How to make a summer beach dress in 10 min

Have you been to the mall lately? Summer clothing is coming out and it seems dresses and skirts are big for women this year. The light dresses with fun colours that I have noticed.

Now, I have to start off with I am cheap when it comes to clothing... But I also don't want to work too hard to make clothing (sometimes). So here's my summer dress that cost me $2 and 10 min to make!

Let me show you how it's done.

First grab a top that fits snug/comfortable on you.

Then lay it on the fabric double sided with right sides together.

Cut along the top while gradually going outwards down to how ever long your toes goes until. You can draw lines too... if your too scared to cut. (I sure was)

Next sew the top of the shoulders together right sides together. (When sewing a stretchy fabric remember to slightly stretch the fabric so it doesn't wave. (I only took this photo after being finished the dress... So your looking at the centre seam is what connects the shoulder together)

Next sew along the edge of the dress. (I have a surger, but it would work just fine if you zigzaged the edge)

Finally double fold the arm holes and sew along the edge.

I like leaving the bottom unsewn as it won't fray and leaves a wispy feeling.

Sometimes I cut the bottom at an angle and sometimes I cut the front shorter then the back in a 'u-shape' Can you see the u-shape?

This was by far the most fun project I have made as it was incredibly fast, cheap and fixing a need that I had... the wanting of a light summer beach dress!

Happy sewing and thrifty living!

How to get rid of the stickiness under stickers or labels

You know that stickiness that lays behind stickers/labels that you cannot get off without scrubbing your heart out and even then its still sticky?!?!

This is my little cookies bunk bed frame that we got for free! But it came with half ripped off boys stickers...

Of course with the rest of this blog and my life I am trying to stay away from chemicals so "goo-gone" is out of the question. Plus I can save a couple dollars by NOT buying more stuff!

Baking soda to the rescue!!! Well that and coconut oil. Or any oil for that matter...
Baking soda has natural abrasives that removes the stick so the oil can loosen everything up!

Thats it! Equal parts coconut oil and baking soda, mix together and rub on sticky area. I let it sit for about 5 min then wiped it off!

This works for all things sticky, glass jars that you want to reuse or peeling stickers on your vacuum!

Happy de-stickafying!!!

Going gluten-free? Its easier then it looks!

Remember I said this blog is all about how we are changing different parts of our life to become more thrifty and healthier? Well this might be the biggest change we have implemented so far.

We are no longer eating food that contains gluten in it. Thats right people! No gluten! Let me tell you... gluten is in EVERYTHING! Well not everything... almost everything pre-made, including sauces. This might not be a move for your family yet or ever for that matter. But I truly believe it is a great change for my family. We all feel so different!

It was tricky for the first week but is getting easier every week that passes. I glance at the products list of ingredients in the grocery stores (the very few food items now that we purchase that are pre-made).

Here is a list of common ingredients/foods that are other names for Gluten:

wheat spelt kamut triticale semolina(durum wheat) farina  einkorn  bulgar  couscous  graham  modified wheat starch  wheat starch  wheat germ  wheat bran  whole wheat cracked wheat  cake flour matzo flour matzo meal  rye  barley malt flavouring

This change has benefited me the most as I no longer feel bloated after every meal or get diarrhea... TMI? Sorry! My future hubby (sheesh I LOVE saying that!) felt lethargic and full of gas for the first week and now has more energy then ever. 

There are sooo many gluten free options out there too now. We went to our favourite grocery stores to check out our options. There is pasta, breads, cupcakes, (not that we eat much of any of that... but just in case... and sauce mixes all GF!

Ok here are my 2 FAVOURITE Gluten Free recipes that no one would ever know are missing gluten!

Banana Bread from Nature Moms Blog

I use my Vitamix to blend almonds into almond flour. Its our cookies favourite type of banana bread now! Yay!

The second delectable food is Quinoa Brownies! I promise no one would know it has quinoa in it. I made it with our little one and didn't tell my sister, her hubby and my man until after they ate it. None of them believed us until we showed them the mess in the kitchen :) Whoops...

I didn't realize how many meals we make at home already that are gluten free. We have never ate much pasta or bread so that isn't missed much. Our grocery shopping has changed completely from going down every isle to walking around the veggie and fruit section for the longest part of our grocery time then to meats (which we are even eating less of these days).

This has made us eat at home more often and try different foods. It has also lead us to eating more sushi (which I will never complain about!)

We have been doing this for a whole month now and it is a welcomed change as it has decreased our food budget and making both of us feel healthier and not bogged down.

Happy thrifty healthy and as always crunchy living!

Vitamix intro into our Whole Foods life

We have just discovered the Vitamix. Well not just. We picked it up the end of December... If you haven't heard of it before you can go checkout there site. It is everything they promise and MORE!

Whats in here? Banana, Kale, strawberries, blueberries, apples, coconut oil, an orange and pineapple!

We purchased this about a month ago with healthy living in mind. Hoping it would help increase our green food intake and promote our whole food beliefs. We were right!

I use it every day! Most days twice! I make a smoothy in the morning before work and after work if I work into the evenings instead of eating a big meal before bed. Or if I feel like a snack in the middle of the day I will make one then too!

Before the Vitamix it was impossible to get my future hubby to eat the full amount of servings of fruit and veggies every day. Now, a piece of cake! Well... not cake, veggies! HA-HA-HA

Don't get me wrong, I love eating fruits and veggies not blended. Its very important for your teeth and gums to eat crunchy foods to strengthen the ligament around the teeth and also to help self cleanse your teeth. (Wow, just my little burst of dental info for you) But if you aren't getting enough just eating veggies and fruit that way then this is a great boost up! I also personally believe we should be eating more then what is recommended based on Canada's food guide or the US food guide. Go check out what the healthiest people are based on diet!

This one has banana, orange, strawberries, apples, carrots, kale, blueberries, pineapple and coconut oil.

This thing (Vitamix) is unbelievable! I put in apples cut in half (seeds and stem), grapes (including the vine), entire oranges and it blends it up so fine you cannot feel a single seed, texture or anything! I make my own homemade almond flour, coconut flour, peanut butter, and ice cream now!

The other morning our little cookie asked for orange juice with breakfast so I put in a whole orange, blended it for no longer then 1 min, added water, blended again for another min and voila homemade orange juice! It does not get fresher then that! Our little girl loves strawberry banana smoothies (with kale and coconut oil). Best way to sneak in known 'super foods'.

Now we have upgrated to 'green smoothies'!! Even little one likes the green smoothies now. Don't start with green smoothies right away, start your tastebuds out with fruit and a few veggies  :)

This is not only keeping more chemicals out of our foods (by not buying things in containers or pre-made) it is also much cheaper and fun/good to know for children understanding what they are eating!

Happy healthy Vitamixing!

How to make Leggings

This is one of the simplest projects I have done yet :) Yet they look great! Thanx to the amazing selection of very affordable fabric at Fabricland!

Step 1: I wrapped the fabric around my leg deciding how high I wanted them to be with seam allowance on either side.

Step 2: Sew the long edges together. I recommend surging or zigzag stitch.

Step 3: Sew the top. Fold the top over an inch or an inch and a half depending on your preference. Sew.

Step 4: Sew the bottom. Fold the top over 1/2inch and sew.

Step 5: Hand sew buttons where you like them. I put the long seam to the back so its not noticeable, put it on my leg and decided where I wanted the buttons to go. I think the double buttons look a little better :)

Happy Sewing!

DIY Glass Cozy

We have a family of 3 and no dishwasher (well except me). Family that lives downstairs, and friends and family that come over at least 5 times a week.

When people come over the most common request is a drink. We have water at our house which looks the same in all of our same looking cups. I was washing cups every day like it was going out of style. So I came up with an idea to decrease cup use!

Everyday one person is allowed one glass. How do we keep them straight? Glass Cozies!

I picked out different fabric colours and styles that I had at home, first for my family then for friends. It is a loop of fabric with an elastic band sewn inside the fabric. I just measured the width around our glasses and added some extra fabric to give the scrunchy look.

This has solved all my dishwashing problems! I no longer have to wash 6 glasses when there were only 3 people home.

Happy homemade living!

How to Naturally Unclog Drains

On a bottle of Draino: Only use in a well ventilated area. Meaning do not breath this stuff in as its toxic to your health. Hmm... This is not something I want to subject me or my family to. Nope, no way!

I've been growing my hair for the last 2 years and have noticed that our bathtub drains are clogging up.

It must be a mixture of shampoo, bodywash and hair. (Can't wait to start no-poo shampoo... for a later post). I used to only have to do this once a year and now its every 4 months... Two bathroom sinks and a bathtub... I used to buy Draino in the past but I couldn't bring myself to buy it until I tried a natural alternative.

And would you believe it? It's our very favourite two products in our home here! Baking soda and Vinegar! Cheap, but extremely effective, natural and non-toxic to the environment. 

How to Unclog Drains:

1. First grab a funnel or if you don't have one make one out of paper. Pour 1/4 cup baking soda down the drain. Make sure it is pushed down as far as it can go.

2. Pour 1/4 cup white vinegar down the drain and cover quickly with a plug. It fuzzes up pretty fast. 

I left it for an hour came back to it and all the hair was lifted up so I could easily grab it out. I repeated the steps and have a perfectly draining bathtub and sinks! You can use this for your kitchen sink too! I only had to do it once for my kitchen sink and do not do it as regularly.

Happy Natural, Thrifty, Healthy living friends!

Cloth Napkins vs Paper Towels

Cloth napkins vs paper towel... That is the real question.

Do you know how many paper towels are used in your house every month? Me neither... Until I counted... I buy my paper towel at Costco I think packages of 12. We used that package in 8 months... 

Whats all the hullaballoo?

Consider this, you'll probably use thousands and thousands of rolls, which is equivalent to an entire forest. Imagine a local forest that you've walked through being completely cut down just for paper towels! It isn't just trees that are being consumed, its the entire process of making them including chemicals that go into it. To increase absorbency, they've been subjected to dioxins and other ingredients (the process isn't disclosed on the roll of paper towels). They are also bleached to give them their white colour. The dangers of chlorine bleach have been well documented. Infants and toddlers are especially vulnerable to the effects of chlorine bleach. Finally, they can take up to a year to decompose but then again remember the chemicals that go into the process of making them? It is leaking into the water system and causing harmful effects.

For me and my family this was a no brainer and a simple fix! 

I went out and purchased some organic terry cloth and flannel for reusable cloth napkins. I purchased it with my Fabricland membership on the back isle that only cost $3 per meter and matching thread of course! 

I cut out 10" x 12" rectangles. I probably cut 30 of each. Then sewed right sides together close to the edges.

Make sure you leave a 2 inch opening to flip the fabric. 

 After flipping the fabric, tuck the opening in and iron flat.

Then top stitch along the edge. This makes a BIG difference! (I made 2 different colours so don't be confused...)

I wrapped them around a paper towel holder for the meantime but I think I would like to add snaps so they can be laid more evenly.

The man only started using them once I tucked the paper towel away. We have had them for 2 months now and we all love them! They feel so soft on our faces and are very durable. We use them for simple kitchen wipe ups and meal times. We have a whole other section of rags for cleaning the home instead of using paper towels. Our waste has gone down substantially just from not using paper towels and I must say I haven't noticed an increase in the laundry as they are quite thin.

Overall a great investment! Its Thrifty, natural, homemade, and a great present wrapped in a cloth bow!

Happy sewing and living a more environmentally conscious life!

DIY Natural Pet Stain Remover

We have a little pup. When we leave him for too long at home or if he is just extra anxious he goes to the bathroom on our carpet. First of all I cannot wait to have hardwood instead of carpet. This will solve most of our home pet problems when this gets changed over... Until then, we have carpet and a pet to clean up after!

This last one was a poop. It wasn't hard either. TMI? Sorry...

I got most of it off with a cloth... but the brown smelly colour was still there.

I know baking soda rids pups smells. I use it weekly before I vacuum the carpet. So I figured I would sprinkle some of that on. Then I remembered a grass stain that our little cookie had on her shirt. I took it off with baking soda and vinegar... just let it sit there for an hour.

I tried this on the carpet. Let it sit for 2 hours (for extra mess removal hoping with my fingers crossed) and wiped the area up. Don't let the mixture sit for longer then that as it will bleach the carpet. The smell and brown stain was gone! Phew! I can officially stop buying pet stain removers that are so costly and cannot be good to breath in due to the extra smells they add.

Pet Stain and Smell Remover:
Baking soda
Vinegar

Happy natural thrifty living!

Oil Cleansing Method

I should probably start off with I get breakouts... ALL THE TIME! I also have rosacea... My T-zone gets the worst of it... but really it happens all over my face... I used to buy any cleanser that promised to rid my face of blemishes or rosacea. Really, I tried them all. 

Have you seen the strange chemicals that are in facial cleansers? I don't even know where to begin with how many of them are toxic to your body and to the environment. Pick up your bottle and just do  a simple google search. That should be enough... 

Second thing about facial cleansers is that they can increase in price just because its for your face... Why? To make more money... 

So off I went on a search for a cheaper alternative that contains more natural properties.

Halfway through my last year of university I ran out of my facewash and decided it was time to go natural and cheap (student living and all). 

To my surprise I found Oil Cleansing Method.

Pardon, you say? Doesn't Oil + Face = Breakout!!!! Wrong!

No, this isn't true. Your face produces more oil then what is required due to drying effects. Your hair pores get clogged via dust/debris and other junk you get from daily living (or products your using in your hair/face cream) and this is what causes blemishes. (There are many other reasons for clogged pores, we are just talking about oil.)

I used the oil cleansing method for 6 months, wrote down what it was like week after week. I found out everyones skin is very different and you have to test out different ratios of the 2 oils you use that best suits your skin. 

Oil Cleansing Method:

This is a basic guide for your skin:

• Oily Skin: Try a blend of 30% Castor Oil to 70% Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
• Balanced Skin: Try a blend of 20% Castor Oil to 80% Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
• Dry Skin: Try a blend of 10% Castor Oil to 90% Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

I suggest using a glass bottle with a lid. You can find them at Walmart/Dollar stores. Make sure you clean your bottle before re-filling it for the next batch.

Pour a small amount on your fingers and rub gently in a circular motion all over your face for a minute or so. Ensure the oil is completely rubbed in. Next take a facecloth and put it under a tap of running hot water (not too hot it scalds you, just enough that you can stand it). Place the facecloth on your face for a few minutes until it cools. It is suggested that you do this a few times. Gently rub the excess oil off your face. Ta da! Done. Do this every night before bed.

Here are my results:

Week 1: Awful! Incredibly greasy face. Pimples and rosacea present.

Week 3: Face is feeling refreshed and grease level has decreased significantly

Week 4: Blemishes are clearing up and staying away

Week 6: Rosacea is gone! Still blemish free and my blackheads on my nose even look like they have decreased!

Week7-6 Month: Face feels great! Only get blemishes the odd time. Rosacea is completely gone. I stopped using coverup on my face after week 7!

Now I have stopped using these 2 oils combined on my face. Not because it stopped working but because I am that lazy to go buy Castor oil and it takes some time to sit with a facecloth on your face... Did I mention I am slightly impatient? I only go when I am out... Its always sold out at the Walmart close to me and a little more expensive at the grocery stores that I shop at... So I stopped using it.

I have since switched to Coconut oil as mentioned in a previous post. I find I can rub it in every morning and rub a little in just before I hop out of the shower (after rinsing my face with water). Only once a week I find I need to use a hot facecloth to open my pores. This seems to be good for me during our cold winter.

Happy Natural Living!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

We go through laundry detergent like its going out of style.
We are out again, today, and I couldn't bring myself to buy a bottle of overly smelly detergent that costs $12 every time...
We have tried quite a few different types. At first it was the ones on sale. Then I learnt about all the toxic crap that is in the regular brands. So we tried a couple more natural ones. But they are even more expensive and some are not telling the complete truth about the bad chemicals. Just because it says natural does not mean it is!

Sooo off to Google I searched and searched. I remember bookmarking natural DIY laundry detergents a couple months ago waiting for the day that ours ran out. Hmm... Most of the detergents have Borax in them... That doesn't sound very healthy does it?? Natural of less evils? Maybe...

Grist Explains it here.

Anywhoooo I decided to go Borax free! Here is the recipe.

DIY HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT
3 cups Baking Soda        $3.25 (for a GIANT container!)
3 cups Washing Soda     $6.59 (I used 1/8 of it)
1.5 bars Dr. Bonner's Castile Soap (peppermint scent) $2.67 each

Off to the store I went for my real natural products.

I walked down the laundry detergent isle today looking for washing soda and Castile soap and had to breath shallowly... There are sooo many smells that are supposed to be "fresh" in the laundry detergent section. There are soo many harmful chemicals in the fabric softeners that get used every day not to mention its toxic to our environment. Don't use them!

I found both of them at London Drugs and always have a giant container of baking soda at home for all my cleaning and baking needs :-)

After mixing up a batch I gotta say I was dieing to try it out! Its in a sealable container that has a 1/8 cup scoop sitting in it just waiting to be used. I put smelly cloths that I cleaned up my pups pee with... I know... Gross! Grass stained and mudded up jeans and some other randoms. I washed on cold as normal (energy saving of course), put in 1/8 cup vinegar into the fabric softener section (as normal) and let my HE machine do its thing! I opened the door to clean smelling clothes. No abnormal smell of perfume, just clean smelling clothing! Oooohhhhh Happy Days!

Plus with this amount of detergent it should last our family of three 10 months!

Did you read these things?!?!
Its Cheap!
Its Healthy!
Its Natural!
Its Environmentally friendly!
It's MUCH Easier then you think to make!


Happy Natural DIY Living!

Homemade Natural Deodorizers

You know that spot under the sink that occasionally smells thanks to the garbage can and compost under your sink?

Sure you can go out and buy something that gets rid of the smell in strange places, but firstly, where is the fun in that, secondly, consider all the chemicals that go into those products that covers the smell and how they are affecting your body. Research perfume and secret chemicals... Sooooo gross!

I found a chemical-free, thrifty, all natural and DIY deodorizing disk that you can make with ingredients that you have at home!  Huzzah! 

Remember I was talking about the million benefits of baking soda? Well here is another one. It deodorizes the fridge, carpet and under the sink! 

This recipe makes 4 deodorizing disks.

1 1/2 cup baking soda

1/2 cup hot water (distilled or boiled for 10 min)

Oil of your choice (I chose Vanilla the first time and lavender oil my second time)

 Mix all the ingredients into a bowl ensuring a very thick consistency. Add extra baking soda if you need to! (This will help it dry out faster)

 Scoop the baking soda mixture into the cupcake lined muffin tins. Tap the whole thing on the counter to smooth out or dabble your finger gently on the surface. (both works fine)

 And there you have it!

Your very own homemade deodorizing disks! They can be used in lots of different areas! Diaper bins, mud rooms, behind the boys bathroom toilet, or in the same room the athlete in the house keeps their gear in! 

When they finally dried (took 4 days) I live in BC Canada and its all rain right now... I left them in the cupcake liners and placed them in boy areas around the house.

Enjoy your fresh smelling rooms!

Little Girls First Book Bag

Thats right, our 7 year old asked for a book bag! Not a backpack because aren't cool anymore?
Yikes.
So I asked what she was going to use her book bag for. She has a journal she writes in every day. She writes about her day, her favourite things that happened during the day, what she is thankful for from that day and what she wants to do for tomorrow.

Anyways... this bag needed to be cute, have pink (of course) and have a shoulder strap that can be adjustable.

My solution? My giant pyjama pants that were not being used! This is a great beginners project! Upycling AND FREE!

Whoops, took a picture after it was cut... I used the leg of the jammers with the hem being the top of the bag. I sewed the bottom of the bag together creating a rectangle with one open edge.

 I then matched up the seams on each bottom corner of the bag and sewed right across giving the bag a little more base.

 Finally I sewed 2 rings to either side of the bag and attached a strap like with an adjuster so she can either put it over one shoulder or over her head.

Her journal fits perfectly! She loves her new heart book bag :) I might make a bag for myself.

Happy sewing!

Girls leggings from moms stretchy pants

Another DIY thrifty project! Sewing and most importantly Upcycling! I just saved myself $20! Which is not much... but if you keep adding that $20 over and over again it adds up... right? My little cookie is not much of a jeans wearer... When she picks out her clothing the bottom part is always leggings! Did you know even at Walmart little girl leggings are $10! Common! Its the tiniest bit of fabric... how can it be that much? I can buy a meter of fabric for $2!... Wait, thats not a bad idea...

I went to the mall and they have adult leggings in every colour you could imagine on sale! Ahem, Urban Planet, Thank you! They were $2 each! So I purchased... a few...

Not for me of course... well except the black ones... and the brown ones... and the grey ones... but the other colours were for another project...

Project leggings for our little cookie!

She is a size 6-7ish depending on the store, but 7 years old.

I found the tutorial here.

I laid down her own leggings (that fit her) folded one leg into the other onto the newly purchased leggings and cut around them leaving 1/4 inch for sewing. I made 2 sets of little girl leggings from each pair of purchased pants! That means I spent $1 on her leggings. To top it off I unpicked the waistband from the purchased leggings and sewed them right into her new ones! I have also made her leggings out of stretchy pants that don't fit me anymore. Yes, that means FREE

Now when I ask her to get dressed in the morning, the first thing she pulls out is her NEW leggings! She now coordinates her shirts to match them too! Kids love handmade things from their parents! Try it out! You can't go wrong with this project!

Happy sewing and up cycling

How to clean an oven naturally... after a much needed clean!

Thats right, its time to clean the oven. Its getting cold out and no one wants to go outside in the rain. Why not clean your oven? BEFORE it starts on fire... Thats right, I said fire...

My girly friend came over the other night with pizza. It was this giant pizza, with tomatoes spinach and lots of cheese! (I know, not part of my healthy choices)... anyways... I heated up the oven and we started our much needed girly chat at the table in the kitchen.

I looked over at the oven and smoke was coming out of the elements. My thought, "this cannot be good." Seconds later smoke was billowing out of the sides of the door of the oven... "Ok, definitely NOT good!" I opened the oven to see how bad the damage was and flames flew out at me! (I am skipping the ridiculous conversation my friend and I had or the amount of time we let the fire continue) I quickly closed the oven door, grabbed my giant container of baking soda (and I mean GIANT) and emptied it into the oven covering the flames. Surprisingly, it wasn't enough to put the fire out so I grabbed my extra large container of flour, and started scooping handfuls of it throwing it in the oven... Blast! What a MESS!!! Yes, we do have a fire extinguisher... but I was told it makes a real mess... I don't think it can be messier then this...

Baking soda and flour was EVERYWHERE!

The worst part, We didn't even get to put our pizza in the oven to cook... and my goodness were we both sooooooo hungry!!!

 Until I realized I have a mini oven. We sliced up the pizza and put a couple slices in there at a time... The first round. Burnt. Black on the bottom...

 Anyways... back to my oven. I told you this whole using the oven and cooking was new to me and now I realize how dirty it gets when you use it so often. The oven fire was caused from my first homemade turkey! I left it for 3 days dreading the day I will clean it up. Not only because it was a HUGE mess but I was told and researched how bad using an oven cleaner was for your health... Did you know they suggest a mask and opening all windows and doors and the use of a fan while using oven cleaner? Yikes. Oven cleaner is NOT good stuff... Good to know. It is also soooo expensive. At my grocery store it cost $20... much too much for a part-time worker! Especially when I can do the same job using non-toxic chemicals for free! Yay to being Thrifty!

So I looked up what our people of the past used to clean the ovens. Good ol' arm and hammer baking soda, white vinegar and lemon! Best inventions ever! I obviously had to pick some more up as I used my other stuff in the fire...
I first took a rag and wiped up the stuff that created the fire. Turkey grease from Thanksgiving!
Then I dusted the baking soda all over the oven.
Next I grabbed an old spray bottle and poured vinegar in it. I sprayed the vinegar all over the baking soda and let it fuzz and sit for 2 hours. This loosened up the grime I couldn't remove with the rag. 2 hours later I grabbed my scrubby that has no metals and scrubbed the heck outta the oven. It really wasn't that much work! My trusty natural cleaners did most of the work!

 I took a pic of my oven door half cleaned. I just wanted to show you how it just came off with a little elbow grease. Look how dirty this oven is...

I tackled this next... 

Yay a  clean oven door! By the way, did you know your oven door comes off of most models? I didn't until I accidentally almost pulled it off... Good to know.

 This is my cleanish oven! I know there is still grime on it but it looks worse in the picture then in real life. Promise!

And from  now on I am using this tinfoil liner I bought from the dollar store (but I am sure you could lay tinfoil down...

I put the door back on, cut the lemon in half covered them in water and baked it in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 min. The leftover grease comes off with a rag after the oven cools enough for you to wipe.
And your home is left with that scrump citrus smell!

How to cover up holes in leggings

Have a hole in an adorable piece of clothing? Patch it!

Children get holes in their pants. They play on the playground, kneel in dirt, drag their legs on the floor and soooo much more!

I have a very thrifty idea to cover up the holes in leggings that is such a cute idea, plus your little girl will love the new design!

She only had one hole in one of the legs, but it looked funny just adding a patch of fabric to one leg... Can you guess which one? Haha the knee of course!
I cut out her favourite shape (heart) out of plain fabric I had just lying around.  I pulled out the ol' hand needle and thread (doubled the thread to add thickness). I started from inside the pant leg and just went around the heart. Piece of cake? Piece of pie!

Yay for simple fixes and DIY for newbies!

How to make a maxi skirt in 2 hours

Lately I have been going through this sewing frenzy... I want to sew everything, until I remember I am a beginner and should take things slowly... Slowly Jessica, Common!

I saw soo many women in these maxi skirts that I think look good on some people and not so good on others. I thought I would be in the 'other' group. So I never even tried one on at the stores as they were much to long and I did not own a sewing machine and didn't want to take it to get hemmed. Sooo that is my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Anyways, I decided to make one using this and this tutorial.

(In the corner is my little pups ears.)

I found a pretty stretchy fabric at Fabricland for a whopping $2 for 2 meters! that I was a little worried about but couldn't help but buy it as it was sooo soft and silky! It isn't as hard as I thought it was going to be working with such a stretchy fabric. If I don't have to worry neither do you! This is a perfect beginners project!

I loved it so much and the little cookie loved it so much I decided to make 2! One for her one for me :) I bought too much fabric (you only need 1 meter if your about a size 5 women's) She is 7 and I still had sooooo much left over fabric! I wonder what else I can use this silky soft fabric for? Any ideas?

You can see I used the yoga band style for my little cookies dress and the 3 inch elastic waistband for me. For my future maxi skirts I will be making the yoga band waistband its sooooo comfy!!!

Happy sewing friends!

A Little Skirt for a Little Girl

I LOVE sewing! I feel like I can finally create something that is actually useful. This project is perfect for beginners! I brought my little cookie to the fabric store and showed her the giant wall of on sale fabrics. I told her she could pick any 2 fabrics on this giant wall at Fabricland. She thought this was the coolest thing. Her little eyes spotted a great deal!

She chose these 2 fabrics

We purchased 1 yard of each fabric to make a total cost of $3.45 (this is WAY MORE fabric then what you need). I also needed some elastic for the waist which cost $3.00 and was WAY more then what I needed so I am estimating a cost of $.25. I used less then 1/4 of both fabrics so how much would that be? Math isn't my strongest... so $1.00 for this skirt? Is that right?

I wanted to make something pretty easy for my first clothing project so I chose a rectangle ruffled skirt. with a separate gather on the bottom. I found the pattern from here. I didn't add the extra layer on the bottom though.

Here is my interpretation. Next time I will add a little more fabric around her waist to gather :)
She is now one very happy little girl!

Have you made a skirt for any age? Send me your pictures or comment on how it went!


Happy Sewing

Want to make a dress for $1.15? I do!

Now that I have re-learned a couple things about sewing I am back into the groove... Hopefully...
What did I make and succeed at? A tank dress! Yes indeedy!

Its kinda like the T-shirt Dress but with a ribbed tank top. Anyways, this is a PERFECT project for new beginners and summer/spring wear. It is INCREDIBLY comfortable and just sooo cute! Dress it up with a cute necklace or belt!

I have a bunch of tank tops that are too short... I am not sure if they were short when I bought them or if that shrinking machine I have that cleans my clothing made them just that much shorter. One thing I will never know I guess...

Anyways back to my little project. I have 4 of these ribbed tanks that I do not wear anymore but didn't have the heart to throw out or donate so I kept them. They count as free! Next is the fabric. I spent a whopping $2.30 on the fabric. I only used half the fabric! So really this dress cost me $1.15 to make!

You can find a great tutorial here. The only recommendation I would make is to not double the fabric and just hem the seam. I found it was too bulky when I doubled it.

And here is my final product :) It looks good without the bow belt but I put a thick brown belt around it too which looked a little better.

 Happy Sewing Friends!