restyle: spring dress to easter skirt

hello there!

happy easter!!

this easter eve i'd like to share a super quick restyle project. 

first roll.

 

 

we got our new camera!

it's been one and a half days and i've taken 600+ shots. many are just me testing the waters... but i'm really quite happy and inspired by my new friend! 

after i've logged more hours on the newbie i may do a full write up... but for now, briefly. we got the Canon EOS Rebel T3i. when it came down to it i liked my first rebel until it brokedown... and i dropped it. we wanted to stay in the Canon lens family, and the camera's overall first impression is pretty great. as i said, i'm happy. love the screen. love the weight. basic functions A+. haven't touched the video, that's for joey to play with. i don't have more than that at this point so 'to be continued'.

big week. lots happening. lots getting done. then my mom and sister visit!

love.

weekly gratitude: january

before i share all the work i've done this morning i have a very sad announcement...


it seems as though my sewing machine is sick. out of commission. needs repair.

as i've said before. i love this machine. it was my late grandma cisowski's and i've always adored it. in my lifetime i mostly watched as she made outfit after outfit for her cement goose that was kept NOT outdoors as garden decor but central in the living room as a member of the family. when i tell you this was the best dressed goose i'm not exaggerating.... it had an outfit for every month, occasion, holiday, and probably a few more thrown in between. grandma also made me several skirts while i was in high school which i wore to hoosier girls state as i needed "business" attire for our mock government, ahhh... indiana. good times.

anway. this machine is not done for. we are taking it into the city tomorrow to a singer service shop. to be honest i should have done this before starting the quilt. i think the machine just needs a thorough cleaning and a little love. so it will be back, and then i will finish the quilt, sheets, and other sewing projects i have planned. but i'm sad still.

so. weekly gratitude. like i said yesterday i'm really excited about this project. i've been steadily trying to get myself back into the habit of consistently scrapbooking and i feel so behind with pictures from last year that i'm really looking at this project as an opportunity to keep the year in focus and remind myself every week where i've been, what i'm most thankful for in my life, and all the important things that really matter.

i have decided to use this album that i got on sale from anthropologie awhile back...


it holds 4x6 photos three to a page and has like 37 double sided pages so my thought is that i'll use one page per week and use the extra places for more photos, art cards, journaling, or whatever.

i've completed the main spots for january thus far (pretty good for one morning huh!?!) i really love all of the downloads that karen has created for this project. all the links to these will be at the end of this post. when i replenish my printer ink this weekend i'll print them all out on 4x6's and then embellish and make art cards to go around them.

here they are....



oops! i missed the 9th. ok well i'll get to it in a little bit and post it later. i'm pretty proud of myself that i was able to do all of these so quickly! i never have done a lot of digital work but karen's templates are so simple and modern that i'm quickly becoming a big fan.

they aren't 100% done. joe just got new cards from launch so i'm going to scan on and put it in the open spot on that layout. i'm also going to change the border colors on that one so that they match the company's colors (which i can't remember at this moment if they are lime green or orange... bad wifey.)

as promised here are the links to weekly gratitude & the available downloads...

weekly gratitude blog
karen's weekly gratitude templates
karen's gratitude overlays

i linked up to the post on the blog because she has some additional information about fonts etc.

oh and the "growing" text on my page is courier new. it's a really simple text manipulation where i make the large word, turn it so it's on the side, and bring down the opacity in the layer blending options.

now off to eat lunch and knit a bit. the sun is shining and it's going to be a creative and inspiring day!

love.

**updated: added the week of the 9th in there!

weekend WIP & etsy shoutouts...

happy friday!

anyone else totally excited for a weekend? as of right now i get a whole day with my joey tomorrow. this is very exciting for a girl who has herself and two sleeping pups to talk to all day. plus, it's totally unexpected this weekend since he was originally supposed to work all weekend. sunday he goes in, but i have a crafting date so i'll be entertained ALL weekend.

crafting dates are exciting in themselves... they are perfect excuses to make cupcakes!

so this weekend i have a couple of projects i'm hoping to finish up, or at least get a big chunk completed on... besides layouts i'm starting on this baby...

i have a few holes to fill but i should be ready to start sewing by later this afternoon. with some of the matching leftover squares i'm planning on making a big floor pillow for the nursery that matches...


it's a little more pink than i thought i would be into but i love it and i'm pretty sure i'll be using this to back it so it will tone down the pink a bit...


with the baby quilt being my main project for the weekend i thought i should share some of the etsy shops i've been buying vintage fabrics from this past week. i can't wait until spring when more flea markets and thrift opportunities open up in the city. if it's not open air nyc thrift really doesn't mesh with my definition of thrift. you mid-westerners are way lucky to have such great places to visit!

so for the meantime i'm using etsy as my main source for vintage fabrics, and i've found a couple of really great sellers so far. i'd love to find more if anyone has any favorites!

*eagerhands*

from Lora i got the pre-cut vintage squares. i'm not against cutting my own in the future and for other projects but when i saw her bundles i couldn't resist. her bundle came really nicely packaged and she even threw in a little gift for the baby. she's really sweet and i can't wait to find more goodies in her shop!

*demcdonough*

got this cute mushroom & butterfly fabric from this shop. came really quick in great condition. it's not assigned to a project yet but it will be!

*cedarbough*

is this not the cutest fabric ever? i absolutely love it and can't wait to get it in. i'm missing this valentine's day with a little one but i'm thinking i'll save it and make her a jumper or dress with this for next year. it's so sweet. i also bought the blue & green fabric that i'm going to use for the backing from this shop. they should be here today! cedarbough has a ton of great vintage textiles... great crocheted throws (going to have to learn how to crochet next) and fabrics. if you aren't into making your own there are some great things made from vintage materials!

*zwizzle*

finally, zwizzle. had the purple and blue one been a little wider i totally would have waited for these to come from australia to back the quilt. oh well. this shop is full of great vintage fabrics. i probably could have grabbed all of her fat quarter bundles but i thought i'd restrain myself for now. the shipping is really reasonable since they are coming from australia and she was super quick to get them out!

so those are the shops i've been using to really get my vintage fabric collection going. check them out if you are interested! there are a few others that i love but haven't purchased from yet, but those we'll leave for another favorite post.

hope everyone has a great weekend!

love.