Projects I Might Possibly Someday Have Time For

I have too much that I want to do before baby comes that isn't on the top of my priority list, and therefore not getting done. Mostly, I need to stop browsing facebook and pinterest so that I A) stop wasting time there that could be used doing fun and productive things and B) stop finding ideas for more things to do! I also need to lear to multitask better so I can sew and watch olympics at the same time.

Here are some of the projects I really want to make for baby.

I'm obsessed with these darling little bow ties. I doubt I'll have the energy to dress him up all the time, but if my little guy could look dapper for church every once in a while, I would love that!

This tutorial is from SlowMama.com, and I think it's my favorite out of the many I've looked at. Can't wait to try it!

Last easter Cameron got me fabric to make myself a new skirt and I used the leftovers to make him a matching tie! I know, I'm one of those newlyweds. Today I thought to myself, how cute would it be to make our baby a tie to match his Daddy? Yup, now I'm that mom. It would look so cute if I could make him some little matching shorts, too. Sadly, I don't think I have much of that fabric left. I'll have to see if Joann's is carrying the same ones this year.

This tutorial is from TheDIYMommy.com

I love these little cardigan onesies. Again, I want my little boy to be dapper on occasion. I was thinking I could somehow alter this pattern to make a blazer as well, so that I could make him a men's chorus uniform to match his Daddy's. This tutorial is from Diesel in Bloom.

I want to try to make some jammies for Baby, too, with the leftover fabric from the carseat cover and the madras plaid flannel I used to make the pants. This pattern is for using an adult t-shirt as your fabric so you can use the original collar instead of having to finish the edge yourself, which I think is genius. Courtesy of Feather's Flights.

Here's another fantastic "upcycle" pattern that uses old sweaters to make jammies. We just so happen to have a few well loved sweaters hanging around (and DI always has some as well.) I think these look adorable and comfy. These are from Corduroy's Closet.

So, it's doubtful I'll get most, if any, of these done before baby arrives, but hopefully I'll at least get the chance to make a cute little tie or something!

Remnants

The other day Cameron and I were shopping for baby (again) and we passed the fabric section of the store. Being the person that I am, I immediately started thinking of excuses to go down that aisle, most of them having to do with how baby clothes are expensive and we need a lot of them and I bet I could make some for cheeper. I ended up finding this darling madras plaid flannel remnant for under $5. Since babies are small, you can get a lot out of less than a yard of fabric if you place your pattern pieces right!

I watched my mom sew a lot growing up (most of my halloween costumes, some church and formal dresses, my siblings' costumes, alterations for the school plays, you name it!) and thankfully managed to pick up a few skills. I'd rather use a store-bought pattern than a homemade one, but I'd also rather use one that's free for something simple, like elastic waist pants, so I decided to give it a go!

A new concept I learned while sewing these was that if what you're planning on hemming is going to be very small (like the bottoms of the pant legs) it would be better to hem them before you sew the sides of the legs together so you don't have to put your fingers in danger to make sure that you aren't catching both sides. Probably should have been a no-brainer, but since I've mostly sewn skirts and other things big enough for me to wear, I've never run into that problem before.

Ta-da! Cute little baby boy pants! I still have enough fabric left (hopefully) to make some jammies and a bow tie!

Hooray! They turned out the same size as the 0-3 mo pants I bought.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

I love the snow, but I really don't like being cold. Sigh. Take it from a girl who grew up in Michigan: it IS possible to stay warm in the winter, even if you're dressed up! The key is to layer, layer, LAYER.

I've found that there are a few things that, especially when combined, make it much easier to stay warm!

Sweater Tights: These will help keep your legs warm. I absolutely love mine. Sometimes I'll even wear them under pants if I need a little extra coziness (can you say snowy football games?) These are also great because you can get away with wearing socks underneath them, since they're not see-through. I've also heard that they have this magical new invention of fleece-lined leggings. Normal leggings would work well, too.
(Another tip, skirts sometimes stick to tights and stockings and definitely to leggings and this will make your skirt ride up and get bunchy when you walk. A slip will fix this.)

Gloves: Even the stretchy, knit kind will help immensely. If your hands and feet are warm, the rest of you will deal with the cold much more happily.

Boots: Dressy boots that can be water-proofed (they sell cans of water-proofing spray at lots of shoe stores) will keep your feet dry, which is hugely important. Wet feet means cold feet. Boots will also help keep your ankles warm!

Coat: Invest in a good coat that is warm as well as cute. I have a coat that I've used since high school that is thin and tailored, but is as warm as the puffy marshmallow coat I used to have with down-feather filling. I also have a couple other coats that are a bit more dressy, but not as warm or waterproof. I usually wear these with a sweater underneath if I need to be outside for a long time to keep the wind and cold out more effectively.

Hat: You lose a lot of body heat from your head. If you keep it covered, you'll be warmer! Your ears will thank you as well.

Scarf: They're cute, they keep your neck warm, if it's bitterly cold and windy you can pull it up over your face, or use it to cover the top of your head. Use it to add a little color or pattern that your coat might otherwise be covering in your outfit.

Here are some of my favorite winter outfits (just make sure you add a coat!)

Knee-length button up dress with sweater tights, scarf, and boots

Pleated maxi skirt, drape neck blouse, leggings (worn under the skirt for warmth,) and shiny black wedges

maxi skirt, t-shirt, chunky-knit sweater, wedges, and adorable vintage-style hat!

knee-length sweater dress, teeny belt, knee-length fuzzy socks, and zip up boots (tall enough to hide the socks)

Our Wedding: The Dress Part II

While traveling to and from the temple, leaving the reception, and at the open-houses we held in our hometowns, I wore my maternal grandmother's dress from when she was married in 1962 (Please forgive me if I got that wrong, my memory is all but gone these days.)

This grandma always seemed to have fabulous sundresses from when she was a young adult hanging in the closets. The summer that Cameron and I got engaged, we were visiting her with the rest of my family. My sisters and I were playing dress up in the kids room, but most of the things in the dress-up drawer didn't fit me anymore, so I went poking around in the closet to see if my mom's old prom dresses were still there and saw this beautiful lace dress. I tried it on and loved it. I could tell that it was older than anything my mom had worn, so I went down the hall to show my grandma and she told me that it was her wedding dress! I was embarrassed that I hadn't asked before trying it on, but she took me back in her room and pulled out an old album and showed me pictures from her wedding. Soon after, I asked her if it would be ok if I wore it for my wedding.

The morning of the wedding she came to my hotel room and helped me put it on. It was so special to share that moment with her. I also loved that I didn't have to get it altered! I'm really short-waisted so the shoulders floated a little bit, but since it was sleeveless and I wore it with a cardigan you couldn't really tell.

I love the bow at the waist. And the flared skirt. And pretty much everything about it!

Because the dress didn't have sleeves, I paired it with a shimmery pink cardigan. Even though pink wasn't really in our color scheme, it's traditional for the bride to wear pink when she leaves the reception, so I thought that was fitting.

I'm so grateful to both of my grandmothers for letting me share that special day with them, and for letting me use their wedding dresses. I love you both so much!

To see The Dress: Part I, click the picture below!

Our Wedding: The Dress, Part 1

I absolutely loved my wedding dress. I love that it was my grandmother's dress 51 years before I wore it, I love that she made it herself, and I love that her mother-in-law from Germany helped add the lace details. It was so special to be able to share that with my grandmother.

Before I met Cam I had this vision in my head of a white lace gown that was tight to the knees, had a sweetheart neckline, a long, beautiful train, you get the idea. Then, I went to my grandma's house one day. I was looking in one of her closets for an old prom dress of mine she had let me keep there since there wasn't room in my little apartment and I found her wedding dress. The satin was faded to a beautiful gold, the stitches at the shoulder were starting to pull, and the zipper was broken, but it was lovely! I fell in love with it. My grandma helped my try it on and safety-pin the back closed and took some pictures of me. I could tell she really liked the idea of my wearing her dress at my wedding, but neither of us expected that within four months I would be asking her if I could.

I had my dress altered at Avenia Bridal in Orem, UT. The ladies there did a fantastic job. They were so kind and accommodating, and they took such good care of the dress. Im very short-waisted, so to make the dress fit me they had to take a little bit of fabric out of the shoulders. They took off the lace that would have been pulled into the seams and then reattached it once the alterations had been made with the original beads. I appreciated that so much.

I love the princess seams and the pointed, snow-white-esque waistline.

I'm a huge fan of the 3/4 length sleeves. We were married in November and I was planning on having a very cold wedding. Thankfully, we were blessed with a miraculously warm day (in the low 60's when it had been snowing just a week before,) but I think that even if we'd been married in the summer I would still have kept the longer sleeves.

I love this dress, but I didn't want to transport it across the country to our reception in Michigan, so I wore my "Getaway Dress" (which was my maternal grandmother's wedding dress) at our other receptions. To see my post about that dress, click on the picture below!

Our Wedding

It's been a little over a year since our wedding, and I've been looking back and reminiscing a lot. I was recently the matron of honor at my cousin's wedding and helping her plan and prepare made me think more about our wedding, what I liked and what I would have done differently, and just how incredibly happy I was to finally be married to my best friend!

Having all of these thoughts swirling through my head, I thought I'd share them with all of you! You know, if you're interested ;)

So, starting this week, Mondays will be talking about our wedding, tips for brides planning their own weddings, maybe I'll even do some wedding inspiration posts.

Here we go!

The Dress: Part 1

   

The Dress: Part 2

   

The Cake

Invitations

The Rings