Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Real Simple Essay Contest


My favorite magazine, Real Simple, is having its annual essay contest. The deadline is September 24th. Simply finish the sentence "I'd never thought I'd..." and 1500 words or less could get you a trip to NY, tickets to a Broadway play, lunch with the editors, and $3,000. I haven't started writing yet, but I have made plans for the money in the event that I win.


Thursday, September 9, 2010

Make It Yourself: From Cap Sleeve to 3/4 Sleeve Tutorial

The last time I was at the J.Crew outlet I, like many others, feel in love with their embellished t-shirts. However, I could not pay $25 for a beautifully embellished t-shirt only to cover it with a cardigan because the sleeves were shorter than I prefer. Since I couldn't find an embellished 3/4 sleeve t-shirt I made it myself! So, here's my first tutorial " From cap sleeve to 3/4 length sleeve t-shirt"

Materials:
Two t-shirts in the same color (One will be "shirt A", the one we will cut up. "Shirt B" will be our final shirt)
Thread
Seam ripper
Scissors
Ball point needle for sewing knits
An old t-shirt with a sleeve length you like

1) With your seam ripper, carefully remove a sleeve from your old t-shirt which will act as your pattern.

2) Place your open sleeve against the bottom of your. Pin and cut two sleeves from shirt A.
This is what it should look like:
3) Fold sleeves in half right side together and sew.

4) Carefully remove capped sleeve from shirt B. (Below are shirt B, old sleeve, and new sleeve). The new sleeve is about double the length of the original.
5) Line up your new sleeve seam with your shirt B seam and pin around the armhole.
5) Sew around the armhole. Yeaaaah! You just sewed a sleeve and made a t-shirt a little more modest...no cardigan needed. Use the rest of shirt A to embellish your t-shirt. Here is a good tutorial.



Wednesday, September 8, 2010

My Take on the Elastic Waist Skirt Mama Edition

Photo by Morgan C. Bolton




Photo by Morgan C. Bolton


So, I originally saw the Freshly Picked: Elastic Waist Skirt Tutorial - Mama Edition posted on say Yes! to hoboken. I agreed with Liz about the shape and bunching, so I made a few alterations*. I didn't use as much fabric and added darts in the front. The finished product is a little more straight. My favorite parts about the skirt are the pockets (thanks to the template and instructions from Susan) and the fabric which is home decor fabric from Joann. I can't wait to make another one.

*Side note, I think the original design is nice. However, since I just had a baby four months ago I'd rather not have as much gathering in my midsection:)

Friday, September 3, 2010

Cat Naps

Sometimes I affectionately refer to my daughter as "Chloe: Queen of the Cat Nappers," because she wakes after about 30 minutes of sleep during the day while her brother sleeps for at least two hours. Wrestling all day with my little sweetie between her many naps, makes long periods of productivity difficult. The moment she goes to sleep I make a mad dash to get something done. So, I am very impressed and in love with Adele's ability to create such clever pictures during her daughters naps.

What do you do when your little ones are napping?

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Arty Cardi

Just got Anthro's September catalog. And this was my favorite piece...Its wearable art.


These shoes are cute: the ribbon, the color, the heel.
...they had me at ribbon!

Just let me know if they go on sale.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

A Little More About Me

I’m in to:
Jesus, my husband, my kiddos, pretty writing, ribbons, gift giving, diaper bags, sewing, apples (but not cooked apples), bows, stripes and polka dots, Real Simple, spaghetti, Fall, party planning, uncommon flowers (no red roses please!), (soft) chocolate chip cookies, cardigans, naps, Christian music, nice paper, Baby/Bridal showers...and weddings!, peachy penguins, cute skirts, anything personalized, curly hair (though rarely my own), accessorizing , creative invitations, tiny things, pretty colors, (cherry) coke, "window shopping" online

I believe:
Modesty is beautiful; Marriage is honorable; Motherhood is a blessing, and Giving is a gift.

You can expect::
A modern creative Christian approach to modesty, marriage, motherhood, and giving

Please don't expect:
Me to post regularly all the time...some seasons are busier than others.