FABRIC SALE TODAY...

JUST A QUICK NOTE TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THERE IS A FABRIC SALE IN THE SHOP TODAY. ALL FABRIC IS 25% OFF-TODAY ONLY. HAPPY SHOPPING!

Inspired Pillows...

A few weeks ago, when we were in Minnesota for a beautiful wedding, a precious friend of mine, knowing my obsession with vintage linens, brought me a fabulous pair of vintage pillowcases-ummm....she definately knows the way to my heart;)-haha. The print is incredible! AND! I had never seen this print in yellow, so I was even more excited! Anyways, I have been staring at them for the last fews weeks, trying to come up with something special that I could see all the time that would be a constant reminder of her! Last night I finally pulled a few other fabrics together and set them in a neat pile on my cutting table with a plan in mind!! This morning on my treasure hunt, I found too oversized throw pillows with just the right squishiness(if that is a word) and rushed them home to my cutting table! With a fun 30 minute sewing break, this is what I finished! Yeah!!!

A Good Night...

Just thought I would share some simple joys.

The boys had fun playing video games before dinner. Cole was such a good sport, he got a controller out for Noah to "play" with. I was so touched at his sensitivity to Noah wanting to be like him. I sure love my boys!! Just wish they wouldn't be growing up so fast! Oh yes, the cute little "wog" better known as the frog, is Noah Potty chair. We are back in the stage of the potty chair being a piece of furniture;) Hard to believe after 12 years, I am just about done completely with diapers. That actually feels a bit bittersweet. But it is a pretty exciting time. Noah is super into his "undies" finally. They are Thomas of course, there is always a key to it isn't there-haha. And i have made lots of comfy pjs pants for him to live in right now! And of course this is so not the subject to talk about right before I mention dinner...but! I guess that is the nature of a mom of a wee one. SORRY!

A good dinner-a meal that all of the kids love!!! Always one of the first I make when Dad is away on a trip. Chicken Stir Fry-Yummy.... I was so grateful to come across a super big wok at a thrift store because my little ol' skillet was just not big enough to make stir fry for 7!

Aren't these just fun!! Coleman made them!! He said they were our own Dove chocolates! And even though dove does happen to be my favorite-these are so much better!! Cole likes to be in the kitchen-he is like his Dad!

And I could just not resist having a little fun with the pure chocolate hearts!! Is there anything better than raspberries and chocolate! Yummy!!

Mom Brought a Surprise for Me...

Yesterday was a good day! Matt left on his first trip of the summer with the youth group. THAT is not why it was good though;) That first day when Matt leaves for a trip is always a struggle for all of us to adjust to life without Dad and friend. All of us always feel a bit aimless, but yesterday, we had something to look forward to...Grandma and Grandpa were coming in the afternoon so we could celebrate my Dad's birthday and spend some time hanging out. I enjoyed taking my dad out to lunch while Mom watched the kids. I could have sat in the resturant all afternoon just talking with my dad! We had such a good conversation and i am so truly thankful for my Dad. We spent a lot of time talking about our struggles in following Jesus wholeheartedly and what keeps us from trusting him with everything.

The rest of the afternoon we spent outside talking while the kids swam in the pool and Cole and my dad threw the football around. It was a beautiful day and Mom brought her new rugs for me to photograph for her shop. She also surprised me with a new rug for my front door! Yeah!

For those of you who are charmed by vintage bed sheets, do you recognize some in this? I love seeing how the different patterns come out in mamas rugs!

Here is the whole thing! Fun!

Here are a few of the new rugs I was able to photograph...I think I want them all mom.

Can you say SHABBY CHIC COTTAGE!!

This one is beautifully summertime!

Mom and Dad stayed for dinner and let me run out for groceries before they left. As they left, the lonliness for Matt set in , urgh. But it was a good first night. The girls and I started a new devotional on Purity that a friend had given me. It is called the Princess and the kiss. It is awesome!!! I am so excited to be going through this! Last night we read the story of the Princess and about the great gift that the Lord gave to her when she was born-"A Kiss" in other words, her purity. It is a beautiful story that really makes my heart cherish purity and gives me hope for my girls in this crazy world we live in, that the Lord is able to protect their innocence and constantly whisper to them how priceless they are to Him. It is exciting and I am praying for the love story God has for each of them. We are starting the devotional part of the book tonight.

I actually got to bed earlier than usual and woke up rested and ready for a good day with the kiddos. I have gotten some work done, the kids have relaxed in the pool, and i was able to finish some summer curtains I worked on for our living room. I had made two panels with white and a touch of different vintage floral prints, bit they were not quite full enough,and because whites are incredibly difficult to match exactly, I decided to use two different florals sheets that complimented what I had already used in the white panels. NOW-I like the look! I have just been in a real color craze lately.

This was the first part of my curtain project.

These are the finally look....

I will have to take some pictures at a better time of day when the sun isn't making it so hard to see the fabrics. My house is slowly being taken over by vintage sheets. Yummy!

Here are some better pictures taken at night when you can see the prints better. I was actually inspired to make these when a dear friend of mine brought me a pair of vintage pillowcases she had found for me. I just had to do something special to incorporate them!

WEEKEND SALE-FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY....

JUST ANOTHER SHOP UPDATE!!! I AM HAVING A WEEKEND THAT RUNS FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY. EVERYTHING IS 25% OFF. HAPPY SHOPPING!!

BED LINENS SALE TODAY ONLY....

THERE IS A BED LINENS SALE IN THE SHOP TODAY....25% OFF OF ANY LINENS PURCHASE. THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW;)

A 20 Minute Pillowcase Market Tote Tutorial-What to do with Vintage Linens

Seriously-This tote bag is quicker to make than loading all the pictures for the tutorial;) I have a step by step quick way to make an easy, unlined market tote from a simple pillowcase. This project is best made with a king size case, but you can easily modify it to use 2 standard cases especially if you want more than just the one print for your tote!

What you will need for this project....

1-king size pillowcase or 2 standard cases

scraps for applique

stencil for applique of your choice

scissors or rotary cutter

pins

iron and ironing board

sewing machine

Once you have all your supplies, you need to decide how deep you want the tote to be.
I chose to cut mine to be 20 inches deep. Leave the hem intact for the top of the tote.
Next,You will need to cut two straps for the tote. I cut mine from the same case since it was a king size and provided enough fabric to do so. If you are using two standard size cases, this is when you would use the second case- for the straps. I cut my strips 6 inches wide.
Then take both straps and lay one on top of the other.
Cut of the side hem so that they are no longer a tube.

Next you want to cut the applique you have chosen for the front of your tote. Of course, this part is optional. It can be fun though, choosing a shape to applique. You can find shapes, animals, birds, flowers, etc in so many places. Coloring books, art books for kids, clip art online, etc can be good sources.
I use fusible interfacing for the back of my appliques to help them last longer. It is also a good surface for tracing on.
Trace your shape.
Cut it out.....
And pin it in a spot that suits you.
You can go ahead and put the body of the bag aside for a few minutes. Take your handle strips to the iron. I have made these straps in a similar fashion to making bias tape. Fold the edge of the strips into the center and press.

Repeat that process again by folding the ironed edges in half and press. Now you can gather up all the parts of the tote and head to the sewing machine.
It is easiest to applique the shape you have chosen before hemming up the tote and adding the handles. I used a simple satin stitch to do so.
Next you want to turn the tote inside out. Take the open edge opposite the hemmed edge and fold it up twice, hiding the rough cut edge. Do a simple topstitch on that to close up the tote. You may want to do two rows of stitching depending on what you will be carrying in it.
After closing the tote up, set it aside for a few moments.

Take the two straps and topstitch on both side to give it a nice even look to it.

Take each end of the straps and clip a small triangle off. This will help to hide the edges and make them less bulky when attaching them to the tote.

Fold each end of the strap up an inch or two and pin to the tote at the desired place.

I attached my handles with a box and crisscross which helps to bare a good amount of weight and keep the stitching from pulling apart.
Here is the inside of the tote-it shows the stitching a bit better.
And there you have it! A 20 minute simple pillowcase market tote!! Sometimes it is just nice to go simple!! They hold a good deal too!