Merry Christmas

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For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Amid the gifts, trees, food, and lights, let's remember the real reason for Christmas.

Jesus Christ the Saviour was born.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

Merry Christmas!

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DIY Colorblock Infinity Scarf

You will need:

Two contrasting yarns; I used Red Heart in gray and tan multi

Knitting needles, size 13 or 15

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Cast on 30. Knit 84 rows, or until piece measures 24-25". Change to the contrasting color, and knit another 84 rows or 24-25". Bind off, and sew together.

For instructions on how to knit, go here.

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Thanks for stopping by.

DIY Christmas Wreath

Whoops. It's been way too long since I've posted anything! With Thanksgiving and Christmas, I've hardly had time for any crafts! 

I'm afraid this tutorial is going to be more word-y than picture-y, since I just sat down and made it without taking ANY pictures whatsoever. It is very easy though.

You will need: 

ribbon (mine was sorta burlap-y, but decorative; Walmart)

3 sprigs of decorative pine floral decorations (Walmart)

2 sparkly ornaments (bells and that spiky thing; Walmart)

Snowshoe ornament and bells with bow (Meijer)

wreath form

pins

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Wrap the ribbon around the wreath form. Don't wrap it too close together or you will end up with not enough ribbon. When you reach the beginning, pin in place with regular sewing pins. Next, pin on your bells. Mine have a bow attached, along with a little twine hanger. I pinned it on in several places so it can be hung by that piece of twine. Next, insert the decorative florals into the gaps between the ribbon. It's a little bit tricky, but you can do it! Then, pin on your sparkly ornaments and your snowshoes, and you're done! It's very simple, but I like it. And of course, you can do as many or as few ornaments on it as you want.

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I will be posting regularly again, I promise!! I apologize for the delays.

 Thanks so much for stopping by!

I Made That! Thursday #15

Featured Crafts:

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Savory Beef Roast by Cooking with Cuthbert. This looks so delish!!

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And now it's time for this week's link party!

Little Girl's Pillowcase Dress

 So....I really wanted to make some sort of piece of clothing for a kid, BUT I needed something fast and easy. 

Out came the Little Girl's Pillowcase Dress! It's super cute, super duper easy, and it's really fast to make. 

I apologize for the horrible strange quality pictures. The lighting was bad, 

and I had the color vibrancy turned up from a previous photo shoot, so it totally was too bright with all that pink chevron. Oops!!

Since I don't have a little girl to model for me, the pictures don't do this lil' dress justice, but it is seriously cute. 

You can make this in pretty much any size you want just by lengthening, widening, etc.
UPDATE: If you make the dress the size I did, it will fit anywhere from a 3-5 year old, depending on how long you like to have dresses. I prefer them to be below the knee, in which case this would be perfect for a 3-4 year old.

Note: I say "serge or sew" in some places in this tutorial. I serge because we have a serger, but if you don't, just sew the seams at about 3/8". 

I used Riley Blake chevron in gray and pink, with the gray going vertically, while the pink is horizontal.

To begin:

Cut out the pieces as follows:

2 main body pieces: 20 1/2" x 23 1/2" each

2 hem pieces: 4 7/8" x 23 1/2" each

1 neck-tie piece: 3 7/8" x 43"

Iron under the bottom edge of your hem pieces 1/4". Iron under again.

Make sure you treat the selvage (finished ~ NOT cut) edges as the top of your main body piece.

Iron under the side arm seam about 1/4", down to 10 1/2" from the bottom as shown in the picture. Iron under again.

Sew the hem on your bottom hem pieces right next to the edge as shown in the picture below.

Sew the arm seams right next to the edge, like you did on the hem pieces. I found that it was easier to start on the <--- bottom of the armhole, ending at the top. (Yes....my seam is shamefully crooked. That's what happens when you hurry. Don't hurry. Or you end up with a uh...shabby chic seam, as I like to call it.)

Serge or sew each hem piece to each main piece with right sides together, making sure you are sewing the raw edges together, not the hemmed edges!

Serge or sew the body pieces together, with right sides together, matching up the bottoms exactly. Start on the bottom, ending at the armhole seams. Just veer out to the edge once you reach the armhole seams. It's a lil' tricky, but you can do it. 

Iron under the top of each main body piece about 1 3/4".

Sew the seam about 1/4" or so from the edge, as shown. 

Serge or sew the neck-tie piece, with right sides together, leaving one end open.

Turn right side out and press out the seam with a metal ruler, or some un-melty object.

Feed the end through your body piece, and DONE! Hooray! Now to ruin your day: tie the ends and feed them through the fabric. I know. It's really not fun. Once you're done though, it's super rewarding.

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Thanks so much for stopping by! Check back again soon for more cute projects. You can subscribe by e-mail or on Bloglovin above on the right. Follow me on Pinterest by clicking this link.

I Made That! Thursday #14

Hey everyone! Welcome back to I Made That! Thursday! Check out this week's featured crafts and link up again!
Stop by Cooking With Cuthbert for a great beef roast recipe. It is super delicious!!
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Featured Crafts:

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Amber over at My Personal Accent shared these super-cute Thanksgiving Printables. I love the chevron ones! Thanks for sharing, Amber!!

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Ann at Ann's Entitled Life shared this Apple Brown Betty recipe. It looks super delicious!! Thanks for sharing, Ann!

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Now let's have a link party!!

I Made That! Thursday #13

Hey everyone! Welcome to this week's I Made That! link party. Let's see what everyone's been making! Check out my latest posts, Shades of Chevron Apron and DIY Fall Cards.

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Featured Crafts:
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Jasmine over at J.J & Her Sony re-did her cement sidewalk to look like bricks!

That's such a great idea for sprucing up around the house! Thanks for sharing, Jasmine!

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Let's have a link party!

Shades of Chevron Apron

'Bout time Dolly created something, huh? It was SUCH a good feeling to hear that whir-whir-whir-whir-whir-whir of my sewing machine. It had been way too long since I had done any sewing!
You will need: approximately 1 1/2 - 2 yards of fabric, in two or three different colors.  I had 1 yard of the big pink, a fat quarter of the gray, and then I just cut the neck piece out of a yard that I had of the little pink chevron.

So, to begin, cut the following pieces out:
apron skirt: 29 1/2" x 33 1/2"
2 tails: 21" x 4 1/4" each
neck tie: 42" x 4 3/4"
2 waistbands: 21" x 4 1/4"
apron top: 12 1/4" x 20 3/4"

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Iron under the sides and bottom edge of the apron skirt piece 1/4".

Fold the edges over again and press. This forms a finished edge that is ready for sewing.

Sew the sides and hem of the skirt piece, sewing as close as possible to the inside edge as shown.

Next, sew two baste lines (turn the stitch length to 5) at 3/8" and 1/2." Set piece aside.

Now we will take the apron top piece and iron under the sides twice, the same way as we did the skirt piece. Then, fold the top edge over 1 1/8". Press.

Sew the edges and top seams. I sewed the top edge twice so that it is extra strong.

Next, sew or serge the front waistband piece to the apron top, with right sides together. Mark the center of the waistband.

Mark the center and pull the back two basting threads on the apron skirt piece to gather. 

Match up the center marks of the waistband and apron skirt and begin pinning the pieces with right sides together as shown. Distribute the gathers evenly across the piece, leaving 3/4 inch on each end of the waistband.

Sew the pieces together, right in between the baste lines.

Remove pins and the baste line that is visible.

Sew or serge the tail pieces together, leaving one end open. Turn right side out and press, using a metal ruler to press out the seam.

Sew or serge the back waistband piece to the apron top as shown. You will have the wrong side of the apron top together with the right side of the back waistband. Picture it as "sandwiching" the apron top.

Next, iron under 3/8 inch of the back waistband piece so that when folded down, it matches the edge of the front waistband as shown.

Lay a tail piece on the front waistband as shown, with the finished edges coming towards the middle of the apron. Match the top edge of the tail with the apron top-waistband seam. Pin the pieces on in that exact position. Then, fold the apron top and back waistband over the pinned on tail pieces as shown in the last picture. Pin the tail pieces down again through all the layers.

Sew the seam right along the edge of the apron top.

Remove the pins, turn right side out, and voila!!

Sew or serge the neck tie piece, leaving one end open. Turn right side out and press, using a metal ruler to press out the seams.

Fold the open edge in as shown, forming an even, straight line.

Sew the seam, and tie in ends.

Press the apron top BEFORE inserting the neck tie. You are DONE!!! Hurrayy!! 

Let me know if there's any deficiencies in my directions or if you have any questions! Thanks for stopping by!

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DIY Chalkboard Glass

After seeing the awesome chalkboard projects on Pinterest and wanting (soooooo bad) the cute glasses at Pier 1, I decided I would make some! This is such an easy project -I can't wait to make some more glasses and maybe a pitcher.

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You will need:

Glass(es)

Chalkboard paint (walmart or anywhere)

Painter's tape

Newspaper

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To begin:

Tape around whatever shape you want to make. Then tape newspaper on the rest of the glass so that it is completely covered. We don't want paint in the wrong places! It's going to look somewhat like something you would wear in a chemistry lab. Why not, right? The next step is to give the open area a nice coat of paint. Spray evenly, about 3-5 inches away from the glass. (do it outside, of course!!)
Let it dry until it is no longer shiny. (20 minutes or so?) Repeat the process 2 more times, so that you have a nice durable surface. Remove the tape and newspaper when the last coat is no longer shiny. Let dry 24 hours. Before using, with the side of your chalk, completely cover the chalkboard surface with it. This "primes" the surface for use. You are done! I would recommend getting a chalkboard pen, because regular chalk tends to "melt" off when the beverage is cool.

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