Made With Love #38 {with a weekend recap too}

Hi there! I hope you all had a great weekend! We spent the weekend up in the Central Coast of CA visiting my fam. I love it there! We had a great time! Here are a few phone pics for your viewing pleasure…

We took a little day trip and stopped by the Brown Butter Cookie Co. in Cayucos CA…AMAZING. You need to try these cookies! Very expensive, but worth it. My mom and I may have found a recipe online…stay tuned for more on that!

Playing around on the pier…

Waiting with the cousins for Daddy’s train to get in!

Hope you had a great weekend too!

I’m getting Made With Love up nice and early this week so more of my crafty people have time to link up!

Are you ready for this weeks party??? Let’s get to it! I'll be featuring my favorite links on the Facebook Fan Page throughout the week! Are you a fan?

{Just a few party guidelines}

• 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!
• Link up your crafts, recipes, home decor....anything that has been made by you! {Multiple links to different posts are fine}
• 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!
• If you see something you like, click on it and go leave them a comment. Everyone loves comments!
• 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! Now go link up something crafty!

Elizabeth :)

{Handmade Bridal Shower}

Hi friends! I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

I hosted a bridal shower last weekend for my soon to be sister in law. Everything from the décor to the food was simple and handmade. I wanted to share a few photos with you from the day!

{please forgive me…all of the photos are from my phone because my camera is LOST. So until we get a new one, the phone is all I have!}

The sign I made for the front door. You might recognize the frame! I hung it up on our wreath nail, strung some rag garland I made, and some letters I found at Michael’s. I added a ribbon loop to the back of each letter and hung them with an S hook onto the chicken wire. I LOVE how it turned out!

This is our drink/serving table. It’s actually our wine fridge covered with a table cloth my mom and I made a few years ago. I served Trader Joe’s Strawberry Lemonade and ice water.

The food was very simple and required very little effort. I made EVERYTHING the day before. I made this Greek Pasta Salad, but instead of the salad kit, I used bowties and Goddess Dressing because that’s a bit fancier. I also made fruit kebabs and Red Velvet Cupcakes. I used a box mix for the cake, but homemade cream cheese icing {because the stuff in the can is NASTY}.

For the “main dish” I ordered sandwiches from a local Italian Deli. I get them all the time for various events and they are always GREAT. Easy peesy.

As you can tell, décor was simple too. The wedding colors are red and yellow. I threw in the aqua because it’s happy. Don’t tissue balls just SCREAM party? I love them. Thank you Martha Stewart.

Here are a few shots of our patio where we ate outside. We hung more tissue balls from the awning and decorated the tables with plastic table cloths, damask wrapping paper table runners, and fresh flowers.

 

That’s it! After we ate all the tasty food, we came inside to do prezzies and chat. Very simple. But I think simple is best.

Have a great weekend!

Elizabeth

Sponsor Love and a GIVEAWAY!

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED*

According to random.org, the winner is commenter # 1 Katy from redBuddy Notes. Congrats Katy! Enjoy your prize!

I love my sponsors! Today you get to meet Katy and her handmade shop Lil’ Alice! She also has a fabulous giveaway for you too!

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Elizabeth, thank you so much for featuring me on your blog today!  I really appreciate it!  Here's a lil' bit about me, Katy, the face behind lil' alice.

Growing up my nickname was lil' alice. I had her facial expressions, her love for bread, her nose. She taught me how to shop on Saturday mornings. When I got married and had to learn how to cook, I found out I had her cooking skills. When I had kids & they would request certain items to hold their treasures, I found out I could sew, just like she enjoyed doing. 
So who is "her"?

Alice is my Grandma Vaughn. She had a heart of gold and she wore gold on every finger. She loved to work and she loved to shop. Alice loved to cook and she loved to eat! Grandma Vaughn passed away from cancer on Aug. 23, 2004.  Too soon! After she passed away I inherited her sewing machine, a few tubs full of fabric, many with the tag still on it.  I have a huge bin of threads & many needles & buttons & spools of ribbon & many notions that only a sewer knows what they are used for!  I get a kick out of the spools of thread because many still have the price on them.  Many say, WALMART....$.25.  That's unheard of. A quarter for a spool of thread!!!  

After years of making odd and end things, I broke down and bought an apron pattern for $2. I admired aprons and the thought of wearing one.  A picture of days gone by!  I made my first one in October of 2009. Over the year, I've improved the apron etc. Proud of my accomplishments, I posted pictures on Facebook and started getting an order here and there. I was quite shocked that someone was paying me for something that I enjoyed doing.  Then I made a tote bag for a little girl whom my son was invited to her birthday party. I posted that picture and got some people interested in purchasing a tote bag. Really? 

And so it began. I started a fan page on Facebook in March of 2010. After a hand full of orders, I wanted to label my products with a tag and a unique name. So I rattled my brain for something catchy & fun. That was when lil' alice was born. 
I love what I do. I love to sew. I love to create fun things that put a smile on the faces of others!

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Thanks Katy! I am so glad you came by to share your business with my readers! And now for the GIVEAWAY!

Katy is giving away a $20 credit to the lil' alice shop. 

To enter just visit Katy’s shop and comment below what your favorite item is!

{Additional entries}

Follow Katy’s…

FB Fan Page, Twitter & Newsletter

and comment back here saying you are a follower! Each comment is one entry.

Have a great day everyone! And good luck!

Elizabeth

Made With Love #37

I’m getting Made With Love up nice and early this week so more of my crafty people have time to link up!

Are you ready for this weeks party??? Let’s get to it! I'll be featuring my favorite links on the Facebook Fan Page throughout the week! Are you a fan?

{Just a few party guidelines}

• 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!
• Link up your crafts, recipes, home decor....anything that has been made by you! {Multiple links to different posts are fine}
• 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!
• If you see something you like, click on it and go leave them a comment. Everyone loves comments!
• 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! Now go link up something crafty!

Elizabeth :)

I don’t like to cook during summer.

I cook a lot. I love to cook, but during the summer when it’s a thousand degrees outside I opt for super fast and easy meals that do not require much effort on my part.

Luckily we have a Trader Joe’s near us and they have a great selection of healthy items that make throwing summer dinners together a cinch!

One of our favorite is their Chili Lime Chicken Burgers {found in the freezer section by the bagged chicken breasts}. THEY ARE SO GOOD. Super flavorful tasty goodness.

Here’s how we like them:

 

1) Throw a bag of Zesties fries in the oven. {I heard they have sweet potato Zesties now. Must try}.

2) Cook burger patties in a skillet with a little oil or pam. About 5 minutes on each side is good.

3) Toast up some buns…yes I like to use an English Muffin as a bun.

4) Cut up some lettuce and cheese and onion and tomato or whatever you want on your burger.

5) That’s pretty much it. Serve with ketchup for the fries and your fave soda. Burger, Fries, Coke at home!

What are your favorite summer time dinners? Any Trader Joe’s staples I should add to my list???

Have a happy day friends!

Elizabeth

P.S…the winner of the Happy Baby Designs giveaway is…..#25 The Mom Diggity! Congrats lady!!! Rebecca will be in touch with you shortly!

{What I Wore Wednesday}

Hi friends! Today I am linking up with The Pleated Poppy for “What I Wore Wednesday”.

This serves as a way to keep me accountable and get me out of my mommy comfy clothes and actually put some effort into myself. Here goes…

Button Down to Strapless

I saw this tute on Pinterest the other day and thought to myself…Wow. That is pretty brilliant, but honestly I didn’t think it would work! I decided to give it a go and much to my surprise…IT DID WORK!!! And it was kind of cute! Next time I do this I will probs follow the directions and use a men’s button down. Loser fit would have allowed me to not wear Spanx.

Front. I was making a yucky face hence why I cut off my head. This was pre-spanx. Sorry for the belly fat.

Back. I did need the Hubs to help a sister out and make sure everything was tucked in nice a neat.

The whole ensemble complete with…

Sunglasses: Roxy

Shrug: Forever 21

Top: Target…refashioned by me. Thank you Pinterest!

Spanx: Nordies

Dark Skinnies: Ross

New Bag: {Kensie Girl} Ross

Flip Flops: {Haviana’s} Ross

Have a happy and blessed day!!!

Elizabeth

Made With Love #36

Happy Sunday! I hope you are all having a fabulous weekend! We’ve been doing a lot of this…

and it’s been lovely!

I’m getting Made With Love up nice and early this week so more of my crafty people have time to link up!

Are you ready for this weeks party??? Let’s get to it! I'll be featuring my favorite links on the Facebook Fan Page throughout the week! Are you a fan?

{Just a few party guidelines}

• 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!
• Link up your crafts, recipes, home decor....anything that has been made by you! {Multiple links to different posts are fine}
• 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!
• If you see something you like, click on it and go leave them a comment. Everyone loves comments!
• 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! Now go link up something crafty!

Elizabeth :)

{Christmas in July} SUMMER SALE!!!

Hi friends! I hope you are having a happy Friday!

We haven’t had a sale in the shop in a lonnnnnnng time so I figured today was a good day to fix that! Your welcome!

Lot’s of fun pretties in the shop like…

My new Sunglasses Cases…this one is made with a vintage flour sack!

Coffee cuffs…great for iced coffees too! Love this burlap one!

Ruffley Zipper Pouch…perfect for all those little odds and ends that get lost in the bottom of your bag!

Yo Yo Button Headbands…great for keeping the wispies out of your face on beach days!

Now for the fun part…take 20% off your purchase with the code HEATWAVE20 at checkout! Any order over $25 will receive a FREE GIFT form me as well!

Happy Shopping Friends!

Elizabeth

Arrrrrgh….a treasure chest for the little matey!

I don’t know about your little one’s. but my kid LOVES Jake and the Neverland Pirates.

He saw something about making a treasure chest and had been bugging me about it daily for quite a while. “Mommy I need a team treasure chest for all my gold dabloons.” For reals?!?!

I was putting it off because it sounded like A LOT of work. We went to Michael’s and Toys R Us looking for a wooden treasure chest kit without much luck. It was a lot of “Mommy that doesn’t look like Jake’s team treasure chest.” I was not going to Home Depot. I do not pride myself on my woodworking skills. This really sounded like a job better suited for Daddy. Anyhow…

Then I realized all he wanted was a little paper cutout thing that you print out online and glue together. That my friends I can do!  I present to you Carter’s Team Treasure Chest complete with jewels and gold dabloons.

Here is the link if you’d like to make one for your little matey!

Jake & The Neverland Pirates Team Treasure Chest

Happy crafting!

Elizabeth

{sponsor love} and a GIVEAWAY!!!!

Hi there! I have a special treat for you today!!! My awesome sponsor Rebecca from Happy Baby Designs is here to tell us about her super cute shop and to give one lucky Sew Chatty reader a $20 shop credit! I don't know about you, but I love learning all about handmade business owners and what inspires them to do what they do!

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Hi, my name is Rebecca and I am the owner of Happy Baby Designs and I blog over at This Present Life. I am so excited to be featured today by Elizabeth and I'm also super excited to be giving away a $20 shop credit to one lucky winner! But more about that in a minute, first, let me tell you a little bit about myself.

I am a stay-at-home mom to 2 little ones (ages 4 and 2 1/2) and wife to one awesome man. In my pre-mommy life, I was a medical social worker (and still do some work for a local hospital) but I LOVE staying at home and being with my kids. Owning my own shop allows me to do that and it just so happens that I also LOVE to sew! I try to focus on items that are both cute and practical. After all, that's what I look for when I'm shopping!

In my shop you'll find items for the Happy Baby in your life...

Binky Bags

Gift Sets

Blankies

Bath Cloths

And items for the Happy Toddler in your life...

Aprons

Car Playmats

Bandana Skirts

Now on to the important stuff...how to enter to win the $20 shop credit! You can get one entry for each of the following:

- Follow Sew Chatty (because she's awesome!). If you already are (because you totally should be) leave a comment saying so.

- "Favorite" Happy Baby Designs on Etsy, or add me to your circle (one entry).

- "Like" Happy Baby Designs on Facebook.

- Follow my blog, This Present Life.

Be sure to include your email address if it's not attached to your Blogger profile. Otherwise I won't be able to give you the great news that "YOU WON!".

Thanks again to Elizabeth for the feature! I can't wait to see who the big winner is!

Alright friends...this GIVEAWAY is OPEN!!! It will remain open until Monday 7/19. Good luck! Have a happy day!!!

Elizabeth :)

Made With Love #35

Are you ready for this weeks party??? Let’s get to it! I'll be featuring my favorite links on the Facebook Fan Page throughout the week! Are you a fan?

{Just a few party guidelines}

• 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!
• Link up your crafts, recipes, home decor....anything that has been made by you! {Multiple links to different posts are fine}
• 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!
• If you see something you like, click on it and go leave them a comment. Everyone loves comments!
• 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! Now go link up something crafty!

Elizabeth :)

My {FAVE} Summer Drink!

Hi there! I hope you are enjoying summer as much as we are!

I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but it has been H O T here in California! Enter the BEST summer purchase EVER…the iced tea maker by Mr. Coffee. This handy kitchen gadget and the mango tea from Trader Joes make for one happy momma! 

Allow me to walk you through the iced tea making process…

1) Fill with water to the fill line.

2) Pour water into reservoir.

3) Fill with ice to the fill line. Place basket on top with four of those yummy mango tea bags. Put the lid on and snug it up to the iced tea maker.

4) Flip the switch and in less than 10 minutes…you have a very tasty and refreshing summer treat! I love how the tea tastes on its own so I don’t add any sweetener which makes this a zero calorie beverage as well!

Easy Peesy.

Yummy goodness :) Add a few cookies and you’ve got my favorite snack for hot summer days! {mug rug made by me}

Happy summer everyone! 

Elizabeth

{new item in the shop}

Hi there! I hope you are having a happy day! I have a little shop announcement that might make your day even brighter!

Back by POPULAR demand are a limited quantity of my Ruffled Sunglasses Cases! There are only 6 available and a steal at only $12 so get yours while you can!

Happy Summer!

Elizabeth

Made with Love # 34

Are you ready for this weeks party??? Let’s get to it! I'll be featuring my favorite links on the Facebook Fan Page throughout the week! Are you a fan?

{Just a few party guidelines}

• 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!

• Link up your crafts, recipes, home decor....anything that has been made by you! {Multiple links to different posts are fine}

• 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!

• If you see something you like, click on it and go leave them a comment. Everyone loves comments!

• 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! Now go link up something crafty!

Elizabeth :)

Whole Lot Of Random Today…

Hi friends! I hope you are all having a wonderful summer! I apologize for the lack of posting lately! I have been putting lots of effort into making this a magical summer for my son which means lunch dates and movies and trips to the beach and pool and Disneyland!!! Being fun mommy is EXHAUSTING! But we are having a blast and that’s what counts.

What has “Sew Chatty” been up to??? Well, not much as you could have guessed, but I have been working on a few custom orders like these super cute Yo Yo Bobbie Pins!

One of my pretty little coffee cuffs was featured in this really fun  Etsy treasury called A Rainy Day By The Sea…so pretty!!

I also want to tell you that I participated in a Handmade Gift Exchange via the awesome blog Craftaholics Anonymous! Emilee from Sweetly Made {Just For You} was my partner and she made me this lovely knit head wrap in a pretty burnt orange.

I love it! Can’t wait for the summer night to get a little cooler so I can enjoy it and not have to wait until fall!

I made her a Zipper Pouch and a coordinating Reversible Coffee Cuff!

I had so much fun participating in this! I can’t wait for next year! Thanks again to Linda {my Creative Estates Roomie!!!} from Craftaholics Anonymous for hosting this great exchange! So much lovely handmade goodness out there!

Coming soon to the blog…I want to get my new meal plan out and show you all how I organize meals for the fam…huge time/money saver! I have a few AWESOME new sponsors that will be hosting GIVEAWAYS soon! I have a few summer fun/magical childhood posts up my sleeve too so stay tuned!

Have a happy weekend friends! We are off to Disneyland! Enjoy SUMMER!!!!

Elizabeth