A Valentine Dress

 

I 've made so many of these T-shirt dresses while my daughter was growing up. There are a ton of tutorials to learn how to do this easy and quick sewing project.  Here is the latest version that I made for some special ladies to wear to school on Valentine's Day.  I foo fooed it up a bit by double layering it, adding ribbon & lace on the top layer. The double layer fabric was so thick that I had to do the zig zag over a string method for gathering the skirt.  I also added a side bow with a heart shaped button in the center.  For the top, I referred to one of my pins from this site http://youretoocrafty.blogspot.com/2011/10/we-are-celebrating.html. 

 

What I like about the T-shirt dresses is that you can wear a dress that is festive and fun but not have it to fancy and be comfortable enough to run and play.

Happy Valentine's Day!

A Wall of Our Names

I totally had this in my mind and knew exactly how it was going to turn out.  My inspiration was from this pin on Pininterest http://pinterest.com/pin/110241369/ 

but I wanted something a little more subtle.

I started out with a puzzle maker program and figured out the layout. Layed it out on paper and figured out how many letters to buy. Went to Hobbly Lobby and bought wooden letters.

Made a grid on the wall and glued the letters on with wood glue



A couple of hours later, I was able to paint it the same color as the wall.  It is hard to see it head on in the photograph.  But I love it!  Two of the four kids are engaged, so now I have the whole family on the wall.



A Flourish topped off with Butterflies

I wanted to change the wall above above my desk.  I thought the painted flourish was ok, but didn't really thrill me, so I tried some butterflies. I decided to take some pages from an antique and dismantled Wards catalog and cut some butterflies out with my Cricut and Make the Cut software (LOVE BOTH!)  Hope the hot glue peels off when I redo the wall. :)

Before with the cutting layout on my computer screen

Done cutting, most of them cut out usable

It will get me through a couple more months until I get another inspiration

W is what it's all about

I needed something on the wall in the living room. 

So I found a font that was swirly enough.

Printed it out on a transparency, put it on the overhead projector

Projected in on a piece on MDF. (My newest favorite medium)

Cut it out with a jigsaw and sanded it.

Painted it with a textured Stone paint

My husband & son nailed it to the wall. 

While making it and attaching it to the wall, the big fear was breaking it. Fortunately, that did not happen, thank goodness.

Just what the wall needed!

Bathroom Update

After living in our home for 3 years, we finally got to updating the bathroom

Here it is before and after

The shower curtain is from here

http://www.amazon.com/Top-500-Words-Shower-Curtain/dp/B000UI8U68

It makes great educational bathroom reading!

Vanity before we painted it with 3 coats of black paint

Here it is after

We learned how to cut and edge granite!

Ebayed vessel sink and facuet

We still have to replace the light switch cover with a white one, otherwise it is done!

Love it!

Display cupboard doors made into bathroom decor

My brother-in-law used to work in the cabinet department of a major hardware store. I scored a box of display doors from him.

I painted the borders of 3 and decoupaged scrapbook paper that match the bathroom decor

Back to Blogging

It been awhile since I have updated my blog. Family, holidays and projects have kept me from doing so. Right now the big emphasis is getting ready for our son's graduation party on June 5th. We are going to host an old fashion pig roast. Of course we want everything all set and perfect. We are in the process of finishing our outdoor kitchen. HUGE project! More about that later. We also are downsizing the garden, and making the remaining into a volleyball court and a tether ball pole. Lots of work to do! We really enjoy working on our home, loving the sense of achievement & accomplishment that we get out of it. We don't travel to far off lands, we work on our own and love it!

Media Center - DONE

Joe finished the media center. Jeremy made the gates fit for us in welding shop. My job was to stain, seal it and put the fabric on the back of the gates. No more cords and black boxes showing!

Fun Chalkboard Project

I found these at Habitat For Humanity for $3.00 each.

I applied 3 coats of Chalkboard paint to cover up the printing.

Now I have a cute memo board on the pantry door. It reminds me of a school chalkboard with its handy tray!

Shag Pillow

I have been wanting to make a shag pillow for a long time. I finally got around to it. I now know why they are so expensive to buy. It is very time consuming to make!

I had 3 t-shirts left over from a previous project. I cut 1 inch strips off the bottom.

Then I drew lines on a piece of pillow size canvas that are 1 quarter of inch apart

Then sewed and sewed and sewed each 3 inch strip on to the canvas.

I made a ruffle down the middle for the back side, my patience level could only do one side of strips for the shag!

Valentine's Day with the Circut

The Circut Cutter is a blast, especially for the holidays. I made lollipop flower Valentine's for Jacob's teachers and made a heart doily cut out. Then I took the hearts that were left behind and glued them (that is the glue you see) on an oversized card for my nephew that was in the hospital at the time.

My office is decorated

I finally must be at a point in my life where I can decorate a room in our home instead of wishing it was. The upstairs office was shared by my husband & I. It was getting too crowded & too noisy to carry on phone conversations with both of us in there. Since my husband actually uses his office for his job, he decided he would have a quiter enviroment downstairs. So we moved him down into the "Man Cave." Now I have a work table, a cubby for my paper supplies and a work bench. It also is has a twin bed for guests. Very nice!

The bins are from our barn, where the previous owners raised baby pigs, there is about 18 of them in there, nailed up in rows. I really don't know what they were used for, if anyone knows, please tell me. DH pried them off the wall, I scrubbed the dirt out of them and now they make great holders for my card making supplies. The mirror/now chalkboard came from an old cook house at our previous property. I did not paint it or antique it at all. The flourish is a wall mural that I painted over my desk.

Tomatoes, Tomatoes and an early frost

This last fall, the frost came way too early for the tomatoes to finish ripening on the vine. We were able to save a counter full to ripen in the sun room. They were canned into tomato juice for soups and homemade spaghetti sauce. To quote my mom when we canned with her as children, " We will use them for when the snow blows." And we have!

Photo Opts

Ballon Fest 2009

Looking at the harvest moon at dusk through our livingroom window

The sunflowers from in the garden

Glacier Park - July 2009

Glacier Park- July 2009

Loon Lake has always provided fantastic opportunities for great photos whether its wildlife or great memories in the making. Here are some Grebe eggs hidden amongst the vivid, in full bloom, wild iris. This Grebe couple really knew what they were doing when they built their home surrounded by all this beautiful color, tranquility and security.