Hats

It seems I make hats a lot.  My friend told me that she likes to have her boys look like they are from the 1950's.  She asked me about making hats for her sons.  I decided to see what I could find.  I found a CUTE free pattern on line for a newsies hat.  I took an ACU that my friend gave me and I cut it up and used the pattern to make this.

Sorry the pictures are blurry.  I think the hat turned out cute. It is WAY to poofy for me so I am hoping in a couple of days I can re-make it with some minor adjustments to the pattern.  I can't find the pattern right now but I have company over and have been busy.  When I find it, I will add the link to the post here at the bottom.

Yummy Dessert

Last night we had the missionaries over from church for dinner.  I wanted to make something EASY for dinner and dessert.  I LOVE what I ended up making so I thought I'd share.  It is so easy too.  Here's what you need

Some kind of concentrate juice ( I choose pink lemonade and it was AWESOME )
vanilla ice cream
cool whip
butter ( Ironic after I just wrote about butter...)
grahma crackers
a little sugar

Here's what you do.  Take about half of a thing of vanilla ice cream and a can of juice from concentrate and put them in a bowl to melt together.

next take about half a thing of cool whip ( I wanted to save a little to go on top after it was done! ) and mix the cool whip, and the new ice cream mixture in a blender.  I did this just so that there weren't any ice cream lumps.  You could also do it in a standing mixer I am sure.

Next take your graham crackers ( I took two packages but mine was a little over kill ) and put them in a zip lock bag and beat them to death!

Take your rolling pin and roll out the chunks that did not break up.  Next add about 1/4 cup of sugar.  You can add more if you want it to be super sweet but mine was fine was just the 1/4 cup.  Next spread the graham cracker mixture in a pie pan on a cake pan.  Melt about 6 or so tablespoons of butter and pour on top of the graham mixture.  Mix this well and smash it to the pan like a pie crust.  Next pour the ice cream mixture on top and them stick it in the freezer.  I took it out while we were eating dinner so that it would soften slightly and then I cut it up and added a little spoonful of cool whip on top!  IT WAS SO YUMMY!  I loved it and the sour pink lemon aid was PERFECT with the graham cracker.  I have also done this with a strawberry daiquiri and it was amazing too!  Try what you like but TRY IT!  It's such a good dessert for an easy but yummy summer dish!

Input

I know I do this a lot but I always second guess myself when it comes to creating things.  Do you guys think I should turn these flowers I just made into hair accessories with maybe some white or grey feathers coming off of them?  OR do you think I should leave them as is and turn them into shoe clips?  My original plan was shoes clips but now I am not so sure.  Any advice helps.  Thanks y'all!

The picture is not that great because it is from my phone but you get the idea!  :)

Butter or Margarine?

I have been gaining weight back.  It is not fun.  I go through ups and downs as far as my weight and the way I eat.  I have also been going through weeks of working off and then I get wrapped up in other things and don't work out for weeks.  This has got to end.  Monday my kid starts kindergarten.  My life is going to change.  I have decided that through that forced changed I will make many more.  One being eating better and working out.  So come Monday I am starting up my South Beach diet phase one.  It's tough but it gets your body rid of all the processed sugar.  After two weeks of no carbs you start adding it back but in the form of wheat flour in stead of white.  It's a great diet and the first two weeks are tough but you usually lose between 8 and 12 pounds.  I am hoping to lose at least 8!  We shall see what happens.

I get emails from the south beach diet web site and sometimes they are super informative.  The one they sent today I liked and thought I would repost for everyone.  I am not a fan of margarine and I LOVE butter.  So switching is hard for me.  Especially since I didn't think it was actually better for me.  This email helped.  hope it helps you too.

Which Is Better: Butter or Margarine?

In supermarkets across the country, butter and margarine battle over prime space on dairy shelves in an effort to win over consumers. But which is considered South Beach Diet-friendly?

The answer is trans-fat-free margarine (often labeled as vegetable-oil spread these days). The reason lies in the different types of fats that are contained in butter and margarine. Butter, made from animal fats, is high in artery-clogging saturated fats. Margarine, on the other hand, is made with vegetable oil, so it contains mainly polyunsaturated fat. But don't be deceived! While margarine contains less saturated fat than butter, the hard varieties (like stick margarine) are high in trans fats.

What Are Trans Fats?
Trans fats are manufactured in a process called hydrogenation, in which liquid vegetable oils are transformed into solid fats. They are used in foods like crackers, cookies, and pastries to improve their flavor and texture and to extend their shelf life. Like saturated fats, trans fats can raise LDL ("bad") cholesterol, but trans fats have also been shown to lower levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol. Studies have also shown that trans fats can increase the risk for obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. Not surprisingly, trans fats should be considered the worst fats of all and avoided.

The healthiest choice is a trans-fat-free liquid or tub margarine. It’s easy to make an informed decision about buying trans-fat-free products because in January 2006 the Food and Drug Administration required that the trans-fat content of packaged foods be included on the Nutrition Facts panel. The trans-fat number is listed after Total Fat and Saturated Fat, but only if the product contains 0.5 grams or more per serving. So be sure to check for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil in the ingredients list to avoid trans fats altogether.

If you've been diagnosed with high cholesterol, you may elect to use one of the cholesterol-lowering vegetable-oil spreads made with phytosterols, also known as plant stanols and sterols. These compounds, found in sources like soybean oils, can help in reducing blood-cholesterol levels when used regularly.

Happy eating everyone! 

I Heard Him Come

We are back from vacation and today is Sunday.  I felt inspired to share with you one of my favorite songs about Jesus Christ.  It's lovely.

ENJOY

Lyrics to I Heard Him Come :

I heard him come
I saw his very face
I wondered who
Would come into this place
Where dead men walk
And where the dying talk
Of life before
The curse upon them came.

He looked on me;
He must have felt my gaze
He came toward me,
Through the crowded maze,
And I a leper in shame, hid my head
Till someone said, Jesus, is his name
And he said,

Nations fall behind him
The rivers crawl to find him.
Mountains move
Just to let him through.
Come and never leave him
Just let your heart believe him.
And never let his light go
Never let your love grow dim.

He fed a thousand
With one loaf of bread
I saw him raise
A child from the dead
He healed the sick
The blind man saw his eyes
The lame man stood
And joyous were his cries
And he said:

Nations fall behind him
The rivers crawl to find him
Mountains move
Just to let him through
Come and never leave him
Just let your heart believe him
And never let his light go
Never let your love grow dim

I saw his pain
As they nailed him to a cross
Wish that we
Could understand the cost
He looked on me
As he had once before
Saying, Teach my word
To all forever more
And I'll say:

Nations fall behind him
The river crawl to find him
Mountains move
Just to let him through
Come and never him
Just believe
And never let his light go
Never let your light grow dim

New Things

I am adding some new things to the etsy shop.  I have been doing the bow ties here and there and I FINALLY decided to make some for the shop.  SOOOOO I ordered some bow tie hard ware so they could be adjustable.  I have only made two so far but they are CUTE!  I decided to also start adding some girl ones on both hair clips and on lace stretchy headbands.  Here are the two boy ones and the one girl one I have made so far.

I have lots more fabrics I can't wait to make bow ties with!  Now here's hoping they sale!!!  haha

I am in Utah right now, I am post dating these.  I hope everyone is having a great week!  I am SURE we are.

Pillow Case Dress

I know these are not knew.  In fact, I made my niece one like two years ago. It was the first thing I made when I got my sewing machine.  Which by the way means my two year anniversary is coming up with my sewing machine.  I think that means I need to have another giveaway!  We'll see come next month.

Any ways.  I went thrift store shopping a couple of weeks ago and got the CUTEST vintage ( at least they were old! ) pillow cases and flat sheet.  As soon as I saw them I knew I wanted to make my girl a pillow case dress.  It turned out SO cute too!  A lot of the time I make my daughter something she uses it once and then is over it.  She LOVED this dress and as soon as I put it on her she started to twirl.  Pretty much ALL of the pictures I took of her were blurry because of this.  She literately could not stop moving.  

She wore it to church so we put a white shirt under it.  I thought it looked even cuter like that!  My girl even let me do her hair which she does NOT let me do ever.  At first I did them in braided pig tails and it looked so cute.  About ten minutes later she brought me the rubber bands and said, "Here momma, here are my pretties back."  But then I convinced her to let me do a pony tail and put in a cute clip I made.   Check her out.

The nice thing was it took like 20 minutes to make it!  YEAH!

A Tooth

My friend Cari wanted me to make her son a tooth pillow.  Not sure what I mean?  It's a pillow for when your kid loses a tooth.  There is a pocket in it for them to put their tooth in for the tooth fairy.  I got the idea from MMMMCrafts.  I fyou go to her blog she has a free template you can print out and use.  The boy versions she has on her blog are things like, a police officer.  Cari wanted me to do a pirate one and I thought that sounded like a great idea.  So I drew a sketch of what I wanted it to look like.

And this is why I TAKE pictures rather then draw them.  haha  I am NOT an artist.  SOOOO this is what I came up with.

I think it came out cute.  Cari sent me a picture of her son holding the pillow smiling.  Hopefully that means he likes it.  If you have a kid who hasn't had any teeth fall out yet you should check out the tutorial and free printable here   

In The Mood

I have been WANTING to sew lately but have had several other things going.  My sister was here visiting along with my other friend Kevin.  We had lots going on while they were here.  My house, when they left was a MESS.  Like horrible mess.  Kayla was best buddies with her cousin Jacob who crawls.  She would crawl on the floor with him and says, "Come on baby Jakey"  It was so cute.  Then he would smile and laugh and follow her.  She would also dump out EVERY little thing she thought he would like to play with and spread it out all over the floor.  You could barely walk in my living room.  I have no idea how they were crawling on it.

Any ways.  We had lots going on after they left too.  I FINALLY got about 25 clips to the shop here where I live.  I am both nervous and excited to have something in a store for sale.  I have no clue if any of them will sale.  If they don't sale, then it will be kind of disappointing.  The good news is that I am in no contract or anything and my first month of rent space is free.   Take my advice people, if you have a skill you are good at always ask if someone is willing to trade services.  The shop I was going to be selling hair clips at was having problems taking pictures and getting them on facebook.  I told them I was a photographer and asked if they would be willing to have me come do pictures for them and I could get rent space free for the first month.  They said yes!  WOO HOO  Here are some pictures I took of their shop

It's a pretty cute shop!  The good news is that no one else sales hair clips either so the only hair clips in there are mine!  I made some cute stuff for the shop too.  But because I have been doing hair clips like crazy, I am not in the mood to do some for my etsy shop.  Maybe in a week or so I can duplicate some for my etsy shop because some of them were really cute.  Here is a picture of all of them together.

I have more crafts to write about but I don't want to write them all in the same post so I'll write more soon.  I need to shower and go over my lesson for church today.  It's a pretty intense lesson that I am praying I can get through.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Today is thursday. I am having a crappy week. It makes thankful thursdays kinda hard. I am thankful for so many things. When I am having a bad day I usually miss my husband a lot. He has been having a crappy week too. Some of our reason are the same, some are different. We are both amazed lately at how many people SAY they will do something but DON'T. It amazes me when how bad the economy is, and how much people need business right now, they are not pulling their weight. We have had family members totally let us down, lawyers NOT call us back and real estate agents who ignore our calls. Seriously? Do you NOT want our business? I thought EVERYONE right now needed and wanted business but I guess not.

SOOOOOOO for today I am going to name something simple. I am thankful for my new business cards! haha I ordered some new cards for my photography since my old ones say Serving the Central Texas Area. I really liked my old cards so I did something almost exactly the same. I changed things up slightly. In stead of business cards, I got postcards! I LOVE THEM! They are so cute and I love that they are big enough to see the pictures well on them. I have seen photographers do this a couple times over the last year and every time I found one, got given one or picked one up somewhere, I just loved how big and colorful they were. So you want to see?

Sorry it's a bad picture.  It was taken with my cell phone.  SOOO who wants one?  :)

Lady Bug Purse Tutorial

So who wants to make a cute ladybug purse?  I am telling you this was EASY, quick and my daughter has taken it every where we have gone since I made it for her.  She LOVES it!  So here is what you need:

2 fat quarters
2 pieces of 14 inch ribbon
1 piece of 3 inch ribbon
two scrap pieces of fabric about 5 inches or so in all directions
interfacing ( optional )

READ INSTRUCTIONS ALL THE WAY THROUGH BEFORE SEWING!

I started out by cutting TWO pieces of fabric 11 1/2 inches tall by 11 inches wide from one fat quarter.  If you have pattern on your fabric that is directional ( meaning the pattern goes one way ) then make sure you cut it going the way you need it.  Mine needed to have the animals upright so I made sure to do so.

Do this with both fat quarters.  One will be the outside of the purse and one will be the inside.  If you want to interface it, do so now.  I decided for my daughter, it didn't really need it.  Don't know what interfacing is?  It is the stuff that makes purses stiffer and more padded.

Next you want to round the corners ( you don't HAVE to, but that is the look I wanted for my purse.  I didn't want it to just look like a cute tote, but a purse instead. )  I just grabbed a bowl from my cupboard and used that to outline a curved edge.  Make sure to do it to both the left and right corners of the bottom of the fabric like so

Again, make sure you do this with all four of the pieces of 11 1/2 X 11 inch pieces.  

Next you want to pick a color for the lady bug.  I picked some pink fleece.  If you are doing a lady bug like me you want it to be an exact circle.  I used another bowl that was slightly smaller then the one I used to round out my edges.  It turned out to be about 5 1/2 X 5 1/2 inches all the way around.  Yours can be whatever size you want!

Next I made another circle cut out for the wings.  I chose a black and white polka dots so it could be close to what a real lady bug looks like but anything works well.

Here are my circles.

Next I took the circle that would become the wings and folded it in half and then cut it down the center.  This gave me two pieces like so

HOWEVER, this part is up to you.  The one I saw in the store had wings that were much smaller.  I played around with this and I liked the big wings because that is how a real lady bug would be.  YOU DO WHAT YOU LIKE!

Now, I didn't have any iron on adhesive and so I used some spray on glue.  Very clever I thought until I noticed I sprayed it all over my hand and everything was sticking to it!!!   Not cool...

Place your lady bug how you want it on the out side of your fabric.  I over lapped my wings a little because again, I LIKED it like that!  Do what you like....

I then did a zig zag stitch all the way around the wings and body.  This is going to get repetitive but seriously do it how you think it will look cute.  I think the zig zag kinda ties everything together.

Looking cute right?  Now I took a round piece of tule ( you know the kind they sell at the dollar tree in the wedding section ) and scrunch it in the center and pin it to the lady bug over the wings right in the center.

I LOVE the tule.....if you don't like it, scratch it!


Next take your 3 inches of ribbon for the antennas.  There are a couple of things you can do.  I just pinch mine in the center and folded it over and glued it.  If you want to make the antennas a little cuter you could tie knots on the ends.  The version I saw did this.  I was just too lazy and the ribbon I liked was a little too fat for that.

Next glue it to the button of your choice.  Or whatever you think would make a cute head.  I thought a button was a good idea but you could get really creative with that.  And then I got lazy again and instead of sewing the button on, I glued it.

Now that the outside is done you need to pin the two outside pieces with the right sides together and sew all the way around on the sides leaving the top OPEN ( i love how you can still see all the black lint stuck to my fingers!  haha )

Put the top off to the side and do the same with the inside pieces ( if you want pockets on the inside you must do so now BEFORE sewing it together.  Since mine was for a 2 year old I felt pockets to be unnecessary )

When sewing the inside together ( right sides together again ) make sure to leave an opening on the bottom.  A good 5 to 7 inches.  This is so you can turn the bag right side out in a minute.  What I do to remind meyself so I don't forget and just keep on sewing is I do a double pin where I want to stop sewing.

In the picture above you would NOT sew in between the two sets of double pins.

Next I clip the corners and I iron open the seams.

If you have NEVER made a purse before this next part will seem weird.  Trust me though...I have made about 40ish purses!

Take the outside of the bag and turn it so it is wrong sides facing together ( in other words, what it will look like when the bag is ALL done! )  Then take the INSIDE of the bag and put it over the outside of the bag so that the right sides of both fabrics and facing each other.  Check out the picture if you are confused.  It should look like this

Next you take those seams you ironed open and line them up and pin them together ( with the seams still open )

Next you want to take your 14 inch ribbon and pin it where you want your straps to be.  Honestly if you are smart ( unlike me ) you will do this BEFORE pinning the two together.....I forgot, however and had to do it on this step.  Also, look at my picture below:  you will notice that my ribbon was sliding sideways.  You do NOT want that to happen!!!  If you do then your straps will be crooked.  I had to fix this a million times before I sewed it down.  If you are smart ( unlike ME! ) pin the strap to the outside of the fabric BEFORE putting the inside over and lining up the side seams.  It seems fussy but it will be worth it I promise!  Also, make sure you pin the strap in between the two.  If you pin it to the outside of everything right now, when you go to turn your purse the right way, your straps will be trapped between the two fabrics.

Next you want to sew all the way around the top of your bag.  You are ALMOST done!  WOO HOO

After you sew around the top you may be wondering how you are going to pull the whole purse the right way.  Have no fear!  Do you remember that hole we left in the bottom of the inside of the purse?  Find that hole, put your hand in it and pull the OUTSIDE of the bag through it like so

It should look like this when you pull it through  ( at this point your daughter might come to see whats going on and get REALLY excited to see something you made for her! )

Next you want to shove the inside of the bag....well....in the INSIDE!  And then iron down the top of the bag and stitch across the top again to make sure the lining stays down.  Also, it just looks cuter when you finish the top.  I again used a zig zag just because I think it fit with everything else better.

Next do you remember that stupid  dumb hole in the bottom of the lining?  ( I'm not aloud to say stupid because I get yelled at by my 5 year old for saying a bad word.  Aunt Kimmie got yelled at a LOT while she was here last week haha

You want to tuck under the seam and iron it down.  Then pin it closed and sew it down.

You could also just sew it by hand.  I was just lazy and I like to think that when I sew it by hand it makes it slightly weaker.  Then again, my daughter is putting really small things in here so far.  She had some crayons, some bracelets and some puzzle pieces in it all weekend.

You now have an adorable new purse for your daughter, grand daughter, sister, friend, niece or heck, yourself!

I was thinking of all of the fun animals you could do instead of a lady bug.

butterfly
monkey
OWL ( i'm gonna try that one! )
caterpillar
hippo

all sorts of fun and easy different shapes and sizes.  I would LOVE to see if anyone does one.  Send me a link if you do and if I get enough of them I will make a new blog in a month or so and post all of them who send them in.  Either leave a link in the comments or email me at  katiesclicks at yahoo dot com.

I hope everyone had a great Monday!  Mine was awful!  haha  I woke up to realize it was that "time" of the month, my kids were PMSing WAAAAAAAAY worse then I was and I had a bunch of errands to run.  Not cool.  Then my husband came home and he was in a bad mood too which just made everything worse.  Now the kids are in bed, the house is quiet and we are both typing away on our lap tops.  Him doing homework ( he is ALMOST done with his first bachelor's degree!  His second one should be done by April! ) and I am changing the craft world one tutorial at a time....okay not really but hopefully at least ONE person enjoys this tutorial and gives it a try.  :)

Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any questions.

I'm linking up to some parties through out the week...