Finn's Eye View

I love it when Finn takes pictures. Here's a few gems he's gotten this week:

He's such a nut!

But he's a cute one!

Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt

It's been a crazy time in my household. The kids have been sick, I've been picking up extra hours at work and Scott worked over 60 hours last week. Whew! Thank goodness for my Mother-In-Law!

Kiki had a fever last week and I thought she was all better--until I noticed the spots all over her mouth, hands and feet :( Looks like she has Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease! By the way she's been bouncing all over the place, it doesn't appear to be bothering her. However, we still have to stay away from others since she might be contagious. And the verdict is still out on whether or not Finn will wake up with a rash tomorrow.

So, what did I do? I stole borrowed another great idea from Smashed Peas & Carrots blog! (Really, if you haven't already, you have to go check them out!) It's a Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt game. I couldn't get theirs to print, so I just made my own real quick in Word with clip art.

I put it on a clip board, grabbed a pen and took the kids out for a walk. We just checked things off as we saw them! I even made a list of more things I could add next time:

fire hydrant

hose

motorcycle

truck

different colors of flowers

specific bugs

street signs

wreaths

for sale signs

Best yet, the kids were actually excited about doing it! Finn's been quite a downer since he got a fever last week, so I was thrilled he was actually enthusiastic about doing something!

Americana Porch Makeover

I've been busy lately, but I really wanted to take a little time to Americanize my porch for the 4th.

Star box makeover (inspired by Craft-O-Maniac). It's supposed to be distressed, but I'm not so sure it shows on camera:

Tin Can Windsock (inspired by Under the Table and Dreaming):

And finally, my new wreath, inspired by no one. Just me! I really like using this same wreath form for all seasons, just dressing it up in new ribbon and embellishments. I like the rustic look it has. For this wreath, I just used wired ribbon and a bunch of red, white and blue yo-yos that I made last year. And flags of course!:

Happy 4th of July!

I'll be linking up here.

Beach Ponchos

Tatertots and Jello recently had a guest tutorial from The Funky Polkadot Giraffe. I love both of these blogs! The tute was for a Hooded Beach Poncho. At first, I thought I might just file it away in my "someday" pile, but then I read these words:

We have swimming lessons starting in a week and one thing that drives me crazy is the dragging of the towels across the parking lot or the crying 2 year old because she can't keep her towel on and she's "freezing". The insanity!!!!

My kids always complain about how cold they are when they get out of the pool and this is the perfect solution! Therefore, I knew I had to make some.





I added a little bit of fabric trim to mine though. Rockets for Finn (orange towel OF COURSE):



And some polka dots for Kiki:



Doubles as loungewear!



Linking up here.

Giveaway @ Green Fairy Quilts!

I don't know about you, but between all the the summer activities for my kids and saving for our vacation next month, I have had ZERO money left over for fabric. Which is a shame, because I've seen so many cute projects lately (as always)!

If this is the case for you too, go enter Green Fairy Quilts Fat Quarter Bundle Giveaway! They are giving away an entire fat quarter bundle of Holly Jolly by Riley Blake Designs! Perfect to get started on Christmas sewing!

I Won!

Thanks so much to everyone that voted for me at Me Sew Crazy's Pattern Remix Contest! I won! The competition was fierce, so I'm really surprised!

I get to pick out some patterns from Violette Field Threads esty shop and I get an adorable newborn owl hat from Just Dandy Whimisical Creations (I think I have a certain pregnant friend who will just love this!)!

This may be just the shot in the arm I need to start blogging more! I promise I've been making stuff, but between shuffling my kids to all their activities and picking up extra hours at work, I haven't found the motivation to blog about it.

Pre-Ruffled Fabric!

 I've been hitting up the fabric clearance racks at Hobby Lobby pretty regularly lately. It's really paid off--pre-cut lengths of fabric at nearly 50% off! And the best part is no waiting for someone to come cut it for you!

Anyway, I found about a yard of hot pink pre-ruffled fabric about a week ago. Total score!

Here's the super simple tube top I made myself. Just sewed a tube and put in a little casing for elastic at the top so I wouldn't have any wardrobe mishaps:

I think it will be a great beach top for our vacay next month. Maybe with a little cardi at nighttime?



The ruffle fabric was a lot easier to work with than I thought it would be. I made sure to use a ball-point needle and I was very careful that when I sewed the seams all the ruffles were going the same direction.

BEST PART--I made Kiki a matching jumper!

I'll be linking up here.

One last thing--please go vote for my entry in Me Sew Crazy's Pattern Remix Contest! It's the Upcycled Pillowcase Outfit that I made for Kiki a couple of months ago:

Of course, all the entries are fantastic, so just go vote for your fav--hopefully it's mine!