Before and Afters

Before: A boy's room for 1

{I don't have pictures of the room when it was just a toddler bed, but this picture shows the wall color and space before its metamorphosis} 

After: A girly room for 2

Before: A girly room for twin A

{again, she wasn't sleeping in a crib until the room trade, but it was a toddler bed, these are just the last pictures I had taken of the rooms}

After: A boy room for twin B

The girls love sharing a room (although it takes longer for them to fall alseep at night) and Sam loves his big-boy room! Matt and I love that all the toys are in the playroom (pictures to come of that space, which was Caroline's room).

hobbies and fans

I have always had more hobbies than time. I love to sew, paint, cook, bake, read, watch soaps, watch intellectual documentaries, and get my hands into just about anything besides housework. Once I picked up sewing again, my friends would see what I was making and egged me on to start selling. I thought they were sort of crazy...but I kept sewing.

Along the way, I've learned about "good fabric" and "good thread" and what makes patterns "work". My sweet, loyal friends kept telling me to sell what I make. I tried an etsy page but sort of chickened out...but I kept sewing.

I've been watching what other sewers have been doing to make a business from their hobby and in the meantime have set up a little page on facebook...and I've kept sewing. I love sewing for my own little people and am over joyed that I get the privledge to sew for someone else's sweet little ones. 

I am so thankful for friends who cheer me on crazy ventures and have spread that word. I am more than just a little blessed (and if you think I might just be talking about you, than you can be sure that I am!).

Yep. These outfits are for sale ;)

My Funny Valentines

Every now and then you catch your kids at their perfectly cutest moment...

and then sometimes you catch them at their funniest...

but if you are their parent, you always think you caught them at their sweetest

{digging the ruffled capris? check out three in the nest on facebook...we're open for business}

the shameless plug is now over...back to cuteness

speaking of cuteness, check out Caroline and one of her BFFs, Brett...he is every bit as handsome on the inside as he is on the outside...we LOVE us some Brett

with people like this, Valentine's Day was bound to be a good one!

Chalk cloth Place mats

Do you know about chalk cloth? Its a thick material that you can write on and wipe off just like a chalkboard. Doesn't that just scream "KID PLACE MATS" to you?! 

Finding it at a good price can be tricky, but I have got a source for you. In fact, Allison of Tipsy Star Quilts has a whole kit based on these very place mats! 

Now that you've ordered your kit (you did order your kit didn't you?), let us get started!

Here is what you need

Chalk cloth (in your kit)

fabric for the back of the place mat and bias tape (in your kit)

Spray adhesive (optional but helpful)

rotary cutter or scissors

ruler

paper to make a template from (optional)

Cut your fabric and chalk cloth into a 17" x 20" rectangle. I initially didn't round my corners, but because you of the thickness of the chalk cloth you cannot bind like you do with quilts. Rounded corners make it so that you have no mitering of corners to monkey with  and the binding is much easier to get just right. 

How do you round corners? I placed a coffee mug in each corner of the rectangle and cut around the mug. Easy!

The picture below shows straight corners and fabric used as the bias tape. I like the use of the matching fabric, but wasn't pleased with the corners. Stick with me kid, I fixed it up!

You will want to "prime" your chalk cloth. Rub the side of a piece of chalk all over the surface. Erase and voila! Primed surface!

 Below you will see the I stripped my place mats of the bias tape I had made, rounded my corners, re-sprayed my adhesive, and applied store-bought binding (because after all of the fiddling, my fabric for the binding wasn't quite as pretty, I still prefer matched bias tape). 

See? Rounded corners are the way to go here!

Certainly there are better tutorials out there, but take solace in the fact that I worked out all the bugs for you along the way! Allison has four fabric options in her kits and they are specially priced for viewers of the very blog!

Send me a picture of YOUR finished project (not needing place mats? make a table runner!). 

Emma and the Whale

I fell in love {BIG LOVE} with this whale fabric!  I have been sewing my heart out with it!

I made capris and a matching shirt for the Miss Priss

and a dress for her big sister (who is slaving away at school, so we pinned it to fit for a quick picture)...

The fabric came from 

and they have TONS of fun prints and so many that the girls want to have something made from! I also loved that the fabric arrived just three days after I placed my order!

The pattern for the capri pants (which are so much cuter in person) came from 

who has not only some awesome fabric, but lots and LOTS of patterns! Megan, the Fabric Fairy, is quick when it comes to emailing the patterns, so if you already have your fabric you can be sewing in no time! Her shop it one of the sweetest on the web!

and if you are looking for a place to order the sweetest little clothes for the sweet chicks in your nest, stay tuned...I might just have a place lined up for you in the Spring!

Patterns Only

I can spend hours pouring over fabric sites and lately patterns are my new focus. There are so many alternatives to the old fashioned brown-tissue-paper-patterns that you used to buy at Walmart or the craft stores. Now days, patterns are generally pdf files that you print right at home. They are fresh, modern, and so much easier to sew than those old fashioned ones. While I used to use etsy to find great patterns, I now can find most of those etsy pattern makers all in one place, Patterns Only. Louise is the genius behind Patterns Only and she has organized them so you can quickly find exactly what you are looking for. I also love that she carries Jennifer Paganelli and Carla Crim patterns!

I was really eyeing the Dana Top for awhile and sure enough, Louise had it. 

Here is the cover...

and my version...

Such a fun top to make and EASY!

Visit Louise at Patterns Only. She is currently having a 10% off sale (hurry, it ends on Sunday). 

Also, Louise is offering a sweet deal for the readers of this lil 'ol blog...Buy 3 PDfs and get a 4th FREE ( to equal or lesser value) Just leave a comment at checkout with the PDF you would like for FREE!!!

Dance Class=Scooter Time

What do you do when you have an hour to kill waiting for your big sister to take a dance class and it is 60 degrees outside in February?

You have your Mommy pack your scooter!

February? I'll take it!