Something for Me...Again!!

So I decided to try another project out for me...shocking I know! I have this old v-neck shirt that I bought this past fall for $4 and I really liked the fit of it. I wore it ALL the time.

Problem was, all that wear, made it get these little holes at the bottom...ugly!

I was going to throw it in the trash but then decided to save it to try to make a cute t-shirt dress out of it. I bought about 5 or 6 of this style dress this season (sleeveless instead of short sleeves). So I knew that I would like this style. With a bit of one of my favorite fabrics (from Patty Young's Mezzanine line -- I got the end of bolt at my fabric store for 30% off!), I whipped up this little dress this afternoon. No real pattern, just kind of figured it out. I even added pockets which is my favorite part! In my opinion, dresses with pockets are just all kinds of awesome. What do you think?

And I love how Ava just had to snuggle up to me (in her princess dress of course) for the photo! I think that next time I make this, I can do it more easily and probably even better. Just goes to show you, if you like a tank top or t-shirt and it gets those tiny holes in it, you can save it and make something really cute out of it.

Rodeo Baby Sets

My friend Jennie, who works for Austin Rodeo had me make a few onesie/burp cloth sets for a friend of hers who used to work at the Rodeo...she wanted them kind of rodeo/country themed so here is what we came up with.

One with the Austin Rodeo logo (the upside down A made to look like cattle)

And a cute little cowboy boot.

Ava's Room

I think awhile back I promised to show what Ava's refinished furniture looked like (all of it). Here it is..I tried to clean up her room a bit before I took the photos b/c it never looks this put together.

Vanity & Dresser

Another shot.

Her bed & the Pinkalicious painting. Notice the empty spot on the wall above her bed? I'm busy trying to take care of that now...will post a photo when that is done. I actually was waiting to post these photos once that area was complete but obviously that is taking too long!

And her closet (where most of the clutter ends up). Darren built a nice shelving system in there that holds most of her toys and I was happy he did b/c all of her puzzles and bigger items had no where to go!

Alteration

What is it with all the super short dresses lately? I mean, I like short dresses but recently the ones I try on are so short that you are afraid to move as you might expose yourself. I've bought a few of these to pair with leggings but seeing as it is 90+ degrees here, I don't always feel like wearing them.

So why I am talking all about this (other than to hear myself talk), you might ask? Well I was at Target today and found an adorable black dress for $7. Really cute, very flattering but SUPER short. I wavered back and forth about buying it. Finally I decided to buy it and to attempt to alter it by adding a solid color fabric to the bottom.

I quickly headed to my local fabric store to get a plain green (my favorite color!) cotton to add to it. While Ava napped, I quickly added about 4 inches to the dress thus making it wearable. What do you think? (sorry there is no before -- I forgot! but you can imagine this without the green at the bottom, right?)
I personally, am really happy I spent the $7 (plus the $5 for a yard of fabric of which I used only about 1/5 of). Finally a finished project for me!

P.S. That blue, half finished painting with the birds is the new artwork I am working on for Ava's room since the silhouettes I had planned to do turned into a disaster. Stay tuned for the finished product.

New Life

I've had this old patio table (handed down from my mom) for about 7 years now. For the last 4 years it has sat in a corner on our patio collecting junk and looking sad. So we decided in an effort to save money (and put off buying expensive nice patio furniture), we would breathe some new life into and refinish it.

First we sanded it down (and got rid of the stains and cobwebs it had collected over the years) and then we cut off the legs to make it a nice low coffee table.

Here is after sanding/cutting (for some reason I again forgot to take a before pic). This, by the way, is already a vast improvement to what it had looked like.

And after finding a nice chocolate brown paint in the oops! section of Home Depot, painting and varnishing, this little table looks so much better. We paired it with some of our inexpensive, colorful adirondack chairs and it is all set. Next project for the house - we need to clean up the patio and paint the back doors (think they will end up being chocolate brown too as the beige factor back there is very high). Can't wait!

My Favorite Dress

So I finally bought a few patterns from one of my favorite bloggers out there and I am beyond excited with the finished results of the 1st attempt. Lil Blue Boo sells these really cool patterns for kid clothes made from old t-shirts. Great way to upcycle some of those beloved shirts that have either shrunk or been stained or that you just don't wear b/c they are a souvenir from vacation or whatever.

Here is the finished Tie Back/Halter dress:

I love that her patterns have alternate versions of the same dress. This one for instance, should be a halter dress but you can add loops in the back (like I did) to make it a tie back dress that gives additional support to the back.

Ava in her newest dress!

This also will look really cute over a tshirt and leggings when it gets cooler.

The next one I do from this pattern will have a ruffle at the bottom instead (because I think that way will be super cute)....just need to find the perfect shirts to make another one. Also need to hit up Goodwill for some old, cheap, cute shirts!

PS. I also bought 2 other patterns from her, a skirt and another dress that will work well for all weather as it can have short or long sleeves. I highly recommend her patterns...they are easy to use and have lots of pictures!

Reversible Dress

I whipped up this reversible dress for Ava yesterday while she napped. I've had the fabric and pattern for over a year so it was about time I made it! I actually had cut the pieces out a few months back to motivate me to sew it but just never got around to it until now.

I could not get Ava to cooperate for long for photos but here are the best shots. Note: the fabric is some of my favorite from Amy Butler.

The red side (notice the haze in the picture? that is because it was so humid and hot outside it fogged my lens right when we went out)

More of the red, with Ava doing her "sweet" pose.

Yeah for the blue side!

This is a clearer photo of the dress (or just brighter) but not a great pose. Think Ava was not enjoying the wet grass and the dirt.

I thought this dress was going to be hard to sew but really it was fairly easy. Worst part was cutting out pattern pieces (is it just me or does everyone hate cutting the pieces?). I highly recommend this pattern from Frog Legs & Ponytails. Actually all of her patterns are very easy to follow, with great directions & photos and are great for even beginner sewers.

More Family Dolls

I finally finished up a set of family dolls that I have had half finished and sitting in my room for months. This time I made dolls of myself, Darren & Ava for....Ava. She loved them. The clothes are different this time and the "Darren" doll has clothes made out of my old shorts (for his shorts) and an old shirt of Darren's.
Eventually, I will get around to making the extended family for Ava b/c I think it would be cool to have a bunch of little dolls of everyone in our family for her to play with. Don't you think?

Infant Tutu Part 2

Thought I'd share a cute photo of the baby who received the infant tutu from the last post. So adorable (although I think this baby is not too happy with being put in a big tutu). Too cute not to share.