6/24/15

DIY American Girl Doll Apron

This post is titled "America Doll Apron". But a better title would probably be- do something fun with your kids. Because although we did make American Doll Aprons together, the finished product wasn't really what I was thinking about when we were making these.


Which explains why I have no photos of the process of making the aprons.

We were too busy talking and fussing around in my craft room.

I used to be in my craft room all the time. I spent a few hours each day in there. I had a clothing and accessory line (see it here). The accessories were mainly made in that little room. Early mornings, hot afternoons, and late evenings. I lived in that room.


I put all that aside awhile back (see more here). And when I did, I literally shut myself off from my craft room. It hurt to go back in there and see all the makings of my small business dream (read about it here)all washed up-- my creativity now packed into boxes and shoved in to the corner. I started to use that room as 'walk-in' storage. I stacked boxes and bags on the craft table. I covered my sewing machine. I closed the door and refused to clean, organize or even work in that room. 


But my girls have been asking, prodding, pushing me to go back in there. Which confuses me. I felt like the time I spent in that room was time I could have (should have) been spending doing something amazing with them. But they remember it differently.  I felt like I was not paying enough attention to them because I was sewing and creating.

Yet they tell me happy stories of 'Remember when you made headbands for me and my friends?' 'Remember when I would sit on your lap and sew?'. 'Remember when I played Barbies under this table and we talked while you worked?'.


I guess I didn't realize that all the time I spent in that craft room, they spent right there with me. They grew up a little bit among bolts of fabric, yards of tulle and spools of thread. They have really joyful memories of all those moments.



So I am trying to get back in there. Not to start a new business, but to do what WE loved doing best in that room. Being creative. Talking. Spending time together.

Now, summer is here. We have time. And today, we used that time to make our own pattern from a piece of blank white paper and then sew American Girl Doll Aprons.


You can see the tutorial and detailed directions for making a doll apron here. "Strictly-Homemade" has a great post with easy to follow steps for making a 18 inch doll apron :)

And when you look at this picture of my girls, maybe you can see it. See what I am starting to see. That kids don't care about finished products or the success of a small business. They just really want to spend time with their mom. So whatever it is that you do (craft, bake, read, nap, walk, sew, work etc) - as long as you are with them, it is a moment in time your child will look back on with joy and love.


 
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6/17/15

Pinterest Party

A few years back I went to a blogger convention in Dallas so I could meet other people who understood my love of Pinterest, social media and taking photos all the time. (You can read all about my experience by clicking here.) Since then, I have actually kept in touch with several bloggers that I met there. One of those women is the talented Amy Locurto of Living Locurto. 

Photo via Living Locurto
Amy recently held a Pinterest Party in Plano at Wholesome Grub for local bloggers and lovers of all things Pinterest. The idea behind the party was to bring Pinterest to life through hands-on demonstrations. 


I brought my girls with me to join in on the fun. They loved the cupcake bouquet, making masks and getting a free Pinterest shirt :) 


This photo just screams, "My mom is a blogger!" don't you think?! :)


Amy shared some cute 'summer food prep' ideas. The party also had fun treats to taste, activities for the kids, and of course lots of great opportunities for networking with other creative types. 

Photo via Living Locurto

Are you on Pinterest? What's your favorite thing to pin?

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6/10/15

T-Shirt into a Swim Cover-up

For my Girls Night Out- Tie Dye Party I turned an over sized t-shirt into a cute swim cover-up with just a pair of sewing scissors.


Since we all love a good 't-shirt hack', I thought you might like to see how I did it :) 


1. I started with a size large basic white t-shirt. I used highlighter to mark my cut lines. Colored chalk is actually a better idea in case you make a mistake and need to redraw. Trust me. (The lines are dark in some of these pictures because I added lines in editing at  picmonkey.com so you could see them.)


2. Cut off the arms. 


3. Cut a 'v-neck' but only the front of the shirt, not all the way through. 


4. Now flip the shirt over. Draw the cut lines as shown. 


5. When you cut, only do so on the back. It will make long 'straps'. 



6. Cut off the collar in the back. 


7. Now cut the piece on the back in half, making two strips. 


8. Pull the front straps and the back straps to stretch out the cotton. The stretching rolls the raw edges of the shirt and makes the pieces a bit longer. Tie the front straps over each other each other to make a loose knot. 


9. Tie the front straps to the back straps. 


10. At this point, I tie dyed my shirt. You can see how to tie dye your shirt by clicking here. 


And here is how it looks on! 




Let me know if you try this t-shirt hack and how it turns out! 
 
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6/3/15

DIY Spirit Overalls

Texas football is a big deal. So around here, girls are prepping their outfits now for those fall football games. My good friend Tiffany is the sponsor of our high school's Spirit Sisters club. The Spirit Sisters is a group of 12th grade girls who promote school spirit and sportsmanship on campus and at athletic events. On any given Friday in the fall, the Spirit Sisters can be easily identified by their unique outfits--Spirit Overalls.

These are Spirit Overalls!


Are Spirit Overalls just a Texas thing? I'm not sure! But just like homecoming mums and most Texas traditions, they are big, over-the-top, gaudy and all kinds of fun. These overalls are the kind of outfit that get you noticed!


Spirit Overalls are handmade by the girls (and/or their moms). The Spirit Sisters wear them every Friday to show their school spirit. Each pair of overalls is unique. I was recruited by Tiffany to help demonstrate ideas and share tips for creating Spirit Overalls. So she organized a little 'craft meet and greet' for me and the Spirit Sisters at our local Michael's store.







Before the event, I crafted a pair of overalls for Tiffany's youngest daughter to use as an example. I also created a list of supplies to pass out to the girls in the club. I began my 'craft lesson' with explaining how I made the overalls and shared tips for success.


To make Spirit Overalls, start by finding a great pair of overalls. Most girls had ordered their overalls from Walmart.com or Forever 21. Some found pairs on Etsy, Ebay or in local resale shops.

I used Heat Bond and fabric to make the applique letters. Heat Bond adheres to back the of fabric with an iron. Then you can cut the fabric into any shape. Letters, paw prints, school mascot etc. Use fabric scissors to cut the fabric into the desired shape and then iron it on to the overalls.


Check the edges carefully to make sure the fabric applique is firmly attached to the denim overalls. At this point, you can sew around the edge of the fabric to finish it. Or you can outline the fabric with fabric paint. The fabric paint is a good option for those without a sewing machine.

Then you can add embellishments like bling, feathers, lace, patches etc.



The best part of Spirit Overalls is making something unique you can wear to show your school spirit.

DIY Spirit Overalls: Materials List
-Overalls
-Iron
-Fabric Scissors
-Hot Glue Gun 
-Hot Glue Sticks 
-Fabric 
-Heat Bond 
-Ribbon 
-Fabric 
-Feather Trim 
-Fabric Paint 
-Iron On Letters 
-Jewels 

After the crafting lesson, we all went shopping! The girls had a lot of fun browsing the store together. You can use almost anything on Spirit Overalls! The more design details, the better.




After shopping, we came back to the room and began working.  I brought fabric (left-over from clothing line) to share. And some girls brought along heir moms to help with the crafting. I can't wait to see all the girls in their finished overalls come fall.



Have you ever seen or made Spirit Overalls? 

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