my first sew-a-long!

I have never joined a sew-a-long before... No clue why, just never was interested before. I have done knitting ones though and loved the support and getting to see how everyone changed the pattern with their own style. But when I saw that there would be a sew-a-long for a dress pattern that I had been drooling over, I knew that I had to join. And so I did.....

first sew-a-long!

Irene's Peek-a-Boo Ruffle dress.... I knew that I needed to make SweetPea an Easter dress because I couldn't find anything that I liked in the stores. And I knew that it had to be a bit "funky" yet "girlish" because, well, that's my SweetPea. And since she will be meeting her great-grandmother (the one that she is named for) on Easter, I wanted her to look special. So I knew that I needed a special looking dress.

I had three patterns all picked and fussed over them all, taking them apart, fussing over this detail or that... but then this one caught my eye and I knew that this one had to be the one.

The sew-a-long runs all next week. I think that it ends next Sunday? I am not sure yet if I want to share progress pictures or not. Maybe I will, maybe not. All I will say is that bright colors, tons of ruffles and a twirly skirt is going to make this dress a huge hit!

breathe in...... breathe out

SweetPea's birthday party is tomorrow so WHY did I feel that it was a good idea to wait until the last minute to get everything done?! I absolutely hate trying out a new recipe when I need it, much preferring to give a test run a week or two in advance so I can play around with things. But nope... instead, I waited until tonight to test/make/bake her birthday cake. First time making a homemade white cake, first time trying the polka dot method, first time going off a not so highly regarded recipe by trying all the alternative methods at once... This should be fun.

polka dots in the baking making

Not only that but I just finished her dress for tomorrow. Not the costume outfit that I wanted but a pretty cute heartsy black and pink dress. I didn't have time to do the pettiskirt for under it but thankfully, it doesn't look like its a necessity. I did manage to try it on Princess Crabby and it looks long enough (yay for alterations!) and the split covers what it should even without the petti.

I still haven't wrapped gifts, decorated, cleaned, anything. And the party is in just a few hours. Hours that I do need to find time to sleep during.... unless she wants ME to be Queen Crabby tomorrow.

I know that this party will go off without a hitch. I know that I can manage to get everything done in time. I know that, looking back, she won't even remember the stress that went into mama being sick at the beginning of the month and having to push everything else back so I could get better. She won't remember anything but the fun that she had, the balloons that she popped, and the cake that she will eat. And I am happy for that. Because right now, I am freaking out!

"sew" excited

There is such a thrill, a certain energy if you will, from starting a new project. I liken it to a high.... you see all the potential before you but no idea where it will go. You have an end goal in mind, a projected result, but ahead of you, you have miles and miles of potential that you need to shape. Don't get me wrong, I love finishing a project too and seeing all my hard work and time turned into a gorgeous, tangible item. And I love the path to the finish line... its soothing for me to have an outlet for my creativity. But there are some projects that you are just itching to try, some that you drag your heels on, some where motivation will not come and others that keep you up all night with joy. This first sewing project of the year is definitely a much anticipated one......

first sewing project of the year

Yesterday, hubby procured tickets for himself and SweetPea to attend our township's annual daddy/daughter dance. Not only is just the thought of those two having a special "date" enough to give me a tooth ache, but this year, the dance is on Valentine's day. So I just KNEW that I had to do something extra special. I envisioned a dress in SweetPea's favorite color, purple, with lots of lace and ribbons, something elegant but very girlie. 

SweetPea had other ideas......

She insisted on pink. Pink? Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a fan of the color. I was thrilled with Peanut's favorite color turned out to be blue. Even happier when SweetPea turned to all things purple. So the thought of working on this gorgeous dress in pink just wasn't very thrilling. I went along with it though, showing SweetPea all the different pinks that I could find and none of them were right for her. Everything I showed her met with a "That too ugly" and a haughty, nose up in the air, face.

Then I stumbled onto this print....

Elegant and girlie.... pink without being garish.... Something that I could envision lace and ribbons... The perfect fabric for the perfect dress. And best of all, SweetPea approved! She even helped me pick the sash and ruffle colors (and did an amazing job). We picked out the ribbons for her custom bows (although, we still need to find a green to match) and even though I opted out of lace for the pattern that I selected, SweetPea did tell me that she wanted to wear lace socks instead of tights on her special night.

Everything is now cut and prepped for the sewing, which I hope to start tomorrow. Then again, I still have that pesky hat to finish (just all the embellishments), a house to be cleaned, kids to be bathed, a chicken to be roasted and a hubby on the road. So maybe I am being overly optimistic in saying that tomorrow I will start. But in my dreams, its already completed and SweetPea is turning circles in her beautiful princess dress.

another weekend gone

With hubby working seven days a week right now, the weekends seem to drift by just as quickly as the weeks do. Trying to cram so much into two short days is just leaving all of us in need of a break. Hopefully, one is coming soon although I refuse to count on those breaks any more without some written guarantee. Let's just say though that the beginning of February might have just the "break" that the littles and I need.

Today should have been dubbed "crafting day" here because it seems that we got a lot accomplished. Ok, so I got a lot accomplished. Which is good since I resolved this year to not stress about projects and allow myself ample time to finish everything. Hubby gave me the afternoon off so I worked on SweetPea's apron for her birthday and got that finished. Worked on her birthday sweater too and am making good headway there.

Then after that, I helped Peanut and SweetPea "sew" their Build a Bears that they got for Christmas from Nonna. SweetPea got a little cheerleader bear while Peanut got a hot pink leopard in a prom dress. Both very cute and pretty fitting of the girls' personalities. Of course, SweetPea just wanted to stuff her bear and dress it but Peanut did her entire leopard on her own. It was nice getting to spend an hour holed up in a bedroom with just my daughters, imparting on them something that I enjoy.

After dinner, hubby was talking about Cedar Point for some reason which led to a family camp-out in front of the computer, watching POV videos from the park. We also discovered that they are opening up a new area come May.... Dinosaurs Alive. Yes, SweetPea saw it and now we are saving to take all the kids there this summer. I am pulling for May actually because the thought of wearing PorkChop in 100degree heat just doesn't sound appealing. That and it would be easier to not have to go on a weekend when its super crowded. If it happens though, Peanut will finally be tall enough to ride the roller coasters like she has been wanting. Then in another few years, we get to go back when SweetPea is tall enough. Funny how that works.... Neither of the older boys are too keen on riding them but the little girls both are our daredevils!