Etsy treasuries

Etsy members can make Treasuries to highlight items they like.  Etsy recently made it easier to make Treasuries and I just made my first one.  It was fun! 
Check it out here: Just Stripes

Towel to Poolside Robe & Swimsuit Giveaway

Just in time for Memorial Day, Kathleen from Grosgrain posted a tutorial on how to turn a beach towel into a simple robe/cover up. I have been wanting a swim suit cover up and just haven't found the right one for the right price. So, I decided to try hers. At Walmart the other day, I found a $4 towel in a pretty turquoise and I got to work last night. It was a pretty simple & quick project. I didn't have enough of one size elastic so I sewed two sizes together to get the right length. So far it's working fine, but I may have issues with the elastic rolling inside the casing. I also didn't have iron on Velcro, so my plan was to use sew on Velcro. I realized too late into it that I would have needed to sew the Velcro on at an earlier step (before sewing the casing closed). After Ainsley went to bed, I made a quick trip to JoAnn for the iron on kind. Like Kathleen, I like it better without straps, so I didn't make them. I don't have any pictures of the finished product, so you'll have to look at Kathleen's photos to get an idea of what is looks like. By the way, aren't she and her daughter SO cute in their polka dot suits?!?

If you're looking for a cover up, you should really try this one!

While you're on Kathleen's blog, check out the Swimsuit Giveaway from Shabby Apple!! Shabby Apple Queensland Swimsuit Giveaway

I'm getting so excited for Memorial Day at the pool with good friends and yummy food!!

What are your Memorial Day plans?

1 hat, 2 hats...

Awhile ago I found a shop on Etsy called Mani Mina and I love her clothing patterns for children. Impulsively, I bought her Reversible Child Hat Pattern, and thought it has taken me nearly a year to use it, I have no regrets. It's a great pattern. I had one small snafu with it - the first time I printed the pattern pieces, something got messed up, although I didn't know it. That is, until I tried it on Ainsley and it didn't fit!! I was so bummed. I was so proud of myself for getting a thrift store women's jacket and men's dress shirt to use for the hat, and it turned out so cute. Oh well - perhaps for another child down the road...(no, we're not expecting!)




















A couple weeks ago, I picked up some cute fabric at Joann's for another go at the hat. This time the pattern printed differently and that's when I realized what went wrong with the first! I was so glad that this one fit her!! Here we come Summer!!

only a few days left!

Remember to stop by my shop, The Littlest Daisy, and check out the Spring Sale! Buy any 2 items, get a third (of equal or lesser value to one item) FREE! Sale ends at midnight on April 30th!

Old to New: Ironing Board Cover

My ironing board must be nearly vintage. No, it's not that old, but it - or at least its cover - has seen better days. I bought it at a garage sale the summer before Heath and I were married. I always meant to get a new cover for it because even then it was well worn and faded, but thought registering for one was not at all romantic. So, I never got around to getting one. And it has been looking very sad lately and getting worse and worse. It developed a small hole which I managed to make bigger nearly every time I used the board. See, I use my ironing board for much more than ironing when I am sewing. It turns into my table, too. As I would cut out material, my scissors began snagging the tiny hole and making it ever larger. To make matters worse, during my Onesie Project, I accidentally ironed some adhesive onto the cover. So now part of the cover was unusable as everything stuck to it. Here are some pictures of my well worn, discolored, holey ironing board cover.


















All of this is why I desperately needed to either make myself a new cover or buy one. I was in the mood last night to make one, so I tried out this Ironing Board Cover Tutorial by Sew4Home. I only used one kind of fabric, rather than the two they suggested, which made my cover much less complicated to make. I like the simpler look, too. Two fabrics would have been too busy for my taste. I also like that it matches my new sewing machine cover. So someday if I have a sewing room/space, they'll look so nice together!

our new nephew

We have a new nephew! Cade Joseph was born a couple weeks ago, and we are so looking forward to meeting him in May!!

One evening last week, I made these cute onesies for him. It was so fun! I think I may have found a new craft love. It's really pretty simple - all you need is Heat n Bond (I got mine at JoAnn's), some fabric scraps, scissors, and an iron.

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* A Spring Sale*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

just a little taste of the items in my shop

For the month of April, I am having a Spring Sale at The Littlest Daisy. Buy any two items, get a third (of equal or lesser value) FREE!

a little something for me

My sewing machine came with this plastic cover which worked great, that is, until it ripped. At first it was just a tiny rip, really not a big deal at all. But then the rip slowly became bigger and bigger until it was only half covering my machine. At that point, it was really quite useless as a cover.

It's been in the back of my mind since then that I really should get a new cover. I stumbled across this tutorial for a Sewing Machine Cover on Sew 4 Home a few weeks ago and decided to try it out. I am mostly happy with the result, though I think my corners could have been done better.

front view:

side view:

















top view:














now I just need to work up the nerve to try the Ironing Board Cover tutorial.

what i've been up to

don't you just love this fabric? I found it a a cute little modern fabric boutique here in Dallas. If you live near here, you really ought to check out City Craft's store.

this is my third toddler backpack; i really can't get enough of making these. they just turn out so cute!

I awoke this morning to see this

if you can't see (sorry for the horrible picture!), "happy birthday" is written around the border in quite a few different languages.

isn't my husband wonderful?!

Host a Spring Party

I am most excited to introduce my newest listing in my Etsy shop, The Littlest Daisy.

I have put together a charming Hostess Set with blank invitations, thank you cards, name cards, and cuisine cards. The aqua & red really say "Hello Spring!" to me.

Go check it out!

summer is a comin'

I know what you Northerners are thinking - it's not even March yet! Here in Texas, though, we enjoy a very early Spring which is a full blown Summer by April or May. In fact, according to Texans, this winter has been unnaturally cold & snowy. (Just so you don't get too jealous, I'm sure we'll be having cold weather again in no time!)

All that to say - it is a gorgeous sunny day with temps in the mid 50's and it just feels like Spring & Summer are right around the corner. And Ainsley & I have spent the morning driving around with the windows down shopping for summery fabric, shorts & tanks for Ainsley, and beach toys. Almost as good as the wonderful weather is that I found all of this:



for less than $25!!

I am THRILLED!


[be watching for a post about two new homemade summer dresses for Ainsley - I am quite excited about this!]

You may or may not have noticed that one of our homemade Valentine's cards was made out of fabric. Dana from MADE put together a tutorial awhile back for Quilted Notecards, which I thought looked both easy and fun. My take on it for Valentines was sewing together some fabric scraps, cutting out a heart from it, and sewing it to a little card. It was QUITE simple, yet I think the cards look pretty cool. Plus, the sound of the needle going through the paper is addictive. Try it - you'll love it!

a few of my favorites on Etsy...

Click the photo to see the item in its Etsy shop

In honor of...

International Pancake Day, I wanted to share my Dad's pancake recipe. He has some kind of brilliant knack for making fluffy, delicious pancakes. My siblings and I were always excited to hear he was making them. Though my attempts don't come close to his, the recipe still turns out great.

Without further ado, here it is...

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 c. milk
1/3 c. oil
2 c. flour
5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp sugar

Directions:
Beat eggs; add milk & oil. Stir in flour and other dry ingredients. Beat until smooth (my dad says "forever"). Cook on a moderate-hot griddle or skillet. Serves 3-4. (For our family of 6, Dad doubled the recipe. If I'm serving eggs & sausage too, then I make half a batch for Heath & I.)


So, women - take a night off and make pancakes tonight! :)

everyone else has snow days; I want one too!

I awoke this morning and glanced out the window only to discover that our neighborhood had been transformed overnight. The trees are frosty white and everything is covered with a wonderful layer of snow! I don't know what it is, but I love waking up to a fresh white snowfall (and it hardly ever happens here in Dallas). It makes me want to cozy up next to a fire, or at least with a yummy cup of coffee and read all day. I've probably been conditioned from all the years in school that snow in the morning may mean a snow day. And snow days are the best! I love being able to NOT do whatever it was I was supposed to do and DO the wonderful things that I love - like bake or create or sew or paint or read or just play! The danger with hoping for a snow day is that we very well may not have a snow day and the day will continue as it was supposed to. It didn't seem like a mundane day until there was the hope of something else. Funny how that works...

Anyway, here in Dallas, the roads are looking okay right now so life and work will probably continue as always. If there's still snow after breakfast though, I will be taking Ainsley out because one of the things she talks about the most is playing in the snow! And even if we don't get a snow day, the world still looks magical and clean with all that snow out there!

getting ready for v-day

The wheels in my head have been turning lately, trying to think of ideas to celebrate Valentine's Day. I saw this on Made By Rae's blog and loved its simplicity. She called it "The Easiest Heart Garland. Evar." and I have to agree. I found the cheapie craft felt sheets at JoAnn, picked out some fun colors and ended up with 12 sheets - 2 of each color. All together - $3!!

So, here's how to replicate this heart garland:

Cut hearts out of felt. I used 72 for my garland.
Put them in some kind of order in a stack.

Machine sew them together. It's easiest to start with the top of the heart, rather than the point. Sew all the hearts together.Admire your handiwork and...decorate your house!

Remember the curtains in my kitchen that I don't like anymore? They've been replaced by this fun garland! And I'm loving it!!

Craft Hope

So, there's this website called Craft Hope, and it's really a project that a woman named Jade started. Here's how she describes Craft Hope:

Craft Hope is a love inspired project designed to share handmade crafts with those who need them. It is our hope to combine our love for crafting and desire to help others into a project to make a difference around the world.

For example, Project 1 collected dresses for little girls and shorts for little boys in an orphanage & shelter in Mexico. Project 4 collected sock moneys to give to the Little Heroes Preschool Burn Camp through the Firefighters Burn Institute in California. Now they are on Project 6, which is collecting red scarves for the Orphan Foundation. Every year, foster kids are aged out of the program as they head off to college. The Red Scarf Program was started to send scarves to these youth in Valentine's Day care packages.

The requirements are pretty simple - basically you need some red yarn and know how to knit or crochet. The guidelines are on the Craft Hope page under Project 6. The only catch is they need to be at The Orphan Foundation by February 14th to be included in the care packages.

I think it's pretty cool to get involved in things like this. I have been wanting to contribute to this effort, but have felt under qualified for the other projects. This time, though, I know I can contribute!

I found a really soft red yarn at Hobby Lobby for a great price and I started a scarf the other day. We'll see how long it takes me to make one scarf. If I have enough time and yarn, I may try for 2!

I Love This Yarn in Cranberry

Anyone with me?

Rosette Wreath

Several weeks ago I saw the neatest wreath tutorial on a blog I read, though I can't remember now who posted about it. The tutorial is here. It's a rosette wreath made from a Styrofoam wreath form, felt circles, straight pins, and some time. I found some charcoal felt that I love at Joann and I even had a 50% off coupon!! I did use the easier method of cutting out the circles with a white ink pad and a large mouth Ball canning jar. I know it made a big difference in how long this project took. I love the white wreath that she made in the tutorial, but we have all white walls, so that wouldn't work. My pictures don't look nearly as good as the ones on the tutorial, so do look at them!

the back

the top with the ribbon to hang

hanging on our family photo wall!

some random thoughts

Ainsley has a fever this morning and she watching a video about the stillest I have ever seen her sit. Poor girl!

Do you ever have good ideas that flop once you actually do them? I bought one of those three-tiered hanging wire baskets for our kitchen a couple years ago. There's a place to hang it by our sink that I thought would be perfect for our fresh fruits & veggies that don't need to be refrigerated. It's been hanging there since I bought it, but has been nearly empty most of that time. I found that the sun hits the basket through our kitchen window much too often for fresh produce to last very long. Mostly it's been a place where I lazily toss an opened package of cracker or nuts, rather than putting them away. And recently, it has become an eyesore. I'm going to take it down today.

As long as we're talking about that kitchen window area by the sink...I think I'm tired of the current curtains, too. Perhaps it's time for a new window treatment?? Keep an eye out for a before & after post...