Making things make life better: Tunic alteration

Love the top. Hate the bottom of this shirt from Old Navy (now only $8!).

I look like a giant pregnant parachute.

So... I cut off a few inches of the bottom, folded it in half and sewed it back on a bit smaller than it was to create a band for the bottom.

And now I just look pregnant.

Nesting is expensive.

What else are you gonna do at 26 weeks pregnant with left over Christmas money? Buy a bunch of new stuff for the babes, rearrange their rooms, and wait the rest of the 14+ weeks in penniless boredom?

Exactly.

The playroom-guestroom has been converted into a nursery with a spare bed and the girls' room is currently housing all the fun stuff. (a long time ago they looked like this)

More recently, when Charlotte moved into a toddler bed, it looked like this:

but with dressers, a bookshelf, and a glider. I know.
These rooms are huge.

Now for the AFTERS...

We're going with this arrangement for a while. Until the next random bout of nesting strikes again.

We splurged on these FLOR carpet tiles that were on sale and alternated the pattern. We. Love. Them. And if we want, we can reshape them into a rectangular rug.

I'm sorry Tootsie, that Charlotte has destroyed the heirloom table.
It was my fault for painting it white. It will be cleaned up when she's 18.

The empty space before felt awkward with a regular rug and the ones we had were way too small anyway.

The house.

Now they have paths to their beds and in their little nooks.

The school.

The catch-all.

Seriously, the space is mind boggling.

Now for the little man's room:

Jude edited his bike poster (go buy one) to match the hipster bedding, purchased by the grands (thanks!) and to fit in the frames.

I sewed this cover, which is not quite done, to go over the changing pad. Kaitlin, I think that pirate shirt was yours?

Still plenty of space, if anyone wants to visit. Yes, you will be in charge of nightly feedings.

Some fun prints from this designer.

Apparently, this is his favorite owned print that you can find here.

outta money & outta space. the next 14+ weeks should be uhmazing. 

Making things make life better

I really hate dress up. The large canvas bag that holds gobs of polyester and tulle stays locked up in the closet, never to be mentioned, until some little girl begs long enough.

But instead of crushing someone's apparent "dream," I found it in my kind soul to create an outfit that:
A). I don't mind looking at
B). is comfortable & minimizes complaining
C). qualifies as appropriate to wear to Wal-Mart
D). won't tear to shreds in the washer and
E). aids in saving planet Earth (repurposed from old t-shirts)

I gathered inspiration from these, but was overwhelmed by Belle's dress, so I couldn't even look at how the peasant top was supposed to be constructed. I just started cutting and pinning and things worked out.

I went with the mid-calf approach so that it wouldn't be too long for Charlotte

and so it hopefully fits them both for more than a month.

Your majesty.

Sew stitchin' awesome!

Cheesy title? Don't care - my new sewing space is pretty amazing and no horribly cliche arrangement of words will ever take that away.

Here's what it was before: Jude's Man Cave aka 'We-don't-have-enough-room-for-your-clothes-and-books-in-our-room-so-you-can-have-the-hallway-instead'. But then I needed that, too... So we dispersed his belongings into the living room and I managed to scrounge up a small corner for him in our room, too.

And voila! 

Enough room for a high cutting table and plenty of sewing & pinning workspace across the two other tables.

Jude hasn't completely been cleared away from the area, as his beautiful art work hangs above while I work. His Paul Bunyon has always been one of my favorites.

And while the Makers Gonna Make print is perfect for this space, it's only temporary - a promise of custom art work with my "Making Things Makes Life Better" will be made! It's just not ready, yet. And a hanger instead of a frame - Cheap? or Appropriate? Both.

I'm probably a little late to the whole embroidery hoop decor party, but these in an actual sewing room seem to make the most sense. Wouldn't you agree? Plus they're like 5¢.

And I'm not sure why it took me forever to buy one of those spool holders - they're a freaking life saver. 

We made this extra long table by bridging two shorter (and cheaper) table tops together from IKEA. The legs can be screwed in over the gap, so this thing is pretty sturdy and you save on having to buy 8 legs and all that extra clutter underneath.

But one of the best parts is probably the hallway closet. Instead of my fabric pieces being scattered across two bedroom closets and two under-the-bed storage bins (how does Jude put up with it?), it now solely resides in this one, organized closet. Ah.

Need to transform your space fairly inexpensively?
1 (higher) table top w/
4 adjustable legs
2 table tops (seriously, they're $5.99) w/
6 regular legs

Making things make life better: patterned t-shirt skirt

My friend Mandi finally cashed in her "Can You? Coupon" (Can you sew me a ____?) from last year's ladies night Christmas exchange. She asked for a scrap t-shirt skirt with a soft yoga waistband, similar to these.

And Mrs. Claus said, "yes."

I still have a few adjustments to make, but even still, she did a great job picking out the fabrics and I think she'll look great in it!

Making Things Makes Life Better: Robot Limbs

I saw these robot legs floating around the interweb and thought they'd be perfect birthday gifts for the girls' friends Henry & Liza.

By now, you know the drill. I didn't really read the directions or buy the right supplies, but I think they turned out just fine. I even like the way they conform to the leg or arm better than the original design does.

And I just might've convinced Joan to be a robot for Halloween this year instead of the usual obnoxious requests for pink and purple lace satin. Still to be determined...

Also, I would have taken photos of Charlotte wearing the yellow ones, but you know, she's not really a fan of cooperation. c'est la vie.

 The backs just have adjustable velcro. Nothing fancy, but very handy.

Happy Birthday Henry & Liza! Enjoy!

Making things make life better

It always happens (conveniently) right before the bedtime routine begins. I'm not sure what the correlation is between cutting that first piece of fabric and the hustle and bustle that is teeth brushing, pajama dressing, and diaper changing, but there's definitely one... Look, you just can't cage an artist. And if my graphic designer husband has to scrub a few extra canines alone, I'm sure he'll understand. Makers Gonna Make, right Jude?

So, at 7:15 pm, this is what I came up with:

I was inspired at church, except instead of the Holy Spirit, it was a college student's neck line. God is everywhere, right?

Her dress had a beautiful V in the front and back with a bunch of fabric straps connecting them, and since I'm too terrified to sew a dress for myself, I adapted it for Charlotte.

Which she loved. Obviously.

Why else would she actually be looking at the camera, being still, and smiling? Never.Done.That.Before.Ever.

Making things makes life better: The Men's Shirt.

Finally! My to-sew list just got a little shorter. I have successfully repurposed a men's dress shirt into a little girl's summer dress!

If you know me at all, you know I'm horrible at following tutorials. I usually give up, and figure it out myself. This is typically followed by grumpiness, cursing, a second (or third) Cherry Coke, and swearing off sewing for the rest of my life. Dramatic, I know.

But, typically following that, is an adorable handmade goodie that I'm quite proud of. I'm nothing, if not consistent.

This dress was actually made for the girls' friend, Grace, for her 2nd birthday, but my girls always test out other people's gifts...

First I started with this tutorial and bailed when the sleeves drove me to near tears. I mean, she actually wanted me to measure and draw out a pattern... the nerve...

 I decided to go sleeveless (telling myself it was a choice isn't as embarrassing) and used this as my guide. But I was too lazy to do a chest band or criss-cross straps. And then I realized it was going to be too short, so I added the band around the bottom.

 After these photos, I sewed the bottom band shut and left the top buttons alone, so it could be unbuttoned.

Cute, huh? And the best part? This shirt once belonged to Grace's father. Happy Birthday, Grace - you adorable little thing!

Surviving the summer.

When it gets hot, I get grumpy. I'm hoping this makes us happy (and by us, I mean me), having to stay inside a lot more this summer.

First, before you confuse me with an actual over-achieving mom (have you seen my kids' snacks?), let me reassure you that the primary purpose of these kits are to get my children to leave me alone, not their development. (Did I just go from over-achieving mom to terrible parent?)

Sorry, but I strongly support independent play. I don't mind getting kids started on a game or a task, or a pretend scene, but I rarely participate. I think kids need to learn to how to imagine and manipulate stuff to make it work for them. I place boundaries, they do the rest. These kits are no different.

They're all no-mess activities (if you don't mind picking up 563 clothes pins or tooth picks), that mostly come from regular household items. I hardly spent anything to fill these suckers up. The secret is keeping them out of sight - so the novelty sticks around awhile. It's got to last us at least through the summer. Here's what's inside:

clothes pins, plastic cups, child safety plugs, and sponges cut into pieces

magnet paper doll set that Kristi made for Joan & an old baking sheet

buttons and pipe cleaners

pipe cleaners, drink stirrers, empty seasoning can

Easter eggs and cartons

ice trays, beans, and foam shapes for sorting

cardboard shapes

free paint swatches and brushes

beads, oil, water, and food coloring 

oatmeal carton, straws, popsicle sticks

shoe strings from shoes I never wear and cardboard

alphabet puzzles

felt sheets and felt shapes

old boxes with slanted tubes inside

they'll shove anything into this for hours

Don't take everything out at once, which I did to take these photos.

It'll make you swear you'll never take them out again.