Winter Handmades & A Show!

It is officially spring and the first quarter of 2014 is just about over--a truth that makes me very, very happy. This winter has been just the worst, so moving into a new season feels even better than usual.

I haven't gotten much of anything done this week (though it seems like it's been three weeks long already) because the girl was sick. Poor thing, she rarely gets sick and this was her first experience with this particular brand of sick...so I guess I should consider myself lucky to have made it almost three years before dealing with it. Thankfully it was a short-lived bug and she bounced back pretty quickly. But between that and more cold and snow we haven't gone anywhere or done much of anything besides watch Toy Story and her favorite, "Cinderelly!"

So without being able to accomplish much, it was nice to take a look back at the past three months and see what I've made--this always motivates me when I'm in a slump.

Speaking of handmades, I'm participating in a vendor show on Saturday, April 5th. My friend Christine is hosting it--it's a small show, open to the public, with about a dozen local vendors (including yours truly) selling an array of items like jewelry, bags, accessories, cupcakes (yes!), adorable stuffed owls, and other lovely things. It's a great opportunity to do some shopping (Mother's Day!) and even get your portraits done if you wish--Christine will be doing mini portrait sessions on site. Appointments are not required but strongly encouraged. Light refreshments will also be available, and there is no charge for admission. If you are in the area please come, it will be a good time!

The Landings is located near the corner of Rte. 83 (Avon Belden) and Walker Rd. It is across the street from Wendy's--look for a wooden sign near the road that says "The Landings", since the building itself is not visible from the road. 

I hope to see you there!!

~Stacy

Party Dress

Last week The Cottage Mama (aka Lindsey Wilkes, pattern designer and blogger) re-released her new and improved Party Dress pattern for free to all newsletter subscribers--I was so excited! This is a great pattern but the fact that she released it as a free download makes it even better.

I was determined to find enough fabric in my stash to make this--I'm trying to sew through most of my stash before buying more fabric and so far every project I've made this year (with the exception of some quilt backing yardage) has been made without buying any new. I juuuust managed to cut the pattern out from these:

I bought the top fabric over a year ago and have been hoarding it ever since. I cut off the selvage before checking the designer info...the bottom one is by Heather Bailey, from her new line Lottie Da. The color is showing up a little more magenta in these photos, but the true color is less intense and more purple.

I followed the pattern mostly as is except for two small changes: I made the sash narrower (5" instead of 7") and instead of sewing it on to the waistband I left it loose so it can be removed. The dress looks slightly more casual without it, so it's just nice to have another option.

The sizing was right on--I made a 2T and it fits perfectly without any adjustments. If you make this be sure to check the size guide and don't assume the sizing will be the same as your child's typical size. 

When Charlotte got home she immediately found the dress and asked to wear it. I took a few pictures but when the weather gets warmer I want to take nicer ones of her wearing it in the park.

It has taken my top spot on my "favorite projects" list, by far. I just love everything about it and now I want to make it over and over again in different colors...

Happy Sewing!

~Stacy

The City

This past week we had dinner reservations with a friend/co-worker of Chad's who was in town from Florida for a few days. We went to The Greenhouse Tavern downtown (on East 4th, for you locals) and it was delicious. We've eaten there once before and loved it and it did not disappoint the second time. Their menu changes fairly often and they use all local ingredients, plus the food is just delicious.

Charlotte was thrilled to get to "go to the city!" During the wait for our food Chad took her on a walk around the block--it's a really cool area right there. The 5th Street Arcades are just a few steps away and there are neat little stores and restaurants all over. After dinner we visited Colossal Cupcakes for some dessert--they aren't kidding when they say colossal. The cupcakes are huge and delicious and definitely Charlotte's favorite part of the night :)

After the beautiful weather that kicked off last week it got cold and snowy again, which also brought with it a cold for the girl (and, I suspect, a cold for her Daddy and I now too). As a result, we were back indoors most of these past few days. We watched Cinderella with her for the first time last weekend and she absolutely loved it, so since she got her cold she's watched it at least once a day. I can't complain, it's one of my favorites too :)

Thursday brings the official start of spring--woo hoo!! I started some spring cleaning this week and completely flipped our extra bedroom on its head and cleaned it. It felt great and now I only have the rest of the house to do...

Have a good week!

~Stacy

Easter Dress

I wish I could say I made this dress but I did not--my mom did. She's had this fabric (California Girls by Fig Tree) for a long time now (you can't really find any yardage of this line anymore) but was waiting on the right project. Well, the time came and this dress was the result and I love it. It will most likely be Charlotte's Easter dress and today I let her try it on, along with her fancy new dress shoes, and show it off:

She was mostly patient, with a few moments of silliness. And I might have promised animal crackers and another viewing of Cinderella, but whatever.

That dress makes me want to go plant flowers right now. :)

~Stacy

Millie Mermaid

During our visit to Sanibel Island in Florida last week, I discovered a cute little fabric shop called Three Crafty Ladies that sold bright, beachy themed fabrics and patterns. I picked up this adorable mermaid pattern by Jennifer Jangles:

Charlotte spotted the pattern before I could do anything about it and has been asking me daily if I'll make her a mermaid. So today while she was gone for a few hours I did--it went surprisingly quickly and was a mostly hassle free project. The best part was the cost: nothing! I used leftovers from my stash for everything.

The pattern calls for using fabric for the hair but I decided to go with felt for a softer look (and because I didn't have any solid color fabric that would've looked right as hair). I also didn't have any buttons on hand for the eyes so I improvised and used embroidery floss.

I thought she turned out nicely and the girl agreed. She had one hand around the mermaid and the other around her Elsa wand (her souvenir from our trip, a much desired Frozen toy).

It was fun enough to make I might have to make Millie some friends :)

Happy Sewing!

~Stacy

Florida

It's hard to believe that our trip has come and gone already! Actually, it's easy to believe when I look outside and see snow after enjoying four days of absolutely no snow in sight. No snow, no clouds, no cold. It was glorious.

We stayed in Punta Gorda, which is on the Gulf Coast about 45 minutes from Fort Myers. We got there late Sunday morning, rented a car, then spent some time in Port Charlotte. We ate some crazy delicious gelato (which I've always used interchangeably with ice cream but discovered that gelato is much creamier because it's churned slower. Fun fact). For the first few hours we probably seemed like we were from Mars since we kept exclaiming things like "wow, trees!" and "look at all this green grass!" and "woah, flowers!!". It's been a long winter.

The next day was spent mostly in Fort Myers Beach where we walked around the town and hung out on the beach and relaxed. The place is full of seagulls and pelicans who must be used to being around so many people because they were anything but shy. One pelican flew right over to us and decided it was time to put on a talent show, so he flapped his wings and then proudly stood on one leg for a few seconds before looking at me like "did you see that?". He posed for awhile for photos:

On Tuesday, our last full day, we went to Sanibel Island. We rented bikes and rode around the whole island all day long, finally stopping at a beach for awhile. We ate breakfast and dinner outside and tried to soak up as much warmth and sunshine as possible. I wish my body had the ability to hoard Vitamin D to get me through until April or May, when we can start going outside again.

I came back ready for warm weather and spring, of course, but it was a nice break. I feel refreshed and hopeful about the weather now instead of completely discouraged and depressed! Just a few more weeks...

~Stacy

So Long, February.

February, arguably the worst month of every year, is finally over. Just 28 days, yes, but 28 wretched ones--especially this year, with the Worst Winter Ever. Most years I'm kind of on my own in my desperation for winter to be over but right now everyone is walking around like a caged animal. We may have another winter storm coming this weekend but at least it's March and one step closer to putting an end to this nonsense.

Speaking of cold, I took Charlotte to see Frozen this past Thursday. It was her very first time seeing a movie in a theater (and for that matter, her very first time seeing a movie. She's only ever just watched shorter shows like Curious George and Sesame Street). I was hoping to make it thirty minutes into the movie before leaving but I was blown away when she watched the entire thing, including previews. She really liked it, and so did I--it was a genuinely good movie, and one that if I had seen it as a young girl would have become one of my favorites.

She was so cute during the whole thing, just sitting there wide eyed and entranced. Every time they would show a really snowy scene she would say "oohh, that's beautiful!" When I asked her afterward who her favorite character was she said "The princess! The cold one." Which is precisely how she sweet talked her daddy into this later that evening:

She's been asking to see it again ever since and that wish might come true this weekend. She's staying with my parents while Chad and I take our quick Florida trip and they are planning on taking her to see it. Sounds like we will all be having a good time :) I am very much looking forward to a few days of sunshine, beaches and warm weather--even if it means I will miss this girl like crazy.

Have a lovely weekend!

~Stacy