2009 in review

2009 was a wonderful year for me and my family.

I gave birth to a healthy and beautiful baby girl.

Spent time with family. Started blogging.

Moved into a house. Kept busy crafting, sewing, and baking.

And enjoyed every minute.

Here are a few of my favorite projects from this year.

1-cake and cupcakes for wedding. 2-cork board. 3-pillow shams. 4-ruffle shirt.

5-pillowcase dress. 6-rocking horse. 7-nut wreath. 8-chalk board. 9-ruffle dress.

10-ruffle sham. 11-ruffle tote. 12-anthro apron. 13-diy upholstered headboard.

I'm excited for the start of 2010

and plan to craft, sew and blog more.

I hope you will join me along the way!

Coal for Christmas

I wouldn't mind getting coal for Christmas

if this was the kind I got.

chocolatey. cakey. yumminess.

cake balls

+

cute bags

= perfect gift for friends and neighbors!

Ruffle Duffle

ok, so it's not a duffle, just a tote,

but I couldn't resist the rhyming.

I've been trying to use up the fabric in my stash

so I don't feel guilty buying more.

It's a tan muslin like on the outside and lined

with a white cotton (pocket and all!)

with taffeta ruffles.

So cute! and so easy to make!

Check out more great ideas over at Somewhat Simple

and ASPTL!

anthro inspired apron

I got this apron as a bridal shower gift,

it's from anthro and I love it!

If only I could wear it out!

I love the ruffle detail, fun fabrics,

and cute pocket!

I decided to make one inspired by this

with some extra fabric I had in my stash.

Here it is!

I am really happy with the result.

I opted out of doing the belt, maybe next time.

But I did add some cute coordinating

buttons to the pocket.

What do you think?

If you love it so much, you can purchase it in my shop!

Check out more great ideas day over at Somewhat Simple

and ASPTL!

Oh Christmas Tree...

Oh Christmas Tree,

I'm so glad I'm done with thee!

So I love this advent calendar from

PB Kids, but I didn't love the $80 price tag,

and the fact that they discontinued it!

So, 4 dollars, and 2 weeks later, here's my version!

Yes, it took me 2 weeks because I got burnt out from it quite a few times.

And yes, It still needs numbers.

And yes, the pockets aren't perfectly straight

(I swear they were when I was sewing them on?!)

But it really only cost me 4 dollars!

I had tons of scrap felt from previous projects.

The beads, sequins and ribbons were already in my stash.

So all I bought was 1 yard of green felt!

But even if you did had to buy the felt, ribbons, sequins, and beads,

it still would only cost you about 12 dollars!

And, although it's not perfect,

I made it, which makes it special!

What do you think?

Successful or unsuccessful knock-off?

snowed in

It has been snowing for the last 24 hours,

and it's still going strong!

Here's a view from the front of our house...

from the back of the house...

and the killer icicles on our roof!

So, it seemed like the perfect day for a project!

I saw these napkin rings a while back on PB

and fell in love!

they are no longer available, so I didn't catch the price,

but I figured I could make a cheaper version myself!

I picked up these at the dollar store a few weeks ago.

I cut off the cheapo fabric,

and was left with a gray plastic napkin ring.

I then bought some mini jingle bells from Michael's,

which were on sale last week.

And, hot glued them right on!

Here's how it turned out!

I love the chunkiness of mine,

and the fact that they were most likely cheaper than the PB price!

What do you think?

Need a set of your own?

Send me an email or convo me on Etsy,

and I will make you your very own!

I'll be linking up to Strut Your Stuff Thursday

over at Somewhat Simple!

nut wreath

I have recently discovered my love for wreaths

and love the nut wreath featured in the November

issue of Martha Stewart Living.

So here is mine.

I made mine with a 12" wood wreath form

(leftover from my pumpkin wreath)

1 bag of walnuts

1/2 bag of pecans

1/2 bag of hazelnuts

lots of hot glue

ribbon

it was super easy and very fall-ish!

another easy fall decorating tip

fill vases or apothecary jars with pine cones

easy and festive!

hurry and get these done,

only 10 more days till Thanksgiving!

check out more great DIY ideas here

anthro knock-off

A while back I spotted this little beauty at anthro.

I also spotted it's price tag... 158 dollars!

So what did I do?

Made my own!

I got the teacups from the Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma outlets,

the plates from HomeGoods,

and used Elmer's china and glass cement to put them together.

Grand total: less than 20 dollars!

It looks a little lonely sitting there by itself,

doesn't it?

there!

much better

the perfect size for mini cupcakes!

I have a feeling that Miss A and I will be getting

a lot of use out of this in a few years when tea parties

become a daily occurrence.

what do you think?

good knock off?

check out DIY day over at ASPTL for more great ideas!

30 minute pillow sham

Once you realize how easy it is to make a pillow sham,

you are never going to want to buy one again!

For this tutorial I am going to use a 14"x14" pillow insert.

You are going to need to cut three pieces of fabric,

one for the front and two for the back (which gives you an envelope enclosure)

Piece 1, the front, should be 1/2" bigger than your actual pillow.

So mine is 14 1/2" x 14 1/2"

The other two pieces will be rectangles.

They will be 14 1/2" high, but only 11 inches wide.

To get this you should half your pillow size, which is 7

then add a 4" for an overlap.

making sense?

Once all three pieces are cut out, get your two rectangles and an iron.

Iron about a half an inch down the long side of your rectangle.

It will now measure 14 1/2" by 10 1/2".

Now sew down the edge.

Once that is complete, pin all 3 pieces together, right sides together.

Then sew all the way around, 1/2" on each side.

This will make your sham turn out to be 13 1/2" x 13 1/2",

which fits nice and snug on your pillow insert!

Now turn right side out,

and this is what it will look like (back view)

Slip in your insert, and there you have it!

I'm using this one as a tushie cushie for Miss A's new highchair!

So easy right?!

And it's easy to remove, wash, or switch out!

Let me know if you have any questions!

I have pillows for sale in my etsy shop, check them out!

I also do custom orders!

Check out ASPTL for more great diy projects!

in love

look at that beauty!

I'm talking about the chair, not the baby.

I have been searching for the perfect highchair for

months now, and I am now the owner of this

beauty!

It was more than I wanted to spend,

didn't need much fixing up,

except for a fresh coat of white paint,

but it is exactly what I wanted,

so I went for it!

Miss A looks so tiny in it,

I think I will make a cushion for her

tooshie, and it will help lift her up a bit.

Do you love it as much as me?

classy chalkboard

I know everyone has done a chalkboard makeover,

except for me!

I've been keeping an eye out for something I thought could work,

and last week I found this at Salvation Army for $7

My husband literally laughed when he saw it.

"Oh ye of little faith," I told him.

There...

much better!

one can of chalkboard spray paint

one can of white spray paint

and some leftover trim to add a place for the chalk!

Can't get much easier than that!

check out ASPTL on Tuesdays for more great ideas!

glittered tabletop chandelier

have you seen these beauties in the Halloween Martha Mag?

they are amazing, right?

also, very expensive.

like $100-$200 expensive

I decided to try to make a mini knock- off.

this one is about 10" high

not quite as elaborate,

but cost me about $4

( I had everything but the glitter)

Make a few to set on a buffet or use as a centerpiece

and you can make the same spooky statement

I just used white cardstock and cut it out

I then used a sponge brush and brushed on Elmer's glue

and sprinkled Martha's onyx glitter on top.

I cut each piece, one from top to middle

the other from bottom to middle,

and put them together.

I did have to add hot glue in the cuts to hold it together.

does this make any sense?

hopefully.

tips to make your own:

use something thicker, maybe cardboard or foam core board

(mine is a little wobbly)

paint your paper/cardboard black before glittering

(I didn't, so it took about 3 coats of glitter to cover that white paper!)

I'm going to attempt a chandelier sometime in the future,

maybe for miss A's first bday party,

I'm thinking hot pink!

If you would like the template I made

leave me a comment with your email and I will send you the PDF

Here is more Halloween decor for you to enjoy!

all you need is a wood wreath form (got mine at Michael's)

I then spray painted it black,

hot glued on some mini pumpkins,

and added a black bow to my wreath hanger.

super easy!

head on over to ASPTL for more great ideas!

free dresser makeover

about a month ago I found this little lady at a garage sale for, get this...

free!

she looked sad sitting there with her free sign on her,

so I decided to snatch her up and take her home with me.

she was in pretty bad shape,

the back was warped and cracked,

there were a few too many coats of paint on her,

she had some ugly contact paper lining her drawers,

she had ugly little knobs,

and her drawers were a little wobbly.

but with lots of love, she started to look better!

here she is, in my dining room, looking beautiful!

for about $30 I turned my ugly little dresser into a charming piece!

don't you think?

check out other great projects over at furniture feature friday

pillow publicity

my latest pillow sham creation was featured on this site.

head on over and check out Alison's other great inspiration.

upholstered headboard

this upholstered headboard is similar to something you can find at pottery barn. the pottery barn price tag is $500,

this diy version was $60!

what you need:

-1 piece of wood-not too heavy or thick, cut to size

(my piece was 36"x60" for a queen size bed)

- a piece of foam (I used a twin size mattress pad, cut to size)

- 1 piece of batting (large enough to wrap around wood and foam)

- fabric of your choice (I used a tan linen)

- buttons to cover (I used 11 that were 1 1/8")

- two 2x4's to use as stilts

(length depends on how high off the ground you want your headboard)

-spray adhesive- to adhere foam to wood

-staple gun- to secure batting and fabric

-drill- to drill holes in wood as a template for the buttons

- screws or nails- to secure stilts to headboard

I found a coordinating bed skirt at the pb outlet for $20

(and it obviously needs an ironing).

side table before and after

this side table was a wedding gift a few years ago

now that miss A has her own room with a reading corner

(which is more for me than for her right now)

we needed somewhere to put a lamp and some of our favorite books

the table was the perfect size, just the wrong color

all it needed was a little sanding and some paint

and now it is perfect!

don't you think?

meet clover!

 So this is clover, I eyed him as we were passing by a garage sale this summer in georgia and I had to have him. I, unfortunately, was not prepared for garage sales that day. I had $3 in my pocket and the hubby had $2, he told me if I could get him for $5 then he was mine.

welcome to the family clover!

I did however have to give clover a major make-over before he could reside in miss A's nursery.

By major, I mean it took me hours and hours.

that mane and tail were nasty

the wood was not quite hat I was going for

here is clover, stripped down and ready to be made over!

after sanding and sanding

and 5 coats of white paint (yes I DID use primer as well)

and a trip across the country,

and finding the yarn for a new mane and tail

here is the new and improved Clover

what do you think?

framed cork board

I saw THIS project on one of my fav blogs a little while back and have been dying to find the perfect frame to make my own. well, after a trip to a few garage sales and goodwill i was still empty handed and then it occurred to me... my mom had a really ugly painting of a random dog that my grammie had given her a few years back (something she had found at a garage sale) and we kept it around thinking we could use the fame one day. it was a little smaller than i had hoped for, but would work perfectly! and it was free

And here it is! all it needed was a can of white spray paint and an old cork board 
that I had left over from high school

The detail in the frame is so fun! I love how it turned out and especially because it was free!

pillowcase dress

the last time i sewed a piece of clothing was in high school, it was a skirt. it was simple, long and straight, a slit up the back, and an elastic waist. i have NEVER been much of a sewer, except for the few pillow shams i have made, but lately i have had the desire to sew. why now? probably because i am now a stay at home mom and i like having projects that keep me busy. and although i don't have a sewing machine (YET), my birthday is next month and i am hoping i have mentioned it enough for my hubby to get the idea, i am luckily at my parents house for now so i can use my mom's machine.

a few months ago i came across some "pillowcase dresses" on etsy (some actually aren't made of pillowcases, but still are just as cute), i loved them so i checked out some tutorials on them and discovered they were fairly easy to make. i found a few CUTE pillowcases from pottery barn for CHEAP so i decided to go for it! so last week i made miss A two dresses!(one for this summer, one for next summer). i think they came out great, but check them out for yourself!