Happy Mother's Day!

It has been almost 3 months since I've posted anything (it's been almost 4 since I posted to my family blog). Where has the time gone?

A little over a month ago, I partnered up with the owner of a local monogramming business. She was looking to launch a children's clothing line and needed some seamstresses. I took a leap of faith and it was probably the best decision I've ever made. She has been keeping me busy! I have enjoyed working with her immensely; making some extra money doing something I truly love, is just an added bonus.

A week and a half ago, we had some devastating tornadoes come through our area. We went 2 days with absolutely no power until we were finally able to purchase a generator. About 3 days after that, our power was restored; some areas went for several days longer without it. I will never again take warm showers, hot food, & clean clothes for granted. I am so thankful that we still have a roof over our heads, clothes to wear, and no loss of life. There are so many people who can't say the same thing. It has been so encouraging to see how our state has come together. Through the power of Facebook, people from all over the country have stepped up to help. We've even had a few celebrities in our midst (Charlie Sheen, Paul Walker, & Lance Bass).

I was able to squeeze in some non-work related sewing and finished all 3 of my girls Easter dresses... the day before Easter. I had to pull an all nighter to get that accomplished.

And finally, I'd like to wish my mother a very Happy Mother's Day!

I am especially thankful for her this year after the recent events in our area. She has always been the epitome of the perfect mother and the best Nana my girls could ever have. I thank God for her! For without her, I would have never been blessed with them...

The three beautiful girls who made me a Mama!

Happy Mother's Day!

Valentine's Day

I don't usually do handmade Valentines for my girls. We usually trek to the store, they pick out a generic, themed box of cards, and we call it a day.
But this year, I saw SO many cute ideas, that I decided to give some of them a shot. I let Ella & Evie pick out the ones they wanted to try; I picked out Emory's which was MY favorite. ;)

Ella's choice was the Lip and Moustache lollipops. These were a big hit with her friends.


Evie wanted the Butterfly lollipops.

(I especially love her handwritten name. I can't believe she's starting Kindergarten next year!)

Emory's Valentine's turned out way cuter than I imagined them. I chose the Photo treat cards

(I couldn't get a good shot without the glare)

And for Grandma & Grandpa, Nana & Pops, and my 2 sisters, we made Thumbprint Valentines

Finally...

I have some new projects that I've completed. They've been on my to-do list forever, but I just kept putting them off. I actually made some stuff for myself too.


Cookie sheet magnet boards from A Crafty Moms Life

My girls love to draw pictures so I thought these would be a cute way for them to display some of their artwork. I bought my cookie sheets from Dollar Tree, my scrapbook paper from Hob Lob & I had the ribbon in my stash. So grand total was about $6!
I'm also going to make some clothespin magnets for hanging up artwork.


Earring Holder from Handmade Mommy

A very quick & easy earring holder. I already had the 5x7 picture frame & the ribbon. I spent about $1.50 for the paint & fabric.
Now that I have my room back, I'm changing the colors in my room to gray & turquoise. They're my new favorite color combo.

And my favorite project...

Mini fabric bolts from Smashed Peas & Carrots.

It is amazing how much more fabric I can fit on these shelves when my fabric is all neat and folded.
My dad also cut me some out of MDF that are great for my heavier fabrics, like minky dot and corduroy.

Baby gifts

I've been doing a lot of sewing for babies lately. I have 2 cousins that are having babies soon; one will become a daddy for the second time in December & the other will become a daddy for the first time in January. SO exciting! Another rowdy boy & another sweet girl.

We had a shower for baby Jacob this past weekend. He is due to arrive shortly after Christmas. My cousin & his wife both graduated from Alabama, so houndstooth & elephants it was.

A diaper bag w/ a sushi-roll changing pad. I made the same style diaper bag for my youngest and it is one of my favorites!


Nursing pillow cover (I used this tutorial)


Spit cloths

Suzie @ Stay Calm & Sew Something has a great tutorial on how to make professional looking spit cloths.

All Halloweened out

My 2 sisters and I have 9 children between us; we each have 3. We love to do a family wide theme for Halloween. This year, the Divine 9 went as the cast of Alice in Wonderland.
I was completing costumes right down to the wire. I put the finishing touch on the last costume about an hour before we left for Trick or Treating. This year was pretty labor intensive, but seeing the pictures & how much the kiddos loved their costumes made it all worth it.

This is my oldest niece. She went as the White Queen. Her costume was the only one that I didn't make. She's almost 14 and decided at the last minute that she was going to participate. ;)


My second niece went as the Cheshire cat. I sewed purple strips of fleece onto a pink jogging suit. My mom crocheted 2 chains of fuzzy yarn; we used one for her tail & I glued the other one to a headband to make the ears. We had a hard time finding pink & purple face paint, so I just painted whiskers and a big smile on her face.


Nephew #1 was the March Hare. I used this awesome tutorial for his hat & my mom tacked the ears to it. I also made his vest. My dad made him the cutest rabbit teeth. This one was also pulled together at the last minute. Up until Friday, he was going to be a card guard.


My oldest was the Queen of Hearts. While making her costume (and my middle child's), I vowed to never sew with that satin fabric again. It slipped while I was cutting it, things didn't line up, I almost threw the entire thing in the trash. I was able to salvage it, and even though it doesn't live up to my self-imposed standards, Ella loved it!
I used a pattern for her dress. I made the crown out of sparkly fun foam & glued it to a headband. Her scepter is also made out of sparkly foam & glued to a dowel.


Nephew #2 was the Mad Hatter. I think I got the most compliments on his costume. He got to wear his to school on Friday for Hooray for Hollywood.
I made the jacket & pants using a pattern. I used the same tutorial for his hat that I used for the March Hare. His mom found a clown bow tie & spray painted it.


My middle girlie was Alice. I made her costume using a pattern as well. I made a bow out of satin fabric and glued it to a headband.


Nephew #3 was a Card guard. We chose the 3 of hearts because he's three. I just slit a pillowcase up both sides, cut a hole for his head to go through, & added ties to the side. I used felt for the 3's and hearts. His mom put a red jogging suit & hat on him. I also made him a spear out of fun foam & a dowel; he was flinging it around here so you can't see it.


My baby girl was Tweedle Dee. I hot glued a yellow t-shirt & red knit leggings to a quilting hoop. The collars are made out of felt and the bow ties are satin ribbon. We bought red baseball caps; I used a pipe cleaner for the antennae & glued a flag made out of felt.


Of course I duplicated the outfit for Nephew #4 who was Tweedle Dum.


The Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum costumes were absolutely hilarious! The babies loved wearing them but it seemed to throw off their balance. They seemed to trip & fall all evening.

So now that I'm coming off of my Halloween letdown, I have to switch into Room mom mode. I have 22 Indian vests to make for Ella's class for Thanksgiving. Not to mention the basket full of stuff I have cut out for my girls Winter wardrobe. Yikes!

BOO!

I found this Rag Wreath Tutorial and wanted to make one. It's been awhile since I've done any crafting other than sewing. I've missed it!
I wish mine was a little fuller, so I might go back and add more strips. I attached my letters differently then the tutorial; I knotted rubber bands on the wreath form and hung my letters from them. I tied my letters together using ribbon. I like it! I didn't put a bow on mine... yet. I might go back and add one.

Miscellaneous projects

I haven't made much time lately to do any "big" sewing projects. I either can't make time, or I just don't feel like sewing. I had several outfits that I wanted to get made up before the girls and I went to see Grandma & Grandpa for Labor day. Alas, I didn't get them done and the ideas are still in my head. I hate when I'm in this kind of mood. :/

I don't have much time for reading these days either, but I LOVE to read. I really love this bookmark because it can be used for all different sizes of books and it's harder for little hands to pull out.
I didn't make mine quite long enough though, so it really only fits small to medium sized books.


No slip bookmark courtesy of Mary Janes & Galoshes

I have lots of binders that I use for various things - sewing ideas/patterns, Holidays, Fly lady,... But I can never find a pen when it comes time to work on something. This pen holder is perfect!
I did make a few changes. I eliminated the zippered pocket and I made mine a little smaller.


Binder Pen Pocket courtesy of Expect Moore