• parented.
  • ate.
  • created.
  • learned.
  • gave thanks.
  • About Me
  • Home

sewing

Summer Mantel and Fireplace Ideas

Posted by Carolyn on July 11, 2015 3 Comments

summer mantleor isitmantelThis week I finally got around to taking down the springtime/ Easter decorations on the mantel.  I know, I know.  We are solidly in summer.  It was ridiculous.  I decided to go with a colorful, beachy vibe for the summer mantel.  And since I was taking photos and thinking about it, I decided to do some awesome crude mockups of how I can revamp the fireplace.  These are my fireplace ideas.

But first, the mantel.  I couple favorites this season are the birds in the nest.  I got the nest jar for my birthday from some great friends.  It actually has the green bunny as its top (you can see the bunny above), but I thought the birds would be cute for summertime.

Birds in a nestI also have my white bunnies front and center.  These are a favorite possession of mine.  When we left Azerbaijan quickly and unexpectedly, our lovely host family gave them to us.  They were always on display in their home, and it really means so much to me that they gifted them to us.  They are usually, if not always, on our mantel.dovshanlarNow on to some ideas.  I have wanted to do something with the fireplace since we moved in.  You might remember that we used to have a big ugly woodstove in the fireplace (you can see it in the photos here).  That’s been gone for about a year, and we’ve just been living with the empty fireplace.

I think the first step will be to paint the inside of the fireplace.  Black, gray, or white, I suppose.  Here’s what it looks like now:

fireplace as isI think painting the inside black would look the best, because then it would draw attention to whatever we put inside.  Some ideas for what to put inside are a big bowl, like this one shaped like a shell:just paintede black with white shellOr some logs on their side.  I’ve seen this done a lot, but I came across this cool idea on The Art of Doing Stuff, and did a little mockup of how it would look in our fireplace (the image of the logs is their photo, I just edited it into my fireplace):

painted black with colors logs ala theartofdoingstuffI think that’s really fun, and it would be cool to do different colors for different seasons, or just have them all painted in bright metallics.

Next, I tried to see what it would look like if we painted the bricks, or installed white tiles over them. For fun, I threw some logs and a grate in the fireplace.  Seriously amazing photoshopping here, folks.

all white with logsOne thing that I’ve wanted to do for a while is sew up a long cushion for the whole fireplace.  Here’s what that would look like in blue:

painted white with blue cushionThat reminded me of Young House Love’s amazing fireplace makeover, so I cropped their fireplace and added it to my living room.

alayounghouseloveObviously, this is a totally different fireplace that goes to the ground, so we’d have to do things differently.  This is also the most drastic since we’d be covering all the bricks and installing tile and building a whole new mantelpiece.

What do you think?  Any other ideas out there?  Please leave me a comment with your favorite fireplace makeover, or some compliments on my photoshopping skills!

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
Posted in: created., decorating, DIY, sewing | Tagged: bunnies, fireplace, fireplace ideas, mantel, seasons, summer

Belle Dress – Now on Etsy!

Posted by Carolyn on May 7, 2015 Leave a Comment

bIMG_7505 Another one of my 35 before 35 items was to list a new product each month on Etsy.  I get to check this month off early!  I made Alma a Belle dress and want to sell them to lots of other little girls.  This post will be photo heavy, but I couldn’t help myself.  Alma just loves to play in these new dresses I’ve been making for her.

If you’d like to check out the listing in my shop, please follow this link.  To see my whole shop, please follow this link.

bIMG_7506Of course I had her pose with a book, because Belle.  Of course the threw it, because Alma.  What a goof. bIMG_7522 bIMG_7530 bIMG_7533 bIMG_7534 bIMG_7539 bIMG_7542 bIMG_7548 bIMG_7551 bIMG_7556 Seriously.  A goof.bIMG_7559I can’t wait to see what this summer sunshine is going to do to these sweet freckles, and how it will lighten her pretty hair. bIMG_7560

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
Posted in: CaroMade, created., sewing, sewing for my daughters | Tagged: alma, belle, CaroMade, caromadeco, create, princess dress, sewing

New Dresses for the Girls

Posted by Carolyn on February 3, 2015 2 Comments

As part of my resolution to sew from my stash, I decided to make new dresses for the girls.  I used Shwin and Shwin’s Holiday Dress pattern for the bodices, and made some amazingly twirly skirts using my own mind.

And Then They Dresses at the Ghirardelli A day in San Francisco seemed like the perfect time for the girls to wear the dresses.  They were perfect – short sleeved, colorful, twirly, and fun.  They had the added bonus of making the girls super easy to spot in a crowd.And Then They Dresses Alma And Then They Dresses HarrietI was able to use some of the more random fabrics that I didn’t have any ideas for – ahem scissors – and also some of my cherished favorites.  Both dresses have the purple flowers and matyroshka dolls, but the rest are unique.  I love Alma’s mashallahs and Hattie’s bee sleeves. And Then They Dresses Sisters And Then They Dresses Trolley WorkAlma’s dress has two big sparkly blue bottons.  Harriet’s dress has the one leftover sparkly button, and a cute pink bubbly button. And Then They Dresses Waiting and Marching And Then They Dresses at the beach And Then They Dresses Waiting for Cable CarI loved making these dresses.  They were really quick to sew, and really fun to wear.  I’m planning on making a couple like it for an upcoming silent auction at Alma’s school, and maybe a few for the Etsy shop.

Also, check back tomorrow for more photos of our time in San Francisco!

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
Posted in: created., pinterest projects, sewing, sewing for my daughters, travel | Tagged: Beach, california, children, kids, sewing, sewing for my daughters

Alma’s 3rd Birthday Party

Posted by Carolyn on January 13, 2015 Leave a Comment

bIMG_5730This year, we decided to have a joint birthday party for Alma and three of her friends.  This was an amazing idea because, not only did it cut down on all we had to do, but I also got to have some fun planning sessions over drinks with some of my favorite ladies.

We decided to have a simple play-date type party with a loose ballet theme.  So, last weekend we had a big ballet birthday bash with Alma and all her friends from our playgroup.

B A A M's Birthday
The best invitation ever, right?

We had eight 3-year-olds, but a smattering of little siblings.  We made 11 tutus for the walking-aged kids.  That 325 yards of tulle.  More than three football fields.  No joke.

bIMG_5719bIMG_5723 It was a wild, hilarious, fun, lovely party!  It’s so fun raising our kids with these other families. bIMG_5743This next series of photos really gets me.  I knew all three of these moms before we were moms.  I met Leia and Natalie in our birth class, and Shannon in our breastfeeding class.  I am blown away by the fact that we now have three-year-olds.  I feel like it was just yesterday that we were spending out Tuesdays at Baby Clinic, talking about how hard and amazing our tiny newborns were.  Seeing these sweet kids, so excited for their cupcakes, knowing that they once were those babies, seems impossible.  Beautiful, but impossible.  I can’t imagine what they will look like at their joint 18th birthday party…

bIMG_5770 bIMG_5774 bIMG_5777bIMG_5782We are so lucky.

The kids felt pretty lucky to have some amazing cupcakes.  These kids (and photos) crack me up.

bIMG_5766bIMG_5790 bIMG_5791 bIMG_5805 bIMG_5806 bIMG_5808 bIMG_5822

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
Posted in: created., parented., pinterest projects, sewing, sewing for my daughters | Tagged: birthday, create, Parenting, playgroup, tutus

Christmas Dresses

Posted by Carolyn on January 12, 2015 1 Comment

For the girls’ Christmas dresses, I used Oliver + S’s Fairy Tale pattern (the same one I used for Harriet’s baptism dress) and solid fabrics from Piece By Piece.  bIMG_5705Alma got to wear her dress to the Nutcracker, and Harriet got to wear her dress to my dad’s Rotary meeting, but unfortunately, Alma was really sick on Christmas, so we skipped church, and didn’t have the kids wear their fancy Christmas dresses to Christmas Eve dinner at my dad’s.bIMG_5710

Luckily, we’re really lazy and still have our Christmas decorations up, so before we went to Alma’s birthday party, we had a quick photo-shoot with Jesse’s old sled, decorated with some Christmas boughs.

It was Jesse’s idea to make Alma’s dress look like a Christmas tree.  I thought it could be awesome or ridiculous, but I decided to go for it anyway!bIMG_5703I raised the waistline and lengthened the skirt, and added a few extra layers.  I think the tiers of green look really sweet, and I love the petal sleeves in this pattern.  bIMG_5698

bIMG_5702For Harriet, the initial idea was to make it like a poinsettia, but in the end, I decided making petals would be too much, so I just lengthened it, and added the dark red lining, longer than the dress.bIMG_5706I love how the Christmas dresses look Christmas-y, but are plain enough that they can wear them all year long.  I also love how Harriet was totally mugging for the camera.  She seriously cracks us up, all day long.

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
Posted in: created., sewing, sewing, sewing for my daughters | Tagged: Christmas, create, creating, dresses, fairy tale, oliver + s, Parenting, photography, sewing, sewing for my daughters

A New Coat for Hattie

Posted by Carolyn on November 26, 2014 3 Comments

I took my first sewing class a few weeks ago at Piece By Piece.  In the class we made baby coats, so I made a new coat for Hattie.  I used a cute owl fabric for the main coat, a sweet mushroom fabric for the pockets, and a soft flannel polka dot fabric for the lining.  We followed Olive Ann Designs’ Hoodie Baby pattern, but we didn’t really follow the directions.  Our instructor, Celeste just told us, and showed us what to do.  She was fantastic!  I learned so much about sewing clothes from her.  Now for some photo overload:

ga b c d e f h i j k l

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
Posted in: created., photography, sewing, sewing for my daughters | Tagged: baby, children, create, creating, kids, Oregon, Parenting, photography, sewing, sewing for kids

Quilted Infinity Scarf Tutorial

Posted by Carolyn on October 16, 2014 1 Comment

I’m starting a new series of projects that have been on my Pinterest boards for far too long.  I’m going to actually start creating the things I pin, and posting them on here.  I know, it’s crazy.  Without further ado, I give you the quilted infinity scarf tutorial!

Quilted Infinity Scarf Tutorial - AndthentheyInfinity scarves seem to be all the rage these days.  I didn’t have an infinity scarf, so I thought I’d try making one.  I like to wear scarves because, as a teacher, I have to be pretty modest.  A scarf is a great way to cover up when a shirt is just a little bit too low-cut.

mThis is a great project, because all you need is two fat quarters, some leftover batting, and some embroidery floss.  I’ve seen some tutorials around the web – here’s my take on it.  It took me about an hour to complete, so it’s pretty simple!


Start with two fat quarters, cut them into 6 inch strips.  Mine ended up being about 6 x 21 inches.

I used two fabrics from Joel Dewberry’s Birch Farm line – “Barn Owl” and “Horse Blanket.”  I bought my fabric at Piece by Piece, but if you don’t live locally, I think you can get it at Southernfabric. I wanted  mostly neutrals, and the pop of light blue is perfect for my capsule wardrobe.

aSew the short ends of each fabric together to create two long, skinny strips.

Cut your batting to be 5 inches wide by the length of your strips.  I made mine a little longer than the strips, just to make sure I had enough.  Mine was 5 x 63 inches.  Now you have three long strips to work with.

bPut the batting on the wrong side of one of your strips, as sew together using a basting stitch (which you will later remove, it will just hold everything in place until you quilt it).

cPut the other piece of fabric so the two fabrics are facing, and the batting is on top.

dSew along the long edges, leaving about 9 inches open on one side.  Leave the ends open, but trim them so all three layers are the same length, and line up.  Turn right side out.

eThis is where I got stuck.  This next step totally baffled me.  What you need to do is stick one end through the tube of fabric and pop it out the other end.  I’ll try to explain this so it makes sense.  Reach in the opening on the side and grab one of the open ends.  Pull it through to the other end, and pull it all the way through so both ends are lined up.  I hope the next three photos help make this more clear.

fghThe last photo above shows one of the ends inside the other.  Go ahead and sew this closed.

iWhen you turn it back right side out, you’ll have a full circle – infinity!

jTo close up the hole, you can either just hand stitch it closed, or edge stitch the entire scarf.  I like the look of edge stitching, so I did that with white thread.

k1To quilt the infinity scarf, you have more options!  You can machine quilt it, or hand quilt.  I’ve been liking quilts with big stitches, so I went that route.  I just took some embroidery floss and quilted an easy line right down the middle.  I used all 6 strands of the floss because I wanted it to look thick.  I didn’t pay much attention to keeping my stitches even, but I did try to keep it in a straight line.

kThere you have it! A quilted infinity scarf!  Let me know if you make one – I would love to see photos!  I think I’ll be raiding my fabric stash to make more of these!

nl

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
Posted in: created., DIY, sewing, sewing | Tagged: DIY, fashion, sewing, tutorial

Alma’s New Quilt

Posted by Carolyn on September 11, 2014 5 Comments

aIMG_4040Alma just made the transition from her ‘baby bed’ to her ‘big kid bed.’  We actually converted her crib into a twin bed and just had to buy a mattress.  Jesse did a great job building the rails and platform for the bed.  I love having such a handy husband!

I wanted this quilt to be special, so I actually bought, and (mostly) followed a pattern.  All my other quilts have just been of my design and pretty simple.  And quite small.  This quilt is a whole twin sized quilt.  Whoa.

aIMG_4043I bought the Atkinson Designs Morning Noon & Night pattern and used the Scrappy Quilt pattern with more of the Sunrise Quilt color design.  I wanted to transition from the aqua color to the coral-pink color.  I bought the pattern and most of my fabric at my favorite fabric store, Piece by Piece.

aIMG_4038As always, I had times where I would get nervous, but it all came together really beautifully, and quite easily.

aIMG_4035I love to make the backs of my quilts fun and interesting, too.  All these fabrics are fun to look at – fairies, goose rides, hiding kids.  I love it.

aIMG_4045This is by far my biggest sewing project, and totally one of my favorites!

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
Posted in: created., sewing, sewing for my daughters | Tagged: alma, children, daughter, Daughters, kids, Life, Parenting, quilt, sewing

Hattie’s Weekly Photos

Posted by Carolyn on September 10, 2014 4 Comments

Back when Alma was born, I was inspired by Clara’s Photo Project to create a photo project of my own.  We took a photo a week of Alma, and I photoshopped the number into each photo.  I loved how it turned out, and knew I wanted to do it again for Hattie.

I love to see how Hattie changed during the year.  The tiny, sleepy baby stage is so sweet and short-lived.

I have my favorite weeks, but to be honest, those are always changing.

One thing I have loved about both projects has been the amazing amount of fabric I’ve been able to collect.  It’s fun to use the fabric for a quilt, or a dress, or something else.  Then when I see the photo, or the dress, I have all these lovely memories of the girls as babies.

This is also something that I offer in my Etsy Shop – H&A Baby.  If you bought this for yourself (or someone else!  Great baby shower gift, don’t you think?), you would provide me with the photos, and I would edit the images and add the numbers and weeks.

I offer this in both weekly and monthly versions.

Once you have the images, they are yours to do whatever you’d like.  I used Picassa to make the collages.  I had both of these printed in poster sizes and hung them in the dining room.

Another thing I’ve done for both girls is make photo books on Shutterfly.  We gave copies to all the grandparents and kept one for us.  In our copy, I wrote down milestones for each week – so it’s kind of like a baby book.

After I finished Hattie’s, I also made a book of both girls with their weekly photos side by side.  This is my favorite thing ever.  I put both girls in the same pose each week, so it’s fun to see that.  I also used the same fabrics when I had them.  Seriously my favorite thing ever.

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
Posted in: created., learned., photography, sewing, story telling | Tagged: babies, baby, daughter, Daughters, motherhood, Parenting, photography, sewing

Alma’s Backpack

Posted by Carolyn on September 4, 2014 5 Comments

aIMG_4006This little girl is getting pretty big.  In fact, she’s starting pre-school next week.  We are so lucky to have her nanny be her pre-school teacher.  Talk about the best thing that has ever happened in the history of education.  Rach is Alma’s favorite person (actually, she’s one of our whole family’s favorite people).  I had been worried about Alma going to pre-school, but since Rach will be there, I have no worries.

Well, I have the normal worries of her making friends, of other kids being mean to her, of her learning bad habits, of her getting her feelings hurt, of her getting hurt.  But I’m not worried about who will be there to help her through these things.  Because Rach will be there.

Anyhow, I made her a backpack to take with her.

aIMG_4024I used the pattern in the Oliver + S Little Things to Sew book.  As always, I loved the Oliver + S pattern.  I used some outdoor fabric from a local fabric store.  It’s nice and strong and I think it will hold up well.

aIMG_4013Alma took the backpack on our trip to California, and it was great to have her carry her own snacks and books on the plane.  She really loves putting things in, and taking things out, of the backpack.  I put an extra long ribbon on the zipper, so it’s easy for her to open and close.

aIMG_4014I can’t wait to see what kind of treasures she’ll bring home from school!

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
Posted in: created., sewing, sewing for my daughters | Tagged: backpack, education, kids, oliver + s, Parenting, school, sewing
« Previous 1 2 3 Next »
If God said, ‘Rumi pay homage to everything that has helped you enter my arms,’ there would not be one experience of my life, not one thought, not one feeling, nor any act, I would not bow to. -Rumi

Recent Posts

  • 3 for 1 Pumpkin Brew Fest (2019, 2021, 2022)
  • Pumpkin Beer Fest 2020
  • SEPTEMBER 2019: Currently
  • Dear Harriet, Age 6
  • OCTOBER 2018: CURRENTLY

Archives

Categories

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Copyright © 2023 and then they....

Theme by ThemeHall.

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.