Upcoming Valentine's day for Silly Geese who love Coffee? It's You, Hi, You're the problem...

    Christmas lights back in a tote all jumbled in a ball, tree packed away, house getting back into order.

Or maybe none of the above because you've been fighting a yucky crud for the past 3 weeks? Just me? If you see my immune system wandering around out in the wild looking confused please direct it home. I miss it.

Looking forward to the next big holiday, Valentine's Day! Of course, I had to take a fun farm themed approach here.  A line of silly geese decked out in heart themed apparel?  Check:

 

 

If you are a silly festive goose you might just love this tee.  It is made of a super comfy and stretchy jersey knit, great for casual wear or layer it with a cute pink themed outfit on as shown above.

Also...if you LOVE a silly festive goose I suggest this tshirt as the perfect present to show your love. Matchy matchy is the ultimate lovey dovey proof of a relationship I've ever seen:

 

 

 

OK, maybe that it a wee bit too THEME for you.  Maybe you would prefer a simple normal style that can be used year round AND for the Valentine's red and pink general color scheme season:

1. MAMA Hoodie Sweatshirt

2. MAMA Crewneck Sweatshirt

3. MAMA Red plaid tshirt

Another multi season design that can work year round is this cute multicolored I Heart Coffee tee, hoodie, and sweatshirt:

1. I Heart Coffee Hooded Sweatshirt

2. I Heart Coffee Crewneck Sweatshirt

3. I Heart Coffee Tshirt

Alright. Now maybe you just aren't so particularly fond of this upcoming holiday because you've recently gotten out of a difficult or damaging relationship. I haven't left you out!  Here you go: It's You, Hi, You're the Problem, It's YOU:

This is a change up and play on words from the lyrics of a popular song 'Anti-Hero' by Taylor Swift.

So whether or not you are celebrating this upcoming Valentine's Day, remember:

💗YOU are Loved 💗

Amanda - VintageDutchGirl

Monster Trucks for my little guy...

        My little guy LOVES trucks, trains, cars, construction vehicles, and airplanes.  However, monster trucks hold a special place in his heart!  So I asked him to help me and we came up with "the cooooolest monster truck, Mom!" design for him.   It's reminiscent of retro throwback monster trucks, similar to the iconic 'Bigfoot' from 1979.

My little guy happily goes to school multiple days a week wearing his monster truck hooded sweatshirt.  He got it in black because he is an outdoorsy boy and white won't stay white long!

Vintage Dutch Girl Etsy Monster Truck Youth Hoodie:

 

Since we just loved it so much we went from there to create a patterned Monster Truck Sherpa Blanket available in multiple sizes:

 

And then decided to REALLY have some fun.

So we created a Custom Monster Truck Velveteen Blanket that you can get personalized for your favorite monster truck enthusiast!  You can choose your custom name (up to 12 characters) upon checkout:

   

Cool, huh!?   What kid doesn't want their name on their blanket!? 

 

Then, as you've likely already spotted, there is the coordinating Monster Truck Broadcloth Decorative Throw Pillow:

Now, if you just are looking for something a little bit simpler, I did make available a classic unisex fit t shirt in a variety of colors.

Monster Truck Youth T Shirt:

We also made available a classic crew neck unisex sweatshirt.

VintageDutchGirl Etsy Monster Truck Youth Sweatshirt:

So there you have it. From one little boy a whole bunch of fun items from clothing to bedroom decor to cozy blankets!  Such a helpful lil dude he is :)

 A

Today is a good day to be kind...

 Today is a good day to be kind.

    Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about.  Much of what happens to us actually has nothing to do with us. What do I mean?  How someone chooses to treat you says everything about their character and nothing about yours. Their behavior isn't personal.  So. That gives us permission to stop taking things personally.  It is an incredibly freeing perspective shift.

    Does that mean we have no responsibility here? No. It goes both ways. How YOU treat others says everything about YOUR character.  Choose to continue acting purposefully in a way that is God honoring and is in line with your character.  What is that called??? INTEGRITY. 

New today in the Vintage Dutch Girl Etsy Shop is this new graphic design to remind ourselves and others to act in accordance with our character:

 

 

BE KIND

 

BE LIFE

BE TRUE

BE LOVE

 

 

Christmas Goats and Peppermint Mochas...

    Today, brand new in the Vintage Dutch Girl Etsy shop, is a few last minute Christmas and holiday themed apparel items.

Cute animals in rows is a popular clothing trend right now, here is my take on it:

Christmas goats, wearing knit sweaters and santa hats. Adorable! It's a mama goat with her three kids:

This crewneck sweatshirt comes in a variety of colors to choose from. 

Next up is one of my fave's, a Peppermint Mocha. YUMMM.  The colder weather coffee drinks are so good.

 

 

And lastly, a women's t shirt with a ski chalet retro style poster in the middle of the busy skiing season:

 

 

    All the rest of the Vintage Dutch Girl Etsy shop Christmas and Holiday items (I think there are 38 right now!) can be viewed by clicking HERE.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

A

PNW Exploring...and wives who steal hoodies...

    We are located in the Pacific Northwest.  One of THE most beautiful areas of the world.  We have stunning mountain range views and driving over the passes makes you feel closer to our creator.  My husband is a huge fan of exploring those mountains, rivers, trails....and places with no trails. I blame his brother mostly for those off the beaten path jaunts.  Lot of adventuring and exploring!

In honor of that love of exploring we came up with a vintage mountain poster style design that I just love:

 

The front of the hoodie sweatshirt has the word 'Explore' on the front left side in orange.  Comes in many colors if the gold yellow is a wee bit too bold for ya! Find it HERE.

Decided we need t shirts in this design too, in soft style unisex fit:

 

 

 

 

Find them HERE.

OK, we all know that if a wife's husband has this hoodie sweatshirt...you WILL be stealing it. I think it's in the marriage vows somewhere that a husband MUST share their cozy hoodies without complaint:

 

What a blessing that we can explore nature and discover new beautiful areas in our world. Feeling thankful today for creation.

A

In which we reevaluate Donkeys...and decide they need sweaters!

     OK, I have lived most of my life unaware of how sweet and adorable donkeys are. Um, how did I not know this?!   Following a few farmy Instagram accounts has caused me to reevaluate my opinions of these sweet creatures.  They apparently are incredibly sweet and cuddly. Also can be quite territorial.  Did you know that??   See? All sorts of new things we did not know!  (If, in fact, you DID already know that, you get a gold star for the day.)

Also, raise your hand if you've ever heard the song by Lou Monte 'Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey'.  It's the hilarious cousin to 'I wanna hippopotamus for Christmas',  Both obscure animals with their own festive holiday song.  Go listen a moment, then pop on back.

I decided we need a sweatshirt featuring a cutie pie Christmas donkey wearing a festive knit sweater and hat.  It's an ugly sweater type Christmas sweater....except it isn't ugly. It's adorable: 

Adorable Christmas Donkey Crew Neck Sweatshirt.

Comes in white, black, red, green, navy, light gray, and dark gray.

And then, because I just  can't help myself, I decided we needed just regular cutie pie Christmas Donkey tshirts too. Both in Unisex fit, and Women's fit:

Unisex fit Festive Donkey Christmas T Shirt

And the Women's fit:

Women's fit Festive Christmas Donkey on VintageDutchGirl Etsy.

 

    And of course there might be adorable Festive Donkey shirts and sweatshirts for the kiddos too.  I'll pop back around soon to show you those soon. Now, the only problem that remains is naming this cutie. Any ideas? 

 

A

 

 

 

 

 

Gratitude Free Thanksgiving Printable 8x10

'Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful

things humans can do for each other' 

- Randy Pausch

 

 

Download and print! 8X10 size. Free for personal use, not for commercial use.

This free printable would be a pretty addition to your fall themed fireplace mantle. Another idea is to have it framed and displayed among the Thanksgiving side dishes as a gentle reminder to show gratitude to all those who went to great effort to prepare the meal! 

Blessings-

A

 

What is a group of butterflies called?

 DID YOU KNOW!? I did not until a few minutes ago.

A kaleidoscope! A group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope. So cool!

We are avid butterfly fans here. When we visited Arizona earlier this year we went to the Scottsdale Butterfly Wonderland. What a treat! We honestly didn't expect to have that much fun!  We had butterflies landing on our heads, riding on our shoulders...even the little kids got to help release newly hatched butterflies into their huge conservatory.

I highly recommend it if you are in the area!

So my daughter loves butterflies and asked for a butterfly t shirt. She wanted something simple and casual but with a pretty design. An easy shirt to throw on with jeans and all-stars.  Of course, we got right to work. Here's what we came up with. It's subtle, muted colors, very boho chic:

 

 

And yes, she asked for a crew neck sweatshirt too. We really liked how this sand color worked well with our butterflies:

And this light heathered gray:

Check out the Vintage Dutch Girl Etsy shop for more styles of shirts: oversized unisex fit, hoodies, zip front sweatshirts, and more.

 

Off to design some more!

A

HELLO! Reopening the shop!

 After a SIGNIFICANT hiatus, I am reopening the Vintage Dutch Girl Etsy shop!  I am so glad to be getting back into the world of creating and design.  Here's a quick snippet of what I'm working on so far:

Will be checking back in soon! 

- Amanda

New Neutrals: Creamy Off-White and Subtle Striped Shimmer Light Gray...

Two new scarves listed today in the Vintage Dutch Girl Etsy shop: neutrals!

A creamy off-white smooth heavier knit blend infinity scarf found HERE.

And a subtle striped lightweight heathered gray infinity scarf with a hint of shimmer found HERE.

Happy scarf shopping!


-Amanda - Vintage Dutch Girl

Mustard Yellow Love...

Mustard Yellow Love... by VintageDutchgGirl

Playing in my virtual closet again! This time a warm winter outfit with mustard yellow accent colors. This outfit features the Vintage Dutch Girl Mustard fleece infinity scarf:

A great scarf for super cold climates. We are at 23 degrees today at 8:10 AM and I am hoping for snow for Christmas this year.  It doesn't happen every year so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!


Amanda - Vintage Dutch Girl

Come, Ye Thankful People, Come Free Thanksgiving Print...

There's just something about old hymns that resonate within my soul.  I think it's because I feel connected to the church of the ages, all those Christians who have gone on before us.  I think about multiple generations of my family who must have sang this hymn every Thanksgiving.

I've decided I need more hymns in my life. Not just SINGING them, but reading the rich words.

I have another printable for you! This .png printable is free for personal use only.  It is a full (no white frame edge) 8x10. Just right click, save and print.

I pray you and yours are having a wonderful Thanksgiving season!

Blessings,

Amanda - Vintage Dutch Girl

Sparkly Chiffon Circle Twirl Skirts...

I sewed an elastic waist chiffon sparkly circle skirt for my Lil Chick to wear for her garden fairy costume.  Oh what fun she has had twirling around and around!
Circle skirts are so much fun and once you figure out your measurements it's a cinch!  I followed the tutorial at Ikatbag.com. It is complete with good directions, diagrams, and a template.

Also, I have been overly enjoying tagging anything I sew with my new woven labels. (See above in the bottom right photo.)  After working really hard on a project: seam ripping errant threads, remeasuring, fitting, taking in, letting out, trimming etc...it feels like such an accomplishment to tack that label on!   I love them!

Happy Costume sewing! I better get going, I still need to finish a bat costume for Bubbalu!

Amanda - Vintage Dutch Girl

Travel Trailer Makeover, Part 9: Bunk Beds and Windows

Pigs are flying, we finally made it to Part 9 of the Travel Trailer Makeover Series: the Bunk Beds and Windows!

I really decided to abandon the idea of color matching the entire trailer and instead customized the bunks to each kiddo.  Here is what the trailer bunks looked like right from the dealership:

Rather boring, pretty dull. Ruffly curtain in hunter green leaf patter...well. I WANTED to burn it but kept it for possible future resale purposes.

There was too much beige going on in those bunks. I like COLOR.  Back to fabric shopping! I still used premier prints fabric because I LOVE it. I had a few ideas of fabric patterns and combinations but let each kid pick their color and pattern.

Bubbalu chose a navy and orange chevron and coordinating stripes print, Lil Chick picked chocolate brown and light pink elephants and a coordinating polka dots print:

Yeah. Those don't really match. At all. Oh well! It's COLOR.

Also, I decided that in order for me to be able to get away with sneaking into the kitchen area of the trailer at night and eating chocolate necessitated some sort of privacy screen or curtain.

I used a tension rod and these little stick and screw on holders designed for shower curtain rods to hang a polka dot curtain:

I made a tie-back thingy out of the chevron multicolor fabric and velcro, then just screwed it into the side of the bunk bed. Is this a permanent fixture? With my kids? Probably not. How do I know this? Because they have already hung on the curtain and pulled it down.

Twice.

So, the picture above is ALMOST the same, just imagine that the curtain tension rod has a large dent in and is no longer straight. Then yes, it's the same.

For Bubbalu's bunk I make him reversible curtains and valance so that I can change it out if I ever feel like it...and bonus, I didn't think about or notice it until after I was done with the redo but you can see them from the outside and they are cute!

Lil Chick got pink, pink and some more pink.  And some chocolate brown. And polka dots. And cute elephants. Same deal as Bubbalu, reversible everything:

I also decided to do sheets and blanket instead of sleeping bags because I envisioned kids wiggling during sleep and those slippery sleeping bags sliding off the bunks onto the floor with the kiddos in them! So. I cut down sheets and made a custom bunk sized fitted bottom sheet and top sheet with a fitted end (so it would NOT pull out of the bottom).

I was out shopping for trailer stuff and saw the madras plaid and the pink and brown polka dot blanket and pillowcase sets on super clearance!  WITH an extra % off coupon....Score!! I was shocked - Lil Chick's blanket is a PERFECT match color and polka dot size/spacing! I was so excited!

I'm thrilled with the infusion of color and each kiddo feels like they have their own special space.  Add in some tote bins in the very back of the bunks and you have a mini playroom as well! The kids LOVE playing or reading in their bunks. And Mama gets to sneak chocolate late at night. Everyone is happy happy happy! :)

So, here is the official Before and After shot of the bunk bed portion of my Travel Trailer Makeover:

I think this is the last tutorial/talk through of the Travel Trailer Makeover series! Goodness gracious it only took me like 14 months to do 9 posts! Yay me! I should get a bloggy professional procrastinator award or something.

Maybe I can make it an even 10 and do the full trailer walk-through. Yep. I'll do that. In a few months or so.

THANK YOU for joining me on my Travel Trailer Makeover Series! I hope you have been inspired to add a little sass and custom style and COLOR into your travel trailer or RV!

Amanda - Vintage Dutch Girl


Check out all the posts from this Travel Trailer Makeover Series!

• Part 1: A sassified Shower Curtain

• Part 2: The "before I tore everything apart" Tour
• Part 3: Bright Bold and Beautiful Fabrics
• Part 4: Wallpaper removal, A Dismantled Trailer and New Side Curtains  
• Part 5: Cornici Recoving! 
• Part 6: Dinette Cushions Madeover!
• Part 7: Couch Slipcover
• Part 8: Master Bedroom and Privacy Curtains
• Part 9: Bunk Beds and Windows 

HUGE Etsy sale milestone...and a Gray Chevron Infinity Scarf Giveaway!

A ginormous THANK YOU to all my fabulous wonderful loyal customers to the Vintage Dutch Girl Etsy shop! The shop hit it's 3,000th sale yesterday and I am overwhelmed!

THANK YOU for allowing this Mama to fuel her creative fire, avoid housework, and visit her therapist (sewing machine) on a daily basis!

Blessings to you all and from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU!

 And you know what?

 "Milestones" translates in Amanda-speak to: GIVEAWAYS!

Yep, there is a giveaway going on over at the Vintage Dutch Girl Facebook Page! Go on over HERE and enter to win! Also, a coupon code for 15% off your next purchase at the shop will be sent out after the giveaway has ended to all entrants.

Go over! Enter! It's FREE to win! :)

Hmmmm. Have I given you the link yet? 

Oh yeah, it's

HERE!

Amanda - Vintage Dutch Girl

Feather Print Infinity Scarf

I am LOVING my new feather print infinity scarf!  Awesome jewel tones with pops of bright colors perfect for matching and coordinating with fall colors...and I love jewel tones. They go with my coloring very well. Pastels? Mustard? Oh no. I look HORRID. But saturated deep teals, oranges, greens, blues? Oh yes.

And now that the weather has turned chilly I am wearing jeans, one of my infintiy scarves, and a cardigan nearly every day! Here is the latest outfit design board I created using the Feather Print infinity scarf:

Find more outfit ideas on my Stylin' board over on Pinterest:


And oh yes, you can purchase your own Feather Print Infinity Scarf in the Vintage Dutch Girl shop here by clicking on the photo:

Happy Fall!

Amanda- Vintage Dutch Girl

Pumpkin Madness...

After spending WAY too much money on pumpkins last fall I decided I should try to grow them myself this year.  My parents have a lot that they will be building a new house on later this year and have a huge garden and extra space.  In exchange for weeding they said I could plant pumpkin starts. Sweet!  I planted two varieties: Jack o Lantern and Pumpkin Pie.

Well:

We had PERFECT growing conditions this summer: Super warm, humid, just enough rain...and lots of fertilizer. We were so excited to see our efforts rewarded with a large amount of perfect pumpkins! It was SO fun to go and harvest a bunch of them and decorate my front porch.

Lil Chick and Mama:

Easiest way to move a large amount of small to mid size pumpkins? Tossing them :)

Yep, filled the back of the car!
 

YES we plan to carve some of the big ones in a few weeks....YES I plan to roast some of the pie pumpkins and freeze the filling (no canned pumpkin needed here!)....and YES I like my front porch looking like a pumpkin patch advertisement.
 

I think I shall make some more of those Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies I've fallen in love with and make every autumn. Recipe is HERE.

I LOVE pumpkins!
 

Happy Fall Y'all!

Amanda - Vintage Dutch Girl