And the Winner is...

Number 4...

and who is LUCKY number 4...

It's mel!!!

Yay You!

mel said...

Oh, please me! :) My sweet little Niblet would look so beautiful in that dress!! And the cape?! Perfect!!

Dunno about birthday parties, as I only have the one kidlet. However, I think I would invite family (of course)and maybe a couple close friends if my daughter wanted that.

Thanks for the chance to win the awesome dress!!

Mel, I will be contacting you regarding your shipping information...so be watching your inbox for a message from me!

Congratulations!!!!

Wow, that was really fun...I kinda like these giveaways! Maybe, I'll try to do more in the future...hmmm...the possibilities are endless!

Ruffle Bottom Pants Tutorial

So, I've had some of you emailing and asking about how to do the ruffl-y neckline look from my flutter sleeve dress tutorial. I thought that instead of just showing you some boring pictures of what to do I would show you how you can use those ruffles to embellish some pants for your littles...or sleeves or necklines...whatever! I used the same fleece from the dress...Yay for using scraps up...but you could use ribbon or anything else that is about an inch in width and double the length of the length you are going to embellish. Humm, does that last sentence even make sense? If not, just comment or email me...WORDS, sometimes they just get the best of me, Aargh!

Here's Penny in her new and improved pants!

All you need to do is cut two 24 x 1 inch strips of fleece or double the length of the bottom of one of the pants legs circumference you are going to embellish. Penny's leg bottoms were flared and measured about 10 inches around so I cut my strips to be 24 inches. You could also use cotton or another fabric but fleece does not fray so there's NO turning under! Holla!

Then, since I am using my sewing machine to do the work, I pinned...and pinned...and pinned (no really, it actually doesn't take too long to do!) the ruffles at the bottom of the pants legs. Just start at one end close to a side seam and fold over and pin and fold over and pin...until you get back to where you started. Should look like the picture above when you are done!

Then carefully, so you don't jostle the pins around, sew two lines of straight stitches down the middle. You might want to click on the picture to get a better view.

And, what's that...yep that's right...you're done!!! YOU just embellished some pants for your litte one! Isn't it fun to make something old new again! I agree, it rocks...high fives all around!

The finished product

The little lady wearing her new ruffl-y bottomed pants...and her monkey backpack :)

Ooooh, snacktime makes me happy!

She looks like she is howling here...HAHA!

Toilet Paper Pumpkins Tutorial

In my book, fall decorations are good from sometime in September to the end of November...yup, that's right, my fall decorations have an expiration date...after November 30th it's all about the winter look in our home. I'm only telling you this so that if you still haven't done much decorating for Autumn around your house you, my friends, are in luck!! You still have a good month left...no matter what all the stores are telling you (darn you Christmas stuff that I saw being put out in Michael's the other day!)

So now, tell me, are you in need of some Fall decorations that won't break the bank, especially with only one good month left of my favorite time of year before all the snow and below-freezing temperatures come to wreak havoc on life as we know it? If that's a yes, then I have the perfect solution for you! Why not throw together some toilet paper pumpkins? They are super cute and ridiculously easy to make plus they require absolutely NO SEWING...can't beat that, right!?!

I have these three lovely pumpkins sitting on our toilet tank and every single guest that comes to our home and uses the bathroom just cannot get over these...I find it just too funny, since I think of them as such an old skool project.

3 little pumpkins all sittin' in a row!

So are you interested...have I tempted you enough with those heavenly words,

NO SEW!

Ok then, mosey on below so you can find out what you need!

Toilet Paper Pumpkins

3 rolls of toilet paper

3 fat quarters in fall colors

1 fat quarter in green

1 paper bag (lunch bag, grocery store paper bag, whatever...just make it brown!)

scissors

The essentials!

Place one of your fall-colored fat quarters right side down on your table and then place one roll of toilet paper in the center. Bring up the sides of the fabric and tuck into the center hole of the toilet paper.

Next, cut 4 leaf shapes out of your green-colored fat quarter. i just cut simple leaves, like the picture above, but you could do maple leaves or something fancy if you're feeling CrAZY!

Now, just tuck your leaf into the center hole, like so.

Now, cut your paper bag into three 5 x 12 inch long strips and crumple them up REAL nice...the crumpling helps the stems look more natural and hey, let's face it, it's just fun to do!

Then, you just stuff the stem into the center hole and that, my friends, it all there's to it! So fast and so easy...even a toddler can do it...hey! maybe you should have your toddler do this...a great little project to pass some time this afternoon...AND best of all...NO MESS! (are those a momma's favorite words or what!?!)

One pretty pumkin, as cute as can be!

Love it!

Rainy Day Fun: Edible Play Dough

So, I realized that I haven't posted a fun kidlet project in a while, what's with me lately, hmmm...I just don't know!?! My little Noah loves to play with play dough, do your littles too? I love to make my own and have especially loved to make peanut butter play dough (since it is just so yummy to eat when you're done) but since we now have a little one under two, yeppers, I'm talking about little Miss P, I can't make it since I know that Noah will be slipping a few samples to her while he plays...or that she'll just help herself...so I now make an edible play dough made of out of a cake mix. Wowza! Cool, you're thinking, right!?! Uh huh, it's a pretty sweet rainy day project for the kiddies, you may just be told how you are the 'BEST MOM EVER' a few times while they play with this...maybe even more if you play with them :) This play dough smells so good, is peanut-free if you have a little with allergies, and if your littles like to eat while they play (or just like to eat play dough...yeah, one of those kids!) this tastes pretty good too! Feel like making some for your kidlets? Here's what you need:

Edible Cake Mix Play Dough

1 box of cake mix (I like to use a white cake mix cause then you can add your own colors!)

1 stick of softened butter

3-5 Tbsp of water

food coloring (optional)

Mix the cake mix and butter in a large bowl. Add a tablespoon of water at a time until you get a nice play dough consistency. You may need to get down and dirty with your hands to mix it. If you'd like you can separate it into smaller bowls and add some food coloring so your kidlets have lots of colors to play with!

Thanks mom! My two favorite things all rolled into one: eating and playing!

All the ingredients you need...OK, well, minus the water!

Looks like ice cream doesn't it?

Here are the colors we made the other day

Noah going to town with the play dough!

Then just roll it, smoosh it and have yourself some messy fun.

What a way to spend a rainy day!

The Model Awakens...and A Giveaway!!!

My model has awakened and graciously let me dress her up in her newest fall dress...and cape! So, here are some pictures of how it looks on her, I know you have just been anxiously awaiting these!!! Oh, and like the blog title states...I have a giveaway! Yipeeeeee!!!!! I am so excited! Just scroll down to the bottom to find out what it is and how to enter! Just a little show of appreciation for being such lovely blog friends..I love you all! Big Smooches!!

Front view

Full of giggles view

And here is the No Sew Flutter Cape I made! It is sooo darn cute! I love that they are matching pieces although some would say that it's a bit too much plaid...I think it's a fantabulous combo! What do you think? I added buttons to the front so it could be used as more of a light weight jacket...

And here is Penny, all happy to be modeling it for all of you to see! (sorry this picture is so dark...)

As you can see I made the cape a little on the big side that's why it looks so puffy on her! My thinking was that maybe she could get some wear out of it next fall too!

Backview of the ensemble

And now for the big Giveaway! I am so excited that I actually have something that I think (and hope you think) is super duper adorable to give back to the blog world! Eeeek...I just can't contain my excitement...I hope you love it as much as I do!!

*****This Giveaway has Ended!*****

Ok, so here's the backstory...when I bought this fleece fabric I asked them to cut 1 1/2 yards for me. With that amount I was able to make one cape that fits at about a 2T and 2 little dresses. Since all the little girl babies I know won't be able to fit it until next summer (and really who wants to wear fleece in the summertime!?!) I now have a cute little dress with no one to wear it...Boo Hoo! It is a bit smaller than Penny's original, I'd say it would fit at about the 6-12 month size or a thin 12-18 months...my Penny is a bit of a chunk and it fits her but is a little tight at the tummy section! If the length is a bit too long for your little you could just chop of the bottom, since with fleece it doesn't fray and doesn't need to be hemmed...Yahoo! I also added a slit to the back of the neckline and then a snap closure, this way even the biggest baby noggin' will be able to get through there!

See what I mean below:

The giveaway all ready and waiting to go to a good home!

Here is the small slit I cut at the back of the neckline and the snap closure to keep it fitted at the neck

A view of it snapped

So, if you like this dress and want it for your own little girl or as a gift for some sweet little cutie that you know, just leave me a comment with your info and let me know if you give your kidlets birthday parties after the Big "First" Bash...Noah is coming up on #3 in less than a month and we are always so undecided about a throwing a friends' party or just having family over to celebrate! My clock is ticking and I just gotta get this figured out! Thanks a bunch! Oh, and the winner will be chosen this Friday at 9pm CST! Oops! I almost forgot that part!!

Dragons, Giraffes and...Pumpkins?!?

Alrighty, here are some pictures of our family trip to Goebbert's Pumpkin and Farm Market. We had so much fun, it was the perfect fall weather to be walking around their pumpkin playland! We always love to go to Goebbert's every fall so that Noah (and now Penny) can run and climb on all their neat wooden structures of firetrucks, tractors, trains, etc. They have so many that on even the busiest day plenty of kids can enjoy them. This year Goebbert's has added an exotic petting zoo tent and even 2 giraffes! The giraffes are a daddy and his son and you can climb up a huge ramp and pet and feed the giraffes face to face...how cool is that! They also have a pumpkin eating dragon this year that talks to to kids and blows steam from his nose before smashing his chosen pumpkin to bits. I thought Noah would have been scared of him but he was really liking it and even pet the dragon more than a few times! We even had a potty first here and had to use the port-a-potty with Noah...thank goodness I was prepared this time...those things are soooo NASTY! Well, I hope you were able to go and have some Fall fun this past weekend, the weather here in Illinois was absolute perfection!

Yes Penny, we can still see you!

No Penny, this is NOT an orange!

Rearranging the pumpkins

Noah taking Penny for a ride on the Firetruck

Hello, Daddy giraffe!

Momma & Penny getting some giraffe kisses

How you doin'?

Noah feeding the pumpkin-eating dragon

Flutter Sleeve Fleece Dress Tutorial

Ok, all my wonderful bloggy friends, I just have to let you know...I have been inspired! Have you seen the tutorial for the No Sew Flutter Cape on Ruffles and Stuff? It is absolutely adorable and after seeing it the other day I just felt the sudden urge to make one for Penelope!!! C'mon now, what 14 month old doesn't need one of those sweet babies? The mastermind behind that darling little cape is Disney and this is one of the cutest things yet to come from her creative mind, if you haven't checked out her blog you must do so now, she is amazing! Anyhoo, so after I saw that tutorial I somehow ended up at Joann's (not quite sure how that always happens!) and somehow bee-lined it to the fleece section. I found the perfect fleece for Penny instantly, as if it was meant to be, and while waiting to have it cut had the brilliant idea that I needed to make Little Miss P a matching dress to go with her little cape. So, INSPIRATION...there you go! And now let me unveil to you, all my bloggy friends, Penny's newest fall dress...spotlight please, on...the...Flutter Sleeve Fleece Dress...

Now , just imagine this cute little dress on my Peanut with some knit tights and furry boots...too sweet!

I was finally able to sit down and make this tonight after the kidlets went to bed so I have no little model in any of the pictures :( Gotta work when the littles are sleeping or I end up using that darn seam ripper waaaay too much!

Alright, so let's get the show on the road...here is how you do it!

***Edit*** I have this dress available as a giveaway on this post here...if you are interested check it out! The winner will be chosen this Friday, October 30th at 9pm CST!

Flutter Sleeve Fleece Dress

1 yard of fleece (this makes a dress in size 12-18 months)

favorite cute dress your little lady already owns

thread, rotary cutter and mat, sewing machine

ribbon, needle and thread (optional)

First, fold your fleece in half so you can cut both the front and the back of the dress at the same time. Lay your toddler's pre-owned dress on top with the sleeves tucked behind and the bottom edge of the dress at the edge of the fleece.

Cut around your dress making sure to leave a 1/4 inch seam allowance!

Then, take your front dress piece and cut a half circle in the middle of the top so you have a cute little neckline.

Now, place your two dress pieces right sides together and zig zag stitch the tops of the shoulders together, see the picture above!

Next, we are going to make the sleeves! Cut two pieces of your remaining fleece to be around 3 x 11 inches long and wide.

Sew a gathering stitch, by using the longest stitch length possible on your machine, and straight stitch all the way across one long end of the sleeve. Make sure to leave long threads at the beginning and end and DO NOT backstitch. You will pull on bobbin stitch to gather your fabric...make sure to do this very gently! Do this to both sleeves on one edge of each only!

This is a picture of what your sleeve should look like after you pull the bobbin thread and gather your fabric edge.

Place your gathered sleeve so that the gathered edge is the same direction as the edge of the arm hole when your dress body fabric is right side up, like I have in the picture above. **Note that you will be sewing the sleeve onto the dress with right sides of the sleeve and the dress facing each other!

Now, just pin the gathered sleeve to the right side of the arm hole so that it is centered and the free short edges will match up once you flip the sleeve outward. Sew in place with a zig zag stitch.

Next, you are going to zig zag stitch the all the way around the dress while it is right sides are together. Making sure to stitch the short free edges that are remaining on the two sleeves!

Now at this point you are done, hurray! But, if you want to you can add some ribbon embellishments to the neckline to spice it up a bit. I just took about 3 feet of ribbon and kept folding it over and hand-stitched it in place. I didn't take any pictures of this process but only of the end result, sorry!...I'm so in the zone when I stitch by hand. Let me know if you can't figure it out and I'll help you through it!

A close up of the flutter sleeves

A close up of the ruffl-y neckline

Ahhh, yes...

So

Sweet.