Ruffle Cardigan Tutorial

Have an old boring sweater sitting around that could use some sprucing up? Check this out for a super quick and easy update that will make your cardigan look super sweet and feminine!

Bow Shoulder Shirt - T shirt remake tutorial!

I love love LOVE this, and can't wait to make one! I especially like the stripes - they set the bows off perfectly.

To see how to take a cheap long sleeve t-shirt and turn it in to this, look here.

Want to be featured on my blog? Round 2!

As you know, when I'm in school I don't have time to sew or post at all, which is sad and unfair! But, I really liked what I did in the past - featuring other bloggers in posts! So here's what we're going to do... I'll troll around and find tutorials that I like and repost them, AND post guest tutorials from my readers as they're submitted!


So, here's the deal. If you want to be featured on this blog, come up with a great tutorial and send it to me! It should be something new that hasn't already been on your blog, but if you want me to feature something you've already done send that too! Make sure you send it to the addresses listed under the 'about me' section.

New CSN project - customizing rugs!

Obviously I haven't been sewing much lately; school and health problems have taken over my time. However, I will be done with school in June and will be moving into a beautiful apartment then - and of course I already know what I want to do to decorate. I like cruising the CSN website for ideas - whether creative office desks for my boyfriend, and rugs!

I really like using rugs to make a space interesting, and I've been wanting a zebra rug for my entryway. However, I'm having trouble finding one I like, so I'm thinking about getting a zebra rug fron CSN and using paint or dye to personalize it! And, of course, teaching you all how to do it as well :)

What do you think? Has anyone else ever customized a rug?

Here are some of the ones I'm looking at!

I really don't like all the stuff going on in this rug, so I'd probably try to make the whole border black.

Same with this - I like the zebra print itself, but the pink would obviously have to go!

Giveaway from Jerusha Hawkins - French Film Purse!

[Unrelated to this post news: Guess who just had her gallbladder removed? That's right, that means I've lost 2 organs in less than a year. Gaggg....]

Jerusha from Jerusha Design emailed me a while ago wondering if I'd like to giveaway one of her creations, and I jumped at the chance! She makes some super interesting and creative purses out of old film, and will be giving away one featuring an eiffel tower to one of my readers!

(I had to have a black and white picture of this purse - the combination of film and paris just screamed old theatre to me. You can scroll down to see a color picture at the bottom!)

Here is what Jerusha has to say about herself:

Hello! my name is Jerusha Hawkins. I am a full time wife and full time mother of one beautiful 18 month old girl named Nazarie. When i was 16 i got my first job at a movie theater in my town and i fell in LOVE with cinema. Everything about it! It was an amazing first job. Well, when we would have old film they would just THROW IT AWAY!! And i remember thinking what a waste it was because to me it had some real beauty to it. I started taking the film home and for a little while it just sat under my bed. Finally i really decided i wanted to put it to use I started by making a film purse it took forever and and wasn't anything too special. Over the years, im now 23, i have come up with a design that I love and really excited about and i hope you are excited about it too!

Here are some other examples of her awesome work:

And here is another picture of the giveaway prize! You can also see more of her work in her etsy shop.

Also, a quick note: I LOVE hosting giveaways for other new bloggers. If you're interested in me hosting a giveaway to you, send me an email with your ideas!

Now, how to enter:

1) Follow my blog if you don't already

2) Follow Jerusha's blog (use the link at the top)

3) Leave a comment with your name and a way to contact you

Also, for one extra entry, visit Jerusha's etsy shop and leave a comment with your favorite item!

12 Days of Christmas ~ Eight Maids a Milking

...in these adorable milkmaid aprons!! These beautiful aprons can be worn two ways; a standard apron and a more 'milk maidish' version. To make, see here.

12 Days of Christmas ~ Seven Swans A-Swiming

Still need the perfect gift for a little one? Whip up one of these adorable swan softies! This is so adorable and cute it could just become that baby's "blanky" - you know, the blanket/stuffed animal that they carry around until college (or even throughout. I still sleep with my blanky, shhhh...). Although you may want to use fabric instead of felt for the beak in that case!

Bundt Pan GIVEAWAY!!

Here it is - the bundt pan giveaway!!

I used this pan last night to make an amazing pumpkin cake.. it was the easiest thing ever and delicious. I absolutely LOVE this pan - it worked better than any bundt pan I've ever used!!

From now until Christmas Eve I'll be posting recipes, along with my reviews of them, to be used with a bundt cake pan. I've picked ones that are perfect for the holiday season, so hopefully they'll be good for Christmas baking.

For more info on this pan, check out this post.

The giveaway will end on Christmas day - think of it as my Christmas gift to you :)

Now, for the rules. Read carefully!

You can enter 1, or 2 times.

For 1 entry: Leave a comment and follow my blog! If you don't have a blogger profile for me to find your email address on, leave your address as well.

For 2 entries: Leave a comment, follow the blog, and link back from your blog!

12 Days of Christmas ~ Five and Six!

I got behind yesterday, so today will be a two-fer!

...so no one's wine glasses get mixed up!!

A set of these make great gifts! They're super easy to make, very customizable, and beautiful. If you are super creative, you can even combine them with the next tutorial as well...

Find out how to make these here.

This was a super tough one. Just like hens, what can you really do with geese? Ah... eggs! More specifically, golden eggs. So I guess it should really be 'On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, six geese a laying golden eggs.."

I made one of these necklaces for my mom for mother's day with birthstones of her kids in it. However, I think the idea of simply gold eggs is also beautiful. I'm not super fond of the nest in the above picture, but the tutorial I found for you (I was going to make one, but thought that maybe there'd be one out there - turns out there are tons!) makes beautiful, more realistic nests, like below:

These would also make amazing gifts - find out how to make them here.

12 Days of Christmas ~ Four Colly Birds

I knew right away what project I'd have to post for this one!! For any crafter who hasn't made some of these bird softies, try them out! They're super easy, fun, cute, and make great gifts. There is a link to the pattern for them here.