Days of Thankfulness: Day 1 & 2

So a friend posted this on Facebook. I am sure you have seen it as well. "22 Days of Thankfulness." A kind of countdown if you will, each day until Thanksgiving you post something you are thankful for. I love the idea, but since I like to keep my status updates strictly for important things like my candy corn addiction and what I ate for breakfast, I decided to blog it instead.

And since I missed yesterday, I'm going to post two today...

Day 1.

I am thankful for my husband, who is the most patient and kind person to ever come into my life. I have the most incredible life and I owe it all to him.

Day 2.

I am beyond thankful for our sweet little Gracie girl. She is such a happy, smart and funny little girl. And because we had her 15 month well check visit today, I'm also so thankful that she is such a healthy little girl and growing so perfectly.

And as a sneaky 3rd thing I am thankful for....is for great friends like Kristina O'Brien who took these gorgeous photos of my family! Please check out her site!!

See you tomorrow!

My Sewing Room Reveal

I am not pregnant.

I'm sorry. I just needed to disclaim that before we go any further. My old sewing room was in one of our spare bedrooms. So when I mentioned that I was "moving", I got a lot of nosy curious friends (totally kidding, love you guys!!!!) wondering if we needed that room for baby #2. We don't. Not yet. I suppose we will, eventually (EVENTUALLY people!) and so it was a nice bonus for the move. But not the real reason! Ok, moving on. :)

My old sewing room was unorganized, with little storage, and misused furniture. It was always a disaster. I felt like I never got anything done because I just sat in there stressed by the mess. I wish I had a before picture to share with you. You might believe me. It was that bad.

So anyway, I think my sweet, patient husband had finally had enough of the mess and kindly suggested that we create a more usable space for me. We luckily had an empty space off our master bedroom in our house. It was meant to be a sitting room I think, but we really aren't sitting room people...so it had been empty since we moved in. But with a little handy work from hubby, and it's mine, all mine, all mine!

So without further ado...my new sewing room!

Greg made the built in shelf & desk for me out of wood and premade kitchen cabinets from Lowes. Perfect space for my machines and various supplies.

I use 2 tension rods between the shelf and the wall for some easy hanging storage for all those little dresses I churn out.

The other side of the room has an old dresser for more storage, and my cutting table. 

My cutting table for now is a simple folding table, but considering I miss my cutting mat and cut into the table about 90% of the time, a folding table is just fine!

The dresser I bought at a yard sale 10 years ago {wow, am I that old?} for $7. It's perfect for extra storage and for displaying a few things on top.

This box on the cutting table is where I keep all my patterns. I organize them in file folders by size & garment. (It doesn't look all that organized from this picture! Ha...I promise it is. Kind of.)

And that is about all folks. I still have a few touches I'd like to add...like a "Little Pink Peony" sign somewhere...and maybe a new ironing board cover? {Ewww, I know. Please don't judge me!} 

But for now, I'll deem my little room just about perfect. If only peonies were in bloom instead of hydrangeas... ;)

Thanks for letting me share my space with you all! 

A first

I have not posted in about a bajillion years. {Why do I feel like all my posts start like this?!} But there is something very extra special about this week that I felt compelled to scrounge up a few extra minutes to write this post.

My sweet baby is turning O-N-E. Yes, it deserves all caps. I always think that the first birthday is maybe the most special. I mean, she has to wait at least 12 years to reach another milestone birthday. {Eeek, let's not even think about the teenage years, ok?}

But first birthdays are also a celebration for the parents and all the family and friends that make taking care of a teeny tiny person possible. I truly believe it does take a village to raise a child.

{If only that village were in my house at 3 am every night. For nine months straight.}

But seriously there are so many people that have helped to make our lives as a family of three easier, and we want to celebrate with everyone about how sweet, smart, and special this little girl has become.

So next weekend we will celebrate with the most fabulous Strawberry Shortcake themed (for my little strawberry haired girl) party that I can manage to throw together. And in true D & G Stories style, it is totally DIY, crafty, and thrifty! Stay tuned for a few posts on party details and of course a party recap after the big day.... 

Sweet baby dress

So I took a little hiatus from my little shop to make a little gift for a new mommy friend that just had her first baby. She had a sweet little girl...and so I did the obvious and made her a little dress set. (Could I have said little any more in that sentence?!)

I loved this fabric from the moment I laid eyes on it! The delicate flowers and vintage feel to it are just so sweet. There was no way it wasn't coming home with me. I paired the skirt with a sweet little swiss dot trim.

And of course my beloved seersucker for the top...and a red pin dot ruffle...with sweet little red heart buttons.

And of course a matching diaper cover. I don't know what it is but I think little diaper covers are just the cutest things.

 I think it's that little diaper bum. Ohhhh, when my kids are all grown I know I will not miss diapers, but I will miss that adorable little diaper bum. Soooo cute.

 But anyway...there is sweet little Kairi's newest outfit! I know, I know...she probably has a closet full of clothes and will outgrow this in 2.5 seconds. But I couldn't resist. 

And afterall, dresses are kind of my thing. :)

Welcome to the world, sweet girl!

Birthday Presents

Our good friends who live just up the street have a sweet little girl who had a birthday last week! She just loves Gracie...and exclusively calls her Baby Gracie, might I add. How cute is that? So of course Baby Gracie and I had to join in her celebration at her flower themed party. And of course I had to make her a custom dress for her gift!

 Her mom had commented on the the Candy Shoppe dress I had listed in my shoppe, so I decided to make Maryn a version of her own.

Of course, I decided this the morning of the party, which was at 11. AM. And I had to take Gracie to a doctors appointment that morning. So when we got home from the doctors, I put Gracie down for her nap, and somehow managed to crank this one out in just an hour! A little pressure never hurt anyone.

I love how fun & bright & summery it turned out. And of course...gotta love that seersucker! 

 Turquoise seersucker just might be my favorite so far.

 The bottom hem & ruffles are from a pink sparkly fabric. It's hard to tell in pictures, but the thread just sparkles in the sun! I'm pretty sure all little girls love at least a little sparkle.

I think Miss Maryn liked it too!

Here goes nothing...

So I have had it in the back of my mind for a while. I love to sew. I love to create. I love to design clothes and put fabrics together and take a flat piece of fabric and morph it into an adorable dress or outfit.

I also love this little peach. And staying home with her while she's still so cute & lovable is my main priority.

So I figured there was no better way than to just dive right in and open an etsy shop! While she is still a great napper and I can carve out a few hours of "mommy" time during the day.

I am my own worst critic. I sew a garment, and then pick it apart, sometimes literally! But I think I have had a bit of practice over the last few years (thank you family for being my guinea pigs!) and I feel like I'm ready for this.

So I came up with a name. I bought some labels.

I visited the fabric store approximately six hundred times to pick out just the right combinations. Then I would get a new idea and have to go back. My head is spinning with ideas and I feel like I can't crank out the designs in my head fast enough! But I managed to crank out at least a few.

So with a few dresses designed, I posted them to Etsy, and my new shop was born.

I have been open for a little over two weeks now...and I have had a few sales even! It feels good! Knowing that there are people out there who like things I make just as much as me. Maybe there are more of you?

Hop on over to my shop to check it out!

Waterproof Carseat Stroller Blanket

One of the greatest things I bought for Gracie is a waterproof car seat & stroller blanket. One side is nylon, one side is fleece.

The fleece side keeps Gracie warm and cozy. (My little monkey was taking a nap, so sock monkey volunteered to model.)

The nylon side can be flipped up as a temporary rain guard from rain or snow...

There are also ties on each side, so that you can tie it onto the car seat or the stroller so those wiggly little feet don't kick it off.

(Come on, I can't be the only one that has had a blanket go sailing down the side walk because my future soccer player decided she was done with it!)

Although I bought my blanket, I couldn't help but think how easy (and cheaper!) it would be to make your own. So I made one for my dear friend Amanda who is having a new baby boy very soon.
And now I'm going to show you how to make your own!

You will need one piece of nylon, one piece of fleece. I also used a piece of white flannel, since my nylon was kind of see-through and you could see the polka dots through it. For some reason this bugged me, so I used the white flannel to make the nylon not so see through. It made for a thicker blanket, so you can definitely leave this piece out if you want and just use the nylon and the fleece.

 Cut each piece to size of 24" x 36". Lay them on top of each other. You want the nylon and fleece facing each other. (Again, if you want to skip the flannel you definitely can...in which case you'll only have the two bottom layers in this photo.)

 Pin them together all around the edge. Make sure to trim any excess so your fabrics line up exactly.

Next we need to add in the ties. Cut four pieces of ribbon, all equal lengths. I cut mine 14".

Measure down one of the long sides about 1/3 of the way down. It doesn't have to be exact. Take two pieces of ribbon and pin them in between the fleece and nylon layers. You want the ribbon to be inside the blanket at this point. Repeat on the other side. Make sure you put the ribbon on each side the same distance from the top on each side..

 Finish pinning your blanket together so that you have pinned all four sides. Sew around the edge, leaving a few inch opening at the bottom. Make sure your ribbons you pinned are tucked inside and you don't sew them back into the blanket. (You of course sew through the edge of the ribbon that you pinned...just not the loose edge that is dangling inside the blanket.)

 Clip the corners. Turn right side out, using a pin or your seam ripper to pick out the corners so they are as pointy sharp as you can get them.

 You'll see how your ribbons are now coming out the side of the blanket.

Press the edges so they are nice and flat. Fold under your opening a bit and press.

Top stitch all the way around the edge of the blanket, making sure you catch both pieces of the fabric when sewing your opening closing. I stitched 1/4inch from the edge, but you can really do whatever looks best to you.

 Again, be sure to move the ribbons out of the way when you stitch by them...you don't want to stitch them back to the blanket!

 And you're done! Tie that blanket onto your car seat or stroller and your little monkey will stay warm & dry.

 And even the slickest of Houdini's wont kick this blanket off! 

This item is probably on my top 5 favorite baby items list. Yes, I think it's that great! I have used it every single day, rain or shine, since it arrived in the mail months ago. I have also used it as a nursing cover by tying the sides together and just throwing it around my neck. I have thrown it on the ground when we were playing outside, since the nylon keeps the fleece dry from wet grass. I have thought about making a lighter weight one for summer with nylon and interlock too. So really, make one! For yourself, or the new mom on the block. She will thank you!! And you can thank me later. ;) Enjoy!