by This is Carrie on February 3, 2013
Even though I live in the Antique Capital of Southern California, I rarely purchase clothing at the many antique and vintage stores that surround me. Most of the time, I just can’t bear to pay the inflated cost when someone else has to find me the “good stuff” when I love to find the “good stuff” on my own at thrift stores and garage sales. But, there are times when I pop in to check out a new antique mall and find something I just can’t pass up. This time it was a women’s maxi skirt striped with trim and multi-colored embroidery for $20. It was far to heavy and crazy to stay a maxi skirt for my taste so I hacked off the bottom, making myself a quick, above the knee skirt. The excess skirt material was just enough to make Pumpkin a fancy t-shirt dress. Two pieces of clothing made the $20 price tag a little easier to stomach for this thrifter.
Basic Steps:
Supplies: rectangular skirt piece (already hemmed), old t-shirt, 1 1/4″ elastic (I dyed my white elastic to a vintage brown color)
-Mark waist on the t-shirt at cut off excess fabric length
-Cut elastic the same length as the circumference of the shirt + 1″ for seam allowance.
-Sew elastic in a loop with a 1/2″ seam allowance.
-Divide the elastic into fourths and mark. Divide the skirt top into fourths and mark. Matching 1/4 marks, stretch the elastic while sewing to the skirt (with wrong side of elastic overlapping onto right side of skirt). A zig zag stitch will allow the elastic to stretch after it’s sewn.
-Sew the other edge of elastic onto the bottom of your shirt using a zig zag stitch.
by This is Carrie on January 17, 2013
With the 2nd annual Tinkerbell Half Marathon just a few days away, I realized I never completed my Disneyland Half Marathon race recap. I have to say, the Disneyland Half Marathon is my FAVORITE race of the year. Not only does it hold a special place in my heart for being my very first half marathon (recap of the 2009 race here), it is the most well organized, entertaining, and best race course of the year. If you’re a runner (and even if you’re not), the Disneyland Half Marathon should be on your “bucket list”. This year, the new highlights of the course were running through the new, neon-lit Cars Land in Disney’s California Adventure Park and the miles of course lined with amazing classic cars and muscle cars. Of course, the “old” highlights were still there too: running through the castle and Angels Stadium amid the cheers of cute boy scouts and girl scouts. Having something interesting to look at and loads of cheering fans, really helps the miles pass by quickly. I promise you, RunDisney knows this better than any other race organizer.
Of course, one of the best parts of the race is coming up with a race costume for Elise, Kelly and I (incorporating ourSparkle Athletic skirts of course). Kelly’s idea to be Fireside Girls from the cartoon Phineas and Ferb was brilliant. We regularly got mistaken along the course for plain, old Girl Scouts, but for those fans who knew, they really knew and they let us know. And you wouldn’t believe how comfortable it is to run in a beret.
You can’t run a Disney race and not get the very best race bling. This year, my goal is to complete the “Coast to Coast” challenge so I can add one more medal to my wall of Disney bling.
And you can’t run every Disney race without picking up a few new friends along the way. Check out Joe Taracani’s The Marathon Show and be inspired and entertained by his enthusiasm for marathons!
The 2012 Disneyland Half Marathon brought me a Disneyland course PR which I was happy to take.
Race Stats:
Time: 1:47:33
611th out of 14,829 runners
35th in my division of 1,647
Check out more posts about the Disneyland Half Marathon:
How to prepare for a RunDisney race
by This is Carrie on January 15, 2013
When I got my hands on Deborah Moebes’ (of Whipstich) second sewing book, Stitch Savvy, the “Lovie Blanket” was the first project to jump out at me.
This project is one part stuffed animal…
…and one part “blankie”.
My babies have always been attached to their minky blankets and a travel-sized one as cute as this would have been fun to have.
Stitch Savvy comes with all the pdf patterns on a handy-dandy cd which made it very convenient and quick to get started (that is once I chose the fabric from my stash–which took me FOREVER).
Every project in the book is aimed at helping you master new skills. Helpful sewing tips and techniques, all written in the distinct voice of the lovely, funny and talented, Deborah Moebes (who I was lucky enough to room with at Sewing Summit), are littered throughout the book . For example, the Luvie Blanket project helps you step out of your “I only sew with cotton fabric” comfort zone with easy to follow instructions on how to work with faux fur.
I appreciated the suggestion to line the blanket with a satiny fabric for a “cool, smooth touch” but I had already picked out a yarn-dyed cotton and a printed cotton, so I ended up making three little Lovie Blankets. My next three friends who have babies are in for a treat!
One of the best features of the Stitch Savvy is the suggested “next steps” at the end of every project which help build on the skills you’ve just learned while adding new skills. I highly recommend this book to every beginner and intermediate sewer out there. If you’re a quilter, you’ll feel comfortable with some projects but will be pushed through others to explore home dec and apparel sewing. If you’re an apparel sewist, you’ll feel comfortable with some projects but will also be pushed to learn new skills and venture into the world of quilting. I think I might actually give that Improvisational Landscape quilt a try someday.
by This is Carrie on December 4, 2012
I’ve had this old, designer, size 6 pattern pinned up on my sewing inspiration board since Princess was 6. She’s 10 now. I decided to take it to Sewing Summit as one of my late night sewing projects since Pumpkin is 7 and is almost too big for it too.
Pumpkin picked out this sweet dot from my fabric stash (an M&L steal from ages ago at 2.98 a yard)
It was far more complicated than I had planned on (I don’t think I’ve sewn a placket since college and I’m very particular about getting the piping set in just right) but I got it finished after 2 nights of sewing. If only I could get Pumpkin to love it as much as I do so it doesn’t sit in the closet and collect dust before it gets too small, I’d consider the project a huge success.
by This is Carrie on November 23, 2012
Once your Baby turns 2, do you have to stop calling him Baby?
I hope not.
P.S. Birthday Morning Donut Cakes have become a tradition in our family, completely replacing the traditional birthday cake. When we don’t have a big party (every other year), we invite the neighborhood kids to come over in their jammies to help celebrate. I highly suggest it.
by This is Carrie on November 20, 2012
My kids are always looking for ways to earn money. It might have something to do with me always responding “save your money!” to their every candy and toy request. Starting young, I have payed them for odd jobs around the house, but the girls have quickly realized being your own boss beats being an “employee” or a “contract worker”. Being your own boss also means endless possibilities for cash earnings as evidenced by my ten-year old’s successful Cake Pop/Bon Bon business. What does this have to do with face paint? Well, with the help of Klutz Face Painting book, it looks like face painting might turn into a new, child-owned business in this house.
With easy-to-follow instructions and all the supplies included, the Klutz Face Painting book quickly taught my 10 year old daughter and her best friend some pretty impressive face and body painting skills that got the attention of all the neighborhood kids. After a little practice on each other, the kids were lined up and willing to pay a quarter a design.
With just a little more practice, I think they could hit the neighborhood birthday party circuit and make a little college money.
You can find the Klutz Face Painting book as well as a bunch of other fun and creative titles that will no doubt promote entrepreneurship in your kids at Klutz.com (and they are now packaged in easier to wrap shapes just in time for holiday gift giving).
If you love Klutz as much as we do, enter the Wrap It Up With Klutz! Sweepstakes every week until November 26th for a chance to win some prizes too! Ten winners each week win 10 Klutz Titles!
Disclosure: I’m thrilled to be a Klutz Books Ambassador for this holiday season. I’ve been a Klutz fan since I was a kid when I got my first Klutz book about games you can play with a Koosh Ball. Yes, I’m that old. I’ve bought numerous Klutz books for my kids and others over the years. They are definitely my “go to” birthday & holiday gift. While I received compensation as well as a gift or sample of a Klutz product for consideration in preparing to write this content, all thoughts and opinions are my own. I assure you my undying love and adoration for the Klutz brand was not bought, it was cultivated over 20 years of great and real experiences with the company.
by This is Carrie on November 19, 2012
by This is Carrie on November 18, 2012
by This is Carrie on November 14, 2012
I pieced together my very first quilt at Sewing Summit 2012 with the help of all the amazing quilters (especially Danny from Mommy for Reals) during free sewing time. They shared their tips & tricks, giving me the confidence to cut my pile of vintage, new and scrap fabrics. I wanted it to look like a old quilt you might be lucky enough to find in a thrift store.
Even though it’s just a small, 30″x30″ baby blanket, it’s made up of 100 tiny squares. It’s machine quilted it to a thin piece of natural cotton using my new best friend, 505 Spray to keep it from shifting around. Since my corners didn’t all match, I decided to straight stitch parallel lines along the long seams where the corners did match.
The key to any good “blankie” is the super soft backing. I picked up some “minky” during my last trip to downtown LA (not that it was any cheaper, but there always seems to be more interesting choices). You can find similar, embossed minky HERE.
I think the recipient approves of her new blankie.
by This is Carrie on November 13, 2012
Since we lived in NYC for almost seven years, the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Sandy is close to our hearts. While our friends who still live in the area fared well, many people did not. After showing the kids photos and video of the areas that were most affected by the storm, they decided to pool the “sharing” money they’ve saved over the past few months to send needed supplies to the Occupy Sandy team in Brooklyn. Whatever you may think of the effectiveness of their Occupy Wall street operation, there is no denying the amazing things this group is doing in the trenches of hurricane Sandy recovery.
With their $48 the kids settled on a few packs of face masks from the Occupy Sandy Amazon Registry. As instructed by the website, Princess immediately sent off an email to let the group know what had been ordered. You should have seen the smile on her face when she got this email from in return:
“WOW! We LOVE your support! You guys are amazing. Thank you so much for your donation! Face masks are so important – thank you guys for buying these for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. I hope all your friends from NYC are safe – take care and thanks again for helping out so many people in need!!!”
While “thank yous” are never expected, this one got the kids excited to do more. There may be a “Hot Cocoa for the Hurricane Victims” stand in works. Thank you “John H” for all you’re doing for the recovery effort and for taking the time to write that email.
You can find updates on the Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts and more ways to help HERE
