Organizing!

Crafting and sewing in my own space!!!
Really awesome!

I have never really had my own designated space without putting one of my children out!
Now I have my own room to paint, sew, cut and paste! It is totally great.
Because it is right off of the playroom I can see and hear my little ones. Maybe I will put in a dutch door and then I can see and hear them with out them wandering in with their toys!
The before was painted purple and pink you can see it on the link. I really love the peach color I put up!

Bathroom redo

At first all I had to go with was a valance and a floral arrangement that I already had.
The walls were white and needed help in spots with patches that needed texture.
I got a curtain that went pretty well with the valance. Which is really lucky!
You never know what you will find when you try to match something!

This is a close up of the floral arrangement. I'd made it like 6 years ago.

Here is a closeup of the valance. I love the colors, red, gold, muted greens and purples.

I painted the walls two shades of gold. One is deeper and richer than the other.

In the pictures it is hard to see the gold color.

I purchased red towels which I thought I'd never do!
Because they bleed in the wash and you have to wash separate every time!

Here you can see the cute basket I have for the hand towels.
I also purchased seat cover and a floor rug.

Sharing a blog drawing: Lorajean's Big Give-away

Drawings in a Drawing!
Lorajean's magazine is having a give away!!!

The winner gets...
A whole set of 4 lovely illustrations! Thats right only one of you gets all four 8.5 x 11 prints.(Printed on high quality Epson heavy weight matte paper.)

Make sure you post on her website!! before time runs out at 1:00 pm Tuesday June 10th!

Check out her cute Etsy shop Little Lola's to see more of her stuff!

Fairy switch plate

This is the Before Light switch.

I thought I should change it up!

So I bought a wooden plate cover that I could make over!

Painted it white.

Drew an idea then I pencil sketched it on.

Painted the sky

Then painted the leaves. Then the wings.
Then the skin, hair, and flowers.

When the paint was dry I added details with a pen.

To make sure the plate is not dull or the somewhat protect it I like to put on a top coat.

This top coat has glitter in it! Fairies need to sparkle!

drying

Here it is on the wall! Hurray!

Hopefully the girls will enjoy it!

Pretty

Lovely things

This garden hutch is so cute

I love pink and this bedding is like sleeping in a dream!

This is so cute and one of the winners in Martha Stewart's cutest cupcake contest.

I really think this cornice hung over a bed is really pretty too!
Of course I would pick pretty curtains in a softer color!

Click on the photo to link to source!

Peanut butter chocolate chip scones

3 Tbsp smooth Peanut butter
1/2 cup Sour cream
mix these together in a large mixing bowl
Add
1 1/4 cup of Bisquik
1/4 cup of Chocolate chips
and Stir together
spray with oil your cake pan or cookie sheet
preheat oven to 375
flour your hand and shape dough in to cake pan or 1 inch thick circle on your cookie sheet
Sprinkle the top with sugar (optional)
Bake for 20 min
Cool and cut into wedges

You will be surprised at how flaky these scones are!
I haven't tried a different style but I think you could substitute different flavors and make a yummy version of this.
I got this recipe from a kids book called: Puffy Popovers and Other Get-Out-of-Bed Breakfasts
M made breakfast from this book all by herself. I will post another yummy recipe we loved later.

Windmills

I showed this picture of a delightful and whimsical rooster windmill yard ornament to my husband. Since we are in the country I thought it would be a nice touch and start making my yard more decorative. I love the scrolling iron and the rooster on top!

He remembered that I wanted a windmill so he got me one for Mothers Day.
Here it is.....
Yes it really is the thought that counts. The remarkable fact he remembered something like it is amazing. But to some how fix it up and make it as lovely will take some creativity.
I am thinking of placing it in the middle of a flower bed, and training vines or clematis to climb up it. Perhaps covered with lovely plants will help.

How to Smock!

I love smocking! I remember watching my mom prepare her fabric and roll it onto a broom handle. I also went to college for Fashion Design and took fine sewing classes and Heirloom sewing classes. I watched a Martha Pullen video on smocking once.... I vaguely remember it.
Once I had little girls of my own I deeply desired to smock for them. Then after that I subscribed to Sew Beautiful Magazine which has many smocking plates-stitch patterns in them so they are worth the money for that and the patterns inside them. Plus invaluable How To instructions!
My first dress I made is pretty poorly done. But after practicing and just doing it... I feel like I can smock anything I want to. I still need fine tuning of course. In fact I finally figured out bullion rose stitches, those are tricky! I love taking my freshly pleated fabric off the pleater. This is the exciting moment when I see the fabric and all the millions of possibilities of what I can do float through my mind. It is the same when I lay out a piece of fabric to cut it! Weird I know... I must be a fabric junkie, getting high on it! LOL
I found some places where they have tutorials.
the first one is Hot Mama's House, with a step by step on pleating. I usually follow the step by step in the pleater instructions, these are similar I think.
This site Creative Keepsakes has individual stitch directions. The key to smocking is the stitches catch the tops of the pleating and snuggly hold them together in a design.
They also have a No Pleater project Smocked gift bag pattern which could be a fun beginning get you started project. Since a pleater is a big investment starting at over $100.

I also collect all Vogue little girl patterns that have smocking. They include a dotted iron on to pleat by hand and step by step instructions that are really great.
My Pink dress has smocking adapted from a Vogue smocking plate.
Maybe I will do my own step by step in the future... until then I hope this is helpful and inspiring to you. You can do it too!

Yellow Rooster set

This little miss is the next Marilyn Monroe in this cute little pose.

The top is embellished with selected pieces of the Heather Bailey fabric used for the skirt.
This size 12 months set will be up on my Etsy shop soon!

Little lady green dress

Okay check out the finished piece.

I even took the plunge and put this cutie up on my Etsy shop!

Tell me what you think?

Sneek peak!

I am inspired by my recent SEW Beautiful magazine!
Little heart of Mine dress.
They have a cute and simple dress featured and I wanted try my hand at it!
My sneek peek is of the smocked bodice.
I have this vintage gingham and decided to create!

Babies!

This ought to keep us busy!!

Our house is full of new babies!!!
We just got 30 new baby chicks.
10 are Americana, 10 Light Brahmas and 10 Barred Rock really pretty black and white speckled breed.
The Americana lay pastel colored eggs, blues and greens and sometimes a pink.
The Light Brahmas are good with children gentle and have thick feathers for colder weather,
The Barred Rock are black with white stripes on their feathers which is really pretty.
Right now we have all the babies together and our older 6 are separate from them.