Maintenance Time...

I'm here, but we are currently on our second week of spring break. Instead of it being nice long lazy days, we've been really busy. Playdates, movies, trips to the play gym, swimming lessons....each day seems to be quickly running into the next. :)

So, its a bit slow around here because things are anything but slow at home. I had a bit of time today, but did some maintenance on the blog that was long overdue.
You don't see anything new?
Click on the "Tutorials" tab at the top of the page. I've fully updated it....I think. There you will find all of the patterns, tutorials, sew-a-longs, and recipes that have been posted here. Hopefully.... I've been known to forget the odd one!
And, yeah, I know the recipe section is a little topsy turvy, but I don't have anymore time to mess with it right now! :) Driving me nuts! One day I'll learn a little more about html...

I hope you are all having a great week! See you in the next day or two!

I Have a Very Important Question For You

There's no doubt about it. To a kid, making cupcakes is fun.

Actually it's probably more decorating the cupcakes that is the fun part, right?

It's been a long week. I set them up with their supplies and retreated to some relative peace and quiet.
But, let me ask you this. Is the 30 minutes of peace and quiet worth the 60+ minutes it takes to clean up the kitchen afterwards? I don't know, I keep going back and forth on that one.

Those little circle sprinkles don't sweep up easily. They bounce. I always tell myself I will never buy them again, and then I do.
Note to self: don't buy the little circle sprinkles ever again.

What I can tell you, is the sugar induced meltdown that resulted from leaving my little dude alone with a bowl of M&M's for 30 minutes wasn't worth it.

Unfinished Projects

Do you hoard unfinished projects?

I don't. If something frustrates me I either persevere and finish it, or I toss it. Often I have more than one thing on the go at a time, but they stay out where I can see them until they're done.

Yesterday I did a bit of a deep clean in my sewing room and was surprised to find a few random unfinished projects.

I found this Bit of Whimsy Doll. I had started making her for a friend and I'm not sure why I became sidetracked and forgot about her. I was on a bit of a doll making kick awhile back as my 5yr old loves them. There isn't anything wrong with this doll, other than I can't find her other leg. I don't have anymore of that knit either, even in my scrap bin. Would it be weird to have mismatched legs?

I made this dress last summer and remember taking photos to share a tutorial with all of you. I didn't share it though, and can't find the photos.  Maybe I will make another?

I finished it aside from the hem and buttons (I was going to add buttons down the middle). My husband said he didn't like it, so maybe that is why I never got around to hemming it. I think this will be too short for my daughter by summer.  Maybe I will hem it and gift it, or donate it.

I know this project is close to a year old as well. This was going to be for my 5 yr old (then 4 yr old). It is hard to see on the photo, but when attaching the hood I pinched the fabric in one spot and there is a tiny pinch in the fabric along the neckline above one arm. It bugged me enough that I wanted to take the hood off and put it back on, but I was lazy in that moment so tucked it away. And, apparently forgot about it. I still need to hem this (it is dress length) and hem the sleeves too.
Do you think it is weird to have a nightie with a hood? I'm not sold on this as a dress anymore. Maybe I will take off the hood and just put on a regular neck binding.

And these leggings.....I have no recollection of ever starting these! The waistband still needs to be done as well as the legs hemmed. I have no idea why I made these as my daughter has a pair just like them. Maybe I started this and forgot I started them and made another pair? How does that happen?

So, what about you? Have any sewing projects you need to finish?

Candy Themed Birthday- Free Downloads!

My oldest is about to celebrate her 7th birthday next weekend. 7?! I don't feel old enough to have a 7yr old, even though I am plenty old enough. Will I still feel this way when she is 17?

I'm not sure if this rings true for all 6yr olds, or just my 6yr old (she is still 6 so let me just live in this denial for a few more days), but she has agonized about her birthday theme for weeks. Of course I told her she didn't need to have a theme, but that suggestion just made her look at me like I was completely crazy.

But, then she came to me last week and said she had the greatest idea for her birthday.
Candy!

A girl only turns 7 once, right? I agreed it was perfect (her friend's parents are going to love me).

Browsing around for images to use for her invite, I came across these.

 I purchased them from Woofy World. A cute little shop on Etsy that sells unique and sweet image collections. The images are emailed to you in both JPEG and PNG format and you can then use them in whatever software program you like to use, to create whatever you wish. Invititations, thank you notes, cupcake toppers, posters...really the possibilities are endless. The images are also really inexpensive.

Here is the invite I made for my daughter (I made mine using photoshop Elements)

Ok, this isn't the exact invite, but you get the idea. :)

I asked Woofy if I could make this invite available to you as a free download and she said YES! not only did she say yes but she made up some candy themed cupcake toppers and a cupcake wrapper you can download too. If you find yourself having a candy themed birthday party too, you'll be all set.

Now, I've made the invite completely blank. You can add text on your computer, or just print "as is" and add text the old fashioned way.

I made a blue one too so you can have one that is a little more gender neutral. These would be great for more than just invites. We will be using them for thank you notes also.
These are set to print approx 4 inches X 5.25 inches. I print my invites on high quality card stock.

CLICK FOR PINK CANDY INVITE

CLICK FOR BLUE CANDY INVITE

Here is a photo of the cute cupcake wrapper and toppers that Woofy generously made to go along with the invites.

CLICK FOR CUPCAKE TOPPERS

Aren't these cute?!
My little girl can't wait for her birthday and I'm pretty excited too.

When you get a chance, be sure to check out Woofy World. There are so many completely adorable images, I know you'll find something that you love. 

Help me Design a New Room

My daughters share a room. A very small room.

I know this is a horrible photo. This is one already on my computer from a couple of years ago, taken before the sun was up. That said, their room looks pretty much the same today. Swap out the stuffies for books, and we have the same room.
My girls no longer like their room. Or, at least the almost 7yr old doesn't. She says it is a baby room and she doesn't like fairies or princesses.

My girls need to continue to share. The way the rooms in our house are, the only way they can have their own is if someone moves downstairs. I don't want the kids on a separate floor than us while they are little.
As you can see the room they share is tiny. So, I'm thinking of getting rid of their nice Captain beds and making this.

Image from Ana White. Click over for her plans.

Or these...

Again Image belongs to Ana White and plans can be found at the click.

I would actually love to buy them some bunk beds, but white bunk beds are not in my price range. White is not so easy to find. Especially in Northern BC.

I'm thinking new comforters with duvet covers made out of this. These fabrics are from the Groovy Collection from Riley Blake.

image belongs to Fabric Shoppe

Or maybe the pink colorway.

image belongs to Spiceberry Cottage

 Or, maybe both (one likes pink and one likes blue).

I'm personally in love with this other Riley Blake collection (Sugar and Spice), but my girls aren't sold.

Image belongs to Raspberry Creek Fabrics

Now, if I were to go with the 3rd collection, I would paint their walls a very pale turquoise. I think we will be going with the groovy collection though. What color for the walls? :)

How do I talk my girls into number three? :)

Fairytale, Frocks & Lollipops Winner!

Before I announce the winner of the Fairytale Frocks & Lollipops giveaway, I just wanted to thank all of you that commented on my last post. You guys made me feel so much better!
Lately I've felt so overextended and just "down". I find this happens to me every year around this time. It probably has something to do with the snow continuing to fall and not knowing when, if ever, it is going to end! I can't wait to see green grass and smell rain. On Vancouver Island where I grew up, it rained all the time. Makes sense as it is considered rain forest. Anyway, I don't think I have seen rain in at least 6 mos!
Isn't it funny. I expected to miss the mountains, expected to miss the beach, but rain never crossed my mind. Now it is one of the things I actually miss most.
Well, and my laundry is truly getting me down!

But! It is now spring break which means no school for 2 weeks! This makes me happy. I like having the kids home all the time. It's a bonus too to not have to go out in the snow, and to have lazy mornings. I also don't mind playing barbies here and there. :)

Now for our extremely lucky winner!
Remember, the winner of the Fairytale Frocks & Lollipops giveaway is going to win a $25 credit towards anything they would like in this sewing boutique!
And our winner is....

RachellaBella said... 51

Wow! awesome giveaway -- so much to choose from! I would definitely choose a pattern. The Krew Coat from Lily Giggle caught my eye on your post but upon looking at it, I totally fell in love! upcycled pockets and hood? seriously? My boys grow through hoodies so fast but we loooove our hoodies in Canada, eh? I'm putting this pattern on my 'I need it' list.

For those of you that weren't lucky enough to win, Fairytale Frocks & Lollipops is still offering 15% off your order until tomorrow! Enter SPRING 15 at checkout!

I know this blog post is all over the place, but stick with me. :)

I have hesitated to post on the devastation happening right now in Japan. The reason is I feel like I don't have the right words. It is horrible and my heart breaks for everyone there as I watch what is going on in the news. As much as I have tried to make sure my kids have only heard and seen age appropriate things about the devastation, little dude watched a video of the tsunami with me. I didn't realize he was paying attention and now it is all he talks about. He keeps asking me if we are going to have an "earthcake" in our world (his way of asking me if it is going to happen here). He also keeps telling me that the people there are crying and their houses are broken.
Hearing these types of things from a 3yr old, my 3 yr old, breaks my heart. I hate that he is worried about it. He talks about it everyday no matter how much I try to reassure him.

Yet, we are safe. We have homes and food and our family is together and happy.
I wish there was some way that I could help make that possible for those people in Japan that are struggling with all of the above. I know you feel that way too.

I just saw on my blog feed that Living With Punks is hosting a sew-a-long to send shirts to the children of Japan, using a free pattern from Pink Fig. Click over if that is something you might be interested in.

As much as I know we all wish there was something small we could do to help, I think what the folks in Japan could probably use most is money. I'm not sure what the mail is like right now, or how easy it is to get things to and from Japan, but I know there are many charitable organizations that can get the money where it is needed.
If you think you can spare anything, consider putting your weekly latte money somewhere it can make a small difference.

Again, I hesitate to post a list of organizations to donate to, as that is a personal decision.
I recommend The Canadian Red Cross, but that is only because that is the only organization I have some experience with.

If you can donate something, donate to an organization you feel most comfortable.


Thank you again for all of your kind words, and thank you again for reading my blog. :)

Is It Too Late?

Is it too late to wish everyone a happy St. Patrick's Day?
I hope everyone had a bit of fun in their day today. :)

I had big plans to make my girls something to wear out of this ruffle fabric from Ruffle Fabric.

Let's just say my results were interesting to say the least. The good news is that I think I can salvage the fabric and make something else! It won't be for St. Patty's Day though, kinda like the Dr. Seuss attire. Yeah, still not done. Story of my life lately!

The only handmade thing I made for today (besides that apple dress I made months ago) was this little hair tutu (that is what I'm calling them).

Simple to make and really cute for ponies. If you'd like a little tute, I can post one for you.

My day was busy (like it feels like it has been for weeks). I would love an assistant to help me run my life. Do you ever feel like that? I'm a stay at home mom right now. I should be able to handle everything, shouldn't I? Kinda makes me feel like I'm not very good at it sometimes. I've been going to bed with the kids and still so tired and unable to get everything I want to get done in a day, done. *sigh*

I see other moms. Other moms that look perfect, have perfect houses, their kids look perfect, they always have time for cupcakes and cookies and always seem to get their errands done.  They make nutritious home cooked meals every night and always seem patient with their kids. How do they do it? If you're one of those moms, I need tips!

Anyway besides the shrieks of excitement I woke up to this morning (a leprechaun left chocolate coins), which was a great way to start my day, I also received this...

Really exciting for me as I sew so much and have wanted one for years! So, now I can't buy myself anything for a really long time because I feel guilty about this (my husband and I just don't buy ourselves things and this wasn't cheap to ship to Canada). The only bummer is I won't be able to plug her in till this weekend.

So, how was your day? Anyone else feeling overwhelmed like me?

St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes With a Hidden Surprise

Do you do anything fun for St Patty's Day? I don't usually do anything other than green pancakes for dinner. Of course a leprechaun visits our house when he remembers, and has been known to turn our milk green and leave a bag of chocolate coins. Last year the girls set a trap to catch him, but he is really clever!

My girls and their friends put together an elaborate trap a few weeks ago. It consisted of a large box, the stairs from their Barbie house, pom poms, glue, glitter and an obscene amount of sequins dumped in the bottom. I'm not sure what the actual trap was supposed to do but it has been sitting in the corner of our family room since.
That is until Little Dude, in a fit of frustration, grabbed it and decided to dump it all over the floor.
Let's just say my vacuum hasn't recovered.
My girls reassured me though.
"Don't worry Mom, we can make another"
Great! *sigh*

Ok, back to the cupcakes. Little Dude and I made these yesterday as a bit of an experiment. The hubby said it would never work.
He was wrong!

So to start we needed green batter. We just used a box mix and added some food coloring. Little Dude wanted the cupcakes to be green and white so I separated our batter and tinted only half green. Then kinda stirred the green into the white, trying not to stir too much so we would have a marble effect. It didn't work great. I suggest just tinting the whole batch green. Or, use a darker food coloring (I just used the light green I had on hand).

See, the green isn't super green or much different than the white.
Where's the surprise you ask?

 He didn't see the surprise at first either and knew it was in there (after all he helped me put them in). This is his face right before things get ugly.

Can you see it now?

 Before cooking your cupcakes add a chocolate coin to the center!  Fill your cupcake pan with batter like usual and then push a coin down into the cupcake batter just until the top of the coin is covered (this will ensure it doesn't sink the bottom and will wind up in the center). The hubby said they would melt and leak out of their wrappers, but they didn't. Just make sure you let your cupcakes cool thoroughly before serving or the chocolate will be all melted in the wrappers. If you wait for them to thoroughly cool, cake won't be stuck to them and the chocolate will be nice and solid again.

By coincidence they are both wearing things I've shared on this blog

He found the coin! Phew, close call.

Super fun St. Patty's Day treat, don't you think? Do you have anything special you usually make? I would love to hear! :)

I used very large chocolate coins for my cupcakes. Please do the same to ensure there is no chance of swallowing. These may not be best for the littlest kids in your life and should be eaten with supervision. Tell the kids beforehand that there is a surprise in the middle!

Fairytale Frocks and Lollipops Giveaway!

I'm really excited about this giveaway! If I could enter my own giveaways I would love love love to enter this one!

How many of you already know about Fairytale Frocks & Lollipops? For those that haven't yet come across this sewing boutique, it is as whimsical and fun as it's name! If you like to sew, you will absolutely love it! Full of beautiful eye candy and in many ways a one stop shop if there is a sewing project you want to tackle.

I'll share a few of my favorite things. :)

Beautiful beautiful fabrics, from many different designers. No matter the project I can guarantee you'll find the perfect fabric.

 Trims and notions galore. Buttons, designer bias tape and silk flowers to name a few. Need rick rack or ribbon? They have that too plus so much more.

Tons of patterns, both paper and PDF. They have one of the most extensive pattern collections you can find online!

And, not just patterns for girls, but boys too. Also patterns for everything else you can imagine. They have a huge selection.

Sewing books too! They also carry sewing kits for those of us who would like a project sent to us all ready to go. This shop is really full to the brim with so many wonderful things, there is no way I could tell you about all of them. Click on over and see for yourself. This is going to be one store you'll want to bookmark!

For the Giveaway!

One super lucky winner is going to win a $25 credit to Fairytale Frocks & Lollipops to spend on whatever they choose! :)

How great is that?!

All you need to do is hop on over to Fairytale Frocks & Lollipops. Come back and leave a comment telling me what you think you might buy if you were to win. I know it's hard to even choose!

One comment per person please
Giveaway closes Friday March 18th 7PM PST
Please leave a way for me to contact you if your email isn't in your blogger profile


Did you find something you love and don't want to wait?
Enter SPRING15 at checkout and save 15% off of your order until March 21st.

Good luck!

So Tei Tei Giveaway Winner!

The winner of the So Tei Tei giveaway wins 4 patterns of their choice from the So Tei Tei shop!

Ready to find out who it is? :)

Anne said... 64 I just bought the cuffed shorts pattern, which she was nice enough to size up for me. I haven't had time to make the shorts, but the instructions are VERY detailed. I would love to have several others of her patterns! Thanks for the chance to win!
My faves:
Pink Dress
Summer Blouse for girls
Unisex pants with Adjustable Waistband
Sleeveless blouse for girls

Congratulations Anne! I hope you enjoy your new patterns!
For those that didn't win, So Tei Tei has some great package deals in her shop right now. Click over to have a look! :)

See you tomorrow for another giveaway you're going to love. Well, only if you love fabric, and patterns, and notions, and and and..... :)