We did our family Christmas party last night.  We held to a new philosophy this year when it came to gifts.  Each person got one gift in the following categories: Need, Want, Wear, Read, Made.

It worked really well.

Here are some pictures of the festivities.

 Before the fun begins!

Claire and Lilly opening their "Want" American Girl dolls - Kirsten and Kit

Girls with their "Made" gifts

Modeling their comfy "Wear" gifts

I made these dolls for Claire, Lilly and Emelia. Emelia will get hers up north.

I ran out of cards this year.  Here is a digital version for those of you who didn't get one. 

Hope that you and your family have a blessed Christmas.

Have I introduced you to my new best friend?

Sometimes, when I want to avoid doing all of the other things that I should be doing, I sit on my couch and spend some time with my new best friend - Pinterest.
Have you met?  She is one of those friends you can spend hours with and it seems like minutes.  So many good ideas.  So much good advice.  She knows all of the tricks for cleaning your oven with stuff found in your kitchen.  She has all of the good tips on how to get the best pictures of your kids.  I look forward to the time I can spend combing through all of her knowledge.

Ok. Let's get real.  Pinterest is this amazing site where you create virtual bulletin boards.  Instead of tacking things to them, you pin them.  I have boards for everything.  I have over 800 pins on 27 boards.  I can get to them from my smartphone when I am at Joann Fabrics and want to see what colors I need.  It is so addicting and it makes you feel like you have been crafty and all you have done is sat on the couch.

You need an invite to join.  I am happy to invite anyone who is interested.  But, be warned, you will waste a ton of time on this.  If you have an addictive personality, you may want to stay away.  Seriously, can you handle the cuteness!

Craft Show Update

Today was the craft show at Legacy Christian.  It was also the debut of my newest line - turtle dove.  This line is focused on children's accessories and fun items.  We had a very successful day, but I do have some stuff left.  I am listing the stuff here in case anyone is interested in ordering.  If you want something, either comment here, email me or message me on Facebook.  All items are first come first serve.  

If you are local, we will set up a time for delivery.  

Otherwise I will work with you on the most cost efficient way to get it to you.  

A look at the booth with my new banner.

Canvas Totes $25

18w x 16t

Each has a gathered flower on the outside and is fully lined with a coordinating "fun" fabric inside.

The handle length is great for the taller girls as well.

Let me know what color outside flower you are interested in.

Magnetic Boards and Green Frame

Magnetic Boards are 12x12

includes 4 magnets

Can be used with dry erase marker as a message board.

$15

Only have the orange frame left.  

Holds a 5x7 

includes 2 magnets

$10

Lots of button magnets left 2/$1

Scavenger Hunt Kit

$10

Sold Out

Can order for Christmas

Includes cards and a collection bag.

Send your kids on a hunt for things like a lost toy, a piece of plastic where it shouldn't be, 

a smooth leaf and many more.

Little Girl's Face Clutch

$25

Let me know the hair/skin color you like.  

Each has a fun fabric on the back and a coordinating interior.

Only a few of these left.

A note card box that includes 4 gift cards.

Teacher

Bus Driver

Friend 

Owl

Choose who you will give it to and put the card in the top of the box.

Comes packaged in a cello bag with bow.

$5

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Craft Show This Weekend

I will be at the Legacy Christian Craft show this week Saturday, November 5 from 9-3.  I will have a variety of items. None of my signature totes/diaper bags (those will be available for order), but some new things like scavenger hunt kits, eye spy pillows, face clutch purses, paci clips, and other new kids stuff from my new accessories line turtle dove. Swing by and check it out!

Halloween

I know you are all expecting to see what costumes I made for my kids this year.  Well, I have to admit that I didn't make them anything.  They both opted for ready made costumes this year.  We already had Claire's in the dress up box.  She was a beautiful mermaid.

 Lilly requested the Cha Cha Dancer from the Chasing Fireflies catalog.  However, that costume was over $100!  I was going to make one until I found this at Gymboree for $11!  Who can beat it?  I did make both of their treat bags to match their costumes.

 

I did make a costume this year.  When Leah asked Jack what he wanted to be for Halloween he said a barn.  We were not sure how he could be a barn, but then he changed his mind to tractor.  Knowing how much he loves the John Deere store, we knew it had to be a green one.  Here is the result.  3 paper boxes, a couple of cup cozies, foam sheets and lots of tape and spray paint turned into one of the cutest tractors I've seen.  Maybe it is the farmer inside that makes it so cute.

 Rumor has it that Leah even let Jack have some candy last night!  Don't tell anyone.

Bedroom Face Lift

The girls have decided that they want to have their own rooms for awhile. We moved Lilly into the "reading room" and Claire stayed in their bedroom. Each girl got to pick the colors for their room. We looked at fabrics, Pinterest, and magazines. Lilly ended up choosing grey and yellow. Claire chose a shower curtain that we found and my mom was able to find in Florida.

Here is Lilly's Room.

We got the desks from school last year. They each have one in their room. The curtains are actually tablecloths from Target. Their Dwell line is a great source for graphic fabrics.

The tablecloths were only $20 each.

I cut them down the middle and added tabs on the back to hang them with pleats.

The birdcage and stool are thrifted. The birdcage was red. We painted it and added a cute yellow bird. The stool was plain so I added a cushion that goes with the theme. I still need to make all of the throw pillows for the bed and she has requested wallpaper on one wall.

Now on to Claire's room

The jumping off point for Claire's room was the curtains. It is a shower curtain from the Jaipur line by echo. The bedding is very expensive. We purchased the shower curtain for $35 and made the curtains for the bedroom. Jim painted 3 walls a coral color and one green (Claire's choices).

The table and footstool are thrifted. I recovered the footstool with a fabric that coordinates with the color scheme. The chair still needs a slipcover and she too needs pillows, but it is looking good.

All told, these were pretty cheap face lifts. The girls are thrilled with each new thing that comes in the room. I'll take pics of the pillows as soon as they are done. I have some very cute designs planned.

It's been such a long time.....

I have not been faithful to this blog lately. I have spent my summer with friends and family making lots of memories. I will post about all of them soon. I am also preparing for a craft show, so I will be sure to post sneak peeks along the way.

When I started on the PTO for our school, I gave up a girls ministry at church that I really love. So, now that I am done with PTO, I am back at GEMS. We are reviewing curriculum, planning crafts and special events.

Here is one picture from one of our summer photo shoots to tide you over. Much, much more to come.

NYC Here We Come!

Tomorrow Courteney and I head down to Detroit to hit up Home Goods and Ikea before we fly out on Saturday morning. We will be meeting up with Vicky in Dearborn and staying there for the night. The three of us head out early in the morning and are in the city by 10:30 am. We will stay until Tuesday and have much planned. You will have to wait for all of that, but I did whip up some wristlets for us last night.
I did 3 large floral patterns with ruffles and vintage buttons. Did I mention that 2 button shops are on my must see while in NYC?
I didn't have a pattern, but they went together very easily. I did get some help from here on how to sew the zipper to both the outside and lining at the same time. It worked great.These would be a great gift for bridesmaids or maybe coordinate for a prom or homecoming.
I will not be sewing for about a week and then I have a couple of promised things to finish first. I am also getting ready for the Legacy Christian School Craft fair on November 5. I figure if I do a little all summer I will not stress out the end of October. Good plan, right?

Claire and Lilly's Birthday Party

Time to celebrate the girls' birthdays! This year they settled on a butterfly birthday party. We used all of the china I have been collecting as well as my grandma's silver. It was HOT! So, we added a sprinkler for cooling down and the craft was moved inside.
We requested that in lieu of gifts, each girl bring what she would have spent on a gift and we would collect money to buy a water filtration system for a village in Haiti. Boy did they come through. All told, we collected enough for 2 filtration systems! My girls are still running around the house collecting change to see if they can get to 3.
The invitations were teal and orange so those colors spilled out onto the tables. I rented the tablecloths and napkins and it was more than worth it. I borrowed the tables from work and the chairs from my wonderful neighbor.
I cut fabric strips and ribbon for the back of the chairs. The chairs did not all match so this tied them all together. The tissue paper flowers were the pop of color.
Lunch was sandwich and fruit kabobs and jello. The girls made their own sandwiches using whatever they liked from the skewer. The rest they left behind.
We arranged the fruit on the kabob in the order of the rainbow. Each girl received a bag of goodies and a pair of wings. The bags had tattoos, rubber bracelets, rings, suckers and more. All in some form of butterfly. The girls strung bracelets and colored their backpacks with fabric markers. All of this was from Oriental Trading.The cake was made by Deb Penning. After sitting out in 90 degree heat, it started to lean a bit. However, it was delicious! We have so much we will be sharing for awhile.I bought face paint off of Amazon.com. It was GREAT! It went on very easy and washed off with little effort. The girls loved getting made up like butterflies.Another successful party. The girls all had a great time and I think that my girls learned that it is not the gifts that make the party, but the friends that you surround yourself with.

Lilly's Birthday Gift

I have been trying to figure out what to get Lilly for her birthday. She doesn't need anything. We don't need any more crap in our house. For their party with friends, we are not having gifts. Instead, we are collecting money for a water filtration system for Haiti. They need to learn that it is not about the gifts. They were not happy about it (maybe still not), but it is a lesson that we all need to learn.
Claire and Coco are getting her earrings. Jim wants to get her the game Mousetrap. I decided to make her some clothes for her hard-to-fit doll. We bought these dolls for the girls in 2007.I got them off Etsy from Jill Zurzolo. She was living in Japan at the time and started making dolls. I emailed her pictures of the girls, along with a description of their personalities, and she created these awesome dolls. The girls love them. I have had to "fix the hair" on these girls many times due to the sleeping with them in bed, playing and adventures.
They are custom dolls, so they are custom sized. Commercial clothes don't work. So, these girls are either in their cute dresses they arrived in or naked. Poor girls....
In comes my brainstorm.
I purchased a dress pattern from Avery Lane also on etsy, downloaded a free pants pattern online, and got started. Oh, I also ordered a sweater off of etsy, but it will not get here by tomorrow. Surprise mail is always a treat though.


Claire's doll decided she would help model. I made a total of 3 dresses, 3 pairs of pants, and 2 jackets. I suppose I will be duplicating this work next month for Claire's doll, but they go really fast. Including cutting, it took about 5 hours. It will go even faster next time because my serger will be fixed. I straight and zig zaged each seam because my serger is on the fritz.

Notice my new logo side tag in the seam of this dress? Isn't it cute? turtledove is the name I have chosen for all of the kids stuff I do. It is often the name I call the girls.

Each dress has matching pants. Can't see them in this one, but they show in the picture of Claire's doll.

Anyway, I am very satisfied with my most recent project. I am putting it all in a little case so she can take her doll and the wardrobe wherever she wants. I sure hope she is as impressed with it as I am.

Teacher Appreciation Week

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. I know I probably should have put these ideas up before tonight, but I just put the finishing touches on them this evening. Teach girl will bring their teacher one gift each day this week. We LOVE our teachers do doing something like this for them is a lot of fun for all of us.

Monday:

You are a lifesaver! Thank you for teaching me so much this year!

Hobby Lobby had their glass containers 50% off. We filled them with individually wrapped lifesavers so the teacher can use them as treats for the class if they want.

The printable for the top is available from eighteen 25.

Tuesday:

You really measure up! Thanks for making this year great!

Measuring cups and spoons. Our Meijer had these for $5 for the whole set!

I have seen this several places, but I know it is shown on Smile Monsters.
Wednesday:

You deserve a hand!

These are cut outs of the girls' hands holding a small hand lotion.

This was actually a Valentines Day gift idea from Baltimore Mommies.
Thursday:

Teacher survival kit.

This is filled with paper clips, binder clips, post it notes, candy, thumb tacks, etc...

The idea for this wonderful gift came from one of my favorite blogs eighteen 25.
Friday:

Thanks for helping me bloom!

This idea and free template is from Skip to My Lou.
Hopefully you will still have some time to work in some of these ideas this year.

A special "Thanks" to all of the teachers out there. You are appreciated.