7/8/15

Make a Cute Tank with a Bow on the Back (T-Shirt Hack)

Did you have a great 4th of July? We sure did! With all the festivities, my girls and I need something patriotic to wear. I was at Michael's and found some "Americana" t-shirts. I loved the graphics (how cute are the designs?!), but the shape wasn't great (big and boxy) and they only came in adult sizes. So I bought three of them and decided to try out a new t-shirt hack.


This hack is easy, turn a boxy T-Shirt into a Racer Back Tank with a Bow!

1. Cut off the sleeves. I cut inside the seam. Start with less, you can always cut off more if needed.



2. On the back only, cut in little deeper- so it looks like a racer back tank.

3. Cut the bottom of shirt to the desired length. All three of these shirts are an adult small, but after the hack- one fit my 5 year old and one fit my 9 year old. To get the length 'just right'- use a shirt you already own as a guide. Lay it on top to help you figure out how much to cut off the bottom. I also rounded it instead of cutting straight across. It makes the shirt 'hang' cuter.

4. Use a scrap from the sleeve to gather the back of the tank. Tie the scrap into a knot - which looks like a bow!


We wore the shirts to both the 'Stars and Stripes in Southlake' on July 3rd and our neighborhood 'Bike Parade' on July 4th.





Now that the holiday weekend is over, I am going to try this t-shirt hack with some of my girls' other t-shirts. This would be cute for a camp shirt don't you think?
 
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7/1/15

Cinnamon Shore, Port Aransas

We decided to take our girls on long weekend trip to Port Aransas, Texas. This little beach town is located on Mustang Island, located about 6.5 hours from DFW. Jeff and I had gone multiple times during college and once when Afton was a toddler. But we hadn't been back in a while. Then a friend told me about Cinnamon Shore and I knew I was ready to go again.



Cinnamon Shore is a resort style community. It reminds me of Destin, Florida. Lots of beautiful homes, organized activities for the kiddos, and good food. Their website is gorgeous and worth a look. I used my iphone to photograph our trip. But if you want to see the true beauty of Cinnamon Shore, be sure to find them online here.



My favorite things about Cinnamon Shore ...  so many things! First the pools-





and of course the beach (easy to run on, great waves for surfing & swimming)




and lots of nice families and kiddos for the girls to play with,



who doesn't love umbrella and chair service on the beach?!

We rented a golf cart to use all week,



and truly enjoyed the yummy food at Lisabellas and the pool cafe.



There were sandcastle building lessons in the afternoons,



and live music and movies in the evening (check out the Airstream snack bar!).




And of course- the beach houses were just my style!





So Texas really does have it all!


When can we go back?!



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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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