{summer recipe: watermelon popsicles}

Summer was made for popsicles. I'm a huge fan of the Otter Pop {Louie-Bloo Raspberry please}, but lately I've been wanting a healthier summer treat that I don't have to count any Points {WW} for. I had some watermelon in the fridge so I whipped up these watermelon popsicles and they are FABULOUS!

 Super easy too!

Indredients:

1/2 mini seedless watermelon

juice of 1 lime

1 Splenda packet (or a tsp of real sugar in you aren't a fan of the faux stuff)

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in your blender and blend until smooth. Pour into your popsicle mold (I got mine at Walmart) and freeze for at least 8 hours. Makes 4-8 pops depending on your mold. 

These are my new favorite treat and if you do WW like me...no points! It's all fruit and 0 point ingredients. 

Enjoy! Happy Summer!

{stuff I've been making}

***Only 1 day left to enter the Whimsy Couture Pattern giveaway! Enter HERE.***

Now that summer is finally here, I've had a little more time on my hands to make pretty things! I have so much on my list of things I want to make and new skills I want to learn. I'd say I'm off to a decent start! Here's a peek at what I've been making...

Finally taught myself how to make  a crochet flower! Pretty fun! I like to add a fabric component to my crocheted items so these flowers are getting a fun little fabric button.

 I made myself this headband for the 4th of July! It's huge and I kind of love it.

 I've been making bows too! These are listed in THE SHOP. My summer sale is still happening. Take $5 off any order of $20 or more!!!!

 Pretty turquoise yarn. A Bun Bow in the works.

 Sweet little package for a high school graduate filled with all kinds of summer goodies. Dolies, washi tape, bakers twine...all of a crafty girls favorite things!

 Tank. I made like a thousand mistakes on it, but at least it's still wearable! I'll probably style it with cream or mint skinny jeans and my orange cardi. I can't wait to make another one and not make all the mistakes I made on this one!

 Key fobs! I've been making a billion of these lately. Tutorial for these little gems is HERE.

I learned how to shirr with elastic thread. A bit obsessed now. I want to shirr everything!!!

What have you been making lately?

{Made With Love Link Up}

Hi friends! I I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Thanks so much to everyone who visited and linked up last week! The highest viewed link was...

...this beautiful dress linked up by Kristina J. She designed and made this dress herself!!! What an inspiration!

Alright party people...are you ready for this week's link up??? 

Let’s get to it! I'll be featuring my favorite links on the Facebook Fan Page throughout the week! Are you a fan? I also try to Pin my favorites to Pinterest. The top clicked link will be featured during next weeks party! 

{Just a few party guidelines}

• 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 tweet about the party. Make sure to @ tag me so I can RT you!

Thanks for stopping by! Now go link up something crafty!

{Shirred Waisted Skirt: Pattern Review & GIVEAWAY!}

I'm sharing a really fun pattern review with you today! 

 Ladies Shirred Skirt by Whimsy Couture

I love making skirts! They come together so quickly and because of that they are one of the most satisfying projects to make! In just an hour or so you have a really cute piece to add to your wardrobe!

This skirt was a breeze to make! The pattern is very well written and I know have a new found love of shirring! It's so fun! I want to shirr everything! 

This would be a fabulous beginner project because it takes very little fabric and comes together really fast! The pattern itself is only $8 and comes with directions for two lengths and also a belt and lace detail options. So fun!

I posted a few Instagrams of how I'm thinking of wearing it...

pretty cute as a top too! BONUS!

This was a really fun summer sewing project and I would definitely recommend the pattern to anyone who is looking to start making some cute clothes!

Now for the really fun part! Whimsy Couture is giving one of you a 3 pack of of patterns!!! The lucky winner will choose any 3 patterns from the pattern shop.

Whimsy Couture is also offering 50% off the pattern of your choice with the code TAKEOFF50.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{call for July sponsors!}

Want to grow your handmade shop or blog during the month of July? Well, Sew Chatty is here to help!

Check out my Advertisers Page for rate info and feel free to email me with any additional questions you may have!

Sign up and receive 10% off the 3 month package price as well as the rest of June for FREE!

{Shop Update}

Hi friends! It's been a loooooong time since I've updated the shop with new goodies, but today is your lucky day! There are a few new things in there as well as a BRAND NEW PRODUCT that I'm super pumped about! I'd like you to meet...

shop listing

The "Bun Bow"!!! I call it the bun bow because it looks super cute worn at the base of your bun :) I love this because it combines my two crafty loves, fabric and crochet, into a fun accessory that can be worn year round! This is the first of several that will be listed in the shop this week so be on the lookout for more colors! They measure appox. 3x5 and have an alligator clip on the back.

I also listed a few more of everyone's favorite Pocket Clutch!

shop listing

These are great for summer! Each has two pockets so you can put your phone in one and cash and ID in the other, toss it in your beach bag and be on your way!

To celebrate the beginning of summer I'm offering $5 off all orders of $20 or more! Happy shopping!!!

{Made With Love Link Party}

Thanks to everyone who linked up last week! The most viewed link was...

...this darling sundress linked up by Polka Dots on Parade! Polka dots, ric rac, bunting???? TOO CUTE!

Alright party people...are you ready for this week's link up??? 

Let’s get to it! I'll be featuring my favorite links on the Facebook Fan Page throughout the week! Are you a fan? I also try to Pin my favorites to Pinterest. The top clicked link will be featured during next weeks party! 

{Just a few party guidelines}

• 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 tweet about the party. Make sure to @ tag me so I can RT you!

Thanks for stopping by! Now go link up something crafty!

 

{InstaFriday...life lately}

Hi friends! Happy Friday to you! It's officially summer break and I couldn't be happier! We're headed to Disneyland today to check out Cars Land. Carter is PUMPED about it! I am too :)

I've been able to blog much lately so I love that Instagram is a way for me to check in with you all and let you know what we've been up to! Come follow along @sewchatty. Today I'm linking up with Jeannette with a recap of my favorite little life moments over the past few weeks.

This is my favorite thing I've made EVER!

 I adore this bag. It was such a fun project! Very satisfying. One of those "wow, I can't believe I made that" kind of projects. Love it! I have two more it the works for my boys so stay tuned for finished pics of those too! Check out my full pattern review and tips HERE.

1. Beach pouch to match my beach bag. Tutorial for the beach bag HERE.

2. Carter loves his scooter. I love that I can take him with me when I go running!

3. Thrifted chambray shirt makeover! The doilies fixed the Mickey!

4. DIY mint jeans. LOVE how this pair turned out! The first pair were a MAJOR fail!

5. My boy got student of the month!!!! This is a big huge deal. He struggled so much at the beginning of the year so to end first grade as student of the month, made us over the moon happy!

6. White Chicken Enchiladas for a family in our church who just had their 5th child. These are AMAZING.

7. Handmade by me baby gift.

8. Sunday nap with my favorite quilt. 

9. Crochet Bun Bow!

10. The Bun Bow in action! These will be in the shop soon!

11. Went to the cheap theater to see Mirror Mirror. This Dr. Pepper was fifty cents more than the movie ticket. Ugh. I'm smuggling in my own next time!!!

12. My summer makeup routine. With 55 SPF as well :)

13. Started to feel a cold coming on, but kicked it thanks to these three miracle workers!

14. My Anthro mug died a sad and tragic death. I am so bummed.

15. Maybe I should learn how to count better when I make collages so that pics don't show up twice??? Newbie.

We had an awesome first grade teacher this year. She let the kids with summer birthdays bring in treats for their friends. We brought these AWESOME Cake Batter Rice Crispy Treats.

Lastly...

I bought a bikini. I've been working SO hard for it and even though I have 6 lbs to go, there are tons of people at the beach in bikinis that look way worse than me so I figured I go for it! I managed to find one that actually fits well and doesn't pinch in at the sides. I'm ready to hit the beach this Sunday for Father's Day!

Have a great weekend everyone!

{Weekender Bag: Pattern Review}

Hey there! Happy Thursday to you all! TODAY IS THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!! Summer here we come! So excited to slow down and do some fun stuff with my boys!

We have several trips planned for the summer months which prompted me to finally make this Weekender Bag! I've been hoarding the pattern for over a year. Got it at a JoAnn's pattern sale for $1. Sweet deal. This is a great bag. It's big. I mean REALLY BIG.

This is Simplicity Pattern 2274 designed by Studio Cherie. Like I mentioned above, I got mine at JoAnn's during a sale, but it is also available on Amazon. I'm going to show you a few pics of my finished bag and tell you a few things that helped me along the way should you decide to make one of your own! For reference, this is comparable in size to the large Vera Bradley bag.

To construct this bag you need:

*8 ounce polyester quilt batting 1.5 yards
*Muslin (or other desired lining fabric) 44” wide, 1.5 yards
*Feature Fabric 44” wide or 54” wide, 1.5 yards
*Contrasting fabric for handles 44” or 54” wide, one yard
*#5 Nylon Coil Zippers one at least 21” long and one at least 13” long
*Jute Webbing (found in upholstery notions)3.5” wide, 3.5 yards
*Optional Wide Seam Binding 6 yards

Dimensions:
20"(51cm)long
12"(30.5cm)deep
12" (30.5cm)high
Strap Drop 11"(28cm)long enough to wear over your shoulder.

Sew Chatty Notes: I am not of fan of polyester batting. I like the finished look and feel and weight of cotton batting way better so I chose to use cotton. However I didn't get enough! This bag is GIANT! I ended up piecing some scraps together which worked but took a lot of extra time! If you choose to use cotton batting instead of polyester, make sure you get enough! I chose to use a Kona cotton solid for the lining instead of muslin. For the outer fabric, you just can't go wrong with Amy Butler! Her large beautiful prints lend themselves to a beautiful finished bag! I couldn't find the jute webbing so I used 2" wide twill tape instead and it worked out just fine. I just had to narrow the handle strips. NBD. I love how they turned out. I did not bind my seams either. The pattern didn't recommend that, but she does mention it on her shop listing. Anyhow, I did finish all the seams with a zig zag stitch and I'm confident that they'll hold up nicely.

Here is a close up of the outer pocket on the front of the bag. Great for maps, tickets, itineraries, etc...

This is the outer, pleated, zipper pocket. Super handy for chargers and other small items you don't want floating around inside.

A close up of the quilting! I quilted it much heavier than the pattern said to, but I like the quilted look. I made sure to cute my lining and batting pieces an inch wider/longer to account for any shifting during quilting. I quilted straight vertical and horizontal lines and doubled my horizontal lines with an additional stitch line 1/4 below the first. I also did a lot more top-stitching than the pattern said to. I like top-stitching. Pretty and sturdy!

Some additional things you might find helpful: I would consider this an intermediate sewing project. The construction is pretty straight forward of you've made bags, quilted and worked with zippers before. If you want to save yourself A LOT of time...buy pre-quilted fabric from the fabric store and use a pretty print as the pockets, handle, and tab accent. This bag cost about $40-$50 to make and about 15 hours of time total. I am making bags for my husband and son and have already purchased pre-quilted fabric for theirs as well as really fun prints for the accents.  I would probably us a layer of interfacing on the tabs next time because they feel a little flimsy to me. This bag came together really easily with no seam ripping at all!!! Woo hoo! The trickiest part is attaching the side pieces to the body. Make sure you really pay attention to the pattern markings. I found it easiest to stitch the top, then each side, then the bottom.

Hopefully my tips will help you if you decide to make yourself a pretty new bag! If you have any other questions I'll be happy to answer in comments.

See, I told you it was big! ;)

I can't wait to take her on many many summer trips! If you make one, I really want to see it so post the link in the comment section ok??? I wish you all happy and safe summer travels!

{Made With Love...and a sneak peek!}

Hi there! I hope you all had a great weekend! Summer is almost here! Only 4 more days of school left and the little man is already planning his magical summer. He has a big list of all the fun things he wants to do and I intend to do them all!

Here is a little sneak peek of a duffel pattern I'll be reviewing this week....

 This is a GIANT bag and I love love love it! I'll be reviewing the pattern this week and sharing a few tips and tricks I learned along the way too!

Alright party people...are you ready for this week's link up??? 

Let’s get to it! I'll be featuring my favorite links on the Facebook Fan Page throughout the week! Are you a fan? I also try to Pin my favorites to Pinterest. The top clicked link will be featured during next weeks party! 

{Just a few party guidelines}

• 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 tweet about the party. Make sure to @ tag me so I can RT you!

Thanks for stopping by! Now go link up something crafty!