I Have Been Playing...

I have been playing lately with my kiddos.

I have taken pictures of their findings:

 
I've played with Rachel's hair more


Playing in the sand (this picture is Rachel's art work, I don't know what it is though)


No sewing this week, part of me is antsy that I am not sewing. Although, I know my sewing machine will be there next week, but these moments with the kids won't.

I am gonna keep playing until next week; I have a great idea for the month of July, so come back to see what I am up to soon. Have a great holiday weekend!

Hammock & Lilacs

Following a cool and rainy spring, hanging the hammock this summer was especially wonderful. Finally, warm temperatures and blue skies have arrived and it feels so good.

The Blueblossom Lilacs are in full bloom along the driveway this week. They're native to the area and offer the sweetest scent of blossoming summer.

I gathered up a bouquet for the small wooden table we put next to the hammock.

This was Hubby's first hour of many to be spent napping in the hammock this summer.

Guest Blogger ~Lemon Squeezy Home~

Hi everyone, I have a special guest today! If you haven't met Christie from Lemon Squeezy today is your lucky day. She has a very fun and inviting blog that is filled with her ideas and tutorials. You can purchase her creations at her etsy store too!

She is going to share her newest tutorial with us. I am so excited to have her!

I am so excited that Sachiko asked me to guest post today on her lovely site.  I love the stories she tells that help us get to know her better.  And I of course LOVE the awesome tutorials for so many cute and beautiful things!  She is such a sweet and creative person--I just love her blog!  Thank you so much for having me!!!

I thought initially that this tutorial would be better during the winter months, but with allergy season in full swing, tissue pouches are great any time of year!  They are so easy to make as well.  You can whip one up in less than half an hour (probably closer to 15 minutes!).

 
The main tutorial will show how pouch A was made.  Steps for pouch B and C are included at the end of the main tutorial.
What you’ll need:
-one 6” x 7.5” piece pattern fabric
-one 6” x 7.5” piece fabric for the lining
-one 6” x 7.5” heavyweight fusible interfacing
-For pouch A:  two 6” pieces ribbon.  
-For pouch B:  one doily.  
-For pouch C: two 1” x 12” strips knit, that have been sewed with a basting stitch, and stitches pulled to create two ruffles.

 
Step One: 
Iron the interfacing onto the wrong side of the lining fabric. 

Step Two:
Take your outer fabric and place the two 6” strips of ribbon onto the 6” sides of the fabric.


Take your interfaced lining and place the right sides of the lining and outer fabric together, making sure to have the ribbon still in place along the 6” edges.


Step Three:
Sew the two 6” sides together through all layers with a 1/4” seam.


Step Four:
Turn right side out and topstitch along both sides with the ribbon.


Step Five:
Take one of the sides with the ribbon and fold in to the middle of the fabric.  Repeat with other side.



Step Six:
Stitch a 1/4” seam.  Maybe straighter than mine:).


Step Seven:
Clip corners and turn.  All done!  SO simple!



For pouch B, sew the doily onto the outer fabric before doing anything.


Sew the interfaced lining on the same way as pouch A in step three.  Turn and topstitch along the 6” edges.  Finish with steps five through seven.



 
For pouch C, take your two ruffled knit strips and place along the two 6” sides of outer fabric.  Sew along the basting stitches on the strips, onto the outer fabric.


Fold the ruffle over for the next part.


Sew on the interfaced lining with right sides of outer and lining together, making sure not to catch the ruffles.


Topstitch the same way as step four, making sure to fold back the ruffle so you don’t catch it.  Finish by using steps five through seven!





Thank you for letting me come today, Sachiko! It was fun!

So darling! Thank you so much for sharing your talent with us Chritie. It was such a delignt to have you!

Note: I will be taking a break from the link party this week. Come back to see me on Wednesday for a regular post! :)

A Note of Gratitude

I cannot put into words how much your beautiful comments and e-mails have meant to us. We read each and every one of them together, and we're both deeply touched by the outpouring of love and warmth from everyone.

Thank you dear, dear friends for extending your blessings, thoughts, well wishes and notes of happiness. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

This photo was taken just yesterday...baby bump is a little over 14 weeks. xoxo

Link Love No. 13!

Wow, 136 links...I am so excited to see all your projects; and I had the hardest time deciding which ones to feature, because, there are so many great projects and ideas. I just wanted all of you to know that eventhough I can't feature everybody, I really appreciate you taking the time to visit and link to my party.

OK, are you ready to see some of the wonderful links?

The first one is linked by A few of my favorite things. She won these butterflies in a giveaway, she didn't make them, but I really liked the way she decorated with it. Aren't they pretty? I love how these butterflies add color to the wall...


Baby night night botique shared the prettiest dress made out of a t-shirt. I JUST LOVE IT!

These pretty Pet food canisters were made by The fickle Hobbyist. Do you have some large cans (the kind that has popcorn inside around the Christmas time)? I never thought that they could be so useful and pretty. The lettering makes it look so stylish.

You have to go to For the love to check out more pictures to see what she did for her baby's first birth day party. Oh, my gosh, she did such an amazing job, cute, cute, cute!


I have a white kitchen aid that I love, but I wondered how I could paint this if I wanted to... You Craft Me Up! shows you how to paint your kitchen aid with a step by step tutorial. Thank you for sharing!


I am simply amazed with how all of you people are so creative and resourceful. Isn't it fun to be a part of blogland? Thanks again everyone for participating!

By the way, make sure to come back on Monday. A Special blogger is coming to visit Tea Rose Home and share her newest tutorial!

Tutorial ~ Oh, So Easy Mouse Pad~

Just in case you are wondering, the last post didn't inspire me to do this tutorial, it is just a coincidence. I just noticed that both posts are about "mice", but this one is about a cute and useful mouse pad.

Our old computer was having issues, so we had to replace it. I wanted a new mouse pad, and decided to make one.

{you will need}

Two fabrics

Double-sided fusible ultra firm stabilizer (I found mine at Joann's. They were narrow, and pricey (7.99/yrd), so I only bought 1/4 yrd, you can make 2- 9" x 9" mouse pads.)


{How to}

This is sooo easy. If you have never used double-sided fusible stabilizer, make sure to get the instructions when you buy them at the store.

1. Pick out very pretty fabrics, follow the instructions and fuse the fabrics to the stabilizer.

2. I used a circle mouse pad from IKEA to trace a circle on to the fabic fused stablizer with pencil (very lightly). You can use bowls and dishes to do this with too.

3. Then, I cut out the circle with pinking scissors. If you prefer square, that would be pretty as well :)


That is it. Isn't it so easy and simple? This will make a perfect gift too. I cut out some hearts from the leftovers around the circle, I thought they would make a cute charm for keys or hand bags.

How to Dress Up Store Bought Curtains – Part 1

Embellishing store bought curtains is a great way to get a custom and stylish look without spending a lot of money. It is also the perfect option for people who have limited sewing skills.

100 Decorating Ideas Under $100 / Photographer – John Bessler

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

The curtains shown below were designed by Donna Talley (Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications) and made by me. Both curtains are fashioned from a basic tab-top cotton panel available from Country Curtains. They, along with several other curtain designs, are featured in this month’s edition of Better Homes and Gardens 100 Decorating Ideas Under $100.

Although there are basic directions printed in the magazine, I wanted share in greater detail how these curtains were made. Because this turned out to be a rather long post, I have decided to divide it into two posts. Here is part one.

Top It Off
I created this valance using a piece of Amy Butler fabric. The biggest “tricks” to this technique are making sure your pattern is centered across the width of the curtain panel and using a fabric with a fairly large pattern.

100 Decorating Ideas Under $100 / Photographer – John Bessler

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

Making the fabric topper directions:
Fabric width:
Measure the finished width of your pre-made curtain panel and add 4 inches.

Fabric height:
Based on the pattern of the fabric you are using, determine where you would like your finished top and bottom edges to be. Add 2 inches to the top finished edge. Add ½ inch to the bottom edge of your fabric using the fabric pattern as your guide.

Cut fabric to measurements above. For the fabric width, determine the center of your fabric pattern and measure out from the center mark.

Press top and side edges under 2 inches and then press raw edges under 1 inch to form a 1” hem. Carefully press bottom edge under ½” along fabric pattern edge. (Note: It is much simpler to use a large pattern.)

Pin fabric topper to pre-made curtain panel. The top edge should be lined up with the top of the curtain panel, directly below the tabs. The side hems should wrap around the edges of the pre-made panel. Sew in place along all four edges.


Stripe It Rich
The curtain shown below is the perfect solution for adding length to an existing curtain panel. I started again with the same basic panel from Country Curtains and added two panels of pretty turquoise linen fabric.

100 Decorating Ideas Under $100 / Photographer – John Bessler

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

Directions:
Fabric height:
Determine the desired finished length of your curtain. Calculate the finished length of the two blue panels and one white panel, by using the following formula:

Finished curtain length minus the length of the tabs and curtain header, divided by three plus seam allowances (the seam allowance number will be not be the same for each panel)

The seam allowance for the top blue panel and middle white panel will both be 1”. The seam allowance for the bottom blue panel will be ½ inch plus 6 inches for the bottom hem.

Fabric width:
Measure the width of the curtain panel, including the side hem allowances.

Once all measurements have been calculated it is time to cut the pre-made curtain. Cut the pre-made curtain panel ½ inch below the tab top curtain header to allow for a seam allowance. Then cut one white panel from the pre-made curtain using calculated measurements. Cut blue panels from linen fabric using calculated measurements.

Assembling the Curtain:
To attach the three panels and tab top, you will need to take apart a few inches of the existing hem of the pre-made curtain on each side. With right sides together, pin and sew top blue panel and the tab top panel together using ½ inch seam allowance. With right sides together, pin and sew white panel to top blue panel using ½ inch seam allowance. With right sides together, pin and sew bottom blue panel to white panel.

Make bottom hem by pressing under 6 inches to wrong side of curtain. Press raw edge towards seam to form a 3 inch hem. Sew.

Finishing side seams:
Press under side seams (same technique as above) to match the existing seams from the pre-made curtain. Sew side seams by hand for a finished

As you can see, both of these ideas are simple, stylish and easily doable. Next up will be directions for creating a curtain using an embroidered table runner, as well as many more inspiring ideas for embellishing pre-made curtain panels.

Infertility

We met and fell in love in August. By May we were engaged and by October we were married. During our courtship, we talked of fixing up an old house in the country, of small town life and of children...lots of children.

Our wedding was six years ago this October. I was 33 and Mike was 35. We followed our dreams and moved to that small town, and even found that old house in the country. But the children, the children never came.

We started trying to have a baby before our first year wedding anniversary. Unknowingly, it was the beginning of our long path of infertility. My diagnosis came a few short months after we bought our old farmhouse, a house which was proving to require much more work than we had anticipated and to cause much more stress than we could have possibly imagined.

While we struggled to create a home that would provide peace and comfort, we were also going through intensive fertility treatments and procedures...all of which, month after month, year after year, proved to be unsuccessful.

The reality of what was happening caused us great sadness, and I personally felt an overwhelming sense of mourning...mourning for the woman I always thought I was, fertile, and mourning for the life I had dreamed of with my husband, with children.

I began this blog three years into our infertility journey because I desperately needed to find the calm in the storm and to celebrate all the good we had to be grateful for.

At a time when I started to retreat from friends and social gatherings, I found a new community with new friends from around the world. The days in which I couldn't bare to run into anyone in town, were days I found comfort in the words and warmth of bloggers near and far.

A year ago we returned once again to the fertility clinic in Portland. We've been going through various medical procedures since then, which ended up leading to an IVF procedure this past April.

So it is with great happiness that I share with you something I never thought possible...I am pregnant. We are due just before Christmas.

With twins.

Link Party No.13,

Warning! This post may contain something you don't wont to read, if you have a weak stomach please stop reading and just skip to the link party. If you are REALLY curiouse what happend to me today, keep reading at your own risk...

I have been in a cleaning and organizing mood lately(again), this time it is sorting and organizing my piles and piles of fabrics. I have fabrics in the hobby room that my husband I share, I have fabrics in the laundry room too. Our air conditioning wasn't working very well, so the repair guy was going to come to take a look today. I had to move those fabrics along with the toy bins, so he could open the door to the furnace.

I thought I would take care of that in the morning, so when he comes, it would all be clean and he could get to it right away, it would save time for both of us.

So, I was moving stuff out, and vacuuming as I was moving the plastic drawers on wheels, I started to smell something bad. "oh...". I didn't want to move the last set of plastic drawers but I did. I had to... There was a dead mouse.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Our laundry room is not very big; so, with a vacuum cleaner in one hand, I jumped up in the air, arms flailing, slammed into the door and darted out of the laundry room. The kids stopped what they were doing and came to my rescue... no, they were really curious as to why a 30-something lady, who happened to be their mother was screaming and jumping around the kitchen.

"What happened mom?" Christopher asked,

"There is a dead mouse! Ahhh I hate it! What am I gonna do?!"

They looked at the source of my screams and said "oh, cool". Then went back to what they were doing. So cold. My husband was supposed to be my hero for times like this and come rescue me, but he was on the phone up stairs(job related), we were not to disturb him...

I stood there for a while (there was a good 6 feet or so from the mouse to me), hoping that it would magically disappear or one of my children (9 and under) would gladly do the dirty job for me, but none of these happened.

So, I got disposable gloves, got an empty cereal box and made a device to catch the mouse to throw it in the trash so I wouldn't have to touch it. Ok... this part is very gross. You can stop reading it if you want. The mouse was stuck to the floor; I almost gagged and was in tears as I was scraping it off the floor, with my eyes closed.

I used nearly half the spray bottle of Lysol to clean the floor after that.

Ogh! After everything was done and over, my husband came downstairs...

Anyways, I have been making lots of swaddle blankets lately. I used to buy flannels on sale thinking "oh cute, I will make a blanket for someone's baby shower". Then, never got around to it. Since I am trying not to buy so much fabrics this year and use whatever I have, finally making these blankets are a good thing. There are many ways to make baby blankets, but I am doing the self binding method. This is a very quick and easy way to make a baby blanket. Maybe I will post a tutorial in the near future.


Well, it is your turn to show us what you have been working on!

Here are the rules:

1. Please post something YOU made. It doesn't matter if it is crochet, quilt, clothing, anything would be fine. I want to see it! If you use someone's idea or patterns please give them the rightful credit.

2. Link to your specific post, that way it is easier for everybody to find and read it.

3. Please grab the "Tea Rose Home" grab button, and link back from your post. If you can mention the party in your post or place the button on your side bar, that would be great! I want more people to have a chance to come and show off their creation.


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Thank you for visiting my link party, make sure to visit everyone and be inspired! :)