September Craft Night

Last Saturday was our monthly craft night! After taking a break for Summer it was so fun to get together again with the girls!!! I made a couple wood crafts, and they turned out so cute! I can not wait for next month! I know exactly what I will be making!

My garden

This year, I have been truly blessed. My garden produced more food then my family could eat. I was able to grow my own healthy veggies! It's been such a feeling of accomplishment! It's not been easy, it's been very hard work. I think that's why I feel so good about it. I have put the effort in, and it paid off!
This year while growing my garden, have learned ...
- if I want it done, I have to do it myself!
- bugs, as gross as they are, won't kill me.
- if you leave veggies from the year before, expect strange veggies this year. I have a cross between acorn squash and zucchini, and acorn squash and crookneck squash.
- weeds are a never ending battle.
- laying down newspaper, really does help keep the weeds down.
- you have to use what you pick pretty quickly!
- veggies won't grow without a lot of water :(
- i need to plant corn more then 2 inches apart.
- label everything I plant.
- plant seeds when I know it's safe. Some of my plants, died because of frost :(
- my boys are good help, for about 5 minutes...
- my garden saved me money.
- we ate healthier because of our garden.
- it was good family time.
- i am more appreciative of my mom, for teaching me how to garden and making us help her in the garden as kids.
- great exercise.
- gardening is therapeutic.

I completed one of my new years resolutions. Now that it's harvest time, it's I feel like I can check that off my list!

Sugaring Hair Removal

I HATE my eyebrows. I was "blessed" with big dark bushy eyebrows. I don't like to wax, I feel like it rips all my hair and my skin off. I don't like to use tweezers because its so time consuming and I have ADD. I found a recipe for sugaring and I thought I would share, because it worked really well. I will be  making this again.

First make sure your hair is long, not to long, but enough for the sugar to grab onto. I tried it on my leg that I shaved 3-4 days ago and it did not pull any hair. But, my eyebrows that are thick, worked like a charm! This really did not hurt, I was surprised, and expecting a lot more pain.

You Need . . . 
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/8 Cup Honey
1/2 TBLS Lemon Juice

To apply. . . 
1 Popsicle stick
2 x 4 inch strips of cotton fabric

Mix everything together and microwave for about 1 - 1 1/2 minutes. Stop and stir every 30 seconds. You want it to boil.

Then let it sit. I had to let it sit about 10 minutes, it is HOT! Stir it every minute or so, don't let it get hard.

When it is still hot, but not dripping off your stick, apply to the hair you want removed with the Popsicle stick. Apply it against the way the hair grows, then quickly add your cotton strip over the top of it. Press hard and rub the fabric, let it sit about 30 seconds. Pull it off against the way the hair grows, and repeat on another section. Don't sugar the same section twice. If there are a couple hairs that did not pull, use tweezers.

This amount is for facial hair, double if you are removing more then facial hair. This will not keep.

And woohoo your done!

Jean Skirt

Today, I made another skirt! I LOVE it!!! It turned out so cute, and it only took about 30 minutes to make! I made this skirt our of an old pair of Jeans, that the bottoms are worn and ripped. 

I saw a couple of ideas on pinterest, but the ones that I liked did not have tutorials, so I made up my own and thought I would share! This is how I made my skirt. 

I cut the bottom of the jeans. I measured the skirt from the top of the jeans and cut it at the seem. I made this skirt 22 inches long. You can chose the length of yours. 

Then I cut up the seems, up the legs, back and front. Get as close to the seem as possible. 

Start with the back. There is extra fabric on the back and I did not want it to have that weird line in the back of my skirt, so I sewed the two sides together, and low as I could down the back of the skirt. 

Fold the extra fabric in, to make a seem line going straight down like this. 

And Pin. 

Sew along pinned line, and back stitch at top and bottom. 

Cut extra fabric out of the inside of skirt. 

For the front, sew down front seem, to make an even opened triangle, below. 

Like this! 

Take extra fabric from the bottom of the jeans you cut, and cut a rectangle, to fit inside the front triangle opening. 

Pin rectangle piece to the inside the the skirt. 

Sew along pinned seems. 

Cut the extra fabric out of the inside of skirt. 

Now for the back! 

Cute fabric, to fit into the open back triangle, like this. 

I added ruffles, to the piece that fits into the back opening. 

Its hard to see, but you get the idea. I wish I would have done the ruffles in a different color, but they turned out cute. 

Pin and Sew Piece into triangle. 

For the bottom, pin a hem of 1/2 inch, all the way around. I added lace to the bottom of mine and it adds so much to it! It makes it so fun. 

And you are DONE!!! Fast huh??? 

Front. 

Back 

And there you have it! Hope you make your own and send me your pictures! I want to see your skirts!!!

BIG Beach Bag

Since we are headed to the beach this Summer, I needed a new beach bag! My other beach bag is a little small. I wanted to make a beach bag that would fit all of our stuff! This bag will fit it all, and its pretty durable. I am happy with how it turned out! Everyone with kids needs a bag this size! I could not find the exact bag I was making so I came up with my own, this is my attempt and showing you how to make your own Big Beach Bag!

To make this bag you need -
Heavy Fabric, I like drapery or upholstery fabric.
Thread

For Bag, Cut Fabric -

1 piece - 10 inches x 57 inches ( Sides and Bottom )
2 Pieces - 18 inches x 21 Inches ( Front and Back )

And for your straps you need 4 pieces - 4 x 57 Inches

Step One 

To Start, Topstitch 1/2 inch on the top your 18 x 21 Inch pieces. I sewed in once, and then sewed another seem next to it to make a little more durable. 

Next sew the ends of your 10 x 57 inch fabric again with 1/2 inch topstitch and sew another seem next to it. 

Put to the side. 

Step Two

The Straps 

Take 2 of the long strap pieces and put them right sides facing, Sew 1/4 inch along each of the sides. 

Turn straps Inside out, and iron flat. 

Step 3 

Attaching the Straps 

Lay your straps onto your 18x21 Piece, 4 inches from each side. Pin straps onto the first piece of 18x21 fabric, then lay it flat and pin other side of straps onto second piece of 18x21 fabric. Make sure straps are not twisted. 

Sew 1/4 inch on each side of each strap starting from the one side of the strap to the other. You still keep sewing the strap until you reach the bottom of the other side. 

It will look like this. 

Step Four 

Attaching the Bottom and sides. 

Next you are going to pin right sides together the long 10x57 piece to the bottom of the 18x21, You will start to pin at the top of the 18x21 Piece. then pin along the side the bottom and up the other side. 

Pin the other 18x21 piece to the 10x57. Starting at the top of the 18x21 pinning along the side, down the bottom, and up the other side. 

Then sew 1/2 Inch along all the pinned edges. 

Turn inside out and this is your bag! 

My Sunday Skirt

I found this site LINK and it had the easiest skirt tutorial. Best of all NO ZIPPER! I love it! This skirt took me about an hour and half to finish, so the next day I made another one! I love how they turned out! The pink one needs some adjusting in the back, but I love how it turned out! I love the lace on the bottom of it,  I will use this pattern again.

Here are my skirts!

The Back 

Maxi Skirt

Last week I got on this kick about sewing, and sewing new clothes, and I have not stopped :) I am loving what I am creating its so much fun! I have TONS of fabric that has just been sitting in my craft room, and I never knew what to do with it! Well finally I am using it up! The fabric that I made this skirt out of is fabric from the 80's that my mom gave me. 

This is my first attempt at trying to show someone how to sew anything! Lets see if I can do it! 

FIrst you need a 1 1/2 Yards of Jersey Knit fabric. Measure your waist wear you want your skirt to fit. Set your sewing machine to as long of a stitch as it can, mine was .5 mm.

Measure your waist size to the middle of your fabric. Make sure you have an even amount of fabric on both sides of your waist measurement and mark your fabric. Cut at a diagonal from your waist measurement to the bottom of your skirt, so it looks like this.

Fold the fabric in half with right sides facing, and sew down the longs side, using 1/2 inch seem. 

To make a stretch waist bad. Fold the top of the fabric down 3 inches and sew around bottom of the band. 

Fold band again 3 inches, the seem you just sewed with be at the top of your skirt. Sew the sides of the band down on the seem.  Make sure you use a thread that matches the fabric, and make sure you back stitch. 

It will create a little band like this. 

Now hem the bottom for the length you want and your done! 

This is the finished product! It took me about 25 minutes to make this skirt. SUPER EASY!!! It looks really cute on and will be a great little Summer Skirt, nice and light weight! I love it!