Cross Stitch Tagalong Sewing Kit: A Tutorial for the Girl Scout in all of us

The Girl Scout motto is "Be Prepared." Of course that means different things to different people. As a sewist, to me that means having a mini-set of tools on hand for any emergency. You never know when you will be called upon to sew the top of your friend's dress closed before a wedding or fix one of your daughter's dance-friend's costumes. At any moment, a button could pop off and need to be reattached.

A few weeks ago, when I was making Daisy hair clips and personalized envelopes for my Daisy Scouts, I knew that I also wanted to make an end of the year gift for my awesome co-leader. A busy mom and doctor who is frequently on the go, she also appreciates the allure of the sewing machine and homesewn crafts. So I thought that a personalized, mini-sewing kit would be perfect for her. And now I'm going to show you how to make one of these cute and handy little gifts for yourself or someone you appreciate.

The Candyland Dress

Last week was Miss Belle's 4th birthday. This girl loves board games and candy, so I was not surprised when she declared that she wanted to have a Candyland Party for her birthday. And that meant that she needed a Candyland dress.

Pirates' Paradise

 Yesterday was my nephew's 5th birthday. And I felt a bit lost trying to figure out what to make for him. Twirly skirts and hair clips are my go-to gift for girls around this age. I like to make ties for baby boys. And, of course, there are superhero capes. But we've already gone that route. What to make? What to make? And could I do it with supplies I already own? In a moment of inspiration, I decided to give him a pirate dress up set. All kids like to play pretend and dress up!

Daisy Gifts: A Two-for-One Tutorial

This afternoon my Daisy Girl Scout troop has the last meeting of our first year as a troop. I'm feeling a little sentimental. It has been such a delight hanging with these 10 kindergartners (soon to be first graders!) all year. To mark this momentous occasion, I decided to make a little end of the year gift for each of my Daisies. Daisy button hair clips and fabric envelopes. Personalized, of course. And now I'm going to show you how to make these pocket-size gifts for the little blossoms in your life.

The Checkerboard Skirt

I am so excited to share these new skirts with you. I've been mulling over this idea for awhile. I tried to make them a few weeks ago and the dimensions were off. But now I think we've got a winner!

A Carnival of fun... Little Boy Blue is 1!!!

Have you heard of the phenomenon where some families have all of their children at the same time of the year? I didn't think much about it until it happened to us. Miss Belle was born three weeks before Miss Bloom's second birthday and Little Boy Blue was born three weeks before Miss Belle's third birthday. Poor planning on my part. Between May and July we have all three kids' birthdays, Mothers Day and Fathers Day and our wedding anniversary is the day before Miss Belle's birthday (10 years! Wow!). So it's a busy time of year. This year we kicked off birthday season a few days early so that my grandparents could help us celebrate Little Boy Blue's 1st birthday. A carnival party for my sweet little guy.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful (inside and out) mother.

My favorite type of gift to give is something handmade. I don't always have time, but if I can swing it, I much prefer to make something personal. Especially for my mom for Mother's Day. But the question was, what should I make this time? I'm running out of ideas. Seriously.