Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Scarlett's Back-to-School Dress

I say "back to school", but really, it's going to be her first time going.  Makes me happy and sad all at the same time!

As you probably know, I'm a sucker for anything "vintage".  Vintage-inspired, actual vintage... you-name-it.  For this dress, I used Amy Butler Lotus Full Moon and paired it with Michael Miller Sweet Stuff.  The pattern was Simplicity pattern 2461- Dress option "B".  I added a band of contrast to the very edge of the sleeves by making the Amy Butler fabric into single-fold bias tape.  Buttons were added too, but other than those two things, I basically stuck to the pattern on this one.

Scarlett's new school dress:





She's getting so BIG! 

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Reviving an Abused Playhouse

I've wanted a playhouse for the kids for what seems like FOREVER.  I finally came across one on Craigslist that said, "Good Condition".  When I got there to pick it up, I discovered that their idea of "good condition" and mine, didn't exactly mesh.  However, I already had the kids all pumped up and I thought that the house had potential.  Why not make it into a weekend project?
Above is how it started.  I had to move it in the truck, broken down into pieces.  Getting it apart was interesting.  The previous owner and I were jumping all over it until she finally went and got a neighbor to come help wrench two pieces apart.  I'm telling you, those suckers weren't moving AT ALL.

Non-existent doorknob



Busted and missing 2 shutters.




Rogue spray paint



Some funky, smelly algae-like stuff.  It seriously STUNK.





Busted phone.





     Okay, so the first thing we had to do was scrub it down.  There were crayon marks, mud scuffs, and some unknown funky smells coming off of this thing... so I put the kids to work.  (I scrubbed too, but I snapped pics in between.  When else do you catch your kids cleaning without complaint?)
Next, it was time to de-stinkify this thing.  Some weird moldy dog turd stink kept wafting off of it.  After cleaning off the outside, I poured a vinegar solution inside of it, sloshed it around, and let it sit.  (Will drill holes in the bottom for additional drainage once the paint has cured 100%... which is tomorrow.)

Then, it was time for a trip to the Home Depot.  Don't forget that if you have a military ID, you get 10% off your total purchase.  Cha-ching!  I picked up Rustoleum spray paint for plastic, 3 drop cloths, face masks, a bifolding door knob and a 1/2" washer. 
Now, it's time to paint everything....








Wait for it to dry, then flip it over and paint again.  Once THAT is dry (and any subsequent coats of paint that may be necessary), then you can assemble it.





    I had to completely replace the doorknob because it was trashed.  I kept the back washer attachment, found a 1 3/4" bi-fold door knob that looked nice and a 1/2" washer for the front (so the knob wouldn't slip into the doorknob hole).  Paint the washer the same shade as the door, attach the knob... voila!  New doorknob.  Works well since Little Tikes doesn't sell replacement parts for this particular playhouse.  (Nice to find THAT one out after buying it.  Grrr....)
I wanted the entire thing to look new, not just the outside.  So I had painted both sides of the playhouse before assembling it.

Done!  Now I'm just letting it sit until tomorrow so the paint can cure.  Unfortunately, the telephone was a casualty of war.  I'm going to look for a replacement phone elsewhere.  For now, They'll have to be content. 




Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Groovy 'Shroom Dress and New House

So it's been a few weeks since I last updated... reason being, we moved!  Finally got off of on-post housing and into a rental house.  We decided to UHaul it, and... well... discovered that we aren't exactly the best movers.  Live and learn, right?

We did manage to finally get everything all set up (mostly), and I sat down and was able to sew for the first time today.  I decided to take it nice and slow and just finish a project that I had started at the "old" house.  I had the pieces all cut, just had to sew it together.

Groovy 'Shroom Dress

As I said, nice and easy.  The fabric came from Joann's, and the tutorial can be found here:  Prudent Baby Long-Sleeve Dress Tutorial

It was super-easy... the perfect thing to make if you're limited to "nap time crafty hour".  :)

As for the new house, the kids are having a blast.  They practically live in the backyard.
Weenie likes it too. 




One other perk is that I finally have enough room to have a craft room.  YIPPEE!  I've been waiting for awhile now, and can't wait to finally have some room to spread out and really have the room to work.  It's going to be a big improvement over my scary "craft closet".  Will keep you posted, but I see a trip to IKEA in the future.
In the meantime, I used the moving boxes to finally get my fabric semi-organized.  It's still a work in progress.