Sew Dang Cute Crafts

Silhouette CAMEO Tote Giveaway & Promo

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

The Silhouette promo this month is a good one!

I have the blue one and love it!

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

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

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

Guess what?!!!

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

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

Crap I’ve Made

Infarrantly Creative

Craftaholics Anonymous

Three Different Stenciled Signs

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

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

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

Now here’s the step-by-step tutorial.

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

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

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

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

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

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

All done!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo a Day May: Week 3

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

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

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

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

If you would like the daily updates, be sure to follow along on Instagram (@tamarynnb) or Twitter.

Days 14-19

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- A Silhouette deal and promo this Thursday.

Thanks for being such awesome and supportive readers!

Vacation Destination: Newport Beach

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Check out this video for even more great info!

So what do you guys think?

Have any of you ever been to Newport Beach?

What things are a MUST see or do?

Should I just bite the bullet and book this vacation?

Tried & True: Grandma’s Banana Bread

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ruffled Tablecloth

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

My friends at Quincee’s Boutique have been going to expos lately, and wanted a tablecloth for the “checkout” table to make it look nicer. They had found a ruffled tablecloth online, but it was over $150!

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

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

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

So pretty!

To make one you will need:

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

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

- Coordinating thread

- Upholstery thread

- Serger and sewing machine

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

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

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

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

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

Here are three of the ruffles sewn on.

Repeat until all 6 pieces are sewn on.

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

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

Stitch and serge and you are done!!!

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

Oh so pretty! Don’t you think?

Hope you guys have a great day!

Thanks for reading!!

Photo a Day May: Week 2

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

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

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

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

Days 6 – 13

‘Nuff said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

* Stronger than sleepless nights and the demands of motherhood.

* Stronger than circumstances I can’t control.

* Stronger than that alarm clock.

* Stronger than that last mile.

* Stronger than that cookie.

…and so on.

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

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

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

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

{Fashion Trend}: Lace Socks & Boots

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Fri, 11 May 2012 06:01:00 +0000

So you guys all know how much I love lace, right?

Did I go too far this time?

Complete with my new lace watch.

(You have until Saturday @ 8 pm MST to enter to win a coral one HERE).

My favorite part just might be the lace socks with boots! I was a little scared the boots were too western for me to pull off, but I seriously LOVE them!!!

Have you seen this latest fashion trend? What do you think?

Do you like the lace socks with boots?

Yay or Nay?

Cardigan, Dress, Belt, Slip Extender, Lace Socks, Boots: Quincee’s Boutique

Earrings: Kohls

Necklace: Lovestitched

Watch: Heart Always Jewelry

Taking a Break From Ruffles

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

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

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

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

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

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

{Giveaway}: Coral Lace Watch from Heart Always Jewelry

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Tue, 08 May 2012 19:24:00 +0000

Lace = loveliness!

I am absolutely thrilled to share with you guys
a beautiful Etsy shop I recently discovered, Heart Always Jewelry.

I have wanted a lace watch for quite some time now. So late one night I was browsing and I came across, this coral one.

I loved it! Then I started browsing the rest of the items in the Heart Always Jewelry shop and fell in love with the champagne lace watch as well.

Aren’t they both so beautiful?!

I love the watch antique watch faces on them. So perfect!

I had to get both the coral and champagne, and couldn’t wait to start wearing them!!

They are so pretty and I am so happy I got them!

Other lovely items that caught my eye:

Silver and Grey Bird Nest Necklace

Black and Ivory Lace Watch

Owl Love Pendant with Mini Nest and Flower Necklace

Black Lace Watch

Aren’t they all so gorgeous?!!!
Visit her shop and Facebook page for more great items.

Guess what?!

Today I get to give away one Coral Lace Watch to one of my fabulous readers!!!

Enter below in the Rafflecopter box.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway will run until Saturday, May 12 @ 8 pm MST. Winner will be emailed, and also announced back HERE in this post at that time.

Good luck everyone!

Bakery-Size Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:13:00 +0000

Have I got a delicious recipe for you today!

It’s one that I get asked for all the time, but I only give out sparingly. So now you guys know how I feel truly feel about you. (You know I love you, right?)

Don’t let me down…these cookies must be enjoyed, mmkay?!

What really makes these cookies extra special is the ginormous size of the cookie!
Bigger really is better when it comes to cookies!!

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

The secret to getting such large cookies is in the formation. A neighbor taught me this trick several years ago and I will forever be indebted.

Once your dough is mixed up, fill 1/3 measuring cup with the dough.

Remove the dough from the measuring cup and place on a greased cookie sheet. You can fit 6 per cookie sheet.

The second tip is baking the cookies at a lower temperature – 325 degrees. (In case you were wondering about the double numbers…I have a double oven).

The cookies will be done when you start to see the edges turning slightly golden. Remove from the oven, then let them sit on the cookie sheet for an additional 2 minutes. This cooks the bottom of the cookie just a little bit more so you get kind of a crunchy bottom, but chewy center.

Remove from cookie sheet and place on a cooling rack.

The mini chocolate chips are perfect to add that hint of chocolate.

And c’mon…we all know that peanut butter + chocolate = DELICIOUS!!!

I hope you guys enjoy them as much as my friends and family do!

Photo a Day May

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

Many of you have asked that I share more about ME on my blog. Sometimes it’s hard to open myself up, but I always love connecting with you guys, so I’m going to start sharing more.

Have you heard about Chantelle’s photo a day May challenge?

I love this idea and decided to jump on board. If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram (@tamarynnb) you’ve probably seen my pics each day. I decided that each Sunday this month I will share with you those weekly pictures on the blog as well.

What do you guys think? Good idea?

Ok, so here are Days 1-5:

Is there anything more peaceful than a sleeping baby?

Cloudy, overcast day. View from my house looking out at the snow-capped rocky mountains.

Monday – Friday you can find me at the gym. Thursdays are my swim day. Stylish, no?

Picked up my packet to run a half marathon!!!

BTW…..if you guys don’t mind me sharing (because I am SOOOO excited about this), the race ROCKED!!! I got a PR (Personal Record) of 1:41:05 (7:43/mile pace). It was beyond exhilarating and definitely fun – especially since I got to run it with friends (who also totally killed it)!

We tackled a lot of yardwork this weekend and set up our bird feeder. My kids always get so excited to do this!

So that’s the first 5 days of my May.

Are you guys doing the challenge as well?

I hope you have a fabulous Sunday!

Full Lace Maxi Dress

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Sat, 05 May 2012 06:01:00 +0000

Anybody else out there love lace as much as I do?

I mentioned before how much I love maxi dresses lately! This full lace maxi is extremely comfortable, yet with all that lace it’s elegant and oh so pretty!!

It’s a pretty taupe color, so it goes perfectly with my Steve Madden heels (which you can’t really see in the pictures because this dress is long….but then again, I’m short so maybe it’s a combination of both). I love these shoes! For the first time in my life I feel tall.

I especially love all the detail of the crocheted top.

Lace maxi dress, cream layering shirt, shoes, necklaces: Quincee’s Boutique

Earrings: Maurices

Guest Post Tutorial & Giveaway: {Plated Wire Pearl Ring by Shelly Homemaker}

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Fri, 04 May 2012 06:01:00 +0000

Hi there!

I'm Michelle, some call me Shelly, and I blog over at Shelly Homemaker

I am so excited to get the opportunity to get to share how to make this ring with you today,

so excited in fact, I'm even going to giveaway one to a lucky reader! But don't worry, if you don't win after this tutorial, I promise you'll be able to make it for yourself!

You will need:

22g. Plated wire, 12''-15'' - I used sterling silver plated, but there are many available in many colors

Bead of your choosing, I chose ones that looked like colored pearls

Jewelry Pliers/Wire cutter

Chap stick, thick pen, or some cylinder that is about the size of the finger you want to wear it on

Okay --- Here we GO!

Start with putting your bead in the center of your 12"-15" piece of wire

Wrap the wire around your cylindrical item in opposite directions.

Your wire should have pretty equal amounts on each side

Tightly wrap wire around the bead.

They will go in the same direction, mine went clockwise.

Keep winding around your bead, until you have about 1.5'' left on both sides.

You can wrap high, and low, and overlap.

Slide off the cylinder and wrap tightly around the base of the ring.

I like odd numbers so I do mine with 3 or 5 wraps depending on how large the ring is.

Cut wire so that there is just enough to tuck up in between the bead and the wire

Slide back on to your cylinder because your ring can get slightly misshapen when when wrapping the sides.

That's it!

Tell me that isn't easy?!?

And oh so pretty!

These make awesome gifts, and will hold up for quite some time!

Thanks for letting me drop in and I hope to see you again over at

Shelly Homemaker!

Aren’t those stunning, and what a fabulous tutorial Shelly! I’ve got my eye on either the violet or dusty green. So pretty!!!

Now you may recall from the beginning of this post that Shelly mentioned giving one of these away to one of you lucky readers!!

Enter below in the Rafflecopter box.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway will run until Monday, May 7th @ 8 pm MST. Winner will be emailed and also announced back here on this post at that time.

Good luck everyone!

Easy Sewing Project: Spring Infinity Scarf

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Thu, 03 May 2012 06:01:00 +0000

I don’t know about where you live, but in my neck of the woods spring is upon us! I love that it’s warming up and we can head outside. As the temperature goes up, I no longer need my thick, warm winter scarves.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t use some lightweight, airy ones instead. I love wearing a scarf as an accessory, so I made myself a spring infinity scarf!

This was such an fast and easy sew!!! Only 1 seam!!!

I started out with 2 yards of this jersey knit fabric I had stashed in my closet. I can’t even remember when I bought it, but I love the different prints and colors in it. It’s a thin, breathable fabric, so perfect for springtime weather.

I cut the fabric in half lengthwise, so now I had two pieces measuring 22.5” x 72” each.

(Note: 2 yards will make enough for 2 scarves so make one for yourself and give one to a friend!)

The great thing about knit fabric is it doesn’t fray, so you don’t need to hem it. Sweet!

You could be done right now and have two scarfs ready to wear to your heart’s desire.

However, I wanted an infinity scarf so I need to sew my ends together (the 22.5” sides).

Place the ends RST (right sides together) and pin all along the edge. PIN A LOT!!! Knit fabric moves a lot, so pin frequently to really hold it in place. I probably placed a pin every inch.

Using a 1/4” seam, stitch along pinned edge. Finish seam with either a zig-zag stitch or serger.

That’s it! You’re done!!!

Wrap it around your neck and you have yourself a fun, new spring infinity scarf!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Inspirational Printables: {Be You & Apple/Seed}

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Wed, 02 May 2012 07:28:00 +0000

It’s been almost two weeks since I attended SNAP! the conference. It was a blast!! I got to meet so many amazing people and had so much fun. It was definitely the perfect girls’ weekend. I’m sure you’ve all seen lots of posts about it, in fact, there’s an awesome linky party over on the SNAP! blog where you can read over 130 recaps.

My post is going to be a little different. I wanted to share with you two things that I felt were the most important things I learned at the conference.

1. Be You

The theme of the conference was “Be You”. Amy of The Idea Room was the kick-off keynote speaker and was the perfect way to start the conference off. I was so moved by her words and related so much with what she said. One quote she gave is one of my very favorite quotes, so I wanted to share that with you.

Amy Cornwell designed
a beautiful necklace for everyone as a keepsake of this wonderful sentiment.

I was so nervous since this was my first blogging conference. The very first person I met when walking in was Bridget of Bridgey Widgey. She is such a gem and was so sweet and she immediately set my nerves at ease.

In her recap post, she made this lovely printable (to download click over to her blog HERE).

I love the colors and the message is perfect. It captures what I feel is one of the most important things in blogging, and in life in general.

2. You Have Unlimited Potential

The closing speaker was Matt Townsend. He was incredible! He had us laughing so hard that most of us were crying, but then just like that he wrapped everything up and inspired us all. In fact if you want to see the speech for yourself, you can see it HERE.

One thing he said that really stayed with me was in regards to potential.

In fact, I made a printable so I could put it up in my home.

I love that quote! If you would like the printable as well, you can download it HERE or click on the image below.
(Note: I created the original printable in PhotoShop based on a Silhouette image I had purchased. To avoid any legal risk, I've removed the original printable and created a new one for you. Sorry about the mix-up).

I seriously had such an amazing time! I wish I could have spent more time with everyone there. Everyone I met was so nice and it was so great to connect with and meet so many fabulous women!

Like I said, this was my first conference. Having read about others’ conference experiences, I did get business cards.

It was fun to swap cards with everyone. I thought it was pure genius that they gave us this ring to keep all the business cards on, and I’ve had so much fun going through all of them.

I have to give a special thanks to Raspberry Creek Fabrics for sponsoring me.

As well as Quincee’s Boutique for my outfits! It’s no secret that I love their clothes. They really do have the best stuff!

I wish I could adequately thank everyone who came for making this such a wonderful experience for me. Seriously, there were just so many women that I love and admire.

So my two inspirational lessons:

1. BE YOU

2. YOU HAVE UNLIMITED POTENTIAL

Probably the biggest thing I will take away from the conference is the relationships I made or built upon.

I’m bummed that I didn’t get pictures of everyone that I got to interact with, but I’ll leave you with the ones I did.

(WARNING…lots of pictures)

Opening day right at registration I ran into a couple of The Crafting Chicks. We just clicked and they sort of adopted me for the rest of the conference. I love every single one of them!!!

Nikkala, Becky, Jamie, Kirsten, Me, and Brooke

My cute roommates Kristyn – Lil’ Luna and Nikki – Chef in Training. Andrea of Queen B and Me was our other roomie, but I never seemed to be in the same place as her during the day, and we didn’t get a group picture of us at night in our pj’s.

These girls were so much fun to stay up with and chat the night away. Kristyn has to be without a doubt one of the nicest, most sincere people I have ever met. When she found out I was coming to SNAP, she juggled rooms around just so I could have roommates. Nikki was a blast getting to know. We found out that both of our baby boys were born on the exact same day last July! We shared some personal stories and I am in awe of her strength and humility. Andrea is another one that I just met and was immediately amazed by. She has such a fun personality that you can’t help but love her right away.

Cheri – I am Momma Hear Me Roar has been a long-time favorite of mine. I mean, is there anything she can’t do? She is consistently cranking out incredible projects, but is one of the most down-to-earth and genuine people you will ever meet.

Plus, I really love that headband braid she did in her hair!!!

Rachel – Family Ever After and Ashley – Mommy by Day Crafter by Night are simply darling! We’ve emailed, but being able to meet face-to-face is always so fun for me. They are just as cute in person as they are on their blogs!!!

Kami – No Biggie. What can I say about Kami? Everytime I see her my heart just swells with love for this girl. She is such a beautiful person and so gracious and kind. I am so honored to call her my friend.

Kari – Ucreate and me sporting our coral pants and bare feet. Kari had stepped on a nail the week before, and by the end of the night, my feet were killing me from the heels I’d been wearing all day. Kari and her sister Becky are two of my very favorite people. They are so incredibly nice and I always have so much fun talking and laughing with them.

Ashleigh & Kathryn – Bee in our Bonnet.

I’ve been an admirer of these ladies ever since they were on Season 1 of “Crafting with the Stars”. Not only are they extremely talented, but they are an absolute blast to talk with!!! Ashleigh made these fantastic cookies as their business cards. Crazy skills, right?

Kirsten and I went a little star-struck when we got to meet Ana White. Wow! The woman needs no introduction. I loved how humble and gracious she was. I got to visit with her several times during the three days and she is such a kind-hearted person!

Emily – Décor Chick. Another star of mine! I thoroughly enjoyed her panel and she gave me some great inspiration for my own home and discovering my style. Plus, she’s an absolute sweetheart!

Steph – Crafting in the Rain. This girl has me wanting to live closer to Seattle just so we can hang out more. I was so excited to meet Steph IRL. She is so incredibly nice and I am now so happy to call her my friend!

Kristy – Diary of Dave’s Wife, Kristyn, Kelli – Lolly Jane Boutique, Cindy – Skip to My Lou, me

I love Kristy just for her taste in shoes (she brought 14 pair). Kelli is another one that I finally got to meet IRL. We got to chat late into the night one night, and it still wasn’t enough. I was sad I didn’t get to meet Kristi (the other half of Lolly Jane), but she was at home doing more important things like giving birth to a precious baby boy! Kristy, Kristyn, and Kelli are all some of the AZ group of gals and I’m feeling like I need to take a road trip there soon so we can hang out more! Such a fun group! Cindy is fabulous! She is another celebrity in my eyes, yet she totally took the time to talk with me and make me feel like we were friends. Loved that about her!

Amanda – Every Creative Endeavor. Obviously I love this girl!!! Besides being married to my brother (making her my SIL), she is one of my dearest friends. There have been many times when we have talked and talked and talked. We share so many similar interests and I’m so glad to have her in my life!

Me, Brooke – The Crafting Chicks, Amanda, Alison – Oopsey Daisy, Kirsten – The Crafting Chicks

Brooke is one of the funnest people ever! She had me laughing constantly. I won’t even bring up the rapping videos or SNL impersonations. Just trust me….she’s so much fun to be around. Plus, she was WAY fun at the dance party. Love her moves!!!

Alison is one of those people that you can’t help but love! She is such a kind person and definitely one of the sweetest people in the world. I absolutely adore her! My only regret is we didn’t get to hang out more.

This crazy lady is Kirsten of The Crafting Chicks, and whether she likes it or not, we are now BFF’s. It’s crazy how similar we are and how we have so much in common. Yep, we’re friends for life now!

Linda – Craftaholics Anonymous and Amy – Positively Splendid. I didn’t get to visit much with Linda, but we’ve emailed quite a bit and I was ecstatic to finally put a face with a name. Amy was on the top of my list of people to meet IRL. We have been in much of the same boat this past year (with both of us having 4 kids within 5 years and all). She has been there for me with words of encouragement and support at times when I really needed it. When I first saw her I couldn’t help but jump up and hug her so tightly. I almost started crying. She is a dear friend of mine and I’m so grateful for her.

Kristen – Kristen Duke Photography. I was excited to see Kristen again. We first virtually met through “Crafting with the Stars” when she was a contestant in Season 1, then we got to meet in person last year when I attended one of her photography workshops. I wish I could have a tenth of her talent! I tried to pick her brain for a bit, but one thing I truly enjoyed was just visiting and getting to know her better. Isn’t it crazy when you read someone’s blog and you think they are so untouchable because they are so remarkable, yet when you meet them you realize they are people just like you? I’m so excited that I get to see more of her this summer, because I absolutely love her!!!

Kirsten of KoJo Designs. Umm….can I just say I big puffy {heart} this girl? She was everything in real life that I thought she would be – fun, outgoing, sweet, pretty much just a blast to be around! I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with her and chatting until wee hours in the morning!!!

Wendy – The Shabby Nest. I’ve been able to see Wendy several times over the last year and I absolutely love her! She is so incredibly kind and has such a positive attitude.

Heather – WhipperBerry. I think I probably scared Heather with how excited I was to see her again. To describe Heather in a word would be AWESOME! Yes we all know her talent is awesome (and her photography), but she is also an awesome wife, mother, and friend. I loved getting to know her better!

Kirsten, Jamie, me, Becky, Stacy – Not JUST a Housewife

Stacy is a woman who has mad skillz! She taught a DIY class on power tools and man does she know her stuff. Plus her music video is a riot!!! Her blog is one that I love reading all the time because I feel like she is so real. She connects with everyone so well, besides blowing us all away with her fantastic projects.

It’s so funny what a small world it is. My husband works with Jamie and Becky’s husbands. We’ve seen each other over the last 8 years at summer, Halloween, and Christmas work parties, but we’ve never talked craft blogs. This past year we finally made the connection, but this was the first time we’ve actually hung out. I don’t think it will be the last (at least I hope it won’t). Those “chicks” took me right under their wing and made me feel part of their group, and I will love them forever for that!

Well if you made it through that, that’s my recap of SNAP! I am so sorry, because I know I missed many of you. However, it’s really late so I better sign off now. I love you all!!! Good night!

Melt in Your Mouth Dinner Rolls

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:01:00 +0000

If there is one thing the women in my family know how to make, it’s bread, especially rolls. They are the one thing I get asked to ALWAYS bring, which is fine with me because they use basic ingredients that I always have on hand, which means I don’t have to make an extra trip to the grocery store!!!

And c’mon who doesn’t love having hot, yummy rolls with dinner?

Today I’m going to show you just how easy it is to make these delicious dinner rolls!

I’ve made this printable recipe card
for you. Click on the picture or HERE to download.

I recommend using some sort of mixer like a Bosch or KitchenAid. Personally, I have a Bosch and LOVE it!

I like to tilt my mixing bowl for this first step. If you don’t want to, use a small side bowl instead.

Step 1: Pour 1/2 cup warm water in your bowl. How warm do you ask? I like to think of the temperature I would use for a baby bath. Sprinkle 1 active-dry yeast cake (2 1/4 tsp) over the water, as well as 1 tsp of sugar.

One of the most important things in making bread is letting the yeast proof. Let the yeast mixture sit for about 5-10 minutes until bubbly. If it looks like this below, you have now activated the yeast and it is proofed.

Step 2: While the yeast is proofing, melt 1/2 cup butter (margarine is ok as well) in the microwave. Add enough water until you have 2 1/2 cups.

Step 3: If you tilted your mixing bowl, level it out now on your mixer. If you used a small side bowl, dump the yeast mixture into your large mixing bowl. Pour butter/water mixture into yeast mixture as well as 2 well-beaten eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp salt, and 2 1/2 cups flour.

Mix together, scraping bowl as needed.

Step 4: Once combined, change out the beater attachment for the kneading hook attachment.

Add 1/2 cup of flour at a time. Mixing and scraping each time. You’ll probably be adding around 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 cups more of flour, but it’s best to gradually add it so you get the right consistency of dough. You’ll know if you need to keep adding flour if it’s sticky like this.

You want the finished dough to be slightly sticky, but when you touch it, you shouldn’t be able to pull any dough away.

Stickier dough means lighter, fluffier rolls. If your dough is stiff and firm, there’s too much flour and will have heavier rolls. Just add a little more water to get it sticky again. Basically you want it as sticky as you can without the dough actually sticking to your hands.

Once you have the dough to this consistency, turn on your mixer and let the dough knead for about 5 minutes.

Step 5: Place dough on lightly greased counter and cover with a light cloth/towel. Let rise for about 1 hour or until double in size. Go fold some laundry and clean up around the house….wait, is that just me?

Step 6: Shape rolls. I like to shape mine in crescents. Divide dough in two. Take one half and roll it out on a lightly greased counter into a circle. Using a pizza cutter, slice into wedges. Usually I slice one circle into 12 wedges, but when I was making this batch of rolls it was for a big family dinner and I needed more, so I sliced each circle into 16 wedges.

If you see the dough pulling apart from each other as you are slicing, then you know you have a good, pliable dough and are going to have light and fluffy rolls.

Starting at the wide part of each wedge, roll the dough up and pinch the end into the roll.

Repeat with all your wedges, then for the other half of the dough.

Step 7: Cover and let rise for about an hour or until double in size. Go do some more laundry and cleaning…

Step 8: Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Step 9: Remove from oven and butter the tops.

Mmmmm…now that your house smells divine, break open one of those succulent rolls and watch the steam escape.

Then go ahead and bite into a light and fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth dinner roll!

These are a crowd pleaser for sure. Bring them to your next gathering, and you’ll be everyone’s favorite person there!

Enjoy!

Jean Maxi w/Red Belt & Shoes

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 06:01:00 +0000

Maxi dresses are high up there as my go-to outfit these days! They are super comfortable and soooo cute!!!

I loved the jean maxi by itself, but the pop of color with the red belt, earrings, and shoes
makes the outfit!

Aren’t these shoes fabulous? Sticking with the cute and comfy theme of the entire ensemble.

Jean maxi dress, belt, shoes: Quincee’s Boutique

White layering shirt: Pick Your Plum

Earrings: Hoop-la

Do you love maxi dresses? Any that I need to know about?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Making a Card with Your Own Shape: {Silhouette Tutorial}

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 06:01:00 +0000

Silhouette CAMEO giveaway still going on HERE.

Today I want to share with you how to make a card out of a shape.

I got an email from a sweet reader named Meg. She wanted to make a baseball cap birthday card for her grandson.

When she looked in the Silhouette store, she found a baseball cap card shape, but it wasn’t exactly what she wanted.

She wanted the bill of the cap to be a different color.

So today, I’m going to share with you the tutorial to make a custom baseball cap card.

Since the Silhouette shape didn’t work for what Meg wanted, I had to trace my own. I found this image online…

image source

….and created this.

As I started making this card, I soon realized that to make a regular tutorial with photos, there would be a TON of pictures to show each step.

So instead, I made a video tutorial. It’s about 10 minutes long, so sorry about the length, but it covers how to import your image, trace it, delete points to create multiple parts of a shape so you can group/ungroup, welding shapes, removing cut lines from text, and more.

One thing I forgot to mention at the end of the video, is make sure you size the entire shape to the desired measurements. Then you can print the card out (print and cut tutorial HERE), and cut out the various parts before putting the entire thing together!

Please let me know if you have any questions! I hope you’ll have fun with this and start using your own shapes to make custom cards!!!

Remember to enter the giveaway for a CAMEO HERE.

Or if you just can’t wait to get your own, take advantage of this sweet deal!

If you already have an SD or CAMEO, you can snatch these pens up for only $6.99/pack with code DANGCUTE!!!

Go HERE to grab either promotion.

Thanks for all your questions! I should have more Silhouette tutorials and projects coming SOON!

Letterhead and Card w/Silhouette Glitter Sketch Pens

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:52:00 +0000

Silhouette CAMEO giveaway HERE.

I recently had the opportunity to try out Silhouette’s Glitter Sketch Pens.

Like many girls, my daughters love glitter! They also really enjoy writing. As in, almost every spare second of the day they are asking me “How do you spell xxx?” or “What do you think of this story, Mom?”.

So I made them each their own glittery letterhead in each of their favorite color.

Just look how sparkly and pretty that ink is.

It was much more simple to use the pens than I thought. You simply remove the blade and replace it with the desired pen.

Change your medium to Silhouette Sketch Pen in the cut settings.

Then “Send to Silhouette” and watch the machine work its magic.

It’s pretty slick if you ask me!

I used the black glitter pen to whip up a quick card. Literally took less than 5 minutes! (LOVE THAT!)

The pens are compatible with both the SD and CAMEO.

They are also part of this month’s awesome promo – a Silhouette CAMEO, $25 download card, 1 pack glitter sketch pens, and 1 pack metallic sketch pens!

If you already have an SD or CAMEO, you can grab the pens for only $6.99 with the same discount code!

To take advantage of either of these incredible deals, click HERE.

Hope you all have a great day!

Silhouette CAMEO Giveaway!!!! ENDED

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

Guess what I get to giveaway?

WOOHOOO!!!!!

I’m pretty sure this machine needs no introduction, but just in case you aren’t familiar with this fabulous invention (or just want to see what you can do with it), I’ve got a boatload of Silhouette tutorials and projects for you to check out.

I absolutely LOVE my Silhouette CAMEO! So I’m beyond excited to give one of you the chance to win one for yourself.

I’m using a new way to enter giveaways. I think it’s easier and faster. Please let me know if you have any questions.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you just can’t wait to get your own CAMEO, Silhouette is offering a terrific deal April 24-30th:

* 1 Silhouette CAMEO,

* 1 $25 download card

* 1 Silhouette Metallic Sketch Pen pack

* 1 Silhouette Glitter Sketch Pen pack

All for only $269.99!!

(This is almost $75 of savings!)

If you already have a CAMEO, you can grab the sketch pen packs for only $6.99!

To take advantage of either of these deals, click HERE, then enter code DANGCUTE to apply the discount.

Good luck everyone! Giveaway will run until Friday, April 27th @ 10:01 PM MST.

I hope you will stick around this week. I’ll be sharing a project I made with the glitter pens, and thanks to your questions about the Silhouette, I’ve got a new tutorial also coming up. They’ll both be good….I promise.

Please feel free to keep the questions coming. If there is anything you have wanted to learn how to do on the Silhouette, I would love to help!!!

How to Turn a Closet Into an Office

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:26:00 +0000

You guys rock, you know that!!! The response to Jessica’s Room Makeover has been amazing and I’m so happy that you guys liked it!

I’ve received numerous emails asking more info about how the office closet came together, so I wanted to share that with you today.

After everything was cleared out,

Jess and her husband painted the entire inside of the closet white.

Then I painted the Tailfeathers Allover stencil by Royal Design Studio with Allegheny Green by Dutch Boy Paints.

I don’t have a table saw that can do long cuts, so I we took some leftover boards from the board and batten to use as the supporting pieces of wood for the desk. After measuring the inside of the closet, I could cut them with my miter saw, and nailed them in place with my nail gun.

First the sides.

Then the back.

Again using the measurements of the inside of the closet, we had Home Depot cut the piece of wood for the desk to size. It fit pretty snug in there and wasn’t going to budge, but I still nailed it in place (to the supporting pieces).

We left a gap at the front of the closet, since I didn’t have the tools to cut around the door casing (the wood part in the door frame that looks like baseboard).

After that, it was time to putty and caulk. Sand that down, prime (the desk was already primed…that’s why it’s white), then paint.

The last thing to do is fill it up with all the office stuff.

It’s the perfect solution if you have limited space!

To see the rest of the room, you can check out the REVEAL HERE.

Be sure to stop back in tomorrow. I’ve got a giveaway that I know you guys will all want!!!

Jewelry Cabinet Without Power Tools {Studio 5 Segment}

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:16:00 +0000

Today I was on a local morning TV show, Studio 5, sharing the “how-to” for my Jewelry Medicine Cabinet.

Everyone there was so nice and made it a lot of fun!

The original tutorial can
be found HERE.

In the segment, I shared several options you have to make this, as well as demonstrated how it can be made WITHOUT power tools. (So this is really is a DIY for everyone)!!!

Here’s the clip:

Please let me know if you have any questions! I promise you can do this.

Of course I turned to Quincee’s Boutique for my outfit!

No surprise there, right? Do I shop anywhere else?

Imagine my surprise when I found out earlier this week that Quincee’s was going to be on the show as well!

Cristy and Kylee are darling and I triple puffy {heart} them!!!

Don’t you just LOVE their clothes? I want both of their outfits RIGHT NOW! (I’m beginning to think I have a problem..hehe).

They are going to be at the Women’s Expo this weekend going on at Utah Valley University.

Pop on over to see them and grab a pair of their colored jeans while they are on sale. I may just have to sneak away from SNAP! and pick up a pair for myself.

Thanks everyone for all your sweet words and support! I triple puffy {heart} you as well!!!

XOXO

Jessica’s Room/Office Reveal!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 06:01:00 +0000

I am thrilled to be able to share with you guys the finished room/office that I did for my friend Jessica!

You ready?

Drum roll please…………………………….

Just so we can fully appreciate the transformation, shall we take a look at the original room?

Improvement?

I think YES!!!

Wait there’s more?

This room started out as a bedroom/office, which pretty much meant everything got stored in there. Jess wanted the room to be organized and usable.

So guess what we did?

(This is seriously my favorite part about the room)

Turned the closet into an office!

Don’t you just LOVE that idea?!!

Remember what it looked like before?

What a difference and a much better use of space!

By removing the door and adding a desk, you can set up your office right inside the closet!

Are you guys loving it as much as I am yet?

Jessica wanted a “beach-y” peaceful room. Doesn’t this bed look calm and inviting?

It’s been fun to see the room come together.

* We started with paint in THIS POST. The paint color is Allegheny Green by Dutch Boy and was EXACTLY what Jessica wanted.

* Next we took the paint to the closet and did the Tailfeather Allover stencil by Royal Design Studio. Refer to THIS POST for the details on that, as well as tips for stenciling. I love how delicate this stencil is! Absolutely perfect for what Jessica was going for.

* Then I did the board and batten – ALL BY MYSELF!

Yup just a simple housewife mom who had never used a miter saw or nail gun before. I found both the saw and gun on KSL and went to work. For my round-up of 10 different board and batten tutorials go HERE.

So if I can figure it out….so can you!

* The “Beach” planked sign tutorial can be found HERE.

So what do you think?

Let’s take one last look.

Thanks so much for following along with me on this room makeover. I hope it was worth the wait.

TV Appearance, SNAP!, Color Me Rad promo, and Blogger Retreat Giveaway ENDED

noreply@blogger.com (Tam @ Sew Dang Cute) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:11:00 +0000

I’ve been MIA lately. I have to be honest and tell you that it has been LOVELY. We had a wonderful Easter and it was so nice to be unplugged.

So in my absence, I have a couple of things to tell you about.

1. This Wednesday, April 18th I am going to be on a Utah morning show called Studio 5.

I’m pretty nervous because it’s LIVE TV, but I keep reminding myself that I managed to not make a complete fool of myself before HERE and HERE, so I can do this, right? RIGHT????!!!

For all you Utah readers, the show starts at 11 am on Channel 5. For everyone else, I will be sure to post a clip afterwards.

2. I’m going to be attending SNAP! this week.

Ok, this one I am SUPER nervous about. I’ve NEVER been to a blogging conference!!!

This will be my first one, and while I am so excited to meet hundreds of you, I’m also terrified. I get nervous in big groups of people, so if you see me, please pull me aside so we can chat one-on-one (or in a smaller group). I think it’s going to be such a blast putting faces with names/blogs and getting to meet many of you.

If you are coming, will you please leave a comment below so I can try to find you?

3. Color Me Rad 5K promo code.

The winner of the Color Me Rad 5K entry giveaway has been contacted and claimed her prize. However, if you would still like to enter for the Utah race, I have a 20% off promo code for you: goldsutah. Hope to see you there!

4. Giveaway for Daybreak Blogger Retreat

Remember when I mentioned a fun blogging retreat going on in Utah May 4-5 in this post?

The Breathing Space Blogger Retreat will be held in beautiful Daybreak, Utah.

Hang out for a weekend with some fellow bloggers while enjoying great food, terrific classes, fantastic shopping, and more! Sounds fantastic, huh?

I get to give one of you a FREE registration to this fabulous weekend!!!

Just leave me a comment on this post before Sunday, April 22nd @ 8 pm MST telling me why you think you should win and you are entered.

For more details and to register, go HERE.

Ok, I think that’s it for now. Tomorrow I’m revealing Jessica’s Room Makeover and I can’t wait to show you guys the finished room! It’s beautiful!!!

See you then! Thanks for reading!