Circle Skirt

I found this sewing pattern awhile ago, and saved it, knowing it was SO easy, even I could do it!  I know... me use a pattern?!!

I was at the Dollar Store getting a few things when for some random reason I looked down the aisle with the pillowcases, and found the cutest pattern.  So I bought it for the skirt I have been wanting to make for awhile now.

Cute hey!  I know, you surprise me all the time Dollarama!

I bought the elastic band at the dollar store as well, and that's pretty much all you need besides a few pieces of paper to make your pattern, and your sewing machine.

This was what it looked like all cut.

Now, I did not do a full tutorial because Dana over at Made, did the most perfect tutorial I didn't even want to try, so I thought I would just send you over there for her circle skirt tutorial!

And I would just like to say that her daughter Lucy's measurements were the same as my daughter so it made it super easy to just copy what she did.  

Okay, here it is...

Cute and flouncy!

Remember the hairbands I made for my girls here.

"My, what a nice pillowcase you have on dear!"

The perfect amount of SWING.

You can find fabric in the most surprising places.  I am always willing to take something old and make it new.  Especially when the price is amazing!

Cost:

Pillowcases = 2 for $2

Elastic = $1

Total =$3

(* but I have just enough leftovers to make her another!!*)

25 Cent Skirt Redo

So I officially started my garage saleing this last weekend, and I will start by showing you this skirt that I picked up for 25 cents!! 

 I thought it was a cute colour combination and didn't even hesitate about the size of it.  I just bought it.  

I did try it on, and the colours were just not me, but they were perfect for my daughter.

So I put it around my daughter and cut the extra fabric off.

Then I took the extra fabric and made sleeves with it.

I am skipping all the steps because you could probably figure it out it's so easy, rather than going through a boring sewing tutorial with me!

Here is the back:

And a few shots of the front:

I am glad I was able to make a dress for my daughter because she is growing out of everything and this was VERY THRIFTY!!

Also today my sisters and I made some ties for our boys for my brothers upcoming wedding.  They were so easy I had to share them with you, and the link of where to find them to make your own:

Cute, easy fast ties...

(sister in law Meg, sister Chelsea, sister Angela, Me!)

And hey, I know I have been away lately, but I have been up to my ears in projects!  I can't wait to show you!!

Mr & Mrs Pillows

So my younger brother is getting married, and we are having a bridal shower this weekend for his fiance.  So I have been thinking about what I  could make, and came up with these:

This is what I started out with:

These pillows I got from Ikea

Then I also found some fabric from there, and it was the perfect kind, and what do you know... it was on sale 1.99 a meter!  So I bought 2 and a half meters.

I found on this other website that you can use Freezer Paper for this kind of project!  I didn't even know what freezer paper was or looked like, but sure enough it was down my grocery store aisle!

Now when I was finding a font I liked I had a choice between 20 fonts and can you believe I could only make it as large as it shows on my printer paper below!  So, I had to draw it by hand with a ruler onto the dull side of the freezer paper.

Then I used an exacto knife to cut out my letters.  I did this on top of a cereal box so I wouldn't cut my table (not that it would matter, my table is in pretty rough shape!  Didn't you see the photo with the pillows on my table!).

Then I put the shiny side of the freezer paper down on the fabric and ironed it on to the center of my pillow.  The iron makes the paper stick so that all edges of my stencil were flat for when I started to paint.

I bought this fabric spray at Walmart (I didn't see any other choices then the spray, but it worked great!)

I sprayed my letterings and let dry for FOUR hours.  I kept peeking I was so excited to just work on it.  After four hours I peeled it off, and was very pleased at the minimal out of line splotches.

3 hours of sewing (I am sure that is not a normal amount of time for anyone else for sewing a pillow, but ... I wanted it perfect), and I had fabric flying in all directions!

But here is the happy little pillows that my sister in law to be will be getting for her gift:

I left the edges raw for a casual look.

Cost:

Pillows: $5.99 each

Fabric: $4.50 (for 2 1/2 meters)

Fabric Spray: $4.97

Freezer Paper: $5.00

Total: $20.46

And I am happy to say that this was so fun and now I have enough fabric spray and freezer paper left over to do some more projects with them!!  Why didn't I get more fabric that was so FUN!

Share the Love!

Today is the day of Sweetness, right?!!  Well I saw these Valentine Smore's and HAD to make them, they were so cute!  

Posted by Crazy Domestic I seriously want to know where she found heart marshmellows though!  Because all I could find was the circle ones.

Can I just say they were delicious!  Mine were not as pretty but oh so yummy!

Now...  I have to tell you something...

I have the sweetest neighbour EVER!  She is an older lady, and someone I want to become!  She brings my family treats on every holiday, and on my birthday she drops a card off with the sweetest sentiment it makes me tear up!!  I had to do something for her on Valentine's!!!

Wouldn't you if you had my neighbour?

So I started with my daughter's outgrown shirt, and bloomers.

Cut some hearts out of the material...

Sewed this little heart on, and left the edges to fringe gracefully with age.

And filled it with rice.  

Why rice?

So you can heat it up in the microwave and have a nice little warming pack for anything from cramps, boo-boos, aches and  pains, or keeping you warmer!!!

Remember here:  I am a beginner sewer (if I keep all this sewing up I may not be able to use that excuse anymore)

We left a little love note and dropped it off with some of the Smore's the kids helped me make.

Did you share some LOVE today?

Pencil Purse

This ones a teeth grinder for sure!!  Too much sewing for an under-developed sewer like myself.  But alas, the project is done, and if it weren't for the beautiful magic of the flower as the finishing touch, I was deeply considering tossing this project and calling it a lemon.

The flower that saved the day!!!  And makes me want to make a thousand more because they are SO easy, and SO cute!!

Okay, so... to start at the beginning:

I had this dress of my daughters, which she out-grew, and it had stains on it, so I couldn't give it away, and it was too cute to throw in the trash.  So I decided to make this project with it.  I call it the "pencil purse".

First, I chopped it up, and sewed these two squares.

Then I measured what would fit inside my pencil purse.  This is how I did my measuring (I know, so professional hey?!  Don't laugh).

After MANY hours, and MANY thoughts of calling it quits, it all worked out in the end. Even though my sewing is not great, it is too cute to throw out.  And I am sure my daughter won't care.  

The sketch book was from the dollar store, a place I know they always carry them, and they are cheap to replace when finished.

Okay, so the flower that saved the day:

I cut four circles out and found a cute button to add inside.

I melted all the sides of the silk circles to give it the raised texture. This was fun!

After I had my flower in place I sewed them together (if I knew where my glue gun was I probably would have glued this, but maybe it's better this way -stronger).

The back of my flower.

The finished flower.

I added some ribbon to tie the ends together on my pencil purse (I'm calling it mine- hmmm.)

Feminine and fun!

Trust me this project deserves LOTS of pictures for the pain in the butt it was to sew.  But, I LOVE it.

Should I keep it?  Shouldn't I keep it?  Hurry up and make up my mind because my daughter will be home pronto...!

I am joining this Pantone  Party: