Sew Dang Cute Crafts

The Chic Orchid

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 06:47:00 +0000

I am absolutely thrilled to tell you guys that “The Chic Orchid” is officially up and running.

Who would have thought that it would take 6 months to finally get it up? Not me, but I’m so happy that this day has come at last!

Quitting blogging was necessary for me and my family. I wasn’t happy doing it anymore and it was draining me. Little did I know that I would get an itch to start something new, and that it would turn into a company that I absolutely LOVE!

In a nutshell, here’s the gist of my company:

I had the incredible Lara of Announced Design create my logo. I’ve long admired her work, and knew that she would be able to get me just what I needed.

Amidst surgeries, concussions, and everything else that poor woman has had to endure, she took on the job and nailed it!!

I’m absolutely blown away by her talent, and am so appreciative of her.

Next came 3 months of what can only be described as a dead end with a web developer who will remain nameless.

Moving on, I turned to Alex ElChehimi of Spicy Design for website development.

This is where the true genius came in. He built my site, taking my input seriously, and offering suggestions as needed. It was a lot of work, and he kept at it without ever complaining.

I will sing his praises forever for making this happen:

I can hardly believe that it’s finally up! It’s so exciting and I can’t wait to share it with all of you.

Thank you so much for being patient with me throughout this whole process. I hope you will come subscribe to the newsletter and follow along with all the social media outlets, so you don’t miss a deal.

As a token to my fabulous readers, who have stuck with me for so long, I would like to offer a discount code:

SEWCUTE10

10% off your entire order until March 1st

Thanks again and farewell to blogging forever!

Crafting With the Stars??

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 21:03:00 +0000

If you’ve been a reader of mine for a while, then you know that once upon a time, there used to be a little ‘ole contest called Crafting with the Stars.

It was so much fun and

had three very successful seasons, which you can check out in detail below.

Season 1(October 2010)

Season 2 (March 2011)

Season 3 (September 2011)

When I quit blogging last June, I had several people inquire about taking over the contest.

After careful consideration, I decided to sell the contest to none other than Monica and Jess of East Coast Creative (Season 3’s champions).

They have worked their hearts out making improvements to keep this contest the hottest thing in blogland.

Introducing

The prize packages are INCREDIBLE and the “stars” they’ve got are mind-blowing!!

Head on over to their site to see who the stars are, what’s up for grabs, and more info on the contest.

I couldn’t be happier with how this contest came to be, how it ran, and where it’s going. Monica and Jess are some of my favorite people in the blog world and I know they are going to make this contest better than I ever could, and what you as readers/creators want and need.

Thank you for sharing this journey with me and keep on creating!

THANK YOU!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 01:45:00 +0000

Thank you just doesn’t seem to cut it for the gratitude I have for each of you. Thank you for your kind comments, emails, text messages, phone calls, etc. Once again I am reminded how many wonderful people there are in the world and that I am blessed to come in contact with many of them.

I am so appreciative of all your love and support behind my decision to quit blogging, so with so much more than just words, please let me tell each and every one of you…

THANK YOU!

XOXOXO

The Time Has Come to Say Goodbye

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 15:03:00 +0000

I can’t even tell you how many times over the past 10 months I have sat down to write this very post. Well today the time has come that I must say goodbye to blogging.

It’s hard to explain why, but I know many of you will want to know so I’m going to try.

First, I want to make it very clear that these are MY feelings. I don’t want it to come across that I feel like this is the answer for everyone. It’s not. It’s just what is best for ME and MY FAMILY, so I pray that this can come across how I intend.

Remember last August in THIS POST when I said I felt like a chicken running around with my head cut off?

Guess what? I still feel that way.

I absolutely LOVE being a mother! These 4 kids are my world and bring me so much joy.

But the fact of the matter is, they are also a lot of work.

My kids are 6, 5, 3, and 1. Still young and very impressionable. They need me, and I only have a limited time to teach and influence them. I won’t ever get these years back, and I’m realizing more and more just how quickly they grow up.

I CANNOT FAIL AS A MOM!!!!

As I have been feeling more and more overwhelmed with life and my mounting “to-do” list, I realized a few things.

1. I can’t do it all.

2. I’m unhappy when I try to do it all.

3. My husband and kids feel the side effects of a tired, unhappy mom.

All of this led me to the conclusion that I need to…

SIMPLIFY

The more I thought and prayed about it, I felt very strongly that quitting blogging was part of the simplifying process.

You may have noticed the lack of project posts lately, and quite a few sponsored posts. I have to apologize for that. Once I knew that I was quitting, I had to “settle all of my commitments” if you will. I still have one more post later this week, and a quilt I’m in the middle of (not sure when that will be posted).

I know I’ll still keep making things for my family and home, so I may or may not share some of those things here. The good news is that my blog is still on Blogger so I won’t be deleting my site. It will still be here to access all of my past projects and tutorials. They are all listed on my Tutorials & Projects page, and you can also use the search box in the sidebar.

I have felt such peace about my decision so I hope you can all be happy for me. I know this is the right thing for me and my family. I love you all and want to thank you for being part of this journey with me!

XOXOXOXO

Ombre Herringbone Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 20:15:00 +0000

Hey guys! I was doing the usual end-of-year stuff where I like to declutter and organize, and realized there are a few "blog" things I forgot to post. So while I'm trying to get the final touches on the website for "The Chic Orchid, I have a couple of FINAL "Sew Dang Cute" posts.

For instance, this quilt was originally posted in June on the Riley Blake blog as my final design team project.

I came up with this idea almost a year ago, and even got the fabric to make it back in April, but life got so busy that I didn’t get it done – until June.

Introducing the Ombre Herringbone Quilt!!!

This turned out just how I hoped it would, and was a fun quilt to make.

The first thing I needed to do was design the quilt on paper.
I created this image in PhotoShop as a rough draft. I planned on straightening up all the squares so if you guys wanted to download it for yourselves, it would be a nice copy. However, as I mentioned before, life was a little hectic, so please forgive me for the rough copy.

(You should be able to right click the image to save it to your computer for printing).

Next I picked out my fabrics. Riley Blake Designs has an incredible selection of solids. In order of light to dark, my blues are Bleached Denim, Waterfall, Aqua L, and Bear Lake.

The finished quilt measures 42” x 52” – great for a nice throw or crib-sized blanket.

For this size I used:

- 1/4 yd of each of the blues (Bleached Denim, Waterfall, Aqua L, Bear Lake)

- 1 1/4 yd white

- 1 1/2 yd backing (Bear Lake)

- 1/2 yd binding (Bear Lake)

Cut the following 5” squares:

15 of Bleached Denim

15 of Waterfall

15 of Aqua L

15 of Bear Lake

60 of white

To sew the blocks I used the same technique as in my Chevron Peak Hour quilt.

STEP ONE: Lay a white square right side up.

STEP TWO: Place a colored square directly on top right side down (so right sides are together).

STEP THREE: Using a ruler, draw a line with a pencil or fabric marker from corner to corner.

STEP FOUR: Sew 1/4” seam on both sides of the drawn line.

STEP FIVE: Cut along the drawn line.

STEP SIX: Open squares and press. You now have two sewn blocks.

Repeat for all four colors.

Then it’s quilt assembly time. I drew lines on my printed out design so I didn’t mix up the pattern.

(Again you should be able to right click and save the image to your computer).

Using a 1/4” seam allowance, sew all 12 rows together, pressing seams as you go.

I had the quilting done by Wendy of Eagle Mountain Quilting and chose the floral light pattern – something soft and elegant. I’m really happy with how it turned out!

Family Pictures by Kristen Duke Photography

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 20:13:00 +0000

In June, the fabulous Kristen Duke was in Utah and did our family pictures!!

I first met Kristen through Crafting with the Stars and have been so grateful to have become friends with her. She is an absolute blast to hang out with, and I adore her!!

Let me start by saying…….

Kristen is a miracle worker!!!

Family pictures are hard – finding everyone’s clothes, getting ready, figuring out location, etc. etc. – not to mention the actual session.

I walked away from our photo session doubtful of how they would turn out. I felt like my kids weren’t ever looking at the camera – let alone smiling, and I was constantly telling one of them to calm down, look at the camera, hold still, etc.

Somehow, Kristen managed to snatch incredible shots!!!

She captured each of my children’s personalities perfectly!

She even captured my husband and I’s relationship…

My sweet baby boy…

And this is probably one of my favorite pictures of all-time…

You’d never know that:

Our 6-year old (far left) is turning away asking if we are done yet.

My husband is pointing at the camera trying to get our 3-year old to look.

I’m bent over trying to keep our 1-year old from running off.

Our 5-year old is crying because we haven’t gone on the bridge yet.

Ok, let’s go to the bridge…

(my husband is grabbing my hand telling me to calm down….I was a little flustered by this point)

Phew….we made it!

Like I said, Kristen possesses some sort of magical powers.

I am absolutely thrilled with how they turned out, and these pictures will be treasured for years to come.

Thanks Kristen!!!

Kid Chatteroo

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 15:17:00 +0000

I am so excited to share with you guys a new app that my amazingly creative friend Kirsten of The Crafting Chicks just launched!

She has spent countless hours making this happen, and it was well worth all her effort!!

KID CHATTEROO is fun to play at bedtime, dinnertime and snuggletime. Easily turn those potentially “time-wasting” moments such as amusement park lines, waiting rooms, car rides, into meaningful moments. Use KID CHATTEROO anytime and anywhere you want to connect with your kids. Capture those little voice recordings with an easy-to-use recording feature, it’s like capturing time in a bottle.

Here are some examples of the fun you can have with this app:

* If you ate a rainbow what would it taste like?

Taylor age 5: “Cotton candy”
Benny age 5: "really good burritos"
Delany age 3: "chicken"

* If you lived in candy land what would you build your house out of?

Taylor: “Wood from a tree….maybe candy.”
Carson age 3: “A skeleton.”
Kennedy age 6: “Candy corn.”

* What are you most excited for?

Taylor: “Halloween.”
Carson: "“Halloween treats.”
Kennedy: “My birthday.”

* What is the silliest thing about Dad?

Taylor: “He makes jokes.”
Delany: "He scares me with a {Halloween }mask all the time."

* Why are moms so super?

Taylor: “She shares with us – even I’m thankful for her.”
Kennedy: “She takes care of the kids.”

* If animals could talk, which one would you talk to and what would you say?

Taylor: “Unicorn: Can I ride on your back?”
Kennedy: “Rabbit: Are you real?”

* If you were a princess/knight what would your castle look like?

Taylor: “Ariel’s.”
Kennedy: “Pink and purple.”

* If you ate a rain cloud what would it taste like?

Taylor: “Rain”
Delany "watermelon"
Kennedy: "Air"

* Why do dogs have a tail?

Taylor: “It helps them get comfortable when they sleep.”
Kennedy: “So when they bark they have something to wiggle.”

* What is your favorite thing to do with mom?

Taylor: “Play battleship.”
Delany: "Go on a walk to Circle K to get a pop"
Kennedy: “Read.”

I love that you can capture their sweet little voices and cute answers to keep forever. And it’s only $0.99!! Seriously, well worth the memories!

Check out the app and if you like it, tell her by giving her a 5 star rating! Catch them around the web too!

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/kidchatteroo
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chatteroo/506943849332176
PINTEREST: http://pinterest.com/chatteroo/
WEBSITE: WWW.KIDCHATTEROO.COM join their mailing list for updates and other fun tidbits!

DIY SITE: www.thecraftingchicks.com creator of Kid Chatteroo & her four friends share awesome DIY stuff.

Vtech Switch & Go Dinos

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 21:08:00 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of VTechKids for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

My son just turned 3 years old! I can't believe how big he is.

Like most boys, he loves cars and dinosaurs. So when I was asked if my son would like to receive two Switch & Go Dinos by Vtech, I gladly said "yes".

These toys are ingenius! They are dinosaurs, but then easily morph into cars. So you get TWO toys in ONE!!!

He received the T-Rex,

and the Triceratops.

I'm happy to report

that they were a HUGE hit!

He had a lot of fun changing them from dinosaurs to cars, and then back again to dinosaurs.

It's fun because the LCD screen has different animation options likes eyes when in dinosaur form, then driver faces when in vehicle form. The sound effects are awesome and really bring the toys to life, but also provide some neat dinosaur facts, so your child is learning at the same time.

I couldn't be happier with them because he absolutely loves them!

He played with them,

and played with them.

Even his little brother wanted in on playtime.

I think these are great toys to have on hand, especially for little boys. It keeps them busy (plus provides some interactive learning)!

There are four different starter dinos that you can Buy today on Amazon for only $15.99!

Beginning June 18, they'll be on sale at VTechKids.com.

So here's a question for you... Who do you like better in a fight? T-Rex or Triceratops?

I'll let you know the outcome since I'm sure they will be battling each other many times in our house!

Thanks Vtech for making both my boys happy!

Simple Basket Liners

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 19:21:00 +0000

In my last post I shared with you my son's new bookshelf. Well if you noticed the bottom shelf, I made some baskets to help organize the toys and lined the baskets with some simple basket liners.

My son’s toys have been in desperate need of storage, so these were just the ticket!

The genius behind the baskets part comes from Amy of Positively Splendid with her canvas-covered diaper boxes tutorial.

So I started out with a couple of empty diaper boxes.

Then following Amy’s tutorial, I lined them with canvas fabric. If you are worried about the box showing through, you can either use a darker canvas or cover the box with paper first. My fabric is going to cover the top part, so I wasn’t concerned.

Then we have to measure our box. The long sides on mine were 13” x 9”. The short sides were 9” x 9”. The bottom side was 13” x 9”.

Here’s how I cut per basket:

* For the 13” x 9” side: (2 pieces) 13 1/2” x 13 1/2”. I added 1/2” for seam allowances, then 4 1/2” for the hem, fabric overhang, and seam allowances.

* For the 9” x 9” side: (2 pieces) 9 1/2” x 13 1/2”. Again 1/2” for seam allowances, then 4 1/2” for the hem, fabric overhang, and seam allowances.

* For the 13” x 9” bottom piece: 13 1/2” x 9 1/2”. 1/2” for seam allowances.

Once my pieces were all cut, I decided to hem the tops of all the sides before assembling. Fold the top edge of each side piece down 1/2” and press. Repeat. Then stitch in place.

So now here are all my hemmed side pieces and also the bottom piece.

Starting with one of the longer side pieces, pin the two shorter side pieces and bottom piece to it RST (right sides together).

Just for visual purposes: If you were to open up all the pinned pieces right now, it should look like this:

Using a 1/4” seam, start sewing at the top right-hand corner and continue until you get to the top left-hand corner.

Now pin the shorter side pieces and bottom piece to the other longer side piece and repeat the sewing.

Sew the side and bottom seams closed at the bottom of the liner.

That’s it! It’s now done and you can put it in the box as a liner.

Pretty slick, right?

Simple and effective!

How to Paint Veneer {Not Wood} Furniture

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 02:49:00 +0000

Have you ever tried painting veneer? The paint doesn’t stick to it. It’s rather annoying.

Well I’ve been searching for a small bookcase to put in my son’s nursery. Last week when I was in my local thrift store, I found one for $5. The only drawback – it was veneer.

So my brain started wondering….

“If I painted it with chalk paint first, would that solve the problem?”

The answer…

YES!!!

Here’s the original bookcase.

Not bad for $5, eh?

I got out my chalk paint. I had a lot left over from my first experience with it, which you can read about HERE if interested. However, since then I’ve seen lots of tutorials for making your own, which is a much cheaper option. Jamielyn of I {Heart} Naptime, just posted this great one.

First coat.

Veneer is a beast. The chalk paint did go on much better than regular paint, but it still repelled it some.

See when we look a little closer?

Since it was sticking better than regular paint, I went for a second coat.

Ignore the uneven color…the darker spots are where the paint was still wet.

Much better, right? Now it is perfectly primed!!!

I painted and glazed it just like I did the rest of the nursery furniture in this post. The spray paint went on like magic and you’d never know the bookcase was made of veneer. It was fabulous!!

After a coat of polyurethane, it was done and ready to join the nursery!!!

Thanks for reading!

Photo a Day June: Week 2

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 15:20:00 +0000

Can you believe another week has already gone by? We just enjoyed our first week of summer and it went by so quickly!

Remember the photo a day challenge in June? If you missed week 1, you can catch it HERE.

And if you want to see the posts for May, click HERE.

Days 4 – 9

Last Sunday, my 6-year old lost her other front tooth! Just look at that adorable toothless grin!! That deserves a close-up right?

This sign is actually from yesterday, but on Day 5 (and the rest of the week) I couldn’t figure out a “sign” picture. Yesterday I ran a race and had to leave my house at 3:00 am to catch my bus. My sweet daughter put a bunch of different signs like this one up all over the kitchen for me to see before I left. I love how thoughtful she is!

Trying to get this guy to let me take his picture is a joke, but I did manage to snatch this one of him. I just love the way he looks sporting his baseball hat!

My baby thinks he is so big and likes to drink out of a water bottle (even though it’s almost as big as him). It’s adorable and makes me smile!

At 6 o’clock Friday I was carb-loading for my race the next morning. Can’t go wrong with a nice spaghetti dinner!

My day started EARLY! I had to wake up at 2:30 am to be out the door by 3. I drove down to Provo (about an hour from where I live) to catch a 4:00 bus that took me up Provo Canyon to the start line of the Utah Valley Half Marathon.

It was a beautiful view to run down that spectacular canyon!

I got to spend the time before the race with our good friends Nate and Jessica (some of you may remember Jessica from her beach room makeover and weight loss journey)?

I’ve enjoyed seeing all of your #photoadayJune pics as well on Instagram! It’s really fun to see everyone’s different takes on the daily topics.

Thanks for reading!

Quaker Soft Baked Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 05:13:00 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Quaker Oats for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast.

For several reasons:

1. I like it.

2. It's low-calorie and fills me up.

3. It's a quick breakfast to make.

4. It's a slow-release carb. This is important because I work out in the mornings, and need good fuel to sustain me through those workouts. "Slow-release carbs" are also awesome for weight loss and fat burn!

Obviously eating it every day I use a lot of oats (I even buy it in bulk, and yes that is a 10 lb. package).

So when I was asked if I wanted to try out the new Quaker Soft Baked Bar, I happily accepted.

I received the Banana Nut Bread and Cinnamon Pecan Bread.

Right away I checked out the nutritional information (because that kind of stuff is important to me). Fortunately, it passed my inspection because it's a wholesome food loaded with great nutrients and is low-calorie.

I don't feel bad at all eating 140 calories for a breakfast snack (or anytime of day for that matter).

I grabbed a Banana Nut Bread bar and followed the recommendation to warm it up in the microwave for about 10 seconds.

I really liked it, but the true test came when I gave one to my 6-year old. She opted for the Cinnamon Pecan Bread bar.

And the result is?

Thumbs up!!!

This is definitely something I would give my kids!

As I mentioned it's healthy, but they are also quite tasty. Our family's favorite flavor is the cinnamon pecan bread, but I honestly liked both flavors and will probably keep both on hand for variety.

Beauty Box 5

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 20:21:00 +0000

Today I would like to tell you about Beauty Box 5.

Beauty Box 5 is a cosmetic sampling program that delivers a Beauty Box with 4 - 5 beauty samples once a month.

This box introduces you to hair care, skin care, makeup, fragrances, and anything beauty related. You’ll receive products from brands of all scales to include luxury, organic, boutique, and more commonly known brands.

The Beauty Box includes packet samples, deluxe, travel size and full size products too! Our goal is to introduce you to innovative products that will fit your lifestyle and to do away with buying products that just end up in our drawers.

I had the opportunity to receive a Beauty Box for myself.

Inside was some sunscreen, hair treatment, makeup remover, line smoother, and eye tint.

Not bad right? I really like the makeup remover. It’s gentle and doesn’t irritate my eyes like most makeup remover does.

Would you like to get 4-5 beauty samples delivered to your door every month - Subscriptions under $12?

To Get the Box or learn more about it, click HERE.

Be sure to like them on Facebook as well to enter for FREE giveaways!

Photo a Day June: Week 1

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 10:00:00 +0000

As I mentioned last week in this post, I finished up the Photo a Day May challenge. You can see all of those posts HERE.

I enjoyed it so much, that I decided to continue the challenge in June.

From my Facebook post last week, I learned that many of you are joining in as well. It’s fun to see what everyone snaps a picture of each day, and for me to get to know many of you more.

Here are Days 1-3

Meet my alarm clock. This adorable face is what greets me every morning. It’s a great way to begin each day!

My 5- and 6-year old daughters are in charge of emptying the dishwasher. I love that they are getting old enough to do chores, and that their “help” really does is beneficial now.

Sunday dinners are almost always something crockpot. I like to be able to start it in the morning, then when we get home from church in the late afternoon, it’s all ready. French dip sandwiches and watermelon happened to be the meal yesterday.

(sandwich recipe from Our Best Bites).

There you have it. Little snippets of my life in relation to the daily topics.

So how about it? Anyone else want to play along?

Giveaway: {$50 Amazon.com Voucher} ENDED

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 20:05:00 +0000

Are you guys very green? I’ll admit that I could definitely do better in this area.

I’ve got a $50 Amazon.com Voucher up for grabs, but for your chance to win it, I need you to pop over to Appliances Online and take this quick Green survey.

Appliances Online is conducting this survey to find out whether large retailers can be more helpful with the eco information they give to consumers.

Do people really understand energy symbols? Do they feel carbon offsetting is a worthwhile endeavour? Do we focus too much on the new products and forget the environmental impact of disposing of our old ones?

How we present this information is based only on what we know. But how can we be sure that’s what customers want to know? We want the public to tell us what retailers should be doing better.

Please take a second and click over HERE to fill out the survey. It literally only takes two minutes.

After you’ve taken the survey, come back to this post and leave a comment letting me know.

Then you will be entered to for your chance at a $50 Amazon.com Voucher!

The survey runs until Wednesday, June 6, so you have until then @ 12 pm MST to enter.

Good luck!

Photo a Day May: Weeks 4 & 5

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Thu, 31 May 2012 21:56:00 +0000

Hi guys! I hope all of you are doing well. Thank you so much to all of you who have reached out to me over the last couple of weeks. It’s been a challenging time and extremely difficult for me to talk about. If you haven’t noticed, I have a very hard time getting personal. It’s a struggle for me to open up. Nevertheless, it has helped immensely to know that so many people are concerned. There are so many good people in the world, and I feel so blessed to have so many of them in my life.

I’ve still been doing the Photo a Day May challenge. I didn’t get around to posting last week, so this week will be both weeks 4 & 5. If you missed weeks 1, 2, or 3 you can see them HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Here’s a reminder of each day’s topic.

Days 20-31

I never want to live without this crazy bunch! Love my family more than anything else!!!

Oh the countless hours I spend in this spot: feeding kids, making meals, cleaning, etc. Without a doubt, I spend more time standing in this spot than any other!

Somebody got to go to a birthday party and make glittery pink butterflies and paint their face all sorts of fun colors!!!

One of the best inventions ever is the Garmin!!! It’s made training so much better. It keeps track of time, pace, distance, calories, etc. I love it and honestly can’t imagine running without it!

My friend Cheri was wearing this cute dress at SNAP! She told me she got it from Thistles Home & Gift. I loved it so much that I ordered one for myself!!! It’s so comfy and super cute!!

I was in the car by myself.

It was kind of hard for me to come up with something unusual. I guess with four kids, nothing seems that strange to me anymore. LOL!

We were at a neighbors house for a BBQ @ 12 o’clock, and my 5-year old daughter stepped into a cactus. Ouch!

We almost always make a Sunday treat. This week we tried Baked Perfection’s S’mores Cookies Bars. They were absolutely scrumptious!! We’ve already made (and eaten) them twice since then!!

Memorial Day gave us gorgeous weather! Grandma was in town, so we gathered up a lunch and went to one of our favorite local spots, Wheeler Farm. We had a picnic lunch, flew a kite, fed the ducks, pet the farm animals, and enjoyed the sunshine!!!

10 inches chopped off!!! She’s been begging to get her hair cut short for months I wanted to make sure it’s what she really wanted, so I made her wait quite a while. This day was finally the day and she loves it!! It’s so cute and fits her cute, spunky personality so well!!

Trying to think of a photo to describe my personality really had me stumped. In the end, I felt like a calla lily is probably the best image I could use to describe my personality. I’ll let you take that as you will.

Besides, it’s always been my favorite flower!

I know I’m completely biased, but I think these are the two most beautiful girls in the world! Today was their last day of school, which means summer has now begun and that is something beautiful as well.

Well that’s a wrap for the Photo a Day in May. It made me stretch sometimes, but I really enjoyed it.

I hope you enjoyed seeing a little bit of my personal side through these photos. Who knows, maybe I’ll continue on through June.

We’ll see…

30-Days of Summer Fun Activity Board

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Tue, 29 May 2012 20:06:00 +0000

This week is the last week of school for my kids and I can’t wait for summer to begin!!!

Last year I created – a 30-day Summer Activity Board: 30 activities with your family to fill those summer days with fun!

It was such a blast last year, that my kids are anxious to do it again!

So I know this is a repeat post, but many of you weren’t around last year at this time, so I hope you’ll forgive me.

30 Days of Summer Fun

The activities are pretty basic and versatile, so you can change things up to fit your family.
There also aren’t any set dates, so just fit in 30 days of fun as your schedule allows!!!

These are activities we probably always say we’ll do, but then life slips by so quickly and we realize we didn’t get to some of them. Things like, have a watermelon eating contest, play a game of charades, sleep in a tent in your backyard, make a 4th of July dessert, and so on.

Hopefully, with this hanging up in our home as a reminder, we’ll get to all of them and make this summer a blast!

I started out with a dull, beat-up $2 frame from the thrift store.

Remove the glass, give the frame a good scrubdown, then paint it the color of your choice. I went with Krylon’s Blue Ocean Breeze.

I threw the picture out and used the glass for the next part. I wanted mine to be a magnetic board so I could easily move things around, plus my kids really like magnets. After cleaning the glass, I painted it with Rustoleum’s Magnetic Primer that I had leftover from my Magna Chalkdoodle project.

(You could use magnetic sheet metal instead if that’s easier for you. I just had this stuff on hand already).

Once that was dry, I spraypainted it white.

Next I cut 1/4” strips of vinyl and divided my board into 30 squares, and left room at the top for a title. You could easily use paper and simply decoupage them if you don’t have vinyl.

To create my magnets, I got my shapes from Microsoft Clipart, designed everything in PhotoShop, and printed them off on Magnet Sheets.

You may want to design your own activities, but you are more than welcome to download my sheets HERE and HERE or simply click on each of the images below. I tried to get them to fit on one sheet, but it simply didn’t happen. Sorry.

After that, I cut them up and stuck them on the board. Simple enough, right?

30 Days of Summer Fun, here we come!!!

Silhouette CAMEO Tote Giveaway & Promo

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Thu, 24 May 2012 06:01:00 +0000

The Silhouette promo this month is a good one!

I have the blue one and love it!

While it is a little big, it’s fabulous because it holds everything: my CAMEO, cords, cutting mats, various pens, rolls of vinyl, heat transfer, etc. If I need to head to a friend’s house to craft, it’s a cinch to just grab my bag and go.

It’s got a handle and wheels so it’s easy to tote around just like a piece of luggage.

Go HERE to take advantage of the promo or click on the image below. Enter code “DANGCUTE” to apply the discount.

Guess what?!!!

I just happen to have an extra tote. I bought one for myself, then was given one. Since I don’t need two, I want to give one of my fabulous readers the other one, which is PINK!!!.

Enter in the Rafflecopter box below. The more ways you follow Sew Dang Cute, the more entries you get! This is my way of saying “THANK YOU” for reading!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway runs until Wednesday, May 30th @ 8 pm MST.

Just so you know, these other sites are giving away a CAMEO and tote:

Crap I’ve Made

Infarrantly Creative

Craftaholics Anonymous

Three Different Stenciled Signs

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:00:00 +0000

This morning I was on a local morning show here in Utah called Studio 5. They sent 5 different bloggers the same Martha Stewart stencil set, and asked each of us to come up with something. I decided to make some stenciled signs with three of the different stencils included in the kit.

If you want to see all five of the projects,
here’s the video. I’m #4.

Now here’s the step-by-step tutorial.

The first sign I made was this one with one of my favorite quotes. It’s sitting right by my kitchen sink so I see it often throughout the day and can ask myself, “How can I make today the happiest day of my life?”

STEP 1: Start out with a piece of 15” x 15” MDF. Sand it down to get rid of any splinters and rough spots. Paint your base color. I chose Spa Blue by DecoArt.

STEP 2: I used my Silhouette to cut a vinyl stencil of an oval with the quote “Make each day the happiest day of your life”. If you don’t have a cutting machine, you can use an Exacto knife instead. You can use whatever color of vinyl, because it’s going to get thrown away when we are done with it. Place the vinyl stencil on your board.

STEP 3: Tape the stencil to your board and begin painting your top color. I chose white.

Line up the stencil to continue the pattern until the whole board is covered.

STEP 4: Remove the vinyl stencil, then sand the entire board to distress.

All done!

Like I said, it’s in a prominent place in my home so I’m sure to see it all throughout the day.

The other two signs were made in the same manner. I loved the honeycomb patterned stencil, so I used it to make a fun, coral “Laundry” sign.

With the 4th of July right around the corner, my mind immediately went to fireworks when I saw the sunbursts stencils in the kit.

Such a fun and simple way to make a great piece of holiday décor!

So there you have it. One stencil kit and three different signs (plus four other projects from the other bloggers who were part of the challenge).

One of the other bloggers was my friend Becky of The Crafting Chicks! It’s always fun to see blogging buddies!!

And of course, you guys know I got my outfit at Quincee’s Boutique. Be sure to like their Facebook page where they post outfits daily. You can email or call to order (they ship everywhere)!!!

Photo a Day May: Week 3

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Mon, 21 May 2012 23:15:00 +0000

If you follow along with me on Facebook, then you know that I’ve been unplugged since last Thursday. I had some stuff come up in my personal life that took me completely by surprise and kind of turned my life upside down. I’m still sorting through some things, so I’m not completely “back” yet. However, I’ve still been doing the Photo a Day May challenge, so I wanted to take a few minutes to share those with you.

If you missed weeks 1 and 2, you can see them HERE and HERE.

Here’s a reminder of each day’s topic.

Days 14-19

My 5-year old daughter is my goofball and is always clowning around. I sure do love that silly girl!!!

I’ve been with this guy for almost 11 years. He’s my very best friend and there is no one else I would rather spend my life with. I love him more and more everyday!

My 2-year old LOVES reading. He has a stack of books that we read over and over throughout the day, but especially at nap and bed times.

When her three younger siblings are down for a nap, my 6-year old gets to munch on a snack. This particular day, I caught her red-handed getting into the Oreos. LOL!

My girls have been begging every weekend for me to make these again. I use Pioneer Woman’s recipe, which makes 4 dozen. It’s the same amount of work to make the half batch as it is for the full batch, so I just make the full then give a couple of pans away.

In my faith, we have temples of the Lord. I have found they are the best place in the world for comfort and peace, as well as a place to go for finding answers to prayers, and feeling the love of our Father in Heaven.

Well there you go! Like I said, I’m still not “back”, but I do have a couple of things I’ll be posting about this week that were previously scheduled including:

- A Studio 5 challenge (for Utah peeps you can catch it live on Channel 5 @ 11 am MST this Wednesday)

- A Silhouette deal and promo this Thursday.

Thanks for being such awesome and supportive readers!

Vacation Destination: Newport Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:58:00 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Newport Beach for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

One of my neighbors and friends absolutely LOVES Newport Beach. Every year she and her family vacation there. She comes back telling me how beautiful the beaches are, how lovely the weather is, how the food was absolutely delicious, and so on.

She already had me thinking that I needed to go there, but after looking at the website, Newport Beach, I'm 100% convinced! This site offers all the information I need to plan my trip: where to eat, where to stay, what to do, etc.

With some of the cleanest beaches in Southern California, I definitely want to head to the coast and hang out all day. I've always wanted to learn how to surf, so what better place to try it than "The Wedge", one of the best surfing spots in Southern California!

Since this will be a family vacation, I love that there is a large selection of family-friendly restaurants! Of course, it might be worth it to find a sitter and enjoy a "dock and dine" evening along Newport Harbor with my husband!

My husband travels frequently with work and is a member of Hyatt's Gold Passport program, so we would most likely stay at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach hotel. With 4 kids, I love that we can buy one room at full price and receive a connecting room for the kids at 50% off!

Check out this video for even more great info!

So what do you guys think?

Have any of you ever been to Newport Beach?

What things are a MUST see or do?

Should I just bite the bullet and book this vacation?

Tried & True: Grandma’s Banana Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:11:00 +0000

Why is it that Grandma’s always have the best recipes?

My grandma has the most delicious banana bread EVER! And today I’m going to share the recipe with you.

You can click HERE to download the recipe card or click on the picture below.

My girls love making banana bread with me. We had a good stockpile of overripe bananas in our freezer, so last weekend we used some of those bananas and made a double batch!

The ingredient that I think really makes the bread is the chocolate. The recipe calls for a semi-sweet chocolate square shaved, but I’ll be honest, I don’t usually have squares on hand. I do however always have semi-sweet chocolate chips on hand.

So I simply load some in my salad shooter, and let it do all the shaving for me!

* I didn’t really use that many chocolate chips. I just had that many in so they would show in the picture. Since I made a double batch, I used about 2 squares worth.

I like to make the mini loaves. Fill the greased pans about this full.

Then when they come out of the oven, look how beautiful they are!

Allow the loaves to cool in the pan for a couple of minutes, then remove them from the plans and place on a cooling rack.

In my opinion, any kind of bread is best when warm, so I recommend digging in ASAP!

But if you can exercise some self control (or you made a double batch..hehe), these make great “just because” gifts!

Hope you are having a fabulous week! Thanks for being here with me!!!

Ruffled Tablecloth

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Mon, 14 May 2012 04:18:00 +0000

My friend has been going to expos lately, and wanted a tablecloth for the “checkout” table to make it look nicer. She had found a ruffled tablecloth online, but it was over $150!

So she asked me if I could make one for her.

I thought about using ruffled fabric, but for the amount I needed, it would have been at least $80. Instead I opted for muslin, and made this one for only $16 in fabric materials. (Time is a different story…)

I love the part in the back! I overlapped the fabric and left an opening so they could put a chair there and also store things underneath without pulling at the tablecloth.

So pretty!

To make one you will need:

- 5 1/2 yds 90” wide muslin* (I used cream-colored)

*Note: Muslin is sold in different widths, if you can’t find 90” you will need to adjust the fabric requirements acccordingly.

- Coordinating thread

- Upholstery thread

- Serger and sewing machine

Step 1: Cut a 35” x 35” piece for the top. My table measured 34” x 34” so I simply added 1” for seam allowances.

Step 2: Cut 4 panels measuring 22 1/2” x 36”. Sew RST (right sides together) along the 22 1/2” edge, so you have one long panel measuring approximately 22 1/2” x 140”. Make sure your serger is threaded with matching thread and finish the seams. Serge along one of the 140” sides (this will be the bottom of the skirt and we are doing this to prevent fraying).

Step 3: Cut (24) 6”’ strips. So these strips will measure 6” x 90”. Stich and serge 4 strips RST along the 6” sides. You should now have 6 VERY LONG strips (~360” long). I know it’s 10 yards long. That’s a lot of fabric, but just think of the finished product!!!

Serge along the top and bottom sides. Yep the long sides. It’s a ton of serging and thread, but it’s better than hemming.

Step 4: Now we get to gather each of these strips to create our ruffles using the upholstery thread. See THIS TUTORIAL step 6 if you need a refresher on how to do that. Working with one ruffle at a time, pin the ruffles to your panel piece that we created in step 2. Then stitch the ruffle to the panel piece.

Here are three of the ruffles sewn on.

Repeat until all 6 pieces are sewn on.

Step 5: Finish both sides (22 1/2” sides) with the serger, ruffles and panel.

Step 6: Pin skirt piece (ruffles and panel) to the square top piece RST. Start in the middle of one side, when you get back around to the end, let the fabric overlap so you leave that finished opening.

Stitch and serge and you are done!!!

Throw it on your table and admire your beautiful ruffled tablecloth!

Oh so pretty! Don’t you think?

Hope you guys have a great day!

Thanks for reading!!

Photo a Day May: Week 2

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Sun, 13 May 2012 16:35:00 +0000

Continuing with the Photo a Day May challenge, here’s week 2.

If you missed week 1, you can see it HERE.

Here’s a reminder of each day’s topic.

Days 6 – 13

‘Nuff said.

My amazing brother! He decided 3 weeks before that he was going to do a full IronMan. That’s 2.4 mile swim, 110 mile bike, then a full marathon (26.2 mile run).

The weather conditions were brutal. On the swim they had 4-5 foot white caps. Over 600 people were pulled out of the water. Then on the bike they were battling a 45 mph headwind. The air temperature was over 80 degrees, making the run challenging as well.

Despite these extremely difficult conditions, my brother finished. I am so proud of him! I get emotional just watching the video clip of his finish. He definitely inspires me!!!

There is nothing better than a freshly bathed baby, lathered in baby lotion! I love to bury my nose in my baby’s neck and just breathe him him!!!

Honestly the only thing I could think of that I do every.single.day is brush my teeth (and thank goodness for that, right?).

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Stand a little taller. Doesn’t mean I’m lonely, when I’m alone. What doesn’t kill you makes you fighter.” – Kelly Clarkson

This has been one of my favorite words for a while now. No matter how hard things get, I know that I am stronger.

* Stronger than sleepless nights and the demands of motherhood.

* Stronger than circumstances I can’t control.

* Stronger than that alarm clock.

* Stronger than that last mile.

* Stronger than that cookie.

…and so on.

This day was such a whirlwind. We were out of the house most of the day. After my girls’ end-of-year dance program, we got home late to find a water leak by our kitchen sink. Fortunately, it was just the faucet, and was easily fixed by tightening it.

This scene melts my heart! I love watching my 2-year old son mow the lawn with daddy.

My incredible mother! I look up to her so much. She has made me the woman I am today, and I will forever be grateful for everything she has taught me and continues to teach me. She has gone through so much, many of which I can’t even comprehend. Yet she always remains strong and true. Every day is a battle for her with her health, yet she never complains. She is full of charity, compassion, love, and service. She’s always putting others first, and always makes time for her family. She loves being a grandmother and will drop whatever she is doing to play with them. I am truly grateful for her and the example she is to me!

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you women out there!

Taking a Break From Ruffles

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Thu, 10 May 2012 22:26:00 +0000

Hey guys! Just wanted to pop in for a quick second to say “hello”! I started working on a new sewing tutorial for you guys, and it’s taken a little longer than I anticipated (mostly due to children not napping like they usually do).

Anyway, assuming I can finish tonight (husband is gone so there’s a very good chance), I should be sharing a new sewing tutorial with you guys SOON!

I posted this picture yesterday on Facebook, but if you missed it there here’s a sneak peek:

Those ruffles just keep going and going (5 1/2 yards is tough to work with BTW)!

I’m excited for the finished product and I think you will be too!

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The Chic Orchid

Crafting With the Stars??

THANK YOU!!!

The Time Has Come to Say Goodbye

Ombre Herringbone Quilt

Family Pictures by Kristen Duke Photography

Kid Chatteroo

Vtech Switch & Go Dinos

Simple Basket Liners

How to Paint Veneer {Not Wood} Furniture

Photo a Day June: Week 2

Quaker Soft Baked Bars

Beauty Box 5

Photo a Day June: Week 1

Giveaway: {$50 Amazon.com Voucher} **ENDED**

Photo a Day May: Weeks 4 & 5

30-Days of Summer Fun Activity Board

Silhouette CAMEO Tote Giveaway & Promo

Three Different Stenciled Signs

Photo a Day May: Week 3

Vacation Destination: Newport Beach

Tried & True: Grandma’s Banana Bread

Ruffled Tablecloth

Photo a Day May: Week 2

Taking a Break From Ruffles

Giveaway: {$50 Amazon.com Voucher} ENDED