Some Pumpkin Patch goodness!

My kids love Halloween, the costumes, the candy, and all of the excitement leading up to the main event is cause for major mayhem at home.

They're all crazy excited for the trick or treating that will happen tomorrow and can hardly contain themselves. Both younger kids put their costumes on anytime they find them and walk around the house expectantly lol.

To help them let off some Halloween steam, their daddy and I took recently took them all to a church pumpkin patch and they each picked out their very own.

They even had stickers to give to each child for decorating! You better believe that every single one of those stickers made it's way onto those pumpkins.

We have the pumpkins proudly displayed on the mantel; they're small so they fit perfectly up there with everything else.

~Allison

P.S. I got a job outside of the home at a fabric store, this could be dangerous!

God is SO good!

I've gone to Zion Lutheran Church all my life, literally since I was born. There have been many times when I thought I needed to explore different churches and I did. There were even some times that I thought I didn't need church at all and missed many services. Only in the recent years have I realized that life is SO MUCH better with God in it. I'm no preacher, I'm not the most righteous person, I've made more mistakes than I can even count and I'm a very sinful person. The reason for this post isn't to try and display how wonderful I am, it's about God and how amazing he is and how he is here for anyone who needs him.

http://www.jeanierhoades.com/song-for-a-sunday-for-the-sunday/cross/

Our pastor, David Sawhill, preached this Sunday about how much the Christian faith is under attack. It's so true, the only place that I feel like I can be open about my faith is at church and that's not the way it should be. It's becoming more of an "uncool" thing to be a christian and go to church and live in the way that God intended. The world is such a tempting place with so many things that tell us that we can do everything on our own and that God is nothing but something silly and made up, but the truth of the matter is that once a person has truly found their faith in Jesus, their life and outlook is changed forever.

Address: 5050 East Sam Houston Pkwy S, Pasadena, TX 77505
Phone:(281) 991-8600

It's such a hard thing to put into words how incredible the Lord is and how difficult it can be sometimes to declare that you are his and that you believe. If you're not a believer, I'm not trying to make you feel guilty, quite the opposite; I'm trying to invite you to meet my savior who's grace is never ending and who's mercy is given to even most undeserving.

http://drpegonline.com/2013/04/get-your-praise-on-with-guest-host-kay-franklin/

To the Christians reading this post. We've got to stand together and fight for our Lord Jesus. I'm not talking about physically fighting, but just declaring that you are saved by the Grace of Jesus and that you believe. It's time to stop being flippant and quiet about our faith, because everyone that would choose to deny or to attempt to sway your beliefs is doing exactly that if you don't speak up and tell them that no matter what God is your creator and Jesus is your savior!


Our songs today at church were so touching and always fill my spirit; we sang:

*In the Secret by Andy Park
*All Who are Thirsty by Brenton Brown & Glenn Roberston
*Lead Me To The Cross by Brooke Fraser
*Eagles Wings by Reuben Morgan
*Blessings by Laura Story
*10,000 Reasons by Jonas Myrin & Matt Redman
*Above All by Lenny LeBlanc & Paul Baloche
*All of Creation by MERCYME

~Allison

Constant Chaos

No seriously, my life is filled with constant chaos. That kind of sounds like the name of a really awful band, maybe it is. Sorry, back to the actual subject. I'm NOT an organized person. I really would love to be and I have moments where I get somewhat organized, but it seems those moments are fleeting. It's an unfortunate thing, really, because so much time is wasted on just looking for things and trying to remember where that certain something was last seen.
 

My goal for myself, and for those following along, is to organize one area of my life. Whether that be a room, a schedule, a routine, or ideas. Just SOMETHING, anything organized within this week. I'm thinking that I really need to tackle my sewing/crafting space.

I, so fortunately, inherited a wonderful stash of beautiful fabrics, yarn, thread and notions that are still in their boxes and need so desperately to find a better home in my sewing space. Not to mention, my other things have been neglected for quite sometime on the organizational front. It's time! Are you ready? What will you organize?

~Allison

The more way of life

photo credit: http://valleyparent.com/thissouthernblog/?p=391

Everyday I find myself faced with countless things to do. They all seem essential and it all gets completely overwhelming. It's like, we wake up every morning with every intention of doing MORE with our day, but then when the things we need to do still are left by the wayside, it's entirely disheartening.

That's why, if I fail to put a post up here on the blog for a week, I just don't feel bad about it anymore. There are some things not worth the stress and guilt that we put ourselves through. I've decided to write a series of posts, I am by no means a trained professional, simply to motivate and de-stress anyone who's feeling a bit overwhelmed and wants to see that they're not alone.

If you think this is completely lame, well you're probably right, but maybe someone will get something from this and that's the only thing I'm looking for here. Hopefully, we can all go through this journey and realize the things that are most important in our lives and what simply needs to be let go.

~Allison

Lots to Share Part 2

As you might've seen already, I've been up to a lot and just haven't really made the time to share all of it on the blog. Here are a few other things that I've whipped up recently.

I mentioned a few months ago on Facebook that I had bought some business cards and then completely forgot to share what they looked like! I love how colorful they are and they fit your wallet easily, unlike some of the newer index card size business cards I've seen floating around.

sorry, phone pic

I've been wanting to do this for awhile now. I had the idea to make a quilt out of my daughters receiving blankets after seeing so many "memory" quilts. This turned into a toddler quilt, because, well frankly, I got tired of cutting and piecing after it was toddler sized. Luckily, she loves her new blanket and it's really the perfect size to fit her bed without having a lot left over to bunch up at the foot.

I tell her to smile and this is what I get! lol

Did you check out With Sunshine through my last post? Then I'm sure you probably saw the mommy and me infinity scarves. They're precious, right? Well, the model doesn't hurt the cuteness factor either. These are really the perfect thing to wear with your little girl on a chilly day. It's such a cute and not so "in your face" way to match.

If you haven't popped over to With Sunshine, you better hurry. The season clearance sale will be ending on the 24th!! Only a few days left to get such a deep discount!


~Allison

LOTS to Share Part 1

As you know, it's been very quiet around here, there's been so many things I've been working on that I'll do my best to share everything in a short sweet post or two! And maybe, if you can hang in there with me, I'll share a tutorial with you guys!

A month ago (gees), I made this penguin shirt for my little cousin for her birthday. She's absolutely obsessed with penguins and she thought it would be funny if the penguin had a monocle, bow tie and top hat. Well, when I started drawing out the design, I realized that it looked like Mr.Penguin from Batman hah! Her penguin was a freezer paper stencil and a little fabric bow, that's it, super easy and she loves it.

If you follow along on Facebook, you've seen that I've been adding some fall items to With Sunshine and that there's a really great clearance sale going on right now. Be sure to go and check it out before it's over on September 24th!

With the colder weather approaching, I've been stitching up some comfy infinity scarves! I really like these plaid scarves that I just added to With Sunshine, the flannel material is really soft and comfortable.

I've been thinking over this for a while and decided to include a military discount for all of the items in my shop. With everything they do for this country, I believe they deserve some recognition and some thanks. Here's my little thank you to everyone who's serving actively, reserved or veteran.

So, you might recognize this dress if you've ever visited my etsy shop. It's the same design as my newborn peasant dress, only this is a size 4t. I mentioned, some time ago, that I'd be offering these little gems in larger sizes and finally got a few made! Now, I've got to get the other sizes up. Unlike the newborn dresses, I'll only be offering the dresses shown in the pictures and not the variations that I chose to offer to begin with.

I'll be sharing more, very soon, so check back to see other pretties!

~Allison

Pretty Zig zag tunic for a birthday girl!

I've been dying to make another zig zag tunic since I pattern tested it earlier this year, so when I realized my cousins baby girl was about to turn one, I got to work! The sleeves were long sleeved and since we live in Houston, the weather doesn't get even remotely chilly until November, I decided to shorten them.

She's so precious, a lovely happy baby, so I chose a bright pink fabric to go with her bright personality and used fun yellow buttons.

 

I love the way it turned out and so did her momma, her exact words were "Yay, a new church dress!"
For anyone wanting to make one of your own, the zig zag pattern is available for sale at See Kate Sew.
Check back in the next few days, because I've got some good things I've been working on!
 
~ Allison

Dolly and Me aprons

I've mentioned before the vintage fabric that I have, well I've just begun to skim the surface of using all these wonderful classic gems. Well this particular one was begging to made into a couple adorable 50's style play aprons!

These aprons are great since they fit an age range of 3yrs-10yrs old! The doll apron can fit most stuffed animals and baby dolls, including American Dolls.

What little girl wouldn't love one of these matching sets to play kitchen with her favorite dolly? Or better yet, she could wear this apron to help her mommy cook in the real kitchen; all seams are professionally finished and this garment is completely machine washable and dryable.

My daughter thought these were so cute she didn't want to take them off, and there were multiple requests for some baking time. I had to remind her that she already has an apron and then everything was better.

This is an original design and will not be found anywhere else. If you like this set be sure to head over to my SHOP and snatch this up for the little lady in your life.

~Allison

Graceful Turtle

Ok, so maybe turtles aren't very graceful, but this one is very cute! Who could resist a ballerina turtle? No child that I know, at least.

Dancing in the sun!

It's been a while since I made anything for my kids, so I thought I'd start by making them each a little toy turtle (pattern found here). This ballerina turtle was supposed to be for my older girl, who's actually in dance, but my younger daughter discovered it and fell in love, I couldn't break her heart and tell her no after I saw her sweet face.

A nice fluffy tutu

Now, to make 2 more! I'm thinking a pirate turtle for my son and a fairy turtle for my big girl, I'll definitely post picture of the other 2 when they're finished!

Cute little turtle bum!

 I've got a few more things to share with you guys tomorrow and then even more next week! Keep checking in to see all the lovely things coming up.

~Allison

Dolman Top Redu Tutorial

I have two of these tops that, when I first got them, I thought were really cute. Then I caught a glimpse of my reflection somewhere out with my kids and I realized that these tops made me look about 2 times the width I actually am. That's unacceptable, so I altered it to be flattering AND wrote a tutorial in case you have a big ugly shirt that you want to make flattering too!

Love the color, love the softness

Lets get started then, I put on my shirt inside out and pinned all the way down from my armpit to the shirt hem. Then I, very carefully, took the shirt off(pinning intact) and cut about 1/2in out from where I had pinned and then straight up from my last pin to the shoulder.

This picture is the shirt after the cutting, see no more nasty bat wings! If you're a fan of dolman tops, sorry, they're just not a flattering look for me and do, in fact, make me look like I have wings lol.

Don't unpin your sides! At this point, we're going to sew the side seams shut again using a stretch stitch or a zigzag stitch for your knit fabric. I suggest sewing between 1/4 and 1/8 of and inch outside of where you pinned, because if it's still too loose it'll be easy to just take it in a little more, but if it's too tight you're going to be ripping a lot of stitches and knit fabric, like the one I was using, really likes to rip.

I didn't get the picture of this, but you'll need to try your top on: 1. to make sure
it's fitted to your liking and 2. to pin where you want the shoulder seam to hit. I'm definitely not in any way scientific about the way I sew, that being said with my pins on my shoulders I took my shirt and folded it in half. Once you have it in half pin both sides together matching up the neck and armpit of your shirt as well as the shoulder seams. We want the shirt to come out symmetrical. Now, like the picture above, pin in a curve, from the armpit to the shoulder pin that's already in place. The curve should look like a tank top, then when you're happy with it, cut just outside of where you pinned about 1/4in for seam allowance.

Keep your leftovers, these are what's really going to gussy up your shirt and make it one of a kind. Unfold your shirt and pin around the edge of your armholes to get a nice clean edge, or don't if you're using knits it won't fray either way!

When I sew armholes, or legholes, I like to keep my fabric inside out and just sew along the inside; like the picture above. Am I confusing anyone yet? Trust me, this way is easier if you know what I'm talking about lol. Wow, you're almost done! 

The side seams are finished and the you've done the hemming around your armholes(or you chose to leave your edge raw), so here comes the most time consuming, but the best part of fixing up your shirt: THE EMBELLISHMENTS! As you can see in the first picture I chose to do bows all over the front (wish I thought it up on my own, but I saw it here). Since I can't just stop at cute, I went onto the back and added another bow between the shoulders. 

For my shoulder bow, I cut out two rectangles of fabric that I knew would be big enough to span the width of my back opening. Then, I sewed along the two long edges and turned it right side out and had a long tube of fabric. I attached the shorter sides along the neckline of my shirt and positioned it to start at the shoulder seam of my shirt. This is important if you're doing this part, you won't want to just pin the short sides of your rectangle all the way down, you'll get a droopy bow. Instead, pin the top at the edge of your "bow" and then pin it down from there; you will have more and more excess the farther you pin, just cut it off after you attach it. To make it the bow you'll take a small rectangle of fabric about 1in x 3in and wrap it around the middle of your "bow". Pull it tight holding the short ends, sew the rectangle closed as close to the "bow" as possible without catching it in your stitching. Cut off the excess of this and turn it right side out on your fabric. 

 Whew, did you get all that!? If you were able to follow along, this is what the back should look like when you're done. And the front again with all the pretty little bows :).

There's really no limit to what you can do with this, once you've got your shirt to the fit you like, you can add anything to it, or even leave it plain. I hope this inspires you to cut up some old shirts and make them new and fabulous again!

~Allison

P.S. Sorry about the lousy phone pics, the DSLR was MIA that day.

P.S.S Did I mention this only took me a few hours, even with "helpers".

This is what happens when I have my "helpers" around.

Lots of Undocumented Sewing & A little rambling

I've been bad lately, neglecting my poor blog and just living life like everyone else. There's been a lot of turmoil in my personal life that's really been hard for me to deal with and that's also stunted my desire to share on the blog for fear that I might say too much (I'm really bad about over-sharing) and make things worse.

Some things I've made though, well I got two precious aprons made for my mother and daughter for my mom's birthday. She's been begging me to make her and Addy matching aprons since Addy always wants to cook with her so that was her birthday present.

My coming soon nephew, Lawson James, had a baby shower in his honor this past weekend and I made a few things for him. A little taggy blanket (I shared that on the Facebook Page) and a onesie that I hand stamped "rock star" and appliqued 2 stars to, one blue and one green.

I've been feeling the need lately to come up with some new things, but just haven't had the energy or creative inspiration that I usually can find. It's so draining trying to find something that you know is right in front of you but you just CANT SEE. My picture taking has been terrible this month, honestly, my husband has been taking more pictures lately than I have. It's just shameful, I know, but it's true ;).

Have you ever seen the movie How does she do it? My favorite part of the entire movie is when her husband tells his friend, after being asked what she does, that his wife is a juggler. It's just so sweet and true about so many women. I've got to tell you, I'm an awful juggler, literally and figuratively. I've always tried and never quite got it right.

If you've made it this far, God bless you, if you stopped way up at the top, I don't blame you. I just want to say one last thing, thank you to anyone who reads these silly posts on this silly blog. I try my best to share things that I think other people would like to see and sometimes I feel good about it, other times, well not so much, but the fact that there are people that come and visit this blog at all makes it worth my time and effort; so thanks!

~Allison

P.S. Sorry I know that was painfully random.