​I saw this idea here and loved it.  It was much easier to make than it looks and saved me TONS of money this year on gifts.  I found these miniature wash tubs for  3/$1 and bought little hand towels to go with the soap 18/$4.  I'll let Amy from The Idea Room tell you how it's done.  My total cost for each gift was $2.22 per teacher.  

This is a fun bag for anyone who is learning to sew and wants to make something super functional.  The bag itself is easy to make and can be made in different sizes.  It's one of my very favorites to make in almost any print or pattern.

I had this pattern saved from long ago from a sweet little blog called Wee Wonderfuls.  You have to check out her other patterns.  I went ahead attached her pattern below but you have to check out her adorable creations.  It's been years and years since I made this little guy and gave it away as a gift.  You will love making this one.

​The last few weeks I have taken the time to do a few fun things with the boys.  One of them that I wanted to share was how we made our own terrarium.    I try to look at everything before I throw it away to see if it has a new life.  This cookie container from the grocery store looked like a perfect container for the kids to make a terrarium.

Sometimes kids come up with the cutest ideas.  How can we roast mini marshmallows?  With the help of an adult, candle, toothpicks, and...

When I was trying to come up with some cute and very cheap party favors for the little pirates coming to the birthday party, I searched high and low and finally found some little items but I needed something to put them in.  I remembered my little one coming home from church with a felt pouch they made to put stones in.  So, I called on a friend who came through and brought me the left overs from the lesson and boy was I excited.  These are super easy to make and take very little time and are PERFECT for giving away their favors in.

​I LOVE thrift store shopping and these little shorts are exactly the reason why.  The shorts were originally a boys 18 shorts, high quality, usually very expensive but I got them for around 25 cents.
Here's how:
I have a pair of shorts pattern that I made using craft paper and a pattern I had in my stock pile.  It's the size I need it and ready to use.  I cut the seam in the shorts inside the crotch of the pants and laid them out side seams together.  My pattern is laid with the side seams together as well.  I cut away.

I did end up cutting a small piece of an existing pocket hole, so I stitched it up and cut away any excess pocket fabric on the inside.

I do french seams because they are easy and durable.  Open each side of the shorts up, lay them wrong sides together and sew the outside edges close to the edge on both sides of the short.  

Press out your seams right side together and sew 1/8" further in than the previous stitching underneath.  The result is a seam that is not exposed and will never fray.

Measure your elastic this way.  Have around 1" that over laps so that the elastic can be connected securely.

Attach the ends of the elastic by over lapping them around 1" and sewing multiple stitch lines to connect the two.

Place the connected elastic in the back of the pants on the inside right at the edge.  You will then attach the opposite side of the elastic to the front of the pants near the edge.  Attach by pinning.  You are basically pinning all 4 "corners" together as shown above.

Sew the elastic at the edge of the shorts about 1/8" from the edge, stretching the elastic as you go from "corner to corner".   You will then do an overcast stitch around the edge to prevent fraying.

Fold the elastic down towards the inside and sew along the edge, stretching as you go.

When my boys were little I made them these little chefs aprons complete with hats and oven mitts. It was a year when money was tight at Christmas so I made these to go with a cookbook I bought them and a few colorful utensils. It's been close to 7 years and we still have these hanging and ready to use. The smaller one was passed down and the hats have gone MIA but they still love their colorful aprons.

Chefs hat and oven glove are also available.

A dear friend shared an idea of writing something you are thankful for every week all year long on a little sheet of paper and putting it in a jar to reflect on at the end of the year. I immediately thought of how fun this would be for my kids but with a twist.

Once upon a time I used paper stars in a jar as incentives for my first graders. They loved it when I handed them a little paper star for doing well. I could whip on up fast and their eyes would glow. The could keep them or add them to a jar we were filling for a party day or cupcakes for good behavior. This is a twist on the stars those babies loved.

So, I grabbed some pretty scrapbook paper and started cutting 1/2" strips of paper.

I will cut all these in half and stick thing in a smaller jar for the kids take one out when they are ready to write on a strip something they are thankful for that week. Then we will fold them up and make a little star for our jar like below.

You simply start tying one end of a stripe of paper (1/2" x 5.5") in a sort of knot. You don't want one end to be long, so you can tie it closer to the end or tear the extra off. Begin folding the strip around the knot, pretty paper side out. You will have a flat little pentagon with a tail that needs tucking in. Now to make the star.

With your finger nail, press in the 5 flat sides of pentagon. It will puff out the and create a little dent. You now have a star.

We are excited to fill our jar with stars with things we are grateful for this year.

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever.
1 Chronicles 16:35

I made these as a bridal shower gift years ago.

I posted a really great bookshelf for the boys room.  The instructions were SO easy that I thought I'd give it a go with barn wood I rescued to use in Jake's room.  I figured his bed would be next but I suppose I was feeling too ambitious with that thought so a simple bookshelf would have to do.


So, you can see it was obviously a success.  I was able to put an arm load of books on the shelf for him to read, right at his level.  James said he'd have them all over the floor and using the shelf as a step to the window.  He's probably right but for now it is featuring some of our favorite books.
P.S.  See the boxes that are stacked and one of them says "Toys".  That was one of my favorite projects that I still haven't shown you.  I love them!  they hide those plastic bins and give them such great personality.  The bottom one is supposed to have a race car on it but I'm slacking.


To see how these shelves are made, visit here and follow the link provided. 

I have had a "cornice board" of sorts envisioned for Jake's room for a LOOOONG time.  I was thinking a couple of boards nailed together with some of the old barn wood from Papaw's old barn that fell in would be all that I needed.  DH did better than that.  He incorporated the hinges from a few barn doors that were long gone and this is how he did it...
He cut the long board into 3 sections making the side boards come together neatly in the corners and added "L" brackets.  
He added the hinges to another board and piloted the holes for the board it would hang from, the one that will be attached to the wall.
We leveled the "cornice board and marked where the wholes would be for the "L" brackets.  Because this is a window with a header there was no need for anchors, just long screws were used.  The "L" brackets were removed from the "cornice board" and attached to the wall.  The board and the "L" brackets were attached together again on the next step.
We (akhem...DH) added the lower hanging board from the hinges.  All holes were marked and pre-drilled before hanging.


I couldn't be happier.  Jake's "fishing" themed room is slowly taking shape.  Next...the bed!

This week has been physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausting. Do you ever feel that way too? Like you can't fit it all into your schedule, that the unexpected circumstances that arise are deflating your will power, that the more you feel you are doing good for others you in turn feel depleted and tired? Yeah. (long sigh) Me too.

I sometimes feel like I have too many irons in the fire. I have a direct sales business, an Etsy shop, I take orders, sew clothes, enjoy home improvement, love to cook, have laundry on a rotating schedule, hired a house keeper to help clean (praise!), shuffle babies back and forth to visitations, kids in AWANAS, choir practice, church, Bible study, and at some point I need to find time to shower. Didn't that just exhaust you reading it?

There's even more when you talk about the kids school and exercise and shopping. Geez!!! No wonder I threw my tired self down on the couch last weekend and checked out.

Custom jewelry orders are coming in. That's just God showing out. He promised me the marketplace was where I would find my provision for my family. He is true to His promises. I'm truly blessed!

I love working with my hands and I keep them busy for sure! Only tonight as I laid in bed and all was quite and dark I felt a real stirring deep inside me. I was being called to my prayer closet. It gets real deep in there. I sat down, read my devotional, 2 chapters in my Fervent book, filled out 3 prayer cards, then closed my eyes. I took a deep breath that traveled to my soul and back. I exhaled my prayers spilled out. Every hurting friend who had asked for prayer, for all the tired mommas, for my children, my husband, for myself, for everything I asked Him for wisdom. For myself, I cried that I was overwhelmed and not feeling sufficient and asked for guidance. Do I slow down? How? Do I rest? When? Am I really over loaded? No! I'm just not careful. I'm not focused. You can't be in the world and have it all together. I can't worry about elections or arguments on Facebook. I can't keep scrolling through videos and newsfeeds. I can't keep reading status updates from every person on my list who has a thought or checks in. I can't worry about those things.

Focus!

The work is never easy. However no matter what I do or how hard I work 1 Corinthians 3:7 says....
"...but God who gives the increase."

1 Corinthians 3:8 says....
"One will receive his own reward according to his own labor."
​

I labored. I shiplapped my laundry room, painted, and tiled that sucker this week. I worked hard. My hands hurt and my feet hurt but the effort was worth it. Even if it is just a laundry room.

I shared all this to say...

So I prayed with a weary body and a weary mind tonight. Lord, am I doing too much. Am I? Sometimes it feels amazing to accomplish so much and sometimes it is plain exhausting. The Lord gave us all gifts and talents. I give Him glory for anything I accomplish. As I prayed over my Bible for words of wisdom I opened right to this well known passage.

I read through Proverbs 31 and took a deep breath. A sigh of relief this time. Every single verse made me feel better about how I have so much that I am doing for my family. How can anyone of us live up to this "Virtuous Woman" role described here?

Many of us already do.

I encourage you to read through it. When you're feeling overwhelmed read this passage. It is encouraging. It's not about living up to this expectation. It's about slowing down and being careful and thoughtful towards whatever role you have.

It's about being deliberate and thinking through what needs to be done. Picture it, a woman quietly rising early and starting her day, providing, caring for, offering herself at all times to help her family and others. It's almost like a dance through life. One that is fierce and gentle.

I picture a ballerina and how graceful she is. How she floats through the air and her points are perfect. What I didn't see was all the hard work and bloody feet it took to create the illusion of grace and weightlessness. When she bows out, the audience applauds. Behind the curtain she is proud and exhausted; energized and worn.

I can do this. You can do this.

Praise God we were built to do this!

oh. Precious naptime.
Our mornings are so busy cleaning, laundry, shuffling kids off to school, packing lunches and backpacks, appointments, and so much more.

During my sewing time and the babies naptime my mind does a great deal of thinking. I get locked in on one situation and turn it over and over in my head. Today all I could think about was a falling out I had with a friend a year ago. I have forgiven and she says she has too but still things will never be the same. So my thoughts churn and the feelings begin to burn and then I think.

LORD RESCUE ME! Capture these thoughts and bind them up. I can not waste another second on them. There is just too much good to focus on.

It's happened before they I have heard an audible voice say "Let Me handle this". It's such a good feeling to know my Lord tells me what I need to hear. I always think back to that moment at my sewing machine nearly 8 years ago. It caught me off guard. I didn't even know it was still possible to hear our Lord so clearly.

So, I think about that moment and how it is something I need to hear from time to time but because He did it once with great impact on me, I should never forget.

​In my time with churning thoughts I churned out this little beauty of a dress. The pattern is featured in my previous post.

​If if you ever give it a try please let me know.

Back in the spring I invested in a bag of fabric flowers to help me out with matching hairbow a to outfits. As a first time girl mom I am learning how cute baby girls are with hair bows. Or as 1 of her 4 brothers calls them "bowbows".

All these little flowers came sewn onto a fabric mesh they needed to be trimmed away. And here comes the the fun part... KAM snaps.

I simply followed the instructions they came with my snap kit and added the female end to all my flowers. I tried my best to center them.

The kit I invested in had several color snaps to choose from so I was able to match most nearly perfectly.

Next I added button embellishments to dress up each flower. My buttons came mostly from a vintage stash my Granny gave me years ago.

Next I cut little slivers of felt and added a the male end of the snap. This piece is going to go on the clip for the hair bows. I can also add a snap to existing headbands so that I can quick change the color of the bows.

I simply hot glued the felt and snap to a few clips. They are pretty but they'll be his by the flower once it's snapped on.

KAM snaps can be used with any type bow and I'm sure you know the perfect baby girl to wear them.  KAM snaps and fabric flowers were purchased through the Amazon marketplace.

This easy pattern is a McCalls. I have a few free ones I've downloaded but this one was worth the 99¢ on sale. It makes it easy to make the same dress style until she is much bigger.

This pattern is perfect for a beginner. Once you master adding elastic, you've got it.

Cooler weather means little toes need covering. For a baby girl that is about to start walking I wanted them to be flexible and versital. She can flex her toes and feet. The leather is upcycled and is super soft. The buttons are hand sewn from my grandmothers stash of glass buttons. Velcro dots actually secure the leather straps that are lined with a soft cotton. The soles are cork that are covered with cotton fabric. Cork is thin and flexible while being sturdy. I had to sew the toe end several times to cut down on the length of the shoe since her foot is so tiny. She typically only wears 0-3 month shoes now.

The he pattern I used is in my Free Patterns link above. The only difference is the piece that wraps around the back of the heel a bit.

A few weeks ago a friend came over and I shared with her some of the simple techniques I found and she since has invested in her own tools and paint to complete projects she has been wanting for her home. This is so easy it's addictive.  The results are instant gratification and worth the time to learn a few tricks.  Below are my top 10 favorites....so far.

We all secretly loved grandma's doilies but putting them under items to protect furniture does not allow you to see their beauty and doesn't seem practical.  
I inherited a stack of doilies, some were handmade and some were store bought but each were beautiful and I wanted to look at them. While watching Gilmore Girls I used the doilies, a large quilt hoop, fabric and a glue gun to make this piece for my  living room.

I have moved it around on a few different walls and have hung it going both directions.  I have some pieces left that I'd like to hang as well so I've found 14 more ideas that I love. Enjoy!