Baby Chyles' Room!

We are so excited to welcome our little baby girl into our family!  Just a few short weeks away!  We've had a lot of help in this process- my husband, my father-in-law, my mom, and my mother-in-law!  My husband remodeled the closet, and made the shelves from scratch!  My husband and father-in-law painted the room, put up the boards, and installed the ceiling fan.  My mom made the curtains.  And my mother-in-law made the owl crib mobile, owl mat, and the glider covers.  They are all so amazing!  

So, without further ado, here are the pictures!

Before pix (the turtle room):

And now, the baby's room! 

Kyle made the closet more efficient!  Love it!  He's so handy!

My mother-in-law made the covers for the glider, as well as that cute owl mat!  She is such a professional!  She also made the owl mobile above the crib.

I found that dresser at a yard sale for $10!  (Originally it was an ugly, brown color, with missing handles.)  

And, the curtains!  I love the dandelions and chevron combination.  They really add to the room!  (You can also see the glider before the covers were made.)

I have yet to finish a few decorations, but for the most part, it's ready!  Isn't it cute?!?

Entry Way Table

We absolutely LOVE this new piece!  We found it at an estate sale for a few bucks during the winter, and finally finished it!  I sanded it down (it was an old, dark brown color) and then painted it white, and then the bluish color.  (Behr Voyage UL 220-2)  We left the top unpainted so that we could stain it.  Then we sanded it lightly to show the white underneath.  Lastly, we added some handles that we purchased online.  It turned out really well, I think!  I love that it has an old crack in the top.  It's just so classy, yet simple!

Best Wedding Gift, Ever!

My husband's best friend got married recently.  What a day it was!  :)  We made him and his beautiful wife a dining table.  Well, we bought one off of KSL, and refinished it.  We took off the table top and threw that piece away.  First, we sanded everything.  Talk about a pain!  We then primed the chairs and legs, painted them black, and then painted them white.  We sanded the edges so that the black would show through, making it look more vintage/worn.  Lastly, we put on a clear protective coat.  

Kyle made the wood top from scratch.  He put some wood pieces together all professional-like, sanded them, stained them, and then put on a finishing wax.

Pretty spiffy, huh?  It turned out so beautiful!  :)  Needless to say, I did not enjoy working on this one... It's finished, hallelujah!   

Ugly Dolls!

We went to Oregon recently for my 10 year high school reunion.  10 years.  Wow.  I decided to make some ugly dolls with the help of my mom.  I made two of them...Titi and Paprika.  (Kyle named them both- Titi actually means penis in Tagolog, just so ya know.  Paprika came from out of nowhere, but I like it.)

Of course, I didn't take step-by-step pictures.  I'm the worst with that!  But really, you just cut out two pieces of fabric and go from there.  

The beginning of Titi

 Before sewing the two pieces together, I sewed on the eyes (fabric and buttons), mouth (rick rack), and belly button (button).  I left two holes open in order to put the stuffing in, and then sewed those holes shut with a needle and thread.  

Dang ugly...but kind of fun, right?

With Paprika, I cut the fabric, sewed on the button eyes, nose, ribbon mouth, red hair, the vest with buttons, and lace skirt.  I then made the arms and legs.  When sewing the pieces together, I put the arms and legs inside so that when you turn it right-side out they stick out.  The blue hair I sewed on last.

 Best Friends!  :)  Paprika is definitely my favorite!  Titi is just crazy, scary looking...but fun!  I plan on making one or two more.  Who needs Barbies?  

Maternity Shirt

Shopping for maternity shirts has been tough!  First of all, there aren't many maternity stores, and if there are, they charge a lot of $$$.  Online shopping is also hard when you're someone who likes to be able to try things on first!  So...I decided I would try to make my own!  

I searched and searched (on Pinterest) for some good tutorials, and found a few good ones.  The tutorial I followed wasn't actually for a maternity shirt, although it could be used for one.  All I added was elastic for ruching (gathering).  (By the way, ruching is a real word, Mom.  I Googled it.)  When adding the elastic, I used another tutorial specifically for a maternity shirt.  

I started off cutting my fabric into a rectangle (about 21" by 32"), then added the neck.  I used a lid to make sure I cut it right!  I made it 9" long and about 2 1/2" deep.  Then I tapered the shoulders a little bit.  I made the sleeve openings 7" and then from there cut down the sides from the armpit to even it out.

I wanted to make sure that all the sides are lined up, so I folded the shirt in half.  After that, I sewed up the two sides and the two shoulders.

Then I hemmed the bottoms, the sleeves, and the neck.  I'm horrible at hemming, by the way.  There are some pretty ugly spots!  After that I ironed the hemmed edges.  

Then it was time for the elastic!  I cut two 10" strips of 1/4" elastic.  I looked at one of my maternity shirts to determine where to start and end the elastic.  I pinned each elastic 6 1/2" below the armpit, and put a pin in for stopping reference at 2" above the bottom hem.  I stretched the elastic as I sewed it on.  

Don't mind the shorts...I was still in my pj's as I worked on this project!  :)

I'm pretty darn proud of myself!!!  It fits really well, and there is still plenty of room to grow!  (Good thing, because I still have a little less than 4 months to go!)

Tutorial for shirt:

http://www.merricksart.com/2012/05/summer-tunic-tutorial.html

Tutorial for ruching:

http://www.throughcloudedglass.com/2013/03/diy-maternity-shirt-tutorial.html

Baby Blanket :)

We are having a baby girl in October, and we are very excited!  Since I got a sewing machine I really wanted to try my luck at a baby blanket.  I read some blogs and thought it sounded easy enough.  I almost waited till I could get some professional help (Mom), but decided to give it a try on my own.  I did, however, have to call my mom during the process!  :)  

There are so many cute fabrics out there!  It was a tough decision, but I decided on a flannel and minkee.  I was a little hesitant about the purple, but I love the almost-mint green/blue in it, and the design!  

 So the first thing I did was lay both pieces out facing each other and cut them to match.  I then cut the batting (very thin) to match, as well.  After that, I pinned the edges together, leaving about 6 inches on a corner open.  I also rounded the edges to give it a "smooth" look.  (Basically, my mom said it would look good, so I did it!)  

 After sewing all the sides together (except the 6 inch opening), I pulled the blanket right-side out.

I really like the rounded corners!  They turned out nice!  Lastly, I hand-sewed the corner opening shut.  Not the prettiest part of the blanket, but it works, and it's done!  (Actually, I am going to tie it, too.  I'll use pink, thick thread for that.  Not yarn.)

I feel so accomplished!  :)  Baby Chyles is going to LOVE it!

My First Sewing Project!

I got a sewing machine for Mother's Day!  It's a Janome.  So far, I love it!  I haven't really sewn since I was a young teen...and back then I wasn't too into learning about it.  My mom always tried to teach me how to be crafty, but I never wanted to listen.  I'm sure I will have that same opportunity (aka Drama!) with my little girl one day!  :)

The first project I tackled was simple- curtains for the kitchen window.  Of course, I found some ideas on Pinterest, and decided on short curtains, using a tension rod.  I found a fun fabric at Wal-Mart and got a yard and a half.

Before I started I washed, dried, and ironed the fabric.  I then pinned up the edges...which was hard for me.  I had a hard time keeping them straight.  I then ironed them to keep them down while sewing.  

I then folded the fabric in half.  It's pretty sheer, and I didn't want to add a backside to it.  Plus, I have blinds behind it.  It's just for decoration mostly, anyway!

I slipped it onto the tension rod, stuck in up in between the cabinets, and viola!  I think it turned out well.  Definitely NOT perfect...and please don't look too closely if you ever come over.