by Andrea | Oct 10, 2015 | Baby, DIY, Sewing, tutorials
Hipster Baby Sewing Love Tutorial Back Story:
I’m always inspired to create something new when I have too much to do. Creativity never occurs out of boredom. At least not for me. It’s usually a product of boundaries. Or limitations. Mine were time, money, and boy fabric.
So anyway, my bestie and I are due with babies a week apart! I know right?! So we had a mutual friend throw us a double shower! She managed to sew me up some Hipster Baby Love for the Baby Shower, I had good intentions too and that was it. New job, four kids, husband in school full time….I just didn’t get there.
{ For the first three months of her and my pregnancy I did NOT know I was PREGNANT. She was so sick and miserable and I was all like ” Oh gosh, I’m sorry your so sick, lets go to Trader Joes and get snacks!” Then she went with me to my first ultrasound and the lady was like “your 17 weeks”, and we looked at each other and laughed! }
I finally stole a few hours one Saturday to sew her up some little things for the baby boy….I don’t get to sew baby boy stuff very often cause we don’t make those around here, and as I was digging through some scraps of fabric I came across some sweet red and black buffalo check from Christmas Jammies last year and the spark was ignited! Then I found some light brown velour and a hipster baby lumberjack theme popped into my head and I couldn’t do anything but sew. But then I realized how much she loves serged edges on things and I had to go to Joannes and buy brown and black serger thread. AND CHANGE MY SERGER THREAD. THAT IS TRUE LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP.
First I cut up some velour into harem pants by tracing the pants she had made for me! She later shared the pattern she used with me. It’s by Brindille and Twig! I love her patterns!
TUTORIAL:
Trace the pants from baby pants you already have or buy the pattern from Brindille and Twig Here.
Cut out a little lumberjack triangle for the back of your pants and serge around it. Top stitch it to the back of the pants. Then serge front and pack pants together.
Next make cuffs and waistband….
I estimated the cuffs, I cut two 6″ x 6″ pieces of black jersey ribbing. (I miraculously had this in my stash as well….Thanks MOM) I did this wrong. The waist I measured at 5″ x 14″. When sewn length wise first, you then get 3″ wide cuffs and 2.5″ waistband. The steps would be: 1. sew lengthwise….2. turn inside out… 3. sew open ends all together. But then you have a bulky seam. {#facepalm} I have sewn waist bands for maxi dresses before. All I can do is blame this on pregnant brain.
I SHOULD HAVE: sewn/serged the short sides together, then folded in half with the seam to the inside. This would make a perfect cuff or waistband ready to attach to the pants. Again, let’s blame it on being pregnant.
Attach the cuffs and waistband by turning the pants inside out and clipping to the bands. Then serge or zigzag sew while stretching to fit.
HOW CUTE ARE THESE!
THE CHANGING PAD:
I started in on a changing pad with a pocket. Sort of a campy sleeping bag look! I used microfiber black polar fleece, brown velour, and flannel buffalo check. I made the pocket by serging around the brown stretch velour. Then I clipped all three layers together and serged. Have you seen these Clover Wonder Clips? They are the best! You can get them on Amazon for a great deal or use your coupon at JoAnnes! I made my pad really long but it is thin and you can roll it up and stick it in your diaper bag. You can add some wipes and diapers to the pocket and fold up also. The velour, fleece, flannel combo sort of stick to themselves which is nice.
I repeated this cut, clip, and serge method for my two layer burp cloths with brown velour and buffalo check flannel. I made them 7″ x 14″. Then I cut out two 36″ squares of fabric for the swaddle. I made the swaddle of black jersey stretch knit and brown stretch velour with a triangle in the corner for hipster style 🙂 I think swaddles are better when stretchy. Wonder Clipped. Serged. Bam. Your Welcome. I love them.
THE CARDI:
Last but not least we have the essential cardi. All you need is a good soft onsie. I felt it crucial that the onsie be off white. I don’t why. It just looked better. I found one at Old Navy’s half off baby sale while buying my oldest child all new clothes. Because she grows out of all her clothes every two months right now. It’s killing me. 11 yr olds don’t like shopping. For this third excruciating trip, I left her at home and picked everything out myself. She stayed home and watch Dr. Who. It was a win win.
Oh right, THE CARDI! Grab a black fabric marker and sketch plan first with pencil. I got this marker at Michaels and it doesn’t require heat setting. But I have not tested it to see how long it lasts through washes. I had a hard time deciding between pocket with glasses, suspenders, or bowtie….Obviously pocket, cardi, & glasses won. My husband thought it might be cute to draw a pipe or cigar in the pocket, which I agreed. But some people wouldn’t find it as funny as us, so I caved and stayed conservative. Here it is:
by Andrea | Aug 29, 2015 | DIY, handmade
Can you smell the freshly sharpened pencils and cool crisp EARLY morning air? IT’s BACK TO SCHOOL TIME! Back to a routine, and waking up early and remembering to brush your teeth and admire the new waxy crayons that will soon be peeled and broken. I love it. I love fall. I love planning teacher gifts! Fall Wreaths! I get in super high Martha Stewart Gear and make PUMPKIN EVERYTHING. The struggle is real. But it’s not a struggle, I truly love fall and to me, it’s the most wonderful time of the year!
I have been reading up on what teachers really like to get for gifts, especially since I’m teaching a little this year! There are numerous pinterest posts on the topic. The most helpful ones were written by….. teachers. Yeah. They are special people and they don’t do what they do for the money…so I try really hard every year to make sure my girls teachers feel loved and appreciated. The top recommendations were:
1.)Gift Cards
2.)Thoughtful personal notes and handmade items from students
3.)Useful things that aren’t just for teaching
4.)Yummy Foods in small amounts/single servings
I decided on tote bags that were filled with yummy treats. But here’s the thing. I did not know how absolutely busy and tired I would be tackling the enormous task of getting 4 children ready for school and teaching and working on a new website and being pregnant with number 5. I’m a classic first – child. Overly ambitious, task oriented, always making big plans in my head and overestimating my super woman powers. I hit the wall. I designed three fun KC Royals tote bags to give the girls teachers in my head and ONLY. MADE. ONE. I tested the perfect pumpkin muffin recipes until I found the right one, but when Sunday night came I had to be realistic and go to bed at a reasonable hour and give myself grace. And we had all eaten the pumpkin muffins. Except for Cranky Bear. He was on a diet. and boy was he cranky when he smelled those delicious little guys.
So this week after recovering from the first week of new everything, I regrouped and made my pumpkin muffins from Sally’s Baking Addiction.com and only gave the kindergarten teacher a handmade tote avec pumpkin muffin. I’m really happy with it though! WE are big Royals Fans here in KC. I have been loving all the handmade Royals Fan gear and art and was inspired to make my own. I’m excited to make more!
We bagged the rest of the giant muffins into cute brown paper bags with windows, and they were much appreciated. One teacher commented on the fact that she didn’t have time to get breakfast that day and it was perfect timing. I love it when God seems to work even those little details out.
Well Here’s the Tote. I’ve added it to my little Etsy shop, Handful Of Arrows, if you want one! If time permits, I may get the other designs out of my head and add those too! If you’d like to make your own here’s what I did:
-Bought a premade canvas tote and some Tulip Brand Fabric Paint Markers from Michaels….
-Drew my design out, copied it onto my tote in pencil.
-Traced my design with the markers. All you do is press it with a thin dish towel on top and a hot iron to set the ink.
Let’s Go Royals Lets’s Go!!!!
by Andrea | Aug 19, 2015 | Graphic Design, Home Decor, Interior Design
I’m like a 100% sure that Creative Market is THE BEST thing that has ever happened to me graphic design wise. (Cue “I love technology…………but not as much as you you see!” from Napoleon Dynamite.) I want to be that designer that makes everything from scratch using my wacom tablet and my imagination. But alas, real life “gets in the way” and the MOST IMPORTANT WORK is of course asking me for pancakes and juice in the morning and needs clean laundry to wear and books read to them. So, until my littles aren’t so little anymore and life isn’t so full, I”ll leave the amazingness to the independent artists that make up the awesomeness that is Creative Market. They have the latest and trendiest fonts, web site themes, graphic clip art, hand drawn illustrations, logo templates……..
The other best place to buy graphics is Etsy, OF COURSE! Both of these sites are supporting real live independent makers! Check out this collection of printables I was able to make for my job at the girlies school this week! I bought a package of cute clip art on Etsy from Graphic Grace Design. We are having a big growth spurt in our Classical Christian School and space is a big problem…The Lord has given our school some modular units that will be put together and remodeled this fall for more classroom space. So until that is finished, we will be in a “wilderness” period. That means driving my kids to THREE DIFFERENT CAMPUSES for school. I’ll be teaching at the Secondary Campus with The Boss Lady, The Doodle will be in 4th grade at the Elementary Campus and my sweet Hayler Bunkity will be starting Kindergarten at the temporary location. In an effort to communicate how this season will look my friend and PTF Coordinator came up with a great campaign to help everyone understand how awesome this is. Plus we could NOT EVEN help ourselves with all the cute teepees and adventure themed art at Hobby Lobby! So kudos to my friend Sara for the great idea and here are some Wilderness Prints available for your printing pleasure in my Etsy Shop. They would be great for a children’s room, homeschool room, boy’s nursery decor, or Sunday
School Room/Giveaway. Unlimited Personal Printing License for $5. I do ask that if you buy the pdf files, to please be respectful and don’t share the digital files. Every little bit helps 🙂
by Andrea | Aug 2, 2015 | DIY, Home Decor, Interior Design
Imagine going to Lowes with a $30,000 gift card……..You pick out all the things in the store you like and bring them home. Cabinets, countertops, various fans, pendant lights that strike your fancy, random favorite paint colors…I mean you just go to town.
When you get home and put it all up what is it going to look like? Will it create the look you want? Will it feel like home? Will it work for your family? Did they have everything you needed to create a cohesive space? Did those Octopus shaped cabinet pulls really go with your seeded glass pendants?
This is why you need a Design Board. Most women and men know what they want in a home, but getting there may be a challenging process. That’s why I make a design board for myself and my clients. We can visualize what everything is going to “do” together. We can see if you really want the “Farmhouse” kitchen or the “Mid Century Modern” living room before we spend all your money and you hate it. You can make your own. It’s as simple as searching the internet and stores for various items, then cutting and pasting or dragging and dropping them into a visual display. It’s a “google spreadsheet for interior design nerds” if you will.
To give you an example, here is a recent series of design boards I made for a client. They are helping this (sweet) family to formulate a plan with-in their budget to create the home they need for their family and friends, their job and ministry. It was such an honor and delight to help them and I enjoyed it swatch by swatch!
I also included a detailed shopping list of resources and service providers for their job. It was a win – win. They get what they want in their budget without having to hire someone to manage the entire process. Although I can do that for you if prefer:)
Happy Designing! -Andrea
by Andrea | Jul 18, 2015 | Faith, Home Decor
Everyone has cares….anxiety, problems they can’t solve. Families are broken, hearts are hurting. Souls are always looking for an escape or a fulfillment…My cares are not your cares and vice versa. If you want to discuss them just send me an email 🙂 My problems are real and pressing. No perfect life here. But if we are in Christ, He is using all these to draw us to Him. Yes, affliction people. It’s not pretty. It’s also not fair. Key word “affliction”……When my heart was especially anxious and distraught, a friend gave me this verse printed on a piece of paper to hang in my room.
“I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.” Psalm 119:75
What do you think about that? Do you believe God’s Word? In faithfulness, HE HAS AFFLICTED YOU? WHAT? Can we take a minute to grasp what this implies? That he actually sees good in the trials He has allowed into your life? That the money in your bank account or lack there of is ON PURPOSE. The pain in your joints and the cries of your children are for YOUR GOOD. The hurt in your heart and the betrayal you are experiencing IS THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD to YOU for your future good? The great thing about God is that when You are His, He cares for you. There is nothing that can separate you from the love that He has for you and He is actively working all the things of your life together for your good and His glory.
Why? It’s called sanctification.
“because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Hebrew 12:6
“They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.” Hebrews 12:10
So yeah. Things happen everyday. But they are no accident. We have idols in our hearts. We need change and repentance and more faith and trust and a fully surrendered life to God. He sees this before we do. What are we to do about this? Do we lie awake at night making spreadsheets and problem solving and replaying offense and wrestling with God? Well you can, but night girl always ruins morning girl….and it probably won’t get you anywhere but more exhausted.
Instead, decide to train your mind to put all that on God, and go to sleep. HE will get you through the unbearable. HE is our peace.
For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. Ephesians 2:14
People might not change or apologize or want reconciliation, circumstances may never get better, things may not make sense.
“Cast your cares on the Lord, and He will sustain you.” Psalm 4:8
Friends, I can only say this because I was and am being afflicted. May your soul be filled with peace and may you find rest in the One who satisfies.
