One down...3 more to go!

I tackled the impossible and...

 I WON! 

Well...it wasn't exactly impossible, just rather challenging.  I do love a good challenge!  

So...

when this SWEET little 4 year old gave me a request for a certain costume... 

 

I had to oblige her!  

I mean c'mon...look at this face!

It took a little time and planning, but it was certainly worth it!

I first began making the accessories for this certain costume.

This called for a pair of Turquoise flower earrings, and a Turquoise and Ruby bejeweled crown.

A little stiff felt, jewels, clip-on earring backs, poster board scraps, and gold fabric (which she actually picked out) did the trick!

 

Now on to the sewing!

I was hoping it would turn out okay.  I didn't have a specific pattern for this costume...had to tweak an old funky one a bit and just wing it on some parts.  Oh, I forgot to mention that I used a great tutorial for the little orange side flaps.  Right before I began the project (in the planning stages), I came across THIS tutorial on THIS blog {make it and love it}.  That happens a lot by the way!  I just happen to stumble across something right when I need it!  So appreciative of this tutorial!  Go and check out the AMAZING Cinderella dress she made for her daughter!  So precious!
Okay...I started this project on Saturday morning and finished up on Sunday night while she slept.  I couldn't wait for her to see the finished product!

  My helper, Angel, decided to test it out for her!  She thought it could use something else.  Hmmm...ah, yes! White princess gloves!

Here's the final result!

Princess Daisy!

She wasn't too thrilled about trying it on for some reason, but hopefully my fickle little 4 year old will actually wear this!  In case you're wondering why she chose this costume, let's just say her video-gaming brother has quite the little cheerleader!  She loves him!  He's a big Mario Bros. fan, so she knows all the characters!

That's one down...3 more to go!

I'm linking to these Halloween parties!
Tons of creative ideas!
(Click on each button to check 'em all out!)

(I think there might have been a few others...sorry, but I may have lost some and can't remember which ones while editing...oops!  If I linked up to your party and you don't see your button here, I'm so sorry.  Please LMK! :)

 

Super Awesomeness!

Google is pretty awesome!  I've been trying to help a friend with her blog.  As I was googling what I thought her problem might be, I stumbled on a SUPER AWESOME blog post: HERE from http://www.kevinandamanda.com/whatsnew/ .  If you're looking to spruce up your blog with fonts, check it out!  I'm sure I'm light years behind in the blogging world (I'm kind of new), but so glad when people share what they know with others!  Uh oh, I was supposed to be helping my friend.  I think I got a little sidetracked and started helping myself!  Ha!

PLEASE VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE!

I'm hosting a Ladies Craft Night soon.  I'd love for you to come!  Even if you can't make it, you can still vote!  I need your help now to pick the craft for the event.  Please pick your favorite and either comment here or on Facebook!  Thanks in advance!  :)  

Here are the choices:

(We'll be doing a variation of one of these examples!)

1. FABRIC NECKLACE   

(Moda Bake shop)

 

2. SHOE RUFFLES

(A Lemon Squeezy Home)

3. FABRIC OR RIBBON BOOKMARKS 

 (7 Layer Studio)

 (All Things Heart & Home)

4. FABRIC FLOWER

(Little Miss Momma)

 

(Mrs Priss)

Promises, Promises...

I have so many things I need to do...things to which I've given my word...promises.  I'm feeling quite overwhelmed!  Can't I just do everything?  I really want to!  But, well, I am just one person after all, so I suppose it'll take some time.  So, speaking of promises, I have many things I have said I would do on this blog...like post pictures!  They're coming...I promise!  ;)  In the meantime I'm reminding myself (and family & friends who've asked) about:


1. Pictures from my NY/Boston trip.

2. Pillow Pet photos.

3. More photos!  Period.

4. Organization ideas.

5. Rainbow video.

6. Multiple other things I'm sure! ;)

So in good faith, here is 1 picture!  More to come soon.

It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words...I can explain this one in 2!  Can you?

It's a pillow. It's a pet. It's a PILLOW PET!

I am finally done!  It was me against the pillow pet...I was determined to win.  I almost gave up.  But after 3 days, I finished.  I didn't work a whole 3 days on it, just a few steps each day.  I was inspired by this wonderful tutorial on a blog called TWELVE CRAFTS TILL CHRISTMAS.  There is a 2 step process.  I did a lot of modifying, but it was a great resource.  I was actually thinking about making one when I stumbled across this tutorial.  I had plans to make one for Kaylani and one for Lily.  Re-thinking that whole idea now!  I wasn't quite pleased with how it turned out and the fabric I used sheds like crazy.  Let's just say it wasn't good for allergies.  I still may though.  It makes me so happy when my kids ask me to sew them something and they love it!  I perfectionized every little detail, but she didn't mind the minor imperfections.  She fell in love!  I'll post pictures soon.  She named her pillow pet Cupcake.  Next project:  Bunk bed clubhouse for Garrison.  I promised the boy almost 3 years ago when our house was finished that I'd make him this clubhouse.  He was 6 years old...he's almost 9 now!  I'm surprised he still wants one.  I'll be starting that soon. 

SCHOOL'S...IN!

Well, it's official.  I now have a 3rd and 6th Grader!  My babies are growing up...what the heck happened?!!  I don't really care much for this time of year because I have to send them back to school, but I am happy to report that they both love their teachers AND 6th Grade is still in the elementary school!  

City Bag

Remember the trip I went on recently?  I made a cute little purse to take with me.  About a week before I left, I was lying in bed and a purse pattern kept popping into my head.  I had been thinking about a solution for a bag to take with me on the trip that would work well for me, and this is when I got it!  That happens a lot.  I kept thinking about it, and a couple of days later I put the kids to bed and decided to try it out.  It actually turned out pretty good!  I didn't run out to the fabric store and pick out special fabric, I just used materials I had here on hand.  Otherwise I probably would never have met my new bag!  Seriously!  Some of my best projects have happened this way.

So here it is!

(Terrible photo...I purchased a point and shoot camera specifically for this trip...which I now regret...pictures aren't that great!)  I'm planning on adding more detailed pictures later.  It still needs some tweaking, but it mostly turned out the way I saw it in my head.  I LOVE this fabric too! 

Random Things w/ Abri

Hi!

WARNING...some way through this post you may notice that this is NOT,I repeat,NOT my mother that you all know and LOVE, Simply Niki. Sometimes she lets me use her blog,but I've never finished a post! Can you believe that...NEVER IN MY LIFE!!!

So I'm going to tell you some things about my mom(by the way I am her oldest, most behaved daughter that loves target.)Anyways she is very crafty,owns a bow business,and  her absolute fave word  is:CRAP!

I know it's kind weird, but if you know my mom then you know that she says it a lot! She claims it has a certain sizzle to it. She says it so much that my lil sis used to say,        " Ugh! you scared me out the crap!!!" And when I say lil' sis I mean my first sister,the 4 year old. This was her at Christmas 09. 

Anywhoo,I'm kind of tired of typing now...ya know things get old pretty fast...so maybe I'll finish another post some day...awww who am I kiddin',like that'll ever happen again! So Bye, and don't forget to tell yer friends 'bout this blog and check for new posts!

See ya,

Abri

My Crafty To Do List!

Here are some really cute ideas I'd like to make someday. I just needed to get them organized into one place so I'll remember! (I'm new to blogging and don't really know all the rules or etiquette yet, so I hope these ladies don't mind that I mentioned them here!)
1. Removable Shoe Ruffles Tutorial
2. Tiered Pillowcase Dress Tutorial
3. "Peek-a-Boo" Toy Sack Tutorial
4. Little Girls Dress-Up Area
5. Fabric Basket Tutorial
6. Recycled Crayons
7. Interchangeable Flip flops Tutorial
8. Bubble Dress Tutorial
9. Hair Bow Holder Tutorail

Check out these links!  Great ideas!!!

Stuff

Have you been wondering where I've been?  (Probably not!  Ha!) Well, Da'ling, let me just tell you!  I've been really busy-cleaning, shopping, and packing.  Packing, you ask?  Yes, packing for a girl's trip.  Cleaning?  Well, one simply can't go on a girl's trip (you know...the kind where you meet up with your bestest gals in another city and leave your family behind) without cleaning and organizing one's home (which neither ever happened).  That would be simply dreadful, Da'ling!  Oh yes, WHERE, you ask did this girl trip take place?  In NEW YORK CITY and BOSTON!  It was just 4 days for me (the other gals stayed a little longer), but I had a blast!  I have pictures to post and stories to share-hopefully soon!  Oh yes, Shopping?...for my trip...shopping for school supplies.  One can't go to NY or Boston looking anything less than fabulous, right?!!  Okay, so that was the end of July, so what else have I been up to you ask?  Taking my 2 elementary school children to college of course!  College you say?  Yes!  I'm so proud of them!  They were recommended by their gifted teacher (from their gifted program at school-which will no longer exist-lost funding this year-so sad about it) to attend a camp at a college (I like to call it NERD CAMP-which I mean in a good way-Ha!  C'mon, I'm a Nerd...sort of...in a good way though! ;)  The requirements include being at least 1 1/2 years above grade level or having equivalent test scores, and a recommendation from the teacher.  Abri is taking a robotics class, and Garrison is taking a computer class.  His is themed around building a theme park and preparing a power point presentation.  Oh, Abri is building a voice activated....robot...DUH!  What else? (I hate the word "DUH" by the way!  Kind of like how much I don't like "Lol"...but I still love you if you say those words...just not my faves...okay?)  They were so excited when they received their acceptance letters in the mail, and they're having so much fun!  They both have such a hunger for knowledge right now, so I'm grateful for opportunities like this.  I'm so proud of them!  So anyway, they've been at NERD CAMP...I've been taxiing them. (Is taxiing even a word?) So that's basically what I've been up to!  Not getting too much done really...just on the go a lot lately, which I'm not too fond of.  I really do prefer staying at home at this season of my life.  I need a "JUST STAY AT HOME" vacation now!  You know, the kind where you don't go anywhere for about a week.  The kind where people come by or start calling to check to see if you're okay because they haven't seen or heard from you "in a while!"  The kind that you don't leave the house AT ALL!  As a matter of fact, you stay inside the house ALL day long!  You might even sport your PJ's for half the day...or maybe even ALL day!  What the heck, you may even sport PJ's for the whole stinkin' week!  Either PJ's or cleaning clothes...'cause with the "JUST STAY AT HOME" vacation, the purpose isn't really to relax.  The whole purpose is to GET SOME STUFF DONE!  With this type of vacation, the goal is to isolate oneself from the outside world...absolutely NO APPOINTMENTS or ACTIVITIES outside the home!  Yes indeed!  That's what I need!  I need to check my calendar for an opening...that sounds really good about now!  Well, that's about it for me.  I told my husband I would be running tomorrow.  Yes, I'm back at it.  We'll see how I feel in the morning.  I'm a "run first thing in the morning" kind of gal, but I haven't been able to get up early enough lately.  My girls keep me up so late.  I don't like running in the afternoon or evening.  I have a couple of projects to share soon...oh, and the pictures from my trip.  Hopefully soon!  Until then...