SILHOUETTE MACHINE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I am so excited about the SILHOUETTE MACHINE GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!. One of the blogs I love to follow, Grograin, is having an awesome giveaway. Check them out!!

As a fellow crafter, we are all searching for that elusive "perfect" machine that can do it all and one that we can afford.  Reading through the post on http://www.grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com/ makes me believe that this Silhouette machine may just be the one and I am excited to learn more about it.

Do you have a Silhouette machine?  If so, what do you think of it?  If not, what machine do you use and what are the pros and cons of your machine?

Look forward to hearing from you.

Your Source For Inspiration

Consider this a search for inspiration. If you feel inclined, would you mind sharing what inspires you? Is there a place you go, mentally or physically? Is it someone in your life? I would love to contain a single source of inspiration in a picture frame. In order to avoid jeopardizing the effect, I will not pre-determine the size, and the style will be dictated by the contents.

Yet Another T-Shirt Makeover

I like to wear new clothes all the time, I love to wear things that are different, things not everyone has.  Which is why I love to make clothes.  Now because I am not without a budget that seems to get tighter daily, I sometimes need to resort to "upcycling" or remaking an existing item into a new item.  Enter the t-shirt makeover that everyone seems to be doing now but no 2 are the same!!!

I started with this plain t-shirt I bought from Banana Republic awhile ago but is still in excellent condition.  I was in luck because my husband was getting rid of one of his old t-shirts from the same store that was the same color so I was able to make a tone on tone remake this time.

I began by cutting strips from his t-shirt (avoiding the armpit area...gross) then began pinning them onto the shirt in random patterns.

And added!!

Then stitched them all in place.

And Stitched

All done...

What do you think?  Throw it on with some jeans and a sweater or jacket...so cute!!

Full Steam Ahead

We struggled with finding a place where we could purchase unique fabrics and receive superb training.  Our quest is over thanks to the bright, friendly and spacious shop, Scrap And Sew.  You can visit them online at www.scrapandsew.com.  They offer a wide variety of classes and I am sure that you will find something to tickle your fancy.  Check out their calendar for Friday nights when they have "crafters night."  You can bring an unfinished product to work on and also receive help and support.  Knowing that assistance is within our reach, as well as training, has refueled our efforts.  It's "full steam ahead" from now on!  Thanks Scrap and Sew.

We Come In Comfort

Extraordinary items will be coming your way soon.  At the end of this month Heather, who is already a superb designer, and I will be taking a class on how to make pajama pants.  Who can't use a new pair?  They provide comfort on a physical, as well as, a mental level.  We will keep you abreast of these as well as other new items.  Stay tuned!

T-Shirt Makeover - Flowers to Frills

Okay, so I started off with this shirt which is adorable but simply not for me.

First, I removed the flowers and petals...

Then I took a cute fat quarter, segmented it into 2" wide strips, basted it down the center to create a gathered ruffle and did an overlocking stitch along the sides to keep it from unraveling.

After affixing my ruffles to the shirt, I was done!

Isn't it cute?  Here is a closeup...

Now it is a shirt that I can wear.

Stay tuned because there is more to come!!!

Don't Give Up on Us

I know we have been a little behind on new postings on our blog but don't give up on us, we are simply in a transitional state and time is being eaten away rather rapidly.

The "New Challenge" is still on and I even have my first project on the horizon.  What's more, Andie and I are expanding and changing our line to include clothes that will be featured very soon in our boutique at Smashing Darling so stay tuned for that.  Because clothes are much harder to make and take a lot longer, the process is still in the works trying to build up our inventory.

Pictures and a new posting will be showing up soon because I was given a table cloth to work with to refashion into something wearable.  I have a few ideas in mind but would love it if you have some ideas that you can challenge me with to create.

The material is a large round patchwork table cloth so give me your suggestions in the comments!!!