Oct

04

a little weekend project

here’s a quick little project for you…

as in…

can be done in a day if you really wanted! (and for less than $10.00…can’t beat that!)
i was checking in on the blog of my friend who spent the last year in Haiti, and came across this picture she found:
i was instantly smitten, and bookmarked that bad boy with a big “DO THIS!!!!” as the label. i decided that this could be a quick and simple project, and i had the perfect blank wall, so i got started right away.

i found this old picture and frame at the Good Will for $4.99. it was the perfect size for my project, so my partner in crime for the day (thanks, Beth!) and i drug that thing all throughout the store for a few hours until we were sure we weren’t leaving any other treasures behind.

i used $1.00 spray paint from Walmart to spiff it up a tad:
then i headed on over to my computer and my handy dandy Photoshop to create my own personalized subway art:

i created it by using different text boxes and moving them around until everything looked the way i wanted it to.
i used 3 different fonts in different sizes and boldness:
League Gothic, Papyrus, and Times New Roman…in case you are interested! i’m a font girl and love to know what people are using! (all those are free over the www)

make sure to size your document to your exact frame size. mine needed to fit in a 34 inch by 19 inch opening.

(i’m sure you could do this in Word as well…or some other program. it doesn’t have to be Photoshop.)

when it was finished, i sent it online to my local FedEx Printer, and picked it up later that day. i paid a whopping $3.21! i just had it printed on cheap computer paper in black ink. i figured i didn’t need anything fancy!

and for around $9.00, you’ve got yourself a personalized piece of art! not only that, but this is a great daily reminder for our family of what is most important to us.
and speaking of projects…
presently, my back room looks a little bit like this:
just the thought of it makes my skin crawl. but i better get used to it for awhile, cause i’m in the middle of a big project…one that will last all week…

or longer, if this little one continues to run a fever like she’s done today :(
but she’s not complaining…she got to lay on the couch with her BFF Lanie, drink her green smoothie, and watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for the better part of the day.
be dear friends, okay, and please remind me to NEVER EVER EVER AGAIN attempt to strip paint off of a piece of furniture:
its a big job, i’ll tell you, and all i had to do was the top of the crazies’ little table.

i’m done for the night. i’m still covered in paint, even after a shower, so i might need to attempt that again.

i’ll show you what i’m up to when its all done. just can’t promise when that’ll be! :)


btw: i need some kind of cheap grasscloth, grasscloth fabric, grasscloth contact paper, grasscloth wrapping paper, grasscloth wallpaper…you get the gist…
i figured you were the perfect kind of people to ask. anyone know where i can get some…key word: CHEAP?

update:
oh my…well…we really do “DO REAL” around here!

just got a sweet comment on this post pointing out to me that i actually misspelled the word “laughter” on my subway art! the hubs and i are getting quite the kick out of that! and even more than that…we’ve looked at that thing about 100 times now since its been up, and we’ve both missed it everytime!

truly debating whether to change it or not, or to just keep it REAL! i’m telling you friends…you’re really dealing with a crazy person over here :) that’s really REAL LIFE!
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Sep

28

all-natural (and a recipe)

i did a big grocery shopping trip recently, and i went with list in hand and priority in mind to try my absolute best to buy as much all natural products as i could….ie: minimal ingredients and all ones i can pronounce! we do make an effort around here to eat well, hence all the wheat grinding and homemade bread products. but i felt like our fam was lacking in the “variety of vegetables” department, and i am also becoming more aware of extra ingredients in foods that we simple don’t need. so i wanted to change up a few things.

well…lets just say i felt lost in my grocery store! my head was truly spinning as i was trying to decipher between whats really good for us, and what is just marketed to make me think that its good for us. anyone else out there have that struggle??

its like eating these “apples” that we made for the Bug’s preschool class the other day and claiming to be eating fruit, even though they are made completely of sugar products!
(you can see the how to here)

i’m still sorting through some research and the books i picked up at the library on whole foods as i’m trying to make the best decisions i can for my family. i know i’m not alone in that quest!

i’m not jumping on this whole foods revolution simply to be cool and hip. i’m doing it because i’m convinced that our nutrition has a whole heck of a lot to do with our health, and since there are some serious health issues in our family’s history, both sides, why would i not at least investigate how to best feed my family? that’s not to say i have a whole lotta control. God is Sovereign and what i feed my family sure doesn’t change that. but i do consider it my job to care for my family the best way i know how, and this is an area where i want us to be thriving as much as possible!

i mean…wouldn’t you say they’re worth it??!!

so…i’ve been reading this book…Green for Life:

and although i’m not necessarily telling you to go read it and do everything she says, i do totally agree with the whole “drinking your greens” movement, and our family has been happily drinking green smoothies every morning that are chock full of really really good stuff…like this:

to these ingredients, i usually add in frozen peaches, frozen strawberries, and a banana. the banana is key. i’m no scientist and certainly not a trained chef, but whatever the banana does when it mixes with the kale eliminates a lot of bitter kale-y taste. i speak from experience! i’ve also been known to add in a tablespoon, or two or three, of organic fat free vanilla yogurt for some extra sweetness.


and also speaking as one who does not like raw spinach nor do i like the taste of kale really at all, i’m loving these smoothies, and look forward to drinking them every morning. trust me…as one of the pickiest easters alive…(just ask my fam and friends)…these smoothies are the bomb!! and the rest of my family thinks so too. a 7 year old and a 4 year old downing all those amazing vitamins and nutrients everyday before school??? score!!

one of my priorities in this all-natural effort was to try to provide the crazies with some healthy choices for snacks and lunchbox options that they could get excited about. so i was excited when i came upon this recipe on Pinterest the other day. (side note: Pinterest = amazing…and highly highly addicting!!! i tried holding off for as long as i could, but i caved last week, and its changed my life :)

i made these granola bars, and they are not only fantastic, they are no-bake, which means…very quick and easy to make…just the way i like it!

the recipe, with some other variations, can be found here.
i made the oatmeal raisin ones, since my crazies are anti-chocolate anything, and they are DARN GOOD!

you most likely have most of these ingredients on hand.
as for the granola…i used a homemade recipe that has become a staple in our house. you can find the recipe herethat i posted awhile back (if you promise not to laugh at my beginning blogging/photography skills!) its super healthy cause it uses zero oil. (i have even cut back on the amount of brown sugar used in the original recipe.)

and the rice cereal i used is this new variation from Kellogg’s using brown rice.
once the sugar, cinnamon, honey, and butter are all melted, you just stir everything together:
then press into loaf pans:
once cooled a little bit, you cut into easy slices.
seriously…so good!

i’m sure there are peeps out there that would probably tell me that for one reason or another these technically aren’t all natural, but its about as all natural as we’re gonna get for now! so i hope you enjoy them and consider them a healthy alternative to other snacks out there.

and just so you know that we’re not taking this all-natural, whole foods thing too seriously, and will still very much enjoy living life while eating junk, i made these the other day…

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cups:

and all i have to say about them is … WOW!

you can find that recipe here.

please pass along to me other ways you’ve found to incorporate healthy, all natural eating into your family’s lifestyle!


ps: if you’ve asked a question about the previous post on homemade dresses, check back in the comments section on that post for an answer!
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Sep

23

wanna make a dress??

i am PUMPED today!


wanna know why?
cause i’m gonna show you how to make quick, easy, and inexpensive dresses just like these!


i know what y’all are thinking…no way that’s quick and easy.

oh…you are SO wrong. it really is! i might even venture to say that its one of the easiest sewing projects i’ve ever done.

go ahead…try it…and try to prove me wrong! you might just be very happily surprised!!

i orginally found this brilliant idea here and was instantly motivated to try it. i did, however, change up some things along the way, such as making a long maxi dress, and one other thing in particular that will prevent a massive headache, so i’ll go ahead and post a tutorial here for you to see.

i took the following pictures for the tutorial as i was sewing the long dress. i will make a note in each step where there is something different to do for the short dress.

first things first…gather your supplies.
all you need is a ribbed tank top and some coordinating fabric and thread. how cheap is that??
you’ll also need some elastic thread, but we’ll get to that.

i bought my tank at WalMart for $3.50. i would’ve never bought it to wear for real, cause it came up too short and way too tight on my tummy, but it doesn’t matter cause you’ll only use the top. so in other words…you can buy an inexpensive tank…the kind that are cheap cause they don’t fit well. just make sure you like the way the very top fits!

the original tutorial called for 3 yards of fabric. i only used 2 yards with some left over when it was all said and done. the amount of fabric you need will depend on your sizing. you basically need to be able to wrap the fabric 1.5 times around your high waist. so just jump on into that fabric store, pick out your fabric, and wrap that junk around your waist, marking it at 1.5 times around, and then give yourself a little bit extra for a sash, and ask that cutting counter to cut that bad boy for ya right at that mark! you will need the same amount of fabric for a long dress and a short dress.

first step is to cut your tank. my final measurement was 15 3/4 inches from the top of one shoulder strap to my cut line. again…that measurement will depend on your sizing. cut about where you want the skirt to attach…in my case, it was my high waist. just leave a little room to sew the tank to the skirt.
(i actually cut it even shorter after taking this pic)

for the long dress:
unfold your fabric and wrap it 1 and 1/2 times around your waist where you want the skirt part of the dress to start. cut off the remaining fabric.

for the short dress:
keep your fabric folded in half longways (the way its folded when its on the bolt at the fabric store). still wrap it the same way and cut off the remaining fabric, keeping it folded.
for the long dress:
fold the fabric in half, to begin creating the skirt, right sides together, and sew up the long side.

for the short dress:
since the fabric is already folded, both sides will be the right sides, so just fold in half again the other way and sew up side.
you will be left with a big box-y skirt.
okay…let’s talk about Elastic Thread.
the original tutorial did not call for this, so i sewed this next step on my long dress first with regular thead. the result was that once it was finished, i could not fit the waist part of the dress over my chest, since my waist is smaller than my chest. so i tried going the other way and stepping into the dress, but lo and behold, my hips are also bigger than my waist, so that didn’t work either! i eventually weasled my way into the dress, but then it dawned on me that there had to be another way!

so i ventured out and bought Elastic Thread! i tried using this Elastic Thread on the short dress for this next step, and it worked brilliantly!!
so this is a must!
(to note…don’t confuse Elastic Thread with elastic bands or elastic rope. you gotta get the thread!)
here’s the deal with elastic thread….you just need to thread your bobbin with it and use regular thread up top. and you thread your bobbin by hand, winding it around the bobbin, somewhat loosely. you just don’t want it tight.

now with the elastic bobbin in and your regular thread on top, sew with long stitches all the way around the top of your skirt.

for the short dress:
you’ll want to sew on the raw edge, or the side that is not folded. the folded side will be the bottom of your skirt…creating a bubble-like skirt)

as you sew, the fabric will be begin to ruffle. that’s good!!
once its done, it will look like this and you should see the skirt taking shape.
before this next step, for both dresses, turn inside out so the raw edge that you sewed in the first step is on the outside.

next, for both dresses, slide the tank top in the skirt, making sure the tank is right side out. you will slide it in top (straps) first, as pictured below:
you’re gonna pin the cut edge of the tank to your ruffled skirt edge. make sure to line up your long seam on your skirt in the middle back of your tank, so that the seam will run down the back of your dress. i would suggest pinning in that spot first and then working your way around, spacing out the ruffles.

the good thing about working with ruffles/ruching is that it doesn’t have to be perfect!
once you’ve pinned those pieces together, sew again with the elastic thread on the bottom and regular thread on top.

while its turned inside out, carefully trim the excess fabric at the waistband.

at this point, you can switch out your elastic thread for your regular threaded bobbin.

for the long dress:
hem up the bottom to your desired length
for the short dress:
you can leave the bottom as a bubble skirt. but i wanted mine a bit shorter than it turned out to be, so i just folded up the fold and sewed a hem.

and now your dress is finished!!

to make the sash to cover the seam, if desired, cut a long strip of fabric to your desired sash length. i had to piece two long strips together, so do that if necessary.
fold in half, right sides together, and sew up long side and one short side.
turn the sash right side out, and fold down raw edges on last side…
tuck in and sew together, finishing your sash.
tie around your waist, and enjoy your finished product!

Long Dress:
you can scrap the sash and use a chunky belt too:
Short Dress:
add some tights, boots, and a sweater…and voila… fall/winter wear!
**i have to admit…having the hubs take these pics was embarrassing enough…posting them on this blog is almost too much to bear! but a picture of these dresses on a hanger just didn’t cut it. you have to see it on a real body to get the full effect :)**

a quick tip:
i wouldn’t hang this dress by the tank straps in your closet. the weight of the fabric will stretch out the tank.

i think i’ll be making more of these! my next attempt is to replicate this Anthro skirt using similar techniques as the dresses:

i’ll let you know how it goes.

please let me know if you attempt this and how it goes!

UPDATE:
a reader left a great tip that i wanted to share with everyone that might prevent some headaches along the way. apparently, if you have a machine that has a drop in bobbin, you should use the bobbin winder to wind your elastic thread, as opposed to winding it by hand. those with a bobbin case, like me, should wind by hand.

also…if you are having a problem getting your elastic to create a ruffle, try spritzing it with water and ironing it on a steam setting once its sewn. the elastic should scrunch up once the heat hits it.

and i know a couple of you have had issues with the bottom part of the maxi dress being too tight to walk. that might depend on the kind of fabric you are using, or if you have long legs and a long stride. if you are tall or using a stretchy fabric for the maxi dress, i would suggest giving yourself some extra room (wrap more than 1 1/2 times around your waist!)

also…some of you have requested a picture of the back of the dress to see how i tie the sash. here you go…its the best i could do for now!
UPDATE AGAIN!!
a reader left a link to this website for those of you having problems with your elastic thread. it has great tips, especially for Brother machine users, to work out problems with elastic thread by adjusting your tension, with step by step pictures of what to do.

happy weekend!

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