Once Again...

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I've disappeared into my sewing room.  I find that my brain can only handle one creative endeavor at a time...if I am sewing, the decorating doesn't happen.  We are hoping to take our kids to Disney in the fall and I know this will probably be the last time Evie will wear any sort of handmade custom boutique outfits on our trip.  I plan to have as much fun with it as I can!  

Here is what I have been working on the last few weeks.

Ariel upcycle!  I think these knit dresses are very cute for the "older" crowd.  I had fun playing with the ruffles on this one.

This is not something I would have picked to make and I still don't get it!  Apparently, Minecraft is THE it Ipod game right now and my kids are obsessed with playing it.  For the first time in 6 years....6 YEARS...Evie begged me to make her a set.  I tried to make it as girly as I could!

Finally, this Littlest Pet Shop set was for a very sweet customer!

In other news....our whole family got bikes!!  We have been enjoying the weather and taking bike rides together as a family.  I will post pictures of that soon!

My friend, Dorien

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Ages ago, when I started reselling my kids outgrown clothes on eBay, I joined a mom's forum.  The purpose of the forum was to teach and support each other with online selling.  It ended up being a lot more though.  I met many wonderful friends and that board also introduced me to custom boutique...and learning to sew...and selling my clothing...you get the idea.

One of the wonderful ladies I met was Dorien aka: Bompie.  (that was her screen name on the forum.)  Dorien has an amazing family, you can feel their love for each other right through the computer screen.  She is what I would call a positive realist.  She is always positive, but not in a "blowing sunshine..." type way.  I am sure I don't just speak for myself, but many of the other ladies as well, when I say I immediately fell in love with her and her family.  They have 4 kids from ages 9 to college.  She is also a blogger and I followed their adventures on her blog for many years.

Last month her husband, Kyle, was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer.  He's 44.

  She has been writing about their journey on a new blog called "this is what I've got for today."   She is a great writer and her posts are inspiring, heartfelt, and sometimes raw...but always worth reading.

CLICK HERE TO SEE HER BLOG

Ever since I found out I have been hurting for my friend and her family...and praying for them a lot.  If you could send some prayers their way, I know they would be greatly appreciated.  You can find out other ways to help her family on their blog as well.

Easter 2013

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I let Evie pick her own Easter shoes this year...I cringed, she said "she felt like a princess"

We had dinner at my mom's house and then were off for an Easter egg hunt with my BFF and her kids.  I admit, I still love hiding the eggs.  :)  

Coming up for air

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The last few weeks I have been in my sewing room working on new designs.  They are finally finished and this week I have been catching up on all the laundry and housecleaning I neglected last week!

You can follow my custom boutique clothing designs on my Facebook fan page right HERE

https://www.facebook.com/TatteredTulips

Epcot is our favorite Disney park...Evie will wear this the next time we are able to go.

I love how this little Destination Disney set came out!  Modeled by my BFF's sweet daughter, I consider her my niece.  ;)  Thank you, Madeline!

Pantry Remodel ~ In Progress

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One of the most disappointing situations we encountered while building our house was realizing that our kitchen was vastly different than the model.  In addition to less cabinets and counter tops, our kitchen would not have room for an overhang like was shown in the model home.

Honestly, had we not been "homeless" and living with my parents...I might have walked away from this house.  I know it's silly, but I was down for days after I found out.  I always had this dream of my kids sitting at the island and cooking with me in the kitchen.

After living in our house for awhile, we realized that we could remove the existing pantry and replace it with a wall of pantry cabinets.  This not only gained us 12 inches of space in the kitchen...it actually gives me more functional storage!  Everything from our old pantry is in the new pantry and I still have plenty of room to expand.  (and nope, I am not going to paint or stencil the back of my pantry...I am not going to take out all the food and put it in "pretty" containers.  It's a pantry, people!)

Work is still obviously in progress.  Hubby is now tackling the tedious job of trying to patch in the floor pieces, putting molding around the cabinet, and replacing trim on the floor.  Then of course he will have to repaint the walls.

From these pictures you can also get a sneak peek of our Ballard Designs outlet lighting fixtures!  For now we are going to live with no overhang while we decide what, if anything, we would like to do about replacing the top on the island with a bigger one.

The light fixtures and pantry were selected with the knowledge that we have made the choice to go white with the cabinetry.  It's not just me...Todd likes it better, too.  :)  I know some people love espresso and dark cabinetry...unfortunately our builder did not give us the choice of white.  I chose the espresso hoping it would grow on me and it hasn't.

Also from the pictures you can get an idea of how the extra foot gives the kitchen a more square and open feeling.  The width more matches the length now and makes the space feel better for me.

Before:

 After:

 

Before:

  After:

I wish that the bulkhead could have been removed, but that would have involved moving wiring and trying to match the ceiling texture for the repair.  So I am letting it go.  In person, it doesn't feel that noticeable.

"Elderly Day"

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This week is school spirit week and each day the kids are supposed to dress up as something different.  Today was "elderly" day and they were supposed to dress like their grandparents.  I personally don't think my parents look "elderly" (you're welcome, mom ;)  )  but we gave it our best shot! 

Sewing Room - The Bones

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The sewing room is coming together!  I am so thankful that my mom allowed me to borrow her machines (plus other sewing stuff) and bring them to my house.   So far the only money I have spent on this room is for paint, counter top, and the three cube storage shelves to build the cutting table. (Which is still waiting for my husband to cut a top) Everything else is random old furniture from around the house.  The curtains, shelves, lamp, and chandelier were also decorating leftovers from other rooms.

That is why I say this is the bones of the room.  I hope that as time goes on I will be able to purchase more functional shelving and storage pieces.  I am also sure that after I actually get sewing in this room I will see areas where I need to make changes!

   The next phase is the decor, I want to get pictures and pretty stuff on the walls.  I also want to repaint the nightstand that holds my fabric scraps/patterns a fun color and get a new ironing board cover.  Today I am going to go digging in the garage for frames to make a gallery wall and I will also shop the house for a cute pillow to put on my comfy chair.

 

I highly doubt I will ever take a break to prop my feet up, sit on this cushy chair, and watch TV!  ;)  I also envision the kids being able to come in, sit, and chat with me while I am working....we'll see if that happens.  They will most likely being the ones watching TV!

A HUGE thank you to my BFF, Stephanie, for helping me organize and fold all the fabric!