Etsy Finds at My In-laws

Do you have grandparents or maybe a great aunt who's house is teeming with the coolest pieces of vintage furniture and accessories?  You know what I'm talking about, the kind of stuff you'd find while shopping on Etsy or an antique road show.  Usually, these pieces of furniture have a story behind them or some kind of sentimental value which makes them even more attractive.

Well, my husband's parents have some of the greatest furnishings in their charming little condo.  I'm not sure if they know it, but I could definitely see some of it featured here, here, or here. During our last trip home, I decided to sneak in a few of my favorites.  

***Note: nothing here was purchased on Etsy.  It just looks like it was.***

This bright yellow chair makes me smile every time.  

Hello beautiful!

 I love the fabric and ornate key hole on my mother-in-law's jewelry box.

A set of three white milk glass vases.

Antique green foot rest.  Bellissimo! 

 Yes, please.  And thank you.

I'm not sure how old this ship is, but I hope they never ever get rid of it.

I just know some of you have a similar story or maybe you've inherited or bought a few vintage pieces of your own.  

I'd love hear about it!

ModCloth Inspired Knockoff

If I could live in ModCloth's website I would.  I seriously love everything about their clothes, accessories, and jewelry.  But I'm pretty sure that buying all those purty little things would put my credit card at about what the national debt is running these days.  So, I decided to tackle one of their beauties with a little creativity.

After spotting this little number from {here}...

                                                        

And snagging this gem for $.99...

I made my very first dress.  

Starting to cut the bottom half of the dress.

I was supposed to put pleats in the front, but it gathered the dress in too much and made it a little snug for my liking...aka...stop eating ice cream sandwiches before bedtime.

I placed the zipper on the back of the dress, rather than the side like instructed in the pattern. I cut the zipper so that it only zipped on the upper part of the dress.

Finally finishing up with a hem on the bottom!!!

  

The zipper actually worked!!!  I'm still doing backflips over it.

I snuck in an old striped sweater from the Gap here.

Okay, so here's the cost breakdown:

1 3/4 yards fabric found on the discount table - $7.00

14" zipper - $2.99

bias tape in the clearance bin - $.50

{you can actually make bias tape with existing fabric you have for free}

Simplicity pattern 2209 - $.99

I worked on this dress over the course of three weeks.  It could have been done in a couple of days if I had big chunks of time and a good relationship with reading patterns ;-)

Happy Sewing!

xo,

Jen

Co-Host Linky Party with Lines Across My Face

Hey everyone!  Today I'm thrilled to be co-hosting my very first linky party with Rachel over at Lines Across My Face.  I'd love to see what all of you have been working on lately!  I know this is a talented group, so please go ahead and link up.

To kick off the fun this week, I'm going to give away a Sunny Vanilla gift certificate for $15 towards the purchase of anything in my shop or anything you'd like to have custom made.

To enter, head on over to Rachel's blog and let Rafflecopter walk you through the process. 

Check out my Etsy shop over {here}

{Okay, let's get to the party}

 

<a href="http://linesacrossmyface.blogspot.com/search/label/the%20Cure%20for%20the%20Common%20Monday"><img src="http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h379/linesacrossmyface/TheCure2.png" /></a>

Everyone is welcome to join this link party. Share something crafty or creative. Share a recipe or a household tip. There are four simple rules.

1. Follow Lines Across (I also will be sharing some of my favorites throughout the week through Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest).
2. Post the Cure for the Common Monday button somewhere on your blog (or link back to Lines Across).
3. Visit and comment on at least one link for every post you share.

4. Visit the co-host, Sunny Vanilla, and follow her blog.

Link Away!

Seersucker Peasant Dress Tutorial

I didn't use a pattern for this dress, just two sheets of computer paper taped together.  Real classy folks! I based it on the pattern found here and then tweaked the sizing and sleeves.    To get started, here's what you'll need:

Materials

 1 yd. of seersucker fabric

1/4 in. elastic {I used Dritz}

pins

Note: I adjusted these after making the first dress because it was snug in the chest and arm area.  The measurements above should fit most 2T children.

Once you've cut out your fabric, you'll need to create the arms for the dress.  

Cut two 12" x 12" squares for the arms.

Now fold the 12" x 12" square and line the dress on top of it and cut along the dress line.  Do the same for the neck line at top.

You should have four pieces like this.

This is what it should look like.  Now sew the two pieces together with a straight stitch about 3/8" from the edge.  Sew along the edge with a zig zag stitch for extra support.  *Note, don't sew the bottom part of the sleeve to the dress, just sew the armhole to the dress.

Repeat for the other arm.

It should look something like this.

Now sew the two side of your dress together.  Make sure to sew all the way up to the sleeve {that should be the part I said not to sew in the beginning...hope that makes sense}.

Now fold the top edge over twice and iron down.  Once pressed, sew a straight stitch close to the edge of the fold.  Make sure to leave a two inch hole so you can slip your elastic through.

Cut 14" of elastic.  This will be for your neck.  Slip it through the hole you created with a safety pin attached to the end.  This will help guide it through.

Once you pull it through, sew the two ends together and close the hole together with a straight stitch.

Okay, now you're going to do the exact same thing with your sleeve.  Fold the sleeve over twice and press.  

Cut 6" of elastic for one sleeve.  Use the same method as you did for the neck.  Repeat for the other sleeve.

Almost done!!!  Fold the bottom of your dress over twice {like you did for the neck and sleeve} and sew a straight stitch along the edge.

Now flip right side out, sit back, and admire your work.

Happy sewing!

xo,

Jen

Painted Rug Tutorials on Featured Finds Friday

Happy Friday everyone!  Today's post was inspired by a painted rug tutorial that I pinned last week from Vixen Made.  When I researched it further, I came across so many beautiful painted rugs that I had to share with you.  Oh boy, so many ideas!  Here are a few to check out:

{via here}

{via here}

{via here}

{via here}

{via here}

{via here}

{via here}

Happy Friday!

Giving back in major ways

There are lot's of companies out there making a difference in the world.  I could rattle off a few, but today I wanted to take a minute to talk about one in particular.  Have you ever heard of campusbookrentals.com?  If you're currently taking college courses or you've taken any recently, then you might have heard of them.  If not, they offer textbooks at a deep discount - up to 90% off - they have free shipping both ways, and they let you highlight.  Sounds like a bargain if you ask me!  When I went back to school to become a certified elementary teacher, I had to take several certification exams.  I still have some of those test prep books and I was able to find the FTCE Preparation Guide for quite a bargain.

Other than making college slightly more affordable, you must be asking, "How are they making a difference?"  For every book you purchase, campusbookrentals.com will donate a portion of the proceeds to Operation Smile - an organization who's mission is to help children born with cleft lips, cleft palates, and facial deformaties.  They mobilize medical volunteers globally to surgically correct and treat children afflicted with these abnormalities.

Operation Smile's goal is to "fulfill a child's greatest wish: the chance to be normal."  There's not much more you could want for your child.  I know that if our daughter was born with a cleft lip, we would have every resource in this country to fix it and at a very young age too.  Unfortunately, other children in less developed countries do not have that luxury.  

Be sure to check out campusrentals.com and Operation Smile.  Both are doing their part to make a difference in the world and that's enough to make anyone smile.

Guest Post at Craftbotic

Hi everyone!  I've gone international!!!  Today I'll be guest posting over at Craftbotic all the way on the other side of "the pond."  Be sure to check her out and my tutorial for a seersucker peasant dress.

Have a great day!

xo,

Jen