Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Made With Love {Features}

Hi there :) I hope you are all enjoying your Wednesday. It is so beautiful here today. Hoping to step outside for a walk as soon as I get my sewing done!

Great “Made With Love” party this week! You all are such a talented bunch!

Here are some of my favorites!

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1. These adorable birdhouses from Simply Designing are fabulous!

2. Love this Double Ruffle Headband in Ty Pennington fabrics by Thee Silly Life of E! She made several using my tutorial.

3. This craft room by Clean and Scentsible is lovely. So calm and inviting!

4. And how cute is this spring wreath by Ali at My Third True Love?!?! So fun!

Thanks for linking up and if you were featured, feel free to grab the featured button from my sidebar and place it on your blog!

Have a happy day!

 

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Made With Love #20

Welcome to Made with Love #20!
 
Are you ready to party??? Let’s get to it!
 
{Just a few party guidelines}
  1. To link up, I would first love for you to follow my blog. I like followers. The more the merrier. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy!
  2. Link up your crafts, recipes, home decor....anything that has been made by you! {Multiple links to different posts are fine}
  3. Link back here by grabbing the super cute button on my sidebar and posting it either in your post or somewhere on your blog to let others know you've joined the party!
  4. If you see something you like, click on it and go leave them a comment. Everyone loves comments!
  5. Lastly, feel free to help me spread the word about Made with Love Monday! Follow me on Twitter {just click on my little Twitter button} and use this tweet "I linked up my craftiness to @sewchatty's Made with Love http://sewchatty.blogspot.com Check it out and link up your craftiness too!"
Thanks for stopping by!
 
 
 
 

Saturday, March 26, 2011

{Wardrobe Challenge Project #4}

Hi Lovelies :)
So for project #4…I am going to repurpose some stuff. Remember last year when Target had that SUPER AWESOME Liberty of London line??? Well I scored a few items in the little girls section that have been sitting in my “to repurpose pile” for like a year. Today is the day folks.
 How fabulous is this fabric??? Thank you Target!!!
{this is a maxi dress} 110_5192 {this is a sleeveless top}110_5193
Both the top and the dress are getting made into this sleeveless top with New Look pattern 6895 view A and I may add ruffles to the neckline if I’m feeling fancy.
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Easy top to wear with skinny jeans and a cardi {my uniform of choice}. Since the dress has a TON of fabric to repurpose, it will become a skirt too at some point.
Come back Thursday to see the finished tops!
Have a happy weekend!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

{Wardrobe Challenge Project #3} REVEALED!

Project #3 was some cute, simple A-line skirts in fun springy fabrics!

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Much like this little number from Anthro {Rise Above Skirt}…that will only set you back $88.

Denim Skirt

Last Saturday was the Grand Opening of Nest Vintage and Handmade. A cute little OC boutique that happens to be the exclusive retailer of Sew Chatty handmade items! It was a fun event and I even won the raffle prize that had all kinds of Nest goodies in it! Yayee me! I promise it wasn’t rigged!

Anyhow, I made a skirt to wear in a super comfy stretch denim! I used a great tutorial by Caroline from Good Times Never Seem Sew Good that can be found here.Tell me what you think of my cute little Anthro Knock-off!

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Cardi…Forever 21. Mushroom Tank…Old Navy. Belt…Forever 21. Skirt…Made by me :) Tights…Vera Wang at Kohl’s. Boots…Christmas gift from the Hubbs. Necklace and bracelet…Forever 21. 

Can’t wait for the weather to warm up so up so I can wear it with a cute bright tank and some sandals!

Here is a little side by side comparison…

Anthro Knock Off_Rise Above Skirt

I had good intentions of making the other two skirts as well, but the weekend got away from me and I have yet to sit at my sewing machine this week…boo. But I will get them done soon and show them off when I do! 

I've had so much fun with my Wardrobe Challenge that I have decided to try my hand at pattern design! I am working on a simple skirt design that I'm thinking of selling in the shop at some point in the near future. The pattern is still a ways from being completed, but I'd love your thoughts on seeing some simple clothing items in the shop!

Thanks to everyone who linked up to the Wardrobe Challenge Party last week! Did you see this entry from Rachel at Maybe Matilda??? SO dang cute! She did such a great job!

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No official challenge party this week, but if you have a project to share…leave the link in your comment so I can see it! Come back Saturday so I can tell you about Project #4!

Have a happy day :)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

{Sponsor Highlight} & a giveaway!!!

***this giveaway is now closed***
Winner is # 26 Rebecca
Congrats Rebecca! I will get you in touch with Layer Cake Vinyl Designs shortly!

It is my pleasure to introduce you to a brand new sponsor! Please welcome Layer Cake Vinyl Designs to the Sew Chatty handmade community!
Layer Cake Vinyl Designs opened in January and specializes in custom vinyl designs for your home! Here is a sampling of their awesome work…
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There is great variety in their shop, but they also welcome custom orders too!
To celebrate their opening, Layer Cake Vinyl Designs is giving one of my lucky readers a $25 credit to their shop! SO fun!
Entering is super easy!
  1. Visit the shop and leave me a comment telling me what your favorite item is!
  2. Visit the blog, follow via GFC and comment back here letting me know you’re a new follower!
Also…Layer Cake Vinyl Designs is offering a discount for Sew Chatty readers! Use the code SewChatty15 at checkout to take 15% off your order! This discount will run through the end of March.
{Giveaway open to US residents only. Giveaway will close at midnight on Friday 3/25}
Good Luck Friends!

Monday, March 21, 2011

My {Weekly Home Blessing}

I don’t know about you, but I often get really overwhelmed with the house chores and let them pile up so badly that it literally puts my into a state of depression. It’s not pretty.
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Over the years I have found that when my house is clean and tidy…I’m a happier person to be around. Don’t get me wrong…we don’t live like animals. The house is always tidy clean-ish. We do a lot of entertaining and I want my guests to feel at home in a clutter-free, clean smelling home. I just needed to find a better way to stay on top of things so that I’m not a stress case. So…we’ve decided to hire a housekeeper to come once a month to do the heavy cleaning. I personally feel that $75 once a month is vital to my sanity. Yes, I am a stay at home mom, but I also run a small business and take care of a child with autism and I just don’t have the time to clean windows and behind couches and fridges.
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However I do have the time to clean a little each day and maintain that “I just had my house deep-cleaned” feel!
How do I do it? I created a “Weekly Home Blessing” chart. It has a list of the chores for each day, the meal, plan, the activities we are involved in that week and it is working out GREAT! My chores take maybe 1-1.5 hours each day. Totally doable.
And guess what??? You can get in on the Home Blessing too because I have made my chart a printable. Just click on the hyperlink or the actual chart to print your own. You can save it to your desktop and print one out at the beginning of each week.
 
Weekly Home Blessing

I hope you enjoy this chart! Happy Cleaning :)
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Sunday, March 20, 2011

Made With Love #19

Last week was another great Made With Love Party! I am so inspired by all of your creativity. I love visiting your blogs :) Here are this weeks faves…
This tote from A Winding Road is so dang cute!
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This no sew ruffle scarf from Iron Violet Designs is really fun!
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And my mantle is definitely ready for a spring makeover so I am putting this project from Sisters of the Wild West on my to do list!
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Thanks so much for linking up and if I featured you feel free to grab my featured button and place it on your sidebar!
Are you ready to party??? Let’s get to it!
{Just a few party guidelines}
  1. To link up, I would first love for you to follow my blog. I like followers. The more the merrier. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy!
  2. Link up your crafts, recipes, home decor....anything that has been made by you! {Multiple links to different posts are fine}
  3. Link back here by grabbing the super cute button on my sidebar and posting it either in your post or somewhere on your blog to let others know you've joined the party!
  4. If you see something you like, click on it and go leave them a comment. Everyone loves comments!
  5. Lastly, feel free to help me spread the word about Made with Love Monday! Follow me on Twitter {just click on my little Twitter button} and use this tweet "I linked up my craftiness to @sewchatty's Made with Love http://sewchatty.blogspot.com Check it out and link up your craftiness too!"
Thanks for stopping by!
 

{Sponsor Love}

I hope you’re all enjoying your Sunday!

It’s raining hear today so we went to Pho after church…the perfect rainy day food…and then my friend accidently locked her toddler in the car and it took us {like 12 of us} over an hour and LOTS of coaching and bribing with princess lollipops to get her out. Now we are all cozied up and watching You’ve Got Mail. I love Sundays.

Are you all cozied up too and in the mood for a little retail therapy?

Loving this little mustache onesie from Dianapantz! A friend of ours is having a baby boy and this is just too cute!

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and this key finder from Pursebling is awesome! {maybe I should get one for my friend…lol!}

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and this children’s art display from my new sponsor Layer Cake Vinyl Designs is definitely on my wishlist! Come back Tuesday for a feature and giveaway from this awesome new shop!

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Happy Sunday everyone! Stay cozy :)

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Wardrobe Challenge Project 3 & Giveaway Winners!

Happy weekend friends!

For Project 3 of my Wardrobe Challenge, I am making some simple A-line elastic waist skirts! I found some really great fabric at M&L Fabrics in Anaheim last week.

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A fun bright tropical print that will be perfect for BBQ’s this spring/summer, a lightweight denim that will go with EVERYTHING, and an Amy Butler floral {from her Soul Blossoms line}.

The denim one is done and I’ll be finishing up the other two soon. So quick and easy to make!

And now on to the giveaway winners chosen by random number generator…

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The winner of the PurseBling giveaway is #11 Heather. Congrats Heather! You will LOVE your Purse To Go Pockets Plus!

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The winner of TWO super cute hair accessories from Funky Polka Dot Giraffe is #4 Mare. Enjoy your hairclips! So cute! Makes me want a girl in a major way!

Congrats to my winners! Make sure you come back Thursday to see my new skirts! Have a great weekend everyone!

Friday, March 18, 2011

{Freebie Friday} and a BIG event!!!

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope you’re all in the mood for a little retail therapy because today is FREEBIE FRIDAY! Any order placed in the shop today will ship for FREE :)

So if you’ve been eyeing a…

Shabby Blossom Bag

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A Wristlet Clutch

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or Zipper Pouch

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today would be a great day to snatch it up!

On to the BIG EVENT!!!

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Do you live in the Orange County or Los Angeles Area? Well then you should stop by Nest Vintage + Handmade tomorrow for their GRAND OPENING! This super cute new shop is the exclusive retailer for Sew Chatty items in Orange County! They also sell awesome vintage housewares, yummy candles, and some fabulous artwork by local artists. Tomorrow is going to be so fun! I hope you can make it! For event details go here.

Today is the last day to enter the giveaways for Pursebling and Funky Polka Dot Giraffe! Enter by clicking the photo buttons on my sidebar. Winners will be picked later this afternoon. Have a great day everyone!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Wardrobe Challenge Reveal and Linky Party!!!

Thank you so much for your kind words on my Farmer’s Market Skirt! You all are so sweet!

Today I am revealing Project #2.

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This is my second attempt at this top and I have to say things went much smoother this time! Here it is!

Simple and springy. I love it.

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And here is how I wore it on Sunday to a birthday party and to church!

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Brown Cardi-Target. Mustard Flower Pin-Made by Me and available in the shop. Rust Tank under top-Target. Skinny Jeans-Target. Flats-Target…I like Target :)

Now it’s your turn! Link up your handmade clothing items and refashions! I can’t wait to see what you all have been working on! Since this is the first Wardrobe Challenge Party…will you help me spread the word via Twitter and FB? I would be ever so grateful! The party will be open for a full week to give lots of people a chance to link up. Make sure to come back on Saturday when I announce Project #3! Have a happy day!


Wednesday, March 16, 2011

A Little Spring Cleaning & WIWW

Spring makes me a little clean freaky.

My closet has been out of control for a while now so last week I decided to take the plunge and organize it a bit. I’ve been making myself some fun new things for spring/summer and I need room for my new pretties!

Here is a little before and after for your viewing pleasure…

BEFORE

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AFTER

{top…bags, layering items like tanks and long sleeved tees, sweats}

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{Jackets and sweaters…I have lots. I’m always cold}

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{skirts, dress pants dresses, tops…}

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{more tops, sleeveless tops, you can’t really see it, but I have a hanging jewelry organizer and shoe (in my case flip flops) organizer in there too}

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{scarves, bags}

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{Here you can see my flip flop holder a little better. I’m a southern California girl…lots of flip flops}

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Two bags ready to go to Goodwill…yayee!

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Turns out I had some pretty cute stuff hiding in there! Here a few ensembles I put together this week. I am very new to this whole taking pictures of myself thing so bear with me. Maybe next week I’ll clean the mirror first…

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{Pink Boyfriend Cardi-Target. Gray Floral Top-Made by me :) You can see it again here. Distressed skinny Jeans-Target. White Flip Flops-Havianna’s}

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{Black Hat-H&M. Pink Ruffled Top-Old Navy. Black Sweater thingy-Target. Same distressed skinny jeans-Target. Gray Tom’s}

I’m linking up to Lindsey’s What I Wore Wednesday.

Come back tomorrow to see the big reveal of Project 2 in my Wardrobe Challenge and the first ever Wardrobe Challenge Link Party!

Don’t forget to check out my awesome giveaways! Links are in my sidebar.

Have a Happy Day!