 2 times the length of the short side of your towel.  I had to cut two strips and sew them together in order to get the length needed.  Fold in half and press so that it measures 2.5 inches wide.  Finish the edges, again by zig zag or serger.  

3.  Gather the fabric to create the ruffle.  The way that I do this is by a) setting my sewing machine to the longest stitch length, b) loosening the tension of the top thread a bit, c) sewing one line with 1/4 inch seam, then d) pulling very gently on the top thread until the fabric gathers into a ruffle.

4. Adjust the length of the ruffle until it is the same size as the finished edge of the towel.  Pin the ruffle to the wrong side of the towel.  Sew.

*side note - I did try pinned the right sides of the fabric and towel together as well, but it didn't sit as well.

This next part is the tough part.  Hang in there...

Elastic:

1. Wrap the towel around your bodacious body.  This should give you a good idea of just how much fabric you'd like to "take in" with the elastic. 

2. Cut a strip of elastic about 10 - 12 inches.

3. With a pen, make little marks on the top of the elastic at the 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 marks.  In other words, if you have a piece of elastic 12 inches long, there will be a mark at the 3, 6, and 9 inch marks (see photo below).  

4. Make a small mark on the middle of the top of the towel.  Then, make little marks 4 and 8 inches on either side of the middle.  These marks will help you line the elastic up to the appropriate places on the towel.

5. Using a zig zag stitch, sew the side of the elastic about 1/2 inch from the first mark (which should be about 8 inches from the middle).  Sew back and forth several times in order to secure it in place.

6.  Using the marks on the elastic and towel as guides, use a straight stitch to sew the top of the elastic in place.  Use a zig zag again to sew the other side in place.

7.  Using all the strength in your mighty biceps, fold the elastic over twice and sew along the bottom of the entire casing.  This will not be easy, but you can do it.  You may have to do this in portions to make sure that the sides match up correctly.

Velcro:

1.  Sew about 8 inches of velcro to the top sides of the wrap.  Be sure to fit the towel around you again to assure that you are sewing the velcro to the correct sides.  If the ruffle is wrapping to your left, the velcro should be sewn to the outside top of the left part of the towel and to the inside top of the ruffle side.  Confused yet?

Almost done...

Bottom Ruffle:

1. Cut 4 inch strips off the top and bottom of the extra towel.  I used the top and bottom so that the edges can keep that nice finishing.

2. Sew the two pieces together so that the length of the strips is twice as long as the spa wrap.  

3.  Finish the edges.

4. Gather the towel strip (just as you did to make the fabric ruffle).  This is not easy, so you may have to break it up into parts.  Take your time so that the thread doesn't break.

5. Sew the strip to the bottom of the towel - right sides together.  Press it down.  

If you like, take it to an embroidery store to have it monogramed.  

You're finished!  Now get to the gym and make all the girls in the locker room jealous!