Happy New Year and Welcome 2013!

Have a Prosperous New Year to all! Good bye 2012!

Merry Christmas!!! 2012

May the Good Lord bless you with all the happiness and success that you deserve!

Have a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New year!

DYI: Holiday Dress and Vest

Christmas project are almost done. Here are the few project that I accomplished in past few days. As I mentioned in my previous post I am making my children Christmas outfit because I cannot afford to buy a ready made. 

Anyway, here is my little daughter's dress for Christmas.

Three Layered Skirt Holiday Dress!

 I also made my son a vest to match the girls dresses. Ahhh I just don' know how to make the dress shirt for him. I hope next time I can make a dress shirt for him. I made my own pattern out of an old vest. I traced them and cut and sew. It took me couple hours to finished but I did it!

DIY: Gold Christmas Holiday Dress/ Party Dress

About a month ago my sister-in-law told me that she's going to bring my eldest daughter to a formal    Christmas party. I said sure and I am going to make her a nice dress. But I have a doubt that I can make a nice one. So the same night I looked up a Christmas dress online :-). I was just gonna buy her a nice party dress, BUT I was shock with the price tag $59.00 + $ 9 shipping = $68.00. Yup! not in my dream that I am going to buy that dress with that kind of price. I know its so pretty! But I just cannot afford it :(.

I made my girl a gold holiday dress!

Look how happy she is... she loves it!

So, I made my own version of that Gold Christmas dress. I made it in such a way the my daughter can wear it everyday ( she likes mommy's made dress). I made my own pattern and just sew it.
What do you guys think?

Everyday Strawberry Dress

I made another dress using my own pattern. I added 3" belt sewed around the waist line.

Guffy faces! 

practice # 2.

Thrifted: Stripped Dress

 stripped dress

Pink Satin Dresses

I was up late the other night and trying to create a perfect dress for my eldest daughter. My sister-in-law is going to take my daughter to a formal Christmas party in couple weeks. I looked online some nice Christmas dresses, but it is quite expensive and I can't really afford to it. So, I decided to just make her a nice Christmas dress!

Hang on I still haven't made the Christmas dress yet.

But, I already made two nice PINK SATIN DRESSES as for practice. They wore them yesterday at the baby shower party. I made my own pattern and I still figuring out what is the best way to tackle a nice dresses without any mistake :-).

here she tried it on... just fit around her waist...and still not finish around the armhole. 

 my daughter at the party! I add belt around her waist.

 then I made another one for my youngest daughter. This time the belt is attached to the dress

Here they are playing.

It is hard to write when children keep bugging you ;-) I will see you on my next post for the finished christmas dress!

Halloween 2012

Halloween is a nice occasion that everybody can dress up whatever they like! Today my daughter's class had a costume and movie day. She wore my DYI dress for her.

 Dressed up my little girl too :-)

 She is so pretty  in her dress!

 snack time!

After trick or treating!

This was her last year costume. First costume I ever made. Thanks to Ashley from Make it and Love it for the wonderful tutorial. I love love her website there are tons of crafty stuff!

 2011 & 2012 DYI Costume for my little girl.

DYI Easy Halloween Costume: James the Tank Engine

So glad to have my internet back. It was hard without the internet connection last weekend, it seems that one of limbs came off (lol).

Anyway, I made another tank engine costume from Thomas and friends. My son LOVE Thomas and Friends! He has been wearing T&F costume for 3 Halloween now This first one I bought it for like $15. The second one I made it and it cost me $5. This Halloween it cost me $3 big savings from the first tank engine costume. Making it by my self is a whole lot cheaper and plus I enjoyed sewing and doing project from my children. 

Last year, I made Percy the tank Engine and he was so cute in it.

This year I made him a red engine. My daughter said it was James the tank Engine. This costume is so easy to make and it took me probably half hour without interruption.

Would you like to make your own tank engine?

 So what I did was I search the picture of James tank Engine costume. Then I copy it in my lazy way... yes! lazy way. I have my blue engine on hand  so I measure the length of that one. It was 48" while mine is 45" because I wasn't gonna add 3" of fabric to get the exact length ( cause I'm lazy). 

Then I serge the perimeter of the fabric or around the fabric. You can use black bias tape to sew around the rectangular fabric. It is up to you and what ever you prefer to do.

I have couple white square fabric for the face and bumper of the train. The yellow fabric is for the head light.

Next is cut the head light into a rectangular shape and cut both ends. You also need a black felt fabric for the headlight but smaller shape than the yellow one.

Then I used a big basin to make a circle for the face and serge with black thread around the white fabric. The I sewed the bumper. Sew the two black circles to at the bottom of the bumper.

It should look like this. Then I cut the neck ( half moon shape).

Neck: I sewed bias tape around it and the back opening.

Lastly, I draw the face.  I was gonna do all fabric but I have no time. My son needs it in 2 hours before we did the trunk or treat.

Here it is. Easy James the tank Engine. My daughter wants to wear it first before her big brother.

Oh I forgot to make a conductor hat hahaha. That's okay you can use and red ball cap hat and enjoy trick or treating. I think he looks great in it.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope this tutorial will help you make your own Halloween costume.
If you have any question please email me at nelda34@live.com
Happy Halloween!

DYI Halloween costume: Rapunzel's dress

Last year I made my kids a Halloween costumes to save some money. I think last year I spent $10 for 2 costumes. So this year I am doing it again. My daughter can now tell what color she likes for her dress and that will be here costume. Plus she pointed on the magazine that she want a Rapunzel's dress. So she got it.

 I spent $ 5.00 worth of fabric and 3 hours to make it...with a lot of interruptions along the way. I finished it this morning and I asked my daughter to try it on so that I can make adjustment if needed. Well, after trying the dress she won;t take it off anymore. So wore it the whole day and even took her to grandma to show her new dress. So also wore it to bed. I hope she takes it off tomorrow so that I can wash it. Kid is being a kid.

Anyway, for pattern I used one of the free pattern that I found online and modify it a little bit. I used more fabric for her skirt so that it looks big and more volume.  When she turns she loves it!

Now I have to continue sewing I have to more Halloween costume to finish. 

Have a wonderful day!

DIY: Old Bookshelf to a Cubby Organizer

Love this new cubby organizer for my little man!

My husband admitted that my idea of turning a perfectly good bookshelf into a cubby organizer was stupid. No wonder he was frowning when I was explaining to him of what to do with the old bookshelf. Even though he was against of my idea he still did what I told him to do so. He bought some wood remnants at the local home improvement store and it cost us $1.02 to make the cubby holes. I also have left over light blue paint that matches the paint of the old bookshelf.

The new cubby organizer is just perfect under the new loft bed of my little man. Oh, before I forget the loft bed is also made by my husband. I got the plan of the loft bed from ana-white.com. She has tons of great plans and love love her website!

                                          the old bookshelf                  to a new cubby organizer

Anyway, I love the outcome of the new cubby organizer.

Green Dress

My first decent dress... pattern courtesy by the shwinandshwin.com

I decided to make this pattern because the tutorial looks very easy.

so easy that in an hour you have a brand new dress for your little girl.

and if it is too big for your kid just adjust the neck and the sleeves by make a small pleats.

My finished product almost as a Christmas dress.

My daughter in her new green dress!
Special thanks to shwinandshwin.com for the free pattern!

Lace Headband with flower and tutorial

I've been making stuff for my children and for myself, but I didn't get a chance to post it early in this blog. Been busy with kids and household chores. Anyway, I made this lace headband for my two girls. It is very easy to make.

All you need is  10 white (any color) petals ( I got mine from the Dollar Tree store) for $1.

30 inches lace ( I got mine from goodwill and I paid probably a penny for it)

Glue gun

felt circle

Needle and tread

How to:

Use the felt circle and apply glue on top. Get five petals and arrange the tip of the petal face down on the glue until it dry. Apply glue again on the top of the first petal set and this time use only four petals to glue on top facing the right side. The last petal make a yoyo circle to use as the middle of the flower then glue it on the top of the flower. Then glue it on to the lace and you are done. Very easy takes you probably 5 minutes to make.

Nook Tablet Holder tutorial

My husband got me an eReader last Christmas and it didn't come with a holder or sleeve  ;-). I looked around for the holder and sleeve but the prices is just ridiculous. I will not pay $35 for a holder and $29 for a nook sleeve. Well I got a solution for that and it did cost me anything since I already have all the materials to make it. I asked my husband to cut the wood for me though.

 Material that I used: Wood (picture 45degree angle), glue and a glue gun/stick, and fabric ( I used fat quarter) and scissor. All you have to do is glue it all around the wood and you may cut some extra parts that are not necessary.

•  This is what it look like after you glue every thing. It took me half an hour to finish it.

•  Even the back is covered. Oppps! the I missed the sides.

• Here is the finished product. It cost me half an hour to make.