Forever Young

A Woman's Mind

2012-01-31T12:13:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about the woman's mind, and how it works. We are the definition of multitask. We think about the well being of children while trying to not burn the chicken for dinner. We calculate the bills while folding laundry. We think about our man while filling out expense reports. We think about romantic stories when we go for walks. We wonder how to be better parents as we tie ribbons in our little girls hair. Our thoughts never cease. We always have something brewing in our brain and most of the time we have a thing or two to say about it. Sometimes, however, us women need to be quite. We need to ponder, to think, to pray, to just let our thoughts run their course until we finally have found the conclusion that we have been searching for. With no desire to divulge the quite battle of thought going on in our head, we say nothing. We simply smile and keep moving, and then sooner or later on no particular afternoon we come to our conclusion, whatever it may be. It might take some time, but the answers will and do come.

meg

Holiday Lovin'

2011-12-25T21:01:00.000-08:00

Why hello there.... thought you lost me for a while, didn't you???? Nope, I'm still here. Been a bit of a busy bee lately, hence my absents from the blogging world. I was kind of going into burn out over load, so I knew something had to give for a bit. I feel like I have been on a whirl wind since Thanksgiving. But seriously, I have had so much fun over the past month and half with all of the Holiday festivities, especially considering that Ash and I have a little one to share it with:) What a wonderful time of year.

Here are some of the things I have loved about this winter so far...

the change of the weather

decorating the house for parties and let's face it, for me too;)

reading on a rainy/snowy day

extra time with family

Christmas lights

re-learning the piano

teaching myself guitar

watching the hubby cuddle with our little lady

singing/listening to Christmas music

working on projects

remembering what Christmas is really about

What do you love about this time of year?

Here are a couple photos of my casa's decor, hope you enjoy;)

I love how my stairway turned out this year:)

Wasn't super happy with the tree we got this year, or rather how I decorated it... I think my decor is better suited for a full tree. Oh well, you live and learn right.

This was some fun innovation... sprayed the bottom of the candle holder silver (was gold), then sprayed all of the Christmas greenery nickle and silver.

And let's just say there is a reason I didn't post any pictures of the outside of our humble abode... was definitely not my best work outside... yikes.

Merry Christmas all!!!

meg

Live and Uncut!

2011-11-30T21:30:00.000-08:00

Okay guys... sorry if I have been a little here and a little there but it has been a crazy couple of days. Anyways, hope everyone is doing great on this late Wednesday night. I was checking through some of my old video's and found this little guy in a dusty corner of an old picture folder. Thought I would share it with you. It's live and uncut, so don't judge too harshly:)

You likey???

meg

Breaking Dawn and A New Song

2011-11-23T11:54:00.000-08:00

Okay... I am obsessed!!!! I saw Breaking Dawn last night and it was AMAZING. Pretty sure I need to see this movie a bazillion times to get my fix (and yes I am aspiring to be a teenager, he he he). Seriously, if you have not see this movie... then get your booty on over to the theater ASAP. Another bonus of last night was I got to see Breaking Dawn with my awesome sisters, mother, cousin, and friend. I'll tell you what, a ladies night can't get much better than sushi and breaking dawn with your favorite people.

On another good note, I just uploaded my latest home recorded song (ha ha do you like the double meaning... oh I am so cleaver). I went acapella with this one, and did it while the babe was sleeping. Hope you enjoy it:)

Meg

What to hear some more??? Look up and click the Megs Music tab.

Thankful Tree

2011-11-19T17:57:00.000-08:00

Guys the little one is on the move... and usually likes to find her way into small spaces she knows she shouldn't be in. I am going to have a mommy heart attack, I just know it. She is a little clumsy, but oh so determined. If there is something she wants she WILL get it by her standards. Lets just say, it's a good thing I am bigger and stronger, and have the ability to distract her;) Playing with cleaner is not negotiable it is just a big NO! But I am oh so thankful for my little munchkin. I just love this little lady so dang much. My life would not be complete without that little potbelly tummy, and those Rosie red cheeks. Pure love I tell you. What are you thankful for???

I sure do love this time of year, really makes you remember what's most important in life. If you have a hard time remembering you will love this next project... I call it the Thankful Tree.

Most people put little tree's on there table, counter, or other surfaces. However, with my small living space this really wasn't an option. Even though I don't have oodles and oodles of surface space, I do have wall space, and this little creation is perfect for that:)

Hang little home made leaves on the branches to remember what's most important to you. Another great aspect of this project is it can change with the seasons: hang bats, ghosts, and witches during Halloween, ornaments during Christmas, and eggs around Easter. It's a great project to do with your kiddos. I acquired my branch/twig on a nice fall walk and added a little metallic paint to it just to fancy it up a bit, and the frame was an old thrifted brown one that I painted and glazed. I used little good old super glue gel to attach the branch to the frame. Love that stuff and it only took a little bit because the branch was so lite weight. Don't you think it looks fab on the wall too:):):) I love how it turned out.

Guys I am so excited for Thanksgiving week. My sister and her family are coming for an entire week. Heaven. Seriously, I am so lucky to have such an awesome family that I love to be around, we have such a good time together. Not to sound cocky, be we are pretty fun people to hang with;) What are your plans for this week? Hmm???
loves
meg

PS just wanted to show you all my latest little up-cycled piece from Silk Plum:

You like???

Progress I Tell You

2011-11-16T22:44:00.000-08:00

My stairway filled with white frames on a gray back splash is almost a reality... Well sort of. I am currently livin' in a place that doesn't allow wall's to be painted:(:(:( This is hard for me. So try to imagine it when I am in my future house and can actually throw a little color on the wall. Oh... and when all the frames have pictures in them. I don't know if you guys do this, but I like to bring home old frames with character and then stash them in the closet until I find a use for them. This would seem like a good idea, but what it really leads to is me forgetting about my stash and never doing anything with the frames. By having the frames up on the wall I have a visual reminder.

I glazed some of the frames with a gray glaze and left some just pure white.

To be continued...

Do you see that framed branch, I call it the Giving Tree, I'll tell you why and what you can do with it tomorrow:)
ta ta
meg

Pin Obsessed

2011-11-10T22:33:00.000-08:00

Oh what did I do before Pinterest???? If you are not on Pinterest, then you need to be:) You will be introduced to a world of ideas that you didn't know existed. It is inspiring, uplifting, funny, and motivating. For instance, I have recently been inspired to by this picture:

I WILL make my stairway look like this:)

What inspires you on Pinterest??? Hmmm??? I am really curious to know. So leave a link and I can check it out.

Meg

Oh Sew Lovely

2011-11-08T09:17:00.000-08:00

Did you ever think burlap could be so lovely??? Hmmm....

Silk Plum

or that when brown is added with a little burnt orange could be so fun??? Hmmmm....

Silk Plum

Well hello blog world. How are you doing today. How was your Monday? Mine comprised of two doctors appointments (one for Bella, and one for me), cleaning, emails, working out, making dinner, and to be perfectly honest, a little bit of mindless TV to send me off to bed. Regarding my doctors appointment, I found out that the pain in my knee is in fact legitimate. Oh great! Luckily it can be fixed with extra strength workouts to my booty, and little brace:( when needed. You'd think that being a runner and workout goer that my booty is strong enough right? Well apparently my side muscles are not strong enough for my quads to keep my legs stabilized correctly. So my quads are pulling out my knee caps when I bend, run, walk up and down the stairs, etc. blah, blah, blah. This was actually a BIG relief for me. I had a horrible feeling that it was something more serious, and the doctor would march out of his office with his finger pointed at me and say, "NO MORE RUNNING." Oh happy day, I can still run!!! My hubby will like that too.... cause I don't know about you guys, but running keeps me sane and happy, and that equals happy wife and mom.

Ta ta... Happy Tuesday:)

meg

The One That Got Away

2011-11-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

So this year my hubby drew out a very desirable tag in the bow hunt for any bull elk. After hiking for just about 2 weeks straight he was able to get a good clean kill shot at one. Sadly the animal seemed to bleed internally leaving no blood trail. This was the Elk that he will always remember as 'the one that got away.' After so much hard work to see him so disappointed, well, it made me pretty sad for him. So I thought it only fitting that he and I dress up as hunters for Halloween and the little one as a little bull elk.

'The One That Didn't Get Away'

Made this one just using two colors of felt and a zipper. Was easy peasy.

On another note... the other day I walked into Bella's room and saw this

Just hangin' out together, yeah her daddy really loves her.

meg

My dress is done!!!

2011-11-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

This baby is oh so comfy and button/zipper free. I can just pull it on over my head, and I'm ready to go:)

With a sweater

Without a sweater, which will be good for warmer days)

A closer look

Walking outside today in my new fall dress I realized how every tree seems to be on it's own track. Some trees have lost all there leaves entirely, others there leaves are just starting to drop, some are still green and waiting to change. Then you have tree's that are right in the middle of the change, half of there leaves are holding on for deer life in there state of green, others are slowly letting go and giving in to the inevitable, then the last group of leaves wait to fall ripe with color.

CHANGE

Even with each tree on it's own timeline, somehow, by the end of fall they have all lost their leaves. I don't think it really does any good to compare your timeline with those around you, because in the end the only important thing is that you do it. Whatever 'it' seems to be at that point in time.

meg

ps, don't mind my sewing junk in the back, and yes I like to stand while I sew, keeps my booty in check:)

pss don't forget about 10% off at Silk Plum this week. Code: LOVE2FALL

see ya

Cabin Fever and 10% Off:)

2011-11-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today my stomach just can't seem to make up it's mind. It's fine one minute and a painful rock the next. Miss indecisive I tell you! So basically after a day of frequent tummy aches and exhaustion spells, I made myself stay home from the gym (I feel like I am going through withdrawals) I know I need the rest though so I am handling it;) Tomorrow sweat and I will be friends once more, and I can say goodbye to cabin fever. I think it affecting Bella too. Today I spent a half hour throwing ripped pieces of news paper up in the air over her head. SHE LOVED IT!!! Could not stop laughing, and every time I tried to stop she quickly started handing me any piece that she could reach. She was having so much fun that I kind of just let the room go and after a half hour of throwing small pieces of newspaper in the air... well, you can imagine. It was totally worth the mess in the end... with her tongue hanging out of her mouth there were some serious giggles going on. LOVE.

With no workout in, I needed to put myself to work, so I finally started a project that I have been thinking up for a little while. A new dress, for me! I found some really comfy material a while ago that is OH so perfect for fall!!! I just about have it finished, I need to get a couple hems done tomorrow but other than that, I have a great new piece for fall. I'm thinkin' about layering it with scarves and sweaters, and throwing on a great pair of boots, oh I can't wait to show you all!!! What are you wanting to add to your wardrobe for fall??? Anything good?

Because November is now here (the month of not only family and food, but shopping), and because I love you guys so much I am putting out a 10% off coupon code to Silk Plum for this week. Hope this helps out with Christmas shopping:) Here is the code LOVE2FALL

Be sure to send the message on to a friend:)
much love

meg

Come back tomorrow and I will show ya my new dress:)

Winner of the Silk Plum Giveaway!!!

2011-10-31T22:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys for leaving you waiting. I was hit really hard with either the stomach flue or food poisoning this weekend. Lucky for me, my sweet hubby took care of me, the little one, and all the household stuff, so I could stay in bed. Believe me, bed is where I stayed, I really haven't been that sick in a long time... well I guess not that long, I was pretty ill the first part of my pregnancy. No, I am not pregnant. Anyways, I'm getting lost here. Okay, so sick this weekend and today was packed full of Halloween fun, but I would now like to bring you the winner of the Silk Plum giveaway. Results were provided by random.com.

Drum roll please....

Mari from

http://thevirginiabelle.tumblr.com/

Who won:

Congratulations Mari, please shoot me an email me with your information so I can get your 20 by 20 Pillow Cover mailed to you ASAP:)

Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing, be sure to stay tuned for the next one:)

Happy Halloween!!!

meg

Silk Plum Giveaway

2011-10-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

Okay guys... Silk Plum, my shop, is doing a giveaway. Hurray!!! Don't you love giveaways? I sure do:) So what is Silk Plum??? A shop that delights in creating lovely embellishments for you and your home. So that's scarves, clutches, pillows, and other fabulous items. All the things that add a little flair to your life. For a chance to win a lovely item from my shop, here is what you need to do...

Do one or all of the following to enter your name into the drawing:
1. Follow my blog:)
2. Go on to my shop, Silk Plum, look around have a ball, then come back here and tell me what item you like.
3. Link me up with your peeps. So leave a message on your blog, facebook, or twitter letting people know about Silk Plum and the giveaway.

Entries are not limited to one so please leave a separate comment for each entry. Lastly, the drawing goes till the end of Friday, so get clicking:)
Good Luck:)
meg

I Will Be: A New Song

2011-10-25T23:54:00.000-07:00

Okay guys yesterday after work while Bella was napping, between making dinner, getting the laundry folded and before Ash got home, I recorded a new song. I only had time for ONE run through it, so please don't judge to harshly it's a bit rough, and I still trying to figure out my software... consider it live... ha ha. But none the less I love this song and hope you enjoy it too. If you do please send it along to a friend:)

I Will Be

Much Love,

meg

Mustard Yellow

2011-10-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

It has been cooling down here on my little spot of the world. A chilly 40 this morning definitely woke me up, but this is a good thing, a very good thing. It means that it is time for pink little noses, red chubby cheeks, cuddling under soft throws, hot coco, sweaters, and deep colors. Among those beautiful deep hues I find myself wanting more mustard yellow in my wardrobe. There is something about this color. It's simply fabulous. It looks great with just about every other shade of color and it adds such a classic look to an outfit.

I think I need these shoes and bag???

Mustard Infinity Scarf, Silk Plum

I couldn't help myself, I had to add a little mustard to my shop, Silk Plum.

Pheasant Pleated Pouch, Silk Plum

You see what I mean about mustard complimenting so many colors. Added this little number to the shop as well.

What do you need a little more of in your wardrobe?

meg

Sundays and Lasagna

2011-10-23T14:15:00.000-07:00

I'm cooking lasagna today, on Sunday, and this always makes me feel a little nostalgic. As smell of lasagna fills the air in my little home on this Sunday afternoon it brings back many memories of my childhood. Growing up it was very common to have 20 people at our house for dinner on Sundays. Lasagna is such a great dish and it can feed a lot mouths too. Sunday was always a full day at the Meaker house; church, tones of people, great food, playing games, laughing (a lot of laughing), watching movies in the winter, and laying out on the grass in the summer. Just being around each other and spending time together was what it was all about. Having family and friends never too far was such a great way to grow up. I hope I can provide the same environment for my babies as they get older too.

What are you cookin' this Sunday afternoon?

meg

Fall Weakness

2011-10-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

I'm not gonna lie to you guys, when it comes to fall I am WEAK. It is without a doubt my favorite time of year. Warm deep fabrics, bright enhancing colors, oh I just go weak at the knees. I love that the clothing in fall really does mimic what's going outside, just makes me feel all cosy. When I my eye caught these shoes I felt warm and fuzzy. I want, I need, I LOVE these.

What is your fall weakness? Would love to hear from you;)

meg

Buffet Table Makeover

2011-10-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

Okay... I about wanted to cry when I realized that I accidentally deleted the before pictures for this project, because I have completely overhauled this buffet table. Seriously... both pull out drawers were broken, one cupboard door was split in half, the other was so warped that it would not close properly, and the back of the buffet was coming off all together. I hope that creates a least a partial picture in your mind of what I had to work with.

The remake started with removing all the hardware, doors, and drawers and getting the piece structurally sound again. Once I got on to the cupboard doors I quickly realized that they would need to be remade all together, with the condition they were in they were irreparable(this was a big project). Remaking the doors required the use of a table saw, a router, a jig saw, a sander, and that pretty design you see on them, I did by hand with a dremel-took forever!!!! I also decided the drawers would need to be reconstructed as well, so I ripped off the face trashed the inside and got cutting with some MDF. I put the drawers together with a biscuit joiner to get the extra clearance on the sides to add in some metal sliders. I hate it when drawers don't have inside hardware because every time you slide them open they lean forward and even sometimes fall out completely. I didn't want to play that balancing game so rollers were purchased and installed. For color I decided to stain the top, paint the bottom and then glaze the whole thing once the stain and paint were dry. After that set, I put the hardware back on and made some last little adjustments. What do you think? I love how it turned out. Definitely not perfect, but I love the character it brings to the room.

Do you like some of my other additions?

(lamp was thrifted-shade made by me-letters made by me-picture thrifted and frame redone by me-little glass bowel thrifted just added some paint on the bottom side)

The Shop Is Here!!!

2011-10-14T19:42:00.000-07:00

Okay guys, sorry it is a little late in the day, I have been go go go all day today. Plus, the little one is a TORNADO, and I don't know about you, but keeping up with a Tornado is pretty much impossible. Alas, here is the link to my new Etsy shop Silk Plum . I hope you enjoy the products posted and want to show a friend. More products are coming soon as well. Here is my logo:

Thanks for all the support.
much love
meg

A Sneak Peak

2011-10-13T22:10:00.000-07:00

Well fall is officially her everyone!!! Are you excited, unhappy, mixed. I personally LOVE fall. The colors, the air, the festivities... all of it. It really is my favorite time of year. Fall means being bundled up outside in sweaters and coats in the cool air; fall means being bundled up inside with your favorite throw enjoying a good book, hot drink, and family around you. If you are like me, fall is when I really start to look around my house and take inventory of things that are needed to improve your home, or you start to notice things that need to be changed. If you find yourself in the same boat check out my new shop tomorrow. You might find what you are looking for. Here is a sneak peak of some of the great embellishments coming:

Braided Scarf Necklace (perfect for fall)

White Cotton and Pipe Gray Throw Pillow

Black and White Damask Easy Clutch

So what's your favorite season?

Come back tomorrow, I'll be revealing my shop name and the rest of the products made for you and your home.

meg

Renovations On Hold For A Rainy Day

2011-10-11T22:20:00.000-07:00

I know to the blogging world I must look like a major slacker... But don't let my elusive blogging foul you. I have been finishing things up for my Etsy shop, majorly overhauling an old buffet hutch, working on music, all on top of wifehood, motherhood, and workhood(??? is that how you would say it???). Yes I do work from home, but I still have to seriously schedule my time wisely. I am coming tonight to talk on a very specific subject, CLUTTER. Even though the solution to my clutter is just right around the corner (hence the makeover of the old buffet hutch) I am going crazy. For one the clutter is on my kitchen table in plain sight, you seriously can't be anywhere on my first floor without seeing it. Whenever family or friends come over I sheepishly result to a long explanation in a desperate attempt to convince my visitors of the truth, that I'm not messy or a slob. Please tell me that I am not the only one who does this? Anyone? Bueller? I thought these day's would be over by now, but a couple rain storms have put a halt on my big plans for painting my hutch. Don't get me wrong I LOVE stormy weather: It makes me want to sit right up to the window in a nice little cozy corner like this one and enjoy all the excitement going on outside.

Photo from HGTV Dream Home.

But yes, I am BUMMED that my hutch isn't painted and drying right now, and my clutter is still out, but big projects take patience. I'm banking on a weather break tomorrow, keep your fingers crossed.
meg

PS: If anyone watches the tonight show... Winventions was hilarious tonight, was laughing for like 5 minutes.

Frankenstien for lunch

2011-10-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

I love hangin' out with my brother Matty, in fact I love it so much that we do a date night every Thursday. Usually around the month of October we like to center our dates around more festive activities, and considering that Matty loves Halloween just as much as I do, it makes whatever we are doing all the more fun. No joke, this guy plans next years Halloween costumes on Halloween, and not only for himself but for everyone else around him. Any ways, today our date consisted of Hocus Pocus (in my TOP 5 favorite movies- I could watch it over and over), UNO (one of Matt's favorite games-yeah, he's pretty competitive), and lastly, these great Frankenstein lunch paper bags. These are so easy and so much fun. Happy Halloween everyone!!!

These guys are are seriously stuck like glue. I don't know if it is all the teasing these two do, but Bella loves her Uncle Matty.

If you can't tell, Matty loves to do anything but smile for pictures. Ha ha...

See you soon.

meg
(PS If you read this earlier... sorry... there was a huge typo error. My computer took out like two to three sentences without me knowing, blahhh.)

What's running through my head tonight

2011-10-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of things I've been thinkin about
Life moves fast. It feels like it was just yesterday that my belly was bulging with my little one wiggling around inside. Now she is on the move, a little tornado, with so much spunk.

The much needed buffet was found and purchased... oh yeah!!! It does need some serious love (warped wood, broken drawers, etc.) but I can't wait to get started and make an old antique piece functional.

I am tired, been pulling too many late nights. Eyes hurt and head is bobbing.

Guys... it is seriously killing me... I am so excited for my new shop that is coming your way, oh so soon. Been working really hard and it has been a labor of love, so let your friends and family know.

Wow, I am so blessed...

What's running through your mind? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

meg

meg

Make It Mine: Lamps and Problems

2011-10-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

I need to vent:
Lately my kitchen table is driving me nuts. Project, after project, after project just seem to find their way to that surface. It is seriously getting to me. I don't like clutter and I like to be clean, so yeah... me and my kitchen table are not exactly on speaking terms right now. In a desperate need to fix this problem I have been scouring every thrift store I can in hopes to find an old buffet table with character that also happens to have either cupboards or drawers. I have come up empty hand over and over again., urk. My ability to focus is really starting to suffer due to the lack of organization in this little corner of my house, and right now I need my focus more than ever... because... I going to be opening a shop. I am very very excited about this guys. The name and products will be revealed very soon. So you can see why organization is so important right now. Please keep your fingers crossed for me that I will find something or something will find me.

Now on to a more positive note. I have finished my lamp. This was a journey all in itself filled with misshapes and misjudgements on my part. I, acting like a first time project goer, didn't measure what the length of the shade would need to be for this thrifted lamp that I made over. I figured that I would remember what the size would need to be. Well, let me tell you something, when you get in the store your size judgement gets totally distorted, so always measure and stick to your measurements. Anyways, while at Ikea, taking in all the wonder of that magical place (which by the way was awesome... seriously just ask my sisters... I totally went into that store skipping and giggling like a five year old about to enter the majestic world of Disney), I grabbed a beautiful white shade that I was sure would complete the look of my lamp awaiting the rest of it's wardrobe at home. So I snatched it up, cut a gazillion strips of a shinny fray gray material and painstakingly gather/hot glued the strips to the lamp. Upon completion I fit the shade to the lamp. Let's just say I was on the edge of tears when I realized there was no way-at all- that this shade would be staying on this lamp. All of my efforts, poof, down the drain just like that. Well that was my moment of overwhelming blahhhh discouragement. I new that regardless of my disappointment, there was no way I was going to trash my beautiful shade or lamp, so I hit the thrift stores found and larger white drum shade and a smaller lamp that I could fix up. So there we have it. A little more cutting, fraying, and gather gluing my large lamp finally had an appropriate fitting top, and the thrifted smaller lamp fits perfectly with the previously made Ikea shade. All is well again, and my efforts have not been a complete waste:) Thank goodness. o here is the new functional decor piece, and yes it IS huge. When we are finally in a house it will really fill up a corner space of a room nicely. What do you think?
Before:

During:

After:

Until next time:)

meg

Failure

2011-09-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about failure and success lately, mostly just my own. I have decided something. Just because I’ve had failures doesn't make me a failure, and just because I’ve had successes doesn't make me successful. I think that can only be decided by what I am doing today, right now. Have I allowed my failures to swallow me up and take away my resilience and dreams, making the struggles I have faced be in vain? Or, do I take the alternate route and keep trying, keep building; regardless of circumstances do I find a way to make things happen in my life? I know I have had moments where I have allowed my failures to defeat me, but I like to think that I never allow those moments to last very long. I get back up and keep trying, take a different approach. Life is too short to spend most of it dreading that I might disappoint myself. Yeah, it’s pretty much a guarantee that I’ll make some mistakes, that I’ll probably feel at times that I am making a foul of myself, and yes, people WILL cast harsh judgments. But none of that matters. I just need to be okay with myself at the end of the day, I need to know that I have done everything I can to make the life I want to live possible! So here is to my many failures and how they have helped me get one step closer to my dreams.

For anyone who follows this blog, you know that I am singer who loves music and sharing it with others. This has been a lifelong pursuit for me and I don’t see that changing. Here is another video that I’d like to dedicate to failure, because without it we would not know the sweetness of success.

If you have had failure in your life but refuse to let it define you or hold you back, take a listen… and share this video with someone who inspires you.

much love

meg

Project Plateau

2011-09-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

Hello blogging world! Oh how I have missed you so. My life has just not been the same without my special moments snuggled up on the couch with laptop in had perfectly nestled on a pillow to keep things nice and comfy as I pour over my key board searching and sharing fun and creative projects. To put it frankly guys... I am seriously STUCK. I have, no joke, 6 projects that I have come to a complete stand still on, and it is driving me crazy. Have I grown an indecisive bone or something? What is my deal? I want so desperately to show you guys some of these new and fun makeovers, but the obsessive traits in me will just not allow and unfinished project to find its way on the web. So please bear with me. I am determined to push through this plateau. Hopefully I will have a something for you in the A.M.
Peace

meg

ps Here is a quick overview of what I have been working on that will be coming to you SOON:
New Dress,
New Skirt ,
New Pillow,
Two Lamps,
Two Lamp Shades ,
and lastly.... my very first quilt.

New Purpose For An Old Sweater

2011-09-15T15:12:00.000-07:00

Okay guys... were I live it gets COLD in the winter, and when I say cold, I mean frozen eyelashes cold. I decided to start preparing my little ones wardrobe for the occasion of winter and noticed that there was a serious sweater drought going on. So I rummaged through my overwhelming sweater collection and found a green stretch piece that I had originally thrifted for $4 bucks. I couldn't remember the last time I wore it, so I knew I wouldn't miss it. I wanted to make something that could function as a dress with tights or a tunic with leggings. This little number took, seriously only about 20 minutes to cut up and put together. It's a little wrinkly at the waist line, but her round little tummy will stretch it out nicely.

Oh... and with some of the left over scraps I made a little rosette:)

Hope you enjoyed this little winter piece. Do you have any old sweaters you won't be wearing this winter? If so what can you do with them?

meg

A New Way To Rosette

2011-09-11T15:04:00.000-07:00

Hello, has everyone been having a great weekend thus far? It's almost over... are you sad? glad? I kind of have mixed feelings whenever the weekend comes to a close. I always feel like I am more organized and productive during the week, but I think everyone needs a slow weekend every now and then. Any ways... on to the next project. I have wanted to try this new method of making rosettes for a while now and finally found some really inexpensive material that I wouldn't feel terrible about throwing away if the project didn't quite pan out. Hey, everyone needs a practice run right? Things actually worked out okay on the first run for this project which, by the way, is kind of rare for me. The rosettes had this cool unique/antique look so decided to sew up a little shirt and throw them on it. I also had a little fun with the collar. What do you think of my less than 2 dollar shirt?

meg

Pillowcase To Pale Vintage Love!!!

2011-09-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

Well ladies and gents, the little one is growing too fast, leaving her dress selection looking pretty slim these days. Time for a date with my sewing machine. I hit the local thrift stores for some inspiration and material, and oh did I find inspiration. I snatched up this lacy light pink pillowcase that was beautiful, and only $2. The lace alone is worth so much more than $2, seriously, lace is expensive. I decided that the color and lace would be perfect for a nice vintage frock. I took the pillowcase home and that night put this dress together for a wedding the next day. Hope you enjoy it:) I know I loved making this one: Plus doesn't my little one look adorable?

Front:

Back:

Dress and little rosette for the little ones perfect locks:

Please do forgive the picture overload... This was just such a fun piece to photograph... Oh and that cage you see next to Bella is the dogs home and you better believe that Bella is OBSESSED!!!

meg

$2 Pleats and Floral Score!!!!

2011-09-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago I spotted a dark floral pleated skirt while attending a wedding. It was high waisted perfectness and I wanted it, bad! I kept my eyes pealed for a couple of days following the sighting. Sure enough, I found a pretty dark floral that would be perfect, plus it was only $2 a yard, oh yeah!!! I decided to go with 6 pleats on the front and back and used an old zipper that I had lying around. I love the rich red/pink color of the flowers, it will definitely make this skirt fun during the following fall months.

She is my little buddy and currently likes to plant her little bum on my feet if she finds me holding still for longer than a couple seconds.

I just had to put a couple good ones of the little lady.

meg

PS Come back tomorrow, I will be revealing a dress that will blow your mind:)

Feeling Oh So Lofty:)

2011-09-04T20:40:00.000-07:00

Just kidding, I’m really not the supercilious type, but I am a little sew-proud of myself on this project. I found this Loft dress at the thrift store for 6 bucks, and it seriously looked like it had never or hardly ever been worn, and the fabric pattern???? Oh so pretty and feminine. I just loved everything about the dress… well almost. Even though the overall cut was wonderful, (wrapped top and pleated bottom-love) the dress was just barely too short and had no sleeves. I quickly decided that I would turn this into a sort of Tunic-Shirt, to be worn with leggings when the weather is on the warmer side or jeggings when it’s on the cooler side. To make this idea a reality, I snipped off a couple of inches from the bottom half of the dress and used that material to make sleeves and it turned out that it gave the dress a completely different look that I immediately fell in love with. Hope you enjoy this playful, yet graceful pieceJ

Sorry about the lamo photos! My old Camera, that I was forced to switch back to upon my Cannon's death, doesn't do well in artificial lighting.

meg

Plain into Polka Dot Perfection

2011-09-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

I have this old modern bookshelf that I build eons ago, and well, to be perfectly honest, my style has kind of changed. Seeing as how I can't bear to part with it just yet (I have a lot of sweat and tears in that piece) I have decided to make it work with my new style. To accomplish this new look I have been slowly adding softer and much lighter pieces to it. Of these, I have been trying to stick with a white glass vase look. I found a couple milk glass vases at the thrift store, but the space was still lacking. I found these two clear glass vases lying around the house:

A little puff paint and spray paint later:

There you have it.

meg

A Silver Surprise

2011-08-30T09:31:00.000-07:00

Silver, silver, silver. For the last, oh I don't know, month or two, I have been craving a shiny new shirt that is universal in color and cut. After searching high and low, exhausting hands and feet alike, I came up empty handed. However, despair was quickly replaced with a positive prospect when I ran into a luxurious silver material that was oh so silky, and only a $1.50 a yard. To add a little icing to the cake, the material had a little stretch to it which would prove to be a shirt that would allow me to move with ease. After all said and done, I only used 1.5 yards, making my total cost $2.00. Not bad if I do say so myself;)

Here it is paired with the orange skirt I finished up last week.

Come back soon to see a lamp makeover that will blow your mind:)

Roses are Red and Mustard is Yellow

2011-08-24T14:27:00.000-07:00

Well folks, I bring to you yet another thrifty find that started out three sizes too big but is now a perfect fit. I can honestly say I wasn't looking for anything like this one but it caught my eye with it's red roses and mustard yellow back splash. I knew it's sheer material would help me finish off the summer keeping me cool and send me right into fall with it's rich colors. So I didn't hesitate on the purchase of this vintage beauty. To make this piece even better the tailoring of this find was easy peasy... bonus!!! All I had to do was cut down the sleeves and bodice and trip up the wrists. I know, so simple right? And guys, I am loving it!!! A true match made in easy-romantic-clothing heaven.

How are you planning to finish off your summer??? Hmmmm????

meg

Orange you gonna come and see my new skirt?

2011-08-24T00:24:00.000-07:00

I had made a late night run to The Wall (Walmart) to pick up juice and diapers for the little one and I decided to run by their on sale fabric and have a quick look see... WELL, I found an orange print/slightly stretch material for a $1.50 a yard and thought it would work perfectly for a new project that was cooking up in my head. So I waited about 15 minutes just to get someone over to cut my material. I guess that's what I get for going late at night. In the end all of the waiting was worth it. I guess you could say this was one of those instances where what I envisioned my project to look like and what it actually turns out looking like match perfectly:)

So here is the break down:

Two straight panels, front side and backside.

Two side panels wider on the top and smaller at the bottom.

Waist line strip.

And that's all folks. Yep only 5 cut out pieces in this skirt. What do you think of my design?

meg

(disclaimer: I just realized that there is a sting hanging off the skirt in the 2nd picture. My apologies, I hadn't done all my string trimming when this picture was taken.

Chair Makeover

2011-08-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

This last weekend while the hubby was out hunting I started and finished a fun little project that has been a long... time... coming. For a while now I have needed a seat for my little piano (I am trying to re-learn something that I let myself unlearn, the piano). Seriously thought, it was getting bad people. I resulted to using my rocking chair foot ottoman and stacking books and blankets just to get the right height. So I took a trip to the thrift store and found a really old beat up chair that was in desperate need of a makeover. I brought it home for 7 buckaroos, cleaned it up, sanded it, painted it and recovered it. I am still debating on getting a new cushion all together, but for now I think it will do. Oh yeah.... and of course I forgot to take a before shot, blahhhhh. It was a brown speckled wood with an orange velvet cover, and cobwebs all over. Here is what it looks like now:)

What do you think????

meg

Do Diligence

2011-08-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

This morning after leaving the house I got a call from the hubby to hear the bad news that on the one night he forgot to lock up his bike it was stolen. Yep, gone. His beautiful Haro mountain bike. I was not upset, I was MADE. Why do people steal? I'm sure their reasons are endless but none of them are acceptable. I headed home to concur the vacancy but on my way I scanned the streets and took a couple extra turns to cover more ground. We filed a police report, but come on? The likelihood that they are going to find it or have the resources to look for it are slim to none. Not dissing the local police, they're great, but I am sure they have more important things to worry about then a stolen bike. With that said I could feel the bike slipping through our fingers the longer we SAT and waited. I couldn't take it. With Bella taking a nap and Ash home sick I decided to hit the pavement. A little over two hours later, after knocking on doors in four neighborhoods, driving up and down streets, saying a gazillion prayers I found the bike leaning up against a tree. Yeah... I know we are the luckiest people EVER, but I know that came because I did my do diligence. Hey it pays off... here is the bike:

Mr. Hubby was beyond pleased. After multiple kisses and thanks he took me to Rumbi for dinner (I have been craving Rumbi for the past three days).
Okay, now on to the good stuff... I made this little yellow number a couple weeks ago and completely spaced putting it up. I thrifted the material for a buckaroo and went solo on the design. Enjoy:)
Oh, I almost forgot, my cannon camera stopped working so I had to pull out this dusty Kodak. He's pretty ancient so be nice to him:(

Oh my tired feet. Today they cleaned bathrooms, mopped the floor, took care of a little one, ran 5 miles, shopped, and carried my body as I solicited through 4 neighborhoods for a missing bike. How are you're feet doing?

An Old Dress Gets A Maxi Skirt Makeover

2011-08-16T00:03:00.000-07:00

I raided my closet today and found an old dress that I have had for just over a year and a half and maybe worn twice. It was purchased at Ross for a steal, but the top was all wrong for my broad shoulders. Plus I had to layer it in order to wear it and for someone like me, too many layers = sweaty, uncomfortable Meg. With that said, I still couldn't get rid of the dress, the pattern was just too cute and the material was just too comfy. I was literally a second from putting it in the donation pile when the purpose for this dress dawned on me. For the last while I have been drooling over the new Maxi skirts that I have been seeing around, and this dress would provide the perfect amount/kind of material to make my own. So I sacrificed my dress to satisfy my craving and I am OH so pleased. I hope you are too!!!

The Dress BEFORE Maxi Skirt makeover:

After: Maxi Skirt is now complete:)

See me lounge in my deliciously comfortable skirt

The great thing about Maxi Skirts is they are incredibly versatile. Wear it with a T shirt, or wear it tucked in with a belt. Heck, wear it with a sweater...:)

Hope fellow bloggers and readers enjoyed this project, and I hope it has encouraged others to go shopping in their own close:)

meg

Dresser Help!!!

2011-08-15T14:55:00.000-07:00

Guess what guys... I finally did it. I put down all the excuses, and went paint shopping for my two old dressers. I am holding off on posting the before and afters until I find some great handles to finish off the look. Does anyone know where the best place is to buy dresser handles??? Help please!
much appreciated,
meg

Make it just my size

2011-08-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

With fall just around the corner I couldn't say no to a homemade dress with burnt Orange, Red, and Green vintage styled fabric paired with a classic cut. Plus it was only $4. There were however, some problems. The shoulders needed to be taken in, a lot, all of the pleats were never backstitched to close off the ends (this could lead to unraveling, and with a fitted dress it is more likely to happen then not), and the sleeves were very restricting. In fact, it was so restricting that I could only lift my arms to about a 45 degree angle, as a mom or anyone who has to do a lot of movement in the day that just won't work. I decided that this dress could be a great opportunity to practice my resizing skills...ha ha. So I took it home and procrastinated................................................ and then procrastinated some more......................................... Finally, with news of a wedding the very next day I sat down and started ripping seams, backstitching ends, cutting down, cutting down, pinning, trying on, getting poked, pinning again, trying on again, getting poked some more, taking in, until....

Please don't mind the paleness that is my face and the lamo pictures, the little one and I are feeling pretty under the weather today.

Look... no more restricting sleeves;)

~meg

Look WHOO Turned 1: A party made by me:)

2011-08-09T13:04:00.000-07:00

Bella

I can't believe it, my baby turned 1. I have a 1 year old, crazy. I decided that because first birthdays are a milestone and therefore very special, I wanted to make the party one to remember. So I took a trip to Home Depot, and got cutting a painting.

We had a made by 'me' bean bag toss

My cute bro Matty, who happens to have Downs Syndrome, has always had near perfect aim with basket ball and such, and can you believe it???? He was the first one to get a bean bag through the owl's mouth! Go Bud.

It didn't take long for the competitive juices among the adults to start flowing. I think the next time I make a bean bag toss I will use a thicker wood (insert sad face)

We also had a pin the 'Trunk on the Elephant' game, made by me. Here is my cute Mamma goin' to town.

See Meg reach. Ha ha, I'm such a shorty.

Bella needing a little help with that candle.

The BEFORE: Bella was really excited to get started on her birthday cake.

Oh here we go... Cake! Cake! Cake! Isn't my little muffin so stinkin' cute.

The AFTER: She was completely cake drunk and and absolutely hilarious.

Ummm... don't mind my crazy eyes.

Please do forgive the picture overload, but it's not every day that your first baby turns 1.

Hope you enjoyed;)

meg

Guest posting:):):)

2011-08-07T23:19:00.000-07:00

Hello world,
It has been eons but please, cut me some slack. I had three family reunions in one month, my baby turned one, and a crazy load of other things have been coming up. My next project will be posted here, at La Vie Petite, it is a stylish blog ran/created by my sister, so come and check it out. I think you will like it:)
Meg

Purple perfection...

2011-07-19T14:02:00.000-07:00

...I mean perfections as in comfy, fitted just right, and stripped. Yes, after a good/busy day, and after the babes was in bed for the night, I sat down at my sewing machine, yet again, and put this little comfy number together. The material is really light weight(great for summer, but also cute with layers), has white and purple stripes and was only a buck. I love projects like these. You know the ones that just kind of come together on their own. It's as if I had no part in creating or making. I was just a humble bystander watching it all happen. Okay, enough about that, here is the shirt. Oh, and PLEASE don't mind my gym shorts and sports bra... I am hardly ever able to work out in the A.M. so I usually have to do it later in the day or at night.

With front tuck

With no front tuck

And on another note... I found this the other day and absolutely LOVE it. I want to blow it up on something really big and cute and keep it my kitchen. Ideas????

Really would like some ideas for those that want to share:)
meg

Fancy Nancy Shirt

2011-07-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

I would like to dedicate this latest project to:

And to all little girls(and adult girls) that love all things fancy and can't help but smile when they see frills and lace. I thrifted a gazillion yards of this fancy material for $3. Yep, you heard right, three buckaroos. Enjoy:)

Oh yeah, no pattern for this one, just a little gathering, pleating, and frilling:)

You likey?

meg

Campin' on the Fly

2011-07-16T19:06:00.000-07:00

At around noon on Friday, Mr. Ash asked if I wanted to head up the canyon after work for an overnighter. How could I say no? Apart from the wretchedly horrible mosquitoes that like to make a buffet out of my skin, camping is wonderful. Being "one with nature" can be refreshing, calming, and rejuvenating. It was decided. We met up with some friends and were on our way. Get up there and of course, on our daughters first camping trip we forgot to put the memory card back in the camera. Lovely. It was still a good time and believe me when I say, the little lady was in dirt heaven. Chewin' on sticks and pine cones whenever mommy or daddy's backs were turned. She even had a happening with some sap. That was a fun one to scrub off her baby soft skin. Today has been all about hangin' out with my favorite people at home and cleaning up. I'm hopin' to get a good run in tonight before bed. How is your weekend going?
meg

Jelly Shoes

2011-07-14T23:34:00.000-07:00

I think every little girl, at at least one point in their life, has had Jelly Shoes. And why wouldn't every girl want a pair? Jelly shoes are wonderful! I can still remember coming home with my first pair when I was a little girl. Not only are they oh so cute, but they are easy to keep clean, come in many different designs and fun colors, and are the perfect summer shoe. I decided that my inner child just couldn't go any longer without a pair of Jelly Shoes to dress my adult feet, so when I ran across these adorable blue Jelly's for just over $3 it was a match made in heaven. Hope you enjoy my cheep find.

Ta ta;)
meg

Floral Make-Over!!! Just a little frill

2011-07-13T15:09:00.000-07:00

Do you all remember this dress?

For the last couple of weeks I've had this little voice in the back of my head telling me that this dress just needed something more. I let it gnaw at me until I couldn't take it anymore. I spent an evening rummaging through my material until I found some of the left over maroon/red liner. Then I go cutting, burning, and stitching until the dress looked like this...

Because every girl needs a little frill in her wardrobe.

meg

P.S. Another pretty shirt coming you way

Soft Pink

2011-07-10T22:09:00.000-07:00

Okay... so another crazy week that kept me away from all things computer, but I come bearing another Top made by me. For this lovely little number, I purchased the material at the fabric store for a true steel then sat on it for a while.I finally pulled it out last week and just started playing around with it until I ended up with a cute new top. The soft pink fabric is a stretchy light material which, if I may say so, has proven to be oh so comfy.

You likey???

meg

fireworks and a white rose.

2011-07-05T11:54:00.000-07:00

Well we had a great fourth of July weekend. Friday was a blissful and calm day with work, a nice run, and the Fireworks show in Logan. Saturday proved to be very busy but fun, a morning workout, the farmers market, run to the store, a family BBQ, the Cruisin', and a midnight movie (Transformers-very cool). To wrap it all up, we finished off Monday with another fireworks show. How was your weekend?

Ashton loves this stuff.

Apparently so does Bella

This is so Ashton... comparing the ingredients of an old bug spray to a new one.

Bella has been absolutely obsessed with her daddy. It is actually pretty cute. she follows him around the house like a little puppy dog.

Okay... on to the next subject. I went through some of my shirts again and found an old night shirt that I haven't worn in eons. It was a long shirt that came to my mid thigh. So here's what I did to it; I gathered the front right at the chest, cut off the bottom and gathered that material to make a flower, I cut the sleeves off to my elbows, and finished it off by adding some stretch string to the sides of the sleeve.
I had already gathered the front when I realized that I forgot to take a before picture of the shirt. So just imagine the shirt without the gather, and that is what I started with.

After:

The finished product.

Hope you enjoyed. Tomorrow I will be revealing yet another fun shirt:)

meg

White Ruffles on Gray

2011-06-30T23:12:00.000-07:00

This post should have come to everyone yesterday, but blogger was having issues, so here we are today. I happened upon this project by chance when I ran into this cute gray T at the thrift store. The T passed the test: it was in good condition, long, and very comfy. So I brought it home and realized that it just needed a little frill. I found myself rummaging through a pile of shirts that I never wear until my old crushed cotton tank with lace caught my eye. It was perfect. So this is what I came up with.

Hope you enjoyed:)
meg

Just Brown to Beautiful:)

2011-06-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

This project all started with an old tank in my closet that I hadn't worn in probably a year or two. It was one of those, "I just grew out of it," kind of peices. We all have them. I originally had it sitting in the donation pile, but I recently thrifted a plain brown shirt and decided that it needed a little frill. So pulled the old tank from the donation pile and got cutting. I hope you enjoy this one:)

PS: Please don't mind my face... It was a no make-up day. Hey, even our faces need a break every now and then;)

I will be showing another cute shirt makeover tomorrow so come back and check it out.

meg

Vogue...Blahhhhhh

2011-06-27T21:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay. Well I finally finished the latest Vogue dress and to be perfectly honest, I have been a little disappointed in Vogue. The two patterns that I have done so far have required major altering and then still not quite made the cut, and that is with me religiously following the size chart and fabric choice. Oh well, what do you do? If anything the two dresses have been a great learning opportunity. I really have gained some stitching technique. Okay, here it is... I was really debating showing the dress (seeing as how I finished it a couple of days ago) but it was hard work so I opted to display it for you. Don't judge too harshly:(

Oh yeah, almost forgot. I got the material for $1.50 a yard.

For your viewing pleasure:

Yes my daughter is still beautiful even with soggy cracker all over her chubby cheeks:) I love my little lady:)
Tomorrow I will be showing two new ruffle projects that I finished up today:)
meg

Ragnar and Another Vogue:)

2011-06-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

Run... Drive... Sleep... Repeat. Oh yeah, and pee A LOT!!! So my hubby and I, along with family and friends were able to run the Wasatch Back Ragnar this last weekend, and it was a blast:):):) It is a race that involves 12 people running three legs in a day and a half to equal a total 192 miles. It started in Logan, Utah and ended in Park City, Utah. The time of my life, and I have been missing the team, and just the whole race scene since Saturday night. I highly recommend that runners should find one in there area and go for it. A truly wonderful experience. I know it sounds crazy, but really it is a blast to be had!!! So here are a couple photos to demonstrate all of the fun.

Our decorated Truck!!! Go team Worst Pace Scenario... whoop....whoop.....

The runners in Van #2

Runners in Van #2 continued

Morning of the race a couple of Van #2 people went to cheer on Van #1!!! They did Awesome, and Kels, the cute girl in the gray shirt and black shorts wearing the head lamp is a SUPER STAR runner. Seriously this girl is hard core.

Waiting for Ashton to star his leg.

About to start my first leg... so excited!!!

Shana handing off to me... here I go.

Ash and me waiting for Tash to come in from her first leg.

Ash about to take off on his second leg.

The girls in Van #2 and Nick one of the two guys in Van #2. (From right to left: Nick, Meg/me, Tashi, Heidi, Shana).

Okay so I totally look prego in this picture, fabulous. I'm not;)
Yeah we made it!!! Here were my legs:
Leg 1: 3.2 miles/ Easy/ Elevation gain
Leg 2: 10 miles/Very Hard/ Elevation gain 491
Leg 3: 3.2 miles/ Very hard/Elevation Gain 1484(this was the Ragnar Hill). I also had to run part of one of my team mates legs because her knee went out, so you add on two miles.
Total miles ran: 18.4

Okay, now on to Vogue. Well I am working on another Vogue dress, I know, I cursed the last one with all the cut outs (32 pieces) but this one is going much smoother, plus it's a fun summery dress. I will however, have to change the pattern a bit... It calls for shoulder pads and, well, I'm not the shoulder pad type so I am going to ix nay that. So come back soon if you would like to see it:)
meg

Ruffled Coral with Blue and White Stripes

2011-06-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

Before you throw out that old shirt or are tempted to get rid of that item because... it's just too boring, take a look at this fun project. I used and old long sleeved cotton shirt and a men's large striped button up shirt.

Before:

The men's large striped shirt

Plain coral long sleeved shirt.

After:

I decided to turned the men's shirt into a lose and comfy skirt.

I love the big side pockets:)

This shirt was pretty easy and quick to revamp. I used the long sleeves to make ruffles for the front, then ruffed up the sleeve edge and gave it a little petal look. For some reason I love these colors together. Coral is such a pretty shade that makes everything feel fresh, and blue and white stripes??? What can I say, very classic.

I hope this has helped you look at your closet in a different way.

Meg

Navy Blue and Coral

2011-06-11T18:26:00.000-07:00

What a busy week this has been... I feel like I've been here, there, and everywhere and so desperately wanting to sit down at my laptop and update the world on what my little fingers have been up too. Let's face it, some days "it" just doesn't happen... whatever "it" might be for you. Well I have a new project to show any curious eyes... I've been wanting to find a simple, light, moveable, sundress for those hot summer days that is layer free (not required to wear a shirt under or over it). Well I couldn't find one that fit the bill, so I decided to start poking around for some good material. I ran into this adorable material with coral colored flowers on a navy blue background and as soon as I touched it I knew it would be perfect. The material, while it has a busy and saturated pattern, is actually quite light and airy. Next was figuring out what style to do. I flipped through some of my patterns to get some ideas, then kind of did a mish mash of a couple patterns and some of my own designs. It is a really, really, comfy dress, without sacrificing that crisp, clean, and put together look. I hope you like it:)

I hope you enjoyed this one... come back soon. I have a very UNEXPECTED fun project coming up next.

Hello World

2011-06-07T00:38:00.000-07:00

Well, whoever is out there and likes checking up here... my life has been REALLY interesting the last couple of weeks. First we went out of town on a little family fishing trip--was really fun, and the weather was, of course, cold and rainy which definitely spiced things up a bit. Upon returning I remembered that my car registration was coming due and I had completely dropped the ball and left it to the last day. I am usually the person who gets it done the first week of the month. Don't really know what was goin' on in my head???? Blahhhhh... Moving on, I took my car to the Jiffy Lube only to find out that I had a bad wheel bearing... Great (that is what I get for waiting till the last day). This was one job I hadn't planned on paying someone to do...not that I don't appreciate mechanics. I decided that I would pick up the new wheel bearing and research the JOB. After an hour or two of studying YouTube video's and tutorials(thank you YouTube and Google), I got the tools out and started to get my hands dirty. I had a couple of issues with rusted over screws and such, my car is 11 years old, I guess it is expected to have rusty screws. I got down to the Caliper screws and just couldn't muscle the metal apart, so I gave in and called my husband. I needed some man muscle and a heating element. Had to shrink the screw just to get them off. After a couple of set backs we finally got the car fixed:) and registration set. That is when I noticed that my keys decided to disappear. Just when I had given up on finding them, five days after I lost them, I reached my hand into my apron to find.... yes you guessed it... my KEYS!!!! What a feeling of relief.
On top of all of that, I have been obsessively reading the Hunger Games books this last week. I got through 1 and 2 very quickly and am now about half way through the third book.
love, love, love these books!!! Just can't /don't want to put them down. I highly recommend anyone reading this, give the books a chance.

So there you have it... that I my defense from keeping my projects locked away. Don't worry, I have some really fun creations coming your way:)
meg

ANOTHER pillow case shirt... This time for me:)

2011-05-26T22:08:00.000-07:00

Okay... So I just can't help myself... This is a shirt for ME that was made with......????...... yep you guessed it, a pillow case. I found a king sized pillow case at the thrift store for $1!!! The material called out 'pretty vintage' so how could I pass it up? Here are a couple of photos after which I will be disclosing the process I go through when making a shirt for anyone out there who would like to give it a try:)

The shirt also looks pretty cute untucked with a camel colored belt that has a bronze buckle (which I also thrifted for $1). Sorry I didn't show that picture, but you can imagine it... right?

You can see some of the gather work under the center cut out piece.

The last two pictures look really small which means you need to click on them to view the fine print. Sorry about that!!! Okay so for making this shirt I did this:

I measured all of the places in the picture that are marked.
Then I took my fabric marker and took my measurements to my fabric
I drew out a tank (the sleeves come later), and marked areas that I wanted to add fabric pieces, pleat, etc.
Then I remeasured to compensate for taking out and adding in pieces. For this shirt I added: a vertical piece (where I ended up putting all the petals) from neck to three inches above my belly button; added two vertical rectangle pieces on the sides of the shirt; a long vertical triangle to the back; added a triangle piece to the sleeves with a pleat in it, I also pleated out the chest piece.
Then I cut out the main shirt front and back pieces and all the added pieces.
I gathered the vertical cut just above the belly button.
Now it is time to pin everything together and try it on for adjustments.
Once everything is just the right size, being sewing--be sure to keep trying the shirt on to make sure sizing was still right.
Add some piping to the neckline (be sure to pre-iron this it will make things look cleaner).
Instead of buttons or a zipper I did an open cut on the upper back with a cute tie... wanted to try to do something new for this one:).

This is kind of a rough idea of what I do and how I do... the process is kind of here there and everywhere when I am coming up with something new, but this is kind of a general process. Hope it was helpful. Let me know... I promise to be more thorough and show more how to pictures in the future:)

Turn two old shirts into Vintage Beauty!!!

2011-05-22T23:24:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I finally, decided to do a closet clean out. You know all those shirts that you have from high school or collage that never look right when you get them on??? Come on, everyone has them. They are the ones that stay in your closet collecting dust and taking up space. After filling a bag for shoes, a bag for purses, and a bag for clothing, I just didn't have the heart to get let go of the bag of clothing. All of that beautiful material :(:(:(:( <--- me weeping. I decided to hold on to the bag for a while. Friday, I finally pulled out two shirts from the donation sack, cut them all up and made Bella a new dress complete with plenty of frill and hair flower that matches. Please do tell me what you think. Feedback is always a good thing:)

Be sure to click on the image to see the frilly parts up close:)

I also decided to make a flower for her hair that matches:)

Ladies and gents... who says you can't give old shirts a face lift???

Thanks,

meg

PS: To all out there who are following me... I just want to say, from the bottom of my heart, thanks! Even though I only have a couple of people coming by to see what's stichen, I am so grateful. It's really fun to share projects and get connected with others, I hope you feel the same:)

PSS My baby started crawling today:):):):):0:0:0:0:0

Matching Frame Revamp

2011-05-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

When Ash and I first got married my parents were moving at the time and getting rid of old things in their house. These two matching quote frames were among the items being given away. I took them because I love the quotes on them, but have always felt that the colors didn't really match my decor scheme. So I decided to pull out a couple of spray cans and go to town.

Step One: Take everything apart and spray the cardboard covers with your choice of spray paint. You need to go slow and steady for this one, layering the paint as it dries. You don't want the paper to bubble.

Step two: While covers are drying sand down the frames and type up the quotes on a paper that matches your new color choice. I went with stark white card stock.

Step Three: Then clean off your frames-really well- and start spraying. When everything is dry put it back to together. I went with Gray and white for now, my hubby and I will be moving probably at the end of the summer and I'm not quite sure what the color scheme will be for the different rooms, so I am trying to be a little more neutral.

I would say much improved. Oh and just need to brag a little on behalf of my hubs... Check out what he brought home Wed. night. Yeah, my man is pretty awesome:)

Love you Ashton!

meg

Bella Shirt with Frill:):):)

2011-05-16T22:19:00.000-07:00

Went thrifting, again, and on my way out I passed this adorable gray and pink material that had found its profession as a pillow case. I sat there and stared at it for a a minute or two wondering what I could do with it. I wanted to see this material on my Bella. So I got it for $0.50. Once home, I thought about it for a for a bit and once Bella was in bed I got cutting, ironing, and sewing. Finished it in one night. I decided on a cute frilly shirt with some fun pleats too. I love it on my cute little lady:)

Used some gray buttons I had laying around.

I also made this little hair flower with left over material. Super easy: cut out a bunch of inch or two circles, fold them into quarters, and hot glue the center tip to one left over circle until you reach desired fullness. I burned the edges of mine to add a little wrinkle effect. Then hot a metal hair clasp to the bottom.

My cute little model:)

I love this little lady:)

meg

They call me mellow yellow....

2011-05-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

I have always wondered why yellow is often paired with the phrase mellow. To me, yellow is anything BUT mellow. It is a bright, cheerful, and energetic color that reminds me of sunshine, and when paired with gray looks fabulous. I have wanted to start decorating my house with these two colors and when I noticed my front door needed a little bit of sophisticated love I went hunting(thrifting) for supplies. I found a branch wreath for $1, gray twisted paper ribbon for $0.50, a cool yellow hot pad for $0.25, and a multi yellow colored pack of string. After organizing my thoughts for a bit, I got to work. The project took about 45 minutes to make start to finish and was fun to make. Hope you like my knew wreath.

Some of the string I used

The tag for the Jumbo Twist Paper Ribbon

Hot glue and vuala...

I made the flowers out of the yellow/white hot pad I found and string

I love how it turned out:)

Hope you enjoyed. Come back tomorrow if you would like to see the new summer top I made for Bella, it is adorable.

meg

Vogue Is HERE!!!

2011-05-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

Hello all. I am pleased to say that the Vogue project is done and here. I tried to post it yesterday but blogger was having some issues so that wasn't happening. Let's just say that making this DRESS was a learning experience. In total 32 pieces were required for this baby and considering that I can only work on my projects after 3 and only when Bella is either napping or put to bed for the night, one can understand why this one took a little longer. But all in all this was a great challenge. I had to modify the pattern a little; bring in the sides, close up the the neckline a bit, add sleeves, etc. At the end of the day I feel pure victory when I look at this dress. I thrifted the material for 3 or 4 bucks (had about 3 yards of it) and the Vogue pattern was a couple of bucks. I have a new fabulous dress for $6. Love that!!! Hope you like it:)

Let me know what you think. Oh, and in case you were wondering... Vogue Patterns= Very Difficult!!!

meg

Jewelery Box Makeover

2011-05-10T00:41:00.000-07:00

Do you ever need a creative break from a creative project? Yeah, that was me today. So I took a little time to revamp this jewelry box for my Bella. I thrifted the jewelery box for $3, spent $2 on craft paper, and used paint and modge podge that I already had. It isn't perfect, but I think overall it turned out pretty cute.
Before:

As you can see this little guy needed some help.

So I removed the hardware, sanded it, cleaned it, and gave it a fresh coat of white paint.

This is the craft paper I went with. I decided to stick with blue and pink and go crazy with the patterns. After I arranging the paper to my liking on the wood I got cutting and modge podging. After waiting for the paint and Modge to dry, I put all the hardware back on.

After

The finished product. I can definitely see some improvement:)

Hoping that the Vogue project with be coming to you tomorrow:)
Until then,
meg

Coming to you ASAP

2011-05-08T23:17:00.000-07:00

Okay.... I finally decided to try out a pattern and this one is going to be awesome. Let's just say I am going Vogue!!! OOoooooo... just the sound of it makes me excited to show you what is coming, so stay tuned in all Vogue lovers.

meg

PS: Side note, these are ADORABLE and I must have them. Oh and by the way, they are Crocs. What??? That is what I said, but yes they are Crocs.

Perfectly Plum Tunic

2011-05-06T22:44:00.000-07:00

Okay... so technically it is still Friday, even if it is late. As promised... the plum tunic. Surprisingly enough the top portion and sleeves were the easiest part... I am not yet one hundred percent sure on the bottom. I gathered the sides but I think I brought the gather a little higher than I would like, but that's a quick fix. I have decided to sit on it for a day first and give it some thought. Overall this little number is really comfy and I think the gather work on the front and collar turned out pretty good.

Some of the gather work

The side gather at the bottom.

On another note, the tulips that I planted last fall and have been waiting for very patiently, decided to show some color today. Aren't they beautiful!!!

Is there anything better than Tulips, especially when you have planted them in the dirt with your own two hands? Tulips are after all my fav flower.

Please do forgive

2011-05-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay, so I know I said I would be revealing the plum creation like 'yesterday,' but I have good reason. My hubby defended his master's thesis yesterday. You can imagine how our house has been the last couple of days. Well the good news is the plum creation is done!!! I will be wearing it and showing it tomorrow:):):) I'm so excited to show you.

Perfectly Plum

2011-05-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

A Perfectly Plum creation is coming you way SOON!!! So come back soon.

meg

Polka Dot Surprise

2011-04-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

Well the surprise is here and it's filled with black polka dots on burnt orange. I know interesting color choice... but I love it!!! Fabulously orange, and polka dots??? Come on.... Wonderful!!! I thrifted a whole bunch of this material for $2, grabbed a couple simple black round button's from "the Wal" and started sewing. I first cut out the shape, then ran stretch thread across the chest area(6 or 7 lines about an inch and a half apart), made the selves, made the edges, collar, and all the button holes. I love love love this dress. Did you get that:) Why? Not only is it so comfortable but it doubles as a tunic too. Let's face it some days are dress days and some days are tunic with leggings days. I provided pictures of both styles on this post for you. If you have any question's or comments please don't hesitate to type me a line. Thanks for the support:)

Front as a tunic

Side as a tunic. You can see that I added a little button up piece on each side.

Enjoy your Tuesday:)

Meg

Here comes Peter Cottontail

2011-04-26T00:20:00.000-07:00

Easter was wonderfully pleasant and busy. We spent Saturday with Ashton's side of the family and Sunday with my side of the family. Bella experienced Easter egg hunting for the first time. Her second time around she really got the hang of it.

Easter egg hunting with my little doll face on Saturday. I wish this picture wasn't fuzzy because it is one of my favorites

Easter morning breakfast; pancakes, bacon, eggs, Orange Julius, and milk. Yum! (Don't worry I made wheat pancakes and turkey bacon for myself)

Bella absolutely loved her Orange Julius!!!

Sunday Easter egg hunt.

She was obsessed with her eggs.

Adding another egg to her basket.

Uncle Matt with his nieces and nephew; Reece, Bella, and Duvlan.

Bella just hangin with Uncle Matt.

Sisters:):)

After such a busy weekend, our little one was pretty worn out. Fell asleep rolling around on the floor.

Hope everyone had a great Easter too.

Meg

Lamp Revamp

2011-04-22T22:48:00.000-07:00

Walking through the thrift store I ran into a really old lamp with a missing shad, covered with pealing pant and rusted metal. The moment I set my eyes on it I saw past all that, I could see it's potential. I knew I couldn't just leave the poor old guy sitting on the lonely shelf moping in his peeling pant and rust, plus it was only a buck or two. So I checked and made sure the electric was solid before committing to the snatch. I then thrifted a really cheep drum shad, and a fabulous light green/blue lacy curtain panel. Took everything home and got to work.

After a good washing and cleaning, it was time for a new bright white coat of paint.

I ran the curtain through my sewing machine to add some gather work,then attached the modified material to the thrifted drum shade.

Fabulous finished product!!!

I absolutely love my new lamp.

Oh yeah... I almost forgot. The tally and total for this project: lamp $2, drum shade $2, lacy curtain $1, can of high gloss white spray paint: $0.98. Total for the lamp: $5.98.
Not bad at all!!!

meg

see you soon!

See ya next time.

Tablecloth Skirt and flower

2011-04-20T10:23:00.000-07:00

So I was walking through the thrift store and spotted this wonderful white light brown/tan floral print. I knew I had to wear this material. The only problem was this beautiful pattern was on a table cloth. I sat there perplexed about my conundrum for a minute but recovered when I told myself 'so what?' Cotton material is cotton material. I snatched it right up for 2 bucks along with a couple other little treasures. It was one of the easiest pieces that I have yet made. Three cuts and three hems including the liner I added, really!!! This is what I made with that table cloth:

I made this little rose with the center circle that was cut out of the table cloth and liner to make the waistline. So easy to make. First step is to cute out a bunch of petals in your two different materials. Pair up the two different materials so each pair has one of each material. Then, line up your petals from smallest to largest.

Hot glue the pairs together with one small drop per couple.

Build your flower from the inside out starting with the smaller petals and working your way in a circle till you get to larger petals hot gluing only the tips together. When you are done just open the flower.

I hope you like this one as much as I do. Let me know what you think:)

meg

Floral #3 from Project 3 is HERE!!!

2011-04-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

Okay... So I have decided that this creation is one that needs to be worn on a day that you need color. A day that you need to wake up and be energetic. It has a bit of a 70's twist with a little frill on the collar and a purple pleated middle:) I also decided to go a little big on the sleeves, I wanted them to feel flowy and breezy. I decided to pleat out the middle portion of the skirt and love how it turned out. The material I purchased for $1.50 a yard and I think I got 2.5 yards...hmmm... maybe 3.

Hope you enjoy it:)

Let me know what you think:)

Meg

Hey out there...

2011-04-18T22:48:00.000-07:00

Wow, today has been a complete whirlwind of a day. Seriously, girl hormone fiasco. What is my deal??? This question kept spinning in my mind till it finally dawned on me. Last week, Clifford, the big red dog(aka menstrual cycle) decided to come and visit me. I am still breastfeeding but I guess my body decided that it didn't care and I was getting back on a cycle. What??? I haven't had to deal with the hormonal "Crazies," as my husband and I call them (let's face it, we do get a little crazy sometimes and I would much rather have a sense of humor about it), for a year and five months. I was completely caught off guard and didn't realize how lovely it was not being on the emotional roller coaster that is the feminine hormonal cycle. BLAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...... I needed running today. So I left the house, meet up with my friend the treadmill at the gym, and sweat out all the "crazy" in me for 5 miles. I came back a completely different person. Oh running, how I love thee. Speaking of running I did a guest post regarding Why I Run here at Scrap and Run. Thanks Colleen for letting me share my story:) Go and check it out:)

Oh, and if any of you had a day like this:

I hope tomorrow is less of that and a little more of this:

Ta ta,

Meg

PS: I am revealing floral #3 tomorrow:):):) Come back and see!!!

Tangled

2011-04-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

I am not sure if anyone is reading my blog, but I have decided I will keep posting my projects and happenings in hopes that they provide ideas, insight, or whatever for whoever visits. So with that said, I will move on to my latest fun project. This one is both adult and kid friendly. How much does it cost you ask???? Hmmm... it is also, very inexpensive. What is it you ask? Well if anyone has seen the movie Tangled and loved it (I LOVED It), will remember the floating lights. This project is making floating lights. You can choose to put candles in them or go without if you worry about a lit flame around little ones, I know I do. So here it is:
What you need:

Sticks
Hot Glue
Tissue paper
Paint
Ribbon (I just used some ribbon that I had lying around, you can go all out or keep it simple)

Step One: Go on a fun nature walk with your kids or just on your own if you are childless collecting good strong/sturdy sticks on your way.
Step Two: Organized the sticks into various size groups and trim down any that need it.
Step Three: Draw out different designs or shapes that you think would make a cool lantern,pick out a color scheme and get the needed sticks out and set aside.
Step Four: Hot glue the sticks together. After the hot glue is cooled (takes like two seconds) paint the sticks to jazz them up a bit.
Step Five: Measure your tissue paper to wrap all the way around the sides of the structure leaving the top and bottom exposed. Then paint the tissue to your hearts delight.
Step Six: Hot glue the dried tissue paper to your sticks structure, add some ribbon and vuala.

There really is no wrong/right way to do this project. Allow your kids to be creative with it, allow yourself to be creative with it. If you want to have a more chic look, go with very straight and even sticks and wrap the structure with a nice clean fabric. I helped the gal I work with make this one. She loves the movie Tangled, all things pink, and loves to paint, so we went for it. She did a fabulous job on hers and was so proud.

Hope this gives you a fun activity for this weekend.

Meg

How to GLAM up plastic eggs for almost nothing.

2011-04-13T17:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this idea was born from another project, but I thought the idea was so cute, easy, and fast that I would share it with everyone. The best part of this project is that it cost almost nothing, really, almost nothing. For all you people out there, like me, who can't afford to spend buco bucks on holiday decor this is for you.

I'm pretty sure that almost everyone has the old plastic eggs hangin around that look like this

All you need to glam up these eggs is Metalic Sterling Silver acrylic paint, you can get it at any craft store or Walmart for a $1, and a paint brush. You can tell my brush is well used and I picked a nice thick brush for this project because I wanted it to leave stroke marks.

Next step lightly coat the eggs let them dry and Vuala...

Plain eggs are now Glam eggs:):):)

Hope you enjoyed this one:) Happy Easter all.

Meg

(Floral #3 from Project 3 is almost DONE!!! Whoot, whoot)

You've got to see it on:)

2011-04-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, so last week I posted an outfit that I made for Bella. It was the blue shirt and half leggings made from one of my old shirts. Today, when Ashton came home for lunch, the first thing he said when he walked through the door to miss Bella was, "you look so cute today!!!" He then proceeded to ask me if I had taken a picture of this outfit on her yet? I hadn't, and and wasn't really thinking I would until he convinced me that I should. Well, I thought you might want to see it on her as well. Just so you know, I was dying after I got her dressed this morning. This little number really showcases her adorably chubby legs. Hope you like it:)

Daddy helping her pose...seriously can it get any better than this.

And just one more to show her delicious rolly knees.

Besos,

meg

Best Buddies and a small surprise:):):)....

2011-04-11T21:34:00.000-07:00

Well tonight was the annual Best Buddies Talent show. It was wonderful. The talent was Rockin'!!!! Everything from "We will Rock You," to a Micheal Jackson dance off, to a phantom of the opera performance, to my wonderful brother Matty's jokes. He is such a cleaver guy... yes writes his own jokes, and they are very VERY cleaver. I feel so grateful for my brother Matty. He holds a special place in so many peoples hearts, but the love between a sister and a brother... well, it is something very special. I am a pretty lucky gal to have a big brother like Matt. Here are some photos from the event.

Matty holding up his jokes, Bella being adorable, and Ashton holding the babes.

I decided to pop into this picture really quick.

Matty doing stand up comedy... Really this guy know how to take on the stage. He did such an awesome job and was so charismatic. If anyone knows Matt, knows that one of his lifelong dream jobs is to be a comedian. He works harder than anyone I know at this. He is constantly writing/coming up with knew jokes and testing them out on his family, who by the way, are not afraid to tell him if one isn't funny or needs some work.

Matty and his Best Buddy Matt. Yeah, they have the same name, and may I just say that his Best Buddy is one of the best people I know. Such a great guy with a wonderful heart. I, and my entire family, have been so impressed by Matt and how much he cares about Matty. We will really miss him when he leaves for med school but I know that Matty and Matt have found a lifelong friend in each other. YOU ROCK MATT!!!

Close up of Matty and Matt and some of the other Best Budy group. Isn't my Matty so stinkin' cute!!!

The whole gang.

Matt and Matty posing.

On another note. Today I FINALLY hemmed pair of my slacks that have been sitting in my closet for I don't know how long. I wanted to wear them to the BB talent show tonight. Anyways, I took the discarded material from the slacks and decided to make a fun little bracelet. Hope you like it.

What do you think???

Something vintage for Bella

2011-04-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

So I was pushing the cart through the thrift store on Friday and came upon a small roll of this really cute vintage material. There really wasn't enough there for me to make anything for myself, but the material was so adorable that I had to make something out of it. Plus the roll was only a dollar... sweet. So I snatched it up with a couple of other good finds. Later that night I started cutting, pinning, and stitching with the exceptional break to measure Bells. After the last button was sewed on, I threw "it" in the wash. Bella wore her new DRESS to church today. I hope you like it!!!

Bella posing for the camera with Daddy's help. I decided to layer with a little onesie on under the dress but as it warms up I will lose the onesie.

Here is a close up of the dress and my sweet daughters pretty face. I love her two front teeth:):):)

Hope you all like this one, feedback is welcome.

meg

For my Bella

2011-04-08T14:27:00.000-07:00

After watching an inspiring Nate Show, where the focus was organizing your closet and in doing so rediscover your cloths, I decided to at least go through the hanging items in my closet and put them in their proper color coordinated places. I used to be religious about color coordinating my clothing and then one shirt at a time I sloppily put the items fresh from the laundry in whatever space seemed available at the time. This lead to an entire closet of mis-match, unorganized, and hard to find cloths. I seriously forgot about half the items I had in my closet. Any ways, while repositioning everything I decided to discard clothing that I seriously NEVER wear. My donation pile grew as the freed-up hanger's pile grew. After finishing this up I began to load the clothing into a big bag for DI when I stopped at an old light blue shirt of mine. The idea came as soon as I touched the fabric. This shirt would be perfect for Bella and her pretty blue eyes. So about 20 minutes later (seriously it only took like 20 minuets, one of the perks of refurbishing and old shirt is that half the hem lines are done for you) what I had in my mind was right in front of me. Enjoy!

A shirt dress with cute half leggings:):):) I absolutely LOVE it, and my little Bella will look so adorable in this stylin' outfit. I think I will pair it with some cute sandals.

Bonus: The material had this fabulous embroidered sequent design going on.

Let me know what you think. Hope you have liked this project/idea, and I hope it has inspired you to look at your old shirts in a different way.

Ta ta till later,

meg

Quick Break from the Floral Project.

2011-04-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

I interrupt the Floral Project 3 for a simple and easy to make brown/tan pencil skirt. Don't worry Floral #3 is still coming your way very soon... I just really, really wanted to wear a brown pencil skirt with my green shirt and didn't have one. Knowing that I would not rest easy until I had a brown pencil skirt I got to work. I finished up this guy last night using some thrifted material ($3 for about 3 and a half yards). After the last stitch was made, I washed it (to account for needed shrinkage), ironed it, and vuala... slipped it on today. I hope you like it, it isn't anything super special, just a simple skirt with a cool pattern.

Just love this material!!!

Sorry about the lamo pictures, had to take them with my Bella rolling around on the floor desperately wanting my attention. She was actually being really funny but any more pictures and she would not be a happy little lady.

Floral #3 coming you way SOON!!! Come back and visit:)

meg

Floral #2 from Project 3

2011-04-04T19:59:00.000-07:00

Floral #2 is here!!! This was a really fun project. And I must say right off the bat, the material is actually two pillow cases that I thrifted... Yeah, pillow cases, ha!!! Oh, and a little bit of maroon liner from the fabric store(liner is really inexpensive). I decided to add pockets while sewing together the skirt portion of the dress and I am so glad I did. Pockets on a dress??? It just doesn't get any better than that. I left a little room for the shrinkage that will happen in the wash... the dress after all is two cotton pillow cases:)

I originally wanted to do an more A-line skirt but I didn't have enough material for that, so I decided to go with a gathered skirt instead. I sill wish I had enough for the A-line, but hey, I think it still turned out great.

Behold the fabulous pockets!!!

I still want to find a cute belt to put it with, this was one I grabbed from my closet.

I hope you have enjoyed #1 and #2 Floral thus far:) Can't wait to show you #3.

Thanks,

Meg

Project 3: Floral #1

2011-03-31T22:41:00.000-07:00

Floral #1 is here from the Project 3. I hope you enjoy it. It was a challenging but fun experience making it. Here is the low down. A huge roll of this material was thrifted for only $4 buckaroos. Seriously, the roll had like 5 yards by 2 yards:) Score!!!!! I pleated out the chest, tummy, back, and shoulders, I really wanted the shirt to have a nice form fitting look (not tight, just form fitting). I decided to use a tie collar instead of the traditional collar (just switching it up a bit). I thought the thick hems would contrast nicely with the delicate sleeves and floral patter. Lastly, I made the button holes really close together to ward off any side view peep shows, ha ha... if you know what I mean. No really, how many button shirts do you own that like to pop open right at the chest-not cool. And I don't know about you, but sometimes I really don't want to wear a layer under my shirt (being a mommy= being hot all the time).

Enjoy the photos

This is how I am going to wear it tomorrow:):):)

Do you like???? Hmmmm???/

Meg

p.s. Don't forget to comeback and check out #2 and #3 from Project 3. They will be coming your way soon:)

So Excited...

2011-03-31T16:24:00.000-07:00

...to reveal three new projects that will make you stop and smell the roses. I will give you three hints floral, floral, and.... floral.

Can't wait to show you...

Meg

New Skirt

2011-03-30T17:19:00.000-07:00

My sister Tash asked me to make her a half bubble half A line short skirt. So we took a trip to the fabric store and found this fabulous antique white and navy blue material. A couple cuts and stitches later... Vuala. Tash is a big sport for allowing me to take pictures of her just after she finished her work out. I hope you like it:)

We paired it with a couple of things from my closet for the sake of the pictures.

Aunt Tashi and Baby Bella

And um... yes, she does have the tiniest waist ever.

Me(maker of the skirt) Tash (owner of the skirt)

This was a fun project, but a word to the wise... This material has major fray potential, so if you decide to sew with it work the material as little as possible.

Thanks for stopping by, see you soon,

Meg

80's Inspired Project:)

2011-03-25T14:42:00.000-07:00

Well it is done! I was shopping at the thrift store at the beginning of this week and spotted this material in a big roll for only 2 bucks... yeah, 2 buckaroos. I thought the material was kind of a crazy funky and bright. Plus it is great "practice" material-something to learn on. So I decided to snatch it right up. On my way to the register this pink and gold belt, for only 50 cents, called out to me as I passed it so I grabbed it too. I brought the material home and thought about it for a day or two and then started sewing. It was a really fun and easy project, and when I look at it I feel happy. It is just a really energetic little dress.

I hope it makes you think of the 80's when you look at it.

Hope you all enjoyed it, I know I will:)
Ta ta till later:)
Meg

Another Creation Coming Soon!

2011-03-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited... I have a new sewing creation coming your way. This one is really fun, can't wait to show you all:)

The Tunic Is DONE!

2011-03-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

Well my tunic is done. Finished it yesterday and washed it today. It was a little tricky, there's a lot of gather work on this one. I am a little disappointed, because the design of the material, while I love it, is pretty busy and hides a lot of the hard work I put into it. But, oh well, it was more of a practice piece. I did learn quite a bit in making this one, and the best part... it is incredibly comfortable. I hope you enjoy it... I also got this fabric for 40 percent off at the fabric store:):):) Oh yeah!

(Sorry about the flash in this one)

I played around with different stitch patterns on this project, and I think it payed off. Look how well the sleeve hem matches:)

I hope you enjoyed this one! I know I will when I wear it tomorrow:):):)

Backwards Monday

2011-03-21T21:17:00.000-07:00

Well I must say today has been a rather unusual Monday... mostly because I feel like everything occurred out of order. Things that happen at noon happened at 10, lunch was at 4, afternoon walk was at 5, and so on an so forth. But it was a good day. I made a little journey with Bells to the thrift store and found some fabulous treasures. One of which was a big roll of fabulous thick material with a fabulous pattern on it, if I do say so myself, that was only 3 bucks. Yeah... you heard right, 3 bucks. If I was to buy this material at the fabric store it would cost 10 to 12 dollars a yard. Oh yeah, I majorly scored.

Anyways, Bella is on the move... well almost. She rolls and rolls, and scoots and scoots, and ALMOST crawls (she is trying so hard and gets really frustrated that she can't move around as much as she would like). I am not going to lie, although I am very happy to see her progressing, I am a little nervous for the tornado that awaits my orderly home. Baby proofing, here I come.

Oh, I am finishing up a new shirt/dress tonight (the kind you wear with leggings or jeggings). It was a little tricky but I love how it turned out. And the material is very feminine and has a great color pallet. I can't wait to show you. I hope you like it, and would appreciate any feedback you have:)

Oh... and before I forget, I thought I would share a little bit of the conversation that I have had over and over with Bells:

Me: Bella, can you say Mama... Mama... Mama
Bella: (smile and giggle) Dada... dada... dada....

Ug,
Ta ta till later,

Meg

Just in time..

2011-03-18T05:47:00.001-07:00

I found some really comfy Jersey material at the fabric store that just happened to be 40% off, wonderful:) And the best part, it is a really cool green color(just in time for St. Patty's Day). So Wednesday I sewed up a new shirt. Was a little tricky to get the design just right. No pattern for this one, just trial and error... ha ha:)

Overall I am happy with how it turned out:) And the best part, it is supper comfy. I could seriously sleep in it this shirt.

Sewing without a pattern??? Why not:)

2011-03-11T14:42:00.000-08:00

So last night I decided to have a date with my sewing machine. This is what I did... I took an old big white promotional t-shirt and cut it all up to make a fitted frilly shirt. No pattern, just kind of winged it and went with the flow.

Close up of the frill...

Untucked.

Another close up shot.

I also made this shirt with some really old scrap material I had lying around, and I absolutely LOVE how it turned out. One of my favorite shirts. I didn't use a pattern or anything for this shirt. I kind of just went for it again and had so much fun doing it. Hope you like it. This is a close up of the design.

A couple untucked shots

And here it is tucked into a pencil skirt.

Even though using a pattern is fun and fabulous, I feel that sometimes it's good to just let the creative juices flow and come up with something, well, different. Why not right? Hope you enjoy it!

Meg

Pledge to Change

2011-03-02T21:06:00.000-08:00

This is Matt: He is an Uncle

He is a movie buff

He is a history buff (Here he is reading up on the US presidents. By the way, he has them all memorized, really!!! Say a number in any order and he will tell you which president it is... can you do that?)

He is a son

He is a brother

He is a Writer

He is a comedian who writes his own jokes (I will post the video)

He is also many other things, but he is NOT retarded!!!

SPREAD THE WORD TO END THE WORD!!! The 'R' word... We all know someone with an intellectual disability. My brother Matty is one who was born with Down Syndrome. Please go here to learn about his story by my awesome writer/sister Cori and get informed about Spread The Word To End The Word. Thank you!!!

All My Love,

Meghan Young

(PS. In case you are wondering, he is MY brother)

Shelf Proud

2011-02-23T15:12:00.000-08:00

Was fun refinishing/painting it:)

Don't worry, the shelf was not hung crooked, I just took the picture crooked. Sorry.

First off I must say, I am very proud of myself. Why you ask? You may think it's silly, but when it comes to hanging heavy things that require putting screws in a wall and potentially really messing up the wall I get sweaty palms and anxiety. Any who, I thrifted an old shelf, heavy shelf, with good bones that just happened to be the perfect size for all of my cook books (adding yet more weight) all it needed was a little sanding and some new paint. At first I nominated my husband for the daunting task of hanging it who is good in all things fixing, hanging, building, etc. He is an engineer. After the shelf sat on the counter for a couple of days, by no fault of his own, I decided I would step out on a limb and give it a go. I started my search on shelf hanging with google, hey I want this thing to be sturdy. I couldn't find anything that would work, the back and inside of the shelf is very odd shaped, great. After exhausting the Internet I took a trip to the local hardware store, and yes I actually brought the shelf in the store with me, went down the appropriate isle and at looked at every hook, hanger, and screw in the store. I finally settled on a French Cleat hanger with a 200 lbs test, I know a little excessive, about 120 pounds excessive to be exact. That shelf is goin' nowhere!!! I brought my hardware home and got to work, carefully finding the studs, and measuring everything twice. And voila, it is done, finished, and goin' nowhere. And yes, I am so proud of myself and found a new confidence in my ability to handle heavy pieces. So I invite you all to step out on a limb and try something daunting or a bit scary.

Ta ta till later;)

Kitchen News

2011-02-19T22:01:00.000-08:00

Well I lost the red, almost (still have an entry rug that I need to replace), and replaced it with fresh new colors.My new platter wall has totally changed how I feel when I enter my kitchen. I feel fresh and happy, I love walking into this room now. I thrifted all these platters that were originally silver colored and decided to jazz them up a bit. Was really fun, and REALLY CHEEP!!! I think I spent 50 cents on each platter:)

This is just a really cute picture of Bella for your viewing pleasure:) Yes I love that you can see her teeth through her little smile!

Another mommy daughter picture.

The fabric

The Fabric: I originally felt that I was settling with this pattern/material. After going to a dozen stores with no luck I just kind of picked one. But now that I have it all sewed and hanging beside my window I am actually starting to really like it. It is light and airy which is really what I was going for.

Another shot of the platter wall. I still need to find some small filler platters to get the full and finished look I am shooting for. The block letters I made with a new coat of paint and my bench:)

I took this idea from a magazine, thought it was a really cute project and was really fun. I still need to find some small photos to go in the frames.

Although I still have some work to do, I love how things are turning out thus far. It's crazy how much color and placement of furniture can change a person's whole attitude:)

I'll update you as changes come:)

Kitchen Update

2011-02-16T21:19:00.000-08:00

Well I finally decided that my kitchen needed a new look, so after about a week of thought, I decided to kick the bucket with the red. Not that I don't appreciate the color red, or think that it is fabulous as an accent color. I was just all RED'ed (sp???) out, if you know what I mean. I needed something fresh, something new, and something light. My house/apartment/condo, is very narrow, meaning the light kind of likes to fade as you walk to the center of the house. I wanted to pick some colors that were fresh and calming. I am high strung enough without the red;). So for the last week and a half I have been painting (not the walls-not allowed-lamo) shelves, frames, etc. I have also visited every store in Cache valley that carries fabric. Sadly I didn't find the exact fabric I was looking for, so I was forced to settle. Oh well, the fabric for the window was holding me up anyways. Now that I have everything I need, it's just a matter of visiting the sewing machine, and putting everything in it's place. I will post some pictures of the finished product. I am hoping to be done by tomorrow night (not sure if this will happen).

PS: My daughter was rolling across the room and back again today, was an awesome moment but made me realize how fast she is growing up.

Ta ta till later.

Needing Help

2011-02-13T21:13:00.000-08:00

Okay all post prego women out there.... I am stuck and needing a little assistance. My daughter is now 6 months old and I am stuck about 10 lbs from where I want to be weight wise. Any suggestions. Just so you know, I am a pretty healthy person when it comes to my diet, and I work out like crazy (mostly for my mental health). Now that you know that, please offer any insite, help, suggestions, that you can.

A very very thankful,

Meg

Feelin' the Bug

2011-02-08T21:08:00.001-08:00

I am feeling the bug lately... you know, that little guy that comes around and tells you it's time to do something new, it's time to push yourself, to throw yourself into something new. Well he has made a little home in my head now for the last month or so and I find myself needing to satisfy him. I think I will try to get up earlier in the day again in hopes to feel like I am accomplishing more and being more productive. Here is a list of what I need to work on:

-Building something (I have a couple ideas:)
-Get back to morning work outs (early bird gets the worm)
-Music, music, music
-De cluttering my house
-RUN, run, run :)
-Read a GOOD book. I feel like my life is so interrupted and chopped up, sitting down to read would bring some great continuity.

Let's see how I do:)

Running, Baby Teeth?, and Pampered Chef

2011-02-01T16:34:00.001-08:00

Ash just took little Bells on a "Daddy Daughter Adventure," as he called it, so I could have a little break and enjoy a pampered chef party tonight. I kind of had a miniature panic attack as I watched the two most important things to me driving away, I don't spend a lot of time away from my daughter. In fact, I can count on one hand how many times I have been away from her, and none have been longer than two to three hours (and she is not yet 6 months). But I decided to suck it up take a deep breath and let the panic roll right off me, not going to lie I was in need of a little break. Bella's two bottom teeth (yes she is almost 6 months and they starting coming in at 5 1/2 months) have been reeking havoc in her poor little mouth and on my brain. Today she finally had a little break from the pain so I thought it would be a good idea to go to the gym and stretch my legs. Sprinted three miles I only had a little bit of time, so I wanted to make it count. It felt really good to get all of the energy out of my body. Because of the little mini's in Bella's mouth, we have been staying in a lot the last little while, and that is kind of a hard thing for me. Last night I couldn't even sleep, maybe got an hour and a half. Just had too much energy and needed to move. I hope sleep will find me tonight, we will see. For now, a hot shower, a little time in my closet, and off to the pampered chef party:)

Crazy by Meghan Young.wmv

2011-01-28T20:06:00.000-08:00

This is me singing, let me know what you think. Hope you all like it:)

Sorry For Love by Meghan Young.wmv

2011-01-19T21:25:00.000-08:00

This is me too... Sorry about the LAMO picture. I will do better in the future:)

At Last by Meghan Young.wmv

2011-01-19T21:23:00.000-08:00

This is me.. hope you like it:)