Monday, November 17, 2014

It's beginning to look a lot like Thanksgiving...

So let's share some Fall favorites!
Because November is always one of my favorite months. 
The air is crisp, the colors are changing.
And it's the perfect pause before Christmas to remember what you're thankful for....
Like kids who let you dress them as pilgrims and eat Candy Crunch Yams?  Yep.  I'm thankful for both.
I'm thankful for families, and the experience of being parents.
And I'm thankful for teachable moments---both for my kids and me.  I learn from them daily.  And I get excited about the world of knowledge that's ahead of them!   
I'm thankful for color.
All colors.
And for white.
I'm thankful for fuzzy socks.
I'm thankful for Never Fail Pie Crust.
Seriously it works! Every. Time.
Thank you mom for teaching me that.
And for being a fantastic mom!
I'm thankful for computers.I'm thankful for cars....and air conditioning.
I'm thankful for felt!
What a wonder fabric!

I'm not always thankful for messes (as you know) but I love the result when I'm done.

I'm thankful for the circle of life and how all things work together.
I'm thankful for our home.
I'm thankful for good school teachers for my kids.

I'm thankful for days when I am WARM!  I hate, hate, hate to be cold.
I'd rather be really hungry than really cold....which is hard say when this photo is staring at me....
because I'm very very thankful for Pumpkin!....and corn bread.....and pumpkin french toast.
I'm thankful for a good man and husband, who likes to can beets, and wrestle with the kids, and go on adventures in the backyard.
I'm thankful for this blogging community and that I can connect with another mom, half-way across the world, who speaks a different language than me....yet she has similar interests.  Amazing!  Yep.  Still thankful for computers!  And the internet.  And all that social network jazz.
I'm thankful for a healthy body.
And I'm thankful for sleep.....(though I sorta wish I was a vampire so I could stay up all night working while everyone else slept)

I'm thankful for Cool Whip, because I think it's better on pie than real whipping cream.  Sorry--I grew up in the 80s.
I'm thankful for good movies, and music, and art.
I'm thankful for people who can do things I can't do.
I'm thankful for all the men and women who fight for our country and for freedom.
And.....I'm thankful for YOU!
Thank you for reading along all these years and for your sharing your tips, ideas, and families with me.
You guys keep me going!

And here are a few projects that might keep you going, before the world turns green and red.....
Just click on a button below for the full tutorial or recipe.


And if you're looking for a fun way to do service with your family, here's a fantastic daily service challenge download. It's a great way to Give with Thanks!

And....I'd love to know what you're thankful for!....either big or small.
It's fun to see what makes your life happy.
Happy Monday friends!

 



Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Halloween 2014: Lala Lucy and Lil Squirt




I know.
Halloween is so two weeks ago.
BUT....I must share the girls costumes with you!  Because they're so much fun!
And if by chance you have a LalaLoopsy loving girl at your house, you can tuck this post away till Halloween rolls around again.

Okay.
Here's part 2 of our Halloween.
Unlike Owen, Lucy knew what she wanted to be months ago....in fact, she told me in the summer that she and her friends were going to dress as Lalaloopsies. 

They just love these little dolls.
They can't get enough of them!   I keep a small bag of them in my purse and it keeps the kids occupied when we go out to eat---even Owen.  He likes to be Patch.
For her birthday, we got Lucy the collectors book and she looked at that thing for a month straight (now we've been giving copies to friends on their birthday!)
One thing I love about these little dolls is their story---it's all about sewing and having your own unique personality.  Lalaloopsies are rag dolls that came to life when their last stitch was sewn.   And their outfits are repurposed from other items.  Fantastic!

Of course picking WHICH doll to be isn't easy....there are so many cute ones. 
But Lucy decided on Peanut---Peanut Big Top.
According to the collector's guide (heh heh), Peanut has a special talent for making people laugh, and she's never afraid to show her silly side.  And her costume is made from an old clown costume.
I love it!

When it came to sewing Lucy's costume, Lucy had the whole thing figured out....
Mom you can just make me one of those circle skirts, and a little polka dot shirt like those jammies you made me, and then some tights! 
Great plan Luce!  Great plan.
And so the week before Halloween, it all came together!
And she totally loved it...which is always the best reward for your labors.
Happy, excited kids.
Here's what we did....
I made a triple-layer circle skirt using 100% quilter's cotton.  I wanted it to be a little stiffer---so the layers would stand out without needing a petticoat underneath---and the fabric worked great.  You could also make Peanut's skirt from tulle (if you look online, there are various versions of her outfit and various ways you could make it)
For the shirt I used the First Day Dress pattern, adding some ruffled flutter sleeves and a lacy placket to the front.  I love it when I have patterns all ready to go for this stuff! 
And I really love how the shirt and skirt turned out.  She might actually wear these again as normal clothes.  And.... I kinda want that shirt for myself!

Now the key to really looking like a Lalaloopsy is the yarn wig....which I'm going to have share more about in a separate tutorial.  It's not hard to make, but they are some tips that will help.  To get you started: it's a knit beanie hat underneath, with yarn sewn into a part on top.  It's not perfect and every once in a while you could see her bits of her beanie.  But overall it worked great!
Then we threw it all together with some pink shoes, red laces, a pair of tights (I purchased these) with a heart on the right knee (we just taped a felt heart on because sewing it in place was too complicated.  Ding!)
And we added a pair of fingerless gloves.
I just cut two rectangles of fabric, folded the tops and bottom under and sewed them in a tube. Then I cut a small hole for the thumb.  No hemming or finishing.  And she actually lost this pair when she wore the outfit to dance class, so I whipped up another pair in red fabric and liked those even better. 
And there you go!  Just as she had planned.
And then of course,
there's this girl.

YES!  We finally dressed Clara in a real costume!

Cause did you know that Peanut has a little sister???
She's Squirt Lil' Top!  Too perfect.

And she wears this darling romper, also made from an old clown costume (according to legend).   So I came up with a make-shift romper using the KID shorts pattern and the circle skirt tutorial for the collar, and it worked out pretty well.  
I made yarn pom-poms using my tutorial here, then measured felt circles the size of the poms and sewed them to the romper first, and then hot glued the pom-poms to the felt.  
I wish I had added one extra inch in the length, cause it's a bit snug on her bum and shoulders....but it only makes her more endearing.
Then I sewed up a quick pair of leggings, added the wig and shoes and shew was ready to go!


One Lala Lucy and one Lil' Squirt.
Sounds about right.
Oh I la la LOVE you girls! 
I hope you stay friends forever.

And that is officially a Halloween wrap.
On to the other holidays....


Monday, November 3, 2014

tons of free patterns, for anyone

It's officially November!
Time to start thinking about Christmas, and presents, and handmade gifts?
Mmmm.
Maybe not yet.
How about just sewing for fun!
For you....and for your man?
YES.





You see, you've heard me talk about the fantastic classes on Craftsy before (here and here)...but did you know they have patterns on there too?  Tons of FREE Patterns??
What?
Where have I been?
I'll chalk this up as one of those duh-Dana moments.
Cause who doesn't love free stuff?   I'm sure I had you at the Simple Skirt pattern and Men's Bow Tie pattern above?  Yea.  I need those in my life.

And I probably need some Polka Dot Nighties for my girls and an Ethel Tote Bag.
Cute + Cute.
If you want to search for FREE patterns on the Craftsy site, it's easy.

I clicked the pattern tab at the top of the site. Then you can click on whatever category you'd like----sewing, crocheting, knitting, jewelry, etc.  Then I clicked Top 20 FREE Sewing Patterns, and all sorts of fun things popped up!  You could also type in "free patterns" in the search box for more than 20 options, or type in some of the pattern names I've mentioned here.

Cause you might want to sew a Union Jack to your bag or purse.
Or make a Simple Sunny Top for your little girl?
So many darling things to try!
And it's free, for anyone.
You just need to open an account on Craftsy and start searching.

So get going!
Visit Craftsy's FREE Pattern gallery HERE.
Enjoy!

This post is sponsored by Craftsy.
http://www.craftsy.com/patterns/sewing/free