Tribal Maxi Dress

My version of a Maxi Dress.
I bought this fabric at clearance (again) at Joann's for 3 dollars a yard and again, had no idea what I would do with it. I thought it would make some kind of dress and this was it. I was hard to get the draping right in the front. At first I gathered it but it was way too baggy, so then I thought..pleats. and it flattened it enough so I didn't feel pregnant. I made the bodice without the white gathering first, but it was just too much print, it needed to be broken up. So I added the white, but it took a lot of messing with to get everything to lay right. I still don't love the cups of the bodice, they are just too full for my girls but I will figure it out. I love the back shoulder straps, they add just enough to be different.



The shoulder strap. Love the gather.



Full and Frilly Fabric Flowers

Oh, how I love flowers and these are just so cute and I haven't seen anything like them.

I found the idea on the best blog, Make it and Love it, she has so many fun ideas and tutorials.

 http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2011/08/full-and-textured-fabric-flowers.html 

So I tried it on the only solid fabric that I had lying around (from my son's John Stockon costume) and whipped it up real quick, I mean quick. They were so fast and easy.

I cut out 30-40 circles without trying to be neat and perfect--I just did one base circle from grey felt, then folded the fabric over so I had about 4 layers and cut the circles. After folding them (the circle) into in on it's self into triangles, I started sewing them on. I did a base layer only sewing the tips of the triangle and then added the next layer and the next. The middle I had to sew on by hand but I think each flower only took about 10 minutes! I am going to make a bunch more, maybe try some printed fabric.
If you would like to buy these, head on over to my Etsy shop
https://www.etsy.com/listing/104453173/lot-of-23-different-handmade-flowers-for

Hot Pink Apron with Duct Tape Flower

 I made this apron for my new sister-in-laws shower. I took the idea from one of my earlier aprons, the greenish Retro one, because I thought the fabric matched the Retro feel. I used just one package of bias tape for this one.
I love the way it turned out, and I think what really makes it is the Duct Tape flower. I'm going to do a post about how to make them soon, they are so easy and fast. I really love them and their are so many colors of duct tape now, so fun.
The picture is a little weird--like all my photos--because it was time to go to the shower and I almost wrapped it without the picture, so I told my son to hurry and take a picture before I left. Maybe I should start making gifts ahead so that I'm not finishing as I walk out the door ;) 


Don't you LOVE the fabric?




Close up of the Duct Tape flower.



Back to School Wreath

I needed something fun for that time of year with no real holiday--if you don't include back to school---and when I found this I knew it was perfect.

I found the link on Tip Junkie and it was so easy! 

http://momspartycafe.blogspot.com/2010/06/teacher-giftscontinuedcrayon-wreaths.html

 I did mine just a little smaller than on the tutorial because I couldn't find the right size hoops.

So here is it:

-You will need 2 embroidery hoops large--I don't know what size mine are, sorry--just the size that crayons will fit on. I wish that I would've done a bigger hoop, but oh well. 

-2 packs of 24 crayons (.40 each)

-Glue gun

-Measuring tape rope or ribbon

Then I laid out the crayons to know where the ends needed to be. Once I had it the way I wanted, I glued it all on and attached the ribbon.  So easy and cute.



Blue Dress



Don't mind the knee brace, I forgot to take it off before the photo.



So this is one of the things I have been working on lately instead of blogging, and I LOVE it. I bought this fabric for about 2$ a yard at Joann's on clearance along with some white knit, also on clearance and didn't quite know what I wanted to do with it, until...inspiration struck in the oddest way.

I bought a swimsuit cover up from TJ Max (love that store!) and it was just cute and white, very basic. But on wearing it I thought that changed just a bit, it would make a cute dress. Then I saw a photo of Kate Middleton, who by the way has the best style I wish I had her wardrobe! I can't find the picture online, but she was wearing this cute white dress that was kind of cinched in the middle like I have this dress.

I just had to show the swimsuit cover, I know it's a bad picture.

So I took my cover up and traced it onto a piece of wrapping paper, but made it a little longer. The cover up has arms, but I just wanted the little capped sleeves, so I left off the sleeves. Then I cut an under-dress out of the white knit I had, so easy, then cut the sheer material. I made a sheath about 3 inches thick to hold the tie at the waist, sewed it in and then made a "rope" from a thin piece of fabric. I sewed the "sheath" in about 4 inches lower than my real waist because I wanted the little poof when it was ties. Then looking at it I thought that ruffles would make it just perfect, and it did! The ruffles took a bit to get right, they were just so heavy compared to the sheer fabric and the knit that they kept pulling and hanging weird. I think I had to sew them down about 3 times to get it right.

I really love this dress. It is SO comfortable and I look stylish at the same time. My little brother just got married and I wore this dress to the wedding and my sister had on a dress that was a lot like it, but she paid almost a hundred dollars for hers (haha).

Our Backyard Chickens

Ashley and Beatrix

We started the wonderful experiment this spring of raising chickens for eggs. I thought, I would really like to have organic eggs without the cost...so enter our fabulous chicks. I researched which ones would be good for all of us for the amount of eggs and the temperament I wanted. I chose Red and Black Star, Wyandotte, and Americana. They were so cute, sweet, and tiny when we first got them. It was so fun to pick them out and have them in our family room watching them grow everyday! The kids really loved them, picking them up and caring for them.

Our little chicks at about week old. They were so little all five could fit in a aquarium

Our chickens are really so much fun, more than I thought they would be. Even if they didn't lay eggs I would still have them because they entertain my family so much. I love looking out my kitchen window and see my silly chicks running around the yard. They started laying about 3 weeks ago and now we are getting 4-5 eggs a day.
I never thought that chickens would have such personality and a complex hierarchy system. There is a definite Queen of the Coop, Bellatrix LeStrange. A bossy enforcer, Diamond. The "muscle", Bear Grill. The scout, ChewBalka. And the low man on the totem pole, my poor little chick, Darcy.
I love just watching them live out their little chicken lives, each one knowing where they stand. Every time I go outside, if their out, the come running toward me and follow me around underfoot as I do my weeding and things. It's a little creepy because it's not like a little dog, you never know what they are really going to do; peck your toes or try to eat your ring.  The other day I had my fingernails painted black and Bear tried pecking them every time I was out.
My husband calls me Mother Hen because I sit in the yard and they flock around me letting me pet them, making their little clucking and cooing noises. Love my chicks and my next post will have to be about the awesome house we made for them.



Bear Gryll

Darcy

Diamond

ChewBalka



Diamond at about 2 months







Ashley and Diamond. This chicken would let her do whatever she wanted. She would drive her around the yard in this bike and Diamond would just sit and almost seemed to like it. Ashley called her the circus chicken and tried to teach her all kinds of "tricks"

 

"What?!"