A Little White, A Lot of Color!

This weekend I had a high school reunion with one of my best friends! We spent the entire weekend shopping, crafting, catching up and creating a masterpiece 🙂

This girl rocks my world! She is always up for a good time and ready to get crafty in seconds 🙂 We are so much alike that it’s scary sometimes but my favorite thing about her is that she always surprises me! Just when I think I know her so well, she shocks me with more personality and drive. Catching up was way past due and I am so thankful we found the time to make it happen.

During our shopping trip I bought a new item for my craft show table to display my new necklaces. Nothing shows off what you make than seeing it worn and I felt like this necklace needed that. I’m excited for this new addition to my table 🙂

We also bought a pack of 80’s glam sharpies. We love color and we decided to try a project with them! You’ll get to see the whole thing soon but for now I’ll just give you this as a sneak peak 😉

Another sneak peak is what’s about to happen! There is going to be a huge change in my blogging life. I am now starting a blog with Leslie! We are still working on getting it set and ready – so it won’t be open until January but I am so excited I couldn’t not share!

The Underestimated Mom will still be updated but more like two – three times a week instead of almost daily. Most of my time will be spent making articles for A Charming Twist. If you are interested in keeping up with Leslie & I head on over there now or starting in January.

We are also offering a space to add your button to our page! If you are interested you can email me or our joint address on our page! We will also be doing guest posts so if you think you have something awesome you want to share that’s craft, fashion, food, or home decor related – you’d be the perfect fit for our blog!

Lot’s of fun new things going on!

Hope you are as excited as I am 😉

Love Always,

J

Crafty Business!

As you all know – I love to be crafty, but what you might not know – I love to see other people be crafty! So today I decided I would show you a little bit of what I’m working on in hopes to inspire you to show ME what you are working on! Be crafty with me today!!!

So today I’m making crocheted necklaces. You might have seen the sneak peak of Emma sporting my first attempt:

She said she was a dragon princess and ran off to play – needless to say that necklace came back with a little pizza sauce and dog slobber on it. I don’t think anyone will be using this necklace but her 😉 thank goodness I made more!!

Now for the part about you! I’d love to see what my readers are making and what better way to get to know you than for you to comment below with a link to your blog post about what you are crafting today!? So bring it on readers!! Let’s start a crafty revolution!

Love Always,

J

P.S. I found this tutorial off pinterest (of course) and since she explains it WAY better than me – I’ll just let you run off to her site and check it out if you are interested in trying to make a necklace like this: Tampa Bay Crochet

Old Jeans into Skinny Jeans!

Welcome to my pile of jeans that need a little TLC! They may have gotten into this pile for various reasons – they don’t fit, they aren’t in style anymore, they got taken in to get hemmed and the lady made them too short and they are now high waters (frustrated voice there), or I haven’t worn them in a few years.

Why did I hang onto them? Honestly – because I don’t know how to get rid of things and thought I could make SOMETHING out of it one day..

Welcome to that day! My sister sent me a pin from pinterest about how this girl made her not so cool jeans into skinny jeans. It took me about two seconds to try on all of the jeans that were in my “I don’t know what the heck to do with these” pile 🙂

Then the magic happened! First I put them on inside out, pulled the sides tight and pinned them so that they would be form fitting. If you’d rather not pin yourself in your jeans you can try using chalk to mark the line.

Then I took them off and ran them through the sewing machine. Be sure that you have a thick needle for this (mine is an 8 for jeans) or your sewing machine is going to take a toll and you might bend or break your needle.

Before you do anything else, be sure to flip them right side out and try them on. It’s going to feel weird having that extra flap of fabric but this is the only way that you’ll know if it fits you right before you finish them off and can’t undo it!

If it’s not how you wanted, rip out the seams and try again! If it is take really nice sharp scissors and cut along the link of your seam without hitting your stitching.

Then you can iron the edges down or let it wash and dry into shape. I like to wear mine around and break them in for the day 😉

What do you think? Actually – it’s probably best you don’t tell me what you think – because after doing this whole thing I realized I hate the way I look in skinny jeans.. oh well!

Love Always,

J

Practice Makes Perfect!

This weekend I decided to do a trial set up for the show on the 15th. Since I’ll be going from having three tables to one, I had to figure out how to get as much stock as I could in one confined space! It took editing some things, a ton of rearranging, and not putting everything on my table.

Above is my last set up, below is cramming everything onto one table without it being overwhelming! That was definitely the hardest part. Knowing what to put on your table (what you think you’ll sell) and what not to is impossible. Not putting something out that might have sold if it was seen may cost you, but you’ll never know!

At this event – I’m excited to show off all the new colors that I didn’t have the previous year, while still trying to keep the favorite ones available 😉

 

Also new – is the cup cozies! I’m hoping this are a hit, especially since it’s at coffee shop. A few things I’ve slowed down on making are burp cloths and taggies. As much as a love these things, they aren’t getting as much attention as I thought they would and to be completely honest – I’d rather be in my living room watching Emma play while I crochet then in the studio without her!

Don’t get me wrong! I’ll be in there sewing and working like I usually do, just not as much if these crocheted things keep selling like they are! Oh and to talk about what’s selling – these things are:

These cork key chains are flying out of my hands like hot cakes! I’ve gotten a lot of people asking which ones I have and to be completely honest – up until now – I had no idea!! I spent this weekend sorting through all of them so I now have a list if anyone is looking for a specific one.

It took longer than I thought it would, but I have a feeling it will be beneficial in the long run if someone is searching for a specific winery that went with a special moment to remember.

 

Well enough about me – what did you do this weekend?

Oh and don’t forget! If you missed out on getting a Young House Love book signed – I have one up for grabs 🙂

Love Always,

J

Unexpected Storage

This week I was rearranging my kitchen and cleaning it out of things we don’t use anymore. Is it just me – or do I do this about every three months or so? Anywho, I came across this container of popcorn that we got – minus the popcorn that is. I can’t believe that I held on to for a while because I liked the way it looked – but I’m so glad I did 🙂

I never had a purpose for it or really a reason to keep it but I love how pretty and shiny it is! Even better now that it’s winter time again so it goes along with the theme of the weather 🙂 After looking around the house for a while I decided where I wanted to put it.

Most of the time when I’m finding a home for a new place I like to replace it with someone older that isn’t serving it’s purpose anymore, or could use a little TLC. I found just the spot I needed to fix!

My yarn basket gets pulled out every time I’m doing a few projects at once. Since I have show coming up on the 15th, I have been multi-tasking with my list of things to finish up. This basket is obviously getting a little too much love because it’s overflowing and not so pretty anymore!

I decided I could easily fit my yarn in the new bucket with no problem. After filling it up I realized I had extra room on the top to put whatever current project I’m working on and still close the lid! Extra space is definitely key for me to keep things organized. If I limit myself – mess happens fast!

Then I put it right where I do my crocheting, next to the couch but enough out of the way that it isn’t bombarding my space. So while it looks like a decorative tin of goodies – it’s really my project stash of goodies!

I love free ways to store items!
Thanks for stopping by!

Love Always,

J

Knit Sweater No More!

Welcome to the knit shirt that I’ve worn for about 11 years … whew this baby has lasted a while! After cleaning out my closet I decided it was time to let go of this top and replace it with a newer version. Instead of getting rid of it though – I decided to revamp it!

I cut off the the sleeves so I would create a rectangle at the bottom. I’m saving the top for another project so there’s no waste.

I flipped the sweater inside out and stitched across the top of the sweater to finish off the edge and create a seam.

Can you figure out what I’m making yet? I’m sure you’ve seen it before – except it’s a little different this time!

Since I’m not exactly sure how I wanted to finish this piece off, I decided to temporarily finish it off with velcro. It’s an easy solution for a temporary fix!

I stitched around the edges to keep it on. If you haven’t figured it out – this is the opposite end of my shirt!

And TADA! A decorate pillow from your favorite top you just couldn’t bare to lose yet 😉

I’m pretty happy with the end result! Even happier that this project was completely free since I had everything I needed in stock. If you are considering doing this project you’ll need:

An old shirt or sweater: free!

A pillow: $5-$10 depending on the pillow and size.

A zipper: $2-$4 depending on the length

or

Velcro: $6 – but there will be extra left over for another project, so cut the price in half for this project and it’s $3

Thread: whatever you have on hand or $2 that will last you a ton of projects.
This project will probably run you between $7-$15 depending on what you have on hand!

What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

Love Always,

J

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year for Thanksgiving – we are spending time in Front Royal with Brian’s side of the family. We do it potluck style where we each bring  something, we catch up, watch the game (I married into a Redskins family), and eat!! I can picture it now – the men in their jersey’s hanging out in front of the TV, the women talking about life, and Emma running around like she’s been eating sugar for weeks 😉

So while that image entertains you (hopefully as much as it entertains me) here’s a list of things I am thankful for this year:

My loving family.

The ability to do what I love each day.

That even though sometimes we are stressed out and trying to make things work around here – that we are able to do it and we make it through all the hard times together.

 

I know that there is WAY more to be thankful of but right now, those are the most important for me 🙂
What are you thankful for this year?

 

Love Always,

J

Spending Time, Not Money.

If you don’t know me at all – I’ll ago ahead and let you know that I’m 4’11, around 95 pounds, and 24 years old. Finding clothes that fit me but don’t make me look 15 like this picture below does – is DIFFICULT! A few weeks ago I went through all of my clothes and decided to get rid of all the things I haven’t worn in a while.

This jacket was one of them. The reason I wanted to get rid of? The sleeves were ridiculously too long, which doesn’t help my height factor at all. Other than that, I love this jacket! Would I ever find one that fit me perfectly? Probably not. So instead of getting rid of it, I decided to fix it myself:

First things first, I turned it inside out, flipped the sleeve over to the length I like (A little longer than my wrist but not past my nuckles) and left a quarter of an inch of length for stitching. Pinning this by yourself is not an easy task so it’s nice to have someone handy around to help you with. I didn’t, so I just looked like a goof doing it myself 😉

Then it was time to sew! I used my favorite X stitch to make it as durable as possible. It took me all of 2 minutes per sleeve.

My one suggestion to you is NEVER to cut it until you try it on and are happy with the length. Since I like things on the longer side this seemed perfect for me.

Then I took my scissors and started cutting right at the seam of my  new stitch. Be careful not to cut the stitching or cut through the second layer of fabric. I took my time with this part since I am super clumsy (if I don’t teach you anything, please just remember – impatience is not your friend with scissors!!!).

Once it’s cut all the way around it will look like this (inside out). Then you are done! Fixing clothes is not hard and now I can keep this jacket instead of buying another one that still wouldn’t fit me right 😉

Saving money but spending a little time. Since I have a pile high of clothes I decided to edit instead of trash – this will be come a weekly post. Looking forward to showing you what I’ve got planned for next Monday! It involves an old knitted shirt:

I’m pretty sure this isn’t in style anymore – but I wore it all through high school, and sadly up until now 😛

Thanks for stopping by!

Love Always,

J

Oh Hello Studio <3

Most of you know that I’ve been doing a lot of crocheting lately instead of sewing. Well this weekend is the first weekend in the past few months that I’ll actually have time to be in my studio!! It’s going to be so refreshing to be back in that room with loads of time and a list of things I want to make! Plus Brian will be distracted playing COD with the guys so he won’t even miss me 😉

Here’s a little sneak peak at what I hope to get done this weekend:

I’m going to be sewing buttons on the new cozies. I’m always hand sewn them so I’m going to give my sewing machine a run for it’s money! When these are finished they’ll be up in my shop for purchase.

After my sister’s wedding, we packed up the burlap squares and they’ve been sitting in this pretty box waiting for me. Well, I’ve finally found a project for them! I’ll be making placemats out of these!

I also have a pile of clothes that need some TLC. Since I’m under 5′ it’s really hard to find clothes that fit appropriately without looking like a teenager, so I have collected a pile of clothes that don’t really fit right. There are some jeans I want to turn into skinny jeans, some pants that need hemming, some t-shirts that need to be taken in, and some sweaters that weren’t getting any attention that will be turned into decorative pillows!

I’m going to have some serious fun this weekend. What are you doing this weekend?

 

Love Always,

J

Old Town, New Day

One of my favorite things about living where we do is we aren’t too far from a good time. If you haven’t ever been to Old Town Alexandria – you are clearly missing out 😉 This place is where I like to get away with my mom. We spend an entire day walking around, shopping, getting our hair done, and enjoy the area.

 

This place is pretty spectacular. Every time we go I fall in love with it over again, I look into all the shop windows wishing, dreaming, hoping that one day one of those shops will be mine. As soon as we get there we pick a place for lunch. This time we chose Austin’s:

 

When it’s nice outside they have tables lining the sidewalk, which is where we love to be. Today it was wayyy to chilly so we snuck inside and pigged out. Austin’s Grill is one of my favorite American Style Mexican Food. I know that sounds so weird but when I think of Mexican food we make at our own home I think of Austins.

My sister and I used to come home from school and mix a little bowl of cheez whiz and salsa together and pop it in the microwave. It was our version of queso and when I eat the queso here at Austin’s it takes me straight back to the old days. It’s delicious!!!

 

Our next stop is to get pampered. Salon DNA is where we get our hair done and if you ever stop by – you better ask to get an appointment with Tim (he’s the man!!). We walk in here when it’s nice and sunny and we don’t make it out until sunset! It’s hours of hair therapy and it’s worth every little penny. Obviously it’s worth it, because we drive almost 2 hours to see Tim and get our hair done every three months! ❤

 

There are a few other things I love about this salon other than Tim and the magic he does with my hair. It’s how modern and crafty this place is! You know me and crafty things, so of course I had to share with you some of my FAVORITE crafty things they’ve done to spice up their shop. This desk is AWESOME. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a desk like this before and it makes me want to find a great way to repurpose materials for a fun design on my desk… my brain is churning with ideas!

The letters in front of the desk are a plus too. Those are so in, so easy, and totally fun!! But there’s an even better piece. Each time I walk into the store I drool over this:

 

This big beauty is jaw dropping to me! Not only is it ridiculously gorgeous – it’s pretty darn easy to make. Some heavy duty string, glass squares, and a square frame. I want to make me one of these!!!!!

After chatting it up, relaxing, and getting my head massaged we head to the next stop:

 

MMMMmmmm Alexandria Cupcakes! I wish I had gotten my mom to take a picture of me. You would have rolled on the floor laughing. I cannot take a bite of these cupcakes with out making the most ridiculous MMmmmMMmmMMmmm noises. Plus I always get icing on my nose 😛 It would have been a perfect picture opportunity 😉 Next time..

If I was rich – I’d live here, but I’d also have to have a beach house because this girl needs sand, waves, and salty air!

Do you have a favorite spot in your town you go to get away?

 

Love Always,

J