{Hello Spring!} Fabric Scrap Wreath

Everywhere you look on the internet these days, there are tons of great ideas for Spring and Summer decorating--especially when it comes to wreaths. I'm a wreath junkie myself and find any excuse to make a new one each year. As luck would have it, the neighborhood birdies decided to nest in my straw wreath yet again and forced me to throw it out at the end of last season.

Darn. I had to make a new one! ;)

Most of the wreaths I've been seeing are simply unique twists on some of the year's most popular concepts--yarn, twine and fabric. After spending way too much time wrapping yarn to make my most favorite Autumn wreath ever, I decided to try something new this time around.

I bought a pack of brightly colored fat quarters from Etsy and got to work wrapping a foam wreath! The rosettes were made using some knit fabric scraps leftover from one of Emma's dresses, and the cute little buttons have been lying around in my craft bag for way too long. I decided not to bother much with the strings here and there or the tattered look of the ribbon tails--it all just adds to the look, right? Right!

Now if only the condo association would let us paint our door a different color. We're allowed to repaint it but only if we stick with the crummy, poopy brown that covers every door on our street. The dripping paint marks from the previous owner do bother me, but obviously not enough to do anything about it. Oh, how I long for a simple white door....

Hopefully my take on the fabric-wrapped wreath has offered some Spring inspiration to all of you out there! Enjoy this lovely weather, for the summer heat is fast-approaching!

{linking to these great parties}

The Pillowcase Dress

I'm just a little too excited about posting pictures you're about to see. I've shared my few recent attempts at sewing with you all (t-shirt dress #1 and t-shirt dress #2). However, this pillowcase dress is by far my best work yet! I guess it really is true what they say, about practice making perfect and all. Not that this dress is by any means perfect... I mean, look at how short it turned out. It's really more like a pillowcase shirt! Still, my seams are beautifully hemmed, the armholes are nice and neat, and the ribbons scrunch up with ease. I'd say that's success, wouldn't you?!?

I followed this tutorial I pinned on Pinterest--by far the easiest instructions I've seen. She maps everything out so clearly, provides excellent pictures and makes the whole process as simple as possible. If you're thinking about making this or any other sewing creations in the future then I highly recommend visiting Sew Like My Mom.

Now on to the pictures! As I mentioned before, I got a bit lazy and skipped the whole measuring Emma part... so her dress is more like a shirt to be worn with adorable leggings. My sister also suggested that I try making her some ruffly little bloomers to cover her diaper hiney and poke out from under her short little dress, so if anyone knows of any tutorials for that then send 'em my way!

Isn't this fabric the cutest? I love the bright, pastel colors of the butterflies. It just says SPRING!!

[caption id="attachment_2171" align="aligncenter" width="467" caption="Notice her poor little piggy sticking out of her sandal... which I didn't notice until posting these pictures. Mommy-of-the-Year Award? Yesssss. Right here."][/caption]

I have more material to make another top, and I've order two additional yards of fabric--one for a longer pillowcase dress and another to make Emma a June Bug Dress, which is more involved than anything I've done. Thankfully the instructions are broken up into very manageable parts... I think... I hope. 

Happy Friday, everyone!

{click here to see where I'm linking up!}

{WIP} Wednesday

I've been reaching a slight lull in my crocheting, and honestly... I don't mind a bit. It's nice to take a break every now and then. Regroup and re-energize. I did use some yarn I had lying around to make this pretty Easter basket for miss Emma:

Isn't it cute? It worked up lightning fast, too. I used this free pattern after seeing it on Pinterest. Thanks, Lion Brand!

Emma will also find her own little birdie in her basket on Easter morning...

... and an insanely adorable necklace I found on Etsy (a link to the shop coming soon in an "Etsy shop shout-out" post).

My other actual work-in-progress is this pair of slippers I found on Pinterest. I really don't like walking around in bare feet, and it's definitely too warm for my winter cozies, so I thought these looked like a good in-between. However, I'm not so sure I like them now that I've started:

They're lightweight and potentially cute in the bright summer shades I chose, but this slipper is definitely tooooo big. I didn't see a foot size anywhere in the pattern, and since I wear an average size 9 I figured I'd be okay crocheting it as written. Turns out I should have made it a tad smaller...

Oh well. Maybe I'll try making the second one smaller and see if I like it better. Then and only then will I attempt to re-do the first one!

I hope everyone is enjoying the start of Spring and avoiding the pollen (if that's even possible). Happy crocheting!

Emma Mondays

The weather here has been gorgeous, so we're trying to spend some time outside each day. This morning's pictures were taken at the park, where Emma is just starting to learn her way around the playground. She's a brave, slide-loving child! Mommy, on the other hand, is still a major Nervous Nelly. I can follow her around with her hand in mine forever... right?

As of this weekend, Emma has added tummy ("tum"), feet ("shoes"), hands, mouth and head to the list of body parts she knows. The ones she already knew are eyes ("eeeyesss!") and nose.

She also started putting both hands up in the air while she talks to us--palms facing up and shoulder height, bent at the elbow. We've now taught her to say, "I don't know!" when she does this, although it comes out more like, "I doonnn no!"

Too cute!

PS--Emma's hat is her newest Springtime accessory. I used this pattern for the hat body and added a brim for extra protection from the sun. It's a gorgeous hat that works up quickly and has wonderfully clear instructions. I've also made the pattern as written and given it as gifts for new babies. I highly recommend it!

He Sees Jesus

Did you know that?

When God looks at us--His broken, sinful, imperfect children--He sees Jesus instead. It's taken me a long time to wrap my head around this truth, and even now I'm only skimming the surface of understanding what this means. I fall short of glory time and time again, repeating the same mistakes and going down the same battered roads, but God does not condemn me. Christ died on the cross in my place, bearing the wrath that should have been put on me... and now? Well, now God now has no more wrath left for me. There is no condemnation in Christ.

I can't understand this, and I know I never will.

I woke up this morning with a pretty big 'tude. We didn't go to church and are still sorting through some let-downs we've had with "the church" up until now--both our home church and the institution as a whole. I'm sure none of this helped my morning get off to a pleasant start. There are also some stupid, trivial, juvenile emotions that whelm up in me from time to time (none of which I'll bore you with now) and these certainly got the best of me today. Normally I'd go through my morning acting snippy and crummy, come to the realization that I'm failing to glorify God in any of my thoughts or deeds, and spend the rest of my day wallowing in self-loathing and guilt.

Today, however, has been different.

A dear friend invited me to a month-long book study with the women's ministry at her church, and today of all days I am incredibly grateful that I decided to go. We read Because He Loves Me: How Christ Transforms Our Daily Life...

... and it was amazing. It opened my eyes to how unworthy I think I am of God's love and how worthy God knows I am of His love.

Christ died on the cross as a precious gift for all who accept it. Because of the cross, we have freedom from condemnation and we get to experience the love of a God who sees in us the perfect life of Jesus. I won't ever be perfect or free from sin, but thanks to Jesus I don't have to be. While I should strive to live like Christ in humble thanks to the God who gave me life, I can rest in knowing that for each mistake I have made and will make... Jesus was perfect. Always perfect. And when God looks at me, that's all He sees.

Happy Sunday, everyone. :)

Nothing Says Spring...

... like these Fat Little Birdies!

Aren't they stinkin' A-DORABLE?!?

I just love the bright pastel colors and how soft, squishy, and perfectly huggable they are.

I'd love to have more of my blog readers visit my crochet shop on Facebook! If you look in the right sidebar of my page then you'll see two options.

Either click on the Facebook follow button:

Or click on my new shop page button!

They'll both bring you to the same place, so stop on by and like my page--the more fans, the better!

At this point in time, I've decided to skip the hassle of giving portions of my earnings to Etsy and PayPal. So, in an "old-fashioned" sort of way, I simply accept cash or check mailed directly to me. You can place an order for one of these Fat Little Birdies or any of the other cute items in my shop by sending me a message on Facebook or emailing me at:

sunshinedesignsbykim@gmail.com

Thanks everyone! Have a wonderfully pastel weekend!

;)

Pattern courtesy of Mamachee

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I had the itch to bake something this past weekend, especially since we were going to my parents' house for dinner. I've been trying to cut back on the number of sweets I make because we're all trying to watch our weight. In fact, I'd like to take a moment to brag on my amazing husband for losing close to 15 pounds already! Wooooo hooooo!! We all know it's no easy feat to lose weight, especially when you're a food-loving family like we are. However, it appears that Scott has a new motivation this time around. He's been watching his calories, making smart eating decisions, and using Tony Horton's 10-Minute Trainer videos to get in shape. I'm so excited to see him looking and feeling healthier and in only a few weeks time!

That being said, I decided to be supportive and make a light dessert. After putting my thinking cap on and wandering the internet for ideas, I finally landed on meringues. It had been entirely too long since I'd enjoyed this seriously underrated cookie! I used this recipe by Emeril Lagasse and changed it up a bit for St. Patty's Day.

A touch of green food coloring and a splash of peppermint extract gave these cookies a festive taste and appearance!

We spiced things up even more and layered them in parfaits with chocolate pudding and cool whip, but those were gobbled up too quickly to snap any pictures... so just use your imaginations. ;) Any way you choose to eat these little treats, they are a light, refreshing, and delicious change of pace!

Mint Chocolate-Chip Meringues

Ingredients:

2 large egg whites, room temperature
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1 c mini chocolate chips
green food coloring

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat until fluffy but not dry, being careful not to over beat. Gradually add the sugar, 3 tablespoons at a time. When half of the sugar has been added, add the peppermint extract. Continue beating and adding remain sugar in batches until sugar is dissolved and meringue is shiny and tight.

Gently fold in the chocolate chips and food coloring. Place meringues on baking sheets a teaspoon at a time, leaving approximately one inch between each one. Place baking sheet in preheated oven and turn the oven off. Leave the cookies undisturbed for at least two hours or overnight, until crisp and dry.

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! I hope it's a minty one! 

WIP Wednesday

This week's weather has me really excited for Spring, so much so that I've been working on a new hat pattern for the the warm, breezy days ahead!

[caption id="attachment_2085" align="aligncenter" width="467" caption="Notice how her cute little piggy tails are pulled through the open weave--my favorite part!"][/caption]

 

It's a spring slouchy hat! So far I've written patterns for both the toddler and adult sizes, and now I need to get working on the specifics for babies and children. I'm hoping to sell this pattern as soon as it's finished, so keep checking back for its official reveal!

I've also been making these little Fat Birdies in cute pastel colors for an order my mom placed.

They are super quick and easy, as well as extremely plush. I originally thought they might sell as Spring tabletop decorations, but now I see that they would most definitely be perfect as gifts for little ones. Hopefully these will be a popular seller in my shop these next few months. Thanks to Crocheting the Day Away for the inspiration and to Easy Makes Me Happy for the pattern!

Last but not least is the ever-so-popular Sock Monkey Hat. I made two of them as gifts this week, and I think they're my favorites yet.

What have you all been working on this week? Has the taste of Spring inspired you in any new ways? It's a happy time of year, indeed! :)

Emma Monday

It must seem like I say this ALL the time, but the past week has truly been filled with some of my fondest memories with Emma. The more her personality develops, the more fun she becomes. She loves to laugh, run, fetch with Max, pour tea from her new little tea pot, and today we added sliding at the playground to the list! She truly hates the swings, though, but I'm trying not to fret about it. I remember being a nervous nelly as a kid, never wanting to swing too high and losing my stomach at the slightest quick and startling movement. Emma's a tough little girl, but the playground swings just may be her nemesis. I guess only time will tell!

Of course, the age Emma is at also brings new parenting challenges for Scott and I. A developing personality also means a developing will, and from the looks of things she is going to be as stubborn and impatient as both her mommy and daddy.

{Oopsie!}

We had dinner at my parents' house last night, and I shared with them the new things Emma's doing to act out and how hard it is to find ways to discipline an 18-month-old. She clearly knows that there are boundaries being formed, and she understands when we tell her no (like last night as she proceeded to empty out a tissue box, Scott walked over to say no and she dropped the box and ran!). We're starting to find things that work for us, mostly through trial and error, but it was encouraging to hear my parents reassure us that we don't need to have all the answers now. Emma is a growing, learning toddler and we are growing, learning parents. We just don't want to mess anything up! ;)

It also seems that Emma has become much more cuddly in recent days. Is this normal at her age? Whatever the reason, I absolutely love it! She runs up to us for hugs and kisses, she cuddles on my shoulder regularly, and we've shared quiet moments before bed just rocking away in her glider. We just LOVE this stage of her life, challenges and all!

Here's some pictures from our weekend of hanging around the house and a few as we headed to the park this morning. You'll notice she's wearing yet another new hat, this one a very lightweight slouchy hat for the Spring. I even have a matching one, which means it's time for a mother-daughter picture here soon! This is a pattern I'm chipping away at in hopes that I can list it for sale in the coming weeks. It will be my first "big" pattern project and I'm really eager to share it with all of you!

Now, without further ado, some Emma for your Monday smiles. :)