Ugly Mangly Chair Gets a Makeover...

So I ran through our local thrift store last week and gasped when I saw this ugly mangly old chair.

I gasped because HELLO POTENTIAL!!! And for only $8 it was a STEAL. I all but dove for it and threw it in my cart, giving the ole hairy eyeball to anyone having the audacity to look at it sitting contentedly in my shopping cart. I've seen many upholstered little chairs for well over $100 at various stores. Lil Chick was anxious to sit on it but I refused to let her hiney touch that chair in its slubby state.

Fast forward three days. I've already ripped off and thrown away the previous disgusto upholstery fabric and purchased some pretty decor weight fabric, button kits and cording. My weapon of choice is a compression powered staple gun and I've got the craftin itchies. I told my hubby to keep the kidlets out of the living room and went to work:

New fabric covering cording and new padding:

Working on the back of the chair:

Only a SHORT time later (OK OK it took me six hours) I have a cute upholstered chair to adorn Lil Chick's new bedroom:

I FINALLY let her sit her hiney on it:

PERFECT.

A

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Plain Gray Tank Gets Sassy...

After finally seam ripping all of that punky, non-cooperative black lace off of my cheapo gray tank top I was left with blah tank top with three seam ripped holes in it.

Lovely.

Not to mention the frustration of a failed project.

After the tank top came out of it's time out (Yes, I punish sewing projects that don't work out as I have planned them. They get a time out. Sometimes they get a forever out. ) I decided to have another go at it.

Blah:



So I dug through my not often enough dug through fabric stash and found some goodies.

Anyone remember the Olive Hope Shirt???

I decided I needed one too. Yup, let's try a patterned fabric this time around:



MUCH better. Covered up the torn holes and added a healthy dose of sass to a plain gray tank top:



I'd call this one a success...

A

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Please Don't Set Your Teacher On Fire...

I was this close to pulling out one of my cheerleading outfits from way back when to help CHEER Bubbalu into this new age of education.

Yup, my baby's going to preschool.

And I'm certain he'd appreciate the extra effort his Mama would show by squashing her times two postpartum self into an eensy teensy cheerleading skirt and top.

Acutally, he probably wouldn't notice. I brought him to the door and before I could say, "let's hang up your coat" he was off and running. Uh, can I at LEAST have a hug or something? You know, show SOME recognition that it pains you to be separated from your Mother for three hours?

I'm sitting at home waiting for the phone call from the principal to have me come and collect my child.

So far so good. No teachers set on fire, no mass stampeding of the school and no ripping down the display boards.

There was one tiny thing I forgot to mention to his teachers. I do hope they hid all of their sharpies...

A

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Rebellious Black Lace...

So it appears that I am incapable of sewing luscious layers of black lace in a sloping angle down a plain gray tank top.

Picture unevenly bunched lace, lace flipping up on the wrong spots, lace sticking straight out from the, uh, ta-ta's and making me look about the width of a life size Mrs. Potato head. Not exactly flattering OR appropriate.

After three failed attempts I'm ready to throw in the towel and try something new. It's so frustrating when I have an idea in my head of what I want a project to end up like but cannot seem to make it happen.

It needles me to not be able to create it.

Get it? NEEDLES? Tee Hee Hee!

I have now temporarily abandoned lace and am now happily creating rolled fabric flowers. They. Are. Delicious. Lots of dramatic layers and no two are the same. Perfect for sassifying a t shirt, giving a bag some eye candy or even adorning an accent pillow.

Speaking of accent pillows, I am currently redecorating my living room. Many a day has been spent poring over paint chips and trying to pinpoint in my head exactly what look I'm going for and what will look good. If you come to my front door I'll probably drag you into the living room and tell you to choose a paint color for me. Then I'll second guess myself and doubt your advice and will end up more confused than ever. However, I need to trust my own instincts. I'm the one who lives in my house and I need to own the decision. My instinct usually steers me in the right direction.

Except when trying to sew black lace onto a gray t shirt...

A

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Decor Smitten...

*sigh*



This image by Laura Ashley has been haunting me for the past 10 days. I stare at it trying to piece it apart and decide what exactly it is about the decor that has me smitten.

Tealy fabric to cover my huge windows floor to ceiling? Already ordered.

Gorgeous cream sofa? Might be learning to make a slipcover or two....or possibly go shopping.

Double chocolate leather club chairs? Hmmmm, Costco is having a sale.

White/Cream walls? I've already primed the living room...with a slight adjustment that you'll eventually find out about...

New dreamy sofa pillows? Already surfing the net shopping for fabric and pillow forms.

This picture speaks to me. Actually it shouts. Not sure exactly what it is that is being shouted, but it's something good. Something very good. Something along the lines of, "Amanda! You ENJOY being a homebody!" or "Amanda, this living room is welcoming and friendly!" or "Amanda, curl up on your gorgeous cream sofa and re-read Pride & Prejudice!"

UM, OK I just looked again and found something in the photo that gives me a clue as to what I like about the whole room's decor.

Look closely with me:



Oh yeah baby! Prime blogging spot! Hmmm, I AM going shopping, maybe I need to purchase a laptop?

A

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Lil Chick's Room Redo In Progress...

A LONG time ago I posted about wanting to redo Lil Chick's room. Well, about a month ago I started painting and last week we started nailing boards to the wall.

Trust me, it's prettier than it sounds.

A recovering 3 yr old, a puking 1 yr old and Mama being woken up 3 times a night to administer medicine and soothe kids back to sleep has resulted in ssssllllloooooowwwww progress. However we are taking baby steps and see the end in sight.

Oh, you want a sneak peak? Here ya go:



I'm getting excited for it to be done! I still have a bunch of projects up my sleeve to do but Lil Chick probably wouldn't mind having her room back sooner rather than later. She slept in the pack n play in Bubbalu's room while I was painting. THAT was interesting, to say the least. A very effective lesson in patience!

Off to do some sanding and priming...

A

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Top Tank Tops...

I have seven tank tops awaiting my sewing machine, free time and inspiration.

No, that's not a typo. Not several, SEVEN.

What can I say? They were only $3.50 each. Not too shabby if I can get some great individual everyday tank tops.

I often see photos of clothes or a sewing concept that I want to try and get all fired up and excited about it but forget about it the next week when the daily demands of keeping your children alive and well and the house sorta functionable gets in the way.

In an effort to harness and recall those creative thoughts before they escape out my ears I'm plastering them here in a post to be available for me when my free time decides to come back from it's extended vacation.

Hopefully, they might serve to inspire YOU as well:


(Anthro)


(Anthro)


(Banana Republic)


(Kate Spade)

(Kate Spade)


(Nordy's)

Whew! That's enough for now, more to come soon...

A

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Black Edged Ruffle Tank Tutorial...

I'm loving my new Black Edged Ruffle Tank (or BERT for short) :



BERT pairs well with a casual denim skirt and snazzy flip flops. Yes, I wear bedazzled flip flops. Don't judge me.

So, ya wanna make one for yourself??? OK, here's the tutorial:

RUN to the nearest Walmart and pick up some of their Faded Glory tank tops that are now on sale/clearance for only $3.50 each. Confessions of a revampaholic: I just bought seven of them. SEVEN.

OK, you have your simple tank. You also need an old t-shirt to create the ruffles. I chose a flimsy tank (one on the left) that I never wore. Pretty sure it was a garage sale find:



Chop it up into three long strips....about 2 - 4ish inches wide by 10 - 20ish inches long, varying in width as you go. This project is extremely non-specific....so if you are a fly by the seat of your pants crafter, this project is for YOU. Here are my three oblong strips:



Use a rolled hem stitch in a contrasting thread along both short sides and one long side of each strip. Me? I chose black:



Baste (or use a loose gathering stitch) along the remaining unstitched long side 1/2 inch from the edge on all three strips. Hold on to the top thread and pull the bobbin thread to ruffle those up nicely.

Drape the widest strip along the tank top neckline and adjust the ruffles to fit to your taste. Layer #1:



It's already lovely but let's up the sassy factor, shall we?

Add the next widest layer and again adjust the ruffles as necessary:



Getting there!

Add the last and thinnest strip to complete the look:


Va va VOOM!

Finish adjusting the ruffles and pin all three layers to the tank top neckline:



Sew along your basting stitch to attach all three ruffly strips to the tank neckline leaving the raw edges out.

You are done! Throw on that lovely BERT tank and accessorize:



And yes, use a duckie peeking out from behind your rear. If that's not accessorizing I don't know what is...

A

**Didja know you can find me HERE on Facebook? True story. Become a fan (or like) and get the latest Vintage Dutch Girl posts in your news feed. Oh, and it'll make my day! **

Chili's Rocks My Palette....

Yummo chips and Salsa and some delish new burgers. Over on my review blog I finally change up my boring same-ole Chili's menu order and try something new. And you know what? It isn't half bad...

We Mama's Need to Stick Together....

You guys are awesome! So many awesome tips for traveling with kids in the comments section on that last post.

Love it when Mama's can stick together and share our often hard earned knowledge.

I must say, I'm not nearly so nervous about our trip now. Although I am guessing our trip will have at least three "you'll NEVER believe it" stories to tell you all about. Yay for blog fodder!

Stay tuned folks, Black Edged Ruffle Tank Tutorial up tomorrow...

A

Needed: Advice On Traveling With Kids...

Oh my lands, are we completely nuts?

I've just booked the flights and condo reservation for our very first voluntary destination family trip. That'd be my husband and I...and our 3 yr old and a 19 month old.

Are we completely nuts?

Yup, but we are bound and determined to have a grand ole time making memories as a family of four. We're going somewhere sunny so I'm hoping for days playing in the pool and catching rays, early bedtimes for the kidlets and take-out 'n DVD date nights with the hubby. There are also a few family and friends we will also hopefully see and maybe maybe I'll get some shopping in!? One can only hope.

SO, being that this will be the very first time our kids are on an airplane....I need your help. Your advice. Your warnings.

So lay it on me folks. Please give me some practical advice on flying with young kids...

A

Black Edged Ruffle Tank ReVamp...

I'm digging black edged ruffles right now. They have a lovely vintage Paris (the city, not the socialite) feel about them. Any idea what I'm talking about?

Here are some examples:


(D&G)


(Modcloth)

And this vintage sassy little number from Etsy:



Feeling all inspired I quickly ran up into my closet and grabbed a new but boring basic white ribbed tank:



Wallyworld. I think it was only 4 bucks. Thicker than the Old Navy ones. They seem to hold their shape pretty well and are nice and long. Perfect.

As soon as the kiddos were napping/quiet time I ran to the craft room and eventually came up with this:



However I though it needed a little extra sumpin' sumpin'....so I accessorized:



Ahhhh, MUCH better!

Things that are making me laugh about this photo:

A. the ducky peeking out from behind my tush.

B. The fact that I'm all dressed up on the top....with capri workout pants on the bottom!

C. My Hair. Pulled back and clipped up, with a huge yellow headband holding the massive stringiness away from my face. Quote from Bubbalu this morning, "Mommy your hair is big today". True story.

D. I took this picture with my CHIN. Yep, my face. My face took this picture. Loving my new iPhone4. It has many many features. But certainly, CERTAINLY someone could figure out how to do a vocal pic cue, right? Or maybe I'm just not cool enough to know about the vocal pic cue app. Does it exist? If so, please clue me in!

This black edged ruffle stuff is very fun. I'm thinking I'll attack a few more shirts before I switch the thread out of my serger because HELLO is that an ordeal.

Goodness gracious it has been FAR too long since I posted anything personally sewn by me. Tutorial coming soon, stay tuned!

A

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Bubbalu's Morning...

I've had a busy morning so far.

I started out with some fun coloring and decided that coloring on paper was for babies and decided instead to color ON babies. And myself. That's much more fun:


( I don't think Lil Chick appreciated my artwork very much.)

Then I moved on to some lovely crayon scribbling on the glass slider door which Mommy made me scrub off:


(see my drawing on my face? I like it a lot.)

But that was boring so I started shredding the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser pad. Why not? It was fun:



Then Mommy went away for a few minutes to count to ten or something silly like that and I found this itty bitty bottle of fun white powdery stuff that smelled like babies...which Mommy AGAIN made me clean up:



She's such a party pooper.

And right this very moment I'm in my bedroom having a quiet time. Except I'm not being quiet...because that is NO fun. No fun at all...

A

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OK Ruffles, Strike a Pose...

Finally discovered Picnik and have finally beautified the Vintage Dutch Girl Etsy shop. LOVING being able to accurately show my flower pins and new headbands in prettier photographs:









Ah, much better.

More ruffly headbands and polka dotty goodness to come. Also some scruffy casual flower pins. Yup, that'll be fun. I'm long overdue to have me some craftin therapy. Stay tuned...

A

**Didja know you can find me HERE on Facebook? True story. Become a fan (or like) and get the latest Vintage Dutch Girl posts in your news feed. Oh, and it'll make my day! **

Sumpin' Pretty to Sit On...

As requested by my cousin Amy, meet my fave floral upholstered side chair, Josette:



Isn't she fab? I've been waiting for her to go to 75% off for a good year or so since I first spotted her. So far it hasn't happened but ya never know.

And of course, I love the Lola Chair too:





Pretty sure this Robin's Egg colored print chair would look great in my teal and persimmon bedroom:




Ahhh, me loves some great fabric prints. Which of the above would YOU choose for your home and for which room?

A

**Didja know you can find me HERE on Facebook? True story. Become a fan (or like) and get the latest Vintage Dutch Girl posts in your news feed. Oh, and it'll make my day! **

I Need A Clone...

Needed:

One Amanda Clone. Preferably one who loves to clean the house, discipline the children and maintain a modicum of order and sensibility. Needs to be subject to #1 Amanda's wishes and commands. Needs to be willing to play the "spaceship" game with Bubbalu and must display a thorough knowledge of sharpie removal tactics. Those frightened by loud noises or easily overwhelmed need not apply.

Does this little angel scare you?



Please don't apply.

Does this well-mannered child make you cringe?



Please don't apply.

All those left, please call 1-800-Mama-needs-a-clone...

A

**Didja know you can find me HERE on Facebook? True story. Become a fan (or like) and get the latest Vintage Dutch Girl posts in your news feed. Oh, and it'll make my day! **

Poppy Crops?

I could be mistaken, but I'm fairly certain I saw these Poppy Crops on a thrift store rack a few weeks ago:



And these Bed of Roses Crops on the same rack:



I KNEW I should have bought them and sold em on Ebay.

Doh! Mental head slap...

A

It's a Bloomin Sofette...

I did it again.

I found another amazing piece of furniture that would look so very grand in my bland home:



Normally people buy boring furniture and buy sassy pillows, but NO, this Battersea Sofette in Bloom is the embodiment of sassy. It needs a few boring pillows to normalize and stabalize it. I'm thinking it would look great in my living room opposite of my chocolate brown couch.

Too bad it's just a tad out of my budget...

A

**Didja know you can find me HERE on Facebook? True story. Become a fan (or like) and get the latest Vintage Dutch Girl posts in your news feed. Oh, and it'll make my day! **

A Test a Tank and a Toodlededoo...

How do you score on the Maternity SATs? I did quite well...and laughed myself off my chair. Missy is hilarious, I have a feeling you'll love her as much as I do.

This tank top is BEGGING to be knocked off. It's next up on my list:



And that's all I've got.

I normally can't seem to drag myself out of bed before seven but today I set foot into Walmart at 6:00. Yes, A.M. As in, the MORNING. Yep, I'm still stunned I did that. And tired.

I don't fully awaken until about 8:30 - 9:00 ish so I really don't recall all of the shopping and aisle scanning that I accomplished before 8:30.

And with a pleased sigh and a smile about my productive day I'm heading off to bed. Well, as soon as I finish my oreo mint blizzard.

Nighty night...

A

**Didja know you can find me HERE on Facebook? True story. Become a fan (or like) and get the latest Vintage Dutch Girl posts in your news feed. Oh, and it'll make my day! **

Decoration Constipation...

WOW! Check you all out!

Can I just say? It was a JOY to read each and every comment (42 so far!) from the last post. It was so nice to meet so many readers! I KNEW you were out there :) It makes me want to blog more. To ask more questions. To post more projects. To ask for advice. To create more. Ya know, the usual.

I've been under the weather with a nasty summer sinus cold/infection thingy....yet I spent all my down time on the couch thinking up new sewing patterns, decor dreams and painting ideas. So while my body relaxed, my mind did NOT.

I often have a hard time shutting down the crafty side of my brain. It often goes 40 miles per minute (MPM) and doesn't stop when I need to rest. Walking through a fabric store or garage sale ramps it up to 100 - 200 miles MPM on an average day. If someone is with me? 300 MPM, easy.

Funny thing is, I often have more ideas for other people than for myself. My sweet sister-in-law recently asked me about a bathroom decor sprucing up and freshening and the ideas came ZING! ZING! ZING! at me.

Yet for myself? I don't know.

I have a hard time committing to new paint. To a new style. To a new shower curtain for goodness sake.

Yet when I hesitate, and hem and haw, then see my ideas elsewhere or other fabulous rooms that I KNOW I could have created I am frustrated with that uncertainty and inability to commit.

While blowing my nose for the hundredth time yesterday I started thinking about what holds me back.

1. I'm a penny-pincher. And I love to do things thriftily. It if looks great, was also a craft project and is inexpensive I'll get more joy out of it than running into Target and filling my cart with instant-decor items. Not that Target isn't wonderful, don't get me wrong. I just need more of myself infused into my home.

2. We bought a BRAND new home. A brand new, already painted "interior design" colors. Colors that I don't particularly care for. Including a dark yellow beige that is EVERYWHERE.... even the ceilings. If I change a wall color I also have to paint the ceiling....HUGE project. I need to get over that.

3. I don't trust my instincts. I tend to hold back when I think something will look good. I want other's approval first. A social green light so to speak. Not necessary.

4. I get intimidated. Hello design blogs, HGTV and magazines. A woman can have body image issues thanks in large part to media involvement. So too my home decor image issue is also media related. Media can be inspiring. Intriguing. Just don't let it intimidate you.

There. Those are some of the reasons why I am design/decor constipated. Think they make a anti- decor design constipation pill? Nope, didn't think so.

OK, big breath.

Time to start implementing my ideas.

Watch out, it's bound to get messy...

A

**Didja know you can find me HERE on Facebook? True story. Become a fan (or like) and get the latest Vintage Dutch Girl posts in your news feed. Oh, and it'll make my day! **

Commenting and Stalking...Hello Out There!

I got together with a bunch of girlfriends to celebrate a dear friend's milestone birthday. (Really now, DO go on over to her lovely, hilarious and down-to-earth blog and shower her with some birthday blessings!)

Amongst the many many many things we chatted about, blogging, stalking and blog commenting was a huge topic of conversation being that the majority of the gals are bloghappy.

I can't tell you HOW MANY TIMES I've been out and about getting groceries, picking up more Mr. Clean Magic Erasers or getting a Costco iced mocha to bump into someone who references something from my blog.

My usual reply is an astonished: "Oh!?! You read my blog!?! I had NO idea!"

Really now, it shouldn't be like that.

I LOVE to blog. I love to tell stories about my kids, share my crafts and sewing ideas and connect with friends, family and the blogisphere.

However, sometimes I feel a bit sad putting myself out there and getting a big fat zero response. Doesn't exactly encourage further posting. I know my site traffic...I have about a 2.5% response rate. Yes, that is a two followed by a POINT then a five. Not twenty five.

So, let's just put this out there: Why are people afraid to comment? What holds them back???

Ya know, way back when I started Vintage Dutch Girl I stalked a TON of blogs before timidly submitting my first comment. Then, once I had "declared" myself, it was a BLAST having conversations and building relationships with people I'd never met. Guess what? My bloggy buddies are very dear to me. They make me laugh. They make me smile. They give great advice. Most of them know RIGHT WHERE I AM...because they are RIGHT THERE TOO.

Think about it from this perspective. Say we are at a cocktail party (ya know, because I attend so very many cocktail parties that I am sick and tired of wearing my stunning LBB -Little black dress- and conversing with adults...) and we happen to be introduced:

"Hi, my name is Amanda, how are you?"


-----silence-----


"I'm married to my high school sweetie and have two vivacious children that constantly provide me with laughter and help to teach me the fruits of the Spirit. Do you have any children?"


-----silence-----


"My hobbies are crafting, sewing, painting...basically anything that involves creativity. I love to look at new fashion and try to recreate it by refashioning, altering and embellishing clothing. What about you???"


-----(crickets chirping)-----


You get the picture. So here's what I have to say:

1. Comments make my day. I love to hear what folks have to say. The more comments/response/feedback comes in the more I am inspired and encouraged to continue to blog. Comments make me smile. :) See? Big smile!

2. If you've been stalking me for awhile, say HI! I like to meet people! Let's chat, m'kay? I'm really not scary. Promise. Unless I'm dieting and you have Tostitos Queso cheese and tortilla chips. Then I'll straight-up right hook ya, grab the food and run.

3. YES, I realize that sometimes commenting just isn't possible. I fall off the commenting wagon frequently. Usually because I'm holding a 3yr old away from (once again) hitting the master power switch and zapping my computer or trying to convince the 18 month old that USB cables are NOT an item that we need to be chewing on.

So, whatcha got to say? I know you have thoughts bubbling inside. Share a word or two...

A

Please feel free to link/reference/quote this post on your blog...all I ask is that you link appropriately back to VintageDutchGirl.

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