its a jolly holiday with Mary

you have to check this out! How great are these costumes from Ashley at Make It and Love It- complete with tutorials!!

Mary and Bert. Perfect.

owl costume

looking for a cute costume??

Check this tutorial out from llevo en invierno.

sewing essentials...

Seven Essential Sewing Skills from Tasia of Sewaholic via Sew Mama Sew

Dress Tutorials

My sweet girl- lately known as "princess love" around here- needs a dress. A dramatic, colorful, bold, girly dress is now a necessity ;) so, where do I turn? the internet, of course... where there are enough ideas and free tutorials to keep me busy for the rest of my life.

here are some that are inspiring me for my new project.

Happy Together: The Ruffles Behind the Dress (tutorial)

The Happy Together Dress Up Skirt (tutorial)

Make It and Love It Cinderella Dress (tutorial)

The Make It and Love It Fluffy Chiffon Skirt (tutorial)

backpack tutorials!

Need to whip up a backpack for your back-to-school sweetie?

A while back I made this one from indietutes and it has been very well loved indeed.

Want to browse some more options? check out this tutorial/ pattern round-up at Prudent Baby!

simple dress tutorial!

tutorial from Jess of Craftiness is Not Optional at Project Run and Play

Cascading Ruffle Skirt Tutorial from Lil Blue Boo!

Cascading Ruffle Skirt Tutorial from Lil Blue Boo?... yes. please! My girls would love one of these...

Organization is No Big Dill

Katy, you inspire me. I want my life to be as organized as this:

travel lap desk tutorial

Been thinking about making something like this for our next car trip... isn't it cute?! tutorial from MerMag

and an action shot...

Dress-Up tutorials

This past weekend, our dear neighbors invited the girls to come and play. They had a number of things to use for playing dress-up. So much fun. I have been wanting to fill up a box with dress-up things for a while now, and our play-date was just the motivation I needed to get back to brainstorming.

First thing on the list, of course, are these beautiful dress up wings I mentioned before. My Favorite! (from Eri at Llevo el Invierno via Prudent Baby)

Of course, we'll need a super-hero cape (like this one from Skip to My Lou, or this one from SIDAC via MADE, or this one from treasures for tots) and a princess dress (like this one from Crafterhours or this one from Make It and Love It).

seam finishes download!

Get Nancy Zieman's free seam finishes download here at Sew Mama Sew!

She has a new book out... Sewing A to Z: Your Source for Sewing and Quilting Tips and Technique

California Dreamin...

While I probably won't make it all the way to Cali, I am dying for a road trip- some special time with my beautiful girls. Wouldn't this be the perfect addition for that car ride? So cute. Check out the tutorial from Julie of Joy's Hope at Lil Blue Boo.

p.s. there are magnets under that can to make it stay on the tray! clever Julie!

onesie tutorials!

embellish your onesie! 25 tutorials here. (At Babble, gathered by Jacinda of Prudent Baby)

back to school

Back to school tutorials are up at Sew Mama Sew!

wallet tutorial

My beautiful neighbor just got her driver's license! We are excited and of course, needing to mark the occasion with a little sewing. What could be more perfect than a little wallet for that new and all important piece of identification?

Here are a few tutorials I have found to help me on my way:

Summer Wallet Tutorial by Lola Nova

Scrap Ribbon Wallet Tutorial from Lil Blue Boo

Made-to-Order Organizer Tutorial from Sew News

raglan tutorial found!

SO excited about the sewing with knits series going on at noodlehead and luvinthemommyhood. My eldest will seldom wear anything that is not super soft and comfy. Today, Jess from Craftiness is Not Optional has the cutest tutorial... key-hole neckline, 3/4 length sleeves... sweet. And guess what? it's based on her raglan shirt tutorial! I've been looking for one of those. You crafty and generous blogging women make my day!!

bag tutorial from elsie marley

Such a cute bag from Meg at Elsie Marley... of course! What else would you expect from her?

tutorial here.

romper

Oh my cuteness! Romper on the sewing list now! Tutorial here at Jaya's place on the web.

Go-to quick gift tutorials

Occasionally I need a super-quick, easy, practical, lovely gift idea. Thought I would share two of my go-to tutorials:

1. the gathered clutch from Noodlehead

2. the simple (reversible) tote bag from Skip to My Lou

Don't you love that people take the time to write these things up and post them online? Truly spreading happiness the world over!

ruffle top tutorial

I want to make my little girl a dress and so I was, of course, browsing the internet for ideas and free tutorials. I ran across this adorable Spring Ruffle Top tutorial at Sew Mama Sew by Rae at Made By Rae. The tutorial is for a women's top, but with a few alterations it would make such a sweet little dress for my playful, sunny birthday girl. Now, if I could just find a few hours to make it happen...