Bubble Pocket Shorts... Take 2

I know I've made these shorts before but they are so cute and my girl has grown. So a new pair was in order. For some strange reason (whatever it is, I'm grateful and taking full advantage!) my girl has been letting me pick her clothes for her. And I guess it's safe to admit here that I like dressing her in things that I think are cute but feel like I could never get away with. Like shorts and tights. Cute and convenient, right? Totally acceptable if you are 4. A 30-something mom? Not so much.
Anywho... here are the shorts!

Perfect paired with tights

Perfect for playing in the canyon

Perfect for dancing in the yard

Perfect for warm Spring days

Perfect for tickling brother

Pom-Poms and Polka Dots

I can not believe how quickly this summer is passing. It seems like every week more things get added to the calendar and we are constantly doing something. Don't get me wrong - it has been great. We've gone berry picking, visited Eugene, camping with friends, the zoo, bike rides, and lots of play dates. But sometimes it's nice to just be home. Yesterday was exactly like that. When there is no pressure to be somewhere it's amazing what happens around here. My creative juices flow and although I usually jump from one half finished project to the next, it's lovely and relaxing and sometimes exactly what I need. Yesterday was full. Full of lots of things and nothing all at once. The kids entertained themselves with some long forgot craft supplies, I sewed, baked, cooked, gardened and got some other necessary chores done.  I felt productive and decided I needed a couple more days like that before summer is over.
But back to the pom-poms and polka dots. A week or so ago I was rearranging Sage's room (for those of you who don't know - I rearrange furniture all the time - it's one of my favorite things to do) and I decided to take the closet doors off. I moved her doll house into the closet thinking it would be the perfect little nook to play in.

But of course it needed something. Something in the way of some light curtains. So off to the fabric store I went in search of something just right. I found this cute lightweight polka dot fabric and some pom-pom trim for the edge.

I already had the curtain rod, so that part was easy. I attached it to the inside of the closet, made some tie-backs out of the same fabric and attached 3M hooks on the inside of the closet to hold the tie-backs in place.

 

I love this little nook!

-V

A Maxi Skirt for Me and Her

I've been meaning to make this maxi skirt for a while and today seemed like the perfect day. As I was finishing up Sage asked if I'd make one for her and it just so happened that I had just enough to make a skirt for her too. Her's isn't exactly a maxi skirt, but it's a skirt and she loves it. So that makes this mama happy.

For my skirt, I traced a maxi skirt that I already had for my pattern.  I pulled out my serger and serged the top band to the skirt for a nice and clean finish. (Pardon the sideways photos - my little helper took these!)

Can't wait for spring so I can wear this skirt with sandals!

Purple Sparkly Bimaa

Happy Friday! Remember a while back when I said I was going to make a Bimaa Sweater for Sage? Well it's done.

This was seriously one of the easiest things I've sewn in a while. It took a bit to figure out what direction the cowl part needed to be to attach to the sweater but after that it was done. I sewed a size 5T for Sage so it wouldn't be too tight and she could wear a t-shirt underneath in case it was a little itchy. I love the way it turned out. Now I'm just wondering when I can get the pattern in my size???

 Back view

I found this knit in the clearance section at JoAnns. It's really stretchy and has some tiny silver sparkles in it. I can't wait to make a few more of these. This pattern is awesome. It has the option for a hood or shawl neck instead of a cowl. I have some neutral knit fabric that I might try next. I thought it would be fun to stencil something fun on the front. Stay tuned...

Perfect for playing hide-and-seek!

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!

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 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.

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.

Bubble Pocket Shorts

The minute I saw this pattern, I had to buy it. These shorts are too cute! I cut them out from some leftover cotton/linen blend from my Washi dress and had them sewed up the next day. I see lots of options for this pattern and have a feeling that Sage will have a whole summer wardrobe filled with these. There are two styles: classic and sailor. I'll be sewing up the sailor shorts next.

Wings for my Butterfly

Sage loves butterflies. Almost everyday you'll catch her singing a song that she made up that goes "like a butterfly, dance like a butterfly" as she dances around and flaps her arms. When I saw these wings over on Probably Actually, I knew that Sage needed a pair. The tutorial originally comes from here. All the fabric came from my stash or scrap bin. This project was fairly easy to make, cutting the pieces was the most time consuming part. They attach to her arms with elastic straps. I also added some small elastic loops on the ends so she can put her finger through them. Flap away my little butterfly!