and now I can finally tell you all what it was…

I am competing in season 5 of Project Run and Play!!!

Yes, little ole me. Can you believe it?! I am beyond honored and so excited that they have asked me to compete. To say that I am scared is an understatement. I am pretty much terrified…TERRIFIED completely actually!

Now head on over to see who the rest of the designers are. The line up is amazing and I still cannot believe I have to compete against these ladies. Like I said…I am terrified! Wish me luck and if you don’t see much of me over the next few weeks, no worries. I’m just trapped under an insane pile of fabrics praying that I finish my garments on time and make it past round 1.

 

Ok, so they aren’t really pickles but for some reason my girls always call cucumbers, pickles…so pickles they are. And apparently they make playing in puddles much more fun.

Can you believe summer is almost over? (sniff-sniff) My oldest starts kindergarten this year and I am trying really hard to finish our bucket list before school starts…and life as we know it changes forever. No really, I am excited for him to start, yet I am so sad at the same time.  OK enough sappy talk. So we are spending the last few weeks before school officially starts by adding more checks to that summer bucket list of ours.I really wish that I wouldn’t have waited so long to do the lemonade stand because it was so much fun! In all honesty it wasn’t until I saw this momma’s lemonade stand that I started getting really excited about doing it. Shame on me I know, but sometimes you just need a little inspiration from someone else to get your ideas rolling.But really I should have just asked the kiddos in the first place how they wanted to set it up, because let me tell you these kids had ideas! We were able to do all of them except build the stand from scratch. Oh yes, they surly have our genes. We are in trouble.Luckily I was able to decorate  the stand and add a few of my own touches to it, but other then that I was told what to make and even what colors to use. Thank goodness his favorite colors right now are yellow and green, because that was so the color scheme I was hoping for. I know one of these days I am going to have to give up the control over such things. It’s a hard thing to give up when your a crafty momma that loves to make things look pretty. But I also want to encourage them to have their own ideas and want to be able to step back to let them do so. I have to say the best part about being crafty is the endless supplies we have. Don’tcha agree? I already had everything on hand for the stand and what we did need was purchased at the Dollar Store.  The lemons were by far the most costly part of the stand. The kids squeezed 18 lemons by hand. It ended up being the perfect amount for the three pitchers we had. Yes, this was VERY time consuming but it had to be homemade. That is just how we roll and yes as always, it was delish!The pom-poms were another buy from the Dollar Store and ended up being a major hit. We actually got three customers to stop just because they said the girls were too cute shacking them and they just couldn’t pass by. We  sat at the lemonade stand for 4 whole hours. Sometimes we just couldn’t understand why no one was stopping…I mean we had cute signs and all.And those kids were working really hard at getting customers.My son decided to tell a free joke with every cup of lemonade. They weren’t actually jokes, they were more like riddles but nonetheless they were funny. His favorite to tell was “Justin Beaver has a fever.” Most people just laughed to be nice, but thanks to the last customer of the day who just happened to be a 10 year old girl in love with Justin Bieber who laughed like crazy. Sweetly the motive behind the lemonade stand was make money so that he could buy Daddy a tractor. Can it get any sweeter then that?! I think not.I’m pretty sure that we would have to have a lemonade stand everyday for the rest of our lives… and we still wouldn’t be able to buy a tractor for Daddy. But we sure did try. We ended up with 17 customers and some major belly aches. I’m pretty sure those cupcakes and Rice Krispie treats were requested for a reason and it wasn’t to make money. I guess I can’t blame them because I snuck a few treats for myself.

Thanks to all that stopped by. It was all of you that made it so much fun! And yes, the kiddos are already planning another one. After all… Daddy needs a tractor.

From the ocean…To the lakes…To the mountains…Then back to the ocean again!

 As much as I don’t want to admit it…it is time to start canning! Actually, we already started canning this weekend. Every year I envision myself labeling all of our canned goodies, but it has yet to happen. The truth is, it may never happen. But labeling our canned goodies that we give away to others just may. I have come across so many cute canning jar printables lately that I just had to share. Maybe this is the year to make our canned goodies even prettier. They are all just too cute not to use. Happy Canning!

Jam Printables from funkytime

Canning Labels from Sissyprint

Jam Labels from Black Eiffel

Printable Jar Labels from How About Orange

Mason Jar Printables from Limeshot Design

Canning Party Printables from Domestifluff

Jar Labels from Martha Stewart

 

Mason Jar Jam Labels from According to Kelly

Jam Tags and labels from Domestifluff

Canning Label Template from Merriment Design

Neighbor Gift Jar Label from Over the Big Moon

Canning Jar Labels by Ink Tree Press

About a month ago my mom picked up 6 of these chairs on the side of the road for FREE. I knew I wanted to put them on the front porch but they needed a lot of work first. So finally after a few weeks of staring at them it finally hit me on what I wanted to do with them. I already had this great outdoor fabric that I picked up at JoAnn’s for another project but decided to use it on the chairs instead. I knew the colors would look great with my front doors.The hardest part about re-doing the chairs was actually getting started. Thankfully they were a very basic design and only had a few screws holding them together.  So once I removed all of the screws I spray painted the wood white with Rust-Oleum enamel spray paint (flat). Then all I needed to do was recover the upholstery. I decided to just go over the old fabric that was there instead of taking it off. I figured a little more fabric on the cushions would help keep the foam dry since they will be on the porch. Plus I didn’t want to remove all of that old fabric…just call me lazy. The seats of the chair were the easiest to recover. No sewing needed, just a lot of folding, stapling and tucking. The backs did need a little sewing and when I say a little, I mean a little. All I had to do was sew two seams on the side and then square off the corners.I’m pretty sure it couldn’t have gotten any easier then that.Once all of the cushions were recovered and the frames were dry all I had to do was reassembled the chairs back to together.The whole project was actually quick even though I had 6 chairs to do. Sometimes the hardest part is just figuring out what to do and actually getting started. All 6 chairs took about an afternoon to do and really they would have been done in just a few hours if it wasn’t for letting the paint dry. Unfortunately the whole project cost a little more then I would have liked but I think that $70 for the whole project wasn’t that bad considering new chairs would have been way more then that. Of course I could have bought a cheaper fabric but sometimes you just have to go with what you like best. So the next time you (or your mom) drive by some free junk on the side of the road just think of all the possibilities… sometimes all it needs is a little (or a lot) of TLC!

 The garden is overflowing with fresh goodies and needs picking everyday. So a few weeks ago we finally opened up the farm stand.Yes, I am like a giddy little school girl every year when I finally get to open it up. It is just something about seeing all these pretty little goodies displayed that just makes me happy. 

So I guess you all know where I have been lately…out in the garden and enjoying the summer. Maybe once my little guy is in school I will get back to blogging like I used to, but for now this is where I want to be.

 As most of you may know by know Andrea from The Train To Crazy just opened up a pattern shop called Go To Patterns. I was beyond honored when she asked me to be part of her Go To Patterns Blog Tour and review her newest pattern, The Go To Signature Dress Pattern. The To Go Signature Dress Pattern ranges in sizes from 12 months to 12 years and comes in so many ways to customize your dress. The pattern comes in three different lengths with 7 different sleeves options. There are 4 different pocket options and you even have the option of adding a hood and you all know how much I love a hoodie!My littlest got a tunic with a hood and the kangaroo pocket. I think this just my be my favorite combination. I used a lightweight sweater knit that I found on clearance at Jo Ann’s. I love the looks of this tunic so much. It can be paired with leggings, jeans and even the short sleeve dress that I made. It just looks so comfy and sweet on her!For this dress I used the ankle length pattern with the flutter sleeves option. Then I added a little more detail by adding a trim around the edges of the sleeves and on the bottom of the dress. Like I said, the options are endless here! The lightweight knit that I used makes this dress perfect for those hot summer days. But I also have to mention this would make the best nightie and yes, it has been worn as such! Since I just couldn’t stop with this pattern, I ended up making another tunic to go over the short sleeve dress for those chilly days at the beach. I love how all the pieces are interchangeable and can be worn together. The kangaroo pockets are by far my favorite pockets especially when paired with the hood. Those pockets sure can store lots of beach treasures…trust me, I know!I highly recommend this pattern for anyone who has worked with knits before or who is just starting out with knits. Andrea does a great way of explaining the best ways to sew with knits and I promise, once you make your first dress you will be hooked!  Thanks again Andrea for including me in on your Go To Signature Dress Pattern Blog Tour, I truly am honored and wish you much success with your shop. Now make sure you check out the rest of blog tour along with all of the different variations of this one pattern. It is an amazing line up of some very talented ladies!

Today I’m hanging with one of my blogging buddies, Designs by Sessa as part of the shorts on the line series. I know you all have been following along and seeing all of the amazing shorts that have been shared. Hasn’t it been such a fun series?! Head on over there to see more pictures and to read my review on the pattern that I used for these Bermuda shorts.