styled

I had the awesome {and by "awesome" I mean BIG and DAUNTING} opportunity to completely restyle, and decorate a family members house last week. They are trying to sell it and the feedback that they recieved was that the house looked "dated". It is only 12 years old. The problem was that the furniture placement and most of the linens light fixtures and accessories were dated. The house has beautiful light and a great floor plan. It just needed some updating. Of course the budget was VERY tight, but that never seems to scare me. I love a challenge. I found out they needed some help and jumped on a plane to Texas less than a week later. I had 4 1/2 days to work my magic on 3 bedrooms, a kitchen and breakfast area, dining room, family room and 3 bathrooms.
big breath....

        The Big Reveal

                  (I really felt like I was hosting my very own D.I.Y. show!)

***disclaimer: most of the "before" pictures came from the MLS...not great quality, but you get the idea

Family Room before:

                                          and after....





The Entry:


My intention was to paint this dresser, but the homeowner wanted to leave the natural wood so I framed a map I found in a vintage board game and added a few new and thrifted accessories. voila!




a new rug



vintage bag I found at the Goodwill for $3.99....a steal




The Kitchen/ Breakfast Room:



this table was FREE! I just painted and distressed it to add some color to a very beige kitchen.









still a few holes in the ceiling to fix...but what a difference from the lighting fixture before!

Here is a sneak peek of the rest of the house....



Coming soon.....

linking up here:

sewing advice...

I was knee deep in a new sewing project this weekend when I came across this {very popular} image on pinterest...I could definitely use this advice. Maybe this is why I have had a creative block lately? My sink full of dirty dishes and 5-day-in-a-row-crazybun-hairdo is wreaking havoc on my sewing mojo. Really girls, would you ever get any sewing done if you checked off all these boxes?

strip quilt

I managed to finish a strip quilt for my brother and sister-in-law's baby just in time. The baby isn't due until the first of November, but I gave them a baby shower last week and I wanted to give it to her then. I was literally sewing the binding on the night before the shower...I'm not usually that last-minute-thrive-on-chaos, but this time it couldn't be helped! If you need a darling and fairly simple quilt pattern, this one is for you. The fabric is Moda "A walk in the woods". It has Little Red Riding Hood as well as mushrooms and cute mischievous foxes on it. Perfect for a little baby girl.

Here's how I did it:

My quilt measured about 42"x 46" once I squared it up. If you want to make it larger, just make sure your 2" and 3" long stripes are the length you need. I have made this style of quilt before, on my daughters bed as well as one I mad for a gift, and they always go together quickly. I opted to have a professional quilt this one, because I wanted it to be special (and I was running out of time at this point!) However, at this point you could free motion quilt it on your machine or even tie it the old fashioned way.

The quilt pattern is a very simple flower. I did not want it to distract from cute pattern on the fabrics.

I think this might be my favorite quilt yet!

linking up with wow us wednesday

skinny jeans tutorial D.I.Y.

Here is my tutorial to make any wide leg jeans into skinnies. This is a very easy and quick tutorial. If you are a beginning sewer, this project is for you! You will need a pair of skinny jeans that fit the way you want to use as your guide.

I used some black wide leg corduroy pants, but this tutorial would work for any denim or twill pants.





                   Line up your skinnies that fit perfect, use these as your guide.

I used a chaco liner that I found at my quilt shop. I have to say that after using it for this project I AM IN LOVE...and a little embarrassed that I didn't own one until now. If you can't find it in your area, try here. It has very tiny prong/teeth things that roll along the fabric and leave a fine white line that easily washes out. (although at this point you should have turned your jeans/pants inside out). Follow the line on your sewing machine and voila! skinny jeans!!

*You might want to use a "Jean" needle rather than a "universal" needle on your machine. If you haven't used these before, just ask the ladies at the fabric store and they will help you!

At this point you can cut off the excess fabric. Cut within about 1/2 inch of the seam.

          I like to press open my seams for a nice finish before I turn it right side out. Then turn them right side out and press the seam again. You are finished....ENJOY!

linking up with wow us wednesday here

Summer Sewing

 As I was perusing (big girl word) Sew Mama Sew, I came upon a post about trends for Summer Sewing. I was pretty excited to find out that I was right on point for a few of my latest projects!

Project One: Here is a big shout out to the 70's...I love a cute halter, and I don't have many occasions for them (unlike in the 70's when I looked really cute in them...as a 6 year old). I was anxious to whip up a little something for my beach trip. My sewing machine and I have been through alot together lately...and as much time as we've spent together, it has been a little stressful. (More of that to come...) This halter was so fun and perfect for a beginning sewer.
 



I bought this pattern last year and I'm just now getting to it, seems to be a theme for me lately.

 

Project Two: A picnic quilt, pattern and fabric by Anna Maria Horner. Isn't she amazing?! We will use this for movies in the park, wrapping up on the deck on a chilly late summer evening, and of course the beach! 

Project Three: Amy Butler's weekender bag. When my husband walked by the sewing room as I was wrestling with 4 layers of fabric, Peltex and piping, he said "are you making luggage?". Um yes?! I love this bag despite the sewing difficulty. (I would rate it med-hard). It is perfect for a carry-on bag on the plane or fill it with magazines, red licorice and whatever other "necessities" you need for a weekend away.

Happy Sewing

Daisy Duke shorts..D.I.Y. tutorial

There is nothing I like better than a pair of Daisy Dukes!

Here is a quick tutorial on sewing lace to the bottom of cutoffs. My daughter fell in  love with some denim cutoffs at F21. Fortunately (for me) they didn't have her size... So a quick trip to Joanne's for some lace and we converted a pair of denim cutoffs into some darling ( and a bit longer) shorts. This made both of us happy!

Step one: buy new or new to you denim shorts, can be cutoff already or just cut and fray at desired length. (might need to ask dad what the desired length is!) 

Step two: pin lace around the WRONG side or inside of shorts. you will need about 1- 1 1/2 yards of lace.

Step three: sew lace all the way around each leg taking care to join the piece or seam at the inside leg.  Turn right side out.. Really this is about a 20 minute project

step four: Enjoy the squeals of delight from your teenager....okay a mom can dream right?!

Come see me here at a link party!