Summerfest Fun for D & D

My friend Darcy has three adorable children. Her youngest are identical twins, D and D. These girls have boundless energy, and are as sweet and excitable as they are beautiful. I got to create their Easter dresses this year (which I still need to share) and was really happy when Darcy asked me to spice up their Summerfest t-shirts, too.

The shirts were cute - yellow tshirts with a colorful logo on front, but they lacked a certain style. Using some upcycled knit tshirts along with a little bit of new knit yardage, I gave them a little bit of oomph.

Here they are, loving their new tank dresses (and each other, of course!).

Enjoy Summerfest girls!

Red, White & Blue

We're ready for the Fourth of July...



Bring on the hot weather, watermelon and sparklers! (Or at least make the rain stop.)

Yo!

Oh how I used to love MTV back in the day...you know, when they actually played music and showed videos? My favorites were Headbanger's Ball and Yo! MTV Raps.

A couple of months back, I found a great t-shirt (at Old Navy, of all places) and knew exactly what it must become:



Do you like it? I LOVE IT!

And so does my cute and happy girl.

Bella's New Dress

Bella is one of the very best-dressed girls we know. Her mom has a great eye for fashion and for colors and fabrics, too. I was so excited - and flattered - when her mom handed over a pile of fabric she loved and asked me to make Bella a new dress.

The fabrics are all Heather Bailey, and they are YUMMY. I love them so much that they just might make their way into my girl's new bedroom...

Love the fabric combination!

Bella's mom has a soft spot for criss-crossing straps!

I hope Bella and her mom LOVE the new dress, and that we get to collaborate on some other projects soon.

Emm-Eye-See Kay-eee-Why (M.I.C.K.E.Y.)

My Lovely Assitant became an official fan of that famous Mouse last October when I look her to Disney on Ice. (I was so pleased that it was Mickey, and not one or more of the Princesses!)

When I told her we were going again in February, she asked for "a Mickey dress that is blue-my-favorite-color." And that is what she got!

I used the same pattern as for this dress and this dress, and made a freezer paper stencil for the mouse silhouette. I added some dots. Why? Because I like them!

The result is a dress she loves almost as much as the mouse himself.

Ruffles

I have a LOT of baby showers to attend lately - and that means lots of baby gifts.

This is one of my favorite projects. Sadly, I took photos of only one of the many I made, and the photos aren't good. Guess I'll just have to make more for the next baby girl!

What is cuter than a sweet baby in a onesie?


A sweet baby in a onesie with ruffles on the booty!

Can't wait for Baby M to arrive and model these herself!!

Upcycled t-shirt dress

Made entirely from old - I mean upcycled - tshirts, this was a hit for St. Patrick's day.

My girl insists on wearing this dress often. Luckily, it is one of my favorites, too.

Simple skirts

I love little girls in skirts. Actually, I love skirts. Period.

These are simple and pretty - two of my favorite things. These particular skirts are from Valentine's day, but believe me my girl has them in almost every color. My favorite part is the cute ribbon hem.


And why make only one? These were for three of my girl's besties!

Toddler pillowcase

When my girl was ready for a pillow in her bed I had a dilemma. A standard pillow was too big for her crib. "Toddler" pillows just weren't right.

Then I found the perfect solution - a travel pillow! It fit perfectly and she loved it.
Did you know it is impossible to find a pillowcase for a travel pillow? I found one, but it was horribly scratchy, not to mention u.g.l.y.

Solution? Make one. Or maybe a dozen. Here's my favorite and hers:

Craft Apron

A couple of months ago, my friend Ang needed a gift for a niece who has "everything." She likes to do art, so we decided she needed a craft apron.

I love how this one turned out - the fabric is so bright and cute, without being too over-the-top girlie. The front pocket has "slots" to hold paintbrushes, markers, etc.

Another satisfied customer!

Easter clothes for K & L

I was so excited when my friend Mindy asked me to create something for her son and daughter to wear for Easter. I only have a girl, so had to scramble to come up with something for him. Mindy gave me free reign, just telling me what colors her girl looks best in.

Here's what I came up with: one of my Criss-Cross Applesauce dresses, and a t-shirt with a little tie appliqued onto it.

The "criss-cross" on the back of dress

Hope Mindy and her children like them as much as I do!

PEEPS!

We are getting ready for a little Easter party here at home. A lot of my Lovely Assistant's friends (and their moms, who happen to be my friends, too) will be coming over for an Easter Egg Hunt and snacks.

Other than Christmas, I'm not usually a seasonal decorator. I don't change out my dishtowels, pillows, curtains, etc. At most, I might fill up some vases with seasonal flowers. But then, I saw THIS over at Made. And I had to make it.

Now I want Peeps on everything. And it is keeping me from doing what needs to be done. The Easter party doesn't REALLY need Peeps decorations. But it does need eggs to be hunted, and perhaps a house clean enough to welcome guests into.

Nah. Easter eggs and cleaning can wait - I have more Peeps to make!

Tshirt dress for Lauren

A good friend of mine has two beautiful little girls, and a hubbie who loves football. All football, really, but especially the Falcons. She asked if I could make her oldest a dress that looked like daddy's favorite t-shirt. Generally I make dresses out of recycled (may upcycled sounds prettier?) shirts and use the existing graphics. But since daddy was unwilling to have his favorite shirt cut up, I had to come up with something new.

Front of dress

Back of dress

I know the photos aren't great (the "good" camera is in the shop, and I'm no pro photographer) but hopefully you can see how cute the details are.

I used the freezer paper stencil tecnique I have seen all over the net, and it took about 7 different separate stencils and layers of paint to get it done. But get it done I did. Eventually. The dress is from a pattern created by Lil Blue Boo and I really want to make lots more.

I can't wait to see how Lauren likes it. I bet it will be the first time her daddy has ever had a favorite dress!

Welcome!

Thanks for stopping by!

This isn't my first attempt at blogging - the first time, I wasn't able to keep it up. I started, but never continued. But this time will be different! Why? Because this blog is about something I do almost every.single.day. Create!

I am not the world's most creative gal. I can't draw a stick figure. I do not wake up in the middle of the night with the next great idea. My inner crafter wasn't released until well into my 20s. Okay, my 30s. But once I got started, I couldn't stop. And now that my time isn't taken up by one of those pesky work-for-pay jobs, I can spend just a little more time having fun.

Some of the things you'll see here are my own creations, and some were borrowed (okay, blatantly stolen!) from other ideas I have seen on-line or in the real world. I will do my best to give credit where credit is due, and if it isn't mine, I won't claim it. If you borrow some of my ideas, please do the same. Fair is fair, after all. (Speaking of credit where credit is due...check out my banner! Thank you to the lovely Swish Designs for the wonderful design work.)

I am lucky enough to have an assistant. She's cute. She's fun. She has creative ideas. And...she works for free!! Of course, she does require frequent breaks for Candyland, fingerpainting, soccer and stories, but I am sure I am getting the better end of this deal. My goal is to create (and post) something new almost every day. And if it doesn't happen, well, I'm blaming my assistant. Isn't that one of the reason we have kids? To have someone else to blame? Ha!

My Lovely Assistant

Many of my projects and creations are available in my Etsy shop HERE.

Hope you enjoy my crafting adventure. Drop me a line and let me know what you think!