a spring wrap dress

Hey Hey! happy "Sewing Saturday.  Spring is here! At least it seems to be...the weather has been nuts the past several weeks with the fluctuating temperatures! What better way to welcome the warm, spring sunshine than donning a pretty, flowy, floral wrap dress! I found this lightweight, stretch fabric in a beautiful blush pink at Joann's and thought it would make the perfect dress. I'm short and also have a short torso so finding a ready-made wrap dress that hits my waist in the right spot is difficult but I knew if I made my own I'd be able to solve that problem with no trouble. I only bought 2 yards and it really wasn't enough fabric for my comfort! I had to piece together scraps for the facings and the sash to make it work - that was after shortening the pattern pieces for the skirt, sleeves, and bodice. I always feel like patterns overestimate how much fabric you need but I really shorted myself this time haha. I used this Butterick pattern bought at Joann's for less than $2. The dress came together very easily and quickly. I've had the dress done for a while but needed to hand-stitch on the hook and eyes and tack down the facings...hand sewing is not my favorite and I usually put it off forever. Can't wait to wear it out and about!

Make these! Peppermint Meltaway Cookies

Hey you guys! 'Tis the season...for Christmas cookies! Today I'm sharing a recipe for these Peppermint Meltaway Cookies that I just made for a cookies and cocoa with Santa party our church had after our Christmas Candelight Service tonight. The cookies REALLY do kinda melt in your mouth and the peppermint is not overwhelming - since I know some people aren't a huge fan of that flavor. I found the recipe on Taste of Home's website and was leery to try it because of the mixed reviews - but mine turned out great with a few, minor modifications. I will definitely be making these again! Recipe after the break

bell sleeve lace dress

Hello everyone! Just popping in to share a few photos of this bell sleeved lace dress I recently finished making. I made it from stretchy lace knit in a beautiful blush color that I purchased at the Dallas wholesale district a couple years ago. I also got some solid knit in a blush color that I intended to line the dress with..but I used part of it for a different project and then didn't have enough left to line this dress. I ended up just getting some nude knit fabric from Joann's for the lining and I'm pleased with how it turned out. Here are a few photos that my husband graciously took for me while Jensen danced around just outside the viewfinder!

new product for local retailer!

I just finished making a small line of baby accessories that will be sold in Arkansas Baby, a local shop here in Little Rock! Their grand grand opening is TODAY- if you're local you should definitely check it out! Located over on Chenal Parkway, it's a super cute shop that's mission is to provide parents with the products they need to make green, sustainable choices for their family. Arkansas Baby is for the natural baby in the natural state - love their slogan! I designed these cute ruffled baby bonnets and some coordinating baby boy bow ties. Also available are some 3-pack hairbows!

The little bonnets are my favorite...seriously! Why didn't I make these for Jensen when she was a baby?!

Sucker for baby bow ties right here!!!

off the shoulder ruffle blouse

Last weekend I actually got around to sewing something for myself! I had a barely-over-a-yard piece of pretty grey floral fabric that was screaming to be made into something flow-y and ruffled! I like the off-the-shoulder blouses I've been seeing a lot of, but I'm not crazy about how far off-the-shoulder most of them actually fit on me...plus I really wanted to be able to wear the shirt to work as well! I didn't have enough fabric to make the neckline as ruffled as I was originally envisioning, but I'm still really pleased with how it turned out! Here are a few pictures of how I wore it paired with bell-bottom jeans and super tall wedges out to brunch! My jeans are really old and used to be super wide leg all the way down but I altered them to make them into true bell bottoms. I asked TC if he liked my outfit and he said I looked like a hippie! Ha!

FLAMINGO FUN (RUFFLE SLEEVE TANK DIY)

Sharing a few photos of Jensen modeling her fun flamingo ruffle sleeve tank that I made her! The top was super easy to make and you can find the tutorial and the FREE printable pattern right here in this previous post! It's hard to take pictures of toddlers because they are so active (at least mine is!) and rarely want to smile when you want them to! - but I think I got a few good ones! ;)