Happy Together

"Born Here" One Piece

2012-01-25T23:28:00.001-06:00

I have to say that I'm about to make one of these for my own baby next. I've just finished up this last one piece (dare I say onesie? they might come get me if I do!!!! lol....have you heard how that word is trademarked and they have asked people to remove it from their sites?...) for a friend of mine who's having a boy very very soon.

I was inspired by those maps you see at the mall. You know, the directories, and there is a star where you are stating "you are here". I wanted to make that concept into something for baby and this is what I came up with.

I added a fabric applique of the state baby will be born in and a star in the specific area. Then I embroidered "Born Here" and the red around it on a piece of felt. Then I added the fusible interfacing to that and ironed it on. That way I didn't have to tie any knots with the thread. You can still feel those sometimes you know? This way that wouldn't happened. I also sewed it in place for extra staying protection.

Now I've got a box of baby boy things to get in the mail!

A Special Blessing

2012-01-23T21:20:00.001-06:00

About a week and a half ago, I was honored to take maternity pics for my friends. I'm so happy and blessed to have people like them in my life (thanks for letting me do this you two!)

I was a little worried at first that I would have a super hard time with it being right at the suns peak time, but we made it work. I toted them around to a few different locations to try out. We went to a field with these pretty white flowers, an old farmers market (orange building) that had a field behind it with the tall grass, a dead end street, and my house.

I feel like each time I do a photo shoot like this I'm finding out more of who I am and what my style is when it comes to photography. This learning photography road is going to be long, but I'm enjoying it. I really do have a lot of fun doing it.

I also feel extra connected to this pregnancy which made it even more of an honor to do. We met them when we first moved here and our friendship with them just took off (he's in the Coast Guard with my hubby). When we met them, they were trying to have a baby and they were a bit sad it wasn't happening.

They had gone to the doctor and nothing was "wrong", but it had been a long time and they had moments of wondering if it might not happen. I remember praying with and for my friend a lot. I knew how much she wanted to be a mommy and him a daddy.

Months later, I had a dream. In this dream, my friend had sent me a picture of herself with a little girl. It was her daughter. She looked more like her daddy (dark hair, olive skin) and she was about 4/5 years old in the dream. I wrote this down and I told my friend I had a dream but I didn't tell her the specifics. I just said what I had felt in my heart very strongly for a while, that God was going to come through for them.

That He would give them the desire of their heart. A little later she was at my baby shower and made a comment about being the only woman there who was childless. We rode home together and she shared how she had completely given it to God and was just not going to even really pray about it anymore.

Little did she know that at that very moment she was pregnant!!!!!!! She called a few weeks later to share the good news to us!

I then told her I had had the dream about her being pregnant and I didn't want to share what the child was just to see what would happen. Well, wouldn't you know, they are having a girl! And I bet that she is going to look like her dad too :)

Hearts in an Apple Sandwich

2012-01-18T21:59:00.003-06:00

I love really easy and fun snacks to make for me and my family. When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to give it a try. So I grabbed an apple and a very small heart cookie cutter.

Then I sliced the apple up.

And cut out the middle with the cookie cutter.

I thought the little hearts were so cute!

Then I put all the ingredients together for my daughter to put together.

Then she got to making.

Yum. Yum. Peanut butter and apples.

With a little bit of granola and chocolate chips.

We all had one and I thought they were pretty good. My hubby thinks the chocolate added an odd mix of taste, but you could do a lot with this concept to get it how you would like it. And my daughter ate it, so it's a winner in my book.

The Boho Frock

2012-01-16T22:58:00.002-06:00

I finally made myself a little something for the first time in a few months. I had the wonderful opportunity of receiving this Boho Frock Dress Pattern from creator Cheryl Kuczek to sew up. It was just what I needed to get back in sewing saddle you could say.

It's such a great little dress. I accidentally made mine a little shorter than I had intended, so I might go back and add some ruffles on the bottom, but I like that is like a tunic and I can wear it with jeans and leggings.

I used a black and white gingham so it would be light weight. This type of style isn't flattering on me at all if I use a heavy cotton fabric, but the gingham worked great.

I decided to put the waist band part on the outside of mine after I laid it on there and thought it would be pretty that way.

I also decided to keep mine short sleeved since where we live it's usually warm. I can wear it more of the year this way.

For pics, Will humored me and took us on a little adventure to try a new area out. We headed up to a nature trail at UWF (what a beautiful campus btw). We have been there before and it was fun to do a bit more exploring. You know it's going to be good when there are warning signs for alligators and poisonous snakes ;) Gotta love Florida!

The oldest had a blast! So much open space to run around in. Plus, she kept looking for those alligators and snakes. She really wanted to see one! Fortunately, she didn't see any, but she did get to see lots of fish and even a turtle. Will and I both laughed at how we must have looked since we were trying to take pics on this heavily walked trail (everyone else was in exercise clothes and all). Then princess had to carry her American flag with her and we had baby in a stroller trying to go down the very small wooden path. Oh well. At least we all were having fun together!

January Giveaway Day!!!!!!

2012-01-15T13:26:00.002-06:00

It's time for January's Giveaway Day! You can see all of the giveaways here. Scroll down to see each one and how to enter. Here is what is up for grabs this month:

1. Valentine's Heart Banner from Brown Joey Designs

See here for the details

2. Pink Flower Ring from Ali Grace Fashions

See here for details

*Interested in offering a product for Giveaway Day? See here for details.*

My Very Own Pair

2012-01-14T21:37:00.002-06:00

My has there been a plethora of diy glitter shoes on the web the past few months. I had kind of stayed away from it since so many were doing it, but..... I need some now. So, I'm jumping on the glitter shoes band wagon! Woo hoo! I am part of an event where I need to wear silver peep toe shoes. Ones that others are wearing have glitter on them. Since I will probably never wear these again, I did not want to spend a lot of money.

I went to a thrift store and found some peep toe heels and grabbed some glitter paint. In hindsight, I think I should have done the mod podge mixed with glitter method instead. People who have done that seem to have a very great result. I think the glitter glue would be best if the color of the shoe was or close to the color of the glitter. I have done a bazillion (well not really, but it feels like it) coats and I still need to do some more. These have been sitting on our kitchen counter for two days now as I paint on a new coat each time I get a chance. If you are in need of some glitter shoes, there are a bunch of different methods people are sharing. Pick what you want to try and give it a go.

Well Look at You!

2012-01-11T21:44:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I did a post on some Happy Together projects you all have been up to. I love seeing what you all make and how you put your own spin on it!

Double Sided Headbands by Lea and Lars

Ruffles Behind Dress by joyoflife2011

Sweetheart pin cushion by quiltingbydawn

Mod Sailor Dress (love how she added sleeves!) by Threadapy

And finally, I was so excited about this bigger football blanket that Robyn did! She just "eyeballed" the bigger size from the pattern. I also like how she used leather for the white parts.

Please feel free to share any project you make using a Happy Together tutorial in the Flickr group!

Silhouette Hair Bow Tutorial

2012-01-09T21:22:00.003-06:00

If you can't tell, I had tried to get this done before Christmas, hence the Christmasy colors. Better late than never though!

These are really simple to do and are really cute. You could use them for other things besides hair clips as well.

I like using them to hold her bangs back.

And they are also cute clipped onto a headband for baby!

1. To begin, you will need to gather a few supplies. You will need scrap fabric, coordinating felt, sewable iron on adhesive, scissors, thread/needle, hair clip, and hot glue gun.
2. Choose a bow silhouette you would like to use. The ones I used are from the Silhouette online store that is available to those who own one. You can also do an internet search for "bow silhouette" and have images come up you can use. Of course, you could always draw one yourself as well.
2/3. Trace the silhouette onto the iron on adhesive. Make sure you trace on the side that is smooth.
4. Iron on tracing to the back of your fabric choice according to adhesives directions.
5. After it has cooled down, cut out the bow.
6. I used manicure scissors to help with the really small places.
7. Removes the paper backing from the adhesive and place bow right side up onto felt. Iron in place according to adhesive directions.
8. Cut around bow leaving a small amount of felt.
9. Add any embroidery that you would like and then glue on a hair clip with the hot glue gun.

*I love seeing what you make! Share your creations here. Please feel free to make and sell these.*

*PS......looking for some people to offer something up for Giveaway Day if you would like to join in!*

Party of Five (A New Journey in Photography)

2012-01-05T17:23:00.002-06:00

As you know, I like to dabble with photography. I would like to one day take family pics as a small business on the side. The reason I like it is the fun that comes from capturing a family having time together. I love having nice pictures of my own family, so I love taking pictures for others to enjoy of their family as well.

This past November, one of my friends asked if I could take her family pics for Christmas. I of course said yes!!!!! I feel very blessed that I have friends who think I'm good enough to do their pictures. I was excited about this because I have also never done pictures for this big of a family before.

We went to a small downtown area and had at it. I wanted to practice in a few different spots and they obliged :) It was decorated for Christmas and so pretty.

We did a lot of family pics and then I wanted to get some good ones of the mom and dad.

I just love seeing "love" :)

The kids were fun too! It was interesting trying to get shots with all of them that were decent, even if they were being silly in them at times ;)

I'm getting exited because I have two maternity sessions planned soon as well! Photography is just such a fun art to me and I am loving learning about it. One of these days I'll get it all down!

Until then, I have wonderful resources like this great little photo essentials Exposure guide by Katie Evans. I plan on laminating this and carrying it with me because sometimes it's good to have the "how to" for when shooting in manual right in front of you!

Notes: I use a Canon Rebel XS with a 50 mm 1.8 lens and edited in PSE and used PTM actions

With Lavender and Lace

2012-01-03T19:30:00.000-06:00

During our visit to Virginia to see family, there was one day that I was able to snag for doing things I wanted to do. I waited a whole week for that point, doing what families wanted, but then that Friday came and it was glorious. I grabbed the kiddos and my hubby and went around town. One of my favorite stops that day was at this new vintage shop that has opened in the Ghent area of Norfolk, VA, With Lavender and Lace.

I actually found out about this place from facebook. Most of my "friends" are from the Hampton Roads area and an old high school friend had liked the With Lavender and Lace facebook page. I went to check it out and was glad I did! I knew that the next chance I got I would stop by.

It's located right off of 21st street, behind the Taphouse. It is owned by Kelsie McNair. When I visited, she was out of town, but we got to meet her lovely mom! It was fun. The baby even felt comfortable to make an explosion in her diaper while we were shopping. So, maybe that's a first for your shop Kelsie? ;)

It was fun to look through all of her fun finds and the handmade items there as well.

I loved the dressing room! It was super cute.

See that hat with the white bow? I sooo almost bought that.

She has a couch which was perfect for my hubs and baby to chill on while waiting on me.

We walked away with a few things....

First, this cute little bow made from vintage velvet ribbon. I bought it for my girls, but you know I'm going to share it with them!

Will picked out this tie and already has an outfit picked out to wear with it.

And I walked out with this beautiful vintage slip. It's a navy blue and covered in lace. I plan on using it for a dress/skirt extender when I need an outfit to be a little longer. If you want to stop by yourself, you can find the shop address here as well as find out more about Kelsie. She is one talented lady! Maybe next time I visit I'll get to meet her :)

A Tisket A Tasket...

2012-01-02T20:02:00.000-06:00

I am about to mail off a ring bearer pillow and flower girl basket.

I had the pleasure of making this ring bearer pillow

and this flower girl basket for a wonderful young lady who is getting married soon! We met at church quite a few years ago and when she contacted me about doing something like this, I was very excited to say yes, I can help.

It's my little gift to her and I pray that her wedding day is just amazing and that her, her fiance, and their son have a wonderful and blessed life together!

Notes on how I made these:

Ring Bearer Pillow- I cut 4 pieces of 8.5" by 8.5" pieces of chosen fabric. I doubled up each side as the material was thin and would show the stuffing. I placed two down, right side facing up, then placed the next two on top, wrong side facing up. Then I sewed around leaving an opening to turn right side out. I did that, then stuffed the pillow with stuffing, and sewed the opening shut. I then made two layers of ruffles to go on the top. I then wrapped around a piece of fabric that I had sewn together, making sure the seam was underneath and couldn't be seen. That piece met in the top middle where it would be covered by the starfish. I used fabric glue to hold the ruffles, middle piece, and starfish in place.

Flower girl basket- I found this basked on sale and took off some of the accessories that were on it. Then I added some fabric that was the same as the ruffles on the pillow. Where this part meets in the middle is where I glued looped pieces of tulle, ribbon, and the starfish. I used a hot glue gun for this piece.

Why, Hello 2012

2012-01-01T22:02:00.001-06:00

We made it back to Florida just before the new year. We had a lot of fun visiting family. It went by too quick! After getting some sleep last night, we awoke to begin our new year unpacking and cleaning. We even got all of our Christmas decorations down and packed away. It's a good feeling to start off the week with a nice clean house. I made a meal plan for two weeks and even wrote down goals on note cards for this year. I am hoping to get many of the tutorials/patterns finished and blogged or patterned that have been on my list for a long time (like these: retro crochet dress, summer top, back to school jacket, how to make a digital pattern using Word programs, and more!).

Today also marked the first day of "solids" for baby :) She was so messy! lol She loved it though. I still can't believe we are already at this point though. It's going by fast.

One of my Favorite Gifts

2011-12-28T09:40:00.000-06:00

This Christmas has been super full of events. Lots of family things going on and we aren't even done yet! My daughter will end up having 6 Christmas' by the time it is all said and done. The girls are doing good though and I'm so proud of how they are hanging in there and bringing so much joy to our families. Our first Christmas time was just us (me, hubby, and kids). My daughter made this wonderful painting at preschool and gave it to us. I just adore it. I really like how it's a fox (although for a while she was being silly and insisting it was a buffalo ;). It's one of my favorite gifts this year. If you participate in the exchanging of gifts, did you receive one that is your favorite?

From Our Family to Yours

2011-12-25T07:28:00.000-06:00

Christmas Tunes in the Craft Room

2011-12-20T22:39:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe how close to Christmas it is. Time is just flying here for us. Lot of activities going on so I haven't been in the craft room much, but here are some Christmas tunes I'm playing when I am in there :)

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

Stegosaurus Socks DIY

2011-12-19T23:34:00.000-06:00

Know a kid (or adult) who loves dinosaurs? Why not make them a pair of stegosaurus socks? They are quick to make and would be a great stocking stuffer for Christmas (which is just around the corner).

I was inspired to make these because my daughter is kind of liking dinosaurs right now. They aren't her super favorite, but she really likes them. She even keeps saying she wants a dinosaur birthday party for her fifth birthday. We'll see how long that idea lasts since her birthday is quite a ways away. I wanted to see how these looked on a boy too, so my friend let her son help me out.

I took the pics on Sunday at church and they got so many compliments on their socks! I love how each of them ended up having a stuffed animal with them. It was one of those, let's hurry and grab some quick shots while I can picture taking times.

I was so focused on trying to capture the socks I didn't get a good one of the shirts! I used the smooth heat transfer material and my Silhouette Cameo to create the stegosaurus silhouette on their shirts. Then on my daughter's I embroidered a heart to match the hearts on her socks.

To make some stegosaurus socks you will need:
-One pair of knee high socks
-At least one piece of felt, more if using different colors

First start by making some stegosaurus spikes. I made mine to look more realistic. I tried triangles, but I liked this shape better. I just free handed one and used it as a pattern to do them all. You can search pictures of the dinosaur to get a good idea of how they look. You could even print out a pic off the internet and use one of the spikes as your pattern piece.

I ended up using 5 on each sock for my daughters and 6 on each sock for the boys.

Take the socks, turn them inside out, and cut right below the top down to right below the heel. I used manicure scissors because it stuck right through the sock and made cutting easy. There was a line from them being folded already there, so I just cut on that.

Then place the spikes to see how you would like them. Remember not to go too close to the heel because you want to leave room for the heel of the shoe.

Then place the spikes on the inside of where you cut, making the "spiky" end pointing in.

Pin each one in place.

Then sew down the opening and trim off any extra fabric or felt. Make sure to use a needle for knit fabrics and a long stitch to work well with the stretch of the sock.

Go back over the edge with a zig zag stitch for stability and to help keep the sock from unraveling. Repeat these steps for each sock. Then turn right side out.

Maybe even have a little sock puppet show with them? :)

A little more about the shirt....

I started by finding a stegosaurus silhouette (I chose the second one here). Then I opened it in the Silhouette program and used the trace and cut option to create the red line around it (that's where the machine will cut). Then I erased the image I originally opened and was left with outline for cutting. I then sent it to the machine and it cut it out of the smooth heat transfer material from here. If you don't have a silhouette, you could still cut it out by hand if you wanted. You could also just create a fabric silhouette and use some kind of fusible interfacing on the back to iron it on or even cut out a freezer paper stencil and paint it on with fabric paint.

Then for my daughter's shirt, I embroidered a heart behind it. I had also thought about adding a bow to make it even more girly as well :)

December Giveaway Day!!!!!

2011-12-15T23:53:00.000-06:00

Have I got some fabulous giveaways for all of you Happy Together readers this month! Make sure to head over to the Giveaway Day blog to enter all of them individually. How fun would it be to get an extra Christmas present this month by winning?

1. The Nothin' Like a Dame Dress from Shabby Apple

See here for details

*Please note that this giveaway is only open for a week

2. $50 Gift Certificate to La Posh Style

See here for details

3. Pair of Dangle Earrings from Ali Grace

See here for details

New to Me Vintage Jewelry

2011-12-14T22:11:00.003-06:00

I have recently become the new owner to a lot of vintage and some new costume jewelry. It's a long story about how this happened, but I can say that I am so very excited about it.

There are so many lovely vintage pieces! I cannot wait to clean them up a bit and add them to my personal collection. I just adore vintage pins. You can use them in so many creative ways.

There were many pairs of earrings also. Some were missing the second earring and some are missing some jewels, but there are many I plan on wearing. The single ones will be perfect for crafts and I plan on repurposing many of these.

There are so many sparkly earrings! I love it :)

These are just some from a whole box full. I'm going to go through the necklaces and bracelets next. Be still my heart. Any other vintage jewelry lovers out there?

Sequin Sweatshirt DIY

2011-12-12T21:01:00.001-06:00

Christmas is a go here at the Fediw household. We have decorated and are enjoying all that this time of the years brings. One thing that I am really loving right now is the over abundance of all things sparkly in the fashion departments. I know some might not like it, but I do love sparkles!

Being a mom to two little ones though makes it kind of impractical to wear anything completely covered in sequins or other sparkly wear like that. Not only would it irritate my girls, who would feel uncomfortable when I held them, but I would feel a little restricted as well because I would want to take extra caution so no threads would come undone causing the outfit to "fall apart". So I made myself a comfy sort of sequined top to relish in the glitz yet still fit my life style.

Better yet? It took only $8 for me to create this top. And, no sewing required!

You will need:
-A sweatshirt or any shirt really (I found these plain ones at Target for $6)
-Coordinating Single Sequin trim (I bought two because they were half off and I didn't know how much I would need, but I only used some from one roll; these came from Hobby Lobby)
-Fabric Glue
-Scissors

I wanted the sweatshirt to not look quite so sweat shirty, so I first cut off the trim around the neckline. If you find the sweat shirt too baggy, try taking it in on the sides. Maybe even cut off the cuffs on the sleeves for a more relaxed look as well.

Then I grabbed the sequin trim and started playing around with a design until I found a way I liked it.

Then I put some fabric glue where I wanted the sequin trim to go. I would slowly do this, making sure not to have extra glue on the shirt. I suggest using a thin line to hold it down for less stiffness to occur from the dried glue. Also, if you are using a shirt that is a thin material, I suggest putting a plastic bag or something in the middle of the shirt so the glue doesn't seep through to the back of the shirt.

I also suggest having some extra thread on the end at the start and finish of the trim.

To achieve this, just go to the end.....

and pull off one to two sequins so the thread is showing.

Then once you are done gluing on your design, let it dry, and then trim off the extra threads on the end of the trim.

Deers for my Dear

2011-12-08T22:24:00.001-06:00

There have been three sweet little deers that have been patiently waiting on a shelf in my office since February to be finished up. Yes, since February. Almost a year. After ignoring their calls to be finished, I finally did it. They are now complete.

These little misses were suppose to be for oldest daughter's Valentines last year, but morning sickness had the best of me. Now they get to be stocking stuffers. The cute and free pattern is found here.

I love the tininess that they are.

I know they are just elated to become a four year old's present. We shall see how long they last ;)

They are a great little project to whip up fast. You could even sew the entire thing by hand if you don't own a sewing machine. But even with sewing some of it, there is quite a bit of hand sewing involved.

It's a great way to use up fabric scraps as not much fabric is really needed for them.

Now they await again in the office on a shelf for Christmas. But this time they are complete.

"As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God." Psalm 42:1

Another No Heat Curl Try (Bantu Knots Outs)

2011-12-06T20:00:00.001-06:00

This past weekend I decided to give another no heat curl method a try (this was the first I tried). It is called bantu knot outs and is fairly easy to do. You can find a tutorial here. It's something that can work for every hair type. I wasn't sure my hair would be long enough to stay in place, but they did. I kept the knots up with bobby pins. My daughter thought it was funny and looked like I had noodles on my head. Love that girl! She makes me laugh.

For this first try, I prepared my hair as the same way I did for the headband one. My hair was pretty much dry and I just used my hands to put on water to make it a little damp then added some hair gel (lightly). Then I did the twists. To play around with it, I did the twists in various sizes.

For my hair, short/thick/layered, the smaller knots made more of a curly look. The bigger knots created waves. So, even though it wasn't super curly, it came out nice. The best thing about this for me was how much body it gave my hair. It was ridiculous! I had to bobby pin it back and own because it was crazy! In a good way though :)

Week 3 in the Kitchen

2011-12-03T19:47:00.001-06:00

{beef and potato salad}

It was another successful week in the kitchen. Thank you to all who shared leftover turkey recipes last week. I actually didn't have to use them this time as we ate all the turkey up! But, I did have some left over ham which I used to make this ham and potato soup. It was yum! You make it in a crock pot and it comes out delicious. I do love that it is starting to get chilly making it the perfect time for soup. Then, my sister in law turned me on to this site, Eating Well. I tried out this beef and potato salad recipe and it was pretty good. Very light and filling.

{Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes}

Then the last new recipe I tried was this Philly Cheesesteak sloppy joes. Um, yum. Totally hit the spot! What new recipe have you tried this week?

A Sneaky Little Rainbow

2011-12-01T23:39:00.001-06:00

This morning on our way to church I wanted to snap some pics of my daughter in a dress I made her. I made a bunch more for her cousins who went to Disney over Thanksgiving break and wanted her to have one as well.

Tonight I went to open up the pics and lo and behold most of them had caught a little rainbow from the sunlight.

It was such a nice surprise! I was also surprised some of these came out okay because princess would not stop moving for me! The little stinker :)

And for her cousins I made these:

The younger girls got a shirt and leggings.

I simply cut off the bottom of t-shirts and added the fabric.

I did the same thing with the leggings. I just cut off the bottom and added the ruffled fabric.

I did a circle applique with a Minnie Mouse silhouette applique on top (I found the silhouette doing a google image search). Then I added a simple little bow to it.

Then for the two older girls, I just added fabric to the bottom so it would be a more mature Minnie Mouse inspired top. I wasn't quite sure it they would want the applique on their clothing at their age :)

Don't forget....

2011-11-30T11:46:00.001-06:00

Today is the last day to enter the giveaways for November Giveaway Day!!!! Make sure to scroll down to view all three giveaways :)

Vintage Butterfly Necklace DIY

2011-11-28T11:12:00.000-06:00

If you have been reading my blog, you know that I have a soft spot for vintage things. I especially love the vintage graphics that were used on postcards, advertisement, etc.

So I wanted a necklace that was a butterfly, but not just any butterfly. One that looked like it came off of a vintage valentine or something. I thought and thought of how I could make this happen and then it came to me: printable shrinky dink paper. Yup. That's it.

Can I just say I adore how these came out? I'm thinking about doing some more with different vintage clip art, like a bee or flower. They are really easy to make and would make a great present! Christmas is just around the corner......

Here is what you will need:
- Printable Shrinky Dink Paper (I found a pack at Hobby Lobby. Now, this stuff is twice the price as regular shrinky dink paper, so save a coupon if you can. It also said online they sell it at Michael's. Make sure your printer will work too, so you don't waste your time and money. You can find it here online.)
- Vintage clip art of your choice (I found these on The Graphics Fairy)
- 4 jump rings (mine were size 6mm)
- chain of choice for necklace
- lobster clasp for end closure, or another closure of choice.
- 2 pairs of needle nose pliers
- hole puncher

*If you aren't into messing around with this kind of jewelry making, you could always just use ribbon/thread and tie a knot in the end pieces. Just make sure it's long enough to go around your head.*

Begin by preparing your graphic to fit on a piece of printable shrinky dink paper. I created an 8"x10" document in word and then made the graphic as big as I could for printing. I highly suggest you do a print test on regular paper first. The paper also comes with instructions on how to prepare the graphic (you have to fade it down before printing), so follow those instructions as well then print.

Once it's printed, cut it out. I had to use manicure scissors for some of the tighter areas. Then take a hole puncher and make a hole in each of the wings.

I don't have a picture for this next part, but prepare to stick it in the oven according to directions. Really keep an eye on it because I had to flatten out each butterfly myself before it got too hard. The wings and antennae are prone to curling, and if it gets hard you can't flatten it back down. I tried to reheat it to get it bendy again, but it didn't work.

Once it has cooled off you need to cover the printed side with a coating. The paper instructions suggest Krylon acrylic coating as the best, but the coating in the above picture is what I found and it worked great. I guess you could use mod podge or another medium, but I didn't want to take the chance of the ink bleeding by painting that stuff on. After spraying, let it dry for a while.

Now its time to make it into a necklace.

Cut two chains for each side at your desired length. I did 13" for one and 11" for the second necklace.

Then attach a jump ring to each butterfly wing using your needle nose pliers and then add the chain to it. I somehow wasn't paying attention and got a double jump ring and it was a bit of a pain to work with but it was more secure. If you do not know how to attach a jump ring, see here.

Then on the other end of the chains, attach a jump ring to both sides. Then add a clasp to one side. Now it's ready to wear or give as a gift.

Get Your Shop On Black Friday Deals

2011-11-24T21:12:00.001-06:00

I hope all of you had a good Thanksgiving! We sure did :) We even got our Christmas tree and decorations up. Well, now that it's the day after Thanksgiving, you know what that means.......Black Friday!!!!! I don't usually get too into it, but there are some really great online deals going on right now that I wanted to share with you.

***Silhouette***

Happy Together readers get 40% off of everything in the Silhouette online store (except the CAMEO, subscriptions, download cards, and gift cards) using code TOGETHER
This discount is available through November 28th.

Also, the CAMEO will not be found in the regular online store but only on their ‘secret’ Black Friday page. Using code TOGETHER will allow you to get a discount on the CAMEO. Check out the site to see the special price. Just remember, to see the special price, you have to enter the code.

***Shabby Apple***

Use this code: GIVETHANKS

this sale is on now through November 30th!!!

Continuing On in the Kitchen

2011-11-22T20:24:00.001-06:00

I am pleased to say that I totally surpassed my goal of a new recipe a week last week! I tried out 5 new ones :) And........they were all good! Whoo hoo! They were also super easy to make.

Above: Southwestern Chicken Soup

Crock pot Italian Chicken

White Chicken Chili

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

My own version of Chimichangas (mixture of a few different recipes)

Now I need to find some good recipes for leftover Turkey/Ham with Thanksgiving coming up. Anyone have any?

A Bear"y" Cute Hat Tutorial

2011-11-22T20:00:00.000-06:00

The last of hats for my baby: A "beary" cute hat. I must say, she's been a good sport for me with more than normal photo shoots last week. That being said, I think she had had enough when it was time for this one.

This is the only, the ONLY, pic I could get of her where she wasn't crying or protesting or falling over! I decided it was good enough and told her she could have a little break from pictures now :)

To make your own hat, you will need a few things:

-Stretchy material for the outside and lining (I used minky left over from the football blanket and a t-shirt for the lining. You could also use fleece, sweatshirt material, sweaters, and different knits.)
-A hat for creating a pattern

To begin, I wanted to make a paper pattern, so I folded a hat in half and placed it on paper.

I pushed the folded side towards the edge and made a half of a beanie hat shape. The edge of the paper becomes the "fold". Remember to add a little bit extra around the edges for seam allowance, but not too much since the fabric is stretch.

Take the fabric you are using for the outside and fold in half. Make sure the stretch of the fabric is horizontal so it will stretch. Otherwise, it won't stretch and it won't fit well on baby's head.

Place pattern piece with "fold" on the fold of the fabric. Cut out and then repeat and cut out one more piece.

Then you will do the same for the inside lining and cut two pieces for that. Again, make sure the fabric stretch goes horizontal!

Now you will need to cut two pieces for the bottom cuff of the hat. And yet again, make sure the stretch of the fabric is horizontal!!!! It needs to be the same width across as the bottom of the hat. The height depends on what you want......

Just remember, it will be folded in half eventually.......

then rolled up once sewn on.

You will also need to cut out four identical pieces that look like ears. Then place two ear pieces right sides facing and sew around edges, but remember to leave the bottom open for turning. Repeat for the next two pieces.

Turn the ears right side out and place on one of the outside pieces with the open ends over the edge of the hat.

Tip: You could aslo add a ribbon loop near an ear as well so you can easily clip a hair bow onto the hat if you like.

Place the second outside piece on top, right side facing down. Sew together, leaving the bottom open.

Place the two lining pieces right sides facing, and sew together leaving the bottom open.

Now sew the two cuff pieces together on the ends (this would be the "height").

Leave the lining inside out and

place inside the outside hat part (which will be right side out). Match up the seams and pin in place.

Take the cuff and fold in half.

Turn hat inside out and pin the open side of the cuff onto bottom of hat. I highly recommend matching the side seams up. Sew cuff onto hat.

Turn hat inside out.

Then flip the cuff up, covering the seam.

If it's for a girl and you added the ribbon loop, you can clip on a cute little bow now. Now we wait for some cooler weather to return so we can put this hat to use!

Now Accepting Sponsors

2011-11-20T20:18:00.001-06:00

I had done away with this while I was pregnant, but now that baby is getting older I'm getting back on track with things :) If you are interested in becoming a sponsor on Happy Together starting for the month of December, see here for info. Thanks!

Fun with the new Cameo

2011-11-20T16:34:00.001-06:00

Well wouldn't you know that life happened and I didn't get the hat tutorial done until last night? So, while I'm putting the pics together for that, let me share with you my new machine :)

Did you know that the new Silhouette Cameo is out? Let me tell you, it's even better than the Silhouette SD. They just sent one to me and I've been having some fun with it.

If you have never heard of the Silhouette Cameo, it's an awesome machine that cuts out shapes/letters/pictures from paper, fabric, vinyl, and more! I have used it to cut quite a few different things and it's always worked great. In the above picture, I used the Cameo to cut "big sis" and "lil sis" letters from fabric that was ironed onto fabric interfacing. I used my own interfacing that I had on hand, but you can find fabric interfacing from Silhouette here. They have two kinds to cover various needs.

A new thing I just tried was using the smooth heat transfer material. I created my own silhouette to create the aviator glasses to go on the onesie below.

This is of course a baby present for a friend. The smooth heat transfer material worked really well and looks very professional. I like it and have some more ideas for it.

The Cameo comes with everything you need to get rolling. It has a great book that explains things clearly and with pictures. I like it when instructions add pictures.

It also comes with two discs: one is for the program and the second is a instructional video. I watched the video and it was really helpful. They give an overview of how to use the Cameo and it lasts for no more than 15 minutes. But, if you even need more help, they have tutorials online and other individuals have things posted on the internet as well.

Some of the differences I really like are how much bigger the machine is for cutting purposes, the way they made it so you only need one changeable blade for every project, and the updated program. I love it when companies always try to make their product better instead of the the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" attitude some can have.

Before I go, I just wanted to share real quick how I created my own silhouette to be cut out. They do have an online store of where you can buy lots of pictures to use (they even offer free ones all the time), but they didn't have a pair of aviator glasses. So, I first found a pic of what I wanted and colored it in with a sharpie. Then I scanned it into the computer and opened it in the Silhouette program.

Then I chose the "trace" choice that is on the top right of choices. I boxed it and it created the red lines around it (I had to box the whole thing and then the spot in between the two "lines" at the top of the glasses). Then I deleted the picture so only the red lines were left and sent it to be cut.

Be on the look out for a special discount for Happy Together readers for Black Friday :) If it's on your Christmas list, I suggest you remember to check back for this special!

She's a hoot!

2011-11-17T16:51:00.001-06:00

This little girl of mine! Oh how I love her smiles! She gets in these moods where she looks like she is going to explode with laughter, but just holds it in :) I'm hoping for some good big belly laughs here soon.

This is hat number 2 I made for baby. You can find the pattern here. It's really easy (well, if you crochet that is). It didn't take much time either because it's such a small hat.

I found the cute onesies and leg warmers at Target. The perfect little extra brightness needed to make it a complete outfit. One more hat with a tutorial coming tomorrow! Well, as long as things go as planned (and sometimes kids don't go along with the plan! hahaha).

Cuteness in a Little Elf Hat

2011-11-16T12:51:00.001-06:00

The next few days are going to be about hats. I realized that baby doesn't have any really, so I needed to fix that before it started to actually become consistently cold here in Florida.

First up is this little elf had I crocheted using this free pattern.

I so glad I finally got around to taking a picture of my sweetie in this elf hat I made her before she was born. It would have fit her better three months ago, but it still works :) She does have a big head though. It's in the 97% percentile! (for those not familiar with that, it means only 3% of babies her age have a bigger head than her...lol).

I had fun playing around with my camera for her pics. It was very overcast outside, but we made it happen with the little light coming in the window. My oldest just had a hard time not being in the picture though. She's so used to it being her photographed that she kept trying to jump in and was like "are you taking my picture next?" It was cute :) I can't wait to show you the others I have made and I will even have a tutorial for one. Have a great day!!!

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Deuteronomy 31:8

November Giveaway Day!!!!!!

2011-11-15T21:35:00.001-06:00

It's time for the monthly Giveaway Day :) Now is especially a good time to enter to win some goodies with Christmas coming up. You could win something for yourself or as a gift to give to someone else! You can see all the giveaways here, but here is a little preview (then head on over and enter to win!).

1. Personalized Christmas Card Design from Cards by Meagan Designs

See here for details

2. Winner's Choice from MegN Creations

See here for details

3. Fabric Covered Bobby Pins Set from Things Crafted and Found

See here for details

***Interested in being a part of Happy Together's monthly Giveaway Day? See here for details.***

Pad Thai for 2 Please

2011-11-14T11:17:00.001-06:00

The past few weeks I set a cooking goal for myself: try one new recipe a week. I choose to do this for a few reasons. One: I'm not really that into cooking. I don't think it's the actual cooking but thinking of all the cleanup afterwards that turns me off. Two: Hubby really enjoys cooking but can't really at this point. So I wanted to step up my game and create some more yummy options to present my hard working man with :) Three: I just need to learn more. It's always fun to learn new things. and it always makes me feel good when I accomplish something new.

With that being said, last week's recipe was for Pad Thai. There is an AMAZING recipe here on Use Real Butter. Now, I have tried to make Asian dishes before, but they just never come out quite like how I experience them at a restaurant. Well, let me tell you, this one tastes just like the pad thai I have had at Thai restaurants! And I wasn't even able to use every single ingredient stated! So, I wanted to share the few little things I did different since some of the ingredients weren't found in case you were in the same boat.

First off, I just didn't even try to find the pickled turnips. I don't think I even would have tried them if I had found them. Just didn't appeal to me. It's one thing to eat something and not know there's a certain ingredient in it, but to know it's in there........ different. I also didn't use the green onions. I decided against them because any time I have eaten food with any type of onion it really does not sit well with the baby (I'm nursing). So, I just didn't go there this time. I also use precooked chicken, which made it faster. I always cook up a ton of chicken each week to have ready to throw into different dishes, so I wanted to use that up. I simply used a handful of chicken for each batch I made. (I did 2 all together).

I also couldn't find any rice noodles except what is in the above pic. Now, I could have gone to another grocery store or something, but with two little ones with short attention spans, it isn't happening! lol. These noodles were precooked as well and I just had to throw them in. Well, more like squoosh them apart in my hand then throw them in. It comes with two little pouches in a package, so one whole package (both pouches) made enough for about 2-3 servings. That's all I used because I did the two servings at a time thing the recipe states to do. After the first two batches I decided it was plenty for our little family.

Then the last thing I did was use a pre-made pad thai sauce I found at the store (see above pic/can be found here). I had found fish sauce but not tamarind paste, but I read the ingredients for this pre-made sauce and it had all of that in there. So, I didn't even need to make the sauce! It was really quick to make and tasted oh so good. Have you tried a new recipe lately that came out amazing? Or not so amazing?

The Chic{k} in Charge and A 2 Chix Giveaway (Closed)

2011-11-09T21:07:00.000-06:00

Baby girl is now over 3 months!!!!!! I seriously cannot believe it. She's so alert now and working hard at sitting up all by herself. I have a feeling she will be quicker in the mobility area than her big sis was. I can just imagine them chasing each other around now!

Such a cute girl needs some cute little bodysuits, wouldn't you agree? This one is c/o 2 Chix, which is a hip maternity & baby line out of Los Angeles popular for their fun, vintage-style novelty tees for moms-to-be. Angelina Jolie, Brooke Shields, Jennifer Garner and Tia Mowry are a few A-List mommies who are fans of the trendy line. They were recently voted the #1 maternity boutique on FOX LA's hotlist!

I picked this one for her because I loved the little saying first of all, well, because it's true in a way ;) At least for now! hahaha And yellow if my fave color. She needs to get used to wearing bright happy clothing because that's how I really like to dress my girls.

Big sis liked the bodysuit as well, even though at first she thought it was a whale :) Granted the top was all scrunched up so you couldn't see the legs, but it made me laugh. I'm always amazed at how she sees things.

And want some cool news? 2Chix is giving away one of the following: Maternity tee/tank/long-sleeve/hoodie for mom-to-be, or onesie or toddler tee for baby of choice to one Happy Together reader!!!!!

Here are the details:

*There will be 1 winner

*For US Residents only

*Open for entries until November 16, 2011

To enter, leave a comment with your fave tee choice/slogan from their site and please include a way to contact you if possible.

NOW CLOSED

Congratulations to the winner:

Pattijsaid...: Tickled Pink is my favorite! So cute!

Here are some of my faves :)

Grown Up Friendship Bracelet Tutorial

2011-11-08T20:09:00.001-06:00

Guess what I found? A tutorial that I had kind of forgotten about! See? My hair was long here! Seeing this pic makes me miss my hair a bit, but it is so much easier to manage at this point in my life (plus, it went to a good cause :). So, back to the bracelet. I was inspired this summer by a lot of bracelets that incorporated silver with string. The string part reminds me of making friendship bracelets at camp.

In fact, one summer during college, I interned at a camp and one of my jobs was putting together the craft activities for the campers. One thing we did was friendship bracelets, and let me tell you, I made so many and helped make so many. Seriously. So I decided to make this one using the "knot" that we used there (since it was ingrained in my mind from doing it so many times!). Adding the silver piece makes it more grown up though, which is why I call this the Grown Up Friendship Bracelet.

What you need:
-Some sort of round/square/etc. metal piece for the middle
- 16" of string (I used hemp)

1. Cut your string into 4 pieces that equal 40" each (I made them extra long just to make sure there was enough. You could probably get away with a shorter piece, but I like to err on the safe side).

2. Take each of the four pieces and fold in half. Take two of the strands to begin one side of the bracelet.

3. Place the metal piece on top of one of the strings middle where it has been folded.

4. Pull the "loop" where it is folded through the center and over the front. Then pull the two long pieces up from the bottom through that loop.

5. It will look like this:

6. Repeat with second piece.

7. Now push the very left and very right piece to the sides. These will be what you knot with. The two in the middle will stay in the middle the whole time.

8. To begin the knotting process, take the far left piece and place it on top of the two middle pieces and underneath the far right piece.

9. Now take the end of the piece you just put under the far right piece and take it on top of the far right piece, then under the two middle pieces to come up through the loop the far left piece made (see below pic).

10. Pull tight to create a knot. You will need to keep the two middle string very straight so the other two strings create the knot over them.

11. Now repeat that process, but backwards. Take the far right piece and place it on top of the two middle pieces and underneath the far left piece. Now take the end of the piece you just put under the far left piece and take it on top of the far left piece, then under the two middle pieces to come up through the loop the far right piece made.Pull tight to create a knot.

12. Continue the process by switching sides each time until it is the length you want it to be.

13. Repeat this whole process with the other two pieces of string to create the other side of the bracelet.

**Once getting it started, I like to put it on something to help keep the strings straight. Here I just placed it on a bottom. Some people clip it to their shoe or tape it to a table with strong tape.**

14. When finished, knot at each end.

15. Decide how you want to finish it. I just tied an extra knot on the left end (see below)

so the right side knot could slip through the two knots on the left end.

Alternatively, you could add a clasp to the ends or create a sliding knot like this here. Now you can make a Grown Up Friendship Bracelet for yourself or as a gift. Christmas is just around the corner you know :)

Photography Tips: Bring on the Christmas Lights!

2011-11-07T20:36:00.000-06:00

Source: propinsanity.com via Jessica on Pinterest

See this gorgeous photo????? You have to see how Lindsey just used strands of Christmas lights to create that super awesome background!!!! See here for her how to.

Source: pinkletoes.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Here is another pic I found that looks like they did the same thing. I will be trying this for sure!

Let the Red and Greens Begin!

2011-11-06T14:51:00.000-06:00

I know it isn't even Thanksgiving yet, but it's never too early to start preparing for Christmas, right? I mean, a lot goes into it, especially if you plan on making things.

To begin my Christmas creating journey, I got a little help from Joanna of Clipits. She was one of the sponsors who did a giveaway last month and she sent me some beautiful hair pieces.

The little one and big one got a headband and I got a super cute hair comb. I really like how she made them go together without being too matchy.

To go with them, I make a simple peasant shirt with some white ruffles for my oldest. Here is a fab tutorial I have always used for creating shirts like this on my own. Then for the littlest, I had tried for a dress, but it ended up being a little small on her :) So it became a shirt.

My hubby oh so graciously snapped these pics for me and I had fun editing them. It's so much harder taking pictures now!!!!! I must say I admire you photographers who do big groups pics. Especially with a few kids. I now see how much energy you need for that. Whew!

You can find Joanna here on her blog, facebook, and Etsy. She's currently accepting custom orders for headbands like my daughters (starting at $14.95). With the holidays approaching, it's good to know of places to buy well made fantastic handmade goods from. I encourage you to support our local artisans and Made in America products this year :) I'm already busy searching on Etsy......

For an Old Friend

2011-11-04T15:21:00.001-05:00

A long time ago I was in highschool and I had some pretty good friends. One of those friends was Michelle. She was such a great girl and still is! Well, this past summer she went and got herself married. I was so excited when she asked me to help out with a few things, I couldn't wait to get started! She sent me her ideas and pics of what she was going for and then I got to making.

{photo c/o Currie Fitzhugh Photography}

The bridesmaid bouquets were fun to make. She wanted them out of feathers, so I went and gathered feather I could find to fit her vision and match her colors.

This is what I came up with. I will say, I have never inhaled so many feathers as I did while making these! lol. Good thing they didn't make me all sneezy :)

{See my prego belly there? lol. I miss it at times....}

The maid of honor's bouquet was a bit bigger on accident but it turned out to work well. The light purple feathers in this one were actually sprigs I found at a local store. But, they stopped selling them, so I had to chop up a purple feather boa and create my own sprigs to make the other girls bouquets.

I wrapped the stems in black satin ribbon and added black satin over the base of the bouquet holder.

Then I made some boutonnieres for the guys.

{photo c/o Currie Fitzhugh Photography}

I found the little calla lilies at Hobby Lobby. The green swirlies are just green taped wire. I wrapped it around my finger for the big one and around a pencil for the little ones. Then I added a peacock feather, bead, and a leaf.

Lastly, I helped with the invites. She went with these from Michaels. I just added a different ribbon in the color she wanted instead of what it came with.

I really like these kinds of diy invites. They are really easy to do.

Thank you so much Michelle for letting me be a part of your special day!!!!! I will always remember you my friend no matter where life takes us. Thank you to Currie Fitzhugh as well for letting me use some of her photos. See here for more photos from Michelle's wedding.

October Giveaway Day Winners

2011-11-02T20:48:00.002-05:00

The winners have been announced for the October Giveaway!!! See if you were one of them :)

*Now accepting sponsors for the next Giveaway Day which will start on November 15th. See here for more information*

She loves Candy!

2011-10-31T16:12:00.003-05:00

I think that my daughter's favorite part of this time is the candy. It's ridiculous. But, I let her indulge in the stuff a few times a year (now, Christmas, Valentines Day, and Easter). Last night I quickly made the above dress using this pattern. My daughter had gone garage saling with my mom in the neighborhood when my mom had come at baby's birth. She found this "cotton candy corn" (that's what she calls it for some reason) shirt and wanted it made into a dress for fall. I'm glad I remembered last night so she could wear it to school today for their Harvest party :)

This weekend we also went to a Trunk or Treat at a local church. I like those because they do so much for the kids! My big girl went as Rapunzel, after her hair got chopped off.

My mom found this pumpkin outfit at her house that my oldest wore when she was little. So I put it on baby girl. They look so much alike in it! Oh my sweet chubby cheek babies that we make.

We went with some friends and had a really great time! And of course, got lots of candy!

Two Buns Up Hair Tutorial

2011-10-29T10:39:00.000-05:00

This is a very long overdue post :) This is a hair style I have had in pics on the blog over the last 2.5 years and I had been asked quite a few times for a tutorial and kept putting it off. It was mostly for a lack of having someone to take pics for me, but then the other day I decided I need to just start using some of my friends instead of waiting for someone to have time to help me. It's a lot easier and less stressful that way for sure. So my kind friend Nina helped me out.

Let's take a look back at some of the variations I have done. In the two pics above at my brothers wedding, I am wearing the two buns up style, but I have added a bump it and I parted my hair to the side when pulling it back.

In the pic with the green shirt, I have the two buns in the back, but I just twisted the front top part back before making the buns. In the other one above, I just have my hair pulled straight back but added a bump it and a headband. That being said, there are many things you can do to the front of your hair to add to the back part. It can be worn with casual clothing or even with fancy. I find it very versatile and perfect for those days you don't have much time to do you hair but want it to look special :)

What you will need:
- 2 hair elastics
- bobby pins that match your hair color
-hair spray
-Optional: bump it, headband, etc.....

{PS you can find the bump its at places like Walgreens, Claires, etc.}

The first thing you will do if determine how you want the front. We kept it simple with Nina since she has beautiful bangs. If you are adding a bump it, you will want to do that first. Then make two pony tails right on top of each other. The top one should have more hair than the bottom one because you want that to be the bigger bun.

The bottom one needs less so it will be smaller than the top one once made.

Once we had her pony tails in place, we pulled some hair forward to create a little bump and pinned in place.

Then I took the hair in the top ponytail and twisted it around to make a bun. I bobby pinned it in place.

The thicker your hair is, the more dramatic the buns can be.

Then create a bun with the bottom ponytail and pin in place as well. Make them as messy or as neat as you like. Spritz them over with a little bit of hair spray and it's as simple as that! You can even do this with your hair wet! (I have done that plenty of times ;)

Photo Tips: Reflecting Light Indoors

2011-10-24T20:09:00.000-05:00

This month has flown by fast! The little ones and I just got back from being in Virginia for 3 weeks. And we drove. It took two days each way and I must say my body is letting me know how exhausting it all was now. I am excited to get back into our "routine" :) Now, let's start this week with some photo tips. Do you live in a house where the sun kind of comes in, but there really isn't a super great spot to use it for picture taking?

Source: Savor Photography via Jessica on Pinterest

Our house in Jacksonville was like that. But even now there are moments where I miss the time during the day when I need an inside pic and could use some extra light. Using a car windshield shade as suggested by Savor Photography (pic above) or even using tinfoil wrapped cardboard (like how this tutorial explains on Handmade Spark) can really help give a boost to your lighting. I know I have used a big piece of cardboard covered in tinfoil to help reflect light back on my daughter when taking pics inside. It really helped reduce shadows on the side the light was not coming in from and it brightened her up a little more in the pic.

Source: Handmade Spark via Jessica on Pinterest

And of course, it can really be helpful for taking pics for your Etsy shop or other things like that. Best thing? Both ways are really affordable to try :)

A Cozy Football Blanket Pattern {Free}

2011-10-19T10:19:00.002-05:00

It's official. I finally have a friend who's having a baby boy :) I've been thinking of baby gifts for their little one and I wanted to make something football related. They are both into football, though divided (she likes the Cowboys/he likes the Redskins). Classic huh?

Since the baby is due in the colder months I though a football blanket would be quite appropriate. And what better than one made out of super soft and warm fabric?

I used my daughter to model the blanket so you could see the perfect size for a little one this is.

The shape makes it really easy to wrap around the baby too. I can just imagine a mom at a football game with little one all wrapped up in one of these with the underneath side sporting a fabric with the teams colors.

It could also be used as a play mat. Good size and super soft.

The pattern is for this smaller size, but you could easily create an even bigger one for the older football fan in your life.

My daughter was kind of cooperative this time :) See that smile? That's "haha mommy. I'm not going to put my head up for you to take pictures ;)"

Let's talk about fabric real quick. For the top, I wanted to use some of that minky fabric (this kind is minky dot fabric). I found this brown at a local fabric store. You could use fleece or flannel or even regular cotton fabric if you like. For the bottom, I used a cool green/brown hounds-tooth. But, I think it would be neat to find a print of the parent's favorite football team or something like that too. I didn't do that because their house is divided in its allegiance.

What you need:
-Pattern (download and print from here)
-1 yard minky fabric (or other of your choice)
-1 yard flannel fabric (or other of your choice)
-1/4 yard of white fleece (or flannel or knit...it needs to be a non fraying fabric)
-Coordinating thread
-Appropriate sewing needle (I found that out of all the sizes I had, the size that worked best was an 11(75) for medium weight fabrics).

*Tip: The minky is a very slippery fabric to work with and the fleece can be really stretchy, so make sure to pin things down really good or even try using an iron on adhesive (like heat n' bond) to "stick" it on the fabric first then sew it on.

*All seams are 1/4"

1. Print out pattern pieces and cut out. They go together like this:

The odd number pages are at the top, the even ones are on the bottom.

Match up on the dotted lines and tape together.

2. Lay the 1 yard of minky down flat.

3. Fold in half long ways.

4. Fold in half again, so there are now two folds. Place pattern piece on so the two sides marked fold are placed on the fold. Cut out of fabric.

5. Repeat steps 2-4 for the bottom fabric you chose.

6. Cut out these pieces from the white fleece:
- (1) piece of 14" x .75" for the long middlepart
- (6) pieces of 4" x .5" for the little pieces that go on top of long middle piece
- (2) pieces of 23" x 1.75" for the sides

7. Place the 23" x 1.75" seven inches in from the side. Pin in place. Put the long middle piece in the exact middle of the middle with the 6 little pieces evenly spread out on it. Pin in place.

8. Sew the fleece in place.

9. Now place the top football on the floor, right side facing up. Then place the bottom fabric on top, wrong side facing up. Sew the two pieces together, leaving an opening for turning right side out.

10. Turn blanket right side out. Turn in edges of where the opening was and pin in place. Then sew around the edges of the whole blanket. I didn't sew over the white though because I didn't want the brown thread to be seen there. You can do that if you like or even go back over those parts with changing the top thread to white so it isn't seen.

Now you have one nice comfy cozy football blanket ready for cuddling! Thanks to my dad for helping with the phots :)

October Giveaway Day!!!!!!

2011-10-15T22:15:00.001-05:00

It's that time again, the 15th. Yup. Another giveaway day. I can't believe it's been a month already since starting this up! Before I begin about who's participating this time, I still haven't heard from many of the winners from last month. I'm going to give you a few more days to claim your giveaway. So see if you won and let me know! Now, for this month we have three wonderful participants (plus me!):

1. Red Glitter Flats from Darling Designz

Kristen from Darling Designz is offering one super cute pair of sparkly red glitter flats in the size of the winners choice (from toddler size 4-13). Head over here to enter for your chance to win and for more details.

2. Girl Burp Cloths from Ashlyn's Accessories

Lisa from Ashlyn's Accessories is joining us again and offering a set of girl burp cloths this time. Head over here to enter for your chance to win and for more details.

3. Sta. Lucia* Necklace and Hair Clip Set from Clipits

Joanna from Clipits is offering a a pretty necklace that comes with a set of hair clips for the little one. Head over here to enter for your chance to win and for more details.

4. Sewing Patterns from Happy Together

Well, I figured I would join in as well and offer a Happy Together pattern of choice to two winners. Head over here to enter for your chance to win and for more details.

Have fun checking out these shops full of handmade goodies!

*Interested in offering one of your items in the Happy Together Giveaway Day? See here for more details.*

Teacher's Pet Skirt

2011-10-14T20:38:00.000-05:00

Shabby Apple is at it again! They have just launched a new line, Academia, and it's full of adorable clothes!

They sent me this super cute nautical inspired skirt, the Teacher's Pet Skirt, to dress up with. I just love nautical clothing looks, so it is right up my alley.

One of the things I really like the most is the length. I really don't feel comfortable wearing shorter skirts, for a few reasons (modesty, being a mom and bending over a lot, etc). But, I don't necessarily really care for super long skirts that much either. So when I can find an in between length skirt I like it makes me happy.

I'm very pleased with the quality and fit of the skirt and am very happy to add it to my wardrobe. Thanks Shabby Apple!

You do what you gotta do

2011-10-12T15:28:00.002-05:00

Have you even been working on a project and you really needed something to finish it, but it's something so small that you really don't feel like running to the store? That was me the other day. I was crocheting a few hairbows and totally didn't have any type of needle to use to thread the ends in.

So what did I do? I found an ornament hanger, bent it to resemble a needle, and put a small piece of tape on the end so the it would go through the crocheted yarn smoothly.

Success!!!! And I didn't have to go anywhere :)

Photo Tips: Paper Wooden Floor Prop

2011-10-04T20:57:00.002-05:00

I have decided to start doing a few series here and there starting with Photo Tips. I'll ever so often share little things I find out about photography that help me that might help you :) Today let me share what I just found:

Source: flickr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Paper that look like wood floors!!! Isn't that crazy? And you know what? They are super affordable as well. Here is one that is 48" by 12" for only $7.99. It seems that these are papers marketed as bulletin board backgrounds and all. A thread (mentioned further down) said you might even find some at Micheal's in the teacher's supply section). A while ago I had found a box of wood flooring that snaps together at a thrift store and bought it for only a few bucks. But, I do believe these would be a lot easier to manage than to put the floor together each time I need to.

*Note: After doing some research, it appears that the faux wood used in these pictures are not the actual paper like I read others were talking about. But, there are faux wood floor paper to buy, like in the link above, to use. I found this great post on Inspire Me Baby that talks about some of the different faux wood options, including using the paper. I even found a vinyl faux wood flooring (think banner like material) you can buy. No matter what, the paper is still a great inexpensive option to try out :)

Source: confessionsofapropjunkie.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Also, here is the good thread on Flickr to read on tips on other types of flooring that look like wood and all to check out. Good ideas!

September Giveaway Day Winners!!!!!!!!

2011-10-02T17:33:00.001-05:00

Thank you again to all the wonderful people who participated in the September Giveaway Day!

Source: store.alicesupplyco.com via Sarah on Pinterest

The winners have been announced here. If you are a winner and did not receive an email from me, please contact me as I could not find your contact information.

*If you would like to give away something in the October Giveaway Day through my blog, please read the section above for more information and contact me before October 12th.*

Thanks again to the September Giveaway Sponsors!

Monellisa, Ava's Closet, Blueprint Crafts, UPrinting, Golly Gee, CrochetDreamz, and Ashlyn's Accessories.

Pretty Fall Headbands {from Shortcake1031}

2011-09-29T22:17:00.002-05:00

Want to know one of the fun things of having two girls? Dressing them up! Oh how I love it. When I was younger, I was not girly. I was more into sports and things like that, but since having my first daughter my love for girly things has gone through the roof! What can I say? And these gorgeous headbands from Shortcake1031 fit the girly bill for sure!

My oldest has such an imagination and loves to accessorize and pretend to be different people and all. This week it's been all about weddings. She'll dress up as a bride, all fancy and such. So these headbands were so great to come in the mail this week. Now she just wants a purple wedding dress with pink polka dots (she's a non-traditionalist).

The little one got a pretty headband too! Isn't she just adorable? She's so cute now a days with her smiles and cooing.

I have to say that Natalie, the creator behind Shortcake 1031, did such a great on these headbands. They are made very well and I highly recommend her stuff :)

My daughter would recommend them too.

She says they are beautiful!

I just had to take like a million pics of the girls. I can't help it :)

I even got a super fun and pretty headband. Unfortunately, I didn't have anyone to take pics of us girls all together and the ones I took myself ended up being not great, but you get the gist of it ;)

You can check out Natalie's headbands and all her other creations on her Facebook page. They are "One of a Kind Creations at a Price You Can Afford." Thanks girl for the amazingness that is your creations!

Pumpkin Love and Fall Baking

2011-09-27T21:09:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's technically fall already. That means that we have been here for a year already! It has gone by so fast. In lieu of fall arriving, my daughter and I decided to do some fall baking. And what better thing to begin with than with something pumpkiny.

(Oh, and don't forget that you only have a few more days left to get your comments in for the Giveaway Day giveaways!)

So what did we start with? Pumpkin creme pies. And let me say, these are DELICIOUS.

The recipe makes 12 and these 12 were gone in a day and a half. They are even better (in my opinion) after they have been in the fridge for a few hours.

The amount of filling the recipe makes is plenty, so I would suggest making two times the amount of the creme pies to get the most of of the filling. Plus, they will go very fast anyways you might as well make more.

I really like things with pumpkin. What are your favorite "fall" foods?

{Here are a few other recipes I would like to try this fall:

Source: cookiesandcups.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: recipedutchess.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: allrecipes.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: verybestbaking.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: joyofbaking.com via Jessica on Pinterest

PR&R Week 4: Repurposing

2011-09-23T11:17:00.000-05:00

This weeks challenge for Project Run and Play was Repurposing. Fun right? I love to repurpose things. Let's start with how I made the sweater. I actually used one that I had already in my "to be remade" pile. I made it just like how I made this one here (which is a tutorial on how to).

I added these crocheted butterflies that I made using this tutorial. These are my daughter's favorite part of the outfit :)

I then made the pants. I used a button down dress to create them. I changed the buttons though (the ones on it were atrocious!).

The top was made from different t-shirt scraps that I had laying around as well. I tried to go to a thrift store with the baby one morning, but she wasn't having it so I just made it out with the dress. So is life :)

So, the voting is on until Sunday night. Head on over and vote on your favorite.

Here is a before of the dress used for the pants:

And, here are the cut up shirts I used for the top:

Crocheted Hangers {from Annarose Notions}

2011-09-20T21:21:00.002-05:00

A very sweet reader of Happy Together, Nanci, sent me some beautiful crocheted hangers from her shop Annarose Notions.

It took me back to staying at my grandmas when I was younger because she had all kinds of crocheted hangers. Some were wild colors, some with pom poms. But I remember loving to pick which ones to use for my clothes. I also love the retro feel of these.

Nanci did such a beautiful job!!!! She has a lot in her shop in you are looking for something like this. They would make great gifts. Christmas is coming up.....

I threw some sweaters on my hangers :)

She also kindly sent a little pair of crocheted baby booties for baby. She kept pulling them off her feet :) But I know she's get some use out of them this winter :) Thank you Nanci for sharing your creativity with my family!

Cardboard Quote Art DIY

2011-09-19T20:57:00.001-05:00

Many of you might have seen the picture of a chalkboard with this quote (which is by Christopher Columbus) on it floating around pinterest the past month or so. Well, I fell in love with it and wanted it so bad! I even emailed the artist and asked if she had a print of the picture of it, but I didn't hear back. So, I decided to make something myself.

I finished this up before the baby came. I did it as simply as I could, but there are things you could do to make it better. I started with a lid from a bankers box (you know, those storage boxes you buy at the office store?). I happened to have one just laying around in the garage. I cut off the sides and then painted the front and back with black paint.

Then I found a pretty font I liked (here is the one I used) and used my Silhouette to create a stencil with this quote. You could just do this free hand or even try the adhesive vinyl and just stick it on after using the Silhouette to cut out the words. Then I just painted over the stencils I created. I ended up using a paint pen to do this because I found it easier with such a small area to cover.

Then I found this rope trim at Hobby Lobby. I bought enough to go around the whole thing.

I took my hot glue gun and glued the edge to the underneath of the cardboard all the way around.

It turned pretty nicely on the corners. I added a bit more glue there to help keep it lined up nice.

Then I went back and pushed the rope over to the top and hot glued it in place there as well.

It adds to my view of when I'm washing dishes ;) And it was cheap and easy to do!

Project Run and Play Week 3: Boys

2011-09-16T15:42:00.001-05:00

What a change for me this week over at Project Run and Play! Creating something for a boy! I had to put my thinking cap on. Since I have no boys and really don't think about their fashion much, I decided to be inspired by my husband who is a pilot in training for the Coast Guard.

I wanted to make a comfy outfit with "pilot" details. I started with the jacket. It's made out of fleece so it is really soft and warm to wear. I added gold notions on it.

Then I added an applique onto a shirt I bought. It's an outline of a vintage airplane with words to a poem called "High Flight", one of my hubbies favorites.

My hubby let us borrow some of his flight gear for the pics. How sweet of him :)

The pants were a simple wide leg with pockets on the front and back.

My little model loved them. He didn't even want to take them off in the 90+ Florida heat.

Thank you so much to his mommy and daddy for letting me borrow him for this week's competition!!!!

Don't forget to head on over and see the other boy ensembles and vote for your favorite!

September Giveaway Day!!!!!!

2011-09-15T23:24:00.001-05:00

It's September 15th, so you know what that means.......

It's Giveaway Time!!!!!!!!

Check out all of these wonderful giveaways over at the Giveaway Day site and enter to win the ones you like.

1. Art Prints from Monellisa

Isabel from Monellisa is offering an art print of choice from her shop to 3 winners!!!!! Head over here to enter for your chance to win and for more details.

2. Crochet Patterns from Crochetdreamz

Shehnaaz from Crochetdreamz is offering 2 of her patterns of choice to 3 winners!!!!! Head over here to enter for your chance to win and for more details.

3. 50 piece Brochure Printing from UPrinting

UPrinting is offering a 50 pcs Brochure printing for One (1) Winner. This is great for any of you with a business/organization/etc. Go here to enter for your chance to win and more details.

4. Snappy Tees from Golly Gee! Baby

Golly Gee! Baby is a fun baby clothing and accessories company that focuses on ethical production – Cuteness with a Conscience! They are offering a 100% certified organic cotton Snappy Tee (in one of four prints) to 4 winners!!!!!!!! Go here to enter for your chance to win and more details.

5. Petite Rose Earrings from Ava's Closet

Andrea from Ava's Closet is giving away a really cute pair of Petite Rose Earrings to one (1) winner in their color of choice!!!! Go here to enter for your chance to win and more details.

6. Burp Cloths from Ashlyn Accessories

Lisa from Ashlyn Accessories is giving away a set of 3 burp cloths!!!! These would be great for your own little one or for a baby gift. Head on over to here for how to enter and for more details.

7. Wine Totes from Blueprint Crafts

Jordan from Blueprint Crafts is giving away 6 wine totes to 6 winners!!!! These can be used to give gifts in or use for yourself (and you can put other things in the bags if you like ;). Head on over to here for how to enter and for more details.

I {Heart} Vintage Pillowcases

2011-09-14T12:54:00.002-05:00

Any other vintage sheet lovers out there? I saw this pillowcase in a thrift store a few months ago and knew it needed to be made into a dress. I decided to keep it simple and just sew up a peasant dress with it for the little one. For this dress I used the Molly Peasant Dress pattern from Sis Boom. But, I have used this tutorial a lot before as well for peasant shirts/tops from Indie Tutes.

I love the soft colors of it and it's really soft since it's been through the washer quite a bit already :) In these pics we had gone out to lunch at a little cafe that is also an antique store that used to be an old post office. It's such a beautiful building. I love going and walking around there.

I love sharing my love of vintage/antique things with my daughter. We use it to learn about history, time eras, and all that good stuff. I also love that she has developed a liking to these sorts of things as well. I going to go give her a hug and kiss right now :)

PS: If you don't live in a place where you can find fun vintage pillowcases or are unable to, Smile and Wave is having a big Pillowcase Stash Sale right now.

T-Shirt Weaving DIY

2011-09-13T23:14:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share real quick how to weave a t-shirt like I did for my entry for last weeks Project Run and Play. (And, just so you don't think I forgot, I'm getting the tutorial/pattern for the jacked from week 1 done for posting soon too :).

This is a very simple technique that can be done all over a t-shirt. I did it down the front, but you could do this on the sleeves, down the sides, down the back.....lots of creative possibilities.

Grab your scissors and a t-shirt (or some kind of knit shirt) you want to weave.

Fold it over where you want the opening to be. The fold will be the center of the weave.

Then cut in on the fold as little or long as you desire. I tried to do different lengths to see if it would make a different look, but it didn't on mine. So, if I did this again, I would just do them all the same length.

Unfold it.

Then pull on each of the cut pieces so the fabric curls up.

Now begin the weaving process. Take the second cut strip down from the top.....

and pull it under the first cut strip (the very top one).

Then grab the third strip down......

and pull it under the second strip (which at this point is on the top from being pulled under already).

Continue on with this method until you get to the bottom (ex: take the fourth strip and pull it under the third, take the fifth strip and pull it under the fourth, etc). Then you will have one loop hanging.

Cut it in half and knot it onto the the other cut pieces. Or, you could sew it for a more secure hold.

And there you have it! Weave away.

My Entry for PR&P Week 2: Sienna Dress Remix

2011-09-09T10:06:00.001-05:00

Well, I made it through the first week of Project Run and Play :) Thank you to all who voted. It's fun to be challenged creatively.

This week was to take the Sienna Dress pattern and make something with it. I wanted to stick with something comfy and fun.

The first thing I made was a cardigan from it. I simply made the pattern end at the waist then cut down the middle front once the body and arms were all sewn. Then I added a black edging all around.

Then I made a long black top and did some t-shirt weaving. It was fun to try this out.

We had to have some accessories too so I crocheted this slouchy hat. I love hats on little kids! So cute.

The little one has also been into birds lately, so we made a quick feather necklace. So that is it for this week. You REALLY need to see the other amazing outfits people did. Definitely very creative ladies!!!!!!! Voting for this week is open until Sunday night, so get your vote on and have a Happy Weekend!

Gifts for the Girls (love Bibity Bobity Boo)

2011-09-07T13:50:00.000-05:00

One fun thing about having a baby is getting cute gifts. Even better when it's something for both of my girls :)

I received these adorable headbands from Katie of Bibity Bobity Boo a little bit before baby came.

I couldn't wait to do a fun sister photo shoot with them :)

This baby was not into taking pictures, so I was surprised she didn't cry when I put her on her sisters lap. I tried to do some of those cute staged newborn pics a few days after she was born, but she was having none of that! lol

It is so precious to see how much her big sister loves her. And, I took these a few weeks ago and can't believe how much baby has grown already!

Katie also sent me these adorable lobster shoes!!!!! She has so many cute little baby shoes like these. You should go look at them. My hubby and I picked these because of our love for the ocean and the fact they could be worn by a girl or a boy (in case we have another baby and it's a boy, just trying to plan accordingly ;).

So, THANK YOU VERY MUCH Katie for these wonderful gifts!!!! You blessed our little family for sure :)

My Entry for PR&P Week 1: Back to School

2011-09-02T08:37:00.000-05:00

Guess what? It's time for a season of Project Run and Play!

Last time I was able to judge, but this time I'm a participant! It's a fun competition where a bunch of us bloggers create children's clothing according to a weekly theme. There is a winner, chosen by you guys {SO DON'T FORGET TO GO OVER AND VOTE PRETTY PLEASE} and a panel of judges, each week who gets to provide a tutorial on their project. You much go check out all of the fabulous creations! Here is my design, The Fall Transition Outfit:

When I found out the theme was back to school with a focus on fall, I knew I wanted to make a "layers" outfit. Here in Florida, the fall slowly comes. It starts by getting cooler in the early mornings and evenings but is still blazing hot midday. So, a jacket to provide warmth for the mornings and a tank top underneath to wear during the day was in order.

I wanted an Anthropologie look, mini style. The jacket is made of linen with a fun polka dot lining. It's my favorite piece of the whole look.

I focused a lot on the details to get a more tailored look. Many times children's clothing can be so frumpy and I wanted it more fitted.

The tank top is a simple one, made of a ribbed knit fabric. I added some random pieces on the neckline for texture. The pants are from some material I acquired a while ago. I made them with a paper bag waistband look and added a belt made with the same fabric as the inside of the jacket to bring it together.

The lovely princess was not in a modeling mood the day I took these, so I have a bunch of her in the middle of making silly faces. I decided to play with them in PSE a bit ;)

What a mess these little ones can be, huh? At least I got some pictures!

So now she has a fantastic little outfit to wear and it's surprisingly comfortable despite it's more mature look.

I can't wait for it to cool down a bit and create more fall inspired looks for her!

Don't forget to head on over to PR&P and cast your vote for your favorite this week!!!!!

Growing Up

2011-09-01T17:28:00.000-05:00

Amidst all of the things going on, my not so little girl went and turned 4 on us this summer and started Pre-K. She was so excited about school! She asked almost every day if it was time to go back.

She was off with her too big for her book bag and a big smile on her face. I think it is really helping her with the baby being here as well. She gets to go and have fun that I can't offer at this moment.

We celebrated her 4 year old birthday one week before baby came. It was perfect timing! It was a sort of make shift party, but the theme was Rapunzel.

I was taken aback by how shy she was when everyone sang happy birthday. She's such an outgoing child that always has attention that it was a shocker. I thought she would really revel in it hahaha.

We had a pinata which was a fail. My hubby had to go and get a golf club to break it open. See that bat in the picture? Yeah, he ended up breaking that first trying to get it open. The cardboard was stronger than a bat. That reminds me, we need to get a new one for our neighbors as it was theirs.

Here I am with princess. I was so big and preggers and my ankles were ginormous! Good thing you can't see them in this picture ;)

For her birthday outfit, we got a cupcake shirt and then I made the pants to go with it. They are so cute! I love little pants like these. And of course, I had to make some hair accessories. You can make some like these yourself with this tutorial or I have them for sale in my shop too.

4 years. Whew. The first part went by slow, but now it's flying by. I am so happy to be this girl's momma!

Felt Baby Doll Diaper Pattern

2011-08-31T12:22:00.000-05:00

Before baby came, my daughter started to show more interest in her baby dolls. We had started buying things for the baby and she wanted some diapers for her dolls to wear. Well, instead of using real diapers which would have probably been shredded to pieces after a while, I whipped up some felt diapers for her to have. She liked these better because "they are prettier" than real baby diapers :)

I made them a size to fit a variety of dolls/animals. You can see them on Curious George, an American Girl doll,

and an Itty Bitty baby doll. They are really quick, simple, and cheap to make and you don't even have to sew to make them.

Start by gathering your supplies:
-Print out the pattern here (I suggest printing on cardstock paper)

-Felt (I used the $.25 pieces from the craft store)
-Scissors
-Velcro (I used 3/4 inch, but you can use whatever size you like. If you have some that is too big, you can always cut it to fit as well).
-If not sewing it on, get some glue. I suggest fabric glue, but you could even hot glue it probably.

Fold your piece of felt in half and place the pattern on the fold.

Cut out pattern. Place wrong side up like this.

Grab your velcro and place them in the spots marked below. You can sew them or glue them in place. I put 4"of the soft part of the velcro in the middle and 1" of the scratchy part on the edges.

Now let your little one start diapering dolls and stuffed animals.

Wanna offer a giveaway?

2011-08-30T16:23:00.000-05:00

I get quite a few emails from people who want to offer a giveaway on Happy Together. So, to be able to handle this in an efficient way, I'm starting a Giveaway Day here on Happy Together.

It will begin on the 15th of every month and end on the last day of the month (or earlier if giveaway host desires). There will be a main post on this site with links to the Giveaway Day site where readers can enter the specific ones they like.

If you are interested in being a part of the very first Giveaway Day on September 15th, send me an email at jessicafediw@yahoo.com :) You can find more details in the link in the top bar called Giveaway Day/Reviews.

Sister Sister Dresses

2011-08-29T11:55:00.000-05:00

There's a little myth (or maybe not such a myth) that is said about those who have babies while in flight school (my hubby is training for the Coast Guard). It's that you will have a girl.

Some say this happens because of the stress.

Some say it's because the way the plane has you sitting near things, it kills the little boy sperms.

Well, whatever it is, I haven't met a person here that is in flight school who had a baby boy. It's been all girls. So, another Coastie family that we are friends with down the street just had themselves a little girl.

I made the baby and the big sis a set of dresses using the Let Freedom Ring Tutorial. I also made two little rosette hair clips. Some of you have made your own Let Freedom Ring dresses lately as well. Here are a few that people shared in the Flickr group or emailed me:

via Keeper of Thy Home

Grown Up Version by andimac1 on flickr

via lht33 on flickr

Baby Business

2011-08-22T19:53:00.000-05:00

I guess it's been a while, huh? I can't believe my newest little one is already 3 weeks old. Time is flying. The complete opposite of what it felt like with my first.

I was blessed to have my mom come down for 2.5 weeks and help us out. She was so awesome with taking care of my oldest. It allowed me to fully focus on the newborn and get things down like breastfeeding and all (which is going extremely well!!! I'm very happy with it :).

The big sis is completely in love with little sis, in a fact a little too much! lol That's actually the biggest thing we are dealing with. She wants to be all over the baby all of the time. But, to me, that's easier to deal with than her regressing somehow or resenting the baby.

So, how about how the little came into the world? Well, we had a wonderful morning at church, went out to lunch, and then I took a nap with my oldest. I woke up and got out of bed. By the time I hit the hallway I had a big gush of stuff come all out. I was pretty sure my water broke, but I had to make sure (you know smell it and all). Definitely wasn't urine.

I decided to see if it kept coming out for a bit to make sure. Well, it did, so I called my hubby and told him we would need to take our daughter to our friends house and go to the hospital (the doctor had told me to go to the hospital if my water broke or contractions were 5-7 minutes apart).

We got to the hospital a few hours after the initial "water breaking". Unfortunately, they said the fluid was not showing up as amniotic fluid, so we were sent home. I was only dilated 4 cm and not having any real contractions yet. My friend told us to go out to eat by ourselves so we could have dinner together.

We went to Panera's and then I had another big gush of fluid come on out there. Lovely. Just lovely. Then I actually started having real contractions. I was up all night as they went from 20 minutes apart to 5 minutes apart. We dropped my daughter off at my friends again, at 5 in the morning, and headed to the hospital.

Guess what? This time we got to stay! I was at 6 cm and everything was moving along really well. I am not a pain person, so I got an epidural which allowed me to get a quick nap since I wasn't able to sleep all night with the contractions (I had really bad back pain with them).

Everything went super well. It took a little longer to push her out than my first, but this baby was almost 2 pounds bigger than my first!

Everyone that worked with us was amazing and I was really happy the way everything went. Poor baby did end up breaking her clavicle during delivery, but it wasn't a big deal and healed real quick.

And that is it. The big girl starts school next week, so I'll probably be around a bit more then :)

Well Look Who's Arrived :)

2011-08-02T20:28:00.000-05:00

Guess what???? Baby is here :) We will be home soon and then I'll be taking a little blog break while we adjust to our new family life. Everything went great and this little girl is just perfect. I just can't stop looking at her! The princess is loving having a little sister and daddy is loving having another daughter. I'll be back with the whole story and everything soon! Talk with you all later :)

Oh yeah....

2011-07-29T10:53:00.000-05:00

So two things real quick.

1. Happy Together went .com!!!! That's right :) I made the switch last week and am very happy about it. The new site is www.happytogethercreates.com. The other names I tried were already taken, lol. Figures. So, this should be a lot easier to remember. The blogspot page automatically takes you to this now, so it should still be showing up and all, but you can change it if you like :)

2. I found out that Silhouette just came out with a new product, the Silhouette CAMEO (a 12" cutting tool). This means that they are discontinuing the Silhouette SD and are selling the ones that are left for $175 while supplies last. SO, that's a good deal ladies!!!!!

To get this offer, you can use this code: TOGETHER until this Sunday, July 31, 2011.

PS: All the things that go with it are still going to be offered for those of us who have the SD, but the actual machine will no longer be produced.

You can also use that code to get 20% all of their products, including the new Starter Kits (excludes the download cards and machines). Now's a good time to stock up on stuff.

Showered in Love

2011-07-28T21:37:00.000-05:00

I have to say that I feel truly blessed by the amazing people I have met since we moved here to the Pensacola area in October. It's always hard when you move to a new place and have to start over again and it never ceases to amaze me how God works things out. (For those of you who don't know, we are a military family, hence a lot of moving around).

My friend Nina and Allison put together an ever so sweet baby shower to celebrate baby girl #2. It has been different this pregnancy, since with my first we were back in Virginia, surrounded by family and all. So, them doing this for me really meant a lot.

For me it wasn't about presents or anything like that. It was about these amazing ladies coming together and rejoicing over this little girl about to come into the world. I cannot tell you how much they all inspire me. They are all so full of God's love and joy and are so encouraging. They are my role models for sure!

They showered me with wonderful baby gifts.

Nina even made some beautiful custom burp cloths for baby :)

And the food, oh let me tell you. These ladies can bring it! They all brought something and it was all so yummy!!!!!! I ate some of everything :)

And of course, it was a time full of good times with wonderful friends.

And a great present helper!

I couldn't have asked for anything more. Thank you ladies for the blessings that you are! You are all amazing!

Preparing for Baby: The Oval Burp Cloth Pattern

2011-07-26T15:54:00.000-05:00

It's a burp cloth/bib kind of day :) These are things that I couldn't live without with my first. She was a spitter upper for sure and messy when she got to eating solids.

Before a little round up, let me share my burp cloth pattern real quick. I made a ton of these in no time out of receiving blankets. I designed this pattern based on my favorite burp cloths I used with my first daughter. They were shaped kind of like this and were around this size (20"x7"). It was just perfect for me. I chose to use the flannel blankets for a few reasons.

#1: I wanted an absorbent material. I do love quilting cottons, but to me they are not the best for bibs and burp cloths. Don't get me wrong, I'll end up making some and use all the ones I have received as gifts, but my go to ones will always be the ones made from terrycloth, flannel, etc.
#2: I just had a bunch and decided I could just repurpose a few into burp cloths and not have to go buy some.
#3: The flannel material won't fray, so the edges don't need to be finished.

To make these, print the pattern from here.

You will need two layers of material for them, if buying off the bolt 1/4 yd of each (you can get two layers from a 1/4 yd). You could use two layers of flannel like I did or maybe one layer quilting cotton/one layer terry cloth, two layers of knits (upcycle t-shirts even), etc......

Place pattern on the fabric fold and cut two for each burp cloth.

If using fabrics that won't fray, just lay them together, wrong sides facing, and sew them together around the edge. I just serged mine, but you could just do a straight line or use a zig zag stitch if you like.
If using fabrics that fray like a quilting cotton, you can lay them right sides facing then sew (using a 1/4" or smaller seam allowance) around the edge leaving about a 2" opening to turn it right side out. Then after you turn it right side out, fold in the edges as the opening and top stitch around the whole thing.

It's a quick baby gift. So you could wrap them up cute like these:

Source: whitesatinribbon.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

And here are a few more tutorials that I found that are really cute for burp cloths and bibs:

Source: cloud9fabrics.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: chickpeastudio.typepad.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: alittletipsy.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: luvinthemommyhood.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: sewshesews.wordpress.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: nicolemdesign.com.au via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: dirtydiaperlaundry.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: lotsofpinkhere.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Preparing for Baby: Boppy Pillow Recover

2011-07-25T13:59:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday to you! We had a fun weekend and I hope you did too :) As long as baby stays in, I've got about another week of baby things (and I promise after that there are grown up things in progress lol).

Another quick baby project was recovering the boppy pillow. I just used the cover I had and made a pattern, but I did a quick search and found a pattern with instructions for you :) You can find it here.

It's on top of the hospital bag ready to go with us now. I'm so ready for her to come!

Preparing for Baby: A Car Seat Makeover

2011-07-22T19:40:00.000-05:00

Last for this week is one of the hardest baby related projects I have done in preparation for baby's arrival.

I finished this up a few months ago actually, but it took quite a few nights to get it all done. I used this guide by Ashley at Make It and Love It to go at it. I used a lot of the same fabric from the original cover but got rid of the stained fabric.

She does a great job of explaining how to do it all.

I even bought fabric from the home decor section so it would be more durable (like she did with some of. It's still really soft and not thick, but you can tell it will hold up better.

Now, enjoy your weekend everyone! I'm starting it off with a big bowl of chocolate pudding and sitting on the couch with my big swollen ankles up on comfy pillows :) See you on Monday!

Preparing for Baby: A Nursing Cover

2011-07-21T19:31:00.000-05:00

This isn't a nursery thing and it's also more for me than the baby :) I found this really great nursing cover tutorial over at Diary of a Quilter and whipped it up in about 30 minutes. That's with me being super slow and all too.

One of the main things I like about it is how she incorporates boning at the top to create a cup so air can get in under there and you can see the baby. It seems just the right amount too, not gaping too far out or too close in.

There is an adjustable strap so it can be lengthened or shortened depending on the mom. I made mine with a not so bright print so it doesn't stick out. I'm a private person so the last thing I want is to draw extra attention to myself while nursing. I found some really other great tutorials for various "nursing" things that I plan on trying if I have the time.

Source: shwinandshwin.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

A nursing dress tutorial

Source: homesweethomebodies.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Making a shirt into a nursing shirt. It's a really neat trick! And looks cute too.

Source: babyaidafiqs.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

This has to be one of the prettiest nursing top ever! Love the ruffles.

Source: mamasworldwide.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Turning a regular bra into a nursing bra

Source: diymaternity.com via Jessica on Pinterest

How to make nursing pads with free pattern

Preparing for Baby: B{ee} is for Baby and a sale

2011-07-20T19:47:00.000-05:00

Remember the bees? My daughter was the recipient of all of those so I wanted to make sure baby has one too. I continued on with the Nicey Jane fabrics left over from other nursery projects, plus a few other scraps I had.

I used vintage chenille for the wings again, crocheted the antenna, and added a little bow.

Baby won't be playing with this for a bit since I used the plastic safety eyes instead of sewing on felt ones, but I had found an idea for using her as a decoration anyways.

Source: portabellopixie.typepad.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Sandi Henderson had some pics of a quilt market she did and what stuck out to me was the bunnies in the picture frames. I decided to do that with the bee.

So I found a frame that had a thick ledge at a thrift store, then painted and distressed it some. It was a little shallow for the bee, so I did tie her on with some fishing line stuff so she can't fall off. But she sits cute as can "bee" on the wall now :)

In honor of baby's soon arrival, I'm putting the scrappy bee pattern on sale. It will be only $4 from now until Friday. So if you have been waiting to get it, now is a good time :)

And of course, here are some free softie patterns that I found and think are adorable. You can always make some of the girlie ones more boyish.

Source: allsorts.typepad.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: oneredrobin.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: the-polka-dot-umbrella.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: lollychops.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: mmmcrafts.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Preparing for Baby: A Crib Mobile

2011-07-19T14:27:00.001-05:00

Today is crib mobile day!

When looking through all of our things we had saved from my first daughter's baby days, I found this mobile.

It was in need of a little makeover to be cohesive with the room (and more my style now ;). So I took off all of the fabric and butterflies and added on some crochet balls.

They are easy to make. Here is a simple tutorial on making crocheted balls. You can easily change the numbers for what you are trying to do and make any other changes you like as well. I strung mine on fishing line and tied them on. I tried to make them vary in where they hung and all.

Here are some other crib mobile diy's that are cute:

Source: spoolsewing.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: creativejewishmom.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: luvinthemommyhood.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: sewshesews.wordpress.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: allthingsheartandhome.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: bugsandfishes.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: theredthreadblog.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Preparing for Baby: A Quilt

2011-07-18T14:08:00.003-05:00

This week is going to be full of things that I have made for baby (whom I am patiently waiting on arriving). I found out at last weeks appointment I have already started to dilate, so it's nice to know I'm at the end and will get to meet her soon. I keep telling her to stay in at least until after Sunday so I can have my oldest daughter's birthday party. You see, their due dates are only 1 day apart, so they could even end up with the same birthday potentially. Wouldn't that be wild!

The first thing I'm showing off is this baby quilt I made. It was super simple and I love how it came out. I used this tutorial from Oh, Fransson called Charm Squares Baby Quilt. I bought my charm squares off of Etsy. They are from Heather Bailey's line, Nicey Jane. I also made this one without any batting since we live in hot Florida.

It took me forever to decide on fabric for the nursery. The room we are using for the baby room is this light blue (with an ugly darker sponged on blue over it; but thank goodness it doesn't really show up in the pictures!). So I wanted it to match the blue walls. I had a hard time finding already made crib bedding with blue that was girly, so I had to make it.

I made the crib stuff too, but I'll show all of that later.

This time I did the hand sewing on the binding, unlike last time on my daughter's quilt. It turned out beautiful and I am so proud of myself :) It pays off to take your time on a project sometimes instead of rushing it.

I found a few other cute baby quilt tutorials that would be fantastic to try too:

Source: handmadebyalissa.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: modabakeshop.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: mamastellato.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: u-createcrafts.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: littlebirdiesecrets.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Anyone else been making a baby quilt lately?

An Art Night Out

2011-07-17T16:10:00.002-05:00

Going out on little adventures are becoming very rare at this point as I'm getting close to the end of this pregnancy, so I was very excited that I was feeling up to going to Gallery Night in downtown Pensacola. I told my daughter she could take one thing and she choose her camera. She insisted she had to take photos of everything. I guess just like mommy does :)

I actually didn't even know it was Gallery Night though. Our church was promoting an art showing featuring artists from our church and I wanted to check it out and see about maybe participating if they did it again. Low and behold, they had a space in one of the businesses for the Gallery Night. So, we went there first. It was crowded and I only had my non-zoom lens, so I only got a few picks of that spot.

But it was neat to see the talent represented there.

And my daughter loved the little treats table (they were practically throwing them at her ;) She was the only kid there at the moment.

Then we walked around a bit and checked out some other places. Like this amazing bakery, Adonna's Bakery and Cafe, that officially opens on July 22. Those cupcakes above were for the taking, so my daughter got some of those too :) Can we say sugar high?

They had a florist, Fiore, showing off their gorgeous works around the shop. If I were to get married again I would love to do something like this. Again, I didn't get too many pics because with people everywhere and me being huge and preggers, I wasn't able to do but so much. But I'm glad I got a few!

A jewelry store had a super cute natural display for their jewelry.

I love seeing beautiful window displays.

Such a pretty ring display.

We had to take breaks every now and then. Above: two peas in a pod (my daughter and husband). SO busy, let me tell ya.

I also saw this cute little clothing store that I plan on checking out after the baby arrives.

And, another potential place I might visit to do a painting.

They have this a few times a year and I plan on going it again especially since we could only do so much with me pregnant and it started to rain. If our church hosts a spot again I'm going to try and participate. I think it would be fun!

Epic Nail Fail

2011-07-14T19:03:00.003-05:00

The little one and I love to do our nails (especially her). I do hers almost every week. Sometimes they look like rainbows, sometimes we add fun flower stickers. So, when I saw this on pinterest, I knew that I had to give it a try.

Source: weheartit.com via Jessica on Pinterest

So I got our nail polish and followed the little directions....

I used a disposable cup and put water in it.

Then added drops of nail polish

and stirred it with a wooden pick.

Last, but not least. I dipped her nails in it. What a mess. An epic nail fail. I let it dry some then went to town with some nail polish remover. I even tried one of my nails thinking maybe her nails were too small. And I also tried using a paintbrush and then putting little dots of nail polish on my nails and spreading them out that way. All came up icky on mine too. Maybe it's the type of nail polish? I'm sure there's some sort of trick to it. It would be fun to figure out.

An Oceany Top

2011-07-12T20:24:00.003-05:00

Oh my. We are at it again.

Making some things from the As You Like It Pattern.

I needed to update a few things in the pattern instructions, so I used the opportunity to make some "school" clothes for my daughter.

The bottom part is actually a dish towel from Anthropologie that I had originally wanted to hang on a wall. But....it just wasn't fitting in with the decor like I wanted it to.

So it became a top. The striped fabric is some fun leftover fabric from making a stool slipcover.

I also took this opportunity to finally get some pics of her with this hat. She has been on a hat kick this summer and this is my favorite of the ones she has picked out (yes, I let her pick out most of her own things when we go shopping. I want her to have her own style).

I'm just enjoying these last few days with her being the only child as that will be changing soon. (well, the only child out of the womb ;). She steals my heart.

Happy Together

"Born Here" One Piece

A Special Blessing

Hearts in an Apple Sandwich

The Boho Frock

January Giveaway Day!!!!!!

My Very Own Pair

Well Look at You!

Silhouette Hair Bow Tutorial

Party of Five (A New Journey in Photography)

With Lavender and Lace

A Tisket A Tasket...

Why, Hello 2012

One of my Favorite Gifts

From Our Family to Yours

Christmas Tunes in the Craft Room

Stegosaurus Socks DIY

December Giveaway Day!!!!!

New to Me Vintage Jewelry

Sequin Sweatshirt DIY

Deers for my Dear

Another No Heat Curl Try (Bantu Knots Outs)

Week 3 in the Kitchen

A Sneaky Little Rainbow

Don't forget....

Vintage Butterfly Necklace DIY

Get Your Shop On *Black Friday Deals*

Continuing On in the Kitchen

A Bear"y" Cute Hat Tutorial

*Now Accepting Sponsors*

Fun with the new Cameo

She's a hoot!

Cuteness in a Little Elf Hat

November Giveaway Day!!!!!!

Pad Thai for 2 Please

The Chic{k} in Charge and A 2 Chix *Giveaway* (Closed)

Grown Up Friendship Bracelet Tutorial

Photography Tips: Bring on the Christmas Lights!

Let the Red and Greens Begin!

For an Old Friend

October Giveaway Day Winners

She *loves* Candy!

Two Buns Up Hair Tutorial

Photo Tips: Reflecting Light Indoors

A Cozy Football Blanket Pattern {Free}

October Giveaway Day!!!!!!

Teacher's Pet Skirt

You do what you gotta do

Photo Tips: Paper Wooden Floor Prop

September Giveaway Day Winners!!!!!!!!

Pretty Fall Headbands {from Shortcake1031}

Pumpkin Love and Fall Baking

PR&R Week 4: Repurposing

Crocheted Hangers {from Annarose Notions}

Cardboard Quote Art DIY

Project Run and Play Week 3: Boys

September Giveaway Day!!!!!!

I {Heart} Vintage Pillowcases

T-Shirt Weaving DIY

My Entry for PR&P Week 2: Sienna Dress Remix

Gifts for the Girls (love Bibity Bobity Boo)

My Entry for PR&P Week 1: Back to School

Growing Up

Felt Baby Doll Diaper Pattern

Wanna offer a giveaway?

Sister Sister Dresses

Baby Business

Well Look Who's Arrived :)

Oh yeah....

Showered in Love

Preparing for Baby: The Oval Burp Cloth Pattern

Preparing for Baby: Boppy Pillow Recover

Preparing for Baby: A Car Seat Makeover

Preparing for Baby: A Nursing Cover

Preparing for Baby: B{ee} is for Baby *and a sale*

Preparing for Baby: A Crib Mobile

Preparing for Baby: A Quilt

An Art Night Out

Epic Nail Fail

An Oceany Top

Get Your Shop On Black Friday Deals

Now Accepting Sponsors

The Chic{k} in Charge and A 2 Chix Giveaway (Closed)

She loves Candy!

Preparing for Baby: B{ee} is for Baby and a sale