Extra Ordinary Bree

Bad Blogger

2011-11-19T20:45:00.001-06:00

I just don't know if I'll ever get the hang of this blogging thing.

I have so many things I want to blog about.  Several times a day I think about a new post. Sometimes I even commit to a new post and tell you guys it coming and then totally flake.  I think I still owe you picnic wedding photos, my 31 days to clean challenge progress and Halloween pictures!

Sometimes I get the whole thing typed up before it's time to upload the pics and I can't find my camera... or the cord... or the battery is dead.  Sometimes I don't get more than two sentences in before someone comes in screaming because they are hungry, hurt or just plain mad.

I'm still sewing up bunches and bunches of pretty little things and trying my hand at pattern making... I just haven't had time to share them with you guys.  I'm just a crummy blogger.

And I wish I could say it was going to get better and that I'm going to get the hang of this soon or that my schedule was going to ease up on me somehow... but the truth is I don't see why it would.

I need to implement some hardcore structure in my home and I'm just too ~~lazy~~ overwhelmed to do it!!

How do you busy blogging mommy's do it?

Hot Wheels Customs...Hot or Not?

2011-10-19T11:44:00.001-05:00

So far I have steered clear of reviews on my blog. I've seen them on other blogs and the perks seem great but I'm not a big fan of reading them. Is it just me or does everyone seem to love everything they review?

I promised to just avoid them all together, but when I was contacted about doing a review for the new Hot Wheels cars you can customize with your own photos, I got really excited and broke that promise in an attempt to check it out for free!

My oldest son's birthday was about a month away and I thought it would be a cool gift for him that I could include the younger boy in. So my 3 and 5 year old and I hopped on the website and got to work.

The boys were instantly in heaven as I explained what we were going to do. We looked through the very small selection and finally decide on "Passion" even though it was purple because it was the only car they had... the rest were all trucks and buses.

We then decided on a picture of the birthday boy and uploaded and cropped to get it just right. Then it was time to choose our message. They boys really wanted it to say "Happy Birthday Mikey" but we were only allotted 17 characters on this particular car so the most we could get was "Happy Birthday Mi".

We decided to try another car to see if we could get more letters (honestly I think they just realized that we were almost done and weren't ready for the fun to be up). So we started all over and this time we went with the HiWay Hauler. We also could have gone with the school bus that would have gotten us 36 letters but the boys would have no part in that. "Who want's to play with a school bus?" Elijah asked! They were kind enough to hang onto our photo so all we had to do was recrop and move on to the message.

via hotwheels.com

We finally had enough characters to write our happy birthday message and the boys decided that it should say Mikey's whole name so we went with that instead... goofy kids.

Next we moved onto the packaging. We were super excited to find one that read "Happy Birthday"! Perfect!

We accepted the long list of terms and aggreements and checked out! The car would arrive in about 4 weeks!

Fast forward 30 or so days to Mikey's birthday. We were getting ready to head to his party and the package arrived! We had completely forgotten about it by then. But the younger guys were so excited to see it and wrap it up.

At the party Mikey unwrapped it and his brothers showed him his face and name plastered all over it. Mikey was pretty excited and went around showing his friends and family.

In short the process was fun, easy and pretty quick... even if the boys did drag it out as long as possible! I wish they would have had more selections and make it even more customizable with colors and fonts and frames (I hear they're working on it!) But the end result was still a pretty cool, one-of-a-kind gift.

The car is actually pretty affordable at $7.99 but then with $4.95 shipping and sales tax tacked on it comes to $13.75. Kinda much for one car (and the cheapskate in me cringes when I say this) but totally worth it for any boy who can't seem to cram enough hot wheels in his pockets every time he leaves the house!

Oh and right now you can score one for the price of the shipping and handling!!

Just, purchase any of these specially marked products at Walmart:

Hot Wheels Sky Jump Track Set
Hot Wheels Wall Tracks Assortment
Hot Wheels Wall Tracks Starter Set
Hot Wheels RC Nitro Speeders Assortment
Hot Wheels Video Racer Micro Camera Car

Each specially marked package contains a coupon with a unique code. This offer expires December 31, 2011.

Okay my mini commercial is over... stay tuned for some DIY Halloween Costumes coming soon!

Busy Mama

2011-10-08T07:22:00.000-05:00

I've been a crazy busy mama and have neglected my blog again but I've noticed a bit of a trend here... when my husband, who works a crummy, bleh schedule, works the night shift... I disappear! 

My days look something like this:

30AMWake up and get the 5 kids dressed, find the missing shoe and rush out the door for school.

00AM Back home for cereal and Dora and Diego with the 3 little ones.

30AM More cereal. Seriously. These kids could eat their weight in cereal.

00AM Find the kids trying to pour more cereal into cups so they can carry it to the living room (that or feeding the rest of the box to the dog!)

30AM Start watching the clock, begging it to move faster and trying desperately to justify laying them down for a nap early.

00AM Daily chores: laundry, dishes, floors, hotspots... etc.

15AM Take the toilet paper (or marker, or cup of dirt from outside, or bag of popsicles from the freezer) away from the kids, clean up the giant mess.
  
30AM Take the toilet paper (or marker, or cup of dirt from outside, or bag of popsicles from the freezer) away from the kids, clean up the giant mess and rip out wads of my hair in frustration.  

30AM Lunch time! Almost there!!
 Noon I made it!  I survived the morning and can now lay the kids down for nap guilt free!  

30PM The kids are down and it's time for some me time!  Grab a coke and veg out on Pinterest!! 

34PM Kids are screaming... must intervene before they wake up daddy.

40PM Back to Pinterest.

46PM Kids are screaming again...

55PM Back to Pinterest.

59PM You guessed it... more screaming.
NOTE: This could make for a really long boring blog post if I keep this up so in the interest of time I'll stop now.  But know that this continues until about 2:45PM

00PM Time to pick up the kids and wait in the 30minute pickup line.  Do not consider getting out of your car to pick up your kids quicker.  They will hold your children hostage and make you go to the end of the line for being so stupid.

30PM Finally back home where the big kids wake up daddy and the little kids within 10 minutes despite the 5 minute lecture and 3 reminders to be quiet.

00PM Dad takes the kids outside for baseball practice and I stay inside cooking up dinner.

00PM A frantic rush to get dinner on the table and Dad out the door!

30PM Clean up dinner and send the kids outside to run and scream and throw dirt.

00PM After breaking up several fights and banishing a couple  whiney kids from the kitchen I declare "movie night" and we all veg out in front of the TV together.

30PM Time to get ready for bed!  Sometimes I'm a good mom and we do baths and brush teeth... and sometimes I throw their PJs in the room and say prayers while I'm shutting the door.
Repeat the naptime situation here until about 9PM

It's all so very exhausting.

But when he goes back to days, I wake up super early with him and send him off to work. The mornings are quiet and peaceful before the kids wake up and I have time to sit down in front of the computer or sewing machine.  

I really enjoy these mornings and unrushed dinners and having someone to crash with at the end of the day.   

So here's to a month of the day shift!

Hopefully I can get back to my blog. I really do love it here.

Why Clean?

2011-09-01T12:17:00.000-05:00

It's time to start the 31 Days to Clean Homemakers Challenge and the girls have us asking ourselves... Why clean? 

So why do I want a clean house?

I started thinking about my house, the state it's in now.  I thought about what it is for my family and what it should be.

When we bought this house 3 years ago it was a foreclosure. The walls were dirty, the carpet had been ripped up and the stained concrete slab was all that was left, the doors were drawn all over and covered in stickers and everything reeked of horrible 70s decor.  Oh you should have seen some of the light fixtures and the kitchen cabinets... wow.

But we had high hopes.  We scooped it up and dove right in, ready to make it ours.  Our first home.

We scraped the popcorn ceiling, knocked down walls, painted, put down real maple floors (that were ripped up within a year thanks to the boys flooding the house!) and installed new light fixtures and hardware and we did it all ourselves.

But before long we ran out of money and energy and instead of completing tasks on our to do list we started settling for things the way they were.

I like to decorate my kitchen with a hunky guy cooking breakfast

Three years later we have a million unfinished projects.  We knocked down walls but didn't finish trimming them.  We pulled up the baseboards and installed our new flooring (twice) but didn't put the baseboards back down.  When we painted we didn't cut in the edges because we knew we were going to install crown molding but then never got to it.

It's a mess.  No matter how clean I keep it, it still looks like a mess.

So I stopped trying.  Stopped cleaning.  Let the mess take over.

So why clean now?

We've all started to hate this place.

I noticed that when the kids come home from school they beg to go somewhere. When I go to the grocery store I cringe at the thought of going home. When Mike has the day off the last place he wants to be is in that house.

It makes me sad.

We've lost our haven, our refuge, our home and all we have left is a shelter.

So I guess that's my answer.

I'm cleaning to restore that place of peace for my family.

And that's definitely worth a little bit of elbow grease huh?

Crisis Cleaning Anyone?

2011-08-29T12:02:00.001-05:00

Is anyone planning to join me for the Homemaker's "31 Days to Clean" Challenge?

It kicks off Sept. 1st and I'm am getting myself ready to go!

I have done these sort of challenges and routines in the past (FlyLady anyone?) but I always seem to throw the plan out the window at some point and dive head first into a crazy, binge cleaning, manic episode.  Only to crash an hour later and curl into the fetal position and rock myself back to sanity with a giant tub of rocky road.

I know. I know. Scary.

So this time I thought I'd help curb those urges to binge by doing a day of crisis cleaning a la FlyLady.  I have tried FlyLady a couple of times and I really like her approach.  But if you've been to her website and got completely lost... you are not alone.  I just don't know where to start and it doesn't seem like an easy program to adapt for your lifestyle. 

But her crisis cleaning is so easy.

Basically you clean in 15 minute intervals and move from room to room. 

1st- clean the kitchen for 15 minutes. 

2nd- When the timer goes off, stop and clean your living room for 15 minutes. 

3rd- When the timer goes off, go back to the kitchen and clean for 15 more minutes

4th- Stop and take a 15 minute break. 

And then start up again and shift rooms as needed! 

I have to change mine up a bit and give myself 15 minutes in between each room to tend to the kids pleas for a glass of milk or a potty break or to clean up a spill or whatever. 

But it's the perfect approach  for someone like me who, given more than 15 minutes, would start rearranging the pots and pans!

One HUGE tip from me to you... make sure you set your timer for 15 minutes for EVERYTHING!  That means if you are taking a 15 minute break to check your email... set the timer or you'll never come back!

Try it out and see how it works for you!

Time to Clean Up.

2011-08-28T10:01:00.003-05:00

Life is crazy.

I'm stuck again.  Overwhelmed.  Trying to find some sort of balance in providing all the wants and needs of my family. 

Lately I feel like I'm lost.  Like I've lost control and I've created a mess of things.

I have to get back to some sort of order.  

Last week I stumbled across the ebook, 31 Days to Clean- Having a Martha House the Mary Way.

It was only $4.99 to download so I grabbed it (another freebie thanks to my Swagbucks!)

So far I've read the first week and participated in the Mary & Martha challenges at the end of every chapter.  The chapters are short, easy reads that take me under 5 minutes to finish.  The Mary challenges are simple and get my mind thinking about what & why I want what I do and how to go after it. The Martha challenges are super easy and very straight forward.  She breaks down the entire kitchen over a week... one day you clean the outside of your cabinets and the next you clean your oven.  

I think this could actually work for me.

On September 1st The Homemaker's Challenge is kicking off a challenge running through the book together.

And so I'm going to put my neck out on the line and commit to this... publicly!  

Maybe a challenge is just what I need!!

Are you an Amazon Mom?

2011-08-05T07:55:00.001-05:00

Have you heard of the  Amazon Mom program?

I just stumbled upon it today (while shopping for a Jillian Michaels DVD) but it's this really cool, super easy & best of all free program that Amazon has set up for parents!  Like you  & me!

What are the benefits?

How does 30% off diapers & wipes sound?

Pretty good right?

How about 15% off nearly everything else? 

Not bad huh?

But I've saved the best for last...

Amazon Moms get free 2 day shipping with Amazon Prime for a 3 months and every time you spend $25 on goodies for your babies you get another month free!!

So go sign up and save yourself some money!

I bought the Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred DVD using my Amazon gift  cards from Swag Bucks and thanks to the free shipping I didn't have to pay a penny!

Trial Run: The Cake

2011-08-01T12:23:00.000-05:00

Have I told you yet that I'm making all the cakes for my sisters wedding?

Yes I said ALL... as in... more than one...

We saw this picture and fell in love with idea of a cake buffet.

Doesn't that just look yummy?

We thought that it would make things a bit easier to do too.  I mean one great big cake can easily turn into one giant mess with stacking tiers and sagging and whatnot.  Besides, we couldn't decide on one cake!  There are so many choices to make... let's just have them all!

So over the last couple of weeks I've started making some practice cakes to try out recipes and frosting techniques.

Here's my latest.

I'm really happy with the pretty little buttons.  I made each one by hand by pressing some of my favorite vintage buttons into frosting dough.  If you don't know about frosting dough you are missing out.  It's amazing and so simple... just add powdered sugar to your frosting until it turns into a ball of dough.  Then you can work with it just like playdoh!

 The inside is a strawberry flavored gradient.  To make it I just mixed up a box of strawberry cake mix.   I used a 1/2 cup measuring cup and poured 4 scoops (2 cups) into a cake pan.  Then I divided the rest of the batter amongst 4 bowls.  The first bowl got 3 scoops, the second got 2 scoops, the third got 1 scoop and the last got everything that I was able to scrape out of the bowl. 

Then I mixed up a box of yellow cake mix and divided the batter amongst the 4 bowls.  The first bowl got 1 scoop, the second got 2, the third got 3 and the fourth got everything left.  I played with a little bit to make sure they were all pretty even and poured them into the cake pans.

When they were finished baking I leveled and cut each cake in half. I was worried the cake would be too tall and hard to manage.  So in the end I had two pretty cakes!

Oh and if you noticed that the frosting is about to drip off the cake you're absolutely right! Last night when I mixed it up, I didn't have any real butter. I knew I would make sure to have it when making the actual wedding cakes but this was just a test cake so I didn't think it would make that big of a difference. I was dead wrong. It was runny and really hard to work with but my kiddos didn't seem to mind!

But all this practicing and I still haven't decided how to do the cakes for the wedding.  I know I'll start baking and freezing them now but when should I put them together and frost them?  The day before?  The day of?  Have you done something like this before?  Have any pointers for me?

Can you tell I'm a little scared?!

1 Hour Flower Girl Dress Knock Off

2011-07-28T14:11:00.001-05:00

I found this adorable little dress and just about died.

So cute but at $42 ( and that's after taking 50% off!) It just wouldn't work with our budget.

So I did what anyone would do... I knocked it off!

 And the end result makes me positively giddy.

It took me about an hour to make and I just happened to have the fabric sitting on my shelf... a remnant from Hobby Lobby that I bought just because it was so cheap!

So what do you think...

$4.50

$42.00

How did I do it?

It's so easy you'll laugh.  

Step 1:  Make a basic skirt.

I made an elastic waist skirt but you can shirr it or even make it a drawstring!

Step 2:  Attach the tie at the front of the skirt.

I made the tie by sewing a tube of the leftover fabric but you could use ribbon too!

Step 3:  Make & attach your fabric rose.

I made my rose by ruffling on side of a tube of fabric and then just twisted it together but there are a ton of ways to make them! Or use a button or some other embellishment or nothing at all!

Next up... bridesmaid dresses!

She did what?!

2011-07-23T14:41:00.000-05:00

Barbie & The Rockers Hair - age 3

Earlier this week, I found myself standing in front of the mirror with a pair of scissors.

Not entirely alarming since I've been trimming my own hair for the past year or so but this was different.

This time I meant business.

I pulled my hair into a ponytail at the base of my neck and cut.

No.  I'm not making this up.  One second my hair reached my elbows and the next it didn't even reach my shoulders.

And then I panicked and ran to the salon like a dog with her tail between her legs!

They had a good laugh at my expense but fixed me up just fine.

Oh why did I wait so long?

I absolutely love it.

Can I Ask a Favor?

2011-07-22T09:00:00.001-05:00

From all my good friends? 

I entered Miss Livi modeling her pretty little Vintage Barbie Tribute Suit in  Gilt's Kids Wear the Darndest Things Contest.

Right now she's in 4th place to win a $1200 gift card!!

So pretty please?  

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

A Vintage Picnic Wedding

2011-07-21T13:03:00.001-05:00

Soooo, I still can't walk in my laundry room... not even close really... it's gross.  

But I've been so excited to share my latest project with you that I just can't wait any longer!!

My sweet little sister Carissa is getting married next month and has handed the wedding planner reigns over to me.

I'm sure some of you are reading this and thinking... SUCKER!  Hey, Carissa might be thinking so to!  But I couldn't be more excited!

I mean what creative, crafty, DIY lovin' chick doesn't love a wedding?

And I know that I'm not the only one who sees wedding pictures, blogs, magazines... etc. and doesn't wish for reason to throw another one... wait... that sounds bad.  Well, you know what I mean!

I'm excited!

Excited to plan, exited to help save some money and mostly just so excited to see my sister so happy.

So wanna see some of what we're envisioning for this laid back and virtually budget free wedding?

Imagine a romantic, summer picnic...

simple understated bridesmaids...

carrying simple understated bouquets...

a cake buffet featuring over 10 unique cakes on pretty little platters...

and a vintage touch here and there.

Don't you just want to be there?!

Me too!

Well the wedding is next month and boy do I have a lot to do!

I'm making all the cakes and a couple of bridesmaids dresses. My other sister Dani is busy learning the cords for the ceremony music and Carissa is out there shopping for all the vintage goodies that will make the wedding spectacular!

Wanna see more?

I'll share the pretty little flower girl dress I made and a super easy tutorial soon. And before it's all over I'll share the jaw dropping budget and how we pulled it off!

Until then feel free to drool over my pinterest board where you will find all of the photos above (and a hundred more) with links to their original source.

A Busy Summer

2011-07-20T16:55:00.000-05:00

Oh I'm not sure why I was crazy enough to think that I might be able to pull off blogging this summer but clearly I was wrong!

Things have been crazy with my two oldest boys out of school!

The house seriously looks like a disaster zone.

There is no food left in the cabinets.

And if I hadn't cut all my hair off (more on that later...) I would surely have ripped it all out.

Add to this a family reunion, several birthdays and the fact that my little sister is getting married next month after a 2 month long engagement and you've got yourself a train wreck!

But oh I wouldn't change a bit of it... well maybe the 110 degree Texas heat... but other than that, this summer has been a blast!

I have so much to share with you but I have to spend some time with my arch-nemesis... the laundry room. I'll be back as soon as I can at least walk in there. Promise.

I'd like you to meet: Mike... Mi Esposo

2011-06-08T11:45:00.002-05:00

2 years ago- Our most recent picture together

I was 15 years old, a sophomore in high school, the day I first noticed him.

I was walking through the open walkway at old Mesquite High School, weaving in and out of people, late to my next class.  I looked up and saw him just as he walked past me.  It felt like someone had sucked the air right out of my chest.

I turned around to get another glimpse and nearly stopped walking this was a HUGE no-no at MHS that would have most definitely resulted in me being run over or at the very least screamed at by a passersby... imagine stopping your car in the middle of a freeway!

The place where it all went down

I went on to class but couldn't stop thinking about Mystery Guy.

By the end of the week I had seen him at least a dozen times and even managed to make eye contact with him a time or two but I still knew nothing about him. 

I told all my friends about Mystery Guy and started to take note of when and where I was passing him in the hallways. Sounds a bit stalker-ish huh?  I still remember the end of 1st, 2nd, & 5th period making sure my hair and make-up looked perfect and nearly hyperventilating as I left the classroom.

After a couple weeks of this he seemed to notice me too.  We would make eye contact and smile a bit.  We seemed to be flirting yet we had still never spoken a word to each other. 

One day, I walked into my 3rd period science class and found half of my classmates looking through their yearbooks.  I grabbed one and frantically started flipping through.  I had to know his name.

I started calculating in my head... I didn't think he was quite a senior but I knew he was older than me... so I started looking through the juniors first.  I scanned the pictures quickly, determined to find him before the teacher demanded I put the yearbook away.  

And there he was...

Michael Cantu

His named seemed familiar to me but I couldn't figure out how or why.  I was just so excited to know his name.  I instantly started gushing to my friends and classmates about Michael Cantu.

In my history class later that same day I talked about him to a couple of guys. 

"Oh yeah... I know Mike"

I think I nearly passed out.

That poor guy, Daniel was his name, didn't know what he was getting into.  I interrogated him for a week... I needed to know everything he could tell me about Michael Cantu.

I learned that he played baseball, he was a really good guy, he had a couple of brothers and that he really liked another girl.  I tried until I was blue in the face to get more out of him about this crush of his. What did she look like? Was she pretty?  What was her name?  All he would tell me was that her name was Brenda.  

At some point Daniel must have become sick of me and agreed to help me meet Mr. Michael Cantu.  The next day he told me he would introduce us after class.  I followed him down the stairs of C-Hall, fighting off the urge to run the other way.

And there stood Michael Cantu, waiting at the bottom of the stairs.  Daniel introduced us and left quickly and we stood there staring at each other in the most awkward, painful silence ever experienced by two people.  We both tried desperately to spark a conversation with each other but we just couldn't seem to get anything going.  It was every teenager's worst nightmare.  Finally Michael Cantu said he had to go to class... 

"nice to meet you"... 

"yeah... you too" I said

"what was your name again?"

"Breeana" I answered as I turned around

"oh... I thought it was Brenda... bye" he said laughing

I, still, to this day, can't hear the name "Brenda" without grinning ear to ear.  

It turns out we had a class together at the very beginning of the year but I was moved out of it.  Mike had been eying me since the first day of school but had my name mixed up.  

Eventually Michael and I started dating and before long I was "Mike's girl". 

My Senior Prom

Nine years ago today, I became "Mike's wife".

He was 20 & I was 19 & waiting just didn't make any sense to us.

He is a beautiful man with the most amazing soul.  He makes me laugh like no one else can and still makes my toes curl up like a love struck 15 year old.  

Notice the lack of pictures? Last month my darling husband threw most of them and my WEDDING DRESS away by accident... he was forced to retrieve the dress from the dump but the pictures were never found... yeah he's still sort of in trouble for it and I make sure to bring it up whenever possible... secrets to a healthy marriage huh?

The Extreme Makeover: Fabric Edition WINNERS!!

2011-06-06T12:53:00.000-05:00

Voting is up and the results are in and I'm just so excited to announce to you our winner!  These women have worked their tails off to bring you some amazing creations and use some insane amount of fabric all in an effort to stop their hoarding ways (well... to win some pretty cool prizes too!)

But now without further adieu...

Amy from Little Country Bumpkins 
 
 Her adorable set of skirts and aprons for her little pig farmers made me squeal in delight! She used a total of 29 yards of her fabric stash throughout the competition!!

She came in 3rd place and won a pattern from each of these shops:

 Angie from Mama Lusco

Her Americana sets were so stinkin' cute!  I'll be begging for a tute on this cute little top soon! And she used up an amazing 68+ yards over the course of the contest! 
 
She came in 2nd place and get's her pick from a pattern from each of these sponsor shops:

 Andi from Laundry on the Line

She blew us away with an entire pieced quilt in 2 weeks time and still had time to make some really cute skirts and aprons too!  She used an insane 74 yards over the course of the contest!  

She is our Grand Prize winner and walks away with a pattern from every one of our sponsors!  Check out this list...

Congratulations!!!

Did you enter the pattern giveaway this week?

We've got a winner for those too!

And that's you Suzee!

Thanks to all you girls for participating and sharing your projects with us.  We've seen some pretty amazing things from you all every week and I think I'm on the road to recovery with my own hoarding issues! 

And April! Thanks for talking me into doing this contest with you and picking up my slack when I went AWOL!! It's been so much fun and I've learned so much from you! Time to start planning our meet up right?!

The Extreme Makeover Grand Finale!

2011-06-03T11:44:00.000-05:00

The projects are up for the final week of Extreme Makeover: Fabric Edition!!  Hurry over to Wildflower's and Whimsy to check them out and cast your vote!

The 1st & 2nd Place winner will get some pretty amazing prize packs with patterns from each of our sponsors!  Here's your chance to win some patterns too!

Our sponsors for the County Fair challenge are:

This shop has a collection of patterns to make some super cute shoes for you!  That's right... patterns to sew things for yourself... what a concept huh?

I had the hardest time picking some of my favorites but here they are!

In this giveaway you can win the pattern to make the Classic Mary Janes.  So cute!

&

This shop is so much fun to snoop around in!  She's got a little bit of everything here...

A pattern to make the cutest bowling set EVER!

Adorable machine embroidery designs

Super cute girls clothing patterns

And a BUNCH of sewing patterns for mommy accessories!

You can choose any pattern you like from this shop if you win the giveaway and if you just can't wait to win something she's offered a coupon code good for 30% off all purchases! Just enter "HOARD" when checking out and hurry... this deal expires Monday!

So how can you win? It's simple!

Important:  You must be a public follower of both Wildflowers & Whimsy and The Extra Ordinary Bree  to win this giveaway...this does not count as an entry, but we will not  pick a winner that doesn't follow our blogs.  Also, please remember  that the mandatory entries must be completed or the additional entries  will be voided.

Mandatory Entries

Visit Shoeology and come back here and tell me what your favorite pattern is.  (1 entry)

Visit Birdiful Stitches and come back here and tell me what your favorite pattern is.  (1 entry)

Additional Entries

Create a link to this giveaway.  (Just click the "create a link button" below the comment section. (1 entry)

Post this giveaway to FB.  (1 entry)

Tweet about this giveaway.  (1 entry)

Please leave a separate comment for each entry, and make sure we are able to contact you. Giveaway closes on Sunday at midnight! Thanks and good luck!

How to Store Your Fabric Stash

2011-06-01T16:56:00.000-05:00

Our three final contestants are hard at work right now with their final projects.  You'll be able to see all their awesomeness & vote for your favorite on Friday! I can't wait!!

Have you've been following along and tackling your own stash throughout the competition?

I have!

Nothing like what our amazing contestants have done but I have really really tried to use my fabric and avoid buying new stuff.

So what has helped me?

By far the biggest help to me has been re-evaluating my fabric stash.  I went through everything and pulled out the fabrics I knew I'd never use.  Then I put it in a separate bin.  I realize that I could just toss these or donate to the Salvation Army but I like to keep them!  Why?  Because sometimes beautiful fabric can be hard to cut into, especially when you're not sure if a pattern is going to work or you are trying to design a new pattern!  But ugly fabric with kittens and Christmas bows are so easy to cut into that you're scissors practically work themselves! and yes I actually have fabric with Christmas cats on it

After all my ugly fabric is out of site, I can focus on the fabrics I drooled over and risked a lecture from my husband for!

The solution for me is simple... Fold it nice and neat and stack them in the cabinets that hang over my sewing machine. Here's a round up of a ton of other functional & attractive ways to store your fabric... something's bound to work for you!

Make your own miniature fabric bolts!
Find the tutorial @ The Little Green Bean!

A functional way to store your favs and it doubles as craft room decor!
You can find the full tutorial here... p.s. it's so easy, you'll laugh.

Holly @ Holly Street is a self proclaimed Fabric Whore
She color coordinated her fabric into pretty bins

Make a fabric swatch book like Carolyn from Homework
& store your fabrics in a dresser or in large bins

And I know that most "normal" people probably just throw their scraps away but if you're a real, authentic hoarder, like me, then you hold on to even the smallest scraps!

There's just so much you can do with them!

Display them using embroidery hoops!
Find the tute @ The Purl Bee

Like these pretty little necklaces from Cakies

Or these bangles from Blue Cricket Design

And I'm in love with this scrap fabric table cloth
from Pocket Full of Posies!

Sara from Sara vs. Sarah
made these awesome scrap shoelaces!

Fabric covered bandaids!!
Get the tute @ The Pink Couch

Even the smallest scraps can be used as button covers
like this tufted sofa from The Found Blog

And this simple project is a necessity for every flip flop wearing 2 year old!
Find the tutorial @ Make It & Love it.

And oh there's more... there's so much more!!  But if I don't stop, this list will be a mile long.  Seriously.

But now that I've convinced you to hold on desperately to each and every scrap larger than the size of a quarter... How in the heck do you store all of it!

Here's a couple of cute ideas that got my wheels turning and my mouth watering.

Tuck them in mason jars and display like
Rachel from Stitched in Color

The Pioneer Valley Girl stores her color coded
scraps in a clear over the door shoe holder!

I love this idea from BHG! Wouldn't it be cute to
find a vintage hanging fruit basket?!

Another from BHG
... I knew I was saving all those formula cans for a reason!

Same concept as the mason jars only fancier
from Prudent Baby

How about hanging them from a pretty little clothesline
like Ronda from One Little Word?

So there you have it folks... if you weren't hooked on hoarding fabric and scraps you are now!  

How do you store your stash?

Oh She's Wild, Alright!

2011-05-26T10:28:00.000-05:00

Our very first challenge at Extreme Makeover: Fabric Edition, one of our contestants worked her tail off and managed to use up 25.5 yards of her enormous fabric stash!

Right then and there, the rest of the contestants must have know she was a force to be reckoned with!

Throughout the competition she's made some amazing pieces and used a mind blowing total of 61.5 yards.

She made it all the way to last weeks challenge before being voted off in a very close race but you haven't seen the last of Mama Lusco!

That's right...

We've chosen Angie as our Wild Card to go on to the final round!

Congratulations Angie! Can't wait to see what you come up with next!

Mother to Be, Being, Been

2011-05-24T09:11:00.001-05:00

Have you guys seen this yet?

Jenn from A Jennuine Life is running this fun contest where you can submit maternity, nursing & postpartum fashions sewn by you!

Right now the contest is in the 3rd trimester (get it?) and focusing on what to wear when you've lost that cute baby bump and are trying desperately to disguise it.

And today, I wrote up a fun little guest post with a couple of super easy tutorials! So hop on over there and check it out!

Extreme Makeover... Who's going to the finale?

2011-05-23T10:05:00.000-05:00

The votes are in and all tallied up!

So who's going on to the Grand Finale for the chance to win a really awesome prize pack filled with some really awesome patterns from the freshest Etsy shops???

Andi from Laundry on the Line

She won our Hopscotch challenge with this amazing collection of 9 pieces!

Amy from Little Country Bumpkins 

is also moving on with this her version of the bloom dress!  

I just love that color combo! 

Unfortunately that means Angie from Mama Lusco is eliminated... boo.

I really liked how she was inspired by the pattern without using it since it wasn't sized for her older girls!

---

So we've got Andi & Amy... what about our wild card?  

Who should come back for the grand finale? 

--

Who are you just dying to see more of? 

--

Who's put their fabric hoarding ways behind them?  

--

Who's used the most fabric?

--

Stay tuned!  We'll announce it soon... very soon!!

Don't forget!

2011-05-22T18:57:00.001-05:00

Hey two BIG reminders...

Vote for your favorite Extreme Makeover: Fabric Edition project before midnight tonight!

and

If you signed up for Rue La La and got $20 for free (lucky dog!) don't forget to use it before it expires on May 25th! The Sunday Night Styleathon starts tonight @ 8PM ET!!

Extreme Makeover: Fabric Edition WEEK 5

2011-05-20T11:54:00.000-05:00

It's Week 5 of Extreme Makeover: Fabric Edition the last challenge before our grand finale!  This week our girls duked it out in a pattern show down!  They used The Bloom Dress from our sponsor Too Sweets!

Definitely Too Sweet

Now... let's see what they've made!

# 1 -- 9.5 yards

The Hopscotch Collection - One Pattern, 5 looks

With the dress pattern as my guide, I have created 5 different summary outfits, ready for fun in the sun!

This first dress combines two different blues and an added ruffle on the bottom. 

For the second variation I added two straps instead of the halter neck and played with the scale of the flower.  I used the full-size flower to adorn a coordinating carry-all tote.

I finished my sewing for little ones by shortening the pattern to create tops and then made some matching shorts, too. 

But kids aren't the only ones that need summer clothes!  So I then adapted the pattern to make two adult-sized outfits.

This knit skirt was created by widening and lengthening the pattern and then adding a ruffle on the bottom. 

And finally, I created a light cotton sundress.  Once again, I lengthened and widened the pattern and then added two straps on the top and ommitted the flower. 

Now if only the sun would shine!

#2 -- 1.75 yards

My  girls are too big to fit the actual Babes of Sweet pattern, so I found  inspiration in the style of this dress.  First is the ‘Bloom Romper,’ made from  comfy knit with a coordinating bloom ruffle flower. Yardage : 1  yd

I  wanted the fabric to be the focus, so this is a simple shirred tunic with  elasticized stay-put straps.  Yardage: .75 yd

#3 -- 1 yard

Hi  Everybody! This week was just too crazy for me.  I had a super hard  time finding a minute to work on the project. Nevertheless, I finally  got my dress done late last night.

Yep, the  pictures are terrible which is really too bad cause the little dress is  so cute!  We have had horrible weather the last couple days. There was  no way any little girl would be wearing this outside.

My  favorite part is this adorable flower and shirring on the front of the  dress.  I really loved this pattern. Thank you so much for letting us  try it out.

I'm impressed girls!

Now vote, vote, vote for your favorite and then head over to Wildflowers and Whimsy to enter the giveaway so you can get your own Too Sweet's pattern!

This weeks challenge was brought to you by:

Week 4 Giveaway! Want some free sewing patterns?

2011-05-13T13:17:00.001-05:00

I've been sort of missing around here lately.  It seems that T-Ball has taken me hostage!  It's so much fun to see my kids having fun and working hard and there's just something about a baseball uniform that melts my heart into a big gooey mess.  But I promise to have some new tutorials up soon soon soon!

But for now it's week 4 on Extreme Makeover: Fabric Edition (or EMFE if you're in a rush!)

Aprils' hosting the voting this week but before you head over to Wildflowers & Whimsy to check them out and cast your vote, check out this weeks sponsors and enter to win some free patterns!

Important:  You must be a public follower of both Wildflowers & Whimsy and The Extra Ordinary Bree   to win this giveaway...this does not count as an entry, but we will  not  pick a winner that doesn't follow our blogs.  Also, please remember   that the mandatory entries must be completed or the additional entries   will be voided.

Mandatory Entries

Visit Up & Away and come back here and tell me what your favorite pattern is.  (1 entry)

Visit Little Chickadee and come back here and tell me what your favorite pattern is.  (1 entry)

Additional Entries

Create a link to this giveaway.  (Just click the "create a link button" below the comment section. (1 entry)

Post this giveaway to FB.  (1 entry)

Grab a button. (1 entry)

[I realize that my button is abnormally huge for some reason... doh... so feel free to grab one from Wildflower's Whimsy instead where hers will actually fit in your sidebar and someday I'll get around to fixing that!] 

Please leave a separate comment for each entry, and make sure we are able to contact you.  Thanks and good luck!

Week 3 Winners!

2011-05-09T08:12:00.001-05:00

Did everyone have a blessed Mother's Day?  Anyone get anything fabulous?  I got a handwritten coupon for a day out of the house.  I used it to have an almost childfree lunch with my mom and sister.  It was so nice... only 364 days until I can do it again!

Our third week at Extreme Makeover: Fabric Edition is up and the results are in!

The winner of the Puddle Jumping challenge is ... 

Ellie from Homestitched

We all fell for her 'Puddle Jumper' Collection

So who else is moving on to round 2?

Andi from Laundry on the Line

 used the most fabric (13 yds!) and is automatically moving on!

This classy summer outfit was just one of her many creations

Amy from Little Country Bumpkins

Love the pretty little skirts & the hats!  Oh the hats!

Angie from Mama Lusco 

Mommy - Daughter raincoats for splashing through
puddles together!

 Congratulations girls!

I loved all of your fun projects ladies but, as usual, someone has to go.  Erin from Munchkin Makings made the cute little boy & girl rain ponchos & hooded towel.  We hope you'll keep using up that fabric! We'll be checking in on you and maybe you can come back as our  wild card for the final challenge!

Imagine how cute a couple of kids would look running
around & jumping through puddles in these!

Well, that's it for Week 3! 

For Week 4, April will host the voting at Wildflowers and Whimsy on Friday!  What's the Theme?

Let's Go Fly a Kite

Sounds fun huh?

Are you ready for week 3!!!

2011-05-06T09:47:00.004-05:00

 
Are you feeling inspired yet?  Have you dug into your stash and started   knocking out projects on your to-do list?  We'd love to see what you've   done... feel free to leave a link with your comments after you've voted!

Week 3 Puddle Jumping
 
#1 -- 13 Yards

When thinking of puddle jumping most people imagine putting on  their rubber boots and heading outdoors to jump in large pools of  water.  Although I do enjoy puddle jumping of this sort, it was a  different kind of puddle jumping that inspired me this week.  Puddle  jumping can also refer to flying small distances over bodies of water  (often in remote areas)in light airplanes which are referred to  affectionately (or not!) as "puddle jumpers".  So what do you need if  you're traveling to new places?

A breezy spring outfit, of course!  

And don't forget your poncho, in case it's chilly on that plane!

A travel bag to pack your necessities.

And a tent to camp out in those "remote areas!"

And when your day of adventure is through, hop into bed in your  cosy puddle jumping pjs! (notice the ducks with the umbrellas on the  pants?)

Bon voyage! 

#2 -- 6.75 Yards

‘Puddle  Jumping’ made me think of rain coats and rubber boots.  My 3 year-old  thought puddle jumping meant frogs, so I combined these ideas in my week  3 projects.

Mommy & Me Trench Coats – We don’t have much rain here for puddle jumping, but these jackets look great in the sun, too!

DMK’s  Little Red Riding Hood Trench Coat (fully lined) with removable hooded  cape – 3 looks in one!  Wear jacket without the cape on dry days or add  the reversible hooded cape when needed.  Yardage used – 4.25 yds

‘Chic & Simple Sewing’ Trench Coat with pockets & belt – 2.25 yards

Frog Prince rice bag softie – .25 yds

#3 -- 5 Yards

We know all about puddle jumping here.   We've had so much rain this past  month that puddle jumping is all we  get to do these days. :)  So I  decided to make my kids some rain  poncho's.  

For my daughter I made a  Tangled fleece lined poncho.  

For  my son I made a whale cotton lined  poncho.  

I used 2 yards each so a  total of 4 yards for the poncho's.  

I  also made a Tangled towel for my  daughter because after all the puddle  jumping she will definitely need a  towel. :)  

I used 1 yard for the  towel.

 #4 -- 4 Yards

We don't have too many puddles  around here so I decided to get ready for some slightly larger puddles  of the swimming pool and water park kind.  We will be spending quality  time with both of those this summer.  

So here it is: the 'Puddle Jumper' collection.

It  started out with the need to have a hat for the little one's in my  life.  Nothing more important than protecting them from melanoma.  

I  dissected an old pair of cargo pants and made a bucket hat and matching  shorts for the first munchkin, whom I borrowed for the day.  The  hat actually fits really well, he just kept pulling it down over his  eyes.  Then a pink, wide brimmed hat for the second munchkin.  

Then the little girl needed some swim suit cover-ups.  You can't just show up at the pool in your suit after all.  

A few light weight cotton ones:

And a warmer, more absorbent one for after the puddles.  No one wants to get their car-seat wet on the way home!

The little guy really wanted to go to the water park, but it doesn't open for a month so our 'puddle jumping' will have to wait.

 #5 -- 3.5 Yards

What is more fun than puddle jumping! This was an amazing theme it could pretty much be anything this is what I came up with.

Three puddle jumping skirts, two cutie hats, and two appliqued shirts.

Oh these little girls love puddle jumpin' outfits.

Here is the applique we did for the fun theme. She certainly does love puddles.

I am so happy to be using up my stash for such cute ideas.  Sadly I don't get to count 1 skirt and hat in my total because I went to the fabric store to pick up some fabric for a mothers day project and could not resist{i might have an addiction}. Anyway I did use 3.5 yards of my stash!

Don't you just love how everyone interpreted the theme differently?

#1 used the most fabric, with an impressive 13 yards!  I love how she told a little story with her projects!  She automatically goes on to week 4!

Now hurry, hurry and vote for your favorite of the four remaining contestants!  The winner will win a pattern from Sew Sweet Patterns The polls close Sunday night @ 11:59!

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/5022908/"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Extreme Makeover Week 2&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;span style="font-size:9px;"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://polldaddy.com/features-surveys/"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;customer surveys&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; 

Oh and don't forget to jump over to Wildflowers & Whimsy to enter the giveaway for free patterns from this week's sponsors... trust me... you don't want to miss this!

This week's challenge is brought to you by:

We have a winner!

2011-05-02T11:45:00.001-05:00

I hope you got your votes in for the Extra Ordinary creations our contestants whipped up for week 2 of Extreme Makeover: Fabric Edition!

Hop on over to Wildflowers & Whimsy and see who took the prize and who's out this week!

And now to announce the winner of our pattern giveaway...

That's you AmAzOn!

 And we're so glad you did!

You've won your choice of one pattern from each of these new pattern shops!

Congratulations!  Look for an email from us soon!

Our contestants are now gearing up for Round 3!  The theme this week is Puddle Jumping!

Pudgy Toes

2011-05-01T22:03:00.001-05:00

I just scored these for Miss Livi Lu

$5.99 @ Zulily's first ever overstock sale!

Perfect for my her pudgy little toes.

Perfect for this smokin' hot summer weather we've been experiencing here in Texas.

Extreme Makeover: Fabric Edition WEEK 2

2011-04-29T12:11:00.000-05:00

It's week 2 and our contestants have blew my socks off again!  

Before you head over to Wildflowers & Whimsy to check them out and cast your vote, check out this weeks sponsors and enter to win some free patterns!

Important:  You must be a public follower of both Wildflowers & Whimsy and The Extra Ordinary Bree  to win this giveaway...this does not count as an entry, but we will not  pick a winner that doesn't follow our blogs.  Also, please remember  that the mandatory entries must be completed or the additional entries  will be voided.

Mandatory Entries

Visit Kustom Kids and come back here and tell me what your favorite pattern is.  (1 entry)

Visit Yeppar and come back here and tell me what your favorite pattern is.  (1 entry)

Additional Entries

Create a link to this giveaway.  (Just click the "create a link button" below the comment section. (1 entry)

Post this giveaway to FB.  (1 entry)

Grab a button.  (1 entry)

Please leave a separate comment for each entry, and make sure we are able to contact you.  Thanks and good luck!

Week 1 -- The Results are In!

2011-04-25T12:50:00.000-05:00

Well we survived Easter and by some miracle all my kids still have all their teeth in tact.  I was so sure they would start rotting out from the peeps and robin egg diet they were on the last 2 days!

But our first week at Extreme Makeover: Fabric Edition is up and the results are in!

The winner of the Wildflower & Whimsy challenge is ... drumroll please...

Amy from Little Country Bumpkins

Isn't it just adorable!

Who else is moving on to round 2?

Angie from Mama Lusco 

used the most fabric (25.5 yds!!) and is automatically moving on!

I love the bunting!

Andi from Laundry on the Line

This is some serious sewing for one week!!

Ellie from Homestitched

Oh so pretty!

Erin from Munchin Makings

I totally need one of these!

 Mandy from Sugar Bee Crafts

Awesome idea for a no-sew bed skirt!!

 Congratulations girls!

All the projects were great and we're so proud of all accomplished and dents you made in your stash but, still, we must say goodbye to one.

Kristen used the 2nd most amount of fabric (15.5 yards) and knocked my socks off with that slipcover.  We hope you'll continue to follow along and destash... we'll be checking in on you.  Maybe you can come back as our wild card for the final challenge!

Someday I'll get the gather up the courage to do this!

With week 1 out of the way, our contestants can start in on their projects for week 2!  April will host the voting at Wildflowers and Whimsy on Friday!  What's the Theme?

Extra Ordinary

Can't wait to see what they make next!!

I'd Like You to Meet: Olivia Raine

2011-04-23T10:19:00.000-05:00

Two years ago today, this mama of wild, crazy, dirty boys held in her hands a precious bundle, wrapped in pink.

Her delivery was a wild and crazy one... I dropped more F-bombs that day than I'd like to admit... regardless of how warranted they might have been.

She was born on my mom's birthday. Three short hours after they broke my water and four hours after starting the pitocin, I felt the urge to push but wrote it off as a common side effect of pitocin.  

But the urge to push was persistant and getting stronger.  I called a nurse to come check me... 9cm... better call the doctor.  She was out of the room for less then 2 minutes but already back at the nurses station when I started crowning.  

Several nurses rushed into the room grabbing gloves and preparing the room for the doctor.  They weren't paying attention to me.  They were chanting "don't push... don't push" and not listening to me try to explain that she was already here.  

"she's already here... she's already here"  I said... trying to keep my composure. 

 They weren't listening to me.

"SHE'S ALREADY F*$%ING HERE!"

That did the trick.

The nurse lifted my gown "... Oh $H*T"  and delivered the rest of my baby girl with the only two fingers she managed to get gloves on.

The nurses and the doctor apologized and I quickly became a legend at the hospital.  I received the biggest room and the nurses knew to leave me alone... I clearly knew what I was doing.

We named her after her great great grandma Olivia (who is still alive and proud to have a namesake) and my mom (her middle name is Lorraine).

That bundle of pink turns 2 today and is exactly what you might expect from a little girl surrounded by a bunch of boys.

She is as girly girl as they come until she sees a pile of dirt to roll around in.

I love that little mess.

Extreme Makeover: Fabric Edition WEEK 1

2011-04-22T12:05:00.004-05:00

Okay everyone!  The time has come!  Our contestants did an amazing job and used a total of 66 yds of fabric between them! 

Wowee!

This week's theme was Wildflower & Whimsy.  Check out their creations to see how they were inspired and vote for your favorite!

#1 -- 25.5 yds

Girly duvet and bunting

Matching curtains

Matching Dresses

#2 -- 15.5 yds

 Chair slipcover and love seat slipcover

 Curtains for living room, dining room & my daughters room.

 Back door window sash

These are some long-awaited projects. The ones that make you think 'oh, I  really need to take care of that!', and then the fabric sits just  waiting...and the poor lonely sewing machine. That thing probably had  two inches of dust!! I haven't had the thing out since making a nursing  cover close to three months ago. And before that, embroidery for  Christmas gifts... I have a decent excuse, I think...well, four of them.  ha!!

#3 -- 7.25 yds

When  I first heard the theme, I immediately knew I wanted to use some of my  florals and bright colored fabrics that reminded me of the circus  (whimsical, right?)  So the theme is reflected in my fabric choices.
   
Eventually, I want to re-do the entire baby room  corner but until free time is more abundant, I'll have to take it a few  steps at a time.  So far, I was able to make my daughter's name in  rosette letters and matching bumper pads.  

I  have an oddly sized IKEA crib that has solid wood on both ends, so  bumpers that are connected tend not to fit well.  My solution was to  make a six piece set that tie on individually.  The front panels are  ruffled and the backs are covered in a vintage floral, that definitely  screams 'wildflower' to me.

I  knew I wanted her whole name in the room, and love the way these turned  out with the 2 different fabric colors.  Letters can get really  expensive, so I was glad to find a way to make beautiful letters out of  things I had on hand.  In case you are wondering, there are over 175  rosettes in her name.  Thats my excuse for not completing more for her  room this week. 

#4 -- 6.5 yards
   
Here  are my projects for this week!  I have to say, this was so  much  fun,  and great motivation to sew!  I had no idea I could get so  much  sewing  accomplished in a week (especially when I spent a 12 hour  day   volunteering at a school event on Saturday...just think what I could  do   with a free week-end...)    :)

My  projects began with a whimsical (and flower-filled) fabric which  was  just begging to be turned into a fun top.  I then created several   wardrobe pieces around the top, and added more wildflowers and whimsy   with a few more floral fabrics and yo-yo trims.  The cropped pants and   floral top were both made from Ottobre patterns.  This was only my   second time making pants and I learned a lot! The knit top underneath is   a BurdaStyle pattern and the bag is from the book "Sew Liberated" by   Meg McElwee.  I made my own bias tape and piping for the bag, added an   inside pocket, and used vintage buttons as flower centers on both the   bag and pants.  

#5 -- 6.25 yds

Shirt  - - the fabric said "wildflowers and whimsy" to me, but by the  time it  was appliqued on, you couldn't see much of the fabric - oh well!   This  used a scrap of fabric from a charm pack and one Tshirt from my  huge  stash of blank-tshirts-just-in-case.

Tulle  Bedskirt - - I have  A TON of tulle in my stash - and tulle  is  "whimsy" to me so I knew I wanted to use it.  I thought it would be   great to use as a bedskirt in my girls' room - to hide all their junk.    I cut the tulle into strips and tied them onto the bed - it took a   bunch of tulle - 6 yards (3 plain white and 3 sparkle).  I was going to   glue on flowers of tulle, but the wadded up pink tulle didn't look   right, so I just left the bedskirt plain.

#6 -- 5 yds

 Here  is my entry for week one.  My take on the theme Wildflowers and      Whimsy is a Wildflowers and Whimsy Picnic Blanket.  I used 2.5 yards      of fabric and 2.5 yards of batting from my stash for this project.       I purchased the nylon batting just for this project.

I  have had a picnic blanket on my project list for a while.  I'm so      thrilled to have one done now that I can put in my car and use for      lots of family picnics this summer.  One thing I love about this      picnic blanket is that it is plenty big for all four of us and even     a  couple friends to comfortably sit on.   Plus we can use it even if      the grass is damp because the backside is waterproof!!

#7 -- 7 yds

WhooHoo! I finished the first project! I decided to make a Wildflowers and Whimsy TeePee or as my little one called it a PeeTee. So here it is..

I made this from a king size duvet cover that I have had stashed forever.

I whimsied it up with some appliques.
 
Added a ruffle.  All done.

So my yardage totals were 5 yards for the body and pole slots, 1 yard for lining the front flaps, and a little over 1 yard for the appliques. So that's a grand total of 7 yards used up. YAY! The best part way I only purchased the ric rac for the stems and the poles for the tent all that was only $18. I had so much fun thank you for having me!

Pretty impressive huh?

#1 used the most fabric... 25.5 yds... Holy Batman!  So she automatically goes on to week 2!

Congrats!  Now hurry up and vote for your favorite!  The polls close Sunday night @ 11:59!

Oh and don't forget to hop over to Wildflower's & Whimsy later today to enter the giveaway for some free patterns so you can start taking down your own stash!!

&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;  &amp;lt;a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/4956246/"&amp;gt;Vote for your favorite!&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;span style="font-size:9px;"&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://polldaddy.com/features-surveys/"&amp;gt;online surveys&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt; 

This weeks challenge brought to you by:

Want a FREE $20 shopping spree?

2011-04-20T09:23:00.002-05:00

Silly question right?

Who wouldn't!

Well right now Rue La La is offering $20 when you sign up!

What's Rue La La?

It's another one of those private sale sites with great deals for a limited time.

A couple times a year they run this special where they offer you a $20 credit in your account with the hopes that you'll go on a mini shopping spree and try out their site!

I've told you before that I'm slightly addicted to these sites like Gilt, Totsy, Zulily & No More Rack.

This one is great because they always have luxury items for cheap-o-la!

What would I get if I had the $20 credit?

Lucero 4 pc Infused Olive Oil & Vinegar Gift Set

 I could get these for almost free... just the cost of shipping!

Kaiser Springform Pans- set of 5

And I'd be tempted to splurge a bit and get this set for only $20!! I've been wanting some of these soooo bad and this is a great deal!

But I'd probably hang on to the credit until Sunday because on Sunday nights they have a super sale and offer a bunch of goodies for super cheap!

And when you sign up and get your $20... I'll get $10!  So what are you waiting for? Go check it out!

Terms and conditions of the $20 credit:

New members must join before 4/25/11 and use their credit by 5/25/11. The credit will appear in their account within 48 hours. Rue La La reserves the right to cancel or modify all or any portion of this promotion at any time.

They just added Puma shoes for women, men and kids!
Go! Go! Go!

This Weeks Theme!

2011-04-19T11:56:00.000-05:00

Are you guys ready to get this show on the road?  I know I am!  I can't wait to see what our super talented girls come up with!

This weeks theme is Wildflowers & Whimsy. We thought it would be fun to see how our contestants might be inspired by our blogs! 

I will be hosting the voting this week.  Projects will go up Friday and voting will stay open until Sunday evening.  While the voting is going on April will be hosting a giveaway for our readers from one of our awesome sponsors!  So be sure to go check it out at Wildflowers & Whimsy!

The winner of this weeks competion will move on & win a pattern from Red Thread Patterns.  They have adorable patterns for boys & girls!

 Skater Boy Shorts Pattern

The winner of the giveaway (for our readers) will win a pattern from Red Thread Patterns & a pattern from Pink Chickadee Patterns!

Pink Chickadee Patterns has a pretty new skirt pattern!

Butterfly Ruffles Skirt

He gets 2 birthdays?!

2011-04-17T07:51:00.001-05:00

source: brightside studio

I try to read to my boys before bedtime.  I don't always have time to.  Some times I let them watch an extra cartoon instead of reading so I have more time to clean, sew, fold laundry... etc.

But when I make time for it, I'm usually happy I did.

Lately we've been running out of books though.  We've already read through there entire children's Bible a couple of times, finished The Swiss Family Robinson's and all of the other books they own.  And we owe the library some horrific amount of a fine... seriously it's baaaad.

So last night we picked up their children's Bible again and I decided to read them the Easter story again.  But this time I really broke it down for them.  I really wanted them to understand what is going on and why we are celebrating Easter.

I explained in the simplest of terms possible for my 6, 5 & 3 year olds and when I finished Mikey excitedly asked "So it's like Jesus' birthday again... He gets two birthdays?!"

 Ummm... kinda... yeah sure!  Why not?

We talked about what we could do to celebrate His birthday.  Mikey noted that on my birthday we go shopping because that's what I like to do.  So I asked what does Jesus like to do?  What might He do if his body were still here?

The boys were stumped and quiet for a bit before Elijah quietly said "love people... Jesus likes to love people"

And so my boys decided for Jesus' other birthday we would do what Jesus loved to do more than anything... 

source: persimmon&pink

We brainstormed for a bit about how we could do this in a big way.  We talked about being Jesus' hands and feet since His are no longer here on Earth.  We got some crazy ideas like buying giraffes for kids with no parents to help them get things down from really high places (I'm not making this up folks) and some really really sweet ideas like making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for everyone who doesn't have food.

source: animalia.tumblr.com

We ended the night with kisses and prayers and promised to spend more time brainstorming how to love for Him on Easter.

If you have suggestions for something I can do with a small group of little ones (or maybe just the oldest 2?) please share! I'd love to hear it!

Chevron Romper

2011-04-16T08:27:00.000-05:00

I'm so in love with how this turned out!

I've been dreaming about these little rompers for some time now but just haven't had the time to figure it out.

When I found this chevron fabric at Hancocks I just knew I had to have it and made it that very same day... seriously I think I made it within an hour of coming home from the fabric store... obsessive much?

It's honestly been a couple of weeks now since I've made it but I haven't had much luck getting pictures of it. Livi is quite possibly the dirtiest girl I've ever known. And who would be surprised by that? She has 4 brothers!

The first time she put it on, I ran to get the camera and had to find the battery. By the time I was ready to go the darling little girl and matching outfit were covered in East Texas red dirt.

The stuff is awful!

We decided to try again a day or so later but before I could get any pictures worth saving she had a potty accident. Boo.

This time around I decided to get the pictures (ANY PICTURES!) as soon as I could so ignore the dirty grimy look on the front of the shirt and her face... she's my beautiful little mess.

Despite the fact that I'm hosting a destash competition right now I just bought a bunch of super cute fabrics so I can make her a ton of these! Should I nix the elastic on the shorts and cuff them instead?

Extreme Makeover: Fabric Edition Contestants

2011-04-11T22:20:00.000-05:00

First I wanted to say a great big thank you to all of you for all of your encouraging comments on my last post. I was beginning to wonder if I was making a big deal out of nothing or being overly dramatic. But it is a BIG deal and it's my responsibility as Elijah's mommy to be his advocate... and so I will!

And now, the moment you've been waiting for!

Meet our contestants

 -in no particular order-

Andi @ Laundry on the Line

Ellie @ Homestitched

Angie @ Mama Lusco Handmade 

Katie @ Emerald Hills

Erin @ Munchkin Makings

Kristen

Mandy @ Sugar Bee Crafts

Amy @ Little Country Bumpkins

Bumps, Bruises, Cuts, Scrapes & Staples

2011-04-09T23:57:00.000-05:00

If you're a mom then you know the feeling you get when you see the name of your child's school show up on the caller ID.

Before anyone says a word on the other line of that phone, your stomach drops to your knees and your 2 mile long to-do list gets shoved into the trash.

Most of the time it's something really silly.  Mikey forgot his glasses.  Elijah has pink eye.  Mikey's got a tummy ache.  Elijah has pink eye again.  Mikey broke his glasses.  You get the point... nothing Earth shattering right?

Yesterday I received that dreaded phone call, only this time, as the school nurse tried to explain what had happened, the sound of my 5 year old crying in the background was all I could hear.

I scrambled around trying to find two matching shoes & cursing myself for not following the Fly Lady's instructions in case this very thing happens. 

I made it to the school pretty quickly and by then Elijah had calmed down.  The nurse explained that he had been pushed by another student into the metal door frame in the hallway and busted the back of his head open.  The cut was fairly small but it was still bleeding after applying pressure and she was worried that it might need stitches.

We left the nurses office and passed the little boy responsible... sitting on the "sad stump" with a smug look on his face.  I knew before I saw him who he was.  I knew before Elijah said his name exactly who had pushed him.  I knew it was the same boy that spits on my son.  The same boy that calls him names.  The same boy that I saw run over another little boy half his size on a tricycle.

In the emergency room the doctor takes a look and quietly tells me that Elijah needs two staples.  

It was over and done with as quick as it took to pierce a little girls ears and with a tool that looked remarkably similar.  No tears.  He was a champ.

via wikimedia.org

We drowned our sorrows with a couple of milkshakes and headed home to show Daddy the metal in his head as he calls it.

Now

I'm not mad at anyone.  I don't feel the need to place the blame.  Boys will be boys and push and shove and I'm sure Elijah has a dozen more head injuries to come.

BUT

As Elijah's Mommy, I need to know what we can do to make sure this doesn't happen again.

I need to know that I did what I could to prevent any future injuries.

AND

I need to know that this kid wont be pushing my son (or anyone else for that matter) around anymore.

SO

I took Elijah back up to the school.

To show off his shiny staples.

And make sure they know that this little boy put staples in my sons head.

But

Instead of being reassured that they take bullying seriously and they would be watching this little boy closely, they tell me that Elijah was pushing too (THEY WERE FIGHTING OVER WHO WAS LAST IN LINE AND WERE TOLD TO STOP AND THE OTHER BOY TURNED AROUND AND PUSHED ELIJAH WITH TWO HANDS) and the boy has been "punished".  

Case closed.

I used the word bully and they grimaced and acted like because the boy is aggressive with all the kids in the class and doesn't seem to single Elijah out that this isn't a true case of bullying.

Huh?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wow.  I guess I didn't realize how angry I was about this whole thing until I started writing up this post and trying to get my head around it.  All day today and yesterday I've been having flashbacks of another incident that happened to Elijah 3 years ago at daycare.

Click here for the story on kltv.com

Since then I've tried to just sort of forget the whole thing.  It makes me so angry and there's not any good that can come from being that angry.  

But now it seems that these staples have stirred all that up again.

Honeysuckle Pettiskirt Giveaway

2011-04-05T08:51:00.001-05:00

Are you on the edge of your seat!

I've been so excited, all morning, to post the winner of my first giveaway ever!

But first I had to learn how to get the random number.

Super easy with the True Random Number Generator from random.org

After I figured out that my winner was the 30th comment I had to go count the comments.  Thank goodness it wasn't #67 or something like that huh? 

Every time I counted I got a different comment thanks to the 3 year old helping me count... there has to be an easier way to do this!

Well there is! 

So I had to go learn how to number my comments and let me tell ya... it just looks easy folks.

But I couldn't possibly drag this post out any more than I've already done so the winner of the Honeysuckle Pettiskirt is...

Congratulations Kristen from Hudi's World!

It looks like you've got a cute little girl that it should fit perfectly too!

Enjoy!

Sometimes... I'm a dingbat.

2011-04-04T11:39:00.000-05:00

So I was reading over some emails and my last Extreme Makeover post and realized that I told everyone we'd reveal our contestants today!  

Ooops!

I can't imagine what I was thinking?  April and I have had the 11th of April down as the starting date for our destash competition for some time now.  

Sometimes I'm just really flighty.

So if you're here to see us announce our contestants I hate to disappoint... really I do.

BUT

That means you have more time to send in your photos to be considered as a contestant!

What are you waiting for?!

More details?  Maybe you're just being a big scaredy cat?  Maybe you don't think you've got enough fabric to qualify?  Maybe you've got so much fabric that if you open your fabric closet to take pictures, it'll all fall down on top of you and no one would find you for days?  Hey it could happen!

How about I share some more details so you'll see how things are going to work?  Then you'll be excited... not scared right?

Okay, every week we'll have a theme and you'll make something, anything, you'd  like for that theme.  

For example, if the theme is... ummm...  "Road Trip"... you could make a fabric book for the car or a giant mat for toy cars or a pair of pants out of fabric covered in cars! (okay bad example but you get the point right!)  

Readers will vote on the item(s) you made.

You  will be awarded points based their votes and the total amount of fabric you  used! (the more the better!)

So if you make a comforter that uses a ton of fabric and the voters think is pretty awesome then you could easily take the prize but a pair of baby shoes (even if they're absolutely adorable) not so much!

See! That's not so bad! You can totally do that!

Now go grab a camera and a hard hat and go open that fabric closet!

Spring Fling Pettiskirt!

2011-04-02T00:36:00.001-05:00

Today's the day!! 

The day I get to give away a fun, fluffy pettiskirt to one of my lucky readers!

And even though I'm super excited about my 1st giveaway EVER, I'm so tired that I'm literally nodding off while writing this (more on that later)!!  So if my post is riddled with typos and misspellings don't write me off as a lazy and uneducated ... just tired!

But here's your shot at getting a brand new high quality pettiskirt in the official color of Spring 2011, Honeysuckle!

So how do you enter?

Mandatory Entry

Follow me and leave me a comment letting me know you do!

Additional Entries 

Follow Wildflowers & Whimsy's page 

Grab a button for your blog (Bree and/or Extreme Makeover)

 Please leave separate comments for each entry.

This giveaway closes at 12:01AM April 5th

The Spring Fling is almost over!

2011-04-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

Have you enjoyed it?

Have you been lucky enough to win anything?

You've still got a handful of chances to get in on the action!

Here's today's giveaways!!

Bare Feet on the Dashboard
$25 credit to Bare Feet on the Dash Designs

By the Bluegrass

Fabric Tray

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for MY giveaway!

Textationary

2011-03-31T11:51:00.000-05:00

Last week I was running around in town.  Doing some shopping... a doctor appointment... you know, normal mom stuff.  It was just about noon so I thought maybe it would be nice to meet up with Mr. Extra Ordinary for lunch.  

So I did what everyone does when they need to talk with someone on the other side of town.

I drove to his work and left a note on his truck.

Huh?

What are we in high school again?

How primitive, right?

You see, last week I didn't have a cell phone.

No.  I didn't just lose mine somewhere at the bottom of my purse or forget to charge it.  

I was simply the last person in America to get a cell phone!

Later that night I got on AT&T and ordered one.

$19 and 2 days later my iPhone 3GS arrived on my door step.

So I've been playing with it and getting to know it over the last couple of days.  Wowee!  What took me so long!  I love this thing.

And because it's mine, all mine, I can make it as girly as I want without hearing it from Mr. Extra Ordinary!

Yesterday I found this app that dolls up your emails and text messages.

It's like text stationary... textationary?

Anyhow, it's called Red Stamp and the app is completely free!!

Some of my favs

It's so easy to use and did I mention that it's free!!

Definitely go check out redstamp.com

Spring Fling Day 12

2011-03-31T10:00:00.011-05:00

 More vintage.  More color. More cheery good moods.

Today's Spring Fling Giveaways...

Puddle Jumper Creations

Vintage Inspired Sunbonnet Sue Flour Sack Dish Towels

Strokes of Magic

Handpainted Window Sill Sitter