My camera has been returned. I am feeling refreshed. And will be leaving to pick up my babes in a few minutes. All of my ‘plans’ went out the window this weekend as we just took time to be. Slowing down, no plans, no expectations. We went as the wind blew us. Something you certainly can’t do with kids.

A highlight of the weekend was spending it with family at my sister’s baby shower. She’s due in September and we can’t wait to welcome the newest baby girl to our family. My sister is not a pink girl, either am I, so I was able to work with blues, greens, reds and yellows putting together gifts for her little bundle of love.

A baby blanket made out of vintage fabric.

My sweetie nephew Phoenix admiring my work. Look at those tats! He’s a rockstar himself!

Everyone on the planet seems to be making these freezer paper stenciled onesies. I’m a little late to the game but here is my interpretation of my sister in a onesie. I vividly recall Miles breaking her heart when she was a little girl telling her that unicorns are not real.

And I also made some burp cloths but the Texas sunlight killed my picture. I do apologize.

I’ve still got to get some things done around here before I head out to pick up my little monkeys. No time for blog reading. Sigh. Email replies. Sigh. I’ll catch up with everyone as soon as I can.

Oh friends, do I have some crafty/sewing goodness to share with you. But since I don’t have my camera yet, and they are gifts for my sister’s baby shower tomorrow (she reads my blog… Hi Alison), you’ll have to wait. I know, I’m such a tease. But I can show you my first little client for the baby Mexican dress. The babe that created the obsession that I now have with these dresses.

Isn’t she the sweetest thing you ever laid your eyes on! I’m talking about the baby, not the dress. But the dress is cute too right?!? Her mama contacted me about making her daughter a dress for her first birthday. She told me that it was a fiesta theme and that’s all I had to work with. One trip to a vintage store later I came home with this purple puebla women’s dress. A few cuts and snips later. Some bias tape added. And this lovely little baby dress was born.

It’s Friday and there is excitement in the air. The kids are going to stay with their grandma and grandpa this weekend and they couldn’t be more excited. Honestly, I couldn’t be more excited for myself (ahem) them either. What’s on the plate you might ask? Reading. Sewing. Time with Hubby. Floating in the lake. Watching the Olympics. Knitting. Time with Friends. Thrifting. Baby Shower. Flea Market. Oh, I hope I can fit it all in!

Do you ever see something and say to yourself I have to have that. Now! Today I had such an experience while I was perusing the blogs over my morning coffee. So there I was, going down my list of must read blogs when I came across this blog. And low and behold Erin, and Tracy, made camera straps for their cameras.  After seeing this a few places I had to make one. What a great idea and beautiful accessory.

I pulled out my favorite fabric and went to work. I am so not good with directions, no comment from the real life peanut gallery, or instructions for that matter so I found this to be pretty easy. No directions, no problem. You give me a pattern and I’ll fight with it for hours.

One puncture wound from the seam ripper and one broken sewing machine needle later… voila! A pretty strap for my camera. Perfect for our trip to San Antonio tomorrow! I’ll be traveling for the rest of the week but hope to pop in and bring you along on the journey. Vamanos!

We interrupt the scheduled Disney Crack programming to bring you a little crafty goodness.

My bedroom/crafting space is full of sweet little pillowcase dresses. I’ve been updating my Etsy shop. Makena keeps popping in and asking if each one of the dresses is hers. They are hard to part with, some of them are just too cute.

I decided that I needed to go ahead and cut into those beautiful vintage pillowcases to make dresses out of them. So I selected a few sizes and cut away. Right now the sizes range from 12 months to 3t. I’ll be continuing to add dresses to the shop over the weekend so check back. Also, remember that I can do custom orders as well so just contact me if you want something special.

Okay, go ahead. Check out the shop. I’ll wait right here for you. Now tell your friends. Spread the word. I’ve got preschool to pay for next fall!

I received my first custom order a couple of weeks ago from a woman wanting a dress for her daughter’s first birthday party. She said that she wanted a Mexican style dress and left the creativity up to me. Fun! I searched high and low until I found the perfect vintage women’s Mexican dress. A few cuts and snips.

Voila! A baby dress!

It’s that time of year again when I find myself running from here to there. Trying to get it all done while feeling like I’m not getting much done. The weather is warming up really fast which makes me want to stay inside and turn on the air conditioning. The kids are pulling me outside for nature walks, bug catching and flower picking while I’m feeling pulled inside to creating. Something.

A couple of weeks ago I managed to make this clutch for Claudia. I had to put more of that patchwork fabric to use. I think I like it so much I need to make a couple more for gifts. I used a pattern from the Bend the Rules Sewing book and it came together very quickly. I’m still learning to read patterns and get hung up in a few places every time, but it’s getting better. Slow and steady wins the race.

I have these projects that haunt me. They sit there, staring at me, waiting to be completed. You see, I’m an idea girl. I like to come up with ideas. I like the planning. I like the shopping involved but I’m really, really bad at the follow through. However, when I’m in the midst of a project, I do really enjoy it.

Let’s see… There is Makena’s nightgown that I hoped to make around Christmas. Sitting on the shelf. Haunting me. There are the shelves on the floor of Keegan’s room that need to be hung. There is more patchwork fabric waiting to become a skirt for myself. There are a few gifts I need to make and send out. There are countless craft books I have bought just waiting to be put to use.

But today, my friends, I was able to check off one item off of my list. A friend of mine asked me if I could make her an appliqued bird shirt… oh, around Christmas time. Better late than never right! Maybe I should also offer to make her one that is short sleeve since it will be 100 degrees here very soon.

And for her patience, a lovely matching tea towel. Not to be worn together.

Also, thanks for all of your suggestions for the piano bench fabric competition. It was a tough decision but the inner wild child in me prevailed. Thank you Sarah for your suggestion for the zebra print. The piano bench is going to rock the zebra fabric very soon! Sarah, for your creativity you will get something special from moi. I’m sure the anticipation is killing you!

Wildflowers have begun to appear along the roadside here in the Texas Hill Country. With the arrival of the wildflowers comes the “don’t pick the blue ones” that I bellow to the kids. The ‘blue ones’ are bluebonnets and since they are the state flower they are protected. But for my flower picking babe, she doesn’t understand that concept. So as long as no one is looking, a few ‘blue ones’ get picked. Shhhh! Don’t tell anyone.

Every morning when I walk outside I notice something new that has bloomed. Even one little geranium in the garden has begun to bloom. Patiently waiting for a deer to come along and rip it’s flower off. Poor little thing, if he only knew.

All of the flowers on the bushes have begun to bloom. The oak trees have dropped their leaves, are polenating (aaaachooo), and are getting their new leaves for the season. And the Japanese Maple has begun to get it’s leaves. I just love the deep red of this tree.

With summer right around the corner, the thoughts of long days spent at the lake arise. Just a short walk from our house is the lake. Where we bask in the sun until it sets. Fishing. Swimming. Boating. Relaxing. Living.

To accompany the bare feet of little ones, new lake side clothes are in order. So today I whipped up a new dress for Makena.

And some pants for my little surfer dude.

Also, don’t forget that today is the last day for the piano bench contest. You can submit fabric ideas for the piano bench by midnight. I’ll announce the winner on Tuesday! Thanks everyone for your contributions so far. You’re going to make this a very difficult decision for me!

There is something about repurposing vintage items.  The whole idea of taking something that is old and making it new again really appeals to me.  I have to admit that I have become a fabric snob.  The feeling of soft linens, that have been washed more times than I can imagine.  That have spent time basking in the sun on a clothesline to dry.  Carefully pressed, then ready to use.  How many countless nights these pillowcases caught the dreams of young and old alike.  That tooth anxiously awaiting arrival of the tooth fairy.  That road trip that wasn’t the same without that pillow from home.  Pillows thrown on the floor for a sleepover with friends.  Pillow fights.

Finding a pillowcase at a thrift store and turning it into a beautiful spring dress for my babe really gives me a sense of accomplishment.  Of course, she doesn’t have the same imagery running through her head that I do.  But, she is creating her own memories in these sweet little dresses.  Running and playing in the yard.  Catching the scent of a rosemary bush as it trails behind her on summer star filled nights.  These are the memories of her youth.  And this is the dress that will hold them.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my stash of vintage linens. I was inspired by your suggestions and have begun to pull them off of the shelves and put them to use. Spring has been making an appearance lately and with the change of seasons comes a change of attire.

I was able to find inspiration here and here. I used a vintage pillowcase that I picked up while thrifting last summer. I made this dress for the kids cousin Camden for her third birthday.

Since the sewing machine was out, why stop with just one dress. It was such a simple and quick project, might as well make a shirt to wear to the birthday party. For this shirt, I used a vintage embroidered pillowcase. The goat seems to like it.

And another goat picture for grins and giggles. We ran across the goats on the way home from the party. There is a local farm that I’ve been meaning to tell you about. We stop there every time we come home from San Antonio for fresh herbs, veggies and some goat action. This time they had free flowers for the kids!

I am a sewing machine. Yes, the sewing machine is out and has been working today. Now I’m not a Bernina or Husqvarna. No, I’m not fancy, rather I’m pretty simple. I’m more like my little Singer Simple machine which is trustworthy, reliable and simple. I don’t have grand plans for my sewing. I can’t quilt. I can’t embroider. No automatic button holes and no automatic bobbin winding. Maybe someday, but for now I am content and am able to make handmade things with love for my family.

Today I whipped up not one, not two, but three rice pillows that I had seen here and here. Everyone now has their own warmie - as Makena has named them. You can heat them up in the microwave or stick them in the freezer. I was able to use that newly thrifted vintage pink fabric, a vintage sheet and some quilting fabric. I have a large stack of vintage sheets and pillowcases that I’ve picked up out and about. This was my first time cutting into them and it was the perfect project.

Since I’ve started cutting into my vintage sheets I think I’ll go for a bigger project. Eren had posted a vintage pillowcase quilt a while back and I’ve been dying to make it. Now to decide which pillowcases to use. I think tomorrow I’ll show you my stash and get your opinions. You know, I think my Singer Simple is up to the challenge of a new blanket!