All About the Tie.

So I've had a pretty busy week... two words... dance recital. I knew it was going to be a big commitment, but that was a poor assumption on my part. It has consumed an entire week, and left me wondering how to start back up! That said, I am officially ready for summer.

So this lace tie t-shirt is something I made for Charlie to wear for Father's Day. The lace goes all the way around the neck line and finished off with a tiny purple rhinestone 'tie pin'.

I really like how it turned out, so I think we might add some to the girl's line.

I know tie appliques aren't anything 'new'... lots of blogs and tutorials out there on how to make them. But they're just too cute not to make, and honestly, one of the most popular boy's item we've made so far!

Robin donated some of her 4th of July prints to my stash, so I made a few ties out of them.

...and I'm diggin' the camo!

I just handed them off to the ladies at Sweet 'N' Sassy today, and I hope to get a few more done.

That is, of course, when I figure out where to begin again!

A few festive gifts...

Today I finished up a few gifts just in time for the 4th of July. I hope the ladies enjoy them. There is a great yarn shop down town called 'Labors of Love' and now I truly understand the meaning of the term.

and I finished my tank for tomorrows ladies' day out.

I actually had it finished, but I couldn't stand it! I got my seam ripper and started from scratch. It turned out a little too hill billy for me, not that there is anything wrong with being a hill billy (I come from a fine stock of hill billies!)

But I like this outcome much better. This was my first attempt at making the star flower with a knit, it was much heavier, so we'll see how badly it pulls the tank down in front. I better remember the camisole tomorrow.

Have a great weekend everyone!

This is for you Jaime!

I'll have to freshen up on my modeling skills.

And The Rockets Red Glare...

This week we are working on 4th of July inspired items for the boutique and a few gifts as well. The kids and I ran down to our local fabric store and they had great patriotic fabrics with a 'vintage' feel. I'm not sure who likes looking through the fabrics more, the kids or me. They have so much fun looking at all the different patterns and characters. Here are a few of the finished items.

This onesie I made from a new, never worn dress that didn't fit just right, but was just the right blue I needed, and an old t-shirt from my man's side of the closet.

The booty...

How about a few stars for an itty bitty...

with a little hip action.

Mom, Nellie and I are heading to the Mermaid Mercantile this weekend and they are celebrating Independence day early. Nellie and I will be working on our tops for Saturday, I'm thinking something over the top, but we'll see how brave I get.

Anybody else making something special for 4th of July?

Sweet 'N' Sassy...

Friday was a big day for the sisters of the Knitsters! We handed over our children's up-cycled goods to Jessica at Sweet 'N' Sassy. We are very excited to be a part of their popular boutique!

Jessica and Tiffany are fellow Fallbrook natives that happen to be sisters also. They opened Sweet 'N' Sassy a year and half ago and have already changed locations because they needed more space to fit their growing customer base. This boutique has been a life saver for local families with children, especially in the state of the current economy. They sale new and gently used clothing. Their prices are extremely affordable, and you can bring your gently used items to them and in return they will give you store credit.

Sweet 'N' Sassy is open Monday and Saturday 11-4

Tuesday-Thursday 9-6

and Friday 9-5

The boutique is located in Fallbrook at 1229 South Mission Rd

Here they are, hanging right next to the front desk.

We are both working hard on 4th of July inspired shirts to bring down to the shop next week.

Stop by and check out the shop when you get a chance!

TAGS!!!

We are officially, official!

Thanks to Jaime, she found these perfectly fitting tags on etsy.

We are pleased with the way they turned out, even though they look a little homemade, that's the look we were going for. It is a nice way to use some of our scraps too.

It has been a big week at the old blue house. We had family from out of state visiting and it was the last week of school. Nellie had her kindergarten graduation and 2 birthdays to celebrate all in a weeks time.

I wanted to do a project with Nellie and her big cousin that they would be capable of doing. So I picked a clutch pattern that was pretty easy to follow. I bought the pattern from here, and they were very happy with the late night crafting session we had.

I did the sewing, but they had a great time at the fabric store picking out fabric and designing the way they wanted them put together.

I think I'll add a couple of inches to make a pencil bag for Nellie to use in 1st grade.

Check back tomorrow to see why we added the tags to our kids clothes!

A break from sewing-

I LOVE junk gardens, a.k.a. taking anything that can be filled with dirt and sticking plants in it, and I've been itching to replant some of my containers for a while now. Our personal hair-stylist / middle sister (Stacey) had told me about this nursery, so I decided today was the day to check it out. Since it's less than a mile from my house, it's totally worth the drive... but I have to tell you I spent $33 and filled 7 containers with succulents!

Succulents have been growing on me, especially living in SoCal, where water is worth it's weight in gold. I usually check the prices of succulents when I visit any nursery or even Target and/or WalMart and they are pretty pricey.

Plants that range $4-$5 at any nursery were $1-$1.50.

... and these 'Strands of Pearls' were $5.

(I just bought Stacey the same plant @ Wally World for $10)

By the way, I didn't make this container, but I plan on attempting something like it soon!

I'm diggin' this tea kettle too. I am thinking about adding some wire to hang it. I will be on the hunt for more pitchers and kettles to add 'hanging succulents'.

This is a garden Stacey made around April of this year with plants the same size as the plants I purchased today.

... and it has filled in well. I always assumed that succulents were slow-growing. But, with a little TLC, they really do flourish!

I am no expert, but here's some basics for building your own succulent junk garden:

This is how I did it-

1. container- something that can hold dirt. Although preferable, it doesn't have to have hole to drain. I add a layer of rocks/pebbles to the bottom of the container to help with 'airing' out the soil.

2. Your choice of plants.

3. The correct soil- in this case it's cactus/palm soil.

4. Vitamin B-1 for transplant shock. Dilute according to label and soak plants after containers are planted.

5. I use moss to line hanging containers- just soak some in water, squeeze the excess out, and line container before filling with dirt.

That's it!

I have a succulent project under way that I hope to share- if it works! It involves a little construction with my main man, so hopefully he'll have some extra time to help me out.

I wonder what Robin's been working on?...

More Red, White and Blue

Here's a 4th of July inspired order I recently finished. I begged Robin to do some flowers, and I think they make perfect stars!

I think I'll be heading to the store to get a blue tank for me!

This is a little girls version with a blue and white striped jersey round flower.

I think these tanks will make any 4th of July BBQ quite fashionable!

Oh say can you see.

So here's Charlie's red, white and blue ruffled tank for Flag Day tomorrow. We found these fun star tanks at Wally World, and I cut up a red t-shirt for ruffles. Just wish I had red thread, but oh well!

I also wanted to post a few photos from our Sweet 'N Sassy Ladies Night. We had a good time, and enjoyed sharing our 'goods'. Can't wait to get some more items finished to put up in their shop!

We also had a couple crowns to show:

the Little Buckaroo

the Cupcake

Thanks to Sweet 'N Sassy for hosting Ladies Night, and for those who came out to see us!

First time for everything...

Today I attempted my first ever applique. Cooper has flag day tomorrow and he asked me to make him something, since I made Nellie something for her flag day today. I can do girlie, not so sure about the boy thing. He decided on a cannon, not the easiest shape to start out with! But I think I made it good enough to make it through lunch time.

I also finished an order today, I hope she likes it. It was fun to do and I love the colors. I have one too many holes in my finger tips from layering the buttons and hand sewing them on. But I think it was worth it.

I think these are my favorite flowers to make. They are time consuming, but well worth the extra effort in the end. If you are going to add them to a shirt, make a larger version, it is easier to sew them on if they are bigger. I use a smaller version for head bands. I found the tutorial for them at kindawonderful.typepad.com. She attempted to make 31 different flowers in 31 days.

I know Jaime is sewing away at this very minute, hopefully she will share her "goods" soon. I hear it is something 4th of July inspired.

Special Request...

I wanted to make the girls from school a happy summer present, well the boys too, but they got sporty beach toys instead. But here are what the girls are getting. Super easy, and super cute! I was thinking they would make great party favors some day too.

Also, I was asked to make a tutu or crown for a friend, you know who you are. Here it is, I opted for a tutu and matching t-shirt. I hope you like it, it will be in the mail tomorrow.

You can't tell in the picture too well, but the t-shirt has yellow, white and green rosettes with a green ruffle trail.

A few pieces for tomorrow night...

Don't forget tomorrow night at Sweet 'N' Sassy, Ladies Night from 6-9!

I haven't posted any of our hair accessories and a few of you were asking if we were going to have any with us tomorrow night. Of course we will, not as many as usual because we have been focusing on our clothing, but here are a few that will make an appearance.

DO NOT MENTION MY ROOTS! Stacey is fixing them in the morning, but I wanted to share these with you today.