Little E's big girl bed!

Happy New Year! I have a serious goal to post more on this little blog. We are planning on buying a house in the next few months, so I'll have plenty to share!

My little E. won't be moving out of her crib for a few months, but I wanted to start thinking about the vibe and style of her room. I want a calm, neutral atmosphere, with a vintage-y, romantic feel. BUT... she is a little kid! I also want some whimsy and bright touches of color. E's bed is mostly neutral, but don't worry, her room won't be all bland!

I love LOVE this wrought iron bed frame. It was mine growing up, and I'm keeping it forever. The vintage quilt at the foot of the bed was also mine. (I'm sorry I didn't notice all the wrinkles! E was trying to get her stuffed turtle while I was taking pictures.)

I made her bedspread from cuddle soft fabric (found at Joanns,) and some fabulous paisley-print minky. If you live in UT, Nuttals has a huge selection. The minky was expensive even on sale, but it holds its softness and wears so well, so I splurged. I got 2 1/2 yds of each fabric, so the pieces were 90" by 60".

To make a the scalloped edge bedspread, lay the fabric down, right sides together, and pin together in lots of places. Find a bowl that is as big as you want your scallops to be, then mark the halfway point on both sides of the bowl. Trace the bowl along the edge of the fabric, stopping each scallop where your halfway marks on the bowl are located.

Cut out the scallops and pin each one close to the edge. With a 1/4" seam, sew around the entire blanket, leaving a 5" opening. Turn blanket right-side out, and poke out each scallop. Top stitch on the outside to give scallops a crisp look. (Make sure to tuck in the 5" opening before stitching.)
Here's the finished edge! Cute! I love the colors in this pillow. I found several cute examples on pinterest, which is where I got the idea. The embroidery was a little time-consuming, but a perfect movie-watching activity.

Ahhh! It looks so cozy, fuzzy, and inviting. Elsie likes this bed already!

** Linked up to these show-off parties: 30 Handmade days, Tatertots and Jello, and Lolly Jane.

Winter Delights and Shabby Apple Dresses

Hallelujah, I have a computer again! I've been going through some serious withdrawals. Even worst than no computer, we had a big snowstorm and had no power for 36 hours. Dang, was it cold. Little E slept between us, with at least 10 blankets stacked on us.

I have been loving the stay-inside, cold-weather fun E and I have been having. Last night she helped carve her first pumpkin!

With fabulous Pinterest as our inspiration, here are some fun things we've been doing:

** This Jello Playdough was easy to make and the smell.... YUM. We made some cherry that smells just like Poptarts! This creamy Tortellini Soup is a perfect cold-weather food.

These ooey-gooey smores bars were delightful too!

On another note, I've been looking at the brightly colored, fabulous dresses on Shabby Apple. Ahhh... isn't this Fushia Aloha dress beautiful? These dresses are top quality, and I love that they're all so different. If you live near Holiday, UT, they're having a trunk sale next week on the 3rd. Too bad I can't teleport. I'll have to save my pennies and buy it for spring. Get ready for a blogging overload next week!

No-Sew Adorable Owl Costume

My little gal isn't a fan of anything restricting, so I knew her costume this year would have to be simple and adorable. She loves birds, so a whimsical owl is very appropriate. Plus, a glue gun is all you need to piece it together!
I used:
*A hoodie I got on clearance last year. ** Check thrift stores or walmart for a cheap one
* About 1/4 yd each of three coordinating fleece solids to go with the purple hoodie. (Joanns has them on sale all the time)
* A small square of felt in white, black and yellow, for the eyes, stomach, and beak.
* A glue gun with lots of glue 1. Here comes the cutting! Out of the white felt, cut an oval for the belly, as well as two circles, and small half-moon shapes for the eyes. Cut smaller eye circles from the black felt, and a beak from the yellow. (It is not shown in the picture, but I also cut out some feet shapes, with holes just big enough to slip around her ankles)
Make a feather template from paper (my feathers are 5" tip to tip, and 3 1/2" across.) Start cutting out feathers till you have enough. ** I used 20-25 of each color for a toddler-size costume.
I cut the stomach oval in half and glued one to each side, keeping space open for the zipper. Then starting at the bottom, glue one color of feathers in a row, their sides barely overlapping. Make sure to only apply glue to the top half of the feathers, so they can flutter about as your cutie is moving. Continue layering up, in different colors, making sure each new row is placed adjacently, filling in the spaces between the feathers underneath it.

When you are finished with the body, start at the bottom of each arm and work your way up. Then, finish the back the same way. Fill in additional feathers wherever needed.

Lastly, glue on the eyes and beak.

Your little one is sure to be cozy warm and flying in style the Halloween.

**Although she didn't mean to do it, the bulk of this costume made little E hold her arms out, just like a soaring birdie! Oh how I love her!

Leopard Skinnies

You better believe that if I could find them in my size, E and I would have matching leopard skinny jeans! Is there anything cuter?!

Easiest Ruffle Dress Tutorial

**** Originally posted on Lolly Jane****

My Princess E. is already all girl. She loves putting on mommy's jewelry and filling her purse with "treasures." I'm always on the lookout for new "pretties" to make her. Today I want to share a super simple tutorial for a boutique-looking baby/ girl's dress. This dress will look so fancy on your little sweetie, and it will take 1 hour at the most to make. I found this already ruffled, beautiful fabric at Hobby Lobby for $7.00 a yard, and knew it would be perfect! Just look at those yummy ruffles!
1. For the dress width, I measured E around the chest, (19"), then added 2" for seam allowance and a little room (21".) Since I cut a front and back panel, I divided 21" in half and made each panel 10 1/2" wide. I decided how long I wanted the dress, and added 1" to be able to hem the top and bottom when finished. For the straps, I cut two pieces 9" long by 5" wide. (They'll be sewn into tubes)
2. Lay both dress pieces right sides together, making sure ruffles are facing the right way. To ensure that, after each pin, pull up the dress vertical and shake it to help them fall the right way. Fold the strap pieces in half, with the right side of the fabric on the inside. Sew the straps to form two tubes, and turn right side out. Sew both sides of the dress together, making sure to start at the top, to make sure the ruffles are sewn down correctly.

Keeping the dress inside-out, fold out the top and bottom openings 1/2" for hems, iron, and pin.

Then pin the straps to the front and back of the dress, 1" from side seam lines. Make sure you can see the seams on the outside, so they'll be hidden when the dress is right side out.

Sew the bottom and top seams, making sure not to catch any ruffles in the stitching. (Mine didn't turn out quite perfect, but it's really hard to see on this fabric!) Turn right side out, trim threads, and iron if needed.

Now what's a plain old black dress without a pop of fab color? I rolled a few fabric rosettes and made a matching necklace and hair clip set with them.

Isn't she such a dolly? It's easy to make things when you've got someone cute to wear them!

Moments That Matter Most

I've been reading short and sweet self-help messages from Richard Carlson Ph.D., in his book, "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff with Your Family. These little page-long tips are practical, and should be common sense, but they are definitely things to think about.

A few weeks ago I read about "Letting Go of Expectations." I am a planner, and sometimes, I do a little too much thinking about how a certain event or day or encounter should go. It is frustrating and disappointing when things don't go as planned. Sometimes I freak out about little things, like Elsie spilling a drink, or being late for an appointment.

Carlson says letting go of some expectations allows you to open your heart and accept what is. Learning to be calm and roll with punches is a necessary part of life, and will help me be happier. And, just like this little video shows, it will allow me to pay attention to what matters most.

The Lesson of the Wallet

As we walk out the door to run errands, E. squeals with delight at the sight of my wallet. I let her hold it and she proudly clutches it with both hands as we head towards the car. She loves to open and close it, and pull out all of my credit cards. This happens EVERY time she sees the thing.

I've always wondered why babies love things like remotes, keys, phones and wallets, and now I've decided why. These things are important to us; necessary in our daily lives. I would be frantic and lost if I couldn't find my wallet. Elsie sees how important this item is to me, and so it becomes important and interesting to her as well. She is just trying to emulate her mommy.

Just like that orange wallet, I can pass the necessity and importance of other things on to her. Today I'm committing to better show her my dedication to music, reading, being happy, and loving the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Knot Dress Tutorial

After seeing so many adorable dresses for little girls, I decided to make up a simple summer dress for Elsie. I love this knot top dress because the colors are a funky mix, it'll fit her for a while (first as a dress, then as a top), and there are no difficult zippers. Trust me, you can do this one! As for me, I'm new at writing directions, so be patient with me, and feel free to ask questions as I'm sure I left a few holes!

Here are the basic measurements:

Yoke: There's no exact measurement for this one. I just measured E's chest, and kept cutting out patterns and holding them up to her till I got a shape and size I liked. I made it to cover her chest, coming down to about her sternum. ** Just remember that it'll end up being about 1/4" smaller all the way around after you sew it.

(Cut out 2 for outside, 2 for lining, 2 from fusible interfacing)

Straps: L= Back of the shoulder to belly button, W= 1 3/4"
(Cut 2 for outside, 2 for lining)

Skirt: L= Sternum to however long you want it, minus 1 1/2" (That's for the coordinating trim at the bottom) W= Waist circumference times 2 1/2, divided by 2 (Cut 2)

Bottom strip: W = same as skirt, L= 4 1/2" (Cut 2)

Center band: L= 2", W= Same as yoke piece (Cut 2)

1. Sew bottom trim to bottoms of skirt pieces. Sew sides of skirt (right sides together).Then iron bottom trim in half lengthwise, folding it underneath. Then topstich near the seam of the skirt and trim fabric, being sure to catch the side folded underneath. (This makes a nice finished bottom.)

2. Sew along both long sides and one short side of strap, outsides and linings right sides together, then turn right side out, iron, and topstitch.

3. Next, assemble the yoke. Iron fusible interfacing to the wrong side of the outside yoke pieces. Sew center band pieces to bottoms of outside yoke pieces. Next, make a strap sandwich, putting back yoke outside and lining pieces right sides together, with the straps in the middle. (I chose to put my straps at an angle, but you could just sew them straight. BTW- the straps should be angled in, not out like in the picture)

Sew the curved and top sides of the outside fabric and lining, leaving the short sides untouched. Do this again for the front outside and lining fabrics, just without the straps.

4. Take one short, open side of the back yoke, and one short side of the front yoke, and sew, right sides together, the repeat with the other short sides. Now when you flip it right side out, you should have the whole top yoke piece. Iron and top stitch around edges.

5. Gather top edge of skirt, then evenly pin skirt to yoke (right sides together), and sew. I also added on simple pockets after.

6. Then, just cut small slits in the front of the yoke where the straps will be going through. Finish the slits with a buttonhole stitch.

The bright flowers add a touch of fab and fun. I made them using the pattern found HERE. Doesn't this red one with pearls just look so sweet in her blonde locks? So... what are you waiting for now?! In total I probably spent only 2-3 hours, and no money. And I'm sure there's some sweet little girl you know who would just love one!

Fear Conquered

A couple months ago, I thought I had scarred our baby for life. While she was in the tub, I let Elsie slip under the water and take a nice big gulp. She came up screaming, and has had the same reaction to water ever since.

Well... last week we decided to try out our town's premier pool/ fun center. I crossed my fingers and hoped E. would enjoy (or at least tolerate) the water. Tons of kids were splashing in the shallow, toddler area. Elsie's eyes always light up around kids, so this was a good start.

I stuck her into the water, which was about 6" deep, and she instantly freaked. I picked her up, and let her watch all the kids laughing and playing. This example was just what she needed, and her reaction changed from night to day. She loved to run through the water and stick her face into the fountains. Her favorite thing was a small slide, with a waterfall to go through at the end. What an excellent day it turned out to be! And if you're wondering, this positive association has transferred over to the bathtub. She loves it there too.

Because of you...

Because of you:

* I make sound effects and don't even realize it...

* The laundry is never finished.

* Cheerios are now a staple in my diet.

* All of my jeans have holes in the knees.

* I'm not afraid of boogers, vomit.... need I go on?

* I never take a shower without playing peek-a-boo with the shower curtain at the same time.

* Have more tears and sorrows, but also receive more joy and blessings.

* My heart has grown three sizes, and is filled to capacity with a love I couldn't have imagined.

* My understanding of sacrifice has increase 10X.

* My reflexes have greatly improved, and sometimes, I can even forsee accidents before they happen.

* I laugh at the small things, things that matter to you and fill us both with joy.

* I am proud to be your mother, your example, your best girlfriend.

Happy Birthday my dear Princess E. Life will never be the same, and I'm ok with that. Love and kisses, Mommy