In His Grip

Flower Themed Baby Girl Gift

I love coming up with baby gifts for my young, mom friends.  Recently I went to a baby shower for my friend Chelsea who will be having a baby girl later this month.  I made a coordinating blanket, onesie, ruffled pants, and headband.  I purchased the onesie and the pants and then added the flower applique to the top and the ruffles to the pants.  The blanket was made with a microfiber fleece on one side and a coordinating pok-a-dot on the other side and then bound with a super cute flower/paisley print.  

I purchased this brown elastic headband then crocheted this flower and attached it to the elastic.

The applique is stitched with a straight stitch and the edges left raw so that they will fray a bit once the t-shirt is washed.  I love the soft look of a bit of fray.

The edges of the ruffles are left raw as well, as they too will fray a bit once they are washed to match the t-shirt.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff,Boogiboard Cottage, Its So Very Cheri, Sew Chatty, Dittle Dattle, Sew Can Do, Keeping It Simple, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Today's Creative Blog,Sugar and Dots, My Girlish Whims, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Woodsy, The Tablescaper, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Making the World Cuter,Itsy Bitsy Paper, So Much Ado, One Tough Mother, Sweet Peas and Bumblebees, Handy Man, Crafting Woman, Women Who Do It All, Seven Thirty-three, Someday Crafts, Tea Rose Home. Lil' Luna, Momma Hen Scoop, Sugar and Dots, {Primp}, Sommewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Gluesticks, Momnivore's Dilemma, Beyond the Picket Fence, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Simply Sweet Home,Truly Lovely, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Someday Crafts, Passionately Artistic, Goodbye city, Hello suburbs, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Make it Great Monday,Vintage Gwen, Sew Country Chick, 5 Minutes Just for Me, Sew Country Chick, I Should Be Mopping the Floor

DIY Sweater Boot Toppers

I am really liking the boot topper leg warmers that I keep seeing around the internet and in the latest Fall fashion magazines.  There have been several out there on Pinterest as well and I think they can make a plain pair of boots into a WOW pair of boots.  A couple of weeks ago I was going through my closet and was getting rid of those things that I have not worn in the past year or have worn way too much and came across two different sweaters that I like but are just too worn out to wear any more and thought that the sleeves would make cute leg warmers.

I started out by cutting off the sleeves just under the arm.  

Then I surgered aroung the raw edge.  If you don't have a surger, I would run a zig-zag stitch along the raw edge.  

Picking out buttons out of my collection, I sewed them to hold the cuff in place.  So very easy and a great way to jazy up some boots.

I made two pair in less than an hour and now I have my newest favorite Fall accessories.  

I am participating in the following link ups:  Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff,Boogiboard Cottage, Its So Very Cheri, Sew Chatty, Dittle Dattle, Sew Can Do, Keeping It Simple, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Today's Creative Blog,Sugar and Dots, My Girlish Whims, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Woodsy, The Tablescaper, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Making the World Cuter,Itsy Bitsy Paper, So Much Ado, One Tough Mother, Sweet Peas and Bumblebees, Handy Man, Crafting Woman, Women Who Do It All, Seven Thrity-three, Someday Crafts, Tea Rose Home. Lil' Luna, Momma Hen Scoop, Sugar and Dots, {Primp}, Sommewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Gluesticks, Momnivore's Dilemma, Beyond the Picket Fence, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Simply Sweet Home,Truly Lovely, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Someday Crafts, Passionately Artistic, Goodbye city, Hello suburbs, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Make it Great Monday, Vintage Gwen, Sew Country Chick

Uniform Fashion

I don't normal care much about sports, but there are some things I do notice when watching a football game and that is the uniforms.  Okay, and, yes, the cheerleaders. The Oregon Ducks usually take the prize of the worst dressed football team, but this year Maryland can easily take the award.  Really? This is one uniform and these guys are on the same team. Whoever designed this mashed up flag uniform cannot be a real designer.  It is my own opinion, but I think that a standard solid color jersey with a contrasting number is best.  I would have loved to hear how these players really felt when they were told this was their uniform and they were going to look like mid-evil court jesters.  Ha, ha. 

Shoes. . .Does there have to be a reason?

There is a something about me that you might not know.  If there is a big event going on in my life I buy shoes.  I never really noticed this about myself until my friends pointed it out to me. Apparently, I have "my Dad is having heart surgery shoes", "I am supporting my friend because her Dad had a heart attack shoes", "my Dad has lung disease shoes", of course there are now "I am the mother of the groom shoes", and the most recent purchase, "I am supporting my friend through her grief shoes."  According to my daughters the list is much longer than this. Now, I know this makes me seem very sallow and I am not sure why in my highs and lows of life I buy shoes, but as pointed out by those closest to me it is true.  I think it comes from my growing up.  After all, we had "back-to-school shoes", "Christmas shoes", "Easter shoes", I believe there was a "I am going to my Aunt's funeral shoes" in there too.  Granted as a child these shoes were necessary as I was probably growing fast enough to require shoes for all those events. I guess as an adult in order to get new shoes I need some kind of event, not necessarily somewhere to go, just a reason to buy shoes.  Call a girl crazy, but I like shoes.

You Don't Know Jacques

I am here to tell you I am not a toe kind of gal, in fact, they kind of creep me out which is a good reason to keep them looking good at all times.  Here is one of the hottest colors of nail polish for the Summer.  It is OPI, "You Don't Know Jacques".  I absolutely love it.  As I am one who has never had a professional manicure or pedicure, I am always looking for the newest colors so as appear to have had a professional job.  OPI is my favorite brand of polish, in fact that is the only kind that I own.  My experience has proved that the couple of extra dollars up front means a longer time between re-dos.  As I do my polish myself, that means I only have to totally do a  new pedicure about every three weeks.  I must admit that I did not actually buy this color, the daughter, Lindsey, brought it over the other night and I knew that I just had to have it.  I will be purchasing this color for myself soon.  The color reminds me of a nice cool glass of chocolate milk, yummy.

Crocheted Flower Hair Clips

One of my close friends asked me to fancy up a package for her niece's graduation gift.  As far as I am concerned, the wrapping of a package is just as important as what you might find inside.  If the outside looks fabulous the anticipation of what is hidden beneath the wrapping is much greater.  And besides, I love making presents look good, it just the kind of gal that I am.  

Choosing some jars of embellishment from my shutter supply holder, I decided to make some hair clips that will not only fancy up the package but can used later as well.

First I crocheted some small flowers and the use millinery flowers and little jewels to give a bit of a sparkle.  I then hot glue them to alligator clips.  They can be used clipped onto a headband or just directly into your hair.

What a fun package for graduation with a bonus of hair clips besides.  Side note:  I love the owl gift wrap. I tell you, owls are everywhere.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Today's Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, A Silly Little Sparrow, Lady Bug Blessing, All Things Heart & Home, Its Sew For You, Blue Cricket Design, The Thrifty Home, Sew Chatty, Fabric Bows & More, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Women Who Do It All, Seven Thirty Three, Sew Much Ado, Someday . . . Crafts, Tea Rose Home, Lil' Luna, Momma Hen, Sugar and Dots, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Sweet Peas & Bumbulebees, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Beyond the Picket Fence, Somewhat Simple, Its So Stinkin Cute, Firelies and Jellybeans, Gluesticks, Tidy Mom, Simply Sweet Home, Its Fun to Craft, Its a Hodgepodge Life, The Shabby Nest

Jacket @ Starbucks

Last week while waiting at Starbucks for some people I was meeting to arrive, this gal with a wonderful jacket walked in.  I tend to be attracted to a very specific style.  One might say that it is a little out there in terms of color and pattern. I admired her jacket from afar and thought to myself, that is the cutest jacket I have ever seen.  As one of my friends arrived I pointed the jacket out and mentioned that it would make a great blog post.  She suggested I ask the woman if I could take a picture, and sure enough she allowed me to take her picture as she told me the story of the jacket.  Her sister had been to Paris earlier in the Spring and had bought this jacket.  When her sister got back to LA she decided that the jacket would just not work for her on the west coast, but thought that her sister in Kansas City might like it.  And boy, howdy, was she right!  This jacket totally works here in the mid west, we midwestern gals are not afraid to wear bright prints and something other than black.  Okay, maybe that's just me :o)

New Loveliness

This past Sunday was our 29th wedding anniversary.  That just seems pretty crazy to me because I don't feel any older than I did at 19 the day we got married.  Although, we have lived a lot of life and seasons have changed, we are back to the way it was back then, in our home alone just the two of us.  Jeff is such a good guy, and he takes hints well.  I hinted back last Fall that I would really like a rose Swarovski crystal ring.  Okay, there was really no hinting about it, I straight up said that I would like this ring, I even took him into the store so that he could see it up close.  Not even thinking that he would remember such a request, I tend to say I want a lot of things, he surprised me by remembering that I wanted this ring.  I just love it!

 
I personally think that the ring screams my name and the color is so pretty.  The crystal goes all the way around the ring and it catches the light and sparkles when I move.  Its like I am getting a little wink all day from my guy. 

Love My Boots

These are my boots.  I have had them for over a year now and they have to be one of my favorite pairs of shoes.  They weren't even that expensive and in fact I got them on sale after Christmas last year.  There is just something about seeing that squared off pointy tip sticking our from underneath my jeans that gives me that, "I can accomplish anything" sassy kind of attitude.  Maybe its the fact they are kind of cluncky sounding on the wood floor, so you know when I am coming.  You can hear if I am in a hurry, have a determination in my step, or trying to sneek out of church to go back up and join the worship team to sing the closing songs.  They do have a bit of a heel on them, so maybe its that additional 2 1/2 inches or so that gives me a different perspective.  I am not sure what it is but there is just something about them that gives me confidence that I don't otherwise have when I am wearing ballet flats. With Spring fast approaching, maybe there is a sandal out there that could do the same thing for me, hmmm.  I'll let you know.

 

Warm Hands

I am one of those people who is always cold.  So when I find something that will not only keep me warm but is fashionable as well, I am all over it.  Sometime ago, I was shopping at my favorite  craft store, Urban Arts & Crafts, when I came upon this great hand warmer pattern.  One of the gals that works there is actually the pattern designer and she encouraged me to try my hand at making these with 9" circular needles.  I have never seen such short circular needles before and wanted to give them a try. 

 
They were kind of awkward to work with at first because they are so short.  But once I got the hang of it they weren't bad at all.  I used Lamb's Pride worested weight yarn in the color strawberry smoothie.  I know, the name of the color sold me too.  I have to tell you I am a self taught knitter and am never sure if my project will really turn out. Following a pattern is a challenge for me, but this one was easy to follow.

 
The hardest part of the whole project is the thumb.  The pattern had you use a lazy loop technique making the loop of the circular needles even smaller.  I was not sure if I would get this but with some patience I finally figured it out.  I love the challenge of knitting and trying new things.  You can purchase the pattern for downloading at Ravelry.com for $1.50.

I am participating in the following link ups: The DIY Showoff, Between Naps on the Porch, Its so Very Cheri, Mad Skills Monday, Skip to my Lou, Keeping it Simple, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Coastal Charm, Today's Creative blog, All Things Heart & Home, Me and My Bucket, Nikkis Nifty Knacks, Creations by Kara, Blue Cricket Design, Trendy Treehouse, The Thirfty Home, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Life As Lori, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Its a Hodgepodge Life, Its Fun to Craft, Its a Blog Party, The Shabby Nest, Stuff and Nonsense, Bubbly Nature

Owl Themed Baby Gift

This past weekend I went to a baby shower for a friend of mine that is expecting twins before the end of the year.  Because owls are all the rage, I decided to make an owl inspired gift set.  The first things that I made were the owl hats.  I purchased the patter from RKAJ Patterns on etsy.  She has a lot of great crocheted hat patterns, including monkeys, snowflakes, Santa and much more.  Once the hats were complete I really wanted to make some outfits that would coordinate, so off to Target to pick up a package of onesies and some little pants.

 
I used an owl for a pattern that I had found over at Skip to My Lou and made it small enough to fit on these newborn onesies.  Next stop was the quilt store where I found that great brown mirco fiber fleece that is soooooo soft and flannels of both the lime green and blue that matched perfect along with the brown print to bind the blankets and use as part of the owl applique.  Last I added little squares of the flannel and print to the leg of the pants to make them coordinate with the rest of the owl ensemble.

 
Not wanting big sister to feel left out I made her a hat to match her baby brothers that will be interupting her world very soon.  I think these owls hats are going to be a part of my future as I have several friends with little ones on the way.  Like I said before owls are everywhere.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Between Naps on the Porch, Its so Very Creative, DIY Showoff, Keeping It Simple, Mad Skills Monday, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Skip to my Lou, Coastal Charm, Today's Creative Blog, New Nostalgia. Ladybug Blessings, Nikki's Nifty Knacks, Blue Cricket Design, Me and My Bucket, Fine Craft Guild, All Things Heart & Home, The Thrifty Home, The Trendy Treehouse, Santa's Gift Shop, Sew Woodsy, Saturday Mornings, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Life as Lori, Paisley Passions, Tales from Bloggeritaville, The Shabby Nest, Its a Hodgepodge Life, Its Fun to Craft, Finding Fabulous, TidyMom, Simply Sweey Home, Along for the Ride, A Vision to Remember

Owls Everywhere

Owls seem to be everywhere lately.  My daughters just love them.  Lindsey even has a bathroom in her home with an owl theme, she was an owl for Halloween, and she has owl jewelry.  As I was shopping earlier this week I came across this cute little owl find and thought I want to be "in" too so I purchased it.  Yes, Lindsey is jealous.  I think that it is pretty cute and not only that it was on sale for $7.  I love a stylish bargin. 

My Kind of Style

If you have read my blog at all you know that I love the local store Urban Arts & Crafts.  Not only is it just the most inspiring place ever, but they carry fabrics that no other stores carry, by designers like Amy Butler, and Anna Marie Horner.  I  have been dying to make something from some of those whimsical fabrics.  So several weeks ago I picked up a couple of those coordinating fabrics and wanted to make something to wear.  Although, I love color, mostly pink, and patterns, I wanted it to be something that was comfortable and up to date.  However, I just couldn't stay away from the large pink floral patterns, so much for trying to blend in.

 
This is the Amy Butler pattern that I chose to make.  It comes in three different lengths, shirt, tunic, and dress.  I picked the tunic lengthen so that I could wear it with either jeans or leggings.

 
I used the small print as a contrast for the button placket as well as the collar and cuffs.

 
 
I love how this turned out and cannot wait to wear my new tunic.  I recently picked up some brown leggings and a brown t-shirt that will work nicely under my flowery fun.

 
The back is great too.  I have always been a pushover for bows. Besides the tie helps give this gal a waist.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Keeping it Simple, The DIY Showoff, The Gril Creative, Its So Very Creative, Skip to My Lou, Today's Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, New Nostalgia, Nikkis Nifty Knacks, Blue Cricket Design, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Paisley Passions, Tales from Bloggeritaville

Bridal Shopping

With the wedding planning going on for Ryan and Paula's big day, I was very honored when Paula invited the girls and I to Omaha to see the dress she had picked out.  How great to get to see her in the dress.  Having not shopped for a wedding dress since my sister's wedding over 20 years ago, this was going to be fun.  She tried on many dresses that day and to be honest she looked great in every one. 

 
There is really a dress out there for every bride.  But how to choose, these dresses of white come in all kinds of styles, shapes, and sizes.  I was in heaven just looking at all of the work and detail that goes into some of these masterpieces.

A bride can loose herself in a crazy amount of ruffles or if she wants, be adorned with as many sequins and beads as a dress can hold.  None of these dresses shown here are  the "one" that Paula picked, that is top secret, but her choice was none other than perfect for her.  I cannot wait to see how Ryan reacts to seeing his beautiful bride walking down the aisle towards him. We have bets out there, will there be a tear in his eye or not.  My bet is, when he sees how beautiful she is he will not be able to help himself and there will be a tear or maybe two.

 
This whole wedding process is going to be a lot of fun, but the best part about it is that we end up with a great addition to the family.  I think she fits right in, don't you?

Plumpy Lips. . .

I am here to tell you that I love lip plumpers.  Okay, I know that there are some of you out there that think that I am crazy, but as soon as lip plumpers hit the market a couple of years ago I was a fan.  I have tried a number of brands, and there is definitely a big difference from one brand to the next.  Just to give you a brief run down on how these products work, most lip plumpers contain ingredients such as cinnamon, ginger, or chilies that irritate the surface of the lips that causes a temporary swelling, okay I know, basically an allergic reaction.  I guess the more you are allergic the bigger your lips will grow.  I bought one plumper once called Lip Injection, that actually hurts for about 30 minutes after you put it on, and caused the skin around my mouth to get red as well.  Not good.  Needless to say, I don't use that one anymore.  The expensive types contain ingredients that dilate the blood vessels with "big word" ingredients that I am sure took all kinds of research, hence the expensive pricing.  Whatever the ingredients, I like these products and my favorite happens to be Buxom.  I pick it up at my local Ulta store.  Buxom just gives your lips a little tingle, comes in a variety of colors, and smells good too.  I don't know if there really is a difference between the before lips and the lip plumper lips, but this girl is hooked anyway.  Besides who wouldn't want to look like one of the pin up girls on the packaging?

Working, Working, Working

With this being a short week, I have been so busy not only at work but planning an event for small group leaders at Indian Creek Community Church (this will be a post for later).  But who can complain when you get to work with such great fabric and design.  The girl that gets to have this in her bedroom is one lucky girl.  The colors and wonderful touch of retro is out of this world.  I can image, a mirror ball sparkling and teenage girls in mini skirts and go go boots dancing around with the songs from the 70's playing on a record player. 

 Linking up to: Paisley Passions, Finding Fabulous, It's A Blog Party, Its Fun to Craft, A Visision to Remeber 

Vintage Hankie Scarf

I have a collection of vintage hankies that have been folded up neatly in a cupboard for years.    Every so often I would take them out and admire them and think of the stylish ladies that once carried these in their pocketbook. Some of these old hankies I remember both of my Grandmas carrying.  I love the floral patterns and scalloped edges and have never understood how someone could blow their nose into something so fancy. Not only that, but then nicely folding it back up again and putting back into a purse or pocket, yewh.  I prefer to use a tissue that I can immediately dispose of.  Anyway, I decided to make a scarf out of them after being inspired by the latest copy of "Where Women Create". 

I arranged the hankies end to end moving from pinks on one end to blues on the other end.  The final measurement should be around 72" to 74".  This will vary as the hankies are not all the same size.

Overlapping the edges, I topstiched the hankies together. Because the sizes vary, I centered the hankies so that both edges would be similar.

The finished project is this fun, lightweight scarf that can be worn with all kinds of things and match most any color.  I get to wear this great accessory and be reminded of my Grandmas all at the same time, how fun is that?

I am participating in these link ups:  Its So Very Cheri, Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff, Keeping It Simple, Mad Skills Monday, The Girl Creative, Making The World Cutier, Skip to My Lou, The Graphics Fairy, Coastal Charm, A Silly Little Sparrow, Today's Creative Blog, Blue Cricket Design, Nikki's Nifty Knacks, Tales from Bloggeritaville

T-Shirt Transformation

This is my second t-shirt transformation this summer.  Once again, I picked up another Target boyfriend t-shirt and jazzed it up.  I have been seeing all of the t-shirts out this season that have fluffy flowers on them.  So here is my version of all of those spendy t's.  

I started out with some old sheer fabric I had left over from a Stitches By Sturman project and cut it into 1" bias strips.  I am guessing I had probably 10 - 15 yards of bias strips.  (Note: Out of one yard of fabric you can cut 25 yards of 1" bias strip.) Using the fabric on the bias will allow for a little bit of fraying when laundered without it totally falling apart.

Next I ran a gathering stitch down the center of the strips.  I used a gathering foot for this, but if you do not have one you can stitch a double row of basting stitches and then gather by hand.

I then began hand stitchin g the gathered strips in place making the flowers by going around in a circle.  I have washed my t-shirt several times and the more I wash the better it looks.

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Size 15 and "Skinny?"

"Skinny jeans" have been in for about a year now.  I like it when they call them Audrey (Hepburn) jeans, like that is supposed to make one feel better about the fact that jeans are skin tight and you need toothpicks for legs to wear them.  I have to say, that I do admire the look of long legs and these jeans certainly accentuate this.  I have several friends that are a lot younger than me.   They have been wearing skinny jeans and I do say that they look great on them.  So the other morning at our body boot camp they were talking about these great "skinny" jeans at Target on sale for $12.99.   They were talking about how they needed to buy a size bigger then they normally buy.  So I asked if they thought they might come in my size.  I wanted to buy a pair to wear with my boots so that I don't have a wad of denim around my ankles when I want to tuck my jeans in.  I have never had the confidence to even try a pair on, but they assured me that they did come in my size even though they were in junior section.  How bad could it be?  So as I needed to go to Target anyway for some other purchases, I decided to swallow my pride and try to squeeze into these jeans that they call skinny.  Remembering the gals from boot camp having to buy a bigger size I grabbed the size bigger than I normally wear as well as the next size up.  It's crazy!  They are called "skinny" for a reason because I could not get these stupid jeans on.  Feeling absolutely ridiculous that I even thought I could possible wear something that my "young" friends could wear I left the dressing room determined to put this humiliating experience behind me.  I shopped for my other items but kept thinking there were a couple more sizes I could try and after all they were only $12.99.  I went back over to the jeans and tried a couple more sizes and found one that they did actually fit, but they were not only a muffin top, I had a full out cake top going on.  Knowing no one wanted to see a 40 something behind in jeans that tight, I once again swallowed my pride and tried the next size up.  Shocker, I did like them.  If I wear them with a longer type blouse this could work.  Now here is the question, can you really call them "skinny" jeans if you have to wear a size 15? 

I'm Sport'n a New Doo

Yesterday afternoon I had an appointment to get a hair cut.  On my way over I began to think of how long I have had the same look and decided that I would ask my hair stylist if she could suggest something new.  I told her that I was wanting a new look and to keep in mind that I was over 40, nothing too short, but I defiantly wanted sassy.  I told her to surprise me.  Now, I have been with this gal for a couple of years now and I do trust her, I mean how could you not she is a cute as she can be, and is always wearing the latest style herself, however, I don't think she is much over 25 or 26.  So here is what she has come up with and I really do like my new look, but I think it is very close to the hair cut that Lindsey has, oops.  I have been told all my life that when someone copies you it is the best form of flattery.  So, Lindsey, I really like your hair cut. 

Here is a shot of the back too.  Now can I just say how hard it is to take a picture of yourself in the mirror and not make it look like you are taking a picture of yourself. Young people that take pcitures of themsevles have a talent for it because I just don't seem to have the knack.   I not only wanted to get the front but the back of my hair in the picture as well.  But I really did not want my back fat to show either, so needless to say this is the best I could get and that troublesome back fat is cut off.  I wish that was all we had to do in real life to eliminate those areas that we wish we could forget about but still need some work.