tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2229802099564377232024-03-05T12:38:58.691-06:00Cheeky D in HeelsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger243125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-75473118892861815792016-09-08T09:08:00.003-05:002016-09-08T09:08:22.340-05:00Heidi and Finn Dorset Dress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ZvjMci1ly-4RW-w-v8_862GK4-D4ZSuYR0gi8MAotA8Vecwb1-gwGPe0H-p2Rmy8s43kJovlqjYXZq6u8G9iFduoA2OkpPbZGOBfdi7jkP3jDwU-tSMF4PqkUhSxxPOry2xtb__g_Tg/s1600/IMG_3475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ZvjMci1ly-4RW-w-v8_862GK4-D4ZSuYR0gi8MAotA8Vecwb1-gwGPe0H-p2Rmy8s43kJovlqjYXZq6u8G9iFduoA2OkpPbZGOBfdi7jkP3jDwU-tSMF4PqkUhSxxPOry2xtb__g_Tg/s640/IMG_3475.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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One of my favorite things to do is pattern test. I'm not sure if it's the camaraderie of sewing the same thing at the same time as others or that there is a hard and fast deadline so I actually allow myself to commit time to sewing and complete a project in a timely manner. Why is that always so hard to do? <br />
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If you've visited my blog ever before you know that Heidi and Finn patterns are by far my favorite ones out there. Her patters are quick and easy to follow along. Everything is neat and tidy with great pictures to illustrate steps, let's be honest I rarely read, I just follow along the pictures (except when I'm testing I read...that's part of the deal). But each pattern finishes with clean lines and looks professional even for beginner sewers.<br />
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The Dorset dress, by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/heidiandfinn?ref=l2-shopheader-name">Heidi and Finn</a>, is a simple, comfy and modern staple in any little
girls’ closet. This jumper style dress has been updated with clean
modern lines, a slim a-line fit with an above the knee hem.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8I-lABpCMBHEdoY-rsuyypSYAGvP_HOJC2QngaA4yboM39tPSzVQZ4y9dw15DRWEmB_Gj-gT1FieQ5dAvkW3duwynFSsR1Ucq1PaCNU_94vKKqXsUaIoXzlfLs-7qmqUPPkA5rH7JYM/s1600/IMG_3225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8I-lABpCMBHEdoY-rsuyypSYAGvP_HOJC2QngaA4yboM39tPSzVQZ4y9dw15DRWEmB_Gj-gT1FieQ5dAvkW3duwynFSsR1Ucq1PaCNU_94vKKqXsUaIoXzlfLs-7qmqUPPkA5rH7JYM/s640/IMG_3225.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I tested a size 4 for my ever growing 3 year old. I am in total denial that she is so big. I would say the fit was a little big on her, since she is three, but the perfect size for growing into. I think she would be out of it too fast had I've done the 4. The material used was a good quality quilting cotton picked up at my local Joann fabric. It was regularly $12/yd and I snatched it up with an extra 50% off clearance for a whopping $3.50/yd. Since this dress required less than a yard to make, and I used buttons from my stash, I spent less on this dress than the coffee I drank while making it! A little bit sad I know....<br />
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The only modification I made to it, and I don't even know if you'd call it that is I really loved the yellow accent with the navy plaid so I lined it with, and backed the buttons with, some yellow I had. I also lined the flutter sleeve with it for some interest. I did this by cutting double (so 4) sleeve pieces. I followed the directions and folded the piece in half and then pressed it. I then measured a 1/4 of an inch from the crease and cut all 4 sleeve pieces like this. I took the larger piece of all the sections and matched one yellow to each plaid and pinned them right sides together. I sewed a 1/4 seam down the pressed crease. I then double checked that my modifide sleeve piece was the same size as the pattern piece and continued with the pattern as written.<br />
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So here she is, the Dorset Dress by Heidi and Finn on my youngest model who is super tricky to photograph....I haven't groomed her quite like her big sis just yet!!!! Take a look, ask some questions and go out and get it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3B6C77_1ubLP51P4FvZyS0Eq8gaVLXyBtuDJZ9iSPlRdFNTlN1L4Lsh0CGVXGlDaIPaTHUGwFWfXtvKVUC7nQ_FSuWFd51OlLb0w7pZ7-WM_FdF2dbPHkXZyYiLFuG5hXlsmNHKpBxLc/s1600/FullSizeRender_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3B6C77_1ubLP51P4FvZyS0Eq8gaVLXyBtuDJZ9iSPlRdFNTlN1L4Lsh0CGVXGlDaIPaTHUGwFWfXtvKVUC7nQ_FSuWFd51OlLb0w7pZ7-WM_FdF2dbPHkXZyYiLFuG5hXlsmNHKpBxLc/s640/FullSizeRender_1.jpg" width="484" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaai0CbdohNPVJ2KbDRS2OJ-6p4CvnXu4HlGbvWI7rrtQVh2TJ6IEZN_59-AtsruQBc75jfoGnKy9VZ6hlmhTBfF3QZiyfrEC9SV4YnR3t-uawhBZYUh4IcstrRYP0aEirUS8A4Pqr268/s1600/IMG_3224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaai0CbdohNPVJ2KbDRS2OJ-6p4CvnXu4HlGbvWI7rrtQVh2TJ6IEZN_59-AtsruQBc75jfoGnKy9VZ6hlmhTBfF3QZiyfrEC9SV4YnR3t-uawhBZYUh4IcstrRYP0aEirUS8A4Pqr268/s640/IMG_3224.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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This pattern is available for <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/476991379/new-dorset-dress-pdf-sewing-pattern-and?ref=shop_home_feat_4">sale</a> in her <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/476991379/new-dorset-dress-pdf-sewing-pattern-and?ref=shop_home_feat_4">etsy shop</a> on sale this week for $7.95 ($6.36 USD). Scoop it up while it's on sale. Also, word on the street is she has two patterns getting ready for testing in the next few weeks so keep your eyes peeled and your fingers crossed I get selected again!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 0px none;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-12785682967838143872016-03-07T20:19:00.000-06:002016-03-07T20:19:03.600-06:00Carter's Dress Hack I've been on the hunt for the perfect Easter dress to complete the sister duo so while at the mall I checked <a href="http://www.carters.com/">Carter's</a>. I don't shop there very often (probably because I'm not on their email list so they don't lure me the way the Gap daily promotions tend too) but I had a gift card and thought what the heck!<br />
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While I was looking around I stumbled on this <a href="http://www.carters.com/carters-baby-girl-dresses/V_127G090.html?dwvar_V__127G090_size=12M&cgid=carters-baby-girl-dresses&dwvar_V__127G090_color=Color#navID=header&start=47&cgid=carters-baby-girl-dresses">adorable dress</a> and fell in love only to find out the largest size it came in was 24 months. Short of having another baby, just for this dress, I bought it for a friend's new baby and pouted about it for the rest of the day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVup3OEenaJocKh6enuggb0NqNV7PX0xtJtBtpLKBZ8P3Kuu5e0MJSMicFzFPu2nWyx7HiWNhdhRco2qJabJUs1aM2whlcpTBw9C_AblUKoMvWf6JKIeiT6dAgRImFztRG14tNfdzPMuo/s1600/IMG_9755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVup3OEenaJocKh6enuggb0NqNV7PX0xtJtBtpLKBZ8P3Kuu5e0MJSMicFzFPu2nWyx7HiWNhdhRco2qJabJUs1aM2whlcpTBw9C_AblUKoMvWf6JKIeiT6dAgRImFztRG14tNfdzPMuo/s320/IMG_9755.JPG" width="240" /> </a></div>
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Part way home, I remembered my husband used to have a shirt like this. He went through a period where he was splitting the sleeves of all of his shirts right near the elbow so I kept them thinking I could do something with them one day. Fast forward two years and I was thrilled to find this exact shirt. Tried it on my model, did a few calculations and went to work. Here's the best part, kept my money in my pocket (even though it's 50% off currently and only $12) and made my girl a free dress from her Daddy's shirt!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OBCSRSqESVSX9jBsYqMT3mzK6tGXfiSQfKszLYqSe59eji5yJXpAXU_f8-OOeTizpAZjWd9OrDOX_QIZ-TjEN6MfW4mLJ4wLakXI9O5D322xgn9PxTL8yJ3Qg4SX6KsyVDWQtp1VfQg/s1600/IMG_9942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OBCSRSqESVSX9jBsYqMT3mzK6tGXfiSQfKszLYqSe59eji5yJXpAXU_f8-OOeTizpAZjWd9OrDOX_QIZ-TjEN6MfW4mLJ4wLakXI9O5D322xgn9PxTL8yJ3Qg4SX6KsyVDWQtp1VfQg/s320/IMG_9942.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I started by removing the arms where they were attached and using a pattern I am familiar with to cut out the body and sleeves. One of the tutorials on pinterest said to use a dress as a guide adding seam allowance but I was not comfortable with that. I used Heidi and Finn's <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/248323087/new-pumpkin-spice-pdf-pattern-and?ref=shop_home_feat_2">Pumpkin Spice Pattern</a> which I had pattern tested (and apparently never blogged about...huh) because it has a similar shape to how I wanted the dress to come out. I will say I did have to adjust the body a little bit and make it a bit smaller for the arms to fit nicely but that is probably due to the rough job I did cutting it out. The top section was cut all in one piece so I cut down only the right side of the photo and then straight across the bottom and then flipped the pattern piece to the other side and did the same thing. I made sure that the top portion was about 1/2 an inch longer than I wanted to allow for the attaching of the skirt. That left just attaching the sides of the body for this portion to be complete.</div>
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I used the sleeves for the sleeves (imagine that?). Again I used the sleeves from the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/248323087/new-pumpkin-spice-pdf-pattern-and?ref=shop_home_feat_2">pumpkin spice pattern</a> but adjusted the length to my preference. I knew I wanted them long enough for a small roll at the bottom. To accomplish this I used 4 sleeve pieces (2 for each sleeve) and attached them at the bottom then sewed the sides together and flipped it inside out to make a tube. This left a raw edge at the top of the sleeve where it would be attached to the top of the dress. Before I flipped it though I attached the button packet (seen below) to one side of the sleeve which would become the inside of the sleeve. I ironed this all smooth and attached the sleeve.<br />
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My shirt had a pocket but the scale was too large for my dress. Luckily my front and back body pieces were short enough to finish above the pocket while still also leaving enough length below the pocket for the skirt. I cut the bottom about an inch longer than I wanted the finished length to be then cinched it to the same size as the top. When attaching the body to the skirt I ironed the raw edge of the top up 1/2 an inch and unfolded it to attach the right sides of the button packet together in the front. I did this first and then adjusted my cinching to ensure the skirt had an even look. I then attached the skirt to the body with the two right sides facing and raw edges lined up. There should be a crease where you ironed right above this. Tuck the skirt up and pull the body down and top stitch into place.<br />
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In my opinion, what made this look so professional is that I kept and used most of the original construction. For example. Below is a picture of the button packet on the sleeve, I removed it, cut it slightly larger than I wanted it, turned the raw edge inside and top stitched it closed. The collar, the buttons in the front, the panel in the back and the bottom seam, are all from the original shirt so they are neat and tidy without doing a thing. That made this a super quick easy sew.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwIseON4xc9iVAfCiDLV2x1BxgLP_zkXIwo3CDBu6kK3MoIrFV0Qobig08F7K8AVeDml1CiyATRcFuEfSpO8VHBw09pcKWyAGwkwh8MZRgAPmJZtRJG3KplkHhl7u1BWOF3s-i4XsW6w/s1600/IMG_9888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24eBfzQGFoOtGcHadHoq47ntTPhtGTynb-r5cz5HUCtGEQ7vHdGrXuaRO7pv0gQ8HY-DCnchJk7m_haMT5oB9kLDPR8cqC-rwG4VyDdHJkFIEPZ9_mbJ0cDsry9ndUUcfPBhCjHwds7w/s320/IMG_9887.JPG" width="240" /><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwIseON4xc9iVAfCiDLV2x1BxgLP_zkXIwo3CDBu6kK3MoIrFV0Qobig08F7K8AVeDml1CiyATRcFuEfSpO8VHBw09pcKWyAGwkwh8MZRgAPmJZtRJG3KplkHhl7u1BWOF3s-i4XsW6w/s320/IMG_9888.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Here's my final product!<br />
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I'll have to add some other photos of it on my girl, but they are currently on my husbands phone. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nHX8paf3Xs54j7QKLlrRY9Bbd1las0LJGcfgViTjZMQqtbv4u2ZjyyvMa3EbyjSclxfpknCRX3TnsR0YuAtVx0JhkLptpNzKSN1L2vS9M7uvSU9PlQYBn7Mf8KGBzsidymhWNovWa7w/s1600/IMG_9924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nHX8paf3Xs54j7QKLlrRY9Bbd1las0LJGcfgViTjZMQqtbv4u2ZjyyvMa3EbyjSclxfpknCRX3TnsR0YuAtVx0JhkLptpNzKSN1L2vS9M7uvSU9PlQYBn7Mf8KGBzsidymhWNovWa7w/s320/IMG_9924.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I'd love to hear if this helped or what you were able to create! Happy sewing!<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-91712905265549378092016-02-27T17:20:00.001-06:002016-02-28T18:46:55.389-06:00Finchley Messenger Bag Testing for Heidi and Finn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you haven't already figured it out, I love Heidi and Finn patterns. Whenever she puts a call out for a new pattern to be tested I jump on it because they are always great and need very few modifications. Each pattern can be made by someone new to sewing yet have a professional finish to them.<br />
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This is her first bag pattern but she's been sewing it for years before now releasing it to the public. The beauty of this simple bag pattern is it comes with a few ways of appliqueing or you can customize it however you want. It also comes with a bonus wallet. The wallet is super cute and an easy sew. Perfect for your younger friends who want to feel like an adult as well.<br />
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For testing this pattern Christine, the designer, told us we could applique in anyway we wanted. I don't know if it's these warm temps in Florida, but I have spring and more importantly Easter on the brain. I quickly decided to do bunny bags for the girls to use with their Easter dresses. This was a quick easy sew and based on the girls' initial reaction there is no doubt in my mind that there will be many more of these in our future. The longest part in this process was appliqueing the purse. I used the fruit template that comes with the pattern to balance my face. I folded it in half to find where the nose would go and then half again to make the eyes and length of the whiskers. I used a washable sewing marker to mark this off and then hand stitched with embroidery floss. I made a rough pattern for the ears (yes I did reuse a parent reminder from my daughters school...hehe) to mark off and cut the ears. I then attached them a few inches down from where the flap would be attached to the main portion of the bag and to the sides of the eyes. I made a wool pompom for the nose (there are a million tutorials on pinterest for this) and then followed the rest of the pattern tutorial exactly.<br />
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The only other change I made to this tutorial was I couldn't find the slider at my local fabric store to make an adjustable strap so I just made it stationary. I measured the length of the strap on my daughter and then just shortened it to where I thought it should fall and stitched it on. While the adjustable strap would likely last them longer its a quick sew and I can easily whip them up a new one. Let's be honest, white bags are not going to last forever!<br />
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The Finchley bag is set to release in the next few days. You can find this great pattern and all the Heidi & Finn pattern here on <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/heidiandfinn?ref=l2-shopheader-name">etsy</a>.<br />
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<img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; border: 0px none;" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-7311752983634830392015-09-14T10:00:00.000-05:002015-09-14T10:06:52.252-05:00Heidi & Finn Cocoon Dress<br />
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It's been a long time since I've posted a sewing project but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. In fact, the opposite. I'm often squeezing sewing in wherever I can and so there is not much time left to blog about it. I've posted before about my love for <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/heidiandfinn?ref=l2-shopheader-name">Heidi & Finn</a> and again I'm going to boast about how great these patterns are. I recently pattern tested her latest release, the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/247425707/new-sale-cocoon-dress-pdf-pattern-and?ref=shop_home_feat_4">Cocoon Dress</a>. The great thing about testing is that you have a deadline....this little beauty couldn't be cut only to sit on my sewing table for months. The fabric was bought, cut, sewn and modeled in about 4 days. My model even have an ear infection and strep throat so we waited an extra day until she <strike>wasn't</strike> was less of a nightmare.<br />
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The Cocoon Dress is AMAZING. It is a quick easy sew that can be made with or without pockets (my girl loves her some pockets). And can we talk about the exposed zipper? I love it! Due to the shape it is best suited for heavier fabrics. I used a thick tweed that was $49.99 a yard...I know you think I'm nuts right...well I'm not. It was $49.99 on clearance for $24.99 and 50% off that. Yes, $12 and since I was testing a 2T I only needed 3/4 of a yard, so this baby cost me $8. Call me crazy but this dress looks like it could've come from a high end boutique right? Or am I just bias? Either way, I'm in love with it and anytime my girls can look fabulous for $8 I'm a happy woman!<br />
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I tested the 2T for my girl. She is about 30lbs and tall for her age (36 ish inches). This size fits her like a glove. I currently have this same dress in a sweat shirt material dress cut for her it's just in line behind another pattern I'm testing and maybe even a project for Mommy! I can't wait to sew one of these for my big girl. I'm looking into adding sleeves to pair with tights or leggings in cooler weather.<br />
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For the next two days this pattern from 12M-12yrs is on sale for $7.95 over on <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/247425707/new-sale-cocoon-dress-pdf-pattern-and?ref=shop_home_feat_4">etsy</a>. If your looking for a little inspiration, head over to the Heidi & Finn Blog to check out the <a href="http://www.heidiandfinn.com/2015/09/cocoon-dress-release-tester-roundup.html">Cocoon Dress Tester Round up</a>! Let me know what you make!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-24989765564469790672014-11-27T07:51:00.003-06:002014-11-27T07:51:43.517-06:00Military Inspired Sleeveless Coat | DMK Pattern Flip When I was trying to decide on my final plan for <a href="http://www.francessuzanne.com/">Frances Suzanne</a> pattern flip I stumbled upon a sleeveless coat and fell in love. So much so I almost gave up my <a href="http://www.cheekydinheels.blogspot.ca/2014/11/diy-bubble-pea-coat-dmk-pattern-flip.html">original plan</a>. So, you can imagine how happy I was when I realized I had enough material to do both. My original plan for my big girl and the sleeveless jacket for my little.<br />
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I started with the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/54347961/trendy-unisex-pea-coat?ref=shop_home_active_6">Dear My Kids, Trendy Unisex Pea Coat</a>, when cutting the body of the coat I simply did not cut our the arm wholes.<br />
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I followed the instructions fully but when it came to adding sleeves I left them off. I added the pockets, the collar and a rectangular shoulder before sewing the liner in. When sewing the body shut, I left hole from the bottom of where the original sleeve would end down 3 inches. To finish the arm holes I folded the outside fabric (wool) and inside liner in a 1/4 of an inch and top stitched all the way around.<br />
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<b>The Collar</b><br />
For the collar I used the 6T length but the 2T width. I cut 4 individual pieces rather than 2 on the fold. I ended up having to piece this together a little bit because I was using left over scraps. I didn't mind this at though because it gave the more military look I was going for. I also added 2 pieces that were 4 inches each giving me an approximate finished length of 18 inches.<br />
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<b>The Pocket</b> <br />
To add detail I added a pocket to the front. This was much easier than expected. I decided where I wanted to place the pockets then cut a straight line through the outer layer of the jacket, in my case the wool. I cut out two pieces of the liner and placed them right sides facing on each side of the slit. I then sewed a straight stitch to hold them in place. I then pulled the two pocket pieces through the slit and sewed around the outside of the pocket with the right sides together. The bottom left photo shows how it looked completed. I then folded a piece of fabric together and to stitched it to create a small rectangle. I then hand stitched it to the front of the pocket <strike>hiding my mess</strike> giving the military look I was going for.<br />
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This coat was a simple sew with a large impact. The details gave it a fun boutique look.</div>
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Then my little model went to town. Anyone ever try to photograph an 18 month old? Yeah they don't pause, or ever stop moving!<br />
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<img alt="" class="post_img" src="http://www.francessuzanne.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/FlipthisPatternFall14240px.jpg" style="opacity: 1;" /><br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-16663187222208148442014-11-27T07:50:00.001-06:002014-11-27T07:50:26.858-06:00DIY Bubble Pea Coat | DMK Pattern FlipThis round of flip this pattern made me nervous because a coat seemed like a big commitment. Expensive materials, a large project and lots of room for error. After stressing over it I finally decided to give it a go. My final product was a Bubble Pea Coat and I could not be more happy with the final product. The Dear My Kids Trendy Unisex Swing Coat was a great pattern. I loved the cuff detail and collar. The directions were easy to follow and a quick sew. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSuYqSXoEml7oCSnpdGo5i-XNN6Xa2IxHzRY7H0xHmho3JAyEz0KIuHWlDmYgCb8iA4NyDpQknedX-Ky9I5stnwRVG3ue3sNTXros3cDVCl7aU44lRlU2Vn_8Sj1gv21bT0PSR-6GCaHM/s1600/Elle+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSuYqSXoEml7oCSnpdGo5i-XNN6Xa2IxHzRY7H0xHmho3JAyEz0KIuHWlDmYgCb8iA4NyDpQknedX-Ky9I5stnwRVG3ue3sNTXros3cDVCl7aU44lRlU2Vn_8Sj1gv21bT0PSR-6GCaHM/s1600/Elle+cover.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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I really wanted to do a long pea coat because I love little girls in pea coats. Growing up my parents did not have tons of money but we always had beautiful pea coats, or what we called a "church" coat. It was the coat we wore when we were dressed up or going somewhere special, like church. I spent <strike>some</strike> a lot of time on pinterest looking at different coats and picking out elements that I really liked. At the same time, I was pattern testing for<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/heidiandfinn"> Heidi and Finn's</a> bubble dress. The <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/62495747/bubble-dress-pattern-and-tutorial-12m-6t?ref=shop_home_active_1">slim fit </a>version is already available in her store but for the more full figured baby girls (like mine) a regular fit will be released later this week. I have seen a few high end coats that are similar for adults and thought how adorable would this be for a little girl.<br />
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<b>Changes</b> <br />
I extended the length, added a bubble bottom and added darts to the front and back to give a more fitted look and make the bubble more dramatic. I cut the original pattern pieces from both the coat and the dress and laid them on top of each other to create the new pattern. My favorite detail is the bow on the back...so adorable.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-21266691701361601322014-10-22T19:53:00.000-05:002014-10-22T20:16:48.748-05:00Halloween| Brownie Goose Pattern Flip<b>Flip this Pattern- Brownie Goose, Hattie</b><br />
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<b> </b><br />
April was the first time I ever participated in a "Flip the Pattern" with <a href="http://www.francessuzanne.com/">Frances Susanne</a> and it was so fun! You can see my flip<a href="http://www.cheekydinheels.blogspot.ca/2014/04/j-crew-knock-off-project.html"> here</a>.
It truly inspired me to do more and while I've had every intention to
do the next and the next and the next, we decided to move from Toronto
to Florida and my life is currently chaotic. I have checked in monthly,
voted for my favourites and longed for a time I could rejoin. And,
while my life is still spread across two countries, my parents home, my
in-laws home and a storage unit, Halloween always gets me sewing for my
girls and getting creative. In fact, Halloween 2011 was my very first
"Flip the pattern" ever, even though that wasn't a thing then. I used a
Heidi and Finn pattern I loved and altered it ever so slightly to make a
<a href="http://www.cheekydinheels.blogspot.ca/2011/11/halloween-costume.html">Shamu costume</a> for our whale loving daughter. <br />
<br />
This
year I was worried she would want to be Elsa and look like every other
child trick or treating in 2014. She actually settle on Rapunzel which I
thought could be fun, naturally baby sis would be pascal. She then
changed her mind to Aurora.... this actually shocked me because Aurora
is the one princess I know very little about. I wasn't sure where she
was coming from since there hasn't been much hype about her until...the
re-release of Sleeping Beauty on DVD October 7. My girl is ahead of the
curve. So while everyone else will be Aurora in 2015, my girl will be
leading the charge on the next big princess. <br />
<br />
Once we
decided on Aurora I set to work trying to figure out who Baby sister
would be and decided on Merryweather. Nothing could be more perfect!<br />
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And
here's how we ended up with our flip. I had already purchased the
Brownie Goose Hattie pattern and was dying to give it a try. I
absolutely love the vintage vibe it has. When I saw it was this months
flip, it was the right motivation to print that Hattie and get one
made. So Merryweather's costume was inspired by the Hattie. The
gathered sleeve and the stand up collar are the perfect Disney costume
details. <br />
<br />
I didn't make huge changes...it didn't
need huge changes. It fit so perfectly for what I had in mind. I
started with blue broadcloth, this was not a recommended material and I
would not recommend using it for this pattern, but it was cheap and this
was a costume not an everyday dress. The fabric was thin so it was
difficult to get the structured look that I love about this pattern, but
again for a costume it did the trick. I used tulle instead of fabric
for the collar and doubled the width of the neck ruffle to 4 inches to
make it larger and more Disney like. I also used the selvage length and
didn't cut it down nearly what I says in the pattern as tulle is much
finer than other fabrics and I wanted to give it a fuller look. I added
tulle to the bottom of the skirt and then put a tutu our
daughter already had under the dress to make the skirt appear fuller
(although our almost 18 month old has a fairly similar shape to Merry
Weather to begin with!). I added sequence to the neckline and a
sequence and ruffle embellishment to the bottom to give it the fairy
detail and make it special for Halloween.<br />
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I added a cape by purchasing I meter of broadcloth. It was
a super simple construction, again relying on embellishments to give
the fairy costume look. Here is what I did. 1. Folded the fabric in half 2. Then I traced two
semi-circles at the top sides then trimmed the outer edges to leave the semi circles at the top. 3. I stitched it up leaving a small opening to turn it inside out. 4. I then folded the top section (the semi-circles and across to create a collar). I then used a basting stitch to gather it and create a flowy look. 5. Cover the basting stitch with a ribbon or an extra piece of fabric. See the terrible diagram below (I did feel like pictures helped explain my process). <br />
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The final touch....her hat. I purchased a mini-brown cardboard witch hat from target and covered it with remaining fabric from the dress.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0px none ! important;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-68376442445603771172014-10-08T22:20:00.001-05:002014-10-08T22:21:08.631-05:00Pattern Tester | Gardenia Dress By Cali Faye Collection <br />
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<img alt="" class="spotlight" height="200" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10447850_690827337705129_4754821330033844868_n.jpg?oh=7dcefcf23c38a595258214cc870cbf83&oe=54B3F441&__gda__=1422378909_a7a1beca9b62ccc55f374238e61f1532" width="200" /></div>
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I was recently selected to test <span class="userContent">the women’s <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/206448503/gardenia-dress-womens-pdf-pattern-and?ref=shop_home_feat_1">Gardenia Dress by Cali Faye Collection.</a> I was so thrilled to get the email that I had been selected since I love her designs! Knowing I would be on a serious time crunch, my husband was flying in for 4 days (He's moved for business, we will eventually join him), I set to work right away. </span><br />
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<span class="userContent"> I was surprised at how easily the dress came together. As I have said many times before, I am mainly self taught and I generally only sew for my kids, but the instructions were clear and easy to follow. One of the things that impressed me the most was how not "homemade" it looked. This is my biggest fear sewing for myself and what has held me back from doing much of it in the past. Kids look cute in homemade, moms look frumpy. This is not the case at all with the Gardenia Dress. It is well crafted to look professionally finished and stylish.</span><br />
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<span class="userContent"> I used a sturdy jersey knit with lots of stretch and 100% recovery. I was actually so impressed that my local fabric store had a great weight and colour in the fabric I was hoping for (this is not always the case for this store). I selected a midnight blue colour with flecks of black with the hopes of styling this dress with boots and possibly a scarf here in Toronto for the colder weather or flats and a clutch when our family moves permanently to Florida. </span><br />
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<span class="userContent"> Sarah was so gracious and sweet to work with, and responded so quickly to any questions I had during construction. My only complaint with the pattern would be that the neck seemed rather large. I am fairly flat chested so I have this problem a lot and felt as though I could have maybe gone down a size in the top section. The design is to be flowy but not too big. Sarah took a look at the pattern and has reworked the scoop of the neck with her final release. So, if you're worried it looks too low, it's been adjusted.</span><br />
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So now it's your turn! Go ahead and grab this dress, a staple for anyone on the go wanting to look put together when really you only had 5 minutes!<br />
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Congrats Sarah on an great pattern, and thanks again for granting me the honour to help test!</div>
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The Gardenia Dress pattern can be purchased <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/206448503/gardenia-dress-womens-pdf-pattern-and?ref=shop_home_feat_1">here</a> and be sure check out her facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CaliFayeCollection">here</a> to grab your 20% discount<span class="userContent"> until Sunday, October 12th 11:59pm EST (Monday, October 13th 1:59pm AEDT).</span>!</div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0px none ! important;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-32687325294638294752014-09-22T10:58:00.003-05:002014-10-08T22:22:25.309-05:00Gap Knock Off Project<br />
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I recently completed my first ever knock off pattern (if you missed it you can find it <a href="http://www.cheekydinheels.blogspot.ca/2014/04/j-crew-knock-off-project.html">here</a>) and ever since I've had the bug to try again. Mix in a giant move from Toronto to Florida, plus immigration, plus flying between Toronto and Florida for the next 6 to 8 months and it took a little longer than hoped. At any rate, I had a few minutes so I sat down to knock off this <a href="http://www.gapcanada.ca/browse/product.do?cid=78636&vid=1&pid=982404003">Checkered flannel dress </a>from the GAP. I loved the dress, I love the GAP, but again didn't love the price tag. With a growing girl, I find myself purchasing an entire new wardrobe each time the weather changes therefore I need to plan carefully and stretch my dollar as far as it will go. What I wanted was a $40 dress from the GAP, what I got was the exact same dress for $8.<br />
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<b>Original- GAP $40</b><br />
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<img src="http://www.gapcanada.ca/products/res/mainimg/checkered-flannel-dress-faded-red.jpg" height="345" id="irc_mi" style="margin-top: 88px;" width="260" /><br />
My original plan was to up-cycle a plaid shirt, but since I didn't have one already and was visiting Florida at the time, I visited Jo-Ann instead. With a 60% off coupon in hand I found exactly what I was hoping for and was able to purchase the 2 yards I wanted for just $8 total. I already had a zipper and a pattern used from a previous project so I had everything I needed.<br />
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To make the dress, I used a dress pattern that I have made before a know fits her well. I used <a href="https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/168561349/instant-dowload-the-adelaide-a-line?ref=shop_home_active_16">The Adelaide A-Line Dress</a> by Seamingly Smitten. I made a few tweaks to suit my purpose, one of which was making the arms a little bit skinnier than the original pattern, but overall I was a great shell for what I was doing. The neck was a little more scooped than I wanted but I was able to fix that with a small dart in the front (I should have thought about this sooner, so if you are make the neck smaller, you can use a favourite t-shirt as your guide. I also just cut the back as a scoop mirroring the front rather than a "v". (Total side note: I love the "V" detail on this dress when I made it for my daughter, the detail is adorable, just not what I needed for this dress). <br />
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Another change I made was I cut the length of the dress shorter than normal (approx 14 inches, from her shoulder to hip) to add the drop waist. To make the drop waist I cut a piece of fabric that was 8 inches long by double the width of the completed dress top. I simply hemmed one end of waist fabric (the bottom) and sewed the two short edges together to make a circle. I then baste stitched the top to allow for sinching. When it was sinched down to size and to my liking I attached the the skirt to the top hiding the seams on the inside and placing the seam at the back under the zipper.<br />
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The pattern I used also did not use a zipper, but I find dressing a dancing spinning 4 year old is always easier when she can step in and zip up. While adding a zipper seems scary it was super easy. I simply cut the back piece of the dress in half and followed this tutorial <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue5z2rWS588">here</a>. The video is the directions that come with a zipper when you buy it, sometimes its easier to do once you've seen it. <br />
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This dress was super easy! Pair it with tights or leggings, some cute boots and you have a comfy, cozy and super durable dress for cool fall days. Add a vest and this girl's ready for the ski chalet!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0px none ! important;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-66825400320642544672014-04-17T14:17:00.000-05:002014-04-17T14:17:08.372-05:00J Crew Knock Off Project<b><br /></b>
<b>Flip this Pattern~ Heidi and Finn Colorblock Dress</b> <br />
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I am self taught when it comes to sewing. I learned the basics from my Nana when I was 7 or 8 when she taught me how to make an apron for my mom for Mother's day. After not sewing for almost 20 years I picked it up again and have tried a few different projects. I'm not perfect, but the more you sew the better you get right?<br />
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I am a huge fan of Heidi and Finn patterns, I've made them <a href="http://www.cheekydinheels.blogspot.ca/2011/04/heidi-finn-modern-wears-for-kids.html">here</a>, <a href="http://www.cheekydinheels.blogspot.ca/2011/11/halloween-costume.html">here</a>, and <a href="http://www.cheekydinheels.blogspot.ca/2013/02/pattern-tester.html">here </a>and I've had my eye on the Colorblock dress for a while now. I found <a href="http://www.francessuzanne.com/2014/04/april-flip-this-pattern-sew-along-and.html">Frances Suzanne's</a> linky party by chance, and decided it was the perfect opportunity to give it a try. I bought the pattern and after making the Colorblock pattern for my nieces and spending sometime on Pinterest I decided I would "Flip this Pattern" for my oldest daughter. I saw this J Crew Dress and fell in love with it, with two girls who are growing faster than weeds the $70 price tag was out of my budget.<br />
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I took a look, got out my crayons (like any great sewer) and set to work. Here's what I came up with.<br />
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<b>Here's how I did it! </b><br />
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Rather than using three colours or materials as suggested, I used white broad cloth and some chambray I had. You could easily up-cycle an old pair of jeans for this as well if you wanted to. Another change I made to the original pattern was that I did not continue the chambray stripe all the way to the back, I only did the stripes on the front section. To do this I just used the liner piece provided and cut 4 pieces for the back half of the dress instead of 2 as per the directions. The final change I made was I used a size 5 pattern but used the size 4 length. Probably a terrible thing to say as a mother, but I prefer my girls dresses to be short, I think they seem more playful that way.<br />
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Before cutting the chambray for the centre section, I got out my daughters crayons and figured out my measurements. The body length for the 4T was 11 inches long. After measuring it out I decided I wanted my stripes to be 1 inch wide giving me 2 x 1 inch stripes at the top, 7 inches of chambray in the body, and 4 x 1 inch stripes at the bottom. To accomplish this I needed to add 6/8 of an inch to each one inch stripe as the pattern uses a 3/8 seam allowance. <br />
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Once it was coloured it was time to cut. I cut the centre section out of the chambray, then cut 2 inches off the top and 4 inches off the bottom. I then trimmed the 2 inches down to 1 6/8 and the bottom 4 inches into 2 x 1 6/8 pieces. I then cut three pieces of white cloth 8 ish inches by 1 6/8. I sewed all my pieces together and ironed all the seams toward the chambray and top stitched. This will ensure you can't see seams through your white. Once all the pieces were together I folded it in half, put the middle pattern piece back on, and trimmed it down to size (You will just be trimming as you started with the section mainly in tact. From there I followed the Colorblock pattern exactly.<br />
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<b>Belt</b><br />
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I wanted the belt to be 2 by 46 inches when I was all done. I like working with 1/4 seam allowance (I think I'm the only one) so I kept this in mind while cutting my pieces. Once all your pieces are cut, add the white and chambray to each end of your longest piece of chambray. Fold your belt in half, sew all the way around leaving a small hole to flip it right side out. Trim it up, flip it right side out, iron flat and then top stitch all the way around closing up your small hole. You could easy switch this around to make it longer or changer proportions but this is what I used:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>2 white 5 by 4 1/2 inches</b></li>
<li><b>2 white 3 by 4 1/2 inches</b></li>
<li><b>2 chambray 3 by 4 1/2 inches</b></li>
<li><b>1 chambray 31 by 4 1/2 inches</b></li>
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It was super easy and super inexpensive!<br />
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Thanks so much to<b> </b><a href="http://www.francessuzanne.com/2014/04/april-flip-this-pattern-sew-along-and.html">Frances Suzanne</a> and <a href="https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/heidiandfinn">Heidi and Finn</a> for the chance to sew along! I had a great time and love my end result. Check out what others did here. <br />
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<img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0px none ! important;" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-28530819694810268552013-02-03T07:03:00.001-06:002013-02-03T07:03:59.747-06:00Pattern Tester<br />
One of my New Years resolutions, even though I don't make New Years resolutions, was to sew more. So when I had the opportunity to test a pattern for <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/heidiandfinn">Heidi and Finn</a> I was thrilled. I have made a few of their other patterns before and find them easy to follow and quick to complete.<br />
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You may remember the Urban Unisex Hoodie pattern I used to make the boss a Shamu costume last Halloween (Full post <a href="http://www.cheekydinheels.blogspot.ca/2011/11/halloween-costume.html">here</a>),<br />
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or the Chic Cocktail Swing Coat I blogged about <a href="http://www.cheekydinheels.blogspot.ca/2011/04/heidi-finn-modern-wears-for-kids.html">here</a>.<br />
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This time we were testing a ballet shrug. I was so thrilled to be selected not only because I love their stuff but I have been wanting to make/buy The Boss a ballet shrug but have not found what I was looking for! I was also able to upcycle a sweater of mine that was recently moved from my closet to the give away bag so this sweater cost me nothing...perfect!<br />
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The pattern was well written and easy to follow, and only took about an hour to complete after it was cut (that always takes me a long time). As always Heidi and Finn patterns contain lots of pictures making them super easy to follow, I usually follow the pictures and only read the explanation when I get stuck (shhh!). Their patters are also emailed to you quickly after your order and can be printed on a regular printer so it doesn't take long to get started. If you are looking for cute urban wear for your little one check out their <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/heidiandfinn?ref=shop_sugg">etsy</a> shop or follow them on their <a href="http://heidiandfinn.blogspot.ca/">blog</a>! You won't be disappointed.<br />
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And, of course one in full motion at dance class. The Boss does not stop moving in class long enough for a clear picture! </div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0px none ! important;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-27918310302036680582012-12-12T06:24:00.000-06:002012-12-12T06:24:08.764-06:00Where I've Been....<br />
I've been a little busy....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBubB6eaJiEGxZP9_tmqXbJRVsbtFubfQi2RMvVVhuTer8rAyezu_wFTWdOEe4baFo9G-_l5H0U1YGhoCU1-MFHQU_vin0uEgSTKEdXX2ptZAmukj4qfO9kd9DTRFdqMhjRDW9RRTOlAk/s1600/Davis+expecting+card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBubB6eaJiEGxZP9_tmqXbJRVsbtFubfQi2RMvVVhuTer8rAyezu_wFTWdOEe4baFo9G-_l5H0U1YGhoCU1-MFHQU_vin0uEgSTKEdXX2ptZAmukj4qfO9kd9DTRFdqMhjRDW9RRTOlAk/s400/Davis+expecting+card.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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That's right, I'm currently "growing" the next member of our family. We are beyond excited, but since my body seems to hate doing this I am conserving all my energy for taking care of my family, working and pretending to prep for Christmas.<br />
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*Huge thanks to Jocie at <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/cardsetcetera">Cards Etcetera</a>...we love our announcement!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0px none ! important;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-25249081089901727552012-10-16T06:00:00.000-05:002012-10-16T06:00:06.933-05:00Thanksgiving<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAP2WlYOuLtuG7Zziuk9XpvTUEjAJHNgQpbfS8rD2zlMMZQmQZcbV3j744pR_mOen9lf7tm7KlXcjV9Skdx_h1MHGP7BOND8Bx0TooN0Dt3qtdUhLgvQ4iojMT8wp89fVRiZ3zfVXx8MQ/s1600/IMG_2203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAP2WlYOuLtuG7Zziuk9XpvTUEjAJHNgQpbfS8rD2zlMMZQmQZcbV3j744pR_mOen9lf7tm7KlXcjV9Skdx_h1MHGP7BOND8Bx0TooN0Dt3qtdUhLgvQ4iojMT8wp89fVRiZ3zfVXx8MQ/s320/IMG_2203.jpg" width="240" /></a>Life has been a blur since we got home from Florida. <br />
We celebrated Thanksgiving last weekend and it was awesome.<br />
After a busy week of traveling it was nice to be at home as a family.<br />
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I love Fall and Thanksgiving!<br />
One of my favourite things to do is to look for our pumpkin.<br />
We started our trip with Starbucks, of course,<br />
then bundled up and headed to the pumpkin patch. <br />
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We met up with my Bestie and her little family,<br />
in search of perfect pumpkins.<br />
We wanted pretty looking ones,<br />
while the Daddy's were focused on what would make the coolest face.<br />
We settled on a large round pumpkin, and a tall skinny one.<br />
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Strom's is the cutest little pumpkin farm.<br />
They had so many choices and lots of great photo areas.<br />
I can't believe how the girl is growing, 2012= 3 ft Tall!<br />
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Later that evening we headed over to my parents house for Thanksgiving dinner.<br />
As always my Mom's table looked lovely! <br />
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The cousin's were excited to see each other,<br />
and ran around yelling with delite.<br />
We eventually turned Mickey Mouse on<br />
and taught them the art of "out of sight, out of mind"!<br />
They caught on quick!<br />
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Cousin love, they have an entire couch </div>
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and yet they choose to sit right on top of each other.</div>
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All and all it was a wonderful weekend,</div>
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We have SO much to be thankful for! </div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0px none ! important;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-59825000363189699322012-10-15T09:30:00.000-05:002012-10-15T09:30:11.240-05:00We went to Florida....again!We took The Boss to Disney!<br />
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Since Mr. D is from Florida he has been dying to take her.<br />
It was a wonderful time, but boy was it exhausting!<br />
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Here are the instagram highlights<br />
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Jet Setter</div>
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Dance Muffins made by Gigi because she was missing dance!</div>
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Feeding Fish with Daddy</div>
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Lunch on the patio with Mommy</div>
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Dinner on the Water</div>
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Meeting Daisy!</div>
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Meeting Minnie!</div>
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Dinner with Shamu</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEl7gVkaQJWwBoQjObjEF0ZZMOlTeOsqkXfb4Sz1Wm8tr404TFabgFKhliFhgGs25gvww6hWngdugcPpuWyjoEwCR09ZhsH0M50kM7_9EHDiNLn3LXL-UVSpufJY8HHZwAd4_MKoARMrs/s1600/IMG_2152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEl7gVkaQJWwBoQjObjEF0ZZMOlTeOsqkXfb4Sz1Wm8tr404TFabgFKhliFhgGs25gvww6hWngdugcPpuWyjoEwCR09ZhsH0M50kM7_9EHDiNLn3LXL-UVSpufJY8HHZwAd4_MKoARMrs/s320/IMG_2152.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I think I need a vacation from vacation! <br />
So much fun with our Sweet Girl!<br />
<br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"></a>
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0px none ! important;" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-9650348273004977332012-09-07T06:00:00.000-05:002012-09-07T06:00:00.149-05:00Final Dining Room/Living Room Reveal<br />
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The best part of any project is the finished product. There is nothing I love more than sitting in my home and looking at my hard work. This was one of the largest projects I have taken on but in return has had the largest impact. I love this room. I think if I could put my decorating style into one picture it would be this room. It's rustic and warm, cost effective and glamorous, vintage yet trendy. <br />
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We took a beige box of a room with dark inexpensive furniture and painted it "Sage Silver" from Restoration Hardware. We highlighted the large windows and door on the one wall by painting it white and hanging sheer white drapes. <br />
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Our dining room and living room are connected so it was important to me to find comfortable chairs for the head of the table so they could be dragged over for extra occasional seating. I also wanted something to anchor the two ends of the table. These chairs are the perfect colour and the perfect size.<br />
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Magazine picture...seriously is this my house? I LOVE it!<br />
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This chair is another focal point of the room. Mr. D spotted it and I thought it was perfect.</div>
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNIyf09iEnK0n5fe8zAg6uqGvC0zH_oU4R0ERGo9sAVo5CGLiQmkLfzxmtigaLJqjnVZ90-ORv9SuJVueaX54LCZDli6eF_MYRIgYfJoBYpQab2U1_Xj2mdiZ6bypyuJ8Qawb-PLdklKE/s400/IMG_1032.jpg" width="300" /></div>
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This sweet toy bin is from Target...our poor OCD child freaked when I brought this home and started shifting all her toys from the old red bin to this...I eventually gave up and waited until she went to bed to complete the switch over. It didn't seem to bother her when their was no other option.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0px none ! important;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-25379846672447646192012-09-06T05:00:00.000-05:002012-09-06T05:00:03.009-05:00Dinning Room Makeover {Table}<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The next step in our dinning room makeover was the table. We spent time looking at every table known to man kind. I started with a budget of about $500 but over time bumped that to $1,000. When I was ready to spend $1,000 on a table I didn't love I knew something had to give. I just couldn't justify spending that much on a table. Feeling frustrated I told my family over dinner about our frustration in trying to find a table. My brother and law said "We have a table you can have." Excited about another DIY and the possibility of coming in way under budget I double checked that he knew I wasn't going to just put it in our dining room...I wanted to white wash it. As we talked about it I found out that this table has had many homes and been past from one sibling to the next....so on that note, thank you to all my extended siblings for adding to the character of this table.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></div>
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Here is the table...<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></div>
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<img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtA6wCWT-rc8QhsOSdM30YGAP39rswHLhPN5n-B8uM58fKKy1NLDaNC-3xzDUnsF1rIJYVh2HNG7_AXxEWzG_yRfXbx3FWzPGWN0wn8l1_CEgBeUa2hkiSDCK_20gFA939akIgRjko5c8/s400/IMG_0216.JPG" width="400" /></div>
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It started as a fairly ordinary, well made, sturdy table. I love the
shape of the table but felt as though the yellowy orange stain didn't
match the rustic chic look I was going for. So I decided to strip the
table, sand it down and white wash the top.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZCsJDkiIvxcUy31qcKwts28tQmWyEbH1WJ23PWz6V8WEFbKe7vmU3NoZVHfZGW_zIT80FQ6q4ohPRl5Oab6MoimobUY46_YfoCnGTSRp5ncRx7Q9ghKemIM-IcuORmFiyHlWb7_Qd-4/s1600/IMG_0217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZCsJDkiIvxcUy31qcKwts28tQmWyEbH1WJ23PWz6V8WEFbKe7vmU3NoZVHfZGW_zIT80FQ6q4ohPRl5Oab6MoimobUY46_YfoCnGTSRp5ncRx7Q9ghKemIM-IcuORmFiyHlWb7_Qd-4/s400/IMG_0217.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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One of my favourite parts of this project was spending time with my husband. Normally when I launch into project mode, he rolls his eyes and heads for the couch...he watches football while I work on projects via trial and error. This time he was excited about the project (maybe just the money he was saving???). This is him stripping the table and next is him using a power sander...not going to lie, he looked hot with a power tool.<br />
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Once all the sanding was done I mixed one part paint with two parts water to white wash the top and since it has been awhile since I actually finished this table I can't remember what the final measurements were that I used. I added more white paint as I felt it was too subtle. Essentially I painted the mixture on then wiped it off. Just that easy! We wanted to seal the top without getting a shinny top so we sealed it with a matte clear varathane. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKahbVMiKzi-0rlByVHlY7NQBr1LfH9TTVMmz1C9asNvqMk1N5Pj3EDspm_yCQ_IcjDjWEdkZ6WPYxz9nzjCAKKZH5EJVbVjK8B8RU0Nq6ftoWfkxK03avP583xL6CrcDWmV2BtKHHZgs/s1600/IMG_0241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKahbVMiKzi-0rlByVHlY7NQBr1LfH9TTVMmz1C9asNvqMk1N5Pj3EDspm_yCQ_IcjDjWEdkZ6WPYxz9nzjCAKKZH5EJVbVjK8B8RU0Nq6ftoWfkxK03avP583xL6CrcDWmV2BtKHHZgs/s400/IMG_0241.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Our first dinner for two at our new table!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0pt none ! important;" /> </a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-18436888082043188942012-09-05T05:00:00.000-05:002012-09-05T05:00:15.090-05:00Dining Room Makeover {Chairs}<i>We did a Dinning room makeover a few months ago, but as life got busy I never got to share it. Since it is one of my most successful makeovers (if I do say so myself) I had to share it. Better late than never right?</i> <br />
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I have wanted to get a new dinning room table for some time now. Our old table was a Bistro set and the tall table and chairs were just not working with a Toddler. My style has also changed a lot and I felt as though the Target set I died to have when we first got married (way back four years ago) was way to matchy matchy!<br />
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I recently purchased these chairs, 4 for $35 dollars from my favourite thrift store.<br />
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They needed lots of work, sprayed, recovered ect. but I loved the shape, their style and their price. Enter blog world! Here are some chairs that have inspired my transformation and confirmed in my mind that purchasing second hand gives character and style to your home, not to mention is completely cost effective.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v9PKM76WMf8/TwYuOIBflJI/AAAAAAAADHg/e8MVMGFDMv4/10%25255B3%25255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v9PKM76WMf8/TwYuOIBflJI/AAAAAAAADHg/e8MVMGFDMv4/10%25255B3%25255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Chairs from blog <a href="http://www.alexamariezurcher.com/">He and I</a>, seen <a href="http://www.alexamariezurcher.com/2012/01/diy-dining-room-chairs.html">here</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vjWd449yHq0/Tbv0I8PKW7I/AAAAAAAAFLg/LtUrGaLnhb0/cane%20chairs%5B3%5D.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vjWd449yHq0/Tbv0I8PKW7I/AAAAAAAAFLg/LtUrGaLnhb0/cane%20chairs%5B3%5D.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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By Sarah, from <a href="http://www.threeboys.net/">Three Boys</a>, See Before and After <a href="http://www.threeboys.net/2011/04/antique-cane-chairs-before-after.html">here</a>.</div>
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Chairs from <a href="http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/">All Things Thrifty</a>, See Before and After <a href="http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/2010/06/dining-room-table-transformation.html">here</a>. Isn't this fabulous? Everything Brooke does is this beautiful.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #757575; font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/">All Things Thrifty</a></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8HKazyymtFOg0zEIq-uyQn16Lwh_WWjThyphenhyphenVzTaypZifVJCSIGEpHFuwCdxgozC8lAHnvjbu9vJpRe4ZhWLHfh_BwqtEDERugS0QQvMryXMWv-C-7WlV8gbJtFCiS7VsD6n_g5BkEbYMD/s640/1a+IDS+163+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8HKazyymtFOg0zEIq-uyQn16Lwh_WWjThyphenhyphenVzTaypZifVJCSIGEpHFuwCdxgozC8lAHnvjbu9vJpRe4ZhWLHfh_BwqtEDERugS0QQvMryXMWv-C-7WlV8gbJtFCiS7VsD6n_g5BkEbYMD/s320/1a+IDS+163+1.jpg" width="291" /></a></div>
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Sarah Richardson, Design Show 2011</div>
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Bold, pops of colour scare me a little but when done correctly they are awesome. It makes a statement and keeps your space unique. When my Mom suggested I paint my chairs navy I was really nervous. I wanted them to be a statement but I was leaning more to white chairs with a loud fabric. Well, Wendy came through again! She was right..the navy is awesome!</div>
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<span style="color: black;">When it was all said and done the 4 chairs cost about $100 to purchase and re-finish.</span> This was just the beginning of our Dinning room Makeover!</div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px ! important;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-52797231097768121282012-09-03T07:39:00.003-05:002012-09-03T07:39:49.718-05:00Long WeekendI'm spending the last weekend of summer with these two!<br />
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The next few weeks are going to be crazy busy for us so, today we relax.<br />
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Happy Long Weekend!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0px none ! important;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-6334796776874843692012-08-29T21:13:00.000-05:002012-09-05T07:03:46.606-05:00Second Birthday Party Project #5 ~ Gift<br />
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Here is the fifth and final project for The Boss' Second Birthday Party! (Thought I better post it before she turns three...jk).<br />
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One of my biggest pet peeves are houses that look like Toys R Us threw up in their living room. There are a few reasons for this but the biggest is that the space no longer belongs to the family but the children and linked to this are all knids of other issues such as greed, entitlement ect. Since The Boss is spoiled by family and friends Mr. D and I try to focus on one main gift rather than buying her everything in sight. Don't get me wrong, we spoil her all the time (she loves Starbucks as much as her Mommy) but we are trying to teach her to enjoy what she has.<br />
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Last year it was her kitchen seen <a href="http://cheekydinheels.blogspot.ca/2011/07/first-birthday-party-project-6-gift.html">here</a>, she LOVED it. This year I really wanted to add a table for her to server her "guests". While it took a little convincing Mr. D eventually saw the benefit in it and since then we have enjoyed many "romantic dinners" of coffee and soup served by an all too eager two year old waitress!<br />
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I purchased this table on Kijiji for $25. We sanded and painted it to co-ordinate with The Boss' room.<br />
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We sanded and primed it first since it had a varnish on it.<br />
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I took The Boss to her room to get dressed and Mr. D brought out her table...she instantly knew what to do. I think it was love at first sight. She wasted no time at all.<br />
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We then took the table to her bedroom where she hosted her first tea party...and Mr. D again found himself wrapped right around her finger. He swore he would NEVER sit at a little table drinking tea...<br />
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Looks pretty comfortable here to me. Dad of the year, and the happiest two year old in town!<br />
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<br />
Linking up here:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sugaranddots.com/">Sugar and Dots</a><br />
<a href="http://www.domestically-speaking.com/">Domestically Speaking</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0px none ! important;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-68248944516881021412012-08-28T06:00:00.000-05:002012-08-28T06:00:11.078-05:00Back to SchoolBack to School....<br />
<br />
We are not yet in this season of life,<br />
but many others are.<br />
In Canada the kids don't go back to school until after Labour Day,<br />
hence why we are a little behind on this. <br />
One of the projects the not for profit I work for does<br />
is a back pack program.<br />
Since we are really trying to teach The Boss to love others,<br />
we thought this was a great project for us to get involved with.<br />
<br />
We "adopted" our students and went out to fill their bags.<br />
We selected students a few years older than The Boss,<br />
so she would be interested in picking things out for them.<br />
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<br />
The Boss was all too excited to help.<br />
We had to continue to reminder her these items weren't for her,<br />
even if the princess back pack would be her first choice too.<br />
While it was stressful battling the back to school crowd,<br />
it was a great time to show love to others in our community,<br />
and remind ourselves how blessed we are.<br />
<br />
Happy Back to School! <br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0px none ! important;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-73344415515451731332012-08-27T06:00:00.000-05:002012-09-05T06:36:17.504-05:00Wedding DIYThe word DIY has nearly put wedding planners and wedding decorators out of business. Why pay for something you can do yourself? I love all the creative ideas that are taking your average wedding to a creative and romantic expression of the bride and groom. This weekend my cousin married his sweet bride and while I appreciated every single DIY they included there was one person who took this concept to a new level...my Mom!<br />
<br />
Like every good Auntie she started shopping for and planning her outfit for their big day the moment she found out they were engaged. She started with a cute dress but when it came to shoes and accessories she started wishing she just wore something she already had. (Fashion Faux pas... don't be the Auntie recycling dresses at your nephew's wedding...just kidding! New accessories can bring new life to any outfit). Anyway, she finally secured shoes, nail polish and jewelry but she could not find a purse that would work...enter wedding DIY!<br />
<br />
My Mom fashioned a new purse from one of her grandmother's old purses and a pillow case she no longer uses on a toss cushion. She explained her plan to me as I drove home from work one day and my response was "I'll be there in 5". Not sure which was the greatest draw, my extreme respect and excitement for her creative genius OR my extreme uncertainty of whether she would be able to pull it off.<br />
<br />
She started with her old purse and her pillow case. We planned her attach and she drew cutting lines about an inch from the purse to allow sewing room.<br />
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She cut along the lines then sent it home with her favourite daughter (me...) to sew the rounded edge, connecting the front and the back of the purse.<br />
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She then hand stitched gathers into the purse tucking her stitches under the gold clasp of the purse. (Not my project so I don't have pictures of this)<br />
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Next thing I knew she is ready to go. Look at this beauty? To say I was impressed is an understatement.<br />
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What a wonderful weekend as a family celebrating the extension and the growth of our family. Speaking of DIY's one of our favourite parts of the wedding we were at was the photo area. Even Granny (she's 87) got in on the fun!<br />
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Another fun "DIY" if you will, was when my cousin and I showed up rocking matching sock buns. Not a word of a lie, our hubby's had no idea until we told them, that we had socks in our hair. For some reason they thought it was gross...we were hot until we told them!<br />
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<br />
Congrats Robyn and Joel! Thanks for giving us a reason to get dressed up and spend time as a family! We had lots of fun being part of your day!<br />
<br />
Linking up here:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sugaranddots.com/">Sugar and Dots</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0px none ! important;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-80271710589546923742012-08-24T07:36:00.001-05:002012-09-05T06:30:38.848-05:00I'm Here...The past few months I have been MIA...I do apologize. It is not for a lack of projects, I think actually the opposite. I changed jobs and it's the summer! I feel like we pack, dump and re-pack. In between all our adventures I try and pack in as many projects on my list as I can. Don't get me wrong, it's been a fantastic summer but I have definitely been missing posting and following other projects online. I am back, best I can be anyway. So stick around to see the final project for The Boss' birthday, our dining room transformation and some office renovations at my new job!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5AsJal-W2GeTpw-f1Es60Yznu565qZMNwQxr1-lmMhpyOL5_T_dh7ssvSVIM9L_xrRNDj85YMZbHRv3VnJB0NUEHuzZtm3H1o4za-npXjETTZa_hT9575ckkkUcmslsEtqDLoyyS3Uw/s1600/IMG_1619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5AsJal-W2GeTpw-f1Es60Yznu565qZMNwQxr1-lmMhpyOL5_T_dh7ssvSVIM9L_xrRNDj85YMZbHRv3VnJB0NUEHuzZtm3H1o4za-npXjETTZa_hT9575ckkkUcmslsEtqDLoyyS3Uw/s320/IMG_1619.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">~Weekend wedding with my love~</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0px none ! important;" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-3896338719518220762012-06-14T06:31:00.000-05:002012-06-15T06:16:46.338-05:00Second Birthday Party Project #4 - CakeWednesday I showed the <a href="http://www.cheekydinheels.blogspot.ca/2012/06/second-birthday-party-project-3.html">Minnnie Cupcakes</a> made for The Boss' party. While most of my family LOVES chocolate cake, the Mr. prefers vanilla cake with chocolate icing. In an effort to make everyone happy I did both! In doing both I ended up with 12 chocolate cupcakes, 12 vanilla cupcakes, one vanilla and one chocolate round cake. I decided to use the cakes to make a Minnie face.<br />
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I cut the chocolate cake into ears and added them to the top of the vanilla cake.<br />
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Next, I iced them to keep them in place (sorry this picture ended up blurry...you get the idea). <br />
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Mr. D helped with the construction of the face and even made me some pink icing!<br />
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At one point I considered leaving the cake just as Mickey, since he is Minnie's best friend, but decided against it since The Boss loves Minnie so much. Mr. D jumped in and quickly built me a bow!<br />
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Finished product; chocolate ears with chocolate icing, chocolate bow with pink cream cheese icing, vanilla cake face with vanilla icing, and Minnie's hair line is vanilla cake with chocolate icing. Every combination to meet every cake desire.<br />
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<img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0pt none ! important;" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-19331878539412643262012-06-13T06:13:00.000-05:002012-06-13T06:13:35.365-05:00Second Birthday Party Project #3- Cupcakes<br />
The cake is a huge part of any birthday party, and I must admit I lack creativity when it comes to this detail. Last year my sister iced my cake for me because the idea of icing it stressed me out. This year I saw some cute cupcakes online and decided to try them. Cute Minnie Mouse Cupcakes, yes please!<br />
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This was a super easy project. Our family loves chocolate cake so I used chocolate cupcakes and iced them with cream cheese icing turned pink with food colouring. I used white chocolate chips to mimic Minnie's dress.<br />
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Next, I made bows to top the cupcakes, and used the tops of oreo's as ears. I wanted just the tops so I brought in a specialist...my husband! When watching tv we often share an oreo (or two or three). I eat the tops and he eats the bottoms with the icing. So he is a pro at carefully separating the tops from the bottom. <br />
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Icing on, chocolate chip dots placed, ears in, and bow topping it off! Simple yet adorable!<br />
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<img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/105/FDFE1FE77754EF640AF49D8CC69D73FB.png" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border: 0pt none ! important;" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-222980209956437723.post-53849370639102939262012-06-11T21:06:00.001-05:002012-06-13T05:54:52.675-05:00We got away!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibV6hwtMEKdnphtRJ-O-33-ZMXqqLBTpv5tiBrdfMW7oLYfwi5YruY3nb3COIuG4O5N5n1hzGIRZehWhyhM3iR_Ds2KPZdP_vpoi-0z5_ueCyYz93gCRZ6U3gHUVs3rogvsu5fR25dvmk/s1600/IMG_0928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibV6hwtMEKdnphtRJ-O-33-ZMXqqLBTpv5tiBrdfMW7oLYfwi5YruY3nb3COIuG4O5N5n1hzGIRZehWhyhM3iR_Ds2KPZdP_vpoi-0z5_ueCyYz93gCRZ6U3gHUVs3rogvsu5fR25dvmk/s320/IMG_0928.JPG" width="320" /></a>Before we got married Mr. D and I did pre-marital counseling with my Uncle, who married us. One thing that he said to us, and we have never forgotten, is that we as a couple need to take time and put time into our marriage. He told us that he and his wife take weekends away together even if "getting away" is a night away just down the street. We have taken this advice to heart and tried our best to do so. There are a million reasons why getting away can sometimes seem difficult; we're too busy, it's too expensive, we can't find a babysitter...all understandable however nothing should ever get in the way of working on your marriage. Which leads me to our weekend away! We talked about a number of possibilities but decided on hitting the big city of Toronto together.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Gk0AS0-YxajOgRMbHSzbVZRJyrbmDoomjN6q9SCw5XZMFsl3Z_92wyQ4zLiYsqLTZwtRN0oGjH5MG-gkGC-SOYzPWcSWfiee-gvGzdLQtFFexGNOOtD8oB_MUPIsr64Xvq4ZmWGhOgg/s1600/IMG_0930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Gk0AS0-YxajOgRMbHSzbVZRJyrbmDoomjN6q9SCw5XZMFsl3Z_92wyQ4zLiYsqLTZwtRN0oGjH5MG-gkGC-SOYzPWcSWfiee-gvGzdLQtFFexGNOOtD8oB_MUPIsr64Xvq4ZmWGhOgg/s320/IMG_0930.JPG" width="320" /></a> Mr. D works in Toronto everyday, however it's an exciting city and a city we visited often when we were dating. Friday afternoon I dropped The Boss off at her grandparents and headed for the city. I felt kinda like the Bachelorette...meeting my handsome date in a big city, and running around care free like two kids in love. I actually felt butterflies in my stomach checking into the hotel and meeting my man in the lobby. We spent a wonderful weekend shopping, eating out and drinking lots of coffee...while it was still hot. It was such a wonderful time to reconnect with my Man and focus our attention on each other instead of our wild child!</div>
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If you have the opportunity I really encourage you to take sometime with the one you love. </div>
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And the best part about being away is coming home. The Boss loved every second of individual attention from her grandparents but was even more thrilled to see us when we got home. The weather was awesome so we finished the weekend the best way we knew how!<br />
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*Later this week we will return to The Boss' second birthday party and the tutorials that accompany it.<br />
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