Cutie Pants

I have been focusing so much on my teacup shop that I kind of neglected my baby shop.  I finally got around to adding a couple of things yesterday.  Poor Caleb always has to be my model!  At least he doesn't know what he wearing in some of these :)

The Bradley Pant

The Polly Ruffled Dress

Around my home

First of all, my cousin Noelle (as pictured below) will be on America's Funniest Videos this Sunday!!!  I am so excited.  If you watch it, she is the one who does a flip on her bed and her buttox makes a huge hole in the wall :)

Now, onto my house :) 

I don't have entire rooms finished yet, but I thought I would give a sneak peak at some of the things I have been up to lately.

This is my Goodwill find for $4.  It is hanging on my newly painted, blue living room wall.

Another Goodwill find, for $.50!  I spray painted it with a few good coats of plum Krylon gloss.

$1.00 thrift store corner shelf, spray painted Bahama breeze Krylon gloss.  Vintage milk glass sits on the shelves.  This is also in my living room.

I used the same paint to refinish some vintage wooden candle holders.

We don't have room for bookshelves in Calebs room so I turned the top of his dresser into a shelf by using piggy banks for book ends.

My hallway has pictures hung in a straight line.  A little more difficult to do than hanging them randomly, but I think it gives it a clean look.

This is my favorite!  I found a shutter for $1.00 and spraypainted it, then added a fancy stencil.  I hung it over our bed in our grey bedroom :)

Hopefully, I can show you entire rooms soon.  I am working on pillows for my living room right now.  I have way too much fun doing this kind of stuff!

I hope you all have a happy weekend!!!

I'm an Anthropologist...sorta

Okay, I may not technically be an anthropologist, but I sure think that loving Anthropologie should count for something...right? 

On our weekend trip to Atlanta, we spent one day at Lenox mall.  Let me just tell ya, a girl could get used to that place.  They have everything you could ever imagine in that store.  Unfortunately, every cute dress or top that caught my eye happened to have a $300 price tag.  Until we got to Anthropologie (we saved the best for last!).  I didn't buy any clothes but I did find quaint little glass knobs for my armoir that I am re-doing.  They were originally $8 a piece and they were on clearance for $2.95.  I just love a great deal darlin (spoken in true Paula Dean fashion)!

 Honestly, I could have lived in that store.  Seth and Caleb were beckoning me to the out door but I just couldn't let my feet leave.  I finally mustered up the strength to put one leg in front of the other long enough to leave, but I didn't let my imagination forget everything I had seen.  I got some great ideas for lamp shade makeovers and a cute sweater makeover idea.  Something about inspiring clothing and housewares challenges me to go home and figure out how I can make it myself.  I find more satisfaction out of "do it myself" projects than I do by buying things.  It is just the great feeling of accomplishment at the end of all your hard work.  So much better than perfectly creased, straight from the package, manufactured curtains (and by the way, anybody can make curtains, you don't even need a sewing machine, just a little fabric glue!!!).  On that note, I will leave you with a few of my favorite anthropologie items.  May you drool in awe :)

Larkspur Capelet Dress

Lights-And-Brights Bag

Set Sail Trousers

I like to think these are Popeye inspired :)

Laudations Jumper

I'd like to think that I will be brave enough to wear this!

astrid chair, naive tropical

droooooool

Ordinal Dresser

It looks sooo good in a room

Reassembled Mirror

Plumage Shade

Inspiration lampshade!

Arched Trellis Butter Dish

(Butter+this dish= perfection)

Three-Star Apron

I would wear this as an outfit!

Digit Spice Jar

You could leave your spices on the counter.  These are like art- luv luv

The weekend is on my mind :)

 I write this in bittersweet spirits.  Tomorrow, Seth, Caleb and myself are going to spend the night in Atlanta.  We are really excited to have fun but at the same time I know that this is the last "vacation" our family will have until the fall :(  Eight long months with no Sethy Poo.  The part that stinks the most is that Caleb is getting ready to take his first steps and say his first words.  Seth got back late Wednesday night and had left early that morning so Caleb missed a day seeing his daddy.  When Seth came in the door from work tonight, Caleb sat on his lap and cuddled with him forever!  I could tell he really missed seeing Seth and it made me so sad to think about Caleb missing his daddy for the next eight months.  We are going to skype and Seth is going to make a video, but nothing can ever replace Caleb being able to physically be with Seth.  I am praying really hard that God will just get us through until this deployment is over and that he will keep all of us safe.  I know God doesn't give us a spirit of fear or worry, I just have to remember that.  We are very blessed to be healthy and happy and if a deployment is the worst thing that happens to us, we should be very thankful.  I think about the people in Haiti and I just have to thank God that He has blessed us as much as He has!  So I am going to enjoy this weekend together with my family and count all of my blessings.  God is good, even in the midst of deployment and natural disaster...God is good and His mercy is forever :)

P.S. I have a new poll up!

Rosette Coffee Cozy Tutorial

Step 1: Cut a pattern to fit coffee cup. 

Step 2: Pick out your fabric.  Double layer it.

Step 3:  Pin pattern onto your double layers of fabric and cut out.  I like to use a rotary cutter.

Step 4: Cut 1 layer of your insulating fabric.  This goes on the inside so it doesn't matter what color it is.  I like to use felt.

Now you should have 3 layers, ready to be sewn.

Step 5:

This part is important.  You are going to layer the three fabric pieces to prepare for sewing.  The first layer will be your insulating fabric.

The next layer will be placed right side up

The third layer will be laid wrong side up

Step 6: Start at the short side and sew up, across the top and down the other short side.  Leave the bottom open.

Step 7:

Lifting one layer, you will turn the cozy right side out.

I use my scissors to make sure the corners get right side out very crisply :)

Step 8: This is the trickiest part.  With the bottom layers, you will fold them down on each side and pin together, then sew.  This can be a little frustrating if you want it to look nice, depending on the type of fabric you are using.  I used a knit, so I had to work with it a bit longer than if I used a stiffer material.

(Here is a picture of the bottom side pinned)

Here is what the basic coffee cozy looks like.  Now you can add your velcro and have a plain cozy, or you can continue on in order to add the rosette.

Step 9: Cut a strip of matching fabric.  Mine is about 4 inches wide and about 15 inches long.

Step 9: Cut a somewhat circle from a stiff fabric (I used felt)

Step 10: Fold the strip in 1/2 and sew down the raw edge.  To make the ruffle, you MUST set your stitch length as long as it will go and loosen your tension as loose as it will go.

Your ruffle should look something like this.

Step 11: Starting on the outer part of the circle, you will start to sew your ruffle around the circle, working your way to the middle.

Keep sewing in a circle, forming a rosette.

Your end prdouct should look something like this.

Step 12:  Sew the rosette to the middle of the cozy.  I just stitched a few stitches in the middle of the rosette.

I added a faux pearl to the middle for a little extra spunk.

Step 13: Sew your velcro on.

And Voila!!!

Coffee don't get much purtier than this!