Winter fashion hats..

So I've been combing manufacturers for some cute hats to offer up to customers at fabulous prices.  I bet I've looked at well over 500 hats... and I'm thankful that I'm not an impulsive shopper!   The first hat I ordered was adorable and I opened it up to pre-orders and received a lot of pre-orders on the hat.  I recently ordered a second style hat and I LOVE it .. but had a (clear the children from the area) HELL of a time getting photos taken of it.  There were two problems with the photos... 1) I was in them  2) the lighting was horrible.   SO... here's what the hats are supposed to look like:

Now... I have a TON of hair as you will see in the pictures below.  So the hat didn't look the same on me no matter how hard I tried to manipulate it around.  I still LOVE the hat because it's super soft and really cute but I realize more now than ever that I will never like taking "selfies" .. I will dislike them, always!

So here are my attempts to show you all what the hat looks like without including a full-on face shot because someone was too lazy to put make-up on and look presentable.  And YES.. that's a Green Bay Packer sweatshirt I have on which I'm sure I'll catch a lot of greif for ;)

I will be opening this up for pre-orders within the next week or so ... too cute to pass up.  It comes in black, pink, red, brown, grey and cream.  You will see in the very last photo, I gave up and finally just held the back side of the hat up so you could see that it is, in fact, a slouch hat.

 

Happy Friday!!

-Amy

The Season is coming... the Season is coming...

That's right! The Season is coming... ..you know which one I'm talking about ... the leaves start changing colors ..the air gets a little more crisp ..it gets a little cooler but not too cold.  Fall is just around the corner and I couldn't be more excited.  I absolutely Love Fall!

I'm already making Fall items .. I received an order for some  infinity scarves today which I'm so excited about because I LOVE making them.  I just started making them out of pure baby alpaca (wool) and there is only one word to describe them... "heavenly".  I so lucked out when finally finding the right stitch to make them with.  I just recently learned how to knit so I was pretty pumped that I picked it all up so quickly so far.  There's a huge difference between knitting and crocheting.  I'd say I'm an expert at crocheting but only a novice at knitting, however, knowing something about both is a good thing. 

I could ramble on and on about knitting and crocheting and sewing ... but I wont!

So some exciting projects coming up.  I'm making boot cuffs..they were a hit last year so they will be making another appearance this year.  Like I said, I just received a larger order for my baby alpaca infinity scarves so I'll be busy making those too!  Also... I'm going to start making Womens headbands in the coming weeks... I have the material all ready to go .. I just need to find the time now.  They will be SO darling ...just wait and see!  

So I have a lot of irons in the fire right now.  I'm going to scale back on purchasing non-handmade items for a bit so I can dive into more of the handmade items... because let's face it, handmade items rule!   Plus, my heart is with handmade and not pre-made.   I'm also making this super cute long jean skirt which will be made from a pair of jeans and some ruffle material.  A customer asked if I could do it for her and it was too cute to pass up ..and she's a great person too:)   So from now until the end of March, I'll be super busy!

I'll try and search for a good DIY project to share this week.  They are always fun!  Until then, take care ..and happy crafting!

Best,

Amy

Basketweave Quilt Tutorial

Here's the link to the quilt tutorial.  I will say, I dont think it was as "quick" as is states to make .. it's a little tricky keeping everything lined up perfectly, etc. but if you take your time it'll turn out cute:) 

Here's the link:

http://www.honeybearlane.com/2012/02/basketweave-quilt-pattern.html

Thanks,

Amy

Checking in...

I haven't written in my blog in a LONG time so I figured I'd better take the time to write.  Things are always crazy busy and I just love it.  I've been sewing more lately which makes me SUPER happy ... my sewing got a little lost when I started crocheting and knitting... crochet and knit items are so popular that I had a hard time keeping up ... so sewing was put on the back burner.  I'm happy to say that I'm back to being able to sew more again and I LOVE it.  I'm currently making some gorgeous rag quilts, headbands and soon to be womens convertable scarf/nursing cover.  There are just so many things out there to make...and I've gone crazy with buying fabric lately so I need to start sewing more in order to keep my fabric supply down to a manageable amount.

I've done a couple/few giveaways since my last blog post. I have also donated items to two silent auctions, both involving individuals who were diagnosed with cancer (both have children).  I really enjoy helping out- it's the very least I can do to make even a tiny difference in their lives to make it a little better.  God gave all of us talents and he intended us to use them in a positive way.  I encourage everyone to give, give, give ... even for no reason.

This Fall I will be offering crochet classes.  I haven't quite figured out when this Fall but as soon as I figure it out, I'll get dates and times posted.  I've never had crochet classes before so it should be a lot of fun!

Well, I need to get going on a quilt I'm making!  I hope you are all doing fabulous... I'll post again soon!

Be well!

Amy

DIY Lace Flag Garland for baby's room ...

DIY Lace Flag Garland.. a great addition to a nursery!

Pin It

Depending on the length of the garland, cut as many triangle pieces as you want. I cut 12 to make a little over a meter of the garland.

Now you attach the triangles pieces to the string. If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can handsew each triangle. If you are using a sewing machine, use the piping foot.



Now all you need to do is hang it up in thep erfect place.... it's that easy!

Thanks for tuning in ...I'm always on the look out for great DIY ideas!

And the fun continues ..

Here we are, March 6th ..the day I get a call from the realtor letting us know that the closing date on our new home is on March 11th (MONDAY!!). 

I am excited ... and I'm also stunned because the reality of how much work this is going to be.  I will definitely be covered from head to toe in paint before this next month comes to a close... I'll probably have 50 bruises and scrapes, possibly some colored hair (from the paint!)...and exhaustion, total exhaustion.  It's going to be a long road/haul but it will be worth it.  Finally, there will be bittersweet moments.  The moment when we say goodbye to a home we have share so many memories in.  A home we brought babies home to .. a home we shed tears in, a home we filled with laughter and joy.  A home that truly means so much to us but one we ran out of room in.  Ironically, the new house we bought is almost identical in layout ... I suppose that's why we fell in love with it... it reminded us of "home".  It's easy to find a house but it's difficult to find a "home".  I will miss this little love shack!

Due to the fact that I will be moving, I will not be taking custom orders until we get settled in to the new home.  The good news is, I will FINALLY have a craft room.  I could hardly contain myself when I realized that there was enough rooms in the house for me to have a craft room... I am in heaven! I will have so much more room to create and be creative.  I will also have enough room to be able to display my work for those who stop by to pick up a gift for a baby shower, a gift for a friend's baby or a gift for their own little angel.  I absolutely love when customers drop by my home...it's so nice to get to meet my customers (most become friends!).  So if you ever want to drop by to see what I have on hand, please just let me know and do stop by ... you'll feel right at home :0).   I will announce when I can start taking custom orders again.. and in the meantime, there will be moments when I sit to take a break and do what I love (crochet, knit and sew!) so there will still be new items available for sale throughout the coming weeks.

I'm already starting to think about next Winter.  This past year I did my first annual "Cheer for Children" fund where I saught out a family with children that had fallen on hard times and I went to Sioux Falls and purchased toys for all of the children to give them (annoymously) at Christmas.  I had a couple of my customers donate money to the fund as well (THANK YOU, you made a difference in their lives!)!  I'm hoping to make that a bigger deal this year and am hoping to bring in more donations so WE can bring cheer to more children this Christmas.  If we can get this off the ground a little better this year, I will be looking for a few elves to go shopping with me this year to help buy the gifts!  I can assure you that the experience of buying gifts for kids in need is a feeling you will never forget .. the joy it brings will fill your heart, guaranteed.  This past year I purchased gifts for 4 children who had lost their mom to cancer last Fall... I was heartbroken when I heard their story and just could not imagine how those kids were feeling and I knew that even if I couldnt make a big difference, I had to at least try to make A difference.  So keep an eye out... I'll probably start campaigning for that around June! :)

Well, I suppose I better get going so I can pack.  I promise that once I'm all settled in to my new home, I'll have a few giveaways to celebrate!!   Thanks for tuning in ...

Be well!

Amy

If only I could keep up with life...

Wow..life is so quick!  Time is just flying by in my life... I hear little children do that to life.. they make it go by so fast ...so many precious moments!

My husband and I have had a LONG year trying to find a HOME (not just a "house").  After many, many viewings, dissapointment and frustration, we found our new home.  Our realtor got creative .. there's a family that was living a few doors down from her that had moved away and they were going to rent out their home .. but our realtor asked them if she could do a one-time showing.  They agreed and we got to see the home.  We weren't completely taken right away ... ALL of the walls are white ..it looked so cold in there... but after we started talking about the house ..the visions of what colors we'd paint the walls and the addition we'd add on to the back of the house, etc all started coming together and we just knew ..just knew that THAT was THE home/house!  The home inspection is on Tuesday ...its a newer home so there shouldnt be any problems but we're keeping our fingers crossed anyway!  If the inspection goes well, we should have everything wrapped up within three or four weeks.  Then...it's time to paint and recarpet (I'm anal about having new carpet and not lying on other peoples carpet) and then move in... and then... paint and recarpet our existing home and then put that on the market for sale!   I'm trying to contain my excitement ... I'm a worry wart and wont let myself scream and shout until I have the keys to the house in my hands:)

Beacause of all of the work I have coming up, I will have to hold off on new custom orders. If you have already submitted an order, I will get through it before the move.  Once I get both houses in order and the old one on the market, I can then begin to take custom orders again.  The best part .. is ... I finally get a craft room!!!  Woooohooooo!!   I am so stoked:)   My husband finally gets his three car garage (double deep) for all of his toys.. I think he's pretty excited about it!

Anyway- our lives feel a lot more settled now that the search is over.  House hunting can be emotionally and physically draining and I'm glad we made it through alive (and still married!!).  I'll update the blog again soon :)

Take care!

Amy

LS Happenings...

Whew..it's been awhile since I've blogged.  Have you ever had one of those months where you're super busy ...but it doesn't seem like you've accomplished much?  I had one of those months!

I managed to finish two toddler custom order cowboy hats yesterday.. both size 6-12m, both tan.  Right after I finished them, I realized one was supposed to be dark brown 6-12m and the other light brown 0-3m.  Really!?!?  I was so mad at myself...I'm going to re-do them both this coming weekend but this time, I'll do them right!   So I will either be selling the two tan ones on facebook or at Italy Ava..they are super cute.

This past weekend was rough- my wonderful Grandmother passed away on Sunday, January 27th.  I had the pleasure and honor of spending a few of her last hours with her the night before..many family members were there as well and I'm so glad I made the trip over to be with her...those are moments I'll never forget.  My Grandma was a quilter...she made quilts for her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren...they are the BEST quilts in the world.  I was really saddened on Sunday when I received the phone call that she had passed away... I moped around quite a bit.  Monday morning I woke up and had the urge to make quilts... I had a feeling it was Grandma visiting me ;)  So, I got out some quilting material and made the cutest little girl rag quilt...and then today I started on the cutest little boy rag quilt.  There is just something about making quilts that is soothing.  I put all of my attention in each piece I make regardless if it's a hairpiece, quilt, hat, etc. but I will admit that much more than my attention goes into my quilts... lots of love go into those..I am so stinking picky when I make those...they must be perfect and I mean absolutely perfect.  I guess it's like my materpieces when it comes to sewing..something that relaxes me and makes me forget about lifes challenges.  I have a feeling I'll be making a lot of quilts over the next few months:)  If you haven't purchased a little rag quilt for the little one in your life, I recommend it... between the costs and time put into the quilts, they are a steal at between $60 and $75..and the best part, they are a keepsake...an heirloom.

I recently posted that I took the plunge and ordered some beautiful little girl headbands that I will sell.  It'll be the very first thing that will not be handmade by me that I will be selling.  My intention behind that is to have more available for my customers and not be so limited in what I can offer to my customers.  I'm waiting (impatiently!!) for them to arrive.  If all goes well, I do plan on opening it up to ordering clothing as well .. I think it's a good fit for me.   Suggestions are always welcome... I want to make sure I'm ordering things that people love.  Pretty exciting!!

I'm still fairly busy with existing custom orders but am really trying to get caught back up so I can resume taking new orders.  I am also trying to keep things stocked up in my facebook album entitled "Available for Purchase" which are items that are available for immediate purchase.  I also have a selection of items at Italy Ava as well ...and the nice thing about going to Italy Ava is that you can not only get a cute baby gift, you can also find many things for yourself...pamper yourself with a new outfit:)

Well, that's it for now.  I'm off to hunt for a new DIY project to share with all of you!

Take care and be well!

Amy

DIY CUTE owl applique

Visit http://mallorypaige.com/owl-applique/ to download the PDF pattern:)

Owl Applique (Step-by-Step and Free Pattern)

January 1, 2012

*If you’re new to appliqué be sure to check out this Appliqué 101 post for extra tips and instructions.*
1. Start by tracing the pattern (provided below) onto your adhesive paper (Heat n’ Bond lite was used for this project) and cutting apart pattern pieces.

2. Place your adhesive paper cutout on the back side (wrong side) of your fabric and press with an iron for about 2 seconds. Then cut along the lines of the traced pattern pieces.

3. Peel the paper backing from the fabric pieces.

4. Layout the design before ironing. For this project I embellished a tea towel. Since I wasn’t too concerned about the placement being exact, I just folded the towel in thirds and eye-balled the design placement onto the front of the towel. If you’re embellishing a child’s shirt, a pillow, or something where you want the placement to be precise, use a ruler and mark where the design should go before ironing.

5. Iron the pieces into place (follow the time recommendation on you adhesive paper instructions). Be sure to iron the beak on before the eye mask – that way you can layer the mask on top of the beak.

6. Consider the personality of your owl before ironing the eyes.

7. Sew along the edges of every piece. After washings and normal use the adhesive paper may lose its stickiness, so be sure to sew through each individual pattern piece.

8. Depending on the look you desire, you can use matching or contrasting thread when sewing.

10. Snip all the loose threads on the back and front of your design.

11. You now have a completed owl!

Not only does this project leave you with an adorable owl, but it only takes a couple hours to complete – great for last minute gifts.
Click to download your free pattern:

If you have any questions, leave a comment and I’ll be happy to help out. Also, be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any projects, patterns or freebies.

New DIY Baby Leggings!!

A cheap, easy and SUPER adorable way to make baby leggings!  I was going to personally do my own tutorial but thought it would be easier and quicker to find one on the internet and share it with you!

Here it is- great tutorial and EASY way to make some leggins for your baby or toddler!  Feel free to let me know how they turn out and post a photo of them:)

Baby Leggings made easy...

This is a quick and very easy project to make baby leggings from a pair of knee-high kids socks. They’re great for chilly spring mornings when outside and when you're little one is in a baby sling and his/her cute little legs are hanging out... what a great way to stylize him/her! 


materials:
one pair of knee socks sized approximately for a 4 year old (I used size L from crewcuts)
7-8″ piece of 1/2″ elastic matching thread.




Step one: cutting the socks
Stack the two socks evenly on top of each other and cut off the toe and heel gusset. You will use the center foot portion, which should be about 3″ long, and the leg.



Step two: sewing the elastic
Pin the 7″ piece of elastic in a ring with 1″ overlapping, making sure not to twist the elastic. If your baby has extra chunky ankles, then use a bit longer piece of elastic. Sew closed with a wide, long zigzag stitch.



Step three: assembling the cuff
Turn the 3″ foot portion of your sock inside out and slide it onto the leg portion until the opening edges meet, right sides facing. Slip the elastic ring you made in step two about an inch from your opening, just enough so your sewing needle won’t catch it when your secure the seam.



Step four: pinning the legging cuff
Fold the foot piece over the elastic, meeting all the cut ends together. Pin in place.


another view looking into the legging:



Step five: sewing the cuff
Using a wide, long zigzag stitch carefully sew around the entire cuff making sure to catch all three layers of fabric and not to catch the elastic.



Voila, baby leggings!


The original cuff at the top will go around the baby’s thighs, and the new cuff that you added goes around their little ankles, keeping the leggings from slipping over the baby’s feet.



I’m not so sure about these purple leggings, mom.
However, on a chilly day, pulling the elastic cuff down over those little feet during play time isn’t a bad idea at all!


Thanks for tuning in!

Stay Well!

Amy