The Summer Faux Wrap Top Pattern is Here!

Well, I eeked this one in here in the knick of time to keep my promise from yesterday! Enjoy!



Free pattern is here!

Come Check Out My Latest!

Click on the Fresh Off the Bolt tab above to see my latest project! I'll be posting a free pattern and tutorial tomorrow if you wanna try making one for your little girl! 

DIY My Little Pony Party Decor

In less than a month, my K is going to turn 5 and her latest obsession, My Little Pony, was chosen as the theme. Apparently, she's not the only one who's obsessed because when I started doing some more research into the subject, I learned that TONS of people, not just little girls, are equally addicted to these cute ponies. There's even a term to describe such people: bronies. According to Urban Dictionary: The term used to describe the fan community(usually of the older group, males and females) of the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

So, are you a brony??? =) 

The last couple of nights, I've stayed up well past midnight to make some stuff for her party because I hate paying for overpriced party decor that doesn't even fulfill the vision I have in my head! And believe me, I have a lot of visions and I just can't help but DIY everything because that's the only way I'll get rid of some of those visions and get what I want. Are you other crazy crafty chicks with me here??? I know I can't be the only one. ;-)

All right, so up above, my trip to the Dollar Tree yielded some fun, pony-centric stuff! Aren't those foam signs just perfect??? Keep reading to see what I made with those!

K is obsessed with Rarity, the fashion-designing pony. No surprise there, huh? Just like her mama, that's why! So I figured we would go with a Rarity's Boutique them ~ complete with a fashion store and hair and makeup 'counter.' 

Isn't that foam sign awesome??? So simple but so pretty and fitting for the theme. I forgot to photograph the other sign but it reads "Beauty" for the hair and makeup counter in the boutique.

I'll be using K's little dress up rack to hold dress up clothes for the girls at the party. And yeah, you guessed it, all of those will be handmade by me so I really need to get going on those this weekend!

And don't you just love the tassels??? Super adorable. I tried to recreate Rarity's home (see below) with the pinks and purples and feeling of lavishness and decadence. I used Target's $ spot duck tape and wrapping paper as wallpaper and just colored card stock for the diamond pattern and curtain swag detail. 

How'd I do? They look pretty gosh darned similar, I think! K loves it, especially since she got to help with it.

I bought these tri-fold boards from the Goodwill. They were half off for just $1 each! Big score for me there! Continuing on in my cheap chic vein, the magenta fabric that forms the curtain is from my stash and I have another pink star fabric that I'll be using on the other tri-fold board. Altogether, less than $10 spent on decorations so far! 

Stay tuned because I've got some more decorations, party favors and food ideas coming over the next month, culminating in the final event which is exactly one month away from today and you bet I'll be posting about the shindig afterwards! A year goes by fast, doesn't it mommies??? I still remember her last party like it was yesterday! =(

Oh yeah, and did I mention there'll be a very special Rarity dress made especially for the guest of honor? I'll even offer the pattern for free over on my Fresh Off the Bolt blog! So definitely look for that if you have a little one who's a little Brony. =D 

Reversible Piped Vest for Boys: Free Pattern & Tutorial!

Yay! My first free boy's pattern and it's so easy, anyone can do it! Click on the Fresh Off the Bolt page link above for the free pdf pattern and a quick tutorial! 

Have a wonderful day, lovelies!

The Bella Dress: Free Pattern and Tutorial

Click on the Fresh Off the Bolt tab above to get your free size 4T Bella dress pattern and tutorial! =)

Happy sewing!

I've Moved...Sort of...and a Fun New Dress to Celebrate!

Ok, so let's just get right to the point: going forward, I will be posting all my sewing projects to my new blog, Fresh Off the Bolt. Why? Because I want my personal creations to be known as Fresh Off the Bolt, a more sew-centric phrase than Handicraftiness. If you go check out my first post featuring my latest sewing project below, it'll explain further why I moved it all over there.

I will continue posting on here occasionally- mostly just DIY party stuff and kid-centered games and projects etc. That's what this blog started as anywho and I just happened to get addicted to sewing after being inspired by so many wonderful sewing bloggers. =)

Anyway, I'd loooooove it if you followed me over there because that's where I'll be most of the time! And if you didn't follow me, I'd be ever so lonely!!! 

So- go check out this little dress on the new blog by clicking on the Fresh Off the Bolt tab above and tell me what you think! 

Tutu Much Love and Some News...

This post is a day late and I apologize wholeheartedly- but I promise it was worth the wait! 

Who doesn't love a pretty tutu? Little girls and tutus go together like a hamburger and fries; like milk and Oreo cookies; like- you know what I mean, right? No little girl I know hates tutus and I came up with the idea of layering vintage lace with tulle for two reasons: 1) my daughter doesn't like the scratchy tulle against her legs but loves the look of it and 2) I found a bunch of vintage lace for quarters while antiquing for fun one weekend. 

So I thought, why not combine the two and make a pretty skirt that can make her feel like she's playing dress up but still be practical to wear out and about without looking overdressed? 

And then I thought about my pretty nieces who also enjoy feeling pretty and twirly in their dress up clothes and I thought it would be fun to make some for them as well.

Can I tell you a secret? All the outer fabrics on the skirts were all thrifted. The ivory lace is actually an old lace curtain I fell in love with. The only 'new' fabric I used was the cotton lining and the tulle and yet, you'd never guess these were old, unwanted fabrics because look how fabulous they look!

I also made flutter sleeve tanks to go with each of their new tutus. They were quick and easy and I may have made one of them a mite too big but at least she'll get to wear it again next summer!

K says her top feels "ballerina-like." She's aspiring to be a ballerina one day so she took to the top as quickly as she did to the tutu.

And below, my niece models her white and pink version in a very ballerina-like pose. Such a darling!

The elastic waist means at least two more years of wear and that's pretty awesome for families with girly girls who love dressing up but can't always afford to buy dress-up clothes. Pssst...why are they so darn expensive anyways? It's not like they're all that well-made either! 

But when it's handmade, you can customize to your heart's delight and they turn out a heck of a lot prettier than anything you'd find in the dress up aisle at Target. 

And now for my little bit of news: I plan to make these to sell soon!!! And they definitely will not be out of most people's price range either. I will update with more info about that as soon as I get things rolling. But I do plan to have matching accessories, tops, and leggings to go with them so that these tutus can be worn into colder seasons as well. Hopefully, there will be enough interest in these to keep funding my sewing addiction. Please follow me (see sidebar) to stay updated about these darling tutus and everything else I'm up to! 

Oh- and weren't my little models fabulous? Even Tiger, the fluffy dog, got in on the action and gave a big cheesy smile to the cam. Haha! I should've made a tutu for him as well!

The Mod Tinny Jumper: A Flip This Pattern Series from FrancesSuzanne

I'm not gonna lie- I love this flip more than the first one. This was what I had originally envisioned when I was thinking about how I'd like to flip the Tinny dress pattern from StraightGrain for FrancesSuzanne's Flip This Pattern series. Well...mostly anyway! I wanted to make a jumpsuit with long bell bottom pant legs but the vintage fabric I used is rather overwhelming and I thought it would be too much. And it's also very humid and hot outside and I knew K wouldn't want to wear it even for a few minutes!

Of course, I already knew she'd object to the fabric. Not an ounce of pink, purple or red in sight! You should have seen her crestfallen face when I told her which fabric I was going to use for her newest outfit. Haha- she did not look as happy as she does in these pictures! Which makes her a pretty fantastic model, eh?

But she looks ADORABLE in it, doesn't she?! 

 I loooove the vintage style of the Tinny and I used the  asymmetrical collar and notched sleeve cuffs because they fit the mod-style I was going for. She even got a hair trim to complete the look.

I simply added wide-legged pleated shorts to the original top instead of a skirt and ta-da: a mod jumper that's kind of cool, right? And in cool weather, a pair of cable leggings/stockings can be layered underneath with some ankle boots and it would be sooo darn cute! (I really hope she decides to keep this one!) Oh yeah- lets not forget about the little pocket on the bodice that I added as a little detail! It was the perfect little accessory to decorate the bodice without overwhelming it.

I think it was all about the fabric though. I found the orange and sky blue plaid fabric at the thrift store and I paired it with some blue chambray that I had in my stash. I enjoy mixing and matching old and new fabrics to get the effect I'm looking to achieve and this marriage between old and new worked out great this time!

Before we went out for photos, I felt like the outfit was missing something. The waist seemed kind of bare and gaped open widely around her one-handspan waist. So I grabbed one of my braided belts and wrapped it around her TWICE and it fit perfectly! I will definitely need to add belt loops to it now because I love how it looks.

Yep- definitely needs some belt loops! 

And yes, this is a new fav for me! I know she'd rather see it in a different color scheme but I'll probably end up giving this outfit away pretty soon and making another one in her favorite colors. But yes, this definitely fulfills that vision I had and now I can finally move on to other sewing projects!

The Tinny Top: A Flip this Pattern Series from Frances Suzanne

Okaaaay- so I just did my first flip of StraightGrain's awesome Tinny pattern and I'm really loving the idea of these 'flips.' Flipping a pattern means personalizing a piece of clothing to reflect the tastes of the wearer or any fanciful idea that the sewist can come up with!

The Tinny dress already comes with so many fantastic options in the sleeves, collars, and skirt and An from StraightGrain provided an amazingly clear tutorial with the pattern (perfect for beginners.) I loved the pattern on first sight- it's a bit vintage and a whole lot ladylike and that's the style I love for myself and my daughter. That's why I was so excited to learn that August's Flip This Pattern series would be focusing on the Tinny! So without further ado, here's my first flip:

I wanted to go with a completely different color scheme than I usually do for K. She thinks these are 'boy' colors so I dressed it up with some eyelet ribbon at the hems and at the v-insert on the front bodice. For that little detail, I simply sewed layer after layer of the ribbon onto the V that I cut out of the front and then sewed it back in.

I really love the girly striped bow. And even if peplum tops are supposedly on their way out the door, I still love the trend and K looks like such a little lady in them.

I paired the flipped Tinny top with a simple knit skirt. It probably isn't very smart to use white but gosh darn it, I really love the crisp white with pastels. It's fresh, clean (for now, ha!) crisp and summery. And it really is still summer despite the cool weather we've been experiencing lately!

This was a simple flip as this was my first go-round. I have another slightly more complicated one in the works which would be wearable in fall. I'm so excited about it too because it's going to be slightly '70s mod! This Tinny pattern is so fun to play with! 

Haha- she is striking a serious model pose above, isn't she?

I'm obsessed with peter pan collars. They are darling!

I love this little ladylike outfit. I almost made leggings with the white knit but am so glad I went with a skirt instead! Maybe I will make leggings for it just to create a more casual look but the focus today is more about the top than the skirt and I just felt like emphasizing the ladylike lines of the Tinny top.

Thanks for stopping by today! I can't wait to share my second flip for the Tinny dress pattern. I hope it works out as I planned! =)

Bubble Guppies DIY Party Decor

I love planning and decorating kids parties! I think the things you can DIY for them turn out soooo much better than almost anything you can buy! Today, I wanted to share some of the decorations I made for my niece's birthday party coming up this weekend. I love how they turned out and I spent maybe only $10??? Most of the materials I already had on hand and my printer came in extra handy too!

This centerpiece couldn't have been easier or more fun to create! I just printed out the Bubble Guppies characters that I Googled and taped them to popsicle sticks/dowels. Since I only had one tiny piece of floral foam left, I stuck a bunch of yarn balls into the galvanized bucket (leftover from 2 Easters ago) and stuck all my sticks into them. Worked out great! 

Then I layered some teal-colored tulle on top of the yarn to hide them and added shells that the kids and I had foraged on Sanibel Island a couple years ago. The star fish is from a tourist shop on the island.  

I used PicMonkey to make a card of my niece's adorable face and the little birthday sign. I printed it, cut each one out separately and taped them to popsicle sticks and that was it! This stuff is so easy, I wonder why some people bother to spend money buying it???

Then I did the same for some of the Bubble Guppies characters and they got their own decorated cans so they could be placed randomly on the food table. Are you impressed with my little pink seahorse? =)

I placed a roll of bakers twine into each can (they fit perfectly!) and the hole helps hold up each character. Pretty nifty, huh? See- I really didn't have to buy much to make these! I simply used what I had on hand already. 

Super cute- I really love how the table decor turned out!

And check out this cool backdrop I created for the dessert/food table! I used a blue crinkle chiffon fabric from my stash as the curtain and then attached some bubbly circles and seaweed to make it more underwatery. Then I simply taped some printed characters to it and I've got a simple, theme-appropriate backdrop for our party.

And these rolls of fluffy-wrapped floral wire is all I really had to buy! They were only 99 cents each on clearance at Michael's so I bought enough to decorate the food tent to make it look like an underwater grotto or sea cavern or whatever you wanna call it. You totally get what I mean though, right?

What's a party without a photo prop??? Not much of a party, I think! Haha- this one is still in-progress but I just wanted to share how cool it's turning out so far. I used my circle cutter thingy to cut out the "scales" and simply layered them over each other to create the fish tails. I really like the ombre effect on the boy! On the girl mermaid, I placed the patterned circles randomly throughout to make for a shimmering scale effect. Super pretty, I think!

Next week, I'll post a few pics from the party so you can see how the party decor turned out. We'll be at an actual beach so it should be super fun! Stay tuned and have a lovely weekend everyone!