30 for 30 challenge

Being unsure if this will be our last baby, I haven't wanted to spend much on maternity clothing. I also don't want to wear most of the clothes I wore with my other two pregnancies. So, to celebrate what I do have, I have joined up with Kendi Everyday and am doing her '30 for 30' challenge. Read more about it here, but basically you pick 30 items in your wardrobe including shoes and sweaters, and remix them for 30 days. Here are my 30 items:

 Tunics: 1- Ogle, from botique in Jackson 2- Loved by Heidi Klum 3- Momzee, borrowed from SIL

 Dresses: 4- Gap, thrifted 5- Motherhood 6- No Boundaries

 Shirts: 7- Anthropologie, 8- Target Maternity, 9- Motherhood, 10- Motherhood, 11- Motherhood, 12- Old Navy Maternity, 13- Downeast

 Skirts: 14- Motherhood, 15- Old Navy Maternity

 Pants: 16- Motherhood bootcut, 17- Skinnies from Ross, 18- Black slacks from Ross?

 Basic tees- 19-21, all Downeast Basics (With plenty of weight gained by this point in the chest area, I usually wear one for a little more coverage...)

 Sweaters/Cardigans: 22- Forever 21, 23- From Ross, 24&35, Kensie Girl from James&CoJH (my sister-in-law owns the company, when I am not pregnant it's where I shop!)

Shoes: 26- Steve Madden Boots, 27- Blowfish, 28- Target, 29- Steve Madden
I also plan on using my snowboots, mostly just because of where I live. So there you have it! My 30 items! I found it a lot harder than I anticipated because I am not sure how much I will gain in the next month (or so, it may take me a while to get through all 30 outfits!). Not everything is maternity, and I am wondering if I am going to regret those pieces... we'll see!

Here are my first two outfits:

 {Moo took one look at these pictures and said "My Mama NOT look happy!"  I was quite focused on trying to aim the camera... I'll work on incorporating a smile next time.}

{29 weeks}

It has been -30 these past two mornings, and has stayed below zero all day so I was not about to venture out for a photo shoot. Never mind the fact that it's too cold for my car to start so we're stuck home anyway. So, bathroom mirror pictures are what you get! Sorry! Because we stayed home, I didn't wear shoes.
I think I'll post the outfits a week at a time, just out of convenience. It may also take me a little longer than 30 days, unless we have errands to run (and the temperature is above +2) I stay in jammies until I work three days a week. Being a working mama pregnant with two kids, I am all about less laundry at the end of the day!

a boy banner

My sweet hubby turned 30 this weekend, and we held a low-key party at our house with family and a couple close friends. I wasn't up for a lot of decorating. I made a quick banner with his favorite colors, made lasagna, his sister brought a cake and we called it a night!

 I chose not to do any wording on the banner out of pure exhaustion, but by alternated the colors it has some visual interest and I am surprised at how much I love it that way.

a new fancy dress

While I was sewing the boppy cover, Bug begged me to make her a 'fancy dress' next. It took me a day or two, but the nagging persisted and I eventually gave in and made her this.

 I was inspired by Project Run and Play's challenge using the Sweet Dress pattern, Jess's version- even though she got voted off :( The fabric is a super soft cotton that just came out from Moda, and I wish I could make one for me! However, the baby's growing and I am not sure I could handle that much floral in one dress at this point. 
As a side note, she's 4 today! She is thoroughly traumatized by the idea of not being 3 anymore, and refuses to turn 4. Her compromise is that she'll be "free-four" (three-four) for a while. She's not big on change, so I guess easing into another age shouldn't come as a surprise for us!

on the menu today...

... A tutorial!

It's been a while, huh?

I love giving my kids homemade gifts, and decided to make some Menus for Bug {E’s} Restaurant – the kid loves to ‘cook’ all day in her kitchen.

Supplies:

2 fat quarters – one each for front and back

Inkjet Printable Fabric sheet

Lightweight fusible interfacing
Medium weight fusible interfacing
Basic sewing supplies - thread, machine, rotary cutter, ruler & mat, etc.

I made my menu template in Microsoft Word. I fit four to a page. Once you are happy with the layout, print on regular paper… just to make sure you really like it. You should allow at least 3/8” on each side for seam allowance. If it looks okay, print on printable fabric sheet according to package directions.

Peel backing paper away and trim to size. Mine were just about 4” x 5”.

Cut 2” strips from one of your fat quarters. Using ¼” seam allowance, sew a piece on each side of your menu, trim to size and iron seams out

 Repeat for top and bottom.

I trimmed mine down a little here, to measure 6” x 7”. I suppose you could have just cut the strips at 1 3/4" to begin with... but sewing with two kids under foot I like to give myself a little room for error.

Attach lightweight fusible interfacing to these pieces following interfacing ironing recommendations.

With remaining fat quarter, attach medium weight interfacing to back and cut pieces to match menu front (6” x 7”).

 With right sides together, stitch, leaving a 3” opening for turning.

 Using a crochet hook, poke corners out to lay flat. Topstitch around edge at 1/8”. To further reinforce the interfacing, I also did a quick “stitch in the ditch” around the menu.

 Almost done! Repeat with other three menus and then… head over to Lia’s Crafty Journey for her great Lined Pouch tutorial that I used to make the holder for the menus!

Using her tutorial and two pieces of fabric measuring 8x20” (again with lightweight fusible interfacing on one fabric to make it a little sturdier) I made a great little pouch to put her menus away at the end of the day.

Finally, wrap and make a little girl you know very very happy on her birthday! How fun would this be given along with some felt food?

sewing for baby

A long, long time ago I found this great Garnet Hill crib sheet- new in package - at the thrift store. I promptly cut it up to make a boppy cover, then abandoned it just as quickly. Now, 10 months later, I finally finished it! One of my favorite baby gifts to make are these boppy covers {with a new boppy of course}, probably because it is one of my must-have baby items for myself!

 I have to admit I am having a hard time getting excited sewing for this boy. I am just drawn to the prints and colors for my girls, but these trucks are adorable.

 I did a hidden zipper on the back and somehow got it to lay nice and even! 

So I decided to push my luck and make a little zipper pouch- just big enough for a couple diapers, wipes, and a change of clothes for the little dude. Cute enough for a little boy, but 'manly' enough my hubby can carry it through a store to change a diaper. Somehow the zipper turned out alright on this bag too! Any guesses on who influenced the fabric for the lining of this bag?

goody bags

My big girl is turning 4! This is the first year we have done a 'friends' party for her, and she has been super excited. I kept it small, just her four joy school friends plus one other good friend from church. As a 'goody bag' I made these drawstring pouches for the kids - Bug insisted the boys get Hello Kitty on theirs too.  

I could not find any Hello Kitty fabric at any of the stores I went to, but my favorite thrift store came through for me and I found a scrub top to cut up, hence the patches.

Mr. Gunny Bag

It was my week to teach Joy School again, and in the lesson they introduced "Mr. Gunny Bag". He "eats" all the toys that are still left out after you clean up! There is a cute song about it in the lesson & Bug is terrified he'll eat her toys, so maybe this will be a little incentive in our house to pick up all the toys at the end of the day.

To make him, I just did freehand fabric paint for teeth, eyes & eyebrows on a pillowcase - since I made it at 9:30 the night before school, I opted to keep it simple and I am glad I did!