Just Enough Style

DIY Heart Wreath

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

I am also going to have a new segment on the blog. Tutorial Tuesdays- where I share something I have made during the week.

Remember this picture that I showed you on Saturday? I turned two old sweaters and a straw wreath into.....

This beautiful wreath!

Here's how I did it. I cut up the sweaters along the seams in the bodice and the arms. Leaving me with two bodice pieces and two arm pieces.

Then I started cutting circles, and cutting, and cutting. Until I had used up every bit of fabric.

Next I just folded the circle in half, then in half again and put a pin at the end and stuck it in the wreath. I wanted to have a striped effect in the pink and red but you could do any pattern.

After folding and pinning and more folding and pinning I finally finished. Phew!

I absolutely LOVE how this turned out. It was really simple to make just time consuming. In total this project cost me about $10. I love having it up on my mantle where I can admire it during the day.

Thrifty Saturday Finds

2012-01-14T13:37:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be fun to share some of my thrift store finds on Saturdays. Here is what I found today.

I love finding children's books at the thrift store. All of these are in almost perfect condition. I got all 7 books for $5.25 :)

I've had the heart straw wreath for a while now which I got for one dollar. :) I also snatched up the red and pink sweater today for 3 bucks each. I have a project for these three objects that I hope to share with you soon.

Total: $11.25

What are some great finds you've found lately?

The Moby Wrap: My way

2012-01-12T14:37:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken about a year ago. When I had my little boy. He was so small that I couldn't use a carrier to put him in. One of my friends was using a Moby Wrap she made and shared her genius secret with me. So I thought I would share it with you as well.

Just head to the craft store and buy 6 yards of any color of jersey knit fabric. If you want you can cut in half and use 3 yards for one and another to give away to a friend.

Then just go here to the Moby Wrap website and watch the instructional videos. It shows you how to correctly tie and use the wrap.

Here's mine:

It was so great to have my little guy close and my hands free to do other things. It was definitely a lifesaver for the first six months.

You could easily do this for under $20 especially if you used a coupon for Joann's or Hobby Lobby.

Hand Puppets

2011-12-22T10:08:00.000-08:00

I've been debating whether I should make some hand puppets for my daughter. But I've been slacking on crafting. I just haven't had any time or motivation to sew.

A few weeks ago while at D.I. I was over looking at the toys. I glanced over by the stuffed animals and thought I would start sifting through them. That's when I hit the JACKPOT!!

I found 11 hand puppets! They are in like new condition and cost me only 50 cents each. You can imagine my excitement with each puppet found. I was like a kid in a candy store. :)

I found 2 princess puppets, a mermaid (which my daughter has been asking for) and a rockstar.

I loved how detailed they were.

I also found some animals for my son. But I know my daughter will claim them as her own. :) After a quick wash in the washer they are wrapped and ready for Christmas. One less thing I need to worry about making. :)

Have you found any treasures at the thrift store lately?

Puppet Theater in 5 minutes

2011-12-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

My daughter loves puppet shows right now. Our library does puppet shows for storytime, maybe that's where she got her love for it. She's been asking for one for quite sometime now. I finally broke down and made one. It took about 5 minutes.

Here's what I did. I already had the blue flower fabric made into drapes. We used them when we lived in a different house but they've been sitting in a box. I also had some leftover drapes from Ikea and quickly sewed a casing for the rod and voila! A super easy and cute puppet theater.

We spent all afternoon doing puppet shows.

She doesn't quite get the idea that we shouldn't see you, just the puppets. Maybe with more practice?

We just put it up the the doorway when we want to play and then put it back in the closet when we are done. I also scored a bunch of cute hand puppets at D.I. last week that my kids will be getting for Christmas. I will try and post pictures of them soon.

How are your projects coming along?

Book Page Decor Tutorial

2011-11-22T16:23:00.000-08:00

Every time I got to my Sister in laws I always notice these cute book page decorations. Last time I as over I finally asked her how to make them.

Just in case you want to make some too I made a quick tutorial.

Book Page Tutorial

Supplies: A paperback book ( I just used one I had lying around the house no one reads)

Scissors

Glue Gun

Now, let's get started! Use your scissors and cut off the books covers.

Then you take a few pages in your hand....

and fold them over. Repeat.

The pages will get really poufy. Just smash them a bit with your fingers.

Like so.

Keep folding and squashing until you've finished with all of the pages. It will look like this when you are finished.

Just use a bit of hot glue along one the end pages and glue them together. Then do some more smashing, moving, and fixing until you get it how you would like.

Voila! You are done. Super easy and really quite cute. You could also tie some festive ribbon around them. I just didn't have any on hand.

Now go and find a book and get started. You'll be glad you did. :)

Name Quiet Book

2011-11-17T10:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my Nephew's 2nd Birthday. I wasn't sure what to get him but after talking with a crafty friend about it I decided to make a Quiet book. I really enjoyed making this book. Maybe a bit too much. lol

For the cover I simply cut out his name in felt, ironed on some adhesive and then ironed it on the cover. I used this tutorial for the pages and book.

For K I decided upon a Kangaroo and an Owl for O.

I found a coloring page on google and used that for the kangaroo. For the owl I got the idea here. She has so many amazing quiet book pages! You need to check it out.

For D I just had to make a dinosaur. Inspiration found here. Then for A I found a image on google for the Airplane.

The dinosaur might be one of my favorites. While sewing my husband came in and declared he wanted one on his backpack. lol

For the wrapping I used simple white packaging paper and tied it up with a scrap of fabric. I hope the birthday boy will love it as much as I loved making it.

Thanksgiving Decor

2011-11-15T09:36:00.000-08:00

I finally tackled my Thanksgiving Decorations. It's a little late but better late than never. Right?

I found this fabric at D.I. a while back and finally decided to use it.

Someone had started to piece together this table runner or quilt and must have lost motivation. I was amazed at all the hard work that went into this. It was only $1 can you believe that? I just had to have it.

I found a template and used the leftover fabric squares to cut out the leaves.

I took the same twine and clothespins as before and just clipped them up.

I also switched out my Halloween subway art and replaced it with "Let us Give Thanks." I decided to use velcro instead of mod podge. That way it's easier to change it out for the different holidays.

I hope we all remember to Give Thanks for the many blessings we have.

Quiet Book # 4

2011-11-12T09:13:00.000-08:00

I know what you might be thinking. Another Quiet Book? I do already have 3 but I just couldn't help myself. I saw this idea to do LDS Scripture pages and just had to make some.

Page One: Noah's Ark

When you open the Ark all of the animals come out in pairs of two.

Except for the Lion. I still need to finish sewing him but I ran out of the dark thread.

Now onto page two.

Pillow Update

2011-11-11T13:03:00.000-08:00

I found this fun fabric a few weeks ago and knew it would be perfect for some new pillow covers.

I just made a simple envelope cover which took less than 10 minutes. I also paired them with my Chevron Love pillow. A fun new update for under $10 and under 10 minutes. Can't beat that!

Earrings Galore

2011-11-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

I've been working on getting some great new items in my Etsy Shop. I've just added some fun new earrings in a variety of colors.

If you buy any 3 pairs of earrings you get the 4th pair free.

Head on over to the shop and start getting those gifts for the Holidays.

My Halloween Decor

2011-10-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

I just thought it would be fun to share my Halloween Decor. I found this mantle at a yard sale for $5. It was red but I decided to paint it white.

I made a candy corn banner using some burlap and paint. Super easy!

I also found this Halloween Printable online and mod podged it to some wood I had from a cabinet.

My husband loves vintage books. I took a few and put them on the mantle and filled a fun jar with some candy corn.

These pumpkins are my favorite! I've had them for years and just love them.

I also have these fun Trick or Treat blocks. That green canvas has been blank forever! I don't know what to put on it? Any ideas? Vinyl doesn't stick great to it so it would have to be something I paint on.

There you have it. A fun and simple Halloween Mantle. :)

I Spy Book

2011-10-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

Remember this quilt? I had a bunch of squares leftover from the swap I joined back in June and wasn't quite sure what to do with them. Since both my kids have I Spy Quilt's I was reluctant to make another. But then...... I saw this great idea to make a I Spy book. It was just too cute not to!

I spy Santa, a red strawberry and a girl in a blue dress. Can you find them?

I really love how it turned out! The best part is it's accordion style so you can fold the whole book out and play I spy.

Then when you are all finished you just fold it back up. I followed this tutorial pretty closely except I decided not to do a snap closure.

This is also a great way to use up some of those scraps you've been saving. You bet there are going to be more of these in the future. :)

DIY- Gallery Wall

2011-09-30T08:17:00.000-07:00

I've seen Gallery Walls everywhere and really wanted to have one for our house. I just used thrifted frames in a variety of shapes and sizes and spray painted them.

This frame has to be my favorite. I love the detailing!

I decided on using Rustoleum Spray Paint. The color is Aqua. I love it!

To hang them I just used thumbtacks. I'm not very good at hanging pictures. I usually make way too many holes. :)

If I find any other fun frames I can just keep adding to it. I was thinking of printing off some family pictures in black and white and putting them in the frames. Someday that will happen. But for now they will just stay empty.

Girls Night Out

2011-09-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I attended a Girls night out at the Cheesecake factory with a bunch of other Utah craft bloggers. I invited my friend and had so much fun. I'm so glad that I went.

Lilli and Mariel are such fun ladies. They are both so amazing for putting this together. They even name cute name tags for everyone, had a little favor to take home and prizes. :)

It was so great to meet other local bloggers and crafters. I loved chatting with Marissa and Camilla. All of these ladies are so talented.

We can't forget the man who took pictures for us. Thank you sir. Whatever your name is. :)

Super Simple Menu Board

2011-09-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

I love to cook. I plan a menu each week but if I don't display it for everyone to see then I always get the "What's for dinner? question right around 5. It really helps to have written down what's for dinner so you don't get asked this question all day long. :) Plus, it's a good reminder for me too.

I've tried different menu boards but it just wasn't working. So I took matters into my own hands and made a new one. Hoping this time I will stick with it.

I found a cork board at D.I. for about a dollar. I was going to use it in my sewing room but decided to use it for my new menu board instead. I painted the entire thing white. I then used my Silhouette and cut out a chevron pattern. Then I just taped it on and started painting with leftover paint from the kitchen buffet.

I also found this cool vinyl menu from here. Mine is the chalk vinyl.

I wasn't sure if it would stick to cork. But it does.

I think I will stick with it this time. :) *fingers crossed*

Dresser turned Kitchen Buffet

2011-09-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

I bought this dresser 5 years ago. It's been a great spot to put our clothes but the drawers were not that big. We loaned another dresser to a family member and just got it back. We decided to use that one for our clothes instead. That meant I could do whatever I wanted to with this one. :)

I really needed some extra storage in the kitchen so I decided to make it a kitchen buffet.

Here's the Before:

Here's the After:

I found this paint by Martha Stewart called Sea Glass and knew it would be perfect!

After some primer and a few coats of paint I now how extra storage in the kitchen. I absolutely love how it turned out!

I also decided to put some baskets on top for each member of our family. Throughout the day when I find random stuff I just put it in their basket and then put it away that night.

This project was so fun and easy! I took something I already had and made it work for me. What's something you've re purposed lately?

Decorating a nursery on a budget

2011-09-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

So...my son is almost 9 months old and I just finished decorating his nursery. I feel more settled in our new place and finally decided to tackle his room. I really tried to decorate on a budget so most of the things in his room I found at D.I or yard sales.

Here's the view from the door.

Before we moved I found this rocking chair at D.I for $8. As I was checking to see how sturdy it was a gentleman that worked there said, "I'll give it to you for $4." Really? I was going to pay the 8 bucks but $4?!? Awesome! I've thought about painting it. But I kind of like how it is. Don't you? The crotcheted blanket was a gift.

I wanted a place to display some decorations. I found this shelf at a yard sale for $1. The little elephant pull toy was about a dollar from D.I. I used that to to base color scheme and decorations. Then his little white shoes he wore on his blessing day and some awesome vintage letterpress letters spelling out his name. Those were also a D.I. find. :)

I found this great tutorial to make this circle mobile. I love the different fabrics and colors. It was so much fun to make.

I found this canvas for $4 at D.I. I wish I took a before picture. It was horrid! I just had to paint it. Then I used my silhouette and cut out these elephants. I love the light blue on top of the gray.

I really needed a little nightstand for his lamp which I also found at D.I. I then spray painted it gray. I'm thinking of putting some new fabric over the lamp shade. Yay or nay?

I saw via pinterest that you can use IKEA spice racks as bookshelves. I didn't like the unfinished wood so I painted it white. I also found that cute book "Clean clothes for Oliver" such a cute book and perfect for my little Oliver. :)

I also snatched up this curly O at Hobby Lobby and modge podged on some cute scrapbook paper.

I really enjoyed decorating his nursery and I hope you got some great ideas. I loved taking old things and giving them new life. Now, every time I walk into his room I just can't help but smile.

I Spy Quilt #2

2011-09-03T21:15:00.000-07:00

I did it...... I finally finished the other I spy quilt. I joined a swap a few months back and 100 squares. When I laid them all out it was huge!! So I decided to pick out my favorite boy fabrics and make a I Spy Quilt for my son. I made six rows of six. For a total of 36 squares that are 6x6.

I wanted it to be different than the one I made before. I tried quilting for the first time. :) It was scary at first but really fun once I got used to it. I love how it turned out!

This time I also decided to do a border around each square. It took a bit longer to do but I love how it frames each square. I really enjoyed trying something new and stepping out of my comfort zone. What's something new you've tried lately?

Antique find and Daisies

2011-08-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

I've been on the hunt for some blue ball mason jars to use as vases. I went to our local antique shop and asked if they had any. They took me back to one of their buildings where they had boxes & boxes of these jars. I got two for $4! A large one and a smallish one.

I also learned that the jar above was made somewhere between 1896-1923. You can tell by the way the word "Ball" is written :) interesting huh? The other Jar which happens to be a bit smaller was made from 1923-1933. But the color is the best part! Who can beat this "Ball Jar Blue"?

It's the perfect centerpiece for our table.

I also found that awesome lace edged plate along with a beautiful little blue antique table (pics to come later) at a local shabby chic consignment shop. Home Again Consignment. Isn't it a cute shop? We went to the Sugarhouse location and loved it.

What are some great finds you've found lately?

Groopdealz feature

2011-08-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today my shop Just Enough Style is being featured on Groopdealz. If you aren't familiar with it they are a website where they feature different shops items at a bargain price. Today I am offering this set of 3 Floral earrings for $9.

Pink

Blue

White

This is a great deal! 3 pairs of earrings for $9. You can keep them all for yourself or split them up and give them away as gifts. The sizes range from 7mm to 13mm.

Head on over to Groopdealz and snatch some up before they are all gone. :)

Chair Re-do

2011-07-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! So sorry about the long break in blogging. Moving sure throws you off your schedule. I have some fun projects I am working on that I'm super excited to share with you.

Until then I thought I would share our kitchen chairs we re did. These are from before my craft blog in 2007 but I love them so much I thought you all might want to see them too.

I found these great ladder back chairs at a friend's parents garage sale. I loved the architecture and how small they were. I saw lots of potential. After much debating we bought all 4 chairs for $100.

We decided to stain them a dark cherry looking color. This took forever! If I would do it again I would suggest not doing it in your unfinished basement. It stinks up the entire house!

Voila! Isn't she pretty? As you can see it is a beautiful blue warp with a natural white weave, woven in the ever-popular "checker board" pattern. Though many of you may have doubted that I would ever get the seat woven (it did take about 4 months from date of purchase to finished product) here it is and it is even sittable or seatable (if either of those are words consider yourself lucky.)

Spray Paint Project #1

2011-05-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

I wear lots of post earrings. But I always loose them. I bought a earring holder for Christmas but it was hard to put the stud earrings on there and I just wouldn't do it.

I went to D.I. to look for a old muffin tin and candlestick holder and found this instead.

The Before:

It was perfect! Just what I needed. The best part? It was only $1.50! I brought it home and promptly cleaned it up. I thought I would just leave it as is but after a while the shiny silver bothered me. So I decided to spray paint it!

I took it apart and started painting.

I used Krylon Peekaboo Blue and Bright White.

The After:

I had so much fun using spray paint. I might have gotten a bit carried away and spray painted a bunch of stuff. :) This is so much better than lost earrings and I love the blue and white contrast. Make sure to come back tomorrow to see what else I spray painted.

I Spy Quilt- Finished!

2011-05-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Remember when I posted about my I spy squares? I finally finished the quilt! I love it when you envision how something will turn out and the finished product is just what you were hoping. This is one of those projects. I absolutely LOVE how this quilt turned out.

I did 10 rows with 8 squares. I ended up using 80 squares and had a few left over.

For the side and back I used Moda's Hunky Dorie. I really like how the two contrast each other. ( While taking the picture my daughter was on the other side yelling out what she saw. :)

I also tried making my own bias tape. It was a lot easier than I thought and really fun. I love the yellow and polka dots around the edge.

I also used some light weight warm and natural in the middle. It was a little tricky stitching through all those layers on my sewing machine but I really love how it turned out.

The best part? My 2 1/2 year old loves it! It's a fun blanket that the entire family can enjoy.

Set of 3 earrings giveaway

2011-05-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Giveaway Closed!

Thank you to all of you who entered the giveaway. The winner is....... comment #111.

The AfterCraft said...

I would LOVE to win those earrings!!!!
*fingers crossed*

Congrats! I will be sending you an e-mail shorty. For all of those who didnt' win the giveaway you can still get 35% off anything in the shop. Just use the coupon code JUST4U.

Welcome to those of you visiting from Sew Mama Sew! Today I am giving away a set of 3 earrings from my shop Just Enough Style. These earrings range in sizes from 10mm to 18mm. You will receive exactly what is pictured, the French Vanilla Dahlias, Gray Rose, and the Pink Blooms earrings.

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment. The winner will be chosen via random.org on May 25th.

This giveaway is open to U.S residents and those Internationally.

Remember to enter just leave a comment.

Update:
Thank you to everyone for your kind comments. It's so flattering. :) I appreciate all of you who are now followers and have gone over to my shop. To say thank you for being so kind I decided to offer 35% off anything in my shop. You can get my dahlia earrings that are $8 for only $5.20! All you need to do is upon checkout enter the coupon code JUST4U and you'll receive 35% off your entire order. The coupon will last until Friday evening at 10 pm MST. So if you didn't win you can still get something from the shop at a great price.

May Giveaway Day

2011-05-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

I am sorry for the lack of posts. I've been spending time with my family and working on the I Spy Quilt. I'm almost finished. I just need to bind it and I'll share it later this week.
I just wanted to share that I am taking part of the big May Giveaway Day with Sew Mama Sew. Make sure you check back here Monday for an amazing giveaway. You won't want to miss it.

A winner

2011-05-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all who entered the giveaway. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and Mother's Day.

The winner according to Random.org is comment #5 Lyudmila.

Congratulations! I will be sending you an e-mail shortly.

I still have a discount going to get 15% off your order. Just enter IFOLLOWJES in the coupon code box at checkout.

A Giveaway and Discount

2011-05-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

Giveaway Closed

Today I decided to giveaway a pair of my dahlia earrings to one of you! ( and also celebrate almost having 100 followers, Mother's Day and my birthday next week.) All you need to do is visit my shop and tell me one item that you would love to get for Mother's Day. Easy right?

Here is what I am giving away: One pair of my Chocolate Brown Dahlia Earrings

These earrings will add the perfect touch to any Spring outfit.

The best part? They have surgical steel posts for those with or without sensitive ears.

Just leave a comment to be entered. You don't need to be a follower but I'd love it if you were. :) The giveaway will be open until Monday May 9th. Make sure to check back then to see if you are the winner.

I've also decided to give my readers a special discount. Upon checkout just use the coupon code IFOLLOWJES to receive 15% off your entire purchase!

Book Banner

2011-04-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

My husband graduates from LPN school tomorrow. I made this Congrats banner to hang on our mantle.

I thought about doing Congratulations but it seemed easier to just to Congrats.

I used this tutorial for the book pages and used the Silhouette to cut out the circles and letters. I love how it turned out and am so proud of my husband for graduating. We still have a long road ahead but we are making progress and that is something worth celebrating.

Today I'd like you to meet.....

2011-04-27T09:56:00.000-07:00

the Bunny Family. I've got my inspiration from here. I've had them on my to make list for a long time and finally decided to make them for my daughter for Easter. I couldn't find the pattern anywhere so I decided to make up my own. The house pattern I got from here and was going to make the things for inside but decided it could be the Bunnies house instead.

I wonder if anyone is home.

Oh look! It's Daddy bunny.

and hey it looks like everyone else is home too!

Meet the Bunny Family.

Daddy Bunny

Mommy Bunny

Sister Bunny

Brother Bunny

and Baby Bunny

I really like how they turned out. After making them I would do a few things differently next time. Maybe sew them right sides together and stuff them that way. I found a pattern online for a gingerbread boy and used that and cut it down each time. For Baby Bunny I drew my own and wished it was more uniform with the others. But other than that I am quite pleased with how they turned out. What do you think?

Budgeting

2011-04-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

I admit. I am Horrible when it comes to budgeting. I've tried writing it down, using Excel and keeping a binder of every receipt and payment. But nothing has worked. I really want to budget but haven't found something that works. Last night I came across this website Mint. Basically what it does is helps you budget and it's Free! All you do is go on and make an account and then add your bank accounts and credit cards. I can't tell you how many times we check all our different accounts. Not anymore! Mint has it all right there for us. So we know how much money we have in all our accounts just by looking at one website.
Plus, it automatically adds what you spend into your budget categories. It's been really helpful for me so far. Now I know how much we are spending and I don't have to enter in any numbers or do any math. If you need help budgeting I would suggest trying Mint. I'm hoping this will help me take control of our finances.

Yarn Wreath: Makeover

2011-04-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

As promised here is the other wreath I made. I originally had it like this but decided to change it up a bit.

I'm in love with how it turned out. The best part? I didn't spend any money. I used things I already had around the house. :)

Spring Flower Wreath

2011-04-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

I decided to spruce up the wreath on my front door. It had some orange thingy on it with berries. It was starting to fade so I gave it a spring flower makeover. :)

I love how it turned out!

The best part is that most of these flowers I had already made. They were just laying around waiting for the perfect project.

It makes me smile. Except I decided it was too pretty to be on the front door. So I moved it inside and replaced it with something else. :) I'll share it with you tomorrow.

Here are the links to the different flowers I made, in case you want to make some too. Here, here and here.

I Spy Quilt Squares

2011-04-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

I've been collecting fabric squares to make a I Spy Blanket. I think I might have close to 100 now. Each square measures 4x4. I just went through my stash of fabric and came up with a little over 50. Then I had my Mom go through her stash and send me some. I also got some from Whoopdwhoop as well. Here's a peek at some of my favorites.

I really like these trees and birds that my Mom sent me.

I'm loving this Banana print! It's perfect because my daughter loves bananas!

I've had this carrot fabric for a while. I snatched it up at the D.I. I love it! I'm also using this for another project that I'll post about soon. I'm almost done. :)

Aren't these mice fun?

Now all I need to do is just start sewing. If you've made a I Spy Quilt before do you have any suggestions or tips for me? I'd love to hear them if you do.

Chevron Love

2011-04-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

I've been on a pillow craze! Pillows are a great way to change up decor without paying very much. I know Chevron pillows are everywhere right now and I wanted to give it a try. I used my Silhouette and had it cut out the chevron and the words Love.

It was really easy! I didn't have to cut a thing! Which is great because if you know me well I am horrible at cutting. Maybe it's a lefty thing. :)

After I ironed the chevrons on I sewed around all the edges with my sewing machine. I love the stitched look.

Here's another pillow I made using freezer paper.

I just had the Silhouette cut out my stencil and then I painted and sewed it up. Super easy and really fun!

Rose Cabochon Bracelet for Mother's Day

2011-04-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited about these new bracelets I have available in the shop. This particular one has cream, mustard yellow and gray rose cabochons. I am working on making some others with different colors.

I had originally made it for myself but got so many compliments on it that I decided to share them with others.

Mother's Day is coming up and these would make a great gift! I can also customize them to certain colors if this color scheme isn't your fancy.

The colors I have available are: red, black, chocolate brown, periwinkle, coral, pink, orchid, cream, gray and mustard yellow.

Right now I only have 2 available but am working on making more and listing them in the next few weeks. Quantities are going to be limited so if you'd like to snatch one up now is your chance. They are $15 plus a small shipping charge. A great price for a beautiful bracelet that will receive many compliments.

Diapers for Baby

2011-04-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

My daughter has loved playing with her babies. But they didn't have any diapers so I decided to have her help me pick out the fabrics and make some.

I used this pattern from Skip to my Lou. It was really simple!

I made 3 for each of her dolls and adjusted the Velcro so they would fit each of the dolls.

I just used some cotton remnants I had for the outside and for the inside I used minky, flannel, and cotton.

Now our dolls have some diapers , or as my daughter calls them "bipers." :)

Here's another idea for some diapers using fleece. I really love hers and the little wipes case is adorable!

Re purposing: shirt into dress

2011-04-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

My daughter is growing so fast! Almost all of her shirts are too short. I was just going to put them in storage until I remembered I saw a few tutorials on how to use old t shirts and make dresses out of them. Like here and here.

I give you the purple flower dress:

I had this purple flower fabric I bought a while back in the remnant bin that was just perfect for this little dress.

I also used some scrap purple fabric and sewed it on the front and also made some fabric flowers.

I don't usually sew clothing but I had TONS of fun with this and already have a few more ready to make. I guess I'm just intimidated by making clothes from scratch...... but this was super easy and I love how it turned out. And I just used up things we already had around the house so it didn't cost me a thing.

Giant Flower Pillow

2011-04-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

The moment I saw this pillow over at Cluck Cluck Sew I knew I was going to make it. Since I am like the felt queen I just raided my felt stash and started cutting. It was such a fun and easy pillow to make. I just might make some others and give them away as gifts.

Here's how it turned out:

For the fabric I used this blue flower fabric that I got at Wal-mart a while back for $1.

I decided to use cream felt for the flower because I had a bunch leftover from making my ABC quiet book.

I really like how this pillow turned out. It looks perfect sitting on my reading chair in the corner of my Family Room. :)

Blue Dots

2011-04-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

I've been making some new pillows. They are really addicting to make! Here's one that I made using a fat quarter.

All I did was fold it in half, sew the sides and top and turned it right side out and stuffed it. A super easy pillow that took about 5 minutes to make.

I thought it needed a little something so I made this felt flower and hand sewed in on the front. For the center I used a old earring and hot glued it in the center. If your interested on making your own felt flowers I got the pattern here.

General Conference for Children

2011-04-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

This weekend my church The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is having General Conference. It's where we listen to the council of our leaders. With a 2 year old I wanted to put together a few things to keep her interested and occupied. I found this great conference bingo from Oopsey Daisy and some great printable coloring pages from Sugardoodle.

Image Source here

I printed off the pictures of all the apostles and put little snacks in a baggie and an activity to go with it. Then when they speak we find their picture and do the activity. I decided to use quiet books, puzzles, color wonder, play-doh, conference bingo, dominoes, abc sunday book, etc.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Springtime Art

2011-03-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

I decided to make some more springtime decorations. I got out my handy Silhouette and used the free download for the week.

I thought it needed a bit more so I spelled out Springtime. I really love how it turned out and I didn't have to cut out anything. Which is great because if you know me well you know I can't cut. :) I would get docked points in Interior Design school for not having straight lines on my projects.

Here's to hoping for warmer weather soon.

Tag Crazy

2011-03-28T09:42:00.001-07:00

Remember this tag blanket I made a while ago? I had so much fun I decided to make some more. I might have gone a bit Tag crazy but it was worth it!

Seeing them stacked like this makes me smile. :)

I plan on giving a few as baby gifts. Plus it's nice to have a whole bunch on hand just in case.

It was also a great way to use up some of my minky fabric. I like to buy them at the fabric store in the clearance section. That way I get them super cheap.

What are some things you make with minky fabric?

I also added these blankets to Skip to My Lou.

Easter Blocks

2011-03-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

While putting up some new Easter decor I came across these Happy Easter blocks that my mother in law gave me last year.

I think she picked them up from a craft fair for me. But these would be super easy to make. Just get varying sizes of blocks, paint them, and then add some vinyl to them and Voila! You have some cute blocks for Easter.

Baby Top Knot Hats

2011-03-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

I found this tutorial for some cute baby hats and just had to make them. My son is still pretty little (he'll be 3 months old next week) and the hats you can buy at the store are either too small or way too big. I got the tutorial from Prudent Baby.

For this hat I used their one knot and just used a old knit t-shirt.

I also made one that has two knots on the top. But it isn't knit fabric and won't fit over my babies head. :) So make sure that you use knit fabrics. ;) I really like how they turned out and can't wait to make some more.

The great thing about these hats is that I just used old shirts and only had to sew one side. All together I think they took about 5 minutes.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Taggie Blanket

2011-03-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

I made this cute taggie blanket for my son the other night.

I found this cute car print fabric at our local antique store for $0.25. I LOVE it! I have a bunch more too, any ideas as to what I should use it for?

I also added some minky fabric to the back and tried to do a bunch of different ribbons and textures for my little guy to play with. I've made these before but this time I made the bigger and I really like how the turned out. I have a few more that are a work in progress.

Car seat Canopy

2011-03-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

I made this car seat canopy a while back to cover up my son from the cold winter weather. Before I would just put a blanket over top but it would always come off and was hard to carry. This is SO much better! I love it! I got the tutorial from Creatively Christy.

I used this fun argyle print but then realized after I sewed it sideways. Oh well. I still think it looks great, don't you?

I had a bunch of minky fabric that I used for the inside to keep my little guy nice and warm. This was the first time that I had ever made a button hole. It took me a while to figure out how to use it on my sewing machine but I really like the buttons on top instead of velcro.

Flower Button Cards

2011-02-17T11:32:00.000-08:00

After having a baby I've been writing lots of Thank You cards. Instead of spending money to buy some from the store I decided to make my own. I found this cute flower stem template from How about Orange and decided it was time to make some Flower Button Cards. I raided my button stash, got some glue and viola! Done.

Here's a few of my favorites

I decided to do different shades of colors

I really like the blue and greens together

My daughter also helped out. So there are a few of just random buttons. :)

I've also thought that you could write underneath the stems Thank you or get well or even happy birthday. I just love how fun and different these cards are.

Thanks to Jess from Craftiness is not optional for finding the link. :) If you'd like to make your own button cards you can find the pattern here.

Fun with Vinyl

2011-02-03T08:44:00.000-08:00

My mom and I got a Silhouette Machine a few months ago. I finally tried out vinyl and I am Hooked! It's such a fun, easy and cheap way to add that extra touch around the house. Here are just a few that I've done.

I found this saying and I just LOVE it! I see it a million times a day, it's a great reminder as to what is most important in life. This is right about our television in our living room.

One of our family goals this year is to, " Search, Ponder and Pray." So I put a little reminder by the picture of the Savior.

For my son's room I added a little saying to the wall as well. I really love how it turned out with the pictures.

In the kitchen I added this little sign right about the oven. Doesn't it look great with the star? If you'd like your own star similar to the ones in the pictures you can find them here.

Re opening sale

2011-01-31T13:42:00.000-08:00

I've finally decided to open back up my Etsy shop. In order to celebrate I am offering a 15 % off discount. All you need to do is enter the coupon code LOVE14 upon checkout to receive the discount. Awesome right?

I have a bunch of new items that I will be listing daily. Today I listed some new rose earrings that I am really excited about. They are only 10 mm and are perfect for little girls and grown ups. Here are the colors I have available.

Light Pink

Teal

Cream

Light Blue

Hot Pink

Bright Purple

Black

Lavender

Head on over to the shop now and check them out. Just don't forget about the coupon code so you can get 15 % off.

Check back tomorrow for some other beautiful items.

Envelope pillows

2011-01-29T10:28:00.000-08:00

I made these pillow covers for my sister for Christmas. I really like how they turned out. I will definitely be making more envelope pillows in the future.

My sister loves red so I used this red and white fabric for the other cover.

I used this tutorial for making the pillow covers. It was so easy and quick. I love those ladies over at DIY dish. They make every project so simple and fun.

Flashcards

2011-01-19T12:24:00.000-08:00

I've been doing preschool in the mornings with my daughter. But have been running out of things and ideas to do for her. I've really been wanting to have some fun flashcards for her to look at but couldn't find any that I liked. So the other day I did a google search and found this amazing website called Mr. Printables. They have a bunch of free printables for Kids, Mom's and Dad's.

Here are the flashcards that I made.

Here's how I made mine: I printed off each set of cards onto cardstock. Then I used my laminator (best Christmas present ever!) and laminated all the cards. Then I cut them out, punched a hole in the corner and attached a metal ring to them.

But the flashcards looked kind of dull to me so I spruced it up with some ribbon.

For the ladybug counting I decided to use red and white ribbons.

For the alphabet I just used a bunch of random ribbons. I really like how they turned out. Don't you? Plus my daughter LOVES looking at them and saying what's on the cards. These would also be great to keep in your purse for when you need a little distraction for the kids.

If you'd like to make your own head on over to Mr. Printables.

A girly I Spy Bag

2011-01-15T09:51:00.000-08:00

For Christmas I made this I spy bag for my nieces. For the objects inside I used old buttons and little knick knacks from my stash.

I also made a little card that has everything in the bag. I wanted to laminate it but instead I just used that clear plastic stuff and sewed the card inside.

I attached a metal ring to a piece of ribbon and punched a hole in the card so it can be removed for younger children that can't read. They love just looking at the items too.

I've been saving this heart fabric for something. This was just perfect!

Here is a list of all the items I put in the bag. I wanted to have lots of items in there and I wanted it to be challenging as well. It was a huge hit! My nieces LOVE it!

I also made one for my daughter but need to finish filling it. I'll post pictures of it when I finish.

If you want to make a I spy bag too a great place to look for items to stuff your bag is on ebay. I bought a random assortment of buttons and things a while back and used a lot of those for the bag.

Best of 2010

2011-01-12T06:31:00.000-08:00

I know this is kind of late to be posting this. But I just wanted to share the top 5 best projects of 2010. These are the 5 projects that got the most views.

#5- Rag Quilt Tutorial

#4- Stocking Stuffer Ideas

#3- ABC Quiet Book

#2- Shapes Matching Game Tutorial

#1- Quick and Easy Quiet Book

Last year I learned quite a bit in sewing. I bought a new sewing machine and tried my hand at making new things. I am not much of a clothing sewer and I tried really hard to make my daughter some new clothes. I had a lot of fun re purposing and sewing clothes. I still need to practice though because sewing clothes isn't my strong point.

This year I hope to try sewing on a zipper ( something I've never done) and figure out how to make buttonholes on my sewing machine.

Is there something new you would like to try this year?

Car Mat

2010-12-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

I hope you all don't mind that I'm featuring others projects for a while. But I'm taking a much deserved break for the holiday and am enjoying spending time with the newest member of our family. :)

I know you've all seen those play car mats floating around. When I saw this one that Larissa made I fell in love!

Didn't she do such a great job? I love the buttons for apples and the car wash. This would be a great gift for any boy. You might not have time to make one before Christmas but I think it's great to showcase others work. Great job Larissa!

Nativity Blocks

2010-12-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Need a quick and easy gift idea for children? How about some nativity blocks? All you need is some wood and nativity stickers. It's a great way to help the kids remember why we celebrate Christmas.

If you've never visited I am Momma, Hear me roar you must! She has tons of great ideas and tutorials. I'll be on the lookout for some nativity stickers for next year. I just know that my kids will LOVE playing with this.

Oh and as a side note today we are welcoming the newest member to our family. :) Wish us luck!

(No, I didn't write this post this morning. I love that with blogger you can schedule posts.)

Felt Ornaments

2010-12-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

I really wanted to make some felt ornaments this year. But that just didn't happen. With a two year old and a baby due next week I'm losing motivation but still have TONS of ideas swimming in my head. When I saw these ornaments over at Craftiness is not Optional I fell in love.

Image from Craftiness is not Optional

Don't you just love the colors and different shapes? If only I had more time to craft I would be making millions of these. Next year for sure. The good news is there is a Free tutorial and pattern on how to make these. Awesome right? So if you are in need of a quick last minute project then this just might be it.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-17T10:23:00.000-08:00

I need a break. I'm expecting our second baby on Monday. Wish me luck! :) I'm not sure when I'll start blogging again (hopefully soon!) but I wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas. I hope it is filled with love and happiness.

Oh and just because I'm nice I'll be having a few posts next week featuring others ideas. So make sure to check back to get some great last minute gift ideas.

Merry Christmas! ~ love, Jessica

Yarn Wreath

2010-12-17T07:31:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you've all seen those yarn wreaths before. When I saw them I just knew I had to make one. So, I went to good old D.I. and picked up a straw wreath for $0.50.

I decided to use gray yarn that I already had on hand.

Then I made some white felt flowers.

I decided to hang it by our family pictures and I just LOVE how it looks.

I'm thinking it needs some more roses though. What do you think?

I also wanted to be able to switch out the flowers for different seasons. So instead of gluing them to the wreath I just attached them with pins. I attached the ribbon the same way and just used a push pin to hang it on the wall. This was really easy and lots of fun to make. Now I want to make a whole bunch of wreaths in tons of different colors. If you'd like to make one too here's a great tutorial. You could also do a search on Etsy to get some ideas.

Looking for guest bloggers

2010-12-15T17:25:00.000-08:00

As most of you probably know I am expecting my second baby any day now. While I'm taking a break and adjusting to life with a 2 year old and a newborn I thought it would be nice to hear from you.

If you have a tutorial or a project you'd like to share with others please e-mail me justenoughstlye@gmail.com

Anything would be great. From toddler games, quiet books, clothes, jewelry, recipes, or tips for life with two kids. :) If you are interested please send me the html of your post and a quick description of yourself and your blog. I'll make sure that I feature your project and send others to your blog. Just make sure you send it to me by Saturday.

Thanks so much! I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Tips for Organizing Toys

2010-12-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

My daughter has lots of toys. A few months ago I wanted to do a different method for organizing all of them. My mom got us some cubbies with fabric baskets from Target. The great thing about these baskets is they are really tall and deep. So you can shove tons of toys inside.

We also took some pictures of what was in the baskets and printed them at Wal-Mart. I just put some velcro on the bin and the picture to attach it to the bin. This way my daughter sees the picture knows what's inside. Which is great because she can pull out what she wants and then knows which bin to put it in when she's done playing.

Another great tip I wanted to share was these tube thingy's. You can find them in the screw isle at Home Depot. I decided to use them for some of the smaller toys my daughter has. Like pom pom's and bugs.

Or for her crayons and colored pencils.

The great thing is they have different sizes. Which is perfect for crayons, animals or anything else you can think of. Now when my daughter wants to color I know where the crayons are. Super easy and a fun way to store toys. What's one of your favorite ways to store your kids toys?

Toddler Christmas Activities

2010-12-14T14:57:00.000-08:00

I recently stumbled upon the website 1+1+1=1. There you can find resources and free printables to use with your children.

I especially liked this Nativity Preschool Pack.

I printed off this short story and put it in a small photobook for Church. My daughter loved looking at all the animals and baby Jesus.

They also have some great worksheets for you kids to do. My daughter really isn't old enough for these but I still LOVE them!

I'm so glad I came across this site! I really love that they have worksheets and activities centered around Christ. I want my daughter to know the reason we celebrate Christmas is because of the birth of Baby Jesus.

Head on over to their site and check it out.

Tree Skirt

2010-12-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

I have a confession. In the 4 1/2 years I've been married we have never had a tree skirt. I remember buying the fabric to make one about 3 years ago but never made it. Until now. When I pulled out the fabric I was surprised to find out that I already cut out the pieces. All I needed to do was sew them together. A super easy project that took less time than I thought.

Our Red and White Christmas

I've always had red and white as my Christmas colors and I LOVE it! Another fun tradition we did this year was cut down our own Christmas tree and yes I hiked in the mountains 9 months pregnant looking for the perfect tree. I don't recommend doing it but I had tons of fun.

Doesn't the tree skirt look so nice under the tree? I love that it matches the polka dot bows on the tree.

I don't remember where I got the fabric but I LOVE it! Now my tree is complete.

Christmas Advent Calender

2010-12-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

I know that it's a little late to be posting this but I finally finished my Christmas Advent Calender. I'm sorry about the horrible pictures I don't have very good lighting in my hallway.

Here she is my finished Advent Calender

When I was ready to hang it I realized I didn't have a dowel. So instead of buying one I just used some push pins to hang it. Maybe next year I'll get a dowel for it.

Here are all of the pockets. I just did a running stitch for the numbers. This was the easiest way I knew to stitch the numbers on.

Here is a picture of what our calender looked like yesterday. My daughter loves taking out an ornament each day and putting it on the tree.

Here is what it looks like when all the ornaments are on the tree. I still have two more to sew but am unsure as to what they should be. Any ideas?

Overall, I am really happy with how this turned out. I'm so glad that I decided to join in on the sew along. My daughter LOVES putting on a new ornament each day. Plus it's a fun way to countdown for baby brother who will be here in 10 days.

Gift Tag Ideas

2010-12-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

Now that you all have some ideas on how to wrap those presents I thought I would share some ideas for gift tags. Again, all of these ideas come from the Martha Stewart website.

Holly Leaf gift tags

I really like the colors they used for these tags. How fun would this be on a present? If you'd like to know how to make them found out here.

Monogram Tags

I love the idea of making monogram tags. For this you could use scrapbook paper or even old cards for the letters.

Rick Rack Christmas Tree

I think this is such a cute idea! Here is the template if you'd like to use it.

Patterned gift tags

Or if you have some extra scrapbooking paper lying around you could make these fun and simple tags. If you need a template you can find it here.

Snowman gift tag

I loved this idea of making a snowman out of circles. Very cute! If you'd like the tag template you can find it here.

Monogram Gift Tags

I love the idea of using a simple monogram. If you'd like to use this you can download them here.

I hope this gives you a few ideas on how to add the perfect tag on those gifts. What are some of your favorite gift tags?

Gift Wrapping Ideas

2010-12-07T14:06:00.000-08:00

Today I thought I would share some creative ways to wrap Christmas gifts. All of these ideas come from Martha Stewart website.

Shopping Bag Gift Wrap

Just use paper bags from the grocery store and add any kind of stamps you'd like.

Tissue Paper

Another great idea is to just use different colors of tissue paper. If you'd like to learn more about adding stripes click here.

Wintry Scene Wrapping

Or you can download this template and attach it to the wrapping paper.

Embellish with Yarn

I LOVE this idea and used some yarn to embellish gifts. There are so many different ways you could do this. Plus if you have tons of yarn that you don't know what to do with it this is a great use for it.

Kid's Artwork gift wrap

If you have little ones have them decorate some paper and then use their artwork to wrap the gift in. You can also use pipe cleaners or ribbon to embellish.

I hope this gives you some fun and creative ways to decorate those gifts. How do you like to wrap your gifts?

Make sure you check back tomorrow. I'm going to share some fun gift tag ideas.

Stocking Stuffers

2010-12-06T09:20:00.000-08:00

Remember this Sunday ABC's book? The photo book I got had a bunch of leftover pages. I've been wanting to fill them up with something but wasn't sure what to use. I really love this but can't really afford to print all of those pages off right now. That's when I came across these New Era postcards at D.I. These were perfect! Just what I needed. If you'd like some you can order them here.

After going through the cards and picking out the ones I wanted to use I just slipped them into the photo book. Super easy and cheap. All the cards cost me $2. I think there was about 100 cards. I also have a bunch of extras too.

All of my daughters Christmas presents are all finished. If you'd like to see what I made her click here, here, and here.

I still had to think about what I was going to put in her stocking. Here are the items that she will be getting:

Magnetic Letters found at Wal-Mart for $1.

Little Mr. Potato Heads that my mom gave me

A princess camera and phone from the Disney Store also from Grandma

Glow in the dark bracelets found at Wal-Mart for $1

Etch a Sketch found at D.I. for $0.50

The five books were also found at D.I. I think I paid $1.50-$2 for all of them

I hope this gives you some fun, cheap and easy gift ideas and stocking stuffers. Tomorrow I'll show you some fun and cheap ways to wrap up all these gifts. Until then happy crafting!

Giveaway Winner and discount

2010-12-03T12:41:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all of you that entered the giveaway. I am thrilled that there are now over 60 of you that follow my blog. I hope you will visit often to see what I'm making.

Now the moment you've all been waiting for. The winner of the earrings of their choice is....... comment # 8 which was Missbossypants. Congratulations!

As another thank you for reading my blog I am offering a special discount this weekend only just for you. 15% off any purchase! In order to get this discount you MUST enter this coupon code upon checkout. IFOLLOWJES Take advantage of this discount now as it will end early Monday morning. Happy Shopping and thanks for being a reader of my blog.

Want some earrings?

2010-12-01T07:58:00.000-08:00

I've been waiting until I reached 50 followers to do a giveaway. I really am quite touched that there are over 50 of you that are interested in what I blog about. As a way of saying thank you I've decided to do a giveaway.

One lucky person will win a pair of my dahlia earrings. The best part is that the winner gets to choose which color they would like.

Whether it's pink,

or blue

or this wonderful french vanilla.

This is only a sampling of the colors that I have available. If you didn't see a color you like here you can always check out my shop for more options. All earrings come on their own card. They would make great stocking stuffers or gifts for the holidays.

IMPORTANT! In order to enter this giveaway you MUST be a follower of my blog. You can do so in the right hand corner at the top of my blog. There are 6 ways to enter.

How to enter:

First Entry: Become a follower of Just Enough Style and then leave a comment telling me your a follower or let me know you already do.

Second Entry: Visit my shop and come back and tell me which color of dahlia earrings is your favorite.

Third Entry: Blog about this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment with the html.

Fourth Entry: Post about this giveaway on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did so.

Fifth Entry: Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter and then come back telling me you did so.

Sixth Entry: Become a Fan of Just Enough Style on Facebook.

This giveaway will be open until Friday at 2pm

Good luck!

Black Friday Shopping

2010-11-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. Most of you are probably out shopping the black friday sales but as for me I'm spending some time with my family and playing with my mom's new toy, a silhouette.

If your looking for a cute and inexpensive gift for Christmas you need to check out my etsy shop. Here's a peak at a few of the dahlia earrings I have available.

Baby Blue

Orange

Pink

Blue Green

I have many more other colors available but quantities are limited in certain colors. So if you see something you like snatch it up quick before someone else does. The best part? Each pair of earrings is only $7 plus a small shipping charge, the more you order the cheaper the shipping .

All earrings come on their own card which is perfect for gift giving. If you'd like to see more please click here. Happy Shopping!

Another Travel Felt Mat

2010-11-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

Remember a few days ago when I made a Travel Felt Mat for my daughter's friend? I just had to make one for my daughter as well.

I've had this umbrella fabric sitting for months waiting for the right project. I am so glad I was finally able to find a project to use it.

When I asked my daughter what she wanted for her book she told me, "Fishies" so fish it was.

I also cut out a apple tree and some apples.

I just love how well this fabric worked out for this project.

Don't those umbrella's just make you happy?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Colors Quiet Book

2010-11-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

As you all know I LOVE making quiet books. There is just something about the little pieces and the different kinds you can make that is addicting. When I was little I had a farm quiet book and I LOVED it! I would put the felt animals on people's sweaters at church and on the bench in front of us. Maybe that's when this love for quiet books started.

I made this Colors Quiet book for my daughter last year. My very first one! Since then I have made two others and I think my sewing skills have improved quite a bit but I just thought it would be fun to share it with you.

Colors Quiet Book

For the cover I went through my scraps and tried to pick out each color I used in the book. I really love the different colors and patterns.

For the pages I just used white felt and then used heavy interfacing and sew the pages together.

I wanted to use items that my daughter liked at the time. I also hand stitched all the colors and then sewed them onto a piece of fabric that matched the color.

The fish bowl is my favorite page. Later I decided to add a back to the fish to help with durability. You can also take the fish in and out of the bowl.

My daughter LOVES ducks so I knew that for yellow there would be ducks.

Green Frog

Blue bird

It seems that every quiet book for purple they do grapes. I hand stitched the grapes on at first and learned later how bad an idea that was. I plan on making some new grapes with velcro.

For Brown all I could come up with was Chocolate Ice Cream with a cherry on top.

Pink Flower

For the back cover I hand stitched a little message to my daughter.

I had a hard time figuring out how to bind this book. I didn't know about grommets at the time so I just punched holes in the pages and used metal rings to hold the book together.

I then took some of my leftover scraps and tied them in knots on the rings. For this being my first ever quiet book I think it turned out great don't you? There are a few pages that I need to fix but that's how we learn right?

Rag Quilt Tutorial

2010-11-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

I've been making rag quilts to give as baby gifts. I usually do the little squares but I've found that just doing strips of fabric is a lot easier and takes less sewing. Do you want to make one too?Today I'm going to show you how to make a strip rag quilt like this one:

Rag Quilt Tutorial

Supplies needed:

*Flannel fabric- For this quilt I used 3 coordinating fabrics so I got about 3/4 yards in each fabric. If you just wanted to use two colors you will need 3/4 yards of each fabric.

* Good pair of scissors

*Sewing machine

*Rotary cutter and mat

Step One: Wash your fabric. After you've washed and dried your fabric now you are ready to cut it in strips. Cut your strips 4 1/2 inches wide in each fabric. You'll end up with 12 strips all together.

Now you need to decide on your pattern. If your doing just 2 colors you don't really need to do this step. Here's a picture of the pattern I decided on.

Step Two: Sew the strips together. Take your first two strips and place them right sides facing out.

Like this

Now sew the two pieces together. I used the end of my presser foot as a guide. You don't want to sew right along the edge though. Give yourself about 5/8 seam allowance.

This is what your blanket should look like after sewing the two pieces together.

Now take your third fabric piece and place right sides facing out and sew. Do this with all 6 pieces for the front.

When your done you'll have something that looks like this. Now, do the same for the back of the quilt. Sewing each strip together.

You should have two blankets now. One for the front and one for the back.

Step Three: Now you need to even out the edges. Get your rotary cutter and even out the front and back pieces.

Step Four: Place your front and back pieces together with right sides facing out. Line up the edges and pin.

Step Five: Sew all the way around the quilt. Using the same seam allowance as before. 5/8

When your all done sewing around the entire quilt it's now time to cut. This is where your good scissors come in handy.

Start cutting. Just make sure that you don't cut the stitching.

Do this for each strip on the front and back and all along the sides. Throw in the dryer for about 15 minutes and let the edges fray.

Your done! A simple and easy rag quilt. Here are some others I've made in the past.

There are so many different ways you could personalize them. For this blanket I used my Mom's sewing machine and we embroidered "A boy is a joy."

The possibilities are endless for these blankets. They are fun and easy to make and are just as fun to give away as gifts. If any of you make some blankets using this tutorial I'd love to see them. Happy Sewing! If you have any questions please let me know.

Travel Felt Mat

2010-11-19T12:21:00.000-08:00

Next week is my daughter's friends birthday. I wanted to make something for her but wasn't quite sure what to make. I thought about finger puppets but those take time and I needed to give the gift to her today.

Yesterday while looking online I found this amazing tutorial for a Travel Felt Mat. It was perfect! I already had all of the supplies so I decided to make one for my friends daughter.

Travel Felt Mat

Since our friends are going to be traveling for Thanksgiving I thought this would be a great gift to keep their daughter entertained. Plus I loved how compact it was. Instead of doing a velcro closure I decided to use a button instead.

When you open it up there is a felt board with pockets to the sides.

I decided to make a tree and lake with ducks. I had a hard time cutting out the ducks. They look a little funny but I don't think a 2 year old will mind. Do you?

In the other pocket I cut out a bunch of different shapes. I thought it would be a great way for her to name the shape and tell what color it was.

Then when your all done playing you can store the pieces away in the little pockets on the sides.

I couldn't find any wrapping paper so I just used some yellow tissue paper and wrote a message on top.

Then I used some pipe cleaners and made some curly-q's on top and Viola! A simple and easy birthday gift. These would also be great stocking stuffers or gifts.

I also made another one for my daughter but I still need to make some felt stories for hers. I'll post pictures of it when I'm done. I also thought you could do Old MacDonald, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, A princess and her castle, 5 little monkey's jumping on the bed, Noah's Ark or The Itsy Bitsy Spider. The possibilities are endless with this.

If you'd like to make one too head on over to Our Journey and check out the tutorial.

Homemade Owls

2010-11-16T06:59:00.000-08:00

Owls are everywhere! I'm sure you've all seen those cute owl pillows and toys. I've been wanting to make some for awhile now. There is this great website called DIY Dish. If you haven't heard of it they have some great and easy craft ideas. You really should check it out.

About a month or so ago they did a episode on how to make Owl Pin Cushions. Plus they have a free pattern available on their website.

The pattern online is for the small owl with the dangle legs. I made that one first and wasn't sure if I liked the legs. With the other two I meant to draw some different legs but never got around to it.

The best thing about this project is I used up some of my fabric scraps.

They also share a great tip on how to sew the legs.

For the bigger Owl I had my husband enlarge the pattern for me. You really could make it any size you'd like. My daughter loves to play with these owl pillows. But you could also use the pattern and make a paper banner or use them for pin cushions. The possibilities are endless. These would also make great stocking stuffers or gifts for the holidays.

Shop Makeover

2010-11-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

This weekend I spent hours working on my Etsy shop and organizing my inventory. I made some new business cards. Nice don't you think?

I also came up with some simple and cute earring cards.

Don't they look so pretty? These would make great gifts for the holidays or even stocking stuffers. Each pair is only $7! If you'd like to see more colors head on over to my shop. I'm constantly updating and adding new varieties so make sure to check the shop often.

Flannel and Chenille Blanket

2010-11-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

If you can't tell I've been thinking about the baby lately. Since I finished sewing all of my daughters Christmas presents I'm now starting to think baby things. With this being our first boy we don't have that many blankets and clothes for him. Having a husband in nursing school money is tight. So I've decided to just make him things. Which I think is much more fun. Plus it's saving us money.

For this blanket I used some chenille that I found at a yard sale for $2 and some remnant fabric for about $3.

I was just going to do a straight stitch around the edge but remembered that my new sewing machine has decorative stitches. I love the squiggly stitch don't you? I also decided to use light green thread as a contrast.

It's so warm and cozy, perfect for a winter baby to be snuggled up in. If your wondering how to make a blanket like this there are plenty of great tutorials online. Just do a google search.

Baby Washcloths

2010-11-12T07:54:00.000-08:00

Washcloths are a must with a newborn baby. But the ones you can buy at the store aren't that great quality and are about $6 for a pack. Yesterday I saw this awesome tutorial over at A little tipsy on how to make your own washcloths. It never occurred to me to just make my own washcloths. I already had tons of flannel and chenille so I gave it a try.

I decided to use the same flannel fabric for the top and change up the chenille on the bottom.

Two of them have this green chenille on the back.

The other two have this blue on the back.

I really had a lot of fun making these. I love how they are so soft and are sturdier than store bought washcloths. Plus I didn't have to buy anything. I just used what I had. If you'd like to make some of these go here.

I'm also working on a rag quilt tutorial. I'm hoping to have it up at the beginning of next week. Make sure to stop by.

Play Kitchen Before and After

2010-11-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Today you can find me over at Honey Bear Lane where I will be sharing my Shapes Matching game tutorial. Head on over to Heidi's blog and say Hi. She makes some amazing baby puff quilts. I'm so honored to be featured on her blog today.

I know that some of you have been waiting for the big play kitchen reveal and I can now say that it is complete! (It's been done for sometime now I've just been needing to pick up some new knobs.)

Back in May I found this awesome children' dresser at a yard sale for $3. It was in bad shape and needed some TLC. I could see it's potential and just had to buy it.

Before:

One of the things that I loved about this little dresser was the two shelves on top and the cupboards on bottom. The wood on top and above the drawer was just particle board and had warped over time. We took those off and gave the entire dresser a thorough sanding job and new paint.

After:

Here is a picture of what it looks like now. Much better right? I really liked the original colors of green and white so I stuck with those. We also added some thicker wood on top and above the drawer.

We also added some hooks on both sides of the kitchen to hang cooking tools and an apron.

As for the handles I got them all at Home Depot. Cute and simple just the way I like it.

The cupboard holds most of our play food and mixer while the drawer holds pots and pans. Overall I'm thrilled with how this turned out. I couldn't have done it without the help of my parents and neighbor. Thanks so much for helping me transform this dresser into a fun play kitchen for my kids.

What have you re purposed lately?

Old MacDonald Hand Puppets

2010-11-10T08:19:00.001-08:00

When I saw these hand puppets over at Larissa's blog I knew I just had to make them. I finally finished them last night and Love how they turned out.

Front view

Back view

One of the things I really liked about these puppets was all the details on the back of the puppets. Genius! Plus I think it adds to the cuteness factor.

I had a hard time picking my favorites but I'm really like this cow.

The Cat has to be my favorite by far.

Do you want to make some too? Then head on over to Larissa's blog she has the pattern and instructions for you. You really should stop by sometime. She has amazing tutorials and projects.

Make sure to stop by tomorrow and see the play kitchen reveal!

Christmas Advent Calender

2010-11-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited because today my Shapes Matching Game Tutorial is being featured over at the fabulous blog Naptime Crafters. If you've never been over to her blog you really should head on over and visit. She has some great ideas and tutorials.

Christmas Advent Calender Sew Along with Jill

Image from Inchmark

Last night I stopped over at Homemade by Jill's blog and she is doing a Christmas Advent Calender sew along. If you'd like to join in on the fun this is what we are going to be making. Adorable right? When I saw this I knew I was going to join in on the fun. Who wouldn't want to make one of these cute calenders? If you'd like to make one Jill will be posting weekly things that you need to do in order to get your calender done by December. I can't wait!

Organizing Fabric

2010-11-03T07:59:00.000-07:00

Let's face it, as a crafter we all have TONS of fabric. I have lots of random scraps that were just sitting in a box. During the summer I found these awesome wire egg baskets for $1 a piece. Score huh? These baskets sit under my sewing machine desk and hold all those scraps. I really love how I can still see all the fabric. Fun huh?

Here are both of the baskets. The orange one holds all the small scraps and the silver one holds the bigger scraps.

As for organizing my fabric before it used to be in plastic bins under my bed. But since moving I had these door organizers and my Mom (thanks Mom!) suggested that we double them up over the door and put all my fabric in them. I LOVE it this way! Now I can see all the fabric I have and it takes up no space at all. No bins under the bed anymore for me.

Do you have any ideas and ways that you store your fabric and scraps?

Handmade Holidays

2010-11-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

Since Halloween is over it's now time to start thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas. Especially if you are making handmade gifts this year. Like me. I've tried to post about the projects I've finished for my daughter. Like the quiet book, felt fishing game and the church abc book.

If you are in need of some ideas for gifts Sew Mama Sew is doing their Annual Handmade Holidays.

For more gift ideas head on over to these wonderful blogs:

A little lovely is doing 10 gift ideas for under $10.

I heart naptime has some cheap and easy gift ideas as well.

For 14 days of handmade goodness make sure you check out Creation Corner.

If you've never been over to Moda Bakeshop you must! They have some great projects and ideas.

Happy Crafting!

Sunday ABC's Book

2010-10-28T08:56:00.000-07:00

If you have little ones you know that church can be a struggle sometimes. I try and keep Sunday toys in a separate bag that we only use once a week. I've wanted the toys my daughter plays with to be more centered around what church is all about. That's when I came across this Sunday ABC's book from Oopsey Daisy. If you've never stopped over at her blog you really should. She has some wonderful ideas and games for toddlers.

Here's what my Sunday ABC's book looks like.

I got this photo book for $1 at D.I.

For the pictures I used Shutterfly. If your a member they send you coupons once in a while. I was able to use a coupon for 75 free prints. All I had to pay was about $4 for shipping. I saved a few dollars doing it this way instead of printing them myself or bringing them to the store.

I'm not sure why they printed so small but I cut around the pictures and glued them to different colored scrapbook paper.

I really love how it turned out. The picture quality is amazing too!

If you'd like to make one for your little one head on over to Oopsey Daisy and get the download. The total cost for this project was about $5. Cheap, easy and fun.

Scrappy Doll Dress

2010-10-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

My daughter is way into Dolls and Babies right now. Everytime we go to the store we have to go and look at all the baby dolls. Last week when we were at D.I. ( goodwill) I saw this adorable little doll. But she didn't have any clothes or a price tag. I thought that if the price was right I would just make her a few outfits. The checkout lady told me $0.50. I couldn't pass that up! Could you?

After a good wash and a new hairdo she was ready to be fitted for her dress. I went through my baskets of scraps and decided on these two fabrics. I added the polka dot on the bottom because the dress was a bit too short.

As for the straps I tried to use some of the polka dot fabric but that didn't work. Then I saw my box of ribbon and had a "Aha!" moment. Why not just use ribbon? Genius huh? (I thought so.)

I also wanted her dress to come on and off easily. I just used some velcro and sewed it in certain spots on the back. That's it! Pretty easy huh? I'm going to try and sew her some other outfits because a girl needs options right?

The best part is that the entire project cost me $0.50 and I was able to use up some of my fabric scraps. A win win for me and my daughter.

Shapes Matching Game Tutorial

2010-10-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

I've had this idea in my head for a while of a shapes and colors matching game. Yesterday, I was finally able to make it. It's pretty self explanatory but I'll include a mini tutorial for those of you who want some instructions.

Supplies:

Felt in various colors

White or cream felt for the cards

Scrap fabric for the back of the cards

Fabric for the bag

String or ribbon

Sewing Machine

First off decide what shapes and colors you want to use. I didn't use a pattern for any of the shapes but if you needed one I'm sure you could just use some clip art to help you.

Next cut out 2 of every shape and color sew them onto some cream colored felt. I used a face card as a pattern.

Once you have all your shapes sewn on the felt it's now time to make the back of your cards. If you wanted to you could just leave it felt but I wanted to add some color. Sew your shape to the fabric right sides facing out. I left a little edge on the back fabric and used my pinking shears to add some texture.

That's it! Now your ready to play!

When your done you can put them in this little bag for easy storage. The great thing about this matching game is that it has shapes and colors. It's a great way to help your little one learn colors and shapes in a fun way.

I hope this made some sense. As this is my first ever tutorial. If you have any questions or need some help please don't hesitate to ask. Happy Sewing!

Simple Burp Rags

2010-10-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that most of you have seen cloth diaper burp rags. I made some for my daughter with the strip of fabric down the center, but for my son I wanted to do it a little different. Here's what I did.

I bought a pack of cloth diapers at Walmart for a few dollars and used Rit Dye to dye the rags the colors I wanted. If your new to dying things Dana has a great and easy tutorial for doing so.

I had a bunch of random fabric scraps so I just appliquéd them on the rags.

Don't you just love that star fabric?

I really liked the trees on this scrap so I just cut it using pinking shears and sewed it right on.

I had this fabric leftover from a project and sewed it all the way down the middle. I LOVE how it looks against the navy blue. Don't you?

I loved the animals on this fabric so I decided to cut them out and sew them on.

I really like how they turned out. It's very satisfying taking something that was originally white and dying it a different color. I didn't dye all of the burp rags and I still have a few solid colors. I think I might just leave those the way they are. What do you think?

How to Quiet Book

2010-10-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

I found this How to Get Dressed quiet book at D.I. last week. I loved how it had buckles and snaps and taught how to do everyday tasks when getting ready for the day. For $0.25 I just had to get it. A steal huh?

Front of the book

Velcro the overalls

Buckle the bag

Tie the shoelace

Zip the jacket

Snap the pocket

I'm sure that you could make one of these on your own to help your child learn how to get themselves dressed. I've even thought about putting treats inside the pocket for when my daughter unsnaps it she gets a prize or something like that.

I'm glad I stumbled upon this cute little book and the price wasn't too shabby either.

Have a great day everyone!

The Dinosaur Blanket

2010-10-20T08:10:00.000-07:00

I found this awesome green quilted fabric at D.I. a few months ago. I think there was over 2 yards of it, I got it all for less than $3. Sweet huh? I'm not really sure what the fabric is but it's really soft and kind of stretchy. I just had to get it! That's how the Dinosaur blanket came to be.

I used my daughters favorite blanket and used that to decide how big I should make it.

Then I sewed lines every 6 inches to give it a quilted look and so it would last longer.

I really wanted to try a satin edge. This is the first time I have ever done this so I was a bit nervous. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Making mitered corners was a little tricky for me. It's not perfect but I really like how it turned out. For my first time ever making a blanket like this I am pretty darn excited with the end result.

All together for this blanket I think I payed at most $8. That just makes it ever sweeter. Right?Now, I just need to wait for this little one to get here so I can snuggle him up in this Dino blanket.

Felt Fishing Set

2010-10-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

Ever since I saw this felt fishing set over at Larissa's Blog I knew I had to make it. I just finished it this weekend and I'm loving how it turned out.

I wanted to keep the fish pretty close to the same colors but have them be a little different. I also made my fishing pole a little bit shorter than the pattern said. I also need to make another fishing pole because fishing is better when you go with a friend.

To store it all in I used one of those garment bags you put in the washing machine. I wasn't using mine and this was the perfect size to fit all the fish and the pole.

Now I have 2 Christmas presents finished for my daughter. Next on the list are these adorable Old MacDonald Hand Puppets.

ABC Quiet Book

2010-10-13T08:34:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been pretty sick this week with the flu. Being 30 weeks pregnant with the flu is no fun at all! Anyway.

Today I wanted to share with you the ABC quiet book I made for my daughter. I actually finished it on her birthday back in June. All together it took me about 6 months to make. That included cutting everything out, sewing, and picking out fabrics. It was a lot of work but I LOVE the end result.

Here's a peak at the J and K page. My daughter loves the hand puppet.

She also loves to play with the "puppy" and take him out of his house.

For the cover I wanted to do something gender neutral. I had this corduroy fabric for over 4 years and really wanted to use it. I then used the stripe fabric that I found at D.I. and used some fabric scraps and felt for the letters. I really love how it turned out. Don't you?

Since it's the entire alphabet it's quite bulky. In the pattern it didn't have a closure so I decided to use some ribbon to keep it closed.

I just used some scrap ribbon and tied it in a bow. This way everything stays in place.

Overall, I really enjoyed making this quiet book. I got the pattern from here. She has a great etsy shop with lots of fun quiet book patterns and ideas.

The things I liked about this pattern was how interactive it was. The instructions were very clear and were easy to understand. I was also able to use fabric I already had. I don't think I bought any fabric for this. Maybe some felt here and there but felt is pretty cheap.

Some things I didn't like was that it didn't have a closure to the book. But that was easily fixed with some leftover ribbon. The pattern is a little pricey but worth it. This has to be one of my favorite quiet books I've made so far. It took the longest and was the most time consuming but I love the end result. Don't you?