Blog Party: that Baby Romper + Ice Cream Pillow + a FREE pattern

We've got about one more week of the Boardwalk Blog Party.  So let's keep the soft serve coming!

If you're looking for shops that carry Boardwalk Delight Fabrics, check out this post here.
And when the Party wraps up, I'll share a post with links to all the fun projects so they're easy to find.

Okay.  Back to Ice Cream Cones. 
I talked out the I Scream, You Scream print here...and how it's quickly become the favorite print in the collection.  Maybe it's that icy mint background?  Or maybe just that we all want ice cream?  All the time?  Yea, it's probably that.

And now darling is this little dress by Adrianna of Hey June??

She used the First Day Dress Pattern, which means I definitely need to try this out for Clara.
And oh, that hat, and the shoes, and the smile.
The photo is so darling. Love it Adrianna!

And since we're talking cones, how about your favorite flavor?
This Flavor of the Day design is also a favorite in the collection.  And surprisingly, it took me the longest to create!  Haah.  Probably due to my novice Illustrator skillz.  But we're getting there.

And you know, handlettered graphics are a mysterious creature. 

If you're like me I'm wondering....did they actually write that?  With their own hand?  Or is that a font they found somewhere?  Did they draw it on paper first and then scan it into the computer?  Many good questions.  

Well.  Nothing mysterious here.  I did handwrite the flavor names (and a bunch more that we didn't use)  I used a paintbrush in Illustrator and wrote them digitally on my Bamboo Pad.  But some designers choose to write on paper first and then digitize.  It's just personal preference. 

And the overall look was based on this photo I took while in Victoria, BC last summer visiting Butchart Gardens. 

Please excuse the chipped nails and dim lighting.  And please, if you ever go to BC, Canada visit Butchart Gardens and stick around for the fireworks.  You will love it.
And get the Pineapple Coconut and the Wildberry Flavors.  YUM.

I wanted the background color to be charcoal gray, like a chalkboard menu, with bright pops of volor.  And after creating the design, I totally envisioned it used for all sorts of children's items.  Like onesies, crib sheets, receiving blankets, bibs.

So I was super happy when Caroline of Sew Caroline used it for this:

What a happy photo!!  Her daughter Tinsley is a doll.  Ahhh.

Caroline is a fellow Art Gallery designer and also loves to create colorful, cherry fabrics....like her Happy Home collection which I used here.  And the Gleeful Collection I used on these two shirts here.   And I love what she did with both the Flavor of the Day print and the Ice Cream Shop knit.  Check out more pics on her blog!

Now how about Flavors and cones together??
As I've mentioned before I love see what quilters do.  And look at these cute pillows that Andrea of Andrea's Notebook made for her daughter's bed.  So much fun!

And that Ice Cream Cone pillow she "free handed"?  Delicious!  Oh Andrea, you've got so many good ideas in that notebook.  Thank you for sharing.
Head over to her site for more info.

Lastly,
The Eat-it-All print.

This was one of the first things I drew....because my childhood was full of cheap "eat-it-all" cake cones from Thrifty's....which is now Rite Aid, but still sells Thrifty brand ice cream. But you can't buy it at all Rite Aids....mostly only in California?  I think?

Ahhh.
Well, this summer we stopped at Rite Aid for a treat and Lucy looked at me, MOM!  Look at what the cone says!  Eat. It. All!  Haah.  I guess she needs more ice cream exposure in her life.

So, with the Eat it All fabric print, Shannon of Very Shannon made these awesome Pocket Potholders.  And she has a FREE pattern on her site.

She even has a shot of her husband in there!  I love it when the dads get in the mix.

And Shannon.  Oh Shannon.  Love her.  We go way back to when I first started blogging in 2008.  We check in on each other every so often....and last summer when I went to Canada, guess what??   We met up for lunch!  It was so awesome! 
And funny enough, I mentioned in our lunch conversation that I was hoping to create a fabric line, all about ice cream and treats but that it was just in the early stages.  And she gave me great advice about pursuing the things that make me happy and to go for it!
So thank you Shannon.
This cone's for you.

Okay, check out other Boardwalk Blog Party posts here, here, and here.
And stayed tuned next week for a fabric giveaway!
Cheers.

the night of 50 selfies

This summer during our travels to California, my siblings and mom and I threw a 70th birthday party for my dad, which was so much fun!
And when Instax asked if I'd share about their cameras again with you (check my previous Guest Book Post here) I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
I brought the Instax camera to the party! and asked everyone to take pics so we could add them to the special book we would give him as a gift.
It was like the cherry on top to a totally fun celebration.

Oh I loved this party for my Dad.
I think everybody needs something like this at some point in their life.

In fact I almost started crying when later in the night my dad said that no one had ever really thrown him a real birthday party before.  That growing up, they always celebrated his birthday with a simple cake after dinner and gifts, which was great.  And he had a happy life.  But he'd never had anything like this, so he was really touched to have a giant organized party just for him.
Oh Billy Drew (what my grandma always called him).

The party was definitely a group effort by all the 6 siblings, spouses, and my mom.
There were fun party colors and decor, old pics of my dad for the center pieces, a giant poster, yummy food, my brothers put together a slide show....it was a special night.
And each family was asked to come up with a song or skit or something to pay tribute to my Dad.

 (my cute dad and mom, Bill and Cindy)

The skits ranged from a Boy Scout Court of Honor (with special merit badges and silly jabs), to funny song parodies, to a full Tupac California Love rap which was a quite impressive.  Oh, and a special Elvis number by my cousin who happens to totally look like Elvis.  Haah.
It was a great evening!

Toward the end of the night as everyone partied with cake and ice cream, I pulled out the Instax Mini 70 camera and walked around to snap photos of everyone that was there.
And it was such a fun addition to the party!

We all had a blast taking instant photos of ourselves, watching them develop right there in front of us, and just enjoying the moment.

If you've never used one of these Instax cameras, you will love it.  They're such a crowd pleaser, and they come in so many cute colors....which, you know, just makes them that much more fun.  

And while I could have taken the pics of everyone, I love asking people to take selfies with the camera because it's fun to watch them come alive with the camera.  Some people know the routine, and others totally come out of their shell.

 ...and give you some real gems.

And with this particular Instax mini 70, there's an awesome selfie mirror on the front to help you all get into frame.  Seriously. It's the best!

I'm not sure who loved it more?  The grandkids or the adults?
We all had so much fun!

For about an hour everyone kept finding me, asking if they could take a picture with the Instax camera.   And then we oooo-ed and ahhhh-ed as the photo developed.  Why does that never get old??  I guess we all like "magic".

For a party this size with about 50 people, I would recommend 4, 10-packs of film so everyone gets into a pic.

And bring a sharpie so people can write a simple message on the edge of the photo. I love that aspect too. It's like a note to your friend and snapshot of life, all wrapped into one.

Now the photos are all ready to go into the keepsake book, which also has drawings and letters from everyone in the family. I'll probably tape them to cardstock (similar to what I did here).  And we'll have all these fun selfies from the party to remember that special Happy 70th night.
Thank you Instax for making our event just that much more fun and unique!

Would you like to try out an Instax camera?
Today we're giving away a gift card.....

Boardwalk Blog Party!

My Boardwalk Delight fabric collection with Art Gallery Fabrics has been in stores for two months now!
Which is kind of crazy.  And really fun.
It's such a treat to look in the #boardwalkdelightfabrics hashtag on instagram to see what you guys are making with it.
Find me @made_everyday

And since there's still one more month of summer, I thought it was time to have a party.
A Blog Party!

Last month I shipped fabric off to some of my favorite sewing friends and bloggers.
And throughout the month they're going to share what they've made!
I'll also be sharing some of my own projects, more favorites from the Look Book, and just some info about the design process.


And first up to the party is Anna of Noodlehead.
She and I have been friends for many years and I adore all that she does.  She's a master at details and has amazing patterns. 

So when I (freaked out) about having to put a booth together for Quilt Market, I quickly emailed Anna and asked if she would make one of her famous Poolside Tote bags for the booth, and the Look Book. And she said yes!  And she picked one of my favorite prints --- Soda Straws.

When I started this collection I knew there needed to be some sort of candy stripe print in the mix. But you can't really just do "stripes".  Well, I mean, I could do stripes and be perfectly content.  But to make a designer collection there should probably be some interesting twists and turns.  

So I was inspired by a painted wall I saw on Pinterest, and turned my stripes into this:

At first I called the design Popsicle Run.  Because if you look at the hot pink-orange version it sort of looks like angled popsicles, running away.  And since I can never pick my favorite color combo, there were many options.
I'm still dreaming about the Hot Pink-Orange one.  Maybe I'll throw it into a future collection.
 But as we selected the ten prints, I realized there was not a yellow print in the mix!  There were bits of yellow here and there.  But I knew there had to be a strong yellow design, or it didn't feel like me.

So we went with yellow....which reminded me of the stripes on Soda Straws.
And that became the name.
This print comes in standard quilting cotton and also in Canvas. 

And just like Anna said, it's amazing to watch a fabric transform when you add quilting and topstitching in the mix.  So head to her blog to see more!
PLUS, you need to see the fabric she used inside as well.
I. Freaking. Love. This. Bag.

And then head over to Made By Rae to see her cute ice cream dress!
I'll be talking more about that print next week.

Okay, the party's started!  Have a great weekend!

• For more info about this fabric, click here.
(there are links to shops that carry the fabric, plus a video and other photos).

• Poolside Tote Pattern, by Anna Graham, available here.