Kimono

I'm so in love with this 30 minute kimono tutorial from Babble!! I'm not sure what I like best about it; the look, the cost, the fact that it only takes a half hour or the ease of it. Seriously, I made some cuts, sewed a couple straight lines and I was done. No hemming required.

Awesome camera phone quality :/

I mean look at these picture instructions and tell me you can't do this:

In fact, I eliminated the first three (out of a whopping five) steps all together after realizing I could use a stay-stitch where the front slit ends (at the neck) instead of having a seam down the back. 

The kimono is very forgiving so don't stress out. As long as you use a knit, you can alter the length and front opening when all is said and done if needed.

LAST TIP:

In order to get perfectly symmetrical cuts in the front, I cut those FIRST and at the same time, before sewing. All I did was fold the fabric in half length-wise and cut both triangles at once from the folded edge. Test it out on a piece of paper if you are confused by how it will all fold and come together.

Very happy I found this. I will be busy making tons more of these! I have already made three and I'm dying to make one for my 5-year-old! When I do, I will be posting measurements here so stay tuned. 

Do you love this as much as I do!? Give it a shot!

LDS Baptism Invitation (free download!)

This is the super cute invitation I "made" for my friend whose son is about to be baptized: 

I was REAL happy to find this adorable downloadable invitation that could be personalized:

Loving Life Designs was kind enough to make this available for FREE for anyone to download and it even comes in two other colors. All you need is Photoshop or Photoshop Elements and it's extremely easy to figure out, even if you don't really know what you're doing... like me!

Oh by the way, you might have noticed that I used a different font than she did. Instead of downloading the one suggested, I just used a font I already had called "Rosewood" but if you do want to download it, you can do so for free.

It's that easy folks.

Tutorial: How To Make Birch Log Candle Holders

Birch bark is so easy to work with! And it's so pretty. And woodburners are only around $10.

Here's what my burner from Hobby Lobby looks like:

And it comes with a bunch of different tips (these exact ones are from Harbor Freight):

Look at all these ADORABLE projects you can do with a woodburner!

The idea for my candle came from a beautiful vase in Morgann Hill's Etsy shop here. 

I found a bunch of birch logs on a classified ad and bought them all so that I could make Christmas gifts with them. Because they all varied in size, I did different things with them... the bigger ones got three holes drilled in the top and the ones that only had room for one were grouped in threes and tied with jute:

All I did (with a ton of help form my husband, in fact he drilled all the holes) was chop them to the desired height with a drop saw, drill holes in the top with a huge drill bit (the size of a tealight candle, mine were 1.5" in diameter) and then draw a design in them with a pencil then trace with a woodburner.

I recommend tealight candles from the dollar store if you don't need a ton or Ikea if you do need a ton (100 to be exact) or if you just want the best deal in town since that only costs you $3.99! Ikea also has scented ones in various colors for a little bit more.

You may need to buy the drill bit but don't worry it's about $6 at Home Depot. 

I love a personalized gift!

What else should I engrave with my woodburner? 

Hmmm....

First Day Of School Sign

Go to The Pinning Mama here to get this free printable first day of school chalkboard sign for any grade!

My dear friend Katie sent me the pin and I was so glad to have it that I wanted to share it with all of you too! Last year that same friend let me borrow this cute Kindergarten sign:

I'm sure glad I have cute friends with cute ideas so I don't miss out on all the fun! 

Here's another adorable photo idea that I loved...

Tutorial: DIY Window Film

I love a bright home with lots of natural light!

But when I moved into my house I was a little concerned about this...

See the problem? Not only lack of privacy but it doesn't look great either. 

But I didn't want to lose any light!

I was so happy to find an inexpensive solution.

CONTACT PAPER!!

It's like $5 a roll at Walmart.

Seventh House On The Left had the idea here along with a stencil of this pattern:

I wasn't ready to cut that many Moroccan tile looking pieces so I just did one in the center.

To be perfectly honest I wouldn't have gone to the trouble of even cutting one except for the fact that this top half of the window was the slightest bit bigger than my roll of contact paper.

After how easy this was I decided to do my shower as well:

All I did after reading many tutorials and trying all the different tips out there, was use a spray bottle of water and a shower squeegee to apply it. Of course you have to clean the window and wash your hands first. Spray the glass with water and then apply the contact paper. The water allows you to move it around if it's not exactly where you want it. Once in place, use the squeegee moving from the center out.

If you can get a helper it will make your life easier; the contact paper likes to cling to itself so especially if you are using big pieces like I did on my shower, so have someone help hold one end while you hold the other. It also helps a lot to have one person hold the liner while another pulls the backing off to begin with. 

I did the dining room first and threw lots of perfectly good pieces away because there was always one spot that was bubbly but you know what I learned? The bubbles must dry out over time because it looks much better after you just leave it for a few days. So be patient.

When I did the shower glass, I was a lot less careful and I didn't wash my hands first (nor did I make my 6 year old who helped me) and now there are fingerprints on the corners.