birtyboutique0i0

Handmade just for baby and me

2011-09-10T00:02:00.000-04:00

It started with a diaper bag pattern from the Little Stitches for Little Ones by Amy Butler and a theme of Owls. I thought the bag looked too plain when I was done, so I added some yo-yo's for decoration. I used velcro for the closure instead of a magnetic snap, and added some sturdy plastic inside on the bottom for support.

The inside of the bag has plenty of room for all of the essentials. 2 side bottle pockets and 4 more pockets for diapers and extras. The outside even has a cell phone pocket.

The tree mural is what I decided to do next. It took forever to finish, but it was all free hand. We started out painting the room a cloud blue with a grass green accent stripe along the bottom. The room is pretty small so we are trying to keep the amount of decoration to a minimum.

Next I made the crib bumpers from the same pattern book by Amy Butler. They were pretty easy but I think I would make them without the pockets next time, or maybe only 2 pockets instead of 4. I had to buy 11 yards of fabric to make the bumpers and the crib skirt. Thank goodness I got a good deal from FashionableFabrics.com, and I was able to find the fabric I wanted there by Alexander Henry.

I love that people were able to find some really cute stuffed owls for the baby.

After I finished the bumpers I made the crib skirt. It was really easy.

With all my trips to Joann fabrics I stumbled across and magazine called Interweave Stitch. It had a few patterns in it I couldn't pass up. This Kimono Sunggie Wrap being one of them. The pattern had a few mistakes in it and I spent a lot longer on this than necessary. Needless to say the company got a not so nice email from me. The corrections are still not posted anywhere either.

That's all of my newest creations for now. Still hoping the baby will come out soon and once I find out the sex I will get busy making more fun crafts.

There's a baby in there.

2011-09-04T22:09:00.004-04:00

You guessed it! Jake and I moved into our new house in Novemer and a month later we're pregnant. I know i've disappeared from the blogging world for a while, but i've been busy. I passed both my written and practical cosmetology exams and i'm happy to say i'm finally licensed.

I have been so lucky with this pregnancy. No morning sickness or major complications so far, it's been great, but now i'm 38 1/2 weeks and ready to meet this little bundle of poop (and joy). I was supposed to be induced this week but different midwives = different opinions. Oh well! hopefully it won't be such a hard labor if I just go on my own. My family is amazing. I've had 3 baby showers and everyone has been so loving and supportive.

This is a picture of baby H's face at about 28 weeks?

Here I am at 37 weeks in the baby's room. I've done so many projects for this room, but there is too much to show in this one blog. That will have to come later.

Jake (my husband) and I, trying to take some creative photo's. Jake is so excited for this little one to come. He is great with kids and he's such a fun, crazy guy I think he's going to make a great father that will make me laugh and drive me crazy all in the same day.

Tomorrow is my birthday so let's pray that baby wants to share that special day with me.

New house

2011-01-06T17:24:00.004-05:00

We finally got to move into our new house in November. It's been so much fun and it feels great to finally own a house.

This is just a picture of the shed, I just really loved the way it looked with the tree in the background.

Our backyard.

My sewing room.

The first snow of the season. It was a big one.

Simply smooth!

2010-12-19T00:02:00.000-05:00

It has been forever since I blogged.
Here's a little update:
I'm going into my last semester of Cosmetology school in September, my husband and I just bought our first home last month and I haven't had much time to sew but I have been doing quite a bit of Crochet.

In school this past week my class asked for volunteers in this new Brazilian Keratin treatment for your hair called Simply Smooth Keratin treatment. This is normally at least a 3 hour process that costs about $300 in a salon, that I got free. It is supposed to take out about 50-60% of curl in the hair and completely take out frizz. Not that I don't love my curls, but it is nice to have a change.
I got the treatment on Thursday night and I can't wash my hair for 4 days after. I'm going so crazy here that i've started putting baby powder in my hair so I don't look totally gross. And I still have 2 more days to go. Oh well! This is what we have to do for beauty. Anyway, when I do finally get to wash my hair Monday night, I have to use products that are Sulfate, salt, and Formaldehyde free. There are no chemicals in the treatment so it's actually really not too bad for the hair. It's supposed to last for 12-16 weeks as long as I use the correct products and don't over wash my hair.

Here's the before picture

And the after.

P.S- i'm thinking of changing my blog name. Any ideas?

Crochet today part 2

2010-08-21T15:50:00.006-04:00

I am so excited about this magazine that I couldn't fit it all into one blog.
So here is part two; For the kids

I Love, love, love this poodle and it would match Lauren's bathroom decor perfectly.

Halloween costume hat's. So cool!

Cute skirt.

Owl bookbag

And some great camping crochet

Crochet Today!

2010-08-21T15:17:00.002-04:00

So, about a month ago I got an e-mail from amazon, giving me a coupon for a years subscription to a magazine for $8.99. I found this magazine in the list called Crochet today! I have received 2 issues already and I absolutely love it. There are so many projects I want to try, and the greatest thing about it is that most of the patterns are in the magazine.

I have been looking for a chrochet bag all summer just like this one and was unable to find it. Now I can make it!

These pillows (below) don't really go with my couch but Im sure I can find a good reason to make them.

Love this cover up! although it seems difficult.

And I can even make jewelry, halloween pot-holders, and chair cushions.

I'm so excited!

Fly

2010-07-30T21:15:00.002-04:00

Check out the shirt I made myself. I hardly ever make myself anything but I had to have this one. It's the Amy Butler pattern Lotus dress, tunic, cami. I got the fabric from our local shop called Pennington Quilt works it says air mail, and Par Avion on it.

I love that it buttons up that back but it is a challenge to button yourself. The pattern was fairly simple. I'm sure the next one I make will be much easier, you can change it also to make it a dress or tunic and it has the option for cap sleeves also.
You probably noticed that it's wrinkled in the back. That's not because it's too tight I just wore it to work that day and my husband wasn't home earlier to take a picture for me.

Let Your Heart Sing

2010-07-22T18:48:00.002-04:00

My neices just had a birthday celebration. Their birthday's are only about a week apart so they celebrated it together at a Tinkerbell Tea Party. Unfortunately I got a nasty cold that turned into a sinus infection that week, so I was unable to attend.

Of course I had to make their gifts. I made them each a pair of pajama pants with fabric I got while I was in Lancaster. This pair with the fairies was for the 2 year old.

My favorite part of the fairy fabric is the glittery wings, and from what I've heard Brynna just loves sparkles.

This pair with the princesses was for the 4 year old.

They tie on the inside with a ribbon I attached to an elastic, and the bottoms are hemmed with the same coordinating fabric on both.

I am feeling slightly better now but cold symptoms have an awful tendency to linger for weeks.

My week got even better when my refridgerator died in the middle of the night and it was about 90+ degrees out.

Cherry baby

2010-07-10T22:49:00.005-04:00

I whipped up this dress pretty quickly for my neice Lauren. Her mommy wanted something for her to wear similar to the pinafore top I made her sister Emily. The pattern came out of a newer book my mom got me from Amazon.com, called Making Children's Clothes by: Emma Hardy

Sorry for the blurriness, this kid just does not stop moving.

It was so quick and easy to make although I did get stuck on the yo-yo's because i've never made one before.

The top half of the dress is lined with the exterior fabric, I added an inch to the pattern and even made a longer hem and it was still a little short (the pattern does say for up to 5 yrs and she's only 3).

Now I have two other special neices that need some gifts for their July birthday's so I better get sewing.

Uptown Girls

2010-07-05T19:57:00.005-04:00

Last weekend my family and I went to visit my Grandma in Connecticut. We went went shopping in Ridgefeild and we found this really cute boutique called Valery's. It had very affordable purses and jewelry. My Grandma bought me this bracelet (below).

Monday my mom and I took a girls day to Lancaster, PA to go fabric shopping. I got so much fabric for upcoming birthday's and Christmas, I just hope I can get most of my projects made before my summer break is over.

We went to so many great fabric stores and they all have much better prices than we have her in NJ. This store is the only one I remembered to take a picture of but it's called Zooks and it has almost all Amish women working there. We also went to a store called The Old Country Store, Bitty Kinna which was a beautiful store, and a few others whose names I can't remember.

Whoopie!!

2010-05-22T15:19:00.003-04:00

Beautiful Irises in my back yard. We've never seen them before because there was a bush in the way that wouldn't let them grow.

One of my rose trees in the front of the house.

I took off work and school Monday and made Whoopie pies. There was so much batter is was almost going over the edge of my mixin bowl.

Yum!

Recipe from Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients
3 cups sugar
1 cup butter
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
Filling, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, or preheat a convection oven to 315 degrees F.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, and eggs together until well combined. Add the oil and vanilla and beat again.
In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Add half of the dry mixture to the egg mixture and beat or stir to blend. Add 1 1/2 cups milk and beat again. Add the remaining dry mixture and beat until incorporated. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups milk and beat until blended.
With a large spoon, scoop out 32 circles of batter onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool.
Spread filling onto 16 circles and place remaining circles on top, to make 16 Whoopie Pies.
Filling:
1 1/2 cups shortening
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/3 cups marshmallow topping
Dash salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 to 1/2 cup milk
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine all ingredients except the milk and beat well. Add just enough milk to achieve a creamy consistency. Spread filling across cooled cookie circles.

Born to be Wild

2010-05-11T16:28:00.004-04:00

My sister in law and I found a picture of this online at http://babyfavorsandgifts.com/dog-on-motorcycle-diaper-cake-p-118.html. We decided to give it a try and make it ourselves. Thank goodness Jake was there to help.

It has: Bibs, receiving blankets, diapers, a bottle, socks, toy key ring, and a dishwasher basket for pacifiers. We ended up with lots of leftover stuff to give to the soon to be mommy and we made it for a very good price.

Ups and downs

2010-04-17T10:23:00.007-04:00

In school a few weeks ago I finally got to do a real perm and boy do they smell. I really like the end result though. Unfortunatley this is the experimental head and it's cut super short now.

Last week I did highlights with the cap and then put a color on top. I chose Flame, the color didn't come out great in the picture but it is a very cool red. I think I want to do this to my hair soon.

This is a style after the highlighting. This hair really doesn't cooperate.

These pictures below are my first semi updo. All of the manikin's hair is short so I don't have much to work with. This is not a ponytail it's cascading curls.

Easter and Flowers

2010-04-09T22:01:00.004-04:00

The flowering peach trees Jake planted last year were quite disappointing this year. The weather has been a lot warmer than a typical spring here in NJ. Usually early spring you wouldn't be able to see any of the red leaves on these trees, they would be covered in these beautiful pink flowers.

I decided last minute to make my neices, Emily and Lauren an Easter gift. I've had the fabric for this pillow case for a long time, so I finally decided it was time to make it for Lauren. She is 3 1/2.

This is a picture of Emily and Lauren on Easter with their Nana and Pepere.

My mother is going to be very angry I put this picture in here but I like it.

This is what I made Emily. She can't wear it yet but hopefully this summer she can fit into it. I made another Pinafore top with bloomers.

This is showing the back view of the Pinafore top.

perfect

2010-03-27T21:29:00.004-04:00

So I had this substitute for 2 nights of classes this week who I like to call the drill sergeant. She kept mentioning that I am a perfectionist. I never realized this until she said something but she is absolutely right, and I think it's getting worse. Then I started thinking, hmm.. where did this come from? Mom and dad. In some ways you can say it's a gift but in other ways it is torture.
This is a quilt my mom made for me about 3+ years ago and I think it was one of her first. Now can you see where I get this problem from. This quilt is not only beautiful but it is perfection.

My most recent project in school. I did another fronch twist. I saw this picture in a magazine and I really wanted to replicate it so here is my first attempt. Of course it didn't turn out how I hoped but manikin hair is a whole other ball game.

Movie and crochet night

2010-03-03T17:08:00.003-05:00

My husband asked me to make something for his dad's birthday this past weekend and he only gave me 2 days notice (ugh! men). So after getting some advice from Kelly I started on this scarf. It's made out of thick wool and I crocheted it using a K hook. I am very pleased with the outcome.

While my fingers were working I was enjoying this movie: How to Make an American Quilt. I really enjoyed it.

Birthday's all around

2010-02-27T11:24:00.003-05:00

I know, I know another Frenchy bag.

My sister ordered one for her mother in law's birthday which was last weekend. I had some trouble picking out the fabric for a southern lady. I hope she liked it.

I ended up doing the inside a little differently. Why? because I messed up when ordering my fabric cuts. No harm done I learned this technique when I made the basket bag. I just took some of the outside fabric and used that for the outside of the pockets but the inside matches the pink lining. It was an oops that turned out better than expected.

So why the heading all the birthday's?

I had to make this purse for a birthday last weekend and this weekend is a little crazy cause I am celebrating my mom's birthday (which was the 25) with the family today, and it is my father in law's birthday today. Thanks so much to my husband's family for making his party tomorrow. That way I can celebrate both.

It snowed... A lot!

2010-02-11T17:22:00.004-05:00

I don't know exactly how many inches of snow we got but It was enough to make quite a mess in NJ. Jake and I got a snow day from work and school which is a first for me in the 4 years i've been at the eye doctors office.

These are pictures of my backyard. It looks so pretty.

Jake had to take my kittie Katie out in it.

She obviously wasn't very happy about that.

Bubbles

2010-01-22T18:27:00.005-05:00

No this blog isn't going to turn into an all about hair blog. This is just what i've been so busy doing lately.

This is what they call a bubble set. I put in rollers, let them sit then after I take them out I tease the whole head and lightly comb the top layers. I call it the helmet. Remember they teach us these things for technique cause I don't think I could convince anyone to get this style.

Sooo big!

This is it all combed out. I kinda like it this way. No I wasn't the one who burned her head. This head has been passed down to many classes.

I've been looking up some styles lately that I would like to try and my newest obsession is called Victory rolls. I tried once and failed but i'm getting some different opinions on how to be successful.

I read an article that says women adopted the style in the 1940's after a fighter plane maneuver celebrating the victory in WWII.

This is a style that I would love to do on somebody so if anyone is up for a change I get my permit in October and I will need volunteers for clinic.

School Days

2010-01-09T16:04:00.003-05:00

So we have to do some pretty old fashioned projects in school in order to learn certain techniques. This one is the french twist. The whole head of hair is teased then the top layer is combed into a twist omitting the front.

We had to add our own style to it so with the extra hair I did lots of large pin curls.

I call it the squirrels tail.

Christmas gifts

2010-01-03T12:45:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas everybody!

This is Katie, the younger of my 2 kitties. You have to love the after holiday deals at Target which is where I found this cute little Santa hat for cats.

My husband and I and a few people in my family went to Boston to spend Christmas with my Aunt Roxanne and her family. Jake and I stayed an extra day and visited the city. We walked around a lot and eventually made our way to Faneuil hall for some very yummy lunch and then to the Aquarium.

They had so many neat fish. This is a type of seahorse I didn't even know existed.

We did a little shopping afterward while waiting for our shuttle. When our shuttle finally came we didn't know exactly where it would stop and ended up having to run after it.

I handmade most of the gifts this year. Starting off with cookies mmm... These are called Russian tea cakes. I love these cookies. I had them first at one of my aunts houses. They just melt in your mouth.

I am also a huge fan of gingerbread cookies.

I made this purse for my friend who lives in Las Vegas.

I gave Jake's aunt and uncle a tim of those cookies and I also made them pillow cases out of this fabric. I was so busy this year I forgot to take pictures of everything.

My neices Lauren, Cambria, and Brynna got one of these crochet hats. I bought the pattern off of Etsy from KrissysWonders.

I also made 5 pairs of pajama pants for my sisters and my brothers girlfriend but I will have to tell them to take pictures and send them to me.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2009-12-06T22:49:00.004-05:00

So it's been looking like Christmas for a while now and it seems like it gets earlier every year. I've been excited though because I have been wanting to decorate for christmas since the day after Halloween.
Time sure is going fast lately. I can't believe it's been so long since my last blog but I do have to admit I haven't gotten much done because i'm so burnt out from school.

First update is this adorable little baby girl Emily Louise (my niece). She was born November 11 in the middle of the day and already she is trying to outdo her older sister. She was already rolling over on her side and pushing herself up while at the hospital.

So to get on to the latest project, I started making this tree skirt on Halloween night and I just finished it this past Friday. That took way too long for such an easy thing.

I never did get a chance to close it in the back with the covered buttons. That will just have to wait until next time.
This will be for sale in my Etsy shop.

Now that my family is extended I have to double up on my work for Christmas presents. I'm currently working on some things but I will have to wait to show them.

Belated Halloween post

2009-11-14T10:05:00.002-05:00

I know it's kinda late to be showing Halloween things but I forgot to show my halloween decoration. I used my Manikin from cosmetology class and hung it upside down in the front withdow with a string of purple lights and a black light underneath to give it a scarrier effect.

Everyone in the class has been saying when we graduate we are going to tie these Manikins to the back of a car because we hate working on them, or I should say we hate the old outdated styles they force us to perfect.

Oh mother

2009-11-06T17:58:00.003-05:00

When is it that we realize we are turning into our mothers and we're ok with it. I fought it for a long time but i'm not sure why. My mom is cool. She works at the office that my sister in-law, brother and I work at and I have to say she is doing a great job even though sometimes I think it's wierd and laugh at her.

Anyway to get to the point. A great thing about my mother is she always has great magazines that she gives me when she's done with them. Most recent and most favorite is the newest Mary Englebreit's Home companion. There are so many Christmas ideas I actually can't wait to start decorating. One of her friends gave me a bunch of antique bowls for a wedding present and this picture gave me a great use for some of them.

Another thing I have been trying to do for Christmas is make tree skirts. I went through a very tough time a few years ago trying to find the perfect one so as always I decided to just make one. I usually tie it in the back with a bow but now I think I will be closing it with covered buttons, thanks to this pic. from Home Companion.

I'm not sure if i'll get around to doing something like this but I absolutely love it. Yet another picture from Home Companion. I'm in desperate need of a new stocking. I'm still using my very first one that my Memere knit and it had an angel on it at one point but it's so bent out of shape now and missing a head you could never tell.

This was Halloween

2009-10-23T20:20:00.003-04:00

I made this Strawberry Shortcake costume 2 years ago for Halloween. This was the first thing I had made since I was a little girl so it didn't turn out great. I thought I could go by the measurements on the pattern but it ended up being way to big so I had it pinned in on the sides. It took me so long to make because I was out of practice and not used to following patterns the I didn't have a chance to put strawberries on it. The hat was not part of the pattern that was my idea. The apron is made from eyelet lace fabric and I wore tulle slip under it to make it puff out.

Brothers pillows

2009-10-14T06:56:00.003-04:00

I don't have much time for blogging lately but I wanted to show you a project my brother and I worked on. He really wanted me to make pillows for our mutual frinds couch so I suggested that he make them. I cut out the fabric and gave a little advice but he did the rest and did a great job.

They obviously don't match my couch I just needed a place for them to pose.

Catching up

2009-10-09T23:52:00.003-04:00

I made this lovely book bag for myself about a month ago and i'm just now getting some time to blog about it. I started Cosmetology school about 5 weeks ago and I am loving it. Well everything but the schedule. I work from 8-4:30 then go to school from 6-10 4 days a week. I'm exhausted!
Back to the book bag that I obviously didn't have time to iron before I took the picture. I used a diaper bag pattern from the Mary Engelbreit book Sew So Cute. With some great non baby fabric.

It has a flap that goes over to close it.

Though very heavy all of my books fit inside. Contrasting fabric for the inside, main bag and flap. I made only 3 pockets lining one side of the bag.

I really like how the pattern did the strap. I also used more of that shower wall siding for the bottom to give it the stabilty it needs. Next time I think I should make the sides a little sturdier.

Roses and Watermelons

2009-09-19T00:14:00.005-04:00

Oh yes another Frenchy Bag. You may have noticed a few subtle hints from my sister Melissa about wanting one of these lovely bags. Well she finally got one. I was actually able to finish it in about 1 day. I love this fabric, the colors reminded me of watermelons. The rose came from one of the rosebushes my husband planted in front of out house last year. It smells wonderful.

Inside. Yay polkadots!
It's her birthday today so I will dedicate my blog song to her. Plus I love her song!

Beach Wear

2009-09-07T11:52:00.003-04:00

Thank you so much Becca for posting pictures on facebook of Brynna in the outfit I made her.
You may remember this Pinafore top I made for her birthday in July. I posted it in the
It’s my party blog. Doesn't she look adorable in it.

I'm so thankful I can make things for my family and they seem to appreciate it.

Happy birthday to me!

2009-09-04T23:26:00.006-04:00

I was born in 1984 on this day in Burlingame California. This picture of my dad and I was taken probably the day I came home from the hospital.

A few months later I met my Pop who lived in Texas at the time. I miss him so much.

I'm the youngest of 5 (technically 6) children. My oldest sister was taken in by my parents but never adopted.

My first day of kindergarten was my birthday.

My mom used to make a lot of my dresses. This is one of them and I think she still has many of them in her closet still.

I didn't get my first haircut until I was 12.

This was taken on my honeymoon at Niagra Falls. I got my hair cut for locks of love a year ago in August. I love it short now.

Reason for this song. It was the number one song the day I was born.

Becca's Birthday Bag

2009-08-30T12:00:00.004-04:00

I made this Miranda Day bag for my new sister in law for her birthday. It's the Miranda day bag pattern but I changed it a little with ideas from my mom's quilting group. This is so easy and fun to make, there are no pattern peices just measure and cut which is my favorite way to sew.

This is the closure in the front. Daisy's are my favorite flower.

The back side of the bag showing off the really cool handles.

The inside of the bag. You can see some of this fabric along the outside upper edge of the bag. You can use a different fabric for the pockets which go all around the inside but I chose not to. To make the bottom sturdy I got a large piece of fiberglass wall panneling (usually used in shower walls). I got it cut down to a smaller piece at Lowes and then my dad cut out pieces sized to fit the bottom of these style purses. And covered it with a sleeve of the same fabric to match. The pattern says to use a piece of cardboard but if your like me and always carry a book in your purse cardboard just isn't going to hold.

Did you happen to notice what it's hanging on? This is just another favorite part of my sewing room that my brother helped me remodel. (Full pictures to come soon).
They are coat hooks from Target. The back board is Espresso finished and the knobs (my favorite) are glass with an Amber color.
Thanks for visiting!

Shower the People you love with love

2009-08-21T21:56:00.004-04:00

The mommy to be is my sister in law Missy (I mentioned her in my last post). She has been a part of the family for over 10 years and I consider her a true sister. I threw her a baby shower at work on Thursday and it was supposed to be a surprise but one of the doctors sent her upstairs when they weren't supposed to (oh well).
She is 6 and a half months and compared to her last pregnancy she is huge.

I made the cupcakes and got the decorations. These are homemade cupcakes with pink Buttercream frosting and pink sanding sugar. I had some trouble decorating because I think I had the wrong tip so a little twist of the wrist and all fixed.

Lots of diapers and lotions.

Another Frenchy bag

2009-08-15T21:42:00.004-04:00

I just finished another Frenchy bag for my sister in law's mother for her birthday. She got to pick out her own fabric with a little guidance from me. I wasn't sure about the blue on top at first but now that it's done I love it.
The pillow it's sitting next to is something I made a few months ago that is helping decorate my new sewing room that my brother helped me put together. I will have to do a post on that once I get it finished.
And a Lovely song in French to accompany this post.

Put a ring on it

2009-08-02T11:58:00.009-04:00

While putting away some of my wedding things I remembered I haven't shown you one of my own creations for my wedding. I had such a hard time finding a ring bearer pillow. I wanted something simple yet pretty in Ivory. All I could find were either Ivory with gold fixings or white with crazy amounts of lace and frill and all for a very hefty price. I decided to make my own. I got simple ivory silk fabric from Joanns and I was going to do my own beading design but I found this beautiful applique and added a pretty silver button for the center. The ribbon was what we used to close the favor bags. It came from JKM ribbons and trims (aunt Marsha's idea). Making my own ring bearer pillow was such a better and cheaper option.
You can find a really cute video of this song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CU2JhYM8tY

It's my party

2009-07-13T17:32:00.003-04:00

My neice Brynna and her sister just celebrated their 1st and 3rd birthday together this past weekend. I had a pattern sitting around with this adorable beach fabric for it and I finally had an opportunity to use it since my other neice is getting a little too big for this style.

It is a pinafore top that crosses in the back. I used extra large rick-rac for the border and fish buttons. I think this will make great beach wear and that is one of Brynna's favorite places. I also made bloomers to go with it.

The fish buttons are made out of polymer clay and since that is something I am very familiar with I might just be attempting to make my own buttons as my next project.

I hope to have a picture of Brynna in her new outfit soon.

Better Together

2009-07-10T21:26:00.005-04:00

I have finally found the time to start posting thing on my blog again. If you can't tell this is my new husband Jake and myself on May 30, 2009.

This is the amazing purse that my aunt marsha made me. (Yes I did notice the little charm.) Thanks Marsha!

These are some of the many favors that Marsha also made. I told you she was a busy bee.

Something Blue

2009-05-23T11:54:00.002-04:00

As some of you may know my wedding is coming up a week from today. My 2 aunts have been very busy little bees. My aunt Marsha is making all of my favors and i'm sure she will post them on her blog at cutestuffinside.blogspot.com. My aunt Roxanne has been busy making this beautiful garter for me. She knitted this up in just a few short weeks and I love it. Thanks for all your help.

A place to rest your head

2009-04-13T22:28:00.003-04:00

I managed to save a large flower from the fabric I used on my frind Meredith's apron. I think it makes a fun pillow.

St.Patty's Frenchy bag

2009-03-09T22:09:00.003-04:00

My newest project. The same Frenchy bag I have been making with brown, green, and turquoise fabric. I kept this one for myself. Reminds me of the Irish.

Happy Birthday to ya!

2009-03-05T22:18:00.007-05:00

Boston Cream pie cupcakes made specially for my friend Kelly(fsdropout.blogspot.com). Drop by and say happy birthday!

These cupcakes are made with white cake with vanilla pudding mixed with cool whip inside and a chocolate sauce on top. Yummy!

I got the recipe from kraft foods. This is the second time I have made them and so far a big hit. Only problem, they have to be refridgerated.

Happy birthday Kelly.

Girls best friend

2009-02-24T21:01:00.003-05:00

Check out what i've been busy with. These are my newest style ring and favirorite so far. I also made a matching pair of earrings. The ring above is made with Amethyst and Light Amethyst Swarovsky crystals. Perfect for a February birthday!

This ring to the left is another of the first style ring. It is made with green and clear crystals. This one is going to be great for St. Patricks day!
This ring with the red and black reminds me of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. It has a Garnet ball in the center with Garnet rondelles, black, and clear crystals.

All of the above items are for sale at etsy.com. My seller name is birtyboutique0i0.

New Bling!

2009-02-12T21:56:00.003-05:00

Check out my newest obsession. These are rings made out of crystal and glass beads. At the top is a picture of the first thing I've ever made beading. I got the idea from a book I picked up at Joann Fabrics called Big Book of Crystal Beads by Creative Homeowner. The book is great it has instuctions on every project and difficulty levels. This ring was called the translucent ring but I picked colors of gold, green and tan. It was SO easy! this project only took about an hour and a half to make and I have been getting many compliments already.

My first order for a lookalike of the ring I made. I just whipped this up tonight in only an hour. It is not exactly the same as mine, if you notice the side stones are a little bit larger. The colors I chose for this one were black (per request) and pink. I just can't believe how easy and fun beading is.

Sit back and RELAX!

2009-02-10T22:19:00.006-05:00

I finished my first pillow case

and it was so easy. It is made with the fabric that came in a set from PQW. I can think of so many things I would like to make with this fabric, I love it! This pillow case only took a few short hours to make, you get great results and it's so much fun. My mom told me these were going to be addicting to make and she was right! I am already thinking of other fun fabrics I can make them out of.

Thanks mom! My mom just bought me this great fabric. I love French style patters. My obsession for them started at Sweet and Sassy. I am very excited to start making great things with this fabric.

All family members reading this. Mom said no fights!

Lots to do

2009-02-01T16:33:00.006-05:00

Lot's of projects to get started on.

To the left is fabric for a pillowcase. I got it pre-cut in a kit at Pennington Quilt Works.

To the right is fabric for a handbag call the Miranda bag my mom is currently showing me how to make. We ware using a dark color for the bottom so you can't tell if it gets a little dirty. The White daisy on blue background is for the main part of the bag and the small blue design is for the inside and pockets. The top color hangs over slightly onto the main part of the bag. I am very anxious to finish the one I am working on.

This picture above is something that immediately caught my eye one day at the Quilt Shop. I decided to use it for another Frenchy Bag (Amy Butler Pattern). Again the bottom with the green design is for the main part of the bag. Middle fabric is for the top and the top fabric is the inside and pockets. The handle will also be made out of the Main pannel fabric. I just realized that green fabrics are my favorite. There were so many more in the store I wanted to grab.

These cute little fish are going to be bloomers I am going to make for my 2 yr. old niece Lauren. It is going to go with a really cute Jumper that crosses in the back which explains the fabric below with the crabs and birds.

I can't believe I have finally found fabric with the eiffel tower on it. I have wanted fabric like this since I went to Sweet and Sassy and got the idea to start making aprons. I am going to use this to make the Waldorf from A is for Apron.

Earth Cultured

2009-01-24T12:56:00.005-05:00

You have to check out this seller on etsy.com. My brother Jesse just went out to visit some family and friends on the west coast. While in San Francisco he met up with an old friend we grew up with who makes these amazing neclaces. Her name is Nilufar and she learned to make them somewhere in the Himalaya's while traveling the world for a year. She gets the stones imported from india. This one shown in the picture is called a Rose Quartz, it's actually not mine it's my mothers but I borrow it all the time cause I love it. I can't wait to get one for myself and my fiance Jake.

Baby blanket #2

2009-01-22T21:51:00.003-05:00

I just finished my second crochet project. It's the same exact pattern as the last blanket I made because I had a pretty strict time limit to make this. I absolutely love the yarn though. It is SWS yarn by Patons ( soy wool stripes). It's a very soft natural yarn. I didn't have to change the colors in the rows the yarn fades into different colors as you go along. I think that gave this blanket a really cool look.

cute wedding stuff

2009-01-17T09:33:00.007-05:00

Oh my! I cannot believe what I found at the Joanns website. These are absolutely adorable. I think I might make them for my own bridal shower.

I can't seem to find a picture of it but while my mom and I were at Joanns this week we saw these adorable heart shaped candles designed to look like Petits Fours. I am going to try and make them to put on the tables at my wedding. It shouldn't be to hard since I used to make pastries for my doll house when I was younger.

What's in the bag.

2009-01-07T18:46:00.006-05:00

Frenchy Bags

These frenchy bags are an Amy Butler pattern. The one to the left is the shoulder bag that I made as a gift. My fiance Jake helped me pick out the fabric. These bags are very simple and quick to make.

This one below was a handbag that I made for myself for fall. It has 6 pockets and plenty of space inside.

This cute little handbag to the left is one of my favorites. My mom helped me pick out the fabric ( she is great at that), it has trees with the cutest little blue birds on it. I also made this one as a gift for my sister in law who wont use anything but small purses. She loved the first bag I made and requested one for herself.

Blanket

2008-12-28T20:35:00.004-05:00

My mother taught me to Crochet this past summer and this is my very first project. I made this blanket in just a few months as a gift for Jake's 5 month old niece. I would call it more of a crib blanket than a baby blanket because it is almost large enough to fit a normal sized adult. I am currently working on another one just like this with soy wool yarn in brown and blue colors.

Fun gifts

2008-12-26T20:56:00.007-05:00

I made a few aprons as gifts for christmas. This is my sister modeling one of them. I got the idea from the store Sweet and Sassy. It is a cupcake store that I go to when I visit my sister in Newark DE. They sell some really great cupcakes as well as cute apparel, things for the kitchen and even for events such as weddings. They can be made with or without pockets and I thought the contrasting fabric would add a great touch.

This is the first one I made. It was a pretty difficult pattern and thanks to my mom's help it turned out great.

Hearts will be glowing

2008-12-08T16:07:00.015-05:00

Tis the Season

Every year I make ornaments out of polymer clay. Usually I just give them to friends and family. My grandparents have been collecting them since I was a kid. I have made pumpkins, flowers, snow men all dressed up, etc... This past year I was working on a summer scape but due to my recent addition of two kitties most of it didn't survive.

That's where my little rubber duckie came from.

He is so happy just relaxing on his Lochness Monster floatie he will

look great on any tree and remind you of summer every time you look at him.

This little cutie could be known as Rudolph or one year I made him for someone who collects

Moose. Maybe next year he will be joined by some friends and tug Santa in his sleigh. Unfortunatly unlike rubber duckie and Santa he won't be for sale this year. I gave him to my brother who lives in a rustic looking cabin. I thought this would look great on his tree this year.

Here comes Santa Claus. He is a yearly favorite. I have made

many like this. Old fashioned Santa is wearing a red hood with

gold rope around the edge. Unlike the usual red hat I think he is

much more attractive with the red hood.

I've included a side view so you can se the back of his hood.

New to blogging

2008-11-23T23:02:00.000-05:00

Hi! I'm Jenny and I'm new to blogging. I'll be showing you my recent projects. There aren't many yet due to my wedding coming up in May and my busy work schedule, but i will be working harder on my projects and ideas after the hollidays. I hope you enjoy my blogs to come and feel free to visit me on Etsy.com (birtyboutique0i0).

My Christmas tree skirt

is one of my favorite things. I Love frills and bows and I take after my mother with the love for all things victorian with a modern twist.

This tree skirt is made with a really cute fabric I got a the Pennington Quilt works

(my new favorite store). The detail is small ball ornaments in blue with a ruffle around the edge in gold with off white and blue stripes. The Scalloped edge gives it great detail, and it ties in the back with a bow.

Another of my handmade items is this small handbag. I have always admired the chinese silk fabric. This bag is great for small purse lovers. It is made with hunter green chinese silk and the inside is lined with champagne colored chinese silk with two large pockets inside.

Thanks for visiting. I would love to hear from you.