Holy sheet it's a skirt! (Petticoat skirt tutorial)

The older I get the more I realize that I have been a tomboy so long that I don't really know quite how to do feminine. I know how to be lady-like and all the etiquette stuff...well, mostly, but looking feminine is another story. I didn't start really wearing makeup until about 3 years ago and I did so only because I started feeling old. Since then I have tried to find a sense of style that suits me and for the most part I am okay. Dresses, however, have eluded me since Jr. High. Because of this, I have resigned myself to wearing skirts. In all my blog-surfing, I have noticed that Shabby Apple and Anthropologie are very popular and I like what I have seen on other people and on the websites. Although, I have a hard time imagining myself in such attire. So with this in mind, I am taking a huge risk-- well, for me it's a risk--in trying this. So you'll have to tell me what you think.

I saw this skirt on someone's site, sorry, I can't remember which, but it gave me inspiration to try to make something out of the ordinary for me. I am very cautious by nature and being such, I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something I couldn't be sure I was going to wear. I know myself, and even if I made it, I might not wear it so I thought, "what can I do?" So, I looked in my closet and found a sheet. It was a lonesome sheet that I had no idea how I ended up with since there was no fitted sheet or pillow cases I figured it didn't matter what I did with it.

This sheet had a decorative trim so I cut that off to use for my top layer.

I measured this top portion and it was about 5 inches wide and folded in half so that is what I am going to repeat for continuity. Set this aside for later.

Take the rest of your flat sheet and measure out your foundation for your skirt. You can either use a favorite skirt as a pattern or just measure to your desired width. If you decide to trace your skirt, make sure you leave extra for seam allowance or you will find out that it doesn't fit. I measured mine and then sewed it together. I didn't make this an A-line skirt, I just cut out a rectangle since it will have an elastic waistband, I had to leave room for my "junk" if you know what I mean.

With the remainder of your sheet measure out 10 inch strips of the sheet the entire width of the sheet. I wanted 4 layers for my skirt so I cut out three strips in addition to my decorative sheet top. Fold in half so you have a 5 inch strip. Press these for a nice crease. Now if your are like me, you need to be careful while doing this. See what I did?

Doesn't this just SCREAM Domestic Diva? Makes you want to hire me doesn't it?

Set your machine to a basting stitch or the longest straight stitch you have and sew the raw edges together. I didn't roll my edges on the ruffles so they are raw and exposed. Pull the top thread to make the the ruffle. I pulled mine and pinned them onto the skirt as I went so that I didn't over ruffle them.

I sewed this on before moving on to the next layer. Leave the open edges until you have sewn most of the ruffle on to the skirt.

Flip this and sew right side to right side. Then finish sewing the ruffle onto the skirt. Repeat these steps with the next two ruffle layers overlapping the previous layer about 1/2 an inch or where you sewed the previous ruffle on. Stage the last ruffle approximately where you want it to be on the skirt and measure the distance from the top of the ruffle to the top edge of the skirt.

Cut out a piece that matches the top of the skirt and add about 1/2" to the height. Sew the top skirt together then sew on the top, decorative ruffle to the edge.

Put this top ruffle layer inside of the skirt right side out and sew it to the wrong side of the skirt.

 Flip out the top ruffle and press the edge of the waistband.

Measure about 1 inch away from the edge and sew a seam parallel to the edge leaving about 2 inches open. Cut a piece of 3/4" elastic to size and thread it through the hole. Sew the elastic together and then enclose it in the waistband by sewing up the 2" hole. And you're done! You can wear this by itself or under another skirt to make it more modest or more fluffy to your taste.

What do you think? Yay? Nay?

If I get really ambitious I might post a picture of me in this but for now, my floor gets to wear it. This project cost me nothing but time. That's the way I like it.

Tell me what you think? I'd love to hear the good and the bad. It only makes you better, right? Umm, please be gentle. If you decide to make this skirt, I'd love to hear about it. Send us a link from your blog and give us some love.

*Edited to add: This skirt was inspired by Alisa Burke


I linked over to Debbiedoos Newbie Party

        

                                               Eve

Reflection

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

A time to build up,a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together
             
                                                                      -Byrds

Picture from the LA Times

It is amazing how God allows us to be touched no matter who we are. He provides a way to reach out to us and helps us reach out to each other. A scripture, a song, a prayer, a poem, a picture, a word, a deed, an embrace...let us all reflect on the world today and reach out to those who are suffering, those who need us, those people we know and those we don't. At the end of the day, no matter what you believe, no matter who you are, one thing remains true. We are all human. Our love and prayers go out to those whose lives were affected by the recent tornadoes and other natural disasters.

Lose 16 inches in just 30 minutes...No gimmicks!

Really, no gimmicks involved. You can go from this

to this

in just 30 minutes or less.

I had some time on my hands and you know what they say about "idle hands." Since we began our blog I have noticed that I look at things very different now. No more do I look for "new" things. Lately I've been looking for "new to me" things and it has really changed my perspective on retail. I went shoe shopping the other day, an endeavor I generally greatly enjoy, but to my dismay I found nothing. Oddly enough, I even went to my fave shoe store and found a pair that I mostly liked but then thought to myself, "I can make these." I really cannot make shoes, well, not high heels, but I can re-purpose or rather, revamp a pair that I already own. But that is a post for another day.

So there I was, time on my hands, kids were being good, what more can you ask? So I did what anyone would do. I raided my closet for something to refashion. I had an old sweatshirt which shrunk on me. But of course it shrunk up instead of in. Now, I am not a tall person. In fact my brother says I have height envy and that is why my heels keep getting taller and taller. But really? It go shorter! So, I never wear this sweatshirt out of the house because it is so wide but also so short. Perfect project for a refashion.

I laid it out flat and traced a shirt that fit me better making sure to leave a seam allowance.

We are very sophisticated here using top of the line tools to get the job done right. Ha! No, not really, I used what I had, which happened to be...duh, da, dah....wait for it...sidewalk chalk.

Ground to a point by my gracious children. The great thing about using chalk to trace is you can use any color you need to in order to be able to see it, if you mess up just wipe it off, and it is easily laundered. It also will not hurt clothing if your little helpers happen to try to help while you are away.

I cut my shirt out one layer at a time so I wouldn't mess it up.

After it is cut out,

decide which side you want to be out or if you want it to be reversible. My shirt had some stains on it, probably from cooking so I opted for the inside out look. If you have a serger, serger the edged leaving the sleeves with a raw edge. I do not have a serger so I just straight stitched my shirt fairly close to the edge.

 That's it!

You can add embellishments or even cut off the neckline if you want to. I may revisit this project and add those later. We'll see. The best part of this was it only cost me time. That's just in my price range.

I have plans for what's left of the sleeves from this sweatshirt.

Can you guess what they are?

If you like this project or decide to make it, link back to us and send us some blog love.

         

                                            Eve

Keeping things on Target

I learned something today that I never knew. I know stores get merchandise in on certain days but it never dawned on me that they also markdown on certain days too. I know a lot of you deal diva's know this but there may be some who do not know it so I will post it here for those of you who may want to know. One of my go to places to shop is Target. I love that it is "everyday" but not commonplace. I googled "Target clearance" and came up with a website called Deal Beacon. On it, you can find the latest deals and some of them are AWESOME! But for now, here is the schedule. You can be sure that I will be watching the days for the things that I am waiting to go on sale.

Monday: Electronics, Kids clothing and Stationary
Tuesday: Domestics, Food Items, Pets, Women’s Clothing
Wednesday: Health and Beauty, Lawn & Garden, Men's Clothing, Toys
Thursday: Books, Decor, Housewares, Lingerie, Luggage, Music and Movies, Sporting Goods, Shoes
Friday: Auto, Cosmetics, Hardware and Jewelry

If the clearance price ends in a ‘4′ (i.e. $1.94) then it is at its lowest price!


 

      

                                           Eve

More Easter treats

I don't normally make Easter treats but this one makes me want to break my rule. Though I believe Easter is a time to reflect on my Savior, this might be the only Easter bunny that makes it into my house. I am not an overly frou-frou kind of gal but these little darlings are so cute and actually look yummy at the same time.

 

Can you really pass this up? Stephanie at Raspberri Cupcakes has really outdone herself on this one. Now if I can just learn how to make macaroons I'll be set.

 

       

                                            Eve

Baby gift box tutorial

I am fairly new to the scrapbooking world and I find myself trying to just make do. This box is actually very easy to make and doesn't require any special tools. It does, however, require a fair amount of paper. I doubled the base of my box to make it sturdy enough to handle whatever I decided to put in it and also to cover my seams. I purchased a book of cardstock for $5 so even though it took me about 8 sheets of cardstock to make this, it still cost me less than $2 to make this which is better than a gift bag. Make sure you have enough of the paper you want in advance. I will give you the option for a large box and the medium box in the the instructions. Just follow along with the instructions for the size you need. The dimensions for the large box are 7 1/2" x 10" for the base with a height of 5" not including the hood of the pram. The dimensions for the medium box are 6 1/2" x 5" for the base with a height of 4". Notice that the base of the box is graduated so these measurements will not be the same for the top of the box base. You'll see what I mean.

You will need

cardstock 
a ruler
a compass or a circle cutter
a scoring tool (I used an embossing stylus and a straight edge)
glue (I used a glue stick and a hot glue gun)
scissors
ink or other decorations (optional)
a pipe cleaner
 
Step 1--cutting and scoring


First cut out four rectangles (side a)  that are 12" x 5 1/2" or 8 1/2" 4 1/2" and set aside. Also cut out four rectangles (side b) that are 9 1/2" x 5 1/2" or 7" x 4 1/2". Next cut out two 10" x 7 1/2" or 6 1/2" x 5" pieces (base). You will also need one 12" or 8" diameter circle, two 2" or 1" diameter diameter circles, and one 11 1/2" x 9 1/2" or 8" x 7" piece for the (hood) of the pram. Lastly, you'll need four 1" x 2" tabs for either size.

These are sides a and b respectively. The red lines are scoring and the blue lines are cutting. Please excuse the crude picture.  This part of instruction is for either size of the box. Measure in 1" from the short side and score parallel to the long side. Measure in 1/2" from the opposite end of the short side and score parallel to the long side. On (side a) piece following the line of the 1/2" score not the edge, measure 1" from the short side. Cut off excess.

(Side a) should look something like this. I know they don't look the same size but it is the same side with one folded on the scored edge and one flat. The 1" scored edge is the top and the 1/2" scored edge is the bottom. 

(Side b) is cut and scored similar to (side a) but the cutting is different. Refer to the red/blue or red/black picture if you don't understand what I'm saying. Score the diagonal edge instead of cutting it and about 1/2" or so away from that score, cut off the excess. It should look something like this.

Notice the little corner cut out of the bottom. Now you should have this.

Sorry, this shows (side b) then (side a) respectively cut, scored, and folded.

Next, take your large circle and cut it into 8 pie shaped pieces. If you are going to ink the edges now is the time to do it to all your pieces. The base pieces only need to be inked on one side (two on the front side, two on the back) whereas the hood pieces need to be inked on both.

Step 2--assembly

 Take two (side a) pieces for the outside of the box and two (side b) pieces for the outside and one base piece. Glue them together according to the picture with the tabs glued to the inside.

Glue up the side tabs.

Take the four 1x2 tabs and glue them in the corners of the top of the box.

Take one (side b) piece for the inside and glue it in. You may need to trim it just a bit to fit it inside so try it out first to make sure it fits.

Next take 3 of your pie shaped pieces and overlap them about 1/2". 

I accidently put mine on the wrong side so when you do it, the overlapped pie piece should be at the bottom not the top.  Do this for both sides. You can also glue on the 2" or 1" circles. Next take your inside pieces of (side a) and glue them inside. You may also have to trim these pieces. Add your pipe cleaner handle and then glue on the last (side b) piece. Then glue on the interior base piece. All that is left is to finish the hood.

Take your (hood) piece and glue it on using the hot glue gun. That's it! Fill your box with your gift and leave it open or wrap it in cellophane.

If you decide to make this please send some love our way. Mention our blog, grab a button, tell your friends. Thanks.

                                                                         

          

                                                Eve

These are not the peeps you are looking for...

I have a Jedi Padowan at my house who would just love these

If only I had a steady enough hand to make them. These came from the creative genius of Sugar Swings. She has many other peep pops on her blog. Check her out.

                                             Eve

Technical Difficulties

I seem to have been having some problems using friend connect. Anyone else? I have had to go back through and follow and manually add some blogs that didn't seem to make it to my list. I hope it is working!


                                                                                                    

    

                                                     Eve

Do you want to win?

So I've been searching for new friends in blogland and you'd be amazed at what you can find. Right now on BeDifferentActNormal  Tropicana is giving away a $100 Visa card, Olay is giving away a $100 Spa Finder gift card, and GE is giving away a trip to Louisville, KY to hang out with Lorie at Be different, Act normal. That last one ends soon so head on over to her blog and find out what you have to do. Good luck!

                                          Toodles!

       

                                                Eve

Tell Me Tuesday

CAS at An Oasis in the Desert had some really cute Easter cards that she made. You should check them out!

 

I love her choice of paper and embellishments.

For right now Tell Me Tuesday will be on hold.

In the works

I am taking on my first furniture project ever. It is a little daunting to think about all the work that will be involved but I know that the work will be worth it. Here are the before shots of my dresser.

I haven't settled on a color yet but I have a little time yet. If you have any suggestions, throw them my way. I'd love some help. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

I linked this up on DebbieDoos Newbie Linky Party

        

                                              Eve

Baby Gift

I attended a baby shower this past Friday and made my Baby gift box specifically for that gift. She was having a boy which was good because I had leftover fabric and batt from my baby blocks so this gift cost me almost nothing. Had it not been for the fact that in my non-girly state I own no ribbon, this gift would have cost me $7 for the sippy cup and package of onesies that I bought. But alas, I am just getting used to the fact that girls like pink, dreamed about their wedding day, and like ribbons and ruffles. If you saw my closet and new where I've been in the world you may understand better. But I'll not bore you with that detail.

So, my tutorial for the box, which is in the works, will come in two or three sizes depending upon what I come up with to put in each box. The box size that I used for this gift was the medium size and measured 8 1/2" by 7" uh, -ish. It fit a sippy cup and sippy cup leash

washable fabric rings,

and a crinkly toy with tabs

all in one nice little box.

And here is how I finished it off. Just some cellophane and a little hemp tie.

I forgot to add the card like I always do. I don't know why that is. If I wanted to, I could definitely have fit a small fleece blanket, an outfit, some washcloths, binkies, or some receiving blankets. Probably not all at once, but some combination of the above would have fit. For such a small box, it really does hold quite a bit.

I didn't use a pattern for any of the gifts I made but I got all the ideas from Ashley at Make it and Love it. Just search through her tutorials and you'll see the fabric baby rings, the crinkly toy, and the sippy leash. She has a lot of great stuff so if you haven't been to her blog, check it out. I'm sure you'll find a lot of great things like I did.

                                                Eve

Tell Me Tuesday

I know we are just beginning our site but I wanted to start things off with a little party. A link party! I'm sure you all know the way it works but if you don't, here's how it goes.

1. Link up your favorite or your latest creation.
2. No repeats. (They will be deleted.)
3. No advertisements. (They will also be deleted.)
4. Post a link back to our site or grab our button and share the love.
5. Have fun!

All you have to do is follow the link at the end of this post and it will tell you what to do. Next Tuesday we will feature some of our favorite posts that have been linked to our party so show off!

                                                 Eve

We have a WINNER!

The contest has be run, the winner determined and the prize is awaiting its destination instructions.  All we need is to tell you who the winner is. 

Neenie- You have won a $20 Pizza Hut Gift Card!

Email (Bumble_Bliss@Yahoo.com) us with the address you would like it sent to and we will put it in the mail asap.  Congrats, and thank you for everyone who gave us their opinions. 

Do you Follow?

Since we have just recently begun our blog it has been difficult to get any exposure. I've been trying to get our name out there on Facebook and in blogland but it seems to no avail. Lo and behold Tiffany at Making the World Cuter came up with a great idea. Pure brilliance! It's called a follow-along. Similar to a link party but instead of linking up a project, you link up your blog as a whole. I hope if you read this you will choose to follow our blog and I'm sure we'll do the same. It will be great to get to know some new people out there.

Here's what you do.

Like our Bumblebliss page on Facebook

Subscribe to our blog via RSS feed or the link on our side bar and comment on our blog about how you follow and we'll follow you back.

Yay! New friends!!!

I can't wait!

                                             Eve

Kid pictures

There is something so beautiful about a picture. The ability we have to freeze a moment in time and capture all the joy and silliness that would otherwise be lost in one person's memory is truly priceless. While searching blogland the other day I came across a feature by designmom of a photographer that I LOVE! His name is Jason Lee and he is amazing! He has these fabulous photos of his children that make me turn so many shades of green that I am more than slightly embarrassed. I bought myself a fairly decent camera while visiting my sister one year so that we could take "good pictures" from now on instead of my usual "turn in the disposable camera" kind of pictures. I am very bad about taking pictures because frankly, it doesn't occur to me to do so until after the moment is passed. I like to revel in the moment rather than try to catch it on camera for others to see. I'm selfish like that. But this form of art makes me want to change my ways...or at least hire this man. Probably the latter.  When you look at his work you cannot help but see the enjoyment in it. He really captures childhood in its essence for me. I really enjoyed his work and I know you will too.

 

 Photo by Jason Lee

Photo by Jason Lee

Photo by Jason Lee

Photo by Jason Lee

Let them be little.

One day you see your baby and the next day you have a toddler.  It goes by so fast.  My friend has a baby and every time I see the little ball of fun I am shocked at how much has changed.  Everyday I sit at our table at home with my two great kiddlets.  I like to think that I take the time to have fun with them but do I really take full advantage of each moment?  Its so easy to get lost in to do lists, stacks of letters and bills, and deadlines.  Before we know it our kids are grown, gone or hit that dreaded I don't want to hang out with the parents stage. 

I want my kids to remember their childhood as a great memory.  I don't want them to remember the 900th math lecture but the time we went to the lake and played avoid the shark.  I want them to remember playing marshmallow wars and camping trips, road trips and midnights spent looking at the stars. 

So often now our kids are consumed with growing up.  Our elementary kids are now dealing with the things we did when we were in Jr high or likely high school.  Our kids are getting their hair dyed, nails done and defining them selves by what they wear.  Elementary kids are wearing more make up then I did on my wedding day.  When are our kids going to be kids?

Don't get me wrong.  I am a firm believer that kids need chores.  I believe that our job as parents is to raise them into functioning adults, but let them play.  Let them make these memories today so that they can cherish them tomorrow. 

My kids have a list of things they want to do and this summer and I will be helping them.  This summer will be for them!  My kids have a summer fun list they want to tackle and I will tell you all about it here.  Summer Blast is what we are calling it, so I will tag our adventures the same so you can follow to. 

XOXO Mist

Take a peak!

TADA!! I made it! Literally! I have a baby shower coming up and I wanted to do something special instead of the typical gift bag or wrapped paper. I doubt if there is anything that I could ever conjure that I could be certain hasn't been done before but this is new to me. As I don't typically scrapbook this may look a little rough to some of you but I thought I did a pretty good job.

What do you think? I'll be filling this with my gift and it will be open or I may decide to wrap it in cellophane. We'll see when I get to that point. What I am putting inside will be one of my upcoming posts. You'll just have to wait and see!!


I'm linking up to these sites.
Look at me I'm so crafty
Finding Fabulous 
Fancy This Friday's 
DebbieDoos Newbie Link Party

      

                                                 Eve