Wedding crafting in full swing...

My sister's wedding is only a couple days away and I still have plenty to do! I'm certain all be burning some midnight oil the next few nights after all the kiddos go to bed to finish up my to-do list for the bride-to-be. Thought I would share what I've finished up so far. Inspiration came from here, here, and here. I've got to get back to work! We've got a birthday party for a very cute three year old to put on today and then the wedding on Saturday! Lots of fun show and tell when this whirlwind of a week is over!

Thrift store goodies.

Hello! With my cousin and her little girl staying with us we have been BUSY! Throwing that fourth kid into the mix makes a difference! It's been great fun but computer time has been limited. Her daughter will be turning three next week and we've been doing some thrift store shopping to find some fun things for her "Eden in Wonderland" party :). I found a few fun things myself while looking around, fun mini trays (for the kids future play kitchen), a Sanko Ware Show Pan, vintage Pyrex mugs, and some vintage tea towels that I think would make great tote bags. I love when I spot something great in the midst of what usually is a lot of junk. And leaving with a bag full of goodies for under ten bucks is just as satisfying.

To Florida and back again.

I helped my cousin drive from Northern FLorida to Northern Colorado this weekend. I flew out of Denver at a cheerful 6:15 a.m. last Friday and we began our three day drive at 7:20 a.m. the next morning. 12 hours on day one, 12 hours on day two, and an easy 8.5 hour day to finish off our trip. We drove through ten states! Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and finally beautiful Colorado. Each has a specific memory attached. Florida, of course, was the beach...and my brief but glorious time with my feet in the sand and surf. Georgia were the cotton plants and dead armadillos lining the interstate. Alabama, a surprise to me, was the beautiful rolling hills...what a beautiful drive! Tennessee, we stayed in Memphis with a friend and drove on the same street as rail cars and Clydesdales pulling carriages covered in lights. Mississippi and Arkansas were unbelievably flooded...miles of farmland under water. Oklahoma was covered in wild flowers...we pulled over and picked some to spruce up the dashboard :). Texas was the most fun as far as site seeing. We drove segments of Route 66, took our picture in front of a ginormous boot, and made a quick stop at the Cadillac Ranch. We also survived severe fog, fierce wind gusts, and a slew of tumble weeds. New Mexico was a disappointing landscape...the corner we drove through was depressed and bare. Then we entered Colorado, greeted with the view of snow capped mountains. It was gorgeous and felt so great to be home. It was a long trip, but oh so fun :). Though we are still recovering. It's hard to catch up with any sleep with four little kids running around and needing our care and attention. But it is a wonderful start to what I know is going to be a fantastic summer, and I can't wait! So that is why it's been a bit quiet around my little blog, but not at all quiet around my house :). Sewing adventures are soon to pick up again with my sister's wedding in just two weeks! Lots to do and lots to show along the way!

Reversible head scarves.

One of my daughter's little friends turned four on Monday. I wanted to make something for her but only had a 2 hour window, as it was the day of her birthday. Yes, I tend to do things last minute. I work better under pressure? Or maybe I just actually do the work under pressure :). I had made a little neckerchief for my son from the Simple Sewing for Baby book and had wanted to make some head scarves for my daughter based on that pattern. Seemed like a perfect opportunity to practice! I modified the shape a bit, replacing the ties with a bit of elastic. I also made it reversible which means NO hemming! :) Plus, everyone likes a two-for-one. They were super quick and easy, which tends to be a theme for most of my projects. They turned out really cute and little Ruby was pretty excited to try them on. She is one of four sisters so I'm sure they'll get plenty of wear. They also have chickens in their backyard, so of course while making these I was envisioning an idyllic scene of Ruby collecting eggs while wearing her head scarf. Now she just needs a little apron to complete the look! After seeing how adorable my Olivia looked in them I will definitely be making her a set to frolic in this summer.

More refashioning: spring scarves.

A couple months ago a friend of mine hosted a clothing swap. This was the second one I've attended and I highly recommend it! It's a great girl's night and you leave with a bunch of cute stuff for free! Plus you get to de-clutter your closet and what isn't snatched up can be donated. After the last swap I left with a dress and skirt that were way too small but had great potential for refashioning. I loved the bold print of the poppies, and colors and vintage handkerchief look of the other. I meant to take photos of the original garments but I got a little scissor happy :). The poppy scarf was the skirt of a dress that I cut away from the bodice. I left the fabric as a circle and just hemmed the cut side—wah-lah, circular scarf! So simple and easy! The ruffled scarf was formerly the skirt. I just cut a strip and hemmed. Originally I was going to leave it flat, but I was unhappy with the lack of fullness. The available fabric from the skirt wasn't as wide as I needed. This tutorial was the answer to that. After the ruffling I think the scarf looks great, so much so I gifted it to a friend for her birthday. Hope she enjoys it! I will be making more ruffled scarves in the near future. And also may be checking out the dresses at my local thrift stores every now and again :).