I Wish Engineers Got the Summer Off, too.

Welp, it's finally here- the first week of summer, the first summer I've had off since I was 16.  I know, I know, the majority of people in this world work year round for years on end without a break... and I get extended amounts of time off throughout the year and an entire summer off.  But I have been looking forward to this day for a very. long. time.

I've so many ambitions I want to accomplish by the end of the summer and I am sure I won't get everything done.  However, if my summer goes anything like my last week went, I will be getting a ton done!

Oscar and I have been going for 3-mile walks in the mornings throughout the neighborhood (nay, town.  It's puny!) when it's pretty outside.  I finally have the time to exercise regularly, but sometimes I just can't stand getting on the elliptical in the basement when it is so beautiful outside (and my rose bushes are blooming!).  Considering we are getting plummeted with rain and tornadoes weekly in this neck of the woods, ya never know when pretty weather will be around again.  How a 3-pound doggie can walk that long and keep up is beyond me.  He was so tired after our walk last Thursday that he slept all day and laid on the couch to watch me sew. 

I think he liked the feel of the silky fabric on his paws.  He would not get up!

I know, I teach and sew for a living and on my first day off.... I sew.  It's none other than my favorite activity!  A friend of a friend from college wanted me to make her some binkie clips and bibs for her soon-to-be baby boy, so I sewed 10 clips and 4 bibs.  Craziness.  They are adorable, though, and I am so happy with the way they turned out.

I made lots of different boy and girl items- I LOVE this fabric!

I took a break to cut the grass for the hubs because he has 15 bridge bids due in the next week and I wanted him to be able to relax when he got home.  First time cutting my lawn, only second time ever!  I discovered mowing lines are just as gratifying as vacuum lines.

Do you see this travesty of a yard in the corner?  We planted these bushes but haven't had time to mulch and do a brick border.  We are so trash right here.

I cleaned up and.. tada sewing again!  I gave a Goodwill blouse a makeover, so here is what I did:

 Here is the before picture- it was cute the way it was, but the sleeves did not fit my arms.  Weird!  Plus, I wanted a flowy tank that everyone is wearing now.  SO, I turned it inside out...

 ...and ripped out the sleeve seams.  Now that it looked the way I wanted it, I needed to finish the edges.

Rolled Hem!  While inside out, turn to the wrong side once (only like 1/8 in), then again.

Stitch on the edge and.....

Love it, and it only cost me $3!  I am so into yellow right now.  I tried to make some bias tape out of the sleeves I cut off, but there wasn't enough fabric.  Oh darn.. =D  A rolled hem will do just fine!

We had a great Memorial Day weekend with our family (I swear, we can never get enough family time!  How blessed are we?) and found out my husband's sister and her husband are going to be having a baby around the end of the year.  Woooo hooooo!  So excited- this means I can sew baby stuff for my soon to be nephew or niece.  It is so hard to believe our family is growing again.  There is already 9 of us- we are going to have to start planning Saturday night dinners at the park!
Tomorrow through Friday I have a conference for school, which is a good thing because 1.  I miss my teacher friends and 2. I miss my husband.  I wish engineers got the summer off, too.  But, they don't, and in order for me not to miss him too much, I must project!

I will be updating my basement makeover and Goodwill finds soon ($5 Gap dress anyone?!  =D)

End of the "Year" Fun

This post is a jumble of randomness- I apologize now!

I have been collecting a few "loves" that I am... well.. in love with!  Here's the lineup:

1. New blogs.  Loves them!
2. Baby items... again.  I know! I'm nuts.
3. New decor, thanks to Grandma
4. Dirty fabric... and I don't mean "dirt" dirty!

1.  First of all, I found this bloggie that I a-door.  Ha.  

 1.  She has the cutest kids ever.
2.  She's a sew-er.
3.  She has tutorials or tells you exactly what pattern she used.  Her stuff is adorable!!

She made her daughter's Halloween Costume out of what she already wore- she was a baby aerobics instructor, complete with a "leotard" (onesie), leggings, and leg warmers!  SOOOO cute!  She made this cute cute cute boom box to go with it.  I'm in love.

And to make everything even cuter, her daughter's name is Ruby.  Precious!

I'm planning on making these fabric baskets in the near future when... oh, that's right.... I get a 2.5 month vacation from school!  {The joke around town while in the professional semesters of teaching at K State is that if we had chosen to be teachers because of the summers off, we were crazy.  While that is certainly not why I became a teacher, the gig ain't half bad... and I get paid to play all summer.  sweeeeeeet!}
Oh, right... fabric baskets.  I love them!  But where could I put them?

I love the silver fabric.
And, lastly, she linked to a tutorial for a skirt that is sooooo me:

She used the Party Skirt Tutorial from Creative Spaces.  Actually, I have a white linen skirt that is identical to this that I bought at The Limited... for $10 on clearance.  Don't you just love bows?  I sure do =)  I will for sure be sewing this puppy.

I love finding fun blogs... if only I would remember to bookmark them!  I constantly think, "ohhh.. I want to do this... and I saw it on this blog.. but I don't remember what it was called!"  Bam.  Lost forever... impossible to find.  Anyway, I found Jill's yesterday and I think it is fantastic.

2.  I'm working on baby items again (annnnnd no baby- there is something wrong with this picture!) because they are fast, adorable, and I can live vicariously through friends' babies.  I will post a tutorial in the next few days. 

I cannnnnot get enough of this bib.  SO cute! 

A huge flower baby headband?  Puuuuulease!  Precious doesn't even begin to describe this!

3.  New decor is the best- so refreshing!  My grandma moved out of her house and into a smaller {read: gorgeous!} place and didn't need a lot of things from her house, so she asked if we would like them.  Ummm, LOVE!  It's like having part of her there, too.  Here's what I did:

This is right when you walk up the stairs.  The table is what she had- from Hob Lob originally!

I added:

Vase:  $1 at a church rummage sale

Candle Holders (freaking love!):  Clearance at Hob Lob, $13 for both!

Cross:  Hob lob on clearance for $2

Candles:  Sale, Hob Lob, $3.50 for both

Flowers:  Hob Lob, $10 for all 3

The mirror I had bought on clearance over a year ago at Hob Lob for $20.  Originally $79.99!

I just loooove it! Eventually we are putting up chair rail here (as well as along the stairs and hallway) and painting white below with boxes.. You'll understand when you see it.

4. Dirty fabric! Story follows:

Personal favorite on right!

This Queen of Hearts has nothing on but panties!

Story:  I was a mean teacher and made my kids clean out our extra scrap fabric bins, organize them by color, and fold. every. piece (bad decisions were made last week.  That's okay... we'll deal with consequences and move on!).  I kept hearing (in an o-so-innocent voice), "Mrs. Gibson, what is this?"  
Someone in years past either donated this fabric or it was extra left over from their projects.  I mean, wow!  The heart one is my all time favorite.  I took it to the teacher's lounge and we had a hoot.  I have a request to sew hot pads from them!!  This part is even funnier:  I was throwing them away and one of my 7th grade boys said, "Mrs. Gibson, I'll take those off your hands for ya!"

13 year old boys.....  Hmmmmm.... let's just say I promptly declined his offer!  Hahaha.  Oh, teaching.  Makes my world go round!

Teaching Village

Soooo... I got featured on a blog.

Say WAAAA?

Ya, crazy I know.  AND I wouldn't exactly call it "featured", but hey, I got mentioned somewhere!  Awesome.  Barbara Hoskins Sakamoto from Teaching Village emailed me a few weeks ago (WOW- just looked through my email.  MONTHS ago!  Time flies!) about my Hope for Japan project.  I haven't a clue how she heard about us, but she is an English teacher in Japan who blogs about teaching strategies and other goodies.

 If you would like to read the entire post, visit her blog.  We raised $900 total through the sales of our hobo bags and iPod cases.  $1 of each bag went to production costs, so we were able to send $700 by way of the American Red Cross.  Sweet!

As much as I love being a teacher, FREEEEEEEDOM is almost here- 10 more days of school left!  I haven't really done any projects or visited my usual bloggies in 3-4 weeks.  I am getting restless!  Will update with some projects sooooon, I promise!
On a side note, my grandma moved out of her house into a duplex (a good thing) and I was able to inherit some items from her house.  I love it!  It's like a little piece of her is here.  Will reveal those as well. =)