Pretty Little Things

I thought I'd detour from the veggies and share a few photos of some of the flowers in the garden... They're pretty and make me smile, hopefully they'll make you smile too!

My newest favorite: The Icelandic Poppy

(It's really cool... the plant produces different colored flowers in the same plant so you really don't know what you're going to get.)

Longtime favorite: The Bleeding Heart

This climbing rose was a pleasant surprise, and they smell wonderful!

Why do you build me up...

Buttercup, baby, just to let me down...


Thanks for the impatients Mom, they're doing nicely!


I have to thank our neighbor, Nora for having such pretty peonies on the fence that we share.

This spring, stop and smell the flowers. You might like what you find!

Happy Gardening!
Amanda

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A big welcome and hello to spring from The Gnomes!
Sunshine, we've missed you!

More Gardening!

I've been taking advantage of the nice weather and have been spending as much time as I can with my hands in the dirt. (I read that dirt-to-hand contact makes people happy... I totally believe that!)

I got all my seedlings planted on May 15th. Some of them aren't handling the transplant so great, so hopefully they bounce back.

I also dug two more beds: one in the corner of the yard and another against the west side of the garage. The corner fence bed will be home to the pumpkins, a left-over Italian Ice tomato, and some green onions.

The west garage bed will be devoted to Brussels Sprouts.

All the gnomes have been brought out of hibernation and I am loving it. They bring so much more to the garden... I've missed them.

Here's Heinrich guarding one of the Italian Ice tomato plants.

















I realize it's not a gnome, but I wanted to share my toadstool. Ben and I stopped to visit his grandma and uncle on the way back home from Philly at Christmas and we took a little detour with his Uncle Greg to this garden store in PA with the hopes of finding a gnome. I picked up this shroom along with Alfred. I found the little snail at the candle outlet at the Indiana/Ohio border on our way back home from visiting family in Missouri a few months ago.














There's more coming...

Happy Gardening!
Amanda

wow.

No really, I swear... No Photoshop here. I was watering the garden just now and noticed the sky getting darker (rain is on it way for sure.) I looked up and saw this... Reminds you that sometimes Nature just has a way of really showing off.

Ugh, always behind...

Things have been a little busy around here lately, and unfortunately that means I'm a little behind in blogging. You'll have to forgive me for posting so much all at once. The weather has been pretty nice lately, so Ben and I have been sailing when we can and I've been keeping busy with getting the garden going (and sewing a lot too.)

I guess I'll start with some exciting news... I GOT A JOB! WA-HOO! I'll be starting at the end July as a customer service rep in a call center. It may not be my dream job, but I am very excited to start with such a great company. I mean, I love helping others and I'm a great talker, so who knows, maybe it'll end up being my dream job. In the meantime, I'll be spending the next two months squeezing in everything I can - unfinished sewing projects, gardening, sailing, traveling - before I start.

Anywho, onto the garden... Here's the finalized garden plot pre-planting:

I planted sugarsnap peas, Kentucky Wonder pole beans, and tendergreen bush beans on April 29th (I know, I know... I'm way overdue.) I used a garden fence as a trellis, it looked to be the best option for the best price.

I noticed the first serious sprouts on May 7th.

Here they are on May 10th. It's amazing how fast they grow!

[peas] [beans]

I brought up all the potted plants from the basement around the time I planted the peas and beans too. I needed some sort of stand to hold a few of the pots, so I painted this old chair:

It has lived in the garage for who knows how many years, so I thought I'd give it a face lift. Apparently a giant mushroom grew out of the knot in the chair back and made it into the local paper... I just couldn't throw that kind of story away! Here's a close up of my painting, I'm really pleased with how it turned out:

I also got a new gnome - and a great one at that! He was $0.99 at the Goodwill, my first real gnome find (you know, not from a garden store or JoAnn.) I named him Herbert. He is clearly the long-lost brother to Pan, our drunk gnome... Love it!

Ok, that's all for now... more soon, promise!

Happy Gardening!
Amanda

Baby Shower Gift

I know I just posted a novel of a post trying to catch up, but I left out one thing. I'm really proud of this one, so I thought I'd let it take the stage on it's own.

Ben and I have some friends who are expecting their first baby - a boy - at the beginning of July. The baby shower was this past Sunday and I made our gift. Nate and Bridget are both sailors... They each own their own Jet 14 and sailing is a HUGE thing for them. I couldn't resist rolling with the whole sailing thing for their gift. The best part was that except for the onesie and a pack of 2 binkies, I didn't spend a dime on this gift! (Yes, I just happened to have a whole bunch of kid's sailor print...)



The bundle included a custom onsie, a roll-up diaper changing pad, a roll-up peanut-shaped burp blankie, 3 bibs, and a matching "Daddy Bag" for quick trips.

Here's the detail of the diaper roll-up:

(The back is terry cloth and I made sure not to put the lower snap through both layers...
Don't want to irritate the baby's behind!)

Here's the detail of the burp roll-up:

(The back of this one is flannel.)

All of the bibs are different... I used a pattern from Nested

(The back of these are also flannel.)

I don't have a close-up of the bag, but the idea was that it would be a bag for quick trips (it's fairly small) and/or be a bag that Nate wouldn't hate to carry. The strap is extra long so it slings across the chest like a messenger bag - I added a ribbon with a small clip inside for a binkie, a snap closure to the top, and a small pocket on the front. Based on Nate's reaction, I don't think he'll hate carrying it.

I even designed the onesie. We have a local business here in Columbus called Skreened that does one-off apparel printing. It's really awesome because you don't have to get a whole bunch of an item like you usually do with regular screen printing. The "Future Jet 14 Sailor" totally made the bundle and was well worth it! (You can check out my shop at Skreened HERE - Have a request, don't hesitate to ask!)

Happy Sewing!
Amanda

Thrift Finds!

A few weeks ago Ben and I decided to take a little adventure to the Greater Columbus Antique Mall in German Village (Thurman and High). Let me tell you, that place is AMAZING! First off, it's three stories and all three levels just ramble on in every direction. They have all kinds of stuff that fit varying budgets and it was pretty organized for an antique mall. All-in-all, we were both really impressed and ended up spending the whole afternoon there.

It was a pretty good day of antiquing too. I found 5 vintage patterns (all for $1 each!) and a Trimmings magazine, circa 1946 for $5. Most of the patterns are uncut and the magazine is really neat... it's full of how-to's for finishing and adding details to garments. I just love the vintage illustrations and trends from the 1940's -- Big Win for Amanda!

Here are a few shots from Trimmings:

I also picked up an old Maxwell House coffee can.

Sure, you may be wondering "Why in the world would she buy 30 year old trash?" Well, I have a good explanation:

I had literally just watched Little Shop of Horrors days before going to the antique mall. Now, you have to understand that I really love that movie, it has ties to my childhood and I guess you could say I have an attachment to it. My dad is a big sci-fi buff (you can read more here) and I remember watching it with him and also going to see a live production when one of the high schools did it. Ok, so I like Audrey II, well, minus the 'evil alien trying to take over the world' thing... and I'm going to use the coffee can for a planter. I just have to find the right kind of plant, preferably one that doesn't survive on blood or want world domination.

Wardrobe Refashion : Post 8 [5/28/09]

*tsk* ANOTHER missing re-fashionista...

Hello everyone... Ok, so I deserve a slap on the wrist, I am extremely behind in my blogging. Although I haven't been posting like I should, I have been sewing like mad! Let's rewind back to Mother's Day...

My mom had been asking me to make her an apron for awhile, so I thought a hand-made apron would make a great gift for Mother's Day. So great in fact, that I made one for Ben's mom as well...

Here's the one for my mom:

And the one for Judi:

(I used McCalls Easy Stitch n'Save pattern #M5505)

Next up is my first *official* re-fashion. Most things I've created since I took the pledge have been made from scratch and not re-fashioned from other garments. A handful of months ago Ben cleaned out his closet at his dad's house and found this polyester Ohio State jersey that he (thinks) he got at a garage sale as a kid. Not wanting it for himself, I saw huge potential in it for me. Let the deconstruction begin! First I took off the sleeves (they were very stiff from the "plasticky" screen printing) and ripped out the side seams, leaving the shirt like a sandwich board. When I put it back together, I took in the sides to have a bit of a shape so it would actually fit me. Then I made some 3/4 length sleeves out of gray jersey (my original plan was to use an old long sleeve tee that doesn't fit anymore, but it just wasn't enough fabric) and added a band at the bottom to gather it together. The photo really doesn't do the shirt any justice, I'll try to get a photo of me in it...

I had one of those moments at JoAnn the other day where I fell in love with a fabric, but had no idea what to do with it. After a little thought I decided on New Look pattern #6758 and ended up with this:

I've already worn it too -- Success!

I felt inspired by all of the postings of the Spring Ruffle Top from over at the Sew, Mama, Sew! blog and decided to take a stab at it myself. It's not quite finished yet -- I need to take in the sides quite a bit. The shirt really makes me look preggers, and well, I don't want to be giving anyone the wrong idea now do I...

I do like it though, and it was quite a bargain! The pink fabric was from 2 fat quarters ($1 each) and the white is just simple $1.50/yard muslin. It's light weight and breezy, wonderful for summer.

Along a similar note, I used New Look pattern #6900 and some more light weight cottons to make another summer top. I wanted to try the pattern out for sizing and fit before diving into making the dress from the pattern. I didn't follow the pattern exactly and it still needs hemmed, but I really like it.

A local sewing store is closing and has had a really great close-out sale for the past week or so and for a grand total of about $22, I got all the things I need to make the dress from #6900. The pattern calls for 2 1/4 yards of the main fabric, so I figured $17 for that much Amy Butler print was nice. I think it's going to be super cute -- I love the retro, pin-up look of the dress

I made another pair of padded sailing shorts too. This time from a pair of Helly Hansen women's board shorts (so they actually fit me like I would like.) The first pair was a huge success and I'm looking forward to giving these a try at the regatta in a few weeks.

I had a couple of good thrift finds over the past a couple weeks...

We went to the Greater Columbus Antique Mall and I found 5 vintage patterns (all for $1 each!) and a Trimmings magazine, circa 1946 for $5. The magazine is really neat... it's full of how-to's for finishing and adding details to garments. You can see more over at my blog. I just love the vintage illustrations and trends from the 1940's -- Big Win!

I landed two floral/striped pillow cases and a yellow jersey twin set from the Goodwill (I found the blue pillow case in my basement.) I've seen so many cute tutorials for pillow case tops lately, so I'm leaning toward something like that for the floral ones. As for the yellow twin set, I can't lie, it's really pretty aweful, but I saw a lot of potential. I might just re-shape the pull-over (I like the button placket and pockets) and fix up the collar a little, since it came as a twin set, I figure I can find something to use the fabric from the top for.

Ok, so that's probably the longest post I could have possibly written, so I'll try to keep up on the posting a little more frequently. :)

Happy Sewing!
Amanda

[title unknown]

Wardrobe Refashion : Post 7 [5/2/09]

I'm back for another 2 months!

Welcome back everyone and hello to all of the new re-fashioners! I've re-signed for another 2 months... after pulling off a successful first 2 months, I just had to do it again.

I am *so* far behind in my posting... but not so far behind in my re-fashioning. My apologies. :) The weather has been so touchy here in Ohio, so I've been taking every opportunity I've had to get the garden rolling. Here's to catching up...

I started a really cute dress a few weeks ago that turned out to be a fitting disaster. I was just really frustrated with it and didn't want to start anything else until it was finished, so the sewing kind of got put on hold for a little while. I used Butterick pattern #5317 and followed everything exactly as the pattern said - I used the all my measurements to get the right sizing, I carefully cut out the pieces, and I followed the assembly instructions as best I could. Then it turned out to fit me like a HUGE potato sack... Not happy. The real kicker is that I picked up 1 yard of the red and white floral fabric when I was in Philly for Christmas and had no way to get any more of it. I should have known this project would give me trouble when I had to really pull some magic to get all the pieces I needed cut out of the floral. One yard was barely enough. I had tried to get this dress done for Easter - didn't happen. Then I wanted to get it done to wear to a wedding last Saturday - still couldn't get it to fit. ARGH! It was so frustrating! I have to send out a huge thanks to my mom though, she came over yesterday and spent at least 5 hours helping me fix this disaster. There was just no way I could have done it since it really needed to be altered while on me. So I can now *very* happily post this pic (sorry for the photo quality.) I still need to get the dress markings off and it needs to be pressed with some serious starch to stiffen the pleats, but IT FITS!! :)

I also completed this shirt from Burda pattern #7646:

I used a really light weight jersey that I found at WalMart for - get this - $1 a yard! I stocked up and got this chocolate brown, a forest green, a teal and green tiny floral print, and 4 yards of a great navy blue. I think I ended up with about 13 yards of fabric for only $13. This pattern was super easy (I had to re-size it a little, it was kind of baggy on me) and it is really comfy, I think I'm going to make another one. I was going to embroider it with this flower design, but I couldn't figure out the best way to transfer the pattern and the stretchy fabric was really hard to work with, so I nixed that idea. Oh well, I'm happy with it the way it is too.

I also successfully created a pair of padded sailing shorts from a pair of thrift store swim trunks and a minimal amount of poly duck fabric. My boyfriend Ben just bought a Jet 14 sailboat in December and I will be sailing competitively with him this summer. He's been sailing Jets for sometime now (and has a collection of trophies to show for it) but this will be my first time. Most of our friends sail these boats too and everyone swears by their padded shorts (you sit on the edge of the boat and sometimes have hike yourself over the edge to balance out the boat and it can really bruise up your behind!) I just can't afford to pay the $85 for the shorts and pads right now, so I thought I'd try to make some myself.

Here are Ben's shorts that I used for a pattern:
On the left without pads, on the right with the pads sitting on top -- the pads go inside the pockets to pad your butt and the backs of your legs.

Here's what I came up with for me:

Considering I got the shorts for $3.50, the poly duck and Velcro for about $13, and Ben brought home the foam for free, I'd say this was a far better price than the $85. I haven't used them yet, but I think they'll work just fine. If they do turn out to be a success, I've got a pair of Helly Hansen board shorts that would be an all-around better fit that I will make into a pair of these. I just had to try this out on something a little less important than a nice pair of board shorts. :)

Happy Sewing Everyone!
Amanda