sewknottygirl

AHHH!

2012-02-02T11:22:00.000-06:00

I don't think anyone is even checking my blog anymore, but if you are I'M SORRY! I really intended to keep blogging! Without internet at home I've been lucky to even check my e-mail once a week! If I ever figure out how to make this work I'll be back! I loved being able to share the things I was making! If your curious I've been making and selling my wallets. I think I'm finishing number 25 today! I've also made some cute aprons for the girls. My Christmas gifts were mostly handmade too! Ahhhh....someday.... :)

My little pirates

2011-10-28T11:34:00.000-05:00

My two littlest dressed up as pirates for storytime today. They needed matching costumes for their stuffed animals. That was a little difficult to figure out since Max's animal is a snake. But we did end up with some cute ensembles. For halloween they are going to be Buzz and Woody because Daddy said so.

Mom's birthday present

2011-10-27T09:53:00.001-05:00

My wonderful mother is celebrated her birthday yesterday. I made her a couple pretty quick simple things, but I think they turned out super cute. First was this little drying towel mat.

Next I made this cute Burlap bag from an old potato sack and some fabric I got for a few cents.

Maddy's Pumpkin

2011-10-26T09:50:00.001-05:00

Maddy had to make a pumpkin out of something other than a pumpkin for school this week. I wasn't feeling overly creative, and we were short on time after a busy weekend so this is what we came up with. I think it turned out really cute. We did use a real stem. In case you think I did all the work let me assure you that she really did help. She sewed the circle on the bottom of the fabric and we filled it with plastic pellets. She also started sewing the yarn to gather the top, but I had to finish that part as she was too tired.

Max's Tool Belt

2011-10-25T19:16:00.000-05:00

I made Max this cute little tool belt. It's just leftover canvas from the chair bags. He loves being able to carry around his tools and fix everything for me.

We're getting ready for winter

2011-10-23T10:06:00.000-05:00

We have a wood burning boiler to heat our home for the winter so we've been spending our free time cutting and stacking firewood. Even though the kids are young we're trying to instill a good work ethic in them. They help stack the wood for a little bit and then they play hide-and-seek the rest of the time. We all enjoy this time especially because we've had perfect weather for it. We've also hiked up to Butler Rock recently. It has been a beautiful fall!

We finished off our night last night with what will probably be the last campfire of the year. My parents raised a baby raccoon this summer and he is bow full grown and fat, but very friendly. The kids enjoyed seeing him again. Now that he's on his nocturnal schedule we haven't seen him in a few weeks. The kids all laughed at how chubby he's gotten.

So that is what we've been busy doing. Like I said yesterday I've also been working on a few projects and will get some posts up about those this week. Sorry for my lack of craftiness lately!

Just Checking in

2011-10-22T19:08:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to say I am alive and well! I have been crafting and will have some new posts this week. I'm working on a few "orders" now, but I made my little tool man a tool belt this week and I'm working on some new pillows for the couch. I'll get some pictures and post more about that this week. Now I'm off to a campfire with my adorable little son who is begging me to come outside with him! More coming soon, I promise!

Living without the internet

2011-10-12T19:41:00.000-05:00

We decided to shut the internet off at home. There were 2 reasons for this, 1. Cost-the local company offers new customers drastic discounts, but was charging us a TON! I called their customer service and they weren't willing to lower it for us. 2. Time- the last two days I have accomplished so much. It's amazing how when it's so convenient we waste so much time using it. That said here's what I've been up too.
I finished the chair bags! Yay!
I was able to finish 2 more wallets. One for my mom, and one for my friend Gretchen's mom. Gretchen's mom sent me 2 yards of this adorable Dr. Seuss fabric along with a sweet card about Boomer. I LOVE Dr. Seuss and Thing 1, Thing 2, Thing 3, etc! That said here's the wallet. I forgot to get a picture of moms, but I put 2 straps on that one so it would remind her of the cute suspenders Annie wore for pictures.

I'll be on here a few times a week so please don't quit checking in!

Reuseable snack bags

2011-10-07T08:35:00.000-05:00

I finally got around to making some of these little snack bags for the kids. I think they turned out super cute. On Max's turtle bag I used a PVL fabric for the liner. It was really giving me trouble. I'm thinking something must be wrong with it because on Annie's I used a different PVL and it sewed perfectly. For Maddy's bag I tried something different. I used a coffee bean bag for the lining. I'm not sure how it will hold up, and I'm a little sceptical because it ripped a little when I flipped it right side in. The nice thing about the PVL is that I can throw them right into the washer and dryer, and after the kids were done with their cheetos I did just that. These will be another trial and error project I guess. I have one other "fabric" to try out as a liner. After Chris' Grandma passes away a few weeks ago we were going through her belongings and I found this-

It's some sort of vinyl. I thought it was so cute. The rest of Chris' family thinks I'm a little crazy already so I'm sure that didn't help.
Today's project is 7 more chair bags.
Then I'm hoping to make a few wallets and a skirt for myself! I need those cute, fun projects for me ever now and them. I'm thinking something like this.

You can find the tuturial here

The funny ducky print!

2011-10-05T21:03:00.000-05:00

What to do with this really odd print?

Where I've been

2011-10-03T14:46:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I haven't posted in a week! Last week was super busy around here. Monday night Chris and I went to Milwaukee for a Brewer game. Go Brew Crew!

We didn't get home until 2:30 in the morning Tuesday, and anyone who has kids knows that they don't let you sleep in. (For any baseball fans out there the game lasted 4 hours and 13 minutes! And we didn't even win!) So Tuesday I was pretty much a zombie. I had to clean the van and pack because Wednesday we headed to Wisconsin Dells. Teacher's convention always takes place this time of year which means the kids and I get to stay at a waterpark while Chris goes to sessions. The only pictures I have from the 3 days we were there are these 2.

Max actually went down a rather large waterslide all by himself and I didn't get a picture! I was at the bottom waiting to catch him and the camera was somewhere far, far away. Annie really didn't sleep well so that added to the exhaustion that I was already feeling. Thankfully, a wonderful friend was able to come with me and help with the kiddos. Plus, one of the other teachers wives was there with her kiddos which for some reason always helps.

Today Gretchen and I met at the church to do through some of the leftover fabric from "ladies fellowship". This group of ladies used to meet at the church once or twice a month and make quilts for anyone and everyone. They are all older now and due to their failing health no one wanted the fabric anymore. Gretchen and I sorted through most of it. There was some cute and some ugly, but we're pretty excited about it.

This is honestly how we left the room! The kiddos were getting a little restless as we'd totally missed lunchtime, and naptime was already upon us. So we're headed back there tonight to finish cleaning up. You can't see it in these pictures, but there was this really cute duck print that I'm super excited about. I have no idea what to do with it, all I know is it was super funny!

What I'm up to now....well I'm supposed to be hemming some skirt, but I'm scared. Sewing on the curve frightens me. I you-tubed it and got some good pointers, but I'm still scared. After that I have 7 more chair bags to make. Then I would really like to knit or crochet the girls some new hats. This time of year I always pull the yarn out. It's a little weird how that works.

In other news I'm hoping to raise $1600 so that I can go on a missions trip to Argentina with our church. I don't know where that money could possibly come from, but if God wants me to go It will all work out.

Little Mave Guest Giveaway

2011-09-25T21:37:00.000-05:00

Little Mave Guest Giveaway

Thrifty finds!

2011-09-25T21:03:00.003-05:00

I spent less than $21 on all of this!

My Mom, Chan (Mom and Dad's foreign exchange student), and I headed to Green Bay for a little shopping this afternoon. first I went to Kohls where I picked up some sparkly shoes and a cute dress for Maddy. I spent $11.47 and save $43.12 (not that great of a deal, but she'll need the shoes for Christmas). Then I headed to JCPenney I purchase the bicycle shirt and jean shorts for me and the jean shorts for Maddy for $1.68. I had a $10 off coupon. Then I headed to Target where I purchased 3 pairs of shorts, a tank top, and a hat for myself, and the cute pink shirt for Maddy. I spent $8.12, pretty good for 6 clothing items.
If your interested in how I did this here are a few tips. 1. You can get a $5 Kohls coupon by giving your e-mail address here. I already used mine so I didn't have that on this trip or I would have gotten a better deal. 2. If you register any current credit card at here (scroll to the bottom, and click on the JCpenney rewards) you'll earn points each time you shop. I do NOT shop at JCPenney very often, but I entered a rewards card 6 months ago and they send me a $10 off ANY $10 purchase coupon about once a month. 3. Check the target.com page for current Target coupons. Here is the Link, but you can access it from target.com if you scroll all the way to the bottom of the page. A few weeks ago they had $5 any Merona top and $5 off any Mossimo apparel item coupons available. Hope that helps if you have any other questions check out thte websites hip2save.com or moneysavingmom.com both are great resources!

Train Ride- I promise I'll post some more craftiness soon!

2011-09-24T21:00:00.000-05:00

Today wasn't exactly a beautiful fall day like I'd hoped for, but we still made the best of it.

The kids were super excited about riding the train. We were even able to pull the whistle. Chan really enjoyed himself. My Dad was supposed to snap a picture of our family. He didn't get a very good shot.

Tonight we played chutes and ladders and sequence for kids before baths and bed. It was a busy day, but so fun! I love the ages the kids are at. They are so full of joy.

Homeschooing- well sort of....

2011-09-21T21:50:00.000-05:00

For a while now I've been struggling with my need to sew and make things. I LOVE to create, but while I've been creating my children have either been watching t.v. or tearing the house apart. Before you ask I've tried sewing at nap time, and after the kids go to bed. When the kids get up or my bedtime arrives I struggle to leave a project that I know won't take much longer to finish. Also with Maddy starting school I've been able to see a few areas where I could have prepared her better. So with those things in mind I dove into a sort of haphazard version of schooling my younger kids this week. I know they are only 2 and 3 so it's more like supervised activities than real lessons, but it's an improvement from what life has been like lately.

I used some "busy bag" ideas from here.
I used the free printable available over at confessions of a homeschooler. She has a great set free printables with directions!
Are you wondering how are week is going? I'm exhausted at night, but that really isn't anything new. The kids are thriving! They love the sense of accomplishment. I've been hanging their work on the fridge so they can show Daddy and Sissy when they get home. The pom-pom ball activity entertained Annie for half-an-hour. Do you know how amazing it was to sit and drink my coffee this morning while Annie pushed pom-pom ball's into a Tupperware container and Max practiced writing. They were having fun, and the house was quiet and clean! After that we worked on counting and I had them work together. Let me just preface this by saying that my children haven't understood that they are on the same team for the last 3 months. I'm constantly reminding them that life isn't a competition. They worked together without grabbing, arguing, or fighting! They even did a puzzle together afterwards! I'm not saying, my children are perfect, but I am saying I've seen a definite difference! As a Mom I'm seeing the benefits of sitting still and working hands-on with my children! I've been....allowing my children too much free reign instead of practicing good parenting over the summer. So hopefully this is the start of something wonderful.
I do plan to continue sewing. I just have to figure out where it fits into the schedule. I'm guessing it'll be in the evenings when I'd rather be vegging in front of the t.v. (My feelings on that are another post for sure). So for tonight I'm going to look through a few books I checked out from the library (another GREAT resource) and sleep peacefully knowing I'm doing my best to train my children up in the way they should go :)

One hour baby shower gifts

2011-09-17T22:23:00.000-05:00

This could be a super long story if I decided to go into it, but I'll spare you and just say that I had to bring a gift to a baby shower today. So here's what I made...

I made this cute little wetbag. I heard the mother-to-be is considering cloth diapers so I figured she'd need one. I used the tutorial here. Except mine has different dimensions since I only had a 14 inch zipper.

Of course I thought a matching basket would be nice so I whipped one up. It's not the sturdiest thing, but it'll work. I found the tutorial for that here

I didn't get to go to the shower because I was called into work, but I heard it was a smashing success. Although maybe a little disorganized since I was supposed to be heading it all up and wasn't there.....oops! It's a good thing we are all able to work together when that happens.

In other news around here we were able to go visit Dale in the hospital tonight. I'm going to be honest and say he looks terrible, but he has an amazing spirit. He told us he feels really awful about hitting Boomer and hopes the kids are doing alright. We shared how our sweet little Maddy (I'm giving up on not using names) came into the house, sat down on the couch and told her very sad little brother, "It's alright Max now we can get a bunny rabbit." To which Dale said, "Yeah, bunnies are easier to run over!" I'm so thankful that even through this he can joke with us. Getting the strength to go see Dale was harder than I'd expected, not because I thought he'd be upset, but because I knew it was our fault he was there and I felt horrible about it. Praise the Lord that even through this.....somehow....God will show Himself to be good and always in control.
If your the praying type, I'd ask that you pray for a fast recovery for Dale. He needs to have teeth removed and replaced, his skull fractures need to heal and be free of infections, his elbow will probably need surgery, and his left wrist will be in a cast for a while. Those are just the things I know about.
Also if I could ask you to pray for my mom. She's struggling through some emotional things right now. She needs wisdom that only God can give her. Please Lord meet her needs!
That is what's going on here. I'm going to go to sleep now, and hope that in the morning the black bags that have developed under my eyes this week will have faded away.

Getting out of the house

2011-09-15T21:38:00.000-05:00

I have been blessed with amazing friends! My friend Gretchen spent the morning here yesterday, and then today we all headed over to Maleah's house. She had offered to show us how to do photo emulsion screen printing. I love to learn to do something new, and being able to do that while drinking coffee with friends is wonderful.

This is as far as we got. Yep, that's it. My sweet little boy had a complete meltdown. Honestly, peeing pants (I know in 10 years he will be so mad I posted that), hitting the little girls, yelling at mom. Yeah, it was HORRIBLE! So hopefully, someday we'll be able to finish the project. For now stop by Maleah's blog and see all the amazing things she's created.

Today we said goodbye

2011-09-13T21:27:00.000-05:00

A few hours ago we arrived home to find the police at our home. Our dog had just been hit by a motorcylcist. The man on the motor cycle, a friend from our church, had just been taken to the hospital and we were unsure of his condition. Our Boomer who we all loved dearly was no longer whole. I think we were able to cover the kids eyes in time, but what I saw was disturbing. We did recieve a brief update on Dale (the motorcyclist) the injures aren't life threatening, but he's pretty beat up. I don't know what else to say other than it's been a rough night.

This is Boomer shaking right in front of my camera.

My little boy who is really going to miss his Boomer.

The kids loved always having him here.

Baby Girl loved Boomer.

Adjusting to School

2011-09-12T21:53:00.000-05:00

We've been having a lot of fun around here. It's been a little chaotic around here, but that has become normal it seems. Saturday was a beautiful sunny day Indian summer you might say. We had to take a trip to GB to do some shopping and the kiddos all donned their sunglasses. They are SO CUTE! Our little boy was laughing until I asked him to pose he got really serious and crossed his hands all on his own. We told him he was a GI-Joe. "Who?" My sweet little 5 year old is developing her own personality. She sees everything the adults around her do. Little girl was being silly as always. My handsome husband of course, and I had to get my own photo in there too.

Packer shirt day at school

2011-09-08T20:59:00.002-05:00

My adorable little kindergartener needed a Packer shirt for school dress up today and we didn't have one. Thankfully, yesterday I stopped by a friend's house to pick up some hand-me downs for our little guy, and saw that she had 2 jersey's she was sending to Goodwill. Of course my mind started runnning. I brought them home with this cute dress in mind, but then realized that I couldn't cut the jersey down small enough to make a dress b/c I'd cut the number in half. I ended up taking the size 10 shirt down to about a 6. Then I took a yellow t-shirt that wasn't being worn and made it into a skirt. I cut the G-emblem off the sleeve of the second jersey and sewed it unto the skirt to embelish it a little. I think she looked adorable sporting some team spirit.

The shoes, entirely her pick. Thankfully once it warmed up a bit she ditched the leggings and put on tennis shoes. CUTE!

Tunic from pillowcases

2011-09-06T22:50:00.003-05:00

I'm pretty sure this project was a success. Awhile ago I purchase 2 cute pillowcases from Goodwill. I wasn't sure what I would do with them, but they were only 99 cents and I LOVE polka dots! Yesterday I pulled one of Child ones shirts out and decided to copy the pattern only make it longer. I was pleasantly surprised to be able to finish it today. I tried it on her before she went to bed tonight and she liked it (which says alot). She even asked if she could wear it to school tomorrow. I was thrilled! You see she is at that stage, you know the one where her outfits don't really match, but they are spectacular. Anyways, here is the end result. I really do like it, and will try to get a picture of it on her before she heads out tomorrow. I like the different color buttons in the back, but it was one of my first buttonhole making experiences. They're to close to the edge. You live, you learn.

Yes, the tunic is hanging on a basketball hoop in my our bedroom. I really need a white wall for a background, but my love for color just hasn't allowed any of those in our home. So I went for convienence and hung it up on the first thing I saw. P.S. cleaning our room is on the to do list

Happy Labor Day

2011-09-05T21:31:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed a wonderful Labor Day today and I hope you did too! We started our day by taking the kids to a photo shoot with their Grandparents. Child 3 also had her 2 year pictures taken today. I felt like it was a litte thrown together on my part, but I'm sure the amazing Gretchen (my friend and our photographer) was able to capture her personality very well.

The kiddos wore their Thing 1,2,&3 shirts that grandma got them, but Thing 3 (all on her own, honestly) added suspenders to the ensemble (well yes, I put them on for her). She is soooooo cute! I snapped these, but Gretchen's will be 1000 times better! After that we took a walk down to the marina. The kids love boats and the lighthouse. Although we forgot all about walking out to the lighthouse. We also ~~danced~~sang in the bandshell.

Then we took an unexpected trip over to the DeYoung Family Zoo. They have some pretty amazing animals there. We were able to watch them feed the Big Cats and see the hippo. We watched Louie the chimpanzee play for awhile too. Child 3 loved him!

We ended our day with a few couponing stops at Walgreens and Walmart.
4 Bags M&M's $3, 4 Bottles Spic and Span $2.00, Sauve and Pantene-free, Simply Orange and Simply Raspberry Lemonade (we drank them there were 4)-free, Paint samples $2.94, Starburst-$1.50, Revlon beauty tools- they paid me 50 cents, OP swim diaper- 50 cents.
Pretty nice trip considering I barely planned it :)

Not exactly the relaxing day I think it was intended to be, but we had a wonderful time as a family.

Old desk- New desk

2011-09-01T21:52:00.002-05:00

This antique desk was given to me 5 years ago for my birthday. I happen to know that my mother-in-law only paid $10 for it. Her and I are like minded when it comes to a good deal. So, the last 5 years this little desk has been moved around our home and used in various ways. I FINALLY decided that it needed a face lift the other day and hauled it out to the garage.

After a little sanding and a few coats of paint, here it is!

I LOVE the way it turned out.

Perfect in front of my blackboard. I should really write something on there.....

I was also very excited to find an antique metal cabinet at a rummage sale recently for $2. I took it over to the local sandblasting place yesterday and they promised to clean it up and repaint it for me. I'm very curious to see how it looks when I get it back. Disappointment though is I forgot to take a before picture. All I will tell you is it was ridiculously cute, but was very rusty all around the bottom.

Linking up at

First day of school

2011-08-30T22:29:00.000-05:00

I am taking tonight off. I have settled into the couch and not moved for the last hour and a half. Today was more emotionally draining than I thought it would be. When I dropped child one off at school this morning I really didn't think I'd cry, but by the time I left the tears were falling.
After school we talked all about her day. She was so excited and had a
wonderful day. I love hearing things from her perspective, and she loves having my undivided attention.
Then at dinner tonight she discovered her first loose tooth. She was so excited. What did I do? I started crying. Yep, I lost it. I'm not ready for her to grow up yet. Of course my response startled her and she started to cry too. I finally managed to convince her that Mommy was just being goofy and that everything really was o.k.
I'm headed to bed soon, and I'm sure I won't have any trouble sleeping tonight.

A little nervous. Is she checking her zipper?

Taken the instant the vehicle pulled into the driveway!
"MOM!"

Tutorial- Chair back storage

2011-08-29T17:00:00.002-05:00

Child 1's kindergarten teacher and I have known each other since I was little. She also happens to live down the road and isn't a stranger to Child 1. So I wasn't at all surprised when she asked me if I'd make some bags for the back of the K4 students chairs. The following is how I made them just in case you ever need one. These were made for 11 inch wide kid chairs, but I'm sure you could easily adjust the measurements for a bigger chair. Just at 2 inches to your chairs width make them as long as you like.
What you'll need- Half a yard of fabric, 12 inches of 3/8" elastic, Bias tape
First cut your pieces. You'll need- 1- 14 x 19, 1-14x10, 1-14x6. I added a decorative fabric over my bottom pocket because I didn't have enough to make the entire pocket.

If you have a serger serge the top edges on all 3 pieces. I attached my decorative piece at the same time. If you don't have a serger just zig-zag stitch the edges.

Now hem each edge. I folded them down about half an inch. For the largest piece of fabric this will be your casing.

I used a wider, more noticable stitch for the middle piece so the kids wouldn't have trouble finding the pocket since the fabrics matched.

Now feed your 3/8 inch elastic through your casing.

Next attach your smallest piece to your medium piece by sewing the bottom edges together. You don't have to worry about the raw edge because you'll be covering the sides and bottom with bias tape.

On the smallest piece measure 7 inches in from the side, draw a line from top to bottom here, and sew down the line to create two seperate pockets. I made sure to go over the top of the pocket a few times to reinforce it.

Now take your largest piece and measure eleven inches from the top on each side, and draw a line all the way across. Fold the top down to meet this line, and press with a hot iron to crease the top.
With the top folded down lay your top two pieces on top as shown in the picture, or if you plan to put bias tape around the bottom you can just attach all the raw edges. I HATE the possibility of any strings showing so I chose to flip the raw edges to the inside.

My fabric is a heavier canvas and the strings were really bothering me so I chose to run the edges through the serger. You don't have to do this, but I recomend stitching your sides together at this point so it's easier to put the bias tape on.

To finish it off just sew on the bias tape. Make sure you keep the back piece folded under, and pull the front pockets tight.