HOW-TO-TUESDAY: sweater makeover

I've had this sweater for a few years.... it's soft and cottony and I love it.... but.... I never wear it.  One of those items you hang onto in hopes of one day wearing again.... But, honestly, do those days ever come?  Usually not for me....

So, I took this as a sign.... A makeover kinda sign!

Here's what went down:

I took this 100% cotton American Eagle sweater that I bought for the low-low price of $9.99 (I know!)....

And started by doing this....

 Then this....

Then this....

And this....

And this too....

And voila!  A new cardi from a sweater that I loved....

Yay!

THRIFTY MONDAY: clothes

With three kids to clothe, this is one of the places where being thrifty is a necessity.... especially when the oldest and youngest are growing at a ridiculous rate - slow down, you two, what's the rush?  Now, that's not to say that the monkeys never get anything new, they do.... but, for clothes the boys just tear up at school, I can't justify spending crazy amounts on growing kids.... we save the new stuff for birthdays, Christmas, beginning of school and summer....

Anyhow, one of my favourite thrifty places, Value Village, is having another of their quarterly half price sales.... TODAY!  Bu-ut! If you apply online for a super saver card, you get to enjoy the sale a whole day earlier - WITHOUT having to fight the crowds and tear things out of other shopper's hands (ok, so I've never had to do that, but have secretly wanted to.... just sayin')....

I could have waited for today to go, but with Mr. Monkey working, and having to take the girl monkey, I thought an hour of shopping yesterday, ALONE, was waaaay more appealing.  Because, honestly, for us Mommy's, when does that ever happen.... like next to NEVER!

Aaaanyway, check out this haul....

12 pieces of clothing in GREAT condition.... perfect for two growing monkeys.... and a few things for the Momma, too!  All for the low-low price of.... wait for it.... $20.52!!!!  (applause.... maybe the wave.... but, definite applause)....  Not that we're much into labels, but; there's QuickSilver, DC, Children's Place, Gap, Old Navy and H&M.... pretty good for $20 and change, I say!

If you're into it, and you have the time today.... Value Village near us, is open from 7am-9pm.... you never know what you'll find!  Good luck hunting!

Have a great day  ;)

RE-FURB, RE-CON, RE-PURPOSE: hood removal

I can't say that I love the look of a hoodie or hooded sweater; but, last year I was enticed by the quarterly half price sale at one of my favourite thrifty shops....  I was coaxed into purchasing this sweater for the low-low price of $3.00....

A great deal, I know.... But, was it?  Really?  I hate wearing it....  It's the hood.  It screams teenager to me.... and we all know, a teenager I. am. not.

Anyhow, I've been meaning to remove the hood for a loooooong time, and have finally gotten around to doing it.  So, here's what I did....

I took the thrifty, hooded sweater.... Trimmed off part of the hood, being sure to leave the ribbed band intact....

Re-pinned it back into place, starting from the centre out....

Being sure to mitre the corners....

Sewed it into place with a straight stitch, then went over it with a zig-zag to hold down any unfurling edges....

AND, VOILA! 

I like it so. much. better.

Have a great day  ;)

REFURB-RECON-REPURPOSE: the super-easy-blink-and-you'll-miss-it-cowl-tutorial

No need for words here, my lovelies.  Now, quick, go through your closet and pull out some shirts you no longer wear and get cuttin'!  Think of all the colourful cowls you'll be wearing this season....

Have a fantastic day  ;)

Quick sunday morning project....

I've had the itch to do some summer sewing projects.... just haven't had the time lately.... but, I had these two summer baby jumpers stashed away for no other reason than I loved how they looked on the Ham and I just couldn't bare to sell them.

After going through all of the kids clothes a few weeks ago, preparing for a Mom-to-Mom sale, I came across them again, and decided to cut the bottoms off and transform them into summer tops for the girl-babe.

A super simple project that I finished in 30 minutes.... that's two new summery tops.... in 30 minutes! I know!

Aaaanyway, they went from this....


to this....


to this.... Voila!


Have a great Sunday everyone ;)

Whatd'ya think? part deux....

So, with a new dress comes new shoes.... that's a given, right?

I think I've found the perfect shoes (for me anyway).... and I think the blue floral H&M beauty from yesterday's post will look really-really cute with them....


I love Sears for shoes... you really can't beat the prices and selection.... especially for shoes that you won't be wearing often. I like that these babies are a neutral colour, and not black.... I have issues with putting black shoes on my feet in the summer, weird huh?!

Aaaanyway, I think I'll likely be building something around these shoes.... of course that's if they fit me properly.... gee, bummer if they don't :(

And in other news.... the weather here has been so glum, rainy and grey.... but just in time for our Victoria Day weekend, the sun has decided to warm us and give us some glorious blue skies.... which is making these lovelies look extra pretty. It's funny what you can hide when you take pictures creatively.... you'd never know that there's a big ugly wooden fence beside my favourite lilac bush.... and that the bush itself is hiding our pool pump and heater.


Enjoy the sun while it lasts my dears ;)

Whatd'ya think?

I have a wedding to go to this July.... It's always fun getting invited to celebrate someone's special day; and the added bonus for me and my husband is that we have a chance to get dressed up and have some fun adult time together; something that any couple with young children would agree is sometimes a rare occasion.

Of course my husband will be wearing a suit.... sometimes I envy men and how easy it is for them to dress for such events.... it's pretty simple isn't it? Open the closet, grab one of your suits and throw it on. Nobody balks at the fact that they may have worn it to five previous weddings, a funeral and a school play. But, if a woman wore the same dress to more than one or two events, people would notice (at least that's what we tell ourselves to justify buying something new).

Aaaanyway, I've been perusing some of my favourite shopping spots and these are some of the items I've come up with as possibilities. Let me know what you think....


So this one in all of it's ruffly glory is from the Gap. I actually tried it on and I love it.... it looks really cute on.... the only downfall is that it is incredibly static-y, it drove me nuts for the whole 25 seconds I had it on. However, this is something I think I could duplicate in a less annoyingly clingy fabric.


This is such a sweet dress.... I've never done strapless, but this one makes me want to give it a try. Also Gap.


I really like the flowy nature of this Gap dress... it's a soft steel grey-blue.... maybe I picked this one because this is what our weather of late has been like.... hmmm?


I'm not normally into florals or prints; but, this one looks very fitting for a July wedding.... and blue generally is a good colour for my skintone. A steal of a deal from H&M.


From J Crew.... I love J Crew for dresses, and this dress is no exception.... what a great pop of colour and the off-centre design makes for a very interesting piece. Easily a classic if you purchased the black version.


And last; but certainly not least.... the Blakely dress from J Crew. I have been drooling over this dress for over a year. Now, anyone who really knows me, knows that I am NOT a dress person. If I can, I'll wear pants at all costs. But, for some reason, this dress makes me want to wear dresses every. day.

So, that's that folks.... which dress would you pick? I've got just over a month to make, repurpose or purchase something suitable, fun, fitting, sexy, and cute....

Have a great night all ;)

Kids clothes week: project 1 complete....

May, May, May.... you are here with a vengeance.... I want so badly to do many, many projects for Kids Clothes Week, and I promise to try.... and that's all I can do. My plate is full this week with pulling together a fundraising tea for upwards of 100 people, baseball for myself and 2 of my monkeys, a baby shower and Kids Clothes Week.... And now, I'm feeling run-down and tired from the blur of a weekend that just passed....

But, I am NOT complaining. I did this to myself, as I always do.... but, I digress. The reason I am here today is to show you this lovely little number that I whipped up for my little Hammy-Cammy....


I purchased the pattern from a very lovely Etsy seller named Adrienne, and her shop is called The Fuzzy Noggin. The hat is crocheted, and super easy and super fast to whip up using cotton yarn. Perfect for sunny spring days and cool summer nights. The pattern I used for this is called the Sophie Bucket Hat; and the great thing about Adrienne's patterns is that she allows you to sell your finished products! Unfortunately, I couldn't snap a photo of my little model wearing the hat as she seems to be camera shy at the worst possible times, uggg.

Anyhow, have a great day everyone.... take advantage of these beautiful days we've been given ;)

Toy soldier costume tutorial....

As usual, I did NOT take pictures through the process of putting together my handsome little M's soldier costume.... but I have detailed the steps to reach the end result....


Co-designed by M and me.... He was so proud when he put it on when it was finally-finally finished.... he automatically puffed up his bony little chest and stood straight as a board, wanting so badly to look as regal as Princes William and Harry.... He chose the "golden" for the trim, and specifically asked for the "shoulder golden" (lanyard) like Prince Harry; but sadly, wanted a red jacket like Prince William; unfortunately, all we could find was a navy pinstripe boys suit jacket (which SCORE! was only $3.99 at Vallue Village - yay Mommy!)

And! Thanks to the evolution of the glue stick and hot glue gun, this baby was a *SNAP*! The hat (with very clear and stern instruction that the chin strap "has to sit right here on my chin, Mommy") was crocheted with black chunky yarn, trimmed with more "golden", and lined with cardboard to keep it nice and tall, and neat and tidy like any good soldier.... I'm thinking these hats would be a great addition to any special little someone's tickle trunk, so don't be surprised if they end up in my etsy shop.... fun, fun, fun!

So quickly, some steps to create this jacket (with some very "professionally hand-drawn illustrations"... sorry).
You'll need:

1 boys suit jacket
a few yards of various trims in "golden", or your preference
8-13 buttons to match trim
glue sticks and hot glue gun
black or white velcro, enough to back 4 buttons

To begin, lay the jacket flat on your table, folding the lapels in toward the centre front, overlapping one over the other. This causes the collar to stand up like a soldiers collar.

Decide how far apart you want your buttons, visually, I used the width of the collar as my guide (see above photo). So once you've determined your button width, you can cut the trim that will run between the buttons. Hot glue the trim to the back of the buttons, so you'll end up with something that looks like this; ok, so not cartoony-like, but you get the point....



Once the button trims/closures are glued together, decide where you'd like them on your jacket. We've evenly spaced ours between M's collarbone and waist. So you'll be gluing just one side of the button trims/closures to the jacket. The other button will act as the closure for the jacket; it requires that half of the velcro to be glued to the button back and the other half to the jacket. You'll need to trim down your velcro so that it sits nicely behind the button. And here's a tip: If you can't find velcro that matches closely to your suit jacket, use white and colour it with a sharpie marker that matches the colour you want. Here's another totally awesome drawing....


Again, I apologize for my very crude drawings, but I know how smart you are my friend and I know this is all you require to get a great picture in your mind's eye.

So, now you just need to attach the remainder of your embellishments. We've added a loop at one of the shoulders for our lanyard to run through.... and this too, is just glue gunned into place. And trim was added to the collar and sleeves.... the extra buttons can be placed at the ends of the collar trim, used as cuff links, and one can be placed on the shoulder loop that holds the lanyard.

You can add any hat you like, or you could keep the fun going by making one like ours using black construction paper and trim, or just go hatless.... it's totally up to you!

This project is so simple and so much fun to do with your little soldier. You can embellish as much or as little as you'd like.... I say the more "golden" the better! I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial, and if you have any questions, please-please don't hesitate to leave me a comment!

Have a great day everyone ;)

Can we just skip this month????

Do you ever feel like you can do it all? Ever bite off more than you can chew? I think it must be a mom thing.... We all do it. I know it. You know it. Yet, we're able to put on this stoic face that lets everyone around us know that we are in control, when really, we're never totally in control of anything. Is that what it comes down to though? Control? We need to be the commanding officers of our own little army. The centres of our own little universe.

I CANNOT do. it. all. There, I've said it. Now you say it. Take a deep cleansing breath, and be fine with the fact that NOBODY expects you to do it all. No one except yourself, that is.

Aaaaanyway, just to give you an idea of what my May is shaping up to be, here's the short list:
Make toy soldier costume for school play (oh, and it needs to be to school for TOMORROW. I got a real head start on it though.... this. morning.).
Hosting Rummage Sale for a Cause Fundraiser with teammates and friends.
Helping a friend with a Plant Sale/Fundraiser at our school.
Baseball for my boys starts (2 nights a week).
Hosting THINK PINK TEA Fundraiser with teammates and friends.
Attend baby shower for a friend.... I LOVE BABY SHOWERS... AND I LO-OVE BABIES, YUMMM!
Signing-Up for baseball for myself. (What, you ask? Do I play baseball? No, but what the heck, I've got time.).
Mom-to-Mom Sale... I've got a table... anyone care to join me?
Kids Clothes Week Challenge being hosted by the wonderfully creative bloggity-blog Elsie Marley.... please do check out this space, it's so full of fun and inspiration.

So, this is everything I can think of off the top of my head... oh, there's more, there's ALWAYS more. I can get through all of this, I know I can. And I know it's really not as much as it seems.... and truly, truly, I love being busy. I must, otherwise I wouldn't commit to SO. MUCH.

As a side note, and totally-totally off topic; just yesterday I had an urge to check out the Habitat for Humanity site, really it was just my way of escaping all of the aforementioned happenings.... Anyway, I've always wanted to help on a build. So, here's what I found out.... a-ma-zing organization, a-ma-zing volunteers, doing a-ma-zing things for people. I'm serious when I say, I will do this one day... only catch is, I'd love to do it internationally. What a fantastic way to see the world and all of the wonderful people in it. Check them out, you will be compelled to help.

Anyway, it's sunday morning, which is pancake morning around here - and oddly enough, pancakes always put me in a good mood even though I don't eat them; but my kids always get so excited and that makes it so much more special.

This little menopausal moment has been very, very helpful folks.... I feel so much better now than I did when I sat down to type this. Sometimes all we need is to itemize our to-do lists.... it seems to give us better perspective, don't you think? Ahhh, *sigh of relief*.

Let me know how your May is looking.... Oh, I've had one taker on my offer to sew something for the Kids Clothes Week Challenge, anyone else interested in something for free? Please leave me a comment if you're interested.

Have a great sunday everyone ;)

Vintage inspired....

I don't know if I've ever expressed my love for vintage items.... anything and everything vintage....

Last friday, my guy and I took the kiddies for a pancake breakfast at a farm that makes pure maple syrup; needless to say, they were delicious! After our yummy brunch, we decided to stop in at an antique market on the way home.... thankfully the kids also share our love of anything old (a prerequisite for being a member of this family don't ya know)....

Anyhow, while browsing etsy this morning, I came across some really beautiful vintage pieces that reminded me of that little side trip and about how excited my kids were to see, touch and smell things from the past....I thought I'd share a few of my favourite vintage wednesday etsy finds with you....


50's Horn Rim Glasses by Vintage 50's Eyewear



Vintage Spring Coat by Poppy & Bean


Crochet Throw by Lady Libertine Vintage


Retro Pork Pie Hat by Shihtzuwest Vintage Goodies

This is just a partial sampling of the treasury I put together on etsy, to check out the other items in my Vintage Blue treasury, click the link.... http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d89d31645e46d914e01a439/vintage-blue

I'm also working on a cute little post that involves handmade baubles for little ladies, hope to have that to you tomorrow.... Have a great day everyone ;)

Skirt and re-purposed shirt and leggies....

So, do you remember the little outfit for my baby's Baby?


Well, at first I thought I'd make my baby a shirt with that same seersucker from my stash, but changed my mind and made a skirt instead.... then I found a black long sleeve shirt that my baby's arms had outgrown and re-fashioned it into a spring/summer top and matching leggies....

What I ended up with was this little outfit that screams 'Punk Rock Toddler'....


Somewhat of an earlier Avril Lavigne-type ensemble, wouldn't you agree? I can picture my Hammy wearing this with cute little Chuck Taylor's, like this uber-cool Grinch pair....


Sadly, the best photo I was able to snag of the clothes being stuffed with a cute and cuddly little toddler was this one....


Totally not in the mood for cute or cuddly. And definitely. Definitely. Not, in the mood for pictures or skirt wearing....

Ah, well... what can you do? You're totally at their mercy where toddlers are involved.... but she's the best, and I think I'll keep her anyway :)

Have a great day everyone ;)

Sewing for baby....

Ok, well, not for my baby.... for my baby's baby!

This little lady, who is lovingly referred to as Baby, usually can be found in any number of places in our home looking like this....


Baby was a gift from someone; can't remember who.... but, she usually gets picked up and dressed in her original outfit about once a month; then because the original outfit is ill-fitting and falls off.... my baby gets frustrated and ends up throwing Baby around for a bit, then forgets about her again.... It's really funny to witness....

Aaaanyway, today my Hammy-girl was trying to dress Baby, and once again started getting angry and man-handling Baby in a way that would land any adult parent in the slammer; so this Mommy decided that an intervention was needed....

Mommy: "We have to be nice to Baby. She doesn't like when you throw her around. It hurts. Can you say sorry to Baby?"
Hammy-girl: "So-wee Baby." *Hugs and cuddles*
Mommy: "Do you want Mommy to make Baby a dress that will stay on?"
Hammy-girl: "Dress fo Baby?"
Mommy: "Mmm-hmmm"
Hammy-girl: "Yes, peas"

So after all of that, we pulled out the sewing machine, rifled through the scrap fabric bin, picked out some cut-off jean pieces and a nice wrinkly and puckery swatch of seer-sucker, I love that stuff, especially for summer dresses.... it's so cool and soft and dries like a breeze!

Anyhow, the dress didn't happen; but, this little set did....


I LOVE IT! I'm thinking this will look so cute on my baby for summer! Except for my baby's shirt I'm envisioning little short and fluttery poufs for the sleeves!

Here's Baby modelling the little set, complete with over sized (for Baby) baby socks.... Look at that Baby, such a ham for the camera....


I had lots of fun with this quick little project.... and I especially loved that my little Hammy-girl sat right at my side the whole time, lovingly rocking a sleeping Baby in her warm embrace....

Have a great afternoon everyone ;)

The Life of a Hockey Family....

So, the blog post heading should say it all.... It's tournament weekend; and it's an away tournament; and it's a very, very, very snowy weekend; and it's a Daddy work weekend.... ugghh! And I know I say it time and time again; but, FRIENDS... they really do come through for you, EVERY. TIME.

Special, special thanks to SHERRY for taking my little ham-hock on Friday for hockey practice; and BIG thanks to JACQUIE for enduring a FULL day; that's 12-1/2 hours of full-on Hamdom, on Saturday for Day 1 of the tourney.... You ladies are somethin' else! I OWE you both a Brown Dog visit... looking forward to showing my appreciation :D

Today for Tourney Day 2 (technically 3, but we didn't play the 1st).... Hammy's coming along.... I've packed TONS of snacks; TONS of toys; and TONS and TONS of patience for Mommy.... It'll all be good; I'll survive.... I'm hoping the new venue will peak her interest and she'll be able to sit still for more than 10 minutes of the game.

Aaaaanyway, I have managed to do some crafty things of late.... mostly filling hat orders, which I am totally ecstatic about.... and I did make up these nifty little package inserts to go with my orders....


And two weeks ago, I took a trip to my local consignment shop and picked up a bunch of things for $1 each.... I'm thinking re-purposing/re-fashioning/de- and re-constructing.... will show you later what I've done with what I've found....

That's it from me for now.... Have a lovely Sunday everyone ;)

Busy times....

It seems like I've transformed from just Plain Old Mom to Hockey Mom in the past 2 weeks.... It feels like all we've been doing is eating, sleeping, dreaming hockey.... It's a good thing we love it like we do....

Aaanyway, all of the crafting I had promised myself that I'd be doing after the new year has not materialized; not one bit. And now this week, I am extremely happy to report that I've been requested to fill an order for 5 skull and crossbones hats.... that makes a total of 7 hats that I need to complete within the next 2 weeks!!!! YAY!!!! I'm always open to new business :)

So, for the next couple of weeks, my hands will be busy.... happily busy :)

Have a great day everyone ;)

What's next, a wash board?

I've been making my own laundry soap for quite some time now... seems like forever, really... and I find it's been working just as well as commercial grade soap. Of course, I still use bleach once a month in my whites just to fight the dinginess that somehow overtakes anything that is white; and I can't seem to give up my fabric softener addiction.... admittedly though, I have cut back to half of what is suggested per softener usage and started buying bulk Costco brand instead of my favourite Downy scent.... Aaaanyway, here's the recipe for the soap if anyone is interested in trying it out:

Laundry Soap
1 bar pure soap grated fine (I use sunlight laundry bar)
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
3/4 cup baking soda

Mix everything together in a large freezer bag or an air tight container. Use 1-3 tablespoons depending on your machine and water hardness.


After much experimenting, this is the recipe that works best for my extremely hard water (that by the way, is also softened with a water softener...uggg, I hate hard water and so does my hair) and my 13 year old trusty Maytag top-loader. You can certainly use this recipe as a guide to find your own formulation... much is dependent upon your own water and machine...

This recipe makes roughly 32-48 loads (1-1/2 to 2 tbsp soap)... here's the cost breakdown of the ingredients:

Soap Bar $2.49 for a package of 2 (wal-mart or grocery store)
Washing Soda $5.99 3kg(Zehrs grocery store)
Borax $5.99 2kg(Sobeys grocery store)
Baking Soda $4.99 2kg(any grocery store)

I haven't yet calculated how many cups are in each ingredient box... and will keep track from now on, so I can give a more accurate price per batch... Roughly speaking though, each 32-48 load batch is under $4.00 .... but; this is also a variable cost, as the ingredient prices will vary from store-to-store and town-to-town and be dependent upon the bar soap you buy.... so many variables, is it really worth it???? I say yes... for me anyway... I like knowing what is going next to my children's skin, I like knowing that I am making a more environmentally friendly choice, and that I'm saving a little money too. Hey! Works for me!

There are soooo many recipes on the net if you're looking for something a little different, all you need to do is search Homemade Laundry Detergent... the possibilities and recipes are endless. You'll find recipes for liquid or powder... I like the idea of liquid; but, as I found it a little difficult to find a 5 gallon pail and the space in my crampy laundry room, I opted for the powder and have been very, very happy with my choice.

This time around, I chose Dr. Bonners Peppermint Castile Soap (available at most health food stores) which was definitely not cost effective; but every now and then I like to change the scent up a bit... and a light minty scent is very energizing... I guess my point in this is that I know the ingredients, they're pure and natural and not toxic to my family.

Have a fantastic Monday everyone ;)