Big Girl Bed & More

I've been sitting on this project for a while now and finally got it done. I feel like Sage's room is complete...for now. I found a head board and foot board at a local thrift shop but it didn't have any rails. Thankfully I have a super handy father-in-law who is always willing to help me with my projects. He mad a simple frame that we then screwed to the headboard and foot board. This is after I painted it all white, which is really what took me so long to finish this! Unfortunately I don't have any before pictures of the bed but I do have before pictures of Sage's room. Here goes:

Sage's Room Before

After: New Bed

There are a lot of things in Sage's room that I DIY'ed over the last few years and just never blogged about. So here is a little breakdown:

The paper butterfly banner is leftover from her last birthday party. I punched out a pile of paper butterflies and sewed them all together.

 The dollhouse was Sage's 3rd birthday present from her dad and I. It was built using Anna White's plans, modified to be a bit smaller. Dennis did most of the building and I did most of the painting.

This little side table was a thrift store score that I painted red.

Thrift store embroidery hoops filled with some of my favorite fabrics.

A super simple ribbon to hold all her hair bows.

I love how fun and bright her room is with the pink, red and turquoise!

Sunny Sunday Scarf

Okay, seriously - this scarf took maybe 20 minutes to make. I followed this little tutorial and then ran outside to take some pictures before the sun set (who knows when we will see it again!). I love to accessorize with bright pops of colors since I tend to wear a lot of black and neutrals. And yellow screams fall to me.

 Side note - please excuse the pictures. I'm still learning to use my camera and well, it's not easy to take pictures of yourself when no one but your 3 year old is around to help. But hey - not bad for a little girl, right?

 The scarf can be wrapped either 2 or 3 times or left long but I like it best wrapped twice.

My little big helper

Project Pile

Today was a gorgeous Sunday here, a perfect Fall day. I spent most of the weekend alone with my little girl, which was really fun. We went to the movies and out for ice cream on Saturday and Sunday we went swimming and made a trip to the fabric store. With the promise of a sewing play date coming up this week, I figured I needed to stock up on some new project materials. The little pile on my desk is really quite lovely and I can't wait to dig in! I am feeling inspired and ready to get some sewing done. Which is exactly what happened on this beautiful, windy Sunday.

I'm not quite sure yet what everything will turn into but as of now, here is my plan:
*The purple sparkly knit might turn into a Bimaa Sweater for Sage (and dang - how come this pattern isn't in my size???)
*The linen on the bottom is going to be a skirt for me... it's in progress, look for the post soon.
*The yellow knit is so soft - perfect for an infinity scarf. And maybe I'll make a second one with those yellow mini pom-poms I couldn't resist.
*That cream silk on the top was just brought back from France and it's likely to be another SeaFarer Top. I've made 3 so far and I love the fit - it's perfect. I'm a terrible blogger for not sharing a single one with you! Soon...
*That floral might be another Sally dress for Sage or a top for me. I like the Staple Dress and also the Tova but I'm still undecided. Luckily, I've got plenty of projects to work on while making up my mind.

School Day's Jacket

I love Oliver & S patterns. They all look so clean and simple and the instructions are always clear and easy to follow. I have to admit that I was intimidated to make this jacket. I bought the fabric and pattern back in October of 2012. And it sat and sat. The pattern was size 6mo - 3T and so I knew that I needed to get on it if I ever wanted Sage to wear it.  I cut the fabric with a generous extra 1/2" all the way around since I was afraid it was going to be too small. But the pattern seems to be really generously sized and so I probably didn't need to add that extra fabric because now it's more like a 5T. (Seriously - it fits Wyatt.) But the upside to that is that she won't be growing out of it any time soon. The outside is wool and the lining is quilting cotton.

I love the pop of color on the inside and the wood toggle closure.

Sage is ready for Winter in the coat department. 

But I won't complain about more beautiful Fall days like today!

The Milo Vest - Revisited

So way back in April of last year, I finished this Milo vest for Sage. It was really big even though I made it in a 3T. Plus she HATED it. She wouldn't even try it on. So I stuck it in her closet and forgot about it. Enter Fall 2013. I found that cute purple vest hanging in her closet and hoped that enough time had passed that a) it fit and b) she forgot that she disliked it. When I mentioned trying it on she was excited and even laid it out to wear the next day (that is a key part of getting dressed in our house!). It's still a little bit big, but I'm loving it.

SCORE!

So the next day she put it on and wore it ALL DAY. That makes this mama's heart happy because that was no easy knit - my first cables and first attempt and something more than a scarf or mitts. I love vests for Sage since it's so hard to convince her to wear a coat or sweatshirt and keep it on!

Seattle Aquarium

My birthday happened to fall on a day that both kids were out of school. So I decided to take advantage and planned a fun day trip to the Seattle Aquarium. It's always exciting for the kids to hop on the ferry and head across the water.

Fun on the waterfront

The Great Wheel

So funny story. I lost my camera way back in September. I wanted to take pictures of the kids on the first day of school so I searched the whole house. Seriously -  I looked everywhere. No camera. So I decided that for my birthday I'd like a new camera. But not just to replace my old one. I wanted to upgrade to a DSLR. I want to learn how to take great pictures. So I did my research and picked out my camera. My dad came up the week before my birthday to celebrate with us and we all went for a ride in the big truck (which we rarely drive these days) and guess what I found in the side pocket on the door?? You got it - my old camera!!! How did it get there?? And so now I have two cameras. Ironic, maybe. But really, I'm super excited to be using my new DSLR and learning how to take it off auto and shoot some great pictures. All the pictures in this post were taken with my new camera.

Mandatory fishy-face

Wyatt loved this moment!

Not sure what this is but isn't it cool??

We ended our super fun day with a ride on the carousel. Which is one of the places I love taking pictures of my kids.

The Lucy Tunic and Trains

This top is so perfect for Fall. It adds an extra layer for stubborn little girls who refuse to wear coats or sweatshirts. And it's oh so cute - bonus! I love the print on this fabric: little kids playing ring around the rosie, hula-hooping and enjoying Fall. Which is exactly what we've been doing this weekend. Well, minus the hula-hooping! Saturday we went to ride the Kitsap Live Steamers. The kids love riding the mini steam engine trains around the long track and of course playing at the park. Even better when friends meet us there. It makes for the perfect Saturday.
But back to the top. It's the Lucy Tunic by Shwin Designs. You can make it so it's reversible or not. It has in seem pockets to stash little treasures. This Lucy Tunic is lined with red flannel so it's nice and warm.

Fall Decorating

I've never been a huge Halloween decorator but this year I added a few touches to my front porch in the spirit of Halloween. The spider chain hanging from the door is made from a paper punch and then sewn together. The pumpkins are decorated with the same spiders and a little mod podge.

Sage's Sally Dress

Meet Sage's New Sally, The Sally Dress that is!

This dress pattern is awesome. It's a new pattern by one of my favorite bloggers to follow: luvinthemommyhood. The Sally Dress pattern recently came out and of course I had to make one. I love how simple and easy to wear this version is. There is an option with sleeves that I will be trying next.  This version is made from coordinating corduroy which is perfect for our Fall weather with a shirt underneath or a sweater on top. I'm pretty sure I'll be adding more of these to Sage's closet.

It's perfect for twirling and whirling.

 

The extra large pockets are perfect for all the little treasures that little girls need. 

Perfect for that packet of fruit snacks to feed to friends.

Perfect for the playground.

Perfect for my sassy little Sage.