Reversible A-line & Ruffle Bloomers

My latest project was this reversible A-line dress in a size 3-6 months.

It is so tiny!

And has tiny white flowers with brown dots!

The coordinating ruffle bloomers are even smaller.

They are a size 0-3 months.

Believe it or not, I made them different sizes on purpose.

I am trying to come up with samples of each piece in each size.

Aren't those ruffles just so sweet?!

Too bad I didn't learn to sew when my girls were babies.

They would have had a closet full of these outfits!

I'm sure you are thinking that they could just have a closet full of these now.

True. But if they did it would be a waste.

Addie is 3 now and has her own opinion of what is cute to wear.

She almost never chooses anything that matches,

and she changes clothes about three times a day.

I see no reason to argue with her about clothes.

There are too many other things that I must say no to.

Clothes just doesn't need to be one of them.

So, I'll be easy to recognize if you run into me in the store...

I'll be the one with the child wearing mismatched pjs and plastic dress-up shoes!

Women's Self-Appreciation Day

I've been pretty busy lately and haven't had time to do much of anything other than work on my business plan. But I was catching up on some blog surfing tonight, and came across this one and loved it so much that I had to blog about it. Katy over at No Big Dill had the brilliant idea to celebrate "National Women's Self-Appreciation Day." Okay, so I admit, and so does she, that it doesn't really exist...but Katy and I, along with many others believe that it should.

As women we spend so much of our lives caring for and loving those around us, that we tend to neglect appreciating ourselves. So, today we celebrate us. Take a few minutes and think about what you like about yourself. What are your talents and gifts? What do you do well? What do you feel are your greatest qualities?

I know. It sounds ridiculous. To say I am good at something would mean I am being boastful, right? Actually, I think it is the opposite...if you do it with the right heart. (I am a firm believer that it is the intention behind the actions/words that counts!!) I believe that as children of God, He has blessed each of us with special qualities that He intends for us to use for His glory. How can we use them for His glory if we aren't willing to recognize them?

Now, thinking about it with a humble but honest heart, give God thanks for your greatest qualities. Katy listed three. 1) she makes great quesedillas 2) she has excellent posture 3) she likes color. 

It took me quite a while to come up with something. Partly because I didn't want anyone to read it and think, that doesn't describe her at all! I can't believe she thinks she is good at that!! and partly because I was busy wishing I had good posture. But then I remembered that I am in control of my posture and that I am the one answering the question(I intentionally didn't ask what you all think of me) So, here goes, in no particular order, other than the first...it is the best and most important.

* I love that Jesus Christ saved me from my sins almost 11 years ago, and that through it all, He still owns my heart today. I love that even though I resisted for many years, I finally fell to my knees and humbly handed my life over to Him. I love any part of  me that allows Him to show through my everyday life.

* I love that I am such a compassionate person. I care very deeply for others and genuinely wish for them to do and be well. I almost always think of others first, and want to help them in any way.

* I love that I am not at all afraid to act goofy in front of people. I am not a clown or anything because I know when to be serious. I just love to laugh and have fun.  There are so many things in life that must be taken seriously, that I try to do the opposite with myself! Life is way too short to stress the small stuff. I am the crazy person skipping through the grocery store parking lot with my girls; reading books to them with dramatic interpretations; making silly faces, singing silly songs, and doing silly dances just to make them laugh :) Their laughter is pure bliss, innocence, wonderfully infectious, feels alive, sounds precious, and gives energy to me and I love that I think that. Don't even get me started on their smile!!

* I love that I have learned to sew and am actually getting pretty good at it. I also love that God has given me the courage to step out and use this talent as a sourse of income for my family.

* I love that God has been helping me become a more positive and less judgmental person. I try to find the good in every person and every situation. Always remembering that you never know what another person's life is like and you never know what they are going through makes this one pretty simple. I love that I am so aware of God's grace and goodness, that it is impossible to not treat others well.

* I love that I love being a mother so much. I love that I love every detail about it, even the difficult stuff, because that is all a part of it. I love that I love everyone else's children and babies so much. I love that when I look at a child, I see a part of the innocence that God intended us to have. I am always shocked when I see other people who don't feel the same appreciation for them, and I love that about myself.

* I love that I have learned to "put my big girl panties on" and do what has to be done, even when I don't want to, it is too difficult, I don't feel like it, or I don't think that I should have to.

* I love that I am not full of pride. I love that giving a heart-felt apology has never really been difficult for me. I love that when I have done something that wasn't exactly right, I get a knot in the pit of my stomach that refuses to go away until I correct things.

* I love that I consider my husband and my mother to be my closest friends. I love that I value their opinions on everything from clothing choices to major life decisions. I love that I have never, ever spent time with them and then wished that I hadn't.

* I love that even though I may not have traveled the path God intended for my life, I can honestly say that I wouldn't change a thing. I love where the path has finally led me. I love that I know that God has a plan and a purpose, and He been able to use my struggles to shape me into the person I am today. And I love that the person I am today is NOT the same person that I was yesterday and WON'T be the same tomorrow as today!

Okay, so now it is your turn. Leave a comment listing your favorite qualities on this blog or on this fb link. Don't hold back!! Even if you don't want to post, at least think about it for a while.

Love and prayers for you all!!



   

"Walk on Water"

I heard this song for the first time today.

I listened to it 3 times back to back.

Then I listened to it some more.

I felt as if it were God speaking directly to me.

Over the past several months,

I have been feeling as if God has been revealing His plans for me.

Me and my insecure self have been spending time with some old "frenemys"

also known as self-doubt, fear of failure, fear of rejection, along with others.

I've shared with you before that I've never really known

what I wanted to be "when I grow up"

But, finally, in this last year of my twenties,

that is all starting to change.

I am so very excited (and completely terrified)

to announce that I am beginning to sell

children's clothing

Made by HER!

Several different job opportunities have been presented to me over the years,

and Mr. Wonderful and I have spent much time praying over them.

We have always come to the same conclusion.

That conclusion is that God has provided us with the opportunity for me to stay home with the girls and that is where He wants me to be.

Mr. Wonderful and I now feel that God has a wonderful plan for us and our future involving the children's clothing.

This has been such a difficult decision for me.

As much as I want it and feel that it is God's plan,

I have been frozen with fear.

Mr. Wonderful...I just can't say enough about him.

He supports me in so many ways. And this opportunity is no different.

He has been nudging me towards this for quite a while,

because that is what he does.

He takes my fears and he tells me that they are not justified.

He has confidence in me when I have none in myself.

I am so blessed to have him in my life.

Every day I am more sure that it was God's plan for us to be together.

And every day I pray that we live our lives the way God intended when He put us together.

Okay, now that I have gone all gushy and mushy over Mr. Wonderful,

let's get back to the real story here...

I am now taking orders!!

I have been working hard doing research, and now it is time to just work hard.

I hope to have much more information soon.

I still have a lot to figure out, but I just felt that it was time to let everyone know.

Now that you know, I'm sure you also know that I have a serious request from all readers...

prayer!!!!

Please keep me in your prayers over the decisions to be made and how to handle things.

Please remember Mr. Wonderful and the girls as they live with the extra chaos.

And, of course, please pray for the success of everything involved in this plan.

Please pray that I keep my eyes on Christ as I step out on faith and "walk on water"

Hope to see lots of children wearing clothing Made by Her very soon!!!

Love and prayers for you all!

Ruffle Pants

I had originally made these ruffle pants with Addie in mind.

Once I finished them and she tried them on,

they were too short and the stride came down to her knees.

She was sweet about it though, and didn't want to hurt my feelings,

so she said that they were "itchy" so she'd have an excuse to take them off!!

Little sis, Avie, obviously didn't think they were itchy.

They fit her perfectly and she loved them!

As soon as she put them on she started twirling and dancing.

It was absolutely adorable.

She couldn't stop looking at the ruffles

long enough for me to get a good picture of her in them!

More twirling!

I get so excited when I make something the girls really like.

I think it is so sweet to hear them tell Mr. Wonderful that

"Mommy made it for me!"

It is hard to tell in the pictures,

but the fabric is orange with black stripes.

The ruffles are solid black,

and the black & orange peeks out from under them.

They look perfect paired with the solid black t-shirt I found on sale.

It will eventually be apliqued with an orange circle and black letters

when I finally decide what I want it to say.

I think "Boo" would be super cute,

but if I just use an "A" it would last longer instead of just through Halloween.

Ruffle Bloomers & Top

This outfit was left unfinished because I didn't do a great job with my stitching.

My seams turned out wobbly on the bloomers,

and don't even get me started on the top.

Let's just say that I put many hours in with a seam ripper on it.

I had hoped to pair this outfit with the bubble romper for a gift,

but the quality is just not worthy.

It was, instead, given to "Bear" because, as everyone knows,

a bear can never have too many clothes!

I must say that Bear is the best model I've worked with in a while.

She sat perfectly still!!

The top was a bit big for her, but after Addie's instructions, she is wearing it now.

Those ruffles on the bloomers are just too cute.

I will be trying them again soon.

Bubble Romper & Booties

On Sunday I finally got the "encouragement" I needed to finish that newborn bubble romper  that I started forever ago.

Yup, someone asked about it.

It's been so extra chaotic around here that I had honestly forgotten about it.

When I dug it out and figured out where to start,

I finished it in less than an hour. Sad, huh.

The sweet little one it was intended for has probably outgrown it by now!

And all because I was intimidated by fusible interfacing.

Anyone know what that is?

Stuff that comes in sheets that you cut out and iron onto your fabric for strength.

Yup. Weeks upon weeks have gone by,

And that project was left unfinished because I was too intimidated...

to iron.

 

 

After finishing up so quickly, I still had some nap time left for crafting.

So I grabbed the baby booties pattern I've been holding onto and gave them a try.

The pattern said they were a 0-3 month, but they were huge...and round.

What newborn baby has a round foot?

In all honesty, they looked just like the booties of a certain brand

that come with the complete outfit.

You know, hat, booties, onesie, & gown.

I had to toss every pair of those I got. What was the point of giving them away?

I worked on them for a while trying to figure out how to make them better

and this is what I came up with.

The one on the left is a little wonky, but I think I figured it out for the right one.

Hopefully, I will remember what I did and be able to adjust the pattern.

These are just too sweet when paired with the bubble!

Add a coordinating bib and it's an awesome little gift set!

(I'll work on better booties and the coordinating bib tonight)

 

 

 

 

Candy Corn Dress

First of all, I must admit that Halloween certainly is not my favorite day. So why blog about it? Well, I had decided that I wanted Avie to dress up as candy corn.

(The girls aren't really old enough to ask to dress up as anything so I just try to choose something for them that matches their personality. I really dislike the scary costumes and decorations, but I think that allowing kids to dress as a super hero or a princess is great. My girls both have a great imagination, especially Addie. They are always role playing or dressing up at home, so having a special day to encourage creativity is fine with me.)

Now, back to the candy corn.

I know it is early, but I want to make the girls' costumes this year,

and we all know how I am about getting projects finished,

so I decided to get an early start.

I went shopping and found the perfect fabric,

came home, and started sewing.

This is the first dress I made. Turns out that the candy corn fabric I used as my guide in making it was wrong. Too bad I didn't realize that until I was almost finished. Grrr.

My second try went much better. I worked really hard at my top-stitching, too, and I must say that it looks pretty awesome. 
Now that it is finished, I have changed my mind about it being her costume.
I think it is just an adorable dress for fall! I can't wait to take the girls to the pumpkin patch and have their pictures made!! 
Oh, & I have lots of yellow and orange fabric left over if anyone is interested in a candy corn dress! Just leave me a comment.