Yesterday my little girl started her second year of preschool.  I was so proud of how brave she was this year.  There was no crying or chasing me down the hall.  I guess it does get easier each year:)  I have her in the gym and learn program at the local YMCA.  I highly recommend it.  They spent 2 hours doing school activities and 1 hour doing gymnastics.  Its the perfect mix of learning and physical activity.

As you probably know I try to buy handmade when I can.  These super cute finds would be great for preschool and gymnastics.

I never realized what a great selection of handmade leotards there are out there.  I love this heart one by SENDesigne.  Here prices are right in line with what I would pay at the store too.

I have to make sure that my girl’s hair is back every day for gymnastics.  These leopard print hair ties by Peachy Tuesday would add some fun to a simple pony tail.

This sweet kitty backpack by RainbowSwirlz will make sure her backpack doesn’t get lost in a crowd of Dora and Disney Princesses.  Not that she doesn’t love both of them.  She is a preschooler after all:)

Inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Soulemama

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Today I’d like to introduce you to my friend and Etsy seller Rosie.  She’s a fellow Pennsylvanian that I met through Twitter.  Rosie has been sewing for many years and it shows through the quality of her garments.

I purchased this skirt from Rosie a few months ago.  It is gorgeous and comfortable.  They yoga waistband is comfy and flattering.  I’m not usually the dressing up type, but this skirt makes me feel like a lady.  This Enchanted Damask fabric may look familiar to you.  I have some Weezy Bands made out of it.  Rosie sends me her fabric scraps to make headbands.  Its so nice of her and a great way to recycle.

Rosie has started to offer tunics for sale in her shop.  I think with the 3/4 sleeves they are just perfect for fall and winter.  I love how the length and waist is flattering for all body types.  It would be perfect with a pair of leggings.

Uncommon Yardage is Rosie’s Etsy shop that sells fabrics.  You can find high quality fabrics from top notch designers here.

In addition to her Etsy shops she also owns the blog “The Fabric Shopper”.   You can always find the latest fabrics here and the best deals.  She also shares projects made from fabric for inspiration.

As you can tell Rosie is one busy lady.  On top of all that she is a dedicated mother and grandmother.  I’m honored to call her my friend.  Thanks for the daily inspiration Rosie!  You can find Rosie’s shops and blogs here:

Uncommon Yardage- Online Fabric Shop

Rosie’s Whimsy- Etsy Clothing Shop

The Fabric Shopper- Blog all about fabric

Remember the Rainbow Brite Dress I made a few weeks ago?  A fellow Phish fan I met on Twitter bought it for his wife.  They just happened to be at the same Phish concert I was last week.  A rainbow just happened to appear at the show.  Coincidence?  I think not:)

*Thanks so much to feeaxilla on Twitter for sharing this pic.  Wish I could have met you there, but this pic totally makes up for it:)

Inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Soulemama

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

The family had a great time tie dying a few days ago.  My husband and little one were working on t shirts.

And I was working on this:

I tie dyed some organic cotton fabric for some new Weezy Bands.  The colors turned out great and are even more vibrant than in the picture.  You can get one today at my Etsy Shop.  Since the fabric is hand dyed each Weezy Band will have its own unique pattern and colors.

Inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Soulemama

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

While visiting a craft show last weekend a spotted a booth selling dry mixes to make your own dips.  I bought a pack to support someone local, but I knew this was probably something that I could make it home.  After researching a ton of recipes online I found this one on Budget101 for Cheese & Onion Dip that looked tasty and easy.  A big plus is that I had all the ingredients at home.  It cost about 60 cents to make compared to the $3 for a can of dip at the store, so making your own is a no brainer.

Onion Cheese Dip Mix

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. instant minced onion
1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. instant beef bouillon granules
1/4 tsp. garlic salt

*If not using right away you can store in a small zip loc baggie

To Use

1 cup sour cream
1 pkg, onion cheese dip mix (recipe above)
Blend Well, chill for an hour prior to serving.

**The dip turned out super tasty, but was a little on the salty side.  I adjusted the amount of bouillon granules in the recipe above so it should turn out just right**

I recently made a custom order diaper bag and burp cloths for my friend Erin of Krug’s Ecologic.  The burp cloths were easy to make and turned out so nice that I thought I would write up a little tutorial.  This is a sewing project for all skill levels.

Materials Needed

-One piece of fabric at least 7.5″ X 15″
-One Gerber Weave Flatfold Cloth Diaper
-Thread to match fabric

Directions

1.  Cut fabric into a 7.5″ X 15″ rectangle and the cloth diaper into three rectangles of the same size.

2.  Stack cloth diaper pieces on top of each other.  Place fabric on top of cloth diaper pieces, right side facing down.

3.  Sew pieces together, keeping an opening on one side big enough to pull the fabric through.  (Sew using 1/4″ seam allowance)  Trim corners.

4.  Turn fabric right side out through hole. Press

5.  Top Stitch around entire rectangle.

And you’re done:)  Roll it up, tie a ribbon around it and you have one super cute handmade baby shower gift.

*burp cloth pictured above is folded just to show what both sides look like.

I’m a child of the 80′s which means I loved Rainbow Brite.  When I saw this Rainbow Brite pillow case at the thrift store I grabbed it as quick as I could and exclaimed “Score!” just a little too loudly:)  So after some debating on what to do with it this super fun dress came to mind.

Sewing it was so much fun.  How can you not smile while sewing with such fun bright colors?  The dress has a shirred back like the one I made for my friend Jamie’s birthday .  This means you can wear a bra underneath of it ladies.  Nice, huh?

Would you like this super fun dress for your very own?  I have it for sale in my Etsy shop.  I think it would be just perfect for festivals and Halloween.  A great way to stand out in a crowd.