Fun Friday!!

Well, my MIL and friend Benita are visiting and it is a treat for me!!  The plan is to shop for certain items they are looking for in the rooms they are re-doing in their houses.  Of course, finding a good deal is key!  Where I live there are some good places to look and yesterday we scored 3 things at terribly good prices!!
One thing for my MIL is an occasional chair (and I was so going to go back and get it if she didn't!).  It is wood with a leather covered back and it needs a little love (which she is very good at doing!).  The back bothered her so I am going to make a cover for it and a pillow to match for the other chair she found.  After we got the chairs we went to the Goodwill store to look around and found some great fabric that would be perfect for the chair!!  Almost 2 yards for about $3!!  (We later went to Hancocks and found almost the same fabric for $13 per yard!! )

Today we will continue our adventures in shopping but I would like to show you a little bit of our guest room because I found these adorable plates at a thrift store we will be going to today!! Oh and that is my grandmother's sewing machine in the cabinet and her water pitcher set too!!  I love it, love it!

Have a blesssed and fabulous Friday!!
LA

I am linked up here:

WIP Wednesday #5 and a question

Well, I haven't made a lot of progress this past week but I have done a little. 

Completed:
Sunflower dress for my friend's little girl

Card and candle for a friend's birthday

Card and purse for a friend's little girl who turned 3



Projects in progress:

Dress for Queensland raffle

Canvas for a friend's daughters room

Baby changing pad (still haven't sewn that snap on!)





Yet to start:
Fabric headband (found that tut yesterday)
Zippered pouch
Camera strap cover (need to find that tut again!)
Hats for 2 friends
Hat for me and work on the pattern for it
Work on pattern for idea in my head for a little girl's dress (this would be easier if I had a little girl!)

Well, I think this is all at least it is for now!!  :) 

Now for my question, I am researching embroidery/sewing machines.  So far I am looking at the Singer Futura 150/250 models.  This is for a future (way future) purchase but I like to do my research.  Any thoughts on any machine or on these specific ones would greatly be appreciated!  I have a Singer now and love it so that is why I started there.

Thanks and have a very blessed day!!!  Don't forget to check out other links!

LA

HOOOOOOOOO ARE YOU?

This week I am participating in NightOwl Crafting's weekly post:

Here are this week's questions!


1. Do you wear glasses or contacts, if so for how long?
No, I do not.  I have a pair of glasses that are for eye strain that I wear sometimes when I am on the computer or at the sewing machine for long stretches.
2. What was your favorite board game as a kid?
I remember Monopoly as an older kid but as a younger kid I remember Hi-Ho Cherry-O.
3. What is a word that you use all the time?
Thing- a - bob or whatcha-do     I can never remember words when I need to say them!!
4. What is your favorite day of the week?
Sunday
5. Did you graduate high school from the town you grew up in?
Yes per say.  I actually lived in the county but went to the city school.  I did grow up there.  :)

Have a blessed day!!

And I sew love those hootie owls!!

Some sunshine on a cloudy day

Well, almost sunshine; it is actually sunflowers.  :)

I finished this dress today and really like how it turned out.  I picked the fabric because my friend loves sunflowers and it is for her little girl.  It is way too BIG for her right now but I can see a fun photo session come summer in a patch of sunflowers!!  :)

I didn't "make" the headband however I did get it and the flower and then attach the flower to the headband!  hehe 

I finished the dress just in time to make BBQ Chicken Pizza for supper.  I got the recipe from Jamie Cooks it Up! and she adapted it from Pioneer Woman..  Well, I somewhat combined and therefore "adapting" the recipe again!  LOL  We didn't have any Sweet Baby Ray's (sshh don't tell Jamie!) so I used the hickory smoked bbq sauce my DH brought home.  Also, I made the red sauce to go on the pizza and then put bbq sauce on that.  My DH loved it and I thought it was pretty good!  :)

So not only do we have sunflowers to look at (even if temporarily!), but we also had a little summer BBQ to brighten up our day!  (It really needed it too, raining all day!)

Have a blessed and lovely evening!

LA

I am linked up here:

A Bit More Birthday

Well, the weekend is gone and we have rested most of the Sunday.  Our little friend that turned 3 this week had her tinkerbell unfluenced birthday dinner Saturday night.  She is too cute!  She got pink cowboy boots!!  We have her some bubbles and a denim purse I made her with her initial on it.

I took the end of the leg of a pair of blue jeans and made it into a purse!  I think it's cute!  This was something I came up with and wanted to try out.

I first cut off the end of the leg (you could use any portion of the leg ) because I wanted the hem as the bottom of the purse.

Then I took my lining fabric and cut it to match the denim and seamed it on 3 (or 3 if you fold it) sides.  I did decide to double stitch the sides so it would be some sturdier.

 

You will need to make your strap next.  I had some cute ribbon that I wanted to use so I stitched it to some twill tape and used it for the strap. 

You will need to embellish the denim part however you would like before you sew in the lining and strap.  I used my Cricut to cut out a J and ironed it onto the outside of the denim and then did a blanket stitch around it so it would stay put.  I used wonder under with my material to make it stiffer for use in my Cricut and attaching it.  It worked pretty well but I think there is something that might work better according to a friend but I am not sure. 

Also you will want to take into account the type of closure you use.  I used a magnetic snap and didn't allow quite enough room between it and the edge.  You can see a little dip in the topstitch if you look for it.

I sewed the liner and strap with double seams to make sure they stay put.   I also left the bottom of the purse (the hem) open until the last step so I could easily turn it inside out and back.

Then I just turned it right side out and topstitched around the top to keep it in place.  Lastly, I put a seam across the bottom of the purse (twice) to finish it up.  :)  I think it would have been easier (of course, hindsight 20-20!) to have used the jean leg sideways instead of vertical because it would have been easier to embellish. 

I then made a birthday card for her with a cake on the front.  I have to admit, I am loving my Cricut Expression!!  Especially with the Make the Cut sofware!!  You don't have to buy all the cartridges (of course you can get some if you want! especially if they are on sale!) because you can find a lot of file online.  Many people are creating SVG and MTC files to be used for this purpose.  Some are free but there a lot to buy also.

Well, have a happy and blessed Monday!!  I am off to kitchen duty and then working on a dress for a cute little girl.

LA

I am linking up at the following:

I am having trouble uploading pictures so I will add links.

Between Naps on the Porch - Met Monday

The DIY Showoff

A little Birthday action this week!

We had two friends who had birthdays this week!  One turned 3 and one turned 70!  Our fabulous friend Benita does not act 70 and definitely doesn't look 70!  She has been a great friend to me the last few years and the best friend of my MIL for many more than that.  She is a very special lady who has touched a lot of lives!!  Wish we could have been there to celebrate with her!!
I made her a candle with music notes and a birthday card to send to her in the mail.  I found a tutorial a few weeks ago and it told how to print on tissue paper and then melt it into the side of the candle.  I am sorry I don't know where I found it, if you know; tell me!  I would like to give credit.
So, the first thing is to print your image on tissue paper. Easy right? Well, not if you don't tape it down well.  The trick is t tape it on all sides to a piece of normal paper so it can be pulled through the printer.

I printed a music page and the letter B to wrap around my candle.  Benita has a wonderful voice and aso plays the piano very well.  :)    Trim the paper to fit around your candle and you really don't want any extra because it will show.  Wrap the tissue paper around the candle and hold it in place while you melt the wax.  I initially was going to use a lighter - ha! Not a good idea.  The best thing I found is to use another candle and hold it over it to heat the wax and it will "absorb" the tissue paper. 

Be careful or your wax will get too hot and drip off and leave a hollow spot.  Don't ask how I know.  Any-who, that is it for the candle. Simple Simon!!

I then made a card I thought suited her personality.  I definitely see the benefit of making a practice run because AFTER I adhered some things, I thought hmm that would look better if . . .

Oh well, maybe next time!  :)  I still think it looks like her; black and white - classy and red - sassy!!

I am still trying to get back into the swing of cards.  I used to make them with  my friend Danielle who was a SU representative. Oh the fun we had!!  :) 

Well, I think I will wait and post Little J's birthday goodies tomorrow.  Have a sassy Saturday!!

LA

Sheetrock, screws and mud

Well, I haven't gotten any sewing or crafting done the last few days but I have worked on a few walls.  My mother and father-in-law came up this past Thursday morning (they got here about 9am so they left their house about 5am!) and we worked on putting up sheetrock in our addition area.  It's not a true addition because the roof-line was already there because the previous owners had a screened-in porch.  We are turning it into a mudroom, laundry room and added space to the kitchen and dining room area.
Our house is a traditional ranch with an unusual basement so the living room is open to the dining room which is open to the kitchen.  :)
My new favorite tool is a sheetrock lift/jack!!  My MIL and I were able to put some sheets up by ourselves because this thing did the heavy lifting!!  We rented it for a couple days and saved ourselves a lot of pain!
Anyway, tomorrow should be back to normal with housework, sewing and crafting!! (and not necessarily in that order!! LOL)
Also, earlier in the week I helped my husband with insulation and wiring for those areas so it's been almost a week of "housework"!! Haha! 
Anyway, here are some pictures of the work.  You will have to overlook my appearance, I don't look good with a bandanna on my head but after washing my hair 3 times to get the sheetrock dust out of it, I didn't care!!

Behind my DH, you can see the sheetrock lift, if you need to put sheetrock on a ceiling it is definitely worth it!!

My FIL working on the vent.

My MIL with the second favorite tool of the week - my dremel!!  It was great cutting out outlet boxes and circles for the vents!  I got it last year as part of my birthday present from my DH (the other part was a sledgehammer!!).

Me screwing in the last piece of sheetrock on the ceiling. Again, ignore mt appearance.

The added dining room area and on the other side will be the mud/bathroom.

The added kitchen area and behind it is the laundry room.  We weren't able to sheetrock all of those areas because of plumbing that needs to be done first.  I am extremely excited about all of the areas but my favorite is the added kitchen area.  It will double the size of my kitchen.  :)  Also, having the washer and dryer out of the basement will be nice!

Well, have a lovely and blessed Sunday!

LA

Raffle for the Queensland Flood Victims

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I am going to raffle a baby girl's dress to benefit the Queensland Flood Relief Fund. 

The floods in Australia have been on my mind a lot the last couple of days.  My husband and I have been working on our home and we feel very blessed to have it as our home.  Now, I feel even more blessed to have a home at all with the devastation in Australia.
Several of the blogs I follow are written by ladies from Australia and I didn't know this until recently.  I realize that we are not "friends" by the world's standards but I have enjoyed reading and learning about them and from them.  Toni Coward is one of the people who have organized online auctions to benefit the QLD Flood Relief Fund.  Go and check our her site here and bid on some things!!

I recently made this dress for my friend's little girl who is 9 months old:

I have some cute apple fleece that I will make into another dress like this one in the size you pick (see list below) and send it to the winner of the raffle.  Here is the fabric:

It is brown with pink and green apples all over it.  I will use a matching green bias for the armholes and hem.

Sizes:  XXS up to 7 lbs,    up to 17 inches,          0-1 months

             XS   7 - 13 lbs,    17 - 24 inches,          1-3 months

              S    13 - 18 bs,    24 - 26 1/2 inches,     6 months

             M    18 - 21 lbs,   26 1/2 - 31 inches,     12 months

              L     21 - 24 lbs,   31 - 34 inches,          18 months

Here is what you need to do for a chance to win the finished dress:



1.  To enter this raffle, you must donate $5 to the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal. (If you scroll down the page you will find a link to donate online and a phone number if you prefer to call.)

2.  You may enter as many times as you like, but each entry/donation must have a seperate receipt number. (i.e. if you want to enter 3 times, then you must donate $5, three times so that you end up with three receipt numbers.)

3.  After you have made your donation, come back and leave a comment with your receipt number.  Please be sure to leave your email address also.

4.  This raffle is open to everyone.  Postage is FREE wherever you live.  It will be extra if you want it in a certain time frame however.

5.  The raffle begins NOW and will END at midnight on Monday 24th January 2011.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at rebelpoco@gmail.com

I am praying for the people affected by this natural disaster and I hope you will too.

Prayers and love,

Lee Ann

Yay!! New Design!!

Well, I have fallen in love with what I call Hootie Owls!! Anything that has a cute owl on it and I want it!!!  I even have plans to start buying some fabric each month to use for a nursery when my husband and I have kids!!  :)   Love Love Love me some hootie owls!!
So this morning I saw a link for Night Owl Crafting for LeeLou Blogs for free blog designs and backgrounds.  There are some really cute files there!  You should go and check it out!
And I soo would have gotten the Spring Owls template if Night Owl Crafting wasn't where I found the link and they weren't already using it!!!
Have a wonderful day!!!
LA

We Did It! Wednesday

This is my first post to We Did It! Wednesday so I will post my first item of baby clothing!!  :)  So exciting to me!!

I found a pattern in my sewing things that was a simple dress for a little girl (less than 2 years old).  I talked to my mom and come to find out, the pattern had belonged to my grandmother and she used it to make a dress for me when I was a baby!  So this made it extra special to me!

My husband and I have best friends that live about 3 1/2 hours south of us.  He has been friends with the guy since elementary I believe and I have been friends with the girl since I started dating my husband.  We call each other Sissy so you can tell we are close.  (I am an only child and she doesn't have any sisters so it's perfect!)  They have a 9 month (Little Bug) old that I consider to be my niece and she had surgery on her tear duct this past Monday so I have been working on things for this family.  I had intended to drive down for the surgery but the snow stopped me.

Ok, so to the fun part!  I made Little Bug a fleece dress using my grandmother's pattern.  As usual I changed a few things.  :)  I had the cutest polka dot fleece in my stash so nabbed it and got started but I first traced the pattern pieces on tissue paper so I didn't have to cut the pattern pieces smaller. 

I used some pink fleece I also had for the pocket on the front and decided to use the bias tape for the ties.  :)  I also used the bias tape to make a hem for the dress even though the pattern just called for a normal hem.

 I thought it gave it a more finished look.  (So did my DH when I asked his opinion!)
Well that is my first baby dress!  Can't wait to start the next one, oh wait I already have!!

Have a lovely day!
LA

WIP Wedneday #4

Well, I actually finished a few things so I am happy to post today!  :)  I also still have quite the list of to-be-completed items.  We are getting back in the swing of workng on the house so I am not sure how much time I will have to sew and craft in the next few weeks.  I see electrical wires, sheetrock and paint in my very near future!!

I am going to start with my favorite!  Finishes!

Finished:
1.  Present for a friend that turned 10 this week.  I used my Cricut to cut vinyl to decorate a square bowl for her.

2.  Vase that is part of a get well package for my Sissy's little girl that had surgery on her tear duct Monday.  The little girl is 9 months old so that is why it is for her mom and not her.  So far things have gone well.

3.  Dress for the before-mentioned 9 month old.  I am just tickled pink (or purple) about this one because it is my first time sewing baby clothes.  :)  I think it's cute!

In-Progess:
1.  Another dress for the 9 month old but it is for Spring.  :)
2.   A canvas with the 9 month old's name for her wall or her door.
3.  Our (ahhemm) Christmas pajamas.
4.  Pencil skirt for me!
5.  Candle for friend's birthday
6.  Cards:
     a. 9 month old
     b. Grandmother
     c.  Friend's birthday
7.  Work in new craft area

Not started:
(Some items will not be detailed as they are for presents.)
1.  Burb cloth for 9 month old.
2.  Hat for friend (girl).
3.  Hat for friend (guy).
4.  Valentine's for wonderful husband.
5.  Project for FIL.
6.  Project for MIL.
7.  Bag for my Cricut because I refuse to pay that much!!
8.  2 quilted purses
9.  2 coffee cozies

I would really like to make something for my mother, but I don't have a clue!  Maybe she would like my first quilt since it will probably be a lap quilt and she is always cold!  :)  I bought one pack of charm squares the other day with the quilt in mind.

Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!!!

LA