The Southern Institute

Creative Me Link Up.

2012-02-26T21:00:00.002-06:00

Were any of you at the Blissdom conference over the weekend? So many blog friends were. Although I did not attend the conference this year, I still got to get together with a good friend who did. I stole Teri Lynn away from her husband on Thursday morning and we went to brunch at a spot called Marche, in East Nashville.

It was a wonderful time of great conversation and food. I was sorry to drop her back off later that morning, but so thankful for the time together.

I had plans to do some sewing this weekend but ended up with a health scare and a trip to the ER by ambulance... a first for me. I'm okay. I had been dizzy and nauseous with migraines all week long. Apparently I have some kind of inner ear thing called Labrynthitis and I was dehydrated. I ended up having a bit of a panic attack b/c of how I was feeling (another first for me)... no fun at all. So I'm on the mend with anti-nausea meds and lots of fluid and rest. No sewing for me!

What have you all been up to? Last week there were some great projects linked up, I hoped you checked some of them out. The featured blog for this week is from Threading My Way. She is taking part in Project Recycle and made this sweet little girls' dress from a woman's shirt.

You have to click over to see the before and after... it's really great! Thanks for linking up, Pam! I can't wait to see what Round Three brings.

Okay, now it's your turn! Just a few guidelines for linking up. Please:

Follow The Southern Institute and display the Creative Me button somewhere in your post or on your blog. The button html is at the top of the post. Just copy and paste!
Don't have anything new? Show us something from your archives...old to you is new to us!
You can link up as many things as you'd like, the more the better your chances of being the featured link next week!
Visit at least two other blogs and leave some comment love. We are a community that supports one another, right? Right!
No shop links please. You can link up a giveaway as long as it's attached to a project that you're linking up.

Don't forget to grab and proudly display the "featured" button if you're project has been in the featured spot on Creative Me Monday.

Tutorial: Let's Go to the Park Bag with Delia from Delia Creates.

2012-02-23T07:00:00.005-06:00

It's Thursday and we have another wonderful visitor here at The Southern Institute. I'm so excited to share this space with Delia today. Delia Creates is a beautiful and inspiring blog, much like the woman behind it. I was so happy when she agreed to share something with us. She has been very busy lately with her two little boys and her first precious daughter on the way! Lately her blog has been full of baby-related projects and tutorials like these...

... made from recycled t-shirts (you know I love that)!

And her little boys designed onesies for their little sis...

If you have a new baby or a baby on the way, you must visit Delia and take a look around! Today she has outdone herself with a tutorial for a great all-purpose, run around bag. I'll let her get to it. ENJOY!

***********************************************************

Hello Southern Institute readers! I'm Delia and I blog over at Delia Creates. I am so happy to be here guest posting on Jenny's beautiful blog.

When Jenny invited me to share a project, she said to "think spring."

Hmmm...When I think spring I think of the park. The air is brisk but the sun is warm and we are itching to get out of the house!

I thought it would be fun to make a bag that is big enough to carry all the stuff we seem to need to take to the park. Snacks, sometimes lunch, a blanket, sunscreen, water...

So I came up with this nice big:

It has gathered inside pockets, water bottle elastic straps, and a surprise circular pocket on the outside just perfect for keys and a cell phone.

I have not included a pattern, I only provide measurements of what I did. I also used only fabric I had in my stash so that dictated my measurements quite a bit.

It's a bag though, so of course do whatever you want to personalize it and make it your own!

Supplies:

3/4 yd. Duck canvas or heavy weight fabric for the outer bag

1/2 yd. Cotton for liner

1/2 yd. or so of contrasting or coordinating fabrics for pockets and such - mix and match as needed

1 yd. of 3/4 inch elastic

basic sewing supplies and sewing machine

universal sewing needle is all I used but get a heavy duty needle for the duck canvas if you like

optional - fabric glue

Step One - Cut all your pieces. I cut mine and labeled them with scraps of paper and pins, to keep everything straight.

Cut your circle pocket pieces last. The size of this doesn't matter as much as the others. You want to make sure you have enough fabric for everything else first.

Here's your cut list -

Outer bag pieces - Duck Cloth/Denim fabric

2 - 17 x 16 inch rectangles (long sides)

2 - 6 x 16 inch rectangles (short sides)

1- 17 x 6 inch piece (bottom of bag)

2 - strap pieces 23.5 x 3.5 inches

save the remainder for a circular pocket in size of your choosing

Liner bag pieces - in Cotton fabric

2 - 17 x 16 inch rectangles (long sides)

2 - 6 x 16 inch rectangles (short sides)

1- 17 x 6 inch piece (bottom of bag)

1- circular pocket piece to match the outer bag circular pocket piece

Pocket pieces - in Cotton

1 - 21.5 x 13.5 inch rectangle (long side gathered elastic pocket)

1 - 11 x 17 inch rectangle (long side flat, divided pocket)

1 - 13.5 x 7.5 inch rectangle (short side gathered elastic pocket)

2 - 3 x 9 inch pieces (short side elastic water bottle strap casings)

Step Two - Assemble your circle pocket. Using the fabric you have leftover after cutting your other pieces...

Use a pot lid or something circular to make your pocket. Make sure you cut two pieces for this.

Sew your circle pocket pieces right sides together along the curved edge only. I used pinking shears to reduce the bulk {thanks Kate for the tip!} instead of snipping little notches all the way around.

Also sew your casing pieces in half and turn them right side out.

Step Three - Ironing. Iron everything flat if you haven't already.

Iron your casing pieces with the seam to one side.

Turn your circle pocket right side out and press it flat.

Fold under the top of your pocket pieces twice and press. For the ones with elastic in them fold them over 1/2 an inch and then again a full inch or so. For my flat pocket I just folded it over 1/4 an inch two times.

Iron in your straps 1/4 inch inward and then in half (like bias tape).

Step Four - Sew your circle pocket onto one long side of your outer pieces.

I originally was going to put another canvas piece with contrasting grain
on the front, but chose to let my liner piece shine instead.

I pinned the pocket close to the edge but only sewed from the bottom
up to where I wanted the pocket to open. I reinforced the opening with a
small, tight zig-zag stitch.

Step Five -

Sew all outer pieces together.

The bottom can be a trick. I just sewed within a 1/4 inch to the end, turned and sewed it as flat as possible.

Step Six -

Sew elastic casings in pockets and thread your elastic pieces through your pockets.

You also want to gather the bottoms of the elastic pockets.

*The easiest way to do this is to increase your stitch length and tension as high as it will go. Sew without going back and forth at the beginning and ending. Pull a long tail of thread off before you cut your threads.

Elastic Measurement Guide:

For the long side elastic pocket you will need about 15-16 inches of elastic (or even less)

For the side elastic pocket you will need 5 - 5.5 inches of elastic.

For the water bottle straps you will need 6-7 inches of elastic each (2).

Step Seven- Pin all pocket pieces and straps to liner pieces. For the flat pocket I sewed a divider up the - almost - middle.

The water bottle straps were placed just slightly lower than I show here...eventually. I sewed up the bag with them like this, found they were too high, unpicked it and did it over. So, you can learn from my mistake. You want the straps closer to the bottom of the bag and a bit closer together. Consider the water bottle you plan on putting in the bag to help you determine spacing.

I also redid the long side elastic pocket by tightening up the elastic. I think I could have tightened it up even more...or adding a dividing line like I did with the flat pocket would have been a good idea. So you may want to consider that or just do two flat pockets instead.

Step Eight - Sew all liner pieces together like you did with the outer bag pieces.

Step Nine - Sew your straps together.

I added more lines of stitching in across the strap which gave it a nice look.

I lengthened my stitch to a 3.5. You could even go to a 4. It gives a more polished, professional look. Also...sew slow/medium speed. If you sew too quickly your machine may skip stitches, especially with this thicker fabric.

Step Ten - Assemble the bag! You're almost there.

Iron in the tops of the outer bag and liner bag about 1.5 inches. I found it easier to turn the liner right side out, iron it and then turn it back to wrong side out.

Place the liner inside the outer bag.

OPTIONAL - use fabric glue to adhere the bottom of the liner to the bottom of the bag. I also reinforced the sides with some of the glue as well. This is not necessary but helps the bag stand up nice, and help the pockets to stay where they are supposed to go a lot better. The glue is completely washable after 24 hours. It's pricey but I think makes the bag better.

Use a ruler to mark the center of the bags. I put the straps four inches out from the center mark.

Sandwich the straps in between the outer and liner bags and pin all the way around. I made sure the straps were sandwiched in about 1 1/4 inches at each end for each strap.

Using a longer stitch length ( 3.5 or 4) stitch all the way around twice like so.

And you're done!

Now stock that baby up and head out the door.

*You can see my long side gathered pocket was too loose before I tightened it up.

Better. I'm still itching to pull it tighter. :) Blah...

Thanks so much for having me over Jenny! Have a marvelous day!

Thank you, Delia! It's a beautiful bag! I know you'll get a lot of use out of it when the baby comes! Best wishes to you for a beautiful birth!

Did anyone else notice how the circle pocket looks a lot like a pregnant belly??? I love it!

Playing With My Memories.

2012-02-22T12:37:00.001-06:00

I've been playing with the My Memories Suite and the photos that I took of Abby last week. I really love the way that the photos turned out and thought it would be fun to use the software to spruce them up a bit. Here is the first design that I've made.

I kept it very simple... that's just my style. I started with a blank page, rather than a template, added an ivory burlap texture and Cinnamon satin ribbons. Text is super simple to add as well. Now that I'm looking at it I see that the ribbon didn't make it all the way to the bottom of the page. That will be an easy fix- just click and drag!

What do you think? Do you think you could use a program like this? There are so many things you can do with it! Did you know that you can add video, music and narration to your digital scrap/photobook in My Memories? Isn't that cool?

You can purchase the My Memories Suite through this link for only $29.97 (use the promo code STMMMS62653)... that's $10 off the list price and totally worth it!

Lands' End Friends and Family Sale!

2012-02-21T13:02:00.001-06:00

Since we're all friends here, I wanted to share this with you!

Land's End is having their friends and family sale!

Since you're my friends, through 2/28
you can save 25% off your order at Land's End and Land's End Canvas!

.Just use the promo code BUDDY and pin 2140 when you check out!

Here's what I would buy for myself:

Oh yeah!

What will you choose?

I'm entering to win a $25 gift card to Land's End. Of course, you know I love this company!

Playing with Printables.

2012-02-21T07:00:00.003-06:00

Don't forget to link your projects up all week long at Creative Me!

I see cute printables all over the place and have never known how to create one myself. Well, I finally learned how to create my own printable! My first is a quote that my 4 (almost 5) year old says to me quite often, and I absolutely love hearing the words come out of his mouth.

Some of the sweetest words this mom could hear, because he gets it. Love is not always a feeling... sometimes love is a choice.

If you want to print one for yourself you can find it here.

Creative Me Link Up.

2012-02-19T21:00:00.003-06:00

Happy Presidents' Day! I hope that you are enjoying a long holiday weekend. I have the whole family home today, no school and no work, so I'm a happy wife and mother. The third day on a holiday weekend makes a huge difference, don't you think?

Last week we had a great link up with a ton of wonderful projects! I hope you are able to visit a few other links when you are linking up, because there is so much creativity out there. This week's featured link is the Craft Geek and her Fleece Ear Warmers, which look so cozy!

If you're looking for something to keep your little ears warm then head over to the Craft Geek for the tutorial and stay toasty for the rest of the winter!

Okay, now it's your turn! Just a few guidelines for linking up. Please:

Follow The Southern Institute and display the Creative Me button somewhere in your post or on your blog. The button html is at the top of the post. Just copy and paste!
Don't have anything new? Show us something from your archives...old to you is new to us!
You can link up as many things as you'd like, the more the better your chances of being the featured link next week!
Visit at least two other blogs and leave some comment love. We are a community that supports one another, right? Right!
No shop links please. You can link up a giveaway as long as it's attached to a project that you're linking up.

Don't forget to grab and proudly display the "featured" button if you're project has been in the featured spot on Creative Me Monday.

Have a great week, everyone! Make sure to check back during week... we have a great guest visiting on Thursday!

The Power of Pinterest and Some Helpful Tips.

2012-02-17T07:00:00.003-06:00

Pinterest. You'd have to be living under a rock to not know about Pinterest, that is if you're a blog reader or a blogger. I suppose there are people out there who have no idea what Pinterest is, but they are probably not online. It is addictive, is it not? I have been on Pinterest for quite awhile, and while I have not become a full blown addict, I do enjoy looking around. I have several boards and love to promote other bloggers by pinning their photos. I bet you do the same. We all know how fun it is, but do you know how powerful it can be if you are a blogger?

Pinterest can be an amazing tool for directing traffic to your blog. I had no idea when I started with it, but after pinning a photo of my Superhero capes to my "Kids" board, I started seeing more traffic coming to The Southern Institute, and Pinterest was referring it. I'm going to blow the lid off of my stats here, which doesn't happen too often in blogging (though I'm not sure why it seems to be a hush-hush thing). I want you to see what a huge benefit Pinterest has been to The Southern Institute...

Here are some of The Southern Institute's stats between January 1st of this year up until yesterday at 1 pm (from Google Analytics):

22,746 people have visited The Southern Institute
17, 215 of those visitors have been referred by other websites, as opposed to coming from search engines or coming directly to the blog. That's about 76% of my traffic.
Of the 17, 215 visitors, nearly 6,500 of them came from Pinterest! Pinterest is my #1 referrer, with craftgawker.com coming in at a very distant 2nd. I mean, craftgawker's numbers don't even come close!

Top 10 referrers to The Southern Institute

These visits come from several different photos that have been pinned and repinned from The Southern Institute. For example, take this photo of the Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

They look good enough to eat, don't they? Someone thought so and pinned this photo from the the post. Since she pinned the photo to one of her boards on January 26th, over 225 other people have "liked" it, almost 1,400 other people have "repinned" it, and it just snowballs from there! Almost 38% of all of my referred blog traffic comes from Pinterest, and that is amazing to me.

So how can you use this information? If you are a blogger and you want to drive traffic to your site, here are a few suggestions:

Include original photography in your post, especially if you have a blog of the DIY variety! Crafts, sewing, home decorating, interior design, cooking, knitting, whatever! If you make it, flaunt it!
Take good pictures... no one will repin a terrible picture. It has to look pretty!
If you don't have a Pinterest account, sign up! Just be careful not to get too sucked in. It can be a total time suck.
Don't be afraid to pin your own photos. It's okay, but don't overdo it. As a general rule, maybe one of yours for every ten that you pin from somewhere else.

FYI, you have to be invited to join Pinterest... if you would like a personal invite leave a comment with your email address and I'll send you one! If you have any questions about photography feel free to ask!

Picture Day!

2012-02-15T09:37:00.000-06:00

Today is picture day at Abby's school. Am I the only parent who really dislikes school pictures? The back drops are hideous (I don't even know why they use them), the poses are so unnatural, and Abby always ends up with some goofy smile on her face that makes her look like someone else's kid! We haven't bought a school picture package since she was in kindergarten. I like the pictures that I take of Abby much more than the school's variety, so before she left this morning I snapped a few shots of her. We were a little rushed, but I love them. I cannot believe how quickly she is growing up!

How do you feel about school pictures? Do yours ever turn out?

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T07:00:00.002-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Who is your Valentine?

Do you have more than one?

These are mine (all smiling at the same time!)...

Today Abby and Luke are at school, taking part in Valentine festivities, Levi will be having a little playdate with some friends, and my main valentine and I will be out for a Valentine lunch... alone! I'm looking forward to a lunchtime date with my main squeeze.

Valentine's Day is such a fun holiday, isn't it? It's kind of like Thanksgiving. Of course, we love our family members all year long, but today is a day to reaffirm that. I love how my 4 year old Luke puts it when he says, "I love you on purpose!" Isn't that how it should be? Not just a fly-by emotion, but a conscious choice to love one another... that's what it really comes down to.

We printed out bag toppers for Luke's class and filled bags with Twizzlers. Abby's class was a little bit harder. What do you top an 8 or 9 year old boy's bag with? I couldn't find anything that didn't have hearts all over it, or any that didn't scream of undying devotion, or silly flirting. She's only 8 for goodness sake. Won't that be here soon enough? I finally got out my supplies and made these:

What pirate doesn't want a little sparkle in their lives?

I also took part in a handmade Valentine exchange this year! I joined up with Adrianne at Happy Hour Projects and was paired up with Jen, from Washington! She blogs at At Home in the Northwest and she sent the cutest gifts! I displayed the garland on my mantel right away! Thank you, Jen! I hope you got yours in time!

And I sent her these...

Ukelele not included. And yes, I bought one of those chocolate bars for myself. The whole family enjoyed that treat!

So how are you celebrating Valentine's Day?

Do Your Kids Do Summer Camp?

2012-02-13T21:01:00.000-06:00

I know it's only February, but summer is seriously just around the corner... at least it feels that way! With summer comes summertime plans. We have never let Abby go to an overnight summer camp before, unless you count Camp Grandma and Grandpa, where she spends 1-2 weeks every summer. She loves it! There's something unsettling about sending your child away to let strangers tend to her health and safety for days on end. We try so hard to protect our children and it can be a bit scary to let them go, but I know there comes a time, and summer camp is a great experience for kids.

There are so many summer camps out there. I went to a Christian summer camp in south Wisconsin just about every summer starting in 5th grade, but if I had my choice back then, I would have chosen a camp like this...

Paradise? Perhaps. Welcome to Catalina Islands Camps. Catalina Island Camps is located off the coast of Southern California and is one of the country’s best overnight summer programs. CIC offers campers entering grades 2 through 11 the opportunity to develop life long skills through fun and unique outdoor experiences in a community that cultivates respect for self, others and the environment. The location is amazing and the activities are perfect for the adventurous at heart!

Climbing Wall
High Ropes Course
Outdoor Cooking
Archery & Riflery
Wakeboarding
Sailing
Tubing
Kayaking
Stand-up Paddle Boards

I cannot tell you how much Abby would love a camp like this! There are no words. We looked at the website for a little while this evening and she was in awe that a place like this existed. What an amazing camp and amazing experiences. Catalina Island Camp has been in operation since 1922... 90 YEARS!!! I think they must know what they are doing.

Do your kids go to overnight summer camp?

Is it hard for you to let them go?

I am entering to win a session of summer camp for a child at Catalina Island Camps from The SITS Girls!

Creative Me Link Up!

2012-02-12T20:56:00.000-06:00

It really feels like I just posted last week's link up! Where did the week go??? Last week you all outdid yourself and set another Creative Me record! So many cute projects, so much inspiration. You have made this a top notch linky party!

I regret to say that I have not put a post about my Silhouette together yet. I have been playing around with it a bit and trying to make it do what I want it to do. Has anyone cut t-shirt fabric with their Cameo? I could not figure out the right settings. Any suggestions? One thing that I have found, after substituting contact paper for freezer paper while painting t-shirts for the boys is that contact paper does not work as well as freezer paper! Soon I'll show you what I mean.

This week's featured link at The Southern Institute is the Groundhog Fruit Snack from Jill at Kitchen Fun With My Three Sons. Adorable and healthy to boot!

You need to check out this blog, folks... so many great ideas for fun with food! Thank you so much for linking up last week, Jill! I'm looking forward to seeing what you link up in the future!

Okay, now it's your turn! Just a few guidelines for linking up. Please:

Follow The Southern Institute and display the Creative Me button somewhere in your post or on your blog. The button html is at the top of the post. Just copy and paste!

Don't have anything new? Show us something from your archives...old to you is new to us!

You can link up as many things as you'd like, the more the better your chances of being the featured link next week!

Visit at least two other blogs and leave some comment love. We are a community that supports one another, right? Right!

No shop links please. You can link up a giveaway as long as it's attached to a project that you're linking up.

Don't forget to grab and proudly display the "featured" button if you're project has been in the featured spot on Creative Me Monday.

Tutorial: Stuck On You Valentine Card.

2012-02-10T13:34:00.000-06:00

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and I've got a great project for you to do with your kids... The Stuck On You Valentine Card!

Hop on over here for the tutorial! I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments on this little guy, while you're there, so don't be shy!

Tutorial: Knitting in the Round with Shannon from luvinthemommyhood.

2012-02-09T07:00:00.001-06:00

I am not much of a knitter... but I want to be so badly! That would explain the collection of yarns and needles that I have accrued. They are sitting in a box, high on a shelf above my sewing machines. I am much more comfortable with my machines. I see gals like our honored guest today, Shannon, from luvinthemommyhood, and I yearn to know how to do what she does and create what she creates! Shannon's blog was one of the first that I started reading, and I've enjoyed getting to know her over the last couple of years. She is so much fun, but someone that you can be real with and know that she's not judging... the kind of friend that anyone would want in their corner. I've also enjoyed watching Shannon grow in her knitting skills. She is amazing! I am inspired by the things that she makes with yarn and needles, but I have to admit that attempting to broaden my sewing skills intimidates the fire (or "far" if you're in the south) out of me. I don't know why. I was really relieved when Shannon said that she would share a post on knitting with us. She has repeatedly encouraged me to keep on trying, she has even provided me with her sweet new pattern to follow... maybe this is just the kick in the pants that I needed. I hope you enjoy today's guest post! (BTW, Shannon did this post all while she and her girls have had a horrible stomach bug. YUCK! I'm sure she'd appreciate a blog visit and a cheery comment. And enter her current fabric giveaway while you're there!)

Hi everyone! I'm super excited to be over on "The Southern Institute" today to chat about knitting. I love knitting. Knitting is fun, relaxing, rewarding, inspiring and just plain awesome. A lot of people get discouraged when they are new to knitting. They sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed with some of the techniques that there are to learn but really, once you learn the basics you are good to go. So when Jenny asked me to pop over and visit you lovely ladies today with some helpful how to's for knitting in the round I was thrilled. I'm all for getting people addicted to knitting!

Mitts being made using the magic loop method.

What the heck is knitting in the round? Well, simply put it's knitting in the round (in a circle) instead of using straight needles and working back and forth you use a circular needle - which is basically straight needle tips attached to a flexible cable, and you knit your item in a circle going round and round. It's a good time and opens up a lot of options while knitting to not have to do as much seaming...I hate seaming :P Knitting in the round is used for a lot of items and garments such as hats, socks, mitts, sweaters etc...the list goes on. There are a ton of different length cables to make all sorts of circumferences of knitting. So for example if you are making a small hat you would use a very small sized cable. If you make a large sweater you would use a larger sized cable. When choosing to knit in the round you can use a traditional method - knit using a basic circular needle, or you could use an interchangeable set of knitting needles. For knitting smaller items in the round you can use either the "magic loop method" or using "double pointed needles" as well as some people enjoy using two circular knitting needles at the same time.

Hat being knit in the round using the magic loop method.

How & why do you do the magic loop? In the pictures I've shown above I am currently making a pair of mitts and a hat on 32" circular interchangeable knitting needles that I am knitting in the round using the magic loop method. This is by far my favorite way to knit in the round for smaller items. My favorite video on learning how to knit using the magic loop method is this video by my pal Jane Richmond (knitting designer extraordinaire!). Knitting using the magic loop method is simply changing how you hold/use your circular needle to enable you to knit something with a smaller circumference. You could also opt to use two circular knitting needles as well. I find knitting with the magic loop method is way faster than using dpn's, less slipped stitches happen, and you avoid those pesky ladders between needles a heckuva lot more. It also makes your work more portable (no pointy objects sticking out everywhere), and well...I just plain dig it. Give it a shot - it's fun!

img src: kahatch

So...what are double pointed needles? In the photo above you can see an example of sock knitting on double pointed needles. Don't worry, it looks scarier than it is. Some people love this method, I on the other hand prefer to use the magic loop method instead of using double pointed needles but this is not always possible when you are making socks on very tiny needles. Using double pointed needles for knitting in the round gives you great flexibility for starting with a very small amount of stitches and also using very small needle sizes thus making it very popular for socks, mittens and hats. Here's a helpful video for those of you looking for a video tutorial on learning to knit with double pointed needles and circular knitting needles. Knittinghelp.com is one of my fave places to go for great video tutorials on many knitting techniques but you can also find a ton of helpful ones online and on youtube.com. Simply type in your search bar what technique you are looking for and trust me you will find a ton of videos. Us knitters are a helpful and friendly bunch :)

What's the diff between fixed and interchangeable knitting needles & how the heck do you use them? When purchasing circular knitting needles there are commonly two kinds - fixed circulars and interchangeables. Fixed refers to a circular knitting needle that has a cable attached to it's tip that is not removable. These are great for smaller items that interchangeable cable lengths/tips cannot accommodate. Interchangeable circular knitting needles are a set of needles that you purchase that come with a series of tips (your choice of what they are made of) and a series of different length flexible cables. You then attach/remove the size knitting needle tips you need to the size cable length you need. It's awesome and super handy. You can also use your interchangeable circular knitting needles for making projects that don't need to be knit in the round. I strictly only use the nickel plated interchangeable circular knitting needles from www.knitpicks.com (shown in my pictures in this post). I heart my needles. I use them for all of my projects as it makes my knitting way more portable (no long straights to cart around), they are way more comfortable to work with for my hands/wrists and I save a bucket load of moola not having to buy a new fixed circular every time I need a new needle. I definitely recommend investing in a set if you are a knitting addict (or soon to be one..lol).

Source: etsy.com via luvinthemommyhood on Pinterest

What other things can I do to help learn how to knit in the round? Don't get nervous. Knitting is meant to be relaxing and enjoyable. If knitting in the round was super hard nobody would do it. So my advice if you are nervous is to surround yourself with knitters. Get inspired and find a knitting buddy or a knitting group to join online and/or in person. Ravelry is one of my favorite places to go online. It's like facebook for knitters/crocheters. It's free to join and honestly will open up a whole new world/community of knitting for you. There are groups to join, friends to be made and lots of helpful tutorials on knitting on there as well patterns galore! You can friend me on there under "luvinthemommyhood". Pop on over to our "luvinthemommyhood ravelry group" to join in on our fun Knit Along's (a great way to meet people and learn how to knit) and to show off your works in progress, finished projects and to ask for help and get inspired. We're a friendly group of peeps who love helping out new knitters :)

The Mallory Cowl Pattern (Child and/or Adult version) by Shannon Cook

So grab yourself a cup of coffee, put on some Downton Abbey, curl up and get knitting. Pick a great beginner project for knitting in the round like my Mallory Cowl Pattern shown above and give it a shot! I swear you can do it! It doesn't hurt to give knitting in the round a try right? You could end up with a fave new hobby, a new knitting technique and some awesome accessories and clothing! Happy knitting and thanks so much for having me Jenny! I can't wait to see what you're going to whip up in the round :)

Helpful links:
- Magic Loop Tutorial from www.janerichmond.com
- Knitting in the round tutorials from www.knittinghelp.com
- nickel plated interchangeable knitting needles from www.knitpicks.com
- fun online knitting community: www.ravelry.com
- luvinthemommyhood ravelry group and knit alongs.

Creative Me Link Up!

2012-02-05T21:00:00.007-06:00

Okay, so how many of you are football fans? How many of you watched the Super Bowl? I have never been a big football fan, but we did have the game on. I have to admit that I was distracted though, I was playing with my new baby... my Silhouette Cameo!!! I can't tell you how excited I am to have this machine! This is a game changer folks. A total game changer. The thing that I'm most excited about doing with it (right now) is embellishing shirts for the kids- appliques and stencils are the name of the game. I'll be showing you my first projects later this week...

Well, you did it again! You set a new Creative Me record with 261 links last week! I'm so pumped by what you are doing! There were so many great Valentine's Day projects that were linked up, but this week's randomly chosen featured link comes from The Farm Girl and features these amazing Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies. Oh. My. Word. Don't they look delicious???

This will have to go on my "MUST BAKE" list. Love the milk in the mason jar and the paper straw too... so sweet! Male sure you check out the farm girl's blog, it's as cute as can be!

Okay, now it's your turn! Just a few guidelines for linking up. Please:

Follow The Southern Institute and display the Creative Me Monday button somewhere in your post or on your blog. The button html is at the top of the post. Just copy and paste!
Don't have anything new? Show us something from your archives...old to you is new to us!
You can link up as many things as you'd like, the more the better your chances of being the featured link next week!
Visit at least two other blogs and leave some comment love. We are a community that supports one another, right? Right!
No shop links please. You can link up a giveaway as long as it's attached to a project that you're linking up.

Don't forget to grab and proudly display the "featured" button if you're project has been in the featured spot at Creative Me!

Lia Molly Review.

2012-02-02T07:00:00.001-06:00

I was never a sweater girl in my youth... I don't think I owned a sweater in college. What was I thinking? I've grown wiser since then and sweaters, particularly cardigans, have become a staple of my wardrobe. I don't even remember where I first saw a Lia Molly sweater, but I clicked through to the website and fell immediately and deeply in love with the beautiful sweaters that I found.

Lia Molly is an indie sweater company, owned by Seema Sudan, who lives in New Orleans. For the past two decades Seema has designed for several major brands and now has her own line of knitwear, and she's bringing it stateside. It is Seema's dream to "bring knitting to New Orleans", and with the purchase of her knitting machine (that can produce one sweater per hour, three thousand in a year) she is moving the manufacturing of her line from Asia to her hometown. I think that is amazing!

Did you know that most knitwear that is sold in the U.S. is manufactured overseas? My husband and I have always tried to buy USA made clothing, even if it means paying a bit more. With the economy the way it is I feel it's more important than ever to support domestic companies, especially small scale, local companies such as Lia Molly.

I had the chance to choose a sweater from Lia Molly to review and can I just tell you that I nearly couldn't choose! Each sweater is so unique and gorgeously designed. How can I pick just one? Well, after much thought and input I made my decision and here it is...

The details and combination of textures in The Wren (each sweater is named) are just lovely. From the ribbon lined button placket to the covered buttons, this sweater incorporates so many unique touches that I can honestly say I have never seen another sweater like it. Each one makes me think of the sweaters that I drool over at Anthropologie... except that these are of a higher quality.

Come to think of it, you may have seen a Lia Molly sweater in the Anthropologie store or on their website because they carry Seema's designs for little girls... in fact, I just saw one on the rack the other evening while I was window shopping. Seriously, seriously adorable.

Creativity takes many shapes and forms, as does art. You, The Southern Institute community, prove that each week when you link up with Creative Me and other parties. To me, each Lia Molly sweater is a piece of art. Thank you, Seema, for allowing this mom of three (who's desperately trying to maintain some sense of style) to wear one of them!

And if you are wanting to treat yourself this winter or spring, head on over to Lia Molly and take a look around. There are several sweaters in the $75-$150 range and I'm sure one of them is calling your name. Just don't buy this one...

...I want it (wink wink).

I was given The Wren sweater in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own. I really love this sweater!

A Gift From a Friend.

2012-02-01T07:00:00.001-06:00

I have to confess something. I read One Thousand Gifts and loved it more than I can describe. That's not the confession. Here's the confession: I have started my one thousand gifts list about three times. I originally started it in one book then decided that I wanted to use a little Field Notes book so that I could carry it around with me. I got up to about #230 in that before I downloaded the iPhone app. Got up to about #20 with that, then stalled. Then I started waking up early in the mornings for quiet time and started listing my gifts in my study journal. So that was start #3. I have now started my list for the 4th time, but I like this method the best.

This past Christmas my dear friend Cari gave me a gift, this handmade calender. I LOVE IT!

She filled an empty market basket with index cards which had been halved, one for each day of each month. As dividers between the months, she cut pieces of maps. Each card is stamped with the date, but not the year. It's meant to be more of a journal, I suppose, as it wouldn't be too practical for keeping track of upcoming events (you'd have to dig through the cards to see what was coming up next week).

I've decided to use it to record my one thousand gifts. It's perfect. At the end of my quiet time, and throughout the day, I keep the day's card pulled and record things that I am thankful for as they come. I don't know if I'll number them or not. I'm not very good at keeping track of the numbers, but I think that's besides the point. The point is to be conscious of the gifts that we are given every day... I call them blessings. If you haven't read One Thousand Gifts, I highly recommend it! I had the pleasure of meeting Ann on an early morning in a hotel lobby. She is a treasure.

I'm think I'll snag one of these stoneware market baskets from Anthropologie and transfer the cards into it... but I'm not sure. I kind of love my little calender just the way it is. Maybe I'll use the stoneware basket for blueberries.

Anthropologie

If you'd like to make one of these adorable calenders for yourself you can find the tutorial here, on Design Sponge.

My Book, Unbound Birth, is Available NOW!

2012-01-31T07:00:00.005-06:00

I am so pleased to announce the official release of my first book, Unbound Birth: How to Have a Natural Birth in the Hospital. This book has been months in the making, but it has been in my heart ever since I had my first child almost nine years ago. The experience of having my daughter by an unmedicated birth in the hospital ignited a spark in me that has continued to grow. This is something that I am passionate about! When I realized that there were no easily accessible and momma-friendly (coming in at about 60 pages in pdf form) eBooks for women who wanted to learn more about giving birth naturally in the hospital I knew I wanted to fill that need, so I basically put parts of my childbirth education classes down "on paper". Giving women the knowledge and encouragement they need to have the birth that they want is my way of reaching out to mothers everywhere and letting them know that they are not alone! Motherhood is a sisterhood, a precious bond that we have with one another, no matter where we live or what walk of life we come from.

I would be honored if you would spread the word about Unbound Birth any way that you can, whether on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, or by word of mouth! Please use the button and code above if you would like to post it on your website or blog. I would be so grateful!

You can purchase Unbound Birth ($4.99) at the following places:

Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
Soon available as a PDF download in the Unbound Birth Store.

You can also find Unbound Birth on Facebook and Twitter!

Creative Me Link Up.

2012-01-29T21:18:00.001-06:00

Hi there, everyone, welcome back to Creative Me! I'm not gonna lie, it has been a hard week at our household. We have had all three children sick. Luke has been running a fever for 8 days straight now. I'm talking 101 at the lowest and 105 at it's highest, with most days between 103-105. Not cool (no pun intended). Antibiotics have been given (the first time ever for him), but it's taking a long tome for him to break the fever. Any prayers lifted up on his behalf are greatly appreciated!

You all broke a record last week with 256 links! Amazing! I saw so many fun projects and so much creativity... including this gem, our featured link. Garlic Cream Sauce from Toni at SugarTart Crafts.

Thank you for linking up, Toni! I love anything with garlic in it, so this sounds delicious to me. I may have to give it a try!

Okay, now it's your turn! Let's see if we can beat the last week's record, shall we? Let's inspire the masses! Just a few guidelines for linking up. Please:

Follow The Southern Institute and display the Creative Me Monday button somewhere in your post or on your blog. The button html is at the top of the post. Just copy and paste!
Don't have anything new? Show us something from your archives...old to you is new to us!
You can link up as many things as you'd like, the more the better your chances of being the featured link next week!
Visit at least two other blogs and leave some comment love. We are a community that supports one another, right? Right!
No shop links please. You can link up a giveaway as long as it's attached to a project that you're linking up.

Don't forget to grab and proudly display the "featured" button if you're project has been in the featured spot on Creative Me Monday.

Framed Family Embroidery (Free Download).

2012-01-26T23:09:00.000-06:00

We have had quite a bit of sickness in our household this week and I've had a lot of time at home... I got a little antsy. I became inspired by all of the time I've been spending with my sweet children and I decided to do a little bit of needlework, since it had been awhile. I sketched out this little pattern and went to work...

I really love the way it turned out, although my letters aren't perfect. Guess what? Neither is our family, so I guess it fits!

I added a little satin stitched heart for a pop of color and dotted the eye with a french knot.

If you'd like to make one of your own, click here for the pattern!

I really love embroidery! It's mindless work, quick, and you can be as creative as you want with it. Sublime stitching has a great how-to page with easy to follow tutorials and bunches of cool patterns. Magpie Patterns also has great patterns for sale.

My next embroidery project is to embellish an old cardigan. I can't wait!

I Love This Kid!

2012-01-26T07:00:00.001-06:00

This just makes me happy...

Tutorial: Recycled T-Shirt Pillow Cover.

2012-01-24T07:00:00.001-06:00

It's not news to anyone that I like to recycle t-shirts. One of my favorite Goodwill finds is either a solid color children's t-shirt for freezer paper stenciling, a big t-shirt for making into a superhero cape for the boys or a ruffled tank top for myself, or a fun printed t-shirt to make into a shirt for the boys. The other week I found an awesome t-shirt and knew I had to make it into something, so I made this...

Making a pillow cover is about one of the best beginner sewing projects you can find. The instructions are simple, and the knit fabric of a t-shirt is very forgiving. This works great with a regular cotton fabric or a heavier decorator fabric as well.

Step One: Measure your pillow insert from side seam to side seam, then top seam to bottom seam. Mine was a 16"x16" square. Add about 1" to each measurement before cutting the front piece of your pillow cover. In my case, the front piece was a 17"x17" square. (I forgot to take a photo of this, SORRY!)

Step Two: The great thing about a t-shirt is that you don't have to finish any raw edges! I used the bottom edges of the front and back of the shirt to create two pieces for the back of the pillow. No matter what size your pillow insert is you will cut one back piece about 3" shorter than the top to bottom of your front piece. Then cut a second piece about 9" shorter than your front piece. The width of the pieces will be the same as the width of the front piece. These two back pieces will overlap the back of the pillow. Notice how the bottom edges are the bottom of the t-shirt.

My back pieces were 8"x17" and 14"x17".

Step Three: Place the front piece of the cover right side up on the floor. Place the larger back piece, with raw edges matching, finished edge at the bottom and right side down, on top of the front piece.

Step Four: Place the shorter back piece on top of the other pieces, bottom raw edges together, finished edge at the top, right side down.

Step Five: Pin the edges together and sew around all of the edges with a 1/4" inseam (or serge). Turn the whole thing right side out, put in the pillow insert, and you're done!

(I think he likes it.)

Creative Me Link Up!

2012-01-22T17:03:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! Before we get started today I want to make sure that you check out the My Memories review and enter the giveaway for your own digital scrapbooking software... AWESOME!! It's a great giveaway that you won't want to miss!

Onto Creative Me! Last week you all submitted over 200 links! That's awesome! I consistently get comments about how people love this link up and how inspired they are by what they see...

... that's all you!!!

You are what makes this link up great! So keep those projects coming, and the more the better, because you are inspiring other people and I think that's amazing!!

This week's featured link is from Kenda's Crafts. Kenda has her second child on the way and dolled up this doll bed for her little boy. He has a baby doll and now that doll has a sweet little bed, complete with handmade custom bedding!

Thank you for linking up, Kendra, and congratulations on baby # 2!!! I'm so excited for you!

Okay, now it's your turn! Just a few guidelines for linking up. Please:

Follow The Southern Institute and display the Creative Me Monday button somewhere in your post or on your blog. The button html is at the top of the post. Just copy and paste!
Don't have anything new? Show us something from your archives...old to you is new to us!
You can link up as many things as you'd like, the more the better your chances of being the featured link next week!
Visit at least two other blogs and leave some comment love. We are a community that supports one another, right? Right!
No shop links please. You can link up a giveaway as long as it's attached to a project that you're linking up.

Don't forget to grab and proudly display the "featured" button if you're project has been in the featured spot on Creative Me Monday.

Have a great day, everyone! Come back tomorrow for a simple recycled sewing project!

My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Review and Giveaway!

2012-01-22T11:12:00.001-06:00

I have something fun for you this week!

A little while back I was contacted about reviewing digital scrapbooking software from My Memories. Let me preface this by saying that I have never been one for scrapbooking. Back when Abby was a baby (and we didn't have a digital camera) I took lots of photos with my manual SLR and had grand plans to create a baby book for her. I think I got to her first steps and never finished the book. The problem is that I get overwhelmed by all of the cutting, embellishments, stickers, paper, and everything that it requires... so I gave up, and I had mommy-guilt about it. What I have enjoyed doing is putting together photo books with our digital photos (of which we have many)! So... when I took a look at the My Memories Suite software and saw how easy it was to put together scrapbook pages on my laptop, with our digital photos, I got really excited! I had a chance to play around with it last week and put together a few pages in no time at all. I took screen shots of a couple of them so you could see what the software looks like when you work with it.

There are a ton of templates to choose from with this software, or you can create your own.

It's easy to add text to the pages that you're working on, making your pages even more personal.

Each template has several pages to work with. You can use all of the pages to create a themed scrapbook, or you can pick and choose the pages that you want from different templates and put them together in one custom book. It's as easy as dragging and dropping your photos into the template! It simply could not be simpler, which is what I LOVE about this software.

If you're wanting to create custom pages, the My Memories Suite gives you everything you need from digital "papers" to embellishments that you can add to your pages.

There are calender grids that you can use to create a custom calender for your family or as a gift.

Planning to make your own Valentines? Take a look at their Valentines papers

and use word art to personalize it... this is so cute!

You create memories with your children every day, and if you're like me you document them with photos. The one drawback to digital photography (in my opinion) is that you download them and then they sit on your computer for an indefinite amount of time. This software solves this problem because you can create beautiful pages to display the photos that you love! Have a blast creating your pages, cards, and photo books, then print them out at home! Frame the pages and hang them on the wall... the possibilities are literally endless with My Memories! There are several pages of free kits to choose from when you purchase the My Memories Suite software kit, and even more to buy at very reasonable prices! Here's a tad bit more info:

So you know how I feel about this now, right? Here's a little incentive to try it for yourself...

You can get the My Memories Suite for $29.97 using the code STMMMS62653, plus get a $10 coupon for the My Memories.com store! Just visit this link and add the Suite to your cart, enter the promo code at checkout to receive the $10 off.

One of you will win the My Memories Suite ( a $39.97 value)!

To Enter:

Visit My Memories and leave me a comment telling me what caught your eye.

For extra entries:

"Like" My Memories on Facebook and leave a comment.
Follow My Memories on Twitter and leave a comment.

I'll take entries through Wednesday night. Good luck!

Thank you to My Memories for giving me the My Memories Suite for review and giveaway! All opinions are my own.

My life in Instagram.

2012-01-20T08:10:00.001-06:00

It has been a busy week! Nothing out of the ordinary, just a lot of running around visiting with friends or watching other peoples' children. As a result, I have not done much as far as crafting or sewing goes, but I have taken some photos. I love Instagram, and since I hardly ever use my SLR since I got my iPhone (shameful) I though I'd share some of my favorite recent Instagram photos with you. Photography is one of my hobbies. My favorite would be lifestyle photography I guess... just capturing people in their natural surroundings. These are all of my family...

I'm hoping to have a simple t-shirt recycle tutorial for you next week, so y'all come back! (Did I just say "y'all"?)

Sisters In Bloom: a New Community Encouraging the Hearts of Women!

2012-01-18T07:00:00.007-06:00

I am beyond excited to share something with you today... something that I am humbled and honored to have been asked to be a part of. I truly believe that it will be a blessing to everyone who visits. This short video will give you a taste of what you can expect to find at Sisters In Bloom:

Sisters In Bloom Is Coming Soon from Denise Thompson on Vimeo.

If you desire to bloom where God has planted you, then please come visit Sisters In Bloom. You will find a group of women who have a heart for God and a heart for encouraging women in their daily walk with God. I'm so excited to see what God does through all of us;

You and I,

a community of women,

sisters in bloom!