Christmas Ornaments of Christ

I know this is super early for the season but maybe not so inappropriate with Easter being tomorrow.

Some time last Christmas I was talking with my mom and I was telling her how excited I was to have bought a white Christmas tree and what new decorations I was going to do with it.  We then got talking about what she wanted to do to redo her tree.  A number of years ago she had some ornaments that depicted the life of Christ.  I remember these.  She is now down to one left.  She said that she wanted to have those again and I suggested that maybe over the summer we should do a Christmas in July project and make some.

Well, I'll be honest, I couldn't wait quite that long.
After we talked about it I just got too excited about the prospect of making these for her as a surprise gift.

I roped in my hubby and got his advice and then raided our wood pile for good sized logs and cut them into slices using his miter saw.



I cut the pics down using one of my scrapbook scissors that looks like torn paper.


Then I got busy Mod Podging them on.
Once they were all dry, I drilled a hole in the top for a loop of twine and then added a little ribbon for some contrast. She ended up with about 2 dozen ornaments.


In the drying stage



I gave these to my mom for her birthday earlier in March.
She was very surprised and very happy.
I was pleased with how they turned out.



Happy Birthday Mom!

Details:
Bought the picture packets from Deseret Book, but you can order them online.

• If the Savior Stood Beside Me by Greg Olsen
• Beautiful Savior by Greg Olsen
• Wood slices 1/2" thick or less. ( I like less if you can do it)
• Mod Podge at least 2 coats.
• Make sure you don't have any air bubbles 'cuz that'll make you super mad.
• Jute for hanging the ornaments
• 20 yd. spool of 5/8" ribbon cut into about 12" lengths for the bow. ($3.99 per spool--but don't forget to use a 40% off coupon.)

I'll have to get a pic of her tree later this year.

I also gave her some red bead garland that I found at the Thrift store to use along with her white lights.

It'll be so fun to see it all done up.

Here is another way to do this same theme/idea.

Change

change: [cheynj] a transformation or modification; alteration

It has come time for some change here on the blog.  

After much consideration we have decided to split up or creative lives in order to more fully allow each of us to grow and evolve in the directions we want to go.  While all of our past projects will remain archived on this blog, Renae will be the sole contributor of new content here. Emily will now be posting over at her new blog simplegirlsimplelife.com. Leslie will continue to jump in every now and again on both blogs.  

We feel blessed to have had the opportunity to create and craft together for the past four years!  Thanks to all of you for following us along this path.  We hope you continue to support each of us as we embark on our new adventures.

Sincerely,

Renae

Emily

Leslie

(The Creative Chicks)

 

I Love Invisible Zippers

It has been a long time since I've sewn in a regular zipper on a dress that I've made for myself.  I absolutely adore good topstitching, but invisible (or concealed) zippers just seem to me to be so much more professional and polished on dresses.  And to be quite honest I do think they are easier to do than a regular zipper.

I've had this dress pattern for some time and finally got motivated to get it done.  I love the yellow version the most.

And hey, I made myself a yellow version,





I'll probably wear this for Easter this year, unless we are still too cold here in MN, which is highly possible with Easter being in March and we are still in the 30's around here.  Or maybe I'll just go ahead and to heck with the wintery weather.  We should just think positive, don't you think?

Notes on invisible zippers:

• There are written instructions on the inside of the invisible zipper package to help you, but if you need an in depth tutorial you can search online and there are a number of really helpful videos that I saw.  You can also check here for good written instructions and pics.
• An invisible zipper foot is great to use if you have one for your machine (see pic below).  This foot has a groove that keeps the zipper teeth to the side so that you can get a close seam.  Check your manual or online for parts to order one for your specific model.  When I bought mine a number of years ago (like 15) it was $5.99.  Now online it sells for $16.

• You can put in an invisible zipper with a regular zipper foot, just not quite as easy as with a concealed zipper foot.  

Dress Details:

• Butterick 5638
• Pale yellow linen from the stash.  Leftovers from this dress project.
• Added about 6 inches in length to the dress and then also moved the front slit up slightly.
• Used the A/B cup version and didn't have to make any adjustments on the bust for me.  Yeah!!
• Super comfy dress.

Selling chairs

Hubby starts a new job next week.  It extends his commute quite a bit, especially since he's been working from home since August last year. ;)  Besides this new opportunity there will probably be some other changes going on here---like a move down the road.  But we'll have a HS senior in the Fall and that complicates things.

In the mean time, mentally I am doing some planning (and plotting) for a move.
I sold a pair of these chairs on Friday via Craigslist for $20.

.
They may not look like much but hubby and I bought these originally in 1995 for $1.50 each at D.I. in Provo and they were painted some yuck color and had vinyl seats.  We stripped them down, stained them, and then reupholstered the cushions.  This current seat, which looks awful, is round 3 of cushions since we've had them.

They have served us well.  AND we made some money on them.  As a side note, we bought a couch from D.I. while at BYU for hubby's schooling and when we left we donated it back to them.
As much as I love the lattice back on these chairs....LOVE them....we just don't have room and I can't have them sitting around waiting for us to maybe have room.

The couple who bought them from us were thrilled, and daughter #1 almost started crying when they left the house. Have I mentioned before that my entire family is much more sentimental and has greater hoarder tendencies than I do?  I, however, feel relieved to do something, anything, to get the ball rolling.  It'll be an interesting process.  That last time we moved we had 1 kid and a futon.  Next time around will be much more exhausting.

Stella McCartney Color-blocked Dress Knock-off

Although it is technically Spring, per the calendar, you sure wouldn't know it around these parts. On Wednesday, the first day of Spring, it was -5 degrees with windchill at the bus stop for my kids.  Ouch!  We are so done.

But because of such "lovely" weather I haven't really been able to take any pictures of Spring projects I've been working on.  Since I'm not sure when it will really warm up around here, and the drifts of snow at the end of my driveway melt away, I'll go ahead and post anyway.  Just excuse the not great pictures--I don't have fabulous lighting in my house.

Stella McCartney dress at Niemann Marcus

I've seen this dress on various celebrities and just love it.  It is color-blocked in front and one color in back with a zipper closure. But there is no way I would pay $795 for a t-shirt dress, which is basically what this dress is, even if I had the money to do so.  I knew I could duplicate this and I've been wanting to make a version of it all Fall and haven't got around to it, until now.  There are a number of patterns out there that you could use to duplicate this dress but I used the Project Runway pattern Simplicity 2146.

Originally hubby told me to make the sleeves exactly like the Stella dress--fitted short/elbow length.

I wasn't sure so I made the cap sleeve and 3/4 bell sleeve, exactly from the pattern, to make a determination.  See below.

Basted the sleeves in, asked my family to tell me which one they liked best, and the long version above won out.  (Judging the sleeves were me, daughters #1 and #2)



Then I basted in the sleeve my hubby preferred and it won out over the 3/4 sleeve.

Daughter #1 was all over the 3/4 sleeve.  That is her personal favorite but I when I asked her what looked better on me and not what she liked best the elbow sleeve won out.

Hubby loves it when he's right--'cuz as he said, "I called it first."
He was spot on with the sleeves once I tried them all on.

Final Version:




Details:

• Simplicity 2146 cut & lengthened 8 inches.  Comes in petite and misses sizing.
• Made the red/black version without the contrasting "belt" in front.
• Altered sleeve using the bell shaped pattern piece and then shortened it and took it in at the underarm seam to look more fitted.
• To make the contrasting band along the top neckline I just found the spot I liked, and cut the white piece adding 5/8" seam allowance.  Then did the same for the top navy piece--adding the 5/8" seam allowance.  Love how it looks!
• Navy and white linen from my stash.  This pattern is not for knit fabrics although the original dress is made from spandex/knit.
• Invisible zipper
• Machine blind hem stitch used for both the dress hem and sleeve hem.  Because I am all about using my machine any time I can and avoid hand sewing.

Other pattern options: 
Simplicity 2648 
McCall's 6432 (out of print) if you prefer a raglan sleeve style.

Amy Butler Weekender Bag

I've thought long and hard about this post, ...'cuz I'm not sure I should share my true feelings about this pattern.  Tiffany and I made this during our girls weekend in February and although we expected some issues,  and after making sure we had the 6 pages of corrections printed out so we wouldn't screw it up, and reading all sorts of blogs from others who have made this bag, I still think "Curse you Amy Butler!"

And I know how to sew.
I've made wedding dresses for crying out loud.
Yes dresses, more than one--3 actually.

O.K. now that that is out of the way I sure do love the way it turned out---a full weekend of sewing later, when I had planned on making a couple OTHER items too.

It should never have taken that long.

I blame Amy Butler.

Sorry, but I do.


This funky striped one is mine.


We made it with 2 zippers that meet on the top middle.  I really like it this way.


My equally funky lining.

This one was going to be for my daughters to share, but Emily wanted one too, so we worked out a trade.

Not sure I'll make another one, and I can't imagine why anyone would make these to sell on Etsy.  All the ones I've seen are pricey, but after making my own, I'm not sure that money is worth the trouble.

O.K. ...I'm really done now.

Broken Chevron Quilt Finished

Remember this quilt top?  It is finally finished up and ready for its new home today.


I sent it to Lynn to get all fancied up and then finished off the binding when I ran away from home last month for our girls weekend.



Found some great brown polka-dots for the binding.
And the backing is a piece of some lovely designer print that I found on clearance at my fabric store.
Emily knew who it was right away just by looking at the fabric.
I can't remember who it was and don't have a selvage to get the info.
If you really need to know she could tell you.
I just am not into that and buy what I like--designer or not.


Back view.

I had intended to make and give my friend Andrea something awesome last year for her birthday.
It didn't happen.
So Happy 1 yr. Anniversary of your 40th Birthday Andrea!
I'll see you at lunch today.

Finished measurements:  58 inches wide by 75 inches long

Love this Knit Pattern

In December I picked up the book, "I Have Nothing to Wear" by Jill Martin & Dana Ravich at my library.  I've been mostly hating my wardrobe, or at least the body that has been going in it, and so I've been slowly revamping my closet.  Although I don't have a friend nearby that I can trust to give me good fashion opinions/advice (as suggested in the book) I feel like I pretty much know what works for me and what doesn't.  And definitely I know what style is me--and it's not bohemian surfer girl.

One of the suggestions in the book is to get rid of all clothes that don't make you look and feel like a "10".  That means anything stained, really worn, or just plain unflattering and not your personal style.  So some things have left my closet--especially items that I rarely wear, because I don't just LOVE them.

And then,of course, I needed some new pieces to replace some of those throw-aways.

Last pattern sale at Jo-Ann's I bought a couple new patterns.
Love, love, love view ABC on this pattern: Simplicity 1716.



And for $.99/ea. it was a bargain to not have to figure out on my own how they did that funky twisty neckline.  And I have another shirt that someone gave us that is VERY similar to this pattern that we were going to try and duplicate.

I had a cream knit piece I had bought at my thrift store for about $1.50 and decided to use that as my "sample" to make sure I didn't need to make any adjustments on the pattern: i.e. raise the neckline some.  It does have a seam down the entire back, which I don't love, but I did it for this first shirt.  I know that they put it in to give the shirt a little more shape and fit to your body, but I find a seam down the back of a t-shirt a bit annoying.  Not sure I'll do it on the next one.

Really however, I just love this shirt.


Then I used it to make myself a new LBD--little black dress.  Oh yeah!!
I have to say that the fabric probably makes this dress more than anything.



Details:

• Fabric--4 yds. of "fashion" knit at my fabric store for $1.59/yd. on sale with a coupon = $6.36 dress. Actually it would be less because there is enough to make another shirt and a tank top from this piece of fabric.  I actually made View B out of this black for me and then didn't like the flutter sleeves on me.  So daughter #1 has it--I just need to take it in a little for her.
• This is another one of those awesome pieces of fabric that you can throw on the floor and leave it there for days and when you come back to it there are no wrinkles in sight.  LOVE it!

And here's daughter #2 with her version of this top--View C, with the ruched sleeves.

Skirt pattern: Simplicity 2258.

We'll be making this one again.  Super easy and super comfy--elastic waist, pockets.  I'm thinking chambray for me and we have a fun orange piece that will be great for her for Spring/Summer.

Ridiculously Small Granny

Mini Granny, a photo by simple girl, simple life on Flickr.

I joined another couple doll quilt swaps on Flickr. At this point you would be correct in assuming I am officially a doll quilt addict. For me they are surprisingly satisfying.

This particular block is for a round of the DS Quilts Doll Quilt Swap, where the only requirement is using any and all prints of Denyse Schmidt. For the record she would be my one and only fabric crush!

I am trying to stretch myself in all things creative, so for this project I am trying super tiny piecing. This block is, of course, the wildly popular granny square block from Blue Elephant Stitches. I chose to stay out of the granny square madness that was going on awhile back but now that it has died down a bit I'm ready to give it a go.

I started with 1.5 inch strips so this block finishes somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 inches. That  means each square is 1 inch finished.  Ridiculous, I know, but you have no idea how giddy it makes me to have such tiny blocks! Does that qualify me as a quilting nerd?? I think so. But I'm good with that. :) 

I've got a few more blocks to make before I'm finished. Then it's back to brainstorming for the last doll quilt swap I joined. Wish me luck...

Oh, Happy Day!

First up, the winner of the giveaway yesterday is rmb.  

Congrats! Your charms are on their way.

Now, on to today...

It was a happy day indeed when I received this beautiful hexie doll quilt from the lovely Melissa as part of DQS13. Isn't it beautiful?!  I thought she did a very good job interpreting my crazy mosaic. 

I love that she used some low volume prints, as well as bright cheery ones. Some of the fabrics are fussy cut so you have to look closely to see their awesomeness.  (Did you manage to find the tic-tac-toe fabric?)  I have yet to do anything with hexagon's so I'm happy she chose that design.

 

 She obviously stalked me well since she added 2 vintage sheet FQ's as part of my swag along with the other goodies I received.  Again, a very sweet surprise.

And lastly, a picture of the quilt hanging in it's natural habit amongst friends. :)
I think it looks Fantastic!!

Now if I can just get cranking on two more swap minis I have with looming deadlines...

Because It's Monday

Updated:

This Giveaway is Closed! 

It's Monday, and we are all pretty slow-moving this morning as we decompress and recuperate from the awesomeness that was our sewing weekend!!  If you missed it you can find some sneak peeks of what we were working on @ instagram.  I'm sure there will be a steady influx of finished projects popping up in the coming weeks here on the blog as we were able to accomplished quite a LOT.  It will definitely be an annual event for us!

So, in honor of a lazy Monday morning and our awesome sewing weekend, let's have a little giveaway...

Recently I pulled out the leftover squares from my Boys at Play quilt. 

The idea I had brewing in my mind for them is not going to work out, so I'm letting it go.  

That means the squares are up for grabs! 

Just leave a comment telling us why your weekend was awesome (or not-so awesome) and we'll pick a winner tomorrow.

Details: 

Squares are 4.5 inches.  I think there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 40-50 total charms.  Not all fabrics have equal amounts, some as little as 3 squares some as many as 9.  It's just what was left...

The Last of the Red Blocks

  I had a goal of getting all the red blocks for my Anniversary Quilt set in a top before my last club meeting in February. Buuut...That didn't happen.

After laying out my original 15 or so blocks from my ladies I felt like I needed to make a few more to increase the finished size a bit.  I think I needed to make 6 more blocks for an even 20.  That would give me a nice 4 x 5 layout, as well as being a nice big throw size.

Here are the last three blocks I made!!

(I'm definitely ready to tie this project up as it's been almost a year in the making.)

The whole feel of this quilt is going to be "scrappy sampler" so I tried to add a variety of blocks.  I think these will go well with my others.

After all my tiny paper piecing madness on my doll quilt, I decided to enlarge the block pattern to make a 12.5 inch block.  I really love it!  My quilt club ladies wanted me to teach them some simple paper piecing techniques, so this is the block I taught them at our last meeting.  :)

A little improv...

I still need lots of practice, but who doesn't love a little improv now and then?

 And my personal fav: geese in a circle block.
I've made it at least three other times and am still not tired of it.

So there your have it.  By the time we get back from our sewing weekend these blocks will be in flimsy top form.  Yeah!
I'll show you next week when I get back...

Emily

BTW: I'll be posting up-to-the-minute photos of our weekend on instagram if you want to follow all the fun!  I am @ simplegirlsimplelife.

More Washi

While I'm frantically trying to pack my bags (and my fabric!) for our sewing weekend today, I'll leave you with a quick picture of my most recent Washi purchase. 

 For the record, I love this stuff!  

But it wasn't all for me...

The blue chevron and the ruler tape washi were for my doll quilt swap partner.

The aqua/orange floral, aqua pluses, and film reel pieces were for Leslie for her birthday.

And, well...the top two were for me.  

 So, what are YOU doing today??

:)

Emily

Washi Tape purchased from Pretty Tape on Etsy

Confession

I am running away from home tomorrow.
I'm not coming home until Monday night.
I might be a little too excited about it so that my family is getting a bit of a complex.
I had to go buy a larger suitcase for this trip so I could bring everything.
But seriously, I can't wait to get the heck out of Dodge.

Our cousin Tiffany has come to visit me a couple times here in MN thanks to her architect hubby and his Minneapolis conventions he attends.  We've talked about me going there and now it is finally happening.  She lives in St. George, UT.  That means I'll be leaving -20 degree windchill weather tomorrow (and possible blizzard conditions Thurs./Fri.) to go to somewhere MUCH warmer.  Their forecast doesn't look fantastic for St. George, but I'll take 50's over ours any day.

Emily and Leslie caught wind of my little adventure and invited themselves to come along too.  So now we are having a mini sewing retreat with plans to sew our own projects for a couple days straight with no kids involved.  It is going to be awesome.  Hotel, continental breakfast, conference room, takeout, hot tub, no kids, ....yeah, we can't wait.

We'll be sure and post pics afterwards, but for now, here is part of my pile of sewing projects I'll be bringing..


Now I'm off to pack it all and finish laundry so my family will at least start out with clean clothes while I'm gone.  Enjoy your week everyone!

Three Bestie Friends

 My youngest daughter is best friends with our two little neighbor girls, who happen to be sisters. Most days the three of them are inseparable.

This little project started way back in the spring of last year with these photos. As a recap: I was letting the girls play with my scraps while I was sewing bee blocks. After they were done "creating" I decided to be a fun mom and sew up their little creations into real quilts that they could use for their favorite stuffed animals. 

Well, a year later they are done!
 For starting out as a little playtime distraction I sure think they turned into cutie little quilts.

To finish off their blocks I raided my vintage sheet stash.
The girls were wanting anything pink or purple, so I found some scraps and worked them into a basic doll quilt size.  Each one has a little different flair, which I love. 

Here are the girls' favorite stuffed animals: Spotty, Horsey, and Dog enjoying their blankets.


The girls have been swaddling and cuddled their animals many times over in these little quilts.
It's been fun watching them turn into little moms.

As a side note, look at the cool design Lynn was able to add to the quilting!  Wouldn't that be cute in a big quilt as well?  

Happy Friday!

Emily

How To Cover a Paperback Like a Pro

 Today we are sharing a great tutorial on how to cover paperback books.  

This comes from our sister, a veracious reader, who has been covering her books for years.  

If you are a lover of paperbacks then you know that they can get dog-eared and destroyed pretty quickly.  Well-loved children's books can be trashed even faster. So, this little trick has been a life-saver to our family library.

To get started:

You will need contact paper and scissors.

 Contact paper comes in a roll, and can be found in the kitchen section of your local big box grocer near the shelf liner paper.  It comes in a shinier version and a non-glare version.  I prefer the non-glare version.

Begin by:

Measuring and cutting your contact paper, adding a few extra inches to the top and bottom dimensions of your book.  I prefer not to cut any off the width of the contact paper, if only because of pure laziness. For this particular set of books I cut my contact paper at 10 inches by the width of the contact paper.

 Fold your contact paper a little off-center to accommodate for the spine.  (The bigger the spine the more off-center it should be.)

Peel away half of the contact paper to the crease. It will be easier if you only do a half at a time.

Use the fold line as a marker to align the spine of the book to the center of the contact paper.  Smooth out any air bubbles from the contact paper on the back of book.  This might require you to reposition the contact paper a bit.

 After smoothing, cut a slit a quarter inch (give or take) away from the spine on the top and bottom, as well as front and back of the book.  Leave those "tabs" for now.

It will look like this.

 Cut the corners out of the contact paper as shown above.

 Fold and smooth the top and bottom flaps to the inside of the book, 

making sure you crease the folds really well.

 Fold and smooth the side flap to the inside of the book,
making sure you crease the fold really well.

 Repeat the above steps for the other half of the contact paper.

Peel, cut slits, cut corners, crease and fold.

 When you are done you will have these little flaps left over near the spine.  

Now is the time to cut those off.

 

Here is what the inside of the book will look like when you are done

 

Congrats!

Now go enjoy your book! :)

Emily

All my books were thrifted for around $0.75 a book. Score!