Reuse and Recycle

Hello all!  Hope you have been having a great week.  It's been so cloudy and rainy here for the last week.  I am hoping after this next storm moves out this weekend we can finally have some nice weather before it gets super hot.

I have a tutorial of sorts for you today.  I recently purchase a new wallet. I haven't had a new wallet in 8 years!  I wanted a wallet that was sort of a wristlet too.  I am going all the time and needed something that I could just grab without having to take my whole purse.  Well, I found that wallet at Maurices and fell in love!  The only problem is that it didn't have a place to put my cards.  So, I decided that I would reuse and recycle my old card slots from my old wallet and make it work for my new one.

( Let me begin this by saying sorry for the poor photo quality.  It did not occur to me until after I started to do a tutorial so, I just grabbed my phone for the photos.)

Here we go!  Here's my new wallet:

And here's my old one:

I know it's a sad sight but when it was new, it was very nice :)

First, I started by seam ripping out the card slot I wanted to use. 

Then I cleaned it up a bit and had to shorten it.  To do that I cut a bit off the top and then I just stitched it back together using my sewing machine.  I would not hand stitch this.  It was a little tough.  

Next, I took my card slot and found a fabric that I liked.  I ended up using this beautiful blue damask fabric.  It matched the brown really nicely.  I cut the fabric down, with a half inch seam allowance on all sides. Then I folded it in and ironed it into place.

Next, I started sewing.  I did a back stitch where I started my seam to give it a little strength.

I really like how it turned out!  It fits the wallet perfectly and I am able to hold all of my cards.

I hope you like my tutorial and if you have any questions just let me know.  Remember, if you can recycle something old and turn it into something new and fabulous, always go that route.  It's better for you, saves money, and better for the planet.

Hope everyone has a great Mother's Day weekend!

j.

Big Block Singsong Day!

First off, Hello!  I know I haven't posted in a long time and for that I am sorry. My kids keep me on my toes and working on my etsy shop has taken up a lot of time.  Also, I started homeschooling my daughter this year, so we have been super busy.  I do plan on sharing some great home school ideas through here so keep checking back.

My post today is about Big Block Singsong.  My son LOVES it!  I don't mind it either.  It's one of the few discs I can listen to in the car with the kids and not want to rip my hair out. The other two are the Tinker Bell soundtrack and the Rainbow Rocks soundtrack.  They have some pretty good songs. :)

Back to it, my son loves Big Block and his birthday was at the end of March.  I decided to to a Big Block party knowing that I would have to do majority of it on my own as they do not have any merchandise.  **Note to the makers of Big Block, if you did have merchandise I'm sure you make many children very happy!** 

I started with my idea for gifts.  I decided to make him a Super Stan doll, a Eats guy pillow, and a toy bag featuring counting bags with the clown block on them.  These are his favorite characters. I think they came out pretty good and he was super happy when he saw them.  I don't have a photo of that moment because I was so engrossed on whether or not his eyes would light up.  They did and he gave me a hint of a smile.  My little guy isn't one for the theatrics.  His sister is though and she was super excited about the Big Block toys.  

My next task was a cake.  I thought I would do a regular cake in primary colors so that it would be easier to get decorations.  I'm a Dollar Tree fan and I buy majority of my party decorations there.  No need to spend a ton of money on something that ends up in the trash in less than 6 hours. I had a friend who is a wonderful cake artist make me a fondant Big Block guy.  We chose the clown because that's one of his favorites and fits the birthday theme.  

Simple, but super cute and everyone really liked it.

I also decided to take an old box and paper it red to look like a Big Block guy.  He's so cute and such a big hit that now he is sitting in my daughter's room because she just loved it.

Because of the colors I chose it was super easy to pull this party off.  I only needed a few Big Block items to pull it together and show that it was themed with Big Block in mind. 

Last but not least, I ran to the store and grabbed a white tank and some transfer paper and made him a Big Block shirt.  He really liked this! Made one for sister too because she wanted to match.  

All in all it was a great party!  My son had a blast and everything ran like a dream.  Now, my next challenge, a Power Puff Girls party for my daughter in July.  Wish me luck :)

j

Hello all!

Hope all of you are well.  The new year is off to a great start so far.  My baby boy is getting ready to turn one and my sweet girl, Miss M, is having a fantastic time doing all the things that 6 year olds do.

Also, my little Etsy shop has been doing really well.  March in particular has been great so far.  I know that we are only a few days in but so far so good.  My treasury was featured on the front page yesterday for the first time ever!  This is huge.  There are a million wonderful collections with hundreds made everyday so I thought it was pretty cool that mine was chosen.  Aaaand, I was chosen as the spotlight seller on my fabulous etsy team for the month of March.  So, it's starting out to be a great month.

I have been working on some wonderful new shabby chic items for my shop too.  With the help of Pinterest, the shabby chic rustic style is becoming pretty popular.  Fine by me, I love that style!

Anyway, here are a few new items I have been working on.  And as always if you like what I see check out my shop Madi's Treasures, here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/madistreasures

Well, I am going to get off here.  My sweet husband has a movie that he has been dying to see, so I am going to enjoy my night with him.  Hope you all have a great weekend!

j

Hand Stamped Candles Tutorial

I know I have been long gone for quite some time but I'm back and I have a great excuse! I welcomed a handsome new baby boy, Mr. A. into the family 2 months ago. Trying to get back into the groove of having a newborn again has been exhausting! 

To make up for my time away I am going to give you the BEST tutorial EVER! I have found a great way to make blah candles fantastic candles! Check it out:

If you have any questions about any of the steps just let me know. I found it to be pretty easy and was even able to teach my niece and my mom how to do it too. Hope you have a good week and I will try to update more often :)

Bridal Perfection

I put together this lovely collection of bridal pieces that I have made for the wedding rush this Spring. If you love what you see, click on my shop front on the up left hand corner of my blog. It will take you right to my etsy shop. Some pieces are one of kind but others can be made for your bridesmaids. Just let me know.

I hope everyone has a good week! :)

Sweet Pea Garden Sprite

Hello all! I have been a busy bee, working on my etsy, crafting, scapbooking, working, and getting over a flu bug. Yuck! It's nice to have a moment to put my feet up and blog.

I just wanted to show you all one of the newest things I have been working on. It's called mixed media art and I think it came out really cute.



Well I hope everyone has a great day and don't forget to to click on my etsy store front to the right of your screen and check out all of my new goodies. :)

Hello!! Sorry I haven't posted in awhile but I have been really busy. I have been planning Spring activities for M, trying to get her into a pre-k summer program ( I succeeded), and scrap booking. I am really behind on my scrapbooks and need to get moving. I have all the stuff to do it just not the time. Also, I have been thinking of ways to get my etsy shop to look more professional. I am working out new photo ideas to make my items appeal more to prospective buyers.

I have also been working on some new items for my shop. I decided to put more work into hand bags and have been sketching ideas for that. I made this darling owl tote for my shop but I decided to keep it for myself. I love it that much.

I used some cute blue and green spring fabric and made an owl applique. I hand stitched the owl together and used chocolate colored corduroy fabric for the basic bag.

Well, I better get off here. I have a lot to do today and I am burning daylight. I hope everyone has a great Thursday and I will try to update this weekend. I do have to make a St. Patrick's Day skirt for M for her school party and a few other crafts to do and hopefully I will get them on here for you all. :)

New Valentine's Day Items!

Here are some new items I have been working on for Valentine's Day. I have a lot of new ideas and with all the new fabrics coming out for the spring season the idea are just flowing.




I am working on a couple of new things today and hope to have them done by the end of the week. I hope everyone had a nice weekend.

Easter Dress

Today I finally finished Madi's Easter dress. It is so cute and I love it. I purchased my fabric at Hobby Lobby. I got a yard and half of it and I'm glad I did because I used all of it.

We went out this afternoon to get some pics of her in it. The weather finally perked up and it is a lovely 70 degrees out. Madi enjoyed going out and running off some of her never ending energy and I got my money shot.




You know at $5 a yard making Madi clothes has really saved me money. Plus,her dress is one of a kind and made just for her so it fits perfectly. When you have a child who is almost 3 and wearing a size 4 already that comes in handy. Madi is really tall so it's hard to find dresses and pants that are long enough.

I started sewing almost 2 years ago and I have come a long way. At first I had no idea how to gather, sew a button hole, attach a zipper, or put on an applique. Thanks to You Tube and a few magazines I think I do pretty good work. Plus, it's fun and relaxing.

Well, I'm going to get off here and figure out what to make for dinner. I hope everyone is having a good week so far.

Primitive Easter Bunny

Here is my newest prim. Her name is Jilly Bean and she is making her debut just in time for Easter.

I have been working on her since last Friday and I am glad it's done. Her face took me five tries before I got it just right, kind of a pain in the rump. She is completely coffee stained and smells to sweet. Jilly comes complete with a chick-a-dee ornie that I think is so adorable.

She is my Easter gift to my mom. I really hope she likes her.