Button Bracelet

I've seen these around online before and wanted to try my hand at one. It was amazingly easy and not so expensive to make. I had the elastic on hand and the little bag of buttons I got at Walmart for about $2.

It was all hand sewn and the whole thing took about 30-45 (interrupted) minutes! The bag of buttons I got only had 4 colors and varieties. It would be really neat to get a bag of really random buttons and see what turns out. Also, if you have a little button collection, this would also be a great project. 

Happy hand sewing!!

Into Dresses

I never really used to be a dress wearer. I was more of a skirt girl. Mostly because I didn't like the way I looked in dresses. But then, I changed my mind. I found a few dresses that were really nice and now it seems that's all I want to wear. However, dresses are pretty pricey. So I went the "make my own" route. Equally hard. Until I found an amazing and super easy pattern. And best of all, it was on sale for $.99! WooHoo!!! So here are 3 dresses I've made from that pattern.

This one was exciting. The top portion is a remnant I found a while ago but didn't know how to use it. The bottom part was also a remnant that was on super sale. Altogether, this dress was about $3!

This one was slightly modified. Instead of sewing the upper portion, I just used an old white long sleeve shirt. I cut the bottom half off, shortened the sleeves, and changed the neckline. The green part was also a remnant. With the leftover bottom half of the shirt, I made pockets for the dress. This in all cost about $5 to make.

This fabric was not a remnant. But I had bought it with a coupon months ago and just never used it. This dress is also sleeveless but I like it better with a little cardi.

HERE is the McCall's pattern that I used. I made some modifications:

• I didn't use the skirt pieces that it gave, I just measured my own hips :) 
• Also, the neckline on the bodice was a little lower than I like so I cut it about 1 and 1/2 inches higher on the gray dress than the brown dress.
• For the bodice, instead of ironing and sewing a small seam on the neck and sleeves (curves are so hard) I cut two pieces for the front, and two for the back. I sewed them right sides together on the neck and sleeves and turned them inside out. This gave a much neater seam and also added an extra layer. The material I used was pretty thin. 

The material has to be a stretch fabric only like jersey which is a pretty tricky material to work with. The pattern says it only takes an hour, but honesty, your first time will take a lot longer. Plus, if you're sewing machine goes on the fritz, it will take you all day! grrr. HA!

Happy Dress Making!!!

Halter Top Bathing Suit Transformation

We're going on a beach trip this weekend! Woohoo! And I scored this bathing suit top at the end of last season for $5! Awesome! However, halter top is all the rage and you can't find a nice looking regular strap suit anywhere. And being a little more well endowed, shall we say, a halter top is a pain in the neck....literally. So my brain started working. Can I turn this halter top into and over-the-shoulder strap suit? YES!!

First to Joann's. I found these metal bathing suit hooks. Sorry I didn't take a picture of the package. They're in the aisle with all the other hooks and brackets. At this point my brain is still working trying to figure out if this will work.

First, sew a small piece of ribbon about 2 inches ad folded in half onto the back of the suit. I zig-zag stitched numerous times back and forth for more security. Of course it's preferable to have a color that coordinates with the suit but I amazingly didn't have black.

I didn't have pictures of the next step. Thread the strap through the loop of the hook. Have someone help you pull the straps to where it's most comfortable and supporting in the front. Loop the end back towards the top and sew the end to the strap again using a continuous zig-zag stitch. I know that sound confusing but you'll get it once it's in front of you. 

And this is what you get. I would have modeled it for you but...um...yeah:) I like it a lot better and it's so much more comfy.

By the way, the metal hook was only $1.50! woohoo!

Easter Mommy Skirt

I love matching for Easter! It's one of my favorite things to do! And my hubby is such a good sport to wear whatever color I make, whether it is a tie or a bow tie. The hardest part is a skirt for me. There are so many great tutorials out there but my biggest hurdle was always "how do I get that thing over my not-so-small hips?" Well, I found an awesome tutorial from Sewing a Straight Line. The instructions were very easy to follow and even came with VIDEO. I added some lace at the bottom to give it a little extra kick. And guess what??? I used a BED SHEET! HA! I saved a ton on fabric costs. The bed sheet was enough for my skirt, both of the rompers for the boys, and hubby's tie, and then some!

This was no joke, such an easy skirt to make and not only did it fit nicely, it was oh so comfy. It took me more than an hour because I've got two amazing and awesome tornadoes running around. But other than that, I'm sure it would take only an hour.

Hope you all had a lovely Easter! 

Look Who's Crafty

Being a HUGE Wonder Woman fan and all things DC comics, I was very happy to see that even Wonder Woman makes time for crafts!

Felt Advent Wreath

I've been meaning to post this. I made the boys a felt advent wreath to use during the week. They love getting to "light" the candles!

Another Turkey Craft

Simon's tissue paper turkey. One of my favorites. He needed LOTS of help.

Today's Fall Craft

A fall tree made from different kinds of colored noodles.

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A Thanksgiving Craft

Simon's hanprint turkeys!

The Dynamic Duo

Isaac decided long ago that he wanted to be Batman for Halloween and that Simon would be Robin. Then hubby decided that he wanted classic blue and gray Batman as opposed to all black Batman. My wheels started turning. I love making their Halloween costumes but these might be too lofty. Then hubby found these costumes online. They were too expensive so I used them as a pattern to look at. Here's how they turned out.

Here's the internet image....
and here's what I made. The mask moved as we tried to take pictures.


Here's Robin...
and my little Robin.
I'm really happy with out they turned out. It was a labor of love!

Isaac also decided what he wanted mami and daddy to be. Lucky for him, we already had the costumes made from years ago! We're HUGE fans!
Justice League forever!!!

A Fall Craft

Isaac's family tree.

"Fall"ing Back

I'm back. No excuses or reasons. But I'm gonna recommit myself not only to crafting but to blogging about my crafting. However, I wouldn't expect a tutorial any time soon. Just gonna be sharing what I've been working on.

Take a walk around my Autumn house with me.....

My mantel with fabric pumpkins
My square leaf wreath for the back door, made last year
Leaf candles, also previously made
A bowl full of mums leftover from my wreath
A leaf banner for the mantel
These are on the piano. If you look closely, I etched them with our monogram.
Newly made fall valances
Mum flower ball and plaque
My fall front step with monogrammed pumpkin.
My revamped wreath
And my two special pumpkins! These two have been keeping me quite busy (and not blogging :)
Happy Fall!

5-Minute T-Shirt Skirt

Still have t-shirts left over from college and nothing to do with them? Here's a quick and easy skirt idea! All you need is:

- A t-shirt (bigger sizes are best)
- scissors
- ribbon or shoe lace
- safety pin

Here we go! First lay your t-shirt flat.
Cut straight across just under the sleeve line. Depending on the size of the design on the back, you may or may not have it showing when your skirt is done.
Next, cut a tiny slit through ONE SIDE of the bottom hem.
Now take a safety pin and attach to the end of your shoe lace or ribbon. Then, start feeding it through the hem.
Once you've gone around, this is what it will look like. This is what will tighten it to your waist. Just tighten and tie a bow.
And TA-DA! You're done.
Seriously so easy. It might take more than 5 minutes if you've got a toddler and infant distracting you :)

This skirt is super comfy. Now, mind you, it's not a church skirt or a work skirt. This is more of an around the house, day at the pool/beach, play date at the park type skirt.

Another hint, Michael's sometimes has their plain t-shirts on mega sale and they come in a lot of great colors. Like hot pink! Awesome!

Feeling Honored

These are the pictures my sweet husband took and framed for me for Mother's Day.

He has such a creative eye. I love these boys! Hope all you moms felt honored too!

Happy Easter!!

"Do not be afraid. Jesus is not here. He is risen! Just as He said."

Hope you had a fun day celebrating our risen Lord! Halleluia!

Resurrection Eggs

These eggs were super easy to make. I used Sarah's eggs over at CREATE to help me get started. I made a little book as well for a quick reference to the Bible verses.

Here we go:

Egg Number 1

Message: Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people waved palm branches.

Passage: Matthew 21:1-11.
Item: A small plastic leaf or a piece of a palm branch.

Egg Number 2

Message: Mary poured expensive perfume on Jesus' feet.
Passage: John 12:2-8.
Item: Small perfume sample, a piece of cloth or a piece of cotton with perfume on it.

Egg Number 3

Message: Jesus ate the Last Supper with His disciples.
Passage: Matthew 26:17-19.
Item: A small piece of cracker to represent the Passover bread.

Egg Number 4

Message: Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
Passage: Matthew 27:3.
Item: A dime or plastic “silver” money.

Egg Number 5

Message: Jesus carried His cross.
Passage: John 19:17.
Item: A Popsicle stick that is cut and glued in the form of a cross or a small plastic cross from a necklace.
Egg Number 6
Message: Soldiers placed a crown of thorns on Jesus' head.
Passage: John 19:2.
Item: A small thorny branch or a single large thorn.

Egg Number 7

Message: Jesus was nailed to a cross and pierced in His side.
Passage: John 19:18,37 and John 20:25-29.
Item: A nail
Egg Number 8

Message: Soldiers parted Jesus' garments and cast lots for His coat.
Passage: John 19:23.
Item: Miniature dice.

Egg Number 9

Message: They gave Jesus vinegar mixed with gall on a sponge to drink.
Passage: Matthew 27:34.
Item: A small piece of sponge.

Egg Number 10

Message: Jesus was wrapped in linen for burial.
Passage: John 19:40.
Item: a long strip of white fabric
Egg Number 11

Message: The stone covering Jesus' tomb was rolled away.
Passage: John 20:1.
Item: A small rock.

Egg Number 12

Message: The tomb is empty. He has risen!
Passage: Luke 24:6.
Item: None.
Isaac has seriously enjoyed these eggs so much. He requests them almost every day. At first, he was genuinely surprised when the last egg was empty. But now, when he opens it, he says, "Jesus is not here, He is risen!" And when he opens the egg with the cross, he says, "Jesus died on the cross. Sweet boy.

Hope you have fun making these and that you also will be blessed as you bring the gospel to your kids.

Today's Easter Activity

Watercolor a simple Easter coloring sheet.

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