bits & pieces: october 11, 2010

Playful Pumpkins
These are too cute!!! Use your left over fabric to sew up some cute little pumpkins to decorate for autumn/fall.

Dress Shirt To Apron Tutorial
While these are mostly for little kids, check out the link and BEAUTIFUL apron at the END of the post for a most cute one for Mommy! :D

Games!
A list of great games for you and hubby!

Hell's Best Kept Secret
I had never thought about evangelizing this way before. I did not read the article, but just watched the movie. It is about half way down.

bits & pieces: october 4, 2010

Apron from Tablecloth Tutorial
This is the MOST ADORABLE thing I have seen. And now a use for those round tablecloths with all these square tables we have in our house! :D

Obsessively Stitching
Isn't that a cute name for a blog?? Check out all the free tutorials on this site! :D

Progress
Check out how she organized her sewing room! SO CUTE! And so practical! I need to do this! Maybe THEN I would start sewing more! :D I really need to sew more!

Old Days Old Ways
Oh I just LOVE the name of this blog!

Tent Week
Different tents you can make for SO CHEAP! I think my favs are the ones made from twin sheets! SO GLAD I saved some of those now! I was going to use them for making night dresses out of for the girls, but these look so much more FUN!! :D

bits & pieces: october 4, 2010

Apron from Tablecloth Tutorial
This is the MOST ADORABLE thing I have seen. And now a use for those round tablecloths with all these square tables we have in our house! :D

Obsessively Stitching
Isn't that a cute name for a blog?? Check out all the free tutorials on this site! :D

Progress
Check out how she organized her sewing room! SO CUTE! And so practical! I need to do this! Maybe THEN I would start sewing more! :D I really need to sew more!

Old Days Old Ways
Oh I just LOVE the name of this blog!

Tent Week
Different tents you can make for SO CHEAP! I think my favs are the ones made from twin sheets! SO GLAD I saved some of those now! I was going to use them for making night dresses out of for the girls, but these look so much more FUN!! :D

bits & pieces: august 23, 2010

20 Things to do This Summer
GREAT list of fun activities. One which we just picked up - geocaching!! :D

Be Out There
I learned about this site via Simple Modern Mom and had to share it. Some GREAT ideas!

A Challenge That Will Make You...
LAUGH! And I did when I read this. Why? Because I was JUST talking to a Created book study group I am a part of about the importance of laughing with your spouse. :D My favorite times are in bed with my husband after the lights are out and the kids are sleeping and we are both delirious from lack of sleep and EVERY THING seems so funny. We laugh and laugh literally for hours. It is GREAT! Like super glue that bonds us together. :D

Gardens at Dusk Tank Tutorial
This is so beautiful and elegant!

Aprons

Oh look how CUTE these aprons are. Links to all sort of tutorials!

My Favorite Aprons

Christmas Readings

Twas The Month Before Christmas
A little late, but still GOOD stuff here!

Fabric Water Bottle Carrier Tutorial
This would make a GREAT gift for anyone living in TX (don't look Katie!) :D LOL!! :D

Current Web Readings

A New Way To Darn Socks
This is AWESOME!!! :D

October is Scrap Busting Month at Sew Mama Sew

Herbal Roots
This is a GREAT Herbal Magazine for children!!! :D LOVE IT! Wish I could afford a subscription!

Historical Paper Doll Sets

Bento Box Lunch Caddy
Remember my Bento Box adoration?? Well one of my FAVORITE crochet sites (Crochet Liberation Front) has a GREAT FREE online magazine (called Crochet Uncut) and this month is has a MOST ADORABLE pattern for Bento Boxes!!! :D WOOHOO!!!

How To Make Scratch Off Lottery tickets
This is AWESOME!! What a great reward for a job well done - you know, where the kids go above and beyond! :D Give 'em a scratch off ticket with some sort of prize: ice cream with mom or dad, a trip to the $1 store, a toothbrush, a book from Goodwill, etc.

Current Web Readings

Ruffled Skirt Tutorial
WAY cute! (Although I am STILL waiting for your pillowcase skirt tutorial Rebecca - give her a little encouragement, will ya girls?!?! :D THIS is what we are missing out on?!?!?! :D

Homeschool For Free
This is a new facebook page where everyone can share HOW to homeschool for free (you won't find curriculum here, but instead find HOW to teach your girls spelling using the library or online programs). :D EVERYTHING is FREE!! :D

Homeschooling
I am a HUGE fan of the Bluedorn's!! While there are a LOT of homeschooling pages on facebook, THIS one is my favorite!

Current Web Readings

Make a dress out of a dinosaur bed sheet

Chocolate Recipes
Recipes that are actually HEALTHY for you. Nourishing Tradition style

Cholesterol and Health
Cholesterol is bad for you ... right?!?!?

Great chart comparing sugars
I am trying to find a replacement for white sugar. I want to totally cut white sugar out of my diet (starting after Valentine's Day of course! ;)

Charity Grace
What a LOVELY little blog I came across!! Be sure to check it out!! She has a carnival of simple craft that looks so fun to join!

I won something!

Look what I won!!!! Isn't it ADORABLE!! And she made that out of a hand towel! Now I know to most that seems something VERY simple, but to me, that is amazing creativity! Be sure to check back on her blog as she promised me she was going to do a how-to! :)

Current Web Readings

Freezer Cooking Links
This is a GREAT collection of all sorts of links on freezer cooking!

Napkin Set Tutorial
This is a GREAT two part tutorial (be sure to click on the second part) for napkins and a matching pouch!!

Dare To Make It - Holiday
This is a list of over 100 tutorials for making your own holiday gifts. This list is GREAT and I bet there are several new ideas for you here.

Homemade Lotion Bars
These are GREAT and so easy to make! I have not made them myself, but plan to soon! WITH THE KIDS!! :) That is how easy they are! :) This blog is great and I am really enjoying it! Thanks to Kathy for introducing me to this blog!!! :)

Lat Minute Mexican Beans and Rice
This blog is GREAT if you are wanting to learn more about your health and eat better. It is a weekly read (where I catch up on all the posts from the past week). This recipe looks so good!!

Cheaper to Wash Dishes by Hand or Dishwasher?
Interesting information! :) Good read!

Boxy Bag Tutorial
Oh this is a GREAT tutorial! GREAT pictures. Makes it look so easy that I might actually try this! (Although it scares me to death to do anything like this as I feel I can only sew flat things.) :)

Another Month Long of Sewing

My favorite site Sew Mama Sew is hosting their annual HANDMADE HOLIDAYS: 30 DAYS OF GIFTS TO SEW.
Be sure to head over EVERY DAY (starting today) to see AWESOME gifts ideas EVERY DAY! And be sure to comment on their daily posts for your chance to WIN WIN WIN! :)
LOVE me some Sew Mama Sew!!!

CUTE Vintage Sewing Cards FREE to download and FIREPROOF THE MOVIE

Vintage Sewing Cards and there are even vintage paper doll outfits you can print out too. WAY CUTE!!!

Now onto the weekend. YES! We got to see Fireproof this weekend! It was so funny because I was so scared we would NOT get tickets (I anticipated it being sold out). When my girlfriend and I got there, 30 minutes before the show, we had sent the husbands in ahead of us to obtain seats, I asked how crowded it was.

The guy laughed and said there were only two other people in there right now. My girlfriend laughed and said "those are our husbands." Thankfully as show time approached the theater filled out. There were empty seats, but only the "bad" seats. Almost every good seat was filled!

I was SO HAPPY we were able to support the movie on opening weekend. And hope you were too, but if you were not, there is still time to support the movie!! I will warn you BRING TISSUES! I had no tissues and I cried through the whole movie. (of course I cry at Hallmark commercials, but better safe than sorry - BRING TISSUES!) If you have seen the movie, let me know! If you go to see the movie LET ME KNOW!! I want to hear from you!!! :D

A Whole Month Of Home Sewing

One of my favorite blogs, Sew Mama Sew is having a whole month of sewing for the home tutorials! Be sure to check it out!! :)

UPDATED! FREE RESOURCE FOR TRAINING DAUGHTERS - FREE TODAY ONLLY!!!

UPDATED JULY 1! THEY HAVE EXTENDED THE OFFER!!! Just a few more days! WOOHOO!! GRAB IT NOW!!! :)

If you have not heard of Homeschooll Freebie of the Day you better head over there RIGHT NOW!

They have a most awesome resource today! A five year home study course on hand sewing and stitchery entitled Stitchery For Girls: Learn How To Sew The Same Way Great Grandma Did (1911).

THIS IS AVAILABLE FOR FREE TODAY, MONDAY JUNE 30, 2008 ONLY!

Be sure to sign up for the weekly notice of the upcoming freebies. There is a little surprise in each weekly email for subscribers only. It too is free for the notice and the surprise is free as well.

UPDATED JULY 1! THEY HAVE EXTENDED THE OFFER!!! Just a few more days! WOOHOO!! GRAB IT NOW!!! :)

Tuesday Link Up - crafts

I am a huge fan of Tasha Tudor. If you don't know anything about her, I highly suggest heading over to your library and getting anything about her or by her. Your children will love her cute pictures and writings and you will love her ...LIFE. :) I recently heard about a pattern for a shawl of hers and went searching all of the internet for it. I have found a link that seems to be the one. Tasha Tudor's Shawl pattern is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL shawl!

A for warmth (as it does get pretty cold here), I am looking to make a cowl or gaiter.
Sew Your Own Neck Gaiter seems really fast and easy and I have seen others who made this pattern really sing it's praises.
Baby It's Cowled Outside is an adorable lacy crocheted cowl.
A practical and knitted cowl
Ice Queen makes me want to learn how to knit. This is simply beautiful!

This is a GREAT way to revamp those burp cloths that are getting a little nasty OR to even make NEW for a new baby. Basket-O-Burpies

Oh it does not get any better (or CUTER) than this! Need some matching sweaters for your girl's summer dresses? What better way than to do a cardigan hack?!?!

Tuesday Link Up - It's not too late to start MAKING Christmas gifts

Links - what I think would make great Christmas gifts:

There are a lot of tutorials out there right now for fabric shopping bags. THIS BAG is not only beautiful (look at that YUMMY fabric!) but functional as well (love that shopping list and coupons holder!!!). She does have a tutorial too, check out the last link in the post!

Here is a great tutorial for a mini wallet. It is her first tutorial, and I think she did a great job!

Check out this ADORABLE apron! This Mom is a genius! She took her daughters falling apart overalls and made an apron and has plans for the rest! WOW! Talk about Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do Or Do Without! :)

And how awesome is this! Sew, Mama, Sew is hosting a WHOLE MONTH of gift ideas for the whole month of Novemeber!!! There is a new one EVERY DAY! Check it out daily so you don't miss a single one!

And for the men out there to make for their wife:
IS this ironing table just the CUTEST! LOVE how simple yet elegant and SMART this is! Directions how to make it are there and I just MIGHT have to do this! I see tables this size all the time at garage sales!

And a simple yet practical idea I know I would love and just might make my girls this year (although it really is more for me):
how to keep kids from fighting over whose cup is whose or whose towel is whose.

I have not gotten around to reading Making Home in quite a while. But she always has GREAT posts when I do! And then I kick myself for not keeping up (and wondering what great stuff I missed!) LOL! :D Anyways, she is preggers! So go wish her a CONGRATS and pray for that precious baby growing inside her!

Tuesday Link Up

links

There are a lot of tutorials out there right now for fabric shopping bags. THIS BAG is not only beautiful (look at that YUMMY fabric!) but functional as well (love that shopping list and coupons holder!!!). She does not have a tutorial up YET, but hopefully will soon. Keep an eye out!!! :)

While we do not celebrate Halloween, we do like to carve pumpkins. Extreme Pumpkins looks like a great book to see if I can check out of the library!

I know garden planting time is almost over, but I just HAD to share these two posts. Composting and Worm Farming are two things you can do/start ANYTIME of the year. Starting now means rich soil come spring/planting time!!! Of course it is spring right now in Australia where these two posts come from. They are WELL worth the read.

And I am just the tiniest envious of this way cute cherry camper. She said more pics soon, so keep an eye out.

OK, so you know I love the Sew Mama Sew blog. They have a Boy's Clothes Tutorial Round-Up of FREE on-line tutorials for boys clothes!! Now if I could just save up enough money for those adorable patterns they sell!

And I am sure most all of you already know about Kelli's new magazine called Seasonal Delights! And it is FREE right now!! This is a beautiful magazine!
And lastly, I just love these cute little note cards!! I plan on doing these with the kids! (This is a GREAT idea for the letter making part of the TOD-KAH curriculum!) A great way to use up scraps of wrapping paper and/or scrapping paper. :) And while you are there check out the rest of her blog. It is really good!

The Fabric Is....

Some of you have asked what fabric I chose from the contest I won.

I chose Scattered Flowers by Robert Kaufman to make a skirt for myself from (number 51 on my 100 Things in 1001 Days). I did purchase an extra yard of the fabric so that I would have two yards (as most skirt patterns online say 2 yards). I still am unsure of what skirt pattern I want to follow. Any suggestions??

I also need to make a pretty matching blouse to go with it. I am thinking a white blouse that is short sleeved and does not need to be tucked in. ANY IDEAS? I am VERY new to sewing (especially sewing clothes) and would really like to find something pretty. Even if you don't read my blog regularly and just got here searching for sewing, PLEASE MAKE A SUGGESTION! :) I have an idea of what I want, but no idea where to find a pattern for it (and too novice to make my own pattern). THANKS!!

Tuesday's Link Up

OK, so how to make your own custom-fitted body dress form!

HT: To my new sister in Christ, Tracy from Unless The Lord

And from Sew Mama Sew:
Fav Sewing Tutorials Part 1
Fav Sewing Tutorials Part 2
Fav Sewing Tutorials Part 3

And you just HAVE to check out this cutie patootie doll! I want one in my stocking too please! LOL!!! She has a GREAT tutorial. And check out that hair!! I LOVE IT!! Too TOO CUTE!