shhh...

when i saw this tutorial on a felt mr. potato head, i had to make it.
and what perfect timing, my sweet nephew is turning one in less than a week (still shocking to me!)
i think he will just love it.
and they are great for church meetings since they are so quiet.

there is a nifty little pocket on mr. potato head's back side to store all of the other pieces.
and i could have gone on all day just making more accessories for this fun doll, but since my girls were hungry i think i better feed them.
whatever.
:)

sweet mrs. potato head

and mr. and mrs. potato head's son

such a fun activity to make and to play with.
but i loved it even more since it is made out of felt and there is no sewing "inside out" and then flipping it "right side out".
talk about a time saver!

now i just need to make one for my girls!
i love excuses to make things...

whatcha' doin?

so, a few months and a million projects later....

thought i'd share what i've been up to...

two dolls for my girls.
thanks to black apple dolls for the free pattern and tutorial.
i added pigtails to the red head to make it more like my red head.
these were so fun and easy to make and i look for every chance to make one.

cute little phoebe bag.
once again, free pattern and tutorial.
thank you, rebeka lambert.

first of all, i would like to apologize for the next two pictures.
my camera is busted and so i desperately used my daughter's fisher price digital camera to capture these last few projects.
the picture quality isn't great, but it is indestructible.

love this fabric key chain from the idea room.
and from the picture it is obvious that it is a gift for a good friend/hair stylist along with these adorable fabric flower earrings from this tutorial, on happy together.

last but not least, the hanging dish towel.
i've always had the crocheted top towels from grandma, but this just takes a potholder, towel and button and a sewing machine. i made five of them in less than 20 minutes and i think i will make more to give them away in a gift set. great neighbor gifts.
that's just a sampling of what i've been up to.
i gotta get better at posting and get a better camera!
Christmas is coming up....just one more thing on the "list".

lets refashion!

so my little one is growing out of her clothes so fast, and I could just throw her old clothes away...but oh no...not me! i'm on a big "refashioning" kick. i've been so obsessed with sewing (thanks to this wonderful lady that i love) that now i look at other items of clothing if they have holes, stains or rips and decide what i could make them in to...

like this outfit.
i took her old jeans, cut the legs off, added fabric and it becomes a super cute skirt. (i promise it's straight. it's just hard to get a serious picture with this stinker.) but i think i love this skirt so much because my mom made me one just like this when I was little.

the shirt had stains up toward the top, but that's easily taken care of... i just made some "yo yos" with buttons, sewed it to the shirt, and you don't even know the stains are there!
it's so fun!
and I'm such a nerd.
i know.

anyway, just a side note...this little turkey and I were sick with the vomits last night. ugh. i hate being sick, but it's sad to see your little ones so violently sick.
but not even 24 hours later this is what she looks like. look at that face....you wouldn't even know she was sick...well, maybe that hair would give you some kind of a clue! geesh, you think someone could comb that!
but we are all doing much better...just waiting for daddy to get it...he doesn't think he'll be bit by the bug, but it's a strong one, so don't be too sure sweetie! ;)
i'll save you some gatorade, babe!

hello?? brilliant!!

Today I made this super easy and super cute Travel Pillow for Alex that I found on one of most favorite blogs amazing mae.
We will be going on a little road trip this weekend for the 4th, and so I thought this would be so helpful. In the pocket my little sweetie can keep her coloring books, animals and treats right there with her, and it even has a handle to help her carry it.
like i said, brilliant!

well....

...i gave it my best shot.
recently I have really gotten into sewing. and i thought for Fathers Day i would make my father something from the heart, and he always asks for ties so i thought, why not make him a tie? good idea, right?

wrong.

usually this is the point in my post that i apologize for the horrible photo and lighting and all that, but in this case i think the lighting actually helped the tie look a little better. ha.

and if you're asking "aren't ties supposed to be a straight piece of fabric?"
the answer is yes. yes they are.
but i thought just because it didn't work out how i had pictured it didn't mean i couldn't still give it to my dad. and just because the interfacing that i had bought and sewed into the tie made it stiff as a board and impossible to tie didn't mean i couldn't give it to dad.
right?
so that's what i did.
happy father's day, dad.


he was such a good sport. he actually got the thing to tie.
(i'm not a tie expert, but aren't ties supposed to go to the belt buckle? i'm just sayin'.)
of course after all the laughter and jokes, we gave him a "real" (store bought) tie.
it's the thought that counts, you know.

okay, enough laughing at me.
i would like to present a "redemption" project.
here is my adorable baby right after she woke up from her nap- love the hair.
she is sporting a fun little outfit i put together the other day to make me feel better after my little tie disaster.
the shirt is an old white shirt that was covered in stains, so i just appliqued a cute flower to cover that up. then stitched around the edges to keep it from fraying too much or falling off. the shorts are made from the same fabric.

the sides of the shirt were my favorite. i was able to scrunch the sides up with ribbon. so cute. so easy.


i also took a pair of my favorite pajama pants (with major holes) to make some mini pjs for a-rod.

ah! i just can't wait for my new and improved sewing machine.
it's amazing what you can get from your husband when he wants college football season tickets!

i heart smocking

i feel like i need to post a disclaimer...
i am not an expert seamstress, nor will i ever be, but i do really enjoy sewing.
recently i learned how to "smock" (thanks to heather ross) and i admit i'm a bit obsessed.
it only took me a half a day to finish this dress (less if the girls weren't so needy:). this is so extremely simple and fun to make.
in fact, i'm starting one right now for me so that i can use it as a cover-up at the beach this weekend!

PLEASE do not pay attention to how incredibly crooked the seams are- sometimes straight lines are the hardest for me to sew. please don't judge me. lol.