Friday, June 17, 2011

Super Easy Hat Upgrade

It was about a year ago when I realized there were fabulous collections of inspiration out there in the form of blogs. One of the first blogs I ever read and still one of my absolute favorites is Less Cake More Frosting. Check out her post Hats off to....
which reveals a super easy hat upgrade.




Almost a year later I am finally getting around to doing this simply because I found the most adorable hat for my little nugget. I got it at Target for $4.98 and it is gonna look super cute with her curls spilling out and a big 'ole flower (or two) on the side.




This is a miniature sewing project (that is perfect for beginners) that yields delicious results. Simply click on the link to the tutorial above.

This is how mine turned out. I made two tabs with pretty ribbon scraps so that I could attach one or two flowers. I like options.






Want to win two flowers?  I am doing a giveaway this week for my fabulous followers. Refer a friend to follow my blog and they get entered once they follow. You will get an entry when they leave me a comment below this post and include the name of the person that referred them.  For every friend you refer that tells me so, you get an extra entry. I am hoping to hit 100 followers. Can you help? Hats off to you!

And thanks Lara for allowing me to show off your project!









This project is linked up at:



Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursday

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Flowergirl Dress

During the past 6 weeks or so, I have spent every spare moment making my daughter's flowergirl dress for the wedding of two friends, Patrick and Erika (congrats you two). And of course by "spare moments" I mean lost sleep. After all I have three kids and way too much going on like everybody else.




No tutorial this time friends as I would never ever encourage anyone else to engage in this type of craziness. There are in the vicinity of 200 flowers hand sewn onto the skirt of this dress. Each flower is hand singed, sewn and beaded. You will not find a single drop of glue holding this together. The bodice is made of gorgeous nubby Dupioni silk purchased from the fabulous Haberman's in Royal Oak, MI. I used the pattern Simplicity #3943 to cut out the basic shape of the bodice. Once again my wonderful friend Carly of Sewing and Design by Carly helped to guide me through putting in buttons on the back of the bodice (instead of an invisible zipper) to putting in a placket in the skirt of the dress. I can honestly say I have never put in a placket. Thank you my trusted sewing mentor!


No Avery wasn't particularly cooperative at the wedding. She did not walk down the aisle holding the hand of the boy she was supposed to. No she didn't carry the ivory basket full of flower petals. No she didn't sit still during the ceremony. Yes she conked her head five separate times on the pew in front of us.



At least she looked cute.








This project is linked up at:

UndertheTableandDreaming
Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Running with Glitter
Creative Itch

Transformation Thursday Somewhat Simple

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Nursery Tour

I was sitting in my favorite room in my house this morning and decided I wanted to share some of the projects that make up my daughter's nursery. To me the room is soft, girly, and stylish yet comfortable.

The best part of this room is by far the window. I took the advice of designer Nate Berkus (it almost sounds like we are friends) and hung the curtain rod way above the window and had the curtains extend beyond the width of the window which makes the window look huge. When I was playing around with the concept of this room - Paris boutique and dress up - I made a trip to Calico Corner for some fabric assistance. I simply took in my bedding and color swatches for the walls and they helped me choose some really fabulous fabric. I love the green and white damask.



The ladies at Calico Corner even helped me to draw up a picture of the window concept including the wood blinds, the sheers (which I got at Target in the Shabby Chic collection) and the window treatment which my mom and I made in one afternoon.



My daughter's lamp and shade were inspired by this Pottery Barn Kids Lamp and Shade. Notice the shade is $99 and the base is $49. Yikes! I bought my base from Target for $24.99 and the lampshade I made with bushes of pink roses from Hobby Lobby. The lampshade cost about $30 to make.

Theirs...
Mine...



The nightstand I found at Target for $50 and that pink is the original color and matched the pink walls perfectly.



The glider and ottoman were originally natural-colored wood with navy blue chenille upholstery. My oldest son used the power sander to remove the glossy coating from the wood. I then used primer followed by heirloom white spray paint to re-paint the entire wood surface of both the glider and ottoman. I followed up with a good coat of clear matte sealant. Upon recommendation by my friends at Calico Corner, I recovered the glider and ottoman in a creamy white matelasse and found a trim in pink and brown. The otttoman also received a clear protective plastic upholstery to keep the fabric white. I absolutely love how the glider and ottoman turned out!



I put my hubby and boys to work making shoe shelves and hat holders for the boutique dress up nursery. That way we could display the super cute hats and shoes when they weren't being worn. Both were super easy to make.



I made some comfy throw pillows so my boys could use them to relax on when they were playing with their sister. They both liked the idea that they had something special for them in her new room.



Found the chandelier after reading a friend, Lindsey Nartker's event planning website Flourish. Check out her office. The chandelier is a little hard to see in this photo but it was all I needed to see to be inspired to run to IKEA and buy one.



My husband wasn't too thrilled about having to carve open the ceiling and run all new wiring to accommodate the lighting. It turned out great and we put it on a dimmer switch  - perfect for a baby's room so I can have a little light during late night feedings or full light during playtime or when reading or whatever.

The changing table/dresser. 



The crib which was recently converted to a toddler bed because our little monkey is now climbing out.


The perfect little shelf that I found at Hobby Lobby in the perfect shade of pink.


The fun window/mirror.



I decided not to do tutorials for all the elements of the room that I made. However, if there is something you just HAVE to know how to make, leave me a message below in the comments and I will do my best to get a tutorial up for you.

I hope you enjoyed the quick tour through Avery's room. I have two more little projects I'd like to finish up and her room will be complete. Of course, I'll be happy to share the results. Check back often :)









Avery's Nursery has been FEATURED at:

UndertheTableandDreaming







This project is linked up at:




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Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursday UndertheTableandDreaming