Express Yourself

I LOVE accessories, so of course I am having fun accessorizing my little princess. I spent some time over the last week (an hour here, an hour there) making some super cute headbands for little miss Haley. I didn't do photos for a tutorial, but I posted the links with the instructions I used below!

How to:

Gray headband (this has a hidden loop to clip any flower on!): http://littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com/2010/08/easy-stretchy-baby-headband-tutorial.html
Fabric flowers: http://cherrystreetcottage.blogspot.com/2011/03/fabric-flower-tutorial-at-last.html
Ricrac flower: http://www.u-createcrafts.com/2012/07/ric-rac-flower-tutorial-by-oh-for.html
The big pink flower is just a piece of ribbon that was a flower chain.

Here is a sizing guide for the headbands:
10" for newborn
12" for 0-3 months
14" for 3-6 months
16" for 6-9 months
18" for 9-12 months
I hot-glued all of the flowers to these: 



Finally, here is my model!

There will be MANY more accessories to come!

Backing Up...Haley's Room

OK...I think this is the last big thing I need to get caught up on from before Haley's arrival! The Monday before she came (Labor Day) Jesse and I worked hard (ok...he worked hard and I watched) and we got her room all finished. The funny thing was, when we were all done Jesse looked at me and said, "Well, we are ready! I think she could come any day now and we'd be all set!" Little did we know...two days later she was here!!

Here is what her room looks like!

So many shoes already!

The beautiful quilt my mother made!

Glass Half Full

Some people's glasses are half empty, some are half full. Last weekend, mine was half full of these cute little flowers!

If you know me, you know I LOVE to be outside! Living in MN, you take any chance you can get to soak up the sun. This is why I took advantage of the beautiful weather last weekend and did a little crafting outside on the deck! It was SUCH a great idea...I will have to repeat...soon!

I used those cute little flowers (in the cup so they wouldn't blow away) to make this super cute art for my baby girl's room! 

I actually made TWO, but for whatever reason only took a picture of one. More baby crafting and decorating posts to follow...we are actually almost DONE with the room. Nice and early!

Tutorial: Purse with Pockets

My finished purse!

So I needed a new purse and I LOVE being organized, so I found this one from allpeoplequilt.com on Pinterest. As I was going through the pattern to see what I needed and how to create this cute purse, I realized (no offense to whoever created this) but the directions and only two pictures just wouldn't cut it if you didn't have previous purse sewing experience (which I do...LOTS). So, here is my supplemental tutorial on how to create this purse. Be sure to download the instructions, too, as I will refer to those as needed!

Materials:*

• 1⁄4 yard for straps
• 2⁄3 yard for pockets
• 2⁄3 main body
• 2—101⁄4×141⁄2" rectangles thin, firm batting OR fusible fleece (which is what I used...MUCH easier)
• 34" x8" of Pellon 808 fusible interfacing (this is NOT in the original pattern, but it makes the straps SO much more durable, trust me)

Finished Bag: 8×10×4"

*The pattern refers to the pattern pieces as blue print (straps), blue-and-green print (pockets) and green print (bag/lining), but that is SUPER confusing. Especially since no one on earth will run out to get the exact fabric they used in the pattern.


Start by cutting out the fabric and getting the straps ready. Iron the fusible interfacing to the wrong sides of the straps and then iron the straps in half lengthwise. The fold each side into the center of the strap, like this:

Iron your pocket pieces in half (per the PDF instructions) so they are the same width of the main body fabric.

Next, iron on the fusible fleece to the half of the wrong sides of the main body fabric. Like this:

Time to start sewing! Sew your straps down each side (slow and steady) just as the instructions say. The nice thing about the fusible interfacing is that it helps your straps hold their shape so I didn't even pin them! Just go SLOW...

Next place your pocket on top of your main body and measure 4.25" in from each side to determine where to put the straps. Pin the straps down carefully and make sure your strap isn't twisted. Sewing your straps down will make the outside pockets of the purse. Make a mark 10.25" up on each strap so you know where to sew across and back down. Also, make sure that where the TOP of the stitch is attached, it is still 4.25" away from the edge of your bag!

Carefully sew right over your previous stitches on the straps, so you can't see there are two sets of stitches!

Pin the right sides of all your fabric together. The bottom of the pockets should line up. Also, either tuck in or pin the straps down so they don't get caught in your stitches. Leave a 5" opening at the "top" of the pieces...opposite of the lined pocket side.

This is the trickiest part...after you iron all your seams flat, pin all 4 corners flat and sew a line 2" from the corner. Then, trim the fabric. This makes your square corner from your purse. Your purse will then be 4" wide.

Finally, turn your purse right-side-out through the 5" whole. Slip-stitch the seam closed and turn your lining into the body of your purse. Fill with ALL your stuff! Enjoy!

Crafties

I've been busy sewing...trying to get a few things done before I really start working on the baby room things. Here is what I got done this weekend!

A placemat for under Wally's dishes. He just gets SO sloppy/slobbery and it is easier to toss this in the wash  than get down and scrub the glue-like slobber off the floor. So far, so good! It really contains the mess! :)

Dish towel from target and two strips of fabric that are tucked under on each side and top-stitched. 10 minutes max!

I NEEDED a sewing machine cover. For whatever reason, my machine did not come with one...just a place to tuck the presser foot. I made mine with big pockets for my scissors and the power cord. Love it!

Finally, some bibs. I actually cut these out as a gift a LONG time ago and never got around to them. I ended up making something else. Anyway, Michael Miller oilcloth on the front and Michael Miller dots on the back. Jesse said they aren't girly enough, but once he sees how nice it is to keep our little one clean he won't care! :)

More projects to come...LOTS more. I have a huge list of baby room projects. Hoping to get the room painted this weekend and make some major progress on the bathroom, too!

Gettin' Crafty

Last Saturday was Craft Day! Craft Day started as a result of my friends' and my addiction to Pinterest...a serious addiction. Really.

Anyway, it was a very productive day for some. Not as much for others, but at any rate it was a blast. There was lots of laughter, gossip, idea sharing AND I got to share my big news with a few ladies who didn't yet know...Jesse and I are expecting our first baby in September (9/23)! More (LOTS more) posts to come on that topic, but for now, here is what we were up to! It was a blast!

My new hand towels for spring and summer.
Megan's penny serving tray.
Monkey bread for breakfast.
Laura's crayon drip art.
A camera strap cover for Laura's mom.