Shop update

In the midst of my funk, I have spent a lot of time in my craft room putting out some new lovelies.
It's kind of like a stress reliever for me of sorts.  And the time spent in there, has served me well.
The dresses that I have sewn are some of my absolute favorites.  On top of that,  I am adding coordinating bow ties for the little fellas.  This collection is going to live in some sweet family pictures, I just know it.

Sneak peak?  Ok, check out my sweet little niece modeling the geometric dress in teal.  She's a doll!

I can't wait to get these onesie dresses realeased.. check back for shop updates!!

Have a lovely day friends!

The Influence Network + a Giveaway

You may have heard me mention that I belong to a little thing called The Influence Network.
This little "club" so to speak is a great tool for everyone!  To be inspired by others, to collaborate on projects, for advice on blogging that you may not otherwise know who to ask... classes, forums, and even a conference, and the list goes on and on.  I have been fortunate to meet some amazing ladies through this and I am doing a happy dance as we speak to be able to participate in a chance for YOU to become a lifetime member!

That's right.  My girl Heather is hosting this giveaway on her blog for a chance for TWO lifetime memberships to The Influence Network.  So... head on over here ASAP and grab yourself a chance or 15 and enter to win...

Good luck and God Bless!

struggle

Sometimes, I struggle with what kinds of things I want to share here.

How much I want to put myself out there, put my heart on the line, clear my head of my thoughts.

It's easy to share the fun and lighthearted.

The sewing, the tutorials, the fun pictures of my daughter.

Easier to share than the everyday struggles. 

However, with life comes everyday struggles, and I am no exception.

And over the last several weeks, I have felt especially bogged down with them.

Hence, the silence here!

 

In the back of my mind, I share all of the imperfect things going on in my life,

but struggle putting them out there.

For fear?

For judgement?

The more and more it weighs on me, the more and more I realize
that each and everyone of us face some sort of struggles.

And to share is to be real.

 

No one has the perfect life.

No one has a clean house at all times, and kids with clean faces,

and toys that are always neat and tidy, the most stylish clothes and hair and make up on at all times.

Then why do I feel that is all I should share??

 

I guess you could call it a funk or a rut.

It happens, and I'll snap out of it.

Every year around this time, {ahem! tax time}, I am reminded at how lousy I am with money and budgets and organizing and perhaps that is the root to my funk.

Or the fact that swim suit season is right around the corner and I am less than ready to get in any kind of clothing that is not covering me from my ankles to my neck.

The trying to expand my family, the dirty house, and sink full of dishes.

The toys on the floor and the laundry in piles.

I struggle.

And that keeps me silent.

 

Sometimes, in the blog world, it is easy to compare.

The woman with the cute outfit posts, the stay at home mom whose kids always seem to have some sort of activity going, the sewer who can whip out a million orders and still have time to blog about it.

And sometimes, I don't feel like I measure up.

 

But here I am. The not-so organized and tidy person.

The un-budgeted person who cooks her daughter processed foods {gasp}

and somedays chooses not to clean.

Somedays, I may take a nap with my little instead of folding the laundry.

 

But its me.

And instead of hiding behind it.

I'll embrace it.

And put my heart on the line.

Share instead of silence.

 

 

And a little inspiration from my girl Danielle 

 

 

a little lovely on Monday

With Spring finally in the air...
and my house back in one piece after hosting the loveliest baby shower over the weekend...
I can welcome this day...
Monday

A clean slate...
A fresh start...

to slow down and enjoy this weather and work on unfinished projects.
some much needed family time and hubby time.
time to blog and sew.

Welcome Spring

craft room tour

Today, I would like to invite you all over to my home, to see my happy place.  My craft room.




I am one lucky gal that my hubby is crafty in a manly way.
Like he can build things and has a bunch of tools,
and I can show him my hopes on pinterest and he can translate them for me.
Oh, and he's pretty awesome for not only building me this space, but for supporting my dreams along the way...  {cue the Awww's!}

Come on in...

I really wanted a space that would be pretty, yet functional.  A place that could keep me organized and yet also foster a kid friendly environment where my daughter could join me.  Not to mention, stick to a pretty stiff budget for the entire room.  Besides spending money on the MDF and on the organizing containers, most of the room was filled with things we all ready had.  We spent approximately $300 on the entire room.  I was impressed with our abilities to stay in our budget considering this room was empty to start!

My husband built me a huge table in the center of the room using these plans and tweaking them a bit.  It has book shelves on each side and a drawer to keep my scissors and cutting supplies in.  My rotary mat fits perfectly on top, and the table is just the right height for cutting fabric.  We {and by we, I mean the hubbs, but I supervised, m'kay!} built my sewing desk out of a hollow core door and some bookshelves from my basement.  The chairs were dining room chairs that were broken, but with a few nails and some new upholstery, good.as.new.

One of the cheapest and easiest way to decorate on a budget... hoop art!  Each hoop runs around $1.00-$2.00.  I used fabric from my own stash to save on costs.  To add some personality, I used rubber stamps and black fabric paint to display some of my favorite sayings...

yes, really!

The hubbs had a ton of leftover peg board in our garage and he cut a few pieces for me and we painted them up and incorporated them into the room.  I used an old frame and wrapped it in my favorite fabric and added the peg board for a thread holder using some wood dowels.  My mom had some old wooden spools, and I wrapped some fabric strips around them and strung them on embroidery thread as a garland.  The other peg board, we painted with stripes and then added wood dowels and created a wrapping paper station.


I really wanted to organize my fabric to look like a fabric store, in bolts.  I did some research, and did find some organizers to "bolt" your fabric, but since I am cheap and on a budget, I improvised.  I bought some foam board at the dollar tree and had the hubbs cut them to size for me.  Then I wrapped the fabric around them and pinned in place to create my own fabric store!  This alone has been one of my favorite parts of this room.  Prior to this, my fabric was kept folded in a box, and looking for something specific was sort of a nightmare.  And needless to say, by the time I was done, nothing would be left folded.  Problem solved!

I wanted to have a space for Presley to not only use her own creativity but to be able to hang out with her momma.  Presley found herself with her own art table, with all of her supplies within reach.  Her favorite part though, the chalkboard wall.  We often play school together, in which I sit on one of those teeny tiny chairs {perhaps not the smartest of ideas} and she teaches me how to draw squares and triangles on her chalkboard. 

This, my friends, was an old ugly dresser we found on the side of the road.  The hubbs took the sides and face off each drawer, nailed in the bottom and made shelves just the right size for Rubbermaid containers.  A little cleaning and a few coats of paint, I'm left with a great way to organize all of my notions.

Needless to say, I am thrilled to have my own space.  A place to design and dream.  A place to sew and be creative.  A place to blog and be inspired. 

Thanks for hanging out with me in my happy place.

that one time when I blogged

Which happens to be today.  I may have, well, forgot about my little bloggie friend for a few days.  Ok, no, I didn't forget, because I kept thinking about it, but was tied up with life's other adventures.  Ok, ok, enough excuses.  Here I am and I am excited to tell you all that I have been up to.

Besides battling a family of sicklies, myself included, we have been super busy.  There has been much housework to attend to in preparation for a couples shower I am soon to host in my home, lots of basketball to watch {and yes, my bracket is not looking too hot!}, and most excitingly, spring dresses to sew.

Yes, spring dresses.  It all started with a little field trip to my absolute favorite local {ok, maybe not so local, but 45 minute drive... not terrible} fabric store.  This place is like a dream and carries all of my faves.  From amy butler, to Joel, to Moda, Cloud 9, Heather Bailey... {squeal and jumping up and down in happiness.} I literally went for some good ole fashioned inspiration and walked out with a huge stack of loveliness.  And since that little trip, I have not left my craft room.

Inspired by ruffles and bows and mod, geometric fabrics... I am pleased with the way these dresses are shaping up.  And will soon be released for you to purchase in the shop.  Of course, I will keep you all updated with their release. 

Oh, and remember when I said my craft room was finished, and shared all about it on my friends blog?  I decided to go ahead and share it here with all of you!  I figure since, I have spent so much time in said room lately, you may as well see my happy place!  Check back tomorrow for a full craft room tour!

Have a lovely Monday friends!