DIY Butterfly Party Dress

"I love parties.  I've loved parties ever since I was a little girl."  Betty Ramsey

Here at 623 E 68th Street, the Ricardo's are gearing up for Jonah's 2nd birthday tomorrow, themed around...

...The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

For Jonah's 1st birthday we used The Poky Little Puppy theme- there is a definite correlation between these hungry critters & our "Big O' Boy":)

I did lots of Pinterest browsing for ideas and picked out a few pins to use as a springboard for creativity and then added a few ideas of my own ideas...

One such idea was that Livy should have a vintage party dress for the occasion:)



You see, my seamstress skills haven't advanced to tailored boys clothing at this point so no special suit for Jonah, yet:(



Since this project was a bit last minute (surprise, surprise), I opted to do a variation of The Party Dress (free tutorial) that I made for Livy's birthday by shortening the length...



...plz forgive the night time lighting...that's just when this Mama has time to sew:)

Gramma unearthed this butterfly pique & bright pink satin that I purchased in high school before I even knew how to sew anything!  Heaven knows what I intended to do with this fabric, but it was perfect for this occasion involving a butterfly & Livy loved it:)



This was my first time sewing on something with a silky texture and it was a bit challenging for this novice but it looks lovely & is ultra soft, sure to be appreciated by my picky Peanut:)

I also took the plunge and made my own bias tape for the first time using this tutorial...

...love it!

This dress is fully lined (another first attempt) with all seams enclosed- I'm quite proud of the inside on this dress and glad I took the extra time to make it scratch free for Peanut:)

And instead of making a fabric sash, I simplified by using some yellow grosgrain ribbon (stash raid) that matched perfectly:)

 This dress lay on my sewing stack for weeks, waiting for the final touches...

...which finally came about, in the wee hours one night this week:)

 And here is my Peanut, donning some matching patent sandals...

 ...checking out her new butterfly party dress:)

"This my new dress, Mama?"

"Yes, Baby, that's your new party dress for Olivia!"

Getting ready to test out the twirliness...

...ready...

...and twirl!

"I did it!"

In my hurry to get Livy in her new dress & sneak outside for a few seconds without Jonah (who was avidly watching Mickey Mouse & working a puzzle!) , I neglected to get the button loops on straight...oh well.

And the cherry on the top?  I didn't have to make this!  I found this butterfly headband at Gymboree last week on clearance & it matches perfectly!!!  "Matchy, matchy!"

Now Livy is patiently awaiting her debut tomorrow at Jonah's Very Hungry Caterpillar birthday party:)

Cost:
Fabric & Notions: $0 (had everything on hand)
Gymboree Headband: $2

Thanks for stopping by,
Tiffany

Happy Birthday, Jonah Rhys!

Today, Ricky & I are thanking the Lord for Jonah Rhys...

...who is 2 years old today!



It seems like just yesterday that we brought him home...



...where he has promptly grown...

...into a "Big O Boy"...

...that loves to play ball with Daddy...

...snuggle...

...occasionally bump heads...

...get into mischief...

...play chase with Livy...

...model Mama's crafts...

...drive...

...ride horsies...

...go for walks...

...state differing opinions...

...park in awkward places...

...eat anything with Nutella...



...watch Mickey Mouse...

...cook...

...explore...

...paint...

...and make smoothies, to name a few favorite things:)

Happy birthday to my beautiful boy & stay tuned for the reveal of Jonah's Very Hungry Caterpillar birthday party...back to making more garland:)

Thanks for stopping by,
Tiffany

DIY Doily Frame

Amid the festivities & activities of this past weekend, Baby M decided she wasn't thrilled with the lack of rest and thus I spent most of Sunday evening sequestered to our bed & the couch in an effort to calm her...

...and as a result, my little Ms & I stayed put at home all day Monday.

We usually enjoy at least one day a week at home but I'm usually doing lots of laundry, cooking, sewing, crafting etc...so not much rest in the mix:)

This particular Monday however, I purposed to not do any laundry, cooking or sewing and spent extra time working puzzles, assembling Mr. Potato Head, watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and keeping my feet up as much as possible...

...I wasn't looking forward to a "dud" day but found that I enjoyed it immensely!  Everyone was far more rested & relaxed by the next morning, proof of success:)

I did manage to squeeze in one little craft though- a DIY doily frame for Livy's room makeover:)

 I started with this great frame, purchased from the Stampin' Up! clearance rack awhile back...it's approx 12x12...

 

 ...making it an ideal base for some Designer Series Paper...

 ...especially this beautiful laser cut doily pattern- love it:)

After cutting out the center 4x4 square with scissors, I simply adhered it to the frame with a glue stick!  Easy!

 Olivia is thrilled with another piece being added to her evolving room decor and is now helping me decide on a picture to enclose:)

And this frame perfectly coordinates with Livy's new DIY bedspread- details coming:)

Thanks,

Tiffany

DIY Vintage Flamestitich Pillow

You may have noticed the bright pillow nestled next to my DIY Limoncello for "Aunt Tole's" birthday...

...that was another part of her handmade birthday gift:)

While shopping for a few items designated for "Aunt Tole's" birthday, Livy spotted this bright purple flamestitch fabric and insisted that we get it for "Aunt Tole"...

...which resulted in some more late night sewing:)

I made a simple 'flap' pillow case.

Directions:

1. Wash & iron your fabric.

2. Measure your pillow insert.

3. Cut fabric1 inch wider than width of pillow insert and 6 inches longer than twice the length...make sense?

 My pillow form was 18 x 18 = 19 width x 42 length

4. Iron over each short edge (twice) to desired width for enclosed hem and sew- mine were approx 1/2 inch.

5. With RST, measure & pin the flap to correct placement & sew long edges- serge edges, zigzag or use pinking shears (my BFF!) & be sure to clip the corners too!

 

6. Turn right side out and insert pillow, smoothing the finished flap- done!

Now this "special pillow" for "Aunt Tole" can be washed when needed, ensuring some sweet relaxation:)

Have fun sewing your own "special pillow" for a special someone:)

Tiffany

DIY Limoncello

Confession: I've never indulged in tasting Limoncello but I knew from my sister-in-law that it was "really yummy"...

...so with her birthday quickly approaching and understanding that she didn't need a "new toaster", I opted to try my hand at making some for her:)

Supplies:

Organic Lemons

Vodka

Sugar

Large Jars

Directions:
1. Zest 10-12 lemons, avoiding the white pith which turns bitter- see end of post for suggestion on using the zested lemons.
2. Combine 4 cups vodka with the zest.  Seal in a glass jar and store in a cool, dark place for one week.
TIP: Agitate every few days

Here is the completion of stage 1...

4. Combine 3 cups sugar with 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan and heat over medium until sugar dissolves completely- allow to cool to room temperature.
5. Combine simple syrup with vodka/zest preparation, again storing in air tight jars in a cool, dark place for an additional week.
TIP: agitate every few days.

6. Strain the Limoncello through cheesecloth & then through a paper coffee filter- I used a handy dandy funnel to hold up the coffee filter & it worked great!

Homemade Limoncello can be stored in the fridge in an air tight bottle/jar for 1 month or in the freezer for 3 months.

Did I get a decent picture of the finished product?  No...but here it is included with other gifts, complete with my hand stamped tag that turned out really nice:)



Limoncello would be a great addition for "smart dinner parties" as well as sipping with pungent fromage platters & viewing "Over the Teacups":)

 

And once those lemons are zested, don't throw your lemons away!  Juice them and freeze in an ice cube tray for future cooking or baking- I plan to use these to make lemonade for Jonah's birthday:)

 Thanks for looking,
Tiffany