Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Let's Party!

Alright, lovely blog world friends, it’s time to strut your stuff! If you’ve made something from one of my tutorials like a dress,


Or some mod podged furniture,


Or some jewelry,


Or even cupcakes,

It’s time to show it off!

Your project can be a step-by-step version of one of my projects, or your own project just inspired by something you’ve seen here, or anything in between. I love seeing how people put their own stamp on a project!

If you’d like to join the party, just use the linky below to link directly to your blog post. Make sure you include a link in your post back to this one so more people can join the party. And….be sure to visit the other party goers and leave them lots of comment love!


It's a shirt, it's a dress, it's a skirt!

Today, I'm linking to the fun at Blue Cricket Designs
Show and Tell Green

And Sew Cute Tuesdays @ Creative Itch
Photobucket



Lest y’all think I have some kind of magical sewing ability, I give you this story of a refashion that did not go exactly as planned. This is also a story of perseverance stubbornness, because when my initial idea failed, I refused to stop sewing until I’d turned my train wreck into something I could wear. So, here you have the story of a shirt,

that became a dress,

that became a skirt.


It all started with this very large, big and tall men’s dress shirt.


First, I cut off the sleeves and removed the pocket.


Next, I turned the shirt inside out and pinned both sides from the arm pits to the hem so that the shirt fit comfortably around my hips, but was a bit blousy in the waist and bust.

I sewed up the sides and tried the shirt/dress on. I experimented with belting the waist and like the direction things were heading.

My husband didn’t like the shirttail hem, so I decided to give the dress an even hem all the way around.


The dress looks pretty shapeless on the hanger, but I tried it on and belted it. It looked so cute! Very vintage waitress-y. But short. Very short. I raised my hands above my head, and hello! OK, so this dress idea was not going to work.

Side note, if you have a pre-teen daughter this would probably make a very cute dress for her!

Plan B. I cut a straight line from arm pit to arm pit. I folded the fabric over twice, pinned, and sewed to create a deep hem/casing for elastic.

I cut a small slit on inside of the hem and used a safety pin to thread ¾ inch elastic through.


That gave me this simple skirt. Comfy, but nothing special.


However, I discovered I could easily fake the look of a paper bag skirt. I pulled on the skirt, folded the elastic band over towards the inside of the skirt. Then I sort of poofed the fabric and tied it with a sash.



Ta-da an instant paper bag skirt.

When to comes to sewing, all you can do it keep trying until you hit on something you like!

Even though it may take a try, or two, or three!

<3
Hattie




Monday, June 28, 2010

crazy for color


My sweet, precious husband brought me gorgeous flowers for our anniversary. The brightly colored daisies inspired me to really punch up the color in the kitchen and living room. In the spring, I crave soft colors, but something about summer makes my want to just go for an all-out color explosion.



My parents gave us this beautiful bird and flower table runner for our anniversary, which just happens to match a vintage table cloth I already had.


The red and yellow flowers really bring out the colors in the linens.


I decided to keep the silver bird in the arrangement, since the runner also features birds.


It amazes me how much brighter and more cheery the kitchen feels with these simple changes.


I know it might be too much color for some people, but it suits my summer mood just fine!


In the living room, I simply filled my two aqua ball jars with the remainder of the flowers.


Simply and easy, but what a difference it made in the energy of the room!


This is why I love red and yellow.


They really wake up a space and bring a smile to my face.

Ahhh, summer!

Do your color preferences change with the seasons, or am I the only one?

<3
Hattie

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Yard Sale Love

southern hospitality

After a very long and insane last work week of school, I’m happy to announce that summer vacation and I are off to a great start – kicked off by some yard sale fun. Yes, I woke up early the first Saturday of my vacation to scope out some bargains – it’s all about priorities people! Be sure to visit Rhoda’s party to see all the goodies the other early risers found.


The first finds of the summer are actually compliments of my parents’ Friday thrifting adventures:


They knew I would love this folding church chair.


I love the lines of the back and the chippy white paint.


I am going to recover the seat and add thicker foam for more cushion. I think this will live in the craft room as my new sewing chair.

My parents also picked up this paint-by-number seascape to add to my collection.


All it needs is a little white paint on the frame and it will be ready to join the others.

My Saturday finds set me back a grand total of $2.00. My heart jumps with glee when I realize items are priced in the 5 to 10 cent range. Like these pretty fabric scraps,


And vintage hem tapes,


And glass spice bottles.


I bought ten of these and plan to remove the labels (a good coating of peanut butter or olive oil and a little bit of waiting should do the trick) and fill them with beads, glitter, buttons, and other fun crafty things.

All-in-all, it this weekend was a great way to get summer rolling. How do you kick off the season?

<3
Hattie

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Three years

On June 23rd, 2007 Brad and I said, “I will!” and started our life together. On our anniversary, I like to read over our vows and remember the things we promised to God and each other.



Brad, as Hattie’s husband,
will you exercise prudence, pure motives, and a loving attitude to keep Hattie’s confidence?
Will you promise to encourage and pray for her, and to be a friend and companion?
Will you promise to work towards openness in your relationship, sharing with her your innermost thoughts and dreams?
In your love will you try to be patient and kind – not jealous, boastful, arrogant or rude, trying not to insist on your own way or be irritable or resentful?
Will you promise to cultivate a love that keeps no record of wrongs but always rejoices with the truth?
If you promise to honor, cherish and love Hattie throughout your life, respond by saying,
“I will.”


 
Hattie, as Brad’s wife,
will you promise to give yourself fully to him as he gives himself fully to you?
Will you promise to support him in all of life’s circumstances – in plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, in failure as well as success?
In your love will you try to be understanding and forgiving, sharing with him the secrets of your heart and the cares of the household?
Will you promise to cultivate a love that will endure all the ups and downs of life?
If you promise to honor, cherish and love Brad throughout your life, respond by saying,
“I will.”

Happy anniversary, baby!

Monday, June 21, 2010

Strut your stuff party


Have you ever thrown a party and waited and waited but no one showed? Let’s hope my latest brainstorm doesn’t turn out that way!


Here’s what I’m thinking – I’ve been posting a lot of “how-to’s” lately, and many of you have left comments or emailed me about how you plan to make your own versions.

Well, I wanna see what you’ve got! It’s time for you to strut your stuff, and show off your own (most likely improved!) versions of my silly creations.

Maybe you’ve made a pillow cover,


or your own faux metal letter.


I know a lot of you planned to make the Alice dress!


and this super easy shirred top,


Or something else from one of my other tutorials.

If you’ve made it - I’d love to see it!

So, how about next Wednesday night, June 30th, we all meet back here at the roost for a little strut your stuff party? I’ll put up a linky if you want to blog about your project, or you can just email me photos of your finished masterpiece if blogging isn’t your thing!

What’d ya say? Are you in?

(I hope so!)

<3
Hattie

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Something fun this way comes


I don't know about you, but for me summer calls for adding fun punches of color to the roost. If you were going to add color to your home, where would you start?

A statement sofa?

A retro clock?

A fun tea towel?


No matter what method you choose, one of CSN's over 200 stores is bound to have something you'll love. That's why I'm so excited to announce that I've been invited to review one of their products and giveaway some of the fun to one of you (from the US or Canada) as well!

So watch for a review and giveaway coming soon!

<3
Hattie

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Super easy summer necklace

If you’ve been loving all those cloth and bead necklaces that have been popping up all over the place, then this is the tutorial for you. You don’t even have to sew anything to create this cute and punchy necklace.



To start, gather wire, wire cutters, and some beads. I used an old beaded earring.


Next, cut some long strips of knit fabric. You want six strips total. Three of the strips should be about 1/3 the length of the other three.


Lay all the fabric strip ends on top of each other and knot or sew to secure them together.


Now, braid each side and knot at the end.


Take some wire and wrap it around each knot.


Cut off any excess fabric.


If your beads are not already connected, string them on some wire. Mine were already linked together. Take more wire and use it to connect each end of the string of beads to the end of each fabric braid.


I also added a little bow made from some extra knit fabric.


This is a very quick and easy project, perfect for summer.


Have you made any mixed media necklaces?



If not, You should give it a try!

<3
Hattie