So excited

While reading through my list of favorite blogs last night, I came across a new post by these lovely ladies:

liz and Elizabeth of Simple Simon & Co are the ladies behind Project Run and Play and the winners of last season. I am seriously blown away that they chose my 60s inspired outfit as one of their favorites! I was so excited when I saw Erin's picture I literally jumped off the couch in excitement and then called my mom!
So a big thank you to Simple Simon & Co for featuring my dress and for making my day!

Sweet memories

Yesterday, Kevin and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. I can't believe it has been seven years - time really does fly when you are having fun!
When planning the wedding, I had a whole snowflake theme going. The invitations had snowflakes, the guests had sugar cookies at their seats in bags with snowflakes on them, and the favor was a snowflake cookie cutter with a sugar cookie recipe on the back.... I thought it was a really cute idea since our wedding was in January. Weeell, apparently Mother Nature thought the snowflakes were great too because we had a blizzard that day - about 20 inches of snow! So we really got our winter wedding!!

Snowflake Cookie Cutter favor

Snowflake treat bags

Even the wedding cake had snowflakes on it!



Despite the snow, we had a wonderful day with lots of happy and funny memories! (One of our bride's maids slipped on a puddle of water on the dance floor while walking in during the bridal party announcement and the photographer captured each moment of the fall - she was not hurt thankfully- just a bit embarrassed!) Everything about that day was great and we have a lot of sweet memories which brings me to the sugar cookies (nice tie in right? lol).

I decided to make the cookies from the recipe on the back of the snowflake cookie cutter favor as an anniversary treat. I cannot believe I have not made them before, they are delish!

Here is the recipe:

Snowflake Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup softened butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 egg

2 1/2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

(I was out of cream of tartar so I omitted the baking soda and added 2 teaspoons of baking powder instead)

-Mix powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract and egg.

-Stir in remaining ingredients.

-Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees

-Divide dough into halves.

-Roll each half 3/16" thick on a lightly floured board.

-Cut into shapes (in my case snowflakes) and sprinkle with granulated sugar (I used some Wilton Sparkling Sugar that I had on hand)

-Place on lightly greased cookie sheet.

-Bake until edges are light brown 7-8 minutes

-Makes about 5 dozen cookies*

*I only used half of the dough and put the other half in the freezer, so I only made 20 cookies. I also rolled the dough out thicker than the recipe suggests. So depending on the thickness of the cookie and the type of cookie cutter you use will depend on the number of cookies you bake.

Hope you enjoy these sugar cookies as much as we did!

Quick little update

Hey everyone! I added new links on the right hand side of the page under "Shop". These links take you to pictures of the items I make that are for sale and the available fabric choices for these items. All pictures can be found on my Facebook fan page. I wanted to clean up the look of the blog a little now that I am using the blog to post about all of the sewing, crafting, baking, craziness that I do!
Any questions just let me know! Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend!

Sewing through the Decades - Project Run and Play week 3

It is week three over at Project Run and Play and the challenge for this week is Sewing Through the Decades. I did not participate in last week's Boys Week challenge due to a wicked stomach flu that had me out of commission for four days :( But I am feeling much better and was excited to sew along this week for the at home contest!

I was torn when it came to which decade to use. I like a lot of the styles from the 1940's and 1950's. Very simple and sweet, lots of adorable dress patterns to choose from. While browsing the internet for inspiration, I came across patterns on Etsy from the 1960's and decided to go with that decade. I did not choose the "hippie" inspired part of the decade but more the early sixties. I described the type of dress I wanted to make (a drop waist dress with box pleats) to my mom and she said it definitely sounded like something she would have worn in the early part of the 60's.

My inspiration came from this pattern that I found but I decided to add a Peter Pan collar and a bit more ric rac and ribbon trim to the waist. I used pink plaid fabric that I bought at Joann's over the summer for no real reason other than I thought it was cute - I tend to do that a lot! Since the plaid was very thin, I lined the bodice with some white cotton and doubled the fabric on the skirt. I am pretty please with how the dress came out since I drafted the pattern myself - a BIG accomplishment for me. I am petrified of making my own patterns. I am so afraid that the pattern will not come out right and then it won't fit once it is all sewn together. I follow the blog Craftiness is not Optional and Jess has some great tutorials for making dresses and giving you instructions on how to make your own pattern using a well fitting t-shirt of your child's. Thank you Jess for making this less scary for me! 

So after about three days of sewing I was able to put together this 1960 inspired drop waist dress with box pleats!

Ta-da!





 

Peter Pan collar with ric rac trim

up-close of sleeve with ric rac trim

Box pleats and ribbon and ric rac trim on waist

back of dress

Miss Erin very excited to wear her new dress!

I could not resist another yo-yo flower hair clip!

Dancing around - it was the "swinging sixties" right?



Erin announced she was tired and had enough pictures! lol

 Hope you enjoyed my dress for Sewing through the Decades!

A Little Something for the Little Man

Tomorrow my little man turns 2! I cannot believe he is going to be two already. The time seems to be going by too fast. Tomorrow also happens to be the NFC Divisional playoff game between the Giants and the Packers. Being big Giants fans here in the McKenna house, I thought I would personalize a shirt for Jack to wear for the game and his birthday.
I took a Giants t-shirt that he already had and added his name and the number two to the back of the shirt. It was a really quick and easy process and required no sewing. All you need is an iron, Steam-a-Seam (or a similar product) the "applique" stencil and some fabric.

So I first printed out Jack's name and the number 2 onto some computer paper. I chose a font that I thought looked a bit like one you would find on a football jersey. I cut out the letters and number. I then ironed some plain white cotton fabric to a piece of the Steam-a-Seam (you need to peel off one side of the paper first to expose one of the sticky sides-there are directions on the package).

iron down fabric to sticky side

There will still be a piece of paper left, that is where I traced my letters and number. I traced the letters and number backwards so that it would be the right way when I ironed them down onto the shirt.

traced letters and number - please ignore my HORRIBLE ironing board cover-replacing it is on the to do/sew list ;)

I cut the letters and number out, peeled off the remaining paper and placed them where I wanted them on the back of the shirt. I then ironed everything down.

And there you have it - A personalized tee for my little man to wear for his 2nd birthday! You could of course sew the letters and number down once you have them ironed in place but it is not necessary.


Happy Birthday Jack and GO BIG BLUE!

Pattern Remix - update

Just thought I would post some new pics of the outfit I created for the Project Run and Play pattern remix with Erin actually wearing it! Also, I thought I would let you know the fabric I used for the outfit. It is from the DS Quilts Collection at Joann Fabric. I used fabric from the Picnic Collection that I found at my local Joann's. (the website does not have the main blue gingham fabric listed) I love the DS Quilt Collection! I have some of the other fabrics from her line as well. And I have managed to always score the fabric when it is on sale or I have a coupon - yay for me!
Anyway....here are some pics of my little miss rockin' her new outfit. I also made a cute hair clip to match - love fabric covered buttons! I know the winter just started but I really can't wait for the summer now - this outfit just screams picnic don't ya think?

Aww sweet little pose

Erin requested I take a pic of her practicing ballet moves - lol

Hand on the hip showin' some attitude!

Love her laugh!

Pattern Remix

While cruising some of my favorite blogs this past Monday, I came across Project Run and Play. It is a blogger's version of the show Project Runway but for kids clothes. How cute! This "season" of Project Run and Play started this week and they are allowing the blog readers to sew along each week with the designers. Readers get to submit their designs for a chance to win a $25.00 gift certificate to Fabric.com - how cool!

So I decided to sew along. Why not? Even if I don't win the gift certificate, Erin gets a cute new outfit (hopefully - lol)

The challenge this week is a pattern remix using the Junebug dress by Jess at Craftiness is not Optional. This is the favorite blog I was viewing on Monday. Jess's stuff is so cute! She has really great tutorials for clothes and crafts. Definitely check her blog out!

Back to the remix! So the idea is to take the pattern and make it your own. I have never done this before so it was a definite challenge for me. I decided that it would be cute to make the dress into a jumpsuit so to speak.



Rough drawings of ideas

I printed out the pattern pieces for the Junebug dress and made the bodice longer but kept the 2T size (yes Erin still fits in a 2T at 4years old lol)


CINO pattern pieces on top - my modified pieces on the bottom

I then used a pattern I already had on hand for the pants. My idea was to piece together the top and the pants then attach them to create a jumpsuit. Wellllll, it didn't work out like I planned so I changed it up a little. I decide to make the outfit a separate and added a ruffle to the bottom of the bodice to create a cute top to go with the capri pants.

I cut two strips of fabric and folded them in half. Then ran a basting stitch along the unfinished edge to ruffle. And voila - I have a cute outfit for Erin to wear (when the weather gets warmer that is!)

And there it is! I wish I had some pics of Erin wearing it but she fell asleep before I finished =(  Oh well, there is always tomorrow.
Well I am off to submit my remix to the Project Run and Play flickr group - wish me luck!

xoxo
Meghan



Happy New Year!

I would like to wish everyone a very happy and healthy New Year! My family and I are looking forward to 2012 being a better year for all. We had a very difficult year filled with the loss of very special people and are hoping to find peace and comfort in the year to come. I wish peace and comfort to all in 2012! And look forward to working on more projects to share with you in the new year!
xoxo
Meghan