Photo Challenges

I have recently started following a number of new blogs- mostly ones that inspire me to photograph life.  I may not participate every week in the challenges, but I want to try and push myself to join in as often as I can.  I also love that most of the new blogs and associated challenges I have chosen revolve around family- more specifically, around children.  I am excited to hopefully iron out extra time with Emilia each week to capture the fun little things we do together.

This past Sunday, Emilia and I had a few hours all to ourselves.  We spent part of our time twirling in a tutu (E twirled, I watched), then added a superhero cape and played outside.  After naptime, we headed to the park for even more fun and more new, wonderful photos of my sweet baby girl.  One of my favorite photos of the day is the one below.  Emilia's independence grows daily and she insists on doing everything by herself.  The shoes she is putting on are at least one size too big, but she loves them and wears them as often as she can.

Show off your Shot Challenge by Then, She Snapped:

Same photo, but in Black and White for Paper Mama's challenge:

(*I could not get the button for Paper Mama's challenge to work, but you can see the challenge here.)

Here are a few of my other favorites from our fun day.  Enjoy! (O:

(It is very hard to get a superhero princess to stand still with a decent background!)

Have a great day! (O:

The Pirate Ruffle Tank :: Tutorial

It is no secret that I *love* ruffles and upcycling shirts...today's post plays right into these loves. 

This past weekend, Emilia and I spent All Day at my Momma's house- yay!  My sister, mom and I spread out all different crafty projects across Momma's dining room table and even E helped on a project or two. ;-)  My main objective of the day was to sew two t-shirt skirts (which I plan to post about once I finish taking photos!), but they are a super quick and easy project so I ended up with extra time on my hands.  Luckily, my crafty bags were stuffed with other projects waiting to be completed (including a bag of 8-10 tees/tanks just calling out to be ruffled!). 

I found some really cool white shiny fabric (how's that for a technical term) and used some extra scraps from one of my skirts for the ruffles.  I grabbed out a plain grey tank I found on clearance at Target- it is their C9 brand with moisture wicking technology.  I am in love with this line- the clothes are comfy and cute and don't hold sweat like regular tees (TMI?  Maybe..)  Anyway, I have this plan to refashion a handful of these tanks to use on Saipan.  That way I am cool and comfy, but don't always look like I'm going for a run.  So this is what I came up with:

Supplies:

1 tank/tee
Scrap fabric or another tank/tee for the ruffles
Rotary cutter and board
Scissors
Pins
Sewing machine with coordinating thread

I had it in my mind that I wanted to do a layered ruffle along the neckline of my tank, so I started cutting out strips of each fabric.  I cut the grey fabric in 2in strips and the white fabric in 3.5in strips because it was going to be folded over.  I don't have an exact length of fabric needed in each color because this was kind of an "experiment as I go" type of piece, and it will also depend on how ruffled you want your strips.  You can always start out ruffling some fabric and then ruffle more as you need it.

To gather the fabric, I lengthened my stitch as far as I could (I think a 5 on my mom's machine) and loosened the tension a tad.  It is best to practice on a piece you won't be using to make sure your settings will work as you want them to.

For the white fabric, I folded it in half long-ways and stitched along the raw edges.  This fabric was fraying a LOT so I knew I couldn't leave the raw edges exposed on my shirt.  The grey strips were just sewn down the middle.  *Do not back stitch at either end or you won't be able to gather*  Once you finish stitching a strip, gently pull on one of the threads (I think the bottom works easier), shifting the fabric as needed until you create the desired amount of ruffly goodness.

Starting with my white fabric, I pinned it along the top edge of my tank neckline, like so:

(Notice the raw edges are pointing down from the neckline)

(If you do not have long piece of ruffle, as was the case for me, make sure to tuck the ends together when starting a new strip.  This makes it look continuous.)

*Change your machine setting back to normal before sewing your rows on the shirt.*

Sew the first row of ruffles to the tank, along the seam made from gathering, back stitching at the beginning and end.  Be careful not to sew through both layers (this will be important as we continue to add rows).

I really started to notice how badly this fabric was fraying after pinning and sewing this first row.  So I decided to pin the next row of white before adding the middle layer of grey.  That way my grey layer would hopefully keep most of those frayed edges contained.  This white row has the raw edges facing up and overlapping the first white row a little bit.  Pin into place and sew.

Now pin the grey strip between these two white rows.  Sew into place.  (The grey fabric will curl more once it has been washed.)

This is what we have so far!  Originally, this is what I was picturing in my mind...but wasn't in love with it once I put it on.  My mom and sister said they thought it was cute...but who were they trying to kid??  Something looks off, don't you agree? 

Hey, let's add more ruffles!  Following the same steps as before, I ruffled more strips and started adding the next couple rows to the tank.  You can play around with the shape, number of rows, etc. until you come up with something you like.

Tuck the ends of these next rows under the previous layers for a more finished look.

(Make sure your next layer is centered...unless you are going for an off-center look!) ;-)

 I opted for two rows of white as the bottom instead of just one.  I wanted a little extra fluff.

Keep pinning and sewing rows of ruffle until you have a shape/style you like.

And Done.

I still think it has a pirate-y feel to it, but I am OK with that.  We all need a little pirate in our lives, right? ;-)  Have fun working up your own ruffly creation.  I would love to see what you create! (O:

Have a great day! (O:

Refocusing

I have been pretty quiet this week on blogger...and fb...and life.  I tried to keep my complaints to a minimum while Jason has been away.  I know there are many circumstances that blow this 2 week stint out of the water. 

I reminded myself this morning that there are military families all over the world who are going through so much more than me right now.  Yes, I miss my husband and Emilia misses her daddy.  Yes, Emilia's behavior and attitude have been on the decline since he left and it makes me sad.  But what are these 16 days compared to 6 months-1 year-Years apart?  We have a lot of changes going on in our little family right now and there are many hard days.  But this can not even compare to the sacrifices our military families- including the several friends I have who are in the military.  Families moving every two years, going for months at a time without seeing or talking to their families, moving across the world away from everything they have ever known.  Shame on me for throwing a pity party this morning.  My husband is safe and will be home tomorrow.  Some families live in constant fear that their loved ones are in danger and may never come home. 

Thank you to all my military friends, their spouses and families for the huge sacrifices you make for our country.  May we never forget- even for a moment- how your lives make our lives and our country better.  (I will work on a couple posts soon to get back on track...no more pity parties for me.)

My T-Shirt Ruffle Refashion (PDLB!)

My latest Pinned It, Did It, Loved It, Blogged It moment.  Enjoy! (O:

I have been dying to make one of the several ruffle tees and/or tanks I have pinned over the past few months.  I have a great love (borderline addiction) with all things ruffly and actually have a stack of about 10-15 tees and tanks just waiting to be refashioned with ruffles.  Last week I decided it was TIME.  I have waited long enough.  I have worked on enough projects for others.  It was time to work on something just for me.  (This is also the same day I worked up 3 new scarves, one of which can be viewed here.  The others to follow sometime soon.)  I haven't seen any other ruffle refashions done this way using a patterned shirt, and I am really happy with how it turned out.  I hope the ruffles curl up a little in the wash; they are a little big for my liking.  But overall, I am pleased with this shirt and it really wasn't very difficult to put together!

Being a fairly Plain Jane kind of girl, I didn't stray from this color palette when choosing my buttons.  I did throw in a little funk by alternating squares and circles...I'm such a risk taker. ;-)

(Please forgive my sideways photos...My editing software and blogger are not agreeing today.)

Note:  I did not use the technique of sewing my buttons on with my machine.  I simply sewed them by hand while I finished watching Bride Wars. They didn't take long and I could hear the movie better! (O:

I am the first to admit that I am not always that creative- my strong suit lies with executing ideas.  So to give full credit where credit is due, I used the following two tutorials for my wonderful new shirt:

My first Pin links to a tutorial at Bunch of Scrap.  She is down to earth and lays out detailed instructions and helpful hints.  Her refashion is made up of 2 short sleeve shirts found on clearance.

My second Pin links to a tutorial at Ruffles & Stuff.  (What a great name!) (O:  Her instructions are equally great.  I decided to go with her 3 inch ruffle strips because I didn't want them too large on my shirt.  Her refashion is made from one long sleeve shirt- using the sleeves to make the ruffles.

Hopefully this might inspire you to try your own version of this, or any, ruffle refashion!  Have a great day! (O:

FB Friends and Saipan Purchases

As I have mentioned before, I am completely addicted to a couple of people on Saipan who keeps blogs.  If I had to pick, I would say Grant and Kara's (Saipan : Teaching, Living & Recreation) is my favorite.  They are very thorough in their reviews and descriptions of life on the island.  Jason "friended" Grant on Facebook at some point (I think a long time ago) and has been telling me I need to look through his photos to see more of the island and also get some more glimpses of the apartments. 

I spent some time this morning doing just that.  The apartments are a decent size- when you walk in the front door, you are in the kitchen then the dining room then the living room- all open to each other, sort of loft-style.  One one side of the apartment (I think it differs from unit to unit), there are 2 bedrooms with the bathroom inbetween.  We have been told our room will have a double bed and Emilia's room will have a twin bed.  The bathrooms have a shower, but no tub.  (I am not exactly looking forward to this with Emilia..the girl who HATES water in her face.  Any suggestions in this area would be greatly appreciated!!  Otherwise I am going to track down a big rubbermaid tub and use it as a makeshift tub for her.  Haha!)

He had also started asking Grant a few questions here and there about what we can expect, what is different than the mainland, what to bring/not bring, etc.  Grant has been Super graciously to always answer his questions and gives great detail.  Even his wife, Kara recently messaged Jason to tell him that I was welcome to message her with any additional questions.  I just sent her a friend request this morning and once she confirms, I have a list of questions ready for her! (O:

In addition to all their kindness and willingness to help us prepare for this move, they are selling us many items that they did not want to ship back to the States!  Grant put together a very detailed list of the items (as well as the tips and tricks for working the blender, toaster, etc.  Love it!) with very reasonable prices.  I cannot tell you how thankful I am to have these worries lifted.  Things like 2 oscillating fans (now Jason will just have to find one, because I will probably hog BOTH of these, haha!), microwave, toaster, coffee maker (J will be glad!), beach chairs, cups, plates, bowls, silverware, baking dishes, blender, laundry basket and a cupcake pan (Emilia and I LOVE cupcakes and muffins--seriously, I'm super stoked about this one!!).  The list has a bunch more on it, but I didn't want to go line by line.  Do you really care that much?? ;-)  Our budget for shipping items isn't huge and this will cut down on a LOT of those expenses for us.  Yay yay yay!!  I love God's provisions in this area!  I think it works out well for Grant and Kara as well because they don't have to sell items off one at a time- we just told them we will take it ALL!

I have also been thinking through the few things I would like to ask Kara...I'm going to list them so I don't forget.

1.  What types of meals do you eat regularly?  Do you eat most meals at home, or do you go out?  What items are better to purchase at the market vs the store?  How do the prices on staple food items (milk, sugar, rice, noodles, bread, peanut butter, etc.) on Saipan compare to the mainland?  (Would it be possible for Grant to do another great review based on this area of topics??  Haha!)

2.  Are there any items (personal, home related, etc.) that you brought that you think you could have gone without.  Any you wish you would have brought?

3.  (This is a pretty superficial question, but I'm going to ask it all the same!)  I noticed in Grant's photos that you started out with shorter hair and it looks like you've grown it out while you were there.  I currently have pretty long hair and have been going back and forth about cutting it short before we move.  Do you have any thoughts about that?  It looks to me like most girls just wear a ponytail, with the exception of Rachel- how can she keep all that pretty hair down so much?  She has to be hot!  I am guessing the humidity is so high that even if I had short hair, it would never keep any styling...I am just curious what your experience with this was.

4.  Are there any other Saipan bloggers out there?

Those are the ones I have come up with so far.  If you were moving to Saipan, what would YOU want to ask?

God Never Wastes a Wound

Last night I attended our new small group, by myself.  It was really weird to go without Jason and I was pretty nervous about it.  Jason is obviously the "talker" of our family- I think he would talk to a wall if he had something interesting to say!  Now before you start saying how I am equally talkative (because you would be RIGHT!), remember that I am not usually that talkative on first encounters.  For whatever reason, I get high levels of anxiety thinking about meeting new people, even though I LOVE making new friends.  What is up with that?? 

Anyway, the evening was great, of course!  Skyline (our new church) does a great job of welcoming any and everyone- we are all family.  Their small groups are set up to dive deeper into each week's sermon and our group has a wide variety of ages, spiritual maturity, life stages, etc.  Honestly, I think it is a *great* way to do it.  We can all help each other grow and learn- we don't all have to be "20-somethings" to study together.  Everyone was very friendly and even though I struggled with making small talk (probably my worst and lowest ability...), it went very well.

We are going through a Man vs. Wife series right now at church and this was the first week's topic: Divorce.  Talk about going straight for the jugular.  It was pretty refreshing to hear our pastor speak candidly and boldly about this topic, while still remaining sensitive and compassionate.  While he made it very clear what the Bible says about divorce, he never pointed a finger of blame or made anyone feel judged.  I really liked that.  As a person who grew up in a broken home, I know first hand the pain divorce causes an entire family.  I also know that many people in churches still have very strong feelings about divorce- and tend to take those feelings out on any divorced person.  No, I am not saying that everyone is that way.  But I do have personal experience with more than a few people who treated my mother differently because she was divorced.

I think it is important for us all to remember that our marriages are worth FIGHTING FOR.  That divorce must be taken seriously- not trivialized as it is in almost any modern TV show or movie.  But, divorce will happen.  We may not know all the back story in a person's life that lead to their divorce- was their spouse unfaithful?  Did their spouse just want out despite every effort on their part?  Was their spouse abusive, verbally or physically?  Did they just decide to stop trying?  No matter what the reason may be, no one is outside the Grace of God. 

It is also not our place to pass judgement on someone because their sin is in the public's eye.  Yes, God Detests Divorce.  But He also Hates Sin.  Why does the fact that I am still married (but have other sins I struggle with daily) make me better than someone who is divorced?  It doesn't.  I can just more easily hide my struggles, while anyone going through a divorce is automatically going through it in front of everyone.  You can't hide those wounds.  One thing Pastor Lance said on Sunday that has stuck with me and was repeated again last night- God never wastes a wound. 

He can use even our darkest hurts for His Glory- if we are willing to let Him.

Infinity Scarf from a T-Shirt :: Tutorial (PDLB)

This is my latest Pinned it, Did it, Loved it, Blogged it success and I love it!!

I have had this idea pinned for a couple of weeks and kept forgetting to just DO it.  As soon as I saw it, I knew exactly which shirt I wanted to use.  It was a super fun patterned shirt I found on clearance, but hardly ever wore because it never kept its shape throughout the day.  Enter: new scarf!  This is seriously the easiest infinity scarf E.V.E.R.!  It is one of those things that will make you go, DUH!  Why did I think of that!?  The instructions are as easy as Shannon @ Madigan Made lays out in her tutorial.

What you need:
One T-Shirt
Scissors

Directions:

Voila!

 

Note:  The thinner and stretchier (if that's a word) your shirt is, the better curl it will provide upon stretching.  My shirt was not very thin or stretchy, so it did not curl very much.  I still really like it and just rolled the ends in a little by myself.  Enjoy! (O: