Curtains, finally!

Ok, I finally finished Evan's curtains!  It took a LOT of trial and error, but I am pretty pleased with the finished product.  My camera has been broken since Thanksgiving, so I did not get many pictures taken of the actually sewing process, but here's the picture of the end product.   

Ok, so here's what I did: The fabric that I found made this really easy.  The pattern was in nice long rows, with enough space in between each row that I was able to cut it into strips right between the pictures and still have a bit of room for a hem.  Then I just ironed under the edges and the ends, spaced and pinned down the strips of fabric, and sewed them on.  I had to sew very close to the edge of the fabric, so it was hard to keep my lines straight, but I have a hard time keeping straight lines anyway!  Now that I've done it, figured it all out on my own, and can look at it in retrospct, it was really quite simple.  Maybe I won't be so scared to try something else like this!

Blogs I Like

I have found a couple of cute sewing/craft blogs lately that are so cute, so I thought I'd share.  :)
http://www.sayyestohoboken.com/  This one has lots of cute sewing ideas, and DIY tutorials.

http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/  I haven't had time to explore this whole site, but they have a super cute section called "Celebrate the Boy," with tons of project ideas for little boys!  In her words, "there just aren't enough BOY ideas in the blogosphere." 

http://tinyhappy.typepad.com/tiny_happy/ Also very cute stuff, and easy-to-follow DIY tutorials. 

Happy crafting!

First Staining Project

Ok, here is my first-ever on-my-own staining project.  Years ago our Dad made some of us a chest for our keepsakes (affectionately known as our Hope Chests).  When he made them, they were left unfinshed, and each one had a unique design stenciled on.  (Unfortunately I did not get any pics of how it looked before, but imagine unfinished wood with a blue angel stencil.)  I have been wanting to stain it for a while now so it would match the tables in my bedroom, and this past month I finally did it!  As I said, the chest has some years on it, so it is a little worn (nicks, bumps, stains I couldn't remove), but I think the finished product turned out pretty nice for my first attempt.  Oh, and I had a 3-yr-old "helper," so take that into account too!  Here are pics of the finished product.

Ok, what is going on??  Every post I've done lately has turned one of my pics sideways, and I can't figure out why!  It wasn't taken vertical, it's not vertical in my pictures folder, only when it gets posted on the blog.  Help?!

Menu Planner

Ok, here is the menu planner I made that everyone has been asking for pictures for.  Here is the website I got the idea from.  Most of her blog posts are promoting her Etsy store, but she does have some really cute things and good ideas!  I will let you read her tutorial for directions.  If you like to be organized, this is a great idea.  If you print out all of the sheets, there is room to writethe meals, a grocery list, and even a coupon list.  There is a pocket inside, but I don't have a pic of that right now.  Will add when I get it.  :)  (Ok, I can not figure out why the second picture is sideways...it just keeps doing it, no matter how it's saved, and there's no way to rotate it on here that I know of, so just turn your head sideways! :p  )

New Site

So, I have a new hobby.....are you ready for this?  I am addicted to sewing.  Ever since I got a sewing machine for Christmas I have been searching for fun projects to do.  So far I have just gone pretty simple.  I have done a couple of aprons, a free-hand shopping bag holder (the kind with elastic around the top and bottom), and am now working on altering curtains for Evan's room (also "free-hand"ing it).  Then my SIL told me about a super fun website with tons of suuuuuper cute sewing ideas, tutorials and patterns, and now I have so many ideas!  The site is http://www.sewmamasew.com/, and it's my new favorite.  Here's the first thing I want to make... :)