Favorite dress

I am not always motivated to be creative.  There are times life gets in the way and the creative juices just aren't flowing.  However, when they start its hard to contain them.  Sometimes I find a pattern or think of a project and then I find the material to go with it, and sometimes I find the material first and it "speaks" to me.  I know, sounds silly, but its true.  This project was one of those times.  I have been to Hancock fabric so many times looking for the right material at the right price.  I often don't find what I'm looking for, but, one Saturday afternoon, I walked in and there on the discount fabric table sat the most beautful blue and white stripped fabric.  It was exactly what I was looking for.  I didn't know I was looking for it until I saw it there.  At $2 a yard, I could not say no.  I immediately started imagining all the things I could do with 3 yards (that's all that was left.) 

I thought of the things in my closet and what I could use for different occasions.  A dress that can be both casual and dressed up is a staple in any woman's closet.  That go to dress that will look great even if you're feeling a bit bloated and not yourself. 

The glorious fabric!

I measured one of my most comfortable t-shirts.  You know, the one you think of when you think, "comfort."

I cut two pieces longer that the t-shirt of course.  Front and back. I extended the length 20' just to be safe.  It was about 4 inches longer than I wanted it.

With POCKETS!

I love pockets.

I know, it's probably not what you were thinking based on my story, but, its MY perfect dress.

Comfortable and versatile.

Thanks for reading my blog,
:)Megan

Naptime Upcycle

I love to shop.  What girl doesn't.  However, when you're on a budget, shopping is not the answer.  I have been cleaning out the closets of our house and I recently donated a ton of clothing that no longer fits or I no longer wear.  When cleaning out your clothing closet, it can look a bit bare and I wanted something new. 

When I finally convinced my husband to get rid of some of his clothing that was taking up space, he reluctantly handed me 5 shirts.  4 out of 5 had a hole in it.  I couldn't donate clothing with holes!  So, faced with a dilema, and 2 hours of free time while Ruby napped, I decided to upcycle these holy shirts. 

I have never upcycled a man's shirt before, so I figured it out as I went along.

Before......

After! 

I love the length of this tank.  I have a long torso, so most shirts are too short. 

All I did was cut the top off right below the collar.  Then I turned it inside out and sewed straight up from then inside seam.  Cut off the extra(sleeves.)  Then I made a casing for the elastic.  It started out as a tube top.  I used the collar and the left over sleeves to make the straps.  I think  with the next one I'll make a tutorial. 

:) Megan

Layer dress and tights

It is difficult to find tights that are cute and fun for babies.  Oh sure, they have solid colors and some with a "shoe," but where are the tights with stripes and polka dots?  Nowhere.  So, when I set out to make a pair for Ruby, I decided to make a dress as well.  We all know you can't have cute tights without a cute dress to wear the with and you can'e have a cute dress without cute tights. 

This is the product of my frustration with the clothing industry.....

That last picture, because I love that smile!

:)Megan

Whimsical Onesie

Since I've started making baby clothes I have only made baby girl clothes.  I haven't even thought about making baby boy clothes since I don't have a baby boy.  Girls are harder to shop for because there is so much to choose from, however, baby boys aren't as much fun.  You pretty much have 2 options, sports or prep. 

When a young woman at our church announced she was having a baby boy I was escatic that I got to figure out something to make him.  I thought since I had yet to make something I should start slow.  Instead of making something from scratch I decided to modify a onesie. 

I have seen the onesies for boys that have  a necktie or bowtie and I think they are so cute!  I decided to take it a step further.

This little baby is going to make this onesie even more cute!

:)Megan

Baby Bliss

"On Becoming Baby Wise"

By Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam, M.D.

While I was pregnant I worked at a little music shop by the name of Springfield Music.  My boss, Donovan, gave me a book that would change the way I thought about baby bliss.  This book and the principles it addresses helped me to get my baby to sleep through the night at 3 weeks.  I won't guaruntee that your baby will sleep through the night by 3 weeks, but if you follow the advice of these two men, you will have a guaruntee that at 12 weeks your baby will sleep through the night. 

Baby Wise talks about Parent Directed Feeding(PDF).  By getting your baby on an eating schedule first you can bet that a sleep schedule will be less difficult.  PDF looks like this, Eat, play, nap.  By doing this you reduce the dependancy to be fed/nursed at naptime and bedtime making it easier to ween your baby but you also encourage indepedence within your baby.  If your baby doesn't need you to fall asleep and can fall asleep on their own, you can have  a date night with your spouse and know that the babysitter will have no problem putting junior to bed.  It is wonderful to be able to put Ruby down for a nap or put her to bed when she is wide awake and know that she isn't going to cry.  She may talk to herself for awhile, but, when she falls asleep, she is asleep until morning. 

I was skeptical at first, but after discussing it with my husband, we decided to give it a try.  If it didn't work, we could always try something else.  After a week we noticed she was already getting the idea of a schedule and at 2 weeks she knew when it was time to eat and to nap and there was no fussing in between.  She was happy all the time.  When she did fuss, if her diaper was clean, we could look at the clock and sure enough, it was time to eat.  At 3 weeks she slept 7 hours and we haven't looked back.  She now sleeps 12 hours every night, guarunteed. 

I find I can plan my day better because I can plan it around her schedule.  I am more prepared when we are away from home and can help her adjust if we have to deviate from the schedule.  Ruby is happy and secure because she trusts me completely.  She knows when she will eat and the it will be there at the same time everyday. 

I'm not saying this is for everyone, but, I an saying that everyone should at least give it a try.  It was difficult in the beginning trying to get her on a schedule and to switch her days and nights around.  I really feel this was easier than some other methods. 

:)Megan



Project #26

Christmas Card

For the 26th Project I wanted to do something for Christmas.  We never had a birth announcement done for Ruby when she was born and that was one thing I wanted to do.  But life happens and before you know it she's 7 months old.  After shedding a few tears about that I decided that I would use her for our Christmas card this year to make up for not having a birth announcement.  I took the photos myself in our living room.  This allowed Ruby to be uninhibited.  She could be herself completely.

First I took some printer paper and magic markers to make a banner for the picture.

I wrote Merry Christmas on the paper and cut the individual letters out using scrap book scissers.

I wanted the letters to look cartoon-ish.

I punched holes and tied yarn to make the banner.

I moved the furniture around to get a bare spot on the wall and hung the banner.

Here are a few out takes from our shoot.

:)Megan

Project #25

Emmett's Balloons

When my cousin and his wife called me and asked me to take pictures at a balloon release to honor their son, I couldn't say no.  Emmett was still born on July 1, 2011.  To honor her son, Amanda, decided to raise money for the Pregnancy Care Center and to get the family together to release balloons.  It was a beautiful day and I wanted  the pictures I took to relfect the celebration of Emmett.  I tried to capture the mood of the day through my camera lens.  I think I have done that. 

The Pregnancy Care Center is a center "providing health, wellness, and relationship education for young people facing an unplanned pregnancy, and presenting healthy relationship education in local schools to equip teens to make positive choices."  Please visit the PCC website (http://www.pccchoices.org/) to see how you can help.

Baby Emmett will be forever missed and never forgotten.

:) Megan

P.S.

I am happy to announce that Amanda and Cody are expecting another baby!