Andrea's Originals

So, what's up? Miss me?

2011-09-05T18:44:00.000-04:00

It's been quite a long summer. I had some health issues, and couldn't sew. Then I had different health problem, or maybe the same problem that was just in a different spot, not sure. I have a job now which I ~~like~~ love... and I've dusted off my sewing machine, but just a little bit. My last sewing venture in February was what broke me and landed me in the chiropractor's office for a few months. I ruined a nerve and decided to just stop trying to sew.

I have PILES of cut projects that I may never get to. I'm sewing just a little bit, and in spurts right now. I really don't want to over do it.

Some other stuff I was up to over the summer was lots of little getaways, we went to Story Land, spent some time in Maine, and my kids went to the beach a few times. I hate the beach, so I skipped that part. My boys turned 13 and 2 this summer. Yes, that's not a typo. They are great and totally adore each other.

I've also been trying to get my thoughts together. Long story, but I flipped out (on myself) and deleted just about all my Facebook friends. Now I'm embarrassed and I'm pretty sure they all hate me... especially since they have unliked all my pages that they used to love. If you see this, and were one of my victims... I assure you, it was just me being an idiot. I mean, some people seem to never be online, some people never conversed with me, and some people only wanted to talk to me when they needed something which in my fuss and craziness, I took VERY personally. So, I'm over it and if you want to add me back, please go ahead... and sorry. But this is me, accept me this way or don't.

So if you are still reading, I just found Pinterest.com. It's so cool, and highly addictive. Feel free to follow here:

and if you would like to know what it's all about, see here:

http://artisantopia.com/2011/06/tutorials/pinterest-virtual-pinboard-guide

Free Pattern- Little Clippie Case

2011-07-01T10:00:00.000-04:00

Made this for a friend, and since I am not sewing anymore decided to write it up in a pattern and offer it up for sharing! Please do not create and sell from this pattern without purchasing the resell license below.

Click Here For Pattern PDF

The dirty 30 beer bash! {Surprise 30th Birthday Party!}

2011-04-16T12:59:00.002-04:00

My husband turned 30 the other week. (Yeah yeah, I'm robbing the cradle) and I had to quickly develop a plan for a birthday bash that my cheap-butt could afford!

I know a lot of people get a huge shindig at a hall or VFW or other venue of sorts, but I'm not about to pay a couple hundred bucks on a party room and chance that no one shows up. I would much rather buy photography equipment with my money, that's for sure!

I decided on a beer bash. Not a 20 year old's type of beer bash with a keg and people passed out all over the place the next day. No no no... we are grownups now. We're sophisticated, darn it!

So the invite was nothing more than a private Facebook event invitation, and a few phone calls. Hey paper invites cost money, and no one hangs onto them anyhow, right? If I'd had to send invites, they most likely would have been printed on sticker paper and adhered to cardboard coasters. But I saved the coasters for the table- these were my mother-in-laws collection of coasters from traveling the world! They worked perfectly as decorations. Plus, they were free.

The center of the table sported some fine bottle shaped gummies. They didn't taste like beer, but they looked the part. They were like a dollar a bag at Walgreens.

The plan laid out in the invitation was that everyone/couple was to bring a 6 pack of unique beer in a paper bag for the "Beer Tasting" We ended up with 15 different kinds, including a few gluten free ones.

The prizes were for Best, Most Unique, and "No one should drink". Woah boy, that last one was a pretty close contest! The prizes for best were a vintage looking beer sign from Michael's, Beer pancake mix, Beer mug chicken marinade, a tee that said "I'm a hero" with a sub picture, and a $10 gift card to our local theater. Most unique prize bag included Beer mug chicken marinade, A folding sports seat, and a $10 gift card to Lonhorn's. Prize for worst was a beer hard hat.

The beers landed in my care and each was carefully disguised by a clever label or two. After the last few guests arrived (after the surprise, way to go guys!! haha, just kidding) we started the official tasting. Everyone got a little plastic shot glass and stood in a circle around me and my lovely pregnant friend Angie. Since neither of us drink, it was easy to be the servers. We gave everyone a ballot that I had printed up in sheets of 10 like business cards, and we just started with number one and went around the circle. Everyone tasted each one, and we laughed and made jokes. It was actually a really super fun time!

Prior to serving, I had labeled each beer with a number, and wrote down who brought which number. In hindsight I see that I should have also noted the name of the beer each person brought also.

The food was great! My friend from Cakes 5th Avenue made us a really yummy cake and 12 delicious

cupcakes. We also had some allergy friendly cupcakes for the allergy people.

Yup, he got 30 flames, and got them all blown out with one breath!

We had LOADS of food, with tons of left overs. Cheese and crackers, chips and salsa, fruit tray, chicken wings, veggies and dip, chips, chili, pulled pork, etc etc etc. Seems like everyone brought food, and that's fine by me! (Thanks everyone!)

I decorated with paper stars in red and gold (cheapies from Wallyworld) and gold and burgundy balloons we tossed on the ceiling all over the place.

I grabbed 20 cheap acrylic 4x6 frames off eBay for like $2 each... yes, the cheapest I could find... and had some old fashioned beer ads printed locally that I found on the internet. I just sort of scattered them. Some people took some of the better ones home.

We owned this Budweiser crate,and it came in handy as a spot for all the gift beer my husband got. Hey, the man likes beer! It also came in handy for carrying it all home!!

We pulled the surprise off without a hitch! I had to abandon him and the kids all day to get everything done. He stopped being mad at me for that when he walked into his moms house for "dinner" and 30 people yelled SURPRISE at him!!

Since we are old and stuff now. The party was from 5:00 until 9:30. Woohoo!! We sure do know how to rock the night!

And the best news is... I pulled this party off for about $150.00. My mother in law also chipped in for some decorations and food also, but my out of pocket was a perfect amount!

Next parties are in June/July- my oldest's 13th and my youngest's 2nd. I think they are getting Minute to Win It and Sesame Street parties respectively. So we'll see how those go, and hopefully they are both cheap cheap CHEAP!!!

Three Simple Rules {Printable}

2011-04-06T22:17:00.000-04:00

Click image to print. ♥ Enjoy.

Are you a budding photographer?

2011-02-12T08:23:00.001-05:00

No matter what stage of photography you are in, you can certainly use this book! It is an absolute wealth of information that will walk you through using your camera in manual mode all the way to starting a successful photography business. It's 66 pages of everything you need to know!

I highly recommend this book to anyone with a DSLR camera. It will change how you take photos, and quite possibly change your life!

Click Here to get your copy now!

Pre-Quilted fabric bag Tutorial!

2011-01-01T19:36:00.001-05:00

This is a tute probably for someone a little more advanced as I didn't take photos of each step, but will explain them here.

The story on this is that I bought this from Joann's for a pretty decent price. It's been sitting on my shelf, just dying to be turned into a bag. It took me a while to think of how to do this without biased tape (my arch nemesis). I also struggled figuring out the handle until I recalled the strapping in my ribbon bin.

I cannot find this damask print anymore at any of my local Joann's or online, but they do have some other colors.

You will need:

1/2 yard Double Face Quilt Fabric, or you can quilt your own.

14" zipper

40" of 1" nylon strapping

1. Prepare straps:

Cut strapping into two 20" pieces. Measure 3" from each end and mark with a pin. Fold the strap in half between marked spots and sew from one to the other. Do this to both handles.

2. Cut fabric:

Cut fabric to 17" long. Then cut in half and cut each piece to 16" wide. (squares should be 16x17 with leftovers).

3. Sew contrasting bottom:

Measure 11" down from top of bag, make sure you have the piece laid the right way. Draw a line across at the 11" mark. Don't worry, you won't see it later. Lay one of the remnant pieces with the WRONG side down on the RIGHT side of the bag piece. Line up the piece so it is sitting on the line you drew (it will sort of be sitting across the middle of the bag.) Sew a scant 1/4" across the bottom of the top chunk. Fold down towards the bottom of the bag and sew a top stitch 1/4" from the top edge of the bottom piece. Repeat on second side of bag.

4. Attach handles:

Fold bag side in half length wise. Mark center the very top of the bag. Measure and mark 3" on each side of the center mark. Measure and mark at 2" down from each of the 3" marks. Lay handle so the raw edge is pointing up and the inside corner of each handle side is touching your 2" marks. Sew 1/4" down on each handle. Fold up 1" and sew an X to secure to bag. (stitch on handle should now be on the inside when the handle is up) Repeat for second side.

5. Attach zipper:

Lay top of zipper centered up against the OUTSIDE top of 1 bag panel. Use zipper foot to sew across, moving zipper head as needed. Trim excess of fabric from the new seam. Turn bag right side up and lay flat over seam of bag and zipper tape, and sew a top stitch trapping raw edge of fabric into seam. Repeat for other side of bag.

6. Sew bag closed:

Time to sew a french seam!! Lay bag right sides out and sew down the sides and across the whole bottom with a scant 1/4" seam. Turn bag inside out and sew a generous 1/4" seam down sides and across bottom. This will trap all the raw edges like magic!!

7. Box corners:

Cut a 2.5" x 2.5" square out of each bottom corner. With bag wrong side out, sew the corners closed. I like to go back over with a nice close zig-zag to cover up the raw edges. If you have a serger, this would be a good time to use it.

Turn your bag right side out, tie a pretty ribbon on the side and voila... you're done!!

If this is terribly confusing, feel free to email me or leave a comment!

Free Flash Card printables!

2010-12-27T13:30:00.004-05:00

Just because I like everyone today...

I made a set of flash cards for numbers 1-12! You can print them on card stock and cut them out, print them on photo paper, or send them to your favorite developer (vistaprint.com, snapfish, shutterfly, walmart etc)

If you ~~like~~ love them, please feel free to share THE LINK to my site with people. Please do not alter, sell, transfer, or claim as your own. These were a lot of work, and I appreciate your help. ♥

I hope you enjoyed your Christmas, and learn all your numbers in the new year! I can make any theme you want for a small charge, just email me if you have an idea!

Link is under the sample photos...

Click Here for printable PDF (for 8.5x11" paper)

Click here for printable PNG pictures with a 45 second wait for the download.
(for printing on photo 4x6 or 4x5 photo paper)
If you are having issues with the second download, please let me know.

Enjoy! Please respect copy rights.

SSS - Super Secret Santa Swap

2010-12-15T15:57:00.001-05:00

I procrastinated long enough... finally got to the post office today and man oh man was it cold out!

I love giving for secret santa swaps! It's so fun picking out little tidbits that I {hope} my partner will love.

On with the show...

Georgie hosts a SSS and I was part of it last year. Last year my partner (who never revealed themself to me) sent me 3 lovely vanilla scented soy candles) I can't for the life of me find my post about it. Great tagging, Andrea. I was very excited when she reminded me of it this year since I have pretty much no time to go blog hopping these days. This year I got some lovely chocolates.

My partner loves cream mints, and country things, and any scent! This is fun... because ME TOO!!!

So in her package she is gettings some cream mints, mint lindt truffles, a candle, a pretty beaded bracelet, an air freshener for her car, and two of my Lil' Whimseys which make great key chain wallets or gift card holders!

Everything is wrapped up ready to go!

And bagged oh so cute!!

All boxed up, card inside... ready to go!

Hope she likes it! Merry Christmas!!

Little Advent Tree Tutorial

2010-12-04T23:46:00.002-05:00

Use code "ELF20" in the checkout of my Etsy store all December long and save 20%!

I've had this project about 1/4 of the way finished and sitting in a box for over 7 years. It probably would have been much more magical for my oldest had he actually been 5 when I completed it, instead of 12. It wasn't that it was hard, or time consuming... I just never got around to it. I had good intentions every year, placed the box where I could see it, meant to do it, and time would get away with me and half way through Decemeber I would just stop thinking about even getting to it.

Here is is, the end of the 4th day of December, and I've just completed it. Well, it was done earlier today. My big guy had fun opening all 4 days he missed. He likes it alot better than the chocolate one that only cost $1.50 from the grocery store!

So it's a pretty easy advent tree. Here's what you need:

Small Tree, fake or real.

2.5" ribbon, or some Christmas fabric.

Thin ribbon or cord

Cardstock

Hole punch

Small toys and candy

Cut your wide ribbon into twenty five 8-10 inch lengths. If using fabric, make them about 3" wide and use crimping shears on the short ends.

Fold in half, wrong side out, and sew up one side of each starting at the fold. I usually sew one side of each of them in one long chain and then clip apart. Backstitch the top of each one.

Cut the thin ribbons about 12-18" long. Fold in half and insert them into the "bags" so that the loop from being folded just barely sticks out where you need to stitch the other side.

Stitch up the other side holding the thin ribbon in place. Backstitch the top.

Turn and stuff with some trinkets, small candy, or slips of paper to claim larger prizes.

Cut cardstock into 1"x1.5" squares and punch a hole in each one. Or you can use pre-cut tags for yardsales, or even stickers. Write the numbers 1-25 on each one.

Feed skinny ribbon through the holes and then tie shut. Hang in the little tree and open one each day!

Merry Christmas!

Organize your fabric!

2010-11-24T16:19:00.002-05:00

This post on Smashed Peas and Carrots: Mini Fabric Bolts and Some Studio Organization
inspired me to organize my own fabric stash!!

I don't even have a before photo this time, because it was literally everywhere. Stacks of messy fabric, bags of messy fabric, trunk of messy fabric, baskets of messy fabric... all over the house!!

I was SO inspired that I ran to the comic book store for the comic book boards listed on her post. I got a 100 pack for $8.00!

I immediately started rolling my fabric onto them. I found fabric I haven't seen in years! I even organized my fat quarters into one spot!! I'm so happy now and finding the fabric I want to use it dreadfully easy with this organization!

Keep reading past the photos to see how to save FORTY percent from now until Monday on my Etsy Shop.

Yes, 40%, everything, all of it, 40%!!! keep reading....

So what about this 40% off sale? Well... I'm sitting on loads of product, and I want to sell it to you! Pick anything in my shop and enter the code "BLACKFRIDAY" in the checkout and save 40%. Not kidding! Tell your friends. I have some really adorable things in my shop and they are very well made.

Discount does not apply to custom orders, but I am always taking custom orders!!

Little Zipper Pouch!

2010-11-20T12:51:00.000-05:00

Today is my nieces birthday party, so last night at about 7:00 I realized that we had NO GIFT for her!!! So in a pinch, I ran to One Pretty Thing and looked around. I found a few tutorials that I loved and decided to combine them all to make one super cute Nintendo DS pouch!

I used:

Laptop Case Tutorial from Skip to My Lou for the ruffle.

Fabric Flower Tutorial from WiseCraft for the pin.

Zippered Pouch Tutorial from Pin and Paper for the pouch itself.

and added the back pock, D-ring, and strap all on my own!!

My pouch measurements were as follows- 10"x7" for the body, 7"x7" for the pocket, and just a length that I eyeballed for the D-ring holder and strap. The zipper is just a 7" zipper. I do have to say that this was one of my best zipper jobs yet. I am getting pretty good at this zipper business!!

Coming Next: Craft Space II: Fabric!!

New Craft Space!!

2010-11-07T21:04:00.003-05:00

So I live in a REALLY small house. So small that I don't have my own craft room. This corner of the living room has become a shove-all spot for all things sewing and crafting.

This desk used to be a computer desk for a desktop computer. We disassembled parts of it and put my sewing machine there so I didn't have to use the kitchen table anymore. Yup, there is a sewing machine under that mess!! This is what I currently deal with on a sewing day... I move all this junk out of the way, sew, then move it all back. Not fun...

(Yes, there are shelf brackets on the walls, but this was just before my husband hung the shelves.)

This is the other side of the living room. The bookcase is backwards to keep the baby off of it. It's covered in sewing stuff.

Oh look, here's next to the TV!! Yes, this is what it all actually looked like, and how I kept it. Boo.

Oh, here's the mini-station in the kitchen... oh boy!! Someone call Hoarders!!!!!

So my darling husband bought some 1x10 boards, and fashioned me some corner shelves. I was able to get everything up off the floor. I took the right hand cubby off the desk and pulled the small bookcase over to the corner. Behind it is my bolts of interfacing. In the top containers are velcro, thread, zippers, scrapbooking stuff, etc.

I was able to even clean up the mini-station in the kitchen!! That shelf and glass were from a yard sale this summer, and cost a whole $5.00 total!!!

Some close-ups... the bottom of the corner shelf is just fabric and some bins of ribbons and projects on the To-do list...

I have to sort through the books under the desk, but that's another project!

Memo board finally has a home that isn't on the floor behind the desk!

And here is what it looks like all gated off so that my curious little chubba-bub can't get to any of it.

I do plan to someday make a bunch of fabric bins for the shelves, but for now my existing containers will have to do.

I'm excited to get some sewing done!! I found SO many already cut projects that I prepared and never got to. I still have a ton of fabric in the corner of the living room... and in a big trunk behind one of my couches... but my fabric storage issues are a renovation for another day!

What are Swagbucks and how to get them...

2010-10-20T07:35:00.005-04:00

Swagbucks are a type of "currency" earned while searching the web through Swagbucks.com. You redeem them for prizes!! And best of all it's ALL free!!

So months ago I joined Swagbucks. I had no clue what it really was. People were talking about making money. Whatever, I joined end of story.

NO! Not the end of the story. A few months after joining, I noticed someone on my Facebook wall had "Just received a $25 Amazon.com gift card from Swagbucks!" What??? Now, I was curious. I went to swagbucks.com and poked around. I decided to get the browser plug-in for searching, and the set it as my default search box.

So I did this type of searching for a little while. I got a few swagbucks, slowly.

One day I checked out the widget and found a code in there:

That was fun...

Then after a while I downloaded the toolbar. Now, if you know me, I am SO not a fan of toolbars. The morning after adding it, it gave me 1 Swagbuck when I opened my browser!! I started getting 1 per day and now get 2 per day just for using the toolbar.

What's so great about the toolbar? Well TSG (The Swagbucks Guy) sends messages through the toolbar, those are good for Swagbucks. You can just highlight text and it will auto fill into the "Go Win" box for searching. You can navigate all over the Swagbucks Site right from the toolbar.

How else do I earn? Well I follow SBCodeZ on Facebook and also get their emails. They post all the extra codes, and where they come from, and where to enter them to be rewarded, and when they expire. LOVE THIS!!!

There are still more ways to earn, amazing huh? When you refer a friend, you get their first 1,000 bucks too! so they win and you win.

You can do the daily polls, you can complete offers and watch videos to earn SB's, read the blog, and more.

One other trick I also do is when I find a code I search for the term in the "Go Win" box first to see if I can get some bucks, and then go actually enter it in the box on swagbucks.com. Most times I get the same number of Swagbucks when I search as it's worth in the box. So if it's a code for 9, I end up with 18!! I also enter any website I might be going to right into the search box, without the .com, and search for it then go to it from the search results.

Not every search will win bucks, but some will get you 3 all the way up to 55 (highest I've seen). Plus there are contests and more. ALL SPAM FREE!! Swagbucks has a very strict SPAM FREE policy. Not kidding.

What do you win?????

Well, I choose $5 Amazon gift cards because they are only 450 points. I have over $50 and right now I'm getting just over 1 per week. There are THOUSANDS of other prizes, pretty much everything you can think of!! I'm really not doing much more to get the codes than I would normally be doing online either. As soon as I get enough bucks to redeem, I do it. So you may see that I always have low bucks on my widget, but that doesn't mean I'm not winning!!

Come win with me:

Post #99!!!

2010-10-11T08:51:00.001-04:00

Wow, I can't believe that I'm about to hit 100 posts!! Pretty cool!

I've been pretty busy lately... photography has picked up:

and I also designed a car organizer for some friends:

It has a removable crayon roll, zipper pocket, and water bottle holder. Selling for $45, custom orders/custom colors!

I also recently joined Weight Watchers. I went to a few meetings and they keep handing me all this paperwork and I don't carry a bag so I'm fumbling all over the place, looking like a dope.

So I made this book to hold my weekly flyers, books, and little weigh in thingy. There are two zipper pockets, two long pockets, and two pockets on the left. I will take custom order- $25 in custom colors.

Some available fabric is here.

Hope you like!!

Five Winners!!

2010-10-06T23:35:00.002-04:00

Here are our 5 winners! I will be sending emails tomorrow, or feel free to email your mailing address and the kit choice fabric FROM PHOTO #2 in this listing http://www.etsy.com/listing/56224691/little-crayon-art-tote-complete-sewing. The other fabrics used in my other items are not choices for this kit.

Thanks everyone! I look forward to my next giveaways!!

Sorry about the whacky formatting, I have been fighting with blogger for about an hour now...

WINNER #1:

Gorby family blog said...

I "hearted" an item. It was the Whimsey Wallet - Woop-Dee-Doo. Love it!

WINNER #2:

kinderkitten513 said...

It's all about the Dragon's...love it!!!

WINNER #3:

Sewing Nutter said...

And last but not least I hearted one of your car seat covers my etsy name though is different it's taggiesfortots.

WINNER #4:

Rebecca said...

I hearted your shop & the black & aqua pinwheels whimsey wallet :)

WINNER #5:

LambAround said...

I am following you through Google.

Random Giveaway!!

2010-09-28T15:47:00.001-04:00

I will be giving away FIVE! (Yes 5) Little Crayon Tote sewing kits to 5 different people!!

What you need to do- Manditory Entry:

Go Here to see the kit: http://www.etsy.com/listing/56224691/little-crayon-art-tote-complete-sewing and tell me which fabric you would choose for your kit.

While you are there, get an extra entry for "Hearting" one of my OTHER items.

More extra entries:

- 1 entry: Fan my facebook page
- 1 entry: Follow with networked blogs (via my facebook page) or Google reader (on the left of page)
- 3 entries: Blog about this and share the link here

That's a chance at SEVEN entries. Each comment counts as 1 entry. So if you blog- leave 3 comments, etc.

I will pull 5 *different* winners via random.org on October 5th (sorry you can only win once). You can enter up until I pull a name and shut entries off.

Good Luck!!

Diaper Bag tutorial!!

2010-09-23T12:56:00.006-04:00

Here's a very loose tutorial for this diaper bag I made. I just sort of made it up as I went along. Finished bag measures about 15x5x12. This tutorial is for an experienced sewer.

Materials: 1 yard each of two fabrics, and 3/4 yard of 3rd coordinating fabric, 1 yard of 3/8" elastic, 2.5 yards of interfacing.

Magnetic Snap, Eyelets/grommets and Ribbon (optional)

CUTTING:

Cut 2 from each of 2 fabrics: 16x13 front and back, 5.5x13 side panels, 5.5x11 side pockets, 16x11 from and back pockets.

Cut 1 from each: 5.5x16 bottom

Cut from 3rd fabric: Two 5" by width (42 to 45" depending on fabric) for handles, two 18x16 for inner pockets.

Cut and iron on interfacing for all bag panels inside, bottom, and outside, and one interfacing for each outer pocket (iron to liner of pocket fabric). Cut two 45x3" interfacing for handles. (I buy the Pellon 809 - 45").

SEWING:

OUTSIDE-

Sew outer pockets front and liner across top seam, fold open and topstitch.

Fold handle in half, fold outside edges in to center and fold back in half. Stitch up both sides of handles. Trim off raw edges and make sure they are the same length.

Lay front pocket on front panel, mark center and place and pin handles 3" from center mark. Sew up one edge of handle to the top of the pocket, sew across, and sew back down. Repeat for all 4 parts of handle. (This will create 3 pockets on the front and on the back)

Line up side pockets bottom with side panels and then sew to the bottom piece. Open up and line up front and back panels to bottom and sew, then sew up the sides to make the bag shape.

See diagram:

LINER-

Fold inner pockets in half so they measure 8x18. Sew a 1/2" "tube" at the fold across the top. Feed through a 14" piece of 3/8" elastic. Sew ends of elastic to pockets to secure.

Line bottom of pocket up to bottom of one liner side panel. Sew up the sides, then sew down the center of one pocket to make 2 sections. Repeat with other pocket, but sew the other side 2 times to make 3 sections. Gather the bottom by hand and sew across to close pocket.

Sew sides and front and back panels of liner to liner bottom the same way as the outside was done. BUT leave a hole on one side for turning. (like diagram above)

Turn liner inside out, tuck it into the outside of the back, pin it evenly (tuck those handles down) then sew around. Flip, topstitch all the way around the bag securing handles in top stitch (I sewed over the handles 3 times) and then add magnetic button to liner piece if desired. I also put two grommets onto each top side with my Crop-o-dile to feed the ribbon through.

Hope that was clear!!

I also made a coordinating changin pad for this set:

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!

2010-08-25T07:53:00.000-04:00

So sorry I didn't get around to picking a winner sooner. I was stricken with a horrible case of vertigo with on and off migraines and really just forgot all about this. So even though I still feel poopy... here's the random.org picker...

The winner is Number 4....

M.J. said...

Love this!!!!!! I am gonna get Mikayla to make some as favors for the next birthday party!!!!

Congrats M.J.!! I will be contacting you directly!! Thanks you everyone else for entering.

Tutorial- Make a To-Go I-spy game!

2010-08-12T10:33:00.003-04:00

We are going on vacation this week, and we have a BUNCH of kids riding for a LONG time!! We all know how that can go.

I wanted to make something for the kids, so I thought this would be nice. If they end up bored once we get there, then I can whip them out there too!! Heck, these were so fun to make, I'm considering selling them in the near future!!

Here's what you need:

Clear container with screw on lid. Mine were 12 oz. "lock-its" from Joann's. They actually hook together too... makes for easy transport!!

Poly Pellets- found at Michaels, used a 40% coupon! One 32 oz bag made 7 of these.

Miniatures. Look around the house. Old jewelry, buttons, safety pins, coins, paper clips, etc. I also picked up a few packs of really neat plastic buttons from Michaels. They are $1.99

Super Glue (I used the gel kind)

Sticker sheets (I used repositional full sheets)

My minis (make note of what goes into each one):

So just put the mini's in the containers, add a few scoops of pellets. Leave room to move at the top.

Super Glue all the way around the rim of the container. Be generous, but don't go overboard or you will be oozing and dripping and sticking to everything!!

Screw the lid on as tight as you can. DON'T SHAKE!!! Wait for the glue to dry or your pellets will get stuck to it.

Print out your item lists. I just put "I spy with my little eye..." and then a list. Print it pretty small, like 8pt font.

Cut out your list and stick it on the container! I used repositional stickers.

Give it to a child who is OVER 3!! Not to someone this small, serious choking hazards here people, so be careful!!

Please vote for me!

2010-08-09T13:25:00.000-04:00

So my instructable was entered into the Singer Sewing Contest, and I could win a NEW SEWING MACHINE!!!!!

Please click here and click the VOTE button next to the Singer Summer Logo at the top.

Or put this link into your browser:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Convert-an-apron-into-a-tote-bag-in-an-hour/

Their message to me:

The contest is now in the user voting phase. This means that anyone can vote for your entry by clicking on the VOTE button on top of your Instructable or on the contest page. Users can vote for as many entries as they want. When voting closes on August 11, the votes will help to determine the finalists. The top 10 entries in terms of votes will become finalists. In addition, another 10 finalists will be chosen by Instructables staff for a total of 20 finalists. When the finalists are chosen, they will be judged until August 16, and winners will be announced shortly afterwards. If you have any questions, feel free to reply to this PM. Thanks, and good luck!

Thank you!!!

Fabric Headbands!!

2010-07-30T16:36:00.000-04:00

Aren't these adorable!! I'm making myself a bunch for my vacation. Perfect solution to my crazy new hair growth!!

Brown Paper Packages: S4S- Extra-Curricular Activities, Part 2

My 1st instructable, {Convert an apron into a tote bag}

2010-07-22T12:55:00.004-04:00

Convert an apron into a tote bag in an hour! - More DIY How To Projects

Facebook Fan Giveaway!

2010-07-12T15:19:00.000-04:00

I'm celebrating having 200 fans on Facebook!!

Head on over to my Facebook page and become a liker, if you aren't already, to get in the running for a free Whimsey Wallet!!

Then tell your friends to like too and if the page hits 300 fans by Friday at midnight, I will pull 5 names and give 5 wallets!

Now isn't that cool! I needed something cool for these hot summer days!

A Farm {Barnyard} 1st Birthday!

2010-07-12T13:10:00.003-04:00

My baby turned one recently, and his party was this last weekend. The party went surprisingly wonderful! Everyone had a great time, the food was great and the baby was happy to see everyone.

Unfortunately it rained so the photos aren't super duper as it was dreary out, but we have photos because my wonderful Sister-in-law (who saved my sanity many times that day) took over my camera and snapped a bunch for me, I love her and wish she lived closer!!

Here it is...

Get your own HERE

Some of the food tables, we had so much food! A lot of it was labeled, the Cheese n' Crackers, Dawgs, Hobo Beans, Colton's Garden, Bird Wings, Chicken Feed, Hay Stacks, Eatin' Tools etc. I didn't get to take a photo of each sign like I'd planned.

Here were the "Eatin' tools" and Cow Tails (In mason Jars). We also served baby dill pickles in a mason jar.

The Entrance way to the tent.

Bandanna's EVERYWHERE! They were laid under the food on the white table clothes and Tied to the strings of the tent and the poles of the tent on the inside.

The "Duck Pond" Blue Kool Aid and some farm ducks.

I made Colton's Shirt with Iron-ons

The party tent, that had more square feet than my house!

More of the food. Wish those signs were in the photos, they were darn cute!

A Banner that I made. It says "Colton's 1st Birthday" and it's all from farm prints. I'm going to get up a tutorial soon with better photos.

Goody bags, just paper lunch bags with printed toppers that I designed to match the invites.

Toppers

Digital file:

Paper stars adorned the tent also, these were supposed to hang from the tree in the front yard for the games. More on those later.

Cupcakes! The kids wanted these, not cake.

Farmer Hats! Huge hit.

Just a few of the gifts.

Colton's Dairy and Soy free cupcake.

The big cake. Was going to be handmade, but it was about 100 degrees all week leading up, so I caved and went store bought. I think it came out nice. The animals were from our Noah's Ark toy!

My niece and her new friend. The little kids all got a stick horse and a hat, plus their goody bag. They were the happiest little kids I've seen in a long time.

The party animal... all done for the day!

So the games were (notice WERE) going to be spectacular, country fair style games. They were what I was most excited about and what I am most disappointed about. That, and the mini horse didn't make it either because of the weather. I had a few sad little girls because they were looking forward to seeing the mini horse.

I couldn't set them up the way I'd envisioned because of the rain. You might say, "well, set them up and let me see!" but the big kids, led by my 12 year old... Captain Distructo, trashed them. Literally, they chugged the soda, broke the balloons, and filled the water guns with soda and squirted everything else so it's sticky, dirty, and covered in ants. The little kids did get to go on the egg hunt though.

The whole front yard was going to have "Stations" and here's what they were going to be (copied from the cards that were supposed to label them):

Ring Toss (Colorful soda bottles on an upside down tin bucket, with wooden craft hoop rings)

Ring a bottle, win the soda!

Hide n’ Seek (a busted up bail of hay filled with toys and candy)

Dig through the hay for 15 seconds,

Whatever treasures you find- you get to keep!

EGG HUNT (some farm themed eggs I found on sale for dirt cheap after easter)

Start Here, search the yard for eggs and keep what’s inside!

HORSE RACES (the stick horses I found)

Up to 6 People at a time race from start to finish on a stick horse.

You must “Gallop!”

BALLOON TOSS (water balloons)

Partner Up!! Toss the balloon while taking one step back each time. Last pair standing wins!

Duck, Duck, Goose!! (small ducks in a tiny baby pool)

Flip over a duck.

If it has a 1 you win a big prize, 2 a medium prize, 3 a small prize

GUESS MY WEIGHT (a pig stuffed animal filled with beans and rice in a basket)

Guess my weight to win me!

So sadly, all the handmade heartfelt things that I did and planned to do just for posting here didn't happen or didn't have any photos. I took on too much and realize it now. The day started with waking up to an open refrigerator filled with warm, sweaty food.

Then late morning started with me not paying attention to the baby and him falling down the 2 deck stairs. We ended up at urgent care. Then once the tent arrived and got up, I only had just under an hour to get all the party stuff under it and this was through torrential downpours.

So as you can imagine, once the 60+ guests started arriving, I was already a mess that had to pretend to be having a marvelous day!! Wow, I'm glad it's over and the birthday's that follow will be traditional 8 kids, small themed parties, I swear! No more of this for me... :)

But I was told about 15 times to become a party planner, which I hear a lot.

Hope you liked it all!

Why does handmade cost more?

2010-07-06T00:01:00.000-04:00

I once read a little blog post about this, and wanted to link to it, but I can't find it now.

I wanted to just talk about why handmade costs more. First of all, handmade isn't "cheap". What do I mean? Well, fabric and/or craft supplies cost a lot of money. If I make a bag and list it at $40.00 the breakdown is probably something like this: $15 in fabric, $5 in interfacing, and $5 in notions. Say it takes me 2 hours to cut, iron, sew, and iron again. Listing and PayPal fees are about $2-3 per item. So I walk away with $12 or about $4.00 an hour. That's quite the wage, huh?

Now, for someone that can't sew and wants wonderful handmade items, this $40 might either seem like a ton of money, or not enough. I've heard it both ways. Some people send me links to $40 bags and ask me to make them cheaper with the inevitable question of "Why do nice bags cost so much?", and usually if they are my friend I will just charge for materials... I'm nice like that. Then I had a woman custom order a bag, I asked for $40 and she handed me $60 and said I was under charging!! I get pretty confused.

I'm a penny-pincher by nature. I grew up with very little and hoard what I do have. I don't even carry my own work because I feel like it's a waste if I don't sell it!! (I do have a diaper bag I made, but it's out of season right now). I make a wallet that takes about $5 and 20 minutes. I charge $10 for it and people tell me it's too cheap. Funny thing is, I have barely sold any on Etsy!

Back to hanmade isn't "cheap"... this has another meaning. When an artisan is handmaking an item, they are doing what they love. They put their heart into it. They take time from their family and household to carefully craft the item they are presenting to you. They most likely use a better quality material than something mass produced in China. I wouldn't waste my time to sell someone a bag that's going to unravel or break. I make a promise that my work will last. 100% guarantee! If I make a bag and a seam pops, I want to fix it. If you buy a bag at a store, and a seam rips... what can you do? Well, return it if you have the slip, try to exchange it if you don't have the slip (will they have the same one?), find someone to fix it for you, or toss it.

This is why handmade costs a little more. We aren't little foreigners making $1.00 an hour working 18 hour shifts... we are moms, dads, aunts, and grandma's. We are sharing what we love, and loving what we share.

So, shop handmade. Help out a local artisan, and know that you are getting exactly what you pay for, tenfold! ♥

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!!

2010-07-01T08:09:00.000-04:00

#34-

Katrina said...

I would use it towards a step 2 waterwheel table for my daughter.

Congrats Katrina! I will be emailing you and also forwarding your email to CSN Stores!

Thank you everyone else. I hope to do another giveaway soon!

The Swap is On!

2010-05-09T12:12:00.001-04:00

Our swap is officially started. I'm excited to see what everyone gets!!

Here is the Flickr link to upload the pics of your swap!

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1376926@N25/

UPDATE: I did get both of my swap boxes, took pics and all. I've just been extremely overwhelmingly busy this month!! I will post about them soon, I promise.

I hope everyone else got their boxes and loves their new craft supplies! I know that I ADORE mine! Thanks ladies!

Fill a Small Priority Mail FLAT RATE Box Swap!!

2010-04-25T12:58:00.000-04:00

I'm hosting a swap! I've decided to host a swap where you will fill a small priority mail box with craft supplies. You will fill it as full as you can to get your $5.00 worth! What should you put in your box? Well, you will read your partners list of likes, stalk their blog if the have one, and then go from there. Just look around in your own stash for anything you think your partner might like! You can decide to have one or two partners! If you choose two, you will send two boxes and get back two boxes!!

Some suggestions:
Buttons, beads, thread, floss, stickers, stencils, paints, zippers, ric-rac, trim, charms, clay (new), scrapbooking embelishments, fabric scraps, fat quarters, stamps, inkpads (new), etc!

What to do to be involved (US Participants Only this time)-

1. Fill out the McLinky below by May 8, 2010 with your 1st name and website address (if you have a blog).
2. Email originalandreaswap@gmail.com to get your questionnaire to fill out.
3. Fill out questionnaire and email back before May 10, 2010 (only returned forms will be in the swap, filling out the Linky alone isn't enough)
4. Get your Partner's information by May 15, 2010
5. Mail your Small Priority Mail Flat Rate box by May 29, 2010 with tracking number
6. Email tracking number to originalandreaswap@gmail.com
7. Blog about the cool stuff you get, and upload a photo or ten to the flickr group (will open up in May)

Don't forget to grab the swap button from the sidebar and put it on your blog!!

I'm going to do my very best to match up people with similar interests. Please keep addresses confidential. Please email originalandreaswap@gmail.com with any problems and I will assist you.

Don't forget to visit your fellow swappers sites from the Linky List below, and leave lots of comments!

Kids Corner!

2010-04-21T10:05:00.001-04:00

My 11 year old had a school project to do. He needed to incorporate shapes into a diorama scene. He chose a pizza place, and had tons of ideas whirling around in his head.

We picked up some Sculpty clay and went to town making little pizzas! We rolled balls of tan clay, flattened them, then made a "snake" shape for the crust. The a small ball of red clay (very stain inducing) was flattened into sauce. We then took the white clay and instead of working it soft, we put it right into a parmesan cheese grater and made little cheese shreds. On one of our pizzas we made little pepperoni circles.

We cut a slice out of one pizza before baking. When they were done, they looked so real!

Other stuff he did was to Mod Podge the outside and floor area and apply fabric. Then he cut a small box in half, painted it, and glued it down for a counter top. The benches and table were styrofoam blocks that he sawed up to the shapes he needed. He hot glued some craft foam to the benches and some gingham cloth to the table top. The stools were spools of thread with buttons hot glued on top.

He made a foam bookcase for the back corner and some triangle shelves on the wall. The lamp he crafted out of more sculpty clay, and put wires into it before baking. Then he applied a paper lamp shade.

The project required 8 two-dimensional shapes so he made the menu, triangle on the lampshade, kite in the wall photo (used a button as a frame) and hexagons on the wall, and a purse on the bench of the table to get all those shapes in there.

It was seriously just a coincidence that everything ended up so red, but it worked well!

{Mini-vent}

2010-04-12T12:52:00.001-04:00

I just need to vent- I hate how expensive it is to ship stuff. It really makes selling things online (eBay specifically) pretty much worthless. After the fees for selling and always lowballing myself by charging less for shipping than it actually ends up being... I sometimes make less than a dollar for all my trouble or it sometimes costs me money.

The real headache is when people that win things for next to nothing are still complaining about my shipping charges like I'm a big scammer from Asia or something.

Luckily I'm in a pretty good mood today and actually can agree and say "Yes, the post office is totally scamming us with these rediculous charges".

Now that that's out...

I just hate it when I'm the one getting blamed. I'm not trying to scam anyone. I'm really not that kind of person. To prove this, I'm going to mail the package anyhow even though we've agreed to cancel the transaction. Hopefully the person that I have angered will pay it forward and not be angry at something I really have no control over.

So much to do!

2010-04-11T19:46:00.002-04:00

I have what feels like a million projects going and to do (see list to the left).

Today though I decided to make some of these lovely envelopes for starting us in using the Dave Ramsey system of cash in envelopes.

I made them up and although they are cute, they are crooked, and I foolishly punched the holes all wonky!!

I have to go to the craft store tomorrow anyhow, so I think I will be picking up better paper, and a scoring tool so that I can fold them a little more evenly.

Other things I'm going to try to do are:

Make a dress, for ME!! Yikes, I don't sew for myself. I don't like to. Let's hope all goes well, I did get the dress cut out, I do have to get the liner cut up. I will post the finished project sometime before June 12th!

I really really want to participate in this Spring Top Week 2010

EDIT: I will not be participating. I did an alteration to a long sleeve tee that I had. It came out looking OK off of me, but when I put it on I looked like a big huge frilly pink marshmallow. I've gained way too much weight to feel like anything I make and wear is worth displaying on the internet.

It certainly doesn't help that everyone that's entered so far is about a size 2 to 6. I'm not usually self concience until I see myself in the mirror or in photographs, then I realize just how big I am. When you are fat, and you look down, you don't actually look fat... just so you know. So when you see yourself from a different perspective, it's kind of a slap in the face. I will also be really mad if someone comments on here "You're not fat". That does NOT help me, and that's NOT what I want to hear.

BUT, I will be following along and hopefully voting.

I am also working on honing up my photography skills. I bought my EOS Canon Rebel XT DSLR about a year and a half ago when I got a big fat raise (when I actually had a job, which I can't find for the life of me now.), but I never had really learned how to use it.

I was on this Babycenter.com message board, and started working with my manual settings. I'm getting the hang of things!

I also got to use my portion of our tax return to get a "Nifty Fifty"- a 50mm lens that has a 1.8 aperature. If you don't know what that means, it means wicked awesome photographs with totally blurry backgrounds! I also picked up a pair of Lightscoop flash re-directors. I used promo code SPRING and saved 25%!

Here's one of my test shots with a little editing for the Week 1 Challenge:

I kind of like it!

So off to do some more hand stitching on a special order of felt food. Hopefully this week I will also get to wrap up and post Page 3 of my Quiet Book for the Quiet Book Club. AND, my BFF wants me to make her a bag and matching wallet. Yippee!!

Fwew... lots to do. ♥

Mod Podging time! Train Case - part 1

2010-04-03T17:04:00.001-04:00

I went to the first yard sale in my area this season a month or so ago. I bought a big black trunk for $10 and the woman handed me this totally fab red train case and said "you can take this too, no charge" !!!!!!

It's in very good condition. The outside was a little dirty so I scrubbed it up. I pulled the dented metal logo off the front.

The inside is great! Spotless, and the elastic is still stretchy. The tray is also on one piece. (My other case has a cracked tray)

So I decided to Mod Podge. This is my very first try at decoupage, and I'm feeling like I did a great job.

TUTE TUTE TUTORIAL:

Ok, so you will need some paper, I used scrapbooking paper. A brush or sponge brush. A sharp razor blade. A flattener (something with a nice flat edge for smoothing), and a bottle of Mod Podge. I picked matte, and although I had no clue which one to pick, I'm happy I didn't pick glossy.

I covered my handle with plastic wrap because it kept flopping and I didn't want to get any glue on it.

So spread a nice even layer of Podge over the top surface.

Spread a nice even coat onto the back of your paper, I just precut my paper into small assorted sized squares with a paper cutter.

Press the paper onto the surface and smooth with your fingers. You can reposition it if you need to at this point.

If you have air bubbles, smooth them with whatever you have for a tool.

Now in the middle of the paper, insert the razor blade, and gently slide it using the edging for a guide.

Clean off the blade and repeat on the other side. You start in the middle because the paper will be soft and you don't want the blade to snag or tear the paper.

When you have the whole area covered, with no air bubbles left, and trimmed, put a generous layer of Mod Podge all over the area. Pay attention to how you finish this part off as all the lines, bumps, fingerprints etc WILL be visible when it dries. I recommend spreading it in even strokes in one direction.

Take a damp towel, or paper towel and clean up the trim and hardware if you got some glue on it.

Prop the handle up, if you can, and let her dry. You can add embelishments too. I will be doing that in part two when I do the sides.

Here's the finished top!

I like it!

Part two will be the sides and embelishments... and it's coming whenever my clingy little pudging fingered baby gives me a good nap to get it done!!

Um

2010-04-01T15:22:00.004-04:00

I feel like no one likes my website/blog.

EDIT:
I was having quite a bad day. My little man was screaming most of the day with gas pains, and not sleeping. I'm also quite sleep deprived myself. I wandered on over here and was scrolling through my posts and realized how few comments everything has. It just made me sad. I'm over it now. Thank you to everyone who checks in here regularly!

{Rock on Rylie- Rock on!}

2010-03-30T16:58:00.004-04:00

So there is this little girl. She just turned two in March of this year. She's a happy, darling, sweet as pie little thing.

She always has a smile on her face, she loves her two big sisters. She loves her mommy and her daddy.

She loves Queen... and that right there makes her totally awesome as it is!

BUT....

Just after Christmas time though, her belly swelled up. Her mom thought she was super constipated and took her to the doctor. She was not prepared for the next big change in her life...

The next days went by in a whirl of shock and unknown. Med flights to Boston, being away from the big girls, doctors and IV's, x-rays and cat scans, blood transfusions and receiving platelettes, biopsies and so much more...

and then...

she heard those two words that no one ever wants to hear.

It's Cancer.

Neuroblastoma. In the Liver.

What came next seemed to take forever, but looking back seems like so very long ago.

The tumor is too large to be operated on, the next step is Chemo, stem cells and more...

She spent about 2 months in the hospital in Boston, and is now home with her family. They still have to make 2 hour drives to the hospital for treatments and care many times a week. She did get to celebrate her 2nd birthday at home with her family. She did lose her precious baby hair.

...and she still lights up every single room she is in...

We all got together to support this family, to help this little baby and her Rockin' fight agaist this monster that is inside her.

There are more than 2,500 members on the Prayers for Rylie Facebook group.
We've all followed along on a daily basis, hoping for great news, and crying when there is not so great news.

There's been a few fundraisers, and you can buy your very own "Rock It Rylie" bracelet to show your support.

The hospital bills are just too much...

So, a bunch of loving friends have gotten together to help raise money and we're having the "Rock on Rylie" benefit this Friday. There is also a PayPal link for anyone that can't attend, but would like to make a donation.

I've never met this little girl. I've never even met her mommy. I can't wait until she beats this and we throw the "Rylie Rocked It" party!!

Video Flower Girl Cone Tutorial

2010-03-27T22:08:00.002-04:00

My 1st video tutorial on how to make this lovely Flower Girl Cone. I found making the video to be fun and easier than taking a million pictures and trying to type up what I was doing.

Please let me know what you think! (and please ignore the bad editing job!)

Part 1- You can view it right on youtube.com to see all the wording that is cut out on here.

Part 2

Make em, Sell em, Share em, but please give credit back to http://www.originalandrea.com/
Thank you!

Crack Down

2010-03-19T21:44:00.002-04:00

I've been getting lots of spam comments on my old posts. I had to turn the word verification back on and also stop allowing anonymous comments. Some people can be such a pain. I wonder if they really think anyone is dumb enough to click on their links? Ah well, hopefully I have stopped it. It's annoying.

Pacifier Pouch- Tutorial

2010-03-14T14:05:00.004-04:00

What you will need:

2 pieces of fabric - 7" x 5"

1 piece of terry cloth - 10" x 6"

1 piece of elastic - 7 or 8"

2 pieces of ribbons - 6"

Small Safety Pin
A set of snaps or a small piece of velcro

This will make a pouch that can hold two or three pacifiers. If you want a shorter pouch, reduce the fabric to 4" x 5" and terry to 3" x 6".

Try to cut the terry with one of the finished edges on the 10" side so you don't have to hem it.

Sew the fabric right sides together on three sides, leaving a 5" side open.

Box the corners by lining up the seams and sewing across at about 1.5" in.

Your bottom should now look like this:

Fold the top down about an inch and sew all the way around at 1/4" from fold.

Then sew about 1/4" to 1/2" in from first stitch (this will depend on your elastic width, just make sure you leave enough to be able to pull the elastic through the tube) leave an opening at one of the side seams for pulling the elastic through.

At this point you can put the safety pin on the end of the elastic and pull it through. OR you can sew the liner in leaving a hole to get the elastic in . I did it both ways and found neither way to be easier. If you do the elastic first it's a little tricky to sew the liner in. If you sew the liner in, it's a little tricky to get elastic in.

Sew the ends of the elastic together to secure and tuck into the tube.

Pin the ribbon lining it up with the raw edge on the inside

Sew up the short side of the terry. Sew up the bottom. Box the bottom like the fabric. I didn't take pics, sorry.

Turn the terry pouch right side out, then slip the inside out fabric pouch into the terry pouch. Sew around, this will secure the ribbon straps in.

Heat seal the ribbon ends with a lighter, careful not to let it catch fire!

Fold over the ribbon and apply a snap or velcro.

And now you have a Paci Pouch!

Make em, sell em, gift em! But, give credit where credit is due. xo.

And the winner is...

2010-03-11T08:02:00.000-05:00

Comment # 36 :

Megan: said...

Love it! The Mineral Makeup Blush in Baja Sunset looks really pretty too! Thanks for the opportunity!

Congrats Megan, I will be emailing you!

Check back soon, I've got another totally awesome giveaway coming up!

Best Giveaway and Review EVER!!

2010-03-03T14:02:00.018-05:00

So as everyone knows, I'm sure, spring and summer are just around the corner. I have been hermiting it up in my house all winter with my little man. We are itching to get outside.

Anyone that knows me, knows that I am not able to eat or use any soy products because Peanut can't tolerate soy (and I'm nursing fulltime). When I discovered this issue, I stopped using my makeup. None of my makeup has it's ingredients listed on it, so I couldn't know it was safe. But, with the warm weather quickly approaching I was on a mission to get pretty and get out of the house! Where did I turn? None other then Etsy.com. What did I stumble upon? Bellissima Minerals!!

I needed everything, a whole new face worth of makeup because I have to go to a wedding in a few months. Her shop is so well organized and she has everything a girl could need all in one place. I thought, "hmmmm, mineral makeup- I wonder if it's soy free?" and sure enough she lists all her ingredients in her profile, and it's ALL soy free.

I decided to buy this wonderful kit:

It comes complete with concealer, foundation, mineral veil, bronzer, shadows, blush, gloss, makeup case and brushes! Plus a wonderful guide telling you exactly how to apply it. All with free shipping! This was wonderful for me because I am new to mineral makeup and would have been lost without this great information.

It arrived lightning fast and when I opened up the package it was more than I'd expected. It looked like it came straight from a boutique! Each pot is professionally labeled, no injet avery labels here!! Thay are all sealed with a heat sealed plastic ring. Inside each the sifter is also sealed so the powder wasn't all dumped into the lid! The brushes came in their own sleeve that closes with a snap, and the makeup pouch is the perfect size.

I ran to the bathroom, opened everything up, read the guide and started applying. I've never EVER been a foundation user. I have the finest little hairs all over my face, and when I use creamy foundations, all you can see is my hairs and I look like teen wolf. Ok, maybe not that bad, but bad enough to not use them. I was skeptical to say the least, that this foundation wouldn't do the same thing.

Then, miraculaously- it didn't cling to my little hairs! You couldn't see them at all! It went on so smoothly, it covered perfectly, I looked like a million bucks. The lip pot I received also turned my chapped lips smooth within a few hours and tastes and smells AWESOME!

Here's my after face... I'm not even ever remotely this pretty without my new mineral makeup on!

Now when I just need a little color, I apply some of the eye shadows and lip gloss, and they last ALL day! The bestest part about mineral makeup? You can apply it dry OR wet! You can add a little water, lotion, gel etc to any of the powders and it magically transforms the makeup and darkens it. The how-to is all in the wonderful makeup guide that is included with the kits.

What else can you find in her shop?

How about these lucious soaps?

Any shade of eye shadow you need!

A make your own lip gloss kit!!!! (one I will be saving up for!)

... and beautiful shades of the softest most vibrant minerals-

She also has a second shop LipSync where you can get all sorts of great lip pots!

They also offer 1/2 price refills of your mineral makeup containers under their recycle program! What a deal!!!

What she is giving away today is amazing! You will get this 7 piece sample set in either light or medium, your choice! It's got everything you need to get started with mineral makeup. See the listing for all the details. Pick up a few mineral shadows in your favorite shades and you will have it all!

I'm also going to send the winner this great summer tote, it's completely reversible and has a pocket on each side. Perfect size for a change of clothes for the beach!

Here's what to do to enter this contest up to 20 times!!

Sorry US entries only.

Mandatory: 1 entry for visiting Bellissima Minerals on etsy and commenting here what your favorite item is.

Extra entries (leave a separate comment for each one. ie: fan my facebook, leave 2 comments) if you are already doing any of these, just put in the correct amount of comments with "Already a follower of ______" - Fine Print: leave your email address on your first entry if it's not public in your profile. Winner has 48 hours to respond to my email, or a new winner will be chosen.

1 entry - follow this blog through Google reader

2 entries - fan Andrea's Originals on facebook

1 entry - follow Bellissa Mineral's blog through Google reader

2 entries - follow Bellissa Minerals on facebook

3 entries- sign up for Bellissa Mineral's newsletter where you can also sign up for 5 free samples!

2 entries- blog about this giveaway and leave a link to your post

1 entries- tweet about this giveaway and leave your @username - you can do this once per day (6 extra entries, baby!)

2 entries- add my Andrea's Originals button to your blog (code in the left hand column)

5 entries - purchase something from Bellissa Minerals etsy store

Super Fine Print: Winner will be chosen by random.org, no purchase nessecessary for first 15 entries. You will receive two separate packages, one from Andrea's Originals, and one from Bellissa Minerals. Shades can be substituted for no charge. Entries can be posted until 11:59pm EST on March 10th. Winner will be chosen on March 11th in the AM. Good luck!

Ok, I've done it now!!

2010-02-27T16:57:00.001-05:00

So on a bit of a whim, I have decided to start up a custom invitation shop on Etsy! I'll hopefully be adding a ton more designs and I'm very excited. I prefer graphic design over accounting and have always felt like I was in the wrong line of work... here's a few samples, but check out all my current customizable invites here. Also, if you would like a completely custom theme/design just pop me an email!!

Free Farm Party Printouts!!

2010-02-24T21:43:00.002-05:00

Colton will be turning ONE in just a few months (ticker on the left of this page) and we're going to have a farm party. I've been designing all kinds of printables and have decided to share them here. You will want to download the files from these Google Docs links:

Invite ~ Cupcake Wrappers

Don't resize the cupcake wrappers. The invitation is formatted to print on one full sheet of paper. The best way to print it smaller is to insert it into a Word document and make it the size you want. 2 per page would print nicely.

Invitation can be personalized with any wording you want for only $10. Contact me if you need this done. andreasoriginals@gmail.com and check out my new custom invitation store on etsy.com for way more invitation choices! Fairies, construction, mermaid, strawberries, and more!!

Also doing 100% custom orders of invites and cupcake wrappers. Contact me with your theme and we'll work something out!

Enjoy!!

Quiet Book Time

2010-02-17T23:13:00.003-05:00

Want to build a Quiet Book??

Then read my launch post on my new blog here:

http://quietbookclub.blogspot.com/

-Follow
-Bookmark
-Share

Page 1 coming soon...

{What's Up?}

2010-02-17T18:51:00.004-05:00

I've got some great stuff in the works. I have been on a mini "Stay-cation" since my December was crazy with making homemade gifts and doing custom orders.

I decided to step away from sewing and blogging and take 6 weeks to gather myself up, and care for and play with my wonderful little baby! He's doing great and is almost 8 months old already!!!

So I'm picking up the pace as fast as he will now let me and will start sewing (have about 20 crayon totes prepped for sewing) and will start blogging again. I'm also trying to line up a few giveaways for the near future, so check back soon!!

Here's a great shot from our Valentine's Day photo shoot at home. Love these kids!

Convert a baby shirt into a onsie- Tutorial

2009-12-24T18:43:00.006-05:00

I don't know about you, but my baby is a handful. If he doesn't wear a onsie, it's just a mess, his shirt is in his armpits, he's hard to handle, etc. I'm not sure why clothes manufacturers even make shirts for babies that DON'T snap under the diaper!! So I needed my Colton's Christmas top to be a onsie, but be a cute looking top still. We found a great cowboy shirt for him, my big boy, and of course one from Daddy's closet (because daddy want's to BE a cowboy) Here's how I turned it into a onsie...Here's what you will need- your cute top, a junk onsie that you will cut up, and a onsie that fits well (for a guide)-

Lay your top on top of the good onsie matching up the shoulders:

Then lay your second onsie on top of that and line up the bottom and legs holes. Mark where you will need to cut... remember to allow about 1/2 inch on the bottom of your top and another 1/2 inch on the top of the onsie for seam allowance.

Cut your onsie straight across- I used a rotary cutter

Prepare the top- turn your tension all the way down and your stitch length all the way up to get a nice loose stitch. Straight stitch without backstitching all the way around your top. Then take the bobbin thread and gently pull to gather the shirt.

Lay your top right side out inside the onsie bottom, which should be inside out. be sure to re-button your top if you need to.

Line up the side seams and adjust the top as needed to line up with the onsie. Pin at the side seems and then at a few spots around.

Sew a basting stitch around. Be sure to put your tension and stitch length back. I sewed with the onsie facing down so the presser foot would grab the whole thing evenly. If you sew with the gathered side down, it will probably get caught in the presser foot.I checked it out after sewing the basting stitch, removed all the pins and then did a nice zig-zag all the way around.

I trimmed the bottom seam of the top off to reduce the bulk.

There you have it- a top turned onsie! Sew easy. xoxo

Got my SSS Gift today!!

2009-12-22T16:51:00.004-05:00

It's 3 very delicious vanilla scented soy candles!! Mmmmm... so yummy I could just eat them up, good thing I can't eat soy! :)
Thank you to my swap partner, they are great!

The Port-a-Chair

2009-11-30T15:47:00.004-05:00

So I had been admiring this fabric high chair at This Mama Makes Stuff and was super excited when she put up a tutorial about it.

We have a slight problem with that the little guy is only 5 months old (today) and is almost outgrowing his infant carrier. The problem lies in the fact that if we take the car with the convertable car seat in it, we can't put the little guy in a shopping cart and are forced to either carry him or put him in a dirty, cold infant seat attached to a cart.

So with Carrie's cool tutorial, I was able to make a portable seat that I can fit into the shopping cart!! I'm also going to make a standard shopping cart cover to protect him from other crud in the carts... but this is going to make things so much easier!!

Free Lil' Whimsey!

2009-11-30T13:58:00.004-05:00

All December long- get a free Lil' Whimsey (Your Choice) with

ANY purchase from my Etsy Store!!

Also Mention you are a blog follower, facebook fan, or twitter follower (in the "notes to seller" section) and get 10% off your order.

New Stuff in time for Christmas!

2009-11-25T12:32:00.004-05:00

I just listed a bunch of Lil' Whimseys. They are gift card holders that can be reused for ID's Credit Cards, Business Cards, and all of them will hook to a keychain! Only $3 each, and listings going up for multiples for $avings!!

Also listed a big bunch of Fall/Winter Whimsey Wallets. I have a listing up to get them 2 for $10! That's only $5.00 each... great stocking stuffers!

Felt FOOOOOD

2009-11-24T16:50:00.003-05:00

Disclaimer- Amy don't look... and don't show Caraline. xoxo

So, in an effort to keep Christmas 'Handmade' here is the gift that I chose to make for my 4 year old Niece.... felt food!

BREAKFAST: Eggs Bacon and Pancakes with Syrup and Butter.

LUNCH: Balogna or PB&J Sandwich with Chips (see last pic for the insides of the sandwich)

SNACK: Banana and Strawberries

Oh, the banana comes out of it's peel...

DINNER: Bowtie Pasta and Chicken Nuggets. I have many more bowties to assemble, they are killing me!

DESSSERT: These are my favorites of all of it- Swiss Rolls, Frosted Cookies, Lollipops, and Popcicles... mmmmm....

And to bring it along- a roll up stove and cutting board with butcher knife, and some carrots...

And also a sink and placemat mat. Both mats roll and tie with ribbon. I forgot to take a photo.

Sink handle detail, my husband got a kick out of this part...

And here are the sandwich guts, I have two more slices of bread to sew up.

I made all of this in the evenings while watching TV... it's mostly handsewed I started with my sewing machine and clear thread, but that was a huge pain. I freehand cut all of it. I used a bowl to get the large circles to be round.

I hope she's going to love it!

The Color Book!

2009-11-21T22:32:00.004-05:00

When my older son was little, he had a great board book titled 'Colors'. We read it all the time and all it was was a page of items that were all the same color. By reading I mean I would open to a page and say "Red Flower" or "Orange Umbrella"... By 17 months old (His second Christmas) he knew all the basic colors.

I don't have the book, and can't find one like it. So tonight I took matters into my own hands. Through Vistaprint I was able to order a "Free" photo flip book.

So I created 10 pages at 16X20 inches each (to get high resolution) and uploaded them to Vistaprint. I did pay $2.99 for a plastic cover, and $6 shipping, but for $9.00 I have exactly what I wanted. I found the pictures on the web and luckily was able to get most of them with white backgrounds.

Here's what the pages look like (click to enlarge):

Just want to whine a little...

2009-11-20T18:34:00.003-05:00

I'm cold. My new house is cold. It makes me shiver and makes me cold. I hate New England.

The hubs and I are not exchanging gifts this year - BUT if we were, I'd ask for a heated lap blanket. I'm sick of shivering every night when I go to bed.

It's only NOVEMBER! Ugh.

Ok, done whining ;)

[there is stuff in the works]

2009-11-20T10:27:00.004-05:00

Oh.... lots of stuff in the works... it's slow going, but it's going... and pretty soon it will all be ready and you better love it. :) Well, why wouldn't you?
On another note- I have 2 sewing patterns now listed in my shop. Easy to read, easy to follow!

And I leave you with this... *snarl*

I should have been a ballerina!

2009-11-09T10:33:00.002-05:00

So I just finished this ballerina wall hanger for my oldest niece. (Don't tell her about it!) And I'm very happy with how it came out.

Will special make these for you for $30~ In any color. (I will only make about $2-$3 profit at that price because OMG materials are so darn expensive!!)

It can either hang on the wall as a decoration, or you can clip your bows and barrettes to the ribbons that hang at the skirt, and tuck photos or hang jewelry in the waist ribbons and hang headbands or jewelry around the shoulders.

And the NEW winner is....

2009-11-06T17:13:00.002-05:00

Jennifer said...
I tweeted. my handle is jennatffp
October 27, 2009 11:03 PM

CONGRATS!!!

I will be emailing you!

(I only did comments through 86 because I did not count the deleted one)

My First Giveaway (and a review)!!

2009-10-25T14:34:00.017-04:00

I recently had the pleasure of reviewing a new- about to be released- pattern for a fellow artisan who has created a line of the MOST awesome bag patterns. The line is Aivilo Charlotte @ http://www.easytosew.com/ and you can purchase her patterns on her website, through Etsy and also on I Can Make This!

Her great patterns are SOOOOO easy to use (I have a few that I purchased and I love them!) They are in english, are filled with photos to help along the way, and she tells you how to do everything step by step, even things like adding a snap.

So I was so excited that I was chosen to be a tester of her soon to be released Large Pleated Carry-All. It has these totally great outside pockets that look more like a fancy bag design than like pockets!

So in celebration of another birthday that I am having soon... I'm giving away this lovely tote:

Here's how you can win this lovely bag:

Go to http://easytosew.com/ and tell me what pattern design you like (even if you don't sew)- This is manditory to win.

Extra Entries- leave a separate coment for each one:

2 entries- Become a fan of Andrea's Originals on Facebook

3 entries- Follow my blog through google (link on the right)

1 entry- Place my button on your website

1 entry- Heart my Etsy Shop

5 entries- Blog about this giveaway and leave a link

1 entry- Follow Andrea's Originals on Twitter

1 Entry- Tweet about this giveaway - up to once a day (be sure to come back and let me know daily) You can use this text: #originalandrea is having a giveaway! http://bit.ly/1Vwb9P

You must leave a separate comment for EACH entry- 3 entries=3 comments. You can do as many or as few that you like, you do not need to do them all to qualify except the first one.

Giveaway ends November 3rd at 11:59 pm. Winner will be chosen by random.org and has 48 hours to contact me to claim their prize or the prize will be forfeited. If your email is not in your profile, please leave it with your first comment, or check back here on November 4th to see if you've won.

Click here to post your entries

Swap Time!

2009-10-24T22:23:00.006-04:00

So I participated in the Tip Junkie Trade Secrets swap. My partner was Sarah from Create Studio.

So my cute little package arrived, all pink (I ♥ Pink) and nicely wrapped:

Inside was the most adorably wrapped little presents all in pink and yellow... note the adorable elephant tag!

And inside the little wrapped up gifts were the cutest little things-
A card
A key fob
Two Clips with ribbon loops (these will be great for holding my little one's items close to him)
And a hanging magnet board that looks so cut in my kitchen!
Sarah also included the matching extra ribbon from the key fob so I can add it to a bag that matches. How exciting!!

Thank you so much Sarah!

To see what I sent to Sarah check out her blog where she will be posting her swap gifts soon.

Next up- I'm doing a Secret Santa Swap with Decisionally Challenged!

Baby Crinkle Toy Tutorial

2009-10-23T14:19:00.005-04:00

Here's a little something I whipped up for my 4 month old. He loves ribbon taggies, stuffies, and crinkly toys, so I thought I'd put the three together.

You will need:

A ball of fiberfil
Some cellophane (even a wipe package or chip bag would work)
Two pieces of flannel, cotton, or fleece in whatever shape you want- make sure they are about 6" in diameter.
Some 3" & 4" ribbon scraps.
Pins, Sewing machine, thread.

Loop your ribbons and pin them onto the right side one piece of material- loops toward the center.
Sew a basting stitch all the way around to secure ribbons and remove pins.

Place your other piece of fabric right side down on your ribbon piece. Then lay your cellophane on top and pin once in the center. Sew using a 1/4" seam, leave a 3" or so hole for turning, trim off extra cellophane and clip corners, turn.

Get a small ball of fiberfil. This is to make a "poof" in the center.

Place the fiberfil in and pin opening shut. At this point you could also add a bell, or maybe a small rattle type cat toy (if it fits inside).

Sew around shape, pushing fiberfil into the center. I used a 1/4" seam the first time around, and then secured it again with a stitch between the 1/4" and edge to secure the ribbons down.

Insert a link toy so you canhook it to stuff.

Then get a cute baby in a ducky jumper (ducky optional)

And let him go to town!

Happy Birthday to Me ~ SALE!!!

2009-10-17T08:11:00.000-04:00

It's my birthday on November 3rd!! To celebrate I'm having a 3 week sale from October 17th through November 7th- Buy any item from my shop and get another of equal or lesser value for 50% off, buy any 2 items from my shop and get a third item for 75% off!

[Small Print: Discounted item of equal or lesser value. Refund via PayPal, and sale is only good on items listed in my shop, not custom orders.]

Looking for pattern testers!

2009-10-12T22:09:00.003-04:00

I need a few pattern testers. Test and keep the PDF bag patterns that I have written for items I have designed.

You will need to supply your own materials.
Patterns cannot be used to produce items for sale without my permission.
I would like the test completed within 7-10 days.
I expect clear & constructive feedback.

Sound like you?

THEN...

1. Follow my blog or become a fan of my facebook (links on the right).
2. Heart my Etsy shop if you are an Etsy member.
3. Please fill in the form below:

Loading...

New Laptop

2009-10-09T23:03:00.002-04:00

So I broke down and bought a new laptop. My broke a few weeks ago, hence the lack of postings on here. I have all my photos and projects saved in another computer and in 2 thumb drives. Once I find it all, I'm going to get my act together.

I'm going to be making a graveyard cake this week, and then a Christmas advent tree soon. The advent tree is something I started about 6 years ago, boxed up and then forgot about until we moved this past spring. I was happy I found it.

And how about a photo of my very happy 3 month old?

Baby Knot Ears Hat Tutorial!

2009-09-23T14:02:00.008-04:00

This hat should fit a baby from 0-9 months or so. If you use this to make hats to sell, please kindly credit back to http://originalandrea.com/.~Thank youTUTORIAL:You will need a 1/4 yard of jersey knit material and matching thread.

Cut two rectangles about 8" x 4"for the hat band
Cut four rectangles 2" x 6" and cut the tops to a point like in the photo for the "ears"
Cut two rectangles about 8" x6" - Round the top corners.

(**Hint- to round them identically, lay the fabric down together, round one corner, fold in half matching bottom corners and round the other side to match. Sorry I didn't take a pic of that)

Sew the 8x4 pieces together on the short sides only- right sides together.

Sew the two sets of "ears" together- right sides together.

Clip the corners of the ears and turn right side out. Pin each onto one side of hat piece pointing down (near the rounded top). Baste into place.

Lay second hat piece on top and pin, right side down. Sew around from one bottom corner to the other bottom corner.

Fold band piece in half so it's right side out and match raw edge to edge of hat (keep hat inside out) it should look like the photo. This is tricky for me to explain.

Sew with a zig-zag stitch all the way around. Photo shows the zig zag on the hat after it's been sewn turned rightside out.

Turn the band up so the raw edge is inside between the band and the hat and sew a little tack stitch on each side at the top of the band. Tie a knot in each "ear".

Put it on your adorable baby and get ready for ooo's and ahh's.

Hello Kitty!

2009-09-21T15:32:00.004-04:00

Just finished up this Hello Kitty bag for a friend of a friend to give to her granddaughter. I think it came out pretty cute. I kept the coordinating fabrics solid as to not draw away from the print fabric. I also feel like the patch gives it a little extra flair!

Visit my giveaway

2009-09-18T17:36:00.006-04:00

Lubirdbaby is hosting a giveaway of 2 of my personalized feeding and diapering charts.

Click here to find out how to win!

On another note- here's my own baby:

He's just 11 weeks old!

{Freebie Found!}

2009-09-16T09:46:00.001-04:00

Free portrait package at The Picture People!

{Enter a great giveaway today}

2009-09-15T14:20:00.001-04:00

Enter to win a great animal shaped humidifier from Crane here: http://agiveawayeveryday.blogspot.com/2009/09/crane-humidifiers-giveaway.html

Cinnamon Dessert Pizza- Just like a Cinnapie from Papa John!

2009-09-11T15:16:00.003-04:00

Since I don't live even remotely close to a Papa John's, and I sit on my bottom all day watching TV (not really lol)... I'm so craving a "Cinnapie" from there... but alas, I cannot have one. So I MADE one for listing on my other blog- Milk Free Recipes- and you can too. Let me tell ya, this was one darned delish little number...

DOUGH:

3/4 C. Water
1 T. Olive Oil
1 T. Sugar
1 1/2 t. Salt
2 1/4 C. Flour
1 t. Yeast

Bread mixer recipe: add ingredients to your mixer in order of manual. Set to "Pizza Dough". When cycle ends punch down and then spread on oiled pizza pan.

Hand Mixing recipe: Foam yeast and sugar in warm water for 5 minutes. Add dry ingredients slowly and mix by hand when dough becomes stiff. Turn onto floured surface and knead for 5 minutes.

Oil a bowl and place dough ball inside. Cover with moistened (not dripping wet) towel and put in a warm place for about an hour until doubled in size. Punch down and then spread on oiled pizza pan.

Or- use a pre-made dough from the store on your oiled pizza pan.

Streusel:

1 C. Flour
1/2 C. Brown sugar- packed
1 T. Cinnamon
6 T. Butter or margarine (not light)

Mix flour, sugar and cinnamon in bowl. Dice up CHILLED butter/margarine and add to dry mix. Mix with hands until you can form a sort of "snow-ball" with mixture. Try to leave crumbles big and spread over pizza dough.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until dough bottom is golden.

Sugar Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar mixed with 1-2 tablespoons water or milk.

Drizzle glaze on cooked pie when it is fresh out of the oven.
Let sit for 5 minutes, cut and serve warm.

Eat your heart out Papa Johns!

Fall is in the air...

2009-09-11T12:51:00.002-04:00

And that means that Christmas is just around the corner!

If you were thinking about ordering a custom item from me for gift giving this year, now would be the time to get your order in.

Maybe a wallet, checkbook cover, or bag for someone special in your life? How about a coordinating set of all 3?

Maybe you have a sweet baby to buy for? How about a taggy blanky, burp clothes, or a diaper bag?

Know a super little kid? How about a pull-string backpack, or a crayon purse or roll-up. Maybe a pillow to match their room?

Have an idea- just send it my way and I will get working on it.

I can also special make Halloween costumes. Those are a "MUST ORDER" before Sept 30th!

Introducing the Whimsey Wallet!!

2009-09-08T13:12:00.003-04:00

So I've been working on these for a little while. I finally have enough of them made to stock up my store. I will be adding them a few at a time because in Etsy land it's better to space out your listings.

For only $7.50 + $2.50 shipping you can enjoy your very own Whimsey Wallet, and who knows if you order a "Pick-a-bag" you might get a matching Whimsey Wallet also!

So in the works are a few more goodies - which I will be working on between custom orders. And Halloween in right around the corner- so that means COSTUME TIME! I will be taking custom orders on costumes also.

Pick-a-bag! - New Fabric Choices!

2009-09-05T09:30:00.001-04:00

Here's something fun- I'm going to call it "Pick-a-bag". First pick a bag style, then pick your print, email me at andrea@originalandrea.com your order and in about a week or less you will have a new bag! The material is a very nice canvas like fabric. Very durable, and extremely vibrant. Only $40.

Disclaimer- I will pick the liner material (it will match) and I can only make these bag styles with these prints due to available quantity and the weight of the material.

Pick Bag A or B:

Bag A finished size is 19 tall" x 17" wide. (Tote bag sized.)

Bag A The Natalie Bag:

Bag B is 12" tall x 16" wide. (Pocket book sized)

Bag B, The Kiki Bag:

Now pick your fabric- The top fabric will be the band/handles and the bottom fabric will be the bag:

Snazzy:

Swoon:

Spicy:

Fiesta:

Tropical:

Sassy:

Cherry Love:

Giveaway!!

2009-09-03T15:32:00.000-04:00

"Frugal-Freebies.com is having a great Soft Lips LipBalm giveaway, with two lip balm set prizes! Stop by before midnight Sept 14th EST to enter to win! "

New Item in my etsy shop!

2009-09-01T15:40:00.003-04:00

So I can't really sew right now. Dr's orders!

I'm going crazy, my house is clean, my laundry is done and put away, and my baby is sleeping. What to do?

Well, I did THIS.

CLICK HERE to see more about it in my etsy shop!

It's a custom diapering and feeding schedule for new parents. Since we are still having tummy troubles with our 2 month old, and I can never EVER remember which side I last fed him on, I was thinking about finding one like this. Well, I couldn't. So since I'm bored crazy, I made one up and decided "Hey, I can offer these to other new parents too!"

Let me know what you think!

Injury

2009-08-27T15:30:00.002-04:00

I have a really horrible neck problem right now, so I can't sew. :(

I'm so tempted to try. Maybe I can convince my back and neck that it's good for those muscles to get used while they hurt. haha.

Well I'm ice on for 20 minutes, off for 60 minutes and seeing a Chiropractor to try to straighten this out. I'm so bummed.

My wonderful hubby cracked down and cut out a bunch of stuff for me to sew once I'm feeling better. He knows I hate the cutting out the worst.

Well, off to get my ice pack!

Giveaways today!

2009-08-25T12:16:00.005-04:00

Cool giveaway at Born2Impress . It's a zipper crib sheet. Check it out!

Also, a giveaway from Carolina Pad.

And a Cool Diaperbag giveaway!

And one last one for today Alfonso de Nicola giveaway!

The "Chicken Flavored" Mary-Lou

2009-08-25T11:27:00.002-04:00

Can I just say I LOVE THIS BAG! I'm going to have a hard time giving it up...

It still needs a good ironing, but it's just SO FUN!

Another custom Mary-Lou bag. This one is a nice heavy weight material with pockets and a key fob. So cute.

Click on images to enlarge:

Today's Bag

2009-08-24T21:13:00.003-04:00

So here is another custom order for a Mary-Lou bag. This one is in black and white with a black sash. It has a key fob and lots of inner pockets. I'm very happy with this in black and white.

I'm also working on a PDF pattern for the Mary-Lou bag. Email me if interested.

Click for larger images:

Also finished up this cute little flower headband:

Which is available to purchase in my Etsy Store!

New Sig Tag

2009-08-22T21:48:00.001-04:00

Thanks to this website, I was able to get 345 new and awesome fonts (I lost all my wonderful fonts when I forgot to save them and re-formatted my dumb broken laptop... and lost my favorites too, which was HORRIBLE!) anyway, I stumbled on this site: http://www.kevinandamanda.com/ and fell in love! So I made up a little sig tag and attached it to all of my posts. Yeah... almost 100% happy with my website's look, almost.

Fabtabulous Friday

2009-08-21T16:15:00.003-04:00

So my Friday started off with some confusion, and once that was cleared up my little guy was attached to me all day! Well, when he finally feel asleep for about the 4th time, I thought I should work on something quick.

So I had this pile of 1/2 circles cut out for ages... ok, well maybe a week, and I just started sewing. I tried one at a time for these, but it was dumb like that so I started the assembly line... and so it went-

1st I sewed the front and back together

2nd I turned them all

3rd I cut out the ribbons

4th I sewed them all in half

And TA-DA... A little army of Pee-Pee Tee Pees.

So cute.

So I ended up with only 3 really wonky ones that I plan to use for my little guy, but over all I'm happy with the results.

I have a few more fabrics I will also be converting to Pee-Pee Tee Pees, and then....

What are they for? Well I'll tell you some other time, but currently they are not for sale (yet).

Have a wonderful weekend!

~♥ Andrea

A cool giveaway!

2009-08-21T14:43:00.000-04:00

http://lillyella.blogspot.com/2009/08/spotlight-gracie-designs.html head on over and enter. All you have to do it leave one quick comment to win!!

Another Custom Order

2009-08-20T18:27:00.004-04:00

Today I completed Chris' bag. She asked for something really flashy and purple, so I found something really flashy and purple! Here's a great purple Tootsie Bag:

I know the color isn't showing up too well. If it was sunny I'd take it ouside for a glamour shot, but it's not sunny currently.

Click to enlarge:

I figured I would jump ahead on the to-do list since two other bags on the list can't be delivered until the end of next week anyhow. Have all the stuff cut out for two more bags and 2 cute baby flower headbands. Tomorrow is another day! ~♥ Andrea

My newest bag

2009-08-19T22:01:00.003-04:00

Firstly, this is my bag. My very own Andrea's Original!! lol. For some reason I've never really carried my own bag except for that first one I made that got ruined. So now that I have the world's cutest baby, I needed the world's best diaper bag and here it is:

(Click for larger images)

Secondly, this bag took me an entire day. The fact that it's all mine though is worth it. Seriously though, if you ask me to make one of these for you, you better be ready to spend about $60-$80 on it because it just takes THAT LONG!! But, I have seen less attractive baby bags selling for twice that. My neck and back are killing, so I'm signing off!!~♥ Andrea

Super Easy Summer Swaddle Tutorial

2009-08-19T09:28:00.007-04:00

So I have this adorable little baby. In the evenings, he's a very crabby little baby. It could be the heat, as we've been at or above 80 degrees for the last week or so. I'm not complaining about that though as it's better than the 2 full months of rain we had in May/June.

So last night, out of sheer new parent frustration with the heat and swaddling (the flannel blankets are not only getting too small, but they are WAY too thick for this weather) Daddy wanted to cut up a tee shirt to make a cooler swaddle. I had some jersey material, and we tried that first, but it was too stretchy, the kid is like David Blaine!!

So then I remembered this huge chunk of fabric that was already pre-washed and was like 50 cents a yard (not kidding, it was Joann Red-tag on sale for 50% off. )

It's not very stretchy, but thin and soft. So here's the tutorial...

-Take 1 1/4 yards of lightweight, non-stretchy, pre-washed fabric.

-If your fabric is longer than that like mine was- Fold one corner up to the opposite straight side to form a large triangle and cut the rest of the fabric off (use Pinking Shears here if doing this step). This will give you a really nice square shape.

Trim the cut edges with pinking shears to prevent frays.

And there you have it, a nice, large swaddle that you can use even in the hottest summer heat. And for less than a dollar if you shop like me! Our 7 week old, once in this swaddle, slept from 10:10pm until 6:20am. Not even kidding! And he woke up happy, hungry- but happy!

If you are more ambitious than I am today- you can sew a hemmed edge on both the cut sides. Or, you can sew a stitch about 1/2 inch in from each cut side, then wash so that it gets a cute raggy look. I just pinked it because I'm looking for function, not fashion.

How to swaddle your fussing little cutie patootie
~♥ Andrea

Natalie's Bag and other stuff

2009-08-18T14:10:00.002-04:00

So here's a new bag I finished today. I might call this one "The Natalie" because I made it for Natalie. It's fully lined has 3 pockets and a pen pocket inside, and a nice key fob that lines up with one pocket. It's got the cutest fabric button on the front and I'm thinking that when I'm past my suitcase sized diaperbag days, I may want my own Natalie Bag. ;)

I had a little extra fabric so I made the matching coin purse/mini wallet for some practice because I picked up TONS of cheap scraps and fat quarters yesterday to make more of them.

I have 4 more bags ordered and I'm very excited!! Next up is Keri's Bag and my 1st attempt at quilting... fingers crossed!

Then My mom's "Chicken Flavored" Mary-Lou bag- You'll understand that one soon.

And, a pretty Purple Tootsie bag for Chris, and another Mary-Lou bag in black and white for Kelly. Oooo... I'm so excited, and totally NOT bored anymore!!

Soon I will also be making my new diaper bag. Yippee!!

So prepare to see some adorable and affordable coin purses/wallets made out of these bad boys:

Sorry not enough there to make any large bags, but could 'possibly' get more if you see something you like- not making promises though.

~♥ Andrea

The MACHINE!

2009-08-17T11:40:00.003-04:00

So, my mom gave me this bread machine. I heart it. I never used it, and left it back at my old apartment with my friend (in her attic).

So the baby was having tummy problems and I quit milk products, but then I was advised to quit soy also. Soooo, every loaf of bread, rolls, etc has some type of soy in it. So in preparation of my potential soy boycot, I had the hubby pick up The Machine.

My 1st loaf was a french loaf, and I fed some of it to friends, who now want a bread machine. I only had all purpose flour on hand, yet the loaf still came out softer and more flavorful than a store bought bread. Go figure!

So in my quest to find numminess- and with my love for all things cinnamon... I created this yesterday:

That's right it's a Cinnamon Sugar Swirl bread!

It's got one really pathetic swirl in the wrong spot! But I have an excuse, I actually stopped nursing mid-feeding and went to roll out the dough and add the swirl. I rushed. The next one will be prettier!

This morning I had a little toasted cinnamon bread with my milk free Smart Balance. I'm not going soy free because the baby seems to be getting better.

But I will STILL be making all kids of bread... Not sure why everyone doesn't own one of these. Sure it's the size of a mini-fridge, but it's SO EASY!

Pour in a few ingredients, push a button or two and 3 hours later- fresh bread!And it smells SO GOOD!!

Here are my 2 loaves in some bread bags. (About $1 for 94 "food storage bags with ties" at the grocery store.)And here is the Yummy recipe (my own recipe that is, also posted in my recipe blog), you could also add raisins right before the second knead, but I don't heart raisins.

Cinnamon Sugar Bread

For use in a bread machine.

1 Cup Water
3 Tablespoon Canola Oil
3 1/2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Salt
3 Cups Bread Machine Flour
2 Teaspoons Yeast

Also:
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
~AND~
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Add top list of ingredients to bread machine in according to machine's instructions.

Settings: White bread, light crust.

Right before the last rise, pause machine, take dough out to a floured surface and roll out flat. Pour on the 1/4 C Sugar and 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon onto dough, roll up tight and curl up ends. (You might need a little water to seal the roll shut before curling it up.)

Place back into machine and press start.

When baking starts, open top, sprinkle on 1 Tablespoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon and spritz with a little water. Close lid to finish baking.

Enjoy!

I Heart Bread!

2009-08-16T21:14:00.004-04:00

So, I'm completely in love with my bread machine. More tomorrow.

Fabtabulous Friday!!

2009-08-14T17:49:00.006-04:00

So today I buckled down and used two of my favorite prints to make my new Tootsie Bag! For sale now in my Etsy Store!

Tomorrow we are getting the guys haircuts (hopefully), heading over to Nana's for a little while, and then Sunday we are taking the baby to see my grandparents, then dropping Ian off with my mother after we do a little school clothes shopping.I can't believe it's only about 2 weeks until school starts up again. This was my first summer not working in just about my entire life and boy did it zoom by. While I can't wait for school to start again (for boredom's sake) I'm saddened that my first born will be going to middle school this year. A place where I, his mother, does not know a living soul. Where I, his mother, will not be greeted with a big "Hello" from the staff when I walk into the office. What a big transition. Seems like only yesterday he was a little peanut with his oversized backpack and cute spiderman lunch box.
And when I'm lamenting over his senior year, I'll be marching my last born into first grade to do it all over again! Oi... what was I thinking? Well, at least they're cute kids!Have a lovely weekend!~♥ Andrea

Today's giveaway finds...

2009-08-13T21:27:00.004-04:00

Here are some great giveaways. All you gotta do is visit the links and then leave a few comments and you're In like Flinn!

Here's a notecard giveaway on B is for Brown.

Here's a great jewelry giveaway on Lillyella.

Good luck!

New Flickr stuff

2009-08-13T13:41:00.006-04:00

So I decided to add all my photos of my work to my flickr.com account.

I had most of them in separate listings on my old wordpress blog, but I couldn't personalize wordpress like I wanted to, so I came here (just 2 weeks ago!) and love this blogging software far better.

So in order to get my work back up and visible, I uploaded every picture of my stuff that I have between two computers and will continue to add things as they are created.

Enjoy!

Mmm... Granola Bars- With a Milk free twist!

2009-08-12T17:26:00.005-04:00

So I love love love this blog! And she has a posting for these delicious looking granola bars.

So I'm going to re-do the recipe for my milk intolerant boys:

Chewy Granola Bars Recipe:
2 1/2 c. Oats – quick rolled oats
1/2 c. Rice Krispies
1/4 c. coconut
1/2 c. dairy free chocolate chips (Ghirardelli semi-sweet chips are milk free where I live)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. Fleishmann's unsalted sticks
1/4 c. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Add all of the ingredients and mix together until combined. Press into a square 8×8 pan. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and score into bars. Let it set completely and then cut into bars. For thinner bars, press mix into a 9×13 pan. They seem to set a little better in the 9×13 pan. For additional topping ideas visit my Mini Chip Granola Bars post.

Going to head off to the grocery store tomorrow for the ingredients. Mmmm!

~♥ Andrea

And, can you believe it? Another awesome giveaway-

2009-08-11T17:10:00.001-04:00

Here's another cool giveaway that I stumbled on. I love's the interwebs. I really do. ♥

Oh boy, another giveaway!

2009-08-11T16:59:00.003-04:00

Here's a really good one, I stumbled on this adorable little bag on Etsy, and then followed the link to this awesome blog, and then I entered this giveaway.

So easy! You should try it out too. ♥