Sabrina, the ballerina

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And she recovers with a strong finish...

My first little dress

It is official. I feel like I've graduated to a new level of craftiness. It is one thing to sew squares for pillows or quilts. It is another thing entirely to fashion something you can wear and make it look good. I am one that cuts corners. Not someone that relishes in the little details that make a project look really professional. But I have to say that I am quite happy with this little dress:

She liked it so much she started dancing!

It was made from one of Jason's old shirts. I love re-purposing old clothes! It makes me feel good and it costs no money! And if I hate it when I finish - no big deal.

Anyways, I know you want to go into your husband's closet and start cutting apart one of his shirts. Go for it! I found a detailed tutorial here. Follow it to the letter. Do not deviate. I found the belt part a little confusing because I didn't understand that the elastic for the waist does not go inside the tube that you create, it goes between the tube and the dress. When I make another dress (and I will), I won't make the neck as scoopy or deep. And I broke a button sewing up the collar because I wasn't paying attention - so make sure you have enough fabric to create the casings before you cut the neckline/hemline. But everything else turned out great. And I already have the pattern set to go for another one.

I really thought that this would be something I could do in an hour or two. Not sure why I thought so... Cut off the collar and sleeves. Shape the dress and sew up the sides, throw in a little elastic and you are done. And that may have worked (seems like a couple ladies did that with good results). But the tutorial has lots of finishing work that helps it look super! What do you think? Here are some pictures of the project in progress.

And this is what was happening all around me when I basically took most of the day to make this dress:

Some more dresses to inspire you:

Valentine Goodness

I don't like to make a big deal over Valentines day, but it is nice to focus on your sweetie and tell them you love them. And the kids love holidays. It is crazy how much they anticipate each holiday. We started a tradition last year of having a fondue dinner together on Valentines and it was very fun. I made some chicken, asparagus, sweet potato fries, and pita triangles to dip in a cheesy gravy I made. And we cut up strawberries, bananas, apples, and brownies for a chocolate sauce that I made. It wasn't fancy, but it was very delicious and silly.

Sabrina liked it!

For those of you looking for a cheap and easy valentine for your kiddos check out this free printable valentine and little bookmarks. These would be so cute with candy hearts in celophane bags for class or teacher gifts. I love the owl theme!

More cute printable vintage valentines for you:

Or if you wanted to get fancy, you could whip up these a-maze-ing valentines:

Feeling crafty? How about making some tea towels?

Or maybe a beautiful wreath made out of fabric roses?

Or this adorable garland made from magazines.

 

Or leave your sweetie a simple note with heart shaped paper clips?

Have fun!

Make something cool: breezy easy dress

 

Take an old men's shirt and use it to make one of these beautiful dresses. Sounds fairly simple and I'm definitely going to try it. Tutorial with limited instructions here. And some more ideas for repurposing mens shirts for more advanced sewers here.

Free birthday calendar

For those of you looking for a little organizational help this year: Download a free printable calendar that keeps track of birthdays each year.

Repurposing sweaters

I ran across a couple of ideas this week for using sweaters in a creative new way. I think you'll like them.

Cereal is for suckers

Ok. That was harsh. Sorry. But it is how I feel this week. I told my husband yesterday that I felt guilty eating breakfast lately because it is so *dang* good and it made me feel sorry for the masses that consume cold cereal daily. But I've never been a big fan of breakfast, so that may be a contributing factor.

I'm in love with oatmeal. Yep. You heard me. Oatmeal. But not your instant quaker oats, just-add-hot-water-and-stir oatmeal. I've officially become an adoring fan of steel cut oats. Cooked slowly on my stovetop until they are creamy and perfectly chewy and yummy.

It all started with this recipe Jason sent me, encouraging my healthful eating kick I've been on lately. It was so good, I even made some for breakfast on christmas morning. It was that good. And good for you. Stick to your ribs. Feel great all morning. Good. You should make it. I highly recommend that combo of dried fruit in the recipe, but might I suggest a couple of alternatives that will knock your socks off? Dried pineapple. Solo. Don't add anything else. Tastes like Hawaii to me. Then try some with dried figs and cranberries. A.W.E.S.O.M.E. I'm just saying - I don't think you can go wrong here. Even plain with 1/2 mashed banana and some cinnamon are quite tasty.

It is a commitment. You will need to spend 30 minutes making oatmeal. But it isn't hard. You can do other things. And I make a double batch and store it in the fridge and eat it all week. Slow down folks! It doesn't take that long to warm it up in the morning and you will thank me. You will.

You are welcome.

Top 100 craft tutorials of 2009

The Long Thread posted some great tutorials here. Hoping you find some great inspiration here!

Garlands

I'm obsessed with garlands and I don't know why. I have to make one soon. (I have no idea where I am going to put it with 25 foot ceilings, but that is besides the point people!) I've already purchased what we need and this tutorial is really very simple. Seems easier than the holiday one I was going to do. I was thinking about doing one in fall colors the shapes of leaves, using little cookie cutters as a pattern. Seems like a good project to do with the kids - tracing, cutting, and then sewing them in a line. Something we could do in an afternoon together. I'll let you know how it goes.