newbie sewing series & a sneak peek

the response to our take on the men's shirt dress into a toddler dress (back to front) "in bloom" has been overwhelming. thank you all for your wonderful comments and lovely emails, it has meant so very much. in reading your comments, i have decided to try my hand at a new tutorial series called "newbie sewing series". yes, i called it that..he he. i figured that's what it is, so that is what it should be called. i am a newbie sewer and a newbie at writing tutorials.

i have a few new and exciting repurposing/refashioning projects on the go at the moment and hope to have them all up in the series for you to enjoy. there will be a surprise twist to the tutorials so stay tuned for that as well. hopefully i can get my hubby who actually has a few days off (miracle!) to give me a few solid hours, child free, uninterrupted (also a miracle) to get things finalized and online for all of you.

in the meantime here's a sneak peek at my newest project.

ohhh, what's it gonna be? all i have to say is i am super excited to show you and it's lots of fun to make!

what are you working on? i'd love to see!

paul filek - sessions in the mommyhood

i have been meaning to post some clips of one of my fave singers and friend paul filek's music here on the site for ages and finally got around to it. my beautiful sister camille and her funny hubby mike, are very close friends with paul and if you can believe a more romantic thing than this, paul played all their wedding music beach side on his guitar (even the part where we walked down the aisle) and at the reception overlooking the ocean...ahhhhh, the life of a musician.

in my life before i had a child, i was a die hard live music fan scouring the vancouver clubs for up and coming artists. i could think of very few things that i adored more than hearing that live acoustic set and feeling those wonderful goosebumps knowing i had found a new artist to covet. i miss that feeling more than i can say. there is something about seeing a musician play in a small and intimate setting that can never compare to a sold out auditorium - it's addicting. so to fill the void of my music hunting in person, i now hunt online - i just don't post about it very often. this is my mini-version of a paul filek session, except the venue is the mommyhood :)

paul is super talented, and a hilariously funny and witty guy with a big heart. paul is touring right now and if you see him coming to your town make sure to check out his live show, you won't regret it. head on over to www.paulfilek.com for his tour listing, cd's, free songs and more.

(to you paul - i'll always be the jam to your peanut butter :P )



this is one of my favorite of pauls songs and one of mackenzie's. she loves singing along to this song. i personally adore the lyrics, so sweet.



only paul would wear two different shoes live on tv....



this song was written about our neighbourhood "oak bay" in victoria, bc and the mike and cami are my sis and brother in law. not too sure if all the lyrics apply to their history, but the song is funny.



rockin' the roxy



ray lamontagne (so good) and paul filek, what can be better than that?

who's your favorite musician at the moment?

how to make a recycled clothespin bag

i wish i had a yard to hang dry my clothes. the smell of fresh air from your dried sheets is almost too much for me to handle. if i had a yard i would definitely make this tutorial for a recycled clothespin bag made from a pair of jeans. the ric rac is too cute!

image by linda permann

i also remembered this post we had up a few weeks back for making your own indoor clothesline from AT. check it out here.

what do they get up to when i'm not there?

the pics start out cute and capture those big silly grins of theirs...

then i knew there would be trouble when i spotted the chalk...how messy does my child look right now?

what the hell is she eating???

does she even have a home? how can you tell dad dressed her.

if you know my husband, you know he makes this face often (i love you honey).

finding pics like these on the camera is such a joy for me, but sometimes it can be shocking. just what do they get up to when i'm not there???

does this ever happen to you too?

mommyhood moment - wishes coming true

yesterday was an interesting day to say the least. it was a grey, muggy day in a week of sunshine and it seems like forever since my hubby has had a day off, which left mackenzie and i feeling bored and restless. the computer crashed and when i did get online on our old dying labtop i got some exciting news! my dress "in bloom" that was made from a men's dress shirt (post here) made it on "one pretty thing" in the daily diy and also on craftzine's blog! a big thank you to both rachel's! needless to say i was overjoyed and it was very exciting.

thank you all for your wonderful comments on the dress. it has been so nice to hear. i am just learning to sew and have been winging it and learning as i go, so to have you all give positive feedback means the world to me. a lot of people requested a tutorial for the dress and i am happy to say that i am going to give it a shot. a friend mentioned to me that i can't be the only new sewer out there and that it may be nice to see a tutorial made in "newbie sewer" terminology - if there is such a thing. so stay tuned for my first tutorial in the newbie sewer series :)

needle and thread by incurable hippie

**new today - a big thank you to Chrissy for featuring us on One Crafty Place!

and thank you to anne for featuring us on craft gossip - wow! so exciting!

the computer crashed

this is what happened to me today:

day 230: sitting. waiting. wishing.

by: meridith farmer

if this is the only post up for the day you know it's due to my computer feeling under the weather. right now i am rigged up on our old, old labtop that has literally been lying in it's computer graveyard. it's loving me enough to let me type this, but as i near the end of this post, i can hear it wheezing and huffing, preparing to just shut off. it had a good life. (if you see copious amounts of grammar and weird layout problems in this post, it wasn't me. every time the post does it save backup, the labtop moves my cursor and messes everything up. i think i typed this rant faster than anything i have ever typed before - all to beat the dying of the labtop with seconds to spare.)

not sure why our computer is disagreeing with me today, but i am hoping that you don't actually have to read this post. if you are, know that i am doing all i can to get our computer back up and posts online. it sure does make you realize how much you depend on your computer when you don't have it. i felt a bit off kilter all day and kept thinking of all the the things i needed to get done that involved a computer that i couldn't do. i am not sure if that is entirely a great feeling - but on the plus side, i finally found the time to paint my toenails. for some reason i can't stand having naked toenails (must be the hairdresser in me) and it sure felt good to actually paint them and my fingernails to boot!

what do you guys think? have any of you had your computer go bonkers and found yourself feeling lost and weirdly dependent on a machine?

link luv

1. om shanti yoga mat bag - crochet tutorial

2. gomukasan by kellyloveswhales (flikr)
3. kukkutasana by gosia janik (flikr)

4. AT diy mail holders roundup
5. quick and easy toddler purse tutorial from getting crafty
6. i am definitely adding this toddler halter top tutorial to my "must make" list

in bloom - men's shirt to toddler dress

i finally finished mackenzie's birthday dress. a little late for her birthday, but hey, we don't mind. this dress is repurposed or upcycled if you will, from one of my hubby's dress shirts. this time, instead of using the button panel for the front of the dress (see previous post here and here), i reversed it. when dreaming up how i wanted the dress to look, i fell head over heels for the pleat in the back of his shirt and knew right then and there that i wanted a little empire dress with cap sleeves. the rest came to life from that moment.

i originally had envisioned a boat neckline, and had sewed it that way. unfortunately, my little one was too small to keep it on her little shoulders - bad measuring on my part, so i waited it out for the solution to come to me. at first i tried adding the adorable yellow button to the cap sleeve to take it in a bit, but no luck. finally, last night while watching the worst made for tv movie ever (they seem to bring me inspiration) i decided to add another layer to the neckline and put in an elastic casing to just close things up. it did the trick!

the flower applique is amy butler and i just couldn't resist adding that little yellow button to the center of the flower and to the hook on the front pleat of the dress. to finish things off i sewed in a dainty, yellow ribbon to add a bit of colour to the back of the dress. perfect for summer, light and airy - she loves it and looks adorable in it. bonus for me is it's one less stained shirt in the donation pile :)

if you haven't tried one of these men's shirt transformations yet give it a whirl. they are loads of fun and super addicting. if anyone is wondering where to find a tutorial for one of these dresses, go check out dana's at made. if you are interested in a tutorial for this one, let me know, i just may be able to whip something up even with my newbie sewing skills to help you along.

have you made one yet?

etsy monday in the mommyhood

1. white spring shrug - acatsnest

2. ivory mohair hittite shawl - trendyknitting
3. sketchy scarf in beige velvet - fray
4. custom crochet newborn baby snuggle sac cocoon - cricketcreations

"It destroys the craft not to learn it."

5. rose garnish headband/necktie - amerrymishap
6. kimono flower crocheted baby shoes - hollanddesigns
7. brianna crocheted beanie - sparkleberrycrafts
8. studded cloche - sinsisters

this week's etsy monday in the mommyhood's inspiration is drawn from my love of crochet and how far the craft has come in the last few years. no longer just your grannies craft, crochet is stylish and fun.

i hope this inspires a few of you to not just pick up your knitting needles, but to also grab those crochet hooks and get creating!

best potty song ever!

all i have to say is mackenzie loves this and if it makes her go on the potty, we're willing to sing it :)

(via pacingthepanicroom)

free spring ruffle top tutorial

i just found my new favorite spring top! i am dying to make this. oh, why does the fabric store have to be so far away from my house? why do i have to have bronchitis right now, when i could be sewing this fabulous little number from "made by rae"? so sweet and fresh and a ruffle, i heart a ruffle - especially on the sleeve. i am so thankful to rae for making a top that us busty girls could get away with as the pattern is tailored to any size.

do any of you want to make this spring ruffle top? head on over to sew, mama, sew for the tutorial and make sure to also check out "made by rae" next week. rae is hosting spring top week - sounds fun! my poor wallet is gonna take a beating from buying all the fabric to make, what i can imagine is going to be quite the array of fun spring tops.

notes from the mommyhood - made with love

we received a lovely, handmade, crocheted blanket as a gift last week from my nana and papa. my nana, and my mom and i, all have the same love of gorgeous ocean blues and turquoises that this blanket was crocheted with. it must have been fate that my nana bought this for me because i had been on the hunt for months for the perfect throw for our bed. i had been too lazy to crochet one myself and too cheap to buy one i didn't absolutely covet. this blanket fit all my criteria - it was handmade, it's warm, soft, cozy and the color and pattern are just right.

the best thing about this blanket is that it couldn't have come at a better time. my little girl and i are both sick (again - bah!) and we started out thinking we had a cough/cold but after quite the rigmarole at the doc today it seems we both have bronchitis - me worse than her. i have even lost my voice! anyone who knows me knows this is a very, very bad thing. if you think i talk a lot on here, you should hear me go in real life. i am now finding myself sounding like a weird breed of seal, or like that little penguin from happy feet when he tries to sing - it's just plain sad. just be thankful you all can't hear me wheeze. this blanket has helped me get through some long nights lately and has eased those cold chills from beneath my duvet. there's just something so healing about laying under a blanket made with love.

my folks have left to return home, leaving us in full tear mode with my little one asking "where's my family?" and me trying to explain that nana & opa live far away and have had to go back home. it sucks, and being far away from family you are very close too sucks as well. but that's how it goes sometimes. after these last 2 weeks i truly do believe it does take a family to raise a child. so mom/dad, if you're reading this "come back, we miss you already".

there won't be a fit friday in the mommyhood today as i am not fit enough to write one with my bronchitis ailing me. i try to keep things fresh around here and i couldn't bring myself to post something half assed just for the sake of posting.

if anyone out there is interested in being a guest blogger on fit fridays in the mommyhood or has a topic they would like to see on here, i would love to hear from you! send me an email at luvinthemommyhood@yahoo.ca and let me know what you're thinking. wishing you all a healthy and happy weekend surrounded by family and loved ones.

what's your favorite gift that you received that was made with love?

penelope is here!

rebecca danger is just too darn dangerous to me. she makes my heart get all gooey inside over these addicting little monsters. check out her newest creation "penelope". isn't that eye patch and ribbon bow just the cutest thing ever? i can't get enough of her stuff! rumour is she has some monster pattern packs for sale now and great deals on her patterns, so if you would like to whip up a "penelope" of your own, check out rebecca's etsy shop danger crafts here or visit her blog here for some monster knitting fun.
(images rebecca danger)

learn how to fuse plastic bags with etsy labs

i friggin love this idea!!!! how fun is this?!!!! my first thought was to make nifty little storage boxes and reuseable snack bags and things with this stuff! could i use any more exclamation marks?!! sorry, but i am just finding myself super excited about all the wonderful projects waiting to be made from this new found tute! oh etsy, what would we do without you?

what would you make out of the plastic?

(via oh, hello friend)

how to make a baby

i couldn't resist posting this :)

(via a cup of joe)

make the perfect springtime purse from a little girl's dress

"darling petunia" shows us how to make this "darling" bag from a little girl's dress. i can't seem to get enough of these little upcylcing projects and really adore the fabric colours with the touch of the bamboo handles. you can find the tutorial for this adorable bag here. it's the perfect purse to go with that flirty spring dress you plan to sew.

which dress do you plan to make this spring?

(images from darling petunia)

happy earth day!

remember your three r's...

and to treat our planet with love and respect.

looking for ways you can help? go to the earth day canada website here or if you live in the victoria area check out earth walk victoria & environmental fair here.

wrapagami - furochic it!

i adore the idea of using fabric to wrap gifts. my mother in law was doing this at xmas time and i loved it! any excuse to use fun fabric is a good one in my books. check out the new book wrapagami by jenn playford:

"If you think origami is cool, wait until you see Wrapagami! This colourful little book is written by Jenn and is a collection of projects using a square piece of fabric and simple techniques to wrap gifts and incorporate FurochicTM and furoshiki into your everyday life. Who would imagine a square piece of fabric could be SO handy! Embellish your gifts with the luxury of a fabric wrap that becomes part of the gift and can be reused over and over again."

for those of you lovelies that live in Victoria, "join jenn at silk road on april 26 at 11am for a furochic workshop where you will learn how to wrap your gifts in fabric using inventive and creative techniques."

thanks to my friend erica for the heads up on this great workshop!

she had a good day yesterday

playing in the sand

picking dandelions at the ocean

we are so lucky to live here

skipping stones with nana and auntie