The Handmade Dress

Ben designed new bunk beds for the "girl's dorm" and "boy's dorm" in our house. We LOVE them!! We are almost done with all of the work, just a few loose ends left to tie up, but I couldn't wait to show off his handy-work. This is the girl set. We stained them with colored stain and we really like how that turned out. It's almost the color of cranberries. I still need to paint the boards that are attached to the wall. I'm going to paint them the color of the wall so that it looks like the beds are floating. :)  This is the boy set while still under construction. We ordered new bunk mattresses, but they haven't come in yet. I will show you guys pictures when they are completely finished. We stained these green, it looks like the color of bamboo. The kids LOVE these beds! And oh the space we have now! I'll be back soon with finished pictures! xo, Sam If any of you make beds using these plans could you send us a picture? We ...

Spring cleaning kinda got outta control here at my house, so it's upside-down! Last night we got all of the ceilings done. Today we begin painting the walls! YAY! It all started with my bedroom and kinda snow-balled from there. I love it! So when I get overwhelmed by all of the mess and chaos, I just got to my room and enjoy the cleanness of it. :) I'll keep you guys posted on the progress! xo, Sam

 The $2.50-$3 room.  The $4 room with LOADS of Civil War reproduction fabrics.  The $3 room.  Another $3-$4 room. Six rooms of fabric priced at $2.50-$4 a yard, 18 rooms of quilts, the sweetest little old man EVER, and all that fabric in the picture above for $208. That's 65 yards of fabric for $208. UNBELIEVABLE! The last time I went to see him was about three years ago. Ben and I went again a couple of weeks ago and then today I took my Mom, Mom-in-law, sis-in-law, and (other mama) Shell back for a ladies day out! We had so much fun! When Ben and I went I posted on Facebook that I had been and gave his address, then when we were there today I met a couple of ladies who had seen that post and went to visit him! YAY! If you are interested in taking a little trip to see him DO IT! Tell him that the pattern maker from Birmingham sent you! He is an elderly man who runs this out of his home, so if you plan a trip ca...

 It is very possible that I am addicted to my essential oils. I love that gentle, natural, herbal smell in the air. I mentioned making fresh ironing water on facebook this morning and a few people wanted to know how, so I decided to put my favorite recipes (if you can really call them that) here for all. They are Bath Soak, Ironing water, and Natural Air Freshener.  Bath Soak You will need: an empty container with a lid, a bowl, a fork, essential oils (my favorites are lavender, rosemary, and peppermint) Optional: dried herbs, Epsom salt My favorite combinations are rosemary and peppermint, lavender and peppermint, or rosemary and lavender. You really just can't go wrong with these three. :) I put a couple of cups of baking soda (and Epsom salt too if I have it on hand) and add in 3-4 drops of essential oils for every cup. I mix it in well using a fork to smash any little clumps and store it in a sealed container. It's wonderful for sore bottoms (diaper...

 The first thing I sewed up in my improved sewing loft was this little pink and white striped frock. I thought of doing it in white but then this pink just looked so spring-like that I chose it. The wide lace across the front just makes it! I'm thinking of making Easter sewing easy on myself this year.... For this dress I used the Miss Violet bodice, lengthened about 1 1/2", I gathered the bodice up a bit, and added a skirt 1 1/2 times the width of the bodice. Those three tiny changes made a whole lot of difference! If I make Molly one I will use the Miss Lily pattern and omit the bubble. There won't be the neck ruffle, but I think she will like it better plain anyhow. Easy Easter....that just sounds lovely. :) xo, Sam

Two weeks ago, this place really had me down. Blah. It was so messy, and unorganized, and uninspiring, and in need of a major overhaul. You see for a very long time this was The Handmade Dress office and sewing loft. Then Ben built his office and moved all of the office stuff (printers, paper folder, desks) out and into it's own place. That left me with a lot of holes that just slowly filled with a mish mash of junk that didn't really have a permanent home. UGH. It was so overwhelming after market that I just felt like burning it all! Well, maybe it wasn't that serious, but it felt that serious for a while. :) That's when I made a call to my best girl, Kim. She is the organizing and party planning genius of our group of friends. She rescued me!! She came and got me straight! Ahhhhhh.....so much better. We worked for EIGHT hours in this room. We went through EVERY button jar, project bag, fabric bin, ribbon basket, sketched paper pile.... It was a long day. Now, I am...