The Fancy Fritter

It's already May?!?

2013-05-09T12:02:00.000-05:00

WOW! It is already May?!? I swear time has been in fast forward these past few months! Lots of exciting things have been happening though. Fritter is finishing up with preschool in the next few weeks, Little A is not so little anymore & is growing so fast, & I've been busy doing a craft fair and a garage sale the last few weeks! Whew!

I have been busy working on new items for my craft fair & made some new pretty creations that I will hopefully get listed in my Etsy shop soon! ( The laundry MUST get done first...ha!)

BUT....I wanted to show them off here first! ;-)

I made this knot dress out of a vintage pillowcase & hankie for the apron. It is SO fun! :-)

I just love this big paisley fabric in a pretty coral & green. I even handstitched a crocheted dollie on the front of the bodice for a sweet touch. :-)

This is an old Riley Blake woodland creatures fabric I have had in my stash for awhile & I just paired it with some coordinating fabrics I had and it came out so fun! :-)

The back view

This is a fun reversible pinafore top! I just love these because you get 2 tops in one & they are perfect for the spring & summer & then great to layer with in the cooler months!

I've been trying to make more things for little boys too, so these are some super cute blue striped seersucker shorts! (I just love seersucker for little boys!:)

I have also been loving to make little ruffle shorts for the girls & I decided to pair denim with chevron & I love how it turned out! So fun for the Summer! :-)

Well, that's what I have been busy on lately & I have so many exciting new things coming up for this Summer.....but I can't tell yet! ;-)

Now...back to the housework...

Catching Up & Dot Mom Conference

2013-02-27T16:02:00.001-06:00

I've been pretty quiet on here the last week, because things have been so busy & hectic that this is actually the first spare moment that I've gotten to sit quietly and work on a post. (Thank goodness for a good naptime! :-))

My sweet grandmother went to be with the Lord last Tuesday morning. She suffered from Alzheimer's disease for the last probably 8 years and she is finally at peace now. So we did a turn around trip to go to her services in one day, so needless to say 8 hours in the van with both kids late into the night was not alot of fun. ha!

The next morning I was able to go to a really fun conference put on by Lifeway called DotMom in Dallas. It was a great time to get away with my best childhood friend and be encouraged in the Lord on mothering. I have to admit that it could not have come at a better time too. I have been very weary lately being in the "trenches" of motherhood and I really have not been valuing the time I have with my littles. This quote has always been special to me since I became a believer 9 years ago, and it was shared at the conference. I have been keeping it in the forefront of my mind all week when it comes to my parenting.

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While we were there we were able to meet some fun & sweet ladies whose blogs we have read for years, Big Mama (Melanie) & Angie Smith. They were both so genuine & sincere and it was so nice to meet them.

I won a book at the Late Night Bash that will be coming out in the Spring called "Raising a Lady In Waiting: Parent's Guide to helping your daughter avoid a Bozo" HA! (That is my prayer one day!) They also had a younger book geared toward young girls 4-9 years old full of small devotionals and projects you can do with your daughters, so I'm excited to start that with her soon.

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They also had a Compassion table there and I am trying to teach Fritter about missions and serving others, so I thought this would be a great idea for her to interact with another young girl her same age and learn to pray and write to her. We got a sweet girl named Ruth from Nicaragua & Anna was SO excited about her. She talks about her everyday and calls her, "Her new friend from South America!" We are going to sit tomorrow and color some pictures for her and write her a letter to get sent out & I'm sure they will become great pen pals! :-)

Such a sweet girl!

It was a great relaxing time & I am so thankful for my husband for wanting me to go and being Mr. Mom for a few days! :-)

Have you ever been to DotMom or another great Christian conference? What did you take away from them?

Have a great Wednesday!

Fritter Funnies

2013-02-18T23:31:00.000-06:00

So..My little Fritter's are constantly keeping me laughing, so for my personal reminder I thought I would write them down. They may not be funny to you if you read, but they crack me up! :-)

The other day we drove through Wendy's to get lunch and they were so fast and nice, so I complimented them by letting them know. Anna then tells me, " Awe! They were so good, I wish they were my parents!" UM.......I think I should be concerned. It gave me a good laugh! ;-)

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Anna makes up words all the time & this week her word of the week was Donkficated.

What does that mean?!?!

Donkficated (Anna's definition): Like when the bread of my grilled cheese is brown on this side and too brown on this side. That is just so donkficated! Like frustrated.

haha! I guess I need to work on my grilled cheese skills, so she doesn't get donkficated with me. :-)

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This is what I get awakened by this morning....

"Momma! Is it Easter yet? Because I just love Easter & Halloween, because you get some more candy, candy, candy!"

Geezz....I guess we need to have a talk about the true meaning of holidays! ha!

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My little Fritter, Abram, is talking more and more and it is so cute when he says a new word how excited Anna gets. She notices everytime he says something new & is so amazed. The other day he said, "Juice!" and tried to get the bottle out of the refrigerator and she thought he was so smart. I hope she is always his biggest cheerleader! ;-)

That's all that comes to mind now that have happened in the last few days, so I hope they gave you a laugh. I know they sure did to me! :-)

Valentine's Day Fun

2013-02-13T22:42:00.000-06:00

Thank you so much to everyone that posted on my last post! I'm so thankful for the advice and encouragement! :-)

We have been having some Valentine's Day fun around here the last few days with parties on Tuesday & Wednesday. Today, Fritter had a party in her 3 day preschool classblast & she had so much fun. I snuck in and got to see her singing along and having fun with her friends.

Abram walked right on into the classroom and had a great time. He got a plate of food, sat right on down and acted like such a big boy! :-)

It was so sweet too that Fritter wanted him next to her and her friends, so she pulled a chair for him to join them. It is so sweet to see their love for each other blossom. She is such a good big sister, and even though they do bother each other sometimes, I look forward to see their sweet friendship grow.

:-)

I just can't get over what a big boy he looks like in this picture! Ahh!!

This is a horrible picture from my phone, but I made some fun Valentine's for the kids in her class. Of course, I got the idea from Pinterest and it was something fun & not candy. You just take little cereal boxes and tie a spoon around them with a label that says, "I CEREALsly like you!" Ha! It was cute & easy! :-)

Well, I hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day! We are all partied out, so we have a day of staying in our pj's, catching up on laundry (me at least), & I'm sure sneak a few pieces of that Valentine's candy! :-)

Overwhelmed, Yet Encouraged....

2013-02-11T21:09:00.000-06:00

Lately the days have been long & hard...

I find myself getting so overwhelmed and on my last string when it comes to my children and that makes my heart so sad, but God is so good to answer my prayers and encourage my heart exactly when I need it.

I started reading some good parenting books and need to get back into them to help me keep focus on the big picture and not the here and now of disobeying, fussing, and whining and all the things that can make the days seem SO long.

One book I've just started and has been an encouraging read so far is Sally Clarkson's The Minstry of Motherhood. I can't wait to get more into it and seek some of her wisdom! :-) I may write a book review when I'm finished up!

(Source)

I also am more than halfway through The New Strong Willed Child by Dr. James Dobson & this book has been such a blessing to me. I have a strong willed, yet sweet & funny little girl, but we can battle it out sometimes. This book gives such great examples and situations and give insight on how others have gotten through them.

(Source)

I am also SO, SO excited because I just decided yesterday to go to a fun Mom's conference in Dallas called Dot Mom put on my Lifeway! It is going to be a great 2 days to get encouraged and refreshed. I'm going with my best friend and we are so excited to just get away, have a fun girl's weekend, & be refreshed by the Lord on learning how to be better momma's! :-)

(Go see more here!)

Can't wait to blog all about what I learn! Are any readers out there going to Dot mom or having any great parenting books that have really helped you along the way?

Can't wait to hear your feedback! :-)

Food For The Soul

2013-02-10T17:59:00.001-06:00

Happy Sunday!

After a long week of sickness & no energy, I'm rejoicing in today and for a new week & thankful the Lord's mercies are new every morning!

Praying for a healthy & happy week!

Ikea Chalkboard Redo

2013-02-07T14:46:00.003-06:00

Have you ever found something at a store, but you thought it was a little plain or boring? I found the LUNS Ikea Chalkboard this past summer on my trip to Ikea and it just needed something extra to give it some character and charm.

I decided to paint my chalkboard a cream white color and to cover it with a dark brown glaze to give it that rustic and not brand new look!

Supplies:

IKEA Luns Chalkboard

Latex Paint (whatever color you desire)

Glaze (whatever shade you desire; Mine was Chauteau Brown)

Paintbrush

ModPodge

Fabric

I had alot of paint on hand that we used to paint our kitchen cabinets and a glaze left over from another project, but if you are starting from scratch you could any latex paint color you would want & probably would only need a tester bottle amount. Not much at all!

First off, when I opened my chalkboard it was all unassembled so I just kept it that way & primed each piece.

Then I applied the first coat of a creamish white color & let it dry & then I actually added another coat to get it completely covered.

After my white coats were dry, I applied my glaze. My glaze was a dark glaze, so I had to work in sections. Apply the glaze liberally with a paintbrush and then wipe off completely with a washcloth.

You should then have a light tint to your wood as seen below. In the rectangle space, I decided to add fabric to give it a little pop of color. Just measure your fabric cut it out then use mod podge layer to glue it to the board and then apply a layer of Mod Podge on the top of the fabric to give it a nice finished look.

I let everything dry, assembled all the pieces & TA-DA!! A brand new fun, not boring Chalkboard! Perfect to leave little notes to each other & it is magnetic too!

Before & After!

I hope I've inspired you to go find things that are boring & give them new life!

Have a great Thursday! :-)

Under the Weather

2013-02-06T11:02:00.002-06:00

(Source)

We have been pretty "under the weather" around here this week and I feel totally thrown off. I can't believe it is already Wednesday! Fritter got sick to her stomach on Sunday morning, so I stayed home from church with her that day & then Monday in the middle of the night it hit me!! :-(

So needless to say, I was in the bed all day yesterday trying to recover. I am SO thankful for my mom that came over all day to watch my kids & to my husband who took care of things all evening. I'm still recouping, but I'm on the mend! Everything is just off when momma is sick! :-)

On Monday morning, I finished up an Ikea redo of this LUNS chalkboard.

(Source)

I can't wait to show what I did & I'll hopefully I'll have that up tomorrow!

Well, I'm off to enjoy some more crackers and Sprite...ha! Have a great Wednesday! :-)

Monday Shop Update

2013-02-04T14:43:00.002-06:00

Today on Monday Shop Update, I don't have any new listings (been a busy last week), but I wanted to show off some of my favorites that are in stock in my shop & ready to be worn by some precious little girls! :-)

These are ruffle pants made from an old pillowcase & they are so pretty and super soft!

Size 3t

Click on the picture to see them in my shop!

This is a fun peasant top that has been in my shop waiting on the perfect 24M-2T year old little girl to wear for this Spring & Summer! :-)

Ekk! Or this little ruffle cutie!

Size: 18M

Thanks for stopping by!

Can't wait to show you tomorrow a project I finished up this morning! It was with paint, so I better go get a shower since I'm covered in it now! :-)

Have a great Monday!

Food for the Soul

2013-02-03T11:55:00.001-06:00

Happy Sunday!

Coffee Date

2013-02-01T08:57:00.000-06:00

Hey ya'll!

It's Friday & I figured it would be fun to link up with Coffee Date with Alissa at Rags to Stitches. I did this back in the summer & it was fun, so I figured I would put up another video of this southern rambling girl. ;-)

I'm not very good at gadgets, so the lighting is horrible and the audio may be off too, but it recorded, so I'm happy with that! ha!

A little summary if we were at coffee:

1. I had a non eventful week, but scored some fun things at Goodwill.

2. Enjoying my Precepts bible study through the book of Hebrews.

3. Being a better friend. Whether it be old friends, new friends, blog friends, husbands, etc., that I would be an encouraging light in their life and point them to Jesus through any circumstance they may be going through. "A friend loves at all times."~Prov. 17:17

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

I am feeling MAJOR crafty around here, so check back next week to see what I've made! :-)

Old Windows

2013-01-31T23:02:00.000-06:00

I just love the look of something old becoming something new, or just the look of something old as decor in your house. The hunt of finding old things and using them for my house is my favorite. I haven't gotten that many things that I have actually used, but I have a pile of things that I want to paint and use in my house & I'll have to show those off as I do them. One thing that I did find at a garage sale was an old window. I love it.

I am kinda in that after Christmas decorating rut, so I took to Pinterest for some inspiration & I thought it would be fun to share my findings! ;-)

I just love this unique idea of making a personalized sign out of a single pane old window!
(Source: StoneGable Blog)

Oh...Or this idea of putting shelves on it & a little candle and vase! Love the idea of putting it over a desk work station too!
(Source: It's Rustic Living)

This is just too fun! An old window made into a coffee table! EKK!
(You can see more flea market finds on their post here! Southern Hospitality blog)

And oh my goodness...I don't have a staircase, but if I did, I would totally be on the hunt for old windows to do this! So cute!

So, which one was your favorite??

As you can see my poor window is looking pretty lonely, so I am so inspired to dress it up! Do you have any old windows and how to you decorate with them?

Monday Shop Update

2013-01-28T22:15:00.004-06:00

Happy Monday!

Monday is almost over, but I have 6 new tops that I am putting in my shop this evening & I wanted to show them off. They are the cutest pinafore tops with no buttons, no-fuss, just pop over the head & go! :-) And....they are reversible, so it's 2 tops in one! Win, Win!! :-)

Blossoms size 4T

Blue Floral Size 2T

Flowers & Dots - Size 12mo-18mo

Pretty In Pink-- Size 3T

Sweet & Sassy-- Size 2T

Watercolor Flowers--Size 2T (realized I didn't take reverse side & then it was too dark, but it reverses to pink gingham. So sweet!)

Here's a picture of little Miss modeling a pinafore top a few years ago...ahh! Melt my heart!

Going to add them to my shop now! Come take a look & tell me which one is your favorite! :-)

Tooth Fairy Pillow Tutorial

2013-01-26T23:18:00.001-06:00

If you saw my last post, you would have learned that we are in the midst of loosing Fritter's baby teeth. Well the second one is on it's way out, so we have to have a Tooth Fairy pillow. I love to make things for Fritter & since she is getting older I love to include her in the process. We headed to the fabric store & I told her she could pick her fabric & this is what she picked. Ha!

Not exactly what I would have chosen, but it is SO her right now with her cheetah infatuation. ha!

So I thought I would break it down for anyone that would be interested in making a tooth fairy pillow for their little one. :-)

Head to the fabric store and buy 1/4 yard of your favorite fabric. You can also add any embellishments (ribbon, ric rac, buttons, etc) you may like, so buy those now too!

This is the fabric that my girl choose (Sassy!!)...Cut 2 squares 8x8 size.

For the pocket on the front cut one piece 4.25-4.5" X 8". Fold down & press a 1/4 in. and sew down top hem of pocket. Add any embellishments to the outside pocket. I added some chunky brown ric-rac I had on hand.

Be sure to also cut your ribbon 8-10 inches long to hang from the bed or doorknob.

Then layer the bottom square facing up, pocket on top facing up, ribbon inside about one inch from each side, and then put top square right side down and sew 3/8 inch around the pillow leaving a 1.5-2 inch opening to stuff with Poly Fill.

Turn the pillow inside out, press, and then stuff until full. You can either topstitch by hand or with your machine.

Then hang from bed post & wait for the Tooth Fairy! :-)

Hope you enjoyed my tutorial! Here is a quick summary of supplies needed:

-1/4 yard of fabic

-ribbon, ric rac, buttons, any embellishment to decorate pillow

-Poly Fill

-ribbon to hang pillow

-Needle & thread

Can't wait to see if you create one! Let me know if you do! :-)

Tooth Fairy Time

2013-01-15T22:38:00.002-06:00

As I'm sitting down to write this, I am really in denial that I am actually writing this post....

We had a vistor this weekend & I just can't believe she already had to make her debut. I mean, wasn't my baby girl just born?!?

I went to pick Fritter up from preschool on Friday and her teacher told me that she had a little bit of a meltdown at snack because as she was eating her tooth started to move around loose & she thought I was going to be so mad at her.

After she told me that, I felt like she probably thought I was a really "hardcore" & mean mom to be mad at my daughter for losing a tooth. So we got in the van & I asked Fritter..."Why did you think Momma would be mad at you because your tooth is loose?"

She said, "Well, you told me if I eat too much candy that my teeth will rot out & it's happening!! My teeth are rotting out!!"

I couldn't help but giggle & reassure her that this was just a part of growing up & getting "big girl" teeth. She still hasn't asked for another piece of candy since though...ha!

She actually had to stay with my parents that evening & it was drama. No one could come close to her mouth or even look at it. So she sat with a paper towel in her mouth all day long & didn't eat or speak at all! It was a pretty peaceful afternoon for her Nonna! HA!

That night she slept with a washrag in her mouth and in the morning her little tooth was in there! :-)

So, now I have this little snaggle tooth cutie....

The Tooth Fairy came that night and left "fairy dust" everywhere & 4 shiny quarters! She also left a fun letter that made her day!

She should have left mommy some tissues, because I can't believe we are entering into this stage...Let the snaggle tooth grins begin! :-)

Routine

2013-01-10T22:52:00.000-06:00

This January we have started to slowly ease into our new routine. Fritter started back at a 3 day preschool program, we still go to our homeschool co-op, and I started a ladies bible study every Thursday morning this morning. (So excited about it & can't wait to soak up Hebrews!)

(Sweet girl on her first morning...)

So, every morning we are getting up, getting dress and out the door. Even though Little A and I usually come right back home, I can not tell you how much energy I have from just getting up and dressed and going somewhere. To be honest, I had fallen into such a slump...We were always at home, I felt like my house was always torn apart, I could never concentrate enough to even attempt to sew/craft/do school work with Fritter/clean house, etc. I was turning into this crazy woman. LOL

I'm sure other moms can relate, BUT
that is so not me, so I am resolved to be better at things & to get more organized & motivated! We are 10 days in & I'm still doing good! ha!

Going to bed at a decent hour is one of those things that I need to get better at too...so I better go there now!

Night!

Scarves

2013-01-09T22:24:00.001-06:00

Hi, my name is Stacy & I have a scarf problem...There I said it! Can anyone relate?

I spent the afternoon cleaning out my closet yesterday...(yea, no fun!), but I swear there were scarves flying everywhere. I asked on Facebook if any friends had any tips on organizing scarves and some gave great advice! A couple of people talked about this nifty scarf hanger from Bed, Bath & Beyond....

I'll have to check it out soon, but I was also sent this link here and ended up going with the number 6 way of organizing them. I filled up 3 hangers....Haha!

Sooo...To feed the addiction even more...

I have had some infinity scarf tutorials pinned to my Pinterest sewing board for ages now, so I decided in November to give it a try.....I was HOOKED! They are so much fun to make, so I posted a picture of them on my Instagram and Facebook and so many friends have been so sweet to buy them from me.

Here are a few I have made:

Red Paisley (so silky & soft)

Light Pink Swiss Dot

Black, Gray & Yellow Chevron Print (so fun!)

I set up at shop at Storenvy for my infinity scarves (www.stacysews.storenvy.com) & wanted to show them off to you. :-)

Are you a scarf lover too? I mean you really can't have too many... ;-)

New Year, New Beginnings

2013-01-01T00:23:00.000-06:00

Happy 2013!! I swear I blinked and it is here....I hardly ever do resolutions, but I really want to challenge myself to write down some to hold myself accountable & to have a place to come back and see how I am doing through out the year. So...here we go:

1. To grow in my relationship with the Lord (not cliche talk, but real growth). By taking every means possible with my schedule, spare time, seeking out fellowship with other believers, bible studies, etc. I made this my number 1, because if this is my first priority all the others will fall happily in place & bring Him glory.

2. To grow in my marriage & mothering (Oh, how I fail miserably sometimes at both of these...) Thankful for the Lord's grace & his constant mercy towards me in these areas.

3. To grow back my love for blogging (I WILL post no matter if I just folded laundry that day...I just can't believe this whole year past by & I hardly documented any of it... :-/)

4. Finish EVERY project that I have ever started and left unfinished...(This may take the whole year! ha!) There are painting projects, sewing projects, house projects, etc....Hey! There are some posts to blog about! ;-)

5. To be better with taking pictures of my babies and actually print them, frame them & enjoy them in my home....I am SO bad about this....

6. To be a better friend & encourager to those around me. I feel like I have been in a slump this year & really want to grow in time with my friends & grow in relationships with new ones! It could be writing notes to encourage, sending a random text or call to see how they are, or actual dinner or coffee and spend time together. I need to get out of my bubble and cherish the people I have in my life.

7. To sew for MYSELF! :-)

8. Of course, I'm going to throw healthy eating & working out in there too, because I have been a crazy eating person the last few months & also, how could you have a resolution list without this on there? ;-)

Well I could probably write a book, but those are a few that I really want to grow and change in for 2013! It will be a great year & I'm looking forward to it!

It is such a good thing to sit down and reflect on how you want to grow or change in the new year. Do you have any resolutions or things you want to work on in 2013?

Fall Soccer

2012-10-15T13:33:00.002-05:00

We decided to sign Fritter up for Fall Soccer this year & she is loving it! It is so funny to watch little kids play soccer. Half of them are running the other way & then some get mad when the ball gets taken from them & then others are very competitve and all about getting the ball to their net.

Fritter loves it & has lots of fun! Here she is all ready to go for her first practice:

And here is some highlights of her first game.....

She isn't quite as "assertive" as I thought she would be, but loves to follow along and cheer and tell her teammates what to do. HA! She even brought me a flower during the game last Saturday...She is a coach's dream! ha! ;-)

She is having fun and getting lots of energy out & that's all that matters.

Go TEAM RED!!

What I've Been Up To.....

2012-10-11T11:56:00.000-05:00

Well it's been pretty quiet on here lately, but things have been busy! We are in full swing of doing school with Fritter, Little A is busy into everything, I'm enjoying being a soccer mom and I've been sewing in my spare time to keep my store stocked.

I have made a few dresses recently that I wanted to show off. If you know any little girls that need some new clothes for the Fall, then I'm your girl! :-)

LOVE Paisley Dress found here

Pretty in Purple Peasant Dress found here

Black with Purple Flowers Jumper found here

Playful Paisley Double Layer skirt found here

(Sizes 18M, 2T &3T available now)

There are lots of other goodies in my shop too, but these are the most recent items I've listed & are some great ones for the Fall!

We are also in full swing soccer season & I'm a proud soccer mom! :-) Little kid soccer is so funny to watch, so check back tomorrow to see some of Fritter's moves!

Have a great Thursday!

Friday Feature!

2012-09-14T13:48:00.001-05:00

I'm starting back with Friday Feature to showcase other small handmade businesses! I'm so excited about showing off all of the fun shops & friends I have made along the way of owning a small handmade business. Plus there are some fun perks for my readers, so I'm sure you will love it! :-)

This week I am featuring......

Embellished Bayou

Christy monograms and designs such fun & cute shirts and outfits for boys & girls. She has so many designs for every season or event in life! For all of those local LSU & Saints fans, she has some adorable stuff!

I just love this little boy shirt!

And this LSU fleur de lis football is just so adorable!

She also has some new fun items listed for Halloween!

Ekk! This spider shirt is so fun!

Christy also has a great variety of monogrammed and embroidered items for babies. She has bibs, burp cloths and these adorable little stuffed animals that can be personalized. Such a fun little toy for your little one!

Fritter & Little A loved their Alligator shirts that Christy did for them this past Spring.

If you are looking for quality shirts with great monograms and embroidery designs, you definitely need to check out Embellished Bayou!

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Here is a special discount code to Embellished Bayou shop for all The Fancy Fritter readers!

Use the code FRITTER for 20% off your total purchase from her Etsy shop Embellished Bayou, or you can get 10% off any special orders through sending her an email (christy@embellishedbayou.com) or through her Facebook page by mentioning The Fancy Fritter blog.

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What a great deal!

Hope everyone has a great Friday!

LA Tech Game Day Dresses

2012-09-13T08:30:00.000-05:00

If you haven't noticed, Chevron print fabric is one of the biggest trends around!

I love to make game day dresses when football season starts, because we love football down here in the South & of course, our little girls have to be dressed for the part too!

This year I decided to make dresses to cheer on my alma mater Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. I used Riley Blake's medium print red chevron pattern fabric and a solid royal blue for the ruffles & straps! These dresses have been so popular and have kept me very busy the last few weeks! (& I'm SUPER thankful! :-))

I can't wait to see all the cute little girls decked out cheering on the Bulldogs in these dresses!

I have enough fabric to make 2 more & then I'm finished for this season, so if you are interested leave me a comment or email me at thefancyfritter@gmail.com

Have a great day & GO DAWGS! ;-)

September...what??

2012-09-12T14:49:00.002-05:00

Oh my goodness! How did I completely miss August?!? To say we have been busy around here is an understatement, so I have LOTS to catch up with over the next few days! :-)

Last time I left I was in full time mode of getting ready for the trunk show I participated in. It was a lot of fun and I made alot of new contacts and sold a good number of dresses that I have had for a good while, so I was happy to get some things cleared out & for some sweet girls get some new dresses!

My friend was able to take some pictures of my booth, so I'm excited to show it off!

My husband put together some old doors that were given to us & it was the perfect way to display my dresses. I love that they are facing out & made it easy for people to see. Every dress I sold was facing outward on those doors. Very good tip for future craft shows! :-)

Close up of my door display

Hanging rack full of other goodies & my table of baby items (bibs, burp cloths, etc.)

The other side of my display with a table of fabric journal covers, young girl patchwork scarves, and reversible headbands.

This was my center display dress & I love it! It was the first one sold in the first 20 mins!! I have more fabric and I'm about to have it listed in my shop very soon! :-) It is so pretty for the Fall!

Smiling with my booth!

It was definitely alot of hard work, but it just brought me so much joy to just step back and see everything I made with my own two hands. People were so complimentary and sweet and I think I gained alot of new fans & handed out alot of business cards. It was a great afternoon!

My facebook page is also growing alot too now! If you want to receive more updates about things that I've made or planning on making, then head over to www.facebook.com/thefancyfritter & become a fan! :-)

Be back tomorrow with more catching up!

Something Happy, Something Old, & Something New

2012-07-25T12:38:00.000-05:00

This week has been pretty uneventful & to be honest, we haven't left the house since going to evening church on Sunday! (Can you say stir crazy?!?) But we have been out of the heat and having fun playing with Little A's new toys and soaking in the air conditioning! :-)

Something Happy...

He finally would wear the party hat yesterday when I put it on him! He doesn't want the celebrating to end! :-)

Something Old....

We went on Monday night and fished out this old desk out of my in-laws storage and I'm so excited to re-do it for Fritter to do her school work! It's dirty and dingy now, but I'm thinking of painting it purple b/c it's her favorite color! I'll post after pictures when I get it all done!

Something New...

Since making The Madison Bag, I have been in a bag making mood & figured it would be some fun items to take to the trunk show I'm doing next month. I had fun working with a Heather Bailey Freshcut charm pack to make the outside of the large tote. I still need to add the interfacing and lining, but it looks so fun! I am definitely going to make a few more of these! Who doesn't need a good & super cute tote bag?!?

Well, off to finish cleaning up lunch & get little ones down for a nap!

Have a great Wednesday!

P.S. My Madison Bag Review has now turned into a GIVEAWAY! Yay! Go here and enter to win a surprise 2 pack of patterns from Two Peas In a Pod Designs! :-)

Sprouts The Madison Bag Review & GIVEAWAY

2012-07-23T14:44:00.001-05:00

I am so excited to get the opportunity from Trish to be apart of the Summer Sewing pattern review team! I picked The Madison Bag pattern, because it is a super cute patchwork style and a great crossbody bag. This bag is not too big, yet not to small. It is perfect for everyday on the go or would also be great on a trip while traveling.

I have only probably made a handful of bags, so I was so happy to see how clear and thorough Trish's instructions were. There are great color step-by-step pictures that are so helpful.

And the actual pattern pieces are on nice quality paper and not tissue type paper. Loved that!

I also loved all the styles and variations you can create with this bag. It is definitely a pattern that lets your mind run free and show off some creativity. With this bag you can show off so many different fabrics and embellishments. I think that is actually what took me the longest time was matching fabrics and deciding what I actually wanted to do! :-)

I finally figured it out!! I chose some Joel Dewberry Heirloom fabrics and threw in a little Sandi Henderson Secret Garden that coordinated! :-)

All cut out and ready to go!

Once you get everything cut out, it actually doesn't take too long to make the actual bag. I worked in increments, so I don't know the exact time, but I would say probably 2-2.5 hours start to finish. So give yourself an evening or while the children are taking a GOOD nap & you could have yourself a new fancy bag! :-)

To be honest, I can't say one negative thing about this pattern. I made the whole thing with no mistakes and I think that is all because Trish does such a great job explaining every part.

I'm so in LOVE with how it turned out & I've already started matching fabrics to make more! :-)

Here's the back view.

So, if you're looking for a pattern to make yourself a fun bag this Summer, I recommend The Madison Bag pattern from Two Peas in a Pod Designs! You will love it too, I just know it!

As an added bonus, Trish is offering one of my readers a surprise 2 pack of 2 of her patterns! What a great prize!

To enter:

Please go to Trish's store & leave a comment with the pattern you would love to win! Ends Sunday 7/29 at midnight!

Extra Entries:

-‘Like’ Two Peas in a Pod on Facebook – come back and leave a comment telling me you are a new fan.

-Share this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter or your blog and leave a comment to let me know

P.S. I would have taken a picture of myself "modeling" the bag, but hey, it's Monday & we are still in our pj's at 2pm. Ha! The bag hits nicely at the hip. :-)

Have a great Monday!