Sew Little Time

I'm still alive

2009-01-28T23:33:00.004-05:00

Christmas really burned out my craftiness. I took on entirely too much. I haven't made anything since the day before Christmas. I've cut up a few things but they're just sitting on my sewing table. I've got some things to share, but no pictures. I just lost all interest. I do want to share what my stepdad made me for Christmas- a gorgeous mahogany wood thread rack and a quilt rack. My mom made me a darling wreath for my sewing room. Once I actually put that room back together I'll post pix! Here's Kaytlin's Christmas dress, I made it. I love the way it turned out. It was a challenge, ruffling all of that fabric... two layers of tulle net, thick taffeta, and the lining.

I had my surgery. You can find me at obesityhelp.com... my user name is kaytiebugs. I'm six days out. I haven't had solid foods in three weeks. I've lost 21 pounds and it's only getting better. I think for now my primary focus needs to be my health, not obsessive crafting and hoarding.

Love,
Amanda

Put on jammies, get comfy, and....

2008-12-19T10:39:00.005-05:00

READ!

I cannot stress enough the importance of reading to your children. The benefits of reading to children are immense and considering the attention span of the average blog reader, I'll try to summarize as best as I can- It molds our kids into becoming readers, it expands there vocabulary and ability to form well structured sentences, it provides quality bonding time, it builds listening skills, increases a child's attention span, helps them learn to concentrate, it develops and fosters a child's natural curiosity, etc.

In the last couple of years, I've developed an interest in donating to worthy causes. Typically, anything that involves helping children pulls at my heart strings. Consider my side bar to be Exhibit A.

Something grabbed my attention while wandering about the web this morning, and it made me think "You mean, not everyone reads to their children daily?" I've always thought of it as part of the routine.... feed them, bathe them, and read books. I began to research more. As it turns out, many households don't even have books. Then I sat back and thought about how many times I've spent the night at other peoples houses, and at bedtime looked around their child's room for a book or two to read K, and not being able to find one. Kaytlin must have books read to her at bedtime. It's a long lived ritual and if it doesn't happen she just doesn't know what to do. Now we bring books with us on overnight trips.

Thanks to our long commitment to reading books, K has an excellent vocabulary and forms sentences that most other 5 year olds would never even think of forming. For me, this is a by-product, not the primary reason. I do it because it provides us with time to settle in from a long day before going to sleep. It provides us with cuddle time, time for her to ask one million questions, time for her to learn something new that she isn't learning about in school, time for me to be the teacher.

(K right before bedtime... she was cold so she put a pullover on until it was time to go to sleep, do admire the mama made crochet leg warmers =), I couldn't find a pic of us reading, but this was right before book time)
Which brings me to my newest charitable cause: First Book. According to there site- "First Book provides new books to children in need, addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy – access to books. An innovative leader in social enterprise, First Book has distributed more than 60 million free and low cost books in thousands of communities." For every $2.50 donated, a book is provided for a child in need.

If you are looking to promote reading and provide low income families with books for there children, please consider donating to First Book.

They need not only funding, but volunteers. Please see the site for additional information.

My search for an affordable, yet quality, gift for my nieces/nephews/young cousins is over..... everyone is getting books.

100th post!!! Flower Encased Tutu Tutorial

2008-12-17T09:50:00.007-05:00

Wow I can't believe this is my 100th post!! I was going to make this just a regular blog entry, showcasing my amazing iphone pictures of handmade Christmas gifts (lol at the 'amazing iphone pictures').... but I figured since this is somewhat of a monumental post, I should probably make it a little more than usual. Consider this a Christmas gift, from me to you. Alas...

The Flower Encased Tutu Tutorial!!

Supplies/Materials list-

1.5 yd chiffon (nylon works best), tulle, or some other sheer/opaque fabric.

3-5 floral stems of your choice (containing several flowers each)

Thread to match

Elastic (I use either 3/8" or 1/2"... pictured is 3/8")

And.... the almighty seam ripper, pins, scissors, measuring tape, etc.

Measurements and such-

I cut my 1 1/2 yards straight down the fold crease and made two. It came out to be about 14-15" long. I made them for twin 3yo little girls. If you want them longer, cut accordingly. Take your desired length, multiply by two, then add about 2.5" for the elastic casing. If you're making one for a girl older than 6ish, you should use about 1 3/4-2 yards instead. To get the right amount of elastic, you'll want to take the child's belly measurement and subtract a few inches (taking into consideration how stretchy the elastic is... some is more stiff and less stretchy than others).

Shall we begin?

Prep- Cut your fabric to the desired width (see above for suggestions), pull flowers off of the stems and discard the stems, and cut your elastic.

Step 1- Sew your two ends together so that you have a single layer tube. The seam should be the cut ends (NOT the slevadge ends.. the ends with little holes that looks different from the rest of the fabric).

Step 2- Fold the tube in half all the way around and pin it. You should have a two layer tube with the raw edges at the top and a fold at the bottom, like this... (BTW- blogland.... meet my sewing table). Pin in place at a few places so it's easier to work with.

Step 3- Sew it all together, leaving a 6" opening (you want the opening to be big enough to put your fist in... I made mine a bit too small).

Step 4- Fill 'er up with flowers!! The more the better... but that's just my opinion ;) Insert flowers through the opening. Shake them around and try to distribute them a bit so you can see when there's enough.

Step 5- Close the opening.

Step 6- Make your elastic casing. If you aren't using nylon fabric or some other non-fray fabric, you'll want to fold your raw edges under (unlike the picture, where the raw edges are left poking out, but my fabric is some kind of funky polyester/nylon half breed that doesn't fray). I fold the fabric over and since I'm using a 3/8" elastic, I make about a 3/4"-1" casing, so that it's easy to pull the elastic through. I hate using pins so there are none in any of the pictures, but you may want to pin things in place if you aren't good at eyeing seam accuracy. Make sure you leave an opening to run your elastic through!!

Step 7- Pull your elastic through the casing, sew the two ends together, and close up your casing. I purchased a strap turner (notions section at Joanns) and it has been an amazing tool. I use it to pull elastic through every time. It's basically a long skinny piece of metal with a hook at the end (you can see a bit of it in the above picture, it's to the right). I just hook the elastic and run it through as far as I can without bending the metal; then I pull it out, pin the exposed end of elastic, and insert it into the other side, hook that side of the elastic, and pull it through the rest of the way. It's quicker than the safety pin method, well... to me it is.

Step 8- Shift your flowers around a bit to distribute them evenly and VOILA! You're done!

I hope you've enjoyed this little free tutorial. If you have any questions or if something isn't quite clear, please shoot an email to kaytiebugs@yahoo.com or leave a comment below. I'd love to see your finished creations, so if you blog/flickr/etc. post a link to your post or picture so I can check it out!!

Some Christmas gifts

2008-12-12T00:06:00.005-05:00

Forgiveness is all I'm asking of my blog readers for Christmas! Forgive me for still using crappy iphone pictures!! The iphone really does take good pictures if it's daylight or in a well lit room.

Here are a couple of things I've been working on.

The blanket is for my grandmother. It is my first ever quilt! It's a rag quilt, but still. It wasn't nearly as time consuming or detailed as a normal quilt, but it was a really good way to take a leap into the world of quilting. I'm making another one for my mom, hers is bears and such. It'll match her decor perfectly.

The other one is a flower encased tutu. I took pictures of the process so I could write a tutorial. I hope to have it done sometime in the next few days... but I've been working on the pettiskirt tutorial for months now and haven't gotten it done lol. Initially I was going to sell it, but honestly I think I'm just going to post it for free. I'm about halfway done writing it and I try to work on it here and there but it usually gets put on the back burner. The flower encased tutu, however, is pretty simple and won't take too long to write up.

I've also been working on felt food. I've never done felt food before. I'll elaborate more when I have pictures to show.

I've been working on pajama pants like a mad woman too. I have a pattern that's just one piece, so it's a bit quicker than the two piece pants patterns. They come together in a matter of maybe 15 minutes... hemming, elastic casing, and all.

Back to the sewing machine......

Happy Holidays!

Amanda

The stockings were hung....

2008-12-08T22:44:00.006-05:00

I absolutely L-O-V-E Christmastime. I'm not sure if it's the happiness that buzzes in the air, the insane amount of shopping, redecorating my house, twinkling lights, the smell of real Christmas trees, warm fires, that special feeling that only comes this time of year, listening to Christmas songs on the radio and being reminded of my fondest childhood memories, creating new memories with my family, or maybe it's that whole getting presents thing.... lol. I just love Christmas and everything that comes with it.

We just finished decorating our house and I just love it. We don't have anything new (yet), but the same ole stuff still brings about a certain magic. Especially my Christmas tree ornaments. I started out with an awesome purple and blue getup that my dad won at Target. He had his choice of any of the pre-decorated tree displays. He picked the purple tree because it is my favorite color. When I moved out on my own, he gave it to me. Tons of lights, ornaments, even an angel and ribbon. I used it for a couple of years. As much as I absolutely loved it, hubby HATED it. Plus it didn't suit our decor nor my personal tastes as an adult. So... I slowly started to buy burgundy and gold decorations. We've accumulated what I think is an acceptable amount. I just love gobs and gobs of ornaments. Some folks like just a handful of ornaments.... I want an ornament every 6" or so.

I'm holding out on the big reveal until the end.... (not like you can't just scroll down anyway lol)

Here are some of my fave ornaments/decorations...

Here are some pics of the process... DH and DD are too cute....

Nutcrackers are creepy and go on the back of the tree....

This tree goes above the door in a window....

Here... (it fits... it's a squeeze, but it fits... and it looks nice from the road)(admire the new floors)

And alas.... the big reveal....

Here she is....

Super Easy Hairbow Holder Tutorial

2008-12-01T10:48:00.003-05:00

I made this for my daughter and everyone just loves it. You've probably seen similar ones on etsy selling for $15-20+. If you're like me, you probably have the bulk of the supplies necessary already on hand... so this is a very affordable project.

Supplies

Letter (from craft store, various styles and sizes available)

Grosgrain ribbon

Hot glue gun or E6000

Pre-finished wood embellishments (also in craft stores)

Scissors

Lighter, fray check, or wood burner

1) Paint your letter in the desired color using craft paint. I painted mine solid white, but you could do polka dots or any other design. I'm just not that good with painting, my medium is definitely fabric lol. Let your letter dry completely before gluing anything to it.

2) Cut ribbon strips, I did mine roughly 18" and 16" long. Cut the ends at an angle and seal the edges with either the lighter or the fray check (or cut the ribbon with your wood burner).

3) Cut two more ribbon strips at your desired length. These will go at the top of the letter. Cut them long if you want them drapy, or cut them short. Play with the lengths before cutting. I did mine at about 24" long each. Glue the ribbon to the back of the letter.

4) Once your letter is dry, glue the ribbon to the back of the letter.

5) Play with the embellishments, try different locations until you find the way you think it looks best. Glue the embellishments on.

Wait for the glue to dry completely before hanging. Attach to the wall using a hook, nail, etc. You could also get picture hanging hardware and attach it to the back of the letter, and skip adding the ribbon, so that the letter itself is hung to the wall.

Have fun! I spent less than $5 on the letter and the wood embellishments, I had the rest of the supplies on hand. Pair this with a hairbow from Apple Blossom Bows and you've got one great Christmas gift!! Apple Blossom Bows is the wonderful etsy boutique who custom made Kaytlin's awesome Birthday hairbow.

It's TIME!!!

2008-11-28T23:34:00.004-05:00

Christmas Time, that is!! I so love the Holiday Season! The twinkling lights, the smell of cinnamon and Christmas trees in the air, the warm feeling of buying the most amazing gift for someone, that special air of love that floats around, even strangers are a bit more polite. I just love it.

To welcome the season, we have these... my first pair of crochet toe-up socks. These were surprisingly easier than I expected. My crochet abilities stop at squares and rectangles, so this was something new for me. It was a quick project and my daughter loves them... although she slips and slides around a lot lol. See the little snippet of our new floors? Wow that was a project. We'll get to that in a minute. Isn't she cute in her little tutu? The child loves dressup.

To something a bit more exciting..... below, you are viewing the very first Kaytiebugs pattern!! Well, the result of it anyway. This is the prototype. It's wrinkled and the pic was taken in poor lighting... but I'm using a camera phone so it can't get much better (do forgive the photo quality, my camera is dead and I'm not getting a new one for a couple of weeks). I drafted the pattern on gift tissue paper (that was the easy part). Then I started sewing. I can whip some clothes up in no time... but a lined handbag? I have made all of two different handbags... one was ugly and horrible, the other is this one... but it was easier because the pattern didn't require all of the seams be hidden, the base seams are bias taped around instead of flipped inside and concealed. It took a lot of head scratching, patience (which I have very little of), seam ripping, pinning, repinning, and ALAS I have my first completely custom designed handbag! Amy has something somewhat similar, but I didn't like the straps or the overall shape (or the thought of paying $15 for a pattern lol). It's hard to see in this picture, but there are two inward pleats on the front. It's fully lined and has a pocket inside (not a zippered pocket, you know how much I hate zippers).

Back to the floors. Wow. I had no idea laying new floors would be such a huge challenge!! We ripped up the old parquet floors that had a thick layer of glue holding them down. We had tile in the kitchen, but that came up very easily. It took my DH and step dad every bit of two full days to do the downstairs (not including the time it took to pull up the old floors and finish the baseboards). I know what you're thinking- "What kind of person in there right mind rips up real wood floors and replaces it with laminate?!?" 1) The previous homeowners installed the tile and parquet, and did a pretty poor job at it; 2) The parquet was not very pretty and the moment I saw the house I told my hubby "If we buy this house, I want new floors in less than a year." It was that bad.... one of the very few flaws in the house, but fixable; 3) Parquet is sooo 1995 lol kidding... it's just not my style (or the right color); 4 (and most important) our upstairs toilet flooded while we were away overnight.... the floor was destroyed beyond repair in a big section. We covered it with a rug until we were able to replace the floors. Ignore the random rug in the pics... it's been moved. And ignore the lack of finished baseboards... we've finished them.

Here's the old floor (before flooding)....

Here's the new floor (bad pic... poor lighting, camera phone)....

During the project...

We used Ikea Tundra flooring and Floor Muffler underlayment and I swear I can walk on the floor with heels on and it sounds thisclose to the same as walking on a regular non-floating floor. If you are going to get laminate, Floor Muffler is a MUST. Don't settle. Yes, it's twice as much as the regular stuff, but it's WELL worth it in the long run. Next redo- the kitchen cabinets... but that'll be a while.

In the meantime, we're currently building a luxury dog house for our 120lb half rottie half shepherd. Not really luxury lol, but it'll have a bit of lighting to provide heat, and we do plan to put Christmas lights on it and plant shrubs around it in the spring to make the area look nice. We're putting wide beadboard type stuff on the outside and painting it the same color as the house. It's about 5'x5' and the peak of the roof is about as tall as I am.... 5'4". I'll post pics when it's finished. K decided to crawl in there and decorate with her old bedroom decor... it's too cute. Rugs, wall hangings stuck in the framework, even a little table.

PS-

Only a child could spot an empty flooring box and see a robot! It took me a second, but then I saw it. She didn't do anything to the box, this is the way it looked laying out empty. She later colored it and put glitter on it. More amazing... she's wearing matching jammies! lol

In the next episode.... finished Handmade Holidays goodies (with pics from the camera phone *pouts*)! 5 things down.... 1945577 more to go!!

One million uses for Flannel

2008-11-25T11:02:00.004-05:00

Okay, maybe not quite one million.... but a bunch!

Joanns is selling flannel for $1.49/yard on Black Friday, so I'm trying to think of as many uses for it as possible! I haven't used flannel much, and when I have it's been for pajama pants... so a bit of 'outside the box' thinking was much needed.

Here are some things I've come up with thus far...

Rag quilts- here's a helpful tutorial from Knit and Tonic. I'm really loving this rag quilt from Debbie Mitchell.

Pajamas (obviously)- Lots of people will be getting these =). To make them a bit more original, you could have the main fabric in a print, and the bottom in a solid with ribbon trim between the two.

Throw pillows- Cozy bed pillows. Embellish them to make them even cuter. Or make huge floor pillows. You can find a HUGE list of pillow tuts at thedomesticdiva blog.

Receiving blankets- I love this tutorial from Observations of an every day mom.

Baby toys- A vast array of soft baby goodness can be made. Here are some tutorials, just to name a few- baby blocks, fabric beach balls, and a little bunny.

Boo boo hot/cold rice packs- Simple tutorial here.

Burp cloths- Here's a tut from Homemade by Jill. I'm really loving the rag edge =)

Sashet- Visit Femininity in a Feminist World for a wonderful lavender sashet tutorial, and read the blog of an amazing teen.

Scarves- You could make a rag scarf, similar to the one seen on Sandi Henderson where she displays Flannel Ginger Blossom fabric. Use the rag quilt tutorial above. Or you could go with something more traditional.

Reading companion- Part bookmark, part glasses case. Visit marmadaisy to find out how.

If I find anything else that really jumps out at me, I'll update this. Hope you guys enjoy shopping and sewing!!

Christmas Shopping Etsy Style ~ Rockin' Holidays

2008-11-23T23:18:00.004-05:00

I stumbled across these awesome finds via the Handmade Holidays section in sew, mama, sew. I wish so bad I could buy these for my little brother, but my price limit for him, unfortunately, is $20-30 (although I'd be more than willing to trade if said seller were interested in swapping for sewn or crocheted items =) ).

Either way, I saw these and HAD to share. If you know anyone on your list that plays gituar, this would be the ultimate gift. If I could, I'd get the lyrics to that Kansas song, goes something like "On a stormy sea of moving emotion Tossed about, I'm like a ship on the ocean I set a course for winds of fortune, but I hear the voices say Carry on my wayward son. " Or some other very "Allen" song. He likes so many different forms of Rock, it'd probably take me a week just to pick a song. TOTALLY off topic, because I'm not even buying this lol.

Do admire... for these definitely ROCK

Sterling Silver engraved gituar picks from Silver Sparrow Designs. They sell other things as well, but this is what really caught my eye.

And these... because you guys know how much I absolutely love really unique anti-typical design and colored jewelry (BTW, I won those earrings from her, forgot to mention that, they are AWESOME).

Here's her blog....

Cold Winters Night gift idea

2008-11-17T12:31:00.003-05:00

This is going to one of my lucky relatives. She doesn't read the blog, so it's okay to share =). I can't wait to get this one started!

Sweet Dreams Gift Set-
Pink handmade pajama pants (can't decide between flannel or flannel backed satin, toughie)
Scented candle (see info below)
Coffee mug in coordinating colors
A jar of Triple Chocolate Mint Cocoa Mix (Her fave ice cream is mint chocolate chip, so I can only assume she'll like this too.... no secret telling to those of you who might know who I'm talking about!!!)

I'm going to do the cocoa mix similar to the way the 'cookie mix in a jar' is done. Put in a mason jar, fabric around the lid, instructions tied on.

Now a little info on these Henri Bendel candles. These are my absolute favorite candles ever, hands down. $26 sounds pretty steep for one lil ole candle... BUT 1) you can get them on deep discount if you keep your eyes open, especially on Black Friday; 2) They are so freakishly amazing... I have one that sits on my breakfast table and the whole area smells like it, even though I haven't lit it in months. Just the warmth coming from the window works. These candles are absolutely awesome. If you know a candle lover, this is a definite must on the gift list.

Gifts for in the kitchen

2008-11-17T12:19:00.003-05:00

This year, we're giving lots of handmades. I've already started working on crochet stuff and I've got several things in mind. I wish I could take pictures of the crochet stuff I've made thus far, but my camera is BUSTED. =-(

I'm here today to share with you an awesome idea... cookie mix in a jar!

The recipe and directions are available here.

Here are my suggestions-

1) Save money on the jars by buying them from thrift stores. One good wash and they are good as new. You can buy lids from the grocery store. The jars are the expensive parts. Lucky for me, I have tons thanks to my mom.

2) I like what they did with the ric rac. You could also use raffia, hemp rope, or a strip of fabric that coordinates with the fabric you used for the top.

3) Handwrite the recipe on a nice recipe card for added charm.

4) Pair the jar with a handmade apron and wooden spoon for a nice little kitchen gift set.

5) Instead of chocolate morsels, add Christmas colored M&Ms.

More Handmade Holidays ideas to come =)

<3>

Tips from a self proclaimed Black Friday Pro

2008-11-14T10:06:00.005-05:00

As most of you know, I'm a shopping addict (no, literally, it's my drug of choice... it fills those gaps that most people fill with bad habits... so instead of being a junkie, I just have a bunch of stuff I don't need). I have gone marathon shopping every Black Friday since I was 15. Here are some tips to get the most out of the day.

1) Most important tip- Make a spreadsheet or list of everyone you need to buy for. If you have Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Works spreadsheet, that's the best thing to use. List names down the side, then in the other columns beside the names write clothing size, things they are into/hobbies they have/ things they have asked for or mentioned they'd like to have, stores to look in, age range or gender (so you can arrange the spreadsheet by age/gender... it makes it easier.... I put F and M for adults and Kids for the kiddos, then arrange the spreadsheet that way so when I'm at Toys R Us I can clearly see all of the kids names, and when I'm at Bath & BW I can clearly see all of the females on the list), and price range you'd like to stick to for there gift. So.... price range, gift ideas, size, stores to look in, and gender/age. Mine looks like from last year, I keep all of them on one spreadsheet so I can look back and see what I've bought them in previous years (I hope no one on this list stumbles across it.... ackward)-

2) Standing in line is worth it.

3) Get the Thanksgiving news paper AND the Sunday paper the Sunday before thanksgiving. Even with all of the wonderful awesomeness that is the web, you'll still find lots of really useful coupons and sales ads that aren't posted online.

4) Plan ahead. Plan where you are going to go, find out what time stores open, decide where you are going first, second, third, and so on (not necessarily stores, except maybe the first store, but general areas....) Here's an example, what I did last year- Outlet mall (first store- Coach outlet.... get in line at 10:00pm thanksgiving, they open at 12:00am), leave the outlet mall around 4:00am and head to Walmart by my house (upon arriving at walmart, search for the items I'm looking for so I know where to go when they start unwrapping), after walmart head to the mall (Macys first), dart around to the PRE SELECTED stores (to avoid wasting time and shopping for myself), head to Kohls/Target/TJ Maxx, go home.

5) DON'T BRING YOUR CHILDREN unless you ABSOLUTELY MUST. It's a mad house and it's kinda not safe. If at all possible, get a sitter.

6) I bring my big blue Ikea bag so instead of carrying around 500 small bags I can just throw them all into the ikea bag. I would suggest bringing an empty stroller for putting your bags in, but strollers are despised on this day.... they get in peoples way.

7) Don't waste time looking for a good parking spot... you'll drive around for 15 minutes looking for one. Why spend 15 minutes looking for a spot when you could be SHOPPING! Park wherever you see a spot and get to walking.

8) Wear sneakers and comfy clothes. If you're doing marathon shopping, the more comfortable the better. If it's not too cold, opt for a sweater with an undershirt instead of a coat, so you can just take it off and tie it around your waste if you get hot.

9) Don't forget to charge your cell phone and bring your car charger! You'll be calling around to ask friends and family questions. And remember- just because you are out at 3:00 am shopping doesn't mean your relatives are, so hold off on calling unless absolutely necessary =)

10) Most major retailers who you can purchase from online have the same black friday sales on there websites, so if you're not up for shopping you can still shop online and save.

11) Second most important and should be # 2.... BE NICE!!! Be patient!!! Everyone is waiting in line... not just you. Everyone wants out ASAP. Everyone is cramped. You got yourself into this mess, so make the best of it. It can be fun. Standing in line for 15 minutes is part of the process, so don't look around at the cashiers as if they are going too slow or something. Everyone wants to move on to the next store. Remember to be friendly to the cashiers, this is one of the hardest days of the year for them.... and they'd rather be shopping too. So be nice and friendly. Say "Thank you!" and "Happy Holidays to you too!"

Hope these help! Happy shopping everyone!!

PS- Cafemom Etsy Moms Street Team is having a Black Friday sale. I'll post more when I know more, but I've already picked out items from several sellers. If nothing, just search etsy for 'cafemom team black friday'.

Christmas Shopping Etsy Style ~ Part two

2008-11-07T16:17:00.003-05:00

I love an artist that just oozes with originality. As I said in my first CSES post, that is one of the most important keys to success. Here's another one of my favorite uber original etsy sellers, pumpkinhaus. I love her use of color, her hand stitching, and ability to transform fabrics I'd typically overlook into absolutely stunning creations.

One of my all time favorite etsy items are her Earthiles (I could never pick just one favorite Earthly). Each doll is handcrafted and no two are alike. The detail is amazing. The creativity and originality even more so.

Looking for more originality? Ever heard of a boobie hat?

So, check her shop out.... and her blog.

Hannah... I mean Kaytlin's Halloween

2008-11-07T15:32:00.005-05:00

I finally got to sew something! My life has been incredibly busy lately... and what's strange is I haven't taken on any additional responsibilities, work any more hours, etc. Hubby started back in school for the fall and his classes have been HARD to say the least. I've had to pick up all of the housework. So.... no crafting =(

Until this.... The best Hannah Montana costume. I made the top, chopped up a denim jacket from goodwill, and paired it with a pair of cute jeans she already had, some bold accessories, and a Hannah Montana wig that K already had. I also made the headscarf and her trick or treat bag. I really wish I had better pictures to share. The sparkly didn't photograph well regardless of lighting.

You can't tell from the pictures, but it's a cowl neckline... the look was inspired by the shirt she's wearing in this picture. This pose is plastered all over HM memorabilia.

I used one of Kaytlin's t shirts as a template for the base of the shirt, then cut a rectangle of fabric and sewed it to the front top of the shoulders section. I didn't have time to use a pattern.

Christmas shopping Etsy style

2008-11-03T16:24:00.006-05:00

I plan on posting some halloween handmades SOON. But for now, I'd like to take a moment to feature some of my etsy faves that would be awesome Christmas gifts!!

I was originially going to do items from various sellers.... but I absolutely love this mommys stuff, so I'm dedicating this post to her shop.

I know her as aebaby on cafemom. Her etsy shop is http://aebaby.etsy.com and she has some of the most awesome kids stuff you can find on etsy. I'm not just saying that either! Here are some of my faves, check out her shop for all of the details and items available.

These are some of my ALL TIME faves. Some are in her sold section, some are available now.

BTW I'm getting new floors in my house this weekend! I'm super excited! Look out for before and afters!!

Pillowcase Dress Measurements +info for googlers

2008-10-17T09:27:00.003-04:00

First and foremost.... please read this blog entry. It is very important. Thanks!

Sometimes I like to add posts just for the googlers... I know how it is to search the web over for info and can't find it. I noticed in my analytics today that someone landed on my page from google searching the above subject.

Here's how I do it....

For the length, I measure my DD from just below the collar bone down to the desired length (which for me is the knee), and add 1 1/2" seam allowance for the casing at the top and 1/2" seam allowance for the bottom hem.

For the width, I take the measurement of one of my daughters losely fitting shirts and add 3-5" depending on how puffy I want it to be.

I prefer more a pillowcase style top rather than a dress. They are still adorable and can be easily worn with pants. For that, I add about 3" onto the width of one of her shirts, for a dress I add about 5" to make it nice and full.

Here is the result.... (these are from this spring/summer)

Dress style

Top style

More for the googlers....

I bought the fabric for my daughters pettiskirt from AFC-Express. The fabric used is 15 denier nylon chiffon. BTW I will be selling the pettiskirt on ebay. As much as I hate to, I really need the money. Consider it like a charity auction lol. See here for more info on why.

An EXCELLENT place to get info for making bows (bow making for dummies) is http://www.hipgirlclips.com/forums/. Awesome. Lots of tutorials on making bows and running a successful hairbow business.

Ebay destash continues

2008-10-16T16:23:00.003-04:00

I am still destashing! It is taking a while to get decent pictures taken. The sun goes down earlier now... so the dining room light isn't so great by the time I get to take pictures. Ugh.

I talked to my insurance company today and was quite disappointed to find out that I was MISINFORMED and my actual out of pocket will be $3,500. So I'm either going to have to sell my appendix on ebay or I'm going to have to wait a little while longer. See my other blog for the details on all that drama. I'm going to continue to save like crazy and sell stuff on ebay. Every little bit helps!

To all of my wonderful readers in blog land, please check out my listings. You might not find something you want, but who knows you might! So far I've listed the bulk of the fabric I'm willing to part with at this point as well as all of the patterns I intend to sell. If I get desperate (which probably will happen), I'll be listing more. There's several designer fabrics up now, and I've got one more to list. I just need to re-take pictures of several... some looked just plain terrible!

Here's the link to view my current listings. Their are quite a few now... about 19 and more to come.

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZkaytiebugs*boutique

I really need your help....

2008-10-13T22:47:00.005-04:00

I've told you about my secret. Well... I had my portion ($2,000) saved. Thanks to my daughters birthday along with a whole tailspin of other stuff I need to come up with $1,200 FAST! Like hopefully in less than two weeks! It's going to be a challenge.

So what's my recourse? Ebay. I've listed a few things already.... and I'm getting ready to post a HUMONGOUS destash. Like an entire laundry basket of fabric, a big bag of yarn/knitting/crochet destash, zippers, I mean just a ton of stuff. I hate to let it go. I truly do. It took a long time to get a respectable hoard! And my scraps... my precious scraps... they are like little honor badges of completed projects. I'm destashing a T-O-N of scraps. I'm not even done taking pictures of the fabric. There's lots. I'll post pics after I list the items. I really hate to get rid of my scraps *tear*. For those who are curious, the scraps include designers like Amy Butler, Sandi Henderson, Jennifer Paganelli, Anna Maria Horner, Freshcut, Michael Miller, Alexander Henry, I mean the list is endless. Tons of scraps. Lots of BIG pieces, lots of cut squares, and lots of awesome scrappy scraps.

So.... I really need your help. Feel free to bid, spread the word, show some love.

Click the link below to check out my current listings!

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZkaytiebugs*boutique

Jewelry Contest

2008-10-08T22:38:00.002-04:00

I was just over at 'everything your mama made & more' when I read about the contest going on! It's not sewing related, but still awesome. Shezarealgem Designs is giving away a $20 gift card on her blog. Naturally I went over to Shezarealgem Designs on etsy and saw some of the amazing jewelry I've admired for quite a while. Who could help but admire these babies? They are gorgeous! The 'about me' section of the blog entry is quite inspiring.

You know I wouldn't say this, or put someone else in my blog, if I didn't mean it, right? I don't blog contests just for the extra entries... I like to share amazing etsians for the heck of it, so if I can win something why not give it a shot? lol. But really, check her out.

Cake decorating supplies

2008-10-08T21:12:00.004-04:00

In a sad attempt to make up for spending WAAAAAAY too much money on my daughters birthday and party, I'm going to sell a few things on ebay. If I get manic it might turn into an all out online yard sale.

I just listed some cake decorating stuff.... some is new, and what isn't new has literally been used ONCE! I swear! There's nothing wrong with the stuff, I just don't have a need for it. If I ever make a cake again, it'll be for my daughters birthday next year. So I really don't want to have this stuff around for a whole year.

So please.... do a broke friend a favor and bid... lol

I would offer some kind of promo, some $ off for mentioning you linked over from the blog, but I don't expect the listing to go high enough for that. Sowwy.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250306102634&_trksid=p3907.m32&_trkparms=tab%3DSelling

Til next time.... I'm off to dig up something else to sell... lol

Birthday party!!

2008-10-06T18:15:00.005-04:00

I'm waiting on pics from a couple of people, because I didn't get a chance to take very many at the party. I was a little too busy chasing children and entertaining.

Everything was so much fun! Everything turned out exactly the way I wanted it to. All of our guests seemed to have a good time.

Here are some pics of the decor. My mom and step dad did most of it (I was too busy being SICK all week and making her cake, which we'll discuss in a minute)....

I truly regret not taking more pictures!!! We had a big moonwalk and helium balloons tied everywhere.... on the front porch, back porch, chairs, etc.

And now on to the cake.... the final and last MMF cake I'll probably ever make....

It's a crappy pic, again... I'm sorry... I was seriously busy.

I made all of the little boys capes with there initials (hence why it's pretty important to SHOW UP when you say for weeks that you are coming ;-) but I still love you Miss B). All of the little girls got tutus in the theme colors.... pink, black, and white. I didn't have much black tulle so most of them were white and pink.

The little girl wore the pettiskirt outfit featured in my last post. I barely managed to put on makeup and clean clothing. I was sick all last week and I still don't feel that great. I've had a bad sinus infection. Ick. Not contageous though. And, yes.... I washed my hands repeatedly.

We played a game too... my mom (who did most of the work and the cleaning, thank you mom!!!!) hid fondant stars all around the downstairs and outside (it was a last minute game, otherwise I would have thought of something better to hide lol). Girls searched for pink stars, boys for white. The two who collected the most got a calendar (Mustang calendar for the boy, Tink calendar for the girl).

I bought the stuff for everyone to make their own hunky bead necklaces, but after K opened her presents everyone was pretty much interested in that. The little girls escaped to the bonus room to put in the Hannah Montana instructional dance DVD and the little boys were still looking for stars lol.... and playing outside.

Kaytlin's Birthday day & Pettiskirt

2008-10-01T12:57:00.009-04:00

These pics are from yesterday, her 5th birthday! We're having her party this coming Saturday. I made the pettiskirt. I'm in the process of working up a tutorial, not sure if I'll give it away or sell it. If I sell it, it'll be $5 or less.

Good morning sunshine! Lets get that hair brushed! (note the pink streaks)

"Mommy, I want McDonalds for breakfast!" You got it babe...

"How old are you today, Kaytlin???" 5!

We picked her up from school with a huge balloon and a bouquet of flowers in tow.

"Let me in! I want my presents!" Check out the bow.... thanks appleblossombows! The bow rocks!!!

I LOVE my new room!!

True Divas do wardrobe changes =)

We went out and ate mexican.... the pictures are on Matt's phone. I'll post those later. Cute. I made the skirt and the shirt is a iron on rhinestone applique. The pettiskirt was not easy.... well, it was easy, but it took HOURS AND HOURS!

Here's a video of the "Grand reveal" of her gifts from us...

>>>> Okay I totally tried to use the blogger video upload function but it took 2 hours and still wasn't done loading, so here's the youtube video!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyn-166GKuw

Sorry

2008-09-26T09:26:00.004-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've closed my etsy shop for the time being. I'm having surgery in a few weeks (hopefully, maybe 3-4 weeks, not sure exactly when). My life has been completely consumed with researching... and planning Kaytlin's birthday party. I finished the pettiskirt. It looks awesome! It's no Kaiya Eve, but I think it turned out well. I'll post pics soon, I want to finish the little top first so we can have a little modeling session.

I made another test cake for K's party. This one looks pretty crappy but I was more less just trying to figure out a good way to stack the two tiers, and I wanted to practice doing the little stars on wires and getting the stars to stick to the sides. Her real cake will look much better, and will have lots more stars and something else on the top, plus some cute pink and white sparkler candles. The flash gives a funky shadow on the cake from the wires. Sorry about that. Again, I am aware that this is not cute so don't laugh.

For the googlers.... I was told by a Michael's employee (who had taken all of the cake classes) that she didn't think fondant could be dyed, and she didn't know what should be used to do it either. Here's how it's done- I used the little jar looking wilton dyes from the craft section of Michaels. I dabbed a bit onto the fondant (about 4 dabs). I kneaded and kneaded for like 15 minutes. Finally everything was all one color. Voila. So... use the Wilton jars of color and knead until it's all one color. It takes a while, and you may have to add more to achieve the color you want, but it can be done. I made marshmallow fondant, just in case anyone is interested. It's easy (except for the kneading part, which is still pretty easy but messy and a little time consuming) and it tastes SOOO much better than traditional fondant. Click the link above for the recipe. It's a lot cheaper to make than buy pre-made fondant or the stuff to make it.

An apple a day....

2008-09-15T12:59:00.011-04:00

We went to the most beautiful place in Georgia again this weekend. This time we had a mission - picking apples. I'll be making caramel apples for Kaytlin's 5th birthday bash, and what better source for a mass amount of apples than the North Georgia mountains. It's so beautiful there. I could take a thousand pictures. I just love going to my moms house. There are so many things to do that you just can't get "in the city".

I went with intentions of getting about 30 apples, and was sent home with this.......>>>>> (minus the tractor)

There were probably 12 apple trees scattered about, all slap full of apples, just waiting to be gobbled up.

The best part about apples? If you keep them in the crisper, they'll last for months!

K absolutely loved it. Nanna was cleaning apples for her right there in the orchard. K got to ride my stepdads tractor. That was cute. I spent the entire afternoon cleaning apples. Did you know that grocery store apples don't come off the tree looking all shiny and absolutely flawless? For some reason I imagined they were just naturally shiny and bright red. I was informed that they go through a serious cleaning process, then they were coated with a WAX to make them shine! My stepdad has been known to jack with me from time to time, but it turns out he was telling the truth this time lol.

Go big or go home

2008-09-12T14:05:00.006-04:00

That's my personal mantra. Too bad I can't apply this principal to Kaytiebugs! Unfortunately that gets put toward the bottom of the 'to do' list, when it should be close to the top.

So why is this the title for this entry?

K was stuck between a girly skull theme and Hannah Montana for her birthday party... so I let her choose both. Mainly because I'll be able to mix the two together well. I'll buy mostly for the punk theme, solid colors and skulls adorned with pink hairbows. Here's the image I'm kindof going on for the party...

Here's where the whole 'go big' thing comes into play. I'm one of those moms. The over-achiever mom. When you're a "young mom," ya kinda have to be... being a "normal mom"+being young= less than good enough in most peoples eyes. I've learned over the years that you really have to PUSH and prove yourself. This applies to family too, unfortunately. Totally not going in that direction.... PS- I'm not that young, but 5 years ago I was :-)

So this is the big one for K.... the big FIVE!

I'm going to design her cake. I want this cake, but it'd cost a fortune to buy, so I'm making it.

Here's the practice round... I made my own fondant using a marshmallow fondant recipe. It actually tastes pretty good, as opposed to traditional fondant which people peel off before eating the cake. Now remember, this is only the test round. The real thing will look more like the above cake. I didn't buy the right food coloring and I was just tinkering with excess fondant when I cut those strips and layed them on. Trust me, the real cake will be waaay cuter than this! I think I'm only going to do two tiers though, instead of three like pictured above. And I'm still debating on just buying the skulls premade because I wasn't so good at that.

On to favors.... Instead of the usual little baggie of sugar and Made in China toys, the kiddos will receive something a bit more personal. I'm for sure going to make custom bottlecap necklaces for each child, two bottlecaps each and one necklace (girls will get the organza ribbon kind, boys will get the ball chain kind). Each kid will receive a necklace with there name on it (girls will have crowns on theirs, boys will get something equally masculine), and skulls.

Entertainment.... If it were up to me, we'd have a totally punked out girl come paint faces and do balloon animals, but I don't think fellow parents would be too impressed lol.

More to come...

I received an 'I Love Your Blog' Award!

2008-09-10T15:52:00.004-04:00

Angie Vinez of "Angie's Fifth" honored me today with this award!

Now it's my turn to pass the award on to 7 of my favorite blogs! It's going to be a tough decision!

Here are the rules:

1. The winner of this award can put the logo on her blog.

2. Link to the person you received your award from.

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4. Put links of those blogs on yours.

5. Leave a comment on the blogs of the people you have nominated as well as the persons blog who nominated you.

6. If the blogger you nominate has already received this award, they don't need to pass it on.

So, here are the 7 from my blogroll that I'm going to pick, and why....

1) Like Flowers & Butterflies - Her work absolutely amazes me. She is incredibly talented and has a beautiful family. Her photography is awesome, she sews some of the most gorgeous handmades I've ever seen.

2) Grosgrain Fabulous - first off, who doesn't love a blog that has bi-weekly giveaways? lol. Aside from the free goodies, she sews some of the cutest clothes! Her daughter is so lucky. Her designs are wonderful mix of traditional+classic+mod. Absolutely awesome!

3) Cafemom Etsy Moms - This is the blog of a street team I am a member/admin of. It's a very talented group of young ladies. The blog hosts contests, has tons of tutorials, recipes, and featured artists.

4) Priddy Creations - Pretty pictures, wonderful designs... and an awesome studio.

5) Pumpkinhaus - This mommy is so awesome. I love her style. Her Earthlies are gorgeous and so unique. Seriously, she's a must see. Really unique creations.

6) Shais Creations - A fellow Cafemom Etsy Moms street team member... and a fellow Lollishops vendor! And her tutus? Tuu cute!!

7) MODKIDBOUTIQUE - Patty Young, A Custom Boutique clothing designer turned Michael Miller fabric designer. Her creations are absolutely gorgeous. Her photography is awesome. Her fabrics are super awesome.

Check out these blogs (and many more listed in the blogroll on the side). They're umm... awesome (I need to work on my vocabulary I guess, awesome is getting to be a little played out lol).

Thanks, Angie, for the award!!

And since I've noticed lots of other people using images as a siggy, here's one for ya!

~Accepted to Lollishops~ :~)

2008-09-08T21:04:00.008-04:00

What is Lollishops? According to lollishops.com , "LolliShops is a juried, online selling venue for talented artists, collectors of vintage and art supply vendors. LolliShops will appeal to those who love... Elegant Whimsy, Romantic Inspirations, and Fanciful Creations... artists will enjoy setting up their own, customizable store fronts while LolliShops patrons enjoy feeling like a kid in a Candy Store!"

Why is this so exciting? Because I had to apply, and actually got accepted! When maaany fellow etsians were "rejected" (it sounds so terrible, but the denial email they send is nice). I wasn't sure if my pictures would be good enough, or that my items "fit the bill".

I'm excited!!

You can get more info at:

http://lollishops.com/

http://lollishops.wordpress.com/

See pictures of what's in store!

http://www.flickr.com/groups/lollishops/pool/

So what's in store for Kaytiebugs? Well... being accepted gave me a little bit of a design-boost. It made me feel like my stuff really is good. I'm not trying to act big headed, I promise. It was just a little reassuring. It made me want to put more effort into accomplishing things via Kaytiebugs.

Table Cloth Skirt and Dinner Party Top GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

2008-09-04T00:55:00.000-04:00

Table Cloth Skirt and Dinner Party Top GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Grosgrain, one of my faves, is having a giveaway

2008-09-04T00:50:00.001-04:00

I absolutely adore this set! It's my F-A-V-E of hers thus far... wait, maybe my fave is the white fancy field frock... or the Garden Party frock... oh wait it's totally the ice cream social frock. Wait, I'm confused. Oh I just love them all. She has such amazing style. I love it.

http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/2008/09/table-cloth-skirt-and-dinner-party-top.html

Adding to the collection...

2008-09-02T09:47:00.003-04:00

There's something about an old sewing machine that just draws me. They tell a story... or I make one up lol. Each machine has it's own story to tell.

My Singer 600E Touch & Sew has a story... it was my grandmothers, she used it to make clothes for all 5 of her children as well as herself and many household projects all through the 1960's clear through the nineties until she was no longer able to sew.

I don't think I've mentioned this in a previous blog, but I also have a 1940's Sewmor Deluxe sewing machine. The model number slips my mind at the moment. My husband saw it at a customers house and they gave it to him. It is a beauty. It's blue and solid as a rock. It's electric and it only does two stitches. I'll have to post pictures after I get home, I just realized I've never mentioned it before. The story she tells... she was manufactured in Japan in the late 1940's, she's one of the first Sewmor models. I visualize her being owned by the mother in Mary Poppins... she shows very little sign of wear or use, yet the machine and cabinet are gorgeous. She may have used it a handful of times to hem up some new Women's Voting Rights sashes.

My sergers have a wonderful story. They were used in a high school for many many years, unfortunately the high school decided to do away with there Home Ec. program. I'm not even going to get into the importance of Home Ec and similar classes in middle and high school, that's a blog all unto itself.

And now the newest addition to my collection... a 1957 Singer 401A Slant-O-Matic. After a lot of research (aka a couple of good google searches lol) I've gathered that this machine is pretty well saught after, and is supposedly one of the best machines Singer manufactured "back in the day". The machine is not in great condition, though... it has been neglected. The cabinet looks to be falling apart (although structurally sound) with chunks of the wood missing. The machine itself needs some cleaning up and oiling, and the plug needs repair. Other than that it looks okay. One of my dad's neighbors was moving and he took it, apparently they were going to throw it away! Shame tsk tsk. My dad had no idea I was a bit of a collector, so he was shocked when he saw how thrilled I was to receive this treasure. Her story? My idea is that she was owned by a hippie mama and was used to make clothing and handbags for herself... and was never used to hem a thing lol.

I cherish all of my lovely machines, even my cheap-o Brother that I use for my regular day to day projects. And to think, I've paid a grand total of $85 for all 6 of my sewing machines :-).

We have a winner!!!

2008-08-29T08:31:00.005-04:00

By random number generation, MyBUG has won the double ruffle femme skirt! She left a comment and blogged in two places... Myspace and Indymoms.

MyBUG operates an Etsy shop, http://mybug.etsy.com/

I'm going on vacation! Keep the entries coming though!

2008-08-20T13:58:00.003-04:00

I fixed the giveaway so that anyone could enter, not just people with either a google account or openid. So if you tried to enter before but couldn't, click on over and try again! If you have any trouble, shoot me an email at kaytiebugs@yahoo.com!

So TTFN.... I'm off to Myrtle Beach until next week!

Ruffly Girly GIVEAWAY!!!

2008-08-15T09:41:00.007-04:00

What do you get when you combine Sis Boom, Pink, Brown, and ruffles???

MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!

So what am I giving away??

I am giving away a custom made ‘Double Ruffle Femme Skirt'. The fabric will be two coordinating Sis Boom fabrics, brown and white ‘Casey Scroll' and pink and brown ‘Mary Trellis'. The fabrics are pictured below. The pink will be the top fabric (see the Farmers Market Double Ruffle Femme Skirt below? The pink and brown will be where the cherries print is on that skirt), the brown and white fabric will be on the underneath (where the stripes are in the picture below). Sizes available for winning are 18 Months thru little girl's size 5 with a 23" waist measurement.

How can you enter to win this adorable little skirt??? There are a few different ways, and each thing you do increases your chance to win!

1) Post a comment below... include info like how you heard about this giveaway, what your fave item is in my etsy shop (see etsy mini to the right of the page in my sidebar), what brought you to my blog today, if you've ever read my blog before or are a regular reader, etc.... something somewhat interesting and more than "Hey! Can you enter me to win?" This will count as one entry.

2) Blog about this giveaway... blog on your blogger, typepad, or even your myspace/facebook blog or cafemom journal.... For each place you blog about this, it'll be counted as FIVE entries.

3) Post this clickable image somewhere.... In the sidebar of your blog, on your website, on your myspace/facebook profile, on your cafemom profile, etc.... FIVE more entries for each place you post it.

* If you plan on blogging or posting the clickable graphic, please do so first then come back and leave your comment including links to these things.

Entries must be received by 8/28/08 (two weeks from today). One comment per person. In your comment, make sure I have some way to contact you if you don't leave a URL. If you have trouble or questions, email me at kaytiebugs@yahoo.com. The winner will be selected by a random number generator.

Use this image in your blog or wherever, but remember to make it clickable!! The image is hosted at http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3058/2764723235_511499b3b7.jpg (that's an underscore between all those numbers). Make sure it links back to this web address: http://kaytiebugs.blogspot.com/2008/08/ruffly-girly-giveaway.html. Having trouble? Feel free to ask in a comment or email me questions at kaytiebugs@yahoo.com

So get busy entering!!!

The most beautiful place in Georgia

2008-08-12T11:56:00.005-04:00

If you read this all the way to the bottom, I've got a secret to share with you. But first, I'm going to tell you about my weekend.

While Matt was in Panama City scuba diving with his dad, I went to my moms for the weekend. She lives in the North Georiga mountains, the most beautiful place in Georgia. Parts of it seem untainted... everything is small, simple, and easy going. It doesn't take an hour to go 20 miles (and if it does, it's because you had to cross three mountains to get there, not because there was a jacknife tractor trailer and two fender benders in the interstate). People are friendly. Things have a wonderful timeless feel... and everything "old" is embraced with the term "antique". Hence the picture.... see the copper cooking utensils? I told my mom to write in her will that those are MINE! lol

So what did we do all weekend? Well... I worked on those roman shades for my coworker, no fun. This project is much harder than I anticipated. Not to mention the fact that it's HOT! I've constantly got 10 feet of upholstery weight fabric sitting in my lap! It's been quite a challenge, and a learning experience. I am trying to compare it to what quilting would be like... working on such a huge amount of fabric.

We picked tons of tomatoes and peppers. I have so much I don't even know what to do with it!

K went for a ride on Dollar.

I also learned how to make homemade salsa! My mom has a big garden, and all of her family members do too... so they kind of share crop. They all help each other when harvest time comes. We used home grown peppers, tomatoes, and *cough* store bought onions... among other secret family ingredients. I never knew my muscles could actually grow tired from chopping veggies!

I created a flickr set titled 'My Faves'. I just looked at it... and it's like if my life were flashing before my eyes, these would be some of the images that would appear.

How ‘bout them Dawgs!!!

2008-08-06T10:02:00.003-04:00

The first UGA game is August 30th!!! Less than a month away! We (Matt, myself, Kaytlin, most of my family members, and MOST of my friends… well, all except Josh, he’s a Tech fan… heffer… lol, Kaytlin gives him hell about it, well… we all kinda do).

So what better way to commemorate the first game than making something absolutely adorable for Kaytlin that goes with the theme?!?! This is what I have in the works. At first I wanted it to be a skirt with matching appliqué top and I wanted to make a twirly skirt tutorial, but honestly I’d rather make it a dress or something. I think I might still make a tutorial though, and include pattern pieces for the bodice (and maybe some other pieces) in a PDF. Here’s what I’ve got so far… a ton of cut up squares and a strip that was going to be the casing for the waistband. I love the fabric combo…. UGA, red polka dots, black polka dots, and Michael Miller paw prints. May I just say that the makers of the UGA fabric did a terrible job of printing it. The fabric is kind of like a grid…. And it wasn’t printed straight on the bolt, plus those straight white lines… not very straight when you hold a ruler up to it to cut on them… I adore the print, but if I could buy the same thing from a different manufacturer I would. PS- I decided against the gingham band if I do the skirt, it just didn't match as well as I thought it would.

And here’s that tiered skirt I mentioned before. I still need to wrangle up K for a little “photo shoot” so I can list this skirt on etsy, but we’ve been super busy lately. For the last few months she’s dreaded “modeling”. Like the milk mustache? We were running out the door and I wanted to snap some pics just in case she spilled koolaid on it before we got to do a real modeling session.

I’ve been employed to make some soft fold roman shades. I’m excited and nervous at the same time. The instructions are relatively simple, but geez cutting 2 ½ YARDS in a straight line sounds just a tad bit intimidating. Luckily I’ve got a yard stick and some awesome scissors! I’ll post progress pics.

Who do ya love?

2008-08-04T13:52:00.003-04:00

I'm a proud member of the Etsy Street Team 'Cafemom Etsy Moms'... we're a bunch of fun lovin' moms who sell on etsy. Check out our blog here. I just won a really cute plushie from rockerchic's shop!!

So we all like to click around etsy and admire other sellers goodies... and buy too of course. I asked everyone who they loved to oogle over, and here's what I got!

I love:

Viviludesigns - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5088480
pictureperfectpurses - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5206224
Nuxiemade - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=69490
MixedSpecies - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5079854
PinkMarshmallow - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=46496
CarolLeeDesigns - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5070142

Pumpkinhaus - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5359552
flowersnbutterflies - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5518214

Cozycabinmom loves

SunshineAnnie Designs
CHARBRIDGE KNITS AND GIFTS
Doodle Pad Designs
keepingitsimplysweet
Pinkcupcakes

aebaby loves

Fern Ridge Fabrics - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5913979
Art U Wear - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5592162
Countree Toy Shoppe - http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5567288

mamashai107 loves:

rockerchic loves:

anitascraftycreations

babythebaby loves:

Wow that's a lot of love from cafemom etsy moms!

Be sure to check out the Cafemom Etsy Moms blog and these shops!

Fabricaholicism

2008-08-02T21:41:00.004-04:00

I received my fabric yesterday and cut it all up this morning... four little lovelies coming soo! I was going to write a tutorial on how to get two adorable skirts out of one yard of fabric, I took pictures and everything, then the iphone got wiped out... photos gone... therefore no tutorial. Shucks! Maybe if someone shows interest in how to get two skirts out of one yard (or two half yards, which is what I did) then I'll do it again, photos and all. I will post pics of the skirts in my next entry... I tried to take pics today but it was raining outside... and inside pics with my cam aren't nearly as good.

I just ordered the nylon chiffon to make Kaytlin's pettiskirt mentioned in my previous post!!! I'm so freakin excited! I hope it doesn't take too long!! I just can't wait to chop it up. Most people look at pettiskirts and think they're hard. Being that I've never actually made one, I could be totally wrong in saying this, BUT I'm gonna... it doesn't really look that hard. It looks like the hardest part is just cutting it all up, which shouldn't be too hard since it's all straight lines and repeating lengths etc. It'll be pretty time consuming... shirring up more yardage than I ever thought possible and all... but not really hard per se, just time consuming. Hard is a wedding dress, HARD is a dress that requires buttons, a zipper, criss cross bodice, turned straps, multiple layers to be hemmed, gathering AND beading. We're talking rectangles, shirring, and straight stitching. Alright, I'm starting to sound cocky.

I would just like to know where in the world these etsy sellers are getting there nylon chiffon though. Side note: I'm going to write an awesome tutorial on how to make these (because there's no way in the world I'd make one to sell, I'd make like nothing per hour.... it'll be easy to make but very time consuming therefore not very profitable compared to hours spent making). If I put a lot of effort into the tutorial I'll probably sell it for $5 though... or at least at first. Because honestly there isn't a single GOOD tutorial to make a pettiskirt... or at least not one that I found. Yeah, I watched the martha video (and read the instructions)... very vague... that gal doesn't want to tell folks how to make her skirts, she came on that show to promote her skirts, not to teach others this wonderful skill she has. LOL! She ran through those directions like it was nothing, and took no time to provide measurements to make any size bigger than what the babies in the audience were wearing. Nicely done. Then there are other tutorials. They were helpful... but my number one biggest complaint about this whole process was the measurements. I couldn't find measurements to make one for my DD sz 4T... they were mostly all for babies. It took me forever to figure out how much yardage to purchase and honestly I'm still not sure. I ordered more than I thought I'd need though, 16 yards. Some gals on ebay talk about having a 45 yard pettiskirt... no stinkin way you're fitting 45 yards of fabric into one skirt. I am pretty sure they are referring to the lengths of all of the cuts combined lol.... that and HELLO they're charging $60-80 for something that takes hours to create (I don't care how talented, if you tell me you made one of these in an hour I'll tell ya you're lieing and ask you to show me ).

Okay... this has become way too long.

Because I have no pictures to share, I'm posting these..... I absolutely love the new Ava Rose fabric from Grand Revival Designs! That's on my list of fabrics to order SOON! I love love love the blue fabric with the roses, paired up with the white with pink polka dots! You guys should click the link.... the blog is amazing.

A giveaway

2008-07-30T11:35:00.004-04:00

It's not mine.... but I've entered!

Hop over to See Mommy Sew to enter for your chance to win your choice of these two adorable things! My fave is the twirl skirt! Preggo? Check out her etsy shop .

I want to do a giveaway soon.... But what shall I give? I'll think about that later.

I'm getting brave. I'm going to attempt to make Kaytlin a pettiskirt... kinda like the ones Kaiya Eve sells for upwards of $70-80! I'm ordering my nylon chiffon today. I want Kaytlin to wear this at her birthday party. She wants pink and black... of course... with her wannabe punky self. She cracks me up. She just loves skulls, rock music, and all things punkish. Matt and I aren't even into all that. We like rock but we don't wear skulls or punk-like color combos etc. Here's what I'm making her (image borrowed from the Kaiya Eve website). Wish me luck! It's going to take a lot of patience, but supplies are MUCH MUCH cheaper than it costs to buy one!! Heck... supplies are much cheaper than just about anything I make!!

I ordered a couple of new fabrics yesterday. I can't wait to get them!! Here's a sneak peek...

Sandi Henderson's Farmers Market combo

Sis Boom's Bell Bottoms combo

What shall they become????? Hmm............. Something twirly............ something girly............. something fun.....

What a busy weekend....

2008-07-28T16:15:00.004-04:00

Matt and I met an awesome couple at our neighborhood pool last week. The hubby is in a band called 12oz Prophets. They invited us to come to there show at Sportsline in Lawrenceville this past Saturday. We went… and it was absolutely awesome. They are so talented.

www.myspace.com/12ounceprophets

So I made this handbag a while back. I personally love it. I love the ease of use. I love that it’s big but not so big that things get lost. I love how the inside pocket is big but not toooo big, and no zipper to fool with, and I love how the pocket is in two sections. I can easily stick my debit card and spare change right down in there, then easily dig it out! I love the colors of this bag. I love that I don’t have to worry about it falling off my shoulder (because it’s held on the forearm). I just love this bag. I have gotten so many complements on it that I decided to sell another one…. A recreation of my wonderful bag. I didn’t know if it would sell or not… because I know people are funny about things being recreated when it’s not custom clothing, but low and behold I’ve sold TWO! The first one sold within two days of being listed…. Then I relisted it and it sold AGAIN! Within two days!!! I listed it for a third time today; we’ll see how it goes :-).

I redesigned my shop banner, so check it out :-) http://kaytiebugs.etsy.com/ tell me what you think! I know it’s nothing fab… I made it myself… I just cropped around a snippet of one of Sandi’s Farmers Market prints. Wow how creative of me, right? Terrible, I know… but it’s pretty cute and the best I can do. I redesigned my blog too if you haven’t already noticed :-)

And now for something twirly… because I’m in love with twirly these days. I made this cute little twirl skirt for my niece’s 2nd birthday. It’s in Amy Butler’s Coriander and French Wallpaper… from Belle, my fave AB line. I wish Amy Butler blogged… IMO designers should blog, it offers a gateway… a way to connect with people… a way for people to really see a designer as a person versus a name on a slevedge (or tag, or label, etc….). So, thanks to you designers over there in my sidebar… thanks for blogging. Thanks for offering up a daily dose of inspiration. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Thanks. Oh yeah… almost forgot, this paragraph is about a skirt. Duuh!

We went to my moms house Saturday... up in the mountains. Beautiful place. I sooo wish I had my camera. My mom has a BIG garden... mostly tomatos, peppers, herbs, etc. Actually half of her family up there (her inlaws) have a garden. They all grow different things and share with one another... and help each other. We went to a relatives garden to pick blueberries... something I had never done. Kaytlin was in absolute HEAVEN. They don't use pesticides, and although it would have been best to wash them first, Kaytlin was eating berries right off the bush. It was the cutest thing. She had a bucket and was filling it up. She loves tomatoes too... LOVES... she was picking them right off and eating them. She does that at home too. It was so cute. We made off with about a half gallon bag of blueberries and a bunch of tomatoes. The child ate so many berries and tomatoes I'm surprised it didn't make her sick! I really wish I had my camera... it was such a pretty moment.... huge blueberries everywhere, a cute little Kaytiebugs dress on my kiddo (and on her cousin), setting sun on the mountains, and all of us scooping up as much free produce as our buckets could hold!

PS- if you notice any random 'J''s... those were smileys when I was writing this in word... but when I copied and pasted it over, they all turned into J's! AAH!

Pink twirly fun

2008-07-22T08:09:00.003-04:00

My latest creation. I love it. I forgot to take a picture of the appliques at the top of the pants lol. I'm not sure what happened to that bottom picture, but the slightly blurry, muted color, black thing in the corner give it a certain interestingness to me for some reason. It's gotten the most views for this set on flickr, so I imagine it holds interestingenss to others as well.

PS: no sew heat n' bond doesn't work so well when appliqueing cotton onto denim... just an FYI :-)

This fabric has been a creative block for me. I had it in my stash for a good while, I really wanted to use it, but I just couldn't think of what exactly I wanted to make. So many designs would have required a third coordinating fabric, and if I buy more fabric right now my hubby is going to KILL me lol.

So now this is done...... what next?? When I was cleaning out my garage I found an old sheet. It looks and feels like the 60's. It's creamy white and has a big band of eyelet trim... enough to make two... somethings... tops, dresses... something.

Because we've seen it all twice...

2008-07-18T13:40:00.002-04:00

That's one thing I love about etsy. It's so full of wonderful unique things!! Today I had the pleasure of coming across DaliDecals. This store is full of adorable wall decals. Just had to share this shop with everyone :-)

Here are a few of my faves

K on the front page of Sandi's blog :-)

2008-07-17T16:05:00.004-04:00

I was bouncing around blog land when I noticed Kaytlin's picture on Sandi Henderson's blog page. It wasn't IN her blog, but a pic of one of her latest tops I made was featured in the side bar on her shir madness group. The pictures change according to interestingness, so apparently this pic is interesting. It's gotten lots of clicks on flickr. I personally love it too :-)

Sometimes

2008-07-16T09:53:00.000-04:00

This is a long one, and there’s nothing cutesy-tootsy about it... but try to read through to the bottom.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in day to day activities, responsibilities, hobbies, pleasures, chores, and such that we forget something very important…..

I’m guilty too. Days like today I think in third person, looking down upon myself as though I am so self centered (well, self including family and friends), so concentrated on myself and my family. There are so many other important things going on in the world, and I look down on myself for not being involved in any of them. My heart wants to be, but I find myself making excuses for not…. “I don’t have time,” and “I can’t afford it” are my two biggest excuses. They aren’t reasons, they are excuses.

Sure, right now I don’t have time to join the Peace Corps, I can’t afford to adopt an African baby (although if it didn’t cost $500,000 to do international adoption I’d do my best to adopt as many starving children as I could afford to care for). But I’m certain there’s something I could do.

What can I do to make a difference? Even a small difference is better than none at all. My first thought is to commit to donating a portion of all etsy sales to a charity… probably one dedicated to fighting world hunger, that’s where my heart is.

Every person has there own cause that’s near and dear to them…. mine are more world-wide than local. There’s the ASPCA for the animal lovers, local Women’s shelters for abuse survivors, a medical research charity for every disease ever known to man, etc. Ya just kinda pick with where your heart is.

I personally have a deep compassion for the less fortunate people in the world. Why global and not local, you might ask…. Because here in the good ole USA, we’ve got it MADE. No child in this country will starve due to lack of ability to get food, thanks to charities, churches, food stamps, WIC, and if all else fails… shelters, Family and Children Services, soup kitchens, foster homes… the list is endless. In the USA, even a homeless man who hasn’t even made an attempt to work in 20 years can still get a jacket to wear in the winter, shoes on his feet, and a belly full of food. Here in the USA, you are basically guaranteed medical care for any condition. For the poor homeless man, it may not be the best medical care… but it’s care nonetheless. Even the poor homeless man can get chemo if he’s diagnosed with cancer, or a cocktail if he’s diagnosed with aids… thanks to charities in the USA as well as public hospitals that are not allowed to turn away a patient due to there inability to pay.

I have an idea brewing, but I don’t like to share brand new ideas until I think them through and see if they’ll actually become something… so for now I’m off to think think think and pick a charity to donate a portion of my etsy sales to.

Ginger Blossom Quilt

2008-07-16T07:49:00.005-04:00

I was just over admiring Sandi's blog, hoping she had posted another pattern, but instead I found this. A contest to win a gorgeous quilt made of Ginger Blossom fabric. This thing is so beautiful!! So click on over and enter yourself to win. I've already conjured up my own little video plot to submit. Now I just need to learn how to use my camcorder, get the video OFF the camcorder and onto my computer, then figure out how to load it to youtube!!! LOL! I know my camera will do it... but I don't know how! So if you do, clickedy click on the comment link and tell me how!! Then go on over to the Old Red Barn Co. to enter yourself to win! But if you win and you heard about this from me, you should really let me at least borrow it or something :P

PS: I also checked out the Old Red Barn Co. online store, lots of great products! They have MAN SOAP!! Matt uses whatever he thinks smells good from the grocery store.... usually Axe or something equally cologne-ish. BAD BAD BAD!! I've been trying to get him to switch to some form of organic/natural soap and he insists that every single one I've shown him smells too girly! I use organic shampoo, conditioner (both Organix, usually Coconut Milk), and body wash. Kaytlin uses my shampoo and she has her own little kids organic body wash. I'm not an absolute eco nut or anything, but you'd be shocked to see the difference between my hair and skin before and after using strictly organic products. It's awesome!! My mom used to bring her own bath and body stuff when she came to visit, now she always wants to borrow mine! My fave quote from her - "I just can't stop touching my hair!" lol. Anywho... organic bath and body products are great and much better for your skin and hair than regular stuff.... even better than the high dollar non-organic stuff. And one last little note, you don't have to spend an arm and a leg.... my body wash is like $8 and shampoo/conditioner are like $7-8/each. Sounds like a lot to some people, but you're worth it!!! Splurge on yourself, you deserve it!

Now go enter to win this quilt!!!

Make your own Clothing/Handmade Item Hangtag Mini-Tutorial

2008-07-15T11:31:00.001-04:00

This is for the googlers...

Materials:
A decent inkjet printer
Avery clean edge business cards

There are a few different ways you can do this. I’ll briefly explain each one. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions at all!! kaytiebugs@yahoo.com

The Avery website, internet tools, and download tools are very user friendly.

Clothing Hangtags using free Avery downloadable software:

Go to www.Avery.com and download the free Avery Wizard software. This works with Microsoft Office, so if you don’t have Microsoft Office, skip this part. With this software, you can select which product you have (the package of business cards says the product #, you’ll need this to proceed). You can use templates or create your own from scratch. I used a template and just added the text that I needed to be there (My business name, size, and care instructions). There are options to print these horizontal and vertical, I printed mine vertical and used a hole punch in the top left corner, then tied it onto the garment with some ribbon.

Clothing Hangtags using tools on the Avery site:

The business card package comes with detailed instructions on how to print using there website. You begin at this website: http://www.avery.com/us/print/index.html , select “Create project by product type”, go through the list and find your product ID, and begin designing your own tags! You can select between horizontal and vertical printing.

Clothing Hangtags using Microsoft Office:

I tried this method at first, but honestly it was much easier to use the Avery options. The packaging has directions for using Office, but I tried a zillion times and I could not print vertically. Other than that, it was pretty easy to use following the directions. I designed my background, text, etc…. I just couldn’t get the things to print right!

Hope this info was helpful. I know lots and lots of people have googled and found my clothing tag tutorial useful (according to analytics anyways), so maybe this will be a little helpful too J. Happy printing!

2008-07-14T10:33:00.003-04:00

I have made a few things since my last blog! Check ‘em out! Like my new handbag made from Anna Maria’s Drawing Room fabric? I love it! I get so many looks and complements on it!

I’m currently working on stuff for K to wear on vacation. Nothing exciting finished yet…. I made a dress but it’s not even photo-worthy. Kayt picked the fabric from Walmart and honestly I don’t like it. Sure, it’s cute, but it’s not what I’m used to. Plus I had to improvise the pattern to incorporate both fabrics, and it’s much longer than I wanted it to be (thanks to me not really using the pattern AND not fitting it before finishing it). Oh well, honestly I made it for her because it’s what she wanted… and she’s okay with the length (about mid calf), so that’s what counts.

I finally started chopping up my Ginger Blossom last night. It will become a twirly top with jeans trimmed with lots of ruffles and an appliqué or two.

I think I blogged about this before... I made it for K while she was at my moms house for the week (daycare flooded and closed for the week, after we shipped her off to Nana's they decided to open back up the next day and didn't bother to call and tell us that they were open because we had "alredy made arrangements"... thanks jerks, I sure did miss my DD while she was gone)... I made her this because I missed her so much! It's embroidered linen fabric, ya can't tell by the pic though.

I have been meaning to blog lately, but time doesn’t usually permit. We had an awesome super busy 4th of July. I made Kaytlin a pillowcase style tunic with a matching hairbow and bow flops for $9. It was last minute… I’ve been so busy that I didn’t even realize that she had nothing festive to wear to Mall of Ga. for fireworks and games. She is such a doll…. She loves live music. There were bands performing all throughout the day. She loved watching the performances. This is the best pic I have of her 4th outfit. Pouty face and all. No close up of the hairbow or bow flops, sowwy :-(.

I'm getting fairly decent at crochet. I'm almost finished with a little stuffed amigurumi creature for K, but I don't really like how it turned out. I'll post pics when I'm finished. I made a little bag the other day, working on the strap and I'll be done. I also made some cute 80's style leg warmers... those turned out super cute!! I can't wait to take pics of her wearing them to share!

Kaytlin's new Shabby Chic Bedroom

2008-07-14T09:29:00.002-04:00

Yes, two entries in one day…. This topic warrants it’s own entry.

K’s birthday is in the fall. When we moved into the house last Fall I basically bought all new stuff for her room. She liked it at first, but after a while the love faded and now she really doesn’t like it at all. She didn’t have much say in what I did with it (she wasn’t even quite 4 years old at the time), so now she wants to redecorate her room as her birthday present. Initially, I was dreading the work involved. When I did her room when we moved in, I spent a LOT of time making things. My stepdad and I built her headboard and a window seat/toy box combo, I painted her room all by myself (control freak…. I wanted it to be just right…), I sewed more things than I thought possible , including a new cover for an ottoman, a duvet cover, tons of throw pillows, bed canopy (not much sewing involved really), curtain, curtain thingy for dressup corner, I painted and repainted so much stuff, I mean I put a WHOLE LOT of work into this room. I didn’t actually spend much, because I did a lot of repurposing, building, upcycling, etc. I actually only spent like $250… and $80 of that was on paint. But I spent endless hours working on things. So now I’m faced with having to do it all over again. And this time it’s going to cost more. I didn’t have a lot of dough to work with the first time around because we were buying our first home. So I had to make do with certain things. But for $250… I’d say I didn’t do too bad. The only things in her room that she had before is toys, books, dress-up dresses (none of the décor surrounding the area though), and her dresser. Everything else you see is new and falls into the $250 I spent.

These pics don't reflect what her room looks like now, we've changed some things.... got some things hanging on the wall, moved stuff around a little, improved things a little, etc. This is what I'd call phase 1.... but these are the only pics I have.

I started to think about what to do with her room…. Then I remembered the pics I saw on flickr of the Grand Revival booth at quilt market. So beautiful. Below is the inspiration. Her room will be a Shabby Chic fluffy ruffly girly soft haven. I’m going to re-upholster the headboard and bench, maybe paint the dresser in crackle paint (maybe… MAYBE), paint the whole room a soft pink, sew up a new duvet cover in Ava Rose prints. I’d love to get a new light fixture, but I may have to settle for revamping the current ones and maybe buying little shades to replace the current globes.

Sorry I haven't updated in a while!

2008-06-27T10:14:00.004-04:00

FIRST AND FOREMOST..... I do not know why in the world my pics have been loading to blogger looking like CRAP!! These in particular don't look that great to begin with, but they look much worse in blogger. And ya see my last blog post with the collage? Why in the world does that look like pixel city?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I'm going to get to the bottom of this!!

I've got lots to cover in this blog!

I just finished up a custom order a couple of days ago. It's such a cute set! These are matching dresses for a baby and her big sister. It's a baby shower gift. They are reversible criss cross pinafores. Since they're on hangers it's hard to see the criss cross in the back, especially with the damask. The fabrics used are Michael miller, disco dot and a damask... don't remember the name of it.

I've been crocheting a lot lately. I've learned a lot! The scarves here are my first two completed projects.

This bag was quite challenging... but once I got the hang of it, it came together pretty easily. I used cotton yarn and I LOVE it! I am now in love with cotton yarn! I guess because I almost always sew with cotton it just feels more "me". I love crochet. It's as rewarding as sewing yet doesn't take as much work! Not that crochet is easy.... but sewing takes a lot of work. Ya spend 30 minutes to an hour or more pinning and cutting the fabric (some things take less, but you get the idea... it takes time). Then you spend an hour or three sewing it all together. It takes less time to complete a project with sewing, but you're kinda bound to the sewing table. With crochet, I can sit at my breakfast table and do a row of stitches while I'm waiting on a pot of water to boil or something. I can do it while I sit in traffic (for an hour each way to and from work... I only do it when I'm sitting in the most miserable parts where I'm practically completely stopped for like 15 minutes). I can do it while I'm laying in bed or watching tv. I can do it just about anywhere! Sewing... I can't multitask in sewing. I might be able to cut some fabric while I'm cooking, but that's only because I now have a rotary cutter/mat/ruler... which I L-O-V-E!!!

I made this top for Kaytlin last night. Her daycare flooded last Friday and throughout the weekend, so they were closed this week. I think they may have reopened yesterday. We had no choice but to take her up to my moms in the mountains for the week. We don't know anyone who is a SAHM who could have kept her for the week. The first couple of days were nice. But we started really missing her Wednesday. I made her this last night as a surprise. It'll look much cuter when she's got it on. Shirring just doesn't photograph well when it's not on a body!

I'm working on a new design for my blog. I'm designing the banner and buttons, colors, etc. and I'm having someone put all the HTML together for me.

I'm going to be making Kaytlin a bunch of outfits for vacation, I'll be posting them as I go. I'm also working on making her a really cute... umm... thing. Crochet. It's like a throw pillow sized alien girl thing. It's an amigurumi.

Everyone have a great weekend!!

Kaytlin Modeled

2008-06-19T23:55:00.004-04:00

Isn't she lovely! She modeled these for mamanme.etsy.com. I can definately vouch for the quality of this persons work. All items are awesome. They all fit perfectly and actually stay in her hair! My faves are the blue spiral ties and the purple hat. For some reason, lately all of my image uploads look like CRAP!! Is anyone else having this problem? They look all pixel-y. They are on flickr and look great on there, but for some reason the quality just isn't there when I load the image to blogger. Click here to see what it really looks like. The full size photos are also in my flickr. I threw in the last one because I needed something to fill the empty spot :P

Showing some love... best spots in Atlanta

2008-06-13T14:30:00.003-04:00

I've been meaning to do this for a while now....

A1 Sewing Machine Co. - I love them. They are such kind and sweet people. They have serviced my Brother sewing machine and my Singer serger. There prices are unbeatable. I paid $40 to have my Brother serviced and $50 for my serger. Well... I actually paid $80 but it needed the timing adjusted which is not part of any repair shop's list of services done in a basic "tune up". With by Brother, I needed it fixed FAST. The tension needed to be adjusted and therefore unusable. I had it back in less than 48 hours. With my serger, I was just eager to get it back so I could actually use it for the first time. I dropped it off on Friday and picked it up the following Wednesday. I could have had it sooner if I had told them that it was really necessary to rush it. No rush fees on either occasion either. They are the best and I'll always use them to service my machines. They also sell tons of great sewing machines at great prices. Brands like Janome, Pfaff, Singer, tons of embroidery machines, notions for all of them. They sell used/refurbished machines and vintage ones too.

Intown Quilters - A fabric shop located by North Dekalb Mall. Granted, there are many other quilt shops between this one and my home. I'm actually located a good 35-40 miles from them... but it's sooo worth the trip. They have EVERYTHING. All of my fave designers and lines. It's all organized so well. I've been to a couple of other quilt shops who CLAIM to carry suchinsuch designer... like this one up in Dahlonega... they claimed to carry Amy Butler... they had maybe four bolts of Amy, and none of them were the ones I was hoping to find. I know a shop can't carry every colorway of every line of every designer, but c'mon.... four bolts? Intown Quilters is great though. They may not have every colorway of every line, but they still have TONS. It's so well organized. Calicos are arranged by color, batiks by color, then the stuff like Ginger Blossom, Sis Boom, Amy Butler, etc. are all separated out by designer and line.... something that some shops don't do. The people are very friendly, helpful, and they offer classes. If you call and ask if they have a certain fabric or line in stock, they won't reply with "Who? Huh?" like some places... they actually know there stuff. I called one place and asked if they had Freshcut by Heather Bailey and they actually had no idea what I was talking about and said that Freshcut is patterns, not fabric. I got there and looked around, sure enough I spotted some Freshcut.

Soooo.... Two thumbs up to A1 and Intown Quilters!

And one more thing.... since I've already blogged once today I'm going to stick this in here.

Here's why fabric designers should blog:
Folks like me connect with them. I enjoy reading those inspiration filled blogs, looking at the gorgeous photographs, sewn creations, etc. There are some designers who don't do this and honestly I'm more likely to buy fabric from a designer whose blog I read than I am one whom I don't. It's that personal connection. And BTW... check this out... that's Jennifer Paganelli who left a comment here!! :-P

I'm off to celebrate my Birthday for the next... oh... 3 days.

The Mod Bird

2008-06-13T09:32:00.003-04:00

I'm still admiring my Drawing Room fabric. I showed hubby last night and he just had this expression like "Umm... it's fabric."

Since my birthday is coming up very soon, I've been browsing at things I want. Mod little birdies keep jumping out at me. No, not the ceramic bird nick-knacks your grandmother used to collect, these are modern contemporary little birds. I particularly love the ones that are silhouettes. I just love the way they look! If I were building a treasury, these items would be included.

Here are some little tid bits that I've come to love.

All of these are from TheIntuitiveGarden

From Brownington Forest

From yumiyumi

From Urbanharmonie

From Baileydoesntbark

All sew, no show

2008-06-12T14:16:00.003-04:00

I sew lots, but somehow I manage not to load photos of my creations onto my blog! So this blog is all about sharing my recent goodies! Well... some of them... but hey at least I'm loading something!

These are 5 of a 6 outfit order. She took pics of her daughter wearing them for me!

And because I was in my flickr and she's just too darn cute.... here's my Kaytiebug. She's modeling a hat for mamanme. She modeled some other accessories, check my flickr for more.

I picked up some Drawing Room yesterday, I'm so in love. This print is so absolutely beautiful... the whole line is really. Two thumbs up to Anna Maria Horner. I want to post some of her photos, but I just read on her site that I would need to message her first and... well... I'm an impatient person :P. So... check out the Flickr group dedicated to Drawing Room. Here's my little tid-bit... I'll be whipping up a handbag for MYSELF as soon as I finish making K this cute little top I've had laying on my sewing table for... oh... a week now.

What's after the handbag? I'll be putting this Ginger Blossom to good use. Sandi Henderson is another one of my faves. We're going to Myrtle Beach in August, so I gotta have my kiddo some cute goodies to wear!! I'm thinking ruffly, twirly, girly....

I'm still working on my crochet. I'm almost done with Kaytlins scarf. This is the bare bones of it. I'm going to add fringe and ribbons and maybe some beads. I've still got to add a couple of inches to it, then I'll be DONE! It's a little out of season, but I had to start somewhere!

Africa

2008-06-11T10:22:00.002-04:00

I want to volunteer in Africa. Being a working mom means I would only be able to do it for two maybe three weeks. I'm not planning on going NOW... but it is my goal to go to Africa and volunteer within the next two or three years.

No time for details because I've spent my break time reading about it. You can check out this if you're interested in info on volunteering. Sorry this is so short... I'll explain more on the reasoning later.

Here's an inspiring flickr group dedicated to Africa... it won't take long to see why I want to go there.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/images-of-africa/pool

Jackpot! As if I needed another hobby....

2008-06-10T10:15:00.006-04:00

I dropped one of my new (well, new to me) sergers off at the repair shop to get a tune up. I wanted to go to the quilt shop down the road while I was in the area but I didn't have time and traffic was bad, so I went to the goodwill next door. Check out my serious score for $8!! Tons of embroidery floss, lots of yarn and whatever the skinny yarn is called, and two pairs of knitting needles.

My mom came down to my house this weekend and she showed me how to knit.... but knitting is NOT my thing. It took me HOURS... literally like 5+ hours over the weekend (looong car ride) to get this far....

So I went on youtube and watched a tutorial on how to make a scarf. It's a series of several videos by this gal named Alyssa. She was an excellent instructor. Very clear. If you click "Watch in high quality" you can see everything in the video very clearly (I never noticed the little link for higher quality videos lol... I just thought youtube compressed the vids or something). Here are the links to the tutorials. I've put them in order and everything (because it took a little work to dig through the thousands of vids put on youtube by expertvilliage to get all of the ones in the series.

Introduction

Another one on fringe

Extra: Specialty Chain Combo part 1

Specialty Chain Combo part 2

I watched several videos on youtube and she really explains it the best. See... look what I've done so far! PS- sorry for the horrible pics, I took these late last night so there was no good lighting. My scarf looks kinda crappy (yeah, I can be honest with myself) but oh well, it's my first project! It started out as like 15 stitches across the bottom, and I've lost so many I think I'm down to like 9 and don't know how to add them back in. LOL Oh well, this is just for practice. Kaytlin can use it for dressup or something.

We just decided when we're going to Myrtle Beach, mid August (it's a lot cheaper!). So now I'm all motivated to get busy on some beachy stuff for the kiddo!

The Game

2008-06-05T23:09:00.001-04:00

The Game, originally uploaded by Kaytiebugs.

This was so much fun!! I have seen them before but never knew how it was done until I found it here. It was fun! All of you without a flickr... you should get one... I love it.

Here's mine!

I HAVE A SERGER! Love for bird fabric

2008-06-02T13:12:00.007-04:00

Two of them actually!

The blue one needs a foot petal, they both need to be serviced. I was sooo stinkin eager to use it last night that I grabbed four spools of regular white thread out of my stash and threaded it. I don't have serger thread, and I intend to get a bunch, but I didn't get home with it until like 6:00 last night and didn't feel like driving or shopping. I used the white one. It worked fine! I don't have the manual for either of them, so I don't know what all it's capable of doing. I'm hoping and praying it'll do a rolled hem, mostly for things I make myself, but if not no biggie... a free serger is a free serger!! The blue one is supposedly more "professional" but I don't see the difference between them. This thing is so great. My sewing machine isn't terrible, but it is so loud and clunky sounding... plus it rocks my table whenever I try to go fast. This serger was like a dream! It just quietly humms as it stitches and cuts. It doesn't move the table at all and it goes so stinkin fast! I'm going to be able to finish things much quicker now!

So now for my birthday (which is coming in 14 days!!) I can get all of the other goodies I've been dieing to have.... I want a rotary cutter, cutting mat, pinking shears, and maybe either a ruffler foot or a gathering foot. I also need to have my serger serviced and a manual for it.

I've been really in love with fabric that has birds on it lately. My fave is Nuala by Sis Boom (in the girlfriends line). This little snippet here does it ABSOLUTELY NO justice!! The fabric is so freakin gorgeous.. I bought a fat quarter of it originally and saw NO pattern repeat... there are large birds, and little tiny details like a little spider web in the corner of a branch, acorns, all kinds of adorable stuff.

My second fave would be this one from Anna Maria Horners new Drawing Room line.... Oh I love it, but honestly I don't know what I would do with it. It's home dec weight, but I'm not exactly sure how heavy it really is. I'd love to have this as a wall hanging (like she had at quilt market)

Then there's this little Alexander Henry ditty. I would love to make something for my kitchen with this (it's part of the "In the Kitchen" collection... no, it's not home dec weight... same line as Apples & Pears).

We had a nice peaceful weekend. I didn't get much done craft/sewing wise, but I did clean house a lot in hopes that one day soon I'll be back into my etsy business. I got my business cards, magnets, pen, and stamp... pretty good. Cute, but the colors are more pale than I thought they'd be. Oh well, still a good deal. Alrighty.... TTFN!!

Cutilize... My Mountain Girl... My New Baby

2008-05-29T13:50:00.008-04:00

I got my business cards and magnets in yesterday. Yay!! I thought the background color was going to be pink, but it's more of a coral color. Oh well, it's still cute. To my friends reading (because I know you're out there :-) ) if you want me to mail you some cards to spread around and chat about my soon-to-come goodies let me know and I'll put some in an envelope and send them.

I've been working on my new idea. I'm calling it 'Cutilize'... no, not like 'Cut-ilize'... like 'Cute-ilize'. I thought about going with 'Cuteilize'... but that goes against the whole "i before e except after c". More and more things keep coming to mind. In addition to the new thing, I've decided to still do clothing. I just love it too much. I get too much personal satisfaction out of it. I am going to set aside a certain amount of time per week to work on my shop and custom orders. As for promoting.... it's going to be limited because that was a BIG time consuming task. I'm just going to try to list every day or two. The new thing, that'll be a ship-upon-payment type thing. The clothing... I'm going to try to do some ship-upon-payment things that are flexible on sizing.

I added some new pics to my flickr yesterday... check it out...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaytiebugs/

Here are a few shots of my new baby... I still haven't used it yet. Also, a few shots from my moms this past weekend. Her house is in such a beautiful area. Kaytlin loves riding too. The horse is old and she's the only one who rides it. These look better on Flickr, by the way.

My new toy

2008-05-27T10:03:00.002-04:00

My grandmother gave me her 1960's Singer Touch & Sew 600E a while back, before she passed, but I never had any way to transport it to my house. I finally brought it home from my mothersh house yesterday and I'm so excited!!! I spent all night last night reading the manual front to back, examining all of the stuff that came with it.... 7-8 feet, 17 "special discs", and all kinds of doo-dads that I still can't figure out what they are.

I must say... we have it MADE these days. If we want to change stitches we simply turn a dial OR press a button OR slide a knob (or something similar.... one simple action). To change the stitch on this, you must select your stitch pattern, and select if you want to sew it to the left right or center, and select your stitch width, AND your stitch length, and some of them require you to adjust the tension. Holy moly!!! Well worth it though. I can't wait to use my new baby.

I'm particularly excited about two of the feet (if they actually do what they're supposed to). The hemmer foot and the binding foot. The hemmer foot, you just tuck the fabric through this little swirly thing and it continues the hem through the whole length of the fabric (no more folding, pinning, and pressing). The binding foot, it has this cone thing you slip either pre fold bias tape or tape you've made and there's a slit you put the fabric in.... voila no pinning, no being sure whether or not you're catching both sides, the foot does all the work for you... IF it works.

Okay, enough about my new baby. I'll post pics next time.

We had a nice memorial day. We went to my moms Saturday and came home yesterday evening. It was very peaceful and relaxing, but by yesterday afternoon I was VERY ready to get back to "the city" lol. My mom lives in the Georgia mountains. I don't see how people can stand living in the middle of nowhere. It seemed like everything was in slow motion. Everyone drives slow, days go by slow, service at the restaurant is slow, and even folks at the grocery store were walking slow.

Still working on my new idea. I've made a bit of it for myself and I'm really enjoying it. Some things still need work, some things I haven't even begun to try.... but that's because I'm still on a break. Hubby seems to be under the impression that I'll be going back to making kids clothes once I decide to start back. I really want to. I'm really passionate about it. I think I'm probably going to, but it's not going to be the same. I'll be paying myself FAIRLY. I've also got a few ideas up my sleeve for clothing. I ordered the supplies needed, they're on the way. I'm super excited. Again.... my hobby ADD is getting the best of me. At least it's just a spin on something I already have the stuff for versus a whole new hobby. I've got tons of hairbow stuff and I've made a grand total of one hairbow and bow flops to match. Wait, I have made a couple of button style clips but I'm referring to the stack of ribbon, dowels, etc. that's now collecting dust. I kinda knew that would happen though... I'm bad about that kinda thing.

Here's a pic of the sewing machine I got. This isn't mine though, I just want to go ahead and share it with you all though. I'm really excited about it and can't wait to use it!!!

I'm closing for a little while...

2008-05-15T22:28:00.003-04:00

I'm still going to blog, flickr, etc. but I've decided to take a break from sewing. I didn't realize the work that went into managing an online shop. It's a lot more than sew some goodies, take pics, post a listing, and sew another one when it sells. It's constant marketing and promoting, answering zillions of messages with only about half ending in purchases, and so much more. It's a LOT of work and can be a little inconvenient. For example... I'm working on a huge custom order (and I'm really excited about it). However, throw in Mothers Day, my wedding annviersary, and a 5 day spell of food poisoning and BAM sewing a big custom order is all of a sudden not so awesome anymore.

I've decided that when I open back up, it's going to go more like this..... I'm going to make things at my own pace and only make items that can be shipped right after they are ordered. I really enjoyed making clothing, but quite frankly it's a TON of work with a profit that leaves me feeling like I work in a Chinese sweat shop.

I mean no offense to anyone who has purchased from me. I've set my own prices and unfortunately my experience level, lack of established clientele, along with folks charging next to nothing for similar items has left me no choice but to price low.

Anywho.... on to more exciting things. When I open back up, it's going to be pretty different. I've thought of something all on my own that has NOT been done. I've got a whole line of goodies I'm going to do that all work together. I don't want to say what it is, because honestly no one has thought of this yet... but I'll give ya a hint - it's got to do with sprucing up a VERY DULL area that not many women truly enjoy being in. Nope, it's not the laundry room... that's all you get for now.

I feel relieved to be done with custom clothing. I REALLY REALLY like doing it, but it's really tough. Plus I'm always nervous that it won't fit right. I've had no complaints yet, but maybe people are just being nice.... or maybe I just haven't jacked anything up yet. I'm still going to make lots of handmade goodness for my daughter. You'll probably be seeing more of the custom boutique style clothing.

I'm really excited about Sandi Henderson's new fabric line. Click over to her from my links section. It's gorgeous.

I modeled :-P

2008-05-12T09:33:00.003-04:00

I modeled these for pink*marshmallow. I'll be doing more. Watch out Heidi and Gisele! lol
It is a super comfortable set. Very figure flattering too. See the listing for more pics, these are just my faves. I was going for the "deep in thought" look lol. I promise to smile more next time. Kaytlin received a big package of hair accessories and a hat to model for a fellow etsian. I'm really excited. We used one of them yesterday and they managed to stay in her hair for a good 4 hours of running around outside. Thus far, I'm impressed. Not only are they functional and sturdy, but they're cute!! Anywho... here's the photos. They aren't as grainy in the listing, not sure why they are here.

Tutorial: The Newbie's Guide to Buying on Etsy

2008-05-08T15:58:00.003-04:00

http://www.etsy.com/

No matter if you’re in a shop, the forums, etc, you’ll always see the same info up at the top. Click ‘Register’.

Fill out a little info… It’s not a lot, I promise.

Now you’re ready to shop!! After registering, you will be prompted to check your email. Etsy will send you a verification email and you will need to click the link inside it to complete your registration.

You can use your browsers back button to get back to the shop you were in.

So you’ve spotted something you love in a shop. What now?

Click on the item. You’ll see all the wonderful details and photos of it. Click ‘ADD TO CART’

Then click ‘CHECK OUT’

The rest is pretty self explanatory… I can’t actually click check out because this is just an example, I’m not actually purchasing this item. From the checkout screen, you will select your method of payment. If you choose to pay using paypal, it will take you over to the paypal site to complete your transaction.

Etsy is a wonderful site. I am a big supporter of all things handmade. It will probably take you less time to register on Etsy than it did for you to read this tutorial. Now go shopping!!

Serious destashitation... blog readers get discount... ~ETSY BUYER TUTORIAL~

2008-05-06T11:48:00.005-04:00

I finally took some time to organize my hoard. I had random bags of fabric scattered about the house and I finally decided I needed to organize it and get rid of some stuff. I've got waaay too much fabric that I bought for something but either didn't use it all or decided to use something else. Plus I'm a major scrap saver and I have accumulated like 6 grocery store bags crammed slap full of scraps.... AND I've got trims and ribbons that I'll never use. I like to buy things with a plan in mind, because whenever I buy something because it's on sale or because it just catches my eye, I never use it. That's what the majority of the ribbons and trims are. Anywho, lets get to the point.

Blog readers get 15% off. See directions below. All of my destash goodness is in my etsy shop (or will be, there's a LOT so it's going to take some time, I've gotten three items listed as of right now and there will be tons more). I know some folks aren't familiar with etsy, but this'll be a great way to GET FAMILIAR! :-). I need the feedback... so help a sister out, will ya? I'm doing some things as PIF (pay it forward... which means free but with the requirement of doing something nice for someone else in return... most etsians just sell something for free in return).

New to etsy??? Here's the procedure.... you sign up and create a user name and password, you go to my shop, open the items and look at them, if you see something you like you click "ADD TO CART" on the right hand side. The smaller pics are clickable and will become larger if you click them. You can go back to see all of the listings by either hitting your browser back button or by clicking 'Shop' under the 'seller info' section on your right. If you find something you would like to purchase (and you've already signed up for etsy, have a user name and password, and have signed in), you click "ADD TO CART". When you're finished shopping click the Cart at the top left of the page (feel free to check out other shops on etsy by searching for keywords or click the 'cafemom etsy moms' blog link on the left side in the links section of my blog... lots of other great etsy sellers there), I won't get mad I promise :-)). Click the big green "CHECK OUT" button on the right. Select your payment method (I prefer paypal, if you need to know how to use paypal please email me at kaytiebugs@yahoo.com). If you choose paypal, it'll automatically shoot you over to paypal and all you'll have to do is select your payment method and click pay! I'll be sent your address and everything. The only other thing is if you order clothing you need to enter the requested measurements in the notes to seller section of the etsy checkout area. Hope I didn't make it sound too confusing. ***To receive 15% off, don't pay right then, go ahead and check out, I'll send you a revised paypal invoice for the correct amount***

Here are some of the destashed goodies I'll be putting in my etsy shop...

Living Vicariously

2008-05-01T15:44:00.003-04:00

Deep inside me lies a hippie wanting to break free... wanting to wear really flowy clothes, long natural colored hair, liberal views, an organic vegetable garden, nose ring, college degree in something really "useless", and a bunch of really mellow acoustic music (which I already have a lot of) etc.

Beside the hippie is this goth-y person who wants to wear up to the knee boots with 6" heels, lots of shiny pleather clothes, black hair with pink highlights, a lip ring (and some other rings that aren't really for others to see lol), a CD book full of metal music (which I already have a lot of), and that "I DON'T GIVE A CRAP WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT ME!!" attitude.

But unfortunately neither are really who I am on the outside (or on the inside very often... if I had to pick one I'd pick hippie)... so I just clicky clicky all around flickr.

Just wanted to share.

Still wondering who those top six are :-)

My Top 6 Visitors...

2008-04-29T13:42:00.003-04:00

Who are you six people? You six people that regularly check my blog? There are six people that have read my blog 15-25+ times in the last month. It makes me feel loved :-) I'd like to know who you are. Hopefully no psychos! Hopefully I'm clicking you as much as you're clicking me. I like checking my google analytics. I like to see where my traffic is coming from. I think it's cool that people in Malaysia and Austrailia (and 8 other countries) have visited me this month. So... you six people... who are you? Leave me a comment! Don't feel like a psycho... I have blogs that I check a few times a week too!

I have had a little business lately. Finally! I posted the skulls and crossbones outfit on ebay. It went for a whopping $13. Whipptee... not. Oh well... it's money I NEED. I posted the AB hair clips on ebay yesterday for $4. My ebay id is coachlover930, if you feel inclined to check me out. 100% positive feedback :-). I just keep telling myself that you've got to start somewhere. I sold a custom order for two shirred purple gingham check tops... a mommy daughter set. I'm just about done. I was trying to finish them before I went out of town on Thursday but I ran out of elastic thread Wednesday night and there was NO WAY I was going to Wally world at 11:00 pm for more when I had to get up for work at 5:30 am.

I made two things for myself!! Here's pics of one (mind the unkept lady with no makeup and frizzy hair... lol). It was my first time working with jersey knit fabric. Talk about a PITA!

I also made dresses for Kaytlin and I to wear to my cousins wedding Saturday. Kaytlin's was made of a satin fabric (similar to what's used for prom dresses and such... that weight). That was a lot easier than I thought it would be. But it had a zipper... so you know that was all jacked up. I'll get it one day. It was only my second time trying to do a zipper. I'm a little shy when it comes to people complementing the clothes I make. Usually I don't even mention the fact that I made it. My mother and aunt made it quite clear a few times that I made both of our dresses. Mine, in my opinion, was awesome. It was super easy to make, I love the fabric, and I got a couple of complements myself :-). I'll post pics soon. It was a lilac and blue hyacinth print fabric, shirred at the bust, halter straps, just-below-the-knee length. It fit perfect. It hid my flaws VERY well, it accentuated top and blended in the curves. I'm going to start making shirred dresses and tops for moms to go in my shop (as soon as I find time, I'm still working on that to do list!). They truly are awesome. I'm not just trying to sell my stuff here lol. My bust looked good, it was modestly covered, it was very comfortable, and very figure flattering. I'm going to do a few different fabrics for moms because the style itself is very versatle. I'd wear that dress to church, a wedding, or some other formal event... but if a different fabric were used, say a vintage cotton, it would be great for hanging out with friends.

I took some gorgeous pics of Kaytlin at the wedding location, it was beautiful. It was at this bed and breakfast in Nc. Gorgeous scenery. I took some shots of her sitting by the lake, in a gazebo, in an arbour type thing, playing in the garden, it was awesome. Too bad they're all on my moms camera because mine died!! And she's got a 2mp p&s camera... so the quality won't quite be the same... not that my camera is anything amazing, but for a p&s (point and shoot) it's pretty darn good! Especially with outdoors/well lit shots! Hopefully I'll be able to find someone who's good at paint.net or photoshop to edit the pics... she's got a nasty boo boo on the bottom of her chin. Plus, by the time we actually got a chance to sneak off to take pics her dress was already dirty. I think I can edit out the dirt and food on the dress, but I don't think I'm talented enough to get rid of the big boo boo.

Anyhoo... I'm going to post another pair of button clips in my shop, hopefully tonight. I actually made them for myself to wear with my dress but I forgot them sitting on my sewing table. How me. Adios!

A weekend ALL TO MYSELF?! HELL YEAH!!

2008-04-18T07:37:00.003-04:00

My daughter likes cupcake stuff.... earrings, necklaces, shirts with a screenprinted cupcake, etc. Lately I've been shopping a lot for this kind of stuff. Lots of cupcake love in my house.

I finished my moms curtains. I also made a pot holder with some scraps. I'm going to write a tutorial for making it because it was pretty simple. I'm also making some really easy aprons with the scraps... one for my daughter and one for my mom. Both will stay at her house. They'll be so cute! I usually don't sell tutorials, I just give them away, but I could really use the $$. I thought about maybe charging just a couple/few bucks for a tutorial of both the pot holder and the apron.

Kaytlin is going to my moms all weekend and hubby is going to be out of town tonight, back tomorrow evening, then gone all day Sunday. So I'm going to have LOTS of fun being able to just SEW without interruption. It is going to be AWESOME! I'll be working on a dress for K to wear to my cousins wedding next weekend.

*NEWS FLASH* This just popped in my head. I got SO ANGRY the other day because Kaytlin climbed up the entertainment center (it's a good 5' tall) grabbed her Hannah Montana fabric, then went to the little basket of goodies on my sewing table and grabbed my FABRIC scissors that are super sharp, then she persued to chop her Hannah Montana fabric into shreds. Who was supposed to be supervising her? Daddy!

K was digging through my pattern drawer last night and pulled out this one that appears to be a flower girl dress... it's really dressy. She's BEGGING me to make it for her. It's beautiful, don't get me wrong, but do I really want to spend all that $$ to make her something that she'll never really get to wear anywhere other than home? Casa fabrics are on deep sale this weekend at Joanns... maybe if I feel like wasting some $$ I'll make it for her. Geez, I'm such a sucker.

Oh I almost forgot... I got another sale! Well, it wasn't an etsy sale, but a sale is a sale and that makes me happy!! Two purple shirred tops, one for mommy and one for daughter. I'll be working on that this weekend too! I've never made anything for a baby, wish me luck!

I FINISHED SOMETHING!!!!

2008-04-11T14:52:00.003-04:00

Well... almost. I started my moms curtains last night and I have one looooong stitch left and I'm FINISHED! YAY! Those curtains gave me sewers block... I knew I needed to do them before I went on to other things, and I just really didn't want to do them so I stalled until the night before my mom was coming and I'm still not quite finished. I'm going to make a matching pot holder too... I'll post pics of it all when I'm done. The ones for the guest room are pretty plain, but the ones for the kitchen are so cute. She lives in the mountains and her kitchen is done in roosters.... I can't wait to share pics of the curtains and pot holders.

This weekend I'll be having a yard sale. YAY! And what shall I sew after that??? Hmm.... it depends on how much $$$$ we make at the yard sale. I'm hoping hubby will let me keep the $$ and buy a surger!! I think I'll fix the embroidered linen shirt.... that's going to be cute. Here are some shots of how jacked up it is... The bodice actually looks fine, this is just a bad shot. The skirted part opens up much higher than I wanted it to. It starts opening right around the navel and I want it just below the button of her jeans. Wow this is a really crappy picture... I shouldn't even post it! The denim is much prettier than this, so is the fabric. The bottom shot gives a good idea of what the material really looks like.

A zillion hobbies

2008-04-09T12:32:00.003-04:00

It's official... I have hobby ADD. I just want to try it all!!! The more I shop on etsy the more I'm like "I want to learn how to do THAT!".

I haven't even mastered the hairbow thing yet and I'm already ready to move on to something else. I'm going to stick with the bows for now though... because I want to make some to match the outfits I sell. I want to learn how to crochet/knit... mainly because I want to make us a couple of those adorable hats with the flowers on them. I'm having a custom handbag made for myself. I'm really excited. The bag is knitted and lined. She's already knitted it and it's ready to be lined.

I think I might hold off on adding any new items to my shop until after I get my surger. I think I have just about convinced my husband to let me use our yard sale earnings (this weekend!!!) to buy one. If not then DEFINATELY by my birthday in June... or there WILL be HELL to pay! lol. The SSSF did good until I found my paypal debit card. My paypal account is now at $0.00. Addicts will do anything.... I'm going to keep making new things... just hold off to start adding them.

Oh geez I JUST remembered that I have to make my mothers curtains BY this Friday or she is going to kill me. AAAAHHH! When am I supposed to find time to do that?! I'm still trying to finish that top I started over a week ago!

I did manage to knock a few things off my loooong to do list though... I made the fabric covered button clips (as you can see), finished the Amy Butler dress, I stocked up on some hair bow making supplies.... and well that's it. I suck.

Here's todays to do list (it helps me remember if I write it down)-
* Clean out closets in search of more yard sale goodies
* Start moms curtains
THAT'S IT!!! I must do these two things and cannot cloud my thoughts with other tasks.

Tutorial: How to make fabric covered button hair pins

2008-04-02T11:48:00.005-04:00

I have seen a lot of these on etsy lately and have fallen in LOVE! Being the crafty mama I am, I had to find out how to do it! Honestly, finding a tutorial wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. In the end, I just combined a few different tutorials to get what I was looking for.

Supplies needed:
Buttons to cover AND the kit used to cover them (comes in most packs of buttons, I paid a little over $2 for a 4 pack with the kit)
Fabric scraps
E6000 Craft Glue ($3)
Hair pins designed to be decorated (I had to look in the wedding section with all the veils and stuff to find these at Michaels, I got an 8 pack for about $2)

Bobby Pins- Buttons-

Tools needed:

Pliers (If you don't have pliers, a pair of utility scissors will work, that's what I used. DON'T use your fabric scissors lol)

Spool of thread (you don't use the thread so color doesn't matter)

Scissors for cutting fabric

Ink pen (or fabric marking pencil if you're a pro like that... but the edges are completely covered so perfection on the edges is not crucial)

Step 1) See how big your fabric needs to be. The button kit says cut the fabric double the width of the button... but that (for me) left a lot of excess fabric, so doing a little less won't hurt. Draw a circle on your fabric using the spool of thread as a guide. Go farther out or closer to the spool depending on size needed.

Step 2) Remove the button shank (the shank is the little metal loop that pokes out and would be threaded if you were applying it to a garment) Follow directions on button kit to cover the button with the fabric circle you cut.

Step 3) Awe those little buttons are so cute! I was worried my fabric wouldn't be tight around the button but they were just perfect! Now take your glue, the hair pins, and the buttons outside or to a very ventilated place because this glue will stink up your house and probably give you brain damage or something. Lay the button over the little disc to see about where you should put it once you whip out the glue. When I looked at the button and the pin I didn't think it would lay right because of the way the button dips down where the fabric goes, but it worked perfectly fine. Put a little glue on the hair pin (on the little circular disc part) and press the button onto it, making sure it is centered. Let the glue cure... the E6000 packaging says it takes 24-48 hours but my button was stuck after a couple of minutes.... I still let it cure though.

Voila you're done! I probably made it look more complicated than it really is. It's super easy. I wish I had taken pics of the process.... but I was a little distracted :P I did this while I was playing cards with some friends last Friday night.

Total expense for supplies: $7; Cost per clip- $.85 approx. Time to complete: 15 Minutes

~Available for purchase in my Etsy Shop~

To the greatest husband...

2008-03-31T15:18:00.001-04:00

To the Greatest Husband in the World

I would just like to publicly thank him for all he does for me. I recently decided to stop buying all prepackaged foods, and anything containing refined sugars, high fructose corn syrup, and hydrogenated oils. His response to this “I’ll eat whatever you cook me, honey.” He drives me crazy sometimes, but I tell you what…. That man has got to be one of the most supportive husbands ever to exist. I mean, he even eats tofu and eggplant if I cook it! He lets me do my sewing thing and tries hard not to gripe about it… he even offers feedback and critique on finished items. He does so many little things that sometimes go unnoticed…. Like make sure to get all of the heavy groceries out of the car, leaving me with the bread, eggs, and toilet paper. I can’t even begin to list the things he does for me.

Thanks Honey

I started a second blog…. One for my journey to becoming more health-conscious and green. Check it out here - http://stopeatinggarbage.blogspot.com/

Amy Butler Dress - CHECK!

2008-03-27T23:25:00.005-04:00

I finished the AB dress.... YAY! I finally finished something for my etsy store! So much of my recent sewing has been for others... well, my daughter. She wanted this Strawberry Shortcake outfit... can't sell one of those, licensed character. Here's the dress!! I think I might make the pockets included in the price but optional. The second pic is of the back. I want to make matching fabric covered button hair clips before listing it (clips included).

One thing at a time....

2008-03-27T15:19:00.005-04:00

I feel kinda overwhelmed right now. Not that my life is any more busy than usual, but I am a bit behind on my projects and ideas for new projects just keep flowing in before I even have a chance to finish what I've already started (or bought supplies for and haven't even started). I made a 'to do' list today (crafty stuff only) and no joke it's 14 things long!!!!!! EEKS! And the more and more I think about hair bows the more I want to run out and just buy everything needed to make every single bow I see that I like!!!!

It takes a while to really accumulate all of the necessary supplies needed to do any particular craft... and a little longer to get a good hoard of stuff. It has taken me a year to buy all of the sewing essentials (and not so essential). I've gone through some crappy scissors, stocked up on necessities (bobbins, oil, lots of pins, etc), accumulated extra stuff so I don't have to buy it every time I decide to make something that calls for it or realize mid-stitch that I need it (elastic, bias tape, interfacing, webbing). Now I'm back at square one with the hair bows. I don't have anything necessary.... well, I've got fray check and a couple of spools of ribbon... and the sewing stuff of course. I need dowels, clips, this super strength glue... Oh I just realized that I DO have clothes pins (thanks to a recent consignment sale)... not to mention I'll need tons of ribbon.

So... back to the giant 'to do' list.... not in order of priority (although I should do it that way)
1) Finish current project.... Amy Butler dress (two posts down)
2) Make a handbag for myself
3) Boho/peasant fabric - pre wash (which I'm a little worried about, it's got lots of raw edges), take sample pics, post on etsy... well first decide if I'm going to trim it down to a girls skirt or leave it long and sell something for ladies.... AAAH!
4) Make my moms curtains that were supposed to be done a week ago
5) Make Kaytlin's Hannah Montana outfit before she kills me (scored some HM fabric BTW)
6) Make myself an apron... bought fabric weeks ago!
7) Take pics of PIF (pay it forward) item and post (it's fabric scraps... PIF = free... if you're interested remember to check back soon!)
8) Make Amy Butler pin cushion using scraps from current project (for charity... oh yeah, gotta pick a charity I'll be contributing to with the sales of things like this... I'm thinking of a local womens shelter)
9) Figure out what I can make using the stash I've developed
10) Make fabric covered button hair clips to match one of the million zillion things I am working on
11) Stock up on hair bow making supplies
12) Make flip flops using the tut I found in a mag
13) Make matching jeans for awesome embroidered linen top (and finish top... just need to attach straps).
14) Take pics of two items to add to etsy (embroidered linen outfit, AB dress) after they're finished

So I'm going to tackle it ONE thing at a time... maybe two at a time :-P

First (and second) are to finish the nearly-finished things... the embroidered linen outfit just needs some capris made to match... and the AB outfit, I just need to finish the bodice and add the bottom contrast. It's going to be SEW CUTE!!! Third... take pics of those two things and get them on etsy! Hopefully I can finish doing these tasks by tomorrow evening. I'm not even going to look at the list until I finish these things!

I almost forgot.... Easter was lots of fun. I've been flickr'ing lots lately too. My flickr id is, of course, kaytiebugs. Here's a few shots from Easter.... Recognize the dress? The boys pictured are my nephews.

Hair Bows

2008-03-25T13:15:00.003-04:00

I've been in the market for some hairbow tutorials today. So far so good. I found exactly what I was looking for - fabric covered button clips. I also found a million zillion other fantastic ideas. I just want to make some stuff to match my outfits... give them a little extra detail. I learned that E6000 glue will hold anything and I should really start stocking up on my grosgrain ribbon collection. Oh hell.... my fabric hoard is too big to allow for further purchases, now I've found something else that I simply must start hoarding. When do I get my next paycheck? ;-)

Feeling nostalgic... and another hectic weekend

2008-03-21T15:03:00.003-04:00

I was roaming around flickr when I came across this person’s photos. A fellow Atlantan… so I had to look. Many a photos caught my eye, but it was this one which took me back to a place and time when I was a child.

... I can't paste the original pic because it is copywrighted and no use permitted... so here's the link over to the pic. Check it out.

I remember the first time I saw a passion flower. I was about 11 or 12. I was in North Carolina visiting my cousins. As a child, the beauty of there surroundings was oblivious to me… but in retrospect it all seems so quaint. Lots of greenery, a LONG gravel driveway, a little one room cottage with a fence, lots of trees, horses (although they were starved, and eventually taken away from the owners), and fresh air. I would go there for a few weeks during the summer to visit. I don’t have any sisters, so being with my cousins made me feel like I had sisters. Oh, how I do wish I had a sister. I want to have one for Kaytlin. My mom has a sister, they are… well… like sisters! I don’t know this feeling… *sad*. Back to the nostalgia…. We were walking down there extremely long driveway on a hot summer day to check the mail (and possibly bringing the starved horses some table scraps) and there it was…. The most amazing flower I had ever seen. My favorite color is purple… and it’s not often you see a truly beautiful purple flower… especially not in the wild. It (and some of its sisters) were just growing there, right alongside the driveway. I was amazed by it. I had never seen such a complex flower. I picked it, of course, and to this day I still have it pressed in an old journal… the journal I took to NC that summer.

Oh how I do miss childhood sometimes.

I really want to look into planting a Passion Flower plant. Research pending.

Now that the nostalgia is over (well, the writing about it... not the feeling) I can move on to discussing my busy upcoming weekend. My mom bought fabric for me to make her some curtains for her kitchen and guest room two weeks ago when I was at her house. I PROMOSED her I'd have them done by this weekend when they came down to visit (they live far). Umm.... well.... they're not. I actually haven't even taken the fabric out of the bag. She'll be here tonight. Good thing my house is spotless (thanks to hubby :-) ), because there will be no time for cleaning!

I've been working on a top for Kaytlin all week... but that's a post all of its own. I'm 75% satisfied with the way it turned out, but I really wish I would have done a test using muslin or some other fabric that didn't cost me a fortune. It's made with denim and this gorgeous uber-femme embroidered linen.

I also had my first two sales to work on! Yay for that! I am finishing the custom tutu tonight. Okay.... it takes 6 yards to make a childs tutu. Kaytlins tummy is about 22". The customers waist was we'll say 30" ;-). So I figured "Okay, her tummy is about a third bigger than Kaytlin's, so I'll get a third more fabric!" EEH WRONG! *immitates Jeopardy's "I'm sorry, that is not correct" noise*. I used 9 yards of tulle and I swear it only got me halfway done. Maybe it's because I'm being a lot more careful doing this one than I do when I'm making Kaytlin one (which takes me about 30 minutes because I just whip right through it). So I had to go out and buy some more.

Today was a very strange payday. Every single payday I go to Joanns.... but not today. I have TOO DANG MUCH FABRIC laying around ALL OVER my house to buy any more!!! I'm trying to make it less obvious to my hubby... you know... kinda like scooting your peas around on your plate to make it look like you ate some. I've got a basket of "scraps" in the bonus room (which is actually fabric that will hopefully one day soon be used to recreate the stuff in my etsy shop). I've got a big basket in my guestroom that has two stacks of fabric about 18" high. Then there's a joanns bag in my car (that I'll bring in once I figure out a place to put it). Then there's another shopping bag sitting on the dining room table... and beside that is my AB fabric. Don't even get me started on what's in the guest room closet. That's mostly 1/2 yard or less of fabric that I just can't get rid of. Plus there's a few grocery bags of scraps ranging in size from pretty good size to teeny enough for Kaytlin to use for crafts. Oh I forgot to mention the two bags I had sitting in a corner where I keep my sewing table. I think there's three cuts in that bag. I'm addicted. I can't stop.

I finally bought clothing to sew for MYSELF! Can you believe it?! I can't either! I looked and looked then finally found a pattern that would be figure flattering, something that wouldn't show too much, etc. Then I get it and DOH it can only be used with jersey knit fabrics. Luckily it was 40% off.... I got a pretty blue color. Blue brings out my eyes. Who knows when I'll actually sit down and MAKE it! I still haven't made that purse!

When you find something good, you tell someone!

2008-03-20T19:14:00.004-04:00

So I'm telling you!

I recently made two etsy purchases.

1) I bought these fabulous earrings. The photos don't even do them justice! So cute! I bought them from this store - http://simplyuboutique.etsy.com/ The colors are much more vibrant when you see them. Lovely!

2) I bought my Amy Butler fabric (post below this one) from this seller and received it FAST! I paid for it Saturday morning and got it in the mail Tuesday! http://myheartandsew.etsy.com/

First sale, weekend projects, etc.

2008-03-17T12:20:00.014-04:00

I got my first SALE!!!! First to go was the punk whimsey tutu... then within a couple of hours later, someone accepted an alchemy bid I placed, then a few hours after that I got another accept from an alchemy bid! I was packing up the punk whimsey tutu last night and just felt so accomplished, so proud! I've made things for people before and gotten paid to do it, but this was my first sale as an actual business with a name and everything. Hubby seemed to think I was a little overly-excited about it lol.

I bought this awesome AWESOME pattern last night. I can't wait to start it! I just want to ditch my current project and start working on it! I have this burgundy paisley fabric that I picked up at Joanns about a month ago. I didn't know what I'd do with it, because it's definately not something that would make an adorable little girls outfit. But I just loved it and had to have it. Now it has a purpose. Since I didn't have the fabric with me, I just had to pick a solid color for the lining... brown. It looks like it's going to be fairly easy to make... at least I hope!

Over the weekend I whipped up an outfit for Kaytlin out of two vintage pillowcases. One was a pillowcase dress/top... it comes just above the knee. With the other pillowcase, I made capris. It is sooo cute. Here's a pic of it. . It was super easy too. I think I'll write a tutorial on making a pillowcase dress from actual pillowcases. It took me a little less than two hours to whip together this outfit.

I really need to sit down and start working on some charity things. I also need to do a PIF (pay it forward) for etsy since I made a PIF purchase.

I ordered and received two yards of Amy Butler fabric. I'm sew in love with it. I just don't know what I'm going to do with it though! I can't decide! I want it to be something wonderful!

I also bought this skirty-like fabric. I really like it, but it's not "me". I bought enough to make two skirts. This pic does not do it justice, but I took it as I was running out the door this morning, so it's the best I've got for now.

This here is the longest living cut flower. I think I might write the Ginness people and see about getting my world record. This was in Kaytlin's Valentines Day flower arrangement (yes, we buy our 4 year old flowers for V-Day). It is now 3/19 and this flower is STILL lookin' good!! We bought it from the grocery store on 2/14!! PS... this pic was so much prettier full size.

I never knew yardwork was so dang hard!! We have spent hours and hours working on JUST the front!! We haven't even started on the back! At first, we used a spike aerator and seeded... well, that was a waste of time and money because it didn't take. So Matt and I got out there with a hoe and loosened the dirt in all of the bare spots (which, as you can see, there are plenty of), seeded, then gently scooted the dirt around to somewhat cover the seeds, THEN put pinestraw on top of it. Oh I forgot to mention that we had to dig dirt from this hole in the back yard and move it in the wheelbarrow to cover the uneven spots/dips along the driveway due to years of neglect (thanks to the old owners, there's a big hole which needs dirt to be put on top of and grass seed planted, we figured since it was already there we might as well borrow some dirt from it). Our neighbor let us borrow his plug aerator (more expensive, much better), so he did that too.

We dyed Easter Eggs on Sunday. In my whole life, I've never been able to get the stinkin' eggs to be as vibrant as the ones on the box. I followed the directions and everything!

AHHHHHHHH!

2008-03-13T16:39:00.002-04:00

1) I am very eagerly awaiting my first sale! I'm not a very patient person. The clock is ticking louder and louder every day.

http://kaytiebugs.etsy.com I've added two items over the last week and plan on adding more Monday (hopefully)... sneak peek coming soon!

2) The iPod sold for like $130. Yay! Now I've only got about $80 to go.

3) I started adding photos onto flickr. Check me out...
http://www.flicker.com/photos/kaytiebugs

Sneak peek @ 'Beach Baby', smarty pants, SSSF

2008-03-12T11:50:00.013-04:00

When I say I looooove something, it's not because I'm trying to make it sound good or promote it... that means that I really just loooove it! For example... I LOOOOVE this little 'Beach Baby' outfit I've created!!! I can't wait to make one for Kaytlin! I already had the jeans and needed to do something with them. Ta da! This outfit will be for sale in sizes 18m-4T. I'm offering size 18m to my blog readers for $15. That's a little over half price!! I could possibly trim down the elastic a bit and make the top a size 12m... but the capris would still be size 18m since they're store bought (with the exception of the added ruffles of course). This is for the sample seen in the pic and is ready to be shipped. If interested, let me know and we can either go through with an etsy transaction or you can just pay me directly via paypal. The bottom pic gives the best depiction of the color. The blue is much softer than the top two pics show. I've got to take better pics before

On to 'Smarty Pants'.... I LOVE the way these turned out. I won't be selling these (unless someone requests me to make them a pair, of course... i do have the fabric to do it with). The fabric is an argyle print flannel and the bottom is ruffled and trimmed with lace. She's also wearing the tye dye shirt we made Sunday. Note- when you tye dye, put saran wrap or a trash bag over your work area, WEAR THE GLOVES, and don't use cotton knits as this shirt did NOT want to absorb the dye (as you can see). PS- laundry on couch= I've been sewing. No laundry on couch= hubs made me stop and do some chores.... lol

SSSF (Surger Selling and Savings Fund) would be going much better if I'd stop SPENDING the money I'm making!!!!! My iPod listing ends today... so check it out. My ebay id is coachlover930.

Spring is in the air

2008-03-10T15:54:00.004-04:00

My trees are blooming! This is our first Spring in the house... so I had no idea they were flowering trees!

SSSF Update: Coach Bag SOLD for $77!!!

2008-03-07T21:56:00.002-05:00

YAY!!! I was shooting for $70-80. I put a $77 'buy it now' and it's GONE! I AM SO STINKING EXCITED!! $77 down, $173 to go.

I'll be listing the ipod tonight or tomorrow, so check it out! I'm leaving on about 1300 songs. From what I gather, it will sell for about $115-150 according to past sales of the same model. Remember- my ebay user ID is coachlover930!

SSSF Part 2: Mac has lots of our $$

2008-03-07T12:50:00.003-05:00

Between Matt and I, we have two 30GB iPods and he has an iPhone that (IMO) outperforms the iPod and has plenty of room for his tunes. So really we have an extra iPod....

I'm going to write this blog as I take my mini-journey to get the scoop on this ipod... exactly what IS it?

I googled.... apparently there are a million different 5th generation ipods. I really want to find out exactly what kind this is. And apparently the apple site isn't 100% correct when using the serial # because some people in forums have newer ipods than apple says they are. So far all I know is it's a 5th generation, it plays videos, and it's 30GB.

Light bulb came on.... go to the 'About' menu on the ipod itself, duuh! Found the actual model # (because the # etched on the back is the model for ALL 5th generation ipods... there are several versions).

Alas... I found a site that lists all of the specs for my particular model - http://www.superwarehouse.com/Apple_iPod_30_GB_Black_Video/MA146LL_A/ps/1489050
Too bad I can't get on ebay at work, I'm really eager to find out how much this thing is going to sell for. Stores don't sell them new anymore (well, at least not big name stores like Circuit City and Best Buy), but when they did the retail price was around $300 I believe. Hopefully I'll get a reasonable amount out of it. Now I just need to go home, see how many earbuds I have, pick one to sell with the ipod, find the other USB cord for the ipod, find out if I can sell it with the songs on it (which doesn't exactly sound like it would be, but if there is a way then I will).

More later.....

Surger Selling & Savings Fund (SSSF): Part 1

2008-03-06T08:59:00.007-05:00

I posted my beloved Coach bag on Ebay last night. $77 BIN or bid, it's $.01 no reserve. Check out the listing here for more pics.

In an effort to help grow my Surger Savings Fund, I gathered all of the random change from all around the house... there was a big pile on top of the washing machine, a good bit in the office, of course tons scattered on top of mine and Matt's dresser. I have also been tossing change into this Tiffany & Co. bag for a while now, it's about 2" deep with change. And there's some in a box in my dresser too. I haven't counted it yet, but I'm hoping it's at least $30. I'm really hoping the Coach bag will sell for at least $70... then I'll hopefully have $100, which means I'll be ALMOST HALF WAY TO MY GOAL!!! My goal is $250. All you ladies with $1000 machines, don't laugh :-). No, I can't afford to spend that much on a machine.... I didn't even spend that much on my living room furniture (which is still quite fabulous I must say, we got it at the Rooms to Go outlet here in Ga. for quite a steal $800)... see pic below.

Now that I've mentioned the Tiffany & Co. bag, I just remembered that THAT would have been a great thing to sell for $$! I had this awesome tag toggle necklace and matching bracelet that were originally around $600 I think (I've had it for a while now... plus it was a gift so I really shouldn't know how much it costed, but I do lol). Anyways.... here's the sad story of the Tiffany set gone missing- The set was inside my purse. I left my purse sitting on top of my car while I buckled Kaytlin into her carseat, I was waaaaay out in the boondocks. Well, I forgot to grab it. It was a Coach Carly bag so it was big and kinda floppy, and of course not zipped. It flew off the car a few miles down the road. A nice Christian woman picked it up, found my cell inside, and called my mom. I got the purse back, but the Tiffany jewelry was nowhere to be found. She said all of my things were scattered all over the side of the road and she grabbed what she saw. I don't think the lady stole it because she would have also kept the $300 bag if that was the case lol. DANG ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hmm.... what else can I sell??? My other Coach bag is beat to hades and back due to the whole flying off the car incident, so that's out of the question. Since ebay has upped there seller fees so much, it'll be really hard for me to do what I did last year and just have a big ebay yard sale, selling any and everything that I no longer need or want that's worth more than a few bucks. We're going to have a big yard sale in a few weeks.... and we've got lots of furniture and other big stuff we're going to get rid of, but the majority of that $$ is going to go towards house improvements.... we need so many things. Well, we don't really NEED them.... but we really WANT to fix the hot tub and the big screen that the old owners left for us. With the big screen fixed, we'll be able to decorate the bonus room! Which I kinda started on last night and want to blog about, but this one is already getting really long so I think I'll leave it at that.

In conclusion.... check out my bag I'm selling, check back for more things I'll be selling for surger $$, and don't forget to check out my etsy store! Kaytiebugs.etsy.com All purchases will get be a little closer to my $250 goal!! One more thing.... if you have any tips on how I can earn a little extra cash (aside from getting a second job... I only need $250 lol) let me know. THANKS!

Here's the living room furniture I was talking about..... well, half of it at least :-P

I WILL have a surger!!!

2008-03-04T19:12:00.002-05:00

The one and only thing that is holding me back from creating and selling absolutely fabulous custom boutique clothing is the fact that I do not have a surger. Granted, my seams are good... I zig-zag and trim them neatly. But no one is going to pay $50++ for an outfit with unsurged seams. I have so many ideas! I am constantly sketching outfits that I want to make, but I can't because I don't have a surger. Well, I COULD, but I prefer to make things I can actually sell.

So I've decided to do what I did this time last year, sell like mad on ebay. I'm starting with a Coach bag that has been sitting in my closet for a while now. Last year I made over $400 selling stuff I no longer need or could live without... in a matter of a few months. I only need $250 to get a basic surger that will perform the tasks I am looking for. There are much more fancier models out there, but I'm just looking for something to finish seams right now. Maybe once business gets good and cranked up I'll buy a better one, but only if I can pay for it with my profits.

My ebay user id is coachlover930. There's nothing listed yet, I'll post a blog later or tomorrow once I get some things listed. Considering that I've got a sewing project upstairs waiting for me, it might be tomorrow before I start listing items... plus I'm a little rusty on my ebay skills because it's been almost a year since I've sold anything there, so it might take me a while to get my listings built nicely. Can we say Auctiva?

The Store, ramblings, upcoming not for profit, etc

2008-03-03T23:13:00.007-05:00

No sales yet, but I just started. I know it's going to take a little while before I get my first sale. I'm waiting patiently. Here are a few things I've got up my sleeve.

I finally took pics of the vintage pillowcase dress. Looking at it folded does not do it justice. Kaytlin and I had a little photo shoot today... here are some of the pics. You can find the listing here... it's a steal at $11. There are more pics in the listing.

I also made a tutu... but I'm going to wait a couple of days to list it. Supposedly it's good to scatter your listings instead of doing a lot at once. I know this isn't your typical tutu.... it doesn't exactly scream Ballerina. But I love it. It's very off-the-beaten-path. The original picture is larger. There are ribbons tied into it as well. I really like the way this turned out. I was thinking punky gothic princess ballerina. It'll be available in all sizes.... I just like the way these full length ones look. I've obviously got some photo editing to do. Kaytlin was funny... I told her to go put it on and come outside. She came outside wearing nothing but the tutu... I had to run inside and grab the first shirt I could find. She was wearing a shirt that somewhat matched to begin with. Og well... this'll work. This tutu says to me 'punky whimsey'... I think that's what I'll call it!

Just a funny side note.... I'm writing this from the breakfast table and I can hear matt belting out some song in the garage while working out. He tries to be so macho.... only I get to see the side of him that sings lil bow wow while jogging. LOL! As I was finishing this up the man beast came in and wiped his sweaty forehead on my arm. ICK EEWWWW!!!!!!!!

Next thing in the works - I bought these 18m capri jeans last year to sew something for my niece... but I never got around to it. I picked up this really awesome fabric... it's this really pretty aqua blue color with flamingos and palm trees on it. The flamingos and palm trees are in vertical lines (I'm not a big fan of lots of small scattered objects on fabric...). I'm going to make a cute top (two layers of ruffles attached to a bodice) and two layers of ruffles added onto the jeans. I wish I knew what brand the jeans were.... they were at Marshalls with the label cut out (only the size label remains). They could be expensive... or they could be cheap. No less, it doesn't matter. I won't be selling it for a huge amount since I just so happened to have the jeans laying around and needed to do something with them anyways.

Oh I almost forgot! Remember that dress I stashed and said I was going to give away? Well, I finished it over the weekend. Here it is! I won't be selling this or anything made with this pattern (well, for the right amount I would, but that amount would be HIGH because this dress was a royal PAIN)

Till next time. PS- leave me comments, I like to see who's reading ;-)

DUUH I forgot to add the 'not for profit' stuff!! I really want to start doing small things (with my scraps), sell them, and donate the profit to a charity of the month. Right now I'm thinking about selling coasters and reusable multipurpose/grocery bags. Thanks to some helpful moms, I think I've come up with a price. $10 + shipping for 6 CUTE reusable grocery bags and $7 for a set of 4 coasters. I wanted my first charity to be something eco related, but I'm having a hard time finding one that I'm comfortable giving money to. Maybe I'll pick something different instead.... plus no one gives a poo about our environment anyways. Got any other suggestions on things I could use my scraps to make and sell? Do tell!

Etsy Store Grand Opening!!!

2008-03-01T21:36:00.002-05:00

It's official! I'm open for business!! There are four awesome items listed right now and more to be added tomorrow.

Use the discount code "BLOG" in the buyers comments section when you check out to receive 15% off your total purchase!!

:-) Advice and critique are welcome :-)

Defeat - Challenge - Procrastination

2008-02-29T09:25:00.005-05:00

Remember the freebie thing in a previous blog? No more. Last night I was rifling through fabric and patterns, trying to decide what I wanted to do next. I still have that bandanna print fabric that I love but can't quite decide what to do with. I want something comfy yet stylish. No ruffles... This is bandanna print we're talkin' about!

What I was really doing is procrastinating. I should have been taking the last pics I need to open my etsy store. I'll be adding items in a bit... on my lunch break most likely (if I don't run down to Joanns for some light colored denim). I need to take pics of a few things and everything will be listed. I made this punk princess tutu the other night in an attempt to destash a bit. I've had this tulle for at least 6 months and the ribbon was left over from when I was decorating my daughters bedroom. It's mostly black tulle with a little bit of bright pink tulle and two different shades of skinny pink ribbon. I made it long, but I'm willing to shorten it for whoever orders it. Unfortunately I can't take pics of it on my daughter because she'd fall so deeply in love with it there's no way she'd let me sell it lol.

I also need to take some pics of a couple of pillowcase dresses (one being the vintage one, the other is one I made out of boredom) and I remade the "baby dress" that turned out to be a toddler top.... I adjusted the measurements accordingly (and emailed mccalls asking them to not use giant baby measurements when configuring patterns lol).

So.... the pattern that almost defeated me.... I saw the bag sitting on top of the dresser. It was laughing at me and saying "Ha ha, I beat you!" It did not win. I whipped it out, said to hell with the pattern directions, and did it like I thought it should be done. About an hour later I had the bodice all sewn together perfectly (it was nothing but cut fabric before). I sewed the lining to the bodice front on all four sides after I attached the fronts and backs. I turned everything right side out and started pinning it together the way the finished product should look, trying different things to get all of the raw edges hidden within the lining. YAY it worked!!! I high fived myself. I sooo rocked! The skirt shouldn't be much of a challenge.... it's the zipper I'm worried about. I've never done a zipper before!

Now I'm going to get a little psychological for a minute.... I think one of the reasons I enjoy sewing so much is because of the challenge. My job is mundane, house stuff doesn't change much (except for the complicated dinner from time to time), but sewing..... there's always something new to try, something I haven't yet learned, different ways to do things, it's challenging. I love it. It keeps my brain turning, because otherwise it might turn to mush from all of the SSDD.

Sorry... no pics of finished products to post today. Maybe later. I'm going to post another blog after I finish posting items on my lunch break.... an announcement about the store opening.

So much for a baby dress!

2008-02-26T15:30:00.005-05:00

I did the baby outfit mentioned below. This pattern must be intended for giant babies. I did size 0-3 months and LOOK, it fits my size 4T daughter as a top! It might fit 18-24 months as a dress, but definately not a 0-3 month old baby. Darn. I was really hoping to do something for a baby too! I guess I'll be using this pattern to make toddler tops instead. I'll have to modify it a bit, but I think it'll work out nicely as a top. The one Kaytlin is wearing is really more like a 3T, it's a bit snug around the chest.

Here she is... wild hair and all. This pic is weird.... she doesn't even look like this!

This is more like her. This was last night. She wasn't feeling very good. She had to stay home with me today because yesterday when I picked her up she had a fever. Today she's been alright... low or no fever, but her school won't allow kids to come within 24 hours of having a fever. I understand, I just hope she's okay to go tomorrow!

I'm very proud.... I have finally mastered merging the elastic casing with the front of tops!! It took me a while to figure out how to cover them, and even when I'm working with a lined top I'd still have a little spot at the top of the seam where it'd be ugly (elastic, 3-4 layers of fabric, etc). So YAY me! I figured it out!

Busy weekend sewing - Etsy store prep

2008-02-25T13:16:00.010-05:00

Wow I can’t believe I’m getting so close to opening my store! I’ve finished four outfits and I’m doing my first baby outfit tonight. I’m hoping smaller=less work! Lol.

I made my first, very own original design! Yay! I had a vision and made it come true. I did use a pattern for the denim part of the top and the denim part of the capris, but the rest is my own. The pattern for the denim part of the top is actually a pattern for a dress… I just improvised. I am so proud and I love the way it turned out!!

I made my first pillowcase dress last night. It’s the real deal…. Made from an actual vintage pillowcase. It was really easy too. I’ve got two of these pillowcases and I would love to do a mommy-daughter thing with them, or something for siblings! I haven’t taken pics yet because my model was sleeping when I finished it. This’ll be going in my etsy store. I need to figure out what decade they’re from. They look pretty old…. I’m guessing 60’s-70’s. Probably 60’s. I got them from a flea an’tique store. I love those places!! Oh I could just spend hours in there.

So far, here’s what I’ve got for my etsy store-

1) Purple gingham shirred top sizes newborn - all child sizes. I could do adult sizes too…. Maybe another time. Wait, that’s a great idea! Too bad I’m not smokin’ hot or I’d make one for myself to model! Maybe I could have a friend model it for me. This is an original design too... but I can't call it my own.

2) Skulls and roses three piece outfit (there’s a batching hair bow, but I haven’t taken pics of it yet). I’m still debating on a price tag for this. Sizes 18m-4T… not positive on the sizes, I’ll have to double check (pictured above)
3) Froggy outfit sizes 18m-4T… not positive about the sizes again. BTW I'm not sure why it's poking out so much in this pic.

4) Vintage pillowcase dresses. These seriously could be sizes newborn to adult size Large.
5) The baby dress and undies I’ll be making tonight. Alexander Henry apples+pears fabric. It’s going to be so cute!
6) Pillowcase dress from this cute purple flannel fabric I got.
7) Here’s some items I’m adding for bulk… I’m ready to open the store but I’ve only got a handful of things ready.
* Cute pin cushions (which may or may not sell… if you can sew you can figure out how to make one fairly easily... and only someone who sews really has a pin cushion… so this may not work out, but oh well it’s a great use of my scraps!
* Multi-purpose fabric bags (I love these. They’re very “green” and can be used for anything from groceries, on-the-go moms, etc.).
* Made to match (for the few outfits I’ll have posted): D-ring belt, head scarf, shorts, capris.

I’ve got a lot of other fabric just waiting to be sewn, but I’m really ready to get this store cranked up!

I'm not sure if I've posted this pic before.... this is my daughters '08 Valentines Day outfit. I won't be making anymore holiday-specific clothing (except Christmas), she only got to wear this twice! I say 'except Christmas' because Christmas now starts in mid-November lol.

Just one little rant - I was DIEING to get this fabric print from Sandi Henderson's new line, but I had to wait a few days after it debuted to buy it. Well, it's SOLD OUT EVERYWHERE!! :-( Oh well, I'll give it a week and try again.

Boutiques & Currently working on...

2008-02-19T16:18:00.002-05:00

Maybe I’m just crazy, but I always seem to have the perfect pattern but not the fabric I want to make it with…. Or a gorgeous fabric but I don’t have the pattern I want to use with it. This drives me soooooo crazy!! I have so many unused patterns I’ve picked up here and there on sale. A LOT. Last night I picked out a fabric I wanted to work with that I really think is going to turn into something really cute. I started digging through the patterns because I just KNEW I had purchased this one particular pattern. Well it was nowhere to be found and my stuff is uber-organized so I must be mistaken. I was really disappointed because I could just SEE the finished product in my mind. It is so cute too! So I decided to use this other fabric that’s really scraps from another project to test out this halter dress/top and matching shorts for my daughter. I thought about making folded ruffles for the bottom of the shorts, but since the top ties around the neck and has a gathered look I thought that might not match so well. I’m having trouble figuring out the stupid pattern though…. it just doesn’t seem to be matching up right… and I HATE patterns that don’t come with an elastic guide, but rather they say something like “cut elastic at a comfortable length.” I know what’s comfortable on my daughter and I know her measurements like the back of my hand, but if I want to sell this to other people I’m just going to have to estimate and hope it’s not too tight or loose. Sheesh. I guess that’s what ya get for a $3 pattern!

I still have tons of this froggy print fabric and the top took literally less than ½ yard and I think I have almost 2 yards left. So if it turns out cute it’ll be going in the etsy store for sure. I’m not crazy about it, but if it sells great…. I just hate to have unused fabric laying around. I bought this one teal colored fabric MONTHS ago to make placemats and a table runner for our dining room. Well, we decided to paint the dining room a different color. I have no use for this fabric…. And it’s dec weight so I can’t use it for clothing either. I thought about making some coasters (saw a tutorial somewhere) but honestly the fabric just doesn’t go with anything in my house! I got it on sale, so I’m not really out much $$... I just hate waste. Hopefully I’ll think of something to use it for eventually. ANYWAYS! Back to the outfits…. Froggy print top, coordinating green fabric for the shorts, and maybe a ruffle across the bottom of the shorts in the froggy fabric.

Here’s another bad habit I have – I buy cheapie fabric to make random stuff with and I have no problem cutting it into a million pieces and throwing it away if things don’t turn out as planned…. But I buy the good stuff and it just sits there in my little basket. It’s like I’m afraid to mess it up because it’s so pretty and kinda expensive. I need to get OVER THIS!! Even if it is moderately expensive, it still really isn’t that much… it just seems like it because it’s much more expensive than some fabrics.

I’m pleased to report that I’ve been browsing websites of Atlanta area upscale boutiques and frankly there are A WHOLE LOT of Cafemom Etsy Moms who do sooooo much cuter things!! Honestly! Even the ones who haven’t been doing it for long or who don’t sell verrry expensive clothes. I’m talking about the pillowcase dresses, diaper bags, hairbows, etc…. If you have no idea what/who I’m talking about, click over to the link to the Cafemom Etsy Moms street team, it’s on the right of this page.

Ebay Strike

2008-02-18T11:22:00.003-05:00

Watch the video on youtube, spread the word, and resist the urge to buy or sell on ebay Feb. 18-25. It's insane. I wasn't going to sell on ebay until I was making substancial profit per sale due to high seller fees, and now this.... even HIGHER fees. I wish I would have heard about this sooner.

Check out this blog to get info on the etsy blackout. I just looked and there are 300something items already.

We need to stick together and root for the underdog on this one.... the sellers.

My First Trashion

2008-02-16T01:40:00.004-05:00

I just thought of my first Trashion.....

When we bought our house, the owners left most of the curtains.... and they were NOT my style. These curtains were in the office. They're so not my style so much that I took them down and don't even have curtains in the office for now. Here's a pic of the curtains. Look to the far right... purple and light blue/teal-ish That's the best shot I've got of them on my PC and I still need to find my USB cord. Goodbye curtains, hello peasant dress for Kaytlin!

(BTW- this is a pic of the house when we first looked at it, not our stuff)

I shirred yesterday/today. I finished the shirt today. It turned out so adorable! It was so much less complicated than I expected! It just bunched right up. One tutorial said I would need to gather it.... no way. It turned out so perfect! I'm going to make a matching belt and head scarf, so I'll post pics tomorrow/Sunday after I finish that part of it (even if I have to use Matt's camera on his phone). I used Sandi Hendersons tutorial (AKA Portobellapixie).

Overspending, giving up, freebie, and shirring

2008-02-15T11:51:00.005-05:00

Yesterday evening I realized something…. I have spent too much money in too short a time period on fabric, patterns, and sewing needs. It’s becoming a compulsion and I need to get a grip on it! I keep all of my goodies in our guest room, since it is the least used room in the house. Last night I was looking for a new pack of bobbins I bought last week. I checked in the dresser drawer where it should have been, not there. I checked all three of the shopping bags that were on top of the dresser, not there. I checked the shopping bag that I had hidden in the bonus room, not there. I checked the bag I had stashed in the downstairs closet, not there. I was going crazy looking for these bobbins. Then I realized something…. I had three bags of new unused stuff on the dresser, then two other bags of new unused stuff HIDDEN in my house. This doesn’t even include the big pile of neatly folded unused fabric sitting in a basket on the dresser, or the huge neat stack of unused patterns in the dresser. I have made a goal for myself- NO MORE buying fabric or patterns (regardless of how deeply discounted they might be) until I do something with at least 1/3 of what I have lying around my house!

Last night I threw in the towel on a dress I had been making for Kaytlin (and to put in my etsy store). That stinkin pattern made me SO MAD! It was honestly the stupidest pattern I had ever used. It was for five different dresses (three completely different dresses with two variations). The directions were not “To make dress A…” “To make dress B…” etc… they were all piled in together. There were so many pictures and NO order that I just got so irritated. I put the cut/partially sewn fabric and the pattern in a walmart bag. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it…. Maybe pass it on to someone else who could use it and actually understand this pattern. It probably wasn’t the pattern; it’s more likely that it was my attention span. So…. If anyone wants this pattern, let me know. It’s for sizes ½-4, the fabric has been cut to a size 4, but it could be trimmed down if necessary. The fabric is a bright floral print…. It’s the flower print on this item from babykaysboutique.etsy.com. There’s a pic of the pattern too. It’s cut for the striped dress, but could also be the green one if you’ve got some lace. If you want it, you can have it… just pay shipping $4.60 for priority to the 48 states, less for parcel post, more for international AK or HI.

On to the rest of the evening…. I finally tried shirring. I bought 5 yards of this purple gingham check fabric. It went so much easier than I expected!!! It takes a little time to thread the elastic onto the bobbin, and it didn’t last long (I did 2 ½ rows with one bobbin, going across a 33” piece). It was easy though, and It just ruffles right up. I saw one tut that says to pull the threads, but I tried that and it didn’t work. The tutorial on portabello pixies blog says to steam it (no thread pulling), so I’m going to try that. Pulling the thread was a bit of a pain. I’ll be finishing the dress today if all goes as planned.

BTW- still looking for my USB cord for my camera. I think I might just buy a new one.

And I love how she used shirring in this top

Horay for Fridays! My plans for the weekend? Hmm... a sitter on Saturday night. Could it mean a romantic evening? Or uninterrupted sewing all night? lol.... probably the sewing since hubs is so busy working on constructing a website for the company he works for. As for tonight, I plan to finish up the shirred dress. It'll be pretty simple since it's my first time shirring.... I don't want to get into anything complicated just yet.

Tutorial: How to make a simple duvet cover

2008-02-14T12:32:00.002-05:00

I’m going to use this white down comforter as an example…. And this red toile bedding set to give you a visual (I’m a visual person). The white comforter is from walmart.com and the red toile bedding set is from http://www.delectablyyours.com/.

It’s 90” wide X 98” long

Supplies/tools:

* For Facing- two cuts of toile, three yards in length each

* For Backing- one queen size sheet in white/cream/or other coordinating color (for this example, a deep red would be great) (or same amount of muslin or other fabric as mentioned above)

* A mans tape measure (since most of our dressmakers tape measures aren’t long enough… this will keep it easy)

* Thick grosgrain ribbon or similar (for tieing the duvet to the cover so it doesn’t shift around inside the cover)

* Pins etc…. the usual sewing must haves.

~~ We’ll be using a 1” seam allowance

Step 1: What do you want it to look like? Use the google image search to find coordinating colors you like (for the lining, bed skirt, shams, etc…. if you choose to do those as well)

Step 2: Measuring. Measure the length and width of the comforter/duvet/etc you’ll be using the duvet cover on and adjust needed yardage etc if your comforter is wider/longer than this example.

* Calculate how thick the comforter is, you’ll add twice that to the width of the cover width (so if the comforter is about 1” loft/thickness, add two inches to how wide you need the width to be. So now instead of the width of the cover being 90”, it’s 92” plus a 1” seam allowance on each side…. So a total of 94” wide.

* Adjusting the length depends on the type of closure you want (envelope, buttons, ties, etc… I personally think ties are the easiest to do, so that’s what we’re going to do in this example. Add 2” to the length of the comforter (same reason as above) and add another 3 inches for the closure and 1” for the HEM around the top of the closure….. So we’re adding a total of 6” to the overall length of the facing….. Grand total length of the facing = 105” (length of facing fabric = 108”)

Step 3: Stitch the facing. Trim 3” off the bottom of the toile fabric, you won’t have to adjust the length of the facing again. Stitch the two 3 yard pieces of toile together using a 1” seam allowance, right sides together of course…. This is the front.

Step 4: Lay your lining sheet right side up on the floor; lay the toile right side down on top of the sheet.

Step 5: Match the toile top 4” above the top of the sheet lining (check and make sure the direction of the toile is going the right way….. you want the 4” overhang part to be for the top, so check and make sure your print is going the right way). Pin the top in place. Doing it this way will prevent you from having to hem the top of the sheet.

Step 6: Pin the sides of the cover. Since the width is a total of 94” (including seam allowance) and the fabric itself is 108”, pin the fabric 7” from the edge of the toile (so you’ll be cutting off 7” from each side). Before or after you’ve pinned it, you should use something (dressmakers chalk, ink pen , etc) to draw the line on the fabric so you know where to trim the excess. Check your lines to make sure the width is 94” from top to bottom (check every 6” or so). Trim the excess from the sides; use the line as your indicator on where to cut.

Step 7: Pin the bottom. Since you’ve already established the width, pinning the bottom will be a sinch. After you’ve pinned it, trim the excess lining fabric.

Step 8: Sew it all together. I’d do the bottom first, then the sides. Remember to use 1” seam allowances.

Step 9: Adding the ribbon. You can add as many as you think you’ll need. I used four on mine (two on the bottom, two on the top… about 4-6” long each). Sew the ribbon onto your seam allowance. Back stitch and stitch over it again a few times to make sure it’s good and secure. Some duvets come with ties already in them. If yours doesn’t have them, follow this step again sewing a ribbon onto the corners of the comforter/duvet.

Step 10: The closure. Sew 8 tie strips using the fabric, I’d say ½” wide by 6” long. To do this you’ll want to cut a piece of fabric 2” wide, fold it in half, then fold under the raw edges. Basically you’re making bias tape except sewing the edges together. You can use your scraps to make these. Hem the end of the toile (1” seam allowance). Determine how far apart the strips should be. I’d say place one 12” before the corner on each side then two toward the middle (math says these should be placed 34” away from the ones near the corners…). On the toile side, sew four of the strips 3” before the end of the fabric, on the right side. Sew the strips onto the lining, right at the edge, on the wrong side.

Now you’re done. Your excess toile fabric will be tucked under the lining fabric (so the duvet doesn’t show) at the closure. Scraps could be used to make coordinating pillows. If you buy extra fabric to make pillows/shams/valances with, get it cut separately from the cover fabric so you won’t have to worry about cutting it.

If you’re good with measuring, this will be easy. It sounds like a lot, but it’s really not…. I just went into a lot of detail. This is also posted at kaytiebugs.blogspot.com. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!!! Have fun!

As for yesterdays little to-do list... I didn't get to any of it. Not even sewing! I got home from work a little later than usual. Traffic was horrible. Then I had to go to the grocery store which I planned on doing on the way home but I didn't have my debit card on me. Hubby told me to go ahead and get a lot of groceries. By the time I got home from the grocery store it was 8:00!! I cooked Salmon, which I LOVE, but we were out of foil so I had to bake it... it tastes MUCH better off the grill. We had some cheezy tortelinis too. Yum! I picked up some Alli at the grocery store. I'm going to start it tomorrow because today is Valentines day, so of course there will be lots of fatty foods.

Random thoughts of the day...

2008-02-13T15:16:00.007-05:00

Vocabulary lesson of the day - Bias grain: Bias is the diagonal grain of the fabric…. Not the width, not the length, crossways.

What did I discover today: I need a walking foot.

Today’s inspiration: The Amy Butlers, Erin Murphys, and Joel Dewberrys of this world were not born with a big name… they started at the bottom just like everyone else.

Things I love today -
http://www.babylulu.com/products/fall07/prodLarge/531376.jpg
http://s7ondemand1.scene7.com/is/image/Gymboree/140032022?$240x305$
http://s7ondemand1.scene7.com/is/image/Gymboree/140031325?$240x305$

Blessing of the day: I found out yesterday that I’ve been paying my mortgage a month ahead of time as long as we’ve lived in the house! Whew! I thought we were a week BEHIND! Then I found a $50 in one of the desk drawers in the office.

Things I WILL accomplish today - work out for at least 30 minutes (yay, like I have a choice); do some LAUNDRY; start piecing together the first dress to go on etsy.

Note about the first etsy dress: I thought this was going to be a lot more simple than it has turned out to be!!! I like patterns that have minimal pieces to cut because I HATE cutting! I hate cutting out the pattern, I hate figuring out piece placement, I hate that my sewing table is not as big as I wish it were (not like I have the space for much bigger anyways), I just hate cutting!! However I have fallen madly in love with the fabric. It was hanging off the end of my sewing table last night... a good 2-3 feet was dangling just above the floor. I got to take a really good look at it as a whole. I think it would make some awesome pillows for Kaytlin's room... maybe a duvet cover since she needs a new one (thanks to her dad for MACHINE WASHING her down comforter, now we need a new duvet and cover).

Done with the randomness now.... hopefully I'll find my USB cord soon so I can load some recent and current projects!

Prepwork for opening online shop

2008-02-12T11:05:00.001-05:00

I have so many things to do before I start adding items to my etsy store.

1) Make sew-in tags (see previous post for tutorial)… time to get busy!
2) Make hang tags… I bought some index cards and made the image, now I just need to test out the printer settings. It's pretty simple. Maybe I'll come up with some care instructions, print those out on sticker labels, and stick it to the back of the tag.

3) Sew items! I want to list at least 4-5 new things initially and add to it from there. I started working on this cute dress last night with a criss-cross bodice. The fabric is a really pretty floral print…. Not too pastel, not too bright. I also bought some other awesome fabric to start my etsy store with – bandana print, hyacinth pink/lilac/violet print, soft cream and wine red heirloom print (*LOVE* this print… but whatever I use it for will have to have to be lined because it’s a little see through), lavender and white stripes, pretty eyelet that I hate to cut…. Geez I’ve stocked up on so much in such a short time period that I can’t even remember what all I’ve got!

4) Learn how to shirr…. I’ve read a tut, now I just need to practice on some scraps.

5) Here’s a few other random ideas I’ve had to throw in the store – pin cushions, I refuse to toss scraps so I think I may have figured out something useful to do with them; an apron… I want to make some for me and Kaytlin anyways; Bibs… but this doesn’t really interest me… maybe this will be a made to match on a baby outfit. I thought about making a tutu or two. They’re so stinkin easy and often very overpriced. In my shop, items will be priced according to how much effort they took, not how popular they are. A lot of tutus are super easy and can be put together in a couple of hours or less; plus, tulle is really cheap… even “good” tulle.

6) Made to match – I want to include some “made to match” headbands, scarves, and belts (the sash kind that tie). Maybe I’ll post something for “made to match” jeans instead of doing jeans and a top as an outfit. I did these pants for my daughters Valentines outfit and it was such a PAIN!!! I’m sure the second time I do it, it’ll be much easier since I have done it once before and learned what NOT to do lol.

7) Buy some baby patterns! I have two that start with size ½… but what exactly is a size 1/2?

8) Find size charts. I know my daughters sizes and measurements, but if you told me your child wore a 2T I’d have no idea what pattern size to use without knowing the chest/waist measurements.

9) Find a pillowcase dress tutorial. Everyone sells these, I just want to find a tut so I can make one for Kaytlin. If that goes well, we’ll see about selling them. I hear they’re pretty easy, but sizing it without actually seeing the child is kinda scary since there’s no paper pattern to follow.

10) Buy my serger… I need to hurry up and do my taxes so I can get my refund and buy it. At the same time, I plan to buy a couple of yards of Amy Butler. I *heart* her!!!

11) FIND USB CORD FOR DIGITAL CAMERA!!!! Sheesh…. I have so many pics I really need to load but I can’t find the darn cord!!

12) Stock up on a few bubble-wrap lined envelopes.

SHEESH! It sounds like a lot more work than I imagined it to be!

How to make your own custom clothing tags!!

2008-02-08T10:55:00.001-05:00

I'm sure quilters already know about this but.... You can buy inkjet fabric sheets from various places like craft stores (it's on the joann website for $14... time to whip out that 40% off coupon!), walmart carries it too (I got mine $12 for three sheets). It's not cheap, but it's cheaper than buying the ones for sale on etsy or other independent sites. Here's a link over to the HP website where they give clear directions on how to print on the paper.

Here's how to make your own inkjet fabric sheets (might come out a little cheaper... but IMO it's worth the time saved to just spend the extra on the ready-made sheets).

I'm going to write some helpful hints below as the guide is not intended for printing labels/tags, just printing on the fabric paper in general.

Here's a how-to for making the labels...

1) Determine the size of label you want. You can measure labels on various things for size ideas. For the example, I'm going to use 3/4" by 1 1/2"

2) Create your label design using paint or whatever you're familiar with (or just type your name in a cute color/font) You might want to add a border around the entire image so you know where to cut (so that everything stays centered)

3) So now you've got your logo made. Open a new paint window, set the attributes to 8 1/2" X 11". Copy your original image and paste it onto your new document. Paste four across the top row. Copy that row and paste it over and over until you fill the page (this is a full page... 40 tags)

4) Go to "File" then "Page Setup" and make sure your settings are like this- Print a test page on plain paper to see how it'll turn out.

5) Follow the HP instructions above to print using the fabric (very simple... about the same as using paper, easy). SAVE your documents so you don't have to do all this next time!!

Now that you've printed your label, you're ready to use it! How will you use it? There are raw edges! For now, I'm going to applique it on. If you wanted to have the kind that folds and goes into your hem, you'd just double the length of your image and fold it when finished... then you'd only have raw edges on the sides, but you could add a seam allowance to the edges if you'd like. I'm sticking to the basics for now. Also, if you really wanted to get crafty, you could print care instructions/size info on the reverse side of your foldable tag. I think that's everything! *whew*

My very first real blog...

2008-02-06T14:29:00.000-05:00

I've blogged before... on sites like myspace... but I've never just had my own blog. I decided to start one because 1) I really enjoy reading other crafters blogs about there projects, tutorials, etc. 2) I could seriously talk all day long about sewing and crafts. 3) I need a place to write it all down! I use three and a half computers.... my work computer, my pc at home, my laptop at home, and an iPhone... so I am constantly emailing myself links, pictures, etc. that I see on the internet.

So... a little about me. I LOVE to sew, I'm a mom to a 4 year old little girl, I work full time, I'm a wife to my college student/full time working hubby, hmm... am I the only one who finds it hard to describe themself?

Right now I have a million things I want to sew. Note: I'm not yet one of those sewing gals with hoards of fabric, trims, etc... although I wish I were. I do, however, sew pretty much constantly. I buy fabric as needed (but I will stock up on patterns whenever Joanns or Hobby Lobby marks them down to $1 each!). I just splurged and bought a bunch that were on sale... and I have no idea what I'm going to do with them. I bought some ribbon, elastic thread, and this pretty trim... so I'll be shirring some of it, making at least one pillowcase dress, and maybe even pull out one of my many stashed patterns and make something with them. I also want to make a scrappy pin cushion. Right now, my # 1 sewing priority is to finish my friends baby shower gift, I have already made a puppet wash cloth and a quilt. I have to make the lined basket and hooded towels by this Friday... TWO DAYS! It won't take much. I don't have a pattern for these either.

Okay, time to clock back in from my lunch break!