Remember to check out my review of the Perfect Portion Scale.  No more guessing the exact nutrition info (including calories, carbs, sugars, sodium, etc.) for the food you eat…..this little scale does all the work.  Also, enter to win a free one for yourself.  How cool is that.

. . . . . . .

First of all, in case you missed yesterday’s post……..we’re gearing up for Valentine’s day. 

Check out the little ruffled heart Valentine’s Dress (from recycled Tshirts) I made for my 5 year old girl.

Okay, so it’s my little guy’s turn next.  My Valentine Boy Shirt idea changed oh, about 7 times.  The first idea involved “too many hearts”, according to my husband.  (This coming from a man who has pink and purple in his closet. Yeah.)  Whatever, Valentine’s is all about hearts and love and frill, right?  But I decided to ease up on the hearts and to tone it down a bit…….and made something a bit more boyish.

With monsters.

(However, girls like monsters too……so this could be for boys and girls.)

A sweet little appliqued monster, holding a BE MINE valentine on his belly.

Once this monster started coming together, I kept laughing.  I don’t know what it is about monsters.  They’re so silly and goofy and pretend-scary.  It’s just funny.  And with monsters, anything goes.

And no joke, once I held the shirt up for my little guy to look at……..he laughed.  And then laughed some more.  He just got a kick right out of this little Valentine monster.

Whew, glad he likes it.

Boys are funny.  Even when their tongues come out of their mouths for 95% of their pictures. 

Anyone else have that problem?

This little guy is all ready for Valentine’s day.  And treats……..lots of them.  (This kid has a sweet tooth like his momma.)

Would you like to make your own Monster Valentine’s Shirt?

Supplies Needed:

• Plain Tshirt (purchased like the one I used or recylced from a bigger Tshirt like this one)
• scrap fabric pieces in a variety of colors
• fusible adhesive
• narrow ribbon
• 3 buttons
• freezer paper (more info on there here)
• fabric paint (I used white)

First of all, you can use the monster template that I sketched out, here.

(Keep in mind, this monster size was made to fit a size 4T size boy Tshirt.  Adjust the sizing as needed.)

Now, select the colors of fabrics that you would like to use for your monster parts.  Iron one side of the fusible adhesive to the WRONG side of your fabric pieces, leaving the paper on the other side of the adhesive.

Now, you could cut your heart out first and then put your lettering on or do it the HARD way like I did and put your letters on first.  Ack!  Either way, you’ll need to cut out your letters out of freezer paper (more info on freezer paper here), with the shiny side of the freezer paper facing down.  You can draw the letters out on freezer paper and cut them out with an exacto knife or cut them out with your Silhouette machine (or other craft cutter), if you have one.

**Here’s another post about using freezer paper as a fabric stencil.  It may clear up some questions.

Then iron your freezer paper stencil down (remember, shiny side down) onto your fabric and then apply your fabric paint.  Let dry completely.  (I use a hairdryer to speed things up.)

Then peel back your paper to reveal your letters.

Then I cut out my heart by trying to center my heart template over the top.  It way way too hard to see where the letters were and center it, etc.  So cut out the heart first and then paint the letters.  :)

Then cut out the rest of your shapes, using the templates found here.  It’s easiest if you trace the templates onto the back of the paper where the paper backing of the adhesive is.  Then cut around the lines you drew.

(Keep in mind, this monster size was made to fit a size 4T size boy Tshirt.  Adjust the templates as needed.)

Next, place the monster shapes down where you’d like them on your shirt.  Then lay little pieces of ribbon down to connect the eyeballs to the monster body, tucking the ends under the eyeballs and body.

Once everything looks centered and just how you want it, pin down the pieces of ribbon and pull everything else off.  Zig-zag right over the top of the ribbon, securing them down in place.  

Then peel off the backing of the adhesive on each of your pieces.

Then iron everything down.  Now, stitch around each piece, using a straight stitch or a zig-zag stitch.  Using a straight stitch will allow the edges to fray just a bit but that doesn’t bother me any.  And zig-zagging takes more time and causes a little bit of bunching and pulling as you sew.  But is still totally do-able and if you take your time, looks great.

Then, hand sew (or machine sew) some buttons onto the center of each eyeball.

And that’s it.

A sweet little Monster Shirt for Valentine’s Day.

Remember to check out my review of the Perfect Portion Scale.  No more guessing the exact nutrition info (including calories, carbs, sugars, sodium, etc.) for the food you eat…..this little scale does all the work.  Also, enter to win a free one for yourself.  How cool is that.

And if you’re interested, I wrote a post all about running below (or click here).  If you’re a seasoned runner, this post isn’t for you.  It’s for the slow, clunky, beginner runners (LIKE ME!!) who want to start from scratch and give it a try.  Hey, if I went from gasping and panting after 1 minute of running………..to running miles and miles at a time, you can too.  I used to hate running.  And now I do it because it feels going after I’m done.

. . . . . . .

My kids had such fun last fall with a holiday EVERY MONTH…….they’re going through withdrawal this month.  They keep asking me when the next holiday is going to be.  Well little munchkins, Valentine’s Day is on its way.  No worries, more excitement/treats/traditions are coming right up.  So let’s celebrate with a little Valentine’s attire. 

First up, my 5 year old girl.  (I’ll show you a little something for my little guy and baby girl in the next few days.)

She loves dresses and skirts.  That’s it.  So I made her another one to add to her collection.

(**And nope, I didn’t even use my serger once.  This was all made on my standard sewing machine.)

And since this dress is made completely from thrifted women’s Tshirts…….this dress only cost me a few dollars.  (The thrift store was having a half off sale.  Half off a dollar or two?  Sold.)

Once I sewed up the last seam and told her that I just finished her ‘Valentine’s Day Dress‘…….she shrieked.  And then asked me, “Mommy, is Valentine’s this day or the tomorrow day?“  Ummmm, well, just about 20 more days.  It’ll be here in no time, Little Miss.

This girl loves purple and pink equally.  So that big ruffly heart made her grin.

I know we don’t need a new outfit for every holiday……but for some reason, it makes the whole day a lot more fun.

And since her momma can’t stand not making new things, especially out of clothing outcasts…….she got a new outfit.

I decided to use color blocking with my heart but you could use all one color or even use the same color (like red on red) for a great monotone look.

And if you already have a plain shirt or dress that fits your little girl nicely…….you can save yourself some time and skip making the actual dress and just add on the heart.  That would really speed things up.  But if not, go for it and make the whole thing from scratch.  What have you got to lose?  (A few old Tshirts?)

So, for only a few dollars (unless you have all the right colors you need right in your closet/stash)…….you can cut up some old knit shirts and make your little lady just as happy as this one. 

I hope simple things like ruffled hearts, always bring a smile to your face, little lady.

Would you like to make a ruffled heart dress of your own?

***If you are adding a heart to an existing dress or shirt, you can skip ahead a few steps.  Keep in mind that you will need to adjust your fabric a little bit as you’re sewing so that you don’t sew through the back layer of your shirt/dress…….but you can still do it.

First of all, you’ll need some knit for this dress.  Knit at the stores is limited, so I always dig through my closet or our donation pile first.  If I can’t find the colors I need, I head to the thrift store and look for stretchy Tshirts that I think will work well.  When digging through shirts, try and find stretchy Tshirts that aren’t heavy and stiff like men’s plain Tshirts.  Find some that are lighter and have some good stretch and shape to them.  If you’re at the store……look for some Jersey Knit that follows these same descriptions.

My pile of knits are all women’s tshirts.  I looked in the XL section, to give me more fabric to work with.  The grey shirt is what I decided to use for my base color and I made sure that it was the exact length that I needed for my little girl so that I could use the neckline and the bottom hem for the dress.  That will save you a lot of time and grief if you can use both.  (So, if you’re making a dress for a smaller child, look for a size small shirt that’s shorter.  Make sense?)

So first, I used a Tshirt that fits my little girl as a guide and then cut the main shape of the dress.  (***If you haven’t done this much, it’s easiest to make paper patterns first and be sure they are the size you need before cutting into your fabric.  I don’t use paper patterns much anymore but I have had lots of practice.  But even still, I still sometimes mess up and wish I would have taken the time to make a paper pattern.)

Be sure that the neck line on the front piece and the back piece comes together at both sides and that the shoulder section along the top is the same width on the front piece as it is on the back piece.   (Need more help and description?  Visit the re-purposing section of my blog here to see other ideas.) 

Then angle out the sides of the dress to an A-line, to give the dress some more room.  Be sure to add extra fabric on all edges for your seam allowance.

Then make your sleeves from the sleeves of the shirt by using her original Tshirt as a guide.  Be sure to add extra fabric for your seam allowance.  (Make sure the curve of the sleeve is the same length as the length of the curve of the arm opening on the dress piece.)

Next, cut a heart shape out of the front piece of the dress.

And then use the shape you cut out as a guide to cut a new heart out of some woven cotton fabric (which doesn’t stretch and will make this next part a lot easier). Be sure to cut the heart out about 3/4 of an inch bigger around all edges.

Then cut several strips out of your Tshirts (or knit fabric), whatever size you’d like.  My strips were about 3/4 of an inch wide…..but this can vary, depending on taste and the size of heart.  And for the length, make then about 2-2.5 times longer than the area that they will be sewn to.  So if your heart is 7 inches wide at the top, make your strip about 14 – 18 inches long.  Then start gathering in your strips and sew them right down to your heart, sewing right on top of the basting stitch that gathered up your strip.  (Need help with gathering?  Click here.) 

Once all your strips are sewn down, trim off the extra fabric around the edges of your heart.

Then slide your heart to the inside of your shirt so that it peeks through the heart window.  Then pin it in place, being sure that you aren’t stretching the heart opening at all. 

Then sew all the way around the heart, attaching it to the front section of the dress.  Then sew another seam right next to the first, securing it in place.  Make sure that you are catching the edges of the heart underneath as you’re sewing.  (TIP:  While sewing around the heart, your top fabric will most likely stretch.  Sew very slowly and lift and lower your presser foot often.  Using a needle to help keep the top fabric in place and guiding it under the needle really helps.)

Here’s a view from the front and back of heart, sewn onto the front dress piece.  Done.

Using a straight stitch, sew your front and your back piece together at the shoulders, with right sides together.  (Use whatever seam allowance you gave yourself when originally cutting the pieces out.)  Then zig-zag the edges. Do the same to both shoulders.

**TIP: While sewing with knit, if your fabric is bunching or pulling a bit, increase your stitch length just a bit.  And also lift up your presser foot and adjust often.

Now open up the dress to the RIGHT side and pin your sleeve to your dress, RIGHT side down.  Match up the the curve of the sleeve to the to the arm hole opening on the dress.  Pin in place.  (Sometimes stretching the edge of the sleeve or the dress to make them match up correctly, will help.)

Sew both in place and then zig-zag.

Now, fold the dress together and match up the side seams.  Always start at the sleeve and then continue along to the side to the bottom, in one continuous seam.  Do the same to both sides.  Then zig-zag the raw edges.

Now, don’t forget to turn right side out and iron and steam your seams open.  (Don’t pull and stretch while ironing.  Just lift and press down.)  This will help any minimal stretching or rippling that occurred while sewing.

And that’s it. 

A sweet little Ruffled Heart Dress.

Remember to check out my review of the Perfect Portion Scale.  No more guessing the exact nutrition info (including calories, carbs, sugars, sodium, etc.) for the food you eat…..this little scale does all the work.  Also, enter to win a free one for yourself.  How cool is that.

. . . . . . .

Remember how I get bored easily with doing the same workout over and over?  I need a goal or a class or a workout buddy.  Something that keeps me motivated.  So, I decided a few weeks ago that I was going to start running again.  And sign up for a race to keep me on track.

Oh wait, wait, wait, don’t click away.  I’m not a natural born runner who’s going to say that running is the most invigorating way to clear my brain and firm up my body while I forget that my thighs are burning and my calves are like hot cakes on the griddle.  Yeah right.  I don’t actually fit into the runner mold either.  My body is not long and lean.  Oh wait, it’s long but far from lean.  But I look like I belong in the goalie box…….or something.  In fact, I have always HATED running.  And despised those dang mile runs in P.E. in grade/high school.  Uggh.  How embarrassing.

My husband and I met a marathon runner while living in Idaho about 3 years ago.  He was the real deal.  Super long and lean, endurance like an animal, and all the fancy watches/trackers to help him shave seconds off his time.  He told my husband one day that he used to be an overweight football coach.  He hated running and was pretty unhealthy.  But one day, he changed all that.  And then he began telling us what helped him and that if we would just work on a few tips, then we could run too.

I didn’t believe him.

But after a few times talking to him (serious runners are passionate about their sport and will talk to you about it every chance they can get), we kinda decided to give it a try.  And once I got the hang of it, I started running longer and longer without stopping.  I couldn’t believe that I was actually running.  I was hooked.  And at my peak (about 2 1/2 years ago), I went from barely running around the block to running a full 11 miles straight.  Yes, eleven.  My clunky high school self would have NEVER believed me had I told her that while she struggled to run that dumb mile test.  But let me tell you a secret.  I’m a clunky runner and pretty pokey.  And yeah, many of you could walk faster than I run but I still put-put right along.  Because it’s running.  And dang it, it’s good enough.

So thank you Mr. Albaugh, for teaching me everything I know about running.  (If you by some slight chance are reading this, your enthusiasm about running changed me.  You taught me how to NOT hate running.  And told me that even I could do it.  And you waiting at the finish line while my husband and I finished races, was so encouraging.  You’re an angel.  Thank you.)

. . . . .

However, since that time, I have gotten out of the habit of running and then had another baby and then moved across the country twice, blah, blah, blah.  But just a few weeks ago I decided to start all over again.  I figured I’d have to start by running for a minute, walk for 5 minutes, run for a minute, walk for 5, etc.  Just like I did when I started.  However, my body remembered and those old running muscles must have kicked in because I ran for a good 20 minutes.  And it felt so good.

That’s when I remembered something really important.  Running is like 95% mental.  There are some techniques to running but your mind is a powerful thing.  It can discourage you in a snap and tell you that you’re too clunky, too overweight, too out of shape, too uncoordinated, etc…….and wow, I’m already feeling deflated just writing that.  But if you’ve ever seen that Biggest Loser show, you know that anyone and any sized person can run.  So if you want to, you could totally prove yourself wrong and become a runner.  (Unless you have some other medical reason why you shouldn’t.)  It’s slow going at first and you have to keep at it and train those muscles……but mostly you have to train your brain.  So I sat my self down the other day and said, “Ash, it’s time!  You need a running goal again.”

So I’m on my way, training for a 4 mile race right before Valentine’s Day.  (Yeah Erin, you better still be running that.  See you there!)

Do you want to know a few things that Mr. Albaugh taught me? 

(I know he wouldn’t care if I shared.  He always shared with everyone he knew.  Because he was cool like that.)

(And remember, these are only suggestions that I learned from my marathon runner friend.  He read the books, trained with other runners, etc.  And these are what worked for me……the non-runner type.  So use what you’d like.)

• You need a new pair of shoes.  He would drill it into us that an old pair of shoes will cause injury and will make you run slower and make your body ache, and will frustrate you, etc.  I can’t tell you what a difference this has made for my knees and joints.  Well worth the money to buy a new pair.  Just be sure there is extra room by your toes. (I order a half-whole size up.)  You don’t want numb toes or cramped feet.  (My husband and I have both used many brands of running shoes…….our favorite by far has been the Asics Nimbus brand.  So light and airy and supportive.  But okay, they aren’t that pretty nor are they the bright teal/yellow color that I would like…..but the comfort is more important than how they look.)

• Practice walking first.  He told us not to take lengthy sprinter strides……but to keep our steps short and right underneath our body. He also told us to put our heel down first and then roll to our toes as we walked.  Running/walking on your toes uses more energy and if you want to run for a long time, conserving energy is important.  So we walked around in circles, putting our heels down first and practiced a nice even gait, with a short stride.

• Relax your hands, bend your elbows, and relax your shoulders.  Mr Albaugh explained to us again and again about conserving energy.  He taught us that clenching your fists, or pointing your thumbs up, shrugging your shoulders up by your ears, etc…….all uses extra energy.  So he told us to completely drop our hands and just let them hang off our arms.  And if you need to, just lightly touch your thumb and middle finger.  And then just bend your elbows and let your arms swing naturally as you run.  But just keep it relaxed.  This has really helped me to focus on my form.

• Run on the road when possible.  The sidewalk is a lot harder than pavement so whenever possible, use the shoulder of the road.  This will help achy knees and joints.  (If I run on sidewalks, my knees always hurt.)  Also, try and run on a flat road.  This will keep your stride even and keep your muscles working evenly in both legs.  (Mr Albaugh would tell us that whenever he was running on a deserted road, he would run right down the middle.)

• If you get tired, slow down your steps.  Slow way down if you have to but you don’t have to stop.  Just try slowing down first, see how you feel, then try going just a bit longer.
• If you want to run faster, speed up your steps, not the length of your steps.
• Warm-up and Cool-down.  Mr Albaugh told me to just walk for at least 5 minutes before and after your run.  That’s a good way to transition in and out of running.
• Stretch.  You can really pull those muscles…..so give them a good stretch and lengthen them when you’re done.

A few other things that help me.

• Make visual goals of how far to run. When I started out, I didn’t like looking at a clock.  I liked to pick a landmark on the road and run to it.  See that garbage can up ahead?  Run to it.  Then walk until the next one.  Then run until the one after that.  Then lengthen it and run for a bock, walk for a block, etc.  That always helped me when I was first starting.

• Trick yourself mentally.  Tell yourself that you’re only going to run for 90 seconds (or for a block) and then take a break.  So run for those 90 seconds but then when you reach those 90 seconds, take note of your body.  You’re not going to die or pass out…….so push yourself for another 15 seconds.  And then rest.  I do this ALL THE TIME.  Now that I know I can run further, I say, “Okay Ash, I know you’re not in the mood to run.  So run for 15 minutes and that’s all.  Then you can be done for today.“  And then after the 15 minutes I say, “Okay, just do 5 more minutes.  No big deal.  You can do 5 more minutes.“  And then I keep going and running more and more.  That helps me every time to get started.  It’s kind of silly because I know I’m probably going to do it to myself.  But for some reason it gets me going.  Every.  Time.

• Reward yourself.  Just like I mentioned in this post, I need rewards for meeting smaller goals.  Simple as that.

• Sign up for a race.  I can say all I want that I just want to get back into running.  But there’s something about signing up for a race that actually makes me stick to it.  I keep running and training to get better at running.  Not necessarily to get faster……..just to get more comfortable at it before the big race day.  And it’s okay if you’re the absolute last one.  Who cares?
• Music, music, music.  Sometimes I get a really motivating song on and all of the sudden my body is running on adrenaline and excitement.  It thrills me.  And moves me right along. 

• Use a program.  If you’ve never run before but would really like to, I have heard excellent things about the couch to 5k program.  I was also looking for other free running apps on my phone and found one called c25kfree.  It actually talks to you and tells you when to run and when to walk and tells you how you’re doing for every single day you run (3 days a week).  I didn’t end up using it because I am already able to run a 5k but if I were starting from scratch…….I would have LOVED this app.  (You can also listen to music while it’s running in the background.)
• It takes me about a mile to get warmed up.  Once I started getting better and better at running and knew that I could run more than a mile……..I would still have a hard time getting started.  But I realized that it took me about a mile to get into my groove and get comfortable and for my body to work out all the kinks.  After that, I could run on and on and on.  It shocked me to find out this was true.  But when I worked up to those 11 miles, I still had to just push through that first achy mile.  And then I was fine.

• Stop caring what you look like while running.  I used to care.  And that would limit where I ran.  But I know I’m clunky and pretty slow and turn bright red in the face and look deathly while running up hill.  Ha….but I seriously don’t care anymore.  I’m doing this for me…….and that feels good.

I think that’s it.  Hopefully there are a few tips here that will help some of you.  And remember, most everyone can run.  So if you have ever said, “Hmmmm, running seems like good exercise but I hate running.  And would never be good at it.”…………you’re wrong.  Just give it a try and see how it goes.  You may end up surprising yourself like I did.

  (And you may still hate running……but will most likely fall in love with how it makes you feel.)

 . . . . .

And just so you know, I have been mixing up running, a little bit of aerobics, and some strength training directed by Alysa that has been kicking me in the butt.  Want to give that a try as well?  You should.  Mixing things up helps with bordeom and also tones a bigger variety of muscles.  Who doesn’t want that?!

Read all ‘Inpiration to Fitness’ related posts here.  There’s tons of inspiring articles from trainers and other bloggers who are trucking right along with me.

As discussed in this and this post, I have been asked to test out a few items to help me with my new goals for this year and have also been provided with (you too!) the advice of a personal trainer/dietician, found here. I will be blogging all about it on ‘Make It and Love It’ for the next several weeks. (All related posts can be found here.) Join with me and healthy up that body of yours too! In fact, why not take the pledge to live a healthier lifestyle right now!

 -Ashley

. . . . .

I think the hardest thing about eating healthier is figuring out portions and calorie consumption, etc. Ugh. It’s such a pain.However, if you’re really trying to monitor what you’re eating and/or count up calories, carbs, cholesterol, sodium, sugars, etc. you just have to plow through it until you get better at recognizing how much stuff is in everything.

Okay, okay…we’ve gotta put forth more effort. Check.

Do you want to see the coolest little tool that’s going to save you a lot of time? Something that will give you accuracy so that you’re not overeating without knowing it, then getting frustrated with your body for not changing?

Best Buy sent me the Perfect Portions – Food Scale with Nutritional Calculator that instantly tells me exactly what’s in my portion of food, just like looking at the nutrition label on a box of food from the store. Pretty dang cool. I no longer have to figure everything out. This little beauty does all the calculations for me.

You know how it’s annoying to figure out, “Hmmmmm, okay, 1 serving of chicken is my fist size, but this is probably one and a half fists. So, uh?” Or is this a “small” sized apple or a “medium” sized one? Who knows! Grrrrr. This scale cuts out all that guesswork. It weighs it, calculates it, then tells me what I need to know. It even has a feature to keep a running total of stats for the day. Cool.

The Perfect Portions Scale has about 2,000 food items stored in its memory, but it also allows for an additional 99 food entries. I can add and save unusual foods I may have in my diet and then recall them at any time. Again, cool.

So here’s how it works. You look up your food item in the food code book (which is plastic coated and very well organized) and find the code for what you’re going to eat. I wanted almonds, which are code 0631. So I entered that code into the scale.

Then I plopped my almonds right on top and watched my info come up instantly. If you can see, the calories pop up as 121. If I want less, I can just take off one almond at a time until I get down to the calories I want. Then I can scoop them off and gobble them up. Easy.

Here’s a pear that I placed down on the scale, happy to know I didn’t have to figure out the calories by labeling it a “medium” or “small” pear. The scale figured out exactly how many calories, carbs, sugars, etc are in that one little pear. Ooooh, I love it!

So, even though the top of the scale is glass and really easy to clean, you can’t really plop liquid stuff right down on top, like yogurt, for example. So you can place a bowl down first, ‘auto tare’ the scale (balance it out at zero) by pressing ZERO, and then plug in the number for your item. Yogurt is 0821.

†

Then you add your yogurt in by the scoopful and watch as the nutrition facts change instantly with each scoop. Ooooops, too much yogurt? Just scoop a little back out and put it back in the yogurt container for another day. Ahhhhh, perfectly portioned.

Okay, now seriously, how many times have you just “guessed” how much you were eating or what the calculations were? No more of that for me. You know it’s hard to count out exactly how many crackers/chips/pretzels from a bag by following the serving size number on a food package. They’re always broken or different sizes. I don’t have to count anymore or puzzle piece chip bits back together to equal one chip. Or even do the math if I just want to add 10 more calories to my portion.

This scale has earned a permanent spot right on my counter. You could say we’re friends now.

Would you like to win a Perfect Portions – Food Scale with Nutritional Calculator of your very own?

To be entered for a chance to win, just leave me a comment letting me know why you’d love a Perfect Portions scale.

Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment, answering the question above
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 1/18 – 1/24

Also be sure to visit the Inspiration to Fitness page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggersí reviews, get great fitness tips and find more chances to win! You can also roll over the Best Buy image at the top of my blog to view a calendar of all the Inspiration to Fitness content. Good luck!++

Best Buy does not sponsor, endorse, approve, or have any responsibility for this promotion.

Remember to check out my review of the Withings scale, that measures Weight, Fat %, and BMI.  Yeah, it does it all……and will keep you on track.  Also, enter to win a free one for yourself. 

. . . . . . .

Are you ready for another little sewing lesson?  I wish you could come over and plop yourself down at my sewing table…..because that would make the lesson even easier.  But then I’d have to like straighten up, vacuum, and do the dishes.  Ick.  Haha……okay, I’ll get on that cleaning right after I write this up. 

Have you ever used piping?  No, we’re not talking frosting.  Piping in sewing is a strip of fabric folded over a cord that is used to trim the edges of fabric.  Piping is found in all sorts of projects.

See the piping used in these items below?  It just helps define the shape of your fabric…….and gives it a nice punch.

(image source, image source, image source, image source)

Here are a few places where I have used piping here on Make It and Love It:

(Pillow, Mary Poppins, Car Seat)

See?  Piping is nice and useful.

So if you’ve never made or used any…….it’s time to learn.

It’s a cool technique to use…..and you can really be creative with the stuff.  But if you can’t find the right color of piping in the store, you can totally  make your own.  No biggee.

Ready to get started?

Piping only tends to come in a few colors in the store or even online.  Piping is made with a cord and a strip of fabric that is cut on the bias (more on bias here).  So if you can find the right color of bias tape that you need……use that, it’s pre-cut.  If not, grab some fabric from your stash that can be cut into a strip.

How to make your own piping:

Here’s everything you need to make your own.  (Remember, any sized cording will work, depending on the size of piping you want……you’ll just  need a wide enough strip of fabric to go around it.  The standard piping in those pre-made packages is about 1/8 of an inch……so I bought cording that was 1/8 of an inch wide.  And I bought bias tape that was about an inch wide after it was all infolded.)

First, let’s make some piping from bias tape.  Take your bias tape out of the packaging and iron it flat.

Then, fold your strip of fabric in half, sandwiching the cording right down the middle, then pin it in place.  (I always keep a bit of cording poking out the end, just so that it doesn’t slip inside.)

Now, using your zipper foot and changing your needle all the way to the left side (or if you’re sewing on the other side, all the way to the right)……sew the fabric closed, keeping the needle right next to the cording.  Placing your finger nail right next to the cording before it goes under the needle will help you keep things flat and lined up.

Sew all the way to the end, making sure to backstitch at both ends.  And there you have your long piece of cording.

Oh wait, are your edges uneven and not perfectly lined up?  Don’t worry about it one bit. Mine aren’t either.  And it won’t matter because those edges will never be seen.

Now, if you can’t find the right color of bias tape, cut your own strip of fabric instead of using bias tap.  But your strip of fabric NEEDS to be cut on the bias.  This will help the piping curve better around corners and slight curves.  (More on making bias tape here.)  Are you unsure how wide to make your strip?  This will help:

Decide what size cording you’re using then multiply that by two.  Then decide how big you want your seam allowance to be and multiply that by two.  Then add those two numbers together and that’s how wide you should cut your strip.  For example, I bought cording that was 1/8 inch wide…..so I multiplied that by two, a 1/4 inch.  And then I wanted a 3/8 inch seam allowance…..so I multiplied that by two, 6/8 of an inch, or 3/4 of an inch.  1/4 plus 3/4 is 1.  So I cut my strip 1 inch wide. 

Then I sewed it together, just like shown above.

How to use Piping:

To sew your piping to your fabric, always sew it to one layer of fabric first.  This will help assure the piping is perfectly straight and even.  And if you have piping that does not have a wide enough seam allowance for the project that you’re working on, adjust the piping to lay where it needs to.  For example, let’s say that I am using a 3/4 inch seam allowance for a project but the seam allowance on my piping is less than that.  Just line up the seam on that piping 3/4 of an inch in from the edge and pin it in place.  Then sew it down, making sure to stay 3/4 of an inch away from the edge of the fabric with your seam.  Then place your other piece of fabric on top (with right sides together), line up the two edges of your main fabric and then sew them together using your 3/4 inch seam allowance (or whatever seam allowance you’re working with).

Then once you open it up, you have a nice line to define this portion of your project. 

Now, how should you start and stop your piping if you’re going all the way around something?  There are nicer and fancier ways to do this but here’s the quick/no-fuss way to do it.  Let the first end of your piping hang over the edge of your fabric and then start sewing your piping right in place.  When you go all the way around, let your other end go over the fabric and sew right over it, stitching it right in place as well.

But oh wait, what should you do around a corner?  Good question.  Let’s imagine we’re sewing around a square piece that will be used as a pillow.  Just sew your piping right along the straight edge of fabric, like shown above, then once you get close to the bottom corner, cut a diagonal slit in the extra fabric (seam allowance) of your piping, right where your piping will turn the corner of your main fabric.  Then fold your piping around that corner and continue sewing.

Now, if you’re sewing a pillow, you will sew your other square piece down right on top, with right sides together.  Make sure and use the same seam allowance that you did while attaching your piping.  (If sewing a pillow, you will leave a few inch opening so that you can turn it right side out and then hand-stitch the opening closed when you’re done.  View this tutorial if interested in all the steps.)

Once you turn it right side out, you will have a nice strip of piping, lining the outer edge of your project.  And you can also see how the overlapped ends kind of mesh together (over on the right).

Pretty cool, right?  Now you don’t have to be afraid of piping any longer.  It really isn’t so bad. 

Have fun.

Remember to check out my review of the Withings scale, that measures Weight, Fat %, and BMI.  Yeah, it does it all……and will keep you on track.  Also, enter to win a free one for yourself. 

. . . . . . .

Good news.  I sewed up another project for We All Sew (by Bernina) a while ago, and the tutorial and pattern pieces are now available.  Yay.

In case you have missed them, here are a few other projects that I have created for We All Sew.

(Click on any of the images below to read a bit more about them.)

But the newest project is a fun little Monster Pillow.  It’s fleece and cuddly and charming…….and easy for little arms to carry around anywhere.

The pattern over at We All Sew, found here, is complete with lots of pictures and pattern pieces.  No worries.

This Monster Pillow pattern is pretty darn easy……so why not make 3?  Or 5?  You know every little boy/girl you know would love one.  Especially to cuddle at night to ward off any of those scary made-up monsters under the bed.

Hope you love it as much as I loved making it.

Monster Pillow tutorial and pattern pieces found here.

And ummmm, hello……it’s Friday!  Enjoy your weekend!! :)

Remember to check out my review of the Withings scale, that measures Weight, Fat %, and BMI.  Yeah, it does it all……and will keep you on track.  Also, enter to win a free one for yourself.  You’ll looooooove it. :)

Oh, and did you see the winner of the Zeo Sleep Manager?  Go here to see if it was you.

. . . . . . .

Let me share a secret with you. Unless I have rewards, I don’t normally meet my exercise goals. It’s annoying that good health isn’t a good enough reward…..but that’s just me. So at the beginning of 2012, my husband and I (yes, he’s doing this with me) sat down with blank calendars and a pen in hand. We decided that we needed weekly rewards for meeting our exercise and nutrition goals for a month or two because after the long list of other things that we have to stay motivated to accomplish each day, our ‘naturally motivated reserve’ is drained. So on each Saturday of our calendars, we wrote down little rewards that we would get, as long as we have eaten well that week (stayed under our calories and such) and have also worked out at least 2 days a week (for at least 30 minutes) for him and 5-6 days a week for me. Haha…..I know, he gets off easy but he drives an hour to and from his surgery rotation (PA school) and sometimes stands for 12 hours assisting with surgeries. So maybe that’s part of his workout?? Anyway, 2 days is about all he can fit in. And well, let me be honest……I wouldn’t be doing 6 days (more like 3-4) except Alysa told me I had to! :) And then every day we mark our calendars with an ‘X’ if we ate healthy and then add an ‘E’ for exercise. And then at the end of the week, if all goals were met……….we win our reward.

I know, I know……….we can’t win rewards for the rest of our lives. But until regular exercise and healthier food choices are more of a habit, we need rewards to jump start us.

Do you want to know some of our rewards?

• new shoes for him
• 25 minute uninterrupted back rub for me (from the husband)
• new workout clothes for me
• new cologne for him
• a new haircut for me
• new bike pedals for him
• no dish duty for a week for me. for any meal. none. (my husband has to do them….ha.)
• 5 finger shoes for both of us (we found some for $40 at REI.com. yay!)
• movie night (like, at a real theater. Not just in our TV room after the kids go to bed.)
• and more

And look what came in the mail recently. Yep, we just got these little lovelies (5 finger shoes) last week. I know they’re for running but I really wanted them for indoor workouts and yoga. And maybe bike rides and short jogs. The price was right and they are pretty cool kicks. (And if your first thought is that my feet look like alien feet, don’t worry, I agree. Ha.)

If you want to try giving yourself rewards like we do, you can make them all free or throw in some spendy ones. It just depends on the budget. The ones like ‘no dishes’ or ‘back rubs’ are nice and free but won’t work unless you have a partner that’s willing to do a little work to help you meet your goals. But it works both ways. He has ones that I have to help him out with too. But the free ones are fun! We also seemed to throw in some things that were on our “want” list but can’t justify buying without a reason (i.e. birthday, anniversary, etc.) But we decided that setting aside some money to pay for these rewards is an investment. The return is good health. And that’s worth it until we get back on track.

Anyway, we have all of our rewards in place and it’s been working. Eating well? Check. Exercising for at least 30 minutes? Check.

**I have to tell you something that kept me motivated this last week. I was outside running and began running up a hill………..which was killing me. I kept running (slowly) and kept telling myself, “this feels better than the crappy way I’ve been feeling lately”. I repeated that about 15 times until I was up the hill. Success.

Exercise is mostly mental. And dang, it feels so good when you’re done.

How’s it going for you? If you got off track for a minute…..jump back on and go get ‘em!

P.S. I actually made time to paint my finger nails last night. Does a fresh coat of paint make you instantly feel like a lady? It does me. And has added an extra few dollars to my Feelin’ Good in 2012 account. Try it.

Yay for free things! 

Now, let’s pick with winner of the Zeo (from this giveaway).  Ahhh, that cool little gadget.

I didn’t actually select the winner……BlogHer did.  Whew, makes it easier for me because it’s hard to only pick one. 

And here’s the info they sent me:

Randomly Selected Winning Number: 822

And who is commenter #822?

Anne says:

After having a baby a year ago my sleep habits are disturbed! I have been waking up every four hours for days…. I am not even sure I sleep anymore. I would love the Zeo to see what is going on! Please!

Congrats Anne!  I hope you get that sleep worked out because that doesn’t sound fun! :)

(I’ll be emailing you with more info.)

And thanks to everyone else for entering.

-Ashley

As discussed in this and this post, I was asked to participate in a “New Year New You” campaign with BlogHer and Best Buy.  I have been asked to test out a few items to help me with my new goals for this year and have also been provided with (you too!) the advice of a personal trainer/dietician, found here.  I will be blogging all about it on ‘Make It and Love It’ for the next several weeks.  (All related posts can be found here.) Join with me and healthy up that body of yours too!  -Ashley

. . . . .

Okay, it’s time to talk scales. 

Most of us probably have one. And most of us probably have love/hate relationships with them. Sometimes they tell us good news and sometimes, well, not so good news. Ha. And the truth is, if I’m trying to lose weight, I HAVE to step on the scale regularly to track my progress. And if I’m trying to maintain, I hop on there just as regularly. And if the holidays have just passed, I hesitantly step on, just to see what kind of damage control has to be called in.

So, I was sent a Withings Smart Body Scale to test out.

I have to admit, once I pulled it out of the box, I knew it was fancy and had cool features but thought it looked similar to a few of the other scales I have owned. Except a little more shiny.

But then I put the batteries in and linked the cord from the scale to my computer, and I began to see a huge difference.

First of all, the Withings Smart Body Scale is isn’t your ordinary bathroom scale. It measures your weight as well as your lean body mass and body fat composition. It is WiFi enabled so once you hook it up the first time, it automatically transmits all of your information to your private account online (if you wish to do so). You don’t have to tell it to transmit each time, it just does. Automatically.

You can also enable your scale to transmit your info to your smartphone and many other programs. (If your WiFi connection is down, the scale will save the last 16 measurements and will send them to your account once your connection is restored.)

So how do you make it work?  You don’t have to turn it on or tap it to start.  You just step right on.

And then it begins its magic. It weighs you first and then your BMI pops up for a moment and then your fat mass. The bar along the bottom below the weight (on the left), shows that the scale is finalizing your actual weight. And then the bar below the BMI and the fat mass show where the “normal” range would be for your weight and then the arrow above it shows if you fall in that normal range or if you’re above or below it.

(Images taken from withings.com)

If you’re concerned about having 5 scales lined up in the bathroom for all the members in your family, you can actually have up to 8 users on one scale, with 8 different accounts. The scale recognizes each user by weight. If two of you are similar in weight, both of your names will pop up once you step on, and you just select your correct name with your foot. (The scale can also be used as a normal scale, without having a subscribed user.)

Pretty cool.

Within seconds, your information is sent wirelessly to your profile. (Image from withings.com) Then you can start analyzing your data, watch your weight, BMI, and fat mass increase or decrease, and also set goals for yourself. And you can easily switch between users (over on the left) and analyze your own data.

This video from withings.com does a great and really quick job explaining, so take a second to watch this if you’re interested.

Pretty sleek, right?

It has sure motivated my husband and me to stay on track and monitor our progress. In fact, my husband weighs himself in the morning and then leaves for work. He checks his progress later on in the day using the Withings App on his Android phone. It’s perfect for him. Since our accounts are linked, we can check in on each other and encourage one another. I love that!

Now, who’d like to win one for free?

To be entered for a chance to win one of these wonderful Withings Smart Body Scales, leave me a comment telling me why it’s the perfect scale for your family.

Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 1/18 – 1/24.

Also be sure to visit the Inspiration to Fitness page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews, get great fitness tips and find more chances to win! You can also roll over the Best Buy image at the top of my blog to view a calendar of all the Inspiration to Fitness content. Good luck!
Good luck!

Best Buy does not sponsor, endorse, approve, or have any responsibility for this promotion.

It was coooooold here yesterday in Colorado.  The kind of cold that kept us in all day.  Until I remembered that we were out of milk and cereal and bread and yogurt and cheese and turkey and whole wheat crackers and bananas.  Haha, no biggee.  So I was off to the store at 4:30 p.m. and after opening the front door to head outside, I was shocked to see that the freezing temps had turned into an angry blizzard of snowflakes.  So we went back inside to add more layers to our bodies, which is when I realized I couldn’t find my little guy’s hat.  He has a hood on his coat but there’s something extra cozy about a nice snug hat to keep you warm and then placing a coat hood on top of that.  Layers are good. I’m sure his other hat will be found under a couch cushion or in the back of the shoe closet one of these days…….but I couldn’t go to bed last night until I made the little mister a new hat.

So I grabbed a bit of fleece and whipped him up a new hat.

And then turned that plain hat into a football.  Just for fun.  (‘Tis the season, right?)

When I put his new hat on him this morning, he was ecstatic.  And then asked me if I made him a football too……like the one he’s been seeing at the store and asks me to buy for him EVERY SINGLE TIME we see one.  Sorry kiddo.  (But I just may have to make one.  Soon. ;) )

Since it’s fleece, it’s nice and warm and has a nice stretch to it.  Perfect for his large noggin. 

No more air sneaking in to freeze those little ears.

And because he’s a boy……he does boy things while wearing his new hat.  Wooo-weeee, what would I do without a little boy?!!  HaHa.

Pretty simple construction and not much more than a dollar or two.  Not bad.

Glad you like it Little Dude.

Would you like to make one too?

First of all, I made the shape of the hat just like I made these little baby hats, found here.  Well, almost.  But it’s the same idea.

Except instead of adding so much length to the hat to create a folded up brim, I just added enough length to fold under about an inch and zig-zag in place.  (Make sure to use a zig-zag stitch so that the hat opening can still stretch.  A straight stitch won’t allow the fabric to stretch anymore.)  Just be sure to try it on the head before zig-zagging the bottom edge under.  Because you may want to not fold it under as much in the front so that it comes down a bit more over the forehead.  Just try it on to see.  **And be sure to cut your hat shape with the stretch of the fleece going left to right (not up and down) so that it stretches around the head, not up and over the head.**

(And remember, when creating the curve of the hat, it’s better if the hat fits a little snug.  This will help round out the hat to a 3D shape as it stretches.  While on the head you see that it puckers out excessively along the curved seam, turn it inside out again and take it in a little bit where it puckers and then trim off the excess fabric.  Try it on again and see how it looks.)

Then, cut narrow white strips (mine were about a 1/3 inch) of fleece to make the two white stripes on the football.  (Be sure to cut them with the stretch going with the strip so that when you pull both ends of your strip, it stretches.)  Now lay them down where you want them on the hat and pin them in place.  I placed one about a 1/2 inch from the bottom of the hat and then another one a couple inches from the top.  Since it’s a narrow (and kind of stretchy) strip, it’s pretty easy to curve the strip while still keeping it flat, so that it looks like the strips are more rounded (like a football) when on the head.  Now, zig-zag along both edges of the strip (a straight stitch will keep the hat from stretching). 

Sew the strip all the way around the hat and let the two ends meet in the back.  Just sew one end right over the other or you can sew the strip into a circle before attaching to the hat.  I know it’s kind of hard to see but there are zig-zags along both edges of the white strips.

Sew the “white stitches” of the football the same way but make those strips just a bit more narrow.  Make sure to center the “white stitching” along the center front of the hat.  The number of horizontal strips will depend on the size of hat you’re making.  I was able to fit 4 in there.  Then sew the little horizontal strip on last.

Here’s a view of the stitching from the inside.

And that’s it. 

You’re little football hat is ready to keep some little guy cozy.