My First Sale

Does it mean you're obsessed when you wake up dreaming about fabric combinations?  My shop, ModernBabyThreads has had its first sale, which happened to be my favorite item in the shop.  I love the Alexander Henry Apples and Pears fabric - it's so versitile.

So my first sale went to someone in Dallas, so thank you, thank you.  It was a cudly blanket with the Alexander Henry designer fabric which reversed to a coordinating soft, plush pink dot minky. It measured roughly 30" x 30. 

I'll be doing some sewing to get the inventory up in the shop.  If anyone is looking for a great item for themselves or as a gift, please think of Modern Baby Threads

Giveaway

There are so many giveaways on blogs, but I have yet to win one.  I'm trying my darndest on this one, because I could really use a gift card to CSN Stores.  They have so many cute things, I'd probably take me a year before I decided on what to buy.

Go pop over here and enter her giveaway.  Also, check out her amazing renovations, including these amazing DIY light fixtures.

It's Almost Football Season

I've been away from blogging for a while so it was time for a craft.  I whipped out my trusty sewing machine and thought I'd make something for a friend who just found out she's having a baby girl.  I wanted to do something special and personal so I thought I'd incorporate her favorite college football team into a Pillowcase Dress.  (It's against my better judgement to use this fabric since I'm a Georgia Bulldog fan, but you've go to give the people what they want!!)  I've always thought they were adorable and seemed like something even I couldn't mess up since it's been a while since I attempted to sew...

The dress I made is for a 12 month old.  Of course, you can always use a pillowcase, since it's where the name came from, but I used fabric.

1. Cut fabric to approx 16" in length and 30" wide. 

2. With right sides facing together, sew side seam and then iron open.

3. Fold fabric in half widthwise so you can cut both armholes at once. Measure 3" down and 1.5" in from the seam and create a J shape.  Cut armholes.

4. To finish the armholes, fold under 1/4" and press.  Fold under another 1/4" and sew.  This part was a little tricky, since it's a curve, but I just pinned, pinned, pinned.  You could also sew bias tape around - I might try that next time.  You want to make sure to do this so you don't have raw edges on that sensitive baby skin.

5. To finish the top, I pressed under 1/4" and then folded under 1" and sew.

6. Cut ribbon into pieces about 1 yard each and feed it thru the pockets you just made.  You may need to cut them a little shorter, but wait until you try it on the little one first.  Use a little fray-check on the edges of the ribbon.

7. You could just fold the bottom under 2 or 3 inches and sew, but I decided to add a contrasting border.  I cut a 6" piece of fabric 32".  I folded it in half to create a 3" border on the dress.  Press each raw edge under 1/4" and sew into place.  You can also add ric rac at the border - I'm still considering it. 

Can't wait to see her face when she sees it.  The youngest tailgater will look adorable!

A Soft Place to Land

Fingerprints on the Fridge

Budget Valentine Gift

Since my birthday is exactly 1 week before Valentine's Day (more on my A-MAZING day later), the hubs and I usually decide to go pretty low key for Valentine's Day.  In fact, we try to have date nights quite often, so the "Hallmark holiday" as the hubs calls it never ranks too high on our holiday list.

However, let me say ladies - he treats me great and is constantly doing sweet things all year round, so don't picture a neanderthal grunting at me that he wants to stay in.  Ok, now that the disclaimer is out of the way, we decided to celebrate Vday with dinner and a movie.  The hubs let me pick something out of one of our many cookbooks, and he was the master chef.  What a great treat.  While I love cooking, it's nice to be pampered and waited on too sometimes.  We also saw Dear John.  Has anyone seen it yet?  While it's definitely no Notebook, I'd say it's worth seeing.  Different than I imagined. 

On to the gifting...

I wanted to keep within a small budget and I managed to do it.  Total cost of the gift?  $1.50.  Sweet!  This this amount and some creativity I created what I dubbed The Memory Box.

I went thrifting to find an antique wooden recipe box.  While I didn't find a wooden one, I did find a metal one with rust that had seen better days.  That was ok, because I planned a little makeover for it. 

First, I painted the rusty metal box a crisp white to have a base color.  I then found cute scapbook paper at Michael's and used a coupon to save a whopping $.50.  Am I the only one that will.not.buy without a coupon?

With a little Modge Podge and patience, I covered the box in the paper.  To tell you the truth, I'm not a Modge Podge expert.  I usually use either too much or too little...I mean, how can you mess up watered down elmers glue?  I'll work thru my issues on another day.

I know you are wondering what I put in the memory box.  Using this website, I created card catalog cards of special dates and memories we've shared.  Of course, I did the obvious choices like our first date and the day we got engaged, but my favorite are the kookie entries that mean something only to us.  

I simply saved and printed each card and put them into the box, then tied it with a pretty bow and paired it all with a homemade card. 

My favorite part is the excitement that I'll feel at the end of a wonderful day with the knowledge that we'll get to write an entry together.  I think it'll also be fun to read thru with our future kiddos recreating the days of our courting and earliest memories. 

Linking to:

Trash to Treasure Tuesday @ Reinvented
DIY Day @ ASPTL
Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog

Happy Groundhog Day!

Happy Groundhog Day, everyone!  To be honest, I completely forgot about the holiday until I heard them talking about it on the news this morning.  To be fair, I'm not too worried about whether Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow or not as spring has a way of springin (pun intended) fairly quickly here either way (please don't hate me because i live in Florida and don't have blistering cold weather - we have to deal with all the elderly drivers...that should soften the blow some!!).

Now that the day is here, it make me think about the furry groundhog.  Aren't they just so cute?  Aren't they?  Anyone?  Hello?  (insert crickets chirping here).  Did you know a groundhog is the same thing as a woodchuck?  I sure didn't.  So, since I know nothing about the animal that has its own holiday, I'm going to assume you don't either.  I know not everyone is as ignorant uninformed as me, but bear with me.  So here's a few trivia facts I found here.

• All groundhogs have 22 teeth
• Groundhogs hibernate one to a burrow, with at least two doorways.
• Males emerge earlier than females each spring (I guess the females like to sleep in...i know i do!
• Groundhogs can lose 50% fo their body weight in hibernation.  (Hello, hibernation.  Have we met??)
• They can swim and climp trees and have a top speed of 15km per hour (yeah, I'm too lazy to do the conversion, but I assume that's fast!)
• Groundhog Day was once celebrated by the ancient Celts.  It's halfway between the winter solstice and sring equinox.
• Farrah Fawcett, Tom Smothers, James Joyce, Graham Nash, and Christie Brinkley were all born on Groundhog Day.

Hope you feel enlightened!

Goals for February

I can't believe January is already over.  Since I didn't put down my goals or resolutions for 2010, I thought this might be a good time to set some concrete goals for February.  The beginning of the year is such a great time for getting and staying focused.  So many times people do so well in January with their resolutions then fall off the wagon. 

Here's what I hope to accomplish in February:

• Run in the morning 6 days a week
• Afternoon workouts 4-5 days a week
• Finish planting garden
• Find curtains for the dining room
• Finish cornhole board set and make bags
• Sew something for the house and something to wear
• Paint something
• Redo bookcases (free craigslist score) and decide where they're going
• Blog 4 times per week
• Find (or redo) a lamp for the bedroom
• Spend one night a week as quailty time with the hubs
• Turn 30 gracefully...

Getting the Look for Less

Ballard Bellesol Mirror (Medium) 31.5" diameter
$159

HomeGoods Mirror, 32" diameter

$79.99

How to Make Art for Zero Dollars

Wanted to share a few things with you. Do you like free art? Rhetorical question, I realize. Of course you do. I’ll get to that later. First, I wanted to share a quick “after” with you (the frame).  Don't judge me for not touching up the spots above the frame...we hung it too high and I HAD to have it lowered.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a “before” picture because I did this before I began thinking about blogging and obsessively taking pictures. This frame was a gift from an uncle of mine. He had many health problems and was giving many of us something to remember him by. One evening when we had them over for dinner, he brought an antique gold frame with him. Apparently, he had repaired an old frame in need of some TLC and decided to gold leaf it.

I loved the shape and detail of my new goodie, but the gold leaf, not so much. So I got out my trusty friend, white spray paint. I LOVE the results. Once painted white, the details of the frame really popped. This quickly became my favorite frame.

I hung the frame over our console table in the entryway. While I loved the empty frame look, when the holidays came, I thought it needed a little pop of color.

While shopping the house, I found a placemat I had left over from another project. (Another post for another day).

I pinned the placemat to the wall using some map pins I had on hand. Now I love how the pattern fits in the frame with a little wall border that looks like a mat. As of right now, I plan on leaving it up all year since the color fits with our scheme (or at least until I’m bored with it). I used the placemat because it was on hand and FREE, but there are so many options – scrap fabric, wallpaper, wrapping paper.

So have you ever used a placemat as art? What about any other kitchen textile? Do you think it’s working?  Hope you like it Uncle Al.  I think of you everytime I see it!  We miss you...

Linking to:
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Make it Your Monday @ The Twice Remembered Cottage
Trash to Treasure Tuesdays @ Reinvented
DIY Day @ A Soft Place to Land
Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage

The Crap Has Hit the Fan

Ok, in all fairness, it hasn't hit the fan, just our garden.  Since we are in Florida, while most of the rest of the world is still getting hit with their winter storms, it's time for us to begin thinking about our garden.  Just so you know what we're dealing with, here's a photo from last year.

The first thing we have to think about is compost.  Yes, ladies and gents, I'm talking about manure.  Poo.  Crap.  As Snoop would say - shizzle. 

Last year I left this up the the hubs.  We have some friends out in the country that have about 1,000 acres and raise cows.  Hubs and my brother went out on a poo scavenger hunt.  Walking around the property with shovels in hand, they piled the piles (hehe) into the bed of a truck.  Needless to say, that took all day. 

This year, we thought about purchasing it from a lady who bags it.  That didn't sound like the best plan for us because 1) we need a LOT and it would probably get expensive 2) We'd have to manually spread each bag 3) it was a little drive from us.

So I decided to consult the best friend a girl can have...craig.  You know, I checked his list.  Yeah, craigslist.  In the farm + garden section, I checked for manure.  No dice.  So I did what I didn't think would work, I put up a wanted ad for free manure.  Amazingly, we received 6 emails with people offering their manure.  We settled on a couple that lives only a few miles from us.  On Sunday, we put our shovel in the back of the truck thinking we'd be shoveling for hours (but again, it's free!) only to be ecstatic when we pulled up to the house to find the husband in a tractor.  Score!

They were the nicest couple who gave us a heaping truck bed full of fresh manure and compost, no shoveling required.  Once we got home, the spreading went quickly.  Somehow, I managed to foget to take a picture of the weighted down truck - what was I thinking? (This is not our truck our our steaming manure, but you get the point)

Next weekend, we'll till it into the soil and be one step closer to the fresh veges and herbs we love.  We probably could have gotten another truck bed full, but this will do wonders for the nutrients in our soil.

So I ask, has anyone else posted a wanted ad on craiglist?  Was is successful or not?  We learned a lesson that I'm sure we'll use in the future.

I Scarfed up this Tutorial

Ok, that was a cheesy title, I know, but I couldn't help myself. I've never claimed to be a very creative person, but I am a pretty good copier. I found a tutorial here to make a really cute and sassy scarf. For the full tutorial, go to Ruffles and Stuff.

So anyway, this is really easy. I followed Disney's suggestion of using jersey pants as material. I went to my local Salvation Army, where it happened to be 1/2 off clothing day. Woo Hoo! I found the perfect jersey pants in an extra large. Tip alert - if buying clothes at a second hand store buy the biggest you can find that works for you. You get more fabric for the same price...hello obvious statement. I got an extra large for $1.50 (half off the regular $3 price tag). I was so excited that I forgot to get a picture, but I'm pretty sure you know what a pair of pants looks like...

So I cut the pants in 4 in x 4 in squares. My squares were nowhere near perfect, but in this scarf, noone will ever notice. (It did make me put a rotary cutter on my birthday list - hi hubs). I cut 60 squares and then pinned them together, with each point of the square matching up with the middle of the next square.

After that, all that's left is sewing down the middle. When setting it up to go in the machine, make sure you set it up so the first square going into the machine is on top. It makes it much easier to feed thru. I did a straight stich down the middle. When sewing, I made sure to straighten each square and make sure that the edges were all pressed down because they had a tendancy to curl up.

The 60 squares makes a really long scarf. I doubled it and it was still really long. Next time, I'd probably do 50ish squares. I love how it came out - I wore it once already and got a ton of compliments. Even for novice sewers this is super simple!

Blog Inspiration

There are so many amazingly talented bloggers out there, I want to point out a few of my favorites occasionally to give you inspiration or open your eyes to some new eye candy.

Here's a real-life room of a blogger that I can't get enough of. There is pretty much noting I don't L.O.V.E. about this room. It's the so functional and stylish. The ruffles, the colors, the syle, oh my!

This room has made me reconsider so many things I didn't think I liked....

• wallpaper
• cool colors - I've been a warm color girl, beiges, creams, browns. But I love this space
• yellow (and black - without looking like a bumblebee)
• open shelving for an office. Somehow it looks organized and not cluttered
  

If you haven't checked out Michelle over at Three Men and a Lady, you have to go RIGHT NOW!

While you are there, check out her amazing master bedroom transformation too. Swoon!

God, Can you turn the heat on please?

Let me explain something. I live in Southwest Florida. There are many reasons I love it here...my family is close, beautiful beaches, great friends, I'm addicted to water. But do you want to know the #1 reason I'm here?

The weather. (Sorry mom & dad)

I H.A.T.E. being cold.


So imagine my disappointment at having below freezing temperatures for weeks now. We Floridians just don't know how to act when it gets this cold. Will our pool pipes freeze? What temperature do you set the heat at? How many layers can I fit under my coat without looking like the kid from A Christmas Story?

This leads me to my disaster of the weekend. I've officially learned a lesson. I'll admit I had cabin fever this weekend. I can't stand being stuck in the house because it's miserable outside. On Saturday, I decided to work on a few projects in the garage that are half done. One is a goodwill small glass bowl I was painting to use as a holder for my rings when I'm not wearing them. I've been looking at goodwill and the local thrift store for something like this (oh Eddie, you know I love you, why do you have to charge so much for these??):





but haven't been able to find just the right one, so I decided to make a cheap (read inexpensive)imitation one. The project was almost done, I thought I'd give it one more coat of white paint before putting a protective spray on it. I attempted this Saturday and ended up with this:



As I'm wondering what the heck happened, I vaguely remember a blog post I read recently where the poster said she brushed the paint because she couldn't spray due to the temperature. I think it's time to read the back of the spray paint can.



Oh crap. Who knew you weren't supposed to use spray paint in temps under 65 degrees? Apparently those who live in every state except for Florida. Lesson learned.



At least now I have another reason to love Florida - Less interuptions from crafting due to weather conditions!


So has anyone else had a weather related craft-astrophy lately? Do share so I can feel better. Thanks.

Grand Opening!

Since I just spent about 2 hours making my blog header, (go ahead, tell me you love it!) I figure I might as well make my first post so I stop feeling like a total blog stalker. By the way, I followed Sarah at Clover Lanes tutorial for making creating a header in Picasa. I HIGHLY recommend following her tut. Now the next thing on my list is to feel like I know what the heck I'm doing in Picasa. Okay, one thing at a time, Suzanne.



Here's what I have planned for the next few weeks on here:

• Share all the projects I've recently finished (each one thinking - if only I had a blog to share this on!)


• Reveal a few of our favorite meals - and their recipes, of course. I think you'll like these...I mean, we don't have to diet every January because I make tasteless food!


• Begin a house tour, prob with a list of what I'd like to do to improve.


• Most of all, figure out how you all find all your time to do all this blogging, renovating, painting, crafting, sewing...

For right now, I'm off to cheer on Alabama in the National Championship game. Sorry, Texas, gotta stick with the SEC!