Friday, August 31, 2012

Stripes REVEALED

Hi there ~

Okay, here she is...my latest sewing project I promised to show you!
I am IN LOVE with this SKIRT and how she turned out. Not to mention how comfy she is to wear!
Check out my matching skills...pretty nifty eh ? :)
And so glad I gave using a TWIN NEEDLE a try. The finished look is so pro :)

Want to learn how to make one? Here's where I got all the info you need...
MISS MATCHED MAXI MINI TUT
and
Elle's Apparel MAXI TUT

Thanks to these FAB sewing blog gals, I have a skirt I want to wear everyday!!!
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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Okay...the truth and Stamp Up Series 6

Hi there ~

Yeah...so I'm on a sewing CRAZE right now! In the last two weeks, I've sewn 2 dresses, 4 skirts, 1 pre schooler hoodie, 1 toddler hoodie dress, an infant dress and a baby hat! I can hardly believe I just typed that let along sewed it! But I DID! ...and I am SO EXCITED to sew more projects!

What's my secret? Well 3 things...#1 JERSEY KNITS -don't know why I was so intimated by this awesome textile, it's so easy to work with ...  #2 SEWING BLOGS  and #3 PINTEREST...bet you're not surprised with # 3 :)

Here's a sneak peek of upcoming sewing posts...


But for all you PAPER CRAFT JUNKIES that began following my blog looking for card making inspiration...don't despair! I am still cutting, scoring, folding and embellishing my other favorite craft past time, PAPER !!!

Here's yet another card I made at one of those FUN Stampin Up Parties I go to...



Once again, I chose not to use a sentiment YET! Depends on the occasion and who I'll give it to, of course...since I started doing this, it has made my life SO MUCH easier when I need  to grab a card QUICK! I can pretty much chose any card in my portfolio, GRAB my large collection of sentiment stamps,  personalize it  and OFF I GO... LOVE  IT !!!
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Friday, August 24, 2012

Not Scarey SPICE anymore

Hey there ~

Told you this wasn't turning into a sewing blog. Here's a new CAMEO project I worked on to organize my spice cabinet. I've had this idea filed away in my head for at least 6 months and finally got to it !!!

STEP ONE : Clean out your spice cabinet. EEK messy and hard to find things!
 CLEAN SLATE ! Clean and ready to start over!

STEP TWO : Get yourself a neat LAZY SUSAN (got mine at the Crate and Barrel Outlet)...
AND some small COOL but functional GLASS JARS. Also picked those up at the Crate and Barrel Outlet. Wash and dry them completely.
NEXT...GRAB a cute but simple DECORATIVE LABEL file from the Silhouette Online Store. Like this one...

NEXT STEP : Choose a LABEL, size it up and CUT it out on CHALK BOARD paper. I got mine from Pick Your Plum ( sold out) but I'm sure there are lots of other places that sell it.

THEN : Before pealing off the labels. Use CHALK BOARD MARKERS ( I ordered mine at Amazon.com) and write out the names of your spices. 


ALMOST DONE...Now fill up each jar with a different spice and slap on your COOL LABELS :)

 
TADA!!! Organizing my spices has never been so much fun! Love the LAZY SUSAN, makes grabbing what I need a cinch! 

TIP : when choosing a jar, make sure it has a wide mouth so you can fit measuring spoons in them...OR your index finger and thumb when you just want a PINCH.

I LOVE MY NEW CAMEO!!!




I linked up...



Craft Junkie Too Friend


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Monday, August 20, 2012

Off I went, to the LA Fabric District

Hi there ~
I promise, this is not turning into sewing blog! But truth be told, I'm on a sewing kick right now and when I sink my teeth into a medium, I usually go crazy with it for a while. Confession : I'm obsessive that way, please don't judge me :)

It all started a few weeks ago when my daughter in law, Sheridan was visiting and she wanted to go the LA Fabric District and invited me along!

OHHHH! I had forgotten how fun that place is! If you like fabric, notions and bargains, of course :) Well I definitely do. I've had a love of textiles since I was a little girl but my sewing machine and serger had been sitting idle for some time while paper crafts had taken center stage. Love that paper too! Wish I had 4 hands and more hours in the day for craftin...I want to do it ALL, LOL!

Subsequently I didn't pick up much fabric for myself during that trip cause I wasn't sure what I wanted to sew. But I thoroughly enjoyed showing Sheridan around and seeing her love of fabric begin.

Then other day, I pulled out a knit stripe I did buy and whipped up a simple yoga chevron skirt that I posted last week. The obsession was on and I instantly knew I had to plan an encore trip to the district to get MORE FABRIC!

Here's how it went...but first let me mention if you're in the LA area and planning to go, checking out a shopping guide is essential before planning your trip! This place is a sea of wholesalers and retailers and you could easily get overwhelmed and worse yet, not get the best deal, if you don't know where to go. Here's a good one and I'll tell you where I went too.

FIRST STOP....The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising FIDM 919 South Grand Avenue. Not in the district,  but close to it.
Project Runway is filmed here, but for non contestants and students like myself, the place to go is their Scholarship Store. It's filled with discounted clothing, accessories, even wedding dresses. But the draw for me was the little room in the back with a wall of fabrics for $1 , $2 and $5 a yard. I picked 2 bag fulls of goodies here. Mostly knits and all $ 1 a yard ! YAY!

Once I was done at the fashion school, I just headed down 9th for a few blocks right into the district. 

NEXT STOP...Michael Levine Loft 900 block of Maple. It's across the street from the main store which is cool too, but the main store is not for bargain hunters. They do have a lot of stuff, it's like a Joann's on steroids,  including designer cottons, but I think the prices are better elsewhere.

I was on the hunt for knits and jerseys. BINGO the loft did not disappoint! Can you believe $ 2.50 a pound?!!  I filled another 2 bags here...luckily I parked directly above this store on their roof top parking lot. No frills here and the elevator is a bit scarey, but it's safe and convenient to drop off bags of heavy fabric in your trunk in between store stops. Please keep in mind thou, if you're a primadonna the district is not for the faint of heart. It can be crowded, unfamiliar and a bit grungy. But I love all that stuff,  after all I was born in New York so I'm originally a big city girl. I find the beat of a crazy downtown shopping hot stop fun, diverse and inspirational. Not the stuff you find at your everyday local suburban strip mall.


NEXT STOP...LUNCH! Have you ever had a BACON WRAPPED HOT DOG with grilled onions, peppers and guacamole salsa? Sounds crazy, I know...but trust me, it's de-lish!

NEXT STOP...probably my FAV store for knits and wovens is
ANGEL TEXTILES 850 S Maple. Yikes ! I forgot to take a picture, too busy picking out fabric. I bought ALOT here, everything is $2 a yard. I found a picture HERE from another blog I stalk frequently.

WOW! I don't think I've ever purchased this much fabric is one HAUL, but I have so many projects in mind and the prices were so good I couldn't resist. Plus the district is in LA and I live in San Diego, a bit of a drive.

Final TALLY 8 BIGS filled to the brim with knit fabrics! YAHOOIE!


OH BTW speaking of driving...very important. Use that navigator to help you get around town and monitor traffic. There are a lot of roads and ways to get around downtown but some flow faster than others. I never take Interstate 5 downtown, it's pretty much a parking lot. The 110 and 405 are much better bets and avoid traveling at peak times. Go early, get shopping and leave early or what would be an hour drive could turn into a nightmarish 3 to 4 hour drive!
 
OKAY FOLKS...time to fold and organize my stash and GET SEWING!

Stay tuned for my next project!...and If you'd like to see more pics of what the District looks like...sorry, I'm not to best at taking pictures, especially when I'm obsessing...check out this blog post. It also shares some fun hot spots to see spitting distance from the district. I'm already planning my next trip :)



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Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Chevron Yoga Skirt

~ Hi there ~

Well HI YA peeps! I know, I've been gone for a while huh? But I promise for good reasons...

# 1...my lovely daughter in law Sheridan graduated from college..whoop! whoop!
# 2 ...My husband and I got to attend church with my son Jaime  (pictured above) as he was released from his church calling as 2nd counselor in a bishopric ( sort of a big deal if you're a mormon )

# 3...Got to hang out with these two cuties....

# 4 ...while my daughter and her husband (picture below)...
# 5...brought this little bundle into the world....
 Hello my new granddaughter....ABBEY NINA STEVENSON... YAY for grandkids and HAPPY FAMILY occasions !!!

NEEDLESS to say...I had a GREAT TIME and I'm super HAPPY MOM and GRANDMA ...

Nothing like a BIT O' JOY to get your CREATIVE juices flowing. So immediately after getting  home from my trip. I whipped out the sewing machine and decided to make this...

HELLO comfy, stretchy and cool CHEVRON YOGA SKIRT !
  OH YES, and meet my new SIDE KICK....her name is Ethel! She's my new best friend sewing buddy!

Want to make a CHEVRON YOGA SKIRT for yourself?  Check out these two super awesome blogger tutorials...HERE and HERE 

The tuts are for maxi skirts, but I didn't have quite enough material so I just adjusted the length and didn't make mine so full. I am in LOVE...I think I'll make a million is every color! Sounds like a encore trip to the LA fabric district is in the cards for me :)





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