Knocking off JCREW at Elegance and Elephants

WOHOOO I am finally guest posting over at Elegance and Elephants today!!!!!  Can you tell I am just a little bit excited?!?!?!?!  Head on over for the full tutorial of how I created this JCREW inspired knock off -and read THIS POST if you want to see how it almost never came to be ;op
Thank you to all my readers who pushed me to keep going on this dress - I am so glad that I did!

A Thanksgiving Knock Off

Today I thought I would be sharing with you my knock off dress for baby girl via Elegance & Elephants.  But since the series is currently on hold (send your thoughts and prayers to Heidi's family), I decided to share a smaller knock off I did for B.

Here's my inspiration:

Source

And B's:

Far from perfect, but fun none the less!  I think I will try this again in a monotone to capture more of the feeling of the original.

This is what my Hubs thinks it looks like:

ummmm - that means he thinks it is all manly and macho, right! ;op

Happy Thanksgiving EVERYONE!

Making Changes to Give Thanks

My family has a history of HUGE holiday celebrations. Even if we can't get a huge group of people together, we never skimp on a feast for thousands. Food is one of the love languages of my family... food, food, and more FOOD.

Here's the problem: since adding 3 little ones to the picture, elaborate meals mean stress rather than a joyous time of celebrating. I have two toddlers - they aren't picky eaters, but they are toddlers. They also have a schedule. They need to eat and sleep at certain times otherwise they are TERRORS. I think 1 terror at a family event can possibly be pacified, but TWO just feed off each other - then add in the baby's needs and it can become a circus of crazy.

So, this year Hubs and I talked and decided to scale down. Simple nice meal that is kid friendly at a kid eating time~ 11:30-12.
Menu:
Boneless Ham (super small, will cook in the crock pot)
Salad Rolls (Kings Hawaiian are a family tradition)
Green Bean Casserole - provided by mom
Potatoes - provided by mom
Banana Cream Pie
Apple Pie 'A la Mode'

 That is it. No crazy huge turkey. No stuffing. No cranberry jiggling goop. No random recipe creations made out of squash.

The result of this scaling back is that I get to spend the morning WITH my family rather than crammed in a kitchen trying to perfectly time 20 dishes to the end time on the turkey. I can cuddle my babies, watch the parades on TV, and listen to my mom tell stories (rather than listening for a timer to go off).

And after lunch the babies will go down for a nap and we will be able to relax rather than spending the next 3 hours cleaning up and packing up all the left overs.

I'll be honest, my mom is NOT as thrilled about this year's event. But I think we will all be happier in the end. And since I don't have to focus on menu planning for tomorrow, I can focus on what I am Thankful for. 

THANKFUL FOR:
-My three gorgeous babies
-Spontaneous hugs
-An amazing mother
-A Business that slowly continues to grow
-Friends who love me
-My church family
 -MY HUSBAND (save the best for last)


 Have Great Thanksgiving!!!!

From My Zoo to Yours

Hand Crafted Christmas

I got ONE present made this weekend... for A, well this present is going to be replicated for a few others, and I needed to make one pair first to make sure they will work right.  It seemed best to make the test pair for one of my own kiddos.

This was on my list of Wearables, and seriously - what child doesn't need a few spare pairs of PJ pants.  Particularly toddlers who sleep through the night but often have diapers that don't hold out ;op

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE this fabric.  It is a lightweight flannel that I picked up at Joanne's during their Moonlight Madness sale.  It isn't the softest flannel ever, but the print is so cute and boyish; and it is still soft.

(hmmm grey, black, and red - wonder why I love it so much ;op)

I will hem these once I try them on my insanely tall boys




 

I even made a little tag out of the fabric to distinguish the back - I might write something on it with a fabric pen.

and the back

I'm thinking of picking up a package of white T's and appliqueing one of the bears on it so that he will have a matching shirt... we shall see......

I'm also considering buying a coordinating fabric to make cuffs, but that means more shopping, and more work.  The greatest thing is that these pants whip up so quickly.  I could add pockets too, but do 20 month olds really need pockets???

PROGRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And a little peak at something I've been working on for a niece

And some awesome vintage patterns my mom has lent me for a little bit - I really need to go look through her stash!!!

I want to make this for baby girl... It would work as an awesome top with a little bit of added length, as well as the cute PJs it is supposed to be ;o)

What have you been up to - anything crossed off your list so far?????

Itty Bitty Booties...

Maybe I am the only one, but I am having a hard time with shoes on baby girl.  She is at that starting to crawl stage where she just wants to kick everything off.  She arches her feet so much that I can't put anything with a hard sole on her.  And even though I have some cute dressy shoes for her, they aren't practical for the cold months blowing in.  With the boys, I just had them wear socks all last winter and snubbed shoes.  But, socks get lost and for girls they are soooooooooo PINK.
I want to have something neutral that baby girl can wear and keep her itty bitty toes warm.

And then I stumbled upon Whimsy Couture's Fleece Bootie pattern download (while it was free no less - score for me!).  YIPPEE!!!  The pattern is for a knee high boot that can be folded down for a shorter boot look.  I decided to use the fold line as the top length for this first pair of boots.  I used a sweater of the boys from last year because it is such a yummy warm fuzzy fabric.  I also liked the tan - reminds me of Uggs.

Before

After

They turned out so cute - I can't wait to make more.  Now I just need to figure out a simple embelishment... they are a little too simple at the moment.  I think a little pair made of fur would be sooooo cute!

One of the best things about this pattern is that it goes up to a size 5T, I'll be making boots for years to come!

*Baby Girl still pulls them off, but they are easy to slip right back on - I need to take a picture of them on her ;o)

Handcrafted Christmas: Wearables

So this week I have been entrenched in finishing my knock off submission for Elegance and Elephants.  It has been an adventure to say the least ;op

But thanks to one of my amazing friends, I got 2 hours to go out shopping BY MYSELF!!!  I was able to pick up most of the remaining supplies I need for my gift making, WoooHoooo.  Hopefully this weekend I can start making at least one gift per day to be on track with enough time for shipping - gahhh shipping ;op

Today I have  round up of great wearable gifts for all those loved ones - who ever has enough clothing???  I'll have a separate jewelry/accessories post!

handmade Mittens (for the non-knitter)

Easy peasy, and could work for Men or Women

Mommy Mittens

How sweet are these!  You could use the tutorial above and then add the smaller sized half on top.

coordinating outfit

Coordinating outfits are easy if you find a cool fabric print - don't forget a great bow ;o)

The Bapron - baby apron

Every baby and toddler needs a gazillion of these, why haven't I made any for my kiddos yet????

Fleece booties

Warm and toasty tootsies - they take so little time to make, and could work well for little boys with the right fabric.

Coordinating PJ Pants

For siblings, the whole family, cousins... the possibilities are endless.  And all kids need pj pants.

I Love Food Shirt

HAHAHAH, these would be great for kids and kids at heart!

Lego Stenciled Shirt

*this design is a bit complicated, but here are great instructions for freezer paper stenciling

INSTRUCTIONS

Monogrammed Boxers

*you could also use the freezer pencil stencil method above rather than embroidery

Grillin' Apron

A great gift for that master griller in your life

Infinity scarf

This trend is so popular, and these are so easy to make.  Use any fabric and vary lengths to get scarves with different looks.

Hope you like these ideas!!!  What have you been working on this week???  Can you believe that Thanksgiving is less than a week away, WOW!

MEEEEEPPPPPP (an even more excited from of squeee)

I'm guest posting today at Project Run and Play!!!!

Click the link and head on over to see my tutorial for how to create this look with decorative top stitching

I just can't believe I am getting to be a part (a very small, tiny part) of Project Run and Play!!!!!!  MEEEEEEP  ;o)