Paint Projects

Here are a few before and after shots of some paint projects we’ve completed for the nursery. I scored this table on ebay and the basket on etsy.



I’m loving Krylon’s watermelon spray paint.



Remember this dresser Todd found for us.



He worked his magic and made this happen!

Let Your Light Shine Bright

We're wrapping up so many little projects in the nursery that I can't keep up on the blog. I should have a few more posts in the next few days if I can squeeze it in between company visiting, football games, etc.

I scored the most wonderful elephant lamp at Home Goods during my summer visit to Texas. I had to stuff it in my suitcase for the trip back and ship the lamp shade, but it was so worth it! This is the lamp shade that came with it. I started riping off the ribbon trim thinking I would use shade and improve it, but it just wasn't working. The shade was too big and when the light was on, the check pattern showed through my fabric.



Plan B, I found this lamp shade at Tuesday Morning. Not quite the right look, but the right size and shape.



A few ruffles and cute tiny pom-pom fringe later and we have ourselves a happy fix.

Topping My Wish List

Is it too early to start leaving Christmas wish list hints?!? Patty Young of the Modkid fame has left this juicy hint about her new book coming out. Seriously, this girl puts together some of the most amazing patterns, so a book form is bound (pun intended) to be fabulous. I simply NEED this book. Besides, its a super great price on Amazon for pre-order right now. Hint, hint.

Source: amazon.com via Courtney on Pinterest

Contrasting “Ruffled” Sleeve Tutorial

Ok, so the title of this post stinks, but I hope you get the idea. I had so much fun coming up with this sleeve detail on the Roxy dresses I made here and here that I thought I would share the process. It’s not rocket science or anything, but I thought a quick tutorial might help someone else out there. This is certainly not the only way to achieve the look, but it’s my way. See the striped fabric “ruffle” on the end of the dotted sleeve. That’s what I’m going to show you how to put together.



First, cut out your sleeve pattern pieces. I’m using the Roxy pattern from Farbenmix here, but you can use any pattern with an elastic band at the hem of the sleeve. I also cut a 1.75” strip of fabric the entire width of the fabric (1.75”x42”). This strip is folded in half in the picture.



Next, finish the hem of one side of the strip. I used a rolled hem on my serger. If you don’t have a serger, you can fold over a hem, but keep in mind you may want to add to the width of your strip to accommodate the extra seam allowance needed.



Cut your long strip to fit the bottom edge of the sleeve and pin in place.



Sew your seam with a 5/8” seam allowance. Then, finish the edge of the seam allowance with a serger or a zig-zag stitch. We are creating a casing here, so you need to have at least a 1/4” space between your seam and your seam finish.



Now, press you seam allowance toward the sleeve (dotted fabric), and topstitch at the edge of your seam finish. Again, maintain at least 1/4” casing next to your seam. You can see the two rows of navy thread in my photo below.



Here’s how it should look like from the top side at this point.



Cut your piece of elastic and use safety pins to feed it through the casing. I measure my model’s arm and add 1/2” to determine the length of the elastic.



Once you have fed the elastic through the casing, stitch down each end to secure it in place.



Now, you have the ruffled look at the edge of your sleeve piece from the elastic.



Follow the rest of your pattern instructions for sewing the sleeve in place and closing it off.



I hope this comes across as a simple technique with a cute effect. Feel free to email me or post a comment with any questions. This technique is adorable on the Roxy, but would be great on peasant dresses like these too.

Game Day Dress

Temperatures have started to dip, leaves have started to fall, and weekends in Oxford are jam packed. This could only mean one thing; the football season has arrived. You should know by now what a big deal this is in our household. Todd has been eagerly anticipating the season for weeks. Game days in Oxford always mean tailgating extravaganzas in The Grove, and we must dress the part. Here's a shot of Avery's game day Roxy pattern by Farbenmix completed with Michael Miller fabrics and vintage buttons. (Seriously love this pattern!)

It was an evening game, so we all decided to join in the festivities. I must say the bleachers were not the best thing for this prego body, but we were all troopers. The season is not off to the greatest of starts, but at least we came away with a win for this particular evening.

Kara - here's that belly shot for you!!

For the Little Guy

My littlest nephew, Ford, turned one last week, so I sewed up this preppy little number. The pattern is Simplicity 4243. I love the pleats and the sewn in shirt look. Of course, it's hard to look past this cute little face to even care about the outfit.

Roxy All the Way

I actually had to wait until the first day of Mother's Morning Out to sew up a second day of school dress for Avery. Mo Bedell is the fabulous designer behind these sweet yet funky prints (except the stripe). I entered a contest to win more of her fabric after making this Josie dress. I didn't win the contest, but Mo was super sweet to send me fabric anyway because she loved the dress. Don't you just love people who encourage and spread creativity?!?

The pattern is Farbenmix's Roxy, and I'm in love with it. I immediately sewed up another one after completing this one so stay tuned for more. As I said, the main fabrics are the Party Dress line by Mo Bedell. The stripe is by Jennifer Paganelli.

Crib Skirt and Ellie Pillow

It's time to start checking a few more things off the nursery to-do list. Can you believe we're roughly 7 weeks from the arrival of the new little munchkin? I chose a little peek-a-boo pleated design for the crib skirt. I can lead anyone to various tutorials or ideas if need, but I did things a bit differently for mine. Since my crib has a bottom drawer and is backed against the wall, the crib skirt only needs to hang down in front. Instead of a standard skirt with a piece that goes under the mattress, I elected to attach velcro to the mattress base and the backside of the skirt. I should be able to adjust the velcro when we need to move the mattress height. That's the idea anyway; we'll see if it works in practice.



Here is a detail shot of the skirt with ribbons where I tacked back the pleats.



We'll have a full size bed in the room as well, so I thought this fun elephant pillow would tie it all together. I found a free pattern on the Farbenmix site here. I adjusted the trunk, eye, and tail just because I can't seem to leave anything as is lately.



We should be done painting some furniture soon, so things are finally coming together! Inspiration for the pillow and crib skirt can be found on my pinterest board.