A Homemade Life

Well, I'm finally back from an extended blogging break! We had a wonderful visit over the past week with Jim's parents. They left on Weds., and now I'm trying to get back into our normal routine . . . and I also have big spring cleaning plans on the horizon. And so many things I want to blog about!! :)

Here are my recent homemade accomplishments. First, 2 cute little girls' skirts, with matching headbands, for my two older nieces (ages 8 and 6):These skirts were SO easy to sew. I highly recommend the pattern!! It was a free pattern download from this site (in the right hand sidebar, under "free patterns"). Actually it isn't a pattern at all, just instructions. If you have never sewed clothing before, this would be an excellent project to start with--all straight seams and very very simple. You don't even have to finish the seams! I found that 1 yard of each fabric was plenty for the bigger skirts, with plenty left over for the headbands (which I made following this tutorial). Enjoy!

The other homemade project I wanted to share is this little picture I made to help decorate our guest bathroom:I took an old, cheap-o frame that I had from way back in my highschool days. It was plain brown and pretty ugly, but with a few coats of white paint, it became much cuter. Then I used my wonderful hydrangea stamp (from Stampin' Up!) on cardstock for the main picture, and "matted" it with some hydrangea scrapbook paper that I had on hand. This picture cost me nothing, as I already had all the supplies on hand--love it when that happens!--but I was really pleased with the end result!!

So what homemade ideas or projects would you all like to share for this week? I'd love to hear! :)